What Vacation?

Hubby and I took a four day weekend so we could relax and actually spend time together. Unfortunately, life decided we weren't allowed to relax. I began my weekend with an emotional phone call with Mich, which was hard because I had felt beaten up by a phone call with my mother where I apparently am not supposed to care as much as I do. So I feared a similar smack down from Mich, which I did not receive, but there was lots of crying involved. This was followed by a call from my mother who was diagnosed with glaucoma. I am trying to be positive that the drops have shown a slight improvement, but the dilemma is my mother only has one strong eye, so any loss of vision in that eye is not good.

Hubby arrived home and I was already wiped out. I slept most of Thursday and woke to discover our laptop was dead. Have I mentioned hubby has an issue with parting with money? I though nothing of buying a new laptop, but hubby spent the entire weekend recovering our operating system. So far it appears hubby might have beaten the technology mayhem as the OS is currently working at the moment. We are still discussing buying a new computer since we question how long the OS will work.

B had another trip to the vet where we were informed that yes, his tumor has grown back. The next procedure they will do is remove the gland, which is part of his eyelid and then sew his lid back together. Thanks to all that stitching along the lid, it will be a 12 day recovery in which B has to wear a cone in order to not touch the stitching. This led to all kinds of issues for us, including money and time. Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to give anything to get him better but it was hard trying to plan it out along with dealing with my emotions over him having another surgery.

The bright light of the weekend was game night. I had such a wonderful time with an amazing group of ladies. There was way too much chocolate and way too much laughter. I have to state I am sorry if I offended anyone with my raunchy comments, but it was all in good fun. I ended my weekend by walking to the fitness center to "save" Becky from some deranged woman who kept banging on the door. By the time I got there, the woman had disappeared, which was disappointing. I was kind of hoping to vent some of my frustration. So another relaxing weekend to prepare me for my crazy week.

Mimicking Behavior

You've seen those people who look like their dogs or their spouses, well I don't look like B or James. Yet somehow, B has developed some of my oddities that are completely unexplainable. I understand when I'm upset that B becomes upset or depressed or excited. He's just mimicking my behavior, but things have become really strange recently. To begin with, I am an overly anxious person and B comes from a breed that suffers separation anxiety. When I went in for surgery, they damaged an unrelated organ resulting in further issues. So it shouldn't have been a surprise when B went in for surgery in January and I received a call at the midpoint that there were some extra problems discovered and they needed permission to extend his surgery. I have several anomalies where the doctor commented one in so many people have this or one in so many chance this will happen. Guaranteed, it will happen to me. Apparently, B falls into this same category. He had a tumor removed during his surgery in January. There was 5% chance of a regrowth of the tumor. Now, until he sees the vet, I'm unsure if it is another tumor or an infection, but either way, there is an anomaly. So, B does take after his human owner in a variety of ways.

Glass is Half Full

I have always viewed myself as a somewhat negative person because I view life from a jaded perspective. I grew up in a normal middle-class family in a not so normal high school. I knew plenty of drug dealers and criminals as a teen and lost several friends due to early deaths. I chose guys who were all wrong for me and who liked to cheat. Before I was eighteen, I had lived every bad after-school special scenario and had the emotional and physical scars to prove it.

When I moved away to college and my boyfriend followed me to my new life, I thought my view on life would change, but instead I chose to travel down a very dangerous and destructive road that could have destroyed me and nearly did. I walked away from the wreckage of my life with huge debt, no friends, and not knowing my favorite color, music, etc. because I had lost myself.

All of this is to say I view life with the full understanding that life is not pretty. There are some horrible people out there who will destroy those around them for the sheer pleasure. Every action has a motive behind it. The motive may be a good one, but for many people, it's a shady questionable motive that dictates their actions.

So as you can see, I have a pretty warped view, yet I cannot understand those individuals who wander around being negative all the time. How can they not.see how draining it is? Several people that I speak to on a regular basis always have a crappy day or comment on how stupid he/she is. How about enjoying the good weather or being excited about lunch plans or the fact that someone smiled at you!

