Sitting on the Balcony in Bliss

So, just wanted to drop in and say hi.........I am sitting on the balcony of our hotel, sipping a Coke, waiting for Kurt to get back here from Daytona....He spent the day there with his brother since I had school board conference stuff to attend to.

The weather is, how shall I say it, absolutely perfect. Florida may get way too hot weather a lot of the year, but right now, it's the place to be. The iPhone is saying that it is currently 80 degrees and sunny, at 510 PM. I have been wearing only knee length skirts and t-shirts/tanks since we arrived. Bliss. I would love to wear flowing mid length skirts and tshirts every day of my life. But alas, in MI, 9 months of the year, I can do no such thing.....Blah. But, I am enjoying it while here.

Love wearing sunglasses and just relaxing. Being outside is doing wonders for me. I think another reason winter stressed me out is the being inside all the time. I am an outdoors girl. Give me my camera, some nature and warm weather and I would never step foot in my house except to eat and sleep.......I had this horrible headache for like almost 2 days when we got here, and it is totally gone now, and I am giving credit to the FL sun......

Anyway, FL has been great thus far, even though I am here on business. Our hotel room is awesome.......It's like a freaking apartment, huge, jacuzzi tub, dining room, kitchen, and best of all, totally paid for NOT by me. :). The balcony is the best part though, I love sitting outside. The first day we went to Universal Studios because I did not have any school board stuff until that night. Walked around so much my feet were killing me at the end of the day (I guess Old Navy flip flops are not ALWAYS the most comfy shoes ever)....Went to dinner at this place called Vito's Chop House, which was paid for as well. That was kinda bad experience for Kurt. They brought out all these cuts of meat to the table to explain it all and Kurt could not even eat after that because it disgusted him so much. It's one thing if people eat steak at the table, it's quite another if they are showing you dripping uncooked meat before the meal. I just ignore it, but Kurt literally ate part of a ceasar salad and a couple cheese sticks and could not stomach anything else. I had this amazing lobster pepper pasta. It was really good, and the appetizer of Florida stone crab, king crab and snow crab was awesome.

Today, I did lectures and exhibits and stuff all day with Jeff, stopping just to have lunch at Don Pablo's. We ate entirely too much, but it was good. Now, I am just waiting for Kurt and then will head out again. Unsure to where.........

Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend.....

Headaches Make me Random

Ugh. I have had this headache almost all day and nothing is making it go away. AARGH.

After Idol, I am going to pack for vacay and then go to bed and try to get rid of the damn thing.

Can't wait until tomorrow afternoon and leaving for Orlando! Even though I am going on business, it should be super fun. We have no set plans, so I have no idea what we are doing. I will of course, take my camera, and take pics of whatever it is we do.

Got my new ankle boots in the mail two days ago and have worn them the two days since. Super comfy! And fit perfectly. I am so lucking out with ordering shoes in the mail lately.

Got the Jeep back today from the shop. The starter we had put it last year died, so it was free to be replaced with warranty. Glad to have that back. Came home and Kurt cleaned out all the cars. I have no idea where he got the energy from.....Glad that is done too though.

Went to the ortho again on Monday (it's like every two weeks). They put in another power chain (stronger one), and told me that I still have to wear the rubber bands (bummer, but I figured I would have to since it has only been two weeks).

I am burning a candle in the living room right now.......I had them at the office, but cannot burn them there anymore.....Smells so good in here.

This is so freaking random, but my head hurts and I can't think too straight.....

Night all.

Heather's Blog Challenge #27

I am in a bitchy mood today. I will blame it on PMS, but I don't think it's really that because I don't really get PMS.....Anyway. Onto Heather's blog challenge. Because of my mood, I have chose to write a non-nice letter v an inspirational one, LOL.

