Air Traffic Control, and a blessing in disguise....

We left to fly to Hawaii today. We have been looking forward to this trip since November. We get to the airport, and everything seems to be running smoothly.

Ha.

Then we hear an announcement that our flight is delayed because of Air Traffic Control. Didn't think much of it, until we still hadn't boarded our plane an hour after we were supposed to have departed.

This was starting to make us worry, because we had a connecting flight in San Fransisco that was only just over an hour after this plane was supposed to land. The desk lady had told us that our other plane hadn't even taken off from where it was coming from yet, because of the same Air Traffic Control. Found out it was bad weather in San Fran, and that's what was holding everything up.

Finally, we boarded our plane about an hour or so late. We were then told that we were going to sit parked on the air strip for about an hour because the dock where our plane was, was needed for another plane that was landing, and the Air Traffic Control crap was still going on in San Fran.

So we sat.

For an hour and TWENTY minutes.

I wonder how many frequent flyer miles this bug has?

At this point, we are still praying that our connecting flight is having these same issues, and that we won't miss it. When we finally took off, and landed in San Fran, we found out that wasn't the case. We had missed our connection by about 15 minutes. Little to say we were both pretty irate.

We then spent about 2 hours in line just to talk to the customer service desk to see if we could hop on another flight. The soonest flight they could squeeze us on to is on Sunday. Sunday? SUNDAY?!? That's TWO days away! There was a plane that was probably not too far over the Pacific Ocean right about then that had two seats with our names on them. And we couldn't get another flight until SUNDAY? Kollin and I, not happy. They told us that we could come back in the morning and try standby, and see if we could catch a flight then, but there's never a guarantee with that.

Kollin called his mom and let her know what was going on, since she was supposed to pick us up from the airport in Hawaii. About 10 minutes or so later, Kollin's phone rang. It was his Aunt Linda that lives in Oakland!

She said that we could stay with her and her partner John until our flight on Sunday, or if we still wanted to try the standby, they'd bring us back to the airport for that. We figured we'd stay with them until Sunday, since Kollin hardly ever gets to see her, and hang out. Plus, our tickets for the Sunday flight are first class, why would we pass that up?

So, we hopped on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and went to downtown Oakland where Linda came and found us.

We went to this pool hall and played pool with her and John for a few hours, and now here we are.... Making ourselves at home in their spare bedroom. After all that stress today of not knowing what we were going to do, and being so upset that 2 days of our vacation was ruined, our angels in disguise came and saved us. And their names are Linda and John. And also Kollin's mom Kathy for calling Linda. :)

Bye bye fur balls.

Today, I took my kitties to the Humane Society. I wasn't able to find a home for them, so this was my last resort. I was ok up until the time when the lady came around the counter and took them into the back. And then it got even worse when she came back with the empty carriers to give back to me. I completely lost it. I am going to miss them so much, but with my allergies getting so bad, it had to be done. I can only hope that they will find a good home with a family that can take better care of them than I could. Sad sad day.

5 more days!

T minus 5 days until I will be here. Aren't you jealous?

Another Thing People Make Fun of Me For...

For as long as I can remember, I have had this phobia of swallowing pills. I think it started when I was little, and I had to swallow pills for a bladder infection. My dad cut them in half, and one time, one got caught in my throat with the pointy corner scratching it. Ever since then, I have been the biggest baby when I would have to swallow any size of a pill. And if at all possible, I get chewables. Even the tiny little birth control pills I have issues with. What I have to do, is place a pill as far back on my tongue as possible, then take a sip of water. Then I site there from anywhere between 2 to 5 minutes just swishing it around in my mouth until I get the guts up, and my throat relaxes enough to gulp it down. People that have watched me do this get quite the kick out of it. Which of course, makes it that much harder. I can even deal with anything bigger than the normal size of Ibuprofen. And don't even get me started on the capsules with the powder in them. They float to the roof of my mouth, and that just freaks me out. I have no idea how I'm going to deal with prenatals if I ever have a kid! But I have heard that there are chewables of those.... With this being said, I had my Dr. appointment the other day for my asthma. With this insane inversion that we've had for the last little while, I've been pretty much dying. So, my Dr. prescribed me some Prednisone to open my airways back up, and get me over this hump so my asthma will be back under control. These pills aren't too big, probably a little smaller than the round Advil or Ibuprofen pills. The only issue with these, is they start to dissolve really fast! And they taste TERRIBLE. So, since I sit there forever just trying to gag them down, I end up with this disgusting taste in my mouth for at least the next 10 minutes afterwards. Even if I try to eat or drink something to chase it, the taste will still not go away. I have to take 4 of these suckers a day. I am not a happy camper! If it wasn't for the taste, I'd be ok. I have to give myself a pep talk just to get up the nerve to put it in my mouth (oh, and I can only do 1 pill at a time). Even sometimes after I have it in my mouth, and think I'm doing ok, my mind gets the best of me, and my throat closes up, and I literally spit the water and the pill all over wherever I'm at. Usually I'm in the bathroom, and it goes straight into the sink, so I don't feel so bad. You would think with me being such a sickly child, I would be used to this by now, and be able to take as many horse pills at once as needed! Nope, not I.

