Last Night

Chancho's last night in the conditions team is tonight. He'll be out celebrating with the guys. His partner is really sad to see him go, but understands this is something he had to do. In fact a lot of the guys in the precinct are upset that he got the job. He doesn't have a lot of time, but he was the most qualified and that is why he got the job. Everyone will just have to suck it up and get used to it. He will be starting this Tuesday. He can get his first schedule pick on Thursday. The first couple of days he has to to follow his new partners schedule, but after that he can do whatever he wants. I'm really excited for him. I can't wait to see where this takes him.

Sunday will be my birthday party. Chancho set up a little get together out at our usual bar for dinner and then drinks. He sent out invitations with a few cute sayings about me. It really is for him as well. This is a big step for him to get this position and everyone should celebrate it. So that is what we will do. Monday, my actual birthday, my mother is planning on taking me out to lunch, but other than that, it will be a low key day. I don't want anything big, just a day to relax.

Quote of the Day: "Take chances, take a lot of them. Because honestly, no matter where you end up and with whom, it always ends up just the way it should be. Your mistakes make you who you are. You learn and grow with each choice you make. Everything is worth it. Say how you feel always. Be you, and be okay with it."

Being Thankful

Thanksgiving has come and gone so quickly. A recap of Thursday in a sentence: It was an unusual spanish dinner. It was a true glance into the future for me. Chancho worked a double the day before so that he would be able to have the day off. However, he spent the morning sleeping. Which left ample opportunity for his sister and I to bond. It was the first time that we were able to talk and spend time together alone. We went out shopping for utensils. Those were the only items the left off of their list. She was thankfully there while Chancho was sleeping to translate for me and keep me company. I would have been lost if she wasn't there. Dinner consisted of turkey, green mashed potatoes, stuffed peppers and corn. This is nothing like my Thanksgiving dinners. The food was delicious. The dessert went well, they enjoyed my apple pie, but Chancho's cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory won everyone over. The entire afternoon I was surrounded by his family speaking spanish and every now and then I would hear my name as they would look my way and say "Right?" All I could do was smile and nod. I had no idea what they were talking about, Chancho was either attending to other relatives or getting food in the other room, not around to give me a quick translation. I think I made out okay. However, I think that next year, he should experience our Thanksgiving. It really is a lot different from his.

My family celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday. My sister and brother in law were able to make the journey. My brother and his wife couldn't make it. Our menu was: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberries. Dessert was my birthday ice cream cake and apple pie. I loved it. My sister brought her dog. It was a wonderful night just hanging out. I got a itunes gift card from my sister and brother in law. The card was great. It said on the front "From the both of us, The intelligent one and the beautiful one" On the inside it said "Actually it's from the both of us. He'll sign anything I put in front of him" The greatest thing was that my brother in law said "Let me see that, I didn't read it. I just signed it."

Dress Options

The holiday party is a few weeks away and I'm starting to go over in my mind which dress I should wear. I've already decided that all of the dresses in the closet will not do. And who wouldn't want to go out and buy a new dress? I took Chancho out shopping with me the other day to get a sense of what dresses would be appropriate and which wouldn't. I felt that was the best way to go about it since he couldn't describe any of the dresses that he had seen the year before. It is a formal event so I can get pretty dressy, but I don't want to be over the top. A part of me is going crazy saying that this dress needs to be perfect, but I have already told myself to stop and just find something that I will be comfortable in. It is only going to be 3 hours long, I don't need to get crazy. These are a few of the dresses that I was thinking of wearing.

A great deal from Kohls

 

These two are from Charlotte Russe

Trixxi Dress, Halter with Ruffle Hem Green

This one is from Macy's; they don't have a great image, but can click on the link

I really am all over the place for a style. I do know that I like the dresses from Macy's. I would have posted more, but there were a lot. I think I may just go with a simple dress and get some killer heels and jewelry to make it fancier. Regardless, I'm enjoying the search for a dress.

Quote of the Day: "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers; remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs that just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care; some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers..." - Garth Brooks

It's Official!

And by Official I mean Chancho got the DVO position!!! He was called into the CO's office and he said that although he doesn't have that much time on the job, he was the most qualified and then offered him the DVO position formally. Chancho accepted gracefully and his days off will now be switched to Friday and Saturday. Which will be a slight problem for me, but I will have to do some rearranging with my schedule, but we'll see what happens. He will have the opportunity to switch back to Sunday, Monday's when someone else leaves from the unit. He'll get his shift hours when he speaks to his Sargent. This is going to be a great change for him. I am so very happy for him to get this. It will open up more doors for his career and hopefully get him situated for a higher position later on. Celebrations will have to take place this weekend along with my birthday celebrations. It will be a great weekend.

