Day 74: Charged and Ready for Action

Aha:
I had a very busy day today.  When I came home, I immediately prepared myself for a hair appointment.  The appointment was only supposed to be about 45 minutes, but the client requested extra services and the appointment ended up lasting 2 hours.  I've been sitting here thinking what I should write for my "aha" while shushing my dog who is desperate for my attention.
And then I recognized it.
I've got to spend some time with my pup.  Have a great night, I'll be busy playing with Petey Pup!

Ha ha:
A couple days ago, before finding a better solution, I was going to use Clinton's charger for my phone.  I left his charger beside his bed and hooked mine up on my side.  The next day, at bedtime, he asked where his charger was...here's how it went.
He:  Where's my charger?
Me:  Beside your bed on the floor.
He:  No, you borrowed it yesterday, remember?
Me:  No, I didn't.  I used mine after I got an extension cord, remember?
He:  Well, I don't see it; you still have it.
Me:  No, I never took it.  It's still on the floor beside your bed.  Look down there.
He:  No, it's...oh.  I found it.
Me:  Did you find an apology down there too?

Day 73: Cut and Paste

Aha:
I woke up with a headache this morning, went to work with it and kept it all afternoon.  Alieve didn't relieve it but I was still (miraculously/thankfully) able to get my work done (editing manuscripts=tedious).  I kept saying a prayer all day that my headache would pass, and even though it didn't, I was blessed with the ability to work through it.
I did leave a little early, but when I got home my husband rubbed my shoulders for a little while (another miracle ;) and after a few hours the pain decreased a bit and now I am very much looking forward to going to bed and waking up refreshed in the morning!

Ha ha:
One of the docs I work for is a pastry junky (so much so he had a heart attack at 35!, but a big part of that is his genetically-high cholesterol, even still, you'd think he'd lay off the sweets).  Anywho, he knows I love a good pastry and each time he buys one for himself I ask where mine is (especially when he buys cherry pie!! YUM!).  Today, he came back from the deli and called for me to come out with a knife.

Leaving the story here would be funny enough as it is, but I'll divulge, just this once.

I got a knife and he says, "Well, I'll avoid the inevitable questions and just give you your piece now."  Ha!  He actually bought a pastry knowing that he'd just split it with me!  He didn't offer any to any of my coworkers, just me.  I got a good kick and a good pastry outta that!

Day 72: A Labor of Love

Aha:
I am so thankful I didn't have to go to work today!!  I got to sleep in, lounge around a bit, clean my house and enjoy time with my husband and friends.  I love that Labor Day celebrates workers by giving them a day off!
It was so nice to be able to have a relaxing day, I needed it!

Ha ha:
I decided that it was as good a day as any to clean my house so I wouldn't have to do it later this week.  I had the house to myself so I cranked up some Michael Buble and got to work.  I don't know what it is about that kind of music, but it just makes me want to dance!

So...I did.  I was all alone, right?

Well, I felt sorry for Peter, so as I fox-trotted and jazz-handed my laundry around my living room I was sure to circle around Peter a few times so he wouldn't feel left out.  He looked at me a little weirdly, so I swooped him up and pranced around the room a few times and spun in some lovely circles till we were both dizzy!
I wish cleaning could be this fun every time!

Day 71: A Day for Quotes

On a side note, this is my 100th post!!

Aha:
The lesson in Relief Society was on "Facing Your Future with Faith".  The teacher discussed how no matter what the situation is, we can do hard things because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  The Atonement may not always make our burdens easier to bear, but it will make them possible to bear.  I really liked that.  There have been times in my life when my burdens have been made easy to bear, but I think more often, the Atonement has made it possible to bear those things that are not easy.  It brought me comfort to think about that--the Lord knows what I need to go through and will make it possible to do so, even when/especially when it is not easy.  What's that quote?  I think it's pretty applicable here..."I never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it."

Ha ha:
Clinton got home early from his rotation today and was sitting next to me on the couch.  I happened to yawn and he said, "Shhh!  You're too noisy."  What a punk! ;)  I'm just glad I didn't sneeze!  Who knows what he would have said!

Clinton wanted to watch a little TV before going to bed but I soon found him on the computer, so I turned down the TV so I could think to blog.
He: Hey, I was watching that.
Me: I just need it to be quiet for a second and you're not even watching it.
He: I like to have background noise.
Me: (noticing Peter drinking his water in the background) Well, just listen to Petey drinking.
He: Yes, he's a regular little babbling brook.

