New Stuff

Woke up this morning to a 5 foot drift of snow in front of our garage. Which is an issue when your cars are parked in the garage. Oops. I would have loved to just call into work, but no such luck when you work for yourself and have court, hun? I had two hearings this morning and a ton of paperwork too.

The drive to work was horrendous too. None of the roads ANYWHERE were cleared. Not near our house, not on the highway, not near the office. Accidents everywhere, people driving like idiots. Fun. It took us double the amount of time to get to court today.

I had two hearings today. One was something new for me, at a hearing for someone *supposedly* way behind on child support. I say supposedly because the Friend of the Court messed up his account. He had custody of the child from 1997 on, in a court Order, and they never stopped his support from accrueing. So, now after today's meeting, they are doing an audit to fix everything. My client was so glad he was not going to jail. I told him that would not happen, but people always think they will. Other hearing was a divorce case, which I finalized. I was pretty shocked it did, because the parties were pretty far off on what they wanted, but somehow, we did it.

Oh, Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate it! I personally don't. For some reason, the holiday kinda annoys me. Don't ask me why, I don't really have a reason. I just don't like it. I guess holidays in general annoy me, because I hate having this *obligation* to buy things for people. I would rather pick things up for people when I *want* to, not because it's Xmas, or Easter, or whatever. Kurt did buy me some gum today! Ha.

Nothing New in Newport

So, today was a pretty standard day, really. Nothing ultra-exciting to post about.

I was pretty tired when we got home, so I made dinner, and sat down to watch Beauty and the Geek. I totally did not want to work out, but I made myself. Yay. I always am glad once I get done.

I ordered a kickboxing bag on Amazon tonight. Yay. I have always wanted one, and now that we have the gym, I see no reason why I should not have it. Now, I need to put together some program for it. My old instructor told me he would help me out, but I feel kinda guilty asking him. I will try to find something online first.

I finally made my hair appointment today. I kept forgetting. So, I am going on Sunday and will prob meet up with Rebecca beforehand. I am going to get a massage from her and try to pay her, but she always just wants food, so I guess we will see. She always makes me feel better, and with all this working out, I really need it, I think! ;). I can't wait to get my hair cut. I really want something different, but always end up chickening out and getting the same sort of style. I don't like short hair for me, so my options are fairly limited.

Sore, but Happy

I had a fabulous workout tonight. (which can be seen at my workout blog in the sidebar). Kurt worked out with me, which was nice. I think I work out even better with him. Anyway, I can feel myself getting better with each workout. I can do more crunches, can walk uphill longer, can run further.........did more weight on my chest/back exercises.

I was so mad What About Brian was not on! Some stupid wedding show was on in it's place, ugh. Next week, thankfully, it is back on.

Work was great today too. I got so much paperwork done, as Misty was there answering the phones. The conference room table was filled with work done.

It was so cold here today, schools were cancelled simply because of the temperature. The schools in our town were all cancelled, and prob will be tomorrow as well. Crazy. I have never heard of school being cancelled because it is too cold. And Manistee, where I grew up?? They never cancelled school ever. And they are cancelled today AND tomorrow. That shows how insanely cold it is here. On the way to work today, the bank clock said -4. I have never seen the bank clock say anything negative re the temperature.

Kurt's Birthday--Part 2

Today, we celebrated Kurt's birthday again. Went to Fishbones in Detroit for dinner with Kory, Rebecca, Britton and Gary. It was really good. I had gumbo soup and sushi. Afterwards, Kurt, Gary and I went to the casino in Windsor. Kurt and I won $102.50. My portion was only $2.50. I played Texas Hold Em. Kurt played blackjack and craps. It was a lot of fun, but nothing beats Vegas........

This morning, Kurt and I went to work for a short time, had a meeting with a new client. We then went to a couple stores.....One, this place Kurt likes for paintings and furniture....We bought a painting for the basement once it is done. Stopped for lunch at Zoup, and then at the Pier One Clearance Store. It was fun. Then, he hung all the posters in the gym. I really need to take pics....

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

It's Kurty's birthday today! Happy 36th birthday honey! I told him he is old today, as he is closer to 40 than 30, LOL, and I have not even hit 30 yet. Ha.

