Wednesday, July 29, 2009

J-O-B

I have just completed the third day of my new job and I must say that it is GREAT! I am SO thankful. Starting a new job is always risky, but I must say that this risk really paid off. All of my co-workers are SO nice and I'm getting to work on all sorts of projects that are new and exciting. I've definitely been thrown into the mix of things because they are really busy...which is good of course because no one likes to sit and watch the clock.

In addition to the awesome new job we also got some good news regarding John's job. The news is basically that he still has his job. Yeah! Hopefully we will both stay employed throughout the rest of the year.

I still have to blog about my Mid-State adventures from last weekend, but I've been trying to get ready for our garage sale this weekend. It's a MAJOR clean out this week!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Blender is Back Part 2

A couple of weeks ago John and I headed to Avila to get a smooth from our favorite place, Blazing Blenders. Ever since I wrote this post about them reopening in Avila I have become somewhat of a regular. I’m not only known as the girl who orders a cherry breeze, but I’m also known by my first name. Who doesn’t love being a regular?

So when we showed up this past weekend the owner said he had something ‘funny’ to show me. He walks over and grabs the free publication ‘Dining & Nightlife San Luis Obispo County’ and turns to the page where the Blazing Blender’s ad is located. This is what I see:

What the heck?? I instantly start laughing. I could not believe my photo made it into the publication! The owner then proceeds to tell me how the lady from the publication called and told him she needed a photo. He said OK, but never got around to giving her one. Then later she told him she didn’t need one because she got one online!

I am slightly surprised she didn’t email me to get permission to use it, but she probably figured since I’m such a fan I wouldn’t mind...which is true. Plus I know that any image I put on this blog is free for the taking. That is why I only post flattering photos of myself…I mean of everyone!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Free? Yeah Right!

A few months ago I heard of the ‘free’ online music site Pandora.com and how great it was. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I thought. However I kept on hearing about it so once I started my new job I thought I would give it a try. I soon learned that all those rave reviews were RIGHT ON! This site totally blew my mind! I could not believe how great it was and how easy it was to create the stations of the music you want to hear. Granted there were often small commercials every so often, but it wasn’t really that bad. I was so impressed that I started asking other people if they knew about it, and if not they needed to check it out.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED.

Yesterday as I’m rocking out to my mellow soft rock tunes my music stops. I check the site and it says ‘I’m sorry you’ve reached your 40 hours of listening for the month. To continue listening please pay me because this deal WAS too good to be true.’ I just sat their stunned. 40 hours is the limit? One work week? Who were they kidding? Are they telling me that they don’t make enough money with all of their ads to allow their users more hours of music? I am so disappointed. Now I have to site at work in silence and listen to the annoying sound of my computer.

Are there any other music sites out there that mean it when they say ‘Free’ music?

Thursday, July 16, 2009

10 Things

I totally thought I was back in the blog of things, but apparently I’m not. I was so motivated for what…a week? Yeah I know that’s pathetic, but a thing called life kept bringing me down, and when that happens I have no desire to write.

Since this is my first post in over a week, (minus The Hangover post), I’ll entertain you by giving you 10 tid-bits of what’s been going on.

1. I will be starting (another) new job in a week! Crazy right? I feel really bad leaving my current work place because I was hired on to help out a friend, and I was only there for 2 months. Not the best employee I know, but this new job is with a local company who produces eye wear. What is exciting is that I will be designing for the product (packaging/displays), and it includes web work! I feel so blessed to have landed this job, as I really didn’t think I had a chance. (I had interviewed there twice before). Another plus is the company is pretty big and everyone I met seemed really nice. One downer is that I won’t start accruing PTO for 3 months. I know I don’t necessarily need time off since I just had 10 months, but I still like to know that if I need to I can take a day. It also means that I probably won’t be able to make it out to Georgia this year which stinks. Georgia you say? Why would I want to go to Georgia? That brings me to #2…

2. My best friend, Rebekkah, and her family are moving to Georgia in two weeks for two years! It shouldn’t affect our relationship that much since we currently live 5.5 hours away from each other. However it will definitely make it harder to have a weekend visit with her. I am so excited for her and her family to have this once in a lifetime experience. They found an AWESOME rental house in Atlanta and I really can’t wait to visit. A few weekends we headed up north for one last visit. Here are a few photos:

3. I recently went and saw an orthopedist about my Achilles (since it’s been injured for 9 months now). After looking at my MRI he basically didn’t have any new revelations for me. He was concerned that I didn’t know what has caused the injury since I’m so young. He told me to continue to stretch it and ice, and if it was still bad in 3 months to go back and see him. He also told me of this new treatment where they take some of your blood, put it in a centrifuge and then re-inject it in the injury. Hopefully there will be some place that local that could do that for me. I’m getting desperate! One good thing that came from the visit is that he had me go get a nighttime sling. This sling allows my Achilles to stay stretched while I sleep. So far I think it is helping. Both mornings when I woke up it wasn’t that sore. Hopefully this will be the trick. Isn’t it stylish?

4. John and I have also joined a semi-private training group at a local gym. Let me just say that I’ve never done anything like this before AND I cannot believe I’m paying for it. John and I were SO sore for the first two weeks it was horrible! It’s gotten a little better but I dread it every time we go. Seriously…the warm up is sometimes harder than the workout! I blame it on the planks…front, left side, right side, and reverse. How can there be so many different ways to torture oneself? On a positive note, our work outs are customized for our injures…(John’s back, and my Achilles and shoulder). For me it’s totally trial and error in seeing what exercises I can do. For example…last night I was to do 30 30’s for 30 minutes. (30 seconds really fast on the elliptical and then 30 seconds at a normal pace for 30 minutes.) Let me just say that I was SO tired after this, but my Achilles felt fine…until I got home. It started to get sore right before I went to bed and in the middle of the night I was in so much pain I could barely put any weight on it. Luckily by morning it was better but still not back to normal. This was the first time where I had no warning that the exercise I was doing was hurting my foot. It’s extremely frustrating to not be 100% healthy and being so limited in what I can do. I would love to do some aerobic activity. Oh well…hopefully it will get better.

