Meet Puppy Noel pt 2

So our new baby is called Tina Turner for now. We will be changing her name to something that fits her personality better. What that name will be, I have no clue. So for now we call her the baby. Since we met baby on a Monday I suggested the name Luna which is Spanish for moon. Lunes is Spanish for Monday, so Luna for short. Other name ideas: Sahara (if she drinks like Loki does- that's her name for sure), Raine (it might rain t/m), Madrid, Dakota, Jubilee, Arizona, Pandora, and Persephone (Perrie for short) - in keeing with the goddess names. Now will we pick one of these names? No clue. Watch we come up with a name not even mentioned. We usually let our animals name themselves as dictated by their personalities.

Ex: Climber-adopted at shelter, cat was climbing the gate to get eye level with us

Sparkle- her eyes sparkled at me when we adopted her

Shadow- silly girl scared herself when she saw her reflection in the dishwasher

Loki- she was/is constantly mischievious.

Hints as to her personality: very curious, loves belly rubs, loves to be craddled like a baby, gives kissies, loves to play hard, was very sleepy/calm when we met her and when Loki met her.

What does that mean? Not sure. However, baby will have a name soon enough. Mom took a lot of pics when she and Loki met, so those will be posted on facebook soon enough. I can't wait until she comes home and joins our family! And now the Noel family is a family of 6!!

Meet Puppy Noel!

It's official! We are adopting another dog! She comes home t/m. About a month or so ago, mom decided she wanted to adopt another dog. Dad finally agreed/ caved (however you want to look at it) So began the great search for a puppy. Mom wanted a chocolate labrador retriever, she didn't care if it was a pure bred or not. Dad still wanted a pure bred. So I began looking on the internet for puppy. Eventually, dad decided that adopting from a shelter was fine. It was decided that we would not get puppy until mid- August. This would be after mom and dad's Canadian vacation and boyscout camp. However, after some discussion, we decided to adopt a black lab puppy instead of a chocolate. As soon as I changed the parameters of our puppy search, I came upon Patti LaBelle on Adoptapet.com. Patti was a black lab mix puppy, solid black and absolutely adorable. I immeadiatly texted mom and told her I had found our dog. Mom e-mailed the shelter, which is located in St. Charles, stating that we wanted to meet Patti. So that afternoon mom picked me up from work and we drove to Five Acres Shelter, formerly the St. Charles Humane Society. We arrived there and saw some black lab puppies hanging out in the back of a truck with some people milling around it and talking. We initially went over to the truck and met Tina Turner, a black lab mix with a splash of white on her chest. When mom picked her up, she grunted...Loki grunts all the time! We learned that Patti LaBelle was inside, however someone had arrived a few minutes before us and had picked Patti. So we went back outside to take another look at Tina. Within a few moments we knew this was our puppy. She was a black lab yes, however unlike our previous Black lab Shadow; Tina had a splash of white on her. Which made her different and we didn't feel like we were replacing Shadow. Tina loves to be held/cuddled like a baby. I held her while mom filled out the application. Then we had to head home not knowing if we would be approved. The next day, mom got a phone call stating that granted our dog, Loki and the puppy got along, Tina was ours!! Unfortunately, Tina didn't have all her puppy shots yet. So we would have to wait two weeks before we could set up a meet and greet between Loki and Tina. Fast forward 2 weeks to August 29th (today), we had an appointment to meet with puppy at 5:30. I was so worried that the two would not like eachother; I was worried that Loki would eat/ attack the baby. However, when mom and dad took Loki to meet Tina, they ignored each other! Tina was more interested in sniffing his foster dad's shoes and Loki was more iterested in the foster dad. Tina and her siblings were fostered at a home instead of staying at the shelter. Loki didn't even react when dad picked up Tina an cuddled her. So that made it official. T/m morning they will spay Tina and she gets to come home at 5pm!!!!

2010 in Review

2011 is right around the corner- literally! One more week and it will be a new year. 2010 has been an amazing year for me. Sad to see it end, but really excited to see what 2011 has in store for me!

*January: My assignment at Portafab Corporation is extended. Mark turns 26. I take my first session of Zumba- love it love it! Lose a great friend: Tom Meyers Jr. Spend a few days in the hospital thanks to gastritous (all better now).

*February: Loki celebrates her 4th birthday on the 8th! Attend Jenny's Baby Shower. Enjoy the fact that my assignment w/ Kelly Temps at Portafab has been extended yet again.

*March: Portafab hires me on! 2 days later I get a new car. I make my biggest purchase to date: a 2010 Ford Escape in Sangria Red. I call her Ruby! Enjoy time w/ friend Sarah (who lives in Cali) when she visits St. Louis by getting our nails done. Get to meet her beautiful daughter, Hayden for the fist time.

*April: Froggiegirl & Gimlet (aka Jenny & Tom) welcome their beautiful daughter Jillian Nicole into the world on April 5th. I get to meet her a few weeks later. I attended a wonderful sectionals held by Alpha Phi at Washington University.

*May: I turn 28 on the 5th. EMAA holds a meeting at Ted Drews where I become the Vice President.

*June: EMAA holds a great bbq. Jillian is baptised on the 5th, and a party is held in her honor at the Kyle house. Get to spend more time w/ Jillain :) Attend a baseball game w/ JR. Start taking Pilates w/ mom and friends

*July: Pilates finishes up at the end of the month :( See Titantic at the Muny w/ Amy Rose & her mother. Start up Zumba again. Slip and fall, landing on my knee after a drs appt at St. Clares- end up dropping Zumba :( Parents leave for annual gambling trip next day.

