Hallmark Christmas Party

This past weekend, I took completely off from work to finish Christmas shopping and do my holiday baking. Well, I got the shopping done, but the baking is only half done as we keep thinking of people to give cookies too.... It's fun though and Dave's going to help me with the rest of the cookies this weekend, since, miricle or miracles I wasn't scheduled for this weekend at Hallmark... WAHOO. You can bet I'll be screening phone calls those days.. LOL

On Sunday night we had a party for the Hallmark employees. It was pretty difficult to get to and I'm glad we took Dave's truck with 4x4. Once we finally found the drive way it was a steep, curvey gravel one... Then half way through I started having trouble breathing... later learned they have dogs... nice. So...we get to the truck and realize the drive way is also pretty muddy... great. Anyways, long story, we did make it home, but I wouldn't say it was a great night. A for effort though!

I'm working both jobs the rest of the week though and I'm looking forward to finishing the cookies and getting everything to the post office. That should be a fun time. The post office is like the Leavenworth one rather than the Lansing one... I think Shawn and Erin know what I'm talking about... rude lady at leavenworth....ugh!

Alright, well that's all. Next week is the Christmas party here at work... should be a hoot! :) Is everyone done with shopping???? :)

Willow Tree Nativity

I just wanted to show off my new nativity set. I'm pretty excited about it. I don't have everything as it's all a bit expensive, or atleast for me, so for now, I have the Nativity (Mary & baby with Joe) and the Shepard with all his animals... next is the three wisemen. Dave's going to make a creche for me. So, yeah... I'm pretty excited about it. :)

Hair Cut & Ugly Sweaters

This is a picture of my new hair cut that I promised weeks ago. :) I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. We didn't but that's ok. Next year's gonna rock. Plus I got sick on Thanksgiving so that's never fun.


The local radio station was having a Ugly Sweater contest this week and I thought of this picture I have below of Beth trying on a "lovely" sweater we saw at Halls Department store at Crown Center a few years ago.... Needless to say, I sent it in and won! Wahoo! I won a $50 gift card to the Prime Outlets here. Sweet.

Veterans Day

"Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America , do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 , as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain."


I just wanted to do a post and thank all the Veterans! Freedom isn't Free!

Hallmark & Hair Cuts

I hope everyone had a super Halloween! I worked Halloween night so I didn't get to see any cute kids collecting candy to employ dentists... so, I did enjoy those who posted pictures... :)

Novemeber 1st was an anniversary for Dave & I. Not a wedding anniversary, but a "we've finally been together for a year" anniversary. We've been married for almost 4 years and we've finally made it through the first year! :) We moved into our little home November 1st of last year, so we went out and had Applebees to celebrate. Not because we think Applebee's rocks but because that's where we went our first night here, courtesy of a gift card from the Gullets. Wahoo & Thanks again.

Hallmark is still going well. They keep over scheduling me and while the paychecks are nice, I'm a bit worn... I'm planning on sticking with it through the Christmas season but after that, we'll see.

Sunday night I colored my hair a bit darker and then last night I went and had about 4.5-5 inches cut off my hair! Crazy, but I like it. I'll get a picture of it this weekend and post.

That's about all that's going on! ONLY 2 WEEKS TILL TURKEY DAY! THAT'S crazy... everybody ready?

Oops!

Sorry it's been so long! First, Happy late Birthday to Bethany! :)

Quick run down of what's been happening in Maryland.

Last weekend my friend Connie and I went to Colorfest in Thurmont, MD... just up the road from us. I was told it was a pretty big deal, so I was pretty curious. Oh my goodness, it was HUGE. Insane for such a small town. They know how to do a craft fair! LOL I didn't buy much though, but Connie did have her first ever funnel cake (she just moved here from Germany) and I'm happy to say she really enjoyed it. :)

This weekend I participated in my first 5K walk. It was benefiting the local Susan G. Koman foundation. Two of my coworkers went with me and we had a pretty good time up until the last mile of the walk. That last bit killed me a bit! LOL Then I went home and passed out from exhaustion! :)

Yesterday I had my first "weekend" at Hallmark. We also had a Friends & Family night and that was slightly insane. Great turn out though... but I was on my feet for 9.5 hours.... so between the walk and work yesterday, my legs feel like jelly today.. :)

No plans for this weekend yet. I'm still hoping to go to one of the pumpkin patches around here, so we'll see. This is Dave's last week working mid's so we'll be on the same schedule now... Yeah!

Alright, that's all! :) Hope everyone is having gorgeous weather! Our weather keeps changing. One day it's lovely in the 60's the next day it's in the 80's. I never know what to wear! :)

Uncle Tom & Marianne's Wedding

Well, we had a super time in California. Our flights were on time and everything! We arrived in O.C., Saturday early afternoon. Mom & Dad picked us up from the airport and we checked into our room. Went out for a late lunch/ early dinner and then headed to Newport Beach... The weather was perfect. It was pretty chilly on the beach though, so dang it, I had to get a sweatshirt (Thanks Mom & Dad!) We took lots of pictures of the beach, but here's two of my favorites..

