Feeling Pretty!

Well, I know my mom is going to love this post, because most of it is about the stuff she bought me for Christmas. Today I decided I would try out the make-up and stuff she bought me. First off I was addicted to some make-up when I was younger, but kind of grew out of wearing it on a regular basis. I think that is mostly because I developed a kind of allergy to it. Mostly I think it is because I wore the cheap stuff. I mean when I was a kid I mostly wore Avon, which isn't too bad. When I moved out on my own, I in no way could afford to pay ten bucks for mascara! So I eventually stopped wearing it all together. Not that it was a bad thing, because during that time I really learned to love how I look naturally. Which being able to accept yourself as you are is very important. Anyways, my mom has discovered a really awesome way to get make-up cheaply from Walgreens. So for Christmas she got me a nice make-up bag and tons of quality make-up that is mostly nourishing or hypoallergenic.

Okay, first off today I wore Rimmel eye liner. Which was really awesome, because it goes on smoothly, and I don't have to press very hard. My eyes are a little sensitive. Then I wore Almay one coat nourishing mascara. This is a great product because I even took a nap wearing it, and it doesn't do that thing were it gets your lashes all crunchy and itchy. I tried out some of the eye shadow, it was Markwins, a nice bronze color. Which the lipstick was the same brand. I loved the color because it was a nice auburn that had a slight glitter to it.

Now my biggest issue is finding cover up that works, doesn't itch, and doesn't come off with the slightest touch. Today I tried out the Cover Girl Aqua smooth mom got me. You use a small sponge and rub it onto trouble areas. It blends really nice and I couldn't even tell I was wearing it.

Honestly, if I had to go out and buy all this off the shelf full price I would say she could have easily spent two to three hundred dollars on the make-up. The stuff I mentioned above is only a couple of the things in the bag she got me. I have several different types of cover up, mascara, lipstick, eye shadow, and eye liner. She also got me some gentle makeup remover. I also use cleansing pads on my face so it stays more clear.

Trust me, I never thought I would see the day I would write an entire blog post about make-up, but honestly I went out today and felt pretty. It made me feel more confident to know that I didn't just look ok, I looked really good. Confidence is key to happiness and success in life.

Merry Christmas

I was having some strong thoughts and really just wanted to share them.
First of all this may be the very best Christmas I have had in years. I have a amazingly wonderful loving boyfriend, Justin, who has given me wonderful gifts and showered me in love and affection. My ex who is my roommate, Chris, has been just a great friend all together and very supportive of me. Then my family has been amazing. I was able to buy just tons of gifts for Mickey and Holden. Which seeing them happy and having fun makes this holiday even more amazing. Plus my Dad was in a good mood for once, and it was so much fun having everyone together. Then we added yet another member to the family adoptive wise and have Brandon's friend Heather come spend Christmas with us. We had a amazingly fun get together, were we all got great gifts, and good food. Mickey and Holden got a Wii thanks to Jeremy and we all took turns playing on it.
I am pretty proud of myself because I have been able to ignore small triggers of things that would upset me or ruin the happiness this holiday has brought me this year.
The past few years I can't say I have had bad Christmas's, but they weren't happy or heart warming. I guess you can say I was fairly hum bug, although I didn't show it on the outside.
I am thankful to have enough money right now, I can pay my bills and then some. I am thankful for the fact that Egypt's puppies are healthy and happy. I am glad that me and my mom aren't fighting, because I know it is hard on the kids. Justin isn't a perfect boyfriend, but I am grateful that the longer we are together, the better he gets. I guess I am happy that I do have things good, and I am so glad to have this great Christmas, I know I will never forget it. :)

EHHHH
I am soo tired, but I can't sleep. I finally gave up and decided to get on the computer. World of Warcraft is shut down for maintenance. Blah. So I got on facebook and finally updated all my stuff on there. I am not alone in my not sleeping. Justin can't fall asleep either. We have a bunch of stuff to do today too! We have to take the dogs to get their shots, and drop off Garth to get him fixed. Oh, and before and after that we have to pick up and drop off the one dog I did sell because I told her I would get her shots for her. Then we have a eye appointment at WalMart for Chris and Justin. So they are both gonna get new glasses. Chris hasn't had his in years! Justin just needs new ones because he hasn't had his eyes checked in years.
Egypt is doing really good with her puppies. They are all very cute and healthy. I can't even tell which one is the runt of the litter. I am just still shocked she had a all white puppy. Pure white.
I am getting pretty excited for Christmas. I got almost all my gifts wrapped and ready to go! I have a hutch in the kitchen that has our tree on it, and it is covered in gifts. I am excited to see the kids freak out over what they are getting. Heck, I am gonna freak out over what they are getting! We are gonna have a blast! I have to say this year is coming to a pretty good end.

