A Good Friend, Midori

We met Kory at Pete's Garage after work where I proceeded to drink two Midori and Sugar Free Red Bull. I almost never have a drink at restaurants. I totally needed it after the day I had. Seriously. I think we had like 6 or more annoying, really obnoxious, things happen. I am not even going to go into them because it gets me worked up to think about it, but basically, people being moronic and me having nothing I can do about it but punch a wall. Or, alternatively, have a nice drink. It made me relax and happier, so fine. Came home and had another one that I made at home, but this time with Diet Rock Star and Midori.

Watched Sicko with Kurt and Kory. Interesting movie, but I can't say I totally agree with Michael on this one. I think our country does have screwed up health care, but on the other hand, I don't necessarily want to pay for everyone's care either. So, I want something in between--kinda. Too tired and buzzed to think about or post about this in detail. Good movie though.

Still sore today from the shots, and Kurt and I felt kinda out of it. Hopefully, I am 100% by tomorrow.....

Gretel's new sweater came and it is absolutely adorable on her. I need to take some pics. She totally looks like a "rich" girl, LOL. My little girl with her luxury sweater. It does look really warm too, which is what I wanted. She went outside a few times tonight and was out just as long as the other dogs, which tells me she is more warm. Yay for Gretel.

Hit Me With Your Best "Shot"....

OK, maybe I should not say "hit me" since my arms are kinda sore right now.

Kurt and I went and saw a "travel doctor" today at Oakwood Hospital. We called our own doctor and requested malaria pills and a yellow fever shot and were referred to the travel clinic because apparently, general practitioners do not always carry the weird ass shots and things we wanted. I ended up getting 4 shots, and Kurt had 3. We also had a really detailed exam with the doctor where she asked us a LOT of questions and gave us a ton of information about the shots and Panama, etc. I had a Yellow Fever Shot, Hepatits A shot, Typhoid shot and a Tetanus Shot (which I have not had in over 10 years and is required every 10 years). Kurt had the same except he did not need a tetanus since he just had one in 2002. I was kinda nervous about the shots for some reason, maybe because I have not had one in so long I forgot they were no big deal, and they were not any big deal. The yellow fever one kinda stung a little bit, but nothing major at all. It was an expensive appointment, but the good thing is, most of the shots last a really long time. Tetanus--10 years, Yellow Fever--10 years, Typhoid--2 years, and the Hepatitis A lasts forever. She also suggested Rabies and Hepatitis B vaccines, but those are done in stages and would not be effective when we left, so we decided to wait until we get back to do those, since we were already getting 7 shots between us and knew we would be sore. It's nice now too because now that we have met with their office, now we can just call for future travel and say, hey, do we need any more shots? If we do, we can just go in and dont need the long detailed appointment. Also, have to have a scrip called in for Malarone, to prevent malaria.

Getting to that appointment was a total pain in the ass. First, they sent me paperwork with directions that were to the WRONG hospital branch. So, we got to the first place and could not find parking. The HOSPITAL charged for parking. Of course, we had no cash. And our Jeep would not fit in the garage anyway because its too tall. So, I had to VALET park my car at a freaking hospital. There is something kinda wrong about charging people to park at a public hospital. Anyway. I digress. Went into the hospital and found out we were in the wrong place. Thanks to the directions of the travel clinic. Went back out to get our car. Waited. And waited. About freaking 20 minutes later our Jeep pulls up. Called the travel clinic and yes, they will still see us. They are sorry about the mixup, their directions were wrong. Duh. Get there and check in. The lady (or should I say bitch) at the front desk says to me "Your appt was at THREE". I about choked her. I said I am aware my appt was at 3, we talked to the nurse we are meeting with and she knows this and is fine with it. Again, she looks down on me like a child that is horrible and repeats the nurse may not see us as our appt was at THREE. I could not freaking believe it. I sat down and finally started bitching about it to Kurt and the lady was suddenly nice to me. I was thinking THEY gave us wrong directions, etc. and are not reprimanding me?? When we got in to see the nurse, Kurt was in a HORRIBLE mood and pretty much told the nurse this. She is going to talk to her manager and have her call us. She also said she was sorry for the front desk's behavior. In the end, it was OK, but very unprofessional run business. Really liked our nurse though, so I will see about going back. We prob will.

