:: Brinna's ::

:: Friday, December 31, 2004 ::

Wow, it's been 2 weeks nearly since I've written. Andrew arrived and we saw some more blimp hangers in the San Francisco area..we really enjoyed visiting the one in Tillamook, OR (and the cheese factory!! Fresh cheese curd can't be beat..). We came home and watched a few movies, and basically relaxed a couple days. Then we took off in the middle of the night for Grand Junction, CO. We got there Tuesday evening. Over the course of the week we rented movies, made turkey tamales (much better than turkey leftovers like sandwiches all week), went sledding, drove to Ouray to see Box Canyon's falls and the hot springs pools (I'm allowed to bathe in the cooler pools, and can enter the hot pool, as long as I keep my upper body out of the water), and, of course, opened the massive pile of presents under the tree. As someone said: 'the number of presents under the tree has reached a new level of obscenity this year'. Which turned out to be a bad thing: there was an excellent number in average, but Katie, Sammy, and possibly Daniel as well, had far, far too many presents. Even they got tired of opening them. Sammy had almost no reaction at her new bike which she'd been asking for for quite awhile. It was stressful by the end. We were all worn out. We drove back Tuesday night, with my sister along. It was discussed, and decided, that I should move back to Colorado while Andrew is gone. I can see a midwife, I can be not alone, and I can hang out with Britt again. I feel a bit bad about leaving Angela here, but we haven't talked very much lately anyway. We'll go down to the Army's Transportation office and they'll pack our things into storage so I don't have to worry about the house. We'll see how long that takes to get done...

I am now in my second trimester, and showing for sure! I had to buy some maternity pants. The ones I really wanted were huge--falling off of me, and a size small. I had to buy the ones that had elastic tops (but not the panels!), and I still took them in around the thigh area. I don't know if I'm abnormal, but I don't have that huge of thighs! Do they expect all women's body types to suddenly change now that they're pregnant? Good grief!

Speaking of getting bigger though, so far it's all belly. I supposedly lost a pound since last visit, but they also switched to a new scale, so who knows. I certainly haven't been watching my weight! I stopped working and started pigging out. (What do you expect, it's Christmas season!!) So I don't know what's going on, but I'm not worried. I'm only 14 wks pregnant after all!

:: Brinna 3:20 PM [+] ::
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Hello and Happy Sunday!

What do you all think of my festive new snowflake background? I can't believe it took me so long to put it up. The cool thing is, it's translucent kinda, so you can change the background behind it. I tried it with the plain white behind the tickers but it was distracting.

Well, some people have asked me, how does Andrew feel about having a baby? I never really knew what to say. He didn't really seem to want one, it was just a fact that I was pregnant. He hadn't thought about it too much. He'd originally wanted to wait until we were 25. Then he went to the grocery store with one of his buddies (and the buddy's little girl) after we got back from the airport (I'd forgotten to buy him whole milk... :)). When he came back, he hugged me and said, 'we're going to have a baby!' It was kind of surprising but wonderful, because being pregnant I'd started to get kinda paranoid that he didn't really want the baby, that it was just something that was there...even though I'd seen him with other children and he'd seemed to have a lot of fun. I'd tried not to think about it but was still bothered. So I was very glad when he said he'd decided he did want a baby, that he was happy I was pregnant. Unfortunately, unless I move out to Alabama, or go see him, he's going to miss 4 months of it...

We've decided to drive out on Monday night, so we can hit the mountainous areas during the day. We'll stay in GJ about a week. So get the trailer ready, Kristi!

:: Brinna 3:08 PM [+] ::
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Today is the last day I have to sleep alone, unless something drastic happens. So I might as well post in advance for tomorrow. (Happy Birthday, Kristi!!!!)

Today was supposed to be my last day of work, but it turned out that last night was. It hurt like heck to walk after a half hour and didn't stop. By the end of the night I was limping around. If we weren't seriously understaffed I would have gone home. So this morning I called the doctor about it, and he told me to come in so he could check it out. Turns out my joints are inflamed, or something around my hips and butt is. I assume from working 40 hrs a week. So today was the first time I've ever not gone to work when scheduled to...and the first time I've ever called in sick. Anyhow I'm really glad I decided to quit. Unfortunately, if I hadn't quit I would still be 'rehireable', because the reason for quitting would seem to be purely medical. Oh well, I'm not too worried--it's not like I'll be working anywhere for a good while, with a baby!

Other news--midday today the power went out. And stayed out until about 10:30pm. (It's 11pm and I couldn't sleep for the life of me.) So thank goodness I like candles. And for the gift exchange at work, I got a battery operated lamp, silver, blue, and frosted glass with a snowman & snowflakes. I thought it was really cute, perfect for my personality--I'm really glad now that I had it!! :)

:: Brinna 11:57 PM [+] ::
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Today I'm posting new pics. One of my belly at 11wks2days, and 2 of my trees.

