Coming Soon...

Right now my countdown is blank-this is temporary...I will have a countdown to graduation-walking in May and recieving my diploma in August!!
More Loki pictures are coming!! Someone has stretched her legs and inflated her paws yesterday I swear! She is getting to be all legs and paws!! She is adorable, and the light of my life and my new best friend. My late cat Sparkle was my jewel and best friend- she has been gone for a few years now; Phantom and now Loki help me cope w/ her being gone...I swear there are some days I miss her sooo much! And my Shadow too!! I can't believe she has been gone almost 2 months! It almost seems like yesterday she was looking at me with her sad brown eyes and looking adorable!
I will try to change my blog pic to a bear as I am now the So Co Bear.
That's all for now folks!
Let's Go Cardinals!!

Birthday Hints and Random Stuff

Don't know if anyone acutally pays attention to the time this blog is published. It is quite later than my usual. Why? 1) Can't sleep- too stressed, and 2) sick.
So here are some birthday hints for those of you who wish to get me something for my upcoming bday (May 5th) Editors Note: Just b/c I am having a party does not mean ppl are obligated to get me stuff...just showing up is good for me.
1) Small Cherokee Charcoal hobo bag at Target
2) Gift Certificate to any of the following stores: Bath & Body Works, New York and Company, Best Buy, Kohls, Target
3) Beer- Bud Select- note if you get this for me, there had better be a lotto ticket or something w/ it- kidding....or am I?
4) Money is always appreciated
5) The new Shakira Cd would be nice, or any of the other cds: Rob Thomas; Lonely No More, Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood
Thats all for now

*IMPORTANT* Your's truely will be "graduating" in May- meaning I am walking accross the stage May 14 at 6 pm, but I don't get my diploma until August. This is major esp for me and my family! I am the second generation in my family to graduate from college (and HS) and I think the 4th or 5th in my extended family to graduate from college. I would love to have lots of ppl there...there won't be a party until end of August- so no cards or gifts (should you wish) until then!
I so can not wait until I am finished with UMSL for good! It is a good school and I have enjoyed my time there. However some certain teachers and facutly members have made my time there difficult and are trying to prevent me from graduating on time! GRRR!! Sorry UMSL, I wouldn't expect any Alumni donations anytime in the near future (for at least 25-30yrs).
I will miss my fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and my brothers the most! Joining A Phi O was the best thing I ever did in college...through it I have made awesome friends (Froggiegirl & Gimlet, Rachel K, Elizabeth, Rob...to name a few) and had some amazing opportunities! I will miss my fraternity the most when I graduate...however that doesn't mean I am going to be an overly active Alumni member...don't get your hopes up on that one- ain't gonna happen!

Random Question

For anyone who has seen West Side Story, you will understand this question.
If my mom is a Shark (Puerto Rican) and my dad is a Jet (American), what am I??

Take that cubbies!

