14 Years Ago Today

I had my sweet baby boy, Tiger.  My firstborn son.  I had him at the hospital which I now work at, Florida Hospital Orlando.  I knew I was having a boy, and so very excited because he would be a new adventure after having a baby girl almost two years prior.  He was born two weeks before my 22nd birthday.  His due date was April 27th.  On April 28th, an ultrasound was performed, and it was determined that he weighed nearly ten pounds.  In a panic, I agreed to an induction.  The thought of a 10 lb baby terrified me.

I arrived at the hospital very early.  Missy was not quite two years old, and she had spent the night at her Nana's house.  I was expecting this labor to be quick; after all, I had just had a baby less than two years before, and her labor took only 9 hours.  I was really, really hoping that this would take only half the time.  After all, "they" always say that second or subsequent labors are faster, right?

Honestly, you'd think I'd know better.  This child insisted on not going anywhere.  It took forever to dilate, probably because I insisted on an epidural before even getting in a gown.  Mr. R and I watched tv, napped, played Uno, napped, watched TV.  Labor was boring.  Now, I happened to have the good fortune of my nurse being my aunt!  That's right, my Aunt Fran was a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital.  When she saw my name, she switched with another nurse and stayed with me the entire time.  So I can truthfully say that my aunt has seen my cervix.  Actually, I can say that my aunt has seen me completely naked at 9 months screaming at the top of my lungs.  Pleasant, no?

At midnight on April 29th, going into April 30th, my aunt turned off the lights.  I was still only 5 centimeters.  She suggested that I nap until it was showtime.  I agreed.  Now, the way this room was set up was weird.  There were controls on the bed to call the nurse.  However, these controls was in remote control form.  Without my knowing, Mr. R had disconnected the remote from my bed, and was holding it in his lap, across the room while he slept in the recliner.  Not knowing this, I fell asleep, and so did he.

Three hours later, I woke up with a start.  And a feeling of fullness...DOWN THERE.  I gingerly touched myself and realized that I was not touching myself...that was a BABY'S HEAD.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!  I immediately snapped to attention, and hit the call nurse button.  Nothing!  I screamed, "Aunt Fran!!!!!"  Nothing.  I was at the far end of the hall, with the door shut.  Then I yelled out my husband's name.  Man was dead asleep.  It was, after all, 3am.  He wouldn't wake up.  Again, this is not surprising, considering how he can sleep through a baby screaming right next to his head.  Now I'm in a complete panic.  I can feel the baby's head, I can't call the nurse, and my husband was snoring, less than 20 feet away from me!

Peeps, I did what I had to do.  I turned to my bedside table, and there was my alarm clock.  I had brought it with me to time contractions.  It was about the size of a softball.  I played baseball and softball and heck even stickball throughout my childhood.  I took that clock, and my years of experience playing ball, and I threw it.  And nailed Mr. R.  Right in the head.

"Owwwwww!  Dammit Sarah, what the hell?!?!"

"Get Fran!  The baby is coming!"

"Why didn't you call her yourself?"

"Because YOU have the remote, bonehead!"

Silence.  Then, "Oh crap.  I sure do."  Then he ran to the door, found my aunt, and she ran in and saw Tiger's head peeking out into the world.  She set up the bed, called the doctor, who happened to be right there.  Know why?  Because my obstetrician's wife had just had a baby a few hours before me, next door!  He was still in there with her when it was my turn.  As soon as the bed was set up, I pushed one time and he popped right out.  This was after 13 hours of labor, although I didn't feel much of it since I had my trusty epidural.  And he was certainly not 10 pounds.  My son was 8lb, 4oz.  A perfectly reasonable weight for a person of my size.  To me, he looked just like Missy, except with outdoor plumbing.  Even Mr. R observed that we now had two kids who looked exactly like me...no one looked like him yet.  He had jet black hair, and blue eyes, and chubby cheeks.  He nursed like a champion.  He was a sleepy boy.  In fact, he was sleeping through the night right away, but I still getting up with Missy.  I would walk to his crib and poke him to make sure he was breathing.  While Missy was a very high maitenence baby, Tiger was very laid back, chill, and happy.  He loved people instantly.  He was a complete flirt.  He knew right away how to bat his eyelashes to get what he wanted.  To this day, I still feel like he was my easiest child to raise.  He slept well, was rarely sick, polite, easy going, and generally just a sweet kid.

