11 years........

Tonight and tomorrow are my dad's yarzeit. It has been 11 years. Hard to believe. 11 years.

Apparently, I've had this blog for quite some time now because I have blogged on my dad's yarzeit for the past 2 years. It must be therapeutic for me.
Last year I wrote about The News. The day my dad told us that he wasn't going to survive. That the treatments weren't working and the cancer spread. And that's it.
That was an agonizing day. Oh G-d, it hurts to think about it. I still can't comprehend how a parent can tell a child they are going to die. He was so strong......
I was looking through some boxes and found my diary from that year. And so I think I am going to write about the day my dad died. And the weekend leading up to it.
WARNING: It's a sad one. I'm going to basically just write from my diary........ adding a few things here and there. Maybe I'll put the exact words in quotes or something. This was written about a month and a half after he died. I don't expect anyone to read the whole thing. And I apologize to everyone that I am not writing anything original this year.
I don't know why I am not. But I found this a week or so ago and just thought I wanted to post it.

We really knew we were getting to the end. We knew almost down to the week. The last week was so hard. He was in so much pain and seemed to get worse everyday. At this point we had him in a hospital bed in our living room with hospice and a nurse's aid coming. We took care of him most of the time.
"Friday he was very out of it but better than Thursday. His breathing was so bad. It could drive a person crazy just sitting next to him. At some point on Friday evening, I went to the Winter's (our Rabbi). They had invited me for dinner but I wasn't comfortable with leaving Pa (short for Papa, that's what we called my Dad) for so long. So I went to let them know and came back with chicken, chicken soup, kugel, etc. It was so nice of them. And for the first time in a long time, we had a hot Shabbas meal. After dinner, Adrian went out. Grandma, Mom, and I all sat with Pa. He seemed to be doing worse all of a sudden. We just sat around with him. We were crying and holding his hand. I think we all thought he wouldn't make it. I was just hoping Adrian would come home. We were telling Pa it's ok to go. We'll be all right. Finally, Adrian came home. I was holding Pa's hand and squeezing it and stroking it. I was waiting for a response of any kind. Finally, Pa squeezed my hand. It must have taken so much strength. But it felt so good to me.
Adrian and Mom went to sleep because he seemed stable. Grandma was going to sleep on the couch in the living room. She was lying down and I was sitting with Pa. I couldn't leave. Grandma fell asleep and told me to wake her if I go upstairs. He would occasionally open his eyes and I would talk to him and he understood - or seemed to. One time he woke up and was looking at me. He seemed so scared. So scared. I looked him in the eyes and said something like, "Pa, I love you so much but it's ok to go. I will be ok. I will miss you so much but it's ok." He got tears in his eyes and I told him that I knew he was in so much pain. But he is going to a much better place. He is going straight to Shamayim. Heaven. Gan Eden. I told him it will be wonderful there. He is such a Tzadik. I learnt so much from him. I told him he would be up there with Avraham and Moshe Rabeinu. He would be by Sara Emainu and Adam and Chava. He gave me a half smile, like one side of his mouth. It made me so happy. I kept telling him stuff and some of the fear left his eyes. It meant so much to me....

I don't remember much about Shabbas. I don't think that too much happened. Pa slept and we just stayed with him. Around Seudah Shlishi time, I got a bencher and just sat next to him and sang songs. Song after song after song. He loved music so much and used to love to sing. I wanted to make this time enjoyable for him. And music was a way I really felt connected to Hashem.
Saturday night I was home a bit but then I needed to get out. So I made plans to go to "Empire Strikes Back" with Edan and Eli S. A bunch of people came over Saturday night and kind of made a kumsitz for Pa. They sang Nigunim from Twersky and others. I think Pa enjoyed it. Although he couldn't talk, he made that moaning sound when he tried to communicate. So when they were singing, it was like he did it extra loud. Like he was singing along. It was nice.
At about 11:30, I was going to leave. I came downstairs and everyone was still there. It kind of annoyed me because I wanted to say bye and talk to Pa in private but whatever. So I went over to his bed. I gave him a hug and told him I was going out to a movie with friends. I said I would be home and see him later. I gave him a kiss and said "I love you".
Those are the last words I said to my father.......
I came back late that night and went into the kitchen. I had something to eat and listened to my father. Before I went upstairs, I was drawn towards the doorway of the living room. I wanted to go in and give my father a kiss but I didn't want to disturb Grandma who was sleeping on the couch. So I just stood there in the doorway. I wonder if Pa was awake and knew I was there.
Then I went upstairs to go to sleep. Pa was breathing and moaning so loud I could hear him all the way in my room. It kept me up for awhile but finally I fell asleep.

The next morning (Mom told me) she went downstairs to do laundry. She went in to check on Pa and he didn't seem like he was doing well. Mom felt his pulse and it was weak. He gazed into her eyes and she saw a tear in his eyes. Then he stopped breathing.
Mom called Grandma into the room and they were both with him until his pulse stopped a few moments later.
Mom ran upstairs into my room and tried to wake me up. Lazy me didn't want to get out of bed until Mom said, "Nattie, it's Pa. He's dying." I sat bolt upright in bed and said "What? What are you saying? What are you talking about?" I vaguely remember jumping out of bed and leaping across the room in one step. I don't remember walking down the stairs. I remember floating. I ran into the living room and Grandma was by his bed trying to close his eyes and mouth. She kept saying they won't close. They won't stay shut. As soon as I entered the room, I felt a peace settle on me. I wasn't crying or anything. I walked over to the other side of the bed and took Pa's hand. I kissed his head and started saying Tehillim, Kuf Lamed. "Shir Hamaalot, Mimaakim Karaticha Adoshem......"
Then I started crying. Mom and Adrian came downstairs and Mom stood next to me. Adrian stood at the foot of the bed. I just kept saying, "I love you" and kissing his hand and face. I think it hit me then because I fell to the floor crying and almost shrieking. Mom was saying Shema. It was about 9:30am. I don't know how long we stood there with him. There was a time when I was alone with him. I knew I was supposed to cover his face. But I couldn't. I knew it was the last I would see of him. So slowly I inched the blanket up to his face. Finally, I covered it.
Goodbye............

There is plenty more in my diary about that day. Details and details and how things played out. And plenty about the funeral too.
But I decided to stop here.
There isn't much to say. No, the pain isn't there the way it used to be. Maybe that's why I typed this. I felt like I needed to relive some of the pain. Some of the hell. Because I don't feel it every day anymore. Which is good. But when I do think of it.....I just miss him. I miss him so badly. And I wish he could be here with his grandchildren. Jonah and Sammy. And now new baby Iluma. (my niece)
It's not fair.......

So that's the story. I don't have plans for tomorrow. I am not doing anything special. Just the usual. I feel bad about that.
But if you are still reading this I want to make a request.......

Will you do something today for my Dad? Will you do something "Lilui Neshama" To raise up his Neshama? Please do a mitzvah - or have a L'Chaim - say a Bracha. And say that it is L'ilui Neshama Dovid ben Avraham (or if it's supposed to be the mother's name then it's Dovid ben Malka". If you have a chance to let me know you did something, that would be nice. But you don't have to.

Thank you.... and may we only know and celebrate good things!

Life oh life oh liiiiiiife

Sometimes I feel like I need an instruction manual for life. Maybe The Idiot's Guide to Life.

I'm not talking about the emotional ups and downs. I've dealt with some hard stuff. And there are books to help. And shoulders to lean on. People that stuck by my side no matter how cooky and emotional I got at times. And besides, everybody deals with that type of stuff differently.

I'm not talking about the spiritual stuff. We've got the Good Book. And plenty of books on the Good Book. And rabbi's and teachers and other various spiritual leaders to help with that stuff.

I'm just talking about the practical things. The stuff you don't neccesarily learn in school. Or forget it because school was so long ago. Certainly for those of that didn't go to college. And I don't think they teach these courses in college.

I'm talking about the stuff that Grown-ups know. :)
I don't feel like a Grown-Up. But I've got a husband, 2 kids, and a house. That seems like a grown-up thing.
But there is SO much I don't know.
Aside from parenting of course!!! I learn new things about that every day!!!

I'm talking about Owning a House. I'm talking about Owning a Car. I have learned that I don't have a clue about those things. I didn't know anything when we bought the house and now that we are selling, I am learning about all the things involved and what people look at when they buy a house. I don't know about painting and sealing windows and replacing screens. I didn't know about changing air filters and turning on humidifers. I didn't know about oil changes and new windshields.
And I haven't even touched on the subject of Finances!!!!!!

How do people learn these things? Where do they pick them up from? Their parents? Do-It-Yourself books? Trial and Error?
Why do I feel so uneducated????

It's overwhelming at times...........

Cyber-Garage Sale

I want to start trying to sell some of the things we want to get rid of before The Big Move.
Does anyone know of a webpage where I can basically just post pictures, prices, and descriptions of things that I am selling?

It wouldn't be like Craig's List. More like a page that I can refer people to and it will always have the pics of whats for sale on it.

Also, any ideas of sites besides Craig's List and E-bay where I can sell things? Preferably local and no charge.

Let me know if you know of anything!
Thanks!

Homeopathic Cures

Here's the deal:

My baby has a perianal absess on his cute little tushie.
We've already been to the pediatrician 3-4 times about this.
We've been to the emergency room once to have it drained.
We've already been on antibiotics (2 kinds really because the first he was on for an ear infection and developed this absess and the second was a different kind to get rid of it. Didn't work)
And we have been to the pediatric surgeon.

The surgeon wants to wait 5-6 weeks to see if it will get better on it's own. If not, he will put my baby under and operate. The operation may or may not get rid of it. Thanks, doc.
In the meantime, there is nothing I can do except try hot baths and hot compresses.

