Does everybody have some fabulous plans for this holiday weekend?  Bruce is fishing with Calvin down in Wilmington.  He seemed excited about it although I have never really known him to fish.  I opted to stay home, not because I don't love my in-laws but mainly because I am tired and needed a few days to just get some rest.  Also?  I managed to get an appointment at the salon for a haircut this afternoon. I have this 1 stylist that I like and she used to be able to take me almost anytime.  Now its much harder to get an opening. I guess the secret is out now...haha.  She also opened her own salon which is part of it too.  I'm glad she is busy because I want her new place to stay open and do lots of business.  

So haircut at 2, followed by late lunch/early dinner..(...linner?  Like brunch?) with the kids.  My salon is just around the corner from their house.  No idea where we are going to eat yet.  Stephen is looking into a couple of new places so we might try one of those.  Adventure!  I had considered maybe shopping a little, looking for some fall clothes.  But it's ECU's first home game and town is a nightmare.  Plus, it's 90 degrees which makes trying on long pants or sweaters kind of icky.  I guess that will just have to wait....maybe I will take a nap later instead!

Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy!

So, Stephen and Hannia are homeowners.  But the day that should have been a happy celebration didn't go quite as smoothly as they hoped.  The bank called about an hour before the closing at the attorney's office saying they still had to contact Hannia's boss to confirm her employment.  An hour BEFORE the closing!!!  And this is weeks AFTER their loan had been presumably approved.  Or they had been told it was all done and ready to go.  But now this clerk said that if they couldn't get up with Hannia's boss the closing might be delayed.  Stephen had taken the day off specifically to get the closing done, so needless to say the kids were NOT happy.  

Ok, so they did get up with Hannia's boss, but the boss called Hannia the next morning to say that the woman who talked to her was extremely rude.  I think Hannia was mortified.  Plus, while all of this angst about whether the closing could proceed as scheduled BOTH of their cars broke down.  BOTH! On the SAME day!!!  All these things sucked a bit of joy out of the occasion.  But it worked out in the end.  The closing happened, the cars are repaired...and today Stephen and Hannia took the initiative to go to BB&T to register a formal complaint about how sloppy and unprofessional the whole closing went down.  Not only about how slack it was to wait until the last minute literally to get that paperwork done, but how embarrassing it was to hear Hannia's boss felt insulted by how rude the person was who called.  I'm glad they did because they were told that this woman had several other complaints, and they were asked to write up what went on in a formal letter.  Even Hannia's boss offered to write a statement about what happened to her.  To be fair, the loan officer who assisted the kids overall was fine.  He was nice and professional.  This was a clerk who assists...I think.  Hopefully the complaint will help.  Stephen said he didn't want to get anyone fired, but the whole incident was unacceptable. 

Anyway, it's fine now.  Bruce and I have a condo rented for our trip to Boston in October and Erica is working on her flight schedules too.  I am very excited.  So this condo is in the historic Brewery district.  When Bruce called to confirm with the Landlord she "warned" us that it was full of art.  Since it was called "The Art House", we kind of had an idea that it might be.  But then she said a lot of it was risqué Drag Queen art!!  LOL!  I heard Bruce tell her, "Oh, I'm sure my wife will LOVE that!"  And you know what?  I absolutely will.  It's a funky, ultra modern place and we really liked the look of it.  But I might have paid extra for the Drag Queen Art!  Oh my!  The landlord then told us that there was an excellent drag queen show very nearby and that we should be sure to see it.  I feel like we definitely will.  I have such a soft spot for Drag Queens.  They generally end up looking far more glamorous than regular women.  

After reading multitudes of articles written about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, we are trying to break our diet soda/equal in coffee and tea addiction.  Ugh!  It's not easy.  Not for someone who loves the sweet bubbly goodness of Dr. Dr. Pepper.  But we are trying hard.  We have a few left, but I am not buying anymore.  We are drinking more water, seltzer, and attempting to force ourselves to like our tea and coffee completely unsweetened.  My only indulgence is 1 teaspoon of real sugar in my 1st cup of coffee in the morning.  It is way less sweet than I am used to, but I am determined to acclimate.  It's really interesting how my body has responded...like truly breaking a real addiction.  The first few days I felt tired, out of sorts, and headachey.  I am still drinking coffee and tea so it shouldn't have been caffeine withdrawal..?  Unless it was a matter of less caffeine than usual.  I don't know, but this hasn't been as easy as just deciding to stop using artificial sweeteners.  It's getting better though so it's not impossible.  It helps to picture that can of Diet Dr. Pepper as a cesspool of toxic chemicals, which seems to be more of a reality than any of us realized.  Oh well, I am going to keep on with this and hope it will eventually feel more natural than depriving.