*August: Dad celebrates his 61st birthday. Mom and dad take a road trip to the Smokey Mountains. Parents celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary! Attend a Cards/ Cubs game w/ Dad.

*September: Mom celebrates her 39th birthday (she began counting backwards once she hit the big 5-0). Mom & I check out the Hispanic Heritage Festival downtown, plan on making it a yearly tradition. Attend my 3rd (and last) Cardinal game w/ a friend, Michael Mulqueeny. Cards (finally) win (they had lost the other games I had attended)

*October: Hispanic Heritage Month!! I attend my first Taste of St. Louis w/ Jennifer Francis & Friends. Take care of the Kyle's Chinchillas as they take a roadtrip to Chicago for a wedding. Hang out w/ Erin & Kelly at Erin's new apartment and celebrate their birthday- get to see some friends I haven't seen in a while. Friends Veronica & Kyle celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversary.

* November: Celebrate Jenny's b-day at Chipotle w/ friends. Start attending weekly meetings for my chapter, Sigma Alpha. Participated in SIUE's Fall Service Day. Participated in Scouting for Food Collection Day. Attend Guns 'n' Hoses (Cops vs Firefighters) Boxing Match w/ JR. Experience a white Thanksgiving (we only got a dusting but it was pretty). Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving w/ my family. Grateful for another year together and yummy food.

* December: More snow fell on St. Louis on December 12th. Experience the shortest elections in a long while with Sigma Alpha. Mark falls and breaks his elbow, and has surgery (doing fantastic). Enjoy a lovely evening at Zia's w/ EMAA. Then enjoy Tilles Park's Winter Wonderland w/ Andy K, Sonalee, and Stephanie. Mom recieves the Vigil Award for Order of the Arrow (the highest award). Possibly going to enjoy a white Christmas. Enjoying my first real vacation in four years. Going to fly on a plane for the first time in 4 years on the 27th- super exciting. Flying to Atlanta, GA to attend my 2nd National Convention for my Fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega.

Nationals 2010- Atlanta, GA

Nationals are 5 days away. In 5 days I will take my first flight in 4 years! I am soo excited! Dad got my suitcase down from the attic. Took awhile to find it. We looked in the attic, found mom's which is similar to mine, looked downstaris, and then looked in the attic again and found it. It was partially covered by a white trashbag. Why? I don't know. I have my luggage tag and ribbons on it. I also put a ribbon and luggage tag on my laptop bag which is my carry-on. Went out this afternoon with dad to complete his Christmas shopping; people were insane! They were not at all in the Christmas spirit. It was all me, me, me! Cars would block the intersection just so they wouldn't have to wait for the next light. The shopping areas were nuts. Apparently everyone is out and about today getting those last items. Snow is coming- we might have a white Christmas! They are saying that we will get anywhere from 2 to 4 inches. All I care is that Sunday afternoon (when I get my nails done) and Monday morning (when mom & dad take me to the airport) the roads are nice and clear!
Christmas Eve is t/m. Where has the time gone?! Here is some stuff that has occured since I last blogged:
* Congress passed the (much needed) Bush Tax cuts and Obama signed it into law.
* Congress also passed the DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) Bill. Finally!
* I have unofficially been working at Portafab Corporation for a year. This time last year I was working as a temp and praying my assignment would get extended. March 1st will be my year anniversary there! I love my work! My co-workers are really nice and I like going into work everyday. Although by the time 4:30 rolls around I am ready to go home! I am extremly grateful for my job. Portafab is closed today and t/m (of course), and then closed again on the 30th & 31st. Thanks to my job, I am able to take my first vacation in 4 years. My first day of vacation started off wonderful- I slept til noonish :) Monday morning I fly to Atlanta and return to St. Louis on January 1st.
* Last Wed, we got a glazing of ice. This made our driveway a skating rink, and unfortunately my brother discovered this when he slipped and fell and broke his elbow. Mark had surgery yesterday morning and it went great. He is doing really well. I am suprised by how well he is doing- he is actually out with a friend! Instead of a hard cast his arm is wrapped in an ace-bandage which allows him to move his elbow. Suprisingly the more he moves his elbow, the better. So his recovery should be a lot shorter than we orginally thought. Which would be fantastic!

