Long time, no blog...

Ok, ok, I was a bloggin' slacker this summer. So, here is the Cliff's Notes version.....get ready, there is not much variation. Work, camp, beach and variations on the three. Pretty simple huh?

My kiddo turned 9 over the summer and my Mom came for her annual visit in May. We had a pretty good time! Went to Sea World for the inaugural visit. Also picked up two old surfboards, so I'm giving that the old college try.

I've also fixed the pesky Vette brake problems, so that's a huge bonus! The seals were bad in one of the new calipers, go figure. It also has a new radiator and I'm still dealing with a minor overtemp problem. Not a huge thing though....I'm just happy to be able to drive it again. So, there is a certain someone I need to thank for that.....thanks emotional turmoil. ;) You know who you are.

Well, school is back on and Miss Priss is in the Fourth Grade now. I seriously can't believe it. You wait for them to walk and talk and before you know it.....they are doing story problems after school. It's official, I must be getting o-l-d. I won't give in!!

Oh and good news :)

Back in the day, I was "adopted" by an older golden retriever whom I named Zack. He was a wonderful old soul who was dropped off by his owner. He was heartworm positive and he successfully made it through treatment. He was a great addition to my life and went through good and bad with me. Long story short, he was very loved. He died when I was five months pregnant coincidently 3 days before Christmas. It was quite the emotional time for me. He was a great guy....prior to him getting ill and passing, I adopted a chocolate lab (Nick). He was basically still a pup when Zack died so he was a helpful bridge even though it didn't alleviate the sadness in the house.

Fast forward to January 25th 2009. I was driving down the street to my house and spotted a couple hunched over a dog lying in the grass. My kiddo and I stopped to see what was going on. So here was this male golden retriever with three bloody paws....he was soaking wet. He was still a precious looking guy. He had no collar and no obvious markings, so I had no idea where he actually belonged. The couple expressed that they were unable to take the dog to their house, so we ended up walking him down the street to our yard.

We doctored his paws, gave him a bath and some food. He was a polite little (ha) guy. I was pretty smitten, but hesitant to get attached because he *had* to belong to someone. He was just too well bred and behaved not to belong somewhere. So, I gave myself a date. If I hadn't received any calls or inquiries within 6 days, we would consider him ours. I hated to call him by a name I would have liked, so he simply was Stray Dog. Catchy huh?! Yeah, not so much.

By day 2, I had already bought him a collar and a new leash.....well, he would need one even if his "parents" showed up to claim him...........right?? Oh, and he needed toys.......this guy is definitely more active than my now geriatric Nick. Oh and he needs some special food too.....you get the picture.

Day 6 shows up and nothing. Not even a peep. So, he is now Brody and he is fabulous ;)

OMG

So, where do I even start?!

So we went to Michigan for the holidays in the MB.  Sounds like a great plan right?  I thought so too, but alas I am still dealing with damages to my car secondary to a hole to China which I struck in the sunny state of Illinois.  Mind you, this was on Interstate (INTERSTATE) 57.  It was the entire width of the car and I had no way to avoid it....unless I wanted to strike an 18 wheeler.  So, the car "bottomed" out and it was just nasty.  Very LONG story short, I ended up filing a claim with my fabulous insurance company.  OMG.....my car is still in the shop and damages are now upwards and around $3000.  There is also the possibility of even more damage if they cannot get the car to align....we will not know the status until probably Monday.  It is not a good thing.  

What has been most annoying about this whole misadventure has been dealing with my insurance company, almost on a daily basis.  My local office is wonderful, however the problem is dealing with everyone above them.  It is seriously like pulling teeth.  It is so ironic that I have NEVER filed a claim EVER and this company has my home and two of my vehicles on policy.  My bill to them is always paid on time, yet they want to argue with me about a $25 / day rental car.....well I pay for that rider on my policy so what is the problem?  I am not a criminal, it would be great if I wouldn't be treated like one.  Sorry I'm venting.

So, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that my "baby" will come out of this experience and drive exactly like it did prior to the incident.  As you all (all one of you) know, I am a serious car freak and I very much baby my stuff, so I'm pretty stressed about this.  Cheers!

 

So, the holidays......

