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Monday, June 29, 2009

I said goodbye to 23 and hello to 24. Before you ask... it doesn't feel any different. ;-)

This weekend started out horrible... I mean, I don't know how I was strong enough not to break down into tears and try to crawl away horrible. Maybe because I was lucky enough to reconnect with a friend that I needed a little more than a week ago.
Friday was the funeral. Forever I will always have the sharp, clear image of a mother grieving her oldest son.. and I pray to God with all my heart that that image will never be my future. My grandmother (step-family) has been very strong and not shed a tear in front of us since we saw her for the first time in over 10 years over a week ago, and she tried to be strong at the funeral, but ended up breaking down.

I have to be honest.... part of me didn't want to go to the funeral.. and part of me at the funeral felt a very strong urge to open that casket and look inside. But anyway, back to my grandmother. When it was time to put a rose on the casket my grandmother was the first one. She went up to it and kissed it and then sprawl her upperbody on top of it and started whispering to it. I heard her sobbing and my grandfather started to sob and then I started to cry. This immense pain came over me for them. Losing your child has to be the hardest thing I've ever seen, and the worse part for me is that I felt like I could feel their pain.
AJ was very good at the funeral.. only started to whine at the very end.
Then my day got worse... it was hot and AJ was running all over the place. We decided that it was time to leave and as I was saying goodbye I noticed that my brothers had forgotten to watch AJ for me. I turned around and my heart stopped... I couldn't see AJ.. and then when I did he was a step away from the street. That was sooo scary.
Then on the way home, it started to pour. Bryan's car broke down... we were able to make it to a rest stop... it was pouring and I got soaked running back and forth between the cars, restroom, and covered bench. AJ woke up very cranky from being in a car for a lot of the day.
Laura came to pick me up, but in the end it was too late to make it to my job interview, and even though I called them and sent Heather over there.. they won't be calling me back.
I went to a "birthday dinner" as we made our way home.. and I guess I misunderstood because I ended up having to pay for myself and AJ... and in the end she had forgotten her debit card so I had to pay for everyone with my bill money.
Everything just didn't go the way that I wanted them too... horrible horrible day....

Saturday I didn't do much, but Heather took me out for a birthday lunch that I didn't have to pay for, and it was a lot of fun.

Yesterday... I spent most of the day with Heather and Thomas. We went to the pool and AJ and I got a little burnt. Heather and I played scrabble... she won by 3 points. We went grocery shopping, and then sat and talked for awhile. I had a very good day that day... more fun than I've had in awhile.

So.. that brings me to today. Not much planned. I have to clean and that's about it.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Not much has really been going on besides the death of my stepfather. His funeral is on Friday, and everything about it is starting to annoy me. First, that my mother chose her pastor when I think it is completely inappropriate. Second, that she wants me to help write "nice things" about a man that I haven't known in over ten years and can barely remember when he and our family was happy. Yes, I know that this post sounds a lot different from the last one, but my emotions have flipped I think.
I don't hate him anymore, but honestly my memories of him are not great. Memories that are good.. I can't even say if they are truely memories or stories that I've been told. Not even my mother can think of anything... she called to ask if I was baptised with him. Um... no, lol.
I don't really know how I feel anymore. I know that I feel bad that some people die unnoticed. I feel bad that he died wrapped up in his alcoholism and alone. I feel bad for his family who either tried their hardest to help him or didn't even get to know him at all. I hope that he didn't die in pain, and I know that where he is is much better for him than he could ever have here on earth. I just can't say anything nice about him, and it makes me feel bad.
Another thing is that I got another job interview for a movie store. The interview is right after the funeral. Well, not right after but with driving back and if my grandparents want to eat.. we might have a hard time getting back in time. I did tell the person that I'm interviewing with what I'm going to do, so I hope that she understands if I'm a little late, but I doubt she will... and that will be just another thing to hold against him.
Anyway.. my blog has gone from happy to angsty and I'm sorry about that... maybe soon it will go back to normal...

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Normal???