So here we go:


The thing to remember here is, I'm still a week away from the uterus rising out of the pelvis and into the abdominal area. If I feel below my belly button a couple inches I can feel the top of it. Right now it's the size of a grapefruit, and it feels like that's what's inside of me. :) So, I'm showing a bit, but where I stick out, it's not firm like it will be later. It's mostly just my innards being displaced. Kinda gross, huh? Well, pregnancy does weird things to the body.

Anyhow, here's my small tree in the corner of the dining room:




Kinda fuzzy, but you get the idea. On this tree is all the ornaments from my childhood. Well, more like, all the ornaments that aren't silver or blue. That's where this tree comes in:




Later on when my children are larger their ornaments will get their own small tree as well. It only costs $15-20 for the tree, lights, and garlands. Can you tell I love Christmas? 3 trees... :) Thankfully (by mostly chance, since I wasn't really thinking ahead), there really isn't anything breakable on the large tree. The balls are the only thing. Balls can always go higher on the tree, with the non-breakables lower.


Vive la Navidad!

:: Brinna 2:22 PM [+] ::
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On the 10th day till Christmas....

Today I read a (revealing) review of the Lord of the Rings:Return of the King Extended Edition DVD that came out Dec. 14th. It had the greatest description of a palantir I've ever seen: 'a glowing bowling ball'.

My sister is dying to receive the DVDs of it for her birthday or Christmas. She has an extensive Christmas list, including snowboarding accessories and toe socks. My own Christmas list has not yet been seen by anyone, because somehow Hotmail has been losing the emails I send to my mom. Or her email, Juno, lost them. I tend to believe it's Hotmail, but whatever. The point is, communication via email isn't working! So I said I'd post it here on my blog for all to see. Not that anyone really sees my blog, but that's ok too. The important ppl in this situation do. So here's my list.

Lets see...

interesting scarves...I like light colors (like sky blue, sunshine yellow, light green...although I really don't look that good in yellow...), most shades of pink except super hot pink, and burgundy

makeup...preferably NOT a big kit by the cheapie brands, such as Color Workshop. Good brands are Revlon, Loreal, Maybelline, and Rimmel...Sonia Kashuk at Target would be fantastic (it doesn't have to be a large amount of makeup, I prefer quality to the quantity). They usually make good stuff for holiday promos. The little variety sets are good, because I generally use eye makeup the most., but a good cheek or lip color would be great. Go for berry shades, definitely. And shiny/glossy for the lips, not matte! :)

Steven Curtis Chapman's Music of Christmas CD...the only Christmas I have of his is the Hallmark exclusive CD

the newest CDs of Audio Adrenaline ('Lift' and 'Worldwide') and Newsboys ('Devotion')

novelty socks...something I've grown fond of over the years. Snowmen, snowflakes, butterflies and Hello Kitty are things to watch out for.

Hello Kitty...nearly anything with Hello Kitty on it will be smiled upon, now that I think of it

Vanilla Sugar scent from Bath & Body Works...I have lotion and shimmer, anything else would be fantastic. Example: soap, perfume/spray, bubble bath, scrubs...

The Sims 2, a game for PC...I'm certainly not holding my breath on this one, but I'd love to have it

The Sims: Superstar Expansion Pack...a good deal less pricey, and something I've also been debating on buying for myself

a gift certificate for maternity clothing...in case you've been living like an ostrich, I've got a bun in the oven, and sooner or later my XS/S shirts won't cut it anymore!


Hmmm....nothing else I can think of at the moment. Andrew's Christmas list is very short...all he wants is money. Feel free to give him it in the form of something you actually took the time to pick out, of course...but also, don't feel bad about giving him simple money. After all, he asked for it...he won't be offended.. :)

Anyhow, not much else going on. I'm taking it very easy with my days off. My last 2 days of work are Thursday and Friday. Lately I've been having a pain in my pelvis that is sometimes annoying and sometimes scary. Fortunately, I've asked around a bit and it's common in people who've been overworking their bodies (like me). Basically, the bones and ligaments are loosening so a baby can make space for itself, and so you'll have enough of a space in your pelvis for it to get out of there in a few months. If you aren't taking it easy, it tells you, because you're probably throwing your pelvis out of alignment...really stressing it out anyway. So now I'm extra glad I quit. I've heard that for some people it hurts to be hugged! How awful would that be?

Only a couple more days until I can find out if it hurts to be hugged...

:: Brinna 2:32 AM [+] ::
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Well,
yesterday was interesting. I was on the way to work and the power went out--traffic lights included. It took at least twice as long to get to work. I felt like I was in a huge city, with all the bumper-to-bumper cars! We just treated the lights as 4 way stops. I wonder, though, if there were accidents before they decided how to treat them?

Also on the way to work, I decided that I would see how the day went, and then decide for sure if I was going to hand in my note of notice. If it went well, I'd probably stay; and if it didn't, I wouldn't. The day started out well enough--but by the time it was over I think it might have been the worst night I'd ever had there.