One more day until the great Turkey Day. I have work tomorrow early and we have 4 new people starting tomorrow. I got a sneak peak at who I will be partnered with to prepare myself and it is going to be with a newbie. I just need to go in with a smiling face and pull out all of patience that I can find inside of me to make it through the 4 rough morning hours. It really is hard for me to be patient with people at 5am, but I think that if they are willing to learn and have a good head on their shoulder than they won't have a problem with me. I am trying to stay positive. Plus I have to look forward to cooking cookies and an apple pie tomorrow after work. That will get me through the day.

Tonight after work I quickly spent $197 and change on items from work. It's amazing how quickly the money is spent at The Container Store. Thank goodness for my discount. The items that attacked my paycheck:

• 7 rolls of wrapping paper (picked out a few that could be used through out the year though)
• rafia to wrap the presents
• gift tags
  
• toothbrush/toothpaste holder for the bathroom
• lotion dispenser (instead of having the ugly bottle sitting out)
• a scrubby brush to clean the shower better
• a shoe holder (really to hold gloves/hats/scarfs in the closet)
• 2 bookcases to hold our collection of children books

It really was well spent and a lot more damage could have been done. I wanted to get a chair for the desk upstairs and gifts for the entire family for Christmas, but all of that can wait. 

Listening to: "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Lady Antebellum

Week Ahead

It has finally arrived, the week of Thanksgiving. I really feel like it snuck up on me. Chancho and I have been spending a lot of time together. I got to see him 3 days in a row! First it was Saturday morning. I was with him until he had to leave for work. We spent all morning chatting with his mother, whom invited me and my family for Christmas Eve. I think we may actually go. I am going regardless, but it would be nice for our families to celebrate together. I'm not really sure how it will all work out with the language barrier, but I'm dying to see how it happens!
Sunday was our usual date day. I had a feeling that he might not be able to do it because he was aiming to get an arrest the night before, but it didn't work out. Quick side note: This past Friday was the first night that Chancho felt embarrassed to be working for the NYPD. There was an incident in which a guy was pulled over for a DWI and the highway patrol let the guy go all because they didn't want to stay and do the overtime. Chancho said that the guy was clearly drunk, but they let him go anyways. He was beyond mad. He even called me to vent, which is unheard of while he is at work. But back to Sunday, I only made plans for the evening in case he did have to spend the day in court. Turns out that he does get home on time and we got to spend the day together. That night we followed through on our dinner plans. I got a $10 discount on a meal for my birthday from a favorite restaurant that we go to. We ended the night with going to a friends house to watch the AMA's and of course football. Two TV's were in the room, one for the ladies which had the AMA's on and one for the gentlemen which had the football game on. And tonight, he's working overtime. Such is life, Christmas is coming up and we all need the extra cash.

Speaking of which, if anyone needs embroidery done, check out the site to the side. (shout out to my brother and sister in law) Chancho is getting all of his gifts from them this year. He wants to avoid the shopping all together. I guess that's one way of doing it.

Wednesday of this week will be the baking day. I'll be at a friends house helping them back a gazillion cookies and then I'll be baking an apple pie for Chancho's dinner the next day. He will be busy working a double so he can have the day off. Always seems to be working the system to his benefit :)

Quote of the Day: The most successful people are those who are good at plan B. -James Yorke

Family Dinner

This past Saturday was my grandmother's birthday party. She turned 84 this year. We're very happy to have spent another year with her. As always, we're concerned about her health and keeping every day a cherished one that we get to have her here.
It was at my Aunt P's house and about 20 people were able to make it. We had a great lamb dinner, with mashed potatoes, peas, broccoli casserole and lasagna. It was really good and all homemade. Everyone brought a dish to contribute. My father's cousin brought his son, whom I haven't seen in about 4 years. Always nice to see family after a long absence. Found out some gossip that had been going through the grapevine, my other aunt dumped her long term boyfriend and my cousin will be dumping his girlfriend soon. Boy does the family love to gossip. What family doesn't though? It was a short party, she had to be home early for bed, but we were able to have dinner, dessert (chocolate cake), and open presents. Opening presents was pretty interesting. She got a Snuggie, which she LOVED. She said she was going to order it off of the commercial and was happy to receive one. She also got a Visa Card, one of those cards that can be used anywhere like cash. I'm not sure she understood it, but that's why she has grandkids to take her out and show her how to use it. She also got a bunch of flowers. It's getting harder and harder every year to figure out what to get her because she doesn't need anything. She's in the process of moving out of her house so she's giving everything away, she doesn't need to add anything to her house. Most of the time when you do give her something she winds up giving it back to you a year later. Hence all of the flowers she got. Those are easy and make her house a happier place for a few days.

