From Jeannie--MEME

I normally don't post stuff like this on my blog, but since Jeannie tagged me, the rule is I must. If I tag you at the end, you MUST answer. If you don't.....Well, I won't tell you what happens if you don't, because it's not a positive thing....MUHAHAHA. Here are the questions.

Four things you learned or experienced or explored for the first time in the past four years.

1. Photography. I don't recall exactly when my exploration began, but I found a hobby, a passion really, for something that makes me think I am creative (which I never thought before), makes me relaxed (which is difficult with my career), and makes me truly happy. I love the fact that people think I am "good" at something that I am so passionate about, and at the same time, I like the fact that I don't "care" if I am good at it or not. Even if every picture I took sucked, I would like photography because of how it makes me feel. I have had hobbies and interests in the past, but this is on a totally different level.

2. Confidence. I think I have always been somewhat confident. My parents both encouraged me and supported me in anything I did my entire life. But, I think it just happened last year that I started to really believe in myself. When I took the bar exam, I truly had myself convinced I failed. I started doing this thing to myself where I would set myself up to fail, so when I did fail, it would not be a big deal. Well, I did that again with the school board interview, and got that too. Passed the bar and got appointed the same very week. I sat back and said to myself, "You know what? You need to start believing you can do stuff like this. There is no reason whatsoever for you to think you are going to fail." So, if I fail. Fine. But, I am going into things now believing that I will succeed

3. Money Is Not Everything. Kurt and I have a very successful law practice. I have a nice house, luxury cars, and can pretty much buy what I want (within reason). I get to take awesome vacations, and don't have to worry about paying bills. BUT. This does not make one happy. Does money help? For sure. I don't have to worry about the things others do, and I am very lucky for that with the horrible economy in Michigan right now. On the flip side, I am stressed out. I work a lot of hours. I have little spare time. My job is my life, since I run my own business and am constantly thinking about things that need to be done, documents that need to be drafted. I can't just "leave the office at the office." I am not saying at all that I am not happy at all, because I am. I am just saying that money does not make everything perfect.

4. Enabling is BAD. We have a family member who has serious issues. She has stolen from her parents, lied excessively, etc. I am a huge forgiver, but there is a point where I just can't take it anymore, and can't trust anymore. If you steal from your parents in the manner she did, I really wonder if there is a point of return there. And when someone does not even realize that they did anything wrong, or try to fix the problem, and others just keep forgiving and acting like nothing happened, this is a problem too. Hence, enabling. If someone has a major problem, and I mean major, sometimes forgiving and not making the person get help is totally not helping the situation. Ever seen Intervention? Yea, that. Not just about drugs and alcohol addictions. I found that although I feel horrible about the entire situation, I am NOT going to enable this person. I doubt my actions mean anything, since most of the rest of our family acts like nothing has happened at all, but if my actions help, even remotely, than I will be happy that I could help this person. I know, this is evasive, but you get the point.

Four things I want to try new in the next four years.

1. Comfortable Public Speaking. I am confident in my knowledge of law and the areas we practice. I am confident in my ability in court. But public speaking terrifies me. Nobody would know this, as I don't come across this way at all. But every time I have to speak in public, I am freaking out inside. It is so odd. I follow through, do what I need to do, but it is not second nature at all. I want it to be. I want to learn this.

2. Driving a Stick. We have one car that is a stick shift. I kinda know how to drive it, but don't, because I am not a pro at it. Need to take Kurt and the car out more and become comfortable with this.

3. Rockclimbing. I want to start by going to a local gym that has indoor stuff, and then maybe escalate to minor outdoor stuff. I love being outdoors and exercise, so this seems like my kinda thing.

4. Learning Spanish. I bought a really advanced Spanish program in January. yea, that has barely been used. Need to use the program and LEARN.

That's it, my friends! I now tag: Rebecca, Lisa, Nancy, Alex, Sarah, Julia, Justine, Mindy, Rachel, Racheal, Heather, the other Heather, Kelsie, and anyone else who reads this blog! I am too tired to list out any other names......

Happy Birthday Kory and Christie!

**me and Kurty, at Crave in Dearborn.


Today is kory's 22nd bday....we took him to dinner after work at Crave in Dearborn, which is my fav restaurant. Food was exceptional, yet again. Service? Not so exceptional. Horrendous, actually. I don't even know if I can describe howw bad, but, let me try. Got there, were seated right away since I have a reservation (glad I did, because they were slammed). Sat there 25 minutes with nobody even GREETING our table. Nice. Went and asked the host to send someone over. He did, with water. The guy (who was not our server, but the bartender) took our order. We waited another 25 minutes with NOTHING. We had ordered miso soup, sushi as an appetizer AND meals. Nothing. This is 50 minutes into the meal by now. Kurt gets up and goes and talks to the manager. Manager is basically making up excuses--servers called in sick, yada yada. Prob with that? Others tables around us were getting food and service, and we were not for some reason. Aargh. Long story short, we started to get food and stuff about 15 minutes more later and everything tasted fabulous. They did not charge us for drinks and took 25% off our bill, which was nice, but I Would have beeen fine paying full price and getting good service. I always order Kory something at Japanese places and dont tell him what and make him eat it. This time, I got him sea urchin (uni). It looked horrible, but of course, he liked it. ha. Oh, and for his birthday, we got him a pug card with a little IOU inside for a plane ticket to Vegas. So, when we go next, he only needs to bring food and spending money. Prob won't be until later this year, but he liked it. :).

**Kory's sea urchin.

Oh, Kurt actually BOUGHT me something today. On his own. I know, I was shocked too, LOL. He was at court and they were having a book sale and he got me this awesome book about birds written by the Audubon Society. I love it.

Tried to call my sister to tell her happy birthday and at 915 p.m., she was already in bed! Craziness!

**birdie in our back yard eating.

Happy Birthday Christie and Kory!

Bad with Posting Lately

I feel so insanely busy lately, and I have no idea why. By the time I get home, make dinner, take the dogs for a walk, feed the birds outside and workout, I have no time to do anything but check my email and go to bed. Blah. Need to start making time for blogging daily again, somehow.

Anyway. Will try and update now from Friday on.

Friday. After work, Kurt and I decided to do dinner at Red Lobster, because seriously, I had NOTHING in the house to make for dinner. If I would have remembered to take some fish out of the freezer, I could have made that with rice, but this was the most empty I have ever seen our house on food. Dinner at Red Lobster was nice. I had lobster rolls (which I always get) and a side salad. Yum. Watched the Tigers game during dinner and all the high schoolers who had just graduated walking around in their skimpy slightly nonappropriate outfits....It's crazy what teenagers wear these days, and let me tell you, I am totally aware I am aging myself by saying that. But really, there is a fine line between being classy and trashy and so many people are crossing way ovetr these days.......Ugh.

Saturday and Sunday we worked. Not the entire day, but large portions of it. Saturday, after work, we stopped at Sam's Club and ended up running into another attorney we work with on a lot of cases and a clerk from the court. This is the reason we avoid downriver for the most part--don't want to think about work when not at work. Running into them was fine, because we like this clerk and atty. But running into people who want to talk businss is NOT good. Luckily, these two did not, :). Came home and went to the store to buy more bird food because the birds were almost out again. It's insane how much they eat! Also bought flowers at Lowe's for my pots out front. Bought Zinnias for two of the pots, and for the other pot, bought festival spider mix gerbera daisies and floriline spider gerbera. Love, love, love them. I wanted something unique and they turned out so well. I took pics, but have not uploaded them yet. Sunday, after work, I grocery shopped. It's great to have food in our house again, let me tell you. Yay for a full pantry and frig.

