Look What I Got...

Thanks to my very nice brother, I am now the proud owner of this little baby... Ain't she pretty?! My very first digital camera and it's purple too! How cool is that?! My brother rocks! :)

Thanks again and again, bubba!!!

How I'm Feeling...

Sometimes other people's words better describe how I'm feeling. This song really sums it up. Thanks to Kwizgiver for posting the version by Sarah McLachlan. Being a Joni Mitchell fan I had to go find hers to post.





Joni Mitchell - River

Home Again, Home Again...

I've just returned from spending Thanksgiving with Cleggy, Wendy Darling, & their family. Simply put, it ROCKED! Tasty food, fabulous friends ("FABULOUS!"), good movies, general silliness, and lots of love.

We went to Santa Land Thursday night. Watched the pop-up edition of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 on the Disney Channel Friday night. Cleggy, Wendy Darling, & I did some running around on Saturday morning/afternoon and then that night we went to the movies and saw ENCHANTED. It was really good. I laughed. I cried. (I know, how shocking?!) After the Little Guy went to bed on Saturday, we watched POSEIDON. It was really good too. I laughed. I cried. I cheered when Lucky Larry got smote. :D

Oh and Wendy Darling & I totally SMOKED Cleggy & the Little Guy at Password on Sunday evening. Like I always say, Girls RULE and Boys drool! :P

Then Sunday night Cleggy & I stayed up way too late totally geeking out over the extras on the Shimmy & Shake Edition of the HAIRSPRAY DVD. Man was THAT cool! :)

I also took some really cool pictures with my camera phone on the drive up and a couple of nice ones on the drive back. The only downside to the drive home was that a passing 18-wheeler doing more than 80 miles an hour literally blew my car into a concrete construction barrier. I wasn't hurt and actually I wasn't even scared. It did scratch my car, but I guess it could have been far worse.

So my pictures are posted here. Go take a look. :)

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I know I sure did. Thanks again Cleggy & Wendy Darling! I love you guys! :)

“Hey, I didn’t know you had a tattoo!” and Other Amusing Observations…

Last night I returned from a trip to Shreveport to see my family. Nearly 500 miles and 2 tanks of gas later, I’m tired but very glad I went. Also sad that I had to leave. It was a long weekend filled with too much talking, too little sleep, and lots of laughter. And quite a few life lessons.

I learned that to my 22 month old nephew remotes, shoes, & various toys mean like, but crawling up next to you to share the tiger blanket means love. I learned that movies are more fun when you watch them snuggled up to your 11 year old niece and funnier with your sarcastic sister.

I learned that it takes a blonde, a baby brother, and a friend to hold the cigarette lighter to change a blinker in the dark. I learned that if a really big dude makes you a sky hook out of rebar with his bare hands then you’d best find a way to use it, even if it’s just as a coat rack. I learned that watching my baby brother and his friends build a water fountain is more entertaining than a Three Stooges movie. It also has way more cuss words. :P

I learned that getting only one 30 minute nap can make a baby REALLY grumpy. I learned that you are never ready to learn that your 11 year old niece has started wearing a training bra. I learned that nothing (except my Mommy’s cornbread dressing) feels as much like home as my sister’s broccoli cornbread, even when it’s spinach & ricotta cornbread at my request.

I learned that my baby brother’s girlfriend makes an apple cake that smells amazing enough to make my mouth water. I learned that my baby brother has some very nice friends, but not all of them have very nice wives. I learned that cats know when you are allergic to them and that fact makes you like catnip to them.

I learned that watching the Interactive Spider-Man doll sing “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” is quite disturbing. I learned that toys that make noise are more interesting than ones that don’t if you are a toddler. I learned that watching your niece hanging out the sunroof of your car while you wait for her mom to get out of Wal-Mart can make you laugh until you cry.

Mostly I learned that not only do I love my family but I also like them. And I remembered that sometimes just a simple phrase can reduce my sister and I to uncontrollable giggles. Here are a few…

“We already went. You mean you don’t remember eating?”

“Sharon!”

“Porn Star 12”

Ahhhh, good times. Good times. :)

Adopt A Soldier

A very good friend of mine, Wendy Darling, posted this earlier today on her blog:

"I adopted a soldier last week, and I am really enjoying writing to him and sending him packages. I really hope you will decide to adopt one of our soldiers. They need our support and encouragement."

Wendy posted this blog after receiving an email from Soldiers' Angels saying that they still had over 400 soldiers needing to be adopted. I am working on adopting one soon and I encourage all of you to do the same. Please. Our soldiers are a long way from home and doing a dangerous job just to keep all of us safe and free. Some of them don't have any family to send them love, support, and encouragement. A few cards, letters, and care packages are a small price to pay for the debt of gratitude we all owe the members of our armed forces.

So please go to Soldiers' Angels website and find a way to help. Find a way to make a difference in a soldier's life.

Thank you.

