Why Do I Love My Bank?

I am a housekeeper.  My job can be pretty easy and tough at the same time.  Some people are just really gross and when they move out they leave a disgusting mess!  Generally, the maintenance guy goes in (patches holes, paints, replaces light bulbs, etc), then the carpet gets cleaned or replaced, and finally I go in to clean and make the place sparkle and shine for the new tenants.

The other day, I went in to start cleaning while the maintenance guy was finishing up.  My phone started ringing.  No one ever calls me and definitely not during the day unless it's a solicitor or some recording saying that if I live in one of the following cities then I might qualify for a discount on car insurance.

This phone call was different.  The number was 1-800-355-5265.  I have seen a number of reports that say the number does belong to the Chase Fraud Department but it is not one that I have ever seen.  Let me give you a little back story (I know this because I have gone through this three times now) if you do not have Chase.  When Chase notices a suspicious charge, like I live in Washington and then at 6am one morning, my "card" is used at a store in Michigan, it gets flagged.  Chase will then send you a text message pretty much saying

Hey!  We see that you do not live in Michigan but there was a charge at a grocery store...

Was it really you?  Text back yes or no!

When you respond back with

No way dude...I was sleeping at 6am.

Then they text back saying that someone from the Fraud Department will contact you shortly.

THEN THEY CALL YOU!!!

So as you can see when I answered the phone and the lady with the thick Indian accent on the other end could barely spit out that she was with the Chase Fraud Department, I knew it was a scam.  This woman, who never gave me her name...just that she was with the fraud department, claimed that there were two fraudulent charges that were attempted but declined on my debit card ending in a specific 4 digits.  A $65 charge to Toys R Us and an over $200 charge to Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Funny thing about the last four digits is that was one of my previous cards.  One that might have been compromised shopping at Target on Black Friday that was replaced a really long time ago.

I hung up but something was not sitting right with me so I left the apartment, went to the office and call the number on the back of my card.  The very nice gentleman, who gave me his name and I honestly cannot remember because I am terrible with names, said that since the card is no longer attached to my account, there was no way that the funds could even go pending.  He gave me the last transactions from my debit card and my credit card.  All charges were mine.

Three times my debit card has been replaced because of stupid hackers BUT I have been informed of the charges before the funds have been taken from my account.  My bank is really the best!  I have been trying my best to balance my checkbook and keep an eye on my account activity and have been doing a really good job.  I have not been keeping a real watchful eye on my credit card statement but I am going to try.  I do not use it very often except for recurring charges so I do not think about it much.

Now I want to hear from you!  Tell me...have you ever been scammed?  People calling you, pretending to be with your bank only trying to get personal information from you.  Do you have an amazing bank story?  Come on and share!!!  Leave me a comment!

Things That Scare Me Sh*tless

Clowns are fucking scary.  I mean anything with a painted on smile is just plain creepy!

  

I mean HELLO!!!

The person decided that a clown would make for a suitable profession should have been strung up high in the streets!

Eight years ago I was rear-ended by a semi truck...twice.  Every since then I have this fear of being anywhere near semi trucks.  Rush hour traffic sucks the worse!  I have actually been stuck next to a semi and had tears form in my eyes.  I may seriously need to be medicated when I drive.

Now if you were to combine the two, I would freak the fuck out!  However, driving to BF's house on Wednesday night, I drove passed an SUV hauling a trailer and had out of state plates.  I automatically wondered if they were military or something.  As I drive pass them I look in my rear view mirror and I see that the driver and passenger are both wearing this mask!

Scared me half out of my mind!  I wanted to get away from them as fast as I possibly could...ya know...without getting like a reckless driving ticket.  I got off the freeway as soon as I saw the perfect opportunity.  You also better believe that I kept that vehicle in my sight the whole time I was trying to get away!

As soon as I got to my destination, I had some time to kill before BF got home so I started googling if it was against the law to wear a mask while driving.  Apparently it is in some states but not Washington.  I actually couldn't find the answer but my mom's cousin is a cop so I sent her a Facebook message.  Someone can be pulled over and cited if a cop feels that the mask is obstructing their view.

There are also other things that scare the crap out of me...

I will sacrifice YOUR body to get away from a snake!

Spiders can suck it too!

Until next time!

Fall Is In The Air and School Is Around The Corner

Fall has now unofficially/officially begun!  I know that technically the first day of fall is what, Saturday or something like that but for me it starts with the first Pumpkin Spice Latte!  To top it all off, it was my free drink!  Can you say "Hello Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte with an extra shot!  Do I want whip cream...why yes I do!!!"

