158: From the Bottom of my Heart

Aha:
First of all, thank you for your well wishes and prayers on my, and my family's behalf.  We are so happy for Grandma and Grandpa and are moving in the right direction in having our happiness for them overpower our grief.
My "aha" for today came all throughout the day.  I received many kind words from friends, a plane ride home to be with my family this weekend and a nice, relaxed evening with my husband (who was on call and very easily could have been kept at the hospital).  These kind and tender mercies are a testimony to me that the Lord knows who I am and what I need.  I am so thankful for Him!

Ha ha:
Last year we took Peter to Just Like Home Dog Hotel while we were away for Christmas.  The owners were great and Peter actually slept on the couch with one of them.  Too funny.  Anyway, while we were gone I received this picture in my email.  It warmed my little heart.  I came across it today and thought I'd share it with you.  Isn't he adorable?!

Day 157: Grandma Dearest

Aha:
I'm not really sure how to write this but, I lost someone very near and dear to my little heart yesterday--my Grandma Conklin.  She's been without my grandpa for six years and her body's been hurting for so long, so it's a good thing for her, but very sad for me.  I have been writing her weekly for over three years and now I don't know what to do with all of my stamps I have left.
As I was mourning all evening, I kept thinking how if it weren't for the love of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for all mankind, I wouldn't be able to see her again.  But fortunately for me, he DID come to this earth and loved us so much that I will see her again!
I will miss her like crazy but I am so happy that she is with my grandpa again and all of her other loved ones who've gone on before her.
I love you Grandma!  You are an amazing lady and I'll see you later.

Ha ha:
You may think this in poor-taste, however my grandma would think it hilarious.  In my last letter to her (Sunday) I included this joke.

Three men died and were taken by God to the top of a cliff. God said to them that since they had been such great outstanding citizens of Earth that they would be given one chance to become anything that they desired.

The first man ran to the edge of the cliff, jumped into the air and shouted, "I want to be an eagle." Instantly he was changed into an eagle and soared off into the sunset.

The second man ran to the edge of the cliff, jumped into the air and shouted, "I want to be an owl." Instantly he was changed into an owl and soared off into the sunset.

The third man ran towards the edge of the cliff, tripped on a rock, and shouted, "Oh crap ..." :)

Day 156: Deer Redeemer

Aha:
Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.  ~Eric Sevareid

I came across this quote and thought it was great!  I don't know if it refers to being more charitable and kind or if it's specifically referring to Christ, but because those kind of go hand-in-hand I thought this would be great to share.  Not only is this quote a great reminder to be more selfless, it brought to my mind how Christ came to this earth for everyone besides himself.  He is the Son of God, yet he was born in the most humble of circumstances; He is our Advocate with the Father, yet he was mocked and hated; He is the Savior of Mankind, yet he was crucified for our sakes.  He lived a perfect, selfless life and He did it for everyone human who ever has or ever will live on this earth--that includes you and me!  I am so grateful for Him and for His willingness to put aside His own desires and drink the bitter cup on my behalf.
I think I can try a little harder to emulate His love for others this Christmas season, and can hopefully carry it through the rest of the year too.

Ha ha:
Clinton told me that on his way home from work he saw our neighbor's Great Dane on the sidewalk and thought it was a deer, so he slowed down.  I started laughing and he said, "What?  It was dark outside!"
 I thought it was hilarious!

Day 155: Lessons

Aha:
1.  My lesson went better than I could have hoped for.  It was based off of a talk given in the April 2011 General Conference by Carl B. Pratt of the Seventy, titled "The Lord's Richest Blessings".  The talk is about the blessings that come from paying our tithing.  This was a great topic for me, because if I have a testimony of anything, it's of tithing.  I had the opportunity to reflect on the blessings that have come into my life because of paying my tithing.  Here are just a very few:
Employment, money to buy what we need, peace of mind, increased faith, trust in the Lord that if I do what He asks I'll be blessed, a good-working car, generosity of others towards us, an ability to help others, food storage, testimony and the necessities of life.
My list could go on and on.
2.  Christmas moment:  When I came home from choir practice this afternoon, Clinton had already turned on our Christmas lights (I love coming home to our decorations all being on).  We have a string of stars in our front window and as I saw them gleaming, I couldn't help but think about the star that led the wise men to the baby Jesus.  I loved realizing that I had a symbol of that star in my window and that my little stars are showing others that I'm a believer!