World of Warcraft

Wow, it has been over a month since I have posted on here. I guess I really haven't been in the blogging spirit much lately, but there is nothing like a good snow storm to get you stuck indoors and make you want to write! Especially when Blizzard chose now to download their new patch, and made my game sooo laggy that I can't play.
Which makes me wanna throw my laptop across the room. :)
ANYWAYS! I have come to the realization that I am a little more then addicted the game and I am trying during this down time to find other enjoyable activities to do. Like I have a new book from my House of Night series to read. I am the 5th book call Hunted. Which I have read most of it today and it has been really awesome so far. They only have one more book out right now. If I had gotten over to my mom's before the snow hit I could have been working on my Christmas cards. I don't have many to send, and she has some nice variety ones I can have. My mom always has everything in bulk.
I am kinda happy for all the snow, I am liking being closed in. Now it is a good thing, but in a few weeks it will be cabin fever like crazy!
This year has gone by really fast. It is hard to believe it is Christmas time again already. I am usually way more prepared for things like this, with gifts and such, but this year I am totally behind. I have fallen under the category of the last minute shopper!
I guess the main reason I wanted to write was because I was stressed about not being able to get onto World of Warcraft. I have made it to be an officer in my guild and I am holding our first contest, which is today! I can't even get online to play or help. So I kinda feel like a failure on that end. I know it isn't really my fault, but now I am kinda stressed on the inside. Well, I am gonna go spend some quality cuddle time with Justin. Wish me luck on getting my game to work right!

I love how when the dogs get tired, they all do at the same time. They cuddle up together and drape themselves over each other. It is a adorable heart warming thing to see. Even if they fight and play and get on each others nerves they all come together in the end. Which is kind of how the relationships in this house work together. We all fight and play but still come together to relay on each other when we need each other the most. Trust me, they mostly get on my nerves. Like no one knows how to wash a dish or run a load of laundry unless I tell them too. We actually ran out of plates and forks!! That's how it is sometimes though. We aren't prefect by far, but we work together pretty well most the time. Justin and I got the kitchen cleaned up. I worked on the living room while he hand washed some dishes. Not everything can be put in the dish washer. He has never had one before, so he is learning the rules. Plus I am teaching him the best ways to keep the kitchen cleaner, faster. I am going to start taking clothes to the consignment shop soon. I haven't done that in a long time. With Christmas coming up it never hurts to try and find some extra money. Boys are much more expensive to buy for. At least, all the men in my life are. Chris is going to be easier this year, because he got his big gift early. I bought him a new computer a few months ago. I don't want him to feel left out on the day though, so I am getting him several little gifts. I need to take an inventory, because I have a lot of people already bought for. I got awesome Christmas gifts last year on black Friday. So I am hoping I can do similar this year.

I still need to sell the puppies really badly, our house was not meant to have so many animals! Now, if they didn't poop, that would be a different story. Coco is doing good, I was worried about her for a while. She had long term bleeding after the puppies were born. I took her to the vet and he cleared her, and put her on a watch. I can happily say though she has stopped all her bleeding. Quinn, which is Chris's puppy, is growing up to be a big white turd. He definitely has a personality. He is going to be one unique dog for sure. I am getting really attached to the first born puppy. She is all black with a little white. We call her Tubby. It was supposed to be more of a label name so we could identify her until she was sold, but it is gonna stick I think. She is my little chunky thing. She has big paws, so I am sure she is gonna be big like Asia. I love all my dogs though. It is hard to try not to get too attached to the ones that will go to new homes.

I had my first review at the library and got a raise! I am really enjoy working there. Books and I were meant to be together for sure. When ever I go to Des Moines we always stop at Boarders. I love this book store. It is wonderful! I love that they have a dollar book table and then they always have great sales too. I almost always find a wonderful book on sale that I love. This last trip I got a huge book called 'The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead'. It has over 900 pages of vampire information. I plan on reading everything. I am pretty vampire obsessed. I have been reading the House of Night book series. Justin has a Boarders membership, so when we buy things he earns points.
He was able to find a ton of vampire stories for me. He is into the 39 clues books. So he keeps up with them on there.
We still have a ton of unpacking to do, we have kind of took a break from that. I have been keeping an eye out for Christmas shopping. Holden is the hardest one to buy for. I took him over to his girlfriends house today. She is really nice and I like him spending time with her. He always has nice things to say about her.
I bought Coco a doggy shirt on sale at WalMart. She has been wearing it for a few days, and it looks really cute. I got it for her because she always seems to be cold lately. We still have all the puppies here. I really want to sell them. You just don't realize how much dogs can poop!!
Chris has been working weird shifts the past couple of weeks. He will work like 12 to 16 hours for a few days then be off work for 3 or 4 days. It has been hard on him.
I made up treat bags of Halloween candy for the three of us. I got the candy on sale on the first. The boys really liked it. Oh and I had Mickey with me when we went, and I got a dozen cupcakes to split. We don't really need 12 cupcakes for three people. So I gave them six and took six home.
Sam is a pathetic cuddle monster of a cat. I am trying to write this and he comes and throws himself across my right arm. He just purrs his heart away. Zoe has been super loving as well. I wonder if it is because she wants attention or because it is cold out.
This fall has been going pretty well so far.

