2008: A Review

I suppose it is that time of year again where we sit back and reflect on everything that has happened, and everything we want to happen in the upcoming new year.

For me, the biggest thing that happened was I finally married the man I love dearly. We were married on May 9th, which was the year anniversary of the day we first met. To us, that day was so special because it changed our lives and getting married on that day was just icing on the cake. We didn't have a big ceremony, the justice of the peace was fine with us, because all that matter is we took our vows and committed our lives to each other. Being married is something I had always hoped for myself, and wasn't sure I was going to get. But I love being married, and being a wife. Sure, married life isn't perfect, trust me, there are those days when I could just kill him (haha), but I wouldn't trade a minute of it.

We also were blessed in 2008 to move into our new apartment, which was brand new, never lived in, as the apartment complex was just built. This place is so much nicer then our first apartment together, and now that we are finally done with living in a mess of boxes and chaos, the place looks and feels like home.

I was also lucky this year to be able to go back to work and help out my new family financially. I got the job working at Walmart as a greeter, and as much as I would love to say that the job is amazing and I love going to work everyday, well, it's Walmart and for anyone who has worked there, you know how it is. I do enjoy meeting new people, and the greeters I work with are all so nice and we have a good time, but just like any job there are politics and rules and regulations and let's just say the famous family company really doesn't care about its employees as much as they say they do. But, its a paycheck, and I can't complain about that.

Phil decided this year to go back to school, which is something I am very proud of him about. He started ITT Tech in Tempe, AZ, and he is going to be getting his degree in Drafting and Design and Construction Management. So far after his first semester he has a 4.0 GPA and he is really enjoying the whole program.

Now, like everyone, we have had our downs too, but I try not to dwell on that and think about the positive, because dwelling on the negative does us no good, and I want 2009 to be a better year for us, with more successes and hopefully, a little addition to our family.

Merry Christmas

First, I hope all of you had a very safe and Merry Christmas!

My Christmas was very nice. Christmas Eve I had to work from 2:30-6:30p. Our store closed at 6p, but we had to make sure everyone was out of the store before we could lock the doors. I couldn't believe all the people coming in thinking we were open 24 hours and getting so mad when we told them we weren't. The manager had to keep turning people away from the door. But luckily I was able to clock out at 6:30p, and then change and head over to Grandma Joan's for dinner. Everyone else had already eaten by the time we got there, but we each had a plate waiting, so we had a good dinner, and then go to open presents and spend time with family. My grandma bought us a Kitchen Aid knife set, so very nice and it will last us a lifetime. She also gave us a really nice stainless steel spice rack that swivels and has 20 different spices. I love to cook and can't wait to try some of the new spices in my recipes! She also made me a lap blanket, and also a dog toy for Brandi.

Yesterday we had dinner at my mom and dad's. Mom made lasagna, since we had ham and turkey at my grandma's the night before and it was soo good! They bought Phil a GPS for his truck, since he never knows where he is going (lol), and for me I got a Creative ZEN MP3 player that is so nice, it holds 4000 songs, pics, and videos, has a big screen, even a calendar and organizer. It is what I have been wanting because my other mp3 player died on me.

As much as I love Christmas, I am very glad that now it is over, and we can go back to everything being back to normal.

Workin the night shift....

The past few weeks I've been getting more and more night shifts on the schedule, and at first, I hated it. I had thought it was much better to get the day over with by working first, then having the night to myself. But the more nights I've worked, the more I've started to enjoy it. I've also noticed that with the cold weather, and just my arthritis in general, working nights is a lot better for me because I can get the rest I need in the morning and get my joints up and running for the day, so when I do go to work later on I feel a lot better.

The hard part was knowing that in order for to change my availability to nights only, I was going to have to talk to my manager, and she can be intimidating. I wasn't sure if she was going to be upset that I was changing to nights, and some other associates had said that meeting with her wasn't easy. Needless to say, I was very nervous, not knowing that to expect.

She called me into her office around 8pm, and I explained why I wanted to switch to nights, and she said it was no problem at all, and in fact even went through my schedule for the next two weeks and changed the day shifts I had (just 3) to night shifts, then we went in back to change the schedule on the schedule board. She totally understood my situation, and even told me I was doing really good at being a greeter.

I went back to work so relieved that the meeting went well, and really grateful that my manager understands my situation and knows I am not just trying to get out of doing my work, but working into a schedule that allows me to not miss anymore days due to flare ups. I didn't want to lose my job over my arthritis, that has happened to me before in the past, and it is nice to know that at least now I am at a place that is being accommodating.

I do have to work this morning, she couldn't put me on a night tonight because she needed me, but she did say I could come in an hour later, which works well for me. So after I post this I'll be heading off for work, and then will have a nice big day off tomorrow. Which reminds me, I have a new Tales From a Walmart Greeter to post tomorrow, the holidays have given me some good material to share....

My good deed

Last night we had my friend Jeanine over, with her 3 year old daughter Megan. It was a lot of fun to finally get to entertain now that the house is finally unpacked, looks like home, and is decorated for Christmas.

Jeanine and Megan stayed for dinner, I made pork chops and chicken, grilled cheese for Megan, then once Megan was used to Phil and I, Jeanine went to visit her husband Nathan in the hospital. She is such a cute, adorable little 3 year old, and was perfect for us, she even fell asleep about 9:45 watching Noggin. We got to bed late, after 1am, which meant we only got a few hours sleep before Phil had to wake up and get ready for school.

The alarm went off at 6:45a, much to my dismay, and I was all set to go back to bed when Phil came in and said there was a German Shepherd running in the parking lot. Turns out he must have been lost or abandoned, and his hind legs looked hurt, since he was walking very funny. This was at 7:30a, and the emergency line to the Humane Society didn't open until 8, so I waited and finally got a hold of someone, and they said they were sending over Maricopa County Animal Control to pick up the dog. I got off the phone and decided to head outside to make sure the dog stayed over here. I went outside and the dog came right over to me, super friendly, but obviously needing help. About 2 mins later Animal Control was here, and he went right over to the lady, where she got him on a leash and started an IV and checked him out, and then they were on their way. So that was my good deed of the day, making sure the dog was OK and knowing he is going to get treatment and get adopted to a good family. Brandi was a rescue dog, and I have a special place in my heart for them.

Now I am sitting here with Megan, Jeanine needed to go to the hospital this morning and talk to her husband's doctor, and since he is in ICU right now for seizures he is having, Megan isn't allowed back there. I had no problem watching her, she is such a good little girl and she is sitting next to me right now as I type this, playing "Where is the clown?", where she took one of my clown ornaments and is hiding it from me, and then I say where is the clown and she says I don't know! This definitely is making me want to have kids even more then I have been.

OK, time to go for now, now we are playing let's make the clowns dance....

Black Friday Madness

Today was the infamous Black Friday, and I was scheduled to work from 5am to 2pm. I knew, with it being Walmart, that is was going to be packed with people, but I had no idea the insanity that awaited me when I arrived at work at 4:45am.

First off, the parking lot was full, there wasn't a parking spot available unless you parked way over by the Staples and Petco, and even that was filling up quick. Sheriff SUV's were parked outside, patrolling the area inside and out, and people will just filing in. The first thing I noticed is that all the carts were gone and the poor cart pushers were out there running around trying to bring in whatever carts they could find around the parking lot. When I got into the store, however, is when the real madness began.

Around the store areas were roped off and there was displays all around that were covered in plastic. The sale started at 5am and people were just piled around these displays and roped off areas, just waiting. Trying to get to the back of the store to the time clock was almost impossible and seeing as where we clock in at is right by Electronics, where they were selling 32" flat screen TV's for $388, it was like a zoo! I finally got clocked in and headed out to check it and see which door I was needed at and I had just passed Electronics when someone yelled "ITS 5!". Suddenly people were screaming at the top of their lungs and ripping off plastic around the displays and throwing things in the air...like literally, I couldn't see the TV's on the wall in Electronics because there was just stuff flying around in the air as people sorted through what they wanted and filled their carts. It was insanity!! I've never seen anything like it!

They ended up putting me in the Garden Center to watch the door and check all receipts that came through. The line was backed up through the garden center and out into the store, and inside the lines were backed up from the registers to the back of the store. I had to check every receipt, highlight the large items they bought, and initial it. The bad thing was that it was freezing cold, and being garden center, it is open air. I was shivering all morning.

It finally started to slow down around 8am, but there always a steady stream of people. Three guys were arrested for fighting over one of those video game chairs, and one lady smacked another lady in the face over trying to get to sale items early. And one manager was even accosted by a customer. It is amazing what people will do for a stupid toy or TV. Nothing is that important to me that I would fight someone over it, or cause such a pandemonium over it.

So the holiday season is finally here, and seeing that I am working tomorrow, I am sure it is going to be busy from now on like today until the holidays are over. I am just glad I survived that whole mess and made it home in one piece.

