The retirement of this blog

It's been a few weeks since I've blogged... a lot has happened, mainly that we've gone through separation and divorce - the papers were filed this afternoon.  Of course, I am devastated.  It has been a rough couple of weeks, and that's an understatement.  We've been trying really hard to make it work for some years now, and it is just not going to happen.  But the bright side is, that he remains my best friend, and I his, and for that I am grateful.

Clearly, this must needs be the end of "geoffandcali.blogspot.com."  I'm sure I'll start another blog at some point, but I'm going to take a break for awhile until I get some things figured out, like what to do with my life next, and hopefully get settled into something before too long.  I've been counciled to put my trust in God, so, I'm trying to figure out just what that means, and do it.  Right now I'm just trying to trust that things will turn out okay eventually.  I think they will.

Loves to everyone.

Busy day

Today is going to be a busy day, so I had wanted to get up early to work out, around 7:00 (not early for work, but since I've quit working that is early!)  It didn't happen.  Despite all the birds tweeting outside and the sunlight streaming through the window, I could not drag myself out of bed.  Geoff was about ready to leave for work at 9:00 and I was still in bed, too late to read scriptures together.  So I said I have a scripture for us this morning.  "The natural morning is an enemy to Cali, and always has been, and will be forever and ever, unless she yeilds to the enticings of the holy spirit, and putteth off the natural morning."  (I fumbled it a little bit, not having it perfectly memorized.)  And Geoff asked, "Yeah? Well what are you going to do in the morning of the first resurrection?  Are you gonna push snooze?"  I laughed.  "Probably! I'll probably miss it because I won't be able to get out of bed!"  lol. 

Anyway, I've got to go to the grocery store and get the crock pot going in the next hour or so because the missionaries are coming for dinner tonight.  Then I have to clean the house and do laundry for tomorrow's departure!  Maybe I can fit the gym in between there sometime.  Tomorrow morning I get my roots done! Woot!

We've decided to post an ad for Gwennie after we get back from California, since we can't do anything while we're there anyway.  I have cried about it every day this week.  Last night I even tried to sleep on the couch so that she could cuddle with me all night.  (Of course I couldn't sleep so I ended up putting her in her kennel after a couple of hours).  Anyway, she's my baby, I can't think about it too hard right now or I'll be crying all day again.

I started reading A Game of Thrones.  It's good so far!  It helps that I saw the first episode on HBO, so I have more of a clue about what's going on.  It was a little confusing the first time I tried to start reading it.

Progress? Or no?

Today I walked 1.5 miles at 3.8 mph, then jogged another 1.3 miles at 4 mph, and had to stop.  My body felt ok, but it was my lungs that were dying.  It's now that my body hurts, lol.  So I was short of the full 3.2, bummer.  I'll need to slow it down again next time I guess.  Am I expecting too much out of myself?  Or am I just a big wuss?  It's only been a week and a half that I've really been working on it, and I keep thinking I should be able to jog the whole thing by now.  Boo.  Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.

In less than 24 hours I've sold the computer desk, the dresser, and the bookshelves.  Now we're just waiting on the filing cabinet before we can give back the storage unit.  I never got to the outdoor storage yesterday, so that is today's project.

Gwennie

Gwennie got lots of vaccine updates today, and a blood test for heartworm (thankfully negative). But I was talking with the vet about how we are moving and have to find a new home for Gwennie. He suggested that we start looking soon, so that we can slowly acclimate her to the new family. Maybe have her spend the night once or twice beforehand, as opposed to just dropping her off in the new place and being suddenly gone. Because dogs form bonds like we do too, and it can be hard on the dog as well. Well, we had a few minutes while waiting for the blood test, and I walked Gwennie around the store and gave Geoff a call to tell him what the vet said. Suddenly I started crying and choking up and couldn't even get the words out. We've been putting it off because it's hard, but I think the vet is probably right. It could take a few weeks to find a really good home for her. The vet even offered to see if any of his clients are looking for a dog, once we decide to get going on it. Anyway, I'm choking up just typing this. I'm not ready to say goodbye to my baby.


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Walking

Last Saturday I got a little frustrated that I wasn't really increasing my time/distance than when I started.  (Still 2 miles in 30 minutes).  Geoff suggested that I start over, and pace myself enough to go the full 3.2 miles, then increase it by like .2 mph each time after that.  Over the course of a month, I should be able to increase it quite a bit, hopefully.  So I did that today.  I walked 3.2 miles at 3.8 mph in 51 minutes.  It is as fast as I can walk without having to jog.  So, next time I increase, it will be at jogging speed.  I'm not sure though because even though it's a small increase in speed, it's the difference between low and high impact.  I might do half at walking and half at jogging tomorrow, then see if I can jog the whole thing without stopping after that.  Then I can start increasing the speed while jogging the whole way.  Today I also did abs and calves.  I love coming home and drinking the protein shake (with skim milk), it's actually kind of good.  Even though, I think it gives me gas (TMI? Sorry.).

On the radar for today: take Gwennie to the vet for vaccine updates, post ads for the furniture in storage, and start cleaning out the outside storage closet, if I can do it without getting soaked (as I type this it's starting to pour. I don't remember a spring with so much rain, though I suppose it's a good thing- I imagine this is what Scotland is like most often).  Yay for having the time to do all of this!

Dexter, Gwennie, Univision

We finished season two of Dexter today. I'm so addicted to the show! Bummer that Showtime only allow for the first two episodes to be on Netflix instant play, so that they could get people hooked so they'll go buy the rest of the seasons. It's probably going to work on us, ha.

It's been a pretty relaxing day just with church, naps, dinner, hanging out. And snuggling my puppy. I'm so sad thinking about getting rid of her. Only another couple of weeks and we have to start advertising. :( So heartbreaking.

This week will be a busy one for Geoff; his work asked him to be part of a media campaign for the Spanish speaking community- he's going to be doing interviews in spanish on the radio and Univision all week. He's a little nervous about his language abilities, but they wouldn't have asked him if they didn't think he'd be good at it. I think it's pretty cool.

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Bye Roxy

This afternoon I drove Roxy up to the Salt Lake Hilton for the auction. I was a little nervous to take her inside the nice hotel because of her potty habits, but we made it. Everyone who saw her instantly fell on her, oohing and fawning. It made me feel good to see it. Someone will spend lots of money on her and will hopefully take good care of her. Cuz she's a big sweetheart, she's just a LOT of work. It made us appreciate what a good and easy dog Gwennie really is. And now it's just us three again!

