Life is Just Getting Started...

New endeavor in life

2010-08-30T18:12:00.002-04:00

I haven't been here in MONTHS but I wanted to let you all know of a new facet of my life:
www.marykay.com/nicholenaprstek

The habits that you don't realize...

2010-03-20T20:49:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday, I called my Little Brother's mom and explained that I couldn't continue to be her son's Big Sister. (I chucked the story idea that I mentioned in the previous post). I explained that it shouldn't be so difficult to get together. Since December, I've made plans to take him and have made it all the way to their house to discover that he was sick, or they had forgotten and had gone somewhere else, or guests and shown up unexpectedly and they had to go with them. And this wasn't just once or twice; we're talking more than five (but fewer than 10) times. That's a lot if you take into consideration that the town was snowed in for a cumulative total of almost three weeks in between Dec and the beginning of March; plus the various holidays and the family plans that go with that. So all in all, there was about eight attempts in two months that fell through. But that's not the point of this post. The point is that he and I were matched for more than two years. That's two years of every other week or every three weeks making plans to do something. Today I was thinking: oh, I should call Penny to see if Daevon wants to go .
I feel good that I ended it on good terms and I think that I prepared him for his next stage in life. He'll be ten in May. When I woke up last Saturday morning, I woke up with the feeling that God was saying: you've done your part, it's time to let him move on. I don't think I can provide what he needs any longer...as far as being a Big Sister. I don't think my next Little will be a Little Brother. It was really too difficult. I don't feel like we really connected. My next Little, in six months or so, will be a Little Sister.

A little late but...Mar 10th

2010-03-14T12:57:00.002-04:00

I'm not quite dragging butt today but there is a definite tiredness related grogginess present. I did sleep straight through from about 9:30 last night til my alarm went off at 4:15. I got breakfast and almost completely dressed by 4:45 and realized that I could lay back down for another 30 minutes. So I did.
I wasn't able to sleep though. My brain kept going over the things that I need to discuss with my Big Bro/Big Sis Little Brother. More often than not, he's pouty and uncooperative when I go to pick him up. And this has been going on for almost a year now. It's very discouraging and makes me want to discontinue being his Big Sister. I think I'll write a story about me and him that conveys how I feel. I think he might better understand it if I do it that way rather than just having a sit down talk with him. He's 9 and a smart kid but it would probably be less accusatory. Although, if we did have a sit down I would use lots of "I" statements vs "when you" or "you don't." I think those statements, universally, put people on the defensive no matter their age.

Mar 9th

2010-03-09T20:16:00.003-05:00

I was up at 4:15 this morning. I wanted to ensure that I had plenty of time to pack some snacks and lunch since I wouldn't be able to leave my workplace for 12 hours. I didn't sleep so well 'cause I was afraid I'd oversleep. I normally get up at 6:15 so those two hours earlier was a killer. I woke up tired. The day went fairly quick though so it wasn't too bad. Now, I'm watching Biggest Loser on hulu.com and playing Farmville on Facebook. Gonna hit the sack in a bit. Have a good evening. :)

Almost Spring

2010-03-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

I must say that I've been in and out of a funk since December and am hoping that it dissipates with the going away of the cold weather and dreary days. Tomorrow and Wednesday I'll be working 12 hour shifts. I won't have time to do much else though I will do my best to attend the Financial Peace University that began in mid-Jan.
Got a letter from my brother today. I think we've both had intentions to write but it just hasn't happened. I'm sure I'll have some time tomorrow to do so...in between updating an Excel workbook with self-taught formulas.
Today was a pretty good day. I accidently went to my doctor's appt an hour early but they were able to see me at that time. I'm glad for that 'cause otherwise I would have spent too much time in the waiting room with no magazines and only CNN to pass the time.
After lunch, I had to do a 6S inspection with the Group CC. He talked with the folks that worked in the building that we visited and I did the inspection. Colonel's prerogative.
I finished up the second book of the Left Behind series during my bubblebath this evening. Can't wait to start the next one but it will have to wait until tomorrow evening to get a start on it.

Merry After Christmas!

2009-12-26T23:31:00.002-05:00

Okay, this is where I get all "Woe, is me" right? I worked for most of the week leading up to Xmas and then had that day off. I would much rather have worked; since I wasn't going anywhere. This is the "Woe, is me" part. See, nobody invited me over to share Christmas dinner. Needless to say, I felt very left out and pretty alone. My family all lives on the west coast so I couldn't just pop in and see them. :( I already told my dad that I'll be in Reno next year just like I normally do. I just didn't have the vacation time to go anywhere. I had already used it all up during my vacation in September.
The good news is that I had a sexy dream last night. I will spare you the details...this is not the venue for that kind of sharing...but I'm glad I had the dream. It's been a long time since I had a dream that didn't have to do with work or mundane stuff...haven't had a date in MONTHS!!
As for work (at the mall), I was scheduled every day this week and last weekend but Sat, Sun, and Mon didn't happen. All that snow that fell Friday night til the wee hours of Sunday morning prevented me from going anywhere on those days. I did work Xmas Eve. Why do folks get so irritated when they can't find what they're looking for, when it's an hour before closing time on Christmas Eve. I don't get it. And some of them were PISSED! Get over it folks. The world will continue to turn if the Vicky's Secret bag ISN'T under the tree.
I took myself to go see the The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. Awesome movie!! I highly recommend it. It's based on a true story.
Scooting off to bed now. Good night.

Nearly Friday already?

2009-10-29T20:59:00.003-04:00

This week has gone by pretty quick.
I ended up not taking my LB to the skating party Tuesday evening. I woke up that morning with the migraine that I went to bed with. I went to Fit Camp and then, when I got in to work, asked my Lieutenent if he would mind if I went home and took my meds and then came back when they kicked in...around 10am. He said "no prob." I got home, took the meds, and went to bed. I still had the headache when I got back to work but couldn't do anything about it. I knew if I went home from work that I wouldn't be able to take my LB skating. After another hour of feeling like a little man was smacking the inside of my skull with a mallet, I called my LB's mom and told her I wouldn't be able to take him skating. After I hung up, I told my Lt that I was gonna go to sick call.
I got there 45 minutes early but it's better to look sick at the clinic than it is to look sick at work. lol. The doctor turned out to be not very personable. He asked "how often do you get migraines?" I said "too often." "That's not what I asked," was his snotty reply. Nope, didn't like him one bit. Anyhow, he put me on quarters and prescribed me some meds. I went to pick those up before I left. Something for nausea and Codeine. Codeine! Are you kidding me? I don't need to be all drugged up. I just need to be able to crawl into my bed in a dark room and smoosh the hurting side of my head into the pillow. That's what I did as soon as I got home sans medicine and I slept from 2pm until 7pm. Got up, had soup and a nuked red potato and then went back to bed from 8pm until I had to get up the next morning at 5am. Migraine gone. I just need to keep to my sleep schedule. That being said, I have 24 minutes until bedtime. Night all.

Halloween plans?

2009-10-26T20:14:00.003-04:00

Please forgive any mispellings...I blame the migrain medication. It really hasn't been all that exciting since I got back from vacation and I'm perfectly okay with that. I was somewhere new every four to seven days while on vacation so doing as little as possible has its good side. My first week back began with a bang! I had a PT test that Monday morning and, as a failure result, I ended up back in the 6am Fit Camp.
Honestly, I'm not surprised. I hadn't worked out hard from the days following my surgery until, well, the Tuesday after my test failure. I couldn't do anything for a month; then I could do everything but it hurt so I didn't do a lot. Then I was on vacation so, although I ran every few days, I still didn't do much. So, now, I'm at the gym every morning Monday thru Friday; Biggest Loser Tuesdays; and some random days during the rest of the week. A lady at work is going to help me get started on a good strength training routine. I lift in the morning sessions but, let me tell you, 10lb weights are not going to get me stronger. I WANT big muscles. Give me muscley thighs any day. Let me have a hard time putting my pants on 'cause of strong muscles. Bigger muscles burn more calories. Buring calories help whittle the waist. It's a win-win situation.
As for work, I came back and jumped right into a Process Improvement Event that first week of October. It went really well. I worked a couple days at the part-time as well. Last week, I had to teach a class. Despite technical difficulties--Wilmington University had swapped out the instructors laptop with a new one and had neglected to tell us the password AND, of course, we had to reinstall the PowerPoint presentation that is our lecture. It was slow start but it went very well. This past weekend, I worked six hours each day at the part-time. I working on Halloween as well but I don't mind. Shoot! I put in the availability of every Friday evening and the main portions of both Saturday and Sunday. Every dollar in is a dollar more that I can apply to my budget somewhere.
I signed up for Cardio Kickboxing classes, not last Thursday, but the Thursday before then and have yet to go. Too many excuses. I'll make it one of these days. Tomorrow I'm taking my Little Brother to the Big Bro/Big Sis skating party at the roller rink. It'll be fun AND a workout.
I reached a milestone last Tuesday. $28000 in debt paid off! Talk about exciting!
You guys take care. My migraine meds are really kicking in.