We bought this book online about birds in Michigan. We have been writing down each bird we see in the backyard and it is up to 11 now. My fav are the cardinals, we have both male and female and I am crossing my fingers they lay eggs where I can watch the babies like I did with the robins....baby cardinals have GOT to be beyond adorable, right? And there is another one I really like called the Downey Woodpecker, it almost looks exotic with its really kewl colors.

Finally. Belize Break-Down.

The question of this trip seemed to be “What are you doing next?” Our response always was “We don’t know yet…” This was the most unplanned trip Kurt and I ever took. We did not reserve a room, did not write down an itinerary--we played everything by ear, and we loved it! I have done a trip report day by day, and we can’t wait to go back for a longer period. Oh, another quick note, the people in Belize were the nicest I have EVER met in my travels. When we got back to Miami and the US and encountered our first rude person, we quickly realized just how nice people in Belize were…..

All pics of the trip are on my Flickr page. Click here to see them.

Friday

Flights there were great. Stopped in Miami for a very short time (enough to get a quick snack and board again). American Airlines, thumbs up! J.

Arrived and got our rental car. Steve, the owner’s son, picked us up and took us to the place, he was really helpful and nice. We found out he is in school to be a lawyer, and he is a realtor, so Kurt asked him a bunch of questions about property in Belize, which he is interested in. Steve’s Mom was at the car place, and she is a realtor too, and gave us advice on where she thinks we would like to live, which is around Punta Gorda.

Left there, and headed to the Belize Zoo. Stopped and got gas, and for everyone complaining about gas prices, it’s almost $5 here per gallon. J. The zoo is known as being the best in Central America, and it was really kewl. We saw jaguars (black and spotted), pumas, ocelots, jaguarondis, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, tapir, peccaries, harpey eagle (which was one of the kewlest birds I have ever seen, really scary, they kill sloths for their main food), toucans, macaws (scarlet), and others. After this, we stopped and did two short hikes in Guanacaste National Park, which was really nice. Did not see any exciting animals there, but did see a lot of butterflies, birds, and lizards. After that, we were exhausted since we were going on like 4 hours of sleep from the night and our early flight. So, we stopped at this resort I read about called Caves Branch Jungle Resort. Our room was really, really kewl. It had a thatched roof and no electricity, except the ceiling fan. We had to use oil lamps. Which is really roughing it for Kurt and I. HAHA. Around our bed were all screens so you could look outside at the jungle and hear the sounds of the night while sleeping. Took some pics of the grounds while Kurt took a nap. The shower had a view of the jungle as well. Dinner was kewl, it was served buffet style and you sat with others staying at the place. We mostly talked to a couple from San Francisco, and a girl who was from D.C. but went to U of M for college. It was fun. We crashed after that, as we were totally exhausted.

Saturday

Got up early and checked out of Caves Branch. On the way there, Kurt stopped to help a turtle cross the road because he was worried about it. J. The drive here was gorgeous, all mountains and jungle. Headed to Cockscomb Basin National Park. Did several trails there. The first was called Wari Loop, and was 3.7 KM. We saw a lot of lizards, birds, and a kinkajou in the tree. After that, stopped and had a drink, then headed on another trail, which was like three trails in one that we kept following. This trail was marked “strenuous” and it really was because of the heat. Much of it on the way was uphill…….And, we ran out of water on the way back. Whoops. The bottom of the trail was this awesome waterfall. We saw a lot on this hike too, with the highlight being a herd of peccaries (which we only noticed because one of them snorted at us, LOL), an armadillo, and lots of birds and lizards. After this hike, we found another kewl resort to stay at, called The Lodge at Big Falls. We got there and were literally the only guests staying. The owners were really kewl and three cute dogs. We hiked around their property, which is right on the Rio Grande (river). Our room was really kewl here too, thatched roof cabana, with hammocks and chairs on the front porch. Restaurants were almost nonexistent in this area. We stopped at two, before finding one finally. The first, which said “Bar and Restaurant” on the sign, told us they did not serve food unless you called in advance. OK…..the second, only served fried and bbq chicken, oh, and pork. The third, had one vegetarian option, so we stayed there. The owner was really kewl, sat with us through dinner telling us stories about the area, with the help of his parrot, Jerry. Jerry said many things to us and was adorable. He could say Hello, How Are You, Come Here, Goodbye. After dinner, we came back to the room.

Sunday

Got up early this morning and headed towards Punta Gorda, which is the biggest city in Southern Belize, and also the poorest. Drove through down, the views from town into the ocean were spectacular and I predict this will be the next place to build from big resorts, etc., or that Americans will move to. After Punta Gorda, decided to drive to a national reserve, which we never actually got to really. Well, we did, but there were no hiking trails and such, and we could not figure out how to get in except driving. We drove a little bit and gave up. We were really in the middle of nowhere though, LOL, and it was an awesome jungle drive. It seemed like nobody had driven there in weeks from the buildup of grass, plants, etc. Next, we drove to Baranco, which is further South than Punta Gorda and right on the water. Really pretty, but really poor area. Next, we went to Laguna, which had this really kewl little walk in another reserve which is known for birding. In the wet season, there is a creek that flows under the bridge we walked on. Anyway, it was really hot out, so we did not spend a lot of time there since it was totally in the sun, but the walk was really nice. After that, we started to drive back towards the Cayo District, where we wanted to spend the remainder of our trip. Stopped on the way back at Blue Hole National Park. Saw the Blue Hole swimming area, which was kewl--like a swimming pool in a cave, kinda. Hiked this hellacious trail, talk about strenuous without warning. The trail was called “Hummingbird Trail…” Yea. Practically all uphill and freaky. We saw three snakes, two ON the trail, which we had to wait for them to move so we could continue. Two were green vine snakes, about 4 feet long and the other was a snake with a white head, no idea on that one. It was in a hole though. The first snake, I guess I was not paying attention because I walked right by it, almost stepping on it. Whoops. Kurt about died since he is terrified of snakes, LOL. Got done with that and headed to St Herman’s cave, which was VERY kewl. Walked to that, saw the cave, walked another trail out (all uphill, I swear, we were getting our exercise this day) and headed on the road again. Decided to drive to San Ignacio because there are a ton of resorts outside of the area. We picked one called Chaa Creek. Ummm, nicest place I have ever stayed and so freaking relaxing. Loved it. Our room was called a cottage and was gorgeous. Had a huge deck with hammocks and furniture that overlooked the Macal River. Breathtaking place. Had dinner and drinks and were going to do a night walk, but it rained and we decided against it and just chilled, walked around the property, and headed to bed.

Monday

Today, we started off by doing an early morning bike walk with a guide. We saw SOO many birds and got to use our new binoculars. My fav we saw was this bird called a motmot that we have never seen before, and of course, the toucans. We also saw a lot of other birds, including two really kewl woodpeckers, vultures, robins, yellow birds (that really was their name), and others. After that, had breakfast and then Kurt took a nap while I went to the butterfly and nature exhibit at the hotel. The butterfly exhibit was beyond kewl. I actually got to see two butterflies emerge from their cocoons, and learned about their growth and such. I stayed in the butterfly house for a long time, taking shots. After that, went and woke Kurt up and we went for a hike on the medicine trail at the hotel. The medicine trail has different trees and greenery marked with what they are used for in real life. It was pretty kewl. At the end, there was a lady who sold herbal remedies for ailments, and I was going to buy one for migraines, but ended up not. We then left the resort and went into San Ignacio, which could be considered a “big” town, but only has about 6000 people, LOL. We walked around the town, talked to a realtor, walked in some little stores. We then went to a nearby botanical garden, and got a flat tire which we changed. Ugh. Went back to the resort and hiked another trail down to the river, which was really relaxing. There were sooo many hummingbirds on the trail. It was beautiful. We sat by the water for a while relaxing and enjoying the sun setting then went back to our room to shower and head to dinner. After dinner, finally got to go on the nightwalk with a guide. We saw a bunch of things, including two different kind of possum, armadillos, scorpions, tarantulas, other spiders, etc. It was fun to walk around in the dark looking for things. Went back to the room and laid in the hammocks for a while, then went to bed.