The St. Louis Cardinals opened up the weekend series with the Chicago Cubs with a bang. South paw Mark Mulder was on the mound, and pitched a wonderful 8 innings. The final score for the night was 9-3. The game finished in a timely manner, most of the time the cubbies went 1,2,3 or as I was saying last night "sit down and shut up". The game was awesome. So how did we score the runs:
1st inning: Pujols hits a monster two run homerun- earning his 1,000th hit w/ a homerun. This was his 11th homerun of the season, setting a new Cardinals record for homeruns hit by a single player in the month of April. Big Mac only hit 10 homeruns in April the season he slugged 70 homeruns.
2nd inning: Cardinals bust it open with 5 runs. Juan Encarnacion, who is still struggling a bit at the plate, hit a single, followed by catcher Yadier Molina who also singled. The Cubbies Pitcher Jerome Williams then issued consecutive walks to Aaron Miles and Mark Mulder. Aaron Miles loaded the bases, and the walk of Mulder sent Encarnacion home. Then shortstop David Eckstien comes up and hits a blooper into right field and scores Yadier Molina. Bases loaded, no outs. John Rodriguez comes and hits a sacrafice pop fly into left field, Aaron Miles scores. Pujols steps up to the plate and smacks a hard double down the third base line, scoring Mulder and Eckstien. The cubs starting pitcher was removed from the game....what a pity.
4th inning: The cubs only run scoring hit comes off of the three run homerun hit by Cubs Catcher Barrett.
5th inning: Jim Edmonds hits a two run homerun to give the Cardinals their final score of 9-3.
Reliever Braden Looper finished the game. Mark Mulder's record is now 2-0.
Click Here for the official report.
My take on the game: It was awesome seeing the Cardinals pay back the Cubbies for the sweep in Chicago. Hehe. The Cardinals smacked the Cubs down. Sad news for the Cubbies; their star first baseman Derek Lee will be sidelined with a broken wrist, in two places, (ouch) for 2-3 months. Former Cardinals player John Mabry turned Cubs player expects to recieve more playing time b/c of this.
Sidetrip: Mark Mulder, Jason Marquis, Sidney Ponson, and Jeff Suppon will all enter free agency come the end of this season. Mark Mulder seems the only likely candidate we will be able to hold onto. Maybe Jason Marquis, but thats a big IF. Suppon will probally want big bucks, and more than likely will go to another team, it would be nice if he resigned with the Birds on the Bat, but we wish him well in his future endevors as we Cardinals fans do with all of our players who sign with other teams. As for Ponson, I have not seen him perform or gotten a feel for his talent, so I can pass no judgement on him thus far. Mark Mulder has stated that he is willing to listen to the Cardinals; he is a Midwesterner, raised in Chicago and now living in St. Louis- he prefers it here, even tho he did play on the West Coast.

Lokea'ai Lokai'lu

One of my little Loki's nicknames is Lokilu. I also call her Lokea'ai Lokai'lu (LowKayI Lowkaylu). Loki is getting soo big. She went to the vet on Tuesday and everything checked out okay. She now weighs 13.8 lbs. Pretty soon I won't be able to pick her up and carry her. I used to be able to cart her around tucked under my arm, have to use both arms now. She is getting longer too. She now has a front, middle and back. Before she only had a front and back. Her fuzzy fur is starting to go to its sleek adult look. She has that V on her chest that adult labs have. My little Loki lady is growing up. She now 'sits' on command. Next step is learning 'down'. Have to start looking for Obedience Classes. A puppy's brain is done growing at 12 weeks, and its at this time you want to start training them. Lab's are exceptionally smart and willing to please. Shadow was trained at The Dog House, and this is where we want to take Loki, b/c they are the best. Shadow did very well, and her training stuck with her all her life. Loki went swimming for the first time last weekend. She wasn't exactly sure what do to. I will be getting a baby pool for her soon. We got one for Shadow when she was a puppy. She loved it. I used to chuck walnuts into it, and she would go diving for them. (glug glug glug). LOL. I plan to do this for Loki. She is already retrieving. My dad has her retrieving and then diving into his lap...it's cute now, but wait until she is 60 lbs. Her paws suddenly look bigger, it's as if someone inflated them. She is no longer afraid of our cat, Climber, (the tyrant). King Tut still chases her, has batted at her nose, and cornered her, but silly puppy goes back for more. So Climber's reign of terror over Loki is over. Pretty soon, Loki will be chasing Climber. That will be entertaining. I don't think my fraidy cat, Phantom, has even seen Loki. I will have to bring him up when she is in her crate, and introduce them. Phantom is so scared of everything he only comes up when everyone is sleeping. He hasn't come up to my room in months. Phantom is a very odd cat, he is a total sweetheart; he loves headbutting you for attention, and he purrs loud. He is terrified of loud noises, I love him tho. Stay tuned for more exciting Loki updates and her adventures!

