Fill in the Blank Friday!

1. My greatest strength is my heart and desire and willingness to do anything to help a friend out. (It's also a weakness...I've been burnt a lot by those I would consider to be good friends, or stood up when I'm going out of my way to help someone out, but I choose to look at it as more of a strength because then it shows a depth to my character, and no matter what, I continue to choose to help over watching someone struggle.)

2. My greatest weakness is starting projects and not finishing them in a timely manner. I have lots of things started in the house...I just haven't got around to finishing them all...

3. People always compliment me on my eyes or my derriere. I'd have to say both are pretty nice. :)

4. If you found me procrastinating you'd probably find me snuggling with my favorite dog, playing Words With Friends, stalking on Facebook, or pinning on Pinterest. (at my current place of work, I'm blogging or playing solitaire...shh)

5. The most cozy place in all the world is in Josh's arms. :) Or my bed with my dog Cash after Josh leaves for work. I do have to say I really like my bed! (thanks Eileen, you're the best!)

6. Something new that I tried recently was Space Saver Bags (they are AWESOME!), cleaning snowmobile gear by hand (it took FOREVER), and sanding, repainting, AND staining a dresser for our baby's nursery (thanks Pinterest for the great idea!).

7. This weekend I would like to finish up our baby's dresser (see #6 above), finish putting items into the Space Saver Bags, reorganize the storage rooms in the back of the trailer and organize some of the baby stuff we currently have overflowing our living room! And maybe, if the mower is working, mow some of the lawn. Oh, and attend a stag n' drag for a little while to support two wonderful people who came out to support us numerous times! :)
(If I accomplish even half of that I will be super happy!!!)

Pregnant Workout 3.29.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 23 minutes 04 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

Brisk and chilly...but it felt great! :)

Some creep met me part way through my second lap, and tried to hand me a flyer (I felt like I was back in Ho Plaza at Cornell with all the different philanthropies trying to hand out flyers for their various events). It was a week pass for Real Fitness, a gym down the road from the Kids Club. I said "No thanks" as I glanced at the flyer and kept walking. The man said "No, no, take it" as he grabbed my sweatshirt sleeve. I ripped my arm away and said louder "NO THANK YOU" and started walking faster. I wished I could run at that very moment! Thankfully he turned and continued in the opposite direction, but the incident had me thinking the rest of my walk about how I could protect myself and my baby...I could run for a short distance, I can still pack a punch, and you better believe I can still kick or knee a man in the balls if necessary. **Sigh** I SO do not like feeling vulnerable. :/

Pregnant Workout 3.28.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 23 minutes 15 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

So windy today! Felt like track season--a track meet at North East on the lake. It was warm, but the wind whipping around made it chilly! Also watched the weather roll in: it started out with nice blue sunny skies, with a hint of clouds to the west...on my second lap I realized the clouds were significantly closer in that short amount of time...and at the end of my last lap the sun had disappeared behind those black clouds and it was pretty dim outside for the time of day! No rain with them, at least not yet. But boy was that fast!

Legs were a little sore today...but pushed through it. Other than that, it felt fantastic to be out there today!

Pregnant Workout 3.27.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 23 minutes 15 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles


It was kinda chilly today! I was dressed warmly, but did oversee needing any head gear...so now my ears are frozen! Oh well, only 1 hour left of work...and it's toasty warm in here...so they should come back fairly quickly. :/

The cold air did feel good in my lungs though! It's been awhile since I've felt that!

After the weekend I had, I'm not surprised my time went down a little. That, and gaining the inches as the little boy keeps growing...but at least I got out and walked! That's the important part! (I missed yesterday due to not being in the office for my half hour break--I was at the Blasco Memorial Library with 4 kids for Reading with Therapy Dogs)

Busy Weekend

This past weekend was a busy one in the Fiske household, and it certainly took a toll on my pregnant body!

Saturday we woke up early (early for me anyhow) and went to Erie to register for our baby shower. My mom and sister met us there to give us a few more eyes to check everything off of our list. I was armed with a book and a list from all my Facebook friends of what you absolutely must have as a parent in the first months. We went first to Burlington Coat Factory and spent a lot of time there, but at least it wasn't crowded because we got there right when they opened. I had a battle with the scanning gun ("you need to tilt it and angle it until it scans" grr) but we registered for most of our furniture there, as well as a few other odds and ends. We found a stroller there that I absolutely LOVE as well! :)

Next we went to Target. My mom went home, so Kelly tagged along with us. Target was probably the worst place of the 3 we went to. It was hot, my feet immediately started swelling in my sneakers, and my fingers were swelling around my wedding bands. I was sweating, and got immediately irritated with EVERYTHING. The first thing I wanted to scan would NOT scan. Then a guy was going to put things back on the shelf where I was standing messing with the gun, so I moved out of the way to let him in, and he said no no it's ok I'll wait, and then stood and watched me! I dropped the item and went to another row. CREEP. Then Josh and Kelly both asked me questions at the same time while another person was trying to push their way around me, and I snapped. It was a brief, pretty quiet, more fire-in-my-eyes snap, and then it was over. However, there were FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE around in all those baby rows than was absolutely necessary at noon on a Saturday. So we hurried around, scanned this and that, then left. I was happy to get out into the fresh air, even though it was raining. It felt good.

