Happy Memorial Day

I was going to finish the 2nd part of the last post this weekend, but I'll have to do it later this week.

My step-sisters found out their Mom has stomach cancer 2 weeks ago and she died on Thursday. It's really so sad.

2 freakin' weeks and that's it.......she's gone.

I'll be headed to Ohio on Monday for the funeral services and back in Chicago Wednesday eve.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy your Memorial Day holiday and get to spend some quality time with your loved ones.

The Butterfly Effect Part 1 ~ Cleaning out the skeletons

So where to start this one??

I recently reconnected with an old Marine Corps girlfriend through the miracle of MySpace. She tracked me down right before my wedding and we recently chatted on the phone and we've been emailing. She brought a few things from the deep confines of my memory "black box"....you know, the place where you store things that, for whatever reason, you don't want to remember.

Turns out some mindless things I did as a 19 or 20 year old really affected more than a few people. When I was 19 I got married to a guy I was dating for only 4 months, but I'll go into that in my next blog. After that ended, almost as quickly as it started, I began dating a guy who was also going through a divorce and had been separated from his wife for some time. The military took note of this and had warned us to stay away from each other until our divorces were final. Ha! Little did they know we were already living together in an apartment off base. So we had to play it very cool and try not be seen together in town while we waited for the divorces to become final.

Now this is where my memory stores were just dusted off.

During this time in the Marines, my 20 year old girlfriend, Cindy, the one I just reconnected with, had apparently confided in me that she was dating our 41 year old Battalion First Sergeant. Now as you can imagine, if the Marines didn't want 2 people who were separated from their spouses dating each other, do you think they wanted a female E-3 dating a male E-8 (those are pay grades)? Hell no...that's blatant fraternization and can be punished by Non-Judicial Punishment in the military.

So I guess I was questioned by our unit about Cindy's relationship with 1st Sgt Hall (this I still do not remember) and I spilled the beans that yes, they were indeed dating. Looking back at it now, I'm pretty sure the motivation of this was to take the spot light off of my relationship with Tony and put it on someone else. A selfish short-term fix to MY problem turned out to be a very long-term consequence for Cindy and 1st Sgt Hall (Jason).

Now what does the Marine Corps motto "Semper Fidelis" stand for? It's Latin for "Always Faithful". So who exactly are you supposed to be faithful to? Your fellow marines? Your unit? Your leaders? Your Country? I'm still not quite sure of the answer but all I know is that now, 13 years later, I'm embarrassed of that decision to narc on my friend and her boyfriend.

Turns out that Cindy was punished through NJP (Non-Judicial Punishment) and she decided to get out of the military with an Honorable Discharge. 1st Sergeant Hall ended up retiring and they both moved to Phoenix, where they continued their 13 year relationship which ended almost 2 years ago.

Tony and I? We still ended up being punished for dating. We, too, were NJP'd and our punishment included a month of restriction to the barracks and our pay was docked for a few months. I got out of the Marine Corps a few months later and stayed in Arizona for about a year and continued my relationship with Tony.

So could I have kept my mouth shut and saved Jason's 20+ year career in the Marine Corps? Yes. Would it have changed the outcome of mine and Tony's situation? No. Did I learn a lesson about loyalty? Yes, but ONLY because Cindy reached out and reconnected with me. Otherwise, that memory would still be locked away in the little black box.

It still blows my mind that 13 years later I'm just going through life, living in Chicago, married to a great guy and back in Arizona are 2 people who's lives were MAJORLY affected by MY actions. Actions of a stupid 20 year old that didn't know shit about shit.

I guess I've come a long way.

Cindy DID tell me though that after I spilled the beans, I was bawling my eyes out in the bathroom and apologizing to her for it. I do remember that, albeit a bit fuzzy, but it is comforting to know that I felt remorse for my actions. I'm happy to tell you that she does not hold a grudge and we're even planning a reunion trip. I guess her motto is "Semper Fi" and ya know what? I think a lot of people can learn from that, including me.

...to be continued.

