My body's New Year's present to me was an ear infection, or two, or just plain ear pain. I don't really know. Why not go to the doctor you ask? Well, I did and to call him a Quack is a bit of a compliment.
Let me start by saying that I wasn't one of those kids that got ear infections all the time. In fact, I never had an ear infection until I was 25 years old. I'm not exactly sure what caused it then but I had just moved to Houston and hadn't splurged on Cobra so I was essentially uninsured.
Having never had an ear infection before, I could only assume that having some ear pain, a clogged ear, and eventually hearing loss was just that. I tried some home remedies at first but nothing was cutting it. So after the pain escalated to losing the ability to chew and waking up every 30 minutes from pain, I decided to suck it up. A doctor's visit and antibiotics weren't exactly going to break the bank. Away I went.
After a week of antibiotics, the ear infection was gone. However, to my dismay, this would be the beginning of constant ear problems. What I am about to say is going to sound like I am exaggerating. I assure you, I am not. Since that ear infection 3 1/2 years ago, my ears have itched me. Not every few weeks I notice my ears are a little itchy. No. This is every day all day for 3 1/2 years my ears have been in a constant state of itchiness. The fact that I haven't been locked up in an insane asylum yet speaks to my mental stability--although a lot of my other personality traits may hint otherwise.
So in these 3 1/2 years, I have stuck just about everything that I could fit and scratch with into my ear. DON'T JUDGE! A) I know you're not supposed to stick anything smaller than your elbow into your ear for it's own health. B) I know and recognize how gross that sounds. But the truth is, if you dealt with what I've dealt with over all this time, you too would resort to these actions.
During this time, I have twice been to an ENT because whatever I stuck in my ear pushed the ear wax too far and I ended up with a clogged ear. Both times, removing the wax was painless both to my ear and as a process.
But whatever happened two weeks ago was not painless. It seemed that I woke up on New Year's Day with a double ear infection. I was in terrible pain. Unsure of what to do and since these came out of nowhere, I again tried to home medicate. This attempt only lasted about a day. I was soon on the phone with a GP that I've gone to a few times. They were able to get me in the next morning.
The next day I saw the doctor. He walked into the room and asked me about my ears. I told him that I had been in a lot of pain for about two days. Then he took a look.
Again, no exaggeration, his exact words: "Did anyone tell you you have narrow ear canals?"
Nope.
"I can't see anything you're ears are too swollen."
What's up, Captain Obvious? Did you miss the part where I told you that I was here for ear issues. Of course, they're swollen. I could have read about that on WebMD. What are you going to do about it??
So he proceded to fumble around and didn't know what to do. I finally jumped off the seat and showed him the antibiotics that I had been prescribed all those years ago for the original ear infection. He grumbled "Okay" and scribbled down a prescription.
I asked him if there was anything he could do for the pain. Now mind you, I was there for an ear infection. The night before I was up the entire night in excruciating pain. He looked at me as if I was some low-life drug seeker. He asked if I had taken anything. When I told him that 3 Advils weren't cutting it, he "prescribed" Extra Strength Tylenol. Thanks. That was helpful.
Then I asked him if there was anything he could tell me to do about my itchy ears. He looked at me like I had two heads, threw his arms up, and told me "No, there's nothing I could do."
Whaaaaa? Talk about thanks for nothing.
So, I left in frustration and headed to the CVS that was literally at the end of the block. I've never been to CVS before. Pretty much as long as I can remember, I have gotten my prescriptions from Walgreens. Unfortunately, they no longer accept my insurance. I was already pretty upset about this prior to this trip to CVS.
I headed to the back of the CVS and handed the Tech my newly written prescription. He asked me for some identifying information to which I quickly told him that I had never been to CVS before and wouldn't be in the computer. Take it from someone that has worked in customer service a long time, this was an invitation for the Tech to show me that I should have been going to CVS this whole time and to make me forget all about Walgreens.
Instead, what I got was ::CLICK::CLICK::CLICK:: on his computer. He walked away. He came back. He walked away again. He came back. He showed the Pharmacist the script but she was on the phone. He walked away again. He came back. All the while, never saying a single word to me about what he was doing.
Finally, they both looked at me and said "We don't have this."
Great. Just my luck.
Well, I was headed in the direction of home and there's a Walgreens around the corner from my house. I walked up to the counter and handed the Tech my script. She immediately picked up the phone and said to me, "We have to call the doctor. He didn't write what he was prescribing. He just wrote the instructions."
So this is how Walgreens helped me determine that the doctor was a Quack and how the CVS I went to had only morons on duty that day.
And those were my misadventures with two ear infections, a doctor, and a pharmacist. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke... It sure felt that way.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Dear Me, Happy New Year, and Other News
Well, it's been almost a month since my last post. Let's just say that I took December off. Holidays, in-laws, hosting. It can be a rather stressful month and honestly, I didn't think I had anything interesting to say.
Had I started this blog last year. I could have written quite the piece about my mother-in-law. But this year, after 10 years of not getting along, we seem to finally be okay. Of course, I have fallen for this before so there could be something to write at some point this year. You just never know with her. One day, I'll have to post my infamous email I sent her. For those of you that have issues with MILs, I am certain you will enjoy it. For those of you who don't, you'll probably think I'm an evil bitch. You win some, you lose some. But that's for another day.