Ha ha:
I sent out a mass email to some members of my ward inquiring if anyone wanted to participate in the Christmas Sacrament program in a couple weeks.  Moments after sending the text, I got a call from my sister's mother-in-law wanting to know what I was talking about.  I told her I must have sent it by mistake and apologized.  We laughed a moment and then she asked, "Who is this?"  This time I laughed.  I told her who I was and told her that even though I'd sent the request to her by mistake, it was still good if she'd like to travel cross-country to sing in our ward.  She declined.

Day 154: Reflections, Reminders and Reviews

Aha:
I set up our nativity today and lingered a little while on each character as I placed them "in there place" near the manger.  I thought a little about what my role would have been and figured I'd probably have been among the shepherds; drawn to the boy after the appearance of a heavenly angel and amazed at the meager circumstances in which He was born, poor to the things of the world, but rich in faith to follow Him.  I feel like I don't have much to offer, but I know He loves me and I would hope that, like the shepherds, I would sacrifice anything just to see Him.

Ha ha:
1.  I got a text from a friend of mine in the ward asking me to teach her lesson in Primary tomorrow.  It wasn't until she asked that I remembered I was supposed to teach in Relief Society tomorrow!  I have never been so happy to have someone ask me to sub before!  Phew!  Potential crisis averted!  Now, let's just hope and pray my lesson goes well!
2.  Clinton and I had free movie tickets so we went to see Hugo in 3D.  The movie was pretty long and didn't make much sense, but according to Clinton, the cinematography was great.  Anyway, as I was getting restless in my seat a little girl down the row from us "whispered" to her mom, "Is this almost over?"  It was hilarious because Clinton and I were thinking the same thing!

Day 153: What's in a Name?

Aha:
We began decorating for my FAVORITE holiday last night!  I LOVE Christmas!  It was so great to open up my ornaments and to enjoy the sweet memories that came with each one.  We've received some as gifts (one set was from our wedding), we given some to each other (including "Our First Christmas"), picked some out during our first Christmas and have acquired many more over the last 8 Christmases together.  I love that this time of year opens so many hearts to think more of mankind than themselves.  I love that I get to have reminders of Jesus all around me, all the time; whether it's a song on the radio, a nativity in a yard, or well wishes of "Merry Christmas!"
This is a wonderful time of year, and I'd like to make this Christmas more about Christ.  I'm going to try and list something each day that has either reminded me of Him, has helped me to feel closer to Him, or has increased my testimony of His divinity.  Feel free to leave your thoughts and hopefully we can each have a more meaningful Christmas together!

Ha ha:
For the last couple weeks Clinton noticed that one of the surgeons has been calling him "Clifton".  While they were observing the resident complete a stitch, the surgeon began to tell the resident to do a certain type of stitch but the resident had forgotten how to do it.  He turned to Clinton and said, "They forget so quickly, don't they Clifton?  How quickly they forget." All "Clifton" could do was nod his head and say, "Yes."  Ha!

Day 152: A Couple Things for Which I'm Thankful

Aha:
I'm thankful I remembered at 11pm that I have to get out the door by 9:30am tomorrow to get my mustache waxed (no, this unfortunately is NOT Clinton writing...).
I should clarify...it's not really that bad, I just would prefer there be nothing there at all.  :)

Ha ha:
If you have not had the pleasure of enjoying a Costco pumpkin pie, then I feel sad for you.  I was introduced to them today and ate more than what would probably be considered "socially-acceptable".  In fact, at 10:30pm I saw a piece sitting out and couldn't help but help myself to half of another piece.  I feel so ashamed...and yet, so satisfied at the same time.
I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!!

