Jobs and vacations

So "we" have decided that I need to get a job, since my temp position with NMSS is over. Matt thinks I should work with them at UPS, which is less than appealing to me. Its ok for a second job, but not a primary one. And I already have a second job. So here we go again. I cant start until after we get back anyway, or at least I dont want to. Blah. I have only a few months left till normalcy returns to my life. At least some sense of normalcy. If that actually even exists.

Iam afraid this trip home is going to be stressful. I am a little aggrivated. When I planned this trip, Matthew wasnt coming with, then he decides to come home too. Ok, thats fine, but now I have to fit in a bunch of stuff he anted to do. Well, I dint alot for those things, sorry, but I didnt know he was coming with. All I said was that I wanted to be with my family for the fourth of July ( and yes, I know this has been resolved, but I need to vent it out, cuz when I mention it to Matt, he thinks I am trying to pick a fight) And then he wants to go to MO to see his grandma and grandpa. Ok, fine. I ake him do my family stuff I will go with him to his family stuff. Cept now he wants me to spend three day in Des Moines/Ames/Ankeny. Sorry, no. If I spend two days in MO and three days in DM/A/A, that means I am home for 6 days. If I knew he was coming with me, and wanted to go to all of these places, I would have stayed longer. Dont get mad at me when I say no. This is MY trip home. The last I will have till we move. I know it is his last one too, but isnt that all the more reasons to do our own thing and know that we got to do it? I dont need my vacation to be stressful.

I hate loud planes

I will be so happy the day I dont have to hear any g**d**n jets fly over my house. No stupid flightseeing tours. I hate planes, they are too loud.

Anniversary

For those of you who are wondering... No, we didnt do anything special. We did get some money, so we are going to go to an ACTUAL movie theater to see Pirates this weekend. We usually wait till movies come out on Netflix to see them, but we are going to go see it in the theater. Ironically, I think the last Pirates movie was the last movie we saw in the theater. So those are our plans. I have to go grocery shopping today. We dont have any food in our house right now. I dont really want to go, but its all good. In and out. Thats what I am hoping for. I am just procrastinating, as usual. Cuz I dont want to drive to the commisary. Save gas. $2.89 a gallon. Why? Cuz BP had to shut own the line cuz of water pipe leakage. Stupid BP. We make the stupid gas, and we have to pay almost $3 a gallon. that is pathetic! More and more I think we need to get biks. Not that I could take that to get groceries, but to run to the shoppette and go to Marcus and Amelia's. This is stupid.

Happy Birthday to Amanda!!!!

Summer is here

What a wonderful time of year. You know when its not freezing balls and you can actually see the sun... You always know summer has offically come to Anchorage when the following thigs happen: Cal Worthington stays open until midnight. RV's are EVERYWHERE (there's no escape) The weekend market is up and running. Weekend fishing suicide runs. And the mosquitos emerge. I saw my first one yesterday. I was out helping Matthew wash his truck (and by help I mean sittingin a folding chair in the driveway watching him wash his truck) and I thought there was a bee flying around me. Like one of those sweat bees. No, it was a mosquito. They still surprise me when I see them again after the winter. The f***kers are HUGE!

Here are the logo "party" pictures

Seymour Moose

Rosie Fletcher is counting down. Why start at ten? just say "3, 2, 1"

Here goes, the suspense is killing me...

Ah, good the decent looking one. I voted for this one, so I'm happy

And just to explain this, the inside circle are moose prints the outside circle are handprints to represent the harmony between wildlife nd ciilization. The orange surrounded by the blue is the midnight sun and the whole thing makes a snowflake. I like it. A lot of people dont, but they are mostly all whiners anyway. It isnt FOR the people who LIVE in Anchorage. The whole thing is to attract people from the Outside to come and visit Anchorage, spend their money and leave. Gotta love tourism.

this is the Child's small tee shirt I snatched. Try and give fre stuff only to kids... I wont have it!

And a close up of the logo. Trademarked. Logo.

Big Wild Life logo

SO I went to the "party" for the unveiling of Achorage's trademarked logo. Anchorage is only the second city to trademark a brand/logo. I thought it would be a cool thing to say that I was there at the unveiling. and it was ok, but SO UNclimactic. But I went, got free food. I only went to get a free tee shirt, but they only gave away children's sizes. BUT I took one anyway, just cuz. I'll prolly buy one later on, just to have one, but I wanted to be one of the first ones to have one, whether I can wear it or not. I'll post pictures later. And I met Rosie Fletcher, which was cool. Shes an olympic medal winning skiier for Girdwood, AK if you didnt know who she was. Oh, and Kikkan Randall. also a skiier. Anyway. Gotta make supper for the ol' man.

And I'm spent...

Thank goodness, I am finally done. It took 3 and a half days, but our house is clean... not quite move out clean but pretty damn close. And I am exhausted. And SO sore. Yoiu definately use muscles you dont usually use... anyway, I am done and now I just want to sleep for 3 days.

Who's brilliant idea WAS this?

