Spending the Weekend

 I love spending the weekend with my husband, absolutely love it! Don't exactly love the sick part, though.

I went in Friday for my shift. Friday was originally a day off, and I was scheduled Saturday. However, they changed the schedule for me to work Friday and get Saturday off. I was okay with that! Weekend off is always good. However, I had been feeling sick on Thursday, but thought it was a small thing that would pass. My plan was to rest Friday, my day off, and hopefully get better. When Friday rolled around, I wasn't feeling better, I was feeling much worse! I dragged through a bit, forgetting things, and not really being "all there". Finally my lead asked if I was feeling alright, and I admitted I wasn't feeling too well. So, the manager of the store checked the schedule, and told me I could head home as soon as a new person came in. 3 1/2 hours into my shift, I was on my way home. I rested a bit, and Gary came home from work. He crashed on the couch and complained about not feeling well himself.

We slept in Saturday morning, and both felt okay. After hot showers, we were ready for the day. We wanted to be lazy and get more rest, but we had errands to run and places to go. We stopped at Big Lots first (I love Big Lots), got a few things, then headed over to Walmart to get a few more things. Gary wanted to BBQ that day, so we were looking for some meat to grill. We couldn't find anything at Walmart. Gary mentioned he wanted a bigger slab of meat and more choices. We had been discussing checking out Costco for awhile now, since neither of us had been there nor had a membership there before. We decided to check it out. I normally shop in staples anyway, and I'm always buying a month's supply of groceries...so we knew it wouldn't hurt to see what Costco was like. We did have a Sam's Club membership for a couple of years, but it recently expired and we never had the desire nor need to renew it.

Anyway, we stopped at Costco, in Canyon Country, and man was it BUSY! There were lots of people there, and I thought aloud, "Boy I hope it's not always this crazy!" Anyway, we strolled through, and did some price comparisons. It was "okay", but not dramatically different. However, when Gary and I made a stop at the allergy pill section, it all changed. We realized that just by buying allergy pills at Costco, we'd be saving about $160/year. Completely worth a membership. So, we bought a membership, did a little shopping, then came home and grilled up a lot of chicken. We were also told by a manager that Costco was only this crazy on Saturday afternoons/evenings and on Sundays. Other times it wasn't that bad. Whew. Me + large crowd = can't breathe.

We finished our Saturday watching some scary movies, then went to bed. Because we should have rested more on Saturday, we both had a rough night last night. I woke up with a massive headache; it's been ages since I've woken up with a headache. Let's just say I felt like crap. I heard Gary moaning himself as he dragged himself out of bed and rushed to the restroom. So, we found subs for nursery and have been home resting; this way we can be more prepared for the week ahead. I'm also excited for the 2 1/2 hour series finale of Lost tonight!! It better be a good ending.

Anyway, better wake Gary up from nap time, which I just came out of. Naps are amazing.

Bye!

Making a To-Do

 I know, I have to leave for work in an hour and a half, but ehh, I'll get ready soon enough, lol.

 Anyway, yesterday was quite fun. It was my day off! I started posting a blog about my to-do list, knowing that by writing it down, it would help me not stress about it all.

•  My first was planning the Catalina vacation. I know I keep saying that, but I haven't done it yet. And I know time will be running out if I don't hurry and reserve something. I've done tons of browsing and looking and searching, but haven't come to a conclusion yet. I, being Emilee, am obsessed with getting the best deals possible. I still need to call around places and not just book online. You'd be surprised at the savings if you just call a few places. Gary and I want our boat and hotel total cost to be around $300. We're the kind of people who would spend less on a hotel, and more on other things. I even considered going to Two Harbors and doing the camping on the beach, but we'll do that another time when it's just the two of us, and not when family and friends are joining. I don't want to ditch everyone! Anyway, we're not big on tours, although a few would be nice. Gary's more like Dad; he'd rather sit around, eat ice cream, and do nothing...because hey, a vacation is a vacation! We are excited to be going, though!

