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Christmas Letter 2014
Posted on: December 26, 2014
Your card should stand up like this:
December 2014
Hi everyone.
I’ve actually started this Christmas letter several times. I’ve had to revise several times – almost to the point of not having a letter. Then I remembered I have to make up for last year; and being a trifecta anniversary year, I guess I’m obligated to write something up.
Vanessa turned 20 this year. (I, too, feel old.) She continues to attend school as a “super senior”; this is her last year. She is currently in a School–to–Work program through the county. It’s a transition program before the state agency takes over to make sure she has a viable job once she finishes school. Vanessa works at a local café doing janitorial work three days a week. We set her up with ACCESS bus, King County Metro Transit for persons with disabilities.
Chris and I have been married for 20 years. (If you weren’t already feeling old by the last paragraph.) We celebrated by going to Las Vegas for a weekend. We stayed at the Bellagio and had a view of the fountains from our room. Had dinner at Le Cirque and then went to see Cirque du Soleil’s “O”. Talk about people who absolutely love their job. Speaking about jobs… I got my 20-year service award from Green River. Like I said: Trifecta anniversary. Only 20-some-odd more years of work (depends if the government changes the retirement age again), then maybe I can think about retiring! Actually, retirement talk is quite depressing when you have to think in decades for it to become reality.
About the boy we call Logan. We
get to start off from just before Christmas last year. He had to get some dental work done, but because he enjoys biting, turning, basically avoiding, we have to put him under anesthesia. So, we met with UW Pediatric School of Dentistry, then off to Children’s Hospital for his procedure. He did well. He did well for his follow up too. We were all surprised. Logan ended this year with a double-whammy. He got both rhinovirus and influenza A. He vomited and couldn’t keep his meds down, and we ended up at Children’s Hospital this December.
Chris still works for Seattle Bindery as a driver, and he still works for Green River doing sound for the drama department and family theater. Vanessa still gets to go with him to all the family theater rehearsals and shows. It’s such a treat for her. Chris started working with a band, transporting, setting up, and doing their sound. It’s a lot of fun for him.
Me, I had an eventful year at work. If you didn’t know, I am a shop steward for our Union. I got to be on the hiring committee to look for a new Vice President of Human Resources and Legal Affairs earlier in the spring. That was stressful. I was also on the collective bargaining negotiations team over the summer representing our college. Our contract is grouped with 12 other colleges (coalition) and each college sends representatives. We have a head negotiator that speaks to the head negotiator for the State, who sits alongside with the College representatives. That was more stressful. And if this wasn’t enough from work, at home I’m Vanessa’s legal guardian and representative payee for Social Security. This equates to lots and lots of paperwork with deadlines I have to deal with. At the end of summer a lady didn’t like my car and did this to it:
I had Logan in the car with me, and he was in the backseat where the car took the most damage. He’s fine, but my back wasn’t. It’s a good thing I’ve been going to massage therapy and the gym. I think both combined helped me heal faster.
Earlier this month, another lady didn’t like Chris’ car either. So, both of us got new wheels – well, I got a 2014 Civic Hybrid; Chris got a 2005 Odyssey – and car payments to go with (hooray of the economy!).
The year is almost over and we can’t wait. Honestly, we like having boring years.
Happy Holidays!
Should I wait a couple of weeks to add an entry just so it will be a whole year?
😬
It’s sad to say that I found a couple of different apps to keep a journal. It’s a little more private than on a blog. Facebook is for when I want to share with a lot of people. I consider the use of a blog for telling the whole world. I wonder if this is the reason I tend to stay away from adding an entry.
So what do I want to share with all of you, the world? I just started allergy shots. It is my last resort. After two decades of OTC antihistamines, they are starting to wear off. I was quite miserable this past spring with the tree pollen. I had to retake the scratch test because I’m seeing a different Dr. I’m still allergic to nature: every grass, weeds, and tree. Trees being the worst. And where do I live? Better yet, where do I work?! Oi! I really hope these shots work.
This pic is six hours after the test. They tested trees on my left arm. There were six or so trees the tested. My reactions to the serum turned into one big welt. My wrist was sore the next day because of the swelling. Lovely, isn’t it?
Wow, it’s been a while.
Posted on: September 5, 2012
Let’s see. Since January, I’ve learned to crochet, got guardianship of N, got N SSA, saw N graduate -and walk- dealt with L and his habitual whining all summer, let the kids play with our iPads all summer. Finally got N her own iPad, and saw the start of school last week. Crazy.
Oh, and I joined Cookie Lee. Now Arbonne is coming out with their Holiday line. I should get busy and promote and sell, and build a business(es). The real problem is that I’m not as ambitious as I should be to grow my business(es). Call it laziness. Call it fatigue from having to work a 40 hour work week and having to run after a 6-year-old boy that has not-yet diagnosed ADHD.
I’ll at least try to post more consistently. Now that I’ve added a new hobby, I should post pictures of some of my work. I amazed myself with my quick progress on a couple of projects, given that I learned during the snow storm in January.
