The life of a 30 something girl in Orlando

Day 7 & 8

2010-11-06T10:25:00.034-04:00

Another day where we woke up to the sweet aroma of a British breakfast. Grandma Shore is the best!! Once we got ready we drove to Great Witley Court which isn't far from her house. It's an old plantation type house that actually burned down years ago but the ruins are still there and the church attached to it was fine and actually still in use. And, the gardens are still kept up so it all looks beautiful. We went in to the church first and were the only ones there so we had plenty of time to walk around and take pictures. While we were there a tour guide showed up and told us some very interesting facts about it and it was really cool to have that private tour. The ruins were very cool. Especially to imagine what might have been where. Anyway, here are my pictures from that:

Of course Emily has more pictures where we pretended to be statues and such. She finally downloaded them to her computer but I haven't copied them yet. I'll get those from her when she gets back from California.

Anyway, because I enjoyed Great Witley Court so much she thought that I would really like to see the Chatsworth house. I asked her what that was and she said Pemberly...you know, Mr. Darcy's house, Pride & Prejudice...YES PLEASE!!! SO excited. It was about 2 1/2 hours away in Darbyshire though so we hauled butt there. It's actually owned by the Duke and Dutchess of Darbyshire and they currently live there but they have a portion of the house open to the public so we can see what a house like Great Witley looked like in it's prime. AMAZING. Oh, and they had some of the Owls used in Harry Potter on display. Very cool. Here are some of my pictures from the grounds and the trip there. I don't have many...of course Emily has more:

Then we headed to stock up on candy you can't get in the US. We bought SO much it had to weigh about 10 pounds. Then we met her friend Gary for dinner at a pub which had some DELICIOUS food. LOVE the food. Then home to pack. Which leads me in to our finaly day in the UK.

You'd think our flying day would be uneventful, but not for us. We bought so much stuff while we were there that we were worried about the bag weight limit. And since I only brought a small bag with me I had to borrow a suitcase to get everything back. We ended up with a rude check-in lady and my bag had to be weighed three times before it was under the limit. The 2nd time it was only .2 over but she still wouldn't let it through without me paying $50. So Emily and I had to shove all the chocolate and candy in our carry on bags to get it under. Oh wait, it's not over yet. Just to be extra rude, the lady decided to weigh our carry on bags too. Apparently there is an 18 pound limit for carry on. Emily said she's never had her bags weighed before. Emily had two bags, one that was just under 18 pounds and then another that was 9. So she tried to make Emily leave one. Mine was just under 9 so Emily said she would just give it to me. The lady seemed irritated Emily was so smart about that but let us go. It was ridiculous and needless to say had us both irritated for a while. But we finally calmed down and had safe flights back.

So that's our trip. It was fabulous. More pictures to come from Emily's camera soon.

Day 6

2010-11-04T17:41:00.022-04:00

This day I woke up to this view:

Just beautiful. I also woke up to the smells of a traditional British breakfast that Grandma Shore made for us. It was SO yummy and filling. After breakfast we headed to Wales so we could see the seaside. Before we got there though we stopped for a bite to eat (cause it was a long ride) in one little town. Here's my pictures from that:

The we drove some more and stopped for Ice Cream:

Then we made it to Seaside:

On the way back home I took a few other pictures of the scenery. I love it all!!

Once we got home we relaxed for a bit and then headed to a pub for dinner. It was a fancy pub too and the food was DELICIOUS!! Someone there had their huge St. Bernard in the bar area. I can't believe how big those dogs are. Anyway, that was basically our day.

Tomorrow...more country side and fancy houses...

Day Five

2010-10-30T08:36:00.021-04:00

Another morning we could sleep in. Fabulous!

We finally headed out to catch the shuttle to the airport, to the train back to the undergroud, then to Paddington Station (yes I bought some Paddington Bear stuff), then to another train in to Worschter, then to her car. How many forms of transportation can we use in one day? Anyway, below is my picture from Paddington Station and me stopping to get Krispy Kreme before we got on the train. I couldn't pass it up.

When we got to Worschter we had to walk a bit to her car she left at her friend's house and on the way we passed the factory where they make Worschtershire sauce. Of course I took a picture:

Once we got to her car we decided to tour downtown a bit and go shopping. Man I love the clothes over there and I was determined the whole trip not to look completely American. Anyway, we stopped the local Cathedral and took pictures there. It was so pretty. Espeically by the time of day we were there when the sun was setting shining through the windows. I found out Catherdral's in a City is what makes it a City. That's interesting. Anyway, here's my pictures:

Here's some of my pictures of a local pub and the streets. I thought they were all so cute:

So then we headed to her house in Lindridge. It was getting dark so I couldn't take too many good pictures and Emily likes to drive 70 down her winding country roads so it was a bit too fast for some good ones. But, she did stop off on the roadside so I could. Just as we came around the corner there were sheep right there and one quickly greeting us with a Baa. It was so funny. He even let us pet him. So my pictures from that:

We then headed to Tenbury Wells where we had Curry for dinner. It was SO good. Finally we headed to her house for the night and caught up with her Grandma and discussed what we wanted to do the next day...Wales!

Cheers!

Day Four

2010-10-28T22:50:00.017-04:00

Hiya...ah London. Our first day to sleep in. We took advantage of it too. Once we got going we headed to the Tower of London. They had these funny tour guides telling us about everything in super cool uniforms:

Emily made me take a picture of this chick cause it was too good not to have a picture memory of:

What was she thinking? Anyway, we stayed and listened to the tour guide for the first part of his speach but he took so long on the first part we both were done with it. We just wanted to walk around. So we did our own tour.

So here's some of my pictures from the Tower of London:

What isn't pictured here are the crown jewels. You're not allowed to take pictures in the vault. When I say vault, I mean vault. It was awesome and the jewels were gorgeous.

After that we decided to buy tickets for the Big Red Bus Tour which also included a ride down the Thames River. So we got on the boat and took the tour all the way to Big Ben and the London Eye. Much better weather today. So here are my pictures from that:

Unfortuneately the pictures of Big Ben during better weather this day are all on Emily's camera. I swear, I'll download them all as soon as I can.

After Big Ben we walked down to the Guard House and 10 Downing Street where the Primeminister lives. Then on to Westminster Abby. Everything was beautiful I swear. You'll see soon. Then we took the Big Red Bus to Harrod's. That place is unbelieveably HUGE!! And all we could afford to do was use their loo! We almost got lost in there. We found our way out and had dinner at Yo Sushi which is a cool sushi place where the sushi is put on a belt that circles a huge bar and you pick what you want. I loved it!!

Then we took the underground back to our hotel the previous night to pick up our bags only to get back on the underground then the train to Stansted Airport where our next hotel was that we originally booked thinking we would be flying in late from Italy. It was non-refundable so we had to stay there. We caught the shuttle to our most normal hotel the whole trip which was a Holiday Inn. By the time we got there we were so tired we put our stuff down, got a call from Emily's grandma to make sure we got there safe and passed out in our clothes.

What a day. Sorry there's a lot of missing pictures for this post. Hopefully I can add to it tomorrow.

Until then, Cheers!

Europe - Day 3

2010-10-27T18:51:00.011-04:00

Bonjour...I mean Ciao...I mean...Bonjour!

Italy Day....well, it should have been. Somewhere between the translation issues and shuttle from the hotel, we missed our 7:50 a.m. flight to Italy. And France was having one of their regular transportation strikes so there was no way to Italy again this day. The guy at the counter was telling us we could pay for a ticket the next day on the same flight but we weren't guaranteed a spot on the plane. Even if we did, by the time we got there the next day we would have only had a few hours in Italy before we had to catch the next plane back to London.

Once we decided we couldn't make it to Italy we started to focus on getting out of France. We kept hearing there was no way out and that freaked us out. Being stuck in a country where English isn't the first language and we were already struggling, didn't make us feel safe.

On a quick side note, we were bummed we were missing Italy because that's really what we wanted to do most. But we kept telling ourselves it was for a reason. I believe it was the next day we heard something about Human Trafficing going on in Italy so maybe we dodged a bullet. Also, when Emily talked to her dad he said he thought about calling us to make sure we made our flight but then felt like he shouldn't. Freaky. Needless to say we felt we were where we were supposed to be.

Thankfully, we found a train to London. We paid more than we wanted to but at that point we just wanted to feel safe so we didn't care. We made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare so we ate breakfast and then headed to the train. We were standing on the platform looking at the train about an hour ahead of time and kept saying we were getting on it no matter what. We even took a few pictures of our surroundings (on Emily's camera) and were just chilling. All of a sudden it hits Emily we might not be in the right place because she didn't see anyone actually getting on trains there. She looked up and saw Customs and check-in above us. OMG! So we hauled it to customs and had about 15 minutes before we boarded. Insane. It's amazing we survived in France.

Our train ride back to London was nice. We got to see the country side and took a few pictures (on Emily's camera again). We ate a snack in the food cart which I thought was fun...until a creepy old guy we were having a nice conversation with invited us to his house if we were ever in his part of England. Crazy.

So we get to London and the first thing we have to do is find a hotel for that night. We ended up in an internet cafe for almost an hour and a half because every hotel kept selling out when we would try to book it. We finally found one and headed over to it so we could drop off our bags and sightsee without them. The place was pretty cute actually:

Here's our balcony view:

The catch...we had to share a toilet and a shower with the rest of the hotel. And here's the view from the toilet in the closet:

Honestly, the hotel wasn't that bad and it's really just a place to lay our head. Here's some pictures of our room. We did have our own sink:

So once we set our stuff down we headed out for lunch at a pub and to do some sightseeing. We took the Tube to Big Ben and the London Eye. Only, by the time we got there, it was pouring rain. So we took a couple of pictures, had a nutella pancake (SO good) and decided to go back to the hotel. Here's my rain pictures though:

Once we got back to the hotel and rested a bit, we went out for dinner. I couldn't really decide what I wanted because I wasn't starving and super tired. We ended up picking chinese though. It wasn't the best meal but probably more so because I wasn't starving.

So that was our first day in London. We were happy to be back where we felt safe and looking forward to sleeping in the next day. More of London tomorrow.

Cheers!

Europe - Day Two

2010-10-26T20:00:00.034-04:00

Bonjour!

We woke up at 4:00 a.m. to make it to the train station in time for our 5:25 train to Paris. Needless to say we were quite tired but we made it. It was about a 2 hour train ride and not bad at all. We didn't really sleep though.

We were nervous about France because we heard so much about how the French are mean and nasty. And our very first encounter made us think it was true. We were off the train for about a minute. A family with a one year old girl in a stroller was in front of us. The baby turned around and, no lie, she looked Emily up and down with this nasty look on her face as if to say, "Welcome to France stupid tourist." Emily couldn't believe it but was glad I saw it too so I wouldn't think she was crazy. We were laughing so hard.

Once we reached the inside of the station we had to buy metro tickets and try out our French language which basically consisted of "Bonjour. Parlez-vous anglais?" We really think since with everyone we tried their language, they were very accomodating. So our only "bad" experience was the baby. We bought metro tickets that would get us to all the main sites we wanted to see and the first one we set off to was Notre Dame. Getting around the metro was really easy but once we got out and tried to find our way around, it wasn't so easy.

Oh, I should mention this entire day we carried around our luggage with us to make the most out of our day since our hotel was kind of far outside of Paris because of our flight to Italy the next day. Everyone that knows me must be thinking I'm crazy right now because I don't pack light. Well, I will have you all know I packed very light and I was proud of myself. All I had was a bag to strap over my shoulder which was basically half the size of a duffle bag. Yeah that's right, I did it.

This police station was outside of our first stop and it was huge and pretty so of course I took a picture:

This was an old church down the same street:

The Seine River:

And finally, Notre Dame:

Once we made it there we decided to give in, be full tourists, and ride the double decker tour bus which would take us to everything we wanted to see. When we got on the driver "cut us a deal" by making us pay only 15 euro for a 2 day 25 euro pass since we only needed one day. It wasn't until we got back and told Emily's dad about it that we realized he totally pocketed the money on tickets he already sold. Whatever, we got a deal too. They also had headphones we could use to plug in and get the tour in English. That was great for us.

We decided we really only wanted to get off the bus at the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre so the rest of the sights we froze on the top the tour bus and took pictures. Of course we chose to sit on top so we have no one to blame but ourselves for the pictures Emily has of us looking frozen. Again, more pictures to add later.