Yesterday mom brought the truck up to our storage unit and helped load my cedar chest and took it back to their house. We're going to sell all the stuff in storage and the cedar chest is one thing I wanted to keep because it was a graduation present from mom and dad. While in Spanish, I had the chance to visit with Grandma, then went to dinner in Springville with a friend. She came to our house after and hung out until midnight, it was fun.

Today Geoff went for a 7 mile run, I went to the gym (2 miles in 30 minutes, slower than I had expected. I also did abs, calves, and deltoid/triceps). Then we went to the storage unit and took pictures of stuff so we can post ads online. Then I took Roxy to Salt Lake, then we went out to dinner. It was nice after a week of one of us always having to be home for sake of the dog. Tonight it's movies! I love weekends!


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Jogging

Tonight we ran three miles out on Geneva. Geoff was nice and went at my slower pace. We still made it back in 40 minutes which is actually good time for me. It was fun. It's only been a few days that I've been doing a decent job (not perfect, but decent) at diet and exercise, and it feels really good. (I'll be honest too, it is soooo much easier to do this stuff without a job taking up most of my day.) When we go to San Francisco, Geoff wants to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. It'd be nice to lose a few pounds and be a little more in shape by then.


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Need sugar!

You know you are craving sugar when you have a dream that you bought a house from someone else, and as you are cleaning it out, you find their year old wedding cake in the freezer and you actually, hungrily, devour it. I think I have a serious sugar problem...


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That tree jumped out at me from nowhere

So yesterday afternoon my sister came over to hang out. She helped me cook and stayed for dinner. I loved it! I feel a little guilty about just being home, but I'm sort of loving it so far.

Anyway, while she was here, we took the dogs out, and she got a first hand look at poor Roxy's mental state. Bounding happily along, not paying attention, miss Rocks for Brains ran straight into a tree with her face. Hard. She yelped and howled and came to us for comfort with her tail between her legs. It's hard being a stupid dog these days. We petted her until she felt better, then she was off again.

Alison said maybe her ear infection is deeper than we thought and is affecting her balance, which would explain why she runs into us, trees, and stone pillars. Poor thing. I hope her new owners take her straight to the vet to be checked out.

Looking forward to today!


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A new approach

After a few more frustrating instances last night, I decided that Rocks for Brains would stay in the kennel for the remainder of her stay with us. We felt bad about locking her up- especially Geoff- but after talking to some people, we realize it is the best thing. Since most dogs won't potty in their kennel, I'm hoping it'll teach her some bladder control, because she has none. And of course, it'll give me some sanity. I've been taking them outside every couple of hours to potty and play, and then putting Roxy away again, and it's been working great. She always whines and howls, but then she goes to sleep. And here after three puppies I thought we had the housetraining thing down, lol.

Today I've been able to go to the gym, clean the house, do laundry, shower and do my hair/makeup, and go grocery shopping for tonight's dinner. I think I have about an hour to read before I need to start making dinner. We're trying tin fool dinners tonight, hope it works out.

Also I did some research yesterday, and it appears that it will easily cost a couple thousand dollars to try and move stuff to the east coast- that's using movers, or renting a haul, or a combination of the two, there's just no getting around it. But I found some flights for $179 each. So we've decided to just sell everything and fly. I'm fine with this except for the bed. I love that bed, it's soo comfortable. We'll check a couple bags each, fly out, check in to our housing, and spend the first day shopping for something to sleep on and a computer, so we can look for jobs and generally find stuff we need. July 14th is the day!


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I need dog diapers

Roxy?  How about Rocks for Brains.  We've had her since Friday; it's now Monday.  I'm sure that her new family will love her, and I'm really sorry, but the combination of big, dumb, and unhousetrained is becoming a little much for me.  I have cleaned up SO much pee in the last couple of days.  Just now I went to the gym, thought I could leave them out since they had just been outside playing and peeing and were exhausted, and I was gone for less than two hours and I came home to seriously a lake of pee on the kitchen floor.  Rocks for Brains is becoming afraid of me because I yell at her so much.  I'm taking the water away, the couch privileges away, and from now on, if no one is home with them, it's in the kennel they go.  And I love Gwennie to pieces, but I've been getting mad at her too because she's starting to act out, on account of not being an only dog anymore, I suppose.  Now I've got to shower and I think I have to put Rocks for Brains in the kennel so she doesn't pee some more.  I wish I could put diapers on her.

Happy birthday Geoff

Today is Geoff's 29th birthday! Happy birthday Geoff! He opened his present from me last night, he hates waiting to open presents. I got him some nice flop flops, an Ernest movie series, and a cheapo wristwatch (he wanted a cheap one, I swear!) to wear while running. Today I made dinner and birthday cookies. Mom and dad broke into our apt to drop off a gift while we were at church. (They gave him a nice shirt and a cake that I have eaten most of.) Oh and he got a card from my grandma too. And then we've basically been hanging out, home/visiting teaching, and taking care of the doggies.

We used google earth to look up our new apt building in New York. We discovered that it's the same building as that Che Bella's pizza place we ate at! How fun! It was fun looking at the streets and seeing what else is within walking distance. We think that we'll be attending church at the Manhattan Temple- there's a chapel there. How cool!

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I knew it

Freakin a. So remember that i wrote about how the ppl that lived upstairs left the country cuz their visas didn't go through?

Well, Geoff and I were in the computer room just now, talking about something, when we heard a heavy footstep and some movement come from the room above. We've been hearing it for a couple of days. In fact, the floppy dog barked her head off for a good forty five minutes this morning when we kenneled her, and Geoff was afraid that she would wake the people upstairs because he thought he'd heard them the night before. But no one has moved in.

So just now, when we heard these sounds, we looked at each other and I ran outside to see if any of the lights were on, you know, if someone was looking at the place. (Not likely at 11pm on Sunday night, but to each their own.) NO LIGHTS WERE ON. NOT ONE. No movement, nothing. We even went around to check the back of the building. I am telling you, there is something here. Not that it's always in our apartment, that we know of, but I have suspected for a long time. I hope our renters aren't afraid of ghosts, he he he. (that is, if it doesn't sell.)


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The floppy dog

Roxy is the most hilarious dog ever.  We think she's not all there, mentally.  I mean, even our old cocker-spaniel, Reggie, wasn't this dumb.  But she's very entertaining.  When she wants to get off the couch, she doesn't jump off like a normal dog would, she just kind of goes limp and falls off.  When we take her for walks, she follows very close behind you, often bumping into you; she's not coordinated at all... come to think of it, maybe falling off the couch really is her best option.  I scolded her for peeing on the kitchen tile- I don't think she even knows what the concept of scolding is.  It didn't seem to phase her at all.  And she loves to be picked up - which is hard to do considering her size, but Geoff does it and she just melts into him.  I should video that, it's pretty funny.

