finding the right card

I have found that it is hard to find a good mother's day card. I usually go to several stores before I find a decent one. Grocery stores never have any good cards. Last year I went cheap and bought the 50 cent mother's day cards at Deals. I didn't want to go that cheap again this year. Those cards were a little lame. Our mothers and grandmothers expect cards. My grandmother prefers the ones that say grandmother on them.

I hit the jackpot at Target. They have really good humorous selections. My mom has said that she wants the funny cards. I used to buy all of our grandmothers the same card. This year I tried to match their personality more. I was quite proud because I think I nailed it. It takes me awhile to find the right one for Dust's mom. Dust said that I made a good pick.

The prices for some of the cards that I saw were outrageous! There was a grandmother card for $4.99! It came with a bookmark. I try not to buy cards that are over $3. The cards I bought were $2.59, and $2.99. Not bad.

Out of the mouth of a boss

Actual quotes from real-life anal, OCD, narcissistic bosses. These are scenerios that happened in an office environment that I witnessed.

• (Boss in the office kitchen yelling to the receptionist sitting at her desk) Could you pull out the paper towel rolls to the front of the cupboard so I can see them? They were shoved to the back. (And why can't you take the few seconds to do it yourself?)
• "After putting each check in an envelope, walk to the mail drop with it. Don't make a stack of envelopes on your desk to take all at once to the mail drop." (Can we say ineffecient?)
• "Could you bring me a cup of coffee?"
• "Check your calculations on the calculator three times." (Is three the magic number?)
• "Run the dishwasher every afternoon, even if there is only one cup in it."
• "Please don't write on the desk without having something under your piece of paper."
• "Don't run the envelopes through the postage meter. Use the blank stickers provided by Pitney Bowes and run them through the machine."
• (on the phone with a Wendy's manager) "Your Wendy's burger gave me food poisoning. I want to file a complaint."
• "There is too much of a time delay before someone can leave me a voicemail after hearing my greeting." Phone technician says, "There is nothing we can do about that. The length of time is standard."
• "Order the Hinckly Springs bottled water cooler service. Make sure it is spring water. I can tell the difference. No mineral water."
• "Let me see the address label on the envelope to see if it matches the invoice address before you seal it and put it in the mail." (Do you think I am that incompetent?)

secret music

Does the sound of silence ever drive you insane? I never thought that it would but it has recently. Since our company moved into it's own office space, it has been extremely quiet. There is just three of us in the office. My boss is out of the office for the majority of the day. My co-worker and I decided that we needed music or something so that we wouldn't go insane.

Dust gave me the idea of using the Windows media icon to listen to the radio by internet. For the last few days, I have been listening to .977 the Mix. The best of '80's, '90's and today. My coworker has been listening to a "boomer" radio station. We haven't mentioned this to our boss though. He is very controlling and anal and most likely would not let us listen to anything.

Today, my boss left and said he would be back in 30. I immediately turned on my radio station. It had only been 20 when he came back. After he passed my office, I quickly turned the volume off on my speakers. I keep the volume down so low that you would have to be inside my office to hear it. It has been fun keeping our music secret. My co-worker said, "We are so bad."

test results

I came home from work today and saw that we had a message on the answering machine. It was my doctor's office. They gave me an 800 number to call to retrieve a message from my doctor. I guess doctors can't leave medical information on patients' answering machines anymore. I was a little nervous.

The doctor said that my glucose levels came back normal but the test showed that I was anemic. She said she could call in an iron prescription or I could just buy an over-the-counter iron supplement. I'm going for the over-the-counter option.

No wonder I've been so tired lately!

woes of pregnancy

I am trying not to talk about baby stuff on every post that I do. My pregnancy does consume most of my thoughts and actions throughout the day, though. Last night I had a hard time sleeping. I woke up at 2 am and found Dust still awake with the tv and laptop going. I was having heartburn. The baby is putting a lot of pressure now on my rib cage and sternum. I also haven't been able to sleep on my left side. My left hip really hurts and it makes my leg numb and tingly when I sleep on my side. I have decided that I can't sleep in the bed anymore like it is. I have tried two pillows but I don't think it's good enough. I am going to start trying to sleep on the couch or recliner and see how that works.