One interesting thing that I did over the last couple weeks was I wrote a letter to my 16-year-old self. A friend in New Jersey has a daughter that is turning 16 tomorrow. While searching for a gift for her, I came across a book, Dear Me: A Letter to My 16-Year-Old Self. I bought it for her and flipped through it a little. It's a really great read. A bunch of celebrities (some I know and others I didn't) wrote letters to themselves at that age. Some were funny. Others were serious. But either way, I think they had a lot to say about what 16-year-olds think are so tragically important and how much these things really aren't in the grand scheme of things. So I decided to write my letter and stick it in the book for her. I hope I had some wise words of wisdom, or at least made her smile a little. Here it is:
1. You’re currently obsessed with Mariah Carey and have been for nearly 10 years.
2. You live & breathe for the NY Giants.
3. You’ve “recently” (about 2 years ago) become obsessed with Matchbox Twenty & Rob Thomas.
4. Your favorite shows are Friends & Seinfeld.
5. You have a huge crush on Leonardo DiCaprio.
6. Your close friends include R***, C**, K***, P****, N****, J**, and J***.
1. Start thinking about college. You’re guidance counselor at school stinks and won’t be very helpful, and your parents just don’t know much about it because they didn’t do it. I know you don’t have the internet at home but take a walk over to the library and do some research on your own. Or at least take some time at Daddy’s this weekend and look it up on his computer. Next year (junior year), you should start looking at colleges. No decisions need to be made yet but this will help you make the decision when it’s time.
2. That guy you started dating last November, well, he’ll make you cry a lot over the next couple of years. It’s okay though. It helps make you the person you become. I don’t want to ruin the surprise or anything, but in a little over a year you’ll meet the man you’ll marry.
3. Don’t worry about making mistakes. You’re a bit of a perfectionist mostly because you don’t want to let your parents down. It’s okay to make some mistakes. Not big ones—like ones that will land you a Lifetime Original or an NBC Monday Night movie. But some are okay. You put too much pressure on yourself.
4. You do this already, but I’d like to stress this. Have a lot of fun. You’re 16. Act like it. The memories you’re creating with your friends will last a lifetime. Enjoy every second of living so close to them. It won’t be long before many of you are in different parts of the country.
Spoiler alert: No matter how much you love NJ, you’re one of the ones that leave. It’s okay but take full advantage of everything NJ has to offer—even being just a train ride away from the greatest city in the world. One day you will meet a lot of people who have never been to NYC but “always wanted to go.”
5. Save some money. You’re spoiled and for birthdays, Christmas, and graduations, you get a lot of money. Don’t blow it all. At the very least, take half and put it in a savings account. Don’t touch it. You may need it while in college or even further down the road.
6. And most importantly, know that you’re beautiful. You’re about to embark on a rather awkward stage. You’ll come out the other end, a bit of a knockout FYI. But without me telling you this, you won’t know it. You’re self image isn’t terrible but it isn’t as good as it should be. Stop comparing yourself to others around you and stop letting boys’ “disinterest” in you dictate how you feel about yourself. Even just 12 short years from now, you’ll work pretty hard to try to get that teenage body back. Appreciate it while you have it.
Had I started this blog last year. I could have written quite the piece about my mother-in-law. But this year, after 10 years of not getting along, we seem to finally be okay. Of course, I have fallen for this before so there could be something to write at some point this year. You just never know with her. One day, I'll have to post my infamous email I sent her. For those of you that have issues with MILs, I am certain you will enjoy it. For those of you who don't, you'll probably think I'm an evil bitch. You win some, you lose some. But that's for another day.
One interesting thing that I did over the last couple weeks was I wrote a letter to my 16-year-old self. A friend in New Jersey has a daughter that is turning 16 tomorrow. While searching for a gift for her, I came across a book, Dear Me: A Letter to My 16-Year-Old Self. I bought it for her and flipped through it a little. It's a really great read. A bunch of celebrities (some I know and others I didn't) wrote letters to themselves at that age. Some were funny. Others were serious. But either way, I think they had a lot to say about what 16-year-olds think are so tragically important and how much these things really aren't in the grand scheme of things. So I decided to write my letter and stick it in the book for her. I hope I had some wise words of wisdom, or at least made her smile a little. Here it is:
Dear 16-year-old Me,
A few of things:
1. You’re currently obsessed with Mariah Carey and have been for nearly 10 years.
2. You live & breathe for the NY Giants.
3. You’ve “recently” (about 2 years ago) become obsessed with Matchbox Twenty & Rob Thomas.
4. Your favorite shows are Friends & Seinfeld.
5. You have a huge crush on Leonardo DiCaprio.
6. Your close friends include R***, C**, K***, P****, N****, J**, and J***.
These things don’t really change much in the next 12 years. I’m glad you had such good taste at 16.
Some advice I would give you:
1. Start thinking about college. You’re guidance counselor at school stinks and won’t be very helpful, and your parents just don’t know much about it because they didn’t do it. I know you don’t have the internet at home but take a walk over to the library and do some research on your own. Or at least take some time at Daddy’s this weekend and look it up on his computer. Next year (junior year), you should start looking at colleges. No decisions need to be made yet but this will help you make the decision when it’s time.
2. That guy you started dating last November, well, he’ll make you cry a lot over the next couple of years. It’s okay though. It helps make you the person you become. I don’t want to ruin the surprise or anything, but in a little over a year you’ll meet the man you’ll marry.
3. Don’t worry about making mistakes. You’re a bit of a perfectionist mostly because you don’t want to let your parents down. It’s okay to make some mistakes. Not big ones—like ones that will land you a Lifetime Original or an NBC Monday Night movie. But some are okay. You put too much pressure on yourself.
