Rough Morning

A rough morning...

After I kissed Mike goodbye for work, I let the dogs out to do their business but they did not come back when called. I thought, okay...maybe they'll come back while I'm getting ready for work. I looked at the clock, it said 6:30...this meant I had to leave the house now if I wanted to get to work on time. At this point, I'm ready to leave and the dogs are still not back!

Myst ends up showing up but no Finnley. I give Myst his bowl of food and then holler Finnley's name some more, while tapping his bowl to make noise. Still no signs of Finnley...

Now, it's 7 o clock and I'm supposed to be at work NOW and I'm still home. I then walked outside one more time to call his name, he comes and appears but just stairs at me. This is the beginning of the chase. I get into the car and call his name to see if he would come, he did not. I went back into the house and got his bowl of food and tried bating him with food...did not work. Then I dug into my meager lunch I packed for myself and tried using a little piece of chicken to bate him....He would eat the food but then run around and look at me like I was playing a game. My patience was running very thin and I was so late to work it wasn't even funny. All this chasing and running around took a half hour, when I was able to grab him and pin him down in the mud, getting my clothes and new silk shoes muddy. I scraped my hand on a sharp rock...I then held on to the fur of his neck to pull him along towards the house. I scramble around my huge purse to find the house keys...no keys. I left the keys inside the house when I had to go back inside and get the food. Now I'm locked out, but I decided to place the dog on the deck which is gated. I hurry back to my car (which is still running) and jet to work. I then walk into a very depressing atmosphere and here call bells all day behind my desk. It's this loud alarm that goes off any time a resident pulls a cord.

This is my morning!! I just feel like crying...I feel so overwhelmed...

All I know is this needs to stop! The number one change is leaving this job and either getting into nursing school or finding another place to work. I can't stand it here...the place is awful and depressing. They are under staffed, workers underpaid, pitiful looking residents who are barely taken care of, disgusting furniture with urine stains, dirty and stained floors, dirty diapers are disposed of in a trashcan with no lid in the main lobby bathroom, food is cafeteria quality...I could go on and on.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my rant. This post isn't the most cheerful, but who can always be 100% cheerful? I try :(...but days like this really push me to my limit.

I'm Back!

It's been a while since I last posted, but felt the urge today to start my blogging again.

The weather is slowly starting to change. I feel Autumn creeping up on us and soon all the leaves will be bursting with beautiful reds, oranges and yellows. I love this time of year...smelling the wood and leaves burning in peoples stoves (including ours!), bundling up in cozy sweaters, wearing beautiful jackets, adorable hats, gloves and boots, seeing all the mums and pumpkins lining the steps of old pretty homes, coming home to one another in a warm home after being in the crisp cold, lighting candles, football games, pumpkin and apple pie...I could go on and on!

Am I sad the summer is coming to an end? I am a little! I will miss the pretty flowers and swimming in the river with Mike and Finnley. The summer did end on a kind of dramatic note. We've had a lot of terrible weather this past month. Hurricane Irene hit us really hard and we were victims of the storms wrath. Both of our cars were smashed by a huge tree in our backyard. They are now metal pancakes. So, we now have two "new" cars. A gorgeous dark blue 2003 Audi, which is all-wheel-drive. This is a MUST in the winter! My parents and sister are giving us the family car, which a navy blue Honda. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and neighbors supporting us and offering us help during this difficult time. Our good neighbors helped us tremendously by using their machines to chop down the huge fallen tree. They are all contractors and engineers so they have the tools and machines at hand. They cut the tree into huge log chunks which was then cut into smaller pieces. We are trucking through this disaster and we're slowly recovering. The backyard looks like a tornado hit!

Mikes good friends from high school, Omer and Carlos, came up to visit and help Mike split the wood that was chopped down by our neighbors. One of our neighbors, Mike (it's a good name!), lent us his log splitter, which splits logs into usable fire wood. Mike and his friends worked so hard lifting those heavy logs and splitting them. Omer brought an old fashioned axe that is his fathers, which they also used. I brought out water and made a nice lunch which kept their energy levels up. When they were finished, they were physically exhausted. I had a big dinner prepared and the guys ate so hardily. Thanks to all of their hard work, we now have all the firewood we need to keep us warm all winter. I can not thank them enough for helping us.

A lot to talk about!

Well, it's been a long time since I last posted something on this blog! I know I can run up and down with excuses but life really has been hectic so I have put this blog on the backburner.

