Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Mi Padre

I just called my mom to get an update on my dad. Yesterday when I spoke with her, she had taken my dad to the doctor and the doctor told him it was a virus (like one of the ones you get on a cruise ship). They weren't sure where or when he exactly got it. The doctor said if he isn't feeling better by today to take him to the hospital. Today he wasn't any better, so my mom took my dad to St. Anne's ER in Toledo. When I called they were still in the ER. She said that he has appendicitis. They were waiting to speak with the surgeon when I called and she said she will call back when they talk to him and let me know when they will be doing the surgery. I looked up online to see what it is and I found that: "Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. Once it starts, there is no effective medical therapy, so appendicitis is considered a medical emergency. When treated promptly, most patients recover without difficulty. If treatment is delayed, the appendix can burst, causing infection and even death. Appendicitis is the most common acute surgical emergency of the abdomen. Anyone can get appendicitis, but it occurs most often between the ages of 10 and 30." My dad is 50 (turning 51 this year). I also wanted to see what exactly causes it, and I found: "The cause of appendicitis relates to blockage of the inside of the appendix, known as the lumen. The blockage leads to increased pressure, impaired blood flow, and inflammation. If the blockage is not treated, gangrene and rupture (breaking or tearing) of the appendix can result."




I will keep you updated and please keep him in your prayers!!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Dog quote

Another quote from my Wiener Dog calender :



"Dogs are really people with short legs in fur coats"

For your viewing pleasure, a few wiener dog photos I found when searching google!!



Long day

Today feels like it is dragging on FOR-EV-ER! I have no idea why it seems so long, but it does. I have looked at the clock so much I think it is starting to go backwards. I do have a few things to look forward to tonight though - Gilmore Girls (the new ones are finally starting up again), the dry cleaners (okay, not so exciting, but I have to drop off a couple pairs of pants), chili (I have found a new meal, Hormel vegetarian chili over pasta and cheese on top, YUM), and bed (I am quite tired, maybe the weather, maybe it is just tired in my body).

Wake up little Suzy, wake up



So it has been raining in San Diego since I got home from work yesterday. This is a good thing, seeing that we are 5 and a half inches below average with our rainfall. It has been an extremely dry season, and this has terrible effects with the fires. The rain is lovely (it's like a fall day, like 55 and drizzly right now). It does tend to make me tired though. I love listening to it when I am laying down to go to bed, but I don't necessarily like it when I am going out and about. I guess it's better that it is raining during the week than on the weekends when I want to get out and do everything. The rain was pretty bad last night, I lost power 2 separate times. It also could be the fact that San Diego isn't really set up for weather, so it might have been the winds that knocked the power out, who knows. It still makes me chuckle when I heard everyone around me talking about the weather (like this is weather or something) and makes me VERY thankful that I am driving around in drizzle rather than snow. :)

Monday, January 29, 2007

The boys

It seems that the Padot boys are sick. Kyle is coming down with a cold. Dad has something wrong with his side (mom called and made him a doc. appointment, and he's going - so it must be bad, seeing that he doesn't go to the doctors... ever). My grandpa (not a Padot, but a VanSlambrouck) saw his doctor today and they told him that his heart isn't strong enough for the surgery, so he has to see a cardiologist on Thursday. I'll keep you updated on the boys if you keep them in your prayers. :) (I know I'm tricky, huh?)

Flowers

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be
bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?"

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Julian

"WELCOME TO JULIAN, this premier mountain getaway, just an hour east of San Diego, in the beautiful Cuyamaca mountains. Take a step back in time to the days of Julian’s beginning rooted in the 1870s gold rush."



This is what the Julian Chamber of Commerse website says to welcome visitors to their wonderful city. Ryan and I took the day Saturday to travel to Julian. It was a great day trip. The roads were quite rural, rocky, and curvy, but quite beautiful. It probably took up about 2 hours to get there and maybe another 2 to get back.



We stopped along the way to check out the great sites.



When we got to Julian we walked to some of the sites and grabbed some lunch at Miner's Dinner (an old school soda shoppe).



On the way back to went out to Lake Cuyamaca and took some photos as well.



When we got back to Carlsbad it was about 4pm, so Ryan wanted to surf again. We went down to the beach and while Ryan was surfing (shredding the 'nar 'nar as he likes to call it) I took some shots. I hope you like the photos.


Saturday, January 27, 2007

Louse the Mouse

Ryan has a mouse running around his house. Last night I looked up "How to catch a mouse" and this came up...



We set up the trap, but Louse is just too smart for us. Hopefully we will catch him today. If we do catch him, we will take a photo with our captive, and then let him go in the field by Ry's house. Anywho, we are taking a trip up to Julian to check out things, so I will probably post some photos from the adventure later. :) Smile

Friday, January 26, 2007

Michigan


My mom called me this afternoon with news about my grandpa. He went to see he surgeon today and they told him that they would be fine to go ahead with the surgery (he will have to have his arteries in his neck fixed - they are 93% clogged). The final step will be Monday to meet with his normal doctor to get the stress test results and make sure he is healthy enough for the surgery. If he is healthy enough he will go in for surgery a week from today. Pray for him and the surgery if you think of it. My mom also told me that Cara (my cousin who got engaged on Christmas) set a date for her wedding. She will be getting married on September 29th, which is super exciting. I will be flying back to Michigan for the wedding. Then less than a month later Stacey will be getting married, October 27th. I was just looking @ flights for S&G's and they are in the $300's. I sure hope I can find some deals when it gets closer! At least the weather will be decent when I am going back (but then again, who knows with Michigan weather).

