just us.

Don't know why...

...I didn't take this shirt out sooner.

I bought it last summer and never wore it, probably because I was afraid to get it dirty (it's a silk blend) or it was too cold or I felt it was too dressy.

Glad I decided to wear it today. Brings a little pep in the step, especially since I just finished day #3 of back-to-back 12 hour shifts. Go me.

I fought really hard to keep a positive attitude, despite being pretty tired.  I didn't even want to shower this morning when I woke up.  I haven't done a run of 12-hour shifts in a long time, and I remember being mentally and physically exhausted when I was done.  I was really afraid of how busy it was going to be, especially with it being the beginning of the year and the loads of insurance issues that come along with it.

But thank the high heavens for the Temptations channel on Pandora (or it might've been I Heart Radio, I'm not sure).  If it weren't for that bit of music in the late afternoon, I don't know if I would've made it.  It literally picked up my spirits, and even made the guy in the bakery department wonder what the heck me and my coworker CJ were up to.  We danced to our hearts content (yes, in the pharmacy) and laughed so hard I was on the floor.  I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time.

It felt good.

All I can say is I made it, and with a bit of sanity leftover, I can move on to a glorious 3 days off with Mike and Keira.  Here's to family time!!

Firsts on the First

So, seeing that it is the first day of the new year, I thought about posting a bunch of "firsts" from my day.  That lasted all of 4 pictures I think.

the very first picture I took this year:

Keira slept in our room last night, because it was the easier thing to do.  Her breath smelled pretty bad.

the first family photo of the year:

The picture was altered using the picplz app for Android phones.  I used the 70s effect. I think I like.

the first work shift of the year:

We were open 9 to 3 today, and it was pretty quiet for the most part.  I think I did 40-something scripts, and the monthly CII count as well.

the first coffee of the year:

I didn't have time to make some before I left, plus I had two gift cards to burn so a tall vanilla latte it was.  I got close to finishing the whole thing, but for some reason, I never seem to finish a cup of coffee no matter what size.

Mike put on his hockey skates for the first time in years, but still managed to skate a bit as Keira ran around with him.

the first family photo taken by Grandpa Ko:

The weather was pretty nice out when I got home from work, so we spent some time playing outside with some of the neighbors' kids.  Mike fixed another sprinkler in the front yard and we took the Christmas tree out to the curb for pick-up in the morning.  It makes me sad that our lights aren't up anymore, as if the holiday spirit is gone for another year.  Bah humbug.

I think I'm ready for bed.

Ctrl+Alt+Del

Early morning randoms:

I've been getting up before the sun starts shining the last few days.  Kinda sucks, really.

Keira will start off sleeping in her own bed, but somehow wakes up in ours.

11.28.11: 12 hours, 152 scripts.  Boy, did my legs feel that.

A customer sincerely apologized to me yesterday for being rude and out of line with me last week.  That doesn't happen often, and apology was accepted.  And no, I wasn't being rude back or in the first place.

What part of "Limit 10 per customer" is hard to understand when you see 2 people walking out with 50+ Black Friday, 99 cent poinsettias between the two of them?  And how aggravating is it when the employees don't know about or even follow that limit?!

I want some boots, ones that come up just under the knee, in brown, with a buckle or two.

I bought my first pair of skinny jeans last week.  I just hope my bowleggedness isn't too obvious (but it probably will be).

I am almost done with HP:DH.  Almost.

Our real Christmas tree is up, as is our icicle lights above our garage.  The holiday decorating is in full effect.

I've also started our Holiday 2011 mini book.  I bought mine from here this year (and last year too).  I'm glad I'm continuing the memory keeping this way, especially since I fell off the Project Life wagon a long time ago.

Christmas gift purchasing is also in full effect.  Just purchased some mini diaries on Cyber Monday and can't wait to gift them to some close friends.  Have a few more ideas floating around that I need to execute, hopefully today or tomorrow.

I wonder if I'll be able to go back to sleep...eh, probably not.

i*heart*the rain

As a kid, when it would rain, I would put on a pair of rainboots, grab an umbrella and go outside.  Albeit, I would be wearing shorts and a tshirt too but I loved being in the rain.  My brother would do it too.  We would crouch down and lower the umbrella as close to the ground as we could, as if we were in our own little shell.  And we would just sit there, with the rain coming down around us, like a bunch of silly kids.

Some days after school, if it was raining, we would change into our pajamas, grab our down comforters off our beds and snuggle up on the couch watching whatever was on tv.  Snug as two bugs in a rug.

