It's the Weekend Yo

I have a case of Can't Want To's so I'm posting random stuff here instead of a "real" post.

If I ever lose my mind & move to the city, I so want to live here:

To see more of these condos, click HERE

This song came on the radio just a bit ago and it sums up my Friday attitude:





And random picture of the day to round out the post:

Last Saturday afternoon on the way home

Have a Great Weekend Everyone!!!!!!!!!

Mom Drank the Kool-Aid

My mom called last night, just casually, to tell me that my niece got a job. As I listened, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's just a job at Eddie Bauer, not like a job at the Pentagon or anything.

Then she says:

"So, who do you think will get voted off tonight?"

She totally called just to gossip about American Idol.

My mom is enjoying the freedom of watching whatever the eff she wants on television. When we were kids, she used to love variety shows, award shows, and the like. So it's not surprising that she has fallen under American Idol's spell.

At least she agrees with Kevin now. I thought their relationship was going to end over "The purple haired girl" that was voted off first-ish. Kevin loves her and my mom hated her.

Now they both want Casey James to win and they both don't care for Crystal Bowersox. Both of them were satisfied with "the screamer" getting voted off last night.

I did learn one thing, just in time,: Don't talk negatively about her Ellen. Whew! Dodged a bullet there.

Sometimes I forget that she's 75 years old. She thinks that Kara is acting like a hussy, hanging on Simon that way. She can't remember Ryan's name for anything. "That cute Bryan Seacourt...."

At least now we have something to talk about each week. (:-D

Pass It On

Have any of you seen the commercials from the Foundation for a Better Life?

To watch them, click HERE

They are motivational commercials that seem like they would be from a *Insert Church here* or something like that. To my relief, they are not.

They are simply made by an organization that is just trying to make the world a better place.

The site features inspirational quotes, motivational posters, the commercials & so much more.

With so much negative floating around in the world right now, I thought this site might be a little antidote for what's ailing us.

My Very Own FailBooking

Y'all have seen that site, right? If not, click here. Go ahead, we'll wait so you understand the next part........

Ready? Okay. The other evening did not go well, on a variety of levels:

*Click on Picture to make Bigger*

In Defense of Lifetime

You know I don't mind admitting that I like the Lifetime channel. In fact, it has three shows that I really enjoy: Project Runway (Go Seth Aaron!) Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva.

None of those shows require thought or contemplation, they are just entertaining.

I enjoy some of the movies as well. I tend toward the romantic comedies more than the dramas but I don't know how many times a movie has come on & I've ended up getting sucked into. Oh, the Clark Rockefeller movie was really, really good.

Again, it's not Academy Award winning acting but I am not interested in that on a weekend when I'm doing chores.

The only thing I would change is "Wife Swap". OMG you guys, this is the most horrible show ever.

Luckily the only time I am ever subjected to it is when I have a day off. Then it finds me blindly reaching for the remote...because of course I am sleeping in...to change it to anything else. Anything. PBS, QVC, ESPN. I don't care, just make it go away.

It is perfect in the mornings during the week: Reba, Frasier, and Will & Grace. Sitcoms are an easy way to edge into the day. I can't count how many times I have turned off W&G to go to work thinking "Darnit, that's one of my favorites."

Like this one:

A Reason to Walk on Sundays

I stopped getting the newspaper about one year ago. They changed to morning delivery and it was offering less & less news, which meant that I was reading nearly two day old news by the time I got home at night.

I found that I missed it though, especially the Sunday paper. No color comics or Parade magazine. No more coupons. No want ads.

Last Sunday it also occurred to me that I walk to the mailbox every day except Sunday. While taking Sunday off isn't necessarily a bad thing, it also isn't good for habit forming. As it is, spring rains have been keeping me from walking down there during the week.

What was I talking about again? Oh, the newspaper.

I subscribed to the paper last weekend.

What I had forgotten is the time it takes to read said newspaper. Right this very minute, there are three days worth of papers next to my chair, along with the stacks of unread magazines.

As I sat down to read the paper, it occurred to me how much I used to enjoy it. Online newspapers just don't cut it. Like e-books, there is something about actually holding the newspaper in your hands.

Online doesn't have a comics page or advertisements that feature your friends/cousins/classmates businesses. I don't have to click multiple links to get to the announcements and there are actual want-ads instead of careerbuilder.com and cars. com.

