Designed by Renee

Designed by Renee
This is Renee Johnson Nasser's website for her jewelry business. Please check it out. She has a lot of neat things. I really love the few necklaces I bought at her open house this month.

GO DUCKS GO.....

Hi Everyone! The Ducks won tonight! We were so excited to be able to be back at the Pond (now the Honda Ctr) after 10 years!! It was so much fun to be sitting in the big arena again. As soon as we sat down, there were two guys behind us that were really into the Ducks and kept yelling out stuff. We knew right then that we'd be entertained to the fullest. It kind of reminded me of the guys that used to sit by the Smith's SC seats way back when. They were pretty funny. They both sounded like the big guy that sat at the bar on Cheers and did that funny spot on SNL ("The Bears") I kept thinking in my mind that they were saying "The..Ducks" hahaha

Work is going pretty well, but it's been a little crazier than usual because we are in the middle of remodeling the office. No one knows what is going on and the planning has a lot to be desired. Basically, we are just waiting for the word that all of the patients will need to be rescheduled on a moments notice. That is never any fun. We do these Nuclear studies there and all the doctors are on rotation for certain days of the month. One of my Dr.'s only has one day a month, so to resch someone, it would be at least a month later. You know there are going to be people ticked off about that. Oh well, that's the least of my worries. Today, one of the patients just saw me in the hall and started complaining about how long he was having to wait. I went back to my desk and told the other ladies in the front that he looked at me and must have seen a huge EAR. hahaha I guess they just want to complain to someone. Just another day at the mill as we say. The lady that sits next to me, Carol, calls our office, "As the stomach churns".

Have a great weekend everyone! Keep the sunny side up at all times! Love you all.

My Leprechaun Name Is:

Plucky O'Fiddles

What's Your Leprechaun Name?

I'm not sure I like it now??!! hahahaha

The weekends are soooo nice!!

These days I'm just living for the weekends! I don't know how long I will be able to handle this position at work. Some of the ladies in the office DO NOT get along with each other and because I'm new (neutral) I've been getting each of the "sides" thrown at me.

Thursday was an interesting day in that one of the ladies I'm mentioning has been "buddy buddy" with me and saw me sitting in my car at lunch checking phone messages. She came up to the window, so I rolled it down to see what she wanted and she asked if she could come in! I wasn't quick enough with a response, so I said sure. Now, I'm getting her monologue about the office from her point of view for as long as she's worked there (2 yrs). It was a surreal experience wondering how I was in this situation with a person I've only known, in passing, at work for a few wks. Of course her motive was to get me on her side of the office gossip mill. Unbelievable!!!! It's crazy in that place. If I'm not hearing about how poorly someone works, then I'm hearing the Dr's complaints about how he is being treated by everyone. It's a juggling act at best and I really don't know how much longer I can keep this up.

Jim might be able to create a position for me at his office doing property management. He thinks it would provide me the experience to make a real career out of it. Sounds good to me.

I went back to WW last Saturday and was down 1.4 lbs. from my last weigh-in (which was in Dec!!!) hahaha I hadn't been to a new meeting since moving here. WW has it's own store here. It was really nice. I bought a pedometer that converts automatically to activity points. I haven't been eating all that great this weekend, but Monday is a new day.

Jim and I are getting excited about going to a Ducks game this Fri night. We haven't been to see the Ducks since before we moved to Kona. We get so thrilled about being able to do the things we always took for granted when we lived here before. Have a great week everyone!!

Gettin back to the GYM!!!!

Hey folks, I've got some exciting news! Jim surprised me on Tuesday when he left work early, visited both 24 hour fitness and LaFitness and got us up and running at LA Fitness. I went last night for the first time and really like that place. It is so clean and updated. All of the elyptical machines were so new I almost didn't know how to run them. I got on the treadmill first (which has its own fans built in to cool you down) and then scoped out the next available PRECOR elyptical machine, jumped on that and finished up burning about 250 calories for the first night. I've got to slowly get back in the game. It's shameful that I waited this long to join. It helps being employed again!!! hahaha

Work is going pretty well, with only a few minor glitches here and there. Boy, I've never worked anywhere before that had so many women working that would nit pick and talk poorly about one another. There was a huge row today with the lady that sits next to me and one of the nurses in the back. All I can say about it is that I was frozen at the fax machine at the time....hahaha I can laugh about it now, but it got a little intense!! What would I do without this drama???!!!

