The Holidays

Alright so its been a while since I've posted.

Lets recap.

Thanksgiving:

Since Wade and I have started dating, we've done our own tradition for the Thanksgiving holiday - which includes cooking WAY too much for just the two of us and relaxing..at home.

This year we did just that..except I made WAY too much food, cooked a large enough turkey (which was spectacular) to feed an army. We decided this is the last year we're (or sorry, I'm) doing the cooking and we can go elsewhere. For one, its too expensive and second, I rather be around other people. HA!

This is the first year I had the day after Thanksgiving off and I attempted to do the whole after Thanksgiving shopping thing, but the turkey got the best of me and I slept til well after 10 a.m. - which is out of the norm for me. I hit a couple stores like Old Navy and Michaels and then got completely overwhelmed and came home. That was enough for me.

Christmas:

Well, I had a much deserved 5 days off, which was fantastic b/c it meant that I didn't have to drive to California and back (since that is what it feels like when I drive to work everyday). (-completely off subject, but I need my man to start making some serious money so I can stay at home and work from home - Love ya babe)

Christmas was good, excepting the fact that I didn't get to go home for the Holidays to Minnesota. We had Christmas Eve at our house with the Coplen's (consisting of Wade's father, Older sisters Audrey and Mary, Mary's kid - Morgan, Wade's youngest brother - not a coplen - Will) It was short, sweet, and too the point. We ate, exchanged gifts, chatted and everyone left at around 8:30 ish. I spent the rest of the night watching movies on a GREAT website that Wade's younger brother introduced to us, where you can watch newly released movies for free (keep in mind when I say newly released, I'm talking still in the theaters.) I'd give you the name, but I'm not sure if its legal or not.

I played Santa at about 5 a.m. Christmas morning, setting out gifts for both Wade and the Cats and then placed all the gifts my mom sent down under the tree. It looked magical - or maybe it was because it was REALLY early and I was still groggy. I can't be sure.

I made out GREAT this year, my boyfriend bought be my first pair of diamond earrings and they are BEAUTIFUL. I also got one of those blue tooth ear thingamajigs that he purchased on www.woot.com (AWESOME WEBSITE) Now I look like one of those important people walking around talking to themselves WITH diamond earrings. HA! It was a good Christmas, even though I told my mother not to send down gifts because I believe we are too old to have her buying us as many gifts as she does every year. But I am thankful!

So now brings us to New Years, which hasn't happened yet...but we plan on doing NOTHING. (it seems as though we've been doing a lot of that lately, doesn't it?) I'm excited to bring in the New Year with the man I love and not be out being a silly-ass drunk and doing stupid things. Its just not me anymore ;)

Happy Holidays to everyone! I love you all!

When is an Alcoholic Considered an Alcoholic?

Lately I've been wondering what makes an alcoholic an actual alcoholic. After getting my DUI, I had to take a series of classes, including: M.A.D.D., Alchohol & Drug Awareness, etc.. The classic definition of an Alcoholic always confused me.

Use of alcoholic beverages to excess, either on individual occasions ("binge drinking") or as a regular practice.

Ok, so now we're all considered alcoholics? If I go out on the town w/ my girlfriends and get "wasted", I'm considered an alcoholic b/c I binge drank?

Or does coming home and having a 6 pack at lunch mean that you're an alcoholic?

Its all confusing to me.

I have alot of people in my life that drink...alot. But they have never been classified as an alcoholic or they have been confronted and completely deny being an alcoholic. Who am I to say who's one and who's not one? I have friends that go out on a regular basis (weekends) and have a good time and get drunk...but that doesn't mean they have to have drinks during the day? No. Probably not.

I dont know, I guess I just wanted to jot down what I was thinking and get someone elses opinion on it. B/c if someone who binge drinks is labeled an alcoholic, then we all must be alcoholics, right?

Me, I wish alcohol didn't exist. Its the devil.

Facing Reality:Choice

If anyone knows me closely, knows I am 110% completely AGAINST abortion.

Its not that I hate or despise people that have gone through an abortion, it's just that I do NOT agree with it.

