That time William Shatner Tweeted Me

So the other night I was tweeting back and forth with a few friends, mainly fangirling over a certain actor (who may or may not be the best dressed in my 30 days of OUAT list ha ha). It was getting late, but we were on a kick... and then I saw a tweet that William Shatner wrote about Once Upon A Time. He's become an OUAT fanboy recently, and was announcing he was caught up on the series. Like many Oncers, he was proud of himself for calling a certain plot twist. I'm not a fan of Shatner, really (I do like him in Miss Congeniality though), but I had been following him because of his auction where he was auctioning off some Once Upon A Time memorabilia.

It was a total knee jerk reaction when I decided to reply to his tweet. It was me being whiny about Neal Cassidy not being around to be his kid's father, and I wasn't expecting to get a reply when lo and behold Mr. Shatner did just that! It was cool - I mean earlier that week I had OUAT creator Adam Horowitz reply to a tweet, too - but I didn't think much of it. I mean, really, who would? My friend tweeted me to "hope you're ready for some random attention". But I just laughed and went to bed.

I wake up the next morning to find out I apparently went viral. Because of my start of the discussion Shatner and a few Nealfire fans began to discuss how Neal needs to come back! WILLIAM SHATNER IS A NEALFIRE FAN (and apparently a SwanFire shipper, but I don't really care too much about that). I was NOT expecting any of this, and I spent most of Thursday and Friday very embarrassed as I watched my twitter post go viral on all sorts of social media sites (it's all over tumblr, twitter, facebook and instagram... and I don't have a tumblr!). It's CRAZY. My friends weren't even the ones who started it, they just fed into it (I think just because I was freaking out lol).

So, yes, Captain Kirk tweeted me about Once Upon A Time. My dad is telling everyone he knows... my five seconds of fame... oh well, it's better than when I made it into the local paper because I flambed the kitchen.

And, yes, Aimee, you are correct I was NOT THRILLED... LOL

Farewell January!

Kassy and Delaney treated me to birthday doughnuts before
we headed into the sanctuary to paint the walls.

Can it be the end of January already? Wasn't it just a week or so ago that we rang in the new year? It was a somewhat busy month. Between photos and helping with Church renovations I definitely was out of the house more than [my] normal.

The painting of the sanctuary was fast, took us 5 half days and it got done. It was thanks to a great group of people (I was terrified that it would just be Kassy and me). It's a lot less WHITE and has a little color and warmth in the walls now.

Our next project is to organize the church offices. We've already had a lot of fun with the shredder. And it's neat finding all of the old church photos and such. So much history. It will be interesting to put it all together.

My birthday was good. We celebrated a night early because it was MLK day and originally my mom's bff and her hubby were coming over. They couldn't make it, but we still had Kassy and Delaney over and we had prime rib and my favorite sides. And pumpkin pie for dessert. Delaney spent most of the evening in my room watching Disney Jr. but came out every now and again to entertain. She's a hoot.

On my actual birthday I was at the church painting, but Delaney made sure to sing me happy birthday and had me blow out my candles. It was low-key and that made it better than most. Oh, yeah, and they treated me to McDonald's for lunch. LOL

The rest of the month I've just been doing stuff online and photos. I'm hoping things pick up soon or I will be seriously job hunting. Don't really like that sound of it, but I have to do something to get the bank account back up to where I like it.

This is just a little random update into my life. Next comes dog mushing and Olympics posts I'm sure.

New Year, New Outlook

Well, so much for blogging in 2013. If you followed me on facebook you know it was, overall, a horrible year. I can definitely say that depression followed me around and I know I not only annoyed people but pushed them away. I may have had time to post (a lot) on facebook, but I had no desire to blog about anything.

Disney World with Mom and Dad was a blast - though October was horribly humid. I've decided I'm sticking to November as my favorite time to go. The crowds were awful as well. But we made do and mom and dad are still talking about all the fun they had. I could blog about it all... but I think this blog just needs to start over. In the coming days I hope to get motivated to get to changing a few things.

Really the year was rather lackluster - though there were some highlights. Meeting friends and reuniting with old ones. However it seems that it was more bad than good when talking about highs and lows. I pray that 2014 will be better.

Which leads to the New Outlook. I want to get off my duff and really buckle down and make life goals and decisions and work towards them instead of being so ambivalent about the whole thing. We'll see how that goes.

