Happy Monday!

Well, the work Christmas party for Pharmaceutical Technologies, Inc. was a success. I brought my boss from 24 Hour Fitness with me. The dress was GORGEOUS! I wish I would have had someone take a pic of the back of it for me b/c it was so pretty. I have tried to find a pic of it online, but that has proven unsuccesful. So, hopefully that will come at a later time. But, this is a pic of Michaela (hilarious girl), me, and Damon.

For Christmas, we recieved a fleece zip up from Lands End with our company logo, a gift certificate for a delicious ham, and of course, a Christmas bonus. The VP's were hilarious and all made speeches and congratulated each other for a year well done. I think at that point, we all felt pretty happy to be working for the company.

On Saturday, we had the kids' Christmas. Santa arrived with gifts and told the kids what they need to improve on for next year. Gabe got an F150 that has the subs in the back (I'm sure we've all seen this). And for 2008, Gabe needs to work on being nice to mommy and not saying "No."




Well, I think my New Years resolution will be to take more pictures! And to post more blogs!

A Day at the Doctor's

So, today, I got the Implanon.

It's a plastic stick that's inserted into the arm as a form of contraceptive that lasts three years. It's pretty neat. I think the needle will leave a nice scar b/c it was HUGE (no I didn't watch). And then after that, I went to the immunzations part of the hospital and received Gardasil. For all you young ladies out there under the age of 26, you NEED to get this! It's very important. It helps prevent HPV, which can cause cervical cancer. It is a 3-step process within an eight month period. Doctors say this is the biggest breakthrough for young women in a long time. So, remember to check it out, if not for you, for the young women in your life.

Anyways, Gabe went to school as tigger today. I wish I would have remembered to take a picture. We were at "Ganny's" house last night and he says, "Ganny, can you put my outfit on?" I thought he was referring to his cowboy outfit. I was pleasantly surprised when he came out riding a horse (Ganny) in his tigger outfit. It's just orange and black striped fleece pants and a zip up jacket that has a hood with ears. When he walked into school, Ms. Nancy was ga-ga over the outfit and so were the kids. Can you imagine 15 3-yr-olds all asking questions at the same time? "Are you a lion?", "Tigger!", "Why are you wearing that?", "What toy did you bring today?" and all the others that I couldn't quite make out. It was very amusing.

Other than that, not much news here. I work at the gym tonight and tomorrow night as usual and then the weekend is here. YAY! Oh and I don't think that I will be losing any weight this week. I had a meal from Burger King for breakfast and it was totally worth it! Just to sum it up for all of you, I quit smoking in July and have gained 11 lbs since then. Eating has taken on a whole new meaning and I had forgotten how much I love junk food! Hopefully, I will gain some self-control shortly!

P.S. The sun is kind of out today. I mean, it looks brighter outside, but it's still cloudy. Supposedly, it is going to warm up at the end of the week! YAY! The snow will melt just in time for more to fall early next week!

It's Been A While

I know I haven't posted in a while. I've had a lot going on. First of all, I wanted to update everyone with the Von Maur situation. The community has been awesome in helping the families of the victims heal. United Way has set up a fund for all the victims and their immediate families. Caring people, along with companies here in Omaha, have helped the families tremendously with their donations. If you are interested in donating also, please visit www.vonmaur.com (couldn't get that to come up as a link).
I went to the mall yesterday with Gabe and we brought eight white flowers, one for each of the people that died, and a card with a wonderful quote. I let Gabe find a good spot for them and we laid them outside on the steps to the store. A lady came over to me in tears and said, "We just put down those same flowers in purple tissue paper, too." I didn't know what to say, so we just stood there in silence and stared at the growing memorial.



Here is a picture of a Christmas tree in the food court. People from and around Omaha have decorated it with their handmade snowflakes with messages to the families of the victims.

It is so very sad but Omaha has really come together to comfort one another. I heard on the radio yesterday that Von Maur is supposed to open tomorrow, but I haven't been able to confirm that. When I visited the store yesterday, there were signs letting people know that they are working on getting it open again, but didn't give a date that they plan to do so.

On a lighter note, I woke up this morning and discovered the hallway light was on. I opened my bedroom door and saw the bathroom light was on also. I went into the bathroom and this is what I found.