Fox news is airing a special tonight, October 27th, called Facing Reality: Choice. It follows six different individuals through having an abortion, wanting a child, and a doctor that performs them.

I encourage everyone to watch this and learn. Everyone knows my opinion on this topic, so I won't go into a debate on why I think abortion is murder, but to have everyone see for themselves as to what people go through when they have abortions or having to make a decision to have an abortion b/c it doesn't fit into their ultimate plan of their lives.

If you don't watch it tonight, please google the documentary and watch it at a later date. I think everyone needs to be informed on this issue.

Until next time......

Is it sad?

....That I wish that California would burn up and drop into the ocean?

The last two days I was outraged by the news coverage with the fires...who the HELL cares about which celebrity's house is burning. Honestly people!

Thats all...that and I want beach front property here in Arizona.

No really, my prayers go out to all the normal people that have lost their homes, belongings or even a loved one.

Have a swell day!

The Day Has Come....

Well, time to say our good-byes to our kittens. Its amazing, it's almost like we were procrastinating giving them away, when Wade says to me last night, "We have got to get rid of these cats"....two minutes later, I uploaded pictures and a loving description to craigslist and my phone hasn't stopped ringing since.

The first two calls we received last night are who we're banking on to come get these kitties--One lady wants three of them for her three children of whom she promised could all get kittens (which is great for us) after they had lived in their house for a certain amount of months. Woo! Three down--One to go. The other lady (younger chick) sounded pretty decent and she was going to stop by with her husband tonight.

Its now 7 p.m. and we haven't heard from either of them and just about 2 minutes ago, as I was weeding through all my emails inquiring about the kittens----


Please don't give them away for free... There are people that collect "free" animals and sell them to testing labs or as prey for trainer killer dogs. They will pretend to be loving family men/women to fool you. Ask for a small donation ($20-$25) to weed out those dark minded people, please. I love all animals and only wish them well.

Thank you for reading,Katie


Well crap! Now I look at this in a COMPLETELY different way. So now, I have changed the description on craigslist from free - to - small donation of $20-$25.

So anyways, we'll see how it goes. Hopefully the "mother of three" doesn't really mean to sell these cute little kits to a lab, or even worse a prey for a trainer killer dog. YIKES! Oh boy...wish me luck -- or better yet, wish my cute little kittens luck!

I thought this was funny.

From Mary Louise's Blog (from her sister):

People tend to think you're really smart and deep if you just stare at them while they're talking. They never know that you're not listening to them but thinking how cool the word 'square' sounds when you say it out loud.

Happy Saturday night everyone...off to the movies!

Great Way To End My Week

Its Friday, finally! However, my week doesn't end here, tomorrow I go to "Traffic Survival School", on a Saturday. How long, you ask? 3 hrs? No. 5 hrs? No. Yes folks, 8 whole long hours on my Saturday off. Lovely eh?

On a side note, I made a big mistake tonight, I won't go into specifics, but just know that I've hurt someone's feelings.

Let me give you an idea of what my week consisted of: Monday, Wednesday, Friday--I work not one, but two jobs--So roughly 12 hours a day on Mon, Wed, & Fri's. I really have no problem working, however--It makes me crabby. (Which runs in the family) Today when I was waiting for my day to be over (had to stay late because someone was in the office); I was getting REALLY frustrated with my life. How I got to this point as to where I have to work two jobs, two jobs that I hate--while other people are out having a good time, partying it up--Julie's stuck working. Now, I know what you're thinking..."I brought this upon myself", "its your debt", "everyone else has to work 2nd jobs to make ends meet", "its only 12 hours"-and so on...Well, so what! I'm bitter! I can't stand to work two jobs, no one should have to!

So at any rate, I took my bad mood out on someone who I love dearly. Its something that us "Harmsen-Pivecs" do. We are all selfish. And if my sisters are reading this, they will know that I'm right (like always). Its something that I've been wanting to work on for some time now. I just get really frustrated when things don't go my way, and for that I want to apologize to you.