In an effort to somewhat normalize (if that isn't a word.. it is now lol) my life and AJ's life, I set an alarm clock this morning. Not early, but to make sure that I got up when it was still morning. I took my temp so that I can get my charting down again. I've started to temp again last week and only missed one day.. the day that I woke up to my mother telling me about my stepfather. So, I'm hoping to continue with my chart so that if my period is starting to come back to normal, in acouple of months my charts will be able to tell me when I'm most likely to ovulate so that Aaron and I won't become one of those couples that is constantly trying to have a baby and sex isn't fun anymore.
AJ woke up around the same time I did and I made him breakfast and then I took a shower and got dressed. It is my hope that even if I don't find a job for the summer that AJ and I will be able to form a routine that has him going to bed at a reasonable time and both of us wake up at a reasonable time, and also so that I'll have the energy to get up and clean the house and to start exercising again.
This is very important to me because I've found that I've started to go crazy and I can't even remember what day it is anymore.
Waking up this morning and taking a shower right away and getting dressed has definitely made me feel more awake and ready to start my day. It was not unusual for me to stay in my pajamas for most of the day and I wouldn't get dressed until I had to take Aaron to work... sometimes I didn't even get dressed for that. So, my hope is that starting this morning routine will help normalize our lives. After my morning routine is down, I'll start an afternoon routine. I'm hoping that by the end of the month AJ is back on his schedule and my house will be somewhat clean and organized.
I started a new project as well. Last night by big project was to get the laundry done.. or at least in a managable state. Heather and I had a "laundry party". Really all it was, was both of us doing laundry at our own houses and we each knew it lol. But, I had to go to Walmart last night to get a few things and I decided since I stuck with it, I would reward myself. So, I found a pattern for a blanket that I thought was really pretty and I have the perfect person and reason to give that blanket away when it is done. This tends to be my problem and why I haven't been as crafty as I normally am. I don't want to make something if I can't figure out who to give it to or if it won't go well in my own house. So, when I look through patterns and things like that I think about people who might like it, and I found something that would work... I found the perfect color of yarn... and I started it last night. That really is all the detail I'll give for now, and as time goes by I'll probably take some pictures of it and post it. Then when I'm done I'll make a post about who it is for and what the special occasion is.
I like doing projects and incorporating them into my cleaning schedule. It's sort of a little game that I play. I'll clean for a set about of time or do a set amount of tasks and then I'll work on another part of my project. So, I hope that this will also help me with my cleaning.

Well.. sitting here typing out my blog isn't exactly cleaning I guess ;-) I have to get some of that done before AJ's WIC appointment this afternoon. We also might be traveling to Gainesville this evening but it isn't for sure just yet. Tata

Sunday, June 21, 2009

I took the trip to visit my grandparents today. I took AJ, Bryan, Robert, and Jonathan with me. I wish that Michael would have been able to go but there was no room left in the car.

I saw my stepfather's house, the place where he was found, the place that he went to everyday to make sure he was ok, where he went shopping, and we even met his "roommate" who Bryan was going to beat up... and we were finally able to get him to leave. Apparently, he wasn't a room mate but just a leech that was taking advantage of him and helping him find ways to drink.

We spent a good portion of the afternoon listening to my grandparents telling us about his life from the moment we left up until the moment that he was found. I'm not sure what I put in my other post, but my mother misunderstood some of the information. Apparently, he went missing last Thursday and was found on Monday. They have known all week, but were waiting to tell us because they wanted to tell us what killed him. They were unable to tell us though because toxicology reports can sometimes take months.

I do have to say that I did come back tonight feeling better than when I left this morning. I know that he saw the pictures of AJ. We aren't sure if he ever did get to watch my wedding video. Apparently, he was very adamant about not watching it until he was able to get the sound working so that he could hear everything that I was saying. I do wish that I would have been able to tell him that the sound isn't going to work but the video sucks.. but hopefully.. he gave in and watched it. I don't know though, and I am at peace with him seeing just the pictures.

It was nice to spend time with my grandparents and talk to them. Really it was like ten years hadn't just passed and they saw us just yesterday. It was really nice though! I'm thankful that I was able to follow through with my decision to go see them on such short notice. I hope that when it comes time for the funeral the rest of his family won't hold grudges.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Yesterday, through out the day I was plagued with thoughts of my stepfather. Things that he had done that he shouldn't have. Memories of his alcoholism... and of times when we were happy. I kept thinking to myself, why am I thinking about him? What brought it on? I was actually going to call my mom and talk to her, but I wasn't feeling well and decided to take a nap instead.


Now... I don't know the reasoning behind my thoughts yesterday. But, today, my mother called to give me news about him. I didn't know it was coming either.