Well, it's really hard to just sit around and do nothing - knowing that if this yucky thing doesn't go away, your 8 month old baby will have to have a surgical procedure!

So I'm thinking of trying out some holistic/homeopathic remedies for it. However, not sure how to pursue that. Anyone have any ideas????

Cameras

I know, I know. I haven't written in months. I'm really bad.
Ok, I will TRY to start writing again. There is certainly a lot to say. Just no time to sit down in front of the computer and write it. When I'm at the computer, I'm generally working.
Anywhoo - DOES ANYONE STILL READ THIS???? IS ANYONE STILL OUT THERE??????

Now that I got that out of my system, um, we left our camera in a cab in Jerusalem along withour 200+ pictures from our trip to Israel. AHHH - the agony! Keep the camera but I just want our pictures back. Yah, that's not gonna happen.

ANYWHOO - so for our Chanukah present, we are pooling all the money we get and buying a new camera. Apparently, there are a LOT of cameras out there. I walked into a store and I walked out because there was too much variety.

So, I turn to you people to ask for recommendations of which digital camera is a good one. Or which is a bad one. Any comments, suggestions, helpful hints. All are appreciated.
THANKS!

And I really will try to blog more interesting stuff soon....one of these days.....

Dippin Dots

Every time we go to the zoo, we wonder if Dippin Dots are kosher. S and I have both heard that they are kosher in Pittsburgh and we always say we'll have to check it out when we get home. But we never do.
Tonight I was online catching up on e-mails and I have no idea what made me think of it but I went to the Dippin Dots website to check the kosher status. I saw the following paragraph in the FAQ section.
Are Dippin' Dots Kosher?

In addition to our plant being FDA and USDA approved, Dippin' Dots are certified Kosher. The certification is Kosher-Dairy for year-round use (excluding Passover) by the Vaad Hoeir of St.Louis, MO. The symbol for the Vaad Hoeir is a circled V.

I thought that was so interesting. I don't know if it was interesting that they are Kosher and no one knows it or it was interesting that it's the Vaad of St.Louis that certifies it. Anywhoo, I wanted to confirm so I went to the Vaad of St.Louis website but didn't find a list of places that they certify. So I e-mailed them and we'll see what I hear back!

Anyone know anything about it?

Present Etiquette

I may have posted this before but I forgot the answer.
What's the deal with bridal shower presents and wedding presents? Are we supposed to give both? Is one supposed to be bigger than the other?
If we go in for an out-of-town wedding - do we still have to give a gift?

Let me know what you think!!

MPG-CAP

Does anyone know anything about this capsule that is supposed to increase your miles per gallon? Has anyone tried it?
I'm very curious why it's not a bigger thing........
Let me know your thoughts.
You can check out www.earthremedy.com for a news story about it. And it seems you can actually purchase it at www.gassyrealtors.com

What do you think???

Doula

Oops. Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. And a lot has gone on in my life. One day perhaps I will have a chance to sit down and write about it. Ha.
Anywhoo, I've been thinking about doing this for awhile but haven't done anything about it. I am ready to do something about it but don't know where to begin. So I turn to my blogging audience (anyone left out there?) for your help and possible knowledge.
I am thinking of becoming a doula. And perhaps further down the road - a midwife. But I'll stick with a doula for now.
And that is what I am up to. Where do I go from here?
Anyone know anything about becoming a doula or know anyone who is one/has used one. Etc?

If so, let me know!!!!

Brothers

Almost New Baby Day Today

So, I woke up this morning at 7:30am and thought to myself. Huh, I could have been going to the hospital right now for my scheduled c-section.
Then I woke up at 8 something and thought. Hmm... I wonder what I would have been doing now. Filling out paperwork, getting into a hospital gown. Would I be tired? Excited? Scared?
Then I woke up at 9:30 and said wow, this is when my c-section was supposed to start. So they would have just been making the first slice. :)
And then when I woke up at 10 (yes, I got to sleep in today. G-d bless mothers-in-laws!!) I thought to myself, well, they probably would have just been delivering my baby. I guess I will get up.
:)

Those are some crazy thoughts!!!!!!!! But today was when my c-section was scheduled for. Until the baby flipped (yay!!). Although even after they saw that the baby flipped, they asked if I still wanted to cancel it. Well, I thought about it for a second but opted against it. The conveniance of it all just wasn't worth the pain and risk of a c-section.

So, now we are just waiting....and waiting....and waiting......
Wish us luck! We'll keep you posted!

Woo hoo!!!!

The baby turned!!!! And now it's head down and hopefully not going anywhere (yet).
So, I guess all those rough nights with baby moving all over the place were worth it. Whew.
So my scheduled c-section is canceled and now we just wait around for labor to start.
It may still end up being a c-section but at least it's in a better position.
Keep ya posted.....................

Questions

I've started a list of questions. They are things I want to ask G-d after 120. Most of them are pretty big ones. But I added a new one on Tuesday. Not as big. But something I am really wondering about.

As most people reading my blog know, I am expecting and the due date is about 3 weeks away. With my first child, I ended up having a C-section after 32 hours of labor and I had a very difficult recovery. I'm sure it was not helped by the gallstones and gallbladder removal 3 months post c-section but whatever the case may be, it was rough. While pregnant with my first, I read a LOT of books and had hopes of delivering with no pain meds and even started off the first 12 hours in the Birthing Center at Providence Hospital. A VERY comfortable place that I recommend everyone start at even if they end up moving to labor and delivery. :)
Anyway in the books I read I pretty much breezed past the c-section parts thinking no way, not me. But I do remember reading that a lot of women feel cheated after a c-section. They are upset, they feel like they failed, etc. I did not feel that way after my delivery. I wasn't happy about it but it was just the way things were.
Until I got pregnant with #2. Then I started wondering...... can I handle a regular delivery? Would I be able to do it? Would I really be able to push a CHILD out of my body??? I don't know. Drugs or no drugs, that's a pretty scary thing. Maybe I can't do it. Maybe my body doesn't work that way.
As little girls, we grow up learning that we are supposed to get married, get pregnant, and have a baby. Babies come out of certain parts of our body and scary as it is, if you push a baby out of your body - you can do anything!!!!!! It's an impressive task and I am always amazed hearing people talk about their birthing experience. I am always really awed by it.
And I question whether or not I can do it. I want to do it. I want to have that experience. Even if it's just once. So pregnant, with Baby #2 - that was my plan. 3 of the 4 doctors in my practice were very supportive of it. There are risks involved with VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Delivery) but they are small and the docs felt there was no reason not to try for it as long as I am aware that it may not work out and I may have to have another section. Ok, fair enough. So over the past 2 months, I have started my reading again. Learning about the different stages of labor, coping with the pain of contractions, various pushing positions. I was getting ready for the big marathon. As friends have described it, the hardest physical thing you will EVER do in your life. So I was preparing. And I was actually getting excited. Scared, but excited. I spoke with friends about their birthing experiences, trying to understand how it works, how it feels. And weird as it sounds, I was looking forward to going into labor. To reaching the pushing stage. To that amazing moment when a child actually comes out of me??!?!??! WOAH.

Then my plans came screeching to a halt. I went to the doc on Tuesday and it turns out, the baby is sideways. Not only sideways but spine down. Normally the doctors would manually turn the baby. However, since I had a C-section the first time, this doctor doesn't want to try and turn it because she is afraid of my scar rupturing. That could end up in a very bad outcome for the baby and possibly for me. So that means they will do a scheduled C-Section. Sorry, no chance for VBAC.
Not only that but if the baby stays in this position with the spine down, they will have to do a vertical incision to get it out because they can't deliver a back. My first section was a horizontal incision so one consolation I had in regards to a second c-section was that they will be cutting over scar tissue and dead nerves so it won't be quite as bad a recovery as the first time. Woo hoo.... But if they do a vertical incision, it means a whole new pain, a whole new recovery AND no chance for VBAC with any future children. The chance of rupture with a vertical incision is much higher than a horizontal one.

And I will never know. I will never know whether or not I could have birthed a baby the way women are "supposed" to. I will never know if I have that in me. I will never be able to say, I can do anything - I pushed a child out of my body!!!
So it's on my list of questions.
Why me?
Why not someone else who wants a c-section?
Could I have done it??
Why didn't I get the chance to find out??

There are more thoughts about this upcoming experience but I have to go to work so they will be saved for another time.

Stay tuned..................

Our Purim Theme

The job of being parents
is never quite done,
We started off quiet
with our number one son.

We decided this year
on a new little addition,
Ignoring the expenses
of diapers and tuition!

Please enjoy some "tools"
to celebrate our renovation,
We're so happy to share
our news and jubilation.

We promise we'll share pictures
when the "labor" is all done.
Purim Sameyach from
Shauli, Natalie, Jonah Z.,
and soon-to-be plus one!

And these were our Mishloach Manot.......

Thanks so much to my mom for help with the general theme idea and to Sho for the poem!!!!

Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the
"drive-through mastectomy" where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.

PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.

http://www.lifetimetv.com/health/breast_mastectomy_pledge.html

This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends and family too!

Bad Day

I haven't mentioned this to a lot of people. Maybe I haven't mentioned it to anyone. What tomorrow is.

My dad died 10 years ago tomorrow.

It snuck up on me this year. I felt like I should recount the years. Has it really been 10? February 23rd, 1997.
Seems like ages ago.

I don't have anything planned. And it's not his Hebrew Yarzeit yet. That's next week. Tuesday after Purim. Not sure what I am doing for that either but I will have someone say Kaddish and maybe we will sponsor something at shul or give Tzedaka. There are "things" to do in Judaism to help deal with the loss. I don't know if it is really dealing with the loss anymore. More like keeping his memory alive. Or just remembering in general.

