My Pathetic Self

Okay, I’m changing the title of this blog from the “Daily Dozeman Dish” to the “Weekly Dozeman Dish” or maybe just Dozeman Dish. I can’t keep up with daily reports. First, we’re not that interesting and second, I just can’t find the time to devote to sitting at this computer!

Alright, where I left off was last Wednesday. Tuesday afternoon my friend Jessica gave birth to her daughter Maya Elizabeth. After taking a day of rest and recovery she invited friends to visit her and Maya at the hospital. I was super excited to see the new baby and even Mike wanted to see Maya since new babies have a different meaning to him now that our future family isn’t so far away – no, I’m not pregnant I’m just speaking hypothetically. After work we went to the hospital and found Jessica’s room with almost no problems. We couldn’t figure out how to get in the maternity ward at first because they had locked the automatic door. After staring at it for a good two minutes looking around the sides for any buttons or call boxes, a security guard startled us from behind and asked who we were there to see. Thankfully we had the right hospital and Jessica was on the list so he buzzed us in!

Maya is such a cutie… she’s so tiny and well, helpless. I was very proud of Mike for holding her and I’m sad I didn’t have my camera to capture the moment! We both took a whole new meaning from the experience. Mike left thinking babies weren’t so bad – they’re cute and pretty quiet and Adam looked very at ease with the whole situation (never mind this is Adam & Jessica’s second child so I’m sure we missed their more panicked moments with their first daughter Hannah). I, on the other hand, paid very close attention to how Jessica was recovering. She had a C-Section so the recovery was more painful. Overall she looked great but very uncomfortable and tired. I understand everyone is different but still, it doesn’t make me want to jump on the bandwagon without serious thought =)

Thursday we didn’t do anything important. Friday after work we ran some errands and then came home. We had plans to go out and either go to Bell’s to see a local band or hang out at another bar. We decided to forgo both and ended up staying home. Mike did our taxes and I enjoyed watching “Attila the Hun” with Gerard Butler - obviously a half-dressed barbarian in the dark ages winning many battles and women wasn’t Mike’s idea of a great movie. I liked it anyways.

Saturday was pretty boring… After a very quick breakfast with Mike, I went to the salon to have my hair colored and cut. I hadn’t done anything with it since before the wedding and it was seriously starting to show some wear. I had an idea of getting it cut shorter but I think I got a little too crazy in the salon and we hacked off about 4 inches. I do like it – it’s a darker brownish/red and just under my chin. I had Mike take a picture when it was still styled from the salon so it looks nice. I have not mastered the new haircut yet but I think with a few more days I’ll have a confirmed method.

Saturday afternoon we attempted to see “Slumdog Millionaire” but the theater was so packed when we finally got in (the theater was super busy in general) we couldn’t find a seat! I’m sure there were some seats scattered about the place but we were late like usual so I made Mike return the tickets to a later show. In the meantime we made a trip to the mall to return my baby gift for Jessica. I was a dork and bought her a boy’s gifting banking on her having a boy. Since Maya is not a boy we returned what I bought and Mike helped me pick out a new gift. I’ll post a picture later – after we give Maya her gift =)

After shopping we did see “Slumdog Millionaire.” I have mixed reviews on it… on one hand I enjoyed seeing the rags to riches story but at the same time, I had no idea what kind of poverty and corruption there really is in the world. We’re so sheltered from it in America. Although it wasn’t the purpose of the movie to depict the horrors children and adults go through on a daily life in the poorer parts of India, it kind of sticks with you after you leave that you’re incredibly lucky to have all you have. I felt guilty Mike and I were looking at prices for furniture for our formal living room – a room I only anticipate we’ll spend less than a year in during our entire lifetime – when there is so much need in the world. It’s almost overwhelming.