Changes

Wow, it has been a long time since I have written, but that's okay. I have been super busy with a lot of different things! First off Coco's puppies will be nine weeks old on Sunday and they are still for sale! As well as Egypt, who is eight months old this month. We couldn't get our basement fixed at our old house, so we decided moving was the best option. After being given a long run around, we were able to get financed to buy a three bedroom manufactured home at the Sunrise Terrace Mobile Home park. The house has to stay here for four years, after that we plan on moving it to some land we plan on buying between now and then. We moved in here the last week of September, and so far I love it here. We are building custom shelves into the living room wall, so we have a nice place to store all our movies in there. I have been working on sanding and staining the wood myself. Chris is the builder and puts it all together. I think I am going to put one big shelf in my bedroom as well, for all my books. The master bedroom has a large garden tub that looks like a hot tub! I love all the space we have here. Plus they gave us our own space to store my car. Justin finally got me to go to one of this Pokemon tournaments with him. I played and had a blast. We are planning on going back again.
The house is still a moving mess for the most part. I don't work at Wal-Mart anymore. I got fired for stupid reasons, which was proven since I get unemployment from them. I still work at the library, but I am looking for a desk job at a hotel preferably. My Lyme's is up and down right now, I haven't finished transferring all my paper work yet so I can see my family doctor, instead of the dude in Grinnel who was ripping us off. I have been having big issues with putting things off lately, I know about things I have to get done, but I just seem to forget until I am in bed at night. It is very frustrating. I have been working on it.
A couple of days ago, we decided to take on a special needs dog. Her name is Lulu and she came from a drug house. She is ten weeks old and can't walk. Basically our goal is in the next six months is to teach her how to walk and be a normal dog her age. She is a sweet white terrier mix. She is always so happy too. Today we got her to play with all the puppies and it was pretty fun. We did have one couple come and look at buying one of the puppies today, but they said they would have to think about it. They were looking for a smaller chihuahua then these. Mine at the biggest are only ten pounds, but then I guess they were looking for something tiny. I really need to get at least one sold because I am taking Coco in to get fixed in a week and a half. So I could really use the money for that.
My family has the flu, so I am avoiding them for now. I have started my Christmas shopping. Everyday is a challenge to unpack more and get stuff done!

Almost Free

Well, I have been inspired by some one who is a dick! I often write reviews of businesses I like on the Yahoo! business review. Well, some jerk decided that he doesn't like my positive review of the business. So I am going to do a in depth review on here of the experience I had at the store.
Almost Free
Located at 415 E Euclid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50313
Phone number is (515) 883-2888
I haven't been but a handful of times, but every time I go I wish I could come back more often. I live a good distance away from there so I really can't get there often. The last time I went my boyfriend found two really awesome older games he had been looking for. We hadn't been able to afford these games used at a local store because they were nearly $30 each! We got them at Almost Free for only $4.00 each. We noticed that they had brand new VHS movies for only 5o cents each. Which we still watch them and I have family that does too! I collect a certain time of cat figurine, it has to look a certain way to fit into my collection and they are very hard to find. They actually had three there and they were even willing to negotiate on the price. Now I promise this is a very honest review! The store was a little hot, and it may have been a little dusty. The stuff they had for sale though was in good shape, and for the prices it was a nice store. No, you aren't going to get a super organized Wal-Mart setting. It is a little disorderly, but it makes it fun to explore. They also had a large box of free items out front. They have a good variety of brand new, used, and very used items. It is a good place to shop if you don't have a huge wallet. Every where I go I am looking for a bargain. I got two huge rolls of shelf paper there one time I went for only a dollar. I would go back, and I highly recommend this place to my friends and family.

The Ugly Truth

A friend of mine posted this on their facebook page, and I found so many of these things true to me and truly funny! Read and see how many you relate to!

--More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

--Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

--That's enough, Nickelback.

--I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

--Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no Internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

--There is a great need for sarcasm font.

--Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.

--I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that every one's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

--How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

--I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

--I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

--The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

--Was learning cursive really necessary?

--I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

--Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

--MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

--I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

--Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

--I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

--Bad decisions make good stories.

--Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

--You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

--Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

--I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

--I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

--While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

--I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

--I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

--It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

--I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

--Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

--Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

--It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

--I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

--I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

--I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

--The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people. Too bad I was eating by myself.

It has been a while since I last updated. I just haven't been in the writing mood even though I have a lot to write about. Coco had her puppies on Aug. 16th. She gave birth to six live puppies and one still born fetus. That is an amazing record for a chihuahua. Sadly the next day the runt of the litter died. He had a lot going against him, because when he was born he was half the size of the others, and Coco bit off his umbilical cord too short and bit a whole in his stomach. Chris and I tried so hard to save him. We even took him to the vet. In the end though his little heart couldn't support his body. Chris buried him in the front yard. I cried all after noon that day. Yesterday Chris spent all day putting up a fence around the entire yard so we can take the dogs outside. He even custom made a gate for it! It looks great. Justin helped out by pulling weeds and a bunch of plants we didn't want. We are going to lay down some pavers the make a area for the trash cans. It is going to look really nice.

I have already had one company come out and do a estimate on the basement. It needs water proofing and reinforcement done. It came to a larger total then I first expected, so now I am checking with other companies and looking into financing. Once we have the basement water proofed then we can slowly work on making it into several different rooms that I want and need. I am considering going into the grooming business, but haven't really decided yet.

I got curtains for Chris's room on sale at Walmart, they are navy blue. It was an awesome deal. I also found a really good deal on tennis shoes for Chris and Justin, both them needed a new pair pretty bad. Things are going pretty well here now, we are getting along well. I haven't been to work at walmart in nearly a month. I am still waiting for paper work to process. I went and applied for unemployment today, and they said I should get it. A lot of stuff has been going on lately. Things have been getting done and that makes me pretty happy too. The yard is looking good and so is the house too. So I feel like I have finally accomplished something around here. Which is hard to do because I am always so tired. My Lyme's gives me such bad fatigue. I am so tired right now it isn't funny.

