Relaxin'

I still haven't downloaded my pics yet- I think we're still recovering.

I had a tough day at work. I had to catch up for five days worth of being gone (although my replacements did a FABULOUS job), plus it was month end, plus I was dealing with a little bit of hurt feelings and some frustration related to being gone for a week .... so when I got home, my wonderful husband suggested my new Fav Mexican restaurant, Rico's. It was DELISH. I love that he knows what will make me happy and bring me down off the ledge.

We had a really good time in the Dominican and we found things to do we both wanted. Like I was really focused on the Hard Rock Cafe Punta Cana and coffee and he was all about the cigars. We both like the history - so we both got what we wanted. The beaches were unbelievable - and the hotel grounds were fabulous. It was the HOTEL that was terrible. We had roaches in our room, everything felt damp - and a little dirty. The food was absolutely inedible. We tried it for about three days before we broke down and left the resort. My frustration came from the fact we were at an all inclusive resort. We're not hurting for money at all, but I hadn't PLANNED on spending money for food and it made me mad that we had too. I felt like the company who had sponsored our trip (this was an incentive trip for Conrad) had paid a lot of money, per day for us to enjoy the resort, room and food and we only got one out of three... and that is such a waste of money ... I hate that they paid that - they should ask for SOMEWHAT of a refund. 70% of the people in our group got sick - although we did not- and it was really frustrating. I think it was just due to the resort not being clean ...

After I got home, I looked up the resort on Trip Advisor and saw all the bad reviews. People getting sick, the health inspectors shutting the lunch buffet down, the Dominicans on the water sports portion of the resort hitting on teenagers, people stealing from the rooms, running out of liquor - the list goes on ... so I know it wasn't just us.

I think next time we tour the Caribbean, it will be perhaps on a cruise, not stuck in one place for a week. I'd like to see the Bahamas and Grand Cayman and all that, but I'm starting to think a boat is the way to do it. I've never been on a cruise and it's on my Bucket List ... so ... I'm about to get started on that! Maybe a girls cruise ... I dunno.

Kah

Dominican Republic

Hey!

Back from the Dominican Republic - we were gone for a week on vacation. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ... LOL - we were in Punta Cana on the east end of the island. It was very very pretty ... beautiful and the water was so clear ... it was amazing.

Soon I will post about it and pics - but for today we are both exhausted and trying to nap and wash clothes and most importantly EAT. It was very hard to stay full there - their idea of food is certainly not ours!

Kah

Friends

My friend Tracy from Arkansas popped into Houston tonight. We had a lovely visit and an awesome dinner. Here in this GIANT city, she happened to be working about 15 minutes away from me. It was so lucky that happened ... she could have been in Galveston, which on a weeknight, might as well be as far away as New Orleans.

Anyway she reminded me that I miss her so much and good friends are hard to come by. We have one of those friendships that seems to pick up right where it left off. Although it's never really LEFT OFF - we just don't live in the same town and we don't work together anymore. But she's one of those people that it doesn't seem to matter - she'll always be there and so will I.

Last year when I lost my "best friend" I really went around feeling bad for myself and being mad and hurt and confused ... but it has occured to me that you can have several close and best friends - and you shouldn't maybe put all your eggs in one basket.... and that the true ones are always there for you, no matter what - that love lasts forever, and slights can be forgiven and family is family. Tracy is family.

We have so much fun and she loves Conrad and we love her husband - it's all really good. A match made in heaven.

Loved seeing you Tracy! What a wonderful, unexpected treat.

I totally should have filmed you with my new videocamera!

Kah

New Toy

We got a videocamera! ... it's a Vado HD pocket mini videocamera, from Amazon.com - I'm not at ALL a tech person and I generally don't care about these sorts of things but it's so TINY and I got a little pink case for it.

Now I can interview and post interviews of Conrad on the blog. I can catch Blanca doing things only she seems to do. I can get family members, vacations, everything! YAY!

Our life, captured. That should be the new slogan for this blog ... I'll just stop writing and start posting videos. "A Day in the Life" ... :)

Our new baby

Frugal, Frugal, Frugal

You may not know this about me, but my frugality stretches even into my closet.

