Thank you

My friend Amy sent this to me in an email and I thought it was hilarious, so I am sharing it with you. Thanks Amy. :)

As another year will shortly be a memory, my heartfelt appreciation goes out to all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send me "forwards" over the past 12 months. Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy.

Extra thanks for the ones that I have to open 15 times to get to the message.

Special thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat crap in the glue on envelopes 'cause I now have to go get a wet towel every time I need to seal an envelope.

Also, I scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason. Because of your concern, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains. I no longer drink Pepsi, or Dr Pepper, since the people who make these products are atheists who won't put "Under God" on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone might drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from, nor send packages by UPS, or FedEx, since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer answer the phone, because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda,Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

I no longer eat KFC, because their "chickens" are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer have to buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus, since I now have their recipe.

I no longer worry about my soul, because at last count I have 363,214 angels looking out for me.

Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

I no longer have any savings, because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time)

I no longer have any money at all - but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special email program.

Yes, I want to thank you so much for looking out for me that I will now return the favor!

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 7 minutes, a large pigeon with a wicked case of diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM (EDT) this afternoon. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of mine's next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.

Have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR

Lost

Well, it's over...Christmas has come and gone. Santa was good to me this year. :) Got lots of goodies. Took an extended vacation, which was very nice after having gone away for a week, it was nice to just spend one at home doing absolutely nothing...well, almost nothing.

My co-workers have been constantly talking about what a GREAT show "Lost" is, but I have never picked up an interest in starting to watch the show. Now, here it is in the second season and it's all people are talking about. So Mike and I decided to add the first season to our Blockbuster list and just watch them as they came in the mail. Well, Mike decided to get me the first season set of DVDs for Christmas. We watched the first episode together and that's all it took to suck us in to the addiciton that everyone else around me has been experiencing. Best. Show. Ever. We watched the entire 24 episode season in 4 days. FOUR DAYS PEOPLE! We were like zombies on the couch, eyes bloodshot, bodies aching from sitting in one place for too long, but still as the credits rolled after each episode, we found ourselves saying, "just one more." So since they are 9 episodes into the second season already, Mike has been downloading them so we can play catch up. We are now on the "Lost bandwagon."

On another note, I hope you had a great Christmas too! By the way, the eggs turned out great (thanks to my sister's help)...they were all eaten. Woo hoo.

Special Wishes

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Hope your holiday is enjoyable!

Best Wishes!!

I have the cooking talents of an eight year old.

Let's face it--I've never been known for my wonderful cooking ability, and I have yet to master making anything remotely fancy like cobbler or casserole. I was always more intersted in playing outside than watching my mother cook in the kitchen...I'm still that way. Hello, why do you think they have stuff available in a box?! For people like me!

I've been known to make my cookie cakes overflow, confuse baking power with baking soda, or leave out important ingredients because I didn't have them and was too lazy to go to the store to get them at the last minute (Note to self: Always check if you have ingredients BEFORE you start cooking).

So this year my mother-in-law is having dinner before we open gifts at her house and when I asked her what I should bring (she knows I can't cook), she asked if I could bring a green bean casserole. Ummm, I don't eat green beans, much less know how to make a casserole out of them. I told her I didn't know how and we decided that I would think about something to bring. I found an easy enough recipe for a green bean casserole online, so I called her to tell her I could make it. She had already asked my sister-in-law to bring it since I said I couldn't. Doh!

The result? I'm bringing deviled eggs (which my sister is going to help me make) and Butterfinger pie. Ahh well, those things are more "Amy style" anyway I guess.

Maybe I should look into taking some cooking classes before next Christmas.

Pictures from the trip

We're back! :)

Well, 32 hours of driving/riding, 25 hamburgers, and 496 laughs later, we're back from the Grand Canyon. My only advice to anyone thinking of making this trip from Tulsa, America to Grand Canyon, AZ: FLY!!

To say the drive was boring is an overstatement, although we did get plenty of laughs in along the way. For the first 9 hours of driving the highlight of the drive were the bajillion small bushies that you can always see as far as the eye could view. Flat. Flat. Flat. Land.