Had court this morning and was so annoyed. I need a new phone badly. You cannot take camera phones into the Friend of the Court building, where I had a hearing. I first had a hearing at Bankruptcy court where I should have been in and out. I got there, and no clients. Then, the trustee was late. I was running really late for my FOC hearing. I really needed to use my phone to call Kurt, but did not HAVE my phone because I could not take it into the FOC building and did not have time to keep running to my car and back. So I borrowed someone else's phone (SO nice of that atty, thanks again!) and made some calls. Could not get a hold of my clients. Finally, did the hearing without them and left. It was a lot of running around for NOTHING. Aargh. Went to look at phones tonight, and instead of me leaving with a noncamera phone, Kory left with an iPhone. LOL. I think he is in love with it. Truly.

Anyway, I am kinda sore and tired, so I am going to bed.....Nightie.

6 Inches...........Wow!

OK, stop having dirty thoughts, people. I am referring to my HAIR. Went to the salon tonight to get my "hair did", and came out with new highlights and 6 inches cut off! Which still leaves me with "long" hair, but it is now just below my shoulders. I feel so light, almost naked........Anyway, I really like it. When I walked over to dinner to meet Rebecca, she was like "OMG, your hair is SHORT!!" I think what she meant was shorter, but it is the most short she has ever seen it, LOL.

We had dinner at Little Tree Sushi Bar and my food was soooo yummy. Started out with miso soup, moved on to a mini appetizer of this kindda crab/shrimp wontons and my meal was shrimp tempura.....to die for. Rebecca's food all looked super yummy too. Dinner was really fun, and relaxing, and it was nice to just sit and chat and gossip. We both had some good new stories to tell about stuff that had just happened that day to both of us.....All I have to say about Rebecca's brother is WHAT A LOSER.

Work was insane busy today. I don't even know how I handled it all, really. Kurt was in court all morning, and I had appointments all morning. No secretary working. So many people kept stopping in to pay, drop off documents, ask questions, etc., ALL in the middle of my appointments. Aargh! I got thru it all well though, and my appointments all went really well too. The day literally flew by.

My two new pairs of shoes were delivered today and both fit well and seem comfy. Can't wait to wear them. Maybe to court tomorrow with my suit? Also, my Xmas cards are here already! Yay. And Kurt's shampoo and soap arrived as well. We had so many packages sitting here for me open. I heart mail that is fun!

And Bugsy seems all better. He was not feeling well this morning, and by the time Kurt got home, he was acting like himself again. I think he just had a little bellyache or something this morning. Poor little guy.

Monday After a Holiday

I was not wanting to go into work today. Ugh. I hate going back after a holiday weekend. But, it was OK. Not as crazy as I thought it would be. It was nice because Misty was in, so I did not have to answer every call that came in. Got a lot of paperwork done, and returned a lot of phone calls. Yay. Got hired on several new cases too, and did most of the work on those. Whoot.

Had an eye doctor appointment after work. It drives me bonkers that I *have* to get an eye appointment every year just to be able to order contacts. They don't do that for people who wear glasses (I don't think). It should be either required for everyone or nobody. I understand the concept, your eyes should be checked......but everyone's, not just contact wearers. Anyway. Had my first appointment at the Sears Optical in Monroe. I used to go in Southgate, but their office closed, and went once to the one in Lincoln Park and it was more of a drive than I wanted. They did this thing to my eyes that the other offices did not do with dialating your eyes, which I freaking HATE. I like the puffs of air more, and sadly, I hate that too, LOL, but at least it's only uncomfortable for a second with that. My eyes were screwed for prob 2 hours after that. Thru driving home, making dinner, watching TV and working out and then finally, I could use the net again and *see* the computer. Ugh. I finished all my Netflix videos, so I can't wait to get new ones tomorrow! I started watching Queer as Folk again until I get new Sopranos and The L Word tomorrow. What will I do when I ger thru all these series? It will be traumatic, seriously.