We went to dinner tonight with our friends, Tammy and Tom. We went to Uno's. I had salmon teryiaki and rice, and a smoothie. I think the smoothie was a mistake, as I am somewhat lactose intolerant. I usually can handle a smoothie, but now, my stomach hurts. Rather, it started hurting about half way through my workout, and I had to stop. But, half a workout is better then none, right? It was nice to see Tam and Tom, we have not seen them in forever.

We also stopped in Home Goods and I saw this ottoman that I may go back and buy. It would literally look perfect in the sunroom. It is really modern, and the same colors that are in there. Went to Michael's as well and bought frames for the gym posters as well. Just need to bring them in the house and hang them up now, and the gym will be pretty much complete. The only things left really then are hooking up the satellite down there (right now we have the TV hooked through upstairs), and need to buy a couple mirrors for the walls. I also would like to get a DVD player and some videos.

Had to workout alone tonight because Kurt had a little bit too much to drink at dinner tonight. Three raspberry pina coladas and three rum and cokes too much. Ha.

So, court was somewhat annoying for Kurt this morning. One hearing went well. It was filed pointlessly by a father. In MI, there is rule that you cannot move more than 100 miles from your residence without permission from the court or the other parent in the case. Well, our client moved like 103 miles away. She did this like 3 months ago, and the father never said anything. She says he actually agreed to the move. 3 months later, he files a Motion for Change in Custody based on her violation of this rule. Done out of spite, pretty much. So, she hired us over the phone, as she lives in a differnet area now. Met Kurt at the hearing, and Kurt pretty much got their Motion thrown out. She was thrilled. The other hearing was the annoying one. We had a client that was very unreasonable. We filed a Motion to Change Custody for him, as the mother moved to another state and left him with the kids. He wanted her to have no parenting time, or parenting time only in the state of MI. The other side hired an atty, and they stated they only wanted 2 weeks in the summer. This is very, very minimal, and less than the Judge would probably give her. Our client would not agree. Somehow, miraculously, Kurt got him to understand and agree, but the guy was not happy, and told Kurt he was not working in his best interests, yada yada. Kurt was like "it would not be in your best interests to go in there in front of the Judge, because your deal will be worse....." Sigh. People seriously just dont get it. Why do they hire lawyers if they think they know everything? Seriously.

The rest of the day was nice though. Phones were fairly quiet, which is not the norm on Friday afternoons. I got some paperwork done, returned some calls.

Oh, and we heard through the grapevine that a lawyer we know was disbarred! Apparently, he stole money from a law firm he was working with as well as a local bar association. How stupid can you be? I am wondering if there is more to the story, like a gambling or drug prob.

My Gym

OMG, having a gym in the basement is SOOO awesome. And working our with my husband is amazing too. We used to work out together in Bay City, Lansing, and Taylor, but since then, we have worked out separately, or not at all during my law school stint. Anyway. I forgot how much fun it is to work out with a partner.

So. I am going to start a new page and link it in my sidebar to track my workouts. Today, I ran 2 miles, did abs, and then did chest and back exercises with Kurty. We watched Jeopardy and then Deal or No Deal. It was awesome having a TV down there too. We still need to do some odds and ends in there, but overall, I love it. Need to buy batteries for the top part of my recumbant bike, and need to buy something to pump up my ab balls......

I am so going to hurt tomorrow, and I so don't care. Yay.

Work today was crazy busy, as most Mondays are. Lots of phone calls and appointments and Kurt had court all morning. No interesting hearings to report on though. Ended one divorce, and the Judge in another case referred it to Mediation.

So weird too, we were talking about getting a refrigerator for the gym and literally an hour later, Rebecca sends me an email regarding a friend of hers who is moving and the fact that has a frig to give Rebecca (who is in turn probably giving it to us). How ironic. It will be nice to store Propel and other water down there.

I am so sleeping well tonight. I am falling asleep right now, and What About Brian is on!

Lesbians in Love

So, today, Kurt had an interesting and somewhat amusing hearing.

We filed a divorce a while back, and had an Ex-Parte Order signed at the start giving our client 4 days with the child one week, 3 days the next week. The Mom objected to the Order and asked for a hearing. Today was that hearing.