I recently started a new job, about two months ago, for a senior home. I love working here and getting to know the residents who all have their own stories to tell. Some of the residents can be difficult but the majority of them are so wonderful and fun to talk to. My co workers are equally as nice, but i find it hard to get along with most of them being that there is a major age difference and a lot of cattyness in this work enviroment. I recently have had some issues with management, switching my hours around after only being here for two months. It was based aparently on the residents complaining about my work and that the residents felt insecure under my watch. I am new and they are still getting to know me and so far from ths truth, it hurts and angers me. I put my 100% dedication to this job and the residents, that after only being here for two months they should at least give me credit for the wonderful job I have been performing while being here and learning the ropes in such a short time span. I have lost a lot of respect for the company and disinterest in my job from this. It does not motivate me to do the best work I can, when they are bumping me down for no justified reason. The only reason I am here and smiling is because of the residents who make coming to work cheerful and joyful. I know from the bottom of my heart that the residents never intended for me to get bumped down to the part time shift. Residents complain about a lot of things, and this is something management knows which is why it does not merrit me getting shafted when others have not. I am done with this rant....whew...

On a lighter and happier note, Mike and I went to a lovely Bed & Breakfast for our Anniversary :) We had such a lovely weekend together have been doing a lot of fun thing with the apartment! We recenlt purchased a new couch which is beautiful! It is a blueish tweed color with a sophisticated frame while being very comfy. Mike and I were really looking for comfort since we wanted a couch that would feel good to lay/sit down on. Boo seems to really like the couch as well and the good thing is she hasn't been stratching! :) We also recently painted the livingroom a nice soft off white/yellowish color which has really brightened up the livingroom! We also now have our bedroom a different color, which was inspired by our recent stay at a Bed & Breakfast for our anniversary. The color is a very warm earthy taupe, and it is so much more relaxing and soothing than the white we had before. I came home after work and Mike had painted the whole entire bedroom! My jaw dropped, because it was a lot of hard work for just one day! I don't know how he does it, but when he has a project or his mind set he gets it done so quickly and does such an amazing job. I'm a very lucky lady :)

Another exciting thing that is happening in my life is that I'm considering going to school for nursing! I am still considering teaching as well, and I'm torn between which career path I should take. My mother is a teacher and said that now is not the time to be a teacher. I guess I can always go back to school for teaching if I want to later on. I just feel that nursing would be really rewarding, especially with the growing medical needs of our population. I have always had a very nurturing and caring personality, which is very essential for nursing. Mike's cousin and aunt are both nurses so I'm going to ask them information about the field.

Well, it has been a while since my last blog post and I blame it 50% on my laziness and the other half on our busy schedules! A lot has happened since my last post...let's see if I can fill everyone in...

I have been applying for jobs and managed to get interviews which is good. It has been a long and frustrating process since I wanted to find a perfect work setting where I would be happy and doing what I love but at the same time, it was hard finding work available. I hate using this expression, but it really is like a rat race out there! I finally found my dream job and will be starting in April. I will be working for a senior home, which provides independent and assisted living for seniors. The buildings are beautiful and looks like an old Victorian house. There are two buildings, one is Independent, which I will be working for and the other is Assisted. My job would entail me working the front desk, greeting and helping the seniors and guests, coordinating travel arrangements for the residents, answering the phones, and making sure any other thing that needs to be taken care of is cared for. The staff is really friendly and the residents are so much fun to interact with and get to know. I am really excited about starting!

Mike has been doing really well in poker, which is really great :) It seems like the games have been up and down and they finally have been really nice and consistent with Mike getting what he wants. It's always nice knowing he isn't stressed and aggravated. With such a great month, it has provided us with nice luxuries such as taking two trips to Atlantic City. We always have so much fun when we go down there, it's like stepping into a different world. The first trip we went down and visited friends of ours. Mike made reservations at Bally's and our room was gorgeous with an outstanding panoramic view of the ocean and boardwalk. The room was very big with beautiful hardwood paneling and lovely furniture. My friend Tia was in Atlantic City celebrating her 25th (can not believe we are in our MID TWENTIES!) birthday and Mike's friends were there visiting as well. We all were at the same night club which was a lot of fun. The nightclub itself was okay, the DJ really got on my nerves since he didn't really play music...just his own mixed up versions of songs he chopped up. It was so nice seeing Tia and dancing the night away with everyone. Mike and I definitely cut a good rug :) Before we went out for the night, Mike took me to a Chinese restaurant called Red Pearl which was at Bally's. The food was amazing... we ordered a salt fish fried rice dish and Peking Duck which I've never had before and was out of this world! The duck melted in my mouth...we were very impressed with this restaurant! Not only was the food delicious, but the service was fast and friendly and the atmosphere was beautiful.

