Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Fresh Cut Pineapple

So the Bears defeated the Packers!!!  YAY!  Now, as most of you may already know, I'm not a die-hard sports fan.  In fact, I don't keep up with any of it.  Never did except for the occasional Sunday Leveille family Bears parties & the SuperBowl.  Until I met my husband.  He loves sports.  He talks about sports, listens to sports news...  It kind of drives me crazy.  Now, I'm working in a department where there are three guys (one of which is my boss) and another couple of guys that walk by all the time that talk about sports.  My boss is a Packers fan and one of the guys that walks by is a Packers fan but the rest are Bears fans.  They've been giving each other a hard time lately - especially with the monumental game last night and my boss made a bet with a guy in my department.  If the Packers win, the Bears fan has to wear a pink Packers jersey.  If the Bears win, my boss has to wear a pink Bears jersey.  Well, the Bears won (in case you haven't heard) and it should be a fun & interesting day.

I walked into the kitchen at work and saw a giant pineapple.  I should have taken a photo but I forgot - sorry!  Anywho..  There was a sign that said, "Help yourself to some fresh pineapple."  I contemplated cutting just enough for me or to cut the whole thing and decided that since people aren't really going to have time to sit there and cut some pineapple, I decided that I would.  I cut it up and put it nicely on a plate and didn't take a photo of that either..  I feel pretty good about it.  It was really good too.  I might go get some more!  [update:  I went back and took a photo - almost gone!]

I'm going to go read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for my new book club.  Abby was right..  The beginning is kind of boring.  It kind of reminds me of the part in the bible that talks about the lineage.  It's not really close to being the same thing but the flow kind of reminds me of it.  I'm sure it will be significant later on.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

~ S

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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Monday, September 27, 2010

A Fresh Week

Good morning.  Another new week and a fresh slate.  I've been struggling with a lot these past couple of weeks which is why I haven't been posting much.  Of course, these are the times when I should be posting more but there are some things that I do want to keep private.

I had a decent weekend..  I felt nauseous and dizzy and had terrible cramping all weekend but once I got past that, it was a pretty decent weekend.  I went to the dentist on Saturday and got my filling & got the mold for my permanent crown.  They put on a temporary crown made of acrylic and it smelled like going to a nail shop that does acrylic nails.  Apparently it's not quite the same thing but it smelled the same!  It doesn't smell or taste like anything now and it  feels very strange to have a tooth...  It's been so long (it was broken then hallowed out then very sharp with a chalky-like filling...) and I thought it looked weird too until I looked at the tooth on the other side of my mouth & realized that it looks the same.  I'm pretty impressed.  It's costing a lot (even with insurance) but I actually like this dentist.  I recommend Dr. Cheskis at Meadows Dental Care in Palatine, IL. Please let them know that I referred you if you go!

So after that, before all the anesthetic wore off, I stopped by Target.  I wanted to get a couple of things from the dollar area for Halloween & of course, found a few extra things.  I got a "student desk" on sale for $13, a dry erase board & calendar that Mike & I have been talking about but never get.  I got a $10 folding chair but I'm going to return it because it's too short & really uncomfortable.  I figured that we can use this area to figure out bills & payments & I have a space that I can begin getting into my scrapbooking again.

When I was almost finished with my shopping at Target, I started feeling light-headed so I went home and lay down on the couch for the rest of the day.  I felt completly sick and in a lot of pain..  Mike was really worried & made me dinner & brought me water.  It was really nice.

Sunday, I slept in - way past the time I wanted to.  I did have an alarm set but I guess I must have turned it off because when I woke up it was time for church to start.  Oops.  So I got up, was still feeling pretty light-headed for most of the day and decided that even though I was feeling crappy, I was going to accomplish something.  I went to start some laundry and realized that we don't have any quarters.  Mike had tried to get quarters the last time he went to the bank but they were out.  How is a bank out of quarters??  So we didn't do any laundry but we'll get to it.  To answer your question, no, I'm not wearing dirty clothes.  I cleaned the kitchen, did dishes, took out trash (we shop at Costco & have had some boxes piling up in a corner) & set up my desk area.  Later, Mike & I played some games, watched some Lie to Me (our new show) and made tacos for dinner.  Yum!

