Well crap.

So my mom calls me at work today, and she never does that so I immediately think there is something wrong. And yes, there is something wrong.

My Dad got a cyst removed from his left ring finger a week or so ago. He warned me that it was pretty gross, but of course I made him show me. He was right...totally nasty. I figured that was the end of it. But today, Mom called and told me he's going to the hospital tomorrow (Tuesday) to get surgery on that same finger - because there seems to be some kind of bad infection and it is hurting him so bad, he went home from work. That's pretty bad, him leaving work. The man never leaves unless it is required (i.e., going home for the night, my heart surgeries, etc.) So I knew this was gonna be bad.

So here's the gory details: tomorrow he'll be put under into never never land, they'll remove (ick!) his nail, and then slice open his finger to relieve the pressure and find out what the dealio is. As he put it, "worst case scenario, they cut it off". Good golly Miss Molly, I would say that is pretty effing serious!! I could tell he was in pain though when he was on the phone with me tonight.

So please say a prayer for my Daddy tomorrow, he should be having surgery right around lunchtime or so.

Thanks!!

RAK

Merry Christmas everyone! I must say that I am truly blessed with friends who care about me, two jobs that provide for me, a car to drive me around, a cell phone and computer to keep me in touch with the technological world, ah...the list goes on.

Some people don't have any of that. Kinda blunt eh? In my line of not-so-fun-all-the-time work, I get to talk to those people. The ones who have lost their job, the ones who have been living off their unemployment for the past weeks, months, maybe over a year. The ones who have been searching for a job, only to find out that there were 350 others in front of them applying for the same job. The ones who have children and have to figure out if they'll even be able to buy gifts for Christmas. The ones who didn't get Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner because they couldn't afford it. You know what, I could go on and on about this too.

I guess what I'm getting at is, there are people who are in need right now and you can help them. Whether it is a kind word or maybe a bag full of groceries - that is your choice. Do what your gut (and God) is pushing you to do. Try practicing RAK for a day. RAK is a Random Act of Kindness. It is simply amazing what happens. Let me know what your experience is when you try it. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Hi :)

So I haven't been here in a while, it's almost Christmas and the end of 2008 is near. Since the wedding in November, I'm happy to report that I'm actually sleeping again. Thank GOD. I still have no results from my doctor, but I'm thinking that I must have been pretty anxious about that whole thing (the wedding) because I'm not kidding, the next night after the wedding? Slept like a baby. And I have ever since then.

Had the annual Christmas party for my mom's side of the family this past weekend. It was nice, but a whole different vibe than what we normally have. It was weird. Was nice to see everyone - in fact some of them I only see once a year so it's nice to catch up. I remember in the past we had some pretty volatile parties - people getting into fist fights, verbal abuse - apparently people are either self-medicating or they've just finally grown up and forgiven/forgotten the problems they had with each other. Personally, I think it's a bit of all that.

I've made a decision to not quit the 2nd job. In this economy, I am very thankful to even have a job, let alone two. I'm going to pay off my debt and then I'll think about quitting. The way I figure it, I'll have all my unsecured debt paid off by 2010.

Ever read the book called "The Secret?" If not, check it out. Positive thoughts equal positive reactions/things in your life. For example, if you say, "oh my gosh - I'll NEVER pay my debt off" - then you won't. You will continue to rack up the credit cards. If you say, "I'm going to pay off my debt" then it will happen. It's the law of attraction. I really like that book.

I only work 3 days this week at my "real" job. I wish we could go to work in our pajama pants and slippers!

Wow...it's finally over

The big day finally came - the wedding I've been preparing for all these months. Well the bride was preparing too, don't get me wrong, but I've been working out, dieting, helping her plan and get ready for her big day too. A few of you know the trials and tribulations I went through up to this point. For those of you who don't, well...I'd rather not bring up old negative shit. So...the day started out by raining...downpour raining - coming from the North. Water was leaking inside of my home. That set me off. Then I forgot to go to Weight Watchers. How the hell can I forget to do something that important? That's not like me! I get my hair done, hoping and praying that it'll actually stay the way my girl does it, due to the rain. As you can see from the picture, it stayed. The bride was absolutely gorgeous, the groom was very handsome and neither of them cried during their vows. Their love for one another is very strong. I'm so excited for them! I, on the other hand, had to drink two glasses of wine to take the edge off before walking down the aisle. I just gotta say - it worked. I ended up drinking way too much and letting loose. I love when I get to do that. I'm too damn serious most days! I woke up today with a hangover, and should've taken a nap, but I didn't. Tomorrow I go back to work after a week long holiday. Sniff Sniff...

A Letter, By Annette

Dear Grouchy Lady that I saw in a store at the mall tonight,

You are very grouchy. Quite possibly the grouchiest lady I've seen/heard/been around for quite some time. You stood in line for mere seconds when the girl behind the counter asked if she could help you. Unfortunately for the girl, she had no idea that you were beyond help she could offer. Hell, I think even Dr. Phil would've turned and ran. You know who I think may have been able to help you? Sorry, I don't know either. Because you were that rude. And yes, I had to "butt in" as you stated, because I couldn't stand to see the girl behind the counter sobbing and crying any longer. Because noone deserves to be treated the way you treated her. And then, when I called you out on it, you turned on me! I get that you were being defensive. I get that you probably will go home and never think for a second that you were rude, pushy, argumentative, and downright mean to us. But my hope is.....that you will go home, unwind from the day, reflect on your behavior and feel just the slightest bit of guilt, knowing that you were as horrible as you were. And maybe, just maybe, the next time you feel the need for your demon to arise out of the depths of your soul, you'll remember telling the girl off, me off, the manager off and you'll make a different decision.

