inside a goofy girl's brain

oh blog - how i have missed you...

2010-05-14T00:21:00.003-05:00

tonite i saw jen lancaster - author of "pretty in plaid", "bitter is the new black", the blog jennsylvania, and a few other top selling titles.

listening to her read from her book and talk to all of us crazy fans and be totally hysterical and spit back comments that - like most of the things she writes feel a lot like they could have come right out of my head - reminded me that i used to have a blog and i used to be funny and people used to read it and i used to love to write for it.

and i really miss it.

and now all of my readers are probably gone.

i used to be good at this and i'm starting to think that it may be time to try to return to what i used to love to do. bring some creative happiness back into my life....

so i guess my question is....

2010-01-26T00:32:00.000-06:00

if i blog it - will they come back??

new million dollar money making idea...

2009-07-29T21:57:00.003-05:00

i need a device that allows me to blog from my shower. i always think of the best blog topics and entries when i'm in the shower and have no way to jot it down. then by the time i come back to my blog, it's totally gone from my cluttered little mind....

i need to start doing this regularly again. i'm starting to fear that i've lost all six people who ever read this thing to begin with....

the rest of my photos from driving to reno...

2009-07-17T22:51:00.001-05:00

i thought i would back track to my trip to reno. these are the rest of the cool photos of mountains i took along the way. along with photos of the bowling stadium, virginia city, lake tahoe, and my brief stay in california.

karen's dream house...

2009-07-10T22:07:00.001-05:00

i have tried to convince jeffy that we must pack up and move right away. but he just wasn't buyin it.

karen's dream house

driving through kansas...

2009-06-17T20:46:00.003-05:00

i spent today driving through kansas on our way to reno. we're going to reno for our annual national usbc women's bowling championships. i'm currently in limon, colorado. it's super exciting here as you can imagine.

there wasn't a lot to see as we rolled through kansas. but we came across these windmills that reminded me of the teletubbies. i thought they were pretty cool.

enjoy!

tomorrow we'll go through colorado, to wyoming, then utah. i think the plan is to stop around salt lake city before heading into nevada on friday.

more to come!

2009 dance recital videos

2009-05-16T17:33:00.003-05:00

click to view this year's videos. i'll probably upload more on sunday....

dance recital 09

cheetos, cheetos everywhere....

2009-05-10T15:38:00.002-05:00

my regular readers (all four or so of you) are no stranger to the fact that i have some neighbors who are completely and utterly crazy. as today is mother's day - happy mother's day by the way - the crazy neighbors have crazy family gatherings with other crazy family members.

i've written on more than one occasion about the neighbor who we call "lazy ass". the one who parks her car in front of our house for days on end when there's plenty of good space in front of her own home. i think she does it just to spite us.

anyway - she and her husband have a bunch of crazy kids - and they in turn all have a bunch of monstrous children. which is why i found myself sitting here on my peaceful mother's day listening to these kids who have clearly taken a class in screaming bloody murder. at any given time i expect to look out my window and see one of them beating another with a stick but instead find they are just driving their big wheels down the steps.

that was - until the cheetos came along.

i don't know where they came from. but all of the sudden jeff was laughing because they had spilled the bag of cheetos they had been sharing all over the porch and steps. interestingly enough, they spilled evenly across 3 out of 4 steps. they almost look like someone poured them across each step. the kids were suddenly very quiet.

now i must tell you that i fought every urge that i had to take a picture of this with my camera. i was certain it was probably wrong. the sight of the bright orange across each step alone was something to see though.

so jeff and i sat here and watched as these five kids - the oldest of which may be five herself - contemplated what they should do about the fallen cheetos. the oldest was picking them up one by one off of the top step and putting them back on the bag (which was ripped all the way open). the rest just kinda watched for a good three minutes.

then the oldest went inside for thirty seconds. and came back out followed by grandma (aka lazy ass)and a bowl. it wasn't actually a bowl. it looked more like a corning ware casserole dish. but grandma instructed them to pick up the cheetos and put them in the bowl. okay. i can kinda see that. but when i realized that grandma gave them a bowl so that they would have a more stable container to hold their snack and watched the oldest sit down on the sidewalk with the bowl and start to eat the cheetos - i then lost my cheeto related appetite.

one of the boys chose not to eat the cheetos but instead chose to stomp on the remaining cheetos on the steps creating a lovely cheeto dust to go with the pollen dust. yummy...

and so these are our neighbors. i really hope a normal family moves into the unoccupied house next to them. we only have one set of normal neighbors on the whole block. we are completely outnumbered. and this scares us....

i rock!

2009-05-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

i've been voted mom of the year!!!

awesome news footage

it's just like....

2009-05-08T11:35:00.003-05:00

a real life "footloose"!

cause i gotta cut loose...

quick! someone call kevin bacon!

cinco de mayo

2009-05-05T19:56:00.002-05:00

let us all pause for a moment to celebrate what an AWESOME holiday cinco de mayo is.

sure. i may not have a FULL understanding of the holiday. but i'm happy to celebrate anything that lets me split an entire pitcher of margaritas with my mom...

self education

2009-04-29T15:26:00.002-05:00

so i googled the words "what is swine flu?" - you know - cause i was curious. i don't think i've read a single article that really has said what it was. so i once again employed intern google.

this is what i found: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/20061101/swine-flu-faq

it's quite helpful. especially the part where it says i can still eat bacon. that's a good thing. almost everything is better with bacon.

so i just thought that i would share with everyone the answer to the "what is swine flu" question. i think if you read this - and not the articles on the major news webpages - then there's a chance that people everywhere may be just a touch less panicked about it...

just not sure i can handle this "growing up thing".....

2009-04-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

you know. many years ago i had this little bitty baby. really little. like five pounds, 10 ounces. tiny. and she was cute. and she cooed. and she squawked. and sometimes she just downright screamed. but it was okay.

then when she was 15 months old she started to walk.

and when she was about 2, she started to babble.

and then when she was 11 she spent an entire weekend driving me crazy asking me every five minutes if she could call her boyfriend and stomping away when she didn't like the answer.

and now i have a strong desire to trade her in for a kitten....

my apologies...

2009-04-18T21:02:00.002-05:00

i really didn't realize that i hadn't posted in two months. i mean - i knew i was a bit m.i.a. just been a lot going on, you know? work. girl scout cookies. work. sick cats. more work.

sadly - karen seacrest hasn't gotten off the ground and i don't think it's going to happen either. have yet to break it to the bracket crew.

but now that i've broken my silence, i promise i will try to resume posting on a more consistant basis. i mean it. really....

karen seacrest's live idol blog - top 36 - 1st 12

2009-02-17T19:03:00.018-06:00

1. jackie tohn: little less conversation. hmm. i'm thinking she set a low bar - vocally. arrangement was interesting. but what is she wearing!?!?! is this 1987?"

2. ricky braddy: i didn't catch the name of the song and i don't know it. but he was far more vocally superior than the first girl. good pipes there. i liked it. and i'm not just saying that because lindsey works with the girlfriend of his former roommate....

someone tell kara she can talk back from the mic a bit.

3. alexis grace: never loved a man. i like her shoes. i know that's not the important thing. but i like her shoes. not wild about the dress. kinda looks like something you wear under another outfit to keep all the fatty lumps from being lumpy. i don't think she's got a soulful enough voice for this song. i'm kinda disappointed because i liked her first audition and that was just kinda disappointing to me. i apparently don't agree with the judges either...

woopsie. wrong clip. look at seacrest all improving there. he's not very good at that...

4. brent keith: hick town. i don't know what's up with the unknown songs tonight. eh. i'm not wowed. not at all. he kinda didn't entertain me. he seemed nervous - kinda bobbing back and forth. was just weird.

um. let's not look at bucky covington. he was scary.

to simon's point - i think most everyone's been pretty forgetable so far.

this commercial after every performance is kinda annoying.

