Sexy as a cat hacking up a hair ball

That pretty much describes my speaking voice at the moment.

Or, as I like to call it, my death-whisper voice, because what I'm doing doesn't qualify as "speaking".

Daniel's been fighting a nasty cold bug for over a week now. In the almost six years I've known him and the three plus years we've been dating/engaged, I haven't seen him sick like this. He just can't seem to kick this super-bug.

Since he can't get rid of it, he decided to share the super-bug with me. 'Tis the season after all. (insert GIGANTIC eye roll here)

I woke up this morning with a few extra things...cough, swollen tonsils and a big ole cranky attitude.

And one key thing was missing. The voice.

Seriously.

I sound like a 60 year old crazy cat lady who is allergic to her cats and has been chain smoking unfiltered Camels for the past 45 years.

Seriously!

Daniel says it's "cute" and that I sound like Froggy from The Little Rascals.

I think the super-bugs have invaded Daniel's brain.

Seriously!!

Wanna do somethin'?

Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to do something a little...different?

Like get a piercing? Yeah...that led to my bellybutton having two scars, the cartilage in my left ear that has a permanent little knot from a bored weekend at K-State, and two sets of ear lobe piercings that have closed.

Or like get a tattoo? Yeah...two of those. Contemplating number three.

Or change your hair style? I've cut all my hair off on a whim three or four times. Probably shouldn't go much shorter than it is now though.

Or change your hair color? Please sistah...you're talking to the master of home hair dye jobs.

Or just something.

Anything.

Anything EXCEPT packing.

But check it out! I'm making progress!!

Books, trinkets, pictures and DVD's are all packed up.

Most of the dishes are packed up. The Campbell's Soup mug has to stay out because I'll be living on tomato soup until the big move. And, well, that stinkin' pitcher just hasn't fit in any box yet.

See...boxes...full of my stuff!

Tis the season?

I've had several shocked and horrified reactions from my friends, coworkers and my future-mother-in-law over the past few weeks when they ask me the following questions.

Are you excited for Christmas?

Are you excited about your house?

I've got to tell you the truth people.

1 - I never get excited for Christmas. I didn't really celebrate Christmas when I was growing up, so it's not really something I'm used to and look forward to. I don't enjoy the expectation of giving/receiving gifts. I prefer gifts to be spontaneous. I prefer gifts to be things you can't wrap. Don't get me wrong; if someone spends the time and effort to get me a present, I am appreciative and thankful. But I would be just as happy if they hadn't spent that time or money. Little trinkets or cards or something that you think will make me laugh on my birthday...perfect!! Shopping bags full of stuff from Macy's for Christmas...no thanks, I would rather you save your pennies.

Yes, I realize this makes me Scrooge. But really, it's just not a big deal to me. And for everyone who or may or may not respond to this with something along the lines of "celebrating the birth, life and works of Jesus" I respond with "shouldn't you do that all year?"

I am however, TOTALLY looking forward to watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas tonight while I pack up my kitchen.

2 - The whole house thing doesn't feel real yet. Yes, we've signed loan documents and yes we are doing the final walkthrough tomorrow. But there's this part of my brain that hasn't realized this will actually be MY HOUSE in two days.

And then there's the whole issue where I have to:

- finish packing my apartment

- move everything from my apartment to the new house

- turn off the utilities in my apartment and turn them on in the new house

- clean all the dust out of the new house so I can unpack my stuff

- clean the apartment before the final check-out

Oh yeah, and there's some actual work to be done in there too. Baby's got to keep earning that paycheck after all.

So no, at the moment, I'm not really excited. I'm too busy making To-Do Lists to be excited.

Shout out!!

I gotta give an electronic shout out to my gal Amy!

She and her husband are finishing up their PhD's in Florida and have both landed professorships (is that what it's called??) at their original alma mater...Kansas State University!

Kudos to you both!!

Procrastination at its best

Yesterday Daniel and I signed loan documents and gave the rest of our money over for the closing of escrow.

Tuesday we will do the final walkthrough on the house.

Escrow will officially close Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

I haven't packed ONE STINKING THING in my apartment yet.

And I have to be out by December 31st.

