To the rescue!

Today, I'm so thankful for my sweetheart.  I'm thankful that he's the kind, caring man that he is, that he wouldn't leave me stranded at work with a flat tire.  I told him that I would figure out a way to take care of my tire and get home.  Even though I would have found a friend to help me change my tire, he still came all the way to my work to help me out.  I'm grateful he came because after pulling everything out, I found out that my spare was a little flat. No bueno.  I wanted to try to change it myself, since my YSA bishop taught our Relief Society a couple years back.   Once Levi came, I broke the news to him that my spare was also flat and off we went to the gas station.  We came back and he changed it for me, then followed me home.  He was so calm and patient throughout it all, and especially as we drove 50 mph on the freeway.  

Every day I'm more grateful for him.  I always wanted to find a man that could do all the manly things that my Dad did.  For the last several years, I'd get so bummed/frustrated whenever I had a car problem.  Car problems are the bane of my existence.  Thankfully, I've had my sister but now that I live away from my family, I'm so truly grateful for this man of mine and his many, MANY talents.  My cup runneth o'er. <3 font="">

The OCTOBER 3rd BLOG: Good, Bad, Ugly....

October 3, 2012.... a pretty GREAT day, I think. (for the most part....read below)

The Good: Levi likes me....like A WHOLE LOT!!! ♥ And I feel the same way :)

The Bad: I have to buy a new tire, possible "tireS" tomorrow. Ugh!  I was gettin' ready to go out to dinner with a friend, til I heard my front tire making a funny flapping noise.  Have I ever mentioned how much I TOTALLY LOATHE dealing with car stuff!?

The Ugly: All I've had to eat today was a cup of Cranberry Sierra Mist.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't good when the only other thing in my stomach is the piece of gum I swallowed.

________________________________________________________________

**update: I had my cousin check out my tire and it's kinda ok.  I still need to get a tire sometime soon, because the treads are low.  Treads? Threads? Whatevers, it's getting bald.  

So now I can be pretty ecstatic about Levi!  Which I am, I have been all afternoon. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that someone likes me as much as he does...and he shows it through all the big things and all the small things.  He shows it and I just want to reciprocate it.  As I was telling my sister, it's like when you've wanted something for so long, that when you finally get it, it's like you have to step back out of astonishment, and wrap you head around it because it's finally yours.  You no longer have to wish and hope for it, because you've got what you've wanted.  He's so kind and tender to me.  It melts my heart. He's unlike ANY guy I've ever dated.  I'm able to be 'the girl' in the relationship....  I don't have to plan every aspect of a date. I don't have to drive. I don't have to scrutinize over all the details because he takes all the worry out of it.  It's so much fun being 'the girl' in all of this.  I've never quite experienced this before and I love it. ♥  

Wow, it's been a while since I've been in a relationship and had a boyfriend......but I am surely enjoying it already. :) I can't wait for this weekend! I get to see him ALL weekend! Wow, I'm someone's girlfriend....WOW. I like it. :)

Want + Needs.

I WANT to buy a bike.  I kinda need to buy one since I don't really have any mode of transportation.  I mean, I DO have a car, but I HATE fixing car stuff...plus, I don't exactly have $2200 in my back pocket to fix my transmission. 

So I want to buy a bike and I'm learning there are A LOT of different bikes out there. 
Dangit. 
It's like a whole new world, a foreign concept.  But I'm learning the pros/cons to several bikes.  It looks fun and it'll help get me from point A to point B. 
PLUS...
Someone NEEDS to start being MORE physically active.  Someone's gained WAY too much weight. 
A bike seems to be the solution to these two problems.

2 birds > 1 stone > Bike.

Besides, the weather has been GORGEOUS!! So I can't wait!!

However, I am a lil scared of being hit by a car :(

**I've been researching all of this bike stuff for the last two hours. Man alive, there's A LOT more to it!! I thought I could just roll on over to Wal Mart, pick out something sturdy & pretty and call it a day.  Yeaaaaaah, not so much!  Nor am I looking to spend $500 on all this bike stuff. I just want something to cruise to the beach and around town. 