We walked next door to Babies R Us and started our final registry there. At least the store was cooler and there weren't as many people there. We made our way around the store, finishing up with scanning lots and lots of the cute clothes for summertime. That was fun! So many cute outfits! :) We probably spent the least amount of time in that store...we pretty much knew what we had registered for already, and what we still needed, so we were on more of a mission there (until the end with the outfits, hehe).

All in all we spent 4 hours in 3 stores registering. I consider that a success! We then went to TGIFriday's for some lunch, and watched Peach Street out the window with the endless traffic that seemed to be going nowhere. A little rain brings out all the crazies to go shopping, I guess. We made it out alive though, and got Kelly home in time to change and run back out the door for work, hopefully only a little late instead of really late. :/

I got home and was completely worthless after our excursion. I took my shoes off and put my feet up on the couch and did not move. Josh came in late from working on the house, sat down, and rubbed my feet for me and took off my compression socks (I can no longer do this easily myself!). And I fell asleep. :)

Sunday morning my mother came out to the house to help me clean up my flower gardens. I don't have very many right now, but the 3 I do have have not been cleaned out well in over a year (I cleaned them one fall, but not last year at all). I wanted it done now so I can mulch them and hopefully they will stay nice for a while and I won't have to worry about it when I am ALL belly in another month or two! We got the beds cleaned out, picked up sticks in the yard (since mowing will happen here very shortly **sigh**) and moved a pile of chopped wood to the fire pit area. I then gave my mom a tour of the barn/new home, because she'd never seen it before. It's getting closer to being a home, and I cannot wait!!! I have so many ideas!! :)

After all the bending and standing and pulling and digging, I was spent once again. So I went inside when my mom left and put my feet up again, and did not move from the couch again that afternoon. I slept off and on, went through some mail, and dozed some more. Despite all the sleep I did over the weekend, I still think that overall it was very successful and we accomplished a lot over the 2 days! But thank goodness for my Mama, because I would have given up on the flower beds after a half hour if she hadn't been there to help me out! :)

So now I need some mulch for the flower beds to keep the weeds at bay. And a working lawnmower, because spring is here and the grass won't cut itself this year, no matter how much I wish it would.

Taking applications for lawn boy for this summer. ;)

Baby Update 3.23.12

I had a 2 week follow up appointment today with the OB/GYN office. The past four appointments I have been to have been with a doctor other than my regular doctor. Though they are all nice and I feel comfortable with them all, I really do kinda miss my regular doctor! Luckily, the check-out clerk asked me who I wanted to see next time, and I was able to request him and get scheduled with him! :)

As for me and Baby Boy, we are doing very well! My blood pressure is still low: 122/68 today, Baby's heartrate is "a happy 150 in there", and he is moving and rolling around very well (the doctor had to chase him for a minute to get a steady heartbeat). My tummy now measures at 30 inches, and tomorrow is 30 weeks, so it's perfect according to the doctor!

One more big thing, well, at least it was big for me--I've actually lost 4 pounds since my last visit 2 weeks ago! I am still eating the same amount of the same things, and eating any time I am hungry, and I gained the 2 inches on my tummy so Baby is still growing, but I have ramped up my walking and physical fitness and it's working! I know I've gained some firmness and lost some of the flab off of my thighs and butt--good places to lose the pounds from! And it's helping keep my blood pressure under control and the swelling to a minimum, and keeping my left leg feeling SO GOOD when I thought I'd be having lots of issues with it! But, knock on wood, so far so good!

