Home Sweet Home

I am back in the D! OK, not exactly Detroit, but my home in Michigan, LOL.

Took a lot of pics at the wedding, but am too tired to upload them now, so I will do that later. :).

Flights to and from LA were great. Left on time, no turbulance, and the flight to Detroit actually arrived like 35 minutes EARLY. Yay.

So, we left Wednesday night, via Northwest, who I generally hate. They moved up a little bit on my list with this flight, but they still make me leery from past experiences. Anyway. Got there, retrieved out luggage and proceeded to Thrifty to get the rental car. We rented a convertible, and it was nice to have in the literally perfect LA weather. We started to get a taste of the insanity of traffic in LA just on the shuttle to pick up our car. Craziness. And this was at 9 p.m. at night. Got the car (a Sebring Convertible, red) and drove to Simi Valley. It was further than I expected, and we arrived tired. Got our room and pretty much went to bed after checking email and watching some news.

Thursday, got up early and headed to Disney after breakfast. So weird, i never eat breakfast unless I am on vacation. Drive to Disney was easy, only a little traffic. And I loved it! Disneyland is even better than DisneyWorld! I was shocked, because I was expecting less for some reason. But, it was less walking, less lines, better weather, and cheaper. Loved it. My fav ride of the day was prob Space Mountain. We went on every ride we wanted to, and had a blast. Headed back to Simi after that, and had dinner with Julia and Jamie at a cute Mexican place with some of the best salsa I have ever had (made with organic, nondiseased tomatoes, LOL). Headed to bed after that.

Next day, we decided to try to get some touristy stuff in prior to the rehearsel dinner. We headed to Beverly Hills, as I wanted to see Rodeo Drive and Kurt wanted to buy a map and search for stars homes (tacky, yet fun). Beverly Hills is like a perfect world. No trash, everything is gorgeous, quiet, so different than I expected. I think I saw more nice cars there than I have ever seen in my life. We did not actually shop, but we walked Rodeo Drive, than bought a star map from two transvestites who were hilarious. We saw a bunch of stars' homes, my fav being the house Fresh Prince of Bel Air was filmed at. A lot of them were hard to see because of gates and high bushes and trees and fences, etc., but it was fun just the same. Bel Air is so nice. If I *had* to live there, Bel Air would be my choice, but I would never live there. Even the really nice houses did not have a lot of land and were very near their neighbors. Headed back to Simi after that to get ready for rehearsel. I wore a really cute dress I bought at Macy's before we left (black and white), with flip flops. Really summery, Cali kinda outfit. Did the rehearsel (which the organist *forgot* about and Tony had to go pick her up), then headed to dinner at Macaroni Grille. Yum. After that, headed back to the hotel and the bridesmaids all hung out in Julia's room to gossip and chill. Everyone was sooo tired from the time changes and such, we did not feel like going out. The guys had just all gone straight to bed.

Saturday was wedding day! Julia, Melinda, Lynnette and Julia's Mom all got our hair done at Satori Spa in Simi. Julia and I also had our make-up done. Did my hair curled, half up. I counted the bobby pins at the end of the night and I had more than 40 in my hair and more hair spray then I have worn total in a year. LOL. rushed back to the hotel to put my dress and shoes and jewelry on, grab Kurt in his tux and headed to our respective meeting places. Girls and Julie's house, guys at the reception hall. Helpled Julia into her dress, had pics, and headed to the church. Waited some, then the wedding began. Kurt and I started everything out, and it was kinda fun to *walk down the aisle* with my fav husband again! :). The wedding was perfect, and really nice because the minister actually really knew them and it was very personal. I cried, which is normal, but I did not bawl and ruin my smoky eye make-up. Ha. My eyes looked good....HAHA. After the wedding, we had MORE pictures, then headed to the reception for MORE pictures. Finally, after not eating all day, we got to eat! The food was exceptional for a wedding. Nonmeat pastas, with meat on the side, ceasar salad and bread. Had fun at the reception too, and finally at the end of the night, got to hang with Julia and talk a bit. They are leaving for a cruise on Monday and spending two nights in Long Beach prior to that. Anyway, am SO happy for them. They really are perfect for each other, and Julia looked amazing in her dress. Absolutely stunning actually. Kurt's response was "I don't like you girls all done up, I like you better natural and laidback..." Yea, we did not ask your opinion Kurt. Thankfully, he did not say that to Julia, just to me. And really, I like that he thinks I look better in a ponytail and no make-up, because if I had to do my hair and makeup like that daily, I would be exhausted! :). After the reception, headed back to the hotel and passed out from exhaustion.

Sunday, today, got up and showered and packed and headed to the airport. We were early, and we almost missed our flight. That is how slow that horrible airport is. I would never choose to fly out of there again, it royally sucked. so many different lines. Ugh.

Now, we are home! Yay! Not looking forward to work, but glad to see my babies and take a walk in the yard. I am tired though, so I may have missed things. If so, I will post more on another day, along with pics.

The LA area was nice, but I would not choose to live there for the sole reason that the traffic is really bad. The worst I have ever since, and i did not even drive during rush hour! The best thing about the area is the weather, and the scenery. it was totally gorgeous. the mountains were so pretty.

Congrats again, Julia and Tony! I was really happy to be part of your wedding day, and to be able to celebrate with you guys. Welcome to the wonderful world of being married! I have had an awesome time in the *world* and know you guys will too, as you are great together. :).

Hope everyone had a nice weeekend.

California Dreamin'

Quick update to let everyone know where I am.......then off to get my hair and makeup done.

Kurt and I are in Simi Valley (outside of LA) for Julia and Tony's wedding...

We left after work on Wednesday, and have been hanging in LA ever since. I will update with details and pics once we are back on Sunday night.

We are having a great time. Weather is awesome here, prob the best of anywhere I have been, with the exception of Hawaii. The one had point of this area is the traffic, it's absolutely horrendous.

Talk soon, hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Changes

Had breakfast this morning with the two soon to be board members, Judy and Ruth. It was nice. I am glad with Nora leaving that two other females will be on the board and I will not be the only one. Especially since these two are so nice and really care about the schools and kids. Went to work after that, and have been chilling at home ever since.

I have this friend I am slightly annoyed with right now. I normally take on the attitude with *friends* that if they are not going to be there, or respond to me or whatever, then it's their loss. Or at least I say that's how I feel. But this friend, we have been thru a lot together. She has literally not responded to my texts, emails, myspace messages, nothing. And I KNOW she is online, because she updates her Myspace, posts new pictures, leaves messages for other people, etc. I have stopped writing her and inviting her to anything, because I am beginning to feel like a stalker because she never responds. Which in itself is just plain rude. I know she is busy, but I have no doubt I am busier...and I still respond to people's emails/texts on a daily basis. No idea why she is avoiding me, but, I have a feeling it's just because we don't have a lot in common socially right now. I think she may also not want me around because she does not want her new friends to know that she used to be part of a more normal circle of people, or does not want these people to know she used to be part of a modest lifestyle. It appears that her new cirlce of friends worship her, and I am kinda a tell it like it is friend, so maybe she does not like that I am not fawning over everything she buys and does. Who knows. I posted about her before, if this is sounding familiar. Her main thing right now is luxury partying, luxury anything. I don't think going to an Applebee's for a night out to gab would be on her agenda. It's kinda odd to me, all of this though. She has this entire new group of friends, most of them who I have no doubt earn less money than I do (I say this only because they all appear to spend money in a way that sasys that they earn far MORE money than I do). They all *act* like they are rich and high class, wear only the best, drink only the best, go VIP and first class on everything. What's weird is, I truly could afford that stuff if I wanted, but have no desire whatsoever to do any of it. I would much prefer spending time with friends in a laid back environment, in flip flops and capris, and drinking *gasp* something that does not cost $100 for a pint. What's even weirder to me is that my friend is into all this. She used to be one of the most down to earth people I know, and I am wondering if she is ever going to return to reality in the near future. I am just trying to ignore it, as I know she is having fun, and she needs that, but I would love to have her back sometime......I used to say of all my friends, I had the most in common with her. Literally, we seemed to be like the same person re personality, upbringing, etc. Now, I think she is the furthest from me in similarities of friends. Oh well. I was just thinking about this and thought i would post. I am sure someday, she will get tired, or meet someone and get married again or serious, and she may calm down and become the person I used to know. I will just have to wait it out, ;).

Anyway, can't wait to see pics and the trip report from Rebecca's whirlwind trip to meet Mindy in Vegas!