4. You do this already, but I’d like to stress this. Have a lot of fun. You’re 16. Act like it. The memories you’re creating with your friends will last a lifetime. Enjoy every second of living so close to them. It won’t be long before many of you are in different parts of the country.
Spoiler alert: No matter how much you love NJ, you’re one of the ones that leave. It’s okay but take full advantage of everything NJ has to offer—even being just a train ride away from the greatest city in the world. One day you will meet a lot of people who have never been to NYC but “always wanted to go.”
5. Save some money. You’re spoiled and for birthdays, Christmas, and graduations, you get a lot of money. Don’t blow it all. At the very least, take half and put it in a savings account. Don’t touch it. You may need it while in college or even further down the road.
6. And most importantly, know that you’re beautiful. You’re about to embark on a rather awkward stage. You’ll come out the other end, a bit of a knockout FYI. But without me telling you this, you won’t know it. You’re self image isn’t terrible but it isn’t as good as it should be. Stop comparing yourself to others around you and stop letting boys’ “disinterest” in you dictate how you feel about yourself. Even just 12 short years from now, you’ll work pretty hard to try to get that teenage body back. Appreciate it while you have it.
Now you know what I know.
xoxo,
28-year-old Me
I won’t sign my current last name so that I don’t give anything away
PS. Apple Computers and Google. Invest some of that saved money in these. Seriously.
I encourage you to do the same and write a letter. It was fun. I even sent it to the website and it's posted on there. They titled it "Obsessed with Rob Thomas" which is funny because if you know me, my title is more "Obsessed with Mariah Carey". But since Rob Thomas did write a letter in the book, who knows, maybe he'll somehow read the entry.
Other updates:
I've become obsessed with Revenge (the show, not the act).
We saw the Music Box Theater's Christmas show, Fruitcakes! and it was fabulous! This is the second show we've seen of theirs and they did not disappoint. If you're in Houston and haven't seen them, I highly recommend going to a show.
My in-laws came and went for Christmas and my dad is here now.
The Houston Texans are in the playoffs--which is very exciting for the city and their fans as it is their first time in franchise history.
And most importantly, the NY Giants won the division when everyone picked them to be at the bottom. GO BIG BLUE! Rooting for a run like in '07 :)
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and here's to a great 2012!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
My Big Mistake and How Zooey Deschanel Saved Me
I really blew it last weekend.
Here's the thing. I'm never going to tell you a story about how I fought with someone and how it was all their fault and how I was completely blameless. The truth is I have a big mouth. Even if I hadn't started the fight, I want to finish it. And even when I don't want to finish it, I've certainly said something to continue it.
I guess last Saturday I wanted to fight.
First I got up early and decided to go Christmas shopping. I kissed Hubby good-bye at 9 AM while he was still in bed. He asked when I would be home and I told him that I would be home for lunch. I went on my merry way and knocked out some serious Christmas shopping. Just after 1 PM, I headed back to my car and started to head home. At 1:23 PM, I noticed that I missed a call from Hubby at 1:14 PM. I thought, "Oh, he must be getting hungry. I'll call him real quick and let him know that I'm on my way home." When he answered, I could hear a lot of noise in the background. When I asked where he was, he told me that he went out for lunch because he was tired of waiting for me. Tired of waiting for me? It took me nine minutes to call him back. Well, I was pretty pissed and I ended up hanging up on him (I'm also not the most mature fighter).
My issue with that was that he didn't call me at 1:14 to see where I was. He called me to tell me he was going out to lunch even though I told him I'd be home for it. He doesn't think about how I'm not telepathic and didn't know that he'd been hungry for an hour beforehand. I thought it was rather selfish that he called and then ran out the door.
I sat around waiting for him for a couple of hours while he ran errands. I confronted him when he came home. And, no, this is not the part of the story that is referring to when I really screwed up. I stand by my reaction to him doing that. He tried to blame it on a "miscommunication". No, I communicated accurately that I would be home for lunch. He chose to ignore that and went to lunch when he got hungry.
This was a little thing. We talked about it and it went away (sort of).
We picked out a Christmas tree that evening but Hubby wasn't in the mood to decorate it. So we put it up and plopped ourselves down on the couch. After a couple of hours, we decided to go out to dinner.
We went to a restaurant that had a special strawberry rum drink on their menu. I ordered one. Please note: I do not drink that often, so my tolerance is low.
I started drinking and it was delicious. I offered Hubby a sip and he was stunned by how strong it was. Immediate issue: I hadn't noticed. I sucked down my drink and was definitely feeling it when we left.
In the car ride home, I started harping on him about how he buys my Christmas gifts a year late. I guess you'll need a little back story for this. Here it goes:
Here's the thing. I'm never going to tell you a story about how I fought with someone and how it was all their fault and how I was completely blameless. The truth is I have a big mouth. Even if I hadn't started the fight, I want to finish it. And even when I don't want to finish it, I've certainly said something to continue it.
I guess last Saturday I wanted to fight.
First I got up early and decided to go Christmas shopping. I kissed Hubby good-bye at 9 AM while he was still in bed. He asked when I would be home and I told him that I would be home for lunch. I went on my merry way and knocked out some serious Christmas shopping. Just after 1 PM, I headed back to my car and started to head home. At 1:23 PM, I noticed that I missed a call from Hubby at 1:14 PM. I thought, "Oh, he must be getting hungry. I'll call him real quick and let him know that I'm on my way home." When he answered, I could hear a lot of noise in the background. When I asked where he was, he told me that he went out for lunch because he was tired of waiting for me. Tired of waiting for me? It took me nine minutes to call him back. Well, I was pretty pissed and I ended up hanging up on him (I'm also not the most mature fighter).
