O Tannenbaum

Coverage

When moving my car insurance to Kansas a couple of months ago, I considered reducing my coverage. I didn't think I really needed so much and figured upping my deductible might not be such a bad idea. But, I didn't do it.

Now, I'm glad I didn't. After being attacked by a rogue deer on Black Friday morning, my poor car isn't so pretty.

All for the low price of $250, I will get a new side panel, side view mirror, the other dents, dings and scrapes taken care of, and a rental car for the day Monday. Yay for insurance!

Hm

Bit of a dilemma. I have two very active cats who love to play with anything small and breakable. Noone really ever visits me here. I have my nativity sets and a few Christmas figurines out. How much decorating should I even do this year? Should I bother with my tree or will it be in more danger than it is worth? Is putting lights up worth the hassel? Will it bring more of the holiday spirit into my home? In the meanwhile, my tree and ornament boxes will sit in the center of my living room floor.

Addendum:
Ok, the tree is up and I've only had to chase Figaro off it about 5 times (he thinks it's a great chew toy...of all things!) A few lights are up and I'm all Christmas cozy just in time for it to get really cold out.

Entertainment

Today, I have to express my gratitude for the humor and drama that make sick days much more pleasant.

:*/

Today, I am just grateful for blackout curtains and a comfy sofa.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all, from all of us. To those I was not able to be with on this holiday, I miss and love you and hope you had a wonderful day!

Today

Today, I am grateful for fun, crazy, awesome coworkers. Who else would invite me to go to breakfast with them and then proceed to make me feel totally at home singing and dancing to the background music and laughing at each other's craziness? You guys are awesome and so fun! I'm glad I work with such great people!

Clean bill of health

I am grateful today for my health. This is the first flu season in years that I haven't been ill...multiple times. I am so grateful that my body and lungs have been strong and healthy this year.

Chocolate!

(thanks to cacaobug for the loan of the pic)
Oh chocolate, how I do love thee! To those brave explorers of yesteryear who traveled the world and brought cocoa beans back to European courts and society....THANK YOU!

Digiscrapping

To whoever thought up the brilliant idea of digiscrapping, thank you thank you! I love it! I can scrap and scrap to my heart's content without making a mess of my house. If I don't like what I've done, I can tear it apart and start over or mess around with it easily. If, after all that, I decide I like it the way I did it first, I can just reset it. So fun!

Mom

I don't normally do two separate posts in one day, but this one deserves its own spot. Today, I am incredibly grateful for my Mom. Not just Moms in general, mine.

Mom, thanks for being my listening ear when I need one so badly. Thanks for always being there for me. Thanks for all the sacrifices you make for our family, for me. Thanks for loving me unconditionally and never giving up on me. Thanks for carrying me and giving birth to me.

Thanks Mom, I love you!

Good stuff

Need I say more?

Phew

Wow, what a week. With all 6 of my nights in a row being so busy, I have basically just come home to crash and do it all over again. Nonetheless, I haven't forgotten to be grateful and have a short list to make up for my negligence.

1. I am thankful for knee high cute socks. As those who know me well are aware, I love cute socks. Knee highs have kept my legs warm between work and home, allowing me to leave the heat off in the car in the mornings and drive safely (stay awake).

2. I am thankful for SNOW!! So, we only got a tiny bit and it all melted quickly, so what?! It's SNOW! :)

3. I am very thankful for my awesome coworkers. This was a crazy weekend, moreso than even usual. For all of you who stepped up and made it work, kudos!

4. I am thankful for Aleve. Sometimes, I couldn't function without it.

Sleep

Grateful for..pillows...and....nice....warm........beds......................

Connections

I am so thankful for how far technology has come in allowing us to communicate with others, no matter how distant! So thanks for the internet and its progress!

Work

I am thankful for my job. I am very thankful for the opportunity I have to work with these tiny babies and their families. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to feel like I make a difference.