Happy Birthday Kory and Christie!

June 6 was Kory's 23rd birthday and my sister's 29th bday! Happy birthday both of you!

Bought a computer! And I got an amazing deal on it at Staples, of all places. Anyway, I got the Dell Inspiron 1721. I liked it because the screen is huge for a laptop (17 inches). At Staples, it was on clearance and marked down $500.00. Then, since it was the last one in the store, they came down another 10%. Plus, I get cash back for using my Staples Reward card, so I will get 10% more back in the mail in a couple months. So, I got a $1600 computer for under $600. Gotta love deals with shopping. Yay. Am getting used to it now because it is heavier and the keyboard is wider than my last computer, so it is weird right now, LOL. Thus far though, love it. Especially since it functions.....

Had a board meeting on Thursday night to see presentations by companies that will assist us in our superintendent search. We chose MASB, which I am happy about. I felt like they had a lot more experience in searching, and would do so more quickly. It sucks Tim is retiring big time, but, I am really happy for him that he gets to spend time relaxing and with his wife. Congrats again, Tim.

Friday night, Rebecca came over before her flight to Vegas to have dinner for Kory's birthday. Well really, she was just coming over and it happened to fall on Kory's birthday. Went to Pete's, and showed her the pond. Later that night, Kory's parents got here and we all went out for drinks at Jerry's Bar. Today, we went to Grassroots (the pond store near our house) and for breakfast at Newport Cafe with everyone. Keith and Kellie left after that, and we have been chilling the rest of the day. I watered my flowers with my new attachment for the hose I bought, and watered some shrubs and trees as well. We bought some really kewl floating plants for the pond today. Oh, and the well people came on Friday and started that, so hopefully, it is done soon because our water levels are low from the hot weather we have been getting.

Anyway, off to bed. Having breakfast in the morning with Judy and Ruth, then heading to work for the day, I think. Night.....

Feeling Sorry for Laptop

OK, not really. But, I came home and went to get on my laptop, which is having issues. It does turn on, but it keeps going to that screen where you have to choose to *start normally*, or in *safe mode*, etc., and nothing is working to get it on. I tried my restore cds which worked once in the past, and NOTHING. Thus, I have to make a decision. I am going to take it in and see if it can get fixed, or perhaps get a new one. Mine is desperately old (it was bought near the start of law school, which was a freaking long time ago). But, the computer is great, and if fixed cheaply, I would like to keep. Decisions, decisions. Then, if I decide on something new, I need to decide if I want to take the plunge to Macs. I love Apple products, but I have only used Windows my entire life. Hmm. Anyone have a laptop they love and that I MUST purchase?? Suggestions, if you have them, please!

Last night, Val came to visit with her new boyfriend, Rob. It was really nice to see her. It is truly scary how much alike we are, and we are not actual sisters, simply former stepsisters. She is me, minus 11 years. Even getting the same undergrad degree......Anyway, Rob was really nice. We all went to dinner at Pete's, and hung at the house afterwards. Rob's family can get into the dealer auctions that are not open to the public for cars, so him and Kory were surfing the net lookings for Audis and others. Kory wants to sell his truck and get something more gas efficient. So, Rob was his bestest friend last night, HAHA.

Announcment: Rebecca is coming to my hometown with me over the 4th of July! We are taking a girls' trip and I can't freaking wait. One, to spend lots of time with her, and two, to see my Mommy. I sent emails to all my friends who still live there or might be there over the 4th, so hopefully, Rebecca and I can get drunk a lot and have fun! hehe. At the very least, we will spend a lot of time at the beach and the festival. I grew up in Manistee, MI, which is on Lake Michigan. So, awesome place to be in summer, HORRIBLE cold place to be in winter. Should be so super fun. Rebecca will most likely be meeting Nick (my nephew) when I do for the first time, so we will have to take lots of pictures.

It's also getting SOO close to our LA trip. I can't believe I leave on Wed night. Crazy. I still need to rent a car, but I have the hotel room rented, Kurt's tux is ready to be picked up, and my makeup and hair appointment was made for me, thanks to Julia. Yay.

Anyway, off to bed. Have an early appointment and deposition, and a late night, with a board meeting. Speaking of board meetings, there is a bunch of drama going on there which annoys me, but I am working through it. Which is why I hate politics and could never be involved any further than a school board! :).

At Last--Trip Report

So, I am finally getting around to posting about the trip. I need to, before I forgot what I did. I normally journal while on vacay, in order to recall what we did, but I did not feel like it this trip.

Anyway. I will attempt to put everything into writing after the fact. I am sure I will need to update later as I always forget things when reporting in this manner.

Day 1

Got up realllllly early, as we had to be at the airport for a flight at 6 AM. Got there, half asleep, and flew through security. Yay. Flight left on time, and flew into Houston. Flight left Houston on time as well. Gotta love Continental. Got to Managua, Nicaragua, and quickly got through customs. Paid the $5 per person fee to enter the country (which is SOO cheap compared to the other Central American countries we have visited), and headed to Avis to get our rental car. I had rented an automatic mid-range SUV. Of course, being Central America, they had no automatics available. So, we got a stick. Which is sooo much fun in stop and go traffic in busy foreign cities. Took us forever to get out of Managua. Nicaragua is just like Costa Rica in that there are NO freaking signs. Or very few anyway. We had an awesome detailed map, which would have helped if there were ANY street signs to help me. We had decided to head to Granada first thing, as it is a central location to get to a lot of things we wanted to see. Finally got to Granada after some wrong turns and figuring things out. Checked into La Gran Francia (stayed in the junior suite which was nice) and headed to lunch at the hotel's restaurant, El Arcangel. Super good lunch. The hotel was really kewl because it dates back to the 1500s and is a historic building. After lunch we found a tour guide store and booked a trip for the next morning to Mombacho Volcano. We were pretty tired with the time change, and the flights, and driving around the country, so after wandering the city some and grabbing something to drink, we decided to pass out and go to bed.

Day Two

Got up early and headed to the tour guide's office and to Mombacho Volcano. Took a truck to the base of the volcano to wait for the huge truck that would take us to the hike in the volcano. The trucks were pretty kewl, they were old army trucks from the civil war in the country in the 1980s. Rode up in the truck with our tour guide. On the way up, we stopped at a little village that makes it's own coffee and sells it (among other things). Wandered there and took some pics, and headed up to the top. As soon as we got there, it started to pour. Waiting in the little lodge until the rain subsided somewhat. Started the hike, which was through rain forest in the volcano. There were many places to stop and see the views, which were breathtaking. Of course, it started to pour again and we got totally drenched. Since it was so hot out there though, it was not too miserable. I was glad I was not wearing anything white or see through though. Stopped raining about half way through, as soon as we got to the really kewl part of the hike with even more amazing views and opportunity to get close to some steam vents and lava. Hiked back and were taken back to Granada. Since we were still feeling adventurous, we booked another tour, which was a boat tour on Lake Nicaragua to see the lake, a really old fort, and different little islands, including one with lots of spider monkeys. :). The boat ride was really nice. I love being on the water. We saw a lot of birds, a turtle, and lots of monkeys, including howler and the spider monkeys on the island they call Monkey Island. The fort we visited was pretty kewl too. Love how old everything is in this area. Got back to Granada, booked another trip for the next morning and decided to wander around town for me to take pics and explore.....Did that, then had dinner at a really kewl little place where I had shrimp pasta and Kurt had veggie pasta. After that, headed to bed.

Day Three

Got up really early to head to Zapatera Island, which is the home of many ancient petroglyphs. The boat ride each way is 1.5 hours. Stopped at two different areas. The first was a smaller island that had petroglyphs as soon as you stepped off the boat on the lava on the shores. It was SOOO hot that day, and this would be the day both Kurt and I got way to much freaking sun. Oww. I always wear sunscreen, and it was just not helping this day with being in a boat so long and out hiking on black lava. Anyway, on island two, we went hiking in the rain forest to different areas that had petroglyphs. Very, very kewl. Really hard hike for us though because of the changes in elevation and temperature. It's kinda sad too because the petroglyphs are not really protected. The government there cannot afford to preserve and find more of the beauty of these petroglyphs and thus, once they are gone from the sun and exposure and not being blocked off from humans and such walking on them, they will be gone and never available to see again except in pictures. I felt really privileged to have gotten to see them. Headed back after this hot day and had lunch at a little Mediterranean place, had paella. After that, headed back to our car to drive to our next destination, Ometepe Island. Drove to San Jorge, and to the ferry. As soon as we pulled up, people were trying to help us, which we actually needed. A taxi was set up to pick us up on the island and take us to a hotel. Ferry ride over was nice. The ferry was three stories, with the second level having air conditioning. Whoot. Got there, and our taxi driver was waiting and drove us to the hotel. Got there, and luckily a room was available. Checked in, and had dinner on the deck overlooking the ocean. Signed up for a tour the next morning and headed to bed.