My issue with that was that he didn't call me at 1:14 to see where I was. He called me to tell me he was going out to lunch even though I told him I'd be home for it. He doesn't think about how I'm not telepathic and didn't know that he'd been hungry for an hour beforehand. I thought it was rather selfish that he called and then ran out the door.
I sat around waiting for him for a couple of hours while he ran errands. I confronted him when he came home. And, no, this is not the part of the story that is referring to when I really screwed up. I stand by my reaction to him doing that. He tried to blame it on a "miscommunication". No, I communicated accurately that I would be home for lunch. He chose to ignore that and went to lunch when he got hungry.
This was a little thing. We talked about it and it went away (sort of).
We picked out a Christmas tree that evening but Hubby wasn't in the mood to decorate it. So we put it up and plopped ourselves down on the couch. After a couple of hours, we decided to go out to dinner.
We went to a restaurant that had a special strawberry rum drink on their menu. I ordered one. Please note: I do not drink that often, so my tolerance is low.
I started drinking and it was delicious. I offered Hubby a sip and he was stunned by how strong it was. Immediate issue: I hadn't noticed. I sucked down my drink and was definitely feeling it when we left.
In the car ride home, I started harping on him about how he buys my Christmas gifts a year late. I guess you'll need a little back story for this. Here it goes:
When I first moved to Houston in the fall of 2008, we were not going to have a TV in the bedroom. This would be the first time since I was about five that I didn't have a TV in my bedroom. I had made comments about it when I originally moved, but I got over it pretty fast. We lived in a little apartment and now that I had someone to go to bed with, it really didn't seem necessary. For Christmas 2009, I really wanted a DSLR camera. Like, really badly. Hubby had asked what I wanted for Christmas and this is a direct quote of how I responded, "I really want a camera. Please don't get me anything other than a camera. All I want is a camera. It's going to be expensive so please don't get me anything other than a camera." That Christmas there was a box, about the size of a camera under the tree. I was excited for days leading up to it so that I could open my camera. When I opened it, it was a TV remote. He had bought me a TV for Christmas. Well, I was certainly surprised....
Last year, I had asked Hubby to get me a really nice standing jewelry box. I wanted the kind that was like a piece of furniture. But, after talking about how much money we had spent already for the season, we decided that that was going to be too expensive. So he didn't get one for me. Although, I have to say, once he started spending, he definitely spent that kind of money on me. Anyway, I received a gift from my mother a few days ago. She does everything early. It was a jewelry box. When I called her to thank her, she said 'A little birdie told me that you wanted that.' I laughed because that was last year.
I know. I know. I sound super materialistic with this sidebar, but please realize that I'm not a stereotypical woman. I do not drop hints at what I want and then act disappointed when I don't get what I want. He always says that it's so hard to buy me presents--FYI that's ridiculous. Spend five minutes in a mall and anyone that has ever met me can spend about $100 that quickly. I'm super easy to buy for. So to help him out, I tell him what I want. He doesn't get it and then he complains about how hard I am to shop for. I couldn't imagine how he would have handled being with one of those women that just hint at things and expect their husband to be a mind reader.
End of sidebar.
So back to last Saturday. We were in the car on our way home. I was drunk from one drink. I started harping on Hubby about how my presents are always a year late. He says something like "See why I get stressed out about what to get you." Then I start yelling that it's not hard to get me presents because I tell him what to get me, but he makes it impossible.
Then I want yogurt so I make him stop. But he doesn't want yogurt so he pouts about it. I don't want to sit with him pouting so I yell in the parking lot to get back in the car. And then this is where I really blew it (trust me, I was not at my finest in the moments leading up to this but it gets worse).
I start yelling at him in the car that I'm sick of not telling him things because it will damage his sensitive ego. I screamed about all the things that bother me that I never talk about. I yelled about his Christmas decorations, I yelled about issues in the bedroom, I yelled about assorted little things that I had been keeping to myself for a reason. Individually, hearing each one probably wouldn't have been so bad. But hearing all of them at once. I don't know if there's a word strong enough to describe how mean I was, and Bitch certainly isn't going to cut it.
We got home and Hubby remained calm. He parked himself in front of the TV and I lost it again. I was screaming for him to get out of my face (in my defense--the little that I can make for this case--I wanted him to leave the room not the house). I continued yelling until he left.
Pretty much as soon as I heard the door close behind him, I thought, "What just happened?"
I waited a little while and then I got in my car and went to the pool hall he usually goes to. He wasn't there. I called him. I said "I'm sorry." He said that he went for a drive. I waited, not patiently, for him to get home. I apologized again when he got home. I really felt terrible. I don't often apologize, sometimes even when I know I'm wrong. But this was worse than just wrong.
Things weren't right with us for a few days. We were speaking but it wasn't right. I felt awful every day until it was. He's not easy to make a nice gesture for to fix everything. He's not a big eater so I couldn't make him a dinner to come home to. I thought about maybe making spicing it up in the bedroom but even that I knew couldn't fix anything. As upset as he was, it was very likely I would have been rejected and I just couldn't handle that.
