So glad this week is almost over!!!!

It's been a hectic week. I can't believe it's already Thursday!!!

Well, most of you already know the drama for the week, but here is the story for the rest of the folks that don't know. On Tuesday morning, I was just getting to work when I got a phone call. It was Mark, he said our dog Obi had bitten Noah. He said Obi scratched Noah's nose and bit him in the upper lip, leaving him missing a bit of lip and with puncture hole right above it. Puppies have sharp teeth.... Anyways, I suggested he go to urgent care. I put a call into one of the plastic surgeons that I work with. He called back and said that Mark and Noah shouldn't go to the urgent care because the docs there are all family practice and really don't do a lot of suturing. And if the laceration was in a certain part of the lip, if they sutured it wrong, it would leave a nasty scar. He was at the hospital with a 10 hour surgery schedule, but told me he would see Noah between his cases. He called down to the ER and asked them to expedite Noah so that he would be ready in a room when the doc came out of surgery!! (This was so sweet of him!!!) So I asked Noah and Mark to head over to the hospital to visit with my doc. It turns out the laceration wasn't that deep. (Anything on the face always looks worse than it is because it's usually covered in blood!!!) They gave Noah a few stitches and taaa-daaa.... All better!!!! He missed school that day, and Mark missed work. They stayed home and relaxed and calmed down from all the excitement..... Noah is taking a break from TaeKwon Do this week, which means he will miss his testing session for the next belt this Saturday. I told him that he is lucky that he will be able to practice sooo much before the next one. Well here is a pic I took of him this morning. One of the stitches already came out, and one of the other ones is barely hanging..... He's so goofy!!!!


As for Obi. Well, after talking to the trainer on Tuesday and the vet today... It looks like Obi was stressed out a bit because we put him in a crate that looked more like a tent and it was too dark for him, and the other reason is that they were both just playing too rough and Obi doesn't know when to quit. So the lesson learned for Noah is be more assertive with your commands to the dog, and don't play near your face. Puppies nip, especially chihuahuas, so he just needs to remember these rules. Other than this, even the day of all the drama, Obi was so mellow and loving. I think it was all just a misunderstanding. But we will definitely be watching him. And if he ever shows any sign of aggression, he will be gone!!!!

On to happier things!!! On Wednesday, Noah and I took a trip to see little Emma!!! I was going to go visit in the hospital but she was able to come home that day, so even better, I got to see her at home!!! She is just so sweet. Smiling in her sleep, and ALL dressed in pink!!! What a foo-foo girl!!!! Too funny!!! Here are a few pics of Little Emma!!! The first two are a little dark because I didn't use the flash. My older sis said that the flash from cameras can damage their sensitive little eyeballs, so ever since Brayden I haven't used flash for baby pics!! The last one with one of her brothers (Hunter) is brighter because she was sleeping, so I snuck the flash!!! :)

*****Proud Mommy News*****

A few weeks ago, Noah was tested to see if he qualified for the GATE program at his school. That stands for the Gifted and Talented Education program. Well, the day he took the test, he came home and told us how easy it was!!!! Mark kind of joked around and said what if he thought it was so easy because he did it wrong??? Well, Noah proved Daddy wrong!!!! He scored in the 99th percentile for this exam!!!! So starting next year he will be in the GATE program!!!! I am so proud of him!!! And on top of all this awesome news, he received the Perfect Attendance Award, Citizenship Award, and Honor Roll!!! I thought second grade was going to be a wake up call for him on how much harder things were going to be, but he has shown me that he is willing to take on anything!!!! My little guy is growing up!!!!

I'm so excited I've been finding the cutest gift and cookie boxes while out shopping. We decided to do our cookie/craft day the Friday before Christmas. That way all our goodies are fresh!!!! (And whats better than hanging out with friends on a Friday night just bs-ing and having fun!!!!) I also made our new wreath to hang on the wall next to our dining room table. It really came out pretty. I used to make and sell them during the holidays when I was in high school. My mom would buy all the goodies for me, I would make them, and then we would sell the wreaths for a bit more than what it cost to make it. I would give my mom her cost, and keep the profit!!! It was lots of fun to do... So I made mine, and my sister has already ordered one. My mom asked me to make one for my aunt. So I better get hopping on those!!!!

