fixing my error ~

okay so the "my other websites" of the flickr pictures link was incorrect on my part the entire time I've blogged and I just took note of it... it has now been fixed and links directly.. FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/SYMENS - I have currently posted new pictures (pardon my slow processing) the new pics will be of our trip to Yosemite in Nov., Brian's 21st bday, all of the Christmas 2008.

We are enjoying a quiet night at home for the new year... most likely cuz it's our choice and that we perhaps just don't have any friends.. ha ha ha

We've watched alot of bowl games throughout the day while taking down the christmas deco.. the Brut bowl, The Gaylord Hotels Music Bowl, Chik-Fil-A Bowl and the Insight Bowl where Gregs beloved Minnesota Gophers got the snot kicked out of them by Kansas.. Now we certainly enjoy football, but give me a break on the names of those who sponsor them - there are more bowl names to come for us to chuckle over in the next week. We are anticipating that someday soon we will have the Viagra Bowl, the Tampax or Kotex Bowl or the Pepto Bismol Bowl... I've got more, but will just quick there.

Happy New Year from us sitting quietly at home!

Our recent movie reviews

While these comments are those of the blogger, bear that in mind, you might have really bizarre taste compared to mine. Five movie reviews from our last two weeks -

YES MAN ~ was just what you'd expect from Jim Carey, his funny faces, his funny comments, jokes, and the plot is very somewhat shallow in parts and than again hits some depth in others... but overall it is an enjoyable movie that we give a thumbs up. good one to rent...

SEVEN POUNDS - Will Smith - UGH... went in expecting that it would at least be entertaining in spite of knowing it had somewhat of a dark premise to the plot.. but it mooooovvvveeeeddd sooooo veeerrrrrryyyyy slllloooowwwwlllyyy in the beginining 30 minutes that it was actually torturous to keep up with the plot of who he was (never figured it out) why he was doing this (came to you in itsy bitsy glimpses until the end) and than it just really didn't make much sense.. felt like it was filmed in segments with huge gaps and than just edited all together.
The next day Greg and I were trying to explain it to Ashley and still we both saw it completely differently and he was confused as to who got what and when... a complete and total THUMBS DOWN, don't even rent it. Will Smith has made to many good movies to take in this one

MARLEY AND ME with all of our Van Essen clan this wknd in Madera. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Anniston. I give this movie a great family rating. Heard that they used 21 dogs for Marley to make this. It was funny, funny, and than again.... advance warning - bring kleenex. I give this a major Thumbs up. Great movie change for Owen Wilson as a family man who does responsibility really well, who knew he had it in him!

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTONS; Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. It has a plot that you have to not think to deeply into and just go with it as it unfolds, it is a good movie with a peculiar premise of an OLD man born into a newborn's OLD looking body and than he is thrust into a life of some bumps with those around him after some unfortunate beginnings with his own family. Wont give away anymore than that, but it is not your usual plot. a thumbs up from both of us.

GRAN TORINO; Clint Eastwood. Now this is an actor that has a long and infamous career. Heard this was going to be his last movie and it is somewhat of a "dirty Harry" "unforgiven" style that he has done in his younger years. Truly there is probably a generation that has no idea who he is (unlike those of us with the western movie station for flashbacks) But just imagine that he is now playing a very older man (probably his own age) and saying that he has got some issues is an understatement of major magnitude. With his cantankerous personality and lack of affection for anyone but the wife he is burying at the very beginning, this leads you through some basics of the plot and how it progresses to the end. But Greg and I both looked at each other during the movie and said the same name of the actual person we know that he reminded us of and laughed! Now we do have a disclaimer that the "f" word is used somewhat liberally in the movie because of the way it unfolds of culture youth and a contankerous war veteran speaking. He also uses somewhat a ton of verbage of slang to describe the minority neighbors and such... but he has somewhat of a learning curve in the movie as well. We both liked this movie and give it a thumbs up.

a quick note..

We arrived home safely a few hours ago from four days of activities involving Christmas with family. The boys left this afternoon ahead of us by a short measure of time and we each ran into the rush of traffic heading back into L.A. from many travelers far and near. So we do our best to "grin and bear it" until you breathe easier with the change of a route where it opens up.

