Thursday, July 22, 2010
Flight to Seattle
Bon Voyage!
Well I was able to get 99% of the packing done. I did fine on food yesterday. I will tell you I am soooo looking forward to being able to cook again. It has been a month since I cooked a meal :-(
Not sure how much computer access I will have to post while I am gone. I will be keeping a handwritten travel journal of our adventures so I will post that when I get back. Here is our itinerary:
7/23/10 Fly to Seattle
7/24/10 Embark the Golden Princess
7/25/10 At sea
7/26/10 Juneau, Alaska
7/27/10 Skagway, Alaska
7/28/10 Glacier Bay - Scenic Cruising
7/29/10 Ketchikan, Alaska
7/30/10 Victoria, B.C. Canada
7/31/10 Seattle, Washington (Fly home)
I will also try to post updates and pictures on Facebook as well. We take off for the airport at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. I bid you all farewell! I will miss you guys! Until next time...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Whacko Wednesday (LHA #11)
Got my whole face threaded yesterday. The whole entire thing. The most painful area is the upper lip. When I used to wax it was the same thing. Usually I just do my brows. So now I am all primped and fluffed and ready to go except for my pedicure today. Hair cut and colored, brows and face threaded, facial and pedi. Oh and I shaved my legs which doesn't happen all the time lol. Since I have the NLD I don't show my legs much so I avoid shaving if I have to. Not that I am mountain mama either. I do shave my pits regularly - just my legs get skipped occasionaly :-D sorry if it's TMI.
I will be packing and setting up the new place tonight. I want to do as much as I can before I leave so I will have less to do when I get back and won't feel like I am entering chaos. We will see how much I can get done. Hope you guys are having a good week and thanks again for sticking by me through all this stuff. It helps me more then I can put into words. Until next time...
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Anxious Annie
My head is spinning right now. I know things will work out so I am not worried about that but I am on information overload. We are almost finished with the old apartment. I have not had any conversations with the landlord lately and no emails either. Maybe they are realizing I am not messing around. Who knows but boy will I be glad when that sh*t is done with. Then there is the whole bio family thing. I talked to my youngest bio brother this morning and happened to share his picture with my mom and she did not react well. When I told her about discovering all of this new info and my bio family she appeared to be understanding and supportive but now that a little time has gone by I think she is having mixed feelings. I just keep reminding her how blessed I was and that she is MY mom. Period. I did join an online Adoptee support group to get some ideas on how other people handle this situation. I have reached out to the people I know already so this is just another resource of help and information. All of this and I am packing and leaving on vacation in 3 days while trying to maintain my full time job and my relationship with Dave. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!
We are leaving for the cruise this Friday the 23rd in the a.m. I am so anxious!!! We will fly up to Seattle and spend the night there and then embark the ship on Saturday the 24th. We will return on Saturday the 31st. I am looking forward to the R&R once we get there but whew it is a task for me to get everything done before I go. I need to remember to breathe... Until next time...
Monday, July 19, 2010
Ups and Downs
Since we had to replace the couch and did not want to spend too much money, we found the futon shown above. It is not a great picture but it gives you an idea what it looks like. We got it at Target (go figure) for $179. I added the throw pillows to help tie it into the existing decor. I will do a slide show (Shelley) when we are done decorating.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Versatile Winner!
So the winner of the Katie J Bon Voyage Giveaway is Miranda at Glimpses of My Journey through life. Congratulations Miranda! Just email me with your address and I will get it sent out to you. I just love doing giveaways so I am planning one for my return from Alaska. Stay tuned for that.
I received a Versatile Blogger Award from First Steps. I wanted to acknowledge it but will need to officially accept it in a separate post. Thanks First Steps for thinking of me! It made my day
:-D so thank you.
We will be moving the rest of the stuff from the old apt. and setting up in the new one. I am hoping to take a break in between boxes and go swimming. It is going to be warm (90s) and my eczema has finally gone away. Can we say stress related condition?? I have never in my entire 44 years had such an outbreak of it. Now I have a million purple scars where it was. Hopefully they will fade with time. Not that I sport shorts or anything... Anyways, hope you all have a great weekend! Until next time...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Move it - Move it!
Hope you guys are having a good week. I am doing better. Last night I finally slept with the CPAP machine for the first time in 2 weeks and as predicted I feel MUCH better and way more rested. I hate that thing sometimes but it sure does make a difference. Someday it will be gone though, mark my words!
Today is the "official" day we can start moving into our new place. Dave and some of his buddies are going to start taking the big stuff over there today and then it will be my responsibility to arrange it the way I want it. Dave is thinking of it as "transferring" then moving because we are not going to box everything up. I still have to deal with all my clothes at the storage unit too. I am so grateful I had been purging stuff all this time because now it will be that much easier to "transfer" it. We are planning on being out of the old apartment by the 17th. We did pay for the month of July but I am hoping it might be an incentive for him to let us go if he has 2 weeks to prep for a new tenant.