Now every other day that I actually have to pay for my coffee I am pretty cheap and boring.  As the air gets cool and crisp, I tend to go with my staple of a Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte extra hot.  It's cheap and VERY low on calories!  If you have never tried the Pike Roast at Starbucks (hi, I'm from Seattle and Starbucks is pretty much the ONLY place I will get coffee from) then you are missing out!

Sometimes I switch it up and get the Blonde Roast.  Either way, leave a little room for "cream" but I use non-fat milk and a little bit of sugar...not nearly enough as I would normally so I could actually taste it but enough that it takes the slight bitter taste away from black coffee.

During the summer, I am all about the Trenta Black Tea Lemonade.  I am so thankful for the Trenta and can totally understand why it is only available for iced/non-coffee drinks...that would be a whole mess of caffeine that no one person should every consume in one beverage.

After every 12th drink and I see that I have that free drink, you better believe I am not caring about calories or anything and I am getting the most expensive drink that I never get otherwise and that is usually a Venti (are you seeing the "free" trend here...) White Chocolate Raspberry Mocha with an extra shot and whip cream.  Now if only they carried Cherry syrup...then it would be a Cherry Mocha...but they don't.

With the start of fall comes the start of the new school year.  My oldest nephew started kindergarten this year (lord have mercy where HAS the time gone).  My youngest sister started on her Master's program.  I have wanted to get back into taking classes but I just can't afford it and then I found Ashford University.  There are so many perks there being prior service that made it impossible to turn down.  I have been talking with a counselor who is totally awesome and yesterday he walked me through the application process and I applied.  Should have my official acceptance tomorrow and then he is going to help me fill out all of my financial paperwork and help me apply for the Pell Grant.

I start my first class on October 1st and I can't wait!  Each class is 5 weeks long and you only take one class at a time.  The best part is that no money has to come out of my pocket!  Tuition is deferred for 60 days while the VA plays catch up to get everyone their money and he is even going to help me figure out how to do all the VA stuff!  It's all so different from my previous school but I have a really good feeling about this program.  PLUS when I graduate, I will have a Bachelor's degree in the original field that I wanted anyway!  I will have a BA in Applied Behavioral Science.  I can't wait!

With all that has happened in the last few days, I have also decided to take the crazy woman who owns the dance studio that I used to teach at who owes me money to collections!  I will hopefully be able to set up a meeting either today or tomorrow with them to get this going because even with them taking their 20%, it would leave me with well over what she originally owed me and saves me from having to drive back down to the court house and turning my case into a civil suit.

Well I guess that is everything for now!  Until next time!

Why Blog

I was taking a picture of a package that I got from PopSugar and my mom and step dad started making fun of me.

Oh you are taking a picture of that to blog about?

No...

You are going to upload it to Facebook or Twitter or whatever?

No...

I like how anything that I might be interested in gets completely mocked (btw...I did NOT share the photo...not even to Instagram alone).

My mom proceeded to mention that she does not understand the purpose behind blogging.  Well, I do believe that I already wrote about why I blog...and you can check that out here...I wrote that post almost a year ago but I still stand by why I blog.

In a nutshell (not that the post is that long), I blog because it is an outlet for me.  It is not just like an online journal with posts like:

Couldn't sleep last night...

Woke up late for work...

Work sucked...

I came home and wanted to drown my sorrows in ice cream with my best friend Jose Cuervo...

I try and write about stupid things that happen to me or around me...

If I can write about an experience that can help someone shed some light on a similar experience that they have had then I am satisfied.

I give tips when I can...with a dash of humor that I am finding to be getting easier the more I find that I don't care what others think or say.

WITHOUT BLOGS...

I would have never discovered Brittany and all of her awesomeness...I swear I cannot read her posts at work anymore because my boss just looks at me like I have lost my damn mind!  She just oozes with confidence and blows up boundaries that women should never touch and does not give two shits!  I mean check out this Brittany quote from one of her more recent posts:

But the skirt was like $90, and that is not in my Taco Bell budget.

Brittany doesn't pay 90 Burrito Supremes for clothes.

(read the whole post here)

You can't not read that and keep your chuckling to yourself.  She has also just started this Google+ Series called "Last Call" and it is mother effin ridiculous!  Because of that, I am discovering more blogs to follow that are hilarious and I hope to quote them and link them to my blog as much as I do Brittany...but she has totally set the bar for what I expect from bloggers and I have a feeling that these women are right up there with her!

Holy crap I posted twice in one day!!!

Until next time!

Unplanned and Unexpected

I AM NOT PREGNANT!

It was not until I reread my title that I figure that it could totally be misconstrued and I wanted to make it clear...I am far from being in a place in my life where I can settle down let alone think about having children...not that the thought is ever too far off to be honest.