My stepfather went missing on Thursday, he's done this before, but no one tells us because we aren't in contact with him. Apparently, he hadn't gotten a hold of his alcoholism. He was still doing things like drinking mouthwash and getting other people to buy alcohol for him. On Thursday, he told his roommate that he was going for a walk, which wasn't out of the ordinary for him. He didn't return, which was. They found him yesterday, close to his house, in a bush. They've done an autopsy but that won't be back for a little while. What they think happened is that he was drinking, went for a walk... maybe went for a walk to drink but I believe his roommate knew he wasn't suppose to drink... He may have gotten sleepy and laid down in the bush to sleep, where he passed away.

Some people would say good riddance because of the things in his past. I don't feel that way. I feel horrible. This man that I called my daddy for a long time died a lone in a bush. His alcoholism was so bad that help from other people didn't work. I wish that he were able to have kicked that habit... that I would have been more open to talking to him. I harbored resentment for a long time. I should have let that go, and let him see his grandson. He never asked though, and I pray to God that he got those pictures that I sent to him just a few weeks ago. My heart and mind need to know that he saw those pictures, but I'm afraid to call my grandparents. I tried to call them once before, but someone who sounded like my grandfather said that there was no one by that name there.

I guess what this post comes down to is... no matter what this man's past was... I am mourning his death.

Sickness, Weirdness and Sadness

Sickness: I have a cold. Thank you AJ! I don't know how he got his but it seems to have stuck me 10x harder than it did him. I have a constant headache... something crazy is my whole mouth hurts too. My neck and lower back hurt. Basically everything hurts. I can't breathe, and my eyes are watery. I also have a cough that doesn't help when I feel the need to cough. I hope hope hope it goes away very very soon.

Weirdness: I just read an article about a woman who is not in ICU because of her 6th revirgination. And... she was doing it for her husband every year for their anniversary. Comeon... one maybe two times I guess I can understand, but SIX times?!? Why does your husband need to deflower you every year? She also went into this last surgery knowing that it could make her sick, but she did it anyway. Some people are crazy!

Sadness: My Papa has been given about 8 to 9 months left to live. As sad as this makes me to say it.. I don't think that it will be that long. They have not done a scan of his brain, and honestly I think his cancer has spread there. They have found his cancer in his stomach and also has grown more in his adrenal gland (I think). We are celebrating father's day with him on Sunday. My family has never celebrated father's day together.. and while it has not been said.. I think that they are doing this because this will probably be his last father's day with us.

I can't even fathom how my Nana feels. Being forced to watch your husband die in front of your own eyes. It take a strong woman to do that, and she is taking steps to make sure that she is there for him at all times. She's decided that she'll be quitting her job. I think that would probably be what I would do if I were in the same situation and if I were financially able to do that. Aaron says that the feelings are different between old people and young people. I don't think that I agree though. I think that the feeling would be the same... and not necessarily stronger either way. I would think that an old couple that has been together along time would have the same feelings as a couple who has been together only a short amount of time. The young couple is freshly and probably fiercely in love. The older couple has probably become use to having one another around, to the point where it would be hard to imagine a life without one another. Either way it would be losing someone that you love dearly, and no matter the age no one should downplay the hurt.

I don't like that we've been given a time frame. In a way, I'm grateful that we know, but now it feels like we'll be counting down. We'll be watching for him to get worse and looking at the calendar saying.. yep it's about that time. My Papa is not the only grandfather that I have, but he is the one that I'm closest with.

I don't like going to see him. When I walk through the doors of the nursing home the smell makes me feel sick to my stomach. I've actually been to a nursing home when I was younger that smelled of uring and other nastiness. This one doesn't smell like that.. but it's a smell I can't describe, maybe it is in my head. As I walk down the hallway to his room, I see a wheelchair-bound person in most of the doorways just sitting there staring at me. I try to smile at each one of them, but my heart start to hurt thinking about what happens when we get old. My Papa usually gives me a smile and a hug when I walk into his room, that is... if he is feeling well enought and is awake. The last time I went to see him, I brought my laptop and the dvd of my wedding. Even though the sound is horrible and I knew he wouldn't be able to hear it, I thought that he would have liked to see it. He kept telling me he wished he could go, and then I felt bad for not having a wedding that my grandfather could have gone too. He also would be talking to me but out of nowhere would stop... you'd see his eyes just zone out... his lips would still be moving but no sound would come out... and then he'd look at me like I was suppose to be answering his question. He did that about every 5 minutes that I was there.. and after about 45 minutes I couldn't take it anymore. The horrible person that I am.. I told him that I loved him, I gave him a hug, and I told him that he was very tired and probably needed to go to sleep now... he agreed and I left. I should have spent more time with him, but I am scared to death of seeing him like that. Zoning out, swollen hands, arms, feet, and legs... he's keeps falling out of bed, and so they put him in a mattress with sides on it.. he thinks it is his coffin. It's not right... no one should have to live like that. On the verge of dying and losing their mind from their pain and disease... I don't understand why my uncle wants all this medical intervention. He is fighting to keep someone alive who is being eaten away by cancer. It's inhumane.