For $11 a month, I can feel more connected to the community. I can read Dilbert. I can hold the paper up to block the view of Squirmy Von Talkypants when he is on the telephone.

And now I have to walk on Sundays.

Losses

A little over the week ago, there was an explosion at one of the local refineries, only three people survived. Slowly over the first week two of them died. The remaining survivor was doing pretty well according to his family posting updates on Facebook & CaringBridge.

Everyone was rooting for him, the lone survivor. The guy who, it turns out, was the one that got to the control room to call for help.

He passed from complications during the night. Everyone is so disappointed.

Funny how you root for people you've never met. How disappointed you feel when things don't work out.

Also, I have been reading Wife of Wounded Marine after reading an article about her. She is a victim of the war, their marriage did not survive his return from war after an injury. It was with surprise that she announced that he had died.

With us bloggers, we seem to become attached to one another. It feels like an actual friend has lost her husband. The internet has made the world so small.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

As I have mentioned previously, I don't enjoy mornings. Everyone sucks in the morning, I am an equal opportunity hater in the mornings. It's not your fault, it's just how my brain is wired.

Kevin leaves for work at 6:00 AM. I don't leave until 8:30 AM. That is quite the little window of opportunity.

I could write, I could do chores, get caught up on the DVR. But that's not what I do.

I sleep.

There is something irresistible about crawling back into a warm bed, burrowing into the middle, and sleeping for another hour or so. Often I think "I should go do *insert whatever here*" as I am literally laying my head down. The pull of sleep is more powerful than most anything at 6:00 AM.

Lately I've been considering/half-assed trying to change that habit. I've bribed myself with watching Project Runway or Army Wives on some mornings but that doesn't always work.

I have found that if I put my glasses on first thing (I don't usually, I pretty much make Kev's lunch by Braille & yes, it has resulted in some interesting failures.) If I put them on, it seems to tell my brain "No, seriously, we're staying up."

I know that mornings are supposed to be the perfect time to write because your mind isn't overloaded just quite yet. I've discovered that for me it just means that I am going to be late to work every single day.

So we'll see how that goes.

Do you get up way before you have to be at work? J said that she enjoys it because then it doesn't feel like she's living her entire life at work. She makes a really good point and that is what started me thinking about staying up in the morning. She's right: having that extra time in the morning does make a difference.

But I really rather sleep.

Random Item of the Day

Here is a gnome that resides in our house. Not it's not me, although that title certainly could apply some days.

Kevin's mom gave me this gnome because I did something nice one day. She intended it to live in our garden somewhere. Instead it resides on one of the kitchen counters.

The problem with having yard decorations in Washington State is green. Everything gets mossy or moldy. I just didn't have the heart to banish this guy outside, much to Kevin's dismay.

And now I've added the cute bunnies I found at Target. I may need help.

Reader or Browser

I have resisted using Google Reader or anything like that. I like to be able to see and click through the blogs that I read. I like to see if you've changed your format or theme. Reading blogs in plain text is just kinda boring for me. I like the more personal approach. Soothing colors, pretty pictures! Links to other blogs!

Also, I wasn’t reading enough blogs to justify it in my head. That has now changed. I am afraid that I may have to break down and try a reader. Especially since I alternate between reading at home & reading at work.

While I have a routine that I usually follow, I’ve found that I have been missing some posts, etc. Or I get caught up in reading & forget to comment. This is why you'll occasionally get a flurry of comments from me. What? I don't comment on your blog, how is that possible? I promised I'd try. Leave a link in the comments section if you want me to wander over and randomly comment.

I'm off topic again.

I am afraid that, like the DVR, I will get in a hurry or frustrated and either burn through the posts without truly reading them or get overwhelmed at the amount of posts and heartlessly delete them then miss something fabulous.

Do you use a reader? If so, which one do you use?

Hang or Fold

Spring has officially arrived. I was looking at the closet the other day & pondering my clothes. I don’t do the Spring/Summer vs. Fall/Winter switch like some people do. I simply don’t have that many clothes or that kind of attention span.

Which made me think about other people’s closets. Of course it did. We have a big-ish walk-in closet. I try to keep it organized, at least as much as a closet can be.

