My favorite things

I stole this list from a fellow blogger. Thanks Amanda. I loved your list, and was so excited to make one of my own.

Baby Wipes--Since I became a mom a little over 16 months ago, one of my favorite items has become baby wipes. I have a pack in my car, in the diaper bag, on hand in just about every room in the house. And, at work. I love how they can be used for everything. Wiping baby hands, noses and faces; cleaning up a spilled bottle; cleaning dust of the dashboard of the car; cleaning dust etc. off the desk at work. Love them.

Chapstick--This has been a SERIOUS addiction of mine for as long as I can remember. I am a lip licker. A series lip licker. When I was a little girl, I licked my lips until they became chapped so badly they would bleed. I have to have chapstick with me at all times. If I am somewhere without it, I need to stop at a store to purchase one. I have several in my purse, one in my car, one in tim's car, one at work, one in the kitchen, one on my nightstand, and one in the diaper bag.

My good old-fashioned planner-- I am not one of those modern women that have the Blackberry to keep track of their commitments. I rely on the good old paper planner kept in a black faux leather binder. I am able to keep important papers with me, keep track of my hectic work schedule, and make lists. I carry this with me everywhere.

Chewing gum--I always have chewing gum. I think bad breath is disgusting, and thus I have to avoid it at all costs. Gum is a must.

Fans--Especially at night. Prior to moving in with Tim, I could only sleep in total silence and in complete darkness. When we moved in together, I found that Tim could only sleep with a fan on. So, I eventually got used to it. Now, I cannot sleep without the fan on. Right now, we have two fans in the bedroom, sometimes 3.


I probably have some more things I could list, but my brain is fried because I've had 81 phone calls in 4.5 hours. It takes a lot of energy to id pills for drug addicts that can't even remember their zip codes.

Oh Blog, how I've neglected thee!

I'm so sorry blog. I've missed posting in you these past few days. Work has not been very nice to me. Take pity on me. This is the blessed work schedule I've been subjected to this week.

Monday 3-11
Tuesday 3-11
Wednesday Education or 10-6
Thursday 9-5
Friday 3-11

So, tonight has been the same as other nights at the COPC. Same old drug addicts calling in saying they found a pill in the front yard, their daughter's dresser drawer, son's bookbag, new car they just bought, etc. Sometimes this job is hard...when I get 117 calls in one day, when drug addicts call and their babies or kids are in the background, and when people fake exposures just to get meds identified. I love my job when I'm educating, and helping frantic mothers when their toddler ate the diaper rash cream or the silica gel packets.

Anyway...I have the beautiful, wonderful, amazing weekend OFF! You can bet that I am super excited about this. So, don't look for any blogs this weekend. Catch me on the flip side!! :o)

*Deep breath in, deep breath out* OK, so I'm going to get personal on some things I've been feeling lately. I must start off by saying that I love my family with my entire heart. They are the reason I wake up every morning. So, the latest news a flutter in the Goetz household recently has been about a job that Tim is interviewing for. The position known as Director of Community College Relations presents enormous opportunity and networking possibilities for him plus a nice pay increase. He has the most amazing potential and this job would help him realize that. What could possibly be the downside of such an amazing opportunity? Well, travelling for 4 out of 7 days of the week could be it. Yes, Tim would have to travel out of state for several days each week, overnight. While I am so excited for him and this opportunity, I am scared of our family being apart so much. So, as we'll look forward to hearing about the position, we are making new plans. Plan 1: Quit fulltime emplyment and begin part time employment because I can't continue to work crazy 3-11 and 10-6 daily rotating shifts and be the single parent at home. Plan 2: Purchase some new latest model webcams for being there when you can't be there. Plan 3: Move into new townhome. So, one of the best parts of a marriage is knowing that someone is always there to be on your side and support you. So, I took the vows and I believe in my husband and I will 100% support his decision.

