I found my keys!!!!

I was sooo stressin yesterday and the day before, cause I couldn't find my keys. It had our mail key, shop key, house key, and all my little tags like Borders, Staples etc. Oh mun! I knew it was in my parents car but it was hard to tell cause they're all the way in Vacaville and we're here. Well, we went to pick up AJ last night and yup..there it was in his car seat.

I'm just glad I was able to find it, cause it would've been such a hassle to have to rekey the whole house, shop, and get a new mail key. For a second there I thought I was losing my mind with being pregnant and all. Now all I gotta look for is the 415 cell phone. Ugh!

Best Baby Shower ever!

THANKS SOOOO MUCH TO JOCELYN & OLIVER...I got my very first baby shower! Well, as for those who don't know I didn't get to have one with AJ cause he just decided to come out early!

The shower was this weekend, and there was just enough people to play games, and great food. I had so much fun! I was so excited Saturday morning that I woke up like at 5:45 AM. OMG..hella excited! I was excited to actually have people play games and eat and get gifts. My cake turned out really nice. I liked it. I mean it was different, the toping was thick cause it was fondante ( I think I spelled that right) and the cake isn't to sweet. Well, I need to upload my pics soon. I have no internet at home right now cause COMCAST sucks! I guess we're all of a sudden in the red zone and we're not getting any service. UGh.
Anyways, Thanks again Joce and Oliver! You guys are the best!

My Pool Guy

The pool is crystal clear!!!!!!!!!! So yesterday Tuan and the kids jumped in. I mean the pool went from green to cloudy to crystal clear. I'm sooo glad I have a husband who knows how to do things around the house. He's not only a cook, a mechanic, but also a pool guy!
Oh yea, I can't forget, he use to do flowers hahaha..

Prepared Childbirth

So we took a Lamaze class, it's every Tuesdays from 6:30-9:00 PM. And this past Tuesday was our first day of class. Oh my...it was interesting. There were hella people in the class like at least 30. I just felt hella mooded cause we forgot our blanket and pillows.

Anyways, we were the first ones to introduce ourselves..Tuan got all nervous. And they asked who was considering an epidural or not, or whose undecided. There were only three of us in the class that said unmedicated. The rest were unsure cause some lady talked about her colleage having to walk with a cane and having back problems after her epidural. I'm still for my decision to NOT get an epidural. Out of all people, I'm afraid something like that would happen to me.
And they also asked who was having a girl, boy or a baby. The girls blew the guys out of the water. They'll be a lot of girls born this year!

So our teacher went over some things and we even watched a video. She even mentioned the movie Knocked Up and how they show her crowning, but this movie...man..talk about seeing the whole thing! What was kinda gross about it is them showing the placenta coming out! Ugh! But it was towards the end of the class..I'm just glad the movie's not no 1980s version.

Well, I'll be bloggin more about these classes as they come along..I thought it would be boring, but it's actually not that bad.

Shop Responsibilities

I really want to stay home today and just clean house and do my scrapbook(s). But nope, I can't. I got up about half an hour ago, AJ's still sleeping and hoping I won't be needed at the shop. Mind you I haven't really been in since I have doctor appointments left and right. But, I'm not really off from the shop since I'm doing other things.

The original plan was for me to take Wednesdays off, and actually just be home and do home things. Chores, cleaning, filing, laundry etc. But nope, AJ has school, I have a dr. appt, and/or something else comes up. I'm just glad I can take AJ to Borders on Wed and get him a new book.

Well, today I have all kinds of things to do at the shop. File stuff away, input data, complete ROs. And what's going to be annoying about it is that I also have AJ to tend to, and/or just having to put him in front of the TV. Which I totally hate to do.

These are some of the reasons why I want to go back into the corporate world and just be away from home and away from AJ. Don't get me wrong, I love being able watch him and be there for him and be mom, but I do need a break sometimes. I've found scrapbooking as my thing to do cause it keeps my mind busy and I like to do it. I also found reading as my little get away. But even then, I still need that break away sometimes. (Sigh)

So many responsbilities...this is my life I guess.

Noggin

If you're a parent with DirecTV or even Comcast or cable period, you should know what this channel is. Noggin seems to be on our tv almost all the time. Sad I know. But other then reading, playing with cars, AJ loves watching Noggin. He calls it (and the tv even mentions it) his preschool show.

He even remembers the songs from Little Bill, Wonder Pets, and the commercials of Moose A. Moose and Zee, and can't forget Wow Wow Wubzy.

I mean, its cool that they play reruns and sing and stuff. But sometimes I wish they played a new episode and/or new series of shows. Maybe I should search Noggin online and make a suggestion?

It's so funny though, when we're done watching our show, AJ will ask us, "Can I watch Noggin?" And when we don't turn it on to that channel he starts throwing a tantrum. Ugh, that's what I hate. So then we end up just not watching at all and he just starts looking for his Thomas train book(s). Oh child...the things to deal with watching him sometimes.

Reading

So I'm currently reading two totally different books that are sooo unrelated to one another. I just finished reading The Wedding by Richard Sparks. I'm now reading Outlaw Biker and Belly Laughs! Hahaha. Funny I know. One book about the life of a harley rider whom is (or was) a president of a biker club in Minnesota to the laughs and realities of being pregnant. At least both will keep me entertained.

I just started reading Outlaw Biker and so far so good. I like the language in the book, because it sounds like someone telling me a story as if they're reading their life to me. I haven't started Belly Laughs, but will later on tonight.

Speaking of reading, I just bought another book today by Emily Giffin. It's called Love the one your with. It's hard back, and I didn't think I would actually by it, but it was on sale..so I did. It better be really good! I liked her other book Baby Proof. That was one I actually couldn't put down, so I'm actually looking forward to reading this one. I still haven't read Something Borrowed from her..maybe that'll be my next purchase.

The cool thing about going back to reading is AJ is getting into it too. I take him to the kids section and pick out a book for him. I'm really mainly trying to find books with minimal words but like one to two sentences. I wish I kept my old kids books from long ass time ago. I never thought I would have to use them again..but now that I have a child..it's important to me that they get into reading.

Anyways, it seriously took me like 3 weeks to finish reading the Wedding, but it was a really good story. Very sweet and romantic. I loved the ending. If anyone has any suggestions on good books to read, please let me know. My mind is up to it..just no horror stories please.

50 degrees to 100 degrees

OMG! It's hella hot! I swear like a few nights ago it was only 50 degrees outside in the evening, with a slight breeze..comfortable enough to still wear just a t-shirt, if not w/ a light jacket. This morning when I got up to leave to take AJ to school...it was HOT! And this was around 9ish in the morning. Big change.

Well, I'm hoping this pool gets all sqaured away like tomorrow or something, cause I wanna jump in! The summer came too early..we've had a pretty dry year. Which is okay, but I know it's not good.

Well, the long weekend is coming and the baby shower is coming too. I'm anticipating those weekends will be really hot..hmm..being pregnant, with 100 degree weather. Oh mun!

Template

I'm trying to change my template to something out of blogger and I can''t do it. Ugh! I was given blogskins.com as a suggestion, I guess I just don't know what I'm doing.

If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I thought it was as easy as myspace, copy and paste..unless I'm not copying the right things.

So much for leaving early

Ugh! I'm still here at the shop, and I'm starving! I was suppose to leave at around 4ish, if not actually around 3ish..but it never seems to work out that way.
Anthony's cousin Rachel is back in town from Turkee, so she wanted to see us and have AJ and Mia-Mae play but around 2:30 I already knew I couldn't leave yet. And yup, I'm still here!

Sometimes, it's nice to just be able to say "hey I'm going now" when that actually happens. But earlier today when I really wanted to say and do that I couldn't. What put the icing on the cake was AJ was acting up and there were customers here. ERrrrr. Sometimes I just want to pinch him sooo bad, but I can't do much since people are around. It's just frustrating and tiring to deal with a lot all at the same time.

Well, now I'm just waiting for Tuan to get back. He went to pick up a car, and I think a customer too. (Sigh) Things to do when you're a business owner. Well, the only good thing about hanging out right now is AJ's asleep. Except I'm really hungry. I just ate a TV dinner (lame, I know). I wanted to go home early and cook some Kare-Kare. Yum! Oh well, I guess I'll do that tomorrow. Or maybe later on tonight so there's lunch for tomorrow.

