Amy's New Start : Comments Welcome!

[toystoryduo]

Woohoo!!! Party in Amy's journal!!!! I am SOOOOOO excited for you that you got free dining!!! I am celebrating right along with you!!!! I'm glad that you told the kids. Now everyone can be excited with you!

That is great news about the contract opportunity for Dan! I hope he gets something in writing soon! We'll be praying!

I'm glad that you liked Toy Story 3! I've seen it twice now and I cried at the end both times. As a matter of fact, I think I cried harder the second time.

Hope you have a nice evening!

 

[goldcupmom]

Free Dining AND a good job prospect in one day!!??!! God is GOOD!!!!

Hope things all work out & the rest of the week goes well for you! You certainly deserve a good break!

I"ll try to send some willpower up I-25, tho mine has been waning a bit.

 

[keenercam]

I have to agree with Tracy and Julie, Amy. What an awesome, awesome day!!! Definitely party time in Amy Journal Land. I am so happy that you were able to get free dining and that you got everything straightened out with the reservation. And I am soooo thrilled about Dan's job prospect. I can't wait until you report that it is signed and sealed.

Happy Thursday, my friend!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Thanks Ladies, we should know today on the job front but it looks pretty definite!

Denise, I made my ADR's back at my 180 mark just in case and hoping like heck, they'd offer free dining! I did tweak some stuff day before yesterday and was happy they still had what I wanted except Le Cellier which I couldn't even get at the 180 mark (I think I was actually at about the 179 mark so there you go).

I gained three pounds in Dallas but I was down about 2.5 today. Probably a lot of water and way too many salty foods.

Today I have to take my stepdad to the airport which keeps me from going to aquasize (its too bad his own son doesn't ever take his dad to the airport ) but I should have no problem walking later.

I am thinking I may go to WW tomorrow. I want to lose 15 pounds before WDW and on my own, I just don't seem to do as well. I am glad I put my membership on hold the last six weeks but think its time to go back. If Dan gets this job, for sure I will.

Yes ladies, God gave me a very good Tuesday this week! Thank you all so much for the support and prayers. It worked!

In the midst of all this with ds' nose, the trip to Dallas, job worries and waiting for Free Dining and then booking it, I have sort of forgotten Dan and mine's anniversary is this weekend. 18 years. I guess if he gets this job we'll have to out and celebrate both events!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Uggh, food yesterday was not very good. Taco Bell for dinner, need I say more. Dan and I both got so stressed, we are so close to having this all worked out but not quite there. It may not be signed officially until next Friday. So I fell back on bad habits of "let me eat my way through this". Good news is that got on the scale and it was the same as yesterday. I am holding steady at about 16 pounds.

Even though he won't be officially good to go until next Thursday or Friday, they are contacting him about stuff, doing his background check, sending him paperwork etc. I think its done and I think more importantly it will bring some stability to our lives and its something he'll enjoy. Its not a management job and he's very happy about that. After 8 years of being Vice President of Idiot Company I think he's ready to do his job and come home and not worry so much.

I must say, I am almost having some wacky survivor's guilt. We are good friends with a couple from our church and they are both out of work. He's been out a year, she's been out 18 months. I keep thinking to myself, why do we get everything to work out but they don't? It almost seems too good to be true. But Dan's take is that he's in a different field, he's busted his butt looking and somebody has to have good luck, why not us? Maybe I'll just listen to him and stop worrying!

I take ds today to get the splints and stitches out which should have him more comfortable and breathing through his nose for the first time in almost a month. He keeps getting invited to stuff like laser tag, playing ball etc and he also can't work out with the Marines for boot camp readiness so he's just bored, bummed and majorly depressed. He's also sad about camp, he was really looking forward to that. I feel bad for him but this might make a better impact to not do stupid stuff like air box!

I want to walk today but not sure I will. I didn't work out yesterday either. We'll see how long it takes me to get him downtown to the doctor and then back again.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

[goldcupmom]

I"m glad the job stuff seems to be 'happening'. Life is hard sometimes to justify why one person succeeds where another fails, but God has a plan....for all of it!

Hope you get your walk in.

I really think Taco Bell should be made illegal! Or maybe they need a 12-step program for our addiction to it. I have to drive by one anywhere I go & some days it seems the car has a mind of it's own!

Have a great weekend!

 

[toystoryduo]

How did the doctor's appointment go for your DS? I hope he is feeling much better!

I love Taco Bell! On our first date, my DH (my boyfriend back then) took me to Taco Bell. It was the first time I had ever been there and I wanted to make a good impression so I only ordered 1 soft taco. He was stunned.

DH: "That's all you're going to eat?"

Me: "Yes."

DH: "Will you be full?"

Me: "Oh, yeah."

DH: "Okaaayyyy."