On a lighter note, he did come around Tuesday night after we watched New Girl. Zooey Deschanel is his major celebrity crush. I finally heard him start to laugh while we watched the episode, and then when it was over, he asked, "Do we still have that Conan she was on last week?" So we watched that. After that much Zooey, he was over it. He was back to his normal self, chewing my ear off as we got ready for bed and as we laid in bed trying to go to sleep. So now I know. When having a major fight with Hubby, always have a Zooey show/movie on hand. I think I'm going to run out and buy (500) Days of Summer.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Back from NJ
The following is an accurate list of every city/town I made it to while on my trip to NJ from November 19 at about 1 PM EST to November 26 at 9 AM EST:
Newark - Plainfield - Madison - Cranford - Metuchen - Plainfield - Chatham - Summit - Chatham - Metuchen - Plainfield - Brooklyn - Clark - Cranford - East Rutherford - Plainfield - Fanwood - Union - Newark - Scotch Plains - Asbury Park - Scotch Plains - Plainfield - Manhattan - Fords - Cranford - Roselle Park - Cranford - Kenilworth - Cranford - Old Bridge - Garwood - Plainfield - Westfield - Cranford - Garwood - Piscataway - Matawan - Sayreville - Clark - Cranford - Newark
It was crazy but it was a blast. I miss NJ so much. I knew this would happen. I knew that if I went home for an extended period of time that my homesickness would come back with a vengeance.
Other than missing being a heartbeat away from the greatest city in the world and the 'burbs I once knew like the back of my hand, this trip made me genuinely miss the support system I had there. And this is going to blow you away, I'm including Hubby's side of the family with that statement.
I miss watching football on Sunday with my dad.
I miss having friends that I can just call on a whim and go shopping or go grab a bite to eat with them.
I miss monthly game nights with a group of friends that made me laugh until my stomach hurt.
I miss running into people I know or once knew while at the store. Although I do take full advantage of not having to worry about this here, and definitely run to the store in questionable attire/appearance.
I miss being there for life changing events in friends and family's lives. I have one friend that is engaged and two that are pregnant. I want to be there for these moments, and not just the big ones. I want to be there for all the little steps along the way.
So we have a big beautiful house here. Trust me, it's big and beautiful. Something that I could have never imagined owning in NJ. But is it worth giving all that up?
After over three years here, sometimes I still feel very alone.
And that's your Debbie Downer Thursday post.........
Newark - Plainfield - Madison - Cranford - Metuchen - Plainfield - Chatham - Summit - Chatham - Metuchen - Plainfield - Brooklyn - Clark - Cranford - East Rutherford - Plainfield - Fanwood - Union - Newark - Scotch Plains - Asbury Park - Scotch Plains - Plainfield - Manhattan - Fords - Cranford - Roselle Park - Cranford - Kenilworth - Cranford - Old Bridge - Garwood - Plainfield - Westfield - Cranford - Garwood - Piscataway - Matawan - Sayreville - Clark - Cranford - Newark
It was crazy but it was a blast. I miss NJ so much. I knew this would happen. I knew that if I went home for an extended period of time that my homesickness would come back with a vengeance.
Other than missing being a heartbeat away from the greatest city in the world and the 'burbs I once knew like the back of my hand, this trip made me genuinely miss the support system I had there. And this is going to blow you away, I'm including Hubby's side of the family with that statement.
I miss watching football on Sunday with my dad.
I miss having friends that I can just call on a whim and go shopping or go grab a bite to eat with them.
I miss monthly game nights with a group of friends that made me laugh until my stomach hurt.
I miss running into people I know or once knew while at the store. Although I do take full advantage of not having to worry about this here, and definitely run to the store in questionable attire/appearance.
I miss being there for life changing events in friends and family's lives. I have one friend that is engaged and two that are pregnant. I want to be there for these moments, and not just the big ones. I want to be there for all the little steps along the way.
So we have a big beautiful house here. Trust me, it's big and beautiful. Something that I could have never imagined owning in NJ. But is it worth giving all that up?
After over three years here, sometimes I still feel very alone.
And that's your Debbie Downer Thursday post.........
Friday, November 18, 2011
Heading Home for the Holiday
We're going to NJ tomorrow!!!
This will of course lead to an inevitable, "I'm homesick" post once we get back.
My head is already spinning. We basically have plans for nearly every minute of every day we're in NJ. We'll be there for a week.
I've been working hard to lose weight and have even lost some (and by some, I mean something worth bragging about). I'm trying my best to go into this with the right state of mind. Yes, I may gain some weight. It's okay. If I don't say that, it's a slippery slope from there. It's okay if I gain some weight. I will be sure to make the best decisions I can while I'm away.
FYI, I fully intend to OD on bread, sandwiches, and pizza. Can you figure out why I already know that I'll gain some weight?
Anyway, I'm super excited to be going home for the holiday. I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since 2008--that's pretty wild for someone that never strayed too far from home until 2008.
I'm super nervous because I have a really terrible relationship with my MIL. In fact, I'm so nervous about how that will go over the next week (and then the month after that because she doesn't tend to let you know that she's upset and if she does it's not for weeks after), I just threw up in my mouth a little. Awesome. My MIL stories are for another time, and there are plenty. Let's just say that one of the last Thanksgivings I spent with her she told my mother that I was a bitch and everyone that would listen that Hubby (then boyfriend) and I should see other people. Did I mention Awesome?
So I'm sure I'll come back with lots of juicy stories. I'll even try to write while I'm away. Although, I'm not making any promises. I typically only write once a week as it is.
