And so it appears...

Another woman has taken Clint's heart from me. Mm-hmm, you read right, folks. She swooped in right in front of my unsuspecting eyes and stole his heart from me. What a meanie! Who is this other woman, you ask?? I'll show you!!::

Eh, guess I can't blame him. She IS after all, completely gorgeous <3

Seriously? Another one?

Drunk: My new years resolution is to make you my woman!

Me: Uh-oh, my husband probably won't like that too much!

Drunk: Its ok baby, I don't mind sharing!

Me (fighting the urge to roll my eyes): You wanted Marlboro Lights in a box, right?

*sigh*

What the...?

Today was quite an eventful day at work. I mean, we were so busy. It was insane. I hardly had time to think straight, let alone get any of my tobacco order put out. Again. 2nd day in a row. Beyond frustrating.

Around 4:30, I had about 3 customers in my line, and I noticed that one of them was excessively loud and obnoxious. Nasty, greasy, stringy hair. Nasty, stained tshirt: 3 sizes to small. Nasty, stained shorts, falling far to low and exposing some icky beer gut and ickier plumbers crack. Goody. When it came to be his turn, I tried not to gag on the smell of 3 day old alcohol on his breath. Prayed that he simply wanted cigarettes. I wasn't so lucky. He demanded whisky. Oy. I quickly pointed him towards the liquor (which is right behind my register), sweetly telling him to select his whisky, and come back through my line. As soon as he was out of earshot, I quickly flagged down a supervisor. Its policy that we can't sell alcohol to anyone that is visibly intoxicated. I told her that I would need some support to do this, because I've never had to deny alcohol before. She agreed and radio'd (not EVEN a word, sorry!) a manager up to my register. Finally, it was Drunk's turn again. And I was dreading it. I wasn't sure how to initiate this conversation of "guess what? no booze!"

Drunk: Found my whisky!

Me (stalling): Great! I'll be just one moment, I'm getting some quarters.

Drunk: Great! Need my ID?

Me (still stalling): That'd be awesome!

Drunk (turning to the people behind him): I'm getting carded!! HAHAHA!

Drunk (turning to me): I'm so F___ing drunk!!

**Bingo!! WIDE open line to the "guess what? no booze!" conversation!

Me: REALLY? That's too bad. Unfortunately, Wal Mart has a strict policy against selling liquor to intoxicated customers.

Drunk (bewildered): really?? Since when?

Me: That's always been our policy, sir. I'm afraid I won't be able to sell you any liquor today. Is there anything else I can get you?

Drunk: seriously? I guess I'll go to Circle K then

Me: Ok. They can sell it to you if they'd like to.

*At this point, I think he was expecting me to cry out in pain that he suggested taking his business elsewhere, but I wasn't budging. At this point, he became aggrivated**

Drunk: Well fine then! You know what? You're fat and ugly and I'm not!

Me (in my head): REALLY dude?? Really? Great comeback man!

I'm told that when he tried to get in his truck (that's right folks: he drove!!), his pants came completely off and he just stood there. Nice.

When it was finally over, I was shaking SO hard and I honestly was fighting back tears. Not because of what he said to me. I could care less about what he, or anyone, thinks of me. I think it was just the adrenaline. Nichole (supervisor) was shaking really hard to. Tim (manager) told me over and over again that I handled it extremely well, and that he was very proud of me.

The rest of the day, I was told that I have horrible customer service a few times because people were trying to get stuff at 50% off that wasn't supposed to be on clearance (non-holiday merchandise) and I wouldn't let them. Bunch of cheap skates. And because my debit/credit machine went on the fritz and decided not to work. Yeah-because I control the dumb thing. I swear it has a mind of its own.

The only good part about today was that I did the paperwork that makes me a permanent employee. =]

Grateful!!

Our prayers have been answered!! I was told tonight at work that they're keeping me as a permanent employee past the holiday season. Hooray!! I wanted to cry with relief when they told me. When they asked me to come into the office- I knew it was the moment of truth. Either good or bad. I kept saying, "thank you so much!!" and they said, "don't be silly-you deserve it!" There aren't any pay increases, and the hours will remain about the same (I've been averaging 29-36 hours a week). We're just so grateful that I was chosen to be a permanent employee. We, well I, was stressing really bad. Hoping that I'd made a good enough impression to be kept on. Its next to impossible to find a job in this state, and I'm so very grateful for the one I have. =]

Well?

Did Santa bring you everything you wanted? =]

Hope you all had a nice christmas. We did. A small one, but still very enjoyable. I got Clint the Armani Code cologne he'd been wanting. An Arizona Cardinals sweatshirt. A Cardinals wallet. (let me tell you, it physically hurt to buy anything Cardinals-and I almost cried. No joke!!). Um, OH! And the Bourne trilogy. He loves the movies. Myself? Never seen them? I know, I know. If I had the time, I'd sit in front of the TV and watch all three right now, I swear it =] He got me the coolest little (portable!) scrapbooking organizing case. A protector case for my scrapbooking paper. A shoe box FULL of scrapbooking stickers and embellishments. I got the first season of Bones on DVD (obsessed with the show!!). He got me an MP3 player! =] Oh. and I got an Arizona Cardinals camping chair. Hardi-har-har. His family has a great sense of humor, and they think its funny to buy me Cardinals stuff for my birthday and for Christmas. Actually, it is hysterical. And I just handed the chair to Clint and said, "here-I got you a camping chair." Hahaha! I'll sit in it...I'm not THAT much of a hater. But I tell you, I won't be happy. =P I swear he's getting U of A stuff for his birthday. (and when I say that-I'm totally kidding. Because I value this life I've been given. And Uncle Joey and Grandpa Gross will swiftly take that life away if I even LOOK at U of A stuff. Ok, ok. Maybe not THAT extreme. But they WILL sharpen their hunting knives with it. No joke) His mom got us a totally cool waffle maker that I'm so excited to use. Its one of those ones that flips after you've closed it. Eh-I'm easily amused. My parents gave Clint Kung Foo Panda and The Dark Knight on DVD. I got toys! Wall*E and Eve from the movie Wall*E. And I love them. I play with them all the time. Telling you, I'm obsessed. 24 years old and still getting toys. It'll never end! And I hope it doesn't! =]