I posted a long time ago about my friend from high school who was running from the law, and found.....Anyway, she is currently in jail in Michigan and then will be sent to California to federal prison. Where she will be for a few years. Anyway, I emailed her stepMom (who is one of my Mom's best friends) and asked that they give me her address once she is to her final destination. I have not talked to her or seen her in SOOOO long, and she and I were close in high school. I really want to write and talk to her. We will see how it goes. Her stepMom says she would love to hear from me, and I hope so. So much changes with people after so many years, but with most of my high school friends, we immediately revert back to our friendship as it was before, but she has been thru a LOT more than most of my friends, for sure.

My new bed gets delivered tomorrow! Wheeee! Cant wait to move my current bed upstairs and put the other one together. It will finish another portion of the house. Once I see the other bed upstairs with the other stuff up there, I will prob buy some new bedding and a few small decorations to finish up the room.

Elf Yourself

A friend sent me this link, this is hilarious. Everyone, elf yourself! It's the *in* thing to do, you know! :).

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9608494945

Long Weekend....

The rest of the weekend went well. And I am SO not wanting to go back to work tomorrow. I love long weekends, and I get them so much less than the rest of the world (or at least the rest of MY world), so I really appreciate them.

Saturday, I got up and had a massage at Blu Water with , Steve, which I totally needed. I don't even know if he conquered all the issues in my shoulders, but it's a start. And also a sign that I need to get in there more often. I am still in pain today......After that, went to my Aunt's for our family holiday dinner. Dinner was awesome, as usual. She made salmon patties and crab cakes for Kurt and I and they were AWESOME. Also, I love her green bean casserole, so I ate a lot of that too. Had fun showing Grama some pics on the net of the pugs, Bugsy and my sister's wedding. Watched this hilarious ventriloquist that Carl had TIVOed for us to watch. I think his name was Jeff Dunham? Anyway, really funny.

Today we just laid around the house--again. I feel lazy, but we really need time like this. I did do some laundry and picked up around the kitchen--kinda. Placed some online orders for stuff for Kurt--his prescription shampoo and soap. Also bought Gretel a sweater. I know people think clothes and pets is a lame concept, but Gretel actually needs the sweater. Once the temp hits a certain level, she will literally lay on the couch and shiver and will NOT go outside unless forced. Last winter, I bought her a sweater, which she LOVED and thus does not shiver and goes outside easily. So, I know it sounds weird, but my dog needs the clothes in order to function properly in winter. So, her sweater from last year is kinda needing to be replaced. She wore the same thing all winter, and it is just looking kinda old and tattered. So, when I was working out last night and looking thru People magazine, I found a link to a site that has really cute stuff and bought Gretel this. After that, ordered my Xmas cards so I can start working on those soon. So, if any of you want a Xmas card and I don't have your address, please email it to me so I can add ya to my list. I love Xmas cards, I think it is my fav part of the holiday! :)

Off to bed. :).

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving

So, hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving with little work and lots of yummy food! Mine was really nice thus far, although my *family* dinner is not until tomorrow afternoon. Kurt and I decided to stay in on Thanksgiving. We were thinking about going to Pinconning to visit his family, but due to certain family members being there that Kurt did not want to see, we stayed in instead. I decided to go all out (for me) and cook everything from scratch, as well as make foods we really like v traditional Thanksgiving food. So, we had clam chowder for an appetzier, cheddar tuna casserole for a meal, and Blissful Banana Pie as dessert. All turned out pretty well, considering my nonbackground of making things from scratch, LOL. I made several changes to the casserole recipe (added more tuna and cheese), which turned out great. Next time I make the chowder, I am going to add more clams, we could barely taste those, but the soup was good anyway. I used red skin potatoes v regular, which really made the soup for me. The pie is really good too, but really rich. Can only eat a really small amount at once. Overall ,the dinner was super yummy, and I was impressed with my cooking skillz.....hehe. Everyone seems to think I *can't* cook, but the truth is, I don't have time to cook. There is a difference. We watched football together most of the day and I did a few things around the house.

