Day 115: Lost in Pancakes

Aha:

Clinton took me to IHOP for supper last night. He knows how much I love their pancakes and our trip there was on a total whim. What a lovely surprise!! Thanks, Honey!!

Haha:

Well, I finished Lost yesterday and I gotta say, the ending had ME lost. I spent the next 20 minutes on Lostapedia.com trying to figure out what it all meant.

In the end, I think the story ending could have been better but overall I liked the show. I mean, I must have with all the time and laziness I dedicated to it. Lol

Day 113: Grinding

Aha:

I bought a night guard a week ago after many people recommended I do so. I wasn't aware of any clenching or grinding of my teeth but I didn't know what else to do to combat my TMJ.

Well, I've been using it every night and I can close my jaw all the way again and the pain has decreased rather significantly. To top it off, I woke up Thursday morning to a squeaking sound. It took me a moment to realize the sound was coming from me; I was grinding my teeth (thank goodness I had my guard in). I don't know if I was grinding cause I had my guard in or if it was grinding that made me need the guard in the first place. Either way, it was worth the $35 at Walmart and I'm feeling so much better already!

Haha:

When I was little I had a really bad teeth grinding problem. It was so bad in fact that my grinding would wake up my sleeping family members in their bedrooms—through closed doors!

I tell ya, it's a miracle I have teeth at all!

Day 100: Getting to Know You

Aha:

I've made it another blogging milestone--100 days! Go me!

I honestly didn't have anything big planned for my 100th post, but I know of couple people at least who are expecting something more...so I've been thinking about what I could write and this is what I've come up with: Thank You.
I know there aren't many of you out there, but I'd like to thank my readers. Knowing that I have people reading my blog makes me accountable to keep writing. And knowing that I need to write makes me take note of what's actually going on in my life. I'm not just living day-to-day and forgetting; I'm personally invested in my life and remembering it. So, thank you!
I'd like to return the favor, if anyone is interested, and open up a couple posts for Q&A. Do you have a topic or question you'd like me to blog about? I'd be interested to see what you're interested in. :)

Haha:

I was talking to my boss about candy--as you can see I am very focused at work--and we discovered we both really love sour candies. We were comparing favorites and how we usually just chow down until our mouths are totally raw from all the citric acid, and then he said, "Oh man, doesn't sour candy just make you sweat like crazy?!"

Me: Uh, no.

He: (shifty eyes) Yah, me neither.

Lol. 

I really love my job!

Day 99: Fondness

Aha:
I was asked to give a little blurb about "being creative" at the Relief Society meeting tonight. At first I couldn't really think of anything to talk about--both my sisters got the crafty/creative gene and I was left all thumbs. Well, after a little pondering I got to thinking about my blog and why I created it in the first place. I created it as an opportunity to record and better notice the blessings and humor in my life.
I shared some of my notable posts with the sisters tonight and felt a lot of gratitude that I had taken the time to write things down! I have a terrible memory, but my blog is a pretty fantastic way to remember.
What a blessing to re-read the times I've noticed the Lord's hand in my life and to continue to record those tender mercies every day.

Haha:
The topic for the RS meeting tonight was "Creating". The idea was that every person is a creator and that if you put your mind to it, you can create anything. Well, to go along with the theme we had a chance to "decorate" cupcakes with marshmallow fondant.
As I have mentioned before, I absolutely suck at pretty much anything skillfully crafty. I knew it was going to be a disaster, and perhaps because of this I didn't try as hard, but I think I'll leave the cake decorating to my sister, Daya.

Pretty bad. Yes, it's ok to laugh.