5. I just finished my last book club selection which means the group will be getting together in a few weeks to pick our next round. Exciting!

6. My friend Steph had her second child last month, a girl named Sydney. I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t even had time to meet her. I definitely wasn’t prepared at how much my life was going to change once I went back to work. I think I’ve only gone to the grocery store 2 times in the last 2 months and I think the only meal I cooked was over the 4th of July when my parents were visiting. It makes me sad that I don’t have time to cook anymore or do any of the other crafty things I used to do. I’m hoping that my mind will (sooner than later) forget what it was like to be a house wife.

7. In wedding news…my sister-in-law hired the photographer who took the anniversary photos of John and I last year. I am SO excited! I love being able to give referrals to people who I think do great work. I was worried that I would never find him a client(s) since most of my friends have gotten hitched, but I lucked out! I might have to strategically park the mini in the background so it can make it in a few shots. Speaking of the Mini…

8. Looks like our customized plate MINIBOO is taken! I know!! I can’t even believe I have to think of other options when we’ve been planning on that pate for years! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Please let me know if you have any good ideas. We would prefer to have the word ‘mini’ in it somewhere. I’ve seen two good ones around town. They were ‘MINUTE S’ and ‘SLO BRIT’. Both pretty clever. Mine needs to be better though!

9. We are heading up to the bay area this weekend for a baby shower and I can’t wait! I know it will be lots of fun. We are also going to get to meet up with some friends of ours who just moved to San Jose so I’m excited to see them as well.

10. Also in a few weeks we will be headed back up to the bay area to see my neck doctor for a post opp ultra sound. I got some blood work done a few months ago and there were still signs of thyroid cells in my blood. I guess before the surgery it was 3.8 and now it’s a 1.7. It is good that it is lower, but it should be undetectable. So hopefully the doctor will find out where they are hiding, although I’m not sure if that will mean I will have to go under the knife again. However if she can’t find them that probably means waiting for another ultra sound. Or maybe if she can’t find them I’ll have to have more blood work done and maybe they won’t be there anymore! Wishful thinking right? Here’s an updated photo of my scar. I was taking them every week, but I fizzed out after the first few months. I really wanted to show the progression of the healing. Oh well.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

What happens in Vegas...

John and I went and saw The Hangover tonight. How could a movie not be good with a post like this?Seriously! Look at that baby in those shades!

This has by far been one of the funniest movies I have seen in a LONG time. Granted I have yet to see Bruno, but this was well worth the cash. By far my favorite part of the movie came at the end when they showed the photos. That is all I' going to say, but some of those photos hit so close to home that I was in tears! I just tried to Google the photos and could not find them. I don't think I can wait until the movie comes out on DVD to see them again.

So if you are looking for a good laugh I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Check out The Nard Dog toothless:

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Still Happy

We have now owned the mini for 4 days and each day I love it more and more. It still doesn’t feel like it is ours though…I wonder how long that will take. I really can’t believe how exciting having a new car can be. I have the hardest time not smiling while driving. Maybe it’s so exciting for me because I’ve had my Maxima for 10.5 years and I barely remember the day I got that car! How many cars have you had in the last 10 years? I know John has had 4. Think about it…for me, if I have one car every 10 years that means I will only own 3-4 more cars! That is not a lot, so it is a good thing we got the mini when we did.

I also think that adding to the excitement is that we’ve wanted a mini for so long and now our dream has come true. I honestly never thought I would get to own a mini. Well maybe not until I was 50. If you have a dream car, or a dream ANYTHING set the goal right now to one day achieve it. After feeling the joy the mini has brought me I want you all to experience the same thing by making your own dream(s) come true. Since dealing with my cancer I have realized that life is too short, and I for one do not want to have any regrets. (Which includes one day dying my hair a color in the rainbow someday).

We have yet to receive our owners manual, but it is kind of fun trying to figure everything out. I keep forgetting that BMW makes minis so it’s really like a mini (no pun intended) BMW. I keep finding similarities in the BMW we used to own. For one it has the dashboard computer which includes all sorts of neat stats. My fave is the temperate gage. John and I would always play ‘Guess the temp’ in the old Bimmer…ahhh the memories. It also has really heavy doors, super comfy seats, and stereo controls on the steering wheel. Man did I miss those! When we sold the Bimmer last year I really didn’t think that I’d ever have a car with that feature again.

Another thing that seems a bit odd to me is that I feel like the mini is our new baby. I know super weird right? But it’s true! I seriously want to take photos of all it’s firsts…car wash, filled tank, road trip, visitors, passengers, etc. Even the first night we had it home John and I checked on it before we went to bed. (Probably because neither of us could be believe it). I even washed the windshield last night! I have only ever done that at a gas station…not at home! I have the feeling there will be regular car washes happening on the weekends.

John’s company car got picked up yesterday. I’m actually a bit sad even though it wasn’t the greatest…although it did have some sweet features that my Maxima does not have. It was a total after thought that I realized I should have taken some photos of it. Last night I was looking through the photos I took this past weekend and I found this one.
The last shot of the civic. I’m so thankful John's eyes are open.

Note - Hopefully our new license plate will be MINIBOO...good guesses people!