As my good friend Brandy says--it's all training for the marathon that's coming in 10 weeks: Labor! So not only does the walking feel good, it's doing my body good, and getting me ready physically for when Baby Boy decides to make his appearance to the world. I'd have to say, with incentives like that, I'll keep up my walking routine till I'm no longer able to! :)

Pregnant Workout 3.22.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 22 minutes 51 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

My first lap around I saw a man standing on his front porch smoking a cigarette. I'd seen the same man a few other days when I was out for my walk, doing various things including playing with his little son and vacuuming his car. Today on my third lap around I passed him and his wife and young boy out for a walk around the neighborhood. He said I was inspiring. :)

Pregnant Workout 3.21.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 23 minutes 17 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

Today's walk reminded me of running track in high school. The back part of the 1/2 mile loop I walk had a strong headwind...much like the back part of the track at FLB often had when I was running a 400m race. Ah...memories. I miss high school sports. I DO NOT miss high school in general though. You couldn't make me relive it. :)

This half hour break that I have is between 5:00pm and 5:30pm. At this time, the library is closed and the kids go to the YMCA Kids Club and have dinner. They are welcome back up to the library at 5:30. I am amazed each week how many kids (kindergarden age and older) who cannot tell the time and come back up at 5:10 and are upset when I tell them they must leave. I NEED MY BREAK! When I go for my walks now, I close and lock the door and take my keys with me. Today when I passed the library after my second lap (starting my third) I was met by 3 girls who wanted to do the day's art project RIGHT NOW. I spoke over them (as best I could, I was a little winded) and said "LIBRARY IS CLOSED FOR 15 MORE MINUTES" and kept walking. They started yelling after me, and one asked "You're walking? Why are you walking?" and I yelled back "Because I can't RUN!" The same girls, plus two more, met me when I was most of the way back around and almost done--"How much more time now?" and "Are you exercising?" to which I replied "5 minutes, there is no more art today because I put the supplies away, but storytime is available in 5 minutes" and "No, no I'm not".

The library is now open, and those girls are no where in sight. :)

Also, on my first lap around, one of the Kids Club regulars named Jaheem was riding his bike near his house, and a kid across the street was playing with a ball. I walked by Jaheem, who came around a corner behind me and started to cross the street. I THOUGHT he said "What up Bitch", and was about to turn around and say "EXCUSE ME??" when the kid across the street said "Hey Heem". I then realized the other kid's name is Ishmael...he'd said "What up Ish". LOL. :)

Pregnant Workout 3.20.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 23 minutes 02 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

It's a hot one out there today...and I know it's going to be hotter the next few days! I was happy about the dates my pregnancy ran through, as I wouldn't have to endure the hot temperatures and humid air of the Erie summers...yet here I am sweating my arse off after walking 1.5 miles! Sheesh! Oh well, I'll take it...at least the sun is shining and I'm not yet carrying around a watermelon! ;)

Happy Spring!

Happy First Day of Spring!

This day means a FREE regular ice at Rita's Italian Ice!! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Rita's! The Swedish Fish Gelati is my all-time favorite, but I'll take any free ice on this great day! I opted for Blue Raspberry today as Swedish Fish was not available. SO GOOD!

I have a job interview tomorrow, and I'm a little nervous about it. It's at the Regional Cancer Center, and I've heard both good and bad things about employment there. The facility is wonderful for the patients, but seems to be so-so for newly employed people. I'm putting all these thoughts in the back of my head for now. I'll give it a whirl, see how the interview goes, see how I personally feel while I am there, and just go from there! I'm also nervous about the interview as I am very much visibly pregnant at this point. No matter what I wear, it will be very noticable that I am indeed expecting to pop out a newborn soon. I know that places cannot ask me about being pregnant, and they cannot NOT hire me due to pregnancy, but they can smudge around that and say "She's just not a good fit here". So, plenty to be nervous about! *Sigh*
The job opening is "temporary" at this point. I'd be employed through Adecco (who I sent my resume to in January and interviewed with last week and filled out all the proper paperwork), and Shelby told me that this job could possibly be "temporary to hire" for the right person. She seems to think I'm the right person! If this one falls through, apparently I have a stack of potential job openings I am suited for. (The computer spit out matches for me after I took and aced the online tests.) So maybe sometime in the very near future I can find a grown-up job at a nice office that will be understanding of my "situation", that will hire me on and teach me the job and have it waiting for me when I am ready to return after maternity leave. I can wish and hope, right?? :)

I just know that I need to get out of this job and into a full-time job that offers benefits. I know Adecco will help me out with this, and Shelby made me feel very confident that they will be able to place me with a good employer. I can't keep this job after the baby comes--the pay is not enough to justify the drive in each and every day. I'd have to pay childcare and gas, and after those are taken out of the paycheck, I'd be left with MAYBE $50. So not worth it. Right now it is paying most of my bills, and it gets me out of the house, so I am grateful for it at this point, but it will not sustain me monetarily and mentally after Baby Boy is here. I need something else!!

So cheers to Spring being here! The season of new growth and new beginnings! And cheers to the possibility of a new beginning for me!! :)

Pregnant Workout 3.19.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 23 minutes 34 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

My right heel is sore today for some reason, and my lower belly feels tight. No pain though, and it felt great to be outside for a while!