This post is completely unplanned and unexpected.  I just spent the last hour or so catching up on Brittany's blog.  I was a few weeks behind so I really needed to play catch up.  Most of the time when I read her blog, I am at work.  Work computer does not have speakers...therefore...no sound...and she posts some hilarious freaking videos...seriously...check her out...to use one of Giuliana Rancic's favorite words...

BRITTANY GIBBONS IS "AMAZEBALLS"!!!

I had zero intentions of writing tonight...and I am not sure when I last wrote but I know it was not long before the start of April which was supposed to start my second 30 Day Blog Challenge which I did not know I had to sign up for AGAIN...I am kind of over it.  I think I am going to ask to be removed from their email lists and delete all their emails.  I will find my own way to keep myself motivated enough to write.  I can be cleaver sometimes damn it...

In all seriousness, I really need to give my blog a "face lift".  I have read several articles that blogs that tailor to a specific theme/topic tend to get the most traffic...apparently writing about the stupid craziness that is my life will not generate the traffic that I am looking for.  I am just looking for ANYONE to read...that keeps me motivated to continue to share my life experiences with the world.

Let me give you a "For Instance"...

My netbook sucks.  I mean seriously sucks!  I have not been able to access the Internet from it for weeks because it says I need to reset the modem...yet no one else in the house seems to be having any problems with accessing the Internet from their laptops.  Well, I just recently got to upgrade my cell phone from that stupid P.O.S. Droid 2 to an iPhone 5.  Before you start calling me "money bags" it seriously cost me just over $300 including the insurance package and the case...and I got to split the payments up...so I only paid $150 and pay the other $150 in May...but I might just take care of it with this paycheck since it is way bigger than I was expecting!

So anyway, because my Netbook has very little space, I do not have iTunes loaded...plus I am apparently at the maximum capacity of allowable computers...which I find odd since I have only had my desktop and my laptop (that the desktop replaced when it died a tragic death).  How those two add up to five is beyond me. iTunes is only on my desktop and I needed to back it up and all that jazz.  Well when we moved in September, I had to get rid of my desk because there is not any room for it...which I was originally told there would be.

No desk means no desktop computer.

But I am starting classes...I need my computer in order to do my work!

Oh you can use my laptop...that is fine.

And I will be allowed to take it with me to work and be on it constantly?

No...I have to use it for work but you can use it when I am not.

I ended up dropping the class mainly because I could not understand the reading but needless to say it felt like it was going to be an inconvenience for me to try to finish my degree.  So my HP Desktop was unplugged, all cables wound up and put into a grocery bag with my mouse, web cam and NetGear wireless card thing that allows me to pick up a wifi signal so the modem does not have to be plugged directly into my computer.  I made a nice little home for my tower, 15" monitor, keyboard and grocery bag of cables in the back corner of my closet.

In order to back up my phone, I needed to dust off the trusty desktop and turn it on for the first time in over seven months.  Let me tell you what...there were like almost 100 updates that it had to do...but I allowed it to do its thing and I waited kinda patiently.  I did finally get it backed up and got a little bit of music on it as well.  Like the essential Zumba Playlist!

Where on earth did I set up my computer if I have no desk and there is no room for it?

Now what you see here is my tower set up just to the side of my dresser (not pictured) with my monitor on top of it.  My keyboard is resting either on my lap (like in the picture) or on the floor, which is where it is now.  To the right you see a box with a pink stripe half of my mouse...I lost my mouse pad...or boxed it up with something else...or threw it out...I honestly could not even tell you what the damn thing looked like now.  So I have to improvise.  I find that magazines do not work as a good mouse pad...cursor flies all over the damn screen...this box is definitely coming in handy...I also found that one of my CD carriers worked really well too.

**END OF "FOR INSTANCE"**

I mean really...who does not want to read about the fact that my computer is on the floor...you know that you chuckled when you looked at the picture...do not pretend like you did not...because I know I did.

As for the face lift that I am going to work on...I guess I will try some themes...here are a few I have been tinkering with:

MONDAY MADNESS

I mean Monday's just suck in general...

TUESDAY MEMORIES

Take short walks down memory lane...

WTF WEDNESDAY

That random thought or something that just makes you want to scream the actual words out...

THROWBACK THURSDAY

I know...not original but instead of just pictures like on Twitter and Instagram I will throw in some nostalgia...

FITNESS FRIDAY

Maybe throw out some tips...attach some great fitness articles that I find...

SASSY SATURDAY

Something to do with fashion...trust me...I will not be giving any advice...I promise...

SUCCULENT SUNDAY

Some of my favorite recipes...some healthy and some not so much...