The second time we went down to Atlantic City was for a mini getaway since we did not have any heat or electricity because of a huge storm that hit us. Mike decided it would be nice for us to get out of the area until the power came back, so Mike booked us a beautiful room at the Water Tower Club which is a part of the Borgata. It is such a lovely hotel, everything was brand new and so classy. The lobby had such beautiful flower arrangements with soft lighting and tranquil fountains. Our room was gorgeous and very swanky! When we walked in they had a huge flat screen TV which said " Welcome Mr. Wong" :) I thought that was so neat and so did Mike :) After we got settled into our rooms we headed down to the pool which is reserved only for adults 18 and over. The pool area felt like we were in the middle of a lush rain forest. The whole entire pool area was covered in tropical fauna and the pool had a canopy of water coming down...it was amazing and sooo relaxing!

After our relaxing pool experience, we headed back to our room and Mike made dinner reservations at Sea Blue by Michael Mina. The resturant and atmosphere was beautiful and our dinner was delicous too. For an appetizer, we decided to get the Lobster Bisque...let me warn all people who intend on ordering this from Sea Blue...you will be drinking butter:) Yes, that's right, butter :) They put a scoop of butter into the already creamy Lobster Bisque. It was very sinful and tasty once we got used to the heaviness. For our main course, Mike ended up getting the Ahi Tuna over a Potato Pancake, and I got the Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass. Mike wasn't too blown away with the food...he thought we could make the same exact menu at home. I have to say, my fish was delicious and so was Mike's tuna but we definitely could make it at home for a more afforable price :) After dinner, we wanted to go dancing but we were so full it was painful to think about dancing and drinking. We headed back to the room and had a very relaxing and romantic evening together to end a lovely day.

The next day, while Mike played the games in the casino, I was being pampered at the spa at the Borgata :) Mike treated me to a relaxing facial and a manicure and pedicure...I was in heaven! It was such a thoughtful and sweet gift from Mike. I felt like a princess :) I was able to spend the whole entire day at the spa, since they allow all of the ladies who receive a spa treatment to enjoy the spa facilities like the sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, lounge chairs, beverages, and vanity room with complimentary toiletries all day. The women who worked at the spa were so nice and provided us with fresh cold towels for the steam and sauna and cucumbers for our eyes when we laid down on the lounge chairs.

Around noon I was getting hungry from all of the hard work I was doing, so I figured I would walk down to grab a quick bite and run back upstairs to the spa to enjoy more of the facility! I wanted to call Mike and ask if he would join me and as I was walking towards the main hallway of the Casino, I saw Mike playing a game of Blackjack! It was perfect timing since Mike was intending on closing in on the game and we walked to this delicious noodle bar. Oh my heavens, this was delicious! We had a braised beef noodle soup...all of the ingredients were so fresh and the beef was so tender! I also thought the seating arrangements were really cool, since we were seated in a long table with other people...it felt very communal and I enjoyed that. After our delicious lunch, Mike headed back to the room to retire for the rest of the afternoon and relax in the room while I went back to the spa headquarters and relaxed to the max :) Later that evening, after I was relaxed and feeling fresh, Mike made dinner reservations to The Homestead, which is a top notch steakhouse. The food here was unbelievable...the quality and service of this restaurant was superb. The atmosphere was lovely as well, since the restaurant itself is enclosed from the actual casino so it makes it more private. For our main course, Mike had a delicious stake and I had a out of this world rib of lamb. The food was melt in your mouth good, and it was such a lovely evening. To compliment our dinner, Mike ordered us a wonderful bottle of red wine which was so amazing with our dinner. I felt so good afterwards! We were so full and relaxed from dinner that we decided to head back to the room for a romantic and relaxing evening.

The next morning, we had to get ready for check out. It was the perfect amount of time to spend at Atlantic City and it was such a nice treat. It is so nice the weather is finally getting warm now after the huge storm we just had. It finally feels like spring! I want to stay on track and keep updating per day or every other day so I do not have to write these long posts! Mike said that its been monthly and I can't believe I have been only writing once a month! Way too long...

Snow Day? I think so!!

It has been a while since I wrote on this blog, and I do apologize for the gaps of time I allow in between my postings. I am trying to stay more consistent! :) It started snowing first thing in the morning, Mike and I woke up to a beautiful snow fall! I absolutely love snow...it's beautiful to look at and fun to play with! Isn't life wonderful? It has been snowing all day today and is still snowing as I write at 6 p.m! During the afternoon, Mike and I decided to trek outside into the blizzard and head over to CVS to see if they had any sleds or anything that resembled a sled! Without any luck, Mike remembered that he had in the car trunk two plastic trunk covers that would work perfectly (flat and smooth). As we were walking back, the winter spirit must have hit us because we started throwing snowballs at each other until it became a full fledged snowball war!

Mike started building a snow fort in the middle of our courtyard while telling me he used to play this game with his brother. I thought that this was a fun idea, and started building my own fort only to realize that mine wasn't as big as Mikes! It was too late before I could keep making mine bigger because Mike kept knocking mine down with snowballs which was the point of the game :) Next time we go out there, I am definitely building a snow CASTLE, no wimpy fort! We ended up forgoing the sledding idea and decided to go when there would be less snow plows and cars on the road.

