Category: Holidays

4th Of July Weekend

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Friday evening Joe went out for drinks with a work buddy so I decided to try and get caught up a little on Orange Is The New Black since season five just dropped and we were still only halfway through season 4. Joe is never really was in the mood to watch it so I warned him I wasn’t going to wait for him anymore. I knocked out five episodes but didn’t really enjoy them so he didn’t miss much. I think I might be over that show, and watching TV in general. We didn’t even turn it on at all last weekend. Nothing really holds my interest or gets me excited save for a few Netflix shows which we tend to binge watch within a week because we have no self control.

Saturday we took Wookie to the park to tire her out since we knew we’d be leaving her at home when we went to my parents house to celebrate the holiday prematurely. We stopped by B’s house first to meet his new dog, a nine year old poodle mix he and his girlfriend got from a friend who no longer wanted her. She’s really friendly and R sent me a Snapchat a couple of days later saying she’s enjoying the rope toy we brought her.

My mom decided we were doing Mexican food for the American holiday (lol) so I brought fixings for burrito bowls. Joe and B worked on running another ethernet cable from the router in the basement up to B’s old room where my mom likes to watch Netflix. The WiFi signal is weak in there, plus when we boosted it she was getting headaches, hence the need for the hard line. She wanted Joe to use the same hole that the cable comes through but it wasn’t wide enough so the plan was to cut the fittings off the cable line to remove it, widen the hole, and then put both lines through it. Only problem was Joe hadn’t anticipated needing to do that so we didn’t have any of the necessary equipment. We texted B since he does that kinda stuff for a living to see if he had any in his car (as even though we parted ways at the same time to head to my parents he was still en-route). Well, turns out he had the tools but no fittings, However, he just so happened to pass a Comcast truck on the way over, pulled up alongside to ask the tech if he had any fittings, and the guy gave him four. Hilarious!

Despite being at my parents’ for roughly 5 hours, we never got around to playing any games. Earlier in the day Joe learned that his mom had gone to the hospital with pain in her abdomen and was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She’s already had colon cancer, and possibly breast cancer too, so she’s not really interested in going through chemo again at her age (79). Joe’s sister and mom ended up calling him while we were at my parents’ so he spent some time downstairs speaking to them. Right now we’re not exactly sure what is going to happen until she has a few more tests to see whether the cancer is contained. If so, she can have a hysterectomy and if not, well, I guess that means she may not be with us much longer. Either way we need to make plans to go see her since nothing is guaranteed.

I love Joe’s mom and am sad that this is happening. I realize death is inevitable but I have difficulty accepting it and how it changes our lives. I’m absolutely terrified of dying or having anyone I love pass away. It just makes it feel like life is completely pointless. I’ve been having my own health issues lately and it’s very frustrating. Last night I had two back to back panic attacks. I took a Xanax when the first one started and then just as I was calming down it started up again so I had to take another. I didn’t get much sleep and I’ve spent most of the day just doing my chores slowly and resting in between because I’m afraid of triggering another one. My doctor put me on a low dose steroid for six days to help reduce the inflammation that was causing my neck to be stiff but I’m not sure it helped all that much but it certainly made my lymph nodes swell up and hurt one of the days. In addition, after certain doses my throat would catch when I swallowed and overall I just felt like my body wasn’t cooperating. Also, I’m learning now that some people experience withdrawal symptoms (even if they taper off like I did) which includes severe anxiety. My last dose was yesterday morning so I’m guessing it could be the reason for these panic attacks and the non-stop burning/reflux I’ve been having. Just what I need. I’m so sick of feeling like something is seriously wrong with me but no one can figure it out. It would be nice to just feel normal or get a non-life-threatening diagnosis so I could do something proactive about my health and feel better.

Anyway….

Sunday we went to Savers and I got a cute top I will probably wear to my friend’s party later this month. I always feel like I look like a slob so I’ve been on a mission to find some cute outfits that are also comfortable. I also got this strange little figurine that caught my eye at the mall.

It reminded me of the Skelanimals that were all the rage a few years ago.

Monday I did my usual cleaning since Joe was at work and Tuesday we grilled burgers and had a low-key holiday just the two of us. Wookie was not liking the fireworks on Monday and Tuesday nights and mostly hid under my desk. Unfortunately she will have to deal with them again next week when our town’s annual summerfest shoots off fireworks both Wednesday and Sunday nights.

