Emily and Ivory

God Save the Queen - August 2010

2011-04-01T16:46:00.007-04:00

The biggest thing in August was the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival. Last year, if you recall, Emily was entered into the Ypsilanti Jaycee's Beautiful Baby contest and received Honorable Mention (it must have been close because there usually isn't an honorable mention). You basically submit a picture and collect votes.
I decided to step up our game a bit this year. I collected "votes" from people at work - each vote is $0.25 :) as well as promoted the hell out of it on Facebook (you could submit PayPal votes online). So basically, it's whatever child has the most money donated. It goes to a great cause, the Jaycees are a great local organization that do a lot for the community.
She once again got to ride in her decorated wagon for the parade. This year we went with Red, White and Black as a theme. It was raining unfortunately and we had balloons but they didn't want to float :(
After the parade, myself, Kurin, Emily, Mom and Dad, Gay, C and Edwin all had lunch at the Campfire restaurant in Milan. It was damp and gross outside but we had fun at lunch.
The following day, the winners were going to be announced down in Frog Island. My mom, Emily and I went down to the park to hear the winners announced. There is a King, Queen, Prince and Princess.
After the announcing of the Prince and Princess, the King and Queen were announced. I am pleased to say that my Bebe' was named Queen of the Beautiful Babies of Ypsilanti, Michigan! She was so cute in her little crown. She received a lot of gifts, full size Johnson and Johnson bath products, gift certificates to local businesses like Haab's, a crown, a bouquet of flowers and a $100 US savings bond (which I might add she JUST received about 2 weeks ago LOL). It was a very exciting day :)

It's Been Awhile..

2011-03-20T15:15:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile. It's actually been way longer than I thought. First things first. I am still a devoted Weight Watcher. My progress is slow but I am still down (from the start) 20 lbs. I've definitely had my ups and downs but now that the weather is getting nicer, the downs will outnumber the ups.
For now, I think what I'm going to do is add a blog post regarding all of the major events/occurences that have happened since my last blog. Bear with me, this may take awhile!
Let's just say there are a few cool things I'm anxious to get my blog on about. Particularly the events of this past week!

2010-06-01T11:53:00.002-04:00

Having a really hard time right now. Feels like the olden days. I'm very nervous, I have gut rot. I can hardly form a sentence I'm so nervous and upset.

I can't get control over it. I don't mean to write this here but I don't know what else to do right now.

It's nothing life threatening or anything, it's just the same things happen every few years and I'm on edge like I haven't been in so long.

Ma Ma and LOST

2010-05-24T06:41:00.004-04:00

I am behind and did not post a weight update last week..sorry! Not only that, for some reason they have been off by 0.2 lbs for the last couple of months so who knows what it is anymore. I'll figure it out this evening and post after today's weigh.

In other news, the show that meant the most to me in the last several years ended last night. Most of you know that would be L O S T (just in case you've been living under a rock or on an island somewhere ;)
I'm not a good writer, obviously so it's probably pointless to get into it; perhaps I will at a different time but as stupid as it sounds, I am emotionally drained after the show. I had a hard time accepting the ending. I liked it. I wasn't disappointed, I think that knowing it was the end and realizing how much everyone has invested into this show, it's silly but it was very hard to let go of it. I cried so hard afterward. I couldn't sleep. It doesn't help that I've been quite down for awhile now also so I was a big old mess.

Moving on from L O S T, I have made small steps of progress in my scrapbooking (yay!), I'm headed to Kentucky this weekend (well, for 2 days...lame) and most importantly: Bebe' finally knows to say Ma Ma when asked about me and Da Da for my husband. Woo Hoo! Randomly on Thursday evening, my mom pointed at me and asked Emily "who's this?" and Emily said "Ma Ma" as if she says it everyday! I was so shocked that I was like "what???" so we repeated it and she did it again! Later that night before bedtime, I pointed to Kurin and said, "who's this?" and she said "Da Da". OMG, HOW COOL!

Well...off to work. Actually, I've been at work since 6:30 am. The husband had to be at the airport at 5:45 am so this is going to be a great early day. I even got my walk in already this morning! Now that makes me happy :)

My Bridesmaids Dress is GINORMOUS!

2010-05-11T09:35:00.005-04:00

This week I received the dress I ordered for the wedding that I'm standing up in. True, they order your size based on your largest measurement but HOLY MOLY...the dress will barely stay up on me! I've only lost about 6 lbs or so since ordering it but I would rather have it huge than try to have to slim down super quick. :) I'm very excited to have it taken in everywhere!
Yay! Not too shabby considering I didn't get all of the walking in that I wanted to or anticipated doing. I did try to eat better so I'm hoping that counteracted anything in the "moving" area that I didn't accomplish :)

This week: -0.8 lbs

Total to Date: -21 lbs

Phew!

2010-05-04T11:23:00.001-04:00

Thank God for small favors!

Weigh In Monday: -/+ 0 lbs

Total Loss to Date: -20.2 lbs

A little late...

2010-05-03T09:07:00.003-04:00

From April 26, 2010...

Weigh In: +0.4 lbs

Total to Date: -20.2 lbs

I honestly think I would have been even if I had just peed before I weighed in LOL :D

As for tonight's weigh-in, I'm not so sure. It was a hard week and it was hard for me to make the best choices while on a road trip and then a Tigers game. I dread the outcome but tomorrow is a fresh start.

Oh, Happy 100 posts to me!

H-I-J-K-L-M

2010-04-26T16:11:00.007-04:00

It's been awhile since I have thought about the Encyclopedia of Me project but things have been hectic and I have a few minutes so I thought I'd grab a couple of letters and work on them. *I reserve the right to edit this! :)*
I'm a little stuck on some of these but I hope to have a nice list before the summer gets in gear and I can work on this album!

H
Hawaii
Hotels
Heather
Hello Kitty
Handbags
Hilfiger
Harlan, KY
Harris, Charlaine

I
iPod
Iced Cappuccinos

J
Jokes
Journaling

K
Kindle
Kurin
Kentucky

L
Lambert
Lincoln
Louisiana

M
Memphis Belle
Momma
Michele(s) (plural)
Marching Bands
Music
Moore, Christopher
Middle-East

Yes!

2010-04-20T09:43:00.002-04:00

Yay! I've been very good this week and it obviously shows :)

This week: -2.8 lbs

Total to date: -20.6 lbs

Every Day is a Fresh Start

2010-04-13T09:53:00.003-04:00

Well, I didn't do so hot last night. Not as bad as I thought but I really need to step up my game.
I have started chewing gum again recently. I know it sounds like a lame thing but it seriously helps me not want to chew everything in sight. (Just don't tell anyone at my job...I do a good job hiding it and I shouldn't chew it in the lab - which I usually don't but just in case..haha).

This Week: + 0.8 lbs

Total to Date: -17.8 lbs

Every day is a fresh start. I have really taken that on as my motto. If I don't do well one day, I have to try harder the next.
My goal this week is -1.2 lbs

Slowly but Surely...

2010-04-06T11:09:00.001-04:00

Slowly but surely, I'm losing....

This week: -0.4 lbs

Total to date: -18.6 lbs

Trying

2010-04-01T09:07:00.002-04:00

I'm really trying to stay on track. I'm down this week again. I'm glad. I hope to continue. going down. I didn't have much opportunity to exercise and I see that is definitely a factor.
The weather is absolutely phenomenal this week so I should be able to get my walks in - no problem :)

This week: -0.4 lbs

Total to date: -18.2 lbs

Suck It!

2010-03-23T11:38:00.003-04:00

I sucked big time. Absolutely no surprise. I was very lazy about what I was doing and didn't seem to care this past week.

This week: +2.8 lbs

Total to Date: -17.6 lbs

In good news, Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore is out today, I have Friday off to take bebe' for her 18 month pictures and a scrapbooking event at the township rec center, and Thursday is lunch at Pita Pita day with Michelle and Hussein. Yippee!

Now, I'm going to say "Suck It Fat...I'm gonna get you!"

D-E-F-G

2010-03-19T15:55:00.007-04:00

D
Deaton
Dogs
Daddy
Duke, Patty
Dixie Chicks

E
Emily
EMU

F

G
Granny
Goonies
Gregory, Philippa

NOLA

2010-03-17T13:38:00.001-04:00

Just for sh!ts and giggles, I made a trip on Travelocity to New Orleans in April from a Tuesday to Saturday. Non-stop flight, hotel in the French Quarter for 2 for $1000. Hmmmm...*sigh* Just wishful thinking I suppose. I wouldn't even be satisfied with that at this point. I need to GO. Somewhere. Immediately.

Shoes

2010-03-16T09:38:00.004-04:00

Bebe's favorite word to try and say is "shoes." It comes out sshhhooes but it's so cute. I say where are your shoes and she looks at her feet!

In other shoe news, with my new Skechers Shape-Ups (which I LOVE!) that I received for my birthday, I have been walking about a mile or more a day. Yippee!

I'm back on track..

This week: -0.8 lbs

Total to Date: -20.4 lbs

A -B-C

2010-03-13T22:46:00.009-05:00

A
Analysis
Annie
Animals
Aunts
Astin, Sean
action figures

B
BFF
Brenda
Books
Barbie

C
Coke
Crider
Christmas
Collections
Computer
College
Crafts
Chinese Food

Encyclopedia of Me

2010-03-13T22:38:00.003-05:00

I was recently invited to join in a scrapbooking night in my community by a former high school classmate that I've reconnected with because we are both bridesmaids in our friend's wedding. How cool is it that I have a new scrapping friend? She is amazing! So creative and makes my easy layouts look like the white-trash of scrapbooking LOL She has even attended CKU (that's Creating Keepsakes University)! Whoa!
She showed me the projects she was working on and I fell in love! I'm not that creative but I am hoping to give it a shot. She showed me her "Encyclopedia of Me" album that she is working on. The basic layout of the album is to set it up like and Encyclopedia. You feature journaling regarding several things for each letter of the alphabet that makes up you. Each letter also features two pictures of two of those items. Say you have 5 entries for the letter "A", you would only have 2 pictures though. You can also do cross-referencing so that you can feature more things by using different letters. Erica, oh wise scrapbooking goddess, shared with me the formulas and write-ups of how to assemble this album. For example you could do a feature on "B" titled "Best Friend" but then I would put "see also Danielle" and also have an entry about Danielle under "D". It sounds confusing but if you saw the instructions and such, it would probably make more sense.
I don't typically do albums like this. I usually do yearly albums featuring the major events of the year. Your standard Christmas, Halloween, Birthdays, Vacations type albums. More of a chronological style. I still like that but I think this "Encyclopedia of Me" could be an additional project.
I first need to determine my entries for each letter. I know I am very lazy regarding this blog but I truly am trying to be better. I'll give it a rough start and add to it as we go.
Wish me luck!

Bite Me – The Widget

2010-03-11T14:39:00.000-05:00

Bite Me – The Widget

Have I ever told you how much I love Christopher Moore's books? I do. I didn't know I would, but I do. I especially love his Bloodsucking Fiends books. Book one being Bloodsucking Fiends and book two being You Suck. I listened to these on audio although I do own You Suck. Well, the third book is coming out later this month and OMG, I'm so excited. They are wicked funny and the audio versions are a blast. The girl who narrates them is the best narrator I've ever listened to and she's hilarious. I'm not sure I would have liked the books quite as much as I did the audio. Anyway, I'm looking forward to receiving my signed copy of Bite Me. I've ordered a signed, personalized copy from a San Diego bookstore which is doing that for people who are not going to be able to see Christopher Moore on this book tour. Unfortunately, the closest he is coming is either Columbus, OH or Chicago, IL. Boo. Oh well. I cannot wait!

Walking

2010-03-08T22:16:00.001-05:00

I have taken to walking about 1.5 miles every day (or every other day). Looks like it has helped a little bit. I am also wearing my pimped out Skechers Shape-Ups. They're awesome and I do like that I feel like I'm working a little harder with them.

Lost: -0.4 lbs

Total To Date: -19.6 lbs

It's Probably Just Me, But....

2010-03-07T22:12:00.003-05:00

Lately I have been noticing that people seem to dislike a lot of things about me and I find myself almost lying that I like things when I really don't just so they don't judge me. I feel like certain persons look at me and my taste weird. I asked my bff about this the other day and asked her if I tended to do that to others or to her and she said no. I asked her, "if you say, for example, I like the color purple, do I say "why would you like that??" all disgusted or like she's ignorant." She told me absolutely not. I trust her, I believe that I don't do this to others. However, I have noticed recently that it seems to happen to me a lot.
The prime example? I actually did get a Kindle for my birthday (see: my previous post regarding "extreme wishlist") and what do I hear from several people? "Why'd you do that?" "Why would you get one of those?" "I tried to give her a lecture but she wouldn't listen." Why do I need to justify something that I find interesting and that I would like? Do I judge people who spend money like it's going out of style? In my head, yes. To their faces? No. That's their decisions and I'm not going to put my opinion out there to make them feel bad.
Things like that really, really piss me off. Other things are like the movies or tv shows I watch are insulted or put down like I'm some kind of hillbilly-redneck (which I am but that's another story). Do you hear me insulting American Idol, The Office, Nip/Tuck, Mad Men or other such *crap* that I don't like. No, I may say that I don't watch it or it doesn't interest me but I don't say insulting things that can hurt feelings. Food I like is another thing, I just feel like I have to be someone I'm not, just to fit in. I suppose that's why so many people do try to "fit in."
I guess what I'm saying is that I wish people were more concientious about what they say to others because it can hurt people's feelings - more than you may know.
I sincerely apologize that this blog has turned into a whiny platform but it's pretty much all I've got right now. I wish I could get my act together and take some pictures of things that need to go on here. I'll try. Really... :)

Beware!

2010-03-01T14:40:00.003-05:00

Tonight's weigh-in is likely to be ugly, people. I'm using this time to re-focus and get back on track. It was a hard week. I don't know why but I think the awesomeness that was CA's strawberry cupcakes and strawberry frosting (finally something non-chocolate!) is what did me in. Stay tuned...post to be edited later.

