I thought I would give a short update on what's been going on lately. Honestly, I wish I had more good news to report, but I will start by going over the best of it. My pregnancy has been going pretty well-although I still deal with my PVC's on a daily basis, so that's one thing I will be glad to get rid of once I have Mac (hopefully it's just a pregnancy thing for me). Right now I'm at 32 weeks and 4 days, time is beginning to fly now! I am so excited for my baby shower in a couple more weeks, I'll get to see family and my great friends all at once! I'm very thankful that my extended family is so loving and willing to put all this together for us and Mac. I have no worries for our son, because he will have so much love when he arrives-he won't be able to handle it. :) We may not have much money to provide him with everything we would like for him to have but I'm hoping we can make it all work.
I'm beginning to get nervous getting further along and Ray still can't find a job. It's so irritating that this stupid economy is still so bad, and now our bubble has burst since he is done with school, no more VA compensation. As much as I hated dealing with the VA I miss that benefit. We are getting a taste of what millions of Americans are dealing with these days, why does our economy seem no better off than it did 3 years ago? All this job creation talk and President Obama's speeches clearly aren't a remedy to the problem. I wish the nightmare of unemployment for us and so many others would end.
On a different note- fall is here already, which means our weather is cooling off (and we got some rain!), a new baby is around the corner and then my mom and hopefully at least one sister is coming to visit us during Christmas time! It's been a long time since I've spent a Christmas with my mom, and I'm glad she'll get to meet her first grandchild!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Ahhh....time off, for a change!
Do I really have 5 days off from work, for once?? Yes I do! With taking so much time out from work lately due to normal OB or cardiologist appointments, I'm just glad I still have some time off. So what did I do with 3 weekdays off? I have booked appointments, again! :)
We don't have much extra money right now with Ray searching for a job so we couldn't go on any weekend trips or anything as I would have liked, so I decided now is the time these things need to get done-dogs are going to the vet, I am having my teeth cleaned, etc. Sounds fun, huh? I know someone reading this must envy me! haha!
I am hoping the fact that Ray has recently begun getting calls and emails are a good sign that companies want to start hiring for the fall....now will they pay well to start? That's the kicker. For now we wait and see.
The pregnancy is going well, slowly getting bigger, of course. Little Mac is moving around all the time now-including today while I was getting my nice, relaxing birthday massage that Heather treated me to. :) Maybe he liked the fact that I was relaxing for once-I certainly did. My two hours at the spa included a one-hour massage (using a special pillow to accommodate my belly), a wonderful organic facial and a sugar scrub on my hands and feet. You can bet I did not want to leave, I even took my time drinking the water they give you at the end. Then I had to convince myself that walking out into 100ยบ weather wasn't going to be so bad...not the case since the massage oils seemed to start melting down my arms, face....it's a gross feeling.
Anyway, I vow to enjoy this time off as much as possible no matter what I have on my schedule. I am going to have a great birthday even if I do nothing, and perhaps do a little baby shopping if I can find some good sales. I will not think about work, except for the fact that I don't have to face a certain someone who can make my day miserable so easily. I know that I deserve this time off, and don't feel one bit guilty that I'm not working overtime like they have been asking. My time is too precious and I don't want my health in jeopardy from more stress with this heart stuff I have going on, just to make a few piddly extra dollars since they tax the heck out of it. I'm off to enjoy my evening!
We don't have much extra money right now with Ray searching for a job so we couldn't go on any weekend trips or anything as I would have liked, so I decided now is the time these things need to get done-dogs are going to the vet, I am having my teeth cleaned, etc. Sounds fun, huh? I know someone reading this must envy me! haha!
I am hoping the fact that Ray has recently begun getting calls and emails are a good sign that companies want to start hiring for the fall....now will they pay well to start? That's the kicker. For now we wait and see.
The pregnancy is going well, slowly getting bigger, of course. Little Mac is moving around all the time now-including today while I was getting my nice, relaxing birthday massage that Heather treated me to. :) Maybe he liked the fact that I was relaxing for once-I certainly did. My two hours at the spa included a one-hour massage (using a special pillow to accommodate my belly), a wonderful organic facial and a sugar scrub on my hands and feet. You can bet I did not want to leave, I even took my time drinking the water they give you at the end. Then I had to convince myself that walking out into 100ยบ weather wasn't going to be so bad...not the case since the massage oils seemed to start melting down my arms, face....it's a gross feeling.