This is him at age 6, visiting my other aunt, Aunt Nancy, in upstate New York.  She threatened to keep him.  Can I just mention here...It is early June and so cold at night in upstate that my boys had to wear flannel pjs.  That is Bucket behind him wearing red pjs.  My aunt's house also had stairs, which they'd never seen before (most homes in Florida are single story ranches because of crazy cooling costs) so they played up and down on the stairs for hours. 

I sometimes look at him now, and can't believe he is already fourteen years old.  He is at least four inches taller than me.  He wears a size 12-13 shoe in mens.  When my mom took them to Cici's Pizza, he ate thirteen slices of pizza (she was counting.)  He wears the same size pants as my husband now.  He is a fabulous musician, plays 5 instruments (bass guitar, alto saxophone, piano, baritone saxophone and guitar.)  He is hoping to play football next year for our high school.  He'll BE IN HIGH SCHOOL IN AUGUST!!!  His favorite subject at school, besides  music, is history.  But he hates math.  He has awful handwriting, but can type pretty quickly.  He loves a range of music from hard rock, metal, country and Christian.  He loves to fish, but hates swimming in the ocean because he got stung by jellyfish about three years ago.  He is very sensitive; there is a girl at school that he adores, and when she started going out with someone else, he cried.  Because of his size and his apparently mean look, lots of kids seem to be scared of him, but he's really just a big teddy bear deep inside.  I've always said that I think he'll be the first one to get married.

I just truly love him, and so glad that God decided to bless me with such an awesome boy to raise into manhood.  Happy Birthday, sweet son.  I love you dearly.

You Can't Fool Me

As with any accident which results in an emergency room visit, I knew I'd be getting bills in the mail.  The fact that I received one only two weeks after my daughter was seen very much surprised me.  As far as medical billing is concerned, that is QUICK.  I opened the bill and nearly laughed.

$490.  Please pay now.

I thought to myself, OH HECKZ TO THE NO.  I don't think so, homeskillet.  So I called the medical billing agency to find out why the bill was so high.  And, why they got it to me so quickly. 

Here is the deal in Florida, in case any of my local bloggy friends are ever in an accident.  Florida is a no fault state, which means that no matter who is at fault in the accident (in this case, I was already found at fault... sigh), the person's own auto insurance pays for the first 80% of all bills, up to a limit of $10,000.  Then, your own health insurance, if you have any, will kick in for the additional 20%.  For the lady and her family who was injured in the crash, she has the right to sue my insurance to pay for her remaining 20% which is due, and rightfully so.  I already happen to know she is suing me, but that is another story entirely.

Anyway, I should not be receiving any bills.  Not one.  80% + 20% = 100% = why are you sending me a bill.

So I left a message for the billing company.  They called me back after two days.  They are claiming they didn't know it was an auto accident, and didn't know I had any insurance, even though I had all this information with me at the hospital and had to show it to the financial people several times.  In fact, while my daughter was being treated, they pulled me away a few times to ask me the same questions over and over:  "Is this auto?  Who's your auto insurance?  Were you at fault?  Who's your regular health insurance?"  And considering that not only this is my third car accident in Florida, and that I DO MEDICAL CODING AND BILLING FOR A LIVING, I not only had all this info on me, but I knew it in my head by heart and gave it to them.  Several times.  All so they could send me a bill stating that they had no idea which insurance I had.

I think I know why.

I believe that they are hoping, that either in my grief, stupidity, or just lack of knowledge, that I will just pay the $490 and they don't have to bother dealing with insurance.  Insurance takes forever, they review stuff, and that means hospitals are without their money while they wait.  However, if you bill people and they don't know their rights, or insurance laws, or even how insurance works, many will just pay the bill.  Just to get it out of the way.  Ha...not me.