Mike and I recently adopted Boo, my cat who was living at my parents house. She has always been a sensitive cat, being super sensitive to stimuli and sound. Boo has calmed down a lot and seems so much more relaxed at our apartment. I think it has to do with the smaller space we have here in comparison to my parents house that Boo finds comforting and I also think it has a lot to do with her being the only cat in our living space. Also, not having a dog around helps as well...my parents have a HUGE dog (German Shepard/Black Lab mix) and he is adorable but goofy and doesnt know his own size. This definitely freaked Boo out a lot, where she would lash out at people and was just an overall nervous cat!

This picture is Boo when we first got her, she was hiding in Mike's closet!

At our apartment, she is calm, playful and sweet! She is purring constantly and even rolls on her back and relaxes. She also has plenty of little house mice to hunt which she finds stimulating. She does this while sitting by the heater in the kitchen...it's so nice to see her in a happier and pleasant mood!

Mike and I made the decision to keep her here permanently and asked my mom if she was okay with that, even though Boo is technically my cat I wanted to be courteous since she was living there at my parents place for such a long time. It's so nice having a cat, it make our place so much more homey! I believe a home is definitely not complete without a cat <3>

This is Boo laying underneath my Lavender plant

Boo smelling the Lavender

Mike and Boo <3>

I also recently finished two projects! My first project was a scarf I knitted from this beautiful mohair wool blend yarn I bought at Skein Attraction! It was so much fun knitting this, and I got a lot of compliments from friends and family members of Mikes! I am looking forward to my next knitting project, where I would like to knit Mikes grandmother a scarf :) Here is the finished scarf:

I also finished hand embroidering two pillowcases and initialing both with my initials and Mikes. This was a lot of fun, and I love how delicate and old fashioned they came out. I wish that more young women knew how to do this, it seems that we lost the art of hand sewing and creating something from the heart.

Rainy Day

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since my last post and I figured I should probably fill you in on what has happened in the last week or so. I finished a knitting project which was yarn that my sister gave me which was really fun to knit. I ended up making a really pretty shawl out of it and I am really proud of my first project! It was so much fun and I am already almost done with the second scarf

with the yarn I bought at Skein Attraction (from previous post).

Mike and I traveled down to Virginia this past Thursday for Louise's memorial service which was held yesterday. The service was held at the church Louise belonged to and the seating ended up being filled to maximum capacity. It was such a beautiful service, with many kind words and memories about Louise and her life shared with others and reflecting on her past growing up as a child. The room was filled with a peaceful energy and I could definitely feel her presence within the room amongst all of her friends and loved ones. As the service was closing, Mike and his brother walked onto the stage while Mike read a beautiful speech and a letter he wrote for his mother. Following the speech, Mike composed a touching and beautiful slideshow with photos of his mother, showcasing her life chronologically. Accompanying the photos was classical music that Louise had played on the piano throughout her life, which was so touching and moving because it made the photos come alive. To end the slideshow, there were two videos of Louise at different points in her life which were so beautiful but hard at the same time to watch. It was such an emotional presentation and Mike did such a wonderful job at portraying his mothers life and spirit within this slideshow. Following the service, was dinner at Jade Villa with family and close friends. I got to meet Mike's great aunt and uncle which was really nice as well as other extended family members.

We are driving down two cars now, since Mike inherited his mothers Volkswagen which is stick shift. It is a nice car and we are looking forward to driving the Volkswagen around...oh and its a convertible too...yipee! :) We were going to leave this morning to head back home, but the weather is really crummy and since it is my first long road trip, as well as my first time distance driving the civic and Mike's first time driving the Volkswagen stick shift, we decided it would be best to wait until tomorrow when the weather is better. I'm kind of nervous simply because I've never driven a long distance road trip (7 hours) by myself. It should be fun and I have to keep telling myself that I will be just fine once I hop in the car and follow Mike. I definitely have a tendency to worry a lot before I dip my feet in, but once I do I am just fine! :) I love trying new things and although I am a little nervous, this is one of them!

Knitting Feels So Good!

So I am in the midst of learning how to knit, and I must say that I am doing a great job! I had my private lesson at Skein Attraction the other day and it was so helpful! Although, when I'm home it's hard when I mess up since I have no one to assist me on fixing the problem. Besides my occasional mess ups, I am really enjoying knitting and I love how relaxing but productive I am at the same time.

Mike and I are sitting in the living room together, enjoying our time home. Mike is currently playing his brand new game, Call of Duty which his father enjoys playing as well. It's funny knowing that the two of them are playing against each other in this virtual world :) It's nice that we can both do the things that we enjoy while spending time together.