From One Fire to the Next

So my CARAZY month that was November is over!  Let me give you a bit of a recap:

Week 1: I had my choir show.  It was awesome.  Probably the best one we've done yet.  And it was so much fun to do!!

Week 2: Wedding Number One!  This one took place in Galveston and it was super awesome.  Everyone had a great time, the bride and groom were ecstatic, and the night was whiled away with dance and drink.  A fantastic weekend!

Week 3: Chill Day/Carrie's Baptism.  Saturday I was able to relax at my house a bit, and do some cleaning so that was good.  Then Sunday we welcomed my baby niece Carrie into the Catholic church!  She was so good!

Week 4: Wedding Number Two!  This one was in San Antonio, and a completely different vibe than the first.  But it was beautiful and despite the awful weather and the not so helpful bridal party, it was a wonderful wedding and the bride and groom were so very happy.

Week 5: Thanksgiving!  We went up to my great-uncle's farm in Oklahoma for the last time.  So the week/weekend was filled with last things. The last time down the lane, the last time up Dirt Hill, the last time playing football on the slope in the dark, the last time playing flashlight tag.  It was a great sentimental time.

Now it's December and if you think I have a chance to slow down, you must be crazy.  There are only four weekends in December and every single one of them is already booked.  I've still got Christmas shopping to complete, and if I don't get my house cleaned up and decorated, I may go bonkers.  Not to mention it's supposed to be ice cold this weekend with a chance of sleet, snow and ice on Friday and Saturday.  That'll make the Christmas parade I'm supposed to be in with choir SUPER fun. If I can even get to Coppell!  I'll try to check in throughout the month, but if I can't, MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What a Wedding

I was in the first of two November weddings this past weekend and I'll tell you what.  It was pretty amazing.  The bride was so happy and so excited the whole time.  The groom was too, for the most part.  I didn't spend as much time with him, so I'm not 100%, but every time I saw him, he was happy and excited, so that's a good sign!!  Everything was beautiful, and everything went off without a hitch, minus some minor falls one not very important (I epically ate it while running in a floor length dress) and one pretty important (the bride tripped over her dress while dancing and landed really hard on her tailbone).  But no one was hurt, so that was bueno!!  I wish I had pictures to share, but I don't. I'll be sure to post some when I get them!  Congratulations Amber and Michael!  I'm so very happy for you and know you're going to be amazingly happy together forever.  I love you both!!

Check In, Update, Hey Howdy Hey!

Hi everybody!  I thought I'd just stop in real quick and see how everybody's doing.  Are you having a good November so far?  How about this weather, huh?  It's been crazy! But so nice that it's getting to be sweater weather.  I like sweaters.

So what have you been up to lately?  Anything fun? Me?  Oh well, I got through the first weekend with only a minor mishap, spilling red nail polish on my new black dress half an hour before I needed to leave for my show.  But you apparently couldn't tell while I was on stage, and the shows were terrific. We even got a standing ovation at the end of the show on Sunday, which has never happened before.  So that was pretty cool.  And my mom was really surprised with my solo.  It made me really happy that I could surprise her like that.

This week is a bit crazy, only because it's short.  I leave tomorrow for Houston then Galveston for the first of the weddings this month.  I tried on the dress last night and it fits like a glove.  Tonight, I have to stretch out my shoes, clean up my house and pack.  It should be fun!

I hope your November is going great, and I'll try to stop by to check in again soon!

WORLD CHAMPS! And the Last Day of October

I know, I know.  I've written A LOT about the Red Sox this month.  At last count, I've written four posts about them, and mentioned them at least twice in other non-related posts.  BUT I do have good reason!  Last night, we finally completely and totally killed the Curse by winning the first World Series at Fenway in 95 years.  This team absolutely deserved it.  They've worked so hard this year and had so many set backs over the last couple of seasons.  It's just amazing to see how they've come together under John Farrell's expert managing and become an amazing team.  I'm so excited that I can't even stand it!!! YAY RED SOX YOU'RE AMAZING!  And that ends my posts about the Red Sox until next season. Unless something amazing or awful happens in the off season.  I make no promises.

Today is the last day of October, which means it's not only Halloween (yay!) but the last day of my blogging daily.  And I can't tell you how glad I am.  As mentioned before, November is CRAZY busy, especially since I signed up for NaNoWriMo on top of all my other commitments.  So I'm glad I won't have the responsibility of writing on this here little blog daily.  I can just write when I feel like it.  It'll be awesome!  Happy Halloween everybody!!! Eat lots of candy and wear cool costumes!!

Extended Birthday

Last night was the continuation of my birthday celebration, or as I'm calling it: Extended Birthday.  I gathered my Dallas friends for a great dinner at Ellen's Southern Kitchen.  It was a super fun time, filled with good food and good conversations.  There were a couple of awkward moments, which happens when you're combining friends, but for the most part it was good!  Except somewhere along the way I physically lost $40.  I pulled it out of my purse to help pay for parking, and I must have dropped it on the ground rather than back into my purse.  So that was a bummer.  But besides that minor mishap, it was a really fun evening!  I'm grateful to everybody who came out to help me celebrate!

Aw Rats!

I totally forgot to post yesterday.  And I've been doing so well!!  My only excuse is that I had a busy busy day followed by an even crazier evening.  I didn't get home until 11:00 last night.  That's what time I usually shut it all down and go to sleep.  So the fact that I still had to get everything ready for bed when I got home pushed me about an hour off schedule.  It's show week, coupled with Extended Birthday, friends visiting, and Halloween, so really I have no time at all this week.  I've had to schedule myself to do home chores AFTER I get home from my various outings, and I have a feeling I'm going to have to leave Halloween early, just so I can get home and be prepared for Show Weekend.  I don't know why, but this show seems more stressful than the others.  Maybe it's because there are more cooks in the kitchen when it comes to running it.  Or it could be that our director, as wonderful as he is, managed to not only throw me under the bus but piss my section off.  Luckily they're all pretty awesome and don't blame me for his mishaps.  Let's just say that he handled solos very poorly this semester and ruffled a few usually placid feathers.  So that's life as of right now.  I'll keep you appraised on things :-).

They Say It's Your Birthday

It's my birthday too yeah!  I had such a fun birthday weekend with my family, followed by a very relaxing and semi productive evening at home.  I feel utterly blessed and humbled by the amount of love shown to me today and this weekend.  I'm not sure I entirely deserve it all, but I am greatly appreciative of it!!   Now this week starts the first of five crazy weeks, filled with planning and weddings and fancy dresses and insanity.  Wish me luck!

How I Spent My Saturday

I'm in Houston this weekend with my family, and this is what I've done today:

• Woke up at 6:30 and went for a walk
• Had Rice Krispie Treat cereal 
• Woke up my baby sister
• Read several books to my goddaughter, then got her dressed
• Ate a second breakfast of waffles (my actual breakfast of choice)
• Went to the Peddler's Craft Show with my sisters, my mom, my aunt and my cousins.
• Bought an adorable nativity set
• Carried a very large Santa around
• Ate kettle corn, fudge, and a baked potato
• Watched both Tech and Notre Dame play football.

Now I'm waiting to eat Chinese food and banana cake for my birthday!  Happy Saturdays!

A Little Self Promotion

So I dunno if you go and read other blogs, but I do.  I've been reading Court's blog Baking in My Bathing Suit for a while now.  She's pretty awesome, and I think well on her way to being my blog friend.  Which is super cool.  She called for guest posters this week, and I answered.  If you head over to her blog, you'll be able to read a short story I wrote, just for her.  Thanks for the opportunity Court!  You're pretty swell.

Solo Issues

So my choir show is a week away, and my director just assigned solos.  And I may have gotten one.  That's not false modesty, I seriously don't know if I got it or not, since he hasn't definitively said anything yet.  But this solo I may have gotten is giving me a lot of trouble.  It's from a song I know REALLY well from the actual Broadway show, and the part that is the solo is NOT the part I normally sing when in my car/house/with my sister.  So it's causing some angst here.  I don't know if I just need to hear the ACTUAL music that's going to go with it or what. I can sing the part perfectly in my head or with the Broadway recording, but when I try to sing it along with the recording for the piece we're doing, I screw it up EVERY TIME.  And I can't figure out why.  I think I may be coming in too early when trying to do it with the recording.  I need to look at the music and figure out where everything goes.  I can't tell you how frustrating it is to think you know a piece and then mess it up every time you try to sing it.  It makes me not want to do the solo.  Which is unthinkable in my head.  And yet....... I'll let you know how it turns out.