Dear Certain People in My Life (dealing with my office):

I am a busy person. If you need something, of course, call me. But, please call ONCE and leave a message. Again, I am busy. Return phone calls do not always happen within two minutes. Or two seconds. If I do not call back right away, please WAIT for me to call back. Every time you call my office and waste time leaving another message, you are backing up my office even further. And annoying the hell out of me. Also, if I don't call back right away, please do not stop into the office to try and catch me there. If I don't call back right away, there is a REASON. Usually, I am meeting with clients, working on rush documents, on another line or in court. Further, stop leaving messages stating that something is an emergency, unless it really is one. Your wife calling you and threatening that she is going to throw her wedding ring into a lake is not an emergency. Your child being taken across state lines and hidden is. Notice the slight difference. I will call everyone back as quickly as I can, which is usually within 24 hours. Thanks for your attention.

Love, Your Very Busy and Hardworking Atty

***Note: most clients respect my time and only call when necessary and with important questions. The ones who don't though, drive me absolutely insane. I had someone the other day call at 1245, then call again at 105 to remind my assistant that he called at 1245 and had not heard back, then called again at 130. I was in appointments this entire time. Exasperating.

The Stupid Things People Will Do.

Read here.

Just In Case....

You needed MORE reasons to think George Bush is a freaking moron, read this.....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23764861/

Ummmm, I don't hate anyone. But, I come really, really close with him. Go Democrats in 2008! :).

Happy Easter!!!!

Happy Easter everyone! :). Am writing this from work. Don't worry, we are leaving at 130 PM to have dinner with family in Canton!

Almost Easter

So, this week has been hectic. Work is crazy busy. I feel like even when I get a lot accomplished, my pile of work is not going down......We worked all day today and I got a TON done. Drafted a lot of bankruptcies, I lost count it was so many. Felt good to get those done, but then when we left at the end of the day, there was still a pile of them to work on. Sigh. We are going in tomorrow morning (yes, on Easter morning), to work some more, then heading to Auntie's for Easter dinner with my family. Kurt wanted to skip and work, but I can only take so much working, and skipping Easter dinner would really annoyed me.

My new necklace came in the mail and I like it. The charm part of it is slightly bigger than I was thinking it would be, but not in a bad way, just different. I think I am going to wear it to Easter dinner tomorrow, so if I do and I take pics, I will post one so you guys can see.

Kory got home from Florida on Friday, safe and sound. Britton spent the rest of the weekend here, so Gretel was super happy. Gretel loves Britton.

We went and bought Bugsy this really kewl, huge cat tree. We always feel badly for him because he does not hang out in the living room with us because Whiskey and Gretel are always harassing him and he has nowhere to hide. Anyway, he loves it! As soon as we put it by the window in the living room, he jumped onto it, and has pretty much only left to eat.

We tried to go to IKEA on Friday after work, but quickly turned around because the weather started to get really bad. We were going to pick up the seating I want for the office, but it can wait. Kory's truck was doing horribly on ice, and Canton is VERY far on roads when you are driving that slowly. Bummer. It's like I am never going to replace the benches in the entryway of the office, LOL.

Had dinner with Julia and Tony on Thursday night. It was really fun, but sad at the same time because they are moving this week! :(. They are driving, and making stops in Texas and Kansas to visit family. Julia already has a job lined up, and Tony will prob find something soon, I am sure. It's hard as a dr. to get a job without doing in person interviews. Julia gave me the shoes for the wedding that she picked up for me, and they are really cute. I really need to call David's Bridal and make an appointment for my dress fitting though....It came in a couple weekends ago and I keep forgetting to call. I was surprised it came in so quickly.

Hope everyone has a fabulous Easter holiday (for those of you who celebrate).

From Amanda

What Lori Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Welcome to the World Part 2

One of my really close friends from high school, Heidi, and her husband Eric, welcomed their first baby, a girl, to the world, yesterday at 207 PM. Her name is Lanessa Renee, and she weighs 7 pounds 15 oz and is 21 inches long. Everyone is doing well after the birth.

It's pretty kewl because Heidi and Eric chose to wait and see the sex of the baby until the birth, so everyone is just finding out the name and sex of the baby now! :).

