I've updated my header banner with some cute little "Polaroid" photos. :-)

Click to view full size- or just look above! lol!

Thought I would share two albums I'm listening to right now:



Favorite songs off this album:

1. Teenage Dream    
2. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)      
3. California Gurls
4. Firework    
7. The One That Got Away    
8. E.T.
9. Who Am I Living For?    
11. Hummingbird Heartbeat
14. Part Of Me        
15. Wide Awake    


Favorite songs off this album:

1. One More Night
2. Payphone    
3. Daylight
4. Lucky Strike  
6. Love Somebody  
12. Beautiful Goodbye
13. Wipe Your Eyes

(I do use Amazon Associates, but not because I've made any money- because I haven't! lol! But I like that I can show a picture/link with a product when I'm blogging. Plus I do recommend Amazon.com for their low prices. That or Ebay!)  

I've been coveting Layla Hologram polish for awhile. I finally ordered some on Ebay. And then I liked it so much I went and order another bottle. You can find them at Ebay, Ulta Beauty or Zappos.com. They range from $14-16, but they are so worth it.

The formula dries super quick. I tried a topcoat, but it dulls the hologram effect. It does chip on your fingertips a bit. I noticed if I do 1 layer of hologram, then a clear coat, then 1-2 more coats of hologram on top it lasts much much longer. It looks frosty going on, but once it dries then the hologram effect shows! You can still see the hologram effect in low light and they sparkle in sunlight! Love them!

Color: Mermaid Spell

Color: Flash Black

My cousins & I also saw the Katy Perry: Part of Me movie in 3D last Friday. I loved it! I like that it's more of a documentary then just a concert movie. It shows a lot of behind the scenes stuff. Plus I like that she writes her own music, plays guitar and doesn't lip sync at her live shows. If anything I thought she sounded even better at her live shows. Her Grandma cracked us up in the movie, she reminded us of our Nana. It's definitely worth going to see!

I really want to see it again, so I think I might be dragging hubby along this time! That's okay though, we're definitely seeing The Dark Knight Rises this month too. ;-)

You can view a lot of clips from the movie here.

Pandora Radio has been bad for me. I'll get a song stuck in my head and I then I have to go looking on Amazon.com for the song so I can buy it, (because of course Pandora won't play it again right away!) So I've accumulated a mix called my 'Train Commute Mix', that I listen to sometimes during my one hour commute to work, when I'm not listening to Pandora.

I thought I'd share my playlist and what I'm listening to lately. It's got a little of everything. Some are older songs and some are new. (You can click the links to preview the songs on Amazon).

1. I Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem)- Good Charlotte  

2. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)- Kelly Clarkson   

3. Part Of Me- Katy Perry

4. Blow- Ke$ha   

5. I Kissed A Girl- Katy Perry

6. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)- Katy Perry

7. Teenage Dream- Katy Perry   

8. Firework- Katy Perry

9. Hey, Soul Sister- Train   

10. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

11. Here Is Gone - Goo Goo Dolls   

12. Jumper- Third Eye Blind   

13. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind   

14. Never Let You Go - Third Eye Blind

15. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)- Nine Days

16. Buddy Holly- Weezer   

17. Island In The Sun- Weezer   

18. Faint- Linkin Park

19. Shadow Of The Day- Linkin Park   

20. Leave Out All The Rest- Linkin Park   

(I do use Amazon Associates, but not because I've made any money- because I haven't! lol! But I like that I can show a picture/link with a product when I'm blogging. Plus I do recommend Amazon.com for their low prices. That or Ebay!) 

P.S. I'm still on bedrest, but I'm feeling much better than I did last week. Last Fri-Mon I was in horrible pain with my back and I needed help from my husband just to get out of bed to use the bathroom. I'm still sore, but the steroids are definitely working and I should be back at work on Monday. I need to get a little pillow from Walmart so I can put it behind my back. Our office chairs are uncomfortable.