The Little Man

This last weekend, I went to Idaho with Kollin to go see his Little Man. Kollin didn't care what we did, as long as he just got to spend time with his son. We weren't there for long, but we sure had fun!

My sleeping buddies.

It is so nice to have a couple of furry creatures sleep with you. Especially in the middle of the winter, and your bedroom is in the basement, where it almost never warms up! Chloe always likes to sleep on my feet, or across my legs. She's a good little space heater. Also, when she knows it's time for me to wake up, she's really good at sticking her cold nose on my face, or trying to burrow under the blankets with me.But on the other hand... Sherpa... She thinks she's a person. She is always trying to push me off the bed, stealing my covers, rolling over on me, and today, when I woke up, she actually had her head on the pillow, and was pretty much spooning me! If it wasn't for her dog breath and claws, I wouldn't have complained, since she is super warm too.

Stupid frosted windows!

THIS is how lazy I am.... Getting off work at 4:30 in the morning, and the windows of my car are completely frosted over. I don't get out the window scraper... no.... I start my car and turn on the defrost full blast. Then go hang out in the smoke shack since there's a heater in there, and can still keep an eye on my running car.

Sure, I would have been able to start my drive home 10 minutes earlier if I had just scraped the windows. So just to prove, anyone that has called me lazy in the past... here's your proof!

My Reca.

I just wanted to introduce my friend Reca, and what I love about her! 1. She has been my best friend since my Sophmore year in high school. 2. She has always stuck with me through good and bad times. 3. In the bad times, she's not afraid to tell me how it is, and that I am an idiot. 4. I love the way she narrates her dogs' thoughts, and the voices she uses. 5. She is a wonderful wife and mother. 6. We are so alike, and also so different. I think that is why she is still able to put up with me. 7. She has MS, and sure, she gets pissy, but she has dealt with it so well and is not letting it ruin her life. 8. I love her family. Her mother, brothers, husband and kids. 9. She is always there to give me advice about anything. 10. Through all of the harships she has had in her life, she has come out the bigger and stronger person. I could probably go on with many more things I love about her, but I don't know if there's enough space on the internet to hold it all. So in a nut shell, I love her to bits, and she is my bestie!

It's been a while...

WOW! I am so incredibly sorry on how long it has been since I have added to this thing... Many things have happened and been going on in the last few (8) months. Well let's see where I left off... Hopefully all in the order that everything happened... The puppies all grew up and were all sold off to happy families. I moved to a new department at eBay, and I LOVE it! Cept the graveyard shift, but I deal. Car broke down. Rode the bus and TRAX to and from work (about an hour and a half one way) for about 3 months. Onyx and Sherpa go into it again, so we decided to put Onyx down. Very VERY sad day, but it was for the best. I had a sister and a step-sister get married. About a kajillion of my friends got married.

-I was a bride's maid for one of them. w00t!

I have a new nephew.

I have gone to 3 concerts: - Marilyn Manson - Rob Zombie

- Flyleaf

I got divorced. (no comments from the peanut gallery please, we are both doing great and happy.)

Daddy sold me a car! Yay! I got to meet my new nephew!

The holiday season came and went. ... Yup, that's about it....

I'm sure I'll be keeping this updated better now. I have many great and wonderful adventures coming up and going down.

Until then, Cheers!

Pitter patter of puppy feet!

Well they are finally here!

Our Jack Russell Terrier, Chloe, had her puppies on May 23rd between 4 and 6:00 in the morning!

She had 7 puppies all together. What a big litter! Usually for this breed, they only have 3 or 4. She did so well since this was her first litter! All of them are alive, and there are not any runts. All about the same size and growing fast!

When they are around 6 to 8 weeks old we will be looking for homes for them. There are 5 girls and 2 boys. Pure bred and we are working on getting them papered.

So fun!

Mardi Gras

for mardi gras, we went to area... of course... it was really fun. a bunch of people were there that don't come all the time anymore, and it was nice to see them. they were passing out beads, and there were a bunch of fun masks. me and a bunch of the girls had a blast on the dance floor and trying to get as many beads as we could. (no we didn't get them the "traditional" way) it is fun to have friends and great place to go on holidays like this!

crystal and me showing off our beads

crysal and ann dancing the night away

glow sticks

Our visit to the Draper Temple

The other night, my dad invited us to come along with him to tour the new Draper Temple. It was so fun to be able to spend time with some of my family, and go through the temple before it was deticated. Of course we couldn't take any pictures of the inside, but I got some good shots of us before we went in! It was such a fun experience to see it all, since the last tour I went on was back when the Bountiful Temple was built. all of us waiting to get on the bus My sister Becky and her friend on the bus.

