Home is where the heart is

Our home March 1, 2009

Tomorrow will be one year since David and I became home owners. I was thinking about it recently, and I have lived in this home longer than I have lived any one place consecutively, over the past six years. It truly is my home. I look around and I think, "Gosh, we have done a lot of damage in one year!" Seriously though, I feel so blessed to have shared this wonderful home with David. We had our first Christmas as a married couple in this home. We started our family here, by adopting our furry baby Charlie. I am so excited to think of all the memories we will continue to make and moments we will share in the 2 1/2+ years we have left here. Celebrating this momentous occasion is just another reminder of all of the blessing God has given me.

Just for fun...a breakdown of my living arrangements over the past 6 years:
August 2003-December 2003: USA dorm (4 months)
December 2003-August 2004: Parent's home (8 months)
August 2004-November 2004: Elizabeth's trailer (3 months)
November 2004-May 2005: Amy's trailer (6 months)
May 2005-August 2005: Eagles West Sublet Apartment (3 months)
August 2005-May 2006: Eagles West Renovated Apartment (9 months)
May 2006-December 2006: Summer Brooke Apartment (7 months)
December 2006-September 2007: Parent's home (9 months)
September 2007-May 2008: Springaire Apartment (8 months)
May 2008-November 2008: Stonegate Apartment (6 months)
November 2008-Present: Our Home (11 months and counting)

It is hard to say goodbye, especially when you don't have the chance

Charlie trying on his new rain coat

I went to the Mall today. At our meeting on the 17th, Neil said that we could wear costumes if we were working on Halloween. So, I pre-shopped online and found that Wet Seal had a cute Alice in Wonderland costume for $22, which was great because I can't afford to spend very much. When I arrived at the store, they did not have the one I wanted. I walked over to Hot Topic, but all of the costumes there were around $50 or more. Not wanting to go home completely empty handed, I decided to stop by Old Navy on my way home to get a scarf I had seen online. They did not have the one I wanted, so I settled for a different one. I was in the checkout line when I spotted some doggie stuff, so I ventured over to see what I could find. I found a cute bag dispenser for when Charlie and I go for walks, a cute plaid collar, a rain jacket which he needs terribly, and an adorable toy that was marked down to $1.99. Very pleased with my shopping therapy, I headed home, excited to show Charlie his new things. The first thing I did was try his rain coat on him. He looked so adorable, I had to take a couple of pictures. Then I tried his collar on him to make sure it fit. It did, and he looked handsome. Finally, it was time for the fun part. I was going to give him his toy, but when I searched through the bag, it was not there. So, Charlie and I got in the car and drove back to Old Navy. The toy had apparently fallen off of the counter while she was placing the items in the bag. She was very apologetic, but I assured her it was not a problem. I decided since we were right next door to work, I would see if Rick, one of the assistant managers, was working. He loves Charlie, and I was sure he would appreciate the surprise visit. The first person I saw was Justin, so I asked him if Rick was there. He said, "No, Rick is gone". The way he said it made me feel like I needed to explain myself, so I told him I never knew who was working, or when and was about to explain why when he interrupted by saying that Rick had been transferred to another store. I was sure he was just joking with me. I stood there until he finished helping a customer and then asked him if he was just pulling my leg or was he serious. He said he was serious, and I asked him "Since when?". He thought for a moment and said, "Since yesterday". He said it sucked, that they didn't tell anyone in advance, not even Rick. I was so upset, I had to pull my sun glasses down before I left the store, just so people couldn't see my eyes filling up with tears. By the time I made it to the car, tears were streaming down my face. I wish I had the chance to tell him goodbye before he left. More than that, I wish I didn't get attached to people so easily.

The trees in our neighborhood, beginning to change colors

The trees are starting to change colors. Fall is one of the few things I actually like about being here. The season is so much prettier here than it was in Monroeville. All the colors seem much more vibrant.

My hair is already starting to fade. I knew it was only semi-permanent, but I didn't expect for it to lighten up so quickly. I may have to schedule another appointment a little sooner than planned, so I can get a more permanent color. I'm actually thinking about going slightly darker than before, but I haven't decided yet. We will see.

I finished reading another book last night. That is another good thing about this job, I have so much more time to read, and access to pretty much any book I could possibly want. I finished reading it especially fast because I now have something else I want to read. Last summer, I read all the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. All except one. We didn't have The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, so I read through without that one. I bought it yesterday, so I'm really excited to start reading the series over again!

This week and next week at work, we have some people from another store working with us. It is a test that corporate has orchestrated to see if they can sell as many membership cards at our location as they can at their location. They want to prove that it is not our location or demographic that is the problem, but our techniques. I believe that it will prove other wise, but time will tell. To give you an example, I told the girl this week that my personal best was 9 cards in a day. She said that I didn't want to know how many cards she usually sells, and I agreed that I didn't want to know. Then she proceeded to tell me anyway that she averages 10-20 cards a day. Sunday, her first day, she didn't make percentage. Monday she only had 6 cards, which is a far cry from her usual sells. On a slightly different note, Thursday night, I made 11.5%, which is more than double what our minimum sales are supposed to be. :) I'm so glad that I don't have to work with this girl anymore. She was so obnoxious. First of all, she called me Sweets, which I found incredibly annoying. Then, not once but twice, she tried to tell me how to do my job! That did not set right with me, and obviously it did not set right with my MOD either, because he said if it happened again, he wanted me to call him immediately, and he would be calling her manager and our manager and telling them that he did not want her there on his shift! Other than that, I've had a great week at work. She has been on primary every day that she is there, so on the days that we're there together I was able to do other, more mindless jobs like scan for voids, or shelve books, which has given me a chance to spend some time getting to know some of my coworkers a little better.