Monday morning I have to take the glucose tolerance test. I am not looking forward to it. I have always struggled with blood sugar problems. I am a little nervous about the outcome, but I know I can deal with it.

Our last childbirth class is Tuesday night!! We are going to talk about caesaren births. Last week we talked about epidurals. An epidural scares me a little. I do want some kind of pain medication though. I have a lot to think about. I have been doing a lot of reading about the subject.

Sequels

I recently watched the Prince & Me. It starred Julia Stiles as a pre-med major that falls in love with the Prince of Denmark. Dust started out watching it with me, but then got annoyed with the movie. I am always a sucker for the teeny bopper chick flicks. Someday I am going to have to grow up and stop watching them.

So, I received the sequel, The Prince & Me: The Royal Wedding. It was next on our queue at Blockbuster. It didn't even star Julia Stiles!! Why would you even bother with a sequel if the original actress is not in it? The chick that played her character was lame. I kept thinking the whole time that I liked Julia Stiles playing Paige Morgan better. This other chick couldn't pull of the "edginess" that Julia brought to the character. This chick was too "barbie doll." Now that I think about it, I don't remember the sequel in the theatres. It must have gone straight to video. That tells you something about the movie.

Topeka Trip

Dust and I took a trip to Topeka, KS this weekend. We needed to get away before we have the baby. Dust is also doing a post on our trip but don't worry it won't feel like a repeat. We are doing different pictures and stories. On Good Friday, we toured the KS state capitol building. There were two groups of elementary school students there on a field trip. We felt kinda weird being with the kids tour group. I usually blend in with groups of kids, but my pregnant belly distinguished myself apart from them. The guide talked in a little kid voice and taught them songs. We decided to leave the group and walk around on our own.

Saturday, we went to the Topeka zoo. All the animals were out and about. I think the weather made them all stir crazy because there was a chance for rain. There was a tropical rain forest exhibit inside of a dome. This blue peacock like bird flew out in front of me and landed. I screamed because it startled me. There were a couple of toucan like birds flying around also. It was a cool experience.

We were able to get really close to all the animals. I thought this picture of the hippo was neat. He had been floating around in the water and just decided to get up. Overall, the zoo was really small. We walked around the entire park and was done in an hour and a half. We even went around some areas twice to make sure we didn't miss a pathway to something else. We took our time also. I sat down on at least four benches throughout the park. I liked this zoo more than the KC one. I hate doing a lot of walking. : ) I will let Dust talk about the other things we did. I was very pleased with our little weekend vacation.

birthing video and massage

Last night was the "birthing video" night at our childbirth class. I was so thankful that they were not that graphic. It went through the story of three couples. All the women were covered up for the most part. When the baby was actually delivered, the camera was back far enough that you didn't see too much detail. None of the women were on a surgical table with stirrups. That was always my image of giving birth taken from television. The women were allowed to walk around and change positions frequently. And sitting on the toilet seemed to help some with the pushing part.

After watching the videos, we did some floor work. I sat down on our sleeping bag and Dust sat in a chair behind me. The other two couples there did the same thing. The instructor lead us through various massage techniques that the husband gave to his wife. It seemed a little weird after awhile. Kind of like a guided group make-out session without the kissing. We have been laughing about that situation since last night.

new foods

Last week I tried a food that I had never had before. I never grew out of my kid phase of thinking if the food looked gross it probably tasted gross. I had mentioned to my brother and his friend that I had never tasted shrimp before. I think all seafood looks gross. I was dared to try it and I usually give in to dares when pressured. The shrimp tasted like fatty chicken to me. Eating shrimp wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Next, my brother's friend dared me to try squid. I told him no because it looked like an octupus. He said how about trying junior octupus. He pulled up a smaller version of the first one off of his plate onto mine. With some more pressure from my brother I gave in and ate it. I didn't quite care for it. I made a face and quickly ate something else to cover it up. I am proud that I tried both of those dishes. Who knows, I might order some shrimp at a restaurant in the future.

country music

I was craving some new music this past weekend. For some reason I have been getting into the music of Johnny Cash. When I told Dust, he said that he liked the song "Hurt." He showed me the music video of the song on his laptop. After seeing that, I bought the Legend of Johnny Cash CD.