Day 95: Happy Women's Day

Aha:
Mother's Day. Two words, when put together, that typically make me cringe.
However, today I have found myself smiling thinking of all the children I've had the chance to mother: my nieces and nephews, my friends' kids, some of the young women I taught, and the random kids I've sat with at church when their mom's just looked desperate for help.
Sometimes I think this holiday should just be called "Women's Day". It would make it a lot easier to enjoy for those like me who have yet to be, but desperately want to be, mothers. But being a woman--I've got that covered! It is part of my nature to nurture and love; to teach and to play; to comfort and to soothe. I'm inherently a mom.
I wanted to give a shout-out to my mom for raising me to be who I am. I know you don't feel like you "measure up" but you do. You are the perfect mom for me!
I also want to thank my sisters (SIL's included) for letting me help "raise" your kids. You have no idea how special your kids are to me and how much being their aunt has blessed my life.
To my friends, thanks for calling me the "Baby Whisperer". I love snuggling your little ones and lulling them to sleep. Doing this makes me feel special and needed.
To the women who have handed me their kids without saying a word, thank you letting me help.
For those with kids I know this day can be hard as well and I hope you can find joy in it. We have a sacred work to do and we cannot do it alone. Thankfully we are surrounded by other women (moms, sisters, friends, aunts, and even the occasional stranger) who can lend us help when we need it.
May we all find a reason to celebrate who we are, cause being a woman is pretty amazing.
To all women I wish you a Happy Women's/Mother's Day.

Haha:
If you'll excuse the swear word in the title, here are two videos that make me laugh cause they're totally true! To all women, enjoy "'Crap' Girls Say: Episodes 1 and 2".

Day 91: Chatty Cathy

Aha:

I don't think I had ever met someone who had never met a Mormon until today. I don't remember what started it exactly but my supervisor asked me if swearing bothered me. I told him I personally didn't do it but unless someone was swearing at me I wasn't going to tell them they couldn't. He said he'd noticed I didn't swear and asked me why.

This started a whole Q&A session about my beliefs. I had already told him the day before that I didn't drink coffee, tea or alcohol and so today he asked me why that was. We talked about temples, prophets, modern revelation, the Word of Wisdom, tithing, fasting and fast offerings, covenants and temple recommend interviews. 

The whole thing was kinda neat cause I've never met someone who truly had no clue about Mormons. I told him I'm an open book and if he ever had a question I would give him honest answers. I don't think he has any interest in the church, per se, but it was just a no-pressure (for him or me) information session and I really enjoyed it!

Haha:

At another point during the day I had a completely different kind of conversation with a female coworker that involved words like "periods", "cycle", "doing 'business'", "sperm" and "eggs". Lol

Oh how different conversations can be in just a short period of time. Ha!

Day 87: Hymns and Has

Aha:
Clinton set up my piano for me the other day and I got to sit down and play for quite a while today. It felt so good! I was practicing hymns and doing so always makes me feel uplifted. Later, while I was cleaning the bathroom, I caught myself singing the words. I love the hymns. Their words are scripture to me and I'm grateful I have them to refer to for comfort and direction.

Haha:
What happens on a Saturday when four inches of snow falls overnight and keeps falling all day, and your husband is at work? About a five-hour marathon of Lost, that's what.
I think my butt has become a completely flat surface from all the sitting. But hey, I'm really making progress on episodes. Ha!

Day 86: So Long! Farewell!

Aha:
Enjoyed my last day of freedom on a workday yesterday for the next six months. I lounged around doing nothing and enjoyed every last second of it.
I'll see you again in another six months Freedom, until then I'll think of you fondly.

Haha:
Clinton and I went to the local Co-Op to find some sweets last night and saw this...

If you have allergies...consider this your warning!

Day 83: I Got a New Job and it Makes Me Laugh

Aha:
This will be news to most of you that I even needed one in the first place, but I have a new job! It's with a different company doing office administration. I don't know all of the specifics yet but I really liked the people I interviewed with and my job duties are more along the lines of what I like to do. I start on Monday and, to boot, the pay is better as well!
The only crappy thing about it is that now it'll be a while till I can get back home to visit my family. Hopefully they'll be lenient and allow me time off this summer but being the newbie I don't want to be asking for a lot of favors. That being said, friends and family are more than welcome to come see me! At any rate, it's not a forever. I just have to remind myself of that.
I am very thankful for this job and I look forward to loving what I do again!

