He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

Hello Lovelies!

I'm loving my 25 hour work week. I went to the gym when I got done at 1 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and went for a walk on the beach Tuesday morning when I didn't start until 1. It was beautiful down at the beach and I just wanted to run home, put on my bathing suit, and head back down for a swim and to bronze!

Thursday I didn't have work until 1, either, but I used the morning to see the doctor and to finally set up a joint checking and savings account for MOTH Dude and I. It's our start at saving for our wedding and a house someday and so we have money to travel to California in May and have money to buy presents at Christmas. I feel so grown up and responsible having more than $50 in an account on purpose. My sister is the saver and I'm the spender, but I'm loving seeing the money sitting in the account and thinking about the bigger picture of what it will be used for.

The reasons for the doctor's visit were a) (sorry probably too much info) I've been getting really bad stomach cramps for forever now- You know the type where it feels like you really, really need to go?- but it's not because I have to go so I know they aren't normal and I'm sick of getting them so I wanted to ask the doctor about how they diagnose people for I.B.S. He told me it's basically a process of elimination so the first thing he did was test me for celiac disease since my grandpa had it. I hope it's not that because I don't want to give up baking or sourdough bread or tortillas! He said he'd call me within the week if my test came up positive so fingers crossed that that is not the problem. And b) I randomly read about this diet drug called Phentermine on the internet last week and decided I needed it. Fortunately, the doctor agreed and I'm now on the lowest dosage to see if that helps me. It's a low level amphetamine so it's supposed to make your appetite go away and give you lots of energy. Maybe it takes a while to kick in because I've taken 2 doses so far and I'm still hungry and I'm contemplating taking a nap right now. I go back in a month to see how much weight I've lost and the doctor can give me a higher dosage if I need it. I figure I won't be lazy and I will still try and eat less and eat healthy and stick with the gym 3 days a week and I'm excited to see if this medicine helps facilitate my weight loss. The only side effects I have found so far are I'm extremely thirsty all the time (but I guess that's ok because I'm now drinking even more water than I normally do) and last night I woke up a hot, sweaty mess. Like so hot and sweaty, that my underwear and part of my shirt were soaked! (Thanks for sharing that image, right??)

So please keep your fingers crossed for me and send your skinny thoughts my way! I'm really excited and motivated at this point and want to keep the momentum up. One thing that is helping with keeping me motivated (other than the fact the fact that I don't want to look like a total beach whale in our engagement party pictures) is that one of my friends, Adam (real name so you can cheer him on), is a contestant this season on The Biggest Loser! Everyday that I go to the gym, I don't really want to go, but I keep giving myself the pep talk that the time I spend on the bike or the elliptical machine is probably like half of Adam's warm up for the day so if he can do it, then so can I!

Well, that's about it from here for now. Hope you all are having a great weekend (and enjoying the great weather if you're here in NSW or back in CA!).

Feel the Silence

Still not a lot to write about around here. It's amazing how the weeks are flying by now that I'm working. Sure, each day feels long, but I get to Friday and wonder where the week has gone. So yeah, work, work, work and then it's the weekend and we have been having some pretty lazy Saturdays where we fit in a trip to the beach for a walk or to sit up on the cliff and read and then grab some dinner. Last Sunday we had our friends over for a barbecue but it wasn't anything wild- just sitting around eating and talking.

We finally ordered our engagement party invitations last Saturday and they were here by Wednesday so I need to get on mailing those out. I'll try and get MOTH Dude to do some Photoshop magic on them so you guys can see what they look like. We really like them because they look like postcards from Hawaii and our engagement party is luau themed. I should probably try and do some trial runs on all the recipes I've found before I make them for 80 people because I wouldn't to have gross food that nobody touches on the day. I'm a little bit nervous to try and cook for so many people with our tiny little stove, but luckily most of my girls have said they'd be willing to pitch in a make a dish or two! I really wish my parents and Nae could come out for the party and for a visit, but it's just not going to happen so I'm sad about that and know they are, too.

Anyway, sorry for the snooze-fest that is my life these days and sorry for the lack of postings, but as you can tell, there isn't much to post about. I'll try and get the invite up soon and share any Hawaiian recipes we end up loving.