I get excited to watch American Idol every week. I learn something new about music every time I watch because I was sheltered from "secular" music as a kid. I am learning what singer wrote/sang particular songs. The theme was country music this week on Idol. I have a question for the country music buffs out there. What does "walk the line" mean? I heard the lyrics, "Any man of mine, better walk the line." And of course the Johnny Cash song, "I walk the line." Does it mean going down the aisle and getting married?

I am planning on renting the movie "Walk the Line" soon.

proof of who you are

I have been considered an independent contractor at my work for the last two years, but now I am going to become an employee. I filled out my W-4 form. Dust asked me if they took a copy of my drivers license and social security card. He said that at every place that he has worked at they have made a copy of his drivers license and social security card. Not one of my previous/present employers have requested a copy. I could be lying about who I am and what my social security number is. It is either very trusting or very dumb that no employer of mine has ever asked me to prove who I am. Maybe if I looked foreign they might have requested ID.

I was just curious about everyone else's experiences. Have you had to show ID when starting a new job?

Visiting

My parents and my brother came to visit today. My brother's birthday was a few days ago and he wanted to go out to eat with the entire family. My mother doesn't want me to travel in a car to come see them until after the baby is born. She was very excited to see the size of my belly.

When my brother comes to see me, he also goes and visits a friend. This friend is in the nearby prison facilities. His friend, "Jon", got busted for drug dealing. He took a longer sentence in order to be in a better facility. My brother is doing a great ministry by visiting his friend in prison. I keep thinking about the verse about the sheep and the goats in Matthew. "I was in prison and you came to visit me." "Jon" was a close friend of my brother's in high school. My brother noticed that "Jon" had an A/G quarterly at school and went to talk to him. They were co-speakers together at their H.S. graduation. "Jon's" life really went downhill after that.

My brother always wants to eat at BD's Mongolian BBQ when he is here. That is also my favorite restaurant so that works out well. I enjoyed the visit with my family. We had some good laughs and good food.

"I'm still the baby"

I came across the scene to the right just a few minutes ago. I went into the baby's room and turned on the light to find some more hangers in the closet. To my surprise, Autum was sitting comfortably in the car seat stroller. Is she trying to tell me something? I have been telling her the last few months that she isn't the baby anymore. I have a strong feeling there is going to be some jealousy issues.

I keep going back and forth on whether or not to keep Autum. I had my mind set many months ago that I needed to get rid of her. It is becoming harder and harder now to giver her up. However, I am afraid she will get on top of the baby and suffocate it. I worry about this because she sleeps on my head almost every night, but I am able to move my head. A baby can't. Aah! What do I do? Does anybody want a cat?

My weekend

Friday night Dust and I watched the movie Elizabethtown. I enjoyed the story. And also the actors: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon. Dust usually watches one of his movies after we have watched an "us" movie. I went to bed and he watched Doom.

Saturday Dust did some touch-up painting on the baby's room. I was very anxious to get the wallpaper border on. I decided to hang it on the middle of the wall. We have never put up wallpaper before, so it was a new experience for both of us. It was prepasted which made it easier. Dust has a very good eye for lining things up straight. We marked on the walls with a pencil on where we wanted it. I let him guide and position the paper while I helped hold it up. I am very pleased with the outcome. We watched yet another movie Saturday night. Shanghai Noon with Owen Wilson, Jackie Chang, and Lucy Lui. I liked it more than I thought I would. I tend to like some western movies because I was predisposed to them by my father.

Sunday morning we went to two Sunday School classes instead of going to the main worship service. The parenting class was interesting even though we haven't experienced parenting yet.

Sounds like an uneventful weekend. At least we accomplished getting the painting/wallpaper done. And watched some movies.

the "new" smell

The company I work for moved into its new office suite last week. When you walk in the door, you can smell the "new" smell. The space was newly renovated and all furniture and appliances are new. I have a new chest of drawers for hanging file folders and a new desk. I also have a 15 inch flat screen monitor and a Dell computer. There are new black leather chairs in the waiting area and also the conference room. The kitchen has a new black dishwasher and fridge. Black is the common theme throughout the office.

It has been fun putting new office supplies in the new furniture. I filled my desk drawer with pens, notepads, white-out, highlighters, paperclips and etc. It was also fun organizing what files go in what drawers. The fridge was filled with pop and water. There are actual dishes in the kitchen cabinets that we can use.