Nothing Is Cooler Than Free...

The wonderful ladies over at 5 minutes for mom are doing it again. These girls are the Queens of cool giveaways. Here's what they have to say...

"A Retro Giveaway — Pedal Car or Record Player — Take Your Pick

Written by Susan

I wasn’t there, but I think I would have loved the Fifties.

Of course I love the conveniences of our present day technologies and the respect and equality women have earned, and I likely wouldn’t trade those for a poodle skirt. But there is something special about the 1950’s… Something simpler… Harmless fun when teenagers rocked around the clock and families listened to their favorite radio shows together.

My mom was there at the right age to taste the best of the times. Born in 1940, she was a teenager in the Fifties and ready to be swept off her feet by Elvis and rock along with American Bandstand on their first television set.

I love to hear her talk about it and I wish I could imagine it better.

The past is always worth remembering — worth preserving and passing on to our children. But I think there’s something extra special about the Fifties that makes it even more worthwhile to celebrate. It was a time of good, clean fun. A time when family values were clear. Sure, there were problems and we may be remembering only the good… but I think that’s okay… We can celebrate the good and pass it on to our kids so that they’ll be able to imagine and dream about a simpler time.

And what better way to let our kids taste the 50’s than to bring the toys of the times to them?

The ultimate toy for lucky kids in the 50’s was the pedal car. The child-sized cars began to appear at the turn of the century, but were only playthings for the very wealthy.

But, by the 50’s, pedal cars were carried in major stores and many children spent their afternoons pedaling their miniature cars around their neighborhoods.

Sadly, these high quality steel pedal cars were replaced in the 1970’s by plastic ride-on-toys and, until recently, were no longer available.

But thankfully they have returned. Quality steel pedal cars designed to replicate the originals are now here for our children to enjoy.

Our store Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles specializes in these retro pedal cars and we’d like to share the fun with one of your children.

Yes, we’re giving away a pedal car!

If you have a 2 - 4 year old, this will be the gift they remember forever!

You can choose one of these cool jalopy cars — The Pink Princess Pedal Car, The Harry Car or The Harriett Car. Or take the equivalent value of $179 as a gift certificate towards any item in our store.

And if you don’t have any preschoolers, don’t worry… you can still celebrate the 1950’s with us.

Instead of a pedal car, you could choose the popular Suitcase-Style Portable Record Player was introduced in the late 1950’s.

The Crosley CR89 Traveler Stack-O-Matic takes you back in time as you listen to a stack of old records.

Or you could choose a Coke Classic Picnic Cooler or take a gift certificate and put it towards one of our most popular retro items — A 1930’s style Coke Machine.

These coke machines are an exact replica of the famous Westinghouse Junior Coke Machine of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Our customers love these refrigerated coke machines… they are perfect for keeping cold drinks handy in the TV room or on the patio.

So you can take your pick… choose a pedal car, a record player, a Coke cooler, or take a gift certificate for $179 and use it towards anything in the store.

If you want to win this retro prize, simply follow these two steps:

1. Publish a post on your own blog linking back to this giveaway post and also linking to our store Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles. We really do appreciate the links to both this post and to our store… you can also link to any of the individual prize product pages if you like for example the Pink Princess Pedal Car.
2. Leave a comment on this post.

If you don’t have a blog, we understand you can’t link back, but then please spread the word amongst your friends.

We are sorry to say we must limit shipping to US addresses. So Canadians, if you live close enough to the border to pick your prize or purchase up on the US side, then you can still enter. It’s incredibly simple to set this up. We help Canadians do it every day.

We'll draw the winner on Friday, November 30th."

So head on over and give it a peep. Personally, I've got my eye on that record player for a certain music loving best friend of mine. :D

I Miss You...

On October 25, 1923, Marion Laverne was born to German immigrant parents in a small town off the Texas coast. By the time I came along some 45 years later, she had three brothers and four sisters. I know my great grandmother gave birth to more children than that, but my family wasn't big on discussing the babies and children that died long before my mother was even thought of. There were several adopted children too. Apparently my great grandmother was happiest with a very full house.

The women of my family have very strong personalities. They have never needed heavy perfume to leave a part of themselves behind as they exit a room. They are vibrant, resonating women that have little trouble leaving their mark everywhere they go. My Grammy was no exception to this rule.

She was one of the strongest people I've ever known. In February 1973, she had a stroke due to an anuerism at the base of her brain. She would live another 21 years, 5 months, and 6 days despite having many more strokes along the way. On July 27, 1994, Marion Laverne joined her German immigrant parents in Heaven and my world tilted off its axis.

I miss her every single day. Without exception. I can't smell coffee or Tabu perfume without thinking of her. I can't hear a Conway Twitty or Loretta Lynn song without missing her. I can't go more than a month without dreaming of her calling me her angel baby and waking up crying.



I miss you, Grammy. I love you and I'll never ever forget you.