But I don't want to treat tomorrow like it is just another day. Because it's not. It's the day my life changed. My world came crashing down. That sounds dramatic. But it's true.
There have been many days in the past 10 years that I wondered if I would ever be happy again. Truly happy. I haven't asked myself that question in a couple years though. I know the answer now. I am happy. I have an amazing husband and an incredible son and a new baby on the way. It's nice to be happy.

So what do I do with a day like tomorrow? I can't act like I did when I was younger. Just close up and not do anything. Sit around and be sad. Even though that's what I want to do. I want to take the day off. From everything.
But I have to get up with Jonah and cook for Shabbas, run some errands, get some work done, do laundry. Just another day. Maybe I will be on strike. For a day.

Well, maybe that's why I am blogging. This is an outlet for me. A place where I can just type my feelings. They don't have to make sense. But it's also a way to let other people know what's going on in my life.

The hardest part is losing the memories. I don't remember the things I used to. Every year I feel like I lose more. And I wonder - when Jonah is old enough to ask about my dad, will I have anything left to tell him? I don't have a lot of pictures. My dad was the photographer so he was always taking pics not being in them. We have very few of him. I've got a "box of memories". Random things I saved after he died. Things we found in his dresser drawer. He used to take the change that would accumulate in his pocket and put it in a little glass bowl. I have the change from that bowl. I imagine him emptying out his pocket for the last time before he ended up in the hospital. He lived for another month after that stay in the hospital. But he certainly never emptied out any more change from his pockets. I have some old eyeglasses of his. And an old drivers license. I think I may have his wallet. Just miscellaneous stuff. But that's tangible.
Memories aren't tangible. And it's hard to hold on to them. The strongest memories I have are from when he was sick. And when he died. Maybe because those are the most recent. Or maybe because those are the ones I consciously held on to. I knew that I wouldn't have him around much longer. So I had to engrave those memories into my head.

I don't think I will ever lose the memory of when he told us The News. The final news. It's not the actual memory that I remember so well. But it's my thoughts I had at the time. I don't think I will forget what I was thinking.
My brother and I were in his hospital room. My brother was sitting on a chair and I was sitting on the ledge near the window. My dad called that room his "winter chalet" because the view was of some woods and they were all covered in a beautiful snow. I even remember I was sitting on the vent because it kept blowing air. But it was cool air because I kept pressing my hand against the vent and then against my face. My face felt like it was burning up.
I don't remember the exact words he used. Isn't that weird? The worst thing I had ever heard in my life and I don't remember the words.
He told us that the doctors didn't give him much time left. That there was nothing more they could do. The cancer was spreading. It had spread to his liver and eventually his liver will just shut down. And so will he.

I remember that we were interrupted by a nurse. She came in to see how my father was feeling. He told her he was doing better and he thinks he was just sick before as an emotional reaction to the news. I remember thinking that was strange. My dad getting sick. Of course, he is sitting there with cancer but I thought it was strange because he was so calm in telling us. It was weird thinking of him getting emotional when we weren't there.
But what other reaction would someone have when hearing they will die.
She left and he kept talking to us. But there wasn't much to say.
I remember sitting there, looking out the window. With the tears running down my face. I didn't know what to say. Part of me just wanted to curl up next to him and cry. Just hold onto him and never ever let him go. But I didn't. I remember that I wanted my brother to talk to him and work things out. Sometimes they had a rocky relationship and I just wanted everything to be ok.
I think I saw that he was crying. And that struck me also. It made it more real to me. If Adrian is crying, it has to be true.
And I remember thinking it's not fair. It's not fair that my dad has to sit there and tell his children that he is going to die. That is WRONG!! How does a person do that? How do you find the strength?
It's just wrong. It's not fair.
After we left the room, I think he was going to tell my mom or maybe someone else. My aunt? We were in the waiting room. And a rabbi from my elementary school came by to visit. I felt bad. He had no idea that it wasn't a good time. I don't even remember what we said. I was just numb. He left his business card (he is also a moyel) and said to call if/when we need anything. It was a nice gesture but I remember thinking - how can he just go about his regular life when my dad is lying there dying???
That was a common thought throughout the experiance. How does the world go on? Don't they know what's happening???????

That's enough for now...........
Sorry no upbeat messages this year.
Not tonight at least.

But it's ok to be sad. It's healthy to be sad.

I'm sad.

Stand Up to Ahmadinejad

Watch this 2 Minute Film from Aish and then sign the petition.
Pass it on!!

http://www.aish.com/Iran/HR/

Savings Bond

I just found a US Savings Bond from 1991. What am I supposed to do with it?
I assume I am supposed to take it to the bank but is there any chance I will get any extra money from it because it's so old?

Aches and Pains

BEWARE!! WARNING!!! This blog contains many many complaints!!!!

Is it pregnancy or old age (haha) that is making my body fall apart?
From the top of my head to the soles of my feet- I think I am having a rough week.

Last night I had a terrible headache for the first time since I got pregnant. I took 1 and 3/4 Tylenol because that is all that was left in the bottle.

I have a nasty eye infection that makes my left eye BRIGHT scary red and when I sleep it sticks together. Ew.
Don't worry I saw an excellent eye doctor. He gave me drops and told me to take out my contacts. So on top of everything else I have to wear my glasses. Boo. They make my eyes tired. Maybe that's where the headache came from

I'm fighting something. I don't know if it is a cold or sore throat or what but it's taking ALL of my little remaining strength from me and I am completly worn out.

I can't get comfortable when I sleep because the baby is getting so big. So when I sleep on either side - which is the position I am supposed to sleep in when pregnant - I feel like I am smushing the baby. I think it is still sideways. When does it turn head down????

And I have a weird yucky thing on my left foot and toe. It's been there for awhile and I thought it was a callous but now it actually hurts when I walk. I don't know if it is something worth going to the foot doctor for because I feel like it can probably be cured with an over the counter thing. Maybe I should know what it is.
I'm thinking of asking my OB if he knows what it is or if I should go to the foot doctor about it when I go next week. I like to treat my OB as an all around general practitioner. :)

And those are my complaints. All in all, not terrible by themselves but heaped together - they got to me. Thanks for listening to (reading) my whining. I'll be fine soon.

Wish me luck at work today. BLAH!!!!!!!! Maybe they will send me home because the customers will complain about the lady with the gross red eye.
Also, there is supposed to be a BIG snowstorm coming this afternoon. So I will have to attempt to drive through it wearing my glasses. AH!

Purim

I need a good idea for a Purim Costume - preferably one that incorporates my will be 8 month pregnant belly!!!!!!
If I can, I would love to do a theme with Shu and Jonah.
Any ideas?
Also looking for a theme for Shaloch Manot.

I'm drawing a blank............

The Hulkster

Hulk Hogan learns about Kosher from his new Jewish Neighbors.
This is a clip from Hulk Hogan's reality show on VH1.
Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv1AJ53WfFc

Haha!

The Name Game

What is a Hebrew name that means "Youthful"?

Thanks!

Happy Pregnancy to Me!

I am 30 weeks today!!!

WOAH!!!

That means 10 to go.....................I"YH. B"IH

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Cool Video

My friend sent me a link to this cool video. Reminds me of England. :)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xf9oo_jerome-murat

Enjoy!

Where Did It Go?

Just wanted to let those of you who may be wondering where my LOOOONG Blog went that yes, I deleted it.
It served it's purpose and the situation is resolved.
I'm not even sure who still reads my blog so many of you may not know what I am talking about but for those of you who DID read it and especially the ones who commented to try and help me out (wow, Adrian, I was impressed - good to get a comment from you!!) This was the resolution to the drama!

I sent a LOOOOOOONG e-mail to the lady basically stating my case and going through some points from our e-mails over the past month. I told her at which points I thought she had ducked out of the deal and at which points I wanted to get OUT of the situation.
That night she sent me a very apologetic e-mail for the whole mess.
In the end there was a little more craziness. She was supposed to come pick up the things but their van wouldn't start yada yada. But I gave her another chance and this morning she finally came and picked up the 4 items for the original agreed upon price.
Phew, I'm glad that's over!!!!!

Animal Magic

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to Mark Rosenthal, the guy who we met at the Novi Family Pet Expo who gave me my Fear Factor Experience. I feel he deserves a real Shout Out!!!
His website is: www.iwantanimalmagic.com.
I had seen him before at the Pizza People's Birthday Party and he did an AMAZING show with all kinds of dangerous and exotic animals. Jonah was talking about the Alligator he brought for weeks afterwards.
So, if you are looking for a cool birthday party idea, you should check this guy out.
And even if you are not, check out when he will be doing public shows because he is absolutly fascinating!!!!!
Don't worry, he won't make you hold a tarantula....hehehe. Not unless you want to.

I'm Craaaaaazy!!

Jonah and I went to the Novi Family Pet Expo with Mrs. and Mini AP today. We figured that we would see puppies and kittens and all kinds of cute furry things. And while we did see some of those, we also saw some not so cuddly animals too. :)
And I took my first Fear Factor Challenge......

What's hiding underneath those hands??

That big smile on my face is really a look of TERRORRRRRRR!!!

Yes, that really is a LIVE and LARGE tarantula!!!

Am I craaaazy or what?

Wow, was my adrenaline pumping during that! My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking. It was quite a rush!

I knew I still had some "WackyNat" in me!

ET Phone Home

The title doesn't mean anything aside from the fact that it has the word phone in it.

I just want to share another customer service story with everyone. Nope, it wasn't at my store. This time I was the customer! And am VERY satisfied. I must recommend STAPLES to everyone. Their customer service is really exceptional. Anytime I have had an issue, they always clear it up with no problem. But this time, they really impressed me.
I only went in to the store thinking they would be able to help me out but I thought it would be a real hassle. Ok, here's the story.

