Night Sort

Oh what a nightmare! I thought tonight's sort would NEVER END! I was there from 9:30-6:30 and they were still going. I know that's not much hours for most folks that work but when you are only used to 5.5 hours a morning, this is much longer. I know they moved over 1.5 million packages but I am curious to see what the total volume is and how many calls we took. I won't find out until I go back Christmas night. I will write more later. Now I have to go to bed. It's almost completely daylight! LOL

We're All Sick Again!

Well, I'm going to put a new post on here as long as I feel okay to type. I just had a steriod shot and the doctor said I will feel really funky for a few days. The last time I had one of these, I passed out and slept for hours. My concern is that I have to leave for work in 7 1/2 hours. Inside those 7 1/2 hours I have still need to make dinner, give Carissa more medicine, take a shower and sleep. I don't know how that will be accomplished to tell you the truth. Mondays are rough because I usually don't sleep much and have to work and then stay awake until 9am the next morning. This night will be complicated by a steriod shot, new nose spray, an antibiotic and two ear infections. Yes, I've had them and for a week and they are still there. I feel like I'm in a tunnel, literally, because they are plugged up.

Enough of me, Carissa is also sick. Rob took her to the doctor today because I had to go buy much needed groceries. She is on a cough medicine, antiobiotic and inhaler because she is wheezing. Poor thing! She's been coughing as long as we have but we thought she was doing okay. Yes, the stupid parent syndrome again. You think your child is okay because they aren't really complaining of anything and then you finally decide to relent and go to the doctor and they are REALLY SICK! Anyway, she's taking a nap with Rob right now. While I was at the doctor, he said they needed to lay down because her coughing was so bad, she was worn out. I feel so bad for her. Rob and I can usually handle being sick but you always feel bad as a parent when your child is sick and just lying about the house not doing anything! When they aren't playing, they are sick!

Well, after 5 doctor visits in the last 2 weeks and multiple prescriptions for all us. (Did I mention that Rob also had to go back to the doctor a 2nd time like myself?) I think we've spent enough to equal a really nice dinner at Ruth Chris Steakhouse. Yum. Too bad it's all going in our systems tasting like crapola and coming out the other end. Nothing there to enjoy. If only I could have a medium rare steak and loaded baked potato and enjoy it with my family while we are feeling awesome. Nope, tonight it's french toast, antiobiotics, cough medicine and Vicks Vapor Rub for us all here! Sounds delicious, huh?

Halloween 2008

Carissa and I had a blast this year at the Fall Festival at Highview East. I volunteered to work a 30 minute rotation on one of the bouncie slides when it first started and then she and I had plenty of time to meander around, play games and fellowship with friends. Our ABF had a really good turnout! I was so happy about that!

Rob was unable to make it since he was busy in LAS VEGAS! He spent 7 days there visiting friends, Camille & Wes. He had a fabulous time and I'm so glad about that. The Fall Festival was a little sad without him but I knew he was fine eating at the strip (eating only!!) or hanging out with Camille & Wes.

The best part of the evening was when Carissa won the girls bicycle! We were shocked! We had just registered about 5-10 minutes before they drew the name. Maybe that's the trick! Anyway, a good friend of ours and Children's Elementary Minister, Rachel, found me and then asked where Carissa was. Of course, she was on the bouncy! Once she finished sliding, Rachel told her to good news! (She wanted to tell Carissa before she told me. Wasn't that sweet?) Carissa's mouth fell open and she smiled so big! She had to call and tell her Daddy and he was so excited for her! It was tough not having him there to see it right away but pictures did help! We can't wait to take the bike over to the McLeroy's when it's warmer so she can learn to ride this bigger bike!

It's Been Awhile

I know! I need to post! It's been so long and I've been so crazy busy with job hunting, keeping the fort down while Rob was visiting friends in Las Vegas last week, normal everyday tasks and trying to sleep! I PROMISE I will blog something soon! Stay tuned..............

October Bunco!

Wow! Tonight was such a blast! We all had a fantastic time playing bunco and dressing up! Our host made a wonderful dinner and had her house decorated so festive for Halloween and Fall! I won 2nd place which was AMAZING! I had the bunco prize up until the last roll and lost it to another player! I'm okay with that though. I love my 2nd place prize!

I dressed up like a cat from the neck up and had a blast. I need to take off my makeup now since I need to leave for work in 20 minutes but I hate to. It's been so much fun and I can't believe I did the makeup so well for the first time. Carissa is going to be a cat for Fall Festival and now I feel confident that I can make her look so cute!

