12 Days of Christmas

Since I've been TERRIBLE about blogging as of late, I thought I'd try something kind of fun and hope I can actually keep up with it!

This is the 12 Days of Christmas blogging challenge!

DAY 1: Christmas/Holiday Traditions

Every holiday season we have a few traditions as a family. 1) We go to Christmas Eve service. Growing up in church and having close friends at church, it was always a time to exchange Christmas gifts with very good friends of mine :) Though we don't always hold true to this now that we are adults, my good church friends and I still exchange gifts to this day. :) 2) We always meet up with my Dad's side of the family and exchange gifts with everyone... and we all eat lots of tamales! 3) We search for the pickle ornament in the tree. This is something we've added recently. 4) We have Christmas dinner and hang out with my mom's side of the family ON CHRISTMAS DAY! :) Usually we open gifts and then eat breakfast, although it always differs from year to year now depending on if my brother, sis-in-law, and nephew are with us for Christmas. Because her family lives in Kansas, they alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas every other year. I can't wait for Christmas this year because I can spoil my sweet 3 year old nephew even more!

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions

Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips & Tricks

Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received

Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season

Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special

Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)

Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)

Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays

Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe

Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Caroles

Day 11: New Year Resolutions

Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outdoor)

Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe

Day 14: Oprah's Favorite

Resolutions

I don't usually make "resolutions" but I have a few goals... not necessarily to be completed within a year's time... but just things I'd like to accomplish.

• I would like to get over my fear of singing in front of others. I think it would be really fun to go and sing at a karaoke bar or something to break the ice... then maybe I will be more inclined to get involved with a band or church band or something.
• I would like to get a LOT better on guitar. The first step to this is blocking out more time to jam.
• I would like to devote more time to my lyric writing. I used to write lyrics often, and I haven't picked up a pen to write any in my lyrics journal in probably 4 or 5 years. I think it'd be a good outlet.
• Overall, I want to be healthier. I'm fairly good about watching what I eat on a regular basis (I have my slip ups every now and then, but EVERYONE does... I just try to get back on track ASAP!) but I want to make sure I'm eating more fresh fruits and veggies.
• In going with being more healthy, I need to make sure I'm getting a good amount of cardio in every week. I think that if I can block out AT LEAST 30 minutes of cardio every day I'll be better for it. While I lost weight last year, I'm still not as healthy as I'd like to be as far as exercising. I need to just go straight to the gym from work and get it done!
• I want to try teaching a lesson AT LEAST every 2 weeks... hopefully one a week. And not just in Michele's class... I'd like to teach lessons in different grade levels! I think it'll be a great thing to add to my resume as well as keeping ideas fresh in my mind. I forgot what it's like to work with a class-full of students as opposed to the 3-4 person small groups I've gotten used to in the SpecEd Dept.
• I want to be generally more appreciative of my family. I think moving back in with my parents has caused me to get very irked at the small things. I need to be more appreciative that I have the wonderful parents I have and not be in such a rush to get away from them. I should cherish the time I have with them one-on-one because it won't last forever.
• I want to be more open to trusting the opposite sex and relationships. I've been lucky enough to meet someone that I really and truly click with... it would be nice if something can develop there. This can only happen if I don't screw things up by being paranoid and insecure due to my past... this is a work in progress and I just have to hope that he'll be the guy that can handle my "quirks" brought on by my horrid relationships past.
• Lastly, I want to make sure I blog on a more regular basis. Even if this means blocking out a specific day a week to have an update of what's going on... or even just mapping out a topic list of things to blog on over the course of the next year. Sometimes my life gets so scheduled and repetitive that I find myself blogging about the same things... there's no way that's interesting to read... maybe it is, though... I don't know... I don't judge what others like (while I don't mind an update of my fellow bloggers' lives... I don't know that a topic of such is everyone's cup of tea!)

