Blog-Aversary

Yesterday's post marks my 50th post since the start of my Blog! Unlike most Anniversary Shows, we are not going to have a cheesy clip show to celebrate. This will be a regular post. To celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday, AP and I are going to the MIL house in Merced. However, we are doing a good deed in the process. There is a dental student who works for Beth and me (confirming, making new patient charts and packets etc....), who's family lives in Madera (8 miles from Merced). We will be driving her to her parents house on the way to the MIL house.

Also, AP has a terrible cold. She got it from me, but I stayed home from work on Friday, so I'm fine now. Also, I slept for most of the weekend, in-between nephew wedding stuff. Hers has moved into her chest and she feels pretty bad. Beth makes me get a flu shot every year, so that may be a factor as to why my cold wasn't bad at all. AP never gets one or takes care of herself when she's sick, but, hey, she's 38, and it's really hard to change someone who is so set in her ways, especially her!! But I love her anyway; It's one of her best qualities. She sticks to her guns, no matter what. I am doing my part by making her my "Special Drink" and feeding her Wonton Soup (her feel-better combo).

What is the Special Drink you may be asking? The recipe is as follows:

2 c. apple cider
1 c. dark rum
2 oranges
cinnamon
ginger
nutmeg

-Heat the cider and the rum on the stove in a medium saucepan. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze the juice into the mixture. Add the spices to taste. Bring to a slight boil. Serve, drink, and enjoy.

I sort of invented this drink when I was looking for something holiday and festive. As it turns out, it helps ease colds and flu as well. Partially because it gets you tipsy, and partially because the rum seems to loosen the goo in your chest!! Hooray for dual purpose beverages.

That's all for now. I'm sure something else will happen today and fuel my post for tomorrow.

Ohh, the Holiday Season

My dear loyal readers, much has happened over the past few weeks, including going to AP's nephew's wedding on Saturday (SUPERFUN!) and waging a war on Stupid Fucking Rose, the destroyer of my ex-vehicle, and ruin-er of lives for all she encounters.

I feel like I should explain the last part. AP and I are getting our own place in February when the lease is up, so I, as a respectful roommate and leaseholder, told them about it last week so they can plan their next roommate and figure things out for next year. They sent me an e-mail detailing how Rose would need to be there when AP and I are packing our kitchen and living room things so that we don't steal her stuff. This is an outrage for many, many reasons, including the fact that I have never broken into any one's room to steal their stuff (hello, that's why all the doors have locks on them--to keep her out). And why would I even attempt to take any of her things when AP and I literally have a closet full of brand new, not out of the box kitchen and other decorative items? Ridiculous. So AP and I started packing our kitchen stuff for safety reasons (things "accidentally" get broken in our house all the time). Next thing we know, Stupid Rose and her slave/boyfriend are doing the same thing. AP and I decided to make good use of all the leftover paper and plastic supplies from our party. I know it seems a little stupid, but there is no reasoning with that psychotic sociopath. Then, as she was removing one of her hideous paintings from the living room, she purposely poured a plant, water and all, all over the rug in the living room. Not the carpet, it was only and specifically on the (AP's and my) rug. When I confronted her about it, she wouldn't even look at me, much less respond. Luckily, that rug is machine washable so all the plant water and dirt came out easily.

Seriously, though, what the hell? That is how the war started. Luckily, I have unlimited access to as many boxes as I can carry (and bubble wrap) from work, so packing the rest of our stuff will be easy. And no, Mom, I am not stealing the boxes. People want me to take them off their hands. Officially, I'm doing them a favor. That's my story for this post. I know, I know exactly what you're thinking.

Also, AP and I were going to host Thanksgiving, but due to recent events, we won't be doing that. Now, we are going to AP's mother's house for the holiday festivities. I'm making a pie. I'm thinking about doiong that double layer pumpkin cheesecake thing from Thanksgiving 2005. It was really good. The point of this post is to show everyone that I am thinking positive and only good things to come for the rest of the season. Wish us luck.

Happy Happy!!

Happy happy day to me!! AP has 2 jobs, we have money coming in, I am thrilled. No more financial messiness or woes. That was a very dark couple of days. Money is always a scary thing to have to worry about. Now AP will be doing something she really likes: Managing people. She will be a manager at a Peet's and a Starbucks! This means, expect a lot of coffee related Christmas gifts. I am overjoyed. Thanks to everyone in my loving family who had encouraging words for us while we were having a hard time.