Starbucks Traffic

I can't believe I actually sat in the Starbucks traffic drive thru line...and they ended up getting my order wrong. Ugh! I went to the Starbucks by Walgreens and Wells, and the line was at least 10 cars long, maybe longer after I had gotten in it. It's sad that AJ knows to ask for chocolate milk and cookies everytime we pull up to a Starbucks (whether its a drive thru or not).

Well, they got my drink right..Which is good. And I've been craving for a bagel and cream cheese..and they were out. OH well, maybe tomorrow.

Grey's Anatomy night!

I'm sooo glad there hasn't been any reruns! I so look forward to Thursday nights now that Grey's is back on. So far, so good. I'm still going to buy the season on DVD since there was such a big gap with reruns.

I'm such a big fan of this thing that I actually took the Grey's Diagnosis

I almost forgot how to put a link up..hahaha..but yea..the character I'm most like is...

MIRANDA

"If anyone needs anything done they come to you. You're responsible, capable, and fantastic under pressure but you have to make sure you don't give so much of yourself away that there's nothing left. Make some time for you and your family while you can. "

I think I took this test before but never blogged about it...and I was the same one..Well, gotta get back to work.

Making time for my hobby

I really miss doing my scrapbooks. I haven't been able to do them in a while since the shop opened. Its funny how now I have the time to read (which is like everynight before bed), but no time to do my scrapbook(s). I really want to go back into doing them. I still haven't finished Isabella's that I was suppose to do last year. Ugh!

Well I just bought some more scrapbooks cause they were on sale at Joann's so I really am going to get back into the groove of doing them this week. If anything I really need to set a schedule for myself. Like from morning, noon, and night.

I have so many pictures to print too..that it's crazy! I'm also planning on taking pictures, maternity and family pictures, so I really want to be able to put those either framed or in a scrap book.

Goal for this week (NOTE: FOLLOW UP NEXT WEEK)
Make time for my hobby (0ther then reading).

The Joy of Pregnancy

Just my opinion...

It's crazy how often I have to use the bathroom...even in the middle of the night..

Waking up still tired from sleeping at night.

Getting cramps in the morning, then they go away with a glass of water..which will lead me to using the restroom again.

Not being able to take a nap after having the first child.

Always feeling hungry, yet not knowing what to eat.

Too many things on my mind..shop, AJ, house stuff, taking care of myself.

Taking myself to my appointments and not being able to take a nap in the car on the way home.

hmm..anything else.

Cat got Jacked

So not too many people know that the Toyotas have one of the most profitable, expensive catalytic converters. Tuan and I were just talking about how people get theres stolen, cause I guess it's really easy to take. And for just one of them it's like $140.00 if you get it welded, and like $1400.00 to get it replaced at a dealership. Hella money!

Anyways, I borrowed my dads truck for the shop. So this morning as I'm leaving to get things going for the day...the truck sounds like a diesel! Hella loud! I was able to drive all the way to the shop and at Pauls shop (Specialized Exhaust)..but man, I was sooo paranoid. Someone straight jacked the cat from the car in front of my house. Ghetto! Ugh, so my cat got jacked.
What's wierd is I was pissed off but actually calm all at the same time. I just couldn't believe it considering we were just talking about it.

Break Time

I'm taking a quick break from house cleaning. Man, do I feel tired. I'm not even half way there. Well I started late too. AJ and I stayed at moms house and just got back around 1ish. I was debating if I should take a nap with him or not. I ended up not, but watched a lil tv and then started putting things away. Anthony's out on a date w/ Ian. They were suppose to go riding last weekend, but it didn't happen. So today he went riding with him.

I've been searching for my old list of books that I wanted to read on an old blog and I guess I can't find it. Either I wrote it down somewhere and really didn't post it and/or I don't remember when I blogged it. I'm such a nerd, I know.

Well, I have to start making the invitations for the baby shower that's happening in Joanne's house. I might wait on them, cause I think it's going to be the end of June. I still have a few to send out for the one at Joce & Oliver's house. I'm soo excited! I know I've probably repeated this several times..but since I never got to have one for AJ it's great to actually have one for this baby coming. I think I'm actually going to have fun with a little girl. :)

Okay, break time's over. I know it's pretty short. But I better get up now or I'll be online forever! haha.

Photogenic baby

I have more pictures of her! I haven't uploaded them yet, but I will tonight.
I have to go in every two weeks to get an ultrasound to make sure that the baby's blood is flowing properly in her brain. When I got sick earlier this year, I ended up catching red blood cell antibodies. I'm fighting them off, but I have to be monitored to make sure that she's fighting them off too.
I was told that with being monitored, they have to also make sure that she does not become enimic. So she gets to take pictures like every two weeks.

Its crazy cause the only ultrasound I have of AJ is a crotch shot. Now with this baby I'll have a whole album before she's born! I hope she'll like the cameras :)

The Play Pen

The Pack'n Play-Emelia -$109.99

The Car Seat

Baby Trend Flex Lock Infant Seat-$89.99

The Stroller

Baby Trend Deluxe Sit and Stand Stroller-$159.99

Registries Complete

I have been meaning to get my registry done for my baby shower since last week. I finally was able to do them today. (Sigh) I think this is the first time I had the invitations out before completing the registry.

I didn't register for to many things. I might even delete some things from the registry. I know that I just had to scan what was really important vs. just "cute". I'm just really glad I found the stroller that I wanted. And it's at Target!! It's a dual stroller and it's inexpensive. I really hope I get it (hint hint) to anyone reading this. ;)

Well, I know that it's important to make sure I get the stroller, the car seat, and the play pen with the changing table. For me that seems to be the most important. I mean of course there's the pampers, the batch tub, etc..but I need a car seat to get around. A stroller to push around while I'm getting around...and the play pen to have downstairs.

Now that the registies are over, gotta order the cake...this time I'm wanting to get it made.

24 Weeks woohoo

I have been so nervous about not making it to 24 weeks..and finally as of last Saturday I'm exactly 24 weeks. Woohoo.

For those who don't know, AJ (our first born) was born at 24 weeks exactly. He was only 1 Lb 9 ounces...yes my miracle child. And now that we're pregnant with the second I'm just worried that she'll come early too. They say once a preemie, always a preemie. But so far so good. Now all I have to do is countdown.

I'm due on Aug 18th..so I'm half way there. 16 more weeks to go..

Paying Attention

Ugh...first blog for the day and it's a frustrating one. So there's a light where the new Grant Line/99 construction where you go over the over pass. There is a sign indicated above and the light is green and the ARROW on the light is telling you to go STRAIGHT. So I'm on my way to the shop and there's a Honda accord in front of me signaling to turn left, where HELLO it clearly says not to. So a tow truck in front of her turns and she can't so she goes straight. I had my window rolled down already prior to us stopping at the light. I hate it when people talk shit and it's there fault and their windows closed. Ugh..I mean, it's bad enough I had to be somewhere but not paying attention to signs and causing traffic is another thing. I mean, c'mon now. It says NO LEFT TURN. Like two bleepin signs. People who don't pay attention while they're driving should not be driving at all.

TIRED taking over

I have been soo tired lately that it's not even funny. Well, I know it has a lot to do with being pregnant and all, but man I don't remember being this tired. I guess it doesn't help when I have a three year old running around, plus doing my best in helping Anthony at the shop, plus playing housewife and mom, plus being pregnant. Ugh..

I always feel like I'm ready to take a nap. Like just now, I was able to sleep in this morning since the kids (Katie & Angelique slept over) were still sleeping when Anthony left. So you would think I would have a lot of energy. But nope...I got up ate breakfast, fed the dogs, fed the kids, tried to put some stuff away, and now I'm at the shop. I'm ready to lay down again. LIke to seriously go and lay down on the couch and start snoring away.

I have an appointment coming up at three and if I don't have time to take the kids back home, I have to bring them with me. Plus I don't want to be late. The appointment shouldn't take that long (crossing fingers) I hope not. Well, gotta get back to work. Phones ringing. (Yawn)

San Francisco

Lately we've been going to the city. It seems like something's always coming up. It's crazy! It started with our anniversary, and then weekend after weekend..we're there.
After our anniversary in March, we had to go back and drop off Tita Teresa's car to her cause we had it for a week for Anthony to fix. Then, John's in-laws car needed a tranny..and then, Drew's Bday party @ Blush, then Kaitlyn's Bday and then John and Vanessa's Baby Shower!