We had a good local Christmas day with about 35 of the Van Meeteren's which starts a little after noon and just goes on until late in the evening.. We eat, talk and share, and let me add that after a big lunch, eating just goes on throughout the day if you allow yourself the constant trips to the kitchen island where there is a spread of goodies that just is unending. We have a $10 gift exchange/stealing kind of game some santa gifts and lots of laughter. The women hang upstairs and we played catch phrase which brings laughter, and some tears from squealing beyond the point of laughter.. The men spend the day downstairs immersed in one or more of the sporting events on tv, and a hot game of cards of "smear" and just doing whatever else they do down there but they too have laughter and plenty to eat.

Friday at various times our own family headed up to Madera which is roughly 4.5 hours north to Stacy's for the Van Essen wknd of hanging out together. My parents had been up there for a couple of weeks. Lisa's family came down to Madera on Saturday. We enjoyed several meals together, saw the movie "marley and me" together (very good one) and there was WII and XBOX competition going on throughout the weekend and some sore muscles from boxing, dancing, bowling, mario carting and fun was had by all in being together and laughing at yourself and with others. Plenty of time goes by between these gatherings, and times like this bring you back to what is important in life and yet what we can quickly forget to embrace with each other. Today we attended Cornerstone church of the Dykstra's in Chowchilla, where the past youth director in seminary was leading worship. He did a fantastic sermon for which is another blog in itself, but he laid the reality of being a christian in this world as it is written in the word of God in these times... He hit the nail on the head and gave you no wiggle room for hoping or glad that "someone else was hearing this sermon" cuz it was for each of us..

Hope that your Christmas time was truely blessed.

The night before Christmas Eve thinking spell..

As the time draws near towards Christmas eve.. WE ARE READY! I have been in a baking frenzy as Brian could be quoted as having said this week & the gifts are under the tree and I'm excited to share those with friends and family. Today was just a day of (missing work) and Greg and I went on a "oops we forgot that person" gift find where we lucked out right away and actually picked up a few of the extravagant just because kind of gift giving ideas.

We as a family are going to the 11pm Christmas eve service after Ashley and Shane get off of work and I am looking forward to celebrating the birth of the savior whose destiny was to be nailed to a cross for MY SIN. A friend is doing his testimony at the services going on all day long.

Our family tradition is that we each contribute one thing as Santa into the stockings of each other for Christmas morning. I am also excited about the Christmas morning gift opening this year as there are quite a few well thought out gifts under the tree to fit specific interests/needs/likes and I'm looking forward to seeing the look on their face when they are opened!

Our Christmas day we will all be with Gregs side of the Van Meeteren family with aunts/uncles/cousins here locally. Friday we will all be leaving for Madera to my sisters to meet up with the Van Essen side with the parents, sisters/brother inlaws/nieces & nephews during the weekend for just hanging out together. It should be a fun weekend of family and than home for ringing in of the new year 2009. Lots anticipated in the new year.

baking extravaganza - sort of..

Well, considering how much baking I really ever find time to do, this afternoon was a extravaganza of accomplishment. I think about it often but rarely manage anything other than a quick out of the box something. So today, went to church, lunch with Ashley and a quick stop to retrieve Gregs cell phone at the furniture store we were at yesterday.. he dropped it somewhere is all he knew- shopping or at movies???? For which, as Ashley and I were walking to the car after church I mention the loss, and she stops and says "hey, this store called yesterday that they had a cingular phone.. blah blah", she says "I told him no one here has lost a phone" cuz the truth is Greg rarely has it with him when we are trying to get ahold of him so she figured he couldn't have lost something he didn't take with him.... So he lucked out.

Ashley and i baked together for the first time in like "ages" since she has been in school fulltime and working fulltime, she's just usually not in the mood.. so after a batch of cookies and a pan of bars, she bailed and went back to reading her enthralling "twilight #3 of 4" where her nose has been planted since the semester ended. Now having given her two weeks notice to disneyland and not working weekends, she is very relaxed. I trudged on and made 6 dozen more, and will make the roll out cookies tomorrow after work... cuz I now too have bailed, and am relaxing on the couch with twelve dozen cookies overflowing my cookie jar. Brian will be happy.

The boys went snowboarding to the mountains at 4:30 this morning with 10 people.. came back having had a great time, great roads, and great weather. They ran into the Hyink's in the ticket line - Small world. The snow in the local mountains is awesome for total as they really got dumped on this week with 54" with all the rain down on the flatlands. So it will be a regular spot for them. Brian is planning on making a trip to Gorman on the way home from Christmas wknd in Madera with his dirt bike meeting a friend, and that will be a cold ride as they too have gotten some snow this week/cold...

