So, how's it going??

Ah - nice to see you again :) How's life? Good here, busy, but good. I've been doing well trying to deal with this depression issue......I think its improving, but its hard to tell. I've been on meds for about three weeks now, and I'm going to start seeing an official psychiatrist to help manage the dosage and such (instead of my OB/GYN). My therapist thought it would be a good idea, and I agree. We've been working through lots of stuff - I really like her!

Here's one thing that ALWAYS makes me happy and feel good:


Ahhh - my little man makes me soooo happy! He's so stinkin' cute! I just peeked in at him sleeping in his crib (I've been doing this more frequently lately). I love watching him sleep....his little arms splayed above his head in "TOUCHDOWN" position. *sigh* after Pat I never thought I'd love another man, but alas, I have been smitten by this little 16 pound wonder. His smile totally melts me!

The photo is from a little photo shoot we had on a gloomy day in our bedroom. He was so patient!! You can see some of the photos at my flickr page.

Right now, I'm waiting for the meatloaf to be done so I can go to bed. Yes, I'm cooking meatloaf :) Its the best meatloaf in the universe - from the House of Blues. Our neighbor Kelly cooked us a few loaves after Liam was born, and we devoured it. So so YUM!! Anywho, I'm going to cut out heart shapes of the meatloaf for Valentine's Day dinner tomorrow - and probably out of potatoes too. It will be cute and romantic! I also made some heart shaped cupcakes, with pink frosting and heart sprinkles. Yeah, I know its corny, but I'm so happy in love this year, with Pat and with Liam, that I just feel like celebrating - even if its cheesy!

So, Happy St. Valentine's Day to you all! You are loved - and have a great day!!!!

Grrrr....

I despise bottle feeding Liam. Like, physically doing it myself. It makes me angry. I feel awkward...like I don't know what I'm doing. Like I'm learning to nourish and feed him all over again. Ugh - I hate the way that feels.

This morning was the last time I breast-fed him. So as of today, he's officially weaned. I had visions in my head of this last time being picture perfect....me looking lovingly down at his beautiful little face as he drank mama's milk, pausing only to smile sweetly at me. Instead - it was pretty much the opposite! He was fidgety, fighting me most of the way because - lets face it - its just much easier to drink out of a bottle.....and getting that most of the time now, I know its his preferred method of feeding.

To tell you the truth I was kind of offended. I know he's just a baby, and when it comes down to it, he doesn't care where he's getting his nourishment from, as long as its yummy, and preferably in the easiest delivery method possible! But, I wanted him to want milk from his Mommy :(

*sigh* And my boobs really hurt right now because they are filling up......ouch!

Although I'm having difficulty emotionally with it......its whats best for us right now. Not just because I'm taking medication. I really must admit, there is a certain amount of freedom from not having to breastfeed. Its nice not having to pump during the day - and giving up night time responsibility to share with Pat is nice too. So there is a small, silver lining, and I know I'll feel better about it all soon.

Lists

I've always been a list maker - it helps me not get freaked out. But sometimes I won't make them when I know the lists are too big, which kind of defeats the purpose of helping me tackle projects, doesn't it?

Anyway, I've got a few lists - some for home, some for work. At work, its a list of things that HAVE to get done before I leave, HAVE to get done AFTER I leave, and then the list of things that just won't get done ever, and no one will die because of it. I already have a nice steady list of appointments and training already set up for after I start my new position as well.

At home its mostly a list of things to do - things to purge - things to organize - things to bring with me in the car - things that need to go to the house by air shipment - things that need to get to the house sometime, and stuff that will go into storage. Its been a barrage of lists that somehow aren't managing to stress me out too much or drown me yet. I'm determined to make this a relatively stress-free move. Lets see if it really is mind over matter, because I don't think I've ever done a move where I wasn't freaking out at some point. So far, so good.

Lets see, the things I am focusing on right now for this weekend: Tonight I will have to finish purging all the things I need to get rid of. Hopefully as we speak Keith is disassembling the desk so we can send it off with the rest of the donated goods tomorrow morning when Salvation Army comes to pick it all up. I successfully compiled at least another truckful. So, that will be FIVE truckfulls (think an extra long bed pick up piled high above the cab) of stuff that I have given away - not to mention the countless numbers of trashbags of shredded and torn documents. I'm so glad I bought a shredder a few years ago. Totally a great investment and I don't have to worry about people stealing my social security number. After the STUFF is purged, I'll still have quite a bit of files to go through and sort out - but that will really be secondary. As Pat O'Brien keeps on reminding me - Papers don't take up all that much space......