Guatemala 2008

I want so desperately to get on here and blog about my mission trip to Guatemala. I just arrived home Sunday night but to be honest, I am still digesting it. But, I am terrified I'm going to forget every tiny detail and I don't want to. It truly changed me. As soon as I can find the time and have my thoughts together, I will blog about it. I will also add a few pictures here and more to my facebook page. For now, I'll leave this one picture that I will always cherish. Beside me is Anke (an-kee) who touched my heart to the depths. I'll write more later..........please be patient with me..........

Carissa's Latest Library Book

Her latest library book. What made this so special is that she was heartfelt in choosing it. She knows I enjoy cooking and cooking with her as well. She thought this could be something we could do together. I still feel sadness in my heart when I see these pictures. We don't prefer food like this but seeing her big brown eyes when she presented it to me was priceless. She especially thought the fruit was pretty and the banana soup was intriquing so she HAD to show it to me!

BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO or BPPV

Yep! That's now what I'm being plagued with. I have the most unusual illnesses than anybody I know. This is the cause of why I've been so dizzy for months. It makes sense but it's so frustrating.

In Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) dizziness is thought to be due to debris which has collected within a part of the inner ear. This debris can be thought of as "ear rocks", although the formal name is "otoconia". Ear rocks are small crystals of calcium carbonate derived from a structure in the ear called the "utricle". While the saccule also contains otoconia, they are not able to migrate back into the canal system.

The Epley maneuver (which is what I had done Friday morning) is also called the particle repositioning. It involves sequential movement of the head into four positions, staying in each position for roughly 30 seconds. I actually thought I was going to lose my breakfast when they did this! In a nutshell, this procedure is supposed to reposition the "rocks" from the bad places to the good places and be reabsorbed over time.

These maneuvers are effective in about 80% of patients with BPPV. BPPV often recurs. About 1/3 of patients have a recurrence in the first year after treatment, and by five years, about half of all patients have a recurrence.

I never thought I could hold my head so still while trying to function with daily life. Last night at work, I had to prop my keyboard and call sheets on a box top so it would be eye level. I slumped down and leaned back a bit into my chair so that I could see the sheets when I wrote on them. I couldn't put the radios up because it would cause me to lean forward and backward to see. My sups were so understanding and actually helped me out. Well, sort of. They also nicknamed me "vertigal" and said to watch out when I get angry because rocks will shoot out of my ears. What amazing and sympathetic people I work with! :-)

For the next two weeks I have to sleep on my left side or back ONLY (because the rocks are loose in the right), sleep on two pillows (which I hate doing!!) and keep my head still as much as possible when I'm awake. Yeah, simple! HA! Not so much but it's going to be okay. I'm getting some reoccuring stiffness in my neck and frequent headaches from being so still.

The timing of this really stinks because I leave Wednesday for a mission trip to Guatemala. I need to do laundry. I need to clean the house a bit. I need to organize my things. I still need to make dinner. But these things cannot be done without moving your head so they have to wait. I'm trying to do my best until at least Monday and give it 3 good days of little movement. Worse case scenario, I have to do the at-home-Epley manuever again after the mission trip.

Prayers are welcome as this is so frustrating and I feel like I'm stuck just sitting. There are so many things to do before Wednesday but I refuse to let Satan ruin this mission trip for me. I know God led me to this trip to serve him and the women and children of Guatemala City and Satan is trying to lead me to not enjoy this. IT WON'T HAPPEN! I'm praying all the time!

Carissa aka Junie B Jones

Carissa had to choose her favorite book character and dress up like her this past Wednesday. She loves Junie B Jones so we decided to see what we had in her closet to wear. We found the closest thing to overalls which was a overall dress, put a regular shirt under it and then put a big bow in her hair like Junie B Jones always wears. I even "messed" up her hair and sprayed it so it looked messy. She got a real kick out of that! We also found her black patent leather shoes and some socks that didn't match all that well. I even lucked out to find a mask online from the Junie B Jones website that she colored and I laminated. She wore that over her face for the parade. She had a fabulous day and even ran into her Kindergarten teacher that was ALSO dressed up like Junie B. She smiled all morning before school and even when she got home! What a success the Character Day was! Now, what's next?

Carissa aka Junie B Jones

Carissa had to choose her favorite book character and dress up like her this past Wednesday. She loves Junie B Jones so we decided to see what we had in her closet to wear.