My Heritage Part 2

Okay so now everyone knows I am Hispanic: Puerto Rican to be exact. The large part of my heritage is German ancestry. I am half German, I've never really looked into this side of my heritage b/c I don't feel the pull towards it like I do with my Puerto Rican heritage. I chose to learn Spanish in an effort to get closer to my roots. Another reason I didn't chose German: it doesn't sound as romantic as Spanish does. Some people may beg to differ but that was my reason, German has harsh sounds and is more guttural. Spanish flows and is kinda musical. Both of my parents have German heritage; Mom's mom was German (not sure on the percentage but she had a very German last name) and my grandma (dad's mom) was of German descent. Not sure about Grandpa- I think he was of German descent. Abuelo Milton (mom's dad) is my Puerto Rican connection. I know my dad's side of the family has been in the United States since before the 1900's as my grandmother was born in 1911 and always talked about her dad in his odd jobs, she never talked about him talking about where he was from. My great-grandfather had a lot of odd jobs; he sold fruit, he sold ice, he even sold cars and some of his customers paid in diamonds! Some of the diamonds went into my grandmother's wedding ring. When I was a teenager, my grandmother decided to break up the diamonds in the wedding ring and give each of her grandchildren one. My brother and I received diamonds which were turned into necklaces. My three cousins; Heather, Holly, and Heidi received diamond earrings. For the moment my mother has my brother's diamond. I wear the necklace on special occasions, its very special. Another item that I have of my grandmothers that I absolutely love is her opal ring. It is a small blue opal in a classic high set ring. This ring is more precious to me than I could describe. A friend found this ring while we were moving grandma out of her assisted living home. She found this opal mixed in with all of grandma's costume jewelery. Unlike the other jewelery or items my grandmother gave me, we don't know the back story on it. She didn't even know that we found it and that I started wearing it. Note, I did not steal this from her, her memory was fading due to dementia and Alzheimer's. Her short term memory was gone, so even if we told her she wouldn't remember. I know she would want me to have it, grandma was a very kind, loving person and wanted to make me and my family happy. She liked giving us little gifts. One time she gave me a ring that her father gave her upon her graduation from 8th grade, the completion of her education). The ring is a black rectangle (not sure of the stone), with a tiny diamond (I think) in the center. I felt really special when she gave it to me, and loved hearing her tell me the story behind it. I loved all of my grandma's stories; she told us all about growing up, stories about my dad when he was a kid. She had an exceptional memory, even when she got Alzheimer's, her long term memory was as good as it was a few years before the disease set in.
I am a mix of nationalities; German, Puerto Rican, English, and French. Those four we are certain of. We know of the English blood because we found a Noel family crest when we visited England. French because our last name is Christmas in French. Other than that I don't know. Maybe one day I will really delve deep into my heritage and get more details, when I have the time and the money. For now, I think I will settle for hearing stories about my family; both sides; the German and the Puerto Rican side.

Loki!

I haven't blogged about my puppy (dog really as she is 4 but she still acts like she is 3 months old!) Loki in forever, so I thought I would share some updates about her (in an effort to blog more too). As I said before, Loki is now 4 and will be 5 in February- wait I don't want to even think about that one! Loki is still the same rambuctious animal she was when we first got her, although her manners have improved greatly. She listens better (she still has her moments), isn't a complete goober brain all the time. Loki is still nuts about swimming and retrieving. She isn't as enthusiastic about a tennis ball as she is about her retriever. She still has endless amounts of energy. She does have a bad habit of barking a lot when someone comes to the door. Mom likes it b/c then ppl know we have a big dog in the house. I like the intial barking, then I'm ready for her to shut up. Lately, Loki has decided that 9-9:30ish pm is bedtime, and will trot off to my room where she sleeps. She will nudge my door open (if she can) and then flop on the floor and snooze. If she can't open my door, she comes back to the living room with her sad eyes until you open the door or she lays back down in the living room. Last night I went to my room to put something away and I told Loki "bedtime" she got right up and pranced right to my room. Loki has gotten used to riding in my new car- the first time she wasn't so sure b/c of the different smells, but now she is golden. She gets in and takes a nap. I always put a blanket over the back seat to prevent fur getting on my seats. I have noticed recently that she won't come out of the car until you invite her out or give her permission, which is great. That way I can have a hold of her leash, so that when she gets out she won't run in front of anyone unexpectedly. She still has her moments when we wonder if her obedience training even sunk in, but for the most part she is good. She is 62 lbs of solid musle,not an ounce of fat on her. The vet is very happy with her health, and is impressed by her muscle tone. This is a big difference from our last lab, Shadow, who was overweight at 100 lbs and healthy but still some fat at 90 lbs. Loki we have maintained her weight b/c it is far easier to maintain her weight than get her to lose it. Labs are notorious over eaters and will eat anthing in site so its important to make sure they eat the right amount. I love it when we go to the vet and hear that we are doing every thing right. Makes me feel like a better owner :) That's all for the Loki report as of now. Stay tuned, as I'm sure I'll have more Loki Adventures! -cheesy I know, but hey I gotta have fun :)

Hispanic Heritage

As many of you are unaware October is Hispanic Heritage Month. As I am Puerto Rican, and I want this month to be well known, I am going to be posting stuff about Hispanics/Latinos and other related Hispanic information. I want to spread awareness of this month. Hopefully I won't annoy anyone although if I do feel free to block my statuses for the month of October b/c the majority of my tweets and status updates will be about Hispanic Heritage.
This past Sunday, mom and I went to Soldier's Memorial Park off of 14th and Market for the Hispanic Heritage Festival. We had plans to go Saturday night as we figured when a lot of the bands and salsa music would be played. However, I caught mom's cold and was not in shape to go. So we went Sunday, and our first thing to do: find food. We were starving! So we found Rice and beans with beef and plantains (arroz y frijoles con ropa de viega y platanos) from a Cuban stand. It was sooo good (muy sabroso). We split the plate and listened to some band and then later a girl singing Selena songs (I love Selena and this girl had a great voice). Later we found a Nicaraguan stand and got a Spinich Empanada (Empanada con espinca) and split that...oh that was yummy. For dessert we had tres leches (3 milks) with strawberries. Once we had eaten, we listened to some music and checked out the booths. It was a good festival and we are going to make it a yearly tradition as the festival is yearly. This was our second time and the festivals 5th year. The first year dad went with us, this year he was too tired to go. Otherwise he would have gone as he loves Hispanic food and the culture. Yesterday when I got home from work, mom suprised me by making a Puerto Rican dish- Arroz con pollo (chicken with rice). It was sooo good. She has a family recipe but this particular one is from my Latina magazine that I get monthly. We have lots of leftovers which is great. Next dish I am wanting is Red rice and beans (Arroz y frijoles rojos)- another Puerto Rican recipes of mom's that she got from her family when she lived in New York. Now I know, Arroz con Pollo and Rice and beans is not soley a Puerto Rican dish, they are common all over Latin America; I first had Arroz con Pollo when I was a foreign exchange student in Costa Rica. I lived off of Arroz con Pollo y elote (corn)! Every meal was Arroz con Pollo y elote y Fanta (the best orange soda ever). However each country adds their own spin to the dish, which makes each dish unique. It is mid September, (scary!) yet October is right around the corner and I am ready for Hispanic Heritage month! I will use this to blog more often...as I have been slacking in that area.