We had a party of 40 in the back corner, of screaming t-ball age kids at their christmas party. (Why take t-ballers to a brewpub??) I and probably my best friend at work covered that party. Drinks, appetizers, and meals all were being ordered--and being put on separate tabs. It wouldn't be so bad if they actually stayed in one place. Most of my food got delivered to the wrong people, and the right people never got theirs. We ended up with one large check of things to void at the end of the night. Somehow they all ended up mostly happy and miraculously, we also got decently tipped. Maybe it was the fact that all the parents were drinking.

Well the party by itself wouldn't have been bad...but I had a regular sized section on top of that, and as it usually happens lately, the busy section. I had 4 tables when the party arrived, and more while it went on. I was getting pretty stressed. Then one of my tables was getting very upset. I'm not sure why, really. I managed to keep their drinks full and deliver their food in a timely fashion. All I forgot was a side of ranch, even though I remembered lots of other condiments. (I can't remember everything, ESPECIALLY now that I'm pregnant. They're lucky it was only ranch they didn't get.) Anyway, they wanted to speak to a manager, saying their service was terrible. I just about cried. The one person you'd expect to be sympathetic, the manager who has a kid (the only one who's been pregnant), wasn't at all. I really did cry a bit when the table next to the one who was mad, told me to not take it too hard, that I was doing an excellent job, especially under the circumstances. They were very nice people. I actually made pretty good tips for the night, $110. (Great tips would be $130.) I've regularly gotten more tips than the servers around me the past week, but I'd rather get about $40 and have a relaxed night, then run around stressed all night and get $80. Maybe God's giving me some bonus money before I leave. :)

Anyhow, it turns out that since I only gave a week notice instead of 2 (despite the fact that the weeks after, the restaurant is closed for the holidays), I'm 'unrehireable'. So I can't be transferred to a different department. They were like, 'you should have talked to us before you turned it in..' As if I'm going to talk about quitting with the person I'm quitting because.

Only 2 weeks until Christmas! 1 week till I see Andrew again...

:: Brinna 10:45 AM [+] ::
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Great thanks go out to 'K.N. Senko', my ol' partner in crime, my best friend since before I got hitched. She told me how to slap my ticker into the blog template so you have to look at how far pregnant I am every time you come. ;)

Yesterday I decided, after talking to a few people, I will quit my job. So I went in to HR (Human Resources) and checked out the jobs I could transfer to. The only decent one right now (besides Valet Driver, which I'd need a CA license for) is Garage Cashier. I'd sit and wait for people to leave the garage. I could read and crochet and listen to my own music for hours. I also wrote a little note of notice to my current manager, but I couldn't give it to them because the office was locked all day, and I didn't want to just hand it to him. So I'll do it today when I go in. So I'm getting ready to put away the mass of black clothing I own (which I wouldn't be able to wear much longer anyway--new uniforms, remember), and crack out the real winter clothes, like cute sweaters and (gasp!) holiday socks. If you were caught wearing anything other than 'color-coordinated' black socks, you could get written up. Good gravy that manager was strict. I wore pants with a slight reddish tint one day and only avoided getting written up by the other manager forgetting to.
Just one more week...than I'm free AND my hubby's here!

Mele Kalikimaka!

:: Brinna 10:18 AM [+] ::
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Lately I've got some decisions to make. Of course, most don't need to be made right away, but usually when I encounter a fork in the road I like to pick a path right then.

The less pressing decision is, should Andrew and I buy a different car? Our current car is fairly nice, it's paid off, and is reliable thus far. But, it's been in an accident before we got it, so who knows how good the frame really is--and for whatever odd reason has no rear center seatbelt. So when my kiddo is born it would have to go on the side, which isn't the best choice. Not that the center is an option in a Mazda RX-8--there is no center rear seat...but I think that since there will be a kiddo, we'll wait until Andrew actually has a civilian job with dough to get a pricey car. Back to the Scion tC idea...or another Echo. We both liked the Echo. The tC IS loaded, and cheap..but poor mpg. I really like the Mazda3, but I'm not sure about Andrew. The telescopic wheel feature on it is fantastic, I finally felt comfortable with the wheel/pedals ratio for the first time in a long time. Perfect arm rest height...good performance. But anyway!

