Food, Favorites, Fantastic Frocks... (F)etc.

I have several friends who love to cook. Some stick to simple recipes while others use ingredients I can't pronounce. I always feel like I'm a few steps behind. A part of me wants to catch up and the other part could care less. Fortunately, Michael married me for reasons other than my cooking (he eats green beans out of the can for crying out loud) so it's not an issue. But this week I have been pretty proud of myself: I actually made real meals. Not only that, I did that thing where I said, "Hmm, I think it needs a pinch of this" and just went with it. And it tasted pretty darn good! It's a bit like exercise, once I start I kind of want to keep it up. We're on a very strict budget right now so it's also a bit of a challenge--what can I make out of what we already have? Anyway, I'm mainly writing about this so I can look back in a few years and know that at least one week of my life I loved to cook.

No other news really. With that in mind, I think I will share with you my 2nd Annual Favorites List. You're on the edge of your seat aren't you? Thought so.

Once again, in no particular order....

1. Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Face Scrub

In my 27 years on God's green earth, I've been blessed with pretty good skin. I'm not talking texture or color (I wish), I just mean I never had to deal with acne. And then something changed around the first week of March and BAM! Acne! I wasn't able to put it together but my mom politely told me I might be a tiny bit stressed about our current situation and that could be the reason for my adult onset puberty. I didn't really think stress could do that but I saw this stuff and figured it was worth a shot. GLOOOOORIOUS! It worked like a charm, smells SO good, and I am officially addicted. So is Michael. I highly recommend it.

2. A lit'l bit o' heaven

Ok, everyone knows I love cake (sans people asking if Keller has pooped, thank you very much). After almost every meal I think to myself, "You know what would make this meal complete? A piece of cake." I don't need a huge piece, just a little something. Baking a cake every week seemed a bit ridiculous and then I saw these. 30 seconds in the microwave. 150 calories. So good. Sidenote: there's a reason they're only 150 calories--the entire thing is about 4 bites. (Maybe 6 if you take tiny bites. Or maybe what I consider "tiny bites" are normal bites for most people? Gaaaah I love cake.) Regardless, it's just enough to fill my craving after a meal. And it won't cause severe weight gain, which is always a nice bonus.

3. This dress:

I don't know what it is with this dress, but I want to go buy it and wear it with flats one day and boots the next. It's not a very Meredith dress and I think that's one of the reasons I love it. Every time I see a dress at Anthropologie I have to ask myself if I can pull it off and most of the time I sigh and decide that no, I absolutely can't. And this might be the same. But since we're all friends and friends are supposed to lie to you occasionally, let us all pretend I can pull it off remarkably well. Thanks, friends.

4. Arizona Sweet Tea

Where have you been all my life? How did I grow up in Arkansas and Oklahoma and not discover you until Texas? I could drink you all day. And lately I have.

5. Harry Pottah

I was J.K. Rowling's biggest critic. I saw the first HP movie at the theater and despised it. Absolutely hated it. From them on, I refused to read the books or watch the movies. I actually laughed at anyone who enjoyed such a ridiculous plot. Michael has seen all of the movies and decided to read the series this summer and seeing that I had plenty of time on my hands, I begrudgingly agreed to read them with him. Holy cow, people. Harry Pottah, will you marry me? These books are absolutely amazing. Her creativity is mind boggling and I read approximately 20,000 pages in 3 weeks. If you have yet to read them, go. Go now. Stop reading Merd's top 5 and go NOW. I promise you won't regret it. I can't say the same about the movies, I regretted several of them (we would read a book and then watch the correlating movie) but the last few were pretty good.

And there you have it, my top 5 of 2009. As soon as I hit "publish" I'm going to think of something else, but such is life.

Not Your Normal Dinner Convo

As soon as Michael walked through the door Friday evening we loaded up the car and drove to Fort Smith to spend the weekend with my parents. I can't remember the last time we visited and it was definitely time. As we got closer I became more and more excited, to the point that I was singing and dancing on the final leg of the trip. (This was also to keep myself up, as it was late and dark. And my companion was nodding off at a very fast rate.) There is something so wonderful about visiting the place you grew up. It doesn't mean I want to move back (I always see a slight panic in Michael's eyes every time I point out a favorite place), but it does make me realize I had a great childhood in a fantastic place.