So, our rescue pup, Penny had to go back to the vet this week.  She is still undergoing treatment for a stubborn case of mange.  Its not contagious and is brought on by a badly suppressed immune system, and she is still battling it.  Poor thing.  She had been particularly whiny and restless over the past week and we weren't sure what was going on.  Turns out she has a nasty ear infection that probably was awfully painful.  More meds...more medicated shampoos....I am so tired of it.  I KNOW she is tired of it.  But the good news is that she is getting better.  Her ear must be a lot better because she is resting better and is calm and happier.  She has been through so much trying to get well again.  

Hopefully she is well on her way to recovery now.

Anyway, that is our past week in a nutshell.  Bruce is exhausted from working these 6 day weeks but it looks like his sub will be back by the end of August.  Stephen and Hannia close on their new house tomorrow, so that is really exciting!  And Erica got accepted to attend a biology conference in Boston in October, so I now have plans to see my daughter this fall.  That makes me a happy camper and gives me the resolve to make it through the rest of my most dreaded of all seasons....the long, hot summer.  There is light at the end of the tunnel after all.  :)

It's August already!  That's crazy, isn't it?  This year is going by way too fast.  Anyway, I am off work for a Dr. appointment tomorrow.  Having a Monday off is good.  But I find it somewhat annoying that I have to take a day off, and pay for a Dr. visit just to know the results of the latest mammogram.  Couldn't they just call, or send a letter or something?  Hopefully it's good news and I can be done with all of this.....but still....a day for sitting in a Dr.'s office is not my idea of a good time.  At least I am lucky to be able to see a Dr. though, so I should be grateful that we have decent medical care.  

Friday was Bruce's (29th) birthday and our 31st Anniversary.  Don't get all specific with the math.  LOL!

It was less spectacular than last year's celebration basking in the glorious views of Niagara Falls.  But Stephen and Hannia came over with armloads of delicious Mexican food and I had ordered Bruce's favorite flavor of Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.  Daiquiri Ice with Devil's food cake.  Very yummy, but it's a special order so you have to request it at least a week ahead.  It's worth the wait.  Our celebration was low key, but it was a good time.  Even Erica managed to catch Bruce on Skype just before dinner and while we still missed having her here, it was really cool to see/hear her for our little family party.  

Also?  We have been watching a Netflix original series on instant view.  It's called "Orange is the New Black", and it is extremely entertaining.  It's about a young white woman who has an upscale kind of life.  She makes some bad decisions, does something stupid and ends up in prison.  Can you imagine trying to deal with a situation like that?  To learn how to survive in a scary place with a different set of rules?  The creators of "Weeds" ( which is a show we also liked a lot) did this one too so it's full of dark humor.  We just finished the first season....complete with a huge cliff hanger, so now we have to wait for Season 2 to be released.  I was skeptical about Netflix's ability to put out a quality show but it will definitely hook you and make you want to see more......

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!  :)

I spent my morning running errands, which is not one of my favorite things to do.  But it's a necessity as long as we keep requiring things like food.  I absolutely detest running errands after work, so I have to do it on my weekends.  It's more crowded then, but at least I feel halfway sane and lots less weary.  But anyway, I am about to get on my soapbox about those fashion faux pas again.  I love fashion.  I love clothes and shoes and accessories.  My lifestyle is just way too casual to need a lot, and I lean towards comfort and practicality anymore.  I am too old to suffer for fashion.  I can admire it from afar if its going to hurt.  But still....there are lines that should not EVER be crossed.  Like....ever!  At my Harris Teeter today there was a woman in her late 40's/early 50's.  So pretty much my age.  She had on the tiniest pair of athletic, running type shorts that I have ever seen.  She was overweight, way too white and really frumpy looking.  Ok, I get that.  I need to shed some pounds too.  It gets harder as we get older.  I will never fault anybody for their weight.  But please, dear God, please cover that shit up.  This woman dropped something and bent over right in front of me.  It was something no one should ever have to witness at the grocery store.  It was not a sight to drive men insane with lust.  It was heinous.  