Today, woke up early and drove to Milford to visit my friend, Jill. I have not seen her for over 4 years. The last time I saw her was at her baby shower for her son, Jamin. Jamin is turning 4 tomorrow. And Jamin has a sister, Leah, and brother, Kort. So, yea, I had not met all THREE of her kiddos until today. Anyway. It was super nice to see her (mothers everywhere would be super jealous of her too, she looks amazing for having a 3 months old) and her husband, and to meet the kids. All very well behaved. Jamin is a bundle of energy, very inquisitive and happy. Loves people. Leah is super quiet and sweet. Takes a while to warm up to people. And Kory slept most of the time I was there, but was super cute when he was awake. They are really lucky to have such great parents. I took some pics, but have not uploaded them. After that, stopped at my Auntie's in Canton to run to a few stores. We stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond because she wanted a new roaster. She did not find anything to her liking. I did buy Kurt a new hair trimmer/clipper that he needed with a coupon. Whoot. After that, we stopped at gardner white and I ended up buyng a bed to go with our mattress that was delivered today. Love it, and I got free delivery for Tuesday. Trader Joe's was next with our shopping and I stocked up on fresh fish, veggie chili, frozen pastas/mexican and some other various stuff I was out of. I heart that store. Came home and Kurty and I went to dinner together, which was fun.

This week at work was busy, even though it was only three days. I had to go to court two of them. Aargh. That exhausts me, the running around at court all morning then coming back to my office, with a ton of calls awaiting me and paperwork everywhere....So, the days before the holiday were full. We were so ready to have the weekend off, let me tell you. It's so odd, it's almost like Kurt and I do not know what to do with ourselves having time off. We almost feel like we *need* to be at work or doing something. I cannot sit still at home for long periods of time. I need to figure out how to do this. I need to rest. The laundry can wait. I don't have to work out all the time. The dishes can sit there. I know I am all talk here, but I am trying to talk myself into the fact that relaxing is OK. So, with that, I am getting a massage in the morning, ha. May stop at Elder Beerman after that to buy a new mattress pad for the new mattress. I saw one in their ad way marked down that looks really comfy. Who knows though. There I go again trying to stuff 8 million things into one day....We are going to Auntie's at 2 for dinner with the family, which should be fun.

Snow update....Nothing at alll by us yet, but when I drove North to Milford, they had a small amount on the ground, maybe a quarter inch. My Mom tells me they have two inches on the ground in Manistee. I am hoping that we don't get any soon.....Can't wait until I am living someplace else in the wintertime.....

Wow, after reading Sarah's posts, my life is no non-amusing! :). Which is OK, because I am too tired to be amusing....LOL. I will continue to live vicariously through her.....

We worked a few hours this morning and then headed home so Kurt could watch the Lions game. I decided to run to Meijer's and Lowe's. Needed to return something at Lowe's and really needed to grocery shop. Desperately. I now remember why I don't go to Meijer's on the weekend. It's insanity. Could barely move in the store and the line to check out was horrible. Then, I had an annoying cashier who was freaking over analyzing every coupon I used. I wanted to smack her. Aargh. Oh, but I was super excited to find vegetarian chili there! I usually can only find it at Trader Joe's and there are no Trader Joe's close to me. Yay. Had it for dinner tonight and it was soooo good. Yum.

Had a good workout tonight too. I incorporated my new jump robe in, doing intervals with the rope in between other things and I loved what it added to my workout.

Need to get back to my laundry and get some sleep......

New Shoes

I know, I know....two posts in one day! The insanity! Anyway, while searching online tonight, I ended up buying two pairs of work shoes. I needed some desperately, so hopefully they fit well when I get them. For work, I need comfort and the cuteness factor, so here is what I came up with....I had a $10 Gift card to use on Amazon, and if you spent $80, you got $20 back. So, I saved $30 on my purchase and both pairs were on sale as well. Further, one of the brands was recommended by a friend of mine as being super comfy, so I am crossing my fingers that "super comfy" translates to me making it thru a day at the office not being in pain from my shoes!

