How Much Of A Mess Does It Make When Your Head Explodes?

I think I'm going to find out very soon!

Last Tuesday my washer broke. It not longer spins and so it is useless.  The maintenance man came the following day and looked it over. After an hour or so he decided that it was broke and needed to be replaced. Okay, great! A new washer!  Yeah, well then he tells me that it will take a week for the new washer to show up. GRRRRRRRRRRR

Hi there, it's the following Tuesday, yay! Okay, I really need to do some laundry so I call the office to find out the status of my new washer. Well, it does take 5-9 business days so hopefully it will be here by the end of the week.  They'll be sure and call me and let me know when it's here.

I can feel my blood pressure building and am sure that the top of my head is going to shoot right off my body. I f'ing hate having to depend on other people to get shit done!  So I guess I'll be joining the scummy masses at the laundry mat this evening!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and by the way, I tried to use my drier and it seems to be only blowing cold air. Hmm, I'm going to put in a maintenance request for that in a minute here. I'll guessing that will be fixed by the spring.  Thanks a lot Horizons at Rock Creek!

Now I'm going to take some deep breaths, try to calm down, and get on with my day.

The Weekend

Well, as it turns out I did do some fun stuff this weekend. I started out Saturday doing some running around with Ed. Then we decided to drive up into the mountains a little way to check out our closest ski area, Eldora.  It's not as big as many of the other ski areas around, but it was satisfactory to Ed as he hasn't skied since his knee surgery in Sept. 2009.  I also found it satisfactory, it has a couple of lovely little beginner hills that were gently sloping enough that I probably wouldn't break my neck on.  So, as long as we don't have other stuff to do, we will probably head back next weekend and actually ski.

Then Saturday night I went out for girl's night with my friend Carrie from work and her group of friends.  This is the second month I've gone with them and it was really nice.  They usually pick a place and everyone meets for dinner and sometimes a movie afterward. This past Saturday we went to a place called Wildflowers Tea Room. It was so cute!  It served English, Irish, Scottish, etc. food.  It's not someplace I will go back to frequently, but I will definitely go back.

Grrr

I hate it when I can't think of anything interesting to write! 

Oh well, it's Friday so maybe I'll do something fun over the weekend and then come back and tell you all about it. =)

So Far So Good...

Just a quick update to say that the job still seems to be working out.  It's actually been a really good experience for me in a number of ways...

1. I've made a couple of new friends
2. I'm learning to control my temper and keep a smile on my face when dealing with assholes. Although it's really, really, REALLY hard sometimes!
3. I'm not just sitting around on my fat ass all day long anymore.
4. I'm getting valuable experience in the industry I think I want to be in.
5. I am contributing to the finances. Although, not very much!

Speaking of my job, it's time for me to get ready and head off to work...

Noodles & Co

Okay, so part of the reason I haven't blogged in a while is because I finally got a job!  Of course that's really no excuse since it's just a part time job. =)  Anyway, I started working at a restaurant called Noodles & Company about 5 weeks ago. 

I waited so long to say anything because I wanted to make sure that I liked the place and was actually going to keep the job before I told people.  Also, because it seems a little funny (at least to me) that I just got my degree in Hospitality Management and decided to take a part time hourly position instead of going into management.  Although I took the job with the understanding that if I choose to pursue management training that would be no problem.  I haven't worked in about 4 years though, so I really was in no hurry to jump in with both feet.  Right now I feel just peachy working 20 hours a week. 

The job at Noodles & Co. is really perfect for me right now because it is less than a mile away from where I live. Also, they do most of their business at lunch during the week, so they were happy to give me only daytime hours M-F. You see, that has been one of my biggest problems finding a job in the hospitality industry...I don't want to work weekends, nights, or holidays. I know, I know, what the hell was I thinking pursuing a career in this industry when I don't want to work the prime hours for restaurant business!  Anyway, for now I think I'll just float along and see where this job leads.

Oh My Gosh, Where Have I Been?

