Roguebarb’s Weblog

Hello all and Merry Christmas to all! I actually DID send out ‘my version’ of Christmas cards (via e-mail) and I hope all my friends and family got them! If I forgot anyone.. Check your spam / junk mail folders THEN write me and let me know that I mussed up your e-mail addy & send me the corrections.

Christmas Thoughts:
Well, Christmas seems to get more and more lackluster, I remember when I Loved to decorate, and wrap, and all the little presentation things that one fills their holiday and space with.. and now, it sees like such an under appreciated chore. Was it that I stopped appreciating, or let myself get too busy to care, lost my ’space’, or that others seemed to lose the appreciation and awe so.. it uninspired me. So much to do over holidays, and so much on my mind……Anyway, I have wished the last couple of years that we decorated more, and made a bigger deal of Christmas, had more spirit, but we didn’t.

I did go to Family’s on Christmas Eve, and got to see my cousins, and my aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews.. some like me, some don’t, some think they are better than everyone (i got sneered at when i collected cans from the trash to RECYCLE.. WWHHAAAATT?!?!?) but I could care less. I went to see my family, good bad or ugly. Because you never know when it will be the last time you see them, and when it comes to family, I am all about no regrets.

For Christmas I got myself the gift of Organization. I got me a cute little Blackberry curve (used an upgrade so I ended up paying less than 1/2 price than what it was.. cuz am CHEAP ). I STILL haven’t imported my phone numbers over ( seems I have to go to a Verizon store to port them over (grrr) because I can’t just transfer them from my enV.. and the reason this bothers me.. well.. thank you all for the Christmas wishes. and i had to look EVERYONE up.. *sigh* just kidding. I Love my Blackberry already though, but kind of wish there was an easier way to add the addresses and information I need. Of course there may be, I just didn’t read the manual.:))

ANYHOO back to my Lifetime movies, and Wine.. hope everyone is having or had a safe and Merry Christmas!!

Tis the darn season.. I am getting another year older, oh yay.. and am wondering where all my well laid plans.. more like my ‘well imagined hopes’ for my life have taken me.. I guess I can currently envision myself as a construction zone right now.. still..I’m  awesome..(do you have any IDEA how long it has taken me to build up to such confidence?)

Upon recap of my 34th year, I detail some of my finer accomplishments..

In January, I started as a temp at Princess cruises.. which i was skeptical about because of all the bad lipservice I had heard.. of course.. me being the contrary woman I am..I LOVED it ..

June- I was hired on as a permanent Princess employee YAY!!! A full time permanent job with benefits , and people I like, and a company I like, and yay!!

August-health benefits Kat’s 80’s b day party

September- some time during this month i decided i REALLY need to start dating. Really.. I mean, it may be too many steamy romance novels, orit may be the fact I have been single a

October-I met Emily my daughter’s psychotic friend. and wow. She is a little something ’special’..Halloween was good.. did the Lombardi ranch thing with my kids & my sister’s kids.. it was good.. Halloween night, it was dark &  quiet, went to the neighbors house again, and hung out with them.. I hadn’t for a while, and actually really missed them, her 1 year sobriety is in Dec, and I could not be more proud of her, seriously, she is a trooper, and had to face a lot to get to where she is..Kudos Karen!

Nov- I finally had my endoscopic sinus surgery, AHHHHHH.. AIR… breathing good….Had to make an emergency trip to Hollyweird to get my daughter and the Blob.. I mean ‘EMILY’s’ Twilight tour tickets.. Yah if my girl didnt rock so much.. she would have had NO chance!GOD i LOVE my kids!!speaking of.. The day before Thanksgiving,  the kids’ dad & I had a mediation in Santa Monica, and came to a partial agreement on some custody changes. It is a work in progress but at least it has progressed..I ‘hosted’ thanksgiving dinner at the house, which I consider a success, because the house didn’t burn down, there were no family tussles, Sis & I shopped with the girls, came back & she did most cooking while I did the cleaning, and some cooking.. as a bonus..I got to hang out with my sister (and drink 2 bottles of wine).

Bringing us to December.. aahhh the sweet smell of December.. I think..started off with a sniffle..went to Kaiser for an asthma attack, and found out I had bronchitis..um.. OOOKKKAAYYY.. LOVE my pain tolerence (sarcasm).. so out of work a few days.. then the 6th went to visit my FIRST EVER PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP.. the Sapphire Princess.. can we say Beautiful? I have been on a Carnival ship, that was beautiful, and  Royal Carribean cruise ship, the Monarch of the seas that was beautiful, and the Sapphire,  was smaller, but packed quite a punch. Most impressed by the balconies.. wow.. ok that was the 6th..came ome and found out we werwe sitting for my sisters kids.. Screech and Cam.. I dont know when it happened.. but I am partial to those 2 kids too.. ug what a sucker (=)) .. so spent most of the day online playing, and relaxing.. then the 8th.. DECEMBER THE 8TH 2008.. the day I turn(ed) 35 . I woke up to my dog Bella telling me i hit snooze too many times.. and she was going to gently remind me to wake up and feed her poor starving self..  so, her delicate almost 80 lb tank -ass planted her paw on my chest, and stood.. whining.. so she lived, and got fed.. when my phone beeped from a new text message, I was hoping, and plesantly surprised it was Sesly.. my baby Sesly. I love hers, wishing me a happy B day. I found my ‘Casual day free pass sticker’ and got ready for work.. now if you think there is NOT a point to this story.. you are WRONG.. long and wordy it may be. but dammit.. as of today, I have lost 22 lbs.. and went down a size.. I fit into a pair of jeans I couldnt fit into for OVER A YEAR. I wore them all day and did not need oxygen ONCE…