So, for the millionth time, I gave the billing rep the claim number, my claim adjuster, my policy number, and the phone number and address to my auto insurance.  Then I gave, again, my medical insurance policy number, the group number, the phone number, and the address.  I made her repeat it.  Then I asked her to send me a bill with a 0 balance so I could file it. 

I know these bills are scary, and confusing, and these people will hound the crap out of you for their money.  If you owe money, you should absolutely pay your bills.  However, we pay insurance, both health and auto, for this reason exactly.  In the case of an accident, no matter who is at fault, your medical bills should be taken care of for a limit of up to $10,000 in the state of Florida.  Don't let all the phone calls and paperwork scare you.  Get a folder.  Keep everything in the folder.  Keep a log of who calls you with their name, phone number, name of company, and what they want, with a time and date.  Be organized in the time of crisis.  You're still going to have a crisis, believe me, but the less stress you have, the better.

Power Bills Make Me Sick

Yes, it is 100 degrees outside.  On April 27th.

Jessica London, I Adore Thee

I think the better question is, why aren't they sponsoring me at this point?  Come on.  SEND ME A CARDIGAN TO REVIEW ALREADY!

In this kelly green color.  Yes, please!

Again, in this color.  I want the dress, too!

Stop the presses.  I MUST OWN THIS.  It is perfect for Florida!  I'd wear it to church, wear it to work with a cardi.  I simply adore it.  It comes in yellow too, but I want it in white, now!

I get lots of magazines in the mail, and I tend to flip through them all.  But I never...and I mean NEVER have gone through a magazine and circled as much stuff as I did, than with the summer Jessica London.  Possibly because summer is my dominant season, everything seemed like it would suit me and my lifestyle quite well.  The dresses were gorgeous and lightweight, the cardis not too chunky, even the suits were of tropical weight.  I am trying to figure out how to spend a grand without Mr. R figuring it out (kidding!....maybe)  I found cute skirts, loads of flattering tops, dresses, cardis, suits, swimsuits, shoes...it was a great catalog.  Good job, Jessica London!  Now send me something.  ;)

The Train To Grouchville Stops At My Place

You wouldn't think that the kids received peanut butter chocolate bunnies, Peeps, and bubble gum this morning from the "Easter Mommy."  Oh NOOOO.  I'm telling you, living with three teenagers requires prayer and maybe some antidepressants.  Because, seriously, you'd think I just insisted they donate their livers to charity after the sour pictures I took this morning.  When does this grouch stage end?  It really, really SUCKS.

Complains constantly that her skin is awful, then refuses to use products I buy to help her.  Complains that her hair is awful, refuses to brush it.  Do you see a pattern?

Someone stole my gum.  Now I hate the world.

I stole my brother's gum.  Now I hate him for being mad at me.

I made sure they took pictures of me before a fistfight ensued over the missing gum.  I'm brilliant like that.

This dress.  I love the shape.  The pattern scares the snot out of me.  It is a very vivid red and white swirly.  Unforgettable.  I figured red and white would be good for Easter; red for His Blood, and white because his blood washed my sins away.  I wish it would wash my pooch away too, but I gotta work on that on my own.

I continue to take side views even though I find them horrifying.  I still haven't bought any foundation garments.  Not sure I want to bother.  It's not I'm faking anyone out. It's still pretty obvious I'm a big girl, except now I'll be a big girl who is sweaty from wearing extra layers in the swamp.

What is up with the front?  I assure you, I am packing nothing phallic like in my dress.  Wish I had photoshop just for this alone.

Still loving the hightlights, but the bangs are growing out and kind of driving me crazy.  Stay strong, Sarah!  They will grow out and blend into the rest of your hair in no time!

Happy Easter, all!  He is Risen!

Doing the Limbo

Oh my goodness, NO.  Not in real life.  I don't bend that way.

