Bring on the weekend!

I just gotta say, the last couple of days have been very trying. I just gotta tell you about all the silly, kind of funny, crazy things that have been going on.

• I got a call yesterday that our wedding invitations were in. Yay! I went to pick them up & just about screamed when I saw them. Our names are printed in the body of the invitation & then they are also printed along the left margin, going up the side of the invite. Wouldn't you know that the margin line read "Mary & Mike". UGGHHHH! I never ever ever go by the name Mary & it didn't even occur to me to specify. So back to the printer they go. Thank God there will be no additional charges.
• I had to work at my second job yesterday. I got there & one of the other part-time techs stopped by to say hello while she shopped. She also wanted to inform us that she had gotten text messages from several of her friends who said that they had heard on the news that there was going to be some sort of gang iniation in town last night. The gang 'recruits' were supposed to hang out at Wal*Mart & shoot three women in the parking lot. I don't work at Wal*Mart, but she wanted to warn us b/c she thought maybe any parking lot would be dangerous. Nice! Just what you want to hear. Her friends also said that they had heard the story on the news. One of my co-workers called her daughter to ask her if she had heard about it & the daughter said it had already happened & one lady had already been shot. We all moved our cars closer to the building & made a plan to leave together. I called Mike & my parents & asked them to watch the news while we kept an eye on the internet for reports. The whole thing was hogwash. And an additional stress that none of us needed. I've been especially nervous about gang stuff lately b/c there's been some graffiti in my neighborhood. Yucky stuff, but I just gotta trust the Lord to take care of me.
• Then I got to work this morning. Oy. We were notified by our landlord that our electric bill was messed up & our power could be turned off. That was an interesting research project. Who do I call? The utility company? Someone at corporate? WHO at corporate? I work for a ginormous international company so where do I even start? Well, I got that one tackled & I found someone to take care of it. Hopefully we won't be in the dark anytime soon.
• I checked my direct deposit b/c today is PAYDAY! Yay! Except I shorted myself 40 hours of pay due to a typo. Not good folks, not good. So I had to track down how to take care of that. By typing in my employee id incorrectly I shorted myself & probably overpaid someone else at another location. What a mess, but I should get a check by Monday.
• They sent me a new desktop. Yay! Except now I have to figure out how to transfer all of my files from this computer to the new one. And then call IT to set up the printer. And resolve never to type again while I'm eating so that my new keyboard won't get full of crumbs like this one.
• My boss went on vacation yesterday & we have received two inquiries for two new customers. They ask all kinds of impossible questions regarding charges & fees, etc. & I have to try to answer them. We haven't had a call like that in months. What else will happen while he's basking in the warm Florida sun?

Ok, I know. Enough griping. It's just amazing how everything happens at once! It makes me so grateful for the weekend. It also makes me grateful that I can pray & ask the Lord to set a watch over my mouth & give me the grace to apologize when I get sharp with my co-workers. I'm sure you all understand the struggle that can take place when someone makes constant demands on you or behaves in a very passive-aggressive way. Yep, gotta have some divine control when those kinds of evil shenanigans are going on.

I hope you all have a wonderful, restful, & productive weekend! I'm going to get some miles in (3 today, 11 tomorrow, & 1 on Sunday), go with Beth to get her dress fitted, meet with the cake lady, celebrate my sweet g-pa's b-day, enjoy a couple of worship services, & hopefully get something done around the house.

Just Wanted To Say...

I'm not all about making a big deal of St. Patrick's Day. After all, I am not Catholic or whatever. But my family is very Irish, so I had to break out the green shirt, frog socks & Gaelic Storm CD today. Nothing like having a little something to celebrate at the end of a long winter. If someone offered me a cloverleaf cupcake, I would not refuse it!

Also, I just really wanted to draw your attention to the fact that it is:

3 months

3 weeks

3 days

until I'm a Mrs.! That = 116 days. Yoowza, there's still lots to do!

Poll Question

The other day the newest pharmacist at my job mentioned that he had noticed I always drink a soda in the afternoon, usually in the last hour of my shift. I got to thinking about it & realized that I am kind of very habitual about my beverages. I drink lots of water throughout the day. I drink coffee in the morning. I drink my diet soda in the afternoon & if I am working my second job I usually have a diet soda there, too (oddly enough, usually in the last hour of my shift). I always seem to be thirsty & I have the very bad habit of guzzling rather than sipping. I even drink my soda from a can with a straw to slow myself down, but it doesn't really work.

So...my question for you is this: what do you like to drink? Are you a water drinker or a tea guzzler? A coffee lover or a soda fan? Anybody else out there as weird as me with a drinking schedule? ;-)

I was right!