Congrats to Heidi and Eric. They will be fabulous parents, and I can't wait to meet little Ianessa.

Lucky Can Be Bad (even on St .Patrick's Day)

So, I got my most recent issue of Lucky magazine a few days ago, and read it on the way to work today. Towards the back, there is this section where they feature certain designers, and give you a great discount with a code if you purchase from their site. They also have a bunch of contests. Usually, even with the discount, the stuff is more than I will spend. Do I love some of the stuff? Totally. But $300+ or a pair of shoes. Umm, no. $800 for a dress? Absolutely not. If that's your thing, fine. Everyone had a thing. I have a friend who probably has party dresses that each cost more than my entire wardrobe costs, but I just can't justify spending that on clothes. But I digress. I saw a necklace I loved. I looked at the price, expecting it to say like $500 or something which is typical for the stuff in that section of the mag. No! Not that much! And 25% off. Don't do it, Lori, don't go on the website. The designer is a former MODEL, I could not truly like her stuff, right?

Got to work and logged right on. Looked at some of the designer's other stuff and loved it, but nothing caught my eye like this necklace. So, I of course, emailed Amanda and Sarah, and immediately got Amanda's go ahead. Heh. Sarah did email me later in the day after it was too late and I already made the purchase. Yea, it took me all of like half a day to make the decision. I blame it entirely on Amanda(Simply because I need to blame it on SOMEONE).

No idea why I have to justify all purchases with reasons. Every time I see something I like, Kurt is like "Just BUY it already". He does not understand why I hem and haw over every little thing I buy. I am getting better, but I still think "hmm, do I really NEED that?" Today my excuse was, this day truly SUCKS. Mondays are horrible at the office, and the fact that my secretary is on maternity leave and Kory is on vacay did not help the situation, since I had to answer almost every call myself. And some of the calls today were really exasperating and testing my patience. Sadly, ordering this necklace helped and I felt slightly better, if only for a few minutes, LOL.

So, the site is located here. If you click on "shop", then "as seen in", the necklace is near the center. It is called "Eden". It has a really delicate, interesting chain, and the pendent is super interesting and different. I love being complimented on my jewelry, so I am always looking for eye catching, interesting pieces. If you like something on the site too, if you enter the coupon code "luckybreaks1", you can get 25% off, which rocks.

Kory got to Florida fine, even flying his weird airline I had never heard of. When I texted him today, he was bbqing and drinking beer after a day out on the boat. Bastard. I could not be any more jealous, sitting in MI in weather in the 20s.

Off to change the laundry over. HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!

Relief, Mac and Cheese and IKEA

Nick is OK. Phew. I was sick over it. Talked to my Mom today, and after various tests being done and coming back fine, they sent everyone home. They are still going to closely monitor how he is doing, but they think everything is fine. It's so hard with babies, because you can't *ask* them what is wrong. Sigh. My poor sister is exhausted.

We worked part of the day on Saturday. Came home and I decided to make my famous mac and cheese again (OK, maybe it's Martha Stewart's famous mac and cheese, but I like to say it's mine, hehe. It was fabulous, yet again. And I made enough for leftovers, so I had it again for dinner tonight, and will have it the next couple nights too. YUM. Love this recipe to pieces and highly recommend it. Oh, a sad thing happened. My fav ankle boots died. They are not real leather (since I normally try to not buy real leather), and the heels on the boots are starting to peel, kinda. Like are coming apart. I have worn them a LOT and have had them a couple years, so this is not unexpected. Anyway, ordered a new pair, in a brand I have never purchased, so hopefully, I like them! Gotta love the free shipping on this site!

Britton was over on Saturday night, as him and Kory left today to go to Fort Myers. Their old boss at a place they worked at in Glen Lake previously has a place there, so they had a beach, free room and board and lots of liquor. What more could a couple 20-somethings want? Nothing. Maybe some girls, but since Kory and Britton lack game, I am guessing the hook up stories will be nonexistent upon their return. Ha. I am sure they will have a blast though, and they are going to try and catch a Spring Training game, so I am course am super jealous that I am stuck in MI.