We bought her a harness today, since she arrived on a choker chain, which she clearly hated.  So she's much easier to walk now (despite being repeatedly bumped into).  Also, Geoff found infection in both her ears this morning, and it's bad.  The fungus that he cleaned out was like paste - way worse than Gwennie's infection that the vet scolded us for.  We're using Gwennie's leftover ear medicine, and then we'll be sure to let her new people know they need to clean her ears often. 

It is really fun watching the two of them play though. She's so big and floppy, and her paws are HUGE.  This will be a fun week for Gwennie.  We're seeing a side of Gwennie that we haven't seen before - a bit of a jealous, territorial side.  She always tries to take away whatever toy Roxy is chewing on, and her playing is more aggressive than normal.  We bought a huge rawhide bone for Roxy to hopefully keep her from chewing the furniture, and Gwennie thinks it's hers, though she can barely pick it up.  It is fun having the two of them though.  We took them outside to play this morning and they came back and slept for six hours, so we're going to do it again before bedtime.

The 13th must be my Good Friday

Today was a big day for three reasons!

1) Look at this beauty:

I'll get better pictures of her tomorrow.  We are babysitting her until next weekend.  Every year, Geoff's work has an auction to raise funds, and every year, someone donates a puppy.  Roxy is this year's puppy- she is adorable!  She's only five months old, but twice Gwennie's size.  She's pretty slow both physically and mentally, but a sweeter, milder dog I've never seen.  Gwennie's a little firecracker in comparison.  We are excited to have her at our house for a whole week until the auction.  She's really tired right now because we played outside, so this is all I could get her to do.  :)

2) We HEARD about student housing this morning!  And!  We got it!  I am SO excited.  It's available on July 15th, so I am probably going to move out there on that day so I can start looking for jobs asap.  Geoff might stay in Utah for an extra month to keep working as long as possible, since student loans don't kick in until September.  Here's the deal, it's 300 SQUARE FEET!  Lol!  It's two rooms total.  A kitchen, which looks big enough to probably fit a couch and TV (12 ft by 14 ft), and then another room which we'll use as a bedroom (8 ft by 14 ft), and you have to go through the bedroom to get to the bathroom.  There is 1 closet.  It's going to be the most awesome authentic New York living experience and I'm jumping out of my seat with excitement!  It's in the most awesome location too, on Amsterdam and 120th.  So right in between the main campus and the social work building where Geoff will spend most of his time.  I am so happy we got to be in that area!  It's such a nice area, and everything we could want or need is right there, and I will feel really safe.  It's ten blocks from Central Park.  I'm just, beyond stoked.  And now we can start making some definite moving plans too.  This is going to come up really fast, I am sure.

3) Today was my last day of work!  I'm so glad I don't have to deal with the stresses anymore.  And, I'm sad.  Sad that I won't see my friends daily anymore.  And I know that they were really an exceptional company to work for, which isn't all too common, I know.  It was really hard to pack up my stuff and leave the office that still feels like mine.  But it's true that I have really struggled through this past year, so, I'm really glad the stress will be gone.  It was a fun day- Ang, Mike, Karen, Ash, and Tiff took me to lunch. (There was one more girl who we wanted to be there but she was sick with a migraine today, poor girl.  She still called to wish me luck, she's so sweet!)  And my boss and the others in my department (but I hear that my boss was the mastermind behind it) got me a $50 Visa gift card, lemon bars from my fav bakery, and a subscription to a monthly New York living magazine that has all the free/cheap stuff to do scheduled out - concerts, events, etc.  One of the girls in my dept. lived in NYC for two years not long ago, and said she lived by that magazine.  They ordered it to start shipping directly to our NY apartment in the next 6-8 weeks!  How nice of them! 

Well, good job if you made it all the way to the end! lol.  We're supposedly going to try pulling an all-nighter tonight.  Wish us luck.

A great day

Tonight consisted of a trip to the gym, an episode of Dexter, and a dog grooming session. We gave Gwennie a nail-trimming, a bath, a teeth cleaning, an ear cleaning, and a facial-crease cleaning. Whew! We laughed so hard while trimming her nails; it's the most hilarious thing ever. Now she's running around like psychodog.

Only three days left and I am done with work! Doesn't seem real yet. Geoff said we're going to celebrate with an all-nighter this weekend. What am I going to do with all that free time? Well, I'll finally be able to take Gwennie to the vet for her vaccine updates, schedule a carpet-cleaning, start listing stuff on KSL, figure out how to move to New York, go to San Francisco, have some inlaws stay over, babysit another puppy, and spend lots and lots of time at the gym. Oh and keep the house clean and fix meals and that good stuff (you know, basically be a decent wife). And maybe- sleep until 8:00 in the mornings. Generally, be un-stressed. Sigh. It will be great.

Stroopwafels

Look what I just found at Walmart!

I used to have to drive all the way to Salt Lake to The Dutch Store or Pirate O's to get my hands on these.  (They are bigger in those packages but it's all the same thing.)  I'm in heaaaaaaven.  Too bad NYC doesn't have a Walmart yet... but I guess there is sure to be at least one store that sells european food.  Yum!

Showering pug

Happy Mother's Day!  I know having a dog doesn't in any way compare to being a real mother, but in honor of this holiday (as if I need an excuse), let me share a cute story with you.  While I was in the shower yesterday, Gwennie poked her little head in the curtain.  Have I ever mentioned her obsession with bathtubs?  Before I knew it, she was in the shower with me.  She stood there for a moment, assessing the environment, then hopped back out.  A few seconds later, she was back.  This time she was unable to get back out because it was too slippery, so she decided to make the most of it.  I was beside myself watching her play with the shower spray, daring herself to get closer, until I finally put her out, and she went nuts like newly bathed dogs do.  I was mentally writing up the ad that we will probably soon place: "pug that likes to take showers with you."  We love our little dog so much.

Well, after church we're going to Grandma's for dinner.  We're bringing cookies that we made using the Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookie recipe, except we left out the espresso powder, and added our own touch.  Melt half a bag of chocolate chips and mix the melted chocolate in with the dough before adding the rest of the chocolate chips.  Chocolatey!  I'm excited to visit with Grandma and give mom her present.  Alison and I went in on it this year.

Dexter

A few of our current Netflix categories: Crime Movies, Supernatural Horror Movies, Violent Movies.  (FYI - Netflix chooses categories it thinks you will like based on your recent viewings.)  We're not that bad are we?  We've mostly been watching Roseanne and Scrubs.  Although this evening we began watching Dexter.    It's grotesque and disturbing and I can't look away.