We stayed at a pretty nice place in Albuquerque. Tammy and I got a massage, which was the best hour and 50 bucks I've spent in my life! So relaxing after 9 hours of sitting in the car.

We drove on to Williams, AZ the next day. (Yes, Doug, I got your message about the Deer Farm...sadly it was closed BOTH times we drove through Flagstaff.) :( Williams was...umm...well, let's just say the highlight of that little town was the family dollar and the Safeway. We tried to find a game to play at both places to keep us entertained, but alas, there was nothing.

The next morning we took the Grand Canyon Railway and rode the train 2 hours to the Grand Canyon...kind of neat. I was a little nervous when we woke up and everything was cloudy. But God is good...by the time we got to the Grand Canyon, the sun was shining brightly and the Grand Canyon was breathtaking!

We spent the night at the Grand Canyon in one of their lodges...more laughs were exchanged between the 3 of us, and after visiting every gift shop available on the Grand Canyon grounds, we broke down and bought a deck of cards to keep us busy. Keep in mind, we rode the train, so we didn't have our own car to drive us around. We were forced to take the free shuttle that circled the park. The only problem--the shuttle only went one way, so if you wanted to go back to the place you had just come from one stop before, you had to ride the entire shuttle route which took an hour...trust me, we know how long it takes! :)

The next day we rode the train back to Williams and we decided the day before that there was absolutely nothing to do in Williams, so we cancelled our reservation at the Railway Hotel and decided to drive back to Flagstaff the following night. We were spoiled by the Flagstaff Hotel: indoor HEATED pool, free internet, a full complimentary breakfast...everything was wonderful. We did a little shopping at the Flagstaff Mall, then drove back to Albuquerque.

We spent the rest of our money in Albuquerque and spent the night at the hotel we had stayed in the first night we were there. We decided that to make it home before dark the following day, we would need to leave the hotel at the crack of dawn (aka 7:00 CST). So come 6:30 (5:30 NM time) we crawled out of bed, brushed our teeth, and hit the road.

We made it home just before dark, but only after a VERY long, boring 10 hour drive back through the bushies and flat ground.

Ahh, aren't vacations fun?! :)

Vacation

Hi guys!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are taking a vacation for a week...we are taking my sister-in-law and driving to the Grand Canyon. Leaving tomorrow morning at 7 am! YAY! I can't wait.

I'll post again when we get back and show some (hopefully) good pictures!! :)

I frickin' hate snow...

it always ruins my plans. But I'm not going to talk about that...I'm just going to show the good time that we had with Simon playing in the snow last night. :) He absolutely loved it...until this morning when he remembered how cold it was. :)

Speaking of bathrooms...the writing's on the stall.

Food For Less
Carson, California USA 90243
Women's restroom, 1^st floor

On a sign that said "Please wash your hands completely clean" someone wrote:

*how? there's no soap!

Cheap bathrooms.

Need to go?

I know you can't see through it from the outside, but I still don't think I could bring myself to use it...people staring at me while using the rest room...I already told you talking to me creeps me out enough. :)

Happy Birthday!

My blog is one year old today! :) Glad to see that it wasn't just a New Year's Resolution that never got fulfilled.

So in honor of my blog's first birthday, I would like to highlight my favorite posts over the past year (one for each month). Feel free to comment on your favorite if you have one (listed or not).

December 2004-Sitting In Traffic
January 2005-The Reason Explained
February 2005-A Pageant Experience Relived
March 2005-Basketball What?
April 2005-They're All Out to Get Me!
May 2005-Spandex Dog
June 2005-A Friday Fiasco
July 2005-Today I...
August 2005-Voicemail/Answering Machine
September 2005-Simon=Onery
October 2005-This Is the Saddest Picture I've Ever Seen
November 2005-Silence Is Golden

And just because

I can't get enough of my dog:

Ahh, Christmas lights!