Too Busy for the Holiday--Weekend Wrap-Up

The weekend went by too quickly.

Does a weekend ever really last the appropriate amount of time??

This is the first St. Patrick's Day in the past 10 years that I have failed to partake in festivities. We had intentions of going out later in the evening, and I was going to dress up in green and have a green drink of some sort (non-alcoholic of course) and drive my drunk husband home at the end of the night...but that never happened. And it wasn't my fault!

Saturday I woke up and straightened up the house a little bit. I opened some windows and let the warm fresh air in, and started some laundry to hang on the line. Josh was outside in the barn working on making it into our house. I wanted to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air some myself, so I decided to tackle cleaning Hector the Jeep. He's been in need of a cleaning for a while, and I just haven't got around to it. And I guess for good reason--it took me the better part of 4 hours to get it done, and that was just the inside! He got vacuumed, windows polished, Armor-All on all surfaces, and all the upholstery was scrubbed and areas deep-treated as needed. He also got cleaned out, as in all the junk that was accumulating in the back seat was put back in its rightful place in the house. I then attempted to put a new JEEP sticker on the back window...which is not something I should have tried alone. I was doing alright until one letter permenantly stuck prematurely...and it went downhill from there. I rubbed all the letter on, and then immediately peeled all of them off and into the trash can. Glad I wasted $40 on that...grr.
But when I was done I went inside and ate some left overs and fell asleep on the couch for a bit. When I woke up I had to kick/roll myself off the couch to get up, and realized my entire back was damn-near seized up. I tried stretching, but no matter how I moved it felt on the verge of cramping! So I drank a ton of water, and waited for Josh to come in for dinner. My wait turned into more waiting, but I figured he'd be in soon as he told me the night before that he wanted to go to Lakeside around 10pm. At 9:30 he still wasn't in...then 10 passed...10:30...and even 11! He still didn't come inside, but I could hear him pounding and sawing out in the barn/house, so I knew he was alright. At 11 my ambition to get dressed and leave the house had all but left. He finally came in around 11:45pm...with no intentions of leaving the house himself. So we watched Saturday Night Live and went to bed, having not celebrated the holiday at all. If that's not a sign of growing old, I'm not quite sure what is! I'm just sad that we missed the 3 awesome bands that played there, since they are definitely 3 of our favorites!!! Next time, Dekan, next time! :)
Sunday brought more sunshine and beautiful weather, so more open windows and more laundry got hung on the line to dry. I also decided to tackle cleaning my stove. Now, we live in a trailer made in 1973ish, and the stove is from the same year I'm pretty sure. The people who lived there previously, at any point, were not the cleanliest...and the stovetop proves that. I have tried almost everything in the past to get it spotless, but it just isn't possible. Sunday was no exception. I took the grates and drip pans off from the burners, cleaned under it all, and still couldn't get all the grime off. Some of it is just burned on so bad...but I got most of it cleaned after an hour of scrubbing. The rest of the stove cleaned up much easier with some 409! I put the drip pans and grates in a bleach/water/dish detergent mixture to soak, and then took some Comet and a scotch scrubbie to them after the stove was done. Hell. It took me 2 hours of scrubbing to get the drip pans MOSTLY clean (again some stuff is just burnt on too badly, and always has been since I've been cleaning them for the past 5 years), and the grates, are, just, gross. I tried...but all the build-up just won't come off! I need to soak them in something stronger, but I do not know if that would be safe for me and baby right now...so I'll wait.
I had intentions of cleaning more, but after all the scrubbing and vacuuming I had done, I decided not to push it further and just rest some. So that's what I did. The rest of the crap is still there, waiting to be done...but it can wait. :)

This week I am going to start a posted list (visible to myself and Josh) of household chores to complete daily, as well as a list of other things I want to accomplish by the end of the day. I love lists, and I absolutely love crossing things off of lists! I'll keep you posted on how this works out for me...nothing else has worked so far. :/ I hope that being visibly accountable to myself and my husband will help out. It'll also look like I actually do something instead of just sit around all day until I go to work, or sit around all night when I get home from work! :)

For Baby Boy Fiske news: he moves nonstop now. He plays "knock knock" and moves around when you poke my belly. His movements are very powerful (and painful at times) and you can see them through my shirt. He often pauses in positions that make parts of my stomach very firm to the touch, and it's fun to lightly push back and have him push even harder. :) We are down to 4 names on our name list now...soon he will have a name!!! I can't wait to call him by name. :) And my 1 hour blood glucose test came back normal, thank goodness! I was a bit worried because of how thirsty I am ALL THE TIME, but I guess I'm just thirsty!