Don't forget to enter my Bon Voyage Giveaway! The deadline for entering is tonight at midnight. I will announce the winner tomorrow and everyone is welcome to enter. Good luck! Hope you have a good day. Until next time...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Katie J's Bon Voyage Giveaway!
Get into the zone with TV's kick-butt trainer, Jillian Michaels, and tackle stubborn problem areas with her surefire circuit training formula that combines upper- and lower-body sculpting moves to obliterate fat even faster. Say goodbye to saddlebags, muffin tops and wobbly arms with this heart-pounding, 40-minute circuit workout that targets trouble zones like never before. By keeping you constantly challenged, Jillian will transform your body from flab to firm in no time! Warm up and cool down before and after this grueling workout.
All you have to do to enter is tell me what your trouble zone is and what you are doing to tackle it. If you post about the giveaway on Twitter or Facebook you can earn an additional entry. I will accept entries until tomorrow night at midnight (7/15) and I will announce the winner Friday a.m. This giveaway is open to everyone so good luck to you!
I got on the scale and I am still at 261. Believe it or not I am actually grateful that it stayed the same. Given my off eating lately I wasn't sure how it would go. I am sure moving this weekend will burn some calories! LOL! Hope you are all having a good week. Until next time...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Resuming Normal
I have my bodybugg on and I am using the digital display as my guideline for the time being. It tells me Calories burned, Steps and Minutes of Activity. As long as I know what my calorie totals are then I can keep track of my deficit. I asked Dave to bring the cords so I can set up a time at night to upload the info plus charge it. I also asked him to grab the scale. It has been oddly refreshing not stepping on that bugger everyday. Hopefully he grabs it and I can report my numbers for the LHA Summer Challenge.
Unfortunately, I did not meet my goals for weight loss by cruise time. I don't think I have gained anything either but I am not sure. When we cruised last year, I did not gain anything on the cruise and plan to do the same this year. Once I get back then I can reassess my plan and set up some WL goals again. Did I mention to you guys that my mom is considering a Cruise to the Panama Canal for Christmas? I don't think I will have the time off of work but I will have to check into it. Until next time...
Monday, July 12, 2010
Roller Coaster
Sunday started out well but took a big nose dive. First of all, the only meal I ate was breakfast after church. It was pretty warm outside and I wasn't hungry but I should have eaten something. Well, we went to the concert and I proceeded to drink 3 glasses of wine and 2 beers but still no food... I ended up hanging out with some really nice people but spent most of my time away from Dave. He spent quite a bit of money on the tickets and was pretty upset that I only hung out with him for a little while. It got worse when we got back to the hotel room and he said some pretty hurtful things like maybe I should move to the new place by myself and things like that. I am pretty sure we'll make up but given my fragile state right now it just wasn't what I needed to hear.
I got a call back from the S.C.P.D and they already have the report I requested of how many times they have been called to our complex. It was supposed to be 7-10 days so I am super happy about that. Today I will be making phone calls to get our case started. I am going to file a breach of contract with the Superior Court. He is going to be sorry he didn't let us out quietly. I did not want it to be this way but he deserves to feel some pain after all that we have endured. He will be coming from Las Vegas (he lives there) on Wednesday and will be meeting Dave there. I asked him to make it a more conducive time so I could be there as I was the original tenant but he would not budge. Grrr... Well I need to get to work and squeeze in the phone calls so it is going to be a hectic day and I am still a little crunchy. Hope you had a nice weekend and thanks for hanging with me. Until next time...
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Emotional Day
This morning I decided to tell my mom that I have located my biological family. It was a wonderful bonding moment and she held my hands and hugged me and cried with me. She was so understanding and said she would have done the same thing. It was a big relief to tell her and I don't know why I agonized so much about it. Meanwhile, I got a call from the slumlord. He does not want to let us out of the lease. The reception was bad but it was a fairly heated conversation. I let him know I was willing to do whatever was necessary to fight him on this. I went to the police dept. this afternoon and requested a print out of the times they have been to our complex and I have a growing list of calls to make on Monday to various city and state agencies. After leaving my mom's I went to Deb's and we had a heart-to-heart talk about some things that needed to be said and we ended up crying and hugging too. I guess I needed to let it out hahaha...
Food wise I have been doing fine although today I skipped lunch which is not good for the old blood sugar. It is weird not having the scale in front of me everyday. I can weigh on Thursday because that is the day we start moving in to the new place :-) Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Until next time...