Before that, I have to decide if I want to keep working where I'm working. I no longer enjoy my job. I can't stand the head manager (which happens to be the one I see the most of)--every day, there's something that gets me irritated. Earlier this week they announced a change of uniform. We're going dressier...first it was dress shirts and vests and ties of some sort (in a sports bar/brewpub!!), now it's a shirt similar to a polo shirt. I've always HATED wearing polo shirts. I would wear an APRON at Hastings so I didn't have to wear the polo! Anyway, basically any job you work at in food service, you have to have your hair pulled back. Pretty standard. Well here you have to have it 'off the shoulders' too. No low ponytails, no side ponytails, no pigtails...the worst thing is, they don't tell you this before hand. You just have to keep trying new hairstyles to see what they'll lecture you on. I also got lectured on doing a crossword puzzle when there was literally NOTHING to do. Everything was done...we'd even cleaned everything. There was nobody in the restaurant. This manager is completely inflexible. I'm supposed to get every Tuesday off--it's in my availability. Yet I get scheduled for nearly every Tuesday. I told them I wouldn't work later than 11pm Saturday or earlier than 11am Sunday, so I can go to church. Yet I get scheduled for these times. I just tell them I won't be showing up for work if they don't change it. The worst thing is, I'm working the most out of any other employee there--5 days a week, all 8+ hour shifts, and I'm the pregnant one. I'm the tired, liable to be grumpy one. I've asked for less hours, but no. Sooo....I could try and get transferred within the hotel (unlikely, considering it's the slow season right after Christmas, and the adjacent also in-hotel restaurant is closing for remodeling after Christmas for 3 mo. so those employees will be redistributed as well), or I could try and get another job in some other place until April, or, I could just take the next few months off. All you who read my blog, feel free to email me with thoughts on my employment. I enjoy having a job, but this job is no longer enjoyable, and I have way too many hours! And after Christmas, I will likely have so few tips it's a waste of time to be there...

:: Brinna 10:59 PM [+] ::
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Today, I think it is safe to say that I'm past my phase of not wanting to eat. I'm not to the point of wanting to eat a lot yet, but that will come! Next month, I'm told, I'll get ravenously hungry, because starting in the 4th month, the baby REALLY starts to grow. I'm looking forward to it. At the moment though, I'm simply thankful that the feeling of early pregnancy is back (as in, before the 5th or 6th week)--simple loss of appetite. I don't feel hungry, but I have nothing against food. My stomach and throat don't feel tight anymore.

My dog is now neutered. Everything seems to be going well, I had to get one of those over-priced collars to keep him from licking the area. What can you expect of a dog? Now I just have to see if it helps with his marking. The rest of his housetraining is going great.

I asked my boss yesterday and he said there shouldn't be a problem with me getting my time off for Christmas, so I'll assume I got it all off. I pick Andrew up in San Jose on the 18th, and return him the 1st, and in between we'll go to Grand Junction, which sounds like it's getting enough snow to be white this year. :)

22 sleeps until Christmas! Woohoo!!

:: Brinna 11:12 AM [+] ::
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Yesterday was my monthly obstetrical appointment. It was the day I'm 9 wks pregnant. Now I'm in my 10th week! Almost out of the 1st trimester. (I can almost start eating again! Oh for the days when I could eat anything that was in the fridge..) We looked (listened) for the heartbeat but didn't find it. I'm not worried, of course--the baby is about the size of a large marble.

I also went Christmas shopping again, I've nearly got everything I think. $5 each is very hard to do when you think about it! Maybe it's because the cost of living is so high here. I bought a larger (artificial) Christmas tree, as well as some trimmings for it. It was somewhat hard to find because I wanted one that wasn't pre-lit, and for some reason people nowadays will pay exorbitant prices for the simple fact that it comes from the factory with lights on it. Insane! A 6ft, pre-lit tree (it has about 200 lights) is around a hundred dollars. The one I bought? $16. So, after buying a quality 200ct. light set to put on my unlit tree, the same result is $25, a quarter of the price. Besides, putting lights on is part of the experience! Like listening to Bing Crosby or Steven Curtis Chapman.

It's been so humid here lately, when we left the pumpkin pie out it molded by Saturday. Gross!

At work Sunday night the major game was Oakland Raiders vs Denver Broncos, at Denver. Whoa was the snow coming down! I wonder if it snowed that hard in GJ after it made its way over the Rockies?

:: Brinna 10:10 AM [+] ::
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Now for some T-Giving blogging...
my aunt came down, we met at a grocery store to see what else we'd like to eat with our pie, and we found mini turkeys! They take turkey breast and press it together in the shape of a turkey. So we had a real holiday dinner...turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing/dressing, and pumpkin pie. I was thinking we didn't need to do the whole turkey thing, but once it was there I was really glad.

So...for the last couple days we've had leftovers for every meal. Still yummy! Turkey sandwiches yesterday, a little twist.

I decorated a bit for Christmas, I'm such a Christmas person!! I love the songs, and everything. I might post a pic of my tree later. Maybe I'll make 2 trees!! :)

:: Brinna 3:29 PM [+] ::
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Alrighty, here's my first belly pic since the first. I really was going to take them more often, but my camera was in my aunt's car. So here's the first chance I got. I am now nearly to my 10th week! On Monday I will have 'achieved' 9 weeks, and I'll be 'in' my 10th. So I'm in my 3rd month now I'd say.

Me with my belly hanging out:



As you can see, I'm not too large yet, but larger than a first pregnancy normally is, don't you think? I haven't gained any weight yet as far as I know. But like I said before, I hope I'm huge! But I don't know how I'd feel about twins...