What I Love Right Now

So many good things are happening right now.  I am very excited.  These are the things I love right now.

1. Jon Lester, and Jon Lester's beard

2.  Jonny Gomes, and Jonny Gomes's beard

3. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jarrod Saltalamacchia's beard

4. David Ortiz and Mike Napoli, and David Ortiz's and Mike Napoli's beards

5. Jacoby Ellsbury and Jacoby Ellsbury's beard

6. Dustin Pedoria and my Captain's beard

So really, I love beards, baseball, and my Boston Red Sox.

ONE DOWN THREE TO GO!

Make You Feel My Music

Today, between working out and having a budget meeting and eating a healthy dinner, I finally watch the tribute episode of Glee to Cory Monteith, or Finn.  It aired on October 10th, but due to circumstances, it wasn't available for me to watch until last week, and well I just couldn't last week.  So I finally did today.  As predicted, I 100% cried through the whole thing.  I'd stop crying and someone would sing a song, or say something, or break down, and I'd start crying all over again.  Especially when Lea Michelle sang "Make You Feel My Love".  I bawled throughout that entire song.  It's a good thing I was at home by myself, otherwise people may have thought I was a crazy person.  That song makes me cry anyways, but to see her sing it just was even worse.

It made me think about songs that have different connotations.  For example, "Sweeney Todd" will forever remind me of college choir days, singing that song creepily during a concert.  And Coldplay's "Yellow" will remind me of my best friend calling me while she watched Coldplay at ACL and holding up the phone so I could hear it.  And Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" will always be mine and my sister's song.  There are songs that make you dance, there are songs that make you vomit, there are songs that bring a smile to your face, or a tear to your eye, or a grimace.  There are songs that you never ever associated with someone until you heard them in a certain context, and suddenly, you can't even listen to them anymore.  "Goodbye My Almost Lover" by Fine Frenzy, for example.  Every time that song even starts, I have to skip it or switch it.  Then there are songs that mean nothing connected to anyone you know, but just give you a warm all over feeling.  Like Josh Groban's "Awake", which happens to be filling my earholes at this moment.  Music touches something inside of us, and makes us feel.  Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's awful, sometimes it's indifferent.  But it's always something.  We just have to let it.

Late

So I forgot to post today.  And by "forgot" I mean that the time I was going to spend posting, I spent writing a guest post for another blog.  Sorry!  So instead of telling you all about my super fun weekend, I'm going to tell you about the craziness I've taken on for the upcoming month.  I am not going to be home for the weekend at all in November, I have not one but two weddings, a baptism, a show and family vacations to take, and now I've decided (or become convinced, I'm not sure which) to take part in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.   Basically, you start a novel on November 1st, and you pledge to write 50,000 words on that novel in the month of November.  You know, because I am going to have so much free time to write 50,000 words.  I'll keep you updated on the progress of my work.  I can do anything for a month!

We're Going to the SERIES!!! (And the Differences in Celebrations)

Last night, the wonderful wonderful Red Sox charmed their way into the World Series.  Shane Victorino totally earned his paycheck by hitting a grand slam in the 7th inning, and then Craig Breslow and Koji Uehara rocked the innings and got three up three down in order to clinch the American League Championship Series.  It was AMAZING.  And SO SO SO exciting for me who never gets to watch anything, but got to watch the last two innings in the game.  And the celebration after.  It was terrific!!!!!  The boys were so excited and had such a great time celebrating.  AND I'M SO EXCITED!!!! WE'RE IN THE WORLD SERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS!!!

The only issue that I had with this last night was my company.  I was watching the end of the game with my uncle, who is Canadian and prefers hockey to baseball.  So he had lots of questions, and he really did not understand why they were celebrating when they still have another series to play.  I tried to explain that they were celebrating their terrific job so far, but he didn't understand it.  And he also didn't understand why Koji won the MVP for the series.  Uh because he was AMAZING throughout the whole freaking series.  I mean come on, a closer can make or break a team.  They can be up by a million points, but if a closer sucks, they're totally not guaranteed a win.  If their closer is awesome, they are pretty much a guaranteed a win.  So hell yeah our awesome closer deserves a MVP award.  So besides that little annoyance, I am so so so so so so so so happy that we're going back, and that our amazing team is getting the attention they deserve!!  This series starts on Wednesday, and it's going to be so much fun!!!  In closing, I leave you the video of their celebration!

http://wapc.mlb.com/bos/play/?content_id=31167291&topic_id=61827086&c_id=bos

W(h)ine Differeneces

Have you ever noticed that conversations vary between the same people, depending on the type of wine they're drinking?  It's something that just occurred to me this weekend.  I'm currently hanging out at my 'country estate' (which is the pet name for my aunt and uncle's house out in the country), and we ALWAYS drink wine.  It's pretty awesome.  It really depends on what we're having for dinner or the weather as to what kind of wine we drink.  Tonight, it's a beautiful warm Syrah to accentuate the fantastic cold weather we're having/going to have.  When we drink reds, my aunt and I tend to get into deep conversations about the family.  When we drink whites, we tend to be a little more loosey-goosey.  Though that's not saying we are not always loosey-goosey!  I'll tell you all about my fun fun weekend on Monday.  Have good Saturdays, and GO RED SOX!!!!!

Adventures in Dye-ing

I've been dyeing my hair for almost ten years now.  I started when I was 18, on a Girl Scout road trip to NYC.  I've been through the gambit of colors, from that awful first one I chose (it was supposed to be a deep red but on my natural color came out more fuchsia and faded to a bright red)  to blonde, to dark, to really everything in between.  Most recently, I've been on a red kick.  I've been almost every shade of red, and truthfully I look best  in a coppery auburn.  At least that's what I've decided.  So please, tell me why, after nearly a decade of experience, I decided it would be an excellent idea to delve back into the deeper reds, and I decided it would be a great idea to not only dye my hair while drinking (don't EVER do that), but to do it without a mirror.  You know, because I'm super smart.  And my companions, wonderful girls who don't have a lot of experience in DIY dyeing, didn't think to stop me.  Probably because I was so confident.  So I did it, and it came out just awful.  The color was a purpley red and I TOTALLY missed HUGE chunks of hair.  So some was a deep purpley-red and some was brown.  Like dirty blonde brown.  And of course, I didn't have time to redo it, plus it was pouring down rain and we were leaving town.  So I had to go out like that.  Luckily I had also thought it would be a good plan to do little curls all over my head, leaving me with Shirley Temple-type curls the next morning.  That distracted from the million different colors residing on my hair follicles.  I'll tell you what, I was a hot mess. I'm surprised the people I went to lunch with (including my best friend's new boyfriend) didn't think I was insane.  So getting through Sunday was fun.  Monday, after work, before choir I RAN to Ulta to get a new color.  And what did I decide to get?  A dark brown.  Something different for fall.  So after choir, I rushed home and redyed my hair.  It looks pretty good, and I think as it fades it'll get prettier.  Right now it's real real dark, and I'm not used to that.  But everybody else seems to like it.   So lessons learned:

• Don't dye and drink
• Don't dye without a mirror
• Stick to the colors you know will look good.
• I don't look good in curls

Initial Color (don't mind the curls, that was an experiment)

Notice the several different colors spread throughout my head

New dark hair!  It looks darker in person! Or maybe it's just me

Edit: As of yesterday afternoon, I decided that my dark hair was just way too dark for me.  I felt like I was wearing a wig.  So I used Color Ooops and got rid of it.  Now I'm back to my pre-color, and my hair feels like straw.  I will be conditioning it over and over before I apply more dye to it.  My poor mistreated hair.

Update (This Will Blow Your Mind)

Guess what guys.  If you stop eating fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, and you start drinking soda like it's water instead of oh I dunno, WATER, and at least one of your meals contains something fried, it really doesn't matter how much exercise you do, or how far you walk in the rain, you WILL gain weight.  Amazing right?  I just completely blew your mind didn't I?  I know.  Don't worry.  So because for about the last week this kind of eating has been my MO, I was not at all surprised when I stepped on the scale yesterday and saw I gained 2 lbs.  I was actually surprised that I hadn't gained more.  And I know I need to make a change.  So I started yesterday after work.  I went to the grocery store, and I got fruit and I got veggies, and I got stuff to make a healthy dinner tonight. Then, after my WW meeting, I wanted breakfast.  But here's the catch.  It was late and I didn't want to make it myself.  So I went over to IHOP.  And not only did I get a reasonably healthy breakfast for dinner, making sure to say no whipped cream on my pumpkin pancakes and turkey bacon rather than real bacon, it was pretty cheap.  So  all in all, except for the hash-browns (I'm a sucker for a hash-brown) and the cinnamon rolls I baked up for the rest of the week, I think I'm getting slowly back on the eating track.  Hopefully I'll be down next week!