Here's one of us on the bus though:

Next was the Opera House. Just beautiful:

Next was the Arch of Triumph:

A couple of fun pictures I also took:

At statue of George Washington:

And finally, the Eiffel Tower:

We took a few pictures and then had lunch at a cafe on the patio nearby. It was delicious and fun:

I had "French" fries. Ahahahaha:

Then we headed to the Eiffel Tower to get tickets to go up to the top. There was a super long line and people annoyingly selling stuff all over the place that we couldn't escape. I was so happy to get away from them when we finally did.

Now, remember, we are carrying our bags around with us. It's not until we get to the front of the line where we see there are bag size limits. Emily's was fine but I was wondering if mine was going to make it. When we finally got to the front of the line the security guy looked at me, then my bag, then Emily, then me again with this look as if to say "Seriously?" It was so funny. He then proceeded to walk us through the ticket line and in through security. It was great. We finally made it to the top so here are some pictures from that:

Once we were done with that we found a spot of grass in front of the Eiffel Tower and just chilled for a bit. There were pigeons all over the dang place so we had a fun experience with that but the video really tells all and of course, Emily has that, so I'll have to post that again another day. So sorry. Until then, enjoy these pics from the green:

Once we were done goofing off there we got back on the tour bus and headed to the Louvre. Here's my pics from that including a French grandma we had to get a picture of:

We were so tired by the time we got there we decided not to go in, just get the typical pics and head to our hotel. So we caught the metro to the airport where we had to catch the shuttle bus to Hotel Air Plus. It was SO cute. What I would consider the typical French hotel with flowers and vines all over it:

The view from our room:

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and had great laughs with our waitress who enjoyed watching us look over our translation booklet while she held in the fact that she spoke english. It was a great time. So here's the last picture of the night after dinner including dessert of creme brulee. SO GOOD!!

So tomorrow is all about Italy....or is it....
Bonsoir!

Europe Day One (technically)

2010-10-25T20:44:00.012-04:00

Hiya! I've decided I'm going to be overwhelmed if I try and do my whole week all in one night. So, if all goes well, I'll do one day every day for the next week. My camera battery is dying so it was funky all week. Because of that Emily has a bunch of pictures on her camera and she can't find her camera cord. So as soon as she gets a new one I'll have new pictures to add then. Enjoy what I have for now.

Day 1 -

I left Orlando at 5:55 p.m. Saturday night and arrived in London, England at 7:05 a.m. Sunday morning. I had to catch a train from the Airport to our hotel for Sunday night. I missed the first train because they switched platforms and I didn't know. Once I figured it out I asked if the ticket I bought was good for all day, and it was thank goodness. But I got to talk to a couple of British men who called me "love" like they do everyone and I loved it.

I finally made it to my stop and had to wander around a bit to find our hotel. I finally did, dropped off my bag and then had about 4 hours to myself so I set off to walk around a bit. I saw beautiful houses, a conference center, phone booths, a shopping center, parks, etc. It was all lovely.

My first British Phone booth:

I thought this street of houses was beautiful:

From my first park I encountered:

This sign cracked me up:

An alley I walked down:

After I did my walking around and shopping I headed to our hotel to wait for Emily. I fell asleep for an hour I think and then once Emily got there, we headed out to the stores again to find me a real coat since it was about 50 degrees outside. Then we went to dinner at a typical British pub for my first dinner of fish and chips. It was SO good:

Then we headed to the Tower Bridge and London Bridge so I got to see them lit up at night. These are some of the pictures that Emily has on her camera so I'll insert it when she buys her cord.

Then we went back to our hotel and this was the view from our window:

So that was our first day. Tomorrow will be all about Paris...Cheers!

Nothing Better

2010-03-15T20:25:00.002-04:00

Best Commercial EVER!!

2009-10-22T14:48:00.001-04:00

Yard and trash adventures...to put a positive spin on it...

2009-10-05T10:10:00.004-04:00

First, I know I left everyone hanging because I didn't cover the full visit from the West Family a few months ago (geez time flies). I got lazy what can I say. Sorry about that. If you want to see more pics you'll have to check them out on my facebook page.

So I let me yard get away from me. And boy was it ever out of control. It doesn't take much for the grass to grow 2 feet tall and there are weeds galore in my front yard. I just do not have the strength or energy to do everything I need to in order to keep it looking nice. I am NOT built for manual labor. I probably have the worst yard on the block. Oh well. I try....most weeks at least. I do what I can.

Anyway, I have a friend I ask advice on how to do a lot of yard work easier, more efficient and what tools are needed. I kept telling him about how mowing takes a lot out of me and I even get this ridiculous calluses on my fingers because of how I have to grip it and push. And holy crap! I wish he was around when I was buying mowers because he introduced me to the self propelled suckers! Seriously, the best thing ever invented!! He brought his over this past weekend along with some other tools and we got down and dirty. And I mean dirty!! Not dear-tay like Joe Dirt likes to say. Just dirty. It took us, I'm not even exaggerating, six hours!! Of course he likes to bag the mess up and actually dispose of it properly. I just blow it in the grass or street and call it good.

I should have taken before and after pictures but I had no idea it would be such an undertaking. Oh well. All I’ll say is when we were done we had 7 or 8 of the large black trash bags full of yard waste and a full truck load of dead limbs, tress, bushes, etc. He was joking saying I just got yard crashed. If you haven’t seen that show on HGTV you should check it out. It’s pretty cool and makes that statement funnier.

We ended up taking the truckload of limbs and dead trees to the dump since there was so much and it’s super cheap to get rid of that way. That place is huge and plenty of holding ponds of course. And I’ll let you in on a little secret, you better hold on to your knickers and watch your back. I’ve always heard any body of water in Florida can be full of gators and I believed it. Well here’s your proof.

Holy moley was he a big sucker too! My camera wouldn’t let me get close enough to really show you how big he was but dude that guy looks like he eats well!! So watch out if you go to the Orlando dump at the end of Young Pine Road. You might just lose a limb!!

West Family Visit Part I

2009-08-04T20:43:00.019-04:00

Micah and his brood left today after almost two weeks in Florida with us and we had a blast. It was sad to see them all leave even though Annie thinks I was missing the quiet slow life. But I think we all know I like my house full, especially with children even if they have fits, whine, or don't listen. There's just nothing better than family and babies and kids.

So let me see if I can sum up our trip quickly and add some sweet pictures.

When we picked them up at the airport Harmon got in my truck while we loaded up and he asked, "Why am I sweating?" I told him welcome to Florida.

We went to SeaWorld on their first Thursday here. Mom stayed at my house with Ella but the rest of us went. At first the boys were saying it was too hot and they wanted to go back to North Dakota. But they enjoyed the Shamu show and every thing else there. We had a good time.

Friday we headed to Grandma Pansy's and she had a ton of family show up. It was almost like Thanksgiving so it was great.

Saturday a bunch of us went tubing down the Ichetucknee. Thanks to my underwater camera I caught it on film.

Alright, I'm tired. I'll see if I can finish up tomorrow.

Some of my favorites

2009-07-14T20:54:00.003-04:00

I was remembering some of these episodes today and decided I had to find them to share.

Stuart - Rescue

Lorraine buys a bed:

Am I Missing Something Here?

2009-07-10T21:37:00.002-04:00

Is this really a problem? Can you really do this to yourself?...If you're not House that is.

Haagar Guys "Making Things Right"

2009-07-09T12:24:00.002-04:00

OH MY HECK! A co-worker sent me the first video and I couldn't help but look on Youtube to see if there were more and I was pleasantly surprised. I laughed so hard for all of these.

Sexual Harrassment Video:

Showing a Jackass how to use a car Stereo:

How do deal with a neighbor's overgrown lawn:

How to return a favor to the cable guy:

Picture Update

2009-07-07T18:42:00.012-04:00

I've had these pictures on my camera for a while so it was time to take them off and now I'll share them with you.

From my first bike trail ride in May. On the Little Econ Trail:

Joseph and I biked to the St. Marks Lighthouse on Memorial Day weekend so here are a few pictures from that trip. In the first imagine a redneck 8 year old saying, "Gator, Gator" and you'll laugh as hard as Joseph and I do every time we say it.

Erin visited and brought her Yorkie, Jasmin. She didn't care for Jack too much but they got along okay. I like this picture.

I went to Hollywood Studios with my cousins on June 20 for Adrienne's birthday. We went on The Great Movie Ride and Jordyn always cracks me up because she has to hide on the floor at certain parts cause she's "scared". I don't believe her though. I think she's a nut.

And finally, I watched fireworks from the comforts of my own AC because my neighbors had the hook up. So I took pictures of them from my guest bed.

Is there such a thing as too much 24?

2009-07-06T09:49:00.002-04:00

I would like to say no, but when my dreams are filled with being kidnapped and stabbing people and trying to get help from the police, it's probably time to take a break from 24...

I love 24!

2009-07-05T20:40:00.002-04:00

It is seriously and awesome show. My heart is always beating about a million miles a minute but it is worth it. It's a serious drama about terriots always trying to take over America and kill everyone of course but it still has some awesome moments. I was laughing thinking about how unless you're Keifer Sutherland (character is Jack Bauer) your chances of staying on this show more than one season (if even a full season) are pretty slim. They love to kill people off and when the bad guys I get sick of finally do get killed, I'm doing a happy dance. I'm seriously obsessed.

Yes, I know I do not have a life.

But I'm making cookies and sewing this afternoon (a project I've been staring at for 4 months) so I've got it on while I do that. The final scene on this last episode I just finished, well the final lines, made me laugh so I thought I'd share.

Here's the back story:

Terriorists have taken over about 5 nuclear plants and are going to have them meltdown. There is a device they are using that is making this possible that of course Jack Bauer is trying to locate. He's down to a witness who can give him the information he needs because her husband (with a "will kill myself" attitude instead of help the USA) is going to kill their son because he doesn't believe in what his dad is trying to accomplish and he could give information as well. Jack is on the phone with his boss who has just informed him the guy is cornered with his son and so they want to negotiate with him....And scene:

"My husband won't negotiate."

"Why is that?"

"He doesn't need to. He has to assume I've agreed to help you in return for my son's safety."

"Well he can't stay down there with him forever."

"He won't. In two hours all the reactors will go critical. After that it won't matter what I tell you and he can kill my son. I am only helping you to save his life. I believe in our cause and if you can't save my son I am happy to see the reactors melt down."

Jack to his boss: "Did you get that?"

And the episode is over. Oh gosh. It's so much better in person but I couldn't help myself in trying to share a laugh.

Finally!!

2009-07-05T17:26:00.003-04:00

Woo hoo! I've been waiting FOREVER and FINALLY my wish has come true:

Season 2 is being released soon so I'm sure the others are soon to follow. I can't wait!!

Flippin' Sweet!

2009-06-22T20:03:00.004-04:00

This is my new favorite website. They have sweet deals on one item everyday. It's been fun to see what they have. Erin showed it to me...Thanks a lot! Now I'll be forever broke. Check it out: www.woot.com.

Warning! Severe Mood Swing!!

2009-06-02T22:51:00.005-04:00

I know, I have these often. So here goes another one...

First, it's SUCH a good thing I don't have full cable. I'm already addicted to too many shows as it is.

I've laughed and cried today but I just realized how bad it was when I decided to check some blog pages. Both made me laugh but then a text conversation about them with a friend made me depressed and cry again. One second I'm about to wet myself laughing so hard and the next I'm reaching for the tissues. Ugh, sometimes it sucks to be a girl...Or just the emotional mess that is me.

I have no life

2009-06-01T20:14:00.006-04:00

This I know. I'm accepting it.

I'm quickly becoming obsessed with this show.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1847321903?bclid=1859711781&bctid=1863282612

I missed it on ABC when it premiered but caught the first and last episode on WGN. Now I'm catching up online.

I have no life between this, 24, the Orlando Magic, and Bones.

New toys!

2009-05-13T20:32:00.007-04:00

My first toy: I finally broke down and bought a new yard tool that I needed and it made me excited. Is that sick? I think so. Check it out:

I don't think anyone edged here for a while because it was really bad. You can see the dark line around edge of the concrete where it was grown over. It had to be about 4 inches over. It took me forever to find the edge and then cut through it all!

Anyway, it was a serious job and about killed me but I did it and love looking at it. Although I hate my man chores sometimes, I get a lot of satisfaction afterwards when I'm looking at my yard.

My second toy: A new bike! Early happy birthday to me! I've been wanting one for a while but it kept getting put on the back burner. When I found out I have arthritis in my knee (shut up, no old jokes already depressed) and my doctor told me I needed to mix up my exercise (shut up, I am trying again) I figured it was time. And I've been excited about that! Check her out!

