Video Blog: Introducing Brandi

Our newest addition

First off, sorry I haven't blogged in a bit. Phil got home Tuesday night and it was so great to see him. Even though he had only been gone for 8 days, it still seemed like longer. He came home with a dozen red roses for me, so sweet.





Other then that, things have been pretty busy around here, we've been out and about running errands and the past two days I have been feeling pretty sicky, so I have been in bed a lot, resting and trying to feel better. Right now Phil is up in Show Low, about 4 hours north of here, camping with his dad, I told him to get even though I didn't feel good because all I am doing it resting and napping and he might as well see his dad, who he hasn't seen in months.





But, during our busy week we did get a new addition to our family...introducing...Brandi....








We adopted her from the Arizona Humane Society. She is a 6 month old Australian Shephard mix, and it also looks like she has some collie in her. When I saw her, all the other dogs in the kennels were barking and she just sat there staring at me. We went around a few times, but we kept getting drawn to her, so we just had to get her. She already knows some basic commands like sit and stay and lay down, and even though they told us she was partially housebroken, she seems completely housebroken to us, hasn't messed in the house once and will go get her leash and bring it to us or scratch at the front door when she needs to go out. Very quiet dog, and very smart, and so sweet. She loves to give us kisses and she really is no trouble at all, at night she will lay at the foot of the bed on the floor, but with Phil being out of town, she slept last night on the bed with me. And she is a heavy sleeper, anytime I moved or got up to go to the bathroom, she never moved, she was dead asleep. Only thing that bugs me is that she will wait forever before going number 2, especially when it is cold outside at night and I am ready for bed. She is a great addition to the family and it is nice to have the company actually. Phil has been wanting a puppy and frankly, while he is at work during the day or if he goes out of town again, it is nice to have her. I planned on doing a video blog of her, but seeing as I have been feeling pretty crappy the since yesterday and have spent most of the weekend sleeping, I will video blog her when I am feeling better.

YAY!!

Guess whose coming home tomorrow!!??

Yes, blog friends, Phil is coming home tomorrow and I am so excited. Turns out his work really screwed him over on the whole deal down there, not sending his check to him on time, and now not paying his per Diem for food and motel cost, meaning that the extra money he makes that we could save away to start our business will go to pay for his motel and food. He might as well come back home and work a normal work week instead of working long hours on the weekend for basically nothing.

Even though its only been a week today since he left, it has been a long week for both of us. We are miserable without each other, and the nights around here have been pretty lonely. I was starting to get used to being alone though, I didn't like it, but I was handling it better then the first few days he was gone. But I am so glad he's coming home, now we can go back to our routine, and there is so much we want to do now that the weather is nice that we had to postpone, so now we can do things again. Plus he will be here to help with wedding plans, and I feel better knowing he's here to help me make decision, so it feels like his wedding too.

Speaking of which, I got the invites to the reception done today and they are so adorable! All I have left to do is address then envelopes and then mail them out in the morning. Once we get married then we will do the same thing but as announcements to send out to the rest of our family and friends.

Well, I am off to start some dinner, and also start watching as many shows as I can on the DVR. I have been going through all my shows each night, trying to get caught up, since he doesn't like all the same shows I do, but I was behind a couple weeks because I just didn't have the time to watch. So hopefully I can get caught up so I don't get behind anymore.

Video Blog: Pissy Sunday

Change of Plans and A Milestone

OK...so the wedding plans have changed a bit, but I think for the better.

The original plan was for us to get married on Nov. 24th, with a small reception afterward, with just close family and friends. Well, the reception is still on for the 24th, that hasn't changed, but looking into officiants, it just costs so much and seeing as I am planning this on short notice, and it being a holiday weekend, there really isn't anyone available. And my dad thought of getting ordained online to perform the service, but then, who knows if all those sites out there where you can get ordained are legal, and what if we find out down the road that is wasn't.

So, we decided to do the simple way to get married, and head down to the Justice of the Peace. Really, we just want to get married and this is not only the most cost-effective way to do it, but to us, it doesn't matter where we get married, as long as we do. So I spoke to the women today, who seemed so nice and happy for us, and she put us on her calendar for Nov. 20th after 5pm. My parents will be there and I am going to ask her Monday when I call to confirm if it is OK if we want to say our own vows, since we each have some written. It may not be the way we originally wanted it, but we'll be married and that's all that matters. I'd marry him anywhere, anytime. What will be great is that we'll still have the reception on Nov. 24th with our family and friends, and seeing as we'll already be married, we'll be more relaxed to enjoy ourselves.

