Love and Memories

Nail salon annoyance

2015-07-11T10:26:00.001-04:00

Being the procrastinator that I am, of course I waited until the morning of Brittney's wedding to go get a pedicure. There are multiple nail salons in the area so I figured if one is busy I'll just go to another. Walk in and ask how long of a wait for a pedicure?... "Now, pick a color". Sit down, put feet in the water and here I sit 20 mins later and no one has touched my feet... I swear it's only because I'm in a hurry! Needless to say, I'm annoyed!!

Syracuse half

2015-04-07T13:37:00.001-04:00

My friend, Alonna, and I signed up for the Syracuse half marathon months ago! And even though we were experiencing one of the worst winters ever, we thought that maybe by the end of March it would warm up a little. That was not the case! The race was March 22, and at the start of the race it was a whopping 19 degrees! 😁 Once I started running it really wasn't too bad.. And I managed to get my best time yet! Beating my wineglass half time by 15 mins!!

Reason 32467865 why I need a treadmill

2015-03-11T19:48:00.001-04:00

I was at the gym last night and only had 30 mins. Because I am running a half marathon the 22nd I NEEDED to spend that 30 mins on a treadmill. Of course when I got there there was only one treadmill open. So despite the fact I needed to pee, I jumped on the treadmill before someone else could. By the end of the 30 mins I felt like I was going to explode!😑

Change of address hassle..

2015-02-28T01:22:00.001-05:00

We changed our address at the post office a few days prior to moving... I understand that it sometimes takes a while to get mail that needs forwarded to the new address however, Mike was supposed to get his paycheck 2 weeks ago! And still has not received it. We have called the post office and gone to the post office and no one seems to know where it is. He checked with his work to make sure it wasn't returned (which it wasn't). Then the tell us that not all of your mail gets forwarded... Ok, so who decides what gets forwarded and what doesn't?! Then to top it all off he was supposed to get another paycheck yesterday and it didn't come... So basically he hasn't been paid in a month! Hopefully it comes soon or Mike may lose his mind!!

Is this winter ever going to end?!

2015-02-28T01:14:00.001-05:00

We are in the new house and settled (for the most part)... But what happens not even one week after we're there?! FROZEN water pipes! Thankfully they didn't burst. But it's been so cold that we've had to run a space heater in the crawl space 24hours a day. And go figure, we're paying utilities on the new place and old place this month when it's record breaking lows... Ugh! Go away winter!

Exhaustion is setting in

2015-01-31T10:06:00.001-05:00

My busy schedule is really getting the best of me this week. I am very good at putting far too much on my plate at once. For example.. When I didn't yet know if I was going to be getting the house, I signed up for a bunch of overtime at work. So now I'm working extra AND trying to pack the house. I know you're probably thinking.. You only work 3 days a week!! Maybe so BUT if you've never worked over nights- that first day off you are BEAT! I am pretty much worthless that first day. On top of my work schedule, chloe is taking puppy classes. Every Saturday morning for 6 weeks.. Just to show you a glimpse of my schedule so you don't think I'm just a big whiner lol:

Wednesday:

7:30am wake up and get ev ready for school

9-10: household chores/packing

10-1030: quick run (because on top of everything else, I'm training for a half marathon in March)

11-3pm: sleep!

3:30: get ev off the bus, homework, get ready for work

6pm: evan to cub scouts and I head to work until 730am

Thursday and Friday

830-10: packing

10-2pm: sleep

3:30 bus

450-530: Evans karate class (thurs only)

6: back to work until 730am

Saturday (today)

830-10: packing/household chores

10-1040: karate

12-1: puppy classes

1:30pm: SLEEP!

I feel like a zombie already?! Fortunately, mike works until 9pm and evan goes with his dad before puppy classes so once I finally get to sleep I can stay in bed as long as I want... Or as long as chloe lets me!

I'm a homeowner!!

2015-01-28T11:53:00.001-05:00

I got the house! Hooray! I officially closed on Monday (January 26). Now the fun begins... Packing and unpacking.. Changing addresses.. And appointments with cable, Internet, etc.

I'm sure all of this will make me a crabby bitch (sorry Mike), but it's done! We got the house :)

House troubles

2014-12-19T18:48:00.001-05:00

I knew that buying a house wouldn't be easy, but seriously I didn't think it would be this much of a pain in the ass!!

I started looking for a house over the summer. Every house in my price range seemed to need a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, I figured I'd need to do some minor things but these house needed more than I was willing to do. FINALLY, I found a house that I loved in September.