So in my infinate wisdom, I decided to actually spring clean this year. I started inthe entry way and scrubbed the walls and doors and floor, sorted through shoes (yes, I am getting rid of some) and I moved on the the kitchen where I have been taking everything out of the cupboards and cleaning them out. While this has been a long time in coming, and very needed, I am already suffering. My arms are killing me! Who would have thought this would be so difficult? ANd I havent even finished the downstairs. The kitchen floor is nasty. and the bottom cupboards havent been done. Ug, who's idea was this? Oh, yeah, mine. Crap.

I am my father's daughter

Ok I am starting a new ongoing tracking system I like to call "I am my father's daughter" in which we will count the ways I have over the years become my father. It is a progression that, as it continues, has become more and more obvious.

1) "I might need it some day"- I believe this is the fundamental thinking in the progression of my development. And anyone who knows dad knows this to be true. Case in point, I have a suitcase that, the last time I was home, I had to literally sew back together, so I could get it back home. Did I throw this suitcase away? Nope, I might need it some day. And I did. (This will become clear in #2.

2) "Dont throw away ANYTHING without asking me first"- I have a bunch of cardboard boxes in the basement, because I might need them someday. When I need a card board box, I want to be able to go downstairs and peruse my selection and be able to choose the right size. Well, a couple weeks ago, Matthew gave away my large cardboard boxes cause Doug was PCSing to Utah. Not SOME, but ALL. I was peeved! He did not consult me before getting rid of my boxes...I cleaned out my closet and wanted to pack up my winter coats for the summer and had nothing to put them in. NOTHING? No not nothing, because in the genius of the fundamental "I might need it someday" school of thinking, I still had a perectly good storage suitcase sitting downstairs. I certainly cant use it as luggage anymore, but storage, yes.

3) "No specific use, but it will come" - it is a sub-category to #1, in that you collect objects, that you cant throw away because you are sure there is a practical use for them, but you dont know what that is, but when it comes up you will be prepared. Mom found and entire calf stall in the barn full (FULL) of empty laundry detergent containers. For no reason, just because. I happened to have 9, count them 9, empty detergent containers in my basement. Out of laziness, or out of need, I dont know. But if I ever NEED them I will be prepared.

4)"Untensil replacement"- I think this has more to do with memory than with ACTUAL UNTENSIL REPLACEMENT. Except that, apparently, I put untensils BACK into the drawer after I use them. I think he MAY do this on purpose, but I dont, so this leads me into a conflict of genetic questions. Has it been engrained into my genetic code? It is possible.

5) "thought Processes" (or lack there of)- LOL> I know how he thinks. How scary is that.? "Dont stop talking on account of me" yelled from the bathroom means "Its gonna be awhile" and sure enough a split second later he yells that too (Oh this was a part of the phone call I had with mom on Friday, I should have mentioned that).

So as new episodes arise I will relate them in this new thread. I hope you enjoy my spiral into the world of Lysle Whitmer. I know I will, and probably Amanda will too.

Hi.

I think "unfairness of the world" from my last post was a bit overly dramatic, but what else would you expect from me? I am having some weird moments of not being able to shut off my brain. I love when that happens, and you just cant stop thinking about certain things that have happened. No matter what you do. And what I am stuck on is not what you think it is, trust me. Though it does stem fromthat, as does almost everything else in my life nowadays. It was Jackie (no, not our cat) the one who sent me the message on MySpace. She called me a "stupid, fat b**ch" And its not the stupid part that bothers me, because I know I am not stupid. Far from it, so that hardly means anything to me. And its not the b**ch part either, cuz I know that I am a b**ch sometimes, and thats ok, too. It was the fat part that really bothers me. And not because she said it, because I believe it. It is my own insecurity. It lives inmy head no matter how much I try to ignore it. It is there. And while I dont use the f word myself, I know it is true. And the thought that other people say it about me, that does bother me. Especially since I pride myself on not caring about what other people think, and for the most part, I dont. Except for that one thing that I think about myself.

So where is all this self loathing/discovery leading me? I dont know exactly. But I know that I am on my way there.

Let's discuss the unfairness of the world, shall we? The MS Society is pushing Diana out of her job. And I think it is unfair. They have told her if she doesnt have 1000 walker for Anchorage walk she was going to lose her job (not in those exact words, but that was the message they were portraying) So we ended up having 999 (by an UNofficial count cuz we are still processing paperwork). So now they told her that if we dont make goal, she is going to get fired. Our goal is $90,000 for the Alaska walk. But the thing is that walkers have until June 22nd to turn in their money. And so far we are ahead of where were last year. And not all the money has been turned in. How can you be threatening someone's job when the results have not been tallied? How can you just push someone out who has been working for 5 years, giving so much of her own time and money to make your organization profitable. Yes, we are a non-profit, but you know what I mean. NO OTHER division brings in the kind of money we bring in, and we are smaller than a lot of other places. Its not fair, what they are expecting of her, and to keep her in limbo like that? We are going to threaten your job before the walk even happens, before we even have an inkling of an idea of the outcome, but you have to live in fear until the money comes in... Is that supposed to be motivation? Cuz that means to me, look ofr a new job while they decide your fate. Which is what Diana is doing. She told me I would be a shoo-in for her job, but I said no. I dont want that kind of stress on me!