The next day we went to the Ritz Carlton on Laguna for brunch... NICE. We had brunch on the terrace and then went to the terrace over looking the beach..GORGEOUS!

Then drove up the PCH back to Newport, went into a mall, realized it was all designer stuff and left. LOL Went back and got ready for the wedding. The vessel was three stories. The top level is where the ceremony was, middle was a lounge area with couches and a dance floor and the bottom is where we had dinner. It was beautiful and so great to see family.

We stayed on the boat as it cruised the harbor and then went back to the hotel and crashed. Next morning, Monday we all headed back home... :( It was an awesome weekend. If anyone is interested, I have more pretty pictures on my photo album. http://dskozy.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php

Oktoberfest

sucked... LOL

This past weekend, Dave & I joined some friends and went to the Frederick County Oktoberfest... it was pretty lame. And poor Connie. Connie is actually from Germany, she just got her in June, and she was SUPER disappointed. :( Poor thing. I think she was looking forward to a little bit of home.

Amos & Connie came over the next day and we grilled, curtesy of Dave's new grill. The week before Dave & I were at Sam's Club and they had these HUGE stuffed animals that were super duper soft. So, we got it for Evie (Amos & Connie's 18? mth old daughter)to play with at our casa and she LOVED IT! It was too cute. Amos & Connie ended up getting one for her to have at home. She just kept going over to it and snuggling.. :) I should invest in a video camera for these occasions. I don't have cute kids but I know some! LOL I think my phone and or my camera has a video thing though... I should give that a try.

This weekend we're going to California! Wahoo. My uncle is getting married on Sunday evening on a yatch in Newport Beach. Yeah... We're going to feel soooooooooooo poor by the time we get back... :) Anyways. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures to post when we get back.

oh- and Hallmark is going really well. just a quite FYI. :)

Update!

It's been awhile since an actual update. We celebrated Dave's bday last weekend. We had some friends over for The Ham dinner. :) Dave got a big boy grill for his b-day. :) All went well....



We also got some fall decorations for the yard... Farmer John & Gertie! :) Dave was a bit stubborn about letting me put them out before "fall" but I guess he saw some other people had stuff out, so he gave me a green light. They were going to go up today anyhow... HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL EVERYONE!



Next news... I got a second job. I wanted to have some fun money and the Hallmark right by our house was hiring, so I applied and I start tomorrow! yeah! Considering how much I love that dang store, I'm pretty excited about working there and being surrounded with holiday decorations.

Yesterday I went to Dulles Town Center just 40 min south of us in VA. AWESOME! I missed seeing a real mall. I think we'll be going down there a bit more. Leesburg, VA is right there and it's a pretty nice sized town. Something differnt anyway.

Ok, well I think that's all our news.

Kansas City

You know you're from Kansas City when...

...you make sure people know which state your from when explaining you're from KC.

... you think Northtowners drive like crazy.

... you whined through the 90's about Marty ball and now wish he was back so the chiefs could just make the playoffs.

... you know better than to try and drive through "the triangle" at rush hour.

...you've been told that you're going to hell or asked to help a guy put a "down payment on a cheesburger" when walking through the plaza.
... you know to get off the interstate if you're headed into downtown and the traffic report says there's an accident at the Benton curve.

... you know Leawood sucks, even if you live there.

... you've jammed with the Hari Krishnas in front of Barnes and Noble.

...you know what color gunther cunninghams awful glasses are.

... you've had a skyscraper at Windsteads.

... you remember how awesome Ward Parkway Mall used to be, and now complain that you have to go to Town Center

... you've said "but we were in Missouri, so the cops just let us go"

... you very rarely actually go downtown

... you've stumbled through Westport.

... you brag about having the only WWI memorial in the nation, but neglect to tell people it looks like a cock and balls.

... you can't help but giggle when talking about the "massive shuttlecocks" in front of the Nelson.

... you have ever defended dick vermeil for being such a cry baby.

... you've bragged to others how close you live to the Meth capital of the world, but thank God its still far away enough to not make you feel white trash.

... you think Johnson County folks are a bit pretentious (even if you are one).

...you've had Brian Busby come to your school to talk about Weather.

... you've had a Gates BBQ employee scream at you, "May I help you?"

... you've gotten in a fight in gradeschool over the MU/KU allegiance.

... you call cure and/or Nativity "our lady of the lexus".

... Tech N9ne.

... you know who Belly Boy is.

... you've endured the Monkey Lady.

... the term "the Dot" itself has made you laugh.

... you know where the Appleby's house is.

... and George Brett's house.

... you brag you're from the Missouri side.

... you keep the fact that you're from KCK a secret.

... you're driving directions always involve Ward Parkway or State Line.

... Wyandotte County confuses the hell out of you.

... you think that every year is the year the chiefs will win it all.

... you remember when the Detonator and the Mamba were ground-breaking rides.

