Hey ladies!! I am back with a new keyboard... it's a challenge to get used to it! I also got a new Cd.. it kinda sucks, but does have one good song :) I should really just download it, but I absolutely love Mariah Carey. Her voice is just AMAZING!

Josh's headaches are weird, they seem to be when he's going to sleep, in the middle of the night, or early in the morning. We've gotten new pillows, better pillows, tried getting him to sleep in different positions.. it's just weird. I will make him go to the doctor, I think he didn't realize that the doctor will know which kinds of drugs will work the best for him. I'm sure I can convince him, he's definitely turned a slightly new leaf, he just doesn't want to be sick anymore. Last night was KILLER, he had a headache and then got a stomach ache. We were up all night long, and he was throwing up for part of it. Weird thing, I took that new tylenol ultra stuff.. I fell asleep for about 15 minutes and woke up with a start, I had NO idea where I was, or who was in my bed (freaky!!), it was Josh.. it took me a few minutes to get my barings back though. It was such an odd feeling, I'll actually never take those drugs again.

I was at work on Friday and the manager from Eddie Bauer came over to talk to us, she was actually trying to recruit one of us to go over there and be her assistant manager. I am going to have a interview with her on Monday, I'm excited/scared. But it's just an interview, and I'd be guaranteed fulltime, and a raise. I found out that my company put a freeze on wages this year.. NO ONE gets a raise. No point really, the max raise you can get per year is 17 cents. That just doesn't cut it for me if they want to keep me as an employee.

So it's all about me so far... but I'm not done! I had this dream where I decided I would go back to school to become a Dietitian/Nutritionist. It's a 4 year degree to become a registered Dietitian, my previous University should cover the first year, so I'd have 3 years of schooling left. I'm just playing with the idea right now, but thats always been something I've been thinking I'd like to persue. I decided not to go back and finish up my degree because it was a degree in Health and Fitness, and at the time I was SO SO sick, and couldn't exercise. It didn't feel right to do it. But here I am again thinking about it.

Well I am completely tired, and don't have the energy to write personalized msgs... justknow you are in my thoughts.. and I've been fighting to get on here to post. My bf's friend is staying with us until he finds a place to move into.. he was living in his truck. Just seems so wrong to me, even if we butt heads. Its... interesting living with two boys, they have been hanging out for 3 days now, and already have a NAP TIME! They are off at a movie tonight, and I'm going to turn in VERY soon, I have to get some sleep, I probably slept for an hour, and was woken up every 10-15 minutes during that time. Alrighty! I am off to bed! I'll talk to you gals tomorrow! :)

-Aimee

Hey, Aimee - glad to see you're up and running again! That's great about your interview. I'd be looking, too, if such a freeze was at my workplace and there were other jobs available in my skillset!

Not to scare you or your BF, but check out this link: http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=AN00992 Realize that in the majority of people, the cause is going to be the most tame of the possibilities!

This is COMPLETELY depressing, it's 10 to 7am on a Sunday morning and I am awake because the kids upstairs are awake. We got up 20 minutes ago. Now, I didn't get to sleep until 12:30am... so I'm working on 6.5 hours of sleep + 1 hour in the past 46 hours. I am cranky, annoyed, and want to curl up into a little ball and cry... well preferably sleep. I'd grab my blanket and move elsewhere... but they are moving furniture over my kitchen and bathroom. And this jumping up and down, running and yelling is happening over my livingroom AND bedroom. I just don't get how parents are so ignorant/stupid these days.. they literally don't care.

Thats my rant... and I could go for hours... but I'm going to go for a walk, or rather go sit outside so I don't scream and yell profanities at 7 & 9 year old children! Their parents WILL be getting a nice phone call as this is weekend TWO of *US* getting up before 8am.

-Aimee

I'd definitely be calling those parents. It's one thing if kids are toddlers and have little self-control, but those kids are old enough to know to be quiet (if the parents bother to tell them to be). I don't miss apartment living!

My foot is still tender, but doesn't seem to be infected. To be safe, though, I've been putting antibiotic cream on the cut and covering it with a big Bandaid. Sure put a damper on my beloved barefootedness.

Mom and dad are coming over for a cookout in a bit. We're having grilled salmon steaks topped with mango salsa (any excuse for mango salsa!!), cauliflower hash browns, and a big salad. For dessert I have low-calorie vanilla ice cream topped with fresh strawberries and minced chocolate mint. Good stuff, good for us!

