Need TWO housesitters (will pay) PLEASE!!!

Hi Friends,
I am going on a cruise with my family July 26-August 5 to Alaska. My brother and SIL need a housesitter to stay with their indoor/outdoor chocolate lab and I need a housesitter to stay with my indoor/outdoor kitten. Basically we just need someone to stay the night and spend some time with our pets each day. It would be super nice if the dog is walked as well as she loves those times outside. Both houses have an alarm system so you will be totally safe...you will have access to a pool and will have a whole house to yourself and will be paid for your time. Please let me know if you are interested. All we ask is that you be an adult, responsible, and like pets.
Thanks, ashley :-)

I discovered a wonderful site called Shutterfly. It is so much fun - but be careful because it is addicting! I made three scrapbooks - each for a year while I was back East. My first two arrive in the mail today. I can't wait to see the finished product. It is very easy and a great way to organize and display your memories. Check it out! It does have the option to post them online and I thought about doing that so I could show you my work that I am so excited about - but I decided against it because it does have people in it who are minors or friends who may not want their pics on the website. Hopefully you can see the albums someday in person.

It was 110 on Saturday - hot hot hot!!!

I hope you all are planning on cheering for Fresno State today! My boss has allowed us to put it on even though it starts at 4. While I will have to listen to it on my radio - I am still just as excited about it all. What a great "cinderella" story!

Some of you have asked how I am doing on my summer project of getting fit. As of my last weigh in on Wednesday I am down 17.75 pounds. I am in my seventh week. I am really excited about this new stage and process. I am impatient but I am hanging in there and will definitely not give up. I feel good knowing that I am making a positive change in my life, even though it is really hard!

I don't think I mentioned on here that my neighbors saw me naked. I don't know their names, but it is the family that owns Tom's Donuts. And, I was totally in my house having just gotten out of my shower and I spotted them looking through their fence into my house - and they didn't even move when I spotted them. I haven't gone to their donut shop since - which granted is a good thing since I can't eat junk food. But dang how I do enjoy their apple fritters!!

I was asked to be a part of another wedding and I am excited to help out! This time around I am the guest book attendant. I haven't done that job since I was in high school..but don't worry Cindy I am sure my skills have improved.:-)

The Young Life group came home from camp at Malibu on Saturday. I can't wait to hear all about it.

Work has been very slow lately...I hope it picks up soon. The following is a link to a show that had my boss on to talk about our agency. It is definitely cheesy low budget local TV quality - but it is informative and if you are at all interested please take some time to watch. I am the social worker for the foster/adoptive parents they interview - The Rodriguez family. If the link doesn't work look for the June 6th show featuring Valley Teen Ranch CEO Connie Clendenan.

http://www.hspees.com/show_archive.php

People are really desperate around here (as I am sure they are in your neck of the woods as well) for money or things they can sell for money. My office is in a building that we share with three other offices. (VTR owns the building and rents out the other two offices). We have five AC units on top of the building. Last week when we went to turn on the AC we noticed that it was blowing hot air. The next day when we tried again it was the same thing - hot air. We called the AC company and had them come out to check what was going on. When the guy came down from the ladder he told us that we needed to call the police - we had been robbed. Apparently someone came and stole the copper wiring out of 5 of the 6 units. Why they didn't take from the sixth unit we don't know - maybe they got spooked or something. In any case our units need to be completely replaced and in the meantime we are using fans and trying to stay cool in our offices. Luckily it hasn't been that hot so it hasn't been too much of a problem. When the police came out to write a report they told us that crimes like these are on a rapid rise. They said with the economy the way it is people are very desperate to get money or things for free. He told us that people stealing gas out of other people's cars is also drastically increasing. When will we get out of this recession? If I am struggling I really feel for the folks who are single parents or aren't working, etc. With gas being so expensive I have been thinking about selling my car. Unfortunately SUV's sales have plummeted and I would lose a couple thousand dollars if I sold. Ugh. And I am having difficulty making ends meet even more then before. On Sunday I bought my groceries (as usual) and grabbed five apples. When I went to check out I noticed the price was about a buck an apple. It is my fault for not looking at the price beforehand when I grabbed some... I bought gas yesterday for $4.60/gallon. I wonder if my boss will let me do four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days? I dunno. What are some things you are doing to help save money in these hard times? Or am I the only one struggling?

