Hunt for a Red October

No, this isn't a post about the movie starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. (Although that was a great movie). This is about the St. Louis Cardinals!!! Duh! Well, the Birds on the Bat did it!! They clinched the Central Division League Championship title! After 3 LONG days of having the magic number at 1, the Cards finally clinched the division. And in spectacular fashion too. Coming from behind to defeat the Colorado Rockies (who are vying for the wild card spot) 6 to 3. Adam Wainwright was fantastic going 8 innings. Yadier Molina was lifted from the game after taking a foul ball on his left knee. Backup Catcher Jason LaRue entered the game and went on to hit a solo homeun which broke the tie in the 7th inning. This solo home run was the game-winning hit, and secured Wainwrights 19th win!! It was fate, although I was upset (as were many Cards fans) that Molina was hurt. LaRue came in and got the job done. Brendan Ryan went on to hit a double in the ninth which paid off when Ryan Ludwick hit a 2 run homerun which added a nice cushion to keep the Cards ahead When John Mozeliak took over as the new General Manager for the Cards, I was a little dubious in regards to his ability in handling the Birds on the Bat. However, Mozeliak has made some major moves that have paid off big time. He started off by trading Chris Duncan for shortstop Julio Lugo. Then came Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday, and vetran starting pitcher John Smoltz. Mozeliak has made all the right moves at the right time. Although I miss our former GM Walt Jocketty, Mozeliak has demonstrated the agressiveness towards making the right trades that the Cards needed. When spring training started, nobody saw this particular team going to the playoffs. Skip Schumaker was no longer an outfielder, he was going to start at second base. Brendan Ryan also made a change from second base to shortstop; now he is recognized as one of the best defenisve shortstops in both leagues!! Chris Carpenter went from not pitching for nearly 2 seasons to having a phenominal season with 16 wins! Joel Pinero has 15 wins! Most teams have one star pitcher, the Cardinals have 3!! First baseman Albert Pujols now has some backup in the line up in the form of Matt Holliday. Before Holliday came, a lot of pitchers would intentionally walk Pujols to get to the 4th batter. They can't do that now, as Holliday is just a big of a hitter as Pujols. Now with a great team, the St. Louis Cardinals are entering the playoffs for the 8th time in the 14 years under Manager Tony LaRussa. The goal: to go deep into October with a World Series win as the ultimate goal!
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!!!

September

Aye! It's September already! Where did the summer go? Haven't blogged in forever b/c I was working so much. Here are some updates:
*Job Front: Got laid off in August, so I'm back to collecting unemployment and applying to jobs like crazy. I hate sitting around doing nothing; I feel like a drain on the economy. I like to work. My job at QRT was the worst job I've ever had, I will never do a call center again. Seriously, I feel like I'm being insulted and slapped in the face when I get those offers. Um, hello I have a college degree, can't you find something on my level? Anyways, I've got a new head hunter/recruiter, so hopefully that will help.
*Family: Family is good. Mark is still out in Florrisant (thank goodness), and still working part time here in Fenton- not much luck on the job front for him either. Dad is out of work too, so sometimes if mom isn't working (as a substitute for the day), the three of us are home with the dog. Day time tv sucks. All of us would so much rather spend the day at work, and being productive. Although dad has done a lot of work on the basement. It looks good. The project goes in spurts. When its done, it will look great.
*Loki: Loki is good, although she did have an ear infection that took 3 weeks to get over with. I always feel like a lousy owner when she gets those. She is calming down, I hardly believe it myself but I've seen her.
*Cardinals: The Birds on the Bat are RED HOT!!! The magic number to clinch the central division title is 8 :) The additions of Julio Lugo, Mark DeRosa, Matt Holliday, and John Smoltz have really boosted the team. Holliday is amazaing!! The moves management has made this year is awesome. In the past, we wouldn't have gotten these amazing players, but this year. WOW! This is the Cardinals year! I serioulsy believe that the Cards will win the World Series this year. I have a theory on it: in 2006 the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl (yay), that same year the Cardinals won the World Series. Well, this year (2009) the Steelers won the Superbowl again (Six time Champions!!! Whoot!), so I think the Cards will win the World Series.
*Steelers: My favorite football team (current Superbowl Champs- The Pittsburgh Steelers) won their opening game :) It looks to be a promising season. I ordered a Steelers shirt, and it arrived today :) I am soo excited, hopefully the weather will be cool enough for me to wear it on Sunday when they play next. The shirt is a long sleeve shirt that says "Six Time Superbowl Champions" I love it!!
Fall is almost here and I am excited. I am ready for the cooler weather. I can't wait to start wearing long sleeve shirts, hoodies and sweaters and boots again! The mums and asters are blooming; speaking of which I have some to plant t/m. I like the daisy like mums and the different or two toned colored ones.
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!!!
and... Let's Go Steelers!!!!