Overall the night was great. It seemed an early Thanksgiving dinner. We all won't be together for Thanksgiving, we all will be going separate ways with our other families so it was even better to get together then.

Listening to: "Blue Christmas" by Elivs Presley

DVO Update

Okay a quick update about the DVO position. The grapevine has trickled on down to Chancho and he believes that he is going to be in for sure. He will hate me for posting this before it is actually official. I just am very excited about it. He heard from a restaurant owner who happens to be very good friends with all of the LEOs that Chancho's Sargent is losing him to "upstairs" which means he will be getting the DVO position. Another awesome thing that happened is that his lieutenant spoke to the CO and recommended him and the CO agreed! Right now it's in the hands of the DVO Sargent to decide. She'll be back from her break in a week to let him know if he gets the job!

This evening went great. I had a fantastic time with my uncle. He was able to give me some pointers about the job search and he also had some advice for Chancho about the new DVO position since he was one during his time of service. We were able to have a lovely night out at Emma's Ale House with my mother. I tried some new beer: Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale. It really did taste like pumpkin. I liked it a lot, but could not have more than one glass of it. We were able to find out a lot about my cousin who is in boot camp right now with the Marines and it seems that he is doing well. He'll be graduating Jan. 22nd. I hopefully will be able to make it down there for it, until then he'll have to deal with my letters. I'm very happy that he was able to stop by tonight. I love having family visit. We are actually pretty far from all family members. The closest family member would be about an hour away. The interesting thing is that all the rest of the family is so close to one another, either a block away or a 20 minute drive. I guess it could be a blessing in disguise that we aren't close, but it also makes me feel disconnected. Luckily there's technology to fix that!

Hope everyone has a lovely Friday tomorrow and an even better weekend!

Pictures!

I've been very busy today cleaning. I cleaned my room, my closet, donated clothes, worked on making snowflakes to hang in the windows and in the process I stumbled across my on going project of redecorating my room. Which means I found my pictures that I will be hanging up on my walls. They had been tucked behind the couch out of the way, so not to get ruined. I thought I'd share with you all which ones made the cut and will be hung on my wall, eventually. The theme, which has been previously mentioned, will be a New York City theme. I know there are a few beach pictures also included, but I just love the beach so much, I couldn't not have a few in there. The majority of them, as you will see, were taken during the winter season, but for me, that's when I love the city. It is decorated and just looks great, plus the fact that I love Christmas. I have a lot of fond memories of being in the city in the winter. I thought it would be nice to surround myself with pictures to always put a smile on my face. So here they are!

 

This is the beach I always go to Jones Beach

The sunrise over the ocean

The Chrysler Building

The corner of Times Square

Rockefeller Center with ice skaters



Times Square at night. Love the bright lights!


Outside Grand Central Station, Chrysler Building in the background




Statue of Atlas across from St. Patrick's Cathedral 

NYFD
 (I'm going with a red theme otherwise I'd have taken a picture of the NYPD)

Train station waiting to go into the city

Miss Liberty

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The famous Tree

Ornaments 

Stand Still

Not much has been happening, and I've been finding it hard to write anything lately. I am sensing that that is the theme going around here lately. I'm convinced it's the weather and the gloomy days that have been happening. Today however I have the day off and am feeling pretty productive. Or there is just something bothering me and I've turned to cleaning. I'm not sure which is right right now. I'm still feeling very frustrated with the job search and everyone keeps saying that it's a bad economy and that with time something will pop up, but I am not a very patient person when it comes to waiting, so this is killing me. Hopefully this will end soon enough and I'll be able to go to a brand new job and I can start another chapter in my life.

On to happier and less stressful news. Chancho is still waiting to hear about his DVO application. (Domestic Violence Officer) He spoke to his Sergeant and he gave him his blessings, the Sergeant that would be his new one is pushing hard for him to get the position. It seems that he will most likely get the position, but we still have to wait to hear if he does. Fingers are still crossed.
This Friday a roommate from college will be in town and plans are being made to see one another on Monday. I'm really excited. It's not that often that I get to see anyone from school, let alone a roommate. The 8 hour drive seems to really put a damper on things when it comes to visiting one another. But none the less she will be here and I cannot wait to see her. Chancho has overtime and a dentist appointment on Monday so it will be a perfect opportunity to see her. She has just given me a great excuse to keep myself busy while he's working.
Tonight my uncle is staying over, he too is in town, he comes from Long Island, but will be here running errands and needed a place to crash. He is a retired detective. He retired about 2 years ago now. His wife has been helpful in giving me some hints on keeping myself sane while dating a cop. They've been married for 25 years. It will be nice to see him since I haven't seen or spoken to him since June. They live in Ireland for the majority of the year since they built a house there a few years back. Which means that I need to get back to my cleaning so he has some place to sleep tonight.