• Study and catch up in school. With my hours cut a bit, I should be shoving in more study time...yet I haven't. I'm already behind a bit, so I need to get on the ball and stop with procrastinating. I'm doing anatomy and medical terminology 2, as well as diseases associated with each. I already got the main bones down, it's all the muscle anatomy I'm still trying to learn. The diseases aren't too hard, since it's just a part of terminology and breaking down the word. Speaking of school, when I finish this and get certified, I was thinking about continuing from there. The nursing program is impossible to get into from here, but I was looking into maybe getting into the pharmacy field as well. I would love to be a doctor, but I would not love the hard work associated with getting there...especially since being a mom is #1 on my list. Not that I wouldn't be a good mom working like that, but I'm just worried I'd be too distant.

• Fold the laundry. Tomorrow is another day off of mine, so I'll do it then! I haven't been as tidy and clean as I was before work. But hey, that's a job for ya.

• Call around auto places. Gary did his own tune-up, and he did an excellent job! I'm very proud of him. He just needs a few parts for his truck, so I need to call around and see who has the best deals. I was supposed to do this yesterday, but never got to it. Bad wife! Hmm, actually I just texted Gary and asked if he still needed me to do that, and he said no. Okay then.

• The next on yesterday's to-do list was about the kitties. It's time for their weekly hygiene routine. Bathing, teeth cleaning, nails trimmed, eye and ear cleaning, etc. However, when I was on my Lila hunt to track her down, I pulled her out from under the bed and noticed her breathing was funny. She's been breathing funny for awhile, as well as having a crusty nose and flaky fur. So, I called the vet clinic in Sylmar I took Dexter to when he got fixed, and called to ask what they charged for a routine checkup. They said $35, which is cheap (and why I called them), so I went ahead and took her there. She did so well! She was nervous of course, but she cuddled next to the doctor, and purred when he started petting her. I thought she'd be a nervous wreck going to the vet, but she was calm and sweet instead. He did a routine checkup with her; and noticed a lung was slightly enlarged. For her final diagnosis, he said, "it could be two things. Allergies or asthma." So what he did, was he gave her an allergy shot. He said if the symptoms still persist, there's a possibility of asthma. If they seem to go away, then allergies it is. I'm leaning more toward allergies (so was he), because of her dry skin and nose issue. I also believe Dexter inherited this because his skin gets dry at times too. She was breathing funny again this morning while sleeping, which makes me nervous, but we'll still see how it goes. Besides that, she was healthy. She and Dexter need to go back in for their updated vaccinations soon. Doctor said Lila needs to lose more weight and be a little more healthy (the allergy thing) before she comes in for her shots. So he also gave me a high fiber food supplement which should help them both lose weight. Nice day at the vet.
  
  I think that was it for my to-do list. Although I'm pretty sure I forgot a few things. After work today, I'm going to my D&D campaign. Last week was canceled, and the week before I worked. So it will feel good to be back! Good ol' nerd time.
  
  Anyway, Gary and I bought new matching computer chairs for our living room now, so that's fun to play with.  Yeah.
  
  Okay, I need to run off to work. Bye!
  
  PS- Loving the sunny/windy weather. Beautiful days!
   

Experimentation of Culture

 Totally random post.

 I've always been the adventurous type. However, traveling the world can be pretty darn expensive.

 Gary and I were having a discussion a couple of nights ago about different kinds of cultures and lifestyles. This created me to ask him, "If the US was not an option, which country would you want to spend your life in?" He thought about this for awhile, until he gave his answer, "Ireland". Okay, so when a visual of the Irish come up, I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind is beer. Of course that's not completely the case. He described the pros of what it would be like living there, and why he'd like it.

 I told him myself I've always had a fascination with Japanese culture. It even got me in the mood to change my blog layout, lol. I really don't know too much about it, just little things here and there. I've never studied Japanese, I've never studied the lifestyle there, but I've always had an interest in it. It's almost like there's a hidden beauty to it. The women are very feminine, delicate, and youthful. The men are what Gary calls "salary men". Hard workers who spend more hours working and have a big drive for success. There are many jobs in Japan that would perfectly fit Gary's interests. I came across a blog the other day of a guy who used to work in the US, then transferred over to Japan. He mentioned how the work was completely different in Japan. He was working more hours, and he said he's never worked so hard in his life. It's a differently lifestyle, obviously. Not everyone can adjust to it.

This got us on the subject of ancient militia, battles, etc. We discussed traveling to Greece in fascination of the Roman soldiers and history there, as well as the many castles of different countries, including Ireland.

