New Career Calling-Engagement Planning and Videography

In all honesty, I used to want to be a wedding planner, but then I started watching Bridezillas with my mom a couple of years ago, worked at a floral shop in college and realized that being a wedding planner would mean giving up a lot of Saturdays if I was successful at my job...Hmmmm, might have to give that career a second thought.
However, this week I think I found my career as a videographer (with a flip) and proposal planner. My friend SG and her boyfriend, now fiance, CN have been dating for about 3 years. CN and I went to lunch a couple of weeks ago to discuss the proposal and throw around some ideas. He mentioned wanting to do it at school, and I told him he needed to do it before break so she could have ample time to get started on some planning. He took that advice. The next week was spent trading emails back and forth about proposal ideas. Finally, we found out that her second hour class was the most fun and would be the one to come to. I told SG last week that I would be coming to class today which is not out of the ordinary, I am unemployed and have some extra time. I brought donuts. SG had assignments for the kids to complete, much to our dismay, but after a little coaching from SF, one of SG's teacher friends, we were able to talk some of the 7th grade girls into whining for a few minutes of Heads Up 7 Up, a favorite game of many people our age. SG agreed and told them they could play for the last ten minutes, this was then relayed to CN via text.
During the last ten minutes of class, the game started, and SG finally agreed to play and put her head down. We motioned CN to come in the room, which he did and the rest is history and shown on the video. Thank goodness for the Flip and for CN letting be there to witness and video the event!

Girl Friday KC

Is the new business venture I am trying to get off the ground while I get healthy and try to find a new job! Please pass this link around to any of your friends in the KC area that may need help shopping, wrapping, delivering, running errands, going to the post office, you name it, I can help!
www.girlfridaykc.com

Another bites the dust

After seeing a mouse or something scurry across the floor recently, I set many sticky traps this afternoon and like magic, caught one this evening!!
AQ, the Roomie www.bananasaboutrunning.blogspot.com did the honors of picking up the mouse on the sticky trap and disposing of he/she outside. Gracie, the dog, is not really a mouser, in fact she kept her distance from all of this action.
Here is hoping to catch the rest of the family with all of the glue traps set around. Last year when we had a mouse problem, glue traps were all that worked as well. Does anyone have a more "humane" way of catching these little rodents?

Everybody is doing it....

Even Mrs. Duggar had to have her gallbladder removed!! 

Now that I am the road to recovery from my health problems, I may just have to blog about some of my experiences in hospitals, doctors office, etc over the past 10 months.  We will see...

New Blog Alert

After months of anticipation, my roommate, AnnaQ has decided to launch her blog.
http://bananasaboutrunning.blogspot.com/
Bookmark it, RSS it, whatever you need to do to follow it.  I am sure it will be entertaining, educational and also inspiring.  That girl gets a ton done in a week, works full time, works out regularly, teaches some workout classes, attends some workout classes, personal trains, and inspires people all week long.
I think you will enjoy it!

LHS Class of 2000

LV LV LV For some of you, those words do not seem that old, but either way it means our ten year reunion is coming up this Summer/Fall 2010.
A lot has happened in ten years since high school graduation.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of stuff below, but I also think that each of us have a story to tell about the past ten years, what we have been doing, what we have learned, where we have been and so on. And that is something I am really looking forward to when we all meet again. Let's get the planning on the go!

2000
April 3, 2000 - The ruling in the case of the United States versus Microsoft states that the company did violate anti-trust laws by diminishing the capability of its rivals to compete.

June 1, 2000 - For the first time since 1851, the United States of America does not participate in a major World's Fair, the Hannover 2000 World Expo, despite a record number, 187, of international participants. President Bill Clinton had withdrawn U.S. participation late in 1999 after agreement to participate in 1997. Congressional apathy toward participation in world events continues a decline in U.S. involvement after the fall of the Soviet Union and victory in the Cold War. A consequence of this policy has led to a rise, among some experts, of anti-American sentiment, and a decline of U.S. influence in diplomatic affairs. Less than half, 18.1 million, of the original attendance estimate, 40 million, visit Hannover's event.

November 7, 2000 - George W. Bush, son of the former President, and Vice President Al Gore hold a virtual dead-heat for the presidency, with a disputed vote in Florida holding off the naming of the winner of the President Election until the Supreme Court of the United States voted in favor of Bush on December 12. This ruling gave Florida to the Bush camp by a 527 vote majority, and a victory in the Electoral College, 271-266, despite gaining less popular votes than Gore.

November 7, 2000 - Hillary Rodham Clinton wins a seat for the United States Senate from New York. It is the first time a former FIrst Lady wins public office.

December 28, 2000 - Montgomery Ward, the retail giant since its founding one hundred and twenty-eight years before, announces its intention to cease business. Competition from newer, low-cost retail behemoths such as Wal-Mart lead to its demise.