At Walmart last night I finally picked up some Sally Hansen Salon Effects! My coworkers and I keep seeing the ad in magazines and we wanted to try them. They are actual nail polish strips that you peel and put on your nails. They took about 15-20 minutes to apply and you don't have too, but I put a top coat of Sally Hanson hard as nails over top of them.

They are gorgeous!!! (Color is: Misbehaved.) I want the Zebra color sometime, but it's hard to find. They are $8.50, and they give you 16 strips in case you mess up, which I did mess up one nail and had to remove it with nail polish remover. Now we'll see how long they last... lol!


I've also gotten some new music in the past few weeks.

Panic At The Disco- Vices & Virtues, which I love every song on the album! They went back to their original sound from their 1st album, their 2nd album had a very mellow sound and I didn't like it at all, but this one is great!















Avril Lavigne also has a new album, Goodbye Lullaby. I only like about 5 songs on the album, but it's nice to have some new music by her.















(I do use Amazon Associates, but not because I've made any money- because I haven't! lol! But I like that I can show a picture/link with a book or music when I'm blogging. Plus I do recommend Amazon.com for their low prices. That or Ebay!)

It's National Delurking Day! (Thanks Patty for the reminder!) So come on, don't be shy! Today is the day you can say "Hi!" if you read my blog but don't usually comment. :-)

It's also Tastykake Day!


Our own wonderful Philadelphia company, (Established in 1914!) Is having some financial difficulties. Today the company was able to refinance some of their loans. But they are definitely struggling. Unfortunately they will most likely have to sell or complete a merger with another company. Their loans have to be repaid by June. Please support this Philadelphia company by buying a few boxes of Tastykakes (If you're on the east coast!) Or by visiting their website and purchasing some goodies! I picked up some Tastykake mini pies today after work. And am shipping my husband Apple & Blueberry pies for Valentines Day. :)

I am also so excited because I pre-ordered The Pioneer Woman's new novel that is coming out in Feb! 'Black Heels to Tractor Wheels!' (Love her blog!)













And finally got to order her cookbook too! (Love free super saver shipping on Amazon.com!)













I discovered that I like Taylor Swift's music. I needed something new to listen too. She reminds me of Michelle Branch, (one of my favorites). And she also reminds me a bit of Avril Lavigne. Sort of a mix of the two. The countryish sound & then because some of the songs have some smart ass lyrics, lol! I have to get F.B. to listen to her music, because I think he'll like her too.
























(I do use Amazon Associates, but not because I've made any money- because I haven't! lol! But I like that I can show a picture/link with a book or music when I'm blogging. Plus I do recommend Amazon.com for their low prices. That or Ebay!)

I am officially all packed! Honestly, I kept putting it off because I hate packing, but everything is now packed except for last minute items. I even managed to fit everything into one suitcase and I still have a little extra room. I didn't even use the zipper extender. Yay! I love my new suitcase because besides being light weight, the wheels turn 360 degrees, it's awesome!

I stopped at Marshall's & Kohl's on Monday and picked up 2 new pairs of jeans. I also got a few more last minute items, flashlight, travel sewing kit, etc. And snacks for the plane! 2 Rice Krispie Treat Bars (Walmart had individual ones that are a bit bigger than the boxed treats.) and a bag of Snyders Peanut Butter Pretzels, yum!

Thursday evening I'll be going out with my cousins, Chrissy & Jessica. It's kind of sad, because my cousin Chrissy who was just married on November 7th is going to be moving to Georgia with her husband to one of the military bases down there. She'll be moving in early January and I won't be back in the USA until the end of January, so it's the last time we will see each other for awhile. I will have to either take a road trip or fly down to see her later next year. I have a lot of cousins, but I've always been close with Chrissy & Jessica.