Day 151: Aha, and Then Some

Aha:
I had soooooo much to do at work yesterday and had no idea how I was going to possibly get it all done before the holiday.  Fortunately for me, one of my coworkers was free to help--and help me she did.  I enlisted her help on two major projects and because of her willingness to serve, I was able to leave at the end of the day feeling excited (and stress-free) for the Thanksgiving holiday!  Thanks, Michelle!

Sorta Ha ha, but also sorta Aha:
One of my projects was a GIANT mailer.  I had to merge a word document with an excel spreadsheet but I was having a really hard time figuring out how to do some reformatting.  After about an hour of attempts I was literally making my last click to exit and accidentally clicked on something; the box that opened was EXACTLY what I had been looking for for the last hour!  I cheered out loud and "raised the roof" (something I usually guffaw, but in this instance it seemed completely appropriate).  What a miracle!...finding the box that is, not my roof-raising!

Day 150: So Close and Yet, So Far

Aha:
I had the nerve-wracking pleasure of escorting our new section chief around to meet other section chiefs all over campus today.  I was so nervous that I wouldn't know what to say, or that I'd get lost (even though I mapped it all out yesterday), or that I'd mix up appointments--but everything went so smoothly!  He is the nicest guy, I think I'll nickname him Dr. Simpatico!  Anyway, he was very complimentary about some of the things I had prepared ahead of time for his meetings and said he was impressed I would "spoil" him so.
I had started out so nervous, but after just a couple of moments with him I felt like I'd known him for years and all my fears disappeared!  I am so excited to work with him!

Ha ha:
1.  While driving this evening, Clinton and I came up behind a car that had its left blinker on but was way over in the middle of our lane and about 10 feet back from the stop line.  Clinton chuckled and said, "Man, what's with this?"  I replied that they are probably just a typically-terrible Wisconsin driver.  As I'm saying this the light turns green and the car started slowly creeping through the intersection.  We both started laughing and while doing so I noticed a "Student Driver" sign on the top of the car and laughed even harder.  I pointed it out to Clinton and he said, "You just noticed that?"  I laughed even harder after realizing that's why he'd thought it was funny all along and I had been totally clueless!
2.  Conversation between Clinton and I:
He to me: Keep your pantaloons in one piece.
Me: That's not how the saying goes.
He: That's how I say it.
Me: Well, you're saying it wrong, it's "Keep your panties from bunching".
He: That's not it either...it's "Don't get your panties in a bunch"; which come to think of it is a rather funny saying, don't you think?
Me: (laughing) Could you imagine what that might look like in tight pants?! (laughter)

Day 149: Confections and Confessions

Aha:
I was trying to think of something from today and this little moment popped into my brain...
As Clinton and I were getting ready to purchase our groceries he asked, "Do we have enough sugar at home for the cranberry sauce?"  I chuckled and said, "Um, yah; I've got about 300lbs in the basement.  I think we can get away with not buying any today."
Yeehaw for food storage!!

Ha ha:
Total stranger did a double-take at me while walking down the hallway at work.  She turned around for the 3rd time and said, "You look a lot like someone I used to work with.  I had to look to make sure it wasn't her."  To which I promptly replied, "She must be pretty cute then!"  The great thing for me is she responded with "Yep!"
Either I just got a compliment or was hit on...I'm hoping for the first.

Day 148: Full of It

Aha:
There was a talk given in church today that was based on the talk given by President Hinckley in the April 1978 General Conference, titled "Be Not Faithless".  The speaker did a great job and I really enjoyed two thoughts she had and thought I'd write them here:
1. We need to have a lot more trust and do less worrying--knowing that the Lord will make the best choices for our family.
2. Unless we do what He teaches, we do not demonstrate faith in Him.
I don't really know what else I could add to these...other than they are totally applicable to my life and as I strive to abide by their counsel I feel peace and reassurance that the Lord knows me and loves me and will direct my steps down the path He would have me take.  Even if I feel like I don't know where I'm going.