Well, I've been right here! Just too lazy, busy, preoccupied, whatever, to do any writing. As it happens, I'm actually too busy to post right now as well! So, I guess for now I'll just say "hi" and I'll be back later to update my happenings. =)

I'm Back!

So, I've been home from vacation for about a week. Things are getting back to the old routine.  First of all, I'm so happy and relieved to say that Artie did very well being boarded at the vet's office. He was not happy about it, but his physical condition was really good, so that pleased me.  It took him and Ozzie a day or two to get over the fact that we left them, but they are both back to their old routines too.

Now, I just can't believe that I've been to Michigan and am already back here in Colorado. Man, the time seems to fly by.  We didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see, but we did see a lot of people.  We saw a lot of people, went a lot of places, and ate a lot of good food!

I'm really thankful to my Aunt Sandie for hosting a get together for us.  We were able to cram a lot of friends and family into a one day event and that was wonderful.  I'm also thankful to my Aunt Paula because she stayed afterward and did a lot of cleaning!


Aunt Sandie and Aunt Paula



Little Cousins having fun in their "fort".

Me with my beautiful cousin KaSaundra, her beautiful
daughter Jaiden, and Moriah in the background.

I'm really grateful to have two such wonderful aunts!








Living in a home with no children, it was so special to be around all of my little cousins. It was also so noisy! Only seeing the kids once every other year on average is hard.  Of course I see pictures all the time, but being with them in person is just amazing. I love my family so much!





It was great being back in Michigan to see all of our friends and family, but it was also great because we got to enjoy many places and things that aren't normally available to us.




Detroit Zoo



Yates Cider Mill
Yum, cider and warm donuts!




 

Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park



Sam and Ed on a giant swing!
Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH



Sander's Ice Cream Parlour
Just like when Eddie was a boy!











Lafayette Coney Island



Ahh, lots of good times! I can't wait to do it again!






I've Been Away Too Long...

I just realized that I haven't written anything here in almost a month! Shame on me. I guess I've just been preoccupied with life and haven't had it in me to actually sit down and do this.

As you know, I have a trip to Michigan coming up...Two days from now as a matter of fact! So, I've had that on my mind, getting things planned, etc. It's a good thing to have on my mind though, as I am so looking forward to seeing my family and some old friends. I'm also looking forward to eating at all those places that are in MI and not where I live. White Castle, Yates Cider Mill, Jade Tiki, Sanders Ice Cream Parlor, Frankenmuth, the list goes on...

I've also been distracted by my cat Artie.  He's 15 and starting to go down hill. =( It started about a month ago and when we took him to the vet he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism.  We started him on some meds and he immediately started to do better. It was a miracle and we were so relieved.  Well, it didn't last long. Some side effects of the medicine are loss of appetite and vomiting. Unfortunately, he has started to have both problems. According to the literature the vet gave me, this problem may be corrected by having the meds compounded into a cream and given topically.  The topical medication has to ordered though, so we're still waiting for it to come in.

Artie

We've also had to make the gut-wrenching decision to board Artie at the vet while we're in Michigan. Generally we have a pet-sitter come in and take care of the boys when we go on vacation, and we're still going to do that for Ozzie. Artie is so fragile right now though, we felt it would be best if he was under constant care instead of just having someone pop in for 20 minutes a day. We have never boarded either of our cats and this was a hard decision to make. Our very first vet back in Michigan, when the boys were kittens, told us he never recommend boarding cats as it can be very stressful on them. I know it will indeed be stressful on Artie as he is afraid of strangers and strange places. Artie is my baby and even though I'm not a very religious person, I pray that he sticks around for a while longer. My biggest fear is that he will die while we are gone. =(

Well, enough of this sad stuff. I don't want to start crying again. I cry a lot when Artie is having really bad days. Ed said I shouldn't cry because Artie is still here and instead of crying I should just be thankful for the time we have left with him. I know it's true, but I'm a very emotional person and just can't help it.

I guess that's it for now. I just wanted to stop by and write a little bit. I'll try to be more up to date with this blog in the future.

The Story of A Klutz!