:: Brinna 2:06 PM [+] ::
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4th day alone

Well, I'm doing pretty well considering. I'm working too much to feel lonely...I was scheduled for 3 days this week and now I'm working 6. That's what I get for being a good worker, huh? Well at least I got a little printed card today from the manager. He gave little 'thank you' cards to me and 2 other employees. Something about times being tough lately, and thanks for being there. All I gotta say is, thanks for the overtime pay! My checks are nearly double the ones that most people get at this place. You'd think they'd be trying to save money. Today was my day off, but since one of the formerly 'reliable' employees decided he'd had enough, I'm the only one who can work that shift. It's back in my old department, Room Service. All the other room service employees have picked up shifts too, and I'm the only other one trained for it. But, anyhow, today is the day I'd set aside to cleaning all day. So I'll just have to clean half today and half tomorrow. Definitely looking forward to Wednesday, my first day off...provided it remains a day off!!

Speaking of Wednesday, my aunt is coming back from San Fran for Thanksgiving. We'll go out to eat that night and spend the rest of the weekend doing what everyone REALLY wants to do--just eat pie and ice cream, with a little bit of mashed potatoes thrown in...maybe a dash of meat here and there...

My current pregnancy woe is my lack of desire to eat. I used to love to eat...it's like my tummy and throat are on lockdown. I don't feel like eating anything. I never feel hungry anymore...every 4 hours or so, my stomach spontaneously makes it known to me that I need to eat, but I wouldn't say that's hunger. I miss not feeling aversion to nearly all food! I can't wait till the 2nd trimester, it's supposed to be the best time. Just one more month! Fortunately I do feel better towards eating than I did a couple weeks ago..probably because I've discovered ways to fight back somewhat. Take vitamins, calcium supplements, drink fruit juice (to keep sugar levels...well, level), and have the most appetizing foods available. Those seem to be, at the moment: yogurt, string cheese, applesauce, and burritos. I think the burritos are good because they're quick, and you don't taste a whole lot other than the tortilla. Another great tool when you need to eat but solids make you gag...baby food! I stocked up on the fruit purees, the little meat sticks that are like healthy vienna sausages, and the veggie purees (don't forget to salt liberally, lol). The baby food goes down really smoothly. For one meal I make myself eat some really high fiber cereal. Have to prevent constipation!! :) One thing that's out of the question is seafood! I told myself, before I got pregnant, I'd eat salmon all the time, since that was my favorite meat...most other meats don't appeal that much. I even bought scallops. Then the 2nd month hit, with the raised preggo hormone...and seafood went right out the window. You never realize before you're pregnant that when they say you won't want to eat certain foods when you're pregnant, you don't just not want to eat them, like a choice. It's more like, 'get that away from me!!' You don't even want to look at it. The mere THOUGHT of seafood right now makes me shudder. Sometimes I have to have my coworkers deliver the food for me. I can't stand the smell.

Next week sometime I'm going to try and get Moby neutered. He's doing awesome as far as regular 'elimination' goes, but his marking is getting out of control again. We were thinking about possibly using him as a stud, but we're too lazy to ever get around to that, and I'd much rather have a house that doesn't smell like urine!

:: Brinna 11:23 PM [+] ::
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Well, I'm in the final days of having my hubby around. At the moment he's 'out-processing', so he only has to go to work for an hour and then comes home. Sooo not fair. :)

I got a fairly big check this last week...and I've been thinking on it for a week or two...so a couple days ago I went to the local music store and bought me an electric guitar. I don't know anything about the brand but the store's got a great rep, and I got a pretty good deal. $300 got me the guitar, an amp, a stand, a fancy tuner, a strap, a music book, a decent cable, and some picks. I took some free beginner's lessons at guitar.about.com, and now my main obstacle is time.

Woohoo! 7 wks preggo yesterday. In 2 wks is my next doctor's appointment, and I might hear the heartbeat for the first time. Too bad my hubby won't be able to...sigh. I'll be around 6 mo. preggo by the time I see him again. Hopefully I'll be big, for some reason I want to show a lot. I think preggo bellies are cool. I'd take a pic of my current belly but our camera is stuck in my aunt's car.. I wonder if it's gotten any bigger? My boobs have, at least...

:: Brinna 6:58 AM [+] ::
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Well, my aunt has come and gone. It was pretty fun..we went out to eat at the restaurant in my hotel, the 'fine-dining' one. I get 50% off there. I had 'cioppino' pasta minus the prawns. Delicious!

No baby stuff at the yard sale, really...an interesting crib, but not one Andrew wanted to buy. I did buy a car seat on ebay, though--it matches some fabric I got. (I'm a sewer/quilter.)

I'm really frustrated with my Yorkie, Moby...I thought we were doing really well as far as his housetraining goes, and this morning I found he's lifted his leg on the corner of my bed! Eww!! I think it's time to seriously consider neutering him....

:: Brinna 7:02 AM [+] ::
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Pregnant in the USA

Today I'm doing lots of cleaning. My aunt who lives in San Francisco is coming down to visit this weekend. Fortunately, it's a small place--less to clean!

I'm also having fun making a baby registry at Target. I have no idea if anyone will find it or buy anything off it, but it's fun anyway! Eventually, I will tell ppl it's there, probably a month or two before my shower. Which I don't know if I'm getting either! :)

Tomorrow is the military's 'post-wide' yard sale. Maybe I'll find some good used baby stuff there.