The 2000 census enumerates a population of 281,421,906, increasing 13.2% since 1990. As regions, the South and West continued to pick up the majority of the increase in population, moving the geographic center of U.S. population to Phelps County, Missouri.
2001
January 6, 2001 - Certification of the Electoral College victory of the 2000 United States Presidential election in the U.S. Senate confirms George W. Bush as the victor, with Dick Cheney as his Vice-President.

April 1, 2001 - China-U.S. incident. An American spyplane collides with a fighter plane of China and makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China. The U.S. crew is detained for ten days.

April 8, 2001 - Tiger Woods becomes the first golfer to hold all four major golf titles simulteneously by winning the Master's tournament in Augusta, Georgia. This followed a remarkable run in 2000 when Woods claimed victory at the final three majors of that season; the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship.

September 11, 2001 - Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City. The attack of two planes levels the World Trade Center and the crash of one plane inflicts serious damage to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, causing nearly 3,000 deaths. The fourth plane is heroically crashed by passengers into a Shanksville, Pennsylvania cornfield when they learn of the plot, preventing destruction of another structure in Washington, D.C., supposed to be the White House or the Capitol building. The plot is attributed to the Al-Qaeda organization led by Osama Bin Laden.

September 18, 2001 - Anthrax attacks by mail from Princeton, New Jersey against news and government targets begin. Federal officials announce the first case on October 4.

October 7, 2001 - In response to the tragedy of September 11, the United States military, with participation from its ally the United Kingdom, commence the first attack in the War on Terrorism on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. By November 12, the Taliban government leaves the capital, Kabul.
2002
February 8, 2002 - Amid tight security due to terrorism concerns, the Winter Olympic Games are opened by President George W. Bush in Salt Lake City, Utah. They would continue without major incident until the closing ceremony on February 24.

May 21, 2002 - The United States State Department issues its report in the War on Terror. It states that there are seven nations that a State-Sponsors: Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.

July 5, 2002 - Continuing its pattern of the past several years, Iraq refuses new proposals from the United Nations concerning weapons inspections. The inspections were part of the cease-fire agreement and terms of surrender in the 1991 Gulf War. On September 12, U.S. President George Bush addresses the United Nations and warns the members that Iraq presents a grave danger to the world that they must confront, or that the United States and others will act unitarilly. On October 2, 2002, the United States Congress passes a resolution giving the President of the U.S. the authority to use the military forces of the country as he thinks necessary.

November 8, 2002 - The United Nations passes Resolution 1441 in a unanimous Security Council vote. It forces Saddam Hussein and Iraq to disarm or face serious consequences.

November 21, 2002 - NATO invites additional members of the former Soviet bloc to join its membership. Seven nations are included in the invitation; Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

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2003
February 1, 2003 - A tragedy at NASA occurs when the Space Shuttle Columbia explodes upon reentry over Texas. All seven astronauts inside are killed.

March 19, 2003 - The War in Iraq begins with the bombing of Baghdad after additional measures and mandates from the United Nations and the United States coalition fail to gain concessions or the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. The U.S. coalition, upon failure to extract authority from the U.N. for action due to the veto power of France, begin land operations one day later with participation from U.S., British, Australian, and Polish troops.

April 9, 2003 - The U.S. coalition siezes control of Baghdad in the Iraq conflict.

July 2, 2003 - The International Olympic Committee votes in Prague that the Winter Olympic Games are coming back to North America, selecting Vancouver, Canada as host of the XXI Olympic Games in 2010.

December 13, 2003 - Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq, is captured in a small bunker in Tikrit by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.
2004
February 3, 2004 - The Central Intelligence Agency admits that the imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction was not present before the 2003 Iraq war began.

March 2, 2004 - Mars rover MER-B (Opportunity) confirms to NASA that the area of their landing was once covered in water.

July 4, 2004 - The groundbreaking ceremony for the Freedom Tower at Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center complex destroyed during the September 11, 2001 attacks, occurs in New York City.

November 2, 2004 - President George W. Bush wins reelection over Democratic Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts. He wins 50.7% of the popular vote and 286 votes in the Electoral College.

December 26, 2004 - The southeast Asian tsunami occurs following a 9.3 Richter scale earthquake in the Indian Ocean. Two hundred and ninety thousand people die from Sri Lanka to Indonesia, creating one ot the greatest humanitarian tragedies in history. A worldwide relief effort, led by the United States and many other nations, is mobilized to assist.
2005
May 31, 2005 - After more than thirty years in suspense, the identity of Deep Throat, the contact for reporters Woodward and Bernstein in the uncovering of the Watergate scandal, is revealed when W. Mark Felt, the second in command at the CIA at the time, confirms that he was their contact.

July 24, 2005 - American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins his record 7th straight Tour de France.

July 26, 2005 - In the first Space Shuttle flight since the tragedy of 2003, Discovery goes into orbit on a mission that returns to earth safely on August 9.

