Done!

So final check up post op today . . . everything looks good. The only ick note. Hemangiomas might possibly could . . . .

grow back.

Great, another lump that I can worry about in five years. At least she will probably have a tiny little scar that will let me know if it is on the same side or not.

I'm prepping for the fourth of July. The word is that Elvis may be at the parade. I'm pretty stoked. Go big T-Town. And lucky me, so far I'm suiting up the king!
Its a big day . . ..

We have also started the big potty training extravaganza.

Which started with a big bang . . . and quickly fizzled out. She used to sit on the potty three times at daycare, and she actually pottied twice while there. But the glamour has left the concept of peeing in a bowl I guess.

Its time to go to drastic measures and resort to bribery. What do you think . ..

three m's for pottying in the potty and five for a number 2?

I've also bought cars pull ups with the hopes of enticing her to the toilet. But I have no illusions of this method doing anything but encouraging her to show her underwear to strangers.

The joys of being a mommy! I can't wait until she's learning to put on makeup and driving.

Surgery

I called the doctor to see what to expect on Thursday. . .

to be told it was simply a consultation.

geez.

I'm frazzled enough.

I finally ' unfroze' at work and powered through getting caught up on some major projects . . .

Alaina will have surgery on Monday at 7:30 am.

I'm going to be nuts all weekend.

Hope yours goes great!

Seeing Spots

Today I took Alaina in to get a lump that is below her left armpit ultrasounded.
And while the news wasn't bad, it wasn't good.

Tomorrow at 1:45 I get to take my little girl in for a simple surgery to have it removed because it is "more solid" than the doctor had originally anticipated and would like to remove it to be on the safe side.

And while the doctor is pretty positive that everything is fine . . .
I'm still nervous beyond all recognition.

Best part of the trip

So I'm home, but I didn't have much time to write until now. Work is still a bear . . .oh well. I wish I was like OM and had a summer vacation to look forward to.


Anyway,


The best part of the trip was the flight home! I had a lot of fun chatting with the flight attendant since I was seated in the very last row right beside the aisle and there is a pull out jump seat that she sits in built into the back wall of the cabin.




I felt like a celebrity, we chatted about jobs and she got such a kick out of my silly Mal-Wart (name changed to protect the not so innocent corporate beast) and McD's that she took notes to tell her friends. She gets together with a bunch of friends and they swap stories for kicks and giggles.



I felt like a celebrity being interviewed on a flight.


I had a layover in Chicago, and I ran into her with two pilots in line to eat at the Chili's restaurant and they (I) invited me (myself, pretty much) to join them. It was really interesting to hear where they were from and how long they had been flying.


We received our bills and the waitress said we all needed to put our airline ID numbers on the receipt and sign because she had already added the 15% air employee discount. I didn't write or sign anything and handed her my card and the receipt. She handed it back and told me to write my employee number and sign . . . so I did.


hmmm. (There's more to the story, but I don't want to get anyone in trouble . . . ha ha!)

So here's a pic of me with my new co-workers!
Now lets see if I can remember the who's and where's of them.

I'm sitting by Vince from Alberta (Go Canada!) Across from me is Christine from Chicago, and beside her is Byron from east St. Louis . . .not to be confused with St. Louis, because there IS a difference.

I'm still here . . .

But not really. Right now I'm actually in Cincinnati, having been giving a last minute training assignment. I didn't really want to leave Lincoln due to timing, but I'm glad they gave me the opportunity to come and train.
Frankly, the work environment has beena little stressful lately. 3 of the 4 members of my team were given a "be where we think you should be - or else" letters, me being one of the 3. The fourth member of our team has had this job for almost ten years while the rest of us were all onboarded in the last 2 1/2 years. I've always been pretty good at office politics, but my manager doesn't really play the game which leaves the rest of us in a tight spot. I've hashed and rehashed this with everyone I can talk to about it and have come down to one decision. - Do my best to make the job work while looking for something else . . .
or win the lottery.

But since I never seem to remember to buy a ticket, I guess its option one.

I'm ready to be home and see my family, even though its been fun here. I get a little turned around with directions, but always seem to get where I'm trying to go. I think I might hit the little outlet mall across the street from my hotel this evening unless something comes up.

A Night's Tale

I'm still, everything has jsut been a little crazy and it will continue for at least 2 more weeks.

Jeff will be home tomorrow at midnight to end his second week of training in Michigan, just in time for a small family gathering for Alaina's b-day which is tomorrow.

