Sunday, December 30, 2007

Late Holidays


Had a nice night tonight. Went to my Aunt's for Xmas with my Dad's side of the family. My Grama was there, my Aunt, Kurt, my Dad, me and my Aunt's friend, Carl. We went to dinner at Max and Erma's then headed back to the house to open gifts.

My Aunt got me these gorgeous Waterford crystal wine glasses in cobalt blue (I collect cobalt blue glass) that I am going to be putting into my china cabinet very shortly.......I love Waterford and the combo of blue and Waterford is so kewl. She also had a calendar custom made for me with each month a picture of the pugs and/or Bugsy. It is really neat. I can't wait to hang it at the office. Also got a lot of other stuff, cobalt blue rolling pin, cobalt blue utensils, cute towels for my bathroom with an "H" on them, a candle, and some other stuff I can't recall right now......I am really tired and don't feel like getting up and looking at what I got......

Everyone liked the gifts I got them too, which I was glad about (although a lot of stuff was stuff they asked for, so I figured it would be liked, LOL).

Bought Kurt two sweaters today marked down at Kohl's from $50 to $8. I heart a great deal. Bought new mascara today and really like it. Also bought a new hair toy, that supposedly can be used on wet or dry hair, and dries hair while giving it body, etc. Tried it on dry hair and don't know if it did much or not, but it takes me a while to get used to new stuff. Bought a new eye makeup remover too since I really need some and have not had time to order on eBay. Hopefully, my eyes are OK with it, since I am kinda picky with this.

Did my hair slightly different tonight, and I think it turned out cute! Took pics at my Aunt's, but have not uploaded yet. Will upload later.......It also shows my shorter hair, which I promised to post before and never did (I am such a liar, hehe).

Tomorrow, we are heading to Pinconning to visit Kurt's Mom for Xmas. I bought her a really pretty quilt and picture frame today from Target, that I am pretty sure she will love.......

Anyway, an exhausted and need to head to bed.......

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Back to the Grind


I went and visited my friend Jill, her husband, Ben, their three kids, Jamin, Leah, and Kort.....Posted about it before on here, it was over Thanksgiving. Anyway, finally got around to uploading the pics from the get together.

Click here to see them. Really adorable kiddos! :)

On another note, back to the grind on the home front. Worked both yesterday and today and were really busy. The phone is a tad bit quieter than usual (since it is still the holidays for most people, kids off of school, etc.), but I had so much paperwork and docs to go through from when we were away. Finally seeing the light though.

Vito's birthday (4th) was the 15th, which is the morning we left really early. So, we celebrated yesterday. Vito had a great night. He is thee cutest dog on his birthday. People love Vito and Vito loves all people. First, we took a car ride, which is in itself super fun for the babe. Started with a trip to Petsmart. We needed dog and cat food, and picked up a new collar for Vito while there, a cute red one. Also bought some dog bones and stuff marked down from Xmas. Vito was called "extremely good looking" by a woman there, hehe, and everyone that passed him stopped to pet and love the boy. Next, we stopped at Burger King for Vito's birthday bacon cheeseburger. He inhaled that (literally) and we next stopped at Kroger's. Kurt and Vito stayed in the car while I ran in for a couple things we needed. Me and Vito played peek a boo when I came out. He had the best night.


Glad to be back to the gym. Did get a lot of exercise (cardio) on vacay, so I dont feel guilty or anything, but I like the routine of the gym at night and watching my Netflix videos.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Panama Trip--Bliss

To begin, I just have to say that Panama was incredible and I really needed the time away from the office. We were in Panama from Dec 15-24, and I loved every minute of it. While there, each day I would type out what I had done, seen, etc., so I would not forget. Below is my diary kept during the trip. I have tried to put in links to different places we went and such.

I highly recommend the trip. Panama really is for everyone. It has nature, beaches, oceans, resorts, city life………….

Here are the links to my pics, both the slideshow and the pics.

Panama Trip Dec 2007

December 15 2007

Flight from Detroit to Miami left at 720 AM. Flight went great, landed in Miami at 1015 AM. Found our way to the next terminal, had a quick bite to eat, and then our flight to Panama City left at 11:20 AM. We are in the airplane right now as I type this. We are sitting next to a doctor from Panama City who is really interesting and giving Kurt advice on places to stay at and such. So far, trip has gone really smoothly. (BTW, by the end of the flight, said doctor was less interesting and we were ready to not talk to him anymore, LOL). Flew American Airlines again, and I am in love with this airline. We have flown them for every Central American trip we have taken, and the flights are always early or on time, very little or no turbulence, and on luggage lost. Not to mention best prices.....

Arrived in Panama City. Customs was very long lines though, ugh. You had to buy this tourist card and then wait in line to get through. Getting through was easy, and our luggage was waiting for us (because of the long wait at customs). Getting the rental car through Dollar was super easy and the car is very kewl--Toyota Land Cruiser. Drove to the hotel we wanted to stay at--Canopy Towers. The place is very different and I love it. We stayed on the top floor of rooms, which meant we were level to the treetops and could hear all the birds and animals. It is a former military base that was converted into a lodge. Dinner was incredible and the observation tower is so awesome. Met a couple who are scientists and here doing research….very interesting people. It was interesting, they had a teenager who was somehow able to travel with them for research and attend high school mostly online, out of Vancouver (where they live).