None of these are set in stone...especially not the titles of the days...I want to throw in something about healthy living...not that I follow that like I should and I am really going to try but I am human.  I have learned a lot on my journey of weight loss and maintaining and not regaining...I want to share what I have learned...I also love to read on my Nook Color and I want to try and fit in book reviews and just reviews in general.  The amount of hits I got from my review of "Vs. Reality" by Blake Northcott and for my favorite radio station 100.7 The Wolf was seriously the greatest ever!  I want to review books, music, movies...see if I am any good at it...maybe start reading some professional reviews so that way I can learn what to say and what to leave out so I can get a reader interested but not give anything away...I will keep working on these and maybe sometime soon, a new and improved Until Next Time will be revealed!

Until next time y'all!

Random Thoughts...

* I have biceps again!!!  I started a 100 Day Push Up Challenge this month and I am on Day 17 today.  That makes 153 push ups...possibly 165...I could not remember if I did my push ups on day 12 so I did them again.

* I have been able to move around a lot more since finding out that there is NOTHING wrong with my knee.

* My ass hurts...and all I have done differently is this push up challenge.

* I hurt myself entirely too much...and about 90% of the time I do not know how or what I did.

Case and point...no clue what I did to my wrist!

* After a day from hell I managed to get about 12 hours of sleep Saturday night...which I totally and completely needed every second of...but have had a raging headache ever since.

* Friday marks the start of the next 31 Day Blog Challenge and I am bound and determined to completing it this time...no matter what!  Even if I have to write them during my half hour lunch at work because it is the only place I have Internet access...

* Thanks to my sister I have had nothing but Teenie Bopper music stuck in my head from the early 90s to 2000s...

Until next time!

Vanished Into Thin Air!

I swear I have not been slacking on my blog challenge!  I have not posted Day 18 to Day 22 yet because my internet SUCKS!!!  Seriously!  Cannot watch Netflix...which means no "Shameless (UK Original)"...and trust me when I say that it is a MUST!  They are freakin hilarious!  So far I have only made it like four episodes into it but they are taking the US version and practically mirroring the original...which is so totally awesome!

On top of no Netflix, I cannot check my email...and my phone freaks out everytime I try to check it there.  Since I am waiting on a loser to respond to an email I sent him at the beginning of the month from my Hotmail account, I can only check it on the computer because my phone takes WAY too long to download apps now (have I mentioned how much I HATE my Droid 2?).  I am trying to avoid talking to him on the phone mainly because I want to keep things civil and if I can do all communication via email then I have time to re-read what I want to say and not sound like a douche myself.

No Netflix...no email...no Facebook.  I am actually not too worried about Facebook.  I am thoroughly annoyed with the fact that I cannot get the "Most Recent" option on my stupid smart phone anymore though!  Drives me NUTS!  Then there is the fact that lack of internet on my phone makes it extremely difficult to play "Subway Surfer"...which I have become totally addicted to since my nephew's birthday party this last weekend!

Okay...it is time to sign off and head back to work!  Hopefully I can get my posts all caught up tonight...if the internet cooperates!  Until next time!

UBC Day 11 - Comfort and Love

I admit it...my short term memory SUCKS!  Seriously!  I can remember how I got every major scar on my body (and I have quite a few) but I cannot tell you what I did last week.

Example:  I fuel airplanes and helicopters.  I work at a flight school so I am dealing with small aircraft...Cessna 152s and 172s.  I am accident prone.  I run into things constantly!  I smack my elbows, knees, hips, shins and ALWAYS my head!  I can remember cleaning the inside of one of our planes and smacked my head three times in less than five minutes...the same spot on the airplane and the same spot on my head.  Anyway, my friend said that I should be wrapped in bubble wrap.  He asked me if I had injured myself that particular day.  I said that I could remember smacking my head climbing into the fuel truck...but I could not remember if it had happened that day or the day before.

When asked about my childhood, there are three items I always mention.

1. Corky
2. Super Bear
3. My Blankie

Corky was my favorite toy as a child.  He was a doll dressed in purple and white...maybe pink.  When I really strain to try and remember I lose it...but I definitely remember the purple.  I lost Corky when I was eight years old.  My mom told me to not to bring him because I might lose him but I could not leave the country and not take him with me!  I am just really glad that she put her foot down and made me leave my blankie at home.  When I was eight, my mom and grandma took my sisters and me to Germany to meet my great grandma and meet some other family members.  I left Corky on the plane.  We called the airline and no one returned it.  Someone picked it up and took it home and some other child grew up with my Corky.