Bienvenido a 2010!! (Welcome to 2010)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! FELIZ ANO NUEVO!! 2010 is finally here, 2009 is finally gone! I survived 2009! There were moments this year that tested my strength, but I pulled through! I am sooo excited to start 2010! Every new year people are supposed to come up with new years resolutions...not usually a big fan of that. Didn't come up with one for 09. However, since it is the dawn of a new decade I have decided to make a resolution. I am keeping it simple. Here are my resolutions for 2010
1) Eating healthier- making sure every dinner meal has at least 2 veggies. This has already started and mom is on board so this is a family resoultion. We are also planning out our menu for the week, so we know what we are making each night ahead of time.
2) Making smarter choices. Food wise: switching to whole grain whereever we can. Exercise wise: getting more active- already got a jump start on that. I signed up for Zumba classes at Riverchase. My eight week session starts this Tuesday, Jan 5th. So every Tuesday until Feb 23rd, I will be dancing for an hour. I have always wanted to do this but have always come up with excuses not to. This year I'm not making any excuses, I am doing it! My motivation- the fee I paid for the classes. I paid for the classes so I have to go to get my money's worth. Who knows? Maybe after the first session I will sign up for another one or a different class, just to keep active. We shall see. I also will be taking the dog on more walks. Loki is in great shape and we need to keep her there. It is far easier to keep a Lab at a good weight than try to get them to lose weight.
3) Try not to be so pesimistic. This is my hardest. I will need help on this one. For the past few years I have been pesimistic instead of optimistic. Time for that to change. However, in order for me to achieve this goal I will have to focus on it and have some outside help.
4) Upping my skills in the kitchen: I can cook, but I need more practice and need to expand my repitore. So I am going to take turns with my parents on cooking family meals. As we plan out the weeks meals on Sundays; I will know ahead of time what I will be cooking. Also this will be a big plus when I'm finally out on my own. Mom got a food processor for Christmas, so I will get to learn how to use that too :)
Another thing I will be doing this year is I will blog after my Zumba classes. So heading your way are 8 blogs about my trials and tribulations in Zumba. Should be entertaining, possibly producing some chuckles. Again, we shall see.
Final Thoughts: May your new year be filled with joy, laughter and love. Never take anything for granted, and count your blessings. Try to live each day to the fullest, and appreciate the time you have with your friends and loved ones. So once again Happy New Year!! Feliz Ano Nuevo!! Here's hoping 2010 will be the best year yet!

Looking back at the last decade.

Tonight is the last night of 2009. The decade is almost over! I for one am thrilled that 2010 is coming!! 2008 and 2009 were my worst years!. I am so ready for a new decade and all it has to offer!! Below are what I consider high points of each year.

2000: Perfomed at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. Discovered my second favorite city! Competed in my first 500 (20 Laps) race; discovered that this was my event. Vote for first time- the presidential elecitons. George W. Bush (son of George H. Bush) takes office. :)

2001: January- had my first knee surgery. Enjoyed my last swim season :( Graduated high school!!!!! Second generation in my family to do so :) Adopted Phantom Menace from Vet- first pet of my own- my complete responsibility. Was the Day Shift Lead for B-Flats (Brittania Flats, Area 2) which consisted of Highland Fling and Grand Ole Carosel at Six Flags St. Louis.

2002: Attened Meremec Community College, join SAC and meet incredible friends who will impact my life. Mark graduates from high school!! Witness two miracles, stregthens my faith in God. Have second knee surgery- this time on the left knee.

2003: Transfer to University of Missouri-St. Louis and join my father's fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega- a National Co-Ed Service Fraternity. Meet more incredible friends who impact my life. Forever Remembered: my best friend and cat, Sparkle- mi angel.

2004: Attend first Regional Conference in Omaha with my fraternity. Attend first Sectionals. Begining of my obession for all conferences and all things APO. Attend first National Conference in Denver, Co. Visit and see my Uncle Milton, Aunt Angie, and Cousin Duke for first time in 13 years. Have 3rd and 4th knee surgery (both knees). Go on Carribean Cruise (best vaccation ever) with amazing friends from Six Flags St. Louis and see Cozumel and Costa de Mayo, Mexico, Belize and the Grand Cayman Islands. George W. Bush is re-elected :) Republicans have control of the sentate :)

2005: Announce my minor in Spanish. Attend 2nd Sectionals :) See my all time favorite artist in concert: Carlos Santana. Mom and I agree it is the best concert of all time. Start blogging :) Hurricane Katrina devestates and destroys New Orleans. Good friend Liz welcomes son Andy to the world! Hurricane Rita devestates Texas. Enjoy a white Christmas!

