A day in the life...

Today was busy! I had an appointment for a hair cut at 9:15 at Glen Dow Academy. I specifically requested a stylist/student "upstairs" since they are close to graduation and have a lot more expereince. The receptionist confirmed my appointment, but when I checked in today, I was paired with a student that only recently graduated from manequins to human heads. All I wanted was a trim, you know, to get rid of the pesky split ends, so I didn't make a fuss about it. It took her an hour and a half to TRIM my hair, blow dry and flat iron it. That was annoying! And it made me late for my bra fitting appointment.

Okay, so I've never had a real bra-fitting before so I was a little intimidated being stuffed in a dressing room with this cute little early-20's, A-cup, 95 lb., brunette barbie doll. She was super nice though and very professional. She asked me what size I normally wear so I told her a 36/38 DD/DDD. After bringing in a fit-bra and me not even coming close to being able to squeeze the girls in, she politely excused herself to go find a bigger size. The next one she brought in fit almost perfectly and she said "I wont even tell you what size this is unless you want me to." I assumed it would be a little bigger than what I was currently wearing so I guessed an "F." How she didn't bust up laughing in my face, I'll never know. She looked at me and said, "No, you are an H. H for Hottie!" I almost cried. After bringing in several H cups and all of them being too big for me, I found a little consolation in the fact that I am actually a G cup. That little rise above dispair ended after trying on 8 or 10 bras and realizing that the cheapest one was almost $70! The whole experience was heart-breaking and just confirmed my decision to bite the bullet and get a breast reduction. If all goes as planned, I'll be getting the surgery this fall! A 36/G is just way too big. Although different stores and different brands have different sizing scales, I was unhappy even with the DD/DDD size that I thought I was.

The day got a little better at my hash run. If you know me well, you already know what that is and no, it has nothing to do with "hash" or any illegal substances. It was nice to let loose a little bit, but as I was running, two punk kids saw me and yelled, "hit that mexican asphalt, b!tc#!" Okay, I don't really know what that means, but seriously, where are the manners and simple respect for others? To call a complete stranger a "b!tc#" when she is just minding her own business and not bothering anyone... I still consider myself a youngster (31 here), but kids these days never cease to amaze me with their rudeness, vulgarity and lack of common decency. If you ask me, it has a lot to do with the lack of discipline they receive(d). My dad would have bent me over his knee and whooped my ass until it bled if I was ever rude like that. And then, he'd make me apologize no matter how humiliated I was, regardless of how old I was!

I half-hoped I would see Ken today. I knew his friend would bail on him -- he always does. That is one thing Ken and I have in common; a lot of flaky friends. Don't get me wrong, we've got good, reliable friends too, but we get stood up by others OFTEN. Anyways, I knew the dude would bail so I half-expected him to drive over here since I can't drive over to Moses Lake because I have plans in the morning... but he decided to stay home. I'm sad, disappointed, but that's what I get for getting my hopes up based on assumptions.

Had dinner tonight with Amanda and Sophia... I love those girls. I don't love Chili's, but it was good to spend some time with them. They are always good for laughs and smiles!

And on that note, I'm signing off.

Me Time - Random Musings

Monday it was decided that I would join my bosses at the State meeting this week in Poulsbo, WA. Booked my travel plans and worked my ass off to get everything done Monday and Tuesday. Everything else will have to wait until next week.

Today we flew to Seattle, took the ferry to Bainbridge Island and one of the bosses dropped me at the hotel while she went to meetings I didn't need to attend. If I had known I wasn't required at any meetings today, I would have worn jeans instead of the cute dress, leggings and heels. What a waste of a cute outfit. Anyway, she was supposed to be done by 6:45, but her meeting when long and she ended up having to attend a Chapter Dinner so I'm on my own without wheels. My options are: smoky casino, smoky bar, smoky restaurant or my comfy non-smoking hotel room, free internet access & tv (but no room service). So here I am...

Speaking of comfort, one thing I love about hotels is being able to set the temperature at MY comfort level without regard to what it's going to do to my electric bill. Hello 75 degrees! And I love turning on the country music television channels and leaving them on ALL NIGHT LONG...

I'm regretting eating that nasty Reuben sandwich for lunch. Now I'm not in the mood for dinner and they were advertising a pretty yummy looking 4-course dinner for $18! Hopefully I wake up early enough for the continental breakfast.

I am indescribably angry with my mother right now. And for those who were wondering why my family updates are public posts, I'm at the point that I don't really care who reads it... maybe someone somewhere will have some ideas or options I haven't thought of yet. At any rate, I don't really know what to do with my anger at this point.

Trying to book our Juneau travel for July. Time for my man to meet my family (what's left of it) and see where I spent my Jr. High, High School and Married years. Even with a $50 companion pass, it's gonna cost over $600 just for airfare. Hopefully we'll be able to find a place to stay and a car to borrow so we don't have to pay for hotel and rental. With all of my siblings' families growing, there are no extra rooms to be found.

This long distance relationship thing is taking its toll on me. Yeah, I know we only live an hour and a half away, but it's getting old. Not to mention the fact that it seems to increase my insecurities. I love Ken... I think he's worth it... Let's just hope I don't fall back into the old "sabotage mode" again.