We bought a phone there awhile ago and we have been having problems with it for about the past 6 months. The phone was an AT&T cordless with 2 extra handsets. The kind that you just plug in one phone to the phone jack and the other 2 handsets just need to be plugged into an electrical outlet. I bought it because we use Vonage and I don't know how else to use other phones with it. So the problem we were having was with all 3 of the keypad buttons. You had to press them REALLY hard to enter the number and sometimes, it would enter the number twice. I can't tell you how frustrating it could be to dial a phone number. It would take 3-4 times!! Or like when you are calling an automated system and it asks for your LOOONG account number, you get halfway through and boom, double 2's when you only want one!
So it was quite annoying but we didn't do anything about it. We just dealt with it. It has been really bad lately so I started looking at new phone to buy. I had no idea when we bought this one but I didn't think it was SOOO long ago.
Today I decided to try and fix it. I found the manuel and read that, nothing there. I went on the AT&T website and tried to find an answer, nothing there. Then I figured before I call AT&T or Staples, I should figure out when I bought it. So I went on a search and found not only my receipt - from October 13, 2004 (!!) but also an extra warranty protection that I bought from Staples to cover for a year past the manufacturers warranty. So I called the Staples Warranty Number and they said that the manufacturers warranty covers one year and their warranty covers one more year. So basically it ran out 3 weeks ago! And no, they couldn't extend it or do anything for me. I could have kicked myself!
Well, I decided to go into Staples and see if they would be able to help me out anymore because the people on the phone were just a third party place. I knew Staples was generally helpful and I really hoped they could do something because it was only 3 weeks past the deadline........
Also, I didn't want my money back. I just wanted to fix my phone or get store credit for a new one or something.
So I held my breath and there I went. I expected they may do it for me but only after I argued for it.
Well, I walked in and 3 people offered to help me. Two were behind the counter and another man who looked more like a manager. So I just explained that I bought this phone - apparently 2 years ago and I bought the extended service plan and I had been having trouble with it for about 6 months and I really just wanted to fix it or get a new phone or something. But my warranty had ran out 3 weeks ago!! Is there anyway they could help me?
The manager said they would go ahead and take care of me. They can return the phone for what I paid for it and switch me up to a newer model and get me taken care of with a new service plan and that way, I won't have lost any money on it. He was SO nice and understanding about it! It was really great.
Then he sent me off with the sales guy to pick out a phone and we picked out a fancy new Uniden phone with 3 extra handsets and all kinds of extra features. The main thing I wanted was the extra handsets and a speaker phone but this one came with a whole lot more. So that was exciting.
We went back to the front. He returned my phone for the price I paid (even though now it was worth only $12.50) and bought the new one - which was the same price as the one I originally paid for and charged me $10 for the warranty plan. It covers everything and anything - even if I drop and break the phone or something like that. And I can just bring it in for a replacement.
Well, this time I will make sure to bring it in right away if it does break - that's for sure.
But I just felt like I should share this story with everyone and compliment Staples on their EXCELLENT customer service!!!!
I'll keep you posted on how the phone is working out. It has to charge for 15-20 hours before we can use it!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Go Tigers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on Cardinals....................

Here's to a possible trip to St.Louis to watch the Tigers take on the Cardinals (or is it the Cardinals take on the Tigers?) in a World Series!!!!!!!!!

The question is......WHO do I root for? Can I go for both? Wear a Tigers shirt and a Cardinals hat?? Hmm....dilemma.....

911......What is your emergency?

Thank G-d, it wasn't my emergency but I did call 911 the other day. It was pretty crazy.
I was driving home from Great Lakes Crossing (outlet mall) after a very successful trip. Although I did not find the ONE thing I went for which was a FANCY red or maroon dress or top to wear with a ball gown skirt to my close friend's wedding. Anyone have any suggestions? I've got two weeks left. AHHH!
Back to the story. So I was on the highway on the way home thinking how lucky I was that there wasn't traffic in my direction and I notice all traffic start to slow down. I also see on the side of the road (the inner part of the highway) a pick-up truck that appears to have flipped over but I notice that it is still moving. It was actually in the process of flipping over. What a sickening sight. He was right on top of an overpass and I was scared he was going to flip right over it. Luckily, he came to a stop.
Right away I noticed that there were at least 3 cars involved in this accident and all traffic came to an immediate halt. After the intial shock, people started moving again and we were all pulling over to the right to avoid the wreckage. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911 and tried to figure out where we were. I thought to myself, "am I just going to call and tell them I just passed an accident? Or should I stop and tell them the details." Then it hit me, "Natalie, pull over right now and stop. You are (or rather were) a trained EMT and you are first on the scene. Get out of car and run over there to help." So I did that. I pulled my car over and traffic was pretty slow so I was able to run across the highway. I was on the phone with 911 at that point telling them where we were, how many cars were involved and how many people I saw injured. At that point, I just saw one man with blood running down his face but I didn't know if anyone was left in the flipped car. They took my name and phone number and said EMS was on the way. We hung up and I told them that the ambulance was on the way. The man was being taken care of by another person and she was pretty much doing what I would be doing. She asked if anyone had water which I realized I did and ran back to the car to get some. I went back and we were talking to the man, asking if he had anyone that he wanted us to call. He kept saying he ruined his truck, he can't believe it. His wife is out of town and he has to call and tell her her crashed the truck. Luckily, there was no one else in the car and how he crawled out by himself, I don't know. But by the looks of his injuries, he was pretty incredibly lucky!!! Then I went over to the other lady whose car was smashed right up next to his truck because no one was talking to her since she didn't appear injured. I was concerned she be in shock. So I went over to check if she was ok. She seemed to be fine physically, she was just shaken up. She kept pointing out how close he was to her door and how she could have been really hurt. She was also lucky. There were 2 other cars aside from those involved but no injuries and minor damage to their cars. I guess what happened was traffic started slowing but someone didn't notice and they all collided. It was pretty crazy.
EMS and the cops arrived. The medics took the man away and then were talking to people on the scene. I went back to my car for a minute and a cop asked if I was in the accident. I said no but I had called 911 so he told me to pull my car in front of everyone else and wait around for a minute. So I did that and the few of us that were there spent a few minutes talking about the accident and what we saw, etc. Then the cop came over and told the woman I was talking to that they probably wouldn't need her but thanks for stopping and for her help. She pretty much did the same thing I did - we just stopped to help and see if everyone was ok and called 911. So I told him that he probably doesn't need me either. I just saw the tail end of the accident (no pun intended) and called 911. So he thanked me for stopping and I went on my way.
Whoooo.
My heart was pounding after that experiance! It sure got the adrenaline pumping again.
It made me realize that I really don't know much about being an EMT anymore. Although I can still keep my cool in an emergency situation. But I feel like I should review my books or something. And I should definitly keep a First Aid kit in my car, along with rubber gloves.
And most of all, I miss being an EMT. I miss having a job that DOES something, that makes a difference in people's lives. Something that counts.
One day, I will get back to it. Some way other another. I toy with the idea a lot. The idea of DOING something with my life. In a professional sense. I just don't know that right now is the time. Maybe I am just scared. Of change? I don't know. We'll see what happens.

By the way, I told a couple people this story and they thought it was really strange that I stopped. They never would have stopped. So maybe it's the EMT part of me that made me do it. I know that in my thought process, I felt it would be wrong to keep driving. Because I didn't know who else was there? And maybe I could help. Not that I still know very much.
But I would do the same thing again.

What would you do?

Photo Fraud

Check out this short video from Aish.com showing the crazy media distortions and lies in photographs from Lebanon. Here is the link: http://www.aish.com/movies/PhotoFraud.asp

Major Roi Klein

Most of you have probably heard this but I got this e-mailed to me and I thought it was important to post.

Al Eilah Ani Bochia......

Major Roi Klein...IDF combat officer...who gave his life fighting last week in Bint Jebail, South Lebanon. Major Roi Klein...just shy of his 31st birthday, from the hilltop settlement of Eli. He was married with 2 young boys...and went off to battle in South Lebanon.

While leading the charge against a Hizbolla terrorist position, a grenade was thrown at his IDF platoon, and Roi made the decision to jump on top of the grenade. Falling flat over it, his body absorbed the explosion, saving the lives of the soldiers under his command.

What goes through the mind of a soldier, a husband, a father when he sees the grenade being thrown at him, and the split second decision that will end his life, yet save those around him?

This noble Jewish soldier not only sacrificed his life, Al Kiddush Hashem, for the sanctification of G-d by defending the Jewish State, but in the process, saved the individual lives of his fellow soldiers around him. Every soldier's life he saved was a world in and of itself.

And those soldiers whose lives were saved all told the same story...that as he jumped on the grenade, everyone was able to hear him say, "Shma Yisrael, Hashem Elokaynu, Hashem Echad."

I don't have the words.....

I'm not sure how to write this post. I don't know where to begin. Or where to end.
Maybe by writing this, it will help me deal with some of the thoughts and feelings that keep running through my mind.
I got a phone call today from a friend of mine. She wanted to know if I had heard about the girl. I asked what girl and she said the one who committed suicide. The Orthodox St. Louis girl. She wanted to know if I knew her. I almost didn't want to know but I asked anyway. Who was it?
"Sarah Adelman".
It was like someone punched me. I couldn't really believe it at first. She was my age. A grade younger than me in school. We weren't close but I knew her. I spent 10 years in school with her. She was always so friendly and sweet.
And now she is dead? She committed suicide? It didn't make sense.
My friend forwarded the article to me from the New York Post. Here is the link: Upper West Side Suicide

I read the article. Once. Twice. Three times. I felt sicker everytime that I read it. But it was so hard to believe that it was true. That kind of stuff doesn't happen. Certainly not to people we know. But there it was. In black and white. With her smiling face staring out at me. Her roommate was quoted at the bottom of the article - I know her. I was friends with her. We took tap dance together. This is too close to home.

