Hard Freeze

First off, I'm really excited about our new background. If you open your internet window to full screen you can see us in the background. FUN!!
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On Saturday, Doug came home with a headache...so I put him to work...I know, I'm mean, but in our tree's defense, we were expecting a hard freeze Saturday night into Sunday. Our trees are still very young and have only been in the ground for about 6 months, so they need TLC. We've been covering them during the frosty nights, but with the hard freeze on the way, we wrapped them in Christmas lights. We're they pretty?? Too bad they weren't still on by the time morning rolled around!! I don't know if we froze our lights to death...oops.

Hail Yeah!

I took this picture the other night on my cell phone. The moon looked amazing, but I couldn't get a good picture, so it looks like a PacMan game.

I purged our files over the last couple weekends. I went through every piece of paper and threw away/shredded a lot of stuff. I relabeled everything and reorganized the files, so our files are much cleaner and we'll be able to find stuff easily now. It was quite a mess though:This is what happened while I was trying to clean 2 pans. My ribs hurt so I was holding the lighter pan in my right hand and trying not to move my arm so it wouldn't cause pain. Then I picked up the heavier pan with my left hand and as the weight shifted it hurt my ribs, so I was setting the pans down and I heard the glass slide toward the drain and it tipped over and broke. I'm really sad I broke this glass. We got this while we were in Minnesota - I got a Packers glass and a Vikings glass while we were there. I was so bummed that I didn't want to throw it away, so it sat on the counter for almost a week. I've searched and searched online for a glass just like it, but they don't have a logo on the side and bottom :( We've had some interesting weather lately. It was almost 70 degrees a couple weeks ago, but the last couple days have been in the 40s and tonight it's supposed to drop into the 20s. It was raining for the last couple days, but Friday afternoon the sun came out. We heard a loud rumble of thunder and then I heard what sounded like a lot of rain. I ran to the window because it was hailing like crazy. It was really fun to watch.

Then my coworkers and I ran outside to play in it. Hail sure isn't as fun to play in as snow, hail hurts :) The hail got as big as marbles and lasted for about 10 minutes. The sky was bright blue and sunny the entire time.

Here are a couple pictures from a local radio station, taken by listeners. There were funnel clouds passing through with the hail storm.What a creepy cloud:Thursday night while driving home I was sitting at a light waiting to get on the freeway and was rear-ended. Yep, you read that right. I still don't have the police report from being side-swiped and I got hit again. AHHHHHHHHH It wasn't a bad accident at all. The driver behind me said his foot slipped off the brake. He bumped me forward a little bit and I remember thinking, "What the crap!?? I'm sitting still!!!" He took a small chunk out of my bumper, left some scratches and a small warp. We pulled over and exchanged information.

The man's daughter and I stood out in the rain talking for about 20 minutes waiting for the officer to arrive. I told her I wouldn't normally call the police for something like this, but the last guy that rear-ended me gave me bad information and I wanted to make sure everything was looked at by an officer. The officer was very nice and said it was up to us if we wanted to file a claim or report. I didn't want to file a report, but I wanted to make sure all the info was correct and true. And just my luck, of course, the man couldn't find his insurance info, but I took a picture of the back of his vehicle and I had his daughter call my cell phone so I would know the phone number worked. She also gave me their address and her dad's driver's license number. She was really nice. And as promised, she called the next morning to give me the insurance information. Here's a picture of the small chunk, but it was hard to get pictures of the scratches without the glare.

And last but not least for my updates, my doctor ordered an Xray of my rib cage because she also thought there was more than muscle damage from coughing. Off I went to Xray again... The Xray didn't show any fractures. If NOT having a broken rib hurts this bad, I can't imagine what it feels like when it does crack or break.

Here is a picture my rib bruising. There wasn't any visible bruising for the first week, but it's here now. It's hard to take a picture of my own side, so I bugged Doug to take pictures for me. It was hard to get a picture that wasn't blurry or way too bright from the flash bouncing off my pale skin.

3rd Time's A Charm

I headed to urgent care this evening. I've been having rib pain for a couple days and this afternoon I sneezed and I just about burst into tears. I called Doug and told him where I was going. I really thought I cracked a rib; I've never had pain like that before. The doctor said I have muscle damage between my ribs from coughing for the past 3 weeks which is causing the pain. Really? A sore muscle? There's not really anything they can do if a broken rib anyways. The doctor gave me a pill to stop my coughing at the source - he said something about the medication targeting the cough receptors in the throat to stop the coughing. We'll see. He also gave me super duper Motrin. In order to stop the broken rib feeling I have to stop coughing long enough for it to heal. 3 doctor appointments, an xray, about 10 medications and about $200 later - I'M DONE with this crap. I'm so sick of being sick and now this pain was my breaking point. I cried for about 15 minutes on the way to the pharmacy. Laying on a heating pad is helping a lot.

