~potential travel?~

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I rec'd an email this morning from the new dept manager.

There is finally a (tentative) plan to bring everyone together for an off-site meeting of some sort.

This would take place in Dallas.

I've been working remotely from TN for 2 yrs & 3 months now w/o a company-paid trip back there. In addition, there is only 1 person on the current team who was actually there when I was located there...talk about turnover...

It would be my crap luck that this trip would be planned during my journey down "let's get fat" road. I can only imagine the snugness I will feel in those ultra comfy airplane seats too.

This means I need to buy MORE *&^%$# maternity clothes as I do not have anything that would really work for the office.

I can't help but to be opposed to spending even MORE $$ on clothes that will be worn only 1-2 times (if that). I may even leave the tags on and return them when I get back...I've never done that, but there's a first time for everything.

And since the "falling out" with my aunt, I will not be notifying her of my upcoming trip and will let the company fork out the dough for a comfy hotel room for me instead of staying with her. I'll sleep much better in a hotel room anyway.

We'll see if this pans out...it is 4th quarter after all and who the heck spends money in the 4th quarter??

~i'm bored~

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Tuesday morning - I'm bored.

I already did my treadmill walking and showered.

I'm also working, but still bored.

Of the 20+ blogs I read, NO ONE HAS UPDATED!!!! WTH? I need something to read!! Also, since hardly anyone visits my blog, I rarely even have comments to read either. *sigh*

If I had the discipline, I'd turn off the TV and read "Eat, Love, Pray" so I can finally finish it.

It got COLD here overnight...it was 70-80 over the weekend and right this minute it is 44 out there!!

I love Fall weather, but I am really sad that I cannot wear all my sweaters. I just love the feeling of getting all bundled up in them every year. I have bought 3 "fat mama" aka "maternity" sweaters and hopefully they get me thru the winter. LOL!

Is it 12:30pm yet? I'm meeting a friend for lunch.

~what weekend?~

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Was there a weekend in there somewhere? I must have missed it.

I worked 14 hrs combined Sat & Sun, so I guess that's the problem. I need to accumulate some extra hours right now because I'll be off on some upcoming weekends.

I have a question...when friends ask how you are doing, do you generally answer with the truth, albeit negative or positive, or do you find that you always respond that all is wonderful because maybe people don't really want to know the truth if everything wasn't completely wonderful??? (hope I didn't lose you in that uber-long sentence)

The reason I ask is because I'm a bit frustrated w/a friend who's been emailing me over the past few months and asks specifics about things in my life...I state the facts and I sort of feel "attacked" by her responses. I guess I'm just going to have to say that everything is wonderful...even when/if it isn't.

If you can't be honest with friends, then what the heck are they for? Did I miss something somewhere? I'm always open and willing to hearing good & bad from my friends!! *huge sigh*

~feeling better~ (at least for now)

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After my uber-funky day on Wednesday, I decided that I absolutely have to make time to get on my treadmill for at least 30 minutes/day.

I implemented that on Thursday morning and followed through again this morning.

So far I'm feeling great afterwards. I end up walking 1.75 miles in the 30 minutes. I burn about 200 calories and 20 carbs (according to my t-mill). I walk @ a 1% incline too. I figure I need to manufacture as many endorphins as possible right now to fight off these "out-of-control" hormones. This will also help me when I can finally start running again...I'm anxious to sign up for a 5k race for next year.

My goal is to do this EVERY MORNING. There is no reason I should not be able to do this. I am leaving my workout clothes out on my dresser every night along with my athletic shoes, so they are RIGHT THERE serving as my reminder and eliminating the need to dig thru my dresser in the morning.

Today's walk was a bit easier than yesterday too so that was a nice feeling.

Have a good weekend!!

~i love thursdays~

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~the best TV night ever...Grey's of course, I hope it's a good one because honestly this season has not been as "nail-biting" as past seasons.

~ER...I'm still watching this show after all these years and tonight Luka comes back -yay!!

~I'm getting my hair highlighted and have to stop and pick up some scrapbooking adhesive.

~That's my Thursday...uneventful, but oh so fun.

~changes~

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Amy: this is your disclaimer...please use caution when reading this pregnancy-related post...

Change is never easy. I think I do fairly well when it comes to change - generally speaking. Certainly there are some changes that are easier to get through than others...being PG is not one of those easy changes for me. I'm sure it's easy for some though.