Ok, onto other painful feelings. As some may know, I've been trying to get pregnant for over 9 months now. No luck yet. It's really breaking my heart. To the point, I broke down at tears last night after the sight of the negative sign on the pregnancy test. So many people around me are being blessed with new life. Visible everyday. I am so grateful to God that I have my son Gabriel. He is my heart, my soul mate, my life wrapped up in a little boy. I truly wish I would have treasured each part of my pregnancy with Gabe. Soaked in every new moment I would see my stomach grow and move. My dream for Gabe is to grow up and always have someone there for him, even after Tim and I die. Someone who knows every scar and every story. As cliche as it sounds, I don't want Gabe to go through what I went through as a child. I want him to have a sibling. Since I can't face another negative sign in my life right now, I am giving up trying for another baby right now. If God feels I am ready he will bless us with a new life. If not, I will make sure that Gabe feels all the love that surrounds him. Because it is so painful for me right now, I don't want to discuss this anymore. So, here are my feelings on the subject, and now I'm moving on.

Mrs. G and other news

So, this past weekend was a wonderful. I was actually able to sit back and breath for a bit. On Saturday, we took Gabe to COSI. He had so much fun walking around and interacting with other children. He really enjoyed the frog exhibit and especially the fat bullfrogs. We went to the kidspace which is a romparoom type place that preschool age children and younger can play without the big kids taking over. Gabe had a ton of fun until a mean blonde older girl took his shopping cart away from him and made him fall flat on his face. Poor guy. Needless to say, we were done after that. Saturday night, Gabe spent the night at GG's and myself and Tim went out on the town. We had a nice dinner at Genji (Mama's favorite) and met Rob and Emily for drinks at Bar Louie's at Easton. 4 Martinis later, we called it a night and headed back to their place and watched some Twilight. Sunday, we went to pick up Gabe and went to the park. Poor guy tried going up the slide and hit the slide face first. I think he is still feeling out his legs. He can still be so wobbly. Saturday night my mom and I went to see the new movie "Knowing".

*Spoiler Alert* Don't read any further if you want to see this movie!!!

This movie basically focuses a list of supposidly random numbers that a child receives at school when they dig up a time capsule from 50 years ago. His dad, a professor of astrophysics, examines the numbers and finds that they are actually dates, # of people that die in the accident that take place on the dates and finally the latitude/longitude coordinates of where the accident takes place. After Nicholas Cage figures this out, he tried to go to the locations and prevent other accidents from occuring. Finally, he realizes the numbers stop and the last two characters of the page are EE. Which, basically means everyone else. Throughout the story to this point, his son and another child have been having visitors during the night etc come to them and whisper things about the future to them. Turns out, they are angels coming for children to take to heaven or a different planet or something along those lines. Meanwhile, the earth is exposed to deadly solar flares causing everyone to panic and eventually the planet is disinegrated into nothing. So...basically I think this film is one person's perspective/opinion on how the world will end. The movie sparked some thoughts about the subject in my own head. Basically, I came to the conclusion that if the world was going to end, I would want some kind of warning so I could be with my family when the inevitable would take place. I really don't think I would go insane about it. I would just spend my last minutes hugging my husband and son.

Other news...I have an interview tomorrow at a pre-school. I am looking for another position because Tim may be offered a position that requires him to travel extensively during the week. Since that will pretty much make me a single parent during the workweek, I decided to look for a position closer to home with more stable hours. I hope this works out!!! :)

New baby in the COPC

Welcome Cruz Abelita. Isn't he adorable and perfect. I am having serious baby fever.

Update on News on News...