August 29, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast, inundating the city of New Orleans with water from Lake Pontchetrain when the levees that maintain the below sea level city break. Over one thousand three hundred people perish from Alabama to Louisiana in one of the worst natural disasters to strike the United States.

October 26, 2005 - The War of Terror continues. With elections in Iraq to confirm a new constitution vying with internal terrorism amid the U.S. military presence on October 15, eleven days later a statement from the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calls for the destruction of Israel and condemns the peace process.
2006
February 22, 2006 - In a continuing shift of the retail industry to new platforms, the one billionth song is downloaded from the internet music store, Apple iTunes. This shift comes at the expense of many brick and mortar chains, including Tower Records.

September 25, 2006 - In New Orleans, the Louisiana Superdome reopens after repairs caused by Hurrican Katrina damage. The repairs included the largest reroofing project in U.S. history and took thirteen months following the destruction to the Gulf Coast region.

October 17, 2006 - The population of the United States reaches the milestone of three hundred million, taking only forty-two years to gain one hundred million people since the two hundredth million person was added in 1964. At the same time, a vibrant debate on immigration policy, particularly illegal immigration, ensues across the nation.

November 7, 2006 - In the mid-term elections, both houses of Congress change back to Democratic hands for the first time since 1994. This is seen as a referendum by many on the Iraq policy of the Bush administration as well as personal Republican scandals among some House and Senate members.

December 1, 2006 - United States manufacturing capacity and esteem wanes, signalled by the sale of the last shares of his General Motors stock by U.S. billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.
2007
January 4, 2007 - The first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Representative Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, California, is sworn into office.

January 10, 2007 - President George W. Bush announces a troop surge of 21,500 for the war in Iraq to stem the violence at the request of new commander General Petreus. This controversial policy begins to show positive signs once fully implemented during the summer months, with a reduction in violent attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. Progress on the political front within the Iraqi national government, however, does not keep pace with positive developments on the military front.

June 2, 2007 - A terror plot to blow up JFK International Airport in New York City is thwarted when four terrorists are arrested and charged with its plan.

July 4, 2007 - The fifty star flag of the United States of America becomes the longest flying flag in history after flying over forty-seven years.

December 13, 2007 - The Mitchell Report on the Steroids Scandal in baseball is published. It recounted a year long investigation into the use and abuse of performance enhancing drugs over a two decade period, including steroids and human growth hormone. Nearly ninety players were named, and blame for the scandal was spread among players, the union, and the commissioner's office. Headed by former Senator George Mitchell, the report urged enhanced testing to stem the problem and a look forward attitude to restore the integrity of the game and its statistics. The report comes after a season when Barry Bonds broke the home run record of Hank Aaron amid suspicion of steroid use.
2008
July 1, 2008 - A report by the U.S. embassy in Iraq states that 15 of the 18 goals set for the Iraqi govermnent have been met, largely due to the surge implemented over the last year. The increase of 21,000 United States troops, commonly known as the surge, reduced violence and restored order to the nation, allowing the government of Iraq to focus more on solving other problems needed to establish a stable nation.

August 17, 2008 - Michael Phelps, the United States swimmer from Baltimore, wins his 8th Gold Medal of the Beijing Summer Olympic Games, surpassing the record of seven won by Mark Spitz.

August 29, 2008 - John McCain chooses Sarah Palin, 1st term Governor of Alaska, as his running mate, making the contest between Barack Obama and himself, the first time a presidential election included both an African-American candidate and a woman amongst the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees for president among the Democratic and Republican tickets.

October 3, 2008 - The United States Congress passes legislation, signed by President Bush, for a $700 billion bailout, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, giving the Treasury Department authority to assist distressed Wall Street and banking businesses of the United States due to the housing, banking, and subprime mortgage crises caused by excessive greed and speculation among Wall Street firms. This economic distress, coupled with oil prices above $140 per barrel during the summer, deepened the world economic crises that had been brewing all year. The bailout was supported by current President George W. Bush and both presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain.

November 4, 2008 - Barack Obama, Democratic Senator from Illinois, the land of Abraham Lincoln, wins a landslide margin in the Electoral College, 365 to 173 in the election for the 44th President of the USA over John McCain, making him the first African-American president in the history of the United States of America.
Stat Geek Baseball 2009
President Barack Obama
44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
2009
January 20, 2009 - Barack Obama takes the oath of office for President of the United States, becoming the first African-American president in the history of the nation. The Democratic Senator from Illinois comes into the office on a message of Change. The city of Washington, D.C. hosts more than one million visitors to the inauguration, covering the National Mall in a way reminiscent of the Civil Rights March of Martin Luther King forty-six years earlier.

April 15, 2009 - After a succession of big government spending projects beginning in the Bush administration and expanded under President Obama, 750 grass roots Tea Party protests spring up across the nation. More than one half million citizens concerned with increased deficits due to such actions such as the bailout of the banking industry, car industry, potential cap and trade legislation, and other administation projects that project a ten trillion dollar deficit over the next decade take part.