That's it for now... that's a pretty hefty list...! Thank goodness I don't plan on tackling ALL of that in a year!!! I'll just say I would like to at least START tackling them within the year... for continuation from this year on! :-D I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Day; my parents and I ate black eyed peas for dinner... prior to this I went back to bed today because I got a total of 4 hours of sleep (on and off) due to coughing all night long. I feel better now, so I'm hoping that I'll sleep better tonight... I need to get back on schedule before work starts back up next week! At least I only have to make it to the 3 day weekend for some more rest, though! 2 weeks and a 3-day weekend!

Peace, Love, Happiness

Kels

10 Days and counting

There are just 10 days left in the year, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I've been doing all sorts of things here and there and definitely keeping busy! Next week is a testing week at the school... so other than individual days, hopefully it'll WHIZ by! Thursday we will have the last choir practice for this school year, and then that evening they will have their last concert for the PTO meeting. The 1st graders are also going to perform some songs. The week after that will be a bit busy also. It's an all jeans wearing week, though... so who really cares what else is going on?! lol I will be teaching a Cause/Effect lesson that week in Michele's class, and I'm excited about that! Then that Friday will be all the class Holiday parties, and then we are off for 2 solid weeks.

Other than all that, I have plans for Christmas shopping still... I've gotten all the kiddos' gifts, now I just need to take care of close friends, and family! THEN, all that's left is wrapping... that's the fun part for me! We're still working on the Christmas tree, but the front yard is totally decorated... glad that is done... hopefully we will have equally nice weather when we put it all away as when we put it all out there!

Tonight I will be going to have some dinner with Jamey, and then we'll talk some fun makeup stuff, and after that we (I think) are going to watch 27 Dresses because she hasn't seen it yet, and I insist that she watch it... if she thought Bride Wars was cute, she'll LOVE this one! Anyhow... off I go... I'm finishing up watching some stuff off the DVR while Mom and Dad are out on business w/Dad's work... making a holiday party appearance. I'll catch up more on DVR tomorrow while I'm doing laundry and they're out for ANOTHER party appearance!

Also, on a side note, my dating life may be picking up... more details on that later.

Halloween 2009!

HALLOWEEN HAS PASSED!!! HOPE THE YEAR GOES FAST!!!

Well, I was busy for the entire month getting things ready for Halloween and the party (which I hosted at my friend's house) but it was well worth it... we had a BLAST!!! Hopefully we can have another fun party next year for Halloween!!!!!!! :-) Here's a few pictures.

The spread of food!

Daughn scared... about bumping into a car!

The Dr. and the Werewolf and Ghoul

The Ghoul and Werewolf on the front porch

The Hippie and Referee

Valentine's Day isn't for the weak.

Especially if you're single. Honestly, even when I've been in relationships, it's not a holiday I give much weight to. I can't wait until next year, because I'll probably get Valentines and such from kiddos in my class. That's the best Valentine's Day I've had so far, actually... when I was student teaching... I got cards, chocolates, and I even got flowers from one little boy. It was so sweet. And in *that* school it meant a lot... it was a low-income area, and the kids were hardened, and not very receptive to having someone actually care about them enough to get them to make something of themselves.

Anyhow, this weekend I'm going to Port Aransas with friends... we're not celebrating Valentine's Day... we just wanna get outta San Antonio for a weekend... and I need a break! lol I'm not going to vacation again until June or July (whenever Jamey and I pinpoint a month to go to Washington). Anyhow, there is one unfortunate side effect of Valentine's Day. It *does* remind me I'm not dating... and it also reminds me I'm not READY to date. I think there are things that are still affecting me from the past that I haven't gotten past... because I can't even IMAGINE myself with anyone... at least, not being completely open and being TOTALLY in a relationship. Sure, I could go through the motions... and pretend that everything's okay... I could even give the illusion that I'm being open and honest about things and who I am in a relationship... but it wouldn't be true. I don't even know how to try and get back to "me." I mean, I know I'm in there somewhere... but I just don't know. And the terrible truth is I've been out of the dating/relationship loop so long, I don't even know how I fit into a relationship, and what I need from the other person! lol I guess this is just stuff that will eventually fall into place.