Edited 3/3/10 11:33 a.m.: Ok so I am up +1 lbs. Not good but not as bad as I thought either. I'm definitely regrouped this week and I can already tell I'm doing better. I'm not guaranteeing loss this upcoming week but we'll see...

To date: -19.2 lbs

What's Your Passion?

2010-02-22T21:20:00.005-05:00

My friend and fellow blogger, Jen recently posted about her passions. I have decided to be very uncreative and "copy" her post. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery, right?

What are your passions? What are my passions? Jen says that they can change and I feel that's true.

1. New Orleans - My first visit in 2002 changed my life. I fell utterly and completely in love with the city. I emersed myself in it. I love the music, the architecture, the history, the food, I even love the smell (as gross as it can be on Bourbon Street). I have taken to reading anything I can find on it. I was devastated when Katrina hit only 4 short months after my second visit. I love the city and would do anything to have a second home there in my retirement years.

2. Books and Reading - If you know me, you know that I feel naked without a book. I always have to have a book with me. It doesn't matter if I'm at a baseball game or going to a restaurant, I have to have a book with me. I love to read. Reading is like breathing. I can't live without it. I will read anything. As long as I'm reading, I'm keeping my mind active. I obviously love fiction first and foremost. I also love history books. If you saw my collection of books about the Titanic, you'd probably think I was a nut. At last count, it topped 80 different books. I can't learn enough. There's too much out there. In a fantasy world, I would have a room that was a library like in old homes and had such high shelves that you have to have one of those rolling ladders to reach anything. I love my books however, I have come to realize that in this day and age, I might actually benefit from getting an eReader; perhaps the Kindle. I think I'm moving toward keeping the books that I really love and buying those that I love and moving away from buying everything I want to read and then hanging on to them forever. As much as I love them, some books aren't worth the space they take up or at least they're not worth the space for so long.

3. Crafting - I love to craft. I'm no good at it but I love it. My mom is spectacular at it. She does everything. She bakes, makes gifts, does beautiful gift baskets, sews, scrapbooks, quilts, crochet, papercrafts, everything! None of it is tacky either! I have an entire room at my house which is my crafting space. Although it was put together when I was pregnant, I haven't used it. In fact, it's just my catch-all room right now. Part of the problem is I didn't have a radio or tv up there to listen to and I hate the quiet. Now I have one of those little portable boom box things for my iPod so I can listen to a book or something. Hoping to get the cable run up there as well. I don't have time for any of it. Knitting, I love it, finally kind of got the hang of it but there's no time to work on a project! Crochet as well. It's a lot faster but I haven't had the opportunity to do anything. My scrapbooks are obscenely behind. That may change. A girl (you can see her blog here) I went to school with and that I'm going to be in a wedding with invited me to a local open scrap she goes to every last friday of the month. I'm going to go this week. I'd like to at least get a couple of pages done. I'll post the results :)

I suppose that's it for now. Nothing life changing or worthwhile. As my friend Jen says that she's passionate at being a good wife and mother, I am as well. I'm no good at that either but I try. I worry most about Emily. I want her to be a good girl and I doubt myself anytime she gets sad or upset. I just don't want her to be what I call "a sticky-kid." Sticky kids are the kids that kind of never had rules and stuff growing up and just kind of got dirty and had kool-aid rings around their mouth and got in trouble and stuff. I don't want her to be a sticky-kid. My husband, he knows I try to be a good wife. At least I hope he knows. Lord knows we've been through enough that has tested me (no, nothing like Tiger Woods or anything..other stuff) but I try.

I had it coming...

2010-02-22T21:16:00.002-05:00

This week wasn't too much of a surprise. I haven't been eating well lately. Time to get it in gear and get back on track and start getting my butt out at lunch for a stroll around the block. Two other coworkers do this and I have hesitated to go thinking they would think I am following them or copying them. However, I don't care what they think anymore. I have a new book on my iPod and I'm going to take a 20 minute walk.

Weigh In: +0.6 lbs - not too bad considering

Total to Date: -20.2 lbs

Biggest Regret

2010-02-17T22:04:00.002-05:00

...my biggest regret was not going to grad school.

I feel like such a loser.

Feeling Bleh

2010-02-15T13:34:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure I had a bad week this week and I'm not looking forward to the weigh-in. I'm guessing I'm up about 3 lbs or more. We'll see...to be continued....

Edit: 2/15/10, 9:05 pm
OH MY GOODNESS...I lost 1.2 lbs. I am now ....

Lost: -1.2 lbs

Total to date: -20.8 lbs

Holla!

L O S T: Recap and Questions Ep. 2

2010-02-11T21:37:00.005-05:00

I'm going to say it. You may not like it but I'm going to say it. I did not like this episode. In fact, I thought it sucked. Suckedy-sucked.

**READ NO FURTHER - THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS!**

In the alternate LOST universe in which flight 815 lands safely at LAX, Kate escapes from her Federal Agent and hijacks a cab which contains a pregnant Claire. Claire begs her to let her go but Kate keeps pointing the gun at her and telling her no. Kate finally lets Claire out of the car but makes her leave her wallet and her bag behind.
Kate then manages to get her handcuffs off and goes to use the clothing assumed to be in Claire's bag when lo and behold there's a bunch of baby things in the bag. All of a sudden, Kate seems to feel very guilty and drives back to where she left Claire and asks her to get in and she'd take her where she's going. Here's where it gets unbelievable - even for LOST. Claire gets in the car! Seriously, would you do that if some handcuffed maniac jumped in the cab you were in and pointed a gun at you and your pregnant belly and then dumped you off somewhere, but then came back? Would you get in? Heck to the NO!
Anyway, Claire tells her that she's giving the baby to a couple and would Kate go up to the door (of the couples' house with her)? Really? Again, a gun-wielding crazy woman who just carjacked your cab...whatever. At the house, the lady is a douche and never told Claire that her husband left her and she can't take the baby. Claire goes into early-ish labor and they take off to the hospital. Kate by her side (gun-wielding maniac!) they see an ultrasound of Aaron performed by (AHHHH!!!) Ethan! It seems that Kate and Claire are now BFFs. They hold hands and everything. It was so effin' bizarre! Later, police come looking for Kate in the hospital room and Claire lies to them - says she hasn't seen her since she brought her in. LIAR! Why is she protecting Kate? Why are they so buddy-buddy so instantaneously? This whole storyline bugged the heck out of me.
In other news, the Others in the temple try to poison Sayid with a pill because he's probably the bad guy reincarnated using Sayid's body or something like that. Sawyer grabs a gun and takes off back to Dharmaville to mourn Juliet while telling "Freckles" not to follow him which of course she does. Jin goes along as well and at the end, he is acosted by a gun-toting woman - much like Danielle Russo - it's island Claire! *Poof* (then the L O S T comes on the screen).
This was a very rambling post but really, this episode wasn't the best. I'm tired also. Later...

Even

2010-02-09T13:12:00.001-05:00

This week: 0

Stayed the same.

Total Lost to Date: -19.6 lbs

My EXTREME wish list

2010-02-07T11:39:00.004-05:00

My birthday is coming in just a few short weeks. I tend to have bad birthdays. I don't mean bad as in "my cake is dry" or "my friends forgot" bad, I mean close family members dying, having heart attacks on, house burning down kind of bad. For example..my would-have-been (grand)father-in-law, the man who raised my husband, passed away on my 21st birthday. My dad had a heart attack about 10 years ago on my birthday. AND (drumroll please...), our condo burned down while we were out on my birthday, in 2002. Nothing like coming home to find your front door busted in, no power, furniture tossed everywhere, no signs of your kittehs, and your home filled with black nasty smoke. But I digress...
I try not to think about my birthday but it's kind of hard because it's the only holiday that's just for me. Being completely selfish in this blog post, I have decided to make an extreme wishlist. Some of the things are silly, and you'll probably be like "really?" but it's me, it's how I am, I can't help it.

A Kindle - the 6" would be fine, the other one is way too expensive
The movies "Just Friends" and "Role Models"
Brighton Fleur De Lis Heart charm for my charm bracelet
Princess cut diamond earrings
White gold or Platinum ring with Emily's birthstone
Dharma Initiative Swan Station t-shirt
A new pink skin for my blackberry curve because dude at the store totally gave me one that was "supposed" to fit mine and the package even said so but it sucks.
A new pink skin for my new iPod nano 5th generation. These are kind of a pain to find. As soon as I find one, I'm getting it.
Time to sew, knit or crochet at least one project. I am anxious to sew a small idea I have for a stuffed animal for Emily. Not sure if I can do it but I would like to try.
Skechers Shape-Ups

To be continued.....

Edit 2/9/10: Oh yeah, the 3rd season of Designing Women comes out on my birthday. So I want that too. As well as the 2nd season of The Patty Duke Show (duh!) that came out today.

L O S T: Recap and Questions

2010-02-03T20:24:00.009-05:00

So L O S T blew me away last night but I have to say...I was confused from the beginning! Isn't that what we all love about LOST, though? I'm going to just type out some questions I have, observations that I'm sure most of you noticed and try to keep this up this season. I'm hoping it will help me remember things as the series comes to an end (*weeping*).

*Flight 815 is in tact and the way Jack is acting, it's as if he knows something has happened but can't quite figure out what. (mind you, it's been a long time since I saw season 1 so if I'm mistaken in any facts, please please forgive me).

*DESMOND IS ON THE PLANE!! WTH brutha? Jack thinks he seems familiar but is this a result of the island meeting or way back when they ran into each other running up the steps of the stadium?
-In relation to this, as the plane is landing at LAX, Desmond has disappeared from his seat. Jack notices this but it's not shown what happened to Desmond...did he simply switch seats again as he had to sit by Jack or did he literally disappear.

*HURLEY IS THE LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE - things are obviously a lot different in this alternate universe. We all know that Hurley is not lucky at all.

*BOONE COULDN'T BRING SHANNON BACK - Boone is talking to Locke about their time in Australia and says that he went to bring his sister back from a bad relationship and that she ended up staying and not leaving with him. We all know what happened to Shannon in the plane crash scenario.

*WHERE ARE WALT AND MICHAEL? - we haven't seen them yet.

*WHY WASN'T CLAIRE ON THE PLANE? - we haven't been told why Claire wasn't "shown" on the plane, maybe she was there but we didn't see her..I doubt it. However, she was in the taxi that Kate jumped into in the end of the episode when running from the Marshall. Also, is Claire pregnant? We didn't see her below the neck...yet.

*CHRISTIAN SHEPHERD'S BODY NEVER GOT ON THE PLANE - could this be why the plane didn't crash as it did? Remember, the flight that the Oceanic Six had to take to get back to the island, they had to recreate events as close as possible, including taking Locke's body with them (as Christian's was on flight 815)

==tangent: Arnst! Remember him? He is shown on the plane, he's the science teacher who blows up early on in the series and Hurley says "Dude, you've got some Arnst on you."==

*WHY DOES JIN HAVE ALL OF THAT CASH?? - I haven't drawn any conclusions about that yet.

*We now know that "man in black"/Locke impersonator-guy (I hesitate calling him "evil Locke") is the Smoke Monster as indicated by him saying to Ben "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

*Richard was very frightened to see impersonated Locke - what was meant when alive Locke said to Richard, "it's good to see you out of your chains" (or something like that)?

*Hurley could see Jacob - he listened to Jacob in order to help Sayid

*The temple is a healing place of some sort. Jacob told Hurley they had to take the guitar case and Sayid to the temple to save him. At the temple there are a bunch of hippies. I don't know who this new group is but I'm assuming they're like or are the Others. The stewardess from flight 815 is one of them as well as the 2 children from early on in the series. (Do you all remember them being spotted walking in the jungle after being "taken?")

*The group at the temple is a bunch of hippies, or at least they look like it. I'm not sure what this group is all about but the leader doesn't speak English (because he doesn't like the sound of it).

*The spring in the Temple is supposed to be clear. The temple people take Sayid into the pool and basically drown him. This is very strange considering they said that if their friend can't be saved, it means bad things for all of them.

*Bad things will come if Sayid dies? What does that mean? What is it about Sayid?

*Juliet DIES. I'm actually not as surprised about this as I thought I would be. I mean, she's on ABC's new show "V" so I'm sure that had something to do with it and that she did make an appearance alive in this premiere only to die early on, frees her up to go to her new show.

*Miles talks to/hears the dead - Ok, I totally forgot about this LOL but he finds out what Juliet was going to say to Sawyer .. "It Worked."

*What worked? What does Juliet mean? They're still on the island so what does she mean, "it worked?" hmmmm....

*Bernard and Rose! - still adorable but does Rose, not being on the island, have cancer in this alternate universe? My guess is yes because as we saw, Locke still can't walk.

*...and the OMGWTF moment, Sayid wakes up after being dead. Dead for awhile! In the words of Hurley, "Dude?!"

*Edit 2/5/10: OMG, I totally forgot...what about the island being shown under water near the beginning of the episode. ????

I'm sure I forgot a ton of stuff but I have one more thing to add that I never had a chance to before. These LOST supper portraits of the cast that were released prior to the start of the season. Notice Locke is in Jesus's position and Kate is actually positioned as Judas in both pictures (unless I have them tagged wrong). The difference between the 2 pictures are Claire and Miles's positions, and Sun and Ben's position. I think Miles and Claire's position switch is more important but I can't figure out why. What do you all suppose that means?

Anxiously awaiting your thoughts, comments and theories!

OMFG L O S T!!

2010-02-02T20:41:00.005-05:00

....that is all.

*edit: 9:08 p.m. est - HOLY MOLY what an opening!

*edit: a LOST recap/questions post is in the future...stay tuned.

The Romy & Michelle diet...

2010-02-01T22:09:00.004-05:00

If you know the movie, "Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion" (which most of you don't know word for word like myself and a select few other "special" people), you'll know that:
1. Getting mono is usually the best. diet. ever.
2. The newest diet to be on is the fat free diet consisting of gummi bears, jelly beans and candy corn.
3. OH! And always deduct 16 lbs (to account for your shoes).