I can't stop thinking about it. About her. About all the things she will never do. Or never do again. I keep thinking about how can someone be so miserable in life that they will jump out of their 8th story window?? What are they thinking right before hand? She called a friend of hers before she jumped. To say goodbye and that she loved him. He begged her not to do it. She was writing the note while they were on the phone. I guess the note said where she lived and DNR - Do not resusicate.
She had been depressed for awhile but no one thought it was that bad. I understand now how depression can truly be an illness. No one just jumps out of a window - in the middle of the afternoon. She must have been suffering so badly. Maybe she isn't suffering anymore. I don't know. I don't know what happens now.
But I keep thinking of her family. Everyone knows the Adelmans. That has to be the worst thing in the world. To have a child die. Not only to die but to take their own life. How does a parent handle that? How does a mother deal with that? Oh G-d, the agony. We should never know such sadness and grief. I pray that her family is somehow able to go on and able to survive. I don't know how someone recovers from that.
Her younger sister married another St.Louis boy. They live in Israel. Her parents called to tell her she had to come home. That her sister was killed. But they didn't say how. Because how do you tell someone that.
I spoke to a couple friends that went to the funeral. They said it was terrible. Everyone was crying. Yes, I know many people cry at funerals. But there is crying. And then there are heartwrenching sobs. My friend said it was the hardest thing she has ever done. In her life.
St. Louis is in shock. How does a community get over this? I guess eventually they do. But I imagine it will take years. Decades maybe.
I remember the year I spent in highschool at Block in St. Louis. They had moved the girls to a new building. Right near the mall. We would often walk to the mall during our lunch break or a free period. On that walk to the mall, we passed a tall office building. And I remember hearing about a boy who commited suicide off that building. A yeshiva bochur. Everytime we walked past that building, I would look at it and almost get chills. And that wasn't even someone I knew.
Weird.
I asked another friend who was closer to her if she knew she was depressed. And she said she knew that she felt very pressured. All of her close friends were married, most with at least one child. Her younger sister was married. And she couldn't find someone. The pressure to get married was a lot for her. I don't know if it was internal or external or both. But maybe this will be an eye-opener. There is so much pressure on girls to get married. 25 is not an old maid. Far from it. That's something to keep in mind.

I can't stop thinking about her. I can't stop thinking about her friends and her family and how awful they must feel. Awful for the loss and awful that it didn't have to happen. It shouldn't have happened. I am sure they are going to have to deal with so many different emotions. And I feel for the boy who broke up with her on Sunday night. I know that isn't why she jumped. But it was probably the last straw. But I don't envy that poor boy and what he is going through. And her roommate, Aviva. They grew up together. They were best friends and roomates. They saw each other every day. I know she is not dealing with this. I can't even begin to imagine what her mother is going through. I wish them all strength and peace. To everyone that this affects.
I feel like I should be doing something. I feel like I should have done something. Maybe that's crazy. I mean, I don't know when we last spoke to each other. I wish we were closer. I wish I had been there for her. I don't even know what I wish. I just feel so bad.
I don't know what else there is to say.

One of the things I heard that was said by the Rabbi of the Young Israel in St. Louis. He and his wife were both teachers of mine. In more than one grade. And I know they taught Sarah, too.
He said the Torah teaches us "V'Ahavta L'erayacha Kamocha - Love Your Neighbor as Yourself." We are all supposed to love our friends the way that we love ourselves. But what do you do if you don't love yourself?
That was an amazing thing about Sarah. She was able to love her friends so much and always greet people with a big smiling face. She was able to truly love her friends.......... even though she didn't love herself. She was able to really take care of her friends. Even though she was hurting so badly inside. Hurting more than any of us can know.

Poor Sarah. May she finally rest in peace.

We interrupt the previous post to bring you this message.....

I'm famous!!!
Ok, not quite. But I am on the Free Press website video. I didn't do a very good speaking job but oh well....
You can see the video by going to freep.com. It is towards the middle of the page on the left side. Under "Southfield crowd says Israel should not yield". Under the blurb, it says VIDEO: Local Demonstrations. Click that and first you will see the Arab demonstration and then the Israel one. I am towards the end. Oh yah, and I am the one walking in wearing the Israeli flag, talking on the phone.
Or I think you can go to this link: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200660720002

Enjoy. :)
And just to let you all know. There is another "rally" tonight at Dovid Ben Nuchim for Tehillim. It would be nice to have as big a gathering there as we did for the rally last night.....

Part 1

I am taking a poll.

If you were not charged for an item or were mischarged (to your advantage) and realize afterwards, do you go back to the store and have them correct the mistake?

Great Quote

I found a great quote before one of the stories in Chicken Soup for the Parent's Soul.

"Parenthood: The state of being better chaperoned than you were before marriage."
-Marcelene Cox

WOW, is that ever true......

Invinsible? I am not.

Ok - this post goes out to Shelley - my loyal blog reader. And perhaps the only one left?
Oops, I will try to start posting more often. My life has been busy lately but not really with blog-worthy stuff.
But here is the story Shel has been waiting for.
Some of you may know that I play basketball on Monday and sometime Wednesday nights with a group of girls/women. We've been playing since January-ish and look forward to it every week. It's GREAT excercise - we play for about an hour. And it's fun!!
But people get hurt a lot. Mostly ankle injuries, some hand/finger injuries, and an eye. Most of our husbands play basketball on Tuesday nights but they never seem to come home with the injury stories that we have. Maybe it's because they have been playing longer. Or perhaps because they are Men - ar ar ar.
Until this past Monday, I hadn't had any major injuries. The worst I think was a fall on my knees that got bruised pretty badly and then fell again the next week. But certainly nothing that would prevent me from playing.
I hadn't gone to basketball the week before because we had a wedding to go to and this past Monday we were coming back from a funeral in Pittsburgh. I wasn't sure if I would make it on time for b-ball but we made it back in town, I changed my clothes, made a quick phone call, and was off to b-ball. Had to show everyone that I WAS dedicated!!!
There were only 5 people that showed up so we were playing 3 on 2. Someone threw me a pass that I caught badly and POP!! I felt it and knew something bad happened.
Being the (expired) EMT of the bunch, I usually bring those one-time use ice packs. But since I was in such a rush to get to the game, I didn't have time to go through my EMT bag to find one. Oops. Although it wouldn't really have fixed my problem.
So, after I felt the pop, I ran outside to the water fountain to get it under some cold water. And that's when I looked at it. Ewwwwww. My left pinkie was sticking out sideways from the middle joint. Ewwwww.
I went back into the gym, holding my hands up and said something like, "There is something really wrong with my finger." I think it grossed everyone out pretty badly. At first I thought it was broken because of the way it was sticking out but I was able to move it a little so I figured it must just be dislocated and needed to be popped back into place. I wasn't quite sure what to do from there. So I asked, "Ok, what do we do? Where do I go? Do I go home? Emergency room? Is there a doctor or someone around who can help me?" There was a lot of drama going on amongst the other people who were there but they will have to tell you their stories....
Someone spoke up and said she would call a doctor who lives right around there. He is the husband of one of the women who usually play with us (but she was currently in NY). So she called him and he told us to come over to his house. We raced over there and he looked at it and offered to pop it back in place with or without numbing it. I kind of wanted it back in place right then and there but luckily the person I was with said NUMB IT!! So 3 shots later (AHHH) it was numb and back in place. He gave me a temporary splint and a script for X-Rays to make sure nothing was broken.
We went to the hospital that night so we would know if it was broken or not and after 2 hours and a lot of run around at the hospital, we had the X-Rays done. Of course, they couldn't read them and give us the results so they said I would be contacted in 2-3 days. Ugh.
Luckily, the wonderful doctor who replaced my finger called for the results in the morning. He told me it was good news. Nothing was broken. But I wasn't sure why I was still in pain and why my finger was turning purple. That was explained an hour later when the doctor called back. He said that the initial report was from the resident but he wanted to double check it with the Official Report from the radiologist. That report said there was a slight fracture. Booo.
He then told me to make sure to see a hand specialist (there is a good one who davens in our shul) to make sure there was no tendon or ligament damage and to see how bad the fracture was. Of course attempting to make that appointment was really difficult. But after numerous phone calls and a visit to that doctor's house, I got my appointment this morning.
Yes, there was a fracture and even I could see it!! But luckily there was no major ligiment damage. I have to keep a splint on it for 3 weeks. And then we'll see................
No basketball for at least a month................
And that's what happened to my finger.
So that's my long story. Shel, I hope you enjoyed!!! I made it extra long (and kinda boring) to make up for the lack of blogs.
More to come....

Random

I had a couple people come in today to pick up items they had on hold and they had very strange last names.

One was Ovary....... and the other was Bottom or Bottoms.

Interesting.

Favorite Words

My current favorite word of Jonah's is the way that he says "Rabbit".

He calls it a "Rabbip".

Priceless Interview

This is classic! The BBC apparently interviewed the wrong man on their news show!! A French cabbie was interviewed instead of a computer expert.

Watch the interview here.

Urgent Tehillim

I saw this on The Sabra blog.

URGENT TEHILLIM IS NEEDED FOR A YOUNG KALLAH IN OUR COMMUNITY!

Please take a minute of your time and say a Kapitel Tehillim for CHANA BAS RASHA ZELDA - A Kallah, less than a month before her wedding, who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Please say Kapital Chof and Kapitel Chof Beis and in the zchus of everyone's Tehillim may she be able to walk down to her Chupah very very soon!! Amen!

Please pass this message on to at least 5 people...or put it on your blog.(do not not ignore this. please. we know her.)