After negotiations we agreed on a price 40k less than what I was pre-approved for so I thought we were all set. Sign some paperwork and we'd be done...

I was applying for a USDA loan, which I found out pretty quickly were very picky. They kept requesting more and more information. So the application wasn't even accepted until November. The lawyer said it would probably be january since it was getting close to the holidays which was fine. So when I didn't hea anything for a while I didn't really think anything of it.

Then, my real estate agent calls asking for the name of who I'm working with at the bank and the phone number. He said that he had another client that signed paperwork for the same type of loan 3 days after me and was closing the following week (I had yet to even get a commitment letter).

After talking to her he says she has no idea what's going on with my loan and that she's to call USDA and figure out what's going on and call him the following day. The next day she leaves me a message to call her.

When I return the call she says that I have been declined... Which really doesn't make sense since I was asking for a lot less than what I was preapproved for. Come to find out, she added overtime into my income, which I work when I can but it isn't consistent. Because of that, my debt to income ratio was too much... Ugh, so frustrating!!

So now, because this lady screwed the loan up were trying to figure out an exception. She seems to think that if I can prove that I have 3 months worth of my mortgage payment within my savings, checking, and retirement that they'll give me the loan.

It's been 2 weeks and still haven't heard anything, so it's not looking good.... But I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Spoiled BRAT!

2014-12-11T15:21:00.001-05:00

A couple months ago I got a phone call from Evan's teacher requesting that Bill and I come in for a parent-teacher conference. At the conference she told us how Evan frequently makes comments that his mom hates him. He even had said at one point that he was playing a game in his head, that was ok because it was in his head, called slapped. When asked what the game was he said that he was slapping his mom.

Of course this sent red flags to the school so they sent him to speak with the school counselor. Upon being asked why he thinks his mom hates him he said things like, "I only get to play games at her house for an hour. And at my dads I can play as much as I want." Clearly, not a source of concern.

The reason the parent-teacher conference was still called was because the teacher and school counselor felt that Evan needed to speak with a counselor outside of school. Although neither Bill or I felt that this was necessary we didn't want to look like we didn't care so we said we would do it. Fortunately, my employer has a therapist that employees and immediate family are able to use for free.

The therapist was really good with Evan. And us as well. First, she talked with all three of us. Asking Evan things like "who lives in dads house?" And "who lives with you and mom?" Then, she had Evan go in the waiting area and draw on an easel while she talked with just Bill and I. What she said next was not news to me but not what I had expected her to say.

"Please don't take offense to this but there is NOTHING wrong with your child. I do not feel he needs to regularly speak with a therapist. He is very much an only child.. He is a spoiled brat! He tells his teacher you hate him for attention. Stop acknowledging it and it'll go away."

So that's what we did. And that's what we told his teacher to do... And away it went. Except during a meltdown every now and then.

Summer.. Where did you go?!

2014-09-06T20:43:00.001-04:00

In general, I am a pretty busy person. But this summer was insane! Last weekend, Mike and I went to our 4th wedding since July! ...still one more in October! Don't get me wrong I love weddings! But they get expensive when you have multiple that are out of town or if you're actually part of the wedding party (which fortunately I was not this year).

On top of all the weddings, I'm trying to buy a house. So I've been working overtime and going to look at houses. STRESSFUL!

My 10 yr high school reunion was in June and a birthday wine tour for a good friend in July... Somehow I got roped into planning or at least helping to plan both of these activities..

All in all, summer was amazing! Lots of greats memories with a lot of great people... But being so busy definitely made it fly by entirely to fast!

30 day challenge & PiYo

2014-08-22T20:57:00.001-04:00

First, let me start by saying that if you don't know who Chalene Johnson is you should look her up. She's AMAZING! Friends of mine were raving about her new workout series "piyo" (combination of Pilates and yoga)... So I tried it and LOVE it!

After a couple days of piyo, I looked up her web page which has a blog with greats posts about everything from nutrition and fitness to relationship advice.

I also started her 30 day challenge which helps you to set goals and the prioritize a to-do list that help you to reach those goals. I'm only a week into it, but so far I like it.

So... Go check her out, she rocks!

Who am I today?

2014-08-20T13:11:00.001-04:00

I can't believe my last post was in 2011?! So much has changed! Evan is almost 7 (next month)... I have been an ICU nurse for a year (finally graduated!) ...and probably the biggest change is that Evan's dad and I are no longer together (and haven't been for a couple years).