Every time I hear this song, I think of her and it almost always makes me cry.




I Miss You
By Miley Cyrus

Sha-la-la-la-la, sha-la-la-la-la
You used to call me your angel
Said I was sent straight down from heaven
And you'd hold me close in your arms
I thought of the way you felt so strong
I never wanted you to leave
I wanted you to stay here holdin' me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha-la-la-la-la
I miss you

You used to call me your dreamer
And now I'm livin' out my dream
Oh, how I wish you could see
Everything that's happenin' for me
I'm thinkin' back from the past
It's true the time is flyin' too fast

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
I miss you

I know you're in a better place yeah
But I wish that I could see your face, oh
I know you're where you need to be
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
I miss you

Extremely Past Due...

In August, I received a "Nice Matters" award from Kwizgiver and due to being insanely busy at work, I didn't pass it on. I'm am about to rectify that.

First of all, thank you so much, Kwizgiver. You truly are my Sunshine. :)


"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."


Next I need to pass on the honor. I choose:

1. Wendy Darling - I know that Kwizgiver gave her one at the same time, but I wanted her to know I felt the same.

2. Cleggy - My best friend for over 11 years. I can honestly say he is one of the nicest, kindest, and sweetest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

3. Margo - You never know when or where you'll find a new friend. About 6 years ago, we were both members of an online email group and began to sporadically talk outside of the group. Now I can't imagine a day without her.

4. Focus - She is the mother of Margo, but my friend too. And even though she's never met me face to face, she has been a kind and good friend.

5. Cormac Brown - Or as I call him with great affection, WP. A blogging friend that is very supportive despite the fact that until about a month ago we didn't even know each other's real names. He's a great writer and a super nice guy.

6. Wes - Another blogging friend who's blog I never get to read often enough. He's a great guy, a nice person, and he cares about people & the environment.

7. Feel-good Librarian - This is not a person I actually know, but I do read her blog on a semi-regular basis. She never ceases to amaze me with her insight and the size of her heart. And basically, I just love librarians. :)

More About Me...

I was intrigued by Kwizgiver's Personal DNA listing on her blog sidebar. So I took the test too. So this is me. What do ya'll think?

Considerate Experiencer

I also added it to my own sidebar. If nothing else, I like the colours. :P

Is This Really Me?

Well I finally took the personality test and here are the results. Do you guys think it sounds like me?




Of course I didn't have to take a test to know I'm an introvert. :P

Breast Cancer Awareness & Digital Camera Giveaway!!!

Wendy Darling hipped me to a special-edition pink Casio digital camera giveaway over at 5 minutes for Mom.

Here are the details:

"Slim, sleek and ultra-chic. She’s dressed in pink and takes fabulous photos. Her mission is promoting awareness and education about breast cancer.

Who is she?

She's the Casio Pink EX-Z75 digital camera specially bundled with a camera case with pink stitching and a pink ribbon-clad lanyard to show support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF).

Yes, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Casio is putting on the pink. They’ve taken their pink EX-Z75, a 7.2 megapixel digital camera which is part of Casio’s highly-regarded zoom line of EXILIM cameras, and are offering it with this special camera case and pink-ribbon lanyard for the month of October.

The special-edition pink EX-Z75 will be available beginning October 2007 and can be purchased at Sears, La Curacao, Fred Meyer, BJ’s, Nexcom, AAFES, Staples, and Future Shop. The bundle package will have an MSRP of $179.99, and will proudly sponsor the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information, please visit www.casiousa.com."

It’s a great cause and a fabulous camera so head on over to 5 minutes for Mom and sign Mr. Linky to be entered into the drawing. They will draw the winner on Friday, October 26th.

And remember to visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Breast Cancer Site for more information about how you can help promote awareness.

There's More Than One Way To Get Whiplash...

A couple weeks ago while I was on my way to pick up Cleggy for some much needed time off and travel CD's (Thanks again dude!), I pulled up next to this truck at a stop light. And I nearly hurt myself laughing. I did manage to snap this picture with my cell phone though. Enjoy! :P



Oh and my advice is to not call their competition because they obviously suck. :P

Just a little bit of something...

That has been running around in my head for about a week now. Cleggy's latest poem helped those words find the exit to the page, so to speak. Thanks, Cleggy!

ladybug, ladybug

ladybug, ladybug
fly me far from here
flutter your spotted wings
and show me the way home
safe passage to happiness
is all that i ask of you
friendship and devotion
is what i can offer in return
lucky, sweet, little darling
resting quietly in the daisies
lend me your magic
and i will share my love
take to the bluest sky
and ride the summer wind
i’ll sing you the song of my heart
in time with the beat of yours
lead me through the meadows
from flower to lovely flower
ladybug, ladybug
fly me far from here
flutter your spotted wings
and show me the way home



Let me know what you think.

A Gentle Ripple...