It has shelves above the racks but I try not to pile stuff up there. At least where you can see it when the door is open. I finally broke down & folded a few of Kev’s hoodies simply because they take up so much space & they are his work ones that he doesn’t wear often. So those are up there. And a jewelry box. And a chair massager and a neck massager. And an extra blanket. Hangers. Computer briefcase. Clothes to paint in.

Other than that, there's nothing on the shelves.

Here is what seems to be an odd thing about us: Kevin’s t-shirts are hung up. I am a terrible folder and if they are in drawers, he seems to wear the same four t-shirts versus digging in the drawers to see what is there. So I hang them. It works for us, don't judge.

I always look at the closet and think “We have too many clothes”. Then I scan through everything and sometimes take out a few pieces but usually walk away with a shrug. At least I tried. Kevin, thankfully, doesn't have that strange attachment to clothes like some men do. I can't tell you how many times I've seen something fly out of the closet with a "Get rid of that, it bugs me" announcement.

Also, the one time that I really culled through the closet was right before we left for Vegas and had to send our clothes ahead of us. Thus leaving us with no clothes to wear that weren’t faded, too big/small, or generally unreasonable.

My clothes are sorted by color and type. Yes, I know I have issues. This system allows me to get dressed in a very Garanimals type of way. I could almost get dressed in the dark if I chose. Oh, who am I kidding? I've totally gotten dressed in the dark before.

How do you organize your closet? Fold or hang clothes? Stuff on the floor? Organized or impassable? Shall we call Hoarders?

Unplugged

As friend J says "My hard drive is full". Last week was a long week that I just wanted to be over. Come 4:59 on Friday afternoon, I was but a vapor trail leaving work.

Friday night we had dinner with the Fam and added W to the mix. He hung out at the house for a while after and we had a lovely evening together. I fell asleep watching French Kiss, the perfect ending for a relaxing evening.

Kevin let me sleep in a bit on Saturday, a much needed rest. I still don't understand why I sleep better on his side of the bed than mine but I'll take it. We took Missy for her treat at the mocha stand and after that? Well, after that I did f&*k-all. I didn't clean the house, I didn't do the laundry, I didn't do the internet. I didn't even have the television on.

There was no noise in the house. No radio. No phone. No television. Nothing.

It was beautiful.

The boys went to Seattle Saturday evening, leaving me to my own devices. I went grocery shopping then came home & took a bath. Snuggled down into the bath with the book from the tweaker adventure (super good book, btw) then moved to my chair and watched a Hallmark movie.

Today was very similar. I did turn the radio on today as I was working outside on the deck & needed something to distract me from the hideous task that I was working on: cleaning patio furniture.

The reward was sitting outside in our Adirondack chairs with randomly chosen magazines and the dog. Perfection.

I didn't have to make dinner tonight so that was lovely. I am now chilling in my chair while Kevin watches racing. The magazine stack will hopefully continue to decline and I can start the week without wanting to punch people.

How was your weekend?

Weddings!

I have attended many weddings as an adult. Casual ones in backyards to formal ones on Mercer Island. There have been weddings that I have loved and ones that I found I had a headache from the eye-rolling.

One of the best weddings ever was the Whispers Wedding

One of the most epic FAIL weddings was a cousins. It was in the community room of a retirement community, but they were in their thirties. The groom was sweating profusely and chewing gum. The groomsmen were fidgety and also chewing gum. There were hecklers. No word of a lie: hecklers. It was a sitcom writer's dream.

One of my favorite wedding moments was my niece's wedding when the Pastor was talking to the groom and said "Christoper, you will have to be patient with her." My brother-in-law SNORTED in laughter, which sent a titter of giggles through the family.

Or when one of Kevin's oldest friends finally got married. He kissed her while holding her shoulders then set her back, as if they were six years old and just kissed for the first time.

We attended one wedding where the colors were chocolate brown & gold. It was SO lovely, even though it doesn't sound like it.

During my first wedding ceremony, I sing-songed my vows & kept looking at the Pastor instead of the groom. Should have taken that as a sign. At the same wedding, a friend told me afterward that he nearly stood up in protest during the "Does anyone know of any reason these people should not be married?"

Wouldn't have that been Awesome?

What are your favorite wedding memories?

Slug Booth

I read the other day that one of the media outlets are asking for pictures of operational phone booths because they have become such a rarity.