Carissa and Princess

This is from when we dogsat the McLeroy's dog, Princess. We had her for many days and Carissa always remembered to take her out and feed her. She even wanted to bathe her. She slept with her and boy they had such a fabulous time together. But....we aren't rushing out to buy a pet just yet. Mom and Dad just aren't ready for this step yet. :-)

Carissa's First Day of 1st Grade

I finally sat down with Rob and he helped me pull my pictures off the memory stick. These are from Carissa's first day of school. She's in 1st grade and loves it! She usually does all her homework on Monday night so she doesn't have to do it the rest of the week and loves getting up to go. We are so proud of her!

Way Too Long From My Last Post

I know! It's been way too long from my last post but I've been busy. Plus, I can't get my pictures off my camera. For some reason, it's not working and I need Rob to help me. I want so badly to get some new pictures on here from Carissa's first day of 1st grade. It will probably be up by Thanksgiving break! :-) I've also been job hunting since July which is taking most of my computer time away from me. I've had some luck having three interviews so far (at three seperate companies but I turned down two already) and two to go. I have some really good options. I just want to be in the Lord's will so I'm praying all the time to know which one is the best if more than one is offered. We just need to make some big changes in terms of my schedule soon! I will write more as I can find the time and the pictures..................

I'm Trying..........

I'm really trying to figure out how to "jazz" up my blog and I'm having trouble figuring it out. I hope when you see this you don't see the wrench/screwdriver on the left side where my page elements are. I've also tried to figure out how to put a small picture in my title and put my posts down the center so I can put the layouts on there that have pictures on both sides but I'm not sure you can even do that. Sometimes, I just log off because I get so frustrated. Does anyone else feel that way sometimes? I guess practice makes perfect. I want perfect.

I feel like I've been hit!

You talk about a sore arm! I can barely lift it! I ended up getting Hep A, Hep B and Tetunus in my left arm. I've never had Hep B so I decided to go ahead and get that for precautionary sake and it's only needed once in your lifetime. I have a series of 3 more shots for the Heb B in one week, two weeks and then in a year. Only 40 more days to go!!!!!

Vaccinations Today

Well, today is vaccinations day! I have an appointment at the Louisville International Travel Clinic to get some vaccinations. I know I have to have Hep but I'm not sure about Tetunus or anything else. The appointment is supposed to be about 40 minutes which includes a session on the country I am going to, precautions, tips, etc. I even have to know where Guatamala is on a map! I'm glad I know so I won't feel stupid when I get there if I didn't! It's like the other night at work when I asked my sup how often we obtain the monthly no label frequency. DUH! I felt pretty darn stupid after I asked that question but she knew I was worn out!!!! Wish me luck today! I'm glad I don't have anywhere else to go until work at 12:30am! LITC, here I come!

Week Before School

I can't believe next Tuesday my little girl will be in 1st grade! She is really excited to meet her teacher this Friday night at orientation. I think Rob and I are just as anxious as she is. We've bought her school supplies and her uniforms from last year still fit perfectly! I think we are going to purchase a few polo shirts with the name of her school on it to add to the wardrobe but that's about it. The one thing I am looking forward to is how easy it is to pick out the clothes for the day - red, white or blue shirt and tan or blue skirt? I love the fact that she can wear whatever she wants for the summer but Carissa loves to dress up and things have to match, you know! So sometimes choosing clothes can take some patience! More than I have some mornings when I've slept very little!

VERTIGO

Yep, it's vertigo this time. I can't write much as it comes out dizzy and I have to retype over and over. I can't walk much as I trip, fall and have to hang on to walls or whatever I can grab (like this morning the glass walls in the shower that I almost fell through! I HAVE to still stay clean!). I also can't talk much as I seem to stammer my words and slur my speech sometimes. It has to be from my brain being so dizzy and I can't make any sense of anything! UGH! I hope by Monday it's over. This started Tuesday morning and I'm still suffering with it. I've already missed 4 nights from work and I really can't afford to lose more. I'm sorry UPS friends! I'll write more when I can type quicker without tons of errors that I have to fix! Toodle loo!

Long Time No Write!

I know! Not much to report lately! We are leaving today for our much anticipated mission trip to Chattanooga (Soddy Daisy really), TN. We are going to help out some friends who pastor a church there. We are going to paint, demolish, refix, etc. while we are there. We haven't seen these friends for months and are SOOO anxious to see their new home, their church and their community. On the way back, we plan on stopping to see some other friends that recently moved to Madisonville. We can't wait for that too! I've been so excited tonight that I've actually shed some tears!

Please pray for our safety, our fellowship and our work. It should be a good time and I'm sure I'll have more to say when we return! GOD BLESS!