I need to get the word out about something and I need help to do it. I do not have any delusions of grandeur so I know that my audience is quite limited. Just a few friends and family read my usually pathetic attempt at a blog. But after a particularly inspiring meeting I began to realize that you don't have to make a big splash to get the word out. Sometimes a gentle ripple is all that is needed.

So here's my ripple...

Most of you know that I work for a non-profit organization. Not everyone knows that it is the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It has been a cause near and dear to my heart for as long as I can remember. Four and a half years ago, I was given the privilege of actually working for them. Just like any job it has its good days and it has its bad days. I can honestly say that the good ones far outweigh the bad ones. Friday during a meeting a co-worker shared this thought, "You're in the right place if the good things about your job are permanent and the bad things can be changed." I'm in the right place, but I already knew that.

Many of you know that my job fires a passion in me that has lead me to do more and give more of myself than any other job I've had. You've let me get up on my soapbox. I've annoyed you with repeated appeals and requests or just outright begging for money, help, or time. Most of you have even done it with a smile. For that I am eternally grateful. Now here is a request that won't cost you a dime and very little of your time.

Last year after nearly losing our Telethon station, our office came up with the idea of doing an online auction tied to our MDA Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. This year not only are we doing it again, but we've started a trend. Other offices across the country are doing it too.

Here's where you all can help. I need to get the word out about our auction before it goes live on August 22nd. So what I'm asking everyone to do is post a short blurb about our auction and the link. And if you're feeling brave enough, ask your readers to do the same. If everyone tells someone who will in turn tell someone else then my gentle ripple might begin to make a difference.

www.mdahouston.cmarket.com

Our auction literally has something for everyone. We have guitars autographed by George Strait, Keith Urban, and even the American Idol Top 10 Finalist tour members. We have signed books by Jesse Kellerman, Katherine Center, Mary Higgins Clark, Gene Wilder and Janet Evanovich. We have electronics, trips, and collectibles. So please check it out and if you feel comfortable doing so, mention it to someone else or even post it on your blog, online journal, or MySpace page. Thanks!

Dude! I've been tagged again...

Career Meme...

Here is how to play:
If you had the opportunity to do a 1-year internship in a company or field completely unrelated to your current career or specialty, what would be your top 5 choices? (In no particular order)

1. Any major publishing house
2. A newspaper, but doesn't have to be a major one
3. Assistant to one of my favortie authors, like Laurell K. Hamilton
4. A science-fiction magazine or e-zine
5. Google or another major online company

And now I have to tag five people to do this meme. So, I'm tagging anyone that wants to do it.

That Just Ain't Right......

There have been a few things this week that have bothered me or just downright scared me. So I thought I would share.


I saw a woman going down the freeway. She was talking on her cell phone and putting on mascara. She had one hand on the phone and one hand on the mascara. I don't even want to know what she was driving with.

Before you guys start getting all mouthy about how much better drivers you are, I have a scary guy moment to share too. Again going down the freeway at speeds greater than 60 MPH, I saw a man drinking an energy drink of some sort. Apparently the can was nearly empty because he had his head tipped all the way back. After a 15 second count, I lost my nerve and put another lane between my car and his. I wouldn't have been too worried except that Mr. More-money-than-brains was driving a Hummer. Now I don't mean a sissified or citified H2 or H3. I mean the original, gas-guzzling, takes-as-much-room-as-a-semi-to-stop, hole-in-the-ozone-layer-causing penis extension Hummer. Less than a minute after I pulled away from him I heard the screeching of large tires. All I could do was say a prayer for the tiny compact car that was in front of him.

BTW, both the woman and the man were on the same freeway, but on different days. I've definitely got to think about moving.

I am too nice sometimes. I went to close down my old bank account today. I switched banks because I was no longer happy with the old one. But of course when she asked me why today I said, "There is no branch close to my home or office." When I really wanted to say, "Because your bank sucks and your customer service line is answered by crackheads. And not even smart crackheads." *sigh* Sometimes it just sucks being a nice person.

My acid reflux medication is expensive. I have insurance, but I have to pay for my prescriptions and they reimburse me 80% about 6 weeks later. I usually can't wait that long for that amount of money. I'm not rich. Luckily I have some very nice people in my life. My ex-boss gets me samples of other acid reflux medications from her father-in-law who is a doctor. It's not my regular medication and it doesn't work quite as well, but I am VERY grateful. Something is ALWAYS better than nothing when you have acid reflux so bad that you can scorch the ceiling at night. I haven't felt as grateful as I usually do over the last two weeks. The samples he got me were for a pill that dissolves in your mouth. It wouldn't have been so bad, but they are strawberry flavored (see previous post). So every night when I'd take one, I'd have to sit very still for about 10 minutes and fight the urge to throw up. I finally went and bought my regular medication today. I'll figure out a way to manage without that $130 until they reimburse me.



I guess that's enough for now. Thanks for letting me share. :P

The Straight Eight...

