Clean, Quiet, (tired), Content

Goooood Friday morning, bloggies! I realize that this "promised picture post" (say that 3x fast!) is coming on Friday, as opposed to Thursday ... But it is earrrrllllyyyy on Friday (gah... it still feels like it should be Thursday!), and, in my own humble opinion ... that counts for something :)

So, have you been wondering what I've been up to lately? Wonder no more! Here is a glimpse at the BIG project that has been consuming me all week A few quick notes : I didn't tackle this all by myself -- J was a huge help on Monday ... I've been working on finishing on and off on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as well. Also. Disclaimer: Please do not be daunted by the fact that it has taken us the better part of a week to finish this ... We were completely inexperienced. ... it took us several coats of paint ... I'm hoping the blue room (yet to be painted!) will go a little bit faster!

What we started with:

Supplies

(these legs belong to J. I am happy to report that my own gams are not nearly as hairy.)

Removing rings is a necessity when working with paint.

Whew. Almost done with the 1st coat! (Pardon the sweat ... With the doors and windows closed -- even with the ac on-- it felt like 100 degrees in that little room. J's comment :" Next time we do this we're shutting up the cats instead of ourselves." Smart man.)

All right... That's more like it! Almost done :)

Progress (I'm ready to peel tape & work on touching things up)

Wha-La! Finished Product! (Please excuse the unprofessional pics... I took these last night at 11 pm. I was tired. I'm not an advanced photographer by any means ... but you get the idea :) Also, the walls below look almost "stone colored"- probably because of flash. They are actually taupe.

Our little guest room -- finished!

(Momentarily ... actually we've got some more furniture coming ... But I think this is a rather cute intermediate -- ready for my weekend visitor!)

I found this pillow on clearance at Kohls and couldn't resist.

Love what it says!

So there you have it! Between painting, Summer Nights Live (Church Day camp) and work (Oh.my.Goodness. I traveled to Cincinnati yesterday for work and put in an 11 hour day. Woah. I'm thankful that this was not at all a normal occurrence.)-- I have definitely been racing around this week (Heh... and if you couldn't tell.... "sleep" has not been a major theme over the past 5 days... that's what weekends are for, right?!) But it's been worth every second. Now I just have to will myself through another work day -- coffee may be will be involved, I can assure you :)-- and I will be rewarded with what is shaping up to be an awesome weekend! My friend Jenny is coming into town-- and we've got good stuff planned.

Tonight's agenda: Dinner, drinks & girl talk, with a side of Jacob.... Yes, please!

Not sure I'll be back this weekend, but I ought to have some good stories for you next week :) Have a fabulous Friday, friends -- I'll catch you later!

Your Turn: Weekend plans?

5 things on Friday

Happy Friday afternoon, bloggies! I hope you are having a fabulous day, and looking forward to a nice (if not long) weekend :) I, predictably, am to the point where I am bouncing off the walls-- so I feel that it is the perfect time for another post... So, without further ado, here are 5 (good) things for this Friday:

Good thing #1
Gracie is finally out of confinement!!! (I feel that 3 exclamations marks is not nearly enough to convey my enthusiasm... but I kind of feel like 3 might be as many as I can get away with, without sounding like a "Twilight-crazed" preteen girl-- "squeeee!" ... wait...) Anyway, we let 'our little one' out when we got home from work, and after Baron got over himself, we all had a very nice night.

Good thing #2
It's June!


...Yes, I realize it's been June for a while now, but I refuse to curb my excitement :) New months are always a treat, because they bring with them fresh new starts, and new chances. June is extra special, though, because it's halfway through the year (Ho.Ly. MOLY. That 1st 6 months went awfully quickly!) Therefore, it is time for me to reexamine some of my goals (yikes, this could be brutal) and give an honest progress report :)
From the list published here:

So, how am I doing?

Goal 1: This has been almost too easy. I've definitely been reading 1, if not 2 books per month. Now, in the spirit of complete honesty ... I cringe when I say this (and my librarian mother I'm sure is cringing, too...) but-- unfortunately my library fines seem to be in direct proportion with the number of books I'm reading... Apparently, I have good taste, and can't renew any books because other people have placed them on reserve.... Ah. well. Still a win in my mind ;)

Grade: A+

Goal 2: Oh, date night, how I miss you. Date night has dwindled as our energy level has dwindled... I'm pretty sure that we haven't gone out for date night since we moved into the new house. ... Of course, there's always tomorrow to get this turned around (Amy begins scheming...)