Today, since Kurt was still feeling under the weather, I decided to run some errands since I was getting close to being out of some provisions for the house. Stopped at Trader Joe's and picked up various cheeses, veggie chili, soup, frozen foods, blue corn chips, etc. Next, went to Sam's Club to pick up water, red bull, pop, yogurt, vitamins, Afrin for Kurt, toilet paper, chips, etc. Then, I decided to stop at IKEA to look at furniture for the office. The benches in our entryway really need to be replaced, but I don't want to spend a lot. Anyway, found a couple perfect ideas, but I had the Saturn, so I was not going to be transporting anything that large.....I may go back with Kory's truck to pick them up, since having them shipped from IKEA is crazy expensive. Like $300 expensive. AARGH. Made my first purchases at IKEA today too! I normally just walk around and become overwhelmed and leave. So, today I bought a downlike comforter for my bed (I wanted a lighterweight one for summer, mine right now is pretty heavy), new potholders for my kitchen, a kewl closet thing to hold some of Kurt's ties (I have been looking for something like this for a while), throw blankets (I was so psyched about these, as I have been looking for cheap throw blankets and under $4 is so freaking cheap), a larger measuring cup than the one I have, and some measuring spoons. Maybe other small stuff too. Oh, and I bought 6 picture frames, three for my bedroom and three for the sun room (three silver, three black, all 9 by 9). Now, I need to order pictures for those frames from Flickr. Stopped at Target after that to look at duvet covers, found nothing. Came home. It was a nice day of walking around by myself. :). I was supposed to go to my friend Kerry's, but I never heard back from her, so I just spent the day by myself, which was fun! :).

Really not looking to this week at work without Kory. It basically means I have to answer the phone A LOT and I am going to freaking hate it. Ugh. I am sure I will be OK, though, ;).

Thinking About Nick

My Mom called me today at work to tell me that little Nick is in the hospital. :(. My Mom was exhausted. My sister has been staying with her this week, and she stayed up with him a lot at night so my sister could get some sleep. Nick has not been happy with the world since he entered it on February 29, and has cried a LOT. Anyway, sorry about *too much info* here, but apparently, Nick has not, since Monday night, gone *number two*. My Mom was starting to get worried about that, so on Thursday night, they called the doctor, who told them to come in to the hospital on Friday morning so they could check him out. They decided that something is going on with him, which could be anything as minor as his little body not agree with food yet, all the way to he may need surgery for some kind of intestinal issue. They were doing some tests and xrays on him when my Mom called me. Of course, when my Mom was telling me about this, she started crying (which is very unlike her), so I started crying, and then she was saying she was sorry for crying, but she is SO exhausted that anything makes her cry.......I guess if he has surgery, they would have to drive him to Grand Rapids because Traverse's hospital does not do infant surgery. I am wondering if it's something with formula (they have been using both breast milk and formula, long story on that) because when my sister was a baby, she was allergic to some formulas and had issues too, so maybe this is like genetic? I hope it's something minor like that. Anyway, they were going to keep him overnight. I called my Mom on the way home from work, and she was heading home too and was going to call me when she knew something. So, I will keep everyone posted. I am thinking positive, but I would still appreciate everyone's prayers for little Nick, and to please think about my sister and her husband and my poor stressed out Mom. Thanks in advance.....

I have been worried sick. My stomach is really bothering me because I don't know anything, and hearing my Mom cry is horrible........

Anyway, that's about it for now, I will update when I hear something.

Pug Kisses

Sooo many people have thought of me and forwarded an email, and every time, I still click the link and look at it. Even if I am having a bad day or am stressed, this puts a smile on my face and I just about melt.......Looks just like my little Gretel....

Click here to see what the heck I am talkin' about.