...you'll only buy a drink at a baseball game if it is advertised by a man yelling "LEEMONADE LEEMONADE LEEMONADE"

...you know the royals suck, but you refuse to let any Cardinals fan forget about the 1985 world series.

... you know that KC has a jazz district down at 18th and Vine, but you've never been there.

... you can't find a steak worthy of your pallette outside of KC.

... you know that if you don't get to Suicide Hill by 8 AM, you're gonna get nothing but dirt.

... you know the name Buck O'Neil needs to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame....NOW.

... you know that Union Station wasn't always so lame.

... you have had some of the best bbq in your life... at a gas station.

... one of your guilty pleasures is Go Chicken Go, despite how disgusting it really is.

... you've eaten a meal that was delivered to you by a model train.

.. regardless if you're from the suburban wannabe KC area, you still tell people from out of town you're from KC; and that's because it sounds so much worse to say you're from Shawnee Mission, Leawood, Overland Park, Liberty, Harrisonville, Belton, Blue Springs, Lee's Summit, Mission Hills, Olathe, Odessa, Longview, Grandview, Raytown, Merriam, Riverside, Kearney, De Soto, Fairway, Gladstone, Excelsior, Leavenworth, Ottawa, Prairie Village, Raymore, Bonner Springs (hahahahaha), Parkville, Tonganoxie, Unity Village, Westwood, Peculiar, Riverside, Independence, Smithville, etc. I mean come on, how lame is that?

... you and your friends have been talking about stealing a 69 South sign for years.

... you are wary of Flush Creek.

... you still call it Sandstone.

... you've played football on the median of Ward Parkway.

... you can tell a "Lin Elliot" joke.

... you think Windsteads craps all over Steak and Shake in Quality and Taste.

... ...you think St. Louis sucks, and HAVE POSTED ALL THE REASONS WHY.

... you've celebrated the turning on of christmas lights with about 100,000 other drunk people... every year.

... you take the back way to Kauffman/Arrowhead by passing by LC's Barbeque.

... you've drank at Loose Park at night.

... you know how to make (and have consumed) a Caribou Lou.

... you went to Knights of Columbus dances.

... you know that fireworks sustain Riverside's economy.

... on nights when you feel like being classy, you drink Boulevard Wheat with a lemon.

... it can take you up to 45 minutes to get to a friends house, without traffic.

... you remember Bob "The Hammer" Hamlin.

... one word: Comets.

... you know who the "Nigerian Nightmare" is.

... you know Manny.

... you set off enough fireworks to blow up China every year on the fourth of July, even though all the news stations remind you "they're cracking down this year."

... you went to Waldo Pizza/Imo's/Uno's before a dance.

... you know the following numbers: 648-8888 and 321-2277 (and can sing the accompanying songs).

... you spent a full day learning how life works at Exchange City.

... you remember running through the crown center fountains as a kid.

... you've stood in line for hours to buy a dual pass for The Edge of Hell and The Beast and complained about how bad the Beast sucked afterwards

... you've been to Kaleidoscope (and still want to go back).

... you like restaurants that "choke thier own chickens"

... when you read names like Arthur Bryants, Gates, Jacks Stack, or Oklahoma Joes you begin to salavate.

... you loved going through that small neighborhood in mission hills with the lights strung across the lake, but lived on a street where one d-bag did the same thing to his front yard in an attempt to be artistic or cool, but just came off looking like a prick because noone else in the neighborhood participated.

... you remember the "rainbow house" that used to be across from Ward Parkway Mall (before they painted it).

... you brag that you're not from the Most Dangerous City in the nation, St. Louis.

... blues and barbeque with picnic tables and fatty budweiser make the perfect date. (that was a BBs reference)

...you know your from Kansas City if you think Gatorade X-Factor was named after Dante Hall

...WHEN GOD LOOKED DOWN ON YOU AND SAID, LET THERE BE PLAYOFFS!

... If you got phone calls from your friends when Kennedy's burned down.

... Bonner Springs... hahahahaha, Bonner.

...you remember when the Watson's girl was hot.

...you randomly and drunkenly start doing the Chief's Indian chant and find yourself leading a choir of bar/partygoers.

Laboratory Day

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful Laboratory Day! We didn't have anything planned, but in a rare occurrence and with the planets aligned "just so" Dave and I got the entire weekend off together. WAHOO. That was pretty exciting.



I had planned on taking Dave to a Nationals game for his birthday, but then realized he was going to be on the mids schedule (nights) on his b-day so Sunday we went to the game to see the Nationals play the Giants. It was muy hot outside and I wasn't "hydrated" so I got a bit of heat exhaustion, but thankfully it was a VERY short game. We rode the Metro down there so it was nice not to have to worry about parking. Then after we got home some friends called and we went bowling. WAhoo. I didn't do to bad. It does get annoying when stupid teenagers next to you don't know bowling etiquette. bah. Oh-well. We had a great time and that's what matters.

