What's going on?

It's been a while since I blogged. So much has been happening. As I mentioned in my last blog, Drew lost his job. Drew has landed a small contract job in Cleveland. Nothing too exciting - he is still looking for a full-time gig. We have been asked if we want to stay in Cleveland, our answer is always the same - we will go where ever Drew gets a job. Since Drew is working during the day, I help him out by looking for jobs online for him. The other day I found a job in London, England and a job in Africa - would we really move out of the country? You bet we would! Of course, living out of the country would make my commuting a bit hard and Drew and I wouldn't see each other all that often, but we'd move out of the country in a heartbeat.

Speaking of commuting. "Commuting" from Cleveland to Detroit stinks! I haven't been "home" to Cleveland in over three weeks. I never thought I'd say this but, I miss Ohio =[ I'm going home this weekend. I believe I will get to relax a tad and (hopefully) not have to worry about too much homework.

Oh yeah, homework. This semester is stressing me out so freakishly bad. I'm going nuts. I have so much writing and writing and writing to do. I'm not a huge fan of writing. At all!
I knew I was going to have some assignments and what not to do. That's understandable, but yikes! I've had so much to do and I feel as though I have no time to do any of my work. I have one class in particular I think I'm having trouble with - Ethics. I don't want to assume I am going to fail the class, realistically, failing the class is not an option. I graduate in May, taking a class over again isn't going to happen. If I don't pass Ethics, I don't graduate. Plain and simple. Next semester I will more or less be in the same boat. A tough class that I MUST pass. Failing, again, not being an option.

I have to keep my head in the game, stop procrastinating, do my homework, and pass. Sounds easy enough. Doesn't it?

No G'news is Good G'news?

When I started my blog for a class I vowed to keep up with writing once the class ended. Since my last blog entry was May 11, I think I've done a pretty crappy job. Here is a quick update of what's been going on -

We moved! Drew was offered a job in Lakewood, OH. It was a Director of Marketing job. Drew moved down to Ohio in May and I moved down in June. Unfortunately, Drew lost his job in July. Drew and I, for now, are staying in Lakewood. Since I am only 3 hours from Detroit, I am going to "commute" to Lawrence for school.

Heather had her baby! On July 1 Anna Maria was born. A super healthy, adorable and lovable baby has joined the ranks of the Siekierski clan. Peter (the oldest and only boy) seems to be adjusting really well to having 5 sisters. The one that didn't adjust too well was Margaret. Margaret was the youngest for a split second. When I took the kids to meet their new sister Margaret wanted nothing to do with Anna. It took some time, but Margaret has adjusted. Margaret and Lily call Anna dolly, because Anna looks like a doll to them.

Drew has been back and forth with health issues. As I type this, Drew is in the hospital. Drew hasn't had any major hospital stays in a long time. Drew has been in the hospital for 4 days and the doctors still can't figure out what is going on. It would be so beyond wonderful if the doctors could figure out what is wrong with Drew and he and I could live normal lives. Although, at the point, I'm not really sure what normal is. As far as Drew and I have known, normal is pain meds, constant pain, involuntary shaking, sweating, weight gain, loss of appetite, doctors appointment, IVs, tubes, blood draws and a general feeling of shittyness.
I really hope something comes of all this. Drew would love for all this chronic pain and such to go away so he can focus on getting and keeping a job. Wouldn't that be nice?

So, this wasn't much of an update. I don't blog for 2 months and this is all I come up with. I'm telling you, when I'm not in school, I live a pretty boring life. Dig?

What Not To Wear

I went to a fashion conference with my sister over the weekend. The conference was promoted as a modesty conference, I wasn't sure what to expect I was going more for the opportunity to spend a day with my sister. The conference was AWESOME! I had such a great time and I really learned a lot. The idea behind the conference was to teach women to learn about what colors look best on them and how to coordinate outfits to look your best. I learned what colors go with my hair and my skin tone. I found out I'm considered "clear", fortunately for me, that means I can wear A LOT of different colors (lots of bright colors and such). I learned about what cuts look best on me to fit my body type and how to make myself look younger and thinner. I also learned about accessories and purses. How to pick the right size purse that isn't too small or too big and how to coordinate shoes with my outfits.

Don't get thrown off by the conference being a Modesty Conference. It wasn't all about wearing shirts up to here and skirts down to there. It was about how to dress modestly, make yourself feel good and confident when you choose the clothes you do and basically how to avoid looking trampy with clothes that are too tight or plunging or just should not have been manufactured.

I had an awesome time. I am hoping Shari (the woman who spoke at the conference) comes back to Michigan soon. My sister has already talked to some people at church about possibly booking a What Not To Wear conference at her church.