New day, new week, let's do this! :)

Pregnant Workout 3.15.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 23 minutes 14 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

Feeling sore today, but it was too nice out to sit inside, so I pushed through! :)

Pregnant Workout 3.14.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: 24 minutes 03 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

Felt great, loving the sunshine on my face while walking! :)

Top Ten Tuesday

While Spring is not my favorite season at all (with 5 dogs running around in the mud and then running through my house with 20 muddy paws, it's hard to see past the brown of the season sometimes!), here are 10 good reasons to love the season at least some of the time!

Top Ten Reasons I Love Spring

1. Longer days and more SUNSHINE! (I think I may have seasonal affective disorder...)
2. Thunderstorms (love me a good thunderstorm)
3. Spring flowers are so vibrant and cheerful
4. Buds on trees and shrubs show new life where there was none
5. I can hang my laundry outside to dry! (smells so fresh and so clean clean)
6. The dogs get go run around in the grass and wear themselves out (in the winter half of them get cold and need carried back to the house!)
7. The smell of the spring air
8. I can take my workout outdoors after being inside on a treadmill all winter
9. No more fighting with the pellet stove because it can be turned off during the day! (also saves on fuel costs since we aren't going through so many pellets by keeping it running all day and all night long)
10. The promise of new beginnings is all around :)

Pregnant Workout 3.13.13

Walked at work on my half hour break.

Time: ~23 minutes 40 seconds
Dist: 1.56 miles

Feeling Great!! Woot Woot!

Pregnancy Workout 3.12.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.
Time: 13.01 minutes
Dist: 0.98 miles

Whew!

Baby Boy Fiske Update 3.09.12

Baby Boy Fiske is doing well!
His heartbeat is a strong 150 beats per minute, my belly is now measuring 28", and I now have gained 21 lbs since becoming pregnant (10 of which were in the past month!). My blood pressure is remaining even -- today at 118/72. I'm very happy with that, as I worried that I would have problems with it because of my past issues with my veins, but so far so good!!
I took the Glucola test today, and will await results early next week...the only issue I've been having lately is extreme thirst, which I know can be a sign of diabetes. But there have been no other signs, and I only crave water to satisfy my thirst (nothing sugary or anything)...so I'm hopeful that the blood results will be good! Fingers crossed! The orange drink was...interesting. It didn't taste as horrible as I thought it would, just kinda like syrupy orange Hi-C, but it was the fact I had to chug it in 3-5 minutes that did me in. I woke up a little late, but made sure I ate some cereal and two mini banana nut muffins and had two large glasses of water prior to the time I had to start the Glucola drink. That left almost no room in my stomach to put that drink! But the water I drank was necessary as I knew I'd be asked for a urine sample at the office and I could not drink anything until I got to the office and had my blood drawn...so I had to hydrate sometime!
My next appointment is in 2 weeks...I had been going every 4 weeks...I'm hoping that this is normal? Maybe because I am now in my 3rd trimester the office visits become more frequent. I'm not sure, but it's alright because I love hearing his heartbeat. I hope I get another sonogram soon, because I'd love to look at his face again! :)

Fill In the Blank Friday

1. My favorite room in my home is the living room because that's where I get to spend most of my time with my husband and my dogs (our little fuzzy family), and where I can see all our memories hung on the wall or sitting on the shelves.

2. My current decor style is a little bit of everything, not much of a solid decor style in the home right now, maybe "hodge podge". But I wish it were more defined and refined--rustic; which it will look like more in the new house once it's complete and I get to decorating it!

3. I wish I could redecorate the every single stinking room in my house to make it more organized and "homey"; bedroom to be more warm and inviting, bathroom to have more room and air flow and a tub I can take a bubbly bath in, kitchen to have more counter space and cupboard space for everything to fit into it's own space, living room to be more organized, and front room to be cleaner and have a stronger/better foundation. Good thing I'm getting a new house soon!!! All of the above will certainly be addressed then! :)

4. My dream house absolutely has to have a balcony off the master bedroom, a hot tub, and a patio with a built-in grill and bar and fireplace. I love outdoor rooms and spaces!

5. One house item I am willing to splurge on is a TV. We watch ours every single night, either actual television or movies. When the picture or sound quality isn't good, it kinda makes watching a little stressful! It's how we unwind in the couple hours before bed, or have "date nights" at home with movies. A good quality TV is a must in our house! :)

6. A decor trend that I just don't "get" is the all white trend. It's too much work, cannot possibly realistically be lived in, and I think it's boring. I want to feel something about a room or a space, and I want to feel like I can live in my own home and allow others to be alive in the home as well.

7. Blankets on the couch (especially one crocheted by my mama!) and pictures on the walls and shelves are a little touch that makes my house feel like home.