I was tagged by Kwizgiver so here are 8 random things about me and/or my life......


1. My Grammy was so militant about ironing that I swore I'd never iron. I don't even own an iron and I'm glad.

2. I have a completely irrational fear of mannequins, wax figures, and statues. There is a statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville that nearly makes me hyperventilate. http://www.samhoustonstatue.org/

3. I make up my own filing system for books, movies, & DVD's so everyone won't notice how OCD I am.

4. At the age of 11, I had a bad experience with an upper GI and ever since then the smell of strawberries makes me very nauseous. This sucks because it’s one of my favorite fruits.

5. I visit my neighborhood library so often (usually once a week) that they know me by name.

6. I have recently discovered and begun using the Wash & Fold service at my local laundromat, but it took me over a month to convince myself that using it didn't mean I was lazy. They know me by name too. :)

7. I want more than anything in the world to be a writer, but am all but paralyzed by a fear of rejection.

8. I think the sexiest and most intimate act between lovers is a long, slow kiss that lasts until you both are breathless.



Participants:
1. Make a list of 8 random things about yourself and/or your life on your own blog.
2. Tag 8 other bloggers leaving a comment on their blog with a link to your post.

Tagging: Sweetest T, BigRedOne, smashingly, The Wonder, Violet Mistress and whoever feels like doing it. Just leave me a comment letting me know you did it so I can read it.

Time and tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty......

I wonder what Robert Frost would have said about a woman of thirty-nine. Hopefully something equally as kind.

Last week I turned thirty-nine and I was astounded by the fact that it feels absolutely no different than thirty-eight. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. However, I was quite grateful that this year's birthday found me in much better health and far less pain that last year's birthday.

It's been a rather crazy week at work. I got a new boss on Monday. She seems very nice, but after having the same boss for nearly three years it feels very strange. We have a big event coming up in less than two weeks and one of our team members is leaving after the event is over. It's a lot all at once.

On Friday the new boss decided that she would take us all out to lunch to celebrate my birthday, her new job, our team member leaving to go back to school, and the fourth member of our team surviving all the change. :) Our event coming up will be held at the new and fabulous Hotel ZaZa. So that is where we went to lunch.

The food was wonderful and the darling man that manages the place treated us to Strawberries Romanov and Champagne for dessert. Thanks again, Kleibert! Then we took a tour of the hotel. And I was taking pictures like a tourist. Keep in mind these are taken with my camera phone. It makes a MUCH better phone than it does a camera. :P

In the back of the very funky lobby, there is a fountain. On one side is the wooden sculpture on the left complete with stuffed peacocks.










On the other side is the woman on the right. The fountain itself is full of blue lights, river rocks in blues and grays, and white pillar candles that seem to just float on the water. The only movement of in the water is a constant rippling effect. It's strange, but quite interesting.

The entire hotel is decorated in an almost surrealist style. Most of the furniture is over-sized and just downright funky. These two pictures are the front and back of the same chair. Most of the art in place has a similar theme.












A human's body with an animal's head. There was a very large painting of a little girl with a lamb's head walking a lion on a leash. Very odd, but also beautiful.














In the basement there is a room call the Conspiracy Room. It's decorated in a cross between The Sopranos & Goth. The coffin on the left was actually the coffee table in front of the biggest red, tufted Victorian sofa I have ever seen.











The sign on the right hangs nearby. Sometimes the rules are just no fun at all. Do you think there was a lot of coffin dancing before they hung this sign?






It was definitely the most interesting lunch I've ever been treated to. I can't wait to go back. Although next time I'm there I'll be working. But I do hope to get better pictures. :)

If you'd like a better look at the pictures I did take they are posted on My Flickr Page.

And if you're ever in town, be sure to check out the Hotel Zaza. It's definitely worth a look around.

Well it's not Saturday but...

Here's a new poem.


prey

unable to harden her heart
she became his prey
with kindness and care
he had his way
ruthlessly he took over
ruling even her heart
showering her with love
until they couldn’t be apart
filling every corner
her life became his
just for the taking
for only a kiss
forever to be linked
one body, mind, and soul
no longer individuals
mere pieces of a whole
her innocence lingers
on his tongue like wine
her sweet, southern voice
still haunts his mind
he started as hunter
but became her prey
he just didn’t know it
until she walked away




Now don't be shy. Tell me what you think. I'm tough. I can take it. :)

For Those About To Rock......

Better late than never...

Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to another edition of "My Best Friend Makes the World's Best Travel CD's and I'm the Lucky Girl That Gets to Keep Them!". It's good to be the Princess and get to make the rules. :)

That's right. My best friend, Dave (Cleggy), came down to visit and as per our usual arrangement he worked his butt off making Travel & Mix CD's and all I had to do was listen to them and keep them. Right now you're thinking, "Dude! That's a sweet deal. How can I get in on it?" You can't so just back off buddy! He's my best friend. :P

Anyway, I drove up on Thursday morning before Memorial Day and spent a few hours with Wendy Darling & their Mom. After he got off work and we ran a few errands, Dave & I headed towards Houston. And so began the festivities. More than four days full of music, movies, laughter, and random trips to Big Lots.