Anyway, I didn't have to do any of that, although the mono thing was close but not quite (I was sick, but not with mono).
I lost 6 lbs this week! There is no way I lost that whole 6 lbs just from being sick but I'll take it and run with it.

Lost this week: -6 lbs
Total to date: -19.6 lbs

If I could just lose 1 lb this week, I will be so happy. Ok, it's bedtime. Later taters! Have a Romy & Michelle day!

Am I the Only One or...?

2010-02-01T00:00:00.005-05:00

Ok, no offense meant but I am very tired of hearing about this Taylor Swift person. I'm sure she's very talented and everything but I'm just sick of hearing about her. I don't mean this to be mean but it's just a whole media thing that's on my nerves. Seems like I can't turn the channel or go to a website without hearing or seeing something about Taylor Swift.

Her eyes bug me too...I don't trust people who resemble cats.

I rest my case.I know it's not her fault but they bug me.
Whatever, it's late, I'm tired and I don't feel well and I'm obviously being a biatch. Time to call it a night.

SICK caution - may be graphic to some readers!

2010-01-31T22:10:00.003-05:00

Oh. Em. Gee. I have been SO sick. Yes, sick. Not cold sick, but puke sick. Friday, I was totally fine. By the afternoon I kind of just felt full and whatever but I had dinner and went on my way to a girlfriend's house for a get-together.
All of a sudden, I had to leave. I was afraid I was going to be sick there and I wasn't about to let that happen. So I high-tailed it out of there and of course as I was driving to my parents' to pick up bebe', I lost my lunch, dinner and anything else while driving down I-94. I was so scared I was going to crash!
Long, disgusting story short, I was sick the entire night and into Saturday. I did not eat until about 30 minutes ago - so I hadn't eaten anything for about 51 hours. Just ice chips and a Sierra Mist. I just had a small bowl of soup and a partial Mt. Dew. I'm hoping the up-side of all of this is that I lost more than 1 lb this week (LOL). Still not feeling great though. It seems like this has triggered some nasty migraines to come my way. I'm going to take it easy and probably stay home from work tomorrow.
I seriously haven't been this sick in probably about 10 years when I was so ill for so long that I was really only eating apples and drinking gatorade - it's all I could keep down!
Hoping to post more interesting things tomorrow.

Repeat

2010-01-26T09:38:00.002-05:00

Refer to Post on November 27, 2009 Un-Popular.

Yup. It's a rerun....

Until I have more time.

I knew it - it's my own fault

2010-01-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

Due to a very overdue night out and dinner at Red Lobster, I am now up 1.6 lbs. Sorry but cheddar bay biscuits were totally worth it.

Total: -13.6 lbs

I'm back on track this week for sure. I'm going to make that 1.6 lbs my bitch this week. LOL

It was a very good weekend...

2010-01-24T20:44:00.007-05:00

I can actually say that I had a decent weekend. Friday evening, I watched the season finale of my guilty pleasure - Jersey Shore. Oh. My. Gosh. I nearly lost it when Snooki was dancing alone on the boardwalk. That girl is HILARIOUS. *I tried to find the clip on YouTube but no luck*

Saturday was TIGERFEST! Last year Tigerfest was about 8 degrees out. This year, it was nearly 40 degrees. Karen and I had early entry tickets. We got to meet Rick Porcello right away, we saw Verlander, Caberera and Armando Galarraga (see below). I think I was more excited to meet Jennifer Hammond from FOX 2 news :)

We also found the Tigers Photo booth where you can have your picture taken with various players (they switch out every half-hour) and we got our picture with Porcello

It was so much fun. We then headed to Greektown Casino for about an hour where I spent $10 and cashed out $25 - not bad for so little time and money spent.

Kurin had Emily all day so when I got home, I found my bebe' wearing a onesie and slippers. After dressing her, we went to dinner at Red Lobster. This may not sound exciting but I literally cannot tell you the last time we went to dinner together. It was fun! Emily was a good girl, especially when we had to wait a half-hour for a table.
Today, was a fairly relaxing day. Took Emily over to visit Grandma and Cedo and we went to breakfast. My mom and I then went to Babies 'R' Us because we hadn't been in so long. We both bought things for bebe' but I was super-excited to find a gift card in my wallet. I had the guy check the amount remaining (if any) on it and it was $50!! I only had to pay a little over $10 for the outfits I bought for her! Yay for surprise/forgotten gift cards!!

In other news...I have been promoted from bridesmaid in my friend Michele's wedding, to matron of honor. I'm am super-geeked. This is going to be a blast!

Overall, a good weekend....

Hit it again!

2010-01-19T09:30:00.002-05:00

Lost this week: -0.4 lbs

Total to date: -15.2 lbs

I've hit the 15 mark again. Let's see if I can continue down this time. :)

More to come regarding Christmas (yes, I'm behind...so sue me), Bebe's antics, TV catch-up, and The Golden Globes.

Hip-Hop Ya Don't Stop

2010-01-15T09:35:00.004-05:00

This week: -0.8 lbs

Total to date: -14.8 lbs

Let us also note that I attended an awesome hip-hop class at Lifetime fitness in Canton with my friend Brooke on Monday evening. She was so incredible to get me a pass to join her. I was so afraid to go because I thought I would totally embarrass her. See Brooke is like "my" Audrey Hepburn. She is this icon that I've just adored since jr. high and high school. She was always very popular, pretty, cheerleader-y etc. One thing that always made me like her was that she was nice to me. I remember running into her at Meijer in jr. high (I was a total hot mess in Jr. High - who wasn't?) and she actually said hello to me and was very friendly! I thought, wow, this popular cool girl actually said hello to me and was very nice. From then on, I always admired her..SO, having reconnected with her a few years ago through Jenny (who always was very nice to me and would walk home with me from the bus stop because she lived on the same street and was very tall, pretty and skinny and funny) we have become friends. Needless to say, I was thrilled (and kinda honored) to be invited to attend this class. OMG!!! This class was totally amazing and I could have went on dancing/moving for another hour or more. It was so fun. I felt like such a bad-ass even though I know I sucked but OMG it was fun. I can't get over it. I wish the place wasn't so far away from my home because I would totally join even just to take that class twice a week.
I am looking into alternatives closer to me. If anyone knows of any good hip-hop classes in Washtenaw County, let me know!

I had a feeling..

2010-01-08T09:43:00.001-05:00

This week, I kind of new going in that I wasn't going to be down but considering I'm doing so well, I'll take it in stride. Let's see if I can turn it around this upcoming week.

This week: +1.4 lbs

Total to date: -14 lbs

OMG I Did Another Homework Assignment!

2010-01-03T12:48:00.006-05:00

Holy Moley, I watched something else I had never seen before. Emily and I went out this morning to get myself and husband some coffee. When we got back, Bride Wars was coming on HBO so it was naptime for Emily and I decided to watch it.

Bride Wars (2009)
Starring: Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway

Ok, I really like Anne Hathaway but I wasn't sure about Kate Hudson. I always think I dislike her but honestly, I have liked her in everything I've seen with her in it so I don't know what my problem is. Same goes for Brad Pitt. I always think I can't stand him yet I've like everything I've seen him in. Whatever....

So, I watched this movie about 2 best friends who have had their ideal weddings planned for years and then when it comes to actually setting up the weddings, they end up having them set on the same day which sets off a huge war. Neither will change the date and give up The Plaza in NYC as their venue. Anne Hathaway is the push-over type who is always nice and is a teacher and has been saving for like 10 years for her wedding and Kate Hudson is this forceful lawyer who makes a shit-ton of money and always seems to be the star of the show.

Candice Bergen plays the highly sought after wedding planner. I usually love her but I have to say that whatever plastic surgery she has had on/around her eyes was incredibly distracting. She looked very strange, and that made me sad.

I enjoyed Kristen Johnston's character as a coworker of Emma's (Anne Hathaway's character) who always takes advantage of her and asks her for a ton of favors and then Emma asks her to be her maid of honor after the whole fight with Liv (Kate Hudson). I love Kristen Johnston. It was cool to see her outside of reruns of 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Grade: A

I had to give it an A. It was definitely a chick-flick which I don't usually gravitate towards but tend to like after I see them. Very funny and cute. Not boring at all...deserves an A just for it's pure entertainment qualities. There's nothing artsy or important about it. It's just fun and that's what I like in a movie.

I Finally Broke The Da Vinci Code

2009-12-28T22:36:00.008-05:00

Homework
I have decided to take on a homework assignment during my time off during the holidays (work is closed!). I am going to try to watch something I have not seen before every day ... well every other day maybe. I'm not going to push it.

Today, I took on my first assignment. I am watching The Da Vinci Code

Starring: Tom Hanks and the chick from Amelie, Ian McKellan and Alfred Molina
Year Released: 2006

Let's see. I started trying to watch this movie back in 2006. I was at a conference for work in Cambridge, Maryland and there was nothing to do in the area so I was stuck at the resort, 2 hours outside of D.C. in crappy, rainy weather. I didn't mind so much as I can occupy myself reading or watching tv or playing on the internet (mind you these were the days of Myspace, not facebook so no Bejeweled Blitz to occupy my time LOL). The hotel did have a cool feature of having recently released movies available in room. So The Da Vinci Code was one and I was so excited to see it. I bought it to watch and fell asleep within 15 minutes. I had the movie for 24 hours and still couldn't get past those first 15 minutes.
This really bugged me. I loved this book. LOVED this book. As soon as the movie was on DVD, I asked for it for Christmas. I believe it was 2007 at this point. I finally watched it. Tonight. Two years and 3 days after receiving it. After all of the times it's been on cable and TNT, I finally watched it.
My grade:B-
As always, I loved the book way more than the movie. I did like the movie in that it brought the book back to me as I had forgotten a lot of what had happened. I just wasn't that thrilled about the movie. It was alright but it might have been better. I'm not good with words and I'm not sure how it could have been better but I'm fairly certain it could have been better. It's possible that Tom Hanks's hair distracted me a lot too. I enjoyed that the best. He wasn't as bad as I originally thought he would be as Robert Langdon. The end was obviously very good as it was in the novel. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Angels & Demons. I liked that book even more and I've heard that the movie, in some ways, is even better than The Da Vinci Code.

Oh, HELL YES!

2009-12-28T20:47:00.004-05:00

I did it! I can't believe it but I actually did it!

Weight Lost this week: -2.4 lbs

Total: -15.4 lbs

Woo hoo!! If I can do that again, how awesome would that be? I'm taking it easy and I am happy with my progress. This is SO fun. I know my husband doesn't notice and/or thinks I'm still ginormous but that's ok ... for now. Maybe he'll notice in another 15 lbs :)

Can't believe it! And over Christmas week to boot! :)

Best Jams of the Decade

2009-12-27T22:27:00.004-05:00

The other day at work, my coworker told me that her husband, who has a job as a trivia MC at local area restaurants was going to be using all songs from 1999 this week in between trivia questions. That was my favorite year for music that I can remember. However, as we bring this decade to an end, I wanted to bring out some of the songs that stick out to me over the last 10 years. These songs represent my college life to the present. See if you like any :) By the way, these are in no particular order...they may be in year order but that's it. These are just the songs that when I hear them, they take me to a certain spot in life. Like a moment just captured and I'm instantly back in that time..pretty cool. Keep your eyes posted for edits...I'm sure I'll think of some that I forgot.

Breathe - Faith Hill
Say My Name - Destiny's Child
Smooth - Santana ft. Rob Thomas
Jumpin' Jumpin - Destiny's Child
I Try - Macy Gray
Bye, Bye, Bye - *NSync
It Feels So Good - Sonique
The Real Slim Shady - Eminem
Private Emotion - Ricky Martin
Faded - Soul Decision
Oops..I Did It Again - Britney Spears
Lady Marmalade - Pink, Mya, Lil' Kim, and Christina Aguilera ft. Missy Elliot
Gone - *NSync
Butterfly - Crazy Town
Ride Wit Me - Nelly
Never Had a Dream Come True - S Club 7
Hot in Herre - Nelly
Days Go By - Dirty Vegas
Starry Eyed Surprise - Paul Oakenfeld
Hey Ya! - Outkast
Where Is the Love? - Black Eyed Peas with Justin Timberlake
Shake Ya Tailfeather - Nelly, P.Diddy, Murphy Lee
Stuck - Stacie Orrico
Why Can't I? - Liz Phair
Me Against the Music - Britney Spears and Madonna
This Love - Maroon 5
Yeah - Usher ft. Ludacris and Lil' Jon
Gigolo - Nick Cannon
The First Cut is the Deepest - Sheryl Crow
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean
Sexyback - Justin Timberlake
Ridin' - Chamillionaire
Fergalicious - Fergie
Cupid's Chokehold - Gymclass Heroes
Rehab - Amy Winehouse
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Crank Dat - Soulja Boy
Better in Time - Leona Lewis
Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Dance with Me - Debelah Morgan
Hit 'Em Up Style - Blu Cantrell
Around the World - ATC

I'm behind but hey, it's Christmas time...you can't expect much!

2009-12-25T22:22:00.001-05:00

This week: -2 lbs

Total to date: -13 lbs

Woo Hoo! Oh yeah...let's see how much I gain after the holidays LOL Merry Christmas to all!

Grrr....

2009-12-15T09:48:00.002-05:00

Had a bad week this week. Probably that large popcorn and large Mt. Dew I had at the movies on Saturday.

