I am reading a book right now called The Greatest Salesman In The World.  Written by Og Mandino.  This is a very small book-and very simply written, but it actually has some pretty neat thoughts in it.  The cover says "transform your life and find true fulfillment with the priceless wisdom of ten ancient scrolls revealed within".  That sounds to me like a dumb self help book, but I promised a friend that I would read it, so I went ahead and opened it up, and I've been pleasantly surprised.  I suppose it is like an inspirational sort of little book, but it is written as a story at the same time as it offers advice...so it is kind of neat to read.  I'm almost done with it.  I wouldn't go out and buy my own copy or anything like that, but it hasn't been a total waste of time at all.  Like I said, pleasantly surprised!

My son is getting pumped up-his first game is on Saturday!  He'd better be pumped, because the game starts at 7:00am, and we have to be there by 5:30am.  So much for sleeping in on my day off!!!   As long as he is excited, that is ok with me.  It is also better to go early and beat the heat!  We'll be wrapping up our game by the time it really gets hot out.  Football practice yesterday was really hot and miserable, and I actually ended up falling asleep again.  I don't know how I do that, and I have no idea why it keeps happening to me.  Maybe I just get so hot that my body just needs to shut off and go to sleep for a few minutes and recover?  Who knows.

Off I go...!

Currently The Greatest Salesman in the World By Og Mandino see related

Today a new pastor was called to our church.  He accepted the position after a majority vote was obtained from the congregation.  I think they said he will start in either two weeks or three weeks, I can't remember which.  He stepped in to my Sunday School class this morning to introduce himself and his wife, who happen to be one of the most oddly matched couples I've ever seen in my life.  Other than that, I've never been able to hear him speak.  I wasn't able to go to the meet and greet time yesterday because I had already promised to be other places, and then today I was serving in the 2-3 year old room during sermon time.  I had to base my vote off of the word of several of my closest church friends who have listened to him and passed along pertinent information to me.  I also read about him, his education and background.  Not the way I like to do it...I would really have preferred to hear him speak, but I did the best I could.

After church I picked up my carless friend, and she, my son, and myself all went out to lunch together.  Afterwards we took her to the store so she could get groceries for the week.  We had a great time! We had lunch at my favorite place, Pita Jungle.  I have the same thing nearly every time I go there-the Pesto Pizza.  Always delicious, and good for you too! 

We ended up not getting home until around 4 this afternoon!  I wasn't expecting that, but it wasn't really a big deal, as nothing else major was planned.  I've done a few loads of laundry and picked up things a bit around the house.  I also took a nap for an hour, by accident, and I'm sure I'll regret that a few hours from now when I'm trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep.  Since we had such a big lunch, my son and I weren't really hungry for a big dinner so I made up some quick nachos and we are just kind of snacking on that for dinner.  Suits me!

There is a new lady starting at work tomorrow.  She seemed nice during her interview, and I got a great first impression from her.  I will be on phones in the morning so I won't really work with her to see how she does, and I'm perfectly fine with that.  I helped train the other new girl that started a couple weeks ago.  I didn't mind training her and she was a very, very quick learner.  No problem at all with her training, but there is something about her that bugs me.  I can't put my finger on it, and I have no justification for that feeling, but I'll go with my gut and reserve judgement for right now.  I don't know what it is, but I think there is something there that just isn't quite what it seems.  Hopefully I'm wrong, because we don't like having turnover at our office. 