Our client had told us that his wife was living with her girlfriend. Yes, she is now a lesbian. She was exposing their daughter to this. Judges really hate, during a divorce anyway, when you bring your significant other around kids, let alone LIVE with them. He had videotape of this relationship (he bugged the house while they were still married).

She had not told her lawyer about this. So, instead of bringing it up, Kurt decided to use this as his "wild card" and kept the info quiet. He knew if they had time to discuss the info beforehand, they would come up with some story, like the woman was a friend, or whatever.

So, during his argument, he announces that she is a lesbian and living with her girlfriend, and he has videotape footage. Kurt says the other attorney literally *gasped* and stepped back. LOL. She tried to deny it and her client says "I am a lesbian. I live with my girlfriend and we just signed a year lease. I am not breaking it." Kurt was thinking in his head "THANK you for admitting this on the record......No need to prove my case here." Ha. The Referee told her that her girlfriend needed to move out. I wonder if she will listen or we will be in court on this again?? One can only wait and see.....my prediction is she will not listen.

Had a school board meeting tonight. We got t-shirts from the girls varsity color guard that are really nice. Also got cookies for board appreciation week. The meeting went well.

Grey's was great tonight. Can't wait to see if Christina says yes and what happens with the George situation in which I hope Callie says no. One should never say yes to a marriage proposal when someone is in the state George is in.

World Record

So.

Incredible things are happening at our house. The oven? It was used two days in a row. Yes, yes it was. I made two meals in a row. In the oven. This is truly a remarkable thing.

Ha.

So yesterday morning, I had my first multiple hearing day. Also, I had my first hearings at the Friend of the Court. Everything went well, and I was especially pleased with one hearing. Here are the deets:

Child: Age 6, boy.
My client: Dad, has not been allowed to see the child much in 6 years, and has gotten nowhere asking for parenting time himself.
Other side: Mother. Control freak. Has enjoyed having complete control over parenting time for 6 years. Pregnant with third child, only 23 years old. No lawyer, representing herself.

We filed a Motion for specific parenting time and reduction in child support. Went in front of the referee and advised what was going on. Said we wanted specific schedule. Referee asks other side what she wants, she agrees with me. OK. She also says, I will agree to whatever you want, Mr. Referee. OK. I jump all over that. I tell the referee we want every other week in the summer (which is VERY rare) and every other weekend during the school year. The Ref asks her if this is OK and she just says YES. I am thinking, WHY are we in court? Anyway, my client was thrilled and the time starts this weekend. Strange. I usually have to argue more than that. Which would have been none. Gotta love those cases.

Oh, and everyone welcome home my laptop! After vacay, I took it in for repairs. They called me becausse they needed my restore disks, and I could not find them at first. Finally found them and took them in and picked up the finished product today! I am beyond thrilled to be sitting on my couch and typing and watching American Idol. Now I just need to get Kurt's fixed, which requires calling Dell, which is basically my worst hell. I hate calling there.

I think that's about all going on in the household in the past couple days......I miss having Rebecca around to talk to! Damm her going on a cruise....

For all those who read this who are wondering how she is doing though, she emailed me today from an Internet Cafe and she is having a great time. She says she is getting an awesome tan, and today, her and her Mom were on shore in the Bahamas and were going to Atlantis to a casino and aquarium. I am so jealous! She also advised that she bought Kurt three bottles of foreign rum, so he will be psyched.

Clean

So......after so many weeks of *saying* in my sidebar that I need to clean and have no motivation, we finally did clean tonight. We are not totally done, but got mostly everything taken care of. Even did some things we rarely do. Yay. I hate cleaning, but always like when we are done.

I finished putting all the photos in my new album and I love it. It is so nice. And it's kewl to look at my pics in an album and not only online. They make me want to go back to Costa Rica though.....

Work was annoying. I felt like I worked so hard, but did not get much done. We were working on Chapter 13 stuff for Confirmation Hearings next week. So time consuming. I hate all the rules with the 13s. Ugh.

Anyway, gotta get back to my laundry......

Jungle Fantasy

Saw a show at the Fisher tonight with my Aunt that was part of our season tickets...It was called Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy. Anyway, great show. Nothing like Vegas, but pretty damn good for being a travelling show. We both really liked it. Had dinner beforehand in the Fisher theatre, I had a salmon ceasar salad which was super yummy.