Had such a great first evening in Panama.

Dec 16 2007

Got up early to do a walk on Pipeline Road with a tour guide from the hotel (included with our room price). The hike was long and lasted from 630 AM until around 1215 PM. We saw a ton of really kewl birds, as well as Capuchin monkeys, sloths, agouti, coati…..Saw my fav bird, the toucan, and also saw a really kewl woodpecker I have never seen before, turkey vultures, motmots, blue cotingas and a yellow headed eagle (as well as a lot of other birds, but I am not good at remembering their names). There were four others on the tour and the one chick was soooo annoying. She had something to say about everything. We were ready to get away from her at the end of the walk. If you saw a sloth, she would have a story about a sloth or some fact to cite…..ha. I saw a snake at one point, and was like “it was probably a lizard that looked like a snake”….so, we just ignored her.

Had lunch at the hotel and then went for the drive across the country to David. The drive took longer than it should have because it was a torrential downpour most of the way, on and off. So, picked a good day to drive because we prob would not have done any more hiking in that weather. I got a semi-migraine on the drive that I got rid of around when we got to David. Then Kurt got a headache and is resting right now while I type. We just picked the first place we could find to stay at in David. David is crazy tonight, there is some kind of Xmas festival and parade downtown, so while Kurt is resting, I watched a parade and fireworks from the window seat in my room, which was pretty kewl. I am starving now, so I am hoping Kurt feels better soon so we can go out. On the drive when I was awake, saw some awesome birds flying and off the side of the road. Parrots were everywhere. It is so kewl to see parrots just flying in the wild.

Kurt woke up, and we went out to dinner next store to our hotel at a place called Café Jenny. The place was VERY Panamanian, I think Kurt and I were the only English speaking people there. We got SOO much food, and two pops. I had rice with shrimp and Kurt had fish and fries, and our bill was less than $10. Craziness. The parade I had been watching just got more insane. It has now been going on for like 4 hours and has not stopped. It’s like a huge party in David. We went outside and watched for a while, then went to the casino in our hotel to play Blackjack. Rules are slightly different here, and I thought the game was actually more fun. Joked around (as much as I can with my limited Spanish) with the dealers, pit bosses and other players and we came out like $27 ahead (most of it me, hehe). Went to this store across the street too--a grocery store like place. We needed contact solution and my face wash. Customs apparently went through my bag (checked) because we had one of those “we searched your bag” tags in the bag. They opened our contact solution and left it open (meaning most of it emptied out) and they TOOK my face wash (OK, updated after I got home, WHOOPSIE, my face wash was on my counter, no stealing by customs, LOL). No clue why, it’s not prescription or anything. So odd. Of course, all my “Americanized” products are more money here, but I was just thankful to find the right stuff, as I am picky about brands and beauty products.

Anyway, back in the room now and looking at where we are heading tomorrow. I am thinking either Volcan Baru or La Amistad, but who knows……..

By the way, the hotel tonight was only 22 dollars, which I thought was hilarious. Prob the cheapest place I have ever stayed in. But, because of the parade and craziness in this town tonight, we could not drive the main drag and look for something else, and I kinda like the place anyway……….Night.

Dec 17 2007

Got up early again and drove to Volcun Baru National Park. Found the hiking trail that we wanted, which is known for quetzals. Just the hike from where we parked to the ranger station was like 2 miles, up hill, on ground that was volcanic rock. About ¾ of the way up a taxi was coming down, and we asked for a ride. Paid the ranger, and headed down the trail. The trail is all downhill to the town of Boquete and about 6.2 miles. Sounds easy, right? Not. LOL. It was downhill, wet, muddy, slippery, and extremely dangerous. We went about two miles and it started to downpour. The next leg of our journey was almost straight downhill, and I really did not want to chance falling off a mountain, so we decided to turn around and head back to the car. We did see some kewl birds though and I love hiking through the cloud forests. By the time we got to the car, we were soaked to the core and freezing (which is funny since we are in Panama and it is hot here). Did get some great pics of the cloud forest though and the views from the high altitudes we were at. It was a gorgeous hike, despite the rain. Drove next to the little town of Bambito and got a room at Hotel Bambito. Our room is gorgeous, with a balcony that overlooks a pond with fish , ducks, birds, and lots of flowers. We are showering because we are freezing from the hike, then heading out again. More later. OK, went and walked around the hotel property. They have a really nice walk area with ponds and fish and ducks and other birds, and flowers galore. Booked two massages, then went to dinner at a place next to the hotel called Parilla Argentine. Our food was incredible. Had seafood soup, followed with tilapia for Kurt and some kind of fish for me too--don’t really know what kind, but it was incredible. The menu was all in Spanish and was argentine, so we were having issues with some of the language. Good whatever it was, LOL. Just had my massage, and it was awesome. I am so sore from the hiking (especially today’s terrain) so the massage about killed me, but I needed it. Kurt is getting his right now. I think we are going to had to La Amistad National Park tomorrow, and then possibly Bocas del Toros the next day, but we will see……