I have recently decided that I want to get out of my clothing rut.  I wear the same handful of outfits over and over, and I always feel a little drab.  I have collected quite a few really AWESOME pairs of shoes over the years, and some really nifty outfits when I take the time to put things together, but I just haven't been doing that for a very long time, years even, and I want to change that.  I love my shoes!  I shop for shoe deals, and I never spend much on clothes and actually the majority of my things come from yard sales or thrift stores, but to me, that is half the fun of it!  So, in the spirit of breaking that habit, I changed it up for church today, and I have to say-it was such a mood boosting thing to do!  I felt great all day simply because I made more of an effort to look nice, and I LOVED the shoes I had on!  It sounds so silly, but it was really cool!!!!   I am really going to try to keep it up.  I wore my dark denim blue jeans with a top I got off clearance at Ross last week...it is an elbow length sleeve shirt with a funky black jagged pattern set against a gray/brownish colored background.  Kind of hard to describe but it looks nice, and then some totally neat wedge shoes with a black strap that you wrap around your leg like a ballet slipper bow, and tie about 4 inches above the ankle.  It was neat   I also wore a necklace that used to be my mom's when she was a kid.  It is a flower that is made out of tiny diamonds.  It is probably fake, but I love it all the same and it is one of those pieces that looks classically old.  My favorite. 

Ok, I better go do something productive before bedtime.  Try to wear myself out after my nap!

Currently Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead By Christiana Miller see related

I took yesterday and today off work because I had some vacation days that were going to expire if I didn't use them up.  Yesterday I went and visited with an old friend who just recently had a baby.  They also have a 2 year old, and I love that kid.  I had lunch with them (she made taco salads) and visited for a couple hours.  It was nice!

Today I went and had an early morning breakfast with the handsome soldier before he had to go to work.  We went to Cracker Barrel.  I love that place-I had oatmeal.  He had one of those meals with practically everything on the menu.  He works hard so he eats a lot and burns it all off.  That was fun. 

I entered a work order to have someone come and take a look at my dishwasher.  It is not draining properly and it smells like death when the door gets opened up.  It would be nice if they would replace the unit because it sounds like Niagara Falls in here when I turn it on, but even if they just repair the drain then that is good too.

It rained here last night and this morning, which was absolutely wonderful.  I wish it would keep it up, but it kind of looks like the clouds are beginning to clear up now.  It was nice while it lasted, though!!!!

I didn't realize it had been so long since my last entry here! 

We have really been keeping busy with football practice every evening.  We usually don't even get home until 8:00 or after, and then it is a quick shower for the little man, and off to bed.  The practices are grueling, because temperatures have been anywhere from 110 to 116.  The association has made it mandatory to do water breaks every 15 minutes, so there is a lot of running off and on the field to get the jugs, etc.  I am very glad they are so diligent about keeping the kids hydrated, though, otherwise they would be really sick.  As it is, we have had two pukers so far. That was my son last year, but thank goodness, this year he has done better and is making a huge effort to eat healthy and stay hydrated, and it is really paying off for him.

I had a good birthday last week.  I went over for a very late (after football practice) dinner with an old friend.  He is actually someone I used to date a long time ago, and referred to as the handsome soldier, so some of you have probably heard of him.  We've remained friends even though it never went anywhere romantically.  He called during the practice and asked me to come over after football.  He has recently been deep sea fishing with his family and brought back tons of delicious seafood....he made fish tacos.  His parents were in town so they were there and they are tons of fun as well.  It was a very good time. 

My son has taken an interest in watching Cupcake Wars and Chopped with me, which I love!  I am glad he is kind of outgrowing the Nothing But Cartoons EVER stage and is interested in some more grownup shows.  I say that now, but two days ago I was bemoaning the fact that my baby is growing up... lol  

Ok, Off I go!!!!

Currently Odd Hours: An Odd Thomas Novel By Dean Koontz see related

Someone recently told me that Hotmail will be closing up...or switching over to something else.  Is that true?  I certainly hope not.  I wish they would just allow people to upgrade to a new version or something if they WANT to, but not force people to.  Does anyone here know about that, or if it is or isn't true?  I've been using my hotmail account for years and I really, really don't want to have to switch everything over to a new account.

This weekend was busy, but very good! 

I watched my friend's little boy this weekend so that she could have a much needed weekend away from her baby.  He is 2 years old and she hasn't been away from him, except for one other time, when she left him with me for one night.  That was 6 or 8 months ago.  Otherwise, she hasn't had a day to herself at all since he was born.  She is a single mom. The dad is not in the picture at all.  She got the opportunity to go to Vegas with her friend, and even our boss encouraged her to go because she is driving herself and her little boy crazy.  She has been so stressed out that he feeds off of that and they both end up a mess.  Anyway, she just picked him up about 10 minutes ago, and it sounds like she had a really great time! I'm happy for her.