Things I Should Feel Awful About (But Really Don't)

I used to be a people pleaser.  I used to try to make everyone like me.  Now, I don't care particularly if you like me or not.  I'm going to be nice to you, because I'm a nice person, but it really depends if I actually give a rat's ass about you or not.  In that line of thought, I've come up with a couple of things I should feel awful about, but truthfully I don't care.

• Disliking certain people for no reason: I'm sure everyone has felt this at one time or another.  There are just certain people that no matter what they do or how they behave, you really really dislike them.  To the point when you see them post on Facebook or whatever, you not only wonder why the hell they're your friend but also get a deep feeling of annoyance.

• Getting frustrated with small talk: this isn't always.  Sometimes small talk is good.  But I'm sorry checkout dude, when it's 5:30, and I'm buying two bottles of wine and a meal that's obviously for one, do you really think I'm in the mood to chat with you about the traffic or the rain?  Especially when I have yet to actually smile at you?

• Writing off people's problems: truthfully, I don't care if you are pissed off about being at work.  Or about your marital status or the fight you had with your boyfriend, or the state of the union.  It may sound super selfish and petty, but really, today, I just don't give a flying fart in space. 

• Eating crap and not tracking it: sometimes you just need to eat junk food and not feel guilty about it or the amount of it you've eaten.  And you don't want flack from your scale or your friends or others.  Yeah yeah emotional eating is bad, blah blah blah.  Truth is: SOMETIMES COOKIES DO MAKE IT BETTER.

• Disliking people's sympathy: I really appreciate all the phone calls and the texts and the messages people leave places or make or send when a crisis arises.  No truthfully I do.  It makes me feel loved.  BUT what I dislike, and this is awful, but I hate when people continue to harp on the sympathy.  Or worse, when they start with the sympathy, move on to something else, then circle back to the sympathy.  I don't need/want buckets and buckets of sympathy. I want a dash.  A bit.  A brief two minutes where you express your concern and love.  Then we can move on.  And I don't want to go back to it.  I got it, you're sorry for me and you love me.   Stop harping.

See these are ALL things that I utterly should feel terrible about. I should not want to do these things.  I should be a nicer person.  But the truth is, sometimes I'm not.  And today happens to be one of those days.

A Year

A year ago, I got one of the hardest phone call I've ever received.  The only one that rivals it is the phone call I got from my mom about my RowRow.  Which is ironic because this phone call was from my mom as well.  It was awful.  I fell apart and I didn't know how to fix it.  One of my best friends was gone.  Gone and he would never ever come back.  And now it's been a year.  365 days. I still think about him every single day.  He flits across my thoughts with the whims and the fancies of a fairy, and sometime it's just a touch.  Sometimes I think of him so hard I reach for the phone to call him.  And I know he's not there.  I don't know if I'll ever find someone to take his place.  In 365 days I haven't. I miss you and I love you my Toto.  I'm dressed up today, just like you liked me to be.  I'm waiting for you to show up in your swanky suit and take me dancing.  I guess I'll whirl by myself today.

Lunch Dates

So my brother-in-law's aunt is in town.  And she was visiting a friend for breakfast.  And my brother-in-law and my boss had a meeting at 1.  So she came here and my sister brought the kids and lunch.  Which is excellent, because this morning was hard emotionally.  Instead of driving around in the rain and the dark and feeling sad, I spent my lunch break with three of my favorite babies, which cheered me up exponentially.  So yeah that's my life.  Made better by babies.

Slacker

Yeah, so I forgot to blog this weekend.  In my defense, I was out of town at a lake house.  And I was hanging with people, so it would have been rude.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  So this post counts as my Saturday and Sunday posts.  I'll do another one for today later on.

I just spent around 48 hours with two of my favorite people.  I was supposed to be part of my favorite Allyson with a Y's bachelorette party this weekend, but due to several occurrences, it was postponed.  So instead of a weekend with a bunch of cliquey girls all running around trying to be in charge and stick to a schedule, it was a relaxing weekend of fun, shopping, food, booze and girl time.  Ally, her sister and I all got to spend some great quality time together and since I can't go to the newly rescheduled bachelorette party, we celebrated in a low key style!  Turns out I know a lot about Ally!  We were really productive in our shopping endeavors, finding both our bridesmaids' shoes and her rehearsal dinner dress.  We also (very poorly) dyed my hair, which I'll write about on Wednesday.  We also ate fantastic food, laughed a lot, and just had a really really good time.  Then I got to see my other Austin besties and meet the new guy of one.  It was all in all a very very great, albeit tiring, weekend.  I am not as young as I used to be!!

10 Things I Did Today

1. Watched an awful show.  I mean just terrible.  Most Eligible Dallas?  Seriously worst show ever.

2. Finished two and a half books

3. Watched an amazing sunset

4. Went to HEB.  It's so nice to go to a HEB after Kroger and Tom Thumb

5. Figured out electrical issues all by my lonesome

6. Had a great conversation with one of my besties

7. Went for a walk around East Austin

8.  Decided I really love hipsters

9. Had a waitress pick a DELICIOUS drink for me

10. Started an amazing weekend with my sister from another mister.  It's gonna be amazing.

Our State Fair!

Is a great State Fair!  As you can guess, I went to the Texas State Fair last night.  After I worked out, showered, and weighed in (I gained .8 lbs, whoops), I met my friend Zack at Fair Park for a night of eating fried oblivion!  I didn't end up taking any pictures, just because I was focused on the food, but oh man.  It was so good.  We had

• Fried Meatloaf (OH MY GOD)
• Deep Fried King Ranch Casserole (Seriously, it shouldn't be served any other way)
• Fried Cuban Roll (Totally deserved the 1st prize this year, and I only had one bite)
• Fried Cake Balls (SO sweet and more cookie doughish than cake ball.)
• Fried Oreos (he had those, I was enthralled with the cake balls)
• Fried Spinach Dip (I want to try to make those at home.  They were SO GOOD)
• Fried Biscuit and Gravy (again, he had that one.  I was SO FULL)

I also went outside of my comfort zone and had a Shiner Blonde.  Guess what?  I didn't like it.  Totally not worth the points, but I drank the whole thing.  Made me feel like I should have been playing beer pong.

So the fair was super fun.  We completely missed the Fried Thanksgiving Dinner, which we both wanted to try, but meh it worked out!  I love the fair, and I can't wait to go again next year!! (Pics from Zack's FB page)

 Top is fried meatloaf and bottom is deep fried king ranch casserole

Big Tex!

ALDS CHAMPIONS!

Last night, at just past midnight, the Boston Red Sox officially moved on to the American League Championship for the first time in five years.   You can't see my face right now, but I can promise you I feel like this:

I am so stinking excited for my boys to go on.  They're amazing, and they totally deserve everything!!!!  For your viewing pleasure, I give you the bearded boys of the BoSox celebrating yet another milestone on this awesome road we're traveling down.

FEAR THE BEARD!  BEAT THE TIGERS/ATHLETICS!

Aw Nuts

In this hyper-aware, hyper-foodie, hyper-healthy society we live in, nuts make an appearance in almost all food.  I mean ALL food.  Food that I think shouldn't include nuts.  Like soups, salads, breads and cookies.  Now I like nuts.  Well, sometimes I like nuts.  I like certain kinds of nuts.  I'm a big fan  of cashews and walnuts, almonds and peanuts as snacks.  I like nuts when I'm expecting them.  What I DON'T like is when I'm eating something, say a slice of pumpkin bread, or a cookie and then all of a sudden there's a nut.  Not just a single nut, but a slew of nuts.  Nuts spread out through the entire loaf or the entire batch of cookies.  I didn't sign up for nuts in my cookies, I didn't sign up for nuts in my bread (unless it's my mom's banana bread), and I most definitely did not sign up for huge chunks or a full nut in my food.  Unless I'm snacking on them, I prefer my nuts in tiny pieces.

