Happy Mother's Day!

Just got home from KC tonight. It was nice to see the family and celebrated mother's day together. The only bad part was grandma's basement was flooded last week, and there's mold all over. Not only was it a health hazard down there, we couldn't turn on the AC because we had to keep the windows opened to air out the basement. It was 70 some degree there, and there were at least 25 of us in that house. The heat also made me really sleepy. Even though we were only gone for one night, I was so glad to be home. I guess I didn't realize how much I love being at home. We don't have a fancy house, just an old brick house that is still a work in progress, espeically the basement. We try to keep our house clean, but there are still small amount of messiness here and there that are just reflections of our personalities. After a long of work or a trip away, the familiar smell and feeling I get when I walk into the door makes me feel at ease. I am content here.

I did some changes to the site while at work. Apprently I was hardly working. I discovered Flickr toys . I love their profile widget. It's simply stylish. I recently developed a great interest in making sock animals. I always have a weakness for cute things. Ever since I saw the sock doggie episode on That's Clever! I can't stop thinking about it. I found some instructions online on how to make sock dog, monkey, and even elephant. I can't wait to get started. First I need to get myself a sewing machine. I hope I can have some pictures to show soon. I added links to some crafty sites. They are my inspiration. I want to become a crafter.

My feet hurt so bad. I worked until 3am yesterday, and I'm still recovering from it. I stayed late to help. I felt like I didn't help much because there was so much to do. Those night nurses are always running their butt off, and yet they are the least recognized. I know because I worked night for couple years. Lately, I have been feeling burnout from my job. Sometime I just want to quit my job and do something completely different. But then , I look my patients and am reminded why I do what I do. This is my calling, and I can't let my frustration get to my head. I was proud of myself tonight. There's a situation at work that upset a lot of us, and somehow I got the courage to call one of our managers and expressed my frustration. I'm so sick of people trying to be lazy when others are trying to keep their heads above water. Now I know why I'm starting to get gray hair.

The other day, I was helping one of the nurses with her new admission. It was an older gentleman patient who had been on our floor before. He's so cute. Anyway, we got to talking about my background. He asked me about my nationality. I told him I'm Chinese. Right away he asked, "Hey, what do you guys call those fat wrestlers in your country?" "Sumo wrestlers," I told him, " and they are in Japan." Then he started to talk about what those guys wear and started singing "itsy bitsy teenie weenis yellow polka dot bikini" Haha...

One of the bad things about working only 3 days a week is I have a tendancy to become really lazy. I think if I have a busier schedule, I can keep myself occupied and be more productive. I'm not self motivated when it comes to hard working. I always give my 100% once I'm at work, the problem is I hate being at work. Maybe the 12 hours shift is starting to get to me. I guess you can't have everything.

So I heard a lot of bad reviews on Spider-Man3 from other poeple too. The only people seem to enjoy it are little kids. I want to know what happened to the writer who surprisingly wrote all three Spider-Man. Did they cut his salary or piss him off? Maybe he has been watching too much Lifetime tv? Seriously, the lines in this one can't be cheesier. Now that I have written two entries about how bad Spider-Man3 sucks, don't say I didn't warn you. I only wish someone warned me before.

I'm glad I don't have to work monday because I get to watch Dancing With The Stars. I don't know why people are giving Len Goodman a hard time. He's my favorite judge. Such a classy man. I wish the judges will dance on the show. I would love to see their moves.

Boy, what a fun day for Schroeder. I took him with me while I ran some errands this afternoon. He was being a good boy. I could tell he really enjoyed the car ride. Then I took him to a nearby park. I didn't realize we have such a beautiful park here. It has a big lake in it and a dog park. I may get Schroeder a permit for the dog park. We took a long walk along the lake and the trail. Schroeder even got a little dip in the water. It's his first, so he freaked out a little. He may eventually warm up to it I hope.