Sunday was another laid-back day. I’m interested in finding a church that’s smaller than St Catherine’s so we can have a stronger church family feeling. Mike’s fine with the idea at this point as long as I keep looking at Catholic churches =) We tried a new one in Mattawan – St John Bosch I think it was called. Overall the experience was nice except I had some issues with the distance and it was a little too small for the larger congregation. Mike liked the idea our CEO is now attending there but I told him that wasn’t a good enough reason to starts roots in a town too far away for us to enjoy often =)

After church we had quite an experience. Mike and I realized, to our dismay, that we are products of a plastic generation. Let me back up: Catholic’s believe you should fast 1 hour before receiving Eucharist. Since Mike and I are far from morning people, we are usually coming downstairs just in time to feed the cats and fly out the door. We always miss breakfast. After mass on Sunday the reader announced the Knights of Columbus were hosting a Chili/Soup cookout in the church cafeteria. Mike and I were thrilled. First, I turned Mike on to the whole Chili phenomenon just recently and ever since I believe it’s become one of his favorite foods. Second, we were very hungry and on such a cold day, chili sounded like heaven.

Wouldn’t you know there was a $5 suggestion donation amount per person? The money itself wasn’t a problem but the cash was. Mike and I didn’t have 50 cents in cash between us and there were no ATMs in the church (hello! Put that in the suggestion box…). Of course neither of us carries checks either because honestly, who writes checks anymore!? We stood at the entry to the church cafeteria looking sadly at the bowls of steaming hot soup, bags of chips, potato salad, cookies and juice all mocking us. Mike in his desperation suggested we didn’t need to put any money in the pot. However tempting the idea, we both quickly decided it wasn’t the best one. Our only recourse was the look for an ATM or go home.

Let me tell you, Mattawan is far from a lively place. We didn’t see any ATMs on our way out and by the time we got home to get money it was too late to go back. We hung our heads and ended up at a local diner instead. It was still good food but the loss of the church’s cookout was a severe hit to our moral for the afternoon.

Sunday evening Mike and I spent bumming with the cats with a few moments of productivity. I needed to do some laundry and Mike needed to pack for a business trip. He’s in Quebec today through Wednesday at Stryker Canada. He should be getting off the plane soon and then heading to his hotel. I want to imagine he’ll spend the night resting and preparing for his day tomorrow but I’m sure he and his friends will all go out and have a good time in a new place =P However, I also understand it’s frigid in Quebec right now so maybe he won’t want to stay out at all.

Today I started off enjoying my time alone although I do still miss Mike. I made a trip to the grocery store after work and experienced a look of sympathy I cannot shake. I only needed a few things – Pop, salad for the rabbit, cat food and milk. I got all my items and included a small individual meal from the deli for my dinner. While in line at the do-it-yourself checkout aisle, I had some issues with the machine so an employee had to come over and help me out. The cart full of diet coke, cat food and a single-person meal made the attendant look at me with great sympathy. Although he did not say anything, I felt his expression said “Poor chick – all she has to look forward to tonight are chicken burritos and her cat.” You’d think he’d see my ring and automatically correct his way of thinking but then I realize I’m still wearing my winter gloves. I left feeling sorry for my single self until I remembered it wasn’t permanent!

For the record though… all I did have to look forward to tonight was my chicken burrito, my blog and Louis helping me find my mouse pointer on my desktop. Perhaps the Meijer employee’s look was not so undeserved =P

Fly-by Weekend

It's amazing to me how I can feel like my life is boring but then I don't have enough time to do anything. Let's see if I can pick up where I left off...

Wednesday was a typical day where Mike and I went to work and then actually skipped the gym to watch American Idol. Thursday and Friday are a blur. Obviously I worked and I think I made it to the gym on Thursday but apparently it wasn't very memorable. Friday Mike and I worked late (can we say workaholics? =) ) and then I came home and started cleaning. Mike was supposed to help me but it's amazing how long a simple email to someone at work can take when scrubbing toilets and cleaning cat litters are all you have to look forward to!

Saturday and Sunday were booked with events. First, Saturday morning started off terrible... wait, let me back up a bit in this story. In late November we went to the tire place to have the mustang's winter tires put on. Unfortunately we found out after 6 years of winter use they were shot. We could get new ones but they would cost us $600-$800. With the wedding, honeymoon and holidays hitting us all at once, we decided it made more sense to save up and carpool.