Little Lindsay

I was watching the news last night and I saw a story about a little girl that really touched me.
Her name is Lindsay and she is 2 years old. When she was 5 months old, she was diagnosed with a very rare disease called Progeria. From what I understand, she will age 8 times faster than a regular baby. She already shows signs of aging like balding, very visable veins on her head, stiff joints, and wrinkly, old looking legs.
From the few clips I saw of her on TV, she was a child full of life and happiness. And a BIG Pistons fan!!!! Her parents are trying to just enjoy every moment with her and appreciate everything while they can, because they don't know when it will end.
I don't know how they do it.
I believe they will be showing her story again tonight (May 17th) on Channel 2 at 5pm with Lila Lazareth. You should watch it. It makes you stop and take a second glance at life. And appreciate. We are SO lucky.
She also has a website you should check out. It is LittleLindsay.com
She's a pretty amazing little girl. I wish her luck and happiness and good health.
And a cure.

A Show Me St. Louis Wedding

There is a contest going on through one of St. Louis's TV Stations (I guess it is the NBC affiliate?). Their tagline is Show Me St.Louis and they are going to pick one couple and pay for and plan (?) their St. Louis wedding. It is down the 3 couples and one of the people is the kosher butcher's son (Israeli Menashe who works at Simon Kohn's). The son, Yeshai, is engaged to a girl named Tracy from New Orleans. She and her family lost everything in the hurricane.
They have a really good story (you can read it on the website) and deserve to win this contest!!
So please cast your vote at the following website for Yeshai Gibli & Tracy Bronik.
Thank you!!!!!

Etiquette

Ok, so what is the proper etiquette for Bridal Shower and Wedding Presents?
Are you supposed to get two seperate presents? One that you give at the shower and one that you give at the ...... wedding?
Is one supposed to be bigger than the other one?
What about if you aren't really friends with the person. More like aquantances. And you can't quite figure out why you were invited to the shower in the first place. Does this mean you will be invited to the wedding too?
And what happens with the present issue?

Let me know your thoughts on that one - as I head out to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Ooh, one more question. Can I get the same thing as a shower and a wedding present? Like if this person requested 2 sets of Dinnerware (16 piece sets) - can I buy one for the shower and one for the wedding?

As if we have money to just toss around on wedding presents of people we really have nothing to do with.....................................

An Embarrassing Moment

Well. I finally have one of those "Embarrassing Stories" ....... thanks to the little J man.

We got last minute tickets to a Playoff Pistons game last night which was REALLY exciting. But we already had plans. We were able to rearrange most of them but had no one to watch Jonah. So we brought him with us. We were a little concerned about how he would do but it was an early game (6pm) and we brought a sandwich and snacks for him and figured he would fall asleep on the way home at bedtime. He had really enjoyed the baseball game we went to over Pesach so we figured we would see how he does at the basketball game. Once he got over his initial fear of all the people and noise and once we gave him the thunder sticks - he was happy.

We all enjoyed the game until we thought Jonah needed a diaper change. I told Shu I would take him because I figured there may only be changing stations in the women's restroom and I thought Shu deserved a little break and some time to concentrate on the game.
So........................
I picked Jonah up and began to carry him down the stairs. He had his paci in his mouth and as we were going down the stairs I think he got excited and opened his mouth to say something and POP, out fell the paci. I felt like I was watching the whole thing in slow motion as the paci fell and bounced on the stairs and then...................... right into some guy's cup of beer. SPLASH!

In my head, I picured the man picking up his beer and taking a big swig only to find a bright red paci in it!!! So I rushed down the 5-10 stairs it was to get to him, tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Sir, I am so so sorry but my son dropped his pacifier and it ended up in your cup of beer! I am so so so sorry. I can't believe he did that." I was kind of nervously laughing and kept apologizing. The man gave me a strange look and looked over at his beer and then back at me with a REALLY grossed out look. I apologized a few more times and then offered to buy him a new beer. He said he would appreciate that if I have time. I asked him what kind it was and he just said a regular beer. I guess they don't have many options at the game. A beer is a beer.

As I was leaving, I glanced up to see if Shu saw what happened and by his smile, it appeared that he did. Along with the rest of our section!!!!!
As I got to the bottom of the stairs some women who was just coming up made a comment to me about what a great shot that was and Jonah deserves something for that!!

We went to go change his diaper (which apparently needs to be changed in the Family bathroom not just the regular bathroom) and it didn't even turn out to be dirty!!!! We came back to get the beer and it was a whopping $8!!!!!! I tried to tell the lady my "sob story" but she wasn't impressed and was more concerned that Jonah was going to drink the beer. I then had to try and juggle Jonah and his bag and the beer and try to get back up the stairs. We made it into the arena but then there was HUGE cheer and Jonah got completly freaked out and was grabbing onto my legs. I was looking around trying to find Shu to get some help and I started thinking we were in the wrong section. I didn't see Shu and I didn't see the man who wanted the beer and I felt totally lost!! But then I saw Shu coming down the stairs to help me. He took Jonah and I took the beer. The man looked a little surprised to see me (probably because we took so long) but his wife seemed quite amused at the whole story.

So that was that. Hope you all enjoyed and got a laugh out of it. :)

Better Pic For You (and me)

I am tired of going to my blog and seeing the same old picture of our "Dog that got away..." But then I start thinking of things I want to blog about and I feel like I should do something more productive. Like working on my medical billing job or doing laundry or cleaning stuff or all the other things that come along with LIFE and being a wife and mom.
So.... this is the end of my post for today because I really just wanted to post a better picture to look at than that cute dog which is still up for adoption (Awwwwwww).
So here is a GREAT one of my Little Guy. Enjoy and don't give up on me yet. I WILL post again someday.........
Hey, does anyone have a good/easy recipe for spagetti and meatballs or meat sauce?
There, that's something to comment on if the picture wasn't enough. :)
Have a good one!!!!!

The One That Got Away

Ok, it didn't get away as much as we had to give her back. She was just too much of a puppy for Jonah (and us) to handle.
To update you (although most who read my blog also read Shu's so they know about our trial-run doggy) we were trying out a doggy for a few days to see if this was the One for us. To be honest, she really was the perfect dog. She was sweet and affectionate and good with kids and gorgeous!! But she was a puppy. And we are looking for a Dog.
In her defense, she was housetrained which was #1 on our list. But that was pretty much it in the training department. She jumps up on people and furniture, she bites (A LOT - probably because she is teething), she doesn't walk well on a leash, she doesn't like to go in her crate at night, and she likes to wake up at 6 am!!!! She doesn't sit or stay or shake hands. But she does fetch. Maybe that is an inherent dog trait.
Jonah and I REALLY liked her. Shu......well, tolerated her, perhaps? He doesn't understand why people want to have animals live in their homes. If you would like, you can read his commentary on that at Just Shu.

The problem was, Jonah mostly enjoyed the dog from a distance. Like on the couch or on our laps. Every once in awhile he would sneak off the couch and grab a toy and quickly run to get back on the couch. He did share well with the dog and loved to give her her bone and treats. He also learned how to say "DOWN" which was cute.
But it wasn't really fair to let the new doggy rule the house and have Jonah banished to the couch.
So to recap, the dog would have been the PERFECT dog if:
A. She was older
B. Jonah was older
C. She was smaller (?)

That being said, here are a few pictures in tribute to our dog "Doggy" and Jonah and their few fond moments together. Just imagine some nice music playing in the background as you scroll through the pics. :)

Also, once the dog was gone. Jonah found a new playhouse.....................................................

As you can see, Shu joined him the dog house! JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am curious where this hatred of animals came from? Shu's whole family seems to have an unnatural hatred of animals. Except Dad? And Shev? And supposedly Sarra? Any ideas?

Broken Blog

Is anyone else having trouble viewing my previous post? For some reason, when I open up my blog, it doesn't show up. It is just empty space.
Anyone know what is up with that?????
Let me know if you can read it.
Thanks!!

What To Do??

The Kohl's Employees are having a campaign called "What to Do" or something like that. We are collecting toys and games for kids in Childrens Hospital. So if you have any extra games or coloring books or other "Things to Do", let me know and I will bring it into work. This campaign is running through April 1st. If you need more information or have questions, let me know. Thanks!!!

Yarzeit

David "Rick" Martinez

June 16, 1945 - February 22, 1997

Tonight and tomorrow is my dad's Yarzeit. His name was Dovid ben Avraham.

If you want to make a L'Chaim for an aliyah for his neshama, feel free. :) Or you can do something else and have in mind that his neshama should have an aliyah.

I think this will be the end of my depressing posts (at least for now). The blog is getting too dark.
Stay tuned for Purim pics of Jonah!!!!!

Death's Eyes

I wrote this about 3 weeks after my dad passed away. Same time as the last poem I posted. I was on a plane going somewhere when I wrote these. Maybe to New York? Possibly back to Pittsburgh?
Looking back at it, it's pretty morbid.

Death's Eyes
March 16, 1997

I look out into the darkness
And what do I see
But a pair of dark blue eyes
Looking back at me.
Who are you? I cry.
And why are you here?
What do you want?
Do I have cause to fear?
I am your worst nightmare
I have come to take you away
Come quickly now
For I cannot stay.
You claim you are my worst nightmare
Yet I am not scared
You've come to take me away
I have no belongings but am prepared.
Is your name Death?
Is that who you are?
If I have guessed the truth
Then please take me and take me far
For then I will find my father
The hole in my heart he can fill
And we will have found happiness
Yes I know that we will.

I'm It. Again.