Tuesday

Got up this morning and packed and headed to the airport. Both flights again were awesome, and I am now a fan of American Airlines for sure.

Craziness

This week has been beyond busy, indescribably busy. I can't even put it into words. I think I have returned and answered at least 100 phone calls, maybe more, and that is in 2 days. Sometimes I need a vacation as soon as I get back FROM vacation.

I started working on a trip report and my pics last night, and will try and finish tonight and post.

We were supposed to be going up north for a graduation this weekend, but now cannot because of our work schedule next week. We have 40, yes you read right, hearings in one week. We need to prepare for them this weekend. Ugh.

Home Sweet(?) Home...

So, I am home. I say sweet(?) because frankly, I would still rather be on vacay, but
it is nice to see my pets and get back to the routine of things. I totally need to post a huge trip report, but need more time and energy. I will do it sometime this week.

But. We had an amazing time and I loved Belize and can see myself living there someday, at least part of the year. I loved being outside so much and did not care for one second that I did not even see a TV the entire time I was there. I would not even have cared about Internet, but did check email etc. since Kurt had to check the scores of some games, LOL.

Will write more later....Night!

Memorial Day Vacay

We are celebrating Memorial Day. Out of the country. In Belize! Woo hoo. Technically, it's my birthday vacay, but I am now calling this our annual Memorial Day vacay, just to try and force us to take more vacays every year. Heh.

We are sitting in Detroit right now waiting for our flight to be called. I am SOOOO tired, had to get up at 4 a.m. to get here, fun. Kurt is sleeping next to me. We land in Miami and then hop on a flight to Belize City. I can't wait.

This is the first trip I have ever taken where I have no set plans. We are just playing everything by ear. We have no hotel rooms, no day trip plans, nothing.

Don't know if I will have Internet access either, as Belize is pretty remote, especially in the jungles we want to hike, so this may be my last post until Wednesday.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Before the Calm

Every time we are going to leave town, Kurt goes insane at the office wanting to finish anything and everything before we leave. It never happens, and always exhausts me. This week is so different, ugh. Working late every night is so fun, but on the flip side, we get things done.

And this week, it's like the weather is making the crazies come out--but not in clients, in LAWYERS.

Another fun, strange incident today. My "SHIT LIST" at the office continues to grow. I don't recall if I have posted about it before or not, but whenever a lawyer does something totally unacceptable, they are placed on it. The list is now 6. Certain folk could prob redeem themselves, others are never being removed. Certain "crimes" are more forgivable, I suppose, or are redeemable. Anyway, back to my story.

I sent a fax today to this lawyer on one of our cases. His client is not paying the bills at the house (divorce case) and the parties electricity is being shut off on June 1. She needs to leave the house with the kids because umm, kids need electricity. So, we sent a fax to his lawyer, explaining the situation and discussing things that needed to be talked about if she moved out. We get this fax back that totally floored me. The lawyer was going ON AND ON in the fax about us telling our client to do illegal things, how we should be ashamed or ourselves, yada yada. It was shocking, really, because I just talked to this guy on the phone yesterday and he seemed really nice and easy to deal it. Whatev. Some lawyers just think that they are doing their clients an injustice if they don't scream and yell and make themselves look like asses on paper and in court. When really, just the opposite is the truth. Kurt wrote him a nice fax back (yea, nice) basically telling him that all we were trying to do is settle some issues, and he needs to step off. OK, well we used from lawyerly language than that, LOL, but that was basically the point.

I am hoping Memorial Day weekend calms all the lawyers in the area down and we can get back to normal. Seriously.

Tonight, Kurt and I stopped at Kmart looking for deals on some clothes for our Belize trip. We will be in the jungle A LOT and prob getting dirty and I did not want to take nicer clothes for that. So, we bought a bunch of cheap t-shirts, shorts.....If they are in good condition when I get back, I can use them to work out in anyway. While at K-Mart, we are standing in line and the cashier says to Kurt "Are you a lawyer?" We both looked at her like "Hun?" She goes on to say that we are her brother's lawyer and she saw him in court. It was funny. I was thinking "You can tell someone's profession from looking at them??"

The baby birds are getting so big. I heart them.

My Profession

Sometimes, being a lawyer is depressing.

Don't get me wrong. I love the business I have built from the ground up, I love how Kurt and I approach being lawyers ourselves, and I love the career I have become part of. I love how our clients are almost always happy with us, nobody bitches about their bill to us because we are reasonable, and how we try and make the best of difficult situations for our clients.

So, you ask, what don't I like? Pretty much 50% of lawyers out there. OK, maybe the number is slightly higher or lower, who knows. But some days, I am hit right in the face by the condescending/snobby attitude of a lot of my peers.

I feel so many light years emotionally beyond the majority of the lawyers I know. Not all. The ones who are like us, easy going, friendly, etc. I love them. Love dealing with them, settling cases with them, working with them. But the others? Truly, they need to take everything into perspective. You only live so long. Do you really want to spend your time arguing over senseless shit, being rude to others? Why do you get so personally involved in your cases? They are just that, CASES. Your clients' lives. Not yours personally. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and chill out. Mediation and yoga does wonders. You arent doing your clients any justice by getting so worked up and emotionally involved. In fact, you are doing a bad job.

Where is all this coming from? Well, the post originated after a phone call today. I do feel this way every once in a while, but these posts seem to come right after dealing with an idiot.

**Private Bridge in Pinconning, MI.

Story. We have a case that was sent to Arbitration. The Arbitrator is probably the slowest arbitrator on Earth to issue his decision. He did not issue his decision until the case was dismissed, which is no big deal, we just sign a Consent to Reinstate and it becomes a case again, and we enter the Arbitrator's decision. Well, Annnoying Attorney (AA) is the lawyer for the husband and other side on the case. His client is pretty much nutty, a drunk, etc., so I imagine the client is driving him bonkers. I sympathize, truly. Anyway, we are STILL waiting for the arrbitrator to decide some post-decision stuff, and cannot enter a judgment until he does so. So we wait. Fine. Our client understands this. AA calls our office daily about this. Him and Kurt have been playing phone tag. He calls every morning, when Kurt is in court (he apparently does not have as busy of a court schedule, which is not surprising with the way he treats people). When Kurt calls him back in the afternoon, he is NEVER there. So finally, Kurt gives me a list of things to talk to AA about since I am around in the mornings most of the time.

I call a week ago, leave a message. Finally, a return call today. I start to talk to him, and he is giving me an atitude from the start. I don't understand why, but keep talking. I am giving him answers to everything he asked and needed to know from Kurt. He stops me and says "I really wanted to talk to Kurt about this. You two need to decide WHO is working on each case and have one atty on each case." I was really taken aback, but OK. I respond by telling him thanks for the advice, but we work on all of our cases together. Which we do. Our clients love it because one of us is almost always in the office and available to talk to them. He starts arguing with me about the way we run our office. Umm, none of your business, buddy. Which I basically tell him, "Look. Like I said, we work together. If you don't like it, it's really too bad, and you are just going to have to deal with it." He says he does not like it. Duh, you already said that. Then proceeds to say what really pisses me off "I called here to talk to Kurt, not his wife." I then say "Stop being obnoxious, I am an atty at this office and you will not talk down to me like that." He finally backs off a little bit, but this is the attitude I will get from the morons like AA until I am around longer. But cmon. Seriously. Why do attys have to try and struggle for superiority over others? So extremely retarded.

Am I Kurt's wife? Yes. And proud of that and my marriage. But at the office, I am Lori, an atty, who has built an extremely successful law practice with my PARTNER.

Sigh.