Raise

So yesterday I had a short meeting with Kyle (the president of the company) and Laura (one of the owners). They said that I am doing a great job and this is one of the strongest Payroll Departments they have had since they have opened - which was about 30+ years ago. They decided to give me a raise, which was awesome!! I will be getting a $1.50 increase per hour. This will not come 'free' though. Laura and her husband (the other owner), Jim, are looking to start phasing themselves out of the company soon and therefore are shifting down some of their responsibilities. Next week we will be having another meeting, but as of right now it looks like I will start taking on some of the Payroll Manager roles so that Jonna (the Manager) can start taking on some of Laura's responsibilities. But all-in-all, it was a positive meeting and reinforced that I am doing a good job.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Meeting

@ 4 I have a meeting with the president and owner of Cass. I guess it is a 3 month review (there was a lot going on around here the last month, so it is a little over 4 months that I've been here, but oh well). Wish me luck. I'll update you how it goes.

Productive Day

I woke up early this morning so that I could do a load of laundry, the dishes, take out the garbage, get ready for work and tidy up the living room. I was quite productive by 7:30 this morning. This evening looks to be just as productive. I plan on going home, making dinner, dusting, vacuuming, putting away the dry laundry, going to Apple to get my computer reformatted (because I will be shipping it out to it's new owner tomorrow), going tanning, showering, and hopefully getting some sleep (for some reason the last few nights I have not been tired). In the mean time I am getting checks out for our 400 employees, alphabetizing the I-9s of all of our employees for the past 3 years, entering the daily time sheets and maybe doing a little solitaire :). Have a TERRIFIC Thursday y'all!!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Filing

An afternoon of fun... FILING... Maybe I'll take a break later and write more, but right now I'm just trying to un-clutter my office...

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Rest In Peace

3 years ago today, 2 amazing children of God were tragically and prematurely taken from this earth and were united with their Maker. Vanessa Pirrone and Ryan Wolniewicz. I still do not understand it, and don't know if I ever truly will on this side of Heaven. I pray for comfort for friends and families of these two angels and hope that we will be able to find peace in the fact that they are up with Jesus (even if we are selfish and want them down here with us). 3 years have gone by, and a lot has changed, but the lasting impact that they 2 made will never fade.

Here is a little story that I found on some away messages today, remembering V and Ryan:

"One person in that greeting committee was Mike Wood, my childhood friend. Mike was special because he invited me to Sunday school and was influential in my becoming a Christian. Mike was the most devoted young Christian I knew. He was also a popular kid and had lettered in four years of football, basketball, and track and field, an amazing feat... When he was 19, Mike was killed in a car wreck. It broke my heart when I heard about his death, and it took me a long time to get over it. His death was the biggest shock and most painful experience I'd had up to that time in my life. When I attended his funeral, I wondered if I would ever stop crying. I couldn't understand why God had taken such a dedicated disciple. Through the years since then, I had never been able to forget the pain and sense of loss. Not that I thought of him all the time, but when I did, sadness came over me.Now I saw Mike in heaven. As he slipped his arm around my shoulder, my pain and grief vanished. Never had I seen Mike smile so brightly. I still didn't know why, but the joyousness of the place wiped away any questions. Everything felt blissful. Perfect."


LIVE LOUD

Monday, January 22, 2007

Niceness

I don't know if it's a word... Anywho, my parents got me a daily calendar for Christmas. It has wiener dogs on it, and a new photo every day (yeah I know, I'm in heaven :) ). Most of them have little quotes or sayings on them about puppies or dogs. Today's says : "The average dog is a nicer person than the average dog" - Andy Rooney. It does seem true, doesn't it? Dogs show love and affection no matter what (well, unless it is a sassy dog, but most dogs are sweethearts). That made me think, I wonder if others would think I am nicer than the average person. If so, why? What make me nice, or better yet, what makes me want to be nice? It doesn't take much to treat people politely, yet there are so many interactions out there that are less than nice (to say it nicely). I try to be nice and kind to those around me, but there is always more I could do. I want to be nicer. I am going to try... Let's see how long I can last (hopefully forever).

Weekend Report

This past weekend was an enjoyable one. Saturday morning Ryan and I went to the beach by about 10:30. He surfed until about 12. After that we went to FatBurger (he took photos, so maybe if you loads them I'll add one) - of course I had a Boca Burger. After that he rented a beach cruiser and I used my bike and we cruised around. We rode from Ocean Beach down to Mission Bay area and just around all the little neighborhoods down there. It started out to be a cloudy and chilly day, but by the time we were on the bikes for about 20 minutes it really brightened up and turned out to be a great day. Then we went to the mall and got him some new earrings (surfing has caused him to lose some, seeing that it is just an o-ring holding them on). After that we headed to Mission Beach cause I wanted to take some sunset photos. Unfortunately it was still quite cloudy, so we didn't get to see much of the sunset, but here is a photo of Ryan with the pseudo-sunset we saw.


After that we went down to Little Italy near downtown and grabbed some dinner. There was a slight debauchel before dinner, because I hate driving and not knowing where I am going, so the drive turned out to be a slight downer before dinner, but we got over it. Here is a photo of me under the Little Italy sign. We couldn't really get any good ones, I think it had to do with the neon sign and not the photo taking abilities :).





Sunday we tried out a church by my house, SanDiegoChurch. It was nice, just very small. After church Ryan headed back up to Carlsbad cause he wanted to surf some more and I chilled around the apartment. I went to Ross and did a little shopping (cheap clothes are what I love) and then walked around Target. All-in-all it was a nice weekend with great weather!

Friday, January 19, 2007

I'm a LumberJack

Last weekend, I couldn't stop singing this. Everyone should check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO1HEyxjlNA

MONTY PYTHON!!