Aimee--Yay for your keyboard! Boo for your lack of sleep! Parents swearing at young children...no wonder the kids misbehave. I hate hearing/seeing parents raising their children so disrespectfully. Not that I am an expert or anything, since I have no kids of my own, but I certainly have done more than my fair share of babysitting, for I have more little cousins than I can count on all of my fingers and toes! It's one thing to let the kds jump around and play and have fun--every kid needs that--but to allow them to do so noisily at such an early hour...I swear it all comes down to respect, and so many kids today aren't taught to respect others. Of course, I may have been taught a little to much respect, if that's possible--I end up going out of my way to make sure everyone else is happy before I even think about myself, but I'd rather be this way than the opposite!

Kimberley--glad your foot seems to be okay. Good thinking on the tetanus booster, though--just in case. Can never be too careful with things like that. Oh, and that meal you described sounds AWESOME! I wish I could have a grill, but we're not allowed to have grills within like 50 feet of the apartment building or something like that, so no grill for me. I'm waiting for my birthday, though--I think my sister is buying me an indoor grill--one like a George Foreman one, but not that brand--the one she got has removable grilling trays so you can throw them in the dishwasher, which is so perfect for me!

Diana--so did it rain while mulching? Did you turn into a monkey?? The weather here this weekend was GORGEOUS--couldn't have asked for better, and yet we didn't really do anything outdoors--stupid lazy kids! (and by kids, I mean Jeff and me :p )

So yeah--I went to Jeff's around 5pm on Saturday and spent the night there. I am so excited for Georgia. I haven't been on a vacationin YEARS...the last one was to the Bahamas with my singing group in high school, but that doesn't count because we had a curfew every night and had to get up early every morning for rehearsals, so we didn't have a whole lot of time for actual vacationing (even though I paid over $700 for that trip!). Not that cental Georgia (we'll be about 30 minutes south of Atlanta) is exactly the vacation hot spot or whatever, but hey, it's 3 days off of work--both jobs--and I'm not going to visit my sister or my parents (which are the only places I go for any other time off I ever get), so I'm counting it as a vacation! According to Mapquest, it'll be about a 10 hour and 33 minute drive to Jeff's aunt's house (which is where we're staying). Add into that stopping for gas and food and maybe some traffic, and we're looking at at least a 12-hour drive. We've driven to CT together before, though, which took a good 8 hours, so we should be okay, plus we'll take turns driving (I drove the whole way to CT). The new plan is to leave around 2am on Wednesday morning (yes, we're insane, but that way, we'll be all the way down by Richmond before the DC area traffic picks up for the morning commute--and no one wants to mess with DC rush-hour traffic...it's the reason I come in for 6am!). Then we'll head back up here on Sunday. tonight at work, I'm going to try to find someone to pick up my Tuesday night shift so I actually have time to pack and get ready tomorrow night--imagine that :p

Well, I'm off to make sure everything is in order for the bosses' return this morning (3 of them all went to Key West last week). Hope everyone had a great finish to their weekend, and I'll catch ya'll later!

Howdy, howdy!

Jill, if the indoor grill's by Hamilton Beach, I can tell you I wasn't thrilled with it. I tried it out two or three times and ended up taking it back for a refund. I ended up sticking with George -- you just can't beat a George Foreman grill, IMHO. The one I have has the removeable plates, and is the smaller of the two they sell with that feature. It's plenty large enough to cook for four people, though. I just love it! :D

We bought a few fish for our aquarium last night, and it sure is nice to have something swimming in there again, finally! We got 2 banded gourami, 5 tiger barbs, and 1 striped Raphael catfish (also called a talking catfish).

I should have bought 6 tiger barbs - oops. We learned later that they like being in groups of 6 or more, and I can see we always have one little guy off on his own. I'll pick up another one today.

We're going to Maryland this weekend to a get-together with some of our Dave's Garden friends -- can't wait! We'll be tent camping. Right now, then plan is to drive out toward Baltimore Sunday afternoon and meet Sarah & Lorraine for dinner somewhere before we head back. We can't wait to meet them!!

I have no idea what brand it is, but I know my sister loves hers. I didn't know GF made one with the removable trays, though--that is definitely good to know. I miss the GF we had in college (I always had at least 1 roommate who had one, so I never got one of my own). Awesome for burgers and chicken breasts or tenderloins so I don't have to cook them in a pan on the stove (where the burgers spit grease all over my kitchen since I don't have a lid big enough for my big pan :p ).