Friday is my "Thanksgiving/Christmas" at home. I'm taking the family to a Chinese Buffet for lunch. Later we'll exchange gifts at home for my "Christmas" before I go away. And Sunday I think I will be stopping to see my Nana before I leave. My flight to Chicago leaves from Philadelphia around 6am next Tuesday, so i will probably need to be at the airport by at least 3am, considering it's just a few days before Thanksgiving and the airport might be crowded. Here is my trip itinerary.

I'm a little bit sad to leave my rattie girls, especially Sugar. She is slowly going downhill. She is nearly 2 months past 2 years old. Her two mammary tumors are pretty big and she's losing a lot of weight. She has good & bad days. Sometimes all she wants to do is sleep and other days she is alert & "active" for her age. She is still eating, but she's been getting extra nutrition from baby food, vanilla ensure and she even likes gatorade! Sadly, I don't know if she will still be around when I come back at the end of January. All of the girls will be getting taken care of by my brother Scotty, who is 21.

I ordered two new books for the plane. I got The Queen's Mistake: In the Court of Henry VIII by Diane Haeger. I've read 'The Ruby Ring' & 'The Perfect Royal Mistress' by her & I thought they were both good. My Ginger rat, actually nibbled a bit on 'The Perfect Mistress' and I was so embarrassed when I had to take it back to the library & ask if I had to pay for damages. Luckily it was only a very tiny spot & the librarian said she would just tape it!

I also got, The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by, Carolly Erickson I'm not sure how I'll like it. I like her non fiction biography books. But I just read her new book, 'The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots' and it was ridiculous! Mary escapes being a prisoner in England under Elizabeth I, and goes to Rome for awhile to visit with the Pope, then she goes to live with her secret daughter & grandmother with the Earl of Bothwell in a cottage. It was terrible & extremely far fetched. I actually reviewed it on Amazon.com. Her other book 'The Last Wife of Henry VIII' was terrible too I thought, but I did like 'The Tsarina's Daughter'.

I've been reading Anya Seton's books from the library lately. It started with reading Alison Weir's new book 'Mistress of the Monarchy' about Katherine Swynford's life. So I decided to take out 'Katherine' by Anya Seton to read and I really enjoyed it. I read 'Green Darkness' and it was just okay, but right now I'm reading 'The Winthrop Woman' and I'm really enjoying it. I also have 'Avalon' to read still. Most of her books were written in the 40's-50's but the writing seems very modern to me.

Fall Out Boy released a 'Best Of' album that I bought. I think I could have put together a better "Best Of" but I do like the 5 new songs that are included on the album. I especially like "From Now On We Are Enemies" & "Alpha Dog", though their rendition of "Beat It" is pretty good too. Fall Out Boy, is one of my favorite bands, I saw them in concert about 2 years ago.

And I really want Kutless' new worship album 'It Is Well'! It's only $5.00 for the MP3 download of the album. I asked for it for "Christmas". I have all of Kutless' albums. :)

While I was browsing Amazon.com I found out Michelle Branch is coming out with a new solo album in 2010! I am beyond excited! F.B. & I used to listen to her albums a lot early in our relationship. And her last solo album came out in 2003, before she joined 'The Wreckers' but that music was a little too country for me.

P.S. I forgot to mention. Creed has a new album 'Full Circle'. What the heck?! They broke up after their last album in 2001! Then Scott Stapp went and did his own solo album which sucked. And the other 2 guys made the band Alter Bridge, which I LOVE! Well Creed got back together to do a new album and it sucks and sounds WEIRD! I guess that could be because Scott Stapp hasn't sung for like 8 years... but his voice sounds weird and deeper, growl-ey & just plain awful! Not at all like the Creed I used to listen to. I do not like their new album and I used to be obsessed with Creed! I think the reality of it was Scott Stapp was not the talent in that band, it was the other two guys, Mark Tremonti & Brian Marshall because Alter Bridge sounds so much better!

I thought I would share the music mix I've made for working out. I use it when I'm running on the treadmill or walking at the park. I've linked all the songs to Amazon.com where you can preview them!