June 1, 2009 - The H1N1 virus, named the Swine Flu, is deemed a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. This is the first such designation since the Hong Kong flu in 1967-1968.

Mouse Count

The weather outside is getting colder, which means the little mice need a place to live inside. Sorry suckers, but you are not going to live here. Move on down the road.
Sidenote: Mouse #1 was captured tonight on a glue trap and the neighbor boy had to come to the rescue to dispose of it!

Mouse count: 1

13 Years

 

Hard to believe that it's already been 13 years since my Grandma passed away, some days it seems like it has been longer, some days it seems shorter. She would be an awesome 93 year old today. Very happy to have two adorable great-granddaughters!

The recession has hit everyone

I thought I had seen it all, but I was wrong.
Today, I was standing in line at Hobby Lobby wondering why they did not have another checker to help with the long line, I saw a sad sight. First the store manager, then a woman in her 70's in handcuffs followed by a uniformed police officer.
That my friends, is when we know the recession has hit. Come on, Hobby Lobby has great weekly sales, honors competitors coupons and is closed on Sunday. Why steal from them?
I wonder what she was stealing? Yarn, needles, paint supplies, frames, wedding bubbles, cake decorating stuff, shadow box materials, scrapbooking stuff, puff paint.

The past week

 
 

The past week has been a rough one, losing a friend of the family that I have known my entire life and my mom has known since first grade.
She was a wonderful lady, with a great attitude, zest for life, spunk and the will to live and accomplish her goals, unfortunately, Jan lost her fight to cancer last Sunday. Not only did she lose her fight to cancer on Sunday, but her sister also lost her fight with cancer on Friday, two days before. Does not seem fair at all.
Jan is pictured above in the red shrug, it was fitting that she was wearing that in this picture, red was her favorite color and a lot of us wore it to the funeral.
Here is a poem I read at the funeral:



Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without affect,
without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.

All is well.

Portland to Coast Relay 2009

It was a wonderful and extremely humbling experience to participate in the 127 Portland to Coast Walk Relay last week. I went with my friend SG, and we were a part of the FunTimes team that consisted of 8 women total. It was wonderful getting to know each and everyone of them. The team was made up of: a nurse anesthesist, an ER nurse, an acupuncturist, two interior designers, a financial aid advisor, a teacher and myself.
Some pictures are attached and I will elaborate in another post.

So much to do before leaving

I have lots of little things to do before leaving for Portland in the morning. One of the things on my list of things to do, was to mow the lawn. Two problems with that chore, the lawnmower won't start for me AND it poured this morning.
That's where Miss B, my two year old niece can come in handy. Maybe she can come over while I am gone and take care of it with her new gift!

Close call with Einstein Brothers

I had a bit of a scare last week with the Einstein Brothers closest to my house. You see, I don't eat there as much in the Winter, Spring or Summer, but when the Pumpkin Bagel comes out during the fall, color me there.
Last week, Jojo (my mom) and I passed by, and there was a Penske truck backed up to Einstein Brothers, and the inside looked empty. Lucky for me and for all of you Kansas City are bagel lovers, it was just remodeling. A new bagel case and a new cooler for drinks, plus granite countertops. This is good news, not only is it open for business, but hopefully that means it will be open for business for a long time since they took the time, effort and cash to make improvements.
SG and I took a walk to Einstein Brothers on Saturday, to celebrate it still being open, and to admire the inside. It was nice, so was the cinnamon sugar bagel, toasted with plain cream cheese and cinnamon sugar on top.

Portland to Coast Relay 2009

So, back in the fall before I fell ill, I signed up for the Portland to Coast walking relay with a dear family friend BK in who lives in Portland. SG is also going to Portland for the relay as well. The race is 126 miles or something like that. We start at 6 a.m. on Friday and walk all day and night until finishing in Seaside, Oregon around noon on Saturday.

We had a pet....for a moment

This evening, AQ(the roomie) and I took a voyage to the downtown Costco. It was AQ's first time being there in a long time and she found some good things.
On our way home, we were driving through the Plaza area and saw lots of people walking their dogs. One particular dog caught our eye. It was a beagle and we both remarked on what a cute face he had.
Later in our drive (2 minutes later), we came across a beagle on the side of the road. We squealed because we were so excited. I stopped, AQ got out, called the dog and he jumped right in the car. We drove around and asked the people outside if the dog was theirs, nope. We brought him home, put him in the nice backyard, gave him some water. Before I left to meet SG1 for dinner, I let him in the screened in porch, and that is where I left him.
Luckily, I was able to take some pictures of him to show to SG1 and the girls while we ate dinner.
I came home, very excited for him to greet me at the back door, opened it and he was not there. I went in the backyard, GONE! It's a mystery.