So, turns out the associate press wanted to interview people that match a different criteria. And, after Tim talked with them, he found out that I match the criteria. The story goes...in 2004 I was walking back to my college apt and long behold a flier was on the door advertising free food at the local favorite chinese restaurant in Westerville. So, any college student would be game for free food! So, I immediatly went down to the place and found that it was indeed a credit card scam. Sign up for a credit card=free food. Being the naive young college student I was and starving for free food, I signed up. So, this led me into the downward spiral of living on the dreaded credit card for the next 5 years. Need food? Charge. Need gas? Charge. Need essential toiletries? Charge. Need a night out with friends? Charge. My $7.50/hr job at the time was not enough topay off the monthly balance. The credit card was happy with this, and proceeded to increase the limit, therefore I increased my balance. Now, after college, I realized my lesson and I am trying to learn from the mistake and in about 5 years will be entirely free from credit card debt.
The good news, apparently I'm not alone considering the associated press wants to research the prevelance of the credit card scams with college students across the nation. So...news on news to come in upcoming blogs.

Need a babysitter?

So, a co-worker of mine had some plans out with his wife tonight. Unfortunatly, the babysitter couldn't make it. Desperate for a replacement, he ask around the call center for help! Payment--$50 bucks for 3 hours watching 3 kiddos that are school age. I volunteered. So, Tim is gonna watch the baby while momma makes over 16 bucks an hour!!! Hey, I was gonna be up later anyway to go out to buy the twilight movie, may as well get paid...lol

Did you see Grey's or ER last night?

So, of course, my weekly ritual on Thursday evenings is to watch Grey's Anatomy and ER. Unfortunatly, 2 weeks from now my all time favorite show, ER, will be no more. I have religiously watched this show for as long as I can remember. Many fans have given up on the show because the cast of characters has been ever-changing. Well, if you were a fan in the past, the show has brought many of the original characters to give the show a proper goodbye. Dr. Ross, Carol, Dr. Carter, Dr. Greene, Dr. Benton, Abbi, among other favorites have returned for an episode or even 2-3 shows. I really think this is the best way to say goodbye to the loyal audience of over 15 years. I will never forget the original late night drama. I will miss you ER, and I look forward to your re-runs!!!

So, onto my second favorite Thursday evening drama. Grey's Anatomy!!! Some of you have heard the rumors of T.R. Night and Katherine Heigl leaving the shows. Well, kinda looks like Katherine may be moving on based on last night's show. Basically, the officials have stated that no one is leaving the show, yadayadayada. Well, they cannot confirm that anyone is leaving because it would give away the rest of the season...duh!!! So, my opinion for what it's worth...is that Derek does everything he can and is able to remove the tumor's from Izzi's brain, and the other Dr.'s remove the cancerous portions of the liver etc. Only to have the cancer return or something along those lines, and Izzi dies. George can't handle it, since he and Izzi have been best friends for the extent of the series so far, and splits. Of course, the show is probably going to make the scenario much more dramatic. We shall see.

Onto other news.....TWILIGHT IS RELEASE AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!! I am such a nerd, and will be going out to purchase the DVD tonight.

Happy Friday everyone :)

News on news

So, just got a call from Tim. Apparently, the Associate Press wants to interview him for a story relating to the consumer credit counseling that we belong to. As some may know, we relied on credit cards WAY TOO MUCH during college, when we didn't have a solid income. When we were done with college, the credit card balances were close to the limit and we couldn't make any breaks in paying down the balances. So, we considered our options and decided that consolidating our debt and debt management. So, turns out, this is a growing problem since our economy is in the toilet. Well, I don't mind sharing this personal news since it brings attention to the cause.

A Glimpse

My name is Amanda. My life consists of my son, Gabriel, my husband, Tim, and my extended family. I also work fulltime at the Central Ohio Poison Center.

First:
Gabriel is 16 months old. I found out I was pregnant with him the day before our wedding, which was St. Patrick's Day 2007. He arrived into my life, Novemebr 15 2007. Since that point, life has been a blur. Everyday he is growing and developing in some new way. Unfortunatly, I feel like I miss half of it since I am working full time. He is a fulltime walking toddler now. He is able to say several words, such as mam, dada, ball, get, all done, baba, kitty. He is the most precious part of my life.