My subdivision is really nice so it's perfect to ride around. I figured it was 6 miles around it too and I've done it easily almost every day since I got it. I found out Orlando has some great bike trails too so I'll be taking advantage of that. And when I go to Tallahassee next week I'm bringing it with me to do the St. Marks trail there. It's just nice to have exercise I'm excited about since I lost dancing. I miss that!

Blog post number 100!! Let's make it a good one...

2009-04-30T10:15:00.003-04:00

Okay, you guys might not think it's a good one but I laughed my butt off. This dude is seriously crazy but it opened my eyes to a whole new world of real life nut jobs! The first link is to a guys blog with pictures and the second is to an article from Rolling Stone! It just kills me.

http://laweekly.blogs.com/joshuah_bearman/2008/12/the-legend-of-master-legend.html

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/25020634/the_legend_of_master_legend

Don't be jealous

2009-04-25T16:04:00.002-04:00

I've got serious skills. I was in the middle of multi-tasking, cleaning and baking cookies and thinking I'm being pretty productive, when my vacuum decided to crap out on me. So I'm going in between taking cookies in and out of the oven and trying to figure out what's wrong with my vacuum. I was getting frustrated and sitting there thinking I should have bought a dyson instead of a cheap eureka and I would't be dealing with this. But then I figured I better try harder and try to save money. So I took the whole thing apart which seemed to take forever because there were a million screws.

I get it apart finally and didn't see a dang thing wrong. I checked out all the holes, the brush, the motor, the belt, etc. All looked good to me. So I start putting it back together trying to decide which dyson I'm about to go buy. I plugged it back in and turned it on just for kicks and giggles, and it worked!! Okay, maybe it's not considered skills but just dumb luck. Either way, I was feeling pretty self sufficient and good about myself.

Thursday recap...

2009-04-24T22:04:00.003-04:00

....Or "Take Your Brat to Work Day" as Juan would say it. I admit I was dreading yesterday because it was basically up to me to entertain the kids that were coming. There were only five of them so I sucked it up and got out of bed. A block from work I realized I forgot the movies for the afternoon and I had to be there to set up the breakfast and then make sure we made our 10:00 a.m. appointment at the City Hall. I thought this can't be a good sign.

I set up the breakfast of donuts, juice, and muffins (yes I know, I just sugared them up). We turned on some cartoons to entertain them for a bit and I came to get them when it was time to go. We met our guide at City Hall, first we checked out the art and then headed up to the Council Chambers. We were able to let the kids do a mock meeting with one as a Mayor, others as Commissioners, and the City Clerk of course. They thought it was so much fun. We posed for pictures and the kids were cute wanting me to join them.

We were able to come in and out the "secret" passages so they thought that was cool. We ran in to one of the Commissioners when we walked through their office and he was gracious enough to talk to and entertain the kids for a minute and they liked that. Another one of the Commissioner aides gave them a ton of stuff and one of the kids said it was like Halloween! It was so funny.

Next we went to the information center where they learned about some of the downtown buildings. Then we were off on the Lymmo tour (the free downtown bus). We learned more about downtown stuff and it was really informative.

Finally we went to the top of one of the buildings nearby (16th floor) and it had an outside balony which was really cool. There were couches, chairs, and even a putting green.

All in all I was very impressed with the tour and was excited to learn some of the things I did. It took us 2 1/2 hours and the kids were getting hungry so I was worried they weren't having fun. But they all said they did.

Their parents all took them to lunch when we got back so we put on a movie after that and one of them asked if I was going to be able to stay and watch the movie with them. That made me feel good. I provided some more juice and cookies and someone else brought them popcorn. One of the kids wanted paper and markers and I found out later it was to make me thank you cards! It was so sweet.

So the day I was dreading turned out to be pretty good after all and all the kids were great so I got lucky with my bunch. Especially after hearing about who Deborah had to deal with in Tallahassee...no names but this little boy about drove them all nuts.

Just one other note that the day made me realize is how grateful I am that kids and I get along so easily. Some are more shy than others but I still seem to be able to get a smile out of them all and they end up making me feel special. It's a double edged sword though because it makes me long for my own and makes me weepy but I'm still grateful I can get something to warm my heart from time to time.

Exercise

2009-04-21T07:08:00.002-04:00

Excuse me for using such a dirty word. I know. It's awful but I've decided again it's time to get on the E-X-E-R-C-I-S-E bus. Wow, that was hard to say. All joking aside, it's just because I'm fed up with the continual increase in clothes size I've been having lately.

I did a 5K with my office last Thursday and I had fun again which reminded me how bad I needed a partner to help keep me going. Let me get this straight, someone helping me, going with me, NOT nagging me or checking up on me. I've always been stubborn that way and I don't think that will change. I know what I need to do it's just hard to do it sometimes.

Anyway, I've accepted I have no one to exercise with and have no idea when that will change so I got sucked in to an infomercial for this dance exercise routine...yes, I ordered it. But I'm determined to stay on it.

Funny story, I had forced exercise yesterday when I walked down to City Hall to see how long it will take (taking kids there on Thursday for take your kid to work day). Wasn't until I got back to my office and mapquested it that I found out I just walked 2.4 miles. In heels! Sometimes I don't think my brain works right. Maybe exercise will wake it up.

Identity Theft!!

2009-04-11T22:49:00.002-04:00

Okay, so it wasn't as bad as it sounds but...my ebay account was hijacked by someone. They posted items and people started sending me money. Long story short, I decided to get a new email. I've been having issues anyway with way too much spam through yahoo. So, at long last, blonde_redneck@yahoo.com will be retired soon. It's the end of an era. So if you need to email me at my personal address use serenadwest@gmail.com.

Now let's all pause for a moment of silence for blonde_redneck..........sad day.

Lots of catch up and random thoughts

2009-04-10T18:01:00.018-04:00

I just realized I haven't posted my happenings over the last few weekends when I noticed my camera needed to be cleaned out.

First, one weekend mom, her friend Monica, and Tiffany all came down for Time Out For Woman. It's put on by Deseret Books which isn't owned by my church but by a bunch of LDS people. It's several seminars over two days with music and speakers. A nice break from things. Before we headed to the seminar though we went to the cannery to can different things we all wanted for food storage. Okay, not me so much since mom has me covered but I helped. Anyway, here's some fun pictures of us working...and playing.

We ended up not making the Friday meetings and half of the Saturday meetings because Grandma, on her way to the seminar, had a seizure. Long story short, mom and I ended up in the ER and the hospital with her until 4 a.m. Aunt Linda came to relieve us so we could catch some of the seminar. No worries, Grandma is fine and back to her old fiesty self.

This past weekend Steve, Tiffany, and Tanner came (their spring break) and we did Disney. It was Tanner's first time and he had so much fun...and we did too. We were so worn out but here are some fun pictures of our trip.

The night before Disney Tanner was super tired but didn't want to go to bed. This is him watching a movie and trying to decide if he had enough energy to get out of bed:

First we did Animal Kingdom and Tanner was sacked out before we even started:

About to get on the safari ride:

On the Dinosaur ride:

"Driving" to Dino-Rama:

Me and Tink in the Fairy Garden in Epcot:

Martin Family outside the Fairy Garden:

My prince charming ran when he saw my white legs! Wow I'm White!!

I probably should have mentioned it was the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot which is why they're so many cool things made out of Plants:

Magic Kingdom!!:

Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride:

On the Carosel. I think this was Tanner's favorite ride. He was laughing so hard. It was the cutest thing:

We got lucky with some pretty good weather but like I said, we were worn out at the end of the day. Sunday they basically got up and left after breakfast so I was on my own to watch conference online. It was a great weekend and I'm glad they were able to come and take that break as a family and share their vacation with me. Love you guys!!

This week I finally broke down and made Creme Brulee. I bought the equipment for it a while ago but never got around to making it. I think my oven is off on the temp or the time to cook is wrong so I had to play with that a bit to get the right consistency but worked it out. My first attempt could have cooked a bit longer but the main disaster was trying to torch the sugar on top. I scorched it a bit too much. My second attempt was better but I probably could have put a little bit more sugar on top. So that's what I have to perfect now. Van and Juan said I did a good job so I'll have to pass that on. Here's a funny picture of my attempts. I bet you can tell which was the first batch and which was the second.

I found another show I think might be good. Or at least they had a really good episode this past week. It's Better Off Ted. If you have time to catch this past weeks episode on abc.com I highly recommend it. I was laughing so hard.
Actually, I think I'm going to watch it again now.

Finally, Micah and the family are coming to visit for two weeks in July! I can't wait. We're going to have so much fun!!

So that's it. I think all my random thoughts and updates for now. Hope you enjoyed it all.

I crack myself up!

2009-04-07T21:52:00.002-04:00

About 4ish today I needed a break. So I meandered my way to the Technology Department because those guys are always good for a laugh. Van was on the phone and Tay was MIA. I noticed Tay left his computer unlocked so anyone could go on and work as him. I started frantically trying to see if I could replace his background photo but he's got Windows Vista which I'm not used to and I didn't know how much time I had so I couldn't do anything. So I walked out quickly and ran into Noyes and was telling him I was trying to prank him. Then he gives me the idea to hijack his email. Oh heck!!

I emailed some of our friends and said "I'm a pretty pony! Everybody ride me!!" and another one that said "I just shat myself". About that time Tay came back to the department and finds me laughing so hard. I seriously almost wet myself and even snorted because I was laughing so hard. That never happens!

The guys thought it was funny but I think I amused myself more than anyone else. It was awesome!!

I did it!!

2009-03-18T21:22:00.002-04:00

I am officially done with the Harry Potter series. I've only been working on it for at least 4 years now. Sad thing is, I basically read the last two books over the last week. Four years and I knock them both out fast because I couldn't put them down. It's normal though. I tend to get in these reading binges and then stop for a while. Now I've got the Twilight series I've been wanting to read but it will probably take me four years too.

OBSESSED!!

2009-03-17T17:50:00.002-04:00

Deborah gave me a recipe about a month or so ago for this salad with bulgur wheat. I really liked it and for some reason, this week, can't get enough of it. I doubled the recipe on Sunday and ate it all before the night was over. I made more last night for dinner, had it for lunch, and just finished it for dinner. I have no idea why I like it so much but I do. If you want to try it here's the recipe:

Mediterranean Grain Salad

1/3 cup medium-grind bulgur
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (I diced mine)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 small shallot, minced (I used green onions)
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ounce fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1) In a heatproof bowl, mix bulgur with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup boiling water. Cover, and let stand until tender but slightly chewy, about 30 minutes.

2) Drain bulgur in a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to remove liquid; return to bowl. Add tomatoes, parsley, shallot, vinegar, and oil. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Top with cheese.

It's super healthy for you too so that makes it even better.

Enjoy!

Busy Weekend Update

2009-03-11T17:50:00.007-04:00

Before Emily yells at me again here's a recap of my past weekend...

Emily and Galen finally came to visit me again and actually stayed a night (I think they're pacing theirselves for the full weekend visit). I'm just teasing guys! Love you!!

They wanted to do a session at the Temple Friday so I met them there about 3:15 to pick up only Benjamin since they left Amelia in Live Oak. When we got home I took him for a walk around my neighborhood. It really is a perfect place to walk around. Here's a picture from the walk.

Then we came back and I had to feed him dinner. It was so cute to see him kicking his little feet in excitment with almost every bite. Emily and Galen got home about 6ish (after getting a little lost). We knew we wanted wings for dinner so we talked about ordering them but we had to figure out from where and in between got Benjamin ready for bed and put him down. Finally we ordered the wings and Galen headed out to get them when he realized he couldn't find his wallet. We all looked for about 30 minutes and you will never guess where we finally found it. It still makes me laugh. Anyone want to guess where? Should I make you wait in anticipation for a while before I tell you? Well, I guess I'll give in so I can move in. The magic hiding place of a wallet?....Under my rear tire. He now has a permanent impression of my tire on his wallet. Too funny.

So we finally start eating dinner about 9:00 p.m. and we were so hungry we ordered a lot of food. A sample platter of appetizers, chili cheese fries and 12 wings each with different sauces. Needless to say we were all about miserable when we were done but it was SO good. Then we watched Night at the Museum. Well, they watched it and I fell asleep on the couch.