Then, after that is all done, Friday and Saturday I will need to make sure to separate and clearly mark what is going where as far as Air shipment (basically clothes & printer), house shipment, storage shipment. I'm going to try to separate it by room - but we'll see how that all works out. Then Sunday night I'll have to pack - for a week or so. Actually two bags - one I can leave in the car, and another I can take with me into the hotels when we get to where we're going. I have to make sure everything we are taking in the car is necessary - and that it will all fit!

Saturday was supposed to be a rugby game, but its cancelled so they are just training instead. I'm not sure if I can make it to say goodbye to everyone - I have to work Saturday as well because of a HUGE meeting they are having here at the CTC. Hopefully we can at least drive down there and say hello for a bit. Sunday we're making time to spend some QT with our friends and surrogate family Fernando, Martha, Alejandro and little Fer. It will be hardest, for me, to say goodbye to them - they've been so good to us. We're going to go see La Basilica de Guadalupe, since it was the most important thing on my list to see while I was living here.

In the (not too distant) future:
The movers will be here Monday morning, so I have to also make sure I have the tablet of papers filled out and the appropriate copies of documentation ready so they have everything needed to get my goods across the border.

Monday I also have to take my car in for service to make sure its road worthy - also need to put on the new windshield wipers too.

I already transfered most of my money to my US account - but I think Tuesday I'll withdraw the rest and close my bank account. Tuesday night hopefully I can have dinner again with Veronica and her sister......OH Crap - I forgot I have to turn off our SKY sattelite - I need to call them FIRST thing tomorrow morning. Then Wednesday I'll turn in the keys to our renter and such. I have to not forget to ask about our security deposit. I would like that back in Cash.

Wow - it was exhausting just reading over it all! I hope you can excuse me for not keeping the blog updated for the next week - it will be a whirlwind. I will definitely post when we are safe and sound in the US of A though.......

Dammitalltoheck.....

::::::::::::::::I {heart} TelMex::::::::::::::::

So, based on a cyber friend's advice, I decided to call TelMex/Prodigy to cancel my internet service for the end of the month.......I'm not exactly sure what I ended up doing, but the internet service stopped working sometime yesterday after I called, so I'm assuming they already shut it off. Which is great, I guess - sometimes I just wish I could understand Spanish better so I knew what was going on when I'm on the phone. Some people are really nice about it, and make an effort to speak more clearly and slowly....some people - like operators at TelMex - don't. So, I'm not sure what I did - but I don't think it would be worth the hassel to turn it back on for two weeks. So,I guess we'll just go without - I'll still have access at work, and Keith will at his work, so we won't be completely cut off. And then, too, maybe I'll be able to get some things done instead of sitting in front of the computer all night. Of course, there is always TV to watch and digiscrapping to do :)

::::::::::::::::OH BROTHER::::::::::::::::

Poor Keithy Boy is sick. He was feeling kind of poopy after he got home from Christmas time, then got better, then just took a turn for the worse. All hackin' and horkin' snot all over the place. Its kind of gross. He said he was blowin electric green boogers all day yesterday. I personally think its the same sinus infection I had - and I'm hoping to high heaven he doesn't give it back to me. I'm still taking antibiotics though, so I'm sure that will help! I'm happy now that he's using up some of the Cold Medicine I have because the movers said they won't pack it, and I would hate for all that to go to waste.

::::::::::::::::POOR POOR PAT::::::::::::::::

Something went all screwy with Pat O'Brien's Jeep yesterday.....he said the odometer, spedometer and transmission weren't functioning - and he was stuck in 1st or 2nd gear. And, his dash board was lit up with warning lights more than the Griswold house at Christmastime. I guess that would officially mean something is wrong, eh? He managed to get home safely, but will be sportin' a rental until he can get the car into the shop on MONDAY. WTF?? That just seems like forever to me....I think I might have to talk to a Manager in that case. I can be very persuasive if I need to be.

::::::::::::::::MOVE UPDATE::::::::::::::::

There has been some plan finalization in the move front. The packers are officially coming January 29 - 31, so that leaves me to map out our plan of driving attack for Feb 1 - 4. Its all coming soon ladies and germs! I can hardly stand the anticipation!!!!!