Then Monday we had a cookout at some friends and had an overall great time.

We had a great weekend. It was nice to get out and do something together with other people. I still haven't really made any "great" pals here, but I'm working on it.

Now, just back to work. Work is keeping me pretty stinking busy. And then I rush home to see if Netflix has sent me another disc of The O.C. And yes, I'm totally hooked. I seriously didn't expect the show to be funny, but it really is. Good surprise. But, I'm on season four and so by the next time I post, I'll probably have finished the series. Then I can go back to reading books.... :)

O.C.

So, I've been slacking on the blog... my supervisor recently lent me three seasons of The O.C. on dvd. I didn't think I'd like it, but gave it a shot and now I'm addicted. ugh... Thanks alot D.

I have some pictures of Beth's wedding though..



Beth showing off her rock! :)



Beth in her pretty dress



Pretty Rainbow on the ride back to Denver.

I am cursed

So.... the vacation... was NOT a vacation.

The wedding was gorgeous, of course and lovely. After the wedding...it just kept going downhill. I won't bore you with all the details, but I will tell you this....

Saturday, we stayed in downtown Denver and then we had a flight Sunday morning to KC. We HAD a flight. We had rented a car and Sunday morning, I COULD NOT find the keys... I'm still getting sick to my stomach thinking about it. The car rental place doesn't have spare keys, so we had to call a lock smith. Our locksmith was an absolute God send. We couldn't have asked for a nicer guy. He worked with us for a few hours for someone's server was down so he couldn't get authorization... so, he worked it out with the rental place that he would keep working on getting authorization and HE would return the car for us. SO NICE! But, we had missed our flight so I checked with the airlines and everything was booked. ugh. I finally found a flight late Sunday night but the only available tickets were first class. Which by the way, we have no business doing... LOL But we wanted to just get home, so we got it. yeah... the only time we'll ever fly first class and the flight was only an hour and a half long. BAH! Wasn't that special though...

So, my visit home was a bit shorter than expected and I didn't see anyone but a bit of family. So, for those of you that I had made plans to see, I'm so sorry that didn't happen.

But, I'm home now and Jasper Casper is here with me being all kinds of clingy. :) Dave stayed a few extra days to help his dad around the house.

I'm so glad to be back at mi casa though... I don't want to travel for awhile, but I have a family wedding in L.A. in Octobre...so I'm going to start praying for that....NO RENTAL CARS THOUGH! LOL

Leaving on a jet plane....

Well, it's 11:40 pm and Dave & I leave the house at 5 am... YES, DAVE & I. His leave was approved. Yeah! :) I'm not sure if there's any point to trying to go to sleep. Oh well, we'll try.

I'll be in Colorado until Sunday and then we fly to KC. I'll be there until Thursday so send me an email if you want to get together. My evenings are full, so lunch dates and/or brunch dates are up for grabs....'cept Monday. Monday is Mum's birthday. She's going to be the big 2 9. Crazy. ;)

Jasper Casper is sick......

How to give a cat a pill.

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Gently force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans; drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and mild soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door on neck, to leave head showing. Gently force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with an elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Call fire department to retrieve the **** cat from across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie the little monster's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it if necessary. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for SPCA to collect the "mutant cat from hell" and call local pet shop to see if they have any really small hamsters.

HOW TO GIVE A DOG A PILL:

1. Wrap pill in bacon.
2. Toss in the air.


Hope you all laughed at that as much as I did.

We had to take Jasper to the vet last night, he's been getting sick alot lately. They took x-rays and gave him two shots and then some meds for us to give to him. This morning I thought I'd be sneaky and put the pill in his food. He took a few bites of his food, gave me a "look" and walked away. *deep sigh* So, tonight, the fun begins....

It is Finished.....

Well, I had to work overtime on Saturday, so I was unable to stand in line to get the final Harry Potter book on Friday night. So, after work on Saturday I went to Borders and got my very own pre-ordered copy of Harry Potter. *deep sigh* I finished it Sunday afternoon. I spent a few hours reading at the pool on Saturday and most of Sunday. So, I'm pretty stinkin' tan too! Wahoo. It was an excellent ending. I can see why some people would be disappointed, but I rather liked it myself! :)

Today, I am an offical ZC employee. No more temp agency for me! Wahoo. Pretty exciting. And today Dave has his company board. If all goes well, he'll proceed to the "real" promotion board. Which, sadly is scheduled for the 2nd. We leave on the 2nd for Bethany's wedding. So... not sure what will happen there. They're recalled Dave's leave and so we're just waiting to hear. I already purchased all the airline tickets though, so we're prepared for him to go with me! Just pray that it all works out!

I think that's all. I can't believe I leave next Thursday for Beth's wedding. Crazy!

I did finally get a call from Stacy at Maximus. She didn't apoligize, which was annoying, but she did call. So, I sent all the paperwork to her again, via fax and I'm waiting to hear back.... waiting, waiting. ugh.