Ha ha:
Conversation between Clinton and I today...
He:  You should go make some cookies.
Me:  Nah, if you want some, why not make them together?
He:  Never mind, I don't want them that bad.
Me:  Alright.
He:  No, you should make some and I'll bake them.
Me:  Alright.
He:  No, I don't need cookies, never mind.
Me:  Alright.
He:  (comes out into the kitchen and starts pulling out dishes)
Me:  What are you doing?
He:  Making cookies.
Me:  You are bipolar with your cookie-baking decisions.
He:  Yeah.
Me:  You're washing the dishes from making them, right?
He:  No, I made dinner, so it's you're turn.
Me:  Putting tin foil on cookie sheets and pouring frozen fish sticks and french fries on them does not constitute "making dinner".
He:  It's more than you did.
Me:  What?  I washed the dishes that were already in the sink, turned on the oven and washed dinner dishes.  You wash them.
He:  (laughing)  You turned on the oven?  Wowee!  (laughter)
Me:  (trying to defend myself, but not getting anywhere)...(laughter)

Ya know, reading this over...I think I did end up with the short end of the stick!  That punk!  I'll get him next time!

Day 147: Puffed Up

Aha:
Clinton was off of work by the time I got home from the Relief Society activity around 1:30pm.  I was super excited to have the afternoon with him, but quickly became disappointed when he fell asleep on the couch shortly after I arrived.  He eventually moved upstairs, leaving me alone to wallow.  However, the Lord blessed me.  Instead of becoming upset that Clinton had "ruined" my day by sleeping away time we could have had together, I thoroughly enjoyed the time we did have once he woke up.  I had a little moment to reflect and decide if I wanted to be upset and ruin the time we had so I could get an apology (even one that wasn't necessarily deserved), or I could let him sleep and just really enjoy him later in the day.  The latter was decided and I am oh-so-glad!  We had a great little date night.

Ha ha:
As I was unloading my crockpot from the backseat of my car my friend, who was riding in the back, asked if the bag of Peanut Puffs was supposed to go with my soup.  A little too quickly, and forcefully, I shouted, "No!  Those are mine!!!"
I guess this won't be too funny to people who haven't enjoyed the peanut-y goodness of Peanut Puffs, but if you could imagine having to share your last bite of cake with your significant other when you REALLY wanted it for yourself.  That's what sharing Peanut Puffs is like.  Ya get me?

Day 146: Cars

Aha:
My friend's car was stolen and she was having a pretty rough day.  I went and bought the chocolaty-ist ice cream I could find and we visited for about 2 hours.  I went there hoping to help her feel better, but I'm the one who came away totally uplifted!  We barely talked about her car (which, thankfully was found and will only need a few repairs) but it was so nice to just visit about a bunch of random things!
I'm sure it would be wrong to say it, but if anything, her stolen car brought us closer!  Glad all is well Emily!

Ha ha:
As we were waiting to leave the Taco Bell parking lot (I know, you're jealous of our date nights), the car coming through the drive-thru just started honking like crazy at us!  It's not like we could move anywhere!  Anyway, I turn to look at the driver (it was dark outside) and he's got his arms thrown up in the air like, "Would you move your car?!"  I'm glaring back at him; Clinton's saying, "Sheesh, it's not like we can go anywhere, could you just wait?"; and they continue honking.  I can see that the passenger is laughing...I strain a little further and I can see that it's our friends!  Those punks!  We had a good laugh about it--us because of how totally appalled we had been at these "rude people", and they because I apparently looked totally P.O.'d.  Oh, what fun!

Day 145: One-Liners

Aha:
I was having a conversation with someone that turned gossipy very quickly.  Even though I did not get out of it right away, the spirit helped me recognize where the conversation was headed and I said some quick, positive, comments to veer it another way.  It didn't work perfectly, and I could have done more to change the subject, but I am grateful for this learning experience and will hopefully be better prepared to end it the next time this happens!