Saturday they got up early and went to another session at the Temple while I watched Benjamin again. He liked to get in to my books and throw them all over the floor. I didn't care if he was entertained and I got this cute picture:

Also, apparently Benjamin has a fear of animals. Most of Friday while Emily and Galen were gone he was clinging to me for dear life and crying when he saw Jack and Jack wasn't even doing anything. Poor kid. I had to put Jack outside a few times. But on Saturday he was getting braver. He even at one point touched his foot. Jack just got up and walked away. Here are some more cute pictures as proof he got close.

Emily and Galen got back from the Temple and packed to leave but we went to lunch first at Quizno's. We ate outside because it was a nice day and our sandwiches were yummy. They headed home after that and I was lazy for the rest of the day...

...At least until Adrienne showed up with Hailey and Jordyn. They came about 11:00 because Alicia had a race early Sunday morning and they didn't want to make the girls have to get up early. We were all going to go to bed but Hailey was feeling pretty miserable because of a cold and I didn't really have anything good for breakfast so we went to Wal-mart to pick up cold medicine and food. We got to bed about 2 or 3 so you know we slept in.

Sunday morning we got up about 10, ate breakfast and then played Rock Band. Adrienne has never played before and she was having so much fun. It was really funny to see how excited she was. We had a good time. Jim and Alicia showed up, we played some more Rock Band and then they left about 3.

So it was a pretty full weekend but a lot of fun. Good to see everyone.

Slumlord?

2009-03-04T17:32:00.002-05:00

FINALLY! I have a renter which makes me a slumlord according to some friends since my house is in Crawfordville and off a dirt road. They crack me up. I'm very happy to finally have that worry lifted for now. My renter said she fell in love with the place (how could you not?!) but just can't buy it right now. Here's hoping in the future she will be able to so I won't have to be a slumlord forever.

Martin Family Visit

2009-03-01T22:08:00.007-05:00

Steve, Tiffany, and Tanner came in town this weekend so Steve and Tiffany could go to the temple. I watched Tanner while they did that and we had a good time. I was worried he wouldn't be okay because he doesn't know me too well but he was really great and even let me hold him so it was wonderful. He even fell asleep on me and I just love that. Something about a baby/kid falling asleep in my arms just warms my heart.

Friday night when they got here I had a few co-workers over and we were playing rock band and had pizza. Little did I know Tanner was a huge fan of Rock Band so it was cute to see him trying to play the drums especially while John was trying to actually play well. Tiff, I need those pictures cause I bet that's super cute!

We went shopping in Waterford Lakes Saturday afternoon which is basically this huge outdoor mall that's near my house. It has this mini train that takes kids around a portion of the shops. I've seen it before and always thought that would be awesome with a kid so when I saw it yesterday we had to do it! Tanner was so excited it was adorable.

He was getting tired before we got on so don't let that last picture fool you, he was having a good time.

So it was great to have them here this weekend. Mostly because the past few weeks at work have been rough, especially Friday. I'm grateful they were so understanding about my somewhat rotten/down mood but I am very happy they came. Thanks so much Steve and Tiffany. It was great to see you.

Being an Adult Sucks Sometimes

2009-02-26T16:39:00.002-05:00

At lot of things are coming to a head right now with life and all that it entails. I'm down today because of some things and as I was sitting here contemplating it all I thought back to when I was younger, fresh out of high school and oblivious to the ways of the world. I'm not saying I know everything. Experience has taught me to know better than to think that and I can only imagine what else I have in store to learn. But today, maybe just for this moment, I wish I was a kid again.

Video Day is fun!!

2009-02-16T20:50:00.003-05:00

Heck yes!! It's about time! I am SO there!

Yes I missed this commercial at the super bowl. Just saw it for the first time tonight and I about died laughing.

And, I got a late valentine's present from a co-worker today. If you don't know who this guy is you need to look up Hoops and YoYo with Hallmark. They crack me up! LOVE these guys. Thanks for the present Van.

Just call me stinky cheese

2009-02-10T19:05:00.002-05:00

After Richard informed me about some people having a bad experience with a cheese platter at Cypress, I looked in to it more. This is from a blog I came across:

I’ve eaten a lot of stinky cheeses in my life, and I don’t mean politely fragrant. I'm talking stink that could revive a dead dog. But no matter how bad they smelled, they always smelled like cheese.

That changed a couple of weeks ago when I found a pale-colored Spanish wedge tucked into the Italian section of the cheese counter at my grocery store in Silver Spring, Maryland. I picked it up, squeezed it, and took a deep whiff through the plastic wrap. The smell gave me a jolt.

When I got it home, I peeled away the plastic to reveal a scent so strong, I leaped back. (This lady is crazy if the smell gave her a jolt and she still bought it!!) I glared at it for a minute, sizing it up. What was that smell?

The scent was that of a lover’s tryst in the dead of August on a beach located miles from air conditioning. Add wet dog, oyster, sea brine, and oregano. This cheese was beyond stinky, it was downright lewd.

The name of the cheese....La Serena.

Thanks for the laugh Richard.

Sports Fan?

2009-02-09T20:00:00.005-05:00

Probably not two words anyone would use to describe me...but I think that might be changing...

I've always preferred UF over any other team because I grew up in a Gator home and living in Tallahassee made me dislike FSU fans because I always thought they were annoying. Now my FSU fan readers, don't stop reading and leave a nasty note, because I think it may have been the other way around if I was living in Gainesville and grew up in an FSU home. Let me make it clear that I'm not knocking FSU.

Back to my point though...my office friends have officially sucked me in to football more than I ever thought I would be and after reading this article and one in the Orlando Sentinel today....

http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20090206/ARTICLES/902060928

....I want Kiffin and Richardson to fail BIG time!! I am SO tuning in to every UF and UT game this coming season. As Joseph pointed out, the last time someone called Meyer out, UF beat GA 49-10. Bring it on punks!!

North Dakota, Day 16 - Turkey Day!!

2008-11-27T23:56:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving or Turkey Day, whichever you prefer.

This morning Harmon decided he wanted to make a Pilgrim and Indian costume for him and Porter. Of course when I say made, it was just the head gear. The actual indian costume he has on my mom made for Micah when he was a kid so that makes this picture extra special:

Annie did most of the cooking and I probably was too lazy at times but we made it through the cooking and had a house full by 1:15. She invited two families that live on the street that she's good friends with. That meant we had 5 boys running around the house again though and three babies under a year.

We used Annie's china which made her really happy cause she can't use them often and it looked great. We had a kids table of course so the boys enjoyed that. I think they were all so excited though they barely ate and simply wanted to play. The food was delicious and probably the best turkey ever! It was so moist (yup I said moist - get over it Stires) and tastey. I didn't stuff myself actually. I was pretty satisfied and decided I didn't want to be miserable.

Ella was enjoying herself and I thought looked pretty cute again so I had to take a picture:

Somewhere in the cleaning process we found out Lane got in to the liquid laundry detergent and poured it all over the basement floor...so Annie and Lane's mom we down there cleaning it up for quite a while.

Then it was time for pie. We had all sorts of choices too. Pumpkin, Coconut, Banana Creme, Cherry, Pecan, Raw Apple, and Chocolate Pudding pie. I didn't taste them all but we didn't hear any complaints.

Finally everyone left after another quick clean up and dishing out of leftovers. I got off my feet that were killing me as well as my head that was pounding and tried to rest. A sort while later it was time for the boys to get their bath and go to bed. While Micah and Annie did that, I held Ella and before I knew it, the turkey coma took over and we were both out on the sofa. There's not much better than a full stomach and a nap with a sweet baby girl.

And now, yet again it's bed time and I'm feeling sad I have one more full day here.

North Dakota, Day 15

2008-11-27T00:37:00.003-05:00

We had lunch at the hanger again today with Micah for their Thanksgiving pot luck. So Annie had to cook some food to bring. Right after she was slaving away cleaning in the basement. She really got a lot done and I just fed Porter and watched Ella. I'm such a bum.

Lunch was good and Ella looked so cute in her outfit...even if she does have her daddy's forehead:

Then we did a post office and commissary trip. We needed to go to town again but came home because Ella needed to eat again. Then we decided we'd wait for Micah to get home and he could go with us. So I cleaned up a bit while Annie took care of Ella and just as I finished Micah got home. Then we were out the door for our errands. Annie and I stopped in Joann's while Micah drove around with the kids. Then we headed to McDonald's for dinner. Yeah, we went all out tonight ;-) The kids had fun though.

I got a pretty good laugh though when Annie told Micah to take Porter to the bathroom and he said okay but he'd have to put his coat back on since he was packing! What the crap?! We're in dang McDonald's and Micah feels like he's got to have a gun. What a nut. He cracks me up.

Then we came home. Micah put the boys to bed and Annie and I played with crafts until we couldn't see straight. We were getting pretty loopy at the end there even though Annie was still coming up with some CUTE ideas.

North Dakota, Day 14

2008-11-25T22:48:00.007-05:00

First, before I forget again, Harmon woke me up yesterday wearing his camoflauge for school so I took a picture because he was so cute:

Today I woke up and took a shower and didn't rush to get ready because I thought we were home for at least the morning...but I forgot about Ella's Dr.'s appointment. So as soon as I walk down the stairs with wet hair, Annie is about to walk out the door with her and Porter. So I grabbed my shoes and ran out the door with them.

Ella needed three shots and Annie and Porter got their flu shot...or flu nasal mist. I've never seen that so I thought it was pretty cool.

Then we came home and I worked more on our craft project from yesterday until we went for a walk with one of Annie's friends. It was really a beautiful day even though it was in the low 40's. It was for 2 1/2 miles and I was sweating before long. At first Porter had all sorts of energy:

But by the time we were done, he was out:

I thought he and Ella were so cute asleep in the stroller:

After that we were home the rest of the night. The only difference tonight would be Harmon's total melt down because of a lack of sleep. I've seen him cry or get upset but not this. Annie made her taco dinner casserole again because it's so good but Harmon decided he did not want to eat it at all. Not even with chips on the side. Once he saw the chips that's all he wanted. Of course that wasn't happening. He refused to eat it and ended up going to bed without dinner. He finally fell asleep after about an hour of screaming and crying in his room.

It was really sad to see but when he's eaten the casserole and liked it before, it's hard to feel sorry for him. Plus there is certainly no need for Annie to make two dinners. I'm sure the poor guy will be super hungry in the morning.

So that was our drama for the night...well that and Brook Burke winning Dancing with the Stars! Woo hoo! So glad she beat Warren Sapp. I know he's a Buc but he wasn't the best (Sorry Stires). And now it's time for bed again...as Porter does his crying pee pee dance upstairs for us...

North Dakota, Day 13

2008-11-25T15:37:00.002-05:00

Okay, so it's actually 2:30 p.m. on Day 14...I know, I'm slacking and now Annie posted on her blog to check out mine. No pressure to keep up now right?

Yesterday we stayed home basically and did some fun crafts. I'd mention what they are but I think I'll be using some for Christmas presents so I'll have to keep that a secret. Annie is so creative though. I love visiting so I can get all these cool new ideas. She tells me about some over the phone but I'm a very visual learner so it doesn't register...and okay, I'll admit it, I'm a little slow too so even learning visually takes a minute. Thank goodness Annie has patience with me.

The neighbor boys were over yesterday again and thank goodness Porter had some more rest because he played better with them. Again, I know we have one that was the instigator but Porter is much more vocal about what he doesn't like. At one point though, we had five boys from the ages of 3-6 in the house and since we were so in to our crafts, no one noticed Harmon handing out the cookies I baked to everyone so then they were REALLY wired....or that one of them decided to iron the leather couch...yeah, nice. Thank goodness for warranties!!

Micah had to night fly so when it came to dinner time we wanted something simple so we went to the commissary. The boys picked out Mac and Cheese and Annie and I picked out an italian pasta dish that hit the spot....and I wanted chocolate milk. How old am I?

Then we decided we wanted to watch Penelope since Micah was gone. Only he came home early so he ended up watching some of it with us but watched football in the basement the rest of the time. It was really a cute movie too. We've come across some great movies since I've been here and that's been fun.

Then, I could have blogged last night, but truthfully, I just didn't feel like it. Oh well, I've done it now so we're covered...until tonight.

North Dakota, Day 12

2008-11-23T23:15:00.010-05:00

Today, I skipped church...I know, I'm a heathen...BUT Porter stayed up coughing most of the night so Micah and Annie decided to have him stay home. She was doing the first hour of church with Harmon because she had to play the organ in sacrament and Micah was going for the last meeting because he teaches a Sunday School class. Only when Annie got to church she found out they were having a combined meeting so he didn't have to teach, so he stayed home too. I could have gotten ready for church but I needed to borrow Annie's blow dryer and she was in the shower and I figured I'd be more of a help if I could get the boys fed breakfast and then help Harmon get ready for church.

