If I Didn't Have a Dog.....

1. I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.
2. My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.
3. All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.
4. When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.\
5. Wen the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there.
6. I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.
7. I would have money and no guilt to go on a real vacation.
8. I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grand kids through college.
9. The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave him/her/it ALONE.
10. My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.
11. I would not talk 'baby talk'. 'Time for din din'.'Want a Yummy.'
12. My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.
13. My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.
14. I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E- E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O R-I-D-E.
15. I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.
16. I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog ties them down too much.
17. I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season.
18. I would not have to answer the question 'Why do you have so many animals' from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.

How EMPTY my life would be!!!

FALL FAMILY PHOTO

Circuit City - Buyers Beware

Yesterday we purchased a new point and shoot camera from Circuit City using our Visa check/credit card. The transation was processed as a credit purchase. When we got home we realized that the camera was not very good. The pictures all had spots on them and the spots were not on the lens, which meant it was internal somewhere. Not to mention, the camera took crappy photos. So, I called the Muncy, PA store asking if we could return the camera at the Wilkes Barre, PA store as it was closer to us. The customer service rep at the store stated yes, we could return it at another store.

We drove to Wilkes-Barre and returned the camera. We advised them that the camera had spots and did not take very good photos. They advised that store policy we would have to pay a 15% restocking fee, which was only $34.00. We understood the policy and accepted it. After returning the camera the customer service rep advised that since we purchased the camera in Muncy and their computer systems were different that we would have to either accept a gift card to the store or they would have to mail us our refund check in the mail. They could not refund our purchase back onto our credit card. The check would take a total of 7 - 14 days. We could not do anything but accept that since Muncy was now over 2 hours from where we were.

We called the customer service department at the corportate office. I advised them of our situation and told her that it was not our problem the stores were on different systems. She then said their was nothing she could do now because the check was already mailed. I asked her then, how could the check already have been mailed when we returned the merchandise around noon and all post offices close at noon on Saturdays. She was speechless and still said she could not help me. Jason called back moments later. He mentioned that Circuit City advertises a no hassle return policy however we have received nothing but hassles. He advised he had no problem with the restocking fee he just wanted credit to be received back on our card right away instead of having to wait for a check in the mail. So, the CORPORTATE OFFICE transferred him to the store manager at the Wilkes Barre store. He once again advised the situation and told her that he was not very happy with how the situation has been handled. The store manager asked, What can we do to make things right. Jason said, if you waive the return fee then I will be happy. Keep in mind, it's only 34.00. The store manager said I'm sorry, I can't help you. She advised she was going to then transfer him to the assistant store manager. He asked her why she would do that when the assistant manager is below her. She kept giving him the run around and finally he told her he would never shop at her store again and that we would ensure that we would tell everyone about what happened.

We will never purchase anything from Circuit City again and I just wanted to warn everyone so you are not put in the situation that we have been put in.

Sept 11th.....

Sept 11th is a difficult time for me. My whole life I dreamed of visiting the WTC's. I am very sad that I was never able to see them. I feel like something was taken from me. Actually, it was taken from everyone. So many people forget about all those lost, their families and about all those that are fighting for us. We just remember them on Sept 11th. Others remember it each and every day of their lives. I have created a video that I included in my 2007 Family Vacation DVD. I wanted to attach the portion I created for the World Trade Center Memorial. A big portion of the video focuses on firefighters. My step dad is a retired fire chief and I just applaud him for all his faithful years of being a firefighter. Firefighters risk their lives each and every day to help save others. I also dedicate this video to my brother-in-law. He is currently serving in Iraq. I pray that God will bring him home safely.

Ok, so I know I emailed a bunch of you to check out my new post. I removed my post because I was afraid it would offend people and that's not the reason why I posted it. So, sorry for the email. I hope you all are doing well and I miss you.

Happy Birthday Sutton

What Does One Do While On Medical Leave

Since my medical leave is ending this week I figured I would tell all of you what one does when she has 2 months and 1 week off vacation. Here Goes:

The first 3 weeks I spent most of my time eating, sleeping and downing narcotics. Once those narcotic days past I spent a lot of time looking for things to do. I cleaned the house, well, I could only lift 5 lbs so I did very little cleaning. I completed my 2007 Family Vacation video. It's something I had been wanting to do for a very long time. I finally had the time to do it. I also spent several days reading and learning how to use Photoshop. I worked through The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby. It was an amazing book for someone who HATES to read. You ask, how was the rest of my time spent? Watching Movies. I was sitting down today thinking, I wonder just how many movies I have watched while I was off work. I have compiled a list and seperated them out. Enjoy!

Movies I Watched and Liked:
Broken Arrow
Street Kings
Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden
What Happens in Vegas (great movie)
Can't Hardly Wait
She's the Man
Batman Begins
The Brave One
Catch & Release
Dante's Peak
Flight of the Phoenix
Godzilla
Hairspray
The Island
Italian Job
Ladder 49
Lord of the Rings (All 3 extended versions)
Mean Girls
Mr & Mrs Smith
Pirates of the Car. 1
Punisher
Shall We Dance
Shooter
Stealth
Stick It
Vertical Limit
Roswell (TV show, all 3 seasons keeping in mind it took me a total of 3 1/2 days to finish)
Live Free or Die Hard
U571
Hunt for Red October
Jumper
Dejavu
Step Up 2
Step Up 1

Movies I watched but are just ok:
Hot Fuzz - Jason really wanted me to see it
Stomp the Yard
How She Move (BORING)
Life Before Her Eyes (Confusing)
Picture This (stupid chick flick)

Hiking Weekend

Went hiking again this weekend at Ricketts. We hiked about 2 miles total and spent a lot of time taking photos of the falls. Jason has been practicing with his new filter he got for his camera. We're so ready for Seattle.