I kind of feel like I should apologize to the guy I've been getting to know for the past 4 months... because I don't think I have an honest intention to date him. Although, I think he's equally as separated from things because he's so busy with work (he's a Sports Editor, and thus travels pretty much 3-4 days a week covering games in the area/state). Maybe I'm still holding onto the last good relationship I had hoping that it comes around again... but maybe I need to just resolve that I will never find that exact connection with anyone else... sometimes I feel so lost... and that can't be good when I'm about to turn 28...! lol Oh, well... Just needed to put my thoughts out... no need for concern or anything... this post was more for me than anyone else.... and also my attempt to get myself to come out of my protective shield some more... to complete strangers... lol

Holiday and nothing going on!

Well, I'm off today because of the MLK,jr. holiday. I wish I could say that I'm using it to have a fun-filled day off... but unfortunately since Saturday night I have been practically incapacitated by allergies. Yesterday I got tired of sneezing and having watery eyes, so I drug myself out of the house to Walgreens to get some Zyrtec (well, their brand of it, at least). Yeah... it helped with the sneezing and watery eyes... unfortunately not so much with the stuffy nose/leaky nose problem I have during my allergy fits. The most positive thing I can say about the medicine is that it doesn't make me extremely drowsy... which means it's a good medicine for me to take before work... but bad because it doesn't really help me completely.

I contemplated going back out today to get a Netti Pot... but I don't feel like messing with it... and it may not even help me anyway! I wanted to run to the store today to get some more lunch items and all before this 4 day work week begins... BUT, I can't shower... why can't I shower? Because there are workers here today that are putting in a new water heater. The one we had was like, 10-15 years old, and it had begun leaking. Fine, I can deal with them taking care of all this... and I could even deal with taking a really QUICK cold water shower... just to be clean... BUT, they keep shutting the water on/off! I think they just left for lunch... maybe I could sneak in there now... but the biggest reason I wish they were completely done...??? I have laundry to do! Laundry which requires (at least) warm water! They've been here since 8:30am... I really hope they're done!

See what happens when nothing looms over my head to keep me blogging!

I don't post for over a week... nearly 2!!! lol I hope everyone had a splendid Christmas! I had a very enjoyable one (and am excited that I will have yet another in Jan 2009 as we share Christmas gifts and such with my brother, SIL, and nephew!)... I got several spiffy gifts, including a beautiful quilt from my Grandma and a gift card set for dinner/movie from my cousins. I got my Cricut cutting system from my parents (it was the startup set, so it included the carrying case, all the possible tools needed, the cutting system, a cartridge, and a pad of cardstock) which was all I could've asked for from them (or anyone and everyone!)... they also got me a new calendar (it's the kind where each month as a pocket to store things such as bills and all for the month) and my Mom got me a new message board (the kind that has ribbons criss-crossed on it to tuck your messages under). Daughn went overboard (as per usual) and got me a hand/stand mixer combo and a bunch of Halloween decor (I knew about the Halloween stuff b/c she had me pick it out at Kohls when it was all 80% off) and a new cookbook. Jamey got me "stress relief" stuff from B&BW and a Chili's gift card. I got a lava lamp from my uncle (which I'm pretty stoked about... c'mon I have to use an appropriate word to describe that!)...

What's more I had a rather enjoyable time with my family and now I'm just enjoying my time off from work (the week I have left, that is!)

I can explain my absence from posting in 2 words: Twilight Saga. I finished it all in about 2 weeks... I saw the movie... (a bunch of times due to a co-worker enabling my current obsession by finding and burning to a disc a copy of the movie off the internet for me!) I think I've watched it at least 20 times... I've read the draft of Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyers' website... and I can't wait for that book to finally get published (whenever that may be) even though it's just a different perspective on the first book and not a continuation of the wonderfulness that is the Twilight Saga. I can't wait for New Moon to come out in theaters next year, and I'm really excited about the great potential for a trip to Forks, WA this June with Stephie. It's a real possibility, and I would be incredibly excited to visit Forks, and Port Angeles as well as First Beach in La Push, WA... I will be taking pictures like a mad woman... especially of specific landmarks like Bella italia in Port Angeles. I just haven't decided if I will go this summer or next... or possibly March 2010 for Spring Break... but I WILL go in the next couple years... and it will be magnificent.

