I'm Forever Yours...Faithfully: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

SPEECHLESS...

Happy Friday...I'm giving BLOOD!

I'm scared as all get out about donating blood today (YIKES)! I'm a BABY about needles as it is, and I'm a fairly petite person...passing the giving guidelines by only FIVE pounds, I'm scared I may be a little "fainty". Already this morning I've been hearing horror stories from girls that have donated in the past (PLEASE, ZIP IT)! I've never donated before, but a PINT of blood can save THREE lives...that's AMAZING to me!!! It's worth the temporary ringing in the ears, dizziness, lightheadedness and whatever miserable side effects follow!

Also...it's FRIDAY!!! YIPPY! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and enjoys the SUPER BOWL!!!

***edited to add***

Apparently I have the blood of a "Super Hero" (or so said the nurse)! I had the highest iron level of anyone she'd seen today. I didn't get woozy or lightheaded, and I feel GREAT! Now, the needle...not so hot on that, that thing was the size of a Bic stick pen, sheesh!!! I survived!

Friday, January 23, 2009

So Adorable!!!

My friend brought this to my attention, and I just HAD to post it! Of course, you will need to mute my playlist to watch the video...ENJOY :)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Our New Addition....

We got a PUPPY!!! I've been wanting a dog for a while now, but Jero put the brakes on that from the start. He must have really slept on it, b/c out of nowhere he said he was ready for one! He says he's "testing" it out to see if he could "handle" a baby. Well, there's no sleeping on that one (for the record), that's coming, ready or not :)

So, he's ADORABLE...he's a LOVER. He's a boxer/lab mix, technically called a "boxador". He's a very good puppy...he sleeps through the night in his crate without whining (anyone who has had a puppy knows the whining can be like a newborn baby), so we are very lucky and very proud of him!

Not sure if you can tell from the next two pics, but he has a DUKE collar on...YES his name is DUKE!!!! For anyone that doesn't already know...Jero is a huge DUKE fan, so there you go!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Amazon.com Promoting Pedophilia...

I have been visiting/posting on a blog called the "Imperfect Parent" for over six months now. I mostly visit their "Jon & Kate Plus 8" blog/forum to chat and discuss the show, and of course have made some great cyber friends along the way...

Recently, there was a post that has caught my attention, written by the owner of the "Imperfect Parent". I, as many others, am OUTRAGED at what they are allowing to be sold (how it got published in the first place is beyond me). Apparently, they are selling books that promote child-adult sex. I am not sure what constitutes these authors/publishers/sellers to be able to write/promote/sell these books. Censorship? Child-adult sex is an ILLEGAL/IMMORAL ACT people!!!

Please take the time to read this article, and in the article it guides you to where you can go to take a stand and have a voice. I, personally, haven't ever purchased from Amazon.com, but I know many people that have and will NO longer!

http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2009/01/11/amazon-feeding-our-children-to-the-lions/

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Thankful, Grateful & Blessed

So, as I sat in the breakroom today at lunch, I overheard a few women discussing their family troubles. One has a son that is in rehab who just recently got charged with armed robbery. One has a husband with luekemia. One has a daughter that is having horrific boyfriend problems that is interfering with the family. One has a father with throat cancer. Seriously, this is most of what I heard over a matter of 30 minutes...I have learned of the others over time.

Now, I have been through some tough times myself... with an ugly divorce of my parents while in college, followed by losing my mom to cancer four years later. Those were hard, and those experiences have made me who I am today.

However, listening to these women today has humbled me, and as always, made me realize how incredibly blessed I really am. Contrary to my last post... I AM grateful that I have a job, that I have a loving husband, an amazing sister and brother-in-law and four beautiful nieces & nephew, a supportive/encouraging/faithful mother-in-law, awesome sister/brother/grandmother/grandfather/father in-law (ok, to sum it up...ALL of Jero's wonderful family), and a fabulous family of my own! I am thankful for the roof over my head and things that have been afforded to me by the grace of God.

I am MOST thankful for God's immense love that is bestowed upon me, and for His grace and mercy!!! I pray that the Lord would use me to encourage others, such as these women, as I may be in need of encouragement one day.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."
Psalm 107:1

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Chained to a Desk...