5. stevie wright: you belong with me. have i mentioned that i hate taylor swift? she's hit a few bad notes. this really - not good. i'm avoiding saying it was terrible. i'm going to blame the song. it's just like all taylor swift songs. sucky.

i just came back to edit this to say that i figured it out. she reminds me of ashley tisdale in high school musical...

6. anoop desai: angel of mine. there is way too much background vocal track tonight. this isn't snl. i like anoop. he's got a good, solid voice and he's kinda cute.

message to second 6. can you excite me a little please? and pick an entertaining song? please? don't make tatiana the most exciting part of the evening. that would be annoying!

jeff and i just had an immature beavis and butthead moment over kara saying "nail it the way it needs to be nailed". we couldn't help it.

7. casey carlson: every little thing she does is magic. thank you - a song i know! remember curly haired chris sligh from a couple years ago. he did this song. way better too. i didn't like that. jeff says it's the change in words that bugs him. but it kinda sounded like - taylor swift or miley cyrus doing the police. her voice is too girly girl pop for it. perhaps she would have done stevie's song better?

8. michael sarver: i don't wanna be. yeah! jeff's favorite rough neck guy. it's like they heard my pleas. they're singing songs i know now. i'm having some bo bice flashbacks. him barefoot on the big stage. he looks like he's having so much fun. ooh. that note was bad. he's probably been one of the more entertaining performers of the evening...

9. ann marie boskovich: natural woman. does anyone else flash to that 80s commercial about the woman coming home and kicking off her shoes and putting on her comfy jeans? i do - every time i hear this song. and i just did it again. i think it was lee jeans. i thought about going to google it during her performance. that's how excited i was by her performance.

i'm really starting to feel like no one is "bringing it on" tonight....

10. steven fowler: rock with you. we don't think he belongs in the top 36. for the record. simon said - forget the words - go home. he forgot the words. why didn't he go home? the lighting here kinda kicks back to mj's video for this song. smoke and laser lights. i still don't think he should be in the top 36.

clearly the show is so exciting tonight that i'm resorting to comments about laser lights and old commercials. btw - i googled that commercial. 5th hit on the google list was my own blog. crazy! but i can't find the answer. it may have actually been chic jeans...

drama up after the commercial break...

11. tatiana del toro. i'm saving all my love for you. this girl grates on my nerves worse than cheese. see. the thing is. she CAN sing. but she's just such a drama queen that i just can't stand to look at her...

12. danny gokey. hero. i'm kinda disappointed in this performance - but i think he's going through to the top 12 anyway. he could sing the abc's in his pj's and go to the top 12...

okay. so i'm overall disappointed in these 12 performances. i real snoozer.

the next 12 better BRING IT BIG TIME so this season can be more exciting and i'll actually have something to write about....

silent auction basket

2009-02-16T15:51:00.002-06:00

so i've been racking my brain for weeks and weeks trying to figure out what kind of basket to do for our silent auction at work next week. it's been driving me nuts. i wanted to do something unique that will hopefully bring in a nice price. but nothing was really coming to me.

well - it's the 11th hour. i finally came up with an idea and in a 15 minute shopping spree at walmart - this is what i finally came up with:

FAMILY FUN NIGHT BASKET

CONTENTS:

• Trivial Pursuit – 25th Anniversary Edition
• Scrabble
• Kerplunk
• Pop-o-matic Trouble
• Jenga
• Barrel of Monkeys
• Dominos
• Uno
• Deck of Playing Cards
• 11.5 oz Planters Mixed Nuts
• 1lb bag Strawberry Twizzlers
• 6 pack Box of Orville Redenbacher’s Natural Simply Salted Popcorn
• Collapsible Storage Container with Lid

what do you think?

two random thoughts for monday morning...

2009-02-09T09:33:00.002-06:00

1) why is it that people who feel the need to ride bike to work or school in rush hour traffic on busy streets - like - say - big bend - think that basic traffic rules don't apply to them. like the guy this morning who went speeding in between the cars stopped at the stop light, proceded through the stop light whie cros traffic was proceding through it - without any hesitation at all, and THEN biked up the left turn lane, into oncoming traffic, onto the sidewalk, and so on. can you say "accident waiting to happen?"

2) has anyone else noticed the uncanny resemblance of the octuplets mom to angelina jolie?? i'm just saying...

news of the stupid...

2009-02-05T11:28:00.001-06:00

dumb dumb dumb

yet another story that there are just no words for...

how to blow it during hollywood week on american idol...

2009-02-03T19:08:00.002-06:00

1) argue with the judges critique...

2) pick a song no one knows...

3) dress like richard simmons (even though he made it through - that guy is nuts)...

4) when you are told you can't have your way, act like the person who verbally assulted me on the phone last week because i wouldn't bend the rules for her situation...

5) beg....

6) have a family with at least two theater shows all their own. ask your uncles for 20 minutes of the set...

7) keep singing after you are told to stop...

8) be bikini girl...

25 random things about me

2009-01-29T10:48:00.002-06:00

this is going around on facebook - so i thought i would post it here too...

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. my most favorite smell in the world is garlic. not cookies or cinnamon - garlic. i'm sure it betrays my german/irish heritage.

2. i have a secret passion for old movies with halley mills. not just the parent trap - but i'm quite fond of the trouble with angels.

3. i have four serious vices. kit kats. lays classic potato chips. margaritas. double stuffed oreos. not in that order - and certainly not at the same time.

4. i'm not ashamed to admit that i went to the new kids on the block reunion concert. and i would pay to see them again. i had the best time.

5. i have the best husband. sometimes i think i don't deserve him. we have the most fun together and when i'm so stressed out that i'm about to lose my mind - he knows just how to handle it.

6. i'm still holding on to about 5 or 6 grudges from the last 15 or 16 years. i can't let them go and feel they keep me strong. only one of those grudges is against someone i was in a relationship with. each of those grudges involved a poisionous relationship/friendship where i knew i was the better person, but for some reason was still desparate for the other person's approval and genuine friendship (even when i knew it didn't exist).

7. i love typing in lowercase letters and i know it drives my other english major friends nuts. i'd like to think i'm just really cool like e.e. cummings - but truth is i'm just too lazy to hit the shift key.

8. when i was pregnant the doctors tried to get me to go on an insulin pump to manage my diabetes and i refused. i wouldn't admit it at the time - but the true reason i refused was because i knew in my heart that nina's father was a cheater, we wouldn't be together forever, and i was afraid i would never find a man who could accept a single mother who was attached to what might be considered a mini iv 24/7. after i found jeff - it was easy to let go of that insecurity.

9. i sometimes worry that someone will see me programing my insulin pump in public and think i'm a terrorist.

10. i have a recurring nightmare about being back in high school and having a crazy rotating schedule with a class that always drops out of rotation. i never can remember which class i'm supposed to be in and the science class always seems to be the class that rotates out until the day of a big test where i don't know the answers because the class hasn't taken place for months.

11. i love analyzing the poetry behind song lyrics. i wish i had done my senior thesis on that.

12. i always get moody and depressed during the month of february. i used to say i was cursed during that month because it seemed i broke up with all my boyfriends in february or bad things happened. but i think i just remember every february that my great great aunt may died at valentine's day and it makes me sad placing negative energy in my universe.

13. in july 2008, i sat in a room with 1500 miracles.

14. i think i'm the only person in the world who hates kelly clarkson's new song.

15. everytime i see a really cute baby - i ask jeff if we can have another kitten. his answer is always no. this especially happens when i've been with my friend christy's baby.

16. my best friend amanda and i share the same brain. really. we live 600 miles apart and will see each other for the first time after months (or even years) and find that we are both carrying the same purse, wearing the same shoes, or the same swimming suit. all of which were probably purchased at target. we don't tell each other about buying these things. it just happens. we can also finish each others thoughts and talk to each other without speaking. we're freaks of nature.