Random Things

Update on me: I had my epidural shot for my herniated disk in my lower back yesterday. I was sedated for it. I don't remember getting the shot, yay! One minute the doc was saying start the sedation, then the next the nurse is telling me to wake up. It helped that I was really sleepy before. I almost fell asleep before the sedation meds went in. The nurse who put my iv in was super nice and really good at her job. She froze my left hand first, so I only felt a slight pinch when the needle went in. The freezing hurt more than the needle. And I hate needles. I was a happy camper after it, don't remember much about what they said, lucky for me mom was there to listen. Doc said it would be 2 to 5 days before I feel anything. Hopefully it will only be 2.
* I just found out that I don't have to take my final in my Advanced Management and Organizational Behavior class!! I have an 82% before doing the big presentation...which should go well. I also have 25 extra credit points!! Gotta love extra credit. Hopefully I will do well on my next test in my International Marketing class, and I won't have to take that final either.
*The St. Louis Cardinals rock!! They had a short but sucessful road trip. Tonight they take on the cubs for three games. An article in the paper said that the Cubs have a 21-51 record against the Cards with Tony LaRussa as the manager. Mark Mulder takes the mound tonight, for some odd reason Mulder does better at night games. So Go Cardinals!! Beat those cubbies!

Weekly Loki Update

Okay this is a new feature for my blog, and hopefully my faithful readers will enjoy this. This is the weekly Loki (my adorable yellow Labrador Retriever puppy). Loki is growing up fast. Gone is the puppy belly, she is now looking slim, and taller. Loki now weighs 12 and a half pounds! Her legs are getting long, and her paws are starting to get bigger. Her paw size will give us an indication of how big she will be when she is an adult. I'm thinking she is going to be a big one!! Our beloved dog Shadow, RIP, was 100 lbs at her heaviest and 93 lbs at her healthiest. So I'm used to big dogs and much prefer them to little yappers. So I'm really hoping Loki will turn out to weigh 85 lbs (her mom weighs 65 lbs and the dad was 85 lbs). I can't wait until Loki is able to go down the backsteps w/o us having to carry her. She can go up the stairs no problem, but going down them is an issue. I don't blame her, even I don't like those stairs; they are steep and open. However, once Loki is able to go up and down the stairs on her own, everybody will be grateful. Also can't wait until I can let her out into the backyard on her own; currently she is on a leash as she is too young and little to be on her own. Not to mention there are a few spots in the fence that have to be repaired- Loki has already wiggled her butt through one of the holes and frolicked in our neighbor's yard. No big deal, our neighboor is awesome, plus theres also the fact that he doesn't know that Loki got into his yard. Loki is also getting more bold in regards to the cat- she actually barks at the cat and is winning some of the staring contests. That's all for now folks. Stay tuned for the further adventures of Lil' Loki!

Cardinals Home Opener

Yesterday was the Cardinals Home Opener. All the bells and whistles were pulled out for this one. Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Red Schoendiest, Lou Brock, Stan 'the man" Musial, and soon to be Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter were all in attendance for this historic event. The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals rode out to home plate in stylish red and white convertibles. Yadier Molina, Mark Mulder, and hitting coach Duncan remained in the bullpen preparing for the game. And what a game. The first ceremonial pitches were thrown by Cy Young Winner Chris Carpenter, and MVP Albert Pujols. Catching these pitches were two time Cy Young Winner Bob Gibson, and former MVP Willie McGee who suprised fans by walking onto the field. For a home opener, this one is going to go down in the record books. Mark Mulder was on fire! Not only did he pitch 8 great innings, he also got a double and a homerun. Both were the first in his career. Yadier Molina wen 0 for 4, however one was a sacrafice fly to get a runner in. The game started off with little action, until Brewers infielder Bill Hall will go down forever in the record books as the first player to hit a homerun in the new Busch Stadium. Would have been a lot better had the first homerun been hit by a Cardinal, but the Cards won the game, so the end result is what matters most. Albert Pujols was the first birds on the bat to hit a homer. Scott Rolen delievered a two-out, two-run double, and made a spectacular catch, and then throw to first base on his knees!! Welcome back Rolen!! Any naysayers of Rolen being at 100%, can now officially shut up. The Cards had a nail bitting 9th inning, but Izzy managed to hold on and give the Cardinals a 6-4 win. The Cards record now stands at 4-3. Where we stand in the central division is not an issue yet, so let's worry about that come July or August. In the meantime, let's just enjoy good old Cardinals baseball!! In a fabulous new stadium!!
Let's Go Cardinals!!