Well, the tree is lit up, the baking permeating the air, and sunday night football is under way.. time to check out..

Wednesday woohoo's

Today, I snoozed a little long..no walking since it's rainy and cold, and I have a cold, ankle sore and so taking a rest period to heal up. Get to work and bonanza, I have a light work load for this ONE particular day, no requests in the inbox that aren't quick turnarounds.. so I finish it up and gave a Ashley a text asking if she wanted to hang out shopping or a movie or both... she said yes, I will be dressed by the time you get home.. So we went to see the "sleeper" movie with a not so hot recommendation from either of us (rental maybe) of "nothing like the holidays". I think we saw all of the funny parts in the previews, apparantly.. so we went to Ziba's for eyebrows threaded, did some shopping (yea!) and than heading home cuz it was sloppy rainy out and cold.

I wrestled (literally) with the printer which seems to only have issues with Ashley and I ever, to which Greg always chimes in at the wrong time "I never have trouble with it".... SHUT UP ALREADY.. cuz when it's giving you issues, what does that comment help? NOTHING! so 130 copies later two sides and making sure it didn't jam, freeze up, grab to many pages (I hate that one) or slur the type, I was done with another step. Thankfully printing my labels went smoothly other than the one typo I found later, but eureka onto folding, stuffing, who gets an extra picture, a doodad from Ashley... and than once everything is stuffed, licked, stamped I sent Shane and Ashley to the post office at 11 pm to expedite the snail mail with moving it along in the early am... yes, they were playing xbox and reading.. they were willing and it's just a few blocks.. bonding time!

oh dang look at the clock, it's late again.. oh well ~

waiting impatiently....

Last night, I began the duanting task of the annual Christmas letter writing (yes, late again) and so I begin to make a couple of notes about the year. I write, backspace, write some more and backspace alot until very late into the night.. adding in pictures to the letter deemed trickier using Shanes new computer for me. Fortunately Ashley was home to keep me heading in the right direction with the finer points of word doc that I lack. I think she thought she should have just read her book in her room to be closer to the office than downstairs on the couch cuz she made a few trips upstairs to bail me out. We live in an age where she says "txt me" when you need help, and I did ~ ha.

So today, I race to Sams Club and get the picture card figured out, ordered and requested back in hours.. it was somewhat of a tag team with the person next to me as we kept leaning into each other when we got stumped or needed confirmation we chose the right this or that. I leave and run some errands in other stores and than back to get picture cards. For which I run into that same person and we compared finished product. I made a stop at the post office to get stamps and decided to use the machine vs the 45 minute wait in line.. I ended up leaving with about 9 dollars in coins and change and my 6 books of stamps.. ugh, now to haul around those funky looking coins and not use them like quarters. Honestly they come in different sizes and colors, a few do look like quarters and I had to use my reading glasses to read "One dollar" on it. Can you imagine where that will go when it comes time to use them. Just give me the paper version. Oh well, don't need stamps again until next year when I send out cards in 2009. or email them out would be my inspiration....

So tonight I come home "ready" to hit the floor running after I refine my christmas letter. Wouldn't you know it, tonight is the night Greg needs two computers set up in his office to work on end of the year reports and forecasting for next year ~ WHAT, I need to use the printer, and space to print my gazillions letters and labels. I like order and so nope, can't just start stuffing envelopes and stamp them cuz that's out of order from my routine.... oh well, another day won't matter at this point. I guess there is one consolation, I ran into a couple of friends today who said they aren't this far yet..

Saturday musings..

WHEW ~ this week has been just cram packed and fun, but exhausting at the same time. I have shopped for ONE gift online and well, the list is very short this year and the kids I've got figured out.. so no worries ~ isn't that great.. This is a christmas of CHRIST in Christmas as it should be and the materialism as a "quiet" feature of gifting but not overloading. But of course we now have all adult children and they too understand that times are uncertain in the job market. Gregs only request to them for a gift was that they all read the Dave Ramsey book "the total money makeover", so we will see if he gets that "under" the tree.

Today was cold, somewhat cloudy/sunny and drizzly and windy.. the heater was turned on this afternoon for the first time to combat the chill in the air and thru the crevices in the house..