17. i have a hopeless addiction to mcdonalds breakfast.

18. i'm a pleathora of useless information which makes me quite handy to have on a trivia team...

19. i'm waiting for the day the team from a&e's intervention show up at my house to pry my laptop from my hands and deactivate my webkin's account.

20. i think the litterbox and garbage disposal are conspiring against me - and it's just not cool.

21. i often have anxiety attacks before i fall asleep. i also tend to chronicly hyperventilate.

22. i know that all four of my grandparents and my aunt may visit me from time to time.

23. the saddest thing i've ever seen is my husband's heart break when his father died. the thought of it alone kills me inside.

24. i love non profit work. everyone always said i "mothered" everyone when i was little, had to take care of everyone and everything even when it wasn't my business. and they said i would make a good social worker. and now - i'm basically doing social work without having to get the degree. it kinda makes sense when you think about it. nina's exactly the same way too.

25. have you ever seen that commercial with the guy who refused to get out of his car until the song "american pie" is completely over? yeah. i'm that guy. i've been known to drive around the block a couple of times until it's over.

episode two of "how not to make it to the hollywood round on american idol..."

2009-01-21T20:00:00.003-06:00

1. suck so bad that the viewers switch to watch beyonce sing while the new president dances with his first lady...

2. and then beg causing me to change the channel back to the ball again....

3. wear blue/silver eye shadow from eye lashes to eyebrows...

4. ask america to vote for you with chinese characters. most can't read that...

5. sing like cher...

let's play - one of these things is not like the other!

2009-01-20T22:13:00.002-06:00

okay - forgive the fact that the video i found was someone who taped their tv set. but let's play "one of these things is not like the other - one of these things just isn't the same"

can you spot that thing in this performance of "signed sealed delivered" from tonight's ball? can you tell which thing is just a little out of place and doesn't belong??

for the record - i was totally boogying in my kitchen during the performance - i just thought someone didn't quite look like she hung out on a regular basis with the others on the stage - that's all...

getting older...

2009-01-18T15:45:00.003-06:00

there comes a time in every kid's life when they come home from school with a note from the teacher, p.e. teacher, health teacher, or school nurse - that asks for permission for that child to participate in the upcoming special lesson/unit on "getting older" (if you know what i mean!)...

nina came home from school with that note on friday.

i swear i've never felt so old in my life.

grudges...

2009-01-17T20:44:00.003-06:00

so last night nina and i went to see a production of to kill a mockingbird with my pal lindsey. lindsey really is a most awesomest type of friend. you know - the kind that comes over to your house just to carry cases of girl scout cookies for two hours. the kind that smiles even when she's really mad. i don't think i've ever seen her vent about anything without laughing about something at the same time.

she even knows shes awesome. she's dubbed herself the master of the universe after all.

anyway - so we went to see this play and low and behold one of the actors was someone i knew, and lothe so much i refused to applaud for her at the end. nina and lindsey gave me a little grief over this. lindsey said i hold grudges.

and you know what? she's totally right (awesome people like lindsey usually are right). i do hold grudges. i think forgiveness is overrated in some cases. i mean - i can think of about half a dozen people who i've encountered in the past 31 and 1/2 years that i'm still holding a grudge against (i bet some of you can think of who they are too). and when i think about if it's worth letting the grudge go - i decided that the grudges are all worth it.

just the other day i came across someone on facebook who made my life hell when i was 12 and got a sick and twisted feeling of joy to see she never got married. (i also got a sick and twisted feeling of jealousy that she has the most popular boy from our class on her friends list - but then again - i beat her to him in the ladies' choice dance at the graduation dance and he couldn't say no - the dj said. that's right - i have issues people. i'm not ashamed. but that's a whole other blog entry).

so anyway. why won't i let these 6 or 7 grudges go? because i think they make me stronger. i think it's possible that if a person lets go of certain grudges and forgives and stuff - then they run the serious possibility of falling victim to the exact same types of negative energy (if not the same exact vessels of negative energy)all over again. and i think i have serious fears of just how possible that is. literally. i have nightmares that take me back about 11 years relationship wise.

so i just can't let go of these grudges. i need them. they're like security blankets. they keep me strong. and since they are mostly pretty immature - they also keep me young. (perhaps grudges are the answer to the fountain of youth. i'll have to check into it.) it's not like i sit and stew over them every day. i've mostly moved on from it. i just don't applaud or fake excitement or want to see pictures of their kids or have a cup of coffee (or be facebook friends) when i run into one of them.

so as much as i love lindsey (you know i do - oh master of the universe!) - and as positive of an influence she is on me all the time - i've thought about what she said about me holding grudges - and i think i'm gonna keep holding. it's too easy to go from being a door stop to a door mat.

besides - i like being immature sometimes....

sandy again...

2009-01-14T20:52:00.001-06:00

well - at least this time she's not on my wrists...

episode one - how not to make it to the hollywood round on american idol...

2009-01-13T19:43:00.006-06:00

1. forget the name of the new judge and call her by another name in your interview...

2. cry for no reason...

3. resemble the crazy redhead from "wedding crashers". "let me through - or i'll find you!"

4. SING THE WRONG WORDS!

5. appear insanely desperate...

6. resemble a rock of love contestant. (this is my public way of saying that bikini girl reminded me of megan from rock of love and i don't think she should have advanced - no matter how bouncy she was)...

7. play air guitar.

see???

2009-01-12T21:18:00.002-06:00

you all thought i was kidding! again with sandy and her trying to fit into the space on my lap that doesn't have laptop on it...

silly cat...

the real reason my blog has being going without updates for so long...

2009-01-11T21:38:00.003-06:00

do you have any idea how hard this makes it to type??

every time i pull out the laptop - bailey is rubbing her head against the screen and sandy's trying to prove she can fit in the tiny space between my stomach and the keyboard.

i'm waiting for her to figure out the little touch pad and it's connection to the arrow on the screen she's always following...

sigh young love...

2009-01-06T15:18:00.002-06:00

something about this story is so sweet and innocent that i think if i were a parent to either lovebird - i would find it really hard to be angry....

at least i know nina won't be running off with her boyfriend any time soon. she worries about running out to the car to get something if we're not within eye shot of the window....

nina's birthday boots

2008-12-17T19:03:00.002-06:00

so nina will be 11 on friday. yeah - i know. i'm not happy about it either.

anyway - she's had me running all over the damn city trying to find a pair of those damn big fluffy boots that all the girls are wearing for fashion and not function. i've been just about everyplace that would sell knockoffs at a reasonable price and keep having issues finding them in her size - a 5 - not all kids shoes go as high as a 5...

anyway, i finally caved and went to famous footware and got her these...

nina's birthday boots

they are so cute i almost want a pair myself.

i know i'm not the first...

2008-12-11T22:02:00.002-06:00

to make this connection - but this story reminds me of a certain episode of buffy the vampire slayer...

"i'm looking for warren"...

edited to add - i went to youtube and watched the video and it REALLY weirded me out!

i want that job...

2008-12-07T21:49:00.003-06:00

the job of which i type this time is the job of deciding which pictures go where in the sunday ads.

for example: this week, on sale at target is ky yours and mine lubricant. it is strategically placed next to the delsym 12 hour cough syrup and under the tampax and always femine hygene products. i see the picture and i have two questions that come to mind immediately:

1. why next to the cough syrup? is that really appropriate? especially since above the delsym is the children's dimetapp...

2. who sees an add for ky and says "ooh! ky's on sale!! i so have to stock up on THAT." (for the record - i say the same thing when i see that walgreens has pregnancy tests on sale...)

peek a boo!

2008-12-01T10:13:00.001-06:00

this story gives totally new meaning to the phrase - "smiling down on you from the heavens"...

black friday...

