Working full time this week has been a major adjustment. It has been nice to take Zoey with me and I have a lot of fun but it is equally physically and mentally exhausting! My house looks TERRIBLE and tonight is only the first night this week that I have made a REAL dinner (Spaghetti! Yum.)! Ack. Looks like someone will be hired by tomorrow and I wont be working Tuesdays & Thursdays anymore. I’ll be subbing though, for whenever they need a day off or some time off. Anyway, that is my big fat excuse for lack of posts and pictures. Now, to catch up a little…

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The Milk Saga
A couple of nights ago I poured myself a glass of milk. I was having one of those REALLY strong cravings for a glass of ice cold milk. I started gulping as fast as I could when it hit me that I was drinking VERY rotten milk. I stopped and drank something else, brushed my teeth and held myself. I could not believe what I had just tasted. The most RANCID milk ever!! And I didn’t just take a sip, I GULPED it down.

Last night I went to the store and bought 2 more 1/2 gallons (we buy them in 1/2 gallons, they seem to last longer for us, SEEM being the key word here, people!) and a container of No Sugar Added Chocolate Nesquik. I was really jonesin’ for some chocolatey milk. Tonight I poured myself a HUGE glass of milk and added an embarassingly large amount of Nesquik powder to my cup and stirred it up nice ‘n good. I’m sure you know where this is going, right??

I took a VERY large, long gulp and I thought.. this is NOT tasting right at all. I think I said “What the hell??” and Gene said “What?” and I said “This No Sugar Added Nesquik is TERRIBLE! I should have just gotten the regular one.” and right then and there, it hit me, this wasn’t an awful taste created by drinking a healthier alternative. No, this was MUCH worse. I got the milk from the fridge and poured a tiny bit in a cup, a test cup if you will. I drank a sip and seriously felt like I was going to vomit!! It was DISGUSTING. It smelled fine though and it was not your normal rancid milk taste. It was something much worse and I still have no idea WHAT, but you’ll just have to trust me on this one. Gene braved it and tasted it (just to make sure I wasn’t crazy) and he spit it out.

I called the store and now I have to take my milk back and exchange it. I’ll be getting a different brand next time. And yes, I check expiration dates. What the heck?!?!?! All I’ve wanted ALL week long is a tall glass of ICE COLD MILK. REGULAR TASTING MILK!! Why is that so much to ask for?? I am almost to the point where I’m scared to ever drink milk again. And that is some real, life altering stuff right there.

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The Not Sleeping In Pack n Play Saga
Ok the title of this little diddy pretty much sums it all up. Apparently my kid is not fond of sleeping in pack n plays or in strange places. Getting her to nap at day care this week has been an EPIC battle with several EPIC FAILS. Monday and Tuesday were pretty much The Days From Hell. I cannot imagine worse days, honestly! I’m talking no napping, lots of whining, lots of crying and unbearable amounts of SCREAMING. My poor kid was so tired from the lack of naps that we were enduring 30-45 minute screamfests that resulted in a very red-faced, hoarse voiced one year old. Can you imagine??? Sure you can, you probably have dealt with this before. But if it’s not fresh in your mind you probably can’t even IMAGINE the magnitude of The Suck right now.

But guess what? Yesterday and Today she took a one hour nap at day care and our lives have GREATLY improved. My kid figured out the whole Napping Elsewhere and Napping In Pack N Plays thing out two days BEFORE OUR LAST DAY DOING THIS GIG. It’s Epic, I tell you.

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The Astro Saga
Ok so, I never wrote about Astro. I haven’t had it in my heart to, yet. I’ve been wanting to and it looms over my head every week or so and then I push it to the back of my mind. Astro, our beloved Great Dane became very depressed when I brought Zoey home from the hospital. He was our baby and when he was no longer our baby, he decided that life pretty much sucked. It took me many months and lots of crying to come to the conclusion that we just needed to find him a new home, where he can get all of the attention he needed and deserved. He was a LOT more high maintenance than our other dog, Emma.