SO that was our Christmas. We opened gifts here with his siblings, then went to Grandma & Grandpa Gross' house for Christmas lunch/dinner at 1. Went to my parents after that. Had a very quiet, very nice Christmas. Now, I get to go to work. Ick! Clint worked last night, and he said when they opened the doors at 6 am...it was a zoo. Goody. He said people were walking out with 3 or 4 carts of stuff. Hmm. I won't be doing that. Can't really afford it. Since we just had Christmas and all.

Family Pictures

So a few weeks ago we did family pictures. I'm long overdue on getting them up. But here you are! Enjoy =]

The Entire Family =] Just the Kiddos

The Chambers =]

The Farnsworths

The McLaws' <3

It took me like, 20 minutes to figure out how to upload these. Now that I've figured it out, maybe there will be more pictures in the blog! =]

50 Girly Questions...

I snagged this off of a blog that I've been reading. Don't even know the lovely young lady, but she's SO funny! I love reading her blog. =]

1. what is your name? Alicia Marie

2. what color is your bra? white


3. Do you straighten your hair everyday? nope...don't really care that much. I probably should. I look better when I do hahaha

4. Do you worry about the size of your boobs? sometimes, I worry that they'll end up causing back problems. laugh it up. say I'm "blessed". w/e

5. Are you the typical girl who's addicted to gossip?: nope, I'll listen to it, but I don't live for it

6. What's your favorite girly magazine?: Cosmo

7. Best junk food? um...tortilla chips =]

8. Would you kill for chocolate? I've thought about it. HAHAHA =P jk

9. Do you go to lunch with girls a lot? not really. just Natalie and/or Laural on occasion

10. Jeans or skirts?: hate skirts. love jeans

11.Do you wear clothes/shoes/jewelry that's uncomfortable? nope! I don't really care what other people think. I won't wear something just to look cute.

12. Did you ever spend all day/night getting pretty for a guy? not anymore. I admit that I did when Clint and I first started dating. I think I took all day getting ready for our first date =P

13. Did you ever cry during a romantic movie? I admit that I do!

14. Would you leave the house without makeup on?: almost every day. people are surprised when I DO wear makeup.

15. What's the biggest turn on about guys?: funny guys. I love a guy who can make me laugh =]

16. What about the biggest turn off? controlling guys

18. On a scale of 1-10, how fun is shopping?: um can I do -10?? I HATE IT!! I find what I want online, then I do a beeline through the store to get it. Now, sometimes I do get in the mood to browse. But its rare

19. Are you a girly-girl, tomboy, or in the middle? I'd say in the middle

20. Do you think lipgloss is the best?: I like it. I own lots. Usually, I'm wearing chapstick though

22. Do you freak out if you miss your favorite show? nope. that's what the internet is for

23. Do you obsess over your looks? not at all

24. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?: about 10 minutes. LOL!

26. Accessories make the outfit; true or false: I'm sure they do...I just don't care enough to accessorize.

28. What kind of guys do you like? tall, cute and funny =] basically, Clint ♥

29. Is pink truely the best color in the entire universe? NO!!!

30. Lip gloss a must? not really, but I like it

32. Do you have a bf?? nope...a husband!

33. mountains or ocean? mountains

34. Do you take the chance on Halloween to dress like a whore? no, I don't dress up for halloween

35. Ever dressed like a whore to impress a guy?: um, no!

36. Do you often wish there was something you could change? yeah, who doesn't??

37.Has a guy ever given you something on valentines day? a little stuffed monkey one year (we were broke lol) and flowers last year

38. Gold or silver?:Silver, white gold

39. The guy that you like/LOVE/whatever, what is his name? Clint McLaws

41. Do you dress up too much for holidays? nope!

43. Do you write alot of mushy love poems? nope. i'd rather be watching football

44. Do you consider yourself to be fashionable? eh, not really lol

45. On a scale of 1-10, how much do guys confuse you? only like a 2. i understand guys way better than I understand girls

46. Guys that cry during movies: sweet or weird? sweet

47. Do you worry or fuss about your clothes? nope!

48. Do you wear make-up? every once in a while

49. What makeup product could you NOT live without?? mascara. I look more awake when I'm wearing it

50. what age do you want to get married? um, i got married at 23 =]

A conspiracy...