2008-11-28T20:36:00.002-06:00

we started our traditional black friday shopping at 7 a.m. today with a trip to sams - cause they had free breakfast. but it really left a lot to be desired. i really wished i had an extra $500 laying around because they still had about 25 wii's...

the we went to walmart where i bought jeff 2 pairs of $8 jeans and nina 1 pair of $8 jeans, a woman's world magazine that i already had, and a $7 rubbermaid container set.

then it was off to target where i got me a spiffy $30 dirt devil broom (beware remaining fleas - yes i think there are still a few hanging about).

then to k-mart where i got a $13 cordless telephone for the chatterbox who seems to get more calls than i do lately. note - she's not getting her own line - just her own extension in the house. oh. i also got a pack of gum. k-mart was by far the craziest store we experienced today.

then we went to garden ridge where i got nothing. i was proud of myself.

then it was michael's where i got nina a $15 art set (she really wants a "real" art set this year - i have no clue why) and the crayola glow station - $16.50 after a 50% off coupon.

then it was off to the mall where i spent $20 at bath and body works to get my favorite hand lotion - look ma new hands - and a nice sugar scrub hand wash. this is where i started to lose my patience - cause there were 3 ladies in front of me - who were together - but occupying 2 checkers. they had these coupons that were something like "buy $30 get $30 free" and they were splitting up their orders - like - four times each - to get maximum coupon usage. PLUS they were trying to get the "spend $40 get this bag of stuff for $15 more" on each order as well! the one lady kept stepping away from the register, grabbing another bottle of soap or lotion and coming back and saying "what does that put me at now?" hello? only had two small items and just needed to fork over a $20 bill. they made me want to scream cause i was stuck in the same spot for 10 minutes just WAITING for them to get done...

and after that we went home where i fixed leftover pizza, cucumber slices, and leftover mac and cheese from yesterday for dinner. i'll make it up to them tomorrow.

i'm pretty proud of myself - i paid cash for everything. this shopping trip was funded by my pay from jury duty (all $72) and cashing in all of our loose change. and with the exception of the gum, hand lotion, sugar scrub, rubermaid containers, and magazine - i only bought things that were on the list of things i set out to buy today.

i am FAR from being done though. nina has grown 2 full inches since school started so she needs clothes. there are several cd's and movies that she wants. but nina's hard to shop for this year. she's going to be 11 which is a rough age. i'm afraid to buy her bratz or petshops or hannah stuff because i'm afraid in six months she won't want to play with them anymore. and dammit, chastity belts aren't as easy to come by as i had hoped....

my thoughts on this lori drew case...

2008-11-24T20:12:00.002-06:00

i've been watching this case kinda closely because i think it's going to set a great precedence for the future regarding cyber laws and terms of usage. i really kinda feel like this federal case is a stretch and the loosest possible interpretation of the crime she is charged with. for example, should she be found guilty, it sets a precedence where, for example, an individual using someone else's username and password to spy on their myspace/email/facebook/ebay etc activity for no reason other than to know what they are doing and saying and what not - could also receive prison time for the act of fraud - not to mention stalking - and hacking and whatever other interpretations they can come up with....

think about that. prison time for reading your ex's email.

it's a stretch - but i think it's true.

and for the record, i just don't really buy the defense of "i didn't read the terms of agreement so how did i know i was violating them" - well you clicked that you read them. it's like saying "i didn't open and read my gas bill so i didn't know i had to pay it".

the whole story is tragic. and unfortunately appropriate cyber laws were not in place for her to be held responsible for the cyber harassment she allegedly inflicted and she can't be charged in retrospect after the laws are created. this case is the only way for justice for the alleged acts and i kinda feel it's really reaching. while i think that the alleged acts are horrible and wish the laws were in place to begin with - i kinda think that this case isn't going to bring any more closure to the situation for anyone. mark my words - no matter the outcome, there's a civil suit down the road. i've been saying that since the story broke a year ago.

the jury begins deliberating tomorrow. the judge is stalling on his decision to dismiss the case. i am putting this in writing now so i can say i was right later. i fully think that judge is going to let that jury decide on a verdict and after it comes down, if they have found her guilty - then he's going to dismiss it.

sigh. i've said this before and still feel this way. we need to teach our kids that they don't have to like someone - but that everyone deserves respect at the very least. and until the people of the world learn to respect each other - this crap will continue to happen.

90210

2008-11-18T22:15:00.001-06:00

kelly taylor you will never learn will you? brenda is poison! poison i say!

hmm...

2008-11-18T22:14:00.002-06:00

maybe it's the wine i just finished - but i was looking at the cats and wondering if we might have better luck with the flea issue if we could just shave them down like you do with dogs.....................

back from the vet

2008-11-17T19:26:00.002-06:00

so i took the little flea farms to the vet and they got happy little deworming shots. and bailey got a butt bath from the vet cause her butt looked icky with worm goo. tmi tmi - i know.

she also said they could be released from solitary confinement - thank goodness cause sandy was okay with it for the first 24 hours but at the start of the next 12 she turned into a pill. kept me up last night crying.

and we brought some pills home for rolen to take - just in case....

i think the shot had some effects on them. sandy - who's the less than clumsy kitty - kinda fell over earlier. she was just standing there and woopsie! she was on her side...

i also picked up some advantage and now we're giving that a try. everyone please cross your fingers....

mavericks owner accused of insider training...

2008-11-17T12:33:00.001-06:00

so i just saw this article on fox news. i always knew that mavericks couldn't be trusted...

that's all i'm sayin...

GA!

2008-11-15T21:51:00.003-06:00

okay - as if the fact that we've been fighting the flea battle for a month now. now both cats have worms (tapeworm we suspect).

we swear frontline is a crock - it's not working hardly at all. they've both been frontlined twice and bathed in flea shampoo twice and we keep cleaning and vacuming and using flea spray on the furniture and dammit they just keep showing up! only rolen's spot checks for fleas seem to come out clean.

bailey even had a shot that was supposed to kill everything on her at that moment - but if anything jumped back on her when she got home, it wouldn't kill that. that was on election day. and now she and sandy both have worms.

i've locked each of them up in a room with a litter box - because of course these things happen on saturday evening or sunday when the vet is closed. have to call the vet first thing monday, AGAIN!

why me?

wish i could have gotten away with that!

2008-11-14T22:06:00.001-06:00

for a concert where cameras that did video weren't supposed to be allowed, there sure was a lot of videos of the nkotb concert monday night on youtube....

see?

kitchen nightmares

2008-11-13T20:28:00.001-06:00

so we're flipping between kitchen nightmares and csi. i often wonder if these restaraunts close after chef ramsey has been there. the pr from this show can't be that good.

i mean - this mexican place is really grossing me out - and makes me hate to think what's going on behind the kitchen door at my favorite margarita hang out....

no cliff! don't go!!!

2008-11-13T20:00:00.001-06:00

i was really unhappy when marc cheated on cliff. but now he's TOLD cliff - which may have been the right thing to do - but now cliff is all sad and leaving and on the verge of tears! marc and cliff are the cutest gay tv couple EVER!

the writers better find a way to fix this...

nkotb concert photos...

2008-11-11T21:34:00.002-06:00

photo album 1

photo album 2

so i didn't run off with the band....

2008-11-11T10:42:00.008-06:00

but i did get natasha bedingfield's autograph for nina....

and this is always nice....

so if i don't show up tomorrow...

2008-11-10T13:48:00.002-06:00

i've either run off with NKOTB to kansas city for the next show or i got arrested trying to sneak backstage.

this is a really, really, REALLY happy day.

ps. jeffy - i still love you best!

the email i received at 3 a.m. today...

2008-11-05T21:34:00.001-06:00

judging by the text of this email below - i'm apparently on a first name basis with the 44th president of the united states of america...

i'm so cool...

"Karen --

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack"

as of 10:07 pm ...

2008-11-04T22:08:00.001-06:00

you know - i kinda feel like i've effected change today...

judging by this photo...