That being said, I have these lyrics explain my feelings (as cheesy as it may sound) :)



I was dreaming of the past and my heart was beating fast I began to lose control I began to lose control I didnt mean to hurt you I'm sorry that I made you cry I didnt want to hurt you I'm just a jealous guy.I was feeling insecure You might not love me anymore I was shivering inside I was shivering inside I didnt mean to hurt you I'm sorry that I made you cry I didnt want to hurt you I'm just a jealous guy(whistle) I was trying to catch your eye Thought the you was trying to hide I was swallowing my painI was swallowing my painI didnt mean to hurt youI'm sorry that I made you cry I didnt want to hurt youI'm just a jealous guywatchout im justa jealous guylookout babe im just a jealous guy

Hope everyone has a swell weekend!

QR Codes and Physical Hyperlinking

Alright, this is my 2nd attempt at posting this blog, lets hope it goes through this time--or I may toss my laptop across the stinkin' room.

Had some down time today at work and my manager says to me, "why don't you read up on SEO news and you can report back to me after lunch". For those of you who aren't sure what I do for a living (yes, there's life after mortgages!), I work for a company called Submitawebsite.com. I'm a Senior Account Manager for a search engine optimization company. So in idiot terms (and yes, I am an idiot too), it means I take clients websites, optimize it to make their organic/natural searches in google, yahoo, & msn rank higher. Make sense? If not, go ahead and pull up Google in your browser, and search for "SEO"--read some of the links, its pretty interesting stuff! I'll elaborate more into my new found profession when I'm not exhausted and there's not music blaring in the background. ;)

So at any rate, as I was reading up on "SEO News", I stumbled upon a great blog article called: QR Codes and Physical Hyperlinking. Since its late and past Julie's bedtime, I'm not going to comment my thoughts about the blog article, instead, I want y'all to read the article and post your comments and thoughts! Sound like a good idea?? Come on people, its my 3rd entry and I want to see your participation! :)

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/physical-hyperlinking-no-more-typing-and-no-more-search-engines

Saturday

Hey everyone! I think I have become totally addicted to blogging...well not really, but kinda. I've told endless people about my page and I'm excited for you guys to read it!

Nothing really going on today, slept in til a mere 9 am. (thats late for this chick), had an interview with a Broker--which in my opinion was REALLY a strange interview. Not that I really needed to "nail" this interview, but I just kinda went to see what they had to offer me. (which wasn't a whole lot). Also went to Discount Tires to get a tire patched up--yes, I ended my shitty week with a flat tire last night, only to find out the tire had a nail AND a staple in it, so they couldn't revive the tire by "patch work". Boo. Another $120 down the drain. Wandered over to Bashas (for all you Minnesotans, thats a grocery store kinda comparable to hmm...Lunds?) grabbed some water, beer, cheap cheap champagne (yea, thanks Amy, you turned me onto the delicious champs) cat/kitten food--b/c we have HUNGRY cats and even more hungry Kittens (yes, we have four kittens for free if anyone wants one! They are super cute!) and four 59 cent candles to put in my candle holders (yes, def not needed, but my house smells and they were only 59 cents--how could I pass that up?) That pretty much sums up my day thus far.

We're having the Coplens' over tonight--BYO--everything. (BYO--bring your own) This is the best part of having people over when, 1) you dont have any money 2) you're hungry. You designate everyone to bring something and tada! No going hungry for the rest of the weekend! :P Just kidding Coplens...Its always nice to have y'all over. Another thing I'm about to explain.....The Coplens.