Since Mike and I are going on vacation next week, I thought that this past weekend would be a good time to go to Rhema and look at all the Christmas lights. We invited my niece and my sister (and her boyfriend, who couldn't come b/c he was sick) to go with us. We drove out to Broken Arrow and bundled up before we got out of the car. I'll admit, there were jokes about my niece looking like a pink marshmallow, but it was hilarious...what can I say?

I'd say we stayed no longer than 20 minutes before we were all so cold we didn't think we could walk back to the car. We took lots of pictures and made plenty of jokes, so the 20 minutes was well worth the drive out there. When we were driving back home, we passed a couple of bank clocks that said the temperature was between 35 and 37 degrees...no wonder we were so cold! BRRR!!

Here's a couple of pics of the loads of fun we had:

Akward

Just so you know, when I'm trying to use the restroom in the stall next to you, please don't talk to me. It is akward enough that we are tinkling at the same time in a 1'x2' cubicle, let alone the need to make conversation to "ease the tension." Now every time I see you I'm going to think about the chit-chat conversation that we had while taking care of business.

That just creeps me out.

TSA: Scissors in, saws still out on planes

Ahh, if only life were back to more simple times...you know, when packing my "crowbars, drills, hammers, and saws" was actually acceptable on a flight to anywhere. It really bums me out that I can't pack a SAW in my suitcase.

I mean, who does that?!

Follow more closely

On my drive into work this morning, I followed a maroon PT Cruiser most of the way in. After a few minutes of following it, I noticed a little boy with a red hat on peeking out the back window at me. The entire trip as I followed him, I kept thinking to myself how cute this little boy was--and shy too...he never showed more than his hat and eyes. It was so cute how he was peeking out at me trying to hide, like little kids do.

It wasn't until I exited the highway and pulled up behind the PT Cruiser at a signal light that I realized my cute little boy peeking out the back window was nothing more than some white Wal-Mart bags with a red jacket thrown over them.

No wonder he never showed me more than his eyes.

*Happy Birthday to my wonderful sissy today!*

Ahhh, fall!

The lawn guys here at my work blew all the leaves from the bazillion trees on this land into a couple of really large, mountainous piles. The kid in me really really really wanted to jump out of my car this morning and dive into the piles. Oh how much fun that would have been! Talked myself out of it when I thought about how long it took them to blow them into the piles in the first place. I'd sure hate to make them do it all again.

Or would I? :)

How popular is my name?

Amy - Means: Beloved
Decade		Popularity	Rank
1900's			196
1910's			244
1920's			284
1930's			356
1940's			331
1950's			136
1960's			35
1970's			2
1980's			16
1990's			61

Rank shows how popular the name is in the corresponding decade. A rank of 1 means it is the most popular name for that gender. A rank of 1000 means it is the 1000th most popular.

Bar graph statistics are compiled and published by the Social Security Administration, based on samplings of applications for Social Security cards.

Find out how popular your first name has been over the past 100 years, just click here and enter your first name.

FYI

to anyone who is keeping count: exactly 2 months from today is the biggest holiday of the year...MY BIRTHDAY!!! :)

Just in case you were wondering...

it would cost you $70,000 to buy your loved one the "Twelve Days of Christmas" this year. "They" are blaming the high cost on the bird flu, making it more expensive to buy all those blasted feather friends in the lovely holiday tune.

LOL!!!

A moment of silence...

for "ugly dog" Sam.

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!!

Silence is golden.

I took my dad to see "The Legend of Zorro" on Saturday. It's been a while since he and I did anything together, so I was really looking forward to it. We stopped by the consession stand and got our snacks then went into the theater. We picked great seats--half way back in the center. The previews began, and shortly after, the preview movie clip that reminds everyone to turn off their cell phones began to play. The look on Dad's face as he was searching the audience looking for the person who had left their phone on was priceless. The look of confusion that engulfed his face as the cartoon eagle on the screen said, "Hey, is that a cell phone?!" was worth every penny.

Ah....my Dad is the funniest guy I know.