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.

New Laptop

I finally got a new laptop!!!! Thanks to working (kind of), and my upcoming Federal Tax refund, I was finally able to purchase a new laptop. I got an HP from Best Buy (who has my old computer getting my data off it). The battery sticks out but the tech at Best Buy told me to charge my battery to 100% and then take it out if I'm plugging my laptop into an outlet. Apparently if you have the battery in and plug into an outlet, it overcharges the battery. This way I am adding a year of life to my laptop. Sounds good to me. Hopefully t/m I will be able to upload my data (photos, proffesional documents, music) and then I will be good to go. I had the geek squad optimize my laptop to get it to run faster, I had this done w/ my desktop and it was great. Right now theres not a whole lot of programs on here so its running pretty fast. Working on getting my product key from Microsoft so I don't have to purchase it again. Other than that I am very happy with my purchase.

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.

Updates 2009

I haven't blogged in forever b/c my internet decided to lose all of my bookmarks. So here are all the updates in my life.
* Rang 2009 in w/ a bunch of APO friends at Kyle and Veronica's. Had an absolute blast. Met V and Kyle's new puppy; Atticus! Such a cutie.
* Attended Marshall and Suzanne's wedding (another APO wedding), it was sooo beautiful. Suzanne looked amazing! The Church and the reception were beautifully decorated.
* Laptop is on its last legs. I am going to have to break down and buy a new one. Already have the one I want picked out. Just don't have money. So I am hanging in there until I get my tax rebates back. Half will pay for laptop (or at least nice down payment) and the other half will pay medical bills. The new laptop is an HP, dual processor, 12 cell battery, 4GB hardrive...and other specs I like. Going to be a few months until I can get it tho...
* Speaking of medical bills; my insurance sucks (majorly). I have big time bills, luckily I have another credit card (medical one) to help pay it off.
* Job front: Still no job. Just temp work and even that is scarce. The job market sucks and is getting worse. President Obama just signed a new stimulus bill (which won't work b/c there is too much pork on it). Supposedly Missouri is getting 8 million. Yea, well we'll see how that turns out. I am applying like crazy and trying to be hopeful.
* Loki celebrated her 3rd birthday on February 8th. She is still rambuctious as ever...now mom is saying that some labs take 4 years to mature! FOUR Years! That is insane! She still goes nuts when people come over to visit. I love her, but I think its time she calmed down.
* A year ago I was 17 lbs heavier. My total weight loss was 30 lbs. Unfortunatley, I have gained 13 of it back. However, on the bright side, I have managed to keep 17 lbs off! I feel better. Of course I will feel a lot better when I drop some more lbs. I did the weight loss for me, not anyone else. I'm happy how I look but I could be happier.
* I had three Orthovisc shots; kinda like cartilidge for my knee (chicken fat if you will). They are supposed to help my knees track better and lower the pain level. Unfortunatley it takes 6 to 8 weeks to feel a difference. Its too early to tell how its going to turn out. I am hopeful tho. If this doesn't work I don't know what the next step is; although I think the only other option is partial knee replacement. Which the doctor doesn't even want to consider due to my age. I don't want to either. I still have a few more weeks for the shots to do their work, so join me in crossing your fingers in hopes the shots work. And that my insurance will reasonably cover them too.
* Cell phone is also on the fritz, I can't get a new phone until April...seriously thinking about going to AT & T and begging for a new phone now. Can't afford to not get calls b/c the phone is wonky.
* Other than that. Nothing really exciting going on here. I'll try to be better about blogging in the future...no promises tho...I'll try.

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).

Boots w/ da Fur!!

Today is Black Friday, and boy oh boy are there some deals to be had!
Sales, Glorious Sales!! I did half of my Christmas shopping today. I got my brothers and my dad's gifts, and part of my mom's gift. Best Buy- I got a nice protective cover for my iPod w/ an arm band, 3 iTunes cards-packaged together, normally $30 got it for $25 (got the last one too!!!!). Also picked up a nice GPS System (esp for me as I get lost ALL THE TIME!!), a Garmin , plus a nice case to carry it in, that was on sale too.Target- found Mark's present, along with Night at the Museum for $6. Payless- got my boots w/ da fur and a pair of heels for half off (except they weren't wide width and they were on sale for $9....but I got them for half off!)
Dad also did good on sales; he bought a saw last week, and it was on sale for 40 off this week, so he went to Lowe's where he got it and got money back. With that money that he got back he got a shop vac (that was on sale) and a storage unit for the garage...I am so proud of him!
All in all, it was a very successful day!

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!

Change for the better?