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Here's the latest about the accident too:
The officer I sent the photos of the accident and the previous incident to called this evening. After I composed myself from crying I called her back. They made contact with the woman the night of the accident and the officer said, "of course her story was very different than yours." She said it's reported as her fault and no matter how she twists it it was still her fault. Now, I have to wait until next week to get the police report so I can go after her insurance company for the repairs.

Special Days

4 years ago on Valentine's Day, Doug proposed. Awe!! (yep, we're THAT couple :) )
Throughout the dating I went through and the crappy relationships I put up with, I didn't think I would find someone like Doug. I didn't think I would be able to stand someone long enough to be with, let alone someone to marry, buy a house with and try to have kids with. I'm lucky to have my Dougie.

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And 7 years ago on the 15th I was confirmed a member of the church.

It's been a crazy journey over the last 7 years. My life has taken some interesting paths with some ups and downs, but I can say that all-in-all I've enjoyed the ride.

Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you. - Aldous Huxley

Double Date

Doug and I went on a double date with Sheldon and Kristie on Valentine's Day. We had a very yummy dinner at Fat's. I was surprised that we were sitting there eating and talking for 2 hours. It was really nice to not feel rushed through dinner, although we were laughing and joking that our server was smoking pot because she was so quiet and slow. She was very laid back and would actually stand there and wait for us to finish our conversation so she wouldn't interrupt. It was nice to get dressed up and go out for the night.

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm Clumsy Lately

I couldn't get a bottle of vitamins open and after the 4th attempt they flew to the ground. They were under the bed too. We laughed for a while, but the only thing I can think of is my period is coming. I always seem to get really clumsy beforehand, I guess it's part of my PMS. We had the truck detailed on Friday.

Here's the before and after of the carpet. The guy did a great job!

We'll have to bring him back to shampoo under the seat sometime soon. It's a bench seat so we'll have to remove it in order to clean the carpet underneath properly. I normally wouldn't bother, but we have to have every inch cleaned in order to get the cigarette smell out. The guy ran a chemical through the ventilation system and said he would come back and do it again if it began to smell again. And a bonus - he'll do it again for free.

He cleaned every surface in the truck, but because it's an older truck he was hesitant to use the stronger chemicals because they can cause fading and cracking down the road. He was pretty impressed with the condition of the truck; we just have some cosmetic things to take care of.

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An update about the woman who hit me the other day... the next morning on my way to work I realized I had the exact same thing happen months ago with a white Dodge Durango - I take pictures of people who drive like idiots just in case they cause an accident and I took a picture of that Durango. All day I was thinking about it and as soon as I got home I turned my computer on and found that photo. It's the same vehicle and plate number!!! What a jerk!! I printed the picture from the hit and run and from the morning in October and sent the officer a description from when she did the exact same thing to me a few months back - she just didn't hit me because there wasn't a car on the right of me and I swerved hard and was shoved into a curb. I remember the incident very clearly because I made it clear I was taking a photo of her vehicle and she decided to be a bigger idiot than she already was and held her camera up to take photos of me too (while she was driving she would turn around). I think this lady needs to have her license taken away until she learns how to drive or until she deals with her issues.

My Own Commute Photo

I usually post crazy or funny things I see while driving around. Today the camera was turned on myself. I was driving home and a woman decided she didn't want to get on the freeway and started coming into my lane. I laid on the horn but she kept coming. It was bumper to bumper traffic and I had nowhere to go so I pretty much had to let her hit me. I couldn't move anymore to the left without hitting the car next to me and I was already applying my brakes - slamming on my brakes probably would have gotten me rear-ended. She knew she hit me because she jerked her head back to look over her left shoulder - yeah, hello idiot!! I drove behind her for some time, I took a picture of the rear of her SUV and when she didn't pull over in the upcoming gas station or the next 2 streets I called 9-1-1 (I was trying to get her attention for the mile or so I was following her). I let the operator know I was following her and got a photo. The operator told me to pull over because it can be dangerous to follow someone like that and I had to wait for an officer to take my statement. I pulled over and waited for the officer to arrive.

I've been cut off many times on that overpass because people are jerk-offs and don't want to wait in line like the rest of us so they drive in the freeway only lane until the last minute and then cut off anyone they can. I deal with the same thing about 4 times while driving home and the worst one is very close to our house and it pisses me off the most. People generally aren't stupid enough to actually get all the way into some one's lane and hit them though. The lady tonight was stupid enough I guess. Well I hope she enjoys the officer showing up at her home because of a hit and run.

She hit my mirror and then the front fender above the wheel.Poor Smurfy

One officer stopped and said he heard the call and was in the area so he stopped to check on me. He called in her license plate number and set an officer in route to her home. He let me know another officer was on her way to take my report. After a little while the officer arrived and she took my information and the description of what happened. She cracked a joke that I pulled over right in front of a "NO STOPPING AT ANYTIME" sign. I laughed pretty hard and she said she was happy I stopped where I did because the road I turn onto winds through a shopping area and she was worried she wouldn't find me. The officer said it's too bad people don't just stop and say to themselves, "yeah I'm a boob" and wait for an opening. Both officers were super nice - which is a big difference from the last officer I "met" in that city.