We saw some good movies (GODSPELL, PAN'S LABYRINTH) and we saw some bad movies (AEON FLUX, DAWN). We listened to a lot of great music thanks to Dave. And we got caught out in the rain more than once.

There was no real schedule, but we had planned to do all of our running around on Friday to get it over with. We'd also decided on no random trips to save on gas since it's nearly $3 a gallon. Having said that I probably shouldn't mention that we made more than one trip to Big Lots, went to Pasadena & Humble just to go to a bookstore, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Hopefully we squeezed enough fun in to last us a while because we don't get to see each other all that often. Although I did just get back from a weekend trip up there. But that's another blog. :P



Anyway, thanks again Dave! Not just for the CD's, but for a GREAT visit. Ya'll come back now, ya hear! :P

Close Encounters of the Prepubescent Kind…

I’ll admit it. I should have listened to my sister when I went out for food yesterday. She told me to go to Sonic. Her reasoning was that she was craving it. This reasoning only becomes funny when you know that we live four hours apart. Never let it be said I’m not a good sister, so it was to Sonic I was headed.

I'm going up the road towards Sonic and I see Jack in the Box across the street and suddenly Jack is calling my name. They have this new burger that I just love. I’ll spend a couple dollars more, but don't you always with Jack? So I change my destination and three lanes. What? I used a blinker.

This burger is mega customized so they always make me pull around front. Gotta keep those drive thru numbers low so the district manager who has never set foot in the store can keep his monthly bonus. But I digress.

So I'm sitting in the front and these two teenagers come out to smoke. I am pretty sure they aren't even old enough to have bought the cigarettes they are smoking. Then the chick's phone rings and it's her mom. She's telling her where she is and why. The usual check in kind of conversation so I know my age assessment is correct.

I knew for sure she was just a kid and the guy with her couldn’t be any older. I mean he looked like he didn't know what a razor was let alone have ever used one. Anyway, to kill time I whip out my book because a good geek always has a book. And I’m a damn good geek.

I’m reading a “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” book from the library and I’m really into it. I AM the slayer, you know? When this kid starts sliding over towards my car. I can see him out the corner of my eye and I’m thinking to myself that he either needs burping or wants to borrow five bucks for candy. The chick with him isn’t looking happy and she's trying to get her mom to let her go because she's got some SERIOUS puppy love crush thing going on this guy.

I can see it. He’s not bad. Spiked two-tone hair, tie dyed shirt, and that "I’m the playa" confidence. So he gets close to my car and I lower my book to smile at him. He gives me the "sup" nod and says, "Hey baby, what's your name?"

I’m so shocked that my mind goes blank. All I can think is, “My name is 'I’m old enough to have given birth to your still in puberty ass'.” I give him the slow blink and I’m trying to figure out where Ashton and the cameras are because I just KNOW I’m getting punked.

It has to be that because I’m sweaty and dirty from cleaning all day. My hair needs washing in a serious way. I’ve got the old white 'show a movie on my fat ass' shorts on and a t-shirt with a stain. I am not styling here.

So I’m still blinking at him and the geek girl in me is thinking, "Dude I am soooo blogging about this shit!". Puppy love chick is fuming and trying like hell to ditch her mom. With the smoothness that can only come from age I say, "Huh?"

Baby Mac-daddy kneels down and says, "You have a pretty smile. What’s your name?" and I blushed. Yup, I said blushed. Go ahead and laugh. My sister did when I told her this story after I got home. Laughed and begged me to blog about it. Now you know who to blame for this. And, T, thanks for the title! :)

Anyway, I look up and he's got these AMAZING blue eyes and I’m thinking, "Wow! God has a demented sense of humor!" When I finally remember how to speak, I say, "My name is Cheri and you're sweet but I’m old enough to be your mother." Then I add, "And I think your girlfriend is getting quite angry”

He says, "My name's Damon, she's not my girlfriend, and you couldn't possibly be old enough to be my mother." (Insert suave smile beyond his years here.) "You can't be older than 25."

It took ALL my strength to not laugh in his cute little face. I smile back at him and say, "That's also very sweet of you to say, but the truth is that I’ll be 39 in just over a month."

Here’s the quick slide show of emotions that cross his face – disbelief, horror, sadness, then elation. And I’m confused. That last one got me.

So he says, "Well I always wanted to go out with an older woman. I just hadn't decided how much older until now."

I’m freaking because I was expecting him to say he just decided that 39 was just too damn old, but then he leans just a bit further in the window, licks his lips, pulls out that suave smile again, and says, "So can I have your digits?"