So last night, while I was feeling like the worst furbaby "mama" ever, Clint suggested that we brainstorm ways to keep the cats indoors. I told him that this wasn't fair to him, and insisted that they would remain outdoor cats. UNLESS it were to rain. Then I would bring them inside, for the duration of said rain. That would just be cruel, right? Well, I'm convinced these kitties heard me. Guess what? Its raining! and where are the cats, you ask? In my room. Nice, right? And they're just LOVING it. Of course they are. Now I've gotta start the whole "weening" process again. Some other day. When its dry. =P

Furbabies...and other stuff =]

So, we've discovered that Clint is allergic to my two kitty cats whom I love dearly. But, I love my husband more (sorry kitties). So, I had to move the kitties outdoors so that Clint could sleep. He can't breathe around them, and they like to snuggle. As I sit here writing this, I can hear Tinkerbell outside crying because she's out there and I'm in here. =[ Sad day! She's breaking my heart. Baxter is ok being outside. He doesn't mind it that much. I think he may have been an outdoor cat when I adopted him from the pound. But little Tinkerbell...I adopted her at the age of 8 weeks. She's always been an indoor kitty. I know that they will adapt, and that I need to just leave them outside, and stop going outside to cuddle with them. Isn't it funny how kitties, perhaps all animals, are like babies?? I've heard that when trying to get babies to adapt to new customs, sometimes you need to "ignore" their cries because if you keep cuddling them, they won't adapt. So I sit here instead watching "Click" and trying to ignore their cries. I know they'll be fine. =]

Work is getting crazier and crazier as Christmas approaches. Which is to be expected, I suppose. I know that some people don't get paid until right before...but everyone?? Haha--I finished mine two weeks ago. Clint and I decided this year to shop only for each other and our parents. We just couldn't afford to include everyone that we'dve liked to. Maybe next year. Kinda depends on the economic status =P

So Clint did his yearly damage. He was walking at work a few weeks ago. Simply walking. He stepped down weird, and now has a stress fracture in his right foot. Yuck, right? Especially when we have no health insurance. Thank goodness Dr. McKay is really cool and adjusts costs to suit our budget. He's [supposed] to be in a big, clunky walking boot for awhile, to let it heal. He wears it when he's at work. But that's about it. I can't convince him to wear it anywhere else. Oh well...I was just as bad when my foot was broken last year, so I suppose I can't blame him.

In other health news, my tendonitis is flaring up really bad right now. Being a cashier will do that. I try to remember to take some ibuprofen before starting my shift to curb the pain, but I forgot today. Right hand is KILLING me. Not much that can be done for it though. Just take anti-inflamitories (that's not even spelled right lol) and wear a brace to support it.

UM...I don't think there's much else going on in our lives. We're really boring, I swear it. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas! I'm sure we will =]

Working on "Black Friday"...

Or Blitz Friday, as Wal Mart likes to call it. Interesting. Let me just begin by saying that I was scheduled to work at 5. I had to get gas, so I left home early. Ended up getting to work around 4:30 am. The parking lot was PACKED. and we don't exactly have a small parking lot. So I parked, grabbed my water and cough drops (i'm fighting off a cold) and headed inside. I walk in the doors, and all I see is wall to wall people. Easily, 400 people crowded in just for electronics and toys. I mean, I saw little old ladies hanging on to a pallet of Dora dolls for dear life! Now, I've never been one to even go CLOSE to a retail store on this day. I mean, I've worked on Black Friday. But let me tell you that working at a drug store does NOT even compare. It took me 10 minutes to get from the front of the store to the back, where I could clock in. And people are VISCIOUS!! I kept having to flash my nametag because people were getting mad and accusing me of trying to get ahead in line. I get to the back and I hear a supervisor calling out that all cashiers must clock in IMMEDIATELY and report to the registers. Apparently, they weren't expecting a crowd this big. However, my store prepared and hired about 70 extra people for the holidays. The moment 5 am hit, and the sales started, the volume in the store raised considerably. You could HEAR people running for the registers. I looked up and had 50 people in my line within minutes. However, we were all moving fairly quickly. Really, the wait wasn't bad for people waiting. I think we had every register open. All 30 of them. There was a wait, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I was told repeatedly that I had a great attitude. I had to though. If I'd shown up really cranky and ready to have a bad day, it would have been horrible. But I showed up, determined to have fun with it. I told several people that I was grateful for the crowds. As long as people shop, I have a job! =] And the day passed really quickly. =]

We did have a couple of incidents: one lady was pushed into another ladies cart. Pushed lady turned around and sincerely apologized, and Cart Lady reeled back and punched her in the face! Goodness!! Around 10 am, we got the terrifying page: Code Adam. Missing child. Doors are sealed off and no one is allowed in or out of the building. And all available associates search. I happened to be at lunch, so I didn't join, at first. (Wal Mart considers it working off the clock). But when they couldn't find him, EVERYONE joined in the search. Strangely, the mother wasn't that concerned. About 45 heartbreaking minutes later, she suddenly remembered that she'd left the boy at home with his father. Ugh. Apparently, she wasn't "all there". I'm just glad the boy is safe.

When I got off at two, Laural and I went to the swap meet and she bought me an early christmas present: a pair of Crocs. My poor feet hurt so badly at the end of my shift that I often leave fighting tears. I don't have appropriate shoes, first of all. And I do need to get used to standing again. But I immediately changed into my Crocs and felt a little better. I'm curious to see if wearing them at work will aleviate my feet pain at all. I've talked to people who've said it will, and some who've said it won't. After the swap meet, we stopped by the house so that I could change into comfy clothes and drop off the car. We then went to Chandler mall. I got one of Clint's christmas gifts there, one at Wal Mart. I can't say what they are, because even though he teases me for "blogging", he checks this thing every once in a while =P

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. And if you were brave enough to take on the "black friday" crowds, I hope you had luck! =]

Back to work...