So far this weekend, we have nothing planned. Well, I plan on getting things done for the baby shower coming up next month. But it's been cool just going to the city and just hanging out.
We've decided that this month, or no later then next month we'll be getting Fastrac. It's soo worth it and it doesn't expire.

Anyways, on Sunday after the baby shower we were trying to get some cakes at Dianda's but they weren't giving out any of the good ones. I didn't want to just come home and bring brownies. So Tuan decided to take us to Old Navy down town and we got a few things. I don't think I've ever been there. We also walked around Nordies for a lil bit, didn't buy anything. Just looked around. All I know is when I'm ready to go shopping, I'll be back there.

Well, in San Fran that is!

It's a Girl...

Books to Purchase

I have more, but I think this list is good for now. I've been stuck on reading lately, that I do plan to complete my goal of 15 books read this year. If it's more than that, GREEEEAT!

Names

We've thought of a few names. Came to an agreement for a boy, so here they are..

BOY: Lucas Anthony

GIRL: Arianna Marie (I thought of the first name, Anthony thought of the mid name)
Lauren Bailey (Anthony says this name flows way better)

We'll see...

Countdown...

So this may change after my ultrasound coming up on Tuesday...


Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

Baby Shower Event coming soon

Okay, so it's Saturday and I'm in Millbrae...I've been meaning to figure out a time when I can get all info together for my baby shower and I finally am able to now...hehe.

Well today is actually Dru's bday bash at Blush, and originally I was just going to stay home with AJ and Anthony was just going to ride his bike out. Well, change of plans. Mom called earlier and said she was going to be in town and was going to pick up AJ. Soo..hmm, should I stay home alone, nah. Anthony said I can just go and hang out..and here I am. Well they just left and I'm at the telly. It's kinda cool cause I can actually get some things done.

So back to baby shower stuff. Joce is going to throw me one in Stockton. I'm sooo excited! I didn't get a chance to have a shower for AJ so now I get to have one. It's so funny cause I was ready to throw one for myself. I've thrown several before so I already knew what I wanted etc.

Well, she's going to help with the main dishes and we get to have the party in her new landscaped backyard...Can't wait. Of course it's going to be co-ed. It's much more fun that way.
I just have to figure out what games to play of course.

Food is pretty much figured out. Hmmm..decor, I have to see what theme I want. And Tuan and I have to register at Target soon. Maybe next weekend. Cause I need to get the invitations out. Oh, this whole baby thing is now starting to get exciting.

Time for Myself

It's been so hectic and stressful lately that I don't know if I'll have time for myself.
Sometimes, as bad as this sounds, its like I forget that I'm 5 months pregnant. I've been running around for the past three days to appointments. On Wed an appt for babysteps at UCD, Thurs my prenatal appt w/ high risk at UCD, and today appt for Harley's ears in El Dorado Hills. My patience lately has really been put to the test. Cause along with the appts is AJ.
I always have to tell myself that God can't give me something I can't handle..but why is it lately it feels real hard. Am I envious of some things? Is something missing? I don't know.
I've also been stressed with the house. I'm debating about looking for another job, cause I don't know if I can just let this happen the way its going. Or do I just hang tight with the shop. I'm afraid that if I start working somewhere that its a negative for me to just suddenly go on leave in like 4 months. Or maybe sooner cause I'm high risk.
I'm trying my best to just relax. If only someone can do it for me. But I know I need to do it for myself and the baby.
Vacation sounds like a good idea right now..if only the money was there to have one.

Don't ever lose your cell phone

OMG! I have never had to deal with losing a cell phone until Tuan lost his phone. I have had to talk to like 4 different departments to just get helped at all! Ugh! I have a replacement phone coming, which is great, but at the same time, I can't turn on the phone I want to use to continue running the shop.

What totally sucks is that it's under the shop and not personal. I mean, you figure personal is more important, but when your business cell phone number is on your business cards...and customers call you, then there's nothing you can do!

This is so freagin frustrating!

What a great anniversay and a great weekend.

Well I didnt' know what Anthony had planned for our anniversary. He mentioned something about Sausilito, but we ended up not going. I didn't think we were going to go out on Saturday night because we were still open at the shop. Then we ended up driving to the city to eat dinner at Thanh Long. MMMM yum! If you haven't eaten there, the crab and garlic noodle is to die for!

So of course we had to order the crab, I had the drunken crab and Tuan had the roasted crab. I was only able to finish half of the crab. It was soo yummy. And I had room for desert. We of course had the fried banana w/ vanilla ice cream. Yum!
What's cool about that place is Anthony use to do flowers for the restuarant. So after we had paid he was talking to either the owner or the owner's son. He totally remembers him! He said, "hey you're the flower guy"..haha. I know sounds funny, but that's totally cool. I mean this was like 8 years ago or something like that and they still remember him from doing the flowers.

It was a great dinner, and then we were trying to figure out where we were going to stay. NO reservations, cause again we didn't know if we were going to go out the night of our anniversary or just the Sunday of Easter. Well, we went to like three different places around Lombardt. We were trying to stay around Union St cause of the Easter parade and I wanted to walk around there the following morning. What was funny is that we went to one place where we actually ended up staying and it was @ Chelsea Motor Inn. It was $96.00 for one night. So he said we'll drive around. I asked at Hotel De Casa and the guy told us it was $234.00 for a Jr suite. So I was like okay..that's a big jump. Hahaha. Anthony went to Motel 8 and the rep told him $119.00 and the room has a jacuzzi. Oh mun, we'll go back to Motor Inn. The hotel was pretty nice. Mind you these places we were looking at were like not even a block away from one another.

So Easter Sunday came...we had some coffee and walked around union st. Met up w/ Lisa, had lunch at Ling Nam...Yumm Pork Chopsilog. And then we ended up back at Union St walked around some more and then...went sight seeing. It was great to hang out and just have a night together.

We don't have that opportunity that often. I love my bubba...Thanks for a great anniversary and a great weekend.

Dizziness + Short of Breath= Asthma?

On Friday I went to my first prenatal appt and didn't even get a chance to really get to have it. I walked up to the third floor hoping to not be so late, and when I got up there (being voiceless and all) I was asked if I had asthma. Of course I said no, because duh, never had respiratory issues before.
Well, the nurse noticed I was short of breath and I had a hard time breathing. Well I have been sick for like two weeks. They asked if I could go to L&D, and I said I could just drive myself there. They escorted AJ and I downstairs and then when we got downstairs cause we were also looking for a wheel chair, I about near fainted. The nurse caught me and then I had to go back upstairs and they had to call the ambulance. OMG. They didn't want me driving with AJ and/or just driving myself literally down the street.

So they had me on oxygen and they checked my BP, and my BP was a high. The ambulance came and then AJ had to ride with me with a volunteer from UCD. The Fire Dept was there and everything..Oh mun! It was a little crazy. But AJ had a great time riding the ambulance.

to be continued...

Without A Voice

I was coughing so much that I lost my voice. I've been without a voice since Friday. Long time I know! I'm worried I might have strep throat. Well my appointment is coming up this Friday so I'll find out for sure by then. I'm tempted to make an appointment earlier w/ my PCP to see if they can take a throat culture.

Yesterday I went to do some errands just to get a way from the house, and some people were nice about my voice being gone while others were just mean. I couldn't believe it. Oh well, I didn't want to get all pumped up over someone being ignorant or just being rude. It's not worth my energy.

I'm really hoping I get my voice back this week. Being without a voice is so not fun. I feel helpless.

9 Possibly 10 Pups

I don't know if I mentioned that Kylie our American Bulldog is on her 2nd litter. She was breed on the 1st of Jan and is due to have puppies any moment. I took her today to the vet to get her x-ray and it showed 9 puppies for sure, and possibly 10. If she has 10, that's one more from her last litter.