Friday I made a random call to the surgeons office to "hear" how things were shaping up in the appeal, not really anticipating that there would be such a response. Natalie the assistant answered and she said "perfect timing" as she was busy copying the one inch stack of papers to be submitted as the appeal to Aetna insurance for my case. She asked me if I had received the denial letter, for which I had, and would I fax it to her as they had hoped to include it. Absolutely I'd fax it in 10 minutes when I got home. So the packet should either have hit the certified mail system yesterday or on Monday heading to NC.. I would assume some time after the new year we'd hear back, who knows if they all vacation during the holidays or actually labor over the piles of paperwork. Do I sound relaxed in the waiting process.. well, I am. I have hope for getting this resolved in the cysts removal and to move on in healthy living without the added stabs of pain, but I'm also resolved that if surgery is not permissable due to insurance insistence of denial, that LIFE WILL NOT STOP in that I will be active to the highest level possible. I now walk 2-2.2 miles every weekday morning, and have added 2.2+ miles every night that I can, so that has been mind over matter quite often, and perserverance, but I'm feeling better physically, somewhat tired, but better overall. The other night we went to a football game with some friends in Temecula, and parked some distance from the HS and it was downhill to the game and yep you guessed it, uphill back to the car. I felt good when we arrived at the car and so "victorius" over circumstances...

Tonight Ashley and I watched the movie Bucket List with Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman. It had been awhile since we date nighted this movie at the theatre and I had forgotten many of the parts of it. But the idea of a bucket list is a good one, especially if you think of it early in life and can master many things while still alive and kicking. Ashley had earlier announced she was probably going skydiving over the break from school with a friends family.. Greg said he needs to take out a life insurance policy on her!

Well, early bedtime is calling me. Greg's already asleep 3 minutes after he sat in the chair next to me... but he is older than me! hehee

Ellie Lofaro part one

Ellie Lofaro is a christian comedian / author - very funny woman with a dry sense of humor. (my kind of woman) She has a two part broadcast and presents a humor-filled and insightful message about overcoming life's trials with God's help.. laugh along with her and be inspired... http://www.family.com/ to listen to it under broadcasts. I'm looking forward to tomorrows finale.. It is good to laugh at ourselves ladies...

one story she told.. Mabel is a woman who raised her children right and her son moved to the big city, and had a roommate Stephanie. He assured his mother that it's purely platonic and they aren't sleeping together. Mabel arrive for a visit to see for herself. Stephanie cooks a lovely dinner and Mabel returned home. Several days later, Stephanie tells David that her sterling silver gravy ladle is missing and she not accusing his mother but it's been missing since her visit. So he says I will ask her, but I don't think she would have taken it. So he emails his mother and says "mom, I'm not accusing you of taking the gravy ladle but since you left it's been missing and Stephanie can't find it." Mabel emails back to David "I'm not saying that you are sleeping with Stephanie, but if she was sleeping in her own bed, she would have found it"... hysterical laughter is going on now and she says "power to the mothers......"

one of the good pieces from her presentation about being an overcomer: If you are not hanging out with women who don't look like you, you are missing something...
We will converse for hours with each other about earthly things, but will not talk about Jesus, our relationship, our blessings, our struggles.. If you know the joy and peace of Jesus and you don't tell others, what are you? If we are christians and when the cancer comes, and we're not prepared in our faith, it's late, but can we say "he is God and he is a good God". If we are christians we need to be sitting at the end of the hospital bed with more than good luck, hang in there. If your a christian you need to have something to say as we stand at the cemetary as that casket is lowered. We are more than overcomers, we are women of faith, we are women of substance, it is not just "hang in there, do your best, good luck, come what may". He is God, we will live forever we will meet again that is a promise. I am not going 6 ft under, biting the dust. We are going to live and rule and reign, I have no idea what that means, but I CAN'T wait to rule and reign in heaven. Praising him for all eternity... We have answers, why are people breaking down, why do families stop talking for so many years. Oprah has 22 million a day viewers which is a following. Where do you get your truth from? Where do you get your opinions from, are you embarrassed to say what you think or are you quiet because you don't know his word? Many will say that your faith is so personal, heck no, we get married we tell everyone, we have a child we show everyone, If I have Jesus as my saviour and we don't talk about him.. What are we? We could very well end up in the judgement line after our life has ended and have an acquaintance who we worked with who will say "you’re a christian, we worked next to each other in the cubicles for 8 years and you never said a word", or are we a parent whose child played soccer with others who might say "you’re a christian, we were on the soccer field 46 times and you never told me about Jesus".. We don't say anything, how can we not say anything? We tell friends when theres a sale at the stores, but we won't share this.. why?