That was it for the weekend.  I'm sure it's pretty uneventful but it was good to get something done (it helps me feel better) and it wasn't too packed.  If I can, I'm going to head out to church tonight and help with some cleaning.

Something that's been on my mind but haven't written about yet...

Anna has a tumor on her foot.  I guess it's a tumor - they didn't really say.  It's an open wound so we need to keep her from chewing & licking on it.  She's on a massive 2-week antibiotic and an anti-histamine to help with the itchiness of her feet due to the grass "sensitivity".  We're trying this for the full two weeks then have an appointment to see the doctor again & have some cells removed (a cytoplasty?) and tested for whether or not it's benign or malignant.  I'm really sad and worried about my pup..  It breaks my heart to think of her dying of cancer...  I feel like I should have taken better care of her, you know?

Anyway, I guess that's about all.  I hope you had a good weekend and take this Monday as an opportunity to start off with a fresh week.  I'll write more soon.

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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Monday, September 20, 2010

A message from Him

Good morning friends & welcome to a new week where anything can happen!  I'm very tired (not sleeping well at all this past week & a half) but hopeful with this new week.

I hope that this blog finds you well.  I know that a lot of things are happening with everyone and that life can be difficult.  It seems as though every time things start to look up something happens to try to bring you down.  My sister Emily posted something on her Facebook the other day that describes life.  Life is 10% what happens to you & 90% how you react to it.  When you're facing the struggles of life there's something that I've been forgetting to do..  Trust God.  Lean on Him and put your faith in Him so that He may help you through.  Give it up to God.  There are so many times where I just feel so alone when something bad hits and I forget that He is there and will be there always.  He will guide you through.  Obviously, I have my husband and family but God is unwavering and strong enough to handle your struggles and has an ultimate plan for you.  I like thinking that God doesn't give you anything that you can't handle.  You just have to believe that you can and work through it instead of giving up.

Thank you friends for being here to read a little.  I wish you a great week.

~ S


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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Just wanted to say hi

Good morning & happy Monday!

I don't have a lot of time this morning...  I had my husband drop me off at Target so I could enjoy the beautiful weather this morning & stop in to get a Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino.  I really enjoy my treats!

Anywho..  I hope that everyone had a good weekend.  Mine was pretty good.  Caught up on some sleep, watched a lot of 24 & even spent some time crying.  Apparently, yesterday was just one of those days that I needed a good cry.

There's a lot to think about in my life...  I have some things that need to be taken care of and some people to have conversation with..  I know that there's a right way to handle things but I'm not completly sure of what that way is.  There's pain and misunderstandings and confusion for a lot of people and it's weird that while there's a suggestion of keeping the lines of communication open, I'm not sure I believe it.  Besides, there's someone else I'd rather communicate with who apparently can't communicate with me.  You would think that someone who supposedly loves you would try to communicate through the pain.  I mean, it's been years and nothing..  It's a two-way street and I guess that there are too many stresses in life for this other person to deal with the stress of trying to communicate with me.  It makes me sad but it's not something unexpected.  It used to hurt so much more.  Am I just numb to the pain?

Anywho..  That's what's on my mind.  I have about 10 minutes until my shift begins and I want to have a good day.  I want to be calm and efficient.  I want to be the best that I can be & I want to succeed.  I want to succeed so badly, I'm not sure that anyone truly understands.

I hope that you succeed.  I hope that you can be successful in whatever it is you strive for.  I hope that you can be strong and will achieve your dreams.

Ha!  I just remembered that when I was younger, I used to think of myself as a strong person...  I was strong enough to handle what was happening to me in my life.  I used to look at other people that were struggling with something (physically, emotionally) and put all of my energy into praying (closing my eyes, pushing my energy; my strength) into that other person..  "God, please help him/her.  Please give them my strength so that they can get through this situation a little easier.  Please help him/her be okay.  Please take whatever strength I have so that s/he will be ok."  I remember the people I used to do this for & I remember feeling so happy and relieved that they made it through.  I remember thinking that after I did this prayer that they seemed a little stronger and that they seemed to feel some relief.  My boyfriend, my sister, my friend, my mother..  I prayed for them the most.