For January I want to downsize some of the things I really don't ever use (VHS tapes are the first thing to go, followed by books that I no longer read/need to hold onto). I'm going to do month by month. It makes it a better goal making thing for me.

These are not resolutions, btw. I don't believe in doing those.

Also on the Horizon is the Dorktwins 30th birthday trip to Disneyland! Erin's husband is coming along and I invited my friend from Buffalo, Aimee to come as she has the same bdate as Erin. It's going to be a blast and I'm already doing more planning on it than I really need to so soon. But I can't help myself.

This is the last year of my 20s (turning 29 this month!), I want to enter my 30s on a positive note!

Sorry, it's been a while.

Just when I got back onto a blogging schedule life took some drastic and in many ways painful turns. Some I am not allowed to discuss in public - though I really want to - and involves family. I've lost my photo studio - through no fault of my own, and only due to said family. And my precious pug Yuka passed on while I was in Montana.

And, no, I don't want to talk about that last one. It's still too raw. I love that little girl. She was and still is my heart.

Needless to say, 2013 has been the worst on record - and I've had some doozies in the last few years. I have stopped the cooking countdown - though we THREE are still going to Walt Disney World in October. In fact, we just hit the double digits today. 99 Days until my break from reality! I am hoping that some healing can happen while we are down there.

Erin and Wess' wedding back in May was fantastic. I enjoyed getting to meet the man who stole my beastie from me (hee hee) and they were so great and understanding while I dealt with my not being there for my puggy girl at the end. I have so many stories I could share. The best one being the night that we three went to Missoula for the evening and while at dinner Erin went to use the restroom and our waiter (not knowing/realizing there were 3 of us total) thought Wess and I were on a date. No matter how much we hinted that we were not a couple he didn't get it. That is, he didn't get it until Erin came back. The look on his face was priceless.

It really broke the ice between Wess and me and I even suggested that Wess come with on our Disney trip next year. (Disneyland September of 2014!) It'll be his very first time to Disney. He has NO idea what he's getting into! *cue evil laugh*

I'm typing this on my laptop that is trying to die on me. I went and bought a used computer from the school district today and will be transferring all of my photo programs onto that system to hopefully give this laptop a break. I'll use this strictly for internet stuff. For the time being. I need to find someone who will take a look and hopefully fix whatever is going on with this thing.

So that's a brief update from the last few months. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things soon. If for no other reason than to help my sanity.

A Fairytale Wedding

Most beautiful wedding, EVER!

It was a whirlwind trip to Cali and back for my cousin's wedding, but it was so worth it. I am so thankful that I got to share in Jillian and Matt's day. It was such an amazing testimony to God's love, and the love they share.

California was HOT and we were between the two forest fires, so the first day was basically unbearable. It was 102 in the shade and we were supposed to decorate my aunt and uncle's yard in preparation for the weekend's festivities, but after about an hour of dusting vintage pieces of silver I was spent and ended up sitting in the shade chugging ice water for the rest of the day.

The day before the wedding I wimped out and stayed at Judy and Gaylord's while the rest of the family headed back over to finish getting ready for Saturday's wedding. During the day the heatwave broke, and it was actually pretty plesant if not still on the hot side. I was bummed that I couldn't help out, had I known it'd only be in the low 90s I'd have sucked it up.

Still, I got to edit quite a few photos from one of my sessions that I shot right before heading down, and I got to watch the wildlife for quite a while in the yard. Judy and Gaylord live in Lake Wildwood which is a gated community and there are tons of deer and turkeys and it's really relaxing. Two does and twin fawns spent the entire day with me and I took a few pictures and video. They're so funny, they eat the birdseed that is on the ground and they won't share so they spend more time fighting one another than they do eating.

The wedding Saturday could not have been more beautiful. Jillian was definitely a pinterest queen while planning her wedding as a lot of the little details looked familiar/similar to what she'd been pinning for the last 6 months or so. It was perfect, and you could tell just how much these two are loved. Uncle Rick built a backyard that is out of something like "Finding Neverland" which it was really noticable once the lights went down and the lights came on. I swear Tinkerbell and her friends were buzzing all around us as the night went on.

The ceremony itself was so Christ centered and just a beautiful testimony to God's faithfulness and love for all of us. Jillian and Matt are such a godly example of how to live life, and I was so very blessed to be part of their day. After the ceremony and family pictures (enter sarcastic yay here, I prefer to be behind the camera) I manned the "photo booth" where guests could come and be a little goofy to celebrate the couple in pictures. I got some great shots of quite a few people before we were all called to the back for dinner and dancing.