History was made last night. Barack Obama became the first Afrian-American to be elected president. The final results were: Obama w/ 349 electoral votes and McCain with 173. One happy note: Missouri did remain red by going w/ McCain :) This was perhaps the most important election in years. Either way history was going to be made; either a female VP or a black president. Personally, I voted for McCain, and think that the wrong candidate is heading to the White House. Voting turn outs were amazing. I spent about 45 minutes in line; I brought a lawn chair and the line moved well so the wait wasn't that bad. After voting I collected my free donugt from Krispy Kreme (yummy), and mom and Mark got free coffe from Starbucks. I hate coffee so I got a frappuchino. Dad said he saw on the news that some Black Panthers (whom I have absolutely no respect for) were standing outside of a polling place, blocking the entrance to McCain voters,stating that either way an African American would be president. (Don't they know by doing that they are pushing us years back- come on ppl drop the race issue). Kudos to the man who said "I'm former Army, you don't scare me." and pushed them aside and voted. I know that Obama does not support this action in any way. So change is on its way... or so people say. But will this change be for the good or bad? No one is exactly sure. Hopefully, America got it right, and Obama will pull us out of this economic mess. As long as my taxes are not raised and goverment doesn't control my healthcare (as were mentioned on Obama's platform) I'll be happy. So congratulations to Barack Obama, I wish you luck- I'm going to remain a Republican and support McCain but I accept Obama's victory.
Note: Security had better be double for Obama, we unfortunately have some sickos out there who can't see beyond the color of someone's skin.

Updates

Here is the latest in JBear's world:
*Home Repairs: The kitchen is 98% done; we are waiting for the rest of the cabinet handles, and a new door. It looks awesome! The new floor is fantastic; it looks like a ceramic floor but its not. Its called Dura Ceramic. Its really neat. The whole house is more earthy and open. The siding and roof are done. The gutters are being installed t/m! Hopefully that won't take too long. I will be glad when all of the hammering is done. We are repainting the front and back doors as well as the garage door a nice red color. The next room to be re-done is our office. We have to de-junk it first and then re-paint it. Should be interesting.
*Apartment: Isn't going to happen anytime soon unless I get a job. I got layed off (really don't feel like going into it). So I'm back with Office Team, hopefully I will get some temp work soon. Meanwhile, I need to call the apartment comlplex and explain the situation to them and see if we can push the move in date back a few more months.
*Knees: I am in physical therapy at the moment. My knees are still hurting, most of it comes from my knees not tracking right. So we are taping my right knee so that it does that. I have my good and bad days with my knees. As it is I am limlited on the temp jobs I can accept. I can not stand for longer than 5 minutes without pain; so there goes the idea of me working at any retail place.

*Random Note: The store Linens'n'Things is closing for good. They went bankrupt and were sold last week. They are having liquidation sales right now. So if you need house stuff, go there and get it for a decent price.

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.

One Step At a Time

One step at a time...really good advice...I just gotta take it. My knees, especially my right knee, have been really hurting lately. So this weekend I tried resting and icing my knees. My little brother, Mark, reminded me that I am in recovering and I need to let myself do exactly that; recover. Its just hard, I want so badly to be back to my normal self. But he's right, I have to slow down and take it easy and recover. My stitches come out t/m, and the doc will check out my knees and let me know how I'm doing. However, I am the one who really knows how my body is. So I am going to do my best and try to slow down and recover. I am going to try to take things one step at a time, one day at a time. Eventually, I will get back on track, but I gotta be patient. As hard as that is. And its easier said than done, but I will do my best. So....I will try to take it slow, allow my knees time to recover and be patient.

I'm moving out!

Yep that's right! I am moving...well not until November 7th. I signed a lease today for a two bedroom apartment in Park Meadows in Manchester. The second bedroom is really small so that will be my office. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet!! So I will have plenty of room for my clothes and shoes. The office/den (2nd bedroom) also has a closet, so I can put my dresses and sweaters there. I have a nice little dinning room, a linen closet in the bathroom, a nice living room, and a patio! Of course my patio will have lots of flowers. I will have hanging baskets, flower pots, wind chimes, and some little patio lights. I got a really good move-in deal, so my rent is actually lower. My cat, Phantom, will move in two weeks after I move in when everything is settled and no more loud noises. Hopefully, he will adjust and be able to stay there with me. Otherwise he will have to return home, which will break my heart. I am hoping Phantom will love it there and will become King of the Apartment....or at least the den where I'll put his litter box and a tunnel for him to hide in (so he can have a hiding place). I signed a 13th month lease, one month free (the first full month). So December I won't have to pay rent:) My apartment will only be 10-15 minutes away from my office (when the Fenton office opens up). So I will be saving a lot on gas money. I am close to home, so I can do laundry there and visit the family. I will be close to Froggiegirl and Gimlet, and I know Manchester very well; so I know where to do my shopping and banking. I am sooo excited about moving in. I will def. have a little party when I'm all settled. I am excited for November to get here, meanwhile I will be saving my money, looking for a bedroom set, and getting other little things for my apartment. The bedroom furniture will be the most expensive thing. I already have a great entertainment center, I'm taking the old loveseat and rocker (which are in great condition) from downstairs, grandma's kitchen table and chairs (its small but perfect), and my corner desk from the office here at home. I picked up another sphere chair for my apartment, so now I have two courderoy chairs; the faded one will go on the patio and the other will probally go in the office or the living room. That's all for now, so stay tuned for more news!!