Anyway, I vow to enjoy this time off as much as possible no matter what I have on my schedule. I am going to have a great birthday even if I do nothing, and perhaps do a little baby shopping if I can find some good sales. I will not think about work, except for the fact that I don't have to face a certain someone who can make my day miserable so easily. I know that I deserve this time off, and don't feel one bit guilty that I'm not working overtime like they have been asking. My time is too precious and I don't want my health in jeopardy from more stress with this heart stuff I have going on, just to make a few piddly extra dollars since they tax the heck out of it. I'm off to enjoy my evening!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A mini me on the way, I have a parasite, there's a bun baking-whatever you wanna call it :)
If you've been living under a rock you probably don't know this, but I am pregnant. :) Shocking, I know, since I have been married for 7 1/2 years now and we just now found this to be our time to become parents. Maybe that makes us old fashioned? Many couples we know chose to mix up the order of starting a family-which is fine but then everyone turned to us for so many years asking, "So when are YOU guys going to have kids??" Well ask no more! We get more and more excited as each day goes by and I look down everyday and see less and less of my feet-eventually it'll look like I'm just floating I'm sure, from my point of view. A growing belly makes it seem more real to me, and the fact that in 5 more days we will know if it's going to be a little Ray or Andrea!
It's a funny feeling to know that for so long I watched childhood friends announce their pregnancies, post ultrasound pictures, belly pictures, how many weeks they are...EVERY week, pregnancy tickers, etc. on networking sites and now that could be me. I know it's the excitement that drives people to post this stuff but I don't really see the point in posting every little thing. So for me, I mostly post about the stuff that pertains to me, and if you want to know more beyond what I post you can ask. I just think some of these things can get annoying when you see person after person posting the same stuff. Sorry if all that sounded grumpy or mean-I'm not, it's just been my opinion.
As I sit on my couch on a bright and sunny Saturday morning I am fighting the urge to want to buy baby stuff. I have found that trying to stick to gender neutral things just does not work for me, it only gets me frustrated because they really aren't neutral! I stepped into a Baby's R Us recently with a friend for my first time and found myself completely overwhelmed with the variety and extent of what they carry-how the heck do you know which ones to pick??!!! Even walking through HEB (our grocery store here) down the baby aisle is too much for me, is there a class I can just take to tell me what I really need and what stuff is optional??!! I would love that. The other thing driving me absolutely nuts right now is baby names. 98% of the ones I hear or read about are either stupid, I have/had friends with that name, celebrities share the name etc. and we only have middle names picked out. I don't want names like Joe or Bob, or Jessica (no offense to those who have them)-too common for me, so what do people do in this situation? My luck we'll be arguing about names as I am pushing....it gives me a headache just thinking about it.
It's a funny feeling to know that for so long I watched childhood friends announce their pregnancies, post ultrasound pictures, belly pictures, how many weeks they are...EVERY week, pregnancy tickers, etc. on networking sites and now that could be me. I know it's the excitement that drives people to post this stuff but I don't really see the point in posting every little thing. So for me, I mostly post about the stuff that pertains to me, and if you want to know more beyond what I post you can ask. I just think some of these things can get annoying when you see person after person posting the same stuff. Sorry if all that sounded grumpy or mean-I'm not, it's just been my opinion.