This Week: +1.2 lbs

Total: -11 lbs

The Princess and the Frog

2009-12-12T13:45:00.005-05:00

Today, I did something for myself and I feel guilty about it so I best blog about it.
I went to the movies. Alone. I had no one else to go with! I had to see this! I knew if I didn't now, I never would. Is that so wrong? I did have to run to work so while K. was out, I asked Cedo (Bebe's grandpa) to watch Emily while I ran to work and of course he said yes. I then checked the movie times and found a showing of Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" at 11:45 am.
Oh. My. God. This movie was beautiful. First of all, it was the closest I could get at the moment to New Orleans (what I like to think of as my second home). The animation was at it's best! Beautiful Mardi Gras scenes, hilarious bayou scenes, great music, and a lovely story. Princess Tiana was a great character and exhibited great values. This movie is definitely one for Disney's classic collection. The Shadowman was a terrific villain and of course all of the sidekicks from RayMond and Louis to Lottie and Big Daddy (voiced exceptionally in Nawlins dialect by John Goodman). I loved this movie and can't say enough about it. Go see it. Immediately. That is all...

..And Again...

2009-12-07T20:25:00.003-05:00

Once again this week - no gain, no loss.
Total to date: -12.2 lbs

More of the same..

2009-11-30T21:20:00.001-05:00

Considering it is the Monday after Thanksgiving, I'm going to have to go with "not too bad." I expected a lot worse.

Lost: 0 lbs

Total: -12.2 lbs

News and Stuff..

2009-11-27T22:36:00.006-05:00

I know..scary right? 3 posts in one day?!
So, what do you all think of the couple who crashed the State dinner at the White House? I know it's wrong and it's too bad that they got through security (although they did go through metal detectors and weapons screening) but I'm sorry, I think that was a badass move on their part. To have the guts and gall to just go into the White House uninvited, manage to get in and party with the President and his guests? Really? I'm probably the only person who's jealous LOL. I mean, the lady got her picture taken with VP Biden, Rahm Emanuel, Katie Couric and even the President himself!

Also..what do you think about those 2 wiseguys who flew an hour and a half past Minneapolis due to "cockpit distraction?" Not answering the radio for over an hour? How is that even possible? Any ideas on what was really going on?
I'm also probably the only person who is cracking up at the new commercials for the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie sequel featuring the Chipettes singing "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Ever since "Single Ladies" was featured prominently in an episode of Glee, I have a new respect for that song. I have to be honest and that although I love some Beyonce, I really had never listened to that song until it was on Glee

I also have to say that I am so excited about the new (classically) animated Disney feature The Princess and the Frog. I absolutely must see immediately. Could anything be better than a Disney movie with a New Orleans setting? Well...I suppose if Patty Duke or Sean Astin voiced a character, I would be in hog heaven but I digress....

One more note. Has anyone else noticed the new commercials about some kind of "maps" or something featuring Luke Wilson? Has he become ginormous or what?! I really enjoy the Wilson brothers (Owen and Luke) but I have to say, sorry but Luke looks very strange in these commercials. Just an observation...
Oh and a special "Holla" to my bff Danielle for sending me awesome pictures so that I might understand what "scene" means. Apparently it's kind of like a way of dressing/lifestyle for teens these days...like emo, goth, prep, punk, etc Now there's something called scene...and it's awsesome. LOL

un-Popular

2009-11-27T22:14:00.004-05:00

Ok, so 2 blog posts in one day - I know! Shocking!
I was just thinking about stuff and had a thought (I know, that's shocking as well!). I'm 31 years old yet there are times when I still feel like the most unpopular person/nerd/unaccepted. I sometimes feel accepted but then there are little things that make me realize that I'm not as sophisticated as some of these people and therefore, I am left out. I don't like that feeling. It sucks. It makes me very self-conscious. I come from Ypsilanti. One of the hotspots for Kentucky and Tennessee refugees of the early-mid 20th century because of the manufacturing jobs. Well, Ypsilanti is a lot like "down south." You will find people who have lived up here for 40+ years and still have a thick mountain accent. I seem to think that I have a lot more of those characteristics than not. Simply put, I feel like I am more white "trashy" then I originally thought. I think this makes a bad impression on people and therefore I am shunned sometimes because of my "rough edges" (rough edges compared to those around me). Sorry that I wasn't a drama kid or went away to camp when younger or traveled to Europe or that I don't live as green as I should or drink coffee or eat chocolate. I'm weird ok? I get it. Just don't treat me like I'm ok some of the time but not always. It's not cool to blatantly leave someone out. No one wants to be the last kid picked if you know what I mean.

From Wicked
Popular!
I'll Help You Be Popular!
You'll Hang with the Right Cohorts,
You'll be Good at Sports,
Know the Slang You've Got to Know.
So Let's Start,
'Cause You've Got an Awfully Long Way to Go!

Turkey Day (and it's aftermath)

2009-11-27T18:06:00.005-05:00

Wow..what a week and it's only Friday. A belated "Happy Thanksgiving" to you all. I'm thankful for all of my friends and family, particularly around the holidays.
Yesterday was the holiday and I have been running ragged since last Saturday getting my house in order. Last saturday, the grandparents were gracious enough to take on bebe' so that myself (and husband...) could get the house cleaned for hosting Thanksgiving this week. Let's just say that I did that. Me, not husband, but that's fine. It's not a surprise *sigh*
So, after hours of tidying, my dining room table was in sight once again! It was no longer covered with baby clothes, diaper bags, extra purses, picture frames, etc. I also managed to file away papers like account statements, receipts etc as well as hang up many pictures of Emily that have been just laying around waiting.
Yesterday we hosted Thanksgiving with Kurin's family in attendance. Gay and Benjamin, Cyndie, Edwin and Tony, Kevin and Melissa, my parents and bebe'. Gay provided the turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing, C provided the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and pumpkin pie, I made rolls and green bean casserole, my dad made hashweh and my mom made a pineapple topped cheesecake and pumpkin roll. Whew! Talk about a TON of food (Bebe' wouldn't TOUCH it!)!
Today is Black Friday - time to go out and get those deals at all of the stores that are opening at 12 am, 3 am, 4 am, 5 am, obnoxious am. Geez! Well, as of yesterday, I am sick as a dog. No shopping for me! I am currently without a voice. This sucks. Especially when I am trying to call the FORD dealership to make an appointment for my P.O.S. car. ***tangent*** On Wednesday, as I was driving home from work, my gas pedal was stuck. This has happened very slightly now and again but seriously, I would brake say to let someone in front of me turn or what not and then when I'd go to give it gas, I couldn't push the pedal down. Do you know how scary that is??? It was kind of like I was in neutral but I wasn't. It was horrible! I told my husband so he told me to take it to a dealer. My car is also burning oil. Every time it's time for an oil change lately, the little stick has like nothing! I go in even before 3000 miles or 3 months and STILL low on oil. Haven't been able to find leaks so who knows. This car is a P.O.S. Literally. I have had little problems with it ever since I bought it. I bought it brand new so it's not a used one, I swear I got a lemon. I think the guys who made this one on the line were disgruntled or something. However, I will not give up on Fords. I love my Ford vehicles. I just hate this one. I had to get a new transmission last fall with only 60,000 miles on the car and it was only 3 years old! WTF?! I do not want to pour a ton of money into this car anymore. That transmission cost me about $2500 approximately 2 weeks before my baby was born. Nice... I am very grateful that I don't have a car payment at this point however if I have to get a new vehicle (even if it's a newer used vehicle), I would rather have a small car payment then a hassle every couple of weeks.
So, it really hasn't been the best of holidays. I hope Christmas time is better. I love the idea of the holidays but I never really enjoy them. With Christmas now, I am reminded of how many people have so little and it makes me so depressed. My mom took 2 angels off of the giving tree at church and one she took was a 64 year old man who would like socks, underwear and a sweatshirt. It absolutely broke my heart. How can I complain about my dumb car when some gentleman out there just wants some socks and underwear for Christmas. I wish I could help everyone. I get more depressed as the years go by. I give everything I can but it's not enough. I can't volunteer anywhere because of how I am. I would be a wreck the whole time. I'm much better at buying things for those in need or donating money. Just hearing stories, upsets me so much that I'm out of it for an hour or more *sigh* I'm very useless :(

So, I am not going to discuss this anymore, I have to get some rest as I am very ill and need to recuperate before returning to work on Monday.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

A Good Thing...

2009-11-24T10:37:00.003-05:00

I dropped another 2 pounds this past week! Holla!

That is just motivation for me to keep it up through this scary Thanksgiving week. I really think a lot of it involves my switch from regular Coke to Coke Zero. However, I have still had my regular here and there but usually only at restaurants or something because they don't have Coke Zero and I am not drinking nasty Diet Coke. Blech.

So....

Weigh-in: -2 lbs

Total to date: -12.2 lbs

Another note on courtesy...

2009-11-20T14:42:00.003-05:00

So, tell me if I'm wrong but these pet peeves of mine are on hyper-drive lately. I am having an event on Sunday. Invites went out about 3 weeks ago. I did online invites through evite.com. This is a nice thing to do for casual get togethers and people can view the invitation online and RSVP very easily. The most awesome feature that I found on there is that you (the host) can see if/when someone opens their invitation. Now, what is really ticking me off is that I see that some people have looked at the invite and not responded. That's fine, I understand opening it, waiting to see what your plans are, etc. Here's my issue...
Someone I invited, recently had an event of their own and on their social network status constantly said things like "come on people! Send in your RSVPs" or "I wish people would hurry up and RSVP" etc. So, this person has not yet RSVPd to my event which is the day after tomorrow. What gives? I know it's stupid and petty but that kind of stuff annoys me. It's kind of a "you have to do for me" attitude with an "I don't have to return the favor" spin on it.
So, this really annoys me right now and falls under the courtesy and etiquette things that make me crazy. Gotta go! I'll be back to bitch more after this break :)

Courtesy...

2009-11-19T17:51:00.003-05:00

I enjoy not being ill. I am grateful for this actually. However, I become very perturbed when co-workers continue to come in sick. It does nobody any good if you come in and are coughing and hacking and sniffing and everything else. Just stay home. Don't be a martyr. Please. I don't want whatever you have. I don't mean any offense. Really. It's just common courtesy. This goes for people out in the public too. It's fairly common practice to cover your mouth and nose with your hand or sleeve when you sneeze or cough. Making the loudest noises possible when you sneeze and not covering your mouth/face/nose makes me a very angry person. It's not nice, it's not funny to sneeze as loud as possible. We all know you are capable of controlling your sneeze "levels". We've heard them at normal tones. It's NOT cute or funny. Cover your damn mouth/nose/face when you are sneezing, coughing or any other cold-like symptom that involves mucous of some kind (whether it be microscopic sized spittle or large chunks of goo). I'm tired of getting grossed out and feeling like I'm going to get stuff because of your irresponsible behavior.

While on the topic, wash your hands after using the restroom! I know you didn't...there are 2 stalls, I was in one, you were in one. You finished first and left the room. How can you do that? Especially knowing what goes around? It takes 30 seconds! Dang!

The trigger for my rant? I leave you with....
H1N1 Death Reported in Washtenaw Co. (and NO, I am not paranoid over H1N1...but people need to be cautious)

It just keeps going and going...

2009-11-17T09:34:00.002-05:00

This week: -2.6 lbs WOO HOO!

This also marks my loss of 10 lbs! Yay!

Total = -10.2 lbs

Boo!

2009-11-09T17:29:00.003-05:00

Ok, I'm up 1.4 lbs. This doesn't surprise me as I have been a total cow of late.

Side note: I don't trust people with pixie cuts. If you're one, I apologize - I don't mean you :)

Total : -7.6 lbs.

Weight Update

2009-11-03T09:19:00.002-05:00

This week: -2.6 lbs WOO HOO!

Total: 9 lbs

....more blogginess to follow later....

Because I Can Hardly Keep My Eyes Open

2009-10-30T22:59:00.003-04:00

It's been a long day. Halloween celebration at work which is usually a pretty big deal. Everyone goes nuts..trust me..nuts. I'll post pics maybe tomorrow. It's insane. Anyway, the day started off on the wrong note. I was awakened at 4 am to bebe's gloworm playing music all of a sudden. I thought she woke up but she just hugged it. So of course could I sleep again? NO. I was up until 5:30 am when I thought, I better lay down for a bit more because "it's gonna be a long day." Yeah...nice that I woke up at 10 minutes to 8 am when I should be leaving. Not cool since I still had to finish my costume, make a CD for a friend and make sure I had everything to go. Grrr..
I managed to sew the last piece of my costume while standing in the kitchen and putting on my shoes. I still forgot Emily's diaper bag (because she would be joining me later in the day for my work Halloween party). *sigh* Well, I did pretty good considering.
By the time I got to work, I sat in my car to put my costume makeup on and I totally looked like a drag queen. It was disgusting. I was nearly in tears. I was so frustrated! I was also a complete b!tch. I felt quite upset that I was going to be the only troll so I looked and felt just dumb. I got over it though.
My dad was a bit late bringing bebe' to the party but it still worked out ok except for the fact that I dropped her socks in a puddle and therefore she had to go around in her adorable costume looking like a hillbilly with no socks on. *sigh again*
Something really bothered me today. There is a gentleman who works at work who is a little older than the majority of the employees. He is a fairly recent hire and is probably in his late 50s or early 60s. I saw that he signed up to bring something for the cookout and everything so I thought that was cool. However, at lunch time, I saw this gentleman and he was sitting at a table all by himself. It made me so upset. From the point I noticed this to at least the time I threw my plate away, no one had sat down with him. Did I? No. I regret this. I was starting to get very upset so I left to go find my dad and bebe'. I should have said hello and either invited him to sit with us or go sit with him. I wish I had. It's still bothering me. My momma told me that someone may have sat with him after I got up. I hope so. I wouldn't want to be in that position and I intend to say hello to that man on Monday and tell him that I really liked his green bean casserole :)
I get like this a lot...especially around this time of year. I start really feeling bad about things and can't get out of funks. I think it's seasonal or something.
We then left my work party and went to see Grandma at her work. We were both pooped. Did I get a nap? Nope. Had to send off an eBay item (woohoo!) and take care of business!
Well, this was sort of a ramshackle pointless post but perhaps tomorrow will be a better blogging day.

What's up? (or should I say down?)