Nike Shorts

Don't get me wrong, I love the Nike brand, just as much, or more than the next girl, but the ladies of today need to take a clue. First of all, I spent the morning in Lawrence with KJ on the campus of KU (it was a little painful, but I managed). The thing I noticed in the dorms, at the bookstore, on Mass St and all over was the abundance of girls wearing Nike shorts with random tops. I also saw this at the Apple Store on the Plaza on Monday, Nike running shorts and a button up shirt. Maybe I am getting old, and conservative, but this is not okay. Nike shorts and shorts like it, should be reserved for bumming around, moving or working out. Maybe just make a rule that you should not wear these shorts unless you are wearing a sports bra. That does not seem too hard.

KSU Football....not long til September 5th!

Check this video out -- Proud of this House: K-State Football vs. Montana State http://bit.ly/r4NRR

While I'm at it..

Hello blog friends...if any of you know of any jobs available, please let me know. I am currently unemployed and in the market for a job.

I've been away for awhile

I have been away for quite awhile, have lots to post about, but will just start with this forward I received today, it's pretty hilarious.

Random Thoughts of the Day:

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can
think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell
my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves
me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.

I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to
have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and
sticks when they've invented the lighter?

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're
going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to
be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the
direction from which you came, you have to first do something like
check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to
yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're
crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This
recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never
be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't
work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards
or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and
suddenly realize I had no idea what the fuck was going on when I first
saw it.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually
becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting
90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little
bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the
only one who really, really gets it.

The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped
on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom.
Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I
tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We
played that, Both go left, Both go right game to no avail, so I
finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that's is when I
realized, yup, that's a mirror I just tried to walk through. And the
guy on the other side is me. Even cats can re cognize their own image.

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

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than
take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear
your computer history if you die.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the
spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron
test is absolutely petrifying.

My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads.
Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired
about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us."
Classy, bro.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all
I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod
and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up
to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'
examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete
idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I
know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the
shower first and THEN turn on the water.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,
and you can wear them forever.

I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to
be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an
overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

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

Bad decisions make good stories

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got
the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!

Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would
probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go
around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be
a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work
when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't
want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are
going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me
if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I
swear I did not make any changes to.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching
TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge
me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching
this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the
room. Will we still be friends after this?'

While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China
and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that
when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

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

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing
anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she
hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light
internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,
then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising
speed for pedophiles...

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,
but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not
know what time it is.

It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to
answer when they call.

I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I
find out that I'm sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from
the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.


My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would
happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com<http://CNN.com> and the
link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they
drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or
Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw
they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,
someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think
about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people
eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by
myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard
before dinner.

Best $5 Ever Spent

Well, that might be an objection, but it was the best $5 I have spent today.
I overheard someone at work talking about the Wii and the games you can buy for it. Well, since I had surgery last week, I can't play my normal Wii games (tennis and bowling, or any Wii fit game). And, I can't find Mario Kart in stores anywhere.
I learned how to connect my Wii to the Wifi connection and the house and I was able to download Mario 1 aka Super Mario Bros. from the original Nintendo Entertainment System. NES!

Lasagna Cups

I decided to try a new recipe on the snow day today. Luckily I had all of the ingredients for the recipe I read about on Keri's blog. I only made a few substitutions. I used ground turkey instead of beef, and Cascones red sauce instead of pizza sauce.
All in all, a great recipe!

You can't win if you don't play

There are 15 minutes left of Powerball ticket sales in Kansas for tonight's drawing.
I will not be playing.
Why?


Because of the snow. I know, I know I sound like an 80 year old, but if I have gone all day without leaving the house, I think I can go a little longer.
I guess I will leave tomorrow for my shampoo and set. Ha.

Hard Work

The other night I watched both of my nieces, Hanna (7 weeks) and Brenna (18 months). Not as crazy as Jon and Kate Plus 8, but still was a handful for me.
When I arrived Hanna was asleep in her room in a swing, and Brenna was ready to eat. Halfway through the meal of spaghettios (more on that later), Hanna started screaming. I ran up, grabbed her, and came back to feed Brenna with one hand while holding Hanna in the other hand.
It's hard work.