This weekend should be a great time as always. Tomorrow after work, my friend Polly is coming over with her two awesome kids for dinner and playtime!!! We may even head out to the Mission Inn to see the festival of lights...and Hobo Jazz is playing at the coffee shop right by there too. So maybe we'll stop in for a hot chocolate and some good tunes!!! Saturday I work, as usual, but Marks brothers and their families are coming over during the day for a football game and dinner, so that should be fun too. And Sunday will just be a day of relaxation!!!! Nothing special planned and not planning on anything!!! Just want to rest after this crazy week!!!

And finally, my countdown has officially begun!!! After this Friday I only have 13 more days of work (@ the surgery center) and then I will be off until Jan. 2nd 2008!!!! I can't wait. We even get paid to go to our Christmas luncheon!!!! I love my job!!! I'll probably still be working weekends at the hospital, but that's OK with me.

If you have a minute check out this link... If you know my hubby and his office buddies, you'll definitely not want to miss out on this one!!!! Hee hee hee..I had WAY too much fun making it!!!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9637949182

Well, kiddos... Till next time... Be good!!!

Drama and Fright!!!!

Today was a scary and excitement filled day in a not so good way, I am on my way home now. Just think good thoughts for us. My little guy got hurt today, but he's going to be ok. If I don't go home and pass out from being drained, I think I'll post more later.

Bye!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!!

Here are the pics of little Emma that I said I would put up. Awww...Jeff is such a proud poppa!!! I'm so happy that they finally got their girl. Maybe tomorrow Noah and I can go visit in the evening. Don't forget to check out my youtube page. There are 2 short videos of Emma on there as well.

I went out to dinner at Ooka (our fav sushi place) with Kimmy yesterday night. She has been going through some rough times lately and I want to be there for her like a good friend should. So we went and ate sushi, had a sapporro, talked and even laughed!!! After dinner we just walked around the plaza for a while and talked. It was great to see her smile again... It's been a while..... I know she has the strength to get through all this drama. She just has to believe in herself like I believe in her....

In other news, we got our Christmas tree... It's a bit skinnier than I'm used to but it's beautiful nonetheless.

After dinner tonight, we watched Meet the Robinson's, and ended the night by decorating our tree. Tomorrow I'll pick up some nice red and gold ribbon and a new tree topper and it will be done too!!!! The rest of our home looks great!!! Ready for the holidays!!! Most of the shopping is done too. I'll be ordering a few things this week and then hopefully done by the end of this week. Then it will be smooth sailing to Christmas!!!! Just relaxing and enjoying this actually mild weather in December. Now, if it would only rain or get really cold!!! Then it would be perfect!!!

Well I better get going. I have to be at work at 6am tomorrow for a 630 surgical case, and 19 pain management cases. Should be fun!!! I hope all is well for everyone!!!!! Take care!

The Signature Emma Mullet

J/K, but not really!!! She has short hair up top and longer hair in the back, so I dubbed it the Signature Emma Mullet!!!! She is sooo cute!!! We went to go visit little Emma in the NICU at the hospital in which she will be staying for a few days yesterday, and I just fell in love with my new little niece. She is adorable. I was able to hold her for a little while and actually got some pics with mom and dad and uncle Mark holding her too. I'll post those later when I get home. (I'm at work right now) We also got some video of Jeff feeding her, which is so sweet. (I'll be loading those on youtube later too) He's such a proud poppa...(I think Emma already has him wrapped around her finger!!!!) Too cute! I'll be visiting her as much as I can, especially when she moves to a step down unit (We can only visit with a parent right now because she is in the NICU) and getting tons of pics!!! So stay tuned!!! I love having them closer to us out here, that way we can visit more often!!!!

Other than our visit to the hospital, we started our Christmas decorating yesterday. Everything is done except our balcony lights and the tree. Since we decided to get a fakey tree this year, we are trying to find the best one and doing price comparisons, and all that stuff. So hopefully today we'll buy it and finish our decor. It was WAY TOO windy yesterday to put up the balcony lights. Mark almost had a heart attack last year when we put those up, so the last thing he wanted to do yesterday was put them up in the wind.... He's so cute!!!

Work today is great so far. We have two cases with my favorite urologist and two cases with one of the docs I used to work with at the old surgery center. I actually got here early today and got my fav parking spot, so all signs point to a good day!!!

Well, I better get back to work, I think our patient is just about ready to go!!!!

Hugs and kisses to all!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

I hope everyone has a great day!!! I've already been cooking all morning and now I'm off to take a shower and head to my moms to make the turkey and the ham!!!! What a year of great things to be thankful for. My list is long, but I can't leave any one thing off of it. So much to be thankful for.