And of course, Miss Kimberley, you must be in Maryland on the one weekend when I am in Georgia! I was just in MD yesterday at Jeff's house! That is awesome, though that you'll get to meet Sarah and Lorraine. Sarah is just such an amazing person--I'm sure you guys will have a blast!

Hey Gals! Phew.. I'm having another rough day! The kids woke me up this morning, but this time I called, and talked to the mom (I usually talk to the dad), and they were silent for the rest of the morning :) I also had my interview, and it turned out like I thought.. I just don't have enough management experience yet. But I made a great contact, which is never a bad thing.

Jill - 2am is slightly insane, we always leave at 4am though. I hate traffic! The parently don't *really* yell at their children, the other morning the dad came down and said to them that it was too early for them to be playing so loudly, and then something about rules. Which makes sense, my mom had a rule that if I was up before 9am on weekends, I could watch tv in the downstairs tv room, quietly. This was when I was younger.. at about 14 I started sleeping until 12pm, heh. They definitely don't swear, I'd be completely disgusted at that.

Kimberley - good to hear your foot is alright, I remember some stories about lock jaw, freaky. I've never really hurt myself before, and can't ever remember having a shot, I'd probably cry. lol. I used to have one of those Hamilton Beach grills, it was a total pain to clean! However, I liked it better than the George Foreman one, because it had different temperatures. I'd prefer to had a BBQ though :) Thats pretty exciting that you are going to meet Sarah, she's such a great person from what I've experienced. Have fun :)

I am off to watch Oprah! I'll talk to yah'll later!

-Aimee

Aimee--Wow, shows how tired and nearly incoherent I am in the morning--I read your post and saw the word profanities (where you mentioned NOT going and shouting profanities at them) and jumbled it up in my mind to read that the parents were yelling profanities at them :dizzy: Oi vei, I should nap before I come on here :p

So yeah, we're definitely going to try to leave around 2am tonight/tomorrow morning. Rush hour here begins around 6-6:30am. I have NEVER experienced traffic like in the DC metro area. I live about 12 miles from work, mostly straight down one main road. When I leave at 5:30am, it takes me about 20 minutes to get to work (stupid stop lights). However, if I leave almost anytime between 6:30am and 9:30am, it takes me about an hour and a half! I hear things on the Maryland side aren't as bad as here on the Virginia side, but it's all just completely ridiculous. When I leave work on a Friday at 2pm and try to go to Jeff's house (which means I have to take the Beltway around DC), it can take up to 3 hours, and that's at 2 in the afternoon (it normally takes me just over an hour to get to his house)! Also, if we leave any later, we might still miss the early rush hour here in DC, but then we'd still hit the main rush hour (around 9 like a normal city) going around Richmond, which wouldn't be nearly as bad, I'm sure, but if we can avoid both, then why not?

Yup, so I have to go home and do some ironing and packing. It's going to be HOT! I went shopping on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. I bought some short-sleeved button-down linen shirts and tank tops to layer (I certainly don't have the arms for a tank top with nothing over it--my flaps could poke an eye out :lol: ), and I have a few really lightweight see-through shirts to wear with my new tank tops, also. I won't do shorts quite yet, but I do have plenty of capris. I also bought 2 new pairs of sandals. As much as I love shoes, my feet actually seem to have gotten much WIDER lately, so finding a good fit was very difficult (and frustrating!). I blame it on the waitressing!

Speaking of which, I made a whopping 21 bucks last night. I wasn't supposed to be serving, but we got busy, so I ended up taking 3 tables anyway. I was actually the "To Go" girl, which meant I was supposed to just take orders for carry out and put them together in bags in the kitchen and take them out to the people's cars. I only had 3 To Go orders all night, though, so that was a bust! Also, people don't realize that the To Go person only makes minimum wage, so they don't usually tip. I must admit, I wouldn't know to tip them either if I had never worked in a restaurant, but only making $5.15 an hour and having half the people NOT tip you--ugh, To Go is the worst! Okay, done whining about that now :p I was supposed to serve tonight, but I gave my shift to someone else so I could go home and pack and get ready for my trip. Yay!

Well, that's more than enough babbling for now. I'm off to, umm, make up some work to do, I guess. Catch ya'll later!

Da-da-da-dum! It's To Go Girl, that purveyor of bags filled with all things hot and savory! See her fly out to the curb, a broad grin splitting across her face! See her making change! See her wishing some of that change would be left in her hand as a thank-you. But nooooooo....

I never realized you were supposed to tip To-Go Girl, either! I tell you, what gets me is tipping at a buffet where diners get their own drinks and food. What the?? I can see tipping at a buffet where the staff refills drinks, clears plates, etc.