She had her first litter on March 24 last year. I remember the date, cause it was the day we moved into the new house. She had a total of 9 and 6 survived. She did pretty good as a first time mom. I'm hoping she does the same this time around. It was crazy, last night she was restless and couldn't sleep. I took her upstairs and put her in her blanket and she went to sleep. I touched her belly and felt the puppies kicking. Totally different then from touching my own belly!

Well, after her xray they said she's due to have her pups this afternoon, if not this weekend for sure. One is positioned to already come out. Now we just have to wait.

Healthwise: I have NO voice what so ever! I hate it. I was in tears last night cause I just want to stop being sick. Well, I'm hoping I get my voice box back like very soon, maybe even tonight. That would be a miracle. Ugh...well, time to check on Kylie..the other mom to be.

Day 5, and still sick....so frustrating!

Ever feel like you've just been hit by a truck? (Not technically speaking). Well, since Monday that's all my body seems to feel like. This full blown flu I've got is just not gonig away.

Sitting down and just watching television is the only bareable position I can seem to be okay at. Since I am able to breath. Each time a cough comes out, which seems like every 5-10 minutes my throat aches and my shoulders sink. My arms although still attached to me feel like at any time they can just fall off.

The fever comes and goes. When it starts to feel like we're all done having a fever, a break of sweat starts again. This requires a change of my t-shirt and Tylenol. Then comes the cough and the blowing of the nose. My head starts to pound even after blowing my nose. And there's nothing else I can take but tylenol.

The medication perscribed for me doesn't seem to work the way I would like it to. The other night, I couldn't sleep at all. I got a total of 1.5 hours of sleep cause I kept waking up from coughing and trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep. I can't even sleep in my own bedroom. I found that I can sleep in AJ's room since the bed is higher and I can elevate my neck with tons of pillows.

I am hoping this goes away by this weekend. I want to be able to eat and enjoy my food. I want to be able to go around and totally clean my house. My poor house. Ugh...I hope this doesn't last me two weeks.

Nikki West

I have to say a very special thank you to Nikki West..

She's my new case worker for Medi-cal, and she is very sweet and sounds very concerned.
I had a different case worker prior to her named Jessica Jones, and when I was first dealing with her, she was a total headache for me!
I originally applied for medi-cal specifically for AJ back in June 07 since I knew that we weren't going to have our med insurance through Pacificare anymore. So then I've been waiting to hear something from the medical office here in south Sac. Then when I try to reapply for emergency Medical..the next day I get a call stating that I have a case worker named Jessica Jones and that I've been approved. So I was excited, and it took a load off me...

When I called Jones, she was a total b...ugh! She had total attitude, and was like "NO you aren't approved, I still need to go over your paperwork, and I have to file for child support and blah blah blah" I was so stressed with her. Cause then I wouldn't be able to get prenatal care.

So when I went to the ER of UCD auntie Tina told me to go the medical office there by UCD. I went and didn't realize that I would be seen by a manager. The manager saw me and she personally made a phone call to that Jones' manager. Oh mun! She also told me to leave him a message.

So that same day (Mon) I get a pleasant call from Nikki West asking for info to be faxed to her. Which I did. And then the next day (Tues) early in the morning, around 9ish (I say early cause I was so sick and had a hard time sleeping) she told me I was approved. She was so sincere about everything, that when she told me about the approval I was in tears. I was so afraid of being denied and having to find out how to pay out of pocket. But now I have medical!! For both AJ and I.

Thank you Nikki West. At least I know there's people out there who actually care and are not just working in that same department to deny someone help.

2 Days in the ER of Labor and Delivery

Well I'm home now. But we had to go back to UCD again cause I had shortness of breath, and my fever went up all the way to 104. Mun! I was never this sick while pregnant w/ AJ.
I'm just glad the baby's okay. I just hope this one isn't so sickly when he or she comes out.
I was on an IV last night and had to get xrays and even an ultrasound on my legs to make sure I didn't have a blood clot. They even had me on oxygen, and I even got a breathing treatment. I felt like AJ last night.

But I'm glad to be home now. I'm on some meds and an enhaler, so it's helping me a lot. The doc said yesterday that in a few days I won't feel like I've been hit by a truck anymore. And man, last night and this morning and a little bit right now..I totally felt like I was hit by a truck.

I'm just glad things are working out. I have to to just keep praying and hoping for the better.

The Announcement

All day today I've been in the ER, or actually the Triage at UC Davis Med Center. I've been really sick..flu like symptoms and just coughing up a storm. It hurts so much when I cough I'm actually cramping. Well, today I got to rest a little bit, had some IV fluids, and got checked. So far everythings good.

I have my old neighbors The Bamboa family to thank for that! Without them, I probably wouldn't know what direction to take.

This is my official announcement that Anthony and I are having baby #2! Yes sir! We're pregnant.

We've told almost everyone, except his sisters. I think he's going to tell them this week. I am so relieved though cause I got to hear the baby's heart beat and even got to get an ultrasound. It's pretty cool. I have to upload it and show the picture.

Well, I'm going to rest now. Its been a long day.

The Best Husband EVER

SO I was soo craving for Sbarro's pizza last night, and Anthony was still working at the shop late. I didn't get a chance to prepare for dinner, so I asked him for pizza. Well specifically Sbarro's pizza, which is all the way at Arden Faire Mall. I know hella far.

But he went and got some for me. I felt bad enough before with AJ when I was craving an eggroll from Jack in the Box, and that was local. But he really went all the way to Arden to get me the pizza that was left. He called me and said that he would try to make it to the mall before they closed, but I told him it's okay I'll just cook something real quick. But he really went.
So I got a combo pizza w/ sausage, pepperoni, mushroom and onion...and another slice which was AJ's on the most part sausage and pepperoni. Yum!

Now that deserves a BEST HUSBAND EVER award!

Thai Food

I swear we've been eating Thai Food like every freagin week! Our ultimate favorite seems to be Thai Chicken Fried Rice. Yum! I really am craving for the Thai food from the restaurant where Kat took me.
But the one here in Elk Grove will do for now. We ate there with ate and Glo about two weekends ago for dinner, and since then we've been ordering take out like there's no other food to eat. Terrible I know. But the spices and the the veggies are soo yum!

I guess it's either Thai Food or pizza. Speaking of pizza, tonight maybe I'll ask for Sbarro's pizza from the mall. That totally sucks that they don't have a store outside of the mall. I would so be there to buy there stuff crust pizza.

Thank You Janet..

Well I went from having a great morning, to a discouraged afternoon. First off we went to AJ's appointment w/ Dr Maulino to double check and make sure that he doesn't have an ear infection. Good news, he doesn't have an ear infection. We just have to keep doing what we're doing which is lots of liquids, tylenol, motrin, breathing treatments, and rest rest rest.
While AJ and I were waiting to be seen I get a call about the medical paperwork stating I got approved. So that was a big sigh of relief for me. I called the number that was given to me on the message (and I so should have left it at that), cause I called it back at 3:30 and just totally talked to someone who really didn't seem to care. Ugh!

I've been trying to get all this medical stuff taken care of so I could be seen and so AJ has his coverage. I'm trying not to get frustrated and just take things easy. Well, I couldn't help it but break down earlier to Janet. I was in tears just trying to explain how frustrating it's been just to get a medical number. I mean, I've paid into taxes and I'm not trying to get food stamps or anything like that. Just medical. That's it. I'm so thankful for Janet cause since we've found out, she's been helping me try to look for a doctor, or better yet a referral already. And she's just been my other ear when I'm just venting over things. I'm glad I have a great friend like her.

It's so frustrating though that I have to just wait and see if I get approved or not. What's crazy is that the case worker was trying to say I need to do this and that, and that since Anthony and I are married I have to rely solely on his income. Ugh! Well, all I have to do is pray. I know that's what I've been doing, and the answer will come soon. Like Janet said "things happen for a reason" and I believe that. It's just frustrating when it happens to yourself.

But thank you Janet for being there for me thus far. You've been so much help to me and Anthony from when AJ was born until now. I can't thank God enough to have someone like you as a good friend.

Several Roles

I noticed I haven't really had time for myself and I've just been swamped with everything from home to the shop. I was telling one of our clients that I play way to many roles in Anthony's life. I felt really bad today though cause AJ's sick and I was still at the shop trying to finish up.
Well, I was thinking of how many roles I really seem to play lately...Wife, Mother (to AJ and three dogs), Housewife, Office Manager, Admin Assistant, part Business owner, Bookeeper, hmm I think there's more but for some reason I can't seem to pin point it.
I totally don't mind it though. I totally see it as well worth it in the end.