Happy belated birthday to my niece Emma!!! She was born on Wednesday, and from what I hear she is too cute!!! Hopefully I'll be able to see her sometime this weekend!

Well, I better get moving so I can get cooking the bird!!!

Lots of love and hugs and kisses on this wonderful day to everyone!!!! See you later!!!

Touch & Go....

Those are the words that would best explain the weekend I've just lived through. I think people are starting to get stressed over the holidays and nerves are starting to get frayed because it seems to me like a lot of people are on short fuses lately!!!! There have been a few unexpected twists, like our lease renewal not being as smooth as we anticipated, and our washing machine overflowing onto the carpet, but everything has been resolved now, and things are looking up. A few more prayers answered. Thanks!!!



First thing I wanted to do was to share one pic of the quiche I made last week. Here is my spinach and tomato quiche! It turned out great!!! Really cheesy and fluffy!!!


Friday was a rough day at work. It took almost 8 hours to do 2 cases!!!! The doctor is truly a nice guy, but his technique...ehhhh...not that great!!! So through the whining and unhappiness, I got through it. It's hard when you're in a long case and you know there are things you can do to help and make things go faster but the doc won't let you. It makes me a little frustrated to the point of sarcasm.... So I did. He asked me what I thought of something and I told him it was an unnecessary step and questioned why he would even do that... Wow, I knew I crossed the line, but stood my ground anyway. After about a half an hour more of twiddling around, he realized he was doing things wrong and stopped and never said another word to me. That is, until he got into the lounge. Then he told me he was having a "crabby day". I told him I hadn't noticed.... :)~ Oh well, TGIF!!!

Then it was off to sparring class with Noah. To my disappointment, he was hardly even trying. I was so disappointed that when we left there, I had a long talk about confidence and integrity, what it means to have both of those and how they fit into Tae Kwon Do. I think we broke through and hopefully next week at sparring class he will be better. I would love to bring his aggressiveness out of him.... I know he has it in there......


When we got home, I just crashed and went to bed. I was so tired from the day that I was knocked out!!!!


Saturday I worked at the hospital as usual.. But this Saturday was the annual Operating Room Open House. We set up different booths in the pre-op area and open 2 of the hours with exhibits and let people walk through there. It was a lot of fun. (and a lot of work!) I think I blew up over 200 helium balloons!!!! OMG, my fingers were hurting from tying them!!!! The exhibit I was in charge of was the laparoscopy room. I showed everyone some of the instruments we use for surgery that we do through the laparoscope. (gall bladders, appendix, bowel resections, tubal ligation's.....the list goes on!!!!) And them I actually let them try to use the camera and scope and try to find an organ (a piece of apple) in our mock body cavity (a box) and then cauterize it. It was a lot of fun!!! I didn't get a chance to buy the paper the next day, but I think I was in it. It was a fun day!!!

After work, I came home and relaxed for a minute and then started getting ready to go to the Rock a Billy show at Raxx!!! Our friend Joe was playing drums with Big Sandy and his FlyRite boys (they were the headliner) so we went down there to show them some love. It was also a cheer up night for my best friend Kimmy. She's going through some rough times right now, so we had to have some fun to get her mind off things for a while!!!! Well, it was a great show!!!! And Kimmy ran into a few people we used to go to school with. It was fun catching up! BTW, those glasses are not coca cola!!! She was double fisting the beer!!!
So we closed the place down at 2, and hung out for a bit while the boys took all their gear down. We all chatted for a while and then everyone headed home. It was an awesome night!!!

Sunday morning, Kimmy , myself and my friend Frankie all headed out to Ikea in West Covina and did some early Christmas shopping. We were trying to get things together for our craft/ baking night that we'll be doing next month. We're trying to not buy so many gifts this year, and make things for people instead. I think they're going to turn out great!!! After shopping, I came home and Mark and I played guitar hero with Noah too... He played on the practice mode and stayed in the 80th percentile the whole time!!!! I was so proud of him!!! He did great!

Then Noah went to stay the night at my moms because he is off this whole week. so Monday he was hanging out with my mom, Tuesday he'll chill with my little sis, and Wednesday he's with me!!! Thanksgiving will be at my moms on Thursday... and I'll be doing the cooking this year. My mom will be working that day, so I'm going to cook so she doesn't have to worry about it. Then the rest of the weekend is off!!! Christmas decorating probably on Friday. I think we're going to break down and buy a fake tree.... We usually put our real ones up so early that by the time Christmas and New Years is around, we're afraid to turn on the lights for a long time because it's sooo dry!!!! So we'll be shopping for a fakey soon... But I'll definitely be buying fresh wreaths because I love the smell of real Christmas trees. No work this Saturday!!!! Nothing but relaxing at home.