And that's what we call a sweep!

The St. Louis Cardinals started off their season with a flourish! They swept the Phillies in their first three games!! Cy Young Winner Chris Carpenter claimed his first of many victories, Mark Mulder didn't get the win Wed night but Brad Thompson did, and Jason Marquis won his first game. Jason Isringhausen(Izzy) has two saves under his belt. This team is on fire! We head to the windy city, Chicago, next and take on our nemisis the Cubs! Everybody knows what CUBS standfor right? Completely Useless By September (or Summer depending on their season). Jeff Suppon will take the mound this afternoon. Yadier Molina is doing fantastic. He drove in the winning run Wed night. He is looking a lot better at the plate, and his defense is really sharp too. Albert Pujols has three Homeruns already, Scott Rolen has a grand slam under his belt. WOW!! Newcomer Aaron Miles has managed at least two hits a game! I love baseball and I especially love the St. Louis Cardinals! I can not stand the fans in Philly- they boo at everything; each other, their own team... good grief. They are almost as bad as the Cubs fans who throw any balls hit into the stands by the opposing team back onto the field!
Let's Go Cardinals!! Go Molina, keep it up!!

Lady Loki

Here are some pics of Loki. She is wearing the Valentine's dress from Build A Bear Workshop. She looks adorable, however my father and brother didn't approve. Oh well. Also there are two pics of Loki in her blue bandana from Petsmart.

That's a Winner!

The Cardinals played their first official game yesterday against Philadelphia and won. They beat the Phillies 13-5. MVP Albert Pujols had two homeruns, was walked twice- he had a perfect day. Aaron Miles, the suprise of Spring Training, got a single, two doubles, and a triple. He was a homerun short of the cycle. Everybody got at least a hit, including Cy Young Winner Chris Carpenter. Yadier Molina looked sharp behind the plate in what appears to be new gear; it is mostly black with red highlights and Cardinals on the sides of his helmet. Third baseman Scott Rolen, after being booed his first time at bat, hit a grand slam after the Phillies intentionally walked Centerfielder Jim Edmonds. Jim Edmonds started things off by scoring Albert Pujols by smacking a double in the first innining. Albert Pujols hit a solo homerun in the second inning to make the game 2-0. However, if you caught the game, or at least the first two innings, you probally saw the look of discontent on Pujols's face. He certainly did not look like he had just hit a homerun. His second homerun was much further, maybe that made him smile. This is the second win for opening day for Carpenter. Mark Mulder starts Wednesday, a night game. For those of you who remember; Carpenter is best in the day, and Mulder (the vampire as he was dubbed by the St. Louis Post Dispatch) does his best work at night. The Birds on the Bat got off to a great start. The home opener in the new stadium, Busch Stadium, is Monday April 10th!!
Let's go Cardinals! Sweep the Phillies!!

Loki

We finally named our puppy last night. It was my idea too. The decision on her name was unanimous, instantly everybody said "yea!" Puppy Noel is now known as Loki. The name Loki comes from the Norse God of Mischeif. Of course, we refer to her as the Goddess of Mischeif. I believe her registered name for UKC will be Jenny's Goddess of Mischeif Loki. Loki is constantly exploring, very energetic, and chewing on everything. Including hands- Gimlet described it the best- her teeth feel like rose thorns. Puppy needle teeth hurt! We try to provide her with an alternate chewing source as soon as she starts nibbling. Mr. Hippo (a fleecey hippo with a squeaker inside) is her favorite toy. She loves to chew on it and carry it around. The toy is bigger than her head, so its very funny when she does that. Last night she claimed another item as "hers". We have had a stuffed squirel with a squeaker in it for a while, orignially we were going to scorch it and place it on friends mailbox, that resembles a generator. However, last night, Loki wandered over to where it was under the coffee table, picked it up, and placed it in her crate. So the squirel is hers. It was the cutest thing.