He's Not in Contempt of Court

So, Kurt went to the doctor today for his cold (pursuant to Judge's Orders, hehe), right after his physical therapy appointment. I think Kurt has spent more time at a doctor's office in the past week then he has in the almost 12 years i have known him.....Anyway, he just has a really bad cold. The doc wrote him a scrip for a nose spray, and just told him to get Mucinex. Also wrote him a scrip for his allergy pills for Spring coming up, which is good.

Had a school board meeting tonight, and found out that I am staying at a Hilton while in Orlando. Gotta love free hotels! :). They gave me my hotel check, and I booked our airfare today as well! Flying Spirit, we are leaving on Mar 27 and returning on the 31st. Should be fun. Friday and Monday I should get to go some fun stuff, but school board stuff will encompass most of Saturday and Sunday. I still need to rent a car, but that's all that's left to do. I just need to compare prices and get the best deal. We will for sure want a convertible, Florida's weather is PERFECT for that right now. Even though Florida is not my fav place in the world to visit, it will be SO nice to get away for the office for a few days. Two office days, anyway.

Kurt's stock method is still working fabulously. I keep waiting for it not too anymore, but it has now worked for like 4.5 months. If this keeps up, we could truly retire in the next few years, which is amazing. I really don't get my hopes up, because you never know, but assuming Apple stock stays at volatile as it has been, we are going to continue to make a killing. We are really lucky being able to execute the trades every day and working for ourselves......I will be so happy if I never have to open the doors of my office ever again, and can retire in Panama, just focusing on photography and helping animals. It will be so nice to be in fabulous weather daily, walk on the beach whenever I want, and hike every single day. OK, I have to stop talking about this, it's making me really want to retire, LOL.

Judge Orders Lawyer to Go to the Dr. and Related Stories

Congrats, congrats, and more congrats to Rebecca on having the offer accepted on the house she wants! I am beyond psyched for her. I cannot wait to see what life holds for her living outside of her parents' home! I have no doubt that this is going to be like a monumental turning point in her life, and that living at home has really been holding her back in a way, with all the stress there is living there. Further, I cannot wait for Wii parties! hehe. Hopefully, the inspection goes perfectly and everything lines up the way it should, as soon as possible.

By the way, Kurt is SOOO sick that a Judge (one of his favorites), actually ordered him to go to the doctor's within two days....LOL. He was just joking, but was serious too. So, I may make Kurt an appointment tomorrow. He has to be there anyway for physical therapy, so maybe he can pop in to see someone and get some meds for this horrendous cold he has gotten.

Work was seriously crazy today. Kurt had court all morning and a mediation in the afternoon, so Kory and I only saw him basically for lunch. I had a TON of appointments today, and barely sat at my computer all day long. I hate being overwhelmed like that, but with working Saturdays lately, I feel on top of things anyway..........

I called my Mom after work today, as my sister and baby Nick are staying there with her for the week. My sister sounded SOOOOO exhausted. The most I have ever heard her sound. I guess little Nick is not doing any better yet, and still staying up most of the night and pretty much crying constantly unless he falls asleep or is eating. While I was on the phone with my sister, Nick was being fed by my Mom and not crying. My Mom stopped feeding him to burp him and he started wailing....OMG, I felt so bad for the little guy. He cry was so sad, and Christie says he makes the saddest little face in the world while crying. Christie said he is starting to suck his thumb, which was funny to us because I sucked my thumb as a young child........I never wanted to stop, and I was like 5 years old, still doing it. My Mom tried EVERYTHING to get me to stop, to no avail. Finally, my Grampa D told me if I stopped, he would pay me $20. Never sucked my thumb again. As you can see, money motivated me then too! Ha.

I am going to book our Orlando flights tomorrow. I really need to, since we are leaving on the 27th. I wish I was going for *fun*, but either way, it will be a nice getaway from the office. I think we will be flying Spirit, as it looks to be the cheapest non-stop flight.

