WANTED: Decapitation!

Well, the whole no soda/caffeine thing didn't really work.

No, that's not true. It may have worked. But Friday night at around 930 my head started to hurt. I wasn't about to take an excedrin (which has caffeine) right before bed and then have trouble sleeping. So I had a little snack before bed and went to sleep.

Woke up at about 215am to use the restroom and my head was still pounding. Then my alarm went off at 530 and my day began.

And there was no relief in sight. You see, it was swallows weekend in San Juan Capistrano. It's the time of year that those birds come back to the area. And they have a parade. And people get drunk. And then they fight. And let's just say that alcohol is not a good additive to a population of over 75,000 in one city for one day.

So we were busy. I wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. Oh how I wanted sleep! But by about 430pm, I had had some food, and two wonderful prescription pills in my system and was feeling almost human again.

I really wish that I didn't get migraines. They are horrible and debilitating. And I just plain don't like them! Then again, I can't think of anyone who does...

So that was my weekend...How was yours?

(Okay, I don't REALLY want to cut off my head, but sometimes it's the only way I think the pain would go away.)

Confession

I caved. I was bad. I didn't keep my word.

I had a Coke.

Please don't be mad at me. I have a good reason! This whole daylight savings thing has messed up my schedule! And I spent the night on Sunday at my in-law's with the dogs. I laid (not slept) on the couch. The dogs walked on me. Then the one dog started whining at around 4am. My alarm went off at 530. Work started at 7. And went til 7.

I had a coke with breakfast. Please say it's okay! Please don't tell me I'm going to hell for drinking a coke.......

I will do whatever I need to to repent of this. Do I need to call my bishop? Man, I hope not, since Earl and I sent in all the paperwork for our sealing. It would just devastate me to be denied that all because of one little coke!

Oh yeah, did I mention that? Earl and I met with our Stake President to finalize our paperwork and it has been sent off to Salt Lake for review!! I'll keep you guys posted on that!

Yay For Me!

So I didn't really think that I would go this far, but I have almost completely cut soda from my diet. It all started as me trying to not drink caffeinated soda like Coke, Dr. Pepper, and my favorite, Mt. Dew Code Red.

You see, I get headaches. Bad ones. And my body is very sensitive to caffeine. So when I drink a coke every day with lunch and then suddenly don't have one, my head starts to pound. And the only way to please the Headache God is to give an offering of caffeine, either through a soda or my favorite, Excedrin (which has caffeine in it as well).

So for the past 2 weeks I have been substituting water or juice or milk for the soda. I'm doing good so far. I've had just two sodas, and I didn't even drink the whole thing. I can't say that my headaches have gone away, I don't think they ever will. But if this helps, then it is a lifestyle/diet change for life!!

One More Thing...

Okay, I know I said I was done! I forgot to say that I finally got the matching band to my engagement ring! Earl and I couldn't afford the nice rings we wanted when we got married. But we have been blessed to be able to get them now. Earl's is a tungsten carbide with a black carbon fiber inlay. Yay for rings that will last forever!!

You can see Earl's here and mine here.

Love them!!!

I've Been Bad...

Alright, I know! It's  been almost a month since I last posted anything! I'm bad! Please keep the pitchforks and torches to a minimum!

It's hard to say whether anything has happened in the last month or not. Probably the biggest thing is that Earl and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. Yay! We were very fortunate to get time off from work for that weekend (our anniversary was on a Saturday). We were even more fortunate to borrow one of Earl's coworker's cabin up in Big Bear.

So we packed for the weekend, prepared ourselves for a relaxing, snowy weekend away from everything! We drove up on Friday, Feb. 26 and got up there about 2 or so. The sun was shining and there was still a little bit of snow on the ground from the past few storms that blew through. We pulled in to the cutest little cabin ever. It was a one bedroom that was covered in antiques. The fridge was an old Philco with a handle on the outside with the icebox on the inside. The stove was gas, and you had to light it with matches. It was really just the most perfect place to get away to.