Order

I am thankful for lists. With lists, I can go to the store, get what I need, and make it home without buying randomness. Without lists, I go to the store, buy things that strike my fancy or I think I need and often come home without some or any of the items I went to buy in the first place.

Blah

Today, I'm just grateful that sometimes it is ok to do absolutely nothing. All day. For a whole day.

Grandmama

Today, I am grateful for Grandmas. Mine, my nephew's, and all grandmas there are. Thank you for being such awesome people!

I do

Today, I am grateful for lyricists who can put how I feel into words and then set it to music.

Thanks again

A friend of mine reminded me today that this is the month of giving thanks. So, to continue my thanks giving from last year, I will try to post something I am thankful for daily (or at least frequently) this month.

Today, I am thankful for pajama's. They make my life so much more comfy, especially on days that I'm trying to transition my sleep schedule from days to nights!

Beautiful baby boy

Newell Thomas
7lb. 14oz.
21 in.

And.....I'm an AUNT!

Changes

(Oliver and Pippin)

This past week, I was perusing the website for a local animal shelter. As I scanned the pictures of cats waiting to be adopted, a photo caught my eye. I couldn't believe it! The cat looked just like Oliver. I mean, JUST like Oliver! I tried calling the shelter to find out for sure, but they told me that they had so many cats right now that I would have to come in and see for myself.

That afternoon, Liz and I showed up the instant the doors opened at the shelter. I saw the cat the instant we entered the kitty area. Sure enough, he looked just like Oliver, but he wasn't him. No healed broken tail, not scared of people, a little too tall, his paw pads are not all pink, and he's a bit young.

As much as this cat wasn't Oliver, he was very lovey, young and playful and had been at the shelter long enough that apparently his time was coming up. The shelter attendant all but begged me to take him home. Soooo....to round up the long story, the cat came home with me.

After a name changed (from Ty to Pippin) and a few days of adjustment, Figaro has a new best buddy and is a much happier cat.

Life is moving on.

Flashback

My family has never had much money. In some points of my childhood and beyond, in fact, money has seemed a bit of an imaginary concept.

We lived in student housing pretty much until I was 10 1/2 years old. Five kids and two adults in one small two bedroom apartment is a wee bit crowded. My parents slept on a hide-a-bed in the living room, I shared a room with my sisters, and my brothers shared the smaller room.

The thing was, we kids didn't really know we were poor. Sure, we knew we couldn't afford new toys, that store bought clothes (that weren't hand me downs from other families) were rare things, and so on. But...life was good. Great, in fact. We never lacked for friends, the complex was teeming with them. Our parents always had time for us. We got to go on cool day long road trips around the state/area we lived in on a regular basis, whenever we cockroach bombed the apartment.

You see, living in an apartment building full of college students, in a warmer climate...cockroaches were inevitable. To this day, I can think of few things that gross me out more. 'Bombing' the apartment only abated the problem. The roaches would scatter to the other apartments, only to return when the pesticides wore off.

I know, this is a long story, but I just had a big flashback to one day. This particular day, my Mom decided we needed to decockroach the clothes stored in our closets, waiting for younger siblings to grow into them. As she shook out the shirts and dresses and pants, we ran around, stomping on the roaches. It became something of a little party. Mom pulled out her accordion and played 'La Cucaracha' while we smashed away.

As much as I despise cockroaches, I've never forgotten that day and am SO grateful I was blessed with such a fun Mom. Love ya Mom!

Be OK

I received a note on my door yesterday that having pet food outside your apartment is not allowed. As a matter of fact, we aren't allowed to have anything outside our doors, apparently. The cat food and blanket are no longer out there, guiding Oliver home. I guess it's all out of my hands now.

Figaro and I are rattling around this big, mostly empty, apartment. Figgy hardly leaves my side, unless he's sleeping. I think he's missing Ollie as much as I am. Since I sent Kate off to ID earlier this week, it's been really quiet around here.