Now...what is this milestone I mentioned in the subject line?

We've hit the 1000 mark here at Kimbo Central, which means that my blog has been viewed 1000 times. The counter is at the top of the page, on the left hand side, and I believe as I write this the count is at 1020. I'm pretty excited! I seemed to have a group of readers, mainly family and friends, but still, it is really cool to me that you all come here and check out what is going on with my life. The whole concept of blogging is really great, I think, it is sort of like having a journal or a record of your life events, something you can always come back to and look at and reflect on how you've changed, or how life has changed. I read through some of my old blogs recently, blog upon blog of all the dating struggles I was once going through and how I developed the mentality that I was going to end up alone. Now, I am a month away from getting married to the man that I have been waiting and hoping for. I hope as my blog gets 1000 more hits, that my life will take me in more unexpected and wonderful places that I can share with all of you.

Video Blog: Save The Date!

First Night Alone

Phil left this morning a little after 11am. When we woke up this morning we packed all his things and loaded the truck. I tried to make that time go by slowly, and we just kept looking at each other with that look that meant we knew we were going to have to say goodbye soon, but neither one of us wanted to talk about it. Unfortunately, though, that time came and even though I had tried so hard all morning to not cry, the minute he hugged me goodbye I couldn't help myself. Our goodbye wasn't long, because I don't think either one of us could have handled anymore tears, from both of us, and I think it was better that way. Watching him drive away was so hard though. I knew I wouldn't be seeing him for a month and going back into the house alone just broke my heart. I know, its only a month, 30 days, but it is still so hard. Its amazing how someone can come into your life and just change things for the better and make such a difference on who you are. The days I am actually OK being alone, as I am used to it when he is at work. But it's the night that is hard, when I get lonely, when I look over at his chair to tell him something or laugh over something that is on TV and then I remember he's not there. But the night just means he is one more day closer to coming home. I am thinking positively. And it helps that we talk all the time, he calls and checks in, and I call his motel room to check in. He took my laptop to have Internet so we could email, but there is no Internet in the place he's at, so at least we have phone calls, and we both plan on sending letters to each other.

The good thing is that we are finally going to get the money we need to get our business off the ground. He can get licensed and bonded so he can be an independent contractor and I will run the office end of the business from here. As hard as it is to be away from each other, the payoff is worth it.

I should try to lay down and get some sleep, its after midnight and I am usually in bed by this time, but I can't sleep. I am used to him being here, and its hard sleeping alone. Funny how a few months ago when we moved in together I had a hard time sleeping because he was in the bed and I was used to sleeping alone, now its the opposite. But the sooner I get to sleep, the sooner I can stop missing him at least for a few hours.

I promise tomorrow will be a better, happier blog. I am just sad tonight, but as the days go by and I get used to being alone here, I will be better. But I have some good news to blog about, so check back tomorrow! For now...goodnight!

Last Night Together

Phil leaves tomorrow for his month-long work trip to Morenci, AZ, which is about four hours away. As much as I am very sad that this is our last night together in a month, I am happy that it is going to allow us to start our business, and our life. We'll never have this opportunity again to make this sort of money.

The house is a mess, clothes everywhere, stuff of mine from my parents house littered across the place just waiting for a permanent home. After dinner we're going to start packing up his clothes and stuff, so in the morning we just have to get him loaded up. After that, it is up to me to get everything put away and re-organized (with the help of Grandma Beth), so that when he comes home he has a nice place to come home to once again.

I'm trying not to let him see how sad I am, and how much I am going to miss him, but I am afraid tomorrow when it is time for him to go, I might just break down in tears. But it's only 30 days, and I think I have enough to keep me busy for awhile so the time will go by fast...

...or else I'll just do a ton of weird and pointless video blogs ;)

Sad, Yet Good News

Phil is going to be going out of town for business, leaving Monday around noon. His work told him this was the next assignment they had, and nothing else local. He made a bunch of calls yesterday looking for work around the Valley, but nothing panned out. So he is off to a city called Morenci, AZ, which is almost by the Arizona/New Mexico Border, down near Safford. It is four hours away, and the sad part; He will have to be there a month, working 10 hour days, 7 days a week.