This post brought to you by the awful surprise I found in my pumpkin bread from Whole Foods today.

The Craziness

This week is one of the craziest weeks I've had in a long time.  I only have one night at my house.  The rest of the week I'm out different places, until Thursday when I leave for a bachelorette party (more on that later).  I've been, not dreading it per say, but being very anxious about it, but I think I've turned a corner.  Rather than be completely worried about the amount of money I'll be spending or the time I won't have to myself, I'm going to embrace the insanity that is my life at the moment, try to make plans to fit everything I need to in, and really enjoy the things I have going on.

For example: tonight I have a board meeting before choir, and I know it's going to be a long one.  It's going to be full of people expressing their own opinions and not listening to anyone else.  BUT I am going to focus on the fact that this meeting will help our show in a few weeks be the best one yet, and it'll all be worth it.  I'm going to ignore the fact that I won't get to eat dinner until 9:00 (again), and pick up a snack on my way out there.  I'm going to do my best to be cheerful, attentive, and helpful.  I'm already taking more control of my job (section leader and concessions for the shows) and I'm going to do my best to really buckle down and be a good example!

Wish me luck!!

Words, Words, Words, I'm so Sick of Words!

Seeing as my life is made up of words, that's probably not a good thing.  But I don't want to write today, mainly because my wrist hurts, so I give you a song instead.

Happy Sunday!

Different Strokes

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day, and this friend is directly affected by the furlough.  Both she and her husband are in fact.  So we were talking about how ridiculous the whole thing is, and I made a comment about the awful state of the union, and how I don't know how we can get back.  She said if everything melted down and it became a survival of the fittest.  That's the only way this mess could be fixed.  That struck me as extreme measures.  Not to mention callous and cruel.  The Hunger Games was a book series, not real life.  Not to mention how would you define "fittest"?  Would it be those who have been trained to fight?  Would it be those who have the best survival instincts?  Because I'm pretty sure that's a great way to return to animal instincts and even more general chaos.  What about those who are amazing people who work their asses off every single day just to barely make a living?  Good people who are just trying to live their lives?  Would they be wiped off the slate along with those who are considered "weak"?  What about the elderly, and the sick?  What about the mentally and the physically disable?  Would they be considered weak?  Would they not survive? What about the children?  Why would you wish for a world where every single day is a battle? I don't understand.  I don't have a solution, but I do know that the fall of western civilization is NOT the answer.  Let's pretend we're decent humans, shall we?

Little Red Riding Hood

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love dressing up (even now) as someone completely different, I love the decorations, I love the good old fashioned fun of trick or treating.  When I was a kid,  I loved it ever more.  Halloween was when I got to be someone different than who I was, I got to dress up, wear makeup, transform myself.  The only problem was I didn't JUST want to wear my costume on Halloween night.  I wanted to wear it all the time, from the time I got it, until it fell apart.  Luckily for me, my birthday is right around Halloween.  So every year I would have a costume party.  An afternoon into evening party, where my many cousins and siblings and friends could come and dress up, usually the weekend before Halloween. So not only did you get to wear your costume more than once, you got to wear it BEFORE Halloween.  Now this seems like a great plan for a child who enjoyed pretend, but for a klutzy, haphazard kid such as myself, it didn't always work out for the best.

When I was seven,  I went as Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween.  I had the cutest red cape (with a hood!!), a red dress, black tights and red shoes.  I carried a little basket and had rosy red cheeks.  The day of my birthday party, I was running around with my cousins and friends, playing in the backyard.  I tripped, and not being able to catch myself, fell and scraped my knee on the back porch.  I was fine, but my tights were ripped.  This didn't bother me a bit, because they were hot, itchy and constricting.  So I went back to my room and took them off, not really bothering to tell anyone.  Then I went back out and played.  Except this time, I went out in the front yard to greet more people.  Running along the sidewalk, I tripped (again) and this time I really scraped my knees up on the concrete. I don't remember being in pain, probably because I was so used to falling and hurting myself that a little pain wasn't an issue.  What did bother me was that the blood from my knee was running into my white socks.  Tights could be replaced, but these socks were special, and they wouldn't be white anymore.  My nurse mom fixed me right up, and we continued on.  But on Halloween night, I remember being sad because my socks were ruined.  I wonder what happened to that costume.  It was a good one!

Random Things Happening This Week

I don't really have the time or the energy to come up with a big awesome post.  Yeah, it's Thursday during a busy week.  And I haven't had caffeine in the past three days.  So I give you a list.  It's a random list, full of nonsensical things going on in or affecting my world this week.  Here ya go.  Enjoy.

• I've woken up at 6:50 or 7 every day this week, even though my alarm starts going off at 6:20.  And I'm still tired.
• My Nana had a knee replacement on Monday.  She's still in the hospital, and she's doing all right.  Though she hates being there and doesn't care for "all the fuss".  If you could send good thoughts and prayers for her speedy recovery, that'd be cool.
• I have family coming in this weekend from all over for the Notre Dame game being played at Cowboys Stadium.  Some of which will be staying at my house while I stay at my sister's in Fort Worth.
• That mean I have to double spot check tonight, make sure everything is completely clean, wash the sheets and remake the bed.
• I've never had a dress professionally altered before, but today I'm getting two done.
• Josh Groban started his "In the Round" tour yesterday.  There's a rumor I may get tickets to his final night here in Dallas for my birthday, but it may not happen.
• The Red Sox start the ALDS tomorrow, and while I'm super pumped, I'm also super nervous.
• I get to play with lots of little kids this weekend, so that should be fun!
• Sometimes I just want to not go to work and sleep the rest of the day.  That's normal right?

Government Shut Down? More like Big Old Fit-Throwing

I just want to preface this by saying that I only have a minor understanding of politics.  Politicians tend to say a lot but really mean nothing, so I don't really pay attention.  As one does when there's someone blowing hot air.  Therefore, what I say here is COMPLETELY opinion, and really just the outside observations of someone who cares more about the fate of the baseball postseason than really what goes on in Washington. Which makes me sound like an AWFULLY shallow person, but there you have it.

The United States Federal government, for the first time in over two decades, has shut down.  800,000, that's right, EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND, people have been furloughed, meaning they're basically out of work, without pay, for WHO KNOWS HOW LONG.  And why has this awful thing happened?  Because the bigwigs up in Washington can't figure out how to reconcile their differences long enough to sign off on a budget.  Basically, the House and the Senate are sitting up in DC going "I want this." "Well I want this. And I definitely don't want you to have THIS." In the meantime, the thing that the House is fighting tooth and nail about is going into action.  So really what we have here is the full scale, grown up equivalent of two toddlers throwing temper tantrums.  But instead of just making a scene in the middle of the grocery store or park, they're making a scene on a global scale.  You hear that? A GLOBAL SCALE.  Countries around the world are watching as one of the major super powers in the world, the self proclaimed "best country ever", basically implodes. It's frankly terrifying and embarrassing to those of us who simply want to live their simple lives, and do the best they can.  How can we be expected to reach our full potential and strive to be better when we're being run by fit throwing idiots?

October

October.  It's an interesting word isn't it?  Fun to say, and full of connotation.  Say it in March and it brings up a faint memory of coolness, different spices, sweaters, boots, and just a hint of excitement and hope for those die hard baseball fans.  Say it in July and it's like a tease. There's no way it could ever feel cooler or be less gross outside.  But then that calendar flips from September 30 to October 1st, and suddenly, even when the high is 90 degrees, it feels like fall.

October has always been my favorite month, in no small  part because of that thing that happens at the end of it.  No, not Halloween.  That other, much more personal thing.  Oh yeah, the day of my birth.  But this year, October is different.  It's still good, and it's still going to be fun.  But there's a sad tint to it this year.  The only thing I can hope is that I'm able to focus on the good and only indulge a little in the sad.