2009-10-28T22:13:00.004-04:00

What's up? As the title of this blog states, I should say, "what's down?" What's down is my weight! Not by much but I've got a good start.
October 5th - start weight (Ha! Like I'd tell you....)

October 12th - -4 lbs

October 19th - -2.8 lbs

October 26th - +.4 lbs (I mistakenly read this earlier as +.2 lbs...oops!)

So in total, I am down 6.4 lbs since October 5th. It's not a lot but it's a start and I'm semi-proud of myself. I've really stuck to this as closely as I can. I think I'm doing ok. The 26th kind of made me very upset but I'll keep trying.

I also made a huge decision with regards to my addiction - Coke.
I have been very good at having only one soda a day since October 5th. I have had more than one on about 2 occasions but based on the principles I'm following, I was within the rules. Today, was different. I had my usual pop at lunch feeling completely guilty all the while. My coworkers K and C and I were talking when the conversation turned to my problem with pop and how C drinks Coke Zero and K enjoys Diet Dr. Pepper. I can't do diet. I just can't. I remember when my mom switched to Diet Pepsi and I felt like I was drinking cold medicine or something. That after-taste is just beyond anything I could tolerate. I was never able to get past it and now if I have a sip of diet, I feel like I'm going to gag. I know, I know, it's just a psychological thing but still...
I felt brave today. I, along with C and K's encouragement, bought a Coke Zero out of the vending machine to give it a try.
Oh. My. God. It was good..not just good, but pretty damn good! I quite enjoyed it! The after-taste I feared wasn't there and it was like I had discovered the most wonderful thing in the whole world. I truly, truly enjoyed it! I even....*gasp*...finished the entire bottle. Look! I have proof!

I am also in love with Morningstar Veggie burgers right now; especially the mushroom ones. Slap one on a sandwich thin with some mustard. YUMMEH! I haven't been very good this week. I'm trying but it was difficult a couple of days. I don't snack, my problem is just food in general at my meals. Grrr...BUT, I'm trying.

A Birthday to Remember...

2009-10-18T21:54:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday was Emily's first birthday party. Anyone who's anyone was there LOL Family included myself, Kurin, Grandma and Cedo, Grandma Debbie, Great Grandma Gay, Benjamin, Uncle Kevin, new Aunt Melissa, Cyndie, Aunt Brenda, Karen, Aunt Faye and Uncle Clyde, Teresa, and JoAnna, Aunt Violet and Uncle George, Aunt Marianne and Uncle Anwar with Kristine, Mark and Christina with Isabella, Ron and Cherryl with George and Jack. Friends that came were Auntie Danielle and Jeff with Orion, Leslie with Izak, and Audra with Madison and Mackenzie. I hope they all had a good time. We had thought that it would be nice out so we could utilize my parents' deck with the awning but it was a bit chilly so we all ended up in the house - a little too cozy if you ask me. I get all weird in crowded situations - that is why I do not go shopping the day after Thanksgiving..I usually have a panic attack (no joke). So, I was a hot mess both literally and figuratively. It was hot in the house with 800 people inside but I was also flustered because these 800 people were talking to me, asking me stuff, I'm trying to make sure all goes right blah blah. Thanks to my parents who basically did everything like, oh, providing the food and the house!
I got the beautiful cake at Queen of Hearts bakery in Depot Town. It was phenomenal. I never even got a piece! Gone!

The food was great - my parents made a couple of different Italian type casseroles with a nice salad and bread along with appetizers.
Bebe' even got her own little mini-cake complete with mini-ladybug decoration :) She was a little confused at first as to what to do with it so I assisted her in getting started.

She had a really good time. All of the kids were so good. I had no idea what to have for them so I didn't have any games or anything - they were all so well-behaved and entertained themselves. Emily and Izak (6 weeks apart) had a fab time together. Besties!
Bebe' got entirely too much stuff. Tons of beautiful outfits and lots of fun toys and books. We are very happy to have such a wonderful group of family and friends.

Always on My Mind

2009-10-11T22:33:00.003-04:00

Today was a long, stressful day (but it was fun and worth it in the end). I thought I'd be asleep about 3 hours ago after Emily's big first birthday bash but I'm still awake because there are a few things on my mind.
1. What I thought was an incisional hernia probably isn't but it still worries because I'm not exactly sure what it is. Have I ever mentioned that I'm a hypochondriac?
2. I'm bothered that I tried to call a family member to see if they were coming to Emily's party (after not receiving an RSVP) and also to wish this person a Happy Birthday as she shares one with Emily. I left messages and never heard back. Another family member was able to get a hold of her. It just makes me sad.
3. I'm obsessed with GLEE
4. There's just not enough time for anything. I feel like I try to get things done but everything multiplies by 8 or something before I make a dent in anything like laundry, dishes, tidying up, etc.
5. I've cut myself down to 1 pop/day (well, today I fell off the wagon and had at least 2) in hopes of working on losing weight. I obviously have no time at the moment to dedicate a lot of time to exercise so I'm hoping that by watching what I eat and stuff I can at least give myself a kick start. I need to lose 92 pounds.
6. I'm obsessed with GLEE - see, I told you!
7. I miss Granny a lot
8. I need to finish this book! I'm loving it and need like a nice long afternoon or day off to just finish it.
9. I'm stressed. I just don't think my husband gets it.
10. My hands hurt because I dove for home plate this morning aka I fell on the sidewalk under the breezeway and slid across the pavement. Ouch.

More to follow on Emily's 1st Birthday....

Birthday Girl!

2009-10-09T16:57:00.003-04:00

Today is Emily's 1st Birthday! Woo Hoo! We survived a whole year and she's still doing fine haha.
I won't go into any labor and delivery stories as I have none. I basically went to the hospital at noon like they told me for my scheduled c-section at 2pm. They pumped me full of fluid and I waited, and waited. There were several emergencies before me so I kept getting bumped which was fine.
They finally wheeled me to the operating room. That is when I got very scared. Up to that point, I had been like "whatev." No, literally, I probably said, "whatev." About 10 people wheeled me down there and I remember my anesthesiologist bumping the corner of the gurney into a doorway and saying something about his bad Asian driving (because he is Asian). Everyone in the halls of the Labor/Delivery area stopped as I was being wheeled by and wished me luck. It was very nice.
The OR was SO SCARY. It was huge and loud and clean. They bent me over to give me the epidural to numb me from the neck down. I laid back and got violently ill (which apparently is a side effect) but then I was fine. I couldn't feel a thing. It was very weird knowing they were cutting me open and taking out bebe' and not seeing it and not feeling it. I just kind of felt them moving around. I remember the anesthesiologist and his partner talking about the Red Wings. Kurin was sitting there but I don't remember him doing anything except when they got her out, he went to take pictures of her because I obviously couldn't see her or move.
I also remember a lot of counting after the fact. I learned later that it was the nurses counting all of the instruments before and after (thank goodness everything was accounted for or they may have left something in me!).
Poor bebe', she came out and you hear all of this hustle and bustle to get the baby all cleaned up and checked over and she had a little fluid on her lungs and she was clamshelled. This means that her feet were up at her ears like she was folded in half. Apparently, when Kurin showed the pics to our family waiting in the waiting room, they were all a little worried because, her feet were by her ears! They whisked her off to the NICU to get her breathing stabilized and check all of her oxygen and fix her legs and stuff.

It took SO long for my anesthesia to wear off. It was weird. They wheeled me to my Mother/Baby room where I would spend the next 3 nights. They did manage to wheel me into the NICU so I could see Emily. She was hooked up to a million things and it was way scarier now than when it was happening. I couldn't do anything. I was still frozen from the medicine.
That night was weird, I had the baby, but didn't have her until they took me down to her at about 9pm to try to nurse her which in itself was so scary because it was the first time I held her, first time to nurse and she was hooked up to all kinds of stuff and I was scared and frustrated. They thought she'd get to come stay in my room the next day as all of her stuff seemed to be doing really well. Surprise! I tried to feed her again at midnight and when I got back to my room, they followed me back and she could stay! She was doing just fine :)
She was squeaky. There wasn't really crying, just little squeaks.
I love her.

It sounds weird but in a way, I miss her. I miss having all of my time with her when she was just little and holding her. Maternity leave was so good for us. I just sat with her all day.

Now she's a big girl who shakes her head no and likes to take her pants off and play with dog toys *sigh*
This weekend is the big birthday bash so more to come...
Happy Birthday, Emily! I love you more than anything :)

You Wasting My Life!

2009-10-01T14:54:00.002-04:00

A tribute to a dear friend (no, there's nothing wrong with her or anything..I just appreciate her and the humor she brings to my life)...

I work with a a wide variety of people of all different ages, races, and nationalities. One of my favorite people to work with is Dr. L.H. (I will refer to her as L for this post). L is Chinese and she - is - awesome. What makes L awesome? Probably the greatest thing is her sense of humor.
Allow me to give you an example (it's funny to those who work with her so it may not be that funny to you but it's cute): At one point in time, several years ago, L thought that our superiors felt that she didn't work hard and wasted a lot of time (which in my opinion is totally untrue and I think she knows that now as well). One day, one of these superiors saw L with a large container of water and that she was using a very tiny container to move the water to another large container (rather than pouring one into the other). He asked, "L, what are you doing?" Her answer, as she continued what she was doing, "Oh....I just wasting time." Well, even that got a laugh out of the superior.
Often times when asked how she is or how things are going when she is stressed or being funny, her reply will often be "oh, you know, just wasting my life" or "same ole shit (said "sheet").
She is one of the nicest people that I know and I enjoy listening to her tell stories about her two children who "drive her crazy!", China and Chinese culture. I was fortunate enough to attend a conference with just her about 6 years ago in Bethesda, MD (Washington D.C. area) and we had a great time.
What triggered me to write this is an incident from yesterday. It was just something small but again, her sense of humor can just make my day. Yesterday, L came into our area and we always like to tease her by saying things like "uh-oh, here comes L" even though we all love her. I'm not exactly sure what happened but I just heard her yelling across the lab "..something, something, drive me crazy! duck, duck chicken!" Really fast. When I repeated it, she cracked up laughing because obviously she had not said duck, duck, chicken but some kind of Chinese swear words.
In conclusion, I just wanted to say to L, I adore you my little Asian friend and will always enjoy your company..even when you lie to me and say that you know Jackie Chan (I always ask her if she knows him) and even the times you make me eat chicken feet. :)

Preparations

2009-09-19T21:38:00.004-04:00

October is coming entirely too fast!
Not only is it Bebe's first birthday but we have my brother-in-law's nuptials which is the first weekend, husband's birthday, doctor appointments, and scrapbooking classes - I suppose I'm supposed to find time to work out in here too with working full time and everything else like keeping my house semi-tidy, etc. Dang I'll never lose weight. Ah well, I'll just stop eating for a bit and all will be right with the world.
Back to important things. Bebe's first birthday is quickly approaching which means I have actually started planning her birthday party! Yes! I am actually on the ball this time. I had invitations made and already sent out last week, they are gorgeous! I found an awesome website called First Wishes that specializes in baby's first birthday things that are themed. They have John Deere, Ladybugs, Princess, Prince, Fish, Barnyard Animals, etc. all specifically for first birthdays. They have everything from coordinating balloons to hats to treat bags to vinyl personalized banners, and more. I chose to stay with the ladybug motif as that was the baby shower theme as well. It is absolutely adorable. We got some balloons, a banner, dessert plates, and hats. I'll get coordinating paper products and stuff locally.
Bebe' is having her 1 year portraits taken this Monday. We are having a family picture made as well. I'm looking forward to it. I bought Bebe' an adorable birthday ensemble off of etsy that has a personalized foo-foo birthday hat that has a "1" and "Emily" on it, a onesie with a cupcake with 1 candle that says "Emily" and a coordinating big foo-foo tutu! I am so excited for her to wear it. Trying it on, she made the face she makes when she doesn't like food so I'm not sure how it's going to go but let's just keep our fingers crossed.
This week marks Bebe's first roadtrip. We're headed down south to visit family in Kentucky. It should be fun. I haven't been down there since 2007 as I didn't go when I was pregnant last year. I am a bit sad though that we won't have Granny with us this time.
I hope to have more to update on Monday after the portrait session. Until then...

The Best of the Rest...

2009-09-02T21:20:00.013-04:00

I have been on a mission lately. That mission has been to find the best LOL sites ever. Those sites that make me crack up until I almost pee my pants. The sites that make me stay up way past my bedtime looking at cats talking funny, strange people at Wal-Mart or awkward family photos. I have been slowly passing these sites on to my friends but it may be best if I just compile them all in a list here. I'm sure I will need to add to it as I'm sure to forget some of them.
Enjoy! Don't LOL too hard :) **Please remember that this is all in good fun and that some may be raunchier than others or may offend so don't say I didn't warn you. Read at your own risk **

I Can Has Cheezburger - the site that started it all
Off-shoots of ICHC are:
Failblog
LOL Celebrities
Totally Looks Like
LOL News
Engrish - please remember it is all in good fun (this site may offend)

Awkward Family Photos
Look at this Fuc*ing Hipster
We Have Lasers!
This is Photobomb: Photojackers of the World Unite!
Picture is Unrelated: WTF pictures and videos
This is Why You're Fat - Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks
Bad Parking
Don't Judge My Hair - Epic Hairstyles
My First Fail - Baby Fails!!
People of Wal-Mart - the newest of the Epic LOL sites

Item Not as Described - Free is a 4 Letter Word
You Suck at Craigslist!
Lovely Listing - Odd Finds in Real Estate Listings

Urban Dictionary - although this isn't truly what I consider a LOL site, it does come in handy
140Pedia - Everything you need to know in 140 characters or less (Wikipedia as told by Twitter)

Apostrophe Abuse
Apostrophism
The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks
Grammar Bitches
The Grammar Vandal
Literally, a Web Log - An English language grammar blog tracking abuse of the word “literally”
Lowercase L

Passive-Agressive Notes
That's Punny!
Say What?! - interesting signs
Bumper Sticker Madness
Vanity Plates: Creepiness in 8 characters or Less
Ask a Urinal - Wisdom from Bathroom Graffitti
There, I Fixed It - Epic Kludges & Jury Rigs
Cake Wrecks

The Senate's Lion

2009-08-26T22:29:00.006-04:00

Kurin woke me up very early this morning to tell me that Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) had passed away. My husband knows that I find it very important to know when famous persons pass on especially a Kennedy.
I obviously didn't know Senator Kennedy but who didn't know of Teddy Kennedy? The youngest member of probably the most famous and powerful family in this countrie's recent history. From the pictures, he was an adorable little boy, a handsome young man and a long-standing fixture in the Senate of the United States.
I am very saddened to learn of his death. He has always been around. If you want something solid to look at in our government, it was Senator Kennedy. He is really the only Kennedy that my generation was familiar with aside from JFK Jr.
Senator Kennedy was a man who fought for civil rights, women's rights, workers rights, education reform (no child left behind), health care reform and the rights of the disabled among so many other righteous causes. He was a powerful man and did his job with the gusto that many lack.
I admire Senator Kennedy so very much. He was such an accomplished man even in the face of tragedy after tragedy in his family and even when facing scandal.