I have developed a routine over the last three weeks or so that I am enjoying and is really helping me stay with my new "get fit" plan. I have been walking three miles with Janell every morning before work from 5:45 - 6:45 AM. Then I go to Fresno and work and get back to Kingsburg around 5:45 PM. I try to be at my parents' house by 6:30 and eat with them and then walk another two miles with my mom, SIL, and niece. I try to be back home (with errands and odds and ends around the house done) and in bed by 9:30. It has been hard trying to get my body to be tired by 9:30 PM. I am a night owl and before I started walking in the morning I tried to be in bed by 10:30 which was a challenge enough in itself. But, I am a person who definitely needs her sleep and I try to be in bed for eight hours - asleep or not. My schedule doesn't really allow for me to do anything social or "fun" during the weekdays - but I do enjoy the social time that I get while I walk and it just makes me look forward to the weekends all the more.:-)

Last Saturday I went to see "You don't mess with the Zohan." We walked out about 45 mins into the movie. DO NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE. The fact that it is a PG-13 is ridiculous. This movie is disgusting. For example: he becomes a popular hairstylist because he gives each customer something a little extra in the back room after each styling...if you catch what I mean. Adam Sandler is a funny guy - why does he have to resort to such things? Anyway, do not even rent it. Obviously as a Christian I find this movie even more revolting then maybe the average viewer - although I have heard through the grapevine that many have been shocked by the content. It turns my stomach to think of how many kids will be seeing that movie...:-(

Today I am having lunch with Liz (Christenson) Sanchez. I am excited to see her and meet her new son. We have been friends since jr. high and that girl is so darn funny!!! I love her and wish I could see her more often.

On Sunday my pastor spoke on fear and what it means in regards to fearing the Lord. He referenced Proverbs and several other passages that referenced how people feared the Lord and what God wants when He instructs us to fear him. Obviously it is not a run and hide type of thing - but rather a reverence for His holiness, obedience, respect and admiration (not being foolish), and love. Do I fear the Lord? Sure I do. At all time? Not quite!! When people interact with me do they walk away with the impression that I am one who fears her God? I'm sure not nearly as much as I would like them to. Anyway, it was a great sermon and I have been pondering my life and wondering what I can do differently to better fear God - and thus loving Him and others more. One I know for sure is continue to get fit - which is my project for the summer. I am being obedient to Him by doing this. (Some might be disobedient to the Lord with their bodies, as I have been, some in other areas, it is different for everyone.) What I'm saying is that disrespecting what God has given me (my body - His temple) is sin, overeating is sin, using food for anything other then fuel and nutrition (what He intended it to be) is sin, and that I use it as an excuse to not relate to people as well as I should. By me getting fit (which might not be skinny to the world's standards) means that I will be more able to serve Him better. I am in the midst of some of the hardest work of my life (this is NOT easy) but it is the right thing to do - and sometimes the right choice doesn't feel good or isn't the easiest. God has really been working on me in obedience in this area, and I have been stubborn and He has always won and I sometimes grumble back at Him...it has been some challenging times - but it also has been RICH times too! I wonder what we will be working on next? Lord knows He won't be done refining me until my last day here is done!!

My trip back East was good...not exactly as I planned it but that's life I guess! The flights there and back were great - no problems at all. It was fun flying into my old neck of the woods - not much has changed. I felt like I had just left! The smells came rushing back and of course I was quickly reintroduced to the EC attitude. Highlights of the trip were the shows we saw (Mary Poppins was my favorite. Also saw Young Frankenstein and Legally Blond), visiting Magnolia Bakery and having the most amazing cupcake ever (well worth the 30-min wait), eating at our fave places and just taking everything in and "being" in NYC. (The city was very busy that weekend.) On our way back into NJ we got to ride on one of the new transit trains (which was super nice), and as usually our luck were seated by some really annoying drunk people (this time the drunk people didn't hit on us). On Sunday night I got to spend a little bit of time in Hunterdon County. While it was in the dark and we were there for just a few mins, it still felt like home. I did try to stop in on some old friends to surprise them but unfortunately they weren't home. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather too - it was perfect!! In hindsight I would have loved more time in NJ and (of course) PA and VA, but one can only do so much in a holiday weekend! I'm sure more stuff happened but my memory isn't serving me all too well at the moment!

Last night I watched my team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, survive and edge past Detroit in sudden death triple overtime. Can't wait until tomorrow night!! I do love the Pens and if I was rich I so would be in PA rooting them on in person tomorrow night!!

I had a terrible weekend. It was totally one of those weekends where everything seemed to be going wrong. I hurt both of my feet walking (5 miles a day) and was hobbling around all weekend due to the many blisters on the bottom of each foot. To top it off I cut my heel with a razor and not only had to keep changing band aids trying to get it to clot but once I got it under control I got to clean the blood that was all over the carpet. Note to self - don't try to walk across the room on a bloody foot!! My laptop caught a trojan and died. I broke a dish. My niece broke my sunglasses. My windshield got hit with a rock. My kitten was ultra annoying and very disobedient and wouldn't come when I called him and was late. My Arbonne party was canceled. And, I didn't clean my house (again - I am so bad!) Anyway, that was one weekend I was glad to see end.

I did get a surprise early bday present - a new laptop - from my parents last night.:-)

I am reading a good book right now called Now and Not Yet. I so identify with it and it makes me feel more normal and less alone!! It is a must read for any Christian single girl in her upper 20's and older who sometimes wonder, "Seriously, God, what is going on here? What is wrong with me?" Ok friends, go get it NOW!