Purge - purge - AND MORE PURGE!

I'm making my way through the mess peeps - its all coming together! Last night I sat down in the overfilled office area and purged a zillion old bills, documents, blah blah blah. Although I didn't get through a whole heck of a lot, I emptied a couple boxes and am making progress.

In the process of shredding things I came across an old file I had with things from high school and college in it. I did pare down some of it, but I did keep enough to fit in a small folder. Just old letters from friends, some from my parents, drawings a cute little 5 year old Karli made for me while I was away. It was pretty funny! The stuff from high school was mostly stories and writings I did for English class - those were rather hilarious! One was an obituary recounting my life story - it didn't have much right (I think I was some sort of Bio-Physicist or something) but it did have right that I would move to Colorado for a bit. Kinda amusing to read. Maybe I'll post it here later - so you can see the high hopes I had for myself as a 16 year old girl.

The best thing about all this is now I am in the mood to purge - so it makes the monumental task a lot easier. I'll finish the rest of the box tonight, and maybe hit my Tshirt area.

I'm starting to stress a lot, but apparently thats just how I do. Really I'd like to not be that way. In talking with an intern at lunch, I asked for advice on how to not stress. She told me that I take tasks that aren't that important, and worry about every detail. I would have been slightly offended, if she weren't exactly right!!! I really do need to chill - life's too short to spend it all wound up in a ball.....

On another note - at lunch time I was trying to figure out the spanish word for procrastinator, because I am SUCH a procrastinator it is ridiculous....so I explained to my friends the definition - a person who waits until the very last mintue to do things, even if they could do it right away with plenty of time to spare.

Their answer? and I quote: "A good Mexican".

The clock is ticking…..

I’ve been putting it off and putting it off – mostly because I am a World class champion procrastinator – so much so that I’ve convinced myself that I actually work better when there is a time crunch!

I have vowed today to make a list of EVERYTHING that I need to complete in the next three weeks – and then break it all down and make a plan of attack so I can make sure to get everything done. And I will do it. I promise you. After lunch.

::::::::::::::ACOT CROP::::::::::::::

First, lets talk about this weekend! It was the Scrappin’ In the New Year Crop weekend at A Cherry On Top – and it was my first Crop being on the planning side of things! It was very fun, but definitely stressful – being that it was my first one and I didn’t want to botch anything up!!! I hosted a bingo game, Disney trivia, and another game called song lyric hide and seek. It was very fun, and all in all I doled out about $50 in points and prizes!

Even with being on the Creative Team and not playing any of the games or anything, I still was encouraged to scrap a bit – I did about 10 pages in all! Here are a couple of my favorites:

::::::::::::::ENGAGED::::::::::::::

Papers, elements, alpha - Jen Wilson Nostalgia 5 Kit; Kraft Notebook paper - Shannon Lee Designs Muddle of Pud kit; Tied ribbons (some recolored) - ajsmith, amy teets, Heather Ann, Anita Stergiou, Shannon Lee, brutcher; Sketch - Becky Fleck pagemaps; Tear - Steph Krush; Font - Weltron Urban, My own handrwiting created by september Myles; Drop Shadows by Traci Murphy

::::::::::::::AUNT::::::::::::::
Papers - Jen Wilson; Drop Shadows - Traci Murphy; Stitches – CGGibson; Frame & Tag - Holly McCaig; Fonts - Batik Regular & Jefferson

::::::::::::::CHRISTMAS 2004::::::::::::::
Yeah, I know I put the wrong date in it – I’m gonna fix that today. I’m a huge dork.

Template - Traci Reed Double Trouble2; Papers - Elements - Jen Wilson Merry Days 9; Hand Stamped Alpha - Michelle Coleman; Font - Susie's Hand

::::::::::::::FRIENDS::::::::::::::
Template - Traci Reed Double Trouble (pics added to achieve 4 pics per page); Stamp Alpha, Papers, Tags from New Beginnings kit, available exclusively at ACOT; Font - Gilder Girls

::::::::::::::OTHER WEEKEND FUN::::::::::::::

I also finally cleaned my bathroom, and took down all the Christmas Décor inside. It always makes me a bit sad, because after my house looks so naked. Keith was nice enough to do the outside lights. I also took the opportunity to bring downstairs a bunch of stuff that needs to be donated. I swear, I have another room full. It sure feels good to purge, though! I think I arrived in Mexico with about 300 boxes of stuff – my goal was to purge half……I think I’m well on my way.