Saturday was spent looking at granite and backsplash with my mom (they are about to re-do their kitchen) and then driving all over Fort Smith to check out venues for our reunion. We also stopped by Southside (high school) and I was blown away by all of the updates. Fellow SHSers, go by and check it out. New windows, new landscaping, new parking lots, new $18k modern structure that doesn't really fit in with the whole "high school" theme but still looks pretty neat.

We played a somewhat friendly game of Trivial Pursuit Saturday evening and the parents ended up winning. BARELY. Michael was the shining star on our team. I refuse to go into specific details, but I will say that after the game was over my mom pulled out the globe and gave me an intense geography lesson. Oops.

We drove back last night and made it just in time for Keller's 4th birthday party (Keller is our nephew). Little did we know we would receive a lesson in parenting. We'd just finished dinner and the cupcakes had been served when Keller quietly disappeared. After several minutes we noticed the birthday boy was gone and then heard the toilet flush. "Oh, very well then," I thought, and went back to enjoying my cupcake. And then I heard it. So nonchalant, so typical, so disgusting (especially whilst at the dinner table). "Keller, did you poop? Did you poop, Keller?" Michael and I gave each other horrified looks and then did the only thing we could do... waited for Keller's answer. After a good minute (and 14 more "Did you poop, Keller? Keller did you poop?"), it was determined that yes, he did poop, and the parents were off to take care of business. No one batted an eye, no one put down their cupcake... it was as if they'd simply asked him if he'd gone to the mall. I had an immediate flash-forward of Michael and I saying the same thing to our kids, which led to a full body shudder.

As we were leaving, Michael's mom tried to send us home with some cupcakes but for the first time in my life I said no. For some reason they no longer sounded appetizing.

Way Back Wednesday--TU Edition

On Monday, TU welcomed the freshman class to campus. I saw this information on facebook and felt a surge of nerves and excitement--the same feeling I had when I was the little guy on campus. I was also utterly disgusted when I realized this is the class of 2013. What the heck?

In keeping with that theme, I found some pictures from my first semester freshman year. The year? 2000. The clothes? Dreadful. The friends? Amazing.

Meet my very first roommate, Summer. This picture was taken in our fabulous dorm room in Twin South. Cinder blocks just add so much to a room, don't you think? We took being roommates very seriously. We had a wipe board that announced our whereabouts at all times (including, "I've gone to the coke machine, will be back soon"). If we didn't leave a message, we were sure to receive a call on our gigantic cell phone.



Melissa was my first friend at TU--we met on our freshman orientation trip. We were in the same group and became friends almost immediately. I say almost because the first few days were spent eyeing each other from afar and thinking the other was "so cool." (She did have a tongue ring after all.) This picture was taken at Emily's (see below) 19th birthday celebration held at Chili's.



And the last picture is with my friend Emily. Summer and I made an immediate decision not to like her because she was so freaking outgoing and we didn't care for that. Not one bit. Then we met her and changed our mind (mind = singular--we had one mind that year). This picture was taken at the Sigma Chi formal, which was held at Grand Lake. Remember when I mentioned my first introduction to a straightener? Yep, it was this girl who did it. She changed my life--how could we NOT be friends?



I'm sure you're wondering, "Where's Kaitlin?" I'll tell you where. Twin Towers with her other friends. :) We did not become good friends until sophomore year due to some incorrect theories about one another. So I apologize Kait, but the only picture I have involves lots (and lots) of cheese as well as some fierce sideburns, so I thought I might keep that one to myself. Perhaps I will dedicate the next WBW to you. :)

Let's quit our jobs (ahaha, that was supposed to be funny for me) and be freshman again. Who's with me?


(Kappa Sigma Riverboat...)

Seven Flags Over Texas

So I said I wouldn't discuss the details of my job adventures, but I felt this one was worth sharing.

On Sunday I found a very basic ad in the Dallas newspaper. By basic, I mean ridiculous. No name, no address, just a phone number and a very general explanation of the job. But hey, this gal needs a job! I called yesterday and left a message. A lady called back a few hours later and asked a few questions about my background and then said, "Can you come in this afternoon or tomorrow?" I was a bit flustered and told her tomorrow (today) would be better. She asked me to bring a resume.

Red flag 1: Who asks you to come in for an interview before they've seen your resume?

