Give Me a P!

What does P stand for you may ask? Well....
Prayer, patience, phlebotomy, Personal Progress and post-stress.

The last couple of weeks have been interesting ones. I received a new calling to be an adviser in Young Womens. I was also asked to accept the assignment to be Ward Camp Director again. (Luckily this year is Stake Camp so I don't have AS much to do.) However I have to get a lot done before Stake Camp and I only have about 8 weeks to do it in. That's a little crazy. I know it will all come together but it still makes me nervous. I was camp director once before and although I loved it I hoped to never have to do it again....lol
I got cleared to donate blood again! Yay!
That may seem like a weird thing to get excited for but I feel good when I donate. Plus I gotta say (and maybe this is sick and wrong) but I miss being around the venipuncture procedure. It's not as though I'm some psycho (huh that also starts with a P though...) that enjoys getting stabbed with a needle. I have no obsession with vampires, I just feel like a good person when I do it.  After we went to Mexico I found out that I had to wait a year to be eligable because we were in a malaria zone. Bummer. But I was cleared and was just waiting until I had time to dedicate to the blood bank.
I got off work earlier than usual one day and was running errands to the bank and what not. Well in my head I heard, "you should go donate blood."
At times like this you can think of things two different ways. One as though a mosquito was buzzing in your ear and you want to shoo it off, or two as a prompting. I suppose someone may also justify that it was just a thought I had in the back of my head that carried over to the surface but lets forget that option for a moment shall we? My reaction was to swat at the mosquito thought. I literally shook my head and said, "no, not today. I just don't feel like it." Then very clearly in my head I thought/felt/heard whatever, "no you NEED to go donate blood today." Then images of me being 16 and ignoring a prompting popped into my head and images of the car accident that resulted. UGH! I thought. FINE!
So I went to the blood bank on a prompting/whim. I'm not sure why I didn't want to go initially  Like I said I enjoy donating blood. It gives me a sense of purpose. I enjoy being around professional phlebotomists, it keeps my hopes of one day working in that atmosphere alive. I enjoy the Inland Northwest Blood Center because they always have wonderful treats afterwards and they are genuinely nice people and it's what got me interested in phlebotomy in the first place.
I grabbed a quick bite and went to the donation center. Almost the moment I walked in and confirmed I was there to donate, one of the main phlebotomists Maria looked and me and went  "OH! Great now I know your name. Jose and I were trying to think of it. We have some job openings that are coming up and we think you should apply unless you are already at the path lab or something?"
Hmmmmmmm..... maybe I avoided the car wreck this time?.......
I mailed in a lengthy applications and all the extra paper info I thought they may need the next day. Early this week I had a phone interview and Wednesday an in person interview that took nearly 2 hours with a three person panel asking me questions, as well as me doing a written Q&A.
I don't know if I will get this job. I don't even exactly know if that's the reason I felt prompted to go in there that day. But I do know that if I hadn't followed that prompting I probably wouldn't have had such a good opportunity otherwise. Or maybe someone just really needed my nice O- blood.
But this interview at the very least has excited me. I did really well in my interview. Does that mean I'm a shoe in? No. They can always hire someone with more experience or better qualifications. But it renewed a sense of capability I had been lacking for a while. I've had a few job interviews for phlebotomy since I finished school. I've had some exciting prospects. And each time I was left feeling deflated and discouraged. The difference in this interview was I left feeling challenged and excited. Maybe if not this time than another time? I'm more hopeful than I've been in a long time.

Through this process of receiving a new calling, new assignment, and the hope of my new career I've had to greatly rely upon prayer. I've lost count of the silent and vocal pleas I have shared with my Father in Heaven. I've sought council with Him, my husband, and my family to de-stress and overcome what felt like very overwhelming things going on in my life.

Another thing that has helped me focus on a bigger picture is the fact I am able to work on Personal Progress again as I am in Young Womens once more. I didn't have the inclination or drive as a youth to complete it. The program has changed so very much from that time though and I am encouraged and happy that I may complete it. I hate leaving things unfinished. It kind of drives me nuts. Even if those things don't really seem like a bit deal.

I'm working on the patience and post stress. I'm learning to delegate and take time to breathe. The experiences of the last couple weeks have taught me that it doesn't do any good to not get sleep over these things. It wont fix the problem, nor will it simplify it. It will only make you have a raging headache in the morning on TOP of trying to come up with a solution. I may be finally learning to place things in the Lords hands. I have to do my part of course and not procrastinate. But He certainly will help me shoulder any burden that is placed before me.