Father’s Day Weekend

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This weekend was the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and Redbull TV was streaming selected acts live so we tuned in on Friday and Saturday night for a few hours. Unfortunately all my favorite acts played quite late and with the two hour time difference I couldn’t stay up until 3 am to watch them (assuming they would have even been featured on the stream). It was still pretty cool, though.

Sunday the kids came over to celebrate Father’s Day. They got Joe a nice thick cocktail glass that has drink recipes on it.

In addition, they gave him a $25 gift card to Red Robin and a $25 gift card to Starbucks. I was impressed at the thoughtfulness of their gifts.

I grilled some burgers, brats, and a hot dogs and we had corn on the cob and some cold salads and chips. I made brownies for dessert. I think I may have finally learned the secret to a great burger –

Use fresh patties (we got the Market Pantry ones)
Bring out of fridge about 10-15 minutes before attempting to grill
Sprinkle liberally with salt and fresh ground pepper
Grill on medium low heat – it will take longer but you’ll get an evenly cooked burger that isn’t dry

The kids thought the burgers were delicious so I’m pretty psyched. My biggest fear is serving an under-cooked burger so I often overcook them to compensate. They came out just right yesterday thought. Nice and juicy but still cooked. Leaving them out before grilling wasn’t intentional but when Joe went to turn on the grill he realized the propane tank was empty so he and E went to the grocery store to exchange it.

After dinner we played bags for awhile and then two games of Clue: Big Bang Theory edition. By the time the second game was over it was around 9 so the kids left and we went to bed, although I had a hell of a time falling asleep since we were up late the two preceding nights.

Memorial Day Weekend

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Friday was cleaning day, although I had to go into work for a couple of hours to make up some time I missed earlier in the week. I got to partake in the Friday treats they bring in weekly, though, so that was nice, especially because they brought in cinnamon rolls from a bakery that were so delicious I practically inhaled mine.

Friday night Joe and I had dinner at Noodles & Company since they just opened one near us. I had a gift card so it only cost a few bucks out of pocket.

Saturday we did a little grocery shopping at Target and then headed to my parents’ with Wookie. On the way there we stopped at K’s apartment to drop off our old printer and some glassware. Her guinea pigs have gotten so big! She had them in a playpen which is cute.

I purchased a booster seat for Wookie from Amazon earlier in the week and it seemed to help her motion sickness as she didn’t throw up on the car ride to my parents, or on the ride home. In fact she was so relaxed at one point she fell asleep.

She had a lot of fun running around the yard most of the afternoon and evening. My mom had gotten her two toys which she really liked too.

We put her in her crate in the garage with the big door (yard side) open a crack to get fresh air while we ate or played a game. Being the paranoid person I am, I kept checking on her out the window. We finally played the Logo Trivia game I had gotten at Savers awhile back. It was interesting, although hard. We only played one game as by then Wookie was getting restless in her crate and we decided to head home (at 10 pm). It was a fun night and we had tasty Long John Silvers amongst other things, although I feel guilty that my mom spent so much money on food.

Sunday we went over to Savers for their Memorial Day sale and I ended up with a tank top and Joe got a pair of shorts. I pretty much hate most of my summer clothing so it sucks I can’t find any t-shirts I like. I don’t feel comfortable wearing tight clothing since I’ve gained some weight and feel self conscious. After a few more stores we spent the rest of the day at home. We let Wookie run around out back secured to the tie-out. I need to find a shorter tether since she gets into too many things with the 15 or 20 ft cord we have now.

Monday we planned on taking advantage of a local Asian place’s lunch specials but they weren’t offering them due to the holiday so after a walk at the park with Wookie we got Taco Bell. I wanted to try their Naked Chicken Chips which I really enjoyed, but not the bean burrito I also decided to try. They stuffed one half with just beans and the other half mostly rice so the ratio was all off. I could make a tastier burrito at home and for cheaper. I really like making my own burrito bowls, in fact, even without any meat. I just add some beef stock to the rice and top it with black beans, cheese, rotel, and sour cream. Probably not very health conscious since it’s high in calories but it’s very yummy, not to mention quick and easy!

I grilled burgers for dinner… and that was our holiday weekend. The end.

Mother’s Day

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Sunday Joe gave me the cutest mothers day card from Wookie.

Later that afternoon we took Wookie to my parents so she could run around the yard. It was great other than her puking in the car twice when we were only five minutes from getting there. I’m still not sure if it’s the time or speed that upsets her stomach since we usually take the expressway on longer rides. We got off the expressway early on the ride home and despite her not looking well most of the ride she didn’t puke.