So I hang up and shrug my shoulders. Weird, but I guess it was my friendly voice and consummate charm that won them over. :) Michael came home and I told him about the interview as well as the location. He raised his eyebrows and gave a low whistle.

Red flag 2: When your optimistic husband raises his eyebrows and gives a low whistle, that is not good.

Turns out this location is not close to our house (30 miles) and is also in a rough area of Dallas. Last night I started feeling really weird about the whole thing and mentioned to Michael, "Ya know, it's a little scary isn't it? Any serial killer could put an ad in the paper and lure innocent, young funemployeds to a deserted location..." He told me to skip the interview but I blamed my paranoia on just finishing the final Harry Potter book (more about THAT later)!

Red flag 3: Possible interview with a serial killer. (And after driving 30 miles, no less!)

This morning I woke up early and ran several errands so I could dedicate the afternoon to the job interview. I left an hour early and as I was driving I kept fearing the worst. After I turned onto the street I noticed Michael was right: The area was seedy. But it was worse than that.

Red flag 4: Job location in a seedy area...

Red flag 5: in a deserted strip mall....

Red flag 6: with blacked out windows.

Aw HELL no. I drove past it not once, not twice, but four times. Each time I kept looking for a silver lining but realized I was actually looking for a silver bullet to come flying through my window. I know I have no right to be picky right now but this was too much. I went back and forth on whether I was going to go in and then remembered I would be filling out an application that would ask for my address, social security number, etc. After discussing it with Michael (who said "Absolutely not!") and then hearing the same statement from my mom, I did an about face and headed home.

I didn't want to be a complete jerk so I called the place to let them know I was not going to make it. It was then that I noticed their message did not give the name of the company.

Red flag 7: If your voice message does not include the name of your company, you are most assuredly a serial killer.

So 7 red flags later (and I believe I'm being generous, in my head I counted 13), I am back at home, still unemployed, but alive. And that? Makes all the difference.

Is That A Butterfly In The Sky?

Let's get this party started, shall we?



Growing up, did you ever buy a cd (or cassette, I'm not judging) and listen to the entire thing, only to find a certain song that you really loved? To take it one step further, that song you loved... no one else really knew about it. It didn't immediately become a hit, it wasn't played on every radio station, it was simply your secret. And then, that dreadful day came. The day you woke up to it playing on the radio, and suddenly... suddenly it became mainstream and your secret was exposed to millions of greedy listeners. Maybe it's just me (and I'm quite confident I'm being a little extreme with this), but what a terrible feeling.

I feel the same way about great books that turn into movies. One of my very favorite books hits theaters today and I'm not going to lie, a part of me is crushed. The Time Traveler's Wife. I wish I could describe to you the brilliance of this book. I have a problem with getting so involved in a storyline that I dread reading the last chapter because I know my connection with the characters is about to break. This book was no exception. Oh how I adored it. And now I'm terrified of it becoming "just another movie," because folks, it is definitely not "just another book." So plea #1: Read this book. By all means, go see the movie as well, but read it.

Along the same lines, please allow me to mention one other book: Love Walked In. After I finished it, my immediate thought was to turn to chapter 1 and read it all over again (sidenote: I have now read it 3 times, though not in immediate succession). The characters are so real, the writing is brilliant, and I have never felt such a close connection to any storyline. I'm telling you now because I believe they are making this jewel into a movie as well and my treasured secret just might become a red carpet success. So! I'd rather share this book with you now so you'll understand my ridiculous love affair with a work of fiction.

To make it easier for you, just CLICK HERE and then CLICK HERE. Or you can find both at your local library. :)

Good Times

I spent this past weekend at Grand Lake with several college friends. Michael had to work and was not able to come until Friday night so I drove up Thursday afternoon and was able to have an extra day with everyone. We had a blast!

I've learned that a lake vacation is just as laid-back as a beach vacation. We were all up around 9a each day but we were never able to get on the water until noon. Oh well, less chance of skin cancer (which was discussed numerous times on this trip--we are so old).

Friday afternoon, we reached Dripping Springs and dropped our anchor (DELTA GAMMA! PINK!!!!! AHHHH!) and then the boys decided to cliff jump. I kept warning everyone about the possibility of floating branches/tree trunks, which have killed many people, but no one listened to me. After the men jumped, Summer decided she also wanted to give it a go. She asked all of us, (I murmured "tree trunks") but she convinced her husband to go with her. After she jumped she said she wanted to go again and this time I finally gave in. It was actually a lot of fun! I was glad I did it, don't think I ever need to do it again. Carpe Diem, folks.