I mentioned this to Kevin over the weekend, which I guess turned into a challenge to find the most phone booths. By the time we were headed back home on Saturday, Kevin was shouting "Slug Booth!".

There is one at the gas station just off the freeway north of here. Gas stations seem to be the key to finding these mythical creatures. 7-Elevens or AM/PM's. We also noticed their connection with low-income areas and shady looking people.

This new challenge branched out into the conversation of "What exists now that didn't twenty, thirty, forty years ago?" Cell phones, lap tops, voicemail, microwaves. All of these are essential now yet we all grew up without them.

Now you have something to do in the car: Slug Booth

The List is too Long

(why yes, that is Craig Ferguson)

While I love the DVR, it is creating issues in my life. Time issues. Who Do You Love More issues.

My alphabet personality makes me try to keep the DVR memory at no less than 70%. I have found that if I allow it to decrease much more than that I begin to wantonly delete episodes and half the time I regret it.

A few years ago I lamented that there wasn't anything good on anymore. We had eleventy channels and nothing good was on them. Or any time that I got caught up in a show, it would be cancelled. I am still utterly bitter about October Road & Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Also, television used to have it's own season: September to May. Now, with much improvement I must say, new shows begin all the time. No longer do we have to wade through endless reruns during the summers.

Even with the DVR, I still find myself watching shows online. The DVR is scheduled to it's limit and I haven't committed myself to returning to the old school way of VHS tapes. Although this would be a good solution as I used to watch "my shows" during the night while Kevin slept blissfully unaware of who was on Ellen or OMG I can't believe they killed that character.

Like our tastes in magazines, our tastes in television vary as well. Neither of us are big reality show watchers, with the exception of American Idol & So You Think You Can Dance. Oh, and I heart The Amazing Race. Kevin watches 24, Spartacus, and UFC which I am not terribly interested in but still can follow & nod knowingly during conversations. I can finish the dishes & laundry while he watches them, sort of like plunking a child in front of a video so you can get chores done.

Our favorites? I love Parenthood & The Good Wife. Kevin loves Castle and The Office. We both watch Monday night sitcoms on CBS and The Office. Everyone Loves Raymond is usually on during dinner, as it becomes a sort of therapy for us.

The DVR has rendered Netflix or any movie watching useless as there is always something to watch now. This does make me a little sad. Our movie purchases are piling up and Benjamin Button has been hanging out at our house entirely too long.

How do you go about watching television?

Sing Along Y'all

The local newspaper in my hometown is sponsoring a lip-synch contest among the high schools. I am proud & excited to say that my high school was Teh Bestest one.

Judge for yourself!!!

I Love You - Sedro Woolley High School

FB FAIL

Facebook continues to give us interesting challenges. I think the universe is having a good time with the situations that FB creates.

Last weeks episode of Facebook Fail was the friending of someone I dated for like a minute in high school and it did not end well, both times.

I had spotted his name on the ever changing Friend Suggestions but he had a different first name. Finally he friended me. I hesitated and dithered then decided WTH.

Sure enough, he messages me asking how my life is, etc. For some reason it bothered me a bit so I was probably a bit overly effusive in my life's description. And guess what? no response. Hmmm. Some things never change do they?

Have you friended anyone & had it turn out to be a fishing expedition?

Enjoy the Ride

I heard this on Rosie O'Donnells radio show. After she recited it, someone mentioned that this could be applied to life in general. I couldn't agree more.

It's just a gentle reminder to enjoy the ride, no matter where you land.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome To Holland".

"Holland?!?" you say, "What do you mean "Holland"??? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy"

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills...Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned".

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things...about Holland.

© 1987, by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission of the author.

Shed Your Skin

I read a long while ago that a good habit to grow is changing clothes when you get home from work, especially if you have had a bad day or have a sucky job.

It makes sense you know. Like a costume change, it can become an attitude adjustment. The clothing can change according to mood or season: Jammies if it's been a total crap day or winter and sometimes even a shower to wash the day away, or casual clothes to relax in, or in most cases in my world: just taking off my shoes. No one can relax in shoes.

The change in the weather means I can change out of my big girl clothes when I get home & trade them for track pants & a t-shirt, no shoes or sandals. I can water plants or read on the deck and forget that the past eight hours have ever happened.