Now, you might be asking,"Where is the good news?" Well, despite the fact that he will be gone for a month and we are going to miss each other like crazy, he is going to make an awesome amount of money, enough so that when he gets home, we'll be able to start our contracting business, so he can do his own thing and not only make a lot more money, but also have stable work, since what he is doing now, he could be working at a job site and then 2 days later, they send him somewhere else, or tell him there is no more work available. As much as I don't want him to go, this is really an opportunity of a lifetime, we will never have this chance to make this much money in a month's time again, and be able to not only start our business, but still have some left in the bank for a rainy day.

It seems, to me, that despite the fact that we're happy to have this chance to finally get on our feet financially and get everything we've wanted to start finally started, that there is an air of sadness in the house. I feel for him, because he is going to be working such long hours, 7 days a week, and I feel so bad that I can't be there with him, so at least at night when he's dog tired, he's got a friendly face to come home to. But I am giving him the laptop to take so we can chat and email, along with phone calls. Yet I feel so proud of him, and so grateful, to have a man who would do anything, even this, to help us have a better life.

I worry about it though, him working so hard like that. It will be so easy for him to get stressed out and burned out, and I worry, what if he gets hurt on the job or something. As much as it sucks for me to have to be alone here for that long, it is really nothing compared to what he is going to have to be doing, working so hard with not even a day off. Frankly, I don't want to see him do it, I don't want him working himself that hard. But then, what choice do you have, when you have to pay the bills and get things done. Its times like these that I wish I was capable of being able to work and bring in more income then I do with my disability. Then maybe he wouldn't have to work so hard for us.

For me, I'm really not sure what I am going to do with myself around here, but then this isn't about me, its about him and all he has to go through the next month. I'm not really worried about having to be along, I am fine being alone, I am a loner by nature so me and alone time actually are pretty good friends. But its going to get old, and fast. Of course, I have people who will come by and visit, like my family and Mindy. Its not like I am going to alone in that aspect, but alone in the fact that my other half won't be here. But I am trying to think of the positives that are going to come out of this, and not focus so much on the negative. Its not easy, but it is just a month right? Geez, that seems like such a long time. I hope it goes by fast.

Birdie Bath Time

One of our lovebirds, Pooh, decided it was time for him to take a bath, and when he takes a bath, he really gets into it. So Phil grabbed the camera and started recording...

Video Blog: Fish Poop

Crabby Kimbo and Halloween Hatred

I've been a crabby Kimbo lately, and I hate Halloween. Here all about it!

Crispy Kimbo

It was a very nice weekend here at Kimbo Central. Since the weather has been really nice, and there is a park about a block from our apartment, with a big fishing lake, Saturday we headed over with our fishing pools and grabbed a prime spot, ready to catch some fish. Mindy even came out with Kiarra and it was so nice to see her, she has gotten so big. As the afternoon went out though, the sun started getting stronger and I got a small sunburn on the back of the neck and a little on my chest and arms. Luckily, my arms tanned and so did my chest, but my neck is still red and hurts a little when my shirt rubs against it. But at least I didn't get too crispy.

But today it was back to the regular routine. Phil was released back to full duty work on Friday after hurting his shoulder last week, so after a week of being home together, he went off to work this morning and I went back to my normal routine of making sure everything was cleaned up around here and then finding things to do until he comes home from work.

I did today, however, start my new diet and exercise plan. Since moving in with Phil in June, I've sort of picked up his eating habits, and gained back some of the weight that I had lost in the beginning of the year. I've started to notice my clothes are fitting a bit tighter and I've gained some weight in my face. So I started back on the morning exercises I was doing before, and cutting way back on what I eat, having just a yogurt for lunch and then dinner, and not snacking during the day. So far, so good, except that I am starving! Funny how when you are consciously trying to watch what you eat, everything in the kitchen looks like something you need to eat right at that moment. But I am drinking water when I get a hunger craving so that has been helping some. I am hoping I can lose about twenty pounds by Thanksgiving, and then maybe another twenty by Christmas. I figure if I give myself small little goals like that, then the weight loss will be more attainable.

Well, it is dinnertime and I am looking forward to eating the leftover spinach pasta I had made for dinner last night. I have been looking forward to it all day.