Singular Focus

I've noticed some drastic differences in my life lately...

I've felt, in general, that life is multi-faceted to a certain extent. I work, I'm interested in music and art, and I like "creative hobbies". I love books and find trivia very facinating.

All this has changed. I noticed yesterday, that while I still participate in a few of those activities and many of them are still interesting to me, the only this I REALLY focus on in my life right now is...


...the bathroom.

Where is the closest bathroom? How long do I think I can go before I have to start looking for one again? I just had a tiny sip of water - I should probably not go anywhere for the next 3 hours.

Tell me, will it always be like this? Am I forever doomed to boldly go no farther than 10 mintues from the nearest facility?
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Monday, Monday

So, this is kind of funny.



I am totally a blog hog. Everyday, I just look at blogs for like an hour, it's like binge interneting. When I talk about, it totally sounds like a waste of time, but really, it makes me feel so happy some days.

I get to see interesting and sometimes even exciting pictures of friends and I get to hear about what they're doing with their lives. It's great.

I also am a sucker for dogs. It's a fatal flaw I know, and one DH has really had to work with me on. I'm finally admitting my addiction, yet still not able to curb it. For example, this lovely photo posted today. I found this on a blog that I read EVERY.DAY. The entire website comprises cutesy little photos of dogs doing dumb things with even dumber captions.

I can not get enough of this. I don't know if I'm getting sappy with this pregnancy or my problem has finally gotten to the point where I can't keep it hidden anymore, but I LOVE this website...

Although, like a true addict, I have very good reasons for doing what I do. I've noticed that the last few postings on my own blog have been blasé and sort of depressing. I'm going to change that by looking at this website and others like it as often as necessary to increase my outlook on life in general.
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NSAIDS and IcyHot

Somedays, I wonder just how dumb I am...

So, before you get alarmed, I have NOT taken any NSAIDS. I just wish I could.

Last Thursday or there abouts, I'm taking care of some compliance issues at work and I'm shredding sensitive documents and it's no big deal, right?

I have had a rather bad case of tendinitis in my right wrist since about the end of 2005. It's not really a big deal anymore, but something that I definitely have to watch.

Anyway, I'm feeding papers into the shredder, using my right hand of course, and I "tweak" it. I don't really know what happened, i just grabbed some papers and when I fed them into the machine, my arm went numb. Immediate pain from my wrist to my elbow and then radiating up to my shoulder and neck.

I'm a complete genius somedays. The choir is performing on Sunday, I still have to work on Friday, and DH and I are moving food storage and a crib to our storage unit. I don't have time for this. PLUS I CAN'T TAKE ANY ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES!!!!

I get home on Thursday and I put on icyhot. DH works it into my forearm and I take two Tylenol (as IF they would do anything). It's not too bad on Friday, but I definitely can't do anything like type or use a mouse or your know, normal stuff.

On Sunday, I'm practicing my song for the choir and it starts hurting again. I finally suck it up and wrap it knowing full well that it will get tons of unwanted attention from people, when if I could have just taken an NSAID all would have been right with the world.

So, as predicted, I go to Church to play in the choir and I get comments about my ACE bandage. The real kicker is, when the choir gets there, they don't actually know the song well enough to perform it, so we sing a hymn instead and have the organist accompany us. So all that practicing and bandage wearing was for nothing.

This baby better be really nice to me for not taking NSAIDS and giving her 3 heads...
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Soothing Colors

I think gray is soothing.

Does that make me weird? There's something about the muted, graphite intensity that just mesmerizes me.

I'm currently not sure if it's the color or my mood, which has become increasingly despondent as the hours of rain continue, that has encouraged my thinking this today.
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Missed Trains and Make-up

So I've missed my train for the past two days in a row...

It's not such a big deal, because there's another one after it that I can take. I just have a schedule and I don't like to deviate from it much (I know, WAIT until I have a baby...)

So on Monday, I went to replace this eyeshadow that I have and I got sucked in by one of the "make-up artists" and I ended up with a 2 hour lunch break and a whole new face to go to work with. It was fantastic. I found some really gentle cleansers for my skin - something I was pretty sure didn't exist. There's no tightness or dry spots and it doesn't make me break out. It's like a miracle.

Anyway, I bought some eyeshadow and lipstick (and the skin care) I know, I know, that is one expensive eyeshadow replacement...and I've missed my train for the last two days because I have spent like 15 mintues putting on make-up.