Then we all took a turn on Big Mable (who was later referred to as "that bitch"), which was a fun albeit painful experience for some of us. Summer found out later she'd received a concussion from that bitch. Emily and I went together and made a pact that neither of us was going to be the tough guy and as soon as we felt the need to go, we were going to just let go, man. And that we did.



Michael and I continued our summer of separate vacations as he called Friday and sounded like I had the past few days. Sick, sick, SICK. He'd stayed very late at work on Friday and was talking about coming up Saturday morning at 5a. I convinced him to stay at home and rest, therefore making myself the 7th or 9th (depending on the day) wheel yet again. Just a reassurance, we do love each other very much and actually enjoy spending time TOGETHER, it has just been a rough few weeks.

Each night we played Catch Phrase or Taboo and I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard (yes I realize that is so cliche but it's true--my voice was gone for 4 days and I know it was due to the insane shouting and laughing). I love my friends. I will share one example. One of the guys (who shall remain nameless to protect his identity and intelligence) had to describe Nelson Mandela. He laughed and said, "Ok, I know I'm supposed to know who this is but I don't" (keep in mind, none of us knew what word he had). One sentence background info for those of you like my friend: Nelson Mandela was the former president of South Africa. He broke apart the name and got the boys to come up with "Man" and "Delta" before time ran out. The girls couldn't think of anything so he told us the answer. This wouldn't have been so funny except that Steve (Summer's husband) is FROM South Africa and had been sitting directly across from him, guessing the entire time. It was awesome. I don't think Steve was as amused.

Sunday evening my parents were driving back from Florida as I was driving back from the lake and our paths crossed so we pulled off at Atoka, Oklahoma (population 4) and had dinner together. I told them about the cliff jumping to which my dad replied, "Haven't you heard about floating tree trunks?" I couldn't help but laugh. I am not laughing now, as I have a major bruise on my left leg that occurred whilst jumping and I am now thinking I might have found one of those blasted trunks. Hmm...

And there you have it. Lake Trip 2009, which we have all decided will become an annual event. Although I'm not sure Big Mable will be invited again...

Florida & Way Back Wednesday

And I'm back! Our vacation was fantastic! However, it was the first time I was not highly depressed on the last day. Not to get all corny on you, but vacations sans husband are just not as fun. Every time someone said something funny, I wanted him to be there to hear it, and every time I said something stupid (which happens more than I care to admit), I expected his oh so loving voice to call me out on my ridiculousness. So while I had a terrific time with the entire family, I was pretty ecstatic to see him at the airport Saturday night.

I can't say much about the trip because we purposefully don't DO much. Most families have big plans each day, whereas we look at it as a true vacation. You wake up, you go to the pool/beach, you eat lunch, you take a cat nap, you go back to the pool/beach, you eat dinner, you chat, you go to sleep, and repeat. It's glorious! We all had a great time with Evan and each other. I might have complained 498 times about sleeping on the couch but really, who wouldn't? All in all, fabulous trip.

Unfortunately, I woke up Monday with either allergies or a bad cold and have been coughing/sneezing/ and er... other gross stuff ever since. Have you heard me sneeze? If you live in Texas, the past few days have not been earthquakes. On no, they have been aftershocks from yours truly. Thumbs wants nothing to do with me as I have frightened her multiple times. Even Michael looks at me a bit peculiarly. Needless to say, I'm ready to be healthy again.

A few pictures from the trip. If you want to see more, CLICK HERE. Don't worry, I did not post all 466 of them. Apparently when you have a 9-month old with you, you become the paparazzi.












And since this is Way Back Wednesday, two pictures for you. The first goes with the theme of this post and was taken at Sanibel 10 years ago. Don't worry, I discovered the hair straightener exactly one year later (thank you Emily H) so I did not spend my entire freshman year in college with poofy hair. Yeesh.



Also! A great friend of mine celebrated her 5-year anniversary a few weeks ago so here's a tribute to her! Leslie is the beautiful bride, and Julie is the beautiful bridesmaid (does she look familiar? Look up!).


Whew! Enough pictures! Enjoy the rest of your day!

