Personalized Plates

One of the things I wanted to do when I got a new car was to get personalized plates. I decided to get Cardinals plates, as I am an avid baseball fan. So I submitted the forms and necessary paperwork and so forth. My first choice was Bear82- combining the nickname given to me by my father when I was 5 seconds old and my birth year. If I couldn't get that I chose JOSO82- Oso is Spanish for bear, so it would have been (in english) JBear82. My third choice (and ultimaley the one I got as the other two are taken-boo) was 82Bear. I have also put up Birds on the Bat decals on the back two windows, a Darwin decal and a Cardinals atena ball. All that is missing is my APO sticker...had one but lost it (after I put it in a safe place so I wouldn't do that). So I have to order the one I want off the National website. I have had my car for 3 months now, and I am loving it! I love sitting higher up and feeling more secure. Almost 3000 miles on it (probally will have that by June). One thing I don't like about my new SUV: paying the monthly bill. Le sigh, such is the price of a new toy.

My new Car

I have a new car!! Last night, I bought my very first car! I am now the proud owner of a 2010 Sangria Red Ford Escape!
I didn't tell anyone about the possiblilty of getting a new car b/c I wasn't sure it was going to turn out like this. So I kept quiet about it. Here is the deal, we played a game of musical cars. My brother's car (which was my mother's originally) was a 1999 Chevy Cavalier and on its last legs. So we traded in the 99 Cavalier and my brother now has my 2000 Chevy Cavalier. So now I own a SUV, which I've been dreaming about for a few years now- one of my dreams came true!
My Escape has keyless entry (a pointy- clicky thing as I call it)- a first for me, power windows and locks-again a first for me, a sunroof (one of my must haves), solar tinted back windows (standard if you can believe that), and an iPod jack (again standard!). For me this car has everything I wanted. I am shocked that I now own a Ford (after years of badmouthing Ford). I was shocked by the things that are now standard on cars. So the only thing I got on my SUV that isn't standard is the sunroof. I got my SUV at Dave Sinclair Ford- I highly recommend them. They found the red, dark interior, SUV w/ a sunroof- exactly what I wanted. Even tho the day I came out to look, they couldn't find it. They looked for an hour and still no SUV. Apparently my SUV was in the body shop! The mileage on the SUV when I got it was 22.2- 2 is my fave number so I took it as a sign that it was meant to be!
Other relevant news: I got a job!! I work part time (for now, could gain more hrs later) as an Admin Asst at Portafab Corporation in Chesterfield. The company is really good and the employees are awesome. The drive is nice, and I know back roads in case the highways are bad. The back roads mean a longer drive, but its more peaceful.
So far 2010 is appearing to be my year. It is only the 3rd month and I have a job, and a new car. I wonder what else is in store for me this year. I am hopefull that I have more good things coming to me.

Twitter and other updates

*Okay so I am officially entering the 21st Century....I am going to start texting and tweeting. Aye! I found out I can upgrade my phone so I will upgrade my plan upon getting my new phone. I am highly suprised that I haven't had any major probs with this one. I will miss my red phone. Le sigh, but hey I have a red iPod so it's all good.
*Missed another Zumba class due to my stomach. I am going to attend my last class next Tuesday and then instead of signing up again as planned I am taking a break until my stomach and gastritus are under control. This makes sense as I don't want to waste money on classes I am unable to attend. I'm not happy about making this decision but sometimes you have to be an adult and make decisions like this. Once my stomach is back to normal I will sign up again, as I love Zumba.
*The water is starting to call me. I want to go swimming soo bad, but with my stomach I can't. Hopefully I will feel good enough this weekend to hit the pool and do some laps... I can use my new goggles (I broke down and bought new ones a few months ago- the old ones had scratches and were begining to leak-so yea I had to get new ones). Gotta remember to bring a bottle of water and my pull bouy.
*Baseball season is around the corner!!!! Pitchers and catchers reported to Jupiter this Monday :) I can't wait for the season to start. Thank goodness for the Olympics which allows me to get my sports fix. Otherwise I'd be going batty or watch hockey....which I'm not to fond of. The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to have a good team this year. As long as our players stay healthy I think they stand a chance. As always I hope they win lots of games and for the Chicago Cubs to lose lots of games and NOT win the World Series...hehehe.
*Speaking of the Olympics, I have been highly entertained. My favorite moments so far have been watching Apolo Ohno on Short Track and watching Shawn White decimate the field on the Snowboard Half-pipe. Shawn White's first run in the finals was amazing, he got massive air and landed all of his tricks clean. Then his second run, which was his "victory" lap as he knew he had the gold before he snowbaorded, was even better. He did his new trick which was soo cool. The thing I like about Short track is how fast they can go and then how they defy gravity by nearly getting horizontal to the ice. Of course, the ability to skate fast is impressive to me as I can't ice skate. I prefer to be in the water, than on the water. So go Team USA!!