Leva-What???

Well, the new antiobiotic (Levaquin 500 mg) has really messed me up! Yes, as of Monday, I was still sick and the other antibiotic wasn't working. Well, let me just tell you - maybe I shouldn't have called the doc again to get another one. I read over the 3 page insert they print off for you about the drug and the side effects and drugs not to mix, etc. I think each and every side effect went with this one. I noticed the "may cause dizzyness" so I decided to wait and take it when I got home from work yesterday. BIG MISTAKE! I took it say around 5am and then drank 8oz of water with it, like it said. I finally made it to bed around 5:30am. So, let's begin. By 10am, I had to pee 7 times. I couldn't relax long enough to fall into a deep sleep BUT when I did finally drift off somewhat, my dreams were WEIRD! In one dream, I lived in an apartment each day until 9:30am and then another family moved in the rest of the day. Now, if I chose to stay in and not go out, they couldn't move in. Another dream put me going around a maze of fast food restaurants, which could have been fine except it was the same maze, the same restaurants and I would stop at the same one each time over and over and over and over.... Another one, I had all these stairs to climb down to go through to get to different work areas and large spiders were in webs over top so I couldn't go through them. Another one, I cleaned tables on the same porches over and over and sat people on them. The best one is the one where I had a piles of rocks or beads or something that I was trying to coat with different liquids and I couldn't seem to get it done because the beads/rocks kept disappearing. Oh - it gets better. I would wake up after each dream and I felt like I wasn't real. My room seemed strange. Carissa seemed like a mannequin in the bed and when she moved I kept thinking of snakes. I finally had to get up at 10am and find Rob. I was freaked out after hours of this! He tried to calm me down but I was acting so strange telling him these dreams and slurring my speech! He suggested getting something else to drink and going back to bed. I grabbed something, drank it and tried to go back to bed. By noon, I was done with it and got up. I tried taking another nap in the afternoon but couldn't relax long enough to fall asleep deep and when I did finally drift off, Carissa woke me up! So, I've been going on about 4 hours of sleep. I decided to take the medicine after dinner instead because they think I'm "fruit loops" anyway at work and if I did start hallucinating, at least I'd be awake and not trying to sleep! I made it through the night at work and now I'm going to attempt to get some real sleep. I hope this stuff is worn off enough to accomplish that! Now, just to make it until this stuff is gone next Wednesday.............

Thursday

Well, I'm feeling better. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and got some meds that seem to be working - even if slowly. Work went fine last night even though I really didn't want to be there. Neither did my voice. It was rough answering phones for 4 hours and dispatching calls over the radio when my voice would come and go. I was so frustrated at times! I'm sure the hazmat responders were too! One more night of work and then I'm off until Monday. I know, the holiday sort pay would have been nice, but I didn't want to work this one. First holiday sort I haven't worked.

I'm so looking forward to spending tomorrow night with Rob and Carissa. We really need a night to just relax and not run around. Saturday brings our annual family reunion in Hodgenville. That will be great! All that home grown fruit and veggies to eat while sitting on some beautiful farmland. It's always a good time. We are usually just tired as can be when we get home. But worth it!

Carissa has her 3rd loose tooth! Her two bottom middle ones are coming in perfectly. The one loose is one of the top middle. She's got about 4 loose right now but this one might come out by the weekend. As she says, "Mom - you are freaking me out when I show you my loose tooth and you look away!!!" I'm sorry! I just can't stand loose teeth! That's why her Daddy helps her pull them.

I guess that's about all happening right now. Not much. Just more life and times of the Allen family. Good day!

Down & Out

I'm on the down and out this week so far. A sore throat from Sunday night has developed into a severe sinus infection which is now moving into my chest with tons of congestion. I told Rob my throat feels like it's bleeding it hurts so much and is so scratchy! I've had to call in two nights, which I hate doing! There is no way this voice can talk on the phone for 4 hours at a time! The doc gave me antiobiotics and stuff to loosen the sinus cavities and chest area. I took one of each in Meijer parking lot after I picked them up to get them started ASAP! I feel yucky............thank you, Rob, for picking up all the slack this week so far........................

The Results!

No call back! Oh well! Obviously, God did not have that in our plans! That's okay. The experience was worth it's weight (no pun intended) in gold! I had a fantastic day and it was neato!

Maybe now it's time to apply for Survivor! :-) Just kidding Rob! (Well, for now!)