I feel like I'm just waiting around now.  I graduate next week...Praise the Lord!  Still waiting on the results of my CCA exam, which should take about another month to get here.  I can't apply for anything until I know if I passed or not.

The kids are done with school at the end of May.  Tiger may be joining the football team, but not sure yet.  He also has band, too.  Missy is hoping to get a job.  And Bucket.  There is always Bucket.

I applied for a job for Mr. R.  It's local (Daytona Beach) and I am PRAYING that he gets it.  And it's with a real company, not some guy who has beat up, broken down trucks and wants you sit in them with no air conditioning for 5 hours without getting paid.  A real job, with real pay, and benefits!

I don't think I ever told you guys what happened with my MIL.  She has been very, very ill.  Unfortunately, it is of the mental kind.  She was Baker Acted twice (that is when the state basically takes custody of you because you are a danger to yourself or society) and for a few weeks, we couldn't get in touch with her.   Mr. R was so worried and there was nothing we could do about it.  Because she didn't tell the hospital that we *could* contact her, we were banned.  HIPAA laws sound pretty awesome until they work against you.  Well, the MIL's boyfriend was finally approved for social security disability for obesity (can you believe that?!?!) and now...well, he doesn't need her money anymore.  Do you see where I'm going with this?  Mr. R and I, along with Mr. R's younger sister, are convinced that as soon as he gets his back pay, he is going to leave Granny high and dry, along with Mr. R's brother who is also mentally incompetent.  That leaves us to handle the care of two people who really cannot care for themselves.  This is so much work.  Mr. R may have to obtain power of attorney over both of them, in order to make medical and financial decisions for both of them.  Because Mr. R and I won't be depending on that money to care for ourselves (like the boyfriend has been) we are a logical choice to be in charge of their bank accounts and distribution of funds.  And there is no way that Mr. R can handle stuff like this while he is over the road; he HAS to come off the road in order to care for his family. 

So hmph.  Enough of that.  Wanna see something I bought at Goodwill about a month ago?

Do you think this is authentic Louis Vuitton?  I think it could be.  It certainly caught my eye.

It says "Louis Vuitton, Made in France."  Do you think that if it were really made in France, it would be in...you know...French?

"Made in France" again.

And yes.  I did buy it for $4.99.  The inside is spotless, too.

I looked at a few bags on eBay, and I tell you...if this is a fake, it's a good one.  The pattern is exactly the same!

So, for any of my bag collecting bloggers out there...did I find a gem, or did I pay $4.99 for just a good copy?

New To Me

We'll make a long story short.  Maggie is totaled.  Mr. R had a fabulous paycheck last week.  So instead of waiting on the check from our insurance company to come in, we decided to get a vehicle right away.  Much easier if he is home to help me drive around, plus we wanted to return the rental car before Bucket spilled a drink in it.  We researched online for hours, found this, called them, nailed down a price, drove down to Orlando, test drove it, and came home.  Ta da.  I am now the proud owner of a 2003 Dodge Durango with only 49000 miles, and a 3 yr/36000 mile powertrain warranty.  We put down $2000, we owe about $7500, and we are expecting a check for $4500 some time soon.  So this will be paid off by the end of 2011.  More interesting facts:  because Mr. R is self employed, he has almost no credit.  Everything is in my name.  So we decided to put him on the car loan just to build credit.  I know, we're brilliant like that.

Sigh.  It's a V8.  I actually wanted a 6, but my goodness, people are dumping these V8 vehicles right and left due to rising fuel prices. so more 8s are available.  I decided to take a chance and get an 8.  I'll have it paid off by the end of this year, so I'd rather pay for more fuel than more car payments.

And here I am, in front of my horribly landscaped front yard, with my awesome, and hopefully SAFER vehicle!

Doing my best Vanna White impersonation. 

He cut his hair.  Mommy likey!  And don't I look like I'm up to no good?

Me and my...HEY!  Is she suddenly taller than me?  She's bending DOWN to hug me!  OH MYLANTA MY DAUGHTER IS TALLER THAN ME!