Well, I'm not sure if I'll post until this weekend so before thanksgiving and since most of the people that read this, I won't see before then. I just wanted you to know that this Thanksgiving I will give thanks for knowing you, having you in my life, and either being your friend, or relative or both. It's an honor. Thanks for everything. I love you all very much! and I hope to see everyone soon!!!! Have a great and Happy Thanksgiving.

False Alarm....

I guess it was just a false alarm last night with my sister in law. Mark came home and crawled into bed very early this morning and told me that the hospital had sent her home. So no new niece, darn it... Hopefully soon.

Oh yeah, by the way. The quiches were a hit! They were really good, so another recipe added to the favorites list!!!

Well, have a great night!

Excitement.....

Today was a very hectic day...... Lots on the to-do list, but thankfully I got everything checked off. It's 11:15 pm and I'm all done!!!! Tired, but done.....Yay!!!! Who said you couldn't fit it all in one day??? Ha ha....

Tomorrow is our annual Thanksgiving potluck at my work. I did this a little different this year and signed up for a vegetarian entree instead of dessert (since we already had like 4 people sign up for desserts) I decide to make 2 quiches for my non-face eating friends. It smells really good!!! Hopefully it tastes good too!!! It's spinach and onion with Roma tomatoes on top. Cheddar and Gruyere cheese...MmMmmm... I took a few pics but I'll post them some other time, only if it tastes good!!! Hahahaha!

When Noah and I got home from puppy school, Mark was on the phone talking seriously with his big bro Jeff. It ends up that my sister in law has gone into labor!!!! So Mark went to stay the night at Jeff's house and watch their 3 boys... I'm so excited for them. Here she comes, the girl they wanted!!!! Little Emma!!!! Hopefully it will all go smoothly (and quickly) for Brandie!!! She's a professional!!!!!

Noah also got his second stripe on his camouflage belt today!! (I'm so proud) He is really doing a great job!! We just have to work on sparring. There is the challenge. Learning aggressive combo kicks and really hard punching....That's definitely something new for my docile child!!! So, that's our homework!!!

Did I mention my little sis Melly turned 18?!?!??!?!?! Where did the time go? I can't believe she is legal. It seems like just yesterday that Terri and I were trying to figure out a way to make her name extra special..... (We spelled it Mellyza instead of Melissa) So when you pronounce it, it should sound more like mel-eeee-sa.... I don't know what we were thinking, we were 9 and 13 years old making things up!!! :)~ Good times!!! So she had a few friends over and we bbq'd at my moms house on Sat. night. We ended up over there on Sunday night too since there were so many leftovers!!! I love family nights like that!!! It just reminds me to be grateful to be sooo close to them!!!

We brought Obi to my moms house so he could play with his brother too. We took them out into the backyard and they ran and played and fought till they were pooped out!!!! Then Sonic and Obi went into Sonics crate and snuggled each other!!!! Nothing like brotherly love!!!!

Too cute!!! I love those doggies!!! Obi did pretty good at his second class of puppy training today. He is a very shy walker. Like, REALLY shy... We had to walk the dogs around the store for like 15 minutes, doing a loose leash walk. Well, Obi was cleaning the floor for them because I had to drag him around the whole store. He wouldn't walk unless he saw another dog in front of him. And as soon as they turned the corner, he plopped back down on the ground! The trainer said to drag him until he gets that he has to walk, and that he is just nervous of being in such a big area (because he's fine when we're in the smaller classroom), and to be patient with him. It was his first time. So we also started learning the sit command. He was too distracted during class because his little girlfriend Faith was next to him, but when we got home and practiced it, he did a great job with the command. He did ace his homework!!!! (the "watch me" command) He will watch for almost 10 seconds before he looks away. So we know we have his attention. I am loving this puppy training course. I think the next one I will take is the click a trick class where they teach them tricks!! How fun!!!

This weekend should be fun too. Saturday I work as usual, and I'm on back up call till 11pm. But in the evening Kimmy and I are going to go to a Rock a Billy show to watch our friend play!!!! Girls night!!! I'm so glad... Then on Sunday, my friend Frankie and I are going to go to Ikea to pick up some boxes and other goodies for our Christmas Craft and Baking Extravaganza that we'll be having at my place next month. I can't wait. I haven't been to Ikea in almost a year!!! I think I'm having withdrawals!!!! LMFAO!!!! That's a shame!!!

