Happy PRESIDENT'S DAY!!

How wonderful it is to have a paid day off after my first week of a new job. It couldn't have happened at a better time. All of the learning and concentrating that goes on learning a new job, last week felt like 6 wks!!

Jim and I were commenting on how we are starting to miss the "pace" of the desert and how we did enjoy living there for that reason. It was a smooth transition for us coming from Kona. I think I'm going through some "normal" anxiety after going through such a move, house stuff, new job, etc. I'm trying to remember that these feelings are normal and I need to give it some time to adjust.

Jim really helped out in the house this weekend unpacking even more boxes and organizing things. He's very good about setting out to do it and getting stuff dealt with. I think I gave up on it a little and need his help. I've been sick this whole weekend and am very thankful I've had this time to get better instead of heading off to work masking my symptoms with Sudafed!

Today is a much better day even if it is raining here. I love the rain and I know we really need it badly right now. I'm doing a little cleaning/washing and then sitting back down for awhile to rest. It feels good having things get cleaned up.

This Wednesday a group of Jim's pilot friends are all getting together for dinner at Lawry's. There will be 8 of us going. Should be a real rip-rourer with Rene' Silverman there. She can send a normal festive gathering to a whole new level (good and bad) hahaha. It will be great to be with old friends again. When will this feeling of being "out of the loop" go away?? I'm so impatient with it. Please give me some of your wisdom.

Have a great day everyone! Love you all.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Ok Steph, I've been officially tagged....

6 Strange Things about me: (This won't sound strange for people that know me well).

1. I will sometimes take 2 showers per day (in Hawaii sometimes 3). I have to feel clean unless I'm camping and I will do my best under those circumstances.

2. I ride a motorcycle (I would own a Harley and get fully decked out in "leathers", going on long trips if I was tall enough to sit on one.)

3. I love guys (just Jim) with gray hair and some lines on their faces. (Mom, you too??? hahaha)

4. I get depressed when I HAVEN'T been to the movie theatre in awhile (meaning longer than 2 wks). Jim and I feel exactly the same on this one. If we haven't gone on the weekend because of other committments, we'll go after work just to get "a show" in.

5. I hate to go "shopping". If I need something, I will go to the exact place where I know I'll find it and then buy it and GO! I don't like the wandering, feeling the stuff, aimlessly looking for things. YUCK! I'd rather shop online and never enter a store. (I have to say I'm liking the trying on of clothes a lot more now since WW changed my life! haha)

6. When it comes to food, I'd be such a happy camper if I could take my stomach to a "filling station" and be done with it everyday. (I guess food has been the enemy too many years of my life.) If I could come up with a better way to get together with friends than to meet for food, I'd really be happy!!! Weird, huh?!


The things that I love.....

1a. My loving husband Jim - he really takes great care of me and loves me back!!!

1. Having all of my family together talking and having fun!

2. I love the feeling of getting into bed clean and with fresh sheets! Also, to always have my bed made up.

3. The smell of bread and cookies baking in the oven.

4. Golden Spoon yogurt (small size with Peanut Butter & Cake Batter with Reese's peanut butter cups on top!) YUM

5. A clean & freshly shaved face to touch.

6. A clean house that smells of floor cleaner! (Having a maid is nice too!)

7. The smell of the ocean breeze and watching the waves crash - it is soooo relaxing!

8. I love really scary roller coasters. The scarier the better. Especially with big drops that make your stomach fly up into your throat!

9. I love Saturdays when I can get up, put on jeans and t-shirts and just play the entire day (which means we'll be going to the theatre for a movie!!!)

10. I anticipate that the feeling of having these braces off will top my list!

It's been a very nice day!

I was able to meet Marilyn & Coopie for lunch today at El Torito off Weir Cyn. It was so great to visit with Marilyn like the ol' days. It was short and sweet and probably my last "out to lunch" with her for awhile since I'm starting my new job on Monday.