We're going to San Francisco over Memorial Day holiday.  Geoff's work group won a travel voucher, and in order to share it, they all have to go at the same time.  I think the three girls are sharing their room, and Geoff has his own room so I am coming along.  I'm pretty excited but I do feel really really bad about skipping the 5k, because my sis signed up to run it with me.  :(  She was really understanding though, and I'm going to find another one that we can do together, my treat, if she will.

Oh what do you do when there's no more TV?

Paint your toenails!

LHOTP and half marathons

I just cancelled our Dish Network!  Whew.  I feel both a little lost/nervous and relieved.  Maybe we can just get some rabbit ears for the local news, and (excited gasp)  LHOTP!  (Little House On The Prairie).  Lol.  I just checked and we still have access to Netflix too, so we should be okay.  We've been talking about it for a month now, finally I got the guts to do it.

Geoff signed up to run the AF Half Marathon in June.  He started a training plan yesterday which included running 3.5 miles!  It's my goal just to be able to go that far by the end of May.  I'm proud of him; I know he can do it.  I'm going to sign up for the 5k that is offered at the same time/place.  Then I can wait at the end and take pictures as he runs across the finish line.  He said he's going to be all dramatic for me.

I still feel like crap.  I made it to 3:00 at work though, so better than yesterday.  I'm knocking myself out tonight.

We had THREE showings on our condo today!  That doubles the amount of showings we've had since February when we put it on the market.  Two of them seemed really interested - one was a realtor that is purchasing condos in the area so he can rent them out, and was already talking about how to construct an offer.  The other were a young couple - first time home buyers - who liked it enough that they called their parents to come look at it right then, to give them a second opinion.  It sounded promising as well.  The first two people that looked at it also sounded promising though and we never heard from them again, so we'll see.  But it's not bad I think.

Cold

Still sick. I went to work for two hours and came home and slept until Geoff got home. Gwennie napped with me all day. Hope to be better by tomorrow.


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Feelin spacey

Blogging from bed at 2:30 in the a.m.! I'm pretty sick with a cold today but it's been a good day. We'd been planning an ikea date, and I was looking forward to it, so we went anyway. Someone in the know suggested we go there to get ideas for storage and organization in very small living spaces. We also got hot dogs at the deli (which sounds disgusting to me at the moment but at the time they were good.)

We weren't ready for our date to be over after that, so we went looking for the Lindon animal shelter. It was closed. We got lost trying to find our way back to civilization, and found the Lindon marina instead. We discovered a cute little walking trail that goes right along the edge of Utah Lake, it was kind of a pretty spot. Eventually we found ourselves at Pioneer Books. Then we stopped at the grocery store on our way home.

Geoff made dinner, and we've just been chillin' the rest if the night. And using dayquil and nasal spray and excedrine. Geoff is being really sweet and taking care of me.

The neighbors upstairs had a huge, everything must go yard sale this morning. Their visas didn't go through and they have to go back to Jordan. That's really sad. The dad told Geoff that he lived in the states in the 1980's and getting a visa was a lot easier back then. I wonder what has changed. I am not in favor of a system that makes it so hard to get a visa, anywhere. But anyway.

We had our third showing on the condo Friday. It sounded promising but we aren't holding our breath. We are kind of starting to think we'd like to maybe keep it, but we'll see.


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My gwennie girl

Last night as we sat on the couch with Gwennie in the middle, I looked down at her and she was doing the head-bob!  It was the funniest thing.  She was trying so hard not to fall asleep, and she kept slowly drifting off and then waking with a start, over and over.  We laughed so hard.

Geoff's dad went back to Oregon this afternoon.  I've spent this whole evening cleaning and getting everything back in place.  I noticed that Gwennie kept cowering in the corner when I was around, and I kept a wary eye on the floor, looking for evidence.  Then I realized it was because I had a spray bottle of cleaner in my hand, ha.  She always thinks she's done something wrong when we get out the squirt bottle (with water, not cleaner), it's very effective, ha ha.  She's so dang funny.

Drama mama

So today at work, I got really annoyed after a conversation with my boss, who mentioned that I needed to be sure that my trainee was fully trained on this or that - things that I had tried to train her on and sort of did, but then she was out for two weeks for knee surgery or bloody noses or headaches, etc. and I ended up doing stuff myself in order to meet deadlines.  I was annoyed because I gave them my quitting notice mid February, and it took them so long to decide on my replacement, and then they decided to divide this person's time between three different jobs, mine being only one of them.  I don't know what in the world they could've been thinking.  The new software was supposed to help take care of the tax portion, but that hasn't panned out yet.  It may at some point, but just not yet.  And I was mad that he was placing more responsibility for the training on me, when this whole mess is a result of their bad decisions.

Later in the afternoon as we were working on stuff, my trainee started crying.  She's so overwhelmed with trying to maintain her other jobs and do mine, and her main focus is supposed to be on learning my job, however she keeps getting pulled in all different directions by so many other people, it's just too much.  Especially when she's still recovering and isn't feeling well.  I felt so bad for her.  Sure, this all would've been easier if she hadn't missed so much work, but it still would've been impossible and management should've been able to see that or at least have inquired about it.  And so far it's like they just don't want to admit that this isn't quite working out and are trying to force their plan down everyone's throats no matter what.  And everyone's been willing to go with it but it is taking a major toll.  Well, she went to speak with him about everything at the end of the day today, so I guess we'll see what comes of that. 

I really don't want to leave everything in disarray, and I definitely don't want to leave my replacement feeling lost and insecure.  But I also can't help thinking that this isn't my problem, because I gave them plenty of notice, and am even agreeing to stay past my given quit date.  I don't know what else I could do, and I'm ready to be done.

Tornados

So I have been away from the Facebook world for a little while and so buried in work/coming home and zoning out (basically I've been in a cave) that I haven't been paying attention to the news AT ALL.  I heard little snippets here and there about tornados, but was pretty shocked when Geoff texted me to tell me that our dear friends the Toones are okay.  The tornados have been through their neighborhood (in Alabama)and there's devastation everywhere, but luckily their house is still okay and THEY are okay, although without power and shortly to be without water also.  I only got to talk to her for a minute or two before the phone cut out.  I'll be praying my heart out for their continued safety!  We love you guys!!

Blossums

This will be my last spring to view the blossoms outside my office window.

We're thinking probably only another week, maybe.