Here is pair one: (Got these in black and loved the little blossom accent, kinda a twist to the classic Mary Jane)

And pair two: (got these in black too, I love anything that looks kinda dance shoe like, and I have other Naturalizers that are super comfy)

I have this pair of Dockers slides that are starting to fall apart, but I have not wanted to throw them away until I got something new.......As soon as the new ones arrive and I confirm I like them, I will be having a funeral for those. Speaking of funerals, I have a pair of Steve Madden tennies that are going to be thrown away soon, which is sad. But, I have other black tennies, so I don't need to replace those yet.........Can we sense a theme here with my obsession with black shoes? LOL.

Work, Work, Go Away.......

I have been working entirely too much lately. I don't feel like working out at night because I am literally exhausted. It sucks. I try not to bitch about it because I know I should be happy that I have a successful business while so many others in Michigan are struggling with the economy, but it still is tiring. It annoys me when I get home and just don't have the energy to head downstairs. I do it anyway, but I just don't have my heart in it like usual. Aargh. Like today. It's Saturday. We went in at like 10 a.m. and worked until around 5. On a Saturday. This is not the normal life of a self employed atty. Aargh times two. Whatever. I got a lot done, came home, ate dinner and still got a workout in.

Before coming home though, we stopped at Art Van. We have two clients who work at Art Van, and one of them told us that we should stop in because it was friends and family night. We really have been wanting to buy a new mattress. We want to move our current master bedroom bed and mattress upstairs to the third guest bedroom (which has nothing in it right now but a desk). Plus, when we bought our mattress, we bought the cheapest thing in the store and I have been wanting something more decent ever since. Anyway, long story short, our client got us a mattress that was regular price at Art Van for $2799 for only $939! And no sales tax, and no charge or delivery. Major score on that deal. I was so psyched. The brand we got is called Kingsdown and the line is called Body System. We got it for less than cost. Yay, yay, yay. I wanted something nice, but really had issues with how expensive mattresses are, which is why I have been putting it off. Props to my awesome clients for hooking us up! :).

Kurt and I watched an awesome Netflix video last night starring Jeff Corwin. Click here to see it. It really solidified my desire to go to both Borneo and Africa. Such an awesome movie. It was divided into three parts--Borneo, Zanzibar and Indonesia. The animals were adorable in the movie.

Sad that I have not posted all week and I don't have anything more to report.........:).

Car Rented--Check

It's sad I feel accomplished because I rented a car.....But, I did finally rent the car for our Panama trip. We are renting from Dollar this time (my first time with them, actually). I always just go with the company with the best deal. I prefer Thrifty, but won't pay more to use them. Anyway, getting an SUV, some kind of Toyota Pathfinder or something like that. Automatic with air is all I really care about in Central America......You need something that can handle rough terrain there and it gets super hott during the day.

After work, I had a dr appointment and then I ran some errands. Needed bird food (my poor doves and cardinals outside have been starving, bad me) and picked up dog and cat food at Petsmart. Tried to get an oil change, but the place I liked was closed so that will have to be another day. Boo. I would have been psyched to have gotten that errand done.

Seriously. I remember the days when I would get BORED and would not know what to do with myself. Long time ago, but still. Now, I would love a day like that. I could have an entire week of that and STILL prob not get caught up on errands and such.

I am typing on the desktop. Whiskey, Kory's little angelic dog, ate Kurt's computer cord so I am being a nice wife and letting him use my laptop. Kory already ordered him a new one, but who knows when it will get here.

Anyway, off to bed. Gotta get ready for another long day at the crazy office tomorrow. This week we have 35, yea 35, hearings. In 5 days. Don't ask how we do it, I really don't know. :).

Not Much Going On

We have been SOOOO busy at the office. So busy that I don't even remember what I did all week, really. Weird. Maybe it's just because I am kinda tired and should be heading to bed soon, but hate when I don't post as often as I should.