Grade: B-

Goal 3: Keep writing. Yup... I've definitely done that. I may not have written out my story (did anyone unscramble this besides Laurie?)... but I haven't given up on it either. Therefore, while this is still in the works, I think it's a very promising start.

Grade: B+

Goal 4: Uhm, Fail. Definitely need to get a little more motivation on this one...

Grade: D+

Goal 5: Well, we're not going to accomplish the huge 'Travel out West' roadtrip that I had in mind when I wrote out the list, but I would like to think of this not as failed.... but rather as put on hold for a while. After all, the reason we will not be traveling this summer is because we traveled across town at the end of March ... to a new house ;)

Grade: Withdrawn

Goal 6: Ah, running... sigh. There are good days, there are bad days, and there are 'heaven-help-me-because-i-would-rather-sit-here-and-eat-this-bag-of-chips' days. I definitely need to put a little more work into this one.

Grade: C

Quite frankly, I am breathing a sigh of relief over all :) There are definitely things that need some work (eh hem... numbers 4 and 6.. I'm looking right at you!), but I don't feel completely discouraged and defeated as I have in some years past. Maybe I'm finally learning the right way to make New Years' Resolutions!?

Good thing #3
If you are ever in Gahanna, Lola's is a fabulous restaraunt!! I promised you a review last week, and here it is: *Awesome*. Go tonight. Small, cozy mom & pop type place within walking distance of Creekside. The food is to die for-- and one of their specialties is a ravoili of the day (uniquely filled each day of the week!) ... Love.

Good Thing #4

After a horrendously long time (like, I kid you not, 2 months) I got the chance to have a nice long conversation with my best friend (The one who ran my 1st half marathon with me!) This woman just inspires me, and talking with her for an hour lifts my heart for at least a week. I am so honored that she asked me to stand with her next summer as she marries the man of her dreams. ... And, of course, I agreed :)

Good Thing #5

Caffeine ... Or the lack thereof.

As I alluded in an earlier post, I am attempting to drastically cut back / cut out the coffee. This is for a couple fairly important health related reasons, namely: my stomach and my sanity.

I'm not sure I mentioned it last year, but there was a period of time (like, oh, January to September) when I was absolutely convinced I had an ulcer. Ughh. Not fun, bloggies, not fun at all. In the end, I took a bunch of tests (whew. expensive tests!) and nothing was found ... but I still felt awful. I think (whatever it was) it was heavily influenced by the catastrophic levels of stress in my life... because it leveled out once October rolled around. (J likes to gloat that he healed me with his magical-perfect-husbandness... While there may be some truth to that... I know it was probably a combination of a lot of stuff.) So, anyway... while the stomach pain didn't completely disappear, now I can go weeks and months without experiencing it ... while, at it's "peak awful-ness" I was having problems just about every day.

But that gnawing feeling that always signaled me that I was headed for a miserable afternoon? Coffee seems to trigger that sometimes. Sigh ... and no matter how much I love it, I'm just not sure it's worth it. (On top of that, I have discovered that drinking coffee gives me pretty drastic anxiety. Which again, is rather miserable... and not worth it.)

Soo... I am drinking decaf for now (hence the praise in Wednesday's Good List.) While I realize decaf has a bit of a 'why bother' stigma associated with it (hmm. much like diet coke.... which I also love because I love...)-- AND I don't really want to think too hard about the decaffeination process... for me, for now, it is a good thing. Maybe in the future I'll be able to let go of my morning coffee ritual completely... I'm not in a huge rush. After all, I had years of co-ops over which to develop this obsession passion... so I'll take it slow. ...and of course I will occasionally treat myself to a beloved vanilla latte (uhm.. which, duh, I supposed I could get decaffeinated ...) Therefore, this "development" makes the good list because, while (not gonna lie) I'm a little sad that my love affair had to end this way... I know it is a step in the right direction for my health :)

So there you have it: what are '5 Friday things' that summarize your week?

It's time for me to get "weekending"... but if I don't make it back before next Monday, have a wonderful Saturday & Sunday!

Progress

All right... so I hope this post title isn't cheating you too much. ...And while I agree that this picture here doesn't look like progress all by itself... well, ya'll didn't see it before we stripped and sanded it:

TaDah! Almost done!