Day Four

Got up early for our hike through the primary rain forest. On the way there, saw a TON of capuchin monkeys and babies playing in the trees. The hike was awesome, over lava rocks. We saw some really kewl bats, as well as a snake, some neat bugs including a centipede, and awesome HUGE trees. After the hike ended, we found some howler monkeys playing in the trees with their babies and literally stood and watched for a about 40 minutes. Love the monkeys. Headed back to the hotel and checked out the beach, but with our burn, we were not laying out that day! :). Had breakfast with another couple we had met (canadian), and then headed back to the ferry. After the ferry, we decided to head to Masaya, which is known for it's really kewl open market shopping. Went there, and ended up buying a really kewl wooden bowl, as well as a little parrot for Kurt for his office, and a wooden thing that I deemed a paper clip holder for my desk at the office. Left there and headed back to Managua. Got pulled over on the way. I had just read that the police in Nicaragua like to pull over foreigners and try and get bribes out of them, when they are doing nothing wrong. So yea, doing nothing wrong and got pulled over. Got out of the ticket when we refused to pay the bribe. Really annoyed us, as I don't think screwing Americans over is going to boast toursm in your country. Found a hotel that was really nice, and decided to get massages. Did that, and then had dinner at the hotel and crashed.

Day Five

Got up early this morning and headed outside of Managua to hike in a primary rain forest. This was prob the most awesome hike of the trip. We saw so much. Tons of monkeys, a peccary, birds, etc. The trees were incredible on this hike. Kewlest I have ever seen. Also saw a gorgeous waterfall. After this, went and walked through a local mall and had lunch, then headed back to the hotel. Ended up getting kinda drunk, hehe, and playing pool in the hotel's poolside bar. Kurt beat me, but I did win 4 games to his 8. Decided to get a mani/pedi next, while Kurt had another massage and went to the casino (where he won $70 playing blackjack). Went and had dinner that night at this really yummy seafood place in town. Came back afterwards and hung out in the room, and crashed.

Day Six

Back to reality, boo. Slept in, got up and had breakfast, turned the rental car in, and headed to the airport. All flights back were great.

Overall, had an awesome time! It was prob our least favorite of the Central American countries thus far, but still had an amazing time, as usual. Some of the things we did not like about the country were the lack of road signs, the amount of people begging us EVERYWHERE we went, the police pulling foreigners over for no reason.............But, I did like the lack of tourists, the beauty of the volcanos and rain forests, and being in nice weather! :).

Of course, took lots of pics. Click here to see them.

Odd

An entire weekend went by and......I did not work at the office! Really strange feeling, but I can handle it. ;).

Went this weekend and bought flowers for the house. I have three large pots on the pillars in front of the house, as well as a three tiered thing on th front porch. After doing those yesterday, I went today and bought three pots for in front of the garage. I have been wanting to buy those for a couple years, and never have. They look awesome. I went a tad overboard with the flowers I think, but I love them. Took a lot of walks near the pond this weekend. We bought two new frogs yesterday and I have seen both of them surface in the pond, one eating a little fish. Kurt saw a HUGE bullfrog at the pond, which is kewl because we did not put it there. It came from someplace in our yard, I guess. I want to see it!

Friday night, my Mom and stepDad came into town. They had been at my stepbrother's graduation in Hudsonville. We went to dinner at Pete's, then hung out at the house. I taught my Mom how to use Flickr, so she could upload her pics of Nick to the site. Also downloaded Picasa to her computer. The next morning, we went to breakfast at a local cafe I like, then went to a few stores in town. My Mom bought me this silverware I have been wanting at Target for my birthday. Love it. You know how some people say socks disappear at their house? Yea, silverware disappears at mine.

I am working on uploading all my pics from the trip. Have not started the trip report yet, but need to do that too! I am so slow. Too much outside yard stuff this weekend.......

Home Sweet Home?

I am home! But, have been slammed since getting here with work and cleaning. I will for sure do a trip report and upload all pics this weekend. But, to keep things short and sweet for now, we had an awesome time. We rank the country last on our list of Central American countries visited by us thus far, but still had an amazing time. The pic above is of me by a HUGE tree in the primary rain forest hike we did the day before we left. That hike was prob the highlight of the trip for me. Beautiful forest. I would to own it, but alas, it's a National Park. Pic below is of a baby spider monkey (actually, more like a toddler). He was so cute, and just playing on the shore in the trees of one of the islands we rode by on one of the boat trips we took.....Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend! I am already missing Central Amerca.....

Where Do I Find the Energy?

Yay! David Cook won! I have not watched American Idol a ton this season, but I have liked David Cook from the start. Congrats to you, David! Since I know you read this blog and all in your spare time. Ha.

OMG. Day from hell. So busy. Had court at 8 a.m., which is crazy. And, they did not call the case until, drumroll please........130 pm. Freaking ridiculous. At least I kicked the other's side ass. My client got sole legal custody, sole physical custody and the Dad has NO parenting time. Gotta love Defendants who are not represented, it is so much fun to toy with them and make them angry.......My fav part of the day was when the bailiff said "Do not interrupt counsel when she is speaking or you will be removed from the courtroom." Ha. Love the bailiffs downtown, they always have our backs. Got back to the office to insanity. Phone calls galore, appointments coming in one after the other, meeting out of the office at 3, documents that HAD to be filed online.

Left the office, came home, and I don't know what got into me. Before I even sat down to relax, I walked the dogs, filled the bird feeders, vacuumed the great room, put two loads of laundry away, put another load in the dryer and one in the washer, carried laundry from our bedroom down the hall, switched the dishes over, made dinner for me and Kurt, cleaned some in the kitchen, changed garbages over.......And since I have switched the laundry over again. Now, I am zonked.

Booked a rental car for Nicaragua. That's about all I am doing in the way of planning. Will pack tomorrow. I think we are going to try and backpack it again, no suitcases. It is so much easier, and all I really need there with the hot weather is shorts, tanks, bug spray and sunscreen. AND MY CAMERA. Can't wait to take pics, seriously. It will be awesome.

Memorial Day Trip Booked--Kinda

The flight is booked! On a side note, that's ALL that's booked. But for those of you who know me and Kurt, this is how we roll.....at least on vacay. We don't like a lot of plans, schedules. We truly like to go with the flow, which is the opposite of how we live our work lives. I think getting away from work as much as possible includes not looking at a calendar or a clock.

Flying into Managua, Nicaragua, this Friday via Continental Airlines, and coming home Wednesday night via Continental as well. Cheapest flight, and my fav airline. Yay.

We bought two books on Nicaragua, but I think all I really concluded from the book is that not too many people go there. Usually, travel guides are all organized and easy to follow, but these are confusing and don't explain much. I am sure we will figure it out once we get there. Not sure on renting a car or what. LOL. I do know that I want to go to Ometepe Island, San Juan del Sur, and any all rain forest type places.

We soooo need to go away, can't even explain it. Thank God we got all hearings moved around and can do this! Whoot!

Sunglasses and The Need for Vacation

Tired.....

I think on my upcoming vacation, just sleeping and relaxing will be a joy and part of the fun!

Long day today. Had to run downtown at the last minute to cover a hearing Kurt could not make, then, as soon as I got there, Kurt was able to do the hearing himself, so I just hung out with him for a few and watched the hearing. The phone was freaking insane at the office, can't even explain it. AARGH. I despise the phone. Worked late, then decided to head to the mall because I needed some new sunglasses. Ended up buying a new pair that rocks. Mine are the color 093/N2 though. I got an amazing deal, as they are from last season's collection. Heart deals. Love them too because not only are their super kewl, they also have polarization, 100 UV Protection, Blue Light Protection and other stuff that makes them good for me to wear. Which I need. I get horrible headaches in the sun without sunglasses, and these should help even more. Stopped after that and bought Kurt two new hats at Lids (here and here), then went into Victoria's Secret and bought some new 5 for $25 panties, three new bras and some new body sprays. I needed some new stuff, have not bought lingerie in forever and all my body sprays at home are at the bottom of the bottle......