When I was five, my babysitter Laurie gave my sister and me each a teddy bear.  I still have mine.  I call him Super Bear.  I slept with him every night until I left for boot camp...and trust me...I am not lying when I say that I was terrified...not about going to boot camp but trying to fall asleep without my teddy bear!

Super Bear and me

Yeah...I still sleep with my teddy bear...SO WHAT?!  He is much better to cuddle with...because he does not move...or snore...and makes a GREAT pillow!

Last but not least is my blankie...I would totally snap a picture of it but my mom packed it in a box and told me that I am not allowed to use it anymore because it was going to fall apart...my grandma made it for me when I was a baby.  On one side, there are bunnies and butterflies...very faded and no where near at bright colors as they used to be.  They look more like very light pastel colors.  On the other side it has some stick figure drawings, pictures and the alphabet (fun little side note...taught myself the ABCs backwards...and learned that you cannot sing the ABCs backwards using the same tune forwards...it just does not work...no matter how many times you try...trust me...I have logged possibly double digit hours trying to get it to work...and it does not...ever).

These items bring me comfort and remind me how much I am loved.  We all have items from our childhood that bring us comfort and security.  What is your "security blanket"?  Tell me!  I would love to read about it!

Until next time!

Christmas Eve...Eve

It is the eve before Christmas Eve.  It is just after 8pm and I am in bed.  I am in bed because I have to work tomorrow and then drive down to my dad's house after work for dinner and Christmas with him and his girlfriend.  I do not know his girlfriend hardly at all and apparently she is making a turkey dinner.  So much for having an easy and laid back kind of dinner.  After talking to B, I figured that we would make simple things like having Shmeath (pronounced sh-meh-th) toss little smokies into the crock pot with some barbecue sauce or meat balls...pretty much anything she can toss into the crock pot because my nephews can be pretty rambunctious!

That changed a few days ago when I was informed that she is making a turkey dinner and that I needed to get her a present because she got us something.  Guess what...I did not get her anything last year...nor did I get my mom's husband (yeah that is a new term as of this afternoon...long story and so going to be a post here in the next few days) anything last year...and because they were planning on getting married on December 1st (not 22 days later) that is the only reason he got anything from me this year.

I told Shmeath that I have to work on Christmas Eve...I mean it is on a Monday and I work in the office on Mondays.  I told her that I would not know what time I get off until the schedule comes out and it could be out as early as Friday and as late as Sunday afternoon.  Well it came out this morning and I told her that it says I work until 4:30pm.  I get a reply from her that my dad said that we are eating dinner at 4:30pm so if I am not there by then, Shmeath said that she would save me a plate.

Well is that not just a be F**K YOU or what?!  So not cool!  From what I have been told, we normally close up the office around the same time that the restaurant closes and they are closing at 3pm.  My last flight on the schedule gets back around 2:30pm so I should be closed up shortly after 3pm if all goes well...of course I will not actually leave until I am told I can.  If I can get out around then and there is not too much traffic I just might be able to get down to my dad's house in time.

I just thought that was kind of rude of my dad given that my sisters and I had been talking about having dinner around 5:30pm or 6pm...but then again that was when dinner was going to be easy and simple.  I am so glad that his girlfriend decided to ask if we all wanted turkey for dinner...I know that is what I think of first when I think about Christmas dinner...oh no wait...no I do not!  I am actually not a fan of turkey at all really to be honest.  Looks like I will be having a dinner consisting of side dishes.

I have no energy to post about the ridiculousness of the fact that my mom got married today so that will have to wait until tomorrow maybe...write during my lunch...possibly!  Until next time!

What Is Your Song?

Back in February, I wrote about how hearing certain songs can take you back.  Relive old memories of good or bad times.  Remind you of a specific event or person.  This is my favorite song RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT!  I posted the video on Facebook, Twitter and Google + yesterday once I figured out what it was called and who it was by.  Now for your viewing pleasure, "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line.

I really love this video.  Well I love the video because I love the song!  I seriously could listen to it on repeat all day long.  I have not found a song like that since the beginning of summer and I first heard "Shinin' On Me" by Jerrod Neimann.  Wait...you have never heard that one either?  Oh boy...here...watch now!

Now that you are all caught up...from the first moment I heard "Cruise" I had one specific person in mind.  Even though I have not even laid eyes on him since I first heard this song, he is the one I think of when I hear it.  I get all girly and start day dreaming about just taking off and driving into the middle of nowhere together and just getting away and escaping and just be with each other!

The way I feel when I hear this song is amazing.  I find a smile on my face and I can close my eyes and see his which, of course, makes me smile even bigger.  I really like this guy and I cannot even begin to find the actual words to tell him that.  I do not even  know him that well but I want to.  I want to know him.  I want to spend time with him.  I want to feel his arms around me again.  Once was NOT enough.  It left me wanting more.