The vacation has begun!!

2009-09-01T21:42:00.002-04:00

The Britney Spears concert on Sunday was awesome!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the whole two hours. It ended around 10pm and I then set out on I76 West. Made it as far as Carlisle, PA by midnight. The eyelids were getting heavy so I decided to find a room to stay in. I had originally planned on just finding a well lit rest stop and sleeping in the back of the Jeep but opted for a real bed instead. Slept pretty well and was up at 7am. I arrived at Wright Patterson AFB Monday evening around 5pm. Since I wasn't on the road today, I gave myself permission to sleep in. I did get up around 10am and headed out to find a place to eat breakfast. I ended up at Bob Evans. Not my first choice but it was pretty good. Then headed to Dick's Sporting Goods to get some compression shorts. It still hurts to run--the jostling is too painful in the hip-skin area--so I needed to find a way to work through the pain. The shorts are tight enough that the jostling should be at a minimum.
After that, I headed back to billeting to hang out and enjoy cable--something that I don't have at home. For dinner, I headed to the Found & Hound Pub & Grill. I met one of the ladies from the Grocery Challenge--oot n aboot--and her daughter and we talked and laughed and had a good dinner.
PB, it was great to meet you and I look forward to meeting up again on my return trip.
Tomorrow, I'm setting out for the second half of the "TO" trip. Taking I70 West to I74 to I80. I should be in Altoona by dinner time.

Route change

2009-08-06T23:05:00.001-04:00

Okay, there might be a slight change to how I head west at the end of the month. See, I ended up buying tickets to a concert in Philly for Sunday, Aug 30th so I may just start my trek to IA after the concert. Haven't completely decided yet. I mean, to me, it just doesn't make sense to drive south/back home to drive north the very next day. Hmmm...

Awesome!!

2009-08-04T20:42:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeYscnFpEyA

Surgery results...

2009-07-30T20:59:00.002-04:00

I don't know exactly how many inches I've lost just yet. I still have quite a bit of uneven swelling plus now my skin is starting to hurt because the nerves that were beat into numbness are starting to wake up. If currently feels like a cross between sunburn and how your scalp feels when you take out a pony tail that has been worn a bit too long.
I do know this: the day before my surgery, I tried on jeans at Old Navy--size 14 in the styles of Diva and Sweetheart. Last weekend, I went back to the store and was able to easily zip up a pair of size 12s. Granted, I had my girdle on but it doesn't hold in that much. Really, it kind of pushes what is there to different locations. I will go back in a couple weeks and try them on again, sans girdle, and see how well they really fit.
One reason that I know I still have swelling is how my bra is fitting. Pre-surgery, it was hooked on the smallest set of hooks. The week that I went back to work (and had to actually wear a bra again), I could only hook on the largest set of hooks. I am, currently, on the middle set. That tells me that I have at least another inch of swelling that needs to go down where my band sits on my ribs/upper abdomen.

My Sept itinerary:

2009-07-26T22:06:00.003-04:00

The cities that I will be in and when I'll be there:
Sometime between Aug 31st and Sept 4th, I will drive to Altoona, IA.
Sept 9th fly to San Jose, CA
Sept 9th drive from San Jose to Salinas to stay the night with my aunt
Sept 10th drive to Fresno
Sept 10th to Sept 13th bebopping around Fresno
Sept 13th drive to Blythe
Sept 14th to Sept 18th hanging out with my grandma and my mom
Sept 18th back to Fresno
Sept 18th to Sept 22nd bebopping around Fresno again
Sept 23rd fly back to Altoona, IA
Sometime between Sept 24th and Sept 28th, drive back to DE

Soon to be...

2009-07-26T22:00:00.002-04:00

girdle free, during the days at least. I go see the doc for my four week post op appt. Four weeks, technically, isn't until next Monday but my appt is Friday so it's close enough. I'm completely bruise-free--I will spare you a pic of my bruise free butt 'cause then it's just a pic of a nekid tush rather than the horrendous bruise that I had three weeks ago.
I will tell you: it was totally worth it. I'm lovin' my shape right now. Once I'm able (allowed) to run again, I will be out on the road like a fiend. Don't get me wrong, I love to hate to run but I know how good it is for getting me in shape. My military medical profile doesn't expire until Aug 12th, so even though my surgery (civilian) doc will be clearing me to exercise come Friday, I still have to follow the limitations of my military profile. Totally bites!! cause that's still another two weeks away. However, it just says that I can't run. I can pedal and I can walk and I can use the elliptical.

From an email that I received...

2009-07-24T17:47:00.001-04:00

This isn't first hand but definitely something to think about...

One light bulb at a time.. this is a good read...Check your labels

good idea... one light bulb at a time....

Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA. Start looking.
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her!
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland, Ohio.
So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.
So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets....yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!
If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!
(We should have awakened a decade ago......)
Let's get with the program.... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A

My girdle...for the next couple weeks

2009-07-12T14:57:00.004-04:00

It's very similar to this, except the zippers go all the way down...and it'sblack. Let me tell you...this is NOT comfortable to sleep in. I was also wearing an 8" x 10" piece of foam on each side that's 1" thick--in between me and the girdle along the sides of my body. I removed those today. Tired of wearing them.

The other difference is that it's "open" so that I don't have to doff and don it every time I need to use the bathroom. Very handy.

Imagine if they only showed "After" photos like this:

2009-07-11T17:56:00.001-04:00

This was taken four days Post Op. Looks like I got my butt stomped.

Post-Op

2009-07-07T09:08:00.004-04:00

I made it through and I'm still standing. We got up to Wilmington SurgiCenter shortly before 10 and they called me back a bit after. Four different people asked all the same questions. The doc drew hirogliphics(sp?) on me. I was lead into the OR at 11. I remember laying down and them injecting me with the "fuzzy" stuff. Woke up in Recovery feeling pretty good and wearing a two sizes too small girdle. They're like Spanx--they go from the rib cage down to my knees with accomodations for going to the bathroom. In between me and the girdle are pieces of foam in select places to discourage swelling and encourage shrinking.
Anyone want to guess how much fluid they removed?

Not sure what to title this...

2009-07-05T19:00:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is my surgery. Liposuction of the hips, abs, and "back fat." Am I nervous about being put under? Not sure. It's definitely a serious procedure. Olivia Goldsmith died while having liposuction done on her neck. I think it was something to do with anesthesia (sp?). Good thing I updated my will. lol. Okay, bad joke...but still a valid point. If anyone asks, it's in a manilla folder on the white bookcase in my office.I've been off work since Friday. Actually, Thursday afternoon--we had our Wing picnic and then were released for the day. I was supposed to leave for camping that evening but that little voice inside said "don't go." I didn't question it. I just let my friends know that I couldn't go. It didn't help that Aunt Flo decided to make an appearance as well. Camping and tampons, although they contain many of the same letters, do NOT go together. This weekend especially. Now, this may be TMI but tough!...it's my first red wave since I ceased with the BCPs--a pre-op requirement having to do with clotting or some such thing. The doc told me to stop taking them, I did. It's not like they're doing anything except keeping my skin clear anyway. Oh, and affording me shorter red waves. Normally done in three days, this time it took three days to get momentum. Yuck! I know.So, back to being off since Thursday afternoon. That's a lot of time with just me. Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy my time by myself but I like doing projects and stuff. Unfortunately, I'm more concious of my spending which makes doing projects more difficult. I did plant some veggies, and watermelon, and some flowers. I've also been eating a ton of junk food--kind of the last supper, I guess. Since weight gain ususally goes to my hips, it kind of works out. :))I also went to the mall. Tried on some cute jeans at Old Navy. Didn't buy them. Why would I? They won't fit in a couple weeks once the swelling goes down. Instead, I look forward to buying them in a smaller size. I wonder if my shape will be drastically different or just smaller. Imagine, having one shape your whole life--for me, that's square hips; you know, where the most weight is carried above the butt rather than at the butt--and then POOF! it's different. I think I'm more nervous about having to deal with a new shape than actually going under. I'm all typed out for now...C ya!