Olympics 2008

The Summer Olympic Games in Bejing, China 2008 started last Friday and I am officially addicted. I have been watching swimming, gymnastics, syncronized diving, beach volleyball, and waterpolo. Mostly I have been watching Michael Phelps in swimming. The guy is amazing! He has already won 4 Gold medals and is on pace to win 4 more! He was part of the 4x100 men's relay, which had an amazing finish! The Bejing games are amazing. As always swimming and gymnastics hold my main attention. The men's gymnastics team took bronze and the Women's gymnastics team took silver. They were both great. The judges however need to stop kissing China's butt. Seriously, the Chinese athletes can do no wrong (even when they obiviously do), and everyone else is full of flaws. It is majorly apparent in gymnastics. The judges need to be replaced with more impartial judges. All of the athletes are incredible, and the judges need to realize that. At least the swimming judges are impartial and focusing on the performance by the individual athlete and not the country they are representing. Phelps is not the only amazing swimmer there, Matt Grevers is another one. He stands 6'8" and has an amazing stroke! Not to mention he is really HOTT! Kudos to all of the US Swimmers; they are all amazing and very disciplined. So I will be watching the Olympics until it is over. There are still a lot of events left. So go team U.S.A!!

Look Ma, No Crutches

Yesterday, JBear had bilateral arthiscopic surgery. Translation Double knee surgery; I had my knees scopped and cleaned. I am doing great. I am already moving around w/o crutches for short distances. I am eating (major suprise for me b/c usually I can't eat anything for a few days until the drugs are out of my system). My ankles are normal size and not swelling, and I can move them around w/o pain. I am resting and taking it easy. Surgery went great and I'm on the road to recovery.

Ode to Tax Free Weekend

There is a very special event that comes once a year, every year. No, not Christmas. Something almost as good. It is Tax Free Weekend!!!! This means you can purchase clothes, shoes, back-to-school supplies, and supplies without paying taxes!! It is awesome. Every year, fewer and fewer cities participate (the loosers). However, South County Mall and Crestwood Mall (which should already admit its dead and just give up) participated. I went to South County in search of a dress for my dear friend V's wedding, a pair of shoes, and whatever else I fancied. I went to JCPenney, and voila! I found the perfect dress, and it was on sale. However, it came up even cheaper when it was wrung up. Plus it was tax free!!!! Then I ventured to Payless, in search of the perfect shoes to match. I had seen a pair the other night when I was shopping w/ V, Sarah, and Meghan. Luckily, I found those shoes, in my size, and another pair of shoes. Unfortunately, the second pair of shoes were a 1/2 size too big. So the store called the Crestwood store, and put the right size on hold for me. Plus I got a coupon for $3 off when I exchanged the shoes. Long story short, the final price on the shoes were $4!! So now I have these kickin' red shoes! I also got some bubble bath stuff from Bath and Body Works. Buy one, get one 50% off. Plus I had a coupon, so I got a free aromatherapy lotion for my mom. All in all it was a sucessful shopping trip. I love Tax Free Weekend!!

JBear got a new job!!

After 3 years of searching, I have finally found a REAL job!! It is a full time job w/ benefits, paid sick days, paid vacattion, and the potential for bonuses!! I am going to be a Staffing Coordinator for ProLogistix. ProLogistix is a staffing company for manufacturing, factories, and warehouses. Right now I am going to be doing a catch-all posistion. I will be learning the Staffing Coordinator position, and the Front Desk Coordinator posistion. For three months I will be working in the Bridgeton office, it will be an annoying long drive, but in Novemeber (hopefully) they will be opening an office in Fenton (my hometown), and I will be moving to that office!!!! I am sooo excited about this job. The guy who hired me is excited about me joining the team, and thinks that I will be a great addition. I start training on Monday, and I put my two weeks notice for Pucks. My new boss is willing to work around my Puck's schedule (which isn't much). And he is willing to work around my surgery too. So I'm going to train for 2 weeks and a day, have my surgery, come back Friday or the next Monday, and resume training. My awesome mother is going to drive me until I can drive again. So for three months, I will be dealing with the nightmare that is 270 traffic, however, it will be worth it when I relocate to the Fenton office.