I Think I Can - I Think I Can

One more work day left until I'm off for four glorious weeks! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

OK, so on TOP of a week-end trip to Pasadena, CA with Tom (yay Disneyland!), a night at a B&B in Amish country with Shawn and a fabulous Disney Cruise and Parks vacation (yay Disney Cruise & Parks!), we might go to Hermann for a week-end. That would mean this week-end will be my last one at home until the last week of October! Insane? Yes! Loving it? YES! Now if I can just get through tomorrow without incident, I will be home-free!

Shawn and I are going to the Renaissance on Sunday. I had texted George to see if he had gotten any passes this year. He texted me back a message full of venom. Something about how we don't understand what he went through, what he sacrificed handling Dad, how we have all accused him of taking Dad's money (he did - he even admitted it at the time), yadayadayada. All I did was ask about passes! Then the next he day sends his 'I'm just a little boy, of course I can get you in' text. I didn't respond to either one. I am also not taking his passes. If he comes by, I'll just hide in the back of the house till he leaves.That was uncalled for and totally uncool. Not putting up with that crap. I also do not plan on watching his performance.

Are We There Yet?

Apparently this is my 100th blog entry. Only took three years!

I am hanging on till sabbatical and my Disney trips - one week and one day and counting! I contacted the airline about the mess-up of my name for the California trip with Tom (he reserved the flights as Laura Hunt Weissenbach - what was he thinking?!) They can't change the reservation but they've 'added a memo' to the TSA site - I have almost zero confidence that's going to do the trick. Especially when my bionic knee sets off the scanners. I'm going to get strip-searched, I know it. Maybe waterboarded. Solitary confinement. I'm not at all sure I'm going to make it to California. And if by some miracle I do, there's no guarantee I'll be allowed on the return flight. I'm going to call the airline again next week to make sure they've done all they can do and see if I can do anything or take anything addition with me like maybe a passport or my marriage certificate.

If I make it to LAX, I am going to Disneyland! For free!! I have enough Disney Reward Dollars to get both me AND Tom in without spending anything. Can't beat that!

9 11

Ten years ago the world as we know it changed forever with the falling of the Twin Towers, the attack on the Pentagon and the heroics of the flight over Pennsylvania. Time flies, even when you think it's standing still and nothing is changing. Babies are tweens, widows are new wives and parents have joined their lost ones.

Ten years.

We're All Going To The Zoo This Morning

Shawn and I hit the KC Zoo today - the weather was perfect, the company was perfect and the price was perfect (free!) What a great way to start training for Disney - and judging by how my feet felt after just a few hours of walking around, I'm doomed! Good thing I got a batch of prednisone from the doctor's last week!

Not a lot to report - working a lot of overtime not so much because I want to help the team but because I really need the money. I have Tucker still to get to the vet and I want to get my hair done for vacation. And we have estimated taxes due this month, next month we have car tags... it's never ending. I won't be able to put in OT in October (because I have it off!!!) so I need to do as much as I can stand this month. Did five hours yesterday and I am taking today and tomorrow off so I'll get something of a week-end. Then if it's offered, I'll be putting in 4-5 hours each Saturday and maybe some Sunday hours, too. Through September. What I really need is a raise.

Bailey is staying with us this week-end while Dan heads to Wichita to hang out with John. I found out John lost his Maxwell last week - Diane had taken him running in the August heat (it was over 100 degrees in Wichita) and he overheated, convulsed and died. Awful. He was a beautiful young dog, only 4. And John idolized him. Heartbreaking.

Another Year Older

Had another birthday yesterday - another overlooked birthday. I don't know why I get disappointed every year when Shawn does nothing for my birthday, but I do. The big thing yesterday was to go for ice cream - and I suggested it!

Did I mention that my manager, Doug, got fired a few weeks ago? Kind of out of the blue. ACI is still looking to lay off people to save a buck. And with the firing, my insecurities over job security returned. I could sign in tomorrow only to be told my job has been terminated or out sourced and to turn in my badge. Not good for my stress levels.

I just sent an email to the guys about planning a 40-Something reunion. I excluded Susanna from the conversation. If one of the guys wants to forward the email to her, that's their decision. It's not like I'm going to pay for her way (though I would gladly pay for the girls) and she wouldn't go even if she had the funds. Which, of course, she won't. Even if we sell the house and distribute the assets, she and Jackass will go through her inheritance faster than the check clears the bank. So I omitted her from the conversation. And I don't feel badly.

Fabulous news - I got my sabbatical approved by my new manager - I like her already! A whole 4 weeks off. AND Tom and I are going to Sandra's 'wedding' reception in Pasadena - about an hour away from Disneyland. And we land at 9 a.m. with no commitments till that evening. I think God wants me to go to Disneyland - don't you think? So I am on the hunt for discounted tickets. The trip is already costing me money I really don't have (I plan on working as much OT as I can get in September!)

Outta My Life

I now have two I-Hate-You emails from Susanna - just basically from out of the blue. I responded to the first one - I do not intend to respond to the second one. She's too far gone and wants to put me on trial. I refuse to be called to the stand. I can handle avoiding her for the rest of forever.

I also got a Butt-Out email from Felicia, and that shocked me. Accusing me of saying things about her Dad I never said (I have heard them, but never said them). She's decided she's going to stick around home after turning 18 and won't be moving in here. That's fine - I was only offering her an option, not making a demand that she leave home on her 18th birthday. At one point in her email she told me to 'open mouth and insert foot.' Pretty disrespectful for a 17-year old. I didn't get her on that but I did set the record straight about 'spreading rumors'. She sent a second email that I do not plan on responding to.

Suddenly that family has declared an all-out war on me. I don't know what I did - I honestly don't. When I was in CO, Felicia contacted me about swimming and I told her I couldn't take them that Friday because I was out of town. When I contacted her about going to see Harry Potter, they were suddenly busy. When I contacted her about swimming the following week, they had plans. Then I started getting bombarded with emails, first from Susanna and then from Felicia. I don't need that crap.

So, I am not responding to them and will just let this sudden cavern stay between us.

Another One Bites The Dust

After getting dismal results with the recent employee survey, my manager was fired today. Four kids. Wow - did not see that one coming. We are now under the management of Angela Johnson and her current team and will be moving back to the AS side of the business (where we should have been all along). Apparently Janet will be moving to LRC (thank God for little favors!) so I guess Kathy will be handling the editor job on her own (as it should have been). That should open up opportunities for the rest of us to contribute more than letters as Kathy will need some help. Now if we can just hold on to our jobs - things are always changing at ACI.

I went to the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Bruce, this morning for X-rays and a year-out check. The knee is perfect - 0 degree extended (which is perfect - fully extended) and 125 degree bend, which isn't perfect but actually better than the left knee. I am suppose to go back in two years to make sure the implant is holding well. Hopefully I will remember that!

I think I'm going to go see Harry Potter again this afternoon. I have the day off and it's been eventful so I might as well do something other than sit in front of the TV.