So anyway, I went through a grueling 2 weeks of finding him a new home. He went to several new homes before we found the PERFECT home for him! Yes, I was very dedicated to finding him the RIGHT place to go. I wanted to know he was well cared for. I have raised him since he was 5 weeks old and I wasn’t going to just let my baby boy go. I loved him so much and I STILL love him!

So the couple adopted him in early November. They stayed in touch via e-mail and absolutely LOVED him. Their whole family fell in love with him and they were as happy as can be. Well, the guy e-mailed me a couple of nights ago telling me that they had to put Astro to sleep. He said he had tumors in his intestines. I bawled my eyes out when I read the e-mail. The guy was asking me if I had known about this illness and I guess he thought I purposefully adopted him a dog that was sick?? I understand people do that but I would have NEVER done that. I told him EVERYTHING about Astro when he picked him up and I even had his vet records waiting for the guy to pick up afterwards but he never came by.

I replied, gave the guy my vet’s information and told him I would get his records or he could call himself. I explained that I had NO idea he was sick and never showed any signs that I knew of! He replied saying he was sorry to upset me and that he trusts me but that he just had to ask. He explained to me that he took Astro home and burried him in their back yard, they had a headstone and a cross over his grave. He said they will never be able to replace Astro because Astro had his own personality and seemed so human-like. Their family is devastated. I bawled when I read his e-mail but I felt a sense of relief. A sense of relief in knowing that this family LOVED Astro as much as we did. I’ve been on the brink of tears for the last few days. My heart feels a little broken. I feel sad knowing that Astro is no longer in this world. He e-mailed me a few pictures off of his phone that he had taken of Astro. So sweet and so kind.

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I’m really getting sick of working weekends. I’ve had to work the last few and I guess it is starting to wear on me. I hate to be a complainer but sometimes that is just what I do best :mad: Hmph. So I guess the main reason I hate working weekends right now is because Gene is off on weekends and the weather is so lovely out lately that I want to be at home working in the yard or playing basketball or something fun outdoors like that!

Other than that, nothing much new going on. Next week is my last week to work full 12 hour shifts. I will still be working some 12 hour shifts here and there for a month or two but mostly will be working 8-5 and only on weekdays! I am totally excited for that :) Now I can be off on weekends with my baby.

My “diet” is going ok. Nothing new to report on other than I found out I had lost another 10 pounds last week.. So that was pretty good, about 10 pounds in one month. I’d say that is a good rate to lose weight at and I hope I can keep up the 10 pound thing for the next few months. Really gotta buckle down and start eating more vegetables and fruits, even if it has to be canned!

Emma and Astro are doing great. Astro is going through his terrible two phase and is eating every flip flop in the house! He will be staying at the vet while we are out of town for about 9 to 10 days. I feel bad for him, I know he is going to be sad being away from his sister for so long :( Buttt.. I am having then neutur him on Monday so when we come back on Tuesday he will be mostly healed up and good to go. Did I mention how expensive that was going to be?? I am saving as much as I can just to pay for him! Phew. What was I thinking getting a dog that big?? Everything he needs is on the upper end of the price range, lol. It is going to be about $270 for the boarding/neutur. I love him so much though so I don’t even think twice about it :heart: Emma? She’s great. The usual with her, really. She is a great dog and so obedient and smart. She amazes me with her genius every single day!

One day last week Astro was in trouble and went into his crate to hide. I closed the crate door but didn’t lock it.. but he is a big wuss and too scared to open it himself to get out. He thinks if the door is shut it is locked up. So anyway, I was laying in bed and I told Emma to go open bubba’s crate (Literally, I said “Emma, go open bubba’s crate”) and she ran into their room, opened his crate door w/her paw and let him out. Now is that smart or what?? Yes, I love my baby girl.

I better shut up before this entry makes it into the Guiness book of world records under Longest Post Ever by Candace.

P.S. I am getting *so* excited about our trip to California. We are definitely going to Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo. We want to try to catch Universal Studios and am going to spend some much needed r&r time on the beach. Sunsets on the beach :heart: I want to be there right now!!

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