I used to LOVE them, now not so much.  I'm not sure when this transition occurred, but I have a theory.  I blame EMS.........clearly.  Here's the thought process.....you have "shifts" when you work EMS.  Almost always, they are 24 hour shifts.  My first three years in EMS, I worked every "major" holiday.  Let me explain how this fabulous turn of events occurred.  The first year was just sheer luck.  The next year was a leap year, so my shift was bent over again.  THEN, the glorious third year, I had a shift change and guess what??  WE had all the holidays again!  SO, I started to detach myself from the whole holiday process.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed our times together and they are like family to me, albeit a dysfunctional one....  ;)  BUT, it was a different transition for me.  Also contributing was the fact that my "actual" family lives approximately 1600 miles away (where there are actual seasons....pout), but I digress.

How's that for a run-on?????  :)

So to make up for the holiday blahs, this year (I was off) we celebrated for TWO days.  That's right two solid days of overindulgence at my friend's house.  I felt fortunate that I was able to wiggle into my flightsuit this morning.  Problem is, I'm still eating like it's Thanksgiving.....very unfortunate indeed.  

The big D

So, it's that time of year again......cadaver lab. I find it especially odd that it's actually going to be held on Halloween. Someone clearly has a sense of humor.

Yeah so good times!

It's kind of odd though. I got here early (it's scheduled for tomorrow AM) and I can actually take a NAP! I'm almost afraid to say it because I'm sure it will disappear! It's like saying candyman three times......except the reverse. Naps are not a common thing for a single mom dontchaknow. I should really revel in this moment.....maybe grab a fabulous beverage and sit by the pool. I mean in theory, the possibilities are endless!

In reality, I will probably check emails, talk on the phone, watch last week's Grey's Anatomy online......very exciting stuff people. Try not to be jealous......seriously.

You do realize your air conditioning doesn't work.....

So, here's the deal, I am a car whore.  That's right, I'll admit it.  I have three cars and I am the only person who drives in my household.  Miss Priss doesn't count.....even though she thinks she is twenty, she clearly is not.  Clearly.

Anywho......my Mom was visiting this summer when the AC in my daily driver decided to give up the fight.  So, that's perfect timing since this occurred near the end of May.....in SOUTH TEXAS.  So, I was pretty pleased with the timing of it all.  Well, my friend and I did some troubleshooting and discovered that it was the AC compressor.  GAH!  Seriously, just shoot me now.  I had just spend a TON of $$ on my third car which is a restoration project.  

So, I opted to give the lil beauty a great wash and wax, put the lil cover on her and plant her in the garage until I pimped enough coin to fix her properly.  Here I am in the middle of summer sweating my crack off.  So, I had to put the hardtop and the doors back on the Jeep and pretend like it was a "real car" with responsibilities and a mortgage of its own.  Good times.  The Jeep had been a daily driver for years, but I had since been spoiled by the other (now broken) car.  But I digress.......

I have since decided that the use and abuse of the Jeep needs to stop and it is actually getting a bit cooler down here, especially in the mornings, so the broken one needs to come out of hibernation.  My thoughts were like this.....I work 24 hour shifts and I drive to work when it is cool, therefore I drive home when it's cool.....makes perfect sense!

Unfortunately the broken beast also was in need of a "service A".  It sounds a bit daunting to me, but anywho here I am at the dealership doing the "right thing" this morning and having that attended to.  Funny thing is.....I decided not to tell my service advisor about the whole broken AC thing because I haven't been successful at selling my kidney in eBay yet.  Imagine this one......it only took him THREE minutes to come back to me in the marble lounge to tell me that my AC doesn't work.  Hmmmmm, no kidding, I can't believe that.......well I fessed up and told him that I was going to cheat on him AND his service department and have the AC fixed elsewhere at a much later time.  He completely agreed and I feel vindicated.  :)

Either way, I *love* this place.....it's like a fabulous martini bar and they are really nice people here.  I'm now trying to find a way to tuck this loveseat into my computer bag.  I wonder if they will notice.  Surely not.  "Look super cute service guy, something shiny!"   PJ ducks out the door, escaping with the computer bag, the loveseat and my broken car.  Perfect plan.

Sunday Saying

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

 - Marcel Proust