BARBER:I wanted to be... a lumberjack!Leaping from tree to tree, as they float down the mighty rivers of British Columbia. The Giant Redwood. The Larch. The Fir! The mighty Scots Pine! The lofty flowering Cherry! The plucky little Apsen! The limping Roo tree of Nigeria. The towering Wattle of Aldershot! The Maidenhead Weeping Water Plant! The naughty Leicestershire Flashing Oak! The flatulent Elm of West Ruislip! The Quercus Maximus Bamber Gascoigni! The Epigillus! The Barter Hughius Greenus!With my best buddy by my side, we'd sing! Sing! Sing!
[singing]I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay.I sleep all night and I work all day.
MOUNTIES:He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.He sleeps all night and he works all day.
BARBER:I cut down trees. I eat my lunch.I go to the lavatory.On Wednesdays I go shoppin'And have buttered scones for tea.
MOUNTIES:He cuts down trees. He eats his lunch.He goes to the lavatory.On Wednesdays he goes shoppingAnd has buttered scones for tea.He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.He sleeps all night and he works all day.
BARBER:I cut down trees. I skip and jump.I like to press wild flowers.I put on women's clothingAnd hang around in bars.
MOUNTIES:He cuts down trees. He skips and jumps.He likes to press wild flowers.He puts on women's clothingAnd hangs around in bars?!He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.He sleeps all night and he works all day.
BARBER:I cut down trees. I wear high heels,Suspendies, and a bra.I wish I'd been a girlie,Just like my dear Papa.
MOUNTIES:He cuts down trees. He wears high heels,Suspendies, and a bra?![talking]What's this? Wants to be a girlie?!
GIRL: Oh, My!And I thought you were so rugged! Poofter!...
[singing]He's a lumberjack, and he's okay.He sleeps all night and he works all day.He's a lumberjack, and he's okaaaaay.He sleeps all night and he works all day

Haircut

The new hair cut...


From the side...
The back... I have layers that start short in the back and angle toward my face...


The back again...


Me with the ponytail...


Another shot (yay for self timers)...


The hair with a ruler...








Thursday, January 18, 2007

What to blog?

What to blog, what to blog? I'm not sure if I have much to blog about today. I am going to get my hair cut tonight at Paul Mitchell School. It is going to be super cheap, but it will take a while. Since it is their school, their supervisors (professors) have to come around and okay each other their steps before moving on to the next thing. My appointment is at 8 tonight (they said expect 1.5-2 hours). I went to Target at lunch and bought some waxy stuff for my hair and a padded envelope that you have to mail your hair in. Oh yeah, I also bought a ruler. You have to donate a minimum of 10 inches and I would hate to cut off like 9.5 and have them not be able to use it, so just in case I am bringing my own ruler :) Ha, I know I'm a dork. Other than that, my life is pretty slow and boring.
Work is not so fun right now. Since it is the beginning of the new year we have to get all kinds of stuff out to all the employees (new W-2 forms, their prior year's W-4s, the information that we forced to give out by law - like how much money was put into the 401k, etc). That means that I get stuck folding all of the papers, stuffing them with their checks, etc. It isn't a painful job, just really boring. I also have to meet with the president soon to go over my progress (since I've been here for 3 months now, well on Friday it will be 4 months). I'm not nervous, just want to get it over with.
Hmmm... What else. My mom sent me a full 2 page spread of wiener dog races. When she was out here for my birthday, I heard on the radio that they were having wiener dog races at Qualcomm (the Charger's football stadium, which I can pretty much see from my window). My mom and I LOVE wiener dogs, so thought it would be fun. We were wrong, it was SO MUCH MORE than just fun... IT WAS AMAZING! It was for Wienerschnitzel (the hot dog chain). Well, little did we know, ESPN covers it, and a huge photo (2 pages big) was in my brother's ESPN Magazine. Ha, that was a great piece of mail to open last night!
Let's see. Well, I can't really think of anything else to say, so I guess I'll go look around the internet for a while. I hope I didn't bore you all too much :)

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Clean jokes

I got these through an office email :)

One day, a man came home and was greeted by his wife dressed in a very Sexy nightie. "Tie me up," she purred, "and you can do anything you want."So he tied her up and went golfing.
**************************************************
A woman came home, screeching her car into the driveway, and ran into the house. She slammed the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Honey,pack your bags. I won the lottery!"The husband said, "Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain stuff?" "Doesn't matter," she said. "Just get out."
**************************************************
Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right, and the other is a husband.
**************************************************
A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver's license. First, of course, he had to take an eye sight test. The optician showed him a card with the letters: 'C Z W I X N O S T A C Z.' "Can you read this?" the optician asked. "Read it?" the Polish guy replied, "I know the guy." **************************************************
Mother Superior called all the nuns together and said to them, "I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent.""Thank God," said an elderly nun at the back. "I'm so tired of chardonnay."
**************************************************
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband.Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen."Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK!Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt.USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"The wife stared at him. "What in the world is wrong with you?You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?"The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving."
**************************************************
Fifty-one years ago, Herman James, a North Carolina mountain man, was drafted by the Army. On his first day in basic training, the Army issued him a comb.That afternoon the Army barber sheared off all his hair.On his second day, the Army issued Herman a toothbrush.That afternoon the Army dentist yanked seven of his teeth.On the third day, the Army issued him a jock strap The Army has been looking for Herman for 51 years.