Priceless

My little 4 year old niece called me this morning to tell me that she saw a squirrel in her yard. Our conversation led to the school program that she was in earlier this week. One thing led to another and by the middle of our conversation, she sang the entire song "God Bless America" flawlessly.

Melt. My. Heart.

I need a tissue.

It's started!

The hustle and bustle of the upcoming holidays. Yesterday marked the start of what will be a very fast next few weeks. I feel like I lost an entire month while I was away in Houston. We had our Thanksgiving Potluck for lunch yesterday at work. Now, I'm a picky eater and don't particularly care for Thanksgiving turkey and ham. I was the child (along with my cousin) who always had a grilled cheese sandwich with my corn and mashed potatoes for the holidays--that is still my preference though I endure the resposibilities of being an adult now, where such things aren't quite kosher for someone who is almost 25. I'd still sit at the kids table if we still had one. So take away the "Thanksgiving feast" and the only things I like about the holiday are the days off from work to spend time with my family and sleep in.

Stores are already covered in Christmas and I've even heard some carols on the radio when I was shopping earlier this week. I'll admit even though it breaks every rule I've set for the holidays, I'm guilty of popping in my first Christmas CD yesterday as I drove home from work. It was so cold outside, it just fit the atmosphere. I felt guilty the entire time, but it was worth it. :) Shhh, don't tell anyone.

I'm excited about some new holiday traditions Mike and I are going to start this season. We're even taking a vacation next month to drive to the Grand Canyon. It should be a great holiday season this year! Woo hoo!

It's the little things that matter most

I've heard that phrase most of my life, and up until recently didn't really grasp the truth to that statement. As you know, I just came back from our Annual Meeting, where 30% of the attendees come from overseas. On the last day of the meeting, one of my co-workers who had been working the Information Booth told me that a gentleman with a strong accent had stopped by to give me a package. She packed it in one of her boxes and just brought it to me today.

Attached to the box was a business card from a name I did not recognize. On the back it read, "With compliments and as a compensation for the additional work I caused at the 2004 meeting when I did not include type 1 fonts." I opened the gift to find a box of chocolates all the way from Germany.

I did not remember this gentleman so I searched through my 2004 email archive to retrieve our correspondence. There it was--a chain of emails back and forth where I had helped him submit a paper to present at the meeting.

That something so small touched this guy so much to bring a gift to thank me a year later, really touched my heart. It made me smile to know that maybe I can make a difference...even if it's only for one person.

Whoosh!

I took Simon out to use the bathroom this morning and the wind was something fierce! I could barely stand up straight as it blew from one direction to another. I got a kick out of watching Simon's ears flap in his face as he tried to balance while using the bathroom.

I had to laugh at one of my neighbors who was unsuccessfully trying to rake all the leaves in his yard into one pile. The wind definitely took charge over that one. Every time he'd pull the leaves together, the wind would scatter them over the yard. I wanted to tell him to just go inside and do that some other time, but I needed the morning laugh so I just watched him.

As I was driving to work, I noticed a squirrel up on an electric wire trying to balance as his tail whipped around aimlessly. I said a silent prayer that it wouldn't be the last time that little guy tried to cross the wire. I've seen my share of squashed squirrel and hoped he made it to the other side.

I've never been to the Windy City, but if today was any glimpse at what it is like to live in Chicago, then I am thankful I'm grounded in Tulsa, where it's windy one day and hot and muggy the next. They always say if you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, stay another day...it'll change.

I'm back

Well, eleven days and 9, 276 attendees later, I'm finally back from Houston!! In those eleven days I walked close to 45 miles, and I gotta say that my feet are tired, my body is tired, my mind is tired, and all I want to do for the next week is sit on my couch and watch TV.

Don't get me wrong, I had a GREAT time...let's just say "there's no place like home."

Somewhere in the middle of my 16-18 hour days, I managed to see three famous people: Yao Ming, the NBA player for the Houston Rockets (I actually got to watch their first home game), Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic, and Gwen Stefani, who was in concert with the Black Eyed Peas my last night in Houston.