Haha:
I must be a pretty hot commodity.
I interviewed for this new job yesterday. During my interview I was told they'd be interviewing through the rest of the week. If I hadn't heard from them by Friday, to give them a call.
When I got home from my interview I opened up my email to send them a "thank you" and instead found an email from them telling me I was a top candidate and that I should hear from them more formally by Wednesday.
This morning I got a call from them, offering me the job.
When I texted Clinton to tell him, I just kept laughing to myself. It's crazy how it all happened so fast and it just makes me chuckle to know that people want me that much. Kinda makes me feel special. And I don't know why, but it makes me laugh.

Day 80: Snowfallen in Love

Aha:

Woke up to more snow. Fortunately the temperature was "warm enough" to melt it as soon as it hit the ground so the roads were clear.

Clinton and I used the clear roads to run a few errands and have some McDonald's for lunch. I'm really loving this whole eating dairy freely thing. My two ice creams cones were lovely.

Another nice weekend with my HB!

Haha:

This morning Clinton, Petey and I were all lounging in bed. I was snuggling the pup and giving him kisses.

Me: Oh, Petey, I could just kiss you all day.

Clinton: I wouldn't do that, that's how I got that lip fungus.

Me: Well, I'm not worried about that cause I'm not kissing his butt!

Clinton: Huh, I see.

Lol!

Day 79: Toot Sweet

Aha:

When is having a milkshake a guilt-free indulgence? When you're lactose-intolerant and constipated like you wouldn't believe, that's when! 

Today was one of the very few times in my life that I have been thankful for my intolerance of milk. I haven't yet felt the effects of the dairy, but I'm sure it'll do the trick!

C'mon milkshake...do your worst! Ha!

Haha:

Clinton was sitting across from Peter and me in the living room. He was trying to see how high in pitch he could whistle and challenged me to do the same thing. At one point we were both straining to go higher and higher, our whistling was pretty much nonstop. Upon hearing all of this Peter's ears were all over the place and his little head kept moving side-to-side. 

Now, good parents would have stopped the torture but Clinton and I just thought it was too funny to stop right away. Eventually we stopped but mostly it was because I realized how ridiculous we must've looked, let alone sounded.

Lol!

Day 77: I Once Was Lost, But Now Am Found

Aha:

I am thankful for the comfort and peace the Holy Ghost brings. This may come as a surprise (insert sarcasm), but I tend to be a worrier and am easily anxious. Well, when those uncertain times come I am thankful for the companionship I feel from the spirit--reminding me that there is One who knows my concerns and can make things right.

Haha:

I don't know why I do this to myself, but for some reason when I have a little time on my hands I start a new series on Netflix. 

I have watched 8+ episodes of Lost today. I never saw it when it was on and I'm beginning to see why people were so obsessed with it before. 

Why do I do this? I know my chores and social life suffer and yet I can't help myself! Anyway, better get to bed so I can squeeze one more episode in before sleepy time. Ha!

Day 71: Words That Make You Go, "Aww" and "Ew" and "Phew"

Aha:

Again, I have been amazed at the love and support I receive from the people around me. Today was a stressful day but it ended up being a happier day because of the kind words of encouragement shared.

Thank you to those of you who reached out to me to make me feel better. And thank you to those of you who are always there. I love you all!

Haha:

Why is it that when we girls get together all privacy goes out the window? I swear, there's hardly a body part or function that is left to the imagination once the chatting starts (and it's usually me who starts it)! Part of me feels like I should be slightly disturbed by the lack of boundaries, but another part of me is grateful to know I'm not the only one experiencing XYZ.

Oh girls. What ever happened to dignity? Ha!