Coming up with the money for these trips, well, would be nice. I know there are ways to "fly for free", and "travel cheap", but it's not very common and don't think it would fit with us. We're too young.

Anyway, our conversation lead to other topics of culture, food being one of them. We were discussing the different  types of food, the healthiest countries, etc. I told him it would be fun to learn the different cuisines of different countries. Learning how to cook like the Japanese or Greek, learning new recipes and styles. I especially want to learn how to cook healthier, and did a little research on the healthiest countries (which revolved not only around food, but environment, etc).

Since we can't exactly travel all around the world and try things out, I thought, "Why not at home?" We all know the best Japanese food will be found in Japan, and the best Greek food in Greece, but still. Who says I can't learn these traditions at home?

So, I'm going to try out something new and see how it works. I made a list of 12 different cuisines. I won't be able to start until the beginning of June, since we already have tons of groceries to last us until then; but my idea was to cook an assigned cuisine each month. For June, I will start with Greek. I will print up recipes, shop for Greek groceries and food, and if possible, try and find a grocery store specifically for that. I doubt that will be too possible, though, so I might stick with my regular grocery store. In the process of this, it will not only help me become a better cook, it will really expand my knowledge of different kinds of food around the world, and even different methods of cooking. I'll do my best to keep it authentic, too. Like I said, it won't be the real thing since we're here in America, but I'll learn. I know some foreign recipes take hours to make. If that's what it will take, I think it sounds fun. I might even be willing to order food from that country, like I did once in high school (ordered kangaroo meat for my "country" in Spanish class).


It was a sudden idea that sprung on me, and Gary liked the idea. With a new work schedule, I may not be able to do this everyday for dinner, but who says just dinner? Besides, I could always cook things the night before, or in the morning.

Anyway, if it works out, it works out. If not, it won't. Always something to try, though. I thought about keeping a blog of it all, but I don't know if anyone would read it. I will keep a personal journal at home about the experience, though, if I follow through.

I have definitely been in an adventurous mood this past week! Heck, I've even been looking up travel deals for kicks. Speaking of, I need to do the Catalina thing...

Well, that's that. Emilee being silly. Time for going to the bank, cutting up some meat, and studying. Bye!

Dental Adventures

 Okay, so I've been going to the dentist almost regularly my entire life, nothing ever to fear. Basic checkup, cleaning, and sent home with no issues at all.

 I'd have to say today was the most terrifying dental experience ever. We switched from our old dentist to this new one here. It had been a little over a year since my last checkup because we had been searching for a new dentist.

We arrived half an hour early, to fill out paperwork since we're new patients. Apparently Gary hadn't been scheduled, but they slid him in anyway. I was called first, and so I went to my seat and had my x-rays done. I've always been very confident when it comes to my x-rays. 24 years old, never any dental problems. It would be the same this time around, right? Nope.

So, the our new dentist, Dr. Abri, shows up in the room and greets me. This man looks no older than 30, although I'm sure he's probably in his 30's. We have a chat about my dental history, and he acknowledges the fact I've never had a cavity before. I feel proud about this. He begins to discuss my x-rays, and then something quite sad happens. "I found two tiny cavities in your mouth, between your teeth." I didn't believe him at first. Not a chance; I've never had a cavity before, I take excellent care of my teeth, how could that be possible? He goes on to explain how tiny they are, and how they're between two of my bottom back teeth. How does that work?? Anyway, my facial expression slowly faded to sad, and the doctor was quite nice to me about it. Not only was that the news, he mentioned that I grind my teeth at night. He held a mirror up to my mouth to show the results of my grinding. My gums were a little higher and swollen. He recommended a night guard because of this. Nice. I knew I probably had a grinding issue because at times I'd wake up with a semi-sore mouth.

So, what has changed? The only thing I changed in my teeth hygienic routine was I went from flossing a few times a week to flossing daily. Lol. Gary says I probably floss too hard, which left me even more confused. But, I know, sometimes it just happens. And it's not like it was major. Still sad news, though.