Lately, it's been so hectic that I can barely sit down and enjoy my lunch. I've seem to be running erands like crazy wheter it's going to the bank, going to the store to grab something to eat, grabbing parts, grabbing something for the office etc.

To be continued...AJ's in need of laying down near me.

Scarfaced Harley

The other night, well on Sunday night after Lisa, Ning, Glo and the fam came over for dinner..we were getting ready to just sit and watch tv before we headed to go upstairs. Then I took Kylie out of her crate for her to go to the family room, and Harley still leashed up started following her and I don't know if she just got in her way but she got her. Oh mun! It was pretty nerve wrecking. AJ was crying, I was trying to pry her off, and then finally Anthony got her off. He literally had to pick her up from her collar to put her outside.
We have a big feeling that she's pregnant, so that could be one reason why we think she reacted like that. But now Harley has a scar under her eye. She's fine though. We were scared that she got punctured in her back, or she got bit in the eye. But she's okay now. Afterwards, we were haning out downstairs why Kylie was outside still in trouble and Aibo was sitting on Anthony's lap. Well, it was really his head resting on his lap. It's crazy cause I don't ever have to worry about Aibo doing anything or reacting to another dog. It's just Kylie. Ugh, my not so bright American Bulldog!

What a Monday!

Oh my..what a week. Well it really started on this Monday. Since it's our first year in the Yellow Pages, we've just been getting hits left and right! It's pretty cool though. But Monday was swamped!
We had someone come in for a 90K service on a Dodge 3500, a return customer came in and now it's a tranny rebuild, brake job came in, a walk in from the YP came in without an appt. It was just totally crazy! I even had to drive out to Rancho to pick up a part. It felt like a Saturday if anything.
I'm glad it's slowly starting to pick up. Which is good, cause that means everyone can get paid! Woohoo!

Crosswalk

Every once and a while, a seemingly-simple email comes around that ends up being quite profound. This is one of them.

Awesome!! We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we cannot. Whatever your cross, whatever your pain, there will always be sunshine, after the rain.... Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall; But God's always ready, to answer your call.... He knows every heartache, sees every tear, a word from His lips, can calm every fear...Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night, But suddenly vanish, by dawn's early light... The Savior is waiting, somewhere above, to give you His grace, and send you His love. May God fill your day with blessings!! Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!

Re-cap of the Weekend

Friday:
We had some great grub at the Ong Household! Thanks to Joce!! She cooked some steak and some garlic butter shrimp. Oh mun! That was sooo yummy. Especially the steak. We haven't seen them in a few weeks and it seemed longer than that. It's always nice to hang out and let the kids play while Joce and I talk. Haha..just every now and then make sure they're not fighting. Well, next round of Friday or Saturday night dinner will be at our house. I have to take advantage of the coupon from Omaha Steak before it expires. $59.99 for hella meat, some seafood and a cutlery set! Maybe this weekend, hmmm..

Saturday:
It was Jason's gathering so we closed up early and went out to the city. We left hella late. I almost didn't go because I left my wallet and Anthony was all mad that we were running late. But we ended up going still. We were suppose to go to Alvin's parents house for his surprise party, but didn't get to go cause we got there so late.
It was nice to hang out and just chit chat and laugh. I agreed that Anthony can do the drinking and I'll be DD. We hung out at Houlihans in South San Fran w/ Michelle, Christy came thru, John and Vanessa, and of course Jason. We were suppose to go the club, but we couldn't of course cause of Vanessa, I mean, I could have gone, but it was kind of nice to sit and laugh.
We got home at 4 AM, talk about late! Well, also considering the 2 hour drive home.

Sunday:
Super Bowl..yay my team won! I wanted the Giants to win and they did. We had some grub though. I wanted some ribs, so got some for like 1.27 a lb at Food co, some cornbread, potatoe salad, and Ate wanted some Crab so Anthony cooked that for her. It was nice to just be home and not do anything but cook on Sunday. Yay Go Giants!
My parents ruined the evening, but that will be another blog.

What a Monday Night

We were on our way to Roseville to drop off paperwork to Nikki, the one who got now has the old Integra..and our car broke down. Well, not technically broke down, but we our lights started dimming. AJ was all singing in the car and then the radio stopped working, then next thing you know the lights inside the car started dimming and then went completely out. I mean, we were able to make it to the exit of getting to her place..but it sucked that it happened.
I guess we can't drive that 83 Benz out far. It's so ancient, it's probably like "I can only go out during the day while the sun's out!"

Well, we had a good dinner. I was grubbin. We stopped over and ate at California Burgers. Funny thing is we didn't even eat burgers. We both ordered Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches, and ordered a side of Zucchini fries. Yum! The sandwich was hella big! It's one of those burger places that seem to serve everything though. There menu is totally random. It's from Mexican food, to burgers to breakfast, to dinners like pork chop and steak. But the food we got was good, so I won't complain.

We had to wait a lil bit and have Rob and Lisa pick us up. Then Anthony didn't want to leave the Benz all the way out there, cause the only other time we would be able to pick it up is in the evening. We went back to the shop to go back to Roseville. Talk about driving a lot after work! Oh well, it's okay. We had a good talk about all kinds of different things. Now, it's Tuesday...hopefully nothing bad happens today.

Interesting Reading...

"The Key To Succeeding In Marriage is not Finding the Right Person; It's Learning to Love the Person You Found!" DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON? By: Bo Sanchez

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, "How do I know if I married the right person?" I noticed that there was a Large man sitting next to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your husband?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?" Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind. Here's the answer. EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love... because it's happening TO YOU. People in love sometimes say, "I was swept off my feet." Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU. Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage. At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages break down. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment. Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this): The Key To Succeeding In Marriage Is Not Finding The Right Person; It's Learning To Love The Person You Found! SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't "find" LASTING love. You have to "make" it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression "the labor of love." Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM.. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work. Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage. Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable. .. you can "make" love. Love in marriage is indeed a "decision".. . not just a feeling.

Dog Show: Golden Gate Kennel Club

Last weekend we went to the dog show in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. We usually go every year, on a Sunday, but I guess we didn't go last year.
We got some pretty good stuff. We finally got a pillow for all our dogs. We originally had Aibo's pillow, and the lady remembers Anthony. He's been going to the dog show for like 8 years..that's crazy she remembers him. Well she remembers the dog breed, but now she knows Anthony by name. We didn't think that they would have Kylie on a pillow, but guess what they did! So now we have Harley our Doberman, Aibo our American Staff, and Kylie our American Bulldog on pillows. Anthony's aiming to get a throw blanket soon. Geez, can you tell we love our dogs!

We were able to buy some canned food, but it wasn't California Natural anymore. I guess they stopped selling it at the dog shows cause they lost profit. I guess that makes sense. But we got hooked up at the Nutro stand! Throughout the dog show they're a pedigree stand that gives out free samples of puppy food, and some dry food. There's also a stand that gives out samples from Nutro Natural Foods. So Anthony asked if we were suppose to start giving Senior food to Aibo, cause he's now 8 years old. And they said that after five is when you start giving Senior food. So the guy gave us a whole bag of samples! Yay! It had like 10 sample bags, hey.. And we got some puppy samples for Harley.

So now we're trying Nature's Logic for there wet food. I found out that there's a local store that sells it but it's actually in downtown Sac. After we got some samples from Innova, they gave us a listing and we found that they sell that brand here in Elk Grove. So the next batch of dog food we get for Harley and Kylie, it'll be coming from that store. Our dogs are sooo spoiled!

Well, I'll be uploading pictures soon..The mastiff either English or Neopolitan will be my next breed.

New mop..

I went to Wal-Mart today to get a space saver heater, and found a little one. It only warms up a small section of the front shop, but it works for now. So I wasn't going to buy anything else, but I figured I get a new mop. I couldn't find the refill for the mop for Mr. Clean, so I saw an all in one deal which had the bucket, the mop, and the wringer in the bucket.