Fridays With Evan...And The Master Bedroom.

I think it's been a month since I've posted any pictures of Evan, which doesn't seem that long but if you're only 8.5 months old it's a little absurd. So I have included several pictures as well as two videos. Tomorrow I'll get to see the little guy IN person IN Florida. Can't beat that. I fly tonight and don't get back until next Saturday so I will be leaving blogland for awhile. I'm bringing my bff Mr. iPhone so I'll be able to keep up with all of your blogs, but the commenting will be even less than usual. My apologies.

Before I get to (disclaimer: my opinion) the cutest nephew in the world, I wanted to show some pictures of the new master bedroom. I've take 11 bajillion pictures and I'm not happy with any of them. The actual color vs. the color the camera portrays are very, very different. Imagine if you can a medium blue with green and grey undertones and you've got Benjamin Moore's Wedgewood Gray. However! These pictures make it appear blue with blue and blue undertones. Whatev. Our master bedroom is a total work in progress (Hey! That's the name of this blog!) and I hope to show you an updated picture in a year (or two. or five.) that includes a headboard, new side tables, and oh I don't know CURTAINS perhaps?

Until then, here is our master bedroom 2.0. Before picture:


And after!




By the way, 10' ceilings are great until you have to paint them. And then they become the bane of your existence.

And now I bring you the Evanator:









And two videos. The first one cracks me up (make sure your sound is on so you understand what's going on). I now have mixed feelings about Evan's teenage years...

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

And the little guy eating...with 8 teeth. 8 teeth!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Benjamin Moore's Wedgew00d Gr@y

IF YOU'RE WANTING TO SEE PICTURES OF WEDGEWOOD GRAY, CLICK HERE!

Apologies in advance for a post that's going to be all over the place...

My parents visited this weekend and brought several of our houseplants and all of my winter clothes, none of which made the original move. In such a short time I completely forgot about my winter clothes and now must retract an earlier proclamation of "I was able to fit ALL of my clothes in our closet!" Looks like the extra bedroom's closet will be utilized after all. It was so great to see mom and pops and even greater that they were able to stay a few days! Living in Tulsa was both good and bad when it came to visits from my parents. Visits were somewhat often (good) but were always very short (bad) due to the short drive from Tulsa to Fort Smith. Now that it's a 4.5 hour drive and both are retired (wahoo!), they can come for a few days at a time. I love it! It would have been a sad goodbye but we knew we'd be seeing each other again in Florida for an entire week starting this Friday! I am so excited to be able to go back to Sanibel for our annual vacation. It's been several years and I'm ready to claim my pool chair, find some shells, and attempt (for the 456th time) to master the hammock. You say it's not hard? It is HARD.

In other news, I'm still funemployed (thank you, dad, for giving me a new term for my present status). Friday marked 3 weeks of being jobless and it's starting to get to me. Deep down I knew it would take awhile but there was definitely a small part of me that thought this would be easy. That part became even smaller when I met with one of Dallas' best recruiters and she told me to get a job at a furniture store and enjoy the discount. (Which makes no sense whatsoever--how can I enjoy the discount if my monthly salary will only pay for a picture frame or a candle? Hurumph.)

The first few weeks didn't bother me at all. To be honest, I loved them. I was able to empty all boxes, put everything in its proper spot, and hang all of our artwork (obviously Michael helped with each of these things). I registered my car and got a driver's license. I discovered many parts of Dallas that I'd never seen before (never heard of before). But now? Now I've done all of that and I'm still sitting here on a Monday morning feeling frustrated. I never thought I'd say this, but I really am one of those people that needs to do something. It's what makes me feel successful. It doesn't have to be brilliant, it doesn't have to be difficult, it just has to be something... something to make me feel human. Right now I feel pretty worthless, and that's a terrible feeling.

So what do I do? I decide to paint our master bedroom. Probably not one of my brighter ideas, but hear me out. I adored our last house. Every room, every nook, every part. Except for the master bedroom's paint color. It wasn't awful by any means, I just didn't care for it. For 18 months (would have been longer had we stayed), I dealt with the color because it was there and it worked. I've now run into the same problem with our current house--the master bedroom paint color doesn't bother me but it's the same color as every other room in the house. And this time? I refuse to settle. I think Michael knows this is just something I need to do for myself, to make me feel like I have a (temporary) purpose, so he gave me a hug yesterday and let me drive to Ace Hardware to pick up a color so I could paint our room something beautiful.