Quote of the Day: "The sun's going to shine, and the rain's going to fall, and in the end you might get burnt or wet, but hey, that's life. So dance in the puddles and bathe in the sun, and at the end of the day, smile. Everything's going to be all right." 

Listening To: "Fireflies" by Owl City

Geocaching

It was a ridiculously busy Monday for me today. First it started with a quick visit to the dentist for Chancho. He's finishing up his last visits for his root canal. From there we took a trip to CUNY John Jay, the best criminal justice college in NY. Chancho is signing up for graduate classes, they're free through the lovely NYPD. It was a long drawn out trip. Chancho didn't make an appointment to meet with the guy so we had to wait for him to be free, but people kept showing up for their appointments so we got pushed back. Finally some other guy decided he would be able to chat with Chancho and it turns out that he just needed to fill out an application and we could be on our merry way. We also were able to fit in our movie night, or rather movie day. We watched I Love You Man. It is definitely a guys movie, but yet still funny and entertaining when in the right mood. The movie ended so early that we had so much time to kill. It was really the first time that we had free time to do whatever we wanted. Some guitar hero was played, but that didn't last long at all, our fingers started to cramp up. Here enters our new found hobby: Geocaching.

"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."

I learned of this through my brother, I've heard of him talk about it over and over again, but never really understood it or thought that it would be something I would want to do. However, in the middle of boredom and spontaneity we set out on our first Geocaching adventure. These are normally supposed to be done during daylight ours, but we figured we'd give it a shot in the dark anyways. The way it works is that off of the main website, after you sign up, you are able to see all of coordinates that people have hid their geocaches, or treasures. I wrote a few of these coordinates down that were nearby our location, thanks to their nifty finder tool. People that hide these containers can write whatever they want along with the coordinates, a clue, history, facts or tips. The first set of coordinates that I punched in had this clue along with it "face the guard and re-tree-v it." We got to the location thanks to our GPS and searched around a bit, but didn't find anything. I think that if we had flashlight it may have helped. It was just a road and off to the side was a guard rail and some trees, but nothing else. Normally these are done in the woods and off of trails in parks, but I guess because we do live in a growing city we have to use what we have. Not giving up so easily we punched in the next set of coordinates and continued on to our second find. It brought us to a park in the middle of the city and from where I was standing it was telling me that it was in the fountain. The fountain was empty, they turned it off for the season, but we didn't see anything in there. I'm not really sure what we were looking for, as they don't tell you, but I think that it usually is a lock box or something that can hold paper and a pencil so that you can write something down once you find it or leave something behind. None the less we didn't see anything. That's when we decided to call it a night. It was cold out tonight and we definitely weren't prepared for it. At least we were able to try it out and it was fun. I think we'll need to get a hand held GPS rather than a car one so that we'll have a better idea as to where we're supposed to be standing or walking. It was fun, if you're into doing things outdoors, you should give it a try and it's something that the whole family can do. It's a treasure hunt on a much larger scale! I cannot wait until we can do a longer one in the woods and actually find something.

Quote of the Day:  "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there."

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation

Today we went on a hike to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. It was such a nice day out. There wasn't even a need for a jacket and we were walking in t-shirts. The hike was a loop and it was very well marked and the pathway was well groomed and wide. There were quite a few people there, whom were all so nice. Everyone seemed to have a dog with them too. Right from the get-go I noticed that Chancho was limping, which isn't a great sign when you're planning on going on a 2 1/2 hour hike. He mentioned that it wasn't anything, just an ingrown toenail. We continued on and as he stumbled over a couple of rocks he was complaining a lot and cursing with every stumble, in pain. At this point we were far enough in that we could either turn around and go back or finish it out. He insisted that we continue on, I agreed as long as he wouldn't complain anymore. He did great with that. It was more of a work out for him, but he was a champ and managed to finish the hike. It went up to about 700ft and had a gorgeous view of the Hudson River. They kindly provided a bench for us at the look out point. The loop that we decided to take was called the Leatherman's Loop. It had a "cave" that the Leatherman used to stay in, which we got to see. I really liked this place. We'll definitely go back again. It also wasn't too far away, about a 20 minute drive.
Side Note: I was able to fit into my skinny jeans for the first time today!

Here's three pictures from my phone. I forgot my camera again!

 This is the bench that was provided for us.

These are the views from the look out point.