The Big Audition

Okay, some of you know and some of you don't. Today, Nancy McLeroy and I are going to audition for the Biggest Loser here in Louisville as a couple. They are from 10-6 and we are getting there to get in line at 7am. The first 500 are guaranteed to be seen.

I haven't had a nap since yesterday at 1:30. I'm very tired, very achy and very nervous. My 8 page application is filled out and signed. My pictures with Nancy and without Nancy are ready. My backpack and chair in a bag are ready. I've been praying since we decided to "go for it" a few days ago. I know there is a slim chance we'll be called back but there again, there is that slim chance we'll be called back.

I'll take some pictures of us and our crazy shirts. PLEASE shout out some prayers for us today. We REALLY want this. The money and being on tv are just additional perks, we want healthy, fit bodies again!

THANK YOU BABE!

I just want to give a big shout out to my husband for all that he's done for us so far this summer! While Carissa was in school, I at least got to sleep and not feel like I was useless to them because she was learning and Rob was working in his office. To make things better, I would even snuggle with Carissa before work to help her settle in and fall asleep while we watched some tv - mostly cooking or TV Land. But, with school out, she wakes up every morning and I'm still slumbering until after lunch. Rob does so much for her from getting her breakfast to answering all of her questions while she's doing "schoolwork" and maybe even picking out some clothes from time to time. This as well as try to get some work done in his office! I'm sorry babe for all the phone calls you try to make while she's singing "Max and Ruby" or "Spongebob Squarepants"! She's being alot quieter than she used to and that's alot to ask of a 6 year old!

I also want to apologize to him for the many times he has come to wake me up and I'm grouchy because I'm still too tired to get up! (I'm a 9-10 hour sleeper and get about 6-7 per day now which I know many of you are saying - geez that's alot - but it's not when you need more!) But, I lazily drag my behind out of bed and start my day by eating lunch with them and then crave a nap because my belly is full and I'm still tired!

Babe - I love you immensely and appreciate all that you do for me and your precious daughter! She's doing so well with this for the summer and I owe most of that to you! I LOVE YOU!

Carissa's Playset

I think we've finally finished the majority of it! Rob has been working his tail off to get this finished so she can enjoy it! His dad came in several times and even our friend, James, came by! The only thing left is to put a couple additional boards on it and fill up the sandbox! Today was the first official day Carissa got to enjoy it! She said she loves the swings!

It's Been A While

Sorry, it's been some time since I've blogged. This week has been crazy with VBS, work and just daily tasks.

VBS has been awesome! I love serving snacks to the 3's, 4's and Kindergarteners. They have been a true blessing to me! I love talking to them and watching their expressions when they sit down to see what snack they will be assembling that night. We had some doozies but they were so good! They enjoyed making them and then eating most of them. I just feel so lucky to be able to work with these children.

Not much else is going on this week besides these things, which is enough. I couldn't add one more thing in!

It's Time to Visit the Doctor

Okay, so I've been dealing with this dizzyness for what 3, 4 or 5 weeks? I can't even remember anymore. I know it's been a LONG time though. I woke up again today with strawberry red eyes, which those of you that know me, know I get this sometimes from my allergies.

It was so embarrassing. I met my new neighbor for the first time today! (I was actually awake at the same time she was outside!) I was a bit worried to even go outside because my eyes are so red that it looks like I've either chugged a case of beer or smoked some weed! I didn't want that to be my first impression. She didn't say anything and my other neighbors outside didn't either. I guess I'm going to chalk it up to them assuming it's lack of sleep. Sounds good right? It's tough to keep saying "it's allergies really!"

Carissa loves our new neighbors as much as we do. They have a little girl the same age and they have instantly connected - going back and forth from house to house. It's a pretty natural connection between all of us. It's refreshing to see God at work after we've been praying for our new neighbors and who they would be once we found out our old ones were moving.

Well, that's about it for now. My eyes are itching and I need to get to bed. See ya'll later!!!!!

Our Anniversary Was Awesome!

Our 16th wedding anniversary was AWESOME on Friday! I started it with a cutesy, romantic little note that I left Rob on the kitchen counter when I got home from work that he would get when I was still sleeping. AWWWWW!

Ruth Chris was memorable, to say the least! Rob and I had several good chuckles about the formal setting and being called "Mr & Mrs Allen" all night by the waiters. I didn't know that by filling out "special occasion" and "anniversary" on the online reservation form would initiate such gestures! They pulled out my chair for me and even gave me a black cloth napkin instead of white so I wouldn't get lint on my black pants! They all said "Happy Anniversary" to us all night long and we even got a FREE dessert which was yummy! We knew it would be a lot ($37 per steak to name one item) and our bill came to $98 (thank goodness for the the $100 gift certificate)! We had to pay $.01 to charge the tip. We had to do that because the service was impeccable! I'd have to say their steaks and broccoli au gratin were undeniably delicious too! Yes, I pretty much ate ALL of my honkin' steak (Rob finished it!). Wouldn't you for $37? Even the fat was tasty!