A Sad Day

This time last year, I was in the hospital with a severe kidney infection that the doctors said if left untreated, could have killed me. Scary to think of how close I was to losing my life just a year ago, and then to see here, a year later, how things have changed. Phil and I got married, we have a beautiful new home, and I am working away at my little greeter job.

But what makes this a sad day for me is that it was a year ago today that I lost Peanut, which is what I called my baby. While I was in the hospital with my kidney infection, I had a miscarriage. I was 7 weeks along. It was, undoubtedly, the worst day of my life, and one that I think of constantly. I spent the entire day in terrible pain, and with incredible guilt and sadness. At the time, I felt I was the reason I lost our baby, that I didn't take good care of myself or the baby, or I had done something bad in my life to make me deserve what was happening to me.

Phil was great with me that day, he never blamed me, he just made sure I was OK, and I felt and saw his sadness as well. In fact, to this day, it is really something we don't talk about, because it is painful. But we both know what today was. There really isn't a point in dwelling over it and making ourselves upset.

It took me awhile to finally realize that it wasn't my fault for the miscarriage, that I was very sick and the baby was so fragile, and that it was nature's way. As my doctor said, every women has at least one miscarriage in her life. I've come to the point now where I've accepted what happened, that is happened for a reason, and one day we will be reunited in Heaven together. They say that when you have a miscarriage or lose a child, it goes with God and God will protect it and raise it for you until you can meet again. I can't think of a better person to be looking over my child.

I'm not as sad as I thought I would be today. I haven't shed a tear, just been reflective, and wondering what life would be like today if this day hadn't turned out the way it did a year ago. But I think of my Peanut on a daily basis, especially when I see kids coming in to work. It is a grieving process, and I know that I will always think of Peanut and what they would have been like. I may not openly talk about it all the time, because it is private to me, but that baby will always have a special place in my heart, and has forever changed me. It made me realize how badly I want to be a mom, and how wonderful an experience it is to know you have a little one growing inside you. I'm at the point where I feel very ready to experience that again and I know that one day we will when the time is right.

What was America thinking?

The election is over, and Obama won. I can't say I am really surprised, seeing as how many people seemed to latch on to his idea of change. I just think that a lot of people really didn't take a look at his whole platform and what he would really like to do to this country. I think, as what happens after a president such as Bush makes things so terrible for our country, America decides oh, well I guess we need a Democrat in there now. Four years from now, Obama could make this country even worse off then it is, and then what, will we be screaming, Now we need the Republicans back!

As you can tell, I didn't vote for Obama. It wasn't because he was black, or anything stupid like that. It is because after spending time researching the platforms of both candidates, I felt that Obama's ideas of free universal health care, and free education were along the lines of those in Socialist countries. It has been said time and again, Obama would turn us to Socialism, and I agree, he could. Now, is that going to happen, let's hope not. I believe there is enough people around him and enough obstacles he would face trying to do that, that would put a stop to it before it began. And I also strongly believe he does not have the experience needed yet to be President. He's young and hasn't spent enough time in the Senate, plus he has no military experience and we are in the middle of a war. I believe McCain would have been the better choice for us right now, and I don't believe he would have been another Bush.

Now, all this being said, I know there are those of you out there who are happy that Obama won, and that's great. I'm glad people went out there and voted and participated in what's going on in this country. I think this is the time when we should all start helping our country and letting our opinions be heard. Do I think Obama is going to be a good President...well gee, I don't know yet. I can only hope so, because if he isn't, we are going to be the ones who are suffering. Maybe he will offer the change we need, maybe he'll have the answers and turn this suffering economy back around. Who knows! A lot gets said during campaigning, about how they will change this and that, and nothing ever gets done. If free universal health care and education could be done, wouldn't it have been already???

Now, these are just my opinions in this blog, so I don't need anyone commenting and bashing my views or telling me how Obama is better because of this or that. America decided and we have to live with that decision, and now is the time were we need to put aside those party lines that divide us and unify as a country. Let's just hope Americans knew what they were thinking, and the next 4 years really do show us the change we really need.

So much to do....

I really hate moving. Your whole life has to be packed up, then unpacked at a new place. You have to find a place to put everything and when your working all the time, there just isn't time to do it. We still have a bunch of stuff over at the house to bring over, the majority of our things are here, but our bedroom there still has clothes and boxes that contain everything that goes on our bookshelves in the living room. I have been working most days, and having only one or two days off and like today, I am just so tired and trying to get some energy so I can work the next four days in a row. The actual work isn't stressful, but I can get flare-ups just by doing too much, so when I do have a day to myself I have been trying to take it as easy as possible.

Phil headed over to the house a bit ago to get what he can, but he was injured at work the other night and can't lift anything big. He was unloading a truck and the guy helping him took a box from the bottom of a big pile, and a box of irons fell on Phil, landing on his right thumb and taking it down with it. He ended up going to the doctor his work sent him to, and they said he didn't break the thumb, but he has either broken the ligaments or stretched them really bad. He is wearing a cast right now as he can barely move it and its so swollen and he has an appointment on Thursday with a hand specialist they are sending him to. They will be able to do more tests to see whether the ligaments are torn or broken, and if they are broken he is going to most likely needing surgery. So I might have to find someone who can help us move out anything heavy or bulky in the house because I don't want him injuring his thumb anymore.

I've been having a lot of trouble with my right ankle ever since I had to have my chair go in for repairs. My chair shorted out of me about two weeks ago, and I actually had to call in to work because I didn't trust the chair to run since it would run a bit, then it would just flash its lights at me and would stop moving. I found a place in Gilbert that could not only fix my chair, but also could give me a rental chair, since Medicare covers a month rental of a chair. Well, this chair is very different from mine, the seat is shorter, which makes keeping my feet and butt on the seat hard, and it is putting a lot of strain on my right ankle, which is my bad one. It is locking up on me and causing me so much pain that at times I think it must be broken because I won't be able to move it. It has also been very swollen and something sitting at work for even a few hours has just been unbearable because it hurts so bad, but then I come home and put it up with some heat or ice, take a few Tylenol, and it will start to relax. They said my chair should be ready this week and I can't wait!! Because I am so uncomfortable in this chair, I haven't been able to do anything here, and because this chair doesn't lift up like mine does, I haven't been able to do dishes or really cook well because everything is so high here and I can't reach. Phil has been a sweetheart doing dishes for me and helping out, but I feel so bad complaining all the time about how much my ankle hurts and such. He is so understanding, I just hate sounding like a whiner.

So, as soon as I get my chair back I know I am going to feel a lot better, and with being able to raise the chair up, I'll be able to really get in the kitchen and get things put away and go back to cooking like a normal person. I'll also have the ability to start unpacking more things and getting this place looking like home.

As soon as I get everything settled in around here, I'll take pictures so you can see our new home. I was going to take pictures before we got things moved in, but silly me packed the camera!

Tales from a Walmart Greeter - #1

As most of you know, I start last month working as a greeter at Walmart, and I must say, this is the perfect job for someone like me who loves to people watch. There are so many different and interesting people who come through my door everyday, and I have accumulated so many stories so far, so I decided to create a new blog series about my daily greeter tales. Enjoy!

~I'm in a power chair, obvious to anyone who knows me, and even if you have just met me, it really isn't hard to miss that. Sure, it may not be a manual chair, but it has wheels and a joystick controller, and it is pretty clear it is not a regular chair or recliner. Yet, for some reason, a few times a week someone, mainly really old guys who can't barely walk into the store themselves, have to make some sort of comment to the effect of "Just sitting around here", or "Taking it easy", to "Hardly working eh?". The best had to be yesterday though, when a cranky old man asked me if I was "Loafing on the job?". Yeah buddy, I'm loafing around...give me a break! When I told him no, that I was in a wheelchair and unable to walk, he actually had the audacity to say "Ya right" as he walked out of the store.

~(This from another greeter) - A man comes through the door to leave the store with a big flat screen TV in his cart, with a cashier in tow. The greeter tells the man he needs to see his receipt for the TV, to which the man replies, "Oh, I haven't bought it yet, I am just going to take it to my car to see if it will fit, and if so then I will come back in and buy it". The cashier looked shocked, as he was just told by a supervisor to help them man, and had no idea he hadn't paid for it yet. So the greeter calls for a supervisor to come over, and the guys tells his same story and the supervisors says OK, until the cashier pipes up and informs that he hasn't paid for it yet. He was then promptly told he needed to pay for the TV, and if it didn't fit in his car he could come right back in and return it. Good try buddy, that's like taking a cart full of groceries through the door and saying, "I just want to see if these will fit in my trunk...."

~Guy spills garden soil all over the entrance, then looks at me and says, "Well, aren't you going to clean it up?"

~Another guy spill ice all over the floor and says "Hey look, now I gave you something to do today" as he runs out of the store.

~A woman has a return and I stop her so I can scan it and give it a return sticker. She is on the phone, and when she approaches me, she throws the bag on my lap and tells the person on the phone, "Yeah, I'm at Walmart, you know how when you have a return you have to take it to the dumb ass greeter so they can give you a sticker...yeah what a total waste of my time, guess they have to give the old people and retards something to do".