Anyhow... hopefully I'll find motivation to post something this coming week... I'm sure I will because the D3's are going to Denver on the 30th and won't return until Jan 5th. Bummer... but at least I have some sort of plans for NYE.

Yeah, yeah... I know...

I didn't post about my Christmas light-seeing excursion thru the Texas hill country with pictures and all... yet. Yesterday I had some errands to run... tried getting Christmas cards done... and was trying to figure out just exactly how many cookies I'm going to have to bake for co-workers... Time got away from me... and then I headed to the D3's at like, 2:45 b/c we were planning on going to Fiesta Texas last night for the Holiday in the Park (get the last bit of use of our season passes... ya know?). I didn't end up getting home til like, 9... and at that point, I just wanted to wind down before bedtime and take a shower and all... and I was pretty tired (even tho I didn't end up falling asleep til about 11:30... to then wake up at 5am... ack!

But... NOW I'M COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS!!! 4-1/2!!!!!! WOOHOO!!! YAY!!! CEL-A-BRATE GOOD TIMES, C'MON!!!!!!! ;-) I have so many cookies to bake tonight and tomorrow, it's silly! :( Today after work I'm stopping by the Forum to pick up a few of my holiday shopping items... then I'm stopping by the store to get some stuff for lunches this week (possibly for potluck on Friday) and to get all the cookie ingredients... then I am coming home to mix up cookie stuff, bake, finish off Christmas cards... and read Breaking Dawn (because I'm apparently coming up on a really good part!)... I've been reading the last book slowly because I don't want it to be over yet... and also because I know it will be nearly a year before the next movie comes out in theaters... at which point I entirely plan on going to see the movie with Stephanie from work... because I think she's the only other person here that's as obsessed and flippin' passionate about the book/story/characters. Both of us want to marry Edward Cullen... and really dislike Jacob Black (I think I dislike him more than she does...!) Anyhow, until later...

Peace, Love, Happiness
Kels

CHEESE AND RICE!

As the gal from Just Married would say...!!! My allergies are really buggin me today! I can't stop sneezing! In other news, I just got an "exclusive" coupon from Michaels today that is only good on Monday... it's to get an extra 15% off the SALE PRICE of a Cricut machine... So, I'm seriously thinking of doing that... and just asking that be the one and only Christmas present for me this year... it's the only thing I can think of that I really WANT... and if it's a good price, then my parents (or combined with my bro and SIL) may do that for Xmas. We'll see...

I'm finally going to Sprint on Monday also (after work) to get my new phone... I was going to save an extra $100 by waiting til Dec. 1st... so wait was what I did... I can't believe how fast the time went by... but I can solidly say after charging my phone up more than 4 times in the past 4 days I'm ready to get a new phone that works better (or at least better than the refurbished CRUD they gave me!)

Okay, off I go to eat some dinner... and watch the Spurs... :) Then I'll head to bed b/c I'm going to 8:30am service tomorrow for church just to have the rest of the day with family before they get on the road back to Spring, TX!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hopefully all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and really had a nice laid back day to spend with loved ones! Ours was good... although, all of us are shocked at A) How much food Conner put away today (seriously, that little guy ate a good, heaped plate of food) and B) that Conner didn't take a nap all day long... at is JUST NOW getting to bed!

Here's a couple shots from today:

What will I do with all the time...?

9 days... no work... :) YAY! I'm very happy to have all next week off from work! I'm hoping this weekend the weather stays nice... although, tonight was too cold for me! Although, that's my fault for not remembering to wear a better jacket/coat...

