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Trip Planning

I've been busy with work and just looked at the calendar the other when it hit me. Ireland is six weeks away!!! True I'm working with a company that gives us a self drive tour, where we (the four girls on this trip) can go off the beaten track and meander on our own sightseeing places without the touristy guide. The nice thing about a self-drive tour is that you don't have to worry about your lodging, it's part of the package along with your rental car agreement and a tentative map. Still having a good trip means pre-planning and organizing. You need to know where you're going and since this is a trip that you've waited for all year you sure don't want to miss a thing. People say I'm anal because I make so many to-do list but you read any travel books and they will all tell you the same thing, a good trip takes good planning. Because once you arrive at your destination you don't want to worry about how to get from point A to point B, where to get food, money, bathrooms, etc. You want to enjoy yourself! So I spent this past weekend mapping out how to get from one lodging to another and highlighting it on my Michelen map. Now that I know where to get from our lodging I can see what sights are nearby and then figure out to how veer from the main roadways to get there. The way it looks like right now it appears as though plenty of driving is going to happen and I just hope my travelmates all get along cause we have no choice we will be cooped up in the car 1/2 the time getting out to take pictures, eat (I'm thinking picnic lunches is in order and maybe some picnic dinners!) and walk around to enjoy the scenery. After all isn't Ireland all about the land and it's people??

I'll keep you all posted on how planning goes.

Bleak times ahead

The economy hasn't gotten any better with the new presidency and frankly time is running short. How it affects me is that my work place is laying off 100 more people than they originally projected which means the rollback to my division is going to affect a few good people on my shift. From what I hear due to the budget crisis and the fact that the local Law Enforcement didn't get the necessary amount of money it needs to keep functioning at the current level it is in protecting the citizen, chaos is soon predicted to ensue. I fear for my deputies and family who live in this county, if they don't know how to protect themselves then they are at loss because there isn't enough resources available to them due to budget cuts. I can picture total anarchy going to happen or perhaps we will go back to the days of the "wild west" and that is one ugly picture but it is so going to happen if some money doesn't come in quick! The federal business stimulus money that the President keeps promising just means more taxes in my eyes and frankly I don't put much hope in men lately. What politicians promise and what they actually do is two very different things! But one thing is re-assuring that God is still in control and has a reason for placing people in high power that we don't understand at the moment. Frankly I think He's punishing us for turning away from Him and even though 9/11 happened the country still has yet to turn back to seeing Him. Sad really when you realized that what we need right now is a revival of the D.L Moody, Charles Spurgeon & Jonathan Edwards magnitude. So where are the Godly leaders who will take the stand? Speak the truth? Yes my friends, it is definitely bleak times ahead not just for my department but for the entire country itself.

Bone tired

I've just worked 13 days straight including 2 court appearances. Considering that some of my coworkers who have been at my work place longer than I have and have yet to see a subpoena, I apparently hold some kind of record for taking the stand. My nerves were raw and taunt at the first appearance but yesterday's second was not so bad considering I've already gotten over my first time in court. It was odd and fascinating at the same time to be part of the judiciary system. Needless to say the butterflies were flying in full and that added to the tenseness of my muscles, nerves!

But that isn't the only thing adding to what at times I feel like the weight of the world on my shoulders. Due to California's financial crisis there has been the L word (lay-offs) hanging over the work place and since the shift I work on is mostly composed of new people it is that shift which will be the most affected. When you take away funds to your local Law Enforcement Agency, you are limiting their capabilities of protecting the very citizens that is paying for protection but it feels like everyone has to take a cut. There hasn't been an official word on how many people will be laid-off but it is a significant amount. So now you know why after working 13 days straight I sure could use that Catalunyan Cava right now. =) I can feel the stress and tenseness seeping through the muscles into the bones and it's not a very good feeling. Let's just hope sleep comes soundly because otherwise the bags under my eyes will be larger than the carryons people are allowed to have on planes!

Puppy Love

It is rather amusing to watch my brother these days. He is definitely in "puppy love" which is defined in the dictionary as 'the temporary infatuation of a boy or girl for another person'. Watching this first hand brings back memories of high school and my friends when they began their interest in the opposite sex. The long talks at night where you say absolutely nothing and everything, the notes at school (or these days it's text messages), the smiles between you and that significant other, inside jokes that only you two understand because it happened during one of those late night talks and of course the sappiness in those letters/e-mail/text messages and notes. It's very cute to watch this since he's never been in "love" before. The innocence of it all is endearing and reminds you that not everyone is as jaded as you are!

Do you remember your first crush? Have you seen what they look like now? Do you go back and look at it with a little laughter thinking how naive you were back then or do you still pine for that person? Time is supposed to heal all wounds but sometimes we like to pick at the scab so it won't heal right and it still stings. =) What time of memories do you have?

Oh to be young again...

I’m sorry I haven’t been keeping up on this blog. But this past month has been such a busy month for me emotionally and there are just some things you can’t share. I must say that there have been plenty of times where I wished I was still a kid again. The responsibilities of being an adult can at times be so overwhelming. I mean why did I ever want to hurry and grow up? As a grown up you have bills to pay, a job to go to where at times you may not get along with the people you work with, parents who need you to take care of them, mortgages to pay, your health to worry about. So can anyone remind me again of why it’s so fun being a grown up? Oh and did I mention that being a single person your choices on a mate deteriorate with the years passing you by. Yeah right now I’m wishing I was still 10 years old! Running around the playground with friends, my biggest worry is how to solve fractions and long divisions, and still living at home (okay so the latter part is still true in my life! But hey with the economy the way it is, living at home is cheaper than on your own these days =])