My mom bought her a Chewbacca toy which she got weirdly aggressive over when we got home. She snapped at me when I took it to remove the tags and was growling at both of us if we came too close. She’s only acted that way two other times, one of them a week ago when she managed to remove some double sided tape from the bottom of the rug and didn’t want us to take it out of her mouth. She bit Joe! It’s kinda scary to see her act like that, not to mention infuriating because I’ll be damned if I have a pet that is going to harm me. We need to figure out how to stop that behavior before it gets worse.

Anyway, other than having to leave my parents early since it was a Sunday we had a fun time. Got lots of leftovers so I don’t have to cook again for another day.

Doggie Eggstravaganza & Easter Weekend

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Saturday (4/15) we met up with my friend K and her dog Teddy at Wilder Park in Elmhurst to attend their dog event that included an egg hunt, parade, etc. There was a kids’ egg hunt at 10 am with the dog event scheduled for 10:30 am. Street parking was completely full so we parked in the nearby college lot just a block from the park. I texted the location to K and with incredible timing she pulled into a spot just behind us in the lot.

By the time we made it to the specific location of the egg hunt it was just starting (two minutes early, according to our phones) so we missed out on that, although this nice woman each gave us one of her eggs which was filled with little dog treats. Immediately after the “hunt”, which lasted all of a minute, maybe two, they announced the winner of the costume contest. This was very confusing since the event supposedly just started not five minutes beforehand. If there was in fact a dog parade I have no idea where that was either. In addition, by the time we made it over to the sponsor tents most of them were either out of treats or packing up already to leave. It was very strange and I can’t help but think they started early and we were the only ones who didn’t know about it.

All that aside, it was still fun to see all the dogs and let Wookie socialize. She was pretty good with the dogs but not so much with people who all wanted to pet her because she’s so cute. We met a British man and his daughter who had two Yorkies from the same litter and spoke to them for awhile and then later on we met a woman and her boyfriend/husband (not sure which) with their cute Shih Tzu mix named Parker. She and I spoke at length about dog stuff. I gave her Wookie’s Instagram info and she started following her which is cool. I think it would be nice if we could someday get back together for a puppy play date but I’m not sure whether I should pursue that or not. Her little guy did like Wookie, though, even though she was pretty aloof toward him.

After most of the dogs were gone we went to Hamburger Heaven for lunch before parting ways. Joe and I dropped Wookie off at home, went to Costco for a few things, and I baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and made my homemade mac & cheese in preparation for Sunday.

Sunday morning (4/16) I tackled baking brownies and a carrot cake. I love love love the cake but every time I make it I remember why I only do so once a year – it’s very time consuming! It took even longer than normal this time around because Wookie threw up bile and afterwards kept coughing every so often like something was caught in her throat and I was very concerned. She did it multiple times in the morning and early afternoon but then it went away so I’m not sure what was going on. I’m a hypochondriac enough when it comes to my own health issues – I really don’t need her to have any since she can’t tell me what’s wrong. I checked around the house to see if anything was out that she could have gotten into but nothing looked out of place so I don’t know what the deal was. I had to check upstairs too since I decided earlier in the week to teach her how to use the stairs and she took to it after only one attempt! Had I known I would have waited a little longer to introduce them to her since now she takes every opportunity to run up them! She’s almost seven months old now so I wanted to ensure she wouldn’t be scared of stairs. Guess I shouldn’t have worried about that at all!

E let Joe know that he had a job interview at McDonald’s Sunday afternoon so he and his sister and ES arrived just after 3 pm instead of between 2-3 as originally planned. K brought homemade cookies which made Joe and I was excited until she later said they were leftovers that she had originally baked for the kids she takes care of at her job. *Sigh* I don’t think the kids realize that admitting they are “re-gifting” is hurtful. It would be nice if they actually brought us a gift that they specifically picked out and/or made for us instead of us being the afterthought. Maybe one day.

Anyway, other than that we had a nice holiday. Everyone enjoyed their Easter baskets, including Wookie (Joe and I exchanged ours earlier that morning).

E's Easter Basket

K's Easter Basket

Joe's Easter Basket

Nicole's Easter Basket

Wookie's Easter Basket

After dinner we played a few games of Aggravation; it was cute how K suggested we play a few minutes before E also brought it up. Around 8 pm the kids left because E’s allergies were acting up and he was doing the driving. It was nice to spend the actual holiday with family even though I was exhausted by the time they left. I overdid it on the socialization this weekend and I feel like shit today even though I slept until 8 am.