The Ladies' Retreat that I was able to attend was wonderfully good & refreshing. I got very little rest, but I did get lots of fun fellowship time (including running in to a couple of other Northland girls that I haven't seen in AGES). There was a group of sixteen ladies from our church. They are all such great fun & it was great bonding time, giggling over our ice cream & making late night calls from room to room at the hotel (ok, so that was just me...).

The theme of the retreat was 'Welcome Home' & the speaker focused on how we are supposed to make Christ the foundation of our lives. Her speaking style was very unique & I got a lot out of her teaching but I was totally unable to organize it into points 1, 2, 3. She actually apologized to all Type A listeners b/c she knew her style would drive them crazy. We laughed a lot as she related illustrations & confessed her shortcomings. I really appreciate teachers who can be transparent like that. Her teaching was a blessing & the thought that has stuck most strongly in my mind was a question she asked about how I choose to live: will I continue to entertain myself with the very things that Jesus suffered for on the cross? Will I continue to choose sin when I know that sin is what caused Him to suffer on the cross?

I was able to attend a workshop on 'Making My Quiet Time Quite A Time'. Another blessing b/c this is an area that I struggle with greatly. The teacher suggested falling in love with Psalm 119 b/c it focuses so much on God's Word & how we are to respect & love it.

I also attended a workshop on 'Keeping It Sweet'! It was a marriage workshop & I felt kind of goofy going to it, but I figured maybe it would offer some tricks of prevention for my life post July 11th ;-) The teacher was hilarious, using different kinds of candy to symbolize different attitudes & aspects of marriage. It was refreshing to listen to a lady who has been married for nearly 25 years & seems to be overjoyed about it. So many people have negative attitudes about their marriage or their partner (maybe I see this a lot b/c I worked with unsaved people) that it causes me to think what's the point? We are just going to make ourselves miserable! And then I get the opportunity to be around some happily married folks & it reminds me why we're taking the plunge. I was encouraged even more to pray that I will be an effective help to Michael, that we will be what the Lord wants us to be.

All in all, a fabulous weekend! I was encouraged, convicted, refreshed, & invigorated. The Lord is so good to give us these times to really focus on Him & His Word. I don't know about you, but I definitely need it!

I'm Feeling Spoiled!

I only have about 30 minutes left in my work week, the sun is shining (although it is still a little chilly), & in just a few hours I get to leave town for a Ladies' Retreat! Combined with yesterday's trip to the salon, I'm feeling more than a little spoiled.
I'm looking forward to the time away with the girls, spending time singing & studying God's Word. I think it will be refreshing & I will have to consciously NOT think about the massive To Do List I'll be leaving behind. I will also not have to think about missing Mike...I know, I know - super sappy & totally not like me, but that's how it is these days.
Wedding News Flash - we ordered our invitations last night. I think we got a deal - only $89 for 125 invitations. And we also selected the napkins for the reception. Those were a bit of a rip off. Our colors are Victorian Lilac & Honeydew. There is no such thing as a Honeydew hued napkin. So we are going for all Vicky Lilac. But those crazy things are about $30/100 napkins! So we decided to order 200 printed napkins & 200 plain napkins to mix together. Even with not printing them all the napkins are about the same price as the invites. Total silliness if you ask me.
My latest obstacle - an alternative to the typical guest book. I've seen the ceramic & silver plates you can sign & I've seen the photo mat deal. Neither one really appeals to me. If you have any clever ideas please share them with me! I'd be ever so grateful.

Gotta jet...super wonderful weekend wishes to you all!

Ahhh...relaxation!

In just a couple of hours, this will be me. I have an appointment today to get my hair colored/cut. I cannot explain to you how much I look forward to this little splurge every six weeks. DeAnn is my 'stylist' & we have so much fun, chatting & catching up on each other's news. She does the best job - a nice little massage when she washes my hair, a cozy little salon, never in a rush, & she can straighten my hair like no other.

Did I mention that I'm looking forward to a little pampering? And just maybe we'll have a few minutes to play with hairstyles for the wedding - less than four months to go!

Hurray!

Yeah, I'm a happy dancing girl b/c I just made a phone call to Menard's to ask if they would honor their sale price on our ceiling fan even though it was purchased the day before the sale began. Their answer - a store credit could be issued for the difference. Yay! Cash would be even better, but considering the fact that I have a kitchen faucet on my Wish List that is available at their store, I won't complain. I love it, I love it, I love it!

Kitchen Update

I know these pics are a little sad b/c they are so little, but I uploaded them from my phone so it's the best I could do. You can see in these pics the wooden countertops Mike has built. I love them! They are stained but not sealed yet. Hopefully we can get some warm, non-windy days soon so that he can take them outside & finish them up.