Zumba Week 5

No, I didn't slack off and not blog about week 4. I didn't make it to week 4. I didn't make it because I was sick/ still recovering from my bout with gastritus. Gastritus is where everything in the stomach is inflamed. I ended up going to St. Clare's ER)Thursday night (Jan 21) for shortness of breath and nausea. I ended up being admitted to the hospital, got up to my room (a private suite!) a little after midnight. I was released around 4 on Saturday. Unfortunately, I missed Friday's work b/c I was in the hospital, thankfully my employer understood. Long story short: I am all right, and am doing better.
Okay now to Zumba. Well the class I missed last week, two new songs w/ new moves were added. Lucky for me I pick up choreography pretty fast, so I had few problems with the new routines. My fave songs were still there. I had a lot of fun even tho the class worked me over big time b/c my energy level is still not at 100%. Only 3 more classes left :( I am definately signing up for up for another class. Our Zumba instructor told us that she is being certified in AquaZumba, which is Zumba in the water and that Riverchase (where I take Zumba) is interested!! So AquaZumba might be featured there around May or June!! I seriously hope so!

Zumba Week 3

So I was a little late Zumba due to spacing out before class, but I came in before the first song ended. I got an even better work out as I finally caved in and wore my left knee brace. I have a love/hate relationship with knee braces.....I hate wearing them with a passion, but I love the support they provide. Next week the music is changing up a bit, so the routines that I have now got down (minus a few steps) are are going bye-bye. Oh well, I am sure that I will enjoy the new music and new moves. Some I can add to my dance moves :) Tuesdays are definately becoming my favorite days. I get excited on Mondays thinking "Zumba t/m night!!". Tuesdays I am almost dancing around chanting "Zumba, Zumba, Zum-Ba!!! Zumba, Zumba, Zum-Ba!!" . I am definately signing up for another session, I am having soo much fun and want to continue. Plus I love how I feel after class, even though I am all hot and sweaty, I am tired but its a good tired. Also condsidering exercise releases endorphins which makes you happy. Its also a good escape from the "real world" for an hour. Everyone could use that! Come on Tuesday! I want to Zumba again!!

Zumba - Week 2

Well I survived my second class of Zumba. Once again I had a blast and it kicked my butt. Learned some more stuff 1)Bring a larger bottle of water (worked up a big thirst), 2) apparently there is a clock in the room...however it is analog so I can't read it, 3) Still need to get those songs to download. Concentrated more on my abs this time, keeping them contracted and imagining my belly button pushed against my back. So as a result, they are a bit sore. But its a good feeling. I am exhausted, but feel awesome. Tuesdays are becoming my favorite days! I get so excited about class! The class was a lot smaller this time, I'm guessing some ppl thought it was too much. Yes it pushes you but thats what you want. You are supposed to work up a sweat and be tired. I would love it if Zumba was twice a week :) Tuesdays and Thursdays....that would be awesome!! However, I'm going to start swimming on the weekend to get more exercise.

Zumba- Week One

Today was my first Zumba class. For those who don't know, Zumba is a fusion of latin dance moves, hip hop and aerobics. I signed up for an eight week session, and today was class one. I was super excited. Within the first few minutes, I learned the following: 1) bring a water bottle (hydration is muy importante- the instructor kept saying "keep hydrated"), 2) my knees don't like some of the moves, but this will help stregthen them which in the long run is great, 3) you don't really need to get a locker- if you get there early enough you can snag a hook for your coat, 4) my salsa abilities help a little, 5) ditch the watch, time is irrelevant, class ends when class ends (besides I was the only one wearing one), 6) this class is going to kick my butt. So the next class I will definately be bringing a bottle of water- although finding a water bottle might be a problem j/k we have an overflow of water bottles in the house as a few years ago they were all the rage as participation gifts. Between scouts and APO we accumulated quite a few within a short period. The instructor warned us that our legs will be burning t/m morning. I hope so, that means that I'm working hard. I'll just stretch it out. Also, I might have to ge the names of the songs played so I can download them :) some of them I already have. The music is a variety of latin, hip hop, and raggaeton songs. I heard a new Daddy Yankee song- must get this :) I am already thinking of signing up for another session when this is over. It is a lot of fun but a lot of work, within the first ten minutes you are sweating.

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 :)

St. Louis is the new Seattle?

*October didn't go as planned. First the Cards got taken out of the playoffs in the first round. Instead the Yankees ended up winning the World Series (evil empire strikes back).
* October went down as the wettest October in St. Louis History. We got a grand total of 8.55 inches of rain! This beat the total rain fall of 8.52 in 1919. The weather records in St. Louis go back to 1874. At least Halloween was nice and dry for the kiddos. Now it is mid November.
*Next Sat. is Scouting for Food Collection Day. So be sure to put out the bag of food on your front porch before 10 AM. That's the official pick up time. I will be spending my day at the firehouse, unloading vechicles, sorting, and boxing foot. This is my 8th year working at the firehouse! I am super excited. Scouting for Food Collection Day is my favorite service project ever!!
*Monday morning the rain begins yet again. There is an 80% chance of rain in the St. Louis area. Rain will continue until mid-week. So that brings to mind the question: Has St. Louis become the new Seattle? I hope not. I know we are in the fall season, and we don't see the sun as often/strong, but going longer than 10 days w/o sun? Not fun. So hopefully the rain will last a day or two. Pray for the sun!

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!