Are we ready to answer the challenge? We know Christ and we must make him known...

Gods blessings... I'm now more motivated.

Wednesday woes

This morning the alarm clock was a totally shocking and a much dreaded interruption, so I tried out the snooze feature on my phone and while I don't know how long it delayed the inevitable.. it wasn't long enough.. I begrudgingly ventured toward the shorts/sweatshirt attire in a pile on the bathroom floor, and just in case Virginia was waiting in the driveway, sent her a text to be patient I was getting there... Now it didn't help that a group of us went to dinner/happy hour together after work and well, I had a few drinks and it might have been the reason that it felt like a fastball landed square in the back of my head! Although I have been under the curse of headaches for awhile and so it's not a given that it wasn't related to that, but I doubt it. And the slow start once I returned from the walk pretty much didn't speed up in any fashion and therefore being that I can pick the time I start work, I exercised that right and dawdled with getting going.

Yesterday I changed my contact prescription back to the original one we were using before trying several tweaks... each changed lense was giving me headaches after hours on computer at the office and I was using readers to see the fine type.. whew, today was so much better. It made for a good day at the office at this time of year when you need to be able to move at the speed of sound, and not make a mistake because you couldn't exactly "see" what your doing...

Tonight Greg is dining with clients for a second night in a row, although I do get invited, I don't always take him up on it. Without my night time walking partner, it is very easy to contemplate just "skipping" the attempt and stay here, but I am liking the direction that the scale is reading, and know that it won't continue unless I put in the extra time. So time to hit the streets before I change my mind...

a day in the life....

Well, today started out normally in that Virginia and I walked on time at the route surrounding our neighborhood, and than when I got home the headache was mounting.. so I thought I'll just take some advil and lay down for a few minutes in my walking getup.. well that was actually a couple of hours with my hood around my eyes trying to reduce any sunlight. So I dragged myself into the shower and headed off to work. As the day progressed, the little drummer boy beat in my head did not improve and the burning drip in the upper spine reminded me that sometimes days are just not to much fun.... for me... But my new attitude (which takes a lickin at times) is to keep movinig forward regardless of how the body is feeling, and to rest when I can, but to not let it slow me down... so yep, some days are like this and I just try not to cringe and sit on the sidelines. scheduled a complete spinal MRI for saturday afternoon unless I can get in earlier.

I worked from 10am- 7pm, when I got home, I changed into my walking shorts, sweatshirt and Greg and I walked over to Uncle Petes and gave him a tree ornament that we found in ours "of a crossing guard holding up a STOP" sign... that is the job he has in Cerritos and thought we'd gift it to him.. and so 2.4 miles later we were home.. It feels later than 9:15 right now, but glad that it's not.. Nice to have some down time before bed.

Tuesday night is a girls night out for a group from work... we do this on the occasion we can all work it in, so happy hour at El Torito ~ I guess we will call it our Christmas gathering. I just hope to be able to get out of the office in time to enjoy some of it. .99 taco night. Thankfully Greg has to entertain clients for dinner and so this gets me out of that! yea...

good night, time for bed!

Sunday summations...

We were blessed by a terrific worship service and Jason Brown's sermon.. Although without my notes I took in front of me, I won't do the synopsis it's due justice but it was unlike anything I've ever heard.. that Jesus disappoints us! yep thats right, Jesus disappoints us because He doesn't do things that make sense to us, we want him to be different in reacting like WE would react and not to require of us what he expects us to do with our lives. So we live in the tension of what we want, and knowing we should do what he wants. The wrestling is what he wants us to do, know we are loved, loved, loved by him but also that he wants us to know we aren't okay in how we're living our lives. We don't like to be told the truth by those who love us, we want them to tell us we are okay... Amen!