Which brings us to present day - Saturday my first event started at noon at Olive Garden where I would meet with some friends for lunch and then go to the movies to see Bride Wars. When Mike's alarm started blaring at 9:30 a.m. I was more than slightly annoyed. After questioning why he would set his alarm for so early in our day off he responded he had a broom ball game that morning. I know what you're thinking... what's broom ball? Well I'll get to that next. I had forgotten he had this broom ball event and was happy he had somewhere to be since I had my day planned. I asked him who was picking him up and then that's where the problem began. Apparently we had double booked our only car. So, after a scramble to decide who would try to bum a ride from a friend, I was on the losing end and had to cross my fingers Melanie wouldn't mind making a detour to pick me up. Luckily she was very accommodating so she agreed to pick me up.

As Saturday morning progressed, my rough start compounded when halfway through blow drying my hair I blew a fuse. I'm not really savvy at household things yet. I tried to fix the fuse but I was unsuccessful. Not feeling too down yet, I tried to go into the guest bathroom to finish up. Unfortunately that outlet was out too. Not to worry, we have three bathrooms so I try the downstairs one. No luck. Seriously? Who the hell wires a house to have ALL the bathroom outlets on the same fuse so when one goes out, they ALL go out. Sigh. By the time I found a working outlet in the KITCHEN, my hair was a wavy mess which I barely controlled with a curling iron and the reflection from my microwave. Needless to say, I did not anticipate the extra time it would take to find a working outlet so I made Melanie and I late to our lunch while I finished up. Thank goodness I have understanding friends!

Broom ball - apparently a Michigan sport compared to "poor man's hockey". People use old brooms, duck tape and some kind of goals to run around on frozen lakes and chase balls. Mike has two nasty bruises on his elbows which he will proudly show to anyone interested. Thankfully he did not break any bones but from the sound how rough the sport really is, it's more luck than anything else.

Lunch and the movie was really fun. I enjoy going out with just the girls every once in a while. We all ate plenty and enjoyed the movie immensely. Some of us continued on to the mall afterward and window shopped. By the time Melanie dropped me off at home Mike was just returning from broom ball and I took the keys to continue on to another friend's Tupperware party. In case you didn't know, yes, they are still having those.













Saturday night was not complete yet. After having a very nice time at the Tupperware party, Mike and I met up with Steve and Tia to go out for a night on the town. We started at Shakespeare's and then ended up at Wild Bulls. We had a fabulous time and Tia even rode the bull at the bar! She did pretty well for her first time. We all cheered her on before dragging ourselves home in a cab.




Sunday we were all so exhausted we literally slept the morning away. Around noon we all got up and went to breakfast/lunch. Steve and Tia headed home and Mike and I headed home to shower and get ready for our final event. We left about 3 p.m. to head to South Bend for dinner at my sister Cami's house. Paul made us an awesome dinner of Chicken Marsala and we all caught the opening night of Big Love. We had a really nice time before heading back home at 10 p.m. We made very good time and were home and in bed by midnight. Mike and I were exhausted on Monday but we made it through somehow. Monday night I got a few loads of laundry done and went grocery shopping.

Today was relatively uneventful. Mike and I had work and then came home to relax. Mike's out plowing more of the drive. This winter is just terrible. We can barely keep up on the mounting snow and ice. Our driveway has snow up to our car windows. I need to get photos up of those soon.

In other news, Mom and Dad won an award from the Mayor of Battle Creek for the most improved house in their neighborhood! The got a plaque and $100 =) Mike and I are very proud of them and so happy they've been recognized! The next time I'm in Battle Creek I'll try to get a picture of their award-winning house to post later. Also, my friend Jessica just had her baby today and I'm super excited to see her and the new baby girl tomorrow. It's been an eventful few days =)

American Idol - It has begun!

Okay, I admit it... I'm an American Idol nerd. Every year for 6 years (I missed the first season) I wait and count down the days for American Idol. I've been through the good, the bad, the very bad and even threw a few air punches when the DVR didn't record at the right time. I was a fan of Clay and I routed for Carrie Underwood. I cringed when San-whats-his-face didn't get voted off FOREVER and I almost cried when Chris was voted off so soon. I even crossed my fingers for my favorite when the two David's were up for the win - I wanted Cook to win in case you were interested. Yes, I am that sad.