Getting settled in

I'm back online! Phil and I finally moved into our new apartment on Sunday, and although we still have things left at the house to bring over, and lots of unpacking and settling in to do, it is nice to be back on our own again.

This apartment is so nice, first off, it is brand new, no one has ever lived in here before. The entire apartment has hardwood floors except for the bedroom, which has Berber carpet. The cabinetry is like a dark sort of cherry wood and there is black granite counter tops and brand new whirlpool appliances and Moen sinks and fixtures. It is so nice, I just love it here, and we plan to stay here for awhile, so it is going to be so nice to get settled in and know we are going anywhere for awhile.

The Walmart job is going well, they have me work my first night shift last night, from 2pm-10pm, which I didn't like because I rather get up in the morning and get work over with and have the night to myself. But I have so many stories from working there, being a greeter is a people watchers dream. I think I am going to have to start blogging some of these great stories..but alas, I must use my day off wisely and try to get settled into our new home.

Hard Workin Girl

I've completed my first full week at Wal-Mart, and I have to say the job really isn't that bad.

Orientation was on the 25th, with just me and two other people who were hired on as cashiers. We watched movies about the company, surprisingly with a lot of references to the fact that union workers try to get Wal-Mart to join a union, and how Wal-Mart is against that. I never realized what a problem they had with people trying to unionize them, but I suppose since the unions are losing money, getting a big company like Wal-Mart in and having every employee pay dues would help a lot. I am glad they are against that though, I don't need some union guy speaking for me over everything.

The next day I came in and spent the entire money on the computer doing computer based learning, such as how to clean up a chemical spill, and other policy stuff. I finished those around lunchtime and after lunch they sent me out on the floor for the first time. They put me with another greeter, a really nice man, who showed me the ropes, and then the next day, I was out there by myself manning the door.

The job really isn't hard at all, and didn't take long to learn. Basically, people come in and you welcome them, people leave and you say goodbye, if someone has a return you scan their item and give them their printed receipt to take to customer service, if someone has items underneath their cart you need to look at their receipt to make sure it is on there, and then make sure the area is clean. I do this for 8 hrs a day, from 7am-4pm. But after this next week my hours will be from 7am-3pm.

The best part of my job is giving out stickers to the little ones. They are so cute and their face lights up when you ask if they would like a sticker. The bad part is that is can get boring, especially in the mornings. They have me at what they call the general merchandise door, because the other door is for the grocery side. That side is always the busiest, my side isn't, but it is a bigger area, and the radio to call for a supervisor or for carts is right at my level because they have another guy in a chair who works nights. It is just easier for me to get around over there, because on the grocery side I would be bumping into people, especially if I need to stop someone to look at their receipt. Also, it gets so cold on my side, with the big fans blowing cool air all day long, so I bring a sweater, but I am just hoping I am not getting a cold, because I feel that way, but it also might be allergies.

I've also made some nice friends there, and the job isn't that stressful for, just more mentally tiring since sitting there saying hello and have a good day gets repetitive. But it is a good job and I am having fun with it, and it is bringing in the extra money we need, so that's great.

We've also decided, due to our schedules and the fact that I won't be getting my first real check from them until the 16th, that we push the move in date for getting into our new apartment for the 19th. This way we have extra time to pack, because things are still all over the place, and it will allows us to have the money we need to get settled in. We were supposed to move this Sunday, which would have meant spending these past two days off packing up all these odds and ends, but now I can just relax since I am still getting used to working.

Well, that's about all the news I have on this front. I definitely deal with some very interesting customers during the day, I might have to blog about some of the people I have seen come through the store.

Working Kimbo

So I've officially started working my new Wal-Mart job, and today is my first day off.

Thursday was orientation, which meant me made up our name badges, filled out paperwork, watched movies all about the company, and even played a game. There was only three of us, two were going to be cashiers, and then me, the people greeter.

The next day I started my new schedule of working 7am-4pm. I figured out though, that by working a 32 hour a week schedule, it would put me over the $940 a month that I have to stay under or else I will lose my benefits with disability. I spoke to my manager about it, and she said she totally understood because she has a few other associates who are also on disability and need they work 30 hours a week, so I will start that after this coming week, so she wouldn't have to change my schedule.

The first part of my Friday was sitting on a computer in the training room, doing computer based learning, where you watch videos and slideshows of different things, like how to clean up chemical spills and such, and you have to take an online skill assessment after each lesson, and pass with an 80% or better. I had 18 to watch, and it took all morning until my lunch. After my lunch, I was finally able to go out on the floor and learn my job, because I had to pass the lessons first.

The job itself it not very hard. There are two doors, grocery side, and general merchandise. The grocery door is the side that is the most busy. Basically, when people walk in, you said hi, or good morning/afternoon/evening, and pass out smilie stickers to the little ones. Also, you have to check customers reciepts when the leave if they have anything under their cart, or have anything is their cart, such as electronics. Also, when someone comes in with a return, you scan the item and it will print out a sticker you place on the item, then direct them to customer service. Plus, you get asked questions about where things are in the store, and other misc. stuff. we also have radios that we can use to contact supervisors and managers if we need assistance with a customer, or need to alert them of something. Yesterday was my first full day on the floor, and it really was quite easy, just getting used to working long days like that again. Plus the job is pretty much unsupervised. They come over to tell us when to take our breaks, because you can't have a door unattended, but other then that the supervisors are busy at the front with the cashiers. I know they check on us, but the job is pretty simple, so it doesn't require much supervisors, which is nice because you can just focus on welcoming customers.

Today is my day off, and then I will also have Thursday and Friday off. Phil also has today off, so we have to spend most of the day packing, since we are moving a week from today into our new apartment, and we really havent' had time to do a whole lot of packing. The good thing is I was able to quit doing the rebate job, since I make so much at Wal-Mart. Doing rebates would push me over the $940 a month to make. And with Wal-Mart I am just about there.

I have a cute picture my mom took of us in our wal-mart dress attire, since Phil works at another store doing instock (which is recieving) and will now be the one in charge of assembling bikes and furntiure. I will have to upload it from my camera, we are a wal-mart family, or at least until he finishes school or something else comes along in his field.

Wish me luck packing!

Welcome to Wal-Mart...

Will be what I will be saying to every customer that comes into the Wal-Mart by my house because yes...I got the job!!!

I had my interview at 9am this morning, and had the first part of the interview with a really nice guy, who asked me a bunch of different questions about my work related experience. When that was done he said I was a great interview and thought I was going to be the right fit for their store. After that I had another interview, the second part with a manager, and I was asked more questions and then I was told I got the job, and they went through how much I would be making, and what the duties and responsibilities were of a people greeter, then I was given the paperwork to go get a drug test and they said they will call me once they get the results of my drug test back, and orientation will be next week.

I went right from interview over to the where the drug testing place was, and figured it should go pretty quickly, seeing as all you have to do is pee in a cup. Who knew I was going to be sitting in there for almost two hours before I was even called back. At one point they told a women who had been there for three hours that all the rooms in the back were full of patients and things should be speeding up, but when I was called back there every single exam room was empty. I am guessing maybe their techs were at lunch and they didn't want to tell us. Anywho, I did the whole pee in the cup, which I have to say is very embarrassing to have your pee in a cup and have some tech have to take it and test it. But I know I am going to pass it, I have never taken drugs and the only medicine in my system is for arthritis.

Now I am on a search to find my Wal-Mart attire, which is Khaki pants and a blue shirt, and I also need to get a pair of shoes, because the only shoes I own are my flip flops, which I can't wear there.

So yay me for getting the job!

Been awhile...

Since I last blogged huh?

Life has been so busy around here, mainly with me working on these rebates all the time. I really thought this was going to be a job that could help make some good side money, but I am only making about $66 a week, and when payday comes around, the entire check I get goes directly into the gas tank, which makes me angry. Right now I am processing 330 rebates twice a week, I go in Tuesday and pick up mail, which has to be turned in electronically by midnight on Thursday, then I go back into the office on Friday and pick up more mail, which needs to be turned in electronically by midnight on Sunday. So the reason I haven't been online much is because this really takes up a lot of my time.

So..seeing as this job wasn't making much, I decided to put my resume out there and see if something hit, and I also re-applied for Wal-Mart for the greeter position. Well, Thursday afternoon Wal-Mart called and asked if I was still interested in the position and now I have an interview with them on Tuesday at 9am. This is the job that I have been wanting, because when we move into our new apartment I just need to go across this little street and I am right then in the parking lot, so no need to worry about someone taking me to work. And it will be a part time position, so I can still do the rebate job to help supplement our income.