This morning I got up and pulled out the sewing kit and started repairing perfectly good clothes that both Conrad and I have. Why throw them away? I fixed them in about an hour - and I watched tv while doing it. I bought some pants last year for $40 - and they are missing a button or two ... yesterday I found the same pants, on the clearance rack for $10 - I had them in my hand and finally debated and debated and said I can totally spend that $10 elsewhere - and so I put them back - came home and sewed my doggone buttons back on!

I have also been known to bleach the heck out of my dingy whites OR dye them a different color. i.e.- a white tank, now navy! I also re-dye my black clothes - because they tend to turn gray after awhile.

Got some favorite capris, but you're sick of them? Go by some fun buttons and sew them on the sides of the legs - as decoration. Same thing for a shirt. I find them at garage sales sometimes. Plain white shirt, plain white buttons- go buy some big shiny black ones, sew them on and BAM - new shirt!

I do stuff like that all the time. This week- I will be cleaning out the closets. Going through and getting rid of things that don't fit or are beyond repair and starting a stack to sell on Ebay. Brand name clothes sell like crazy on there ... and a stack of things for me to play with or "fix" ...

I got a sewing machine for our wedding, so now I'm envisioning tearing the arms off of stuff and making myself some tanks. I've seen picures of sweatshirts cut up the middle and turned into jackets.

The possibilities are endless. Be frugal and/or send your stuff to me! :)

Kah

Mornin'

Conrad is watching a show on Beowolf - that might have been the WORST book I was ever forced to read. It was painful and awful and now I am watching people "theorize" on it - on a show. The kicker? Conrad has never even READ Beowolf - why are we watching this? Thank goodness for coffee and creme brulee creamer!

I am off to Target this morning ... I've got a small list AND we've begun some light Christmas shopping. I need to pick up a few things .... I figure a little for each payday? I think we're going for quality vs quantity this year. I've tried really hard to listen to what people want and then I can add slightly to that ...

Oh! ... and it's getting cool in Houston and by that I mean like, 69 degrees. It's like a raging winter storm! I got to wear my Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt last weekend and it was HEAVEN - this week is their bye week, so at least I won't be anxious and crazy this weekend. It will be a nice break- they better get themselves together. They should NOT be 3-2 right now. If anything, 4-1 at the LEAST. Ugh ... disgusting.

Kah

Good

The mammogran was painless and it came back ok. Which is good - but of course this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I keep reading and hearing about all these women who had good mammograms, but the results were wrong and they actually had cancer. What is the point of telling us this? They pound it into your head to go get checked, then you do and then they tell you- oh, by the way, the test isn't 100% it isn't even 66% - but um, yay- glad you went!

Damned if you do, damned if you don't?

I'm watching the Cowboys. They are doing TERRIBLE - I don't know if I can stand to watch anymore!


... and here's to all the rain and cooler weather in Houston. I SMELL FALL!

Kah

Weekend and Anxiety

Hola!

The weekend, once again, flew right by ... it was a good one though.

I went to see Meet Me In St Louis - with my friend Kelley - she invited me. We went to Cracker Barrel first (yay hashbrown casserole) and then we were off to the theater! It was really nice - and next year they have Little House on the Prairie. I mean YAY! Love that show ... the theater will be great too.

I am anxious though. Tomorrow I am having a mammogram. Baseline - which means ... well, nothing. They get you to take them while you're young - so they will have your "normal" results to compare to, when you get older. I sort of pushed this one though. I have some sort of weird skin thing going on- I itch ALL the time - and I was in the car wreck last year which caused all kinds of lumps and bumps and MAYBE the itching too. I hear when there is trauma .... well, things aren't ever normal again ... it's a new normal!

So I went to the doc about the skin thing and she ordered the mammogran to put me at ease and because in December she would have ordered my baseline anyway- since I would be 34/35 ... and she does that, then again at 40. So - anyway, this whole thing is my fault. I shouldn't have even gone to see her ... LOL

I am really nervous and scared and freaked out. Spent a good hour curled up in bed, crying while Conrad helplessly petted me.

I am hoping it's all ok ... and if the results come back suspicious, it is only due to my wreck - which the doc said can TOTALLY happen. I could still have damage deep inside and of course, the technician would never know why that was- so they would order an ultrasound. So ... please all of you pray for me, think of me and send good MOJO my way ... my appt is at 5PM tomorrow afternoon.

So please think of me then - like 5-6 tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks!

Kah