So I used it this evening to clean up the kitchen floor. I loved it! Hahaha. I know that seems so lame, it's a mop so what?!? But I have this thing with cleaning and making sure my kitchen, bathroom floors are clean.
It's all apart of my whole new years resolution, to stay organized. And to stay organized, we must stay clean! I hella enjoyed mopping the kitchen floor. Afterwards, it looked soooo clean.
Hahaha.

Silly things we do to amuse ourself.

So goal(s) for tomorrow:

- Wake up early enough to cook a spam & egg breakfast. Yum!
Or better yet, even enjoy a bowl of cereal.

- Send out warranty cards for the shop.

- Complete all filing so paperwork from last week is out of the way.

- Make car payment, do some bill pay. Utilities are coming to be due.

- Get all laundry put back after work. Finished most of it today, finish the rest tomorrow.

- Buy a NEW planner from Staples, since Wal-Mart didn't have the one I get annually.

Goodnight...

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger..I was so wondering who in the world is Heath Ledger. I didn't remember the name, but when they showed his face on the news this morning, I was actually really shocked! He did so many roles and I really liked him..that's so unfortunate. He's only 28. Man, talk about young! Well, I was reading the article about him..and it seems accidental. I'll be following it for sure.

Heath Ledger's Autoposy

Enjoying the food?

I sure can't seem to enjoy anything I'm eating..ugh. It's so frustrating. So I had a pretty good breakfast this morning, did some errands while AJ was at school, then there it goes.

I've figured out that lately the only thing that I don't seem to get sick off of is pizza. Yummy! Maybe I want pizza again later..we shall see. Little Ceasars, $5.99 large pizza.
Okay, that's so fattening too.

Well, tonight I have to cook dinner. I was thinking of cooking sinigang, since we cooked rice the other day and there's hella rice left. Don't want to waste food..

Meet Harley...

So we have a new member to our family..her name is Harley. She's a Doberman Pinscher. She was born on November 30th, so this Friday she will be exactly eight weeks old. She will grow to weigh from 70-85 Lbs. Here she is..

It's soo funny, cause we couldn't think of a name for her. So on Sunday when Anthony went out with the boys riding, that's all I thought about during the day. Hmm..why don't we name her Harley. What a coincidence, cause the night before that's all that he was thinking about. So that's why we named her Harley. Plus Tuan has a fat boy, with her colors, so that's what made me think of that name. Well, she's AJ's dog, but I can't wait to train her. Can you believe that, an American Staffshired Terrier aka Pit, an American Bulldog and a Doberman all in one house! I know it sounds crazy..

Dakota Fanning Movies

So I love almost all the movies that she's in. I know we spent a lot last year collecting DVDs. I'm going to look for her DVDs cause I don't have all of them. Actually I don't think I have any of them.

My fav or her movies is:

Man On Fire-w/ Denzel Washington. It's a pretty touching movie. And it's based on a true story.

Charolette's Web-got that one!

War of the Worlds-not a big fan of the movie, but may buy it just cause.

I Am Sam-Must have, don't have yet. Will get very soon. I know I haven't seen this movie yet. I don't remember what it's about if I have.

Uptown girls-haven't seen that one either.

Sweet Home Alabama-got that one.

I think I need to do a little more research. I'll find out more movies she's been in.

Sunday Mass @ 7:00 AM

So we always go to church at 9:00 in the morning every Sunday, but this morning we (well, my parents, AJ and I) went to mass at 7:00 AM. There's actually a lot of people that go to mass at that time!
I almost didn't go cause I was half asleep. But I ended up getting up and AJ and I got up and went to church with them. Half of the time, AJ was sleepy. Then we went to breakfast at I-HOP. Yum!
So I told them the news, news to shortly be announced. I prayed for a better reaction, but I guess you can't expect much from my parents. Or at least from my mom.
Oh well, at least we all went to mass at the crack of dawn!

Edit in the New Years Resolution

Well, I know I posted info on a new years resolution/goal whatever you want to call it. But there might be some slight changes to them. I have to figure in time now with the goals that I placed aside.

Weight Loss:
Okay so I'm still working on that. It's a little hard, but I know I have to continue moving daily even if it's a 30 minute walk. I don't want to just sit here and do nothing. We were suppose to go and walk after we got home from the shop, but there's a really cold breeze outside, so Anthony doesn't want to take AJ out along with the dogs.

Books:
I'm going to be getting into different kinds of books I think. I was looking around for more motivational books, and healthy cook books. I know you don't really read cook books, but I know that I will need to change my diet.

Hmmm..Organization:
This will have to start from home and then to the shop. I've been doing a lot of filing lately, and I know I have to re-file some things here at home. I don't know what happened to me. I use to be really really organized, and I fell off a little bit. Stress maybe? Well, all I know is that's going to change as of yesterday!

AJ's First Day @ School-Speech Therapy

Today was AJ's first day in a somewhat class room like environment. He has speech therapy every wednesday at a local elementary school here. So today was his first day, and he had the session with another child.
I felt so awkward at first, cause I thought I just sit back and watch him. But, no the parent(s) are only suppose to drop them off and then come back for them within about 45 minutes. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I was afraid he just wasn't going to listen and share, but Ms. Iris said he did really well. He pointed out a lot of familiar objects throughout the household, he even called the computer a laptop! And they're other activity had to deal with Jack Be Nimble. So he did very well in participating, and he had a lot of vocabulary.
I'm really glad he gets these services, because it will help him when he starts preschool.
I just wonder for how long he will be doing the therapy. I know that we are still waiting on a eval for the adaptive PE which covers the OT and PT for him. But that will also be provided by the school district.

The other student, I think his name was Parker, had a back pack. I'm wondering if I should get him a back pack. But I don't think he quite needs one yet, but I guess just getting in the habit of carrying one around. Hmm..maybe I'll ask mom (grandma's always say yes to there grandkids.)

Happy New Year

So it's 2008! Hmm..going back to my last years resolutions, i don't think i did so well. This year has to be different, well I really don't have any excuses. All I know is this year things have to change. I've been home sick lately and just thinking about a lot of things. As far as my health, my education, and my life at being 26. I know I definetly am getting in the mode to get fit. I really want to get a membership at 24 hour fitness. I think Anthony and I are going to go there this weekend, to see what they can offer to a small business.
I really want to go back to school. I am planning on taking one accounting class this coming semester. I have to see if it's still avaiable. And work, I received a call today through Citigroup about a possible interview. I haven't called back yet, and am debating if I should call back tomorrow. I have to go over it with Anthony.

Well, so far what I would like to have accomplished this year is:
1. take at least one class for the shop
2. start "date night"
3. LOSE 20 LBs minimum.
4. Be able to run/jog 5 miles straight without stopping by the end of the year
5. read 5 NEW books, related to my age or just being a woman
6. Stay organized!

Well, I know that pictures have not been updated for a while. I hope to do that soon.
Welcoming 2008, I hope this is a great year!

Luchico Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

What matters most

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full The students responded with an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Great Xmas song..but it's so sad

the gift

Working from home

It was nice to be home pretty much all day today. I was able to work on some things from the shop like inputting stuff into QB and I'm now going to be doing the taxes for this quarter. It's a lot of paperwork to go over, but no one else is gonna do it.
I know I have to challenge myself and get all of these things done. It's tiring and overwhelming to look at all the paperwork in front of me, considering I do want to finish up some stuff in the house. I also have to finish up my scrapbook for Isabella. UGGGH! Xmas is like in 5 days or something. I know I can probably finish it in like a day so I will take care of it hmm..tomorrow maybe.

It was cold and rainy today so I'm glad I didn't have to stay at the shop. I'm just glad this USB flash drive worked! Woohoo! The last time I tried one that Noel had and it didn't want to upload right. Weird, but I figured I'll get one for the shop so I can bring it home and work on it.
Okay break is over. Back to work!

Christmas Wreath

So I made the xmas wreath for the shop!! It turned out really good for an 18" one. The one last year didn't seem that big. I'll post a picture of it soon. But all I spent on it was $15.00. The trimmings were free from Home Depot, and since I couldn't find the wreath ring last year then I bought a new one.
What's cool with the wreath I made is I used some of AJ's cars. You know, to make it part of the shop. Auto repair, toy cars. So I still have to do the one for the house, I'll probably be doing that tonight and/or tomorrow night. It's Tuan's dad's bday today so we're having dinner at the house.
I'll see how tired I am.