After nearly a month of unemployment, I'm back to work tomorrow. Its bittersweet. I've enjoyed this "vacation", but we're desperately in need of the money! I've been hired by Wal Mart to be a seasonal cashier. If I do a stellar job, and they have the hours available, it may become a permanent position. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that I'll have 30-40 hours a week. Oh well. I took about a $4 pay cut. But right now, any money is good money! =] My stepmom played a huge part in helping me get this job. I've applied everywhere, and I just wasn't getting any calls back. It was really frustrating. Shar hassled her manager and he finally called me. Within two days, I had the job. Yesterday, I put a LOT of applications in all over: grocery stores, retail stores, etc. Hopefully, something with better pay and closer to home will come along. Right now, I'll be travelling about 15-20 miles for work. Its gonna be a lot of money in gas. The bottom line is: Thank Goodness for work! We're incredibly blessed that this came along for me. I hadn't seen any money from the state. Last week, 36,000 people in the state applied for unemployment benefits. Yikes. What used to be a 7-10 day process, is now a 4-6 week process. So, I'm back to work tomorrow. No doubt I'll be exhausted =P

Random Christmas Survey...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper! I'm such a dork, I love to wrap gifts. I like to use ribbons and fancy tags to make the gift extra special. =P

2. Real tree or Artificial? I prefer real ones, but they're so expensive!! My parents finally broke down years ago and bought an artificial one. My stepmom goes to home depot though and asks if she could have some of the branches from the trees that they have trimmed. she puts them behind the artificial christmas tree so that we still have the great smell! =]

3. When do you put up the tree? sometime after thanksgiving, usually

4. When do you take the tree down? after New Year's, I want to make the season last as long as possable! :)

5. Do you like eggnog? LOVE it! BUT you can't have it until Thanksgiving night with ice cold pumpkin pie. =] Its a little tradition that my family has to kick off the season. I cannot drink it before...its just not the same.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? oh wow. IDK! um...this is so horrible. because i know there was plenty, i just can't really think of one right now!!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad, and Clint!!

8. Easiest person to buy for? my neice and nephew. They're so young that they love anything you give them! =]

9. Do you have a nativity scene? my family does.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I guess mail?? I don't send them out though, and I rarely receive any.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Barbies!! ugh!!! i hated the stupid things. I used to steal my brother's tonka trucks and run over my barbies. hahahaha! =P

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story =]

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I always say that I'm going to start "early". and I have bought a few things here and there as I've come across them, but not nearly like I'd wanted. I usually wait till just a couple weeks before LOL

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? its this really yummy raisin bread. its a christmas bread from Denmark, I think. I'm not even going to try to type the name, because I'll just get made fun of =P My dad makes it every year though-homemade! no bread machines here!

16. Lights on the tree? on my last tree, it was red and white =]

17. Favorite Christmas song? don't really have just one

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donner, blitzen, rudolph

20. Angel on the tree-top or a star? star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve, or on Christmas morning? Christmas morning. Clint's mom always gets us all pajama pants though, and we open those on Christmas Eve =] and on the Jensen side (my dad's family), everyone draws a name on Thanksgiving day. you buy an inexpensive gift for that person, and we all open them on Christmas Eve. They're referred to as "Dollar Gifts"

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The fact that people lose sight of the real reason for the holiday

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My tree when I lived on my own (before marriage) was red and gold. Oh, how I loved that tree! it was beautiful!! =]

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? its always ham and scalloped potatoes! i love it! =]

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? IDK. I haven't really thought about it. I'd like to be employed, that's for sure! =]

I tag:: Whomever wants to have a little fun and do the survey!! =]

Life Lately...

Has been a little difficult. Clint and are doing well--all things considering. A little over a week ago, Clint's wallet went missing. There was no activity on any of the cards, so we kind of assumed that it was somewhere in our house or at his moms. On Monday (last week) we discovered that someone had charged up his credit card. Suddenly we were scrambling to cancel the credit card, his debit card, ordering new id's...it was kind of a nightmare. There was less than $200 of fraudulent activity, total. But still-not something we wanted to deal with. On tuesday, I somehow threw my back out and seriously considered going to the ER. It hurt to move, to breathe...it was just really hard to function. Thank goodness for Icy Hot!!! =P Wednesday, I was sure that life couldn't get much harder. Sounds silly, but true! Well, I lost my job wednesday afternoon. Its one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced. It was even worse to call Clint and tell him. Now I understand how he felt when he called me with the same news the week of our wedding. Anyway, I've got applications in all over the place, with all sorts of different companies. Hopefully, I'll hear something and be working again soon. In the meantime, we're packing up our condo and moving in with his mom. Thank goodness for her! She's welcoming us back into her home. I don't know what we'd do, otherwise. No way can we afford this place on just one income. So...that's how we've been. We're alive and relatively well! =] Thanks to everyone for your prayers!! =]

Another Random Survey....

Thanks to Dany for this random lil survey =]


A is for age: 23...24 in 27 days!!
B is for Breakfast: I hardly ever eat breakfast. But I'm a BIG fan of French Toast =]
C is for Career: unemployed right now =[
D is for my Dog's name: No dog =[
E is for Essential Item I Use Everyday: cell phone & chapstick!
F is for Favorite T.V. Show: House, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, Ace of Cakes!
G is for Favorite Game: Tetris? lol
H is for Hometown: San Francisco, CA
I is for Instruments I play: do funny noises count?
J is for Favorite Juice: Apple! and Cranberry. Sometimes together!
K is for Kitchen: in boxes. preparing to move =[
L is for Last Place I Ate out: um...Filibertos
M is for Marriage: Fantastic! Almost 6 months!
N is for Nickname: Beaker (LOL ask Clint!)
O is for Overnight Hospital Stays: none
P is for People I was With Today: Clint
Q is for Quote: “I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it"
R is for Biggest Regret: I have one...but its in the past.
S is for Sport: FOOTBALL!!!
T is for time I Woke Up Today: 7 am. then i went back to bed around 9 and slept for a few hours with Clint =]
U is for Favorite Piece of Undergarment: um....???
V is for Last Vacation you Took: weekend to Big Lake!! =]
W is for Worst Habbit: being stubborn and argumentative
X is for X-Rays I Have Had: left hand, left foot, right foot
Y is for Yummy Food You Ate Today: ritz crackers LOL
Z is for Zodiac: Scorpio

Random Lil' Survery--Thanks Dany!