We have dealt with AA a lot in the past and he has never acted this way. I really wonder if there is something more going on in his life, and hope that there is some sort of explanation behind his treatment, because I hate seeing another one of the normal ones "going to the other side". But, it appears that another one bites the dust. Oh well.

Worked really late tonight, came home and the bird feeder was empty again! I poured more food in, but once this is gone, the birds will have gone through 50 pounds of birdseed already! It's craziness!

This is Me. Not Posting Enough.

**Baby robins in our yard in nest, the day we saw they hatched.

Friday night, I headed to Royal Oak to get my "hair did". hehe. Got about 4 inches cut off (which I guess is not much since Kurt could not tell a difference at all, LOL) and some new summery highlights. Thanks Roman! :). Caught up with Roman, who is going to Spain for two weeks soon. Can we say "jealous?" Yea, that would be me. I would love to do Spain on one of these trips of mine. Met up with Rebecca and Lea after the salon at Bastone for dinner. I had a gift card to use, and it was a lot of fun to see them. Hanging with those two is relaxing and fun. Yay. Rebecca got me some awesome stuff for my birthday from Philosophy, as well as some of my fav fat free candies from Trader Joe's. Rebecca totally knows me, ha. And Sarah (her sister), painted this pottery dish for me in my fav colors and put in dirt and a sweet pea flower! I can't wait until it starts to grow! She is so thoughtful and creative.

Saturday, I got up and headed to Taylor to get a mani/pedi with Hollie. I went to a new place, called Pure NV, and it was really nice. Got a great summer color on my toes, and my normal light color on my fingernails. Left there and Hollie took me to lunch for my bday at Mongolian. Super yummy. I had cajun shrimp and rice. It was super nice to see Hollie and catch up. After that, headed home and Kurt and I ran to Lowe's and Tractor Supply and ended up buying three bird feeders and poles. Put them up in the yard and OMG, it is bird insanity. We already had a lot of birds in our yard and on our property, but they are everywhere now, I am not kidding. And the kewlest birds are hanging out that I have never seen before. There is a cardinal hanging out ALL the time, and I saw my first mourning dove today. And to think some people is this state wanting to have a hunting season at one point for the mourning dove. Gorgeous, docile bird. People who wanted to kill them SUCK, I say. Also, a ton of red wing black birds, finches, etc. Some I don't even recognize. I really need to get a Michigan birdin book. Also, the birds are PIGS. Well, not literally, LOL. But, the one feeder is HUGE, and we filled it Sunday late afternoon. It was empty by this morning. We filled it half way, and it was empty when we got home. Filled it again. I wonder where it will be in the morning? It's so much fun to watch them.

Update on the baby robins. They have little wings now. So cute. I took some new pics today and will post them when I get a second. The one Mama robin seems to trust me, she does not even care when i take pics near the nest or walk by it. but the other nests? The Moms throw abosolute fits, so I try to stay away from those nests. I was disappointed to find out that robins don't really eat seed, so they have not really been at our feeders, except for a couple times I looked out there.

Sunday, I had a baby shower to go to. Went beforehand to Babies R Us, which is prob near the top of stores I hate to go to. Got Lisa a pack and play and a picture frame she registered for. And it was annoying yet again. I went to pay after buying Lisa's gifts and they would not take my business check. OK, that makes no freaking sense. I think a business check would be more reliable than a freaking personal check, people! So, I had to dig through my totally trashed purse to find my debit card. I was not happy. Whatever. Went to the shower, in Dearborn Heights. It was beautiful. Lisa looked so awesome (with her baby belly). She got a ton of gifts and everyone in the families seemed so happy. I am so happy for her and Cliff and cant wait to meet the baby boy in July! :). She gets 12 weeks off of work, so I will have to go up and visit and meet her kitties too once the baby is born. Yay. Sunday night, I had dinner with Carl, my Aunt, my Grama and Kurt in Northville at Sizzling Sticks. Yum. My Aunt got me this gorgeous cut glass perfume holder that she got in Canada on vacation. I love it. My Grama got me this backpack I really, really wanted for my vacations for my camera. It was funny, because I asked my Aunt to pick the backpack up for me from the the Canton Adray's, because the Dearborn one was out. When I went to write her a check to pay her back, my Grama was like "That's my bday gift for you!" I was shocked! But excited, because it was totally exactly what I wanted! hehe. Thanks Grama and Auntie! Grama also found a gift that she could not find last year for my bday, so she gave it to me a year late, ha. Really pretty watch. I will post a pic when I think about it.

**Mama bird, protecting her eggs, previous to the birth of the baby birdies.

Anyway. Today was crazy at work. We were so slammed, I can't even explain it. I hate being exhausted like that, but I got a lot done through it all, somehow.

Turning 30

So, turning 30? I thought I would be totally fine with it, and I was totally fine with it. No drama, no tears, no "I am not where I thought I would be in life." So many people have major issues with this major age change, and I am totally OK. Odd, but I am happy I did not have any kind of breakdowns. Not that I normally do, but you never know.

We ended up going to dinner with me, Kurt and Kory. I was just going to stay in, but thought, even though I am going on vacay to celebrate next weekend, I should at least go to dinner! So, I found this place online on the water in Erie, MI, and was like "Let's try here!" We had never been there before. So, we went, and the place was gorgeous. Right on Lake Erie, almost all seafood menu. I took my camera and got to go outside and take some sunset shots, there were little bunnies jumping around on the outdoor patio--it was perfect. Click here to see the place. I had stuffed broiled shrimp (with crab) and wild rice, and creme brulee for dessert. Since it was my bday too, we got $8 off our meal! Yay! I will post pics from the dinner later, did not have time to work on them last night. So, it was a nice night. But, I can't wait for my real bday present, going to Belize next week.

Stopped at the school yesterday to sign my acceptance of office thing (for the second time) with the school board. Seems kinda lame since I am already on the board, but it's a formality you have to do. Had a quick meeting with Tim to get updated on some stuff the board is doing, which is always nice. Then once I got to work, Rick, another board member, stopped by to see the office and say hi. Caught up with him. It was a board day, I guess! :).

Other than that, nothing too exciting. Am going tonight to get my hair done and may try something crazy and new, who knows! Am seeing Roman again, who I have not seen in forever, then having dinner with Rebecca assuming she does not have a headache still. Crossing fingers!

So Many Hearings, So Little Time....

Today, we had 8 hearings scheduled, all between 830 and 11 a.m. Yea. Kurt and I both had to go downtown. None of the hearing could be postponed of moved, so we were running around like maniacs, pretty much. I was somewhat stressed, as I personally have never done more than 2 hearings in one morning. But, all went fairly smoothly, we got them all done.

Went back to leave and the Jeep would not start, ugh. We had to call AAA and get it towed. Have no idea what is wrong, BUT, the guy who works on our cars just called and left me a message that he is confused, because it started right up. Hmmm. Something is wrong, but I guess we need to call him.

Still no caffeine. Yay me! I am shocked I have pulled this off so far, but on the other hand, I think it was harder in law school because of the schedule I was on. I truly did not need any more stress in my life then, and taking caffeine out of it would have been disaster.

Julia's graduation on Monday was great. Kurt and I got great seats, and we got to meet Jules Dad and stepMom, see her sister, see her boyfriend, Tony (who we have already met), and met Tony's Mom and sister. Everyone is SOOOO nice. Kurt was attempting, through his glass of champagne, to set Julia's sister, Jamie, up with Kory. We are supposedly going to go on a triple date at some point, which should be interesting. Fun, anyway! :). I will prob set that up when I get back from Belize.

Soooo, my 30th birthday tomorrow! In less than 2 hours, really. Crazy. I can't believe it has come so quickly. My days pass by so fast lately. I actually have no issues whatsoever with turning 30. I know I am *supposed* to, but I don't. I am actually really happy with my life right now, and am hoping that my 30s are more incredible than my 20s. So, here's to me turning 30! The new 20! hehe. Plus, I still get carded at the bar, so apparently, I am not aging much for being 30. Ha.