Speaking of apartments, Phil and I will be moving into our new apartment on Oct. 4th. We thought we were going to have to wait until Nov. 1st before we moved but the lady at the complex called yesterday and said they are now offering more incentives which helps lower our move in cost. So now on top of doing this rebate job and hopefully getting this Wal-Mart job, we have to start packing. Luckily, a lot of our things are still packed up and in the garage, so that will make it a lot easier, since there is a lot of stuff in our room that I believe we can toss or give away since we haven't used them in over a year, such as clothes. This should be our last move for awhile, seeing as this will be our third move in a year. The apartment is really nice, it is one of those new apartments with all sorts of fancy features, like hardwood floors in the kitchen and Berber carpet, and huge soaking tubs. When we first saw the place I was really thinking we wouldn't be able to afford it because it was so nice and I figured the prices would be outrageous, but they really are reasonable. I am excited about us having our own space again, and I know that Brandi dog will love being able to roam free like she used to.

Well, this little Kimbo sure is tired, but I wanted to at least check in with my blog friends and let you I am still here, just been busy.

Happy Birthday Phil!!

Today is my husband Phil's 30th birthday. He says he feels old, but I told him that he is still a spring chicken. I wish I had the money to give him a really fantastic birthday and maybe even a party, since turning 30 is a big birthday, but my parents are taking us out to dinner tonight to the new Texas Roadhouse that just opened up not too far from here, and since we all love that place, it should be fun.

Speaking of Phil, he has decided to go back to school and further his education. Work has been really slow in his trade and he wants to finally get out from being the low man on the totem pole and actually make it up into the big leagues. So we found that ITT Tech has a Bachelor program in Construction Management, so we made an appointment and went through the whole process of getting him enrolled. He starts school on Sept. 8th, and will be entering at first the Associates Degree program in Drafting and Design. He'll learn such programs as Autocad, and will learn how to draft up housing plans and do 3D modeling and such. The recruiter said that after the two year program, he will be able to enter the job market working for an architect or even for the city designing plans for commercial buildings. After he receives that Applied Sciences Degree, he will do another year and 9 months in the Construction Management Program, where he will get his Bachelor's Degree. This is really a great step he is taking not only for his future, but for our future, and the future of our family down the road. I am very proud of him and can't wait to see him succeed as I know he will.

With me, I am still here, processing those rebates. It is definitely turning into a job where I am spending a lot of nights up late trying to get my work done before my deadline, which is mainly because I have had so much to do during the day that I don't get a chance to do my work until after dinnertime. Like today, I picked up new mail, 330 pieces of mail due by Thursday at 4pm, and I won't get a chance to do any until maybe later tonight because we are going to dinner for Phil's birthday. I just need to get into a good schedule where I work during the day and have less work at night, so I don't have the tired and bloodshot eyes that I do today.

My Doctor Appointment

So I've been talking about how my right elbow (the one I broke back in 2004) has been giving me a lot of trouble, and that my arthritis doc felt it was time to have the elbow replaced. Well, I finally was able to get in and see the orthopedic surgeon who did the surgery the first time. He is an amazing doctor and the only way I would ever consider getting any surgery done on my joints would be if he were to do it.

Funny part was, when the doctor first came in the room, I didn't think it was the same guy! 5 years ago, the last time I saw him, he was a pretty big guy, but he has had to have lost about 150-200. He looks great, it was just a shock when your expecting the guy you knew before to come walking in.

Anyway, he took a look at the elbow and the x-rays and said that doing a replacement due to arthritis or due to trauma is two different things. If it were just because my arthritis was acting up, the replacement would last longer, but because it has to be replaced due to trauma, it won't last as long, and he really doesn't want to see me go through that at 29. I told him that over the years I have learned to adapt to losing half the movement in the arm, and it doesn't bother me the way it is, except for the pain, popping, and clicking that has been going on the past few months. So he said he is going to do an outpatient procedure, were he will remove the radial head of the elbow, that is the bottom part of the elbow, think of where your elbow points. He thinks that will get rid of the pain and give me another 5 years with the elbow the way it is before we really have to consider replacement.

I then decided to ask him about knee replacements. I really wasn't, because frankly I have resigned myself to the fact that I was never going to walk again, and I've been ok with that. At this point it has been 4 years since I've last walked. Plus, my arthritis doctor said that with my osteoporosis, that doing a knee replacement might shatter my legs, and finding a doctor to do both knees at the same time, and at my age, will be difficult. So I asked the surgeon first about the possibility of my legs shattering during surgery and he said no, then asked if I ever had a bone density test and why I wasn't on meds for osteoporosis. I told him I've never had a doctor mention bone density or meds, so he is sending me in for the test (you stick your foot in a machine and it measures your bone density), and after that he will put me on some meds to make my bones stronger. He also said he could do the replacements. He asked if my ankles and hips were ok, and I told him my hips are fine, but my ankles always hurt me when I walk, a lot of that to do not only with the arthritis, but my weight. So he told me that last year he did the same surgery on a women who was 62, hadn't walked in 4 years, and was heavier then I was, and now she is doing great, walking on a treadmill everyday. I told him that frankly, I just would love to have the ability to walk around my house, and even go out by myself and be able to put my chair on the lift that's on the car, and then get out and go somewhere by myself. I still will need the chair to do any shopping or long walking, but being able to stand at the sink and wash my dishes would be great.

So I am going to get x-rays done of my knees, and we'll go from there. He said be prepared for some hospital time, and then in patient rehab before I'll be allowed to go home. Sometimes I've heard of people having to be at a rehab facility for a few months, but I think it will be worth it. First and foremost, I need to lose weight, and when you can get up and move, it is very hard to lose it. Being able to walk again will allow me to use some exercise machines and get my body moving. I want to be able to actually give my husband a hug standing up, and maybe even dance with him, since we've never gotten to do that. And for the future, I want to be able to take my kid to the park and push them on the swings and really play with them, not watch from the sidelines.

So all in all, the appointment went well. I haven't had a chance to blog about it until now because I have been so busy with my new job of processing rebates. It is a lot of work, and time consuming, and I will have to process a lot of rebates in order to make some good money, but I am willing to put in the time and effort to do it to help my family.

My new job

Yesterday was the start of my new job, where we attended the training class. I had to admit, I was a little nervous, seeing as the last time I was in the workforce was back in 2004, before I was put on disability by my doctor. But on the other hand, I was really happy to be back doing something that I have experience in, and use the knowledge that I had gained from my career in customer service.

The training class started at 11:45am and we were there until 4pm. We got a ton of information, everything that we would need to know to do this kind of work from home, such as training manuals and things we might need if we run into any problems doing this from home. Then we got introduced into how to load the software onto our computers, and then got introduced to the fabulous world of data entry and rebate processing. Basically, anytime you submit a rebate for a product, there is a very good chance that is will go to the company that I now work for, and I just might be the one who enters in the information into the computer and submits it so you get your rebate. This company is the largest fulfillment company in the country, and also does fulfillment for international companies.

It seemed like everyone in the class was getting it, except the teacher did kick out one woman about two hours in. She was just not getting anything that he was saying and he would say something, then she would ask him a question, the answer being that he just said to the class. He said at the beginning that he can tell within the first hour and a half whether this job will work for you and if he thinks it won't, then he has to send you home without mail. So he escorted her out. The the older man sitting in the aisle next to mine kept farting...lovely.

So we came home yesterday with mail, 100 for me, and 100 for my mom. We have until Friday to have to submitted, and for the next two weeks we go in three times a week to pick up mail. After that, we can chose the amount of mail we want to have per week, and only have to go in once a week to get mail. I loaded my software when I got home last night, and did about 20 rebates before I decided to head to bed because I was so tired. Today I have been helping my mom get her software loaded, so tonight after dinner I will work until bedtime again getting as much mail done as possible.

This seems pretty easy, it really is right up my alley, and I think I really will be able to make some good money at it for my family once I really get the hang of it and get faster. But for now, it is nice to have a job again, and even better, one I can do in pj's!

Last Day of Unemployment

Tomorrow I go to my training class for my new job, processing rebate checks. My mom is doing this with me, and today I was able to get my aunt Kelly registered into the class tomorrow too. I am looking forward to being able to do something to help us make more money, pay off our debts, and get enough money put away that we can have enough to get a home of our own.

I'm also a little nervous. 2004 was the last time I worked, when I had to go on disability. I have always been looking for something that I could do from home, but so many times jobs from home require you to put money down, and those are always scams. This job is legit, and we know someone who is doing it, and the are BBB Accredited, so we're good on all accounts. I am looking forward though to going out and doing a training class, learning something new, knowing that I can do this job from the comfort of my own home, even in my jammies if I want!

So wish me luck tomorrow, and I will update you all on how it went with a blog tomorrow!

Lappy is here!!

Finally...my new laptop, or as I can it..Lappy...has finally arrived!!!!

Lappy was supposed to arrive last week, but when it never did we called and they said the batteries were on back order, so it would be shipping by August 1st. Well, true to Dell's word, it was shipped on Friday, sent through DHL express, and it showed up this afternoon!

I love it, it is a Dell Inspiron 1525, with Windows Vista that I am trying to get used to. I have only used Windows XP so this is a little different, but getting used to it. It also has a built in webcam, which I am trying to figure out, so I can do video blogs again!