I have an amazing boyfriend, Mike, who I've been dating since April. He is awesome with Evan, and we have been talking about him moving in!

In April, Evan and I went to Disney world with my mom and nephew, Cameron. It was absolutely amazing! So many wonderful memories that I can't even begin to explain. Just seeing the look on the boys faces each day as we went through Disney, meeting characters and riding rides, was worth all the money and stress that comes along with planning such a big trip.

I also went to Nashville for CMA music fest with Alyssa, Deb, and Niles (lycoming friends). Another amazing trip! So much live music and such a cool city.

Evan and I also got a puppy the end of April. She's crazy! Meet Chloe 🐶

That's all for today! Hopefully, I can keep up this time and not have to throw so much scattered info into one long post 😁

Back at it!

2014-08-20T12:55:00.001-04:00

I guess I sort of fell off the blogger planet for quite some time! I have always enjoyed blogging and sharing my story (even if no one reads it..), but think that maybe my life got so crazy and I got so caught up in everything around me that I just pushed it aside. But now I am at a better place in my life with so many things going on around me that I want to get back to sharing!

It means, you're to blame!

2011-05-18T12:22:00.000-04:00

Evan is in this stage where when he hears words he does not know he asks the meaning. So one day when Bill and I were talking something was said and Bill replied, "my fault." Evan immediately asked, "what does fault mean?" Bill and I just look at each other, how do we explain fault to a 3 year old?! So Bill says, "Evan, I'll get back to you. I have to look it up." Evan very calmly replies, "it means... you're to blame!" We were in shock. Did he really just explain to us what a word meant?? I guess our little smarty pants knows more than we thought!

We are Heroes

2011-04-23T22:41:00.000-04:00

In our house we now have to refer to Evan as "Incredible Hulk." And he's not the only one with nicknames around here, Bill is "Iron man" and I am "Captain America." If I say "what Evan?" I am corrected with "you mean Incredible Hulk." It is very cute and pretty fun. He'll randomly tell me there's a bad guy behind me that I will have to then throw a sword at. How did this start? Well this crazy kid loves to play games on disney.com and has found a game called the Avengers that uses all the superheroes and that is when we magically turned into them.. His imagination is amazing. I love it!

Thank you Dora

2011-04-23T22:34:00.000-04:00

Evan is constantly surprising me with the new things that he has learned. He is always asking questions and wants to know how EVERYTHING works... which is sometimes annoying but also really cool because he finds these things so interesting that he wants to know how they work. He uses big words (although I cannot think of an example), and uses them correctly. And now he is using Spanish words!

Evan burst in our room one morning when he woke up and was very excited to tell Bill and I, "my pee is amarillo!!" Bill looks at me and asks what in the world Evan is talking about. He was saying that his pee is yellow- in spanish! So thank you Dora for now teaching my son to use spanish to describe his pee..

Did you know...?

2011-04-20T11:38:00.000-04:00

Last night Evan was throwing a fit because he didn't want to go to bed; so when he went to his room he slammed the door. He does this often and then remembers that his door sticks so if he slams it he can't open it! So he's in his room crying and can't get out and instead of running to the rescue we just let him cry for a bit because he was being pretty ridiculous. Then all of a sudden he says "guys... guys..." and keeps saying it over and over, sometimes really loud, sometimes nice and quiet. Bill goes upstairs and Evan says "Dad, did you know that Buzz says 'Hola amigos I'm Buzz Lightyear." Really Evan?! All that fuss to tell us what Buzz says??

My Latest Adventure!

2011-04-08T09:07:00.000-04:00

This September I will be in my friend Kristina's wedding. One of the activities that she did with all the bridesmaids was to have a Mary Kay party. It was a lot of fun and because we all had color done Alden will come the day of the wedding and do all of our make-up. Since I am always looking for new ways to make money, I decided to check out Mary Kay.

After going to my first unit meeting, I see that it is certainly possible to make money if you "work your business" the way it's meant to be done. Bill calls me a sucker, but hopefully I can prove him wrong!

So for now, I'm trying to learn what I can and find people interested in having a party. I'm working on something special for whoever hosts my first party. If you are interested or need more info check out my website www.marykay.com/rmcpherson1. And for all my friends that do NOT live in New York, you can order through the website and it can be shipped directly to your house!

Dreaming of girls at the ripe old age of 3!!