Being the support of his, for lack of a better word, ginormous family when his 2 brothers were gunned down within 5 years of each other, an older brother killed in WWII, a sister killed in a plane crash, another sister who suffered from mental retardation and was institutionalized, his own plane crashing, a wife who battled alcoholism, a son who lost a leg to cancer, a daughter who suffered from cancer and a scandal in which he was the driver of a car that plunged into a pond in Chappaquiddick, killing his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. He had been the family patriarch during the weddings of his nieces Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver, the trial of his nephew William Kennedy-Smith, the death of Robert Kennedy's son by a drug overdose, the death of another of Robert's sons due to a skiing accident and finally by the plane crash killing JFK's son, his wife and her sister in 1999 and his fatal battle with brain cancer, dying 2 weeks after his sister, Eunice.
Most people, myself included, would have snapped by that point but not the Kennedys. They fascinate me - I cannot fathom what their family is like dealing with such tragedy but doing so much good for this country. Such a tight-knit family who really have had too much put on them. They have survived and perservered. It's a shame to lose such a great man.
Thank you Senator Kennedy for all of the service you gave to this country and for making it a better place. May you rest in peace and you will be missed. God Bless You Uncle Teddy.

The Envelope Please.....

2009-08-24T23:45:00.005-04:00

Bebe' got honorable mention! They name a king, queen, prince and princess but they also named Emily as an honorable mention - my thought is that she was super-close to the princess spot. Thank you all who voted. We appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and support and your votes ($) go to a great organization that does wonderful charitable works.
From the Ypsilanti Jaycees website Funny thing, my hairdresser's daughter was princess! Pretty cool! Thanks again to all of you for your faith in Emily. She will uphold her honorable mention...honorably ;)

Captcha Fun

2009-08-24T21:35:00.004-04:00

I got this as a captcha yesterday when leaving a blog comment for a friend. It's my new favorite word.

Heritage Festival Weekend

2009-08-24T20:57:00.017-04:00

I think the song goes "...you must have been a beautiful baby..." and that is what we believe in Emily. Don't get me wrong. I am not a stage mom, nor a pageant mom (Lord, those women need help) but I did enter Emily into the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival's Beautiful Baby Contest sponsored by the Jaycees. This is the picture we submitted.

The contest is based on votes purchased ($0.25/vote). There are prizes of savings bonds for a king, queen, prince and princess. The best part of the contest is that all contestants can walk in the Heritage Festival parade in a decorated stroller or wagon. I went on a mission to find a wagon which I did thanks to Heather M.! It was brand new in the box and a perfect little red wagon to decorate!

I was a nervous wreck the night before the parade and didn't sleep well. I was afraid I would over sleep and miss the being in the parade. It was fun that Kurin came to record it on our camcorder, grandma and Cedo came to see, Aunt Brenda and cousin Karen watched us and Gay and Ben came down too. I hadn't been in or to the parade since I was a senior in high school and marched in it with the LHS marching band. **Tangent: Ok, no offense to anyone who may have/know someone in the current band but boy did they look sloppy! No uniforms, just polos and shorts with tennis shoes. The lines were not straight. The sound was alright though. The band is huge now so that's a plus. They also have a trailer to carry equipment! WTH? I miss it but it's not the same if you didn't wear the cowboy hat with the white heeled orthopedic shoes :)**
The parade was a lot shorter than I remember, well, it always seemed to take hours to march it back in the day and walking at my own pace with a bunch of other families was a ton different than standing at attention or marching while playing the fight song ;)
The weather was phenomenal. It was actually CHILLY! Yes, CHILLY! I had on a long sleeved zip-up hoodie and we had to put bebe' in a sweater and jacket over her clothes. Unbelievable. At parade time, it was probably in the low-mid 60s! In August! Unheard of! Enough exclamation points! haha
It was a great experience and bebe' seemed to enjoy herself except near the end she seemed to get tired and kind of flopped over in the wagon. I'll definitely enter her again next year. It was a lot of fun and the Jaycees did a great job.
By the way, we are assuming that Emily did not win as we were not notified. That's ok though. We can't seem to find out who won. There is no longer a local newspaper and none of the related websites have listed the winners of any of the contests. Here are some pictures of our winner:

Emily and daddy before the parade and Emily yawning after waiting to get started
Here we come! As you can see in the second picture, she's just about had it by this point :)

Ohmigodyouguys!

2009-08-18T17:30:00.003-04:00

I found the sheet music to Legally Blonde the Musical and actually tapped out a few bars of some of the songs the other evening. Other than my piano being seriously out of tune, it was AWESOME. I cannot wait until I can devote a little more time to it than I have right now. It was so exciting!

More Ramblings...and a bit of Sunny Days

2009-08-18T17:07:00.004-04:00

Some things seem to be brightening up. It looks like I'm going to Kentucky with my mom, bebe', cousin Karen and Aunt B. Hey...it will have to pass as a vacation. Lookout Harlan County, here we come!
Granny's headstone has been installed ... finally. I haven't been to see it yet. Sometimes I feel just blank about it but then I get really sad. It's like sometimes it's more real than others. I know those of you who have lost someone might know what I mean.
On a happier note, bebe' is getting her 5th tooth! It's little edge has popped out of the gum. She is getting to be quite the little girl lately. She sits up and acts like such a big girl. She likes to play Pop-Up where she is sitting on my lap kind of squatting like and then she "POPS" up straight and laughs and laughs. She also loves her toys. She especially loves her Zoo activity play toy that sings songs and she can put the animals on a turntable and watch them go 'round and 'round. She is also very interested in me talking. She will sit in my lap and just stare at my lips and touch her fingers to them. It's super cute when she does this while I'm singing her nighttime songs for bed and she's very sleepy.
The ~~beasts~~ dogs went to the vet this weekend. Theodore is at 74 lbs and is in great health for what the vet terms "middle-aged", at 8 years old. What impressed me most is how impressed they were with his teeth! They thought we had been having them brushed regularly. I love the pooches but I'm not too keen on the idea of trying to scrape their plaque. The doc said his teeth are like 98% of perfect! Sweet! Oreo is a whopping 76 lbs. He is very thick. I don't know any other way to say it. He's thick. Like a log. He did very good and has only been itching the last 2 days because they gave him a dog biscuit and those make him itch (boo...). Other than that, everyone is in fine health! Thankfully our animals are in good health as it is so costly to take them to the vet. Once a year I can handle. I believe in maintenance...just like with any vehicles :)
BFF and I are back in business on eBay. We took a break..well, I took a break because my lazy butt just couldn't get motivated to post anything. I listed 3 items and wouldn't you know that within 48 hours, 2 of them had sold! Yay! I'm looking forward to selling more and we are looking into other opportunities for selling as well. Also, BFF needs to get her etsy store up and running too. I'd like to get started but anything I did for etsy would have to be small and quick to make.
Speaking of quick to make (as if this post isn't long enough), I have decided on what I am doing for Christmas for my husband's family this year. I hope they go over well. I doubt they read this blog but I'd hate for anything to get leaked early. I don't care so much if they know what they're getting, I just don't want them to not like it ahead of time LOL.
Well, I will try to be more regular about posting. I've been in a deep funk the last few weeks and I'm trying to pull myself out.

OH! One last thing....Phillipa Gregory's latest book came out today The White Queen!

OMG, I can hardly wait to get it!!

Another Wasted Weekend

2009-07-26T21:03:00.003-04:00

Boo. Another wasted weekend. I feel like a skipping record. I know, I know, I always complain about not having plans or not going on vacation or anything but I am sorry.
I'm completely drained.
I feel like I can't concentrate on anything.
I need a break.
I need to get away.
I've been told to take a day off of work. I really can't do that. If I were to just stay home one day, every little thing that needs to be done around here would pick at me and I wouldn't relax anyway.
I want a day to absolutely relax.
No worries.
I don't want to have to worry about the baby.
I don't want to have to worry about my husband, K.
I don't want to worry about what I need to fix for dinner or what laundry needs to be done or that I need to vacuum so bebe' can crawl on the floor.
Do not get me started on my flooring. I need new carpet and linoleum (or something) on my first floor very bad. It sickens me. We also need a fence. We really need a fence considering what happened with Oreo last month. But hey, no one else around here seems to care and I can't do it all myself. I think that my husband thinks I can and/or will. Well, I can't.
I am slowly losing it.
I'm tired.
I'm exhausted.
I'm serious, my life is just on repeat. It's work 5 days, hustle home, go to the grocery store when I have time, have lunch with momma on Wednesdays, Danielle on Fridays and the weekends are just blah. Things should get done but they don't. I don't mean your basic household chores; I'm talking about the above things like getting new flooring, or going to a movie but no. So what do I do? I entertain my baby for about 12 hours a day because Lord knows she hardly naps :) Then, I go on facebook (which is my only connection to other people it seems like) and end up posting new pictures, writing to people and that's it. Oh and there's no time for any stuff like crochet or knitting because even when I do have time, I feel guilty and feel the need to vacuum or something.
I was supposed to go to Kentucky in May but had to cancel. I was supposed to go to the Basket Farm in May but it was cancelled. I was going to go to Indianapolis to visit a friend and that had to be moved because of another commitment. Grrrr! Now my cousin wants to know when I can go to Kentucky but I don't even know if I'm up to going! It almost seems like too much of a hassle. Also, my mom has mentioned going to Chicago in November for overnight. I don't think I can do it. I can't leave bebe'. I'd worry too much and wouldn't enjoy myself and to all of you saying take her with me..um, no.
I have also been beating myself up a lot lately because I let a lot of what some stay-at-home moms say to me, get under my skin. I take things way too personal. I know that. It just doesn't help hearing things that just make my blood boil. I'm sorry that I can't afford to stay at home and play all day and go to the gym and eat dinner out with friends every night and do all kinds of fun stuff - it's not that I don't have the money, I do but I can't blow my money like a lot of people do. I don't want to have my home foreclosed on ever, I don't want to rely on parents or others for money, I don't have credit card debt, and I don't ever want to have any. I don't live a life of leisure. I have a home to contribute to and my parents paid good money for my education (or lack there of but that's beside the point..) and I would feel something awful by sitting at home and wasting it. I know, I'm going to get called out by all the stay-at-home moms. Believe me, it's not all of you. In fact, it's only a couple. The fact remains that there are a lot of times that I feel very inferior because I work. I'm the first to admit that I'm jealous. Oh heck yeah I am. However, I love my baby more than I could love anything I thought I could. She is very happy and rarely cries. I'm very fortunate in that respect but it's just not an option for me to stay home. I guess what I'm saying, is that in an effort to keep my mind healthy, I am going to lay low from facebook and the like. I just thought I was able to handle the comments and such about "oh, you're not staying home with the baby?" and the like and I can't. I love my job. I love the people I work with - they're the reason I love my job. The science-y stuff is cool too. I guess I had to get it out.
To those of you who read this or "follow" me, please trust in me that it's not you.
I apologize for the worried, and whining tone this particular blog took. I promise my next one will be more fun! I really just needed to get it off of my chest.
Take care....

Warm Weather Weekend

2009-07-12T22:38:00.010-04:00

Lots done this weekend. I went to Plymouth's Art in the Park on Saturday morning with my mom. Found some cute altered jackets for bebe'. Scored some awesome jewelry for myself.

I was then lucky enough to attend a graduation party for my dear old friend Caroline. I've known Caroline since she moved into our school district in I think 4th grade. So a really, really long time. She graduated from EMU and had a luau themed open house. I rarely get to see Caroline so this made my summer. I also got to see her brother Jason who I was also friends with in high school (he being a couple of years older...class of '94).

Jason and I with Alex and Emily...Emily is as fascinated with Jason's hat as I am that he no longer has his "Ponch from CHiPs hair" LOL

and his wife Stephanie who I have become really good friends with.

This is Stephanie and I with Emily and Alex - she's pretty much awesome

Caroline has a 10 year old son, DeCarlos; Jason and Stephanie have a son Griffen, daughter Mackenzie and 19 month old Alex. It's a real treat when I get to see them so that was the highlight of my weekend. Also, Jason makes bad-ass cakes and did a fantastic job on the cakes he made for his sister's graduation (see above).

Caroline, myself, Emily and Stephanie..I'm hoping Stephanie's shot came out better...

BIG EMILY NEWS: Bebe' has started crawling. Yay! She is so funny. She crawls all over now and loves to go after everyone's feet. She is also fascinated by feet at the moment, particularly those wearing flip-flops (and if you make them flip or flop, she loves it). Her favorite feet however are my dad's grotesque Fred Flintstone feet. Anyway, she is crawling all over. It's super-cute and she's really working up her appetite and then she gets super tired at night. It's so sweet. Unfortunately, this also makes me, mommy, very sad because I don't want her to get bigger anymore. I'm scared that I won't be able to handle her and I'm afraid of what the future holds for her. I will worry about that more later.