Strength

A friend of mine and his wife just had a baby about a week ago.  In that week, they became parents, and began dealing with their new lives not only as caretakers of a new human being, but of a child with special needs.  You see, their beautiful baby boy was born with Down Syndrome.  I just read an amazing post his wife made on Facebook about the calm and peace she feels about the diagnosis.  She is a pillar of strength who sees her baby not as a problem with a child attached, but as a regular baby who just needs a little extra love and care.  I was so very impressed that it made me think how I would react in the same situation.  Could I be calm, cool and collected knowing the hardships that not only my child would go through as he grew but also the stress put upon me and my husband?  It sounds incredibly selfish, this I know.  And maybe that's the problem.  There is an incredible stigma against those who are wired differently than the norm.  Who's brains don't function as fast or as well or whatever.  We have such an ingrained idea in our minds about what things SHOULD be, that we tend to overlook what actually is there.  I know for one that I do.  It's awful and I'm working on it.  I can only hope and pray that if ever I am put in that position, I am granted the same strength to realize that it's a part of my baby but it's not all my baby.

My Debt to my School

I went to college at a small, private, liberal arts Catholic university in Austin.  What Up ST. ED'S!  Three out of the five years I was there, I worked as a student worker/intern for the Alumni and Parent Programs office.  So I helped out with all alumni events, like Homecoming and Night at the Ballpark and the Alumni Board meetings, and I really enjoyed it!! I loved my bosses, and we had the most kickass group ever.  The point is I really bonded with my bosses by the time I graduated.  So of course, as an alumna, I got voluntold for a lot of things.  Voluntold is when you're asked to do something but there really is no room for a "No".  This has continued, becoming less and less as my former bosses moved on from St. Ed's and yesterday, I had my final "voluntold" scenario.  My last boss, who is amazing and a good friend, is leaving St. Ed's for a better job, and as one of her last things, she suggested me as a volunteer for one of the college fairs in Dallas.  So I bucked up, put on my St. Edward's t-shirt, and went off to DeSoto High School to convince kids to consider St. Ed's as their college of choice.

I learned a lot in the three hours standing behind this table.  One, most people dress up for college fair.  I was rocking jeans and a t-shirt and I was SERIOUSLY underdressed.  Two, knowing the requirements for acceptance is a good plan.  And three, some of these kids were seriously prepared!! I had several kids give me resumes and academic scores, and one kid, when filling out his info card, just stuck a sticker with his name and contact info on it.  I was duly impressed.  Also, the DeSoto culinary arts students made a DELICIOUS dinner.  I may actually VOLUNTEER again next year!

Over Summer

It's almost the middle of September.  School has been in session for most school-aged people for almost a month now.  The stores have Halloween stuff on sale.  The really ahead of the game places (*cough* Hobby Lobby *cough*) already have Christmas stuff up.  Starbucks has Pumpkin Spice Lattes back and you can't go into a grocery store or go online without running into something pumpkiny.  It's officially Fall season. Well almost, Fall doesn't officially begin until Sept 22nd.  But judging by the decorations and the food and the start of real TV again, I'd say it's Fall.  You know what's not Fall?  The weather.  When you have continuous days of over 95 degree temperature and the sun continues to beat down, making it unbearable to go outside, how can it feel like Fall?  Fall is a time for jeans and sweaters, boots and scarves.  You're supposed to be able to enjoy being outside rather than be hotter than all get out.  And as a Fall baby, I am putting my foot down.  I demand that the weather cooperate.  Or at least that we in Dallas get the same storms that the other big Texas cities are getting.  I find it unfair that they get a break while we're stuck in the heat.  Plus I have a bunch of really cute sweaters just waiting to be pulled out from the back of my closet.

What Do You Say?

I've been reconnecting with people lately, some people I haven't talked to in a couple of months, some people I haven't talked in even longer.  Inevitably, people ALWAYS ask this question.  "What's new?"  Well what if nothing is really new?  What if everything that is "new" in your life actually has been happening to other people?  Sure it's affecting you inadvertently, but really it's not happening to you.  I've been thinking about this and I think I've come up with some viable options that aren't too creepy, personal or weird.

- I downloaded a new app that allows me to make grocery lists on my phone

- I've been kickboxing lately.

- I made an awesome cinnamon sugar pull apart bread the other day.

- I have a new niece, so that's fun.

- I've been preparing for the fall, which is going to be nuts.

That's pretty much all I've got.  How do you make things that haven't really changed seem new?

Days of Vacation

So my year is a little weird.  I started work at my job in August, so that's when my year starts over.  Which means I have to be careful with vacation days.  When you have ten and summer is really the end of your year, it's a little tricky.  My year started over a few weeks ago, and now I have days to spend after a year of having three (that's what I get for spending half my vacation days before the year restarted!).  I'm taking three this fall, for wedding purposes, but I really want to do something fun and for me with some of the others.  I know I'll have to take some in consideration for my brother's final vows in August, but that still leaves me with five days to play with.  FIVE DAYS!  That doesn't seem like much, but when you've been functioning with three, five is amazing.  Part of me wants to save them for after busy season and take a week off to just hang out.  The other part of me wants to make three day weekends, maybe once a month starting in February?  That would get me to June, and leave July vacationless, but who knows?  Maybe I'll just save them all and build up for the next year and take a two week trip somewhere.  Oh the possibilities.  It's a good thing dreaming is free.

Schools and Technology for Parents...What?

It's September, and despite the 100 degree weather we're still experiencing here (thanks for that Texas, really), it is back to school time for nearly everybody.  The majority of people I know started school about three weeks ago, towards the end of August.  This was the first week that my cousins were back in the office though, due to their mom starting up dance classes again (teaching).  Now they've been in school for about three weeks and there's really not a lot you can do wrong in the first three weeks of school, right?  Well apparently not.  My uncle had serious conversations with not one, not two but all three of the boys about homework and grades (The joys of a small office and a loud boss).  And this got me thinking.  How the heck did he know about it?

I was not the best student in the world.  Okay let's rephrase that.  I was not a good student.  I was smart, and I knew the answers to stuff, and I loved to read, but I hated the homework.  I hated projects.  I hated having to turn stuff in.  I did pretty well on most things, though there were a few classes I completely slagged in.  But for the most part, I went along my own way, doing what I wanted to, and not worrying about the consequences until they came up.  Don't get me wrong, I was still in AP classes, and graduated from high school in the top ten percent.  But I could have applied myself more.  And my parents didn't really know until the consequences came out that I was slacking on homework and projects and studying.  AFTER the fact.  Like when I brought it to their attention, or when I got progress reports or report cards.  Which came in the mail.  Nowadays, and it may just be at the schools my cousins attend, parents can go online and find out not only what homework their kids have for that day, but also the future tests and quizzes they're going to have, as well as grades.  Teachers are constantly updating their online stuff, and parents can log right in and find all they need to know in order to make their children keep their noses to the grindstones.  I would have been so much more of an achiever if this had been the case in my day.  Or, more likely, I would have buckled under the pressure, done my stuff, then gotten to college and completely gone crazy with the power of freedom of not having eight teachers plus my parents constantly breathing down my neck.  At least that's what I think.

How do Our Bodies Work?

That seems to be a slightly menacing title, but this illness which has been lingering has made me wonder.  How do our bodies work?  What's going on inside of me that is making me feel better then worse then better again?  Should I have become a nurse or doctor?  Because this stuff kinda fascinates me.   Here's what I found out when I googled my questions.

-What makes me congested?: well, the first page is all about how ALCOHOL makes you congested.  Thanks Google, you're helpful.  Let's try again.

-What causes congestion?: oh Wiki, you always help me out.  Nasal congestion is usually due to membranes lining the nose becoming swollen from inflamed blood vessels.

- What is a runny nose?: it's called rhinorrhea and is where the nasal cavity is filled with a significant amount of mucous fluid.

-  Why do I get lightheaded when I'm trying to breathe through a stuffy nose?: Lightheadedness is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain.  When your nasal passages are congested, less oxygen can get into your body, and into your brain, causing you to feel lightheaded or dizzy.  This is also why when you're sick and have been lying down for a long while, you feel weak and dizzy.

-What is a cough?: a cough is a sudden reflex used to help clear the large breathing passages from any kind of foreign object or irritants.

-When I have a cold, how does my body fight it?: by an immune response.  Our bodies use the antigens, or the invading foreign particles to create identical antibodies which immobilize the antigens.  They have to match exactly in order to be stopped.  Our bodies then remember the virus pattern in case it ever invades again.  It takes about a week to ten days for our bodies to create cells which match the virus precisely, sometimes longer, sometimes faster.

Isn't it fun to learn?