Other than that, Kozy's are doing well.. just a bit stressed with all the excitment! :)

Maximus can go to H E double hockey sticks

Well, if it's the week after Friday the 13th. Ugh.

Friday afternoon I got a letter from Maximus stating that I owed them over $600. And if I didn't respond within 2 wks they would send me to collections. The letter was dated June 25th and postmarked July 2nd. Mind you, I cancelled my membership with Work Out City over a year ago because I was moving... never heard a thing about it so I figured it was all good. Apparently not true. So, I've been calling trying to get someone to talk to me. But everytime I call the manger is "in a meeting", how convienent. I called Friday afternoon and there was no manager there, left a msg and they told me someone would call me back on Monday. Monday came and went, with no word. Tuesday, I called the corporate office three times and left msg, still nothing. Called the Leavenworth office twice same story. Nobody would return my phone calls and I was really freaking out because I really didn't want to be sent to collections for some misunderstanding...or lack of communication.

So, finally, yesterday afternoon I called my momma. Muahahahaha. She said she would stop by and see if she could find someone to talk to me. So... she stopped in and met ,Stacy, a manager at the Leavenworth facility. Stacy REFUSED to talk to me. My mom was talking to her, had me on the phone & I can hear Stacy saying "I don't have to talk to her and I don't have time." According to Stacy, she's the big boss and nobody is above her. Well, I'd like to call a B.S.! Unless she ownes it, she's got a boss. So, then I hear "Do I need to call the police" and the phone goes dead... WHAT? Who's calling the police on who? Mom called me a few min later and told me that Stacy refuses to tell her who her boss is and then says, "I gotta go" and hangs up.

ONE LONG HOUR LATER... I'm wondering why I haven't heard from my mom. Did she get arrested and she only has one call and it obviously needs to be local? agh!

So, finally she calls me and says "Have I talked to you since the police came?" What a great opening line! LOL So, I say " um, no" Well, apparently they both called the police. LONG STORY short, nobody was arrested (that's obvious now) and we found out that Stacy is a corporate manager and the owner is really her only boss.....STILL, SHE HAS A BOSS. So... my mom said she was going back today to work out just to piss Stacy off. LOL

Mom also said that the convo with stacy had started out fine, and Stacy said she wasn't sending anyone to collections until she looked over the files. And my mom asked her to just call me and tell me that so I wouldn't be so worried... and that's when she started her "No, I don't have to talk to anyone and I don't have time" I'm sorry but if you're a manager, that's kinda your job. Is it not?

So, yeah. That's the deal right now. I sent a complaint to the BBB and now I'm just waiting. Next step, will be a stop by the JAG office.

SO.. I'd like to say once again, "Mom, I'm SO sorry I asked you to go over there. I have NO idea it would create such drama. Thanks for taking care of me and being a great momma though. LOVE YOU!"

Yeah... Stacy is going down!




Mas later.

Well, I heart Harry Potter

.... to go with Melissa's theme. :) I went and saw the new Harry Potter film this week. It was most eggsalent. They left out quite a bit (super long book) so I had to explain some of it the Dave who refuses to read the books. But, I really didn't mind talking to the poor muggle about Harry. ;) Next on our list is Transformers!

We went out to eat last night because Dave had a PT test on Thursday and got his best score yet. WAHOO. He raised his score by a good 20 pts. WAY TO GO DAVE! I'm pretty gosh darn proud of him. He's now studying for the promotion board at the end of the month....right before we leave for vacation. So, that will be nice to have that over with before we leave. Only three weeks till we leave & Beth gets married. :)

Oh, and my SUPERvisor told me that they are aiming for the 23rd as my hire date. So, that is great news.

I think that's about it. I can always come back. :)

Peace out Muggles!

Birthday Desk

I just wanted to show you guys my desk from my birthday. :)

Birthday:

My Birthday was super. I got lots of goodies. My sister in law and her family sent my a cookie bouquet, my #2 parents send my flowers and my momma & pappa got me a shirt, a purse and a cool pen. Not to mention they paid for my birthday dinner. Then Dave got me one of the cool digital photo frames. I've been eyeing them since November I think, when I first saw them. Pretty sweet. Dave woke me up and sang Happy Birthday to me, then at work, my co-workers decorated my desk. After work Dave took me to Bonefish Grill. Super Yummy. Splendid day! :)


Yard: So, last post, I told you about how we got an award for our yard? Well, a few days later, they posted a sign in our yard that says "Yard of the month" That's a big "HAHA SUCKERS!" to our poor neighbors who spent time & money on theirs... sorry! I do feel bad, but it's just funny!





Fourth of July: was ok. Didn't get to see any fireworks because Fort Detrick sucks. Had about 8 people over. The party was good. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, maybe even too much???? But, we had TONS of food left over, which is always better than not enough food. The fort didn't have any fireworks. How's that for being patriotic? I'm not gonna say I hate Fort Detrick... I am vexed though.... terribly vexed.