After we ate, we went to play miniature golf and you wanna guess who's stomach growled because she was still hungry? LOL!

I am happy to report that I now eat several tacos and DH is happy that I eat until I am full.



I am glad that things are looking up for Dan's job situation. You definitely can celebrate once the contract is signed!

I hope you're having a nice weekend, WISH sis!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Thansk ladies.

Today is my anniversary! 18 years, i can hardly believe it. I woke up to a beatufiul day, we went to church and then went out to lunch at our favorite bbq restaurant. I shared a meal with dh to save some calories but still probably didn't do that great. Yesterday was plain awful with food. The scale showed me a 5 pound gain today . I really need to get back on track. I have drank a ton of water today and told Dan we should take a walk tonight. I have just fallen off the wagon really bad since Friday. And to think I lost the two pounds I gained in Texas so quicky only to gain them back plus three more. So dumb this yo yo thing I do all the time.

Dan was officially laid off Friday so dear Lord I hope this job works out. He will be home this week and still looking just in case. He also has a list of stuff do around here and in the yard while he's off. He has never been jobless in all our married life. He did work for free for a few months back in 2003 to help start up his former company after he was laid off but even then, they did pay him a bit here and there before they landed their first client. Its scary and I hope its only a one week thing! He's having lunch with his soon to be (thinking positive) new boss on Tuesday. This will be a contract type thing with no benefits so we have to figure out insurance etc this week as well. Thank God we have our benefits paid through the end of the month which is a huge blessing. And they did pay him his vacation time (no severence which stinks after 8 years imho) so at least he's technically paid for this week he's "off".

Tracy: Your Taco Bell story cracked me up! I think Dan and I ate at Taco Bell on about our third date (ahh to be dating a poor college student again) and as I recall I got one thing. I wanted him to think I had a delicate appetite. He knows me better now!

Julie: It is hard to understand God's plan sometimes. I just feel so bad for these friends and almost hate to tell them when Dan gets this job because I know they'll be happy for us but on some level, that will bite a little. He's just in a field that has zero opportunities right now. If they do have a 12 step TAco Bell program some day, at least I'll know I can do the program with you and Tracy!

 

[eyor44]

Happy Anniversery to Amy and Dan!!!!

Sorry I'm late but..... on the Free Dining! Soon as I logged on and saw it, I wondered if you had gotten it. I love all of your ADRs. I love Tutto and think you will also. Never done Yak and Yeti and didn't really enjoy LTT, but know lots of people who love it.

I have been praying hard for Dan's job, and will continue to pray until he gets to sign on the dotted line. Yes, God does work in mysterious ways, we just have to believe. Very hard to understand sometimes, believe me, I know that, but we just need to trust.

I understand how you feel about your friends. I have a friend who has similar training to mine. I have worked for the same place since college and she has moved around several times, many times due to being laid off. I just read an article about how government workers make way more than their private counterparts and I am here to say that that just is not true. I do not make near what others in private market make, yet I stay because I feel I am more stable here. All I could think of is if she reads the same article it will just be one more thing between us. Yeah, we aren't that close anymore (we grew up together). Anyway, I'm just trying to say that I understand how you want to be so happy, yet you don't want to tell them and have them even more unhappy about their own situation. You are a good friend Amy.
How is Matthew feeling now? Did the appointment go well? So glad that Dallas went well and you got to see some family. That is always nice. And it is nice that you took your stepdad to the airport. See, once again showing what a wonderful person you are. I'm glad you got to see TS3. We loved it also and yes, I cried too. One of those bittersweet kind of things.

Have a great Monday.

 

[traceycooper]

wow Amy caught up on only a few pages & cant believe how up & down your life has been lately but i'm soooo glad things appear to be improving

I'm glad the trip went well even though DS & DH didnt get to go.
Well done on getting the free dining i did yak & yeti lunch & it was one of my favourites:
''Crispy Mahi Mahi - filet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables $21.99''
i can highly reccomend
So glad DS is healing AND you had health cover! something i cant get my head a round coming from a country that has ''free'' health care (we pay so much out of our wages into a huge goverment pot - but everyone is covered even non workers)
i'm keeping everything crossed for DH & the job - you both are coping so well at such a scary uncertain time - i'm proud of ya
Finally:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
18 YEARS!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

CRAP

I typed a whole post and lost it. I hate my laptop keyboard, sometimes I hit some button that just deletes it all.

Okay, to go over this AGAIN, Dan got his job finalized yesterday! Everything is set, he starts tomorrow for a few hours but starts for real on Monday. We are very happy.

I got my reservation changed to CSR, what I had wanted all along but lost when fd came out but have been checking and there it was! I am done changing, I dont' know when I have bounced around so much but now have that "feeling" I get when I know I am where I want to be. Pepper Market is such a great place on the DDP, esp when the DDP is free!