2008-11-04T20:09:00.003-06:00

they work with some really sophisticated equipment in arizona - just check out that sophisticated ballot reader they have for mccain...

http://www.charter.net/news/read.php?id=15104773&ps=938&cat=&cps=0&show=big&lang=en

gonna have to run down to target and get me one of them...

i voted today!

2008-11-04T13:58:00.002-06:00

i know what you're thinking.

yeah. so. what's your point - so did, like, a hundred million other people.

but you see, this was my first time ever voting. ever. ever ever. like, as in never having done it before 8:30 this morning.

i know what you're thinking - and just read me out before you start judging the fact that i've been old enough to vote for 13 years without ever exercising my right to do so.

when i turned 18, i didn't feel like i was smart enough to make well educated decisions on the issues at play when the time came to vote. think about it - the internet wasn't around back then. i didn't read the paper. there just wasn't a lot for an 18 year old girl like myself to go on with this stuff.

i thought it would be irresponsible to vote just because i could. that's like taking the driver's test because you are now 16 - but never studying or spending time practicing or even paying attention as a passenger in the car.

"because i could" or "because i was old enough to do so" didn't seem like a good enough reason and i thought it would be more responsible to just wait until i was more mature and had more of a clue.

and perhaps, just a tiny bit, i felt kinda like my one vote didn't really matter.

so what took me so long? i don't know. i don't have a good argument for that. for awhile, i guess, the issues just weren't very important to me. and all that "hanging chad" nonsense was discouraging.

i kinda started paying attention around 2004. i was starting to get the itch - but i didn't act on it. then again in 2006, i seriously considered registering - but i debated the issue in my head for far too long and missed the deadline for the issue i was concerned about.

it was also rough for me because i felt like i was surrounded by people who's views were the opposite of mine. i kinda had it shoved down my throat quite a bit, in settings where it really wasn't appropriate. settings where politics really shouldn't be discussed and people really shouldn't be judging others based on political views. but there were times that i almost started to think that my views were wrong based on the environment i was in. i loved when i was able to get together with friends from college and have the opportunity to hear the other side of the coin for awhile...

so anyway, fast forward to 2007 when i finally made the decision to vote. i've spent all of 2008 trying to pay attention. i had some delays getting my registration in - so i missed all of the other voting opportunities - but made sure to make the deadline for today. i had my ideas of who i liked, but i did actually do research between the two to make sure i was comfortable with my gut decision. hell - i even visited the missouri GOP webpage and the missouri democrats webpage - so if that's not doing extensive research - i don't know what is.

and that brings me to 8:30 this morning when in only 10 minutes or less (because there was no line at my polling place) - i voted for the first time. and then i went to starbucks and got free coffee.

i'm not going to go too much into who i voted for and why. my cartoon for today only gives enough of a clue.

if you're reading this after i took the cartoon down - and you worked with me at WU and think you know who i voted for - you're probably wrong.

and if you went to college with me and think you know who i voted for - you're probably right.

and if you are of a blood relation to me - i'm most likely the political family outcast. i admit it. end of discussion. let's move on now.

wishing everyone a happy election day - no matter if you choose blue or red...

finally...

2008-11-03T21:06:00.002-06:00

they have identified bones found at steve fossett's crash site as being that of steve fossett. finally - some closure for mrs. fossett and the rest of the family.

and a way to put a cork in all those people who cried conspiracy and claimed he parachuted out of the plane and planted some personal effects to make it look like he died and was living the high life someplace else under a new name - like cliff.

again - the number of people who believe in conspiracy theories really surprise me...

why dancing in mcdonalds is never a good idea...

2008-10-31T23:12:00.005-05:00

i've been meaning to upload this for a while now - but just now got to it as i was uploading nina's halloween pictures. this is her dance group dancing in the local mcdonalds. where a dance like this should never be done. however - i am proud to say that the first thing they did when they finished was head straight to the bathroom to wash their hands...

halloween 08

2008-10-31T22:50:00.000-05:00

i present the army girl-y girl....

nina 08 halloween pictures...

my nephew

2008-10-31T12:33:00.002-05:00

my 20 year old nephew has been moonlighting as a cast member at a local haunted house.

click here to see his pic from stltoday....

jeff's so mean...

2008-10-30T21:54:00.004-05:00

he won't let me get one of these 6 inch photo buttons of jordan knight to wear to the concert on the 10th and then keep next to the bed on the night stand like when i was 13.

he said as much as i don't want to believe it, i'm not 13 anymore. and if i am - then he's in deep legal trouble...

can you believe him? he's so no fun...

woman commits virtual murder...

2008-10-23T12:17:00.000-05:00

okay - so - um - yeah. i got nothin....

p.s.a....

2008-10-20T19:23:00.002-05:00

this is a public service announcement...

i have just returned from taking bailey (kitty #2) to the vet. we've been going about every 6 weeks since march to get steroid shots because she has some crazy skin allergy to we don't know what because allergy tests are too expensive.

well, about a week ago, we realized that all of the meyer critters were infested with fleas - something we've never had issues with before - i blame the neighbors who don't cut their grass. it was a sunday and the vet was closed - so we went to petsmart and bought a bunch of shampoo and came home and washed all three critters (let me tell you, me in the tub in my swimming suit with the cats was a sight to behold - i'm sure). you would have thought we were killing them.

the next day i went to the vet and spent a small fortune on frontline and dosed up all the critters.

well - this whole flea infestation thing has made bailey's skin issue REALLY bad. and the first dose of frontline didn't work quite as well as the lady in the demonstration video said it would. it worked - they aren't itching as bad. but i've still found living/thriving fleas on at least two out of three of them. so today it was back to the vet for another steroid shot and more frontline - the vet said giving them a second dose wouldn't hurt and might be good - especially the way bailey is reacting.

while bailey's post steroid stupor can be somewhat entertaining - this flea thing is getting pricey. and annoying. especially to jeff who is the only human in the house that the fleas like.

so here's the p.s.a. the vet said that the fleas are especially bad this year. something about all of the excess moisture from the rains and flooding. like the mold counts. bailey was her 5th flea irritation visit today and when i stopped in last week to buy the frontline they were talking to someone who was having flea issues on the phone.

so save yourselves all some pain and just buy the frontline now and dose your pets before the fleas have a chance to take up residence in their fur (and your furniture).

this p.s.a. has not been brought to you by the makers of frontline. in fact, i'm paying them. they should be doing advertisements for me and my blog...

true as true can be...

2008-10-20T13:44:00.001-05:00

i don't recall the last time i read an installment of comic that was quite as true as this one...

what they don't tell you...

2008-10-17T11:09:00.001-05:00

is that after this guy finished this burger, his arteries sent up a white flag of surrender....

see! see! see!!!

2008-10-16T09:32:00.001-05:00

my fear of clowns is totally legit!

crazy stalker clown story!

talk about your showcase showdown....

2008-10-14T14:49:00.001-05:00

i know i know. it's a groaner. but someone was going to say it sooner or later....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,437961,00.html

o.j. says "that wasn't fair"!!!

2008-10-11T03:01:00.002-05:00

okay - if you didn't see this coming - then you need to go back to college and take logic 101. i knew it from the moment the case started. if he was found guilty, he was going to whine like a baby and say it wasn't fair because the jury was all white and because he can't catch a fair break because everyone thinks he's a murderer.

wah o.j. wah!

power ranger murder

2008-10-08T15:12:00.002-05:00

you know what really just makes me laugh about this story? not that it's a funny story - cause it's totally not.

but it's the way they keep talking about him as an actor from the power rangers and a child star. if you look him up on imdb - he was in - like - exactly one episode of the power rangers and hasn't done anything since...

public thank you!

2008-10-08T14:08:00.001-05:00

a public thank you to my buddy kristine for getting us nosebleed but cheap tickets to the blues/blackhawks game for our anniversary next week.

thanks kristine!

study says...