The time has come


I'm sure none of you expected this. You thought I would never do it, and never think about it. I know, I know, the suspense is killing you. "What is she talking about" you are all thinking to yourselves. Well, the time has come for Carlee to cut her hair. {Gasps} I have been thinking about cutting my hair for a while, but have always wanted long hair for a wedding. Since Ryan and I have talked and discussed that a wedding isn't in the near future, I figured "Why not". I looked up about Locks of Love and found out that you need to donate a minimum of 10 inches, so that's what I'm going to do. I want to help everyone that I can, and even though this is a small way of helping, it may be significant to the child that will be able to use my hair. I think I will get it cut this weekend (I just need to find a salon around me that actually knows what they are doing - the last place I went was a nightmare and a story for another blog). Today at lunch I went and bought hair dye too, so once I get it cut I will dye it dark. My mom always says, "It's just hair, it will grow back." The picture I have attached is the idea of the haircut that I am going to get. I think 12 inches will put my hair at my shoulders, so I think I will go for that. I will post photos (before and after I'm sure) once I grow the balls and do it. I'll keep you all updated though. If you have any different ideas for haircuts, send 'em my way.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Thankful for pain


Well, it's Tuesday again, so I am trying to do a THANKFUL TUESDAY. I have been thinking of what I am normally not thankful for, like what have I not thought of as a blessing, and I thought of it. FIBROMYALGIA. If you didn't know, I have a condition and it is called Fibromyalgia. It is pretty complicated, because there are so many different symptoms and side affects from it, but for the most part it is widespread, diffused pain. This is a constant in my life. I have come to live with a tolerance of pain, because if I couldn't live with it it would be debilitating. I was watching Everwood a few days ago and one of the characters had a disease that was hereditary and the daughter didn't want to get tested to see if she had it. She described it as a way to be closer to her father. Maybe it was the one thing they could bond over, if she had it, maybe she would be able to better console her father. This was a crazy way to think of it, but a new perspective for me. My mom has fibromyalgia too, they think it may be hereditary also. Thinking from that perspective, I should be thankful I have it. I know it is a pain (literally) every day, but at least when it gets bad, I can turn to my mom and when she is hurting, she can turn to me. It is hard to go through something daily and have no one around you understand it. I can't describe to you how it feels, it just hurts. I love being active, but sometimes it is just so draining because of the fibro and I just can't do it. To others I may look weak or lazy, but it is severe and not something I would wish on anyone else. Even though it sucks, I am thankful that I am able to be able to be there for my mom through it all.


If you are interested in learning more, the internet is a great resource (just google "fibromyalgia" and tons of sites will come up).

Monday, January 15, 2007

Ryan on a Russian Blog


One of Ryan's ads that he made for Pony ended up on a Russian blog, how strange. Check it out if you would like, but if not, here's what the ad looks like (he's a professional):


Dentist


This morning was the first time I went to the dentist in about 2 or 3 years. I didn't make it a priority when I was in school, because I had class and work and the dentist that my family used was not open on the weekends. Also, I have never had any cavities, worn retainers, had braces, etc, so I never saw the need to go. I am not scared of the dentist, like some people, but that is not to say I haven't had bad experiences (When I was young, I got 5 teeth pulled out with no numbing, no nothing, needless to say we switched dentists after that). This morning I went to Dr. Browne in San Diego. He was recommended by Jonna (one of the ladies I work with). She said he was great, and that he was. He was very nice and very personable. Unfortunately they did not have a slot open for cleaning, so I just had to get x-rays done (a total of 30). Although I was only there for about 30 minutes, they made me feel great. Dr. Browne told me that even though I went about 3 years without a cleaning my teeth look great and then he told me I was a "goddess". Normally I hate compliments, and I know he didn't mean it literally, but it made me smile (but I guess that is the dentist's job, huh, to make people smile :) ). Well, enough about my teeth, but I am looking forward to go back in February for my cleaning.

Friday, January 12, 2007

The move...

So today I decided while I was at work today I was going to listen to the Christmas messages from my Church back at home (CrossRoads). Normally, the Head Pastor, Glenn Teal, will do an amazing series on this town he made up called "Lake Tamaron". He has a whole town set up in your mind, with all of the people, stores, street lights, etc. He does an awesome job, and it is one of the most anticipated series of the year (at least by me, but I'm sure by many others). Since I wasn't there during December, I thought I would listen to the recordings online. My mom had mentioned that Glenn decided to move one of the families to Monroe, Michigan, and that the series was great. She wasn't lying! It was super! It was great, especially since I grew up in Monroe (until 5th grade), so when he talked about all of the landmarks, the Custer statue, schools, churches, etc I knew where they all were. If you are ever up for it, feel free to use the CrossRoads link on my page and check out the Audio Sermons - you won't be disappointed.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Kyle


I heart my brother. I am sure you all know that I have a brother. He is 2 years younger than me. What a goofball he is :) but I love him dearly. I was talking to him this afternoon and he was telling me that he is looking to transfer schools. He is currently at a community college in Monroe, but would like to get out of Michigan. He is applying to Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida State. I am trying to talk him into coming to San Diego, but the price is pretty high. He is going into biology. I am super excited for him, and just thought I would blog about him. I will add some photos once I upload them from my camera.

Pumpkin seeds....


Informal poll - Do you eat the outside of the pumpkin seeds?


***All the guys in the office think I'm weird because I do. Maybe it is because I'm from Michigan. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't eat the shells of sunflower seeds, but pumpkin seeds? They are so thin I never knew there was something inside it...

