Better late than never.....

I just wanted to post a picture from my birthday dinner....It was on 11/28/08. Thanks to Aera, Ron, Karen, Lauren, and Roxanne for coming out for dinner and drinks!

Things happen when you least expect it!

I just wanted to post that God works in a mysterious way. Also that everything happens "in his time". A lot of people say that, but if you really take a look at your life, it is really true. I just wanted to say that I got a promotion! However, it is not at my current job, it is at the University of Alaska Southeast. I will be working in the Grant Section. I've been wanting a new job...but things were moving around slow. I finally was tired of putting in all this effort, when one day last week (I believe it was last Wednesday), I received a call from a lady I had interviewed with about 6 months ago. She was my step aerobics instructor and she kept encouraging me to apply to work for her, but it never worked out. Anyways, she called and was wondering if I would want to come and work for her. I had to think about it for a moment, but it really didn't take that long. The downside is that it is all the way in Auke Bay which is a longer drive (about 15-20 mins compared to my current 5 min drive) to work. But the upside is 1.) higher pay 2.) free school (I've been thinking about getting my graduate certificate to teach special education)3.) Marcus is a sole proprietor business owner and therefore does not have insurance. He is able to have my benefits (medical, dental, vision, tuition waivers, etc.) without us being married, which is good because I think insurance is something everyone should have, 4.) I can use the Rec (excercise facility) for free, 5.) Since I don't know anyone in the valley, I can workout and do classes at lunch time..and the list went on and on..hahaha so I just wanted to give thanks to God because he definately listens to us and knows our hearts desires.

LUSH

So...I went out on Friday for Brad's (Aera's bf's bday). Anyways, we all went out to dinner..Marcus came with. Before we left, though, he had said that he was tired and didn't want to make it an "all nighter". That is what I had said a couple of days prior, but sometimes when I go out and have a few drinks, I am not ready to leave. Therefore, I said that we can drive either car, but if I wanted to stay, he can just leave me there and I'd make other arrangements. I even made sure I had some cab fare just in case (Luckily, I had 15 bucks in my pocket!) Anyways..dinner was good. I had texted my friend from work, Roxanne, and told her to meet me for a drink. So after dinner, the birthday party went to the Alaskan, and I stayed with Roxanne and her bf. Long story short, I had 1 1/2 glasses of beer with dinner (which I didn't really eat because I had eaten earlier so I just shared Aera's salad and ate some bread), then I bought Roxanne and her bf a shot of a Washington Apple, ordered myself a raspberry long island (apparently also known as a black opal), and then before we left the Hangar, Roxanne and I snuck in another shot. When we got to the Alaskan, I was already buzzed...but I ordered a cranberry vodka for the three of us. I guess the couple wasn't feeling the Alaskan (I don't blame them! But I felt bad for ditching the birthday party so I decided to stay with them) so they left. We decided to go over to Joe's apartment and do a shot of scotch? (or whiskey? not sure...the stuff that puts hair on your chest...ewww). LET ME TELL YOU...I was DRUNK!!! Geez.....Anyways, I ended up coming home a little after two, and I somehow weasled my way into getting a bottle of wine from one of Aera's friends that bought it when he lived in Italy. I tried returning the bottle, but I guess I am suppose to eat it with dinner on Thanksgiving?? HAHAHA Drunk people talking is funny! Geez...drunken nights, I tell ya!!

Mexico, Mexico, Over the Hill to Texaco

Just wanted to blog a little bit about my vacation even though I know I am a little late..... So....we left Juneau on Saturday. When we finally arrived in Cali, it was a long day of traveling! We were all tired, but we decided to hang out with my family. Marcus got to meet most of my family, including my aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was nice catching up and hanging out with them. Marcus has never been to San Diego so we had a long list of things we wanted to get accomplished. We woke up Sunday morning and started our day off at the swap meet. We were there for quite a few hours, but when we were finally done, we were both able to buy everything we wanted from there! We then headed towards Sea World. Since we had spent most of the morning at the swap meet, we didn't have the chance to eat anything so we found this little cafe near Sea World. I had a delicious vegetarian sandwich and some Acai berry with granola. It was delish! When we were done eating, Marcus found this garage sale nearby that was selling wet suits. Long story short, we left the garage sale with a bunch of random items, including wet suits and a tuna strainer! lol Anyways...we were finally on our way to Sea World and let me just tell you...It was AMAZING!! Going there as an adult really lets you appreicate and understand just how much work it takes to train the animals and its great to see how intelligent animals can be! When we were done with Sea World, we went to our hotel to hang out and shower then we headed to Plaza Bonita where we had dinner.

On Monday, we woke up and decided to go to downtown San Diego. We also went to Sea Port Village where we had some yummy Greek food. We then went Horton Plaza and did some shopping up until we had to meet the rest of the family at the house to head to the cruise ship terminal. Let me just tell you, the cruise ship terminal and the boarding was INSANE!! Total Chaos!!! However, when we finally got on board, we were ready to have our vacation!!

The first two days were sea days. We kind of just hung out on the ship and participated in the events. We watched the shows and ate yummy food. On day 3, we went to Manzanillo. We got off the ship and took a bus downtown where we went shopping at the local stores and explored for a bit. It was there that Marcus and I split from the rest of the group and we decided to go around on our own. We decided to take the bus back to the ship to see if we could get a tour. We decided to get a taxi and go to the local beach. We shopped a bit and bought more things than we needed. It is so hard to say no to the vendors that are working so hard trying to make a living. Anyways...Marcus bought an over-priced soccer ball and we played soccer on the beach. We ran into Bob and Genie (a couple we made friends with on the ship). We enjoyed every minute on land until we had to return to the ship.