Harry Potter: Merlin's Beard! It's almost here! The movie and the last book. *deep sigh*

Last note... Hallmark is unveiling their Christmas ornaments this coming weekend. Everybody excited? No? Hmmm....Well, I am.

This is Jasper Casper taking a moment from his ever busy day, so stop and smell the roses.

28!

I don't think I like being 28. Seems awfully close to 30. Hmmm. I'll give it a few days. Try it out.

Funny little story. We got a call from GMH (housing) the other day telling us we had won an award for our yard. Mind you, we do nothing to it. I weeded out the flower bed three months ago, but all that's there is some plants that the previous owners put in. So.. needless to say we were suprised. I meant to take a picture of the yard before I posted, but I'll take one soon. Anyways, the GMH ladies came over Friday asked about the flowers (we have no idea what kind they are) and gave Dave a nice little certificate and a gift card for Home Depot. We found it amusing, but also felt a bit bad for our neighbor who HAD spent a considerable about of money on their flowers. doh! Maybe they'll get it next time.

Dave & I are hosting a party on the 4th. Looking forward to that. Hope we all have a good time and don't bother our neighbors too much. I'm pretty sure they just had their baby this weekend. She was due anytime and they've been gone for a few days. Very exciting. Now we're waiting to hear from Heather Joy about the arrival of Reven! :)

More later!

Visitors

This past weekend, my momma & David's momma came to visit us, leaving the Dad's all alone on Father's Day. Not actually part of the original plan, but that's how it worked. :) We were going to take them to the famous Ocean City, MD. However, I was informed at work that it was senior week there so there would be a bunch of drunk, obnoxious kiddos. No bueno. So, we looked at the map and about 10 miles north of OC is Bethany Beach. So... in honor of Beth, we travel there. Good time. The bay bridge was beautiful & scary! :) I believe it's about 14 miles long. Mom is the only one who had her camera, so we'll have to wait for some pictures. But we did take some at the beach. It was a pretty nice beach. The water was super cold but after a few min your skin goes numb and you start to have fun. :D Looking forward to another trip soon. Next time we'll go to OC and then if it's too crowded drive up to Bethany and relax. Dave is excited to get a boogey board next time. Have some real fun.

Other than that, not much going on. Just working, working, working. So much fun. :D

I heart ragweed

....or whatever the heck is causing such misery in my life... :) I've completely given up on eye make up. Fun times.

I just finished reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Excellent book. I don't agree with everything but it was very thought provoking and surprisingly funny. Pick it up or send me a line and I'll send it out.
Right now I'm reading Wicked. Not a kids book, like Wizard of Oz! :)

Work is going very well. I started the paper work to be an actual real employee this week. WAhoo. Apparently it takes several weeks due to background checks but then I'll have to take a drug test (cross your fingers! LOL). Perhaps real employment will be my Happy Birthday present.

Dave is working nights for another month, but his schedule recently improved so he has Saturday's off.

Jasper Casper is doing well. :) All is well with the Kozels...no flying animals...

Public Service Annoucement

Well, I just found out that when I went and saw Pirates the other night I should have stayed to watch the scene AFTER the credits roled. So, if you haven't seen it yet, there you have it. STAY TUNED.

I know it's gotten some bad reviews, but I thought it was good. Not the best movie ever, but really. It's got Orlando Bloom! :) Legolas if you will. That's reason enough for me!

Flying Circus

Alright, well I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the bat story. Last Friday I have another "visitor". :)

I heard a buzzing coming from the kitchen, and assumed it was a fly. However, a huge hornet coming at me soon proved me wrong. Luckily it lost interest in me and went to look at our DVD collection. I got a brilliant idea to suck it up with a vacuum. And sure enough, I got the nozzle right up to it, and sucked it up. Wahoo. I then called Beth, and she assured me that if the suction didn't kill the beast, then it would starve to death in the bag. Super Duper! Only, about 15 min later I saw that dang hornet on the floor about 5 inches from the vacuum. AGH! I looked around and saw all of those "riveting" computer books Dave likes. So I grabbed one and threw down of the monster and smote him. muahahahahahaha!

It's not over. More adventure awaits me on Saturday.

The next day, I was unloading groceries from the car. I took my purse inside and closed the door behind me just a bit so it wouldn't lock but enough to not let anything in. And as I'm walking out to the car, I think to myself "this is stupid, I'm going to close the door on myself." SURE ENOUGH! I was walking out for the last load and closed the door right behind me. *smacks forehead*
Now Dave was home, but he was passed out asleep. He's working mids now, so we're on completely different schedules. Now, I could have gone to a neighbor's house and called Dave, but alas, the good wife that I am, I turned the ringer off on the phone so it wouldn't wake him. I rang the door bell a few times, but no luck. I walked around the house, trying figure something out and I realized that our windows were open. I couldn't get the screen off though, but I remembered that Dave bought me a road side emergency kit for me so I went to the car and looked in there. I found a flat head and popped the screen off and climbed in.

And thus, my exciting weekend.