I'm still using my concealer and foundation (powder) that I bought awhile back and I'm just integrating my purchases with what I already have.

It's always funny to me how much better I feel when I put even a few extra minutes into my morning make-up routine. I don't even think it's the new colors (which are great by the way), it's the fact that I'm taking the time to put on the concealer and focus on the eyeliner for more than 30 seconds. I just feel like I look better and more put together, which is kind of important since I gained like 7 pounds at my last appointment and I feel a bit "portly"...

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A Celebratory Confection

In honor of the big news...


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I hate people.

I realize, that this is not a great title for a blog post.

Ok. So remember that little incident with the windshield back in December? I drove all the way up to their shop in Wood Dale (you know, home court advantage) so that they could replace the windshield.

I sat in their horrific waiting room for 3 hours with a "sweat pants are good pants" kind of family and a super self-inflated business man.

They still couldn't get it right. I still had condensation on the inside of my windshield and frost the on inside of my windows. NOT. OKAY.

I call them back and in the most pleasant voice I can muster I ask them to fix it. We schedule a time for them to come see me and my house so they can fix it on site. We decide that this morning will be perfect. I will take the day off and they will come by between 8 and noon to fix my windshield.

They call today at 10:15 to confirm my appointment for tomorrow...

I have no pleasant voice left. I explain to them in controlled measures that this situation is unacceptable. It was decided that they would come TODAY, between 8-12 because the car would be unavailable for service tomorrow. They want to reschedule and I explain that I have a job and can't be around for another half day to get this fixed.

Rather exasperated the attendant tells me they can come to my office. (Like, duh, we make on-site visits...).

At this point I lose patience. I tell her I take a train to work and so coming to my OFFICE doesn't help because there is NO CAR THERE!!

I'm put on hold.

The attendant comes back and says they could come out this afternoon. I tell them that's fine, except that I have made appointments for this afternoon (because you were coming THIS MORNING). I will be available after 3:30 and they can come by then. Apparently they can't guarantee that they will be there after 3:30 and I'm like whatever. You are SO not getting a good review from me and my insurance company, who recommended you, will be hearing about this as well.

The icing on the cake? I was told to "have a blessed day". I think I need a nap and maybe some meditation after this...
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Cleopatra, Queen of De-Nial

So, I've finally reached a point where I am giving in to the maternity wardrobe.

I broke down and started wearing maternity pants a while ago, but I was holding out on the maternity shirts. They wouldn't be so bad, except that they totally make you look pregnant!

I know, the reality of my situation still seems to elude me. I bought some maternity shirts while I was in Utah with the help of my excellent SIL, LF. She helped me see the light and get some cute tops.

I'm still a bit self-conscious in them, mostly because other parts of my anatomy have swelled in addition to my belly. I was always very fine with my standing in this matter, but have become increasingly jealous of my more delicately endowed friends.

Oh well, it is what it is, so here's a picture of me in one my brand new maternity shirts looking TOTALLY pregnant.

I'm not going to lie, I look like I haven't had a good night's sleep in about 5 months and that's because it's true.



You'll have to forgive my photographer, he's not really into details like keeping all of my head in the shot. :)
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5 years

So, we celebrated our 5 year anniversary last Friday (the 30th)

DH and I are a really great fit. After 5 years (including a sort of rough 1st year) we still like being with each other. In fact, we like being with each other so much that we don't have to do anything on our anniversary. :)

So we got home from work and were about to go out to dinner when we both realized that we were beat and we didn't want to have to deal with "restaurant stuff". So we made home made pizza (see, I DO love him) and watched TV. It.was.awesome.(not the pizza part, that was just whatever...)

We also decided that this would be the last year for gifts because we've finally reached a point in our relationship where it is no more validated with something than without.

Needless to say, DH got me this:





and because it was a custom ring and he had it made over Christmas - he couldn't wait a WHOLE month to give it to me, so I got it on Christmas day.

On our actual anniversary he got me lovely roses. I really like flowers. There's something about the complete frivolity of flowers that feels so decadent.



So...what did I get him? Well, like a genius I ordered something that was on back order so it's still not here. In the off chance that DH might actually read this post, I'll have to write about it later, if it ever gets here.
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Transportation Woes

I like to call them Toes. Prepare yourself, this is sort of long...