I parked myself on the couch early and hoped to see some great talent this season. I think they started off well. Usually they focus so much on how bad the contestants are that you miss the good ones. They seemed to take a different approach this year and I'm happy with the mix. So far I'm voting for Emily with the rainbow hair, Stevie who Simon said needs teeth and Scott the blind man. Of course, it may be rigged that way so we want to vote for them but we'll see how it goes. I'm excited about the next round tomorrow!

In other news... not a lot happening. I did manage to find our camera. It was exactly where it was supposed to be so I'm not really sure which one of us originally misplaced it. I will post the final photos of the bathroom after this post. We still need pictures for the wall and we need to hang the towel rack. Mike thinks he can screw in the towel rack without a drill. I'm not sure how this is possible but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. However, just in case - Dad, we may need to borrow your drill.

Yesterday I caught Eathan in the terrible act of torturing my house plant. I have the plant in a pretty tall stand but Eathan can just reach some of the leaves if he stretches far enough. He's not always interested in doing it but when he's really bored he'll walk under the branches and snatch leaves where he can. It's really amusing although I'm sure it's not good for my plant.

I broke down and made zucchini bread for a tasty treat. Not really on the South Beach diet. I then had a stroke of brilliance though and decided to give our second loaf to the neighbors to enjoy. Luckily they were home to receive it so Mike and I didn't change our minds =) Unfortunately we have to stomp through a lot of snow to get there. What is up with this weather? They say we're getting another 3 inches tonight. Seriously - we have about two feet in our drive already and they say we're getting more snow and colder weather later this week. It's weeks like these I wonder why I'm still living in Michigan!

Jibberish.

What an uneventful weekend. As I sit here trying to update my blog I'm trying to recall what I did since my last entry.

Thursday night we had a very nice time with our friends Adam and Jessica and their almost-2-years-old daughter Hannah. I watched Mike closely as he interacted with Hannah. I think he's on the verge of wanting kids soon - we both are. It's just hard when it seems like there is so much we want to get done around the house or in our careers before we start having kids. I understand from countless couples that we won't have any clue how much children change your life until you become a parent. We want to be parents soon but we're taking some good advice and waiting at least a year. I hope I won't have to eat those words!

Anyways, so we had dinner with them and then watched photos from the wedding and reception. Jessica was one of my bridesmaids so she was in several of the photos. It's hard to believe the wedding was almost two months ago now. I'm very glad we had such a phenomenal photographer to capture all our moments. The day went by so fast but we have a very well documented event to recall our of fond memories.

Friday night - I don't remember what we did. Oh wait, Mike had another nose job (hehe). He had some exposed blood vessel that was causing a lot of nose bleeds so he went to a specialist last month. The doctor put some kind of silver something-or-other up Mike's nose to close off the vessel. Mike said it was like having someone put acid up your nose and tell you it would only cause "mild discomfort". Anyways, he went back for a follow up on Friday and apparently it had to be done again. Mike was not pleased. I think we spent most of the night holed up in the house watching TV and relaxing while Mike took several pain meds and tried to forget the pain in his nose.

Saturday we woke up somewhat early for us to make the first matinee at Celebration Cinema to see "Grand Torino." We thought the show started at 11 but it actually didn't start until 1. Oops. It actually worked out well that we woke up early though because we didn't realize how much snow had fallen overnight until we looked outside. We were buried in about 14 inches. Well, it wasn't 14 inches at once but what happened was we just kind of let the snow pile up in our drive and it went from 6-8 inches in the drive to over a foot. Unfortunately we couldn't get out until Mike snowblowed the drive. We were rushing to make the 1:00 movie by the time he finished. He had to plow it three times because of how high the snow was.

We were late for the movie but luckily arrived during the previews. We met up with Bruco and Melanie which worked out because they saved us seats. We all really enjoyed the movie and I recommend seeing it - before DVD if you're a movie watcher. I wasn't really interested in seeing it at first but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. When we left we were shocked to see it was still snowing - hard. It kept snowing all afternoon, dumping an additional 3-4 inches on our drive. Mike went out again and snow blowed our drive and our neighbors drive. Apparently we need to pay more attention to the weather because we were not expecting as much snow as we got.

With all the snow I did have time to finish the last coat on the bathroom. I'll have to post pictures later because our camera is MIA (missing in action). Mike insists I had it last and of course I say he did. I'll have to look for it later so I can take pictures of the final results. It's not exactly how I wanted it but I think I like it anyways. It's still pinker than expected but it's freshly painted and mine. That's about all I need right now.