My dad on the bus. My Step Mom Gwen and me on the bus. While we were walking through the tent to get inside the temple, I saw this post with a cone on top of it. Had to get a picture of it!!

My Desk

So, it is Sunday, and I am sitting here at work....

Got a little figity, so I decided to take a picture of my desk to share with everyone! These are my decorations of my manatees, and my good luck cats that my Aunt Carler has given me over the years.

Enjoy!

Back to their old selves again!

Just wanted to report on the status of Sherpa and Onyx. They are doing great! Pretty much back to normal. Sherpa got her staples out yesterday, and they both got their drains out last week.

They are doing very good, and are playing much softer with each other now.

Makes me so happy that they are ok!

Poor puppies

So! The other night, Richard and I went out to dinner, and when we came back, the house looked like a crime scene! Our 2 Pit Bulls, Sherpa and Onyx had gotten into quite the argument. This had not ever happened before, and we still have no idea what may have set them off. When we first went into the house, Chloe, our Jack Russell Terrier, was no where to be found. I was so worried that she might be dead out in the back yard! Finally, Richard found her. She had somehow gotten into the bedroom, and would not come out. She was so scared! It was kinda freaky, but also kinda funny that when Richard brought her out, she was no longer white... she was PINK! She had dried blood all over her, but she didn't have a scratch luckily. Sherpa and Onyx, on the other hand, were pretty beat up. Sherpa was losing alot of blood, and we couldn't really see much on Onyx, since she is so dark, and her fur is a little thicker. We rushed them to the ER Vet and got them taken care of. We got there around 11 pm, and didn't get out of there until around 3:30 or 4 am. The Vet, and the techs absolutely fell in love with them! They were very happy to see Pit Bulls that were so well behaved and sweet, even though they were so traumatized. Almost $500, 22 staples and 2 drains later, they are going to be ok! They are already starting to turn back into their old selves. Playing with each other again, and not so cautious around us, or other dogs. I am so happy that they are ok! We were so afraid that we were going to have to put them down that night, and that we were going to lose 2 of our babies. the top of Sherpa's head side of her face her legs. she was frankenpup onyx's neck her face

Mother I Love You, I Love You, I Do

Today is the 5th anniversary since my beautiful Mother passed away. I can't believe it has been 5 long years already. There have been so many changes in my life, and many of them have probably stemmed from not having my Mommy.

This year has been a little bitter sweet also. She died on a Sunday, and the Sunday that Musical at East High was held. This year, it was a Sunday again, and Musical was also today.

I had to work today. Sitting at my desk all day long, I kept wondering if it was better for me at work, keeping my mind off of this day. Or if I should have just stayed home in bed, in the fetal position, and let Richard deal with the daily worries. I don't know.

There are times when I don't think I will ever get over the loss of my Mother. You never know how much you need someone until you are slapped in the face with the knowledge that you will never see them, hear their voice, hold them, hear their laugh or have them a phone call away again in this life.

When she died, one of my co-workers told me that she had also lost her Mother during the holiday season. She told me something that I don't think I will ever forget. She told me that it will never get better, but it will get easier. I believe that is true. The pain will never ever go away, but it gets easier to deal with as time goes on.

Mother's Watch by Andrea Hill

I sit beside you, Mom

On death's doorstep you lay

I set my head upon your wrist

As I bow my head to pray

The world to me shut off

The silence here is thick

Alone just you and I

And your watch's rhythmic tick

I block out all my pain

And loss I'm sure to feel

I concentrate now deeply

On the tick your watch reveals

I sit here now for days

And hear the rhythmic sound

I contemplate you being gone

The thought now seems profound

The time for you is near

To enter Heaven's Gate

I'll stay here by your side

Until your journey is complete

It's months now since you've passed

My wounds are healing slow

I want so much to hear your voice

To see your smile's glow

I lay my head upon my wrist

When my feelings are too strong

I hear your watch's rhythmic tick

And know you're never gone

Christmas Decorations

I had fun with the Christmas decorations this year. I had not been able to put any up for the last couple years since all of my stuff had been in storage. Richard was good at getting the boxes out of our storage room, and I did the rest.

It was nice being able to go through all of my decorations and finding the ones that were my Mom's, and thinking of her.

Hope this holiday season will be good for everyone!

Happy Holidays!