I wish this story could continue it's climactic journey, but unfortunately this was my first time to step inside an Ace Hardware with a list in hand. I saw the paint colors and flocked to the rainbow. Found the two I'd been contemplating and was immediately greeted by an employee. I politely pointed to the "Samples for $6" sign and asked for a sample of each. He told me he'd never done sample sizes before and I just kept staring at him. I would not look away. After a ridiculously long pause he said, "Welllll, I guess you want me to go ahead and try?" I smiled and said, "Yes, I'd like that very much." He walked away and I scanned the rest of the store looking for items I would need to paint. I ended up texting Kaitlin and requested a full line-up of materials, so my empowerment movement took a temporary backseat while I scanned each aisle with my iPhone in hand, directing me where to go. Hey, I said I wanted to be successful, I didn't say I had to do it alone.

Employee finished mixing the paint ("It was so easy!") and I held back from telling him that anyone who knew simple fractions could do it. (That just gave me an idea... maybe I could work at Ace Hardware and mix paint samples for people?) I drove home and got to work. And by work I mean I painted two little squares on our wall so we could decide which color we preferred. I didn't realize how nervous the entire process made me. First painting our walls, then deciding which one we liked. I spent the rest of the evening using the famous blue tape and got as far as I could without a ladder (our ceilings are all 10' and I left my go-go gadget arms in Oklahoma).

So I'll keep you posted on our little journey. I'm pleased with it so far and this is a nice little lesson for me. Just because something is done doesn't mean it can't be improved. And don't settle for something because it works, make it something you love. So that's what I'm doing. Paintbrush in one hand, instruction manual/iPhone in the other. Step by step, until it is perfect.

Or until someone hires me.

Something Truly Amazing for my 200th post

This was my side item at dinner on Friday. My = singular. No sharing.



God bless Texas.

Viva Las Madness

This past weekend I flew to Las Vegas for a good friend's bachelorette party. I have attended several bachelorette parties but this was my first in Sin City. A few highlights of our trip:

1. Upon arrival, Kaitlin and I noticed our hotel was filled with a rather... rough crowd. We both shrugged and decided this was Vegas life, and Vegas life brought all kinds of life. Then we saw signs for UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), which took place at our hotel. Oh... so perhaps THAT was why there were so many angry tattoos to match angry faces. Geesh! Kait and I were not well-versed in this area and we both decided UFC stood for "United Fighting Club." What we found so strange was how many people asked the two of us if we were there for the fight. I looked down at our tattoo-less skin, bleached blonde hair, Banana Republic outfits and accessories, and quizzically shook my head. Not so much.

2. THEHotel (where we stayed) and Mandalay Bay are known for their giant pools and our group enjoyed them both Friday and Saturday. Several of us were married but we quickly noticed that did not stop interested dudes. (Especially the ones who can't quite put their arms down by their sides because they are "so strong." You look stupid, just put your arms down.) All of us were wearing our wedding rings so I was baffled each time we were approached. We were always polite but mentioned within the first 2 sentences that we were married and then waited for the silent countdown. In 5...4...3... aaand he's out. We were actually quite relieved that no one even tried to continue the conversation.

3. If you've been over to our house you've seen the bamboo photo that hangs above our fireplace (souvenir from our honeymoon in Hawaii). It was photographed by Peter Lik and we are both huge fans. We visited his gallery in La Jolla last summer and I knew he had three galleries in Vegas. Being the Peter Lik groupie that I am, I was somehow able to limit myself to just one gallery but was so glad I visited.

4. Michael Irvin was on our plane ride home! Here's the deal, I was so proud of myself because I actually knew who Michael Irvin was, although I didn't recognize him (make sense?). The guy next to us said, "I think that's Michael Irvin!" and I immediately looked up. There is no way I would have recognized him by myself but it was quite obvious this guy was not your average Joe. (How many middle-aged men do you know who wear a white t-shirt and casual shorts but carry around a Louis Vuitton satchel?) We boarded the plane and I couldn't resist so I smiled politely and said hello. He smiled and said, "Hey, how's it going?" I started to blurt out, "My husband's a huge fan!" but thought that might sound a little pathetic.