O'Malley and Buck do not care about Rango, they just want to be assured that I can keep them in kibble.  So far, so good.

Let's talk about the outfit, shall we?  I bought this dress at Goodwill about a month ago, for a mere $5.99.  I wouldn't call it a leopard print, or even an animal print.  Well, maybe it is.  It is so nondescript that even Mr. R said, "What is that supposed to be?"  and my answer was an emphatic "Meh, Idunno."  I initially paired it with red shoes and jewelry, and Mr. R said I looked stupid, so I changed to nude flats and simple gold hoops, which I think are boring.  But then again, this print is something.  Maybe it's fine, but I think I could have done better.

Me and Tiger.  I knew he was taller than me.  But now only one kid left is shorter than me, and I can't imagine that lasting very long.  I need heels.  Someone buy some heels!

The Car is Totaled

My poor, poor Maggie Magnum.

My daughter was RIGHT THERE.

And the frame is bent.  That means it's totaled.

The cross which I keep hanging next to me at all times.  I couldn't reach it when I cleaned the car out.  Too much glass.  I'm hoping Mr. R can get it tomorrow.

This is where my sweet girl was sitting.

Bruised, battered, but here.  Praise God.

Pray

I don't care about the CCA anymore.  I was in an accident last night with my sweet baby girl.  We are home, praise HIM.  She is sleeping in my bed, because I wanted to keep an eye on her.  I've slept maybe 2 hours all night.  I kept waking up to check on her.  My car is more than likely totaled, and now even if I got that new job, I have no way to get to it.  Not sure how the finances are going to work, but I don't even care.  My baby girl is home with me, battered and bruised, but HOME.  Please pray for her swift and complete recovery.  I know we call her Missy on here, but her real name is actually Madeline; and if you would please keep my sweet Maddie in your prayers, it would mean everything to me. 

Needs/Wants

Tomorrow is my CCA exam, peeps.  Please be praying for me.

I contacted the manager of HIM and she reminded me that they still wanted me for the position, but had not posted the position online yet.  I replied that I was anxiously waiting, lol.  Glad they still remember me at this point.  Hard to believe my internship was in February!

Been going through my clothes.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I have enough dresses.  Yes, I said it.  I have about 30.  I just love them, what can I say?!?  I also have tons of tops.  Wrap tops, button downs, fancy tees (I DO NOT do regular tees, my tees have to be vee necks and made for a woman, not a guy's shirt.  I DO NOT have a man's body, so I don't wear men's clothes.) , tank tops and camis.   I am thinking I have at least 40 tops to wear.  Anyway, here's a list of TEN things I would really like to have!


1) Skirts.  I like dresses so much that I always bypass skirts.  But now I'm missing out on wearing all these cute tops because I have nothing to wear below.  What I could use are
a) black lined A-line
b) black lined pencil
c) denim pencil
d) gray lined A-line
e) camel, khaki, or olive green A-line
f) something with a pattern to go with all my solid tops...not a huge floral fan, so maybe a plaid or a houndstooth?

2) An honest to goodness black suit.  I'm talking the blazer, skirt and trousers.  Awesome to mix and match, to wear to interviews, conferences, and for any speaking engagements (been doing those for autism ministry lately, too!)

3) Trousers.  Ugh.  I'm not fond of pants.  And if I didn't have this tattoo on my leg, I'd bypass this completely.  But on days when I need to be in front of upper management, I need pants to hide the tattoo.  Plus, can anyone recommend good tat cover up makeup?  Also good to wear on days when I just don't feel like shaving.
a) black trousers from above suit I'm planning to buy
b) gray trousers, probably bootcut
c) a patterned trouser...possibly windowpane or pinstripe?

4) Shoes.  Shockingly enough, I don't own tons of shoes.  I love flip flops.  I can't wear those to a hospital.  Durrrrr.
a) black closed toe pump
b) brown closed toe pump
I have lots of flats which I like.  The flats I own are in black, nude, dark purple, gray, Christmas plaid, navy, and blue leopard.  I also own two pairs of closed toe high heels right now; maroon and camo (no, I'm not kidding.  They are FIERCE and I don't think I've worn them in five years.  Very sexy and kind of not appropriate for work.  I call them my Gwen Stefani shoes.)  I also have my black boots which I only wear a few times a year, since dying of heat exhaustion is also not professional.