Came home, worked out, made dinner, threw laundry in, and am chilling. Have moved just about everything with my court dates and such so we can go away for Labor Day. Fingers crossed that I get to get the hell out of MI soon!

31st Birthday Weekend

Happy Birthday to Me! So, I am 31! Don't feel or look any different, but technically, I am older! :).

Friday night, we had dinner with our friend Gary and his girlfriend at Quatro's in Monroe. It was nice to see them, and hang out. I had this crawfish soup and salad. Super yummy. Never had crawfish soup before, but loved it.

Saturday, we worked. Stopped at the pond store on the way home and bought some more tadpoles and turtles for the pond. After that, Kurt took me to Big Fish for my birthday and I had this shrimp pasta meal that I love. So freaking yummy. Got 20% off for my birthday and free dessert. Which Kurt and I only ate like 1/4 of. I can never eat dessert after a big meal. It was free though, so whatev......Came home and passed out on the couch.....

Today, we worked again. Came home and got ready for dinner with my family for my birthday. We ate at Mitchell's Fish Market in Livonia. Had a crab and shrimp pasta meal. The place was good, but I think a little overrated for the cost. My Grama bought me a really pretty ring with a pink stone, my Aunt bought me some cute pug notecards with a tin, a retired Xmas house that is a law firm and specialized with our law firm name........and my Dad bought me a really pretty necklace. It was a nice night out seeing my family. Came home and threw some laundry in. I don't think I am ever getting caught up on that...........

There is a robin outside my bathroom window! In a nest. I know there are eggs or babies in there, but I don't know which one yet. Can't wait to see. Perfect view. And I freaking love baby robins. Can't wait for the Mama to move so I can see.....

So, we are almost completely caught up at the office. Not joking. If we get caught up, I might fall over.

Zonked

I am so zonked out lately! When it is nearing 10 p.m., I am totally ready to be in bed, almost passing out on the couch. Ugh. And since we have been working late, I basically get home, work out, make dinner, and go to bed! Glad I am too tired to be bored with myself! :).

So, what have I been up to........Not much, really. Had a couple annoying court hearings this week. I hate being sexist, but sometimes, female lawyers are much more difficult to deal with than male. Females will just NOT let things go, and are just sooo bitchy sometimes. Aargh. Enough on that though.

Had an awesome massage last night. I am so freaking picky after having the best (Rebecca), so even though I enjoy massages from others, nothing is ever close. Crystal though, is awesome. She is totally going to be the one I see in the area from now on. This place sent me a birthday coupon. I went there for a massage a really long time ago, and decided to try it again because I had the coupon. She did a lot of work on my neck, which for whatever reason, other therapists tend to avoid (except Rebecca, of course). I was so out of it afterwards, I could barely drive home. Those massages are the best kind. I should have come home and went straight to bed, but instead, I made dinner, chilled with Kurt, then fell asleep on the couch before working out. Whoops.

Stopped after work today and picked up some groceries while Kurt met with a guy at the house that is putting in a well near our pond to keep it full. He is going come next week and put it in. I can't wait. I hate seeing the pond continually go down in water level because of our lack of rain in these parts.

We are still trying to get some things moved around to allow us to go away over Memorial weekend. Fingers crossed, but it is looking more positive. Worse case scenario, we will take a trip somewhere more quick in the US, but I would really like to get out of here and do some hiking in the jungle.....It is the best therapy for me of anything.

Already tired, so I will write more this weekend......

Remarkable Two

Two. Yea, that's right. Worked until almost 8 p.m. tonight. But. It accomplished taking our "call pile" down to 2. Why is this so great? Because, as of this morning, the pile was around probably 40 or so. Whoot. Also, the piles of work at the office seem to be subsiding. Still stressed about some stuff, but feeling slightly less overwhelmed. Yay.

Have to sign off now, as I need to review two files and organize them before court tomorrow. One of the hearings is really going to annoy me majorly. I am just going to take deep breaths and think about hiking in the jungle, as it is guaranteed the other attorney is going to piss me off with something she says. Kill em with kindness is my goal for the day, y'all. Or at least TRY to.

Night.

ET Phone Home....................

So. I have not posted in so long, I don't remember what I posted about last and what I have not posted about yet.

Wednesday, I had to drive back to Ann Arbor to sign loan docs on my car again. They ended up somehow getting me a lower interest rate. I never knew with buying a car that you could play the interest rate game, but apparently, you can! Yay. I am much happier with the new deal. Drove there and went to dinner with Auntie afterwards at Weber's. My food was really good, had a cajun shrimp and rice meal. Auntie had a cheeseburger that she was not really thrilled with......She did like my car though! :). I am still in love with my car, BTW. So lux. Love the heated seats and the XM radio. I am now an XM addict. They suckered me in, in like, 2 days. LOL. The free trial is def worth it for them. I will purchase whenever it runs out.

Thursday, had my first board meeting post election. The new people do not start until July. I did not realize how sad I was about Jeff losing until the meeting. I almost lost it during the meeting. When it came to my turn to talk at the end of the meeting, I welcomed the new people and then had to say I could not talk about Jeff because I was still too upset about the election. Jeff has grown to be such a great friend, and I believe the district is really going to be losing out not having him around. He truly cares about the kids, the school and educating himself to be the best board member ever. It's sad the community did not see things this way. Anyway, thanks, Jeff, for being such an awesome person, friend, and board member. I plan on staying friends with him for the long run, and am really lucky to have gotten to know him.

Kurt watched ET for the first time last night! I still can't believe he had never seen it before. He loved it. I would have thought something as majorly wrong with him if he did not, so good....Ha. I love watching Drew Barrymore, she was so freaking cute in that movie! I cried at the end. Not surprising.

Worked all weekend, pretty much. Got a lot accomplished though, which we needed.

We may be going to Nicaragua! We are thinking of going somewhere over Memorial Day, and were thinking the Osa in Costa Rica, but started looking at Nicaragua instead. Bought two books this weekend and it looks so interesting there. They have volcanoes, rain forests and ancient cities. Plus, CHEAP flights. My kinda place. We have been reading up a lot on the place. I don't know one person who has been there, so it would be a really different experience. I thought it would be dangerous, but apparently, it is the second safest country in the western hemisphere, after Canada. So, I am safer there than at home in Newport! Ha.

Off to bed. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I love my Mom. She is the most amazing woman I have ever known (by far). I can tell her anything, she is one of my best friends, and she is the person I owe everything I am today too. She taught me the importance of education, of being open minded, and how to be a great wife and person.

And now, with the birth of my sister's baby, Nick, she is proving to be an amazing grandma as well. My sister is really lucky to have her around, and I am really jealous I don't get to see her as often as my sister does.

Anyway. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thanks for being you.

Love, Me (your second favorite daughter). :).

Helicopters, Settlements, and Political Scandals

Tired.

Really long day, most of it out of the office, which is annoying. I like spending the day AT the office. Had court this morning, rushed back to the office to draft a Mediation Brief, rushed to a Mediation this afternoon, and was there until 6:30 p.m. Ugh. Did resolve the case, so that is good. Came back to the office and filed some stuff online that was due, then headed to Pete's to meet Kory for dinner. Which was yummy.

Got the results of the school board election and was so bummed. My friend, Jeff, who it the President of the board, lost. He is so dedicated to the school and our district, and really hard working and fair. He lost, because of some "behind the scenes" politics, which is so wrong. I am really sad that I am not going to be working with him anymore. I don't know much about the two new women, and will be interested to get to know them, but i am still not happy about Jeff being outed. So wrong.

Last night, when going to bed, I looked out the window and saw a lot of lights and a cop car. Opened the front door and saw it was several cop cars, ambulances, fire trucks, etc. So, the three of us (me, Kurt and kory) went outside and walked to the front of our yard. And saw a truck. Or, what used to be a truck. The truck had hit a telephone pole and a tree and barely looked like a truck any longer. Wow. The life helicopter came and landed and took one of the passengers and the other left in an ambulance. it was really weird that all this happened across the street from my house. Freaky. I should have taken pics, but I felt kinda weird about that and did not. Hope everyone is OK, but the one guy I guess is in critical condition.

Got my bottom braces adjusted again yesterday. I think I am really close to being done with this stage and moving onto the Invisalign. I hope anyway.