New Baby

AP and I are parents again! We now have a trio of beautiful cats, with our newest addition, of Bennie. She's a gray and white striped beauty that was found over the last week in Merced, where AP has been caring for her mother. She's about 3 1/2 months old and really tiny. She has a full tail (we now have a no-tail, half-tail and full tail), and she is so loving and pliable, it's hard to believe she's a real cat. She just goes wherever you put her and does not make a fuss. She did not cry or struggle when we put her in the cat carrier or at any point during the 2-hour drive home from Merced.

Brown Bear and White Girl are adjusting as well as can be expected, considering they are jealous and are used to having their mommies all to themselves. They'll get over it eventually. But she is soooo cute. I wanted to name her something with "Gray" in it, in keeping with the theme of her sisters, but AP already decided to name her Bennie because it is a shortened combination of our names (think Bennifer). If I ever figure out how to upload pictures, the three of them will be one of the first ones. Super cute!

Babies, Babies On The Brain

As both of my loyal readers know, I just tied the knot with AP. You know about my MIL, she's doing fine by the way, now I have 2 main goals for the next 6 months, and lots of smaller goals for the in-between. Tied for first place is getting preggers and buying a new car. Y'all know the car saga, I won't go into it again. But I have my eye on the Dodge Caliber, a half SUV, half car type vehicle. It's fairly inexpensive, but has gotten good reviews from what I've read.

But I want a baby too. So, since the one thing I can start working on now is the baby (it will take longer to plan than the car), I have e-mailed my OB/GYN for advice on how we can go about jumping over my conception hurdles (lesbianism, irregular periods, etc...). She says I should start taking Prenatal Vitamins, tracking my periods and start doing some in-home ovulation testing. So, I bought some test strips at Walgreens yesterday and as soon as my period ends, I have to start a daily ritual of peeing in a cup. Awesome. However, AP and I want a baby so badly, I'd pretty much do anything to get one, so peeing in a cup and tracking my ovulation is relatively minor, considering what will come down the road when it's really time to inseminate.

She said that I should track everything for three months, and if after this cycle, I don't get another period for 4 months, I should have some fertility testing and she'll help me. So, free advice through e-mail and now wait and see. So let us pray that I get another period soon. I am kicking myself for not keeping all those fertility drugs from my egg donation in 2004. Frick!!

Also, sperm is expensive, and it seems to be getting more expensive as the months go by. No jokes about Sperm-Jacking some guy for his goods, Bettylou. It would be unfair to AP, and I don't like man-sex. Ick. However, neither of us are desperate (yet). This whole thing is still in the very early stages.

So, the ball is rolling. OOOHHH, I would like to give a shout-out to my Mom, and a congrats on her new boobs. I hear they're awesome. Now YOU'RE the one with the biggest boobs.

MIL

The title of the post "MIL" stands for mother-in-law. I have one now, as everyone knows, and I must say, having 2 families is harder than just one. My MIL, Patricia, just had a triple bypass and a valve replacement in the city so several members of APs family have been staying with us and going to hospital, driving back and forth, taking care of things, so the past week or so has been a super-busy whirlwind. She's okay, but now she starts the long rehabilitation process. Both AP and I have been going a little crazy over the past week, so it's about time for some much needed R & R. Last night, we were finally able to have some "alone time," and actually spend time together without sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, or roommates. It was nice. And I was actually able to go to bed at a decent hour for the first time in a week. (I'm old now, I go to bed early.) So AP is going camping this weekend and I am relaxing at home. Part of being together is spending time apart, so that's what we're doing this weekend. I'll probably sleep late, have lunch with a friend, maybe catch a movie. As much as I love and cherish AP, I was single for a long, long, long time before we got together. Sometimes, you have to do stuff with regular friends, or even by yourself. It's time for some "me time."

AP, however, thinks that every time I want to spend time by myself, it means I don't want to be with her anymore, which is totally not true. I am really independent, always have been. I am one of those ladies who can take herself out for coffee, or dinner or a movie all alone and be happy as a clam. I can shop by myself too. It doesn't mean I don't love her, it means I need a break from the inundation of family and hospitals and general disruption of my routine. (Again, I'm old, I don't like my routine interrupted.) We, however, have such a great relationship that we can talk about these things and she understands my need to do things alone. I love her. She's awesome.