The dinner was mexican flavored, and buffet style. It was so good! I am not a fan of chicken tacos, but however they seasoned it, I almost didn't miss the beef. The corn tortillas weren't fried, but they were fantastic as well. Either I was super hungry (true) or it was just really good (or both). Once we all got our fill the tables moved out of the way of the dance floor and the party really started!

View from the tables. So does not do it
justice for how beautiful the night was!

I am not much of a dancer, I just feel too goofy out there, so I people watched. My parents, though, were on the floor most of the night...as was the sib... I've decided he got his dance moves from Forrest Gump. As the group danced the night away, I watched the backyard transform into an enchanted fairyland. The white lights, the crystals, everything was magical. Where their cake and other dessert were they had mini chandeliers that twinkled and I swore Tinkerbell and her friends were having their own parties within them.

Jillian and Matt's first dance was from the movie Aladdin, "A Whole New World." It's been Jillian's song for what seems like FOREVER. After that my cousin Jake's band (Odd Man Out) took over and the dancing really began. Let's just say that the band was AWESOME, and everyone had a fantastic time. The party went well past the 10pm curfew.

After sending Jillian and Matt off with lavender and sparklers. We played designated drivers and finally got back home after midnight. Sunday we woke, went to brunch, and then by noon we were back at Rick and Becca to finish cleaning up after the wedding. I don't think I've ever spent so much time at their house - and that includes last year when I stayed at their house! Once that was finished Mom, Dad, Duane and I went to the Empire Mine to wander around. It was too hot to stay out for very long and we decided to go to Bridgeport to cool off.

Empire Mine's Mansion - I could live in that.

Dad, I don't think, has been to Bridgeport ever, and if he has - it was when he was a kid. Needless to say he took the scenic route. I was so sick to my stomach by the time we got to the river. We waded in what little water there was and it was refreshing. We stayed for about an hour and then headed home. It was a busy but fun day.

Monday I flew home. I was so not ready to come back to Alaska - don't get me wrong I don't want to ever live anywhere else (except MAYBE in a Disney Park lol), but I love my family! I've concluded Oakland's being cheaper to fly out of does not make it better. I don't want to ever visit Oakland or that airport again! Yuck! (What should I expect from RAIDER country, right?)

Tuesday I spent about an hour with Haille Rae before driving home. I don't think it's jetlag, but I'm so exhausted. It was a whirlwind trip and it's catching up with me! Thankfully I've just been hanging at home with the dogs (who were all happy I came home) and editing photos.

Last weekend in June - just what I needed!

After a not so fantastic Thursday I was sooooooo ready to get out of dodge for a while. I packed up my car for the weekend, left my computer at home, and headed for Anchorage. I planned on spending the night at my gparents and then we were going to head for the Iditaord BBQ for Volunteers and musher sign up on Saturday (blog about that coming later this week).
The drive up was pretty uneventful, and I made good time even with a pitstop in Girdwood where I ran into my friend Paul who was headed down to Kenai for the weekend. Go figure. After we exchanged the "stay away from these sections of anchorage/once you hit the sterling hwy it won't be as crowded" information we took off in either direction.

The drive was uneventful until I took one of the curves to find a ton of parked cars in an area you don't normally see a large congregation - there were sheep on the side of the road. So I joined the growing group of parked cars and grabbed the camera and giant lens. I spend at least a half hour shooting photos until the crowd grew to a size that made the older of the two sheep very aggitated. So I moved on and headed to the "big city".

Met up with my friend Angie for dinner at Ling and Louies. We both had their Mongolian Beef and it was super tender and yummy. I want to go again and again and again! After catching up I was off to visit the gparents. Pretty much an uneventful evening that went way too late.

After not getting enough sleep, grandpa asked me to follow him out to Wasilla for the BBQ (as I said, I will blog about that later). A drive that normally takes 40 minutes tops, took close to two hours. We went no more than 40mph on the Glenn Hwy. Not fun.

After the BBQ I headed a little way down the road to Juanita and Haille's where I was going to spend the night. I hadn't seen them since January - very bad, I know - and I was missing the kid something terrible. After getting directions I made a quick drive over and met a giant of a girl! Haille is up to my chest and is only age six! Her first words to me after I commented on her height was "I'm tall enough for EVERYTHING at Disney." Dang it. LOL

We decided to go to the movies that night so off we went, she gave me the wrong directions ("Aunt Toni, I'm SIX, I'm going to make mistakes!") but we finally found the theater. Got our tickets, our soda and popcorn... and she proceeded to spill a full (thankfully small) soda all over the theater stairs. So out we went to get another soda. Back in and sit down. We, of course, saw Brave (review to come later, hopefully), and when the Disney logo came on Haille proudly proclaimed "I've been there." Yes, yes you have.