Proud Mommy

So, after much deliberation, I am the proud owner of a Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible. Black, with grey interior, beautiful, wonderful, car. Love it. It was quite the adventure picking it up though. Kurt decided he wanted to drive our little "problem" car, the Spyder. Yea, we broke down on the way there. Common with the stupid car. I called and told the dealership I was not going to make it tonight, and they sent someone to PICK ME UP. Wow. I was shocked. So Kurt stayed and waited for a tow truck (thank you AAA), and I went and signed the docs and picked up my new baby. Have to name him still, but I had such a nice drive home. The car drives so smoothly, love the acceleration, the heated seats, everything. I am so excited about it. This is really the first car that I have ever picked out on my own. Usually, Kurt picks out our cars because I don't really care and he does.

Now I am home, and super tired, after a long day. Am heading off to bed next. And can't wait to drive the car again tomorrow! :).

Cars, Cars, Cars and Ice

Cars, cars, everywhere a car....blocking up the scenery......breaking my mind, do this don't do that.....................

Drove to Ann Arbor this morning to test drive more cars. Stopped first at the Saab dealership. Drove the Saab 9-3 Cabriolet. Loved it. Plus, they have an awesome deal there on a 2007, new. Because it is 2007, it is like $10000 cheaper than the 2008. Same car exactly, except the 07 actually gets BETTER gas mileage. Then, we went to the Porsche dealership to look at Audis. Drove the Audi A4 convertible. Loved it too. It is a lot more than the Saab though and VERY similar. Next we saw the Volkswagon EOS, which I had never seen before. Very kewl car. It is a hard top convertible, automatic. NEVER seen one of those before. Drove it, and it was OK. Don't really like the way the car looks with the top up (kinda boring and generic). We next went and drove the Mercedes CLK350 convertible. GORGEOUS car. Very lux. But, I am looking for something to drive year round, and I would not want to drive this car in MI in the winter. This car does not deserve to have snow and sleet and such hitting it's beautiful exterior. So, I have to axe that one too. Very nice though and great customer service there. Only car we drove all day that we could not take out ourselves, the sales guy came with us. :). Stopped at the Lexus dealer to see their convertible, but they were out of stock. Saw one in their repair shop, and the back seat is way too small (kinda like the Porsche's). So, we will prob not go back to look at one when they come in. Next, stopped and drove a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible. Cute car, and fast, but not quite as roomy as the others. we kinda want something we can take friends and family in if needed, and all of our current cars are kinda small and uncomfortable in the back seat. Stopped at some other dealerships too, but they either did not make convertibles with their brand, or they were two seaters.......Long day, but fun. I ended up calling back the Saab lady and filling out their credit app online to see what kind of deals I would qualify for. She prob will call me Monday. I am still not for sure I want anything, so I guess I will see how I feel after I sleep on it.

Went to an ice show in Taylor tonight for Jessica, my friend Tammy's daughter. Was a lot of fun but LONG. And in a kinda hockey arena so the seats were not comfy. My ass still kinda hurts. Came home and ate dinner and am chilling now.

Kory went to Dearborn on Friday after work and I have not seen him since. Am wondering if he is still alive. Probably is, but probably has drank way more than necessary this weekend. I don't know how people do it, drinking exhausts me.

Night all. If anyone has any opinion at all based on experience/knowledge of the cars above, please let me know. Toodles!

Where is the Money?

I was very happy to hear about one of Kurt's court hearings today. Remember my story from a while back about the lawyer that treated me like complete crap at a Mediation? Well, we filed a Motion for Atty Fees and Related Issues regarding his wasting my time at Mediation, and Kurt appeared at it. Some classic *lines* resulted from this. We won on the attorney fees, got a lot of her back child support paid, and the ultimate result of this hearing (trying to force the other atty to begin acting reasonable and resolve this case) worked. Here are the classic lines:

Judge: "Well, maybe if you paid your child support, Mr. "x", your wife could AFFORD a rake..." (said right after my client asked for her rake and hoe back and the Defendant had the balls to tell the Judge no). This Judge is always super calm and Kurt said she was very angry at them.

Kurt went to his next court hearing and an atty friend of him says: "Kurt, I tried to find you and saw you arguing your case in front of Judge "X". I watched for a moment and you just kept saying "Where is the money? Where IS the money?" The atty turns to Kurt and says "Kurt, did you find the money?" Heh. I guess we will *see* if we found the money, as his child support is due by Wednesday in our office in a cashier's check.

So, we went and looked at the Solstice on Wednesday. Found out it is basically the same car as the Sky. So, we did not drive it. Non-automatic top as well. Plus, they only had stick shifts on the lot. Tried to go drive an Eclipse Spyder GT on Thursday, but could not find the dealer, as I think they have moved. All I saw was Hyundais where the Mitsubishis were supposed to be.

I think we need to go to Ann Arbor to shop for cars, they have a ton of dealerships there........Our area is not that stocked with cars.

Tuxedos in the Sky

So, we went after work today to drive the Saturn Sky. Every time I see it on the road, I really like it. We drove the Red Line version, which has the larger engine (and oddly enough, the one with the bigger engine gets better gas mileage). Anyway, really cute car. Really comfy with a lot of leg room. It drove really well too, but I am keeping my options open, especially since I don't *need* a new car right now. The one thing I did not like about it was *how* the top went down. It is not automatic like the Carerra. It's not complex, but I am kinda spoiled with the automatic option on my car now. I don't even really know why I went and looked..............I think since we have not bought anything new in like 3+ years, I just feel this need to shop for one. Who knows if I will purchase. I figure, eventually my Saturn is going to have to die (it has really high mileage), and I will need something at that point anyway. We want to drive the Solstice as well, but that will be another time. It was fun though. Kurt is so sweet, when I was trying to talk myself out of buying it, his response was "you deserve a little convertible to drive around in...." Most of the cars we buy (i.e. the Carrera, the Spyder) are for him and not really for me, so maybe he is right. He is just way more into cars than me, I don't really care......

OMG, interesting update on the chick who was all crazy the other day in court. If you recall, she was the one who told Kurt that he sucked, LOL. Anyway. Kurt was in the elevator at court and the bailiff to that Judge started talking to him about that day. I guess he had witnessed her breakdown in the hallway. Right after her breakdown, I guess she walked up to the bailiff and said "I wanted to tell her that Mr. Haskell just assaulted me (hit me)". The bailiff I guess said "I just witnessed what happened and Kurt did not touch you. You may want to take back that statement." She then was like "OH, you saw that? Sorry. Never mind." I was shocked that someone would do something like that. Women like her give other women such a bad freaking name. She must just get mad at people, and accuse them of whatever to try and get her way. Unbelievable and sick. She actually left a message on our voice mail last night, stating that she got Kurt's Motion to Withdraw, and wanted to talk to us about the "inaccuracies" and "obvious omissions" from the document. When she calls back I am going to tell you "YES, you are correct. What we forgot to put in there was the lie you told to the bailiff about Kurt assaulting you." Thus far though, she has not called back. Wow is all I can say.

My box got here from White House Black Market today! The shirts all fit well. The one I really love, although I have to get Kurt to take it off me after wearing. I have kinda broad shoulders and that is an issue with shirts sometimes. On, the shirt is fine. I just have issues getting it off. LOL. Whatever, I guess my husband won't complain about taking my shirt off sometimes. Heh. I want to wear that one tomorrow, but it is only supposed to be in the 50s again, so I will probably wear another one that is warmer. The shoes are SUPER cute too. I am thinking that they might not be very comfy, but we will see. If not, I will just wear them in the office a lot and not downtown.

Oh, forgot to talk about the tux/suit shopping, LOL. Kurt had to get fitted for his tux for Julia's wedding, and Kory went with us and bought a suit too! His first one ever. :). He looks really nice in it. Bought Kurt a really nice new pair of shoes while we were there too, and the guy there is going to look for some three piece suits for Kurt (he has been liking the vest with his suit look lately). Love that store, the customer service is phenomenal.

Off to bed.

Weekend Update

Had a nice weekend. Friday, after work, Kurt and I met up with our friends, Tammy and Tom, at Applebee's. Had dinner, and caught up. Have not seen Tom in forever.....Anyway, really nice meal, and really nice to hang out with them.