Well, it's almost midnight and I better get to bed, since I'll be doing the morning routine on my own tomorrow...Take care everyone!! Have a great rest of the week. I'll post updates on my sister in law when I get them!!!

Amazing.

Is it just me or is 2008 right around the corner????? Amazing... It's true what they say. The older you get, the faster time passes. This year has just flown by.

Having a proud moment for myself today at work, I realized I stuck true to my New Years Resolution!!! (if you didn't know, I resolved to have more fun this year!!!!!) I was looking through my picture files for this year and have done some great stuff!!!!! It puts a great smile on my face!!! Cheers to next year!!! May it be funner and more fulfilling than this one!!!!

Since the last time I was on, Halloween passed. Noah dressed up as a Clone Trooper (Star Wars, of course!!!) and Obi dressed up as a handsome little devil!!! We went trick or treating with both of my sisters, and my older sisters niece-in-law??? I think....that's the relation.... and of course, all the kids... I think we've done this the last three years now, and it's always a blast!!!! The kids get a long great!!! We have a quick pizza dinner at my moms and then it's off!!!! So we went around my moms neighborhood and collected tons of sugar.... and had a great time!!!! Mark didn't get home in time to dress up so we didn't get pics in our costumes, but I'll find another costume party so we can dress up again!!!! You know it!!!!
Our pumpkin came out pretty cool this year too. Noah did a lite brite version of a bat, and I did a vampire going in for the bite!!!

OBI!!! Awwww...he's so cute!!!!

Work has been consistently getting busier. Our administrator has been out marketing to new docs and it seems to be working because we are getting busier.... We are still one tech short because of the one on disability so it seems like I go to work, go to my room and don't come out until it's time to go home!!! The days go by soooo fast that way! I scrubbed an ACDF for the first time last week.... That stands for Anterior Cervical Disc Fusion. Simply put, that means the surgeon makes the incision on the front of the neck (by the throat) and pushes everything to the side so he can get to the spine. Then he drills a bunch of it out and replace it with a cage and a plate to fuse it. It was really cool!!!! The newer tech that I'm working with came in to take pictures of my setup so we could have a "cheat sheet" for the next time. So I thought I would share some pics of what my back table looked like for this case. Here they are!!! Imagine knowing the name of everything there... It's no wonder I forget a ton of things, look at what I have to remember!!! LOL!!!!

This next picture is of me scrubbing a sinus surgery and septoplasty..... Sorry about the blood!!!

On a sweeter and less bloody note!!!! :)~ I tried a recipe I saw on a magazine cover this week. OMG!!! It was awesome!! I think this will be my holiday cake for this season! Potlucks beware...This one is killer!!! 6 layers of rich spice cake with cream cheese frosting and espresso toffee on top AND in between every layer!!! MmMmMmMm!!!! I took some to work and so did Mark. It was a hit at both places. Here's what it looked like!

Other than all this, we started puppy training classes with Obi this past Tuesday. He did an awesome job at socializing and being passed around. They did an exercise called "pass the puppy" where you pass your puppy to left until you get your dog back in the end. It was fun to meet all the little puppies in our class. We learned to do the command "watch me" and to prepare them for visits to the vet and groomers by massaging and touching areas that they usually don't like you to. (Like their paw pads, tail and ears) Obi was good!!! He loves to be held and loved!!! So this, was no problem for him!!! Potty training has been OK... He gets to hang out in our master bathroom during the day and at nighttime. He has his little pee pads in there. And his bed, and toys. During the day he has almost no problem only doing his business on the pee pads. It's during the evening when we get home and give him freedom to walk around that he has had a few accidents... But I am patient and will continue to work with him. He's my baby!!! He is getting a lot more social and energetic too... He does this jump that reminds me of the flea on bugs life!!! It's sooo funny! And he is getting better about walking on a leash. At first, we had to drag him to move!!! Now he actually wants to walk around. I can't wait for him to want to get out there and run around!!!

Well, I better get off of here. I've heard Mark practicing guitar hero for a while now. I think it's time I get out there and play some too before he whips my ass!!!! Hahahahaha!!!

I hope everyone is doing great and loving this COOL weather. I know I am. It's like 65 in our house and I'm in a tank top enjoying every minute of it!!! Take care!!!!