It really is an unexpected feeling to be honest.  I have been very firm on the fact that I do not want to be in a relationship yet I find myself yearning for one.  If things work out the way I hope, I should get to see him again soon and you better believe that I am going to relish every moment that I am in his presence!

Until next time!

What Is The Coolest Thing You Ever Did For $25?

This airplane right here is quite possibly the coolest plane that I have ever seen.  This caravan used to come up from Shelton, WA on certain weekends during the summer so we could support all the crazy people who want to jump out of airplanes up here.  That open space you can see just behind the wing...yep...that is where the skydivers jump out of!  I will do that one day and I am hoping that it will be one day in August!

This last week I was going to see an old friend that I have not seen in a few years.  He lives and works down in the Olympia area.  That is almost two hours away.  I had worked on some choreography for Zumba with a friend of mine in the morning and it ran longer than I think we both had anticipated but we nailed it by the time we left!  My original intention was to go home, shower and then head to my dad's house to hang out with my sisters and nephews until my friend got off work and then head down to see him.  By the time I was ready to walk out the door, my friend was supposed to be getting off work at any time so I just started driving.

I managed to make it through Seattle and Tacoma with very little traffic (yeah).  I was getting closer to Olympia and had planned to just find a Starbucks and read my Nook until I heard from him.  Unfortunately, I am just a few miles away and get a text message saying that he had to cancel.  I was totally bummed...mainly because if I turned around and headed home just then, I would have been stuck in traffic for probably four or five hours to get through Tacoma and Seattle or Tacoma, Renton and Bellevue (depending on which direction I went).

I found a gas station and sent a text message to the pilot of the plane pictured above.  He has become a really good friend of mine.  I asked him what he was up to and he said that there was not anything going on so I decided Hell I just drove 1 hour and 45 minutes...I can drive another half hour.  I headed out to Shelton and found Skydive Kapowsin and he was not lying...it was quite and not busy at all.  He showed me around for a little while and then the weather opened long enough for them to put together a load and he asked if I wanted to go for a ride.

Seriously?!  Of course I did!  I paid and he got me all fixed up and into the plane.  Everybody gets in and we take off.  Now let me remind you that until a couple weeks ago, I had only flown commercially or in a Coast Guard helicopter but was taken for a flight in a Cessna 152.  We fly higher and higher until we suddenly break out of the clouds.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  Blue skies, sun shining, the top of Mount Rainier was visible too!  It took my breath away.  I honestly think I had a smile plastered on my face the whole time.  I will say it again but I do not want to be a pilot.  I have too much fun looking out the window and prefer to just be along for the ride.

I watched these crazy people jump out of the plane and when they were all out and clear of the plane, he just dove!  He said that we were going to descend at half the speed of free fall (which is 10,000 feet/minute).  It was better than a roller coaster!  It was the most exhilarating feeling!  It really is the coolest thing I have ever done in an airplane and the BEST $25 I have ever spent!  If that is how awesome it felt to fly down, I cannot wait to actually do a tandem!  I am planning to go on a Tuesday in August.  If anyone wants to go, let me know!  Now I want to know what is the coolest thing you ever did for $25.  Leave me a comment!  Can anyone top mine?

Until next time!

If This Is How My Week Has Started, I Do Not Want To See How It Will End!

I have had a week from hell.  I know for a fact that I have said this before...and probably on several occasions thinking that it truly was the week from hell but as this is MY Tuesday coming to an end, I cannot help but think about how shitty yesterday and today have been and how bad I really do NOT want to see how the rest of my week is going to play out.

Tuesday night I cannot sleep to save my life.  Seriously!  I tried closing my eyes and just laying there, willing myself to fall asleep and my eyes just kept popping open!  It was not until about 2:30am when they finally slammed shut...only having to open when the alarm went off about FOUR HOURS LATER.  I got up and felt pretty awake but by about 8:30am when it was time for me to leave for work, I had a horrendous headache.  Nothing worked!  I took Alieve.  I ate food.  I drank coffee (and lots of it).  I even broke down and drank a sugar free Red Bull (which is not that bad to be perfectly honest and HELLO...10 calories for an 8 oz can verses 220...Ladies and Gents I believe we have found ourselves a winner!).  It worked...but for only a couple of minutes after downing it and then the headache was back even worse.

The best way I have found to describe this headache (besides border-line migraine) is like this:  "Someone out there in the world got SHIT FACED last night and is walking around 100% fine...because they managed to pass on THEIR hangover to ME!"  Even my eyeballs hurt...opened and closed...I was just utterly miserable.  The only thing I wanted to do all day was come home, take a hot shower and crawl into my bed and just sleep and sleep and sleep the day away...but that was not an option.