Next week will be very light for me at work, which is a good thing. This weekend I'm forcing myself to pack.

Next weekend we'll be in Fresno for Daniel's family Christmas.

That means I will be moving from my apartment to the house between Christmas and New Years.

If I pack. That's a big IF.

Oh my love

Today is well, a rough day for me.

I'm at work going balls to the wall (Who ever thought of that phrase?? and I'm 99% sure I don't really want to know what it means.) trying to get financial statements cleaned up for a client. A client that was supposed to have their financial statements cleaned up BY THE CONSULTANT THEY HIRED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Yes, I feel the need to yell that. I'm a tad on the angry, bitter and stressed side of life.

So I arrived at the office after the rental car fiasco was completed. I sat down at my desk and pulled out the icky financial statements and other audit workpapers that need to be cleaned up.

And I promptly started fighting back tears.

I mean seriously. I'm the only person in the office today. I'm tired...exhausted actually...because I keep waking up at night thinking about work. I know. I know. Same old boring song, just another day.

What can a girl do to stop the tears at work? I have only cried at work ONCE in front of co-workers. And I feel that was justified. Dad was stuck in New Orleans in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina and I had heard from him for the first time in a week a mere two days before the crying incident. Now this wasn't a "hi how are you" sort of phone call. This was "I am alive and my house hasn't been completely destroyed, but I am without food, power or water and waiting for the Red Cross to deliver some." sort of phone call. The day before the crying incident my grandfather passed away and, after three hours of desperate attempts to get through to Dad on his cell phone or home phone or carrier pigeon, I was finally succesful. Of course, the successful phone call required me to tell my daddy that his daddy had passed away and we knew that my daddy couldn't get out of New Orleans to get to his daddy's funeral in Kansas City. (Side note: the Red Cross gave Dad gas and supplies and an escort out of the city so he could make it to the funeral. God Bless the Red Cross).

A poor manager made the mistake of coming up to me and saying "Hey, don't you have family in New Orleans?" and I just cracked. I think the incident scarred that poor manager for life.

So, totally justified, right? I think so and if you disagree, please keep your comments to yourself.

Anyway, back to the current situation of crying in the office. Not in front of co-workers this time...I'm the only one here. What's a girl to do?

Well this girl calls her fiance and has the following conversation.

Bekah aka Crying Girl: Baby, tell me that I need to be a grown up and just get my work done instead of sitting in the office crying.

Daniel aka Super-Hero Fiance: Oh no...what's wrong?

Crying Girl: I'm just tired and stressed and at work and nobody else is here and it's totally depressing and I just want to win the lottery so I can never work again or, since that's not really likely, I just want to crawl under a rock.

Super-Hero Fiance: Want me to drive down there and keep you company?

Crying Girl: (feeling slightly guilty about making Super-Hero Fiance drive 20 miles for nothing) Ummm...yes, please.

Super-Hero Fiance: OK, I'll get in the car now and call you when I'm close so we can get some lunch and pick up a present for the party tonight. (Second side note, we are going to the one year birthday party of one of Daniel's friends' son.)

I just love the heck out of that man.

I'm so dumb sometimes

OK, so when I made my treacherous trip through the Tejon Pass to the non-tourist-trap of Lindsay, CA, I rented a car.

No way was I taking my Mini Cooper through the mountains.

I left my car in my office parking structure on Wednesday night and headed out. Friday morning I planned to drop off the rental car and have Enterprise take me back to my office so I could drive my car home.

Sounds easy, right?

Well, easy if you remember to bring YOUR KEYS with you.

My key chain has two sections...one for my car key and one for my other keys. It makes it easier when you have to valet your car. Or more frequently when I want to make a quick run to the mailbox with my car running.

I had my apartment key with me on Friday. I had the key to the rental car with me on Friday. I didn't have the key to MY CAR with me on Friday.

Yeah, I'm dumb.

Turns out I couldn't return the rental car yesterday so I had to keep it through this morning and return it on my way to work. Yes. Work. On a Saturday. 8am on a Saturday to be exact.

That's a whole other bag of worms. Big old stinky worms pooping all over the inside of the bag.