Introducing Puppy!

It's official, there is a new puppy in town. Yesterday afternoon, we got a female yellow labrador retriever!! She is soo tiny and sooo cute. Puppylupagus is her nickname. She doesn't have a name yet, but here's the ones that are in the running: Aqua, Misty, Raine, Sunshine (I put that to appease mom, but puppy will not be named Sunny). I am pulling for Raine b/c when we got her it was raining. One of the vet assistants came up with Aqua...it has potential. Puppy went to the vet this morning and was a good girl, everything checked out okay. Puppy weighs 8.2 pounds, so right now I can carry her around. Which she is making me do; we go to Petsmart to get her a "puppy" leash, a brush, and some tennis balls. I put her down, saying she is going to walk...nope she just sits there, while everybody oohs and ahhs over her. So I ended up carring Puppylupagus throughout Petsmart. Froggiegirl and Gimlet might come and see puppy tonight; be prepared to lose your heart to her. I love this puppy so much already. I am going to foot the bill to get her registered, so her official name will be Jenny's something. I am also going to be one of her main trainers. If ya wanna see pics of her, go here.

World Baseball Classic

Well, Puerto Rico was defeated by Cuba (4-3) and ergo got knocked out of the tournament. Domincana and Cuba advanced to the semi finals. Team USA was defeated by Mexico, so Team Korea will face off Team Japan. So now I guess I'm rooting for Dominicana w/ Albert Pujols on first base. Cardinals third base coach, Jose Oquendo (who was the manager for Puerto Rico, Catcher Yadier Molina, new pitcher Ricardo Rincon(Team Mexico) returned to Cardinals Camp. Molina enjoyed playing for Puerto Rico, and even though he was the back up catcher for Ivan Rodriguez, it still was a honor and great experience for him. Molina is quoted as saying "It was unbelievable...It was likeplaying in the World Series. Everybody was excited" Another great qoute from Molina : Quotable: "I wasn't expecting the crowd. That many people there, I wasn't expecting that. That surprised me, like 22,000. That many people live in Puerto Rico?" -- Molina, on World Baseball Classic attendance in San Juan(stlcardinals.com).

It's the little things...

Friday afternoon we recieved a sympathy card from out vet in the mail. The vet and all the people in the office signed it. We also got a little card called the Rainbow Bridge- it talked about where animals go to heaven. It was so sweet. Mom and I almost started crying.

There's no one to greet me...

Tuesday afternoon, we took our beloved dog, Shadow, to the vet to be put to sleep. Silly dog didn't realize what was about to happen. She was all happy, she has always liked people and going to the vet. I gave her one last hug and a kiss before we left. I started crying after that. We were just about to leave when dad found Shadow's fave toy as a puppy, her wooby. So I ran that in to the assistants to put with Shadow. It feels so odd not to have her with us anymore. I come home from classes, and there is no dog to greet me and demand food. No heavy breathing, or silky ears to pet, or sad innocent brown eyes to gaze at. I came home Wed, and upon remembering that Shadow was gone, said out loud "This sucks". It really does. We are discussing getting a puppy. We have all agreed that the new puppy will be a Labrador Retriever, just like Shadow. It will not be a black lab, that would be like we are repacing Shadow. And we're not, that's impossible, no dog will ever come close to replacing my dog. I want to get a Chocolate lab, dad does too now (I've lured him over to the chocolate side, lol). Mom and troll boy want a yellow lab. Dad wants to wait until summer when mom is out of school to get the new puppy. Mom, Golum, and I don't want to wait that long. So we are slowly trying to wear down my dad. I am hoping to get a puppy either next Thrusday or Friday b/c I only have one week until spring break, so I can be home all day with puppy. Since I can't go to New Orleans with my brothers as I wanted to, I am doing absolutely nothing. So hopefully, we will be getting a puppy soon.

How do I say goodbye?