Well, one fun thing. Rebecca came over today (after we worked), and we hung out watching stupid wedding shows on TV and talking about how lame the brides were with the amount of money they spent on things.......Then, her, Kory and I went to Red Lobster and had dinner, which was yummy. She brought Charlie over with her and he is soooo big now. Like 70 pounds big! He had fun playing with Gretel and Whiskey. He was not too interested in Vito and Oscar, and hated Bugsy.

Went to a really frustrating mediation on Friday. We were there 3.5 hours trying to settle the case and then, the other atty and his client just got up and left without telling anyone. I was actually somewhat shocked. That has never happened to me, ever, or to Kurt. We were there to try and settle, you don't just LEAVE. Tacky.

Last night, Kurt, Kory and I went to my fav Mexican place to eat. It felt like we had not been there in forever and it was super yummy. I had shrimp fajitas and their chips and salsa are to DIE for. Sigh. Love it.

I have so many things I really, really need to do and there simply are not enough hours in the day lately. Aargh. I need a personal assistant to do this crap.

MASB Conference

**Me and Kurt at Barktoberfest with the pugs....

So, have not posted because I have been out of town and pretty busy. I attended the MASB Conference in Grand Rapids, MI. Jeff (the school board president) and I were the only two board members who attended. I left on Thursday afternoon from work. Trip went pretty quickly, only hit one traffic jam from an accident on I-96. Got there, checked into the Amway Grand (which is super nice) on the 10th Floor. Called Jeff and we headed for dinner at The Chophouse. The food service company our school uses was hosting a dinner, so Jeff and I decided to check in and take advantage of it. It was nice. I had two drinks(which is totally rare for me), and had blackened salmon with asparagus and rice.......Creme Brulee for dessert. The lady next to me had never had it AND had never had tiramisu. She is seriously deprived, LOL. After that headed to bed. Got up the next morning and met Jeff after he had breakfast. I had a bagel and frappicino from Starbucks and we headed to a couple of clinics and lunch at the conference. The first clinic was about communicating your budget issues to the community and was interesting. The second we took was on food allergies of students in the schools and I really learned a lot at that one too (www.foodallergy.org). The class I took that night was on Change and Transition: Managing People and Issues. That night, we had dinner at a place I found called Charley's Crab (Chuck Muer place) on the water in GR. Loved it. I had blackened tuna oscar with mashed potatoes and rice. Super good. Highly recommend the place.

That night, I woke up with a migraine, which I tried to sleep off and did, but it required sleeping in and missing breakfast. Met Jeff for lunch at this fun diner downtown and had mahi tacos that rocked. Went and heard a speaker at the confernece next, and then since we had a break, we watched the State/Michigan game and then headed to the next class. Mine was called Ethical Challenges and I really enjoyed this one a lot. Really interesting and it was fun to get perspective on some issues I have from other board members across the state. Went to dinner that night at a place in GR called Vitale's (Italian). We then decided to drive home that night instead of staying the night again. I was glad to be home and not driving straight from GR to my sister's wedding shower on Sunday.

**my sister, pregnant....she is due on 2-24-08

Sunday was my sister's shower in Farmington Hills. It was a lot of fun and nice to see my family. I always love seeing my cousin, Carolyn. She is in 6th grade and we always have fun together.....I bought my sister a crib, and she really liked it. She got a ton of other things she wanted as well. Everyone had a good time (I think). We watched the Lions game during the shower and it was awesome. I am still in shock we are playing so well this year, I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, really. :). Got home after that and spent the rest of the night making dinner, working out and watching DH. I will post more pics of the shower once I upload them...

AMANDA! I got my purse. I was so psyched, and it is beautiful. The materials are gorgeous and I am in love. I am psyched to have something so unique and highly recommend this site to everyone. :). I posted a pic above.

Kurt got his new computer too, which is awesome. It is actually really nice (despite the cheap price I paid) and it's great to not hear him bitch about his old one not working, haha.

**Me and Carolyn, my fav 6th grader....and my cousin! :). We were holding the string we used to guess how big around Christie has gotten......

Work has been crazy. It's said that I miss ONE day of work, and come back to true madness. I am hoping to calm things down a little bit tomorrow since today was practically all catch up.