Thank You Ed!

Ed Freeman

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley, 11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam. Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the Medi-Vac helicopters to stop coming in.You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half way around the world - 12,000 miles away - and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then, over the machine gun noise, you faintly hear that sound of helicopter, and you look up to see an un-armed Huey, but it doesn't seem real, because no Medi-Vac markings are on it. Ed Freeman is coming for you. He's not Medi-Vac, so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire, after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway. And he drops it in, and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire, to the doctors and nurses. And, he kept coming back - 13 more times - and took about 30 of you and your buddies out, who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at the age of 80, in Boise, ID. May God rest his soul. Medal of Honor WinnerEd Freeman! Since the Media didn't give him the coverage of Michael Jackson, send this to every red blooded American you know.

THANKS AGAIN, ED, FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR OUR COUNTRY. RIP.

I officially hate going to walmart for any reason. The employees look at me there like I am just a bad person. I do have some friend there who understand. Or at least kinda understand. The people who don't get it, they think I don't see the dirty looks. I came in today to drop off my new prescription. I wasn't hurting too bad this morning. I came back around seven thirty to pick up my prescription, which I didn't know the pharmacy closes at six. I was in so much pain, and have no idea as to what brought it on. My entire left arm felt like it had been slammed in a door. Both of my wrists and fingers hurt like I have severe arthritis. Everyday I have a bad headache. I hate that I will have to justify myself all my life to people who don't understand.

I haven't written in a while. Mostly because I play Sims and update that blog more with my current story line. I have been working a lot too. Justin lost his job on Friday. So even if I am sick I have to work to pay the bills. If he doesn't get a job in two weeks then off to flipping burgers it is. He won't just sit around jobless. I am going Monday to see if my co-signer will qualify for the home loan with us, and I am very excited. I think it will go well. I also have a back up. If all goes as planned I want to be moved by the end of the month. I have so many people interested in the apartments it is crazy. I have the down payment saved already and everything else is set in motion. I am pretty proud of myself for handling everything really. I have been working two jobs, plus I am more sick then I have been before. The first few days to a week I am was on my medication for my Lymes Disease I felt great. Now the bacteria is fighting back and I feel like dirt. I have gotten some sort of infection in my kidneys now. It is a stabbing pain. It woke me up this morning. The fatigue has gotten worse. Although it doesn't last as long.
I think the hardest part of my disease is what it does to my memory. I have really bad memory, especially short term. I often repeat myself, and ask questions m ore then once. I forget where I am going or what I am doing. Thank god I have Justin to help me remember to take all the meds that I am on. I am on four different things, that I take at three different times during the day.
Not like I don't have enough to do already, I have decided to foster a dog.
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13823746
Her name is Cody and she will be staying with me until she can find a forever home. She seems like such a sweet dog. I hope bringing her to Iowa will help her find a true home.
That's all that is going on now, not much else really.

Engagment Ring

I couldn't get better pictures tonight, but I will try again tomorrow. It is a white gold band with several small diamonds. I love it! I am so lucky to be with Justin!

Sims 3 Legacy

I have started a second blog about the Sims 3 Leagacy Challenge I have started. You can read the rules of the challenge here: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/39862.page
The link to my new blog is: http://sims3arcane.blogspot.com/
Basically the concept is to take a Sim and start out super poor and in ten family generations became sucessful and rich. So I have created Sophia Arcane. I will be posting a blog about my game play and her story progression as I go. Please feel free to comment!

I don't I have done much interesting with my life. I have been to Adventure Land a few times, I have lived in a few different states, I have attended six different schools, but honestly, nothing really amazing. I just turned 22 earlier this month. I am almost a quarter through my life, and I don't really feel like I have done much interesting. I bought my first house at age 20. It felt like so much then, and now, I just feel like I have could have done more with my life.
I own a guitar I never learned how to play. I still can't drive a stick shift car properly.
But.... I guess over all I am pretty lucky. I have four loving dogs, two cats, and a amazing boyfriend who treats me like a princess. Honestly I don't think I would be able to live without any of them. I don't have a ton of friends, but if I really needed the ones I have, they would be there for me.
I have been really feeling over whelmed lately, because I am working at the library and walmart all the time and I am trying to get things done at home. I am lucky Justin has such great patience with me.
Well, basically this blog was just a random rant to get some thoughts off my mind.

