Got my hopes up... dang.

I've got a bad habit of getting too excited about something, or expecting something that's not really going to happen. This then leads to me getting my hopes up. Depending on the situation, I'm either upset, annoyed, or just kind of 'whatever' about it. But this time... it was kind of a big deal to me.

My manager was going to be moving up in the ranks, from her current position of just manager to an operations manager, over seeing many other managers and stores and employees. And naturally, I was going to be the one replacing her. Now, this was only going to be temporary, maybe. It was all up in the air. The operations manager she would be filling in for is out on medical leave. And with me "taking her place", I would be, but wouldn't be at the same time. I would have all the responsibilities of her job title and run the department; but, since it's only temporary, they couldn't technically call me a 'manager'. Anyways...

With this "temporary promotion", I was promised a $1.00 raise. Nothing to jump up and down about, but enough to smile about and feel like a tiny weight is lifted off my shoulders. Hey, a $1 more an hour translates into a couple bills getting paid, which means there might be more to put in savings. Every little bit helps, and God knows Justin and I relish every little bit.

Of course I told him right away about this lovely raise. And of course he was almost as excited as myself. We both were already looking ahead in our financial future. After all, him being at this new job is already going to be super for us. But both of us making more money? Jackpot! Maybe we'd actually be able to take a vacation in the next 10 years, maybe 15?

But those dreams are not put on hold. At work today, my manager gets a call... and as I'm standing there listening in (sorta), I can already tell it isn't pretty. I knew before she told me. 'I'm not going to need to fill in for M (the current ops manager). They're postponing her surgery, and she's going to come back to work. They'll let me know what's going on in a week.' Automatically, I was SO bummed. This meant she wasn't leaving. So, I wasn't getting "promoted". No promotion = no raise. Great. JUST GREAT. I guess it happens...

Hopefully M will be okay and fight through her illness and whatever else is going on. Please pray for her, because it involves her brain and is pretty serious.

But aside from that... maybe one day I'll get the opportunity again. Or just find a new, better paying job. Either one.

Oh, and a little side note. Yesterday I got some wonderful news. Nothing related to work. More so related to school. Basically, some professors still have hearts and actually care about their students. I got a lovely, second-chance phone call that made me smile. I'll never be able to thank him enough. SUCH a lifesaver.

So the past two days have been bittersweet. And to top it all off, on the sweet side, Justin hit the 40 hour mark yesterday. So everything he makes today is overtime. To us, this is amazing news. Now THAT makes me smile. (& there's nothing sexier than my honey man walking in the door, all sweaty and dirty, with jeans that have some holes and worn-out boots. He works hard for us, and I LOVE him for it. If he didn't smell and dirt wasn't caked onto him, I'd attack him as soon as he walked in the door ;-))

Mr.Sun, where are you?

The weather here in Southern California the last couple weeks has been gloomy, to say the least. It's almost depressing. Hmph. Mr.Sun has only managed to peek out from behind the overcast sky all but a few times. And I'm the type of person that whether I want it to or not, the weather slightly effects my mood. Not negatively, like depression, per say; it just makes me... blah. You get the idea. I don't even like the heat. No, I HATE it. Yet, at the same time, I still need sunshine in my life!

Funny thing is, I only remember one day the it actually rained, and it was only a tiny bit for a tiny bit of time. Doesn't count. It's just plain old GLOOMY. So what's the purpose of the clouds? Can someone explain? Oh, and, odd -- it's June. Here. And it's been almost 20 degrees below average. Not too happy about that!

(Call me slow, but I heard the weather man call it 'June Gloom'. Didn't know they had a name for it? This happens every year? Where have I been?)

Kinda puts a damper on summer. Stupid sun, you big chicken. Okay. I'm done whining about the weather. Promise.

Justin has officially been back "living" at home everyday for a week now. Of course he always lived here. But when someone is gone for 2-3 weeks, comes home for a couple days, then leaves again, it feels more like they're visiting. And that they don't live there. But anyways, it's been a week. Today was his first official day at his new job. So excited for him (and us!).

A little weirdness, though - it's taking a little longer than I thought to adjust to him being back home every night. I miss my Sancho. He was pretty bummed to find out Justin wasn't going to be on the road anymore. Oh well.

KIDDING, of course!! Jeez. But no, really. Little things like making dinner every night again, for TWO people instead of just myself (Because even when he would come home for a couple days, we'd usually eat out. Shame on us, right?). Or doing laundry other than just my own. Even getting a goodnight kiss each night again. Don't get me wrong, I love doing all of the above listed (especially that last one ;-)), and they're things I've done from the beginning of our relationship... but it's still sorta kinda weird.

