Quite nice.

Today Shawna and Grammy joined me!

They went off to the mall (to spend money, no doubt!).

We stopped off at the outlet mall on the way home and didn't get home til almost 8:00pm!

It was quite the long and active day!

You have mail!

When we moved into our house we didn't have a mailbox. We were told by the postoffice that if we put a mailbox outside that we would all of a sudden start getting our mail outside!

Living in upstate New York we only had three selections of mail boxes! If we had to do it again I would have gone with something other than the Rubbermaid black mailbox.

The mailbox has a bottom area and it seems like everytime the free newspaper guy puts a newspaper in it - it ends up blowing out of the mailbox and within minutes is spread throughout the yard!

Need help?

Over the past few years we've had to help a loved one find a drug rehab. We were faced with dealing with addiction and we had no idea where to turn.

There were social worker's that were able to help us without placement and without their advise and information we wouldn't have known what to do.

Today our loved one is living a happy and healthy life free from drugs.

I'm glad he was able to seek help before it was too late.

Damn glasses.

Today I was driving and I realized that the whole damn nose pad of my glasses has come off. Which of course, leaves me looking VERY COOL. The sides of my glasses are digging into my nose and I can't tell you how damn painful it is.

It sucks not having an extra pair of glasses.

When I called Shawna she was very understanding and it sounds like we're going to head out tomorrow to buy me new glasses at our favorite Falcon Optical in Dryden.

Rich has always hooked us up and he has some great frames too. I think I'm going to go for something pretty trendy and perhaps that will help with me entering into my 30's and looking stupid.

Business protection.

We have over ten computers at work and since I'm the most computer knowledgeable I have recently been titled IT Director on top of my daily Landscape Architect duties!

I know computers pretty good and I've even done a decent job with the networking but something that I'm not too sure about is network security. Right now we hire the networking, computer repair, and security out to an indepedant contractor who tends to do a really good job.

I was just reading about a program called packetshaper that really helps with protection of important information.

BestNetworkSecurity.com offers the software and you can sign up now for a free 30 day trial period. It's worth a shot and if it's easy enough to maintain it might be worth the initial investment.

On the road again...

Today I'm making a trip out of town for work. It's actually pretty nice today and so I don't mind being out of the office. The hard part of course is coming back to the office and realizing that I have a million things that need to get done!

Too bad I don't have an i-phone so that I can do work while I'm on the road or driving.

Reason 2,003 why I need to purchase a new iPhone.

Our office...

I remember not so long ago when we used to have an office at my bosses house. We were squeezing eight of us in a 300 square foot area. The ongoing joke was that it can't be safe nor could it be in regulation with fire code!

When we moved to our new office they really pulled out all of the stops. They fixed up the office space, got all of us new office furniture, and just recently we got new computers and monitors so that we're not straining.

The reality is...we don't have it too bad these days and I'm glad that I've been able to help with the purchasing of things that help our jobs go smoother and easier!

I wish we had one of these!

My work has always been known for the place people bring their old food! Right now we have some cookies that I brought from the Philippines four months ago and some nasty sesame cookies that have been there for six months.

Every once in a while when someone gets hungry they pry into the food, eat a couple, and then they are stored for another few months until someone gets desperate enough.

I've always thought that having a multivend machine in the office would be a perfect idea for the corporate and working types like our office!

Not only could we get nuts, candy, and gum out of the machines but it might just tide us over so we don't have to leave our office to pick up lunch or dinner!

BeTheBoss.com offers some great vending options for business owners. The website is informative and easy to obtain information.

Pimp city.

In the next few weeks we'll be making a trip to my dad's house for the family reunion. I'm sure many of you have heard me talk about the pimpness of it before. However, I think this time I'm going to have to take some photos.

I wish my dad would have invested in an outdoor kitchen with a nice grill top and counters. I think he would probably spend more time outside and it'd be nice to have family gatherings and bbqs.

I've had my eye on a new grill and right now we're just waiting til the end of the season when they go on clearance!

Fatness.

I've gotten to the point where I'm really starting to realize that I need to get something going on with my diet. At one point I was at an all time low right after the baby when I was breast feeding.