Tomorrow's TBall game will probably be COLD, too... :( I need to find my beanie cap!

New Gmail

I have to say, I'm loving the new and improved Gmail (more than I'm loving the new, "improved" Facebook that they FORCED everyone to use)! They now have color themes you can pick from and some of them are REALLY cute!

In other news, today at work we had a Thanksgiving Potluck for all the faculty and staff... of course there was WAY too much food to choose from...! We had about 4 and a half long tables full of food...! One whole table was desserts.... and that's just not easy at all for ANYONE! I made my Extra Special Banana Pudding (the recipe I got from Amy, Damian's sis)... it's SO GOOD... it's layered crushed shortbread cookies, sliced bananas, and a "filling" (which is a mix of instant vanilla pudding, milk, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and cool whip)... then you top it with melted chocolate drizzled over the top... I have to take about 8 copies of the recipe tomorrow for people that loved it... I didn't even take the leftovers home... the nurse took it! lol

Tomorrow is the last day of school for a WHOLE WEEK! I'm SUPER psyched about that... I'm hoping I can get some more Xmas shopping done next week on Monday and Tuesday... and I need to get a good amount of housework done before Rob, Kathy, and Conner come to town for Thanksgiving... I also need to call up my aunt and see if she'd like me to make yeast rolls for Thanksgiving day or not. Okay, well... I'm going to go back to my relaxation... maybe I'll watch Juno...! Until next time...

Tchuss!

MAN!

Today is my second Monday this week! :( DRAT! And to top it off... I have an ARD meeting this afternoon.

I'm going to need a bubble bath tonight... and quite possibly a nice, cold glass of beer. I'll try and post more later... but unfortunately, I'm thinking I will really come home and take a nap and then eat dinner and go to bed!

YAY!

I'm officially starting my day off!!! :) We get the day off for Veterans' Day tomorrow... but I'm totally starting today... I think I may still try to go get my haircut (because I really need to)... tomorrow I'm going to visit Naomi and Ms. Cora (whom I haven't met yet... and I'm super excited to!)... then I'll come home and possibly run to the grocery store (or Walmart) to stock up on frozen food, lunch stuff, and various other things... :)

REMEMBER THE VETERANS!

Way too soon!

JEEZ! Our country is Xmas crazy! Well, at least San Antonians are...! Do you know one of our radio stations is ALREADY playing Xmas music?!?! AND, downtown by LaVillita there is already Xmas garland and big red bows decorating the walls on Alamo St.?

I'm sorry... but Xmas is like, 2 months away practically... it's a little too soon to be celebrating with song and decoration! On the flip side... it's NOT too soon to shop... especially if you live by the Forum shopping center and that's your primary hot spot to Xmas shop.... it's going to be a MAD house this year there b/c they've changed a lot of the lanes for turning and traffic issues... and at the main entrance at the highway/bridge they have put a light in!!! That's really going to cause a lot of issues... I'm glad that I know alternative entrances/exits to get in and out of the shopping area... but I really plan on doing a bulk of my Xmas shopping via internet to avoid all that mess!

HAPPY EASTER!

Just wanted to send a HAPPY EASTER out to everyone that happens by my blog. I hope that you have a good day... and if you're in my neck of the woods, I hope it doesn't get too rainy... (incidentally, when I was little I was convinced that the sun had to shine on Sundays... because sun was in the name of the day for a reason... R D RR!)

Bah! Humbug!

Actually today was pretty good. I saw a lot of the kids that I used to see when I subbed for the math teacher quite a bit last year... and I got some candy (most of which I couldn't even eat b/c of weight watchers... but it's the thought that counts!) I got a card from my parents that was sitting in a place I'd see it as I was getting ready this morning... it was nice. Now I fully intend on resting... and then I'll be subbing again tomorrow for band at Harris... woohoo... thank goodness things went smoothly today, I hope tomorrow's a repeat! Happy V-day to those who care!

Holidays Wrap-up!