Work today was better than yesterday but really, really busy. We had a lot of appointments at the end of the day, and during those appointments, about 5 other clients stopped in without appointments to review documents, ask questions, etc. On top of that, I had to leave at 5:55 p.m. for dinner in Detroit. It was a relief to drive away.

I got a call today from the school board President, wanting me to take over a position on the County board for a board member who can no longer fill the position. So, I am going to start doing that. The meetings are less often than my normal board meetings. I guess there is one member from each school board in Monroe County, and we vote on countywide type things. That's tomorrow night. So, I am excited to start doing some more with my school board position.

My Love

Soooo, I found out Billy Joel is coming to Detroit in May. And I really wanted to buy presale tickets, but did not get any of the emails I normally get on this. But, this morning, my friend, Lisa, emailed me with a link she got at work! I was so psyched. She rocks. Called right away and ordered tickets for me and Kurt and then Rebecca called and ordered tickets for her and her Mom! So, we are all going. How kewl. I heart Billy Joel. When I saw him in Vegas, it was my fav concert ever, and can't wait to see him again. AHHHHHHHHHHHH. That is me jumping up and down.

Today was crazy. I was so happy after a productive Sunday and then I had a hellacious Monday. I swear, sometimes we go through these spells at the office where everyone is totally acting insane. One client came in today, we are doing a divorce for her. There is absolutely nothing going on in her case except an upcoming hearing to end it all. Well, apparently she never got the notice in the mail from the court regarding her hearing. She was throwing an absolute fit about it. (like this is my fault). Then, she was saying she had called the office a TON of times and nobody called her back. I checked our messages, she had called twice, and I returned both calls, but had to leave messages. She was insisting we never called her back and was again, throwing a fit. I just did not get it. Some people just like to bitch I think. Finally, we somehow calmed her down, but it was exasperating.

Then, at 6 p.m. tonight, Kurt had an appointment with a guy who thought he wanted a Power of Atty drafted. What he really needs is a Trust, because he is trying to make sure his estate does not go through probate and that his son is personal rep. He was basically telling Kurt (who has an LLM in Tax Law and is an expert in this area), that he did not know what he was talking about. Then telling Kurt that he was too expensive. Umm, we are like the cheapest around. The guy had brought his son, who was trying to explain to the Dad that Kurt was correct, but the guy was not listening and basically stormed out. Sometimes, I feel like we get no thanks whatsoever. We stay after hours to meet with someone, give him a free consultation and all we get is "you don't know what you are talking about" and someone storming out the door muttering. Nice.

I really need to find some sort of stress outlet too. When someone is annoying me on the phone, I have this horrible habit of throwing post-its, pens, whatever, at the wall. I really need a ball or something that I can throw. I end up with 100 things all over the floor and then I have to pick them up. It is therapeutic though, and it helps me keep my calm on the phone when someone is driving me insane. Today, I was talking to a guy who would just not shut up about his case. He calls ALL THE TIME and will not let us hang up. He wants to recap his case 1000 times to us before court and we only needed to hear it once to begin with. AHHHH. I think he thinks we don't know his case well enough because Kurt did not meet with him for three hours to discuss his case, over 30 minutes. We generally don't need three hours. Ok, we NEVER EVER need three hours. Judges don't want to hear every detail of our clients lives....they want the facts, the bare minimum, and then make a decision. Why don't some people get this?

I need to just keep remembering the good parts of my job.

OK, I am done venting. :). Tomorrow should be better. It has to be. These crazy days usually don't happen more than one day in a row.

Client of the Day Award

Today, one of our clients came in to sign some documents for me.

She walked in with two huge bouquets of carnations (one of me and one for Kurt, one pink, one white).

I could not believe it. What a sweet thing to do, and totally unnecessary. I would post a pic, but don't have my camera at the office today.

Yay for clients like this lady.

Gotta get back to work, but had to post that really quickly. It really brigtened my day.

Revenge of the Attorney

OK, not really. But, it was a crazy busy day. Misty does not work on Wednesdays, so normally we like one of us to be in the office if the other is not.