Nevertheless, I'm the happiest girl alive. Well, the happiest alive girl that I'm familiar with. So sue me. SO blessed to have him back home with me. He was only trucking for a few months (I know, I can be a drama queen. I make it seem like he was gone for years), but it felt like FOREVER and ever. I honestly have so much respect and compassion for the women who's husbands and boyfriends leave them for months at a time. I couldn't do it, I don't think..

The other night, Justin's Mom and sisters spent the night. They slept in the spare bedroom. But they made one big mistake before going to bed. Something I had previously warned them about.

They left their shoes/sandals in the living room. At night. When our puppy Hustler does any dirty work he has planned. He probably saw those shoes before everyone went to bed and thought, YUM. Snack time! I so wish I had a picture to show you. For some reason I forgot to take one.

They weren't mad, really. With one look at Hustler's face, you simply can't be mad. His Mom's shoes survived the attack and are still wearable. The sisters luckily had spare shoes and went across the street to the shoe store to buy more sandals. ...I had to giggle about it, though. Like I said, I did warn them. We learned from day one - keep shoes in closet when not on feet. No ifs, ands or buts.

Speaking of which, and this is the honest truth, Hustler is actually chewing on a pair of Justin's shoes that he claimed a few weeks ago, as I type this. Justin took them off next to the dresser, went on the computer... and it was too late. I laughed then, too. {I didn't laugh, however, when we had to go to the store and pay an arm and a leg for new shoes because Justin is the pickiest guy I've. Ever. Met. ...Seriously.}

I'm looking forward to this coming weekend. My dad and brother are coming to visit. They'll be staying with my Grandparent's about 30 minutes away from me house. My aunt is planning a nice father's day dinner as well. Something to look forward to! =)

I never cease to surprise myself.

The last week or so have been hectic, to say the least. I'm not able to recall the last time (recently) I was able to relax (using the word loosely). Between researching and writing two essays, studying my butt off for my math final, working, and just doing day-to-day things, life's been crazy. As I'm sure you can tell from the previous blog.

Yet things just got a whole lot better. Seriously. In more ways than one. I just want to jump up and down for joy. There's been a big cheesy smile on my face for, uh, the whole damn day. Nothing's better than smiling after not having much to smile about lately.

Why am I oh-so-happy? A few reasons actually. The one most important to me involves Justin. If you read the last post, you know that he came home this weekend. But it didn't happen the way I thought. Put it this way - he's great at surprises and keeps secrets well. The opposite of me. But anyways, Friday night through Saturday I spoke to him on the phone every few hours or so, like normal. All day Saturday, my Aunt and I were hanging out. We did lunch at Corner Bakery, went to an art/craft/jewlrey show in Irvine, then went to my Grandparents for dinner. All in all, an amazing day. I called Justin on my way home, of course. I was under the impression he was up north somewhere.

Well, when I walked in the door... I knew immediately he'd been there. There was a clean puppy training pad on the floor; the kitchen light was on; the laptop screen was open with the virus scan running. My stomach got butterflies. Not the first time he's pulled something like this. He loves to get me thinking one thing, then surprise me and make me go all girly and happy. I thought maybe he was hiding somewhere. Nope, nowhere to be found. So I called him.

"Me: Hey babe. So I know you were here. You left a trail. Where are you? Did you go to run an errand? I'm so happy you're home! I want to see you NOW! (and yes I said it just like that. I was so happy it sounded like one run-on sentence).

Him: Oh, yeah, shit. Didn't mean to leave that stuff on, I was in a hurry. I'm not there anymore. I was able to stop by real quick on the way to my next stop in San Diego. Sorry babe. Didn't mean to get your hopes up.

Me: Yeah, right. I'm not falling for it, honestly. There's NO way you can go from up north to San Diego that fast. Impossible. And you didnt tell me about any load going to San Diego. I know you're somewhere around here, probably sitting in you truck...

Him: No, I'm really in San Diego babe. I just got here. I won't be home for a couple days."

This went back and forth for about five minutes or so, with him trying to convince me he wasn't in town, and with me telling him I'm not stupid, until finally he told me his Mom was calling and he would call me back. Right then the front door opened. Ahh, it was SO great to hug and kiss him. I love him and his surprises, even if I did figure it out. He told me he was kicking himself in the ass for not remembering to hide the evidence. Silly guys, they never remember the obvious.

