Did you miss me?

Hello My Lovelies..

Did you miss me? I sure did miss being on the blog. It has been so crazy!

First, I started work on November 30th. First week was okay. It was training. Then second week and on, it has been crazy. I had a few episodes of "I want to quit this job. It's not worth the stress." Ya de ya da. I hate talking about work so I won't anymore.

And then we got a new puppy on Christmas day. It's Brandon's little brother. His name is Brownie. We got him from my brother and sister in law. We weren't looking for a new dog. We were hoping to enjoy one daughter and one son for another few years until we get another dog. But on Christmas day, my brother insisted on taking Brownie home. There is a whole history behind Brownie. My brother and sister in law are really not responsible when it comes to pets. We got Brandon initially from them as well. They kept Brandon for a little bit and said that they can't take care of him anymore because he was too big for them. Why they decided to take Brownie (who supposedly had the same mom and dad) when their friend offered him is beyond me. You think they'd be smart enough to realize that Brownie will be big as Brandon when he gets older. Well, appearantly, they weren't that smart..cuz they took Brownie. And then, they kept Brownie outside. Their garage is full of items and they weren't letting him in the house either. So, he only had the little pathway (from the front gate to get to their house). Poor kid. Mind you, my niece and nephew are allergic to dogs and cats. So, seriously, why they decide to get a dog is beyond me. Brownie was their fourth dog -- I wonder why they are so eager to have something they are not supposed to have?

We spent New Year's Eve with my friends at the Carnelian room in SF. The view was fantastic! We had a great time. That night, we went to sleep at 3 a.m. but of course, we paid the price the next day when we couldn't get up at all. ha ha.

We lost Ben of Ben and Jerry a few days ago. Ben and Jerry are our goldfishes that we had since we moved to Sunset almost 3 years agao. Mr. JellyBelly flushed him down the toilet.

We got a new car in December. A prius. So far so good. I needed that car to drive to San Jose so that we are not filling up at the gas station every 2-3 days. I fill up about 3 times in two weeks. I think it's pretty good.

And I think the above mentioned are all that have been going on in my life. Nothing else is that exciting.

Over the past two years....

I've been very thankful for everything that has happened to us in the past two years... Mr. JB and I had a talk the other day and we are thankful and count our blessings......

Things that have happened to us in the past two years....

*** Mr. JB was hired in January of 2007 and has been promoted several times since then. And he LOVES his job.

*** Mr. JB and I got engaged in June of 2007.

*** I was accepted into the nursing program and started the program in August of 2007.

*** We got Brandon, our little prince, in December of 2007.

*** We got Skittles, our little princess, in September of 2008.

*** I finished school and graduated in May of 2009.

*** I passed my boards in July of 2009.

*** Mr. JB and I got married in August of 2009.

*** Mr. JB and I were able to go to Australia in August/September of 2009.

*** I was able to go to Burma with my mom in October/November of 2009.

*** I got a job offer in November of 2009.

But of course, nothing is ever THAT good.

***** I lost my youngest uncle from my mom's side in September of 2007 to Lung Cancer at the age of 49. (Don't smoke!!)

***** And my Princess Bash passed away in November of 2009 at the age of 15.

***** I am dealing with health issues since August of 2009 and still dealing with them as of this month...

Even though there are some bad stuff that happened, we are still thankful for everything that has happened to us in the past few years. We have been very blessed...

Whoo hoo....I got an offer!!

Whoo hoo!! I got a job offer. The job offer came Thursday night but I was shocked with how much they offered me. So, I told the job recruiter that I had to talk to my dear husband and my dad. I texted my parents and my sister and asked them for their opinion. I talked to the recruiter again on Friday and she offered a "retention bonus" which is to be paid out over a year. And Friday afternoon, I accepted offer.

Back in the days when I was in school, I was looking forward to working for several reasons:

1. I will be making at least $35-42/hr
2. I won't be driving as much anymore
3. I can wear scrubs and not have to worry about looking "dressed up" (Matching scrub top and pants are WAY easier than wearing "normal" clothes

But of course, none of the reasons I mentioned are going to happen. The base salary is low (lower than what I was expecting) and I have to drive an hour each way to get to the job. AND I have to dress up in regular normal clothing.

And you know what's really funny? My mom texted me and told me that I need to dress nice. ha ha. Usually, I dress like a bum. (Okay, not a bum. Just want to look comfortable.) I am no fashionista. But my mom telling me makes me think that she thinks I dress like a bum too. ha ha. Oh how I love my mommy.

I am now in need of getting my finger print and a physical done. Hopefully, I'll start before end of the year....

I miss my Princess

The feeling I have now is the feeling I had when we lost Michelle in 2000. (Michelle was our family's first dog.) But this time, it's a bit different because I still have Brandon and Skittles and the house is not completely quiet like it was when we lost Michelle...

This may sounds weird but I miss cleaning up Bashee's pee and poo....and I also miss hearing her tags hitting each other as she walks in the hallway in the middle of the night. I miss her stinkiness too...