Oh, annoying attorney at court today. Some people are seriously obnoxious. I guess I have to give a background so you understand, since most of you don't practice family law for a living. OK, none of you that I know of anyway, LOL. And be thankful for that, it's a somewhat tiring job sometimes......

Anyway, we will deem this person *annoying atty*, as I dont use names in my posts. And seriously, before I start. If you are 60 something years old and STILL practicing law, DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. At that point in your life, are minor stupid things really that important? Get over yourself.

I digress. Back to my story. AA (Annoying Atty) was hired by the Defendant (the other side in a lawsuit) in one of our divorce cases later on in the case. A Case Management Conference was scheduled in the case (which is basically a meeting to update the court on the case status), and the notice went out to the Defendant and us, as AA was not yet hired on the case. Defendant never gave the notice to his atty once his atty was hired. We assumed that the Defendant would turn over everything to his client, which is standard and something attys would require of new clients anyway. Well, apparently, AA did not get notice of said hearing. But, he found out two days before the hearing and had his secretary call my office to confirm. His secretary calls me and starts bitching me out for not sending them notice, and spewing out court rules that don't apply to me. I was like "well, if you need to move the hearing, I am totally fine with that, but the court rule here does not apply to me because you were not on the case at the time." She was rude, pretty much hung up. Seriously, what kind of atty has their secretary do their dirty work? I would never, in a million years, tell Misty to call and be rude to people. I take pride in the fact that clients and attys think my secretary is sweet and helpful.

I just met the guy today. I dont think he practices a lot because even Kurt did not know him and Kurt knows everyone. The FIRST thing he does when meeting me is BITCH about this stupid hearing notice. I was like "What is your point? How is this relevant? You are here, and I told your office we could move the hearing if you had a problem..." His response "It IS relevant, counsel, u need to follow the rules." Give me a freaking break. Besides the fact that I did nothing wrong, who ARGUES this shit? LAME.

And of course, the Judge completely agreed with me. She literally was looking at AA like he was a joke. I think she would have rolled her eyes if she could have, and maybe in her own head she was, LOL. He went ON AND ON about this, and the Judge was like "What do you want me to do? I don't see how anyone was harmed here, AA." I think he is used to getting his way and it really freaking annoyed him that she thought his arguments were pointless. I loved it. I kept just being sweet and nice (my normal approach), like usual, and it made him look like a total fool. Yay.

Attys who act like that give others a horrible name. The goal at our office is to get along with everyone, try and settle cases for people, etc. The attys who constantly want to argue with people? I have zero respect for. You are not doing your client, or the profession, any good. Shame on you! And it's truly sad that I, someone who has been in the profession for a short time *get* that and the attys who have been practicing 30 years don't. But, alas, these attys are on power trips, and you will always have those people. So I deal. At least I can go to sleep at night knowing I do my job in a respectful way.

Congrats Julia Ann!

I am headed tonight to see my best friend from law school, Julia, graduate. She actually finished in December and just found out she passed the bar in early May, but they only have graduation once per year at Wayne.

Julia was part of the reason I made it through law school. Day one we met, and bonded over our common knowledge of bankruptcy law, LOL. We were inseparable after that point! Julia is one of the nicest, sweetest people I have ever met, and I am honored to be friends with her, and am so excited to see her graduate tonight!

Also graduating tonight are three other friends of mine from school--Ginger, Aimee and John!

So, congrats to everyone! Welcome to the profession! :).

Stop the Addictions

OK, let me think of some things I can post quickly about. I am so tired lately. I have a slight reason though. I decided to stop drinking caffeine. Well, kinda anyway. There is no reason for me to stop entirely, like if I am out to dinner and want a nice fountain diet coke. But. I am no longer buying it for the house, or the office. Thus, I have not drank any caffeine since Friday at work. None yesterday, none today. And both nights, I am sleepy much earlier than normal. Ugh. Sat night I had a slight headache too, but none today. So yay.

Yesterday, I broke down and bought the vacuum I have been wanting. Kurt and I were at SAMS Club buying water, and I saw it there, much cheaper than anywhere else I have looked. Kurt questioned whether it would work as well as others claimed, but once we got it home---freaking awesome. Best vacuum I have ever used, by far. It is so awesome with thee dog and cat hair on the carpet. Here is the one we got, click here. I actually had *fun* vacucuming, and trust me, that says a lot. We even moved the chair and couches in the living room so I could vacuum under them, which has not been done in way too long. It is like our carpet is brand new.

Today, for Mother's Day, we went to Pinconning to visit Kurt's Mom, who we have not seen in like a year. So, it was nice to see her, but....Pinconning has got to be the most boring town in life. Nothing to do, and the town is like a ghost town. Ugh.

Friday night, we went to the auction, and I got some great deals. I bought four new glass vases, all for insanely cheap prices, one as low as $5. I felt like I was garage saleing, but the stuff is nice!! Since I hate garage sales and all. I took some pics of the stuff, but have not had time to download yet.

Last night, Rebecca was over and we all went to Applebee's for dinner and had horrible service. Kurt and I have had a run of that lately for some reason. She pretty much screwed up anything she could have. Put bacon in Kurt's salad, put bacon in my quesadillas......forgot Kurt's salad at first, it did not come until after his dinner. Did not make my drink correctly. Ignored us. But, it was fun anyway, LOL. Rebecca used me as a guinea pig with this new technique she is learning off DVD. I loved it. It was a lot of work on my neck, which is totally messed up, so it was helpful. I almost fell asleep afterwards, I was so out of it.

Ohh. On the way home from Pinconning, we briefly stopped at Birch Run, and I got a cute new skirt and shirt at the Bass Outlet. I did not even know they sold clothes there. The skirt is super cute. I am hoping that I have shoes to wear with this outfit though, I need to look. The skirt is white and cobalt bluish, and the shirt is the same blue color. I have no idea if I have shoes. If not, I guess I need some white sandals.........

So Many Things to Say, Not Enough Hours

I am so behind on here.

And tonight was not helpful. I had a board workshop at 530, followed by a board meeting that lasted until like 930. We had a lot of things going on all at the same time, but overall the meeting was really productive. I am exhausted though and am skipping working out because I know it will be pointless since I am so exhausted. I will do twice as much tomorrow to make up for it.

So. I did not post about this yet, because I did not want to until the tix were purchased, but.....We are going to Belize for my birthday! I did not want some big 30th party or anything, so I told Kurt I would rather take a small vacay, and of course, he agreed since we are both travelling addicts. We are going the weekend after my birthday, over Memorial Day. Since we always take Memorial Day off anyway, it was a good time to go. I also rented out SUV. We are going to play hotels by ear. We want to see a lot of the country and I dont want to be tied down to one place. There are so many things I want to do while there. I can't wait. Kurt is really burned out at work and this trip will be a great thing for us. Of course, my new macro lens is just dying to be used! hehe.

Off to bed, will write more later. Eventually, I have to have time to catch up, right?

Election Day

So, the election was today! And I won! hehe. Granted, I was running unopposed. But still. I am now an "elected" official, instead of just an "appointed" official. I am psyched. Now, my seat is for 4 years and I don't have to worry about all this stuff again until then. Also, the millage renewal in our district passed by a HUGE margin, so that was awesome. It's great that the people in this district understood the importance of it. Without it, all of our schools may have closed. It was that serious.

Off to bed, will blog more on this later. Really super tired.

Weekend Fun

So, my weekend was lots of fun!