I really like when it rains.  It's comforting to me for some reason, it just is.

It's a good day for something warm and soupy, like clam chowder or chicken noodle soup.

The only thing I don't like about the rain?  Driving in it.  And driving in it with other drivers around me that drive like it's not raining.  It almost terrifies me, really.

But still, I love the rain.

today's feeling: content

while in the busyness of making tonight's dinner and getting the dishes washed, a sense of contentment came over me.

I am happy with where my life is right now.  Not that I was unhappy before this, but things just felt like they are where they should be.

 

Keira: for the first time ever, she went pee-pee in the potty last night. I sat her on her Dora potty seat, like I've done many times before, but this time she actually made magic happen.  And this morning, she ate cereal with milk for the first time.  And the preschool drop-off went better than usual.  She walked to her classroom (rather than being carried in), wasn't crying like she usually does when we went in, and managed to let me leave her with just a look of "I'm going to cry some more" on her face.  She also learned how to scoop the water, climb out of the pool, and went under the water too this weekend at swimming lesson #2.  Baby steps!

Mike: He'll be turning the big 3-5 this weekend, and I'm throwing him a little fiesta at home.  He's been working tirelessly at getting our condo ready and rented out...which lucky for us, happened very quickly.  The previous renters moved out Saturday and the new ones moved in Sunday.

 

Neighbors: we are blessed with having really nice neighbors.  One of them is celebrating Ramadan right now, and brought us some Ramadan inspired Banana and Dates Bread.

Home: I made dinner for tonight using some stubby carrots and zucchini from our garden.  And the other night, I used our batch of tomatoes to make tomato soup (adapted from this recipe) and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Work: there are days were I could do without it, but there are days that it is my break from home.  I'm just thankful that we both have jobs that aren't so bad and help us maintain the life we live.

Me: Overall, I feel like I'm finally getting into my groove.  I'm getting into a rhythm at home, whether its getting the laundry done, or putting the clean dishes away every morning, or picking up around the house.  At work, I've been doing a lot of purging, mainly because we have a remodel coming up fairly soon.  I'm starting to make use of the time I have while Keira is at school, whether its to do chores or just have some time for myself.

Life is in a good place right now.  And that makes me feel good all around.

currently

I tried taking a nap before work today and managed to do so for about an hour.  But then the heat of the day kicked in and woke me up.  sleeping under a down blanket probably didn't help, but for some reason I always have to.

I'm sipping on a freshly brewed cup of iced coffee with hazelnut creamer.  It's nice to save a few bucks and make it at home!

As nice as it is to have a quiet morning to myself, I'm still not used to not having Keira around.  I filled in an hour of my time today going to get my car smog-tested for my registration renewal.  and then home it was.

I'm not a fan of having to drop Keira off at school just yet.  This morning, as soon as she saw the gates, she started to cry.  And then she insisted that I sit with her at the mini table ("mama, sit down!").  I'm still looking forward to it becoming easier for her and I.

I'm about halfway through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  Keira just learned how to say Harry Potter too.  She even asked that I read it to her the other night before bed.  Mommy only lasted about a paragraph before reading out loud got old.

life around these here parts.

a photo from this morning, as requested by Keira.

It warms my heart when she asks to "take a picture of mama and Keira".  I know there will be a day where she won't want much to do with her mama.

a few more:

I had an eye opening event happen at work yesterday.  Sometimes I need one of those to wake me up and help me realize that how I think and act doesn't always come across in the best way.  This is something that I am constantly trying to work on, and obviously, there are times where I am not so successful at it.

I started the fourth HP book yesterday.  I am still determined to read all seven before the last installment of the series of movies comes out on July 15th.

Father's Day was low-key for us.  I had to work, so we celebrated in a tiny way on Saturday by having breakfast at the Filling Station.  What you see is a breakfast quesadilla (for me), blueberry pancakes with eggs, bacon and wheat toast (for Mike) and mac & cheese with fruit (for Keira).  We thought about going somewhere for the day, but ended up just hanging out at home.

We went to Disneyland last Friday night, and caught the All-American College band on our way in. For most people, it's not a huge deal but for me...well it can bring tears to my eyes.

Here it is people...I was a band geek.

And Mike may say I still am.

I was in the band and marching band for three years in high school (I played the flute since I was in elementary school), so seeing something like this really brings me back.  I need to find some pictures of my marching band days and the lovely blue and gold uniforms with black patent hats and yellow plumes that we had to wear.