After lunch at home of homemade soup and sandwiches, we watched a bit of the football game between Dallas and Pittsburgh.. I couldn't keep my eyes open and so thought I'd head upstairs and just "rest" for awhile... well, it turned into an implosion as I slept for about 3 hours If Greg had not come up to let me know the dinner he made was ready - his dinner of infamous goulash - I probably would have just crawled under the covers and stayed there the rest of the night, like rip vanwinkle for whom at times I think I share in common his ability to sleep.... well, the long sleep did nothing for the headache which not much does affect it. Tonight after dinner, I attacked the box of ornaments that were haunting me the last few days sitting next to the tree needing to be taken care of. So now it's is done and looks tremendous and only took a little over an hour to accomplish. Now for the christmas cards! hmmm, maybe next week

Tonight Ashley and us were texting back and forth and she asks was dad serious that I could quit, Yes, Yes, YEs, she put in her two weeks notice to disneyland.. Jan 2nd is her last day, unless they don't give her the Christmas weekend off and than it could be much sooner. YEA! After 5.5 years there it is long overdue and she is set to finish her one last semester and we want it to be free from the distraction of working. She has her student loan set up and it will be repaid when she is accepted into the "job" she has applied for and will know in January of her acceptance. This being her last Christmas at home for some time with us, makes it one we would like her to be able to spend with all of the family get-togethers planned. I will write about ner new Job at a later time.

I'm sure that I will be able to sleep tonight regardless of the nap, and the alarm to walk goes off early... so goodnight.

another day at the races..

The last couple of days have been a constant flurry of activity and rushing.. I just sat down at home on my bed to breathe for the minute and turned on the USC/UCLA game we had been listening to on sirius radio. I think if I sit here for more than just a minute before I have to jump in shower I will easily fall asleep, but we have to leave again shortly.

Friday, I worked a short day starting at 5am and than hustled out the office door to get to a 10am dr appt.. accomplished that quickly and than met as scheduled a friend for lunch. Always lots to talk about and so had to hustle home at 1pm for a quick shower and out the door with Greg to Pasadena Community college 3pm watching Fullerton JC in volleyball state championship series.. Daughter of family friends Michelle Jansen plays for them. They won against Feather River college in four games.. Greg and I stayed around and watched Irvine Valley play Santa Rosa, than headed for downtown Pasadena and ate dinner at Ruth Chris's Steak house.. paid a small fortune for dinner and than headed home having missed the traffic jam of the friday get away because it was now late! Hit the sack at 11:45.. yep I was exhausted.

This morning when alarm went off at 6am, I'd like to say I jumped up but laid there until the last possible moment and jumped up frantically at 6:30 with the rush to get it together and out the door for the day... 12 minutes and out the door... nope, it wasn't anything special, but it wasn't bed head either.. I met with my friends for the study we are doing together Beth Moore "A Womens Heart" and than got to the next study group at 9:40 late that I help with where we are doing Beth Moores "Living Beyond Yourself" on the fruit of the Spirit.. Amazing they both tie together very well for learning... both of them ran late today and so I got home at 11:50 having gotten a text msg from Michelle that they lost their first game against Fresno City and were playing at 1pm (had they won it would have been 4pm) so Greg and I hustled out there and unfortunately they lost in three games and finished 5th in state of 85 teams in there school size.. so outstanding even in the less than desired outcome.

Arrived home at 3:30 and we will be going with friends Frank/Virginia to the 7:30 football game of Chapparal vs Centennal Corona CIF football game in Corona (45 minute drive). A son of river friends Steve and Lauri's Jacob and old church friends is a junior on the team. The friends we are going with are avid football'ers from watching our sons. Virginia and I walk every morning together, so we love to watch sports.... and whenever theres someone we know, we will go. Heck gas is only $1.71 so you can afford to go again...

oops, time has gone by and now I need to hustle once again into the shower cuz this body needs to be woken up and bed head redone!

Wednesday whispers

Well, after two nights of adding a second walk in the evening of 2.2 miles to the 2. miles in the morning I already do... tonight I/Greg took a break as the ankle is pretty bit sore, ahh not a surprise but not going to let it get out of control either. One more night left this week to get in the extra exercise.