Friday night, Kurt and I headed to the Palace to see Billy Joel in concert. We ate dinner first at Stir Crazy (I love the place) and I had rock shrimp and rice. Yum. The concert was awesome and our seats were really close to rebecca and her Mommy. I was so glad rebecca's mom got to go out for the night. She has been overstressed lately because her Mom is sick and has been helping take care of her around the clock. So, her and rebecca went to dinner and she had two glasses of wine! Good for her! Anyway. Loved Billy. Kurt and I both thought he seemed drunk though, and I hope his not drinking has not come to an end, but he truly seemed WASTED. But, it was awesome. I heart Billy.

Saturday, I ran a ton of errands, which was good. I am so behind on things. I went and picked out/ordered my dress for my sister's wedding in August. I am going to end up having to get it altered, because I am in between sizes and with working out, I will probably change more by the time the dress comes in. She told me to order it big though, because it is easier to alter down than up. Now, I just need to find silver shoes and pearl jewelry. Speaking of that, my Aunt got me a pearl necklace from Hawaii a few years back, I should pull that out and see if it will work with the dress! After that, I stopped at Sams Club to pick up water, then headed to Adray's to meet up with my Aunt at the photo expo there. She ended up buying a lens for her Pentex film camera, I did not get anything. Stopped at Fashion Bug after that and got a tshirt for $4, woo hoo. Kurt, Kory and I went out for Cinco de Mayo for dinner, then chilled at home the rest of the night.

Today, got up and went to a photography macro class at Adray's. Lame class. Rebecca and I ended up leaving early to shop at the expo instead. I ended up buying a new lenss and a new memory card. I got this 4GB card for an insanely low price, and got an awesome deal on a macro dedicated lens, which I have been wanting forever. I got another Sigma, a 105mm Macro. It is awesome, but I have not used it much as I have not had time today yet. Stopped at Kohls and Best Buy to buy my Aunt birthday gifts, then had dinner with family at the Pickle Barrel Inn in Willis. Interesting place............Food was OK, and it was great to see everyone. My Dad and Grama were there too. :).

A Photo Journey on Thursday

Rebecca and I took a class tonight in Dearborn that was geared totally towards my camera (and the one Rebecca is going to get soon). I really liked it. Some parts I could have done without, but I learned some kewl things about my camera and about digital photography in general, and I can't wait to put them into effect on my camera.

Since I bought my camera, I have not had a lot of time to really learn about it. Thus, I mostly use the basic features, point and shoot, etc., and have not ventured into the more custom areas of the camera. Anyway, tonight I quickly learned (without a ton of research), how to use the manual modes of the camera to my advantage. I also learned what "RAW" photos are, and why I totally need to be shooting that way. In order to do that though, I need to buy some more memory for my camera, as shooting in RAW requires about twice as much memory as JPEG. Anyway. This is totally boring for those of you who don't care about digital photography, so I will stop. LOL.

Billy Joel concert tomorrow night. I am psyched, but not about being at the Palace, I hate driving that far. ONLY for Billy. I normally would never attend a concert there. Cant wait to hear Piano Man and sing along...........

Sigh

My life is insane. Seriously. It's Wednesday. My last post was last Thursday. Bad, bad me. I have been crazy busy though, I swear! Not avoiding posting. Promise. ;).

Last night, I saw Sweet Charity at the Fisher in Detroit. Molly Ringwald played the starring role and she was really cute. My Aunt and I had dinner at Cuisine beforehand with a gift cert we had, and my food was superb, but the service was below par. I had sturgeon with rice. Really good, and my first experience with sturgeon. But, I got home really late which made me tired today for court. Had my first Motion in bankruptcy court today. It's so different than family court. So much more formal. But, I won my Motion and it was not hard at all, thankfully. I also went to court for my first time this week on a Chapter 13 Meeting of creditors, which was actually kinda fun to do. I like the bankruptcy hearings. Which is shocking, because I thought I liked family law better. I guess it just depends on the day.



Sunday was fab. Went to Rebecca's, as I was lucky enough to be the guinea pig for her and Garry testing tandem massage, which is two people massaging one person at once. It was awesonme, plus I gave them feedback. Both Gary and Rebecca are awesome, so both of them together basically equates to me being spoiled rotten. FOr free! But, it was fun and nice to meet Gary. Afterwards, Rebecca and I headed to Trader Joe's and I stocked up on fresh fish for the house and some other staple products.

Saturday was great too. We had the March of Dimes walk that morning at the state park. I ended up raising $130, which I thought was pretty good for only having a week to raise money and not really trying that hard. The walk was nice and it was nice having Rebecca with me to gossip with. ;). Afterwards, Rebecca and I went to the mall for a little while, then all of us headed to an auction in Monroe to check it out, then dinner at the Mexican restaurant in Luna Pier.

Friday night, we went to Pete's Garage for dinner with a bunch of peeps. Played pool with my favorite husband and I actually won 2 games. Shocking, I know. I am actually decent when I try. Can't wait to get a table for the basement.

Speaking of the basement, I really need to get down there and workout since I was out late last night and skipped.

Loving this weather.

Where You Been?

Nothing Much

So, my week thus far has been pretty uneventful.....Mostly work filled, really. Worked 12 hours today, which was not fun. Blah.

Last night, I went to the Fisher with my Aunt to see Camelot, which I have seen once before, I think in Stratford. Anyway, great version. We had dinner beforehand in the Fisher, and my soup was super yummy. I heart corn chowder.

My excitement of the week was being in the paper! :). My pic and a short bio on me was in there because I am running in the upcoming school board election. I am running unopposed, but it was still kewl to see my article in there!

Oh, Monday night I had dinner with some board members at this new place in Wyandotte that I have never been to. I actually did not even know it was there.....It used to be a Damon's, but that closed a couple years back. Anyway, this new place was freaking awesome. Super nice, and the food was incredible. I had blackened tuna with rice and asparagus. Perfect. And tried some of a crab cake as an appetizer and that was awesome too.

Anyway, I am tired, so I am going to close here. Can't wait until this weekend so I can relax. I need it.

Funny

Uneventful Weekend with A Migraine

So, my weekend was pretty uneventful. Which is good because I am still tired from jet lag and San Fran.

Thursday night, I had a board meeting....Which was a nice meeting, nothing stressful to think about or vote on. And Grey's Anatomy was new and I was home in time to watch it while working out. Yay.

Friday night, I was totally tired and ended up falling asleep early on the couch and not eating dinner or working out. Boo on me. I guess I needed the sleep though. I never fall asleep on the couch and miss working out. I hate that.

So, I worked out Saturday morning to make up for Friday night's miss. Went and had a massage at Blu Water with Steve, which was nice. After that, stopped by the high school for the invitational going on, and Rick suckered me into handing out brochures in a nearby subdivision (just kidding Rick, I was happy to help) regarding the upcoming millage and vote. During this drive, I could feel myself starting to get a migraine. Ugh. Came home and Kurt and I went to dinner, hoping that maybe I was just hungry and my migraine would stop if I ate something. Umm, no. I could barely eat because my head hurt, so we came home and I fell asleep on the couch--for the second night in a row. Could barely sleep once we went to bed because my head hurt so badly, and I still felt like crap this morning. Ugh. Took some more Excedrin and relaxed on the couch and started to feel better mid-afternoon. Took the doggies for a walk, and it was sooo nice out today. Almost 80 degrees. Took some pics in the yard of new growth on the trees, etc. I heart warm weather.

Made a really good dinner tonight. A modified chicken parm, but I made it with cajun grilled ahi tuna and mexi cheese instead of chicken and mozz. Hey, I had to make do with what was in the house and I don't normally have mozz in the house unless I plan ahead of time. Anyway, SO good. I need to remember that recipe and make it again. It totally filled me up and was yummy and healthy. Found it on the back of a Minute Rice box. Oh, found the recipe online! Click here to try yourself....Great for those of us who like great meals, but don't like being in the kitchen for extended periods of time...

