Stimulus Package

Yay! I just read on irs.gov that Jeff and I will be getting our "stimulus package" on May 16th! Such good news! I had seen a different schedule earlier this year that said that we wouldn't get our "rebate" until September since the last two of my social is "94" we are at the very end of the list. But hey, it's $1200 free bucks! Though I know where $826 of that will be going - to pay for that root canal from yesterday... Yow! My mouth hurts something fierce today - if you ever have to face a root canal, I would suggest that you have your tooth pulled instead! Seriously, it was NOT fun!
Today has been a roller-coaster of plans... my dad called at lunch time to see if Jeff and I wanted to fly to sunny California for Jeff's birthday. I was all for it, and called Jeff to see if he could get the time off. We both got Monday off, then my dad said he needed to make sure he was allowed to fly, so then the trip was tentatively on hold. Then my dad got clearance to go, but they wanted to wait until next weekend since it is my sister's husband's birthday then - it would be like a double celebration. The only problem is that Jeff has month-end next week, so he could not get the time off. So - we're back to our original plan to go to New York on May 8. Though my mom & dad and sister & brother-in-law and nephew might be going to New York too! (Don't worry Brandi, if you're reading this, they'll get a hotel room.)
So, it looks like we're set up for another restful weekend at home - which is just what I want/need! Though in the conversation I just had with Jeff he mentioned that maybe we should clean our house... yeah, we probably should, but it's so not fun. We'll see. Happy Day, it's 3:35, and I only have 25 minutes of work left today! Yay!
Have a great weekend, and if you end up going to California/Disneyland, I don't want to hear about it. :)
Loves, Rachael

When it rains it pours.

Yeah, so I woke up this morning to SNOW! What the crap??? It is supposed to be Spring! I am sooooooo sick of winter/snow/cold/having to wear socks & shoes! Last night Jeff and I walked to the mailbox to get our mail and I didn't wear any shoes. It was wonderful! Though Jeff will tell you that I said "Ouch" quite a few times - which is true - I LOVED being shoeless. This is one of my most favorite things about Spring/Summer/Fall - I get to wear sandals and flip-flops! (I wore sandals today anyway because I can't stand the idea of socks and shoes again!)
So, I've had a little earache for the past week and decided I should probably get it checked out - it was getting progressively worse. Turns out I don't have an ear problem at all, I have a sinus problem. It also turns out that it is a good thing that I went to the doc because one of the medications I am taking for my hives (haven't had them for a week now!) is an immunosupressant. So my doc prescribed me antibiotics, gave me some nose spray and ordered Mucinex as well. AND she said that if I ever start to feel even the tiniest bit sick I should come in to see her so it doesn't develop into something worse.
I get to go see the dentist again today to finish my root canal...not so much fun, but I'm glad it is finally getting finished - though the $800 bill is extremely undesirable. I have spent a ton of money getting these teeth straight and healthy - my smile is worth the expense.
So last night I was all primed to go to bed at 10 again, but then we watched Star Wars III, and then I couldn't fall asleep, so I ended up not falling asleep until 12:30. BUT I didn't have any caffeine after 5:30, and I noticed that I slept better once I did get to sleep, and I have only been a little drowsy at work today.
On a side note - I love Thursdays. I used to think that Friday was the best day, and maybe it still is, but Thursday has moved right up on my list.
Okay, I better get back to work.
Loves! Rach

Happy B-earth-day

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. I also just so happens to be Earth Day. Same day, every year - Mom's birthday and Earth day. So we went to Training Table (a Utah original) for dinner and had famous cheese fries with the Ultimate dipping sauce. My younger sister, her husband and son were there too. I got to sit next to the little one - he's 16 months old, and therefore got the duty of dipping his fry in the sauce over and over and over again. He would suck the sauce off and hand it back to me without eating the fry. I tricked him a couple of times though by getting a bite-sized piece of chicken and dipping it and when he went to grab it, I just shoved it in his mouth and said "What a good boy!" and clapped, so he ate it. My sister had dressed him in the cutest sweater vest that had his initials embroidered on it. Every time I get to see him it makes me want to have a child. He is so adorable, and all boy!
So my new job is so great! I am having such a good time learning so much! I haven't had to go to one meeting yet! Yay! I love just being able to do my job. Now if I could only get over this mid morning drowsiness life would be perfect! I told myself that I was going to go to bed at 10 last night, but then Jeff and I watched Star Wars I and II and all of a sudden it was 12. Oh well, there's always tonight, right?
I better get to that work.
Loves! Rachael

I hate being talked to like I am a child!

