stressed...worried...= no sleep

Okay, so the women in my family seem to have this problem. The older we get the less sleep we receive. It doesn't help that once I wake up I start thinking of everything, everyone, and what needs to be done. It doesn't help that I am currently unemployed...well not completely true, as I do take care of my little neighbor. However, this is 90% cause of why I am up at this hour.
Employment options...anyone out there have suggestions...I am open.
A. Deal with the rat race and try to make my resume stand out among 300. (This is true, I just interviewed for a job where after 4 days they had 300 apply - I know this because my friend helped me get the interview).
B. I take myself out of the rat race and committ to being a Day care provider until 2010. This has immediate opening, as I have callers waiting for my response.

Oh...how I love Alexander

So today I kept Alexander rather busy. We went hiking at South Mtn., and he is getting pretty good at walking most of it on his own. I took him to the Train park that he loves, and we ended the day swimming in Amber's heated pool. I really really love being with him everyday and I am always amazed at what he can do on his own. For example I am trying to teach him his sounds with his letters. The other day we were driving in the car and he said, without any help or assistance, "C...C...C...Car, that starts with K". Now, I know that is not right but it's the fact that he is doing this on his own. He is very smart.
Maybe a little to smart, today we were in the pool by ourselves and then this guy joined us.

Side note: This guy turned out to be an NFL draft football player, very nice looking.

Alexander kept wanting to go swim by him and kept asking if we could go talk to him. Alexander loves talking to people, he will tell them all sorts of things. So I kept trying to keep him distracted, but I was having no luck as Alexander was getting louder and louder. I started getting uncomfortable, so when this guy went under water I put my back to him and said to Alexander, "Alex we can't be friends with everyone...let's just leave him alone." Then I see Alexander's eye looking over my shoulder and he says very loudly while pointing his finger, "We are talking about you". I turned around to see Mr. handsome NFL man laughing. I was so embarrassed, and had to say, "yes, it's true...I was talking about you. I am sorry he really wants to be your friend...or something like that". Turns out Mr. Handsome NFL man is named Neader, and no I did not get his number...but he was a good sport and Alexander has a new friend.

Maybe Alexander can find my husband too??? :)

A Hero or just being naive?

See this guy he is the kookoo that I am telling this story about. Just so you know, he took these pictures with Zac's camera and left the camera behind for us.

Last Wednesday I had just put Alexander down for his nap and I was talking to my friend Kim Giguiere (She comes over to use my Internet connection). As we were talking I heard this really loud music, like a electric guitar. I looked at Kim and said, "where is that coming from". Kim told me that she had heard this last week when she was at the house but I wasn't home. I said, "Is that at Zac's place?" We listened a little more and I decided to go check it out. I kept thinking that maybe one of Zac's friends was visiting him, but I thought it was weird, as Zac would have told me.

Side note: Zac had someone steal his computer a few months back, and started locking his house. Then when I started taking care of Alexander he started leaving the door unlocked. I told Zac two days before this experience that he could lock the door because I had a key to his house if I needed to get in. Needless to say, he kept forgetting to lock his door.