And just for fun, a picture of the "finished" (just need to be screwed into the frames) chair cushions... and a little 'Baby G." lovin' while we're at it:

So, as I may or may not have told you earlier -- J and I have tacked this "refinishing the table" project now because we are hosting a huge* "birthday/housewarming party" on Sunday afternoon. We'll have 21 people in the new house-- and, quite frankly, if J & I don't finish this table, all these lovely folks will be sitting on the floor. (Hm. Come to think of it, I probably didn't mention the party earlier because I've been trying to remain blissfully ignorant for as long as possible. Read: I am a master procrastinator.)

I emphasize that the table is being done now because it was always just a when, not if. When J and I got our own house, I begged my parents to let us have their old dining room table. My parents replaced this table with my grandpa's dining room table in 2005, after he passed away (*sigh*.... can I just take a small break here and tell you how much I hate the term "passed on"?! I'm not sure I can put my finger on why I so strongly dislike that phrase, but I think it's because it seems a little too candy coated and frou-frou. Barf. ... But, here I am, blogging with the abominable phrase. ... Somehow, in this instance, "passed on" just seems more respectful and dignified than "died." & my grandpa is worthy of all the respect I can pay him... he was a great man-- definitely worthy of a future post. ...so in this instance, all I can say is "meh." ... moving on.) And so this dear little table has sat forlorn in storage, just waiting for someone to bring it back to use. This table is special to me (and I fought for it!) because of all the memories I have of special times spent gathered around it with my family. Holiday dinners were spent around it (including special Thanksgiving dinners with Grandma and Grandpa), board games & homework were conquered (ahh... I remember agonizing over word problems with Grandpa at this table... "If train A leaves from Dallas going at X mph, and train B leaves from Austin going at Y mph, where do they pass each other? ... More importantly to me was always, "Why do I care?!"), and we told many many stories around the table ... oh, how we laughed.

And so you see that-- more than a piece of furniture-- I was inheriting a legacy. I am so excited to feed my babies, girl-talk over coffee, and (because I know we will) cry together and work through the hard stuff at this table. As a side note, I was originally going to put this table in our dining room-- and was a wee bit irked when J took one look at it and said," nuh uh... it'sway too small for that room. it's going in the kitchen." But, the more I think about it, the better I like the idea. I mean, big family gatherings will probably always take place in the dining room, but the beautiful everyday things? The early morning coffee & kisses? The afternoon snacks and homework? The weeknight dinners & catching up with each other after hectic days? That, my friends, will take place in the kitchen. Therefore, I am more than okay with having this "piece of my history & piece of my future" in the kitchen :)

"Table stuff" aside (and to be honest, thought it's been hard work, it really hasn't taken as much time as it could), the week has been good (overall). Monday & Tuesday were a little bit rough, but I think we have settled in gracefully. My other big accomplishment for the weekend was putting the screens in the windows, so the cats and I have been enjoying our evenings drinking in the fresh air from the comfort of the couch (mama has been drinking in some wine as well... like I said, rough Monday...also, I say "the cats and I" because J has been "blowing up his monday frustrations" in the evening downstairs with the PS3... hehe.) I have definitely been living for my evenings at home -- I'm still in the honeymoon stage and I consider housework a joy (may this stage last me the next 40 years!)-- I look forward to coming home and tackling a new project, followed, of course, by the relaxing afterwards.

All right, enough chatter... let's get into some more good stuff:

Good List

1. J. Happy 26 years, my love (5/9)! May your 27th year be a wonderful one!

2. This may be the country girl in me speaking, but I believe that sometimes you can measure your happiness by the amount of dirt on your hands (... even after you've passed the age of 4!)

3. Fresh air in the house, after a long, long winter :)

4. Staple guns (oh.yes. this made my "chair covering endeavor" SO much easier ... even if I did jam it about 5 gazillion times ;)

5. Warm summer nights spent laughing and talking with good friends. Friday night was absolutely perfect--and it filled a little place in my soul I'm not sure I realized had been missing. ...Just. Perfect... (...and hey, Gary, you made the good list!)

6. Sunday morning brunch (TJ's pumpkin waffle mix = LOVE)

7. Highlighters.

8. Good surprises (like forgive me my ignorance, those of you with green thumbs the "green stuff" in our front flower beds that it finally sprouting beautiful pink flowers.)

9. Celebrating a truly beautiful development for two people who could not deserve it more. (Yes, it's decidedly vague for now-- but I am excited to share more with you soon!)

10. My little sister is home for the summer ... Which make me oh, so happy :) (among other things, it means I don't have to go see 'Eclipse' multiple times by myself!)