Shopping for maternity clothes sucks. I went to get a pair of jeans today on my lunch hour. I have 1 pair already. I first wore them a couple wks ago. They are quite comfy for the most part but I quickly discovered that after taking 2-3 steps they begin to fall down and I end up walking on the bottoms of them. While I realize this may be "in style" right now, it's not comfortable and I'm all about comfort @ this point. Pulling them up every 5 seconds is getting old...quickly!

So I find a pair of jeans, but am a bit disappointed when I have to purchase a size larger than I normally would have. You see, I am NOT one of those itty bitty little pregnant people who just get this cute little poochy belly but still look like they fit in their size 4 clothing. I'm fat all over and while I often remind myself "you are pregnant", that just doesn't help all that much. I'm truly struggling with the whole "getting fat" part of this process. Why can't I just embrace it and let it be what it is? I don't know!

Someone asked me the other day what was the best part of being pregnant...ha...that's funny. Hell if I know. Let me see, I'm always tired, I have no energy and therefore haven't gotten my fat a$$ on the treadmill in forever, I pee every 5-10 minutes, my favorite jeans don't fit anymore, my hair has become unbelievably flat, my nose is permanently congested, my boobs are huge (and I don't like it), I cannot sleep very comfortably anymore...need I go on? No one has let me cut in line @ the public bathrooms, no men have held doors open for me or given up their seat(s) for me...so really, why does everyone say "enjoy your pregnancy!" ???

I think my hormones are completely wacked out today so please forgive me for today's post...I have an OVERWHELMING urge to just ball up and cry for no reason inparticular. I have plenty of things I could think about crying over, but none have me particularly upset @ this very moment, so this urge to shed gallons of tears is completely bizarre.

~Simple Questionaire~

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Found this fun little questionaire here. Play along if you like!

What's your morning routine?
Wake up between 730-745am to Milo's "screaming" at me. Grumble, moan & complain about having to wake up. Bathroom. Stumble to office. Turn on computer & The Today Show. Start working. I usually hit the shower around 10am or so.

What's your bedtime routine?
Put on PJs. Get in bed. Fall asleep. Pretty simple.

What's missing from your daily routine?
Fun

What is a habit you're working hard to develop?
Be more positive.

What is a habit you're working hard to break?
Be less pessimistic.

At your favorite restaurant, do you always order the same thing or do you try the special?
I always get the same thing.

What things do you buy at the grocery store every single time you go?
Dannon Light N Fit Mixed Berry Yogurt & WW Blueberry Muffins

What would someone close to you say is your most annoying habit?
Being pessimistic (if I had a dollar for every time I heard that...) I call it being REALISTIC.

Which outside forces have the biggest impact on your routines?
The clock.

Describe the person you know who is most driven by habit.
I have NO idea.

~randomness~

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~It's a rainy Monday here...I would like to go back to bed.

~On Saturday I made my trek down to Chattanooga. I went to 3 scrapbook stores - all pretty disappointing. I spent a record low .95 and that was at a Stamp & Scrapbooking Show that just happened to be going on...it cost me $6 to get in and I only bought .95 worth of product...ha! One of the stores I stopped at was actually a Cake Decorating store, with a few scrapbook supplies thrown in the back...yeah, not good.

~I also made a stop at Rock City, so here are a few pics for your enjoyment...

~I need a new name for my blog...any suggestions? I can never come up with anything generic enough and I don't like the current name anymore...sounds too negative.

~I made "Dirt" yesterday for the work meeting. It's actually chocolate pudding, Cool Whip and crushed Oreos...YUM!!

~I've been quite inspired to cook lately since working on my recipe book. This morning I made a Corn Casserole (for dinner, but I already ate some...heehee). I also made a Taco Layer dip, but haven't tried that yet.

~I had 2 maternity tops that I purchased from Old Navy online a few weeks ago. I was sort of "on-the-fence" about them, but finally decided to keep them. I went to put one on the other day and completely decided against them - I had 2 of the same, just different colors. So I dug out the receipt and headed up to Old Navy to return them. I ended up leaving with a bunch of clothes for Ethan instead...lucky little dude. I've also decided that I will only buy baby clothes that are on-sale...nothing full price. Everything I got today was on sale - woohoo!

~to all Starbucks junkies~

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Holiday Season @ Starbucks

~Pumpkin Spice Latte will continue to be offered through the holiday season
~The Gingerbread Latte will be offered in a SUGAR FREE version as well as regular
~New pastries: Reduced Fat Caramel Praline Muffin, Penguin Cookie (iced)
~Returning pastries: Cranberry Bliss Bar, Gingerbread Loaf
~The exciting return of the Egg Nog Latte
~Even better - Egg Nog CHAI Latte...mmmmmmmmmmmm!

