March?

Does anyone else feel like February was the blink of an eye? I am eager for spring, but can't believe how fast time flies. It makes me wonder what the heck I have been doing!
This past weekend we had my sister in law visit for what was supposed to be a day, but the airlines panicked at a tiny bit of snow and we got to keep her for an extra day. It was really nice to see her and to have a chance to catch up. Sunday afternoon we played a highly competitive game of scrabble while it snowed. I have no comment on who won.
Last night was back to the gym. I had to take a week off from being sick and then missed Monday night, so last night it was a harsh reality that when I got home I had an obligation to my body to exercise. I had zero desire, but forced myself there. Tonight will be much of the same I am sure.
This weekend I am planning to get that new camera I had talked about. Then the photos will return to the site!
Hope everyone is well.

I post again.

I know I have not posted in a while. Part of it is the lack of a camera. Mine is not working well at all and tends to frustrate me. Besides that I left it at my sister’s house two weeks ago- when I officially had it with it. The battery was charged and then died after 1 photo. Yesterday I broke down and decided to buy a new camera. Went to the store, picked one out, and of course it was out of stock! It will be in tonight. Great- except who has time on Monday night to go pick up a new camera?
A few friends have noted that their husband’s returned from Iraq two years ago this past week. One thing that they may not know is that their husband’s commander, LTC Sinclair is being promoted today to COL Sinclair! Congratulations to all of the Sincalairs since we know that success in the Army is much more than just the soldier!

Another thing that has been noted is the feeling of disconnect when away from the military. It has been almost a year and a half since we exited that life. We are adjusted to our “new” life, but we miss the “old” life more than I ever expected. Most of all we miss the family we made while in Schweinfurt. I think of all of you often and am excited to receive updates and know that you are well. You will always be family to us.

Update

My pancreas is ok this time. The only red flag in my blood work is a low white blood cell count. So, they will retest in a couple of weeks to see if it has stabilized. I guess I will continue on my cipro and hope for the best. The cipro is for the possibility of salmonella that I could have from the Peter Pan Peanut butter that was infected. Lucky me had a jar of it. Well the sun is out...maybe I will feel better soon.

Down and Out

I have been sick for what feels like forever. My long weekend that I was looking forward to turned into a disaster. By the time it was time to leave work Friday night I was sick. I will spare the details, but I have the flu. But of course, when I get the flu it is not a quick 24 hour bug and I am all better. No, my body needs to have a meltdown. So, I am waiting on test results from the doctor and suspecting that I am suffering from my third bout of pancreatitis. This may be the doozy as well. With no appetite for days and abdominal pain I am sort of just surviving. If anyone is curious about this lovely illness they can click on this link. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pancreatitis/index.htm Of course while all of this is going on I have a job- where it does not appear there is an overwhelming amount of support. Lovely. Glad to know when I am down for the count my management cares. I am hoping to have my test results sometime today. I will keep everyone posted. By the way- my camera is dead.

A long weekend is upon me.

I am happy to announce that it is FRIDAY!
We had a tough week here in NYC. The snow storm that was predicted turned out to be more of a ice and slush storm. The commute on Wednesday was terrible with ice coming down heavily and slippery streets and sidewalks. I made the commute safely while my cooper waited safely in the garage for the storm to be over. MW dropped me off and picked me up at the bus stop with the Volvo for two days. We are so thankful for that vehicle and how well it handles in ice and snow. Coop was taken out of the garage this morning for the first time since Tuesday night. The clean up around here is slow and all of the slush on the ground is rock hard at this point. I can walk on top of it all. It is so darn cold here that nothing is melting.
Anyway, I was planning a trip to MA this weekend to visit my Mom, but am now wavering on whether or not to go. I would love to see my Mom, but it is four hours of driving each way. MW can not go since he has to work on Monday and I am not sure I want to make that journey alone in this sort of weather. I think I am opting to stay home- but feeling badly that I am not going to see my mom. If I am here this weekend we have a welcome home party for my sisters boyfriend who just returned from 4 months in Argentina.
I will charge the batteries in the camera this weekend and make sure I get some photos of our uneventful life to post on the blog.

A day in the life...

Here are a few shots from last night! I grabbed the camera as I walked in the door. The dogs were still spazzing at our arrival and I was trying to calm them to take a photo with me. MW was trying to get ready to go to the gym.

Notice my clenched fists as I try to sympolize "sit" to Sam! We use doggie sign language. She was way too excited to see her Mommy. She is a complete mommas girl. Every night when I get home there is jumping and crazy excitment. She usually starts a wrestling match with her brother and if he is not around she will chase at her tail and bark at it. I am so loved!

Here I am trying to hold Bails still, but all you can really see are his eyes.

And finally, MW trying to put his socks on to go to the gym- but we just got home so there is chaos!

This wild doggie slobbering event is a daily occurance in our house. Each day they have so much to tell us when we get home!

Schnee!