Day 54: The Things I Didn't Know I Needed

Aha:
Well, it was absolutely freezing outside, but Petey and I went for a half-hour walk when I got home from work today. He needed it and apparently so did I.
There's something to be said for breathing in brisk air and thinking about nothing in particular. I'm thankful for the reset!
Plus, it just does my heart wonders to see Petey so very happy. Makes me happy too.

Haha:
I'm pretty sure Aunt Flo is imminent...here's a sampling of the excess I ate today:
1. A Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Granola Chocolate
2. A Kit Kat Chunky
3. 3 small brownies
4. Half an oatmeal cookie
5. Cinnamon toast and,
6. A large handful of Whoppers
Yikes!

Day 52: Ooo-Ooo Witch-ay Woman

Aha:

My husband is a real trooper. He has a level of patience I will never understand. And for his patience I am so thankful! 

I love you, Clinton. Thank you for realizing the source of my craziness and loving me regardless.

Haha:

You would not, or maybe you would, believe how grumpy I was this morning/afternoon. Here're a few samplings of my sour moments from today...feel free to laugh, I know I am...now.

1. After I had taken a shower this morning I came back into the room where Clinton was still in bed. As I walked into the room he was making a huge yawn and I totally mimicked it...kinda sorta mocking him.

Why I was annoyed with him yawning I don't know.

2. When I was folding laundry today I made a very big point of mentioning to him how nice I was for folding his laundry too.

Gee, aren't I sweet?
3. Clinton and I went to Costco. When we got there I told him 3 things we needed before I ran off to the bathroom. While I was in the bathroom he ran and got all those things and proceeded to the checkout. When I got out of the bathroom I called him but he didn't answer so I meandered through the store and grabbed a few other not-on-the-list items. When I called him again to tell him I was ready to checkout he answered and said he already had. He also had my purse with him so I couldn't pay for my extra items.

Unnaturally I was miffed. I stormed past him out of the store and sped-walked to the car. When we got in the car we talked. I had thought he was just not answering my calls but in reality he couldn't hear his phone ring. He had found all the things ON THE LIST and bought them, as requested.

Moral of the story...get the facts and realize the kindness if others before blowing things totally out of proportion. And yes, I sincerely apologized.

Oh, there's more, but fortunately my total witchiness only lasted a few hours and I spent the second half of my day in much better spirits, but HO-WEE I was a real piece of kick-you-in-the-crotch meanness. Thanks PMS!

Day 50: Fatigue Will Set Your Foresight Free

Aha:
You know when someone says "I didn't get any sleep last night" but really they just tossed and turned?...well, I literally didn't get any sleep last night. I don't know what it was, maybe it was the Dr. Pepper I had around 7pm, but I could not fall asleep. I even took a half of a sleep-aid (usually a quarter of one and I'm a goner)...no such luck.
I debated all night what I was going to do about work: do I call in sick?, it's only my first week, do I just go in late? Well, finally I couldn't take laying in bed anymore so I got up and got ready for work (it was 530am by this time anyway).
I only had a couple of tired moments at work, but miraculously I survived. Much of my day was spent in training and I really struggled to pay attention, but I took some good notes and I think no harm was done.
Now that I'm home I'm truly exhausted, so off to bed I go, but just wanted to record how thankful I am for the extra divine help I had in staying awake today (I think the Diet Coke at lunch helped a bit too). Here's hoping for a restful sleep tonight!

Haha:
During one of my one-on-one training sessions today I was walked through a program our company offers. As is done with our clients, I was asked some ice-breaker questions at the start. One of these questions was, "Do you have a hidden talent, if so, what is it?"
Now, remember I'm very tired and not thinking very Johnny-on-the-spot-like, so I replied, "Umm...yes...My grandma had some gastrointestinal issues and passed them onto her grandchildren. Among other things, I inherited the ability to...uh...I can, though I try not to in public...I can burp really big burps. Like, I've won contests for them before."
I tried my hardest to come up with anything, but my poor brain was shot and out popped something no one needs to know, let alone my new coworker.
Fortunately, she laughed about it and was fine with it, but seriously...sheesh, Dani!