Don't get me wrong... I don't want my Papa to die. If I had my choice... he wouldn't.. but I don't want him to live in pain with a disease that cannot be cured. Maybe I don't understand the medical aspects of it all, maybe I don't understand what his children are going through, maybe I'm ignorant or stupid... but I just know that I love him so much and it hurts me to think that I can't even go see him because I'm scared to see him die. He came so close that one night... and it was frightening... I tried to be strong and calm that night, but I can't do it again.

It is enough to make you wonder why God would allow this to happen. Some people say that it is sin and Satan that causes the bad. It's just that good people and even bad people.. they should suffer when they die. Because all it causes is suffering in the people who have to watch it.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Challenge

Apparently, my husband thinks that I don't do much while he is away at work but sit at my mother's house and play on the computer.

Honestly, I am over at my mother's house quite often while he is at work, but I do have a good reason! My AC was not working at all... and I couldn't stand to be in the heat anymore. I am not one to sweat normally, but staying at my house would result in sweat dripping down my body. I don't know how guys can handle it. Its sticky and gross and feels like bugs crawling all over you.

One of Aaron's coworkers came over last night to look at the AC. Last year we were told that we had a leak and it would cost more than we had at that time. Through Aaron's boss' generousity he had sent his AC guy to our house to refill our freon. Maybe it was because AJ was only a couple of months old and he felt bad, maybe it was under the impression that Aaron would work more.. I don't know but it was really nice and while we knew it would not last long we did not expect for it to last as long as it did. I would say probably two months ago it started to not work again. So, yes, we've gone about two months without AC. We were able to borrow a window unit to put in our bedroom which we have been sharing with our son to escape the heat. Well his coworker ended up finding out that we do not have leak but that the person who had installed the AC did it wrong. I was taking care of AJ during the time, but I got the gist that it was something like they blocked off the vent that sucks the air in making the compressor work harder than it should which was evaporating the freon. Don't quote me on that though lol. Good news is that he says the fix should be simple, bad news he didn't have the time or the supplies to do it right then. He did put in a little bit of freon so that we could have a cooler house, and he and Aaron will work on it on Aaron's next day off.

Anyway, my title says something about a challenge? Yep... Aaron and I were talking about me trying to get a job for the summer. I was suppose to get a call by today about a job and I didn't. It was for a bowling alley and I was pretty sure I would get it, but he did say that they tend to hire more teenagers. Oh well... I'm back to looking for another job. I actually didn't purposely not look for a job while I was waiting to hear from them, it was just that a lot was going on these past few days. Anyway... back on track... somehow the topic got to how our house hasn't been the cleanest lately, and that's why I was explaining on about the AC... it has been way to hot to even get up and clean. Aaron did some cleaning before his coworker came over and he was dripping with sweat.. he was determined though... and I am not especially because it was so hot.

We had gotten onto the subject of how I was sitting on the computer last night while he was cleaning and taking care of the baby. Really, it wasn't as bad as he made it sound... I wasn't just sitting on the computer. I was out running errands and shopping for things that Aaron asked for. So, he basically implied that since he is out working all the time and I am not at the moment, I should not be at my mother's house relaxing but doing my "womanly duties." Don't go getting mad at him though... I believe it is true. If I'm not working, and he is, I should be taking care of the house and our child. I already take care of our child... it is housework that I hate with a passion. Hating my house and lack of storage space doesn't help either.

Aaron's challenge:
Making sure that our bills our paid solely on his income until I can find a job or August comes back around and I get my sub job back. It really isn't as easy as he thinks. I am not too sure that he makes enough money to pay all of our bills... but he is sure that he can and I will trust him.