I have a fully stocked kitchen, thanks to the McB's and S's. Gina's parents loaned me kitchenware and gave me food. Margo's parents had been visiting Tom and Margo over the weekend, I was on their way back, so they brought me a small pickup load of my stuff (mainly kitchen and bathroom stuff). I'm sleeping on my air mattress and sitting on the McB's loaned futon until my furniture can be brought out here.

The apartment complex loans out washers and dryers, full sized. It's great to have those available to me in my own home again. I have my own space, clothing, food, bathroom(s), and at least one of my pets...so, why am I feeling so down?

My baby's lost!!!

Today was a crazy day.
Kate and I headed out about midday to apartment hunt. The first apartment complex was ok, but a little iffy. When we arrived at the next complex, though, I fell in love. First of all, the complex is managed by the same company as the one I was living in out in Utah. Secondly, the area is GORGEOUS. The complex is set back from roads in a wooded hilly area. It's like living in a park/treehouse. I actually managed to sign a contract and move all my meager belongings currently with me into the apartment, all today.
When we were lugging the last load in, including the 'boys', my cat carrier came apart in my hands and my cats took off running. Figaro didn't go far, he cowered under a car until we got him. Oliver, on the other hand, took off into the woods. He headed over a steep, densely wooded hill. Kate spent about an hour combing the woods for him (the hills were really steep and my knees had an awfully hard time negotiating the climb). No luck. As of right now, my baby is out there somewhere, lost, scared, and without a clue how to survive. To say I'm stressed/worried is an understatement. I've put out food and a blanket he likes to lay on, outside my door. I'm on the top floor, but hopefully he'll find me. I'm praying hard!
After such an up and down day, I'm beat. Just thought I'd share.

Life is like a bowl of cherries...

Sorry, I know it's been a long time. I just haven't had much internet access lately. So, my life? Well, I am working full time as a PRN nurse at KUMC, more than full time really. They are busting at the seams with preemies and sick infants and just don't have enough staff to keep up. I could work every night, or day, or both...they tend to call about every other night that I'm not working to see if I would be willing to pick it up.
The nursery reminds me much of the NICU at LDSH before we moved to IMC. It's been a bit of an adjustment getting used to the sensory overload of all the alarms in one room again. All of the basic concepts of neonatal care are the same, but methodologies and protocols are somewhat different and it's definitely been a period of adjustment.
This weekend, and the beginning of next week, I am on the hunt for an apartment. The plan is to get an apartment on a short term lease, get out on my own and financially set, then go househunting to buy a place. The KC area market is ideal for buyers right now and with the money my dad is giving each of us from his inheritance, I'm in a good position to be buying.
I'm starting to make friends at work, but as of yet, I don't have much (any) social life out here yet. There is an LDS 'Mid-singles' group (27-35) out here. I've emailed them that I'm interested, but so far, no activities have been scheduled. I'm looking forward to meeting people.
I finally got my car registered in Kansas yesterday, only to find the screws holding the Utah license plate on had rusted to the point we will have to drill them out! I finally got the plate off, but the screw head on one of the screws snapped off rather than unscrewing.
My computer gave up the ghost yesterday, finally. It's been threatening for a while, but when I turned it on yesterday, Windows wouldn't even load and the program to repair errors had disappeared. I headed to the store, and now have a newer, faster, bigger and better laptop (HP) with a much stronger Wi-fi connectivity. I now can actually connect online indoors!
Kate's hanging with me for the weekend. We did a fair amount of shopping yesterday, and today attempted apartment hunting. With the rain and other complications, we ended up at home, hunting online instead.
Well, that pretty much sums up my life at the time. I hope to find my own place soon and get a better, more secure internet connection. At that point I will do better at this blogging thing, I promise!