After the movie it was home for a bit of fun before bed. Sunday we spent at the Park and then DQ before going home. Just spending time with Haille was a joy, even when she put her stinky, sweaty feet in my face, and was a general six year old. She is just so much fun. And so stinkin smart it isn't even funny.

At one point she told me, "You know what, Toni? My gramma spoils me. And my dad spoils me. And my mom spoils me. You need to spoil me more." Gee, thanks kid. LOL

Sunday evening I drove home. Now it's just maintaining until I head down to California for my cousin's wedding next week!



Haille's not a little girl anymore! *tear*

Summer's here...

The summer tourist Season openned last week, and I'm just now starting to blog about it. I headed over to Seward in the way too early morning hours on Monday to train the ladies who would be running the gift shop and cabins at Ididaride & Abode Well. Basically all they needed to learn was the new reservations system. Like the Wildride crew, the folks at Ididaride are down to earth and just so much fun. I spent three days over there - driving back and forth - and I miss them! Ha ha!

Monday was crazy, I don't remember ever being that busy at Wildride, though I'm sure we had our moments. It was the first Cruise Ship of the summer, and we were hoppin'! It was a lot of fun. The guests were amazing, and I think eveyone went away VERY happy. I didn't do much training as I was taking pictures and other extra things. We all helped each other out and even with a few hiccups it was a very good day.

Tuesday was dead by comparison, but we got a lot of training done. Wednesday we finished up a lot of the training and Danny told me to take the rest of the week off. So I'm back in Kenai until who knows when and I'm working on a few projects for Janine.

Other than that not much is going on. We have about 16 days till I can call down and start making reservations for our Disney trip, and I am chomping at the bit! We still haven't nailed down the plans, but I know that we'll work it out... eventually.

Just figured I needed to do an update. I'm hoping the sun comes back - it was gorgeous all week last week - because I want to get out and walk the beach some more. Yuka's really enjoying that adventure.

Happy April!

Yes I know my theme is still sled dogs and snow and Iditarod. I love it too much to let it go just yet! Besides, I'm working for mushers again, so I'm still in that mindset... I guess? ha ha!

There's not much to report. Work is starting to make sense so I'm pretty happy. It's only going to get busier. Then I have two trips that I have flights paid for, but now I have to start thinking trip planning. Disneyland especially. Going with family, again, but I need to get them to nail down a few things so I can maybe work around meeting up with friends at somepoint. I have some online friends who want me to show off my photography skills while I'm down there and I am excited about that idea!

We do have bad news to report, though. Mom's dog Bo has compressed disks in his spine. For the next two weeks he's going to be doped up big time as we try to get the muscles to relax. Poor guy is really out of it. We're just thankful he isn't sick, but he won't get to rough house or go up and down stairs anymore. He's so frustrated right now because he wants to do things but he can't. Even if he was allowed to move around the drugs keep him so relaxed that he can't move LOL

So, in between work and scrapbooking I also need to start planning. Boy, oh, boy, hopefully I can blog about it all...

The part of my job that is magic...

The social media aspect, and other parts of the job that I will be doing, are nice, don't get me wrong, but the part I will enjoy most is the photography. This is what I love doing, we all know that, but to have it be a big part of this "side job" is fantastic!

Last night I went out and snapped a few pictures of the potential A-team... here are a few of my favorites!

Blogger won't let me post another picture for some reason, so... I guess that's it for tonight.

Working through the Iditarod

It's official. I am working for mushers during the Iditarod (and beyond). Started Monday and it's been a whirlwind. So that's why the blog went silent this week. It was not my intention, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Tomorrow I am going to pack for the Iditarod. We will travel up to Anchorage Friday evening. Trail Guarding for the Ceremonial Start on Saturday, and then we'll head over to the HQ to see what's going on there. Then Sunday we'll head out to Willow for the ReStart. I will meet up with "my" mushers and take pictures, hopefully posting via my mobile phone on their facebook, and then I'll hike out to whereever my family and friends are to watch the teams take off for Nome!