My challenge:
I am determined to make him see that I can be a "housewife". I think my challenge will be far harder than his because that is not the type of person I am. Like I just said... I hate housework. I can find a thousand other things to do than to clean my house. It doesn't help that AJ follows me around messing up things that I just cleaned up to the point where I end up giving up and just leaving it. Also, we have a teeny unwelcomed critter living in our house that is a smart little shit. I have tried numerous traps to get things freaking mouse out of our house... and they haven't worked. There have been a couple of times that I was picking something up and I see that freaking thing scurry, and it scares the shit out of me, and then I'm too creeped out to continue cleaning. BUT... if you know my husband you know that he doesn't say whats on his mind until it is bugging him to death. So, I know that even when he is joking about something like this it isn't actually a joke and he means what he says. He wants me to clean and take care of our child. I am determined to make him happy and if that will do it, then I will do it.

I'm not giving up my job search though.. and once I get a job... I'm not doing it all. It that aspect I don't think that just the woman should take care of the "womanly duties". If the woman is working and the man is working both should have to take care of the house.. which means it will go back to how it was before ;-)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Oh my gosh.. this summer has gotten real boring real quick. Nothing is happening too much on the internet. I guess everyone is out doing stuff.

AJ and I went out to eat at CiCis and to the beach yesterday. We went to the beach later in the evening because I had a job interview, and then I was hungry.

This elderly couple came up to me a few times while I was eating and told me how much of a young gentleman AJ is. Then before they left they came back up to me and told me they were watching me the whole time and that I'm a wonderful mother. It was kinda creepy, but really nice to hear.

We went to the beach for about an hour. AJ is not a little boy but a fish. He runs straight to the water, and I try to sit him right where the water just starts. Nope, he doesn't want that. He starts crawling in even after the waves are over his head. He just laughed about it. Crazy boy! I was so afraid that the waves were going to take him in though because they were strong and he would start falling foward as the waves were going back out. We collected sea shells for a little bit. At first AJ must have thought I was putting sand in the bucket because he was just throwing handful of sand in there, but after a little while he started to pick the shells out of the sand. He really is a smart boy.

A tip if you want to find a good beach that isn't too crowded and is pretty cheap. Sand Key Park is great. The parking is metered but its a dollar per hour which really isn't that bad. The water isn't brown but sort of greenish. It gets deep pretty quickly. It's right next to Clearwater Beach but it isn't packed like Clearwater Beach. Not to long ago we went to Indian Rocks Beach but that sand was sort of dirty and it didn't feel like there was a lot of beach between the parking lot and the water.

Anyway, I think between the beach and walking back to the car, AJ might have gotten a chill. He had a fever late last night, and also woke up with one. Right now he doesn't have one but I just gave him some tylenol. If it comes back I'll probably take him to the doctor. My mother is upset with me because he got salt water in his ears. WHAT? Sand and water gets everywhere when you're at the beach.. what am I suppose to do?

Oh well, still haven't gotten the pictures from Las Vegas off of my camera. I've been lazy about that, and I have to look for the wire that lets me do all of that. I think it is in my laptop case, but I haven't had the interest to look yet.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Looking forward... womanly stuff

So... I'm married. I'm looking forward to changing my name. I'm looking forward to being called Mrs. Fleek. And.. I'm looking forward to having another baby.

I'm not pregnant though, but we took a big step toward that. In January I want to the gyno after having my girl thing for around three weeks. They didn't do anything, and it stopped by itself. I was offered birth control but I declined it, and let her know that we wanted to get pregnant and soon. Well three months and many pregnancy tests later, Aunt Flo decided she didn't want to visit me anymore, and I went back to the doctor so that we could figure out why. I was sent to get my hormones tested with the results of nothing. Aunt Flo still did not appear, so I was sent to get another hormone test and blood pregnancy test. Man oh man was I hoping that test was positive, but sadly it wasn't, and my hormone test came back fine.

The next step was to start Provera. In April I started taking Provera for 10 days and then in acouple days Aunt Flo was back for a visit. The hopes for Provera was that I would take it for the ten days and it would kick start my body into producing my hormones correctly. And then towards the end of May, I started thinking about taking Provera again because they gave me three months worth just in case. I didn't want to start it when I was getting ready to leave to get married so my plan was to come back and start my pills.

You probably guessed it... Aunt Flo decided she would visit while I was on vacation. Luckily, she came the night before we were leaving to come home. So, even though she was late... my body started by itself which is definitely a step in the right direction. So, this cycle I could either... get pregnant, get my period,.. or fall back into needing the medicine. I would prefer either of the first two.