I have some good pictures from the trip, but won't be able to post them until next week sometime. I just wanted you to know I was back and that I had a great time!

The Kiddos and Their Costumes

Pet Costume Contest Competition

Happy Halloween!

Happy Spook Day to everyone! Did some celebrating of the holiday this weekend. Took Simon to a pet costume contest yesterday...lots of good competition...I'll try and post some of those pictures later this evening. A horse won the Grand Champ prize, and well deserved, I suppose. :)

Last night we had a Harvest Carnival at church for the kiddos. My niece was an angel and my two nephews were a puppy dog and a chili pepper. They were adorable.

Mike, Simon, and I are probably going to do a little Trick-or-Treating with my other niece, who will be Tinker Bell...she's going to be the cutest Tinker Bell ever. Simon will, of course, be Superdog. I think he's getting tired of being Superdog...after a long day of being a Superhero, he went home and crashed on the couch. Slept through the night too. Hope his energy is renewed by this evening.

Well, folks, after today, I will be traveling to Houston for the big meeting I always talk about...it has finally arrived. I will be gone until November 15th, so please don't have Amy withdrawls...try and do something fun to celebrate while I'm gone. And don't miss me too much. :)

Watch out for Spooks!

This is the saddest picture I've ever seen!

In light of recent events

I just couldn't resist posting this picture. :)

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No-it's SUPERDOG!

Sorry to have become practically non-exisistent for a couple of days...okay a week. :) We are getting ready for our big Annual Meeting at work and my evenings have been swamped at home also.

In fact, all I have time to do today is post this long awaited picture of my Stinky in his Superdog suit. :)

Oh yes, we are taking him to a pet costume contest this Sunday. I told him he better look really cute because he could get lots of dog treats and pet goodies if he wins!

I think he's cute enough to win...but I would--I'm partial.

Because I know

you can't get enough of the turkey saga around here...thought you'd like to hear the latest update received just moments ago...

"Our tenants have complained about the turkeys that occasionally come to the GRC. Apparently the turkeys have gotten on some of the cars, which can cause damage. Our property managers had engaged professionals that were going to relocate the turkeys to a safe location, however recently the cages were tampered with. I’m asking that the cages be brought back and the turkey’s removed. I’m writing to let you know that not only are professionals involved, but wildlife officials will be overseeing the relocation to ensure the turkeys are treated appropriately."


Finally, I won't have to worry about being attacked! *Shudder*

With no disrespect for those effected...

While I was reading the local headlines this morning, I was reading a story about an attempted murder-suicide...

"We received a complaint about a possible stabbing," says Sergeant Steve Thompson. "While on the way, we found out it was actually a shooting. We found a male subject down the road that had apparently been shot. He was lifeflighted and another subject was found in the building and at this time she is deceased."

Does that mean they expect her to come back to life? Sorry...just struck me funny. :)

Today I...

watched Simon scare the crap out of a squirrel when he went flying after it.
got excited when I only got 2 credit card applications in the mail instead of 12.
wondered if the mailman thinks I am crazy when I shred said applications and mail them back to the senders.
lauged out loud when I went to get the mail and saw our new pumpkin friend sitting by the mailbox.
ate two full bowls of Banana pudding ice cream while reading a Weight Watchers ad.
pretended to speak a made-up foreign language when a telemarketer called.
poked my finger in a stuffed Santa's belly to see if he would really laugh like a bowl full of jelly.
pretended with Simon that the pile of laundry was actually a pile full of leaves.
procrastinated cleaning the house until tomorrow.

Ahh, it's been a productive day!