Watched the end of The Sopranos. So sad it's over! I know many hated the ending, but I actually loved it and thought it was totally fitting and exactly what I was looking for, but not what I expected either. Long live Tony Soprano.......My fav character on the show was prob Chris, but I really liked the story lines of Meadow and AJ as well. Great, great show. I love watching these on Netflix, from start to finish, never waiting for another season on TV......

Random

I had a frustrating morning, that I don't really want to go into, so I won't. :). The day got better as it went on, so I will continue to focus on the positive.

Anyway, OMG. Teeth are killing me today, but as the good doc said yesterday, that is good because it means things are working! :). Look at me with all my positive thinking in this blog already. HA.

So. I am watching the very last disc of the Sopranos, last episode EVER. I am about half through, but finished my workout, so the rest will be watched tomorrow night. It's so sad for me when the series end that I like!

Poor Kurt. He had physical therapy again today, and that is still going really well. The doc NOW thinks that he may just have a pulled or partially torn rotator cuff. He seems to be getting better daily, and they think he should only have to go a couple more weeks. BUT, now he has a miserable cold. I am like "SERIOUSLY Kurt, can you ever be perfectly well?" I am wondering if it is perhaps his sinuses acting up though because I can feel a somewhat shift in the weather here.

Anyway, random post, I know, but I don't really have much to report about!

Braces and Therapy

Ugh. Pain. And tired. Went to the ortho today for appointment number two, and I have to say, I love how I get special treatment when I go in. That place is CRAZY busy (and now that Rebecca knows that they have Guitar Hero to play while you wait, I think she wants to switch doctors, hehe). Anyway, both times I have been in, the actual owner has worked on me. Love it. He is a hilarious guy, so he makes the experience less annoying. Anyway, one of my braces had fallen off on Sunday and another came off while they were working on me, they replaced those two and then put in this power chain, and yea, ow already. Then they put these things in the back of the right hand side of my mouth called "Buttons". They are there so I can wear rubber bands that go from the top of my mouth to the bottom so correct my slight underbite on that side of my mouth in the back. Yea, I am not liking this. But, I will do as they say so I can be done with the place soon. Damn me for not keeping my retainer from when I was a kid and avoiding all of this. Anyway, the rubber bands are horrible. I have a slight headache from them, which Kurt said he got as well when he first got them. Speaking of medical stuff, Kurt had physical therapy again today, and says that he thinks he is feeling better. Who knows, but I have not noticed him grimacing in pain as much from his injury.

Work was crazy busy again. Which makes me even more exhausted, so I think I am going to go to bed and try to get rid of this headache.

Passed by Snow Storm

We were supposed to get a huge snow storm beginning on Friday afternoon, but thankfully, even though we got about an inch, most of the snow hit Ohio, South of us. Thank God, because we would have been calling someone to plow us out, as we already had about 8 inches of snow in the driveway.....I am really ready for Spring, especially after turning the clocks ahead and seeing it be light out later in the day, I am ready to HIKE and be outside and use my camera and all that fun stuff.....

Had a good weekend, despite the fact that I worked most of the day on Saturday. I was supposed to have dinner with friends on Saturday night, but the roads were bad near our house and I was nervous about driving home and there myself, so I called that off and just had dinner with Kurt. Dinner was incredible. We went to my all time fav place, Crave, and I ordered for both of us. After not eating all day at work, I was starving. We started off with hot and sour miso soup, followed by California Tempura, then I had spicy sour boton shrimp and Kurt had Chilean sea bass. We ended the meal with a white chocolate raspberry dessert. Sigh. So good. That place is worth every freaking dime, and I normally don't go for high priced restaurants that require nice clothing. Since we were still dressed up from working though, I figured we might as well have an amazing dinner to treat ourselves for all the hours we have been putting in.