Now I think I should look into the diet patch! You can apply the patch and it helps you through the day control your appetite.

My family reunion is just around the corner and God knows...if I don't shed these unwanted pounds my aunts and uncles are going to talk about how fat I've gotten!

I think I would probably lose fifteen pounds in the next three weeks!

A goldmine.

When I was the executive director of an assisted living residence we were always looking for ways to make some extra money for the residents activities and the "extras".

Another need was that the residents were constantly looking for nuts or candy to eat! They loved treats and we were never able to get a big vending machine into the building because people were afraid that we wouldn't generate enough revenue.

The perfect solution would have been to get a vendstar. With Vendstar you can have a small vending machine for candy, gum, or nuts. Typically, these are the quarter machines that you see at restuarants.

Not only would this cure the sweet tooth for employees and residents a like, but it would also bring in a little extra money that could go towards resident activities or even their monthly eat outs at a restaurant.

FREEZE!

I have a horrible back and I always have. I've tried just about everything in the book to relieve the pain including some of Shawna's muscle relaxers the other night!

Then of course I remembered that I was mailed a free sample of Freeze It! It had been on the counter for some time and Lydia had actually stolen a few packages and raved about it.

So I decided I should probably give it a shot too!




I was so amazed at how fast Freeze It worked! Plus, it wasn't greasy and didn't stain my clothing or the sheets.

In the past I've used this theragesic stuff and that will burn holes in your lungs it is so strong and toxic. Shawna won't even let me sleep next to her in fear that it might get on her!

With Freeze It it was like a fresh and relaxing topical that really made my back relax within minutes.

After reading the packaging I was quite impressed to see that it was all natural and there wasn't one ingredient that I had to worry about having negative effects.

Plus, after viewing the website they also have an easy to use tube. I think that would probably be idea because that way I could apply a nice layer on my back without the help of anyone else.



I like the fact that I could apply it as thick or thin as I wanted.

I highly recommend Freeze It and I've already ordered two tubes to help with my aching backaches!



This post sponsored by: Freeze It!

Dragging.

This morning I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to find out that I had fallen asleep once again in Graem's bed. The whole idea was that I was going to put her to sleep and then come upstairs and watch "Big Love" on DVD with Shawna.

By the time I made it up stairs Shawna was asleep.

It seems like the past few weeks we have been dragging and not getting enough sleep. I think it's the constant go and we really haven't had a good night to just hang out inside, take it easy, and go to bed early.

Good thing we don't have a thing on our agenda tonight except eat boxed fried chicken and watch television!

Saving the earth...one day at a time.

We do what we can to make a positive reflection on the environment and earth. We recycle cans and paper. Most recently we purchased a smaller car that was more energy effecient and used less gas.

It's interesting how we can do our parts but other people in different parts of the world have no clue! Even when Shawna lived in Houston she had no idea that there was such thing as recycling.

Over the past decades environmental standards have been pretty non-existant. It hasn't been until recent that reform has taken place and put standards into place for oil companies and other companies that deal with pollutant materials.

Check out the BP Refinery Fact Sheet that was recently published.

It seems like companies like BP are doing whatever they can to make sure that we get the oil that we need. To some extent it's inevitable that an accident or damage is going to happen every once in a while.

Here are the precautions that are currently being taken:

1. BP is spending $3 billion dollars to increase modifications to their Whiting Refinery.

2. They are releasing 99.9 clean water into Lake Michigan and not the sludge that has been represented in the media.

3. They are well within the environmental and goverment limits.

As long as the government has standards and a watchdog making sure that companies do as they are suppose to ... I suspect that pollution and manufacturing will have even less of an impact in the upcoming years.

What a weekend!

This weekend we did just about everything - including, hopefully - getting Shawna knocked up! We put in three great looking embryos and of course I had to be primary caregiver of Graem this weekend when Shawna was on bedrest.

Yesterday we went out to see L&L's new baby. She's absolutely beautiful and Graem even got told hold her.

We dropped Shawna off at home and did some geocaching! We had a great time and found three different sites.

If it's not one thing...

It's another! After getting our fridge, washing machine, and dryer replaced we are still having problems with our home theatre system that we purchased about three years ago.

