Etsy

Well, as many of you know I have an Etsy shop. I LOVE ETSY. Not just because I sell stuff, but because I buy stuff! The sellers are fantastic. Etsy is a place where everything is handmade. Hmm... my kind of place! Check it out at www.Etsy.com.

Cami's Travels

Well, I can't seem to go anywhere without some sort of glitch. Today I flew to Orlando for a work convention and my carry on bag had to be scanned three times and then emptied out in search of 'something round' I was told. I could not think of anything I packed that was round. They did eventually find the apple I randomly threw in while packing. This was a minor setback, but let me tell you about the other problems I've had.

I have slept in the Minneapolis airport and missed work the next day because my flight was delayed getting there. I have had numerous flights cancelled. I was re-booked to Portland, Maine instead of Portland, Oregon. I've also had a speacial search where the woman wanding me asked numerous times what my hips were.

Jason and I don't fly together. Not really for this reason but because of my work schedule it doesn't always work out that we can travel together. Jason has found it quite handy because of all the problems I have.

Still Under The Weather

Well, I'm still fighting this cold. I went to the doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with a COLD! Who goes to the doctor for a cold? Yeah, I'm pretty lame, but it's so convenient when I work next door to my doctor. I was also worried I might have strep throat because a few people at work have family memebers with strep. Okay, it's still lame.

When I was little I hated having colds. Not that it's enjoyable now but for some reason it was so much worse then. Blowing my nose always made my ears plug up and so I would refuse to blow. As you can imagine refusing to blow your nose doesn't end well. It always resulted in a masive sinus headache. Now, I blow, but I still don't like it.

Hopefully I get my voice back soon. It has been the pits at work. I didn't realize how much talking I did. My patients have been so sweet and understanding, but man, it's been hard! Yesterday I sounded like a honking goose and today it was more like a heavy smoker. Who knows what we'll get tomorrow!

Brownies Anyone?

Last night Jason and I went to a Halloween party. We don't go very many places together on week nights because Deebo doesn't particularly appreciate being left alone all day and evening. (we always make sure he gets a walk in between) So, we enjoyed our party and came home to brownie mix ALL OVER THE HOUSE! Deebo had found my large Costco box of brownie mixes and proceeded to spread it out all over.

We could hear him barking like crazy outside the apartment building. As we rushed up the stairs we knew something must be wrong because he doesn't do that. He was spastic dog when we came in. He couldn't hold still. I think he consumed way too much sugar / chocolate. He of course threw up but was still running all over the place. Jason took him for a run around the building a few times to wear him our. (It certainly wore Jason out). It was about 30 minutes after they returned that Deebo came down from his sugar high. He laid on his bed and didn't move the rest of the night. Poor guy.

Am I Allergic To Nursery?

Heh, I'm just kidding. I have felt awful for the last two days. I have a very sore throat and my lungs feel like they are going to rip out of my chest. It feels like when I had bronchitis. UGH! I didn't go to work either day. I think I've had one sick day in the last three years.

Deebo thought he was in heaven. Yesterday he woke me up a few times just to pet him. He's so funny. Today he left me alone. I think tomorrow may be a bit of a surprise. He was quite liking that I was home to do whatever he needs / wants. Well, I'm feeling better this evening so I think I'll drag myself to work tomorrow. I still can't talk normally, but we'll see how it goes. I can't retire just yet.

Names

I am name obsessed. I don't know why but for some reason I really get into the way names sound and meanings behind them. I think naming children would be a very challenging thing for me if Jason and I didn't start talking about names in highschool. We like names that have been heard before but are not in the top 100. I also am afraid of choosing a name that I just don't love in 4 years. Then what do you do? I guess at that point the name is associated with the child and you love the child, so the name isn't much of an issue.

I wonder if all of these issues and preferences are due to the fact that my name is not common. I have been given a lot of grief over my name and have even considered elongating my name to avoid some of this. At work a lot of patients think it is appropriate to give me their two cents about my name. Here are some of the things I've heard:

That's a dog's name.
Isn't that underwear?
Were your parents hippies?
Is that short of something?
What kind of name is that?

Most of these questions drive me crazy. Not only are they rude, but the way they say them is so degrading. My stock answer is that my maiden name is very long and therefore my parents chose short names in hopes that we could spell our whole name before reaching kindergarten. This reasoning also went into my middle name. It is Opal, but if left up to my mom it would have been my great grandmother's name: Opalollie. Due to the length of my last name my dad put his foot down.

I love my name and don't ever see myself legally changing my name but if I did it would be Camilla. I think it is a very pretty name, I could still use Cami as a nickname and would have a longer sophisticated name. My siblings already call my Milla (which I love). Jason just won't go for it. I could see changing it when we move to San Diego or something and just tell people my name is Camilla. I think it fits me. As for Opalollie, I'm glad my dad put his foot down.

