The definition of STRESS

S o
T ired
R eaching
E mergency
S wamped
S tatus

I'm stressed. Very stressed.

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Here's my list in no particular order:
* dog's health
* taxes (not prepared)
* getting caught up
* stores
* staff
* I'm fat
* household chores
* money
* time
* to-do list

However, there was one bright spot today. I thought I HAD to do laundry today since I ran out of underwear, but I found some that got mis-drawered. Yeah......I can postpone it for four more days!

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What should we call Wednesdays?

Reading different blogs it's fun to see people's ideas.

Wordless Wednesday seems to be popular. This is where you post a picture and don't say anything. But I want to be different (cause you all know I certainly am)

I thought about "One Word Wednesdays". I could post a picture and try to capture the theme with only one word.

I thought about "Weird Wednesdays". I could just post a random picture that really is non-important, but still shares something about my life.

So what should it be?

Maybe I could mix it up a little and do all of them -- then you would have a challenge and surprise each Wednesday keeping up with me!

While I'm still pondering this life altering decision, I will share the pictures that I took for today when it was originally going to be "One Word Wednesday".

Caliente!

Muy Caliente!

P.S. My new Cayenne pepper plant and it already has about 10 peppers growing on it!

Giving you a slice

Since this blog is "A Slice of My Life" (get the link.....pizza.....slice???), I thought I would give you a small slice of my life today.

Owning your own business does have it's perks.....but there is SO much more that goes along with it. Some good, some bad, some boring, and some downright fun. The first of the month is an extremely busy time for me, but when you have to add in some of the extra things that make you busy during the month -- you find yourself completely buried.



Here's the things on today's plate:
* Doing self-audit for our Worker's Comp insurance (due today)
* Printing flyers and stickers for school pizza night next week (due today)
* Updating website for Pizza of the Month (need by tomorrow morning)
* Designing new boxtoppers for the month (due today)
* Changing online ordering for next month's pizza (tomorrow morning)
* E-mail to send out to customers for first of the month (tonight)
* A couple loads of laundry to finish (sometime today or tomorrow)
* Call Allstate and figure out why they think I need to pay deductible on accident -- not my fault (today)
* Do payroll (tonight)
* Do employee and manager newsletter for April (tonight) * First of the month bills written (food, rent, credit cards, etc. -- tonight)
* Call vet and find out exactly what kind of special low sodium our dear old dog needs to be on (today)
* Make posters, pizza instructions, and signs for new Pizza of the Month for the stores (today)
* Research what wacky promotions we want to celebrate for April and decide what specials we will be featuring.

Okay.....you get the picture. I am a busy girl today. Of course there are a couple of other things I need to add to the list, but there is NO WAY they are going to get done today.....so we'll leave it at that.



Then of course I need to add in the interruptions -- the 5 or 6 phone calls I will get from the male members of my family asking me to look something up, do something, or answer something.

Ok then.....why am I sitting here writing when I should be working??? I'm not....signing off and see you on the other side of April!

Why????

Why can't I win the lottery?

Why is it that by the end of the week I haven't opened any mail and I have a HUGE stack to open and sort?



Why is it that no matter how hard I work, how hard I try.....I am always having to do a whole week's worth of daily paperwork for the stores?

Why is it that I seem to be the center of the family and if anyone needs to know something, needs advice, or ANYTHING.....I am the one they call?


Why is it that I can't lose weight, can't find the time to exercise, and most days just really think I look disgusting?

Why is it that I am sitting here asking why when I have a whole lot of other things I should be doing (some of which would be done so that I wouldn't have them listed as "why")

Why is it that I really feel that I am totally bored in my life and want to do something different?



Why is it that owning a business is so full of stressors (financial, operational, employee)?

Why is it that everyone around me looks older, but I still feel the same way as I always have (albeit a little creakier)?



Why is it the older I get the more fearful I am of losing people in my life?

Why is it that you can be cheery and friendly 364 days of the year, but if you are in a bad mood ONE day - people think you are a bitch?

Seriously, do you ever wonder why to any of these questions?