All answers were found on wikipedia, or on wiki.answers.com and then paraphrased by me

Slightly Awful

Today,  I do not feel good.  I am not one to willy-nilly claim sickness.  The position I am in at work means that I do my best to push through and not succumb to any sort of sickness.  And in the past four years (knock wood) I've done pretty well, only missing a single day of work due to sickness, and that was only because I was throwing up every five minutes (food poisoning, it's a joy I'll tell you what).  But today is a day I wish I could take off.  I don't have anything that could be considered reason to stay home (e.g. a fever or vomiting), and so here I am.  At work with a sore throat, a cough that could clear lungs of fifty healthy people, a runny nose, lightheadedness, and my personal favorite, the voice of a lifelong smoker.  Dead sexy, I'll tell you what.  I'd go to the doctor, but I know what she would tell me.  It's allergies, and until the weather settles down, there's really nothing to be done.  So here I sit, feeling slightly awful and just wishing I could curl up in bed until the weather adjusts itself.

Ho Hum

I should be excited.  I should be inspired.  I should be thrilled.  I should be enthusiastic.  And yet, all I am is blah.  There's never enough time in the day, there's never enough people around, there's never enough change happening.  Oh there's change happening to others all around me, but it seems as though, once again, I'm rutful.  Yes I did just make up that word, and yes I know I've talked about this time and time and time again.  You see the thing about ruts is when you go along and you do the same thing over and over again, the rut gets deeper.  And each time you realize you're in said rut, it's harder to climb out of it.  It's harder physically, emotionally and frankly financially.  Because a lot of changes, well they take time, they take effort and they take money.  These are not things that happen to be high on my list at the moment.  Even though I'm doing great on my WW, I'm doing great on my budgeting, we just started choir and we're doing showtunes (YAY!), and the funness that is my crazy wedding centered fall is beginning (not mine, two of my best friends), I just feel meh at best.  And I'm not entirely sure how to fix that.

Dreams

Do you have strange dreams?  I'm not talking about dreams like goals and plans you have for yourself, I mean legit "I'm asleep, this is my subconscious coming up with scenarios in my head" dreams.  Every once in awhile (like once or twice a month) I'll have strange dreams that I actually remember for a few nights in a row.  I don't remember if I've talked about this before, but I had one last night.

In the dream: I was on a road trip with my brother-in-law, which actually happens more than you would think in real life, and we stopped at a Blimpie's for dinner.  Now I don't know if they have Blimpies other places, but usually it's a sandwich shop in like the mall.  But this one was free standing.  Anyways, we order our sandwiches and we sit down with all these other people, mainly girls, who are all chatting.  Suddenly they all start whispering as who comes walking down the sandwich line, but Matt Smith (who is the current Doctor on Doctor Who, and who is a slender, bumbling FOX of a man).  His hair was growing out (he had it shaved for a role he played in Ryan Gosling's directorial debut) and it was curly.  So all these girls are falling over themselves trying to get to him and I'm excited of course, but I try not to make a big deal of it.  Finally he got tired of it, and walked away back to the bathrooms, where he snuck out the back door and met the girl he was with.  They took off on a motorcycle, and suddenly I was on a motorcycle following them.  I knew it was my motorcycle because it had my name on the handlebars in wooden letters.  Though I remember thinking that it had to be another Ashley because I don't like motorcycles, let alone own one.  Then I drove the motorcycle into a building where I ran into a girl I knew from college and I told her all excitedly that I followed Matt Smith in and we should find him.  Then my alarm went off.

Weird right?  I have no idea what it means.  But here is a picture of Matt Smith for you.   Happy Thursday!

Matt as the Doctor

Matt most recently at Comic Con 2013

Condoning a Cheater

I just want to start this post out by saying that even though I'm an enormous Red Sox fan, this particular post has nothing to do with the rivalry, but everything to do with what I think is wrong.

Since I've started working out at a gym with TVs more often, I've been watching a lot more ESPN than I normally do.  I'm not an avid ESPN watcher, I don't NEED to watch it, but I won't change the channel if it's on.  Unless I'm running then I need something distracting.  ANYWAYS.  I've been keeping up (and by keeping up, I mean that I know what's going on) with the Alex Rodriguez scandal.  Now, I HATE Alex Rodriguez.  I've hated him since the 2004 American League Championship Series when he SMACKED (not pushed, not swerved to avoid, but SWATTED like a little girl) Bronson Arroyo's glove when he went to tag him on the way to first base.  I mean seriously, who does that?  "Oh don't tag me, I'm gonna stop you, WHACK."  And the umps made a great call there, because he blatantly cheated.  His face was completely like "I didn't do anything!" when hello, you swung your arm up and slapped the ball out of his glove.  It is EXACTLY the kind of face he makes now when doing interviews.  "I didn't take performance enhancing drugs and then convince other players to come take them from this same company then rat them out to the MLB. Why am I being punished?  I just want to play baseball."  It makes me utterly sick whenever they show his interviews on ESPN.  But of course they have to, because it's major baseball news. So A-Rod is a douchebag.

Yesterday, during the Red Sox/Yankees game, Ryan Dempster plugged Alex Rodriguez in the elbow in the 2nd inning.  He, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, John Farrell and the umpire all said it was an accident, but Joe Girardi thought otherwise, saying that Demps plunked him on purpose as a show of disapproval of A-Rod's actions.  He got thrown out for arguing about it, even though it wasn't like he nailed him in the head, or in the back or anywhere like that.  The elbow is a perfectly legitimate place to get nailed accidently, because it's in the fucking strike zone.  So then, fucking A-Rod hits a homerun in the 6th inning.  And you know what the coverage did?  The announcers went quiet, and the camera just followed him all around the bases, into the dugout, watched him take his batting helmet and gloves off, walked the length of the dugout and get settled on the bench, all without a single word, or a glimmer of recognition that the game was continuing.  And I got to thinking.  This man is a BLATANT cheater, not once but MULTIPLE times.  He is currently under appeal for a 211 game suspension, which would keep him out of baseball through the 2014 season.  Why on earth are we still celebrating him?  Why are we showing his disgustingly smug slimy face all throughout baseball?  And why when someone hits him (which let's face it, I'm sure many of us would want to do) are we sticking up for him?  I'm not saying he deserves to be hurt (though I really wouldn't mind kicking him in the balls), but why are we condoning him?  By condoning the man, we're saying that despite the 13 player suspension the commissioner of baseball handed out (50 games, one of the biggest mass suspensions in history, and the most spread out since the Black Sox scandal), it's totally fine that he's a ginormous cheater and still continues to play.  The Yankees need to cut him and nobody else needs to pick him up.  Shut him out of baseball once and for all.  Because for me, he ruins the game, and I HATE when people ruin the things I love.

Neeeeew Glasses!!!

So last week, I told you all about how blind I am, and how I went to the eye doctor.  Well, I ordered new glasses last Monday from coastal.com, because your first pair was free, and I'm all about saving money.  So a pair of glasses which usually would have cost around 200 bucks cost me about 80.  Awesome sauce.  Well I ordered them Monday and I thought they would be here sometime this week, BUT they came LAST FRIDAY!!! It was so so so so awesome!!!  Of course since they're a completely different prescription, it took me a little bit to get used to them.  And the frames are sooo much different than my old frames.  In fact.....

 Old Glasses

(you can't see it, but one of the nose guards was gone, and they were scratched.  It was really just time.)

NEW GLASSES!!

As you can see, they're A LOT different.  I love them, but they still sometimes surprise me when I look in the mirror!

Not from Around Here, Are Ya?

I have several people in my life who are not originally from TX.  Specifically my brothers-in-law and my best friend's husband.  They grew up in different states, and as you may or may not know, Texans, well we're a breed unto ourselves.  But their glaring differences don't really make an appearance until it comes to food.  I'm sure it comes out in other things, but really food is a big thing.  And I've noticed it recently.  So here are several ways Texans and other people differ in food choices.

1. Other people sometimes prefer ice cream that IS NOT BLUEBELL!  I know, I KNOW!  It's amazing and shocking.  BUT my brother-in-law who grew up in Kansas would rather have Breyer's than Bluebell.  I think he's crazy, but then again, I grew up with the stuff.

2. THEY DON'T ALWAYS WANT TACOS.  So last Saturday, my friend Allison and I were relaxing on her couch, trying to decide what food we wanted to send her husband (who is from Washington State) out for.  We had driven past Rusty's Tacos on our way home from errands, and tacos sounded delicious.  Dan completely shut us down.  APPARENTLY, he has to be "in the mood" for tacos.  Tacos are a staple food group for Texans.  We eat them for breakfast, we eat them for lunch, and we eat them for dinner. And sometimes, we eat them for EVERY MEAL!  I know!! It's so strange to me that tacos don't always sound good to people.