Okay, so I lost my new badge for work. I know, I know, I've only worked there for a couple of weeks, HOW could I possibly loose my badge already? I don't know! But unfortunately the fact of the matter is that I have lost it. So I walked in the building and straight to the Security desk and inform them that I have lost my badge and need a new one. The girl behind the desk asks for my name and when I give it to her, she says "But you're a brand new employee! How could you have lost it already? Okay, I'll give you a new one. But you better not loose this one, these are EXTREMELY expensive and practically irreplacable. I'm going to make you one, but understand that these are EXTREMELY expensive. If you find your old one, please bring it back to us as it can be used again."
Then she haughtily hands me my new badge as though I were simply careless about my badge and basically a complete idiot. RUH!!! Hello?!? I am an adult here, I do know how much these badges cost (I used to be in charge of them at another job somewhere else.) And yeah, they're expensive, but you just gotta go with the flow, people lose their badges sometimes, it's going to happen whether it is that persons first week or they have been with the company for 17 years.
Plus it is not like I was purposely being careless. I just can't remember where I put it when I got home from work on Thursday. I wish I could just visualize myself taking it off and setting it ... WHERE? Dang it!
Jeff and I talked about traveling to New York this coming weekend for his birthday, but it turns out my boss is out of the office until Friday of this week, so I can't ask if it is okay for me to have the time off before I need to book the flights. So... it looks like we won't be going this weekend afterall. But we are tentatively looking at the weekend of May 8th for a reschedule. Here's hoping that I can get the time off. :)
Loves, Rach

Sunday Morning

Now that I am back in the working mode I have been unable to sleep in. Even on the weekends! I LOVE sleeping, so this has been a very weird development. Yesterday I woke up at 6:45, and today I woke up at 7:00. I am so used to sleeping on the weekends until around 11 or 12. (It's two minutes to 12 right now and Jeff is still snoring away.) Anyway, I have all of this extra time and I'm not sure what to do with myself. Oh, there is plenty of things for me to do (it has been WAAAAY too long since I last swept and mopped the kitchen floor), but this is my day off - my day to relax, okay, so I'm just not motivated to do anything productive.
This morning I got an email from Geni.com reminding me that Jeff's birthday is on the 27th, and I thought it would be fun to check things out on my family tree - how big it has gotten in the last year and a half. Geni is a way cool site. You can network with your family and get info on the latest happenings. My mom created our family site last year in February and now I have information on fourth cousins twice removed, it is cool to see all of the connections. I recommend checking it out. :)
Okay, I think I'm going to go wake up my cute husband and tell him I'm tired of him sleeping all day long. Have a great Sunday!
Loves! Rach

Ah, it's been a week.

Well, I've officially made it through my first week of work. I spent the first four days almost constantly online doing training and learning very interesting stuff about power. Thankfully the last couple of days I have been doing my actual work - I mean the stuff they are paying me to do. It is SO fun!!! I am learning so much, and feel really good about the work I am able to do. I guess in those five months that I sat at home I forgot that I am pretty knowledgable about some things. I have been so exhausted when I get home though - I had gotten really used to those afternoon naps. :)

My new visiting teachers came to meet me today. I'm always so unsure about what I should say/do around new people, especially Mormons. I have a very good understanding of the LDS religion - I should, I spent 23 years as a very devout member. When I was a young teenager I went to church every Sunday by myself - my parents/family were going through a period of inactivity, but I knew that I should be at church and not out to eat or at a movie with them. I lived the high standards of the church - very strictly. I was considered a "Molly Mormon" which in Mormon terms is one of the people who seem to do everything right. I even went through the Temple when I was 21. So, it is awkward when members of the church ask why I am not active now. It is so confusing to know what I should and shouldn't say. I don't want to affect their beliefs or freak them out, but the truth is the truth, right? Thankfully I didn't get this question from the new visiting teachers, just a short message about marriage.

That's all for today. :)

Blissful Happiness

I don't think I have been so happy in my entire life as I am at this time. Sure I have problems, who doesn't? But I have finally found the love of my life and he is the most amazing man in the whole world. Everything else just falls in the background when I think of him or am with him. We could be doing absolutely nothing and I would be in heaven just because I am with him. He takes such good care of me. Today my hives returned in a REAL bad way, and when I got home Jeff rubbed Icy Hot all over them. He kept sneezing because it is SO very pungent, but he didn't let that stop him. He opens doors for me, he lets me have the first bite of our dessert, he listens to me, he holds me when I need it, and he loves me. Sometimes I wonder if it can really be true.
And his family is so great. All of them. I truly feel like part of the family and very loved.
Life is wonderful.
Loves! Rachael

Happy Days are Here Again!