The klutz bent down to pick up her cat...She stood back up and smacked right into the overhanging kitchen counter.  Now the klutz has a knot on her head and it hurts.

The klutz made coffee...She forgot to put the lid on her filter basket and brewed a cup full of coffee grounds.  Now the klutz has a mess to clean up where the grounds overflowed inside the machine.

The klutz made a smoothie for her husband's breakfast.  There was some left so the klutz poured it into a glass for herself.  The klutz wasn't careful though and the smoothie poured out too fast and splashed all over the klutz's shirt. Now the klutz hopes all the berry stains will come out.

The klutz wonders why her husband is always calling her a klutz!?!?

Blueberries & Zucchini

Blueberries and zucchini seem to be my theme for the last two days.

Yesterday I tried some wild blueberry flavored coffee...Worst mistake I could have made. It was horrible.  Then I went out to dinner and had a blueberry martini...Best possible choice!  The martini was so scrumptious it was hard to stop at just one...But I did!

Today, I continued on with my blueberry theme by making some blueberry zucchini muffins.

They turned out really yummy.  Tomorrow they will be making their way to Ed's office for his team.

I grated a little too much zucchini for the muffins, so after I was done baking I wondered what to do with the extra zucchini sitting in my food processor.  That's when inspiration struck and I made zucchini pancakes.  OMG so good!

I tried them two ways.  First with just salt, then with some curry powder mixed in.  They were very good both ways.  They were so simple and I believe they would lend themselves nicely to a variety of spices.  I guess I'll have to get some more zucchini and experiment.

I can't wait for September...

Ed and I will be going home to Michigan for a visit in September and I can't wait!  I haven't been home in two years, and for Ed it has been about seven.  There are so many people to see and places to go.  I can't wait to see all my little cousins and how they've grown in the last two years. And of course the rest of my family and friends.

Me in 2008 with my beautiful cousins
 Jaiden & Nevaeh

My cousin Laith -

Just born the last time I was home in August 2008

I've been working on getting all the details taken care of. We have our plane tickets.  I'm working on renting a house in White Lake for the week...It's easier than staying with relatives and better than a crummy hotel room.  It's really reasonably priced for the week and fairly centrally located to all the places we want to go.  One thing that's especially nice is that it's on the lake and there is a grill, etc. so we can host a get together while we're there.  That may be easier than trying to run all over the place and see everyone separately. 

Here is a link to pictures of the house we're renting.

http://www.rentalbug.com/pics.php?pic_id=3472

Right now we're just waiting on the rental contract to make sure that everything is agreeable to us.

The only things I have left to do are: arrange a cat sitter for while we're gone, get the rental car, come up with some sort of itinerary for our trip and let everyone at home know so they can make plans.

Oh boy, oh boy, I can't wait!

Rocky Mountain National Park

This past weekend we went hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park.  I am continually amazed at the beauty that surrounds us here in Colorado! 

I'm an animal lover and the wildlife that we've seen is just fantastic. Yes, I get happy and excited just seeing a pretty little bird, but to actually see elk up close just hanging out...Well, that is just indescribable. The elk we saw this weekend were just so majestic! These pictures can't even come close to doing justice to their beauty.

Ed at 12,143 ft.

Of course, I can't forget to mention how good the hiking is here too.  Ed and I are still working on getting in shape and getting acclimatized to the altitude.  It just about killed us, but we did manage to hike at over 12,000 feet above sea level! 

And finally, I'd like to introduce you to my new hiking boots...

Do-It-Yourself Therapy

When I'm feeling kind of blue, or when I'm really pissed off about something, I have one sure fire way to cheer myself up or calm myself down...My do-it-yourself therapy is to head into the kitchen and cook something.
I don't know, there is just something so zen about going into the kitchen and chopping vegetables, measuring spices, etc.  If I'm upset about something, I seem to calm right down within a few minutes of going into the kitchen and starting a recipe.  Also, if I'm feeling sad, I can go in the kitchen, start gathering my ingredients and soon I feel great.  Isn't it funny that some people are emotional eaters, but I am an emotional cooker!