In other news this month....
I LOVED General Conference!
Izzy is now a year old and so very precious to us. (I haven't had time for pictures.) :(
Casey has confirmed he is double majoring and then plans on a masters degree.
 So that it in our lives!!!!
Love,
Heather

Update

Hey all,

I meant to write a post yesterday but meh, I got lazy and well here you are!

Happy Late Easter!

Nothing to exciting going on with us. We are just working and that's about it. Casey has his spring break this week but the only change we will really have is he will be at work all week instead of work and classes. 

Easter was nice. We had a great day at church and then had a fun dinner with family. Then we watched my nieces and nephew hunt for eggs and their baskets.

I had ever intention of making "resurrection rolls" but alas after some of the fun died down so did our energy. The kids were ready for naps and so were the adults.

We managed to take one picture of the two of us to prove we existed on 03-31-13 lol but it wasn't very good. 

I've started to eliminate foods from my diet based on my docs findings on endometriosis.  I've looked online as well and hmmm, how long have I been in the dark? It's quite a change from what I'm used to. You have to eliminate:

Soy

Wheat

Gluten

Dairy

Processed Sugar

Red Meat

Caffeine

Chocolate

...

But the good news is veggies, fruits, and lean protein are a go. If anything I will lose weight lol. They are finding more links between endo and inflammatory diseases, so this anti- inflammatory diet is supposed to reduce pain and symptoms. For some women it has even helped them get off of medication and increased fertility but I will be honest I still have low hope of that occurring. I am just tired of pain. 

Casey has been really helpful with all this. One way I'm able to do really decently is every ten days I give myself a day off so so speak. Not to gorge or binge on foods that aren't good, but say we want to have pizza or pasta or something on my bad list, I can have it them. At the end of April I will go to every 15 days, then by June I will be at once a month. In my reading it said if I follow these guidelines even 85% of the time I am bound to feel better.

It also got me thinking about the word of wisdom. Really there isn't much difference.  That is the biggest thing for me to remember. My body is a temple, I need good things to go into it in order for it to function as it should. 

None of this is new to me of course, but I've felt pretty rotten the last couple of months so I felt truly ready to make a significant change. Maybe it's the fact my 30th Birthday just in site this year. It's only going to get harder as I get older to be better to myself.

So that's my update. Kind of boring sorry. 

Love to all!

H

Blitzen's 3rd Birthday!

It's hard to believe that this Saturday Blitzen will be 3 Years old!!!! What a wonderful blessing this boy has been to our lives. He is such a great kitty. He is affectionate. He takes his role as alpha very seriously and checks our home each night and is the last one to go to sleep. He is the most mellow of all our kitties and the most stoic. He is always quick with a purr and is great at setting a good example for his younger siblings.
It's adorable when he plays because there is really only one toy that gets this fella to act like a little kitten again. His poof. It's a little ball of fluff he carries around in his mouth while rolling on the floor and letting his dignity slide a bit.

 In honor of his 3rd Birthday I felt some new pictures would be good. So here is my full grown pocket panther looking handsome as always!

His favorite spot in the house is in the kitchen
warming himself in the sunshine on his mat.

This what a smiling kitten looks like.
Eyes closed, completely happy. 

Alright Mama, one strait on picture. This is my best side don't you think?
Now please  let me stare off into space in peace.

He was very patient with me during these pictures. He usually tucks his head away and acts all shy. But he was into the moment I think and felt it was okay to be the center of attention. 

Happy Birthday Blitzen Boy!!!!

Purging the Past with Fire

With each new year I make some form of resolution that I inevitably don't keep. Sound familiar???? I know I'm not the only one. In fact Casey pointed out that he didn't even want to try to make a resolution just for that fact alone. 

So instead we came up with a motto for 2013. 

TAKE BETTER CARE

It's a blanket statement, but a helpful one. Whether it is our finances, our health, or spiritual growth we can pause and say lets Take Better Care and from there regain our priorities. We both have the tendency to live in the moment and that isn't always the wisest or healthiest course of action.