Do you ever get little phrases from songs or movies stuck in your brain? It happens to me ALL the time - next time you see me, ask me what song is running through my head at the moment and you'll be surprised to hear me start singing it. :)
Today - in comparison to yesterday - was absolutely WONDERFUL! First I have to start off by saying that my most darling husband brought me home the most beautiful roses and plant for my desk at work last night. He is so so so very good to me. Then I dragged him to yet ANOTHER doctor's appointment - this time the PCP for an increase in my thyroid medication (it showed up on those tests from the rhumetologist). ANYWAY - my doctor is the most wonderful healthcare provider I have EVER known, and believe me I have known a LOT. The nurse that had been working with her for the past 10 years died last month in a motorcycle accident in Hawaii. So we chatted about her and how different things are without her there. We talked about the kid who was screaming his head off when we arrived and how she was teaching him that he doesn't always get his way. We talked about how happy Jeff and I are and about her kids, and an hour and a half later Jeff and I walked out the door. Well, we waited for 30 minutes before she saw us (obviously she tends to get behind), but we spent an hour chatting like old friends. It is so cool to me that my doctor actually CARES about me - not just physically, but about my life and my mental well being. So, she actually wrote me a prescription for a second thyroid supplement which she said to take in the morning and at lunch and that I would feel a burst of energy. Boy was she right! I have not had this much energy in YEARS! Wow what a difference! I even spent the whole day training by myself on the online courses the company offers, only talked to about three people all day (which includes Jeff and my boss). I learned so much about electricity and regulations and safety and Access and Microsoft Project and the company. If I had had to do that yesterday, I would have surely fallen asleep.
ALSO - though I woke up with a half swollen eye from the hives here it is 11 hours later and all that are left are mere shadows of the hives - that new medicine is working!!!!!!!!!!
AND - my boss said he is totally cool with me working a flexible schedule. Today I went in at 7:45, took a 15 minute lunch and got to go home at 4:00!!! I can really get used to this contracting stuff!
OH, and I stuck with the low-calorie food plan all day today and have already had 6 of my 8 glasses of water... Man, what a great day!
PLUS, tomorrow is Friday and it will be the weekend! YAY!
Loves, Rachael

Have you ever had a Terrible, Horrible, No-good, Very-bad Day?

Ever since I was a little kid I have always wanted to use that phrase from the book - I don't think today qualifies to that level, but it was close.
1. Woke up at 6:00 AM from a TERRIBLE nightmare including me having to confront people I know about their poor attitudes and ending with one of them trying to shoot me. It was so real, I woke up crying and had to wake Jeff up.
2. While straightening my hair with the curling iron, I bumped my forehead, so now I have a pink mark on the right side of my head about the size of a quarter.
3. Traffic. I was all set to be to my new job early, but ended up walking in the doors at 7:59. (At least I wasn't late)
4. Had to have my picture taken for my new badge for work - I looked okay, but remember the quarter on my forehead? Oh, and not to mention those extra pounds I packed on while I was on steroids earlier this year. (The plus side to this is that in a couple of months from now someone will see my badge and say "Whoa, you don't even look like the same person.")
5. Hives. Very, very, very bad outbreak today. I tried so hard not to scratch while my new boss was explaining things to me, but sometimes I just couldn't help it.
6. Had to request time off on my very first day because
7. I chipped a huge chunk of my tooth off last night and had to go have it fixed today.
8. On my way out of the building, I began falling half-way down the stairs (this is my biggest fear in life - ask Jeff) but caught myself slightly so I ended up only
9. Hitting my head on the wall
10. Twisting my knee
11. Twisting my ankle
12. And breaking my brand new sunglasses that I have gotten so many compliments on.

1. One positive thing is that I was able to slip in a visit with the dermatologist and she is putting me on cyclosporin to HOPEFULLY clear up the hives.
2. My new job is Great!
3. My new boss is so cool!
4. I'm eating peach sherbet!
5. The dentist gave me some Lortab for my tooth pain - which is also relieving my headache. :)
6. It's 5:30 and Jeff will be home soon.

I'm crossing my fingers that my second day might go a little bit better. :)
Loves, Rachael

YAY!!!