5) CARDIGANS!  Oh my land people.  How have I missed out on the cardi phenomenon.  Every time I see a blog post from a bloggy friend, they are wearing cardis.  And I am jealous, peeps.  Yes indeedy.  I want...a couple hundred of them.  Right now, I have THREE.  Can you believe it.  My very thin purple cardi which really doesn't do much for me.  A red crochet shrug type cardi from Torrid.  It's cute but it's more like a bolero and hangs weird around my girls.  And my black and white stained glass cardi I got for Christmas.  So yes, I need more!  I am thinking no to blazers, and yes to cardis! (Nothing against blazers...I just have broad round shoulders and a rack, and they never seem to fit me right.)  I want long sleeves, short sleeves, three quarter sleeves, solids, patterns, appliqued...I want them!

6) Decent bras.  I need a fitting.  Stat.

7) Not shapewear, per se, but something to give me a smoother flow under the garments.  I'm going to tell you guys something you may not want to know.
~I wear granny panties~
Yeah, you heard me!  I HATE ABHOR DESPITE DETEST AND GENERALLY DISLIKE thong underwear.  It makes me feel like I have a wedgie all day and I'm sorry, but picking at your heiney all day is not professional.  My poor husband thinks thongs are sexy and I can put one on for like three minutes and then all I want to do is rip it off.  So I could really use some seamless underwear.  And maybe some full length slips.  I own one slip, and it is a piece of garbage.  So I think some of those one piece slips may be the ticket for me.  I'm willing to try.

8) Accessories.  I'm just learning to pick these up.  I own two scarves, not quite sure what to do with them yet.  I am buying earrings after many years of not wearing any, due to having little kids who would rip them right out of my ears.  I have a few necklaces now.  I am really hoping that Mr. R will eventually get my engagement ring fixed.  I would really love a nice watch; they sell watches that have medical information encoded on them; I would like to get one that has my diabetes diagnosis on it in case of an emergency.  I also do not own a single belt.

9) Another pair of glasses.  I love mine, but I'd like another color; perhaps tortoiseshell?  Always good to have a back up pair anyway!

10)  A winning smile and great hair.  After seeing recent pics of me, I finally noticed that my teeth are not as white as they could be.  I'm blessed that they're mostly straight, so I think I'll be doing a tooth whitener soon.  My coffee habit is catching up with me, boooo.  Also, the hair.  I finally spent money on my hair and now I know why women do it.  Worth it.  WORTH IT!  I will not be going cheap on my hair anymore!

Not A Real Day Off

I had yesterday off, and hardly got any studying done, because I ran around all day like a crazy woman.  I ended up having to order my 2011 coding books on Amazon, and paying a huge premium to have them shipped overnight so I can take my test on Saturday.  Herzing didn't have them.  Not cool, Herzing.  So much for you guys saying that I can use your textbooks.  Big ding for you.  $190 out of my budget is no small feat.  I guess I will be super couponing this week to make up for such a huge loss.

Anyway, I am home studying today.  I did not get dressed, I did not wear make up.  In fact, I'm wearing the white tank top I wore to bed with red pj bottoms and my leopard flip flops (I'm diabetic now; I no longer walk around barefoot, which I hate.  One of the only things about Florida I've embraced is truly that barefoot lifestyle.   That and orange juice.  I never drank it as a kid in New York.)

So this is what I'm doing today:

1) Glaring at you, wondering why you won't bring me another cup of coffee.  And thinking about getting an eyebrow wax again.  GoodNESS.  Eyebrows, you can stop.  No need to keep growing that fast, thankyouverymuch.

2)  Wishing for free refills, and wishing my honey would call me.  Also, wishing the kids would stop leaving their iPod cords all over the table!