Because it's all about choices isn't it?

Let's hope you make a better one next time around. I know the decision I made tonight to butt in and stick up for that girl was the right one. You stupid, under-sexed, grouchy ass bitch who probably forgot to change her underwear this morning and realized it in the dressing room when you saw the brown streaks in your granny baps (big ass panties). You're probably constipated too, and most likely needed a smoke. A smoke I'm sure you had, with the windows rolled up and your kid in the back seat inhaling.

Sincerely,

Annette

So I'm lazy...

I know I know....I haven't posted in forever! Sorry!


Here's a pic of me & my friend Theresa - she's got that pregnancy glow doesn't she? She's gorgeous! This was at a wedding a couple of weeks ago. I am NOT crazy about the shirt I wore. Oh well, damage done...won't wear that again!

I had a birthday on October 10th. Turned 34. And that's where my story kind of begins...

I went for a routine cardio-echogram at my cardiologist's office a couple of weeks ago. The pulmonary arterial pressure came back a tad high, so my doctor (who is the BEST doctor in the world..at least to me he is) suggested we do a "right heart cath" procedure - in which they insert a catheter starting at my groin and leading up to my heart. There they will test the pressure and find out if there was a problem. So, I did that yesterday. Can you believe two things: 1) I am sitting here after a long day of work typing about this? and 2) I was awake for the entire procedure. Felt the catheter go in my leg and felt it in my heart. I know! I'm grossed out too! I must say, on Friday, I sorta lost it and I was very scared/nervous about the procedure. A lot of people must have been praying for me, because on the day of the procedure, I was cool as a cucumber. Went in, got delayed for about 2.5 hours and finally got back into the procedure room. Carried on a conversation with the nurses and Dr. the whole time they were testing me, and went home about 2 hours later. Went to work today. Simply amazing.

So the results given to me were that the pressure is reading a tad high,but nothing DIET can't fix. Bah. Lose weight. Bah. I already tried that, it's too slow of a process for crying out loud! But, I will continue on I suppose. I did tell my Dr. that I do work out very regularly and that I am trying to lose weight. His response, "keep doing that then". Bah.

I get a sleep study out of this though too, because I have horrible insomnia. Some nights I'll fall asleep and get up several times. Some nights I can't fall asleep for hours, only to be woken up from a very sleepless night and have to get up and go. Dr. thinks that this could be part of the pressure issue. Get the sleeping under control, blood pressure and arterial pressure might go away. Can't say I'll get many dates out of this (I'm fast forwarding here - I can envision the fact that I might need to wear a damn mask to bed), but maybe I'll be able to stop taking meds. All in good time, that sleep study isn't until the 17th.

Volleyball has started, I've got several weddings to attend and one to stand up in. A bachelorette party has been unceremoniously dumped into my lap (and lemme tell ya, I will plan the BEST bachelorette party EVARRRR for my girl!!), still working 2 jobs, going on a cruise in January, won our Fall softball division (undefeated...woot woot), both of my close friends are pregnant, I'm talking to an old friend (hi Nick) that I've been missing for a long time and I'm just trying to remain positive through it all. Busy, but I like it that way. Sorry for the non-posting, I wonder if anyone will even look at this because I'm so bad about updates? If you're out there reading, please leave a comment, just tell me you haven't given up on me yet!

Where does the time go anyway?

I really do have good intentions of getting online and posting something witty for you all to read on a consistent basis. I do! Ladies and Gentlemen, at this time I will attempt to post a blog that will entertain you on the happening things in my life. Ready? Set? Go....

I started Weight.Watchers about 3 weeks ago. I've lost every single week, so I'm up to 6.75 pounds lost. It is a small victory, to say the least. I went out to dinner with one of my dearest friends on Thursday that I rarely get to spend time with and we went to the Olive.Garden. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and asked for their nutritional guide? I got a brochure that night. My guess is that the rest of the items on their menu are so high in calories and fat, they could not bear to actually put it in print, so they just said....nah skip it. I really wanted to order something draped in a block of mozzarella cheese, but opted for...drum roll...because this is sooo exciting people......minestrone soup (on the guide, low in calories), whole wheat linguini and marinara sauce. One breadstick and two meatballs. I then proceeded to eat half of the actual dinner and box the rest up. There is only one reason I didn't eat all of it - because I knew on Saturday, I'd need to weigh in. I guess that paid off since I lost 2.75 pounds this week, but wow, what a disappointing meal. The food was good, but my brain wanted something different.

I've joined a "Fall Ball" coed softball team. So far we are 2-0! Woo Hoo!!! I have a great time with those people, and we've all played together for so long, we know each others abilities and limits. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to play.

I recruited a superstar volleyball team too. Our games start in October on Thursday nights. Last year, you may remember me crying about the fact that our team was so crappy. The thing is, noone likes to be on a losing team. So, in the hopes I don't lose any friendships, I recruited a group of women who are competitive and bloodthirsty (haha, that kinda sounds rough doesn't it) and needless to say, I've decreased our total team from 18 or so...to 8. We're all very competitive too, so I'm looking forward to our matches.

I'll check in later this week - I'm sure I'll have lots more to talk about...like my bra party...now doesn't THAT sound intriguing?!