2008-10-07T16:40:00.003-05:00

8 out of 10 people are stressed out because of the economy.

gee. ya think???

in the meantime, all of the pictures about the stock market keep showing the reactions of this one man. each picture is different - but i swear that it's the same guy. i think he's a hired actor/model who did a series of shots for the AP photographer and not really a stock market guy. that number on his jacket is a prop....

12 days and counting...

2008-10-06T21:44:00.002-05:00

till the five year anniversary of our wedding. as of right now, we have no plans. can't come up with anything to do. there's not a single movie that sounds appealing. blues/blackhawks tickets are too expensive. the guy at funny bone doesn't sound good. nothing appealing at any of the casinos or other entertainment venues and i refuse to go see monster trucks or motorcycles or whatever it is that jeff was trying to talk me into seeing earlier.

that and the five year anniversary traditional and modern gifts are wood and silverware. just what exactly am i supposed to do with that???

and furthermore - jeff's being a butthead. keeps being a smart butt and saying it's nothing special to irritate me. and i even let him watch wrestling twice last week - without interupting!!!

meanwhile - this year's fright night at six flags is very disappointing. they have very little "talent" wandering the park. the guy on the terror train was carrying his script with him during the explosion part and he still sucked. the whole ride consisted of "everyone stay calm" over and over. he never even gave the back story. i will say that at least i was delighted not to be followed by clowns...

sometimes...

2008-10-04T08:47:00.003-05:00

...when i go to bed at night, i get this nagging feeling. kind of like a weight on my shoulders. it makes it really hard to sleep....

debate...

2008-10-02T20:08:00.003-05:00

so we're watching the debate (not at all what one would expect from us - i know).

so far sarah palin has said "betcha" and winked at the camera...

and i seriously think she is too skinny...

edited to add "darn right". is that really appropriate rhetoric?

edited again to add - i think the red heels were an interesting choice. maybe she was trying to appeal to the kellie pickler demographic...

r.i.p. steve fossett

2008-10-02T19:39:00.003-05:00

it's so sad. we all knew this was the inevitable outcome. but it's still so sad. at least now mrs. fossett will have some closure.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/02/steve.fossett.search/index.html

um. okay.

2008-10-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

yeah. i've got nothin on this one...

crazy conspiracy theory story

in case you are living under a rock...

2008-10-02T09:37:00.002-05:00

tonite is the vp debate at wash u. and can i just say how very happy i am to not work there anymore? i took a vacation day on the days of the last two debates just so i wouldn't have to deal with traffic, parking, and secret service clearance. given that the b-school's graduate reunion is this weekend, i know i wouldn't have been so lucky today.

and for the record - last night's criminal minds was EXCELLENT!

GAAA!

2008-09-24T20:04:00.003-05:00

george bush is interupting the season premiere of criminal minds! i wanna know who blows up (i think it's the blonde fbi chick and hotchner - and that they aren't IN the suv - but NEAR the suv when it explodes) and dubbya is standin in my way!!!!

i'm adding this to my list mr. president!

edited to add: omg. that was stressful to watch. i think i yelled at the tv about seven times. and i was right. and i knew that guy who was first on the sceen couldn't be trusted. he looked too much like the free credit report .com guy. and i knew that ambulance driver couldn't be trusted either. and by the time we got to the secret service guys - i was starting to wonder about them too. and dammit - that derek! don't they know he's the warrick without the drug addiction? we need him and reid and garcia to make the show worth watching. how dare they scare us like that when we have to watch warrick die in two weeks....

so far the best season premier though. we'll see what ugly betty brings tomorrow where i predict she won't go to rome with gio OR marry henry....

house...

2008-09-23T21:00:00.002-05:00

as someone who has the concept of transplant cross my desk daily - even i have to say that tonite's episode of house really grossed me out. eww eww eww

so looking forward to finally finding out who is in the exploding suv on criminal minds tomorrow nite...

more from nina dancing at homecoming...

2008-09-18T19:26:00.003-05:00

these videos take some time to upload - but here's another one of nina's dance numbers from this past weekend. the tap number...

do you ever get that feeling....

2008-09-17T11:39:00.001-05:00

like you just can't win?

i do. especially lately. and gosh darnit all to haties - i just can't take anymore of it!

nina dancing - epiphany homecoming

2008-09-13T21:59:00.002-05:00

nina danced today at epiphany's homecoming. this would be their "diamonds are a girl's best friend...

us transplant games - promo video

2008-09-11T22:54:00.002-05:00

this is the video our national office put together from the games. we're putting together a st. louis one as well. i want to share it all with you. get your kleenex ready....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5n9Rf1bGBY

90210 review - part deux...

2008-09-09T21:26:00.003-05:00

is it just me, or does naomi earily similar and remind anyone else of nomi in showgirls?
i bet kelly's kid's daddy isn't dylan OR brandon. it's too obvious. i bet it's someone totally random. like steve. or the gay guy from the volleyball team. or the guy she lost her virginity to who pushed her in the bushes...
i think navid is kinda cute...
i think lori laughlin's character is toooooooo naive. i don't like her. aunt becky needs some edge.
still love silver but am concerned that they played out the "jackie/alcoholic/bad mom/pta fashion show embarassment/rehab/falling off the wagon" storyline the first time around. what's next, she's going to mary the father of silver's friend and have HIS baby?

btw - for those counting - 61 days left to the nkotb concert. i'm trying to remember how to tease my hair...

r.i.p. monica

2008-09-04T21:19:00.002-05:00

monica, a woman i used to work with, passed away today. she had given birth in the last week to a baby 6 weeks prematurely. i never saw her happier than when she met and feel in love with her husband. she glowed in his presence.

i know keith won't ever read this, but i'm thinking about him and his little baby in the nicu. there are really no words.

i'm so very sad for them. they didn't have enough time together. not keith and monica or monica and her baby...

i'll miss you monica.

the new 90210 - a review

2008-09-02T21:09:00.002-05:00

so i just watched the pilot for the new 90210. here are my thoughts:

shannon dohroty can't act. it's like she's going through the motions. jennie garth at least can fall in and out of the kelly character in her sleep. but dohroty was just painful. and when do we find out about this kid kelly has??
if i do the math right, andrea's daughter should only be 13 or 14 - she was born somewhere between 1994 and 1995 seasons. so i can't see how she's old enough to be at west beverly and hosting the student news - a position that never goes to freshmen unless they are the main characters. the math for silver is about right though. she was born around 92 i think.
find it funny that rob estes was on melrose place for 3 seasons as kyle. not as mr. principal guy. do they think we never notice these things??
overall, it wasn't terrible. and it will be competing with house and it will have to be taped. so it better come up with some fabu plotlines quick to keep me hooked...

now. i need to find time to listen to the new nkotb cd so i can review it (and fully be 13 again)...

ps - are any of you still reading? you've all been so quiet!

GAAA!

2008-09-02T15:14:00.001-05:00

i just remembered that it's NKOTB NEW CD RELEASE DAY!

i must run to target!

sad...

2008-09-02T14:39:00.001-05:00

i think it's really sad that the movie trailer guy died...

he was my favorite gieco commercial....

i can't sleep...

2008-09-02T00:43:00.001-05:00

it's 12:44 am and i can't sleep. i haven't thought about work all weekend until i tried to go to bed tonite. now i'm suffering from wicked insomnia...

it kinda sucks...

how lame am i?

2008-08-27T21:09:00.001-05:00

i'm totally looking forward to the new 90210 show and full intend to watch the first episode next week. that and my nkotb tickets have probably branded me as a loser for the rest of my life...

pictures from manda's wedding....

2008-08-19T08:43:00.003-05:00

i stole all of these pictures from amanda's facebook profile to share with all of you...

amanda's photos

and we took these pictures ourselves...

my photos

enjoy!

i bowled my first 500 series! and i'm not happy about it!