Tattoo Pride Day


Who knew, but apparently today is TATTOO PRIDE DAY!! Hurray! Well, incase you didn't know, I have 3 tattoos. I have the Chinese character for Love on the top of my right foot. I have the Chinese character for Joy on the top of my left foot. I also have a cluster of stars on my lower back. What tattoos do you have? What ones are you looking forward to? If you are in San Diego, and would like a free Chargers tattoo, Propaganda in Point Loma will be doing free Chargers tats on Saturday from 12-9pm.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Lack of ________


What am I lacking today? Hmmm.... There are a lot of things I am lacking today, but the number one on my list is CAFFEINE! I have been out of Diet Mountain Dew in my apartment for 4 days now (I know I could just go to the store, but I have been trying to cut down my spending lately). Caffeine is so imbedded into my diet that when I don't have it I get headaches... Yeah, I know, I'm addicted, but I rationalize it to myself because I only drink Diet sodas, which have no empty calories and if you look at the nutritional info, they really don't have anything in them (other than chemicals and whatnot). Maybe it is also that today has been slow in the office, and therefore I am starting to get a little sleepy. I just keep getting up and walking around the office building to get my blood flowing. :)

Folding

So since it is a new year, Cass Construction is requiring everyone to fill out new W-4 forms. Since I am the Payroll Clerk I am the one that needs to fold them all and stuff them in with their checks this week... So I am folding 400+ W-4 forms... WHOO HOO

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

"Thankful Tuesday"


So, since I'm sure you all read about Ryan and I in the post entitled "Weekend", I have been coming up with ideas that can help our relationship. I came up with an idea that I call "Thankful Tuesdays", that is just a way that we can tell each other what we are thankful for in each other or in our relationship (I thought it would help with seeing the good sides of our relationship instead of focusing on the negatives, like we have been in the past week). I wanted to invite all of you to have a "Thankful" day. Tell your friends, family, God, co-workers, etc what you are thankful for in their lives. It only takes a minute (you can do it in the form of an email, a phone call, a quick card, etc). It is great to know you are appreciated and also great to show others that you appreciate them. Just an idea, but I hope it catches on. And just to let you know, I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Football


Wowser. This bowl season has come out quite differently than I was expecting, and I'm sure much differently than most people were expecting. It all started with my Michigan Wolverines not showing up at the Rose Bowl, which was extremely sad. Along the way there were many exciting and interesting games. Then came the Championship game last night. Now being that I grew up on the border of Michigan and Ohio and that I went to and graduated from the University of Michigan, I can NEVER cheer for the Buckeyes. It is just the simple for me, if they are playing, I am rooting against them (sorry Meg :) ). Last night was slightly different though. After the shananagins with Florida snaking their way into the championship game, I was all up for the spanking that OSU was going to give to the Gators. I flipped on the game after I got home from work (games start much earlier out here on the West coast) and saw that wow, it is 7-7 already and it is still in the first 5 minutes of the game. I knew it would be a game to watch, so I kept flipping back and forth (between what you ask, GILMORE GIRLS, duh, the re-runs are on ABC Family every night). I was amazed at how the Gators were walking over the Buckeyes. Of course, I wasn't cheering for the Gators, because in my mind, we still should have been playing last night, but I sure as heck wasn't cheering for OSU. The craziness of the college football season came to a close last night with the Gators upsetting the Buckeyes 41-14 and I just had to laugh.
GO BLUE

Weekend

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday, I'm sure you are all so interested in my life that you are checking my blog hourly (ha, I doubt that, but anywho). I wasn't sure what I wanted to post yesterday so I thought I would take the day off. This weekend was a terrible one, and I didn't know how I would want to describe it, or if I even wanted to. Don't get me wrong, the weather was absolutely amazing, about 75, sunny and breazey the whole weekend, but the weekend consitsted of more than just the weather unfortunately. I just want to warn you before you read this, my thought process is not always the clearest, and therefore this may be confusing if you are not inside my head. So the whole week was sort of a mess, because Ryan and I were in a tiff (or at least I thought it was just a tiff). I had felt as though dating was a time to figure out if you wanted to marry someone, and 3 years into it I knew that I had made that decision (yes, for all of you out there that were un-sure, I love Ryan with all my heart and it would be an honor to spend the rest of my life with him). This idea has been tangled in my head for a while, and has caused me to say some hurtful things to Ryan. This all came to a head when I told Ryan I wasn't sure how much longer I would be willing to wait around for him, since I knew I wanted to be with him and his hesitation with marriage caused me to think he didn't love me as much as I love him. The idea of marriage is a great one, but has sort of been ramed down my throat by others. I am not saying that it is anyones fault, but I come from a background that people get married at a younger age. I have friends married, engaged, having kids, etc., so it is common conversation to ask, "Hey, you and Ryan have been together for a while, when is the big day". And I think with everyone asking questions like that it caused me to put some undue pressure on Ryan and I's relationship. Okay, so back to the story. Adam Gross was coming into town this past weekend, so I wasn't going to see Ryan. Ryan asked if he could come down and share some things that he had been thinking throughout the week before he picked Adam up from the airport Friday. I told him sure, but in my gut had a bad feeling about it. So Ryan and I went to Applebee's on Friday and he sort of dropped the bomb that I had been fearing. "I have been thinking that maybe we need a break, I don't know if you are the right one for me. You are my first girlfriend and I have had some curiosity of what else is out there for me." WOW. What a way to start off the weekend, right? So then we had some small talk for the rest of dinner and left it at that. We went back to my apartment, seeing that Adam had to take a later flight and it would have been silly for Ryan to drive back up to Carlsbad, just to turn around and drive back down to San Diego. We watched some tv and sort of just ignored everything. We talked before he left and was going to take the weekend to think things over. Well, there starts the weekend. So the rest of the weekend I try to go out and be active, using my new bike and riding around for hours at a time (anything to keep my mind off of it), but nothing seemed to be working. I just kept thinking about the past 3 years and how painful it would be to see them disappear. I have heard the whole 'Let's take a break' line before and I told Ryan that I wouldn't be able to do that, that if we took a 'break' it would be permanent, a forever sort of thing. So I get a call on Sunday, and my heart drops again. It's Ryan, and he asks if he can come by after he drops Adam off at the airport and go overa few more things. "Oh great, a few more things, just what I want to hear" is what I am thinking. This cannot be good. So Ryan came over, with a huge list of things to chat about, and we talked them over. I can say now, with confidence, that Ryan and I are still together, that we are working through things, and that hopefully our relationship can only keep improving from here. This weekend was not fun, in the least bit, but I guess hearing things like that never are - but it is extremely nice that Ryan and I are able to work through them and that hopefully it will only make our relationship stronger. I know this is probably all over the place, and that most of you are asking yourself, "What did I just read" and I'm sure once I re-read it I will probably try and make corrections, but I thought I would just fill you in on my life. It's not always fun, but it's real...