Saturday morning, I slept in really late for me! :). Got up, and decided to take the doggies for a walk at Sterling State Park again. I am hoping this continues to be a weekend tradition. It was a nice, but kinda windy walk. The pugs really seem to like the change of scenery and going there. The football draft was on this weekend and Kurt was glued to it, so I decided to do dinner with my Aunt and Dad on Saturday night. We ate at this random place I chose near my Dad's new apartment, and went there to check out his new place afterwards. The food at this place was awesome, or at least my meal was....I had this Canadian Walleye that was pecan crusted and had a creole sauce, super yummy. Perhaps the best walleye I have ever had. Got home kinda late, and went to bed since I had plans the next day to see Rebecca's new house.....

Today, headed to Rebecca's to see her new house in Clawson. It is so nice, and really cute, and she has done a lot to it already. Her Uncle was there hooking up her stove, and Lauren was there hanging out too. We ran some errands for the house and then were waiting for her parents to come over when we got a call from her Mom that they were in a car accident. So, we headed up to the accident and picked up her Mom to take her home, then went back to pick up her Dad and Uncle from the scene. The car is not looking so hot, and her Mom was super stressed about it, I felt really badly for her.....Anyway, after that, Lauren, Rebecca and I went for sushi and I had this awesome roll called the Black Widow roll, which was soft shell crab, shrimp, avocado, cucumber and a spicy sauce. Super good. And miso soup. Stopped at Grand Traverse Pie Company on the way back, as Rebecca has been wanting to stop in there since it opened. Bought some preserves for Kurty, as well as two pieces of pie for him, and a muffin. Everything looks awesome in there. On my way home, I decided to stop at Linens and Things to look for a duvet cover (i have been wanting a second one to use on my bed when I wash my normal one). Found NOTHING, and then stopped at Nordstrom Rack since it was next door. Found nothing there either. Tried on a few dresses, but I was just not loving anything, so I left and drove home.

Ended up buying the duvet cover I have been wanting on Overstock.com. I don't know why I did not buy it a long time ago, it is a far better deal than what I am finding in stores and exactly what I want. Can't wait til it gets here. :).

I got the number, but missed the point--twice. LOL. Funny.

Addiction

Since Rebecca asked, I am posting links of what I bought today online.......OK, I have this issue with shopping lately. Not really, but for me, I have been buying more stuff that normal. Sadly, I need it, as I rarely buy myself stuff like this since I have no time to shop. Anyway, while in Orlando, I discovered White House Black Market at the outlet mall we shopped at. Loved the style and quality of the clothing. Signed up on their website. Of course, now I keep getting coupons and offers in my email box and mailbox. Today, I got an awesome coupon on email, and there are some items I have been looking at in the sale portion on this site. Ended up buying four new things and saving lots o money. Yay. So, here is what I bought. Three shirts (one, two and three) and one pair or shoes. Hopefully, I like everything once I try it on. I have been lucky in that regard with shoes lately, so hopefully, clothing will be lucky as well.

Had a board meeting tonight, which was very calm. Yay.

No court tomorrow! WHOOT! WE had 5 hearings and they all got canceled or postponed, so we went from Kurt and I both appearing in court to both of us being in the office. I am so psyched to get lots of paperwork done.

Teenagers Have Sex (but I don't condone it)

I had to go to court again, because of a crazy schedule this morning. We had 7 hearings in two different buildings, all to happen at 830 and 900. Ha. I did one that was a change in custody Motion. It was filed by the father of the children, basically because he does not want to pay child support (a normal reason in these cases, although never an admitted reason). Anyway, they brought up all these false allegations. One of the non-false allegations was that the parties' 15 year old daughter recently had sex, in my client's home. Long story, but my client has a 17 year old son, who has friends stay over, and after everyone went to bed one night, her daughter and one of her son's friends had intercourse. She told her Mom, and her Mom has now stopped all sleepovers for her sons, and is taking all measures to stop this from happening in the future. So, on the record today, I got to say "Teenagers have SEX. While I obviously don't condone this, it is not a reason to change custody and certainly does not meet the threshold to do so..." I liked how I said teenagers have sex on the record. It amused me. LOL. Thankfully, tomorrow, I get a full day at the office and I need it....paperwork galore to do.

Go Tigers! The game tonight rocks. Right now, it's 19-6! Whoot!

Took a walk in the yard tonight with Kurt and the pugs, for the first time this Spring. It has been muddy and I hate mud. Less muddy now, so I walked out to the pond for the first time. We saw some of the turtles swimming and it's really nice and relaxing out there. We may build a gazebo so I can sit out there in a nice rocking chair.......I love all the birds, and how quiet and relaxing my yard is.

(Please don't wonder if I have lost my mind as I post this, there is a reason behind this last part of the post here, that I am not going into right now)... And you know what? I love the little things in life. I admit, some might find my life boring. I love dinners out with my husband, sitting and watching a baseball game, walks in my backyard, hiking, photography, non-luxury travel. I just had a friend kinda make me feel, for a moment, (until I realized that was MORONIC of me to feel that way), that I am boring or maybe, less worthy of a friend than her other friends. That because I don't make myself up perfectly all the time, and don't have connections at all the latest clubs, that I am less of a person. That because I would rather have a laid back dinner or go hiking, that I am boring, and that I should be put on the back burner if a great party or whatever comes up. You know what though? I don't care IF someone thinks that. It was really stupid of me to think less of myself, for even a second. I rock. And my friends know that. That's about all I want to say about it right now. Typing this just kinda talked me out of being bummed any longer.

Kewl Video--Freaky, but I would do it.

You Suck (even though you don't)

Today was super busy for Kurt and I (like every day is not, LOL). We had 8 court hearings, 4 in one building, 4 in the next. We each covered 4. One of mine was adjourned, and the other three, I got great results. One I got the best results I possibly could have gotten (better than I ever thought would result, actually). The Dad's parenting time was suspended, and he has to pay for himself to get drug testing and for the entire fee for the parties to go to the FAME unit at FOC. Which is so out of the freaking ordinary. I was expecting maybe some supervised time, with my client paying for at least some, if not all, of the costs of the rest of the stuff. NOTHING paid by her. It was shockingly great. I always prepare everyone for the worst, so people are kinda shocked when it comes out better, LOL, and I think she was somewhat shocked. We will see if the other side appeals it though. I was pretty pumped after that win though.

Kurt's hearings went really well too, but something kinda amusing happened at his one hearing. Well, Kurt was annoyed, but the story amused everyone else in the office. Long story short, he was at a third hearing for this woman, trying to get her several things in her case, including custody of her child (who she did not have custody of). That was the major issue. Kurt got her custody and child support, and then there was this issue with a tax refund. They went in front of the Judge, and the Judge was leaning towards giving her ex more of the tax refund, since he made more money. NOT the norm (usually parties split this), but Judges can do whatever they think it fair. Our client started having a breakdown and disagreeing, so Kurt asked for a break to talk to her in the hall. She goes in the hall and tells Kurt "You suck!" His response was "I just got you custody of your kid, yet I suck?" It's hilarious to us that we get amazing results, and yet people can still want MORE. You can't win with some people. She threatened to report him to the bar, which he found amusing and said "go ahead." Anyway, went back in front of the Judge where Kurt said he wanted to withdraw from the case because his client thinks he sucks, LOL. The Judge actually lectured her, telling her Kurt did a great job for her, she should be pleased and had no reason to report Kurt to the bar for anything. By this time, she had told Kurt she was sorry, but once you diss Kurt like that, he is done with you. We do a great job, are really well known in the community and courts, you are NOT going to talk down to us. Ever. If you don't like us, hire someone else, and you will see you made a mistake. We are reasonably prices and easy to deal with. Most lawyers are not both of things combined. Funniest thing, after the hearing, her ex comes up to Kurt and says "Can I hire you in the future??" She called the office again later to say she was sorry, but Kurt is done. He is not one to change his mind on stuff like this. Someone might be able to sweet talk me into staying on a case, but not Kurt for sure.

The rest of the day was madness, and we did not get home until 7 PM. Ugh. Filled my bird feeders outside, switched laundry and dishes over, made dinner, worked out, and watched some of the Tigers game. I don't know how I get the amount done in a day that I do, seriously. I rock at multitasking, hehe.

Gotta go to bed, crazy court schedule tomorrow as well.

Let's Compare!

Took a personality test online today that I found on a message board. Was pretty accurate for me, although some things were slightly off. Here are my results.