~The coolest thing (in my opinion)...you'll be able to custom order your own Starbuck's card...all kinds of designs to choose from. Make sure you check it out!

And all this teasing for nothing...you can't get any of these (except Pumpkin Spice) for a couple more weeks.

~work-work-work~

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Been working all day...stayed an extra 2 hours to cover for someone who was sick.

At 7pm we have a "holiday meeting" at the training center to go over all the, you guessed it, holiday stuff that is coming...just home to change and freshen up...long day.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

~your favorite recipe~

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Well, if you recall a while ago I told you about the Recipe Book I am working on. Since I seem to be really good at starting projects and not finishing them, it's been sitting around for a few weeks. Today I decided to type up a bunch of my recipes and start adding them to the book. It's about 1/2 full now...but I need YOUR help.

Please send me YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE(S)...preferably something fairly easy to make, as I'm no expert cook - although I DO LOVE baking. I need some more recipes to add to my book so it's nice and full.

Thank you!!

~Simple Questionaire~

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Saw this "simple survey" on Katrina's blog...thought I'd play along.

1. Name: Krystyn

2. Pink - Love it or Hate it? Love it, lighter pink, not so much a fan of HOT pink though.

3. Signature shade of lipstick, lipgloss, etc. Autumn Shimmer from Ulta 3

4. Do you have a best girl friend? Not so much really...at least not here locally...which stinks.

5. Do you have a woman mentor? Nope (but I could probably use one)

6. Are you a woman mentor to someone else? No, I don't have anything to mentor "on"

7. Tomboy or Princess? Total Tomboy...always have been, always will be!

8. Favorite Girl Band: SheDaisy

9. Are you a mom? Do you want to be one? I'm not yet...I thought I always wanted to be, but honestly I'm quite freaked out about the whole thing now!!

10. Do you and your mom have any rituals? We usually meet for lunch on Thursdays and the last couple years we've tried to bake Christmas cookies together.

11. Fashion magazines - yea or nay. Not so much really.

12. Do you have a feel good outfit? Well certainly NOT RIGHT NOW I don't. I feel like a complete blob in just about everything I wear right now. Come March, my life will be eat, sleep, treadmill.

13. Have you called your grandma or special aunt, or special older lady lately? Nope...I don't have any of these.

14. Signature Scent? Coffee from Starbucks probably...I smell like that more often than any perfume I have.

15. Favorite female TV character: Meredith Grey

16. Favorite place to hang out with gal pals? Well, if I had any gal pals, I imagine it would be scrapbook stores, Barnes & Noble or Starbucks.

17. Did you ever ditch your girl friends to be with a guy? Do you still? I probably have in the past...a long, long time ago. No, I don't anymore.

18. Friend you call when you need a laugh? Kelly, Mary or Nora

19. Friend you call when you need a shoulder to cry on? I usually don't call, I email instead...usually to Kelly, Mary or Nora.

20. Have you reminded your friends of how much they mean to you lately? Probably not as much as I should have...I think I've been a helluva burden of a friend lately too so I'll take this time to say THANK YOU for putting up with me and listening to all my crappy life drama that's been going on lately.

~ouch! ouch! ouch!~

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I was awakened from a dead sleep at 6am with the the absolute worst "charlie horse" in my right calf ever!! My leg got numb from my toes to mid-thigh. Rubbing it didn't help. It just happened...I didn't even stretch (which often brings them on). I thought I was going to die.

I discovered on-line that this is yet another WONDERFUL occurance that goes along w/being PG. They happen more during 2nd and 3rd trimester as weight increases - oh joy!!

I've had a few in the past month, but none this bad. I was nearly in tears, it was that bad.

~stuff~

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~So apparently the identity and wallet thieves work in cahoots...somehow someone got a hold of and used my debit card number to pay for something called "Yahoo Search" - 3 TIMES!!! For a grand total of $525!!! Argh..what a hassle. I've filed my dispute forms and now am waiting for my money to be given back to me. And to make matters even lovlier...a check that I wrote came thru @ the same time and there wasn't enough money there, so I was charged a $35 fee....3 TIMES!!! I'll get that money back too, but still - such a pisser!!!

~I was at SB until about 12:10am tonight (today)...whew. When I got there at 7pm, it looked like a tornado had come thru. It was also unusually busy, but I was having fun (thanks to good co-workers) and it passed the time. That's the latest I've been there in quite some time. On a negative note (because there is ALWAYS something with SBUX), I only have 17 hrs next week. I really need to maintain at least 20 and I haven't had 20 hrs/wk for the past 4 wks now. Argh!