As I sit on my couch on a bright and sunny Saturday morning I am fighting the urge to want to buy baby stuff. I have found that trying to stick to gender neutral things just does not work for me, it only gets me frustrated because they really aren't neutral! I stepped into a Baby's R Us recently with a friend for my first time and found myself completely overwhelmed with the variety and extent of what they carry-how the heck do you know which ones to pick??!!! Even walking through HEB (our grocery store here) down the baby aisle is too much for me, is there a class I can just take to tell me what I really need and what stuff is optional??!! I would love that. The other thing driving me absolutely nuts right now is baby names. 98% of the ones I hear or read about are either stupid, I have/had friends with that name, celebrities share the name etc. and we only have middle names picked out. I don't want names like Joe or Bob, or Jessica (no offense to those who have them)-too common for me, so what do people do in this situation? My luck we'll be arguing about names as I am pushing....it gives me a headache just thinking about it.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
memories of the outdoors
I guess you can say I have been thinking about my life and surroundings and wondering where life will take me. Then I got to thinking about how I really enjoy the outdoors, which I haven't seen much of in nearly 7 years. Yes, I love living in the city-the convenience, variety of places to shop, work opportunities and activities. But camping, hiking, sitting by the water, riding a bike, even fishing which I seemed to always be forced to do as a kid-I miss. Every now and then I am reminded of things I learned. From something as simple as setting up a tent to baiting a fish hook and casting out into the cold Washington waters, I miss it. I guess that part of me never really left, just pushed far back in my mind but those kind of experiences stick with you. If you asked me to go camping here I think I would laugh in your face....come on, we have so many nasty critters-many of which bite and sting. I hardly think south Texas is the camping spot! I also remember learning how to gut a fish and prepare it, and shooting a bb gun-I have good aim so watch out and don't make me mad! haha Maybe one day I will live in an area where I can enjoy these things, or if I'm lucky enough I may be able to grow something in the ground other than ugly weeds and dead grass! :P
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Facebook free speech, get used to it
Millions of people use Facebook for so many different reasons and we are all free to say what we want, so why should people complain about what others are posting about? I know that everyone has different reasons for being on there. Some people are using it to network, others just want to find old friends, to keep in touch with family, and some to connect with people long distance-the reasons are endless. Everyone is entitled to post what they want, even if they are venting or complaining about something. We are bound to read about stuff we don't want to read and see stuff we don't care to see.
I started seeing people complaining about other people and making rude or suggestive comments about their posts because they don't want to hear complaints or negative things. First of all, I don't want to read about you complaining about someone else's gripe. If you bluntly say you don't care about someone's problems, then fix yours! Do you know there is a block feature so you don't have to see that person's post? Better yet, how about you delete them if you're so tired of reading their postings? Facebook does not make you keep in touch with anyone you aren't interested in. You clearly aren't a very good friend if you have the nerve to voice your thoughts publicly, they will realize you're talking about them and discover how heartless you are. There are people on my friends list that post stuff every now and then that I could care less about but I get over it and move on, I don't see why this is so hard.
There are reasons people make posts on Facebook. Maybe you need an opinion on something, you have a bad day, you're having a fantastic day-whatever it may be. It could be that you want someone to lean on because you are alone, looking for advice, needing input from friends about a dilemma-I don't know. My point is you clearly have no idea why people post things, so have some respect or remove yourself from their friends list if it bothers you so much. Maybe it's time you do some house cleaning on your friends list so you only hear things you are interested in from people you actually care about. This is my gripe for today, not to offend anyone, but it was bugging me and I had to get it out. Thank you and goodnight. :)
I started seeing people complaining about other people and making rude or suggestive comments about their posts because they don't want to hear complaints or negative things. First of all, I don't want to read about you complaining about someone else's gripe. If you bluntly say you don't care about someone's problems, then fix yours! Do you know there is a block feature so you don't have to see that person's post? Better yet, how about you delete them if you're so tired of reading their postings? Facebook does not make you keep in touch with anyone you aren't interested in. You clearly aren't a very good friend if you have the nerve to voice your thoughts publicly, they will realize you're talking about them and discover how heartless you are. There are people on my friends list that post stuff every now and then that I could care less about but I get over it and move on, I don't see why this is so hard.
There are reasons people make posts on Facebook. Maybe you need an opinion on something, you have a bad day, you're having a fantastic day-whatever it may be. It could be that you want someone to lean on because you are alone, looking for advice, needing input from friends about a dilemma-I don't know. My point is you clearly have no idea why people post things, so have some respect or remove yourself from their friends list if it bothers you so much. Maybe it's time you do some house cleaning on your friends list so you only hear things you are interested in from people you actually care about. This is my gripe for today, not to offend anyone, but it was bugging me and I had to get it out. Thank you and goodnight. :)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Dog days of summer
Here I sit looking out the window into the strong, bright southern Texas sun and wonder when this weather will lighten up on us. As I write this, we are climbing into the 90's and expecting a high of 100 today. All I can say is ugh. It's nearly impossible to enjoy the outdoors for fear I will fry with my pasty pale skin, get heat exhaustion or dehydration. Not only that but when you do venture outside it sucks the life out of you so quick. I love taking Brutus to his dog park, but he is totally wiped out within 20 minutes from the heat and I have to take a towel with me to catch the river of sweat going down my face. I miss the Washington parks with nice green grass, trees, and a cool breeze. I have fond memories of this in the summertime as a kid.