Tried this new water that I freaking love. Called Talking Rain Ice. It is carbonated and super yummy. the black raspberry is fabulous. I love finding new waters to use while working out. I got it in bulk at Sam's Club.

San Fran Pics

Finally uploaded all the San Fran pics, for your viewing pleasure. The pics totally don't do San Francisco justice. Every time I visit another city like that, I wonder why I am living where I do. I don't think I was meant to be a cold weather girl. :).

Click here to see the pics.

Love at First Sight?

So, I was never a believer in love at first sight.

That was until I bought the Canon Rebel XTi. I have been in love since the first time I put my hands on the body of the camera and held it.......And I have loved it even more every day since.

Photography is my passion, and the Rebel will always be my first real electronic love......:).

Home Sweet Home

So, I am home! Since I have been home, have been super tired. My flight came in on Tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m., I did not get home until like 6:45 a.m. and was at work at 9:45 a.m. And since there was a screaming baby that literally did not stop most of the flight, I did not get much sleep on the plane. Gotta love that.

I am currently uploading all my pics, but it will be a while until it is done.

So, the trip. Friday morning, we all met for breakfast at the hotel. After that, we headed over to the conference center to pick up our passes and registration stuff. Went to the Giants Stadium for a tour. They have the most gorgeous baseball stadium I have ever been to. Wow. The tour was really interesting and fun too, as we got to go in areas of the stadium where the public are generally not admitted. Went to lunch at Bubba Gump's at Pier 39, which was yummy and had an awesome view of the ocean. Headed back to the hotel and got ready for the As--Yankees game. The game was a ton of fun, and the As won! I am always thrilled when the Yankees lose...

Saturday, we got up and headed over to the exhibits at the conference. Had breakfast at this place known for its famous pancakes, but I had an omlette, LOL. There were several exhibits we really wanted to attend. The district is really is financial distress, and we need to find ways to save money. I thought that was really productive. Had sushi for lunch and walked the exhibits more. Also saw F.W. de Clerk speak that day, and he was really inspiring. The things he said are so in line with how I think about having goals and being open to change. Went and walked around by myself on the Wharf and bought a new camera lens that does some wide angle and some macro. Came back to the room and suddenly, I felt really ill. I thought I had food poisoning, but I think I was just exhausted. Laid down and ended up skipping our two functions that night because I simply could not get out of bed. I was supposed to go to the Museum of Modern Art and the Ritz, and have dinner with a friend. Blah. Later that night, met the group in the downstairs bar for a diet coke.

Sunday, we got up and headed to the conference to get seats to see Bill Clinton speak. We had second row seats, which was incredible. He was an awesome speaker, and spoke mostly about wellness and fitness for kids and how important it is for education. Met my friend from high school, Dawn, and her husband, Todd, for lunch. We went to a place that had fish tacos, and then went and had a drink at this crazy bar. It was really fun to catch up. After that, I headed back to the hotel because we had a kewl dinner to attend at a nice restaurant in downtown San Fran. We all got dressed up and went to that. Went and walked Lombard Street after that (which was so fun in my 3 inch Steve Maddens, let me tell you, LOL), then headed back to the hotel.

Monday, we all went to Alcatraz. Which was so extremely kewl. After lunch, we all headed out separate ways. I decided to hit the Golden Gate State Park for some pics. The conservatory was closed, but I stopped by the Japanese Tea Garden, which was so calm and beautiful. My plane left that night.

Overall, I loved San Fran and I think the trip was really productive. :). I would love to go back and take Kurty.

Lost Posts

So, I wrote this long post while in the Detroit airport waiting to take off, and when I hit "post", I got an error message. Lovely. Don't want to repost cuz I am tired, but....................

I arrived uneventfully in San Fran. No major delays with the flight. Found the luggage claim and my luggage came out quickly, found the shuttle andd got to the hotel. Went and had a drink with three of the board members, then to my room.

Breakfast tomorrow at 9! Will write more later, I am exhausted.....

Kickboxing Heaven

Kory put water in the base of my kickboxing bag and I got to use it tonight for the first time! OMG, I forgot what a workout it is, and I barely did anything, because I did it after running and the rest of my workout. Found my old blue gloves (I had them special ordered when I used to go to classses), and my wraps, and just did a bunch of punches and some kicks. I loved it. It is a great stress reliever and an awesome workout for your arms and legs. I think about people who have been annoying me and just hit the bag. Yay.

So, tomorrow night, I leave for San Fran. I leave work around 5 p.m. and then my plane leaves around 730 p.m. I already checked in online. have a nonstop flight, so I am hoping to leave ontime (fingers crossed because Northwest is not known for ontime flights) and land at SFO at around 930 p.m. Flight is slightly over 5 hours. I am staying at a hotel on the wharf and cant wait to see the ocean. I heart the ocean. I am kinda nervous about travelling alone, just because I never have before, but I will get over it. :). I will be taking my laptop and the hotel has wireless, so I am sure I will be on here. Maybe even post some pics. I am also psyched the hotel has a gym so my workouts won't be stopped just because I am away on business. Friday, I am going to an As/Yankees game, and Friday morning I am getting a tour of the Giants Stadium. Other than that, nothing set in stone except the conference all the days for certain hours. Can't wait to hear Clinton speak.

Had court this morning. I appeared on a case i never thought would settle, partially because the parties were so far off and because the attorney on the other side is known for not settling. This is a pet peeve of mine. If people want to settle, LET THEM freaking settle. Some attys enjoy running up their clients bill with extra court appearances and unnecessary mediations. But, it settled. Miracles do happen. We put everything on the record and I was done. Hooray!

Craig Monroe just hit a grand slam and they are finally ahead! Go Tigers!

Wish me a safe flight! I will try to write more in San Fran while I am there. I need to pack my swimsuit too, which I need to go do now while I am thinking about it......

Easter

Easter was fun. We had dinner at my Aunt's house in Canton, and she always makes great meals that Kurt and I can eat too. I felt like an Italian family this time--we had all Italian entrees such as lasagna, chicken and shrimp alfredo, salad, etc. It was nice to see the family, and nice to relax for the day. She gave us all Easter baskets and my candy has already been turned over to Kurt and Kory. Although I did splurge and eat some jelly beans. They have no fat, that would be my excuse. :).

This week has been nice at the office thus far. Phones have been OK, I think a lot of people are out of town for their kids' Spring Breaks, and it is giving me a break to catch up on some paperwork, which we totally need.

I leave on Thursday night for San Fran, which means i need to pack tomorrow night and take my car to work. I will leave from the office around 5 p.m. or so. I am still kinda nervous about travelling alone (which I have never done), but I am sure it will be fine. I have directions on getting my shuttle at the airport and the flight is direct, so what could really go wrong.......I am going to try and pack light since I won't have Kurt to carry my stuff through the airport. hehe.

So, speaking of trips, we are trying to decide where to go for my birthday in May. We are thinking of going over Memorial Day weekend, just so we can have an extra day. I am pretty sure at this point it will be Belize, but I am keeping my options open, if anyone has any kind of fabulous idea. Keep in mind that we are not interested in cruises, or just lying on a beach. We need to be active and see wildlife, animals, etc. Let me know if you have ideas! :).

**Picture above is from far back in our yard of our house at dusk. To all my city dwelling friends, this is the kind of view you never get living in the middle of all the action........;).

Easter Weekend At the Office

So, we worked most of the day today since we are behind on some things at the office. It was great though, as Kurt got some Wills and related documents done, as well as some Probate docs, and I got a bunch of bankruptcies filed as well as a lot of paperwork done. When the phone does not ring, it's amazing the amount of paperwork that comes off the printer! :). Yay.