Dec 18 2007

Got up this morning and had breakfast at the hotel (free with our room). Headed to La Amistad Park just to have to turn around because the road was being worked on and nobody could pass. Bummer. Although we can apparently also get there from Bocas del Toro, so maybe we will go then. Stopped in David next and bought plane tickets to Bocas del Toro for tomorrow. Decided to head to Boquete instead. Boquete is supposedly a really “Americanized” area meaning mostly that a lot of Americans are moving there. The area is totally cute. Reminded me a lot of Jaco in Costa Rica. Really laid back environment. Anyway, we had lunch at this awesome place downtown called Delicias del Peru. The food was incredible. I had a seafood soup to start with, followed with a sea bass that was awesome. Kurt had some odd appetizer that was something potatoes with cheese, followed by some kind of spicy fish. After that, we headed to Finca Lerida to hike. It is a coffee plantation, that it surrounded by primary and secondary rain forest. Did two of trails there, both of which were very kewl. The first was on the edge of the mountain with really kewl views of the mountain, forest and coffee fields. The second was though the forest and awesome. I don’t think many people hike there because a lot of it was overgrown and hard to find the trail to walk on. Saw lots of little birds. Sat in an opening in the field after the hike and just listened to the birds and forest and relaxed, then hiked back to the car. Next, we drove back into Boquete and bought strawberry milkshakes to cool down (they grow a lot of strawberries in that region of the country). So yummy. Then, we drove back to David for the night and we are staying at the Gran Hotel Nacional. Our room is really nice. We decided to go and walk around the shopping downtown area, which totally reminded me of San Jose, Costa Rica (but slightly less insane). Went in some stores to check out the prices and they have some amazing deals on tennis shoes here. Pumas are so much cheaper than in the US. Anyway, after that, had dinner in a pizzeria/Italian place at the hotel, which was so good. I had shrimp pizza and Kurt had pizza with olives and onions. Checked out the casino next (at the hotel), but I decided to come back to the room because I am exhausted, and kurt went to go play blackjack for a little while. Night…..

Dec 19 2007

Got up and checked out of our hotel and headed to the airport for our flight to Bocas del Toro. Flight was great even though Kurt was freaked out by the small plane with two propellers on the front. The landing was awesome, better than any big plane I have been on. Got there and hopped in a taxi to the hotel I had picked out, the Bocas Inn, hoping there would be a room. There was. Got the room for two nights, and headed to lunch. We had lunch at the Hotel El Limbo Restaurant on the water. Super good. I had lobster crepes that were to die for. Kurt had tuna and olive crepes and we split an appetizer of bruschetta. Yum. After that, headed back to the hotel to change and talk to the tour lady about doing a jungle tour tomorrow. Set that up, then headed to a water taxi to go to the beach. Red Frog Beach is what we wanted. Got the taxi and took the 10 minute boat ride to Isla Bastimentos which is where the beach is. Hiked a short path to the beach and saw two red frogs on the way. They are totally adorable. Got to the beach and basically lazed around all day. Slept, walked on the beach, etc. it was really, really nice. Hopped on the taxi back to the main island, showered, than walked around the downtown area. Really reminds me of Tamarindo in Costa Rica. Stopped into a couple bars for Happy Hour and had a banana daiquiri and a pineapple daiquiri at two different places. The one place was kewl because the deck was surrounded by water on two sides. After that, had dinner at a place called Lemongrass which had amazing food. I had shrimp stir fry in some kind of spicy sauce and Kurt had some kind of king fish meal with rice. We split spring rolls as an appetizer. Walked around more downtown, then headed to the hotel to sit on the deck overlooking the water. It started to rain, so now we are in our room for the night. Night.

Dec 20 2007

Today we took a tour with Ancon Expeditions. We first went on a boat to Isla Bastimentos to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere Had to put our food order for lunch in the morning so it would be ready. Then we headed to an indigenous village on Isla Bastimentos where a villager took us on a tour of the jungle and the village. In the jungle, we saw a 2 toed sloth, a 3 toed sloth, night monkeys, a basililk (a lizard like creature that can kill a dog in a fight), red poison dart frogs and a caiman. The village was pretty kewl--all the younger kids ran around naked or half clothed saying “Hola”. After that, we headed to a coral reef for snorkeling, which I have never done. It was incredible. I saw so many colors of coral and a ton of fish, my fav was the parrot fish. Then, we went to lunch which was awesome. After that, headed to Red Frog Beach to relax. Swam in the ocean and saw a girl almost drown. One of the ladies on our tour helped save her. Took a long walk on the beach and relaxed. After that, came back to the our hotel and headed to dinner and for drinks. Had dinner at The Reef and had Panamanian food tonight (creole red snapper for me and garlic red snapper for Kurt). Hung out at the hotel with people we had met the rest of the night on the deck over the water. Tomorrow morning we leave for David. Night.