Friday, January 5, 2007

Bored again

Survey time:
I. The Basic
Name: Carlee Nickname:Car Gender:Female Birthday: September 10, 1984 Sun Sign: Virgo? Chinese Sign: Rat? Right/Left-Handed: Right
II. Appearance
Eye color: Hazel (they change from time to time) Hair color: Dirty blonde Length: Long Texture: Wavy, but if I wear it down I straighten it Dyed or natural? I died it darker Height: 5'4" Weight: 120lbs Body Shape: I have child-bearing hips Ring Size: I have mini fingers, probably 4.5 Skin Color: Tannish Tattoos: I have Chinese characters of Love and Joy on the top of my feet and 3 stars on my lower back Piercings: A lot... My ears (10 times - it was more but I got sick of some of them and some just closed), my nose, tongue, and belly button Your favorite feature(s): Eyes? Your most disliked feature(s): Hips Do you shower everyday? Ha, nope Do you tan? Yeah Do you watch what you eat? Yes-sir-ee-bob, I watch it go into my mouth :) Do you work out?
Nah, but I'm activeIII. Nouns: Would You Call Yourself...
An activist? Yes An actor/actress? No An animal?
No
An artist? Yes An asshole? Sometimes A badass? Ha, I may act like one, but no A baller? No A bitch? I hope not A daddy's boy/girl? No A dancer? I love shaking my booty A diva? No A dominatrix? Nope A drunkard? No An emo kid? Sometimes A flamer? No A gamer? No A gangster? Fo sho, just kiddin' A god/goddess? No A goth? Nope A hacker? No A hick? Nope A humanitarian? Yes A hustla? No A jock? Nope A loner? Sometimes A mack daddy? No A manly man? I'm a girl A metal head? Nope A metrosexual? No A momma's boy/girl? I love my mommy A musician? No An overachiever? YES A nerd? Yep A party guy/girl? I can be A punk? Yep :) A perfectionist? OH YEAH A performer? Sure A pimp? No A player? Nope A poet? Yeah A pothead? Nope A prostitute? NO A prude? Not sure A scene kid? A what? A sexy momma? Nope A slut/whore/ho? Ha, no A snob? I hope not A stripper? Fo sho :) Just joking A teacher's pet? I don't have school anymore WHOO HOO An underachiever? No A witch? Nope A writer? Yeah A vegetarian/vegan? Yep, for over a year nowIV. Favorite...
Animal: Wiener dog Artist: Too many Author: Emily Bronte Book: Freakonomics Band: Too many to choose from Candy: Starburst Channel: MTV or Bravo or the Food Channel of the CW Coffee: I hate the smell of it Color: Blue or pink Comedian: Dane Cook Drink: Diet Mountain Dew Fast food place: Taco Bell Food: Pasta Gemstone: Sapphire Instrument: Jazz Flute Kind of music: Punk, Emo, Alternative, Pop, etc Magazine: Shape Metal: Platinum Movie: Hook, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Love me if you dare Mythological creature: Lock-ness monster Number: 7 Pattern: Plaid Shape: Star Show: Gilmore Girls, Project Runway, Law and Order Smell/Scent: Yummy Singer: Michael Buble Song: "Home" Sport: To play - soccer, to watch - football Sports team: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES Store: Thrift stores Subject: Math Symbol:
*V. Life
Living arrangement: I rent a one bedroom apartment Siblings: Younger brother - Kyle Pets: My parents have a dog - Dizzy Do you love your own family? Yes Are your parents married, divorced, widowed or single? Married Do you listen to your parents? Yeah Do you go to school? Graduated college last year Did you graduate? Yeppers Do you plan to get your G.E.D./G.E.E.? No I finished High School Do/did you do well in school? Yeah Do you drive? Yep Do you own a car? Yes - 2005 Ford Focus Do you have a job? Yeah - Cass Construction, I'm the Payroll Clerk How many jobs have you had? Too many to count Do you want to go to college? Already went What would you like to major in? I majored in Economics Do you know what you want to be yet? Nope What are [some] of your fears? The dark, never finding what I'm looking for Would you rather be rich, average, or poor and happy? I'm fine being poor Is there anything you want to do before you die?
EverythingVI. Adjectives: Are You...
ADD/ADHD? Not diagnosed Addicted? No Adventurous? Yeah Afraid? Yep Aggressive? Can be Angry? Sure Anxious? Uh huh Apathetic? No Apprehensive? I don't think so Arrogant? No Assertive? Yes Athletic? Yeah Attractive? I don't think so Beautiful? Naw Belligerent? No Bitchy? Nope Bold? I can be Bossy? I hope not, but probably Calm? Yeah Caring? Yes Catty? No Chauvenistic? No Classy? Yes Cold? My body is always cold, but I doubt that is what the question was really asking Conceited? Nope, far from it Confident? Nope Crazy? Hehe, yeah Creative? I think so Critical? Yes Daring? I want to be Deep? Yea Defiant? Nope Demanding? Sometimes Depressed? When aren't I Dramatic? I hope not Dumb? Haha, silly dumb Easily influence? No Elusive? Huh? Emotional? Yes Expensive? No Fake? Nope Fashionxcore? I shop at Goodwill... Feminine? I can be Friendly? I love people Funny? I hope so Fun to be with? I think people would say yes Grunge? No Happy? Outside HardxXxcore? No Health-conscious? Yeah High-maintenance? No Immature? Haha, depends who you ask Insecure? Yeah Jealous? Sometimes Judgemental? I don't mean to be if I am Kind? Yes Lazy? Depends on what day it is Lonely? Yep Loud? I can be Loving? I hope so Manipulative? No Masculine? No Materialistic? Nope Mean? I hope not Medicated? Not yet Miserable? No Moody? Can be Narcissistic? Nope Nervous? Yeah Neurotic? I don't think so Nice? I hope so Obnoxious? No Original? I try Ornery? Probably Paranoid? Nah Passionate? Not really Passive? Yeah Philosophical? No Picky? Yep Proud? Sometimes Quiet? I can be Rebellious? Nah Reliable? Yes Religious? Yeppers Rude? In a joking fashion Scary? Eeeks, I hope not Secretive? Yeah Self-centered? Nope Self-conscious? Yeah Self-critical? Yep Selfish? I try not to be Selfless? I hope Sensitive? Yeah Serious? Sometimes Sexy? Nah Shallow? Uh no Shy? Depends Silly? YEAH Smart? I would say intelligent Snobby? No Spiteful? Nope Stubborn? YES Sweet? I try Superficial? No Talkative? Yeah Thoughtful? Yes Thrifty? Uh huh Vain? No Vengeful? Nope Vindictive? No
Weird? Yes, but I would say quirky Wicked? No Wild? :)