One more bright spot for the upcoming week - Drew & Mike are BACK!! Reunited tomorrow morning at 6am and I am extremely thrilled. I discovered them about 6 or 7 years ago and can't go a morning without them. I always feel "off" if I miss them - I even stream it when I'm out of town and in a different time zone. This is exciting and I hope they do well...I'm sure they will.

Randomlings

2009-07-07T09:15:00.003-04:00

I'm a little restless today and felt the need to post (as uninteresting as this may be). I did have a lot of fun making new Face-In-Holes last night. You can check them out here.
Also, I suppose I better watch what I say on Facebook as it seems I'm being "tattled" on. Some people seem to think I'm really "down" lately. Well, maybe I am but I write what I feel at that particular moment. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm really down. I am, but not that bad.
In other news, I am enjoying the latest books I'm reading. Right now I am reading Pillars of the Earth. I'm listening to Maeve Binchy's Heart and Soul on my iPod and really enjoying it. I owe a big thanks to Danielle and my mom for loaning me so many audio books. Danielle by sharing her DVDs and mom for checking them out at the library for me.
Until next time....

Long Weekend

2009-07-06T21:02:00.004-04:00

Fourth of July weekend went off fairly well. I was very fortunate to have the day off of work (considering they used Friday as the "observed" 4th) and we used that day to have bebe's 9 month portraits taken. My mom and husband both joined Emily and I at JCPenney portrait studio. Little Miss Smiley as documented on my facebook page decided to sit on the backgrounds and just stare at the photographer. No smiles, no crying..just staring. She cracked a few smiles finally (thankfully, she had 3 outfit changes!). On the third outfit, bebe' wailed. She was not having it. We tried sitting her on a small couch in the photo and that was the end of that. The wonderful people of Briarwood's JCPenney Portrait Studio were kind enough to tell us that if we wanted to leave and feed her or whatever, they would be happy to squeeze her back in and try again in her last outfit. Out in the mall, bebe' quieted down and chugged a bottle. We ran into my co-worker Eric and his family, chatted with them, Eric managed to sneak a smile out of her so we were like "let's go! She's on!" Bebe' was like a pro the second time around. We got a lot of great shots and again, the people were so nice for allowing us to sneak back in and save our sitting without charging us an extra sitting fee or anything (I get free ones anyway for being in their portrait club). Plus, I had a coupon for a free 10 x 13..holla!

My mom and I went to JoAnn's later that day and I bought a bouquet of fake flowers that were really very pretty - I meant to take a picture. My momma took me to the cemetary so I could put the flowers with Granny. I hadn't left her anything yet. I felt silly doing it. Not silly at Granny, but silly for me. I'm still very angry that she's not here. I'm not angry at her but I'm angry because I don't think it should have happened. I miss Granny.
My mom and dad had their usual 4th of July cookout celebrating eating and my dad's birthday (go figure, the foreigner was born on America's bday) more than America's Independance but I digress. Granny was always a sweetie, but in the later years, she became really angry about cameras. REALLY angry. She would actually yell at us, well, snap at us if she so much as saw a camera in the vicinity. I had to explain to her when my baby shower was coming up that there would be cameras but no one would take her picture. She was so concerned about people taking her picture and she would talk about my mom and aunts and cousins by saying "everytime I turn around they've gotta stick that in my face." Truth is, once we knew it bothered her, we did everything to avoid that but she would still get mad. My cousin had a birthday party in the fall right after Emily was born. People were taking pictures of my cousin (it was her birthday), and/or the baby and Granny was all the way across the banquet room and had a fit! It was sad. I don't know why she got that way. Up until about 4 or 5 years ago, I have TONS of pictures of Granny and she was fine in them. Anyway, it was odd being able to take pictures at the cookout this year. I think Granny would have been alright. My mom and I had a good way of convincing her (truthfully) that we wouldn't take her picture. She probably would have been ok with it because of Emily. That is one thing I am thankful for. She did come to the hospital to see Emily after she was born and held her and let me take pictures of her doing so (she called me Sharon the whole time - something she never did before or after that day); she also came to my house a couple of weeks after we came home and we got a picture of our 4 generations: Granny, Momma, Myself and Emily.

If You Act Now...

2009-06-28T22:07:00.003-04:00

One more sad note for the week. We salute you Billy Mays. May you rest in peace. I hope there is a lot of OxiClean in heaven (although I imagine it wouldn't be needed) as well as Orange Glo, and Hercules Hooks. Rest well friend. We all really digged you.

On a Lighter Note...

2009-06-28T21:49:00.006-04:00

After a pretty rough week, one thing did manage to get a smile out of me (other than Emily of course...). I got an e-mail from TVonDVD.com; a website which I had signed up to be notified when certain shows were released on DVD. It is quite rare when I get these so when I do get one, I look and don't delete it as spam as I normally would with something like this. THIS is what I found in my inbox:

YAY!!! September can't get here quick enough!

What a Week!

2009-06-26T17:41:00.008-04:00

Wow. Where to begin? This week has been some kind of crazy that's for sure.

First of all, many of you may have heard over on facebook that our dog Oreo ran off on Tuesday afternoon. He was let out of the house to go do his bizness but got away from my MIL before she could get him on his tether. She thought he would come home (as he had when he ran off with Theodore before) but he had not returned by the time Kurin arrived home. I arrived home to find my husband frantically looking for the dog who had by then been gone 4 hours. We searched, and searched. My BFF came to help and my parents as well. No luck. Everyone kept saying, "he'll turn up" etc. I immediately updated my facebook status with all of his info (because I know there's a bunch of us that still live in the area I live in), reported him lost to the humane society as well as to the internet site through which he is microchipped.
The following morning, I was at work and I was a total hot mess. I faxed my LOST poster (no, not the Sawyer & Hurley LOST...) to all of the local vets, clinics and shelters and called and filed an official report with the Humane Society of Huron Valley who were completely awesome. My supervisor recommended I go home to start passing out fliers because lord knows my head was not at work. I met my mom and aunt for lunch like I usually do on Wednesdays and followed my mom back to her office. She was kind enough to make me a few copies of the flier to post up in my area.
I headed home, still very upset (keep in mind, that I'm the one that's always crazy emotional but I had to be the "strong" one this time as Kurin was incredibly upset about this, not that I wasn't but he was devastated and had to attend training and was unable to leave). I pulled into our driveway and I literally did a double take. Here I was, preparing to take Theodore out on a jaunt hoping to attract Oreo back, when there sat Oreo. He was just sitting there next to the side door that we go in and out of. He was seriously looking at me like he was saying "lady, it's hot out here, could you open the damn door so I can come in?" I could not believe it. I was so happy. I was screaming and jumping and he was absolutely fine. No dirt, no injuries, nothing. BFF says he just wanted to go camping. So, I say an extra little thank you to all of my friends who really said some kind things to us during that hard 24 hours. Thankfully it was only 24 hours but I hope it never happens again....

Of course the other hard part about this week is the passing of Michael Jackson yesterday at the age of 50. I just can't believe it. This was "our" music icon. My generation's Elvis. He was the King of Pop no matter what kind of inappropriate things he may or may not have done, no matter how strange his appearance became, he remains probably the greatest entertainer I will have ever known. The music! The album "Thriller" was my first regular album (regular meaning not Sesame Street or Disney). I had the vinyl, then the tape and it was also one of the first CDs I purchased (when I joined Columbia House like everyone else did). That album is still one of my favorites. Can anyone forget the video to "Thriller"? I remember watching it when it debuted. I also remember watching it and being scared out of my mind when MJ turned into a werewolf. His big yellow contact lenses freaked me out!

I would also make my dad play the tape on the way home from Granny's every day when he'd pick me up after work and I would get so scared at the end when Vincent Price would talk. But I love, love, loved it! I also always enjoyed watching old footage of the Jackson 5 with a little Michael singing and dancing. He was so cute!
This will definitely be one of the more tragic deaths I'll probably ever remember. My parents remember where they were when Elvis died; I'll remember where I was when Michael died.

Coach (no, not the show starring Craig T. Nelson)

2009-06-17T17:40:00.004-04:00

Thanks to my friend Roxanne K., I got an awesome deal on this Coach purse (...well, my mom did). Roxanne passed on a coupon for 20% at the Coach factory store when she saw that I was going to Frankenmuth. We were going to stop at Birch Run outlets and go to a few stores so this was very nice of her. Last year I got a super-fantastic deal on a Coach purse but doubted I could top it.
Well, I saw this bag at the back of the store and all of these people were around the table with these on them - best of all, it's all leather and PINK. They are $329 retail. They were marked down to $199. From there, they were on clearance for the weekend 50% off ($99). SO...I got another 20% off of $99 and the purse was literally like $80. You can't even get a "not" Coach purse for that! Yipee! Thank you momma and yes I know it's part of my Christmas present.

Teeny-Tiny Ein(stein)y

2009-06-17T17:38:00.005-04:00

About a week and a half ago, I tracked down my prize and my mom was kind enough to stop and get myself and my boss one:

The hunt is over!

Gut-Rot

2009-06-16T09:18:00.002-04:00

My newest blog post was going to be about my fun weekend and things I accomplished but with the recent happenings at work, I don't have the heart to talk about such things.
Yesterday, the company I work for laid off a couple of dozen people and reduced the hours of another couple dozen. I've been here for 8 years and I've never seen it like this.
It was so sad, I can't imagine being in the position those people were put in. I feel empty, like a survivor of some kind of weird tragedy. I know it's happening all across the country and especially here in Michigan but no one here ever thought it would come to this.
So please keep my friends in your thoughts. We are/were a close-knit company and hopefully they can return in a few months.

My Mission (Should I Choose to Accept It aka If I Have Time).....

2009-06-01T15:31:00.005-04:00

1. I must, must, must find my prom photo albums. I have fantabulous pictures of a bunch of friends in there that I must scan and put on facebook so that people can laugh (good natured laughing of course).

2. Still need to complete my homework from Kerry by watching The Da Vinci Code. I have actually inserted the disc into the DVD player. Baby steps people...

3. Have to find the Einstein Bobblehead Happy Meal toy from McDonald's. I think I may have this one pegged but I will know tonight. Must get 2: One for myself and one for my boss (he loves toys too). I would take the Easter Island Head too..

4. Start a crochet project that I hope Stink (aka Danielle) can help me with to be done by July 4th for my dad's birthday. I'm not holding my breath but we'll see.

5. Mail pictures of Emily to Kurin's relatives in AZ and IL. Grrr....I got the envelopes addressed but need to organize my pictures to give to them.

On the Spot

2009-05-26T11:36:00.007-04:00

Thanks to my dear old friend Jobi, I have been tagged to list 10 honest things about me. Let's begin....

1.) I am the most paranoid, worrisome person that you could probalby imagine. I'm fairly good at not showing it all the time but my mind is constantly on overdrive worrying about this or that. I cannot relax. It's impossible.

2.) One of the hardest things for me to do is have my blood drawn (or IVs put in). I get sick, throw up and or pass out; it's not pretty. Imagine my horror when I realized this would happen multiple times while pregnant! It's totally psychosomatic - for example, there was a woman at work who would draw blood on occasion and I would see her walking by with her little basket of materials and immediately start to be sick. I'm just not right! :)

3.) I was a "refugee" in 2002 after a fire destroyed our condo. It was uninhabitable for 6 months while being rebuilt and our items were in storage for that long as well. This incident probably changed me the most. As a refugee, I lived in my in-laws' finished basement. For 6 months. That's a long time.

4.) I am lucky to have the awesomest best friend. She and I were besties from at least 6th grade through high school. We both went to the same University but lost touch as we were busy with school etc. Four years ago, we reconnected and it is like we had never been apart. It's not like we were mad or anything...just busy with school and other things. It's sad kind of but I am lucky enough to work with her every day now! Well, I did. We're in separate labs now but it's still more than awesome...I mean, who else can I call up on her extension at work and just randomly babble about stuff that only I think is funny and she will listen and laugh even if she could care less? That's Danielle!

5.) I hate chocolate.

6.) I was always scared to join sports in school for fear of being made fun of because I was no good but once I started working at my employer, I joined the softball team, soccer team and bowling league. I only lasted 2 games with soccer but played for 5 years on the softball team and 6 years on the bowling league. Who knew? I really liked softball.

7.) I drink entirely too much Coca-Cola. I recently cut down to approximately 16 oz per day. Don't ask how much I was drinking, I don't even know.

8.) I have played the piano since I was 3 years old. I now have my piano in my house and would love to play but get anxiety over it. I don't think I remember how to do it and that makes me incredibly sad.

9.) I would love to have a second home in New Orleans

10.) I have listened to the Legally Blonde: The Musical original broadway recording every day since April 21, 2008. Yes, I know...lame. :P

So, there you have it. That's as honest as I'm going to get right now.

Roots Followup

2009-05-22T11:42:00.003-04:00

--Finished Roots yesterday (as audiobook). Took so long because it is hard to read such atrocities and I am fortunate enough to have been able to "take a break" from listening about it when I couldn't handle it. They (Kunta's family) couldn't take a break and I'm so glad I finally read this and really now seem to understand the plight of slaves. Sure, I've read books before with slave characters or freed men of color but there was something so personal about this story that it just seemed to finally sink in to me how it really was.

--One of the awesomest books I've ever read. Read it. Really.

Homework Pt. 1

2009-05-18T16:30:00.005-04:00

Homework assigned to me by Kerry M. - and she thought I wouldn't do it. I thought it best that I do a report as well.