Visitor

We have Geoff's dad, Mike, staying with us for a week this week.  He flew in last Friday night.  On Saturday we ate our faces off at J-Dawgs, then went to Shirley's bakery, then went to Golden Corral (it is a tradition that Mike insists upon, dang those buffets!)  Sunday we went to church, then my parents had us over for dinner - tortilla soup with yummy cheesy bread! And they gave me and Geoff an Easter basket full of candy too, so nice of them!  At home we just watched TV, read books, and snuggled with Gwennie until bed time.  Today I am working, and Geoff might be taking Mike up to Hill AFB to see the air museum.  So anyway.  I'll probably be working late every day this week and won't see them too much before he goes back home.

We've been talking some more.  I've decided that I'm going to get involved in women's advocacy, somehow.  Whether as a full time job, or just volunteering on the side, there's sure to be many opportunities in NYC.

New jobs and stuff

I just had to write quickly about something that excited me.  A colleague approached me who heard I was moving to New York soon.  He said he used to live in NJ and commute to Manhattan each day where he worked for one of the major credit card companies.  He was CFO of one of their smaller divisions.  And his dad went to Columbia.  I know exactly where he worked because we went to that building twice - it's right next to Ground Zero.  Anyway, he said he would try to get in touch with some of his old colleagues from there (he is a fairly recent transplant - only about six months or so) and see if he could hook me up with something.  He asked about my degree and said, maybe internal audit would be the department for me.  Anyway, it was so nice of him to offer to do that.  I'm trying really hard not to get my hopes up that something will come of it.  But the thought of doing internal audit for a large company - it sounds new and exciting!  It is a pretty exciting revelation that accounting isn't entirely dead to me.  (It's just the taxes that I am tired of!)

Speaking of - we just finished with our training of the new tax software.  A lady was here for three days helping us get set up and teaching us how to use it.  Anyway, she gave me her cell phone number, because she has a lot of clients in New York too (she's not sure of their exact location, but in NY), and they often get phone calls from their clients asking if they know of anyone who knows the tax program that could come work for them.  It was way nice of her.  So yeah.  I have some pretty heavy reservations about going back into tax.  But it's nice to know that's there, just in case.

Gosh now I'm feeling ansty.  Now I just want to get out there and start looking for jobs.  It's hard to do much before we find out about student housing.  I hope we hear soon.

Arcade

Tonight we met some friends at Trafalga. I wasn't expecting much because the last time I was there like ten years ago the place was a dump. But we ended up having so much fun! We mini golfed, did a 3xd theater ride (where the seats move around), ate dippin dots, and played arcade games. We tried to win enough tickets for a stuffed toy for Gwennie, but only had enough to buy some suckers.

This was instead of the bonfire, because of the rain. But it was a blast and even though I was exhausted from work, it was good to blow off some steam.


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Location:Kitchen

Weekend

The weekend was sooo nice!  Friday night we went to dinner with Brady & Ashley.  We stayed at the restaurant for over two hours, talking.  I think we might do a campfire sometime this week.  I haven't done that since before I was married!  (Normally they are called "bonfire" to me, but where Geoff comes from, a "bonfire" is a two-story high fire built on the beach.  So now I'm calling it "campfire.")

Saturday, we did that jog on the Provo Trail, then I went to SF and visited with Grandma.  That night, Geoff and I made burgers on the grill, and played Rummikub and watched a little TV.

Sunday we went to church, came home and made lunch, took a long, luxurious nap on the couch with Gwennie, and took her to the park to throw the rope around, which she loved. 

It was so nice to just do what we wanted and have some time to relax!  Now I am back at work...  this week is going to be an absolute beast.  We've got the new tax software people coming tomorrow, Weds, and Thurs for training and implementation.  And meanwhile, our month end deadline continues to draw near!  Counting down until next weekend.

Provo River trail

Since the weather is so nice today, we decided to skip the gym and do our exercise on the Provo River Trail.  We did my walk/jog intervals between Center St. and the lake, and then Geoff ran all the way back to get the car and come pick me up, since my thighs felt like jello.  I suck!  But I'm going to do this!  I just have to keep plugging away, and hope it gets me there.

Geoff showered and ran to the store to pick up some needed items and dinner for later today.  I think I will shower and go visit Grandma.  If she's home.

Running / cooking / moving

Worked late again.  Then we went to the gym, then the store, came home and made some dinner, and now I blog while it's in the oven.

Few things I wanted to blog about today:

1) The gym.  I'm officially enrolled in the 5k that my work is participating in on May 28th.  That gives me six weeks to kick it in gear!  I've made little improvements.  I started out walking 5 minutes and jogging 1 (repeat for 30 minutes).  Then I increased it to walking 5 minutes and jogging 2.  Tonight I increased it to walking 4 minutes and jogging 2.  I have a long way to go!  I hope I can be ready in time!

2) Apron Strings.  It's a cookbook that my aunt published last winter, that seems to be doing really well locally.  She was even on one of the daytime TV shows a few days ago to make a chicken slaw or something.  Anyway, I am normally a lousy cook- which is why I never really tried too hard.  But I've used this book several times in the past month, and love it.  There isn't an ingredient in this book that I don't recognize, or a recipe that I couldn't follow.  It's easy!   And the food is yummy too.  If anyone is interested in obtaining said cookbook, let me know and I'll hook you up.  I'm not sure how much they are, I think mine was around $10.

3) Also we're going to cancel Dish Network on Monday.  (One last weekend to enjoy TV).  We're trying to cut down on bills a little bit, and we're already trying to figure out what we're going to take to New York with us and what not.  We're likely going to sell most of our stuff, with the exception of our bed (I LOVE our bed, it's the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in), clothing, and the bookshelves/books.  Still researching it though.  I think that Ikea is going to be our friend once we get out there and have to replenish everything.  :)  Should be fun.

Another day

Today I worked late again. And came home and we made more bread.





Dumb bum won't let me take his picture.

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Location:Bed

Rooney

I heard this song at the gym today.  It sounds a little like 80's (although the album was released last year).  Never heard of the group, or the song, but I am excited to look up some more of their stuff.  (I Can't Get Enough, by Rooney, above).

I could really use a cookie

If I was ever going to have blood pressure problems, they'd be happening right now.  I badly needed to get away from the office today so I took a lunch break to come home and see Gwennie.  I ended up driving through six - count them six - patches of construction on Geneva road between Lindon and Orem, couple that with all of the slow industrial dump trucks, tractors, backhoes, etc., it took me more than twice the time it normally takes to get home.  So, I am home now, and plotting my route back to work that doesn't involve the freeway or Geneva road. 