We also are going to DL (doesn't take me long to start living like normal does it?). My brother and his wife always go to DL for their girls' birthday and he has asked us to go every year and we did once (right after my mom died, what a not fun trip that was) and decided this is the year! I checked today and thanks to an Expedia credit I have plus dirt cheap airfare, all four of us can fly for under $500 rt. And its MLK weekend so the kids will only need to miss one day of school. My brother can also get us 35% off our hotel and meals since his wife is a cm. With the way my son is growing up, we don't have many years left when all four kids are still kids and we can go together. I am very excited, the kids don't even know yet.

I did much better with food yesterday, not feeling too well today, I think I ate something at lunch yesterday that didn't sit well and I also have a really bad headache. I hope to walk later in the day when it cools off (its 100 today).

Lisa: I am telling you, there is such a thing as having too much in common with friends! With jobs/careers if there is too much the same, its too easy to compare and compete. Your friend made her choice and sadly that is the way life is. I have been reading that about govt' jobs and really have wondered why that's true now when its always been the opposite? Guess not in all cases at the very least! I know one thing, I have never known anyone get rich working for the gov't for sure!

Tracey: Yeah, we do have a lot of people uninsured, however you do have to consider some of the uninsured in this country simply choose to not pay, gambling they won't ever get sick. Which is dumb even though in an emergency, by law a hospital cannot turn anyone away. We do have Medicaid which is a govt run program for low income people and Medicare which is for our senior citizens. Thank God for Medicare, through all her health troubles the last six years of her life my mom paid nothing for first rate health care through her Medicare. So our system does help its citizens but there are gaps for sure but I am betting every country/system has gaps. I know we had a friend in Norway whose mother died while on a wait list to see an ocologist in their gov't run system, it was awful, she died before she got into see anyone and they never even knew exactly what kind of cancer the poor woman had. I saw that Mahi Mahi on allears and can't wait to try it! I am so glad to see you, I was wondering if you were already in WDW but it looks like you have three weeks! Gotta go catch up with you.

ETA: I have had an awful migraine all day, I ended up eating chicken mcnuggets for lunch and a coke, in between dd's orthodontist appt. and ds' nose appt. I thought I was going to pull over and pass out so I did and we just sat in the parking lot so I could eat something and try to feel better. I am wondering if the heat made it worse? Anyway, I am feeling better now (ds' doctor was 45 miniutes behind which gave me time to just sit there and veg) and am going to take a walk in an hour or so when it cools off hopefully. I have never felt this weird with a migraine before. Had to be the heat.

 

[DisDee]

Amy, I'm so glad that Dan got the job! I can just imagine the relief that you are feeling right now.

Its so nice that your vacations are coming together and you were able to switch to CSR. I agree with you about the Pepper Market. You really get a lot of bang for your buck there. (make that your free buck!) I remember getting some type of steak meal and it was considered a counter service option. What a deal!

I hope you're feeling a little better now. Have a nice day tomorrow!!!!

 

[toystoryduo]

Happy Belated Anniversary to you and Dan, Amy!

WOOHOO on Dan's job!!!!!!

WOOHOO on CSR and on DL!!! Love the tickers in your signature!

I hope you're feeling better today, WISH sis.

Have a nice evening!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Thanks Denise and Tracy!

Tracy, having two tickers in my signature is always a good thing!

Denise: It took Dan two seconds of looking over my shoulder at the online menu of Pepper Market to see the word "STEAK"! It is a good bang for your buck and they have four places that serve cs which is very nice. I can't wait!

Just enjoying the good old dog days of summer. Its been super hot here but that makes for nice evenings (our evenings are always cool). We had a friend over last night for dinner, her husband died six years ago and its always bitter sweet to get together like we always have, excpet with one less person. I made a pretty healthy dinner but of course had three light beers and too many chips and salsa. If there was no beer, chips or salsa on this planet, I'd weigh 140 pounds I think!

Dan and I took a four mile walk yesterday. It was a lot of uphill and it was hot as heck (waited too long) and I am feeling it today. We plan to take that same walk tomorrow, just leave about two hours earlier.

Today I am going to grocery shop and get ready for a bbq I am having tomorrow. I haven't had people over too much this summer due to the job thing so I am excited to have a nice gathering tomorrow! I am going to make ribs, sausage, bok choy salad (best salad on the planet) deviled eggs, choc chip cookies (uh oh) and a blueberry cobbler (bigger uh oh). I love to cook and do stuff like this and I am really looking forward to it.

Ds couldn't sleep last night so he went downstairs to watch tv and decided to clean up my kitchen for me. It was a mess, I was so tired after our friend left I did something very unusual for me, I left a messy kitchen for the next day! Matthew cleaned it all up, ran the dishwasher, then unloaded it, mopped the floor, then even went in and organized all the shelves in my laundry room. At midnight no less! I was very touched, he said he wanted to do something nice for me since I took such good care of him after his surgery. Just when I think he's a teenager taken over by an alien, he surprises me indeed!