As I opened his back door I saw this guy sitting in a chair looking 1/2 naked playing Zac's electric guitar and music playing loudly. We both looked at each other and I said, "hi, who are you?" He said, "I'm Brandon Whittmore, a friend of Zac's from 10 years ago...or something like that" I am sure I looked a little confused, as this guy looked like a surfer dude who had been living on the beach. I said, "oh, does Zac know that you are here?". He said "We keep in contact on facebook". At this point I was looking around and noticed that he had a pile stuff sitting on a stool, and the counter looked like someone had gone through stuff. I also knew that Zac no longer had a computer so I knew facebook was not an option. So I said to Brandon, "yes, but does he know that you are here right now"? Brandon made some comment about how he wanted to stay with Zac a few days and pay his SRP bill, and then said that he didn't have Zac's number to let him know that he was there. He asked if I had Zac's number and if I could give it to him. I told him that I would go get it, and ran to my place and got my phone. I called Zac on the way back to his house and asked him if he knew a Brandon Whittmore. Zac said "no" and then told me to get the guy out of his house and call the police, I was confused as Brandon was acting so casual that I didn't know what to think. By this time I was standing in front of Brandon and he was asking to talk to Zac on the phone, while Zac was on the phone yelling at me to call the police. I handed the phone over to Brandon where Zac basically gave Brandon a piece of his mind and told him he was calling the police.
So there I was standing in front of a guy who was getting angry and talking nonsense at this point, and I had Zac on the phone yelling at me to get the guy out of his house and call the police. Zac was on his way home and I thought "ok, what am I going to do?" Brandon was standing up at this point and I realized that he was only wearing a black stretch skirt that was riped up. I decided that I needed back up, so I called Kim and said, "Kim can you come over here and bring my keys". Kim is 6'2" so I knew we could take him if needs be. Since Brandon was upset and acting crazy at this point I decided to down play everything and get him out of Zac's house. So, I told Brandon, "hey I am sure this is just a misunderstanding, it's been a long time and maybe he doesn't remember you. Why don't you come back later when he gets home from work". It seemed to work because he went to get his black cloak which turned out to be a black blanket. It was also at this time that I noticed he also had a pile in the living room with stuff and he also had found Zac's sword that he keeps in his bedroom (under his bed - not something you just come across) sitting out in between the bible on the couch. Kim and I just looked at each other and thought...okay..get this guy is crazy. We also noticed weird notes he had written on the counter and it was getting weirder by the minute. Brandon left with nothing, and Kim and I were just sitting there looking at each other like "what just happened".
Zac came home called the police, as I didn't do it because I didn't know what to say to them. The police took the description of Brandon over the phone and within 5 minutes the police were on the radio saying they had picked him up down the street. The police asked me to get in his car and drive with him and identify the guy. So I did and sure enough it was the same guy. The police officer was very nice and asked me if I was sure that was him. I thought in my head, "yeah, I am sure that is the guy it's not to often that you meet a guy wearing a black skirt and black blanket".
Then we all headed back to Zac's place where all the reports were filled out. Zac had to go through his house with the police to make sure that nothing was taken. I was standing outside the house and the police officer came out and said "Where was he sitting and how did you get the guy out the house?". I told him that I thought Zac really did it when he got on the phone with the guy and told the guy off. I told him that I noticed he was getting agitated and wanted to just calm the situation by telling him that it was just a misunderstanding. That is when the Police officer said "You know he had a knife with him in the green chair. I don't know how you did it but you caught a guy stealing, he didn't take off with anything, and you got him leave the house". It was after this that I realized just how lucky I really was. Everything happened so fast and I was taking in so much and trying to process it. Zac was pretty upset with good reason and Alexander slept through the whole situation which was another blessing. It was about an hour later when I was standing in the kitchen and I just wanted to start crying over the whole experience. That night Zac and Alexander had a little sleep over at my place until everything could go back into place at their house.
Needless to say I went out and bought a new lock for Zac and Alexander door.

Super Bowl

Okay, so the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl. We all knew they were the underdogs but who doesn't love the underdogs? The game was pretty exciting and the five minutes were the happiest and saddest moments of the whole game, but oh what a ride.