Almost every day I think of at least two really good blog topics and have something to say, but by the time I get home, I'm done in. I miss being able to express myself.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a breast reduction later this year. Probably in the fall...

I'm weary. (and not just because my boobs are weighing me down!)

Vacation

A few months ago, I decided I was going to try to take a vacation. I really had my heart set on Mexico since I hadn't been in almost four years. I was able to get a week off work and so was Ken. The money just wasn't there for Mexico though and then Ken thought he may have to cancel part of his vacation because of things going on at work. I figured we'd just go somewhere close for two or three days.

Ken knows I love the Oregon Coast so he found a vacation rental in Depoe Bay and booked 4 nights. I have been excited, but the family issues have dampened that a bit. I know I need some time to just relax without the work stresses and family stresses. I drove to Moses Lake Friday night after work. Saturday, we left around noon and drove to Lake Oswego and stayed the night there. Then Sunday we drove the rest of the way to Depoe Bay.





This Valentine's Day was the best I've ever had in my life. We decided to stay in and watched the sunset from the hot tub. Later we cooked pork chops and ate dinner by the fireplace. We exchanged cards and I gave him a new little point-and-shoot camera since his is old and just doesn't take very good pictures. He loved it!

Yesterday we decided to drive down the coast a bit and stopped several places along the way. We visited the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, drove through the historic bay part of Newport, walked on the beach at Ona Beach State Park, and had a late lunch in Waldport. On the drive back to Depoe Bay, we stopped so I could taste a few wines at the Flying Dutchman Winery. We arrived back in Depoe Bay right as the rain started, but decided to walk around downtown and visit a few of the shops and another winery.

It was a great day, full of laughter and easy conversation. I was exhausted by the time we got back. I fell asleep watching the waves.

We both need this to be a time of relaxation and restoration. It's been a hard few months for us doing the long distance thing, both of us dealing with more work stresses lately and me dealing with my family drama.

I've been awake for a few hours and it's been very cloudy and gray. Ken just woke up and I'm seeing a few patches of blue sky. I think we'll cook a big breakfast, but nothing past that is planned.

Those of you who have been around me a while, have probably read this many times because I post it every now and again just as a reminder. Every single one of my friends know that I call myself a Christian. They also know that I am human and that I don't always live up to the expectations that people have set for Christ followers and that I don't even always agree with fellow believers.

One of my favorite quotes is: "I do not live for what the world thinks of me, but for what I think of myself." ~Jack London. Like I told a woman today who ultimately decided to "unfriend" me on facebook, if you are offended by me, my entries or the way I live my life in general, feel free to "unfriend" me. It wont hurt my feelings one bit. I need people in my corner who encourage me without judging me, who stand by me through all the ugliness that comes along with being human and who LOVE me in spite of my imperfections. If you are not capable of this type of friendship, I understand and I wish you the best.

Here is my all-time favorite poem. Enjoy.

When I say "I am a Christian"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved

~Carol Wimmer

Dear January 16th

Dear January 16th. I am taking you back!
I will no longer fear and dread your bad juju!
I will live you to the fullest and without regret!
I will choose to be happy and grateful for what I have today,
Instead of mourning what you have taken from me.
I will control this day and my destiny!
You have no power over me anymore!
Carpe Diem!

Death of Common Sense

In light of my last post and for your reading pleasure:

The Death of Common Sense

Hooray for automatic car starters! I absolutely LOVE mine! I think this is one of the best gifts I've ever received. I'm still a little embarassed that Ken spent SOOOO much money on me for Christmas though. I know it's not about money and he was genuinely happy to spoil me, but I still have a hard time with my lack of financial freedom to spoil him like I want to. In addition to the car starter, he also bought be a diamond nose ring. He knows I don't like a lot of expensive, flashy jewelry, but I do wear a nose ring so he bought a tiny little diamond and had them make me a nose ring using white gold. I thought that was very creative and thoughtful.

I'm in Moses Lake for the weekend. I'll likely be spending most weekends here. I'm drinking a cup of coffee and writing and it feels good to just relax for a bit. I'm meeting Ken for lunch at Firefly around noon and I brought some work with me that I really should be working on. I have to write a telephone etiquette policy for my office. One would think that 50 and 60 somethings would have enough common sense to know how to answer the phone, transfer a call and take a message. Especially 50/60 somethings who have spent most of their adult life working in professional offices. One would think that common sense would stop someone from transferring a solicitor/telemarketer into the 911 Emergency call center supervisor. Did she really think that the supervisor had nothing better to do? Or transferring a call to someone's voice mail when they are sitting there in the office waiting for that particular call, instead of announcing the call and giving the director the option to take the call or tranfer to voice mail. Ugh!

While I'm at it, maybe I should also write up a Common Sense Training, a Respecting Personal Space Policy and a How Obtuse Can You Be quiz. And maybe even a tip sheet on What Not To Do When the Supervisor is Around (Or EVER), which would include falling asleep at your desk, facebooking or shopping online, bad-mouthing coworkers and superiors, etc.

I truly wish common sense was something that could be taught.

On a different note, THANK GOD FOR TYLENOL PM!!!