So I helped with Ella and Porter and read more of my book. It's really pretty good so far and it's about a football player who basically gets washed up in the US and ends up playing in Italy. Go figure, I'm enjoying a football book. I've actually watched a bit more and paid more attention to football since I moved to Orlando. My lunch guys are sucking me in...but I'm enjoying it.

Annie started a roast in the crock pot and then we went to Souris Wildlife Refuge. It was really pretty cool too. The lake was frozen over and there were even some guys out there ice fishing which was interesting too. As well as a tree fallen by a beaver:

I really wanted to walk on the frozen lake but hesitated for a bit first because Annie didn't want the boys walking on it because she was nervous about it and I figured they would follow suit if I did...but I did anyway. And of course, they followed. Annie got some cute pictures for me:

We walked a short little nature trail and got a few more good pictures:

Once we were frozen through we came home to a warm roast and then I made cookies. Now we're watching a western and I'm getting tired. I think I'll be heading to bed soon.

North Dakota, Day 11

2008-11-22T22:30:00.004-05:00

Today was another easy day. I found out this morning Micah is on...crap, I forget the term, but bascially he's on call. Which means he can't be more than an hour away...which meant no Canada today. Dang it! Oh well.

Harmon and Porter grabbed a blue sheet this morning, laid it out flat on the living room floor and in their bathing suits, pretended they were swimming. It was hilarious. Harmon even had a "surf board" so he was surfing while Porter was swimming. I don't know why I didn't get a picture or video of it. I'm slacking I know.

After lunch Annie and I ran a few errands. One was to get the rick rack I needed for my table cloth like I mentioned earlier, and wrapping paper for the Christmas presents. So I finished my table cloth when we got home and here it is:

A closer view:

Then we had dinner and I've been reading John Grisham's Playing for Pizza book in between which is pretty good so far. Micah and Annie are out on a date right now and the kids are all sleeping...which sounds like a really good idea so I think I'll follow suit.

North Dakota, Day 10

2008-11-22T12:18:00.002-05:00

I didn't write last night because we got home late from a movie and I didn't feel like it...so I'm updating it now.

There's not much to report anyway. Yesterday Annie had to watch a couple of neighbor kids during the day for a friend so we had to stay home. Porter and Lane weren't getting along very well yesterday so there was a lot of hitting, crying, whining, and inability to share. I think it made Annie a little crazy but she survived it well. But, she did help me make a table cloth out of some cute strawberry fabric. It's almost done but we ran out of rick rack so we have to head to the store today to get some more. As soon as it's done I'll take a picture and post it.

We made pizza for dinner and it was really yummy. Not much is better than homemade pizza. Then, instead of Annie and Micah getting a date night, Annie and I did! Only because we wanted to go see Twilight and that wouldn't have been something Micah would enjoy.

We tried to make it to an 8:15 movie but when we got there it was sold out. The next one was at 9:45 so we decided to go to that. The theater was in the mall so we shopped at Target while we waited. I bought the kids Christmas presents so I don't have to ship them next month. Plus, we're putting the tree up before I leave so they'll be the first presents under the tree. I think that's pretty cool.

The movie was GREAT! I haven't read the book yet though so I can't give you that perspective. I'll be reading the series now though because I want to know how it ends. I've been meaning to read it anyway I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Then we came home in 8 degree weather! SO cold but I'm still surviving.

North Dakota, Day 9

2008-11-21T00:19:00.008-05:00

Little did I know last night when I went to bed Harmon would wake me up at 2:45 to show me his dollar the tooth fairy brought. He was so cute and excited about it. Annie said he told her this morning he just couldn't believe it really happened. Too cute. And he carried it around with him all day, even had it in his hand when he got off the bus!

When I finally got up for real, I got ready pretty quickly because Annie and I had some shopping we wanted to do while Micah had Porter for the day. We left a bit later than we wanted but that gave me some time to sit and watch the snow fall (which I love) and then take some pictures. I can't get over how the snow actually sparkles. It's just beautiful. I took some pictures and this is the best one I could get:

We went to these cute little gift shops in town that were in these old houses. I found WAY too much stuff but I needed it all...I just might have to ship some to myself now...I fell in love with the idea of a candy cane tree and other decorations with the same theme. There was a little river and bridge near the stores that was frozen over and I thought looked beautiful:

After we were done there we met Micah and Porter at the soup and sandwich place we went to last week because we loved it so much. It was simply delicious. Ella fell asleep on the way over and looked so pathetic the way she was laying over the side of her car seat:

After that we went to Hobby Lobby, which I've never been to before. BIG MISTAKE! I found way too much yet again and now I am SO in the mood to decorate for Christmas.

Finally we headed back home and took it easy the rest of the day. Annie and Micah did go to the commissary while I watched the kids but other than that it was a pretty uneventful night. The boys were so tired from being up too long last night that they fell asleep pretty quickly.

I started to head to bed and saw that the kitchen was still a mess because we all got distracted and were tired. I knew that Annie was going to have some extra kids here early in the morning (watching them for a neighbor) so I thought it would be nice and helpful if that was cleaned when she woke up...plus I won't feel so guilty about sleeping in a bit...

North Dakota, Day 8

2008-11-19T23:27:00.010-05:00

Today started off with a very sweet start. There's been a few days where Harmon has come in before I get up, sometimes with Porter closely behind, and I'd get hugs from Harmon and a smile from Porter. He definitely takes a while to be really comfortable with you so when Porter walked in all alone and came and gave me a hug AND laid down next to me, I was in heaven. It lasted for a few minutes but it was a great few minutes.

Again it was breakfast time, a scramble to get Harmon ready so he wouldn't be late for the bus and then it was time to get ready to go to church for a cooking class. We learned about cooking with fats and oils, what's best, what's worst type of thing, and then how to make pie crusts. Annie didn't need to learn about the pie crust part and neither did I (thanks mom) but the rest was interesting. It made me want to go out and buy nothing but coconut oil from now on. They had some sample pie crusts with the different cooking oils and coconut oil was really the best. Plus it has a lot of healthier reasons to use it and the ability to help most people lose weight! I am SO on it!

After that we quickly went back to the thrift shop from yesterday so Annie could get some shirts for her nephews that were a great deal. Then we headed home. We had a delicious salad with apples, pecans, and feta cheese for lunch. Then Annie and I were ready for a chick flick. We ordered Miss Petigrew Lives for a Day and it was really cute. But, I wanted popcorn to go with it so I made some and low and behold, I had a little visitor sit next to me and join in. I was LOVING it!! My head's chopped off a little but it's actually the best one of both of us:

The neighbor kids joined us for a bit when they got off the bus because they thought their mom wasn't home and of course Harmon wanted to play with them so they played a while and we made cookies for them. Then it was time to cook dinner...only we got a little sidetracked...me because it was snowing and Harmon was playing in the backyard and I wanted to see if I could catch a close-up of a snowflake...which I really couldn't with my camera...

So I had to get Annie involved with her awesome camera (which I want to steal). This is on a cap that was in the yard:

This one landed on Harmon's Jacket:

Then I came back in, entertained sweet Ella for a bit (I know I look tired in this picture):

And then Micah came home and we were further distracted from finishing dinner because of some...well...drama. Harmon has had a loose tooth for a few days now and it was just about ready to come out but he was scared to death it was going to hurt and he doesn't seem to take pain well. Annie tried to pull it with string and her hand:

Micah tried to pull it but it was too slippery:

And finally, about 10 meltdowns, a phone call to the cousins for reassurance that it wouldn't hurt and 30 minutes later, we had success (WARNING for Van: This next picture has blood so don't pass out!!)

Finally we got to dinner which was Apricot Chicken over rice (YUMMY). Micah had Scouts so he ate and left pretty quickly. Ella had a meltdown at the end of dinner so I took care of cleaning up while Annie worked her mommy magic of calming her and putting the boys to bed. Then, we caught up on some shows and now it's time for bed again.

By the way, my back is almost perfect again. It still gives me a little pain now and again to let me know I better take it easy but MUCH better.

North Dakota, Day 7

2008-11-18T23:47:00.004-05:00

Once Harmon was off to school we started to get ready to go to town for some shopping. Annie and I are working on a couple of sewing projects so we went to Joann's first. We were there a good while because there was so much to see with their sales and all the ideas Annie can come up with. I love how creative she is and sometimes wish she lived closer to help me better my skills.

Anyway, when we got out we were getting hungry so we tried to decide if we wanted to call it a day and eat at home or catch something quick and keep going. I kinda made the decision because I needed a bathroom...and wanted a burger...so we stopped at McDonald's. Okay, maybe I was missing my lunch with my guys too and it reminded me of them (no special worker with a wet rag in this McDonald's though so don't get too excited Stires).

After that we headed to a Thrift Store that Annie likes to frequent. She found a lot of stuff. Actually, as she put it, "We hit the motherload!" It was funny. I found a cute shirt and skirt too so that was fun.

Annie had previously put the notion in my head that we needed some Old Navy clothes so that was our next stop. I found a couple of cute shirts and another skirt for another great deal so I thought that was pretty good. Annie also found a couple of things for the kids and herself that made her pretty excited.

After that she needed to stop by and pick up some fresh basil for dinner and then we headed home. I was very impressed with how good a shopper Porter is. No complaints or anything. He tried to pick up some candy here and there but still no meltdowns or having to tell him not to touch. That was very nice.

Then we came home and once Harmon got home and saw the neighbors riding their bikes he and Porter wanted to do the same. I took a couple of pictures of them.

Harmon on his big boy bike concentrating hard to go faster:

Porter on his Pooh bike with his cute little smile I love so much:

Next was dinner which was Thai Basil Wraps which was SO yummy. It's a Pampered Chef recipe and everyone loves it! Again, not disappointed with dinner. Then basically it's off to bed for the boys, House, NCIS, and The Biggest Loser for the adults and now it's bed time yet again.

Thankfully my back is feeling better though I really think the Ibprophen tablets are helping a lot. I've got to get me some of those!

So, it's been a week since I've been here and in some ways it seems like forever and in others it seems like it's too quick. I've really had a lot of fun here and the boys are so....entertaining to say the least. They are definitely little boys and their lack of listening skills sometimes can be frustrating but their sweetness and ability to make you smile certainly outweigh all that.

North Dakota, Day 6

2008-11-17T23:09:00.003-05:00

We stayed at home today and I don't have any fun pictures or videos. Annie had some projects she wanted done, namely the curtains for the bedrooms so that was our agenda for the day. Only it was slightly altered when Annie noticed the pipes looking like they were going to back up again in the basement. So maintenance came to snake the pipes.

This is where it gets kinda nasty and you're about to learn WAY too much personal stuff about me so if you get grossed out easily or don't want to know, move on to the next paragraph now. So when it was all said and done, one of the guys said there were tampons stuck in the tree roots and that they shouldn't be flushed (found out later they had to be super old because no one in this house or the neighbor had flushed any in quite a while. YUCK!). This is where I started thinking to myself, "You're such a man. What do you think we do with them? Save them? They're flushable. That's where they go. What doesn't belong there are the tree roots you idiot!" I was really quite irritated with it. Especially since I got so lucky as to begin my wonderful cycle today. I told Annie we need to go buy a biohazard box I can put them all in cause these plastic wal-mart bags are freaking me out. Yeah that's right, I'm not flushing them. SO GROSS and I'm ANGRY right now.

So sewing, cleaning house, cooking dinner (taco salad), and Family Home Evening was our night with the boys. FHE was fun because we played "The Honesty Game" and it was so cute to see the boys tell us if something was good or bad to do and their reactions to it. One thing said "You promised your friend you would get him cigarettes". Porter looked at me and said "OH! That's bad!!" It was so cute. I think Micah worked the game just right to make sure both boys won so there wouldn't be any fights. Their reward? Homemade Chocolate Chip cookies. Annie made them with whole wheat and I think they are delicious.

After they went to bed Annie and I watched Dancing with the Stars and John and Kate Plus Eight (which I've quickly become addicted to, as well as the HGTV channel). Now, it's time to sleep again.