Jim had an annual meeting tonight so I'm here by myself and I get a knock at the door and I can tell there's 2 people standing there. From the dining room I said hello, but no sound. Once I got closer I could tell that the one man was wearing a white shirt and tie. Oh, it must be a missionary. I'm still a little freaked about living in a new neighborhood and with Jim being gone, I locked the deadbolt (you have to use a key to lock/unlock it). So I grabbed my keys and opened the door. One missionary and the brother from my ward that teaches the gospel essentials class. We met at church on Sunday and he's a convert (about 1 year) and I told him that Jim was not a member. It was nice that they came by and the missionary offered his services if I needed some boxes moved or any help with the moving process. They are both very nice. I did tell them that they scared me because I wasn't used to having people come over. At least they got me off the couch and motivated to tackle a few more boxes which I did.

Jim is going to be home earlier than expected so that is great! It's awfully quiet here without him.

I'm planning on going to the LA Temple tomorrow morning for a session so I can be back before the bad traffic. Wish me luck with that one. The traffic here on the 405/605 seems to be a little more routine than say the 91. I know I just haven't lived here long enough.

Grammy did manage to congratulate me on my new job, but I know it was hard for her to say. She really doesn't like the fact that I'll be working. Oh well, life has to go on....

Have a great weekend everyone. Love you all!

I GOT THE JOB!!!! YEAH!!!

Hello everyone, I just had to let everyone know that I got a job finally. I know it hasn't been that long since I started looking (2 1/2 wks), but sometimes it feels like forever.

I sent my resume out to this cardiology office on Monday and got a call back that same day. I spoke with the nurse doing the hiring and we set up an interview yesterday morning at 10:30. It went very well and she wanted me to meet one of the Dr.'s I'd be working for. He was busy at the time so I agreed to come back later that day. He was really nice and we had a nice chat. Then, the nurse called back 1 1/2 hours later to offer me the job. When we spoke, I mentioned the planned BYU Women's Conf. so she said she would speak to the Dr. about it today and get back to me. Needless to say she just called and it's a GO! I'm so relieved that I can stop doing this interviewing stuff! I hate this whole process. I'd rather be working for years and years at a job that I only kind of like instead of this process. I'm a freak I know. hahaha

The best part about this job is that I can wear scrubs to work if I want. It's an option which is nice.

I'd better get all my laundry done and errands run while I have a few more days left of FREEDOM!!!! Marilyn and I are going to meet for lunch tomorrow off of Weir Cyn. and I'll get to see Coopie too!

Hopefully everyone is feeling better today! Thanks for all your support. Love you!

Happiest Place On Earth!

Jim and I just got back from Disneyland tonight. We had so much fun! Jim left work a little early so we got there about 5:00. There wasn't any crowds and we just walked on several rides, had dinner and then came home. It was so much fun. Being able to go to Disneyland was one of the line items on our "Pros" list for moving here.

I checked messages when we got back and I received a "call back" on one of the resumes that I sent out this afternoon. To have someone call back that fast - wow I love that. It's for a front office position at a cardiology office near Memorial Hosp. in Long Beach. They would like to interview me tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Wish me luck!

I'll give an update tomorrow.

A few more before and after shots....

Seeing these before and after pictures keeps me thinking of how far I've come and to not lose the momentum.

What a fun weekend!

Well it's back to reality unfortunately! Dad and I went up to Steph's this past weekend and had a great time. It seemed like all we did was eat and yes, the scale proved this. Uh-oh, it's all veggies for the next few days before "weigh-in" on Wed am.

I'm still on the job hunt and it's a little frustrating for me. I really do dislike doing interviews! I sure hope that it gets easier and less frightening. I need to relax more and just be confident in the fact that I can do these jobs with my eyes shut! I have more than 18 yrs. experience and I'm nervous going on interviews. Something is wrong with this picture.

Today I've been going through more and more boxes, trying to sort out the garage sale items and the things I want to keep. The problem with the latter is where to put it. This will be my life for the next several weeks I think, so I should be greatful that I have time to do it.

Thanks again Steph, Todd & the kiddies for such a wonderful time. It is always fun and relaxing at the same time. I really needed it!! Have a great week everyone.

Job hunting has begun....ugh!

This will be short and sweet, but I wanted to get everyone up-to-date on things here in SB.

Sunday was my first day at my new ward and it happened to be Stake Conference. Our building is the stake center for the Long Beach East Stake. There are about 10 wards that make up our stake. Our building only has 2 wards that meet - Los Alamitos and Seal Beach wards. We meet at 9am, so Jim will be happy about that. He can't wait for me to get back and spend the day home with him. I've told him that he could be sitting with me almost all morning, but that still hasn't been "flying" hahaha. I'll keep trying.