In other news though... I have a job interview for tomorrow. It's for a birthday coordinator at the bowling alley. It would be very awesome to get this job. I'm sure it doesn't pay too well, but it sounds like a fun summer job. I'm really hoping that I get this job because I do need to have an income. I guess I'll let you know tomorrow if I got the job... that is if they tell me tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

What changed?

So, I don't think I explained what I changed about my wedding. If you didn't figure it out, it was my dress and shoes. I had my wedding dress and shoes all ready to go when at the last minute I decided I wanted something much more fun. Really I made the decision when I was out shopping for my mom's dress and I saw it hanging on the wall. I just knew that that dress was the one that I wanted to be married in. I was very happy when they had a size that would fit me, even if the smallest size that they had was still a little too big. It was ok though, my boobs held it up ;-)

So, the question of the week seems to be "How does it feel to be married?" I get that question everytime I see someone who knows I got married. Honestly, it really doesn't feel any different. I've lived with Aaron for so long, and we have a child.. we were practically married anyway. I do slip up sometimes and still call him my boyfriend. That is the only wierd part, calling him my husband. I haven't used my new name because I haven't changed my name on any official paperwork. I think that when I do get my official marriage license and get to change my name that it might be a little wierd then too.

Other than all that, I'm not doing too much. I'm trying to find a summer job. I just started filling out applications today. I'm not being too picky so I hope to find something soon.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Continuation

So here is what else we did on our vacation (pictures as soon as I get my camera back from my mom).

Wednesday, June 3rd:

I woke up early and took AJ to breakfast with Aaron's mom and sister because Aaron didn't want to see them. We ate at the hotel's buffet and we had a good time. My mom went gambling for a little while but ended up joining us for breakfast. After breakfast, my mom took AJ to the pool with Aaron's family. I went back to the room to wake up Aaaron.
We went to a timeshare presentation for 2 hours because they offered free tickets to go see a show of our choice and dinner for free if we just went to the presentation. We knew we weren't going to get a timeshare, but it isn't a bad idea for later in life when I have a better job.
We ended up choosing to see a show for later that night called Bite.

Bite - This erotic and sensual topless revue revolves around Lord Vampire and his search for the perfect female specimen. Throughout the show, audience members will be chosen to be part of the adventure.


After the presentation we went and ate McDonalds, and went back to the room and took a nap. After our nap we got up and got ready to go. Rode the bus to the stratosphere and ate dinner there. I felt so sick though. The McDonalds had not gone well with my stomach. The fries were soooo salty that my hand was covered in salt. So, at the buffet I ended up drinking a ton of water and diet coke, and I ate a salad. Of course Aaron wasn't affected by the McDonalds and was able to eat 4 huge platefuls. After dinner we went outside to smoke because Aaron didn't want to smoke inside the casino, and it was very windy. So windy infact that it blew the envelope containing our Bite tickets out of my purse. Aaron was able to run after it and catch it. It was a very scary moment, and I ended up laughing hysterically after we walked back with the tickets. After dinner we still had about an hour before the show, so we went around the casino playing some of the slots. I played on just $1.00 for about 45 min. I won probably $5.00 on the penny slot that I was playing, but I chose to continue playing and lost it all. After those 45 minutes though, I was rather bored, and ready for the show to start seating.
We were seated for the show right up front, and there were people in cloaks walking around taking pictures, which we did end up buying because they were good. The show was very good too. Yes, there were times where it was topless, but that just makes it better lol. It wasn't like a strip show though. You could tell that the girls were trained in ballet and some in tumbling. The music was awesome! And there were "fliers" - two people a husband and wife who swung around on a rope. And another girl who did the whole suspended and twirlies on the two long ribbons, like Cirque de soliel.
After the show we went to the bar and got a drink for each of us and walked back to the hotel. One of the great things about Las Vegas is that there are coupons everywhere for buy one get one drinks, also there are ladies walking around the casino passing out drinks too.
After we got back we were very tired and just crashed.