However, occasionaly during the last couple months, I thought it'd be cool to use public transportation as an option. I'm getting tired of the CRAZY gas prices (today: $3.75/gal) and filling up ALL the time.  It was be A LOT cheaper to just ride the bus and trolley. 

BUT......

Whatever you save in money, you usually make up for in time.  So even though I'll be saving A LOT of money from not buy gas all the time, it'll now take longer to get places.

So then I was starting to look at Vespa prices....

Man.... this is a very long, round about way of avoiding fixing my car.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH. 

Disconnected.

My phone broke.

So if you've tried to call or text me, it's because the screen died.

Don't know how it happened, but I pulled it out of my purse and the screen wouldn't turn on.
Adios to ALL the numbers/contacts in my phone. 

As much as I was hoping to buy a new phone,

I didn't want to do it this week.

Because....

My car died.

Well, not ALL the way, but I can't put it in reverse and some other "technicality"

(as in, my rotors sound HORRIBLE because "someone" HATES doing car stuff and this is what it has led to.)

UGH!!!

What does a transmission do anyways?!?

Who wishes they were made out of money right now?
answer: I do!

Gas = $3.59/gal.

WHY DO I FEEL LIKE A FRIGGIN TAXI CAB FOR MY YSA WARD?!??!?!!!!!!!

SO. DAMN. FRUSTRATING.!!!!!

One of my pet peeves is giving people a ride--ESPECIALLY when it's the SAME people asking EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!!!

GGGGRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!  F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-N-G!!!

Ok, so this has always been my pet peeve, but has started to become of a nuisance these days.  I don't like the way it inconveniences my time & schedule.  I don't like them being on my schedule or vice versa.  I always allocate enough time for me to get ready and travel from my point of origin.  When someone asks for a ride, it throws off my schedule.    

If someone asks me for a ride after an event/activity/party, I feel bad if I want to stay and talk to my friends.  I feel like they're just waiting around on me.  I don't like answering to people--if I wanna stay and talk/hang out, then that's my choice.   

I have one friend in particular who asks for a ride at least once a week.  I would be more willing to give her a ride if I didn't ALWAYS have to wait 10-15 minutes for her to come out of her place.  I ALWAYS tell her that I'll text/call as I'm leaving my house, then text/call her when I'm a block away so she can meet me outside.  It doesn't matter cause I ALWAYS end up waiting at least 10 minutes for her to come out.  Sometimes I'm SO tempted to drive away.

At times I feel like leaving a church activity early just so I can get out of the incessant questioning of obtaining a ride. Or just not telling anyone if I'm going to an activity so I don't have to give anyone a ride.  It's bad when people I don't even know ask me for a ride.  WTH?!

HELLO!  IS MY CAR PAINTED YELLOW WITH A LIT UP "TAXI" SIGN ON TOP???? NO!! 

Now I sound like a douche....     whatevers. 

FML Friday.

GRRR!!! I'm pissed and stressed!!!

I don't know how to better describe what I'm feeling. Feeling these extreme emotions, usually kicks my Meniere's outta whack and makes me dizzy and tired. The Diet Coke full of caffeine is a double edge sword. I'm not suppose to drink caffeine [not good for my Meniere's] but I NEED it right now to function because I'm sooooo emotionally drained [aka: sleepy]. So it's a Catch-22. GRRRR!!!!!

And the FML still isn't over. Amidst the CRAZINESS of this very EXPENSIVE lesson, I will now have to deal with Downtown traffic on a Friday.

SHOOT. ME. IN. MY. HEAD.

I had other plans today...I really did.

SSSSSUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!

[I'd rather be saying a different word that rhymes with that one.]

SO GRATEFUL for AWESOME parents and a VERY GIVING sister to come to my rescue.

BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE.

FML x INIFINITY!!!

So let's see...I was awakened EARLY this morning, after a restless night, to find out my car was towed. Not really the most ideal way to wake up to a 3 day holiday weekend, that is for damn sure!!!