I have a sewing project I am thinking up right now, and it's something that Keira will need when she starts school in 2 weeks.  I just hope I have enough time to get it done and that I can execute it without any patterns.  I'm thinking it's a bit ambitious, but if I can follow through, I'll be pretty darn proud of myself.

and maybe make a few kids want one too :)

boing...boing...boing

 
Happy Easter people!!  I'm working today, and while I would normally be bummed about having to do so (especially on a holiday), I'm not.  Why?  Because I'm only working a half day!!  The company decided to be smart for once and close us early.  I'm done with my work for now, so I'm hoping the rest of my shift goes quick.

Today also marks the end of 47 days of no Facebook and no coffee.  (Did anyone else realize Lent was longer than usual this year?)  I have a confession though.

I cheated.  On Facebook, but not on coffee.  About halfway through, I found myself perusing Facebook statuses on my phone and while I wasn't active on it (by commenting on things), I still was on.  So in my book, I cheated.  But I was determined not to fail on my commitment to no coffee.  And trust me, there were days were I was aching for it.  I would walk myself to Starbucks, get in line, and then get back out due to pure guilt.  And I thought coffee would be the easier one to forgo.

Other things going on in the household:

 
Mike started building our future vegetable planter box yesterday.  The work on the wall is done, so now we don't have to worry about anymore construction.  We talked about growing our own vegetables when we first moved in, but had to wait until after our landscaping was done and approved.  Since we've never grown a garden before, we're going to start off with easy things, like tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs.  Well, at least we hope they're easy :)

 
I started my third quilt a few days ago, and I'm quilting it right now.  I can't wait to get to the binding part, since I made my own bias tape for it.  I'm not following any particular pattern for this one, it's made up of simple rectangles of fabric sewn together.  The fabric is all from Ikea (red hippo, green hippo and hearts).  I'm using more of the same fabric for the back, but in strips rather than blocks.  I am using a different quilt batting than I used on my first quilt, and so far I think I like it better.  I bought the queen size, figuring I could make at least 2 quilts out of one package.

 
The Kings are still in the playoffs, trailing in the series 3-2.  Mike went to game 4 on Thursday night, and came home a depressed man.  He couldn't even sleep that night when he got home.  But they hung on last night to win 3-1, so it goes to game 5 Monday night in San Jose.  You can bet he will be holding his breath the whole time...and Keira won't be in bed until I get home from work.

The Easter Bunny (aka Uncle Peter and Auntie Linh Tam) brought Keira a basket yesterday and in it was a pack of Kai Lan underwear.  She was excited it about it, and even knew what it was and for.  We keep telling her that she has to go potty in the toilet before she can wear them.  We'll see how well that works.  We're not quite ready to potty train her yet, but soon.

today

Today, I:

Bought a roll of Mentos at 2pm and they were totally consumed by 5pm.

Worked a 12 hour shift on my own. Not by choice, of course.

Am feeling the toll of working said shift starting to kick in. Right. Now.

Am looking forward to a day off tomorrow. A doctor's appointment for Keira and visit to a cupcake food truck are in order.

Had salad and Thai curry for lunch.

Yawned a million times. I'll probably sleep good tonight.

Can't wait to watch Jersey Shore.

putting it out there

I realized today is Fat Tuesday.  Which means Lent starts tomorrow.

so what, right?  I'm not Catholic, so what do I care?

Well Mike is Catholic and as something we do together as well as in support of him, I've decided to give up something for the next 40 days.

The great part is that my coworkers are doing it too.  The three of us are each giving up two things, and I even drafted up a "contract" that we state what we are giving up and signing it too.

I've chosen my two things, one of which is minor and the other is a major OMG.

The first: coffee.

this isn't a major sacrifice, as I am not totally addicted to the stuff.  I'm a fairly new coffee drinker, so whether I get it or not doesn't bother me.

the next thing is my major OMG.

Facebook.

I had been thinking all along that this is what I would abstain from for 40 days, because really, I spend too much time on it.  Whether its via laptop or smartphone, I can't get away from it.  So, when the discussion came up at work, I knew that's what I would put down.  My tech said I should give up rice, but that's no big deal for me. I wanted it to be something of significance.

So, I'm putting it out there for all of blogland to see.

on March 9, 2011, I, Jamie, will give up the following for Lent 2011:

coffee and Facebook.

amen.