::::::::::::::PERSONAL GOALS FOR THIS WEEK::::::::::::::

Now, this week I would also like to scrap a few paper pages, and also shred at least two more boxes of documents. Oh, and I’m also going to start training tomorrow for an 8K in March. I was just going to wait until I got back to the US, but it will be much MUCH better if I start it now. Besides, I need some motivation to get my ass up in the morning. This sleeping in until 8:30AM business is for the birds.

::::::::::::::REPATRIATION UPDATE::::::::::::::

I finally determined my last day of work here in Mexico – it will be January 31, 2007. That means Keith and I will be on the road starting February 1 – and hopefully rolling into Chicago before the Superbowl on Sunday February 4. I’ll take a couple days to rest and relax, and start work sometime later that week.

Right now I’m working with a million different people to get all my stuff set up for my new position. Ordering a new car (Jeep Grand Cherokee), telephone (hot pink Razr, I hope!), email, access to intranet stuffs, reports, customer lists, etc……

I’ve also had contact with the movers and relocation company, so that is all in the works now as well. I’m pretty excited about it all!!!!!

The best thing about this whole process is how easy its going to be compared with other relocations. I already have a place to live, the kitties are already happily relocated, and when I arrive I’ll have a personal guide in Pat O’Brien to help show me around town, help me get my drivers license and city sticker! Half of the stress of moving is not knowing where you’re going to live, having temporary arrangements and living in limbo for 3 months. I’ll already have that taken care of! WHOOO HOOO!

Of course, there are other issues – I will be getting a bonus from Apasco sometime in June, so I have to figure out how that is going to work…not sure if I’m just going to keep my account open and close it after that, or if I’m going to have them send me a check, or what…..but I’ll have to figure that all out later this week or early next. I’m trying not to stress too much about it.

OK – that’s all for now. Hope you all have a great day!!!

YAY

I officially made my decision on my new job - I will be a cement salesmen.....well, its called "Market Manager" so it sounds a little fancier, but its pretty much sales. There was a time in my life where I said "No way no how, never ever ever ever ever will I do sales" but, there is a time and a place for everything, and I think this is the right opportunity for me to do it. The territory is Southern Wisconson and Northern Illinois, so it should be pretty fun, even though I'll have to deal with all those Packer Fans.

This also means that Pat O'Brien will be the Engineer for my region, so we'll be working together, sort of. Not necessarily on a daily basis - but it will be pretty cool I think :o) We'll be sharing a home office, so I think we'll need to make some investments in some organization stuff since we're cramped for space there anyway.

This also brings up an interesting subject - if some of you may recal Pat O'Brien interviewed for a position a few months ago (September, I think?).....well, that is the same position I just accepted. Incedentally, its not the first time both of us have interviewed for the same position. Back in 2002 we both interviewed for the Tech Service Engineer position in Chicago (he was moving from Atlanta, and I from Denver). He won out that time, so I guess it was just my turn to win.

Not like its a contest.....although we both are pretty competitive people, when it comes to games and sports and such. But in this situation, its not like we're all cut throat trying to viciousy climb the corporate ladder, destroying anything/one in our path. Luckily, we don't have that type of outlook on work. We just want the best situation for both of us. We have spent a lot of time talking about the subject, and there isn't any anger or resentment...in fact, we're both looking forward to working together.

We make a very good team on so many levels, and I think its pretty incredible that we highly respect each other's position and knowledge. It comes in handy when we're stuck on presentations or letters - or when we just need to bitch........its comforting, in a way, I guess. Its kind of hard to explain. What I'm trying to say is that I think when a husband and wife do not respect each other's careers, or even just jobs, it can cause a lot of tension in a marriage.....like if one person thinks their job is somehow "more important" than the other person's......that goes for stay at home moms too - I think some husbands don't appreciate or respect all the work the moms do, and that leads to a lot of resentment down the road. I kind of got off on a tangent there.....but I'm happy and Pat's happy and we love and respect each other personally and professionally and that makes for one happy couple - and I think a very successful business relationship.

Heh - I guess I could have just said that a paragraph ago, eh?

The best part - we're going to have matching Jeep Grand Cherokee's! How adorable is that? I'll probably order a different color though, just so we don't get confused in the mornings and grab the wrong car :) That would be annoying!

Huzzah!

No, I'm not a renissance wierdo - I just like that word.