Won't be seeing my car until Tuesday, yep, TUESDAY!!! 4 days of storage fees at the tow yard. SHOOT ME IN MY HEAD!!!

I won't even go into the details of the additional costs it'll take to get it out of storage.

I don't know if I want to scream or cry...or both?!

Hmm...let's see, what else? Due to trying to get my car back today, I had to miss the Padres v. Rockies [baseball] game with my family. I LOOOOOOOOVE ANY chance I get to see the Padres play!! :(

Oh, and I had to ask my Dad (who is apparently upset with me for speaking my mind this week) for A LOT of money this morning. Let's just say I had a nice hardy serving of Humble pie for breakfast & lunch and maybe even dinner.....for the rest of my life!

In the midst of trying to de-stress, I thought I'd pull out my ol' violin that I haven't played in about 6-8 years. The G-string busted while I tried to tune it and the bow hairs are completely shot.

And the cherry on top of AAAALLLLLLLLLLL of this.... I texted Camp hours ago and haven't heard back from him. Maybe the text was TOO forward? Maybe I just shot myself in the foot? Maybe this is just going along with my "FML" day? Who the hell knows...

All I know is that I will FOREVER HATE Labor Day weekend!!!!

((For those of you who don't know what "FML" is: "F*** My Life".))

Car Analogy: Revisted

This morning I was thinking of my Car Analogy blog. I am completely done with my "Kia" and I thoroughly enjoy my "Honda". However, sometimes I get comfortable with my "Honda" and would like to try something a lil more fun, upbeat and racy. And then I started thinking of the car I've always wanted to drive....an Aston Martin DB9!

It's definitely something new and exciting, right!? Something different from the norm...which is fun to try out every so often. I mean, I'm still making payments on my Honda...so for now, it's okay to try out other cars. However, after I own it permenantly, completely (in a year) I wouldn't feel the need to try anything else. (Stick with me on this....) Well, in short, I've been 'test driving' an Aston Martin DB9 (aka: "Lee")... and it's been F.U.N.!! I forgot what fun felt like. Comfortable and practical is what I was becoming use to. Sensible is good, but one has to live a little, sometimes! I would never ditch my 'Honda'-too much time and effort has gone into it....but we're not a permenant match-yet. So it's okay for me to 'test drive' the "Aston Martin". I have fun with the "Aston Martin" and sometimes I've gotta be careful. Sports cars are fun, but if not handled properly, it can be dangerous. So for now I'm out on a test run, be back soon "Honda"!

The Car Analogy.

I was thinking last night about my previous car, my Kia Sportage. It was stick (manual), had four doors and was very bright & airy. I didn't like the inadequate amount of cup holders or the fact that in time the back passenger door couldn't be used and the brakes made a horrific nose--but I put up with it, I accepted it. About a year ago I bought my lovely Honda Accord. I love how it's Ruby Red, has a sun/moonroof and gets great gas mileage. There are certain things that I love about my Honda that makes it VERY easy to forget all about my ol' Kia. However, there are also things I miss about my ol' Kia, things that were comfortable and familar.

When I first got my Honda, it was like a 'shiny, new toy'. It was extremely easy to forget about that heap of junk Kia. It had upgrades and totally new features...things my Kia didn't have. In time, I started to miss having four doors, I missed the height (being up a lil higher, compared to a car), all the memories that were made in the car, the ease and power of a manual car....ya know, the little things--things the Honda couldn't provide. But would I want to go back to the Kia? No, not necessarily, the upgrade of a newer car was a lot better! But I missed the familiarity and comfort of something I've known for a very long time. Of course I'd have to adapt to the Honda and have since. I love it but I'm grateful for my experience with the Kia. It's helped me appreciate what I have now.

That's how I feel about my Ex and the men I have in my life now. I miss my Ex, but things can't go back to the way they were. He was a chapter in my life, just like my Kia. I will always be grateful for the time I had with the 'Kia', but I know that my 'Honda' is a much better choice...or maybe the Honda's just in my life temporarily and something better will come along? I wish I could have both in my life, but that's not really an option.