The Promotion

So I was an extra in a movie over TWO years ago and it's FINALLY coming out in June! I'm pumped!

There is even a shot of one of our scenes in the trailer. We shot in a few scenes with Seann William Scott (aka Stiffler) where we are running in his marathon training group along Lake Michigan.

Check it out!
http://movies.aol.com//movie/the-promotion/33211/video/trailer-no-1/2120893

I heard it supposed to be HIGH-larious!

If you do go see it at the movies, I’m in the very front row of the running group as we run towards the camera in the center. You can't miss me seeing as I was a good twenty pounds heavier at the time!

Why spray tanning isn't always the best idea

Here is a picture of Mariah Carey and her new husband, Nick Cannon.

The person in charge of her tanning airbrush should be fired.

Oh No She Di'nt!

My friend Lisa just posted a comment about BE. She gets her on Ebay for like half the price!

I went to Ebay myself and sure enough, I got a few $13 eye shadows for 6.99. She also pointed out that that I can my super-duber expensive Dermalogica products there, too!

I'll never pay retail again! Thanks, Lisa D!!!!

Here's the Cyst-uation

I had my 6 month ultrasound today with my reproductive endocrynologist to see if my ovarian cysts came back. I've had to go every 6 months since my surgery to remove them in December 2006.

I'm very happy to report they have not returned and my ovaries look good. Yay for me!

My doc, who always always pushes Brian and I to have kids NOW, even said that I don't have to come back for a whole year. A whole year! He wanted us to get pregnant before we were even married and had us a bit worried about the fact that we might not get pregnant in the future if we wait too long. I'm 33 and I really want to enjoy life with just the two of us for a year or two.

I sorta feel like I just bought a year with Brian. :)

And since it's Friday, here is a funny little tidbit: I was telling my coworker about going for the ultrasound and he asks, "So is your stomach going to be covered with that cold wet stuff they use?" I said, "Well, no. They do my ultrasounds internally". Long pause (he's obviously drawing a picture in his head). "What? How?" I said, "Well, they use this plastic probe and put a condom on it and they lube it up". He says, "No way! They use condoms? Seriously?" I said, "Seriously! There is a bowl of Trojan Non-Lubricated sitting right there on the table." He replies, "Shut up!!"

So I took a picture with my cell phone to prove it:

Yay for Minerals

Allow me to speak to the girls for a minute:

I recently switched to Bare Escentuals mineral makeup. I admit....all the hype and advertising peaked my curiosity and I gave in. I bought the foundation, blush, mineral veil (it goes over the foundation) and recently, I bought some eye shadows.

I was skeptical at first as I didn't really think that a powder could give the same coverage as a liquid, but I was quickly proven wrong. When the guy at the store was going through the many reasons why minerals are better than the rest, he mentioned that these minerals actually help improve your skin. I thought, "Yeah, right, keep selling me".

After 3 months using this makeup, the jury is in. My skin DEFINITELY looks better. It's not only clearer, but overall, it's the same tone and not as blotchy as it used to be. I normally suffer from breakouts once a month (every 28 days or so if that tells you when it happens), and recently, I didn't have any breakouts during that time of the month. Now I'm left wondering if my breakouts are from skincare of from hormones.

Secondly, this makeup is SO much easier to apply and saves a lot of time. This is a HUGE bonus when getting ready in the morning. I also notice that the eye shadow stays on longer than your average drug store brand, but it's in line with the quality of Mac.

Thirdly, this makeup is so much lighter. I don't feel the makeup and it feels much more natural. I'm pretty sure this is the main attribute to why my complexion is better. It's breathing again! When I used liquid, it would sort of "fill" those fine lines around my mouth and you could see it. Eww...I don't want to point out the fact that I'm aging!

Finally, I don't have to worry about if my makeup matches my skin tone. Knowing that I'd be tan in Mexico, I bought a few different colors and they are all easy to blend, if need be.

The only downfall is that it's messier than liquid. I have to wipe down my bathroom counter every few days due to the various powers of foundation, blush and shadow.

After 3 months using BE, I just tossed my old Almay liquid foundation.