I'm in Love!

I used to have this:


But I have since moved to this:

Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the Blackberry (Crackberry), but mine kept giving me trouble and freezing up. So after one failed attempt to sell it on Craigslist (to a woman trying to scheme me from Nigeria), I sold it to a very nice woman and her teenage daughter who SG and I met at the mall in the Food Court. That is my suggestion to you, if you decide to sell anything on Craigslist, meet in a neutral spot.
Anyway, the iPhone is wonderful and I would suggest everyone get one! It can do so many things. I can't say enough good things about it. The only negative thing would be the battery life is not as good as the Blackberry.

Welcome to Adulthood

Since I turned 27 a month ago today, I have been thinking of things that I now have to do, that would classify me as a true adult.
Buying my own toiletries (contact lense solution is expensive)
Paying for my doctors appointments
Paying for my car insurance (thankfully I switched to Geico)
Paying for my car tags
Paying rent and other household expenses
Paying for my hair appointments
and so on...
But the real thing I purchased that made me feel like a real true adult was my very own Costco Membership. Yep, that's right, no more waiting for Jojo to be in KC to take me to Costco. I can now go on my own to buy toilet paper, eat samples and check out all of the clothes and books! It's great! Let me know if you ever want to join me. It really is a fun afternoon excursion!

Merry Christmas Everyone

Hello and Merry Christmas! I was worried that Santa might not know that I was staying in LV last night, but he managed to find me.
I am very excited to have gotten a Wii and the Wii Fit! Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow, if I didn't I would be playing Wii all day.
It was a very nice day spent with family and friends.
It's crazy to think that next year the family will grow by 1, to include little Hanna, due around Inauguration!
Tired and heading to bed, maybe more about Christmas tomorrow or later this weekend!

Marley and Me the movie

I read the book and remember having a bit of a quivery lip. But this movie was something else.
I have NEVER cried in a movie, and Marley and Me had me balling for the last 20 minutes. I asked my friend JG to come with us to the movie, and she recently lost a pet and thought it might have been too early to come see the movie. I lost a pet, Lizzy, the sweetest Lab/Basset hound mix 3 years ago and this movie was extremely hard.

Marley and Me

Heading out to see Marley and Me! I can't wait!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone.
Today was a busy day, trying to finish up last minute things and also trying to make sure Mr. Gus, the puppy was taken care of before he went to his new home. This included making sure he ate well, and then SG came over and helped me bathe him. We used shampoo and conditioner and then since he might be cold and tangly, I blew his hair dry. He looked like a totally new puppy when he was wet.


Then it was time to head up to LV and get ready for dinner with close family friends, practically family, and church. The food was delicious, my mom did a great job!




This evening we opened some presents before Brenna got too tired. We finished up, and will open the rest of them in the morning! I hope Santa stops here!


I will try to publish a post tomorrow as well. I am sure I will have lots of time! I do, however want to make it to see Marley and Me!

Introducing....Gus

Santa's Storage first client.
So far, so good. He mostly just sleeps!

Holiday Madness

I know, I do it to myself by going to the most crowded places, but it really is a lesson in manners and courtesy. For example, I went to Oak Park Mall on Saturday, it was crazy cold outside and extremely busy inside. The nerve of some people in the parking lot is nuts. Women kamikaze crossing in their cars to get to a spot that they were not in line for. Finally, SG and I split up and just said we would meet in the mall. She ended up parking at the bank not even on mall property and I parked at the furthest spot from the mall at Nordstroms.
This evening I went with a friend to help with an Adopt a Family. We went to Wal-Mart to finish out the list, and people were crazy. Bumping others with their carts, taking things from other carts, not cool. Helping my friend with the Adopt a Family and seeing the simple things on their list made me stop and appreciate all that I have and remember what the season is really about.

But, I will say that I am still seriously considering the Santa's Storage idea for next holiday season, and I will give a shout out to my step-aunt Kristin for the encouragement. We will have to take pictures of Gus, the 8 week old wheaton terrier puppy tomorrow, our first client! Who knows, he may be on the brochure, website and all of our promotional materials!

Santa's Storage

Disclaimer: If you still believe in Santa, do not read this blog today.