Or is it shnee? Either way it is coming! Our first snow storm of the year. Poughkeepsie is predicted to get a foot plus of snow while we will probably only get about 5 inches. We will see.

This morning was an interesting walk- much of the same and a little of the extraordinary. First there was the lady on the bus. She was putting on her make-up. OK, not that strange, but then she dropped her blush brush on the bus floor. After causing a scene trying to pick it up she continued to put on her blush! Yuck. Then she penciled her eyebrows and put on red lipstick followed by pink gloss. She left with a TON of make-up on. (And elbowing me as she exited)
Once off of the bus it was much of the same- the slew of homeless people, talking to themselves, arguing, sitting quietly- no matter what they do it breaks my heart. I am sure the Port Authority will be packed with homeless people hiding in corners tonight hoping the police do not kick them out onto the cold snowy street.
Once on the street I made my usual pass by Good Morning America- Outside was one of the show hosts and protecting him was a black lab. I see the lab often and I always smile. He is there for protection, but anyone who has a lab knows how harmless they are! Sometimes Bailey and Sam play this game with each other while they are wrestling where they make faces and show there teeth. I always think they are practicing- "Was that one scary? How about this one?" And each face Bailey makes- even when he shows his teeth makes me laugh at how harmless he is.
Onward down the street I saw the usual pigeons and thought about how gross they are and then continued on. I soon reached my building and remembered that the walk is the most interesting part of the day.

I did take a few boring photos last night. I will see if I can get MW to send them over and I will post them a little later.

Lack of Photos

I realize that I have a lack or absence of photos on the blog. I am working on this. The number one problem is that i have not taken any photos lately. I will make a point of taking out the camera and capturing a few moments. I have gotten really lazy with the camera. Here are a few older ones that I have not shared.

This is at the Childress Vineyard in NC. I don't think it is a great shot of me and that is probably why it wasn't posted before.

It seems I always have photos of the dogs handy. Here is Bailey with his new burger.

I put out an SOS for photos as well. Our family is full of Paparazzi so I should be able to get a few to post. The problem is getting flattering photos.

I will work harder-

Tonight is another gym night. Things are turning around for us here. We are starting to get in shape. Almost one month into it!

I managed to pull off an afternoon nap in the sun yesterday while laying next to the fire on the couch. I woke up dying - it was like 80 degrees in the house with the fire and the sun!

Friday!

There is always an excitement inside of me on Friday. This weekend will hopefully be relaxing- tomorrow night I have a "girls" party while MW is going to the Nets game. Other than that we plan to clean house and get things done. The pups are in need of a little attention and I could use an afternoon on the couch next to the fire. That is my hope for the weekend.

Patching things up

Bailey has two mild ear infections. But, the vet sort of bugged me. She tried to sell me a bunch of preventative care medicine for him last night and it made me wonder if he really has ear infections or if she wanted my money. They automatically tacked on to my bill heart worm medicine and frontline- two things I was not there for. I have both items already and had them removed, but found it a bit odd that she was trying to push so many products. It is hard to tell with Bailey if he is sick, his ears were dirty and stinky, but he was not scratching or shaking much. He occasionally shakes, but what dog doesn't? Either way he is getting medicated. I think he could use a good cleaning up-

The hole in the hall wall is patched. I will take a look tonight and see what the progress is or is not. I did not even check the garage last night. It is so darn cold that I went in the house as fast as possible.

Nothing else is new. Heading to gym this evening- Starting to see results!

Oh- By the way- I got hit in the head by a pigeon yesterday walking to work! I hate those darn things. It flew right into me. All day I was grossed out that I had pigeon in my hair. Yuck. Dirty, diseased, flying rats!

Still have holes

Well, I got home last night and sure enough the holes were still there...Wonder what I will find tonight.
Bailey went to the Vet for the day as a drop off patient. I think he has an ear infection. So, I am waiting for the doctor to call and tell me what the outcome is. I will pick him up this evening. My poor little guy has been shaking his head and when I clean his ears they are full of yuck. I am prepared to spend another small fortune on his ears. The pet insurance only covers "preventative measures" and not sickness. Go figure. This is one expensive pup. But he is so darn cute- and good! Sam is home alone today. I always worry when one of them is alone- you never know what they are thinking. She may act out. She could think he is in the park playing or joy riding in the car without her. Hopefully, she does not make any new holes in the walls :)