Friday, July 9, 2010
Friday Fiddybits
The other day I tried the Berry Steal Cut Oatmeal from Jamba Juice. I really liked it and it was satisfying and held me over until lunch time. It is 290 calories which is just fine. Today I decided to try the Fresh Banana flavor. It was good but I ran out of banana before finishing the oatmeal. With the berry flavor, you could distribute the flavor throughout the oatmeal. Definitely worth trying ladies and gents. They also have Apple Cinnamon and Brown sugar flavors.
We are going to go sign the lease for the new place at lunch time today. I am so thankful that we did not have any hassles being approved. I did have some debt in the past but Dave helped me pay it off so my credit score must have improved. We are technically supposed to be able to move in on the 15th but he will be giving us keys today. We will see how that works. The 15th is next Thursday. We are still in bed bug eradication mode. The exterminator is supposed to go to our old place tomorrow to do the second treatment. We will see today if that pans out.
The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
Dave and I will be going to the Mountain Winery to see Yes and Peter Frampton on Sunday night. I will be finished with dog sitting (Yay!!) It is one of the most beautiful venues I ever seen and we have really good seats so I am excited. It is really more Dave's era of music but I like them too. We will be seeing Celtic Woman there next month. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I have a feeling it is going to be a whirlwind for me but it seems to be par for the course lately. Until next time...
P.S. Thanks Cinner I figured out how to add the pages. I will be adding some more and will let you guys know. Also, thank you all for your feedback yesterday. It was very helpful :-D
P.S.S. I have my bodybugg on today!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Looking up!
Front of complex
Inside courtyard looking at front window
View from front door
I sent the slumlord a notarized and certified letter asking to get out of our lease. One of my coworkers was kind enough to help with some wording and even had his soon-to-be lawyer wife add her two cents. I had to laugh at J when he initially read it because he said I was being too nice. I have heard that a few times before lol... I am just hoping and praying that he just lets us go quietly. If we need to fight then we will plan accordingly but all we can do is wait and see.
Had dinner over at Deb and Larry's last night. We had a healthy dinner but I went overboard on nuts. She had a bowl of salt and pepper pistachios and I plowed through half of it. They are the bomb diggity! Then I ate some almonds and then Larry pulled out his homemade trail mix that had walnuts, pecans, raisins and white chocolate chips. Yummy but I ate too much.
While we were talking, Debby suggested that I keep a separate blog about finding my bio-family. What do you guys think? It would be nice to have it all in one place. Let me know what your thoughts are. Larry even suggested I write a book! I thought that was funny! In all actuality I don't consider myself a writer. This blog is the most writing I have ever done since college. I never had a paper journal. I have always loved reading though... hmmm thoughts to ponder.
Hope you are having a good week! I am so glad that it's Thursday already! It is my brother's birthday today. Tonight is up in the air until I talk to the new apt. manager, Ahmed as far as going over there and signing the paperwork etc. Our travel agent Susan is going to meet my mom at 6:00 p.m. and hopefully I can be there. They have a new procedure for booking shore excursions so she is going to show us the changes. She is a sweet gal and lives in my mom's neighborhood so that is why she is making a house call :-) Have a good day! Until next time...
P.S. Does anyone know how to make an additional page to an existing blog?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Welcome Wednesday (LHA #9)
I got some rest last night so I am not feeling so spacy today. I was also organized enough to get ready at the L's house instead of going home (relative term) plus I had my pills and insulin handy so I was good to go. Amazing what a little planning can do! LOL!
As I have been talking to my "new" family members, I am hearing more and more about similiarities that are mind boggling to me. For example, I was speaking to my Uncle Steve yesterday and he told me that my great-grandmother painted and sold ceramics during World War II. As most of you know, I paint ceramics and even started my own little business called Kate's Kreations. It really has opened my eyes to the nature vs. nurture issue. Steve actually has some of her pieces so when I meet him I will be able to check them out :-) "Unk" lives about 45 miles away from where I am. He is going to put some pictures together for me and also a music CD. I think it is such a great idea. I would like to burn a CD of the memorable songs of my life. I will put it on my "list" Until next time...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Frazzled Tuesday
I will get back to business today regarding my food intake. I don't have my bodybugg on but I will be tracking my calories. Having steal cut oatmeal from Jamba Juice for breakfast. I have never tried it so when my coworker asked if I wanted anything from there, I asked for the oatmeal. I will let you know if I like it.