Beautiful Boy

Awwww! (By the way, is that the right "awwww" to use or do I mean "ahhhh"? I can never remember) I'm awwwwing, in a good way, because last night I got to cuddle with the newest member of MOTH Dude's family. His name is Landen and he is 3 weeks old. I was really nervous to hold him because he looked so tiny and breakable but I'm glad I did because he just laid there sleeping and yawning and smelling so warm and clean! Not that I want to wake up a thousand times a night yet or deal with diapers or push a watermelon sized thingy out of my thingy, but holding Landen made me want a baby, or made me want a baby some day. I want to make something so little and perfect with MOTH (Does this mushiness make you gag like it would me if I were the one reading your blog and not the other way around?) but as MOTH explained to one of his cousins last night when asked if babies were on the books for us: "Someday, but the book is a very long book, like Lord of the Rings long, and babies are somewhere near the back page." Oh man, does he crack me up! So until we're ready for our own little LARVAE Babies, it's nice to cuddle the littlest baby in the family and play with the other babies (2, 2, and 3) and watch them all slowly grow and change. I love all our baby cousins, but I also love that if they are stinky, hungry, or crying I can give them back!

Falling In Law-ve With You

Does anyone else come back from their in laws absolutely exhausted? I always do because I feel like I'm walking on eggshells the whole time I'm there. The MOTH Parents and Brother aren't my biggest supporters and I'm the type of person who likes to be liked so I always feel like I'm on my guard the whole time I'm with them so I say the right thing, and more importantly, don't say the wrong thing. They don't give me a horrible look if I say the wrong thing or anything, don't get me wrong, this is on me, not on them, but once again, I want them to like me because they are the most important people in MOTH's life besides me. And if I do say the wrong thing, I get that bad feeling way down deep in my tummy and wonder how long my comment, that wasn't said to offend, just said without thinking or said because it is my actual opinion on something, will be held against me. (Once again, maybe they don't like the comment for a minute and then they forget it and don't hold it against me, I don't know for sure either way, but I hold on to it and worry about it.) I hope it gets to the point where a) they do like me or b) I get over caring what they, or anyone else think about me. It gets a bit overwhelming and I ruin the night for myself because MOTH just walked in and said what a nice night he thought it was and I'm sitting here wondering if this stupid comment I made to his brother about a grudge he held against me for two years over a lighthouse in Hawaii will now make him (Bob, the brother) mad at me for another 2 years when we have been getting along really nicely for the past few months. Then MOTH asked me if I was bored there at the end of the night and I burst out crying, because I had just been writing this and when he said it, I thought, "Great, I wasn't bored, but if I looked it, there's another tick against my name." (Luckily he cleared it up by saying I didn't look outwardly bored, he just knows me well and was wondering, but even if I had been bored, no one else but him would've been able to tell so Phew! bullet that wasn't even a real bullet has been dodged and one less thing about tonight I have to stress about.) Ugh, I do it to myself, but at the same time, if I didn't know that they didn't really like me, I wouldn't feel like I'm having to prove myself every time I see them. Anyway, I think it's time I called it a night. Feel free to share any in law stories or mishaps with me to cheer me up! (By this I mean PLEASE, PLEASE share any in law stories or mishaps with me!)

But I Can See You, Your Brown Skin Shining In the Sun

Hi, My name is D and I'm getting kind of old, I'm practically married, and I'm boring. At times to realize those three things about myself kills me, but this weekend I wouldn't have had it any other way!

Friday night MOTH Dude brought home a pizza that we scarfed down while watching NCIS (man, do I hate that show!) and Law and Order SVU. I think we were both passed out by 11:15.

Saturday we were up by 9 and I headed off to the RTA to get my car registered while MOTH went and borrowed his parents' lawn mower. After the RTA, I went grocery shopping and came home to clean out the fridge (ick) and make bruschetta for lunch. MOTH Dude worked for hours on the front and back lawns and came in exhausted just before sun set. We took a ride out to the local light house and then to our favorite local beach where we spotted 2 whales just as it was getting too dark to see. When we got home, I made us a delicious dinner of garlic shrimp and scallop pasta and we had some fancy ice cream for dessert. After watching a movie that ended at 8:30, I hopped in to bed and looked at funny wedding ideas and MOTH came in and we had the lights out and were passed out at about 10:30.

Sunday MOTH decided not to go to church so he sat outside in the sun reading while I baked chocolate chip banana bread and finished the last of our laundry. It was only about 11:30 when I finished so I made us a quick lunch and we got in to our bathing suits and laid out for a few hours. Aussie Bronze-a-thon 2010 has begun! Later in the afternoon, I went in to do my weekly baking to take to the grandparents' house and then we headed out for our weekly drinks with our friends.