Us, right after he got home.

Okay, another (major) thing making me happy... i passed my math class. All my hard work, hours of homework, hours of being tutored, and actually pretending to care about math payed off. The grades were actually posted online last night, but silly me forgot to check and went to bed. So naturally the first thing I did this morning when I woke up? Checked me grade. Problem? The website was down. Crap. So I was forced to wait until I got off work. But when I did check... I saw the big letter C and couldnt help but shriek like a teenage girl. SUCH a wonderful feeling. Now I can move on with life no longer freaking out about math. Until September, at least.

Another AWESOME thing happened yesterday as well. This goes along with Justin coming home. I had mentioned in the previous post that the reason he was coming home was a great one, but I didnt want to get my hopes up. Well, turns out I didn't. What was the reason? His brother has been trying to get him a job where he works (construction - good money, great hours, and he'd be home every night with me!). Justin came home to go to the interview for said job... and he got the job!! Go ahead, jump up and down with me! This means not only will he back home with me everyday, but he'll be making a lot more money, which we desperatly need right now. He starts this week. Yes =)

PERFECT. LIFE'S GOOD.

I leave you with a couple of the cutest pictures you've ever seen. I simply love them to death. Here's why:

(King Wasabi)

(Wasabi beating up Hustler. Actually, they play, and it's quite cute!)

This will forever gross me out, yet I still kiss him. I have to, I guess you could say (hehehe ;-))

Grandpa, what now?

Yesterday night, I drove to Laguna Hills, which is about 40 minutes from my house. My intentions? To visit my dear Grandmother, who was placed in a 24 hour rehabilitation/"sick seniors" home. The past couple years her health has gone downhill completely, most of it being her fault. She refused to listen to doctors. Ignored requests from my Grandpa over the course of the last couple years to get help, to get better, to fight the sickness and the weakening of her legs. It WAS totally possible, if she tried. She didn't. My Grandma, stubborn and spoiled by my Grandpa for 60 years, wasn't having it. They've been happily married for something like 60 years, and I admire their love SO much. Yet one problem- my Grandma has never had to work. Ever. Not once. So naturally she enjoyed and was accustomed to being taken care of by him. My Grandpa even hired 24/7 live-in help, but it became too expensive. So, this is where last night comes in.

My aunt calls me up on Wednesday, which happened to be the day after my Grandma's birthday. Grandma's been put in a 24/7 care center for seniors, she tells me. Grandpa can't do it on his own, she tells me. My heart dropped. I knew this was the last thing Grandpa wanted to have to do. But it had to be done. No doubt about it.

So I go last night and was taken aback at the sight of my ill, weak Grandma. It took all I had to not show that I was upset. Upset that is has gotten this bad. And even more upset that she's putting my Grandpa through all of this due to the simple fact that she didn't even try to reverse the problems. Looking at my stressed, yet STRONG, wonderful Grandpa with his amazing soul, I felt proud of him for being so brave and taking a step in the right direction, finally admitting he couldn't do it on his own anymore. Regardless of how I felt standing there, I reminded myself I was there to enjoy the evening with my Grandparent and Aunt and Uncle, who had brought In 'n Out for everyone. Yum.

I remember hearing my Grandma say "I want to go home", "take me home" at least a hundred times to my poor Grandpa. And the sad thing? He's considering it. He's considering hiring 24/7 live-in help, AGAIN. It costs an arm and a leg and isn't covered by their insurance. Making sure she's happy is still his first priority, even if it means going broke in the process.

Moving closer to my Grandparents was the best thing I ever did. They mean so much to me, and without them, I wouldn't be where I am today. And that's 100% true. They've helped me more than I could have ever asked for, and I appreciate them and their love and support. I'm fortunate enough to have Grandparents like them, especially my Grandpa. He's paying my way through school. He helped me get a car. The list goes on and on. He's one big heart and an amazing soul. And I can't help but wonder what happens from here. Yes, it's life. People get old. Family passes away and life goes on. But I'm not ready for any of that. Especially my beloved Grandparents...