Today, Rebecca came over and we headed out to run some errands. With her buying a new house any day now, she wanted to buy some supplies, i.e. cleaning stuff, toiletries, etc. So, she went crazy at Target and I bought some stuff we are out of. I bought this really kewl water filter system, that allows you to also have flavored filtered water, straight out of the faucet......Kory helped me hook it up, and it is working. Yay. And the flavored water is super yummy. We all had dinner at Pete's after that. Oh, almost forgot! We stopped at got manicures and boy, did my nails need that! I need to go get them more often now that my nails are actually existent.....It makes them look so much better, I am just not a huge fan of the manicure process. I love pedicures so much more, but don't need one of those yet, especially with lack of anyone seeing my toes in this freaking weather.........

Highlights, Lent, Little Tree, Babies and Bermuda

Went to Royal Oak last night and got my hair highlighted and cut, yay. I got more layers put in and am slightly more blonde, for Spring. Which hey, it's supposed to be here soon and does not feel like. Ugh. Went to dinner afterwards with Rebecca at Little Tree and had yummy food. I heart Little Tree and dinners with Rebecca. Deanna was supposed to meet up with us with Ben, but Ben was not feeling well so they did not make it. I actually scheduled my next hair appointment while at the salon, which is a first for me. But I really should do more often because I prefer Saturday appts and those fill up super fast with my stylist.

Kurt went to physical therapy appointment number two today. The therapist is starting to think he is really showing the symptoms of impingement syndrome. I was like, impingement what? So, I had to google it. They are still not for sure on any of this, and it appears from my reading that impingement syndrome can result in rotator cuff tears, so he may have a tear in result of the syndrome. I know Kurt is going to milk this for all it's worth, LOL. Tonight, he was like "Can you grab me a pop? It's too hard to get up with my *syndrome*." He was totally kidding, you you can see my point here. Men and being babies when injured, I swear.

OK, and I am going to pick on Rebecca for a moment, but......Lent. We were at dinner and she was telling me a story, which led to her making the comment that she gave up fast food for Lent. This coming from someone who I don't think *religious* whatsoever, and has been to church maybe 5 times in the past 15 years. Not that I think you have to go to church to be religious. Then she says she gave up fast food, but NOT like Subway, etc. because that is not really fast food because they don't have a drivethru, LOL. And she gave up pizza, but not GOOD pizza, like that in Chicago when she was on vacay. OK, there is a point here. I am not picking on Rebecca, in fact, I think she is hilariously cute because she is more giving up the food because it's bad for her and not truly for Lent. But other people? If you are going to GIVE UP something for Lent, because it's important to you, GIVE IT UP. Don't be like, OH, well, I give up alcohol, with the exception of wine. Or, hmm, I give up candy, but not chocolate. It just bothers me when supposed religious people who go to church and the like will take these traditions and eff around with them so they fit their needs. Anyway, vent over.

We were at lunch today and I was complaining about the new snowstorm that is supposedly hitting Michigan again tomorrow. AARGH. So, I said to Kurt, "can we just fly out someplace tomorrow afternoon and get away from this crap?" His response "sure, where are we going?" And he was totally serious! But, I don't really have the energy to plan a weekend right now. Sadly, i am so tired from working, that I don't feel like packing and planning. I did Expedia Bermuda flights, but once I saw the layover and stuff, I gave up on planning. I would love nothing more right now, then to lay on a beach with a drink and relax. And anyone who knows me knows that statement shows I am tired because I am not a beach trip kinda person. And I am craving that right now.

Nick is now 6 days old. My sister is exhausted. Apparently, Nick is not going to be an easy baby, at least yet. He cries a lot, and she feels horrible and like she is doing a bad job and is not a good Mommy. :(. Anyway, I am sure things will be fine and she and he will figure life out, but please say a little prayer for my sister to get some rest and Nick to start to enjoy being in the world....I don't really blame him though. MI sucks right now. I would have preferred to have stayed where he was too, it I were him! :).

I Curse Monroe County

OK, seriously. Does Mother Nature hate the state of Michigan and my area?