Nothing has happened this weekend. I'm keeping my guard up though! :)

it's a bird, it's a plane, its a WHAT?

Fun story... well, not for me, not yet anyways.

Friday night I was sitting at home solo (Dave was at work) and I heard a noise come from the stairs. It sounded like Jasper had fallen down the stairs, so I got up to check it out. Well, I look up the stairs, and Jasper is jumping up at something, and I just see a little flash of whatever it is, so I start to walk up the stairs, and then I see it. A bird. And I think what the heck, followed by "how the heck to a bird get into the house?" So, I open up the front door (the stairs are right by the front door) hoping the bird will find it's way out. I'm not exactly sure what happened next, but the bird ended up on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. So, I look at it, and it's not a bird. NOPE. It's a BAT! I kid you not. I obviously immediately went into freaked out mode. It was small, but still a bat. And it wasn't moving. I had absolutely NO idea what to do. So, until I could come up with something I ran to the kitchen, got a plastic cover to put over it. I didn't want that thing flying around the house. So, I covered it and then just stood there looking at it.

At this point, I called Dave at work, just to talk to someone and hopefully calm myself down. He was able to find some humor in it. good for him. so, he asked me if I needed him to come home, and I said, "no, I can scoot it outside, but I'll need to you finish getting rid of it when you get home in the morning." And while I'm talking to him I'm slowly scooting the plastic cover towards the door.

I get off the phone with Dave and still VERY slowly am scooting the cover... then... it comes back to life! aghhhhhh! I needed to put something on top of the cover, so I found a heavy bible close by (this also served as protection in case it was a vampire) :D

Then I called Dave back and asked him if he could come home. I was really almost in tears at this point... I don't like rodents. They freak me out. And I realized, I know nothing about bats... How many deaths in the US are caused by bat attacks? Would garlic kill it? :) So, yeah. Dave heads home and while he's on his way, I'm just staring at this poor bat trying to get out from the cover.

Anyways, Dave comes home and saves the day! Yeah. One of those moments when I'm so glad we live on post. We figured out (we think) how the bat got in. We have a smoke detector that the cover is currently off, and we're thinking it came through that way. So, yeah. That's my horrible story. I'm still a little freaked out by it. And it's not like you can spray for bats.... or can you? Hmm.

I'll just make a very fashionable garlic necklace, and bracelet, and earrings.... and ring... and .....

Ball Game

We forgot the camera in the car, but this is the snap shot I took at the baseball game last weekend, with my phone.

We had a good time but it was pretty super toasty. But, Baltimore won! Good times. :)

Other than that, not much to report. Next week is another casual week at work... I love this job! LOL We have a casual week the first week of every month and then apparently a few other times during the year. We're having another casual week later in May, I have no idea what for, but I'm not going to bother management with questions, I'll just do as I'm told.... :D

Dave starts working nights this week. Oh, the joy!

Ok, well that's all.

Kozy Out!

Spring is coming... I'm sure... some day

WELL Hello! I certainly didn't mean to wait so long to post again, and even as I type this, I really should be getting to bed. oh-well.

Update:
Didn't do much for Easter. Just church, then came home and had "The Ham". It's a special ham that is a bit expensive, so it's not made much. Dave & I got Easter baskets for eachother filled with candy that I took into work today to get rid of.
Other than that, not alot going on. The weather has been super miserably cold, but it warmed up today. It's supposed to be sunny and almost 70 for the baseball game on Sunday, so we hope that actually happens!

I've been going to the post PWOC bible study since Dec, and tonight they asked me if I'd be interested in leading from here on out. So, I'll be praying about that, but I think I'm up for it.

Work is still going well for me. Dave is getting ready to go back to working mid shift next month for May & June... BOOOOOOOOO! There's quite a bit of frustration on our part regarding that, but what are you going to do. It's the Army, there's no discussion. ....whatever.

Ok, well that's the update. Happy Hump Day Everyone!

Opening Day

Yeah for the Royals! Way to start the season...

Watching the game made Dave & I a little home sick though. So, to cheer us up, I got online and got us tickets to an Orioles game later this month. Wahoo. One more stadium down...

For those of you who don't know, Dave wants to go to a game at every baseball stadium... I made him a scrapbook for Christmas and every team has a page, so we can just add a picture and our ticket stubs. Fun stuff.

Ok, so I think that's about it. Happy April.

It's almost Easter, anyone have any big plans?

Happy Friday

Well, I still don't know if the new job is going to take me permanetly, but I am, getting my own desk on Monday. Pretty super excited about that. I've been using some ladies desk while she's out and it's super cluttered. So... yeah! it's the small things.

If anyone is in or around DeSoto, check out the Bleu Tomato! it's on 33080B W 83RD ST. My aunt's two sisters just opened it up. Check it out.

Ok, that's all I've got for today.

Happy Day Before ST. Patty's Day

ANd..... Happy birthday to Grandmother!