Today was boring. We went to church in the morning and then took a nap in the afternoon. I read my new book - Washington's Lady - and made my first batch of Chili. I'm happy to say the Chili turned out really tasty and it wasn't hard to make. My mom gave me a bunch of jars of canned tomato juice. I think the homemade sauce really added to the flavor of the chili. I'll have to make more next time. I only had enough for three bowls!

Officially a Dozeman and nothing but trouble since.

Late on Tuesday afternoon I get an email in my work inbox letting me know my name change request from Smolsky to Dozeman has been granted. Never mind my request was entered two weeks ago - at least they got around to it. Literally two seconds after receiving the email a get a pop up window in my outlook complaining about my login name and password. I try to enter my new login name and password. No go. I try again thinking I messed it up. Nothing. Irritated I call the Help Desk. A few phone calls and three reboots later, I decide this transition sucks. Today my situation isn't better. I had to fan angle my computer using old user names or coworkers user names to do my job. Very irritating. I realize this will get better but I didn't realize how difficult it would be to officially become a Dozeman =P





Oh a lighter note, I joined a book club. My first book with the club was "Lost and Found" by Carolyn Parkhurst. I liked it. Very entertaining, light read without a complicated story line. I wouldn't say it is run-out-and-buy it kind of book (I got my copy from the library) but it's definitely something to check out from the library or borrow. The book club itself was really fun. This time it was only me, my neighbor Pat and Bri but we hope to have a larger group next time. Our next book will be "Sarah's Key" - I'm not sure who the author it yet. If you're in the area and interested in joining, let me know! We meet on the first Wednesday of odd months.

We're having friends over tomorrow for dinner and to look through the wedding photos. I need to go figure out what I want to make for dinner. I'm thinking something with turkey since I have so much of it =)

Prescriptions & Cat Liver Issues

Yesterday after the gym Mike and I stopped by our local Walgreens to pick up a prescription. When the cashier rang us up at $50, Mike politely asked if they had forgotten to charge our insurance. Our usual co-pay was $20. The lady looked up our records and said that they had charged in insurance and $50 was the remaining balance. Huh? Well apparently our co-pay went up $30 effective January 1st. I'm not saying it's going to break us but $30 is $30!!! Seriously... I'm grateful we have jobs but apparently everyone is feeling the pinch now.



In other news, we took our cat Anya to the vet last week to check up on her continuing thyroid and liver issues. Last Friday, on the day that marked one month of medication, we took her in for a recheck on her blood work. Today we received the update and were happy to find out that her thyroid is much better and we only have to up her dose from once a day to twice a day. The weird thing is her liver values are still really high. The vet said at this time he's not concerned about it because she's not displaying any of the normal symptoms of liver failure - vomiting, weight loss, lack of appetite, etc. The ultrasound we had for her last month showed her liver looks fine so for right now we're told to continue what we're doing and we'll hope she continues to be healthy. It's hard to do much when she's turning 15 this year. She's doing phenomenally well "for her age". If we see any changes in her behavior we'll have to take steps to bring her levels down but for right now it appears there isn't much we can do. Poor thing!

Our bathroom is still in disrepair. Mike and I have had zero desire to apply the last coats of paint. It's not like the bathroom is going anywhere but it does concern me how we're going to handle future projects when we crap out after three coats of paint on the smallest room in our house! =)

My First Turkey... I'm so proud!

It's not uncommon for me to be on a "diet". Lately I've managed to drag Mike along with me for the ride, mostly because I do the cooking and he doesn't have a lot of choice =) With the New Year as usual I have promised myself to lose a few more pounds. Therefore, January 1st, Mike and I started the South Beach Diet.

For those of you who don't know, it's not Adkins and really isn't very similar except for limiting a lot of food. The basics say you need to eat more naturally taking out the sugar, salts, and bad carbs (i.e. anything really tasty). It's rough the first few weeks but it does get easier as the cravings go away.

