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.

Name Change Fun Continues

Yesterday I ventured over to the lovely Motor Vehicle Department to get a new license with my new name, and to renew my handicap placard.

The first place we went to was one that has never been busy anytime I have gone in there, but now that have changed their hours and they were no longer open on Monday's. So we had to go to the location in Mesa, across the street from where we got married.

This place, as always, was crowded, but luckily not as bad as I have seen it. I filled out the application for a new license, and the women behind the desk gave me the ticket number H507. H being for handicap, I am guessing there has to be a specific number for dealing with handicap placard renewals. So we sat and waited....

And waited.....

And waited.......

Waiting for your number to be called at the MVD is like playing bingo. There is a board up on the wall and when they call a number, a recorded man's voice plays over the loudspeaker, saying the letter and number and then it will flash across the screen....A654....F457...

I kept waiting for the letter H to pop up, then I started looking around for other handicap people who might ahead of me. Finally they called my number and I looked over and saw that where the window was, it was a very tight fit to get in there and I wasn't sure I could. I told Phil to head over and let the guy know I was on the my way, and I started over there, when the lady behind the desk who gave me my ticket was suddenly right there, helping move chairs out of the way and asking people to move. I was very grateful. It isn't everyday that someone is that helpful toward someone in my position, and it makes me wonder if maybe in her personal life she has or has dealt with, a person in a wheelchair.

I finally get to the window and the guy couldn't be more non-friendly. He said a total of twelve words during the whole transaction, which were "Driver's license and marriage certificate", which I handed over, and then when he was done, "Go around the corner for your license" So I took my new handicap placard, which is good until June of 2013, and went around the corner, where I needed to have a new picture taken since I changed my name.

Why, oh why, does everyone look hideous in their driver's license photo? I could have smiled, I suppose, but then you never know when they are going to take the picture and I didn't want to sit there looking like a smiling retard. But the picture was taken and less then five minutes later there it was, my new license with my new last name. At last I am official and can really start using that name for everything. As it has been, I've been going back and forth between my maiden name and married name. Like earlier in the day, I had to get blood drawn for my doctor and it was under my maiden name, so I had to use that.

Now that I have gotten the two main obstacles out of the way, Social Security and my license, and I changed my name at the bank, now I just have a few more places to change it, which only require a phone call. Changing your name is hard business!

Flare Time

Last night I had a really terrible arthritis flare, one like I haven't had in a long time.

Phil and I had plans to go fishing last night for catfish at the lake, but about two hours before we were supposed to go I started not feeling well. I told him to go on without me though, because there was nothing he could do to help me and my mom was here if I needed anything, and I was starting to feel better, but just thought it was best to rest.

About ten minutes after he left, I was in the kitchen helping my mom finish dinner, when my knees started to swell up and throb, and the pain went up my leg. And it go to the point where during dinner, the rest of my body started swelling up and getting very stiff and sore, and I could barely feed myself dinner because my hands and arms hurt so bad.

After dinner I decided to lay down in my bed, and took my anti-inflammatory pill and my muscle relaxer that I normally use for back pain. I laid down in bed and started getting the chills, which I knew right then that I was having an arthritis flare up. My temperature gets high and I get the chills because my body is fighting off the flare. I found some Advil as I was out of the Tylenol I normally take, and was able to get a few hours sleep, and when I woke up, I was drenched in sweat, which is what I wanted because then I knew my fever broke and I would start feeling better soon.

I was finally able to get to sleep around midnight and Phil came home from fishing around 6am and was so sad to hear what I had gone through during the night, but I was actually glad that I was by myself because when I get that sick like that, I really just want to be left alone and ride it out because I just like to be miserable by myself. That's why I didn't let him know I was going through such a hard time, plus my mom was here if I did need anything.