I am: amazing =]
I know: the Church is true!
I want: to be sealed in the Temple to Clint
I have: an amazing family!
I wish: I had a career...
I miss: Clint, when he's not around
I fear: losing anyone in my family. I would be devestated
I feel: sick! =[
I hear: pre-game show for Alabama-LSU football game
I smell: hash browns
I crave: about 18 hours of sleep!
I search: for a job that I love, rather than one that just happens to pay the bills.
I wonder: why the power just went out...and now our cable isn't working....
I regret: very few things
I am not: a very good housewife. I hate to clean.
I believe: that Christ lives and is our Savior!
I dance: every chance I get. I'm not very good at it, but I love to do it!!!
I sing: in the car. loudly. but only if i'm by myself =P
I don’t always: eat like I should
I fight: as little as possible.
I write: in my online blog. but that's about it. i'm not much of a writer.
I lose: my mind at the beginning of every month. my job gets INSANE!
I win: not very often!
I never: sleep well during thunderstorms
I listen: carefully.
I am scared: of not finding my one true calling on earth. terrified of not having a career, and being stuck repoing cars the rest of my life
I need: my loved ones around me. I'm happiest surrounded by family and/or friends.
I am happy about: every day =] Life is good =]

So Tired....

Ever since Clint started working nights, I seem to have developed some major insomnia problems LOL! I can sleep just fine with him here, but when he's gone-its very difficult. Random, I know. =P Right now, I'm completely exhausted and I can hardly seem to keep my eyes open as I type. But the second I crawl into bed, I'm wide awake. I think that I would sleep much, much better if we had one of those handy security doors on the front door. Right now, its a bunch of glass paines that anyone could easily break and gain access to the house. The likelihood of this happening is slim to none--but these are the silly scenarios that I build up in my mind. And I think that deep down, its thoughts like these that keep me awake at night. I'm keenly aware of every tiny little sound. And its always nothing. The house just naturally settling as they all do. I've considered trying to find a job working nights as well, just so that I can actually get some sleep hahaha.

Speaking of jobs, I'm still searching for a new one. I had a great interview, and I thought for sure I'd landed the job--but didn't get it. Everything happens for a reason, so I just kind of got over it. It seems like everyone else though is going and and finding a job so easily. I've been looking for months, and I'm getting nothing. Well, I did get an email from Express Scripts, but their pay is only $11.25 an hour. We really can't afford to go down on the pay scale. They do offer a pay differential of about $1.25 an hour, if you work the super early shift (starts at 5 am), and I've considered doing that. It'd be a bit more than I'm making now. The thing is that I know that something will drop into my lap when I least expect it. So I keep looking and applying online. The worst they can do is not call me. Or call me, and then say thanks, but no thanks.

Our cousins Dusty and Leslie blessed their new baby boy, Dallas, today. He's a stud. =]


I've written recently that our friends Mike and Natalie are relocating. Mike leaves on September 1st. This past month has flown by. Its hard to believe that this is our last week with him. I'm gonna be a sobbing mess when it comes to say goodbye =P My emotions lately are twice as bad as normal. I cry easily anyway-its just the way I am. But good grief- I cry at EVERYTHING lately. Its horrible. I don't know what on earth is wrong with me. I was driving to the grocery store last weekend and Tim McGraws "Live like you were dying" came on the radio. No joke: I had to pull over because I started sobbing for no reason. Yeah, I'm a mess LOL!

Such a Klutz

Well, I'm officially part of the McLaws family. I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking, "well--DUH Alicia!" But yes, I have become a McLaws. In order to be a McLaws, its pretty much required to do some personal damage to yourself, resulting in something broken, at least twice a year. Well, last saturday-I did it. Clint had just left the house for work. I sat down on the couch, with a pillow behind my back and my laptop on my lap. I decided the pillow was uncomfortable, so I leaned forward to reposition it. Suddenly my laptop slid off of my lap and onto my right foot. I don't think I've ever jumped so high, so fast. It HURT! and badly!! It started to bruise almost right away. and swell. I called Clint, sobbing in pain. First words out of his mouth were "Is the laptop ok?!?!" (its ok--i know he loves me LOL!) then told me to wrap some ice in a towel and keep in on my foot. By monday, I was still limping around. So I made an appointment with my podiatrist. On tuesday, I was told that I cracked my "pinky" toe, and bruised the rest pretty badly. I'm supposed to be in a huge walking boot for at least a week--longer if it still hurts to walk. Don't wear it much, but I do try to keep off of my foot as much as possible. I generally wear the boot at work, because I'm running around on my feet a lot. So yes, I'm officially a part of the McLaws family (greatest family EVER, mind you!). :)

Clint started working nights this week, at Wal Mart. He works 10 pm to 7 am. Kinda sucky, but he gets $1 more an hour--which really adds up. It kinda works out as far as the car situation too, since we share a car. When he gets home, I leave for work. and I don't have to stay up late to take him to work :p

Clint, Kyler and David recently decided on their Christmas Talent for the family Christmas party. I won't ruin the surprise...lets just say that I REALLY can't wait for Christmas this year LOL!

We've also recently learned that a couple of our best friends are moving to Hawaii. we're kinda bummed, and we'll miss Mike and Natalie very much. But now we have somewhere nice to vacation. :) As long as Matt and Dany don't move away, I think we'll be ok :p :)

Not so good at this....