You know what else? The fact that I know Bash will die soon since she was getting a bit older.... and I've been trying to prepare myself since she was 10 years old. Someone had told my mommy that her Shih Tzu died when the doggie was 12. So, I tried to prepare myself. BUT you can never be really prepared. Somehow, I had hoped for her to make it to 16 years old and hoped that she was going to last a little longer. But her dying so suddenly threw me off guard. And her dying while I was away made it even more harder. But somehow, I think she knew it was the best. If she had died in front of me, I would be thinking about the process over and over again, wondering what I could've done to prevent it.

And also, cuz she wasn't really sick, I felt like it was too sudden. Maybe I just didn't notice? I took her for a physical exam back in July, before we left for Hawaii. They said she was healthy for her age. And for her to die the way she did, it made me wonder if I neglected her and not realized the subtle changes with her. But Mr. JB said the night before she passed, everything was normal. She got up to eat and walked around in the hallway. She peed and pooed in the middle of the night too. So, I don't know. I wonder if she suffered in anyway....although superficially, she sounded like she didn't. Makes me wonder what the cause of her death was....

The house is quiet at 3 in the morning, when my Princess usually wakes up to pee in her crate. I don't hear sound of her stepping on the pee pads and I sure don't hear her growling either. Oh how I long to hear her paws on the plastic and to smell her stinky ears. I miss her very much.

Princess Bashee: November 8, 1993 - November 4, 2009

My Princess Bashee passed away yesterday morning (November 4th) in her sleep. I am sadden by the news, especially because I came back from Burma yesterday night and wasn't able to see her before she passed away. I am glad she passed away in her sleep and that she did not suffer. I am also glad that she died on her own terms, instead of making us decide for her.

It has been a while since I lost my first pet Michelle in March of 2000. I remember feeling like crap and crying my eyeballs out. And this time is no better. I have been crying my eyes out since I found out the news yesterday night from Mr. JB. I know that my little princess had a good life. She was always so sweet and so mellow and sometimes, very spunky.

I feel at a lost because even though she was an older dog, I somehow thought she was going to last a few more years. I also didn't notice anything different about her before I went on my trip. She was eating/drinking fine and looked the same as always. She just seemed a little slower during our normal walks but other than that, she was the same Bashee I have known for the past 10 years. As she got older, she was losing her eyesight and her hearing. And lately, she had a hard time making it to the pee pads. But what else can you expect from a 15 years old dog, right?

According to Mr. JB, he said everything was normal the night before. She ate, walked around a bit in the hallway, and went to sleep. She got up to use the potty during the night. And when he got up in the morning to take her out to use the backyard, that's when he noticed how she was "different". He tried to wake her up but she was a bit stiff already. He cleaned her up and saved her body for me so that I can say my goodbye.

I will miss her very much. I will miss her growling, especially when she thinks no one is there for her. I will miss her trying to run away from me when I try to give her a hair cut. I will miss giving her a bath. I will miss walking her. I will miss feeding her. And I will miss cleaning up after her poop and pee. I will also miss her stinkiness. Most of all, I will just miss her being her.

What's great about being married...?

9 years ago today, Mr. JB and I made our relationship official. Sigh. How time flies. We went on our first date in June of 2000 and never dated anyone else while we were seeing each other. BUT Mr. JB thought it was better to make it official and asked me to be his lady. I accepted! And the rest...well, you know. =)

Anyhoo, you know what's great about being married? To be able to call your honey "HUSBAND"/"WIFE" and feel giddy still. To be able to tell everyone in the world, "yes, that's my husband/wife."

Mr. JB and I hang out with my sister and my BIL this weekend. And then we went to go look at two places with them in San Mateo. We saw a cute little townhouse which was nicely set up. And Mr. JB was looking around with my sister and BIL while I stayed with my niece who was sleeping in the car. Then, my sister came into the car and told me to go take a look. As I was walking up the stairs, I hear Mr. JB talking to a realtor. And then he turned around and said, "oh, there's my wife" with all the giddiness. Later, he told me that he liked being able to call me his wifey. How cute. =)

And today, I walked my little boy Bran near Safeway and we saw the guy who helps out at St. Anthony. We see him often and he always say hello. But because I haven't been walking Bran near our neighborhood, it was the first time I saw that gentleman in a long while. He was trying to tell me that he has been seeing Mr. JB around with Bran and not me. And he said, "oh, I've been seeing your ... uh, your boyfriend?" I said, "husband" and of course, I also felt giddy. hee hee.

Okay..that's it for now cuz I gotta go look for jobs.

Holy Moly: 2 months already?

WOWW...I can't believe it. Mr. JB and I have been married for two months already. Boy how time flies.

I've been trying to become a "housewife" by making meals for Mr. Okay, I felt really bad since I did not cook for a whole month. So, now, I'm trying to catch up. I've been trying different recipes -- two of the latest being chili and wet burritos. =) And of course, since my brother in law works so close by, I also tell him to come by to taste my food. hee hee. I haven't been a housewife for that long. But I'm trying. I also rearranged our TV room, vaccumed like no other, etc... And of course, taking care of our kids and try to earn money whenever I can. I did two flu shot clinics already, then notarized someone and also pet sat our neighbor's dog. Hopefully, I'll have something more permanent soon.

Off I go to find something to make for tonight's dinner.