I love hearing what people plan to name their children. I always ask. I'm sure it bothers some expectant parents but I think it is a fine question and am not offended when they are keeping it a secret. I read this blog about names and just love it. Here's a link to a recent post:

http://thebabynamewizard.ivillage.com/parenting/archives/2007/10/more_onehit_wonders_a_world_of.html

These things are so fascinating to me. I love hearing how people put together sibling sets. I have always thought sibling names should go together. They don't have to 'match' but they should go together. Here's an example of a sibling set I love:

Ainsley
Reagan
Calder
Hamilton

They go together because they have a similar formality and trend appeal. Here's an example of a sibling set that just doesn't seem to make sense:

Mable
Teagan
Leo
Dexter

These don't go together because they each have a very different feel and are from a different era or origin. Teagan is a new, trendy name and Mable is a very old name. Here's an example of rediculously matched names:

Olive
Ophelia
Olle
Oliver

This is rediculous for very obvious reasons. Now, here's the interesting tidbit. I LOVE all of these names and they are on my list of future children's names. I am so afraid that the first kid's name determinds / limits what we can and can't name our subsequent children. I know a lot of people don't worry about it, but for me this is a huge issue.

I guess it will be very interesting what we name our kids someday. Maybe I'll be one of those parents who doesn't name thier kids until they're three because I want to see exactly what their personality is. Just kidding.

Deebo

Deebo loves carrots, apples and cheese.
Deebo stretches a lot.
Deebo sleeps all day long.
Deebo can run faster than any dog I've seen.
Deebo loves his stuffed animals (he has two).
Deebo chews gum.
Deebo fluffs up his bed as needed.
Deebo can roll over but hates it.
Deebo is afraid of water.
Deebo has his own blog.

My favorite wedding pictures

Here are a few of my favorite wedding pictures. It's hard to believe it's been about three and a half years! It's been fantastic. Jason is truely the greatest guy!


















Enjoy!

Getting Pulled Over

So, I got pulled over a few weeks ago for the silliest thing! I was talking on my cell phone. What is most rediculous is that I normally use my hands free set, but it broke and I absolutely had to call my sister to hear how her most recent date went. The cop was quite aggressive and I was close to tears. I know... totally lame. Well, in the end he said he would let me go. So, I've been pulled over four times and not left the scene with a single ticket. I feel so lucky.

I am especially afraid of getting a ticket in Chicago. They take your license and you have to use your ticket as your license until you go to court. AND YOU HAVE TO GO TO COURT. In Oregon we could just send in the money for the ticket and go on our merry way. So, here you have to take a day off to go to court. It's such a waste of money. I don't see why the city pays a judge to sit there all day to deal with traffic violations.

And yet... they still want to raise taxes. There is a tax on the number of treads on the tires you buy in Chicago, 9% sales tax with a suggestion to raise it to 11%, and an extra special tax to lease a car. I do love Chicago, but goodness there's a lot of taxes for a girl to remember.

2 Things by Cami

2 THINGS

2 Names You Go By:
1. Cami
2. Princess (by my Mom)

2 Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Diamond earings
2. A striped button up shirt

2 Things You Would Want (or have) In A Relationship:
1. Kindness
2. Communication

2 of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. Crafty things
2. Read

2 Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. A perfectly clean house
2. A vacation

2 Things You Did Last Night:
1. Made dinner
2. Took a bath

2 Things You Ate Today:
1. Grapes
2. Tacos

2 People You Last Talked To:
1. Jason
2. My Mom

2 Things You're Doing Tomorrow:
1. Checking out a new fabric store
2. Going to work

2 Longest Car Rides:
1. From Utah to California then to Oregon
2. Oregon to Chicago

2 Favorite Holidays:
1. My Birthday
2. Christmas

2 Favorite Beverages:
1. Lemonaid
2. Water

2 Things About Me You May Not Know:
1. I feel anxiety when my house isn't clean
2. I was on the swim team in highschool

2 jobs I have had in my life:
1. Internet Service Provider Tech Support
2. Catering Coordinator

2 Movies I Would Watch Over And Over:
1. You've Got Mail
2. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

2 Places I Have Lived:
1. Portland, Oregon
2. Chicago, Illinois

2 of my Favorite Foods:
1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Steak

2 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
1. Sweden
2. California

2 Other Random Tidbits About Me:
1. I floss every night
2. I divide my cupcakes horizontally before eating them

San Diego Bound

I am so excited. We are going to San Diego next summer. Jason accepted an internship with Fish and Richardson. It will be great. I love SD and can totally see myself living there forever. I don't enjoy winter and feel it would be perfect to live somewhere that doesn't get very cold.

Eye Physicians & Surgeons of Chicago (my work) has been so accomodating. They are going to give me six weeks off next summer to enjoy SD. It will be awesome. Deebo and I will just bask in the sun for six long, glorious weeks. I will do crafty things, read a lot and take surfing lessons. I'm not kidding, Fish and Richardson provides them for their interns and wives. Unfortunately Deebo doesn't like water, but if he did he would totally be out there too.

It will be so nice to live by family. Jason's sister Karen and her family live there. They have a 2.5 year old daughter Ella. She is fantastic and I'm certainly her favorite aunt.