I had been asked out for dinner last night.  I wanted to go home so bad but I also did not want to cancel because I was really excited to go.  I am glad that I went too!  I had a lot of fun and we were by the water and it was beautiful!  I will be going back there with my camera on a beautiful day and take pictures!  Maybe even ride the ferry and go exploring...

Okay so yesterday may have sucked total ass but last night was pretty great.  I was actually almost asleep by this time last night (with the help of three Tylenol PMs...side note...I cannot wait for Excedrin to be released back onto the market...I need Excedrin PM, Max Strength and Migraine like NOBODY'S business)!  I woke up this morning headache free!  I was so happy.  I thought that meant that today was going to be a good day.  Except for the fact that I did not get up to my alarm when I originally intended to so I missed out on my shower (never fret...I showered when I got home from work)...and remembered that I forgot to stop at the Vitamin Shoppe and get some more of my favorite Oh Yeah! Protein bars (Peanut Butter Caramel...I am telling you...AMAZING) so I had nothing for breakfast.

My stomach started screaming at me around 11:30am Feed me something other than coffee you moron!  I tried to tell it to stay calm...lunch would be in two hours and I would feed it something amazing!  I really wanted soup all day.  It was not really that cold out but it just felt like a "soup" kind of day.  Since I do not know where really good soup is in Snohomish, I figured that I would drive up to Subway and get my usual (6" Veggie Delight with a single serving of American cheese...it usually comes with a double serving...every single veggie they have and that is it...not mayo or mustard or anything) and maybe a cup of soup and just sit down and relax and enjoy my hour long lunch.  Boy was I wrong!

1:45pm rolled around and I asked if there was anything else that needed to be done before I could take my lunch.  Normally I get a "No...go ahead." but today I was told I had to wait until the tail boom was removed from one of our helicopters.  I was in shock.  I was starving and teetering on the edge of BITCH mode.  About two hours later, I was finally allowed to take my lunch but was told to only take a half hour.  You know what that means?  Healthy lunch 7-11 lunch!  All hope was lost when I took that first bite out of the Quarter Pounder Big Bite hot dog and any redemption was gone when I ate those Hostess cupcakes (both cupcakes were one serving so I enjoyed them).  I also snacked on some pepperoni sticks and Chili Cheese Frito's.  I tend to make very poor food choices when I am angry and in BITCH mode.

I tried to avoid people all day because I did not want to wound anyone with my mood.  It has been known to happen and I find it best to only communicate when absolutely necessary and to keep it short when I am that way.  I am so far from pleasant it is ridiculous and generally I am pretty nice...for the most part...but I get mean and nasty and not on purpose.  I am sorry if I bit anyone's head off today...it was not intentional!

Now it is bed time!  Until next time!

It Has Been A Week!

Last week seemed like it just dragged on and on and I remember calling it the week from hell but I honestly cannot remember why.  This week has been just exhausting.  I hung out with this cute guy on Monday night (I really hope to see him again) and then woke up Tuesday feeling a little under the weather.  That lasted until today.  I finally started to feel a little bit better today.  Being so tired this week though seemed to make the week drag.  I did manage to not smack my head on anything...until later this afternoon.

Yesterday was probably the worst so far (I still have two more days of work until my weekend starts).  I did not expect it to rain and went to work in tennis shoes only to have my socks soaking wet and walked around all day long hearing and feeling my feet go *squishy* *squishy* all day!  I literally peeled my socks off last night when I got home.  I spent most of the day inside waxing an airplane for a customer (and the plane is HUGE) and did not have to go outside much.  I did venture my way out to fuel some planes before I clocked out and my foot slipped off the clutch on the truck and it smashed into my shin.  It was that horrible kind of pain that instantly makes you want to cry and vomit at the same time.

I woke up this morning and was not sure if I was really feeling much better but I put on my brightly colored slap bracelet watch and walked out the door and felt like I could make it through the day!  Now I am super tired and I have to make my way to the store and get some arch supports for my blown out tennis shoes and get my butt in bed so I am rested for the Survivor Mud Run in the morning!  I drove out to Carnation and picked up mine and my mom's shirts and bibs.

Until next time!!!

Day 8: What Is In Your Handbag?

I almost think that it would be a shorter list of what is NOT in my bag!  Here is what is in there at this very moment!