OH! I think I have found my new favorite pain killer. Ibprophen (sp?) gel caps with fast pain relief. I took some after dinner and my back felt SO much better. I'm interested if it will hurt bad again in the morning. That will really tell me if this stuff works! If so, we are going shopping tomorrow so I can have these bad boys in my medicine cabinet!

North Dakota, Day 5

2008-11-16T23:58:00.003-05:00

Today was a pretty easy day. I woke up late because I set my alarm wrong on my phone so I had to rush to get ready for church but I made it. The boys looked so handsome in their church clothes and I was hoping to get a picture with them but when we got home they changed super fast into some more...comfortable clothes. Not exactly North Dakota winter clothes but they gave us a good laugh and hopefully you too. I thought their instruments were pretty clever...

We had a simple lunch of homemade salsa and soup! Some combination huh? I sure loved it!! Then we watched Kung Fu Panda which I haven't seen and I thought it was hilarious. Annie made cococut chicken for dinner which was DELICIOUS! Did I expect differently? Heck no! Oh man, she is really spoiling me with all this good food. Then they did some house cleaning while I entertained Ella and rested my back. It's getting better but still stiff when I first stand up.

Once the boys got to bed, Annie, Micah, and I watched Iron Man. I was pleasantly surprised too. It was pretty good. They have On Demand cable here and Annie is just figuring out all the cool features and we're quickly finding a lot of free movies we want to watch...mostly chick flicks so we'll have to catch them in the afternoons when Micah isn't here.

And it's bed time again. I think we're making curtains tomorrow which will be nice for the room I'm staying in since they have big windows and no curtains or blinds of any kind. Don't worry, I'm not giving the neighbors a show, I dress in the closet or bathroom.

North Dakota, Day 4

2008-11-15T23:38:00.006-05:00

This morning we got up got ready for a trip into town. We had another yummy breakfast and eventually rounded up everyone to leave...it's hard getting together certain little boys sometimes...

Anyway, we went to the fair grounds where they were having a "taste of north dakota" show which had some pretty cool stuff for sale. I bought different kinds of food basically. Would you expect anything else from me? There was also a flea market in the same building so we checked that out a bit. It sure can be nerve racking with two boys around a BUNCH of breakable objects but we survived it.

After that we headed to lunch. We weren't quite sure what we wanted so Annie and Micah started listing the normal places like Applebee's, Buffalo Wings, etc. While we were driving around we found a cute little soup and sandwich place which was also a store. It reminded me of cracker barrel but you waited on yourself and it was no where near as big. The food was so good, as good as homemade and it had some great pictures and stuffed animals that the boys loved to look at. One was a buffalo so we took a picture...SO not the best picture of me cause my back still hurts so I'm favoring my lower back which makes my stomach look huge! It was good this morning but by the time lunch rolled around it was getting stiffer. Looks like I need a few more days of rest.

After lunch we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some things we needed like groceries, a belt (forgot one)...and some candy cane Oreos! Okay, that wasn't on the list but I passed them...and couldn't not buy them. They are SO good too.

Then we headed home and I was able to rest most of the night. I got a cute video of Ella chewing away on my office bracelet that I mentioned earlier she loved as well as her screeching she has recently picked up. Micah said he doesn't care for it but it makes me laugh.

Later the boys decided Annie's legs were horses and they were making me laugh the way they were yelling go horsey go and then throwing themselves off her legs. They are such nuts.

We were all still pretty full from lunch so we had cereal for dinner (I had leftovers a little later than them). Then it was time to put the boys in bed and Micah, Annie, and I watched the fourth Indiana Jones. Well, they watched it while I fell asleep on the couch.

And now it's bedtime again. We have to leave for church at 8:15, ugh! Such a change from my 1:15!

North Dakota, Day 3

2008-11-14T23:23:00.005-05:00

I don't know how I got so lucky but I got to sleep in this morning. Of course sleeping in was getting up at 7:30 instead of 6:45 or 7:00. I was sleeping pretty hard too so that was nice.

It looked like we had some snow clouds out so I was hoping for snow. About five minutes later I got my wish! It wasn't a lot but it was cool still. I went running downstairs and announced it's snowing to Annie all excited like I was five years old or something.

I walked Harmon to the bus stop again and it was SO cold! The wind is what makes it so bad and it was blowing hard.

Then it was time to get ready, a quick breakfast and out the door to visit Micah's office...or the hanger where he flies at least. The squad had set up a spouse's day where they could take flights. TOTALLY jealous cause I couldn't do it but it was still cool to check everything out and see what all gets packed in on the different missions no matter how big or small. I saw tons of guns and ammo and learned a lot about how to blow things and people up. It was fun!

At one point we were out in the hanger so I was able to get a couple of pictures with a chopper.

After the flights they had lunch for everyone so we ate chili in the hanger. Then we came home and were lazy the rest of the day...mainly because I think I've picked up the boys and thrown them around one too many times. My back is killing me! I can't even walk straight. I'm hoping it feels better tomorrow. Maybe it just needs a good nights rest.

Annie made another fabulous dinner of chicken and dumpling soup. We pigged out...especially Harmon with this four bowls!! I think he ate more than me which seems to prove Annie's point about him going through a growth spirt.

Next we got ready for bed, I bathed and lotioned up Ella while Annie and Micah handled the boys. Then we watched some fun remodeling shows which Harmon was perturbed with since he thought we were going to watch Indiana Jones 4. And wait, before it was all over we had homemade parfaits. SO yummy. Seriously LOVING the food here.

Oh, I did have some chocolate milk and bread before I called it a night too. I'm acting like a little kid aren't I? Oh well. I'm loving my vacation.

North Dakota, Day 2

2008-11-13T21:36:00.007-05:00

My morning started off with baby noises, the pitter patter of little feet, and a knock at my door. When I get up Harmon is halfway down the stairs and laughing. What a nut. Then he decided I needed a picture and Porter had to supervise...or make faces...

We had oatmeal like I've never had before (strawberries, brown sugar, and milk) and it was SO good. Then it was time for Harmon to get ready for school. The stop is just across the street but I still wanted to walk with him. It was so cute:

I basically watched the kids the rest of the day today while Annie did things around the house and went to a couple of meetings. Here's some pictures with Ella today. One was her sucking on my "Support the Rabid" bracelet that she LOVES.

This one isn't as good as I'd like it to be but I'll try to explain. I was sitting in a chair with my legs over the side and her on my stomach. I was typing on my blackberry with both hands kinda raised up a bit...that left just enough room for her to lean forward and peer under my hands a bit. It was so cute. It's the "hello, why aren't you paying attention to me" look. Love it.

We went to the commissary for groceries and rushed home to make sure we were there when Harmon got off the bus. Then the boys were entertaining us with their "To Infinity and Beyond!" flights and a few songs. It was super cute. It's a little over two minutes but I think it's worth it.

I've eaten a TON of food today between Annie's homemade bread, a mexican casserole that was YUMMY, and cookies. I think I'm going to be sick but I can't stop myself!! It's always an ordeal to get Porter to sleep apparently but it sounds like sleep finally won over with him and starting to work on me so now it's time for bed. Sleep off all this food so I can start fresh tomorrow!! Annie has some great dinners planned while I'm here. Ah the joys of home cooking!!

North Dakota, Day 1

2008-11-13T00:01:00.006-05:00

My plan is to post every day so I can keep you all informed and have a journal for myself. Wish me luck in getting that done!!

My day started pretty early today with a flight departing at 6:15 a.m. No complaints though becuase I had an exit row with three seats all to myself all the way to Memphis! Heck yeah I got good sleep there.

Leg two to Minneapolis I boarded an earlier flight because my flight was overbooked and I figured it would be easy for a single rider to switch. There were 5 extra pilots on that flight trying to make it to their route for the day and I sat next to one who was fresh out of flight school. Only been flying three months! When he said he was 23 I couldn't believe it and for some reason it made me feel old.

My layover in Minneapolis wasn't bad I was just anxious at that point to be here.

Flying in to North Dakota I started laughing when I saw this...

Yeah, a lot of NOTHING. You definitely don't come here for vacation unless you have family here.

Finally arrive in Minot and y'all, no joke, this airport is TINY and it's an international airport too! It's even smaller than Tallahassee! Only 2 terminals which would allow you to easily see off people leaving. And the baggage claim area was probably as big as my living room. I couldn't believe it.

Harmon and Porter were so cute and excited to see me. Harmon is super affectionate which I am eating up whereas Porter is a little more reserved. Both of them helped me get my bags and it was so funny and cute to see these little guys try to lug them off the belt.

Harmon actually rolled one of my bags all the way to the Van (which was on the curb about 50 feet from the entrance of the airport. TINY airport). I think it was SO cute!!

We came home and Aunt Serena almost threw her back out throwing the boys around and wrestling with them. What can I say? They can't get enough of me. At one point tonight they both said I was fun. Does my heart good.

Annie made a delicious orange chicken with rice dinner. I ate until I was almost sick!!

Afterwards I read some books with the kids and was loving all the attention. You'll see Porter making faces like a goofball and Ella on the edge of her "I'm done and need mommy now" cry. And keep in mind when you notice my hair, I was wrestling with the boys!

Then it was time for bed. I gave Ella her bath with Harmon sitting on my lap for a few minutes by the edge of the tub (not an easy feat). Porter and Annie joined us shortly thereafter and the boys brushed their teeth. Then it was time for prayers and bed. Again, I LOVE how affectionate Harmon is. He gives me hugs and kisses pretty regularly. Porter will give hugs if I tickle him first but maybe he'll get more comfortable with me quickly and start giving some too.

Now I'm off to bed myself and can't wait for another day!

For the record...

2008-10-15T10:12:00.005-04:00

I show pics of my beautiful neices and nephews to everyone any chance I get. They always have the nicest things to say about how cute they are but today we got the best yet. A co-worker said, "I guess its not possible for anyone in your family to have anything but the "MOST BEAUTIFUL" of children." So I'm not biased...they really are beautiful! Just in case you haven't seen them lately here are some pics...

Freya at the Fair

Thorston

Harmon aka The Ham

Porter

Ella

I love them all so much and miss them (as well as their parents) tons!!

Vacation

2008-10-07T17:08:00.001-04:00

It's official! I'm going to North Dakota to spend thanksgiving with my brother and his family. I am SO excited and I can't wait! Don't be jealous it only cost me $75 too. I love Delta miles!!

Guy Things

2008-10-04T17:44:00.005-04:00

Had to do my man duties today. But, I had some men help me today so I can't take full credit.

First, it was about time to change my brakes and thank goodness I have a handy friend who can fix anything so I was able to save a ton of money. When I say it was about time to change...I'll let you decide how far overdue this project was by looking at the difference between the old brakes and the new ones...

Any guesses how long it's been since I've changed my brakes?

Second, I suck at edging my lawn. I keep up with the mowing okay but I don't have the best edger so I get discouraged from doing it. Anyway, it kinda got out of control and I had another friend surprise me by showing up at my house and edging. It was seroiusly bad so I had to take a picture for everyone to laugh at.

Alright, now that I had a good laugh I'll get back to finishing my lawn.

Thanks Stires and Juannie for helping me out. It's great to have such good friends and you made my day.

Too much wind...

2008-09-23T20:31:00.002-04:00

Sometimes there's too much wind when you're wearing a skirt. Today I was happy I decided to wear a slip since I was out to lunch with the guys again when the wind decided they needed to see my slip. Oh man, it was funny.

New Obsession...

2008-09-18T10:39:00.002-04:00

This could quite possibly be the best CD I've purchased EVA.....

Classic Put Downs

2008-09-04T18:04:00.001-04:00

I think it was last year some time I was at dinner with Mandy, Jessica, and Joseph. At one point in the conversation we were discussing a certain person who can be a pain in the rear and how frustrating she can be. Mandy said, "She's has a lot of personality flaws" to which we all about died laughing, especially when Joseph gave Mandy a hard time for such a harsh comment. I couldn't help but laugh even though it was mean.

Today I was talking with Deborah and we were discussing another "problem person" when Deborah said, "She needs to focus on being a better person." Oh gosh, I was laughing so hard and I can't seem to stop.

Of course it doesn't say much about me since I'm laughing at the expense of others...but oh well. I'm taking my laughs wherever I can get them right now!

Something funny for your Labor Day

2008-09-01T12:47:00.000-04:00

So any of you that know me well know when I sit down on furniture I plop down. Drives my dad crazy cause it wears out furniture faster. Nothing graceful about it. Anyway, my recliner goes back easily (no lever to pull or anything). Sometimes I'll plop down and it will go back without me pushing it and a few times the front two legs have come up. I kept saying one day I'm going to fall over...and here's the proof I was right for once.