1. Move Along- The All American Rejects
2. Unwritten- Natasha Bedingfield
3. Beautiful Day- U2
4. Girlfriend- Avril Lavigne
5. Without A Fight- Hoobastank
6. Break- Three Days Grace
7. Fly Away- Lenny Kravitz
8. Fly On The Wall- Miley Cyrus
9. The Take Over, The Breaks Over- Fall Out Boy
10. Anna Molly- Incubus
11. Boys- Ashlee Simpson
12. Revolution- Jars Of Clay
13. Whyyawannabringmedown- Kelly Clarkson
14. Light Up The Sky- Yellowcard
15. Circus- Brittney Spears
16. I Write Sins Not Tragedies- Panic At The Disco
17. Face Down- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
18. Take Me Away- Christina Vidal
19. Don't You Know Who I Think I Am- Fall Out Boy
20. Toxic- Brittney Spears
21. It's My Life- Bon Jovi
22. Why Can't I- Liz Phair
23. Come Clean- Hilary Duff

What are your favorite songs to listen to when working out?

I've put together a Wedding Mix CD. F.B. & I are not having a big wedding. We are just having a civil ceremony, but we will be having a "reception" or dinner party with his relatives after we get married and I've been thinking it would be nice to play some of our favorite music at our "reception". And we could also play it at our renewel ceremony when F.B. comes to the USA after our immigration paperwork is complete.

I definitely want to play our Best Of: Mahal Mix CD & The Walk to Remember Soundtrack since they mean alot to us but I also thought it would be special to create a Wedding Mix CD of love songs that we've shared throughout our relationship and to start our future on.

So I've come up with a playlist of 19 songs. I initially wanted 21 songs but they wouldn't all fit on one CD so I had to get rid of a few songs. I also still need to get F.B.'s opinion (if he wants to add any other songs or replace any, etc.) but here is what I came up with for our Wedding Mix. I've included links to Amazon.com where you can preview the songs if you haven't heard them already.

1. Brand New Day- Forty Foot Echo
2. It's Gonna Be Love- Mandy Moore
3. Just For You- William Tell
4. Everywhere- Michelle Branch
5. Wherever You Will Go- The Calling
6. Things I'll Never Say- Avril Lavigne
7. Unbelievable- Craig David
8. The Way- Clay Aiken
9. Kiss Me- Sixpence None The Richer
10. I'll Be- Edwin McCain
11. I Wanna Be With You- Mandy Moore
12. The Reason- Hoobastank
13. She Will Be Loved- Maroon 5
14. Again- Lenny Kravitz
15. Your Guardian Angel- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
16. Far Away- Nickelback
17. Godsend- DC Talk
18. A Moment Like This- Kelly Clarkson
19. If You're Not The One- Daniel Bedingfield

Edited the songlist and changed song #4 to Michelle Branch, (F.B.'s suggestion.)

5 years ago today F.B. & I first said "I love you." 5 years ago today we decided to start this relationship. April 1st, 2004 was a defining moment in our relationship. We've been through so much together in these past 5 years, and I look forward to our future together...

Happy Anniversary Baby, I Love You.





4. She Will Be Loved: Maroon 5

5. A Thousand Miles: Vanessa Carlton

6. The Reason: Hoobastank

7. It's Gonna Be Love: Mandy Moore

8. I'll Be: Edwin Mccain

9. Wait For Me: Rebecca St. James

10. Iris: Goo Goo Dolls

11. Naked: Avril Lavigne

12. Beautiful Soul: Jesse McCartney

13. On The Way Down: Ryan Cabrera

14. Happy Together: The Turtles

15. Unwell: Matchbox Twenty

16. Passenger Seat: Stephen Speaks

17. If You're Not The One: Daniel Bedingfield

18. For You: The Calling


There are also a few albums that really stand out to me. Whenever I listen to them I'm reminded of how our relationship began 5 years ago and how far we've come.