This is so nice though to be able to be in bed and be online. My back hurts after sitting in this chair for too long, the padding on it is going bad, so basically I am sinking into the chair and it is making my lower back hurt like crazy. And it also is easier for me to type, since working on the desktop computer really hurt my bad elbow.

Ok...enough blogging...off to play....

All sorts of news!

As I had mentioned, I realized on my birthday that one of the diamonds in my engagement ring was missing, and after a little bit of a hassle, I was finally able to send it off to repair, no charge. Well, the store called Thursday afternoon and said it was ready for pickup, so Phil went over to get it, and now I am able to wear my complete wedding set again.

Thursday was also the day when I had to take the truck in for emissions. It is a '99, so every even year they require any vehicle which isn't a 2004 or newer around here to go through emissions. I am used to do the type of test where they hook this thing to your tailpipe and rev your engine a few times and check under your hood, praying all the while that the thing passes so you can get your new tags. Well, the guy this time just hooked up something under the steering column for a few seconds and it was done, guess anything 1996 and newer is all run by computers now, so no need for all that other testing. We paid our fee, got our paper that said we passed, and headed over to the DMV to get our tags. Luckily the place we went to wasn't very crowded, and we were only there about 5 minutes before our number was called. (Side note: Have you ever, when at the DMV, wanted to shout out BINGO when you number is called over the loudspeaker?). So now we are legal to drive for another year.

Laptop..it is still a no show. It was supposed to be here on the 28th, but the 28th came and nothing. So we called and it turns out that the batteries were back ordered, so it isn't going to be shipped out until Aug. 5th. Ugh..more waiting!

My final piece of good news though..I got a job! My mom delivers the local newspaper around here and we are always trying to find something we can do from home so she can quit that route. Well, one of the fellow carriers mentioned to her the other night that she had started a new job working for a company that processes rebate checks. They are looking for people who want to work from home to enter these rebate checks in their system. So mom got the number and talked to the guy yesterday morning. He said there is no money needed to start this, which if money is needed to do anything work from home, it is a scam. There is a training class on Wednesday that we go to from 11:30-4pm, and they pay us for it, and they give us the software for free. For the next two weeks we go into the center to pick up mail, they give us a certain amount during the training period, and you take it home, work on it and get it done by a certain deadline, then bring the mail back and get more. After the two weeks, you can pick up as much mail as you want, and earn as little or as much as you want. We looked up their business on the Better Business Bureau and it is a legit company, BBB Accredited. Mom's friend has been doing it for a few days and says she likes it, and it takes about 3 minutes per rebate check. I used to do this sort of thing when I worked for Verizon Wireless, on slow days when there wasn't a lot of calls coming in. So we are all set for training on Wednesday and I can't wait. This is the kind of job that is perfect for me, and something I know I can get real fast at doing. And it feels good to know that I will be contributing more to our finances.

Stepbrothers and people who should not own pets

Saturday Phil and I went to the movies and saw the new Will Ferrell movie Step Brothers. I have always been a fan of his movies, even though they are so stupid they are funny, I just crack up at them, I guess I have that really goofy and stupid sense of humor. It was fun to get out and see a movie together, we haven't had a chance to do that a lot.

Yesterday was a pretty relaxing day, we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some things for dinner, and when we were leaving, Phil was putting my chair on the lift and I saw him talking to a guy who was behind us. He was doing something to a car and then I saw him take a dog out and open up some water for it. I figured he was taking his dog to Petco, which is right there next to Wal-Mart, but then I saw him open the door of the car on his other side and the dog jumped in there. Phil got in the car and said the guy and his wife pulled up and when he got out, he saw this little puppy in the car next to them, with the window cracked a bit. At first the dog was playful, but then it started getting lethargic and he kept waiting for someone to come out, thinking they may have just gone in the store quickly. His wife had already gone in and told them to call over the loudspeaker for the owners of the car and dog, but after 45 minutes no one had come out. The guy decided to stick his hand inside the window and open up the car. I am assuming he must have broken the window in the process, but oh well, he had to get the dog out. Luckily he had water with him, and he said there was water in the car the dog was in, but it had a lid on it. So he put the dog in his car with the water and turned on the air conditioning, and said he was going to call the Sheriff Department if they owners didn't come out within the next few minutes. When he were leaving, we saw his wife come out with a Wal-Mart Manager, and the guy was writing down the license plate.

If there is one thing people should know, it is that you never, ever, leave a dog in a car during the summer, especially here in Arizona. While all this was going on, the temp. reading in our truck showed 107, meaning it had to be almost 120 in that car, maybe even hotter. I am hoping the dog is OK, and didn't suffer any brain damage, who knows how long that dog was in the car before that couple pulled up. There is a big problem here with people leaving not only their pets, but their children in the car. I think since last year there has been five deaths from parents leaving their kid in the car during the summer, for more then 8-10 hours. The same excuse is always given too, that they were running errands and then they either forget the kid is in the car when the get back home, or when they are shopping. One woman, very recently, put her kid in the car with the intention of taking her kid to daycare, got in the car and forgot to go to daycare, just went to her job at Hooters, and went into work for an 8 hour shift, then when she got back in the car, you guessed it, her kid was dead. She said she thought she went to daycare. Or the dad recently who took his kid to run errands, and was taking him in and out of the car all day, then got home and somehow forgot his kid was in the car, and left him there for like 14 hours or something. And people think they can leave their dogs in the car with some water, and it is OK, they will survive. But the truth is, a dog will go into heatstroke when the weather hits 105 and higher.

It just makes me sick, and it has been on my mind since yesterday. This should be a common sense thing, I mean how do you forget that you brought your kid with you and that the kid is in the car and not in the store or your home with you? And if you think your dog can survive in a 120+ degree car while you go grocery shopping, then you have no business owning a pet. Seriously, if I ever see a dog or a kid locked in a hot car, I would call the Sheriff Department right away and tell them the situation and make them come down there, and let them know that while I wait for them, I am breaking the window. I don't care if I get in trouble for it, at least I know I saved the life of an animal or child. And, if I was the one who found that dog yesterday, and the owner didn't bother to come out after 45 minutes of being paged in the store, that dog would have been coming home with me after leaving a note on the car saying if you don't want to take care of your pet, I will do it for you and if you want it, here is my name and address and by the way, the Sheriff will be waiting for you. I just feel that passionately about it.

But instead of getting more upset over this, I am going to focus all my energy on waiting for the UPS guy to hopefully stop by my house today and bring my new laptop. Oh yes, that's right, Kimbo is getting a new laptop, or as I call it, Lappy. My parents were very nice to get it for me (thank goodness for credit on a Dell card LOL). I've been helping my dad with his schooling and will also be helping him when he goes into his Masters program after he graduates in November. So it is a gift of thanks for helping him with his schooling, and also as a belated Christmas/Birthday present. It is a Dell Inspirion 1525, just the basic since I can add all the programs I want and upgrade it myself. But I did get the extra coloring, so the front of it will be purple with a blossom pattern, and a built-in web cam...which means....RETURN OF THE VIDEO BLOGS!! I haven't done one in awhile since it is just a pain in the ass to do it with my digital camera. But I am really grateful for the new lappy, because the one I have took a crap on me. The battery is shot, the charger cord is fried, and the screen looks like some sort of liquid was spilled on it. It is sort of hard for me to use the desktop computer because it hurts my elbow and having the laptop will make it so that I can type better, and also relax in bed with it, especially after I have my elbow surgery.

So get ready for video blogs soon!!

I got my doctor...and getting my ring fixed!

So I went through all my old paperwork at the end of last week, and found all my worker's comp paperwork from my elbow injury from 2002, and was able to get a hold of the insurance company to see about re-opening my claim. When I had dealt with these people before, they were so rude to me, so I was expecting more of the same. This time, however, the were very nice and helpful. They said that in order to re-open the claim, I need to print out a Petition to Re-Open form from the Industrial Commission of Arizona, who is the department in charge of all worker's comp claims. I can print that form out online through their website, and then I need to send that in to them with a medical report showing that I do need the elbow replacement and why. Now, the next obstacle was making sure that the doctor that did my original surgery was still available and would take worker's comp claims, since last time I had seen him he was considering no longer doing any worker's comp claims since they are sometimes just close claims and not may not render payment that they should. My biggest worry was that the doctor would not be able to perform the surgery. He is one of the top surgeons at Banner Desert Samaritan Hospital here in Mesa, AZ, and he did such a wonderful job on the surgery and I felt very comfortable with him. If he couldn't do the surgery, I was going to have to consult with a few other doctors and find one I felt comfortable with.

So I made the fateful phone call yesterday morning and good news, Dr. Purcell is still available and does take worker's comp claims! The first available appointment was August 13th, so I grabbed it. Now I just need to pick up a copy of my x-rays and then I will be all ready to meet with the doctor again. It has been 6 years since the original surgery and as much as I am very nervous and anxious about getting this elbow replacement done, at least I know I will be in good hands with a wonderful doctor who will take good care of me.