Can't wait for the season to start...

2008-08-24T21:09:00.000-04:00

I love these guys....

2008-08-11T23:43:00.000-04:00

Jack has lost his mind!

2008-08-08T20:27:00.000-04:00

I've had a lot of people over lately and I guess Jack is feeling neglected. He's been barking like crazy and being super annoying. Anyway, today he really lost it. I had a friend over and I heard some trash rumbling around in my bathroom. Sure enough, the crazy animal had made a HUGE mess.

So here's his punishment:

He tries to make me feel bad for it by sitting right in front of me with his sad eyes. SO doesn't work. I ain't putting up with that behavior.

Memories Wanted

2008-07-18T23:11:00.001-04:00

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a lot or a little, anything you remember.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume your playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave a memory about you in my comments.

Where do I begin?

2008-07-18T22:35:00.001-04:00

I know, first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!! Wish I was there to help celebrate. I love you!!

Now, on to my roller coaster life....The past couple of weeks has been a little crazy for me. There's been a lot going on in my personal life as well as my work life. All of it has made me very emotional. I think it's just because it's so much all at once. After my day at work today I fully expected to be sitting at home crying letting it all out. But then I was able to talk to and spend a little time with an amazing friend who always seems to do or say the right things and the world makes sense again and I'm able to laugh it off.

I feel guilty going on too much about my issues though because I have two good friends dealing with some pretty tough issues right now that really outweigh my struggles hands down. Both of you, you know who you are, I feel very blessed to have you in my life and very special to know you can confide in me. I only wish I could help you more. You are constantly in my prayers. Don't ever feel guilty about being another person to unload on me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Before my big news (that most of you know about already anyway) I have to mention that I get to babysit Benjamin Raines tomorrow!! Emily and Galen are going to the Temple to do some family work on the Raines side so I get to watch him for at least 4 hours. I can't wait. Emily asked if I wanted the pack and play and I told her there was no way I'm putting him down.....until I have to drive and meet them for lunch of course. That will really do my heart good. I'm missing all my babies too.

You know one of these days my eyes will dry up!! This is insane! My hormones must be out of wack or something.

Alright, regaining my composure for this. On Sunday I was officially called and set apart to be the Relief Society President for my ward. For those of you who don't know, it's the woman's organization in my church and the President is, in a nutshell, in charge of the spiritual well-being for the woman of her ward. Thank goodness for counselor's cause they'll keep me sane and on the right track but I'm still very overwhelmed. Unless I really screw up or get married, I'll probably be in this calling for 2 years...cause you get kicked out of the single's ward at 30. I'm expecting 30 to come first. SO, that being said, any extra prayers you want to send my way for the next 2 years are greatly appreciated.

Anyway, that's a pretty long update. I should have just said, I'm crying like a baby because of life lately, pray for me! That would have been so much simpler.

Wait, the good day isn't over yet...

2008-07-02T22:33:00.000-04:00

...little did I know what the evening had in store. On Saturday Mandy, Allison, and I had a discussion that my bra size was incorrect. It was actually a pretty loud conversation outside of the store of Planet Hollywood. Anyway I let it go until tonight when I got an email from Victoria's Secret that said they were having a sale. Allison looked up online how to measure bra sizes so then she measured me and came up with two cup sizes bigger than what I've been wearing for years. I didn't believe it so we had to make a trip to Vicky's to find out for sure. Sure enough, Allison was right. I didn't realize it but Allison said I had this constant giggle in the dressing room. Anyway, I'm still laughing and it's going to take me a while not to feel weird about the incredibly larger size. Good laugh though huh?

Good day

2008-07-02T18:34:00.000-04:00

Van and Taylor had a cheeseburger eating contest at McDonald's today since they have the 59 cent cheeseburger on Wednesday. They tried for 10 each and Van successfully horked them down in 13 minutes while Taylor finished with 8 in 25 minutes. Wuss. It was funny and disgusting all at the same time.

Also, I had a good laugh with Stires today. I jinxed him and said he had to buy me a Sprite. We're on the second floor and the coke machine is on the third so we had to go upstairs only to find out that the drink was $1.25 not $1.00 like we thought so we had to go back downstairs to get a quarter. I was talking to him and asking him a couple of questions and he just had to keep quiet. It was awesome. Such a good laugh.

My co-workers crack me up.

Crack Spackle

2008-07-01T21:48:00.000-04:00

I can't resist. This is too funny not to share. May be a little racey for some people but I almost wet myself laughing. I like the "sniff" part the best.

Forwards

2008-06-04T21:16:00.000-04:00

I like a good laugh, sweet, or moving story as much as the next person. It really does brighten my day if they’re good. What I hate is when at the end I have to forward it to a million people or I’ll die or my faith in God is questionable. Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today but dang that irritates me.

The sky must be falling...

2008-05-29T19:49:00.000-04:00

I actually used a school textbook for something at work today. Of course this is the first textbook that's been useful since I started college 10 years ago.

I'm old

2008-05-28T22:05:00.000-04:00

I watched Juno tonight and realized how old I was when they started using all of the new high school slang I guess. I had a hard time keeping up with it. Now, no persecutions here (because I know everyone else in the world thinks the movie was brillant and the best movie ever) but I didn't care for it. Yes I said it, shut up. It had some good parts to it but as a whole, I didn't like it. I should have figured as much because of the story line but I think the story could have been told without all of the vulgar remarks. So sue me.

New York Birthday

2008-05-27T18:37:00.000-04:00

This is gonna be a long one...you may need to come back a few times.

Day 1

We made great time to the airport even though we were sweating up a storm and didn’t really cool off until we got on the plane…but we still stopped for a Cinnabon.

We were super smart and checked in with the skycap to avoid the mile long line inside. Who cares if you have to tip. I’m sitting at the plane and they’re still checking in suckers!!

Neither of us have flown American Airlines so we didn’t know what to expect. Apparently they hire inexperienced or drunk pilots. Not sure which it was but Captain Herb would speed up and slow down constantly. I’ve never been so sick in an airplane before. BLAH! Worse flight ever. But, that was okay because we made it safely. We got to baggage claim pretty quickly so we thought we were doing great with time. Allison’s bag came out, my smaller bag came out, and we wait, and wait, and wait…no more bags. What the heck? How do you separate two bags? Well American Airlines knows how. Of course it was my bigger bag with all of my clothes in it dang it!! Yeah, it was sitting in Orlando and waiting for a 10 p.m. flight.

So I put my request in to have it delivered and move on to the shuttle bus. At least they knew where it was so I was fine. Allison seemed to be more upset about it than me. The shuttle finally arrives and shoves 10 of us in this tiny van but it wasn’t too bad. OH MY HECK! We seriously almost died 10 times in 5:00 traffic. I’m saying over and over, “We’re gonna die.” When he finally dropped us off he decides to do a three point turn right in the middle of 57th (four lanes) street. So again, I was fighting motion sickness which has never been an issue for me before. Did I mention people cross the road when they want and cars turn when they want? Yeah, not a safe atmosphere at all.

But, we finally check in and find our room nice. Although I almost busted when I held on to the entertainment center to take off my shoes and it swiveled on me. Nice. We headed out to dinner and the ballet (in Jeans like a bunch of hicks since I didn't have a choice) and ended up at at Lili’s (sushi) around the corner (we rate it three stars (out of five) cause it was good but not great). We caught a cab to the ballet and the cabbie didn’t know where Metropolitan Opera House. What? Isn't that his job to know? Whatever, we made it and it was great show. The Opera House was beautiful too. We started walking toward our hotel afterward and saw “When In Rome” being filmed at Columbus Circle so we’re now famous right? Well we'll say we are. We didn't think we'd walk all the way back to the hotel but it was a nice night and we were enjoying the walk. Although our sushi didn't last so we stopped at Café Metro (four stars cause the sandwich and cannoli were great). We took it back to our hotel to eat and went to bed (me in my jeans of course).

Day 2

My day begins with getting my bag at 5:48 a.m. It was perfect timing for me to get ready to go to the Temple so I went. I have to say I was pretty proud I survived two taxi's by myself. The Temple was great. It's always amazing to me to feel the peace and quiet there that is unlike any other place but with the hussle and bustle of New York, it was even more welcoming and powerful. It was a perfect start for my birthday. When I was done I called Allison and woke her up and told her I was headed back to the hotel. We decided to take a cruise around the harbor so we started heading that way. I first picked up some faux Louie Vittan sunglasses from a man on the street. Then we ate at Manhattan Gourmet Food (Four stars cause it was a yummy buffet/store). On our way down we ran in to a Turkish American parade and Allison took a flag. She cracks me up. Then we were on our sightseeing cruise and here's where my pictures come in:

Brooklyn Bridge

Pier 57 where Titanic was supposed to dock and has since never been used with the Empire State Building in the background

Ellis Island

I think you'll know what this is

Ground Zero

We went to the Trinity Church which you'll see in the background of ground zero and learned not a single window was broken when the buildings fell because of all the oak trees around it. That was very cool. For as many people that were around the area, it was amazingly quiet. That was nice to see so many people being respectful.

After that we headed to Chinatown. We ate at the Mandarin Court for dinner (Five stars because the food was SO yummy and came out fast. Though our waiter thought Allison was my mom so she was mad...don’t bring it up to her...bad subject. After that we headed to the Eastern Federast Buddist Temple across the street. It was interesting to say the least. Then we were running short on time because we needed to get changed for Wicked!! We thought we would never find the subway again and as soon as I finally asked a cop, it was right around the corner. On the subway we thought we were going to be robbed by some kids. They were sitting together and then separated. One put his bag in front of the poll where Allison and I were sitting while the other did the same about 10 feet away. I thought for sure they were about to pull out a gun or something but then they started playing music and dancing for money. Allison was entertained but I was annoyed. They almost kicked several people in the head, us included!! Finally we make it back to our hotel so we could change and look like decent people for this show. Wicked was AWESOME. Of course, I'm a huge Wizard of Oz fan so that helped I'm sure but the music was great, it was funny, sad, and had a great ending I wasn't expecting. Really an awesome performance. That's where I spent the majority of my money on souvenirs from our whole trip. My only complaint, it was so cold in the theater my legs were shaking uncontrollably.

Picture after Wicked

Oh, did I mention it was fleet week so there were hot sailors everywhere? Yeah, that was nice. They were all over the place when we walked to Times Square and Allison kept saying she was gonna find one to kiss me in Times Square but of course I'm too picky (shut up Richard).

Times Square (not all it's cracked up to be if you ask me)

After that we headed to the M&M store which was huge. It was cool though. Allison bought a sweet shirt. There was an elevator on the 3rd floor that said employees only but we took it anyway not realizing we would end up in the basement. We ran in to a couple of employees who called us intruders and started laughing. They showed us out a back door. So funny.

Then we headed to Lindy's (five stars cause it was the best cheesecake ever) for a quick dessert which ended up being my birthday cheesecake and hot chocolate. It was SO good.

We walked back to our hotel and finally found the pool on the 44 floor (no idea our hotel was that tall) only to find it closed. So we were off to bed again...this time in my pj’s thank goodness. All in all, a great birthday.

Day 3

First we went to the pool so we could finally see the view from the top. Pretty cool view of Central Park.

Then we walked down 5th Avenue heading to the Empire State Building. First we ate at Astros (gave it a three cause it was just okay). We waited for Tiffany’s to “open their vault” (the doors were super cool).

It was almost like a sale at wal-mart the way everyone was running in. Insane...especially when I tried on a simple necklace that was $6,000. Yeah, we walked around and didn't buy a darn thing. When we left there we went to the Disney store. Yes, I know I live in Orlando, but crap, I couldn't afford any other store on 5th Avenue so here's my fun on 5th:

Finally we made it to the Empire State Building and thank goodness we got our tickets ahead of time because we saved ourselves about a two hour wait. Here's some fun views from the top:

The Statue of Liberty is the small spot to the right of my head:

Playing with the mirrors:

We were going to go to the gift shop but were told we had to go through security again so we lost patience with the stupid guards and left. We walked by Rockefeller Center on our way to Grand Central Station. Grand Central Station was really cool.

We were so worn out afterwards though that we ended up back at our hotel shortly after 7, we got dinner from the Burger Joint in the hotel (rated five stars cause that was a DANG good burger) and then we bought a movie to which I fell in and out of sleep watching. We were tired.

Day 4

Our last day we took a quick picture of me ringing the doorbell to our room because I did that every time we came back. I'm a dork I know.