We're celebrating St. Patty's Day today at work, so I've got my green on. Also we're having a shamrock decorating contest. I'll have to take a pic of mine and show it later. I don't know if it will win, but I think it's pretty super. Esp since Dave helped. :)

No Friday Five today, I ran out of time. Maybe later today, but not now.

Friday Five

1. What was your favorite childhood toy? play money! LOL Probably my dolls.
2. Have you always had the same favorite color? It was purple when I was younger, but now, more green. but they compliment eachother so well.... *see wedding colors* :)
3. Did you want brothers or sisters? I did want a younger sister, but now, I'm glad I didn't.
4. Did you have a book that you read over & over as a child? My favorite book, was The Best Loved Doll.
5. How many kids do you want? Four, but I'll probably have to settle for two... :)

Happy Anniversary

Dave & I celebrated our 3rd year anniversary yesterday. It was our first one together. WAHOO. I had to work, but Dave brought me lunch and then after work, we went to our new favorite place, Bone Fish Grill. Super yummy. Dave got me a product red Ipod, that I've been having so much fun playing with and of course he got the truck. So, we're both pretty happy. :)

We had a good time going to Belvoir this past weekend, although it was a bit depressing, going to a real post. It was just a reminder of how puny ours is. Oh-well. No pictures though. Sorry.

We got some more snow today. So while the rest of you are enjoying the "spring" temps, we're freezing. It was 18 this morning when I left for work. Such a loverly day.

Work is going well. I was complimented today by the boss, that's always nice. There is a perm position opening, but I don't know what the situation there is. From what I know, they would like to hire me, but ... I don't know what the but is, I just know there is one, atleast appears to be one. So... who knows. We shall see. I'll obviously keep this updated and let you know.

I'll be doing the Friday Five again this week, so come back then, and if you have a blog, feel free to participate!

Friday Five

1. plans for the weekend? Going to Fort Belvoir. I'm very eager to go to a real commissary.

2. wearing to work today? It's casual Friday, so I'm wearing my supergirl t-shirt. I WILL save the day.

3. Worst moment of the week. That would be Monday morning. For about an hour EVERYTHING went wrong. It was one of those "why did I even get out of bed" days.

4. Best moment? Today at Four! :) Yesterday i got my anniversary present from David! WAHOO. He got me a product red ipod. SWEET.

5. Looking forward too..... taking the truck out for a trip this weekend. We finally got tags & decal this week, so it's going on a road trip. Even if it is only to Belvoir.


*Friday Five is not an original Swish idea, but the questions were carefully considered. Feel free to copy questions onto your blog and answer for yourself. IT'S THE FRIDAY FIVE! :)

First Week done...

Well, last week was my first week at the new job. I work for ZC Sterling. I thought it was Wells Fargo, but the building is owned by Wells Fargo, and well, so is the company. But, I don't work directly for Wells. Anyways. I pretty much do property tax profiles for the loans at Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo outsources their servicing to us. That's doesn't make any sense to some of you and that's ok. :)
I'm enjoying the work though, and everyone seems pretty nice. Mom & Dad come up for the weekend. Didn't do any sightseeing though. It was too cold with highs in the 20's. We still have the snow we got almost a week ago. It's supposed to warm up this week, so hopefully that will improve.

Ok, well just wanted to give an update about the job. Hope everyone is doing super and had a loverly Valentines Day!

Dave's New Truck

Well, we had to get a second vehicle, since I'll be a working woman now. And so... Dave got a truck! He's very excited to have his Ford Truck.

We had a good time getting dressed up last night for the Banquet, all went well. I'll have a busy weekend, cleaning before I go to work on Monday. Mom and Dad are coming on Friday for a short visit over the weekend. WAHOO!

Operations Processor Anyone?

Well, eggsalent! I have a job. I start next Monday. It's not the job that I had the interview for, it actually a better job. SWEET. I will be working for Wells Fargo Mortgage. Pretty excited. yeah..... It's so much nicer to be relaxed and not stressed about finding a job. Although, I did lose about two pounds the last few days. So, should be another good weigh in this weekend at WW... LOL
Not really. i'm going to celebrate with pizza tonight. WAHOO.

That's all I've got. Tomorrow Dave & I are going to a Valentines Banquet, he is VERY excited.... *eyeroll* But I am.

out!

Job

So, I have a job interview tomorrow. Yeah! I hope this goes well. It would be nice to have some extra moola. I never did post pictures of the visits from Beth or Rachel but I did put them on my photoblog, so go take a gander there, if interested.

I joined Weight Watchers at the end of January. I lost about 5 lbs my first week, well see if that continues. I'm sure it won't, but wouldn't that be great.

Ok, well not too much to report other than the above. Just hanging out looking for jobs. It did finally get cold here. I think the high today was about 25. In the morning it was 5. Brrrrr.

It's snowing!!!!!

So, I have good pictures from Rachel's & Beth's visits, but I just wanted to share this moment. It is actually snowing in Maryland. WAHOO. It's not supposed to amount to much, but it's still pretty. Ok. That's all. Just wanted to share.