Stepbrothers
A comedy starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly

Date Watched: Sunday, May 17, 2009
Grade: A-

I initially began watching this film several months ago, only to turn it off because I was very tired and didn’t want to miss any of it.
Kerry seems to think that I only watch Best in Show and would like me to broaden my horizons by watching this film. It wasn’t exactly a question of whether I would like it or not but when would I have time? I also did not want to disturb my “disturbing” habit of watching the same things over and over and over like I so often do. The fact is, I own this movie. I’ve owned it since December 25th, 2008.
Before leaving on her 1 year wedding anniversary trip, Kerry assigned me to watch two movies. I actually had time on Sunday afternoon where all I was doing was writing out some note cards. Kurin was outside doing yard work and Emily was napping. Yes!
I popped the DVD in and enjoyed it a lot. Some of my favorite parts include:
1. “Did we just become best friends? “ – Brennan (W.F.) “Yup!”- Dale (J.C.R.)
2. The fact that they both sleep walk and Brennan’s character puts his mother’s purse in the freezer.
3. Brennan’s younger brother and his singing family singing Sweet Child of Mine. Awesome.
4. The end where Horatio Sanz plays the lead singer for the Billy Joel tribute band “Uptown Girl” – they only play Joel’s 80s songs though.
5. The finale: When Brennan sings and Dale plays drums.

I loved it. I can see this easily becoming one of my new favorites. Totally better than Semi-Pro which I forgot to tell Kerry I watched one night on cable and hated it.
**Special coolness rating goes to Mary Steenburgen (one of my faves) for being Will Ferrell’s mom in this and his stepmother in Elf. She also starred in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (one of my FAVES) with John C. Reilly.

Yes Emily, you were an egg once...

2009-04-16T20:03:00.012-04:00

Over Easter weekend, Kurin suggested that we dye eggs with Emily, it being her first Easter. Needless to say, Target's selection of egg dye was minimal at best. I basically had Sports or Transformers to pick from. After much scavenging, I did find a Hello Kitty kit. Score! I boiled the eggs Saturday night so that we could dye eggs Sunday morning. As easy as this sounds, I am clueless as to how to boil an egg. Special thanks to the Internet for helping me learn to do this correctly without eggs asploding everywhere (yes, asploding is a word in LOLcat speak). Here are our supplies. The egg kit came with a super-cute Hello Kitty chicken poster, and lots of little stickers and egg holders and whatnot.

Obviously Emily didn't do a whole lot when it came to the process but she was a good sport about dressing up in her Easter PJs, wearing her bunny hat and basically humoring Mommy and Daddy for a photo op.

Here is Emily with her Hello Kitty eggs. Daddy ate them soon after LOL
After fun with eggs, we headed to Grandma and Cedo's house for Easter Dinner. It was awesome. They made enough food for about 10 and it was 4 of us plus Emily.

NOM NOM NOM!

We had ham, leg of lamb, arabic rice (hashweh), arabic potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans, and green bean casserole. Yeeum!

Emily received an Easter basket from the bunny who lives at our house under our deck and then the Easter bunny that lives at Grandma and Cedo's house got her a basket too! She cashed in! Two books, a stuffed lamb, some stuffed bunnies, a puppy dog teething ring, and her first Longaberger basket (thanks Grandma).
All in all, it was a nice Easter....

Hippity Hoppity It's Easter Day!

2009-04-12T20:09:00.001-04:00

Special Agent...Sean Astin?!? Really?

2009-04-07T13:36:00.003-04:00

I read a blog on usatoday.com everyday called Pop Candy. It's pretty neat and lets me learn about what's new and cool in Pop Culture and what shows are good to watch, new music, etc. So, as I was looking at the highlights from yesterday's blog, I nearly choked. Whitney Matheson (writer of said blog) wrote something like "Wondering what Sean Astin's been up to? Check out this new interview with him." So naturally, everything got pushed aside while I followed the link. Sean Astin is currently the voice of Special Agent Oso. A small bear who is a special agent in training. It is a show on Playhouse Disney for preschoolers and younger. The objective is to teach the children how to do simple tasks or personal tasks (i.e. - brushing your teeth or making a friend) in 3 easy to follow and learn steps.

I am thrilled beyond words that I have a little one to watch this. I have told my dad (who is Emily's babysitter) that this is required watching LOL. Oh and bonus (for mom!), you can sign up to have Oso call your child with a personalized message! Did I say my child was Emily? I meant her name is "Heather."

Until next time America...

Hey Jude

2009-03-24T18:11:00.005-04:00

Well, I was going to write an open letter to a relative of mine who was going to do something with my Granny's dog without really any thought for the rest of us. However, it seems that issue has been resolved to the satisfaction of all; at least for now. Therefore, my rant would me misused and it would be very wrong of me to go off about it.
In other news, I am reading one of the best books I've read in a LONG time - ROOTS. I am only halfway through it and I suggest you read it if you haven't yet. It was always on my "must read in this lifetime" lists but thanks to Danielle (holla!), she provided the audio version to me and I am hooked.

I cannot believe people kept other people as slaves. I mean, I know about it from school and just common knowledge but reading this story, I still cannot fathom that this actually happened between real humans. It's absolutely sick. Unbelievable story though. Please check it out.
Going on a tangent, because Roots is probably the most well known mini-series of all time (although my coworker had no idea what Roots was..never heard of it and yes she's only like a year younger than me), I implore you to also read the North and South trilogy and then watch that mini-series.

Civil war + Patrick Swayze = ~~awesomeness~~

Peace Out for Now

**I might add that the title of this blog is relevant but probably not to those who read it.

Tweet Tweet!

2009-03-18T13:55:00.003-04:00

I would also like to add that I am on Twitter. You can follow me using hcamel24. Be warned though that I update Twitter a lot more regularly and I tend to swear a whole bunch (haha!)

There Is a Purpose

2009-03-18T13:47:00.003-04:00

I like this blog. Nobody reads it (which is probably a good and a bad thing). I don't think I care. I suppose I do since I mentioned it. I would like to use this blog for two reasons.

1. To catalog any projects I work on, start, finish, want to do, etc.. and share with others (although, as I said above, nobody reads this that would care haha)

2. To just write about stupid crap that only I care about. For example..how long did I spend the other day stewing over the fact that I just found out that Sean Astin had been in Farmington in October filming a movie. Hello??? Where was I?? Oh, right, having Emily LOL Hey, she was a scheduled c-section, I could have rescheduled haha

I feel better. I needed to kind of outline the use of this blog. I want to do it but I just don't know when I'll have the time. It's 2pm now (um...I am obviously at work...oops!), so maybe I'll be better at keeping up. It's hard trying to get things done around the house, cook, clean, take care of baby, etc and then have time to do extra stuff and then blog about that stuff. I'm tired just reading that sentence!

Adieu!

Haddy

2009-03-14T10:13:00.003-04:00

So, this post may not be exactly what it should be but bear with me. Last Sunday morning, Granny died. I know it hasn't sunk in yet. I keep thinking that it didn't happen. It's really very strange. I know that she had a small stroke in December, but she didn't have any real issues with that. There was no paralysis, her speech was slightly affected but not slurred, her word-finding was the problem but within a few days, it was back on track. They did surgery to unblock her carotid artery and she was back to being Granny again. So, although people say "she was old" and "she lived a good life", while that's all well and true, it wasn't time. I don't believe it. I just had lunch at Arby's with her on Wednesday and she gave me a birthday card. It was expected but not expected, you know? I don't know when it will sink in. I did not like the funeral (well, who does though?). I did not like seeing my Granny laying there. I was very sad. I am very sad but I'm not sad like last week. I'm sad but I feel more confused because even though I sometimes can be smart, I don't believe this happened. It just seems weird that I'll never, ever see her again. To me, right now, that's not right. So, to wrap my head around this and to maybe stop rambling on and on, I am going to make "Granny Lists." The first one is what she ate at restaurants. I'm so afraid I'll forget everything.

What Granny Ate

Arby's - Back in the old days, it was the Ham and Cheese sandwich, then it became chicken strips, and most recently a Jr. Roast Beef with Arby's Sauce, curly fries and Pepsi
Big Boy - Slim Jim combination, no lettuce on the sandwich, fries and coleslaw
Taco Bell - 2 soft taco supremes
Wendy's - She used to get a Single with cheese, mayo, tomato and onion, fries and a Pepsi. More recently she got chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce, fries and a Pepsi
Bob Evan's - Years ago she would always get the Chicken 'n' Noodles, more recently is was breakfast: The Homestead with scrambled eggs, home fries, sausage patties and biscuits and gravy
Leo's - Usually breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled, sausage patties, hash browns and white toast
Cracker Barrell - The Old Timer's Breakfast with 2 eggs scrambled, sausage patties, hashbrown casserole, and biscuits with gravy, no grits. For dinner she sometimes got the Country Vegetable plate with dumplings, coleslaw, hasbrown casserole and macaroni and cheese
O'Charley's - Chicken fingers dinner
Herc's (VERY old) - Salisbury Steak, a piece of custard pie
Mark's Coney Island - Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled, baked ham, hash browns, white toast. Lunch: Coney burger and fries (a LONG time ago)

One of the funny things Granny did with her food was when she would eat a french fry, she would not eat the ends. So, at the end of a meal, there would be all of these little pieces of ends of french fries. I never understood why but I thought it was cute.

The "Jorge Garcia Project"

2009-02-27T11:40:00.006-05:00

I recently found about these neat little figures called Kubricks. They are kind of like Lego people but it's on a whole different level and they're bigger and much cooler. I have a fondness for figures. Not necessarily action figures but I do have my fair share of Austin Powers, Mini-Me's, and Fat Bastards as well as the Sean Astin figures from the LOTR trilogy. Anyway, I learned about these Kubricks and thought they were really kind of neat.
I really liked the fact that there was a series of figures from LOST. Kurin and I watch this show religiously..he actually watches it over and over and over and over...I love it. It's great, it gets you thinking. The plot is so intricate that it occupies your mind for days after watching an episode. Getting back to the figures, I received some. They are "blind-boxed" which means you don't know what you're going to get. The 7 figures that are advertised are: Jack with a gun, Kate with handcuffs, Sayid with a walkie-talkie, Sawyer with a book, Locke with a knife, Charlie with a guitar and Hurley with a CD player. There are also 2 unadvertised figures but I won't get into that now.

I ended up with more than one Hurley which was very exciting and the spark for my idea. I read Jorge Garcia's blog daily. Mr. Garcia plays Hurley on LOST. He seems so normal that it's really cool. He blogs about his dog Nunu, his vacations, it's just a really neat blog and he seems to be a great, down to earth guy..just like Hurley on the show (only he doesn't see dead people in real life..I don't think - hahaha). On his blog, he also freely gives out the address to contact him and I believe he has mentioned that he tries to answer them all himself.

So, it may not be such a big "project", but I am going to send my extra Hurley to him and see if he can maybe sign the box or figure (even though it's kind of small) and maybe take his picture with it or something for me. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do but I hope it's cool. I'll post more when I figure it out. I hope to wrap this up this weekend.

Work, Entrepreneurship and Baby Dragons

2009-02-18T15:42:00.005-05:00

So today has been a good day at work. Well, not really but yes really. The not really is that Kerry went home sick which is sad and I've had no one to talk to all day (except Danielle when I manage to go across the parking lot to the other building but it's pouring rain..or was and I didn't feel like it much and this is probably the longest run-on sentence ever).
However, the good part is that I got to do some fun stuff that I haven't been able to yet and that was enjoyable. Also, I'm constantly thinking about ways to be crafty (more for Danielle than I) I just don't have the talent but I love to find ideas or suggest things to her and she whips it out and that makes me almost as happy as making things myself. So I had a pretty neat idea today and I hope we can both accomplish this idea because it's short and sweet and could possibly bring in a little moohla.
In other news...mom and dad are off to Sin City tomorrow. They are off to Vegas to go to a conference that my mom is attending for work and daddy's tagging along. This means that Emily gets to stay with her Great-Grandma Gay tomorrow. Ooh! That will be a nice change for her. I think my dad is going to have a hard time though. He's going to be having Emily withdrawl as well as Lily (aka baby dragon) withdrawl. Lily is my parents' miniature pinscher who is more pinscher than miniature if you catch my drift. She's adorable but obnoxious at the same time. I love her, she's my sister.
So, I am still hoping to post more. I just had a 10 minute break and wanted to jump on and say "hey!"

2009-02-06T15:43:00.002-05:00

Things I would like to blog but haven't had much time to. Even if they are late, I will eventually get to it.

1. Tigerfest
2. Work Toilet
3. Target and all of it's randomness
4. Lotty
5. Books for Emily
6. Works in Progress

There, that makes me feel a bit better. So, "until next time...be good to yourself, and each other" (Jerry Springer)

EPIC FAIL!

2009-01-29T15:58:00.001-05:00

Just a quick one: My new favorite blog ever is: failblog.org Check it out. It's too awesome for words.

Yes He Did!

2009-01-22T08:48:00.006-05:00

I haven't had a chance to put into words how I feel having watched the first African-American to become President. He has a hard job ahead of him but I think the world is behind him. I saw this picture via a person on Twitter and I think the photo itself says it all.
From Time Magazine:

The Hopes of a Nation: Residents of Kibera, one of Nairobi's poorer quarters, gather around a television to watch the first black president in US history take his oath of office. (Time Magazine)

Unbelievable that a village gathers around a single small television to watch this historic moment.

One of my friends said to me on inauguration day, "Heather, isn't it wild that Emily is going to grow up not knowing what it was like to wonder if we would ever have a black President?" She will never know that. As my friend also said, it's kind of like us with women voting. Yes, we know that women couldn't vote at one time but you never really understand it because you don't know what that was like - in my lifetime, women have always been able to vote and therefore it just seems like a history book lesson - it never seems real that there was really a time that women couldn't vote. This historic day will be much like that to her.

Bowing to Peer Pressure

2008-08-13T16:10:00.002-04:00

Welcome to my new blog "Emily and Ivory." I don't have a lot to say but I do feel that this may be better than the Myspace blog feature. Perhaps I'll do both (not that I blog that much, but maybe I will more now). First things first, if you know the 80s, then you should kind of "get" the title of my blog. Emily is the name Kurin and I have chosen for our baby (coming soon!). In any case, it's late in the day and I need to leave work and hope to write more later. So, greetings to all of you and I hope you find some of my musings entertaining.