Dec 21 2007

Got up in morning and ate breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the airport to fly back to David. Flight left a little bit late, and we got to David at around 1030 AM. Stopped at an Internet Café to book our room in Panama City, then started the long drive back to Panama City (was a lot quicker this time with no rain storm. Got to panama city and finally found the hotel, which was a crazy thing. Panama city is INSANE. People drive like maniacs, honking, don’t use turn signals, etc. Hotel is super nice. Kurt says he thinks it is the nicest place he has ever stayed in. It’s a Wyndham, called Veneto. I picked it because there is a casino in it and restaurants, but we have not yet used the casino or ate there. Went and walked around to a bunch of stores on a main road and bought Kurt some sunglasses. Then went to dinner at a place called Madame Changs, which was incredible. Yum. We split a Spring Roll (which had the most amazing sweet and sour sauce with it). Had a Szechuan shrimp meal and Kurt had a black bean fish meal. Awesome food and service. Got back to the hotel and went to bed.

Dec 22 2007

Got up today and had breakfast at the hotel (included with room). Great buffet. Headed to the Pacque Metropolitano Nacional to hike. It started pouring on our way there, so we headed instead to the Albrook Mall (an outlet mall near Panama City) to walk around. While walking around, we saw a dentist office offering laser teeth whitening for cheap. Went in to inquire and found out it was much cheaper than the US, so we decided to go for it. The process worked awesome, although it was kinda uncomfortable, sitting there with your mouth held open for an hour and a half. After that, had lunch at the mall and headed back to the park. Hiked one of the longer trails and saw a bunch of agouti, a quetzal, and a lot of other birds. After that, headed back to the hotel for a quick nap, then headed to the spa at the hotel for massages. The spa is super nice. The women’s area has a steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi, showers, etc. The massage was really good, and we then headed to dinner at a place called Café Pomodoro. Cheap and SOOO good. I had capellini with spicy marinara. Back in the room now and going to sleep…….

Dec 23 2007

Got up and had breakfast at the hotel. Then headed on our tour. The tour started out with an aerial tram tour of the rain forest. Very kewl. We saw this awesome toucan on the top of a tree. With the tram tour, you started by taking this tram to a part of the rain forest, it went slowly above the trees. Once you got there, you hiked through some rain forest, and then walked up this 90 foot structure to a viewing platform. That is where we got to watch this toucan. Anyway, the views were incredible, we could see the Panama Canal, Gatun Lake, etc. Took tram back and had lunch at Gamboa Rainforest Resort (where the trip started). Then, we headed on the Monkey Island tour. This was on a boat, and went into the Panama Canal and onto Gatun Lake. We saw a lot of kewl stuff on this tour including a boa constrictor swimming on top of the water, howler monkeys in the trees, including a baby howler monkey that had to be about the cutest thing I have ever seen. He was so brave, at the top of a tree just swinging thru branches and hanging by his tiny little tail. Went Monkey Island where I saw the most capuchins I have ever seen at once. The monkeys come up to the boat and we were able to feed them bananas and grapes. One grabbed a piece of banana from both Kurt and my hands. Also saw some kewl birds. After that, headed back to the hotel and went shopping on the main strip near our hotel. Kurt bought a wood necklace with a toucan carved into it for himself and a little carving of a red poison dart frog for his desk at the office. I bought a wooden bowl that was carved by the Embera Indians in Panama. It is very kewl. I may put it on my desk at the office or in my china cabinet at home. Kinda odd because we rarely buy anything on vacay. Had dinner at the same place as last night, Café Pomodoro. It was pouring rain but we still got to eat outside because part of the outside is covered. It was really nice. After that, went to bed.

Dec 24

Today, we had breakfast and are just relaxing and chilling before packing to leave on our trip home. We are both really worn out and cant wait to see the pugs and Bugsy…….Merry Xmas!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

We Are Here....

Not going to post much, because I want to do it all in all in my trip report at the end.

But.

Both flights went fine. Miami was the first stop, then Panama City. Got to Panama City and got our rental car, which is a really kewl Toyota Land Cruiser. Drove to the first place we wanted to stay at called Canopy Towers. Have been here the rest of the night. Got some awesome pics of the sen setting from the observation deck here and met some really nice scientists that are here researching.

Anyway, have an early morning hike and need to get some rest......

Friday, December 14, 2007

Panama

Leaving in the morning for Panama. Have no idea what my Internet access will be..................will keep notes of my trip and post a long trip report on my return!

Have a really happy holiday season everyone! :)

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Happy Anniversary to Me......

OK, me and Kurt.......I was washing my face this morning and Kurt walked up to me and said "What, I don't get a Happy Anniversary?" I don't do mornings well, and had not even thought about the fact that it was 12-12. So, 6 years married. Pretty crazy. What's crazier is that we have been together for 11! We are such an old married couple. teehee.

Was so excited last night to start wacthing Big Love again. I got the first disc of Season 2 from Netflix (just came out yesterday), and watching one episode and part of the next during my workout. Yay. So good. Also started watching Superbad with Kory, but only saw half because I had to go work out. Freaking hilarious though, I need to watch the other half when we get back from vacay.