Ha ha:
1.  I don't remember why, but my coworker asked what color my pee was, just as our phone tech approached my desk.
2.  One of our psychologists entered the room right as I stated, "Oh, Oprah doesn't know anything!"
3.  During a conversation about how Clinton looks a lot like Harry Potter, I said the following:
"Yeah, but when he took his shirt off I was like, gross!...Harry Potter, not Clinton!"

Day 144: L.O.L.

Aha:
The Lord has blessed me with an ability to notice lots of funny things in the last couple days.  Laughter is the best medicine!!
If you need some laughs, feel free to join me by reading on!

Ha ha:
1.  I answered the phone at work today and there was a call for one of our brain tumor specialists.
Caller:  Hi is Dr. So-and-so there?
Me:  No actually; he's got brain tumor clinic.
Caller:  What?!
Me:  It's Wednesday, he's in brain tumor clinic.
Caller:  Oh, my gosh!  I didn't hear you say "clinic" and here I was thinking the worst! Oh, my gosh!  I'm so glad to hear he's okay and well!  Oh, my gosh!
Me: (laughing)  That is too funny!  (laughter)
Caller:  (laughter)  If he's alive and well, just let him know I called then. (laughter)
2.  Our new section chief came through the office yesterday.  He passed by my desk, and pointed at me with a quizzical look on his face, like he was trying to remember something.  Don't ask me why, but I thought he was making reference to the last time he had come through and I gave him some dark chocolate after hearing he liked it...anyway, when nothing came out of his mouth I shouted, "dark chocolate!"  To which he said, "Danielle".  I guess he was just trying to remember my name.
3.  Last night before falling asleep I realized my phone wasn't by me.  I got out of bed and headed downstairs to see if I'd left it in the kitchen.  When I couldn't easily see it I thought I might have left it in the car.  Not wanting to go all the way back upstairs to get my robe, I slipped my coat over my upper half, threw on some shoes and was totally prepared to go outside in, basically, my underwear and some shoes.  Luckily, I felt my phone in my coat pocket and didn't have to go outside.  As I was taking off my coat and shoes I laughed out loud at how that would have looked if anyone saw me, and cried a little when I realized how lazy I was that I'd rather go outside in my underwear than walk upstairs to put on some clothes!

Day 143: Visiting Teacher

Aha:
I got to have a wonderful visit with my visiting teacher today.  It was nice to get to know her better and to feel the love and care she has for me.  Without realizing it, an hour passed before she looked down and said, "Well, I guess I could give you the lesson now". :)
I think this is one of the very few times I've really felt "visited" and I know the Lord sent just the right person my way.

Ha ha:
During my visit with my visiting teacher she asked how things were progressing with the adoption and I filled her in on everything we've experienced so far, but finished by saying that although the road is a very long one, we feel that the Lord is in control and all things will happen in His own time.  We continued to chat and she asked if she could share a lesson, to which I obliged.  Anyway, her lesson was from a conference talk on the Abrahamic Covenant by Russell M. Nelson.  She was listing some of the blessings involved with this covenant and when she got to, "Certain lands would be inherited by his posterity", she paused and said, "Wow, to think that that is still waiting to be fulfilled after all those thousands of years!"  I nodded and then she sheepishly said, "Oh, that's not something you probably want to hear when you're waiting on the Lord's time for adoption!"
We both busted up laughing!

Day 142: Holy Flip!

Aha:
I rarely drive to work since I live so close to it, but when I do drive I always make an "illegal" turn into the parking lot to avoid traffic on campus.  Today, as I was getting ready to turn, I looked up at the last second and saw a cop sitting about 25 feet in front of me (facing my way), just beyond where I was about to turn.  I quickly flipped on my blinker and went back into traffic--avoiding what would have been an inevitable ticket.
I'm not saying I will stop making that turn (it literally saves about 3-5 minutes), but I will always make sure there're no coppers waiting to nab me!  So thankful I took that extra second to survey the scene!!!