They had a wonderful stake choir that sang about 4 numbers and they sounded sooooo great. The volume and quality of the sound was enormous. I got there at 9am and sat and listened to the choir practice before the meeting started. A lady sitting in front of me was commenting on how they sounded and I agreed with her and said that I'd love to be up there singing right with them. She said I should go up and I quickly informed her that I had just moved into the area and didn't know anyone. She took down my name and number and said she would give it to the director (who was a close friend of hers). I ended up going up after the meeting and introducing myself to the director to let her know of my interest in singing in the choir. Our stake has a special temple day in LA to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the LA temple. Our stake will hold a special meeting in the assembly hall on the 3rd floor and the stake choir will be singing. Yeah!!!! I will be right there with them!! I can't wait.

This afternoon I met with a lady at the employment agency who I was referred to by a woman at Jim's work. The lady at the agency was so nice and it really turned out to be a great experience except for the numerous tests she gave me. I hadn't worked with Word or Excel in such a long time, but I scored in the high 80's on both (a little higher on Word). I was shocked! The test kept saying incorrect a lot and giving another shot because you can do the same thing different ways on those programs. I was happy and she said she'd be calling some of her clients to schedule interviews for me. I feel relieved that this initial meeting today is over. I hate taking those tests on the computer that they give you.

Well I thought this would be short and sweet, but I guess my fingers are typing faster after that test this afternoon. hahaha

Have a great week everyone and I'm looking forward to Thurs. to go up and see Steph. Dad is coming too!!!

Still unpacking...

Hello Peeps!! I'm back online as of this morning. It sure feels great to be back able to communicate with everyone.

It is especially nice that the temp outside seems to have raised slightly. It was 62 at lunch today and I didn't need to wear my scarf and jacket until I walked into the Albertsons. It was like a meat locker in there. I almost lost my rings! haha

Jim has a meeting tonight so he'll be home late (10:30) so we met for lunch at Hof's Hut on Bellflower near Clark. Do you remember that place Mom? We have been trying to meet outside of downtown LB because of how costly the parking is. Crazy.

I tried out the Gold's in Huntington Beach yesterday which was just ok, but the best part of the trip was the drive home up PCH. We're going to be canceling our Gold's membership because the one across from Jim's office is old/rundown and it's in a scary part of town for me to go to at night. I'm looking into trying out LA Fitness on Valley View in Garden Grove (8 min drive) or the 24 hour fitness on Katella in Cypress (10 min). I need to try out the classes especially and make sure they have the elyptical? machines.

In the front of my mind is the issue of finding a job and getting my resume updated and printed. It is on the other computer that needs to be set up. I'm dreading having to do an interview with this appliance in my mouth making me sound like a person that never even got near a school EVER. haha It is a little disconcerting at best. Jim just tells me I shouldn't worry about things I have no control over. I told him that if I did that I wouldn't be ME. We had a good laugh over that one. Of course I'm a worry wart - I've had the example and training of someone who is better at this than me. Her ability in this area is unparalleled!!! I love you Mom and everyone else. Thanks for your love and support of me.

I need to give a special thanks to my Mom & Dad and Danny & Chad for the great help they were to us over this past weekend! I will keep trying to repay you all for your efforts - we could NOT have done it without them!

Still moving.....ugh!!

Hi everyone, well I'm still moving....ugh!! This is the pits! I am excited about being near the beach again. Just yesterday while going from store to store to try and get operational, I walked out of one store and had that ocean salt breeze hit me and it really brought a smile to my face. I'm feeling a little lost going back and forth to the desert (to get my car worked on - long story) and will look forward to just being in one spot.

To make a long story short, the u-haul truck did not hold absolutely everything so we have another trip (or two) to make to get everything moved. What a drag, huh?! On a better note, the piano will be moved tomorrow morning from the garage into the house and installed properly. That will be nice and will free up the space in the garage to organize the storage of boxes that we have. The best news is that a brand new washer & dryer will be delivered on Friday!!! I've never been so excited about a washer and dryer before until you don't have one and the piles of laundry just keep getting bigger and bigger everyday.