So, Happy Anniversary to me! Truly though, the real celebration starts when we leave for Panama in less than three days! Whoot! Just think of the 10 million pics you will get to see when I return......MUHAHAHA.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Hiking Shoes

I have been wanting to buy Kurt and I hiking boots since we first went hiking on vacay, which I think would either be in Vegas in Red Rock, or maybe in Hawaii. Anyway, we spend a lot of our vacays hiking, and I know there are better options out there than flip flops and tennis shoes. Every time we go on vacay, Kurt ruins a pair of shoes hiking in the jungle.

So, tonight, we stopped after work and bought two pairs. Kurt, a pair of Merrells (which made me think of Rebecca since she loves that line) and me a pair of Vasque (which I had never heard of until tonight). Anyway, they are both waterproof, and should make hiking more enjoyable and more safe. No snakes can bite my feet now (not that they did before, but Panama has more snakes than anywhere we have been, and I am expecting some crazy encounter with a fer de lance).

Other than that, not too much else happened today, really. Work was crazy busy and the day just flew by. Am counting down the hours until we leave......

While Not so Asleep.....

I forgot to post that I have now worn both pairs of new shoes for one day each and yay, that are both comfy and not killing my feet by the end of the day. I think we have brands that are winners, my friends.

Also, stopped at Old Navy tonight, randomly, just cuz I was in the mall. Decided to see if they had any cute tanks or t-shirts for my trip. Of course, it's winter and 10 degrees in Newport so, ummm, nothing NEW. But, perfect time to clearance shop! Got about 6 tanks for like $3 each. Bonus. One is so super cute and Lori like, it has little owls all over it. I got the one in green. Also got this one, and some others that I cant find on the site because they are out of stock online, I guess. It's seriously great to walk out of Old Navy with a huge bag of stuff you got for under $20 total.

Stopped in the Cingular store next, all ready to buy a phone until I was encoutered with "rude sales boy (RSB)". Usually, they are awesome in the store. The salespeople are almost TOO into the phones and being helpful. Last night, AARGH. Rude, rude, rude. My phone is not up for upgrade. They never are when I want a new phone, but the salespeople always give me the upgrade price anyway. This guy was giving me such a hard time, finally, I was like, "never mind, I will order it online." I want to give my local store the business, but not if I am treated badly. He was obnoxious. Or maybe I will try and go back when someone else is working. I should write a complaint letter, but I just don't feel like it or have the time right now. I really need to get a phone without a camera, but I guess it can wait until I get back from vacay since I won't be in court the rest of the week anyway. It drives me batty when I can't take my phone to the one courthouse down there.

I have been finding so many kewl places I want to stay at in Panama with my online searches. This is one of my top places, called La Loma. The place only has three huts, and you have to hike 5-7 minutes to get to your room, but it's right in the jungle and looks so neat. They also have a butterfly farm and I am a sucker for those with my photography. It's on an island off of Panama. This place looks kewl too, called Canopy Tower. It's an old military base, converted into a hotel. Your room is at tree level, so you can look outside at all the birds and animals. Anyway, I love unique and I love places in the middle of the jungle (nowhere), so we will see how remote we can get. There is another place that looks awesome where your room is on stilts above the water, but somehow, I don't think Kurt is going for that......:).

Anyway, gotta get back to work. I just wanted to write something more since I was half asleep last night while posting.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Not Enough Time

Gosh. It is 11 at night, I am in dark, in bed, my husband is sleeping and my pug (Oscar) is snoring. I am not quite tired yet, so I am sitting up, typing this, because I have not posted in a while and need to. Don't really have anything important to say, but need to post before I forget.....

Went to dinner on Saturday night with Julia and Tony. It was so nice to see her (and him of course, LOL). Kurt is going to be in the wedding now too, standing up for Tony. So we talked about some wedding stuff, everything else going on in life stuff too. It was a really nice meal and at one of my fav places, Eastside Mario's. I had an awesome baked ziti and salad. Yum. We worked all weekend, so that was the extent of the fun of my weekend. Sad, I know. But the price I must pay for leaving for vacay THIS SATURDAY. Can you believe it? It has snuck up on us all so quickly.......

Went tonight and bought two really kewl backpacks. I can't find the ones I bought on the site, as I think they are now discontinued, but they are similar to these and I got them on clearance, which rocks. I am hoping we can pack just in those and avoid suitcases. I know I can do it, the question is, can Mr. Overpacker Husband of mine? I have faith, I think he can! :). I dont know how to get around taking and checking our make-up bag (the name i call the bag we put shampoo, contact solution, etc. in). Trial size that can go on the plane just are not big enough and I require certain products I am guessing I cannot purchase in Panama. Oh well. Am going to try and go this week and buy Kurt some hiking shoes as well, and a pair for me with no open toes. Panama has a LOT of snakes, and my hiking shoes (the ones Rebecca gave me, thanks again, are open toed). Dick's Sporting Goods supposedly carries them, so I will look there. Our bug sprays all came in the mail today too so I am set with that.