Every now and then I stop and think if this is the place we are making our permanent home or if there is something bigger and better out there for us. How can you tell? You can't, I guess. I will keep going day by day as I have been, keeping in mind that my work is what keeps us going forward and pays our bills, and that things will only get better from here. If an opportunity presents itself for us we are not dead set on staying here. We have learned to live without our family there, it's great if they are but it won't hold us back. The military teaches you to be ready for anything, even if you aren't the service member. For Ray and I, the military-though we hated it at times, was a really good thing for us. I guess I kind of see it as a building block, a foundation. Our experiences both past and present define us, helped us grow, learn and create so many memories that we'll never forget.
Every now and then I stop and think if this is the place we are making our permanent home or if there is something bigger and better out there for us. How can you tell? You can't, I guess. I will keep going day by day as I have been, keeping in mind that my work is what keeps us going forward and pays our bills, and that things will only get better from here. If an opportunity presents itself for us we are not dead set on staying here. We have learned to live without our family there, it's great if they are but it won't hold us back. The military teaches you to be ready for anything, even if you aren't the service member. For Ray and I, the military-though we hated it at times, was a really good thing for us. I guess I kind of see it as a building block, a foundation. Our experiences both past and present define us, helped us grow, learn and create so many memories that we'll never forget.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Yay the lawn got mowed!
What a relief to be off work, enjoying my evening and not having to go back until Thursday. It's amazing the difference you feel between "I have to work tomorrow" and "I'm off tomorrow." As we were taught in a class at work, it affects your "mood elevator." Where is that thing anyway? I need to carry it around with me, I think just looking at it will make me laugh.
I just have to say I have the most awesome father in law EVER! I had trouble all last week trying to start our lawnmower so we wouldn't get a nasty-gram from the HOA. What does he do? Take time out from his busy day (he does lawn maintenance as a side job) and brings all his equipment over to mow and trim my front and backyard, and leaves me a replacement lawn mower to use next time. What a great dad-he deserves a medal or something, or maybe something a little more exciting like a case of his favorite beer-Bud Light.
So here I am trying to think what on earth I want to do on my birthday and I'm stuck. It's kinda hard to not feel guilty for spending money on yourself when you know there are plenty of things that need to be paid. Yet this isn't a new feeling; rarely in the last 3 years has money not been tight with us.
Believe me, when Ray finishes school next year I will jump up and down at his graduation. I may have to apologize to him though. The excitement may not be all for the degree, but to be nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, getting off this roller coaster, and to have a glimpse into what a stable life will feel like again. Heck, maybe I'll do a little song and dance, like "Gimme Money" that Ray made up. LMAO it's an inside thing but so catchy! Don't be surprised if you see me posting a little countdown ticker on here one day.
I just have to say I have the most awesome father in law EVER! I had trouble all last week trying to start our lawnmower so we wouldn't get a nasty-gram from the HOA. What does he do? Take time out from his busy day (he does lawn maintenance as a side job) and brings all his equipment over to mow and trim my front and backyard, and leaves me a replacement lawn mower to use next time. What a great dad-he deserves a medal or something, or maybe something a little more exciting like a case of his favorite beer-Bud Light.
So here I am trying to think what on earth I want to do on my birthday and I'm stuck. It's kinda hard to not feel guilty for spending money on yourself when you know there are plenty of things that need to be paid. Yet this isn't a new feeling; rarely in the last 3 years has money not been tight with us.
Believe me, when Ray finishes school next year I will jump up and down at his graduation. I may have to apologize to him though. The excitement may not be all for the degree, but to be nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, getting off this roller coaster, and to have a glimpse into what a stable life will feel like again. Heck, maybe I'll do a little song and dance, like "Gimme Money" that Ray made up. LMAO it's an inside thing but so catchy! Don't be surprised if you see me posting a little countdown ticker on here one day.
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