Even the dog misses you!

The concert was so much fun! They estimated that over 50,000 people were at the festival on Sunday...and we were thrilled to be two of them.

The car ride took 2 1/2 hours to get to the park - which is pretty amazing seeing as how I live 20 minutes away. We decided about one hour in to play 20 questions. Who says you can't have fun without a DVD player in the car?

Beacuse of this, we missed Rodrigo y Gabriela - a sad fact that will likely leave me feeling unfulfilled on my deathbed. BUT we opted to stay there instead of going home for a nap.

We got to see the Flobots - a Denver band that is starting to make it big. Not my favorite band by any means, but I think that they had a lot of energy and it was a great starter to the festival. :)
Long story short my mom ended up buying us beers. :) That's really the best gift a mom CAN give their kids (please take note Ginger, Joella, and Mrssa - you can never start too young!). If you listen closely, you might be able to hear the girl behind us sing a verse of "Hakuna Matata" and then promptly fall into a trash can.
Finally we got to where the DMB concert would be held. We had to grope, grab and make deals but we got a GREAT standing area - one that was where we were surrounded by people. And just to prove that we do not take all of our pictures at an arms length pointed back at us, here are some pictures.



We had a great time. :) If the pictures look blurry to you, it's because you inhaled. I'm not sure since these were taken with Elizabeth's camera but I think the camera was high too. Seriously, I think everyone around us was high, including the 6 year old that was asleep on the ground in front of us. At one point, Dave even sniffed the air, commented on it, and laughed.

The best thing about the concert was that the band was clearly having a great time. And who wouldn't love to play for a fantastic huge crowd with me and E in it?

We came back home, slept for three hours and then got up to go to the airport and work.

Which meant that when I got home yesterday, I slept very well. :)

My point is, after a great weekend like this, I miss my little sister. :)

And Chassis is missing her cuddle buddy. :)

Busy having fun

So my younger sister, Elizabeth, came into town on Thursday for the weekend. We have been having such a fun time that blogging is the last thing on my mind. Well...almost the last thing. Corns, corn, creamed corn, and ethanol (a by product of corn) have probably been lower on my list of things to think of.

Today we're going to a local Great Dane Rescue's picnic. It's an annual picnic that is open to any people who volunteer or those that have adopted from the rescue. We are also allowed to bring our dogs. Current RSVP list shows about 150 people and 100 Great Danes. In one park. That other patrons of the park are currently unaware of. I'm sure they'll get the hint when they see over 1,500 pounds of dog enter the park. :)

It's supposed to be 100 today so we're planning on arriving late. This is due to my dog having a severe intolerance for heat. Since she is a big picky dog, she will NOT drink from water that other dogs already have drank out of. They have HUGE barrels that the dogs can drink out of with like 3" of slobber floating on the top. So I get it. I wouldn't want that either. But since she's such a dark colored dog she just roasts in the heat.

Actually, this is a great representation of how dogs may be like their owners. She probably developed such an intolerance because I would rather have someone make me listen to Nickleback songs repeatedly than roast outside in the sun.

Should be interesting.

Tomorrow we're going to the Mile High Music Festival to see Dave Matthews and his band. :) We're also going to see a bunch of other artists (including Rodrigo y Gabriela) - taking a break halfway through to come home and take a nap. The DMB set doesn't end until 11:15 and then we still have to drive home. Should be around 1 AM by the time we get home. Perfect for us waking up in enough time to be leaving for the airport at 6:15 AM.

Monday I plan on being hungover and tired.

It's good to have goals. :)

Happy birthday, Lizard-breath! :)

Today is my little sister's birthday - she is 28.

(sigh) LOOK HOW CUTE SHE IS! :) :) :)



Happy birthday to the best little sister I could've asked for.

Alright, she's more than just another beautiful person. Did you know that she's going to graduate at the top of her class in December with her nursing degree? Yeah, well it's true. AND she's that girl...who's had a lot of tough things happen to her and she still manages to see the best in anyone.

She rocks. I want to be more like her when I grow up.

Catch up

Okay...I'm saying it. I'm sometimes a bad communicator. When I'm stressed and busy, I suck more about keeping in touch than when I'm not.

So for those that have the time, here's what's new in my life...

1) The house: I got two offers on the same day a couple of weeks ago. This past week, my house passed inspection which means that I should be able to close on November 9th like I'd planned. This would be sheer happiness, but I still haven't found a place to move into yet. I bet I've seen over 70 properties and I have only found one that really *felt* like home. The problem is that I offered what the place is actually worth...and the owner/investor feels like it's worth a lot more. I'd love to have emotion sweep me away on this one so I'd offer more, but the house (although I really love it) just isn't worth that. And I don't want to be not able to sell it later down the road. The big problem is that when I took this new job back in April, it came with a big pay deduction. So I'm doing the responsible thing by decreasing my debt load and my payment. But since I want to also live in Denver where the rest of the young, single, and semi-sane people live, I'm decreasing quite a bit in house. I've come to terms with living in a condo, row home, or half of a duplex...but unfortunately in the areas I'm looking in, they're just not feeling right. Since my offer was not accepted (and they're not going lower than their asking price), I'm off to look at places again today. I'm bummed, but I also know that even if I have to rent for awhile, I hope I'll be able to figure out where I should live.