Anyways, I digress. With the new "natural" eating it means I have to do a lot more cooking meats and fresh or frozen vegetables. The grocery bill can really add up if you don't pay attention. In order to save some money on a favorite meat, I bought an 8 pound turkey breast to bake and freeze for smaller meals. I let it sit for three days in the refrigerator silently daring me to try to cook it.

If you ever read the label for baking a turkey you know why I called my mother and then my aunt to get a true explanation of how to cook the stupid bird. Thank God for relatives - My aunt was able to talk me through how to prepare and cook it with few problems. I admit it was awkward getting the questions "When are you cooking a turkey?" like there may be a future family meal involved and then "You're making it right now?" I'm not sure if it was geninue shock or just disappointment =) I'm proud to report the bird is edible and not too bad for my first try! I'm not sure it's as good as my aunt makes it but for a first go, I'm very happy with the results. I now have a total of 5 meals for future use. Cheers!

As for the rest of the day - Mike and I didn't do anything too strenuous. We went to see "The Tale of Desperaux" this morning. After "Benjamin Button" and "Marley & Me," I refused to see another sad movie like "Doubt" until I had seen a happier movie first. We did like it although I would recommend waiting for DVD to see it. We also slaved away at the last of our thank you cards for the wedding. I'm embarrassed it took us two months to complete. We did get through quite a few the first month but then time just flew by with the holiday.

Oh, the bathroom is looking great. I think we're going to put one more coat down because it's a little too pinkish-purple instead of the deeper purple I wanted. Mike said it looks like "Plum Crazy" - the ice cream store downtown decorated completely with lavender.

I say he has no vision.

First Home Project! Work in progress...

My goal for my winter vacation was to complete painting at least one bathroom. Yesterday I dragged Mike around town to various home improvement shops to look at colors and styles. I really wanted to paint our downstairs bathroom purple. Mike wasn't really sure about the color at first but he finally gave in when we were looking at colors =)

Today we officially started painting! First, we had to apply a primer coat because the bathroom was green and according to the Home Depot paint expert, even with two coats of purple paint the color I wanted wouldn't come out like my paper sample unless we primed. Anyways, we painted this violet-colored primer on the walls first. I admit I was a little nervous about the violet color but when we were able to apply the first coat of my chosen purple, I was very excited.

It's a little dark but I think I like it. I'm excited to see how the finished product will look but unfortunately we have to wait until tomorrow before we can apply the second coat =( I am also happy to report Mike and I managed to get through the two coats with minimal conflict. Considering we're such strong type-A do-it-ourselves kind of people, that's amazing! =)

Right now it's just a work in progress... But I feel this is the start to a beautiful trend! I already found samples of kitchens and bedrooms in lovely colors. I've decided we're going to paint our kitchen green =P Once we finish the bathrooms, the kitchen will be next!

First Daily Dish

Welcome to my blog! I will do my best to keep it updated so you will know what the Dozeman's are up to.

Yesterday was New Year's Eve and I had a very productive day. Mike and I decided January 1st was a good day to start eating healthier so we spent yesterday cleaning out the pantry and fridge of all unhealthful foods. We made a shopping trip to Meijer (stupidest idea on the day before a holiday) and battled the 100s of people pushing carts in the aisles for last-minute party stuff to find our healthful food. Our shelves are now stacked with healthful meals and snacks. It's kind of depressing...

After shopping we came home and made our dish-to-pass for the New Years Party at our friend's house. I made stuffed shells and put frozen corn in a dish and called it all homemade. I kind of overcooked my shells which was depressing but I'm happy to report not one shell was left after dinner!

The party was a lot of fun. We ate tons (farewell meals before our diet) and played games like Jenga, Fact or Crap and Wii Fit. Mike had a pretty intense game of Jenga going at one point where he almost knocked over the tower three times but still managed to keep the game going! We took a picture of the tower when it was at it's highest - shortly before it finally knocked down. I will post it soon.

Anyways, like the old people we are, we crapped out at about 11:30 and caught a ride home with a friend. We did stay up to see the ball drop but we dragged out sorry selves to bed right after. We slept in until about 11 this morning and I have done nothing but check my email, my facebook/myspace and start this blog =)

This afternoon we are heading to Grand Rapids to watch "Marley & Me" with Mike's parents around 5. I know I'm going to cry like a sorry sap but I hope it's still a good movie anyways!