Another long day at the Wal-Mart. I am hanging out with new friends and old. I have been stressing out so much lately about everything, I just wish I could just relax. I keep thinking about everything we have going right now. Like how we are going to be pushing our time limit to the edge when it comes to buying this house. I am very worried about that. Then I keep thinking about the doctors appointment I have on the 26th with the Lyme Disease doctor. I really want to know what the results of my tests were. I don't think I will come back positive because the kids didn't. Mom did and they know the kids have it. So it will be harder for me to get disability and stuff.
Poor Coco is on her period, so Garth keeps trying to hump her. We really need to get moved because then Garth will go live with Chris. I am so anxious to move, I want to plant a nice garden and have a nice area for the dogs in the back yard.
I haven't had much time to volunteer with all the time I have been working lately. I have had to pick up extra hours at the library because they don't want to hire some one else. So that took away from my volunteer time on Thursdays. Walmart has been giving me Mondays and Tuesdays off instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays off. So it has been a weird adjustment. I have to give up the things I want to do in order to do the things I need to do. Working is what I need to do, and volunteering is sadly optional. I really enjoy it.
Well I am wrapping up this post because I have tons of errands to run tomorrow, I have to get dog food, cat food, puppy pads, and paper towels. I am also taking Chris in to meet my boss. I hope he can replace the guy leaving from the connection center.

Home Lenders

We have decided on a new house we want to buy for sure.We are catching a bit of a snag on finding a home lender though. Out credit scores are 560 and 580. Which are shy of the 600 minimum that lenders are requiring right now. We are trying to find some one who bases their loans off something else, or does contract loans. The lender that did my moms home, only does houses they want to buy and the the company that did my first contract loan doesn't do contracts anymore. So we are on the hunt for contract lenders mostly. I am having a hard time finding them. I am not even sure where to look. I have done searches online, but most of those are bogus things that just want your information so they can steal your identity. So not much luck there. Then most of the lenders in the phone book are for commercial purposes.It is a bit stressful.
Anyways, we are having a get together at the house tomorrow night. We have several friends over to play this new Xbox game called 1 VS 100. It is a trivia game. Jeremy is bringing his Xbox360 over and we are going to all play it. I am not sure how many people are coming, but I invited about a dozen.

It has been interesting. I am going to get tested next Tuesday to find out if I have Lyme Disease. I am nervous because I want to have it and not to have it at the same time. It would mean a cure for so many little problems and yet it would mean one big problem. Things are good between me and Justin. I love him as much as ever. Right now Sam is cuddled up next to me, draped over my arm. I am going to volunteer tomorrow, and I am taking Holden with me. He is going with me because I am spending most of the day with him. Mickey is going into the hospital for most of the day to have tests done. I think I am going to meet Justin's sisters on Friday. I am kinda excited about that. He talks about them often, and then I have a big baby shower gift for his one sister.

Things are going great at Clothing Without Walls. I really enjoy volunteering there. I enjoy the fact that I am helping people. We have been increasing sales a lot lately, which I am super happy about. I hope we can catch up on the rent soon. Once we get the basement organized I want to get some more local churches involved with volunteering and donations, I would love to see more traffic there and to have it more well known. It is nice because Justin goes with me every Tuesday and then Chris goes with me at least once a week. So I am not doing it all by myself.

I was able to get all this information about Lyme Disease from a site. The link it sat the bottom of the page. It was decided that my mother had Lymes Disease even before I was born, so with that, every child in our family has it. Most Lyme Disease is not diagnosed because of the fact it has so many symptoms. It is never the same between two people. There are five in my family and none of us are the same, but we all share this disease. Below are most symptoms and misdiagnoses.

Early symptoms soon after exposure by tick bite:
Skin rash around tick bite - about 75% of cases have this rash; often hot to the touch but not painful; may have bullseye shape.
Erythema migrans (EM) - the official name for the tick bite skin rash
Mild illness
Flu-like symptoms
Fever
Chills
Malaise
Swollen lymph nodes
Headaches
Stiff neck
Fatigue
Muscle aches
Body aches
Neck aches
Arthritis
Joint pain
Knee arthritis
Neurological symptoms - often occurring some time after exposure, from weeks to years later.
Numbness
Limb pain
Limb weakness
Radiculitis (numbness, tingling, burning)
Bell's palsy
Visual disturbances
Poor motor coordination
Encephalopathy
Memory loss
Difficulty with concentration
Change in mood
Changed sleeping habits
Thinking difficulties
Nerve damage - in the arms and legs
Encephalomyelitis - including its various symptoms Encephalomyelitis of such as:
Limb weakness
Motor coordination problems
Muscle weakness
Meningitis symptoms
Fever
Stiff neck
Severe headache
Heart abnormalities - less than 10% of Lyme patients get heart problems
Irregular heartbeat
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Eye inflammation
Conjunctivitis
Hepatitis
Severe fatigue
Chronic skin disorders
Joint problems
Arthritis
Chronic arthritis
Knee arthritis

It can also cause these complications:

Arthritis - often occurs several months after the tick bite.
Chronic arthritis
Permanent joint damage
Meningitis
Aseptic meningitis
Bell's palsy
Radiculitis
Encephalopathy
Heart abnormalities

Heart inflammation
Heart enlargement
Eye inflammation
Conjunctivitis
Hepatitis
Severe fatigue
Encephalomyelitis
Heart damage - rare if Lyme is treated.
Muscle aches
Memory problems
Concentration problems
Persistent fatigue Prenatal infection - the unborn child can get Lyme disease from a pregnant woman
Miscarriage
Stillbirth