Tonight was the last night of the piano fixing that turned into a long drawn out ordeal. I'm so glad it is all finished. The guy that's been working on it is from Finland and might not be aware of our customs here regarding showing up when you say you will. He was here on Monday night for 3 hours fixing a solenoid that wasn't working. Then, he saw that he hadn't finished the foot pegs on the bench that needed to be polished, ok, ok, another visit. I want to just say, it's an old piano bud, it shouldn't shine that much anyway!!! I didn't say anything, but he wanted to come back the next night at 7:00 and it wouldn't take more than 30 min. Ok, so Tuesday came and I get a call at 8:50 - he wants to still come by??? Unbelievable!!! I said it is way too late. I had to go to the bathroom and couldn't in case the doorbell rang. Jim has had meetings all week. What a nut case! As it turns out he came by tonight at 8pm instead of 7:30 and finished up in 30 min. Dang, I'm glad that's over. By the way, he started this project of cleaning/polishing/tuning, etc. the piano around the 3rd week in January!!! I never want to see this guy again. Can you blame me. I'm going to find someone else to tune it again in a year.

That's my latest saga - thanks for reading. It's helps to get that off my chest. I'd have you all rolling if we were in person and I was giving you all the "blow by blow"! hahahahaha

THE BITE-PLATE IS GONE!!!!!

Hey everyone, the bite-plate is GONE!!!!!!! I haven't been this excited about something in a long time. haha It feels so great to rake my teeth over my tongue again. The weird things you miss huh?! It was a nice day out in the desert, but pretty hot. It was 95 degrees! Mom/Dad you left at a good time I think. Dually and the kitty were doing fine and I filled up their water bowls and food, gave Dualla a "cookie" and let her lay out in the sun for a little bit. She loved it!

After my tooth adjustment, I stayed at Dr. Shibata's and talked for awhile and then we all went and had lunch at Sammy's Woodfire Pizza. Shared a spicy Thai Chicken pizza with Laura and some Edamame (soybeans). Gina Shibata actually worked for one of my Dr's at Long Bch Memorial 28 yrs. ago. Very weird. By 4:00 my teeth were so sore I knew it would be oatmeal for dinner. Even better than oatmeal is having icecream for dinner. I've only done this twice since the braces went on. I have power chains across both the upper and lower arch all the way across to close up the spaces and the bite-plate is gone forever!!! I can talk and sing and not sound like an idiot!!! Yeah!!!

Jim and I just got back from seeing Breach at the Bella Terra (our new favorite theatre). It's at the new shopping mall area off of Beach and 405. The Cheesecake Factory and Buca di Peppo is there along with dozens of good eateries and shops. I love finding new places to go. I want to "be in the know" when it comes to just about everything I think, but especially when you're in new surroundings to find your sources for things is a great feeling.

I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing Sunday of rest!!! Oh, Jim surprised me and had the house all clean when I came home. VERY NICE!!!!!! I love that kind of help!

IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!!!

It has been way tooo long since I had a new entry, but I'm still adjusting to my new job. Things are going a lot better, but I still carry a bit of dread thinking about going in. I don't know why I do this except that my perception of things can get way off I think.

A few weeks ago in Relief Society, the teacher said something that really hit home for me. She said, "We don't see things as they are, we see things as WE are." How true is that!!?? The way we feel about something is in direct relation to how we are "seeing" things at that moment. I know when I've heard about trying to not react to something that is negative because you have a choice really makes sense.

I hope everyone will have a great week. It would have been Steve Dawes' 38th birthday today. It is also my "Sunny-Girl's" birthday too. She is 9 yrs old. I hope she's still kickin it with Rufus-Henry in Kona. I'm sure they're doing great!

I set the alarm for 6:10am and got up to do my kickboxing that I taped from the FitTV channel. It was pretty good, but I can tell I've been out of it for awhile. I wasn't able to do the entire 1 hr routine, but I did 25 min of cardio and then abs and stretching. It was a good effort for the first time in 1 1/2 months!! I'm so ashamed of myself! This is what happens when you move out of your normal routine.

Let's all re-commit ourselves this week to a healthy eating/exercising routine. I know the rest of you are all doing it, but I need to say this to help me do it! Hey, this Saturday is the day I get this stupid bite-plate out of my mouth!!! I can't wait!!!!! What shall I eat after this??? hmmm??? Jim said he's going to take me to Rocky Mountain Choc. for a candy apple when these braces come off this summer. YEE HAW!!!!

I'm looking forward to our R.S. birthday dinner this Tuesday night. The ladies in my ward are sooooo nice and fiesty too! I love it! They said that I wouldn't be able to really know them unless I came on Tues night to see them really PARTY!! This was the R.S. President speaking. She used to be the Stake RS Pres for many years.

Keep up the good work everyone! Love you all!

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!