5. And of course the best for last. Saturday night we had dinner at Tao and then made our way to their club. It was several levels and we began the evening on the roof. There were tons of tables but we quickly learned they were for bottle service customers only. At first I thought, "Hey, I like alcohol, let's order a bottle of the good stuff!" Then I looked at the menu and saw a bottle of Grey Goose was $675. A bottle that costs $40 at the liquor store was just a wee bit pricier at the club. And so I passed. A few members of our group went downstairs due to the heat and met a few guys who invited the entire group to join them at their VIP table. We were tired of standing so the idea sounded fantastic. We sat down and noticed two magnum bottles of Grey Goose. Of course I started calculating in my head what that would cost (had to guess since these were larger than the $675 bottle on the menu). I was shocked. What do these guys DO? And would they be interested in hiring a 27-year-old female who lived in Dallas to do the same? We had a great time and as the night wore on and inhibitions lessened, we found out exactly what they did. Or in this case, it only mattered what the 6'9" quiet guy in the corner with the 1-foot mohawk did. His name was Chris. But his acting name was Mr. Chris. Don't know who I'm referring to? That's good, because he's not just any actor, he is (or was) a pretty famous porn star.

....

I couldn't stop laughing. It was so... so Vegas. Kait and I left around 2a and headed back to the hotel but the rest of the group stayed for another bottle (another bottle)!! As we walked out of the club we saw all sorts of crazy things and I told Kait I felt like we should go to church. Kait simply replied, "They don't call it Sin City for nothing!"

Amen, sister.

So I Keep Waiting (Waiting), Waiting For The Day To Change

Have you ever had one of those days where you want to punch a wall, kick a shin, and/or possibly throw a very heavy object at an innocent bystander?

No? Just me?

Today (and part of yesterday) has been a bit rough. I guess that's to be expected after my last post of unicorns and rainbows (sorry about that--I reread it and even I rolled my eyes).

Let's get into it, shall we? We signed up with Verizon for our television and internet service. They came out last week and installed a bunch of junk (that's as technical as I get) and then came back later to set it all up inside. That was when they told us our television wasn't "compatible" with their system (I'm sorry, I didn't realize Verizon offered a matchmaking service). Then! Last night we were testing our sprinkler system and noticed Verizon cut through our water line whilst installing the bunch of junk.

Grrr.

I called them this morning and was told their computers were freezing up and they were dropping calls like crazy. An internet/phone provider with frozen computers and dropped calls--how ironic. The customer service rep promised she was always on top of things and this was not her fault. After her 4th explanation of how great she was and how, "My computer should show a tiny arrow and instead it's an hour glass. WHY IS IT AN HOUR GLASS?!! This is NOT my fault, I am VERY efficient!" I stopped talking. Ma'am, I don't care if you won Verizon Employee of the Decade, I just want my sprinkler to work. Funny enough, the call was dropped.

"Can you hear me now?" Um... no.

THEN! I drove back to the tax office to get my new driver's license and license plate. I was turned away yesterday for not having enough info for the plate so I came back fully prepared. She processed everything and then handed me the most ridiculous license plate I've ever seen.

Background info: I love simple, clean license plates.

Michael and I recently discussed how Texas had turned its back on classy license plates and was now a wee bit tacky. They now have a brand new plate that is absurd. Think Lisa Frank and her trapper keepers--this thing is bright and OBNOXIOUS. And lucky me, I received two.

Hid the plates in my purse and walked next door to the DMV, only to discover I did not have enough information to get a license.

(This is when I decided I wanted to throw a heavy object at an innocent bystander.)

Not only do you need your current driver's license, insurance, and social security card, you also need a passport or birth certificate. I pulled out my shiny marriage license and even that was not enough. And to make matters worse, I'm almost positive the lady had a smirk on her face as she turned me away.

I left the DMV feeling betrayed by my new state. Little does it know, I will be back with my birth certificate and my passport and I'm thinking of bringing my 2nd grade report card just in case. (And I will say every other word with massive amounts of emphasis so they know I mean business.)

The only thing that could make the day salvageable was a taco from Jack In The Box. So I did what had to be done. And ordered four.

And that is what we call taking one (er... four) for the team.

Things I love: God, Michael, Family, Friends, & Internet

And I'm back! Did you miss me? Be honest... did you even know I was gone?