Handy Work

So last night I came home to something interesting. A little background: we moved into our house last spring. Even though it was not the dead of winter we instantly noticed the first level (our entry and foyer) are cooler than the rest of the house. We later realized that would be because they forgot to put heating vents downstairs! So, winter approached and it became colder and colder- Finally, we were offered an electric heating unit to be installed in the wall to compensate for the cold first floor which also crept up the stairs into the now cold second level. At first we thought we did not want electric heat, but then the deep freeze set in. So, yesterday they came to install the unit. And did they ever- I got a phone call from MW last evening telling me not to be alarmed if I came in the house and found "small holes" in the walls. He said they will be fixed tomorrow. I instantly cringed. I entered the house through the garage. Inside the garage there are three decent size holes cut out of the ceiling and one curls around on to the wall. Huh. I thought. OK. It is the garage- they'll fix it. Then I walked in the hall. And of course I wanted to see the new heating unit- and did I ever! Right next to the heater sits a 2 x 3 foot hole in my wall with insulation looking back at me! And next to that you ask? Another hole. About 6x 8 inches. Why the heck that size? The big hole is at least the size of the unit- but "oops that was not the right spot- let's have another cut at the wall and maybe this time we will get it right. And while we are at it lets gouge a few spots too!!!" Ughhh. These people come in to fix one thing and ALWAYS make another bigger problem. I was promised it would be fixed today- but that is impossible. They have to repair the wall- oh I mean replace the wall they removed and then paint. Not just any paint- eggshell. Which means you can not just touch up one spot. The entire wall now needs to be repainted. Tell me, "how can this be done in one day?" That is what I thought. Can't wait to go home tonight! Absolutely amazing. Glad the workers got to practice on my house. And did I mention the heater is not working?

Happy Birthday TAS Jr.

Today is TAS Jr.'s 12th Birthday. It is hard to believe that he is 12 already. It seems like not that long ago he was running around as a crazy four year old- or starting first grade. I hope you have a great birthday little bro and we will see you soon! I wish I had an updated photo to post. hint hint.

So we watched Open Season over the weekend. It was pretty funny. I liked it. It was not as good as Madegascar, but still worth watching. It makes me enjoy my buddy sitting on the desk a little more. We went to our neighbors house for the superbowl last night and walked home after. Was anyone else amazed by how hard it rained the entire game? That was pretty impressive.

This week is another typical week for us. The gym is starting to feel like habit and work is work. I need to bring Bailey to the vet this coming weekend. I think he has an ear infection. So, we will go to Petsmart and get it checked out. Other than that the house is healthy. Sam is her same spunky self. Since it is so cold outside they have not had quite as much play time and are a little crazier in the house. The only downfall of that is drool.

1 Antlered PEZ Dispenser

So, for my birthday I received a PEZ dispenser that is a deer with one antler. I had no idea where he came from but it turns out that it is from the movie "open season." So, the one antlered little guy came to work with me and has become a topic of conversation and a deer of healing powers over the last couple of weeks. Today I learned his name is Elliott. Elliott has been the most entertaining desk item I have had in a long time.

I am exhausted today. I am so happy it is Friday. I think we will watch Elliott on the flat screen this weekend! I need to learn about my new friend.

I am getting my hair trimmed this weekend and am tempted to give the ten inches and be done with it. I guess knowing that it is going and having a goal in mind is making me want to rid of it and have the mission accomplished. The only problem is that if I donate my hair now I will have super short hair for the rest of the cold winter. My guess is it would be above my shoulders. I am going to try and wait two or three more months until it is warm. I do like having long hair, but I really want to do this and be free to do what I want with it again.

I hope everyone is well. Have a great weekend.

Finally, I have something to say.

I have not posted in a few days because I feel like my life has been so uneventful that I don't want to bore you with the stories about the weather! : )

This week has been strange. Work is slow this week and there are all kinds of prospects / projects on the horizon, but it is hard to get excited until they actually happen.

I am finding a lot of family and friends are taking time out of their crazy lives to say Why? What the heck am I doing? I also have done this recently. It has been a time of profound thought. Making priorities, listing likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses- and formulating a plan to conquer the ultimate goal: Happiness. Not that I am not happy, but I could use a bit of revamping in a lot of areas. Now that I have done all of this "thinking" and have taken time to learn about me it is a matter of what to do with that knowledge. I guess you start with the "quick wins." The things you can change immediately and then start planning and strategizing about the rest. Step one for me was to fire the cleaning lady and instead of paying for that service, pay for a membership to the gym. The cleaning lady really did some awful work in the end. Her work angered me more than helped and then I felt robbed that she took my money after doing such poor work. I am almost through week two at the gym and am already feeling better- and the cleaning is under control. The other quick win: clearing my schedule. Deciding that things can wait and it is ok to stay home Fri and Sat. night if we want to. I have had two very relaxing weekends in a row since we did not try to exhaust ourselves. I am organizing things around the house (which makes me very happy- a Bettyism) and planning for the future. I am tired of running around so quickly that I can't stop to think about tomorrow never mind next week or year. So now I am slowing down for a minute to plan for a successful future. The last quick win: Stop spending money on unnecessary things and save! When you put your mind to it you can really save a fortune! Truthfully.

There are many other quick wins on the horizon as well as some potentially major changes (For those of you who are more distant NO WORRIES MW and I are very happy together). I am feeling confident and excited that this year is going to be better than ever!
Thanks to everyone who has listened and those who have shared there thoughts on life and "the pursuit of happiness!"

Have a great day everyone.