I guess it is not different than changing from jammies to your regular clothes in the morning. It's a ritual to prepare for the day. I am the kind of person that can't lounge about all day in jammies. I have to get dressed, even if I am home sick.

How many times do you change clothes in a day?

Stacks

My book addiction is well documented. However, I have glossed over my magazine issue. It is nearly as bad as books.

Exhibit A:
I subscribe to entirely too many magazines. I try to cull through them over the weekend or when Kevin is watching something I am not interested in....Spartacus or UFC, which then I end up being interested in also so *thwarted*...

My magazine interests are schizophrenic. Seriously. Look closely at the picture, what do you see? Oprah, Real Simple, Time, National Dragster, The Week. What you can't see is: More, Time, Newsweek, TV Guide, House Beautiful, Redbook, etc. etc.

Kevin gets every car magazine that exists. I just ordered one more last week, just in case. The problem with his magazines are they are expensive. Mine are less expensive, or so I tell myself.
Because if you do the math, amount of subscriptions - the more expensive yet limited subscriptions = holy crap, I need to stop subscribing to every magazine that catches my attention.

I can't even choose a favorite. I love Vanity Fair but I have to be alert & smart to read it. I like The Week because it is a conglomeration of all the news magazines thus technically rendering Time & Newsweek worthless. (yet I still subscribe) People and Entertainment Weekly I usually read on Friday nights when my brain simply cannot accept any more meaningful information.

What's my point, you're wondering. Clearly print media is not dead in this house. Or maybe it is because it's all HERE.

To my credit, I do take all the magazines into work to share. So actually, my issue is altruistic. Yeah, that's it.

What magazines do you read?

Studio

Where I live attracts a lot of artists. There are artist studios everywhere.

Recently friend J mentioned how artists rent studios then paint/decorate them how they never would in their own homes.

Doesn't that sound GREAT?

The mind reels. I think I would paint the walls either dark red or hunter green. Make it into an old English style library kind of feel. I would keep my big old oak desk and my funky lamps. Floor to ceiling bookshelves. A cat...no, that wouldn't work, would it? Perhaps a stuffed cat.

Beyond the decoration, I am kind of loving the idea of having a studio to go to. Right now I have the rarely used office and while I enjoy writing in there, it's not perfect yet. The old computer is in there, the dog bed, approximately eleventy hundred pictures of the racecar.

I've always been fascinated with the idea of a loft. I would triple love to have a loft here. Sadly, I think a treehouse is going to be the closest thing I could ever get.

It's fun to think of though, isn't it.

What would you do with a studio if you had one?

Wrap It Up

I have recently become fascinated with ugly towels. Well, not ugly really, but definitely not pretty.

My favorite towel? It's a 1970's beach towel. No, it's not paisley. It's brown, yellow, and orange striped. Yeah, not pretty.

In the "Common Folk Bathroom" I have two beach towels that I use. One is from the 80's...maybe my fascination stretches beyond ugly into vintage, hmmm....anyway, it's an authentic Disneyland towel sent from my aunt & uncle. The other is a Snap-On towel...get your head out of the gutter, jeez. It's a tool company, oh no, that's not helping, is it? Anyway, it's a beach towel also. Very soft & I love it.

Remember a few months ago I bought brown towels? I so love them. They seem warm even when they're not. Mr Pickles bought the brown & black towel a few weekends ago and I bought one to match today because I liked it so much. They coordinate with a very similar red/brown set of towels that I bought earlier this year.

Target had towels on the end-caps that are the color of Kermit and beach towel sized. Totally bought two of them. They don't match anything but that's okay.

I bought a red hand towel in experimentation with changing the bathroom over to red. I didn't like it. It was like having a Broadway star singing from the towel rack. "I'm here! I'm bright & cheery and ready to SHINE!!!!" So, yeah no. Kevin is using it in the shop now, it matches the racecar.

What are your favorite towels?

Pass-Along with Color Commentary

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
Doesn't that make you shiver just a tiny bit?

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
What is this wrong that you speak of?

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
I don't think naps ever were a problem for me. Why do you think I was a preschool teacher?

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
*seriously*

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
randomly

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
Yes, otherwise I would never be able to sign my name.