Friday after work was football practice, and then we came home and rested for the night.  Saturday morning was a jog-a-thon for my son's football team. They managed to raise over $3,500 for their team.  That pays for all their dues and fees for the year and so now anything extra that they raise will be for team events and gear for the kids, etc.  This team is so much more active than the team was last year and I'm so glad my son switched.  I'm also very proud of him so far this year because he really is giving it his all.  He is paying attention to the diet, resting enough, studying the paperwork they are giving the kids, etc., and it is quite a switch from last year, when he hated going every day.  We always give him the option of what kind of activity he wants to sign up for, but the deal is that if he signs up for something, then he has to stick with it until the end of the season.  I was surprised he wanted to go do this a second year, but he did, and he is doing great!  (Sorry-proud mom here!)

After the jogathon, we went down to my sister's house and spent the rest of the weekend there, and then just go back home this evening.  I've been working on laundry and cleaning house ever since then.

Today was the first day that my new tenant needed to pay rent.  She paid move in fees and stuff last month, but this is the first time that she would owe just a regular installment-and she came through!!!!  WHEW!!!!  I am so relieved!!!!  I am always so nervous about that-because getting someone out of the house when they aren't paying rent can also be a hassle, and in the meantime there wouldn't be any income....but hopefully I never have to worry about that with this lady! 

Tonight was my son's first night of football practice.  He did a great job.  I am proud to see how much he has matured and how much his skills have improved since last year.  He had a good time.  Every kid on the team made it through the first night without throwing up, which is actually quite an accomplishment in this heat.  There are different coaches this year, which I am very happy about. These new coaches seem much more interested in teaching the kids rather than just yelling at them and putting their personal children in all the best positions.  I'm happy to see that they are working with the kids, teaching them, and still laughing with them and enjoying them.  It is very... refreshing.

Oh, I'm so proud of my grandma!  She took the initiative at the nursing home to go to the activities office and ask if they needed any help with anything.  They ended up putting her in the office helping sort and shred paper, and do little odd jobs.  In addition to that, she joined up with the meet and greet team for new residents, so now she gets to go around and say hello to people, help them find their way, give them a little baggy of hand lotions, etc.  I think that is fantastic! I am so proud of her for taking that step, and for beginning to find her niche.  So much better for her than just sitting around!

Well, I feel like a horrible human being.  I gave away my cat today.  She is the one who was attacked by the coyote, had the kittens, choked on a Lego, etc.  She really earned her named (Trouble).  I have been having a problem with her for the last several months, and could NOT get it under control.  No matter what I did, she insisted on peeing on the carpet.  The whole apartment would smell like cat pee at certain times.  I've spent hours cleaning, disinfecting, spraying, everything I could possibly think of to make her happy.  I changed litter, changed positioning of litter boxes, got her some hormone treatment stuff to calm her down, and nothing worked.  The last straw was on Thursday....I discovered a fresh puddle of pee on the carpet just as I was leaving for work.  I cleaned that up, and then when I got home, I went to lay on the couch for awhile.  She kept hopping up with me and so she took a nap with me for awhile, but when I was getting up, or something, I put her down on the floor.  She got mad at me and walked right over to the side, and peed on the floor again.  I guess that has become her way of having a temper tantrum?  I don't know, but I just didn't know what else to do for her.  It isn't even my own house, it is an apartment, so that is something I have to be even more careful about!  Sheesh.  Anyway, I was telling my troubles to T and told him that I didn't know what else to do and I felt like I was going to have to find a new home for her because I can't have her ruin the apartment.  He asked around at his work and found a lady who has two children and they were looking for a cat.  So he showed her some pictures, and they wanted to have her.  He picked her up today while I was at work (I didn't have to have a teary goodbye-thank goodness) and delivered her to her new owner.  Then he placed a follow up call an hour or so later to check how it was going, and the lady said she was just wandering around, getting used to her new digs.  I guess it seems like it will be ok-although I did say that if they decide they don't like her, DON"T take her to the pound...I'll take her back before I'll have that happen.  I just feel like a jerk for giving her away, although I was totally at the end of my rope with how else to try to take care of the problem.  I'm sure my old man cat is very happy....she was terribly mean to him, and would leap on him and rip out his fur and leave little balls of it everywhere.  He will be able to relax now and enjoy life a little. 