Missing my Grandfather

Such a beautiful spring-like day in Erie today!

When I stepped outside first this morning to let my dogs out, I took in a deep breath, and something in the air immediately made me think of my G'ma and G'pa Fuhrer. Don't ask me what it was, I can't pinpoint it...but it made me miss them dearly. Sitting here at work with the windows all open and the breeze coming through, I occasionally get a waft of air that has that scent about it...and I'm missing them all over again. I always hoped they would be here for my children...that they would be Great G'ma and Great G'pa to my kids. But God had other plans and needed them up there with him sooner than any of us down here wanted. Someday I hope to understand...

I also hope to someday understand the shortcomings of all the rest of the men in my life. The men who were supposed to love me unconditionally and protect me against all others, but who ended up being the most hurtful and abusive and manipulative towards me. Because of this, and my absolute resolute stance about keeping this kind of behavior as far away from my child as possible, my son will most likely grow up not knowing his two grandfathers. And that pains me, because I know what kind of relationship a child SHOULD have with his or her grandfather...because I had the best kind in the world with my G'pa Fuhrer. I so wish he was still here to shower my child with the love and attention and devotion that he showered upon me growing up. I thrived at their house in that unconditional love, from both him and my G'ma. Some of my fondest childhood memories are at my grandparents' house. But my child will most likely be deprived of that due to the actions of men who think they are larger than life, who think they are right beyond any reason, who are selfish, mean, demeaning toward women, manipulative, and so full of pride and ego they cannot see beyond themselves.

But I pray each day that something will snap or click into place, that these men will see what they have done, what kind of hurt and pain their past actions have brought upon those they claim to care about the most, and that they will seek the help they need to ensure that these actions are a thing of the past. I hope they truly see a light and the need for a change within themselves. I have not harmed them in any way, the abuse was NOT my fault. I have not said hurtful things to either of them, and I especially do not deserve to be physically and mentally and emotionally abused by them, no matter what words may have come out of my mouth. They are supposed to be my fathers. They are supposed to be grandfathers. Most of all, they are supposed to be MEN. I pray they can work towards being true MEN and regain my trust and the trust of my husband...if not for me, then maybe for the sake of my son, so he can know what it's like to have a wonderful grandfather (or two) in his life.

Pregnancy Workout 3.07.12

Walked at work on my half hour break.
Time: ~25 minutes
Dist: 1.56 miles
Avg. Speed: 16:01 minutes/mile
Cal: 123

These averages are based on MapMyRun; such a fun little friend to have after logging a workout outdoors!

Top Ten Tuesday--With a Story :)

Why is it that when you are running behind, you always get stuck behind super slow people in every single place possible?? Murphy's Law...Ugh.

I woke up too late to do my walking today. I looked at the clock at 10am, didn't think I'd fall back asleep, but when I looked again it was already 11am. I got out of bed (with much effort I may add...it's getting harder to roll myself off the edge!) and showered, then washed the dishes that have accumulated over the past two days. I had a breakfast shake, then got ready to leave the house. I was supposed to meet my sister at 12:45pm at Famous Dave's for lunch...and I was on time leaving...until I remembered that my Jeep's gas level was beyond empty and I HAD to stop in Waterford for gas on my way into Erie. So...I was going to be about 5 minutes late. Until...I got on Flatts Road and caught up to a slow-poke. A slow-poke who sat at the end of Flatts @ 19 and refused to make a left until there were absolutely no cars VISIBLE in either direction. As I was idling there, I was cussing under my breath: "If I run out of gas sitting here waiting for you to turn, Assbag, I am getting out of the Jeep and CHASING YOU DOWN 19 for a ride to the gas station; now EFFING TURN!" Of course, it didn't help any, just brought my blood pressure up a bit. I finally got to Country Fair after what seemed like an eternity of watching my gas gauge slowly dropping ever further below the empty line, and thankfully found a pump open. I went into the store to get a gas card, and found a long line. I was ok with this because I had at least made it to the gas station without needing to call AAA! But, when I was next to be waited on, an old man whom I had passed on my way into the store came back in and cut right in front of me to the next cashier and started arguing with the her about needing a refund. So now my 5 minutes late-for-lunch turned into 10 minutes late-for-lunch. I wanted to say, "Um, excuse me, SIR, there is a line here, TAKE YOUR TURN," but I refrained...I didn't want to start my day off badgering an old man (thanks pregnancy horomones, you make me nicer to people). I finally got my gas card, but of course the pumps were running slower than molasses. 10 minutes late-for-lunch is now 12 minutes late-for-lumch. I pull out of Country Fair with no problems (halleluljah!) and just outside of Waterford catch up to a man driving a white Dodge Ram having an argument with himself in the cab of his truck...but more importantly driving erratically and SLOWLY. 12 minutes turns into 15 minutes. One of his selves doesn't like that I am following him closely (waiting for a moment to pass him safely) so he pulls over onto the berm, and as I pass him he shakes his fist out the window, flips me off, and then tries to catch up with me. **SIGH**. He doesn't succeed...and the rest of the traffic is flowing smoothly, so I end up being 15 minutes late-for-lunch.