I'm so tightly wound because of work lately that I just feel as if the smallest little tick will set me off.  I know that I'm a stress-eater too, so I hope I can control myself.  It's just that it tends to take the edge off, like a good shot of whiskey. (Not that I would know... that was a crack my dentist made once while I was sitting in the chair)  What other ways do other people calm down and relax that don't involve food?  I can think of a few things but none that seem as appealing, or can be done in the space of a few minutes.  What do YOU do to unwind or calm down?

Only a few more weeks, only a few more weeks, only a few more weeks

And now making their debut...

Cali's first homemade bread!

I know they look terrible, but they sure taste good.  I'll have to practice rolling the dough into a smooth ball next time before I stick it in the oven, ha ha.  (Though I'm obviously still proud enough of them to take their picture.)  It is so easy too, even though I failed on my first attempt.  The only ingredients are flour, yeast, salt, sugar, Liquid Lecithin, and water.  Mix and bake.  I think that means it's even a vegan-friendly recipe, because I believe the lecithin is made from vegetable fat, though I'm no expert.

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy dinner and read my book!  Happy weekend!

Home and the Heartland

We got to go see Riverdance last Friday night at Kingsbury Hall.  I am telling you, I will never stop loving it.  I've been listening to the soundtrack for the last eight years, thinking they were never coming back to North America.  I'm a total nerd, but I choked up several times during the first half of the show, I just couldn't believe I was there, watching it live.  It was so beautiful.  So GOOD.  The dancing and stuff is all really cool, but I seriously love the music.  I know every measure, at least of what's on the soundtrack.

There were a few changes since before.  I could've sworn there was a turkish/russian type number which is no longer there, and the Heartland number was only music and no singing (sad cuz I like that song), and there were a few new numbers that I didn't recognize and aren't on my album, but were really good.  And the song from the third track had some piano added that really brightened it up.  Anyway, I hope it's not another eight years before they come back, but when they do, I'll definitely be there.

I'may yingday

I feel like I'm being crushed a little more each day that I'm still here.  Seriously, chest pressure and tight throat and all that.  I hope I don't explode before this is over.  Sorry about my constant complaining.  You didn't think I was going to go out without some major whining did you? ha ha not really.

A few more weeks.  My trainee didn't come to work today.  I'm going ahead without her.  She'll just have to figure stuff out on her own next quarter.  We are extremely short on time and there are too many demands to not be coming to work.  Even if you had a bloody nose in the morning.

Oh if I could just be done right now.

Okay well, hopefully there'll be a little positivity coming soon.

Happy dog

Geoff has had this picture as his phone wallpaper for forever now.  I finally asked him to email it to me so I could post it.  I love it cuz it's so her.  What a cutie.

The house across the street from my office window put a GIANT banner on their front lawn today that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS - Thank you for the gift of your life."  And there were lots of balloons on it.  Interesting people, they are.  I wish I had remembered to take a picture before I left!  Passersby were taking pictures of it all day.

Cuddly wuddly

I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty hard to go back to work after getting a glimpse of what's to come.  Sigh.  My trainee is out for two weeks for knee surgery too, so there isn't even any training happening.  I will probably be here through mid May at least.  We'll see I guess.  Blehhhhhhhhh.  I want to smash taxes in the face.  I just can't wait to be done.  It can't come fast enough.

We are trying to enjoy Gwennie as much as possible before we have to find a new home for her.  Normally when we tell her it's "time to go night-night in the kennel" she obediently goes straight to her kennel and that's where she sleeps.  We wanted to try letting her sleep with us last night.  She was extremely tired from the day, so she fell asleep immediately (as opposed to playing, which is what happened last time we tried it).  She insisted on snuggling up right next to me, which I normally love to pieces.  However, it just wasn't working out....  she snores.  And because she kept coming back when I tried to move her, I could feel her little breaths corresponding with each snore.  Also, she sleeps with all four legs stiffly sticking straight out, which takes up a lot of room in our queen-size bed.  Geoff got up to tell her it was time to go night night in the kennel, and instead of being her obedient self, she kept crawling back under the bedcovers, poor thing.  Eventually we settled for letting her sleep on the couch.  I love love love cuddling with my sweet puppy, it was just too hard to fall asleep at the same time.   Maybe we can keep trying it though.

Bleh, work.  I have Riverdance tickets for this Friday though, so I can definitely look forward to that!

Proof that Michael Jackson is still alive

Sorry about the little camera flip I did there.  And the dumb guy that kept getting in the way.  This impersonator was so funny though.  After this, he danced across the street, bought a hot dog, and danced his way back across the street, drawing laughs from the nearby construction workers.  It was fun to watch.

This my man

Central Park

Here's the video I tried to upload earlier

Rockefeller Center, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown

A few other things we did were go to the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center.  I loved the R-Center!  I loved the ice skating rink and the flags and the Christmas lights.  I bet it is a sight to see at Christmas time.

That little stretch of land between the park and the river - that's where we'll be (hopefully if we get housing)

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty

We got a lot closer than that but everyone has seen pictures of the Statue of Liberty.  We thought this was cool with the statue and the city skyline.



Went to Chinatown directly after walking the bridge.  It is funny- you walk past these people standing by their tables of dumb knick-knacks and they covertly whisper "coach bags" to you as you walk by.  And everything is up for barter.  I am a terrible barterer.  We ate at this tiny - blink you miss it - chinese place.  It was delicious!

Though I will add that they were a "cash-only" restaurant and were very expensive.  Afterwards, I saw a pair of sunglasses that I wanted at a booth, and asked how much.  The guy looked at me and said, "twelve dollars." I went for my cash and realized I didn't have any.  So I asked Geoff for some and he said we spent our last cash dollar on dinner.  The booth guy saw me hesitating and said, "I'll make it ten dollars."  I turned to question Geoff if we really didn't have any cash, and I mean any cash?  Geoff said no.  The booth guy lowered the price again.  The longer I stood there questioning Geoff, the lower he went, and finally asked, "how much do you want them for?"      Yeah.    It was sad to walk away from that one.  I'll probably never be able to do that again, lol.

Central Park

We spent a few hours walking through Central Park.  What a huge place it is.  How fun it will be to go jogging there regularly!

 Bethesda Fountain

The Reservoir

There was a guy at some castle/tower thing there, in Shakespearian dress, singing Irish folk tunes.  And we stopped at the gift shop to pee and sit for a minute to rest our legs.  Because as my friend Angie says, "sit when you can sit and pee when you can pee."