For a diagnosis of Lyme disease, the following list of conditions have been mentioned in sources as possible alternative diagnoses to consider during the diagnostic process for Lyme disease:
Babesiosis
Ehrlichiosis - may be similar to early Lyme disease.
Multiple sclerosis
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Depression
Fibromyalgia
Mononucleosis
Epstein Barr virus
ADHD
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Mesothelioma (type of Lung conditions)
Urticaria
Reaction to arthropod bite
Cellulitis
Erythema multiforme
Granuloma annulare
Rocky mountain spotted fever
HIV
Fibromylagia
Gonococcal arthritis (type of Infectious arthritis)
Rheumatic fever
Still's disease
Parvovirus
Sarcoidosis
SLE
Viral meningitis
Bell's palsy
Lyme disease
Lupus
Influenza
Infectious mononucleosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Alzheimer's disease
Heart disease
Migraine headache
Human monocyte ehrlichiosis infection (transmitted by Lone Star tick)
Tick-borne relapsing fever (type of Relapsing fever)
Leptospirosis infection
Babesiosis infection
Human granulocytic anaplasmosis infection
Insect bite
Spider bite
Reiter syndrome
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Parkinson's disease
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Neuritis
Psychiatric illness
Schizophrenia
Heart failure
Angina
Irregular heart rhythm
Dermatitis
Attention deficit disorder
Chronic pain disorder (type of Pain Disorder)
Inflammatory eye reaction
Lou Gehrig's disease
Brain tumor
Gout/hyeruricemia
Trigeminal neuralgia

The other diseases for which Lyme disease is listed as a possible alternative diagnosis in their lists include:
Acute rheumatic fever
Arthritis
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Cold & Flu
Depression
Dysthymia/seasonal depression disorder, PND
Ehrlichiosis
Encephalitis
Fibromyalgia
Flu
Infectious arthritis
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lupus
Lyme disease
Mosquito-borne diseases
Multiple Sclerosis
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
STARI

All the information above was found at http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/l/lyme_disease/intro.htm

If you feel that you have many of these symptoms or have been diagnosed with several of these things, then please be tested for Lyme Disease!

I just finished watching Seven Pounds with Justin. I enjoyed it more toward the end (where I cried my eyes out). The entire movie is a major clueless mystery, until you get to about the last 15 to 20 minutes of it. Then it all comes together in a amazing sense of heart wrenching loss and giving all at once. During the entire movie, I really didn't like it, but once the end came, I loved it. I really believe that one person can make a difference in the world. They don't have to die to do it like he did in the movie, there are so many things.
In a way this really hit close to home. The woman in the movie is dieing from a bad heart, and almost my entire family is suffering from a disease that they may not be able to afford to live with. That's why I am doing what I can to help them raise money to help pay for their medical expenses so they can live full healthy lives. My mom has started a fundraiser call Phoneraiser. Basically all they have to do is gather used ink cartridges and old cell phones. We can mail them into this company which will then recycle them, and pay us. All the money my mom makes will go toward paying for their medical treatment. My mom also sells homemade baked goods. We are having a bake sale at Clothing Without Walls on May 16th, 9:30am-12:30pm.

Lyme Disease

Today it was decided that my Mom, my sister Mickey, and my brothers Dakota and Holden have Lyme Disease. This Disease is something that for my family is a blessing and a curse. It is the answer we have been waiting for all theses years to my family's medical problems. Since they have have been sick all these years with different symptoms and no real cure, especially my mom, this all adds up to this disease. It is treatable disease, but highly expensive. It can be contracted from a tick. I have some information from the Iowa Lyme Disease Association.
First off I would like to list the symptoms they have that I am familiar with. I know there is more that they have, that I have no listed. Also as it states on the site for Iowa Lyme Disease Association, having the following symptoms does not ensure you have Lyme Disease, and there is no one test to find if you do think you have it. The exact type of Lyme Disease my family has, has not been decided yet.
Early Symptoms Include:
Fatigue(My mom always wears out so easily and the older the kids get the easier they do)
Muscle and Joint pain(We thought my mom had Fibro myalgia, which was caused by this)
Headache(My mom has had migraines forever)
Fever, chills(constant colds, and flu's for the next few symptoms)
Swollen glands
Migratory pain
Sore throat
Stiff neck
Rash - bulls eye, or other shape, or multiple rashes
Then Later on Symptoms:
Body
Migratory pain
Continual flu-like symptoms'
Low-grade temperatures
Muscle weakness and pain(My mom was told by her doctor she can only work 3 hours a day)
Numbness
Stiff, crunchy neck
Sore throat, swollen glands
Stomach pain
Diarrhea
Nausea, vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Anorexia
Unexplained, weight gain
or weight loss
Neurological
Migraines
Balance problems(my mom has fallen several times and broken bones and dislocated parts because of this)
Dizziness
Poor coordination
Paralysis
Meningitis
Loss of reflexes
Tingling in the extremities
Seizures
Motor dysfunction
Bell's Palsy
Tremors
Tourettes(thank god none of this YET)
Neuropsychiatric:
Mood swings(Sorry mom, your very moody)
Irritability
Poor concentration(my brother can read to you for an hour straight, but you have him doing an activity with you and he will walk away in the middle because he will forget what he is doing)
Cognitive/Memory Loss
Mental deterioration
Depression(my mom and my brother Dakota, both have had to deal with this a lot)
Difficulty making decisions
Difficulty organizing(umm the kids rooms are a mess, and they can't seem to get in a system)
Heart
Irregular Heart Beat
Myocarditis
Pericarditis
Palpitations
Heart Block
Enlarged Heart
Chest Pain
Pregnancy
Miscarriage
Premature birth
Birth defects
(My mom lost both my sisters before birth, Dakota was born deaf, and the kids have all had various birth defects)