2006: Attend second Regional Conference in St. Louis. Best friend Froggiegirl marries her sweetheart Gimlet, acted as one of her bridesmaids :) Graduated college with double major in International Business and Managment, with a minor in Spanish. Become second generation in family to attend and graduate college. Attend 3rd Sectionals. St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series for the first time since I was born in 1982. Pittsburgh Steelers win Superbowl!! Mom and I both have our gall bladders removed with in months of eachother. Mom retires from teaching after 33 and 1/2 years!! Forever Remembered: beloved Grandma Lorraine Noel and my first dog, Shadow. New puppy Loki makes grand enterance into Noel family- I learn first hand what it takes to train a dog.

2007: Get first "real job" at Wolfgang Puck Catering- only part time, but its a job. Attend sectionals again -anyone noticing a pattern here :) Help pick out new living room furniture, new kitchen table and chairs, new carpet for living room and new tile for kitchen. Forever Remembered: my first pet, Climber aka King Tut.

2008: Get first "real full time job". Get laid off for first time. Kitchen floods requiring new kitchen cabinets, floor and trim. Inside house- living room, hall, entry way, kitchen, and living room re-painted. Repaint office and garage door. Also get new siding for house and new gutters-whew! Another best friend Veronica marries her sweetheart Kyle, get to be an attendent!! :) Barak Obama becomes the first African- American President- big moment in U.S. History :) Pittsburgh Steelers win their 6th Superbowl :) Have 5th and 6th Knee surgeries.

2009: Another good friend Suzanne marries her sweetheart Marshal. Dealt with unemployment most of the year. Learned new computer system: Worldpsan at new job as domestic travel coordinator. Enjoy first White Christmas since 2005. Mark moves into his own apartment!! Good for him!! Forever Remembered: My (personal) first adopted Cat and best friend, Phantom.

To all those friends and family I have lost and gained: I love you all and thank you for beinga part of my life. I look forward to spending the next decade with you enriching my life! Looking forward to the next decade and what it may bring!! Happy New Year everone!!!!

We got a White Christmas!!!!

That's right, we had a White Christmas this year. I woke up to see snow on the ground and lots of snow swirling around and falling down. It was beautiful. This is our first White Christmas since 2005. Per our family tradition, the 4 of us celebrated at home, and then enjoyed dinner at 6.
Loki was really happy with the torn wrapping paper....she proceed to get the zoomies. Then we gave her a new squirrel, as hers was almost 4 years old and absolutely disgusting. She went nuts when I unwrapped it. Dad had to cut it free pretty fast to appease her. She also got her yearly giant chew bone. She didn't know where to start, but finally settled down and didn't come up for air until one pm. Dad will cut it into more reasonable pieces later.
Santa did really well this year. Here's the loot: 2 Arizona Thermal Shirts (with the thumbholes- my faves), Glee 1 and 2 CD's, The Fast and the Furious (2009 Edition), Two tone bracelet (which I've been wearing for the past month), an Infiniti Con-Air iron (will have to return as my hair is too short to work the curler part), and a 3-piece pj set. The biggest surprise for me was a new 26" flat screen HD tv. Completely out of left field. However, there were some amazing deals to be had and Santa took full advantage of them. T/m I will be heading out (briefly) to see what deals there are to be had.

Merry Christmas Everyone. I hope yours was as wonderful as mine :)

My Life Lately

So I haven't blogged since Phantom's death. I still miss him soo much. Its odd not having a cat around. It didn't really hit me that he was gone until a few days after his death. I still look for him when I go downstairs. It's weird not seeing the food box and litter box in "Phantom's area", its just an empty spot. We will not be getting another cat. At least not at this house. When I eventually move out, I will be adopting two kittens (cats do better when they have a friend/playmate). Right now if I adopted another cat, it would live downstairs like Phantom did b/c thats where the litter box would have to be kept b/c of Loki. I won't do that to another cat. Phantom deserved to be upstairs and given more attention but with Loki so bouncy and Phantom so skittish...it didn't work out that way. So now its just Loki in the house. And one dog is all we can handle, trust me, Loki has not really grown up. She is still a crazy puppy at times. Anyways....here is a brief rundown of whats been going on in my life lately.
*I am still working at the call center. Now I am full time, fully trained and on my own for 2 weeks now. I work at Quality Reward Travel booking flights. I like the people I work with, and the supervisors are super nice and helpful. I have come to relized that while I may not like my job...I am lucky to have this job and it is better than nothing. Prior to this I was sitting around at home relying on unemployement wages (a very tiny check) to pay bills and doing nothing but daily looking online for jobs. A lot of peopel are unemployed and deserperately trying to find a job; the job market really sucks. I went to a job fair about a month and half ago and relized that when I apply for a job I am up against HUNDREDS of other applicants, all vying to get this job. There are people with Master's degrees who can't find jobs. Obama reported on his 100th day of office that things were getting better; not really. Unfortunately this is giong to take a while.
*My financial situation is getting better with a full time job. While I could afford a new car, I can't go out and purchase one as my job is not garuenteed. The program I'm working on is going away...they just haven't given notice...so it could be a month from now or six months from now. We don't know. All we do know is that if there are layoffs, the temps aka me, will be the first to go. So long story short, while I could afford car payments now, further down the road I might not be able to and my parents can't afford to either, what with dad being forced to retire come July. So it is better to save up and wait until either a) I get a better full time job or b) my job at the call center becomes secure. I am hoping to replace my car this summer tho. And right now is the best time to buy a car; the deals are unreal. I just wish I could take advantage of it. This next car is going to be MY car, meaning I will pay for it, not the parents. This is going to be my toy and I'm not comprimising, so if I have to wait I will. I thought last summer I was going to be able to get a new car but then I got laid off. I can be extremly patient when I want to be, which is a good thing.
*Family: The family is doing good. My mother is finishing up a 6 week subbing assignment, so that has been keeping her busy. Dad is still working for Maritz, only until July. He is being forced into retirement, that is all I will say, the rest is his business. Mark is still living in Florissant. No luck for him on the job front either. Hopefully, he will find a job and won't have to move back home. I am using a section of his closet for my long sleeve work shirts to have more room in my closet. I sooo need more closet space. The walk in closet my brother had downstairs was totally wasted on him. My closet, tho organized to the nines, is jam packed with clothes, shoes, and other things.
Loki: Ah yes, my crazy little puppy. Loki has been plagued with spring allergies once again. Fortunately, we have been able to avoid costly trips to the vet. We have been giving her Benadryl and that seems to be doing the job. Luckily, summer is right around the corner and allergy season for the puppy will be done. Loki is still a hyper little thing. She has her moments of saneness, but mostly she is still very much a puppy. She keeps us entertained thats for sure. Loki will have her yearly check up in June, where I'm sure the vet will tell us she is doing fantastic. Loki has put on some weight, but she is still solid muscle. That dog is sooo strong. Much stronger and smarter than Shadow ever was. Although at times we wonder about her intelligence. LOL. We love her for all of her crazy ways.
That's all for now folks. I have been busy with work lately, and will continue to be what with two days of 2 hour mandatory overtime. I have the late shift for the second week in a row (10:40 to 7:10), a shift which really kills your day. Thankfully, after this week, I won't have that shift for at least 3 weeks. I just finished a 6 day (50 hour week), two of them had two hour mandatory overtime. Oh, and I watered the garden today, got all hot and sweaty and then it rained. Grrrr!