:: Brinna 9:49 AM [+] ::
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Well, guess who won? Anyhow, not much going on. I made a new baby ticker, if we're lucky I'll figure out how to stick it somewhere more permanent.



5 weeks and 2 days!! (As of this post, not the ticker...the ticker goes by your computer's clock, I think) And I'm already (kinda) showing.

For right now I'm just sitting tight eating homemade tortilla chips (much healthier) with Fritos' Hot Bean Dip w/ jalapeno peppers. Anyone who knows me knows I can't STAND jalapenos or anything else remotely spicy, which is testament to the fact that spicy foods must be my preggo craving. At least for the moment. Hopefully soon I can find my own jalapeno bean dip recipe, but at least Fritos bean dip has no preservatives. :)

:: Brinna 12:11 PM [+] ::
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Well, here I am on election day, and I haven't written in months. Who will win?? :)

Anyhows, I've had lots of things go on. I'm living here in beautiful, scenic, expensive Monterey, California. Er, well, I'm living in Seaside, 2 miles away from Monterey. In old Fort Ord. Which isn't a fort anymore, officially. It closed in '94. So it's just military housing now.

We've been kinda trying to conceive a baby ever since Andrew got out of Basic, and I'm happy to say that after 6 months, we've succeeded! All seems to be going well, and I'm due July 4th, 2005. I'm 5 weeks pregnant. My doctor is awesome--he wears an earring all the time. I have my navel pierced and when he saw it, he told me he used to have his pierced too! He never once mentioned me taking it out now that I'm pregnant (my last doctor saw it when she knew I had started trying and immediately told me 'that has to go'..). He gave me a doctor's note saying that I can't be around smoke (my waitressing job has outside tables--in CA you have to smoke outside), so I can work where it's warm and smoke-free--AND, saying that I can eat whenever I want to, 'including at work'! That just thrilled me..at my job the manager is super strict, he has a cow if he sees you eating on duty. He's okay most of the time, but he's way too much a stickler for rules. And some of the rules he's made!! He's the only drawback to the job I have. More on my job:

When I got here, I almost immediately got a job at the Portola Plaza Hotel in downtown Monterey, right next to the Old Fisherman's Wharf. I started out in room service (which I figured would be my dream job--what could be more difficult than delivering food to someone's room?), but ended up in the hotel's sports bar/brewery, called Peter B's. Room service was absolutely dead and boring, and the sports bar needed people, so I transferred over. Now I average $75/night in tips, and my best night was $155. Woohoo! And to top things off, this is the first job I've ever had that I like every person there and everyone there likes me. Other than that the manager is way too strict, but that's a different story. Besides, that issue's over now that I have the doctor's note, so I get to eat whenever I want!!! (insert evil/mischevious laugh)

Oh, and my sister is doing loads better. She moved back to Colorado to live with our parents again, and is in college now. She's learning to play the guitar, snowboard, and other social things. She's joined a good Bible study.

Speaking of the guitar, I'm in a punk rock funk lately. For Halloween we dressed up for work, and I wore a hot pink punk Hello Kitty tee from Hot Topic, with rocker Hello Kitty arm warmers, knee-highs, and shoelaces, and a black and pink pin-striped skirt that had lace on the hem. And, I put pink streaks in my (blond) hair, then put them in two pigtail/braids. It was awesome. Not too busy that day and I still made $80! ;) I've always liked punk/goth stuff, but I probably got started off with the electric guitar interest from watching Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday. I know she prolly didn't really play the guitar in it, but Jamie Lee Curtis did...and Lindsay's just cool so I'll forgive her. I dyed my hair light red like her, and it doesn't even look that bad. :)

Okay, I'm going to post a belly pic. I think I'm going to start posting preggo belly pics every couple weeks or so, just cause preggo belly pics are so cool. :) The first one is me back when I was size 3 (I'm size 5 now), trying to become a model (I wasn't tall enough). As you can see, my belly is completely flat. Following is my new, 5 wks pregnant belly shot. Granted, I have a bit more meat on my bones, but 2 weeks ago my belly was still completely flat. I'm not saying that the baby is big enough yet to do that, but the uterus is getting bigger, and my body's making room for when it DOES grow. Cool, huh?