I can now admit I am 145% addicted to blogging. I've been without Internet for the last 9 days (9 DAYS)! That's a lie, I've had my iPhone but I refuse to blog using a miniature keyboard. It's more than a little annoying and my fingers start to cramp after 5 sentences. There have been many occasions where I've thought, "Oh I'll have to blog about this!" or "Wouldn't a funny blog title be...." The list goes on. And on. And on... (...)

I have written many, MANY blog posts in my head over the last week and now that I finally have the opportunity to share, I'm staring at this huge white space and my thoughts are a bit barren. Hmmm.

Alright, I know something I would love to talk about: our new home! Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned there were things going on that I didn't care to discuss at the moment? This was one of them. We made an offer on a home the second week in May but there were several things that had to go our way for it to all work out. I've become extremely protective of our decisions and feelings so I've turned into quite the hermit as far as discussing big issues. We had a horrible time closing on our first home and I was afraid it might happen again. That being said, we only told a few people, showed pictures to even fewer, and patiently waited until the keys were in our hands before we allowed ourselves to get excited. Now that it is ours and is no longer a secret, I can tell you that we are THRILLED. It is similar to our home in Jenks, but a bit bigger and is two stories instead of one. 2/3's of our family LOVES the stairs. Believe it or not, the fat feline is part of the 2/3s. She adores them--who knew?! Perhaps that burgeoning belly will be a thing of the past one day. (I'm not holding my breath.) I, on the other hand, am having to get used to them.

Want to know something else I love about our new home (and all of the homes in the neighborhood)? The garages/driveways are in the back! My BIGGEST pet-peeve with our old neighborhood is no longer an issue: no more gigantor trashcans in the front!! GLORY!

Alright, so below are a few pictures taken the day we made the offer. We have actually unpacked all boxes and put everything in its place but nothing has been hung on the walls and I don't really want to show updated pictures until the house is complete. So you'll have to settle for a few pictures of an empty house for now.

Home Sweet Home:

Our street:

Across the street:

Living room:

Dining room/living room/etc:

Kitchen:

Upstairs:


I really thought I'd be bored but so far I have had plenty to do every single day. I have made 460 trips to Target, BB&B, and Lowe's. I think they know me by name (or at least as "the girl who always looks a little disheveled and hey, does she know her roots are like 4 inches long?") and I have mastered the layouts of each store. I'm also getting more and more comfortable with the area. I am so happy here. There is so much to do, so much to see, and fortunately, so much time to see it. With everything that has happened the last few weeks, I haven't had much time to search for jobs but now that we have Internet again I will pick it up. Sidenote, I am as protective over the job search as I am over house offers. I'm not sure when I grew this turtle-like shell, but I kind of enjoy it and it's a nice protector. Don't be surprised if one day I'm all, "Hey everyone--I have a JOB!" I am by no means judging those who put it all out there, that's just not me. Or at least, not the new me with this bad-ass shell. Turtle power.

Ok, I need to wrap this one up. I never had a chance to write a good post about this huge transition in our lives. I hope to write one soon but we'll see. If it's not written in the moment, it's usually gone (or is just plain terrible, as you've witnessed in this monstrosity of a post--thanks for sticking with me).

One last thing. MJ. I know by this time you all are SO past that, but remember I'm the girl who has been disconnected for a while (9 days people. 9 DAYS!) and I've always been a slow griever. I know the man had his flaws. I know he did bad things. Still, I can't help but adore him. He was obviously very broken but his music... Oh his MUSIC. I have never heard a song of his that didn't make me smile. And you better believe every time Billie Jean is played, I will be the first (and perhaps the only one) on the dance floor. I dated a guy in high school whose family was all Michael Jackson fans and I remember him questioning my authenticity one day. I gave him a look and busted out the entire rap to "Jam," which Justin and I memorized when I was 10. He questioned no further. (I might have given a repeat performance to his dad. Can't remember.)

Anyway, RIP MJ. I know one day there will be one or two little kiddos who will listen to one of your songs over and over (and over) again until they've memorized every single word.

And their mom will be so proud. (She might just sing along.) :)

It won't let me embed the video but CLICK HERE.
If you can't bare listening to the whole thing (you're ridiculous), go to 3:29 for the signature rap and blast from the past Kris Kross (hey-ohhh)!
ps. I still have the entire thing memorized and would be happy to perform for you--just ask. Justin, a rap-off perhaps??