Oh where to begin? The Coplens (slash Logues) are my boyfriend of five lovely years, family. They are probably the most hilarious group of individuals you will ever meet. There's Audrey--she's the oldest, and she has the laugh that you will always remember--the plus side of her, is that she will laugh at ANYTHING. Thats why I love her. (plus she does give a good hair cut!) Then there's Mary, Mary is the girl version of Wade. I've gotten to know Mary alittle better this past year and man is that girl FUNNY! She'll pull something out of her ass (not literally) out of no where and make a dark room fill up. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. Then there's Randy Jr. --He has a wife named Heidi who has been a sort of adopted sister down here in AZ since I started dating Wade. Randy and Heidi are probably the closest thing to a perfect match. Randy stands 6' feet something (tall--very tall) and is like a huge teddy bear. He's probably one of the nicest Coplens' there is. (Not saying that the rest of y'all aren't nice) I just think he is the most kind-hearted man I've ever met--and wouldn't hurt a fly--kinda funny how he's in the Army. :) Then there's Clarice--This girl is the most original of the 6. She reminds me of MY younger sister, Jenna. Clarice and I didn't get off on the right foot to begin with, actually I think she may have hated me. But all that has changed, she's grown up to be a beautiful person and an even more beautiful Mother. She has a daugher, Vivianne, that I consider to be my own niece. Clarice is expecting another baby in October and we are all so excited to meet him! She is always such a joy to have around--and her fiance Cliff aint' so bad either! ;) Oh boy, that brings us to Will. If any of you have ever met Will--need I explain more? The name itself explains it all. Whats that saying? Where there's a Will, there's a way? hahaha....Thats so true. He's the youngest of the 6 and he is a crack up! I think that one day he will be on stage--whether dancing ballet or as a comedian, he will make a living out of entertaining people. He's just that good.

I have truly been blessed with such a great family to have in my life and I thank god everyday for each and everyone of them. They are probably the closest I will come to my family down here in Arizona.

So! This is what I have to look forward to for tonight, and I'm excited!!

Cheers!

This is my life

Well. Its about time I've started a blog. I guess you could say I've been "scared" to take a jab at this whole blogging society thingamajigg. So today's the day I endeavor into the unknown world of blogging....psshh! (thats me laughing at myself).

So, where to begin? As you can read from my ever so detailed "about me" section to your right, I'm from God's Country, (also known as Minneapolis, MN) and man do I miss it everyday! I come from a long line of family members, which are known as the Pivecs & the Harmsens--two last names I'm very proud to call my own. (Pivec alittle more than the Harmsen's--sorry dad)
Moving on....The Pivecs and The Harmsens---I was born March 12th 1980, Mom-Patty(55), Dad-Butch(56), Sister-Ellie(29), Sister-Jenna(22). Grew up on good ol' Queen Avenue in Southwest Minneapolis, attended Armatage, Lyndale, Southwest---brief stay at Academy of the Holy Angels--then graduated successfully from Mpls Southwest, Home of the Lakers.....blah blah blah blah....boring.....how I ended up here-in AZ is a mystery to me. In June of 2001, one of my "late" best friends (late=not a friend anymore), asked if I wanted to go to Arizona to see her boyfriend..."Sure! Why the hell not", I said. One thing led to the other and before I knew it, I recruited my best friend and cousin Molly to move along with us (if any of you know Mols, she's up for anything!). September 13th, 2001, my Dad and I were on the road to nowhere, aka the desert.
Talk about change of scenery!!!! Holy Shit, what the hell did I get myself into!!?!?!?! No large bodies of water, mountains everywhere, DIRT, and its 118 degrees in September!! WTF!?!
That day that my father had left me in my first apartment, in a different state...to go home, was the sadest day of my life. I've never felt so alone in my entire life than in that moment.
Later to find out, my dad sat outside of my apartment called my Mother in tears saying, "I can't leave my baby girl down here!" --Brings tears to my eyes.

So anywho, That eight months that I lived with Molly and Jenny was the most OUTRAGIOUS roommate situation I've ever been in. Molly and I get along just great--always have and always will (we're family, there's no way we're not ever speaking again) :) To begin, can I just say that we thought we were on vacation for the first 4 weeks after moving down here, so our day consisted of: Wake up around 10 a.m., eat some breakfast, watch TLC's A Baby Story, watch TLC's A Wedding Story, get on bathing suits-head to the pool, 3 hours later--come in, take nap, wake up, get ready, eat, go out on the town. And keep in mind, we didn't pause for a night or two, it was the same routine, over and over and over and over......until we ran out of money. Boy was that a sad day. So, we all found jobs (boo!) and it started to feel like we actually were NOT on vacation. :(

Long story short, 6 yrs later---here I am. Molly married, Jenny married--both in MN. I must say, I'm very proud of myself, however---there's alot in between 2001 and now that I'll share with you in my blogs. Some interesting, some boring, some exciting, some I probably shouldn't tell you and some that will touch your heart.

Til next time my friends!

Laters!

Jules