2011-03-28T15:39:00.000-04:00

One night (probably a week or so ago) Evan was sleeping and Bill and I heard him talking- which he seems to do when he's stuffy. Not sure why, maybe because he's not sleeping as well?! ...Anyways, we hear him talking and turn the tv down to see if we can make out what he's saying. And what do we hear?! The name "Alexis" a little girl from daycare. We instantly bust up laughing, and then hear him say "I miss you." So cute, and so hilarious! We've got a little lady's man already!!

Minus5

2011-02-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Almost forgot about going to Minus5! It was an icebar that we saw on the travel channel. It was pretty much a big freezer where everything was made of ice. Definitely cool place to check out but I don't think we'd pay the money to do it again. $35 and you get a coat and gloves to wear and 2 drinks.. and then you stay for as long as you want. ..No pictures to share because they weren't allowed :(

Day 4- Last day in Vegas

2011-02-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

Thursday we had to get up and out of the room by 11 which wasn't a problem because we'd been up early every day. Thursday was also my worst day possible in casinos! ..of course because I had no time to win it back!! I did well on the Roulette table early at Paris and then nothing after that. Bill did do good though! Then we headed to the Mirage to get tickets for Love, which we ended up getting for half price because the guy gave us tickets for the wrong time originally. Love was amazing!! I now know why Bill wanted to see it again.

After the show we had to get our bags and head straight to the airport. The flight left at midnight and headed to JFK. I woke up with about an hour left to JFK and was sooo hot and didn't feel well at all! When we finally landed at JFK (about 7am) I spent a good amount of time in the bathroom (YUCK!) Then our flight was delayed... then cancelled because of the snow in Buffalo. Finally we made it out of JFK at 2pm and headed for home. By this time my stomach was also feeling better... Thank GOD! We reached Buffalo at about 3 and headed for home. Along the way we saw 8+ tractor trailers off the road in ditches! Which didn't make me feel good about Bill driving after such a long day. But we made it home safe and sound at about 10.

Overall, Vegas was amazing! Definitely somewhere I'd like to go to again.

Vegas- Day 3

2011-02-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

Wednesday we did some gambling in the morning and then checked out the Eiffel Tower. It was really cool to see the city from so high.

Later that night we decided to stop at the pawn shop from tv on our way to Fremont st. While we were there the guys from American Pickers stopped in. Since they were there Rick from Pawn Stars came out (not allowed to take pics of him).

Then we were off to Fremont st! Once it gets dark out, once an hour all the casino lights shut off and there is a light show on the ceiling above the casinos. I'd definitely like to check it out again when we have more time!

Then finally we went to the Improv comedy show at Harrah's. Hilarious! I've gotta look up who the comedians were because I don't remember their names but they were both very good!

Vegas- Day 2

2011-02-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

Tuesday we got an early start to the day. We spent most of the day in the shops at Caesars. This mall was enormous and inside was gorgeous. We also had lunch at Max Brenner's- which was delicious. They had an amazing dessert menu you that we had absolutey no room to try and of course didn't make it back there another time- so maybe next time we'll just go and have dessert!

Later Tuesday night we were able to catch the volcano at the Mirage and the Bellagio fountains. The volcano was pretty cool and the fountains were very pretty.

From there we did some more tourist type stuff- including M&M world! :)

This night we tried to do some gambling in some casinos that weren't right near ours since we were out walking anyways. At Mandalay Bay I mangaged to win $200 on a wheel of fortune slot machine that had a huge wheel that spins when you get a bonus! Then another $200 on Roulette. Don't worry I would lose it all by the end of the trip lol.

Vegas- Day 1 Continued..

2011-02-26T13:37:00.000-05:00

After traveling all day we finally made it to Vegas about 9pm (midnight here on the east coast). I was instantly in aww. We didn't really do a whole lot the first night. Grabbed some showers and food and did a little sight seeing and of course some gambling!

Viva Las Vegas!

2011-02-21T14:16:00.000-05:00

Day 1: traveling

Because we thought the weather was going to be so awful we might not make it out of buffalo, we decided leaving way early was a good idea! So 6am we wake up and head out into what we thought would be a massive blizzard- Wrong!! Very happy that we didn't have to drive in a storm but not so happy about sitting at the airport for hours when we could have been sleeping! ...so now it is 2:14 and our flight was supposed to leave at 1:46. Where are we? Still in buffalo. Flight was pushed back to 3:09. Just what I wanted to do, sit in the airport even longer!!! They have also said that the flight is overbooked because of flights being cancelled Sunday. Ugh! If we don't get on this flight we also miss our connecting flight. Hopefully, well be in Vegas by the end of the night!!!