Yes folks, that's me...CHAINED TO MY DESK!!! **Warning**...I'm venting here, b/c my hubs and family are sooo OVER my whining! I'm losing my mind here, literally. I have daily headaches, backaches, neckaches, buttaches (yes, I went there). I'm pretty sure I could JUMP out of my skin at any given time and run off into oncoming traffic, without blinking an eye. Yes, my friends, I know I chose this lovely job...BUT, it would've been helpful to know during my interview these things:

1. You will sit at your desk at ALL times unless on a break or at lunch

2. If you, by chance, need to step away from your desk you will be reprimanded like a 2 yr old

3. The chair that you will reside in will be oversized, underpadded and most likely from 1982

4. The neon lights overhead, in addition to staring at a computer screen, will give you the most annoying and nauseating headache on a consistent basis

5. You will freeze while in your "hole" b/c they are trying to ward off diseases, and when you beg for a heater they will tell you to bundle up instead...WTH????

6. You will be so entirely bored at work, you might lose a little bit of your sanity and blog about how much you hate your job...BUT, don't you dare leave your desk!!!

Let's move on to my "boss" (that's what everyone seems to call her, still can't figure it out). I'm going to try and remain respectful in my next few comments, but please forgive me if it gets ugly! I, for the life of me, can't figure out how she is in a leadership position??? I've been a manager since I was 24, so on a DAILY basis I try to wrap my mind around some of the things she says and does. I try to find the method to her madness, but just can't, and it's killing me trying to! In all honesty, maybe just maybe, it IS b/c I've been in a leadership role for so long and I can't tolerate being the "peon", I have no shame in saying that. I say that b/c I wouldn't pull half of the malarkey this woman pulls! So, YES, once again I chose this lovely job...But it would've been helpful to know during my interview these things:

1. On your first week at work, your "boss" will gossip to you about the other "boss" in another dept...and a few others (do you understand how disturbing and wrong this is???)

2. She will continue the gossip, backstabbing, fabrication of certain things, lying and so on...until you want to leave your desk (heaven forbid) and shout from the roof tops what a hypocrite she is, but you remain silent

3. You will be denied 95% of the requests you ask for, "just because"

4. If someone passes away in your family you will be given no condolences, instead you will be given a hard time about the time you need off (granted it was my Grandfather-in-law, but have a heart!)

5. You will see double standards on a DAILY basis

6. And if you're sick or going through a hard time, no biggie...there's a job to do! (like my job is that important)

Let's pause for a moment...DO I SOUND BITTER OR WHAT??? Ok, back to the complaining!

7. You will notice that there are favorites and others that receive "special treatment", but you don't (hey, I'm ok with not getting special treatment, but for the love of Pete BE FAIR)

8. You will be reminded that if you don't like your job, you CAN be replaced (who says that??? great way of building morale and making employees feel valued!)

9. Your boss will be an extremely MANIPULATIVE woman who tends to forget EVERYTHING you tell her, twist things around, make up rules as she goes (uugghh), must I go on...I'm being so mean! I think you get the picture

Ok, lastly, the patients. Now, I adore working with the patients (really I do), I love people (just not my boss). BUT, when people go to a Dr's office they tend to lose all their senses! Especially their sense of direction. Ok, I understand that they probably haven't been here before or that it is a big office, BUT it would've been helpful to know during my interview these things:

1. You will become a traffic director

2. When you tell someone (everyone) to take a left, they will ultimately take a right and go the wrong way...you will get to the point that you stop chasing them down (although, this is a FABULOUS opportunity to leave your desk)

3. When you schedule returning appointments for your patients, they will feel like they are deciding whether or not they are going to purchase their future home...MAKE A FLIPPIN DECISION...I PROMISE IT WILL NOT AFFECT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE...MONDAY OR TUESDAY PEOPLE, 9 OR 10 AM...IT'S NOT THAT HARD...YOU DON'T NEED TO CALL YOUR HUSBAND, KIDS, GRANDPARENTS TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING ON JANUARY 11th 2010...OH, I DON'T HAVE TIME (well, yea I really do, but whatever) FOR YOU TO GET YOUR PALM PILOT OUT AND SEE IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING SCHEDULED A YEAR FROM NOW...NO I DON'T KNOW THE RESULTS OF YOUR EXAM...NO I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU HAVE SUCH A HIGH DEDUCTIBLE (talk to your "boss" about that, maybe they're nicer than mine)...AND FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, I CAN'T EXPLAIN YOUR BILL TO YOU ANY OTHER WAY THAN I ALREADY HAVE FOR THE 10th TIME...CALL YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY!!!

Oh, WOW, do I feel better! I'm gonna have a great day today. I'm also gonna get a new job...wish me luck :) And, once again, PLEASE forgive me for being so hateful...I'm really not that way, really!