Oh well..... that's just my thoughts on a very rainy Tuesday afternoon.

Are you kiddin' me?!

 I walked to my car today after work and noticed a little yellow envelope.  At first I thought it was a joke....til I opened it up.  Nope, not a joke.  A $25 parking ticket for an expired registration--that I was going to take care of tomorrow!! UGH!! SUCKS TO BE ME!!! I'm almost afraid to drive my car to work in case I get yet ANOTHER parking violation. 

GRR!!

My bad/good/bad week.

Bad:  Last Thursday, my other car was towed from in front of my house.  My other car is my old Kia that died laaaaaaaaaast August (2008).  I didn't renew the registration this past January, so it was towed because it just sat there.  Dead.  When I got home that evening, after 5pm, I called the San Diego parking authority that left a lovely little ticket ($25) for me to pay.  The automated voicemail said that their hours were Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-5pm.  Wow, lucky me that it was now 6pm on a Thursday night.   

Good: My friend, Berkeley, from the temple didn't move to Utah (this week) like he was suppose to...so he was at the temple for one more week.  Hopefully, another week this Saturday as well?  We'll see.  That made me so tremendously happy!!  I love hanging with Berkeley, he makes the shift so much more fun.  We talk & laugh...he has a great personality! He's such a breath of fresh air [compared to the other YSA guys on the shift].  

Then Saturday night, my missionary nephew got to call home from LAX (LA airport) on his way to Fiji.  His family also drove over to see him and spend sometime with him and the 3 other elders from him MTC district.  He sounded so good!!  I was ecstatic!  He later emailed us on Sunday night to inform us that he made it to Fiji and that the mission home was located on temple grounds.  He's so immensely happy to be there and was hoping to start tracting that very night!!  Oh man, this kid is AWESOME and will be a FANTASTIC missionary!!

Last night, a friend put on a musical fireside and my good friend PajamaPants sang a couple pieces.  My goodness, I was speechless.  I attended the fireside for the sole purpose of hearing PajamaPants. I love to hear him sing! He could sing the dictionary and I'd still be very content. He has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard.  It's like a cross between Aaron Neville & Luther Vandross--but BETTER!  I told him that for Christmas, I wanted him to sing me a song of my choosing.  Thank goodness I've got a good 2 months to find a song.  Oh man, it brings tears to my eyes whenever he sings.  BEAUTIFUL I tell ya, so beautiful.  Plus last night, watching him sing brought back a lot of mission memories.   It was a great weekend!

Bad: If you've ever been fortunate enough to deal with a towing company, they charge 'holding fees' every day your car is in their yard.  Today I was finally able to get through to the SDPA and they informed me of where my car was.  I could pick up the car with a current DMV registration ($350+), current insurance (another headache since I cancelled the insurance when I got my new car and the Kia was non-operative anyways) and a tow truck to tow it off the yard ($140)--OR....sign over the car's title to the towing company & pay $327 for towing & holding fees.  I paid the fees and walked off the yard with a garbage bag full of stuff from my ol' "Foxy Roxy".  So many memories with that car... Dang it, another expensive lesson in Procrastination.  

Truly blessed!

I thought my day was going to be terrible when I pulled up, late to work and my boss came outside to meet me. I was waiting for him to explode on me or start interogating me as to why I was late this morning. All he asked me was how long my parking was good for, since I parked in the free/meterless 2 hour parking. I answered his question and quickly went in the office. I pulled out my lunch bag and realized it was really COLD! I then realized why, all the gravy for my mashed potatoes had spilt ALL. OVER. MY. LUNCH. BAG and over all the contents of my lunch bag. I was so bummed and mad! I knew I should have listened to my Mom when she recommended that I just pour the gravy in the same container as the mashed potatoes. I didn't listen. UGH.