We went to visit my family a little while back and my parents urged/begged me to clear some of my clutter out of their shed. So being the obedient child I am I did just that....And also somehow ended up with a lot of my brothers treasured crap as well. lol Anything of value will be returned to him someday. In part of my TBC motto I have been attempting to "gut" my house if you will of unnecessary things. I wouldn't part with anything of value either monetary or sentimentally, but it just feel good to purge things that are just piling up for no reason.  While going through boxes I found two that had so many pictures, letters, and cards that I literally went through each one to determine what I cared to save and what was really just trash. It may sound callous to anyone who comes from my family of "near hoarders" but I don't see the reason to hang on to EVERY LITTLE WRITTEN NOTE OR IMAGE!!!!

I did make a nice little pile of letters and pictures that I know I can't part with. They are almost a journal of some events in my life. Like certain letters from when I was in basic training. There is such an outpouring of love and strength within them I can't part with them. I'm not sure what to do with them yet, but I know I will continue to treasure them.

Just a few of the loving wishes sent to support and push me forward.

I did find however there were other letters and cards and pictures that were just to painful for me to recount. They brought up memories I'm not likely to ever forget so there was no reason to hang on to them. Honestly the memories bring up more poison in my heart than a learned lesson. I read somewhere about writing down all your mistakes and burning them and walking away with a lifted burden from your heart. I thought to myself as I looked at pictures of my first wedding to Corey, or letters I received while in the hospital because I attempted suicide, cards from family members telling me maybe someday my father would speak to me again I just needed to be patient and know how much my actions disappointing my family, and all I felt was pain. I have learned from some of the mistakes/pain I have suffered by my own action as well as others. Through repentance and the Atonement I can honestly say I know the Lord loves me regardless of my past. And yet when I think on those times, and as I saw evidence of their existence all I could think was how it still had a hold on me. Over 10 years later and my actions still cause me to grieve. So I thought, alright Heather, time to move forward. Time to let go. So I burned them.

Every letter, picture, document, card, tangible memory of my past that haunts my heart. 

I know that by this action I'm not fully free of those memories. But it's one step closer to being further away. Does that make sense? I will always struggle with my faults. It's part of my nature. And as my amazing husband points out so often I am harder on myself then anyone he has ever met. But I felt a sense of satisfaction watching those items burn. I wish I could purge like that everything that feels unpleasant, but that's a little psychotic even for me. lol 

After the flames died down I poured some planting soil over top and stirred it. I think finished with bit of water and added plant food. I hope to plant some pretty flowers that will help me remember my efforts today, dramatic as they may be.

A place where something beautiful can grow out of painful memories.

It has been a glorious day to do this. I'm happy I did this. I'm grateful for the amazingly simple and happy things of my past that help me to focus. Once I was done literally the sun came out from behind the cloud it was hiding behind and warmed my face. It was kind of a perfect moment. I'm happy to be able to save this memory here.

A perfect end to the purging process.

As all of us move forward in this year I hope that we each Take Better Care; of our families, friendships, health, spirit, mind, finances, homes, children, lives, whatever needs it. 

 I have regrets. I don't know a person who doesn't on some level. I won't forget my mistakes, it would be wrong to not acknowledge them because they have brought me to where I am today. But they don't have to be painful either. I desire to move forward in my life and recognize those things ahead of me. I think that is a better way to Take Better Care of myself at this time. 

Love,

H

 Your past is not your potential. In any hour you can choose to liberate the future.   Ferguson, Marilyn

Merry Christmas From the Blamires Duo

This is the first year since Casey and I have been together, (and come to think of it since I was about 18) that I haven't sent a single Christmas Card to anyone. I mean, I haven't even sent one to my parents... Wow that makes me feel terrible. My reasons are not Scrooge or Grinch related (although plenty of that has gone around this season) but rather I had no time or energy. Seriously. That's it. And by the time I had time or energy it dawned on me that it's Christmas Eve. Yikes! 

So I guess this is my Christmas Card this year. 

Casey and Heather have had an exciting year. It was filled with a lot of firsts.

Heather got her first stamp on her passport. She hopes to have many more in future years. It was an exciting moment for her. 

We welcomed both a new nephew in January, and a darling new niece in November. Wow! that makes 5 on Casey's side and 3 on Heather's! We love being Uncle Casey and Aunt Heather!!!! 

Heather went whitewater rafting for the first time and fell out of the boat. 

It's hilarious now......See older posts for details. 

Casey tried sushi for the first time and LOVED it.

Both attended school this fall. 

Once again Casey did very well in all his classes. We don't have the final grades yet but he was pretty confident that things went really well. He also really enjoyed tutoring in the Spanish lab. It helps not only the other students but him to continually practice and keep up that second language. He is sort of toying with the idea of a teaching degree because he loves helping people learn a language he loves so much. But first he says he has to survive the degree he is pursuing at this time.  