As far as our living situation, I am going to call the landlord and just ask him plain and simple if we can get out of our lease. We could all avoid a lot of heartache if he let's us do it. Otherwise, I will need to build our case against him which should really be no problem but it will be costly to retain a lawyer. I can get affidavits from the neighbors if necessary. Side note: Dave went to the apt. Sunday morning to get his newspaper at 8:00 a.m. and the police were there due to the noise. If he doesn't then it will be my responsibility to document all the issues we have had plus contact the Code enforcement Dept. and the Police Dept. I would like to get a printout (if possible) of how many times they have been to our address since 11/09. What a learning experience this has been! It is very upsetting and I just want to get moved and move forward with lives. I just despise this living in limbo feeling. We are blessed to have the resources to do this otherwise we would be up the creek without a paddle. Dave will focus on finding a new place and he will be the one to move us since I will be on the cruise at the end of the month. It shouldn't be too hard though because we are already putting stuff in storage AND the fact we only have 1/2 a bed and no couch... Hope you had a wonderful weekend! I am off to catch up on your blogs! Have a good day! Until next time...
Monday, July 5, 2010
Three Day Malay
I talked at length with Tess. I learned that we are actually half sisters. Same mother, different father. I was the only one who was adopted out. They were told early on that I had died of a hole in my heart. Tess learned around 7 years old that I had not died but had been given up for adoption. My birth name was Renee Marie Waldrip. Mother was Sandra Waldrip. Father, apparently was Bruce Smith. There were two men that signed off on my adoption so I assume one was Smith and the other was Waldrip.
Tess has 4 children, 3 girls and 1 boy. Candace is the oldest and she is 25 and actually lives in the area so we plan on getting together. Olivia her youngest daughter is now actually following my blog and left a comment here. Candace and Olivia and I are also friends of Facebook. Mind boggling isn't it? I also found another relative through Ancestry.com
I haven't had the opportunity to tell my mom that I have discovered all this info and that I have spoken to my bio family. I just want to make sure her feelings don't get hurt. Which reminds me, when I turned 21 my mom wrote a card in calligraphy for me and this is what it said:
Hope you all had a safe and happy 4th. I sprained my toe getting out of the jacuzzi on Saturday and it is all black and blue. I wonder if I will be able to wear my work shoes. We'll see... Until next time...
Friday, July 2, 2010
Flabbergasted Friday
It was from Laurie at the S.C. County Adoption Unit. She had news for me... My biological mother's name was Sandra Waldrip. She died in 1996 of a heroin overdose. She did try to find me when she was alive apparently. She had a daughter before me in '64. She is my half sister. Her name is Tess (Teresa) and she and her husband live in Eureka, CA which is way north of where I live. Not sure right now how many miles away... I apparently also have 2 other 1/2 brothers from her other marriages. I believe she was married 3 times. I spoke to Tess's husband Garnett but Tess was working. He did give me a some info though. Like the fact that we are part Flathead Indian and my bio-mom was beautiful. Tess called me back to acknowledge my phone call and let me know that she was working and didn't want it to be rushed call. She actually sounded like me... She had been looking for me but I don't know for how long. Well, needless to say it will be interesting to see how this all pans out. I will still be getting the non-identifying information but it will be a month or so. It will be good to have all the details in writing.
Dave did not bring the scale to the hotel but obviously it has not been my number one priority lately. I am doing okay on food. Last night I had a great spinach salad and 2 glasses of Merlot. I had not had a good glass of wine in awhile so it was especially tasty. Sidenote: Sorry if things haven't been too WL related lately. All these life occurrences do have an impact on my overall eating/health though...
As for the weekend, I don't have a whole lot planned. Nothing for Saturday. Maybe I can go to Zumba. I start dog sitting on Sunday. It will be my cruise spending money. I have been wanting this perfume called Cashmere by DKNY but it is super spendy but they have it on the ship duty free so it's less expensive. :-D We leave in 3 weeks which is mind boggling. Kinda snuck up on me lol. Hope you have a safe and festive 4th of July! I may or may not post over the weekend and we have Monday off work. Thank goodness! Until next time...
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Task Attack Thursday
Today is going to be a busy day. I need to talk to the lawyers and also get a storage unit. We really don't want to pay rent for this month but want to do what is within our rights. I need to start looking for a new place for us. The rent for a One Bedroom in our area is about $1,100. I was paying $875 but look what being cheap did. We would really like to stay in the same general neighborhood but we'll see what happens.
I asked Dave to grab the scale when he goes to the apt. today. I am not going to go there unless I absolutely have to. I am too feeling too confrontational and since I suppressed all these emotions I haven't had an opportunity to release them. That is most likely why I have this eczema so badly. Dave keeps telling me "Relax, Meditate, Breathe" I wish I could but my mind just keeps racing in 50 different directions. He has also been nagging me to go to the gym. Like every day. It comes from a good place but it I get defensive for some reason because of the way he is saying it. He is right though... Hope you have a good day and Praise God tomorrow is Friday! Until next time...