We lost, but not without a good fight. I think this game might of made me a Cardinals fan. Why? Well, I have always said that I like football but I have to have a reason or some emotional attachment to someone/something in the game to make it worth my time. Well, I was pretty emotionally attached to the Superbowl and I feel that screaming at a box telling a person who can't hear you to run, run, RUN...is enough to make me attached.
Yes, I fall in love that easily too!
Nothing like friends, family, and emotional roller coaster to make you live a little.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

MLK Day - Hike

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Okay, so most of you know that I am caring for my favorite little guy, Alexander (my neighbor). It has been so amazing, as I have watched him each day and the things he will come up with. One thing I learned right away, he has energy and that energy needs an outlet. I decided to try a hike with Alexander at South Mountain to celebrate MKL day. Alexander really did do pretty good for his first hike. We did the uphill part of the hike first so that the rest would be downhill, of course, half way through he wanted me to carry him. I kept telling him that the car was in that direction and then I would keep his mind on something else like counting his steps until the next hiking marker. He really did pretty good for the most part, and I knew that if I kept hiking with him he would get use to it. My favorite part of the hike was when we would pass other hikers he would say "I'm Alexander and I am this many, while holding up three fingers". Oh, he is such a cutie! After encouraging him to continue on the last part of the hike he says to me as we hit the parking lot, "I race you to your car" and off he went. Yes, the same little boy that told me I had to hold him because he has been walking a long time.

Then later on in the day we were invited with Greg, Tammy, Emma, and Laura to go hiking in Fountain Hills, and I thought...well at least he will be tired tonight. So off we went for another hike. This one was a little more of his style as we did not have any uphills but he still wanted to be carried half way through the hike. Again, we kept his mind on something else and he kept going. I also remembered my camera so here is our day.

Cardinals are going to the Superbowl

Now, a lot of people think I don't like sports. Some might be surprised that I do enjoy sports. I just feel like I want to have a reason to like a team before I give up my time to watch just anyone run around and fight for a ball. So the truth is I have not watched one football game all year, well that's not true I did watch a BYU game...so see...this was my 2nd game that I watched.
However, watching the Arizona Cardinals play in a playoff game today and make it to the Superbowl was very exciting. I can't let myself get to "close" to the game or I start getting an upset stomach like my brother-in-law Aaron. He couldn't eat chips and dip because he was so nervous before the game started. So I just watch with one eye on the TV and the other doing something else, but I will tell you the 1 & 2 quarter of the game was very exciting. The 3rd quarter was very nerve racking and I had to get up and do the dishes and the 4th quarter pulled out the big win for us. Yahoo! Arizona needs a little happiness right now, and this will do it.
Yeah to the Cardinals!!! You deserve it!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

New Year 2009

Okay, so I am behind on blogging. It's funny you think once you lose your job you would have more time to blog but instead I am having a hard time keeping up. I guess you could say I started a new job, as I am currently taking care of Alexander full-time. Zac (His Dad) took him out of daycare and is paying me what he would have paid daycare, which is very helpful since I need money to pay a morgage.
I have really enjoyed this, and at times I am almost afraid I won't have a desire to go back to work as I love little Alexander. Even on his worst days, they are still wonderful. However, I am missing the money that comes from having a job. So I am looking and keeping my options open.
I am actually really surprised that I still feel this amazing peace with being laid-off from my job. I just keep feeling like this was suppose to happen and that things will find a way to work themselves out. I wish I could explain it, but I don't think the words will do it justice.
Okay, well it's 7:30 am and I am off to the gym. On New Year's Eve a friend asked me what my biggest accomplishment was for 2008 and I could not think of one thing that I thought was my biggest accomplishment. I was rather bothered by this until I woke up the next year (hehehe 2009...get it) and it hit me. I have lost over 50 pounds. Our Family did the "Newell's Biggest Loser" to help my Father lose weight for surgery and through that we have had a "HUGE" weight lose in the family. I am really proud of all of us. During Christmas I was talking to my brother, Matt in the kitchen. He looks so good, and he is down to his High School weight. Well, I think we all thought Matt had won but as it turns out he lost over 40 and I lost over 50 soooo....I Won! Well, that is if you don't count Dad because he did get a surgery that helped him along. Nonetheless, that was my biggest accomplishment for 2008.
This year I did not send out Christmas Cards, but don't be surprised if you see a Valentine's Card this year...as I think I might be able to catch up from there. :)