We exited the park on 65th and lo and behold there was the Manhattan Temple.  We went inside as asked for Elder and Sister Buchanon, who are serving a temple mission and are my boss's father in law and mother.  They were in the temple working at that moment, oh well.  They  have a distribution center there too.  It is also in the Upper West Side, but quite a bit further south than where we'll probably be.  We might go to church in the chapel below it!

St. John's Cathedral

I said I would post more pictures of St. John's - also in the Morningside Heights/Upper West Side area.

I've never been one to spend a lot of time staring at buildings, no matter how old or "interesting."  But maybe that's because I never saw anything quite like this.  Seriously, this place was so immense and beautiful.  It really just invoked a feeling of awe and reverence.  I felt a little sacrelige snapping pictures even. (But did it anyway, oh well.)

This place reminded me of a scene from Lord of the Rings, just because of the awesome size:

Such beautiful architecture in every aspect:

In one of the side rooms (they had several, used as crypts or service rooms), there was an organ clear up on the wall by the ceiling, which was so intriguing, I thought.

The outside looks a little bit like the Salt Lake Temple, but imagine it being about twice as tall, because it was.

And that's not even including the steeple "thingy!"

Apparently they have a lot of events here - choir concerts and such.  We definitely plan to go.

This little place was right next door - it was burned about ten years ago, and they are still trying to get funds to restore it.  It made me think of the Provo Tabernacle, and how it must've been horribly sad, as this place was probably much older.

Another place we visited in a different part of the city was St. Paul's chapel.  It was right next to Ground Zero, and they actually ask that you not take pictures, so I kept my camera hidden away.  Amazingly, the place was not touched when the twin towers fell.  It was used as a refuge for volunteers and cleanup workers in the years following the tragedy.  There was a beautiful 911 memorial.  It nearly had me in tears.  It is really something to actually be in the place where everything happened, it becomes so much more real.

Foods

Oh boy where to start.  We looooovvveeedd the Morningside Heights area, where the campus and student housing are.  It was so clean, bright, and safe-feeling.  I hope we get student housing, because it would be the perfect living place. 

I will say this - 40 degrees in Utah is not, I repeat not the same thing as 40 degrees in New York.  We froze our little (or big) tooshies off.  The first and second day we broke down and bought hats, scarfs, gloves, and two big warm sweatshirts to wear under our jackets and over our other sweatshirts.  Hence the Hat Hair:

I'm told that this cold phenomenon is because of the humidity.  But the humidity did help me to sleep without even a thought of not being able to breathe through my nose so there is a plus side to it.  But moving onward...

There is a lot of good food in New York.  This was the best pizza I've ever had, literally.  Even Brick Oven doesn't come close:

Che Bella's in Morningside Heights

Scoping out the street vendors: Hot dogs in Times Square.  Yum!

Can you tell Geoff is excited??

We got hot dogs at Gray's Papaya too, which I know is really popular there.  Nothing I tried really came close to J-Dawgs though.  Hmmm maybe I should ask them to start a franchise in NYC.  It would blow all of the competition out of the water!  We plan to go at least a few more times before we move!

Sunday

Today we took a train to Brooklyn and walked the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. We walked through the maze of government buildings and then through Chinatown. We ate at a hole in the wall chinese place that was really good and surprisingly expensive. Went to St Paul's chapel and viewed their 911 memorial which was really sobering and emotional. Next we went to this Financial Center and got treats at Godiva and a gelato store. We ate them at Battery Park (we think that's what it was - it was ont the edge of the Hudson River.) Now we've come back to our hotel to go to bed early. Geoff wants to get up early and go stand in the window at the Today Show and see if we can be on TV. Our flight leaves at 5 tomorrow afternoon.

Saturday

Again this is so I don't forget, sorry it's so dry. I hope to tell it better once pics are uploaded.

Today we slept until ten. We headed back to the upper west side to this store that sells university stuff and got sweatshirts because we were freezing! We ate at the Shake Shack. Went downtown and rode the Staten Island ferry and saw the statue of Liberty. Went back to 5th Ave and walked past Bryant Park. Saw a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing on the street for tips. Then he bought a hot dog from a vendor and was dancing the whole time. Went to the Rockefeller Center to the ice rink. Went to the Top of the Rock observatory. Came back down and got yummy food from a vendor then went to Magnolia bakery again. Came back to our hotel.


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Deep thoughts by the Stanleys

Cali: Whoever said the lion was at the top of the food chain was wrong. I really think it's the crocodile.

Geoff: Why would the lion be the top of the food chain?

Cali: Because he's the king of the jungle.

Geoff: Who says he's king of the jungle?

Cali: Everyone.

Geoff: Well you're all wrong! I'M the king of the jungle! I got the skills. I gots bowstaff skills, nunchuck skills...

New York

We are loving this place so far! We've taken tons of pictures but most of them are on the digital camera and will have to be uploaded later. I'll just post a few that I took with the iPod.

Look familiar? This is just right down the street from campus. We'll probably go there a lot if we get student housing!



I love this outdoor market!



Columbia campus.



Other side of the campus.



We went inside this amazing cathedral- St. John's Cathedral. It was so immense and beautiful and really awe-inspiring. I love all this gothic architecture. Many more pictures of this to come.



Central Park



Video: I can't believe we're here!
(blogpress is not letting me connect to YouTube to upload the video, will upload later)

I took a picture of this bridge because I thought it was the one from the snowball fight in the movie Elf.


And of this bridge because it reminded me of the movie Enchanted.




And, a quick rundown of events thus far so I don't forget them:

Thursday: arrive in New York at 9:30 a.m. Took ghetto bus through Harlem, saw lots of beautiful historical buildings. Got off at 120 and broadway, found the Columbia school of Social Work and walked down to 103 and got on the subway. Took the #1, changed to the #7 back to our hotel in Queens. Took naps and showered, took the subway back to Times Square. Went to a comedy club in a brick-lined basement and hosted by men in drag. Shopped at the Hershey store. Headed back to hotel at 1:30 a.m. Thanked the heavens for the policeman's presence at the bus stop at 82nd and Astoria, Queens.

Friday: met with someone at Columbia School of Social Work at ten a.m. Took a tour of the building then walked down the street and checked out the main campus. Ate the most delicious pizza ever at Che Bella's. Bought. Gloves and hats to fight the bitter cold. Walked to 110 and west central. Walked most of the length of Central Park. Walked to the Manhattan Temple. Walked back up Columbus and got cheesecake at Magnolia. Further up and got dogs at Gray's Papaya. Rode subways to Ground Zero. Came back to hotel.

We're back early tonight because we're so tired from jetlag and exhausted from all the walking. But we are so happy to be here.