I accepted a job offer today - so I know what I'll be doing when move back to the US of A! Whooo HOOO! Bad news though - they put the Kaibosh on the more money thing though, despite my well thought "they can't say no" proof reasons. I was pretty miffed - but its not as if I'm underpaid right now.....I'll just have to seriously WOW them so I get like a million percent raise come March of 08!


And now........from Cute Overload..........Bert the pupp-a-roo. You have GOT (and I'm serious, I mean GOT) to read his short story of his socks BY CLICKING HERE. Comeon now, you know you wanna!



Ohhhhh - I just can't stop giggling when I see this! He's too flippin miserable/cute!!!!! I just want to snorgle him!!!!!

I {HEART} getting money when I'm not suspecting it!!!

December is a great month. Its the month of my birthday, Christmas, the end of the year, peppermint mocha at Starbucks, snow - there are just so many things I love about it!

I just fell in love with it again! I got paid by Apasco today, and lets just say I'll be Ho Ho Hoing it all the way to DEBT FREENESS baby :o) Officially my first Debt free Christmas! This is just really flipping exciting! I got FOUR different bonuses this month -

• Savings bonus. Apasco takes out dough every month, puts it in savings, then gives it back every six months plus interest
• Apasco 8% matching bonus on that savings
• Aguinaldo. This is Mexico Law. They have to give you a 50% of your monthly salary as a December bonus. Lucky for me, Apasco gives 150%!
• Prima Vacacional. Another Mexican Law...You get it every year on your anniversary. its essentially a bonus of 80% of your daily salary for the amount of vacation you have. For example - if I get paid $100 a day, and have 10 days vacation - I would get a bonus of 80% of $1000 - $800! Not too shabby!

Now, all of this isn't just extra money. I'm essentially being paid the same total amount as I was the US, I'm just getting it at different times....but it seems like extra money because I've adjusted my spending habits to account for the reduced monthly salary I get. Not sure if any of this makes sense.........

The important thing is that I can pay off my bills, and get married Debt free, as in my original plan! Its just exciting to know I can do that!!!

Happy Monday!

:::::::::::::::BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT:::::::::::::::

A shout out to Lori - an ol' college roomate/buddy who shares the birthday next to mine :o) She's in Seattle now, after a stint in Houston, finishing up her Doctorate in Neuro Psychology. One smart cookie, she is! She'll be finished soon - so best of luck to you girlie and have a great birthday!!!

:::::::::::::::WEEKEND ACTIVITIES:::::::::::::::

Saturday was our company's Holiday Party - complete with fantastic food, liberal libations and great music. And I even won a top prize - a 21" TV :) I haven't checked it out yet - I'm trying to see if I can score a camera instead....since Pat and I already have like, 20 TV's between the two of us. I'm sure if I can't score the camera, I'll put the TV to good use!

:::::::::::::::I'M FALLING APART!!!!!:::::::::::::::

I've been rather ill since Friday - Friday and Saturday I had the stomach ickies - yesterday was OK, but now I feel like hairy ass because I'm all congested and stuff. Its just no fun. I have, like, a negative immune system. I just want to be healthy for pete's sake! To top off this fun, I also have had this strange rash / pimple forest on my back for the past month or so, which is now accompanied by these little circular dry patches that, I'm sure, will quickly become oozing lesions. That, and a bruise which appeared in July on my right thigh and hasn't gone away since. Oh, and I have a numb spot on my left thigh that is very mysterious - that showed up about two weeks ago. I'm pretty sure its the beginning stages of lepracy. *sigh* where is a good dermatologist when you need one?

Oh one more malady - I think I have a cavity. Its on my bottom left side - and although it doesn't hurt like a MO FO when I drink cold stuff, it is kind of sensitive. I'll keep an eye on it, its bothered me for the past few days, but I'm hoping it just goes away with two extra daily brushings and flossing. I don't want to go to a Mexican Dentist. I'm afraid I'll come out with a gold grill or something like that! Actually, I'd be afraid to go to an Amercian Dentist at this point too. I mean, its great and all that I've taken care of my teeth and that I don't have any cavitites, but at the same time, 28 years and 364 days of cavity free living tends to build up the whole cavity repair catastrophe in your head. I've envisioned something just short of the animation of Frankenstein on my head.......not the kind of good vibe happy thoughts you want in your head right before you sit in the dentist chair.