Things I am looking forward to:

• The weekend (first things first, right?!)


• Finishing the table (!!)


• PA weekend in June (OMG! I just realized that I can take you all along with me. Brace yourselves -- this will be fun :)


• J & I are planning a mini-vacation in September to celebrate our 1st Anniversary. I'm excited to see how plans develop, and then (obviously) to celebrate with him!


• ... On that same note: I'm (I hope not stupidly) looking forward to defrosting our wedding cake and eating it .....


• Half marathon in August (same one that I loved last year! excited to blow my PR out of the water this time around :)


• Fall (I would like to clarify that I am by no means wishing time away here. It's just that it's never too early to start salivating over apple cider, crunchy leaves, crisp mornings, and that striking sun against the deep blue that is a fall sky.)


• Our first Christmas in our home-- really developing and celebrating our own traditions


• ...and something even better than Christmas, which will arrive in early December :)

What are you looking forward to? Short-term or long-term, this is the sweet stuff.

Happy Wednesday, bloggies. Have a good one!

It's official:

...I am moving List Day to Wednesday.



Haha, sigh. Ah well, blogger's prerogative, right? This does not mean that I will not post on Tuesdays (and in fact, since "pressure is off" now, I probably will-- my goal is to blog more. PERIOD.)-- it's just that now, if you are solely interested in the Amy-fabulous Lists (... and, selfishly, I hope that my charming and witty entries are always interesting to you... *bats eyelashes*) you only need to show up on Wednesdays.



Whew. All right, now that I've taken care of business.... on to the good stuff!



Good List (for Inaugural List Day Wednesday)

• J. I love my husband (not first and foremost... but it's up there) for his sense of humor. J can always be counted on for an off-the-cuff remark (most of which HE thinks are funnier than <they actually are> I do-- love you, babe!)-- but every once in a while he says something that totally catches me off guard, and I laugh so hard that tears come to my eyes. ...And when I say "every once in a while", I mean at least twice a week. ...I am a lucky girl :)


• COFFEEeeeee (I am convinced that without coffee I might not make it through this week...)
• Christmas Decorations! We put our tree up tonight (Gracie post+pictures to follow soon-- so funny!), and I had forgotten how wonderful it is just to sit and be quiet in the lit of the tree. It's a beautiful blessing that seems new each year.
• Lists. (Ooops, is it totally lame to lists "lists" on my "good list"? Bwahaha.... I'm done, I promise....) In all seriousness, lists help me to keep my focus, and give me things to look forward to-- as I typically list the "fun tasks" near the bottom, and the "not so fun but completely necessary tasks" near the top... and then work my way down. I am convinced that without lists, people like me would wander around aimlessly... Long live the list!
• I get to find out if I'm having a niece or nephew tomorrow!! (J's sister is expecting her first child in April-- can you tell how excited I am to be an aunt? :)
• Yankee Candle: "Home for the Holidays" ... Love, LoVE, LOVE.
• Hallmark (I need to go ahead and buy some stock all ready... seriously.)
• Today I went to the bookstore today and wandered around in blissful content for a full hour. (Erk.. well, not quite a full hour... I had to buy cat litter... which is not anywhere near as wonderful... although absolutely imperative. trust me.) Even though I walked out empty handed, something about being around all those books just fills my soul.
• Gracie has been especially snuggly lately... and I can't get enough of it. True happiness (for me) comes from a lot of things (great book + soft blanket; sitting down to write with a glass of wine; a bath with candles; snuggling under the covers on rainy Sunday afternoons...) -- but near the top of that list is having a small, purring kitten in your lap, so soft and warm :)
• I am living in a season of anticipation. And, though this frustrates me sometimes, I know I am blessed with the promise that I will emerge from this time with purpose and a mission... and that is worth being patient for.

List #2 . I know this next list is a bit of a cop-out (since EVERYONE is doing it)-- but it's terribly fun... and I am not one to miss out on an opportunity like this... soo:

Amy's Christmas List (pay attention, J!)

1. A new computer. Hoo Boy do I need one.... A mac book please, Santa!

2. A (omg, I can't remember what these things are called for the life of me!) "cabinet" for our dining room to store china, wine glasses, etc. in -- I loved this one from Pottery Barn.... but sadly, it is no longer available....