Anyway, he disappears for a bit to greet Gary, and while that happened, it was time for my teeth cleaning. I can honestly say, that was the most painful teeth cleaning I have ever experienced. I was pretty certain the woman was hammering nails into my gums. My eyes watered, and I flinched repeatedly. She finally finished, and went along her way. I even attempted to text Gary a warning on a painful upcoming cleaning, which he later admitted hurt him as well.

So, then it was time for my fillings. Let me admit, I was a bit nervous. I've never had any mouth procedure done before. The doctor injected me with something, leaving the left side of my mouth numb. All I remember then was him pulling out drilling instruments and other things. I was actually surprised at myself for feeling a tad of fear while this was happening. However, it was over quickly and I hadn't felt a thing. Now I'm a little sore. It took hours before I could feel my mouth again, too.

For the first time in 24 years of my life, I had received my first cavity. I had also experienced a fear of the dentist this same day. Strange day indeed.

Was there anything wrong with this place? Not at all. The staff were very friendly, the dentist himself was very honest, open, and friendly as well. I wish the cleaning lady would have chilled a bit with the cleaning, but besides that, Gary and I decided we like this place. I just wish the visit didn't suck in terms of results and payments. Gary also decided he's going to switch from a DMO to a PPO for dental insurance. He went over with one of the dental ladies the options, and realized he'd be saving money if he switched over. That, and we'd be covered for more things.

Anyway, that was my wonderful adventure at the dentist today. Fun!

What's a Blog?

 I think I may be starting to forget! So here's how things are going thusfar:

Last week I had the opportunity to get up at 4:30 almost all mornings for work. They wanted to throw those early shifts at me so I could get the hang of opening. The only morning I didn't open was Tuesday, my day off, and Thursday, when I closed instead. When my closing shift was over, I knew I had to get up at 4:30 the next morning, giving me barely any sleep time. Somehow I managed, though. I was off at 10am, and although they wanted me to stay longer, I had plans! So I took off at 10am.

I got home, and Gary told me he was on his way home from the smog place for his truck. However, his truck surprisingly didn't pass smog. They said it was an exhaust leak. $450 later, they have repair work to do. All these car expenses!  It figures once I find a job, both the cars start having issues. But, I suppose I should look at this as a blessing. So now his truck is still at the mechanic's shop. Hopefully it will be able to pass smog after this!

Anyway, he walked home from there (just across the street is our mechanic), and we both headed out. We spent time in Canoga Park, hanging out all the mall, going to a yummy lunch together, then buying our movie tickets. We hadn't been to the movies in ages! Too expensive. And we do our best to avoid loud teenagers as well. So anyway, we purchased two tickets for Iron Man 2 at the IMAX theater. Watching Iron Man on IMAX was pretty sweet. The first movie, like most cases, was much better. However, this one wasn't too bad. Some parts I thought it was overboard with the music and action, but not nearly as bad as Transformers 2. That was just horrible. At least this had a nice story and plot. Worth seeing, though. Great movie!

 I really love and enjoy spending time with my perfect husband. We had a fantastic day! He not only took that Friday off, but he has tomorrow, Monday, off as well (dentist appointment). 4 day weekend with my husband! Of course I did work yesterday, but another opening shift, so I got to spend a majority of the day with him. I love him so much!
 
 On the way home, we stopped in Tarzana for a little shopping, then finally headed home. That area of Tarzana drove me nuts! Everything was metered parking. Eventually we parked in a gas station parking lot, and walked across the street to do our shopping. We only spent a little though. We've been cutting back on our shopping and spending since these car repairs keep popping up!

Speaking of that, we did receive the parts to our new computer. Gary's co-worker, David, saved us a lot of money with the computer! He ended up building it for us, and so far, Gary and I have enjoyed playing games together when we have the time. Our monitor for that computer is a 25", too. When I have time, I'm going to do some arranging so  2 computers in the living room work out. This set-up works out just fine, but I still want to see what I can do!

I was also thinking about throwing together a big birthday party for Gary's birthday coming up this July. But we'll see! We live too far from a lot of friends and family. So I'll have to do some planning!

Hmm, what else? I believe that's all for now. I'm thrilled about Josh and Megan's new house, too! Exciting (and freaking gorgeous)! Gary and I want to jump into home buying ourselves (we keep considering it, then backing off). Mostly because we both get the feeling it's not time to buy yet. We both believe Heavenly Father has different plans with us. We don't know if we'll stay in California too much longer, so that's why we're sticking with an apartment. Still fun to think about though!

