A Day with Dr. Cousin

Cousins Day was semi-extended but on a more intimate basis. :) I went to church this AM and then met up at Bro's to have breakfast at Overland Cafe with Dr. Cousin, FBIL, and Bro. I haven't had brunch there in years! Not since I lived at where Bro lives now.

Afterwards, the 3 of us went to the mall to window shop and make some exchanges. We stopped by Bare Escentuals so I could find a blush. Poor sales associate was trying to look for two shades for me and he ended up dropping one all over himself! I felt so bad...especially since I knew I wasn't going to buy anything. Of course he was so sweet about it. Secretly, I was thinking that that's something that would have happened to me FOR SURE if I were in his place...since I'm extremely clumsy. Perhaps I should make that as one of my new year's resolutions -- be less clumsy!

Afterwards, I came home to freshen up and rest a little bit. They picked me up for happy hour at the Daily Grill. Dr. Cousin treated us to many appetizers and drinks (although I stayed dry). We chilled a bit at Chez C&C and then they left to bring Dr. Cousin to the airport. She flies out tonight back to Connecticut. :*(

Tomorrow, we have plans to countdown with Lynnielovepoem, FBIL, and Bro. :) 3-2-1-woohoo!

P.S. I still love being on vacation and am already dreading the day I have to go back!

Cousins Day II

I can't remember when our first Cousins Day happened, but I think we went to an Auto Zone or Mini Golfing place. I don't think we actually mini-golfed...or did anything except eat.

So I guess we were intent on making our second Cousins Day a success. And it really was! All cousins, sans Lawyer Cousin who was busy signing house ownership documents (woo-hoo!), first met up at Lucky Strikes at The Block in Orange. Even future-cousins-in-laws BF and FBIL were present. :) It was their first time meeting half of our cousins. We waited almost an hour and a half for two lanes and then almost all of us bowled one game. I had the 2nd or 3rd lowest score despite having full gear and all...Boo! I haven't bowled in so long (not that I'm using that as an excuse, although I sort of am) so my form was completely messy and inconsistent. I didn't even break 80. :(

Afterwards, we headed to Captain Cousin's house. It was my first time seeing their new house and it is fabulous! I love the model home look and feel and that was exactly what it looked and felt like, even complete with fabulous Christmas decorations. We all just hung out, ate, and chatted. Most of the boys watched the football game and talked shop for half of the time and then half went upstairs to play video games. The rest of us just chilled, ate more, and caught up. Cousin-in-Law (who lives two doors down) joined us for a bit, too.

We all left around 10:00 PM and wouldn't you know it, I still ended up getting us lost despite having a GPS. I blame it on Elsa; her compass has mysteriously disappeared, which has sent me into a state of panic whenever I drive.

Nonetheless, BF and I were in extremely good spirits so we had a leisure drive home despite taking a slight detour. All in all, Cousins Day II was a success!

Sick as a Dog

For the past month, I've been knocking on wood every time I had to work with a sick student. Wouldn't you know it -- I think it was ultimately my BF that got me sick.

Every time I get sick, I inevitably hear one or more of the following from my family: You're sick again? Why are you always getting sick? You need to see a doctor to figure out why you're so unhealthy.

I really don't remember getting sick this year...and I really don't think I have since I still have a full batch of antibiotics and a full unexpired bottle of promethezine w/ codeine (aka The Good Stuff). Yesterday and today has been by far the worst of this battle.

For Christmas yesterday, BF and I spent it together in recovery. We missed two gatherings (in other words, we missed lobster and Honey Baked Ham!) and stayed home taking meds and drinking canned soup. FBIL and Bro stopped by and dropped off yummy desserts. To look on the bright side, we spent Christmas together. :)

Self-Commentary: My blog is far less exciting when I write about my own life as opposed to my experiences/interactions with my kiddos. Not to worry, I go back to work on January 7th and I go back to school on January 8th! Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas!

Winter Break

Day 1 of Winter Break -- Thursday, December 20, 2007

Forget going to work! I started my Winter Break a day (or 2) earlier and hopped on a plane to Las Vegas! :) Bro dropped BF and I off at LAX. We were scheduled to depart at 8:51 AM but around 8:30 AM, they announced that our flight got canceled. Mayhem just about broke out, but since the announcer reminded us that "we are all going to be adults about this," people were upset but "being adult" about it all. In the meantime, BF hustled over to the next airline and scored us tickets on the next flight out. We didn't want to take any risks.

Our flight went just fine and we ended up meeting BF's parents at our usual meeting spot, Mandalay Bay. We went straight to Red Rock Casino, where we checked in and ate a brief lunch. We played a few penny slots before I went upstairs to rest and freshen up for dinner. Around 6:00 P.M., I started fretting b/c BF's Dad was picking us up at 6:15 and BF hadn't come up to the hotel room yet! When I got a hold of him, he said, "Guess what...I just won one thousand two hundred and twenty-seven dollars!!" Holy snikeys! Did I hear right?

I sure did! When I met him downstairs, he waved his W-2 form (yes, he received a W-2 form) and I took a picture of him in the lobby. :)

BF's Dad picked us up and we met his mom, sister, and aunt at Outback for dinner. I had 2/3 of my delicious prime rib special before sister got me all engaged in causal theories of autism. Afterwards, we went back to Red Rock and gambled a little more and had Ben & Jerry's. Shortly after, they left and BF and I gambled a little more. I got tired and went upstairs for a nice salt bath in front of a small plasma TV. After I fell asleep, BF came up shortly after.