In the middle of watching television or even a DVD it all of a sudden goes blank and stops working!

We love home theater seating and so we're in the market for a new home theatre system that is a name brand and will work with our television and existing set up.

Of course, we could always just bring the Sony home theatre system upstairs down to the living room.

Will I ever get...

my own set of business cards?

I have been with the company for almost ten years and since then we have changed offices, logos, and I've even become licensed!

The last time I went to a meeting for work I had to hand out a business card that had absolutely everything marked out from address, phone number, fax number, and email.

Good thing my name was still the same!

I think it's time my boss break down and get us some new business cards.

Image is everything, right?

I want to *pump* you up!

I have friends that are really into the fitness scene. (Notice I did not include myself!)

Typically, they tend to have a hard time meeting people who are into some of the same things and value fitness. When they're at the club they're working out and when they go out on the town sometimes you can't tell who really works out.

Fitness dating has become really popular for people who love their body and like to work out.

It just makes sense to find someone who likes the same types of things as yourself!

That's why there's finally a places for fitness singles to meet!

FitnessDates.com offers a great website where people who are into working out can hook up. The website is really easy to use and you can view all of the profiles instantly. You can join for free and you can even see pictures of singles that are in your area!

This weekend...

well...it appears that our friends L&L have decided to have their baby and we're quite excited. It's still pretty hush hush but L's water broke this morning and I'm expecting that we'll get word sometime tomorrow that the baby has been born.

Of course, we're in Albany and won't get back in town til later tomorrow afternoon.

I'm guessing they're going to have a little girl!

Get gothy, baby!

When I was in high school there was a pretty big goth movement. The hardest things for the goth kids were that they all seemed awkward and out of place in social situations and of course they were known as the school freaks.

In order to find goth dating they had to hang out in bars or in other parts of the town in order to find people with common interests.

Now there's a place for goth singles to come together and meet others that have similiar interests!

GothScene.com is a great website that is easy to use and also easy to sign up for. You can view profiles instantly and even set up your own within a matter of minutes.

It's a great way to cut to the chase and not have to look all over for someone as "gothy" as yourself!

We made it!

We're in Albany tonight and staying at the Hilton Gardens. It's quite nice here and I'm not sure we're going to want to leave in the morning!

Tomorrow is the big day that we've been waiting for and we're going to transfer the embryos back into Shawna. Our appointment is at 10:00am and so we're guessing that we'll be home by 1:00pm or so.

I can't decide about...

going back to school. In my profession they offer a Masters program in Landscape Architecture but I'm not sure I'd benefit from it unless I wanted to teach college or university.

In most cases getting a higher education means going to classes during the day, staying up late at night working on assignments, and no income while attending school.

That's not the case any longer! Capella University makes it easy to get your online phd while working full time. You can attend their online university and they have many different degree programs that you can enroll in.

In fact, I have a few friends that are attending online schools and it's fitting in perfectly with their day to day routines - including a full time job!

Cash or credit?

We have had credit card debt for over 10 years! Ever since Shawna and me have been together we have had collective debt - then married debt, then college debt, then infertility debt!

It was not until recently that we were able to get all of our debt paid for. At one point we had accumulated more than $30,000 of debt.

While it's been challenging with Shawna staying home with Graem we've been able to better balance our money and direct my salary towards getting our debt down. Also, a two year break from infertility has helped too!

One thing that we've always relied on was the idea of being able to use our credit cards for purchases. It has helped that our fertility center is able to accept credit cards.

When we were in the process of paying them the $20,000 for the upcoming IVF refund program she mentioned that she'd prefer me pay by check so that they didn't have to pay the fees... It just couldn't work out that way so I ended up using my credit card since the check we were expecting hadn't arrived in the mail!

In the end we had to do what we had to do... so we put it on a credit card, got the reward miles, and a nice little cash back rebate that went towards payment of our credit card!

For people like us making big purchases in many instances it just pays for us to use our credit cards. We all all of the rewards that we can get and we have two airline tickets that are just waiting to be used!

Another thing that any smart and educated consumer will make sure to do is compare credit cards, credit card comparison .

CardServicesales.com is a great website that allows merchants to accept credit cards. They provide the machines and software and it looks pretty easy to get started!