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
Amen brother.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
I always make up stories anyway.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
said the Insomniac

10. Bad decisions make good stories.
Dude, and I have some good stories too.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
It's called 10:00 AM

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
I still own VHS tapes. True story.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
Because I am the writer that lost three chapters, just to find them months later then forget where they were again.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- EVER!!!
t-shirts & jeans. enough said.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
Actually I just don't care. Leave a doggone message.

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
Why I shower every day. The one time I don't: BOOM, there's the ex-husband.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
Again: true story. Kevin has his ex-wife's number as "Bitch"

18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day, "Mom, what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?
"How would we know? They're f*&king ninjas!"

19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
Um, mine has one?

20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
I got nothing

21. And finally...Have you ever wondered if that dollar bill your holding has ever been in a strippers butt crack?
Or cocaine?

Everything the Same Yet Everything is Different

Tonight we had a surprise visit from one of our dearest friends. He had hinted that he would be in the neighborhood but wasn't specific so the knock on the door was a complete shock.

We've known Chuck for about twelve years. He was married to someone who was, hmm how do I say this? Well, she was the Devil. When they finally split, Chuck eventually moved to Northern California and we didn't keep in touch the way we'd like. As happens in these situations.

Chuck brought his son CJ, whom I held when he was brand new and played with until he was four or five. He's fourteen and the most beautiful kid. He has this smile that lights up the room. He was an angel of a baby and it seems that he stayed that way.

We spent time catching up on mutual friends, telling stories about our current lives and making plans for the future. Enough time has passed that we've lost touch with lots of our common friends but regained that well worn groove of friendship in minutes.

It was sweet to share pictures with CJ, it seems like he doesn't have many of that time which makes me sad. He was the center of our world when he was little, the only baby in a group of adults. We sent him away with an envelope full of pictures of himself and his dad.

Cj was able to ask questions about things that happened too. Like why his mom is nicknamed "Lou". He was able to show us how he has grown and will be an adult soon.

Everything is the same in our respective lives, we are the same people with the same idiosyncrasies. Yet everything has changed. We live in different states, drive different cars, have different jobs. Everything is the same yet everything is different. Yet we're still friends.
There is comfort in that. It feels like the circle has completed.

Dear Dog,

There are few things we ask of you.

Don't sit at the table during dinner. You don't have opposable thumbs so you're not invited.

Have some boundaries. People have personal space & you must honor that.

Protect us and the house. This doesn't mean frisk strangers for treats then leave.

Most of all, Dog, would you please stop looking down the hall as if there is someone there when clearly There. Is. Not. It freaks me the eff out.

In turn, we don't mention the "Bath" word. We take you for treats at the mocha stand. We allow you to sleep in the office, as much as you think that you allow us to live in this house.

Mmmkay. KThanks.

Random Items - Kitchen Edition

Swistle gave me this idea. The other day she asked about where everyone keeps their kitchen utensils. The sad thing is that I really had to think where mine were.

We've been in this house for five years in August. We lived in the old house nearly fourteen years and when I packed the kitchen, I rid myself of a lot of things that I never used. When I unpacked into this kitchen, I still purged items from the kitchen.

Now keep in mind, there are only two of us, I don't cook much, and I have the alphabet soup personality.

This is our utensil canister....Kevin hates this drawer. I use about four things in this drawer regularly. Otherwise, this stuff is for show.

This is the pots & pans cupboard...I know, it's early honeymoon period but at least everything matches. (We've been together twenty years, nearly)

And finally here is the cupboard where our dishes live. This cupboard has many stories to tell.
Two-three sets of plates. I don't care for the Corel ones in the back. The blue plastic bowls are in Kevin's honor because he hates glass bowls. The yellow bowl you all have seen at one time or another; it's a butter bowl. It's Kevin's favorite cereal/ice cream bowl from I don't know how long ago. And finally, yes that is another set of silverware. Kevin bought it for a Christmas present because we kept running out of spoons. Yeah, I know.

Oh, and that's a cutting board that I received for Christmas & have no idea what to do with.

What does your kitchen look like?

Happy Easter!

On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer. ~Douglas Horton

Who Do You Think You Are?

Have any of you watched this show? It's on NBC and it is the stories of tracing celebrities family trees. At first I was a little meh about it but it turns out that it is fascinating. Granted, they have all the means to their disposal to discover their origins so it is easier than if I were to research my family tree.