Do you have a couple hours to spare?

2009-07-03T19:05:00.002-04:00

www.bbbsa.org/

Breakthrough Study Finds Adults Mentored as Children in Big Brothers Big Sisters are Better Educated, Wealthier & More Fulfilled than Peers
New Study Released at Big Brothers Big Sisters’ National Conference Suggests America’s Largest Donor-Supported Network of Volunteer Mentors for Youth Breaks Cycles Linked to Poverty
Miami, FL, June 16, 2009 -- A study conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters finds adults mentored as children through Big Brothers Big Sisters are more likely than peers with similar backgrounds but who were not involved in the program to have a four-year college degree, incomes of $75,000 or more. They also report strong relationships with their spouses, children and friends.
Big Brothers Big Sisters released the findings this week during its National Conference. The 2009 conference is being hosted in Miami and is sponsored by Comcast.
“The children we serve are among America’s most vulnerable, whether they have one parent, live in households experiencing poverty or have a parent who is incarcerated,” said Judy Vredenburgh, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Executive Officer. “Independent research has told us for some time that Big Brothers Big Sisters improves the odds that children we serve will succeed educationally and socially. This is our first large-scale examination of the long-term benefits, suggesting we have the potential to break cycles too often associated with family and community poverty.”
The cross-sectional study was commissioned by Big Brothers Big Sisters to gather evidence that its long-term structured mentoring program’s effects reach far beyond the time that children are enrolled in the program. The nation’s largest donor supported volunteer mentoring network’s 255,000 community- and school-based mentoring matches depends on donations to recruit, carefully match and screen volunteers and provide ongoing support to the mentors, children and their families.
Among the study’s specific findings:
Alumni were 75% more likely than non-alumni to have received a four-year college degree (28% of alumni vs. 16% of non-alumni).
Alumni were 39% more likely than non-alumni to have current household incomes of $75,000 or higher (46% of alumni vs. 33% of non-alumni).
A majority of alumni are extremely or very satisfied with their relationships to friends (72%), family (65%) and spouses (62%). Fewer non-alumni report the same level of satisfaction (46%, 50% and 40%, respectively).
Approximately two in three (64%) alumni are extremely or very satisfied with life compared to just over one in three (35%) non-alumni.
A majority of alumni (62%) perceive themselves to have achieved a higher level of success than their peers who were not involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters. Furthermore, this is twice as many as the 31% of non-alumni who report being more successful than other people they grew up with.
Adult Littles are more likely than non-alumni to be engaged in their community over the past 12 months, particularly when it comes to volunteering (52% vs 35%, respectively) and holding a leadership role in an organization working on an issue (29% vs. 16%, respectively).
"One of the most effective strategies for successful fundraising is to demonstrate the long-term value of our program,” Vredenburgh said. “Foundations, individuals, corporations and public funders – want to invest in programs proven to change lives and break cycles of poverty.”
A little more than half of the alumni Littles who participated in the study grew up in single-parent homes (52%) and described their childhood financial situation as worse off than the average American household (51%). The Big Brothers Big Sisters alumni reported that having a “Big” in their lives positively influenced their self confidence, provided stability and changed their perspectives on life, taught them new things, influenced aspects of their education, pushing them to set higher goals and make better decisions.
Methodology Between March 3 and April 16 2009, Harris Interactive conducted an online survey of 449 adults, 200 of whom participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters as “Littles” for at least one year during their childhood and 249 who never participated in the program. Alumni Littles were sampled from a combination of Harris Interactive’s panel of respondents and Big Brothers Big Sisters lists. All 249 of the non alumni were sampled from the Harris Interactive panel of online respondents. The non-alumni segment allows for a comparison between Big Brothers Big Sisters alumni and adults who had a similar profile as youth but who did not have a Big Brother or Big Sister as a youth. A full methodology is available.
About Harris Interactive Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit harrisinteractive.com.

A week later and it doesn't hurt as bad.

2009-06-27T10:47:00.002-04:00

By Monday, I was able to move around without wishing my head wasn't so heavy. I went to the doctor that morning and he diagnosed "cervical strain." Sounds kind of gynecological, doesn't it? He also put me on a profile for "no pushups, no situps, and no running"; which means the only part of my PT test that I could do would be: taping my ab circumference. That's not good. Max points I would get for my 34.5 inch waist would be 71. I need 75. Anyhow, he also gave me Tramadol for the pain. I took it at 1oam Monday morning and had a buzz by 11am. I couldn't even leave for lunch 'cause I didn't trust myself to drive. One of my coworkers shared her lunch with me. Thank goodness. I took another pill Monday night with the thought that the "buzz" would/could happen while I was sleeping.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case but I didn't realize it until I was halfway to work Tuesday morning. We had Commander's Call at 5:45am because someone got a DUI. Halfway through it, I had to rush to the bathroom so that I could be sick. So much for breakfast. An hour or so after the CC Call was over, I went to sick call. They tried to get me to come back that afternoon cause it was 8:01 and sick call was over at 8am. I said: "I'm having a reaction to the medication the doctor gave me. I don't think waiting til this afternoon would be a smart move." Long story, short: no pain medication for me. I'm allergic to Ibuprofen products so I can't even take an anti-inflamatory.
My neck is currently just a little sore. The profile my doc put me on expired Friday. That would mean I would have to test all components of the PT test. It hurt to do situps and I didn't want to injure myself further and run the risk of failing my PT test. See, the Fitness Director has us do pushups and situps first, then we run. If I did situps before I ran, I might hurt myself to a point that it would compromise how I performed on the run. So, back to the doc I went...to get an amended profile--no pushup, no situps but run okay. I got that. Yeah!
So, I test this coming week. Sometime before Friday because Friday is our holiday day off and Monday, the day my PT test is due by, is a base down day. Wish me luck and have a good weekend.

Damn! That hurts!

2009-06-20T12:42:00.002-04:00

I don't know how it happened but I managed to hurt myself in such a way that I can't move my neck, shoulders, or head without some serious pain. I feel like I did neck lifts with a thousand pound weight. You know how it feels when you sleep wrong and you can turn your head all the way without a bit of discomfort. Well, multiply that by 100. It hurts so bad that I feel like a baby who can't lift her head 'cause it's too heavy. My BBF here brought me one of those microwavable thingies that rests on your shoulders to alleviate some pain. It's working...a little bit. I was fine yesterday but as my sleep wore on last night it became harder and harder to roll over without pain. This morning, it took all my strength just to do so.
I think this is God's way of saying "take it easy", "no days off for 22 days is not something to be proud of." So, I'm sitting on my butt and watching TV with as little movement as possible. I'm just glad it doesn't hurt to click the mouse button or type. lol. Have a good weekend.
Five more duty days until my PT test.

Surgery side affects and it hasn't even happened yet!

2009-06-17T19:53:00.002-04:00

I had to stop taking my birth control pill three weeks prior to my surgery. Well, that time frame began three days ago. The hormones are definitely in opposition. I'm not sleeping well. I'm tired when I wake up. I'm tired all day. I've gotten a headache every day this week. Today's was a migraine. I will be going to bed as soon as I'm done typing this. My period, which should have ended Sunday with the beginning of a new pill pack, didn't end because it probably thinks it's got free reign now. I've gained three pounds because I'm eating out of boredom again. I'm not bored but my hormones think I'm still premenstrual. My face is breaking out in a week when it normally is the clearest. Grrr!! Double Grrr!! Triple Grrr!!! 11 days until I retest for PT. I can't afford to gain weight. 18 days til my surgery. I can't afford to hormonally trip for that time period. I've told everyone in my office my situation just so they're aware of why I might be a little "off" in the coming days. This is no fun. God is certainly getting prayers for strength and patience these days.

Life is going by too quickly!

2009-06-12T22:43:00.002-04:00

It's mid-month Payday already!! I'm excited because this will be my first big ($1000) payment towards my Art debt. It's gonna be real exciting to watch that beast drop so drastically every month. It's exciting to think that I'll be consumer debt free (fingers crossed) by Christmas 2010. I've put in a ton of hours at Vicky's Secret these past few weeks. I put in that I was available any day except Tues/Thurs. What do they do? Schedule me for every day except Tues/Thurs. Thankfully, that availability ends this coming week...but they still have me scheduled for every day that I'm available...even next weekend when I'm working the Dover Air Force Base Open House/Air Show. 10 hours on Saturday and 14 on Sunday. I would so much rather sort panties and sell bras for our Semi-Annual Sale than to have to hang out on base for that much time--24 hours in a 48 hour period is just TOO much!
On a separate note, if you didn't notice my weight ticker up at the top, I'm down below 170lbs. This is my lowest weight since January 2006, so I'm very excited about that. I have 10 more lbs to go until I reach the weight that counts full points for BMI/ab circumference on my PT test. Along that same vein...I had my pre-op appointment two days ago...for my liposuction surgery. I'll be sure to post "Before" pics prior to the procedure so that you can see what it looks like on someone you "know." I won't post "After" pics for probably a month or two post-op--gotta give the swelling some time to go down.
So, other than working the two jobs and sitting on my butt the few evenings that I don't have to work the part-time, I haven't been doing much. Have a good weekend.

For those whom have passed and fallen...

2009-05-25T18:37:00.004-04:00

no computer or TV this weekend.

2009-05-21T21:49:00.003-04:00

Well, folks, it has been a tiring week for me. Work hasn't changed much but I had to switch to the 6am PT session since I will soon have early morning commitments. Up until Wednesday morning, I was going to the 7:30am sessions. Not anymore. I now have to get up at 4:50am and haven't been able to get to bed prior to 11pm since last Thursday. I really don't do well on fewer than eight hours a night. Anyhow, you won't see me online this weekend. I'm going to do my best to stay off the computer and not watch TV either. I figure a four day weekend (gotta love military Family Days) is as good a time as any to catch up on all the chores and errands that I need to take care of.

My yard sale last weekend was pretty successful but I need to get what didn't sell out of my house ASAP or it will never leave. I'll be making a trip to the Arts & Crafts building on base to donate my yarn, a local clinic to donate the glucose meters (didn't attempt to sell those but they are sitting in my kitchen taking up space), and a trip or two to the Goodwill to get rid of all the non-furniture items that were left over.

You all have a good weekend and I'll "see" you next week.

Trying to declutter...

2009-05-09T19:45:00.000-04:00

In my attempt to declutter, I am getting rid of all my excess Victoria's Secret stuff. Want it?
More than $650 worth of Victoria’s Secret products...
DREAM ANGELS:
Heavenly (yellow box) Gift Set .25 fl oz perfume and Sparkling Angel Body Lotion
Halo (turquoise box) Perfume Spray 2.5 fl oz
Halo (turquoise box) Angel Touch Lotion 8.4 fl oz
Divine (pink box) Angel Touch Lotion 4.2 fl oz
POUT:
Foxy Lady Velvet Body Crème 7 oz
Foxy Lady Silk Body Lotion 6.7 fl oz
Foxy Lady Eau de Parfum 1.7 fl oz
Vintage Chic Silk Body Lotion 6.7 fl oz
Bohemian Belle Eau de Parfum 1.7 fl oz
Bohemian Belle Silk Body Lotion 6.7 fl oz
SECRET GARDEN:
Pure Seduction Shimmer Body Lotion 5 fl oz
Pure Seduction Shimmer Body Mist 3.4 fl oz
Pure Seduction Shimmer Body Powder (brush) .16 oz
Amber Romance Body Lotion 5 fl oz
Amber Romance Shimmer Body Mist 3.4 fl oz
Amber Romance Shimmer Body Powder (brush) .16 oz
SO IN LOVE:
Body Lotion 6.7 fl oz
Body Lotion 3.4 fl oz
Eau de Parfum Spray .5 fl oz
BEAUTY RUSH:
Candy, Baby Body Glimmer Swirl Cream 5 fl oz
Candy, Baby Body Shimmer Mist 8.4 fl oz
Candy, Baby Body Whip Moisture Cream 10.6 oz
INSATIABLE:
Cherry Bellini Body Lotion 16.9 fl oz
Lime Tartini Body Lotion 16.9 fl oz
Raspberry Cosmo Body Lotion 16.9 fl oz
VERY SEXY:
Dare (purple bottle) Eau de Parfum 1 fl oz
For Him Gift Set Cologne 1.7 fl oz and After Shave Hydrator 3.4 fl oz
MISC:
Moorea Passion Fruit Body Polish 8.8 oz
Tahitian Vanilla Flower Body Butter 7 oz
Bali Orchid Body Butter 7 oz
Eau de Parfum vials .09 fl oz ea
Dream Angels Desire (lavender box)
Dream Angels Divine (pink box)
Dream Angels Heavenly (yellow box)
Dream Angels Wish (blue/white box)
Pink
Body by Victoria
Supermodel
Sexy Little Things
Sexy Little Things Ooh La La
Very Sexy (red bottle)
Very Sexy Hot (pink bottle)
Very Sexy Dare (purple bottle)
I'd exchange all of it for a $250 gift card for Rite Aid, Safeway, SuperFresh, Target, Walgreens, or a combination of any/all of those stores. The products actually total $664.50 and shipping will be about $30. That's a 64% savings. I'll even throw in two (worn twice each) bras in size 38D, if they're your size.
I'm just tired of having it sit around and take up space. If no takers by the 15 May, I'll list it on ebay. Maybe that will facilitate getting rid of it. :)
Items in green have been spoken for. All others are still up for grabs.

Wake up call

2009-05-09T08:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had a meeting with my Commander in regards to my most recent PT test failure. It's my third in fewer than two years and, even though I'm progressing, it still isn't good. I HAVE to pass my next test which is at the end of June. If I don't pass, they have to submit for retention. If retention is accepted, he has to take punitive steps at his level. Basically, if the Wing Commander doesn't take negative repurcussions, he has to otherwise there is no reason to fear a fourth failure (for anyone). Folks could just keep failing without worrying about anything and without any incentive to pass. My Commander is an awesome guy so I know most of what he's doing/saying is because he has to show that he's serious otherwise he'll be walked all over and not taken seriously. He told me "I don't want you to be the first." I believe him. I know he, and the rest of supervision, value me and what I bring to the organization so I'm going to do what I can and I will pass the test in June. If I don't, I lose a stripe (if the Wing CC approves retention). If I lose a stripe, I will be at high year tenure for that rank which means I can no longer serve. I WILL PASS. Please pray for me that I have the strength and continue to have the determination to pass.

Yard Sale Stuff

2009-05-05T17:01:00.001-04:00

I was asked to post pictures of the stuff I'll be selling at my yard sale. It's obviously still in the setup phase but here's a good majority:

Do Nothing Monday

2009-05-04T16:15:00.000-04:00

Since Saturday and Sunday were pretty busy, I'm forcing myself to do nothing but surf the internet and/or watch movies all day. No chores! So far, so good. Tomorrow is gonna be a day for chores and errands. Got run to the grocery store and the post office. Then I need to further scour the house for items to be gotten rid of. Right now, it's looking kind of messy but, I know, once I get everything together that I'm going to get rid of, the rest of the house will look awesome and be much more clean and organized.
I'll post pics tomorrow of the furniture that will be for sale at the yard sale.

Getting rid of the "stuff"

2009-04-30T21:17:00.000-04:00

A couple posts back, I mentioned that I'm going through the house and getting rid of anything and everything that hasn't been used in quite some time. Well, I've listed I don't know how many items on Amazon Marketplace.
http://www.amazon.com/shops/nidena
I will happily ship any that my friends want with the request of reimbursement of shipping charges via a Rite Aid or Walgreens gift card...or stamps. :)
If you want any of items, drop me an email at my hotmail address with your snail mail address.

The opposite end of the "stockpile" spectrum but still involves lots of "stuff."

2009-04-25T09:11:00.000-04:00

Did you ever see that episode of Oprah with Peter Walsh and the lady that had a houseful of "stuff?" They took everything out of the house, sorted it, and put back on the stuff that truly was worth keeping. The rest they either threw away or set aside for a rummage sale. When it came time for that rummage sale, they had it in a warehouse. Just before it started, they gave the lady a tour of all her "stuff". She was shocked! At the end of it, they were having a conversation and she's talking about how she couldn't believe she had that much stuff. Peter says: "oh, that's not all" and lifts up a curtain in the entrance of another room in the warehouse. They made $13,000 at that rummage sale. Most of the items were things that would sale for $1 or $2. At any yard sale I've had, I'm lucky if I net $50. I can't imagine how much "stuff" you'd have to have to make $13,000.
Wednesday, I picked up Peter's book It's All Too Much to see what he had to say in it. It was very eye-opening. Now, I have nowhere near as much stuff as the woman on Oprah. You don't navigate ravines to get from one room to another but I do have enough stuff that I feel like I'm fighting a never ending battle of trying to keep my coffee table clear and I do have boxes of stuff that I look at, maybe, once a year and that's when I'm telling myself "I need to sort through this stuff." Well, I'm getting serious now. I mean, do I really need a whole 20 shelf library of books that I've read only once or haven't read in more than a year? Especially since the Kent County Library is within walking distance of my home. Do I really need to hang on to that rocker that I never sit in but have yet to get rid of because my aunt would make me feel guilty for getting rid of something that she gave me? Guilt be damned, it's going. I offered a good friend my Kitchen Aid mixer for $50. I don't use it. I've owned it for more than three years and have used it fewer than 10 times despite having made cookies and cupcakes at least that many times since 2009 began. I don't need it. Once I go through everything, I'm going to have an indoor yard sale. That way there is no excuse for not getting rid of it should there be bad weather.

Schedule for next seven days.

2009-04-22T09:33:00.000-04:00

I think if I get this down, I can visualize all that I need to do and where I need to be.
Wed/today:
babysit
class tonight
feed kitties
Thurs:
feed kitties
Fit Camp
babysit
lab Practical
feed kitties
Fri:
kubota
feed kitties
babysit
Sat:
kubota
feed kitties
babysit
Sun:
babysit
Mon:
feed kitties
Fit Camp
appt w/Merry Maids for Deep Spring clean
babysit
Final exam
feed kitties
Tues:
feed kitties
Fit Camp
office
feed kitties
babysit
Wed:
feed kitties
Fit Camp
office
feed kitties
babysit
Thurs:
end babysitting
start regular routine

Weight loss progress

2009-04-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

I think officially over the midpoint hump. I've lost more than I have left to go. For the longest time I wanted to be that person who was able to lose fat by not really paying attention to what I eat. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not someone who consumes fast food on a regular basis but sodas and candy bars were good friends of mine. My daily routine included at least one soda and one or two candy bars. So, that's approximately 500-600 extra calories a day. Yeah, I work out but not enough to deficit those extra calories and any other extras that I might consume throughout the day. I was exercising enough to maintain my weight. I had to make changes. I had to find an incentive to make changes.
My incentive: a brand new digital camera; my behavior change time frame: 1 Apr to 1 May--long enough to make the change a habit.
I don't count calories. I don't need to. I just make myself accountable for every bite going in my mouth. I'm concious of every bite going in my mouth. No longer do I wander down to the secretary's office and nosh on the little chocolate tidbits in the jar on her desk. I don't deprive myself though. I allow myself one serving of chocolate a day...if I want it. Most days I don't...because I know I can have it; because I know that I'm allowed to eat whatever I want.
Yesterday was a crazy day. Breakfast was normal: cereal with milk. Lunch: two pieces of pizza at 1130 and then a hotdog and french fries a couple hours later. Dinner was bratwurst and broccoli at a friends along with Schmirnoff grape. Bad idea. It's been so long since I drank that the hangover made itself known after two bottles. I still have a headache...14 hours later. Plus my asthma is flaring up and my inhaler is almost empty. Not good.
I hope I can make it through the weekend without having to go buy an alternative inhaler from the drug store down the street--they don't work as well.

2009-04-04T22:40:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day. Got up just before 7am to get ready for the 5k at the base. Dani came and picked me up. She was gonna trek it with me. And trek we did. The winds were around 25mph and gusting to 50mph. Sometimes, during the jog, I felt like I was standing still. I was so glad to reach the halfway point and turn around 'cause then the wind was at my back. It was so strong that, during the second half, at times it would die down and I would almost forget to move forward. It was literally pushing me forward. Unfortunately, the last 100 yards were running back into the head wind. It was brutal but I perservered; even kicked in the Nitrox at the end to bring it in under 35 minutes--34:29!!
Then I came home and took a four hour nap.
After that, I cleaned up the house a bit and watched a couple movies. Around 6pm, I was feeling antsy, so I threw on my sneakers and took a power walk around the block--2.5 miles and 45 minutes later, I was in the yard pulling weeds and picking up twiggy branches. The grass has grown like crazy after all the rain we've had these past few days. It's that time of year again. Time to pay the neighbor kid $20 to mow the lawn...every three weeks or so. That being said, I needed to clear out the dangerous stuff--twigs, branches, and bricks that the previous owner (from two years ago) had placed around a tree. The grass has grown over them so they're impossible to see.
Monday, I'm on 12 hour shifts again but they got smarter (or nicer) and I'm in the kubota only every other day instead of every day...for four days. Monday morning is also time for my Phase I to Phase II PT test. Fingers crossed for that one.

The snow is gone but...

2009-03-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

It's great that it's warm enough outside that I can open up the windows. Unfortunately, the sky is fairly dusty so it's wreaking havoc on my breathing. I took a nap around noon--since I got up at 7am, I figured "why not?"--and woke up feeling like crap. I know it's due to my compromised breathing. We just need a decent rainstorm to wash away all the crap in the air. Until then, I get to fight the phlegm.

Some confusion...

2009-03-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

I apologize if anyone was mislead. The second portion of the previous post was not something that happened in my life. It was an email I received a couple years ago and I reposted it because even if isn't true to my knowledge or those that are immediate friends, it might be true for someone else. Again, the "I" in that portion of the post was not me. I guess my paragraph prior to it wasn't clear enough. Sorry for any confusion. I just wanted to make a point that we never know who's life we might so greatly affect with a small gesture.

"Do Nothing" weekend!

2009-03-01T20:11:00.000-05:00

I went absolutely nowhere this weekend and loved it!! I needed this time to decompress and not have to interact face to face with people. You know how babies don't like it when they're forced to be in the presence of too many people in too short a time? Well, that was me this past week. I was getting cranky due to having had to talk to too many people while on my military detail.
I didn't go to the gym, I didn't go to church, I didn't go to the mall BUT I did work out at home, I did have some personal time with God, and the store meeting was canceled so life is good.

This afternoon, I started Season 1 of ER and after watching the first episode it got me to thinking. See, in the first episode, Nurse Hathaway attempts suicide. Now, we all know there are multitudes of reasons why people make the attempt. That wasn't what I was thinking about. I was wondering what would happen if something like that happened to me. Now, stop before you panic. I'm not pondering taking that action. I was just exploring a natural curiousity of the repurcussions. It really makes you stop and appreciate all of the people in your life when you take an actual inventory of those who would be affected by such a thing.

Here's my list:
Mom, Dad, Bro, my children, their parents, my two BFFs, their families, my extended family, my coworkers, my squadron, my base, my neighbors, my friends here in town, my hairdresser, my coworkers at my part time, my classmates, my friends on MySpace, my friends on Facebook, and numerous folks on the Grocery Challenge. Imagine this: that list of people totals in the thousands. We all touch that many lives and most don't realize it.

A good friend of mine committed suicide my Senior year in high school. She thought she didn't have any friends. The darn church was full to the brim and it could hold a few hundred folks. The real sad thing is: she didn't want to die. She even took steps to try to reverse what she had done by calling 911 but it was too late. The pills took affect and that was that.

Right now, we are in crisis times. Pay attention to your loved ones. Reach out to everyone. You never know when you might just be stepping in at just the right time. Some of you may have seen this email but I'm going to post this story because it just might be true:
> > > One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."> > >> I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.> > > My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!"> There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.> > > I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and themore I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.> > > Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy , you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.> > > Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always befriends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.> > > Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.> > > He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.> > > Boy, sometimes I was jealous.> > > Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.> > > "Thanks," he said. > > >> > > As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."> > > I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.> > > "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome,popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.

February...in a nutshell

2009-02-22T20:24:00.000-05:00

Whew! This month is nearly gone. I work 12 hour shifts again this week. I'm hoping it doesn't enable me to gain another 1.9 lbs in four days because that just wrecks havoc on the Biggest Winner competition going on at work. I'm down a net of four pounds. I refuse to change my weight tracker until it actually gets lower than the last time I posted. Besides, I never know which scale to believe. My home scale reads 176, the gym scale reads 180.6, and the scale where I weigh in for the B.W. read 181.2.
I was back at the gym in the evenings last week. The week before I was very sick with that cold/flu that was going around and the week before that my evening workout partner was sick. We're all better now. So, I was in the gym eight times since last Sunday--M-F, Tues eve, Thurs eve, and today. I'm lifting heavier weights in order to increase my muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so it's good to have them larger (and stronger). I can see some serious definition in my thighs. I can almost see the four separate muscles--not in their entirety considering that two are under the rectus femorous (my anatomy class is paying off)--but I can see the lines of demarcation between them.
The 12 hour shifts are going to hurt a bit so I'm going to see what I can incorporate into my day while I'm checking paperwork and stuff.
I also received my new mail scale. That is something to be excited about. I can actually weigh packages at home and utilize the "postage at home" function on the USPS website. You can save about .50 a package by printing at home. Then you just drop it off at the Post Office. If I mail 20 packages, that's a savings of $10!

food budget

2009-01-30T19:23:00.000-05:00

This week really shot my attempt to live off my stockpile all to hell. I was detailed out for 12 hour shifts, four days this week. Monday, I brought my own lunch. Tuesday, I had lunch at the base bowling alley (two meals--one for there and one to go for later) $10. Wednesday, a friend went to Safeway to get some coffee and I opted to get one of their sandwiches, a bowl of potato cheese soup (and a hot chocolate) $11. Thursday, the same friend and I went to Giacomo's. Long story short, I paid for both of us, $18. So, in four days, I managed to spend the same amount on food that I had spent the other 25 days. Grrr. Still, my monthly grocery/dining out total came to less than $100.
Ever spent 8-12 hours doing nothing except checking paperwork for people who drive through a gate? That's how I spent the last four days. Thank goodness we had Spinning in my FitCamp this morning. I hadn't gone all week because my Commander excused me from it in order to fulfil the detail.
Back to the gym tomorrow. I finished out the week of crappy eating by having no lunch just Chinese dumplings from the Commissary and a whole can of sweet 'n' crunchy peanuts all washed down with a lemon Snapple. Dinner was a bag of Good 'n' Plenty and a cream soda from Happy Harry's/Walgreens. I will be so glad to get back to my normal routine.
Tomorrow brings about grocery shopping. Metro grocery store is closing so I figure I'll head over there to check out their prices. Gotta do some laundry too. I'm nearly out of black socks.

Let's save our energy!

2009-01-17T10:48:00.000-05:00

I thank everyone for reading my blog. My "Perpetual" post got quite a bit of attention. However, I ask that we let the matter drop. Let's give it no more energy. LisaB hit the nail on the head when she said we "can't save every child." From the outside looking in, help is needed in many places. All we can do is pray. Let go and let God. I also ask: if you're an Anonymous commenting on her blog, let it go. You're only feeding the fire and taunting her. She'll do the best she can in the best way she knows how. Maybe it won't be to our "standards" or how we would do things but we can only hope that the children come out of it unscathed and feeling loved.
Okay! So how about that crazy football stuff going on this weekend?!?

Misconceptions

2009-01-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

In the past, I've been accused of not understanding the situations of parents because I have no children. Au contraire, mon ami, I understand plenty AND I do have children. Now, granted, I haven't raised them and they aren't tax deductions on my 1040A but I have had children. I'm also sympathetic and empathetic to those who have children living with them. Everybody's children are different so how they act in one household may be completely different in someone else's. Everyone has different variations on their belief systems which causes them to raise their children a bit differently. Some choose to put the needs of their children before paying their bills and, well, others don't.
I attended training for foster parenting a couple years back and, shortly before the application process was complete, I took a long hard look at my situation and realized that I need to be a hell of a lot closer to being consumer debt free before I even consider adding a child/teenager to my home. Kiddos are stressful--good and bad (kids and stress)--and being stressed about paying down my debt would take a lot of the attention off them.
My goal is to have all my consumer debt paid off by the time I'm 35. That gives me just over two years and it's totally doable...provided I don't add to what I've already got. lol. In May 2011 (when I hit that milestone), I will be five years from my first retirement and, hopefully, quite a few credits closer to my Bachelor's but...I digress.
Going back to kids, stress, and debt. If you are stressed because you have kids--you put yourself there. If you're stressed because you have debt--you put yourself there. I fall into the latter category and am working to get myself out. Now, when I say "stressed", I don't mean that it keeps me up at night though that can be the situation for some. Instead I mean: at the times that I do think about making the payments for my debts, and wondering if I'll be able to double this month's payment or will I have to pay a few hundred $$ to get rid of the squirrel condo that is situated behind my chimney, my body reacts with traditional stress responses--elevated heart rate and the like. I am not going gray because of my debts, thank God. Are you washing the gray right outta your hair?

"Perpetual" people frustrate me!

2009-01-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

I will never understand why people perpetuate their own crises. For example: my aunt. The woman tells me that she's down to her last $2 and then, not a week later, I get an Xmas card from her with $40 in it. There's no point in me saying anything other than "Thank you" so I do and then put the money in my wallet. Or she'll make some statement about she doesn't know what she'll do if the house sells (my uncle, her brother, has POA of my deceased grandma's house) and, in the next sentence she'll ask me to look up prices of Sony HD televisions.
There's another person, whom shall remain nameless but not unknown, she constantly complains about how little food she has to feed her children and how she had to go without dinner but, very soon, she's going to get her kids a pet for Xmas. Don't tell me that you bought and fed multiple kids the equivalent of ONE Happy Meal and now you're gonna add a pet to the mix and expect me to turn a blind eye. I have this woman's address, I'm half tempted to call CPS just based on what this woman has personally disclosed about her home life. It's the Mandatory Reporter in me just dying to smack this woman with some common sense!!

December already????

2008-12-06T09:10:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was pretty hectic and I was feeling a serious lack of sleep. Wednesday was great...went to FitCamp, then work, then home. Slept great cause I had no where to be until noon-ish on Thanksgiving day. I had a leisurely breakfast then headed over to a friend's to pick up a package that I had left over there--she's large in the boob dept so I had taken my new sports bras over for her to try on so that she could get a better idea of what size to order. Home girl is a 36G so any opportunity for "try on" is great. The bras that I had ordered where two different styles but with "34" bands. Needless to say, they were a little snug.
Anyhow, back to the hectic weekend. After I had left her house, I headed to the place where I would be spending my weekend babysitting two boys--ages 9 and 11. I got the lay of the land and then headed north to Philly to spend dinner with my dad and second mom. Got there at 3pm and left around 8pm. Got back to my place of babysitting around 9:30. I forgot to call my dad to let him know that I had made it so he called me at 11pm. I had just fallen asleep but woke up enough to answer his phone call and then promptly went back to sleep. At 3am, I heard my friends getting ready to head to the airport. I think they left within an hour. I woke up at 7am in order to get ready for work. The mall on Black Friday...you can imagine how fast my day flew despite working a full 8 hour shift. I got back to the house around 6pm. The boys and I watched The Hulk and then hit the sack.
Saturday morning, I slept in til 10 but didn't feel rested due to having slept on a bed that wasn't my own. I worked at the mall from 1pm to 5pm, drove back to the house to eat and pick up the boys and then drove back to Dover to take them roller skating. We got there at 7pm. Three hours later, we headed back to their house. Sunday morning, I had to be at work at 8am. Thank goodness they let me leave early at 1pm instead of 3pm. I drove to my house to swap out clothes and to pick up my uniform and PT gear for Monday morning. After that, I headed back to pick up the boys and then drove back to the movie theatre (in the same mall where I work) so the boys and I could see Twillight. Which, if you're able to forget the book, is a good movie.
I stayed up that night to watch Britney: For the Record.
Monday morning, I was up at 4:30am so that Icould ensure I made it to the base gym by 6am for FitCamp. Same with Tuesday. The whole weekend I didn't sleep well cause I wasn't at home and I had to add 15 minutes to my travel time because I wasn't even in the same town that I actually live. I didn't actually get to bed before 10pm until Thursday night but still had to be up at 5am.
Now, I realize that some folks are used to having only six hours (or fewer) of sleep but I'm not. I don't function too well on fewer than seven and am even better with eight. Last night I was in bed by 10:30 but was able to sleep in until almost 8am. That was awesome. I might even go back to bed for a couple hours since I don't have to be at work until 12:45 this afternoon. Oh, decisions, decisions.
Have a good weekend.

Shopping online for clothes...ugh!!

2008-11-22T09:08:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that I've had to go to Fit Camp every day M-F...well, it's working just not in the areas that I'd like to actually see results. My previous sports bras were 36DD and 36DDD depending upon which one I grabbed for the day. Well, they've gotten a little loose in the band size. I hook it at the smallest fit and it's still a little too "jiggley" so I went to my favorite site bareneccessities.com and picked out four new sports bras--two styles and two sizes from each. One fit. I expected this but it's still frustrating. Now, I need to fill out the exchange form and send back the other three and hope that they still have more in the one that fits. Grrrr!!!!

Rugrats

2008-11-03T19:03:00.000-05:00

Who knew I had such good genes? This was taken last year on the first day of school.

And these are their adoptive parents. They're good looking, too. ;) I certainly know how to pick 'em. Despite thousands of miles of distance, we're definitely family.

Fit Camp

2008-11-03T18:32:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, 20 Oct, I had my PT test. I did great on the run and pushups: 1.5 miles in 14:34 and 45 out of 40 pushups. I did decent on situps--29 out of 42. Unfortunately, to pass, I needed to have a 35" or less ab circumference. I measured at 37". So, now I'm in Fit Camp a.k.a. mandatory fitness. Today was day #6. We did a "mock" PT test. I wasn't going to kill myself if it didn't count. Plus, we ran on the road instead of the track and the route change affected my run time...by two full minutes. :(

Anyhow, I also measured at a 38". I tell you...I hate how it's so easy to be inconsistently measured. There is no one spot to measure around. It varies from person to person from measurer to measurer. A situp is easy--start in the down position, come up, one; down again, up again, two; etc. Pushups you start in the up position but it has the same finite points of measurement. Not so with ab circumference. Don't believe me? Grab your tape measure. Okay, now find the top of your hip bone. Measure around. Take note of inches. Now, fully remove the tape measure and do it again...and again. Did you get exactly the same measurement each time? I didn't think so. Unless you have very definitely protruding hipbones...which I don't know anyone who does. Shoot! I feel bad for the ladies with a little bootie in the back cause their butt's getting measured too; not just their abs.

I'm in this program for the next 3-6 months; longer if I don't "test out." We go five days a week, M-F. I have no question that I will be able to kick butt. I do my best to get a great workout every time. PLUS...I'll be working out at other times as well. Tuesday nights, I go to the gym to watch the Biggest Loser. I tell you...watching fat people sweat and work hard inspires me. Wednesday afternoons, I do the HAWC walk. The HAWC is the Health And Wellness Center. Military just loves acronyms. Then Thursday is the running clinic. Both Wed and Thur are during lunch so I don't have to worry about staying up late on any day but Tuesday. I'm determined to get down to 160-165 in the next three months. For goodness sakes, it's only 15-20 lbs. I WILL SO DO THIS!!!

shopping on nov 1st

2008-11-02T08:47:00.000-05:00

I bought 75 items, totaling $254.74, for $111.84. I will get back $51.96 in rebates at the end of the month making my out of pocket expense a net of $59.88.

2008-10-26T21:05:00.001-04:00

Here's how I spent my Sunday:

Taped off...

Edges painted...

First and Second coat done...

It's a tester wall to see if I want to paint my bedroom the same color. I'm leaning towards "yes" but in semi-gloss instead of satin. The "sample" cans come in only satin finish.

More coupons...

2008-10-24T23:06:00.000-04:00

Beverages:
Steaz
Deer Park
Poland Spring
Over the Moon milk
Folgers
Caribou coffee
New England coffee
Good Earth coffee
V8 Splash
Juicy Juice
Welch's
Lipton
Nescafe Taster's Choice
DanActive
Activia
PediaSure
Nutripals
Boost
Promise SuperShots
Spices/Sauces/Seasonings:
Benecol
Splenda
Lawry's Spice blend
Mrs Dash seasoning blend
Kraft dressing (free produce when you buy two)
Lawry's marinade
Wishbone
Mrs Dash marinade
Smart Balance
Litehouse Asian dressing
Spectrum liquid flax oil
Heinz 57
Lea & Perrins
Kikkoman
French's worcestershire
Ortega products
Prego
Ragu
If you can't comment here, you can email me at nidena76 at the "g".

More coupons...

2008-10-22T21:11:00.000-04:00

Snacks:
Fruitabu
Lundberg rice chip
BC Fruit snacks
Go-Gurt
Wrigleys gum
Weight Watchers candy
Snyder's of Hanover
Mentos
Cheerios snack mix
Chex mix
EatSmart all natural snacks
Orville Redenbacher's natural gourmet popcorn
Emerald premium snacks
SoyJoy
Combos
Sandies cookies
100 calorie granola bars
Nutrigrain bars
Tastykake cookie bar
Nature Valley
FiberOne chewy bars
Caribou Coffee bars
Chex mix bars
Quaker chewy bars
M&M's brand fun-size candies
Truenorth nut snacks
Weight Watchers snack cakes
Pep Farms baked naturals snacks
Hershey's extra dark bar/bag

To ensure a bra fits...

2008-10-22T20:44:00.000-04:00

Basic measurements are (while wearing a decent fitting bra):
Around the top of the chest/under armpits
Around the fullest part of the breast (where the nipples are)
And then around the rib cage just under the breast.
Make sure your tape measure is not on any breast tissue with the bottom measurement. I've had a lot of customers come in and tell me that they were last measured at XX when, in fact, I just measured them at XX-3 because the last person to measure them didn't make sure that breast tissue and/or bra underwires weren't included in the measurement. I've even gone so far to ask women to please lift their breasts up so that I could ensure I wasn't measuring the bottom of their breast tissue. (Once the tape measure was in place, I had them let go)
Your band size will fall between the measurement under the armpits and the one around the ribcage. I can't give you an exact # because the rest of your structure will dictate which it is but it does give you a ball park figure.
For example, if I measure a customer at 38" under her armpits; 40" around her fullest part; and 36" around her ribcage, I will suggest a 38B and a 36D as places to start. You won't know what fits until the bra is on. From then, change only the size to find the correct one in that bra. Don't change bra and size unless it's super obvious that both are not suited.
If all your bras have padding in them, and that's what you're wearing when you measure, subtract a 1/2" or so or just measure a little snugger...not tight, but snug.
With fit, you want to ensure there are only two breasts. You don't want two hanging out the center and you don't want two squishing into your armpits. If you have this problem, try a larger cup.
If your breasts are falling out the bottom of the bra, the band is too big/stretched out.
If the band keeps hiking up in back, go down a band size but get the comparable cup size. It will be the same cup coverage but snugger in the band.
You want the center gore (the part between the cups) to be flat/flush against your skin. You should not be able to put you keys in this space--it's not a pocket. If the center gore isn't flat, go up a cup and down a band--see below for conversion.
Don't be afraid of letters beyond DD. It is what it is. Wouldn't you rather have a bra that fits rather than a specific size. Though, I did encounter a customer who refused to believe she was a 36DDD and only because she had to have a VS bra.
Bra math:
32C=34B or 30D
34D=36C or 32DD
36DD=38D or 34DDD
38DDD=40DD or 36DDDD
D=D (4" difference between band size and cup size)
DD=E (5")
DDD=EE=F (6")
DDDD=EEE=FF=G (7")
One last tidbit...we all have mismatched breasts...some as much as a cup difference. Fit the larger cup. You can always add to the smaller one. You can't make the larger one smaller with a bra.
Can't find your size in stores, try figleaves.com, barenecessities.com, or herroom.com. They all have beautiful bras in a huge range of sizes...all the way from 28A to 52J.