I'm not very good at this blogging thing. Haha...our lives are pretty boring--there's just not much to talk about!! We're both just working a lot, as usual. I've been looking for a new job, because there's a whole lot of favrotism in my department--and I can't deal with it anymore. However, in this economy, finding a new job is proving to be difficult. I had an interview last week, but I didn't get the job. Weird, because I've never interviewed for a job that I didn't get. It was bound to happen sometime :) I just keep trying :)

Clint and I had a pregnancy "scare"---already, I know!! Came back negative, and we were both kind of bummed about it. Clint, especially. He wants so desperately to be a dad. He acts like he's a big tough guy, but he's got the biggest heart and he's such a teddy bear :) He's constantly talking about having a baby. :) We've decided to kinda, sorta try. He's so completely excited about the idea of being a father. He'll be such a wonderful father someday. I can hardly wait to raise a family with him. :)

Well, I suppose that's about all the excitement on our end. Thrilling, I know. I wasn't lying when I said that we're boring :p

News Story Regarding Last Night!

**Courtesy of AZ Channel 3**

MESA – A family fight turned ugly and then turned fatal in the East Valley.
It all happened early Friday morning in Mesa.
A woman allegedly went looking for her husband and found him with another woman and that is when the fight escalated and spilled out onto the street.
Detective Steven Berry with Mesa Police tells 3TV the wife located her husband who was at a party with his brother and other people. The husband allegedly got into an altercation with his wife before she called another family member to go pick her up.
When the wife was picked up, her husband and brother allegedly followed them and began ramming the back of their car with their pick-up truck.
Once the husband’s brother pulled over, the husband reportedly exited the vehicle and began pounding on the vehicle where his wife was riding in.
Once the family member who was driving the wife away began speeding away the husband jumped on the car and was subsequently thrown.
The husband was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are still trying to determine whether the victim was run over or died from the impact of being thrown.
The man who was driving the wife was taken into custody because police say he drove a short distance away from the scene of the fatal wreck and stopped the car before attempting to flee.

Like a Movie Scene

Last night was crazy and weird. Clint works until 11, so I went to pick him up. We were almost home, when we heard a big smack. We'd been having storms (the lightning was amazing!), so we thought it was thunder. All of a sudden, a little white car comes flying by us with its back end completely smashed. He'd been rear-ended by a little red pickup truck, on PURPOSE! The truck kept ramming into the back of the white car, pushing it across University (a main road in Mesa, AZ-for those out of state) and down our street. The two vehicles came to a stop inside of a parking lot, and the two men in the truck jumped out and went running towards the white car, fists flying! Holy Cow!! Clint slammed on his brakes and turned around to go BACK so that he could get in the middle of the fight! Um, no. I was on the phone with 911, trying to describe the scene, and keep Clint in the car. With this kind of stuff, I always think worst case scenario. I'm thinking they could have weapons, like guns and such. I'm thinking if he jumps out of the car and leaves me alone in it, and they want a getaway vehicle bad enough, we could be carjacked with ME still in the car. He got mad at me because I wouldn't let him go fight, but I just lost my stepfather, I really don't want to lose my husband. After a couple minutes (and still on the phone with 911) we drove toward the scene, and the white car was gone. How? I have NO idea, because it was smashed really bad. It didn't look driveable. The truck had been abandoned. I did notice one guy running from the scene on foot, and I let the operator know that. The cops were on the scene almost immediately. I did notice that they were stopped just down the street, so I think that maybe they'd found at least one of the guys who'd left on foot. Anyway, the truck was smashed really bad, we saw the damage really close up. 911 asked if i'd scene which way the white car went, and I hadn't---but I told him it had BAD backend damage. The trunk was in the backseat!

The whole experience was like something from a movie scene. They almost hit us, while taking out their stupid teenager/gangbanger(?) anger on each other. It could have been just road rage. I have no idea. I just know the some people don't think of the people their actions could affect. They could have very possibly killed someone if it had escalated at all. Thank goodness for our police! :)

Thanks Armenda =]

The Poem on the Picture Reads:

God Saw You were getting Tired,

And a Cure was Not to Be,

So He put His Arms Around You,

And whispered, "Come To Me."

With Tearful Eyes We Watched You,

And saw You Pass Away

Although We Loved You Dearly,

We Could not make You Stay.

A Golden Heart Stopped Beating,

Hard Working Hands at Rest,

God Broke Our Hearts to Prove to Us,

He Only Takes The Best.

**Made by Ms. Armenda for Alicia**

Five

5 things on my to do list:
1. Laundry
2. Dishes
3. Clean Living Room
4. Grocery Shopping
5. Pack for camping next weekend =]

5 jobs I've had:
(IN ORDER)
1. Cashier at Sam Goody
2. Courtesy Clerk at Fry's Food & Drug
3. Photo Clerk at Osco Drug (now CVS/Pharmacy...I was there for 5 years!)
4. Teller for Wells Fargo Bank
5. Currently, I'm a Recovery Assistant for Drive Time. You don't pay your car payment? I send someone to get your car. =]

5 Places I have lived:
(Ok, I'm gonna do this the short way--because I'll type all day if I do details)
1. California
2. Maine
3. Massachussetts
4. Utah
5. Arizona

5 Favorite snacks:
1. Fruit (melons, mostly)
2. Popcorn (butter and salt!)
3. Captain Crunch (lol I'm currently obsessed)
4. Brownies
5. Applesauce =]

5 thing I would do if I was a billionaire:
1. Pay off all our bills
2. Buy both of us new cars
3. Buy a house
4. Give to the church
5. Go on a vacation!!!