As the morning progressed on, we continued to keep an eye out for a meter maid (The time doesn't "officially" start on the free 2 hour parking until you've been 'chalked') and an open non-meter spot. One finally opened up and I tried to move my car. TRIED, being the operative word. My car started but the car WOULD NOT shift out of park. I was getting mad and trying desperately to shift it. It would NOT budge out of park!!! The car was hot and I knew that in a few seconds someone would be pulling right into the spot!!! I did EVERYTHING imaginable to shift. NO LUCK!!! I had a couple co-workers look at my car and nothing helped. It was soon approaching the 3rd hour of "free parking" and no meter maid was in sight. VERY UNUSUAL!! I tried my car several more times til it was time to call the dealer, deal with my warranty and a mechanic. My car was parked in the "free parking" for 5 hours and no meter maids came by. When I pulled up to work I was going to park at a meter til I found an open spot. How TRULY grateful am I that I found the parking I did and that ABSOLUTELY NO meter maids came by. I couldn't believe it! Luckily I was also blessed to work with such caring and helpful friends. They helped me deal with my car dealer and the mechanics. One thing I LOATHE more than runny eggs and "The Christmas Story" movie is dealing with cars. My brain automatically shuts off to it. I really REALLY dislike having to deal with cars. Mamacita skipped her lunch so she could watch my desk as I repeatedly went back and forth between my desk and car. Turtle dealt with my car and my mechanic. "Lucille" yelled at my dealer so he could finally understand that I couldn't just "bring in my car with my warranty so their mechanic can look at it". A couple drivers drove me to and from the mechanic. I just feel so blessed to work amongst these wonderful people. Blessed that not a single meter maid drove by. Blessed that my car finally shifted after offering a heartfelt prayer. And blessed to have my car back.

Friday Fave 5!

1. Peanut Butter Moo'd Jamba Juice Smoothie: I'm not the biggest fan of Peanut Butter (I didn't grow up on the stuff) but Jamba Juice turns me into one! It's the ONLY smoothie I ever get from there. Thank you JJ for making me fall in love with Peanut Butter.

2. My co-workers: We may not get along all the time, but I'm glad I work with them. So many different people from different backgrounds and walks of life. I'm glad to have met each and every one of them. They've all taught me something. Sometimes, it even feels like a family. We definitely put the FUN in DYSFUNCTIONAL. No doubt!

3. Ms. Ruby Red: OH SO MUCH FUN to drive!! I LOVE having a sunroof!!! I'm totally lovin' the color!! (my answer might be different after my first ticket). I'm so truly grateful to have a car again. I'll miss FoxyRoxy (my late Kia Sportage) and all the fun memories...but I know there's MANY more memories to be made with Ms. Ruby Red.

4. Cacique bras: THE BEST!! Totally puts 'the girls' right where they need to be!! 'Locked & Loaded' as Stacy & Clinton would say.

5.Bob Marley & The Wailers: I could listen to it for hours on end. But then I'd probably want to light some incense and dim the lights. SO UBER RELAXING!! Just the perfect way to end the work week.

Do I have Narcolepsy?

Seriously, I'm starting to wonder that myself!!

Man, I've been so tired lately...but it's never while I'm at work. I guess it's because I've got such a fast paced job that I don't have the chance to even think about being tired. I'm glad. But man, when I'm riding home with my friend, after work, just sitting in the cool air conditioned car not having to think for 30 minutes really relaxes me to the point of falling asleep.

I've finally gotten the hang of work down! THANK GOODNESS!! I'm finally fast enough to get thru my work (especially the 10 key/data entry part) to be able to sit back and enjoy a few minutes to myself. I really like working with 'Mamacita' and 'Turtle' in our department. They're so laid back and really keep an eye out for me and each other. I've never really had a job to where I was equal with others and could actually enjoy having "co-workers". I can't wait til Mr.'NY gets back from vacation.

JDL, one of the drivers helped me with my car yesterday. (*swoon*) He's so great! I like looking at him! He's tall too (pro)! But I don't necessarily like his teeth (con). Back to my car....the starter gave out. GRRR!!! I'm so SOOOOOOOOO sick and tired of car problems!! I'm thinkin' it's time to kick the Kia to the curb!! Oh how I wish I had an extra 20k lying around. DANGIT!!

Oh well, at least that makes my calandar a lot lighter this week.