Day 44: Eye, Eye, Eye!

Aha:

Spent the vast majority of my day in the ocularist's office having a new shell made. Unfortunately it still needs some adjustments so I won't get it till April 8th, but thanks to Alberta Health and Clinton's Blue Cross benefits, this shell will only cost me $90 in the end (these babies cost $3000-$5000 in the states).

I can't wait to have my new eye! Hopefully my outlook on life will be the only thing "looking up" after I get my new eye. ;)

Haha:

As I said earlier, my new shell has some adjustments to be made. At the end of a very long day, my ocularist put in the shell, made some markings on it, pulled it back out, filed down the surface, put it back in, etc. After about 15 minutes of this routine she said the color was slightly off and some extra modifications needed to take place, but if I wanted to look at it I could.

Of course I was anxious to see it, and as she was raising the mirror up she said, "Just remember it still needs a bit of work." (That's never a good sign.)

Me: AHH! Uh,...you say this is fixable?

(The color was off, yes, but the iris itself took up most of the eye space--hardly any white was showing. The iris also sat really low on my lower lid.)

She: Oh yes, it is totally fixable.

Me: (laughing) Good thing, otherwise I look quite creepy! My old shell is looking pretty good to me right now. Ha!

So, come April 8th fingers crossed for the less creepy version of Danielle!

Day 43: Steering Me in the Right Direction

Aha:

I had to go to the bank today to get a certified check printed. The teller I was working with was very chatty and I probably spent about 25 minutes just talking with her. We talked about her upcoming retirement, opera companies (her daughter is part of the Vancouver Opera Company), having children (her daughter is also hoping to go through IVF), and finding family physicians (they're moving to Chilliwack and it's an area Clinton and I are considering settling in)--to name a few topics.

Towards the end of our chat she apologized for talking my ear off, but to be honest, I loved it all. Although she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, I gotta say it was nice to have such a candid conversation with a total stranger! She was very kind and had lots of encouraging words and advice for me. She made me smile and laugh. 

Thanks bank teller lady, you made my day!

Haha:

Oh man, you should have seen my attempt at parallel parking tonight. Fortunately for my ego Clinton saw the whole thing. Lol

Let's just suffice it to say that at one point I was totally perpendicular to the curb, at another point I was all the way up on the sidewalk, and I finished by deciding half-way on the sidewalk was good enough. And all this was WITH Clinton's help!

He and I were both having a good laugh at my "skills". Ha!

Day 40: Totes Hit the Sweet Spot

Aha:
Got to talk with my friend, Chels, for a good long while today. Warmed the cockles of my heart.
Thanks, Chels, for contacting me! You have no idea how natural "adorbs", "totes" and "I know, right?" felt today. ;) You are such a sweet friend!

Thank you, God, for sending such wonderful friends and people into my life.

Haha:
Guess who was craving a frozen yogurt swirl cone for lunch while shopping at Costco today?
Guess who discovered she didn't have any lactase enzyme pills with her?
Guess who paid $19 for a new bottle of lactase enzyme pills even though she already had a new bottle at home cause she didn't want to have to go all the way home to get it and then drive all the way back to Costco?
Guess who relished her "$21.00" frozen yogurt swirl cone from Costco?
Yep. That was all me.

Day 39: This Toot Shall Pass

Aha:

Although the time was very short, I got to see Clinton today after his 25-hour call yesterday, and before his 28-hour call tomorrow. This month's rotation really bites. However, I am grateful it's only a month long and hopefully it will pass by quickly.

So thankful for my HB!

Haha:

I ate six scrambled egg whites today forgetting what eggs do to my digestive system.

I also forgot this when I went to Costco and bought that 6-dozen pack of eggs a few weeks ago.

Needless to say there has been, and will continue to be, A LOT of sulferic explosions happening all up in this place (and every other place I go) until those eggs are gone.

Oh. Dear.