Treatments
When to comes to treatment, it can get pretty technical. To keep it short and simple, my family will be on medication for the rest of their life, and have to go to the doctor for treatment for the rest of their lives. These treatments are extremely expensive and are not covered by insurance. The medication will be, but the treatments won't. Many people and families go into extreme debt because of this disease. If it goes untreated, it will eventually kill you.
My family has decided to start a Phoneraiser to raise money to help pay for medical expenses. Basically all I am asking is for your old cell phones, and old ink cartridges. We mail them to a company that recycles them and then they pay us, which will be put toward medical bills. Mickey is only seven and Holden is only ten, and they have been sick most of their childhood. I hope this has been informational and as I learn more I will be putting more up.

Life has been interesting for sure. I have been doing some volunteer work for Clothing Without Walls. I am really loving it. I like helping out with a cause that helps other people. I am hoping that I can eventually help them raise enough money to help with catch up with the rent of the building they are in. I have been working at the Library for a few weeks now and I like it. Except some times it is way too quiet. I have a had a migraine for the past few days, which has sucked really bad. My court date for the puppies is coming up on May first. I am looking forward to seeing that creep in court.

Things have been kinda quiet around here mostly. My moms garden is growing well and the weather is finally starting to warm up super nice. It rained a little today, but other then that, the sun was shining all day long. It was beautiful. I went by moms and she made me little cards for me to hand out to people for clothing without walls. Krystal has been helping me and Justin helps on Tuesday nights. Jeremy won't help at all. I really like volunteering though. I can't wait to go back on Tuesday, I have a bunch of hangers to be sorted out between now and then though.

I guess this is just a little update on me. I got a second job at the library. I like it. All I really do for the most part is put away books in the children's section. I can pick up some extra hours the week after next. The house is looking pretty nice. The realtor came and looked at it and now I am just waiting to hear back from her on where to go from here. Mickies 7th birthday party was last night. I gave her a kite, a rock star barbie dress up kit, a barbie wallet, a Bratz doll with computer game stuff, and a princess sleep mask. We had breakfast for dinner which was fun.

I am a happy camper for sure. Today we got the new coat rack hung up, and the coats put on it. I had a appointment scheduled for Barneys to come out and move the car, and that they did. So now it is safely in the garage, and are yard is now up to legal standards. I am happy about it. The carpets were cleaned on sat, and they look good. I put down rugs to protect them from having to be cleaned again. When the sebring was put in the garage, we found out a bunch of the bolts came loose and fell off the door, so we went to True Value, and picked up the bolts for it. They are really nice there. I was going to put them on today, but it got really cold out and flurried a little. We also folded six loads of laundry today, and got it all put away. I packed up some more boxes as well. So all in all, today was productive, and I think it was a good day. Oh, and we changed the furnace filter. I almost forgot the best part of today!! Justin had an interview with TPI!! I am so excited, it went very well and we will find out in the next few weeks if we gets it!!

Yard Sales and Flea Markets

Nothing feels better then finding that perfect item to complete your collection or give that final look to a rooms decor. When searching for a particular item you will need to do a little research into where you will want to bargain hunt. Your local paper should have listings of yard sales weekly, although some papers only list addresses, detailed listings are ideal. Once you find your listings take a highlighter and mark ones that have either the item you are looking for or similar items. To help with this try to group like things together. If you are looking for toddler toys, and they list toddler clothes, there is a high chance they will have what you are looking for. Yard sales vary, but with a entire town to discover, you have a greater chance of finding what you need. Depending on the size of the town you plan to bargain hunt in, it may take you only a few hours to up to several. Yard sales can begin as early as 5am, and be open as late as eight or nine at night. So you will want to prioritize your list based on three things, the items for sale, the hours open, and location. Once you have a few sales you have decided you must hit, then look through your list and see what the hours are for each, the earlier you hit a yard sale the better you are at getting what you want. Also keep in mind that hitting the end of a yard sale isn't a bad thing at all, usually that's when the seller is eager to get rid of left over merchandise at lower prices. Often if you buy some thing they will even give away items. This can be great if you are just out and about to discover a new treasure. Now if you have a variety of sales to hit that are open for longer hours, then try to divide up your shopping area into sections, and make a loop out of your trip. If you save on gas that's a extra couple of dollars you can spend on something fun. Flea markets usually run in two different types. There is the type that is like a yard sale, and you can often find a variety of bargains, but you never really know what you will find. The other type is more of a location where vender's come together and sell products they got cheaply at whole sale price. These kinds you will find quality items but at a decent price. Once again, unless it has some sort of theme, you never really know what you will find. Some flea markets do charge a entrance fee, which usually isn't much. Depending on how nice the place is that the flea market is located really helps you determine what price range of items you are looking for, and the reason behind that is booth rent. Some places many only charge a tiny rent, while others can be outrageous. So you have to keep in mind that the vendor is trying to earn back that rent, and make a profit. Outdoor markets are usually on the less expensive side, while indoor markets are more of a high end. So when choosing a market to shop, review your budget, and shop wisely. Whether you chose a day at local yard sales, or a trip to a quaint flea market, I can almost guarantee you will find something you just can't live without.