Heather completed her phlebotomy course and is now a certified phlebotomist. No job prospects yet which makes her nervous but patience and prayer will no doubt help. She loved what she learned and working in her clinical settings. She is toying with the idea of continuing on in the medical path and completing the EMT Basic course. Right now however she is just grateful to be done with this class. It was kind of intense for her. 

                                   

Our furry family members are doing great as well!

Blitzen

Our oldest boy is doing great. His teeth haven't been bothering him very much which is wonderful. We can't believe in  February he will be 3! He is still the Alpha cat and loves to take care of his younger siblings and takes his job of keeping watch over the house very seriously.  He has such wise eyes and he is always there to make us feel better. 

Cuzco

Our sweet boy is just that, SWEET. He is always ready for a cuddle or a belly rub. He still tends to get into mischief but that is his personality and we wouldn't want him any different. He has been having problems with his ears the last couple months and we hope that that can get cleared up soon. Medicine hasn't helped. We think he may have some allergies, poor fella.  But even when he isn't feeling well he has such a loving demeanor. 

Izabel

Our youngest kitty is almost 9 months! She is still very much a kitten too.  Her favorite things to play with are boxes and bags. Right now she is in sort of her "tween" stage which means she is establishing her independence and doesn't want to be held very long. She loves chasing her older siblings and thinks the Christmas tree is the most fascinating thing ever. She's still very small and will probably always be because of her hard start at life but she is very spunky. 

Hazelnut

Our newest and most mysterious kitty is adjusting well. She purrs more and is getting more comfortable at being held. She even snuggles every once and a while. She and Blitzen still are bumping heads over who will be top cat at times. But she is learning to play more and more with Cuzco and Izzy. She still misses the outside at times but also seems to really enjoy the warm and cozy comforts of being an indoor cat. 

This year has had a lot of ups and downs and we as a couple have really had to rely on each other for strength and sanity. But looking back we can see all the many blessings we have enjoyed. We know for sure the love of the Lord and the love of our families. We are grateful for those joys that have come into our lives. They greatly outweigh the sorrows. That is our hope for all of you as well.

Have a Wonderfully Merry Christmas and a Very Blessed New Year!!!!

The Gift of Love. The Gift of Peace. The Gift of Happiness.

May all of these be yours this Christmas. 

Love,

The Blamires Duo

YIKES!!! And other adventures....

Once upon a time there were two individuals with big goals of work, school, callings, and having time to do things like go to the movies or complete a Pinterest craft.... Alas these two people live in reality and so as time wore on in the months of October - December some things gave way. Such as having time to go to the movies or complete a Pinterest craft... or heck, updating a blog! 

So yes, as you may be able to tell Casey and I have been crazy busy. I understand EVERYONE is crazy busy but OY! this has been nuts! 

Hmmm... Where to start? Alright with Casey:

Casey is halfway through his junior year of college. Sadly he will probably be a super senior because of the way classes get planned out but at any rate this has been his busiest and most demanding semester thus far. Not only is he doing higher level courses for his major but he is Spanish tutor. He has also been approached about being a tutor in the Math lab as well as the Computer lab. He might if he had time because the scholarships attached would be wonderful but on top of school he is also working full time. I'm sure he can't wait until the end of next week when he takes his last final and can breath a little more.

Work is good. Christmas time is Artbeat's craziest time of year. We get more sales than even the summer months in a shorter amount of time. Artbeat has also opened a sister store up in Moscow, Idaho. So Casey, the manger. and the owner all alternate who commutes up the hill to run the store. It can make for really long days for him. His job is titled as a sales rep but more and more he is doing artwork for the customers and that can be very time consuming. He is also in charge of the web development of the store and in the near future Artbeat hopes to expand into selling web templates which Casey would be in charge of also. Phew *wipes brow* um, what else?

Oh calling: Casey's church calling is going great. He's the Sunday School President and he loves it. The only time it's really stressful is if one of his teachers doesn't show up without telling him. But he and his counselors seem to have a good grip on things if that happens. 

That has pretty much been his world the last few months. School, work, calling, rinse repeat. 

The same goes for me. I decided not to stop working while doing my clinicals so my time has been running around between work, school/clinicals, and calling. Happily as a Sunday School Teacher I don't have a demanding calling. I prepare to teach for an hour a week, and I teach the 16-18 year olds so that's awesome. 