I'm debating whether I want to stay in Anchorage for a while or head back home with the gang after that. I'm tempted to stay up there, but may not have a vehicle, which would make my stay up there rather pointless... decisions, decisions...

We interrupt this program to bring you real life...

The last few days have been a road map of mixed emotions. Sunday I was contacted by a friend and former employer of a job opportunity he wanted to fit me into. I loved working for this family a few years ago, and have tried to keep in contact, but it was still a daunting offer. It would require me to be in another part of the state for part of the year, and willing to travel. It's involved with the sled dog and mushing community, and I was a "perfect choice" because he considers me a "fanatic. (Okay, I am, but still!)
After having a brief chat through emails, we decided to meet up today (Wednesday) while he was in town to really nail down some of what the job would be and why I was the choice. But from Sunday to now I was panicing. I wanted to give the right answer not only for them but for myself, but I am such an overplanner and overthinker that I was focussing on the unknowns.

It's a job I already do, basically, for free. It's blogging, tweeting and facebooking. I'll also be photographing and taking reservations in the summer (ok and winter too!). So this is not a stretch of the imagination for me to do this job well. It all really settled down to, do I want to have two addresses each summer. And that answer was really know.

However, the meeting today went really well. All of my concerns were addressed, and let's just say I really am not as persuasive but I can definitely be persuaded. We discussed a possible two weeks on two weeks off schedule for the summer, giving me a little more freedom from what I originally thought it would have. Ultimately, it's looking more like two small business partnering together - though I would answer to them as far as their job goes. It's been a long while since I've worked online for an athlete, and this is a whole family of mushers!

There's more to the job than just that, but that's the bulk of it. A lot of working from home most of the year which is FANTASTIC! God really openned a huge door with this one, and I am feeling extremely guilty for not just TRUSTING HIM! (you'd think I'd learn after all these years, but, nope!)

I've sent the email off saying I'll take it. Now it's just to see how it all comes together! I have butterflies of happiness in my tummy tonight! WHEW!

Well, so much for that...

It's not that I've been busy, I just haven't felt like blogging. Mainly because, I think, I'm frustrated with everything here and so I just have a little less care than normal. I've just been in a funk lately. I've had some good ideas for a blog that just ended up not going anywhere because of it.

Anyway, it's Christmas time and my family has gone all out here in Kenai. It's insane how much Christmas stuff we have out. I don't remember mom ever decking the halls as much as she has this year! I love it! It feels very much like Christmas (which I was worried about since I was spoiled living with Aunt Judy for the last few years and santa really does throw up all over her house!)

I'm doing a bit of photography (not nearly as much as I would like) but other than that I'm just bumming it here at home. Erin comes in two weeks for Christmas and I cannot wait! I definitely need a besties vacation! :)

so there's a mini update. As I said nothing exciting going on.

Last day of July...

Summer has gone by far too quickly. Tomorrow is august. I haven't been blogging, I've been scrapping. Basically I work and come home and scrap. Mainly because I just need to destress and these days the internet is anything but relaxing for me. That doesn't mean I haven't been tweeting or facebooking, but I've been mainly on my phone.

At the very beginning of the month I let my landlord know, via my parents since the property manager's son was becoming increasingly more difficult to deal with, that I would not be renewing my lease. I was tired of my neighbor's issues. My neighbor in the single unit was becoming more and more stalkerish. She knew too much about me (like where I worked, what my schedule was, and - get this - how much I reportedly made! Who gave her THAT info?). I was still unable to use the laundry facilities because of her smoking, my whole house smelled like it, and I was just done. My landlord was SHOCKED and "saddened" that I wasn't staying.

She had the prop. manager take down the for sale sign, and put up a for rent sign. Then my nosy smokey neighbor invited random people to come into my house. She waited for me to come home and demanded I let them go in. I told her no, she pressured and I finally relented for no other reason than to get her to leave me alone. SHE INVITED HERSELF INTO MY HOUSE! UGH! It makes me wonder how many times she went in there when the prop manager's son was showing teh house to potential buyers because she knew where everything was in my house. Insanity!

So, instead of renting I'm living with my parents in teh house I grew up in while I save money and build credit so that I can get myself a mortgage. It should take about six months barring any random issues. I have my very own credit card (pretty much against my will) which I will use to get my credit score to actually exist (they didn't even have my name in the system when they pulled my credit report. Go me!).