And the verdict is... absolutely NO abnormalities in my tests other than that my thyroid medication may need to be increased!!! So it's great that it is not an autoimmune problem, now if I could just figure out what is causing these darn hives, that would be great! I borrowed a book from the library today titled Beat Your Allergies it contains 52 ideas, so I'm sure there has got to be one that can work for me. :)
I start my new job tomorrow. I'm a tiny bit nervous, but really really excited. Five months off has been quite excessive and I am looking forward to being back at work full-time. FINALLY!
I am also starting a new weight-loss program tomorrow. (I was supposed to start it at the beginning of February, but not having a structured schedule, I found it too difficult to have self-control.) So now that I will be working full-time again I will have the strutured time I need to be successful. :)
Wish me luck!
Loves, Rachael

Feeling much better. :)

Sorry for such a downer post earlier - I guess it finally sunk in today that my dad has cancer - a sometimes deadly disease - and he is literally fighting for his life. That all too familiar "Oh, no, I cannot deal with this - this is too much" feeling came over me and I cried while I was writing. But now, thanks to my wonderful husband and his parents, I am feeling much better. They offered a different interpretation to the dream - he is being asked if he is ready for this fight, to win over cancer. I like that much better and am choosing to believe that is what the question is about.
In other news, yesterday my sister and brother-in-law mentioned that they had an ongoing disagreement about buying chocolate protein powder since it was so expensive. My sister mentioned that she finally gave in last week and they bought a huge bottle from Costco. The funny thing is that Jeff works for a company that deals in powders, and he can get it for free. So today he came home with a HUGE box of chocolate protein powders and we dropped it off at their house. They were surprised and pleased - I love that Jeff was willing to do this little thing because he loves my family too.
Also, tomorrow I have my follow-up appointment with the Rhuemetologist to see what the latest round of tests have to say. She said that she doesn't think it is dermatomyositis (what the dermatologist thought it might be) but instead thinks either it is not an autoimmune problem at all, or it is Lupus. I'm voting for it to not be an autoimmune disease, and simply an allergy of unknown origin. I'm crossing my fingers (and my toes and my legs and my eyes - what else can you cross?). I'll know more tomorrow.
Well, we got invited over to my sister's house for dessert - so I'll be off, just wanted to let you know that I'm much better now.
Loves! Rachael

Are you ready?

Jeff and I get to visit his parents usually every Saturday, and then get to spend time with my parents and siblings on Sunday. I know I have only got three posts on here, but a ton has been going on in my life, so this will probably seem kind of choppy, so I am sorry I will try harder in the future. Anyhow, earlier this year my dad was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. I was actually with him the day he first found out there was a problem. He needed someone to drive him home from his colonoscopy, and my mom was terribly ill with the flu, so I was recruited. It wasn't a problem for me since I have been unemployed for the past five months, and was easily available to help out. So - after his procedure, the doctor came in to meet with me in the waiting room and said that there was a "mass" which he was pretty sure was cancerous, but that my dad would need to meet with an oncologist and have some more defining tests done. Then he said, we should go tell my dad the diagnosis together so he had some support for the news... I was the very first person to find out he had cancer - even before he did. Surprisingly, I was not nervous or scared in the least bit. I just had this feeling of calm and belief that he would make it through the treatments and come out fine on the other side. I have continued to feel this sense of peace throughout the past couple of months - until yesterday. We were all sitting around in the family room of my mom and dad's house and for some reason the topic of dreams came up, and my dad told us that a couple of days ago he had a very vivid dream of simply a voice asking "Are you ready?" over and over again. So, naturally I immediately think that it is a spiritual sign asking him if he is ready to die. My sister jokingly said that he should carry a sign with him to bed every night that reads "Hell NO!" And we quickly left the subject, but it has been festering in my brain ever since that moment. I simply cannot lose my dad. He is one of my best friends, he has always been there for me - even when I have made EXTREMELY stupid mistakes and have hurt him badly, he has been forgiving and loving throughout my life. He is my daddy. The main man in my life for 28 years - my example of unconditional love. I love him so much. EVERY time he sees me he hugs me and kisses me and lets me know that he loves me, even if I am just dropping something off and am just there for a second. I know that there could be a million interpretations to the dream, if it means anything at all - it's just scary is all.
Jeff's mom is a breast cancer survivor, she had stage 3 cancer too - about 10 years ago and had a double mastectomy, but she made it. She survived. I hate that she had to endure that, but I am grateful at the same time because my Jeff knows what I am going through and is such a wonderful supportive husband. He told me that he was so afraid that he would lose her before he found his wife and she wouldn't get to see him in a happy stable place. He understands so well how I am feeling from a child's perspective. I am so very glad that she is able to see us so happily married and in love. I am so glad I have a mother-in-law that is so much fun and so thoughtful and loving. I so hope that we will have many more years where we both can enjoy our parents-in-law, and share our lives with them.
Anyhow, this is my message to our Heavenly Father - My dad is one of the most wonderful men I have ever known. He may be ready, but I am definitely not. Besides, my dad deserves to get to see his future grandchildren whom he already loves without even knowing them. He deserves to have so many more years of life with my mom and my siblings and myself. So if the plan is for him to die soon, please re-evaluate this - I need him. My mom needs him. My siblings need him. His grandchildren need him. His siblings need him. His parents need him. We all need him here. Please. Please. Please.