:: Brinna 3:37 PM [+] ::
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Holy cow, it has been a long time. 2 months later. Wow.
Current news: I got a job! In fact, 2 jobs! One, I got at a (law enforcement) uniform shop, sewing hems and patches. It's full time. The second is only part time, 3 nights/wk waitressing at the Grand Vista Hotel. I'm very busy with working, and when I'm not working I'm shopping... j/k :) After all, most stores are closed when I'm off of work.
I got a membership at the best gym in town, Crossroads Fitness Center, because there aren't any good dance studios around here that I can afford. (I'm talking $200/mo. The gym is only $40/mo.)
I have discovered the wonders of Ross! It's terrific for getting Tommy Girl and Express cheap. Too bad I can't find any Guess there...maybe I'm looking in the wrong spot??
Also, I got together with my old church buddy, Britt. She's quite fun. We're planning to go to Denver to the big mall up there sometime. But not until after I see my hubby's Basic graduation! He's been looking forward to seeing me there ever since he left. ;) That's next week. And the weekend after that, I'm off to Arizona for my great grandmother's 100th bday party.
I am soooo pining away for a newborn of my own. Everyone's having babies it seems!! Even my own mom has a newborn girl, 1 month old 2 days ago. Sigh. I got to hold her during church last Sunday. I started crying during the singing. Sometimes I want one so badly!! But I'm trusting God that He'll give me one when His timing is right--and He'll bug my hubby about it for me. :) I think He already has, when we got married Andrew wanted to wait until we were 25 to have one, after that it was 5 yrs of marriage, then it was a couple years down the road, now it's after he gets out of secondary training a year from now. BUT, he also said he wouldn't mind too much if I was pregnant right now! So something's happening....

:: Brinna 9:27 PM [+] ::
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Yello, how's your day? Mine's ok. I would have written much sooner but I've never quite had access to the Internet. Only enough to delete all the spam in my inbox. :)

My past few weeks have been quite interesting. I moved out of my apartment (lease ended), and into my in-laws across town. Which really isn't so bad, I like my in-laws. But I don't want to stick around too long.
So, after my hubby leaves for boot camp (*sniff*), I take off for North Carolina. (My aunt lives in Charlotte.) I have an interesting week down there...I get to spend my days doing virtually nothing. I only have money for gasoline (and barely enough for that). I did manage to go to a Goodwill outlet store, though. They have everything in bins, and you pay $1.89 per pound! Wow...so I got some Guess pants, really nice fabric and fit, for about 50 cents! Incredible.
My aunt took my sister (who lives with her) and I to the Aquarium down in Charleston, SC. It was really quite nice...they had one tank that was absolutely huge. It was at least 2 stories high, and really wide. The acrylic used for the walls of it were a foot and a half thick!!!
While I was in Charlotte I had a good opportunity to get back into reading the Bible every day. It's surprising how much that keeps your mood up, consistently. I'm glad I did.
I'm back in Virginia now, though. My Mitsu Mirage is getting checked over at the family mechanic, the spark plug wires are being replaced. All I have to take up my time is the internet and my new cell phone. Yup, I got a cell phone! It's a Samsung A310, a fabulous lookin' flip phone. I decided not to get the Moto when it wasn't available, lol. I went all the way into Roanoke and it wasn't there, so I got my next choice, a flip phone. Which is the exact same flip phone as Angie's, but mine looks a bit different because for one, it doesn't have a crack on the screen, and two, I got myself a blue face plate and now it's not just all silver. It's silver and blue. I really like it.

Soon I'll be off again. "On the road again....." But the road is what I love! I love driving everywhere. And when you have a reliable, fairly good mpg car, it's not that expensive. I know that soon I'll have to settle down and be a home-lover, because I have to learn how to be a homemaker. But for now, I'm going to have fun. Because for the next 4 months my hubby's separated from me, and I won't have a home to make. I'll be at my mom's house in CO.

:: Brinna 5:18 AM [+] ::
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Hullo,
how's it? I'm waiting until it's time to pick my honey up from work. Then we're picking up the car. It's 11:11 and I pick him up at noon. If you're wondering how, it's called Chris Schofield and his Chevy Corsica. Beat up old thing, that Corsica. And he's oddly protective of it. Especially since I got in a wreck in it. But the real odd part is, the wreck wasn't my fault. Some old lady turning left out of a shopping center slammed straight into my left side. Thank the Lord I wasn't hurt. It was actually sort of funny.

To really understand you have to get the full story. My husband's first friend, Zach (I can't say best friend cause they're all best, but he's the closest I think) has a Kia Sephia. Pieces of crap, that's what they are. It's an '00 or '01, fairly recent make. But it's falling apart (the 100k+ miles on it doesn't help), and it died and was put into the shop on the 8th of December. So we were short a car. Not too big a deal, there's still the Echo and Corsica. Until 2 days later. Come the 10th of December my husband leaves to pick up Zach from work in the Echo, but doesn't make it very far. Tries to turn left out of the apartment complex, only to find there was an Olds (or something) going straight hiding behind that huge SUV turning right. Bye bye Echo. *sniff* Well, we're down to the Corsica until the Sephia's out of the shop. Time passes, til the 12th of December. I run to Walmart in Chris's car for toilet paper (a true essential). And what should happen but I get basically t-boned on a busy Friday afternoon. The only consolation is, Chris's car still runs. But why the heck did all of our cars get pounded in a row like that?? (And we still don't have our insurance money, more than a full month later. Not that Christmas and New Year's vacation helped a bit. Rrrr.) Not only did Chris get his car pounded on one side (both doors and the rear fender dented), but a few days later he had a nearly identical incident on the other side of his car. Some old guy pulled out a gas station into him. Chris swerved into the other lane and everything, and still got mauled. Hopefully our Mirage stays around awhile...