Still working at teh credit union, but as of this afternoon I've completed a letter/application for a job opening at the Alaska Court System here in Kenai. It's a better pay rate, I like the hours they have, and I just don't really feel like the CU is the right fit for me. I've been very discouraged lately, and just feel I need the change.

Photography has once again stalled due to my work schedule. I do have some things planned for August, though, and more in the works. Looking forward to it.

I finally got to go fishing last wednesday. Kept one red and landed four. It was a great day on the Kenai with just my dad. It was worth waking up at four in the morning on my one day off ha ha.

So that's basically the latest on me. Nothing overly exciting, but I had to put something on here for July. I guess.

I've got the blahs...

I don't know if it's work - which is a job, not a passion... yet again - or the living situation drama, or the hermit lifestyle I've led these last six years or so... but I just have been in this set pattern of blahs. Aside from vacations to Disney... and the Iditarod... I really haven't had much to look forward to or get excited about. It's frustrating, but at the same time I'm just not enthusiastic about changing the situation either. It could be laziness, or maybe I just don't give a real care to change. I look around me and all of these people are so much better at what we do, have these amazing families - which yes I know have their own trials, tribulations and moments of discontentedness - and I can't help but feel like I'm still stuck where I was in 2003, the only difference is back then I had a whole world of possibilities... now, nothing. I'm in that rut, I've gone back to the one place I promised myself I wouldn't go. And I'm just. UGH!

I don't understand why I am this way. I don't understand why I can't take the bull by the horns. Why I can't seem to even make a sale in my job or with photography! I just feel very inept. I have Two Years before I'm old enough to attend a high school reunion but what will I have to show for it? I'll be the loser on the corner. And not even a good kind of loser.


So, yeah, I have the blahs. And I'm tired of people saying "look on the bright side" quoting a Bible verse or saying "it'll get better" and then tell me their lifestory. Because, honestly, I don't care. I don't want a comforting word. I don't want a "pick me up." I just want to vent, and when I vent I don't want someone to answer back. I just want to scream and hear the lonely echo. So let me do that.

and, yes, this was taken right outside my door. Gonna miss this sight.

And so this post isn't a total loss, let me add a photo.

It's the end of an era, you might say.

So, after nine months, I'm moving out of the house on the River and moving in with my parents? Why? Namely because I don't do well with sharing property with others. Especially when I feel lied to by the property manager and not given (what I consider) the proper support. When the new neighbor moved in I was completely fine with losing space in the laundry room so she could have a closet - but I was not told she was a smoker and would be allowed to smoke in the house. Now my house smells of smoker smell. I hate to break it to ya, but that smell is one of the worst. When I brought this up a week or so later to the property manager he told me to basically suck it up. Nevermind it triggers issues for me. He suggested a smoke eater, but I had to buy it. Um, I don't think so.

Top it off, the owner is selling the property. All this week it looks like I will be dealing with folks walking through my stuff to view the property. So I'm just done. I'm getting griped at by my neighbor because she wants my dog to stop pooping and that I need to plant flowers on my side of the house. I'm just done. I want my space to be just that, mine. Not anyone elses. I don't want to deal with stupid stuff, and I'm wanting to just be left alone.

So, for the time being, we'll just move me into the house I grew up in until we can find something that works. Who knows how long that will be. I hate that I won't be on the river anymore, but honestly I haven't done anything down by the water, so it's not like it's that much different than living blocks away from it.

So, yeah, life is.... UGH... which is what it's basically been since December.

Settled In...

Well, it's official, I love living on my own. Parents aren't too far away, so it's nice. I've got a routine, Yuka's adjusted easily enough, and it's feeling homey. I'm leaning more towards not getting a roomie and just having my rent knocked down to one person instead of two living here. It'll still be tight, but it is what it is.

The studio is all set up in one of the spare bedrooms and I have my first clients coming over on Sunday in the afternoon. Gaylord and my dad have both helped me to set it up (dad doing the heavy lifting and construction, Gaylord set up the lights!). Mom is sewing together some new backdrops and I'm getting excited to get into the action.

Work is going a bit better, but I'm still pretty sure this isn't something I want to do forever. I don't like the hours, nor do I like coming home smelling like all kinds of gross due to the money handling. I'm not a huge fan of customer service type jobs where you have to be actually in the line of fire when someone decides they want to be pissed off at the company so they take it out on the poor little defenseless peon. I can only hold my tongue so much before I want to truly rip them a new one.