I am doing a favor for a friend and her husband this week. You see, they have decided to get their daughters a puppy for Christmas. Well, Santa brings the presents for Christmas morning, so the puppy has to live somewhere before that. That is where I come in. Vic is going to get the puppy on Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. and bring it by. I tried to tell her I do not get up that early, but she seemed to think that since I am almost 30, that I should be up that early. I beg to differ. Anyway, I will be caring for Gus until Wednesday evening when we do some sort of handoff.
That brings me to my point for next year. I am thinking the roomie and I should rent out our basement and garage space, and call it Santa's Storage. A place where people can bring their gifts that they dont want their kids to find. Of course, puppies, monkeys, kitties and any other live animals will have to be cleared with one of us, and we will only take a limited number of live things for Santa's Storage.

Jaws

Yesterday was my 6th or 7th jaw surgery in 7 years. Thankfully everything went well, but today I am pretty sore and swollen. As most of you know, it is hard for me to lay around and watch tv, but I am enjoying it today. My mom is being a good nurse, and Lucy is being a great companion as well.
I am not sure if I have stitches yet or not. The doctor made two holes on the right side and went in with scopes to clean out the joint and scar tissue from previous surgeries. There were also bone pieces that needed to be cleaned out. At the end he left some sort of acid in there that will coat the joint and not make it feel as much like bone on bone.
More to come later, still pretty drugged up!

I did it!

Yep, that's right, I did it. I bought a pair of Ugg look a like boots. Not the real Uggs, because at this point in my life I can't justify spending that kind of money on a pair of boots. Instead, I bought the BearPaw brand at Off Broadway for 39.90! They are chocolate brown, and I must say I am pleasantly surprised by them. It all started when MG and I were on our way to the Jr. League event this evening and my slouchy grey suede boots were getting a bit cold from all of the nasty snow. My feet could not take it anymore, so after Chick-Fil-A, we ran to the shoe store. I tried them on, put my wet shoes in the box and wore them out of the store, after paying of course! I don't think I have worn a pair of shoes out of the store since I was in pre-school!
My feet are still thawing out, but they are much warmer now.

Pictured Twice-

Yes, MG and her man are pictured twice in the previous post. But I have decided to keep it like that, as a tribute to them and their week of being "Modern Day Heroes."

WILDCAT Victory!

It was a great night at the Sprint Center! A Wildcat Victory, Willie in a Santa suit, 2nd row seats from a scalper and a fun night with friends.
After the game, MG's man, MG, SGs man, DB and I headed to the Flying Saucer for some drinks and German food. The pretzels were delicious.


The roomies, aka the modern day heroes!

This is me and SG's man, he did not want to be seen on the blog, so I blacked his eyes out! Notice the I MISS MANHATTAN shirt, from Bri!

Note to Self

MG and I are sitting at her store today. A customer who did not buy anything, came in with a thermal white shirt on with no bra. Not a good sight.

Thank goodness for Snopes

An email from SG:
Looks like we were dupped by the snake story....


http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/measured.asp

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Since we were already out on the snowy night, SG and I decided to drive around and check out the Christmas lights. Unfortunately, we were not able to save any lives like the roomies, but we still had a good time.
The first street we turned on was Outlook, or Candy Cane Lane.



A view when you turn down Candy Cane Lane.

This one is for Molly and any other KU fan readers I have!
The next stop was the most impressive and somewhat scary. It is a famous spot in Prairie Village on Falmouth, I had seen it in years past, but this year topped it. I was glad to be able to show it to SG1 because she had never seen it.
The pictures would not do it justice so I also took a video and will try to post it as well.



Now for the video!
Nope, it failed!

"That's a Costco No No"

This evening SG and I braved the icy roads and made our way to Costco, for our second or third trip this week, but who's counting? (I'm turning into my mother who seems to go to Costco on a daily basis)
The purpose of our trip was to price out snacky foods for a Junior League event that SG has to help plan. We did that, but also had some fun and took some pictures along the way. On our last photo, which was the Baja scooter, similar to a Vespa, a man came up to us and said, "That's a Costco NoNo", so we had to put the camera away.



I would not consider myself a food critic, but I would like to criticize the fruit on the bottom right of this fruit tray. Honeydew, seriously? It's a waste. It taste like watermelon rind and is disgusting. Please leave it out of any fruit salad or tray that is ever brought to me or if anyone is planning on sending me an Edible Arrangement!

Next up, I really wish I could eat peppers because they really are pretty and colorful and it seems like there are lots of different kinds, and all sorts of recipes for them.

Last up, the most exciting item we purchased tonight. That's right, pancake/waffle batter in a spray can! We sampled it from the people in hairnets, and there were only two packages left, so we had to buy one. SG has 2 and I have 1!

