Christmas Ideas, If you still need them, for Cat

I put together a wish list on Amazon.com, it's under catcowden@gmail.com. They are only wishes, I don't expect to actually get any of these things.

Other ideas (things that I need (sort of)):
gift certificates for-- clothing, food, and gas. Costco and Safeway specifically.
San Jose people: gift certificates to manicurists you like, I will be in search of a new maicurist and I would love suggestions. It's also a way to guarentee yourself a date for mani/pedi's **wink, wink**


Please don't think of this as anything other than what I am intending it to be... suggestions if you are racking your brain trying to come up with ideas. If you have already gotten my present, don't do anything else but give it to me :)

See you in 3 days!

Cat

I could have lived my life withoout knowing

Tonight is my 10 year high school reunion. I didn't get an invitation, and the only way I know about it is because Gabe called me to say, see you there! Now the only reason that I am bothered by it was that I wasn't given the option to decline. and my whole family, ok, just my husband, brother and sister think I should gate crash. I don't want to, because I shouldn't go to a place that I am not expected, and all there is to do is drink and it's a horse and pony show. I don't drink and my rings don't fit, and I will still feel out of place. After my run in with Derek at Starbucks the other day, I really don't need to feel like a nobody at a party that we weren't invited to. But I hope Gabe has fun. He always had a way of seeming to fit in any group, even though I don't think that the relationships he has with any of those people is very realistic.
Ok, so I sort of want to go, and I'm actually upset that I didn't find out about until it was too late.

Officially Moving to San Jose

well, sort of. I got a new phone number.
It's called a grand central number. My 503 number is just masked with a 408 number so people think that I am in San Jose. It actually pretty cool. So if you want to try it, the number is 408-426-8436. Now I just have to find a job. I am meeting with one of Anna and Leon's (Dave's parents) friends today to talk about a job in retail. We'll see how it goes. I am also sending out my new and improved resume all over. Anna re-did my resume and it's fabulous. We'll see if I cannot get an interview or 4 lined up for Monday. Off to go apartment hunting now. We'll see how that goes.

Insomnia should at least be more fun

I know why I can't sleep. I'm pretty sure that it is directly correlated to my caffeine intake and my stress level. The more caffeine I drink and the more stressed out I am, the less likely I am going to be able to go to sleep. and it's not like in the adds where they say "are you having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep?" I stay asleep just fine and then I am narcoleptic in the the mornings when I need to be awake and I cannot seen to keep my eyes open. So I drink some more caffeine.
I need to start actually trying some of the tools for the 12 step program, specifically meditation and journaling. I have heard many people who journal say that writing helps them get stuff out of their heads so they can stop thinking about it. I don't know about the whole meditation thing, it's just quiet time, but I guess it could work. Can't be any worse playing soduku until 4 in the morning, listening to Enya.
The major reason for my sleepless night you ask? It's the moving, or the anticipation of the move and all of the stuff that I have to do to get myself to that place. Selling off everything we own, so all we have to bring is what can fit into a Pod (couch, table, bed, dressers and nightstands). Hopefully enough people will be in the new years resolution mode and want my treadmill and Dave's eliptical (that was a brilliant idea, hidesite 20/20). I'd even move them down to California if you know of anyone that would like them. and then there is the job thing. This is what is REALLY keeping me awake. I turned down the only job that the company had for me because I am not going to commute down to Monterey everyday. Dave tried that when he moved to Portland and was commuting to The Dalles and it's just not worth it. I am really worried that I am just one more (middle of the road, nothing spectacular, hum drum, looks like someone I used to know, didn't we go to high school together, what makes you stand out, isn't there anything else) person in a sea of people looking to ____________ (relocate, change careers, follow their dreams, make more money, etc. ).
I don't think that I am anything special. I know you want to argue this point with me, and probably already have on more than one occasion, but with all of Landmark and all of my success with FA, both of which I would NEVER talk about in a resume or an interview, I really just think I am one of a multitude. Caucasian female #2,394,299,653, nice to met you. That's what is keeping me awake at night, that I may not be remarkable enough to find something worth doing, and I really will wind up at the Estee Lauder counter during the day and Starbucks at night, and all of my schooling and all of training will be for not.

gotta love being the boss

Because when you are the boss you get to do fun things like leave a movie, with 10 minutes left, to respond to a tripped alarm. That wasn't actually what I had to respond to, my staff dealt with that part. Why I had to drive to Forest Grove from 5 miles past my house closer to Portland was because the tumbler mechanism on my front doors in broken and my student worker who responded to the alarm couldn't re-latch the door. I have fixed it, and by fixed it I mean I got it to realigned so that I could engage the lock, so we could go home.
I was sure though, as I was driving out there that I would possibly have to spend the night, sitting in front of the fireplace, waiting for the next employee to show up for the next shift, at 8:30 am. And I would have, because that is just what you do, when you are the boss. The company so does not pay me enough for that kind of attention. And, when we talked to the police their response was, we can do extra patrols... I am tired, too ramped up to go to bed, but weary, of the responsibility of every little, tiny thing, falls to me. I really wanted to call people in the higher echelons of the company (namely my boss and the loss prevention representative from B&N) just so someone else could "feel my pain". but I didn't because a busted (defective) tumbler and hyperactive, super sensitive alarm contact are not "someone broke in and stole stuff". Which would be the appropriate time to call those people.
We are going to call the building owner in the morning and have him come out and see if he can't repair or replace the tumbler.