Rob and I just felt like rednecks in this atmosphere. Okay, we don't have flowers growing out of tires, toilet seats or even metal "flowerbeds" in our yard but even so, this was way out of our league. We thank the Workmans for giving us this gift certificate back in 2001 (which they never expire at Ruth Chris)! They got some pretty big laughs tonight when we told them we had finally used it! After dinner, we leisurely walked around the top of the building and checked out the views. It was great untilI put my hand in dry bird poop! Okay, laugh all you want. This is me, you know! At least, I didn't leave the restaurant with the only stain! A piece of Rob's juicy steak dropped off his fork and landed in the hot butter (that's drenched on the steak) and splattered on his shirt. I, on the other hand, didn't make a mess until the ice cream fell on my sweater at the end of the meal! HAHA

Anyway, it was definately an experience we will never forget! We're still laughing and cherishing our night together!

I Can't Wait Until Friday!

On Friday, Rob and I will celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary! I just can't believe it's already been that long. The first year was tough (and I mean tough) with everything we went through with my parents but each year gets better and better!

When I look back on all the different phases our marriage has been through, I'm thankful to God for leading us. We've lived in 4 different cities and we've actually moved 8 times. We've both had numerous jobs. We've seen the Bahamas together and Florida many times on various vacations. We've been in church, out of church and back into church again. We've been through many kidneystones, surgeries and illnesses. We've seen many friends come and go through ministry opportunities. The list could go and on.

Two of the best things we've done together are becoming involved in church again and ABF (adult bible fellowship) ministry and having our daughter. Both took years to take place, but were so worth it. We've grown so much through both experiences. I firmly believe that all the events that took place up until now are keeping us grounded through this rough patch of my working 3rd shift and the stress it places on a family and marriage. We still continue to work together to keep our marriage alive and healthy.

We will celebrate by using a $100 giftcard from Ruth Chris Steakhouse that we've had since 2001. (Some close friends gave it to us probably hoping that we'd use it before now!) I took the night off from work, Carissa is going to the grandparents and we are going to have a relaxing evening together. I can't wait to celebrate this awesome milestone with my hubby!

Wonderful Insurance!

Well, it's been a week since the dizzyness and headaches have returned. I've been trying to get the medicine that works to cure me of this since Monday and found out on Thursday that my wonderful UPS insurance denied it. Don't we just all love dealing with insurance sometimes? I've been told that they want me to exhaust all efforts on other medications first before they will approve this one. WHAT? So, now I get to spend an "X" number of dollars on other medicines first to get me to the end one that actually has worked! I'm not really happy considering I have 4 pages of type-written notes on insurance problems I've been dealing with since January already. This was just the last straw. I'm so angry, especially when I lean forward or backwards and feel like I'm going to fall down or wreck my car.

I don't say this to degrade anyone that works for an insurance company or UPS. UPS has been an amazing company to work for and I love everyone I work with. I also worked for an insurance company for 5 years and I know how that is. I just feel frustrated because insurance is the ONLY reason I went back to work and accepted a 3rd shift position. I can only pray to our Good Lord that this issue will be resolved (as I still pray the others will eventually be solved too). I just needed to vent..................................... forgive me Lord! :-)

Much Needed Ramblings From A Tired Mind

Anyone else ever feel "blah"? I don't know what you are thinking but I sure feel like this alot lately. I told Rob after dinner tonight that I didn't even think I had enough energy to clean the kitchen. For those of you that know me, that's something I take seriously and do daily. He wanted me to leave it for him but he's tired too. So, I pushed myself and cleaned it up.

It's a quiet evening around here now. I like evenings like this. Rob is playing some much needed Playstation that he hasn't played in months. Carissa is coloring and watching some cartoons. I'm trying to get a grocery list together but am finding everything else but that to do. I mainly find myself sitting here at Rob's desk staring at Cold Case Files on the tube and not really even soaking that in.