A Walk To Remember: Soundtrack

A Walk To Remember: Soundtrack, was one of the very first albums F.B. & I shared and listened to. It just fit for the feelings we were starting to have for one another.

Michelle Branch: The Spirit Room

One of the first private messages I ever sent F.B. I quoted some lyrics from the song 'Breathe'. It was also the first song I ever played on the guitar for him over the phone.

Michelle Branch: Hotel Paper

'Breathe' & 'Desperately' were song lyrics F.B. shared with me. We both had Michelle Branch's albums and it became a way to connect with each other by listening to the same music.

Maroon 5: Songs About Jane

This was one of the first CD's I went out and bought after F.B. recommended it to me. He would quote Maroon 5 lyrics to me sometimes. And 'She Will Be Loved' is one of our favorites.

My Dad & I went to Peruzzi Nissan on Saturday for my appointment. We arrived around 12:30pm and looked at some of the 2009 Nissan Versa Sedans on the lot. I got to test drive one that was in my price range and then we went to discuss numbers and do a credit check.

When the dealer showed me my credit report he seemed very impressed. I had a 700+ credit score with 15 revolving accounts and all 1's. I'm obsessive compulsive when it comes to my credit accounts. I always pay more than the minimum and I try to have the balances paid off by the time my 0% introductory rates are up. I mainly use my credit cards for purchasing my plane tickets every year and I'm always looking for a nice 0% APR offer.

The first monthly payment the dealership came up with was $280 a month and that was way out of my price range. I was looking at just under $200 a month. The insurance State Farm had quoted for me was $119 a month and on top of bills, rent, paying off Philippine plane tickets I can't afford that. So the manager came to speak with me and said they would try to crunch numbers and aim for a monthly payment I was comfortable with- they did not try to pressure me or sell me features I did not need. It took 3 of the people at the dealership to find a monthly payment and loan for me. They came up with $217 monthly which was only $30 more than what my highest monthly payment range would be so we settled on that. There was a 3 year road side assistance, etc included already but for adding $6 more to my monthly payment I will be covered for 6 years now- the term of my loan. So that brings my monthly payment to about $223 a month, though I can always pay more than that whenever I have extra. But now I can call them if I have a flat tire or break down, etc. And I need that!

They also took off some of the price of the car to include a CD/Stereo for me. And I didn't want power locks so that wasn't an issue. All together the car came to around $12,000. Of course with taxes and fees it was just over $13,000. My loan is for 6 years and I have to make 72 payments on it. My APR rate is very very low though! (Just 5.34%!) I was happy with that. By the time the car is finally paid off I'll have paid $2,000 in interest... but I'm glad the rate is low.

Never having bought a new car before though- and always having used I didn't think about having the money for inspection/registration, etc, oops! My down payment was only going to be $1,200 but in order to get the monthly payment I wanted they needed a $1,500 deposit and the inspection/resigration, etc was $200. So I had to to write a check for $1,700. My Dad had to actually loan me $400.00 which I have to pay him back this month. My next paycheck isn't until the 9th.

My insurance from State Farm turned out to be lower. It will be $105.00 monthly. That was the other thing we hadn't thought about- when opening a new insurance account they always want the 1st & last months payment. So it was $210.00 to open the account. Ouch. I had to put that on my credit card. If I had thought about those things in advance, I would have waited until the end of the month when I had more money together... but it's okay. I've never owned a new car and my dad has always bought used being a mechanic/auto body and owning a scrap & parts auto lot.

So... I signed my life away (Lol!) today on a 2009 Nissan Versa Sedan! It's black with a black interior and incredibly roomy inside. Much bigger than my 1993 Chevrolet Geo Prizm. They actually said I would have to come back up to the dealership next week to get the stereo installed but by the time all of the paperwork was finished and the car detailed, etc- they had installed the stereo as a surprise, which was very nice! They also included a full tank of gas! I will add some pictures I took of the new car tomorrow. It was dark by the time we arrived home tonight and then I took my parents and brother's out for dinner.