So I used the night to get the tree up and lit. We have a tub of the stuff (what is it anyway, in our fridge) called "I can't believe it's not butter" And so in light of that, on Saturday we went out shopping for and purchased our replacement "I can't believe it's not a real tree" at Sams Club after an exhausting hunt for "realness vs price" at many establishments.. We saw everything under the sun to choose from "that didn't look like it qualified as a tree", to "WOW for a couple of $1000 bucks it should be a real tree from a forest!" So the tree we got was one-a great price and second-it tooks fantastic! Last night Greg loved the part that it is pre-lit with 1500 lights he doesn't have to untangle, and/or find that burnt out bulb causing havoc, just unfold it.. so tonight was actually turning it on and "fluffing it out to look perfect"... Now I'm considering "hmmm do we really need ornaments" okay, sure, it does (ugh) but not tonight, since they need to be brought in from the rafters of the garage. I think the boys are planning a rock paper scissors contest as to who has to help dad drag all the decoration containers to the house. Greg has already decided that this tree is not going into it's provided narrow storage bag after scrunching it up to fit after Christmas. I will instead be buying a king size sheet (or donating ours) and drapinig it over and tying it up and setting it in the 3rd garage as it looks now.. That does sound like a great idea.. I mean the part about using our sheet so I can get new ones! always an angle if you look for it.

Well, I need to get some study work done, as much as I'd love to continue watching "lost worlds" on the History channel and the archealogical digs and finds of ancient cities. Amazing the technology they used to build the enormous structures down to ivory cups.. It's also one way to travel to places you couldn't possibly ever do on your own, although I'd like to see some in person. I am thankful for the History channel.

conversing on employers

Today at the office we were discussing employer types, pros and cons of working with and for them. We shared instances;

One type is the employer with no people skills, has angry encounters in dealing with situations, lack of integrity, poor business practices, and yet expecting you to show up for work with a terrific desire to make them successful while incurring demeaning comments, degrading reviews.. The adult acts like a bully and the young adult doesn't react well to it. Toxic. Desiring you to want to excel beyond what they train you to do or are allowed to perform and than they degrade you for not being there yet.... This individual claims to be christian, yet they do not exude any bit of Jesus. Pay remained minimal, which went along with being told your replaceable, worthless..... After the end of the relationship, they still are out to slander you to future employers with complete untruths and to acquantances. But they seem the worse for wear in that they have a life that is bitter and sad and not so profitable. The ex employee struggles afterward for awhile, but is relieved it's over.

On the other hand, a different employer in the same line of work.. Lays out what is expected of you, treats you respectfully, pays you a terrific wage and a look into what the future could hold for you in the long run. You work hard and are rewarded quickly in pay. They than ask if you will purchase some of the tools for yourself for the job to be a lead, consider a bigger truck to pull a trailer and than give you a payraise toward this end. Will you work 8-12 hour days - yes gladly, sometimes weekends- yes gladly. They teach you every skillset you are not strong in presently, they train you to do more skilled craftsman features like staining wordwork, building vanity furniture, tiling.. overall, they make you a better employee by bringing you along for the future of yourself and for the success of their company. They hold business dinners, including you in discussing how well they/you are doing, new jobs they have coming up and that they want to help each of them to make a good living and are very pleased with the way they all work together. The bonus is that they are Christians who model Jesus in every area both on the job and in private life. They mentor and encourage, hold a weekly breakfast bible study with the employees. This same individual is a better person, and is highly motivated to do better in every part of his life. And the company he works for is completely blessed by the Lord.

We all have Jesus name on us, do we wear it well and reap blessings.. or do we wear it poorly and reap despair? It is our choice and an important one for many of the fruit of the spirit; joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self control..

Monday musings

alrighty, as the day is winding down, for me it's been a busy stressful day in-between the wakeup alarm melody at 5:30 & the foggy walk of 2. miles and the ending walk with the hubby of 2.2 miles after his dinner.. I've been walking daily (minus a few must miss days) for about 2 months now and had lost 15 lbs, eating lean cuisine for lunches, and avoiding the vending machine and fast food... I than put 5 of them back on and so am now stepping the exercise up a notch and will add some variety in the garage using the punching bag and weight bench... Looking to get back into "fighting shape" for middle age life creeping up on me...

The Christmas season at my office only had to make moderate changes for peak season that started today for the fluctuation of post Thanksgiving shipping and will continue for the next three weeks. So it's a bit busy today in getting the appropriate materials created over the last two weeks posted for employees to route the brown boxes to the correct destinations and computer training re-worked... So ship UPS we are ready to handle your packages no matter what you need BROWN to do for you!

I received a voice mail from the surgeons office today, that they had received the denial letter. She said they weren't surprised, usually denied once. The Dr. will be dictating the appeal letter and the negotiations will begin. She said hang in there, there are confident that they are this far with it.. and will let me know when it is completed and sent out.

and now a shower and crawling into bed are the only things left on the agenda! good night