When I woke up this morning, my body was feeling so much better. Most of the time, by the next morning, I am feeling back to normal. But the index finger on my right hand was very swollen and tight feeling, and it has not changed all day. I have been putting ice on it to see if I could get the swelling to go down, and it hasn't. So if it is still the same way tomorrow, then I am going to call my arthritis doctor and let him know and see if he has any suggestions as to how to fix it, or see if he needs to see me. Phil is really worried about my finger being like this, as is my mom, and they don't want to see this finger turn into anything worse, but I really just feel like it is the last of my flare and keeping ice on it until I go to bed tonight will help the swelling go down in the night.

Brandi was such a good dog last night though. I really think she can sense that I wasn't feeling well. Her and I have gotten really close, I think mainly because I have really been working with her, training her on behavior and walking on the leash without pulling, and during the day when Phil is working it is just me and her hanging out, because with the weather above 100 degrees, I no longer keep her outside after noon. But last night she sat either right at my feet or up toward my head, sleeping with me and making sure I was OK, and sometimes just staring at me and putting a paw on me to let me know she was there. Even now, as I write this, she is laying on the pillow I have my laptop on just starting at me, I suppose to let me know she is here in case she needs me. I really lucked out in finding her at the Humane Society, she has really turned out to be an amazing dog, and companion.

Fun at the SSA

Part of newly married fun is getting to change your name to your new husband's last name. Only thing is, trying to get your name changed can be such a hassle, and one that makes you, according to my friend Kelly, never want to get remarried and have to do the process all over again (haha).

Arizona now has a new building in downtown Phoenix on 7th Ave and Van Buren that handles changing your name, you can no longer go into a local office near your home. For those that aren't familiar with the Phoenix Metro Area, let's just say this office sits in the middle of ghetto town, surrounded by illegal immigrants looking to get picked up for work. This office is about 40 miles from our house, so since Kimbo Husband had the day off, I made him take me down there to get this done once and for all.

This new office was really nice, and luckily there wasn't that many people there, and after being searched by the security guard, it only took about ten minutes before they called our number. The guy asked for pretty much all my information; social security number, mother's maiden name, city and date of birth, everything except asking for my first born. He then asked if I would be changing my name to Fry, or a different name. I wanted to say, "Um, is there another name on that paper?". But I was polite. At the end, Phil joked with the guy asking how quickly I could get my name changed back to my maiden name, and the guy just gave Phil this dead on stare and we thought,"Wow, this guy is not to be joked around with!". Finally he says, "You know, I've been waiting for when my wife tells me my time is expired", and then started joking around with us..phew!

After this, we had to go downstairs to the Social Security District Office, because I had to make sure to get my name changed for my disability benefits and Medicare. This place was a lot more packed, so we go to sign in. The woman asks for my full name, so I said since I just changed it upsets, my name is...and I gave her my full name, using Fry. Then I kinda laughed and told her what my maiden name was and I said I guess I have to use my new name now and she looked at me and sternly said, "Not Yet!". I was like, whoa lady! So she enters me into the computer and tells me they will call my name, and then proceeds to tell me they will call me by my first name and my maiden name, just in case, I don't know, I forgot what my maiden name from ten minutes ago. I finally get called up to a window and everything gets changed over, and I ask the lady when I will be getting my new Medicare card and she says, "Oh, I guess I can order one of those to be sent to you". Hmm...ya think that might be a good idea.

So I got out of there and now I have to wait two days for their system to update before I can go and get my driver's license changed, and after that I can go through the process of changing my name at the bank, credit cards, and all that fun stuff. Who knew changing a name would such tough work!

It is strange though, because in a sense I sort of feel like I don't know who I am anymore. Well, I guess that really isn't quite true, but when you have had one name for 28 years, and then all the sudden you have a new name, and you have to learn to write that instead of your old one, and you have all your legal documents being changed, I sort of feel in the middle between two people, the old me and the new married me. When I have to write my new name, I have to take a second before writing it because I keep writing the old one, and when someone asks me my name, I have to correct myself because I forget. Don't get me wrong, I am not upset about having to change my name, on the contrary I am very excited about it. I just find it strange how in an instant your suddenly a new person with a new name.