Went to see Spider Man today. I have to say I was very disappointing. Even though I didn't have much expectation, I expected it to be better than the second one since the second one was better than the first. I thought it was way too long even with every 15 minutes action scenes. Half way through the movie, I found myself completely bored and not care for any of the character. Also there were many corny moments that had me rolling my eyes. I seriously enjoyed watching the previews more than the movie itself. At least we were smart enough to watch the matinee.

Some of the previews that got me excited about the summer blockbusters are Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End coming out May 25 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which comes out July 13. My gosh! Has it really been a year since the last Pirates movie? This time they got Chow Yun-Fat in it, my favorite Hong Kong actor.

It was a perfect day. We had our meeting with our pastor today. It went well as usual. He's such an amazing minister. We are inspired to becoming memebers of this church. Then we drove around town for groceries. We had barbecue lamb, saffron risotto, and corn for dinner. I was not a big fan of the barbecue lamb. I don't really like the lamb meat taste, I prefer to have it cooked in some kind of sauce or spice to take away that taste. After dinner we took Schroeder to a nearby park. He ran alongside Peter, and we played fetch with a stick. He was having so much fun. You could see his big smile the whole time. He's getting used to sleeping outside now. It really saves us a lot of hassle. We don't have to get up early to let him out anymore. Last night, he even slept in his dog house I got him. Smart doggie. It was a wonderful day for Schroeder and for me too. I'm ready for a long night of rest and cuddle.

We went to the Gateway Market today. It just opened up last week. They sell a lot of gourmet food and have a big selection of cheese and freshly baked bread. We had lunch at their cafe. I had the Tokyo style ramen noddle, and Peter had the burger. Honestly, I think they are little pricey for the kind of food they serve. Also I noticed a lot of the groceries they offer can also be found in the local grocery stores. I'm not really impressed. I think it's just another gimmick to price up some ordinary products, because nowaday, most grocery stores have imported products that don't cost as much. I'm sure it will still do well though, because there are many people who are suckers for this kind of things.

I bought Schroeder a dog house today. We are trying to make him an outside dog. It took little time to assemble, but I had to work up a sweat to get it outside. It wouldn't fit through the back door. I had to take the roof off, which was the part that took the longest to put together, and reassembled it outside. I'm not sure if Schroeder likes it, but he'd better use it. I also bought Orlando some scratching tools. One of them came with a little bag of catnip. I was supposed sprinkle it onto the scartching pad, but I didn't because that stuff makes cats crazy. Orlando was already rubbing himself on the bag that the catnip was in. After I threw it in the trash, he was rubbing against the trash can. Catnip is evil!

Tonight I watched the new show The Real Wedding Crashers. I thought it was kinda funny. I like it better than other punk shows. I always feel awkard and sometimes bad for the people that are being punked or doing the punk, because sometimes people get really angry. But this time the grooms and the brides are in for it, and since it's their big day, the guests can't really be mad at them. I don't think I can ever punk anyone, because I can't keep a straight face.

I LOVE...
Going to pet stores.
Going to the zoo.
Coca-Cola.
Staying home on a rainy day.
Putting on makeup.
Waking up early in the morning.
Sleeping in occasionally.
Shopping alone.
Family gathering.
Taking baths.
Wearing perfume.
Curling my hair.
Cuddling with Orlando.
Playing with Schroeder.
Spending time with my hubby.
Looking at old pictures.
Christmas.
Weddings.

I HATE...
Waking up early in the morning when I have been staying up late the night before.
Loud noises.
Bananas.
Snow.
Lazy people.
Reading.
Bad hair day.
Pimples.
Socializing.
Darkness.
Working on the weekend.
Schroeder barking in the morning.
Being irrational.
Immoralities.

I think I'm a loner. Besides spending time with my husband, I prefer to be alone. It's different with him because we are as one, so being with him is like being with myself. I love the freedom of being alone. You don't have to compromise or negotiate. Occasionally, I enjoy having a good time with my friends, but it doesn't happen often. Even when I'm with my friends, I prefer to stay very low key. I'm also very particular about who I hang out with. It's very tiring to be with people I don't care for. I don't make friends easily. It takes a lot for me to open up to someone. I look at other people who have a big circle of friends, I say good for them. Then I look at myself, so far I can count my close friends with one hand with couple fingers to spare. But I love that though because it makes our friendship so much more special and significant.