2008-08-17T21:39:00.003-05:00

so i've been trying to hit a 500 series for about 2 years or so. everytime i bowl the really well the first two games - i do the math to deterimine what i need in the third game to get a 500 series - and then i end up totally tanking.

so tonight i bowled my very first 500 series. i didn't even think about it until the ninth frame of the last game when i was sitting there with a 184 game. final series was a 531.

i should be totally ecstatic, right? last season i achieved my first 200 game and i had two goals left - a 500 series and a clean game. and now i've hit the 500.

i'm not happy about it because tonight was the first night of bowling and you are supposed to bowl really bad the first night so you start off the season with a lower average and a higher handycap and you can work upwards. but i did it all wrong cause i finished up last season with a 137 average. i'm starting off this season with a 177 average. that's leaves a 33 pin handycap verses the 77 pin handycap i ended with last season.

not to mention living up to the 177 i'm starting with is going to be really tough....

that lazy ass neighbor...

2008-08-15T14:42:00.002-05:00

so you all remember that lazy ass neighbor who leaves her car in front of our house for days at a time when there's room in front of her own? well check out these pictures.

first - her house is on the left. that is her car behind the red blazer.

notice the space available in front of her house.

and notice the space behind her car.

now look again and notice the amount of space between her car and the blazer - which belongs to the nephew of the lady who used to live in the house it's parked directly in front of.

i rest my case.

the bestest matron of honor speech ever!

2008-08-14T22:12:00.004-05:00

when i gave my toast at amanda's wedding - i did it from memory and didn't have a word written down. i had been drafting it in my head for a year and i kept it very guarded because i wanted everyone to experience the speech for the first time at the same time.

now that it's over - i wrote it out for postarity's sake so that amanda can have it for later. so here it is!

are you ready for this? she said "no". i told amanda a year ago that i knew exactly what i wanted to say at this moment and i think she's been really frightened ever since.

i met amanda 13 years ago when her family moved to st. louis. she and i spent almost every saturday and sunday for two years working together at subway slinging sandwhiches. even though there was about 3 years difference between us in age, we quickly developed this crazy bond that to this day can't be put into words. easiest to say that she could make me giggle like no one else in the world. it would only take one word and there were giggles.

(macarena, mayo, cologne, bzzz - at this point amanda threw out the word macarena as an example and it was the only word mentioned at this point in the actual speech - but you get the picture. this is also where i cut the line about how as the youngest of three children, i had quickly adopted her as the little sister i always wanted and never had - the one who was fun but didn't take my toys. reason it was cut is long and not worth going into right now. i had told amanda before the wedding that that line had been in the original draft but cut for certain reasons and she understood - again - long story.)

so you can imagine that having become so attached to amanda, i was pretty disappointed when i found out she would be moving to carrol, iowa for a year. i knew i was powerless to stop it and the idea of throwing myself in front of the moving van and begging her parents to make me her legal guardian wasn't going to work. so i decided i was going to make sure amanda always knew she would have a reason to come back to st. louis - and i decided i was going to throw her a party. it was going to be a surprise and i planned it literally under her nose with her standing two feet away. the plans were all going well until about 2 days before the party when during what turned out to be her last shift at subway, in classic amanda fashion, she was attacked by the lid from a tin can of olives. long story short, she ended up with about a hundred stitches in her leg, unable to walk, and completely unable to pack - which was great for me, but kinda stunk for her parents.

the first thing i said when i heard this was "i can't believe she did that."

second thing was "yeah. yeah, i can believe she did that."

third thing was "and just what am i going to do now??"

so after a brief panic moment, i rearranged some things and made some phone calls. i made sure her mom was still on board - i knew the hardest part was going to be getting her out of the house. and at the time i was pregnant with my now 10 1/2 year old daughter so i did what any crazy, pregnant best friend would do. i called her and i said "amanda, i need you. i have a doctor's appointment. no one can go with me. i think they're going to do an ultrasound and i can't do that alone. i need you to go with me - i'll push you in a wheelchair if i have to."

i had her hook. line. sinker. and she was super shocked when her mom actually LET HER GO.

so i picked her up and fibbed to her about how i forgot something at my house. then i fibbed again about why i had to park in back of my house where i never parked. and when she walked into my back yard and saw a half dozen of her closest friends - none of which she still talks to other than me, i might add - she was really surprised.

now i share this story with you today because i learned two very important things about amanda that day.

1. she is SO gullible.

and

2. no matter what was going on in her own life or where she was, if i needed her, she would be there for me and she would always be my best friend. and i'm happy to say that she has been a part of every happy and every sad moment i have had ever since.

i was really honored five years ago when she stood next to me on my wedding day - or attempted to stand anyway - and i'm really proud of your performance today. and i was even more honored to be able to stand next to her today.

on that day five years ago, amanda publicly informed my husband that he got a two-for-one package deal when he married me. she would always be there for him as well. so chris, i say to you today - you're stuck with me. it's too late. there's no going back. and if you see jeff later, i'm sure he can give you a few pointers on how to cope with it.

in all seriousness though, i want you two to know that there really aren't words to express just how happy i am for you today and i want to wish you both the best as i see you happy together today, happy together tomorrow, and happy together for the rest of your lives.

*toast toast toast - applause cause i totally rock and the best man tells me that he's glad he got to go first and not follow that which made amanda respond with "don't fell bad - she was an english major - she loves this stuff!"*

and now after spending almost every waking hour together for four straight days - she's been in myrtle beach since monday and i haven't talked to her since sunday and MAN IS IT KILLING ME!

totally m.i.a.

2008-08-11T19:41:00.002-05:00

i know i've been missing in action for a month and all. and i've probably lost all my readers.

things have just been crazy.

since returning from pittsburgh, i've been working from home/bread co. our new office location still isn't ready for occupation so we're the foudnation without a home.

and my bestest friend amanda got married this weekend. i was matron of honor. i've been doing a lot to help her with last minute wedding stuff. i drove up to iowa last wednesday to be her brain for the three days before the wedding. drove her everywhere. helped her decorate her cake. let her use my hotel room as a wedding holding tank until we could give things to the hotel for the reception. it was a good time. and i gave the most awsome toast. the best man said he was glad he didn't have to follow that. that education as an english major paid off.

now she's all married.

i have no clue where my summer went. yes i do. it went to detroit. then to iowa. then to pittsburgh. then to iowa. and now nina starts school the day after tomorrow.

not sure who all i've told - but nina is going to a new school this year. she was picked in a lottery for a charter school. she's pretty excited. it will be a new start. new friends. new opportunities for her education.

anyway. i'm sorry i've been m.i.a. it's just been too crazy. i'm hoping to return to a normal schedule soon so things will seem more normal.

and i'll try to annoy you all with my babbling again...

us transplant games - day 1

2008-07-10T22:58:00.003-05:00

for those of you who don't know, i left this morning for the u.s. transplant games in pittsburgh. the day started with a flight on a tiny little plane that only sat 50 people. it was mostly smooth - bumpy on the landing and take off. but it was short and pretty painless and i think i kept the hyperventilating to a minimum....

there was only one seat on my side of the aisle so at least i didn't have to share or anything.

anyway - we're staying at the doubletree and it's a pretty nice hotel. gotta love anyplace that keeps tossing fresh baked cookies in your face when you go to the front desk. we ventured over to the strip district for lunch. we ate at this little place (name escaping me - i'll try to figure it out and get back to you) that had an outdoor balcony - very french quarterish. they have this lobster roll that is basically a giant roll that is like a roll slash garlic bread filled with lobster claw meat that has butter and garlic and nom nom nom nom. and they had excellent seasoned fries. it was sooooo good. and the area was cool. kinda the loop meets soulard meets the french quarter in new orleans. we didn't actually have lunch until 4 or so. and it kinda freaked us out that as 5 pm approached - all the stores were rolling up the street vending and locking up the doors. like the place tunned into a vampire haunt or something at 5:15.

most of the night was spent trying to figure out tomorrow - which is going to be the first real day of craziness. we have a hospitality suite for the team and we have to get all the shopping done for it and get it set up. then it's the cards/pirates game tomorrow night.

the real games start saturday with swimming and the opening ceremonies - which i'm told is quite the emotional experience. i can't wait to really get going.

we just finished dinner an hour ago - we ordered in pizza. it's now midnight and i'm totally exhausted. i've been told that dinner this late is the norm - so i'm sure my system is going to love that.

this is going to be quite the experience and i'm going to try to update every day - provided i don't colapse into my kingsize bed and sleep for a year.

i'm going to try to crash now. this will be my first stay in a hotel room by myself. i survived my first flight without jeff - so i think i'll manage this okay too...

nite nite.

i don't get it...