Old Man Winter, I'm NOT your fan

This is the view from my futon. I wish I could sit here and watch the snow, but I have to get out and about. Luckily SG is picking me up in her Diesel Jetta and we are going to hit the streets. She already hit a car on the way here, so that is out of her system and we should be good to go.
I hate cold weather and winter. I might like it better if I had appropriate shoes to wear in the weather, that might be something I need to work on, but as most of you know, I hate to wear socks.

Modern Day Heroes and my Roommates

Yep, not everyone lives with heroes but I do!

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/default.aspx

Great weekend

I had a great weekend. Got lots of stuff accomplished and am once again looking forward to Monday.
Yesterday, JG SG and I got free facials at the Philosophy counter at Nordstroms, it was wonderful! That was followed my some walking around the mall, getting some good deals at AE and of course, eating Original Pizza! Next up was a trip to Costco with the girls SG was nannying for. I also brought a friend to church, just like the always ask. Too bad it was on the evening when the pastor was a bit long winded.
The part of the day where I felt my old age showed, was at the house where SG was staying when we were attempting to set up the Wii and play Guitar Hero! It was a lot of fun, but I think the high school freshmen were appalled with how terrible we were.
MG and I dyed our hair last night. Mine does not look too different but MG's is a cute shade of red. We were a bit worried when the water was a KSU purple color.
Today was spent readying the house for the Tastefully Simple and Holiday gift show! It was a success and a great excuse to get the house cleaned.

Restaurant Rants Continued..

Today I had to work a double, and it is the Big 12 Championship game so it is a tourist stop. Which also means amateur day and night at the restaurant. It seems that people come out of the woodwork for these big games, and seems like they have never dined out.
Some rants from today:
Many OU people continued to ask for a Oklahoma City micro brew, that is only served at one restaurant in Bricktown. Nope, sorry, we don't have that.
The amount of men with beards that talk with their mouths full, while their beards are full of wing sauce, ranch, queso, you name it.
I witnessed another man sucking on a whole chicken wing bone in his mouth, and then spitting it out. For those of you that know me well, know that I do not eat meat off a bone, so this especially disgusted me.
People that don't tip. They always get to me. I understand the economy is tough, but maybe you should not order top shelf margaritas and tons of appetizers that you did not even touch.
That's all for now!

Very Disturbing Story

So, I heard a story recently about a friend of a friend's family. The family lives in St. Louis and has a 9 year old daughter. The daughter has a very large boa constrictor as a pet, he is never in a cage, just slithers around and curls up on her bed each night and sleeps with the 9 year old. To feed it, the give it a rat every 2-3 days. Recently, the snake stopped curling up and stopped eating, so they took it to the vet. The vet immediately put it to sleep and had to break the news to the family. It turns out that the snake was on a hunger strike for weeks, and was not coiling up, so he could stretch out. The vet said the snake was preparing to eat something about 70 pounds. The little girl is now upset, but I don't think she realizes her pet was planning to eat her. I hope they do not get her a new snake for Christmas, if so, SRS needs to be called.
Your thoughts?

Christmas

It is crazy to think that is already the second of December. Believe it or not, I actually feel like I have it somewhat together this holiday season. I have the tree up, some decorations up and most of my Christmas cards addressed and ready to send out tomorrow!
My shopping is another story, I am trying to find the perfect gift for each person, but at the same time trying not to spend a ton of money, with the lean year and economic times.

On another note, I am very thankful for all of the wonderful birthday wishes I received this week for my 27th birthday.

Off to play with the iPhone. If any of you have one and have any fun tips, please let me know, I am still learning!

27!

It's official, at 8:34 p.m. I turned 27 years old!
Who knows what this next year will bring, but I am excited to find out!

Stay Tuned!

Stay Tuned for a post about the birthday party tonight! SG and I decided to try to think of a theme that would allow us to wear high school stuff. So, we have decided the theme is "Party like it's 1998!"

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is now over, and as I lay here typing this in a bit of a food coma I realize all that I have to be thankful for.
Normally our family goes out to eat on Thanksgiving, but this year we did things a bit different. We had my brother, Raven and my niece Brenna over and Raven's parents as well. We ate at home and it was very good. Of course, like any other holiday this year (4th of July my dad was bit by a copperhead) something dramatic happened. As we were all standing in the kitchen talking, my parents were attempting to get the turkey out of the oven. Somehow the aluminum pan collapsed and the turkey grease spilled into the oven causing flames to erupt from the stove. My dad singed quite a bit of his hair and eyebrows off. Luckily he is traveling to Asia tomorrow, and they probably will not notice. Other than that, there were no other injuries and the fire was put out and the turkey was saved!
Tomorrow I am planning to go to the mall for a bit to check out the Black Friday deals. Maybe get a little bit of a start on some Christmas shopping.