Neighborhood Robbery

This just in....my best friend down the street called me after I got out of work to let me know that there was a robbery down the street from us. Apparently as we were getting home last night from our birthday celebrating there was a robbery taking place. When the dropped me off and went back towards their house, they saw a sketchy guy standing on the street corner. He was wearing jeans and a gray hoody. When they tried to get a glimpse of his face to see if they knew him, they couldn't due to his hood being pulled down too far. They also saw two cars parked together in the street, one facing north the other facing south, so that the drivers could talk to one another. They said that they didn't feel safe. Their gut was telling them something wasn't right. It was raining out and late. I'm thinking anyone out at a late hour in the rain is up to no good. Today as she was going about her day a detective showed up at her front door asking if anyone saw anything suspicious last night. There was a robbery. She was able to give a description of the man standing on the street corner and the make, model and color of the cars. Hopefully those will give them some sort of lead to figure out what went down. I hope that this isn't a situation that will start to happen more often and that this was more of a targeted robbery. Our neighborhood is filled with middle class people, it is slowly becoming more upper middle class as our city evolves to a much bigger city, but for the most part these people have been living here for decades. We all know one another and have seen all the kids grow up. It is hard to hear that there was a robbery in such close proximity to my own house. The neighborhood below us is not the best, in fact it is more of a "ghetto" so to speak, I am hoping that this is just a one time deal. The only time that I have ever heard of a robbery or burglary happening in my neighborhood was about 15 years ago. It thankfully hasn't occurred again until now. This is exactly why I lock my doors at all times, no matter how safe I feel, those doors are lock.

Holiday Party

Last night was an enjoyable night. My friend had a great time and was happy that he could finally drink. He is usually the designated driver. It was an early night too, home before 2am. While we were eating dinner Chancho kept texting me to update me on what was going on at work. (which meant he was bored) There really wasn't much going on because it was raining and cold out. However he did find out when the Holiday party was going to be this year. Last year I wasn't able to make it because I was at school when it happened. This year I have no excuse and will be his date. It's on a Wednesday night. I know far enough in advance that I can request off for it and I'll be going. Needless to say, I am a bit nervous. It will  be my formal introduction into his precinct. Everyone will be able to put a face to the name now. He says I have nothing to worry about because it's open bar and everyone will be drunk. It also is only 3 hours long. His partners are talking of an after party already. This is him finally merging his personal life with work. He said that he has always wanted to keep the two separate. Which is probably a reason why he doesn't have many civilian friends. I'm trying to be positive about it, I am talking myself into making it a lesser deal than how I really feel. I do have plenty of time before it happens though. I should revisit those feelings when it gets closer.

Quote of the Day: "Don't fear failure so much you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have."

Surprise Party

Today is a good friend's birthday, tomorrow is the actual get together to celebrate, but his loving girlfriend decided to have a surprise party tonight so that Chancho could make it! I'm very happy that he gets to celebrate with everyone. I can't wait to see the look on his face. He gets out of class and has to take the train home, so we'll all be able to be at his house without him knowing. I love surprising other people! It does however mess up our plans, but at least it's for a good cause.

We were supposed to do a dinner and a movie courtesy of Applebees. I'm not sure if other cities do this, but if you eat at Applebees they give you a discount on movie tickets. Normally, we wouldn't need to do that, but recently the movie theater we go to hasn't been honoring the $1 movie tickets with a NYC police badge. Which really is a bummer, it was such a great deal. The only catch is that you have to wait 2 weeks before getting the discount. It is good for the LEO and a guest. We've been to two movie theaters now and they both denied us. They're saying that it's only good for the local departments. I think all LEOs should be honored. They're doing the same thing as the local departments. Plus, I don't want to go to a movie theater in the Bronx.

Anyways, we'll be doing dinner and shopping for a birthday present instead. Hope you all have a great night!

Quote of the Day: "If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't do it any differently." – Playing by Heart

Exchanging Watches

I can remember it like it was yesterday, I was a senior in high school and I heard through the grape vine that Chancho was heading overseas. He joined the Air Force straight out of high school, in fact he skipped out on graduation to go to flight school. He became a pilot and therefore was needed in the war. I was nervous and anxious. I never heard any good stories about people going over there. They all ended with tears, so there was a lot of uneasiness going through my head. There was of course a going away party before he left and at this party we exchanged watches. He took mine and I took his. He made a promise to me that he would return this watch to me one day. Hearing him say that meant that he would be coming home. Thankfully, by the grace of God he was able to come back home, unlike a very close friend of his. We never did exchange watches back to one another, he says he has it somewhere in his storage. I'm not sure where his is, it must be in a box somewhere in the attic. I do know that I didn't toss it. It's funny how a simple exchange made me feel a whole lot better, that because he had to return my watch to me, he would definitely make it home safely. I am very grateful that he was able to make it home and I am able to be with him today.

So thank you to those that served, who are currently serving and to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and to keep this country free. We are all greatly indebted to you. Please come home safe. Happy Veteran's Day to you all!