Besides the whole elbow thing, things are going well. Phil is really enjoying his new job working as a contractor for Intel. He leaves around 5am every morning and gets home around 3pm. With him having such a great job now has helped us to stop worrying so much about how we are going to make ends meet, because know we will be having a constant income coming in weekly and we are going to be able to finally get caught up on our bills. It really has helped me not be so stressed, since I am the one who is in charge of paying the bills and such. And I still plan on trying to get a job being a greeter at Wal-Mart, because I would love to be able to take the money I make there and just sock it away in our savings, but right now I am going to put that on hold since I am going to need the time available for the surgery and all the rehabilitation needed.

Oh...and remember when I said on my birthday I noticed that one of the diamonds was missing from my engagement ring? Well, we had gone to the store where he bought it twice, asking what could be done, because when we moved, I lost the receipt! I figured we'd be screwed and we'd end up having to get it replaced ourselves, and who knows how much that would set us back. Well, I ended up being near the store last week and the manager was there who recognized me since we had come in together to buy the set. She was so sweet and took care of everything, she found all the information on the ring and sent it off to repair, with no charge to us! She said it will be about 2 weeks to a month before it will come back in, and she will call me personally when it does. So I was so happy and grateful, and she is also having them check the other settings to make sure they are all secure. Luckily the setting in my wedding band was fine, so I still have that, I just like wearing the set together, so I miss it.

Well, that's about all that's new around here. I hope all is well for all my blog friends out there!

Another new job for Phil, Brandi, and Surgery for Me

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Phil was offered a job working as a Maintenance Tech for an apartment complex. He was supposed to hear on Monday as to where he needed to go for his drug testing, then start taking his certification classes on Tuesday. Well, Monday morning he never heard, so he called and they said they were working on where to send him for the drug testing, and that the room he was supposed to be doing his classes was flooded due to the huge storms that came through here this past weekend. He called again yesterday morning, and they are still giving him the run around. So as we were leaving yesterday morning to take Brandi to get groomed, he gets a call from a guy who I had sent in his resume to a few weeks ago. Turns out, they had a job for him they wanted him to start right away, and come in for an interview that afternoon. The job...working for Intel, which is where he was working when I first met him. At the time he was building the Intel, and he has many certifications from his time working there. This job will be working in their Clean Room, which is where they make the Intel chips and processors, and a Clean Room means that you are working in a zero dust environment and when you have to be certified to know how to work in there, and where the whole suit and booties needed to make sure you don't bring any dust in. Lucky for him, he has all that certifications, and has worked in there before putting in all the machines and testing them He went to the interview yesterday afternoon and the pay is the same as the apartment job, and he signed a two-year contract with them, so this is a permanent position and he will be working there for the next two years, and on August 1st he will be able to start receiving full medical benefits.

So he started work today, he has two days of orientation on site, then Friday he will start working. Seeing as he has worked for Intel before, and this job is right up his alley and he has all the certifications, plus seeing as the apartment people still have not called him, he is taking this job. This is a great job for him, and a great opportunity for us to start making some good money.

Brandi was groomed yesterday, and looks so cute in her two little bows behind her ears. We dropped her off at 11am and at 4pm I still hadn't heard to see if she was done, since her pick-up time said 3:30. We were over on the other side of town, he was doing his interview so I was waiting for him in the truck, and I called to check on her, and they said that Brandi had gotten scared of the hair dryer, because it does get loud, and she pooped when they first turned in on her because she was so scared. So they towel dried her and put her in the kennel where there are dryers and the basically air-dried. So when I called she was just about dry and getting ready for her haircut. Poor thing! When we finally got back here, we picked her up and she was done and looking so pretty! As always, we take her into the store and let her pick out a treat, well I guess from all the excitement of the day, plus who knows when she last when potty, she pooped in the store! So being a good doggy mom, I went over to their pet cleaning area and cleaned it up. We got her treats and took her home, where she was so tired she just slept all night.

I also got the call I had been waiting for from my arthritis doctor. He said that the hardware in my elbow has healed well, but that there is significant deterioration to the joint and that he does suggest the elbow replacement, it is just up to me when I go get it done. So I am going to get a copy of the x-ray from the x-ray place, then call the orthopedic surgeon who did the original surgery and see if he will do the surgery for me. If not, then I will get some referrals and do a consults with other docs until I find one I feel comfortable with. So I know I need to get it done, and this really is the time to do it since I will have people here 24 hours a day to help me if I need it. Now its just a matter of finding all my worker's comp paperwork and deal with them to get my claim re-opened since they are required to cover any procedures needed for the rest of my life that has to do with my elbow.

On top of all these, I have to get oral surgery done again. I had 4 teeth removed in Nov. of 2006. and now I have two more broken teeth and a broken wisdom tooth. So I am going to have them remove the broken teeth, and the rest of my wisdom teeth, just to get it out of the way. Of course, I have a huge fear of dentists, the whole having someone I don't know put their hands in my mouth. But as long as I am under sedation, I can do it.

Well, I guess I better head off, seeing as Brandi has now climbed up on the bed behind me, put her two front paws on the arm rest of my chair, and is licking my face and pawing my arms. She's got her ball and I guess she's ready to play...how can I deny that!

Sad News I Found Out

About 6 years, when I had recently moved back to Arizona from living in Florida for 2 years, I tried my hand at online dating and met a man named David, who lived not far from me. We exchanged emails back and forth and I found that I looked forward to his emails, because until other men who can't put an email together to save their lives, or who would take days to respond back, he would write me pretty much every day and tell me about whatever went on in his day, and I in return would do the same. After a month or so of email, we decided to meet in person.

At first, I liked him, but wasn't sure if he was going to be anything romantic to me, or just a new great friend. But we had great conversation, sitting in a Starbucks for a few hours. After that initial meeting, we continued to chat and went out on another date. This time, during our date, something happened to him that scared me, it was like he was having a mini seizure. Turns out, that's exactly what he was having. He told me he had a benign brain tumor and it caused this to happen to him from time to time. I will admit, at first I was sort of scared of the not knowing when this might happen or how to help me when this happened to him, but he told me to just hold him and help him through it, and just be there for him.

Over time, we continued to talk and go out and become really good friends. Then feelings started to develop, and we turned out friendship into a romance. We were friends for a year, and dated for a year. He was the first man that I ever loved, when I really discovered what love was, yet he was never really ready to commit to me. It seemed he always wanted to see what else was out there in life. I didn't quite understand it at the time, although over the years I have come to realize why.

We spent a lot of time doing things together, going to movies and hockey games, he took me to see the Boston Pops when they came in town. His family was so nice and welcoming to me. When I had broken my elbow, he was there with tears in his eyes when I woke up in ICU looking terrible, his dad there with him.

Unfortunately, he had this brain tumor, and I always worried that one day it was going to turn into cancer. The doctors had said that were the tumor was, it was inoperable, but I spent a lot of time researching different options and procedures he could do to help shrink the tumor and reduce the side effects from it. He didn't seem open to the idea of doing anything to help the situation, and his family seemed to know that he didn't want to deal with it, so they didn't really bring it up or be into seeing if there was any possible treatments out there. Now, of course, this is what it seemed like from my point of view, I wasn't privy to their private family discussions, so maybe they did discuss these things. I don't want it at all to seem like his family didn't care about his health.

In 2003 things started going downhill in our relationship, he met a girl and started dating her, while stringing me along. I should have just been strong and said forget this, if you want to cheat on me, then do it and I am gone, but I kept hanging out, thinking that perhaps he would see what he had and come back. Of course, I was young and naive about relationships. We ended up parting for good, with him calling me to let me know he was engaged to this girl he had cheated on me with. He then called me four days before his wedding, telling me that he had thought about just getting out of the whole thing, with it seeming to me that if I had given him the open door that I would take him back, that perhaps he would take it. He didn't seem very happy to be getting married. But I was strong and didn't fall into the trap.

It took me a long time to get over him, I suppose what I really was grieving for was the friendship we had, more then the relationship. I missed doing things with him and just talking to him. Over the years, I've always wondered what happened to him, and if his health was well. I always worried that one day that tumor might get the best of him, and I hoped it never happened.

I went on with my life, and as you know from reading this, I am happily in love with my husband and have taken what I learned from that relationship and applied it to the relationships I've had after that, and grown. The past few days though, something has been nagging me, it has been on my mind that maybe something happened to him. So I decided last night to look up his sister's myspace page, I had seen a long time ago that she had one. And right there on her hero's section of her page, she had that her big brother David was her hero, and said he had passed away in October of 2006.

I wish I could say I was shocked to see that, but I guess I kinda figured he didn't have long for this life, which is why I know now that the reason he acted the way he did, never settling down with me and always keeping options open, was because he may have felt the same thing. I feel for his family, because he was a good man and knowing how close they all were, this must have been completely devastating. And it is so strange that someone I knew so closely is no longer with us. I'm sad over it, but not crying or distressed. It has been five years since I lost spoke to him and we had no contact whatsoever after that. He moved on, and so did I. I just feel for his family and friends. The good thing is that know he is home with the Lord, I know that he happy and healthy again.