Now, I'd never been to Famous Dave's before. But I do know I will go back again! The ribs and brisket were fantastic, Kelly's pulled pork sandwich looked amazing (she said it was), and our server, Andrew, was very helpful and efficient and kind. So it was a very good experience! :)

My mom gave me a present today for the baby (Kelly delivered it to me at lunch). It is a memory scrapbook / baby record book. It includes an ink pad kit to put baby's footprint and handprint in the first few pages. It's adorable and made me happy to look at...then I was crying at my desk in front of the kids doing homework (I opened it in my office, silly me). YAY horomones! Ugh. But I can't wait to get home and work on parts of it that can be done now ("about Mommy and Daddy" parts).

Now...today's Top Ten:

My Top Ten Murphy's Laws
1. When you are running late, you will be slowed down in every possible way en route to your destination.
2. Household animals become sick and require more attention at the most inopportune times.
3. Bills are due on the weeks following a non-payday Friday.
4. Things you cannot live without (vehicles, hot water tanks, washers, etc.) break when you come into some money you plan on using for something fun.
5. The "faster" traffic lane always come to a stand-still when you switch to that lane, and the other lane starts moving.
6. Anytime you put an item in a "safe place", that item will never be seen again.
7. Your best golf shots always occur when playing alone.
8. Whenever you cut your fingernails, you will find a need for them an hour later.
9. After you buy a replacement for something you lost and searched for everywhere, you will find the original.
10. When your vehicle is making "a strange noise", it will not make that noise when in the presence of your mechanic.

First Weekend of March

This past weekend Josh and I actually left our house to go see some friends! It was very nice both to get out of the house for an evening and to see some people we haven't seen in quite a while. Jeana and Gary had a little potluck get-together at their home in Edinboro, and I got Josh to actually leave the house-building for an evening. I woke up Saturday and evaluated the ingredients situation in the house to see what I could possibly put together for a dish to take. I landed on dessert (my personal favorite at this point) and a dish I happened across that morning on Pinterest: Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (see pics below). They were pretty easy to make, but did take a better part of my day to complete due to baking time differences between the recipe and my oven's baking tendencies. But they turned out to be incredibly amazing, if I do say so myself! I think everyone at the party liked them too. :)

Josh had a good time, taking full advantage of his built-in Designated Driver. I certainly do not mind, and it's not that he drinks heavily all the time anymore. In fact, since we found out about my pregnancy, he hasn't had much beer in the house at all, and we do not go out to the bars anymore because we just don't have the time to. He doesn't even order beer when we go out to dinner anywhere anymore. So the very rare times we do go out, I'm happy to see him having a good time and having a few drinks. Well, usually a FEW drinks...when he's with Gary, the two of them drink a lot more than usual. Josh had some beer that he brought with him, then Gary pulled out his good smokey single malt whiskey, and he and Josh drank small glasses of that for much of the night. While they were doing that, Jeana and Eileen were rubbing and pushing on my belly, talking to the baby, trying to feel him move. He obliged a few times, but I think he was being shy around all the unfamiliar voices. :)

We finally left when Josh and Gary were falling asleep on the couch, having finished a final game of darts and final glass of whiskey. Both were pretty tipsy and content, but it was 1:30am and time to go home. We got home safe and sound, and went to bed...and Josh snored heavily all night. I could not fall asleep for the life of me, but not because of his snoring (I'm so used to it I fall asleep despite the snoring anytime)...I've recently been having very bad back pain, which seems to get worse at night, and I get spasms when I'm trying to relax to sleep. It sucks.

Sunday was laundry and cleaning day...but only the laundry got done. I woke up late because I hadn't fallen asleep until maybe 4am, but started the laundry right away. About 5 loads of our clothes got washed, and simultaneously a half a plate full of Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars got devoured (I ate one or two each time I passed through the kitchen...oops). Instead of cleaning, I took care of our dogs: all 5 got their nails cut, Elin got brushed and fluffed out, and Daphne got brushed and her puffy clumpy-shedding butt got declumped and slicked down. Elin liked the grooming, Daphne did NOT. But thanks to Josh's help, it got done! Then I washed all the dogs' bedding, and then it was bed time. Or, time for more back pain and spasms....sigh.