26

A - Age of first kiss: 15
B - Band you are listening to right now: Rascall Flats
C - First crush: Brian Baird-First grade
D - Dad's name: Steve
E - Easiest person to talk to: my husband
F - Favorite ice cream: Mint chocolate chip
G - Gummy worms or gummy bears: Gummy Bears
H - Hometown: Tulsa area
I - Instruments: Piano
J - Junior high school: Clyde Boyd...which is no longer a "junior high"
K - Kids: One--my dog Simon.
L - Longest car ride ever: 28 hours there...then 28 hours back...we drove from Tulsa to Portland...lots of fighting and lots of sleeping. :)
M - Mom's name: Sue
N - Nicknames: Ames, Tator
O - One wish: To always have God's blessings on my life
P - Phobias: dying, snakes
Q - Quote: "Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, Dance like no one is watching."
R - Reason to smile: I am blessed...very, very blessed.
S - Song you sang last: "Feels Like Home To Me" (practicing it for Audrey's wedding next Saturday)
T - Time you woke up today: 6:37 a.m.--17 minutes later than I needed to.
U - Unknown fact about me: I'm a girl, who 90% of the time HATES shopping.
V – Vulnerability: I have a sensitive heart who has a hard time saying no.
W - Worst habit: Worrying
X - X-rays you've had: only at the dentist
Y - Your least favorite person as of right now: the guy I let in front of me this morning in the heavy traffic who didn't acknowledge me at all.
Z - Zodiac sign:Aquarius, but I don't believe in Zodiac horoscope. My life is in God’s hands and not stars in the skies. They are nothing but creations of God.

*I fully admit--I took this idea from a stranger's blog (whom I don't recall to give credit to)...feel free to start casting stones...

Today I...

made Simon chase me through the house in his Superdog costume just so I could watch his cape fly.
pretended I was in concert and sang with my CD as loud as it could tolerably go in my car.
laughed at a dog who was chasing his own tail.
got annoyed with a woman for driving 25 in 40 mph zone.
had the munchies so I ate a small bag of Ritz Snack Mix, a small bag of animal crackers, and 4 caramel filled chocolate cookies.
congratulated myself for blowing a bubble with my gum almost as big as my face.
breathed a sigh of relief that no one was there to pop said bubble in my face.
did a little jig in my office when the sun came out from behind the clouds.


*I've been really busy lately, so I apologize for the blah posts as of late...I'll try to do better...

Breaking news

After reading an email from a friend which entailed a list of questions to ponder, I have discovered that the Alphabet song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the exact same tune!

Just thought I'd share...

Mmm, mmm, good

I bought some mint trouffles from a co-worker to help her grand-daughter with a school fundraiser. I love mint trouffles...and they love me. I was so excited when she brought my box of 20 trouffles into my office. I took out three and set them on my desk to enjoy and then carefully tucked the box into the back of one of my drawers so they would last for a while.

I popped one into my mouth and the soft, creamy chocolate began to melt in my mouth. Mmmm. It was so good I quickly ate another. About a minute later all three were gone, and I found myself still wanting one more. So I moved all my bags sitting in front of the drawer and pulled it open. I pulled out all the files in the front and reached back for the box. I sneaked out one more truffle and quickly shut the box and put it away again, carefully putting back all my files, pushing the drawer closed, and putting my bags back in place in front of the drawer. It. Was. So. Delightful.

After going through this entire process about 4 times, I finally decided it would be a whole lot easier to just leave them out on my desk.

You guessed it...I ate the entire box! Every. Last. One.

And now I am sad. I want another.

Sniff. Sniff.

And yes, snort. snort.

Family

"What side of the family did you say he was from??"

Marzipan babies

These are so cute I could eat one! And in fact, they are edible--they are made from marzipan. Definition of Marzipan:
Made of sugar, egg whites and almonds, this substance can be used as a base for icing, or to mold decorative forms such as flowers from, on the wedding cake.
Unbelieveable!!

Hmph.

Pretty sure my mind has been offtrack all day. Woke up today thinking it was Friday...wore jeans to work because of it. Looked at my clock and realized I only have an hour left before the weekend starts...to my horror, I still have two hours before the weekend starts (Tomorrow is my Friday off). Boo. Hiss.

Oh well, at least I didn't make it to the elevator ready to head down when I finally realized it was not Friday. I've done that before.

"Hi, this is Amy...your local fax."

So for the past 15 minutes, my phone has been ringing off the hook--every time I answer, the only response I get is "BEEP." Hello! My phone number is not a fax number! You would think after 15 minutes of not getting through that the person trying to send the fax would either A) verify they have the correct fax number or B) just quit trying.