I got tagged. Personally, I don't like this one as much as the last one but I will fill it out anway.
Oh yah, and I tag.............Malkie C., Shelley S., and Milaine. I know you don't have blogs but you say you read mine so you can post your response in the comments section. :)

Q: Who's the 4th person on your received call list?
A: Seth

Q: What's your main ringtone on your phone?
A: Latin

Q: What were you doing at midnight last night?
A: Working (medical billing)

Q: What did the last text message on your cell phone say?
A: I am so sick. Sorry for not replying earlier. Ill try calling u tomorrow. Good night. Lena.

Q: Whose bed did you sleep in last night?
A: Mine

Q: What color shirt are you wearing?
A: Denim

Q: Most recent movie that you watched?
A: Closer (UGH)

Q: Name 3 things that you have on you at all times?
A: engagement ring, wedding band, necklace

Q: What's the color of your bedsheets?
A: Blue

Q: How much cash do you have on you right now?
A: 26 cents

Q: What is your favorite part of the chicken?
A: The part that someone else cleaned and cooked.

Q: What's your favorite town/city?
A: How about State? Israel.

Q: I can't wait to (til)...?
A: Be out of debt.

Q: When was the last time you saw your mom?
A: January

Q: When was the last time you saw your dad?
A: February 23rd, 1997.

Q: When was the last time you talked to them?
A: Mom, Thursday night.
Dad - see above. Unless you count talking to his "soul".

Q: What did you have for dinner LAST NIGHT?
A: Broccolli quiche, sesame noodles, and 7 layer cake.

Q: How long have you been at your current job?
A: Job #1 - 2 years and 3 months
Job #2 - almost a year

Q: Look to your left. What's there?
A: The door to the porch, cabinets, a stereo

Q: Who is the last person you spent over $50 on?
A: Our company- I bought food for Shabbas.

Q: What's the last piece of clothing you borrowed from someone?
A: Jocey's cute grey hat

Q: What website(s) do you visit the most during the day?
A: I am usually just trying to catch up with e-mail. Or if I am working, I am on the work website.

Q: Do you have an air freshener in your car?
A: nope

Q: Do you have plants in your room?
A: nope

Q: Does anything hurt on your body right now?
A: Nope, thank G-d

Q: What city was your last taxi cab ride in?
A: St. Louis - in the wee hours of the morning

Q: Do you own a camera phone?
A: Yep

Q: What's your favorite Starbucks drink?
A: Don't go to Starbucks. But if I did, it would either be hot chocolate or hot apple cider (I assume they have those)

Q: Recent time you were really upset?
A: At the doctor.

Q: Have you been in love with anyone?
A: Oh yes.

I Once Was A Daddy's Girl

I wrote this poem about 3 weeks after my dad passed away.

I Once Was A Daddy's Girl
March 16, 1997

Daddy's Girl
Yes, that was me
Daddy's Girl
Didn't you see?

Now he is gone
And I am all alone
I feel so lost
I have no home.

How will I get through
When he is not here?
Living on my own
Is what I fear.

How could this happen?
How could he die?
Why did he leave me?
Why, oh why?

I once was a Daddy's Girl
Did you look? Did you see?
Once it was me and daddy.
Now it's just me.

To Dad, With Love

I wrote this in January of 1997. My father had been diagnosed with cancer 2 months before, around Thanksgiving. In January, he came down with a blood infection and was not expected to live through the night. I was in school in Pittsburgh at the time and booked a flight home as soon as I could get one - which wasn't until the next morning.
I had to call my dad that night and basically say goodbye to him over the phone. What do you say in a phone call like that??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wrote this poem for him while waiting to go home. I read it to him in the ICU, while wearing a surgical mask. I was not allowed to give him the hug, kiss, or even show him the smile I wrote about.
But I hung the poem on the wall when I left.

And this is the poem I was asked to read at his funeral.

To Dad, With Love
To me you mean the world
You're my dad and you should know.
That I love you and I miss you
Although these feelings rarely show.

You're sick right now and in pain
It hurts me too, you see
I am your only daughter,
Your youngest I'll always be.

Things are rough right now
They have been for awhile
I don't know how to cheer you up
But here's a hug, a kiss, and a smile.

I try to be strong and keep my chin high
I daven, I pray everyday
I know my Tefilot will reach Hashem
I know they will find the way.

Around the world and back again
People are hoping and praying for you.
And no matter what happens,
Please know that I love you.

Poems

I was going through some of my files the other day and I came across a notebook of poetry I had kept while my dad was sick and after he passed away.
That was one of the ways I dealt with all the emotions raging inside of me. I wrote. I would not say it's very good poetry, but it's how I felt, for the most part.
Ever since my last post, I have been thinking of my dad a lot more often. Maybe I am building up for his Hebrew yarzeit (which is 2 days after Purim). In case you are confused about why the two don't coincide, when he passed away, it was a Hebrew leap year so there were 2 months of Adar. He passed away in the first one and Purim was in the second one. Does that help?
Well, I have been thinking of my dad more often and want to share things about him. I haven't decided exactly how I want to do that but I figure my poetry is a good start. So I am going to toss a few poems out there for ya. Once again, they aren't very good but they are real.
This is just my Introduction. And I will post poems separately.
Enjoy.
Or don't.
Whatever.

February 23rd, 1997

This is the third time I have opened up blogger to post. But I don't know what to write or how to write it.
I have been meaning to write for the past week - random stories or thoughts but never got around to it.
But today, I feel I should post. It has just been a strange day for me. I am not sure how to feel.

9 years ago today my father passed away. 9 years is a long time. Almost a decade. And I don't know how to feel about it anymore. I'm not saying that I am not sad. But the pain is not the same as it once was. And I feel guilty about that. I didn't go through today all day thinking about what happened at this moment 9 years ago. I didn't wake up this morning thinking how I didn't want to get out of bed and I just wanted the day to be over.
I woke up because Jonah woke up and my alarm went off. I was feeling pretty sick (I am fighting something but at this point I am not sure who is winning). I had breakfast and got my lunch together. And went to work.
At work, I was pretty busy so my mind wasn't on it that much. I didn't think about the exact moment when he died or what happened right afterwards. I thought about it briefly when customers would ask the date. Feb. 23rd.
Feb. 23rd.
Feb. 23rd.
When he died, I think there were ways that it hurt me very badly and messed me up. And there were ways that getting through it helped me grow. It made me a better person in some ways. It made me grow up in a LOT of ways. It obviously changed my entire life. Not for the better - just for the different.
The hard thing is, I can't imagine him in my life right now. I am such a different person. It's hard for me to imagine a conversation with him. What would we talk about? Would we be as close as we once were?
The crazy thing is, the one thing I can imagine is him and Jonah. My dad LOVED kids. And I can just picture Jonah running up to him and giving him a HUGE hug. I can imagine the two of them having a conversation in Jonah's little language. I can see my dad's eyes light up at the sight of him and Jonah's eyes light up playing with him. I think Jonah has my dad's eyes.
Sometimes when Jonah stares at me - he has such a knowing look. Like he stares deep inside of me. He looks at me the way my dad sometimes looked at me when he wasn't able to communicate so well anymore. Maybe that's freaky. Or maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me. Trying to hold on to some part of my dad. I don't know.
It is what it is.
The one thing I hate about my dad's death is how it has desensitized me. Like when I hear about an older person passing away, it's very hard for me to feel sad about it. I automatically think, wow, you were lucky to have had them around for that long. They lived a long and full life, what is there to be sad about? But you can't say that to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one. I think it is a terrible attitude for me to have. I hear about people losing grandparents and I really don't know what to say. Because that is the way things happen. That is a normal time for them to die.
When my dad died, all 4 of my grandparents were still living. Within 3 years of his death, 3 of them had passed away. My mom's parents died when I was in Israel for seminary (they died within about 2 months from each other) and my dad's father died while I was in New York. I wasn't very close with those grandparents and so while I was very sad when they died, it was not something that haunted me day and night for weeks or months afterward. I think I was more sad for what we missed out on as opposed to just the fact of losing them. When I hear of someone losing a grandparent, after my initial reaction where I can't really understand their pain, I think of losing my living grandmother. And that shock wakes me up and I realize that yes, it still hurts. I can't even think about it because I can't imagine her not around.
So, I guess I am still somewhat mixed up.
While I wrote this, I did shed a few tears. Mostly when I was writing about my dad and Jonah. Maybe because I knew that my thoughts are all that I will have of them. Picturing them together in my head is as close as I will get to it.
Part of me still wishes I had more of the pain that I had when I lost him. Maybe I feel like I would be a better daughter if I was more miserable today. Or maybe this is just what happens almost a decade after you lose someone...................

Maybe I am normal.

Finances

Does anyone know of a good financial planning/tracking program? I tried Quicken but Shu's computer wouldn't let me get updates from the Internet so I had to put everything in manually. After 3 hours, I really didn't accomplish much because I was still missing so much information and didn't understand how it all works.
Does anyone know of an easier program?
I basically just want to track my expenses and maybe get some help with budgeting.
Any suggestions?