2008-06-26T22:37:00.003-05:00

i just don't get gas (except after eating white castles - ba dum bum - but seriously) - i just don't get gas. i passed 4 gas stations on my way to work. one was $3.98. two were $3.94. one was $3.89.

guess where i stopped? and not just for my 64 oz diet mountain dew with cherry syrup fountain drink...

but can someone just make up their mind and be consistant?

*rocks gently repeating "make up your mind, make up your mind, make up your mind"*

i'm not dealing well with indicision and limbo in my life lately...

detroit zoo, doubles and singles, side trip on the way home, and all the stuff in between...

2008-06-23T21:22:00.002-05:00

so last night we started bowling our doubles and singles events at about 7:30 (an hour late). six straight games, no break. no amount of gatorade and oj could keep my blood sugar up. doubles came first, and i bowled a 145, 178, 127. singles i bowled a 166, 129, and a 92. in my own defense - by the time we got to that 92 game - it was about 1:30 in the morning and all the steam was totally gone. i'm not placed very well in any of the events so i probably won't win prize money this year. but i did bet $40 in brackets and turned that $40 into $85 - so that was kinda cool at least...

anyway. we also went to the detroit zoo yestereday. big place.

and on our way home today we took a side trip to warren dunes state park to visit the beach and lake michigan ocean (as we always affectionately called it).

and then i have all these photos - which don't fit into any other categories.

i'm pooped. yesterday was a long day with a short night of sleep followed by a lot of time in the car where i dozed off several times - but didn't actually get any substantial sleep. i'm sore and stiff - between bowling my brains out and sitting in a car all day. i have to take a shower and get some sleep and then try to function at work tomorrow. plus - the cats are still waiting to have a word with me about leaving for four days - so i have to give them their face time...

night!

team event

2008-06-21T22:41:00.002-05:00

in this evening's team event i bowled a 158, a 152 and a 100. series a 410. i guess i choked in that last game huh?

tomorrow we have doubles and singles. we start at 9:30 pm and it can take 4-6 hours to bowl all 6 games. gonna be one late night...

in the meantime, enjoy these pictures and these pictures.

and we're off...

2008-06-20T00:13:00.002-05:00

leaving first thing friday morning for the women's national bowling tournament in exotic detroit. jealous?

stay tuned...

all in a day's work?

2008-06-16T19:35:00.002-05:00

morning got off to a fine start.

everything went to pot at noon when our phones went dead. weren't sure what the problem was. turned out to be some miscommunication someplace about our office move next month. someone thought the phones were to transfer over june 16th - not july 16th.

left for lunch at 1. came back at two to discover four fire trucks, five police cars, to fire chief vans, 3 first response vehicles parked in front of our building. we pulled over to a lot where two of our coworkers also just happened to land on their way back from lunch. the guys working outside our building digging a trench for the sewer hit a gas line.

2:30 - get the all clear to go back inside. smells kinda funky but they assure us it's not dangerous. but we find out that we can send emails out - but nothing can be sent in to us due to problems in new york.

3:00 - the trench diggers start playing with paving the spot they dug. tar and gas fumes combined with something that smelled like paint thinner starts giving everyone headaches but the gas guys can't detect any harmful gases in our building.

3:30 - call for a ride home cause my stomach is turning and my head is starting to ache.

4:00 - go home. where i am now, and working on work things to make up for the time lost by not having phones, emails, or a building with breathable air...

happy monday!

i've corrupted my child

2008-06-12T21:55:00.005-05:00

we spent 45 minutes tonite watching nkotb videos on youtube (btw - i'm liking their new video more and more!) she's placing nkotb on her list after the jonas brothers - but i think it's only to please me. she wants me to put in the movie and see if i can still do the dances - somehow i think i wanna skip that part...

but we did find this father daughter wedding dance video and it cracked us up. you have to get through the first 45 seconds to get to the funny part though...

i so happy!

2008-06-09T21:35:00.004-05:00

7 am - watched new nkotb video on vh1. it wasn't as bad as i thought it might be - but they have come a long way from chasing the girls around the carnival and locking eyes across the tilt-o-whirl.

6 pm - come home from a long ass day at work to find happy happy nkotb tickets in the mail. life is good.

6:30 pm - nina finds this in the depths of her closet (where it landed after we moved - along with her teletubbies videos). i'm gonna sneak out of bed at 2 am one night this week and watch it....

oh jordan. i can totally overlook your lameass stint on the surreal life where you came off looking like a weirdo with that whole boxes in the doorway o.c.d. thing. just give me one quality rendition of i'll be loving you (forever) - high notes in tact. i'll forget it ever happened...

i am the proud owner...

2008-05-31T12:51:00.001-05:00

of 2 tickets to see New Kids on the Block on November 10 at Scottrade Center.

Section 117 - Row GG - seats 1&2

that's the right stuff all right!

ever since i got my laptop

2008-05-30T20:20:00.003-05:00

bailey hates it. she's jealous of it. she's been trying to find a way to get around it to her favorite place in the world - my lap.

she finally said "screw it" and found a way...

you have no idea how hard this makes it to play solitare...

there's still time!

2008-05-28T20:04:00.001-05:00

visit my kidney walk page to learn more about how you can help in the fight against kidney disease!

inside a goofy girl's brain

oh blog - how i have missed you...

so i guess my question is....

new million dollar money making idea...

the rest of my photos from driving to reno...

karen's dream house...

driving through kansas...

2009 dance recital videos

cheetos, cheetos everywhere....

i rock!

it's just like....

cinco de mayo

self education

just not sure i can handle this "growing up thing".....

my apologies...

karen seacrest's live idol blog - top 36 - 1st 12

silent auction basket

two random thoughts for monday morning...

news of the stupid...

how to blow it during hollywood week on american idol...

25 random things about me

episode two of "how not to make it to the hollywood round on american idol..."

let's play - one of these things is not like the other!

getting older...

grudges...

sandy again...

episode one - how not to make it to the hollywood round on american idol...

see???

the real reason my blog has being going without updates for so long...

*sigh* young love...

nina's birthday boots

i know i'm not the first...

i want that job...

peek a boo!

black friday...

my thoughts on this lori drew case...

90210

hmm...

back from the vet

mavericks owner accused of insider training...

GA!

wish i could have gotten away with that!

kitchen nightmares

no cliff! don't go!!!

nkotb concert photos...

so i didn't run off with the band....

so if i don't show up tomorrow...

the email i received at 3 a.m. today...

as of 10:07 pm ...

judging by this photo...

i voted today!

finally...

why dancing in mcdonalds is never a good idea...

halloween 08

my nephew

jeff's so mean...

woman commits virtual murder...

p.s.a....

true as true can be...

what they don't tell you...

see! see! see!!!

talk about your showcase showdown....

o.j. says "that wasn't fair"!!!

power ranger murder

public thank you!

study says...

12 days and counting...

sometimes...

debate...

r.i.p. steve fossett

um. okay.

in case you are living under a rock...

GAAA!

house...

more from nina dancing at homecoming...

do you ever get that feeling....

nina dancing - epiphany homecoming

us transplant games - promo video

90210 review - part deux...

r.i.p. monica

sigh young love...