Marriage: A One Month Review

Tomorrow Phil (also known as Kimbo Husband) and I will have been married a month. Surprisingly, it seems like it has been a lot longer. Not in a bad way, mind you, but I suppose because even though the entire year we were together we weren't legally married, we felt married to each other.

A few people have asked me if married life feels different, and honestly, I have to say not really. At first, it seemed sort of strange. We talked so much about being married, but when it happened I remember looking at him thinking, "Wow, I actually have a husband", and then "Wow, we've really made a huge commitment". But overall, we really stepped into marriage as if it were already a comfortable old shoe, it was familiar and nice, and seemed like it was just the right thing to be doing.

Life really hasn't changed for us, I don't feel differently about him then I did before, and our normal day to day routine hasn't changed. We sort of just got married, and then went back to doing what we do. We've had our hard times though since being married, and it is all due to finances, which what couple doesn't get stressed about money. Work is slow and the gas prices are killing us, and we get frustrated over it and can at times take it out on each other, but we have never been a couple to yell and scream and fight at each other. A voice may be raised, but we love each other enough to take a step back and say let's take a look at what's really bothering us, or letting the other know your not upset with them, but this is what is bothering you.

The one thing I do love, though, is being able to say I am married. My whole life I have always wanted a husband, and a family. When I was younger, say my early twenties, I felt that the whole purpose of life was to meet someone and get married and start a family. As I grew up, I realized that getting married wasn't the most important thing in life, which is maybe why I ended up finding Phil and fulfilling my dream. I no longer hold marriage up on some pedestal where I thought life would be easy and blissful. Instead I know that it is full of rough patches and ups and downs, but if the love is there, you can make it through anything. But there are a few things I love, such as being able to, in conversation, make mention that "my husband did this", or "my husband and I went here". And of course, I love wearing my ring and being able to look down at my hand and see that symbol of our love and commitment to each other.

Now, I know that as our marriage continues, the newness will wear off and I won't look at my ring all the time and show it off, and won't keep saying the word husband in every other sentence, but right now I am just enjoying being a wife and looking forward to where our life is going to take us.

Work from Home...Is this a reality?

With the gas prices soaring, and the economy in an obvious recession (thanks President Bush), trying to work and make a living for yourself is coming to almost be down right impossible.

I am sitting here with Kimbo Mom, searching through different work possibilities. Kimbo Mom delivers for the local newspaper and with the gas prices now about $4.03 a gallon here (I am sure it is higher then that now since it goes up throughout the day), it is because evident that she may have to find something else so she can save on gas.

Which brought up the idea of work from home jobs. Searching through Google and Indeed.com, there are many work from home opportunities out there, but none of them seem legit. They either want you to pay a fee upfront to be able to access their elusive member area (which any job that makes you pay to work for them is a scam right off the bat), or there are jobs where they want you to call people and sell them things. And my favorite, the "Wellness Catalog", where you can sell wellness products online.

I'd love to get in on a work from home thing too, seeing as my disability payment doesn't make very much and getting caught up financially is one of my main goals right now.

So I ask you, faithful blog friends, do any of you know of any legit work from home opportunities? I'm sure I will get spammers who will search the blogs and add their comments advertising their crap, but from those who actually take the time out of their day to read this, I wonder if anyone knows of anything, or even of another type of work opportunity.

Just leave a comment with your ideas!

New look and sweatpant freaks

So as you can see, I have updated the look my blog. I figured it was about time, because frankly I was tired of looking at the same layout and thought you all might be too. I'm always one to try and spice things up.