It was a fun filled weekend visiting my friend Wing in Minneapolis. We ate plenty of good food and went shopping every chance we got. This is the first trip we have taken since we got Schroeder. We really missed him during the trip, especially when we saw the cute dog commercial on TV. The one where bunch of puppies running around in a museum singing, so adorable. I don't know what they did to Schroeder, but he has calmed down a lot since he came back from the kennel, and he smells and looks better. The cat apprently missed us too, because he wouldn't leave us alone ever since we came home.

Today I went shopping for some makeup. (More shopping yet?) I have been using Bobbi Brown makeup for a while. I like how most of her makeup are yellow based, which are suitable to most women, even caucasians. She's all about enhancing women's nautral beauty without looking all madeup, perfect for my minimalist taste. I also bought one of her books. It's pretty lame to read a cosmetic book, but there are a lot of tips in there on makeup technique and how to look good in every age group. I know how you look doesn't change who you are, but it sure changes the way you feel sometimes. You don't have to put a lot of time to make yourself look nice. You just can't go into an interview or a party looking like you just roll out of bed. This is part of taking care of ourselves, we shouldn't be so lazy about it. Besides, it shows others respect when you look well-kept. So the little extra time you spend in the morning to get yourself ready is well worth it. You just don't want to make your appearance to be your number one priority, because then you become narcissistic.

Something to share.

I was the secretary on our floor today. It was so much fun, and it's a nice change. I may do it again tomorrow. I signed up extra this weekend because we are going to Minneapolis next week, and I need to make some extra cash for it. I'm so looking forward to it. It's always fun going to see my frieng Wing. It's my chance to get in touch with my asian culture.

Couple days ago Peter let Orlando out, something I have told him not to because we don't have invisible fence. Although Orlando always came back in the past, this time he was gone for couple of days. I was getting worried because the night he was gone there was a big thunder storm and the temperature was going to drop into the 20s the next few days. Last night Peter was whistling in the backyard. Suddently we heard a meow coming from somewhere, but we couldn't tell where. Peter ran around the house and down the street, still no sight of Orlando. Then Peter whistled again, and the meow became more constant this time. We followed the sound and finally we realized the sound was coming from our neighbor's garage. Peter knocked on the neighbor's door, and an old man came out. Peter told him our cat was trapped in his garage, and the old man went back inside to put on his shoes. It took him nearly 10 minutes, and it took him another 10 minutes to walk to the garage and open its door. I had already went back to our house because it was freezing out. 20 minutes later, Orlando was home sweet home. Later Peter told me the old man sounded a little upset that we let out cat ran around free. He said there's a leash law here and that "This may smells like a free country, but it's not." Haha... We also found out why they always park on the street. Their garage is filled with old junk, and their driveway is already taken up by old junk cars. If junk equals old memories, they sure have a lot of them. Anyway, I'm glad our sweet Orlando is finally home, unfortunately, there will be no more adventure for him.

Work sucked this past weekend. First I had some really heavy patients that required totaly care. My back was so sore after work. Then I had a doctor trying to do things his way and not follow the hospital protocol. He also tried to blame the nurses for what happened. What-ever!

I love spring, the air, flowers blooming, and birds singing. Schroeder has been enjoying the weather as well. We are able to let him out most of the day. He's made friends with our neighbor's kids. At first Schroeder was a little afraid of them, even though they were on the other side of the fence. Schroeder would get close to the fence when the kids were not looking, then the kids saw him and tried to pat him, he ran away. The kids would throw sticks to our yard trying to get the dog's attention, but Schroeder didn't care. Finally Schroeder realized they were all right and started licking the kids. When our pastor's kids were over here today, the little boy Owen was extremely scared of the dog. He was screaming bloody murder and telling the dog to "GO AWAY! GO AWAY!". Haha... It was a funny scene. The girls on the other hand were having so much fun playing with the dog. Even baby Monica was patting the dog.