 

[traceycooper]

oh how sweet of DS!! ineed to let my DD read that!!
i want to come to your bbq!!
arghhhhhh to the free dining - still gutted that we missed out - due to TA ripping us off when tickets came yesterday i was really hoping they'd accidently add it, but nope it even says on hotel ticket ''dining - room only''

so so very very pleased for DH i hope this new job is the best thing that ever happened

 

[Amy&Dan]

oh how sweet of DS!! ineed to let my DD read that!!
i want to come to your bbq!!
arghhhhhh to the free dining - still gutted that we missed out - due to TA ripping us off when tickets came yesterday i was really hoping they'd accidently add it, but nope it even says on hotel ticket ''dining - room only''

so so very very pleased for DH i hope this new job is the best thing that ever happened

I want you to come to my barbeque!!!


Uggh, thanks to Dan's old employer not bothering to call back his new firm to verify his employment, the whole process is slowed down at least one day. I HATE it when people cannot return a call, they've had all week. So he won't start until Tuesday or even Wednesday which means less paycheck when he does get paid. Big sigh, we've waited this long I guess another two days won't be the end of the world.

We are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate Dan's job, he picked Outback so I see a big portion of crab legs in my future!

 

[toystoryduo]

I'm sorry to hear that Dan's old employer is being less than cooperative at the moment. I hope they made that call today!

Did you mention Outback? YUMMY!

That was such a sweet thing for your DS to do for you!

Your BBQ sounds like so much fun!!! I hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[eyor44]

Tons of wonderful news from you.

for Dan's new job!!!!

for DL in the Fall!!! how wonderful that you get to join your brother and his family.

Your DS is so sweet! That he did that for you.

and you got CSR!!! WOW! the wonderful news just keeps going....... I hope you BBQ went well, I'm sure it did

bummer on the employer being slow, but with Dan home a couple more days, maybe you can find some hunny-dos for him.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Outback is easy for me as I don't care for much of the stuff on the menu. I'm not a steak eater and haven't cared for their chicken. I do like the coconut shrimp or bloomin onion but I avoid those. Usually don't have money for appetizers anyhow. I can get by on kids chicken meal and salad. HEHE

Congrats I hope they got up to speed on his new job. I bet you are excited for the approaching Fall trip.

I can't get excited over mine yet. I know its probable in August for a quick weekend trip but its not certain dates and I'd be more excited if plans were set and had cash in the bank for it.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Melissa, its funny, I only go to Outback for crab legs and they are so pricey I don't get there often. Yeah, that onion thing is so good but so full of fat!

Lisa: Yes, we had a rash of good news last week and I can't say I am complaining on that front!

Tracy: I thought about you at Outback because I know you cashed out some SR for a giftcard from there recently. It was so good!

So I am sorry I have been off the Wish lately. I am just so mad at myself on the food front. I have not been doing well, I am bloated beyond belief to the point my ring is stuck, my flip flops leave these marks on my feet and I look awful. I think its the heat and too many salty foods. The scale is up (get ready for this) 7 pounds. Just shameful. I also managed to pull a muscle in my leg on that 4 mile walk last Thursday so I have not worked out. Today it was better, tomorrow I am going to the gym come what may. Just sort of disgusted with ME!

For some unknown reason, summer is always a huge challenge for me.

Now I want you ladies to give me some input. As you know, Matthew's nose got broken by his friend at this kids house. Yes they were just playing but then again, ds had a severely broken nose (and a blow to the side of the head that left a nice big goose egg). We are now getting the medical bills in. Our insurance covers 80%, but our out of pocket expense is about $2200! I mean to me, that is not pocket change. Most of my friends have been after me to have them(family of ds' friend) contact their insurance about having their homeowners cover some of this. I did talk to my agent and he says every homeowner's policy on the planet has a medical liablity clause in it to cover this sort of thing. So I emailed them today. Not easy for me since I HATE confrontation of any kind. I was very nice and just asked if they could contact their agent to see if they could run this through homeowners and made it clear we are not angry or blaming their son but if they can help out it would be very helpful. As soon as I sent it I was sorry! Even though everybody tells me this is the way it should be, I just have visions of them being angry at us. We got to the same church and I don't want to have any sort of ill will (hardly know these people but still). I hope I wasn't wrong. Do you think I was? I don't want to sue them and I certainly don't want to make a big deal out of this but bottom line is that this incident has pretty much wreaked havoc on our lives. If they don't feel its anything they need to help out with, I will just drop it. I hope they at least respond in some manner.

So tell me honestly if you think I was wrong to contact them?