Restaurant Rant Again

This restaurant rant has a new spin, me as a consumer instead of a server.
On Saturday, SG and I went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic (save your money, not even a rental) and then we went to the Cheesecake Factory for some Mac and Cheese bites which are on the appetizer menu and are absolutely delicious.
We were sitting in close quarters in the middle of two different parties. The party I watched somewhat closely was the younger couple with a a few gold teeth each. The girl was on her cell phone the whole entire meal, and the guy was texting quite a bit. Well, it's customary at the Cheesecake Factory to receive COMPLIMENTARY bread with your meal. Normally it is a sweet wheat and a sourdough or french. The wheat is always good and soft, and the sourdough and or french is always good, but is a bit harder because that is the way it comes. Well, the girl took time out from her busy phone convo to inform the server that she wanted some different bread because hers was hard. The server tried to explain that that kind of bread is hard and she could bring her another wheat roll, but the girl did not like wheat. The server then brought a roll of sourdough on request. This server also constantly went back and forth for different condiments and refills.
As they were paying their bill I noticed he paid with a credit card. Then I started watching closely as he was signing. Yep, my suspicions were correct, I watched his hand make his signature and not venture up on the ticket to write in a tip amount. I was steaming for the server. Then his nice girlfriend threw down $2. Insulting. The bill was $38.
I can't stand people like that.
I understand we are in a recession, money is tight. Then, don't go out to dinner at a restaurant that servers are earning below the minimum wage if you cannot tip.
Don't even get my started on my Sonic experience this afternoon on Independence Avenue. All I will say is that it took 30 minutes for a grilled cheese and a Dr. Pepper. Not cool.

Again...

Again, it has been quite a long time since I have posted, but I have not forgotten about my dear old blog, I have just been busy and sick...real sick.
Let's just say that last week I ended up in the KUMed ER for about 7 hours due to the pressure from my mom to get to the hospital, I think she thought I was dying. Well, I am alive, and on pain pills, but had quite an experience at the ER. First of all, you know I bleed purple, but for some reason KUMed was the closest hospital and I thought I would go back to my birthplace for some emergency care. Bad idea..
I walked in with a guy with self inflicted stab wounds. He had blood all over the front of his shirt, not gushing, just drops. He told me he tried to kill himself by stabbing himself but it hurt too bad.
Next, a lady walked in, right to the check in stand and said she did not want to see a doctor or a nurse, but all she wanted was some hydrocodone. Get in line lady..Just kidding, but that is not the way the ER works. She was incredibly upset that it was not a refill or ask a nurse podium.
The language barrier was apparent in many visits at the ER. I think KUMed would be wise to invest in a full time translator to sit in the check in area, it would save a lot of time.
I was finally treated and was there from 9 p.m. til 5 a.m. the next morning.

Long time, no post

It has been quite awhile since I have actually posted on here. Let's see what has happened:
1. I am no longer in the factory, but now working in the office and actually starting to do what I was hired to do, sell.
2. My newest niece, Hanna, will be one month old tomorrow, which is hard to believe.

3. I am very excited for my upcoming trip to Utah to spend time with the Walkers and their new additions, two goldendoodles, Nellie and Moose.
4. I decided to go to a new place to get my hair done, bad idea. I went yesterday and left with fire engine red streaks. I went back today to get the streaks taken care of...Not quite cured, yet.
5. I had a wonderful time last weekend in Manhattan for Seth's Golden Birthday.

25 Random Things

I have not posted in a while, and this was going around facebook so I thought I would also post it to my blog.

25 Things

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Today at 9:04pm | Edit Note | Delete

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

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

Yes, I know, I succumbed to the pressure, but I did not have anything else to do.

1. I love being an aunt to Brenna and most recently, Hanna.
2. I can't stand it when people touch their temples or my temples. They are soft spots and I am very confident it can kill you.
3. I spent some of my elementary school years in Bangkok, Thailand.
4. I basically have a glass jaw, 8 jaw surgeries later and it still does not work perfectly.
5. My goal for 2009 is to only have one W-2 to file next year.
6. Since I joined Costco, I feel like a real adult, but this year I am also going to file my own taxes, so I consider that a jump into adulthood as well.
7. I have a couple of inventions up my sleeve that I am confident will make me millions, and I would be willing to share the profits with you if you could help me find a patent attorney.
8. I love to cook, but mostly only things with 4 ingredients or cream cheese, or both.
9. My car was stolen from the Leavenworth High parking lot on October 21, 1998. The same day I was running the blood drive, karma? I think not.
10. I fell off the bridge at Cody Park as a youngster and am the reason there are now wooden bars instead of just chains.
11. I regret not playing volleyball in high school, I play in a Monday night league now and I really enjoy it.
12. I was close to being an intern for the David Letterman show. I was narrowed down to the top 22 and then cut after going for an interview.
13. I accidentally hung up on Vice President Dick Cheney when I was working in the Senate.
14. I like to pretend that Aggieville is Never Never Land and that moeny spent there is fake, and I can drink as much as I would like.
15. I would really like to get a tattoo sometime, I just am not sure what I would like tattooed on my forever.
16. Doing laundry takes me a few days, I seem to forget about it once I have started it.
17. I do not like to rent movies because I ALWAYS fall asleep.
18. I hate to be cold and normally sleep in socks, sweats and a hoodie.
19. My family is related to the Claussen pickle people, in fact my brother's middle name is Claussen.
20. I am proud to say I am from Leavenworth, it's a cool town with some charm. That's not to say that it does not have some room for improvements.
21. I have a lot of food allergies, I carry two epi pens that can be shot into my thigh in the event of an emergency.
22. I love to knit!
23. I would really like to learn a few new things this year: snowboarding, how to play the piano again and more Spanish.
24. I love to shop at Aldi's for my groceries and see how much money I can save.
25. I do not like to touch cotton on the top of pill bottles, or cotton balls. It gives me the chills.