So March Madness has begun, and that's all I have to say about it. We have big plans this weekend. Mark's birthday on Firday, and Uncle Phil is coming from Texas to hang out and watch the games with us. Hope everyone has a great week and weekend.

Look at these tiny feet. A premature baby born at 22 weeks is being released from the hospital. Even though the doctors were not optimistic at first are now amazed by the progress this little baby is making. I wish people can look at this and think twice about abortion. Whether they want to face the truth or not, abortion is the killing of an actual human life. Even the littlest feet like these can still kick. Thanks to the Lord for bringing this miracle baby to her family.

I came down with a terrible cold right after Peter got well from his. I blamed him of course. At least he was taking good care of me while I was sick. I was at the end of my cold last night when I went to the Phantom of the Opera. I brought extra kleenex. It was so cold out, luckily we didn't have to walk too far from our parking spot to the civic center. Yesterday I kept having a feeling that I was going to miss the show. When I was checking online to see where we could park, I noticed the show time was actually 6:30 not 7:30. It was 6 already, so Peter and I had to rush out the last minute. We made it there on time with five minutes to spare actually. I always loved the music of the Phantom of the Opera and always wanted to see it. This is my first musical experience, and I really enjoyed it. It would have been more enjoyable though if I wasn't sick. I would love to see it again.


We also rented The Illusionist last night. It was good I think. I remember there were two magician movies last year around the same time, this one and The Prestige. We saw the latter one in the theater and it was equally entertaining.

It seems like there's a big chance of snow again tonight. Are you kidding me?

Poor Peter was sick the last couple days. He's so cute with his red nose though. I'm glad he's all better now because I'm going to take him to see the Phantom of the Opera with me this sunday. It's my Valentine's gift. I bought the tickets for me for him. I'm really excited.

We have satellite again, woo-hoo! I forgot how clear the picture is. We had antena for the past year, and I spent majority of my tv watching time manipulating. Now I can finally enjoy the tv watching experience. We even got some Hong Kong channels. I feel a little more closer to home now.

We did our tax return couple weeks ago, and we have to pay even more this year. I hate the IRS.

Another week of freezing cold weather. Record lows in many places, what's going on? I wanna stay in my warm bed and never come out again.

Today I went to an old local shopping mall. There wasn't much there. It was actually quite depressing. The 80s music and the empty shops, a carrousel without any rider besides the old man that operates it was cleaning the seats, it reminded me a lot of the mall in Traverse City. I hate shopping with the crowds, but places like this killed my shopping mood. By the way, has anyone tried the Breyer's double churned ice-cream? The texture is similar to gelato, very smooth and dense. I'm going to make myself a brownie with Breyer's double churned vanilla ice-cream tonight. Sounds good?

Fudge! Got disconnected in the middle of blogging. Don't you hate that? So here I am have to rewrite everything.

I had a rough week last week, made a couple mistakes at work, though not life threathening, but I felt terrible about it. I could't let it go for a few days. I know we are all human and are not perfect, but I need to be super extra careful.

Peter and I have been thinking about joining the church we attend to. We met with our pastor yesterday to discuss the process. We will have few more meetings and to go through the Belgic Confession. For me, I will have to be baptized and also profess my faith first. Although I'm looking forward to it, I'm also very nervous about the baptism. I know it's a big committment, and it's going to be such a profound experience. I pray that God will give me strength and wisdom to go through it.

Recently I have taken up running. I have only been running on treadmill since it's been freezing outside. Although it's still dreadful sometimes, I somehow enjoy it, especially with some good music. Also I started writing a journal. Even though I enjoy blogging, and it's so convenient, some of my thoughts are too personal, and with me changing my blog so often, I don't want to lose some of the important ones (thoughts).