A House and a Couch

C is buying a house.  It is a wonderful house.  Not too big, not too small.  It is on a great street in the Audobon Park neighborhood.  The best part is that the house doesn't need any work.  The kitchen has been remodeled and the paint is beautiful.  C tells me to think of it as my house too, but it is hard to do when I have no idea when I will actually live there.  But, in the mean time it will be a lovely place to stay.  We already have plans for the entertainment room in the basement.  We are hoping this will be our forever home. 

Every new house needs a new couch. C and I have been couch shopping.  We have decided on the Dorset sofa.  It is a little retro, to fit the style of the house that was built in 1925, and a little modern too.  We are going to get it with grey fabric and blue trim and...wait for it....chrome legs!  CHROME!  I hear that country song now..."her favorite color is chrome!"

My Life by Bill Clinton

I recently listened to My Life by Bill Clinton on audio book. I have always admired the work he did as a president and was even more impressed after listening to his book.


Here are a few quotes from this great leader that demonstrate his drive to pull this country together instead of apart. The fact that he lead this country into one of it's most posperous times is a tribute to his strong leadership and vision.

• “By lifting the weakest, poorest among us, we lift the rest of us as well.”
• “We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”
• “Politics is not religion and we should govern on the basis of evidence, not theology.”
• “The real differences around the world today are not between Jews and Arabs; Protestants and Catholics; Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. The real differences are between those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; between those who look to the future and those who cling to the past; between those who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists.”
• “I have news for the forces of greed and the defenders of the status quo; your time has come and gone. It's time for change in America.”
• “For too long we've been told about "us" and "them." Each and every election we see a new slate of arguments and ads telling us that "they" are the problem, not "us." But there can be no "them" in America. There's only us.”

  Okay, and my personal favorites, although definitely a strong dish at the republicans:

• “I like that about the Republicans; the evidence does not faze them, they are not bothered at all by the facts.”
• “Taxing less and spending more... it's fun in the short run, but it's a recipe for disaster”

And since my mom was an educator and several of my friends are too, this one is for you:

• “If we want to invest in the prosperity of our nation, we must invest in the education of our children so that their talents may be fully employed.”

What a pain in the arm.

I made an appointment to see Dr. Crane at Internal Medicine.  I told the receptionist that I wanted to come in to get a prescription for milaria and shots for my trip.  I get to the office early and end up waiting 10 minutes past my appointment time before they call me back. 

The nurse gets my weight and asks me why I am there.  I said to get immunizations and milaria pilss.  She says "we don't do that here"??  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!  I about blew a gasket.  She said they could give me a tetanus shot.  But then I would have ended up paying for the office visit.  She tells me to go to the health department.  I tell her to make a copy of my medical record because I won't ever be coming back. 

I made an appointment at the health department for the next day.  I go back to get my shots and I am informed that I need to see my regular doctor to get a prescription for milaria pills (please refer back to first and second paragraph of this post...grrrrr).  So I get my tetanus and typhoid shot.  I find out that they can't bill insurance so it is $125 out of my pocket. 

Our benefits specialist at work says the tetanus shot would have been covered if I would have gotten it done at a in-network provider (please refer back to first and second paragraph of this post....grrrr).  LOVELY!!  And we aren't covered for travel vaccines by our insurance.  Apparently...we aren't suppose to travel anywhere. 

So...now I have an appointment at the Women's Health Care to get a prescription for milaria pills.  And they said since I am coming in I should get my yearly exam.....swell!  I can hardly wait!!!

This trip better be worth it!

Belize it or not!

C and I finally finalized our trip to Belize.  We will be doing two nights on Glover's Reef Atoll, one night in Belize City (not so excited about that), two nights at Crooked Tree up by the Mayan ruins, and then 4 nights on Caye Caulker. 

We are staying at the Banana Cabana on Caye Caulker.  We have come to affectionately call it the Banana Hammock.  Bananan Cabana has supposedly just been remodeled, so we have no idea what we are in for; but, at $120 per night (which is expensive for Caye Caulker) it better be nice!!!!

We can't wait to snorkel, hike, relax by the ocean and take tons of pictures!!!  Who knows we might even visit the baboon sanctuary where we will get to see howler monkeys!!

Vacation

C and I are hoping to go somewhere warm at the end of February.  We figure by then we will be standing on the cusp of suidical tendencies brought on by snow, snow, and more snow.  (Yes, I ski, I like it, but I would be happy if the snow stayed in the mountains and the roads were clear).  For almost a year we have talked about Belize and we think we are going to go for it.  I am praying my tax return will come back in time.  Here is what we are thinking of doing: (plus the addition of a few other nights)

http://www.islandexpeditions.com/ie-tripdesc-maya-reef-explorer.html

Such a Good Girl

Yesterday I came home to a dog with a poopy butt*.  Gross!  But, the good news is...there wasn't a huge mess all over my house.  THANK YOU PET DOOR!!!  So, Kona got to take a bath.  I drew the water, laid out the towels and went to get my dog.  I led her to the bathroom and she walked into the tub all my herself, with no prodding, pushing, or directing necessary.  Such a good girl!!!  I guess those weekly baths I gave her as a puppy really paid off.  Now she is clean, super soft, and smells good. 

*I have no doubt that this incidence happened because Kona got into her dog food bag the day before and gorged herself sleepy.

Oh So Pretty

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