My first thought was to say, “I was just about to give him my phone number when he called it digits. Who says shit like that?!” I haven’t heard that in years, but apparently it's making a comeback with our mislead youth. Frankly I was just happy that his pants were around his waist and not below his ass.

My brain is working overtime to think of a graceful way to tell him no when the Jack in the Box employee saved me by bring my food. I told him I had to go and watched as puppy love chick all but leapt into his arms as she hung up her phone.

He says, "Maybe I’ll see you around, gorgeous." And in true Fat Girl fashion, all I can think is that I can never go to Jack in the Box again. Well at least not that one. As I was pulling out I heard puppy love chick say, "But you're not even 18 yet!"

I’m still in shock. :P

Spring Has Sprung...

Several years ago, my Mom & Pops moved from Texas to West Virginia. My Pops' family is from Maryland, near the West Virginia border. They've been together for nearly 24 years and for most of that time they have lived down here in Texas near my Mommy's family. So it was Pops turn.

I haven't seen either of them since they moved because I never seem to have enough money for airfare. I miss them very much and I know that they miss me too. Especially my Mommy. This is the farthest apart we've ever been. I know she also misses her home state. Her body might reside in West Virginia, but her heart will always be in Texas.

So this post is for my Mommy.

Texas misses you too, Mommy. But not nearly as much as I do. I love you guys!








Indian Painbrushes outside the library. I looked for Bluebonnets, Mommy, but I haven't seen them yet.



My Mommy loves Wal-Mart and flowers. So you know she's happy when Wal-Mart puts out their "babies" as she calls them. They've been very busy for the last couple of weeks in the garden department.
























Come visit soon, Mommy. The whole state misses you! :) I love you bunches!!!

What I Do On Sunday...

Last night a new blog-friend of mine and I were talking about the purpose of a blog. I confess that my blog has no actual purpose. A bit like the lavender bunny that hangs from my rearview mirror in my car. It’s cute and I like it, but it has no discernible purpose. Frank (my new friend) suggested that I should use my blog to tell people about my day-to-day life.

While struggling not to laugh, I explained to him that my life was really not interesting enough for that. On a good day, tales of my ultra-boring life could be substituted for Ambien, Lunesta, or any other prescription sleep medication. On a slow day, it could be used as anesthesia for major surgery. Trust me on this because I have certainly bored myself into unconsciousness on more than one occasion.

Not being one to militantly defend a position without first testing the validity of it, I agreed to give it a try as often as I could find time. Actually, if the truth were known, Frank tricked me into it. The force is strong with him and his logic-fu verbally decimated mine. :P

So without further ado, but with many apologies to Steve Burns for the thinly veiled, yet skewed reference to his great music, I present What I Do On Sunday.




I briefly open my eyes about 7am and curse the fact that it is still dark outside then realize it is Sunday and curse the fact that I'm awake when I could be sleeping in. With determination I roll over and attempt to return to dreamland on an express ticket. Two hours later, I wake for the second time today, squint at the clock, do the daylight savings math since I forgot to change the clock the night before, and crawl out of bed.

Knowing I need to do laundry, I slip into “Woman with a Mission” mode and begin gathering dirty clothes before I’ve even gotten dressed. In record time I have clean clothes on my body, dirty clothes in the hamper, and all of them loaded into my car. With a quick stop for breakfast, I head to the laundry mat.

Once my clothes are sloshing in their chosen machine, I make myself as comfortable as possible on the plastic chairs that could double as implements of torture and pull out the book I’m currently reading. While reading I begin getting more supporting evidence for a recently devised hypothesis. Apparently I am like crack to the Pre-K set. During my two plus hours there, I am the focus of no less than three little ones. Lots of sweet smiles, gibberish ramblings that I couldn’t even begin to decipher, and shy, young mothers apologizing as they retrieve their offspring for the tenth time.

Leaving my diminutive entourage behind, I head out to my next errand. On my way there I am convinced that I am no longer going to hell in a hand basket as I previously thought, but I am in fact on the express train to that terminally tropical destination. Standing on the corner at a stoplight is a man wearing a bright yellow sandwich board. You know the kind that would normally say something like “Eat at Joe’s”. This one had an entirely different message to impart. In big blue letters on the above-mentioned bright yellow sign are these words. “Believe on Jesus. Read the King James Bible. Repent or Burn.” My first reaction is to pull over and correct the man’s grammar. Luckily I read further and recognize him for the zealot that he is.

Thus convinced that my afterlife plan includes a fiery location, I pull into Wal-Mart’s parking lot and head to their automotive entrance. I round the corner and am confronted with proof that I somehow missed the announcement that today is "National Have Your Oil Changed at Wal-Mart Day". I quickly do the math and realize that waiting for nearly three hours inside Wal-Mart will either drive me to bankruptcy or the brink of insanity. I consult my list of errands and head to the next place.