Wish me luck and if I'm not back before Thanksgiving, Happy Turkey Day, GOBBLE GOBBLE!
This will of course lead to an inevitable, "I'm homesick" post once we get back.
My head is already spinning. We basically have plans for nearly every minute of every day we're in NJ. We'll be there for a week.
I've been working hard to lose weight and have even lost some (and by some, I mean something worth bragging about). I'm trying my best to go into this with the right state of mind. Yes, I may gain some weight. It's okay. If I don't say that, it's a slippery slope from there. It's okay if I gain some weight. I will be sure to make the best decisions I can while I'm away.
FYI, I fully intend to OD on bread, sandwiches, and pizza. Can you figure out why I already know that I'll gain some weight?
Anyway, I'm super excited to be going home for the holiday. I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since 2008--that's pretty wild for someone that never strayed too far from home until 2008.
I'm super nervous because I have a really terrible relationship with my MIL. In fact, I'm so nervous about how that will go over the next week (and then the month after that because she doesn't tend to let you know that she's upset and if she does it's not for weeks after), I just threw up in my mouth a little. Awesome. My MIL stories are for another time, and there are plenty. Let's just say that one of the last Thanksgivings I spent with her she told my mother that I was a bitch and everyone that would listen that Hubby (then boyfriend) and I should see other people. Did I mention Awesome?
So I'm sure I'll come back with lots of juicy stories. I'll even try to write while I'm away. Although, I'm not making any promises. I typically only write once a week as it is.
Wish me luck and if I'm not back before Thanksgiving, Happy Turkey Day, GOBBLE GOBBLE!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Can You Please Bring Dinner to My Party?
Have you ever been invited to someone's house and have them ask you to bring dinner?
No?
Well, as of this week, I have.
We have these friends that Hubby went to college with. They're a lovely couple except that they're low talkers and the husband is a bit of a know-it-all. Although, if you already know this about him, you sort of know what you're getting yourself into when hanging out with him and it's not that big of deal. My only other complaint is that the husband can be a little socially, umm, retarded.
I'll tell you though, he's an engineer. And as a woman who married an engineer and has A LOT of engineers walk in and out of her life, I am well aware that they can be a bit socially awkward. Luckily, Hubby is on the lesser end of the socially awkward spectrum, but he sure has his moments.
Well, this guy falls a little further on the spectrum. He's completely harmless and I get that. He's a little exhausting but I know plenty of people that I can say that for.
But then this week, he stole the cake.
He nicely invited us over to watch Hubby's college play a pretty big game that for a change was being nationally televised. I accepted for us and made the mistake of asking if we should bring anything.
Before I get to what we were asked, let me tell you this. This guy always makes very specific requests. Hubby and I typically get a good laugh out of it. One time, we asked this question and we were told to bring guacamole. Not, bring some dip or bring something to snack on before dinner. It was "Stop and pick up some guacamole." Again, let me be clear. He wasn't asking us to make some of my "famous guacamole that everyone just raves about" because a) that doesn't really exist--although I do make it and it is delicious and b) we received this request as we were walking out of the door.
So back to this time, I asked the question and his response was (paraphrased) "Wings would be nice. We're going to make that cheese dip that [Hubby] likes."
Umm, did he really just say "Bring dinner and we'll have one snack here that your husband likes but that you don't"? I was stunned. I was just asked to provide dinner for someone else's get together.
Something you should know about me. I love to host. And I mean LOVE it. Every reason there is to get everyone to my home, I will gladly do it. I always cook enough for an army (true) and my Hubby always has enough to drink for an army. I will have something of everything because my big [hosting] fear is that someone will leave my house hungry. People ask me if they can bring anything when the come over but they always already know the answer. No, I'll have plenty of food.
The funny part is that this guy NEVER has enough food to feed half the amount of people that are at his house. I guess his big [hosting] fear is to have leftovers. I had already planned to have dinner before we went over and when Hubby asked why, he quickly agreed when I told him there was no chance they'd have enough food.
But then, I got the request. "Can you please bring dinner to my party?" Nuts. Just nuts.
Well, as an awesome host and a spiteful person, I refused to bring it. I told him we were going to eat dinner before and I was just wondering if he wanted us to bring any game time snacks. I never heard back from him. I'm sure there were some words spoken about me behind my back. OH WELL. They aren't the first and they won't be the last.
No?
Well, as of this week, I have.
We have these friends that Hubby went to college with. They're a lovely couple except that they're low talkers and the husband is a bit of a know-it-all. Although, if you already know this about him, you sort of know what you're getting yourself into when hanging out with him and it's not that big of deal. My only other complaint is that the husband can be a little socially, umm, retarded.
I'll tell you though, he's an engineer. And as a woman who married an engineer and has A LOT of engineers walk in and out of her life, I am well aware that they can be a bit socially awkward. Luckily, Hubby is on the lesser end of the socially awkward spectrum, but he sure has his moments.
Well, this guy falls a little further on the spectrum. He's completely harmless and I get that. He's a little exhausting but I know plenty of people that I can say that for.
But then this week, he stole the cake.
He nicely invited us over to watch Hubby's college play a pretty big game that for a change was being nationally televised. I accepted for us and made the mistake of asking if we should bring anything.
Before I get to what we were asked, let me tell you this. This guy always makes very specific requests. Hubby and I typically get a good laugh out of it. One time, we asked this question and we were told to bring guacamole. Not, bring some dip or bring something to snack on before dinner. It was "Stop and pick up some guacamole." Again, let me be clear. He wasn't asking us to make some of my "famous guacamole that everyone just raves about" because a) that doesn't really exist--although I do make it and it is delicious and b) we received this request as we were walking out of the door.
So back to this time, I asked the question and his response was (paraphrased) "Wings would be nice. We're going to make that cheese dip that [Hubby] likes."
Umm, did he really just say "Bring dinner and we'll have one snack here that your husband likes but that you don't"? I was stunned. I was just asked to provide dinner for someone else's get together.
Something you should know about me. I love to host. And I mean LOVE it. Every reason there is to get everyone to my home, I will gladly do it. I always cook enough for an army (true) and my Hubby always has enough to drink for an army. I will have something of everything because my big [hosting] fear is that someone will leave my house hungry. People ask me if they can bring anything when the come over but they always already know the answer. No, I'll have plenty of food.
The funny part is that this guy NEVER has enough food to feed half the amount of people that are at his house. I guess his big [hosting] fear is to have leftovers. I had already planned to have dinner before we went over and when Hubby asked why, he quickly agreed when I told him there was no chance they'd have enough food.
But then, I got the request. "Can you please bring dinner to my party?" Nuts. Just nuts.
Well, as an awesome host and a spiteful person, I refused to bring it. I told him we were going to eat dinner before and I was just wondering if he wanted us to bring any game time snacks. I never heard back from him. I'm sure there were some words spoken about me behind my back. OH WELL. They aren't the first and they won't be the last.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
There's a [Slight] Chance I [May] Have Figured Out What I Want to Be When I Grow Up [Maybe]
I did it! I did it!
Last weekend, I was a wedding planner. And it was awesome!
As mentioned in previous posts, since I was a teenager I aspired to be like Jennifer Lopez. Well, Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. Although, my behind has always been a little JLo.
I digress.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but my last job was awful. I was very miserable in the role and honestly, I was knocking on depression's door. I had to do something to get out, so I figured I'd do something to put me in the direction of my dream. I posted an ad on CraigsList and laid all my cards on the table. I had little experience beyond planning my own wedding but if someone would take a chance on me, I would plan their wedding for free.
I got a call.
I knew from the beginning this was a really great situation for me. I spoke with Bride originally in March and she sounded super organized. Actually, she sounded a lot like me. She didn't want to give up any part of the wedding planning but recognized she needed help staying organized on the day of her wedding. That's where I would come in. Her wedding wasn't until November but I offered to help her every way that I could in the meantime.
I met her a couple of times in September and October so that we could figure out how the day should go. I created a timeline. Even just that felt like such a great accomplishment. I was doing it!
Last Friday afternoon, I headed to Houston to attend the rehearsal. I was out of my element there. Everyone in the wedding had these big personalities and their were small children running wild in the church--this was one of the reasons I did NOT have small children in my wedding. The truth was I really went because I wanted to get a feel for it. Chances were I wasn't going to be at the church for the ceremony. There was a chance that I would be able to stop by while the women were getting ready but beyond that it was in the wedding party's hands.
I woke up on Saturday at 6:30 AM, earlier than I do on a work day. I showered, got ready (I only every do my makeup on occasions I think I need to look like a grown up), and ate a filling breakfast. I grabbed my AWESOME emergency kit that I put together the night before and away I went.
I made it to the reception hall at 9 AM moments before Bride. It was a really neat venue, an old fire station converted into a hall. There was a large piece of plywood where there should be a beautiful custom door. It was in the center of the room where the cocktail hour was to be held. And in my first moments as a wedding planner, I had a bride have a meltdown.
I didn't have to face the meltdown on my own. There was a group of Bride's friends there to help decorate. Together we all talked her off the ledge. We began decorating. Bride was so organized and had such a great eye for party decorations. We put everything out as she had designated.
When we were done decorating the downstairs room, one of the women who had worked at the venue had someone come and drape cloth over the plywood. While this wasn't a wonderful fix, it took away attention from it and Bride was satisfied with the solution.
We headed upstairs and began decorating the reception room. We did everything from the linens to the floral arrangements. It all looked beautiful!
As we were wrapping it up, Bride mentioned that she had to run to Kinko's to get the signs made for the reception. Whaaaat?? I explained to her that was why I was there. It took some convincing but she handed this task over to me. Yes, one of my first successes as a wedding planner.
Away the bridal party went to lunch and away I went to Kinko's.
I stopped in on the bride while she was getting her hair done. Then I went back to the reception hall and began meeting all the vendors.
First, the baker arrived and delivered the cake.
Second, the DJ arrived.
Third, the photographer arrived.
Finally, I ran to get a bite to eat. No matter how busy I am, I never miss a meal! I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner on my wedding day even when everyone told me I wouldn't get a bite. Yeah, those people don't know me.
I came back to the reception hall to meet the caterer at 4 PM.
4:05 PM No caterer
4:10 PM I called the number I had for the caterer. No answer. I left a message politely asking if they needed directions.
4:15 PM I began to panic. See, I had trouble getting a hold of the caterer to confirm they were coming. When I Googled the company, it came up that the owner marked the business as closed. But she called and confirmed earlier that week so I disregarded what came up in the Google search. I was NOT prepared to deal with the caterer not showing up for my very first wedding. Pure panic.
4:25 PM A young man came in and told me that he was one of the waiters and the caterer was on her way.
PHEW!!!
Late, but phew!
I never made it to the church because I had to essentially babysit the caterer. But that's what I signed up for, right? When needed, I will be a babysitter for whoever needs it.
At the stroke of 6 PM, guests began to arrive for the cocktail hour. AND IT BEGAN!
Everything went relatively smoothly. At one point, I had to run out and get plastic knives. Overall the caterer was a disaster. Right down to that they did not bring any knives. As I was LITERALLY running into Kroger, I thought, "Yeah, I LOVE this."
At the end of the night, a group of friends, family, and I cleaned everything up. By this point, I was exhausted. I panicked one last time. I thought it would take us hours to get everything cleaned up and packed away in their cars. But I pulled myself together and began working as fast as I could. In just an hour, we had everything cleaned up and I made it home at about 12:45 AM.
Long day but totally worth it.
So this experiment worked. I loved it! I just have to figure out how to get more clients now. I'm on it!
Last weekend, I was a wedding planner. And it was awesome!
As mentioned in previous posts, since I was a teenager I aspired to be like Jennifer Lopez. Well, Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. Although, my behind has always been a little JLo.
I digress.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it before but my last job was awful. I was very miserable in the role and honestly, I was knocking on depression's door. I had to do something to get out, so I figured I'd do something to put me in the direction of my dream. I posted an ad on CraigsList and laid all my cards on the table. I had little experience beyond planning my own wedding but if someone would take a chance on me, I would plan their wedding for free.
I got a call.
I knew from the beginning this was a really great situation for me. I spoke with Bride originally in March and she sounded super organized. Actually, she sounded a lot like me. She didn't want to give up any part of the wedding planning but recognized she needed help staying organized on the day of her wedding. That's where I would come in. Her wedding wasn't until November but I offered to help her every way that I could in the meantime.
I met her a couple of times in September and October so that we could figure out how the day should go. I created a timeline. Even just that felt like such a great accomplishment. I was doing it!
Last Friday afternoon, I headed to Houston to attend the rehearsal. I was out of my element there. Everyone in the wedding had these big personalities and their were small children running wild in the church--this was one of the reasons I did NOT have small children in my wedding. The truth was I really went because I wanted to get a feel for it. Chances were I wasn't going to be at the church for the ceremony. There was a chance that I would be able to stop by while the women were getting ready but beyond that it was in the wedding party's hands.
I woke up on Saturday at 6:30 AM, earlier than I do on a work day. I showered, got ready (I only every do my makeup on occasions I think I need to look like a grown up), and ate a filling breakfast. I grabbed my AWESOME emergency kit that I put together the night before and away I went.
I made it to the reception hall at 9 AM moments before Bride. It was a really neat venue, an old fire station converted into a hall. There was a large piece of plywood where there should be a beautiful custom door. It was in the center of the room where the cocktail hour was to be held. And in my first moments as a wedding planner, I had a bride have a meltdown.
I didn't have to face the meltdown on my own. There was a group of Bride's friends there to help decorate. Together we all talked her off the ledge. We began decorating. Bride was so organized and had such a great eye for party decorations. We put everything out as she had designated.
When we were done decorating the downstairs room, one of the women who had worked at the venue had someone come and drape cloth over the plywood. While this wasn't a wonderful fix, it took away attention from it and Bride was satisfied with the solution.
We headed upstairs and began decorating the reception room. We did everything from the linens to the floral arrangements. It all looked beautiful!
As we were wrapping it up, Bride mentioned that she had to run to Kinko's to get the signs made for the reception. Whaaaat?? I explained to her that was why I was there. It took some convincing but she handed this task over to me. Yes, one of my first successes as a wedding planner.
Away the bridal party went to lunch and away I went to Kinko's.
I stopped in on the bride while she was getting her hair done. Then I went back to the reception hall and began meeting all the vendors.
First, the baker arrived and delivered the cake.
Second, the DJ arrived.
Third, the photographer arrived.
Finally, I ran to get a bite to eat. No matter how busy I am, I never miss a meal! I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner on my wedding day even when everyone told me I wouldn't get a bite. Yeah, those people don't know me.
I came back to the reception hall to meet the caterer at 4 PM.
4:05 PM No caterer
4:10 PM I called the number I had for the caterer. No answer. I left a message politely asking if they needed directions.
4:15 PM I began to panic. See, I had trouble getting a hold of the caterer to confirm they were coming. When I Googled the company, it came up that the owner marked the business as closed. But she called and confirmed earlier that week so I disregarded what came up in the Google search. I was NOT prepared to deal with the caterer not showing up for my very first wedding. Pure panic.
4:25 PM A young man came in and told me that he was one of the waiters and the caterer was on her way.
PHEW!!!
Late, but phew!
I never made it to the church because I had to essentially babysit the caterer. But that's what I signed up for, right? When needed, I will be a babysitter for whoever needs it.
At the stroke of 6 PM, guests began to arrive for the cocktail hour. AND IT BEGAN!
Everything went relatively smoothly. At one point, I had to run out and get plastic knives. Overall the caterer was a disaster. Right down to that they did not bring any knives. As I was LITERALLY running into Kroger, I thought, "Yeah, I LOVE this."
At the end of the night, a group of friends, family, and I cleaned everything up. By this point, I was exhausted. I panicked one last time. I thought it would take us hours to get everything cleaned up and packed away in their cars. But I pulled myself together and began working as fast as I could. In just an hour, we had everything cleaned up and I made it home at about 12:45 AM.
Long day but totally worth it.
So this experiment worked. I loved it! I just have to figure out how to get more clients now. I'm on it!
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