When your little buddy gets sick :(

Well I had to take my little dog to the vet again today. He's been coughing really bad and having trouble breathing. I hate it when he's sick and can't do anything for him.

We acquired this little dog almost 12 years ago by accident. My older son suggested we go into a Petsmart one Sunday and we looked at the dogs. There was this cute little face looking at us from inside a cage......and we were hooked.



It didn't take him long to become a member of our family. He has been well loved all these years by every single person in this house and all the visitors we have as well. There's just something about that little face with the snaggle teeth and the little tongue that just doesn't make it all the way in his mouth sometimes.



Still to this day when Cris and Aaron walk in the door Toby is the FIRST one that they greet and shower their love on and there is not one single time I have come home and not found his wagging little tail right at the door waiting to see me. For some reason he latched onto me as his primary person, I think because I'm the only female in the house.

We've had so many great times with this little dog and we are slowly watching him grow old. He's not moving as good as he used to, he can't see well, and he can barely walk the distance of two houses on his nightly walk......but we still love him so much!



He's now facing another medical challenge with either a mass in his esophagus or an enlarged heart with congestive heart failure. The xrays are being read by a specialist and we should know in the next day or two. In the meantime, he's on yet some more medicine (we are up to 6 now).

I'm not ready to not have that sweet little dog around my house with me all day long!

Fourteen years ago I married my best friend.



It started in a Prodigy chat room on September 4, 1996. It was a chat room for divorced people. There were approximately 20 people in the room and we were all just carrying on with general chit-chat. He was in Houston -- I was in Tucson and it was about 9pm (my time)



I seriously don't even remember if he was contributing to any of the conversation in the room. I do remember him typing that he was leaving and everyone said good night. The next thing I know is an instant message pops up on my screen from him asking me a question. That was the exact moment that everything in my life changed.

We chatted that night back and forth for about two hours and signed off with the promise that we would talk again soon. And boy we sure did. Every night until the wee hours of the morning we would chat back and forth asking questions and staying up really late. These were back in the days when you paid for your internet by the hour and we both sure racked up some hefty internet bills.



I can remember the first time he called me and I heard his voice for the first time. Pictures were exchanged and arrangements were made for me to come to Houston to meet him in person (against the wishes of all people that knew each of us because they were afraid for our individual safety). The moment I got off the plane and saw him the first time -- that was it for me. We gave each other a big hug and I knew that this was going to be the man I would marry. For him it happened after I walked out of an airport restroom. He said that when I came out of there and he saw me -- that was when he knew I was "the one".

Our long distance romance didn't last long and within two months he relocated to Tucson and we've never been apart since.

Paul Gainor I love you with all my heart. You have been the most kindest, funniest, and best man any woman could ever have. From the first moment of meeting you I have felt a completeness that I don't even have to describe to you because I know you feel it too. As cheesy as it always sounds, you are my "soul mate" and the person that I was meant to be with. 14 years later I am still so in love with you and so happy that we have built this wonderful life together. Can't wait to see what the next 14 years are going to bring us! Love ya baby!

Keep track of your underwear!

Okay, now that I've got your attention.....this post is about that exact topic.

One of the jobs of owning our business is washing the endless amount of dirty (and nasty) towels and aprons.

We seriously do an extra 10 loads of laundry each week washing these little items.

Well apparently when I washed the store towels the other day, a pair of my underwear were left in the dryer and somehow ended up in the bag of clean towels shipped to one of the stores.

One of our young male employees gave them to Paul and said that "these must belong to Debbie".

Oops.....Nothing says "embarrassing" more than having a pair of your underwear show up in front of your employees. That is sharing a little more information with the staff that I really would like.

Thankfully, they didn't look like this:



And thankfully there wasn't any blackmail or ransom to get them back. I also appreciate the fact that they weren't tacked up on the company bulletin board with a sign that asked "who do these belong to".

So thank you to the employee who discreetly returned them to my husband. The lesson learned in all of this is: you gotta KEEP TRACK OF YOUR UNDERWEAR!