I think alot on the way to work and on the way home about how God works around me and even in my own life. Rob reminds me constantly that this is only a season. I have to tell myself that each night when I prepare to go to work while they are snuggled in their warm beds sleeping. I made a comittment to Rob to work for health insurance and at this time this job is the best for us so that I can be available for Carissa's school activities and her sick days, etc. It's worked out real well this year. I've been able to attend several of her school activites and even work in the uniform closet there. I'm so thankful for this much involvement in her Kindergarten year. God has truly worked all those details out. Despite not seeing much of each other during the day, we make up for it in the evenings and the weekends. Our main priority is church attendance. Not a week goes by where we aren't there in fellowship with other believers and developing friendships. I truly believe that Sundays give me the strength to get through each week. I don't know what I would ever do without that. Another priority for us is eating dinner together each night. That is a must - even if it's at Fiesta Time! We talk and really love on one another during that time. We need this to keep communication open and keep our relationships alive. When I go to work each night (or morning - haha), I know my marriage is healthy and my relationship with my daughter is firm. We may not get to do as much together as we used to and that's okay for now. God is giving us these little "envelopes of time" where we can truly spend some time together doing what is important.

I know I've rambled tonight and I will slightly apologize for that. When you're tired and have a mind filled with "stuff to do", it can happen. Sometimes I just have to sit down, breathe and take it all in.

Long Day?

Today literally felt longer than any day of my entire life! It started out after work yesterday, going to the gym and then Carissa's field day at school. I managed to get about 5 hours of sleep before dinner tonight and then going back into work. From the moment I left to commute, work and drive back home, it was 9 hours. I'm home now and feel so nauseaus from lack of sleep. Seriously. I'm cramming something small into my belly before heading to bed. I think the "no sugar" thing from this Biggest Loser contest contributed to the weariness. How bright are we? This entire night the staff wondered. Nightie nightie friends and family! :-)

The Biggest Loser

So, my department at work has decided to do the Biggest Loser. We are competing against the 2da (2 day air) department. We are nda (next day air). The kicker is we have 17 people where they have 15. We are also already 500+ pounds over them. That's not so great unless we use that to our advantage. Now, this should be a testiment of what working 3rd shift will do to a body - extra "fluffiness" caused by messed up metabolism, etc. Most of us work the same number of hours as them and do the same types of jobs. We are taking this contest seriously! More to follow!

I Was Wrong!

The homeschool family chose a boy instead! BOO HOO! Poor Princess! It will still work out though, I'm sure! I just hope Kim is surviving with the other 3 remaining kittens! She's been a real trooper! (THANKS KIMMMMMM!)

Princess Has A Home

YEAH! I found Princess a good home! I posted a message everywhere I could think of and found a family on my old Homeschool loop. They are Christian missionaries from Mexico that moved to Louisville 7 months ago. Their cat ran away and has never been back. Their daughter was devastated! God works things out, huh!!! Yeah for Princess!

Anyone Want A Kitten?

We are desperate to find a good home quickly!!!!!!!! ANYONE?

I Can Hear the Laughter Now

Yes, we temporarily have a kitten. For those of you that weren't at the ABF social last night, you might not realize that I found 4 abandoned kittens under Tammy and Allen's house. I thought they were cute. I helped feed one with a syringe. I was intriqued. Little did I know, I would take one home.

The cute little guy (or girl) is sweet. I've grown "a little" attached. Carissa, on the other hand, can't figure it out how she feels about it yet. She did name it Princess she said for the time we have him (her words). I told her not to get attached because we are looking for a home for it (unless Rob caves).

We put it in a box with a nice towel and some shredded paper overnight. It only wimpered a few times. We once again fed it a bit and loved on it before church this morning. Carissa finally held it. She said as long as the claws didn't touch she would be okay. So we wrapped it in a soft blanket. When Rob and I got home from church, the poor thing was wimpering. I knew it must be hungry so I tried to feed it. We also went to our neighbors who are immense animal lovers to see what we could do. They called a few places and left a few messages. (They know somebody that helps abandoned animals find homes.) So, since the cat wouldn't take the milk, we went to Feeders Supply and bought some KMR and a tiny bottle. My how much this is like a newborn! I have to feed Princess every 4 hours. Oh the best part!!! We have to "help" it pee and poop. I didn't have any clue that momma cats lick the genitals of the kittens to get them to learn how to empty their bowels and bladder. So, about 10 minutes after feeding, we have to help them by using a warm paper towel. We found out the poor animal probably hadn't peed in DAYS because once she starting peeing, she took a lonnnnnnngggggggggggg time! I couldn't believe all the pee in that little itty bitty bladder.