I TAG-
1. Kimber
2. Danyelle
3. Amy
4 & 5 whoever wants to!

The Power of 3

How to play this game. Post these rules on your blog: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names

3 JOYS-
1. My Husband
2. My Family (all of 'em!!)
3. My Friends

3 FEARS-
1. I'm terrified of spiders. Mostly tarantulas (I just got chills typing that). They can be alive or dead, fake or real, on tv or in pictures or right in front of me--I WILL burst into tears and try to get as far away as physically possible.
2. I am scared of heights.
3. I am scared of being unsuccessful. Terrified of not having a career.


3 GOALS-
1 To be Sealed in the Temple to Clint
2. To always be financially stable.
3. To eventually someday buy a house

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS-
1. The Food Netword =P <3
2. Weddings =P
3. Decorating my kitchen. I've decided to do rustic-y USA stuff. =]

3 RANDOM FACTS-
1. I like to try to scrapbook--I'm not very good at it though.
2. I would love to make a career out of wedding photography. I love, love, love taking pictures.
3. Clint and I met on MySpace.com

I TAG-
1. Kimber
2. Danyelle
3. Amy (you can do this on your myspace blog since you don't have a blog)
4-5. Anyone else who wants to because I don't know of anyone else who I think would do it.

Sleeping with the Angels

As everyone knows, Fred was diagnosed with cancer a few short weeks ago. This morning, at around 7:15 am, he left this earth, and is sleeping with the Angels now. Thank you all for keeping my family in your prayers. Please continue to do so, we need strength. We all loved him so much, and though we know he's happier and in a much better place, we still miss him so much. Not certain on funeral arrangements yet, but we know that he wouldn't have wanted his loved ones standing around his grave sobbing. We're thinking of having a party to celebrate his life. He would have liked it. =]

A Good Day

Fred had a good day today. Its days like this that renews our hope. He's very soft spoken right now, and my mom has to put her ear right by his mouth so that she can hear him. She has to do the same right next to his ear when she's talking to him. This morning, right after she woke up and before she got dressed or anything, he wanted water. She said something to him, and he said "Babe, I love you...but your breath kinda stinks!" LOL! I'm glad his humor is still sometimes intact.

He's no longer capable of making his own decisions. The other day, the family decided not to go forward with radiation treatments. They're not going to help, so why bother? The doctors were willing to try Gamma Knife Radiation surgery, but he's no longer a candidate, due to more blood surfacing around his brain tumor on friday. It wasn't a decision they came to lightly. They're thinking of his best interests now. They're keeping him medicated so that they can keep him comfortable. They're trying to get him transferred to the hospital up in Mariposa, because he wants to go home. My mom hasn't heard anything about that in two days. We're praying for that to happen. Praying for his comfort. They upped his steroid dosage, which reduces the swelling in his head. My mom said its helped immensely, which we're grateful for. His family was visiting today, and they were all swapping stories and memories, and he was chiming in with his own. Its nice that he's still got some of his memory. :)

That's the update for now. Clint and I are well and good. :) Please keep praying for my family. The prayers are helping, I can feel it. We're more at peace with the inevitable. Thanks so much for remembering us, thinking of us. It means so much. I love you all.

My One and Only :)

I snagged this from Danyelle :)

Basics

1. Who is your man? Clinton Owen
2. How long have you been together? 28 months (just over two years)
3. Dating/Engaged/Married? Dated for 22 months, engaged for 4 months, married for almost two :)
4. How old is your man? 23

You or your man?
1. Who eats more? Definitely Clint
2. Who said "I love you" first? Clint. We'd only been together for two weeks! But we talked online and on the phone for about 2 months, so it felt like we were together before we'd even met. :)
3. Who weighs more? Clint
4. Who sings better? Well, we both sing. But he refuses to let people hear him, and I have a terrible solo voice. I'll say Clint
5. Who's Older? I am! By 3 months
6. Who's smarter? We are both very smart but in completely different things
7. Who's temper is worse? I'd say mine. I get irritated very easily. Clint keep his cool. He's definately an example for me.
8. Who does the laundry? I do
9. Who does the dishes? I do
10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do
11. Who's feet are bigger? Clint's. They're HUGE
12. Who's hair is longer? Mine
13. Who's better with the computer? hmm...that's a toss-up. We're both very smart about different things.
14. Who mows the lawn? no lawn :)
15. Who pays the bills? I do
16. Who cooks dinner? Me
17. Who drives when you are together? Kinda depends. Usually Clint.
18. Who pays when you go out to dinner? Usually me, just because Clint leaves his wallet at home. :p
19. Who's the most stubborn? Wow, we both are LOL
20. Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? Me. LOL! Clint is VERY stubborn and "rarely" wrong :p
21. Who's parents do you see more? We see Clint's mom a lot. Especially lately-our AC keeps pooping out and we've been staying at her house at least once a week for the past month. :p My parents live out in Apache Junction-really not that far...but with gas prices so high, we can't go out there all the time.
22. Who named your dog? No dog, just 2 cats. I had them before I met Clint.
23. Who kissed who first? Clint kissed me first. We'd talked on the phone about how it felt like we were already dating, and at the end of our first date, he asked "So, are we-or aren't we?" I'd like to say that I scared him and made him sweat it out, but I liked him so much that I was like, "Oh, we totally are!" and then he kissed me :)
24. Who asked who out? I'll say he did, because he initiated contact first.
25. What did you do? He picked me up, and as soon as I got into the car, the Spice Girls blared through the speakers. I laughed so hard, and he insisted that it was his sisters' cd. :p We went to Applebees for dinner, where I ordered this Orange chicken bowl, and he ordered a SIDE of mashed potatoes. LOL. Then, we went and saw the movie Firewall. Before the movie began, he started tickling me, and I fought to get away, and kicked the lady that was in front of us in the head! We held hands through the entire movie, and then he took me home. :)
26. Who's more sensitive? Me!! I'm like, hyper-emotional
27. Who's taller? Clint by almost a foot!
28. Who has more friends? well, Clint knows a lot more people. He's still really close with friends from high school though. I've (unfortunately) grown apart from my best friend. We have a lot of the same friends now. His friends are fantastic! I love them all as my brothers/sisters. :)
29. Who has more siblings? Well, if you count only blood related siblings-then he does. 2 sisters and a brother. I have one brother. If you count step-siblings, then we have equal amounts. He's got 2 step-brothers, I have 4. :p
30. Who wears the pants in the relationship? That's difficult. I'd like to say that I do, because I do the cooking, cleaning and paying of the bills. However, I think we have an equal hand in our relationship. We find a common ground, and don't try to outdo each other.