Root Canal

Chancho made it through his double root canal today. Initially it was only supposed to be one, but as they were finishing it up, they noticed he needed another one done so they went right back and did that one. His right side of the face was numb for a few good hours. The poor baby. It was pretty funny watching him try to drink and eat. He had food stuck to his lip for a while, but couldn't feel it. He tried to milk it for all it was worth, but didn't really get much out of me, other than me driving him home from the appointment. He isn't in any pain as of now, he keeps saying that it's going to come, he can feel it. In fact he's getting worried that he isn't feeling any pain yet. He thinks there may be something wrong. At least he's at work dealing with it and his partner can deal with it now, show him some tough love.

Last night we already started gearing up for the new Yankee season, I know, I know, it just ended and we should be focusing on other things now, but if you're going to the first game of the season, planning starts now. We booked a hotel room for April in Boston. His father works for Hilton so we luckily get to use his discount on all Hilton hotels. Now we wait for ticket prices to go down. The hunt begins to find the best deal. We also have to figure out who will be joining us on the trip. After experiencing the Phillies fans, I do not want to go to Boston just us two. I've sent out invitations to people who I think would like to go, but no one is biting just yet. I guess it might be too soon in advance for people to plan.


I head back to work tomorrow after a nice 3 day weekend. I have a very light work week this week. It is also a close friend's birthday, which we'll be celebrating on Friday. Hopefully, Chancho will be able to get out early and come celebrate with the rest of us, if not, he'll be home on Thursday night for a change because he has court in the morning.

Here's a picture from Chancho's phone from when he was at the world series winning game:


And here is a picture of my "niece" Leela:

Quote of the Day: "women can iron, watch TV, chat on the phone and answer the doorbell all at the same time, but men? Men can only do one thing at a time. Ever try chatting to a man when he's trying to park the car? Exactly. He'll ignore you because he can only concentrate on one thing at a time." - Mr. Maybe by Jane Green

Lost Roll of Film

I had been carrying a roll of film around in my purse for probably a year now. Every time I cleaned out my purse, I just slipped it back in thinking that I would definitely get to CVS to develop it, but it just never happened, that is until yesterday. While I was at CVS I suddenly remembered that I had that roll of film and I handed it in to the photography lab. It turns out that it was a color roll of film, which is odd because I usually take black and whites when using my 35mm. I thankfully remembered today to pick them up today. Turns out that they were from not this past summer, but the summer before. The only reason why I knew that was because I had taken a picture of a thermometer and it said it was 90 out. It didn't get close to 90 at any point this past summer. I wasn't very happy with any of the pictures I took. It seemed that I was just taking pictures because I had film to waste. I'd love to share them on here, but I don't have a scanner. That is on my birthday list this year.

Here are a few of my favorite black and whites (click on the picture to see the full image):

A Regular Sunday

I had a pretty great day today. I was able to spend the entire day with Chancho uninterupted. We actually were able to impliment one of our "fixes". Chancho's mother requested that he eat lunch with her today, so that's exactly what we did. We spent from 12pm until 4pm together. It was very nice. His uncle visited and I was able to chat with his sister a lot. She was suggesting some roads for me to look into with my job search. It really was a wonderful afternoon. I'm hoping that he realizes that this is something that can be done now and everyone is satisfied.

After lunch was over, I forced him to take a walk with me in the woods. We went to Cranberry Lake Preserve. I went to camp there when I was younger and have some great memories. It's got a few easy trails for anyone to walk on, that go over and around the lake. It has a trail that leads to a quarry and has a small waterfall. Chancho found entertainment by playing with a stick the entire time and poking the water with it. It was relaxing and let us get out in the open air for a change, plus it gave us exercise. We also were able to talk about how he likes to say one thing, but mean another. For example, tomorrow he signed up for a paid detail, which means he'll be working for Target in the Bronx all evening. I asked him if he wanted to go for a hike in the morning before work and he responded with "Sure, just wake me up, but my feet will be tired for work." That makes me feel guilty for making him tired for work if I make him go on this hike, but yet he doesn't say no, he doesn't want to go on the hike. So we talked about how he should just say that he'd rather not go on the hike because of work and that saves us the trouble of having to play mind games. I'm glad we got that out in the open because we all know that mind games can get out of control.

We're heading into the later portion of the night which means movie time. We'll be watching my movie pick tonight, Away We Go. Hopefully he likes it. I've already watched it, I find it to be pretty gosh darn funny. I also love the main character in Away We Go, John Krasinski, he plays Jim in The Office too, which is one of my favorite TV shows.