VII. Love & Sexxxxxx
Orientation: Heterosexual Are you in a relationship? Yes Have you ever been in love? Yes Have you ever been kissed? Yes Have you ever had a girlfriend? No Have you ever had a boyfriend? Yes Have you ever had a friend with benefits? Yes First kiss: Don't remember, but my mom and Leigh Ann tell me it was with Adam Oberski when he was trying to get me to stop crying (I think we were 2) Have you ever kissed or made out with someone of the opposite sex? Yes Have you ever kissed or made out with someone of the same sex? No Have you ever kissed or made out with a stranger? No Longest relationship: Currently Ryan and I(3.33333 years) Shortest relationship: Bryan Towell and I (I think it was about 3 days) Are you a virgin? Yep When will you/did you lose your virginity, and where? On my wedding night Have you ever been pregnant or gotten someone else pregnant? No Have you ever given or received an STD/STI? Nope When and where do you want to get married, if you chose to? Whenever Ryan is ready, and on a beach Girls - Would you ever marry a man solely for his money? Nope How many children do you want, if any? None Do you have any names in mind? (If so, what?) For a puppy - TITO

VIII. In a Guy/Girl, What Do You Prefer?
Ethnicity: Doesn't matter Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Doesn't matter Length: Shaggy Height: Taller than me Weight: Strong Personality: Outgoing, funny Style: Skater Experience: Huh? Favorite feature(s): Eyes In a guy/girl, what makes you weak in the knees? Smile and smell What's more important, looks or personality? Personality What's more important, brains or beauty? Brains Turn Offs: Smoking, arrogantIX. Materialism: Do You Own Any of the Following?
Cell Phone: Yes Cell Phone with the works (or an expensive one): No Credit/Debit Card: Linked to my checking account Department Store Make-up (i.e. Stila, Hard Candy, Urban Decay): Nope Designer Clothes (i.e. Gucci, Banana Republic, Baby Phat): Nope Designer Jeans (i.e. Seven Jeans, Tru Religion): Nope Designer Jewelry (i.e. Chanel, Tiffany & Co.): Nope Designer Purses (i.e. Louis Vuitton, Coach, Fendi): Nope Designer Shoes (i.e. Steve Madden, Doc Martens): Nope Designer Accessories, Cleansers, etc. : Nope Digital Camera: Yeah I just got one for Christmas DVD's/DVD Player: Yes Expensive/Supped up Car: No Expensive Fragrances (i.e. Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui, Calvin Klein): Nope Gym Membership: No Ipod: Yeah ( got it through freeipod.com - it works :))
Laptop: Yeah Online Game Subscription (i.e. World of Warcraft): NO Palm Pilot: Nope Plasma or other nice TV: No Playstation/Gamecube/Xbox, etc. : Nope PSP: No Regular hair appointments: Nope Regular manicures and/or pedicures: No Stereo system: Nope TiVo/Satellite TV or Digital Cable: Nope Video Camera: No Your own apartment: Yes Your own bathroom: Yes Your own house: Nope Your own phone line: A cell phone Your own room: I rent an apartment Your own TV: Yep - craigslist for $25, what what
X. Have you ever...
Beat up someone? No Been arrested? No Been in a band? No Been caught doing something you shouldn't? Yes Been charged? No Been to a concert? Yeah Been diagnosed with a medical disorder? Yep Been diagnosed with a mental disorder? Not yet Been drunk? Yes Been so drunk you couldn't stand up, you filthy whore? No Been to the emergency room? Yes, I've broken both my arms Been evicted? No Been famous? No Been fired? Yes Been to jail? No Been institutionalized? Nope Been picked on? Yeah Been poor? Yep Been rich? Nope Been rejected? Yeah Been so mad you walked out of the room? Yes Been so mad you broke something? Uh huh Been stoned? Nope Been on the radio or TV? I was on MTV once Been used or used someone else? Yeah Been in a wreck? Yes Backstabbed or been backstabbed by a friend? Yep Broken a bone? Yes, both my arms and some toes Chanted Bloody Mary or Candyman in front of the mirror? NO, scary movies SCARE me Cheated on homework or a test, you asshole? Yep Cheated or been cheated on by someone else? No Choked on something? Nope Closed the door on a Jehova's witness? No Cussed out or been cussed out by an elder/adult/authority? No Done volunteer work? Yeah Dyed you hair? Yep Dyed your hair a crazy color? Nothing too crazy Failed an exam? Yeah, I went to U of M, come on Fell down a flight of stairs? Yes Given money to charity? Yeah Given money to a homeless person? Yep Gone a week without showering? Ha, probably Had an abortion? No Had a child? Nope Had an epiphany? Lighting has just struck my brain Had a seizure? No Had a stalker? Nope, thankfully Had a stroke? Nope Had surgery? No Hit on a teacher? Ha, no, but have wanted to Hurt or been hurt by a friend? Plenty of times Intentionally made someone else sick? No Lived in a haunted house? NO Lived in another country? Nope Lived in regret? Never Lived on the street? No Made a racial comment in front of a particular race? No Moshed? Yeah Passed out? Nope Passed out on purpose? What? No Peed on someone or been peed on? Hahahaha, no Picked on someone? My little brother Pierced something yourself? Yep, my ears Ran away from home? No (unless you count to the tree house in the back yard) Saved an animal's life or been saved by an animal? Nope Saved the world? =) One day I hope Seen a dead body? Yeah Seen a ghost? No Seen someone die? No Skipped school for no good reason? Yeah, and got caught Skipped work for no good reason? Nope Tried to be someone you weren't? No Tried to commit suicide? No Tried to live up to someone else's standards? Yep Traveled to another country? Mexico and Canada Walked in on someone or vice versa? No Won something you didn't deserve (ahem)? Salvation, not really 'won' but have received it Written a hit list? No Vomited on yourself or someone else? Probably my parents when I was a baby