We decided to walk through Central Park for our last day. It was one of my favorite things we did. Central Park really is beautiful.

We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's gift shop cause we were short on time and wanted to briefly see it.

We took a carriage ride around central park too so we found out some cool things we wouldn't have picked up on by ourselves. Like this sweet shot. What does it remind you of? Your hint: Who ya gonna call?

I had an artist in the park draw my portrait which was really cool. I think I look really young in it but I love it. If that's how people view me, I'm good with that because I think it's my best picture ever. I'll let you decide....now if I can't just figure out where to hang it.

Then we headed back to our hotel to pick up our bags and go to the airport...barely making it because our driver didn't follow the rules of the road and a taxi almost hit us. We were at the airport in plenty of time, our flight was delayed, we waited an hour on the runway and finally got home (with all our bags) at 11:15 p.m.

To sum up, obvioiusly, it was a blast even though any time we took the shuttle, a taxi or tried to cross a street I said, "We’re gonna die aren't we?" Well, we survived and I'm a year older. Woo Hoo. Good way to spend my birthday.

I can breathe easy...

2008-05-22T22:44:00.000-04:00

One of my friends from church volunteered to watch Jack for me while we're gone. YAY!! Now I can rest easy and enjoy my trip. Thanks so much for Elissa! She's the best!!

We're off tomorrow at 12:45ish and we'll hit the ground running as soon as we get there! Woo Hoo!

NY here we come!!

Boarding Jack

2008-05-18T20:17:00.000-04:00

I feel guilty already I don't even drop off Jack to be boarded while I'm in New York until Friday morning. I have the feeling I'm even going to cry. This is the first time I'll be leaving him at a place like this and without someone I know. Is this what it's like to drop off your kid at Kindergarten for the first time?

I'm nuts I know, but, he's my baby.

Anyone want to help me keep my peace of mind while I'm gone you can check out the pet cam at this link and let me know if it looks like he's okay.

http://www.preppypet.com/eastorlando.html

Publix Wins

2008-05-14T08:53:00.000-04:00

I think most of you know I grew up on Winn Dixie. A lot of you also think, ew gross, but hey, they were cheap and we loved it. There was nothing wrong with the one by our house, except that they took that sweet 2 liter coke fill up machine away. Any of you remember that? You could bring in your 2 liter bottle and fill it up with a special drink? I can't remember what drink it was but there was something fruity there that I just LOVED getting. And I thought it was the coolest thing to fill it up.

When I moved to Orlando, Publix was more convienient for me so I've mainly been shopping there. Plus, the Winn Dixie's here seem to be significantly different and more dingy here. I feel distinctly different and less safe. Isn't that weird?

Now for the reason I say Publix wins. I actually had a hard time getting my prescription filled with them yesterday. Long story short, I went to two Publix and ended up going back to the original one. But, they were super nice and apologetic that it was hard to get mad with them...well, that and the fact that I got a $25 gift card AND my $15 prescription free. So Publix, you win. I will no longer shop at Winn Dixie...except for when I'm craving pigs in a blanket and I need the sausage that apparently only Winn Dixie carries.

New York Baby!!

2008-05-09T10:44:00.000-04:00

Allison and I are going to New York for Memorial Day and we are SO flippin' excited!! We got an awesome deal on a flight and a hotel (even though we will be sharing a king bed) so we couldn't pass it up. Of course, as I tried to rub it in to some people the following conversation occured:

Richard: Be careful: the Confederate to US exchange rate is killer

KG: Seriously, you may have gotten a great rate to get there but be sure to pack plenty of ramen noodles or instant mac -n-cheese 'coz everything else up there will rob your bank!

Richard...the two were so excited about their trip and then, without warning or fail, the flying monkey came in and dropped the ramen stink bomb on the whole thing...

Dang that was HILARIOUS!! Love you guys!!

Bridal Store

2008-05-07T20:46:00.000-04:00

Yeah, had to go to David's Bridal to get my bridesmaid dress for Jessica's wedding tonight. There seriously is no worse place for a single person....well, at least this single person. First off the price of the dress was enough to make me wanna puke but then I see all the brides trying on their dresses and I start feeling sad. Ugh, not fun. Oh, did I mention the dress is strapless and the jacket to go over it really won't stay put? I can see the top falling down now....not cool.

Belated Bad Monday News

2008-05-06T18:40:00.000-04:00

I meant to write about this yesterday but my brain power was used up. So here is how my day went. I should have known when I woke up an hour late because I didn't set my alarm right that I should have stayed in bed.

I had to get a blood test before work (I'm on Accutane so they have to make sure my liver is still working properly). All of the times I've given blood for whatever reason I've never had a problem. But this was the first time I was left with a nasty bruise and soreness in my arm. Yuck. Someone asked me today if I was shooting up...as a joke of course.

I had a hand full of HR issues as soon as I came in which included a 2 hour trip to accomplish a 15 minute errand that still wasn't completed until on my way home last night.

We tried to go to lunch at Chipotle but of course everyone wanted that since it was Cinco de Mayo. So Allison, Van and I went to Jason’s Deli which is normally awesome because of all the free ice cream and a certain hot manager...but he wasn't there yesterday! Just my luck.

In the afternoon I headed to the pepsi machine for root beer but there wasn't any so I got fruit snacks instead and they were moldy!

I was worried about driving home safely!

Seriously NOT my day yesterday....But today was great so it made up for it.

Graduation and Birthday

2008-05-05T22:34:00.001-04:00

I had a fun time this past weekend at home (first time since February). It was tiring but fun. Here's a few pictures of what we did:

First, kayaking down the Wakulla River:

Second, lunch with Steve, Tiffany, and my sweet Tanner:

Third, Graduation for Joseph. I love how we are all obviously laughing here

And finally, Birthday for dad. Yes, he already ate two pieces before we had a chance to sing to him. So hilarious.

Hair cut

2008-05-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

Jack got a new haircut and I think he looks cute....show's off his super long neck, but still cute.

Allison and I dub this day....

2008-05-01T10:00:00.001-04:00

Multi-Colored Metal Lollipop Day.

New baby

2008-04-29T21:04:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the world Ella Marie West. Don't let your brothers push you around too much with their "tough love".

A few random things....

2008-04-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

First, I would like to point out that I went running/walking tonight. That's right, one too many fat pictures made me realize I gotta get my lazy butt up. So wish me luck that I can walk tomorrow.

Second, I had lunch at the best sushi place by the office today and we sat outside. Only, it was SUPER windy. We seemed to be in a hurricane so here's some funny pictures:

I love this picture because it really looks like Deborah is fighting the wind.

And finally, I heard about these fainting goats today and I have to say, this is stinkin' hilarious:

You decide....

2008-04-15T21:09:00.000-04:00

Long lost twins or not?

Lil Kim

Let the Little Girl in You Giggle and Get Excited....

2008-04-07T20:31:00.000-04:00

OH MY HECK!! Maybe I can actually see them in concert this time around...so what if you think it's lame.

The reports:

A little taste of the new "right stuff":

Their official announcement:

NKOTB FOREVER BABY!!

My Lucky Day....

2008-04-07T19:32:00.000-04:00

Not exactly sure why but today was my lucky day. Nothing big happened just a couple of fun things. First, at lunch I got my food first and didn't have to wait which is a feat at this particular restaurant so a couple of people were jealous. Second, I got to see a couple of what Allison and I call SB's or in other words, eye candy. It was out of the ordinary for one day so that was nice. But the best would be kid from Coldstone hitting on me and giving me a free smoothie. So what if he was probably still in high school or just out. It's always fun to get hit on.

New Obsession....

2008-04-01T20:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I came accross a Bon Jovi CD at Barnes & Noble and forgot how much I love them. So, I bought their newest CD and am contemplating a couple of more. Dang these guys are good. So, the first is my favorite and the others are ones I forgot about and LOVE. Yes, I'm a dork I know.

Like Father Like Daughter

2008-03-31T19:42:00.000-04:00

This will only be funny or fully appreciated if you know my father. Anyway, I find myself entertaining my roommate. Because she laughs so I feel funny and because I laugh because I think I'm funny. But, for an example I'm half asleep last night after our night of "The Office" and finally head to bed when I realized my bed needed to be made because I just washed the sheets. If I was alone I would have simply said crap and put it together and went to bed but not last night. I had to complain loudly and make this huge big production of it. All the while Allison's laughing. Somewhere in the midst of it all I hear my mom saying, "He's doing it just because you laugh." Of course referring to the many times I'm laughing at something crazy he's doing. Then I had to laugh more when I thought like father like daughter. Love him!!

Got My Har Did...

2008-03-27T22:48:00.000-04:00

Emily Shore is awesome. She gave me a new do last night. I'm trying to get used to the length but I still like it. What do you guys think?

Shunned

2008-03-25T21:12:00.000-04:00

I seriously have the funniest co-workers (well, at least a group of them). Anyway, we regularly shun each other but I got shunned and double shunned today. Which I don't think means too much since we still all talk to each other as long as we say unshun and then reshun. It cracks me up. Anyway, John said he would drop my shuns if I made brownies so I made them tonight and dang do they smell good. I hope I don't eat them all myself! But then again, the rules of shun (per Taylor) say it only lasts 24 hours...so I could eat these all...hmmm...

But that takes me to the fact that I've been cooking a lot lately and it's been fun. Jack thinks it's the best since he gets whatever falls and I'm a little messy. But, last night wasn't so good because I kept dropping cabbage and he LOVES cabbage. If you don't know why that's bad, look in to it. I had to cut him off eventually.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:46:00.001-04:00

Apparently I looked like a big pink Easter egg today so enjoy and Happy Easter.

I'm done....

2008-03-22T10:36:00.000-04:00

No more church dances for me. For the past few days I've been feeling pretty emotional and I think it's because of a combination of things but mostly stress. Either way, it took all I had to get up the motivation and go to a church dance last night. I wasn't feeling particularly cute and tired. But still, I went to try and get myself "out there" more. I showed up determined to have a good time only to find THREE people there. Yeah, the last time I will go to a church dance so no one tell me I have to go anymore.

Games

2008-03-19T22:10:00.000-04:00

Just for the record, the three day rule sucks. I don't know who made it up but I think it's all a crock and don't agree with it. But then again, maybe it didn't go as well as I thought and that's not the problem.

Blonde moment...

2008-03-18T20:26:00.000-04:00

....and I'm not afraid to share. Allison and I decided Little Caesars was on the menu tonight so we stopped on the way home. When we pulled up there was a sign that said "Hot and Ready $5". Allison says, "Oh that's just for us!" to which I agreed. We go in, say we want a Large Pepperoni and low and behold we get a pizza immediately! I was shocked and then it hit me and of course I had to say it out loud, "Oh, it really is hot and ready!" DUH! When Allison pointed out it was just for us I thought she meant the $5 deal. That's what I was all about. Geez I felt like a dummy. And while I'm thinking about it, DANG I've missed Little Caesars! It's seriously THE BEST pizza ever.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T10:56:00.001-04:00

Well wishes from me and My roommate Allison!

Demotivators

2008-03-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

Much better than the motivational posters:

"Give a man a match, and he’ll be warm for a minute, but set him on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life."

Totally useless knowledge....

2008-03-13T22:26:00.001-04:00

....but it's stinkin' hilarious...

In New York City, "It is disorderly conduct for one man to greet another on the street by placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose, at the same time extending and wiggling the fingers of his hand."

In Monroe, Utah, daylight must be visible between partners on a dance floor.

In Columbus,Ohio, it is illegal for stores to sell corn flakes on Sunday.

In Massachusetts, it is illegal to wear a goatee without a license.

It was discovered on a space mission that a frog can throw up. The frog throws up its stomach first, so the stomach is dangling out of its mouth. Then the frog uses its forearms to dig out all of the stomach's contents and then swallows the stomach back down again.

You can hold the mouth of an alligator shut with two fingers, but if you put a clenched fist in its mouth when it bites down it will break every bone in your hand.

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucous every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself.

Now that we are all stupider for knowing these things, I'll go to bed.

Hoe Down baby!

2008-03-10T08:42:00.000-04:00

So we had a hoe down at the church ranch on Saturday and had a blast. Among the many activities was a 2x4 race. It was SO funny and I got to know the guys I met that night really well, really fast. But, we are the champions! That's right! We won and here we are:

James Voyles, Me, Josh Roller, and Jamie Adkinson

Proof

2008-03-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

And here's the proof: