I will survive!

I did survive my first day back at work.

Granted, it was JUST as ugly as I anticipated it would be, I got yelled at a few times, I was almost tearing my hair out by the roots by 9:30 am, but I did survive, and only worked a twelve hour day.

Only. *sigh*

Queenie was sick as a dog, so I know she was none too thrilled to be back either. I asked her if she had a nice Thanksgiving, and her answer was quick and to the point: "No." It's not much fun to be sick.

Anyway, I was out in the field today, I'm out in the field tomorrow, it feels like Antarctica outside, and we have a cold front coming in tomorrow night which is going to send temps into the teens on Wednesday. I am NOT leaving my house that day, I don't care what happens!

I realized that my fire jeans only have maybe a week or two left, if that, before I need to borrow some of P's for fires. Oh, the joys of a thickening waist.

Let's see...other gems today...well, I heard that my favorite local cross stitch store is closing at the end of the year, so that's always nice to hear. Not. I have a new friend on my cheek courtesy of my raging hormones. I couldn't find my fax phone cord this morning when I first woke up and tore apart the house looking for it. It started to storm right when I was walking the dogs this morning and I got soaked to the bone. Oh, and P didn't go to the store like I asked him to this afternoon, so guess where I'm going in about two minutes? We have no milk. No cereal. No food. No dryer sheets. No mousse. How can I live without such necessary items in life?

Ugh. I'm such a grump.

I will survive!

Home sweet home

And I'm only light my can of mousse and a box of herbal tea that I brought with me to my grandma's house. Somehow I managed to forget to pack both of those items. But it's all good...I got EVERYTHING else in my suitcases, which was an amazing feat considering that I increased my stash to bring home by quite a few things. In addition to the stuff that I bought, I also acquired the following:

-I Already Know I Love You, a children's book written by Billy Crystal and a gift from Grandpa
-a bathrobe and a framed 5x7 photo from my grandmother
-a sleep machine and baby CD from my friend E who I went to visit in Gainesville
-a huge monster piece of German chocolate cake from my grandmother
-a baby SeaWorld hat with fish on it...too adorable
-a pregnancy book written by my aunt, the dietician

The trip was good, but I am very glad to be home. My dogs were ecstatic to see me, and it was just wonderful to sleep in my own bed and have some time to myself. I already unpacked everything, laundry is already going in the washer this morning, and I plan to take it easy today and just do laundry around the house and get mentally ready for the week ahead.

Which, I'm afraid, is going to be really ugly. I came back and heard that we had lots of storms while I was gone. I'm going to be busier at work than a one-armed coat hanger.

I had a question to describe my Canadian lunch at Epcot. Please remember that probably most food at Epcot in the countries is twisted by Americans to be tasty so the average American will eat it, so I'm not sure how Canadian it was, but it was pretty good. I had a prime rib sandwich with au jus and French fries. For an appetizer, they brought bread sticks...sourdough, pretzel and multigrain...with butter.

I got a funny email from a friend of mine in North Carolina, S, and rather than forwarding it to everyone, I thought it would be more interesting to just share it in my blog.

You know you're out of college when...

1. Your salary is less than your tuition.
2. Your potted plants stay alive.
3. Sleeping in twin-sized beds seems absurd in any occasion.
4. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
5. You have to pay your own credit card bill, and you actually pay it
too!
6. You haven't seen a soap opera in over a year.
7. 8:00am is not early.
8. You have to file your own taxes.
9. You hear your favorite song on the elevator at work.
10. You don't get carded anymore.
11. You carry an umbrella.
12. You learn that "bachelor" is a nicer term for JACKA**.
13. "Extended childhood" only really pertained to your salary, which
is a little less than your allowance used to be.
14. "Twenty-something" means over-qualified, under-paid and not
married.
15. Your friends marry instead of hook-up and divorce instead of
break-up.
16. You start watching the Weather Channel.
17. Jeans and baseball caps aren't staples in your wardrobe.
18. You can no longer do shots and smoking gives you a sinus attack.
19. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 7.
20. You stop confusing 401K plan with 10K run.
21. You go to parties that the police don't raid.
22. Adults feel comfortable telling jokes about sex in front of you.
23. You remember EVERYBODY'S name you've been with.
24. Your car insurance goes down.
25. You refer to college students as kids.
26. You drink wine, scotch and martinis instead of beer, bourbon,
Everclear and rum.
27. The beer you DO drink doesn't have to be what's on sale.
28. Your parents start making casual remarks about grandchildren.
29. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of Taco Bell.
30. You're on the computer more than you are on the telephone.
31. You no longer go out for something to eat in Pajama Pants and
your sorority/fraternity/college sweatshirt.
32. "The Walk of Shame" is now that long walk from the boss' office
back to your cubicle.
33. You're actually glad to hear to hear those two words you hated
for 4 years - "LAST CALL!"
34. When you drink at a party, it is out of a glass and not out of a
red plastic cup.
35. Everclear in Jell-O just doesn't sound so appealing anymore.
36. When you attend a party, the main drink is not served out of a
huge plastic garbage can.
37. You find that brief cases are more acceptable than the once
staple backpack.
38. You have eliminated most alcoholic drinks out of your repertoire
due to the fact that some bad experience was had on every one of them.
39. The only times you see your jeans and T-shirts is Friday thru
Sunday.
40. The friends you're making now just don't seem to measure up...
41. You don't go to the gym drunk anymore
42. You don't go to the grocery store drunk anymore
43. You actually wouldn't mind living with your parents again, but
they don't want you there.
44. People point at you when you go to a club.
45. You actually get up when your alarm goes off.
46. When you DO go out and drink, half of your sentences begin with:
Back in college... "
47. You don't know what time Wendy's closes anymore.
48. If you see the sunrise without sleeping, you cry.
49. It's a struggle to stay awake past 10 P.M.

Yeah. I thought it was funny!

Only one meme today. I'm so behind on my memes. I'm just going to start over with today's and see how much better I can do, but I don't have high hopes that I'm going to be blogging much this week. Tomorrow, 8:00 am, the whirlwind begins to spin.

My Sunday Brunch...which I posted last night as my eyes were closing.

1) Do you enjoy shopping at the mall? Yes.
2) What is your favorite mall food? I have three...Sbarro's pizza, Cinnabons and my latest and newest fav, soft pretzels from Auntie Anne's.
3) What are your three favorite “mall” stores? Victoria's Secret, Godiva and Dooney and Bourke.
4) What is your favorite mall? Here in Dallas, my favorite mall is Stonebriar Mall in Frisco. It has all the usual stores and it is very nice.
5) Do you have one special person that you enjoy going to the mall with the most? My best friend S in North Carolina...she and I have been malling since we were thirteen!

That's it for today. I'm off to do laundry and be a couch potato!

Greetings from Orlando, Florida

Turns out I left just in the nick of time. According to my dearest hubby, the weather now in Dallas is freezing cold and we had horrible storms last night. Meanwhile, the weather down here is gorgeous. It was 84 today and I wore shorts and a t-shirt to Epcot, which is where I spent the day with my dad and my stepmom. It was a great day. I’ve been there like eight or nine times, but it’s always fun every time I go. And this time we had lunch in Canada, dinner in Morocco and dessert in France. I love that…I think the World Showcase is my favorite part of Epcot. If you ever have the chance to go and you have not been, GO. It is definitely an experience. Expensive as hell, but definitely an experience.

I didn’t take any pictures at all during the day except for one tonight at dinner…we had dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh (Morocco) and they had a belly dancer! Very cool. I immediately thought of my friend D who belly dances, so this picture is posted just for her!



I also did a fair amount of shopping. Let me tell you, it’s tough shopping for a child when you don’t know what sex you’re having, but it can be done, and when I DO find out what sex I’m having, either way, it’s all over. I’m going to be a baby clothes and toy JUNKIE. This is what I bought:

-stuffed giraffe that plays “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (the head moves)
-matching stuffed Nemo and Dory from Finding Nemo (to go along with my ocean themed nursery
-a heather gray hooded sweatshirt with Mickey the Sorcerer on the front and a Magic Kingdom scene on the back (Thanks, Grandpa, for buying the jacket and Dory!)
-a super soft teddy bear with a t-shirt that says “My First Disney Bear” courtesy of my stepmom S

For me, of course, I also bought some things…a pair of crystal heart earrings…a pair of sterling silver moon earrings…and a t-shirt for P. I did duck into a maternity store while I was at the mall yesterday, but shopping for clothes for me right now just isn’t even a shred of as much fun as shopping for clothes for my child, who by the way, is as big as a walnut according to Baby Center. S (stepmother) tried to talk me into putting one of those pregnant pillows in my shirt so I can get an idea of what I’m going to look like, but I’m just not ready to face that much reality just yet. Right now, I’m just coping with the fact that I couldn’t wear the halter tops that I brought with me to Florida because my porn boobs have turned into super duper porn boobs! Ah, well. Thank goodness I overpacked as usual.

So let’s see…tomorrow, I am deviling 48 eggs to take over to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, and then after we stuff ourselves beyond oblivion, we are going to see a movie as per tradition in my father’s family. I personally am rooting for National Treasure, as I would really like to see that, but we’ll see. I’m sure I’ll be outnumbered as usual and will wind up seeing something really dumb that I don’t want to see. At least the good thing about not seeing movies that often in the theater is that there is no danger of me already seeing it! Friday morning I have my grandmother’s 80th birthday brunch and then I am leaving to drive to Gainesville to see a very old and dear friend of mine that I haven’t seen in five years. Then, Saturday, I return home to dreary Dallas…home sweet home.

Pregnancy-wise, I’m actually feeling pretty good. This has been a good week. I needed my saltines for a brief moment yesterday after the plane landed. And I fell asleep almost immediately last night after my family started a slideshow and today in one of the shows at Epcot. It was kind of embarrassing. I also got extremely nauseous last night after eating my grandmother’s dinner that she made…some ingredient in her homemade Italian dressing triggered it and I actually thought I was going to toss my cookies for real. Otherwise, I’m just chugging along. I’m curious as to how the tryptophan in the turkey is going to affect me once combined with the pregnancy fatigue. My guess is it’ll be lights out pretty darn quick.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m just going to do my own meme, Sunday Brunch, which there are two of…Thanksgiving and flying by air, both of which have relevance for me this week.

1) How do you cook your turkey? (Stuffing, spices, cooking bag, etcetera) I usually brush the entire bird with plain salted butter, rub in regular poultry seasoning, and bake it in a cooking bag. Cooking bags rock…it makes clean up SO much easier!
2) What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert? Apple pie, no question, but I DID manage to cajole my grandmother into making the one dessert I am unable to make on my own for tomorrow…and that is German chocolate cake.
3) What are you doing this year for Thanksgiving? Dinner at my aunt’s house (18 people) and then a movie afterwards.
4) Do you have any family traditions at Thanksgiving? When it is just P and I, we go to his parents’ house every year for Thanksgiving and I always take an apple pie and one other pie, either pumpkin or pecan. My father’s family’s tradition is to eat, go see a movie, and then come back and eat again.
5) What one dish does it just not feel like Thanksgiving without besides turkey? Mashed potatoes!

1) Do you enjoy flying by air? In a word? No. It’s definitely a necessary evil.
2) Do you typically check a bag when you fly or carry on? I check a bag if it’s anything more than an overnight stay. I used to try to cram everything I needed into one bag and just make it work, but I stopped doing that about a year ago. I don’t see what the point is. You are PAYING for the right to check a bag. Why not and then know that you have everything you need with you and plenty of clothes??? Besides, I never go anywhere without my laptop, and since I have to carry that on, my clothes get to travel below.
3) Has an airline ever lost your bag? Describe what happened and if you were compensated by the airline. Yes. When I flew to Grand Rapids, Michigan, a few years ago, the airline lost my bag, only they told me that they wouldn’t be able to deliver it until the next day…my first day of my training class. After cussing for about ten minutes, I headed to Target and bought a new outfit and ALL new toiletries, since as per the last answer, I had carried on my laptop and checked everything else. Lesson I learned…NEVER ever check your toiletries. It is way more expensive to replace your toiletries than it is to buy a spare outfit, as I found out. And, as circumstance would have it, the airline delivered my bag about an hour after I got back from Target. Fortunately, Target took everything back, but it was SUCH a hassle. Ever since, I have carried on my toiletry bag just in case the airline loses my bag again.
4) Do you eat the airline food? The last few times I have flown, the airlines have not provided a meal. Times are getting tight for the airlines, that’s for sure. I guess fuel costs are too high. Yesterday’s flight provided two biscotti cookies, and I ate those.
5) What do you do to pass the time when you fly? It really depends. Usually I just read or sleep. I have stitched before on a plane, but it’s a pain not using scissors and I’ve gotten the eye from a few flight attendants, so lately I’ve just packed my stitching gear in my bag to be checked and brought a book on board. It’s enough of a pain having to open my laptop, take off my jacket and shoes, and unzip all my bags for visual inspection without having to explain what my needles are for.

Well, I guess that’s all I’ve got for today. I’m going to check a few more things, return a few more emails and hit the sack! I’m suddenly painfully aware that I walked around a theme park for about eight hours today!

Good night to you all and happy Thanksgiving to you if you are an American! Everyone else not American, have a great rest of the week!

A foot of hair!

I have discovered that the best way to feel human again when you are pregnant is to make a major change in your appearance.

This is what I cut off my hair today...eleven inches to be exact.



It's being donated to Wigs for Kids, a non-profit organization that makes hair replacement systems for kids with cancer.

I decided I had had enough of my white trash split-endy lifeless locks and went in for a major haircut. I also had highlights put in. It looks really cute...I can't decide if it's similar to Deborah Harry's hairstyle from the early 80s or Elisha Cuthbert's. And the lightness! I can actually toss my head now without feeling like I have weights attached!

I'm super duper busy tonight packing for my trip to Florida, but I'll have my dad take some photos of me when we're at Epcot Wednesday and post them so everyone can see what the new 'do looks like. It's super cute. I even bought a hair dryer to use since the guy that cut my hair showed me how to style it.

That's about all I've got going on at the moment...I better scoot and finish packing! I also want to paint my nails (all of them) before bed, and considering that I have to leave for the airport at 5:30 am, this mommy to be better make sure she is in bed no later than 11 or else the first day of my vacation is going to be pretty darn ugly.

More tomorrow!

Welcome to the world, Z!

This is going to be brief, because I have a million things to do today, most of which include work, but I wanted to post and tell everyone that my friend C's son was born at 10:10 pm Thursday night at 7 lbs, 5 oz, and 19 1/2 inches. I spent about four hours with them last night visiting, and he's just adorable. C is very tired and is hurting quite a bit from the C-section they had to do since the 28 hours of labor were unproductive, but she's happy, her husband M is happy, and Z, her son, is just a perfect little bundle of joy. She's breast feeding with no problem, and just doing great.

I, on the other hand, have been scrambling like CRAZY to get her work (and mine) done the last few days. It's been insane. I finally picked up all her stuff at her house last night around 9, and today I get the joyous job of sorting through it all and calling everyone to let them know that yes, she's out for 12 weeks, yes, I'm the new adjuster, and no, their claims will not be paid until the week after Thanksgiving, if that. And there's quite a list of stuff to do...it's unreal. I'm trying to keep a positive and brave face for C's sake, but it's going to be VERY ugly, and the week after my vacation is going to be horrible. It's going to make it hard to enjoy my trip to Florida knowing the impending doom that is waiting for me, but I'm going to try. At least Queenie promised they won't save any fires for me next week while I'm out. She already emailed the office and told them that if any big fires come in, the regular adjusters are just going to have to suck it up and do it. It's really not anything either that she can reassign to anyone else....I'm the only adjuster in the office that is familiar with how to work fire claims. Queenie can help, and she said that she would, but she's got stuff to do too. Oy, it's just going to be ugly! Ugly!

On a brighter note, my pregnancy seems to have hit a nice point. My nausea was at a minimum this week, I was tired but not unbelievably so, and I'm hungry and thirsty just about all the time. There is a lot of pressure on my bladder, which supports my theory that my uterus is expanding and making me start to show. At first, I thought I was just getting fat, but P asked why it was just the baby pouch that was getting bigger if I was just getting fat. Yeah, good point. So far, I've eliminated four of my pairs of jeans (the close fitting ones) and I'm on my way to eliminating the others, I know it. It's not going to be long before I have to go shopping for maternity clothes.

I really don't have time today for memes...but if things calm down the next two days before I fly to Florida, I'll get to it. I'm taking my laptop with me to Florida, so hopefully I'll have some time at night to catch up on my blog reading and blogging.

And then there were two...

To say that today went to hell in a handbasket is an understatement. I really should have not said anything in my last blog post about being in great shape for vacation.

Last night, C and her husband M joined P and I last night to go to the Mavericks' basketball game...they were playing Phoenix. It was truly a great game and I, the non-sports fan, even had fun. And you wouldn't have believed the insane amount of junk that C ate. She had a chili cheese hot dog and a full order of nachos and a extra-large Coke. My plain hot dog, soft pretzel and bottled water was so tame in comparison. Throughout the game, I kept teasing her that if she kept eating junk food like that, Z (her son) would decide he was tired of missing out and would want to make an early appearance. This was after a FULL day of working fires as a team.

Yeah. I should have quit while I was ahead.

She calls me today in tears to tell me that she barely slept last night because she had horrible heartburn from the chili dog (see, I should have zipped it) and this rash that she has kept her up itching all night. Her husband finally called the doctor, who asked her to come in this afternoon for a check-up. I told her to make sure and get all her stuff together in a pile so I could come get it JUST in case. She told me I was being silly and that everything was fine.

I'm sure you can guess what happened next. I get a call from her husband M, and bam! Just like that, it's just Queenie and I alone on the fire team again! C was induced tonight since her blood pressure is up and she's showing signs of toxemia, she's having the baby tomorrow, and she's most likely staying out for the full twelve weeks.

*sigh* So much for a nice quiet week this week before vacation.

So, let it suffice to say that the next 48 hours, my last two days before I start my vacation, are going to be as ugly as ugly can be. At some point tomorrow I have to drive up to C's house to collect her laptop, her cell phone, all her claim notes, and hopefully get her password from her so I can access her computer. This of course is contingent on when M can meet me at the house to let me in. Queenie and I need to have a meeting sometime tomorrow to decide exactly what is priority and needs to be done in the next two days...and what can wait until I come back. There's a pretty good pile of work to be done. Even though my stuff is in excellent shape, I did get a fire Monday (our office got a total of SEVEN from the weekend) and I do have a few loose ends to wrap up, but C has even more loose ends than I do.

On the other hand, I'm SO EXCITED for C! This is so neat that her son is coming early! I know she's so excited...and SO ready for that kid to be out of her. She has definitely not had the easiest of pregnancies. Her nursery looks like it's right out of a magazine, her husband is so excited, and her stepson is really psyched too. I hope she has the baby tomorrow morning so I can go visit her tomorrow night and be dorky with balloons and everything. I was even thinking about making cookies or something to take to her...but I don't know. Is that a good idea to take stuff to eat? Moms reading this...chime in with your thoughts!

Anyway, that's my world right now. The morning sickness has been very mild this week, and I've just been struck with this overwhelming craving for junk food. It's pretty awful. I'm hoping that passes soon. I'm tired, of course, but that's par for the course right now, I suppose.

More later. Keep your fingers crossed for C, M and their son on the way, Z! This entry is light blue just for the baby boy that's fighting his way into the world as I type! I'm off to the couch to work on estimates...oh, what joy!

A clean desk and a clean office!

Yesterday, I spent the day cleaning out my office and my desk. It was quite a task, let me tell you. Our claims system at work went paperless in December 2002, and I've been amassing these huge stacks of claim documentation ever since in my office. What a mess. Everyone tells me I should just throw it out, but I'd never forgive myself if one of my customers suffered identity theft because I chucked my notes from their claim in my trash receptacle. So, it's all stacked neatly in a U.S. Mail bin (yes, I still have one!) and ready to go up to my office to sit in my cubicle that I never use! Then came the task of cleaning off the top of my desk and my desk drawer. I haven't even been able to open my desk drawer for about a year or so because it was so crammed full of crap, but now, it is neatly organized and opens and shuts easily. My desk is wiped off, everything is in its place, and all my notebooks are stacked neatly beside me. I even have a candle burning!

But this is even more shocking. Are you ready for this realization I came to yesterday? I am on vacation in exactly five days. Count 'em...FIVE. I am taking the week of Thanksgiving off to go to Florida to visit my grandmother and my family. And as of right now, I have everything done with work. I am not crazily behind as I have been for my other two vacations I took this year. The only way things could get really crazy is if a lot of people burned down their houses this weekend. Then, things could be ugly. But right now, I'm in good shape for my vacation!

This week has been pretty busy with work. I haven't had much to report, really. Monday morning my boss informed me that since C has decided to take all three months off for her maternity leave (which I don't blame her...I want to do the same thing!), they have decided that they are just going to rotate in the ten new adjusters starting with me while they wait to go to property school in Los Angeles. Every few weeks, I'll get a new trainee. Right now I have the first one, L, and she's fun to work with. She's 25, has a four-year-old daughter, and is just very enjoyable to have around. And according to Queenie, I get to put these trainees to WORK! They aren't just going to come along and watch! The one big fire I got this week was a garage fire where the customer had probably lost about $20,000 worth of tools and miscellaneous things. I inventoried it with her, and she made the list, but SHE gets to write the estimate for the contents. Thank GOD. We went to a vandalism claim on Thursday, and for practice, I made her measure the entire house. She didn't believe me when I told her manipulating a tape measure is harder than it looks! At the end of the day, she took one home so she could practice this weekend. Anyway, she's going to be fun. I think she's going to ride with me for probably a month. I love working with and training new adjusters, and it's great to have the company instead of being alone all the time, so maybe this winter won't be as icky as I thought it would!

My pregnancy is going fine. So far, I've gained about four pounds, which to me, is distressing, but everyone that I talk to says not to worry at ALL and just concentrate on eating well. I'm still very tired...Friday night I only lasted in front of the tv for about 45 minutes before it was lights out. Yesterday I was nauseous all day. And then early this morning, I woke up at about 5 am with hot feet. What is THAT?! I actually had to rinse them off in the sink to cool them down so I could fall back asleep. Weirdorama.

So, that's all that's going on in my life. My dad's wife's daughter H sent me a care package Friday of baby clothes. (At least, I think it was H...I don't know anyone else in Oklahoma!) It had a bunch of onesies in it and baby socks, and stuff like that. I would have thought that I would have been really excited, but I wasn't. I think I'm just not far enough along yet. P wasn't excited either. We just kind of looked at it, and put it in the baby's bedroom. We agreed over dinner that we'll probably be more excited once we hear the heartbeat, see the sonagram, and most definitely when we find out what we're having. It's only nine weeks away! I can't wait to find out. After we know if we're having a boy or a girl, we're going to start buying furniture and baby stuff then, but we're going to wait until then to start.

Okay, on to the memes! There are a lot of them. First off, I am going to paste some "getting to know you" emails that I got this week into my blog. I usually email these out, but NO ONE responds to them anyway, so I figure I'll post them here, and if anyone wants to copy them for their blog, help yourself.

1) If you could move and build a house anywhere, where would it be? On the coast of Oregon.
2) What’s your favorite article of clothing? A zip-up sweatshirt.
3) What’s the last CD you bought? Prince’s Greatest Hits.
4) What time do you wake up in the morning? Usually around 8 am during the week, 11 am on weekends.
5) What is your favorite kitchen appliance? My Kitchen Aid mixer. If you don’t have one, get one.
6) If you could play an instrument, what would it be? I know how to play the clarinet and the piano, but I always thought it would be neat to learn to play the flute.
7) Which do you prefer, sports car or SUV? Sports car.
8) Do you believe in the afterlife? Yes.
9) What is your favorite children’s book? The Littlest Angel
10) What is your favorite season? Spring.
11) If you could have one super power, what would it be? To fly.
12) If you have a tattoo, what is it? I have three…a dolphin, a black cat and a lily/butterfly design.
13) Can you juggle? No.
14) Is there one person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to? My grandmother who died when I was thirteen.
15) What is in the trunk of your car? Two ladders, my printer, jumper cables, and my toolbox with extra tape measures, my screwdriver set and a hammer.
16) Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Sushi.
17) From the people you will email this to, who’s the most likely to respond first? I’m not even going to bother emailing it out because no one will respond to it. That’s why it’s going in my blog!
18) Who is least likely to respond? See above.
19) Who did you receive this from? Kristy.

1) What is your first name? Erica.
2) Were you named after anyone? When my mom was pregnant with me, Susan Lucci’s character, Erica, was married to a person on the show with my maiden name, and my mom thought the combination sounded good.
3) Do you wish on stars? No.
4) When did you last cry? The day I broke down after getting in a fight with the nurse at my former doctor’s office.
5) Do you like your handwriting? Yes, although it’s getting messier as time goes on because I rarely ever use my handwriting anymore. Even my computer signs my name when I send out work letters!
6) What is your favorite lunch meat? Rare roast beef.
7) What is your birth date? May 7.
8) What is your most embarrassing CD? I also own a copy of the Nelson CD. (Erin, you are not alone!)
9) If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Yes, I think I would.
10) Are you a daredevil? Uh, NO. I climb two-story roofs at work, and that makes me a daredevil in that way, but otherwise, I am not.
11) Do looks matter? No, but I think the way a person presents themselves shows that they care about the people around them.
12) How do you release anger? I cry.
13) Where is your second home? My inlaws’ home in south Dallas.
14) Do you trust others easily? Yes, but once the trust is gone, it’s near impossible to get it back.
15) What was your favorite toy as a child? I had a stuffed pink and white patchwork rabbit named Peter.
16) What class in high school was totally useless? Physics.
17) Do you have a journal? You’re reading it! I also have a pregnancy journal on a pregnancy website.
18) Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes.
19) What are your nicknames? My competitor friends used to call me Princess and my sister used to call me Turtle.
20) Would you bungee jump? No.
21) Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No.
22) Do you think that you are strong? Yes.
23) What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.
24) Bush or Kerry? Bush.
25) Pen or pencil? Pencil.
26) Football or basketball? Basketball. In fact, I’m going to the Mavericks/Suns game on Tuesday! I have free tickets!
27) Shoe size? A nice solid 10.
28) Red or pink? Pink.
29) What is your least favorite thing about yourself? That I always want things to be perfect.
30) Who do you miss most? Two people…my best friends Erina (she lives in Florida) and Shannon (she lives in North Carolina)
31) Do you want everyone to whom you send this to send it back? Same as above…not emailing it out. I’m pasting it in my blog instead.
32) What color pants are you wearing? Gray yoga pants.
33) What are you listening to right now? My dog barking to go outside.
34) What was the last thing you ate? Wendy’s last night on the way home from a friend’s house…I was SO hungry!
35) If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Cornflower.
36) What is the weather like right now? Gray, cool and cloudy.
37) Who is the last person you talked to on the phone? My husband on the way home from a friend’s house to check in.
38) The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Their eyes.
39) Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes.
40) Who was it? Erin.
41) What is your favorite drink? Diet Coke with lime.
42) Favorite sport? Snow skiing.
43) Would you rather sing or dance in public? Sing.
44) What will you be on Halloween? A mother of a three-month-old baby and probably more of a nutjob than I am now.
45) Do you wear contacts? Yes.
46) Pet peeve? People who question my integrity.
47) Goal in life? To balance the demands of work and motherhood and not lose my sanity in the meantime.
48) Last movie you watched? The Horse Whisperer.
49) Favorite day of the year? Christmas Eve.
50) Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.
51) Summer or winter? Summer.
52) Hugs or kisses? Hugs.
53) Mountains or the beach? The beach.
54) What is your favorite dessert? Crème brulee.
55) Who is most likely to respond? No one.
56) Who is the least likely to respond? No one.
57) Living arrangements? Single-family three-bedroom house with my husband, two dogs, three cats, and my peanut in my tummy!
58) What books are you reading? What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Pregnancy Journal, Perfectly Pregnant, and The Very Best Baby Name Book.
59) What’s on your mouse pad? Formerly UNC, but I tossed it yesterday because it’s so raggedly; I have a track ball mouse, so I don’t need a mouse pad anyway.
60) Who was your first true love? My high school sweetheart, T.
61) What did you watch last night on tv? The Horse Whisperer.
62) Favorite smells? Coconut, evergreen, leaves and wood burning, and bleach.
63) Rolling Stones or the Beatles? The Stones!
64) Do you believe in evolution or creation? Evolution.
65) What’s the furthest you’ve been from home? Nassau in the Bahamas.

And now...some memes...

My Sunday Brunch first...which I am proud to say is still going strong!

1) What is your favorite flavor of M&Ms? Plain.
2) Is there a special edition of candy that you wish they would make a permanent item on the shelves? There is this chocolate truffle York Peppermint Patty which is just amazing...I wish that would be a permanent item.
3) What is your favorite flavor of Hershey’s Kisses? The ones with toffee in them, which I haven't been able to find.
4) What is your favorite candy bar? Usually it's Almond Joy, but my pregnancy has been making me crave Yorks for some reason.
5) Do you prefer milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate? Milk.

Chick Chat...

1. How Old Were You When You Met Hubby? I was 21.
2. How Long Did You Date? We dated for about four months before he moved in with me.
3. How Old Were You When You Married? 24.
4. How Long Did You Wait To Have Kids? Five years.
5. How Many Years Have You Been Married? Five years.

Tuesday Twosome...

1. Name two things you love about the city/town you live in: I love that it never sleeps and I love that you can get anything here. We have the best shopping.
2. Name two things you dislike about the city/town you live in: The traffic is AWFUL and we have more than our fair share of pretentious people.
3. Name two cities/towns you would live in if you couldn't live where you are now: Portland, Oregon, and Asheville, North Carolina.
4. Are you a "true local" (born and raised) or a transplant of the city/town you live in? I'm a transplant. P is a local.
5. Do you like to leave your city/town when you have a long weekend or do you like to stay home? I like to stay home.

Theater Thursday...

1) Which war movie is your favorite? (Nothing about war could be considered a 'favorite', but ya get my meaning.) Braveheart.
2) What movie about war do you consider to be 'unwatchable', poorly done, or of poor taste? I had to watch Green Berets in high school for a class project, and I thought it was awful.
3) Which actor/actress gave the best performance as a soldier? What movie? Mel Gibson in either Braveheart or The Patriot.
BONUS) If there was a movie to be made about the current war in Iraq, who would you most like to see as the leading man/woman? Colin Farrell.

The Friday Feast...

Appetizer Name 3 cosmetics/toiletries that you use on a daily basis. Toothpaste, lip gloss and Bath and Body Works shower gel.
Soup Approximately how much exercise do you get per week, and what type of exercise is it (walking, running, swimming, etc.)? Well, pre-pregnancy I worked out 3-4 times a week with cardio and weights, but since I've been pregnant, I've been too tired to make it to the gym, something I hope changes when I start my second trimester. I walk my dogs once a day, and when I get a fire, that's usually 4-5 hours of walking, so I feel like I stay active.
Salad Write a sentence including your favorite color and your favorite food. It's not good to eat blue steak.
Main Course What famous person/celebrity do you think you look like? I think that I resemble Charlize Theron the most.
Dessert Name 2 simple things that never fail to make you happy. A quiet day of stitching and getting a goal accomplished.

That's it for today. I'm going to see how much laundry I can get done today! It's piling up and I'm running out of stuff to wear!

It's really official!

Not that I didn't believe the pregnancy tests that I took, but there's just something else about having a doctor confirm it for you. Okay, a nurse. *grin* According to her, I'm very pregnant...the line came right up. And I have a new due date...it's written on my chart! June 20, 2005!

So, December 9th is my first meeting with the doctor...full exam, physical, and I'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat, and then at 18 weeks (TEN WEEKS FROM NOW!) I get to hopefully find out what sex the baby is at my ultrasound!

And I really like my new doctor's office. They were very professional and nice and I'm so glad that I switched to a new doctor. SO glad.

And wouldn't you know it, my old doctor didn't send my records over. *rolling eyes* I called them and they were like, "well, we don't know what happened..." Hello, my new doctor is TWO FLOORS UP from my old one. Get up, and walk the records upstairs. Duh! They did tell me though (not that they bothered to call) that they did finally find my bloodwork and that it was all normal.

Oh, well. I'm DONE with them!

I'm going to be a mommy! How crazy is that!?

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream...

Who knew I would be this tired?

This was my Saturday yesterday starting with bedtime Friday night:

-Went to bed at 11 pm Friday night, slept in until 9:30.
-Worked on my computer till about 2.
-Took a shower, fell asleep on bed in the middle of getting ready.
-Had to drink a Diet Coke to stay awake on the way out to dinner with DH.
-Ate, went to Kroger for groceries, and walked around the store like a zombie for two hours.
-Came home, put groceries away, half-napped on bed for two hours.
-Ate late dinner, back in bed at 11.

This being so tired is putting a serious cramp in my stitching plans! Fortunately, today I feel pretty good (so far) so I'm going to walk the dogs, shower, and probably just take it easy on the couch with my stitching. I'm not up for cabinet painting today, so I'll probably just do laundry all day. That'll keep me busy!

Memes, and lots of 'em!

What's on...right now?

What's on 'your menu for dinner tonight' right now? Since we just went shopping, our refrigerator is completely stocked, which is GREAT! The sky is the limit! I'm thinking maybe spaghetti with super-lean beef.

3X Thursday...

1.Do you have a favorite season? Which is it? Why? My favorite season is spring, and the reason why is because it's warm but not too warm, the air is clear and crisp, and everything looks and smells GREAT!
2. Mood and mind changes come along with seasonal changes. Why do you think that is? I think if you associate a particular season with something in particular, it can carry over into your moods, and so many things that we do are associated with the weather.
3. Which seasons are your highlights? Which ones are 'the blahs'? My highlighted seasons are spring and fall, and the blahs are winter and summer because those are the two seasons that I get the most tired of the weather the fastest.
Bonus Question for Comments: If you had to choose one season that would last all year, which one would it be? Why? Spring for the reasons listed above.

Theater Thursday:

Give us your list of YOUR top 10 "classic" films.

1. Gone With The Wind
   
2. White Christmas
   
3. Sound of Music
   
4. The Wizard of Oz
   
5. The Godfather
   
6. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
   
7. The Breakfast Club
   
8. Star Wars: A New Hope
   
9. The Empire Strikes Back
   
10. Return of the Jedi
    

Thursday Threesome:

Onesome: Winnie the Pooh-- What was your favorite book series as a kid? Was there one you tried to find the complete set to read? ...or maybe just one book you remember well? When I was really young, I was obsessed with the Nancy Drew series. I always had to look at the library for them. Not only did I love the stories, I thought the drawings on the front cover were just fascinating! In high school, my favorites were the Flowers In The Attic series...what a complex story.
Twosome: and the-- holidays are just around the corner? Are you ready for things? ...or are you too immersed in life to even think about it? Let's put it this way...P told me yesterday that he heard the first Christmas carol on the radio and we both just GROANED. Thanksgiving for me won't be that big of a deal since I'm traveling to Florida for that and I'll be off work, but I'm working up to and after Christmas and I know December is just going to be an insane month without C at work.
Threesome: Blustery Day-- Hey, what do you like to do on a stormy day when you're not working or in school? Do you curl up with a book? Watch TV? Bake? How do you pass the time when you don't feel like going "out in it"? Watch tv and stitch with a hot cup of tea. That's the best. I love it when it rains...unless I have to go out in it.

Thursday Tattle:

Did you vote? Yes. Was it quick or did you have to wait in a line? I had to wait in line for two hours. Did you watch the coverage when you got home? I voted early, so no, but I watched all night until I fell asleep the night of Election Day. Were you happy with who won? Extremely. Do you hate talking about politics? YES.

Friday Forum...

1. What is your ultimate favorite kind of cookie? Do you usually bake them yourself or buy them somewhere? Why are they your favorite? There is this recipe that goes around on the Internet every now and then called the Neiman-Marcus cookie, and those are my favorite. I'll have to see if I can find the recipe again sometime. They are delicious, but take forever to make. You have to grind oatmeal up into flour, shave chocolate bars into a powder, and they are basically oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but they are out of this world! I haven't made them in years, but they are like heaven to eat. Those Rocky Road bars that I posted the recipe for a few months ago are also amazing. 2. Tell us which type of cookies you prefer. Chewy? Crispy? No-bake? Cookie bars? Or something else? I prefer soft chewy cookies, and cookie bars are really amazing. 3. Do you bake cookies often, or do you prefer to buy them? Do you have any special secrets for making awesome cookies?Have you ever entered a cookie contest? I don't bake cookies that often for the obvious...that they are really bad for you...and they don't last long in our house. P loves cookies as much as I do. I don't have any secrets for making awesome cookies other than to make them from scratch as they taste MUCH better that way. I've never entered a cookie contest, but I did enter a baking contest for a pie in high school. 4. What do you like to eat or drink along with your cookies? (For example, milk, tea, coffee, ice cream.) Just plain skim or low-fat milk is good for me...or ice water. 5. Will you be baking any cookies for the upcoming holiday season? Why/why not? Are there any traditional cookie recipes inyour family? (Feel free to share a recipe with us if you'd like.) I doubt I'll bake any cookies...my family is more dessert folks. I'll probably help my grandmother make desserts for Thanksgiving since I'll be staying at her house, and for Christmas, I usually bake an apple pie, either a pumpkin or pecan, and something with chocolate (usually brownies) for the kids. The best brownie recipe I've made yet is the one on the Ghiradelli sweet chocolate canister...they are out of this world.

Weekend Wonderings...

1. How often do you get sick? Usually about twice a year. 2. Do you go to the doctor when you’re sick? Only if I think there is something that the doctor can do. I don't need to spend $20 for the doctor to tell me I have a virus. 3. What time of year are you most likely to get sick? It can be ANYTIME I get run down and tired.

And lastly, my Sunday Brunch! I managed to drag myself out of bed long enough to post it.

1) What is your favorite vegetable and your favorite fruit? My favorite veg is a potato and my favorite fruit is an apple. 2) How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat a day? As everyone else has already answered, not enough, but I usually get about three or four. 3) Did your parents force you to eat vegetables when you were younger? YES, and I hated it. 4) What vegetable can you absolutely just not get down, no matter what you are bribed with? It used to be broccoli, and now it's brussells sprouts. 5) What is your favorite way to eat fruit? I wish I had time to do it more often, but I love fruit in a fruit salad. I just never have time to cut it up and eat it that way.

That's all I've got today. Time to go put my needle and thread to work!

I want to be a cat for just one day...

Look at what I caught Moira doing this morning. Sunbathing!



Talk about a simple life.

I don't really have a whole lot to report at the moment. It's been another busy busy week of work. I had a fantastic review yesterday at work. I am yet again a Level I employee again for the year (that's the best rating you can get) and am in a great position for a muy excelente raise. My boss actually told me that she was at a loss for the "areas for improvement" section of my performance review, which means, quite simply, that I have mastered my job and do it perfectly. Of course, I was ecstatic that my boss is so happy with me, but it can only mean one thing. In a year or so, they are going to start pressuring me again to be a supervisor, and that's not something I want to do! Oh, well. For the time being, I'm okay.

Pregnancy-wise, not much change. I'm nauseous, queasy, feel icky most of the time, and I'm exhausted 24-7 no matter how much sleep I get. I woke up at 3 am last night sick to my stomach. My chest looks like I have breast implants and it hurts to wear a bra. It's hard to tell where my skin stops and my lips begin without the constant layering of makeup I have to put on to convince people that I'm really not a corpse. I'm still having trouble eating in the morning, although I'm trying. And the halitosis is somewhat better, although still there. I have to be honest, if my boobs didn't look like a porn star's, I'd seriously think I just had the flu and wasn't pregnant!

P was going to go hunting this weekend, but at the last minute he decided to stay home, so I've got him all to myself this weekend. We're thinking we will work on the cabinets Sunday. Tomorrow is major grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. I got a $50 giftcard from work for being ranked #1 in customer service, so it's going towards groceries. We have no food in the house and we desperately need some!

That's all from here. I'm brain dead from work...too dead to attempt any memes. This weekend, I promise!

Back to the grind...

My first day back at work pretty much started out with a bang. I went right out to a fire with C, and today I have a fire of my own which she is coming with me on. Both fires have public adjusters on it, which is the equivalent of an ambulance-chasing attorney on a bodily injury case. It's not a fun thing, but fortunately I've worked with both adjusters before and know them, I guess. But I came home yesterday absolutely filthy dirty. I looked like a chimney sweep.

It's freezing here in Dallas this week. I can't believe how rapidly the temperatures here have dropped. It went from shorts and t-shirts on Saturday to sweaters and jeans within a matter of hours! Today I'm going to wear a sweater and a jacket to the fire; it's that cold!

I don't have a whole lot to report other than the morning sickness yesterday was the worst it's been yet, and today's not looking too good either. It's a good thing that C and I are working together...we can be miserable together, although she's definitely much more miserable than I. She broke out in hives this weekend, so on top of being nauseous, she's itchy too. This morning, I have to leave for my fire in about forty minutes, and the thought of food just makes me sick. I am going to try to get some yogurt down so I have something in my tummy, and I'm drinking tea right now, but this is just terrible.

Not much else to report at the moment. That's about the most fun going on right now. I got to stitch last night, which was a good thing, but I didn't go to the gym. I walked that house yesterday for hours...as I will do today with this house...and I don't really see the need to go to the gym and walk some more!

Tuesday Twosome:

1. When did you register to vote and what compelled you to do so? I registered to vote when I moved to Texas. I turned eighteen after the Bush Sr./Clinton election and didn't see the need to register until the next one in 1996.
2. Did you vote early (if your state offers this) or are you voting on election day? I voted early Friday night.
3. Do you truly believe your vote counts or are you not convinced that "every vote counts"? I believe that it is every citizen's duty to vote, and it's the only way that one has a right to complain, but this year, I don't feel like it mattered who I voted for as Bush swept Texas.
4. Did you make up your mind about what candidate to vote for a while back or within the last two weeks? Pretty much a while back, but the last two weeks just sealed the deal.
5. Compared to your parents' views, are you voting the same as or different from them? The same.

TV Tuesday...

1. Do you watch reality shows? Which ones? Survivor, The Biggest Loser and occasionally I'll watch Fear Factor if it's on.
2. What's your favorite all time reality show? Survivor all the way. I've watched all nine seasons!
3. Do you feel "reality" shows are real or are they faked? A little bit of both, but real for the most part.
~Bonus~ If your life was a reality show what would it be called? What would be the story line that kept people coming back? If my life was a reality show, it'd be cancelled. My life is entirely too boring!
~Bonus 2~ If you could create a reality show of your choosing what would it be about? I had always said a reality show about losing weight would be interesting...and they created it already!

That's all for today. I'm going to hit the showers and get ready to start my long day of getting dirty yet again.

Yogurt still doesn't sound appealing. Blah.

Four for four

I'm such a freak. After the whole trauma with my doctors this morning, I took a fourth pregnancy test just to make sure.

Yup, still pregnant...and the second line came up faster than the control line so I don't think there's any doubt.

I'm a crazy nutjob lady. At least taking the fourth test made me feel better.

Monday irritation: my crappy doctor and her substandard office staff

I can't STAND it when people don't call me back.

The day after I found out I was pregnant, I called my new ob/gyn to make an appointment and left a message. I never got a call back. The following Monday, I called again, left another message (somewhat nasty) and got a call back within an hour. I scheduled an appointment. The next day, I found out that I had a meeting at work that conflicted with the appointment, so I called back the next day and left a message that I needed to change the appointment. That was last Tuesday. A week later, still no call. So I finally just gave up, called my second choice, and scheduled my first round of appointments with her instead, and then called my old ob/gyn and got into a ripping fight with the nurse over who called and who didn't call. She claims that she left me a message after getting my second message (which she didn't...she called and got me on the phone), and claims that she never got my third message at all. We got into a pretty good argument on the phone, and it finally just ended up with me screaming at her that I was going to get another doctor and that SHE (the nurse) was the reason why I was doing that. Just what I need to start out a Monday morning. At any rate, I now have a new doctor, and THEY at least answer their phone. My bloodwork is scheduled for next Tuesday, and my first appointment/exam with the doctor is not scheduled until December 9. The disappointment though was that they told me over the phone that they don't do the first ultrasound until twenty weeks, which I guess is when I get to find out what sex my baby is. That was disappointing. I was kind of hoping I would get to see the baby earlier than that, but I guess that's something that I'll need to discuss with my new doctor. I'm just really disheartened right now in general. I wish I could just go back to my old doctor, but he's just too far away.

Our Halloween was quite nice. We got a lot of kids last night and they were just so cute. The most popular costume for boys was Spiderman and the most popular costume for girls was a fairy princess. They all looked SO cute. I think I ate more candy than I should have, that's for sure! I ate a lot of good food and drank a lot of water to counteract it, but I don't think it did very well. I feel kind of icky this morning and very tired, of course. We also went to Olive Garden for our anniversary lunch Saturday which was great.

Our cabinet project is going VERY well. We got two of the upper sections completely done yesterday. They just look like brand new cabinets. It's amazing what a good cleaning, a couple of coats of paint and new hardware will do to old cabinets. We already put our dishes away in one of them, but our teas and spices need to be put away in the others, and that's my task for today. P is going hunting this weekend, so I'm not sure when we will resume painting the next round, but it probably won't be until the weekend after this one.

Today is my last day of vacation. Waaah! It has just been entirely too short. I got a call from C a few minutes ago advising that she got a fire today and really wants me to go with her, so she's going to pick me up first thing in the morning to go out there. So much for easing back into work. Today I have plans to get things picked up, walk the dogs, schedule my insurance exam in December, and just kind of get things in order for the week. I also need to make food for tomorrow's day in the field, hit the gym, and in general, stay busy.

Here's the Sunday Brunch!

1) What candy are you passing out on Halloween night if you are staying home? We had a mix of Starbursts, Heath, Baby Ruth, Nestle, Twix, Tootsie Roll pops, Yorks, Junior Mints, etcetera. It was great.
2) What was your best Halloween costume? It is a tie between two. One year my mom made me a harem girl costume out of raspberry fuschia gauze and black velvet with a turquoise blue sequined cummerbund, and another year she made me a flapper girl costume out of navy satin and black fringe. They were GREAT. I'll have to see if I can find pictures sometime.
3) Are you doing anything on the night of Halloween if you are not staying home to pass out treats, and if so, what are you doing? Ha! We painted cabinets!
4) What is your favorite Halloween décor? (ie, witch, ghost, pumpkins) I love pumpkins. I just think they are so cute.
5) Do you carve jack o’lanterns? We haven't the last few years, but we plan to next year for sure. Everything will change when we have children.

Monday Madness:

1. Code your own website or use a template? I use a template. I'm lazy.
2. Use a digital camera or a film camera? If digital, do you print your own pictures, order them online, or send them out? I use a digital camera, and to date, I haven't printed any out. I need to get a photo quality printer someday.
3. Make your own cards or buy them at a card shop? I buy them at a card shop.
4. Draw your own graphics or get them from the internet? I get them from the internet.
5. Take showers or baths? Showers.
6. Make your own candles or buy them? And are they soy or paraffin? I buy them and they are paraffin.
7. Celebrate Halloween or not? I celebrate it.
8. Sleep in on weekends or get up early even if you don't have to go to work? I sleep in whenever I have the chance.
9. Correct other people's grammar, or just let it go? I let it go if we are talking, but if it is in writing, I correct if I can.

And get this, WHILE I was writing this entry, the stupid doctor's office called again. The nurse said that it was just really bugging her that I got so upset, so she checked her records and notes, and turns out that she did call the number that they had in their computer records for me that was incorrect, and she apologized. I asked her why she just didn't call the number back that I had left for her in my message like normal people do when they get messages, and she said that she was really sorry and that she had no excuse for it. At least I got an apology. She finally confessed the reason why she never returned my call from the Friday before...apparently their office manager just quit and they have a temp in their office retrieving messages or something. A perfectly plausible explanation! Had she just told me that from the beginning, I probably would have just said, "Oh, that's fine" and canceled my appointment with my new doctor. But no, she had to hem and haw about how she did return my calls, blah blah. She even admitted to me that she just assumed I was one of those people that she gets a lot of that call and say that she never returned the call and then call back after they check their office voice mail to say that they did get her message. I specifically told her though that I HAD checked my office voice mail prior to calling her just to make sure. But then she told me something else that really worried me. I went in a month ago for prepregnancy bloodwork to be done (a titer check for my vaccination levels, screen for toxoplasma which is the parasite you can get from cat feces) and they claim that the lab said I never showed up when I DID show up! I even had to explain to the technician what toxoplasma was! You would think that any normal doctor would follow up on it, but this one didn't. The nurse said they would call the lab and find out what happened, but basically any problem with my blood now that could have been found PRIOR to me conceiving is there and it's just too bad. This makes me angrier than the not-returning-calls issue!

*running away screaming*

I can't take anymore today!