Starting Over

Went to the gym this morning. Was able to do 10 minutes on the elliptical and then did upper body and abs. Had an english muffing, yogurt and banana for breakfast. Lunch is going to be a Lean Cuisine and an apple. Dinner is salad with celery and cucumbers. Snacks will be grapes and goldfish crackers.

I am thinking of changing the name of my bakery / bookstore to "Indulge" instead of "Indulgence." Any thoughts on the name, or suggestions for other names?

New Venture

I am starting a new business - cupcakes! I have a name for the bakery / bookstore - it is "Indulgence." For now, the bookstore will have to wait. But, I have started on the bakery portion. I may have my first catering job - a wedding!!

Not much to say

Spent 1 1/2 hours cleaning up the yard on Wednesday. What a mess! The rest of the week has been boring. Just get up, go to work, go home, walk Justice, watch a little tv, read, go to bed.

Ed is staying in Lansing this weekend. Which means Justice and I will be staying home by ourselves. This is fine - I can relax, clean house, take Justice to the dog park, and maybe do a little grocery shopping.

Hurricane Ike

Well, Ohio got hammered by Ike. We had no rain, but we got the hurricane force winds. It was gusting through the state at 70mph - it was like a hurricane without the water. I had to drive through it on my way home from Michigan on Sunday. It was VERY difficult to keep the Jeep on the road. It was definitely the most scared I have ever been driving a car. Our neighborhood looks like a disaster zone. Luckily, we have no damage. Just a few branches on the ground. Others were not so lucky - trees uprooted, roof damage, no power. Our county has declared a state of emergency and people are still without power. In fact, I am storing some food in my freezer for a co-worker who has no electricity and she only lives 2 minutes from my house.



This is a picture of my next door neighbor's front yard. His is not too bad, two doors down, around the corner, there are a couple of houses with whole trees laying down.

At Last

The DJ played our song: "At Last" by Etta James. It was the first time we had danced to it in a VERY long time. Getting to spend this time with my husband was well worth the drive and spending the weekend in an apartment. I am very lucky and blessed to have him in my life. I waited a long time to find the one for me and I did - at last!

Frank & Erica's Wedding

We had so much fun at Frank & Erica's wedding on Saturday night. It was, by far, the most fun I have had at a wedding since our own. This picture is of Grandpa & Grandma Dunkel, Frank & Erica.



As you can see, the entire family had fun. Ed's sister Cathie, Mom and Aunt Mo (the mother of the groom) all let loose. We have so many pictures. They will soon be available for all to see.

Clarify

I guess I need to clarify my 9/11 post. I am NOT saying that I agree with this war, or with the use of 9/11 as the reason for the war. I am saying that 9/11 was a tragedy that I will NEVER forget. My reason for not being proud of some of my fellow Americans is not for their criticism of the war. It is for the way they treat other Americans. I am all for Free Speech, BUT if you want to hide behind Free Speech, you cannot fault others for their opinions, no matter how different they are from yours. I support the soldiers, not the war. It is time for us to take care of us, not be the babysitter for everyone else. Where was the economic help from all the other countries when we had/have our disasters? We shell out BILLIONS in aid, and never see any in return.

That is my thought.

7 Years

It is hard to believe it has been 7 years since the attack. Any time I see something or hear something about that day, I still cry like it was yesterday. I find it disheartening and, frankly, repulsive that some people do not care about that day. I will never forget where I was, what I was doing, or how I felt. I lived in Richmond, Virginia, and we had fighter jets flying over our house. We were close enough to the pentagon, and had our own government buildings that were of importance, that they shut part of the city down. I was working in an emergency room at that point and I waited to hear if I would be needed back at work for survivors. Not getting that call was awful. You always have hope that there will be people walking, or carried, out of a tragedy. When we did not get any, it was devastating. I just kept thinking, "Can no good come out of this?" I was wrong, sort of. The country pulled together, and I finally felt that maybe the country was turning around. That, however, did not last and it makes me sad.

I am proud to be an American, but I am not always proud of my fellow countrymen.

There is not really a good title for today's entry. It is going to be a hodgepodge of thoughts.

Still have not heard from the couple who looked at the house. It was too much to hope for that it would sell after the first showing.

Work is the same. I am not really motivated to do more than what is required of me. I know that I should do it for me, and not for kudos from work. However, it would be nice to get them every once in awhile. I enjoy the people I work with, and most of the customers I talk to.

I am missing family more than I thought. Maybe it is because we are closer to getting back to Michigan. However, Michigan may not work out for me - job wise. We may have to look elsewhere in the U.S.

We have a family wedding on Saturday in Michigan. Congrats out to Frank & Erica!! I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Well, I showed the house last night. The couple was young and very nice. They seemed to really like the house and they LOVED Justice! They said that they would need to talk about it with eachother and they would call me later this week. Keeping my fingers crossed.

However, Ed brought up a good point. What if they want the house? They have to be out of their current place by November 30th. We have no place to live and I have no job waiting for me. What kind of crap house will we be able to afford with just Ed's income? Once again the old adage comes into play - "Be careful what you wish for."

Extra Work

Hey all - if you know of any jobs that I can do from home for extra cash, please let me know!!

Filter

I have always known that the filter most people have between their brain and their mouth is missing, or delayed, for me. I was brought up to speak my mind, which I do quite frequently. However, this is apparently not a good thing in the workplace. I was slightly chastised yesterday during a meeting in which we were discussing my career path. My filter, or lack thereof, is hindering my career advancement. I am working to make the next level, which is Consultant. There are quite a few steps - workbook, Consultant Prep Guide, Listening Sessions, 8 hour exam, coached calls. I was hoping to be ready to take the December exam. However, it may be delayed until the 1st quarter of 2009 so that I can prove to the "higher ups" that I can control my thoughts/mouth. It is a little frustrating, as it means changing who I am and who I have been for many years. I feel sorry for the people I talk to after work, as you folks will be the ones to hear what I have been thinking all day when I can finally voice my thoughts and opinions.

Thank You

I just wanted to say "Thank You!!" to all of you who sent cards, letters, flowers, or called me during my recovery. And a "Thank You!" to those who called and emailed to see how my first day/week went back at work. I love you all!

Dayton Dragons

Sunday night before Labor Day, Ed and I got the chance to go to downtown Dayton and catch a baseball game.  It was at Fifth Third Field, the home of the Dayton Dragons.  They are a AA Team who, if good enough, get called up to the Cincy Reds.
We decided to check out their shop first, maybe buy a hat or a t-shirt to wear during the game.  My husband, being the dork that he is, wanted to buy the hat with the mascot.  I dared him to, but he decided that it would not get enough use.  Good choice, Ed!!  However, he did look awfully cute in it.

The game went okay. It was against the West Michigan Whitecaps, out of Grand Rapids. The Whitecaps came out swinging, and that may be the reason that the crowd did not get into the game until the 8th inning when the Dragons TRIED to make a comeback.


How did I feel about the crowd?


The Whitecaps won the game. It was the last game of the regular season. The Dragons went on to play, and beat, the Lansing Lugnuts on Wednesday in the first game fo the post-season. The 2nd game was in Lansing, which the Dragons also won. Which means that the Lugnuts season is done.