2. Chassis: For those that don't know, my dog has had some significant health problems lately...she's shaking (almost like she's got Parkinsons) when she sits or lays down. I've had a neurologist look at her and the consensus is that she has hypothyroidism (rare in dogs her age) and that it might stop the tremors. She has been on medication for about 4 weeks and so far no change. But the doctors feel she's not in pain, so we're living with it. :)

3. My health: I've been sick for over a week now and it's not really getting better. I'm not sure what's up, but I'm sneezing, coughing, and yuckify-ing everything in my house. :) I went to the doctor last week, and they thought that I had a sinus infection so they gave me antibiotics. I felt better for awhile, but I'm feeling worse again. Not so much fun...and really not a convenient time. :) Dude, I am BUSY! :) I don't have time to be sick right now. Yes, on some level I do realize how silly that sounds.

4. Work: Okay, so the job that I really liked (and still do) is going okay. But there has been a regime change in my office and I now have a new supervisor. My supervisor's name is Dale and he is someone I not only can't stand but someone I can't respect. He says foul, offensive, and sexually suggestive things CONSTANTLY. He doesn't hit on me, but he jokes about being gay all the time with other people in the office. And he does it in a way to be demeaning towards homosexuals. I guess he thinks it's funny...but since I have close friends that are gay, I really don't find it funny at all. I haven't figured out if he's a hateful person or if he's just socially stupid. For instance, I've heard him tell stories about when he slept with prostitues in VietNam. Okay...so I've been a tom-boy my whole life...and I really can hang with the guys. But I don't really want to hear my 60 year old boss talk about prostitutes that he nicknamed "Scar Belly." I don't feel that that's appropriate and I don't want to hear it! But that's not all. When he sees personal faxes for people, he throws them away. He'll come up to people on the phone and either yell in their office or literally hang up on the person they're talking to. He signs up people for mail order items without their knowledge so they get sent and charged to their houses. He thinks it's funny to steal things from people's desks and not give them back. He doesn't deal with things when they come up in a confrontational manor - instead, he chooses to talk about them behind their back with the rest of us. And he's the one that got promoted!!! It doesn't actaully say a lot about my company and who they feel are management material. I don't see me working for this company for much longer if he's the a-hole that I have to see and communicate with daily. And that's a bummer.

5. Family: My grandmother moved from Washington DC to Chicago about a month ago to be near my dad. She has dimentia and was found wandering outside her house not knowing where she was. So now she's in a home in Chicago where my dad can keep a better eye on her. A little over a week ago it seemed like she had had a small stroke because she didn't know where she was again and was having more health issues. She's now been discharged from the hospital, but the last time I talked to her and I mentioned that I would see her at Christmas, she just replied "We'll see. I probably won't be here then." So not looking good there.

So with all these things going on, I'm just a tad stressed. :)

I do miss you...even if I don't communicate as often as I should. I hope I'll have better news and be more like my happy, cheerful self the next time I blog. Until then, know that I do care...even if I don't call or write as often as I should.

:),
me

Mmmm...valves

So I just finished my second week of work at my new job...and I have to say that there is a lot more to valves and actuators than what I previously thought. :)

I can now look at a 15 digit part number and tell you what type of valve it is, what it is made out of (the body, seat, stem, and disk), what size it is, whether it has a handle, a gear or comes bare stem, and whether it has any special add-ons. Looking at a different 15 digit number, I can even tell you what actuator is on the valve, what the supply air is in psi, and whether or not it's a dual-acting or spring return actuator. I know, it may not sound too exciting, but it's progress and it's actually fun. I spent the first week learning about them and our business and this past week, I worked in the shop and actually put together the valves. Yay! :) Incidentally, if anyone knows any cool ways to get tough grease (silicone, etc.) out of my most favorite St. Pat's sweatshirt, I'd be forever in your debt.

This week in the shop has proven more educational than just learning about valves. I also now know many more words to "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake and have been exposed to a country song called "I Want To Check You For Ticks." I'm not kidding. We also got to listen to a Spanish radio station (obviously, the workers got to fight over which stations they were listening to), but since I don't know what the words were to the songs, one could've been called "Cacahuates" for all I know.

In other news, I turn 30 this week...which is more than a little weird. At first, I thought that it would be no big deal, but as it turns out, I think it IS a big deal. :) I don't feel that weird "I'm not where I thought I would be, so I'll just sit at home and feel bad about it" but I guess I feel like I should be acting a tad more grown up...meaning, taking better care of my body and start saving for retirement, etc. But it's not all bad...I'm sure being 30 has it's perks. For starters, I think I've really started to accept who I am. Now, before I get all Oprah on you, just know that it's been a long time coming. While I may not be insanely pleased about every aspect of who I am, accepting it is a start.

I'm meeting with my realtor early this week so we can start working on selling my house...aparently several companies are expanding and transferring people to Denver, and many are looking in HR - so we're going to put it up a little sooner than what I thought. But I would love to ditch this high house payment as soon as possible...so keep your fingers crossed!

Some of you have asked about Elizabeth, so here's the update: the doctors don't think that it's cancer according to some further testing, etc. that they have done. Long story short, she'll have a biopsy on May 11th and then we'll know for sure after that. For now, it seems like it's a mass that they'll most likely remove so that it doesn't turn into anything bad.

I guess that's it! Sorry for these blogs as a way to update people - things have just felt super busy these days, so I haven't been in as good of contact as I should've. :(

Hope all is good in your world!