So that night the wind started blowing and it was noisy! The bed wasn't the most comfortable and both Earl and I had trouble sleeping. Finally at about 2am after hours of tossing and turning, I said to Earl that I was going to sleep on the couch. You see, not only was the bed uncomfortable, but I have problems with my hips occasionally. If there is no support in the mattress, my hips start to hurt and it makes my legs ache and then I'm just not a happy camper! So I slept on the sofa a little bit better. We got up to a fresh coat of snow over everything!  It was so pretty and quiet and picturesque. It was almost like waking up on Christmas morning to see that Santa did not pass over your house.

So we got up, took sponge baths from water heated on the stove in a pot (the water heater was not turned on and we found this out the hard way the night before by taking ice cold showers. And when I say ice cold, I mean it!) and went out to breakfast. We walked up and down the street in The Village and found a nice coat for Earl since he had forgotten to pack a jacket or sweatshirt.

Since lift tickets were too expensive for us, we decided to go tubing. There is a tubing park on the outside of Big Bear and while it was $50 for both of us to go, it was much cheaper than paying $65 a piece for tickets for snowboarding. It was my first time tubing and I had a blast!! It even started to snow again while we were there and that scared off some people. But then the runs got super slushy and we decided that we would have a snowball fight and build a snowman/dinosaur/dragon/thing. I'm really not sure what it was that we built, but we did it together and had fun! Of course once we were done constructing it, we decided to try our skills as linebackers and tackled it!

By this time our coats were soaked and we were cold. So we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things and headed back to the cabin to get ready for our anniversary dinner. By this time Earl had found the water heater (outside in a shed) and we were able to take hot showers! Oh what a glorious experience!! It's amazing the things we take for granted. Hot showers are definitely a luxury!

I had done a little bit of research on places to eat for our dinner and decided on a place called Jaspar's. Once we went inside, we saw it was a little hole in the wall joint and that suited us just fine. And oh the food!! Absolutely wonderful! I highly recommend going, should you visit Big Bear. And once we finished with dinner we headed over to the Bowling Barn for some good times. Turns out that they do "rock'n'bowl" at 8pm so we really enjoyed it. Earl beat me by 2 pins theh first game and I beat him by 20-30 pins the second game. We headed back to the cabin after that for our cake. We picked up a little mini cake and a "1" candle at the store to celebrate our one year. I know, we're dorks! But we are starting a fun tradition that we will carry on for years to come!

So after our amazing weekend away, we came home and life went on like normal. We met with our Stake President this past Sunday to finalize the paperwork to send in to Salt Lake for approval on our sealing. When friends and family have asked me what was the best thing about being married for a year, I told them that I was excited to be sealed to Earl. He is the best thing to ever happen to me. I love him with all my heart and I'm overjoyed to be with him for eternity.

And so I'm going to stop with the mushy sentiments right there because if I continue I know that I will start to cry and then I will be forced to eat the entire pan of brownies that I baked earlier! Yes Mom, I baked! Don't worry, it was from a box so it doesn't really count!

The other "big news" that I have is that I quit Sport Chalet. I know, I know, you were all expecting me to say that I was pregnant. But that isn't happening for awhile. But that's a topic for another post. Back on subject! Okay, so I had worked for the company for almost 8 years and was almost like amputating an appendage when I quit. No, not really. It was actually very easy to do. It was the right thing to do and I know that now I have time to spend with my husband, my family, and me! I can take relaxing baths, watch a movie, or just veg. I also have time to fold the laundry and do the dishes. Earl has been very good about helping with those things, but now I have whole days off and can really focus on my homelife.

Holy shamoly this post got long! Wow, if you got all the way to here, I applaud you! And on that note, I'm signing off!

Random Bits of Recentness

I have been told that I need to post more on here. I must admit, this is coming from my father-in-law who I see on a regular basis, so I feel flattered that someone enjoys reading my blog!