Snowmaggedon 2012
Posted on: January 20, 2012
Winter has finally come to the PNW this week. We had lots of snow, then freezing rain which became ice on top of the snow, and more snow on top of that. We have lots of icicles hanging from the house gutters; ice on the trees. There are news reports of downed trees along highways, on cars, on one person (so far). Power outages everywhere because of the downed trees. The Narrows bridge is closed because of falling chunks of ice. We currently have rain which is melting the snow causing flooding and landslides. Now I hear we have a wind advisory starting at midnight tonight through tomorrow morning. This past weekend was MLK Jr holiday, so we had a 3-day weekend. Because of snow fall, I started work a little late on Tuesday, and because of the weather mentioned above, the kids and I have been off from school and work for a 5-day weekend.
I read that the Washington State Patrol handled 2317 incidences in a 24-hour period on Jan 18-19. That number includes collisions, traffic control, stranded motorists, debris, etc. Found that out from the Twitter feed for State Trooper Guy Gill.
Even so, it was pretty, and with a lot of luck, our power did not go out.
Snow over MLK Jr Holiday weekend.Freezing rain on top of snow (held upside-down for ease)
This is pathetic…
Posted on: January 12, 2012
I came home today and turned on computer to check my e-mail. What do I see as the first story on Yahoo!’s homepage? This:
The first story on Yahoo!'s homepage
It just makes us look pathetic.
New Year’s Resolution
Posted on: January 4, 2012
Winter quarter begins tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4, 2012. It’s weird, but that is how the calendar is going to work this year. It’s a leap year and the end of the world will be coming in December. Time to figure out my New Year’s resolutions and bucket list. ;-}~
Seriously, I need to eat better, exercise, finish my transcription course (had to purchase another extension!), and get crafty (add organization to that too). I keep looking at my piles of stuff. I still have pictures from our Hawaii vacation in 2010 that need a home. I practically used all the color inks in the printer to print them out, so I’m obligated to get them onto pages, and into a book. Also, I’ve purchased a Sizzix Big Kick and reconnected with my Silhouette, so I should be great on any dies or embossing. I have TONS of stamps can be used on A LOT of ink pads that need to be broken in. I need to stop being a collector and become a user.
I got a coupon for a free exercise ball from Sears. Just need to put air into it and figure out a way to keep the daredevil boy away from it. I should invest in the Kinect, exercise and/or dance games, and some workout shoes. Yeah, daily positive affirmations for this one.
I need to keep up on my Arbonne. I purchased a bunch of make up (mainly eye shadow) and should use it on a daily basis. I also have a nice stock on lotions. I had to throw out some stuff that I recently found for product lines that were discontinued a couple of years ago. That made me sick to my stomach. I was literally throwing out hundreds of dollars worth of product because it was too old, and no longer available. Talk about “use it or lose it.” I need to USE IT! Since Arbonne is vegan and has a great health and wellness line, vitamins and supplements are not hard to come by.
It sounds like the State may have to implement a clause in the upcoming contract that will decrease my salary by 3%. In exchange for that, I will get 5.2 extra vacation hours per month. I currently accumulate 14.66 hours a month, which means from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013, I will accumulate 19.86 hours per month of leave. On top of that, I will continue to accumulate 8 hours of sick leave. I really need to finish my transcription class and supplement my income (and hobby). Theoretically, I should have a lot more time in my world this year, just to see it all come to an end… or do we already live in hell?
Happy New Year!
Posted on: January 1, 2012
Happy New Year everyone! Funny enough I was flossing my teeth when the clock struck 12. I only figured it out from the fireworks that were going off in and around the neighborhood. So here’s to good dental hygiene and taking better care of myself this year. I already have chiropractor and massage therapy appointments lined up (along with the reset of medical deductibles). Woohoo!
We even decided to treat our cats with a can of tuna. It’s so funny to watch them when the can is punctured. They start crying in alternate turns and sometimes in unison. I wish I remembered to grab my phone and record. That would have been a great post.
Well, since I missed the live fireworks, I’ll be watching online. Be safe!
Having been on vacation last week, I now have to wake up to an alarm tomorrow morning. Ten days of sleeping in. Well, 8 actually since the kiddos had school last Monday and Tuesday. Minor details, anyway good thing my boss lady gave me a $50 Starkbucks giftcard (!) so I can get me an extra shot in my latte. I’m going to miss sleeping in until 8a.
Christmas was good to me though. I got all the stuff I wanted – considering I bought almost all of it. I almost wrapped them too, until my sweet hubby said he would do it. He hid one of my gifts (that I didn’t know he got) in one of them. Sneaky guy. A new cell phone! Had a blast setting it up. I also got a couple of gift cards. Found some really good After-Christmas Day sales like 50% off Christmas items (gift wrap). The best deal I found were for a pair of boots that were originally $100 marked down 60%, additional $10 for ?, plus another $10 off a $25 or more purchase equals just over $21 after taxes! Woohoo!
The only downside to Christmas? Removing all the tags from clothes, then having to do laundry soon after having already done regular laundry.
I’d better get to sleep .
All the cards are completely done, signed, stuffed, stamped, and sealed. Just need to stop by the Post Office and drop them in the box.
Christmas 2011... done! Need to drop these in the mailbox so they'll be delivered by New Year's.
Almost done!
Posted on: December 22, 2011
My stopping point last night a little before 11p.
My stopping point this afternoon. Just need to stuff the envelopes and stamp 'em!
nothing original 