Here's to a great night and another wonderful afternoon tomorrow!! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Quote of the Day: "Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand." - Emily Kimbrough

Leela

I met my "niece" today for the first time. Leela, my sister's first dog, who is a rescue pitbull. She is so adorable and very well behaved. She listened the moment I walked in the door and never jumped on me. She just sat and wagged her tail waiting to be pet. She never barked the entire time that I was there. They haven't taught her any tricks yet, just the basic commands, but she does them so well. They decided against teaching her to play tug-a-war because it's an aggressive game and they want to stay away from anything aggressive due to her breed. The only sad part is that I'm definitely allergic to her. As soon as I was in their apartment for 5 minutes I was attacked by sneezes and itchy eyes. I will have to take my meds before traveling to their place now too.

We had a lovely evening together. A much needed visit. We went out to dinner, which I enjoyed, however my sister and my brother in law didn't like what they ordered. We were able to gossip about family and everything that has been bottled up inside. Speaking of family gossip, I found out that my younger cousin is now engaged! She got engaged two weeks ago and just recently announced it to a few family members. The news is starting to trickle on down through the grapevine. I'm very happy for her. I met her boyfriend at my sister's wedding this past summer and he seems to be a great guy. Now I get to look forward to another wedding! (which are my favorite!)

Chancho did a double today, first he started at 4:40am with managing the Yankee parade. (let's not go into how jealous I am of him being there, while I had to work) This was straight off of his regular shift which ended at 1am. Then he got to sleep during his second tour. He snuck into the bunks and slept. He begins again tomorrow morning for an overtime shift, yes that's right, he's back to doing overtime again. From that shift he does his regular one. He is going to be extremely tired and hopefully not cranky. I was hoping for a date on Sunday, but I have a feeling that it's going to be postponed, or really low key. We'll just have to wait and see, as usual.


Quote of the Day: "Don't ever think that there's not enough time to show how much you care. Always remember, big things are nice, but it's the small stuff in love that counts."

Last Yankees Post For a While

The day has come and the Yankees are the 2009 World Champions!!!!! Number 27 for them, a 9 year wait. It was beautiful to watch. I got goosebumps and had tears in my eyes. They definitely deserved this win. They played great all season long and you could just see the connection between all of the team members this year that they were gonna make it happen. Chancho was able to be there for it all. He got the Yankee game detail and was posted outside of gate 4. Gate 4 is not the main gate to be let in, but it is a pretty big one. He was able to make it inside to the great hall to watch the game and hear it all happen. I'm sad to say that last night was the last night for Yankee baseball til April. It seems so far away and I am going to have so many nights free now. I guess I really do need to start brainstorming on things to do.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to NJ to visit my sister. I'll finally be able to meet her dog and see my brother in laws new tattoo, that he is so very proud of. He is getting a sleeve done on his right (?) arm. It'll be nice to see them both, I haven't seen them in a few months now. I'm looking forward to doing something different. I'm also attempting to convince my brother to come visit as well. He says he has other priorities with work though.

Chancho is doing a double tomorrow, starting to bring back his overtime title. Apparently because of this new CO his two CO's days are no longer available to him, if the new CO doesn't want to honor them. I am starting to dislike this new CO more and more as the days pass by. He showed up during election duty on Monday to make sure that Chancho was actually there and doing his job and read through his memo book. That is technically the right procedure, but no one ever does do that. He even asked him the color of the day, thankfully Chancho knew. His partner didn't and he ripped him a new a-hole. I hope he settles down and relaxes a bit once he realizes that the guys he has command over are doing their jobs and don't need to be supervised and bullied all the time. The latest update with the DVO position is that Chancho isn't going to take it. He was told that if he does take it then he would have to get 4 arrests a month compared to the 2 he normally would need, which could ultimately bring down the other officers in the unit. He isn't willing to do that to the others and his sergeant.

Honest Scrap Award!

Thanking Mrs. Officer for this lovely award! This award requires you to post 10 honest items about yourself and then pass it along to seven other bloggers. So here goes:

1. I love playing soccer. Just kicking the ball around or engaging in a little game thrills me. I miss playing it every weekend. But I do not regret giving it up.
2. I hate scary movies. There is no way that you will ever catch me watching one. Not even in my house.
   
3. I enjoy making the fire for the house. It makes me feel closer to my dad and proud of the techniques that he has taught me and it also makes me feel like I can keep myself warm in case I'm ever out in the wild for some awful reason.
4. I secretly am addicted to the show Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. It has been off the air for years now, but I have downloaded all the season and still watch them, at least one a week.
   
5. I absolutely hate washing dishes. I will do anything, bribe anyone, to wash the dishes for me.
6. I have raised chickens from when they were little, year after year and because of that, I believe that they are the dumbest animal on earth. They are something that I will never have again.
   
7. I need to have some type of routine in my life. It can be a small routine, but without it I get discombobulated.
   
8. I try to live my life every moment at a time. I cherish every thing that happens and remember that life doesn't wait for you so you have to do whatever it is now when you have the chance to do it.
   