The Tear Drop

I received an email, one of those forwarded things. Well, I expected it to be something dumb, but this time I came across a very special email. The Tear Drop is a monument dedicated to the tragic event 911. It was made and installed by the Russians. Its current location is near the statue of liberty. At the base the names of all the people lost in 911 are inscribed, very similar the the Vietnam Memorial wall. It is beautiful and a amazing statement against terrorism. I plan to visit there in my lifetime.


Gift from the people of Russia ......."
Monument to the struggle against world
terrorism, artist Zurab Tesereteii"

Thanks Mom

Thanks mom for always reminding me what a failure I am. I came to you today for your advice and help to get me on the road to a better career path. But instead you threw back in my face how I wouldn't be able to handle the careers I suggested and how I did nothing but screw up my past. You reminded me that I never finished cosmetology school, but yet when I mentioned finishing it up you gave me a nasty reply of why would I do that? SO I guess I don't understand why you want me to be a failure. I left your house crying today, because I know that's all you see me as, just one major fuck up. I am trying so hard to fix things in my life so it is the way I want it to be. Whats wrong with wanting something better? Whats wrong with being willing to work for it? I wanted to take some college courses and maybe earn a certification or something that will help me find a better job that will give me the life I want. I know when I left I said hurtful things, but you hurt me, alot, so I hope they hurt you too. I thought you would be proud that I came to you, that I wanted to do something better. I didn't realize I would be so wrong. I am sorry I am such a failure.

New Things

Well, not much new has really been happening. Just working on the same things. But I have been talking with my mom about some volunteer work she is doing and I am very interested in. We are doing a Kids with Cancer camp day on June 14th. Basically that day is for the kids and their parents to come and see the camp and we will have a big carnival with games and stuff. They need a lot of volunteers. So if any one wants to volunteer, my mom is driving everyone down there. I am really excited about helping. We will be running the games and stuff. Then my mom is going to be collecting pop tops. She said she could find all kinds of other volunteer opportunities for me as well. So I am very excited. I want to be involved. This is a pretty meaningful thing. I am going to try to get others involved too. Then I am very anxious about this years farmers market, which will be every Tuesday. It starts on June 1st. This year you can sell anything handmade, instead of just food! So I am going to be making lots of things. Plus mom is going to be having tons of stuff as well. So I am very much looking forward to it all. I haven't decided what I am going to make yet, but I am going to try to make a variety of things to sell.

My Meez!!

iPhone

I don't think I every really put up a post about my new phone. Jeremy got me a awesome early birthday present. He got me the Apple iPhone!! I love it. I have been using it for everything.It has tons of different applications, such as: Text, Calender, Photos, Camera, Contacts, YouTube, Maps(with GPS), Clock, Calculator, Notes, iTunes, Weather, Email, Internet, and iPod. Then I down loaded a few of my own which were Brain Tuner, a game that helps get your mind sharp, Tap Tap, Jeremys choice there, and very similar to guitar hero. Also I have an app to monitor my menstrual cycles, and the game Mahjong,as well as solitaire. I also got a app to monitor my cash flow. I am reading a book now I have down loaded through an app called Stanza. I also keep my work schedule in there, and any important appointments. So with a few taps I can access all my information. No need to find a phone book, I can hop online and look up a business and tap the number and my phone will call it. I can also access my voicemail without calling it. While I am on the phone talking I can also access and use all the applications. Which comes in handy. I haven't mastered the phone yet, but I find new ways to use it everyday. Which has been a blast. I never get behind and I have more free time now actually. Because I can check my email frequently, I spend less time on the computer. So yeah, my new favorite thing is my iPhone.

Odd Pictures

This is just a kick-ass pair of shoes I own. I love sneakers.

This is some really awesome cross stitch that Krystal did.

Then this is Krystals hair from the back after I did it up one night.

New Pictures of Krystal and Dale

I know they aren't big on PDA so I just posted up my three favorite pictures we took the night we all hung out!

Hehe, I love that I got Dales picture without him knowing!

New Pictures of Me and Justin

These are new pictures of me and Justin over the past couple of weeks. I love him sooo much!

We were over at Krystals and he would not behave!

Then some one thought it would be good for him to hold me.

But just being close to him makes me so happy.

Except every now and then I wonder if he is a little retard.

New Pictures of Me

Just some new pictures of me, taken over the past few weeks!

A night at my house

Jeremy brought over his new xbox 360, Holden and Koty took turns playing on it with him.

Holden watching Koty and Jeremy play Halo.

Mickey playing games on the laptop.

These are some ATC cards I made for my swap-bot group.
The one on the left is a picture of roses and it has a sticker on it that says 'Whats your line?'
I thought it was pretty funny.

The one on the right was made with an ad from the American Heart Association.

The one on the right was partly made from a cut up walmart gift card!

Picture Post! Puppies!

This is Coco, all fat and very very pregnant. She was miserable poor thing!


But Coco proudly popped out four beautiful puppies!!

Sam decided to inspect them and still isn't impressed much.

Poor Coco, she feeds them all at once and it is like they are sucking the life out of her little body!!