PINKS

So I've been looking for this song for a while. I watch Pinks w/ Tuan every now and then and I finally found it.
It plays at the end of the show when the loser loses their car:

I was wondering how long you wouldwait for me I didn't think I'd berelieved but I'm breathingWalk away from me my love Walkaway from me my loveYou've got me thinking that it has tobe only either you or me and you're slippingWalk away from me my love Walkaway from me my loveYou could be here with me somehowYou could be here with me right nowIf your dreams don't break I'll be gonewhen you awake and anything youwant you can take to save weepingWalk away from me my love Walkaway from me my love

-The Nadas-Walk Away Lyrics

Lame, I know. But I hella like this song haha.

Thanksgiving

We had a long 4-day weekend, which we were sooo looking forward to. It sucks that now it's all over. But it was nice to just be off and hang out. On Thanksgiving day, actually on thanksgiving eve Tuan smoked a beef brisket, which was pretty good! It took 12 hours, so him and his dad were checking on it throughout the night. Then in the morning, I went running with Kylie for about 30 minutes. We didn't go to far, cause I'm not use to running with a dog. I'm proud of myself for getting up and running. I was just going to sleep in and do nothing. Hahahaa. Just milk it!
Well, I didn't. I also cooked puto. Yup yup. I went to Big Lots to get the small little pans. I have to return the ones I bought from Wal-Mart this week. It turned out pretty good. The only thing is the green ones were too green. I think I put a lil too much food coloring. But it was still good :).
Maybe I'll make some for New Years. We'll see.
But Thanksgiving was good. Went to ate's house and just ate and watched some tv. We finally showed the shop to Tito Sammy and Jojo. It was great to hear them say they were proud of Tuan. I mean, Tuan works hard and busts his butt off, not that no one else does, but to hear that from his relatives is great!
But, we didn't do the Midnight madness on shopping. It was pretty cold, and we ended up falling asleep. I think we just wanted to enjoy the day off and relax with the fam. Which was good too.

Happy Thanksgiving Cards

So I made 160 Thanksgiving cards, to most of our customers. Why thanksgiving cards?? Well, everyone expects a Xmas card, but not a Thanksgiving card from your Auto Repair Shop. Soo...I hand made all of them. Yes. And I re-did the ones that I asked for help on, cause they weren't cut right. I had Tuan help me cut like 50 one night. He was sooo tired. Thanks Bubb! That's why I love him.
So, Tuan made some calls today to follow up on customers, and he was thanked for the Thanksgiving cards. That made me feel really great about making them. For Xmas I'm just ordering cards from IDEA. I figured, thanksgiving cards are worth hand making, but Xmas cards are much easier to order since they come in bulk.
Thank you to all our clients who have made our shop successful thus far!

Several Posts Ahead

So, I have a small break down of my new posts: Thanksgiving, DJ's 21st Bday, Shopping after Thanksgiving, Getting ready for Xmas!

With Every Heartbeat

With Every Heartbeat Lyrics - Robyn Lyrics
Robyn Lyrics - With Every Heartbeat Lyrics

Maybe we could make it all right
We could make it better sometime
Maybe we could make it happen baby
We could keep tryingbut things will never change
So I don’t look back
Still I’m dying with every step I take
But I don’t look backJust a little, little bit better
Good enough to waste some time
Tell me would it make you happy baby
We could keep tryingbut things will never change
So I don’t look back
Still I’m dying with every step I take
But I don’t look back
We could keep tryingbut things will never change
So I don’t look back
Still I’m dying with every step I take
But I don’t look back
And it hurts with every heartbeat
And it hurts with every heartbeat
And it hurts with every heartbeat
And it hurts with every heartbeat
And it hurts with every heartbeat
And it hurts with every heartbeat
And it hurts with every heartbeat
It hurts wïth every heartbeat

R.I.P Cathalyn Jane Flores-Bantug

She's only 26 years old. She's my cousin, like an older sister, who is loved dearly and will be dearly missed. She's a friend, a mother, a daughter, a wife. She left behind a beautiful daughter, whom I can't wait to see, and a family whom will miss her dearly. She is now at peace and with her father.

Her viewing is today in Belmont, CA. I will be attending by myself. I'm excited to see the other cousins, (cousins from which are on my mom's side) whom I haven't seen in almost 10 years. Its sad that under these circumstances we are reuniting. But it will be nice to see them all.

I will be blogging a little more about this later. Right now, I'm still in shock with the whole thing. It's so wierd, because I know I just talked to her a few months ago. There's so many feelings, that I tried to write on paper, but seemed so hard to express.

Cat, I love you and I will miss you dearly. I'm glad I was able to have lunch with you and was able to keep in touch with you before this incident happened. Thank you for everything that you have done for me. I am very happy you told me you were proud of me. Those words meant more to me than you will ever know. I will see you again.....someday.

Weight Loss Here I come!

Okay, so I don't know if I mentioned that I've been walking with my old neighbor Janet three times in the week, and I'm aiming to run for the other two with Anthony. I'm really trying my best to lose weight. I've been thinking about my health and I've been watching way too many reality shows to make sure I soo don't get that fat. I mean I've gained a good amount of weight for being married for almost five years, and for having a three year old. It totally sucks! But I really have to lose it now!
I don't want to be close to 200 Lbs by the time I'm thirty. My goal is to lose at least 30 Lbs min and max of 40-45. I want to get back to 120 Lbs. Right now I'm about 160. YUCK! I know I can't even believe I admitted my own weight. But I just want to be healthy and back in shape. I mean it's painful and hard, but I have to do it. Plus we're really planning on renewing our vows, so I have to start now. Or I'll never lose this weight. So tonight, after Tuan's finished cleaning out his fish tank, we're going on a run. Woohoo. Weight loss here I come. I really hope I lose it all or the amount I want by next spring. Before our bet time.

Winter Season is here

Last night AJ had a slight fever, which sucked cause he woke up a few times in the middle of the night. The first time, he woke up to tell me he was cold, and then the second time he was telling me he was hot. He woke up another time making sure I was hugging him. Cute, I know..but not when you're sleepy.

So all day today, I was pretty much home. I gave him his meds this morning, and he was just out of it. I was trying to encourage him to just sleep it off. Its good he slept from 1 until about 4. I was sleepy too, so I took a nap with him. I wanted to start putting things away in the house, but I have to finish doing the laundry from this past weekend. Speaking of which I gotta run to the store, either Wal-mart tonight or tomorrow to get some more laundry detergent.
Anyways, so I know winter is here, cause AJ getting a fever, and I feel like I'm getting a slight cold. It gets really cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon. I can't even believe that Thanksgiving is like next week!! Then it'll be Xmas then Welcome 2008. Well, gotta get ready for the holidays. This is the only year that I'm NOT prepared for it.

Returning from vacation

Ok so we went. We went to Disneyland on Saturday and then we also ended up going to Universal on Sunday. I didn't think we were going to go to Universal cause of funds, but I guess Lisa bought tickets online, she just had to print them...and they were cheaper..plus we have a season's pass for next year. That's pretty cool. I have to read into see if it's usable in FL if we really go next year.

So here's a break down:

We left Elk Grove around 8:30 in the evening. Got some Starbucks and arrived in Anaheim at about 2:45 AM. Not bad.
Anthony drove first then I drove for a little bit, then he drove the rest of the way there. The drive wasn't so bad. I was wide awake since I had some starbucks.

Disneyland:
It wasn't as crowded as last year. We went last year on Nov 18th. This year, the Xmas tree wasnt up yet, but it seems as most of the decor is already up. We pretty much went on the same things except, Bubba, Glo and I went on Adventure Island and I got to take a picture w/ Jack Sparrow. (pictures to come soon) I felt really bad cause I know Katie has been wanting to see him and this is the 2nd year which she missed him. She was on a ride so we took advantage to killing time by walking around.
AJ was still scared of the characters which I should have expected. We got to ride some rides w/ him. He freaked out when we went on the carousel. SOO embarrasing. He was kicking and screaming and was just afraid for his life. But we didn't take that many pictures this year. I think I'm going to put the pictures taken in a scrapbook. I wasn't in that many pictures cause I was the photographer. I guess that's what happens when you take a good amount of the pictures.
Well, I'll discuss more later. It's dinner time.