Now I wait for a phone call from the officer that finds her and the vehicle or from the traffic detective that starts the investigation and we go from there. I'm glad it's not a lot of damage, but it's still a headache.

Dinner? What Dinner?

This is how the evening has gone:

We made steak, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes and a salad. You can see what happened to the salad. Then Doug flung potato on the floor and while I was cleaning the salad and tomato out of the rug I hit my back - not once, but twice - on the oven door, AND I'm the one who opened it! Good grief. Doug said, "I don't think we were supposed to make dinner tonight." *sigh* I don't think so either. Hey! Do you want to have a potluck?? I'll bring the salad!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I started getting nervous in the 4th quarter, but as I'm sure you're aware, Green Bay won the Super Bowl. There were some cute commercials, but over all it was a good game. I don't think the commercials are as fantastic as they used to be - AND the price is increasing by $500k each year! Crazy. Oh, how excited were the fans WITH tickets that were turned away! I probably would have lost my mind. BUT, I also wouldn't have spent $200 to stand in a stairway to just be at the Super Bowl. The fire marshall approved the idea and then wouldn't let the fans in because the necessary work had not been completed. OOPS!! Here is the extent of our own Super Bowl party: I had my Green Bay glass and Doug had his Carolina Panthers glass. We ate junk for dinner and drank beer of the root variety. Isn't that what you're supposed to do for the Super Bowl - eat junk food? (But, I took it a little easy on food over the weekend because I spent Friday night in the bathroom and lost 3 pounds overnight - I'm going to release a how-to diet book, so look for it in stores! LOL) We had our team jerseys on too, but being the mess I am I wasn't going to take any photos of us. I was wearing red plaid pajama pants and a pink long sleeve shirt with my Green Bay Packers jersey over it. I was super cute! LOL

Super Bowl

da-da-da-da dum dum da-dum dum dum dum dum dummmm da-dum da-dum
(that's the NFL theme song)Let's go Green Bay, Let's Go! CLAP CLAP, CLAP CLAP CLAP!!

I'll admit, if Brett Favre was still the quarter back of the Packers, our butts would be sitting at the Super Bowl right now. Hopefully he's retired for real now, but it would have been great to watch him play a final year in the super bowl with the Packers. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have done an amazing job this season and this should be a great Super Bowl with the Steelers.

My work wife showed me this picture the other day. It's hysterical.

The caption for this picture is Aaron Rodgers and Elf were separated at birth. Another caption says we know who Elf is rooting for. Too funny.

It's halftime people. Green Bay is winning - 21-10, but they've had some injuries so who knows what will happen in the second half.

Tammy, I really hope you're watching the halftime performance - they just did the Running Man on stage and I giggled thinking of you :)

If you aren't/weren't watching - Christina Aguilera looked like she was going to a funeral and did a bad job with the National Anthem and even messed up the words - OOPS!! I feel bad for her! Lea Michele (from Glee) did a great job with America the Beautiful. The commercials aren't great, but there have been a few that were funny. It's been a good game so far, we'll see what the second half holds.

LET'S GO GREEN BAY!! (did you clap clap, clap clap clap??)

The Cough Strikes Back

The antibiotics, cough syrups, cough drops, cold pills and inhaler didn't work a whole lot. I went back to the doctor on Friday and was given a different inhaler (Advair - it doesn't give me the shakes and it's long lasting rather than for urgent relief). Then the doctor sent me for a STAT chest xray to make sure I don't have pneumonia because I've had this cough for 2 weeks without much relief even after the antibiotics. No news is good news, but I was still expecting a call from the doctor's office with the results; depending on what the xray showed, I was going to have to rush to the pharmacy before they closed for another round of antibiotics. I waited patiently and at 6pm, I called the on-call service to page a doctor. The doctor called and said the chest xray was clear. I expected the xray to be clear, but the doctor said she was glad I came back - better safe than sorry. She said I probably have "post something something something disorder" LOL. Yes, that's what she said! Okay, I don't remember what she said, but she explained that my lungs are trying to recover from the bronchitis and may take a little longer to do so. Aren't hospital gowns sexy???

On Thursday night we could see fireworks from our house. I love fireworks. They're also special to me because Doug and I went to watch fireworks and afterwards he kissed me for the first time. *insert "awwwe" here :) Now we make sure to watch fireworks as often as we can every year.I tried a new recipe on Friday night. It totally looks like throw up:

It's pretty good though.

Tex-Mex Chicken & Rice Bake

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbells Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup Pace Picante Sauce

1/2 cup water

1 cup whole kernel corn

3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

Paprika

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir the soup, picante sauce, water, corn and rice in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover the baking dish. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.

I used a whole can of corn (drained) because I didn't want to deal with the little bit of leftover corn. I also used medium salsa - it gave it a little kick, but wasn't too spicy. Oh, and I didn't have cream of chicken soup, so I used cream of mushroom and it still tasted fine.