I flew in on a jet plane

It seems I have been remiss in updating many persons. The answer is- Yes, I AM currently in Utah. I know, I know, it's only been two months and I should be working and finding a place of my own and all that jazz (believe me, I KNOW!). Well, I do start working...but not until next Monday. I was 'hired' more than a month ago, but the first orientation group they could squeeze me into wasn't until the end of this month.
This week turned out quite fortuitous for me visiting 'my' girls and assorted loved ones I've been missing like crazy. Kate finishes this semester, well, yesterday. She has 6 weeks off and is headed home this weekend. My dad planned a trip out here to coincide with driving Kate home, but mainly to wrap things up with my Aunt/Uncle re. my Grandma's will and remaining possessions that have yet to be divvied up. I only had to buy a one way ticket out and will get to help them drive the Budget truck and my grandparents Explorer back.
Oh, and did I mention that the title to my car has gone AWOL? The registration ran out the end of June, but I didn't renew in UT because I knew I would be registering it out east. So, instead, it's holed up at my parents' and I'm driving one of their vehicles. After getting the run around with the DMV and bank (apparently the bank didn't release the lien 2 YEARS AGO!), I'm not much closer to having a copy of the title yet. I just hope I can apply for it via mail. So, that's my life this while. At least this week has been eventful and not boring for a change! :)
Pictures of my week to come eventually...

And so it goes

The old outbuilding behind the house was threatening to fall down.

Tom and Sam replaced the screendoors for Mom.

I went to KC for a couple of weeks, both for jobhunting and comfort's sake. It rained....a LOT.

The strawberry crops were doing great while I was home.

For Fathers' Day, I made cheesecake, with a peach topping made from peaches frozen in last year's harvest. It was so hot that I spent the time that night in the kitchen, cooking, literally dripping with sweat.

Nature took its course, along with the rain, humidity and heat to topple the outbuilding. That and a little help from Sam and his friend. They took every opportunity to play basketball, and hanging from the hoop on the building.

Mom, Margo, and I hiked up the big hill to pick 'goomy'(sp?) berries. Once again, soooo hot. My feet were sloshing in my own sweat in my boots, but the alternative was risking walking through poison ivy unprotected.

Meet the newest members of our family. Duke and Daisy. They were wandering near my parents' place for about a week, somewhat emaciated. Once my parents and Sam started feeding them, they made themselves at home and have joined the gang. We have reason to believe Daisy may provide us with a litter of puppies sometime this summer.

Sam finds this activity "quite fun". What you can't see is that the lower branch is higher than Mom's head. (5'8")

Tom, Margo, Sam and I made a new Green Valley Farm sign for Fathers' Day. I worked up the lettering on PSE, printed it on cardstock, taped the pages together, cut the letters out with an 'Exacto' knife, and stenciled the letters with dark green paint. I found that oil paint+heat+humidity does not equal good things. The letters ran a bit and will need to be touched up with a fine brush. Tom and I thought it would be humorous to make the sign temporarily say "Green Valley Funny Farm"...at least until after Dad saw it.
So, that is the update, other than I ran away back to Kansas City (with several projects in tow), to escape back to airconditioning and dehumidifiers. I have until the 27th of this next month before I even begin orientation for my new job. Wish me luck on not going crazy with boredom!!!

Lumpiness

"Would you like one lump or two with that bed, ma'am?"
"Oh, I think I'll take two please."
"Any preferences?"
"Yes, I think I'd like one 'fraidy' cat lump and one copy cat lump, thanks!"

Love present

This week has been one of great stress and emotional upheaval for me. I can tell Heavenly Father knows this and He gave me a beautiful gift yesterday. This is my first rose of the year. Isn't is marvelous?!

BLUE

When looking through my pics from yesterday, Abby's eyes leapt out at me from this one. Just had to share! :)

{Forgive the typos! I didn't see them until I pulled this up full size!}

Choo Choo

Lacey spent the night last night. We spent a fun evening at the mall, putting together a cute monkey for Lacey at Build a Bear, and a bit of shopping here and there. I think I created a monster, Lacey loved shopping so much! So much fun!

Today, we met up with the Ralphs, Johnsons, Grandma and Grandpa Tanner, and Zachary, at Union Station in Ogden. There was one of the few remaining steam engines in operation on show there and we could climb on several older trains that no longer run. The kids were thrilled and it was also so much fun!

I love weekends like this!