One of the things that I like about it is how little surprises like continuity of tastes or interests are passed along, either genetically or environmentally. Brooke Shields has always been drawn to all things French and it turns out that her family is of French descent.

Or how a simple document can tell a whole story. One marriage certificate or death certificate tells an important chapter.

I wonder if Americans don't consider much beyond their own simple American heritage. It doesn't occur to us that perhaps there was family beyond the Mayflower.

At one time, my father's family tree was traced. It turns out that I am a descendant of Robert E Lee. Unfortunately, those documents have since been lost. My mother's tree would be difficult as there are multiple marriages, siblings, etc.

I would be curious to trace Kevin's family tree as his grandmother was originally from Australia. She was brought over as a young bride and lived in Canada before coming to the States.

Each of our family names are common, common name: Moore, Thomas, and Johnson. Good Gosh, we might as well both be named Smith.

There is a strange coincidence between Kevin & my mothers. Each are named Donna Leigh, and each have an April birthday. My maternal grandmother's maiden name was Gulick and Kevin's mom nearly married a man named Vern Gulick. My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Johnson and that is Kevin's family name.

Maybe I will do a little snooping around. Now is the time, we're not getting any younger.

Do you know your families heritage?

The MTV Generation

I forgot to tell you about 80's night! How did that happen?

My youngest niece is in high school choir. Her teacher, Miss Lazama, is a rock star of a teacher. She has very high standards & goals and the kids usually reach them. I've enjoyed a few years worth of her concerts and they are always entertaining.

This year's fundraiser was 80's Night. The kids all dressed in 80's stereotypes and they sung a collection of 80's songs. It was a little surprising to discover how many of the songs are not family friendly. Yikes. It's not like they sung Prince or anything but there were a few raised eyebrows amongst us who were in high school back then.

One of the fun moments is they had everyone stand up when their decade was called. My brother's girlfriend is my age so we stood to represent the 80's. For a flash of a moment, I could feel being 16 again and sitting in a pep rally.
Another fun thing is that there was a former classmate of mine there as well, we pointed and laughed when we stood. Representing the SWHS Class of 87, bitches! (:-D

Anyway, the stereotypes were all there: the airhead, the rocker (OMG Motley Crue concert shirts) the preppy, the Flock of Seaguls haircut, the neon, the Madonna look. They did an excellent job of showing all the different styles. Most of the girls just did the airhead ponytail, but a few of them did tease it up a little. I joked with Ames that if they were really committed, there would be mullets & spiked hair.

And...Did we actually dress like that? Because Oh. My. God.

When I was that age, I wore Levi's, sneakers (Nikes, of course) or those ankle boots, a leather jacket & t-shirt. I also did the preppy thing with the popped polo shirt color & sweater. Well, I looked this:
The songs they sang, you ask?

Don't Stop Believin'....thank you Glee
We Belong
Jessie's Girl (the first song that Ames & I raised an eyebrow)
Sweet Dreams
Footloose
Love Shack....they didn't sing "Tin Roof! Rusted" Hmm, I wonder why?
You've Got It
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...also can be a little eyebrow raising
Eye of the Tiger
And So It Goes (Billy Joel, and I think it was actually in 1990)
Flashdance...my GOD what a cheezy song
The Longest Time
True Colors
Africa
Time After Time
Mickey (also kind of risque now that you listen to it)
Faith (we held our breath a little on this one, trying to anticipate the words because it is George Michael after all)
I Love Rock & Roll
Thriller (yes, they did the dance)
Man in the Mirror

All in all, it was very enjoyable. Just another little trip down memory lane that I've encountered during my adult life.

Where were you in the 80's? Who were you?

Things that Go Bump in the Night

A while ago we were woken up by a sound.

A creepy, slow, scraping sound on the wall.

I was just going to ignore it and pretend that the house wasn't haunted or that the dog was being weird. But Kevin woke up and said "What. The. Hell. Was. That?"

I told him that I thought it was the dog or something. He accepted that and fell back asleep.

The next morning he got up before I did and found out what it was.

His mom gave him a picture of his late grandma around Christmas. He placed it up on the entertainment center with the other pictures. It is his favorite picture of his grandma.

It slid down the wall. It was propped up and I don't think it should have slid but it did. Now he has a bookend holding it up, keeping Grandma upright.

I still think this house might be haunted.

What's the something you've heard go bump in the night?