Miss my Gwennie

This evening we took Gwennie down to Payson.  She's spending the week at the Gale's.  They have offered to take care of her while we are in New York for grad school.  They have said they would take her on a permanent basis OR have offered to let us have her back after grad school is done.  Which I'll be honest I would love to do!  We will have to see what comes.  But they are watching her this week to see how it works out.  Jessica is pretty sure that everything will work fine, but I do feel better that they are taking her on a week-long trial, just to see.  Anyway, she ran around outside and made friends with their mini-pin, Optimus.  They played so cute!  I do miss my cute baby, so much.  It's weird to come home and not see her face in the window and be greeted at the door.  But she's in good hands.  (Thank you Jessica and Jared!!)

Our accomodations cancelled our reservation today, saying they are full.  So we made another reservation at a Comfort Inn by La Guardia Airport.  We considered some hostels but the idea kind of made Geoff uncomfortable, and this place had good reviews.

We just need to pack our stuff and do a little cleaning now!  My next post might be from NYC! :)

Hot pink

This morning I meant to get up at 5:30 and go to the gym.... fail.  Well there's always tomorrow.

Guess what - there is another "Stanley" couple in our ward.  They have a little boy whose name is... Ronan!  Ahh!  One wonders if I heard his name first and that's how I came to like it.  I swear I got it from that baby name book we checked out a few months ago though.  Well, we won't be here for much longer anyway.  If there's another Ronan Stanley in the world it's okay.

Tonight I'm getting my hair dyed super light blonde, with hot pink removable extentions so I can have pink streaks.  Removable so I can still do job interviews later in the summer.  Can't wait!

5K Training for a Couch Potato

Hullo.  I started 5K training this week (again).  I'm using this awesome "couch potato" training program that takes you from seriously out of shape, to being able to run a whole 5K.  Which is perfect because I am just that - seriously out of shape.  And I've decided to write each day's activity on here, for the halibut. 

My reasons for doing this are: 1) to slim down, and 2) to accomplish something cool that will hopefully improve my health and help me feel better

There are two days each week that you're either supposed to take a break, or do something other than running.  The days of the week go like this:  rest / run / run / rest / run / run / run... then start over.  I miscounted my start day, which was a totally dumb airhead moment, so I'm already off schedule.  But the important thing is, I've exercised three times already this week. 

Monday: Walked Gwennie at the park for 30 mins
Tuesday: No exercise
Weds: Walked for 5 mins, then ran for 1 min, repeated for 30 mins
Thurs: Walkd for 5 mins, then ran for 1 min, repeated for 30 mins

Geoff and I went to the gym together last night.  He is like superman compared to me.  He can run 3 miles in 30 minutes at a constant speed 6.  (He says that's the minimum for some kind of army training.  Not that he's applying for the army but I guess it seemed like a good benchmark.)  And there I was, next to him, walking at 3.5 for five minutes, then running at a 6 for one minute, then repeating.  And by the end of that one minute, I was huffing and puffing and needing the switch back to a walking pace.  Sigh.  Someday I will be able to do that, hopefully.  If I keep it up.

Tonight I would like to just go do some weight training.  But today is our 6th Anniversary, and in honor of our accomplishment, we are going out to eat at Rodizio Grill.  And I'm really excited.  (We can do the gym late late after we get home).

Okay, so I know my whole plan is flawed if I don't eat right.  I'm not perfect, but I'm mostly trying.  Kicking the constant sugar habit is going to hurt, I'm sure.  But hey I figure even a little improvement is better than no improvement at all.  One elephant at a time.

Shtuffs

We thought of two new names to add to that there list:  McKay (boy) and Calista (girl).  Actually, I've said before that I wouldn't mind taking Calista for myself.  I think my parents might be hurt though if I changed my name.  I guess I wouldn't blame them if they were, but I would still go by Cali and spell it the same too.  Anyway.

Alison came over last night.  She's going to stay here while we are in New York, and I was showing her what to do to the house for any showings.  Don't know though, that drop in price doesn't seem to have made a difference yet, and that was Monday.  I'm not as stressed about it now though, since we've seen what the offer for Geoff's student loan could be if we decide to accept the whole thing, since it covers tuition AND plenty of living expenses.  It would really help in taking the money stress away!  I would just have to remember I said that when it comes time to pay them back, ha ha!  No, I think we'll only take what we really think we'll need, which will mostly depend on whether or not they give us student housing.  *crossing fingers*

Anyway, I'm thinking I will miss my sis a whole whole lot when we move.  There's nothing like just being able to go hang out at the mall or our place just cuz we feel like it.  She better come see us a lot!

It is our 6th anniversary tomorrow.  The NY trip is sort of our anniversary celebration, but we'll probably try to get out tomorrow and do something fun.

Tribute for Grandpa

My cousin wrote a beautiful post about Grandpa Bingham: OK Corral: White Elephants and Other Funeral Traditions.

I hate you, Colorado

Okay, I'm going to have a little fit here, just warning you.  This is exactly what I will NOT miss about this job:

Today I recieved two notices from the state of Colorado, saying that we did not file Withholding tax returns for the periods of November 2010, or January 2011, and if we don't respond to the notice within 30 days, there will be penalties and interest.

The major problem with this: Not only have the taxes all been paid, we are not even a monthly filer.  We make tax deposits twice each week (by ACH credit, approved by their department), and file an annual return in February along with the W2's.  It has been done this way since before I started this job in 2008.  So how in freaking heck do they think we are missing monthly returns for November and January????

I get on the phone to call them about it.  I spend 15 minutes going through all of their dumb automated choices.  I finally get to the right one, and there's a message that says they cannot accept my call right now due to high call volume and they hang up on me.  So I go to the website and find an "email us" option.  I click it, find the subject that I need to email them about, and there is no link that I can choose to email them.  Why have an "email us" option if you do not provide a way to email you!! 

Why threaten to penalize us if we don't contact you within 30 days, and then not provide a way for us to contact you!!!

I am very consciencious about paying all of the taxes in full and on time.  OCD, even.  So it's just this whole idea of constantly having to be on the defense for offenses we didn't even commit.  And dealing with the asinine taxing authorities.  Constantly feeling like I have to fight with them over their stupid mistakes.  This is the reward for being an honest taxpayer.  I do take it personally.  It really, really, really bothers me.  I will be so happy to not have to deal with this crap anymore.

K I'm done!  Thanks!

Bowling

We went bowling tonight. The goal was to break 100. I got 99. But it was fun.


We lowered our listing price. Geoff applied for student housing beginning July 1st. If we get in then more motivation to sell quickly.




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