This is going to be a long and hard week for my family. After 13 wonderful years with our Lab, Shadow, we have decided to put her to sleep t/m afternoon. We believe that she is in a lot of pain b/c of the way she keeps falling and breathing so hard. How am I supposed to say goodbye to my dog when she looks like shes happy? She looks at me with her big sad brown eyes and I can't say goodbye. I feel horrible for what we are doing t/m. She won't feel any pain, she'll just get sleepy, go to sleep, and never wake up. How am I supposed to rationalize putting her to sleep when she is still acting like a puppy one minute and falling over the next. What if she feels like we're abandoning her? She has no clue what we are going to do t/m. She doesn't know that tonight is the last night that she will sleep on my parents bed. That t/m is her last day with a family that loves her so much. I hope she understands that we love her and we are doing this so she won't be in any more pain. Silly dog doesn't have a clue why we are all so sad. Shadow has been with me since late elementry school, all through middle and high school. Almost all they way through my college years. I love my dog so much, she is family, and I don't want to lose her yet.

World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic is in full swing. All four pools have started playing. Pool One has already produced two teams to advance to the next round: Japan and Korea. Mexico of Pool B has advanced to round 2. USA will play South Africa today and will have to win to advance to play Mexico (who they beat 2-0), Japan, and Korea. Puerto Rico is doing very well.They beat Panama 2-1 in their first game and then they smashed the Netherlands (who the heck was on the Netherlands team and how did they assign players?) 8-3. Needless to say with their 2-0 record in round 1, they advance to round 2. Puerto Rico is looking really sharp, they have great defense and strong offense- a very good combination. Puerto Rico is a dominant force, and play Cuba tonight. They beat Cuba, and Cuba goes home. Puerto Rico will also square off with the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols(Dominica) and Yadier Molina (Puerto Rico of course) will face off in round two. Dominica has a strong team, they defeated Venezuela 11-5 their first game. The stakes are higher and things are getting much more exciting. I will be cheering for Team USA to kick butt, and watching avidly Puerto Rico as they take on Cuba. When Puerto Rico plays Dominica, I will cheer Pujols on good saves and hits, but ultimately I will root for the home of my ancestors; Puerto Rico. Third (or second-depends on how you look at it) generation Puerto Rican in the states. My grandfather was born in Newy York, NY a month after his family imigrated there in 1930. So my family hasn't been here that long. This is my mothers side. Dad's side? Don't know much, just that they have been in St. Louis for some time- definately longer than my mom's family has been in the states. So Go Team USA!! Go Puerto Rico!!

I hate needles!

Whoohoo! The doc has three options before sending me to the neurosurgeon and let him give me his options. So lots of options before ppl even think of sending me under the knife! So it looks like I am going to get an epidural- a big old shot in my lower back. Can you say ouch? Seriously, I can't stand needles, I even hate IV's (and I've had more than my share of those thank you very much). "It'll just feel like a bee sting" they say soothingly. Bee stings hurt!!! So what the doc wants to do is have someone who does these things all the time and shoot steriods into my back, just below my spinal cord. The cord isn't there but the nerves are. There is small chance (very small) that something could go wrong. Unfortunately for yours truely, I happen to slip into those small percentages almost every time. Ex- this only happens with 10 % of patients...I was one of that percentage. Even my doc has noticed I do this a lot. Not my fault, by any means, I am just odd like that. No comments from the peanut gallery please. Wish me luck, I probally have to call the doc on Monday and get the injection set up. Oh joy!

You're too young for this....

That's what everyone keeps telling me about my back. Well, apparently my body doesn't give a rat's tail about my age. I got my results from my MRI, if you hadn't figured it out by now. I have a herniated disk. The doctor wants me to see a neurosurgeon, and I tell my parents this and they both say "You're not having surgery!". Umm, I didn't know surgery was an option at this point. Way to freak me out, thanks. So now I'm scared b/c I don't know whats going to happen or how I'm supposed to get better. My Spring Break plans are gone; I can't go and do what I want b/c my stupid back. Great. Could somebody please invent a shot that cures everything and give it to me? When that is invented, let me know!