Thursday, June 4th -
I woke up pretty early and went to my mom's room. My mom, AJ, and I went downstairs to the buffet and ate breakfast, and afterwards my mom went back to her room and I farted around in the casino on some of the slots. After that I went back to my room woke Aaron up and had him watch AJ so my mom and I could spend some time together. We were going to go see a comedy show, but the coupons that we got were expired. My mom and I ended up going across the street to the Riviera and played on some of the casinos there. She won 5 bucks on a penny slot. I won 10 bucks off of a black jack machine. Then we went to a souvenier shop so she could buy some shirts for my brothers. We stopped back at the Riviera and played a little bit more in the casino. I won another 10 bucks on a black jack machine. Then we went back to the hotel.
Aaron and I got ready for the other show that we were going to see that night. It was the Love Cirque de Soleil. We took a bus to Mirage, played a little in thier casino, but we didn't win anything there. The Mirage's buffet was really expensive so we went across the street to Harrah and ate at there buffet. It was the best buffet that I have ever eaten at. They had a ton of seafood which is what I really wanted to eat.
After the buffet, Aaron was out of cigarettes and wanted to find a store to buy some at. We walked for ever and I was starting to get cranky. We actually ended up having a small arguement and wasting even more time. After finally finding a store we were going to be late to the show so we took a taxi back. The show was interesting. Aaron liked it, but I don't know much about the beatles. It's beyond my time. I knew some of the songs, but the stuff that was going on during it was crazy. I didn't really understand it, but apparently Aaron did.
After the show we went back to the hotel so I could change. I was really uncomfortable. Then we went to a place called Slots of Fun and played on some of the slots there. Aaron played on a penny Elvis slot and won $40 bucks. I didn't do well. He bought us these HUGE drinks. We walked back to the Stratosphere because we had free tickets to go up to their tower. It was awesome.. very very high. We even went on this one ride up there, I can't remember what it was called, but you sit in these seats which a harnest over your shoulders, and it shoots you up and then drops you down. OMG, I love those rides! This one was really scarey because this was the very top of the Stratosphere and you could see the curve of the earth. I wasn't allowed to wear my glasses so everything was really blurry, but it was still cool.
After the ride we left, and I'm amazed that with how much Aaron and I drank we didn't thow up lol. On the way home Aaron picked up magazines at everything stand that was selling their prostitutes so that he could put a huge stack on his boss' desk at work. We ended up taking a bus the rest of the way to the hotel and crashed as soon as we hit the bed.

Friday, June 5th -
My mom woke me up early for check out. She paid for late check out in her room because we weren't leaving until later in the evening, and it made no sense for us to have late check out as well because we could just store our things in her room. Aaron didn't wake up until the last minute, and after the room was cleaned out and we were checked out, Aaron and I went to the Advenuturedom in our hotel. We rode most of the rides there, and then went with my mom and AJ to the hotel's buffet. After we had lunch, Aaron, AJ, and I went back up to the room for a nap. Late check out is at 6:00 pm so, when we woke up we went to check and see if the bell hop area would store our bags, which they did. We did a little bit of last minute souvenier shopping before our shuttle to the airport arrived at 7:30. At the airport my mom decided to try the slots one more time, and won 40 bucks. By that time though, my mom and I were at each others throats and weren't really talking.


So, all in all, it was very busy. I wish that we could have stayed long, and I think we'll definitely have to go back for another vacation there. There was still so much that we haven't seen or done.

*yawn*

My body is so thrown off right now that I'm yawning even though I'm very awake. So, anyway... what have I been doing since I've been back home? Planning our next vacation that's what. I should be unpacking... I should be cleaning... but I'm not. Aaron has told me where he wants to go on vacation next... so I've been pricing it out to see how much it might possibly cost so we can start saving. He would like to go to Cedar Point in Ohio.. and he has been there before, but I have not. We've also talked about going back to Las Vegas. Someone told me while we were there that only 8% of people visit Las Vegas a second time... I'm not sure why though. I would have thought it would be a lot more than that. I mean, we were there for 5 days and didn't even cover half of the strip... there was so much more that we did not have time to do... so many more shows to see.

Anyway.. I sure did have a lot of fun. Lets see if I can get through some of the things we did:

Monday, June 1st: We left for the airport at 11:30 am. Our plane left Tampa at 2:15 and we got into Atlanta around 3:45. We had a very long layover at Atlanta where we walked around and ate a little bit. We did not leave Atlanta until about 7:50 because our flight was delayed, which meant that we did not get to Las Vegas until about 9:30. And yes there is a three hour time difference making our last flight around 4 1/2 hours AJ was an angel the whole time... I love my boy! After getting to Las Vegas we found that the suitcases that we borrowed from my mom's friend was ripped, and Delta said that they don't cover minor tears. We ended up taking a shuttle to our hotel because it was cheaper getting rounds trip tickets than a one way taxi ride. Sucky part.... it took the stupid shuttle operator an hour to get us to our hotel... on the way back from the hotel to the airport it took 15 min... we didn't get to the hotel until around 11:00 pm. We had planned on going and getting our marriage lisence that night but by the time we got to our hotel room it was getting too late even though they closed at 12:00 am. We got to our rooms which were on the 13 floor our room was 1366 and my mom's was across the hall at 1367. My mom wanted some beer so Aaron and I decided to take a walk and look around. We walked forever wondering why the street we were on sucked balls lol. Turns out we weren't on the strip but behind it. We did find a store though... cigarettes were $8 bucks a pack! Aaron called the store a bodega. I guess that's a store that obviously makes more money on drugs than anything else because there store consisted of a can of ravioli, a few beers, a couple packs of cigarettes, and empty boxes where candy should have been. We got back to the hotel and found out that we had to pay for the internet, and cable tv. But, it didn't really matter at that point because we were very tired.

Tuesday, June 2nd: My mom called us early to tell us to get up so we could go get our marriage license. It took a little bit because I had to figure out of the bus went to the license bureau. After a little bit of digging I found out that the bus goes really close to it, but we would still have to walk a little way. So, we got on the bus, walked to the license bureau, filled out the paperwork, and paid for the license and it was all done pretty quickly. According to our map there was a casino near by that had a buffet so we decided to walk there and get lunch. We walked a very long way trying to figure out where this casino was and why we couldn't find it. Considering it is a very tall building you would have thought that it would have been easier, but apparently we walked the wrong way. We got to a cross section that was the same as were the casino was, but it was the wrong one. Why the have two of the same sections in one area I'll never figure out, but we ended up walking to the Stratosphere to eat lunch at their buffet. Aaron figures we probably walked about 4 or 5 miles. We ate a really good brunch and caught the bus back to our hotel. We took a small nap and started to get ready. Our wedding was suppose to be at 6 pm the limo was suppose to arrive at 5:30. So, at about 3:00 I started to get ready. Showered, dried and straightened my hair. I went to get my necklace and earrings and found out that my ring had fallen out of the holder and had fallen apart. So, my mom ended up paying for the internet so that I could get the instructions on how to put it back together. By that time we were starting to be crunched for time because I wanted to curl my hair, and I still had to put it up. I started to curl my hair, but I was getting mad because the curls kept falling out, and I gave up, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out anyway. So, all of us were ready waiting down stairs for the limo when I get a call from the limo driver telling us that he is stuck behind an accident and was going to be late. Luckily though, he wasn't too late and got us to the chapel on time. We got to the chapel and filled out the marriage license and I was taken into the bridal room to get dressed. You can see the wedding video at www.asmvideo.com look up the last name Fleek. The wedding ended up being pretty funny and I wouldn't change it even if I could. It wouldn't be our wedding if everything went perfecty.. there had to be some humor, and it is just fitting that Aaron was the one that messed up. His blowing out the wrong candle made us laugh the whole rest of the ceremony, and then watching it to see AJ walking out on us is even funnier! Like I said, I think that our wedding is perfect and I wouldn't change it for anything. When we got back to the hotel after the wedding my mom took AJ to dinner, but Aaron and I decided to go to the hotel's buffet anyway which is where she was. We did eat at seperate tables though. After that we went upstairs to change, but ended up falling asleep. We still had jet lag and at that time even though it was early in Las Vegas it was still pretty late here in Florida. I think it was about 9:00 there and that would make it 12:00 am here and we had woken up early and had a long day. I kept waking up through out the night because our only window was facing a wall that had a spotlight underneath it which made it look like it was light out all the time.


I'll finish up the rest of the vacation later. AJ is kinda cranky, so I need to go take care of that!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Waiting

My oh my... it has been so busy and exhausting here in Las Vegas. The silly part is that I wish we didn't have to leave. It is awesome spending so much time with Aaron, walking down the strip with so many things going on around you, but mostly... walking down the strip with so many things going on around me with my husband holding my hand and talking about everything is the best.
Gambling really isn't our thing. Aaron did win 40 bucks on a slot machine, that was pretty cool... and it was an Elvis slot machine lol. Maybe if we had brought quite a bit more money we could have played cards, but that will have to be another trip. I loved the shows... we were able to see two while we were here, and we did some other stuff.. I'll write about it when I get home.
Right now I'm waiting for Aaron to wake up from his nap so that we can go get some souveniers for people and then we leave at 7:30 for the airport :-(