Dear Mother Nature:

It is now March 5. Yes, I repeat, March 5. The weather outside? It is weather that is more appropriate for January. And frankly? I don't get snow like this in my nice southern Michigan county--ever. I don't remember a winter like this in ages. NO NO NO. Northern Michigan, I get that. I grew up there. We once had snow on my birthday in mid-May. And that was sadly, completely expected. I just wanted to quickly write you this note as I think you may have been sidetracked and forgotten to start to bring Spring weather to my nice little home. Hmm. Or is this your sign to me to get the heck out of Michigan and move more quickly to a Central American country? Yea, the average temp in Panama this week has been like 85 degrees....

Thanks, hugs and kisses, Lori Anne

On a more positive note, I decided on mid high boots today v heels, and thank God for that. We went to drive out of the driveway today, and proceeded to completely, and totally get stuck. It royally sucks. We don't have someone to plow our drive, because, as I told Ms. Mother Nature above, we don't get snow like this in Monroe County. Especially in freaking March. Kurt went to get a shovel and we got out, but still. We are both wearing business clothing, and have to do this. What a fabulous start to the day. Then, the roads, all the way to the highway? Not only was there NO salt, they were not plowed whatsoever. I guess when schools close, the snowplow businesses are slower in getting things done. I am pleased with the use of my tax dollars right now, let me tell you. We almost got in an accident on the way to work (which never happens, Kurt is an awesome driver in the snow), because our car was dragging on the snow that was not plowed, causing it to move our car back and forth. Anyway, made it safely to work, and all is well.

Kurt has decided to go to Orlando with me for my school board trip. So, we need to decide exactly which days we are going. It will most likely be from Thursday after work until Monday evening, but I don't know for sure. Kurt really wants to catch a Spring Training game, but I don't think it's happening with our work schedule. We would have to move a lot of crap around on that Thursday morning schedule. I will have to do business stuff a lot of the trip, but Kurt will just go hang out with his brother and do other stuff. Some of the events and dinners at night are kewl, so Kurt can go to those with Jeff and I, plus, I am sure Kurt will want to see Sandra Day O'Connor's speak too, which will be the highlight of my trip for sure. I don't *admire* or aspire to be like many people, but she is up there.

I have been looking at things to do for my birthday this year too, but am kinda at a loss. We are going to LA in June, so I don't really know if I want to go anyplace so close to my birthday. We were looking at maybe flying to Arizona to see some Tigers games (they are there that weekend), but who knows.

Anyway, I am procrastinating in order to not work, so I am cutting myself off here.....

Wedding Fever

Worked all day on Saturday. Fun! Not. LOL. Necessary though, and I am still not caught up on paperwork, but did put a huge dent in it which made me feel better.

Sunday, I had to run errands. I went to David's Bridal to try on and order my dress for Julia's wedding in June. Of course, they did not have my size to try on. I could try on either a 4 or a 24. Umm, yea, I would not be fitting into either of those........So, I tried on a similar dress and just ordered the same size I ordered for my sister's wedding and will cross my fingers. The dress she wants is in the color Marine, which I really like. So, once then comes in, I will be fitted and all set. I think she is going to let me wear the silver sandals I already own instead of buying new ones, and she is buying everyone jewelry as a gift. Kurt needs to go get fitted for his tux next. After that, stopped at Target to pick up a couple things I needed (including Pantene detangler which I cannot live without and am almost out of GASP). Next, I had two awesome coupons that expired today at NY and Co ($20 off of $40), so I bought two pairs of pants for work, two necklaces, and two shirts for work. Stopped at Macy's next and found two awesome deals. One, the robe type I have been working for at a low price! And a suit, marked down from $250 to $69. Yay. Heart good suit deals. From a brand called Le Suit that I have never heard of before, and I really like the fit.

Went to dinner tonight with Auntie and Carl at Pete's Garage, which was fun and forced me to clean my house somewhat. Also started transferring more to my closet and organizing.

The weather was SOOO nice today here. It was 61 degrees in Newport at one point. Sadly, it is now SNOWING, and expected to snow more tomorrow. Seriously, I am craving Spring.