Latino love!

We have a few Latino friends and over the years they have really had a hard time finding their soul mates.

Our best friend, Alex, went through a few different people before he was actually able to settle down with his partner.

He should have just tried latin dating online.

LatinaRomance.com offers a great place for Latinos to meet other Latinos. I like the fact that it is free of charge and you can easily sign up and get your profile posted within minutes.

The profiles that are on the website are quite attractive and make the website look like something worth looking into!

Latina dating has never been easier!

Back to the grind.

I really do think after such a crazy weekend I went to work this morning and was exhausted. Graem has been having major issues with going to sleep and half of the time I end up sleeping in her room.

Last night she woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep. I brought her upstairs and Shawna got mad and took her back downstairs.

Tonight, we're going to try something a little different. I'm going to read Graem a book in bed and then transfer her over to the bed. Of course, I know this won't go smoothly...but we've got to do something or else I end up sleeping all night in her bed!

Got big love?

I know there are probably a few bbw singles out there that read my website. That's why I want to give you information on how to find that special someone.

BBW dating can be hard...especially when you live in upstate New York!

Now I know you're probably wondering what BBW is...it stands for big and beautiful women!

What's great is that you can go to bbwromance.com and see both men and women who have signed up through the website. You can sign up for free and view all the other people who are looking for big love!

Good thing I never had to go to the website and was able to find my big mama years ago!

What a weekend!

We had such a crazy weekend full of concerts, museums, geocaching and fun!!

Saturday we went to the concert series and had a great time with L&L and L&J. Graem and J played during the concert and it was so fun to see them interact.

Sunday we went to the Strong Museum of Play and had such a great time. We got there when it opened and didn't leave til it closed.

Family vacation?

I can't wait til Graem gets a little bit taller and a little bit older so that we can go to Disney in Orlando!

We had such a great time when we went a few years back (pre-kid) with my aunt and uncle. We stayed at a nice apartment complex that had a pool and did the whole Disney and Universal Studios.

In the next few years a Kissimmee vacation is going to be just perfect! I can only imagine how Grammy will react when she sess all of the great characters and fun rides!

Darn home theatre system!

Our home theatre system downstairs has been making quite the racket. We purchased it when we bought the television about three years ago.

We purchased a middle of the line Pioneer DVD home theatre combo for around $500.

All of a sudden you can be watching television or even a DVD and the sound goes completely blank.

Sometimes the sound will actually make a loud buzzing noise too.

I've always liked home theater seating and having nice sound has really added to our video game and movie experience.

I guess at some point we're going to have to break down and buy a new one!

I just saw it...

and I want it.

I'm talking about the new Police cd. I saw it just the other day at Best Buy and looked at it for about 20 minutes. My favorite stalker song of all time is "Every breath you take".



There have been many remakes of the song over the years but none compare to The Police. Even Puff Daddy and Faith Hill came together to remake it.... it was a trainwreck to say the least!

When I was a kid my father owned every single police cd available. I'm sure he still listens to them, however, now it's on his iPod!

My uncle who was staying with us when I was younger used to blare the police on the radio and he even went to see The Police when they played at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

I would love to see The Police in concert. It seems like almost a great "rite of passage" that I think everyone should do at least once.

Obviously, Graem is too small now...but it'd be great fun to take her to some of the artists that we grew up with!

Now if I could just score some Police tickets for our 11 year anniversary...I'd be in good shape. At least for another 11 years!

For the love of God...

GET ME OUT OF THIS OFFICE.

I'm so ready to bust out of here on this beautiful day. I'm dying to go geocaching! It's so funny how involved Shawna and Graem have become. Shawna loves getting right in there and even stuck her hand in a pretty distgusting place a few weeks back. I was sure she was going to find a snake or some other distgusting something in the tree trunk!

Knock on wood.

We have both cars in good shape and even all of our appliances are working good! We've been pretty fortunate in that area. However, we just had to spend about $500 a few weeks ago on tires for my car and also an alignment.

Our friends had to purchase a Taurus Radiator and it cost them an arm and a leg.

I just hope that nothing *huge* breaks on either of our cars!