On the other hand, the Christmas party for my work is this Sunday (maybe so it doesn't get out of control!) and I just got my dress last night. I am pretty excited about it. I am hoping to lose like three pounds before then so that the dress fits a little better (hey, I had to compromise with the size-there wasn't much of a selection!). I will try to get some pics so that I can post them. Ok, well gotta go! TTYL XOXO

P.S.- Look for Christmas cards from us in the mail-maybe we can get those sent out this week!

I'm With Shana

I have to agree with Shana's post last night. We all get caught up in our daily lives and stresses and forget to be thankful for all we have. This year, I am thankful for SO MUCH.

Being healthy and safe
All the times I saw family this year
Seeing Auntie Ree before she passed (and having the necklace with her ashes)
My own place
Shana's wedding
A better paying job
A reliable car
That my son learns more everyday
That at the touch of a button I can talk to family far away
And much, much more

To all my family and friends, I love you very much and wish you all Happy Holidays and that everyone gets at least one thing they wished for! XOXO

Terrible News

As you all may know, we had a massacre at Our Westroads Mall yesterday at the Von Maur store. We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. The members of our family are safe, however, the families of 9 others are not (including the shooter). Something like this doesn't happen here, but that's what is always said when a tragedy occurs. To confirm, 8 people's lives were taken and 5 others were injured. Out of the 8 people, 5 of them were store employees.

I woke up this morning and for a moment, I thought I had experienced a nightmare. Then, I realized I had, but that it was real. The whole city, and I am sure the whole nation, is still in shock. I am so thankful that I didn't know anyone. My mom is an avid shopper, and luckily, she was at work at the time. Everyone is speechless and numb. Unfortunately, the 19-year-old shooter is getting all the media attention he wanted-he is finally famous. I wish that the media would research and tell us about the VICTIMS lives and who they were, instead of telling everyone about all of the little details of this killer's life.

This kid went to school in Papillion, where I live, and the city was just voted the 6th best place to live in America. Shame on him for being from our virtually crime-free town.

So, this is my latest news. Also, since this has become a nationwide news interest, we have been contacted by family members that we haven't heard from in a long time. It is a blessing and at the same time heart-breaking. I returned my Aunt Linda's call, after not hearing from her since probably junior-high, and was elated to hear her voice. Family is very important to me and therefore, she is. I told her how wonderful it was to hear from her and that it would be great to have her join us for the holidays. I expected us to make plans, however, she declined my invitation. I guess you can't always win, right? I am just trying to remind myself that it has nothing to do with me personally. It is still really hard to accept. Who wouldn't want to see thier family and the babies?

Please pray for the families that lost thier loved ones and for the city's healing to begin. We will be strong and come together as the great community we are.

My Apartment

Ok, so I am sure that I may talk about my own place a lot. But it is my first place by myself and a BIG deal to me b/c I feel responsible and grown-up. I took some pictures so that you could see what it looks like. :)





And then I also took a pic of my ice-covered deck on Saturday.


















Can you imagine that bedroom set in my room?!

Hello December!

Can you believe it's already December? I'm pretty sure yesterday we were in August! (Except for the snow we got yesterday) LOL. I am so looking forward to the holidays. Just so you all know, I am not expecting a gift this year. It has been a tough year and there will be no gifts from me. :( I will be sending the adorable Gabriel Mitchell, via Christmas card, though. :)

So let me ask a question. Have you ever increased your income (by job or whatever) and you're thinking, "Great! Now I can afford....?" But you end up being as broke as always and you wonder how you ever made it before? LOL. Why is that? One of life's mysteries....

So, I have this apartment now and I am earning credit with the furniture I bought when I moved in (Sectional, Mattress set, and Dining room table). I got a great deal on all of it and I have no interest until 2010. My payments are really low, which is awesome. However, I don't have a matching bedroom set. My mattress is on the floor and my dresser and armoire are mismatched. But, lo and behold, I saw a commercial at a different furniture store for no payments, no interest and no down payment until 2010. I was thinking, "This was made just for me!" So, I went and checked it out yesterday. But, to get that exact deal, you have to spend $3,500. NO WAY! I mean, of course it'd be fun to do, but not realistic. But, I checked out other options and found another great deal that would work for me. So, I went downstairs to see what I could find. I came across the Glasgow collection, which I adore, but I think all the furniture there is made cheap. Bummer. I'd really enjoy getting a new bedroom set! We will see. I am having my decision-maker (my mom) come with me this week and give me her opinion. I feel a need for a second opinion on big things like this!


Of course, my mattress is taller, so I think it will look better than the picture. What do you think? I like it! I will let you know what happens!