Well, I have three days in a row off, and absolutely nothing to do and no one to spend it with (except Charlie of course). So it should be another boring weekend for Jamie. I'll probably end up watching season 1 of "I Love Lucy", which Sunni let me borrow, and/or I'll begin rereading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I guess that's not so bad.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

David ordered our plane tickets today! The first part of December we're flying to L.A. His best friend, Jonathan has been working there for the past few months. The three of us, along with Jonathan's girlfriend, will all be driving back to Alabama on my first ever road trip. I am so excited!

The carpet fiasco, the most fabulous girl in the universe, and my daddy

Me and the magnificent Marissa Grace

Thursday I had our carpets cleaned. They really needed cleaning after months of trying to house train Charlie, and I wanted them to look and smell especially good for David's party on Saturday. I was so proud of myself and my thriftiness. I had found a special for 4 areas for $39.95. I only wanted our living/dining room and two small hallways cleaned, so I thought it was going to be perfect. When the men arrived Thursday morning, one of them pointed out that there were stains that needed to be pre-treated. He said that the carpets needed to be sanitized and deodorized too. He also asked if they had a protectant and said that we really needed to do that to prevent future stains. Then he gives me an estimate of $310! I couldn't believe it. I said that I would love to have all of those things done, but unfortunately I couldn't afford it. I asked him how much it would cost for just a basic cleaning. He completely ignored my question and went on to convince me that I needed the deodorizer, at least, because if not the house would smell like a kennel. I had to wake David up to ask him to pay for it because I did not even have enough money in my account to pay for the additional costs. I ended up spending $152. :( I was so upset that I stayed in the bedroom with David and cried the entire time they were here. David said at least I learned my lesson, that if something sounds too good to be true it is. Probably not!
After that, I was in one of those moods where I am sad about everything and just want to cry. I started thinking about how long it had been since I had seen Marissa. The last time I saw her was the end of June/beginning of July when Dad was in the hospital in Mobile. 3 or 4 months is a long time when you're 4 or 5 years old. I hadn't even seen her since she turned 5. I was convinced she had changed so much since the last time I saw her. I feel like I'm missing out on so much of her life, and before I know it she'll be a pre-teen, just like Skylar.
So imagine my excitement yesterday, when Jennifer tells me that Marissa is coming with Mom and Dad for Dad's appointment today!
Well, needless to say, Marissa and I had a wonderful time today. I was right, she has changed a lot. Not so much physically, but she is so much more mature now! I am so proud of her and much she's learning. It was so great to see her. :)
Speaking of Dad's appointment, for those of you who don't know, my dad "blacked out" one day at work, the end of June. He was taken to MCH, and they released him and told him to have his doctor refer him to a neurologist. That evening, I was talking to him on the phone, and he dropped the phone and I could hear Jennifer yelling in the background. That night, Charlie and I drove home to Monroeville, while Mom drove Dad to Mobile. He had another "episode" that night while he was waiting to get admitted. He stayed in the hospital several days and underwent a battery of tests, but the doctors could not find the problem. He got a referral to a neurologist here in Birmingham for about a month later, but he didn't make it to the appointment date. One day, about a month after the first "episode" he "blacked out" again. This time, unlike the times before, he was standing and fell flat on his face. Mom brought him to Birmingham that night, and he stayed in the hospital several more days. He had another slew of test, some of the same ones he had in Mobile and a few additional ones. Still no clue as to what is causing this. Since then, he has had appointment after appointment, with cardiologists and neurologists, trying to get to the bottom of it. Some of the procedures have been invasive. He had to wear a contraption attached to his head for 72 to monitor his brain. He even had a recorder implanted in his chest to monitor his heart. It is so frustrating to not have any answers. The worst part is not knowing whether or not it can happen again. If so, when? What it happens when he's driving? It is really scary! Just keep him in your prayers, and hopefully the doctors will eventually have the wisdom to figure out what is wrong.

Memory, all alone in the moonlight, I can smile at the old days

So earlier this evening I was searching for some sketches I had drawn years ago. I remember seeing them recently, but now they are nowhere to be found. I looked in the places I would usually stash something like that but could never find them. I decided to look through some of David's things to see if possibly they had been placed there. When I got to his file cabinet, I found something especially distracting...a plethora of notes, cards, and letters that I have written him over the years. They range from when we first started dating through last year after we were engaged and everything in between. I spent quite a while reading through them. I laughed, I cried, and was extremely entertained. I am honestly shocked that he kept all of the letters after so many years. It was good for me to look back at the good times (and the bad), and remember where we came from. It is great to see how far we've come.

One of the many cards I gave David during our first year of dating