The next day, we went to Acapulco....I am gonna stop typing now . I will continue another time.

Can't you see that its just raining.....there ain't no need to go outside...

The wind and rain in Juneau have been horrific! Its raining cats and dogs! Its especially hard when you have to wake up to the sound of an annoying alarm clock and you have a nice cozy bed with a warm body beside you.

Anyways…..I have been meaning to blog, but my busy life seems to never permit me.

So….I have been thinking of a new plan for myself when I get back from vacation. I read in this magazine to “Invest in your body”. We often buy things that we think will make us look good or what not, but we don’t do the basics. Therefore….I am going to try and work on it while I am on vacation, but definitely when I get back…..Those things include:
-Exercise at least 5 days a week (if not more…try to attend classes including strength training and yoga)
-Follow the Weight Watcher Point System
-Take a multi-vitamin each day
-Pray/Meditate-I want my relationship with God to be stronger. I think this affects many, many, MANY aspects of life.
I often write this down to remind myself, but I figure if I make it public, I will actually work on it. I guess these ideas stemmed from going to the gym and seeing my reflection and thinking, “Who is that??” My goal is to be healthy and it stems from what I do to my own body.

On a different note, Marcus’s mom flew in on Wednesday. It was a pretty windy day, but luckily she got in. The first night we had dinner at John’s house with the kids and his new love interest. I can tell he is happy and the kids seem to all get along. The second was with our parents at the Thai place. I always knew my dad was intelligent, but last night, I realized just how much he really knows about everything. He can be a handful at times just like most parents, but he always impresses me with the amount of knowledge he has. My mom is also wonderful! She is always so friendly and welcoming. She got Sue a gift of dragon fly items (a night light and a charm) that she just adored! I love them =)

The dobbies were soo happy to see Grandma Sue! We set her up on an air mattress in the living room and I even provided new Egyptian cotton pillow cases. Sue asked if the dogs could sleep out in the living room with her (we usually put them in the bathroom to sleep) and we agreed and guess what?? Ox sleeps on his bed but does the cutest thing and rests his head on Grandma’s pillows! Haha I wish I hadn’t packed my camera or I would have taken a picture of it! I guess he appreciated the new pillow cases too! hahaha Those two dogs, I tell ya! I love them to pieces!! I am gonna miss them when I go on vacay! I am also sad that we aren’t going to be able to dress them up for Halloween!

Anyways, this is all for now. The next time I enter, I should have some cute pictures from my vacation! Until next time…….

All Things Justine

I think the best title for today's blog is "All Things Justine." I have been doing a lot of thinking this week. One thing that I have really thought of is the idea of being in control of your thoughts and feelings. I know it is hard to not feel excited and happy (or on the opposite end, sad and disappointed) about things in life. But it is up to us whether we dwell on things or not. For example, last weekend, I was feeling kind of crappy (physically) but I knew that it was something small. Then, there were certain things that bothered me, and it was in my head and I was thinking about it and thinking about it, not really knowing how it was affecting me. As a result, I was sick and missed 2 out of the 4 days I had to work. I even went to the doctor and she said she couldn't find anything when she examined me (no swollen lymph nodes, liquid in my lungs, no fever, etc.) She asked if I was depressed or had any stress. I laughed and was thinking, "wtf??" but after a while, I thought about it and thought..maybe its stress. Stress with life, stress with work, etc. It has such a negative affect on us. I realize that there are things that we have to really just "let go" and not hang on to. I know I was upset over small things and I really just let it get to me. I just have to not let it get to me. I know its much easier said then done. Negative stress not only affects your health, but also your relationships. I realize that when I am bummed, it affects how I interact with those that really matter to me the most--the people I live with--my love and the dobies, and my family. There are many things that I always find out about myself that I want to work on or improve. I feel like once I acknowledge it, I work towards setting goals to improve it. Another part of stress I have is that sometimes I compare my life with others and I know that I can't do that. My life is my life and although we don't have total control of everything, we do have say in it. My latest goals are to be nicer, less stressed, and show my appreciation towards the ones I love the most: Marcus, my babies, my family, and my closest friends. Thanks for reading!

15 more days........

This picture is of my sister, brother-in-law, and my love having dinner aboard the Carnival Spirit in Juneau....Ironically, this is the same ship we will be on in Mexico!!

So I have 15 more days until we set sail for the Mexican Riviera!! I can't wait! It's getting quite chilly up here in Juneau and sitting on the beach sounds amazing =) I feel kind of poopy today so I didn't go to work........I'm just kind of tired and just crappy so I am hoping this is a short term thing that comes and goes and I am good to go by the time vacation comes.

New to this place.....

New to this place... I remember when my friend Tina was pregnant. I was at Walmart down in Lincoln, NE and I saw this cute baby onsie with a picture of the World and it said, "New To This Place". How cute!! huh?

Well, I finally caved in and got myself a blogspot. I am not sure where to go from here, but I guess I will slowly figure things out as I go. It can't be that hard, can it? I think sometimes I am just too lazy to try and figure things out. hahaha!

Anyways, I love reading my friends' blogs and I have also missed blogging myself. Hopefully this will be a fun new place to be!