~Wednesday night will likely not be so enjoyable - thanks to coworkers...argh...I'm dreading it. Shocker, I know.

~Did you see Ellen yesterday? Wow...it was a different start to her show...she was very upset...read about it here....she was crying...it made me cry. She rocks and I hope this scenario gets resolved ASAP.

~I can't wait to find out if Amy wins her cooking contest!!! Amy, be sure to let me know right away, ok?

~People never cease to amaze me...there was a big "stink" about the 2007 CK Hall of Fame contest and a whole bunch of scrappers have their underwear in bunches about it. Apparently, these women have nothing better to do with their time. It happens to involve my favorite scrapper, Kristina Contes....you can read her really-well-put blog post response here.

~Today I learned that if I let dishes pile up in my kitchen sink for 2 days and (refuse) to empty the dishwasher, that amazingly the dishwasher will actually get emptied and the dirty dishes will finally take their turn there. Now I'm trying to see how long I can let the garbage cans fill up before they get emptied. *someone needs to realize that there is NO cleaning lady here*

~blah, blah, blah~

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~So I finally called the SBUX benefits line to get the skinny on FMLA...I probably should not have called yesterday considering my emotions were not completely in tact.

~SBUX considers you "unable to work" a whopping 2 wks prior to your due date. Oh yeah - that's wonderful...I can just see myself now - barely fitting behind the counter..."what size Mocha would you like?"...not gonna happen.

~I will have to convince my doctor that I am struggling with being on my feet there or something. She will have to complete some form and we'll have to submit it to SBUX so that I can start my leave earlier.

~The ultimate bad news though is that it is highly unlikely I will leave around mid-November...probably more like early December, the most chaotic time of year at SBUX...yep lucky me.

~On the bright side...I didn't realize that I qualify for short term disability too so I'll be paid 66% of my wages based on an average of hrs worked per week over the last 26 weeks. I was pretty happy about that - free money!!

~A few more complaints about SBUX: we are having a "holiday meeting" on Sunday night. From 7-8pm...then we are supposed to go to a local bowling alley for a couple hours. I'm pretty sure I probably shouldn't be tossing a 10-12lb ball down an alley right now, so I guess I'm supposed to sit there and try not to appear bored out of my mind. What fun?!? I.CANNOT.WAIT! *severe sarcasm intended* Anyway, I think I'll just make a 10 minute "appearance" there and then go home, that way they cannot harrass me for not going at all. Remember, I do not wish to spend time with anyone from SBUX outside of work...(I learned this the hard way.)

~The Komen race is this Saturday. When I finish, I plan to take a drive down to Chattanooga and hit 3 scrap stores along the way and then also go to Rock City. I've never been to Chattanooga and I'm really in the mood to take some nice Fall pictures. I'm really looking forward to this.

~I had a doctor appt this morning. All is well. I need to find somewhere to get a flu shot. I usually never bother, but I guess they are recommended for PG women. Ugh. I dread fighting "the crowd" wherever it is that I end up getting one. I do not have a family doctor yet, so I can't go there.

~My hairdresser, who has become a good friend, is throwing a baby shower for me on 11/11. I've never been a fan of baby showers, but I guess it's in my best interest to have one now. Of course, I've always been on the "other side" of these before, so I guess turn about is fair play, right?

~I made this layout today...it's just "ok" - I'm not super crazy about it, but I guess it's not awful either.

~OK, I've rambled enough for today...

~ho hum~

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~I was contemplating even posting since I really have nothing much to report and I don't want to bore you to pieces.

~TGIF - big time!!! It's been a helluva week and I'm glad it's almost over. I don't think I could take much more. If I didn't want to go to Kohl's today, I would probably stay in my PJs all day and forego showering...O isn't home and the cats don't mind, so why not? :-)

~My excitement this weekend will consist of attending the Hispanic Heritage Festival downtown on Saturday. I'm sure counting on this to "make my weekend" so they better not let me down. I'm hoping to take some good pics and enjoy some scrumptious food. I'm just hoping that I'm not mistaken for a piñata since I'm just about the same size as some of them. As a result of my larger figure, I will have to pass on the Salsa dancing competition too. You can look for me @ the festival here. LOL!!

~Yep, well, I guess that's it.

~Friday Frustrations ON Wednesday~

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OK - I know it's only Wednesday, but I'm swiping this "Friday Frustrations" thing from Dawn... my frustration meter is in the red already today...so in honor of that....here goes...