So yeah, riveting stuff right? I know it wasn't because I lived it. And while Saturday was a pain in the ass with all those chores to do, I wouldn't have traded that Sunday with my Boo for anything!

Oh wow, ok, I'd better get going as it's 10 to 9(pm) and I still haven't started dinner (Sloppy Joes-you Aussies don't know what you're missing!) and whenever MOTH gets in, he'll starving and I'll feel bad for not having it ready.

Tomorrow night is our monthly family dinner with just MOTH's parents and brother and maybe his new gf so woohoo! no cooking for me(although after just seeing them last night at the grandparents' weekly dinner, all this family time does get a bit overwhelming)! Sunday is Father's Day in Australia (though isn't it weird that Mother's Day is the same day in both places??) and we have no idea what to get the MOTH Dad. Would love any gift suggestions for the man who doesn't have a whole lot of hobbies (other than gardening and I think we've already bought him every gardening related thing over other birthdays and Father's Days) and is super hard to shop for!

I've Been Workin On the Railroad

I mean a call center is kind of like a railroad, right??

I'm sorry my life has been boring lately. Well, I've done some fun stuff like the hanging with Turk and Stylez on Friday night and then the big camp oven dinner with our main group on Saturday night, but when I get home most nights I'm too tired to put pen to paper, so to speak, and share it with you all.

So here is a quick recap of the weekend and my life in general:

My Car- I have finally paid MOTH Dude back for the car itself and for the transfer fee. I was feeling good, like I was nearly out of debt, and only had to pay him back for Third Party Insurance ($533), when my car needed to be inspected to get it re-registered ($36), then MOTH's Mom was in a tizz that I didn't have comprehensive insurance ($473), which I had been planning on getting but had kept forgetting to sign up for, plus the actual cost of re-registering the car (which I'm told could be around another $400) so now I'm back to owing MOTH Dude nearly as much as I paid for the damn car! The speaker on one side is really tinny and fuzzy so I think it is on it's way out and will need to be replaced and MOTH's Dad thinks it could use some new tires. This is all I see right now: $$ followed by this (-) symbol in my bank account.

Friday- I raced home after getting off at 3:30 (gawd, I hate those early morning wake ups, but love being done with work with a few hours of sunlight left) and stopped at the store because I wanted to make Mud Pie to bring for dessert at T and S's. Then I traveled out to Gosford (about 40 minutes away) and got lost a few times before finally making it to Stylez's parents' house. I wish I could've seen it during the day- they are right on the water and apparently have a sail boat and everything! They have great style, too, so I see that it is something Stylez inherited. It was a pretty mellow night and nice to sit around and catch up with them for awhile. I love seeing them in their new role as parents, but it's also refreshing to see that being mom and dad doesn't define them, etiher. At 11, my eyes were getting super heavy and I knew we had a long drive ahead of us so we hit the road.

Saturday- MOTH and I slept in until about 9 and then MOTH went to look at a car he was thinking about buying. He brought it back to the house and my opinion was that we shouldn't get it. I thought he was mad at me for saying so, but when I told him that when he got back from dropping it off, he said he wasn't at all and that he valued my opinion and that's why he asks for it (awwww). We then hit up the farmers market and had lunch in the sun at a place across from the market. After that we drove home and I passed out for a nap. MOTH read out in the sun for awhile, before coming in and passing out, too. I got up and made these cookies that everyone LOVED. I was so surprised because sometimes our friends seem to be so-so on the desserts I make, even the ones that are a hit back home, but no one could get enough of these cookies so I highly recommend them. I doubled the dough recipe, still only used 1 cup of dark chocolate chips, and broke about 15 oreos in to 4ths or 5ths. When the cookies were ready, we headed over to Croc and the Teacher's place and I'm usually not big on camp oven dinners, but they have perfected their recipe! The chicken was well seasoned and perfectly cooked and the Teacher made homemade stuffing, the only I've had since I've lived in Australia and it was so yum! Everyone else was raving about the roasted beef and MOTH said the same, that they have really perfected their technique because it was the best he's had so far. It was good to catch up with everyone and have us all together in a group, since we hadn't really done so since Baby Lo's birthday in July. We told some ghost stories and kept warm by the fire until about 12:30 and then MOTH and I headed home.