3) Praying that everything in these books...would get into my head.

4)  Remembering to wear glasses before attempting Number 3.  And wishing my husband had a better spot to put his amp, instead of in the dining room.  But it is right next to the drums, so I guess that makes sense?

I don't know if they grade the test on the spot, so pray for me that I do well tomorrow on the national coding exam.  I'm going for my CCA...Certified Coding Associate.  I'm very good at coding and not worried about that; it's all the other weird questions that scare me. 

She Wore An Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini....UHHH NO.

Pretend there is no schmutz on my mirror, ok?  We're out of paper towels and I didn't feel like cleaning it.  If it bothers you that much, come on over.  There is PLENTY to do around here.

Am still loving the hair.  I even like the cute little flip it does on the end.  No, I didn't train it to do that.  My hair has a natural wave to it which I think is actually very cute.

This shirt was a stretch for me; literally.  It is NOT plus sized.  It is an xxl in the straight sizes at Target, and I found it on eBay for $3.99!  I admit, it is a bit tight, mostly in the shoulder area.  But I'm not in danger of ripping it, because it is a knit.

I don't think I've ever taken a bedroom pic before?  Our bedroom is a dark forest green.  It is one of my favorite colors!  I think it needs crown molding, though.  And I didn't make the bed behind me.  Tee hee.  There is folded laundry all over it and I will get to it when I get to it.

I'm even wearing lipstick today!  It's a weird color; it's sort of purplish in the tube but came out a warm neutral color that I really like.  So what do you think of the patterned top?  That's two new patterned tops in a week.  I'm a wild woman, I know!!!

On my way to Mr. R's job so I can pick up some money.  It's not a paycheck; it is an overage from his escrow.  Our hot water heater is basically dead; we all take 5 minute showers and I pretty much can only shave one leg at a time without being blasted with icy cold water.  I like cold weather, but I do not like cold showers.  Blessedly, he has quite a bit of money in his escrow, so he called accounting and had them cut a check for $2000 for me to pick up.   Now, hot water heaters do not cost $2000.  They are at best about $300 for the old style ones, and about $700 for the tankless, which is what we'd prefer.  So I'm basically going to pick up the money, deposit it, buy groceries and then leave the rest for when Mr. R comes home (possibly Saturday night?) so he can start calling plumbers to see if they install the newer ones.  I don't call service people; we've discovered that prices are significantly less if the man calls instead of the woman; I find it quite disgusting that there are still people trying to take advantage of women for home repairs and such.  So I've opted out in making phone calls.  Plus, I'm on the phone 24/7 for work and don't want to call anyone, anyway.
Plus...discovered yesterday that I need the 2011 coding books to take my coding exam this Saturday.  Mine, of course, are the 2010 books.  The rule just changed this week, and my office doesn't have a new coding book.  I called the coding department where I interned; they don't buy books anymore, they use all online sources.  I'm hoping Herzing can come through with a book for me to borrow for Saturday.  If not, I have to buy the book which is about $150.  Ai yi yi. 

SQUEEEEEE!

I just applied for my first coding job!  It is a different one than where I interned; I don't see that job being advertised anywhere in the system at work.  I'm not discouraged by that at all, because it takes time for jobs to be posted.  But I'm not letting that stop me.  I hopped online while I was on hold, and checked for any openings in HIM (Health Information Management) and only one came up; a new one just posted on March 31st.  I immediately applied, attached my resume, and hit SEND. 

This may or may not be THE ONE, but it sure felt good to officially apply for a new job.  I got the typical auto response email from HR, but at least I know it went through and hopefully I will hear good news soon!

Saturday Morning, Saturday Night

I think I had the busiest day ever planned for yesterday.  I was scheduled to pick Tiger up at the middle school lock-in at 6am; he texted me to pick him up at 5:15, because he felt sick.  I guess drinking 13 cans of Mountain Dew will do that to a person. 