Ha ha:
Mormons have the funniest "curse" words.  Tonight, while Clinton was playing a game I overheard him say, "Aw, flip!"  Then a second later, "Flim, flam, flip!"
So much better than the alternative!!  Although, sometimes a good ol' fashioned "hell" or "damn" is totally appropriate!

Day 141: "Personal" Revelation

Aha:
The topic in Sacrament Meeting today was on prayer.  One of the speakers referenced "prayer" from the Bible Dictionary.
As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.
I thought the part about making our prayers a correspondence with God in order to make our will match His for us, was brilliant.  I knew this of course, but the reminder was what I needed to hear today.

Ha ha:
I wore a dress today that has a tendency to be a bit static-y.  Anyway, I used the restroom and just as I was about to walk out of my stall I happened to notice something just didn't feel quite right.  I felt around my bum and my skirt was totally balled up around my rump.  Eesh!  I am so glad I paid attention to that little moment of discomfort; it saved me from a moment of BIG discomfort!!

Day 140: Mulling it Over

Aha:
I am grateful the Lord has placed wonderful people in my life.  I am thankful that I have friends and family that love me and accept me regardless of my flaws.
I had a wonderful conversation with a friend of mine tonight that really made me realize that friendships last and grow when honesty, empathy and love abound.  I feel so blessed to have such friends and confidants in my life.

Ha ha:
Clinton and I went to the outlet mall today to get into the Christmas spirit.  While I was waiting for him to pick me up I saw the mullet of all mullets and snapped a pic before it sprouted legs and ran away...

(shudder)

Day 139: Time Flies

Aha:
Work hours passed at a wonderfully-quick pace today.  Before I knew it, it was time to get the heck outta there!
I don't think I need to point out the Lord's gracious hand in my day today! ;)

Ha ha:
I had the evening to myself (Clinton's on call) and what did I do to "celebrate" my alone time?  I got Subway for dinner, ate some Peanut Puffs, watched some random t.v. and was on Pinterest for about 2 hours.  Eesh.  I should have at least exercised or something!
I did find some winter boots to buy though and will make a trip to the mall tomorrow to try them on before I buy online, so it's not like I totally wasted an evening, right?  Right?!

Day 138: P.D.A.

Aha:
Clinton brought me a giant fountain drink from Speedway at work today!  It was such a "sweet" gesture (yes, I asked him to, but hey, it was still nice of him to go out of his way to do it) and I loved getting a quick kiss in the middle of my work day!

Ha ha:
We (Clinton, Peter and I) were laying in bed, Peter was in between us.  Clinton turned towards Peter and said, "Oh, wook at his wittle ea-ohs." and promptly started rubbing his ears and snuggling him.  I started to say something back and he interrupted me with, "Don't look at us.  You've always been jealous of our love."
What a weirdo...oh, who'm I kidding??  I do the exact same thing...proudly! :)

Day 137: A Couple Adjustments

Aha:
I don't think I'd usually say I was glad the Country Music Awards took over my t.v. shows for the evening (in fact, I never would cause I don't like country music), but tonight I was!  Instead of sitting on my rump doing the t.v. zombie-stare, I got up and got so much cleaning and sorting done instead!  I feel so much better!!

Ha ha:
I was walking down the hall at work today and there was a man walking about 15 feet in front of me.  I saw him start to shift a little as he walked and then IT happened...he "adjusted" himself, mid-stride!  I really hate seeing that and couldn't help but get a really grossed-out look on my face.  I then realized what my face might look like to other people and promptly started laughing to myself.  Then I realized that my laughing to myself probably made me look like the crazy person walking down the hallway and that made me chuckle even more.