Not much has been going on lately. Just working a whole heap. I guess I could give a public service announcement though. This stems from a 911 call that we were sent to last night. It is important as a parent to make sure you feed your kids a balance diet. It is also important to keep an eye on your kids so they don't do anything stupid or dangerous. And if you choose to not watch your child to protect them from stupid or dangerous things, especially things that have to do with their diet, please do not announce it to the whole world by calling 911. Somebody did this last night because their child decided to pick up a cupcake from the street and eat it. I don't know the age of the child, but if that is what your child is resorting to do, perhaps a little intervention is needed. Perhaps a parental license should be issued when one seeks to have kids. I mean, come on! We all knew of the urban myths of razor blades in our Halloween candy growing up. Not a problem, let Mom double-check the loot and then you're good to go. That was good parenting. But letting your kid eat a CUPCAKE from the street? If you're dumb enough to let this happen, please, please, PLEASE don't announce it to your neighbors by having a fire engine come screaming down your street only to have 4 grown men laugh at your silliness. You'll feel better about yourself in the morning, I promise!

So as I sit here, eating my pudding cup, I am slowly waking from my graveyard shift last night. Not a spectacular night, just another one done. No, you don't need to reread that. I am eating an Oreo flavored pudding cup for breakfast. My second one in fact. Don't judge me! And don't look in my grocery bag at the 2 Hershey's Cookies n Cream bars that I have as well! Hey, they were 2/$1 at Stater Bros! That's a steal! I suppose that since it is now 1215, I need to get in the shower and get going with my day.

So the moral of the story is don't let your kids eat random food from the ground, and always think twice before calling 911. Ask yourself if it's really and emergency: Is there significant blood loss? Are they having chest pain? Are they breathing? If you're calling because you're 95 and haven't pooped in a week, try a laxative, much cheaper than an $800 ambulance ride to the ER.

Thanks kids and let's all enjoy another trip around the sun!

My New 'Do

Well, I did it.

After having long hair for about 95% of my life, I got it cut last night. It's way cute and I will have a picture on here as soon as I can take a good one! The webcam on my laptop isn't the best, so I'll have Earl take one with his phone soon.

Love to all!!

Rain, Tornadoes, and Coughs, Oh My!

So here we are in the middle of storm #3. It's raining. There's supposed to be thunderstorms later with the possibility of hail and tornadoes also.

It's 1045 and I'm awake. I say this only because I'm supposed to be asleep right now. You see, I worked the graveyard shift last night and got home at around 0745. So I'm supposed to be asleep. I normally will sleep til noon and then get up and shower and go about my day.

But not today. No, today HAD to be special.

You see, for the past few days I've been fighting a losing battle with my voice. I officially lost that battle on Tuesday, and let's just say that trying to talk on the radio was not fun. I had to repeat myself many times because the crew couldn't hear what I said.

Now my voice is a little stronger, but I have developed a wonderful cough. It's not productive. I get a stupid little tickle in my throat that forces me to either clear my throat or go about hacking for the next few seconds. And if I cough too long or hard then I run the risk of triggering that oh-so-strong gag reflex I have and that just wouldn't be pretty.

So yes, I'm awake, it's raining, I'm cold, I'm coughing, and I'm eating leftover red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for breakfast.

Did I mention that we were under a tornado warning on Tuesday afternoon? I'd expect that from the midwest, not Orange county...Guess I should be ready for anything with 2012 right around the corner-not that the world is going to end in 2012 (I think that's just a big 'ol load of bull-honkey).

Have a fantastic day to those who took the time to read my not-so-interesting blog today!

Today's Dream

As I sit here pondering life's greatest mysteries, i.e. what should I make for lunch, I decided my blog needed a little sprucing. So I spent the last twenty minutes or so browsing the free layouts available and finally picked one. I may still change it, who knows!