I don't feel strong now.  Not like I did then.  Not even close.  I remember when I started feeling like this & thinking that I had no more strength left to give.  I hope I can rebuild it and be everything that God wants me to be.

~ S

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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Julie & Julia/Radiothon/Fire

Hello!

I've been thinking about my blog and how I didn't write anything down this morning.  I started to wonder if my readers (that's you!) would be missing me and since we've slowed down at work today, I figured I would drop in and let you know what's on my mind today.

Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia?  I saw it this past summer & really enjoyed it.  It's about a girl who decided to write a blog about cooking every recipie in Julia Child's cookbook.  She cooks & writes every day and has readers that can't wait for her to write.  I'd love to find something consistent to write about that would draw readers to my blog but don't feel confident enough that I could provide entertainment for them.  There's an online journal that is looking for bloggers to write about things and I'd love to apply for the job but like I said, I don't think I'm confident enough - especially as a job.

My co-worker decided to clean her desk today.  She used this cleaning solution that smells like lemon but it's really strong.  It's making me a bit nauseaus and has intensified my headache but I guess I really don't mind.  I have headaches every day.

Did you hear about what happened in San Bruno yesterday? It's a city close to San Francisco.. Apparently a gas line ruptured, causing an explosion. People have died & many more have been injured. It's so sad. I hate hearing about tragic events.

On a slightly lighter note... Eric & Kathy are doing their 36 hour Radiothon where they get donations for Children's Memorial Hospital. There are heart-breaking stories about children that have been lost and saved and it's such a good cause to contribute to. I think that they started this morning so it should go through tomorrow night.

We're starting to pick up in reservations so I guess I'll get back to work!  I hope you all have a wonderful day and if you have a few moments, please pray for those in San Bruno & their families and take a moment to listen to Eric & Kathy's Radiothon.  Donate to Children's Memorial Hospital if you can.
Happy Friday!  Have a great weekend. ^_^

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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

The funny thing...

Good morning!  I'm feeling like I should be napping but a few things that happened already today are running through my mind & I have to get them out.

Michael is driving me to work today & he says, "I probably shouldn't say anything - I don't want to jinx it - but I'm pretty happy right now."  Wow.  He's never said that!  What a wonderful thing to hear!!  He said that he's happy with where we're living, he likes his job, he's happy with our marriage, he's pleased that we're tackling our debt & he's enjoying doing cheap fun things with me.  Then he starts talking about how he'd be interested in finding out if there's a Metra train that he can take to & from work so I can have the car during the day.  I don't know what has contributed to the change in his outlook of things but it's a really great thing.  I love that he can say that he's happy.  I love that he's thinking about alternative solutions for our daily routine.

As I got to work, one of my co-workers got there with me.  Now..  She & I have been finding that we have quite a bit in common and seem to get along pretty great.  She's fantastic with putting up with my mood swings, has been a great sounding board and is a genuinely kind person.  So yesterday we seemed to be on a similar wavelength.  I almost wore my brown shirt with flowers but decided that it's been a while since I've worn my turquoise shirt.  So I wore the turquoise shirt with dark blue jeans.  She wore dark blue jeans with a turquoise shirt!  Everyone was amused with our wardrobe.  Then she said that she almost wore brown!  LOL  Later on in the day, I wanted my Snack Pack pudding that was in my bag.  Around the same time, she pulled out a Snack Pack pudding!  This morning, while I was putting my purse away, I grabbed my can of Progresso soup and was talking to her and she pulled a can of Progresso soup out of her lunch bag.  WTF?!?! :)  This is just really funny!

I think that God may be talking to me..  There are things to be happy about and I find that I have the ability to smile and I understand that things are going well for us but there still seems to be something deep down that I'm not truly happy yet.  There was a little quiz thing that I took yesterday & it asked, "What makes you happy?"  I didn't know how to answer that.  I mean, I know the little things that I enjoy doing but to be truly happy?  I'm not sure.  I think it's this sea of depression that rears its ugly head every so often that's blocking me from seeing the light of true happiness.  I do find myself trying to surround myself with good friends that can help me work through it and hope that I'll be able to succeed.