Excited?

I'm am soo not looking forward for this weekend. I really don't want to go anymore. But I guess we're still going. What sucks is that we sooo don't have money to go. It's much more exciting when you go out of town and have a sufficient amount of money. Not like a whole lot, but you know enought to just go and spend some extra money other then the hotel, food, gas, etc.

I guess Lisa's going to help us, but that's just another expense along the line to add. I don't know. Ugh.

I mean I feel bad, cause we can't cancel the rental car, the hotel etc. But I don't think I'll have as much fun as I think.



Well, the only thing I've been really excited about is walking. Janet (our old neighbor) and I are walking 3 miles every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We have the other days off, but I'm aiming to run the Mondays and Wednesdays. We did it all this week, so more to do next week.

I'm still aiming for my goal of 30lbs so we'll see what happens. I've been really good about my food intake too. I'm trying to watch what I eat, and I'm trying to have vegetables daily. Which I know is hard, but I've actually been craving for them.

Flood!

OMG! Well, on Sunday Anthony took the filters for the pool out to clean them up, and I guess he forgot to turn off the pump. WOOPS! More like BIG WOOPS!
So he came home last night and there was NO MORE water in the pool. Yes. There's like a small little puddle in the deep end. Sounds great considering it's winter time, but not so great cause that's a whole hellofalot of water. I seriously am soooo sad about it. Can you imagine our next water bill! Oh mun! So I find out today it's not too bad, it'll be like 300 or something, but that's just a scary thought!
So I know we have to put water in the pool very soon. More like tomorrow, cause since the pool is made to have weight of the water in it...it would be smart to put the water in asap then later. I guess if you wait long enough, the concrete can crack and the pool can surge up. Not another headache I'd like to have. But yea, I felt really bad cause I know the water went to our neighbors side. I guess they tried knocking on the door around 5:30 and of course we got in about 7:00. (sigh) And they didn't have the number to call the shop or Anthony's cell phone. Well, just another expense to deal with. We went from just replacing the filters which would be $60 bucks a piece, and there's four. So that's $240.00. Now the filters plus I'm hoping only $300.00 worth of water! Ugh! But I'd rather cough out $600 bucks to take care of the problem, then a thousand plus. I wouldn't know what to do if that happened.

Clean House

So all day today I took advantage of AJ being w/ mom and dad while I cleaned house. I'm pretty tired! I wanted to go shopping earlier but I said nevermind. Plus we have our trip this coming weekend. This weekend we're going to Disneyland!!!
So I wanted to make sure that before we left that the house would be clean. I mean who would want to go on a trip and come back home to a dirty house! I know I wouldn't. So now I'm just finishing laundry. I started packing for this weekend, but I know that I have to rearrange some things before I know I'm completely packed. I got the important stuff ready to go.
I checked the weather for this weekend in Anaheim and it said 60s to 70s. So I know for sure gotta pack a jacket. I debating if I want to go and get a fleece fit from Old Navy. I want to be comfortable while I'm walking around.
Well, I finished cleaning most of the house, except for the vaccuming upstairs. I need to finish cleaning the bathrooms and the rooms. I know, why am I totally blogging about cleaning, I think it's just cause I'm tired. It was nice to clean without any interruptions. Not that AJ is an interruption, but I got to vaccuum without him freaking out and I got to clean the kitchen floor with bleach..etc.

But I have sooo sad news... find out on my next blog!

Fog Willow Pumpkin Patch

Well we went to the pumpkin patch today and AJ was sooo scared! It's connected to a farm, so every time the cow mooed he started crying. But he liked the bunnies and the pigs he actually touched the goat. So it was cute to see him try to not be so scared. We purchased his first pumpkin. Last year, I wasn't there when he went to the pumpkin patch. I was working. It's so nice now to just be home with him and enjoy the things like going out on activities.
We also got to ride on the tractor train which goes around the whole pumpkin patch and farm. Maybe next year we'll go to the corn maze. We'll see.
I forgot my camera so I didn't get a chance to take pictures. Ning brought hers so can't wait to upload those and put them online. There was a section where you stick your head out and you're one of the farm animals, and he totally did not want to take that picture. He started crying and screaming. He didn't even want to be put down. AJ is such a cry baby. So I guess until he's 5 he'll be scared of everything.. haha i'm so mean, I know.

Show Me The Money

So I attended a seminar in Newark this past Wednesday and Thursday and it was held by Kelly Bennett. I loved it! It was so informative, and he's such a great speaker. All the info discussed totally made me think about things that need to change slightly about the shop. Think Gross Profit!!
There's three ways to run a business: Hobby, Charity or a Business.
So I'm looking forward to attending more seminars held by WorldPac. It's soo worth it. I need to also purchase a dvd called Trombone Player Wanted. Another speaker by the name of Marc Buckingham discusses the importance on how we should focus on our strengths. I can go on and on about the whole seminar, but it was very much well worth it.

The only thing that sucked was the commute! Oh my goodness! It took me 2.5 hrs from Pinole to get to Newark. Seriously!! I'm sooo glad I don't have to deal w/ that daily. That would kill me! I calculated, I was on the road for a total of 8 hours for two days getting to the seminar and back home. I'm glad we don't have a commute here.

Way to early

I'm sooooo sleepy. I have a training orientation over the phone for our new merchant services at 6AM. This is so early I know. But I prefer to do it early than later. Plus, it's Thursday and I have a lot of running around to do later. It's AJ's appt w/ Martha at 11:30, and I'm hoping Alisha got my message to do his appt at 1:30. So we shall see. But I know I'm probably going to be leaving right after the training, and trying to go back to sleep.

Well, I also have to book my room for a seminar coming up in two weeks at Marriot in Newark. I have a business seminar that's being held thru WorldPac, and I may have to commute that morning. I have to see. Considering I'm really tired now, I may just drive out there the night before. But that's on the 24th, so I don't know how I'll be feeling then.

Well, I've got 5 more minutes. Gotta get to work. (Where's the snooze button).

Motherhood Club

We had a gathering this past weekend for mine and AJ's bday. And there was so many lil kids. TOO cute! Everyone's baby isn't so baby anymore, they're all mobile and walking everywere.

It's great to see all our kids grow up together and just play with one another. We're all in the motherhood club. Corny I know, but I'm glad we get to hang out and see our kids grow up. See there's not only AJ's cousins but AJ now has friends haha. Its cool to see him play with Nathan and run around all over the place. In the beginning, AJ and Nathan were up at the stairs and just yelling to get attention. I know that may sound annoying but it was pretty funny that they were being silly.

I know we'll have so many more gatherings to come, and it's always great to have everyone make it. Wheter it be at our house and/or our friends. I know who AJ and any other kids we may have will grow up with.

Happy Birthday, now what kind of ticket do you want?

Yay, so today is mine and AJ's bday. What a day so far.

Well the cops gave me a ticket. Elk Grove's finest! I was driving the mercedes, and since its from Vegas the windows are tinted, theres no front lic plate, and i guess ins expired on 09/11. And so I'm on my way to dropping off a customer (EGAC customer shuttle) and then by Wal-mart, there's a cop bike puts his lights on.

What sucks too is the window doesn't roll down, so I have to open the door. He was like you can stay in the car, and I'm like well, I can't roll the window down. So then he's writing the ticket..and then realizes its my bday. So he says, I hate to give this to you (i'm thinking why give it to me at all) but which ticket do you want? So I choose the insurance one, since i'm just waiting for the paperwork. Uggh! Happy Bday from the cops.
I get a ticket on my bday along w/ a customer in the car. My oh my!

New Purse!!

Well, it's been so hectic at the shop that I haven't had a day off. So last Saturday I went with Joanne to the mall to go shopping. Well, I know that Noel was talking about it, but I didn't think that he was forreal. He was going to allow me to get a Coach purse!

I didn't want to just be all like, okay I'll get this one. But he was asking what my budget was and I was teasing him about allowing Joanne and I to have a budget of 2K hahaha.
But, I seriously still can't believe he got a purse for me. I got the limited edition mineral green hobo. I originally wanted the satchel one, but they seriously had no more left.

Well, I guess working hard pays off.