I'm out at the branch office right now, trying to get motivated to run some errands and go to the store. With us camping this weekend, I really ought to get the house whipped into shape so we can come home to a nice, clean house...But that's the last thing I feel like doing.

Did I tell you guys I'm off the BC pill now? Saturday, Howie and I talked about it and decided I should just go ahead and quit taking it since the spotting continues even with it. I'm beginning to wonder if the spotting is caused by something else. I'll try to get in to see the doctor in the next month or so. Until Howie's in the clear, we'll just keep the patent-holders of condoms and Nonoxynol-9 in business. ;)

Goooooodmorning! I am awake, and prancing around in my 18+ pj's because my bf AND his friend are NOT HERE! yahooooooo!! :) So, I'm an idiot, last night I got my friend to call my cell and I went outside and talked to her on the phone because I didn't want the two guys to hear what I was talking about. So that call led into a call from my mom, and then I called my friend BACK! I was outside/in my car, from 8:30-12am! I just can't wait to have my house back..

Jill - it's amazing what early mornings can do to the brain, I hear people wrong sometimes. If I'm really sleep deprived, I just stop talking because nothing good comes out of my house.. lol.. I get potty mouth too. I haven't ever tipped a to-go person, I'm sorry! And if I have a bad server, I don't tip that great either. Don't hurt me! ;)

Kimberley - you are so silly, it's great! You are going camping this weekend? And Jill is gone too? I'm going to be ALONE! Well at least we'll have a lot to talk about when you guys get back!! It's only 11 days until my 2 week vacation. :) I dislike the BC pill, so I support your decision to get off it! hehe.. cuz you were waiting for that and all ;)

Well I should go get ready, I am going to head to the mall today to have coffee with a co-worker on her last day, and I HAVE to go out and enjoy this weather! You two have a GREAT weekend and I look forward to hearing about your adventures when you are back! Take care!

-Aimee

HAHAhahaha...so, we know you weren't sleep deprived when you wrote this one, so what's your excuse? ;) :p

Hi ladies... work is so busy it's taking me FOREVER to even catch up with you all! So, across the board Hello and I hope you're doing well! Work is really busy for me the last couple weeks and it's not looking promising for the next couple months. Too busy to get on line... it's a crime really ;)

Weight wise I'm looking good for being at 240 (or below!) for my trip July 24th! Just had to buy new pants again... I'm in 22's now and 18/20 tops. I wish clothes would just diet with you! Sam and I want to take our bikes with us to the Dells, however, we looked at getting a bike rack trailer hitch, yeah right $250!!! The heck if I'm spending that much! So I called around and we can rent one from a bike shop for a week for $40. Sign me up!!! It's cheaper than renting bikes once we get there.

I'll try to get on here more often and keep up better... promise ;)

I always wanted to see the Wisconsin Dells. When we lived in the Chicago area, I remember all the commercials for them.

Boy, it's going to be a hot one for camping -- mid 90's. Aaaargh! Hopefully it will cool down in the evenings since this place we're going to is in the mountains. Mountains?? My geography is sooo bad. It's hot here today, but I'm in the shade of patio umbrella and it's not too bad. We still get a nice breeze. Before the umbrella shades this corner, the fir trees do, so the patio doesn't get very hot to radiate heat.

Last night I planted a garden by floodlight. How nice to work outside at night with all the nice night smells and fresh night air. The full moon was gorgeous, too! I'm trying to get a lot done with the plants before we leave for the weekend; that way, my MIL won't have to water anything but our smaller potted plants this weekend.

Congrats on getting down a size, Sara! I have, too - just tried on some 18's I got a month or two ago from a local Freecycle.org list member. They fit great! :D :D

Great job on the new pants Kimberly! It's so fun dropping sizes!
I wish Sam and I had our own house so we could do more gardening. We did a ton of gardening here already (we rent a duplex) but I don't plan on staying for too long, so digging up the yard in multiple places is not a very great idea when the next person will probably have zero desire to keep up with the weeds!
It's supposed to be in the low 90's here for the next week at least... it's so darn humid though, uugh. we hate it! It was so hot yesterday that the dog wouldn't even run when we took her to the park for a play date! Lexi and Wink (almost 4 month old Great Dane puppy belonging to a guy I work with) tumbled around and chewed on each other but niether of them did much running!
Have to go to work in about a half-hour so I need to get my face on now... hopefully it doesn't melt off!!!!! ha ha
Have a great day all!!!!