On Monday evening my baby dogs got their first walk in their new neighborhood. They were so excited of course and kept jumping up and down from the raised lawns that everyone put in. The homes in the neighborhood were built by S&S (same as 391 Jennifer) and to look at the front doors and those long door handles takes me back to 391 instantly. It's kind of a nice reminder of those days long ago.

I could be out of email reach for a few days so bare with me folks. Looking forward to blogging more often. Love you all!

It's officially "GO TIME"!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

I'm hoping to get back on a regular blogging schedule after the move and unpacking gets finished. I do enjoy having the time to write and communicate with all of my family and friends.

The packing is in full swing with some "lulls" throughout this weekend. Jim and I have enjoyed spending time together even if it is to watch a football game together, which we love doing. I still have my closet to tackle and pack up and I'm procrastinating on it. I need to get busy and get it done so I can relax and watch the Rosebowl!!!

It was a sad day at church because this will be my last week in my ward. All of the primary kids gasped when they heard and then they all started to say, "wa wa wa" as if they were crying and then the sunbeams all started to rub their eyes. It was really cute. They really wanted me to know I'd be missed. I always have mixed feelings about moving out of wards that you really like. I know that I will meet new friends in my new ward in Seal Beach. I do hope that I can possibly involve Grammy in our ward activities. I'm praying that she'll be receptive to that idea. I know that if I try to get myself involved in doing service in the new ward, I'll be able to meet people and make friends faster.

I will be anxious to get this "bite-plate" out of my mouth so I can start singing again. I really want to go back to Harborlites and join the chorus again. They won their region 21 competition last May in Phoenix and will be competing again at the International level in Calgary in October 07. My goal is to be there with them on the risers in Calgary!!! Hey, I will really need a warm parka if we're going there!! (Every summer here in the desert, I talk about wanting to be on a freezing cold mountain somewhere wearing a "PARKA" hahaha).

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve everyone! Let's make some lasting memories this next year!! Love you all!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Thanks to Marilyn, Greg & Family for offering their beautiful home for all of us to come and be together in total comfort! We love your new place.

Thanks to Mom and Mike for helping me pack today - it really got me into the groove and got me rolling. I've got 9 more days to have everything ready to go. I'm very excited to be moved and living with Jim again all week long!!

Sorry this is so short, but there's lots and lots of work to be done. It was wonderful seeing all of my family this Christmas except for Steph's Family. I'm going to really try and get up there right after the move. I'm dying to see all of you.

Love to all!!

It's been a great birthday!!!

Thanks everyone for all your great birthday wishes. It really was a nice day. Jim came home from LB on Thursday night so he brought lunch to a park near my work and we ate along with the dogs. They had fun sniffing new territory. It was so nice and sunny.

Jim bought me a special scale for my birthday which calculates your weight, body fat%, water%, daily caloric intake, and metabolic age. I haven't read enough to fully understand the metabolic age yet, but it was very interesting. I stepped on it tonight and it said I had 27% body fat, 50% water, my daily caloric intake (if I'm doing high impact exercise 4-5 times/wk) should be 2300 calories and my metabolic age is 28!!! YeeHaw! I guess anything "28" is good! hahaha. This scale could take me to a whole new "weirdo" level in keeping track of what I'm eating and how much exercise I'm getting. It makes me want to work out more which is a GREAT thing.

I need some input about which picture to use as our Christmas card this year. Please give me your feedback as to which one. Thanks!! Love you all!

Just thought I'd start to get over this dumper I've been in and start taking control over how I feel. Thank you all very much for your thoughts and prayers on my behalf - they have really helped and I'm feeling a lot better now.

One year on my birthday I went into work and said to myself, "I'm not going to let anyone ruin this day for me". It is that exact attitude that is getting me out of the lull I have been in this last month. It is Christmas time and it's about time to start remembering what this season is truly about. We are celebrating the birth of our Savior and I am going to try to be more like him each and every day. I love the feeling of this season that brings strangers and loved ones together.

I might have to rely on my acting/dramatic skills in keeping a smile on my face, but having that smile will keep me feeling better.

I love all of you and hope that this season brings you so much joy and happiness. I am so thankful for my family and friends and the relationships that I share with them.