Day 136: It's All About Timing

Aha:
Right when I was feeling a bit burnt out from my work day, I got a visitor.  This visitor comes by often, but today her timing was perfect and her smiling face was just what I needed!
Maybe I can pay it forward and be that ray of sunshine for someone else. :)

Ha ha:
I swallowed my water down the wrong pipe today right as The Intimidator was passing by.  As I began coughing, he asked me what was so funny (I wasn't laughing).  Through wracking coughs, I explained what had happened and he chuckled as he went out the door.
As I replayed that brief situation in my mind, just moments after he left, I got the giggles so bad I was choking back hacking laughs.  I was choking, explaining to an MD what happened, while trying not to sound or look like I was choking!  Oh, the imagery! :)

Day 135: Carrying a Load and Dropping a Load

Aha:
The Lord has placed wonderful friends in my life.  I have one such friend, who lives way too far away from me, and even though she is going through a really terrible trial, she has still found room in her heart to give me words of encouragement and hope.  The Lord truly is mindful of us and even when our burdens may not be removed from our backs, He blesses us with people who can help carry the load.
You are such a wonderful example and I will love you forever.  Always have, always will!

Ha ha:
Whilst watching The Sing-Off, Clinton came back in from taking Stinky-McGee (aka, Peter) outside.  He started to say something to me but I was trying to listen to my show and shushed him instead.  Later, at the commercial when Peter continued to make the room stink, I turned to Clinton and asked if Peter went poo when he took him out.  He replied, "I told you he didn't go just a few minutes ago.  Weren't you listening?"  I kinda chuckled and said, "No.  I was busy shushing you so I could hear my show."

Day 134: Feeling Lighter

Aha:
I am always a little more thankful this time of year and when I woke up this morning, I remembered why:  Daylight Savings. :)

Ha ha:
Peter kept crying this evening and we couldn't figure out what he wanted.  We found toys he'd been missing, played with said toys, gave him food and water and took him potty.  Nothing seemed to suffice.  I was playing with him on the floor and the cries continued till Clinton asked, "When was the last time he went poo?"  Right at that moment, Petey turned around and stared intently at Clinton, as if to say, "You said the magic word!"  We took him outside and he was happy ever after!!

Day 133: When I Say "Girls' Trip", You Say "Chicago!"

Aha:
My girlfriends and I went to Chicago yesterday.  We knew the trip was going to be costly, but we wanted to make a day of it anyway!  Well, we parked at a garage that said the daily price was $40(!) but figured that splitting it wouldn't be that bad.  Anyway, at the end of the day, we swiped out ticket to pay and the bill came out to $14!!!!!!  We thought there was maybe a mistake, or perhaps there's a discount on weekends or something.  But either way, we each did a little jig while we paid the $3.50 for parking.

Ha ha:
We had a great time yesterday!!  We started out at Portillos for some Chicago-style hot dogs (amazing!).

The restaurant was filled with memorabilia from Chicago's history.

Next, we went to Navy Pier

 
And rode the Ferris Wheel

View of the Pier from the Ferris Wheel

We also rode the swings and thought they'd be "way fun" until we all felt pretty queasy at the end. (pics soon to follow)

After The Pier we walked over to Millennium Park and saw the "famous bean".  I can't believe the crowds there.  What kind of people flock to a metal thing in the middle of the city?  Oh, I guess we do.

After the bean extravaganza, we stopped and rested for a few minutes beneath these amazing trees to enjoy our Chicago-blend Garrett's Popcorn.  Um....YUMMY!!!!!

We shopped on the Magnificent Mile for about an hour or so and then stopped for dinner at my favorite Chicago deep-dish pizza place, Due's.  I ate all of it!

Aside from getting a little lost on the way home, getting "Hello Ladies" from several groups of passing men, feeling like old ladies from our tired feet and aching backs, we had an AMAZING time together!!  Thanks ladies!!  Time to start planning our trip to NY next spring! :)

Day 132: Chocolate Can Cure Anything...Except Root Canals

Aha:
So, this happened on Thursday after I had already written my blog, so I'm including it today.
I have wonderful, intuitive and giving friends.
A friend of mine asked if I was going to go with her to Chicago this weekend and I said that I hoped to, but since I'd been a little under the weather, I wasn't sure.  Next thing I know, she's calling me and asking me to come to the door.  That girl had brought me a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone from McDonalds!  She said, "I know these always make me feel better!"
And you know what?  It made me feel better too!  Thanks for lifting my spirits Jenn!