I have two more classes. One a practicum class where we will wrap up the last of our pokes. I have 5 finger pokes left. Any volunteers? And the last one is our test to certify as phlebotomists. I am also down to only needing 20 hours left in my clinical work. So far I've worked in three different facilities. 2 hospitals and a medical center. I enjoy it but clinical phlebotomy isn't where my heart is at. I really wish I could work more in the donation phlebotomy department. Both give great experience but they are also very different ball games. Today I had my first near fainter... Interesting experience. But all was well. Poor fella. 

Work is okay. Although I'm not working the hours Casey is I try to get a lot done while I'm there because I don't have much cushion as far as due dates go. It will be much easier when I am working more full time and not splitting my time up between my day job and my clinical work! 

I had an interview this week at one of the hospitals. It didn't go as well as I thought it would. It was one of those situations though were you think, "maybe this isn't a good fit, it doesn't feel like one." So who knows what will happen. I have other applications out there but jobs are a bit limited because the valley has so many phlebotomist student and pros already. I am excited that in January I will start my volunteer work at the blood bank. My hope is that by working there in any capacity they will think of me as soon as an opening comes up. There is in fact an opening right now on their web site but sadly it's in Spokane. Casey and I are willing to relocate to an extent but it has to work for both our jobs not just one or the other. 

In family news we have a new addition. I know I know we sound like creepy cat people but it was not our intention to make her a member or our family. 

This kitty used to live next door to my in-laws house and this summer she had kittens. She and her babies liked to hang out under the side porch at Todd and Linda's because it was quite and fenced in so no dogs or other mean critters could get to her. Her owners next door weren't really interested in finding the kittens homes (more to follow on that) so as a family we took it upon ourselves to find good homes for the babies. Todd and Linda then asked their neighbor if they fixed the kitty yet and she told them she had. (That was the first of many shady lies.) The neighbor was so not interested in her "pet" or the consequences of not fixing her that she decided she would just stop feeding the cat and her kittens in hopes they would go away. Todd found not one but two nearly dead kittens on his lawn because of dehydration on malnutrition. The mama cat was skin and bones because even though her kittens were mostly weaned she was still feeding them what she could through nursing because they needed food. So it was depleting her.  So very sad. Well my in-laws have never loved cats really. They like them more because Casey and I have cats but they are not "cat folk." you know? Well they went and got food for the mama and babies and went to work caring for them as best they could. After each of the babies found homes they continued to feed the mama cat (whom they nicknamed Nelli) because the neighbor had abandoned responsibility. There was discussion of surrendering the cat to the animal shelter but they were to full. There's also a rescue group in town for animals but they too were booked full in their foster homes so Todd and Linda decided Nellie was just fine where she was.

Then the weather took a nasty turn. It was a weekend when the temp got down to 25 or so and poor Nellie was just huddled  in a blanket Linda had laid out for her. They tried bringing her inside and things would have been okay but one dog of their three was NOT having a cat in his house. So they asked us if we could foster her until they found a new home. They didn't want her to freeze out there until they found a place. We agreed but we needed to take her to the vet to make sure she was fixed and had her shots. Coincidentally the day I went over to get the then called Nelli the neighbor happened to be home. I stopped her and asked what her plans for her cat was. She didn't have any. She was moving in a hurry and couldn't take care of the cat anymore. She said she never really liked her anyway. She also needed to find a place for her mangy dog too. (her words not mine but yes that poor beast was mangy and shy and in a bad way) So I said I was going to take care of her cat and I would find a new home for her. And by the way what was the cats name. "Hiccup" is what her son had called the cat. Hmph. Okay whatever.

So we took "Nelli/Hiccup/MamaCat" to the vet. Nope the neighbor never fixed her, shocker, and nope she has no vaccines, shocker, and yep her ears were bad and she was very underweight....shocker. Some people deserve a high five.... to the face.... with a chair. Anyway we got her home after her little surgery. Introductions were going well with our three kitties. She was being cared for and warm for the first time probably EVER. (the vet figured she was pretty young because of her teeth...about Cuzco's age.) 

We had an ad on craigslist and petfinder. We had a potential person who maybe might consider taking her in possibly it just depended. (sounds really reliable right? lol) Then one fateful day Casey was sitting in the office and doing some work when "Nelli/Hiccup/MamaCat" decided his lap looked nice. She snuggled down and feel asleep and started to purr. She hadn't really purred up to that point. On occasion she would be not much. Anyway he later told me, she woke up and looked at him and he was done. He didn't want anyone else to take care of her because she was finally happy. 