But this layout reminds me of denim and the country. Of a place I want to go back to. I would love to live out in the country in a nice country farmhouse with a yard for kids to play in. A swingset and a sandbox. Trees galore for the kids to climb. Space to run around, have a picnic on Saturday afternoons.

So that's what I'm thinking today. Nothing major. Just dreaming...

The Holidays

I'm going to preface this by warning that this post is a little long. Might make you cry too. So pull out the Kleenex and settle in!

The holidays are over. The food has been eaten. The wrapping paper has been thrown away. Resolutions have been made (and some already broken).

So now what?

I don't have the answer to that question. Sorry! But I do have the memories of one of the best Christmases I've ever had.

You see, this was the first Christmas I shared with my husband, Earl. I wanted it to be as memorable and fun as possible. So we got our little 3ft pre-lit tree from Target, decorated it with cute little ornaments, and started shopping for family members. Most of the presents were purchased and wrapped and laying under respective trees across Orange County.

Then I got pulled over while on my way to work the Saturday before Christmas. I had a tail light out, which I mentioned in my previous post. But the real kicker about the stop was that my registration was way past due. It was a neccessary thing that needed to be done months ago, but we just didn't have the cash for it.

So then the Monday before Christmas, Earl and I took a trip to our local DMV and stood in line for an hour and a half to get our little ticket to register the truck. When our number was called, the lady ran the numbers and came back with a staggering figure.

$955.00.

Yup, almost a thousand dollars to register the truck. We had the money, barely. I believe we had about twenty bucks left in the checking account after that transaction. But we still don't completely have the truck registered. We have a temporary piece of paper taped to the back window. I have to call the Utah DMV and get an original vehicle history report to turn in. THEN I will get my plates and that oh-so-expensive little colored sticker.

So back to the bank account part. I was not doing well emotionally, as one can imagine. Almost called off work that night because I felt I was on the verge of a complete breakdown. And then Earl called me while I was on my lunch.

A very kind person, dear to our hearts, came in to Earl's shop and gave him some money to put in our account so we would be able to buy groceries. You see, earlier in the day I had been thinking to myself, trying to determine which family member would have to do without a present so that we could eat. What a humbling experience this was. And heartbreaking. I was so excited for Christmas, and had put lots of time and thought into each person's gift. The thought of having to return them so that I could fill my stomach made me feel selfish. And then this angel bestowed a gift upon us.

We continued on our way. We spent very little, just paid the absolutely mandatory bills. We were feeling better. Christmas Eve came and we spent the evening with my family in Fountain Valley. We played our "Left-Right" game, Apples to Apples, and Phase 10. It was a wonderful night full of laughter, happiness, a few tears, some pain, and great food.

Christmas morning dawned a glorious day. We spent the first part of the morning with Earl's family in Newport Beach, opening presents and eating breakfast. I felt so blessed with the gifts I was given. Nothing big or extravagant, but thoughtful, needed items. We then continued on to my folks for round 2 of presents.

By the time we showed up, my sister, younger brother, and father were all asleep in the living room with paper and boxes strewn about. Mom came in from the garage and the three of us gathered around the dining room table to open presents again. Earl and I started with our stocking. While I opened the measuring scoops I needed for the sugar and flour canisters, Earl opened a flashlight for the truck. I then opened a card from my folks and immediately started crying and ran around the table to hug my mom. Without saying anything to my folks about the financial woes from our truck, our prayers had been answered by another set of angels very dear to our hearts.

This year has had its ups and downs. Earl and I have struggled and excelled. I can't think of a better way to end the year than knowing that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and answers our prayers, even in the most unexpected way. I know that my parents, both by blood and by law, love me. I am so thankful for them all. I know that I am so blessed to have them in my life. I have never felt such an overwhelming feeling of love. What an amazing Christmas to experience. Had I known this was what was in store for me, I wouldn't have griped about the DMV costs.

So I know it's a little late, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends and family!