1. Do you ever feel that people can take things too seriously? Hell yes!!! We are all a bunch of up-tight Americans and I'm convinced that I was born in the WRONG country. I think I'll have to head either to Mexico or Europe where everyone is friendlier and MUCH more laid back. OK, this may be extreme, but that's probably due to my over-exposure to Corporate America.

2. Do you ever have a day where it seems like nothing will go right? How do you get past that?Yes, that would be today. I don't know how I'll get past it yet...if I could drink, I would probably do that...but crying is probably more likely to occur - all things considered.

3. What is the most frustrating thing that has happened to you this week? I'm going to have to say "work" - both of them.

4. What is one thing that is guaranteed to frustrate you every time? See above answer.

~It's just another Manic Monday~

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After weeks of looking in my local stores or trying to win them off various blogs...I finally broke down and bought this and this. I really would have preferred to look @ each of them before I bought them, but it seems that was just not an option open to me due to my location. I've read rave reviews on both, so I took the plunge. Can't wait 'til they arrive.

After working @ SB on Saturday, we only made it to Babies R Us to register - ran out of time and didn't get to Lowe's. We grabbed dinner and headed home. I awoke at 3am feeling as if I had 5 daggers in my stomach (not good) and off to the bathroom I went, where I spent the next few hours, off and on. Needless to say, I did not have a good night.

I had to work at 12:15pm on Sunday and barely got ready in time. I was not feeling too good and certainly didn't want to be there. Thankfully it was slow I was able to leave at 3:15pm instead of 5pm. Still though, those 3 hours felt more like 8 to me. I left there and headed to mom's for dinner and to meet her new kitten, Brinkley. She's adorable!!

So, here we are, back @ Monday and I'm dreading it. I am working Mon, Tues & Wed nights @ SB...I hope I make it thru alive. My how that part time job has done a 180 in terms of "enjoyability"...

~scrapbook crop~

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Is it too much to ask for a DECENT scrapbook crop around here? Apparently so.

I went to the crop tonight @ my LSS...it was from 6-11pm.

There were a whopping total of 7 people there.

On the bright side, we all had a lot of space.

On the not-so-bright side, it makes it hard to meet anyone, plus none of them were really close to my age (strange).

I also got VERY little accomplished...apparently I'm still lacking on the mojo.

Bummer!

~Boston?~

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I'm curious as to who my Boston lurker is...reading nearly everyday, but never leaves a comment...just curious!

Oh and I went to the stationary store today @ lunchtime instead of tomorrow...it was a flop! Nothing good!

~a whole bunch of nothing~

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I don't really have much to say...it's been a pretty average week for the most part...nothing too exciting, which I guess considering my track record, may be a good thing. Exciting things for me often tend to mean "negative excitement" as opposed to "good excitement".

Good mail day today: I received the 2 kits I bought from Kristina on Monday...I love Priority Mail. They look like F-U-N!!!

I sort of forgot that I am going to a crop tomorrow. I think I've mentioned that the LSS here is pretty lame, well, they have recently changed owners and they actually have a crop on the 1st Friday of each month, so I'm going tomorrow to see if it's any good. One obstacle to overcome is the fact that I no longer have a tote...apparently I overloaded it in NC (hard to believe, I know) with Mary and when removing it from her vehicle to put it into mine...well, the handle ripped right off. Oops!! On a brighter note, maybe I'll meet some fellow croppers...as embarrasing as it is to say this...I need some friends here...see below.

My hairdresser is throwing a baby shower for me. The invite list was short. I do not know many people here - mostly due to working from home ever since I moved here. Where the heck am I going to meet people? And if you've been reading for a while, then you know that I had made some friends at SB, but some turned out to be a bit "shady". Regardless, I cannot just invite 2-3 from SB, so I'll invite the whole gamut...and that also keeps them from throwing me a separate shower...which I REALLY DO NOT WANT. One is torture enough.

It's Grey's night...that's always good. Let's hope it's better than last week...I wasn't terribly impressed, but I won't give up on them...I still love the show. I still miss Denny too. *sigh*

Dilemma...I want a new iPod Nano....the one with video. I do not need one. Mine works perfectly well, but @ the time I got the small 500 song model...saying to myself "I will NEVER need room for more than 500 songs"...ha!! Well, it really doesn't hold 500 anyway...closer to 450-470...I guess it depends on song length or something....ok so it's not a huge dilemma but still...

Ok, I guess that's all for now. Adios!

~dont'cha?~

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~Don't ya' just hate it when you finish a scrapbook layout and you don't really like it that much?

~I just re-did a layout because I didn't like how it turned out.

~I don't like the way the 2nd one turned out either.

~I am frustrated!!