After about the tenth time of my phone ringing, I was getting annoyed so the next time it rang, I didn't even say hello--just "This is NOT a fax number!"...the other end..."Hello?"...(open mouth, insert foot). "Oh hi, Christy, what's up?" :)

Ugh! Technology...

Just cuz I think Simon is so dog-gone cute!

Fit to be tied...

I'm at that age where all my friends are getting married. I thought that last year was the end of the weddings in my realm of friends, but lucky for two of my great friends, wedding bells are once again in the air...oddly enough, they both opted to have their weddings in October--3 weeks apart. I love weddings...everything about them: getting dressed up to see friends you haven't seen in a very long time, seeing the Bride in her beautiful gown, eating the cake, making great memories. Before my wedding, I always enjoyed going to others to get great ideas for my own. :)

I have been asked to sing at one of the weddings next month, and I gotta say, I'm a little nervous about that. I hate memorizing songs. Back in the day, I could memorize with the best of them (ask my sister, I had the entire "Little Mermaid" movie completely memorized), but now my mind struggles just to remember the obvious day to day stuff. I think it would be tacky for me to take my words up on stage with me...espcially since I won't have a pulpit to hide behind, like I do at church. :)

Along with the weddings come the bachelorette parties. :) Just had one for one of the girls this weekend, and I gotta admit, it was nothing like your typical bachelorette party. There were no jokes, no pranks, nada...just a bunch of girls having a "girls night out." Hmph. Oh well.

So Congratulations are in order for my last two single friends who will be tying the knot in just a few more days! Next we will be entering into the phase of friends having children...well, hopefully, (Lord-willing) not for us anytime soon. :)

I wish it were Monday?

How many times have you wished it were Monday? Probably not too many, seeing how everyone usually lives for the weekends and dreads Monday morning. Not me. Not this week. I wish it were Monday.

The big annual meeting (with 7-8,000 attendees) that I plan for an entire year is scheduled for November this year. Destination: Houston. We are already going through a lot of stress right now at work dealing with New Orleans--New Orleans was our 2006 meeting destination...that's a whole other entry.

So, for this entire week we have been glued to the CNN homepage watching frantically as Rita makes her way towards Texas. Most of our major companies (the oil hubs) closed their offices on Wednesday for the rest of the week. And all we could do was wait...and watch. And of course, pray.

So this morning, I was excited to see that it had turned slightly and was no longer headed directly to Houston (Don't get me wrong...I'm not some insensitive jerk who cares only about me and my job and not the people who are now right in the path of Rita.)

But then I got an email from my boss stating, "The TV news in Houston just reported that the George R. Brown Convention Center will be opened up to house the medical emergencies that could not be evacuated in time for the approaching storm. It appears to be a short term situation." Snort. Hmph. Sigh. Here we go again...just two weeks ago, the GRB CC sales manager assured us that all of the visitors from New Oreans would be out of the CC by mid-September. It's just been a roller coaster. Is the meeting on or off?

So, now I just really wish it were Monday. So that we could know just what we are dealing with in respect to the aftermath of Rita. Come Monday, she will be gone...then maybe we'll have some answers.

*I, in no way, mean to insult/degrade/minoritize the evacuees from Katrina or Rita. Just merely sharing the opinion of one person indirectly effected by these natual disasters. :)

So I grabbed the wrong ones...

I got ready for work this morning in record time--go me! I put on a brightly colored melon shirt with a coordinating skirt and earrings and headed out the door. I was talking to my co-worker this morning and she suddenly looked at me very puzzled and said, "Do you have two different earrings in?"

Me: "I shouldn't have..." as I ran my hand up to feel both. Sure enough--Two. Different. Earrings. Ho hum. I wonder how in the world I did that...I was sure I grabbed both of the same kind this morning. Oh well, it gave me a nice reason to laugh at myself this morning. Come to think of it, I do that a lot...(laugh at myself that is.)