Anyway, I recently made one of my favorite summer dessert recipes and thought I'd share it here. I made a beautiful blackberry granita.  Yes, it's loaded with sugar, but thanks to the scrumptious blackberries, it's also full of disease fighting antioxidants. And best of all, you only need a handful of ingredients to make this.

1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 c fresh or frozen blackberries
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
3 c water

To begin, combine sugar and water in a non-reactive pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Once the sugar is dissolved, add the berries and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. 

After allowing this to cool for a couple of minutes (hot liquid in a blender can be very dangerous if you're not careful), use a blender and puree the mixture.  After you puree, pour the mixture into a large, shallow metal baking pan and freeze until it becomes icy, about 4 hours.

Next you remove the icy mixture from the freezer and break it up by scraping with a fork. Refreeze for 2 more hours, break it up again, and refreeze. about 2 hours before serving, break it up one last time and then refreeze.

When you're ready to serve the granita, I recommend putting it in some pretty dessert glasses or a nice wine or margarita glass. Here, I've topped mine with a homemade mixture of whipped cream, vanilla yogurt, and confectioner's sugar.

Do-it-yourself therapy and a tasty summer dessert!

Hiking

This past weekend Ed and I went hiking at Eldorado State Park. Wow! The beauty of the area was just stunning. Best of all, it was only a 20 minute drive from where we live!

We enjoy hiking, but of course, being in Colorado there are a lot of rock climbers too. I like to watch them, but man are they insane! These are just a couple of the many climbers that we saw.  These two don't seem too bright as they don't appear to have any safety gear. The majority of the climbers we saw actually had harnesses and safety gear. 

I was surprised that we were able to hike for as long as we did. I guess we're finally getting used to the altitude! Our plan is to try and go hiking every weekend. This will serve two purposes...It will help to get us in shape, and it is really cheap entertainment! Yay!

While Ed and I had a great time and managed not to fall off the side of the mountain or anything crazy like that, unfortunately, my hiking boots were not so lucky. After a wonderful day of hiking and sightseeing, as we were walking back to the car I kept feeling like someone was kicking the back of my foot.  When I turned around to see what the deal was, I looked down and saw that my poor boots did not quite make it back unscathed...

Thank goodness this happened when we were within sight of the car!  I'd like to take time now to say thank you to my old hiking boots.  You may be broken now, but you were there with me for some great times.  I can't believe that you made it to 12 years old before you gave out. You had your first hikes in Australia in 1998. You protected my feet and ankles from injury. You were good and I will miss you.

Happy Fourth of July!

Wow, I can't believe it's already the 4th of July. The year is half over!

On Friday Ed took the day off and we went to the Denver zoo. It was really fun and I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much. After all, living in San Diego for as long as we did, we were accustomed to the "World Famous San Diego Zoo". While it was certainly NOT the San Diego zoo, it was very nice. I once went to the San Francisco zoo and that has to be the worst zoo I have every visited.

We just bought a new camera and Ed is a picture taking fool. I'm going to spare you the 600+ pictures that he took at the zoo and just post a very few of my favorites. Now, I'm a cat person, so of course I have to post some of those...




One of my favorite things to do when we lived in San Diego, was go to San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. They have one exhibit there that I love above all others, Lorikeet Landing. You go into an open air enclosure where there are dozens of lorikeets flying around. You can buy a little cup of nectar and then hold it up and you will usually be mobbed with hungry birds landing on your hand to eat the nectar. Well, at the Denver Zoo they have an exhibit called Lorikeet Adventure and I was pretty excited to go in. Unfortunately, it was pretty small compared to what I was expecting and they didn't have near the amount of birds as in San Diego. So, lots of people and not a lot of birds meant that the birds just weren't that hungry. I did get to feed them, but they wouldn't land on my hand. =( Oh well, I guess I can't always have everything I want and I still liked feeding them.


Yesterday we just worked around home trying to finish our organizing. We cleaned out a lot of old clothes to donate and just generally worked on getting things in order.