Hello!  Hope that everyone has had a decent week.  Here are some things I've been thinking, in no particular order.

1) I personally feel like, if someone you love is in a nursing home, that they should receive plenty of calls and visits, if possible.  Particularly if they are not adjusting well, and are not used to the setting yet, etc.  My grandmother has 4 grown children.  To me, it makes sense that they could talk to each other and set up some sort of schedule so that they can make sure that someone calls her every day.  I feel terrible if no one calls her, so I call every single day, as soon as I leave work.  The only day I miss calling is Sunday, because she has told me in the past that my aunt always calls her on Sunday-so I know I can rely on that.  The other kids just call at random, and sometimes not for two or three days in a row.  When I talk to her, she comments about that, or else just sounds a little down that she hasn't heard from anyone.  I think that is just sad...I don't understand why grown adults can't work together to do something nice to help their mom out while she adjusts to this.  It actually frustrates me quite a bit, but there isn't really anything I can do about it.  They aren't exactly a close knit family...sometimes my uncle will answer when I text him, but sometimes he won't, and I don't even have my other uncle's phone #.  I do text my aunt now and then, but she is the only one who does have a set call schedule, so there isn't much I can say to her.  My own mom is very lax with her calling, and only seems to do it if the mood strikes rather than thinking of what my grandma might need.

2) I'm currently reading the 4th Odd Thomas book, in the series by Dean Koontz.  It is called Odd Hours.  I've read it before, but I'm rereading it now because just before that I was reading the third one, and it slipped my mind that I had read the 4th one...and I like them so much I just decided to reread it.  Odd Thomas is such a lovely character.  He may very well be my favorite book character.

3) Yesterday I may have eaten some bad tomato soup.  Ever since I ate it, I've had such stomach pain..stabbing pain all around my stomach.  I thought the soup was absolutely horrible and I didn't eat very much of it, but I can't imagine what else would have made my stomach hurt so much.  I'm not sure, but that is my guess!

4) There is one more full week of summer vacation left, and then my son goes back on the following Wednesday.  He will be a big third grader now!!!!   He also starts football practice this coming week on the 1st.  He is very excited for that.  I am excited for him too.

5) Been craving pizza all day for two days in a row.  I'm deciding if I should indulge tonight or just eat whatever I can scrounge up here at home.  I need to go to the grocery store in the worst way!!!  I just have a bunch of random food items at home but nothing that actually seems to make a meal. 

6) Sounds like they may be a bit closer to hiring a new pastor at my church.  They've had several interviews with a younger pastor, I guess he is 37 years old. 

7) Well-better go!

Currently Odd Hours By Dean Koontz see related

Well, here we are-home again!

A fun time was had in San Diego...  we spent several hours at the beach, and then went to Seaport Village and wandered through the shops there.  That took up the entire day.  The next day we went to a little park near Mission Beach and let the kids play for an hour or so before heading home.  There are more details for later, but that sums it up, and I'll try to put a picture here now of myself and my son.  I generally never put pictures up here, so hopefully I can figure it out!

Good! Looks like it worked!!!  This was the best picture I could manage to get of the two of us. My hair was a complete disaster the entire time in California-it is too short to put in a ponytail, but the humidity makes it frizz out of control the moment I step outside.  It was funny!

Well, just a quick pop-in here to say hello to everyone!

Will be taking off as soon as I get off work tomorrow night and heading to the Pacific Ocean with my little man!!!!  It should be a fun weekend, although a quick trip.  We are going with my friend from work and her little boy, who is 2.  I am excited!