Next week (actually a week from last night) we head out to California. One week in Grass Valley, another week in Disneyland. I'm excited, but I really don't want Haille to turn 5. I've found all of these photos of when she was small (well... small for her) and I miss those times. I miss that girl. That's the one thing that is really tough (that and getting used to sales tax again) about being down here. I really, honestly, miss knowing I can see Haille by just picking up the phone or the keys and setting a play date. Now it's gotta be planned out well enough in advance that our schedules match. It'll be even harder when she starts "real" school. My heart hurts thinking about it.

I got my new to me vehicle this past weekend. Gaylord drove it down while Judy drove down in the Saturn. It's more of a plum color to me, and so I'm in the process of deciding what to name him/her (not sure gender yet) and getting a set of custom plates. It runs really well, my only real complaint is the seatbelt is hard to secure... it pops on me all the time as I'm driving down the road. Not a good thing to have happen.

Well I need to get moving. Got lots to do this afternoon, and I need to get my house presentable for when I have company/clients on Sunday. Today is, obviously, my day off, and so my parents are coming over tonight for an early bday meal as my birthday is tomorrow and I have to work till 6:30ish... another low key bday, but I'm okay with that. I get steak and noodles, I'm all about that.

Frustrations creeping up...

I had a meltdown last night. Dad picked me up around 8 to go look at a car to replace the Duck Truck. Yes, that's right, the Ford Ranger was considered totalled by the insurance company. I'm still upset about it. That truck was an awesome vehicle. I miss it. Anyway dad found a couple of cars on Craigslist after getting caught by a scammer with a Ford Escape. Hopefully my parents are saved from any true fraud. No money had exchanged hands anyway.

So off we went to check out this Monte Carlo. The one thing I told mom was that I did not want a low to the ground vehicle. This was not understood or relayed to my dad. So I was incredibly disappointed to see how short/small the car was. I took one look at it and thought "oh heck no." Dad was pretty happy with it, but if I can't see over a snowberm I don't want it. I was very adament about that.

I was in a bad mood because work is also not going well. I just feel absolutely stupid every night as I've keyed something wrong just about everynight and everyone stands around waiting for me to finish or - worse - realizes I've made a mistake so they go tell everyone it's going to take a while.

So after I told dad I did not want the car and we had a heated discussion about the car I was going to be seeing on Sunday (about the same size but a buick which always translates into an old fogie car, to me, as well as a boat of a car at that) and I just lost it. I'm just tired of all the crap. If things don't start looking up I'm going to go insane. Thanks to taxes I am not making enough to afford rent, gas and food... I can have two of the three. I still have NO roommate prospects as I'm stuck advertising only through churches because my parents are worried some crazy person is going to come in otherwise...

UGH!

So I cried in dad's truck while we got gas and then really lost it when it pulled into my driveway. I was just TIRED of it all. I didn't want to be angry at dad - it's not his fault I've screwed this whole thing up by biting off more than I could ever possibly chew - and I didn't want to cry. Dad put his arm around my shoulders and I lost it. So then he sent me inside and parked the truck and came in. I think he was afraid I'd hurt myself LOL. We watched a bit of tv, dad started to fall asleep so I sent him home... besides I still had to work today so I needed to go to bed...

which I didn't get to sleep until 11... and even then it wasn't very fitful, so today I was in a fog.

I came home at lunch to good news. Judy and Gaylord had found a Ford Explorer in my price range and had purchased it. It's a bit older than the Ranger was... but they're convinced it is a good find... so I'm hopeful. Not the dream car, but I will get a Ford Escape someday. That's the dream.

If I survive this nightmare first. Oy.

What I did on Christmas Vacation

Christmas was spent in Anchorage. After working all day on Thursday I drove my truck behind my dad. Duane rode with me as I was incredibly nervous driving in the dark on winter roads. It wasn't too bad, but we were definitely driving on ice in parts where I hated it.

Christmas was great. The family was all together and we had a lot of laughs and food. I love getting together with the whole gang. Louisa and Jim came down and Louisa's mom was up visiting from Washington so it was crowded, which made it even better. Christmas Eve Haille and Juanita came into town so it was one big happy family in Judy and Gaylord's small little house. Couldn't have been happier.

Christmas day was at the G'parents. It was great, and once again it was full! Carolyn and her friend came by so it was just like old times. Lots of new memories for the kids, and lots more laughter for the rest of us.