The inseam on these shorts couldn't have been more than an inch.  I have seen panties with more coverage.  I can't imagine any sane woman of a certain age getting dressed and thinking that was ok, even to just run to the store for a few items.  Eeewwww!  It really bummed me out, pun intended.

Ok, let me cheer myself up after that stressful shopping trip.  So yesterday I called Bruce to let him know that I was running really late at work.  I was also going to let him know that if he would pick up something for dinner, it would be much appreciated (he did....yay).  I didn't get him, but he called me back a bit later.  Our conversation went something like this :

Bruce:  Did you call me?

Me:  Yes, where were you?

Bruce:  I was up in the barn.....(long awkward pause).....looking for certain items.....

LOL!   That part, the "looking for certain items" part had me laughing hysterically.  It sounded so strange and mysterious.  Like what could possibly be in our barn that must not be named over a phone call???  Ok, so aforementioned "certain items" turned out to be car parts that I guess he just didn't want to have to take the time to describe to me.  Maybe I read way too many mystery novels.  I don't know, but it was certainly good for a laugh.  Oh and thanks for the Mellow Mushroom pizza when I got home.  It made my day a little brighter.  :)

Friday is almost here.  I'm not supposed to talk about it because Bruce's sub is having surgery tomorrow which leaves Bruce working 6 day weeks for at least a month.  I am going to have to keep my Friday Happy Dance under wraps for a while, but just know I'm still doing it secretly.  

We've been busy lately but that's nothing new.  Not as busy as Lori getting ready for their move....I talked to her earlier in the week and I think I had heart palpitations just listening to everything she has going on.  Lori, if you read this I hope you all have safe travels and a smooth transition to your new digs.  Hopefully we can fly out for a visit sometime, but we will let you get settled first.  Keep up us posted on whats going on.

Anyway what else has gone on?  Erica loved her week long whiskey walk through Scotland.  She got back to York yesterday.  Apparently she and Amy spent their days walking to different small Scottish villages during the day and sampling multiple kinds of Scotch whiskey in little pubs in the evenings.  They stayed at different B&Bs every night.  It sounded like fun although I would probably prefer a drive and whiskey tour more...LOL!  At least she said the weather was excellent which is something to brag about in the UK.  She is now settling into her new flat and seems to be really happy about that.

Everything else is good.  Stephen closes on his new place on the 12th.  We are just working a lot during the day and trying to recover from the heat at night.  I'm ready for fall....but all this rain has kept the heat from being too insane so far.  It's been plenty uncomfortable, but we have only had a few days of death heat so far.  I hope August is the same.....

Anyway, I hope everybody has a safe weekend.  

I worked Saturday which really kind of sucked.  Constant rain and a day of heavy parcels almost like Christmas time never makes me a happy camper.  But I survived it so my sub could take a vacation with her family.  She works every Saturday, holidays, for other carriers during the weeks and rarely asks for time off.  I felt like she deserved it.  I was still plenty happy to be done with it though.  Now I have tomorrow off which is nice.  But I have to go have the 6 month recheck mammogram after last December's biopsy.  Wish me luck.  If this is clear then I can actually go back to a regular mammogram schedule.  I have my finger's crossed because this is NOT one of my favorite things to do.  Is it better than working?  Well, at least it takes less time and that's all I have to say about that.

So today was my never ending story.  I hadn't been off in days, work has been kind of tough. I've been getting home later than I like....stuff piles up, you know?  I had so much to do that it wasn't even funny.

Laundry, litter boxes, cleaning out the fridge, sorting through stacks of mail.  It seems like skipping just a few days causes some kind of cosmic build up that's hard to ever catch up on.  Tomorrow will be part 2....the errands and grocery shopping because that hasn't been done either.  I really liked those days off that I spent sitting on the beach.  Why can't that be the never-ending story instead?