Day 70: Sit Back and Relax

Aha:
1.  I got plane tickets today to go visit my family in October!  FYI Portland friends: I'll be there Oct. 19th-23rd.
2.  I got a nap this afternoon; something I haven't had for a while but thoroughly enjoyed!
3.  Clinton and I had nothing to do today but just hang out.  We ran a couple errands, but we were home for most of the day and just got to relax.  It was wonderful!  I think this was an extra special blessing in disguise because he's on call tomorrow and he'll be working on Monday, so the time we had together today will be our reserves for the next couple days. :)/:(

Ha ha:
Peter is...hilarious.  You wouldn't think that a dog could be so funny, but Petey really does have such a fun personality!  This morning he was laying in bed while I was getting ready.  After using a tiny bit of hairspray he started having this snorting/sneezing fit.  Clinton got in on it and started making the sound to Peter.  Peter would respond each time.  This snort-fest went on for about 2 minutes straight, but by the time I got my video camera out Peter had had enough.  So, I got this cute picture of him instead:

Well, a little later this afternoon he decided he wanted to look out the window, however there were a couple "obstacles" in his way.  But they didn't deter him from reaching his dreams!  Oh, no, not him!  He just climbed his way to the top and once there made himself the king of the world couch!

What a bub!

Day 69: When One Door Closes Another Opens

Aha:
We decided to place our adoption information on an additional profile website.  When we initially heard about it, it was going to cost $99/month.  We felt that was a bit costly, but figured it was for a good purpose, so we decided to give it a try.  However, when we printed the paperwork (after I took about 4 hours to complete our profile) I saw that it was going to cost $150 for a processing fee+$99 for the initial posting fee+$99 for the first month.  Eek!  I felt very overwhelmed with trying to come up with all this money, but we both felt that this was something we should be doing.  I asked the Lord to help me find the money.
As I was preparing to submit our application I asked our caseworker at LDS Family Services if he knew of any discounts we could use, but he knew of none.  I googled "parent profiles discounts" and the very first link that came up was for discounts for LDSFS!  I contacted the profile company to verify the discount and it was totally valid!  Instead of all the costs listed above, we no longer have to pay the fees and our monthly fee went from $99 down to $75!
Why would googling "parent profiles discounts" bring up the exact discount code I needed for our particular agency?...because the Lord's hand was in my life!

Ha ha:
In my typical bull-in-the-china-shop way, I walked into one of the offices across the hall...or should I say, I TRIED to walk into the office, but instead, I walked INTO the door...in front of two other employees.  In my defense, their door is a lot heavier than ours and it does not stay open like ours, so when I pushed it open I wasn't quite expecting it to fly back so quickly.  It made an unusually loud BAM when I collided and everyone turned to see what happened.  I told them I was ok and laughed it off, telling them my hip bone caught the brunt of it.  On my way back out, one of them said, "You know there's another door in the back that would be safer for you to use.  Are you sure you want to use this door, Danielle?"  Ha. Ha. :)

Day 68: Making a Big Stink

Aha:
I had another run in with The Intimidator today (if you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this link).  To keep a long story short, one of the other docs made arrangements for a resident to attend our clinic this month, told me about it 2 days ago (assuring me that all the proper notifications/arrangements had been made) and asked me to forward some helpful hints to the resident.  Taking the initiative to make sure all of the other docs knew, I sent a heads-up email.  Well, about 15 minutes later, The Intimidator came out and scolded me, in front of my coworkers, and said that the resident couldn't come to clinic and arrangements like this need to be cleared with him in the future.  I told him that this was not my doing, I was only trying to help, and that these "arrangements" had been made by Dr. Forgetful.  He was still a bit curt but said he speak with Dr. Forgetful, I told him I'd appreciate that.
After venting to my coworkers about my frustration of getting chided for Dr. Forgetful's forgetfulness and lack of communication, The Intimidator came back out, asked for clarification of how long I'd known this schedule (less than 3 days) and what more I knew about it.  He apologized and said it was his oversight that this had not been handled better.  Wha??!
Praise the Lord!  What a relief!  I'm still going to speak with Dr. Forgetful and let them know this lack of communication with me (his assistant) can not keep happening and that I don't appreciate getting in trouble for things that aren't my fault.  Overall though, I felt this was another successful encounter with The Intimidator because even though they came out strong, I stood my grounds and gained their respect in the process!

Ha ha:
One of my coworkers came over for a cut/highlights after work.  She was petting Peter who was busy sniffing her like crazy!  I told her he's a pretty sniffy dog and she replied, "He probably smells my poopies."  "What?!" I asked.  "He smells your poopies?"  "NO!  My Coopies." (Her dog's name is Cooper.)  Time to get my hearing checked I think!