Then the day after Christmas the fun ended. We were on our way out of town, going to stop by the g'parents to say good bye and I ended up wrecking the truck. Duane, Yuka and I are all fine, no worries there. I hit a patch of ice going way slower than the speedlimit and I was able to correct the car out of the spin but not out of the slide and I ended up crunching the driver's front fender... and the tire blew... and now they're finding tons more wrong with it so it looks like the truck will be totalled and I'll be out of a vehicle. Because my life sucks like that right now.

So the four of us plus three dogs rode home in Dad's truck. Monday mom drove her van over and so I am driving that for the time being, but we can't have that forever. So who knows what's going to happen with that. More expenses just keep piling up and I have no way to pay for any of them! UGH! Tuesday mom's car wouldn't start so my boss had to come rescue me and take me into work... and my best friend found out she needed surgery. To say this week has been a crapfest would be an understatement.

So that's how I spent the last week. How was yours?

Since I lost interest in the 30 Days Of Me...

...I will try to finish that marathon posting... but I want to start another one that seems to be a bit more fun for me. So, it's 30 days of Skating!!!!!! This should keep my interest much more easily!

The list is as follows:

Day 1: How you got into figure skating


Day 2: Your favourite pairs program

Day 3: Favourite figure skating spectatorship moment

Day 4: Up and coming figure skater you are most excited for

Day 5: Your favourite Dance program

Day 6: Predict - gold medalists at 2011 Worlds

Day 7: Your favourite Mens Program

Day 8: Your favourite Ladies Program

Day 9: Code of Points - give your opinion

Day 10: Last competition/show you attended

day 11: Your top 5 favourite male figure skaters

Day 12: Top 5 ladies figure skaters

Day 13: Top 5 pairs teams

Day 14: Top 5 dance teams

Day 15: Predict - gold medalists in 2014

Day 16: Your dream 2014 Olympic medalists

Day 17: Least favourite skater

Day 18: Favourite figure skating music

Day 19: If you could marry any figure skater, who would it be?

Day 20: Your favourite Olympic moment

Day 21: Team Johnny or Team Evan?

Day 22: Favourite & least favourite commentator

Day 23: Skater everybody loves but you don’t

Day 24: Skater you love but nobody else does

Day 25: The quad. Give your opinion.

Day 26: Saddest figure skating moment

Day 27: Your favourite figure skating moment of all time

Day 28: Favourite & least favourite costume

Day 29: Your favourite figure skater of all time

Day 30: Why you love figure skating



In other news, packing is nearly completed. I just have to bag up my stuffed animals, bag up board games, and break down my bathroom... yay! And in even BIGGER NEWS.........
 
I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!! I'm working at the Soldotna, AK branch of AlaskaUSA! So excited!

Saturday! Saturday!

I've been silent on my blog lately as I've been packing and working hard to get ready for a move to the Kenai Peninsula. I'm moving to a house I leased on the Kenai River in Soldotna this saturday. I've been stressing out about money and the fact that I do not have a job (still am freaking out about that) but over all I'm pretty excited for the next chapter.

This move is not coming without a lot of regret. I hate that I'm leaving Haille Rae. I know, I know, she's a little kid and she'll survive and I know I have to do this move for me. But i love that little girl. She is very much an important part of my life and the fact that I won't get to see her often just kills me. I've spent many hours crying over this one issue. Over thanksgiving it just broke my heart. All during dinner she was my little buddy. Wouldn't go anywhere or do anything without me, and then when she spent the night she gave me the out of the blue "I love you" moment. Taking her to the movies and having those moments with her were a joy but telling her that I was leaving was hard. I had Judy do it because I just couldn't get out the words (I'm crying about it right now). Haille was fine with it, but honestly I don't think she understands. I won't have a chance to see her before I leave, and that makes the hurt come back full on, but at the same time I honestly don't know how I'd be able to say goodbye.

I'll miss the people at ABT, too. Granted I wasn't full on outgoing or anything, or very active, but I met a lot of wonderful people there - especially the kids I taught. It bums me out that I won't get to see them grow and mature over the years, but I do have facebook and am friends with many of the parents, so I can watch them through that, it's not the same though.

I'll miss being able to order take out from just about any type of restaraunt. I'll miss the no tax, and everything being cheaper...

I'll miss my aunt. We don't always agree, or get along, but we've had a great time together - or at least I have. I know she wants out of here in the worst way, now, but we shared some great memories. She's so happy to have my room back as hers, though, so I guess it's for the best. But wow, I'll miss her.

So I guess I should get back to packing.