Yeah, you like that pun, don't you??? :-) I had a pretty jam-packed holiday season this year! I didn't mention it in my last blog, but the day before that I had actually attended a viewing for my Uncle Gene's (not blood related unlce... uncle by marriage) mom... She wasn't my Oma, but I've known her all my life, so she may as well have been. She had battled cancer, and various other health problems, so her passing was not sad as it relieved her of a lot of pain. We were unfortunately unable to attend the funeral Saturday morning (22nd) because Rob, Kathy, and Conner were on their way into town that day. I wish I had been able to make it considering my cousing Craig (Oma's grandson) delivered the eulogy. He is currently in school at TX State and will be attending seminary in the next year... we are all very proud of him and he has a faith I never knew possible.

Now, I know it probably seems like the holidays would be sad and upsetting... and they were sort of... but not because of Oma's passing. Sunday (the 23rd) we were supposed to have everyone on my Dad's side over to the house for gift exchange. Well, Saturday morning we got a call from my aunt saying that my Grandma (who lives in an add on to my aunt's house) was feeling very sick. My Grandma has had several health problems in the last 4 years... which all started with a heart attack... since then she's had stints put in her heart... and been on various medications to help her heart work. She has begun to have more bad days than good... especially in the last year. She averages at least one bladder infection a month (not too unusual for her anyway... she's always had problems with her bladder) which is very hard on her considering she's not as easily mobile as she once was. When we found out she wasn't feeling well we were (of course) concerned... although it doesn't help that she said she felt like she was dying. Well, so we changed plans and decided to take Christmas to her... by Sunday she had figured out that the problem was another bladder infection... a bad one, at that. She's doing much better now, thankfully! We had a very pleasant Christmas with my Dad's side...! I got a lot of neat gifts... an AWESOME cookbook from my Grandma (I LOVE to cook and bake!) and a cozy blanket... from my aunt I got some spiffy froggy houseslippers that I totally plan on saving for my classroom (that I will eventually have) as it's difficult to be on your feet in dress shoes all day 5 days a week... so, slippers are worn in the classroom to give the dogs a rest ;) My cousins got me some Hershey's Pot of Gold chocolates and a neat digital picture wallet card. My uncle got me a book about cats and why they do what they do (because he's convinced my cat is crazy... or possessed...) and some cash... which I eventually used at Lane Bryant and on a new handbag from JC Penney's!

The next couple days were busy... Christmas Eve we had church service in the evening... it was nice (aside from Silent Night, Holy Night... which I no longer like due to it being played at my Grandpa's funeral when I was in 6th grade). I exchanged gifts with Daughn and Jamey at church that night. Daughn and them got me a willow tree person holding a kitty and also a beautiful Christmas angel...! Jamey got me some WONDERFUL lotions from Bath and Body Works! It was nice to visit with them... and I actually hope to see Jamey in the near future... hopefully at the gym tomorrow night if she doesn't flake out on me!

Christmas day was SO WONDERFUL! It was Conner's first so we were very excited about that... we opened presents with all of us first (because Conner decided to take a nap) and I got some neat stuff from my parents and Rob/Kathy... From my parents I got: a reed diffuser (pear scent), some new earrings, a new watch, a BUNCH of Halloween decorations (it's my favorite holiday), a new wallet, a willow tree ornament of the one holding the kitty, and a couple new shirts (one dress, one casual). Rob and Kathy also got me a reed diffuser.. it's in a really neat vase thing, tho... and the scent is more like incense... it's lavender and mint. Then we opened Conner's gifts once he woke up... he got lots of clothes and books... and a cool toy that his Aunt Kelsie got him (a Baby Einstein toy... teaches them colors while playing music and doing a light show... he LOVES the music!). Later in the evening (around 5:30) my Mom's side came over. They told us how well Oma's funeral service had gone... and then each took turns passing Conner around visiting with him. I got a Macy's gift card from them... I used it to FINALLY get my cross necklace. I had one before.... however it was gold... and it wasn't good quality as it broke. This was back in middle school!!! I've been without a nice cross necklace for far too long... I was excited to finally find one... and it was 50% off! I haven't taken it off (minus showers) since I got it Monday!