Seasonal Guilt

It's that time of year again. The time where everywhere you go there is a red kettle and at each checkout you are asked if you want to make an additional donation to a different organization.
I have felt this way before, and shared my thoughts with SG on Wednesday when we were running around KC on errands and seemed to come upon a red kettle everywhere we turned.
Don't get me wrong, I think the Salvation Army is a great thing and this guilt is probably something I just have to get past, but I will still share. My feeling is that there are too many red kettles, and I hate the feeling of guilt when I pass by one without putting a dollar in. I wonder if the bell ringers are secretly thinking, "cheapskate." I try to make an effort to donate to them often, but if I were to put a dollar in everytime I walked in or out of the mall, Target, HyVee, WalMart, and seemingly everywhere else, I would be even more broke.
Just a thought, I would love to hear your comments on this!

Dumbest Criminals

This could really be on the show America's Dumbest Criminals! The best part is that it happened about 2 blocks from where I attended middle school!

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/906837.html

Christmas is Coming

I know Nordstroms is not putting their Christmas stuff up until the Friday after Thanksgiving, but since MG and I have busy weeks and will be traveling for the holiday, we decided to put our Christmas tree up today! I must say, it looks great. (Pictures to follow).

Also, a few more restaurant rants from today:

A table of 4 sat down, ordered waters. Then asked if we took checks (we don't). I informed them of this. They then said they would wait to get something later because they did not have any money. I figured they would get up from the booth they were occupying and leave. Nope. I went over and politely informed them that the booths were for paying customers. They then tried to order food from me, so I asked for an advance payment in cash or credit card. They said nevermind and left. So, if I would have fallen for it, I am positive I would have had a dine and dash on my hands. Lovely.

Also, although Bri and I live 120 miles apart, we had the same situations happen again tonight, and it seems to be a recurring thing, as I talked with SG's man about it last night as well. It seems to be real cool to ask for your drink to be extra strong, but have no intention of paying for a double or in Bri's case tipping for the heavy pour.

Continued...

Things I witnessed during my double shift today:

A woman breastfeeding her child, no blanket, nothing covering her breast. Her boob was resting on the table and so was the newborn. Necessary? I don't think so. I mean for goodness sakes, we have cloth napkins she could have covered herself in.

Another woman brushing her hair at the table. Her hair was halfway down her back, she took it out of a bun and brushed it all of the way out. Then ran her fingers through it, pulled the loose hair out and dropped it on the floor. Lovely.

Restaurant Rants

I think this is going to be a continuous series that I will touch on whenever it moves me.
Things that annnoy me about working or dining in a restaurant:

-Messy kids and parents who don't clean up after them. Seriously people, do you let your kid dump out every sugar packet at home on your kitchen table? I doubt it.

-Kids who drink tons of pop and cause me to have to run back and forth to get them refills. Not sure about you, but back in the 80's my bro and I would get one pop before the meal came, then we would have to wait for the meal to get a refill.

-People that do not put their credit card or cash in the check presenter so the server can tell that they have paid, or are ready to pay. If more people would do this, it would eliminate a lot of awkward walk bys.

-People that ask for exorbitant amounts of ranch, mayo, sour cream or any other condiment not offered at the table and then don't use one bit of it.

-People that do not know the difference between medium rare and medium well. One is pink, one is barely pink.

-People that ask me to make their drinks extra strong and it is clear that I am serving them, not making them. Then I ask if they want a double? They said, not if they have to pay.

-People that order tons of appetizers and food, and then ask how much the pop is and if they get free refills. Then they pay with a $100, ask for their change in 1's and leave a $1 tip.

-People that leave leftovers behind, and then come back 30-60 minutes later to ask if we still have them.

I am sure there are more, but that is just a few to get me started. Good night.

No Mouse Last Night

We did not catch a mouse last night, although they are eating our trap bait and not getting caught.
We will catch some tonight!

4th Mouse

The 4th mouse walked into the glue trap at about 5 a.m. this morning. It was a bit of chaos. I had just fallen asleep on the couch, then my phone alarm was going off in my bedroom. MG got up, so did her man. We all walked into the kitchen to find the 4th mouse hanging from the glue trap.
I will try to get pictures soon.

Thankful

Some of the many people I am thankful for are pictured above!