Sunday-MOTH slept in until about 10. I got up at 8 and called my Mom for our weekly chat, which is something I always look forward to. Have I mentioned how she and my Dad won us a wedding cake a few weeks back at a charity event? They bid on it in a silent auction and got it for a great deal. It's a 3 tiered cake and the lady has even been on Oprah and Mom said that the cake is delicious, as well as good looking. After MOTH got up, I headed to the grocery store and he finished up some work. We then went down to the Dam Motel for our weekly Sunday drinks with our friends, though this week it was only Croc and the Teacher, as Tinkerbell, the Farmer, and Junior were at a family barbecue. We talked a lot about Croc and the Teacher's upcoming road trip to Cape York, which is at the very top of Australia in far north Queensland. It sounds like a big trip and an exciting adventure for them! After we had had a few drinks (including the worst margarita I had ever had-it tasted like the guy had poured that liquid smoke flavoring in it-gag!) we headed home and just had a relaxing night in front of the tv.

So that was my week in a nutshell. I've got a couple of early morning shifts over the next few days and I'm hoping to come home and walk on the beach. We don't have anything planned for the weekend yet except for some major cleaning as our property management company is coming in to inspect us in a week or so's time. I'm sure something will come up for us to do and if not, it will be nice to veg out at home with my Boo. Hope you're all having a great week, wherever you are, whatever you are doing.

Good Morning (Head)ache, You're Like an Old Friend Come and See Me Again

Monday was my last day of training and by the end of the day my head was killing me to the point where I was feeling nauseous. I was ready to go home and hoped that I wouldn't have to pull over and puke on my drive home. MOTH Dude had his late night meeting that night so I went home and slept for an hour and woke up feeling better, even more so after I had a nice, hot shower. I made us a really good dinner and was just finishing it up when MOTH got home. He had some exciting news about a tentative job offer he had received for after his current contract is up, but he also had to create a mini website as proof of what he was capable of...that night, even though he hadn't gotten home until 9:30!

After dinner my headache really started to kick in again so I wished MOTH good luck and passed out. He came to bed at 12:45 (poor guy) and woke me up on accident. My head was still really hurting, but I figured I just needed good, solid sleep and I would be fine in the morning. We both got up at 5:30 (once again-poor guy! I don't know how he survives on so little sleep) and while he got in the shower I laid in bed willing my head to stop hurting and my tummy to stop churning. Eventually MOTH Dude had to leave for the train and I decided there was no way I'd be able to sit in the loud call center all day and talk to customers with my head like it was so I got back in to bed and then called in sick once the center opened. Company policy is that I don't get any paid sick days for the first year (I think) and if I take any time off, I have to provide a sick note.

So after calling in sick and sleeping a bit more, I went to find a medical center that would take walk-ins. After being turned away at one nearby, I went to one further away, where I had been treated for my awful spider bite last year. They said they only took walk-ins when it wasn't busy (and just my luck, it was) BUT that she had an appointment time for 10 minutes from then*! I saw the doctor and explained to him how I get migraines, but that this wasn't as bad as a migraine, just below the level of one, and that I had had it for 16 hours. He asked if I was feeling achey and I have been and so he told me he didn't think it was a migraine either, but the start of the flu. Which thinking about it now, makes sense since two of the girls in my training group have been super sick over the past week. Anyway, off I went with my doctor's note excusing me from work for yesterday and today and a prescription for some hardcore codeine pain pills. I picked up my prescription and some ginger ale and have been lying in bed pretty much ever since.

I made MOTH dinner last night and had a tiny bowl and was starting to feel ok. I woke up today with a bit of a headache and decided that since I had the doctor's note that covered today, as well, I might as well use it to my advantage and take some more meds and rest it off, which I am glad I did because my headache has been fluctuating in intensity all day and the queasiness is back...fun! Hopefully I'm feeling better tomorrow since I don't have a doctor's note for then and because it's another 5:30 wake up day since work starts at 8. I'm excited to see how my first day on the phones go and don't want to ruin it with a headache or nauseousness. I can't even take my meds tomorrow, if I do wake up with a headache, since the codeine makes me a little loopy and really sleepy. Anyway, I guess this was a long, boring post just to say I've been sick...sorry! Might have more exciting things to write about after the weekend since we are maybe have dinner with Stylez and Turk on Friday and having a non-election party on Saturday night with the group.

Looks like it might be meds and nap time...Oh wait, did my neighbor just decide to start sawing outside my window?? Awesome!

*How great is it that a) I got the appointment b) I only had to wait about 15 minutes past the appointment to see a doctor and the whole waiting room was PACKED and c) since I now have an Australian Medicare card, I saw the doctor for $20 and that was all I'll ever have to pay? Note to America: A nationally subsidized healthcare system can work and can work really well!