Factory Worker

The rest of my week has been pretty boring compared to my exciting Monday night. I have not been involved in anymore low speed chases with hover-rounds.
I have been working in the factory again all of this week. I have not set any production records this time, as I was worried if my performance was too good in the factory side, they may decide to keep me out there, and I am not really wanting to do that. The nice thing about working in the factory is that it doesn't matter if I am having a bad hair day because no one would ever know. We wear bouffant (hairnet) caps all day long. Very stylish.

Good Samaritan chases a scooter

I can see the headline now. The Today Show will probably be calling next, then hopefully some late night TV. Just kidding, but the story is pretty entertaining.
This evening on my way home from Little Caesars (where I got my pizza free again), I decided to stop at Sonic and get a pop. On the way out of Sonic I came very close to hitting a man on a scooter. Not a Vespa type of scooter, instead a scooter like this one:

My heart was beating very fast as I realized I almost hit and killed the guy. Not sure if it would have been my fault, I won't even go into that. Anyway, the guy had NO lights on his scooter (and it was dark out). At the time this was happening, I was on the phone with my dad. He suggested I call 911 to let them know what was going on. I did. The dispatcher instructed me to stay with the guy, and flash those in oncoming traffic, so they would be aware. This guy did not stop at busy intersections, and swerved in both lanes of traffic. I stayed on the phone the whole time with the dispatcher until the cops arrived. At one point during my 4 mph chase, the guy was onto me. He stopped, tried to wave me on. The dispatcher instructed me to pretend like I was turning around, so I did. I turned around in a non busy intersection. This is where it got good and where I wished I had a camera or a dash cam. At this point I was turning around, kind of in a circle, the scooter man decided to chase me. Yep, me in my little car being chased in the dark by a man on a scooter. I told the dispatcher and he was laughing. The cops came up just about this time and they were both laughing a bit as well. They put their lights on were going to deal with the man. I headed home and warmed up my pizza for dinner. Never a dull moment.

Pretty eyes this week

This evening, I was home alone and hungry. I did not feel like cooking, so I decided to hop in my cold car and head down the street to Little Caesars for the $5 hot and ready pizza. I have had good luck at this Little Caeasars but was not expecting it again today.
I went in, ordered a cheese pizza and some crazy bread. The total came to 7.96. The same guy that waited on me last time waited on me again. I asked if I could use my debit card, he said no. He said it was on the house since I have such pretty eyes. I reminded him that he gave me my order free two weeks ago as well, and that time was because I had a pretty smile. He said that he knew and remembered.
I should be flattered, but I am not. I will however take the free pizza. Come on, you know you would too. It's a lean year and we are in a tough economy.
Another note on the pizza man, he is covered in tats. His forearm has some tattoos of different teeth (molars, I think). Then on his knuckles on both hands it spells out: GAME OVER. A little scary. Thankfully the pizza place does not know my name because I always walk in to order and i have never payed with a card.

Debit Card

My new debit card still has not arrived. I called my hometown bank on Monday hoping for some hometown service, and did not receive it. They said there was no way they could put a rush on my debit card and I would have to wait the normal 2-3 weeks. Not cool. I have a lot of bills that are autodrafted off that card. Not real sure what will happen.
Plus, planning to have cash instead of paying at the pump is also a pain in my butt.

Shopgirl

The roomie is out of town for the weekend, so SG and I are manning the store. SG had to leave eary to get ready for a formal she has this evening, so that leaves me here to hold down the fort. So far, so good. I am thankful the Christmas music is over and I can listen to the regular radio.
Another week of work passed by and thankfully this week I was not in the factory, instead I was in the sales meeting learning more about my job. I found out that I will start traveling in March and I have a trip planned for training until June. March I go to Portland, April to Seattle, May to DC and June to Boise. Then after that I will be traveling much more on my own! I am really looking forward to it. Oh, I can't forget, the best part is my first trip in February, not for work, instead for fun to go see ABWalker!
On another note, Kansas Citians need to learn how to drive in the elements. It took me 97 minutes to get to work yesterday, luckily I was not involved in a collision and I am thankful for that, but I am wishing everyone else could just drive by the accident, trust me, the emergency personnel have it taken care of, they don't need us gawking.
I saw Slumdog Millionaire last night with JG. If you have not seen it, I would definitely recommend it.