I think I have learned how to use all the new gadgets. Most office phone systems are similar. The copier looks like any other copier that I have used. The Pitney Bowes postage meter was real simple to use.

Today we had Quickbooks 2006 installed in our computers. Now I have new software to learn. It operates the same as the older version, but has more cool features. Also, I can now fax from my computer without having to get out of my seat! I am definitely getting spoiled.

"The Benchwarmer"

I saw previews last night for the new movie "The Benchwarmer." Dust said to come to the tv because I would probably like this movie because Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite is in it. I did like what I saw.

I then told Dust that I was a benchwarmer also. I played on a softball team in sixth grade. It was extremely embarrassing because I was consistently the benchwarmer alongside with the girl from special ed. The special ed girl, Paula, always made me play catch with her before the game. She threw really weird and I always had trouble catching the ball. That made me look even worse as a player. She was left handed which maybe contributed to my problem in catching the ball.

There was one game that I actually got to play in because a lot of girls were absent. I covered third base. To everyone's surprise, I actually caught a fly ball hit to me which gave the other team an out! I did ok covering third base also. I hope the coach felt bad about leaving me on the bench all season.

"Silly Old Bluebirds"

I struggled a bit on what color to paint the baby's room. I was going back in forth between "Bibbidi Bobbodi Blue," "Blustery Day" and "Silly Old Bluebirds." These were the names of the Disney brand paint colors to describe a sky/periwinkle blue. Dust was a bit sarcastic about the names. I settled on "Silly Old Bluebirds" and I am glad that I did. It looks like it will go well with the wallpaper border I bought.

Dust and I were a great team in painting the room. I did some of the rolling with the bigger paint rollers and Dust came behind me with a brush and did the borders. My sinuses were so bad that I couldn't really smell the paint. We opened the window and had the ceiling fans going for air circulation. I was a little nervous about painting because people have mixed opinions on whether you should paint when you are pregnant. The mothers that I talked to had painted their babies' rooms when they were pregnant.

It didn't take us long to get the room painted. I think we officially started painting at 11 am on Saturday and Dust finished around 3:45 pm. We still have to put the wallpaper border on. I thought we should give the room time to dry out before we did that.

A-choo!

Dust told me this morning that I sneeze pretty loud. It is not a normal sneeze. It is a big production of AAA-choooo! I admit that I did put a bit of drama into it. It feels a lot better to do that than to try to hold it in. I have been battling a cold since last Saturday. Yesterday it felt like it turned into really bad allergies. I have been so miserable I can hardly stand it. I feel like I need to whine and complain about it. : ) I told Dust that I wanted to stay in my bad mood. He sorta told me to take my bad mood to another room.

You might be a redneck...

My mom and I were looking through some old pictures about a month ago. I came across one that really cracked me up. It was a picture of my Dad's birthday party. I was about 3 1/2 and my brother was about 1 1/2 years old. All three of us are sitting around the kitchen table with no shirts on. My mom was the one that took the picture. It probably was a hot day that September. Dad was holding up his homemade birthday cake. The picture looked so white trash to me. We were poor but happy.

If you sit around the kitchen table without a shirt on at a birthday party......you might be a redneck.

Anger management

Have you ever wanted to yell, "I quit," to your boss? I think most people have that fantasy at least once in their life. I know I scared Dust when I told him that's what I wanted to yell at my former boss and supervisor. It also scared him when I would say that I could really chew somebody out right now.

I have a tendency to bottle up anger inside of me. Sooner or later it all comes out at once. When I get angry, I prepare what I am going to say ahead of time. Sometimes that helps me to calm down. Today, I was angry and had my angry speech all prepared. If my boss happened to mention something again, I was going to tell him how I felt. He didn't bring it up and I didn't either.

I made a stupid decision today at work. When I realized how stupid it was, I immediately called my boss. He always wants me to call him on his cell if anything important happens. I told him what I did, explained that I wasn't thinking clearly, and apologized. He was really angry, which I could see why. What made me mad was that he didn't really accept my apology. If someone admits a mistake to me and apologizes, I would say I accept your apology or that's ok, I understand. He probably thinks I am a complete idiot. It's just the pregnancy hormones because I haven't been able to think clearly at all lately.