Tomorrow I have to run the $400.00 loan my dad gave me and deposit it in the bank. The dealership said they would cash the check Wednesday. I also have to fax a pay stub over to them and drop off a proof of purchase to my insurance office next week. Oh... and I have to call State Farm too... when they faxed over my temporary insurance card they spelled my first name as Sara on the policy... it's Sarah. I will have to get that corrected before they send out my actual insurance card!

When we left the dealership with my new car it was already around 4:30pm. 4 hours spent looking at the car, settling on a price and finishing all of the paperwork! I was exhausted. We stopped at Circuit City (Which is going out of business, I'm am so upset!) And I picked up an ipod radio transmitter. My 15 year old car had a cassette player so I always used my ipod with a car kit. My new car has a CD player and radio so I got a wireless ipod transmitter. It doesn't work as nicely as I would like it but it was only $11.00. (40% off) I will probably look for a nicer one sometime soon and just burn some of the albums I'm listening onto Cd's for now.

I'm really happy to have the new car, not so excited to start making the payments, lol. But I'm glad I probably won't have as many issues with it as my 15 year old Geo. Thursday morning on my way to work the car was making a thumping noise and I had to pull over in a parking lot. My front tire was completely FLAT! I think I punctured it during the snow/ice storm we had this past Wednesday. We had so much ice, there is still alot in our driveway that hasn't melted yet. We have a very steep winding driveway and it is impossible to get up it when it's covered in ice or snow.

Cell phone pic from Wednesday's snow storm- going down my driveway:


We started having overtime at work this past Saturday. I really hope they will have it again this Saturday. I cannot play around this year, I will have to work overtime on Saturday's when it is offered. I have new car payments, credit card to pay off, new plane ticket to buy, getting married in December... too much to do this year!

I forgot to mention, when I was at the dealership and it was just as I was signing some paperwork they had the radio on and it started playing that 80's song "Sarah". That goes, "Sar-rah... Sarah!" I said to my dad, "Do you hear what they are playing?" Haha, I thought it was pretty weird.

Also when we were waiting for the credit check the salesman, my dad and I were talking and the salesman noticed my engagement ring and congratulated me. He asked if my fiance and father got along and I said, "Well he hasn't met him yet." And went into how F.B. is from the Philippines and how I travel there yearly. Turns out the salesman actually has a girlfriend in Cebu in the Philippines and he will be traveling there in September. They are actually planning to get married. I told him about how F.B. & I will be working with our immigration lawyer early next year and he asked me for our lawyers name. I gave him one of the business cards our lawyer had sent me. He said he will be contacting our lawyer and mentioning my name.

He has never been to the Philippines yet. He met his girlfriend online like F.B. & I met. A friend of his had been to the Philippines and was telling him "horror" stories about their trip. I told him about my experiences in the Philippines and he asked me alot of questions. I really love the Philippines and I miss being there with F.B. Such a small world though... hehe. It made it really feel like this was the car dealership I was supposed to buy a car at. Everything happens for a reason.

I got Hoobastank's new album For(N)ever last week. I loved their past 3 albums. They are one of my favorite bands but I am just not loving this new one. It seems so mediocre to me. The only songs off the albums I really like are, 'The Letter' & 'You're the one'. (I changed my mind, lol. I now like a bunch of songs off this album.)

Update 2-2-09:

Pictures of the car finally!




More Photos Here:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v211/christianchickslc/2009%20Nissan%20Versa/

Today I mailed F.B.'s Christmas package. I know I'm a little late but he said it was okay. It's probably better anyhow because the Philippine Mail can be very slow around the holidays so he might have a better chance of getting his package. One year his Christmas package was missing for almost 2 weeks even though it said it had arrived in the Philippines. F.B. went to the office and it had just been sitting around, never delivered because of the holidays. So hopefully he'll have it next week!