Next:
Tim and I have been with each other for 10 wonderful years. We met in junior high, and began dating exclusively in 10th grade. After our first date so many years ago, things clicked and we've never been apart longer than 2 weeks. I never fully understood why my life brought me to Ohio, and then I met Tim. I was supposed to come to Reynoldsburg, supposed to fall in love with Tim, and supposed to have a beautiful son, Gabriel. Tim has been my best friend and my should to cry on and lean on for the past 10 years. He has stood by my side when everything else in life has left or fallen apart. As cliche as it sounds, I really don't think I could have made it through 19 to 21 without him.

Then:
I have a family like anyone else. Since I married Tim, I have really become closer to my in-laws. Everyday I trust my mother-in-law to take care of my son. She does so with the most love and compassion as I have ever seen from a grandmother figure. Everyday, she encourages his growth and development though interactive play, reading, and outdoor activities. I am so fortunate that he is able to have one on one contact instead of a daycare setting at his age.
My side of the family is going through many transitions at the moment. My grandmother is in early stages of alzheimer's, which is progessing rapidly. It is so hard to see her like this. I try to have a conversation with her and she can't remember what we talk about and repeats herself every 5 minutes. If the family goes over for a visit, she will forget she saw us the next day. I know she is frustrated and doesn't understand why this is happening to her. I haven't spoken to my Aunt in over 6 months. Her lifestyle choices and bad decisions have caused our relationship to pretty much stop. She has remained unemployed for many years, and proceeds to have children that she is unable to financially care for. The latest news is that she is expecting twins, which will make 5 children total. I hope she realizes that even though each child is a blessing from God, you should only have as many kids as you can afford to feed and care for.
My mother is taking all the steps to improve her life. I wish her all the best. I know she will make it, if she keeps her eye on the prize.

Finally:
Me. I consider myself a fulltime working mom and wife. By day I am a Poison Information Provider/Education Assistant. I work part time in each position. Some days I enjpoy the call center. When I help a scared mom with a toddler that ingested something find out that their child is going to be ok, I really feel like I'm contributing something. Mostly, I hate working the call center. On average I get about 100 call during an 8 hours shift, an avg of 13 calls an hour. About 90% of my calls are from drug dealers or addicts, and about half of those always have kids in the background. I find it hard to go to work everyday I'm on the phones because I am helping drug addicts with their addiction. I enjoy working education because most of the time I actually contribute something worth while.

Right now, I am trying to expand our family once again. My biological block is ticking, as the saying goes. I really want to give Gabe a sibling so that he never has to feel what I felt growing up. I never want him to feel alone or awkward, or stressed. Being an only child forced me to wrap my childhood around my parent's happiness. I was never a bad kid. Never really broke the rules. I always did what I was told. I had to make up for the children my mom and stepdad couldn't have. I never, ever want Gabe to feel that kind of immense pressure and unhappiness. It was a horrible habit that I only recently broke after Gabe was born.
Anyway. Tim and I have been working very hard...lol...to conceive another child. I have finally chosen to hand it over to God and let him decide when and if we are to be blessed with another blessing.

A few of my loves:
-bargain shopping via thrift store, second hand shops, discount retailers, and yard sales.
-Being outdoors in the warm sunshine
-The Beach, which is where I'm convinced I should be living instead of landlocked Ohio
-Animals, I loved animals much more before Gabe was born. Even though I respect and appreciate them, I really don't have the patience for them anymore.
-Movies. I love renting, watching, going out to see them. Rarely have I been able to go out to a movie lately, but that is why I have found a website online in which I can view movies in theaters for free...shhh!
-Snuggles with Gabe...unfortunatly they are few and far between nowadays...a running active toddler doesn't like to slow down and snuggle.

So, for my first REAL blog, I wanted to give people a glimse into my life to see who I am. More to come...