Ha ha:
I had yet to add some pictures from my Portland trip and thought now would be a good time.

Here I am getting my root canal.  Don't I look happy? (Truth be told, I was trying to smile.)  I was curious what it looked like to have a rubber dam in my mouth and now I (and you) know.

Here I am just moments after having it completed.  I too was trying to smile here. :/

While living in Portland I never made it to Voodoo Doughnuts, so I told my mom and sisters I wanted to go.  Here is their display case.

Here's the menu, I got the Old Fashioned Glaze and the Old Dirty Bastard (raised doughnut with frosting, crushed oreos and peanut butter and chocolate syrup...yum).

Here are some pics from my flight back.  In these next three, you can see three mountains within the frame.

 

Day 131: Head in the Cl-OW-ds

Aha:
Sometimes just seeing one of these is reminder enough that the Lord is real and capable of accomplishing anything!

Ha ha:
I don't know about you other women out there, but when my Aunt Flo comes for a visit, she really makes me wish I didn't have a uterus.  I tell you, the cramps are real killers!
My coworker asked if I wanted her to step really hard on my toe so my cramps didn't seem as bad.  I told her I'd prefer it if she could just punch me as hard as she could in my uterus.  She laughed, but I wasn't joking.
Later, as she was leaving for the day, she said (in a perfectly sincere, but struck me in a funny, way), "Well, I hope your uterus feels better!"
Ha!...but seriously, me too.

Day 130: My Outlook on Outlook

Aha:
As I was getting ready to walk out the door from work, I happened to glance up at my computer screen; I saw that there was one task I HAD to do before tomorrow morning.  I quickly did what I needed to do and left knowing I'd finished everything I was supposed to do today!
I'm so thankful for that extra glance...it saved me a lot of stress and worry!!

Ha ha:
A couple of backward situations from today...
I was trying to show a coworker how to use a meeting tool in Outlook.  I meant to say, "You can click here and invite attendees".  What I actually said was, "You can click here and add invitees".  I guess it's still sorta accurate, but it sounded pretty funny.
Every week I send an updated calendar to the HOT (Hematology/Oncology/Transplant) clinic secretaries.  I have a distribution list for them and all I have to do is begin to type "HOT" into the 'To:' field of an email and it pulls them all up.  Well, I had Office 2010 installed on my computer last night and I guess that it was somehow programmed to insert distribution lists alphabetically.
So today, when I began to type "HOT" it inserted "HOT Leadership Group" instead of "HOT Secretaries".  I sent the email without noticing.
Later in the day I received an email from The Intimidator asking why I'd sent them and my old boss, copies of the calendar.  I was baffled.  Anyway, I figured it all out and sent him (and everyone else) a brief explanation of what happened as well as an apology.
A little later The Intimidator came by my desk and said chuckling, "Thanks for the explanation.  That makes so much more sense!"

Day 129: A Sip of Heaven

Aha:
Plain and simple, I got to come home and sit on the couch and do NOTHING for about 2 hours.  Heaven! (said in a sing-songy voice)

Ha ha:
We went to RR with some friends for dinner last night.  They reminded me of something that happened on a previous date of ours to RR.
As many of you know, whenever I go out to eat I end up drinking at least 4 glasses of whatever I'm drinking.  On this particular occasion, during one of my last requests for a refill, our waitress brought out my drink; as she was about to set it down it began to slip from her hand.  Fortunately, she caught it by sticking her finger down into the cup. As she straightened the glass back up, she flicked the liquid from her finger back into the glass...every last drop.  She apologized for the slight spill and left to go get me a new glass.  Or, at least that's what we all figured she was doing, ya know, after she'd stuck her finger in my cup and then flicked the remnants back into the glass.
But she never did.
Gross.  I guess that's okay though, because my thirst was suddenly gone anyway.