Now, on to our blog. As I said in my last blog, I came across many interesting and fascinating things during my time away from the Internet, things in which as soon as I saw it, I thought to myself, "I need to blog this". Of course, I am sure many good ones I have forgot (which means maybe I should carry around paper and pen in case anymore good ideas creep up on me). But something I saw yesterday reminded me of one of my main ponderances right now, which is:

Why are people wearing sweatpants, with the legs scrunched up to their knees to make them look like Capri's?

I thought perhaps this girl was strange when I saw this the other day, where, in 90 degree weather, she was wearing a black tank top, and hot pink sweatpants, with the legs scrunched up to her knees. But now I have seen women wearing this same look all over, especially at the Walmart that is around the corner from my house. Yesterday, when it was 102 degrees outside, a woman walked into walked with the most hideous shade of green sweatpants I have ever seen, with the whole leg deal going on.

I suppose this must be some sort of trend now in fashion, although I am not sure. Where I once used to be completely up-to-date on the newest trends, as I get older I realize I don't care as much as long as what I am wearing fits and is comfortable. But what is it that is so exciting about sweatpants, that you feel the need to wear them during the summer? After all, you can go in the Walmart and for $10 pick out a pair on nice capri's or shorts that make much more sense. Can these people not live without their sweatpants that they must wear them year round.

Which brings me another point...sweatpants, on anyone, are not flattering. The are big, bulky, and make everyone look like they have a big, drooping ass. The girl, with the hot pink sweatpants, had a small, petite frame, but in those sweatpants, her ass looked the size of Texas.

My one piece of fashion advice to you ladies out there is, leave the sweatpants in the closet until winter, and then only wear them around the house. Of course, I am one to give advice as I am sitting here in jammy pants with cows and moons on them, but hey, tomato, tomatoe.

She's back!!

Kimbo is back in business here at Kimbo Central...and it's about time, dontcha think!?

We finally got the cable and Internet hooked up today. The installer showed up around 8am and we explained that in the living room we were hooking up just a regular digital DVR box and in our bedroom we were hooking up an HD-DVR box since we got a High-Def TV as a Christmas/Wedding Present from my Grandma Joan. We also told the guy where we were hooking up the cable modem and telephone.

We had to explain this about five times....

After he finally gets it, he goes outside turn the lines on, and then he said he'd be back in to hook up everything. He had to be outside about 20-30 mins. I'm not sure what he was doing out there. He comes back in, and we explain again where the equipment is going, and now he has a machine where he is tuning each line, and says he isn't getting enough power, so he goes back outside. By this point he's been here for an hour.

The rest of the time was spent like this. He brought in the boxes, hooked everything up, and then spent time outside trying to turn up the levels, and amping up things and putting three and eight way splitters on things. He kept saying the power level was just to high, which made me wonder, if the power level is too high, will the Cox Cable building, I don't know,explode perhaps?

When it came to the cable modem, he tried hooking it up to one computer, even though I told him it went to the other computer and that I wouldn't mind hooking that computer up. He fiddles around and finally allows me to hook it up, so I do and after a few tries, I get the Internet up and running.

I should have gotten paid to be his assistant.

A total of four and a half hours later, he is finally done, everything is working, and he heads out.

Phew....

Until the TV in the living room TV started having audio stuttering problems and the Internet kept going in and out.

Back comes the guy...

Now he's unhooking my TV (which I was watching at the time, and it wasn't even the TV that was having the problem) and shuts off the Internet and spends more time outside fiddling. By this time my husband comes home from work and wonders what is going on. I think he was here about hour or so, and finally everything finally worked.

Problem was...when he came back, he came from helping his friend dig a trench..in a hundred degree weather...

And he smelled, for lack of a better term...like ass sweat.

And I even have one of those Air Wick air fresheners that goes off every 36 mins and it still didn't help the smell.

But, in the end, I have my Internet back and I have spent the entire night ignoring my husband so I can play online and blog. But it is good to be back, and keep checking back often since now I will be able to blog more frequently, and I have a lot I can blog about from the time I was away from here.