Then I took Bucket to do labwork at the hospital, then we went to Denny's for breakfast.  This is where he shocked me and ate scrambled eggs!  I have been trying to get this child to eat eggs for YEARS.  And he just up and orders them at Denny's like he's been doing it for forever.  This is what I wore to Denny's and the hospital with my baby:

Going out of my comfort zone, and wore a patterned top.  And I love it!  I got compliments all day about how cheerful it was.

Still loving the hair, too.

I wish you could have seen more of this top, but it's hard to take pictures of yourself, full length.  I may eventually invest in a tripod and a timer.

Missy and I did end up at the Taste of Home show.  We had fun, but it was still strained due to the fact that we had both lost of our tempers the day before.  I wish I could have taken pictures, but no cameras were allowed, which was kind of a bummer.  I wore the same top, with a black skirt and my coral flip flops.  After the show, I had an unreal headache.  I went home, took two advil, went to bed for 90 minutes, woke up feeling fabulous.  Then I got ready for my friend Natalie's 35th birthday party.  We went to high school together.  Despite the fact that I hate bars with a passion, I showed up for my friend.  And I wore this:

My favorite blue Goodwill top; Saturday was "Light It Up Blue" for National Autism Day, and of course you know I had to represent.  My mom fixed the sleeves on this top, and it is so much more comfortable now.  Thanks Mommy!

This is only pair of jeans I own; they are Svoboda, size 20, and I love them.  I got them for $50 on eBay, which is a steal for Svoboda.  And I want to cry because they are starting to not fit right.  Of course, it's for a good reason, they are getting too big.  But I want another pair of Svoboda, and who knows if I'll get lucky on eBay again?

This is when I'm telling Tiger, "Can you include my feet this time?  I had a pedicure and I'm wearing cute shoes!"

Side profile still not my favorite.  But you know...I didn't gain 100 lbs in one year, and it's going to take a while to lose it.  So it is what it is. 

I wore a bracelet instead of a necklace.  It is a Lane Bryant stretchy bracelet, and I wore matching earrings with it. 

As usual, my best side.  LOL.  I guess because my legs and backside are so strong from holding up all my weight, but I have very muscular legs.  I get very self conscious about the rear view because I am so...shapely back there.  I think that's why I prefer skirts over jeans.  You may have an idea that I'm shapely under a skirt, but with jeans, it's like advertising.  It makes me uncomfortable sometimes.

About two years ago, I couldn't do my own pedicures about I couldn't reach my feet for extended periods of time to actually paint my own nails (sad but true.)  Now as I've lost weight, I can do my own pedicures, and I've been having fun!  This is a pretty teal color.  Oh, and that is not dirt on the middle toe of my left foot.  It's a freckle.  Of all the weird places to have a freckle?!?!  These shoes; I've had them at least four years.  I don't wear them very often because they pretty much demand that you have a fresh pedicure.  They are open completely in the front and back.  They are not uncomfortable, but I wouldn't wear them to walk around all day in, either.  The base is wooden and makes an awesome clip-clop sound which reminds me of tap dancing.  I've been known to tap dance through the house when I wear these, because I like the sound.  What, you know you'd do that too.

So, the bar.  I dislike them.  I have never been a drinker.  Natalie's party was fun, if you like to drink and swing on poles.  I don't do either.  So I took pictures, spent $4 on one tiny Sprite (!!!) had one chicken wing which was so hot that my sinuses drained, and left by 11:30.  Natalie's mom is super sweet and said, "I sure wish you could stay!"  I told her if she had Natalie's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese next year, I could stay the whole time.  I had her laughing, which is a good thing.  I love my friends, and their families!

Then I went to bed, woke up at 8:30 this morning to Roscoe yelping because he normally goes out at 6am to pee, and we all overslept.  I ran to let him out, then went back into my bathroom to notice two things.  1) got my period.  2) I had pink eye.  So I skipped church, put a warm compress on my eye, and did two loads of dishes already.  Now I'm wasting time on facebook, uploading pictures of my butt (lol!) and I intend to spend a busy day clipping coupons and cleaning.  Ahhh, the life I lead.  It is glamorous.