Today, the 4th, we went out to breakfast and did a little running around. I'm not sure if we'll go see fireworks tonight or not. Neither one of us really like dealing with the crowds and parking that comes along with holidays. I guess we're a couple of old grumps! =) In any case, it's been a good weekend.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

It's been a while!

Gee, I never meant to let so much time slip by between my posts! I guess I just haven't felt like there's been much interesting to write about. This past weekend was a good one though, so I guess I'll tell you a little bit about that.

We intended to go to Rocky Mountain National Park, but kind of got sidetracked. We ended up stopping in Estes Park, which is right near RMNP, and just spent the day there. They were having their Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, so we walked around there for a while and enjoyed looking at the various booths that were set up. After we were through there, we walked through the town and found and little pub to have lunch at. The food was nothing to write home about, just average pub fare, but we were hungry. After lunch we continued through the little town going in and out of all the little touristy shops that caught our eyes.

At the end of the main street in town where we crossed to make our way down the other side of the street, we came across a little river and couldn't resist going over and having a look.



I thought this was just the cutest statue!

After more meandering through town we stopped off at the festival for a couple of cold bottles of fresh root beer. Yum! Before we got in the car headed home though, we decided to try out our new camera on some of the scenery near where we had parked.




The area was just beautiful and we will most definitely be returning. We're hoping to actually make it into the National Park next time though!

Farmer's Market

So this morning we went the local farmer's market in Louisville. I was really looking forward to it and then when we got there I was so disappointed. It was a really small market and most of the booths were selling things other than produce. Ed kept telling me this wasn't California and things were just starting to come into season, but it was still disappointing. We decided to try the Boulder farmer's market and it was so much better. They had a lot of produce and a good deal of it was organic. I didn't end up getting any fruit, but the vegetables I got were really nice. It really is going to take some time to get used to the fact that this is Colorado and not California.

Still Working on Settling In

Not too much exciting to write about at the present. I'm still just working on settling in here. I've mostly spent my days either trying organize the stuff I unpack, or running around doing errands. This morning I'm extremely tired and just sitting here at the computer trying to wake up enough to get started on my day. I really should already be awake though, considering I've already had my two cups of coffee!

I'm pretty much done with the kitchen! Yes! For me, that's the most important room to have organized. The dining room is close to being done, I just have to clear out some stuff that has kind of ended up just sitting in there. The same goes for the living room, a few things have to moved out as soon as I figure out where they go. So, the downstairs is really 80-90% done.

The upstairs is another story...While we have unpacked a good deal of clothing, there is still a lot to unpack. Also, the clothes we unpacked we just kind of hung in the closets any old way, so the closets have to be organized. The computer room is coming along nicely, Ed works on organizing his area in the evenings after work. Then we have the two bathrooms upstairs. They shouldn't be too hard to get done, but right now there are unpacked boxes stacked in the master bath.

I'm hoping if I work hard the next two days I can get most of the unpacking and organizing done and then be able to enjoy some of the weekend with Ed. We do have a big weekend project, but I would like to put it off until next weekend if possible. You see, our garage has a lot of stuff in it that we don't intend to unpack here and while it all fits, it really needs to be organized. I would like to do that next weekend, but of course Ed is not a procrastinator like me, so he may want to take care of the garage this weekend. We'll see.

Well, I guess I've done enough procrastinating for the morning, time to get to work...

We Finally Have Our Stuff!

Yay! The movers were actually here at a few minutes past 8:30 this morning. Things went pretty smooth as far as unloading and bringing things into our place. One guy, Manny, was an exceptionally hard worker and I really appreciated him. But, after talking to him for a few minutes I found out he wasn't actually part of Bekins. He was a temp that was hired for minimum wage! Of the three guys that showed up, he busted his ass like you wouldn't believe, and the thought of him getting paid only a little over $7/hr was really sad. He was a nice guy and a hard worker though, so I hope something good will happen for him.

Okay, now I just have to unpack everything!