Sunglasses (usually kept in my car so I do not forget or lose them)
Wallet
iPod Classic w/Skull Candy ear buds (blue)
Allergy pills/EpiPen (in case I get stung by a bee)
Car Keys (w/key tags for Aerie, Best Buy, Fred Meyers, Hot Topic, Rite Aid, Vision Quest, and Vitamin Shoppe)
Night guard (I tend to grind my teeth or lock my jaw up when I drive)
Work Keys
Aleve (for all those times I hit my head)
Nail file
Sharpie, Pen, and Pencil
Lighters
Watch
Spare set of car keys
Extra gum (Apple Pie flavored)
Pony tail holders
"The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young
Glasses
Two notebooks (1 for thoughts and 1 for recording my mileage on my running shoes)
Lotions and hand sanitizer
Bloggie
Chapstick/lip gloss
Travel Hair brush
Mints (Eclipse and Ice Breakers)
Business Cards
Zippo
Combination lock (from boot camp...and I still know the combo!)
Oh Yeah! bar (Peanut butter and Caramel)

Usually my cell and my Nook are in my bag too BUT they are both on the charger at the moment!

Exhaustion Just Cannot Take Over

I am so tired but my mind just cannot seem to stop.  I am not really thinking about anything particular...oh wait...yes I am.  I smashed my head, right behind my ear, on a step on a plane this afternoon and somehow managed to not cry or vomit (but I really wanted to).  My boss told me to close up and clock out early so I did and managed to even get myself to the gym.  I was still seeing stars by the way.

I went for three reasons.

Reason #1:  I have only been to the gym three times and it was for my training sessions.  I am paying for it and I really need to start using it!

Reason #2:  I got this gym membership because my boss put the idea in my head.  I signed up.  Got him to sign up and I had not even gone to the gym at the same time as him (not my fault though because he goes when I am normally working).  Needless to say when he told me to close up and when he was going to the gym I had to go.

Reason #3:  I have to get some upper body strength and my running stamina back up because I have the Survivor Mud Run obstacle course in 10 DAYS!!!  Here was my little rant about it.

I really need to get into the gym at least three days a week to do strength training and then I seriously need to run on my own.  I have to run on the street because I run slower and not as far on the treadmill.  What I really need is to find some kind of practice obstacle course and work on it.

I think I am finally going to give in and try to get some sleep.  My head still hurts like crazy so I do not think I will be reading tonight even though I want to.  I guess I will just have to stick with watching "Daria".

Until next time!

Possibly Borderline Crazy Awesome

In the last THREE days (count that out...one...two...three...) I have listened to "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" by Thompson Square on either my iPod, CD in my car or YouTube in its entirety probably close to 100 times...all while thinking about a certain person and a specific time when this song was playing...and I have cursed his name out loud or silently close to the last 30 times...I mean I loved this song before but now it just blows my mind and I replay that night over and over and so badly wish I could go back and maybe do a couple of things different but this is neither the time nor the place for that post!

While handing out cake tonight I was told "Thank you" and "You're awesome"...my response "You're welcome" and "I know it!"

I talk a lot with my hands and I can get pretty animated when the occassion calls for it...I had the owner of the studio I teach at laughing so hard I thought she was going to pee her pants...same with a fellow instructor...whom I had just met not more than 10 minutes earlier!

In two 8-hr shifts (15 hrs after a half hour lunch each day) I spent at least FIVE to SIX hours on my ass scrubbing the bellies of two airplanes...I was missing that extra padding I used to have around my ass dearly last week!

One of my best friends in the whole entire world informed me a few days ago that he's coming to visit me in April! I am excited and nervous to see him! I'm totally syked because I haven't seen him in over two years! He's been by me through some of the roughest times I have ever gone through and I am so lucky to have him in my life! I'm nervous because there has always been that sort of sexual tension between us but it was never the right place or right time...and a while back it was getting pretty suggestive and I'm nervous to see how this visit is going to go!

I have managed to control my dreams the last few nights...I read once that if you fall asleep really concentrating on something or someone then you will dream about whatever you were thinking about...my dreams were pretty freakin awesome which probably explains my lack of enthusiasm to get out of bed resulting in me getting up late the last two days.

Yesterday I woke up late. I took a chunk of skin out of my forehead while putting on my sweatshirt (which does not really require much talent given my genes). I was the first one up so there wasn't any coffee already made which meant I had to stop at Starbucks before heading to the dance studio to teach my class which caused me to get there later than I like (but still 15 minutes early). About 10 minutes into my class I had a wardrobe malfunction meaning that the removable strap on my top (that was supposed to have been sewn to the top so it would not do this exact thing) detached from the front, flying up and snapping me in the face...and all this happened while only being awake for just over ONE hour!

Thank you for reading my random thoughts!

Until next time!