Goodbye Girl

August 2007 Drew and I rescued our dog Harlo. When we got her, there was no way of knowing her history. All we knew was that Harlo had been abused by her previous owners and abandoned. From day one Drew and I were absolutely in love with Harlo. The first week we had her, I was sitting on the couch with Harlo, I went to pet her or something and she snapped at me. Halo had her mouth turned up and her teeth showing. I had never had a dog I owned show so much aggression towards me. Drew and I talked about what happen and decided it was Harlo adjusting to new surroundings. A week later, Harlo barked and snapped at Peter. Drew and I decided that was Harlo protecting us. A few months after that Harlo jumped the fence at our old house and attacked a Beagle walking with it;s owner. Harlo drew blood on this dog and beat it up pretty bad. Drew and I again made up an excuse for Harlos behavior. Last year on Halloween, Laura brought her dog over so we could all hang out and pass out candy. Harlo went nuts and attacked Milo (Laura and Christian's puppy) going right for Milo's neck, breaking the skin and requiring Milo to go on to weeks worth of antibiotics. Drew and I decided that was Harlo protecting us. New Year's Eve, Harlo barked and bit our friends daughter. When Drew and I were in DC we had Harlo boarded. We came home to find out Harlo was no longer allowed at the puppy hotel she stayed at because Harlo bite one of the workers, breaking the skin and requiring the girl to go to the emergency room.

After quite a few incidents and excuses, Drew and I finally reached our breaking point with Harlo. Sunday, just after Drew left for Cleveland, Harlo was at one of the front windows barking at a passing dog. I was trying to get her away from the window by talking to her. I was about to approach Harlo when she turned around barking at me, while lunging forward, snapping and trying to bite me. I was scared. It's not a good feeling when you are scared of your own dog. I called Drew and through lots and lots of tears, Drew and I decided we have to get rid of Harlo. Making that decision was probably one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I have been crying non-stop since the decision was made. I've tried to rationalize not getting rid of her. I asked a friend of mine who does animal rescue what to do, she told me once the animal turns on its master, the situation will only get worse.

I've been so torn. Harlo has been so calm and cute the past day and a half. I am going to miss her so much. Harlo became such a big part of our lives so quickly. Drew would tell me having Harlo home with him when he was sick helped him get through the really tough days and Harlo helped him stay sane.

I'll miss you H.

RIP Harlo Jean Bufalini

Margaret

Saturday night Drew and I went out for dinner with Laura (Drew's sister) and Christian (Laura's boyfriend). After having a relaxing dinner and a few drinks we came home to relax - I was still recovering from working 13 hours on Friday and another 5 hours on Saturday. For some reason I decided to leave my phone at home. I don't usually do that. My phone is just about as important as underwear, it's always on.

We got home from dinner and I checked my phone. I had two voice mails. The first message was from Matt (brother-in-law) telling me that Margaret (my 18 month old niece) had a seizure. Apparently they were all eating dinner and Margaret just had a seizure and stopped breathing. Margaret began to turn blue and Heather called 911. Luckily. Margaret started breathing before the paramedics got to the house, but she was still taken to the hospital.

The good news is, Margaret came home from the hospital that night. Margaret has been sick for a few days and while she was eating dinner, spiked a fever and the spike in body temperature caused Margaret to have a seizure. Thankfully this is rather "normal" in kids. Margaret is going to be fine. Drew and I were so scared when we go the news. I am so glad and thankful Margaret is going to be fine.

The Mistake By The Lake

Last week Tuesday Drew had a job interview in Cleveland, OH. Last week Thursday Drew got offered the job he interviewed for in Cleveland, OH. Last week Friday Drew accepted the job in Cleveland, OH that was offered to him. Last week Saturday Drew started packing his things to move to Cleveland, OH. Yesterday Drew left for his temporary home, The Courtyard Marriott in Cleveland, OH.

Drew and I are officially moving to Cleveland. I am going down there this coming weekend so he and I can look for a place. We are debating about whether we want to rent an apartment or a house. I think we're leaning towards an apartment (bummer). If we rent an apartment we'll save money, but we probably won't have enough space for all our stuff, so we'll probably have to rent a storage unit to hold onto our junk for a year or two.

I am really excited to move. Of course I am going to miss my family and friends up here, but I think the move is going to be good for us. Drew has found a new doctor to go to. Drew's doctor is right at Cleveland Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic is 3 blocks from Drew's office. The new doctor is a non-narcotic doctor, which is awesome! Drew has been wanting to get off the narcotics for a long time.

It's going to be an adjustment when I get down there. I won't be fully moved for a few weeks. I have so much stuff to do up here before I go. It's going to be a crazy few weeks.

So, I Sat On Some Kiddos Last Week

Last Saturday was supposed to be lazy day. It started out lazy until I received a phone call from my sister. Heazy asked me if I could babysit the kids Saturday evening. I thought about it and said why not. A few hours later I packed up my stuff and went to sit on some kiddos.

As I was driving to Heather and Matt's house, I got this crazy idea to take all five of the kids out for dinner. I arrived to the house and announced to Heather and Matt what my plans for the evening were. Both of them looked at me in amazement and told me I'm a daring person for wanting to take all five kids out at once.

The kids were so well behaved, I was amazed!!! I was such a proud Auntie. The kids ate well, didn't fight or scream or anything. I had such a great time with them. I spoiled the kids with dinner and dessert. When we got home, I put the babies to bed and set up the older three for a "sleepover movie night". I had the kids get into their pajamas and bring down a blanket and a pillow and lie down as we watched Sleepy Beauty. Peter, Evelyn and Mya were all alseep with in 45 minutes of the movie starting. It was really cute. A good time was had by all. I love babysitting the kids. They are the best kids in the world!