Nothing

There's nothing they can do for Fred. Except to try to keep him comfortable in his last days. Which could be 4 days....could be 4 months. We just don't know. They're going to start radiation on monday or tuesday, because Fred wants them to do everything they can to prolong his life-which is completely understandable. He realizes that its not going to save him...but he would like to have as much time as possible with his family. Today is a bad day for him. He didn't sleep much at all last night, due to a headache. He's got a lot of morphine in his system. He's pretty out of it. We're hoping that its due to the morphine and not because the brain tumor is progressing so rapidly. I talked to my mom today and she finally broke down and just started sobbing. I feel so completely helpless. It breaks my heart to hear her crying like that, knowing that I can't be there to comfort her. I keep praying that the Lord will grant him just a little more time, but on the same hand it seems so selfish of me to do that when he's in pain. I know that everything happens for a reason, but this still feels like its so unfair. Why Fred? Why does it have to happen to my family? I know that we're not given more than we can handle, and that my family will pull through this, stronger than ever. Its just so hard to see my mother in so much pain while trying to be so strong for her husband. Right now, we're taking it just one day at a time. The doctors did tell us there would be good days and bad days, so we keep that in mind. We're just praying for his comfort, and for the Lord to Bless us with comfort as well.

Today I sent him a "care package": A big fluffy fleece 49ers blanket, a pair of fuzzy 49ers dice (to hang from his IV pole, of course!) and a 49ers penant for the wall. He's a die-hard fan. (Poor choice of words, much?). I also blew up our family picture from my wedding, and framed. I'm hoping it will help him feel a little more comfortable in his last days.

Please keep praying for Fred, for his comfort in this time of pain. Please pray for the comfort of my family, to know that this is what the Lord wants. There's a reason for it. We don't know what that reason is, but maybe we're not meant to know.

And the Verdict Is....

Terminal. My family met with the Oncologist this evening and were told that Fred's cancer is terminal. Its in his kidneys, and its spread up into his chest. And there still is the tumor in his brain. They're meeting with a neurosurgeon tomorrow to see what their options are. Its not looking good though. Please keep praying. At the very least, our prayers will help him feel more comfortable.

UPDATE

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for all your prayers for my family during this difficult time. Fred had a biopsy yesterday and today the results came back cancerous. They're waiting for the oncologist (cancer specialist) to come and speak with them, so that they know exactly what form of cancer he has, as well as the course of action they plan to take. All of your prayers are greatly appreciated. Keep praying! =]

Please Pray...UPDATE!!

Today they did a full body CT-Scan on Ferd, and they discovered another mass in his kidney. Its definately tumors. They're pretty sure its cancer. BUT we won't know until after the Biopsy tomorrow. Good news is that he's still in good spirits. He's flirting with all of the nurses and teasing my mom, saying that she can't get rid of him that easily. :p May God Bless him and all the doctors caring for him. :)

Please Pray...

Late last night, I received a text message from my mother, telling me that my stepdad was in the hospital. I called her to see what was up, and she told me that Ferd's equilibrium has been off for awhile now. I guess his dizziness got so bad that she took him to the ER. The hospital where they live isn't very big, but they did a CT-Scan, and decided it was serious enough that he needed to be transported down to Fresno. When they got there, they did another CT-Scan and an MRI. They discovered a mass in his brain, with fluid all around it. Its not looking good. They were waiting for the results back from the MRI before deciding whether or not to do a biopsy. We don't know if its cancerous or not. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for him. Any and all prayers for him would be very much appreciated. Hopefully, we'll know more soon......

Settling Down

Life has been a whirlwind of craziness since Christmas. Most everyone knows that Clint proposed on Christmas Day, and the planning began right away. We set the date for April 26th, 2008, and we were constantly on the move to make sure everything was done in time. My work schedule limited the time I had to work on the wedding. Four months came and went, and our day was absolutely perfect. I wouldn't change a single thing about it. Clint and I are now settling down in our ADORABLE little condo, adjusting to married life (which is really not much different from dating!), and loving life. :) I beleive the biggest adjustment for me is cooking for the worlds pickiest eater. :p So far I've mastered Pickle's super secret amazing alfredo (our wedding gift was the recipe-Clint's obsessed! :p), hamburger helper, and frozen pizza. LOL! One of these days, I'll make an attempt at his mom's famous roast and creamy potatoes. SO YUMMY! :)
Anyhow, I'm the luckiest in the entire world. Clint is amazing. I love him with everything I have. He's constantly making me laugh, and he helps out around the house. He's perfect! :p I love being married to him, and I can't wait to be sealed to him for Time and all Eternity. Life is good. I'm the happiest that I've ever been, and it gets better every day. :)