Epi Pen=Lifesaver

Today I was at MG's store helping her with some marketing stuff when we decided it was time for lunch. Our options were numerous places in the Prairie Village shops and we chose Minsky's pizza. We got cheesy breadsticks and a salad. I had only had about two total bites when I felt my tongue go numb and noticed the hives developing all over my chest and stomach. I have determined there were probably red pepper flakes in the salad or the breadsticks, not real sure. Not a fun feeling. I asked MG to get me my jacket and purse so I could get the epi pen.



I pulled it out of the package, took the guard off and stabbed myself in the right thigh through my khakis. MG was a bit queasy I think. I then stumbled around and tried to find out which hospital would be the closest. I ended up going to St. Lukes on the Plaza, but not without getting lost in Mission Hills. I hope when I own a home there, I do not get lost.

s.

The ER at St. Lukes was great entertainment, reminded me of the show ER. People everywhere. Because of HIPAA, I do not think I can talk much about it on here. But I will tell you that the highlight of my day in the ER was my awesome nurse who shall remain nameless, but she was a little person/midget and was GREAT!

From MG

MG sent me this email, and I thought I would share it with my blog friends. It brightened my gloomy day!


A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.

A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself
and doesn't feel even the least bit weird shutting your
'Coke drawer' with her foot! (Sorry for the scuffs. :) )

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend shoulder is soggy from your tears.. (Let's go shopping for a new shirt.)

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and
stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after they've gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it!

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument
. A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

Mady and Me

Today I am helping MG at Mady and Me. It sounds like Christmas in here and smells like it too! I know not all of you have children of your own, but most of you have children in your life somehow. Stop in at Mady and Me, mention the blog and get 10% off!

6943 Tomahawk Rd
Prairie Village, KS 66208
Phone: (913) 648-0200

Aggieville

Okay, I love Aggieville, but I would not do this!

http://www.kstatecollegian.com/women_leave_children_to_visit_aggieville

Lucy!

I wish I could bring her to my house to hunt mice.

Mall walker

You have all seen her, well, today I tried to get a picture of her but she was moving too fast. She wears a neck brace, rocking shoes, carries a water bottle and does not skip a corner in that entire mall. Well, she has been spotted but I am sorry the photo is blurry.

Manhappenin

This past weekend I went to Manhattan for the KSU vs. Nebraska game. I rode with my parents and met MS there in Aggieville and that is where the fun started. We ate Pats BBQ, stopped to see Bri and then headed to the stadium to do some tailgating with friends!

We tailgated and then headed into the game right as it started. MS and I were able to smuggle in a few cans of what not in our hoods, they never check there! The game was fun, and pretty cold, so we were definitely ready to head back out to the lot at half to warm up again.
We left the game with about 8 minutes to go when it was CLEAR we were going to lose. MS and I were dropped off in Aggieville and that is where it went downhill, or uphill, depending on how you look at it.




We started at Porters at around 6 and stayed there all night, well, not all night but until midnight when it was clear we needed to head home. We met lots of new friends and got to see Bri hard at work, although I am pretty sure she was ready to see us gone.
MS and I headed to Gumbys for the famous pokey sticks and pepperoni rolls, that is where I left my wallet and did not know about it til yesterday. Not a good feeling, but luckily a friend of mine's dad was still in Manhattan and was able to pick it up for me and I met him today to get it back!
Pics are posted below from the day and night o'fun. This trip reminded me that I am no longer in my early twenties and that Aggieville hurts a bit worse the next day than it did before. It is hell getting old!

2 more!

While I was at work, MG trapped two more mice. Now we have caught three! I hope to catch more tonight, and then I hope we can be finished with this rodent prob.
Tons to post about the weekend. But I am exhausted.

One down, not sure how many more to go...

Mission Accomplished. Our roomie Ralphie, as MG named him is no longer living with us. He has been evicted.
I was home alone last night and about 2 a.m. I heard a screaming coming from the kitchen. I tried to ignore it until the morning, but I must admit I did not get a ton of sleep last night. Finally, this morning I could not take the anticipation anymore, so I grabbed my Mag light and went on a search. Checked all of the living room traps, none. Checked the garage and dining room, none. Checked MG's room, none. Checked the kitchen and BINGO that's where he was. On the glue trap and still moving around and screaming.
I called my bro who said he would come over and finish him off when I did catch him, but he of course could not come over. So, MG and her man came home this morning and MG was brave enough to pick up the trap and bag him up. He is now gone and ready to go out with the trash on Tuesday.