My Birthday Party

I have decided that while I am home, I want a birthday party. And I am giv9ing mom a challenging task. I want a cake that embraces my 25 years. I want to put emblems and symbols of my quarter century. This is my tentative list so far: Jem, Patty O'Green from Rainbow Brite, Hand cuffs (mom will LOVE that one) nail polish, corn stalk, WHS, MS society logo, tigerhawk, Walk logo, Camera, Alaska (I dont know what to use to reprsent that, the flag, a moose? Still wokin on that.) Disney World (again I need an emblem, the mouse head? the castle?), Matthew, Aces' hockey and Zion, band. That's my list so far. And then I want it to say "Happy Quarter Century". Like a collage of my life. Okay, who can tell that my new favorite show is Ace of Cakes? It is going to be awesome. I am so pumped. I am excited for my birthday cuz after last year? Forget about it. This is 800 times better. Plus, since I thought I was 25 LAST year, I have dealt with the shock.

Disney World- A dream come true

We are starting to plan our 2009 trip to Disney World. And it looks like mom and dad are going to come with us. And that makes me even more exciting to go. I cant wait to share this world with them. I was lucky enough to have been shown the magic by my second family. And I want to share that with them. And it seems so corny, what I am about to say, but unless you have been there, and you have expeienced it, I suppose it would. But once you experience the magic, you just dont understand. But there really is no other place like it on earth. It truely is a another world. You enter those gates and you go back to a simpler time. A time where you didnt have worries or stree, or work or dire sickness. You can be a kid again and no one judges you for it. They encourage it. To dream that anything is possible, as long as you believe it. To be the princess you always knew you were.

To watch a fireworks show and hear the music from the movies that enchanted you as a child, and get chills and tears in your eyes because of what you feel. Because of the Disney Magic. Becaue of the love that surrounds you because you are sharing it with your family. You return to a simpler time. Where your every need was taken care of so all you had to do was enjoy it.

In the darkest time of my life, I went to DW, and all that evil I was going through, disappeared. It was an escape from the darkness of real life. Of the pain and hurt I had in my heart was lifted because I went somewhere where that stuff didnt matter. And wasnt able to follow me there. I know it sounds silly, but it is true. (so true I cant stop crying right now cuz I am reliving that feeling getting away from that)

And I will soon share that feeling with the two people who deserve an escape as much as anyone I know. To share it with two people who worked so hard my entire life to make sure my dreams came true. Who work today to keep them burning. To give them the magic and the joys of childhood again. Of the magic and joys of the childhood they gave me. It makes me so happy and light and so excited. I wish it were this Novemeber rather than in two years.

Randomness

First off, I love Dove Energy Glow lotion, cuz I REALLY didnt want to start tanning again. I was just too afraid I would get addicted again, but I didnt want to look like I hadnt seen the sun in three month, either. Great stuff.

I have been exhausted all freakin week. I decided that I needed way more air in my bed so I went from 40 to 65 on my Sleep number bed, and I have not slept so well in a long time! Cause I sleep on my stomach most of the time, and when I would wake up my back would be KILLING me! So I pumped up the bed so I'm not od concave when I sleep and I should have done it a long time ago!

Matthew is giving his first speech (briefing) in class tday. He was really nervous. He was more nervous to give in to me! He though I was judging him. I wasnt judging him at all! I WANTE#D him to get past the first 8 lines so I could learn something, but he was so sure I was judging him that he couldnt make it past that point. Once I made him realize that I just wanted to hear his speech, he relaxed and was able to get through the whole thing. I guess I dont make a very good audience.

I swear my skin thinks I am 13 again, cuz I am breaking out so bad. I am so sick of this. Time for some skin overhauling! I'm sure you didnt really care about that, but I seemed to think you needed to know.

Anyway, I should get back to work.

Pictures from the MS Walk

This is my desk lst week with all my To-Do piles.

This is early registration/bib pick up on Thursday night.

Today is the day. Diana is giving the volunteers some last minute instructions.

Directing parking while "The Great One" looks on.

Setting up the Coca-Cola trailer.

Shuttling the walkers to the starting line. What a BEAUTIFUL day for a Walk.

These are our Money Runners from Wells Fargo

These girls did a GREAT job as the "Big, Wild Animals"

Registration table at the Millenium Hotel

Hanging banners at the starting line

Outside the hotel

Subway Sandwich guy.

Waiting for the start

And They're off!!!

Coming around the bend...

Our first runner is on his way in.

Cheerleaders bring them in

The guy in the front has already finished twice, but he would go back and meet his teammates and run them in.

Pretty good time for running with a stroller.

The line for the hotdogs

Selling the old walk tee shirts so we can buy tables

This is Gene, Diana's husband, at the grill

This one is for me. You cant put me in a location like this, with a camera in my hand and thing I wont get some scenery shots!

These are my favorite team sirts. Their team name was "Wilder Women" and this is the back (obviously)

And yes, I was there too.