3. They know different fast food restaurants than we do!  Seriously.  My brother-in-law from West Virginia knows all these different places than I do!  I'm a little jealous.  And I will no longer be eating at places I can have in TX when I go out of state.

What food differences do you know?

Recap of the Week So Far

Yes, I know.  The week isn't over yet.  But so much has happened this week, I feel the need to recap it, even if it's preemptive.

SO:

- My baby sister graduated from the University of Portland with her Masters.  Yay George!

- Most of my family went on a long long road trip to Portland and back.

- The car has been in and out of the shop, costing close to 1500 dollars so far.  Ridiculous.

- I got my eyes checked! and ordered new glasses!  Yay for not being blind anymore!!

- I started a new weight training schedule and I lost two lbs last week.  8 lbs down!

- I'm pretty sure I can reach my current goal weight by next week.  I just have to concentrate on eating right!

- We welcomed a precious new life into the world and our family this week!  My niece Carrie Anne was born on Tuesday, August 6th, at 1:30 pm.  She is a beautiful baby, and just so perfect.  We're so happy to have her!!

FRUSTRATING

There is nothing more frustrating than something you've lived with forever getting noticed by others who then make a stink about it, motivating you to get it fixed, which ends up taking SO much longer than you had anticipated. In this case, it's my car.  The check engine light has been on in my car for quite sometime, and I've just never had the funds or the time to get it fixed.  Of course, it got noticed on our road trip to Galveston and it spread and so I had to end up getting it fixed.  I took it to the dealership on Saturday morning, having arranged previously to have a friend (my workout friend actually) come pick me up so we could work out.  Long story short, 7 hours later, I picked up my car, fixed and ready to go, but with the warning that my battery was low and that the check engine light may come back on.  Which it did before I had time to get it inspected (the big dilemma in this whole scenario). So I got a new battery for 60 dollars less than the dealership wanted to charge me (thanks NTB!) and the check engine light was STILL on.  So what did I do? Well this morning I woke up at 6, showered, put on a dress and heel, and drove my (perfectly functioning except the minor detail of the check engine light) car to the dealership so I was there when they opened at 7. I told them what happened, got the same service guy as Saturday, and then took their shuttle to the office, where I arrived 14 minutes after 8.  I have yet to hear from them, and I have yet to know a. what's up and b. how much it's going to cost me.  I would HOPE that it's less than Saturday, but with my luck it'll be more.  Lord have mercy.  If people would have just left it alone, it wouldn't have been an issue!!  FRUSTRATING. All I want is my car back.

SOOOOO I just heard from the dealership, and they want to charge me 784 dollars to replace the intake manifold.  I have no idea what that is, but I am NOT going to spend that much money without talking to people first.  RIDICULOUS.

Blind as a Bat

I've had glasses since I was five.  Well maybe 7.  Anyways, I was REALLY little when I first got glasses.  And so I've been going to optometrists my whole life almost, and the fact of the matter is: I have really terrible eyesight.  Not kidding.  And as it goes for most of my body, my left eye is significantly worse than my right eye.  As I've gotten older, my eyesight continues to change and make it more difficult to see.  I'm told that when I hit thirty, my eyesight will straighten out for a bit and then start deteriorating again around 45, 50.  I don't think they understand the terribleness of my eyesight currently.  So it's been about two years since I last visited the eye doctor and it has become an issue.  I thought a K was an N, and a 9 was an 8.  Yeah.  That was with my glasses.  So I went to the eye doctor yesterday.  It was my first time going to this place and I have to say they were amazing.  The front desk people were nice and personable, the nurse and helper guy were great, and the doctor was really knowledgeable and very nice.  Because it was my first time there, I of course had to run the gambit of pre-testing.  It's like when you go to a new doctor and they have to do a bunch of tests.  Except these consist of a bunch of machines and using your eyes.  I did the stare straight forward one, the peripheral vision one (which I rocked, btw), the color-blind one (I'm not), the one where they put the glasses on you and you have to tell which circle is popping out, the one where you hold a yard stick to your nose and tell them when the slidy thing is blurry, and then my favorite, the distance one.  You sit in a chair, and they tell you to take off your glasses and hold the popsicle stick (it's like a plastic eye patch with a stick attached to it, called the popsicle stick) over one eye and tell them if you can see the image across the room.  Guess what.  I couldn't with my right eye.  And my left eye was even worse.  When I put my glasses back on, it was the big E.  Yeah that's how blind I am.  So after a few more tests and figuring out my new lens prescription, the doctor looked at me and said, "Well! You are very nearsighted with an astigmatism. Other than that, your eyes are healthy!" and I said "Yep, that sounds like me!"  So now I have a new prescription, and I ordered new glasses yesterday, which should be here next week, when I'll do a post on them.  I love getting my eyes checked.  It's always interesting.

My Momma

My momma is an awesome lady.  Not only did she raise six wonderful children (if I do say so myself) but she was/is the world's best volunteer.  Even when she was tired of the politics and the rudeness and having to do everything by herself, she still showed up and she did everything she possibly could to make things work out best for everyone.  Because it was for the kids.  I can't tell you how many people have told me over the years "You know, your mom is just so great." and I'm always like "I know.  She's pretty awesome."  It's so very true.  My momma is the best momma in the whole wide world.  She loves baseball and babies, she's not afraid to stick to her guns and call you out when you're wrong.  Yet she's open and loving, ready to accept anyone as long as they show respect and kindness.  The moment you're a brat you're out.  Unless you're her offspring.  Then you keep getting chance after chance.  Happy Birthday Momma.  You're amazing and I'm/we're so lucky you're ours!

Start Over

Yesterday at my Weight Watchers meeting (which I'm going to call WW from now on if you don't mind), we talked about flipping a slip up.  You know those times where you just mess up.  It could be at work or at home or with bills or with your diet or exercise.  Everybody does it, but what really matters is what you do to come back from your slip up.  Well, I'll tell you what.  After that meeting, I went to Wendy's and I got the new Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger.  And it was amazing.  But I only got the burger (mainly because I didn't understand the drive through guy).  So after I got home, and ate the burger, while watching Dirty Jobs, I was still hungry.  Did I grab a peach from the fruit bowl that was literally three feet above my head? Did I fill up my tervis with water because I wasn't really hungry I was actually hella thirsty?  Did I snack on the delicious mushrooms in my fridge just waiting to be consumed?  No, I didn't do any of those things.  I in fact put shoes on, got in my car, drove to Sonic and got a small Hot Fudge shake and an order of mozzarella sticks.  Because damn it, I wanted to.  And I'll tell you what, after the raging headache I had had all day yesterday, a shake and cheesy fried things really hit the spot.  But was it worth it? Probably not.  I've been tired all day, and I overslept this morning, making me late for work.  Luckily it wasn't a big deal at all.  Plus eating crap yesterday made me crave crap today.  I had a salad for lunch, but then I went down to the vending machine and got a bag of Chili Cheese Fritos and a Twix.  And I ate them.  All the while looking at the peach I packed going, I should be eating you right now.  So what am I going to do to flip this slip?  Well I'll tell you.  I'm going to eat pork chops and roasted broccoli and cauliflower for dinner.  I'm going to go to the gym and not let the machines intimidate me into thinking I can't conquer them. I'm GOING to drink water at my house.  And then I'm going to get up tomorrow (on time) and start all over again. Own it, and move on.

Health Concerns

Mom, if you're reading this, don't be surprised.  I think you know all of this stuff.   I'm horrible about going to the doctor.  You're supposed to go what like once a year?  Yeah I haven't gone since I was 25.  And that was almost three years ago.  I didn't even go to an adult doctor.  I went to my pediatrician, who scolded me for not having a grown up doctor and told me that he never wanted to see me in his office for medical reasons again, unless it was an utter emergency.  I didn't get a checkup either, it was for a sinus infection.  Sooo yeah I really need to go.  I'm also a mild asthmatic since birth, which of course was exasperated by the choice of friends I hung out with a lot in college (cigarette smoke? not good for crappy lungs).  I don't need an inhaler on a daily basis and I don't have to take steroids or anything, but every once in while a good puff on an inhaler does me a world of good.  So I have one that I keep in my purse for emergencies.  Or should I say "had".  What I have now is an empty inhaler shell.  The medicine part has all run out.  So I should probably get a refill of that, especially as I become more active, thus working my lungs harder.