R.I.P Phantom 2000- April 17, 2009

Today is a very sad day for me; my cat Phantom died today or possibly yesterday. He didn't show up for breakfast this morning and my parnets couldn't find him. So when I got up we went looking for him, and found him. Curled up inside the loveseat downstairs. He must have died in his sleep. Phantom had a very good life, at least the 8 years he was with me. I adopted Phantom from the Animal Hospital where I shadowed a vet during my junior year of high school. His story was sad and naturally my heart went out to him. His previous owners had abandoned him as their child was allergic to him. So instead of giving him to a friend or to a shelter they gave him to the vet. Where he spent roughly a week listening to all the other animals sick or dying in the back. He had stopped eating and responding to the vets assistants attention. By the time I got there, he had just started eating and head butting (pushing his head into their hands). He was alreaedy neutered, de-clawed and up to date on his shots...I remarked how he was a perfect canidate for adoption, which he was getting prepped for. Something about him stuck at me b/c I went home raving about him and begging to be allowed to adopt him. They called him "the big guy" as he was quite large. At first my parents were reluctant; we already had two cats and a dog. Eventually, I wore them down, signed a contract (one clause being I would drive my brother to school on Mondays for the rest of the school year- I had kicked him out of my car when he began talking about me driving him and his little friends all over- wasn't gonna happen). and adopted Phantom. Phantom was a real sweatheart, very shy and very much a scaredy cat...he jumped and ran at loud noises. If he was on your lap when you sneezed, he would leave scratch marks behind in his hurry to leave. A few weeks after I brought him home, I was typing on my computer talking on AIM, when he suddenly appeared and suprised me by jumping into my lap. He lovedd the sound of the clicking the keys made. Phantom went by Big Guy until he had been with us for a month. He got named during a thunderstorm when I nervously asked mom if I could keep the cat. Mom asked "what cat?" He had been hiding in my room the enitre first "trial" month. Phantom could live with us granted he got along w/ our two other cats; he did- he rarely interacted with them. Sparkle hated him b/c he was my cat and I was her human. Climber was okay with him; an occasional sparing buddy. Phantom was named thus as we never saw him and it was like having a Phantom cat. Menace b/c when he lived in my room he would knock stuff over including water glasses to get me up and feed him. Phantom Menace spent 8 wonderful years as a member of the Noel Family. He was an odd cat; he didn't know how to meow- he had a half/halting meow kinda like me-ow, he drooled- no seriously- he drooled, and he liked to sing. He would sing late at night hoping we would go downstairs and feed him. Food was his favorite thing in the world, besides me....I think. Phantom loved to eat, and eat...and be brushed. I will miss my odd scardey cat. He just turned 12 (or 13) on April 2nd- my made up birthday for him. He didn't suffer from any pain. He just closed his eyes and went to sleep...and didn't wake up. He is being cremated and will be buried in the back garden next to Sparkle, Shadow and Climber. I will always love my big guy....he will be terribly missed.