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday dear boss lady, Happy Birthday to me.

Shrinking Feet

So, I wanted a a couple of things for my birthday, including new tennies. So, I am running around today getting Dave some new sweaters (cause he's cold too). I went to Ross (no shoes there I wanted), Old Navy (they don't even sell shoes), Famous Footwear (frustrating!), Payless (even more frustrating), and then finally, finally I went to Sports Authority (basically Copeland's, with a new name)....
I found 2 new pairs of sneakers and I paid WAY MORE than I wanted to, but by the time I got there and found 2 pairs of NOT white sneakers that we my size, I was pooped. I got gray pink shoes and black shoes. Which (here's the point) are an 8 1/2, instead of a 9 1/2!
Facinating.

I ran a mile

I actually ran for a full mile on my treadmill on Saturday Night.  It felt awesome.  I got pretty winded by the end but i never gave up.  Sunday I didn't feel good (I had a headache) so I didn't get back on my treadmill like i had planned. Today I feel like I have been hit by a mac truck.  I hurt in places I didn't even realized I had.  In the morning I am going to try to get up so I have time to go for a 20 minute walk just to work out all the dang kinks I've now got!

I thought exercise was supposed to be good for you!

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous

Here are the local meetings:

Monday: 6:30PM: Alano Club, 909 NW 24th Ave (corner of 24th and Lovejoy), Clock Room, Portland, OR

Tuesday: 6:30PM: Legacy Salmon Creek, medical Office Bldg. 4th Flr, room #402, 1122 NE 139th St. Vancouver, WA

Thursday: 7 Am: WestLinn, OR: Market of Choice Upstairs in the Community Room, 5639 Hood St.

6:30PM: Portland, OR: Good Samaritan Hospital,  Wilcox Building Conf Rm#2, 2211 NW Marshall St, the entrance is on the far right hand corner of the building through the parking lot.  

Saturday: Vancouver, WA: 9AM: Southwest Medical Center Health Education Center, Classroom #1, 400 NE Mother Joseph Pl. (it's easier to go to the light at 92nd and parking the lot there.  The door is on the left side of this parking lot)

Reviewing the Landmark Forum Day One

So, this weekend I am a participant in the Landmark Forum.  I originally completed the Landmark Forum in April 2004.  It is really awesome, as I have shared about 10 thousand times before but it is really interesting that even though I have already done it, I am really getting things out of it.   One thing that I got aware of is how I am with Dave.  I get really annoyed and frustrated when Dave wants to be all lovey-dovey and cuddly when we are going to bed.  Not every night, but many nights.  And I was saying to myself that I just wasn't as warm and fuzzy as he is and he need a lot of attention and that he is needy.  But in the Landmark Forum I saw that what I was doing what intentionally punishing him for things that are not working outside of our bed.  Specifically I was dominating him because the house is a mess, the garage is full of boxes and the laundry isn't done.  And making him wrong for it not getting done. 

This is crazy!  It's like me saying, Honey I love you when the laundry and dishes are done and we are all moved in, but until then... tough.  That's madness.  And I see that the impact on our relationship is that we are not related, repressed emotions, and frustration.  I am creating the possibility for myself and my life of being intention and tender.  Inside of this new possibility I came straight home after getting out of the Landmark Forum.  Did the dishes, made our meals for tomorrow, changed the sheets on our bed and was in bed by midnight (less than 2 hours after I got home).   I did it all with a smile on my face and a song on my lips!  I brought intentionality home with me, not like there was anything to fix or change about my house, just that I wanted to care for myself and my husband and I just stood for having intention being present.  

I also called James, just to tell him how much I love him and how I want us to be closer! Joy!

This stuff is awesome!

Sharing a Blog that I read

One of my employees has a wonderful blogspot that has amazing recipes.

We use her recipe for potroast.

visit: jessikercooks.blogspot.com

Taking On Our Lives

So this is to let everyone know what's going in our lives.  We are doing all of these major life changes all at once.  Firstly, we have taken on our weight.  We started a change of life program, based on the fundamental principles of Alcoholic Anonymous.  Together we have stopped eating flour and sugar completely and we weigh and measure all of our meals.  We also do not snack.  We began eating this way on April 21, 2008  and have lost 120 lbs.  We feel amazing and look fantastic!  We are so proud of ourselves.  

Secondly, we have decide to move back down to California next year.  What is available for us in doing this: Dave can complete his degree at San Jose State in 2 semesters, we can be by our family and support our grandparents, and we can get higher paying jobs.

Third, we are looking for new jobs!  There are no Barnes & Noble College jobs available in San Jose right now so I have the opportunity to go out and find something new and exciting that I never thought was possible.

Fourth, we are doing the Dave Ramsey's Total money makeover.  This is a program that coaches you on getting out and staying out of debt.  So far we have only set up a budget, but there are so many benefits that we are really excited about!  "Live like no one else, so later, you can life like no one else!"

Keep checking up on us and see what we are up to next!