:: Brinna 9:16 AM [+] ::
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I'm getting a car today!! My mum and dad lent me some money, wired it, and now I'm finally getting a car. (Watch it fall apart on me the next day.)

:: Brinna 9:07 AM [+] ::
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Hello all.
Today there isn't much happening. At least, not much happening that hasn't been happening for the past month. I get to work with Kelly tomorrow night. I saw her last night coming out of the hotel exercise room but I couldn't catch her to say hi.

:: Brinna 11:36 AM [+] ::
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I know it hasn't been long since I posted, but i wanted to have a break. I'm now eating a Cup O' Ramen. Well, actually, the other brand's version, Maruchan Instant Lunch. Fascinating. No, really, it is.

Okay, so it's not to you, but that doesn't mean it isn't to me. Sometimes.

I'm typing away to the tune of my husband's friend sleeping on the couch (yes, at 3:00pm). His name is Chris and he's not too shabby. Kinda flabby, to be sure, but overall he's okay, although he's not my cup of tea. (Lol, don't you just love Brits' slang?? :))

Know what could make it even better?? An Indi Blue Mini Cooper S. (Do not forget the S.) With white roof and bonnet stripes. And boot stripes. Boot stripes take the cake. I know they have some reliability issues, but those were with the '02's, and it's the '04's now. Besides, with every personality there's some bad peppered in. :) Yes..an MCS would be very nice right now...it would solve the problem of being trapped in this tiny apartment except to go to work...sigh..

:: Brinna 1:06 PM [+] ::
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Well...it's safe to say that it's been awhile since I've 'blogged'. Maybe if I had a cell phone I could do it at work while I'm bored. That's right, WORK. I got a job. July 2nd I was hired the Radisson Lynchburg, in the restaurant. My first waitressing job! :0 But don't worry, I've had jobs before. I just specialized in the retail side of part-time-job-orama. Hastings (books and music), Gene Taylor's (sporting goods), Rugged Wearhouse (discount clothing)...and more! Only respectable joing was Gene Taylors. Awesome place, awesome people, great working environment. Terrific boss (hey Duke!).

Onward! In case you don't know, Lynchburg is in VA. Virginia is in the USA. The mighty, strong... Okay, everybody knows the USA. Btw, I have no opinion about the war, but I am behind Pres Bush (he attended my wedding...well, his namesake did...okay, so we put a sign saying "President Bush" on a select piece of foliage at my outdoor wedding because it was right smack dab in the middle of the rows of chairs and we didn't want to uproot it. Now you know, okay? Geez!!). Like I was saying, I think Bush was meant to have the job so we have to honor God's will. It DOES say in the Bible to respect people of authority's decisions, and last time I checked, Pres of the US is a very authoritive position.

About Lynchburg! It's the other hill city. Also, it's the place where people fly off the road with an inch of snow. Pathetic. The whole joint shuts down for 2 days. (Try living in Colorado, you wimps!!!) But, I won't be living in Lynchburg much longer. Im going to live with my parents in Colorado (good ol' Red) for a li'l while, cause my mum is having a baby. Then my honey will decide what he wants to do with his life. (What do I want to do with my life? Well, I'm thinking of training as an auto mechanic, but not actually WORKING as one, if that makes any sense...)

Unfortunately, until that day, I have a roller coaster to handle. I have no car with which to get to work (my loverbug wrecked my darling '02 Toy Echo), and after waiting 2 weeks for the insurance co. (don't go with Farmers!!) to lift a finger, I called to find out who his supervisor was. I never once talked to the agent it was assigned to. And his supervisor got the ball rolling within 15 minutes. My complaint is now with VA law concerning the fact that it takes 10 DAYS for them to send you the title for YOUR CAR so you can send the title to the insurance company so you can again poke them in the a** with a hot poker so you can FINALLY get the money for your car which has long past been crushed into the flattest of pancakes. All this while losing a couple deposits on cars you've picked out in the meantime at car dealers. Sigh. (Current estimate to get the money: next Friday, Jan 23rd. Current car under deposit: '01 Mitsu Mirage.)

But somehow I have been able to get to work every time I've been scheduled to (35 hrs/wk, which is 6 nights), and some times that I haven't been scheduled. Like mornings. Overtime, here I come...not that $2.13/hr makes much overtime, mind you.

I can't wait until I get to take a road trip in my new car I'm going to get. Schweet...I love road trips!! I'm gonna take my lil Yorkie and fly. (Down the road, I mean.) Coldplay, Evanescence, Natalie Imbruglia (Torn), Hilary Duff (So Yesterday), Matchbox Twenty (Unwell!), Eve 6 (Think Twice), Moulin Rouge, and last but not least, Run Lola Run's soundtrack, which is top notch driving music to be sure.
Driving around with awesome European music is almost as good as visiting Europe!

:: Brinna 12:11 PM [+] ::
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