So this poor little soul has joined our home and hearth. She is getting along with the other kitties better and better each day. There is a bit of a power struggle between her and Blitzen because they are both used to being alphas. But anyway she is ours. 

We would like to introduce you to:

HAZELNUT

Now don't be fooled, she does look at LOT like Cuzco but she is a totally different cat. Who knows maybe she is his long lost sister. They are the same age and look a lot alike. lol 

So we now have two adorable black kitties or our "Pocket Panthers" and two grey stripped kitties that might be considered "Nondescript Mini Jungle Cats" 

The End. 

Now your are ALLLLLL caught up! 

Sorry it was so long,

Big love,

H

I Vant Tu Suck Ur Blooooood....

With a sterile needle, gloves, gown, and all necessary precautions to ensure your safety as well as my own. LOL
Ah, a little phlebotomy humor there for ya! But kind of perfect as it is nearly Halloween.

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. (I should really just call the maybe two people who read this thing rather than act as though an audience of devout readers has been hanging on by a thread after my white water rafting cliffhanger. Did she ever start school!?! How is work going!?! Oh my goodness, what's new with her CATS!?!) Seriously my life is THAT boring.

In answer to those questions, yes both Casey and I started school. And so far it's been quite the ride. Casey bounces between work, school, and the new extended branch location in Moscow. I bounce between work and school but not as crazily. But don't get me wrong, it's been intense. In fact I still don't know if I'm going to be able to hack it. I've had two technically successful draws on the arm. Which means I have taken blood properly from two different  victims er, STUDENTS in my class. I have also done a skin puncture where you take blood from the finger, and may I just say... No matter how scared you are of needles, use that option over a finger poke any time you can. It's faster, a lot less painless, and a lot lot lot less aggravating for your phlebotomist. You practically have to milk the dang finger of blood to even barely enough for tests. Which kind of hurts more than you think, and then you have a sightly higher risk of the blood cells getting damaged so you would have to get the tests over again. It's so much better to just take the needle. Trust me. It's awful,  but trust me.
I really do love my class though. My teacher.... not so fond of. She's a great example of someone who is brilliant at something but REALLY sucks at teaching that subject. (reminds me of one of the high school chemistry teachers I knew growing up.) I really hope to start clinicals soon. That's where we will go out in the field and get job shadow experiences as well as learn about different places we can work. We will also get most of our draws and pokes in the field to be certified. She wanted us to start them at the beginning of October but as she put it "I'm not comfortable with where you're at skill wise and confidence wise. It looks bad on me." Well hmph. At least I wasn't singled out. I'd say most of us are in that boat. I'm just nervous because you have to have so many draws, pokes, clinical hours, and class time hours to get certified on TOP of the final test you take to pass. Yikes! I really want to succeed and after my latest draw I feel better on my ability to do this but it's going to be tough.
My big hope is to work at a blood bank when I'm finished. That is where my passion is. Some people are fascinated by the path lab or things like that but I want to draw blood and know that it's saving someones life. It's the same reason why I donate blood myself. I know that pathology is very important but most of those people are ordered by their doctors to come in and find out what's wrong. A blood bank is someone who is volunteering their time, energy, and literal life juice (that sounds a little gross but I couldn't think of what else to call it...lol) for another human being. I think it's noble and kind, and I'd love to be a part of that officially. I also want to do it because I've met people who have had one bad experience with donating and they never did again. My poor brother had that experience. I talked him into going with me once and that girl butchered his arm. I'd love to be able to have someone like him and show them it can be an almost pain free process and that it's so worth it.

Work is okay. Frustrating at times like any job is but not to bad. My favorite days are Thursday and Friday because I actually get to see my husband for more than just a passing glance in a day. Things are rapidly picking up for our family business and it's both a wonderful blessing and a terrible stressor for us all.

Cats are fine. Izzy just had a fun little surgery. No babies for that baby! She was kind of miserable for a few days but now she's over it. Running everywhere and torturing her brothers.

Life has been pretty good. I wish I had more time in the day but I'm not sure what I would do with it if it was there. Probably get on Pinterest. lol (That site is amazing, so many wonderful things I learn, so much time I kill.) But that is pretty much it for me. Hopefully I'll have some fun posts from Halloween. Not sure what I'm dressing up as.... would a vampire be really cliche right now? lol
love,
H