Day 2 of Winter Break -- Friday, December 21, 2007

I got up and took another bath and then headed downstairs to lounge a bit, while BF slept in. We gambled a bit more (meaning I lost a bit more) and then I ate a quick lunch (in other words, 45 minutes for a burrito) while BF gambled some more. Eventually, BF's Dad picked us up and we went to his parents' place for a little get-together with his father's side. When we got there, I helped Tita from NY make a Waldorf salad (I learned how to make a fancy-sounding dish!). Afterwards, everybody went to Red Rock...where I finally won! I was down $100 and BF gave me another $100 that I lost...but then I won $100. :) Eventually, I retreated early again. BF said he'd be up soon, but he didn't get in until about 6 AM.

Day 3 of Winter Break -- Saturday, December 22, 2007

Since I knew BF would be sleeping in late, I got up and indulged in a yummy brunch buffet on my own. I really enjoyed it because it's rare that I can eat at my own slow pace and as much as I want. I out-ate 3 parties, I think. =P I lost another $15 before I retreated to the lobby and then got BF some Starbucks and went back upstairs. BF and I got ready for the family dinner holiday party and then headed downstairs to play some more...where I lost again. BF won another $200 right before his Dad picked us up. We got to the restaurant and helped set up a tiny bit. The party started between 6:30 - 7 and lasted until about 10:30.

BF's parents can sure host a party and his family can sure party! The event began with BF's dad giving a speech and then an uncle minister praying. We commenced dinner "Filipino style" and then Ate from SF played a slideshow. Later, a distant relative sang a Christmas song. Still later, the adults boogied down to a bunch of 70s and 80s songs. It was ridiculous in an awesome way. :) Throughout the evening, pictures were taken and printed and then gifts were given away to everyone. We all left and went back to Red Rock. I met BF's parents, Tita from NY, and SF Niece and partner at the Cafe to debrief a little bit over dessert. I had a drink or two, won a little bit, and quickly called it a night...

Day 4 of Winter Break -- Sunday, December 23, 2007

We woke up and checked out of our lovely room around 1 PM. We met with BF's family downstairs for a short hour before we hopped onto an airport shuttle. Since we got to the airport 3 hours early, BF and I checked out ALL of the stores. Along the way, I fell in love with the iSqueez from Brookstone. :) When it was time to board, wouldn't you know it, our plane was delayed for about 45 minutes. The flight was manageable since we had individual screens. I watched a bunch of nerdy medical stuff (e.g., neurosurgeries; procedure to stop PD tremors). Still, it felt like a long flight since both BF and I were sick. We landed in the Long Beach airport where BF and I got separated and I nearly had a panic attack b/c of the unknown territory and mass crowds. When I finally got outside to where the baggage claim was, I frantically asked the nearest smoker, how do I get like outside of this place?? He looked at me like I was nuts and pointed a few yards away. I totally felt like an idiot. Then I spotted BF a few yards away to the right "outside," in the usual spot where I pick him up. FBIL picked us up and we safely got home to our precious Lil F. Although Vegas was fun, there's no place like home, as they say.

Christmas Eve in SM

Today, I woke up and actually went to Costco. I got in and out of there alive, despite two people trying to yank my parking spots. After I gathered my things, I headed over to SM to meet my Medical Relatives, Genius Relatives, Daddy, Gramma, and Best Bro. We had a delicious potpourri of Chinese and American foods and desserts. Bro and I left around 9 PM since I wasn't feeling so well. Plus, I hadn't heard from BF all day, which made me nervous. Turns out he had slept a whopping 21 hours total, in his fight against his cold! Despite both of us being sick, it is nice that we got to spend Christmas both with our families and with each other. Merry Christmas!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Happy birthday, Turtle
Happy birthday, Turtle
Happy birthday, dear Turtle
Happy birthday, Turtle!

Today, Lil F is 3 years old! This morning, when I picked her up to feed her, I actually sang the birthday song to her. I think she enjoyed it...along with an extra helping of Hikari sticks.

After work, I stopped by Lil F's favorite store, Petco, but sadly, I walked out with no birthday gift for the usual reasons (that seemed worse today). Not to mention, I stood by the rosy red minnow tank for almost 10 minutes and after two unsuccessful calls for assistance, I left. Hopefully, Lil F will forgive me.

She's happily basking. BF often asks if the Turtle was the best (free) gift ever. She totally is. She brings us joy everyday. Three years later, we are still basking in her silliness. We still stop by her tank everyday to gaze at her. We still call each other and ask what the turtle is doing. We still say hello and good-bye to the Turtle whenever we come home or leave. She still surprises us with new crazy antics and makes us laugh like the first day BF brought her home.

I love my turtle!

SPAM

I think my yahoo account got infiltrated...Apologies to anyone who received a spam message saying I bought all these great things from wherever (jerks!).

Happy holidays... =P

On the other hand, I received an "early" Christmas gift from BGF and Hubby in the mail yesterday! And yes, I actually opened it before Christmas...b/c I didn't know it was a Christmas gift. Not to mention, this year, BF and I are bypassing a real Christmas tree. Well, there's still time. :)

Off to yet another training!

Update - News Alert

Okay, homies, call me crazy, but I may begin a certification program to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in January! It's not that I can't get enough of school, but this unique opportunity has presented itself.

The only thing really holding me back is the idea of having schoolwork again (which I guess is the reason that holds anyone back!). Ugh. It's going to be graduate level coursework. {{shudder}} Whatever will I do without my girls? Especially when I am the only SLP in the class...

I guess it's my duty to represent!