April 2009 Updates

Wow its already April!! Easter is t/m! Oh wow, time has really flown by. Here are some random updates:
* Laptop died a few weeks ago, using parents laptop b/c I can't afford a new one. Hopefully I should be able to buy one in a few more weeks.
*Remember how I was complaining about my insurance? Yea, now I don't have any...I missed one month's payment for COBRA and I'm done. So no health insurance really sucks, working on getting insurance now.
* Job: I have a temp job making flight reservations in a call center. I have survived two weeks of training and have another two to go. This is not a perm job for me; I am actively job hunting and hoping to get a new job before the next two weeks are up. Otherwise I have to give two weeks; as it is right now I can leave asap b/c I'm still in training. Its not the best in the world but its not the worst in the world; it pays and thats important.
* My little brother moved out!!! He is now living in Florissant w/ two other guys. He still comes home on weekends for his job at Ruby Tuesdays. Hopefully he will get a full time job up there soon.
* Attended Truman's Sectionals last weekend; had an absolute blast!! Sigma Alpha, my chapter, got 2 awards!!!! 2 brothers from that chapter also became Railroaders :) Got to see some brothers I haven't seen in forver (Jen G for one), had fabulous time hanging out w/ alumni and active brothers. Can't wait for Spring Service Day at SIUE next Sat :)
* Cardinals baseball season is offiicially in full swing!! The record stands at 3-2. So far I am going to games on May 4th and May 5th (my bday) :) Very excited. Hoping to go to a lot more!!
*Lost my iPod....its somewhere around the house. Hopefully it will show up soon. I know its in the house, its a matter of where in the house.
* Re-painted the garage door and entry doors a nice red. Also re-painted the office- Sahara Sunset. Looks great. Also rearranged the furniture in the office, much better. Can open the window a lot easier. As much as we'd like to take Loki's crate down, we can't- its her safe zone and its nice when we have company and she is too hyper for guests.
Other than that nothing else to report. I'm hanging in there, family is doing great. Hopefully the next time I blog I'll have good news to impart.

Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was great. All of us were together and in good health (minus mom who has bronchitus). This year I received the following: a new printer (which I needed desperately condsidering mine died a few months ago) which is a photo printer, copier and a scanner, a tea kettle, Major League 3 Back to the Minors on DVD, a new robe (from Bath and Body works), some printable cds, and some comfy lounge socks that match my robe.
Loki got a huge bone, silly puppy was soo excited and did not know where to start. We have since cut up the bone in smaller portions. She loved the bone, and let us unwrap our presents in peace.
I hit the mall day after christmas and picked up a few more things. Two cowl neck sweaters from NY and Co, some lotion from Bath and Body Works, two DVD's from Target (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, and Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian), and a new tea kettle (mom got me a black one, but I wanted blue). Going to return the black tea kettle t/m. Today I went back to Bath and Body Works and exchanged my perfume for the cheaper version Bath and Body Works is going for a new look and is selling off their older look and so its on sale. I picked up the newer style of the perfume, and then saw the sale online. So I exchanged it, and got some money back! I also placed an order online for another perfume which wasn't available in the stores (Sweet Pea- very popular scent). I also ordered a discontinued scent last night, along with some new shoes (they are grey and adorable).

Thanksgiving 2008

Happy Thankgiving to all! Hope yours was as good as mine!!

Scouting for Food 2008

Yesterday was the annual Scouting for Food. Last year we collected 1154 boxes of cans, and this year we collected 1212 boxes of canned goods (at the Fenton Firehouse)!!!! This was my 6th year doing this, and I had a blast! We not only had boxes soley of tuna, we also had mac'n'cheese boxes. We had 12 boxes of tuna, and 8 boxes of mac'n'cheese (that I am aware of). I did a little bit of everything again; making boxes, getting cans out of the cars, putting cans on the table, boxing dry goods, plastic, glass, cans, labling the boxes, and carrying it over to the truck. We took our annual family picture in front of the piles of cans; minus Mark as he was unable to attend. The weather was decent; cold but dry.
This year I left Scouting for Food earlier than usual as I had a bridal shower to go to. So I went to Suzanne's Bridal Shower and had a lot of fun! Then V, Sarah and I booked it over to the movie theater to see Twilight. V and Sarah ended up paying the adult price of $9, whereas I paid the student price of $8 (the student price). I didn't ask for the student price, however that's what I paid. It pays to have good genes ;) I did enjoy Twilight and will purchase it when it comes out on DVD. It wasn't as good as it could have been, but it was a nice escape. All in all Saturday was a lot of fun, tiring but fun! I can't wait until next year's Scouting for Food!

What a mess!

Okay so the past month, our kitchen has been a mess. Our icebox leaked and flooded our kitchen. Luckily we caught it before it got to the carpet. So the floor in the kitchen was ruined, the wallpaper got messed up, the lower cabinets got warped. So we filed an insurance claim, figuring we would get a new floor.....we are and then some.... Because the lower cabinets are 20 years old and we can't match them we are getting new cabinets. We are also getting a new counter top b/c they can't fit the old one on the new cabinets. That also means new sink and faucet too. We also got our kitchen repainted and wallpapered. B/c our kitchen opens up so much to the living room, our living room, hallway, entry wall, and stair well got painted too. So we had to pick out a color. Mom wanted to keep the green color but she wanted to go a bit deeper in color. While, we were debating color choices, the painters suggested having an accent wall. So thats how we ended up with two different colors. We now have accent walls in Honeycomb, and the other walls are Vegan (or sea mist as I call them). Mom and I picked out a new wall paper that has a nice trim at the top. The Honeycomb color makes the room warmer, earthier and opens it up more. The deeper green looks great. So they started painting on Tuesday, and now the living room and 3/4 of the kitchen are painted. The wallpaper will be done next Thursday. Another great thing; our insurance paid to have a crew come in and pack all of our living room and kitchen up for us. Not only did they pack it up, they will (and have) put everything back where it belongs (give or take a few things that we re-arrange to make it personal). The DVD shelves I have to re-organize; I categorize and then alphabetize the DVD's (for those who know me, this shouldn't suprise you), one unit down, one to go. Our new cabinets and counter will be installed w/in the next two weeks. When that happens, the crew will come back and pack up our stuff and then put it back when they're done. Then the floor guys will come and put our floor in. Then life and the house will return to normal! So by mid October or so our house will look amazing. Did I mention last week we had our new roof put on, and we should be getting new siding and guttering put on soon as well? The roof and siding were expected and planned. The whole kitchen fiasco was an unpleasant suprise, but it turned out for the better. Mom had been wanting a new counter (the current one has super glue on it from my tower making days). Unfortunately, we had to choose a new kitchen floor b/c the design we have has been disconintued...and we only had this floor installed last October! Oh, we are also getting new curtains. I will probally make an album of the event with plenty of before and after pics. I soo can not wait until things return to normal...or as normal as things get around here.