So DH and I take the train to and from work. It's generally not that big of a deal, because we get to save on gas and don't have to fight traffic or pay for parking (both REALLY great things).

However, with the record breaking cold we had the week prior to our leaving Chicago for Utah (it was warmer at the North Pole, btw), riding the train became increasingly difficult. On Wednesday, the 14th. I got out early. I was going to get home and maybe do a load of laundry and start packing. It was going to be great. I arrived at Union Station to find a sea of people milling about the tracks. It sort of reminded me of those pictures you see of the corrals in denver with all the cows. It was kind of like that.

I call DH and I'm like, hey, you should leave early and so should your boss. Our train line is NOT working!!!

It turns out that metal, when left in sub-zero, frigid temperatures doesn't work as well as we humans would like it to. So Amtrak (which also uses our tracks) tried to get into Union Station and lo and behold, the metal switches that allow trains to "switch" from one track to another stuck. The train derailed (no injuries) and shut down ALL THREE TRACKS for the rest of the evening.

I live off one of the busiest lines leaving chicago and so for our track to not work delays 10,000+ people PER COMMUTE and pushes all those people to other train lines or other forms of transportation. It is not pretty.

So I head to the OTHER train station that we have here in chicago and find a line that will take us mostly close to home and if we hurry, we might actually get a seat!

Now, normally, this is bad enough, but because DH and I both work downtown, we have another transportation dilemna once we depart from this alternate line. We are then stuck at the train station with no way to get home...

For this, I would like to thank my Mom. She came and picked us up with ultra heavy traffic and the fact that she was having the LDS missionaries over for dinner that night! My brother stayed home and finished dinner and played host while my mom spent over an hour of her life driving to the middle of some super packed, podunk little town to pick us up and then drop us off at our house which is in no way close to where she needed to go. So...Thanks, Mom. I don't know what we are going to do when you move to Cleveland!

So, with us leaving for Utah that friday, we are thinking, geez - one more day and then we are SO out of here!

Please remember bad things generally come in threes.

On Thursday night, we are completely packed and ready to go. My mom, once again, is saving the day and driving us to the airport at 4:00 Friday morning so we are sleeping at her place to make it easier. We leave our apartment and start driving to my parents house when DH notices this odd thumping noise.

We stop at a parking lot and yep...we have a flat tire. Please remember, it's like 20 below. DH stays out in the cold to change the tire and I go inside the store to shop and whatever. DH's out there for like 20 mintues and I'm trying to figure out what's going on. When we finally reconnect, he tells me that he couldn't get the tire off. It was frozen on! Some good samaritan took pity on him, grabbed our spare tire and proceeded to throw it at the frozen tire. That was the only thing that got it off. :)

So, DH was freezing and couldn't feel his fingers or toes or really most of his legs, but we made it to my parents house and my mom (our savior once again) said she's take our car in to get the tires fixed while we were gone.

And Finally...

We get up on Friday morning and load the car. As we're driving the temperature is -18 (without windchill) and so we were VERY cold for a VERY long time until the car warmed up.

We get to the airport and check our bags, no big deal. Very typical airport stuff. We shoot through security and find our gate, nbd. We are sitting there, waiting to board and they finally open the gates. They call the first zone (we're on Delta) and then stop them before they can board. Something seems to be wrong...

Apparently the emergency lights didn't work. Our crew was working to fix it, but then 30 minutes later they mention something about how they won't work because it's too cold. (It get's better)

We're on the north side of the tarmac and there are no buildings to block the wind from the rest of the runways. It finally comes out that some genius at O'Hare thought it would be a good idea to leave the plane out.overnight.in record breakingly cold weather.

Essentially, we weren't boarding a plane, we were boarding a plane shaped block of ice with a metal frame. About an hour after we were supposed to leave our gate attendant got on the PA and very proudly explained that they got the emergency lights situation fixed! Almost as an afterthough, he added that we still won't be boarding because the plane needs to be de-iced and that can't happen until someone de-iced the de-icing trucks.

Go ahead, you may need a minute to think that one through.

My guess, is that the same brain trust that thought it would be a good idea to park a plane outside, also thought to leave the de-icing trucks out in the same weather.

Finally, we board the plane. It's almost two hours late for departure, but at least everyone was already there and waiting to board.

Ok. This is REALLY long. Congrats on reading that. Now drink some hot cocoa and wrap yourself in a blanket, because that made me cold just writing it!

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