Agent Kimbo

Yesterday Mindy took me out for a girl's day to celebrate my birthday that took place a few weeks ago. First, we went to see the movie Get Smart. I know it has gotten some bad reviews in the paper, but I actually thought it was kinda cute, and definitely had funny moments. Then again, I love Steve Carrell, he is hilarious.

Afterward we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, which is one of my favorite restaurants. I decided to try something I never had there before, and went for the chicken salad sandwich and salad. The sandwich was wonderful, with chicken, sliced almonds, tomato, and celery. And it was on a toasted Brioche bread...so good! Of course, any trip to the Cheesecake Factory isn't complete without...of course...cheesecake. I decided to the try the Apple Struesel Cheesecake. The bottom of the plate had carmel, then baked apples, then the cheesecake, and the top of it was struesel topping, with brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnut topping. I can't believe I have never tried it before, but it is now my new favorite. If I wasn't so full from my lunch, I would have eaten the whole thing!

I also went and had the x-ray done on my right elbow. They called me back into the room and said they had a new machine that they use now for x-raying extremities. Unfortunately, the machine is new, and they are still getting used to using it. Now my elbow doesn't have much movement in it to begin with, and with it having so many problems, it has gotten worse, so they had me in all different positions to get pictures and it hurt so much that I wanted to scream, but I kept cool, just hoping that it would be over soon. They finally got everything figured out and got the pictures they needed, and they couldn't believe how much hardware I have in there, two plates and probably about 14 screws holding the elbow together, the woman said it looks like someone went to Home Depot, bought a bunch of screws, and just threw them in there. I said yup, I've been told that before lol.

So the dr. should get the films on Monday and I will hear back about what he thinks, or he might call me in to talk to me about it. But it is getting really bad, it hurts to type for long periods of time, and last night we had spaghetti for dinner and I couldn't twirl it because the elbow kept popping. So as much as I don't want it done, I think it is just going to have to happen, whether I like it or not. It is starting to interfere with my normal day to day activities, and that is just not acceptable.

Good news, and not so good news

As I've talked about before, Phil and I have been wanting to get a business starting, with him being an Independent Licensed Contractor. Well, we got past the hurdle of getting him licensed, only problem now is that the home improvement store he wants to work through is not hiring any new contractors at this time. They said with the economy as it is, they aren't getting a lot of sales for new door and window installations, which is what he will be doing. It's not to say they won't be hiring in the near future, but for right now we had to find something else for him to do work wise. I found a job for him a few weeks ago, an apartment company who was looking for a maintenance technician. The apartment company is fairly well known around here, so I knew it was a good company for him to apply too. He got a call back right away, they were impressed with his resume and wanted him to get in with the recruiter for an interview. So he went today and got the job! He is making good money, will have full medical, dental, and vision benefits after 30 days (which is great for me because I need to have more oral surgery done, and get either new glasses or contacts), and they are also going to pay for him to take classes this month to become HVAC certified (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning). These classes usually cost hundreds of dollars and to be certified for that is going to mean that a lot of job opportunities will be open up to him, and will work well for his licensing. After he passes those classes, in 30 days he will then be making $5 more an hour, and get a promotion. He goes tomorrow to walk through the property and meet the managers and other maintenance staff, then he should start on Monday. He will be working very early morning hours, so he will be home early in the afternoons, and working 50 hours a week, and every 3 weeks he will be on call 24 hours a day.

This really has taken a lot of stress off of us, because it was hard to hear we wouldn't be able to start our business right away, and harder that no one else seemed to be hiring, and if they were the pay was so low we were basically working for free because all of the money went into gas. So now we are going to be able to start getting back on our feet financially, and it looks like I may not have to go out and get a job either, which with being in the chair and only allowed to make a certain amount to still get my social security, it is hard to find anything.

As for me, I had two doctor visits today. First was to my OB/GYN to get my Depo birth control shot. I get the shot every three months and I love it. You don't have to worry about having that time of the month, and it has really helped with my arthritis because I would get mini-flares about a week before my cycle was supposed to start, and now it is not an issue.

I then went to my Rhuematologist, I had blood work done a few weeks ago, and I had to go in to get my results. I also had to tell him about the trouble I am having with my right elbow. In 2002 I shattered my elbow in three places while at work, and I have 2 plates and 14 screws holding it together. I have very limited movement in it, I can bend it up and down, but I can't touch my shoulder, and I can't put my palm up. They told me that within five years, I would need an elbow replacement. So far it has held up amazingly well, until a few weeks ago, when it has started locking up on me, popping, cracking when I bend it, and even now as I type it is popping somewhat and giving me some discomfort. So he wants me to get x-rays done tomorrow, and even though he didn't say definitely, it sounds like I am going to have to give in and get the elbow replacement. Of course, I am not happy about this at all, and very nervous about it, but realistically it is the best thing to do, because I will get more movement out of it, and range of motion, and won't have to worry about it again in the long run. So we'll see what the x-rays show. He also said my liver and kidney function is back to normal after the terrible bout of kidney infections I had, so good to hear, but my other numbers were off the charts, all the numbers the check to see how my arthritis is doing. He asked if I had been getting flares and I said yes, and he said I will keep getting them with my numbers so high. Like, one level they check should be at a 6.5, and mine was at a 65!!! So he put me back on the Enbrel, which is an injectable medication, I give myself a shot of it once a week. I have been on this medicine before, with wonderful results. Only problem is that for a month supply, it will cost you $2000! And Medicare of course, won't cover it. But not to worry, because he said that Enbrel has been sending him limited quantities of the medication for his patients, so I can get it from him, and they will just charge medicare, so that way I can get the medicine I need. So I took my first shot today, and he said this medicine will help get my levels back to normal and stop the flares.

So some good news, and some not so good news today. I still have a lot of thinking to do about the elbow replacement, and I will want to have a consult with the orthopedic surgeon who operated on my elbow to begin with, because he did such an amazing job, and I feel comfortable with him. I'll see what he says, and what the surgery will entail. It's just such a huge surgery, and who wants to go through all that, plus the physical therapy. But maybe in the long run, it will be the best thing.

A few new additions

You might notice a few new things here on Kimbo Central. First, the chat box at the top of the screen. This has become a popular feature on many Myspace pages, so I thought I'd give it a try and see if anyone would want to chat with me, or any of our other blog friends.

I also added a slide show to the column on the right. You can click on any picture you want to see closer.

I may add a few more new things on here as I go along, I am trying to make this little place here on the web fun and exciting for those of you who stop by here on a daily basis and see what it is I am up to.

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope all you blog friends out there had a very happy and safe 4th of July!

My 4th of July started off with a mid-morning trip to Wal-Mart, to get what we needed for dinner that night. Phil and I headed off, and couldn't believe how crowded and busy the place was. With this new Wal-Mart opening, it hasn't been super busy, even on the weekends, because there is another Wal-Mart about 20 minutes away. So people on one side of the town can go to that one, and everyone over here can go to the new one. So we ventured in and I swear, almost everyone there had a watermelon in their cart, including us. I never realized just what a 4th of July staple watermelon is. People were buying them so much, that while we were there, we saw four guys bringing out palettes of watermelon and refilling the bins, while people just stood around them in anxious anticipation, wanting to get their hands on the fattest melon.

We finally got home and unloaded all the groceries, and then it was time for mom and I to start preparing food. We made our homemade potato salad, and then we also cut up the watermelon into pieces for dessert. So mom is cutting up the melon, and she is giving me the rinds that have fruit still left on them, so I am munching away, and this watermelon was juicy! My shirt was all wet and I was sticky and with all the water in the melon, I got full fast! She finishes cutting up the rest of the melon and when she was done, she took her cutting board to throw away all the seeds on it, and I hear her say "Help me, Help me!", but too late, watermelon just flew off the cutting board and onto the floor. We were just laughing as we picked up the melon, and while she went to wash her hands, I decided to move the trash can out of the way, only to knock it over, so there goes more watermelon all over the kitchen floor! It was so comical! So I go get Phil and tell him I need him to take the trash out, not letting him in on the fact that I have now created a huge mess, so he walks in the kitchen and just shakes his head, because he knows me, and he knows I make a mess!

So after the watermelon fiasco, we make the potato salad and rest a bit before starting the hamburgers (turkey burgers for me). Out our kitchen window we can see that there are huge storm clouds brewing, so we tune into the Weather Channel to find there is a severe thunderstorm warning, and the storm seems to be heading this way. This storm looked huge, and since we all love storms, we were getting excited that perhaps this was finally going to be the first big monsoon storm of the summer. So we waited...and waited....and waited...the sky got darker, the wind kicked up a bit....but nothing! Once again, the storm just moved right past us!