Got some sample mashed potatoes in the mail today for Kurt to try. He liked them, but did not find them spectacular or anything. For those of you that are wondering what the heck I am talking about, I test products every once in a while for companies and fill out surveys about them. I get the oddest things. Right now, I am testing a vibrating hair brush and the potatoes. Hate the brush. It's too out there for me. It does seem to give my hair more body though.

Anyway, this post is way too freaking random because I am half asleep. Will try to post more when I am more coherent.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Lack

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. Have been so busy. Trying to catch everything up possible at work before leaving for vacay, and have also been trying to research Panama and places I may want to stay, see, excursions I might want to do. I really want to hike the Darien, so am kinda waiting to hear back from some places on a tour there, so I can plan the rest of the trip around it. Anyway, it's late, and I need some sleep after working both days this weekend........

I promise I will write a more extensive post another night this week and fill you in before we leave on Saturday! :).

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Cuz I Wanna Be Kewl Like Amanda


Your Score: Ginger


You scored 75% intoxication, 75% hotness, 50% complexity, and 25% craziness!



You are Ginger! You're sweet and spicy. You've got an exotic flair, sexy even. People sometimes use you for, um, interesting purposes. Once you let your guard down, you're quite juicy and very good for people. Some claim that you're medicinal. Break me off a piece of that!

Link: The Which Spice Are You Test written by jodiesattva on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Monday, December 03, 2007

Beautiful Video, Song and Voice



**This brought tears to my eyes.....Thanks for sending, Char. :).

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Perfect Mac and Cheese

OMG, I must need rest. Fell asleep on the couch after dinner and did not wake up until 10 PM. Guess I missed working out. Whoopsie.

Went into work this morning and got home around 315 PM or so. Kurt and Kory finally figured out the Porsche issues. The battery died while it was in the driveway, and when the battery is dead on the car, the trunk won't open. Which is where the battery is. Which meant we had a dead car in our driveway and could not move the car. Which is an issue, because we park the car all winter, and could not move it to do so, meaning I could not turn the insurance off. Aargh. Anyway, somehow they figured it out by using some online forum, and took the battery back (which was under warranty, yay). Got the new one for free, pulled it in the garage and plugged it into it's winter charger. Now I just need to put it's cover on tomorrow and call on Monday to turn the insurance off. Which I will be thrilled not to pay until April or so. Whoot. What's awesome too is they figured it out RIGHT in time for the snow storm we are having right now. I would have hated getting snow on the car at all.

I made an awesome dinner tonight, if I do say so myself. At Thanksgiving, my Aunt showed me this recipe she had printed out from Martha Stewart for mac and cheese. I thought it looked time consuming, but yummy, so I looked it up today and went to Kroger's to buy stuff I did not already have. So, I now have Kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Oh, and I had to buy sharp white cheddar cheese (which OMG is incredible tasting and now my new fav cheese), and Romano cheese. Came home and made the recipe and truly, it is to DIE for. It may be the best mac and cheese I have ever had, and I have always sworn my Mom's is the best. I think the secret to this recipe really is that sharp white cheddar cheese. Super duper awesome. I may start buying it on a regular basis for Kurt. He loves block cheese. So, the recipe took some time to make, but I loved it and will make it again in the future. I love how with all these recipes I make, I end up buying new spices and stuff, and it means less to buy for future recipes. Kory helped too by shredding the cheese. Thanks, Kory! :). I hate shredding cheese.

Researched and finally bought and picked out insect repellent for our trip. I have decided there will be NO MORE botfly incidents. Or, at least I will try harder. We always try to wear the repellent, but prob were not as diligent at reapplying and such as we should have been, and may have not bought as high percentage of DEET as we should have been. I really learned a lot at our travel appointment about all of that. So, I ended up buying Repel 40% Deet, as well as this stuff that goes on clothing and not on skin so we can try and repel them before they even get to us. Got it all on eBay from some place in Cali, so fingers crossed they ship quickly.

Friday, November 30, 2007

A Good Friend, Midori

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

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

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

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

Thursday, November 29, 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday, November 26, 2007

Monday After a Holiday

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

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

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

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

Elf Yourself

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

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

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Long Weekend....

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

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

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

Off to bed. :).

Friday, November 23, 2007

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving


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

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

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

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

Sunday, November 18, 2007


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

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

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

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

Saturday, November 17, 2007

New Shoes

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

Monday, November 12, 2007

Car Rented--Check

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Not Much Going On


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

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

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

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

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

Monday, November 05, 2007

MASB Conference

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween

Just watched Child's Play 2. Yea, it terrifies me every time.

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you had a great holiday.

Dose of Your Own Medicine

My friend, Lisa, sent this to me. I found it hilarious. Stupid freaking hunters deserve whatever happens to them....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usanimalhuntingoffbeat

Monday, October 29, 2007

Love


**Me and Bugsy, before my Board Meeting. Can you tell I am in love with my boy??
I really need to keep up on this blogging. I start to forget what I want to blog about. :).