Well, we had a hearing at court and an arbitration scheduled. Tried to move the hearing, BUT the other attorney had different ideas. So annoying. Scheduling is NOT a client issue. Most offices do not ask their clients for an OK to move a hearing, unless it's an emergency issue. If there are scheduling conflicts, you just do it. Well, this attorney said he would have to *ask* his clients permission, and with the hatred in this case between the parties, I knew she would never agree. She did not. So this attorney is totally on Kurt's "shit" list, as he puts it. We are just waiting for the day he asks us for a favor. He has done this to us once before (when Kurt had the flu and was literally vomiting), and it's just obnoxious. We really put forth an effort to work with and have a great relationship with other attorneys' offices, and normally, this attorney is very kewl. I can just see the future conversation...........Let' s picture it, shall we? Here we go.

Let's set the stage. Divorce case. Annoying attorney wants our client's paystubs or some simple piece of information. *Normally* this information is subpoenaed or a document request is sent, but for offices who get along, to avoid this extra work, you just call the office and ask for the info. NOT next time. Here we go.....

Atty X (this is what I shall call the annoying atty): "Hi Lori, I was wondering if you would send your clients paystubs over to me?"

Lori: "Hmm. Let me call my client about that and get back to you, should not be a problem."

OK, pause here. With other attys who attempt to work with us, I would get the paystubs and send them over. OK, let's continue.

Lori (calls Atty X back on phone): "Sorry, Atty X. I have discussed this with my client, who actually does not want to turn over his paystubs. Therefore, I guess you will have to send over a document request or subpoena."

Atty X: "C'mon, Lori. this is information the judge will give us, don't make me do extra work..."

Lori: "Sorry, Atty X. It's our office policy to ask clients what they want to do, and thus, I can't give them to you."

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

We already told the guy that we will never move a hearing for him, so don't bother asking. he knows we were really mad (both times), but, who the hell ASKS their client's permission on crap like that? There is NOTHING in the ethical code that says we must, and you can't give your client the final decision on EVERYTHING, especially in cases where the parties can't stand eachother. Use logic! Geez. Oh, well, we know eventually, we will get to drive our point home and we can't freaking wait for that day.

So, today, I had court this afternoon. The case I was referring to above. It was a settlement conference, to try and resolve the last pending issue of a case, parenting time. We finally got it all settled, my client got pretty much he wanted, so that worked out well. But, not being at the office for two hours meant I came back to a note and check under the door, 19 phone messages and 5 appointments within a two hour time frame. Ugh. Which also meant we did not get home until after 8 p.m. Double ugh.

Last night was so much more relaxing. We got home, and I did a bunch of things that reminded me why I am so glad to be done with school.

1. Took a bath with bath crystals, a book, and bubbles. I have this amazing jacuzzi bathtub in my master bath, which rarely gets used. I jumped in last night to relax........

2. Learning Spanish. Popped in my new cd for about 15 minutes to practice new stuff.

3. Aimlessly watching TV. it's nice to watch TV and not know I *should* be doing something else.

Anyway. I am totally exhausted so I am heading to bed. Night!

Sleepy.

So, Sunday was another day of sleeping in....Guess I needed it! ;). After sleeping in, Rebecca came over around 4:30 p.m. and went to Target and Kroger's. I got Gretel a new little outfit at Target (which I need to take back because it's too small).......Ended up just chilling at home that night. Ate cereal for dinner and watched Desperate Housewives and Intervention with Rebecca. DH was sooo good. This season is great. Unreal, but great at the same time. I don't mind a dose of nonreality TV once in a while.

Today was insanity at work. Mondays are horrible. I think I need the weekend to prepare me for Mondays at work. Kurt had two hearings this morning, so I stayed in the office with two appointments, as well as several clients walking in, a ton of calls, and trying to draft documents, all at the same time. Sigh. We did Subway for lunch and then crazily worked all afternoon. Aargh. Exhausted now, and I have another long day tomorrow since there is a board meeting tomorrow night.

I got home to some fun mail though. My pictures from my trip arrived, yay. They look great. I am thrilled since i only paid 2 cents per photo. I thought they might of been below par on quality. Props to York Photo. Anyway, ordered a kewl personalized photo album for them online tonight. Check it out here, I got the tan one. It will say "Costa Rica 12-2006". Can't wait to get it in the mail and put my pics in! Wow, look at me, following my New Years Resolution, ha. Also, got the software/books in the mail today that I got to learn Spanish with. Too tired tonight to look at it, but will start that soon as well.