After work, went home and Rebecca was waiting there for me. We went to Total Runner in Southgate, because I really needed new running shoes. I was just going to look, but ended up buying some Asics. I really wanted to try a new brand, but I always end up with those again. I tried on Brooks and Mizunos, but ended up back at the Asics. Almost got the Brooks because Val recommends them so highly, but did not. Hated the Mizuno's though. Oh, and going to a real running store is awesome. The people there are so knowledgeable about what kind of shoe would work best for you and the like. I am only going to buy shoes from stores like that in the future.

After there, we headed to Sam's Club to get my Aunt a veggie platter for Easter tomorrow. Then, onto the mall where I got some new stuff from NY and Co for my San Fran trip, and some new stuff at Victoria's Secret, where I got to use Rebecca's $10 off purchase card. Yay for savings. Also got my Dad's bday gift since I will see him tomorrow.

Here is the stuff I got at NY and Co:

Shirt One

Shirt Two

Shorts One

Shirt Three

Also got two necklaces, but could not find links to them on the site....

After there, we all went to dinner at Pete's Garage and then Rebecca worked on my neck! Yay. I feel so much better.

Good Friday

So we decided to take off early from work today since most offices were not even open and we wanted to be like everyone else....Ok, maybe I just wanted a break. Left about an hour and a half before close time.

Got home and Kory showed us two Subpoenas that were delivered by the sheriff this morning to the house. I don't know if you recall, but last year, Kurt and Kory caught two people hunting on our property. Kurt told the officers he wanted to press charges (because the guys hunting were total asses to them), and we thought nothing happened from it. Well, one of the guys had a TRIAL scheduled on May 1 and Kurt and Kory have to appear and possibly testify. The guy is such an idiot. For the case to even get this far, it means that he refused to settle and pay a freaking ticket. It does not surprise me since he was so rude and basically thought he had the right to hunt on our land. Kurt totally cant wait to appear in court and testify, LOL. I think I may need to go to witness this. Lawyers are the best witnesses. I don't know what the hell this guy is thinking. It's nice to see that the police actually did pursue this though and did not just let the guys go, since the police basically thought it was no big deal as well. Blah on them.

Went after work to get an oil change on my car, and then went to get my nails and toes done, which felt awesome. I have not gone since Fall 2006. I kinda just do my own nails in Winter. I took my own polish, since I have that awesome new MAC polish that lasts forever, and my Nail Tech stuff which works wonders.

Started watching The L Word while working out tonight. It started out kinda slow and I thought I was not going to like it, but then it started to pick up and now I am starting to get into it. I will keep you posted on that show.

Oh! Almost forgot. Last night, I stopped into David's Bridal to look at bridesmaid dresses for my sister. My Mom wanted me to check them out in person because there is no David's Bridal by her or my sister, and they had only seen the dresses online. So, I went and tried on like every dress that came in her color (velvet blue). I ended up really liking a dress that I never thought I would, and some I thought I would love, I hated. Found out we need to order them like 8 weeks ahead of time........I am kinda nervous about ordering now though because with all my working out, I dont want the dress not to fit right in August, so I am going to wait until mid-May to place my order. Then, if I tone up more or lose any more weight, I can just get it altered at the last minute..............Also, I have to say that David's measures up there with Toys R Us for annoying stores I hate to go to. There are bridezillas types EVERYWHERE stressing, and no mirrors in the dressing room. Seriously. I dont want to come out in the middle of the store with EVERY dress on. Ugh.

Tracking Software/Download

Anyone have a suggestion for blog/website tracking software or downloads?

I currently use a program that I like, but am open to new and better ideas.

If anyone has one, please share or email it to me so I can check it out! :).

Back to work.......

Alanis Morissette

This is hilarious! But, you can only appreciate it if you have heard the song "My Humps" by Fergie......The words are insanely lame and it cracks me up that SOOO many people love this song. Alanis is making fun of it, and it is great! Ha.

Politically Correct

So, Rebecca has me addicted to Queer As Folk. Awesome, awesome show. But only for the openminded, so please, my conservative friends, do not attempt to watch this.

The point of my post. I have now netflixed and should receive tomorrow the following: The L Word. Season one, first two discs. I am just finishing up Disc 3 of Big Love.

So, once I get that, I will have three shows on DVD I am watching at home. One that revolves around gay men, one that revolves around lesbians, and the other that is about polygamists. I am so supporting all groups all there. Go me. Ha.

Work was super productive today. I got a ton of paperwork done. Sad thing is, I have a ton more.

A client and his Mom today told me that I am the spitting image of the other side on the case (they hired me). I was looking at her stats after they left. She has the same eye color, hair color, same height and weight as me. Um, year born? 1985. That would make me 21. Umm, not quite. But, I guess it's better than me looking 41, right?

So tired, so I am going to close here......

Ugh

Ugh. My stomach is killing me and it cut my workout in half. Oh well, I can only do what I can do with the workouts. I really should take a day off once in a while anyway and I never do, so one half a night off is OK. :).

I have so many things I need to do, and so little time. Ugh. Here are some things I would love to get done in the near future.

1. Pedicure. it's coming upon summer, and I get them done on a regular basis once I am in flip flops full time. Need to go. And would love to get a mani while I am there.

2. Massage. My neck is killing me--again. I have no idea what I do to it. Either get one at the spa or have Rebecca assist me when I see her this weekend.

4. Roof. Call someone on the couple shingles that all falling on the roof. They are driving me nuts.

5. Laundry. We are so behind on this. Enough said with that.

6. Shopping. I really need to get a couple cute skirts or something like that for my San Fran trip. I have no idea what people wear to these conferences. Maybe find that out as well. I know we have some ritzy dinners to attend, so I need to pull out something for that as well.

7. David's Bridal. Need to stop there and look at dresses. My sister has finally settled on a color, so I want to ask some questions, look around, etc. I kinda want to wait until I absolutely have to order to do so, because with all the working out I have been doing, I don't want to get something now and be wearing a totally different size then, it would be a slight issue.

So many other things, but that's a start.

Oh, found out something fun today! As a board member, I get to go to the high school graduation and hand out diplomas, sit on stage. They get us a robe that is associated with our college and it's colors, and you get something else that represents the degrees you have! How kewl! I can't wait. It's at the end of May.

Sundays in the Sun

It was gorgeous out today. Unexpected as the past few days have been cooler. I woke up kinda early and after a nice shower, looked outside. Total fog. Could only see a couple feet out the french doors into the backyard. Got dressed quickly and headed outside to take pics. The fog was already lifting, so I did not get any great fog pics, but since it poured last night, I got some great raindrop pics in the yard. Kurt was already outside picking up random trash in the yard (that was his and Kory's project of the day). Kurt found two ducks (a boy and a girl) hanging out on the property, so we followed them hoping to find a nest, but no such luck. Hopefully some babies pop up, I heart baby ducks.

Decided to take advantage of the nice weather and headed to Sterling State Park to hike. It was a really nice walk. Walked the entire loop and took some pics. I saw two beautiful swans hanging out in the lagoon.....Also saw a really cute groundhog and today was totally turtle day. I swear, I saw about 50. At least. I think they were enjoying the sun, just as I was! :). The weather is supposed to be crappy the rest of the week, so we were all out today, LOL.

My favorite dessert to make? Cheesecake. Why? Because I hate it. Made one today and Kurt and Kory both had some, hehe. It looked really good, but it is WAY too rich for me. I know, I know. I am the only person in life who does not like it.

More trees planted in the yard....Yesterday, Kurt and Kory planted 6 london plane and 5 purple plum trees....I can't wait until they start blooming, so I can see them. The plum trees are colored all year, never green. Oh, went to the mall yesterday to look for a bed at Elder Beerman (did not find one). While there, stopped at Sears since I had a gift card, and ended up getting a pair of dress pants and a shirt for work. Only paid $7 after the use of my card. Woo hoo.