Moving Sucks

Yes, moving does suck, but what really sucks are the movers! Our belongings were originally scheduled to be delivered here in Colorado between June 7-9. The day everything was picked up in California the driver gave us a firm date of the 9th. Okay, so we live without furniture and most of our clothes until then, fine.

June 8th, the day before the scheduled delivery, the phone rings and it's someone from the moving company saying that the truck was in the shop and wouldn't be delivering our stuff until at least the 11th! They promised to keep me updated.

June 10th, still hadn't heard from the moving company so called and left a message.

June 11th, hmm I'm thinking our stuff is not going to be delivered...The lady from the moving company calls and says she'll get in touch with the driver and let me know. The driver finally calls and says he will be delivering our stuff tomorrow morning between 8:30 and 9.

Okay, I'm pretty pissed at the whole situation, but I'm trying to be optimistic and believe that come this time tomorrow I will actually have my things!

What is so upsetting, is that I can't do anything about this...They have all our stuff! I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with spreading the word about Bekins AMS Relocation to everyone I know AND posting a review of my experiences on yelp.com. Moving is a bitch, but I'm a bigger one!

Customer Service

Customer Service
By Heather M. Hocking

Hello, my name is Customer Service.
I do not exist. I am but a figment of your imagination.
I am just another utopian ideal that you were tricked into believing you would one day experience.
You grew up listening to your parents and grandparents talk about how it was in “their” day.
Did they really have such a day?
You never will!

Hello, my name is Customer Service.
I will be glad to help you. I will help you become frustrated and disillusioned.
I will not be there between 9 and 10 as promised; I will not even be there by 11.
It is not my fault. It is due to circumstances beyond my control.
You have no recourse.
Is there anything else I can help you with?

Hello, my name is Customer Service and I do not exist.

My Shopping Trip to Walgreens

I have a friend who has started couponing, reading blogs that point out where to go for bargains, etc. Well, she's really been saving a lot and has inspired me to give it a try. I'm not working right now, so any time I spend going over coupons, reading blogs, and looking a sale papers is not a problem.

Today I went to Walgreen's armed with my list of sales and my stack of coupons clipped from Sunday's paper. Now, one thing I want to make clear, I didn't buy anything "just because it was a bargain" I only bought things I actually needed. One cool thing about Walgreen's is that certain purchases trigger "Register Rewards" which are coupons that print out with $$ off your next trip.

So here is the break down:

Gillette Fusion Proglide Power Razor $9.89
-$4 coupon, $5 register reward
like paying only $.89

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor $8.99
-$2 coupon, $2 register reward
like paying $4.99

Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner 2/$8
-$1 off on 2 coupon, $2 register rewards
like paying $5 for both

Febreeze Noticeables Starter Kit $6.36
-$1 coupon
Febreeze Noticeables Refill $4.49
-$1 coupon
$2 register rewards for purchasing both
like paying $6.85 for both

CoverGirl Cosmetics B1/G1 half off
Lash Blast Fusion Mascara $9.99
-$2 coupon
Oil Control Pressed Powder $6.99
1/2 off -$3.50, -$1 coupon
paid $10.48 for both

Gallon jug of drinking water $1.19
-$.50 coupon

So, to recap I spent a total of 44.40 with tax and got $11 in register rewards to spend on my next trip. Not bad for my first try at couponing/sale shopping!

Our Trip to Colorado - Day Two

Okay, so we got up Friday, drugged the cats, went to breakfast, came back, loaded the cats up and checked out of Motel Hell.

Friday's drive was very long. We got on the road at about 8:30 a.m. and didn't pull into our place in CO until around 10 p.m. Though the day was long, it was a good day all in all. We started the morning out in Nevada, went through Utah, Wyoming, and finally arrived in Colorado. I have to say, with the exception of driving through the salt flat area of Utah, I really enjoyed all the scenery along the drive.




That's about it, nothing too exciting happened along the drive. Although I will say that we were nearly blown away by the high winds in Wyoming. Wow! The cats were good again except for maybe the last half hour of the drive when they started crying. We understood though, it had been 12 hours since they had been medicated and it was wearing off.

We survived though, and so did they.