:::::::::::::::REPATRIATION BUSINESS:::::::::::::::

Aside from that - I have to engage in some salary negotiation today.....give me good vibes that it all goes well! Apparently I am supposed to have the job offer from the other potiential job this week as well - which is good! I think I have made up my mind, but I have to see both offers before I am absolutely sure!!!!

Yeah, I know.

I’ve been MIA. Just lots of things going on and not much desire to write much. You know, my typical “return to Mexico” feelings.

::::::::::::GOODBYE BO::::::::::::

A couple things, first, and belated I know, is a farewell to Bo. A cyber buddy made this layout, and I really wanted to share with everyone. You can visit her blog at http://jencaputo.typepad.com/jen_caputo/



It was a bummer losing that game on Saturday, but what can you do. We went to Caliente with a few friends to watch it – intense, but just bumming’ just the same.

::::::::::::WEEKEND FUN::::::::::::

Monday was Revolution Day here, so we didn’t have to work, which is always cool.
So Sunday we headed to Valle de Bravo to visit our friend Ofo & Juan – Ofo’s family has a fantabulous condo, smack dab next to this beautiful waterfall. I didn’t want to go at first, because I had about a million things to do, but I thought it would be a good chance for me to actually get away and relax a little bit – so we did, and I’m glad we did. It was just kinda fun to drink, cook and laugh with friends. We left early in the morning on Monday to get back so I could take care of things, but it was a relaxing day nonetheless.

::::::::::::REPATRIATION::::::::::::

The interviews I had while in the US went very well – I have been offered an informal position, but am kind of waiting on the other one so I can compare jobs and take the best overall offer. I think I’d be happy in either position, and I know that I could succeed and have potential to move up in the company, it all kind of depends on the big picture – salary, benefits, 401K, etc. Since you silly peeps in the US don’t work Thursday & Friday, I’ll have to wait until next week to get those details.

Also relayed to me was the potential of me coming back earlier than I expected. I was planning on Mid Feburary, but it looks like some people maybe wanting me back in January. That is going to increase my workload significantly, but I think I can probably swing it if I keep pretty busy at work, come in on weekends, and stay until 10:00PM each night. No problem man. Easy breezy lemon squeezy.

::::::::::::PINCHE CARRO ISSUES::::::::::::

I love my little car. But its such a PITA when I don’t have it. I dropped it off last night at the Taller (mechanic shop) for a new brake job. Hopefully it will be done sometime today so I can use it tomorrow. Oh yeah, and just so you know, the sound of metal scrapping across metal on your brakes is never a good sound. And to me, its like nails on chalkboards. And I always feel like that means the brakes are going to give out at any second. Not a good thing to be thinking about as your going 85mph down a mountain.

So, because of my car issues I have to car pool to Mexico City today, and probably take a bus back. Ick. I’m so not loving public transportation. I’d rather be alone in my car. Anyway, hopefully its done today, so Keith can pick it up and I can have it for tomorrow morning.

Speaking of tomorrow….

::::::::::::HAPPY TURKEY DAY::::::::::::

Keith and I picked up a bird Monday afternoon (no, not a live one, it’s dead and frozen just like in the US), and will be hosting a small Thanksgiving dinner at our home. I feel kind of bad making Keith stay home and cook all day, but I have to go to this stinking class all week and I won’t be home until late. I think I may leave a few hours early though – to beat traffic in DF and to try to make it home before all the turkey is gone!

Anyway, everyone have a fun and safe and stuffed Thanksgiving – and make sure to be thankful for all the blessings you have in your life! I know I’ll be counting the kagillion that I have :)

FRUSTRATIONS

Oh I am a crabby girl again today. Crabby I suppose is better than being depressed. I haven’t had that “I don’t want to get out of bed lets think of 20 excuses why I can stay home” feeling in a while. When I’m crabby I’m usually angry about one thing or another. Today, I’m pissed off because I can’t read or write or speak Spanish fluently. I’m especially pissed off because I know it’s my own damn fault. I speaking English to Pat O’Brien, to my brother, watch English TV – so it’s no big surprise I can’t fluently speak. I’ve made “mandates” to Keith and I that we can only watch Spanish TV when I’m home, but it’s just too easy to want to watch the shows you like. I have half a mind to cancel the Dish so we can really focus on just Spanish TV. I’m pretty sure Keith would shoot me though.