Mike got a kit & converted the dummy drawers in front of the sink into those little flip out things. So nice! One side even has a little ring holder. And he thought of that all on his own. I came home one day & he had just done it. What a guy!

This built in hutch had enamel paint on the counter top part. We hadn't done anything with it yet b/c a surface with enamel paint has to be roughed up or paint will just peel off of it. When Mike started to sand the boards he decided just to sand the paint all the way off. Voila! We have a beautiful old wood counter top for the hutch now. I think it looks great!

We also decided that the ceiling fan needed to be replaced. It was a nice one, but it was brass & cherry wood. All of our hardware is brushed nickel & the wood is definitely not cherry. We found this one at Menard's & installed it Saturday. The following day it went on sale for $21 less. *sigh* I guess you can't win all of the bargain wars, can you?

Anyway, for once we had a productive weekend! I wasn't working or sick so we were able to tackle our To Do List with gusto. Also, on Friday I got to meet with my two bridesmaids & get them fitted for their dresses. So we got a little bit of wedding stuff done, too!

One more little thing...

I know I'm pale. What's a girl to do? It's the middle of winter. Plus, I try to do the responsible thing & use moisturizer with sunscreen. I've been doing this for the past couple of years & my complexion is noticeably fairer, especially in the winter. It annoys me that doing the healthful thing makes me look unhealthy to others (and to myself). So what's the compromise? What do all of you guys do? Sunscreen on your face year round or are you tanning it up?

WHAM!

That's the sound of me getting bulldozed by the Mac Truck of Sickness yet again! I don't understand it - I don't even have little kids & yet I seem to be sick a little too often for my comfort. I should have known it was coming b/c last week several people remarked to me that
I was looking very pale and had I been sick? Nope, but I was fixin' to be sick! Just didn't know it yet. It officially started Thursday morning when I woke up. I had a deep painful ache in my chest. One hot steamy shower later the ache was mostly gone so I shrugged it off & bolted out the door for a two-job (i.e. 14 hour day). I ended up driving almost all day for my full-time job. Every time I got in and out of the car I wondered why my legs were so super achy. And I just felt out of sorts. But I just dismissed it as tiredness & headed off for job #2. By now it's 3:30 p.m. & my armor is wearing thin. I got to job #2 & saw the schedule for the next week & started to cry b/c I was scheduled for 4 days. People, that is way more than I can handle! 51 hours a week is enough; 63 hours a week is too much! We are converting to a new computer system & so there are additional hours to cover training sessions, etc. What I didn't know at that point is that the schedule was open to adjustments. I think before the shift was over I had cried about 5 times. Not sobbing or anything, but definitely tearing up. At this point I didn't even feel all that bad - no fever, just achy & out of sorts. Mike & Beth were texting me Bible verses to encourage me - it was so sweet! I went straight home after work. Mike was there working on the kitchen. I took my temp. & it was starting to climb. He administered some rapid release tylenol, told me good bye & I went to bed. And that's where I stayed all day Friday. I wasn't any better on Saturday (actually a little worse) so I had to go to the urgent care clinic. They did a strep test, it came back positive, & they gave me a shot. I headed home, had a snack, went back to bed. I woke up a while later with a horrible stabbing pain in my right side that went up through the right side of my chest. I could hardly draw a shallow breath. I made about 8 phone calls, Mike got there & we finally just decided that maybe I was having a bout of pleurisy. I could breathe, it just hurt a lot. After a while it subsided but it took almost the whole rest of the day for it to go away completely. It was very frightening. So the rest of Saturday was spent mostly in bed. I was starting to feel like the grandparents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Remember how they never got out of bed? Anyway, yesterday I still struggled some with fever but I felt well enough to go over to mom & dad's. They fed me & let me do all my laundry. Wow, it had been about 3 weeks since I had done laundry. I was grateful for my ginormous wardrobe (mostly accumulated when I was a mall employee & I could scope out the sale racks three times a week).

Anyway, thanks be to God I'm upright & at work today. However, I am taking the day off from job #2. I didn't think I could pull a 14-er today. Too much!

I just gotta say, if you are sick, my people are the ones to have around. Mike's momma is a sweetie. She sent me a pot of delicious homemade chicken noodle soup on Friday. Mike spent countless (I'm sure boring) hours with me. While I cried, while I slept, while I lay there like a slug. He worked on the kitchen, ran errands for me, & held my hand. What a sweetie! My parents were awesome, too. Checking in on me, taking me to the doctor, buying me McD's. The list goes on & on. I may not have been blessed with super good health lately, but I surely have enjoyed God's blessing in how I have been cared for.

Anybody out there have immunity boosting tips???