All in all, it's been a pretty neat experience. Rob has pretty much laughed, snickered and rolled his eyes all weekend about this. We are really not animal-people so this is all very funny if you know us at all! He had to open his budget up for $16 that wasn't allocated!

So, we are currently keeping this kitten alive and praying our neighbor finds it a home. I knew my family wasn't complete but a kitten wasn't in my picture at all! :-)

Before Bedtime

I thought I would post before going to bed (while the rest of you folk will soon be waking up)! Work went well and we had a nice dinner tonight at Fiesta Time (FAVORITE!) before I went to the VBS meeting. I think the VBS is going to be great! I can't wait to help with the snacks for the kiddos!

Carissa is off school today so she and I will go to the grocery store to prepare for our Derby social tomorrow at the Baum's. We are really excited about that too! It should be some good times. I'm just praying for no rain so we can enjoy being outside and allow the kids to be loud outside rather than under our feet inside.

Continue to pray for our family. Rob doesn't have his 2nd sleep test until May 8th with the CPAP machine and he's still pretty tired all the time and I don't need to mention again (okay, I am) how tired I am all the time. We need some changes. I'm considering applying for a fulltime day job at UPS. I don't want to work 40 hours a week again but with driving and my job now I'm gone 35 hours a week and sleep all day. What can be worse? At least I can be somewhat "normal" again. Oh well! We are just praying for God's plan to be revealed on what to do.

Dentist is OVER!

Okay, I must be silly here and I apologize for those in my ABF that already read my update to my prayer request.

It's finally over for another 6 months. What? Can't I wait until 7 years? Just kidding. Now that I have dental insurance, I have to take advantage of it.

It actually went well. I thought I was going to have shots to numb sensitive areas of my gums but when they forgot, I didn't remind them and decided to brave it out instead of saying something. Maybe that was an answered prayer because it didn't hurt too too terribly. Well, okay, it wasn't pleasant. But, again, it's over for now. I had a tad bit of gingivitus (after 7 years, that's all?) so they had to use the old sander as I like to call it and then put a thick coverage of varnish on that feels like I'm sucking on cotton swabs. I can't really do anything with my teeth for 4-6 hours. Lucky for me I'm going to be until 4 or so. I will say that on a few occasions, I thought the "sanding" on the sensitive gums were going to either: 1) send me off the back of the chair into the hygienst lap or 2) cause me to pull the arm rests off. But, lucky for them (and me) I did neither. I just felt my head push into the head piece and my hands grab the arm rests. Like I said though, it's over for now.

The next thing is taking Carissa in a few weeks and persuade Rob it's his turn! HEE HEE

Carissa's Derby Box

So, Carissa had an assignment this week to make a Derby box float for their parade tomorrow at school. I think I went through 3 shoeboxes before finally deciding on what to do. Rob helped greatly too. I tried putting her barbie car underneath so it would have more movement with wheels but it wouldn't work. After some tears, we decided no wheels and she would just have to drag the thing a little harder. I bought her some supplies this morning after gym and work and she pretty much did it herself. I helped with some of the foil and tape and of course, gave a small amount of advice so it wouldn't too look cheesy. But, all in all, I think she did great. She's very proud of it and must tell Mrs. Hill she loves her on anything she can. What a great teacher she's been this year!

On a side note, I will be having some of my gums numbed tomorrow due to sensitivity before they can clean them. I'm so stinking scared that it's ridiculous. It's actually ruined my sleep today and I can't get it out of my mind. Please pray for me!!!!!!!

Going to the Dentist

So, I'm going to the dentist this morning. I haven't been in years because we haven't had dental insurance. I've VERY nervous. I'd rather go the gyn, to be honest with all of you. I've always taken care of my teeth but now that I have sensitive ones that have exposed roots (more than you probably want to know), I despise going. I used to love the way they felt when they were clean. Now, I feel like I'm going to puke. After that I'm going to have lunch with Kim P and then off to Swag's with Rob to find some new tennis shoes to workout in. We both desperately need them. So, to get through the dentist at 9am, I'm going to think about lunch with my friend and getting some new shoes. I sure hope that helps!

First Day of Blogging

Okay, I, like Val, have decided to give in and try this blogging thing. I can't promise that I will have new posts daily as I work 3rd shift and sleep most days. I hope that it will improve over time. Please just be patient with me as I also learn how to create this. I will begin by saying this is a "works in progress"! :-)

First Day of This Blog

Okay, I, like Val, have finally given into blogging. I can't promise there will be something new everyday as I work 3rd shift and sleep most days. I promise to do the best I can and hopefully it will improve over time.