The Little Apple

 

This past week, I was able to take a road trip to the Little Apple to visit Bri and Melissa! We tried to eat at Rock a Belly Deli, no luck due to the long wait, then went to So Long Saloon, once again, no luck. We ended up eating at the Pita Pit. It was okay.
I took a picture of this shirt at threads while in Aggieville, and I think next time I am in Manhappiness I will have to purchase it

Next up, was the KSU game at Bramlage vs. Texas A&M, Cats Won! Good time!

LOST

Tonight I a friend for dinner at Stix at the Legends before going to see a movie. I love sushi, I love Stix and each time I go I really try to overlook the poor service, well, tonight I could not overlook it. It started when we were "seated" but did not have enough chairs. Next, I ordered a salad, and my friend ordered soup, and we both ordered edamame. He had a beer from the bar, and I ordered a glass of Riesling. The salads came, my water was empty and as I was eating the edamame and working up a thirst, I realized my wine had not arrived. So, being the server I am, I stood up, went to the bar and found my glass of wine in the well and took it and stabbed the ticket. Everyone just looked at me, but I did not care, I was thirsty.
Our sushi came, it was great and our eyes were a bit larger than our stomachs. Water was refilled once during the meal, and if you know me well you know that is not nearly enough. I consume a lot of water at any meal and that is my measure of a good server.
Then came time for the check. The server brought it, and Chris put cash in, and I put my card in the slot. We both joked about how long it would take for the server to be back with the receipt for me to sign. Well, it took about ten minutes and when he was back he said, "I'm sorry, I dont have your change yet sir, and ma'am I also have misplaced your credit card. I have people looking all over for it." I tried to stay calm, but then called the manager over and let him know what happened. He said he was sorry, said he would discount the meal. That's where I interrupted him and said a discount was not acceptable, but instead he needed to comp the whole meal. He did. We went to the movie, and checked back in afterwards as the manager told us to. He informed me that they did not find the card, the server would no longer be working there (for a variety of issues, not just mine), gave me a gift card and also his business card because Stix will be paying for my new credit card to be expedited to me on Monday!
About the movie, we went to see The Broken and I had to walk out with about 25 minutes to go. It was way too scary.

A pic of the new little one

I'm an Aunt...again!

Today at 12:43 pm I become an aunt for the second time. Hanna Kate was born, weighing in at 7 lbs 9.5 oz and 19 inches long. I was still in the factory at work today, and was not able to make it to the birthday, but went after work to meet her and hold her. I am looking forward to going tomorrow to spend more quality time with her.
This is my second niece, and the second time I was not present at the birth. I am hoping that by the time I have my own kids, I can be present at their births! :)
I will take pictures tomorrow.

Say it louder and maybe I will miraculously understand.

So, tomorrow is finally Friday. If I make it through the day, it will mean that I have survived my first week at the new job. It is much tougher than I thought it would be, but next week will be better. I have spent the whole week on the factory floor assembling product, packing kits and shipping kits. The boss wants the new sales people to be familiar with all of the products before the sales meeting next week, so this is our crash course. I have cuts all over my fingers from cardboard, and my nail polish is chipping and needs to be removed, but I am scared to remove it with nail polish remover because of the pain it will cause all of my small cuts.
Most of the workers on the factory floor are Vietnamese and do not speak a lick of English. They seem to think that if they yell or raise their voice at me, then maybe I will understand their language. It has not happened yet.
I am looking forward to the weekend!

Real World Starts Tomorrow

No, not the MTV show, but instead my life. I took a small break from the real world recently, and am hopping back in tomorrow at my new job. I have to be at work at 8, which will take some getting used to, but I think I can handle it. I already packed my lunch and laid out my clothes!
Volleyball league also starts tomorrow, so it should be a good day all around.

14 hour workday

Yes, I worked a 14 hour day today. I know, people do that all the time, it is not a big deal. Well, it is when you deal with the village idiots that decided to come out to eat today. People with not enough money to pay the tab or the tip, better yet, the lady that sat down, ordered, then looked in her purse and realized that she did not have her wallet. She asked if we could bill her. No. Hmm, the group of people that ordered 4 coronas, all with grenadine. Gross. The 18 year old mouthy girl that continued to ask me for a blue motherf&#$%& drink. I explained to her that first of all, she needed to clean up her mouth, and second of all, we can't serve to underage people. She then proceeded to tell me that the menu was way too confusing for her and she had no clue how to even read it. Lovely. (Same table that left no tip on the $80 bill, and smelled like pot)
I start my real job on Monday, and I think it will be a welcomed break.
In other news, I booked my trip for Salt Lake City over Presidents Day weekend! I am very excited to go see A&BW and their new home. We are planning to go snowboarding, shopping, check out the temple, go to a piano bar and I am hoping squeeze in some time for IKEA as well!

NEVER AGAIN

One of my New Year's Resolutions for the rest of my life is to NEVER AGAIN work on New Year's Eve. Thankfully, I am starting my grown up job on Monday, and then I will end my time at the restaurant.
People are rude, it is amateur night.