My Personality

Neuroticism	0
Extraversion	82
Openness to Experience	27
Agreeableness	47
Conscientiousness	88

You are a calm person who is considered almost fearless by some, however you rarely get angry and it takes a lot to make you angry. You like crowds but sometimes feel overwhelmed by them. Sometimes you feel like you need some privacy and time for yourself. You tend not to express your emotions openly and are sometimes not even aware of your own feelings. You dislike confrontations and are perfectly willing to compromise or to deny your own needs in order to get along with others, however you are not affected strongly by human suffering, priding yourself on making objective judgments based on reason. You are more concerned with truth and impartial justice than with mercy. You take your time when making decisions and will deliberate on all the possible consequences and alternatives.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report.

Click here to compare your personality results to me! Should be fun!

Day at the Park

Spent Sunday at the park with Kerry and her girls, Nora and Sara. Was so nice to see them and hang out. We fed fish and ducks and geese, played on the swings and jungle gym, and had lunch at their fav place, McDonald's. Check out the rest of my pics here.

Vote for Me, Please

I designed a bag in a little contest thing that Kroger's is having! Please vote for me, and send me your link if you design a bag! Go Green!

**BTW, apparently, the link Kroger gave me is not working (thanks for letting me know, Katie), but you can search for me by bag number (13275) or my name. Thanks again!

Best Italian Food Ever

Had a really nice night last night. Met up with my friend, Nancy, at a spa I randomly chose in Dearborn called Body Language Spa. Place was nice, they told me on the phone that their pedis were "different" and that we would not be sitting in chairs with our feet in water, but instead lying on a table. I am always up for anything, so I made the reservation and met Nancy there. It was SOOO nice. If Nancy had not been there, I would have been asleep. So freaking relaxing, with a paraffin wrap, hot towel wraps, etc. And my toes looks super cute. Nancy and I had not seen each other in a while, so we had a ton to catch up on......Went to dinner after that at a place Nancy loves called Roman Village. Yea, I know love it too, as it was some of the best Italian food I have ever had, and THE best homemade pasta noodles I have ever had. I about died. And cheap! I had angel hair with marinara. This place was so in the middle of nowhere, I never would have found it without Nancy's assistance! Thanks again for an awesome night catching up, Nancy (if you are reading this).

Every night this week, with the exception of last night, we have worked late. Ugh. I am so tired of working. I got home early enough tonight to work out, so that was nice.

Found out my Def Leppard concert is postponed. :(. Until August. So, my friend may be able to go after all, unless she has plans that night too, don't know yet. I guess one of their singers has an infection he can't get rid of. I am glad Kory heard about it on the radio because I never would have known it was moved....I rarely listen to the radio.

Anyway, too tired to write much more......The bird pic above is a downey woodpecker, which is one of my and Kurt's fav birds that visit our feeders in the yard. I saw this cutie at Sterling State Park while walking a few weekends ago...

Temporarily Bummed

OMG, today was crazy busy. We did not get home until after 8 PM. Made myself work out, even though I was, yet again, exhausted. Made Kurt orange roughy and a twice baked potato, and myself, veggie chili, which I had been craving all day. Yum.

I was kinda bummed tonight. I had plans to go to a concert with a friend of mine on Saturday. We have had these tickets for months.....Anyway, I wrote her this morning to see if she wanted to do dinner beforehand and she wrote me back tonight telling me that she *just* found out that her Grama's 80th birthday party is that night and she has to go. I am wondering how a surprise party like that was planned at the last minute, but OK. So, she is still paying for her ticket...................So, I was just going to skip it, since I was kinda bummed. But, the seats are SO good, first row on the side of the stage, and I really wanted to go. So, I said screw it. She can pay for my guest to go with me, and I emailed Rebecca, who had wanted to go in the first place, but did not want to spend the funds on a ticket. She is going with me now, so I am sure I will have a blast. I guess I was kinda feeling the way I was because I just feel like this other friend of mine does not prioritize me at all. I wish she would have told me about the party of her Grama's BEFORE I wrote her about the concert less than a week before the concert. She has her life scheduled down to the hour, so I know she knew about both the party and the concert and was probably avoiding telling me. I would have been less bummed though if she would have just told me. Anyway, I hate being bummed, so I am over it now. Will probably go up to Rebecca's to see her new house beforehand and hang out, and then we will head down! Have to figure out where we want to eat, etc. Yay. Def Leppard, here we come! Hopefully we can take some pics while there and post. I should dress all 1980s! hehe.

The Tigers won an awesome game tonight! I think it is the turnaround for their season. It was incredible. Loved watching the game tonight.

My Life is Chaos

OK, I feel like I have a lost a little bit of control over my life. I am so freaking busy. All the time. Which is why I have not posted here in almost a week. I keep wanting to post, but am either too tired or too busy doing something else in order to do so.

OK, well, let's start with some good stuff before I continue to bitch....

Last night, I had a fantastic night out. Kurt and I met up with my friend, Cassie, from law school, and her boyfriend, Ken. They are both attys as well. Cassie graduated with me, and Ken started practicing law in 2002. Kurt had never met either one of them, and I had only met Ken in passing. Cassie and I have this bond that is not easily explained, unless you have gone through taking the bar exam. We took both bar review courses together, as well as the bar exam.....Some of the most trying times of your life, and nobody truly understands what it's like unless they have been through it as well. Anyway. They have their own practice, just like Kurt and I, but practice in some different areas, like civil and criminal, as well as family and bankruptcy like us. We ate at Crave, my all time favorite place. Yum. Dinner was at 7, and we all talked nonstop the entire night. Also, I looked totally fab, if I do say so myself. Totally non-Lori like, ahaha. Wore my new black dress from White House Black Market (WHBM), which is totally trendy and shorter than normal for me. Broke out the knee high boots, threw my cute new necklace from WHBM on too, large fake diamond earrings (like I would pay for real ones that large, LOL), and a cute black bracelet. Curled my hair. I totally should have taken pictures, but I did not. Forgot my camera. Whoopsie. I rarely wear a dress, so I should not have forgotten pics.......

Today, we were supposed to work. Kurt had a headache though, and we did not. I was also supposed to visit with my friend, Kerry, in Ann Arbor, but we postponed to next weekend because of the weather. We were planning on doing something outdoors like with her girls, but the weather was horrible here today. It snowed earlier in the day. Yes, snowed. Thank God nothing stuck to the ground and by the end of the day, it was in the 40s again and sunny, with a gorgeous clear sky. Since Kurt was kinda sick, I headed to Canton to go to Sams Club and Trader Joe's with my Aunt. We also stopped at Kohl's, Dumham's, Bed Bath and Beyond....had dinner at Andiamo's for my Dad's birthday, which was super yummy. Got my Dad two pairs of baseball pants and a Tigers shirt for his bday, which he liked. He is on a baseball team this summer and needed those to play.

Had a nice dinner out Friday night with my friends Tammy and Melanie. We went to Famous Dave's, which i had never been to before. My food was good, but the menu was really limited for a non-meat eater. I had a grilled salmon. We had coupons for free desserts, but yea, the three of us did not even eat one of the desserts. The desserts were huge. After dinner, Mel and I headed to Home Goods to walk around and buy nothing. :). She even had a gift card and could not find anything. I am so proud of Mel. She is going through a divorce right now, and her husband is such an ass. Dating a freaking 22 year old, not spending much time with his kids at all, not contributing financially to the kids or her.....She is being so strong through all of this. She finally hired a good lawyer I referred her to (I don't do divorces for my friends), so things should start to progress nicely now. He has no atty. She has three little boys, and it must be so hard to work and take care of them and a house herself. :(. She is really enjoying having a social life again though, and even though the situation sucks, I really think she seems HAPPIER now, which is awesome. Go Mel!

Anyway, lots of interesting stories from work this week, but I am getting kinda tired and have to get up early. I will write more later...........

No Working Weekend

Should I have worked some this weekend? Probably. Did I? No. Did that rock? Totally.

I think I needed this weekend off. I have spent almost every weekend this year working at least part of it, and I hate that. I need weekends.

This one was super fun. Saturday morning, I met Lea and Rebecca for breakfast in Dearborn at a little coney island. It was fun and nice to see them both. Lea moved to Ohio earlier this year, so nobody in MI has seen her in a little while, and I had not seen Rebecca in a while (at least for us) either. It was a quick breakfast, but nice. I then had about a half hour to burn before my lunch, so I stopped at the mall in Taylor. I ended up in Macy's, browsing. And to continue with my shoe obsession of late, purchased this adorable pair of heels which are both comfy and super cute. I got them in brown. I also got them for less than half retail, so that rocked too, as I never would pay full price for them.....Met Hollie for lunch next and we had a great time, as usual, gossiping about life. Fun, fun. Came home after that and ran some errands with Kurty. Picked up a new bird feeder at Tractor Supply, as well as some squirrel food for my one and only squirrel. I love him though. My old bird feeder fell and broke this winter......Also took my vacuum in for cleaning and repairs (it was already returned today, gotta love the warranty on my Dyson), bought two turtles and some fish for the pond............