Disney and my time with Stacey in Florida was great, but work was hanging over my head the whole time. I'm so behind it makes me wish I was back in school and had a big long summe vacation to use to recharge. Sunday I leave for a week of training in Cinti. It is a needed training, but I really just want to catch up.

But to give you a glimpse of the lighter side of life here's my tale from two nights ago . . .

The time is 4 a.m.

The cat has been scrambling around in the dark for about a half an hour and I'm getting frustrated because she usually quits after about 10 minutes . . .but not that night.

I finally get up, and since I'm blind as a bat without my glasses I can see the white and black of the cat against the ligth carpet letting me know she's sitting at the bottom of the stairs. I have this neat cat toy that hangs from a door frame that she likes to drag down stairs and play with in the middle of the night and I can see it sitting at her feet. I turned on the lights and prepared to grab her and her toy and toss them into the unfinished store room so that I wouldn't have to listen to her scratch the carpet . . when her toy rolls over

by itself.

The cat had apparently caught herself her first mouse and had been in the process of toying with it for the last half an hour. I sat there eeking ans squeeking along with the mouse as the cat played with it for another five minutes, urgently hissing at kitty to "just kill it already!" She had more run letting it get about 1-2 feet away from her before dragging it back to play mental games. She had crippled it enough that is wasn't moving quickly . . . but that didn't stop me from almost hyperventilating everytime she let is start to move away.

I had to grab a disposable container and scoop it up as the cat tried to keep me from taking her new plaything away. I walked the container out the the out side trash can and tossed it in . . .

after I screamed when two birds flew out of the shadows and scaring me to death.

And after all that, when I got back in . . . kitty showed her appreciation of the removal of her new toy by attacking and sinking her teeth into my feet.

For the rest of the night . . .

And I woke up to her staring me down nose to nose at 5:30 a.m. Wondering when I was going to bring her toy back. It was a not so fun night.

But Stacey really appraciated hearing the story . . . at least the second time . . .when I didn't wake her up at 4 a.m. to talk about rodents. Or when I squeaked at the black beetle that startled me as I came up the stairs at 4 a.m.

Busy, busy, busy . . .Break!

This month has been surreal.

Last week was a happy/messy week. I tell everyone my mood was Happy with a chance of impending doom. But my happiness outweighed the doom most of the time.

The best was Jeff getting a day job: last week was his first week on the day shift, it was amazing! We got to hang around the house and do nothing in particular but we were together! I actually remember some of the things he told me! Yay!

Friday I went with a friend to a garden show. The UNL spring event preview dinner the night before. It was really nice and the food was fantastic. I managed to curtail my spending this year to under $30. not bad for someone who tore up their entire garden huh?

Saturday was Jeff's birthday, and I feel bad because last year we had a big shindig for the big 30. But this year I didn't even get around to telling him happy b-day until 11 am. oops.
Jeff shared his birthday with our good friend Scott who turned 30 this year so it was a great big ol party for him. He shaved his hair into a mohawk for the occasion, but was going to cut it really short the next day to get rid of it. It was pretty cool!

Sunday Jeff's parents were there and gave us a big b-day gifts and I got a salt cellar. Umm . . . I already had one you say? Well oops again, I forgot to send my b-day list to the inlaws so they went off of my x-mas list. But it is a lidded glass dish that is the exact height of q-tips and its pretty too! Tada! I haven't had a q-tip holder in my upper bathroom since I broke the last pretty purple one.

Then come this week. I'm trying not to get to nuts before Wednesday, but I'm so excited to go see Stacey! Tomorrow I take Alaina to get picked up by Mimi and Papa. We will eat out for my b-day and then I'll head home to pack. And right after work Wednesday, its straight to the airport. I'm going to grab a drink at the airport when I get to Chicago I think. Since I'm not going to be driving . . .why not?

Stacey called to ask if I wanted a pair of mouse ears . . heck yes I do! Then she quotes me the price . . . 16-20 dollars. . . .heck no I don't ; ) Not for a pair of plastic mouse ears, no thank you! Maybe I'll change my mind when I get down there, but for now, I'll stick with no.

And the worst part about getting ready to go down . . . .swimsuit shopping. Ouch! It was rough going for a while, but I finally found a suitable suit. Thanks goodness and just to make myself a little more secure, two mini trips to the tanning booth. 20 minutes to a new me!

and that's about all I can handle right now, I didn't get much sleep since Alaina decided to have nightmares last night. Zombie mommy is signing off.