Still Sick

And don't seem to be getting better. It seemed my fever broke during the night, only to progressively come back during the day. Nice.

We went into the office, both of us feeling horrible. Kurt started having bad side pains (similar to the ones he had before that put him in the hospital), so I drove him home for the day. I could not stay home, as one of our Chapter 13 cases HAD to be filed today, and I had to head back in to draft and file online.

While at home, Kory showed me the basement, which had somehow flooded. Asking what he should do about it. So, I called a sump pump place who was supposed to come look at it, but of course, never did. In the meantime, kory got the thing working again, but I really need these people to come out here. Home service people seem to be soo unreliable a lot of the time.

Went back to the office and had a really hard time working. My throat was scratchy, my nose and head totally plugged, and I could not breathe. I spent the afternoon pacing the office trying to get my nasal passages to clear.....

My 6 p.m. appt called to reschedule (thank God) and I got to leave the office around 545 p.m. The rest of the night has been spent sitting on the couch wanting to bet better.

Heading off to bed now......

Back in the USA

So, I am back! In the USA! Most would be glad about this, but I am not.....I loved Costa Rica. Everything about it, for the most part. The weather was great, everything we did was incredible.........Cannot even put my love for this vacation into words.

I think I am too tired to totally write about my adventure in a post tonight, and in fact, I may need to post each day in separate posts, but I will try. I also need to post pictures, but am too tired to download those as well.

We got home last night at midnight, and stayed up a little while opening mail, picking up the house, paying attention to the pugs and Bugsy. Then, we let the pugs sleep with us and since they had been sleeping all day waiting for us, they basically kept us up all night, but we felt too guilty to make them sleep alone after we left them for so long.....

Worked today and mistakenly thought we would be dead....Ummm, no. I guess Christmas causes more divorce and bankruptcy than I realized.

So, I am glad to be home, yet sad to have left at the same time. Welcome me back! :).

Happy 3rd Birthday Vito Corleone!

This week has been insane. Seriously. Work was crazy busy and on top of that, we were trying to get things done before vacay tomorrow.

Through all of it, we actually got out of the office at a decent hour. It felt strange packing, because we could actually do it at a leisurely pace.....This is not normal. Before vacay, we are usually running around like mad, packing at the last second, and running out the door after 4 hours of sleep. Still may not get much sleep, but the packing went much better. I even made dinner, did a load of dishes AND a load of laundry through all of it. Woo me. Now am relaxing and will head to bed soon.

Can't wait to get on our flight in the morning. We are flying Continental, which I have never flown before. Guess we will know after the 4 flights of this trip if we like them or not. I *think* I have packed everything. Almost every trip, I forget one small, minor thing. Last trip it was eye makeup remover. Which was actually OK, because it forced a trip to Sephora. Don't think there are any Sephoras in San Jose though.....hehe.

I am so psyched to use my camera. It has been really sad this winter, the lack of sunlight to take pics in.....the average temp in Costa Rica is 76 to 80 degrees every day, every month. I heart nice weather. Especially in December....

Today is Vito C's 3rd birthday. We took him to Burger King, which is pug birthday tradition. Bought him his fav, a kids' cheeseburger. He loved it and was so excited to get to go on a car ride all by himself with Mom and Dad. The guy at the window liked him too, gave him a chicken nugget. When we got home, he was so overcome with excitement, he fell asleep on the couch.

We are taking the laptops on vacay, so email me if you want! I will try and post as well, if I have the energy at night after wandering the jungle, beach and volcanos all day!

Celebrate.....

Leaving work earlier than 9:30 p.m.! Yay. We left the office at 5:15 p.m. today. Miraculous!

After we left the office, Kurt mentioned buying exercise equipment for the gym, so I suggested heading to Dunham's. Kory and I a while back went there and looked at stuff to purchase, but never did so. So, we headed to Dunham's in Southgate. Umm, that store really needs some more employees. It's a weekend, before Xmas. Huge store. Only, I am now kidding, 4 employees in the store. One manager and 3 employees. Kurt and I picked out everything we wanted. The next obstacle was getting help. Normally, we never would have waited like we did there, but they had some great deals.....When we finally got help, it was fine.