I also start work on Monday. Yay.... I'm so excited that I get to wake up at 5:30am again. It was nice being off of work for 2 months. We really had a long season this year. Not getting furloughed until October 31st. (Even though I had gotten permission to leave early because of my trip. Yay for vacation time!) Seasonal employees usually work from January-September. Anyhow I'm glad to be going back in a way because I seriously have to pay off these credit cards this year. I usually only have a large balance on one credit card because of the plane tickets, but I managed to jack up another card this past year as well. Now I have two $800 balances to pay off. Ugh. Thank god for tax refunds, that should help. One of my goals for 2009 is to pay off these credit cards and keep a balance one card just for my plane ticket. It's easier to pay off in a year.

I emailed our lawyer about immigration questions. A few months ago when I talked to our lawyer on the phone he said I should start making copies of all of my plane stubs, letters from F.B., etc. Since F.B. & I have been writing letters for nearly 5 years now and his letters are usually 7 pages or longer I asked how I should copy them. He said copying the 1st page and envelope of each letter should work and to keep them in order. He also said it was good F.B. kept our trip journals and that we should make copies of that too. We need all of this to document and prove our relationship when we are going through the immigration process. So this year F.B. & I will be organizing and making copies of all the letters to each other. I have to buy a copier/scanner this coming year. I was pricing them and they seem to start at $79 which is fine with me, as long as it works! My printer died awhile ago... and my desktop PC just bit the dust as well. (It was 5 years old.) Can't afford a new PC this year though.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

While I was out today I also stopped at Petco. I really wanted to check out the ratties there. I had been thinking about getting a new rat before I even came back from the Philippines. But then Spice got sick and I was busy taking care of her. Now she's gone... and I'm having a hard time getting over it. I needed something to cheer me up and help me with the loss and also to help my girls get over the loss as well, they haven't really been themselves. Rats mourn too.

Anyhow Petco had 4 females. 1 Rex, 2 Hooded & 1 Dumbo. The sales associates were super nice. They let me pick all of the girls up and see which liked me best. The little gray hooded girl was the most social and the favorite of the store. The little dumbo girl was also really sweet and not so shy. I got them both.

Here's my new girls: Ginger & Nutmeg












Ginger licking baby food off of my fingers (good introduction technique.)












Nutmeg with her sweet dumbo ears:












They are sooo tiny compared to Sugar & Cinnamon! They had a ball running around checking out their Ferret Nation. I've separated the levels again while the girls get settled in. Nutmeg & Ginger upstairs and Cinnamon & Sugar downstairs.

Funny story, when I was up at the cash register the cashier had to say goodbye to the ratties because she had gotten attached to them. (The gray hooded was her buddy.) She gave her goodbye kisses and told me she has 5 rats at home. While I was waiting to pay an older lady came up behind me in line makes a face and says, "Ooooh what's THAT?" The cashier holding my gray hooded girl says, "Rats." Then the lady looks at me and says, "Why are you buying RATS?!" I said, "I already have 2." And the cashier says, "I have 5." and kisses my gray hooded girl again, haha. The older ladies face was priceless she's like, "Ooooh... and you're KISSING it?" and then the other cashier said, "I can take you over here."

Rats get such a bad rap from people. I hear it from people at work all the time. But they are such sweethearts and have their own little personalities. They learn their names and come when called, they can be litter trained, are very clean and are very social animals. They make such great pets.

I got the new Fall Out Boy & Britney Spears C.D.'s. I think they are both really good. Fall Out Boy is one of my favorite bands.... aaaah I hope they are coming to Philadelphia again soon. I saw them in concert last November.

No big plans for New Years, just staying home with the family. So strange... next year I will be spending Christmas & New Years in the Philippines again and F.B. & I will be married by then... wow.