The End of an Era

As of 1/31/2006, I am officially no longer an EMT.
In practice, I have not been an EMT since 2003 but on paper, I was a New York State licensed EMT until 2 weeks ago.
Huh.
Part of me is sad about it. That was a career path, I thought I had chosen to follow. But then things changed. And it simply didn't fit into my lifestyle anymore. Also, I didn't love it in America the way that I loved it in Israel. It was so different here. It was no longer about the patient first and foremost. It was about making sure you cover your tush and don't get sued. Here, EMT's are at the bottom of the chain. There is no respect for them (at least in the hospital setting).
In Israel, it was a different story. That's where I got my start as an EMT. Well, a First Responder and then a step up. Kind of a non-driving EMT. When I took my course in Israel and started volunteering in Ashdod, it was like I found my path. I loved it. Every aspect of it. The good calls, the bad calls, the adrenaline. Making a difference. Helping the people of Israel. At a time when the Intifada was at it's worst and every day we wondered where the next bomb would go off, I felt like I stepped in to try and help. It wasn't easy but it was amazing. It changed my life.
To give a little background, I went back to Israel for an Overseas program with Ben Gurion University in August of 2001. I went a little early and volunteered with the Israeli Army in a program called Sar-El for a short time. I wanted to be in Israel to help. I was so helpless in America and just being back in Israel at such a time felt good. Volunteering in the army felt great. No, we didn't do anything major but we sort of took the place of a reserve soldier so they could do other things. We did a lot of grunt work. And I loved it. Someone has to do it.....
Then I started the University program and got into the university lifestyle. We had fun. Tuesday nights were salsa night in the bomb shelter turned disco. Random nights we would drive out into the desert (we had no room for anyone else in the car one night that we went so we stuffed 2 people in the trunk.....) and have bonfires. Touring, classes, having fun.
Then came time for winter break. Things in the country were going downhill and I felt like I was in Israel but I wasn't doing anything to HELP Israel. A lot of my friends were going back to the States for our 2 1/2 month break but I didn't have the money nor the desire for it. I started researching different programs and thought about going back to Sar-El. I even hooked some friends up with the program. But then I found out about the Magen David Adom Overseas Volunteer program. Wow. Intensive training for a week as a First Responder and then be sent somewhere in the country to ride on ambulances for 2 months. It sounded perfect. But could I really do it? I had never seen any blood or guts in my life and never broken any of my own bones. Would I be able to keep my cool? Would I freak out?
But I wanted to do it SO badly. I met with Yochai who was in charge of the program and we discussed it. He said as part of the training, we would be helped out with that aspect and learn how to deal with what we would see. Physically and emotionally. He encouraged me to go for it.
So, I did.
I was sent to Ashdod with 4 other volunteers and we had an amazing time. Truly life-changing.
As for my best and worst cases?
Well, the best were always the pregnant ladies we would transport to the hospitals that always waited just a little bit too long. One of them was REALLY close and the medic in the back with me said that if we didn't make it to the hospital in 2 minutes, we would be delivering the baby right here. I leaned over to the driver and whispered for him to slow down. I REALLY wanted to deliver a baby. But, we made it. Lucky lady.
Worst cases? Well, there are a few of those. But 2 stand out in my head. The first was one of my first few calls. We had to accompany the police to a house and tell some parents that their daughter had been found dead. She had OD'd on drugs. Whew. That was a rough one. Just standing there and trying to keep my composure while watching the police deliver the news. It was rough. Watching the mother crumple down when they told her. Knowing her life had just changed forever. That was a tough one.
The other was more of a physically challenging case. And I believe it is the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. The next few paragraphs may be graphic so beware. Proceed with caution.
We got the call just after my team and I were munching on delicious pizza bourekas. The call is a man shot in the head. I throw my boureka back in the bag and gobble down some TUMS. We don't know any more information than that. It's the driver, an Israeli volunteer and me. The Israeli volunteer is sitting up front and does her lipstick as we are racing through the streets. Thoughts are flashing through my head. What will it look like? Will I faint? Will I throw up? Will we be able to save him? Was it a suicide? A murder? Through the mouth? Through the ear? I told the driver that this is my first case seeing blood and guts. My other cases had been more along the lines of either already dead people or breathing issues. For the most part. But no REAL blood, guts, and gore. The driver's advice to us was whatever we do, don't faint. We can throw up as much as we want, but don't faint. Oh boy.
We get to the apartment and there are police cars outside. We go upstairs in the elevator and a nosy neighbor is asking what's going on. But we don't say anything. Don't faint. Don't faint. I was feeling a little light-headed. The elevator gets to the right floor and I see the doorway opened a crack. Woaaaah.....
But as soon as we enter the apartment and I take a glance around the apartment, I feel my mind completely switch gears. It's not about me anymore. It is about the patient. Let's do what we can and try to save him. I take it all in. A man on the porch, looking upset. Policemen. A pillow on the floor. A black gun lying in a pool of blood. In some ways it looked like a movie scene. The way it was set up. But in the movies, you just have bright red blood. You don't have bits of brain matter and various shades of blood and other goop.
There was an old man, lying on the floor. And he was gasping for breath. He was still alive. But barely. My memory is a little hazy at this point. I was getting supplies from the bag and giving them to the medic and the other volunteer. The medic was doing stuff to the man and getting the Automatic External Defibrilater (sp?) ready and the girl was holding what was left of his head and was bagging him - helping him breathe. I remember at one point, she said she felt his brain coming out into her hands and was going to throw up. I was going to take over but she recovered.
He took some final gasps for air but didn't make it. We had to call another crew that had a doctor and get permission to stop working on him. There was just nothing left to do.
A police photographer was there snapping pictures. We cleaned up our mess and waited for the other crew to arrive so the doctor could officially declare him dead.
We got some of the story while we were waiting. The man had cancer and some other medical issues and was basically slowly dying. His son (the man on the porch) had come to take him to another appointment and when he came into the apartment, found him dead on the floor.
So that was that.
I won't ever forget that call.
During my time as a New York EMT, I did not have anything quite as dramatic as that. The two cases that stick out most in my head are one, when I did my required day at the ER, I had a chance to do CPR compressions on a man. It was tough. He didn't make it and wasn't going to make it by the time they let us try the compressions but it was good experiance. It's a lot harder doing it on an older, overweight man than it is on Annie, the CPR dummy.
The other case was a woman from a nursing home who we pretty much saved her life. She was having really bad breathing issues and kept puking everywhere but she wasn't getting any oxygen. So we had to bag her and I rode to the hospital while crouched over the stretcher bagging her, forcing her to breathe - amidst puke. That was a really intense call. And my partner and I had a fight afterwards.
Well, that's that. My most memorable moments as an EMT. And the end of an era.

Summer Lovin.......

My boss went to the Superbowl. He is from Pittsburgh and had been trying to get tickets for awhile and at the last minute, his sister-in-law pulled through and got him an extra ticket. She has something to do with the governor, perhaps the campaign? I'm not exactly sure but they were in a suite on the 40 yard line so she must do something good.
We chatted about the game and how cool it was that he was there and yada yada yada and then he was telling me about sitting in this suite and the people that he was near. Well, Barry Sanders sat about 2 feet in front of him. I wasn't quite sure who Barry Sanders was at the time but I recognized the name and knew he was a Lions something so I figured he must have been good if even I knew the name!! Ok, ooh la la, whatever.
And then he casually mentioned who else was there.....
JOHN TRAVOLTA.
"Matt, " I said, "Before you mentioned that, I thought it was pretty cool that you went and yah, I wish I could have been there....but now, I am OFFICIALLY jealous."
I am sure that I am disappointing my husband by saying one of the coolest things about my boss going to the Superbowl was the fact that he sat right near John Travolta. And this will be probably add another reason to my husband's argument that he would rather take a guy friend to the Superbowl than me. (the other reason was because I asked him if he was going to shave before we went to a Superbowl party - but in my defense, I would have asked him that if we were going out ANYWHERE.) Anyway, so sorry to disappoint you, Shu but I think the whole John Travolta thing is pretty cool.
I guess it all goes back to elementary school and my best friend, Sarah, and my obsession with Grease. We used to watch it at all of our sleepovers. Of course we knew all the songs by heart and we even won our school talent show when we lipsynced Summer Lovin in 4th grade. We had choreographing and everything.
Ahh, good times, good times.

Gotcha!!

I was scammed at work today. And I am SO frustrated about it. Because I should have known better and I should have caught it. Argh!
The scammer is a customer that I know (not by name but by sight) and she is a big clearance customer. She buys almost only clearance items and returns about 1/3 of it. But she is generally pretty organized and always has her receipts. She seperates her returns and things always match up. Usually her reason for return is wrong size. She is very pleasant but doesn't seem to speak English very well (or pretends not to at least) so we don't speak much. Bottom line, I had no reason to think of her as a "problem customer".
Today she came up with two bags and two seperate returns (of 3 items each). 4 men's shirts and 2 women's. She had her receipts and all tags were attached. I scanned each item, found it on the receipt (a pretty recent receipt), and returned it. Most were $10.00 items, one was a $15.00 item. I took the pile and put it aside, gave her mostly store credit back (because that is how she paid for it, with the balance on her Kohl's charge. And wished her a good day. Then I turned to scan the items and make sure they were ticketed with the correct clearance sticker (red or yellow). I pick up the first shirt and hold it up and see that it looks................used. A little dirty perhaps and felt like is had been washed..... So I enter the number into the computer and see that the tag brand does NOT match the shirt brand. I then find a UPC number in the shirt and check it to the one on the tag. As I feared, no match. ARGH!!!! This wasn't a huge deal though because the price difference was only $3.00. But still!! I show my co-worked and then give the customer the benefit of the doubt. She is a usual customer and her returns are always in order and so maybe we were scammed by another customer, no one caught it, and the shirt was put out on the floor. And this unsuspecting customer picked it up and bought it.......
And then I checked the second shirt. Same thing!! But this was a $1.00 item that she got $10.00 back for!!! This was the same vendor but the tags and numbers weren't the same. These were even easy to check because the UPC was in the shirt!!! I don't think this one was worn but it was kind of hard to tell.....
The other items were fine except for a woman's blazer that may or may not have been the correct item.......
I was scammed!!!!!! I guess it happens to the best of us (hehe) and I can't let my guard down. I just look forward to the next time she comes in............. I hope she tries it again. And she tries it with me. Not that I can say anything about the previous time but I can catch her trying it again. And let LP (Loss Prevention) know to keep an eye on her.
Because I am sure Clearance Lady will be back.................................
And I will be waiting..............................