We ended up buying a ton of stuff, but have to make several trips to get it all. We bought the machine I have pictured here. We also bought another machine which is kinda like a home gym. Then bought one dumbbell set with stand that goes from 10-50 pounds, and also bought dumbbells from 55-70 pounds. Bought an inexpensive weight bench that adjusts up and down to go with the other one we already have that is nonadjustable. Then, we bought the flooring for the gym. I could not find the exact picture of the stuff, but it's similar to the link, just thicker. The only problem was, we needed like 10 packs of the stuff, and the store only had two. So, the manager called like all the other stores in the area and found 8 more, which we are picking up on Sunday.

Yay. Can't wait. Then I just need to hang my vintage posters, and everything will be done. I am going to call re getting satellite extended into the basement tomorrow.......Also would like to take my stereo down there. We never use it in the kitchen where I currently have it.

I just watched the most stressful show ever....It was called "I Shouldn't be Alive" and was totally insane. Loved it. I highly recommend. Based on true stories, but reenactments.

End of the Storm

So, the rest of the day I calmed down a little bit, LOL. They figured out the situation at our home and now we have heat. For good. So, I came home to a nice toasty house. We worked late though, again, ugh. Did not get home until around 745 p.m., but have been chilling since. Started working on my Xmas cards, but only wrote out 16, so I have a really, really long way to go. I sent out like 125+ every year. I love Xmas cards. It's the one part of Xmas that I really enjoy.

So, we are getting somewhat caught up at the office which is SOOO nice. I can't wait to be totally caught up. But who is kidding? We are never really caught up, there is always something to do.....

So, I am getting really excited about my trip! My camera is really excited too, and is sitting in the kitchen, looking at me, because of my lack of use of the baby since winter has started. The weather here is so horrible in winter, it really surbs my photorgraphy adventures. I think Rebecca and I need to head to the conservatory soon on Belle Isle....Rebecca?

Or Maybe Not

Worked an extremely long, tiring day yesterday. We were here from 9:15 a.m. until about 9:30 p.m. Ugh. At least we got a lot of stuff done. After a certain time at night, the phone barely rings, so I can actually draft things and not get interrupted every two seconds. But, also once a certain amount of time has been worked, I start getting exhausted. I think my breaking point was about 8:30 a.m.

I got so annoyed at this guy at work yesterday. I had already had a long day, and he stopped it here chewing me out for NO REASON WHATSOEVER. He basically was stressed because he had court yesterday (which went fine). The trustee asked for some additional information (which is normal and means nothing), so he had brought it into me to fax over. When he was here, he was all concerned about having to provide additional information. I told him it was no big deal, this happens all the time (the request of more info). I told him if they wanted anything else I would let him know. This is when he had a breakdown and started yelling at me because Kurt was not at his hearing and we had another attorney cover them. Umm, yea. We do that. We pay another attorney to appear at some hearings for us so we have time to be in the office. Bankruptcy hearings for Chapter 7 cases are not difficult. Paul actually does more of the hearings than we do now, because we have him cover almost all of ours. So, he is completely competent. Anyway, I was pissed the guy was throwing a fit over it. He somehow thought the trustee would not have asked for more info if Kurt was there instead. Umm, no, this trustee asks for extra info in almost ALL our cases. But, this guy was not having any of that. He was convinced Paul covering the hearing was his freaking downfall. AARGH. He left. I called Kurt to bitch and he came back and actually said he was sorry for taking his stress out on me. Well, thanks for getting me all worked up for nothing buddy, on a day that I have to work over 12 hours. People drive me nutty sometimes. It's one thing if you have a reason to complain, but when you don't, just think before you say things. Ok, done venting.

Then, got home and of course, had no heat. It was supposed to be working and was not again. I have a new furance. It should work, don't you think? I am beginning to wonder if I will ever be warm again. It has been an average of 65 degrees in our house for like a week now. I called this morning and they are going over there again, but I am questioning if heat will ever be restored. Thank God I have not paid these people yet, because I know it would be a hassle to get them back over there if I had.

Anyway, I should not post in the morning when I have had to get up early, because I realize I am complaining way too much, LOL. Today should be a better day. Misty is in today, so I don't have to answer the phone as much, and I can get a bunch of paperwork done. Yay.