So, yes, I can communicate, and yes, its OK communication, but I wouldn’t say it’s fluent by any stretch of the imagination. I still say “huh?” and “please, slower” a lot. And it takes SOOOO much concentration to read my flippin email. I HATE having to concentrate that hard. I wish this language thing would just come to me already. I never thought in a million years it would be this frickin hard.

It just pisses me off.

*ugh* OK – here’s my attempt at trying to focus on the good things:

• My ring is über sparkly today. I cleaned my jewelry this morning, so my earrings and necklace no longer look like they have morphed into dark grey sooty flowers, and now they are shiny. So I figured I would do the same for my ring (using different cleaner than my silver polish, of course). Its hella sparkly, and really pretty. That makes me happy.
• I had some conversations yesterday with the US Human Resources person, and she had some promising potential positions for me to go back to Chicago to. That’s always good to know your future job might not suck. That makes me happy to.
• Tigers play tonight. I’m hoping we’ll rock some Nate Robertson Gum Time and keep him rolling like the rest of the pitching staff is. I purchased some Big League Chew in Chicago specifically for this purpose. Instead of waiting for them to get behind and in need of a rally, however, I think I'll just put some in right at the beginning and keep 'em ahead. Sounds like a plan, doesn't it??
• I’ve done some research on flights and stuff if the Tigs go all the way. I have lots of options that all cost approximately the same – regardless if I fly into Detroit or Chicago from Mexico or Toluca. It will take some planning, and probably take me a month or two to pay it off, but some things in life (as my Spanish teacher reminded me last night of our US genius credit card marketing) are priceless. This would be one of those times. If I can't score tix in the US, then I'll be keeping my eye peeled for offers here - strangely enough, apparently they usually have some tickets and travel packages available for the big sporting events in the US. Not sure how they do it, but I won't care as long as I can get tix for the big game......
  
  I hope everyone has a great day, and I hope I improve my mood soon. Despite what people might say, I really dislike being a grouch.

Paying my Taxes

Not sure if I commented here about the whole Tax fandango issue I had last week…..I CAME into work Monday to find an email that said I owed over $30000 pesos in taxes to the Mexican government (which I think is crap, but whatever). I was FLIPPING OUT! I started crying – thinking how the heck am I going to come up with that money – that we weren’t going to have a wedding because I had to pay taxes – I was hyperventilating! But, then I decided to call HR in Dundee, and that’s when I learned that Holcim US pays those taxes. OOOOOOHHHHH!!!! I think I knew that before, but I had obviously forgotten.

So, after an adventure trying to get a wire transfer to my bank account, I had the money and I had the instructions to do everything online. But couldn’t figure it out dude – not with my brains and the 100 Mexicans that tried to help me! I asked everyone in the office, and even went to the bank – where she finally gave me an 800 number to call – which was COMPLETELY USELESS! Finally, I decided to call PWC (the peeps who do my taxes) here in Mexico City - and I wish I would have done that yesterday. It took us a while to figure it out, but our entirely fluent Spanglish conversation went very well, and I finally payed my Mexico Taxes two days before they were due! This is good because I really don’t want to spend any time in a Mexican jail!

Other fun news – ONE MORE SLEEP!

Other more fun news – I got a manicure last night after I went to buy goods to make meatball soup. It was a tiny little shop, and I got a rockin French manicure for $100 pesos. What a steal. And I feel all pretty today – I just hope I can keep them looking good for another day so Pat O’Brien can see how pretty they are. And a word about meatball soup – it was one of the meals my grandma makes and we absolutely LOVE to eat! Both Keith and I have been craving it for a while, so I found a recipe and I’m going to try my hand at it tonight. I had Keith peel and cut the veggies though – I don’t want to risk messing up my pretty pretty fingers!

I guess I've been into scrapping buddies lately - I have come to find I don't have many digipics of some of my friends from college - and the pics don't quite scan right......but, I managed to do another college friends layout. A Mexican, a Jew and a Chinese girl walk into a bar.....No, not the beginning of a joke - its the tale of me, Beth and Eunice! This is our last trip together before I moved to Mexico. It’s a two page layout, but I’m posting three pics (one together, page one and page two) so you can get the full effect. This also features some cute little shoes by Karin McCombs – of which I am a member of her CT! As always, you can click on the pictures for a larger view.




Papers & Elements - Jen Wilson Apple Cider; Template - Gina Miller; Shoe template - Karin McCombs; Alpha - Melany Violette