Procrastination, the devil on my shoulder

There's one thing I've always been great at: procrastinating, everything and anything that isn't "life or death". Sadly, I've gotten very good at being a procrastinator when it comes to certain things. Take, for instance, writing essays for my English class. Hypothetically, say I'm assigned an essay on a Monday, with the rough draft due on a Wednesday (which happens all the time). It involves research, long, organized thought dumps, and must be at least 5 paragraphs. Do I start it Monday after class, like most would assume? Nope. How about Tuesday, anytime? Not at all, but if I do, not until the evening. So when does that leave me? Oh, only about a few hours before class Wednesday. Oddly enough, this is how my best writing comes out. My last three essays (one of which was an in-class essay which we were allowed to bring notes on the material, and I arrived to class with nothing, "accidentally") have been awesome! Getting each one back, I found a big fat "A" with a happy face from the professor, all while giving myself a pat on the back.

But my procrastination doesn't always work to my advantage. Not often at all, really. I'm almost ashamed to be saying this. Things like "oh, I'll do it later", or "it can wait until tomorow" have been known to come out of my mouth quite often. The other day, I took my puppy to the dog park. Some other bully dog knocked him into a muddy puddle. I managed to get most of his fur clean, but he of course still needed a bath. This was a few days ago. Has Hustler had a bath? Not yet. So now I've got a puppy that looks clean but is really covered in dog slobber, dust, and whatever else, sleeping on my bed... UGH. But, my fault.

Just little things like that that happen constantly. Often times it makes me feel horrible, but I have no one to blame but my own self. "I'll mail the _ bill off tomorow". A week later. Oops. "Don't worry babe, my math homework isn't due for three weeks". Due date, not finished. Oops. "Hallmark closes in an hour. I'll just go tomorow". Three days later. Now it's a belated card I'm buying. Oops. Justin always tells me "Babe, you could have just done it when you knew about it and it would have been done. Ugh.". DUH. Commen sense. But when you're a procrastinator, it takes over and pushes the commen sense into a tiny spot in the back corner of the brain. Again, oops.

Oh Goody, My First One!

So, I'm officially part of the world of bloggers. Starting a blog that will eventually, one day, someday be read by hundreds has always been a dream of mine. Well, not a dream, but a goal. I mean, I'm a good writer (or so my Mom tells me), I have many things happen to me which are definitely blog worthy, and the interesting things brewing in my brain can't just sit there forever. Hence, my blog is born. Yay me! And I must thank my friend and super-smart math buddy Shalay (Writefully Yours: The Misadventures of a Housewife in Training) for helping me get started. Reading her blogs made the decision to start mine a no-brainer.

A little about me, for starters. I'm 21 years old, and I live in Corona, CA. Las Vegas is home, though. I was raised there almost my entire life, although I was born in Oceanside, CA. My boyfriend's name is Justin (and you can bet I'm going to be referring to him a bunch, seeing as how he's usually the center of my annoyance AND my happy, funny stories), and we've been together for two and a half years. Time flies when you're having fun, right?! We've got two dogs, one of which is my grumpy old lady Sadies, an australian shephard mix, who I rescued stray about 4 years ago. The other is our 6 month old puppy, Hustler. He's a lab/rott/shephard mix, and for his age, he's already giant! He's in that I'm-going-to-chew-up-and-destroy-everything-that-means-anything-to-you stage, and I can't wait for it to be over. Driving home everyday, guessing what he's gotten into has become a game to me. But not a very fun one. Our cat, Wasabi, is about 4 years old. Wasabi is what you'd call lost, in a sense. For some reason, he seems to think he's a dog. But I'd much rather have him than a big baby cat that hides around the bed all day and doesn't even like me.

Currently, I attend Riverside Community College, with the hopes of transferring to a university in the near future. Yes, I do work, and yes, I hate my job. That's all we'll say about that. Justin recently took a job as an over-the-road truck driver, and he's gone anywhere from a week to three weeks at a time, and then home for 2-3 days. Of course I miss him. TERRIBLY. But it's worth the money he's making, for now. Such a great guy he is, traveling all lonely, showering at truck stops (gross) just so we can pay bills. Sweet, huh?

I'm at the point in life where I want change. No, sorry, I need change. Naw, I'm not getting all emo here, talking about how my life "sucks" blah blah. Physically, I'm talking about. Over the course of the past few years my weight has gotten a little... yeah, well, you get it. Not being one of those girls to just sit back an cry about it, I joined a gym a couple months ago, have been eating healthier, and just started having a "get up and go!" attitude. So far so good, but of course you're going to read some funny blogs about it.

Not much more to say right now. I just wanted to give everyone the run down of ME, in a nutshell. I hope you enjoy reading about me, my life, and all of it's crazy adventures. Every follower, every comment, and every blog read will make me smile! Thanks for reading!