9. I enjoy dressing up to go out. I don't get to do it very often, but it makes me feel special when I do.
   
10. My favorite holiday by far is Christmas. Nothing tops it, being with family, the songs, the smells and food. Recently it has changed a lot from when I was little, but I am accepting our new traditions and attempting to make my own.
    

Here are the seven I am sending this on to:

http://bcuzoflove.blogspot.com/

http://ordinarylifeofapolicewife.blogspot.com/

http://melissabxoxo.blogspot.com/

http://blonde712.blogspot.com/

http://walkingathinblueline.blogspot.com/

http://justonemomentinforever.blogspot.com/

http://dispatchingdiscussions.blogspot.com/

Philly

We skipped out on Chancho's root canal appointment and drove to Philly. We got tickets at the last minute possible, changed into our Yankee gear and wound up in Philly 2 and a half hours later. We didn't even stop for food. I had to dig into my never ending purse to find something to munch on before I bit Chancho's head off for not stopping to get food. As we found our way into downtown Philadelphia, PA, we could see already how big this was for the city. Street signs were covered with "Go Phillies" and the electronic signs outside of Walgreen's were saying "Let's Go Phillies" and so on. When we pulled up to get into the parking lot the guy taking money, which was only a $12 fee! instead of $30 in the Bronx, didn't want to let us in because we were Yankee fans. He begrudgingly let us in after we paid. We decided to park on the side of the parking lot closest to the exit so when we got out after the game we wouldn't have to wait in a long line. Bad idea! As we walked proudly across the parking lot full of tailgaters we had lots of words thrown in our direction, nothing too nice either. We expected it, but this was a first experience for myself. Chancho loved it, he had words for them too as I tried to hurry him up. He's been to Boston and feels as though he can take on any crowd at this point. My only request to him was not to get into any fights. Inside the stadium, which was a very nice place. It is smaller than Yankee Stadium. It has a Phillie Phanatic Kids Zone. It's like a McDonald's play area, but Phillies themed. I wasn't too pleased with their food options, in fact I ordered their famous Philly Cheese steak and it was awful, I feel as though I've had better ones in NYC. Once the game began we were sandwiched between two Philly fans and the one sitting next to me was very obnoxious. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, and nothing productive either. I don't mind when fans yell, but at least say something funny or worth listening to. Unfortunately the Yankees did not win that game, but we're going to get them at home tonight! It was worth the money and I can happily check off a stadium off of my list.

Listening to: "Run This Town" by Jay Z

Catching Up

Recently, I've been very busy with work and Yankee games. I feel like I haven't sat down in a very long time. I'm barely getting sleep and I'm always on the go. I believe apart of that is because my internet at home is very patchy and I cannot get a stable connection. Hence me not having that sit down time with the computer like I usually try to do. My emails are suffering and so are my posts.

Work has me working like crazy and by the end of my shifts all I want to do is lay down and sleep. We have finally wrapped up decorating the store for Christmas and now all I have to worry about is maintaining the appearance. I have picked up a few extra shifts to help with my Yankee ticket spending. Sadly I have yet to make an appearance at a World Series game, but I will make it there one of these days. I'm thinking today may be the day if the tickets go down to under $200. The plan is that if they do drop below $200 then we quickly change and head to Philly. Even though I have work at 5am the next morning. I am once again sacrificing my sleep for the Yankees. I've stayed up to watch every game this series. Every minute was worth it. One more game to go before we take back the World Series title. If that happens it will be a glorious day. However, I'm not sure what we'll do without baseball for a few months. There will be a lot of free nights. I'll have to start planning out activities for us to do.

The apple twist went over extremely well with Chancho's family. I made a second batch for them. My mother wasn't too happy that she only received one out of them both, so it looks like I'll be making a third for my family. I'm glad that it's so easy to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. I was able to make it in 40 mins. It took five minutes to prepare it and then 35 minutes to cook it.

I had a mini phone failure last night which had me on the phone with Verizon for a while. I wound up having to set it back to the default settings. I lost all of my pictures, ring tones and games. This is a lesson learned to send all of my pictures to my email to back them up. At least I didn't have to send my phone in to get it fixed or anything. I would have been distraught as that is Chancho and I's main form of communication through out the week. Especially through text messaging and that was what was acting up. It was telling me that it was full, when in actuality it was empty. I'm grateful that it was able to be fixed so quickly.

Hopefully this week will slow down and I'll be back to blogging and my regular schedule to keep me settled down. I'm off to bring Chancho his root canal appointment! Here comes his inner baby!

Quote of the Day: "Because something always new and different happens when we see each other. I can't say what will happen next because I never know, and even if nothing new happens, we always have what we've done in the past."