I truly try to see the positives in situations, so should I become that cesspool of negativity, let me know.
And to show how positive I am, I'll list the things I'm grateful for this week:

James taking care of me during my mini-meltdown mode this weekend.
Michelle sharing her fried food experience at the state fair and taking a chance on one of my favorite shows (seriously, I can watch it with you).
Becky listening to me and for Damon and pizza night.
Delia and Dawne being the best collaborators and partners in crime.
John giving his support and endorsement of my professional decision.
My brother calling and us having our first real connection in years.
My new coffee creamer flavor - York Peppermint Patty. Yum!
My bad financial decision that taught me to be more careful with money.
The beautiful snow.
Looking forward to next week's plans - speaking, writer's group dinner, game night.
Noreta, a woman who never knew the impact she had on me, and will forever be missed. I'm grateful for her understanding and faith.

Vera Bradley

This weekend, I had what may be my first and last experience at the Vera Bradley store. It has been well documented on this blog that I am an envy-driven shopper. Dawne has numerous cute totes and bags from Vera Bradley and I think they are so adorable, though I'm not a fan of floral patterns. I found a pattern and tote that I liked online, but wanted to see the bag in person. I mentioned it to hubby and told him how I needed to wait to make the purchase since I didn't want to charge anything else at this time. Hubby, who in polite terms, is a tightwad, told me to go ahead and buy the bag. So off we went to the store.

My experience was anything but pleasant. To begin, I hate pushy sales people. To me, it feels like harassment not good customer service. Allow me to browse and I'll let you know when I need help. Don't follow behind me straightening items I touched because now you've made me feel bad. When I finally ask for help and explain my reasoning for selecting one bag over another (the zipper), please don't be flip with your comment. Apparently, they did not have the bag I saw online, so I had to truly shop. After much annoyance with the sales people, I selected a bag. Another customer approached me and said she would not buy anything from the store and did I want her gift card, which I, of course, took. I sent hubby up to the register with the gift card because the name on the card wouldn't match my credit card, yet he called me over. Apparently, when someone gets a gift card, a lot of personal data is given to the store, so the sales clerk wanted to know the full name the gift card was under, etc. I queried her back about the reasoning for the request, all the while thinking, if my friend gave them my info in order to get a gift card, I'd be mad. I explained to the sales clerk that some random customer gave it to me a moment ago. She used the gift card ($20 off the price), but wanted my name, phone, address, and email, which I inaccurately provided.

Hubby and I walked out of the store annoyed by the experience, but proud of my $20 less purchase. If hubby hadn't insisted that I go on Saturday, I would have paid full price.

A Lot of Numbers at Play

It has been all about the numbers this past week. Last week hubby and I celebrated 10 years together and Wednesday is our 9 year wedding anniversary. And how did we celebrate these milestones ... with pizza from 800 Degrees and episodes of The Walking Dead.

Another number issue arose when we met with a realtor to look at a house. We have been hoarding money for closing costs and a down payment, which means possibly no vacation for me this year. Of course, I'll be traveling with my speaking engagements, but I have no plans for a large trip. And this is the week I'll work on our taxes and cringe over how much money I never see. Hubby may be the master at saving money, but I am the whiz with our budget and taxes, but this time of year is painful.

Last week ended the latest writing challenge with the gals. I barely crossed the finish line, gasping in amazement at Aisha and Dawne's astonishing final numbers.

And finally, there are the narcolepsy related numbers. Sine getting sick last June, my weight rose by about 15 pounds. Since my diagnosis, I have searched for ways narcoleptics workout since you usually don't have the energy. Though I know I have not found the perfect solution, I have dropped 9 pounds. I am willing to accept this as my new weight. Though it is not where I was, it can become the new norm with my condition. Another new acceptance involves my bedtime truly being roughly 9:30-10:00. Late nights are rare things anymore unless I can sleep the entire next day away.

It has been an interesting week of numbers with lots of upheavals, downgrades, and acceptance.

My Furry Kids

While watching t.v. the other night, I couldn't help relating to a character who refused to work alongside a former friend. They kept talking about some horrible past incident, how they both loved her, and how the former friend was responsible for whatever befell the ubiquitous her. This storyline went on for several episodes until the former friend accepted that his past deed was too horrendous to overcome and left. The other character pulls a picture out of his wallet to gaze at the her, who we now know is dead. When the camera pans over the picture, we see an image of a dog. I burst out laughing at this scene as I love my animals like they are my children. (The pic is of a plaque I have hanging on the wall in our hallway.)