Last Thursday was a board meeting. Went pretty smoothly, which was nice. I was expecting some fireworks on some issues, but everything was calm. Went out afterwards and got to see Carl and Kittie, which was nice. I really hope that Carl decides to run again, it's nice to have as many people on my side as possible. And we pretty much always agree on issues.

This weekend was nice. Saturday we worked (which I lied, was NOT nice). hehe. Afterwards, we met Auntie and Carl for dinner downtown at Traffic Jam, which is one of my laidback favorites. I split an appetizer with Auntie and Carl of crab and asparagus wontons which were amazing. My meal was crab cakes which were super yummy too. Saw The World's Greatest Majic Show at the Fisher Theatre afterwards, which was funny and really good. A really nice night out.

Sunday, we were going to work, but ended up staying in. Was supposed to get together with Rebecca, but I was exhausted, and the two hour drive (there and back), would have given me a migraine. With construction, I could just not stomach it as much as I wanted to go up there. We ended up going to this Barktoberfest by our house and taking the pugs. Gretel wore her Halloween costume. It was fun. I loved watching Vito interact with other dogs and people. He LOVVVVES other people and dogs. They all had fun. Came home and ran some errands including getting a much needed oil change on the Jeep and stopping by Target to check out my sister's registry. I need to get her something since her shower is Sunday, but I most likely will get something not on the registry. Did a bunch of laundry, which desperately needed to be done, cleaned the kitchen and got a nice workout in. Lazy Sundays are the best.

Dropped the Saturn off today to be worked on. There is something going on with the ignition (which I have mentioned before), and I will be really glad to have that fixed so I can drive my baby again. Work went alright, and we did not have to work late, which is awesome.

Nothing too exciting going on here (obviously). Talk later......

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Pugs in Costume


Had court all morning today, which kinda sucked because Misty called in sick, and I came back to madness at the office and a ton of calls. Ugh. Court went well though, and I got some stuff filed that needed to be.

We took Oscar to the vet tonight. His eye has been bothering him and we thought maybe he had scratched it, but wanted to make sure nothing major was wrong. Nothing major is. He does have a tiny scratch, and they gave us some drops to help the healing process. Also got his nails cut while there. Took him to petsmart afterwards and bought some dog treats as well as a Halloween costume for Gretel that I need to return for the next size up. It is a tiny bit too small, but really cute on her. She is going to be a strawberry, ;).

Came home and made dinner, worked out, did a load of laundry. Nothing exciting. Have a board meeting tomorrow, which should be dramatic, but can't post why at this point. Will update tomorrow if the drama occurs.....

I have so many small errands and things I need to do that I just don't have the time to do. Ugh. I keep saying every week I will accomplish these things and I never do. I am going to make it a goal to do these things THIS Saturday. We may work part of the weekend, but any other free time I have is going to be devoted to doing this stuff. Some of the things are: Sams Club visit (really need bottled water and some other things), pedicure and manicure (luckily we are done with sandal season here, but I still like going for maintenance), Trader Joe's (really need chili). Also, I want to sit down and plan my meals for next week, and go buy ingredients for them. The Kraft site lets you make shopping lists, so I know what I need to make these meals I want to try. I am going to do this. :).

Off to bed......

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Panama

Yay! Whoot! The actual booking of the tix and the confirmation email is what makes me really believe I am going on vacay. Just booked our Panama Xmas trip tonight. I used an Entertainment Book coupon and saved almost $72! Which rocks since the book only cost $15 to begin with. I used it and saved almost $100 to Belize and used it to save like $40 on our rental car in Vegas, so this book rocks. Seriously. If you travel a lot, this book is worth buying. Now, I need to book our rental SUV (you need four wheel drive there) and kinda plan the trip. We like to play things by ear, but with this trip, we need to figure out what we want to do because there is a lot of planning with boats and such to get where you want to go.


This lady comes in today to pay her son's bill. She was such a freaking bitch. This was not even her case. It was a divorce, and the parties in the case came to an agreement on everything, wherein our client, against our advice, gave his wife custody and permission to move to TN. Kurt grilled him on the record about this so it was recorded that he went against our advice. Apparently, he went home and told his family that we "lost" his case. His mother, after very rudely paying the bill, leaves a "note" for Kurt on the counter, wherein she rips him apart (Keep in mind here she was never in court or part of the case except paying) saying that he is a "lazy" atty and does not care about his clients or try to get them what they want. We just have to laugh at this kind of stuff because family law is really a thankless kind of law to practice. Everyone is happy until they have to pay their bill. That's what this was about, entirely. She was mad he owed us money. Whatever. We probably work harder than anyone. And Kurt hates to lose and rarely does. We can't make people do what we want. We are there to simply counsel. If you don't do what we say, it's your call. Don't later blame us for your stupid decisions and your lack of common sense to listen to your atty. Isn't that why people hire an atty? Who knows.

Trusting my Gut



Went to bed early last night, just to wake up and not feel well in the middle of the night. Ugh. Was up about an hour and fell back to sleep. So much for getting a good night's sleep! :).