Okay, time to finish getting ready for church (like my last blog post). A fantastic Sunday with my husband, and a day off tomorrow for the both of us! My hours were cut a bit for this week, but I'm okay with that! This gives me plenty of time to study. And, with all the hours I worked last week, it will be a nice little break.

Bye! Oh, and Happy Mother's Day to all mommies/mommies-to-be!

Rats, Money, Work, etc...

 Ah, another beautiful day of Spring! And why does the cat meow every time I cough? Silly boy.

 So, a few updates and stuff before church.

Work is going well as usual. Sold 8 pets just in the past couple of days. We also have goals to sell live plants; and because of my hours, I'm expected to sell a little less than the rest of the employees. However, for the past 2 weeks (it clears and starts over every Sunday), I've outsold everyone. I've at least doubled my expected sales. I've already been praised by coworkers and management. Go me!

As you all have expected, working almost daily with animals has definitely been a challenge; and no, not because it's hard work or anything, but because extra income + seeing cute little baby animals everyday = bringing home animals. The other day, our store got in some new dumbo rats. I personally believe they are the most adorable looking of all other rats, and Quinn says they are the sweetest as well. I couldn't help but stop at their cage every now and then and giggle at their cuteness. Eventually I gave in and bought 2 of them. I know, I know. I also purchased 2 large rat cages. One for Chloe, and one for the 2 new dumbo rats. I had been wanting to buy a new cage for Chloe for awhile now, so she wasn't stuck in that stuffy aquarium tank. With her new cage, it's wired, so she has room to breathe, and it's rather spacey. She loves it. So do the other 2 rats, with their new cage. They love climbing up it and running around.

Here are my new additions to the family:

Jaheira (black), and Mazzy (white):

OMG I just want to squeeze them they're so cute! Look at those ears!

So those are my new babies! Every now and then, I'll see Gary holding and playing with one of them. He clearly loves them, too! They are very social, and super duper sweet.

In other news...you know how there are times you make a big purchase, then something happens to your car, or something of the sort? Gary bought a new computer. It's a custom built computer with a 6 core processor, and other big stuff I don't know about. It will last us 5 years, and every computer game out there can easily be played with max settings. I personally am perfectly fine with the computer we have, but Gary seemed very excited, so I let him do it. He got a big discount because a coworker of his is willing to put it together for him. So now we'll have 2 computers in the living room. A bit too overwhelming for me, but that's okay. If it makes the husband happy, then it's fine. It will be fun playing computer games together when we have the time, though. I'll have to find a new way to arrange the living room. Can our place look nerdier?

So, right after he made that giant purchase, my car decided to give out on me. I called Gary with the news, and he came and picked it up from my work, drove it over to our mechanic, and had him take a look at it. Apparently the thermometer went out, creating a crack in our radiator. So, we had to get those replaced. $450 later, the car is taken care of. Gary and I sat down and talked about savings. We NEED to start putting more money into savings. We're trying to make a goal to have 6 months of income saved up, and we're far from it. So no more big purchases. Even if all my checks have to go to savings, sobeit. We're paying off our debt, first though. My credit cards are almost done (maybe a few hundred left), then savings.

Okay, I believe that's it for now. Oh, and doctor says she believes I do have PCOS. Progesterone made me mentally ill, but Metformin shouldn't have side effects that severe. I was pleased to receive a new cycle a few days ago after a 7 month absence. Silly body. Hopefully the Metformin will help. It was hard to diagnose because everything came up clean and normal. The only loop was the LH being slightly higher than the FSH. Both in normal range, but small indication of mild PCOS. Metformin, from what I've read, makes people drop weight rather quickly. So we'll see how that goes.

Anyway, time to finish getting ready for church today. I open all next week, my shifts starting at 6am. I close Thursday night, though (then open Friday). I was glad to see this, though. Early, but done early. Plus, Gary and I have a date planned for Friday. I'm off at 10am Friday, and we plan to watch Iron Man 2 in an IMAX theater. I believe there's one in Woodland Hills and probably Burbank as well. So yay!

Big steaks to be grilled after church, too. Yum! Okay, bye!