Sunday, I decided to go hiking at Sterling State Park. Paid for my yearly parking pass and hiked about 3 miles, which was awesome. I surprisingly saw a lot of wildlife--blue heron, white heron, ducks, geese, swans, muskrat, frogs, etc. I could see a lot more as there are not leaves on the trees yet! :). I just stood forever watching all the swans. They are gorgeous creatures, I always feel so lucky to see them at the state park.

Oh, had an ortho appointment today and they yet again, changed the power chain on the bottom. They seemed really pleased with the amount my teeth have moved though, and my next appointment, they are doing something different, so I think I am nearing the end. I hope. Have to STILL wear the rubber bands (DAMN), but the woman gave me some stronger ones, so hopefully that speeds things up. I love how they will give me whatever to make things fast. I don't care if I am in pain, I just want to be done. I am still super annoyed with myself for not following instructions as a teen and keeping my retainer and wearing it, but am glad at the same time that I caught it when I did and this will be a fairly short process.

The Swan

All angular beauty
and ruffled lines
curious in approach
white breasted downy apparition

Closer to your beauty
than before; allowed approach
a temple of wonder
your unique glory

Poetry by Geraldine Moorkens Byrne

**picture took today at Sterling State Park in Newport, MI. I was lucky enough to get very close to this gorgeous creature, while out hiking with my camera. The swan had stopped to clean itself and relax......I rarely see them standing like this, and got quite a few shots of the animal. At this point, the swan was making it's trumpet call and reaching toward the sky....I am amazed by nature and animals so often, and love being able to capture it with my lens.

Generation Gap

Why do people in their younger 20s think it's "normal" or "hot" for girls they are dating, or girls in general, to make out with each other? I mean, to each their own, I don't care at all what other people do. But, I just kinda find it odd that their generation just thinks it is "normal". I am not that much older than that generation, and I have never had the desire to just start making out with all my closest friends.

Here is a conversation Kory and I had today when talking about a girl who he is dating making out with one of her friends......

Kory: I don't care if she does that.
Me: Well, I don't care either, but don't you think it's kinda odd?
Kory: Not really.
Me: Why not?
Kory: I don't know.
Me: Ok, analogy here. Would you just start making out with Andrew for fun?
Kory: Hell no.
Me: OK....
Kory: It's not the same thing.
Me: Yes, really, it is.
**Conversation ends because it is obviously not going to result in me understanding anything.

Soooo, I guess it's OK for straight girls to make out, but not straight guys? I am so confused here. If straight guys make out, it appears to be "gross" or "wrong". But, if straight girls make out, it's "normal" or "hot"? What's the difference?

Truly, I don't think it's me that is confused, I think it is their generation.....

The One Everyone Except Me Has Taken

What is today's date?
April 5, 2008

Who was the last person to call you baby/babe?
Kurt, I am sure

Have you taken anyone's virginity?
Yes.

Has anyone ever sang to you?
Yes.

What did you do yesterday?
Worked, ran some errands with Kurt to Petsmart and Lowe's, hung at home, ordered food in.

What did you do today?
breakfast with lea and rebecca, lunch with Hollie, stopped at the mall really quickly between the two to burn some time and bought some cute shoes for cheap, hung with Kurt, ran some errands with kurt to the vacuum store, some pet stores, and tractor supply.....hanging at home now and needing to go workout

Who do you text the most?:
rebecca

What is your favorite color(s)?
cobalt blue

What color is your phone?
silver and black

Name something funny that happened today?
vito playing with his new toy and protecting it from the other dogs.....

How tall are you?:
5'8

Who was the last person to say they loved you and when?
my mom, on the phone today

Any thing sore on your body?
not really.

Do you secretly like someone?
no, nothing is secret

Who's the last person you IM'ed?
Hmm. I have not done this in forever, but prob Rebecca

What is the last thing you watched on TV?
news

What room are you in?
great room

Last reason why you were grounded?
ha. No idea. Prob for staying out past curfew, but I was never really too grounded, I was a good kid.

Are you cold?
no

What was your New Year's resolution?
to learn spanish

Did you kiss anyone when it turned 2008?
yes

Can you speak any other language?
a little Spanish and French

What is the last letter of your last name?
L

What time did you go to bed last night?
Early, I think around 10

How much sleep did you get the previous night?
7 hours maybe?

Next flight to?
Well, not knowing this for sure. June to LA.

Who was your last phone call of the night last night?
My Mom, I think

Do you have your belly button or tongue pierced?
No, but my belly button used to be pierced.

Do you have a tattoo?
no

The last person you kissed older than you?
kurt

Do you think hooking up with an ex is bad?
depends

Something you are not looking forward to?
working out tonight.

Last thing you ate?
a chip

What was last thing you drank?
sugar free red bull

Are you happy right now?
sure

Last thing you spent money on?
some wild bird supplies at Tractor Supply

Last time you met someone new?
today

What were you doing at 10 last night?
i was in bed

What can't you not wait for?
retirement

When is your birthday?
5-17

What did you wear today?
Earlier today, my Lacoste sweater, jeans, and black boots, with my Burberry watch, wedding ring and topaz ring. Later in the day, changed into my Pumas and black long sleeve shirt (rest stayed the same). Soon, will be wearing workout clothes.

Last time you did the dishes?
earlier this week

Have you ever driven someone else's car?
Yes

Look to your left, what is the first thing you noticed?..
sugar free red bull

Any kids?
animal kids

Age at next birthday?
31

You're Beautiful......

In the past two days, two random people have told me I am beautiful. So odd. One of the guards at court stopped me and told me yesterday, and today, a client stopped in and told me "You look really beautiful today." A female client. So odd, but so nice of both of them.

So odd. People compliment my clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc. all the time, but I usually don't get random people saying I am beautiful to my face, or stopping me to say so.....

I have been feeling kinda gross lately, so it was nice to hear.....

Thanks random people, for making my day and making a girl smile! :).

And knowing how that made me smile, I think we should all make an effort to compliment others more often. It can really make someone's day.

My new saying lately is "The glass is half full". It's easy with my life to get down and negative and stressed out about things. About two weeks ago, I started saying that phrase over and over and I am trying to get Kurt to think that way too. Seriously, the only way Kurt and I are going to survive in this business is to be positive and always see that the grass is greener on THIS side of the fence, and not the other. I think it is really helping me....

Orlando Part Deux

So, continuing from my last post......

Kurt and I ate out at a really good Japanese place on Saturday night. Split some sushi and both had really good fish meals.....There was a performance by these women from Tokyo playing bongo like drums during dinner, which was really different and very kewl. After that, met up with Jeff for some putt putt golf. I have to admit right here to the world that I beat both Jeff and Kurt. It was a great sports moment. Kurt then treated Jeff and I to Ben and Jerry's ice cream and then we were off to bed.

The next day, I saw Sidney Poitier speak at the conference and did some more classes and exhibits. After that, met up with Kurt and Scott and did a boat tour of 4 lakes in Winter Park. It was a lot of fun. We then hung out at Scott's house and did dinner.

Next day, we went outlet shopping with Jeff. I loved it, but totally did not have enough time to shop as the places were huge. Kurt went off on his own, and to my shock, actually made purchases! I know! We all thought Kurt was not capable of this! He bought some stuff at Puma, Kenneth Cole, and Banana Republic, ohh, and Calviin Klein. I was impressed with his deal finding. I found some great stuff too....Bought a really cute and really marked down black dress at White House Black Market, two skirts at two shirt sleeve sweaters at Ann Taylor, and an amazing short sleeve black cashmere sweater at Lacoste. I don't own anything cashmere and normally hate wash by hand clothing, but I literally fell in love with the style of this sweater and can't wait to wear it.

All in all, great trip. The working part of it was not that great, but the getting away, even for a short time, was incredible. I feel totally refreshed, and really needed that. I did not take many pics, but here are the ones I took......Click here. Being in Florida is just not that inspirational to me, since there is not much nature and I have been there so many times.....