Prayer request.....

Hi everyone, I haven't been able to keep up with my blog lately. I've been getting very stressed about my situation here with moving and needing to rent my house.

I'm asking that you keep me in your prayers over the next few weeks. I feel very overwhelmed and finding it hard to concentrate on anything else. It's taking up all my energy. I've been praying that someone will come along and rent our house so that we can either be here or "there". It's hard to plan anything or get excited about Christmas time. Maybe I am just mentally/physically tired and these feelings are getting away from me.

Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully I will be feeling better. It's hard not having Jim here to share in the worries that surround this situation. I will be going to see some houses in Long Beach and Seal Beach on Friday (taking off of work). The rent for these places is sooooo incredibly high. I don't think we can do it and not have this house rented. Jim spotted a place in Seal Beach that he really likes and we feel like we need to grab it because the good ones are hard to come by.

Thanks again for all of your love and support of me. I really do know that you all think of me often. Thank you.

It's Turkey Week!!!!

I am really looking forward to this weekend and Thanksgiving. Jim is insisting on cooking a turkey on Thursday so I did the shopping tonight. It's very weird to only be cooking for the two of us, but it would be too hard to have a big showdown knowing I'd have to clean house again on Friday. I'm hoping that I'll be able to just relax since it has been hard to do that around here lately.

We've had to keep the house in spit-shine condition for any prospective renters. Just picking up after ourselves constantly is making me sooooo tired all the time. Not to mention that I've been staying up late since Jim has been gone during the week. I will really try this week to get more rest. I really need it.

Sorry for the short post, but I'm really pooped right now. Love to you all and looking forward to seeing my family soon. Yeah!

A small milestone today!!!

Well everyone, I feel I need to share with all of you a success that I experienced today. Of course this has to do with my WW goals. This morning I weighed myself and it was at the lowest I've been, so I decided to get the old dress out of the closet and try it on again. The dress is what we wore at Marilyn's wedding when I was at my fittest. I WAS ACTUALLY ABLE TO BUTTON ALL THE BUTTONS ON THAT THING!!!!! Unbelievable! Naturally, it was butt tight, but it was all buttoned up and that just made my day. I guess I need these kind of
"markers" to make myself believe that I've really done something here. I had been getting a little down on myself over eating too many candies the other day and to get that dress to fit, just put all of that in its place. WW is the key people!! I know that it works because I'm living proof. It's not just about the points, but paying attention to their "tools for living" really helps out too. We all know that any weight problem we have starts and stops from the neck up. Boy, isn't that the truth. Keep up the good work you fellow WW people!!

I'm so excited that it is Friday tomorrow and Jim will be home by the time I get off work at 3pm. I miss getting the hugs everyday. One of our 10 year old patients came in this week and gave me a hug when she arrived and another hug when she left. What a sweetheart - it really made my day. I don't get too many hugs around that place! hahaha

Have a great weekend everyone. I love you all. A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Austin today!!! I look forward to seeing him on Saturday for his party. I haven't bowled in years and I'm really excited about it! Thanks Mr. Audie!!!

I've been out of touch....

Wow, it has been too long since my last post. Things here have been much different and it's taken me awhile to adjust to my new situation.

As you know Jim is working in Long Beach, CA during the week and he comes home on the weekends. The first week he was gone felt very strange, but I've noticed this week seems to be a lot easier for me. At first, I would stay up too late every night. I'm really trying to get myself in bed with the lights out by 11:00.

My office hasn't found anyone to replace me yet, so it's status quo for now. That might not be a problem since I feel like I could be here until spring. hahaha Jim seems to think that this place will be rented shortly, but I think he's just trying to be extra positive for my sake.

Every morning I go through the same drill in trying to keep the house nice and neat in the chance that our agent will show the house to a prospective renter. I am getting used to keeping the bed made, bathroom counters cleared, and the dogs stuff put up.

Our primary program is set for this Sunday and I have to practice the piano this week so that it isn't a complete failure (only for my part of it). I get really nervous and miss notes and fumble around on the keys if I don't feel prepared. Please pray for me to do well. I hope Mom can come to our meeting???? Hope you all have a great week.

Today's picture was taken from the plane flying over Alaska & Canada on our way to Japan.