3. One of those big snuggly "no-sew" fleece blankets

4. The Twilight Soundtrack

5. A Spi-belt :)

Hmm... Actually, that list was a little harder to compile than I think it should have been :) It's not that I don't want anything for Christmas (unfortunately, I'm not that self-less ;)-- it's just that (and I don't know why I never remember this!) every year when it gets to December I have an extremely hard time naming what I want. I think it probably comes off the "Ooh, it's almost Christmas, so I shouldn't even think about buying anything for myself" mentality... but it's kind of inconvenient ... Perhaps the key is to make my list early so that I can beat this "mini-mental shut down" :) ....Next year, look for my Christmas list in October (*cough-J-cough*)

Let's see... I guess if I had though about it earlier, I would have told you about Thanksgiving before I got into Christmas :) This is definitely a problem with posting only 1x a week-- I have way to much to talk about! J an I had a wonderful 1st Thanksgiving together :) I woke early to do a 4mi race with my family (J. and the kitties stayed warm in bed and enjoyed the day off!) The 4 miler was awesome-- I think everyone had a great time, and I have high hopes that this will become a family tradition (... I'll have to bribe J. out of bed next year, too!) After the race, Laurie came home with me and we watched the parade and napped for the rest of the afternoon (heaven!)

In the evening, I got to enjoy my first Thanksgiving EVER with J's family, and it did not disappoint! Not only was baby Aiden perfectly delightful (at 4mos. he is really starting to interact-- love Love LOVE the baby squeals of delight!), but J. and I had a wonderful time laughing and catching up with everyone (heh.. we have been somewhat "hermit-y"-- since the wedding we have not seen any of J's extended family until now!)-- and Oh the FOOD! We enjoyed turkey (of course), stuffing, yams, spinach balls, peas, a relish tray of fresh veggies (prepped by yours truly :), cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, and cinnamon-y crescent rolls. Dessert was a choice of pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie or ice cream (or any combination of the above-- I enjoyed a small slice of both pumpkin and pecan pies!) Glorious food coma :)

The rest of the weekend was delightfully lazy-- although I did (as promised) hauls myself out of the house on Saturday to get coffee and see "New Moon" with Laurie (Squeal!!!!! A.MAZ.ING. I was very much less than thrilled with the first movie-- but this was AWESOME. I want to see it again!) I'm SO excited for Eclipse (Which was, hands-down, my favorite book in the series. 6.30.2010.)

And now, it back to the grind :) We seem to have a mysterious "December 15 deadline" here at work... so things will probably be a bit nutty for the next few weeks-- at least I'm won't be bored! All right... bedtime.

More later-- and much "bloggy love" until then <3

List day + "Mission Possible"

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I apologize in advance if there might be (more) typos (than usual) tonight-- I'm wearing my 7 year old glasses (SeXXy... lucky J.), and can't see that well out of them... I am working on getting a new pair (more on that later!)

Okay.. so first things first:

Good List

1. J.
2. Apple pie. The homemade kind. Enjoyed with a hot cup of tea, while snuggling with Gracie. Heaven.
3. New books!! Love, love, Love. I'm currently being inspired by Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." This is a great one, folks.
4. Daydreams.
5. Online banking + automatic transfers. Though this will take some getting used to, this tool will ensure that J and I can buy a house together in 3 years... Rest assured, I will be dreaming and planning said house up until that time :)
6. Mmmmm... Coffeemate peppermint mocha creamer... Tastes like Christmas!
7. Black Box wine. So far, it has definitely lived up to the hype.
8. New challenges and goals (read on...)
9. Our wedding pictures are online!! Now I'm just (impatiently) awaiting the arrival of the disc of images... I promise to share more when I get them!
10. Fuzzy socks (which I love, love LOVE, and am determined to wear, despite the fact that Gracie (who has entered the "munchy" phase of kitten-dom) seem to think they might be a small fuzzy animal, and insists on attacking them every chance she gets...)

The top 7 reasons I love Fall*

1. Apple cider
2. Bright trees against a dramatically dark sky
3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes
4. Cute coats, cozy sweaters... and BOOTS!
5. Halloween (my favorite thing to do is go for a run on trick-or-treat night... before things get too crazy. I love seeing the little kids prancing around in their outfits because they are so excited that they are ready way too early, and I love looking at the decorations in their full, unadulterated glory (read: before overzealous mean adolescents smash the jack-o-lanterns).
6. Hm... J. would probably gag if he read this, but fall means that I can start thinking about Christmas. If you know me, you know that I LOVE giving gifts... so this is the beginning of a fun time for me :)
7. The smell. I love, love, LOVE the smell of fall: smoky, crisp and earthy. If I could bottle it up and keep it with me year round (that and the sharp, sparkly smell of the first snow...)-- I think it could perk me up even on the gray-est, rainiest days.