Birthday Recap

So on May 5th, JBear turned 26. Yikes, I'm getting up there in years. Well since my bday was on a Monday (I'm rather like Garfield in hating Mondays), I decided to celebrate my birthday all weekend. Saturday night I went to dinner at Chevy's. I was joined by Froggiegirl, Gimlet, Liz and her son Andy, and my friend Adam (who I hadn't seen in almost 5 years!). Of course, I recieved a sombrero and an ice cream treat as the restaurant waiters sang Happy Birthday to me. Adam suprised me by giving me not only a card but a bag of chocolate (yay!), and a gift certificate to Best Buy (I got a nice camera case for my new camera- more on that later). After Chevy's we decided to go to Fritz's for ice cream (and so I could spend more time w/ Adam b/c he showed up late). I had a delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Sundae (ty Froggiegirl). Sunday night the family and I went out to Outback where I enjoyed a nice ceasar salad, steak and baked potato w/ butter and cheese. I had the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under (Brownie w/ ice cream and choc sauce) for dessert. When we got home, we played "birthday" b/c mom is spending the week at 6th grade camp. I got a docking station stereo for my ipod w/ a remote control and a iTunes card from the parents. From my brother I recieved a teapot. I hate coffee, so I drink tea. Originally, I thought I wanted a crazy daisy teapot from Harney and Sons. However, upon discovering the brown betty at World Market, I changed my mind. However, mom had already ordered the teapot along with some Spiced Plum tea (which is quite yummy). So I got to choose which teapot I liked best. Ultimately the brown betty won. Today, I went to World Market to buy some tea strainers and a tin of Paradise Mate tea (another yummy tea I discovered). On my actualy bday, Monday, May 5th, my brother and I went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time. That night, dad and I went to Cold Stone Creamery for my free ice cream (I signed up for their bday ice cream club). It was Dad's first time there, and he enjoyed it. Oh and to cap it off, the Cardinals defeated the Rockies 6-5. All in all my birthday was very good. What made it even better was all the people wishing me "Happy Birthday". Oh, and Froggiegirl (and I suppose Gimlet) got me a card, bottle of Vanilla Bean Lotion (a seasonal fave of mine), and an iTunes Card. Much love to all of my friends and I loved all the well wishes and presents!! Now I am typing this and enjoying my first cup of Spiced Plum tea w/ honey. I am quite pleased w/ the outcome. My new teapot works great!

200th Post!!!

Like the title says this is my 200th post, so I thought I would do something. So here are some general updates on JBear's life:
Flood 2008: The water receeded and 141 was open Monday morning, mere hours after it was completely underwater. The new levee in Valley Park held and officials were pleased. A bar in Fenton was saved from the rising waters.
The tax man cometh: Daddy finished the family taxes the weekend before April 15th, even tho we were grnated an extra month to do taxes. Why? B/c we live in St. Louis county and St. Louis County was declared a federal disaster area (even tho the water never touched our home), so we got extra time. Amazingly I am getting some money back! I am getting $300 for the Economic Stimulus thing- that is going towards a new digital camera! I also get some money from State and Federal (whoohoo).
APO: I attended my 5th Section 49 Sectionas (what can I say? I'm addicted) which was held at Wash U on April 3rd -5th. Andy and I taught our 4th (and possible last) Salsa class. It went great. We added some new moves and did some more freestyle. Sectionals were awesome and I got to hang out w/ my fave brothers from Lindenwood and E Pi. Not to mention other brothers from Beta Psi and Epsilon. Two weekends later I attended E Pi's Spring Service Day- April 19th. The service event was at the YWCA in Alton, IL. It was a youth service project. E Pi had a full day planned for the youngers. I assisted brother Sloane in the pool, so I got to float in the pool most of the day :). That of course made me happy. That night I was present as new brothers were welcomed into the E Pi chapter, and then danced the night away. I got to meet some fab new brothers and had an awesome time! I of course got to spend some time with one of my favorite favorite favorite brothers, Erin K. I love that girl! :)
Loki: Loki continues to do well and find new ways to stir up mischeif. Currently the poor baby is suffering from spring allergies. So we are constantly washing her face and paws, putting lotion on her face and giving her benadryl every 6 hours. As a result, she is sleeping a lot. As the weather turns warmer, Loki will be getting more exercise via walks, swimming, retrieving and general Lokiness.
Home: As a result from the last big snowstorm, our mailbox and post had to be replaced. However, mom is picky on her mailbox so the post was replaced first and we tried to salvage our barn house mailbox. Alas, we were unable to save it. So we have a new cedar mailbox that sort of resembles a barn. New numbers are on the post and all in all it looks good.

New Features

Okay so I have decided to add a new feature to my blog: Guest Blogging. I have spoken to my dad (my hero, baseball guru, and all around great and knowledgable guy), and he has agreed to do some guest blogging here. This has be in the works for a few months now. Mainly he will be contributing to my baseball blogging, but he may blog about other things. So stay tuned, I don't know when I'll get him to blog but it will be soon.