Of course, if it does...I know Radiator.com has just about anything and everything that we would need to fix a car radiator. They also have a great 1-800 number with people that are trained to help you with your radiator and car needs.

I love herbs!

I've started going some alternative medicine here and there and I figure it really can't hurt my body and might even help.

Most recently I've come across HGH in the media. A few weeks ago I read an article in "Newsweek" and it peaked my interest.

Sytropin.com offers HGH in a spray form and it's a homeopathic product that makes you look and feel younger. Typically, with the products you spray a few sprays right on your tongue and it's suppose to take affect pretty quickly.



Maybe I need some of this!
This post sponsored by: Sytropin.com

Is it bad??

that I get so excited for a weekend to come?

I know typically, you don't hear me on this blog when things are going good at work. That's because I tend to bitch about when things are up in the air, I'm working too much, and getting worn out.

Lately, things have been manageable and aside from being out of the office a few days a week I'm really starting to keep my head a float.

Of course...I love my weekends and I can't wait for this afternoon to come when I can pick Graem up and we can go look for treasure!

I've got to keep up!

I've thought about going back to school to get my masters degree. The reality is that I just don't have the time nor the money to do it.

Now of course distance learning through Capella University is available. That of course makes all of my excuses pretty invalid!

Capella University has a great website where you can see the different programs they have available and even get an idea of what it would be like to be a student there.

The website is easy to use and they have tons of great accredited programs to choose from.

Of course, I still have to remember that living in Ithaca I'd make the exact same amount with having a bachelor's degree as having a master's! From a financial standpoint, it wouldn't make sense unless I was willing to move to a bigger city.

I wish we knew...

of an innovative tutor that could either come over and tutor Grammy or a place where we could drop Grammy off to get some extra educational teaching.

Shawna works her quite a bit and I've even started workiong with her in the evening to build her vocabulary. Lately, we've been working on letters and I'm trying to teach her words like Hot and Cold.

Score Learning Centers are often available in many areas and they offer kids ages 4-14 educational tutoring and even summer programs!

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

Geocaching!

We've started doing family geocaching and we've had such a great time! Basically, for those that don't know what in the hell I'm talking about...

We check on the website www.geocaching.com and find different destinations that people have hidden "treasure" or just a sign in sheet. Then we use our GPS and find the destination.

We can take a treasure, but we have to leave a treasure, or if it's a sign in sheet then we just sign "Two Mamas".

Graem loves finding the treasure and I can't believe how Shawna has actually been encouraged to go hiking too!

It's nice to be outdoors, do something fun, and healthy too!

Our little reader!

We've already started teaching Graem how to read. She knows how to read HOT, COLD, and today she even picked up when I wrote down her name.

She loves reading books and I can see her picking up pretty quickly on reading. I'm sure getting reading tutors would help in the process.

When she turns 4 we might even look into going to a Score Learning Center. They offer experienced tutors and programs for kids who need or want some extra help.

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

Another ass whooping.

Tonight we have a softball game versus Uncle Joes. Last time we played them the game ended in five games and ended due to the mercy rule.

Tonight, I'm sure it will be no different. Good thing I'm not playing!

I'm excited to have the day off tomorrow and we don't have many plans. We're probably going to go over to our friend Diane's for a picnic/bbq and swimming in her pool.

I'm not sure how I feel about getting off in the middle of the week. The good thing is that after all is said and done it will be Thursday and then, of course, my favorite day --- Friday!!

1+2=3?

Shawna was just commenting a few weeks back about how the kids at the elementary school were horrible at math. She didn't know whether to attribute that to the parents or the educators or both.

That's why when there is extra help available we're going to make sure that Graem gets it!

We might even start by looking at math tutors. Score Learning Centers offer some great programs that give kids ages 4-14 a head start or the extra jumpstart that they need to be successful in the classrooms.

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

Long time, no post.

I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've posted last...but things have been really busy lately!

Plus, we've become somewhat obsessed with spending most of our free time with our new hobby of geocaching!

This weekend we spent time with L&L and even took them out to a few geocaching sights too.

Other than that, I did't have to go into work, Shawna got her period, and we are gearing up to start our next IVF cycle.