XI. Controversy: What's Your Stand on...
Abuse? It hurts? I guess I don't know how it could be 'right' American culture? Stolen from others Bisexuality? Whatever you are comfotable with Bush? Republican Catholicism? I don't know a lot about it, but it seems like a lot of memorization Celebrities? Should spend their money on better things Celebrities with their own brand of everything? Self-centered Child exploitation? Terrible Circumcision? Sure, I don't have a penis, so I don't care Cloning? Would I want there to be 2 of me? NO THANKS Corporate America? The man Crime? It's high Divorce? Sad, but a reality in American culture Domestic violence? Unexplainable Downloading music? Okay Drugs? Depends Eating disorders? They are real and are not because of a weakness Embryonic freezing? No thanks Emo? If you're in the mood for it Gangs? They hurt people Gay marriage? I don't understand why it is even a question, OF COURSE Global warming? It will ruin us sooner than later Goths? They like black Hentai? I don't know what that is Homosexuality? How would you answer "Heteroseuality"? Kobe? Dreamy Michael Jackson? Scary Murder? Terrible Medicare and the like? Doesn't help enough Obesity? It happens more and more Plastic surgery/botox? If you have the money and want it, get it Politics? Spend money on winning people's favor instead of changing the world for the better Pop music/pop stars? I can rock out with them Pornography? Don't look at it Prayer in school? Not mandated, but allowed Punks? Love 'em Recycling? Everyone needs to do more Religion? Don't be hypicritical Racism? I can't beleive it is still as big of a problem as it is, WHEN WILL PEOPLE LEARN TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER School spirit? It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine Self-mutilation? Sad, but understandable Slavery? Terrible Social security and welfare? Need to be reformed Society's ideal of beauty and perfection? Fake Suicide? I understand it, but don't condone it The culture of rich? I wouldn't know much about it The gap between the rich and poor? Growing larger by the minute The media? Warping the minds of people The pressure to be thin? Too strong The sexual revolution? Use protection The world? Going to hell in a handbasket if we don't shape up Trends? Here today gone tomorrow and then back the next day War? Pointless, why can't we all get along... Women's rights? We need more
XII. Last section - Deeper Questions
Are you concerned about the environment? Every day Are you happy with yourself? Nope Are you into anime? Hehe, no Can you play any instruments? I have tried playing the flute and guitar in the past Can you keep your word/promises? All of them Can you dance? I try Can you sing? I try hard Can you take compliments? Not a single one Do you believe in yourself? NopeDo you eat organic food? I try Do you hate being alone? No Do you hate it when people pretend to be something they're not? Yeah Do you have any weird talents or abilities? Not that I can think of Do you hold yourself or others up to high standards? Yes, of course Do you know more than one language? I try to speak Spanish Do you mean what you say? Yes Do you question everything? Not everything Do you think there will be another world war? I hope not Do you think we will ever have world peace? No Do you write stories, songs, poetry, or have a diary or journal? Poetry How would you want to die? Quick Must you always be right? I think so :) What is/are your most missed memory(ies)? I don't remember my childhood What is the greatest thing you ever learned? Life is short, Jesus came to save the world, Love everyone What is your most prized possesion? My family What's more important, love or money? LOVE What's important to you in general? Loving those around me What was one of your most embarrassing moments? I don't have any, I just laugh at myself What would you change about the world? Love more What would you change about the things around you? Listen more What would you change about your life? Accept more Who is/are your hero(es)? My mom and dad Who is/are your role model(s)? Gaia and my mom Would you ever change your name? Hehe, Lunchbox Would you ever have plastic surgery? If I had the money, sure Would you ever move to another country? Yep Would you give someone else the shirt off your back? In a second Would you let someone stay with you if they had no where else to live? Have done it before Would you give up your life for someone else? Any minute Your dream car: Jeep Liberty Your dream house: On the beach Your dream life: Working with HIV/AIDS patients or teen addicts What's better - instant gratification or long-term satisfaction? Long term satisfaction

Bittens are da debil...

I always knew cats were evil:




Hook


In case you don't know, Hook is one of the BEST movies EVER! I watched it last night (it was on, like always). I was so pumped that it made me giddy, but I guess that's what the lost boys will do to you. I even held my phone up to the TV and recorded "Oh, there you are Peter". I know, you may think I'm a nerd, but it is a great movie. You should all watch it this weekend!!