Anyway, check these out.

Little Bit O' Terror



Yep, that's Taylors registered name and for a reason. She loves to drive me crazy. Some of the things she comes up with are hilarious. Lately she has been getting into my bed "The Recliner" and she just sits there like this is mine, not yours. Today I was doing some laundry so I was carrying the basket into the bedroom to put some away. She came out of the bedroom because to peak and see what I was doing. When I started walking toward the bedroom she turned around real fast and got into the recliner. Basically she was telling me I told you, this is mine. I was here before you were. HA, it was so funny that I had to take a picture.

Yippee, another good nights sleep! I went to sleep around midnight and slept until 7:00. Oh, it was amazing. It's been a deep sleep too! Thank you Lord!

Now on to other things:

1. Stuck in Photoshop: As many know I have been taking my free time and working through Photoshop. It's something I have been wanting to do forever but never had the time to sit down and learn. One thing I cannot figure out and it's probably so easy to fix. When I click on different tools that tool stays the default tool. I know you can clear that tool but for the life of me I can't figure it out. Normally I start hitting buttons and it clears leaving me wonder "How in the world did I do that?" Anyway, I need to figure it out before it drives me crazy.

2. My Newest Video: I completed my newest video a few days ago. This was the first video I have completed using my new camera and the Sony Trial software. I completed the video in 2 days once I figured out to use the software. I will probably end up purchasing the software once I get back to work and actually get a good paycheck.

3. Camera Equipment: Over the last few weeks we have taken some extra money and purchased some camera equipment we'll use on our Seattle trip. We got a tripod, tripod head, wireless remote, some filters and Jason purchased a new pack. We haven't gotten the pack yet and Jason isn't sure if he'll end up keeping them or returning them. They looked really cool online. We'll just see how it works.

4. Movies: I'm still taking several hours during the day and watching movies. My huge stack of like 60+ movies is now down to about 15. I have 1 week left to finish them all. We'll see if that happens.

5. Work: I start back to work next Thursday. I'm very excited about going back. I talked to my boss and told him I would need a new chair. My old chair is a low back chair and when I sit in it my bar feels like it's going to pop out. The back comes right where my bar sits. So, I had them purchased a high back chair for me.

6. Crazy Neighbor: Over the last several months Jason and I have had the pleasure of really getting to know our neighbor. I call her crazy, well, because that's just what she is. They are the sweetest people ever. Our furkids absolutly love them too. Especially Taylor, which says a lot. Taylor is afraid of everyone. So Crazy Neighbor, or Donna, called last night and said Ed or Eduardo as I call him was gone for the evening and she wanted some company. She brought her huge glass of wine and came over. We sat and talked for a few hours and after her wine was all gone it was time for her to go home. I'm so thankful for great neighbors. We kind of have a little neighborly thing going on. We walk into one anothers homes, we'll call if we're out of toilet paper and don't want to go into town, recently we needed toothpicks. We also help each other out when needed. Eduardo is going to help Jason install some replacement windows and we're going to help them on their full house remodel. Nice neighborly exchange of help when needed. Oh yeah, Donna is also going to watch the furkids for us while we're in Seattle. Since we do not have a kennel here it's so nice knowing they are going to be in good hands.

7. Bon Jovi: I've been on this Bon Jovi kick. He's hot.

Praise God

After my post last night at 1:00am I decided to head to bed. I figured I would try to get some sleep. I knew I would probably end up getting up again with the restless legs. I was so excited when this morning I got up at 7:00an and I had slept through the night. Granted I only got 6 hours of sleep and need an additional 2 hours but it was the first time since I've been off my meds and slept straight through for an extended amount of time. Yippee....So, I don't wait to gynx it. I need to try to stay up for the rest of the day without any naps so I can try to sleep through the night again.

Woo Hoo!

Not Sure What To Do.....

Ever since the beginning of August I have had problems sleeping. I thought at first it was because I was coming off my narcotics from surgery. Now, 3 weeks later, I'm still having problems sleeping. I have tried everything: Camomile, wine, etc. Everything but sleeping pills. I do not want to start a whole new set of pills I'm going to have to ween myself off of. So, each night I get up. Spend a couple of hours pacing around the house in the dark, look down the hill on a moonlit night to make sure our neighbors house is ok, then, I try to find a place to sit and fall asleep in. This could take hours. Basically, I'm not getting any more than 4 hours of sleep a night. I'm exhausted and worried that this could be harming my body and slowing the healing process from surgery. Normally the restless legs starts twitching around 2:30 and I'm up by 3:00am. Tonight, they started early. They started around 11:45 and I've been up ever since. It's now a little past 1:00. Once I'm done blogging it's off to walk and try to find a chair to fall asleep in. I'm just tired. I pray every night and cry hoping God is hearing my cry for help. So far, no answer. I'm still keeping a hope though that he'll help me sleep, just 1 night is all I ask.....Is that too much?

Now for the good news. I like the good news to be first so I can end my blog on a good note. Today I took my first real hiking trip. Granted it was less than 2 miles but it was steep. We went to Bushkill Falls. It's no Ricketts Glen but we had never been their and wanted to try it out. Ricketts has over 30 falls and it's free. It was kind of chilly this morning, as you can see I'm wearing a fleece but the day got warmer as we hiked. Jason could tell a huge improvement on my breathing. I was not huffing and puffing like usual. I could tell a huge improvment as well. I was stopping several times but only because I needed to let my body rest. Since I have been home I have lost a lot of muscle, so, I am finding I get tired quicker. I was still so excited about my breathing. Still have a long way to go to build my lungs up but I felt great. I was so excited. I'm attaching some pictures below. One is quite funny. Not sure what happened but I look like a ghost. It's hilarious.