my paper on Consumer Behavior

2008-10-21T17:58:00.000-04:00

Consumer Behavior

“Buying six for $30 is like buying three and getting three free,” I tell my customers as they browse the Beauty section of Victoria’s Secret, VS. “Really?” they ask as they load up the “shopper”—a mesh bag they can carry around the store with them as they shop. My two years of experience has shown me that customers are more likely to buy more when they have something to fill up versus carrying around individual pieces. And everybody loves getting something for FREE.
It doesn’t matter that a single shower gel is only $9. I rarely see adults buy just one. Teenagers, yes, because most of them are shopping with their babysitting money or an allowance. Mom and Dad shop with credit cards and it’s a rare occasion that they buy only one product. At a minimum, they usually buy two and usually because we, the trusted VS employees, are telling them their fragrance will last longer if they “layer it”—apply the lotion then spray the coordinating scent. If they have two, we let them know “for just $5 more, they can get one more product.” I’ve had customers come to the counter with their, now, three products and I’ll tell them: “for just $6 you can THREE additional products” and off they go to get their three more products. Obviously, the total benefit on paying just $30 for six products is high: individual fragrance products cost an average of $8 and they’re getting six for just $30, instead of 6 for $48, they are seeing a consumer surplus of $18, which is almost like getting a tad more than 2 items totally for free.
Another enticing trick where VS uses free stuff is the PINK dog with any PINK purchase (PINK is a VS sub-brand). One customer, Momof1andDog from the MSN message boards, can be quoted as saying: Yep definitely do it, love their stuff! Another poster, Martivir, on the message boards said: If they had something free that I wanted yes I would have bought something I didn't need to get it. Just yesterday, a man brought his daughter and wife in and asked his daughter: Do you want a doggie? Of course she said yes. Mom was compelled into making a purchase—PINK panties five for $25 versus $7.50 a pair, what a deal—just so her daughter could have the “doggie” that Dad promised her. Her marginal benefit could be measured more by her daughter’s happiness than in dollars. As for the PINK panties, they had a consumer surplus of $12.50. When it comes to Consumer Behavior, Victoria’s Secret (and all the other well known chains) have it down. ALL of VS’ undies have discounted prices if you buy a specific (multiple) quantity and they’re constantly running promotions—30% off all Prestige giftsets, get $100 passbook of savings if you sign up for the Angel credit card, and the biggie during the holiday season: get bag A when you spend $50, get bag B when you spend $100, get bag C when you spend $150, get all three when you spend $250. Pure genius and we fall for it every time.

More coupons

2008-10-20T19:13:00.000-04:00

These are all frozen/refridge items:
Jose Ole
Dole frozen fruit
Deli Creations
Mrs T's pierogies
Super pretzel
Hola Fruta
Marzetti
On-cor entrees
Hot pockets ultimate
Ore-Ida steam n mash
Lean pockets
California pizza kitchen
Hormel Natural Choice
Joan of Arc cheese
Stouffers family size entree
White Castle
Vegall
Tuscan dairy cream
Kozy shack
Smuckers uncrustables
Country crock
LOL fresh buttery taste
Caesar's
Tai Pei entree
Green Giant stir fry
Wanchai ferry
Johnsonville italian sausage
Perdue chicken
Tyson chicken
Bob Evans sandwiches
Texas Toast
Green Giant Just for One
Green Giant bagged veggies
Pilsbury refridgerated rolls/breads
Dole salads
Pizza rolls
Pilsbury Savorings
Yo-Plus
Mountain High yoghurt
Dannon Light & Fit
Colombe yogurt
Yoplait Whips
Breyers yogurt
just leave me a comment, if you'd like some.

Coupons up for grabs...

2008-10-18T11:35:00.000-04:00

I didn't want to take up a whole bunch of room on the message board so I'm posting here. Please leave me a comment for the ones that you'd like.
Texas toast croutons
Red pack maters
Valley Fresh chicken products
Hormel chunk meat
Starkist creations pouch
True Lemon/Lime/Orange product
Hungry Jack taters
Swanson broth
Macaroni Grill dinner kit
Smuckers sugar free fruit spreads
Skippy p.b.
Jif p.b.
Goober p.b. & j.
Campbell's soup (various)
Progresso
V8 soup
Hamburger Helper
Barilla pasta
Sargento's potato finishers
Ronzoni pasta
French's Fried Onions
Knorr rice/pasta side dishes
Zatarin's
Carolina Basmati
Uncle Ben's
Pep Farm Bagels
Stroehmann breads
Splenda
Dixie Crystals
Equal
Domino Sugar
If you're not on the Google doc, please email me your address. If you've mailed me woofies in the past, I probably have your address because I cut the return addy of the envies that I receive.
Toaster Strudel
Carnation Breakfast
Capn Crunch
Fiber One
Life
Quaker Instant Oatmeal
Hungry Jack pancake mix/Johnsonville sausage
Bisquick
Oatmeal Crisp
Eggo
I'm only posting three "categories" so keep your eyes peeled for future posts.
Bliss
Turkey Hill ice cream
Hershey's Extra Dark
Sara Lee pound cake
B.C. Warm Delights
Mrs. Smith's or Edwards single products
Eskimo Pie
Ghiradelli Squares
Pilsbury Reduced Sugar baking items
Jello Singles
D.H. oven ready brownies
B.C. cookie mix

Sticking it out...

2008-09-21T20:23:00.001-04:00

I decided to stick it out at Vicky's. I just can't give up the discount. ;)
I also started school for this term. My midterm is Tuesday. Micoreconomics. Almost fun but somewhat difficult to understand. The graphs on Supply and Demand and curves and what-not. Grr!!!
Wish me luck.

At a crossroads?

2008-08-25T16:57:00.000-04:00

The part-time job at Vicky's Secret has really been on my mind lately. There have been some scheduling conflicts the past couple weeks that have made it very difficult to want to go. I didn't apply there to work a second full time job but I've worked enough hours in the above mentioned time frame that it feels like full time. The scheduling system decided that since I put in that I could work ANY day, it was going to schedule me for EVERY day. I worked four shifts two weeks ago and three last week. I'm used to working two, maybe three in a PAY PERIOD not per week. I still love the discount though and I love helping customers find something that fits and makes them feel pretty/sexy/desirable. I'm sure I'll stick it out for quite awhile.

New Job

2008-06-13T09:06:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, I started my new job in the "Continous Process Improvement" office. Really. That's its name. We go through the various workcenters in the Maintenance Group and perform inspections that enable said workcenters to keep things in order. Sometimes you work in one place so long that you get used to the clutter that just happens to accumulate in various places in the shop. We help identify those by bringing our unbiased perspective to the shop.
I'm off today because I'm working 12 hour shifts next week and, really, there isn't a whole lot for me to do being that I'm so new. The nice thing is that I'll be on dayshift with weekends off for a year...unless they go through with the reorg and then I'll be headed back to my squadron.

Give when you can...

2008-05-11T01:31:00.000-04:00

Being a Big Sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters really limits the ways that I can help my Little's family out. Like a lot of people, I will give what I can if I know someone is in need. Unfortunately, being a Big ties my hands to that. However, there is nothing in the rules that says that I can't give presents for birthdays or other holidays so this is a picture of the goodies that I'm giving to my Little's mom as a belated birthday/mom's day gift.

2008-05-03T00:10:00.000-04:00

My best score for one type of product has got to be gum. I bought 12 packs of Trident valued at $14.28 for $5.38, 24 packs of Extra valued at $28.56 for $6.36, and 10 10-packs of Wrigley's valued at $19.90 for $0!! That's more than $60 worth of products for $11.74.

2008-05-02T23:47:00.000-04:00

Just what does a years' worth of cat food look like? Take a look over yonder...

There's another cabinet with four more bags of kibble as well. The canned food is 3 x 3 and stacked 13 high in the cabinet and then there's 7 24-packs next to the "troughs." Those are my babies...from left to right: Buster (Bu-bus), Mocha (Mokie), and Dusty (Dusters).

You can't see everything all at once...

2008-04-18T14:03:00.001-04:00

Behind that Avon bottle is 12 deodorants.

I've bought lots of stuff but haven't spent nearly what I could have!

2008-04-18T13:29:00.000-04:00

Looking at my Excel spreadsheet, I've bought more than 400 items worth $1055 but have paid only $574. So far, a 45% savings. Still learning. Here's a picture of my part of my stash...

When haircolor is less than $5, you don't hesitate to snatch it up. I've got the range of brown and red plus a couple blond. lol.

A Good Day to Start

2008-03-18T01:24:00.000-04:00

I've had blogs before but they were in locations that were very specific and pertained to a very small part of me. I'd like to be a bit more broad with the subject matter and this appears to be a good place to do so.