I am feeling kinda down/sad right now. Sometimes, I just realize that everything is not as it seems, and that bothers me. I know it's the things in life that are not "cookie cutter" and "predictable" that make life what it is, but regarding certain things, I just always want there to be that "constant". I know I am being evasive here, but when certain things happen, it just brings me down and I don't know how to get past that. I hate, hate, hate seeing my friends and family do things to themselves that are creating heartache in thier lives, and I hate it even more when there is nothing I can do at all to help it.

I trust my gut. I used to question myself, until a few years back when an individual working with kurt and a friend on a business venture started to make me feel uneasy. I told Kurt that I did not trust this person, and I think everyone thought I was odd for saying so because he had not really given us a reason NOT to trust him. After all, Kurt's friend said, he is a really religious guy and a cancer survivor, those kinds of people don't screw others over. (yay, right). Anyway, long story short, the guy ended up disappearing with a large amount of money. We were not "out" any money, so whatever, but we should have gotten a nice vacation (or 2 or 3) out of our proceeds of that venture and never did. Since then, I have trusted myself and how I feel.

It really bothers me when I feel like people I am close to (family, friends, whomever), are not being upfront and honest with me. It has happened in the past with Kory's two sisters, and friends of mine. I can usually sense it, and when I call people out on it and they continue to misrepresent themselves, it bothers me. I almost always drop it, but it does not mean I will forget. Seriously. A lot of things are not any of my business, and that's fine. Just say that to me. I don't press things with people unless I think they will be harmed emotionally by their actions. And if you don't want to talk about it, that's totally fine. The only thing I ask for from friends and family is honesty. It's funny how sometimes that can be the hardest thing to confront and deal with, something that should be the easiest thing to do.

And I do get "why" people sometimes do this with me. I am, as my close friend Deanna says, a "Tell it Like it Is" kinda person, so I will not mesh with everyone. We went to dinner recently, and she is going through very legitimate hard times, and she said to me, "Lori, that's why I wanted to do dinner with you. You truly tell it like it is." I don't "baby" the facts/issues. If a friend needs a shoulder to cry on and the crying is legit, I am there. But, I am not going to let my friends sit around and cry over situations they have created for themselves. I want to help them towards doing better, creating something better for their lives. I guess I just need to deal with the fact that some people are not going to come to me with their problems, because they don't like my bluntness, LOL. I can't help who I am or how I feel with stuff like this.

And if anyone misreads this post and thinks it is about them, it's not. It's just something I have been thinking about lately. I question my instincts too much. I have been finding more and more that trusting my gut is the right way to go. I need to stop second guessing myself on things, and just go with it. if I am wrong, I am wrong, and that's OK. I don't need to be perfect and right all the time. Right?

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Weekend Update


Went hiking today at Sterling State Park. It was really relaxing, and I took a bunch of pics of the changing colors and such. Such a nice walk. I saw in one spot, 12 white herons at the same time, which was incredible. Also saw a ton of turtles, getting the last sun of the year....Ducks as well, and lots of birds screaming at eachother, hehe.

Had a great weekend too. Yesterday, Rebecca came over and we made dinner. Kory made his Mom's famous cheesy potatoes. He made him and Rebecca burgers, and I made Kurt and I grilled tuna. We made crab rangoon for an appetizer, which was really yummy, and warmed up rolls that Rebecca brought over. We ate at the dining room table, for the first time since we have moved into the house, which was 4.5 years ago, LOL. Anyway, it was really nice. After that, we headed to this haunted hayride in Newport at a local farm, which was hilarious and quite the production! :). I was scared and screamed a lot, haha. I get scared so easily.


Got a migraine really early on Friday morning and can still feel remnants of it today. Ugh. Rebecca worked on my neck some yesterday which made the headache stop....thanks Rebecca! :).

Time for bed. Just watched the Indians lose, BLAH. I can't stand the Red Sox. GO ROCKIES!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Sleepy

Ugh. So tired. And I have a super busy day tomorrow. Oh wait, that's EVERY day. OK, slightly busier than usual. Kurt and I have like 7 hearings to do between ourselves, at three different buildings. It will be interesting, but we have done up to 9 so it should be possible.

Went to dinner last night with Terry, a friend of Kurt's from the IRS when he worked there. He was in Detroit (he lives in Cleveland) for an IRS conference. We took him to eat at Crave in Dearborn and he loved it. I had my fav meal, my fav sushi app. Yum. I love going there. We had a great time seeing Terry and an awesome night out.

Got my new watch in the mail last night and it is even more kewl in person! Yay! And the box it came in is so lux and cute. I am saving it. Just because. Ha. Wore it today and like it even more than last night......

Watched Blades of Glory tonight with Kurt and Kory and it was hilarious. I love Will Ferrell. He is so funny. Then, went I went downstairs to work out and put in my new Netflix Sopranos disc, it was broken. BOOOO. So, I watched more Queer as Folk, which was really good. Will Brian and Justin stay together? I will not know until next time. So, don't tell me, Rebecca! :).

Anyway, need to get to bed to deal with my day tomorrow. Sorry so short....