SO I have made the grand and wonderful decision to find myself an adult doctor in the DFW area.  My friend Allison has one that she loves, who is miraculously in my insurance network, so as soon as I check with my boss on the best times for a doctor's appointment, I am going to call and schedule one for a physical.  I tend to play my cards close to the vest especially when I'm talking to someone new about personal things (like my health) but I'm going to be totally open and honest with her.  Because if you can't be with your doctor, who can you be?

I also am going to schedule an eye appointment.  I'm blind as a bat without my glasses and it's getting to the point where I have horrible eyesight WITH my glasses.  Like I thought an 8 was a 9, and I thought a 6 was a 5, and I thought  a K was an N.  Yeah.  Awful.  So I'm going to get my eyes checked and get some new glasses so I can see again!  It's going to be amazing, and I really really can't wait.

Addicted

I have a problem.  It's not life-threatening, and it's not that big of a deal.  But it still is a problem.  My problem?  Well I am addicted.  I am completely and totally addicted to Netflix.  It's something that a lot of people suffer from, and it's a growing problem as cable becomes more and more expensive (Note, I use the word "suffer" very lightly).  Currently, I am going through Merlinitis.  This is a terrible disease which contains intense needs to watch The Adventures of Merlin, deep longings to be part of Camelot and an immense amount of feels for the characters/actors of the show.  A show that a week or two ago, I wasn't that interested in.  Then I started watching it.  And it was good.  I enjoyed it.  So I continued to watch it.  I spent my evenings cooped up in my living room devouring episode after episode, going through three seasons in two weeks.  And now, having finished the third season yesterday, all I want to do is start season four.  Even though I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS. I'm well versed in the legends and stories of King Arthur and Camelot, and I KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS.  No really, I do.  BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT WATCH IT!!  It's nerve-wrecking and I can't handle it.  And yet, I can.  Because I want to, because I have to see how Colin and Bradley and Angel and Katie and the knights handle what's going to come.  It's stupid and insane.  But I love it. So don't send help, don't stage an intervention.  Don't crash my apartment to pull me away, unless you bring snacks.  Then you're allowed to come.    

BEACH BEACH BEACH BEACH BEACH

Yesterday was a much better day than the day before.  There were no tears (well except during my late night showing of Peter Pan.  "I do believe in fairies, I do I do!" always makes me cry), and I was pretty productive, despite my laziness.  I also got to talk to one of my besties who made me CRACK up. It was great.  Not only that, BUT I got all my laundry done, AND I got packed and ready to go for my second weekend away from home.  This weekend, I'm headed to Galveston for a little sand, a little seaweed, a little surf, and a WHOLE lot of family time.  It's the Mouton family reunion, more commonly known (among those who know) as GJOADAC.  or Gloria & Jerome's Offspring And Descendants Annual Campout.  Every summer, those who can of the Mouton clan descend upon Galveston Isle for a single weekend.  It's 48 hours of fun, laughter, drinking, food, and of course love.  I'm so excited to see everyone.  So I'll be back on Monday, a little sunburned, a lot tired and overflowing with the love of my gigantic family.

This is from our first one, about three year ago.  And yes, that is just aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings (and parents of course)

Bad Day

Dear you,

It's your birthday.  You'd be 25 today, which means that you'd finally be in my self appointed age bracket.  Which is dumb, I know, but it is what it is.  Your brother went to King Wok, which you loved, and got an awesome fortune.  It's nice that you're still watching out for us.  We miss you every day.

This was enough to make today a shitty day.  But then my aunt went into the hospital for blood clots last night.  She's okay, on blood thinners and a diuretic to get rid of the fluid around her heart due to the blood clots.  But when you're already on the verge of a crappy day and you get that kind of news about your godmother, then yeah it pushes you over the edge.  Don't worry, I'm trying to bring it back and staying strong.  It's what you would do, and lord knows you were always the stronger of the two of us.  So, instead of going home and eating my feelings, I'm going for a walk, then to my Weight Watchers meeting, then to the hospital to see her.  I am going to stop and get something yummy on the way home, to celebrate you and my brother in law, who's birthday is also today.  Also to maybe eat my feelings a tiny tiny bit.  I miss you love.  Thanks for being there.

Love, Me

Sadness, or How do Celebrities Find Out When Their Friends Died?

For those of you who don't know,  I used to watch Glee a lot. The whole idea of people bursting out into song in the middle of their lives was awesome to me, especially when some of the actors were people I knew from Broadway.  So I was invested in the show.  But then the storyline got too stupid for me, even the songs couldn't make up for it.  I still had a soft spot in my heart for the Glee kids though.  So when I heard yesterday that Cory Monteith passed away, it was so heart wrenching for me.  I found out from my mom, who read about it online.  I follow a lot of the actors from Glee on Twitter and several have tweeted about it, not to mention other celebrities I follow.  But it got me thinking, how do they find out?

When my friend died in October, I found out first from my mom, then one of my friends called, then my brother, and it just went on from there.  I then made calls to people who knew him that I didn't want finding out from like Facebook or something like that.  So that's how a normal non famous person spreads the news of grief.  But what about when the person who dies is a famous person and their death is immediately spread all over the world?  Do their friends have to find out from social media?  Or do you think that people they know (friends, family, the like) quickly spread the word to the closest people so, like my friends, they don't have to find out about the death of a loved one from the media?  I hope that's what happens, because I can only imagine finding out about a death of a friend from a tabloid or a news site.  RIP Finn, you will be missed!

It's the Freaking Weekend!

Well okay, not quite.  We still have to get through a day of work, BUT after that?  It's the FREAKING WEEKEND!  I cannot wait.  I'm so excited.  This weekend is the first of two spent down in the southeast area of my state, but I'll actually be in H-town with my momma and poppa.  I'm going to TWO (count 'em TWO) back to back parties tomorrow.  One is a baby shower for one of my favorite HS friends.  She's due in August and so far is the cutest stinking pregnant person ever.  Besides my sister of course.  And the other is my faux nephew's birthday party!! My faux nephew is my precious friend's son who doesn't have any REAL aunts.  So  her BFFers are his faux aunts.  I can NOT believe that he is going to be four.  It just completely blows my mind.  But I also get to see my precious friend, which I am COMPLETELY thrilled about.  I just need to hug her for about three days.  I also get to see my momma (who's coming to the baby shower with me) and my poppa (who I hardly ever get to see by myself!) and my Nana!  I think it's going to be crazy awesome fun time.  But it'll be exhausting and tiring.  Good thing I have the office to myself next week (Just kidding, I'm actually working).

A New Dawn, A New Day, Same Life

Despite the TERRIBLE eating I did this weekend (fast food twice, burgers and hot dogs the other meals, a crap ton of Chinese food), it was a really really nice weekend.  Things I learned this weekend include:

- Despite growing up in one of the country's biggest baseball towns, one of my besties had never been to a major league baseball game until Saturday night.  Her giddy excitement made me feel like a kid again!

- I really really love baseball.

- Trouble with the Curve was Clint Eastwood's first movie in 20 years that he did not direct.

- I'm in DESPERATE need of new glasses.  I thought KY was NY on Saturday night.  Like I made a comment on it and everything.

-Sleeping in til noon is awesome when it happens once in a blue moon.  And I'm not talking about waking up at 9:00 and then drowsing until noon.  I mean actually sleeping hard until you wake up THINKING it's 9:00 but really it's 11:56.

- Joss Whedon's house is amazeballs.  If I had a house like that, I'd shoot a movie at it too.

- Speaking of that, Much Ado About Nothing was awesome, like really really good but I still prefer David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Benedick and Beatrice.

Now it's a new week, and so far, I've made good choices.  I didn't stop at Starbucks, I did pack my lunch, I did bring my workout clothes to the office so I can change before I leave to go straight to the track or the apartment gym.  And I was not going to have fruit with breakfast, but one of my WW routines is to have fruit with every meal or snack, and so I'm working on that.  Oatmeal, tea and grapes is a good breakfast right?

PS Sorry this has become more of a WW blog.  It's what's happening in my life, and I find I'm more accountable if I write about it and send it off into the universe :-).