I'm hoping for a good week this week! So far, today's been alright...I just have a salty attitude because I didn't sleep well again. I woke up in time to get in my daily walk, showered, ate some breakfast, played around with the pups before I left, and took an Avon order to my Aunt Linda on my way into work. On my way into Erie, I realized I left my purse at home when I reached for it to get my chapstick. Then my gas light came on. I hope I can make it home alright...I should be able to. Grr. Just added to the salty attitude...as do my chapped lips that hurt real bad! :)

My Yummy Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars:

Pregnant Workout 3.05.12

Walked on treadmill.
Time: 32min 14sec
Dist: 1.14miles
Avg. Speed: 2.0mph
Cal: 128.2

Pregnant Workout 3.03.12

Walked on treadmill.
Time: 30min 17sec
Dist: 1.10miles
Avg. Speed: 2.1mph
Cal: 124.6

I'm Back...

I am unsure how many people out there in this big world noticed, but I've been gone for a while. In June 2011, I quit my job of 3 years due to some rather nasty and demeaning work conditions that I personally could not justify taking a moment longer. So, I quit. I filed for unemployment to help until I found another job. I was initially denied, but petitioned that the work conditions left me no other option but to quit, and had a hearing in front of a "judge" to prove myself. At that hearing, my employer did not show up but instead sent their lawyer (who is the son of the owner/Doctor in charge of the medical practice I worked at) to "beat me up in front of the judge". At that hearing, the lawyer pulled out a large binder and opened it up to a few bookmarked pages and asked me to read from them--the binder was my entire blog, pictures and all, printed out page by page, in color. I had to read from posts that I wrote while still employed that he felt implied that I had been planning on quitting the entire spring, and that I quit solely to go on my vacation to the Outer Banks with Josh (which happened to be the week following me quitting my job). It Was CREEPY. It bothered me enough that I just stopped blogging on here. I mean, really, EW.
However, so much has gone on in the past 9 months that I should have been blogging about. My life has had some serious ups and downs in that amount of time; things have changed drastically in so many many ways. I realized at a few points that I should totally be blogging about it all, but never got around to it. Then, on Wednesday of this week, (which happened to be Leap Day so the bad day shouldn't have even existed!) I was having a bad day--nothing in particular was really wrong but I was on the verge of having a real full-blown temper tantrum on my living room floor, bawling my eyes out, kicking my legs, pounding my fists into the floor, screaming at the top of my lungs in between breaths...and my sister-in-law Jenny texted me to see what was wrong. It was then that I realized that it was both nothing really and a whole lot of everything that I haven't been able to get out of myself or off my chest in a really long time. She suggested I start blogging again...and I realized yes, that is the answer right now. I love writing, I am usually better at putting it all down on "paper" than putting it out in words or physical expressions. I really want to take a kick-boxing class to get the angry parts out, but that isn't in my very near future right now, so this will suffice.
So, I am back.
I don't care who is reading this; if those Shrews I worked for are still reading this, or their Mole Lawyer, or that evil Wicked Witch who drove me to quit my job is reading this too, FINE. GOOD FOR YOU. I'm glad that my life is of so much interest to you; I'll just take it that YOUR personal life sucks that much that you need to look in on what this 29 year-old has going on to feel alive. :)

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. The highlight of my week was a two-fer: Thursday night when Josh came home from working out of town, AND he brought me a Shamrock Shake for dessert! He's been working out of town far too much this year so far, and it does not make me happy. On top of the normal gloom of having the house to myself and caring for the 5 furry pups myself, this time he is totally missing out on our little baby growing in my tummy! I'm glad this time he was only gone 3 days.
2. If I had to classify my interior design aesthetic it would be simplistic, rustic/country, and functional.
3. My first vehicle was a green 1994 Dodge Dakota. I loved that truck.
4. An item I need to have in my day in order to function is my Nalgene filled with water. I carry it everywhere. It usually needs refilled numerous times, but it's how I make sure I am staying plenty hydrated. (And a snuggle from Cash--I cannot start my day without a little puppy cuddle time in bed before rolling out!)
5. My favorite way to waste time is at work: playing solitaire (shh, don't tell my boss, it's not written down on my daily sheets); recently I discovered Pinterest, and it's got my undivided attention from time to time; right now I'd say anything BABY--planning a nursery, bookmarking items I want and need, researching said items to find the best there is, etc.
6. Right now I could really go for a caramel salt latte. But it would keep me up all night at this point.
7. This weekend I will be cleaning and doing laundry. I neglected these things this past week in leiu of sleep...and they must be done. Also, I will be seeing some good friends Saturday night for a dinner party! Can't wait, it's been too long since we've gone out and spent time with some good people! :)