I hope that you all can find happy moments in your day today & every day.  I also hope that you get more than a glimpse at happiness and can find what makes you feel truly happy.  Michael, I am so happy that you have found it.  I love you so much.

~ S

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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Good morning.  I'm finally almost over this cold.  It's wreaked havoc on me though.  Now I can mostly breathe and have a scratchy throat - otherwise good!

So every week at work, the supervisors have been picking the best survey results of the week & if you get selected, you get to sit in a fancy chair with a superman cape on it.  Yesterday, they picked a survey & the winner was me!  Yay!  The chair is so different from the chair I normally sit in so it's a little weird but I think it's nice. :)

I guess that's about it for now.  I hope you all have a wonderful day.  I'll talk to you again soon!

~ S

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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Sorry it's been so long...

How is everyone doing today?  Sorry about not posting in the past few days.  I started to write this on the September 2nd but got busy at work & the next thing I knew, it was Monday!

I'm not sleeping too well again & this past weekend, I was sick so that didn't help.  Anywho..  I'm going to recap the weekend.
Thursday - Mike was sick so he stayed home from work.  I dont know what happened or what it is but he had aches and pains, major sinus pressure & his breath kept catching. In the morning while I was getting ready for work he stopped breathing for about 10 seconds.. He'll do this sometimes - sleep apnea, I think.. I'm sure we'll have to have a doctor check that out someday.  It was so nice to be able to use the car to get to & from work.  Wow!  We need to get a second car up & running SOON.  Anyway, I think he slept past noon and got up to vaccum the apartment & put dishes away.  :)  I was able to get out of work a couple hours early so that I could meet up with my best friend Julie & her husband Glen.  They went on a Harley Davidson motorcycle ride in Milwaukee so they used us as a pit-stop on their way home & spent the night. 

Friday - I got stung by a bee!  I felt something kind of hurt my arm and looked over & noticed it was a bee.  I swiped it onto the floor & stomped on it.  Julie said that I looked like a professional bee slayer.  LOL  We all (Julie, Glen, Mike & I) got to spend some time together on Friday & Mike & I took them to Houlihan's before they headed home. 

Saturday - I was full-on sick.  I had started feeling it Friday night before bed & woke up with some major issues.  I spent the day doing nothing (I know, different from every other day, right??).  I watched a movie, "Sliding Doors", played Assasain's Creed 2 & watched 24 when Mike got home.  It was a pretty good day.  Mike even bought me a hot fudge sundae.  Yum! 

Sunday - Mike got some free tickets to the Schaumburg Fliers baseball game so we went with my brother.  Concessions were way over-priced but it was fun.  I actually started to feel better even though I couldn't breathe through my nose or smell anything.  I went shopping at Costco and came home to put everything away & begin re-organizing the kitchen.  This wasn't a very good idea because all the bending over made me really light-headed.  Around 7:30 I went to sit down & watch Mike & Daniel play a video game.  A while later I told them that I was going to bed because I was really tired.  Apparently, it was only 8:30!  LOL  So I got some stuff ready for Monday, took some medicine & played on the computer a little bit before going to sleep around 9:30.

Monday - Mike & Daniel left around 4am to meet up with Jeff (my step-dad) to go fishing.  I left around 7:30 to meet up with my mom & Kate & Rebecca so that we could drive together up to Lake Geneva.  We spent the day on their boat, swimming, sunning (when the sun was out), chatting, relaxing & even rode around a little bit.  It was really great.  I got a bit sunburned..  My shoulders are what's bothering me but it's not even that bad.

Today, I'm back to work.  I'm sipping my Starbucks Cafe Vanilla Frappuccino and getting ready to clock in for my day.
I hope you all have a wonderful day.  I'll write more soon!

~ S
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I Just Want to Be Ok by Sarah A. Manning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.