The good thing about not getting a storm, however, was that Phil and I were able to go outside and see fireworks. About three miles from us is a farm called Schnepf Farms, they are famous for their peaches in the spring, and there is a lot of activities for kids and families there. Every year they have a 4th of July celebration, with fireworks going off at 9:15pm. The weather was nice and cool, about 87 degrees with a breeze, and lightening out in the distance from the storm that passed us by, so we decided to head down to the clubhouse. We live on a golf course and at the clubhouse you have a perfect spot to watch the fireworks, without paying the $10 a carload to get into event at the farm. We took Brandi, who had never seen fireworks before, and to make sure she was calm and wouldn't be scared by the fireworks and the loud noise, we walked her all the way there. And let me tell you, this was one happy pup! She loves walks anyway, but with it being so hot, she only gets short walks because the heat wears her out. But last night, with it being so cool, she was loving the long walk and fresh air. We got to the clubhouse and I poured some water into her bowl we brought along, and she took some big drinks and just sat next to me, watching the fireworks and the people who had also come down there to see the show. She didn't get scared by the noise at all, which I was so glad to see.

Once the show was over, we took Brandi back home, and she was out for the rest of the night, and in fact right now she is laying next to me on the bed, with her head on my pillow, sleeping away. She had a big night! And so did I, when we got home from seeing the fireworks we were watching a movie and I fell asleep, I was pooped! So today, and hopefully tomorrow, will just be a nice, relaxing weekend, and hopefully storms won't pass us by!

Someone turn down the oven!

It's so damn hot!

I know, I shouldn't complain, seeing as I chose to live in a desert, and I know it always is hot during the summer, but I was reading in the paper this morning that we have hit 17 days of temps being at 110 and above, and seeing as that is the record, we are about to break that. Take about global warming, huh!

Maybe I am just getting older, but I find that every summer it is getting harder for me to handle the heat. I go outside and I feel like I can't breathe, and when it starts getting humid out due to the monsoons that it is almost unbearable to be outside for me. I can't even talk Brandi on as long of a walk that she loves because she gets so hot and I know the ground is hot for her paws.

I guess this blog really isn't about anything important, I just felt the need to bitch because I am hot. Carry on....lol

Job Searching

Well, I changed the look of Kimbo Central again, and I also added a way that you can subscribe to my blogs through whatever venue you want to use. I know some of you might subscribe to multiple blogs and keep track of them through Google or RSS feeds, and for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, just keep checking back here everyday for new updates :)

So I have been spending most of my time job searching, for the both of us. Right now, Lowe's has said they are not hiring contractors at this time, due to the fact that people really aren't buying things for their home due to the economy, therefore work for them is slow and they aren't hiring anyone new when there isn't much work for those contractors they already have. So instead of getting the business up and running like we had hoped right now, we are looking elsewhere for something to get us by until they begin hiring again. I've been putting out resumes for Phil, and so far he has gotten two callbacks, one for a construction project in South Chandler, and another as a Maintenance Technician for an apartment complex here in the East Valley. I really am hoping he gets the job working as maintenance because the other job would be working for another temp agency, where we run into the problem where jobs last a few weeks, then when the job is over they have nothing else for him. With the maintenance job, he is working for a company as a full-time permanent employee, and there is also a very steep discount on being able to live on-site.

As for me, I decided to try and get myself a little job, to help contribute a little more and help get us on track. I am receiving Social Security Disability, but I contacted them a few weeks ago and they let me know they have a return to work program, where they will pay you your full benefits, plus you get your Medicare, and you can work at the same time. They give you a nine month trial period, and after that as long as you don't make $940 or more a month (they consider that substantial monthly income..ya right), you can continue to receive your full benefits and insurance. So I applied at Wal-Mart, which now is about a mile from the house, being a people greeter. I figure, how low stress is that, and what an easy job to do. I applied there almost two weeks ago, and haven't heard anything yet. I also applied today for a car dealership, they are looking for a part time clerical person, which is right up my ally, and it is only 4 hours a day. It would be good for me to have a little job, it will bring in some more money, plus gets me out of the house and doing something, instead of finishing up my chores around here, and then having nothing else to do all day.

So I am really hoping I get a callback on my applications. It is harder for me to find a job, because most part time jobs are working in retail or restaurants, and you have to be able to stand and move around well for that, which isn't possible with a power chair. But I know good things are going to happen for us and I am trying hard not to stress about finances and jobs, but it isn't always easy. I am just glad that he has gotten some callbacks, and the maintenance job I think might be the winner because the woman said he has the strongest resume she has seen (thanks to me, who wrote it for him).

So wish us luck!

29 Years of Kimbo

Friday was my 29th birthday. I seriously can't believe that I am a year away from being 30. I guess in a lot of ways, I feel younger then I am, and I wonder where the time has gone, and why it has flown by so fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was in high school, playing in the marching band, with no responsibilities, not a care in the world. But then there are some days, when the bills are piling up, and work is hard to come by, and the stresses and pressures of life get to you, and all you want is a better life for you and your husband, that makes me really feel my age and see how life has changed from those carefree days if being a wide-eyes teenager, with the world at my fingertips and wild dreams of what adult life would be like. I find now that birthday's aren't as exciting as they used to be when I was a kid, when it was all I could do to contain my excitement for the upcoming day. This year, it really just sort of felt like any other day. But I did have a wonderful birthday weekend.

Friday, my actual birthday, I didn't go anywhere, just stayed in and relaxed. Phil has been working long hours, so by the time he gets home it is sometimes after 7pm and he is so tired from being in the intense heat all day that we made plans to go out Saturday. Friday morning though, dad came home that morning with a birthday cake, and a Pooh balloon, another balloon with a little felt bag with candy in it, and a beautiful card. For lunch, they bought us Panda Express, since I am always craving their Orange Chicken. And we had a simple dinner and cake at night.

Saturday, Phil and I celebrated my birthday together. My parents had given me a few gift cards for my birthday, one to Target, which I bought a new purse, because I needed one, my other one was falling apart. We then had a little lunch, and headed over to the movies. We got their early, so we shopped in PetSmart, where I fell in love with this cute tabby kitty that was so tiny, and the women let me hold it, of course as soon as I grab it, the thing starts purring. But alas, I am not a cat person, and I know that Brandi would probably chase it around the house. She is good with other dogs, but doesn't seem to take too kindly to cats.

By the time we finished browsing around PetSmart, it was time to head over to the movies. We saw Wanted, the new Angelina Jolie movie. Let me just say the movie was OK, very gory. People were getting shot in the head all the time and you would actually see it, with all the blood and such. And it was very unrealistic. But you get to see Angelina naked from behind, so the men seemed to like that.

After the movie we headed across the parking lot to have dinner at Olive Garden. It was a 30 minute wait, so we sat outside and Phil commented that he thought he was missing a diamond from his wedding ring. So I looked at it and told him no, then happened to look at my ring and noticed that I have a diamond missing!! On my engagement ring, the center store is a princess cut shape, made up of 6 diamonds. So I am missing one of the diamonds, and I feel terrible! So now I keep staring at it because I am upset and it just looks odd now, and now I have to tear this place apart to find the box and the receipt that is with it so we can take it in and get it replaced.

Dinner helped take my mind off it, however. The food was amazing. We had stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer, and they were wonderful. The came the salad and bread sticks, which I could have just had that for dinner and been happy. I got the Chicken Alfredo and he just got ready Alfredo, and we just sat and ate and enjoyed.

After dinner we headed over to the other side of the parking lot to the Wal-Mart. We had left Brandi by herself since 2 in the afternoon, and even though my dad took her out to go potty while we were gone, we wanted to get her a little something. She longs rawhide bones, and had just finished hers the other day, so we bought her a new one, plus a box of Mighty Dog with 12 cans of either Tenderloin Tips or Porterhouse Steak in a Savory Sauce. Tell me this dog isn't spoiled!

Today we decided to do one last birthday fun thing, and head over to the grand opening of Dick's Sporting Goods in the SanTan Village Shopping Center in Gilbert. The place was packed, but because my husband loves sporting good stores, I didn't mind going with him. Boy, was that a mistake. The staff was so rude, especially when we wanted to go upstairs and could not for the life of us find the elevator and we asked a girl and she treated us like we were stupid, directing us to this tiny space behind huge shoe racks that had a tiny sign that said elevator and the elevator barely could fit the chair. An woman almost sat in my lap, she was walking backward and not looking behind her and ran into me. And the aisles were so narrow that I could not get my chair down them. Plus, the prices were outrageous. We can get better prices for such things as ammo at Wal-Mart and even Bass Pro for cheaper. Needless to say, we were there maybe 20 minutes before we decided this was not a store for us. What I thought was sweet was Phil said that if a place isn't accessible for me, then it wasn't a place he wanted to be. He is so considerate of things like that for me.

So we came home and decided to spend the rest of the day and night just relaxing from our busy birthday weekend. I have to say, even though I feel old, it was a pretty good birthday, and so good to get out of the house and do something fun for a change.