Office Depot is also a dangerous place for me. It’s like giving a drug addict the keys to the pharmacy. Office supplies are my crack. But I have a mission and a determination to stick my list. I enter ready to do battle like Captain Kirk stepping onto the bridge of the Enterprise. Except I am pretty sure I will not be having sex with blue alien at the end of the show nor will I lose the sixth man on my beam down crew.

With the quickness of a shopping ninja, I gather up my spoils of war and head to the register. Feeling victorious, I survey the contents of my basket while I wait my turn. I’ve scored 100 CD’s for $12.99 and I’m so stoked that I may break into a happy dance at any moment. Hey, life is short and you have to find joy where you can. In fact the joy inspired me to buy three spindles of CD’s. One for me, one for Dave (a.k.a. Cleggy), and one for Dave’s sisters & Mom. I considered buying one for my sister, but realized that shipping them would completely suck the joy out of the bargain price.

With a spring in my step, I practically skip out to my car and head over to a local restaurant that is selling shamrocks for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. So this stop is work related. With my new camera phone (Thank you again, Laslo & Queen B!), I take pictures of all the shamrocks they have sold so far and plan to put it in next week’s newsletter. I spend a few minutes chatting with servers, doing the general rah-rah thing, then return to my car and drive down three stores to my next destination. Yup, three whole stores. Deal with it. I’m a fat girl and I don’t walk if I don’t have to. Besides I’m paying for this vehicle, I need to get my money’s worth. At least that’s the rationalization I’m using today.

Cue light streaming from above and Handel’s “Messiah”. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking nirvana (not the grunge band, although I am a fan). Shoes that is, girlie gold, all for me. God bless the person who started Payless Shoes. They deserve to be canonized, immortalized, bronzed, and even laid. Nothing is too good for them. For the first time in nearly a year, I bought myself some shoes. And I went wild. I bought two pair and spent about $40. That’s right, folks, she’s living on the edge. Yeah right.

With my prized new shoes in their shiny bag, I return to my car, consult my errand list, and discover that I am done. With a small car dance of joy, I head home. Halfway there I realize that I am too tired to cook dinner so I gleefully turn into my favorite Chinese take out restaurant. After doing time in the drive through, I pull out of the parking lot and immediately turn into another one. This one belonging to Sonic. My goal is a soda.

You see I don’t like the sodas at the Chinese take out restaurant. They taste fishy to me. I don’t mean “fishy” as in suspicious. I mean “fishy” as in their soda dispenser & coy pond share a filter. On second thought, maybe that is suspicious. Especially since they really don’t have a coy pond. The drive through had to go somewhere, right?

So anyway, I get a large diet coke at Sonic and head for home again. What do you mean is that all I got? What else would I need after I just bought Chinese take out? I have NO idea how that banana pudding shake got into my car. Really.

To be honest, I needed that shake after dragging everything inside my apartment. It’s not often that I dislike being single. This is definitely one of those times. It would be nice to have someone else around to carry all my stuff. My own personal Sherpa. Not really a good reason for marriage, which is why I’m still single. At least that’s what I tell myself.

So that was my Sunday. I warned you it was boring. That should cure your insomnia, Frank. :P

Happy Valentine's Day

Okay, so I'm a little late, but cut me some slack. I've been sick. My lungs have become convinced that they would work better if they were on the outside of my body. But I digress.

Last year for Valentine's Day, a good friend sent me tulips and signed the card from "The Band". It was a very sweet gesture with a naughty little spin to make me laugh. This year, Violet Mistress didn't forget me. No sexy message this year. Just a heartfelt "All my love" and the most beautiful tulips I have ever seen. Even more lovely than last year's. See for yourself....




I've already thanked her several times, but I will say it again. Thank you, Betty, from the bottom of my very grateful heart for the tulips. For thinking of me. For loving me.



And until next year....

Happy VD, Everybody!!

:P

Do you think they meant to be this funny?

I just wanted to share the sign I saw a few weeks ago when I stopped for gas. I laughed so hard that I hurt. No wonder our electric bills are so high down here. :P

New Poetry Sunday?

I meant to post this yesterday, but actually forgot. :P

While I was out last year recovering from my surgery my boss was out bringing a new life into this world. On September 7, 2007 the newest and cutest member of our team was born. Avery has his daddy's blue eyes, his mommy's smile, and red hair that no one can explain. As a child I was a redhead, but as I got older my hair became more blonde. For years I've missed my red hair and wished for it back. So I told his parents to blame it on me. :)

Avery is one of the happiest babies I have ever met. He is always smiling and laughing. Even when he is sick. When I described him to my own mother she said that he sounded a lot like me. I can only hope to be that good-natured.

Thinking about him inspired this short poem. I hope he grows up to be an even happier man.



avery’s smile

his eyes sparkle
like liquid laughter
his face shines
brighter than the sun
his happy laughter
can give you joy
his gentle touch
will lift your heart
so much love inside
such a tiny package
but he only has to smile
to share it with the world