* 7 things rather than 10, because I like the number 7... and when I said "Top Ten", all I could think of was Letterman....

All right... now onto "Mission Possible"! I have found that lately I am pretty much completely lacking in my motivation. For a little while, I was able to rationalize it by saying, "Amy, you've been through a lot of big life changes recently (getting married, moving)-- you should go easy on yourself-- and you can't possibly tackle everything at once." (my sub-conscious is very lenient like that...) But in fact, I think I let things slide for so long that it's starting to seem easy to let them go... And there's something in me that rebels against that. Now, it's not like I am talking about running a marathon (which I DO want to do someday... but I do not feel guilty about saying "not now" to that one...)-- I'm talking about little life changes (like getting up an hour earlier and getting into the habit of working out before work...) -- but little changes that I know can mean a world of difference. For the most part, I am interested in developing healthy habits for the years to come. I feel that I have gotten quite proficient in living this new routine (...wake, snooze 3x, brush teeth, kiss hubby goodbye, feed cats, shower, pour coffee, out door, traffic, work x8 hours, traffic, cook dinner, tv, bed...) -- but now I am interested in breathing life into it.

Which, I believe, is completely possible. Hence: "Mission Possible"!

And here is what I intend to do about it:

• Get up at 6 am each day (the ultimate goal is earlier than this ... but this is when J's alarm clock goes off... it's not like I really go back to "quality sleep" after this, anyway.
• Take time each morning (especially on weekdays!) for morning meditation (journaling and Simple Abundance)
• Log at least 15 miles/week for POTM 2009 (woohoo!! I am really excited to be doing this this year!)
• "Save myself" for one really wonderful "sweet treat" each day. (I just got this amazing looking dark chocolate bar.... which I may or may not have picked up partially bc it's called TWILIGHT Delight... yes, I am a 12-year old girl... so sue me.)
• Do yoga twice a week (I did this religiously during the spring/summer... and my body loved me for it. Since I am not uber flexible, I only ever did the beginner hatha yoga (there is a free 20 minute class here, if you haven't ever tried yogadownload.com-- I highly recommend it!)... but it was so nice and relaxing:)
• Get 8 hours of sleep each night. Nap whenever socially acceptable possible (Omg-- could someone please tell me how to achieve "strikethrough" in my text?!)
• Spend less time in front of the tv (ughh... this one may be a hard one.... but I always feel really good about my day & all I have gotten done if I can be strong... so I've got that going for me. ... Of course Glee is a necessary evil :)

I promise to give you a full briefing on the "Mission Possible" outcome in about a month from now. Wish me luck!!

In other news... I think I need a new eye doctor. I was due for an appointment in.. oh... August, but since I didn't have vision insurance (and I knew J. did) I decided that I would wait until after I got married. Yesterday I arrived for my 2:00 appointment, and was surprised when I was informed that I was NOT seeing the doctor I had been told (on Friday) that I would be seeing. Actually, this part of the story is happy, because I LOVED Dr. Johnson. He was very kind and competent, and respected my wishes when I told him that I didn't want to get my eyes dilated (my job is ALL computer work.... I would have had to call off the rest of the afternoon...) --and he recommended a new kind of contacts for me to try (which were quite nice! I am wearing glasses bc of allergies... not because the contacts didn't work out...) So: good, good.

But here's where it got "not so good". I was in with Dr. Johnson for about 20 minutes (we're up to about 2:25pm, if you're counting...)-- AND then I was waiting to check out for 1.5 hours!! REALLY? Now the part of the story I haven't told you is that I had a client calling me at 4pm. Yup... if you are keeping track, we are now at 3:50 pm. Yikes. The icing on the cake was this: at 3:57 pm I took my receipt, was halfway out of (the office) my chair when the technician says, "Oh, you can't leave yet-- we haven't checked your side vision."

... To which I replied, "I'm sorry (I wasn't)... but I can't do that right now. I have a meeting scheduled to start in 3 minutes." ...In a way (once I was done fuming) I was really proud of myself... it's rare that I stand up for myself and speak my mind-- I felt empowered!

...Of course, now I have to go back in 3 weeks to get dilated and get my damn side vision checked.... But I was able to order a new pair of glasses, and I'll take my small victories where I can :)

Have a lovely Tuesday night!