Rob, Kathy, and Conner left the day after Christmas... and then the next day my Mom woke up with a terrible upper respiratory PLAGUE (j/k... but it was pretty bad)! The 27th Mozart went for her post-op follow up at the vet... she did WONDERFULLY... after this I came home and packed as I was going to Austin for the rest of the week/weekend to visit with and celebrate Xmas with friends. We mostly were catching up one of aforementioned friends on some televison... as well as eating at some places we frequent together (Rounders Pizzeria on 6th St... AWESOME Garlic Knots... AND went to eat Indian food! YUM!). It was nice to visit with them... I now own The Office seasons 1-3 (woohoo!) and I have Reno911 Season 4 and Buffy Season 1... Ricky (one of my very best friends) is convinced I'll love Buffy... I'm skeptical... but will give it a try. We got back to San Antone on the 30th... at which point I took it easy... the 31st I celebrated bringing in the New Year with Daughn and Damian... and Deena and Jon... and then went back to Daughn/Damians on New Year's night to watch the Sugar Bowl!

I forwarned that my holiday break was jam-packed... and I didn't lie at all...! If you made it to the end and actually read everything... I'm VERY impressed! lol I hope everyone else had equally as wonderful a holiday celebration!

Good Weekend

Well, this weekend turned out to be really great despite the way it started. Friday morning, bright and early, I got up and got ready to take Mozart to the vet for her surgery. I was quite worried in the back of my head, knowing that she has had allergic reactions at the vet before... so I really was worried! I got her to the vet, and had her in her carrier... she was VERY quiet... which is a first for her because she normally is very vocal (and even with a cat sitting within 5 feet of her she wasn't making a PEEP)! When I called and made the appointment for her surgery 2 weeks ago, the only thing the lady told me was to take her food and water away at midnight the night before the surgery. After I let her know about the allergic reaction she had she came around to get her from me and said I could pick her up in the morning. WHAT?!?! I was under the impression I'd get to pick her up that afternoon... that's how it was when we took the family cat (Boco) a few years ago... so I was shocked. I asked when I could call to inquire about how she did... the lady told me after 11am.

I got home and I just cried. I was worried, and I was terribly sad that I wasn't going to get her back that day. Not to mention, we were heading to Spring the next day and the lady told me I could pick her up sometime before noon (very vague) and I knew that I might end up staying behind if it ended up being a late pick up time b/c they'd have to be at Rob and Kathy's by a certain time. Anyhow... I cried for a long time that morning... seriously close to a couple hours... and then I called over to the vet about a quarter to noon. I was told she did fine and that I could most likely pick up my baby around 9am.

Everything worked out great as far as picking her up went (although, I didn't quite like the vet bill and it's considerable inflation due to keeping pets overnight after such procedures (it went up nearly 50%!)...but I suppose it was worth it... she got some rest that way. She stayed kenneled in my brother's garage Saturday... and did GREAT!

Saturday we had a GREAT day visiting with the family... and it was SO MUCH FUN to babysit Conner that night while his mommy and daddy went to their Christmas party! He did great... we gave him his bottle after changing him into his night clothes... and I got to give him his bottle and burp him... and then got to rock him while his grandma read him a couple stories before bedtime. We put him to bed, and he was out in about 30 minutes... and slept until 7:30ish! After we got home yesterday I went over to Daughn/Damian's to watch the Survivor finale... and it was good to see the two of them... I hadn't seen them in a few days!

This week not much is going on... not many teachers are taking off with it being the last week before 2 weeks off... so I plan on finishing cleaning the house with my mom (everyone on my dad's side is coming over Saturday for gift exchange) and finishing up the last bit of shopping and wrapping presents. I also need to get a few cards in the mail. Other than that... not much is going on! I hope everyone is having a GREAT week!