Another injury

Mike broke his finger yesterday at work. As if there wasn't enough going on with his job to make him hate it, it just got worse yesterday--bless his heart.

I'm sure I don't fully grasp the situation like he does, I can safely say that there was a flying object from 50 feet above, a co-worker, a lift, and some screaming involved. I wish I could give an earful to some of his co-workers, but I think Mike's dad has a desire far greater than mine to do the same, and I'm sure his would be more entertaining...so I'll pass...for now.

I'm pretty sure I would toss my cookies (or the bagel I'm eating) if I tried to describe the wound to you, so I will gladly spare you the details. The only important details is that there is a cut and a broken finger tip--on his left hand, which he uses to do everything...oh yes, he is a lefty.

So, life has thrown us another challenge...we'll take it--and learn from it.

De-motivation

These have always cracked me up. To know that a company makes money on something like this is just downright hilarious.

Click here for the rest of them...quite entertaining. I would love to see one of these hanging in the hallway here at the office.

And then there were trees

I am very lucky to be alive today.

As you come into my work parking lot, the road forks and you can go either way to get to the area to park your car. Like I always do, I stayed on the straight path instead of taking a right. A few feet into the straight path, I suddenly slam on my brakes as I sit stunned watching a very large tree branch fall right into my path. It covered the entire road. As I was sitting there dumbfounded, I watched again as another branch fell right on top of the first one.

Surely there was someone up in the tree with a chainsaw cutting these limbs to the ground. It wasn't storming. There hadn't been lightening in over a week...what was going on? There was no such man sitting in the tree.

After a few minutes pondering what had just happened, I said out loud, "Okay, Lord, I get it. You don't want me to go this way." :) So I backed up and went around the other way. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come today.

What a way to start a Monday!

Double the pleasure, double the fun! Oh yes, it's double mint gum!

So my boss always gives me and one of my co-workers a hard time because we will often show up to work having dressed very similar (with no prior phone calls). It's become a big joke around our department.

She and I always workout at the same time during our lunch break. But today she had a few more things she wanted to finish before working out, so I went downstairs without her. I finished my workout, and just as I was going into the bathroom to change back into my work clothes, she comes out wearing the exact same workout shirt! We both started laughing, and then I realized that not only did we have the same shirt on, we both had on black shorts and the same Nike tennis shoes! As she walked off and I entered the bathroom we both said simultaneously, "How embarrassing!"

Yeah, I think we've been spending too much time together. :)

Sleep much?

Don't you hate it when you have been driving for a while and you realize you don't remember driving any of the last 20 minutes? It's like your brain somehow goes into auto-pilot and you amazingly drive your car like you were on some sort of caffeine high. I did that this morning. Pretty sure I'm still in that mind-numbing, sleepy, mundane state. I'm typing these words but 20 minutes from now I won't remember a thing. The sleepiness is taking over...It's consuming me...Must. Lay. Down. Head......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....................

Who me?! Nah...

I was driving to work this morning with my radio turned up pretty loud, minding my own business. As I slowed to a signal light the songs on the radio switched and I noticed that the loud hum I was hearing was not from my radio, but from my car. "Oh yeah," I thought outloud, "my brakes are going out."

A couple of days ago it started: that God-awful screeching noise that your brake pads make to let you know that they are wearing thin...except this time, mine had dual action--a high pitched screech that only a hawk would find appealing, and a lower monotone close to middle C. It's the worst feeling ever knowing that YOU are the one at the signal light making that horrendous noise. I always try to pretend it isn't me...you know, try looking around at the other cars placing the blame on them. I mean, unless they have their windows down they really can't tell that it's coming from me.

It was less than two years ago that we changed the brakes on this car...I didn't think brakes could go out that fast. We're hoping it just needs to be adjusted. Good thing my wonderful husband knows how to change brakes on my car. That way we only end up spending $50 on them instead of letting the mechanic rob us of $300.

In any case, we need to get them changed quickly. This is so embarrassing. And besides...I'm not sure how much longer I can go on making "the others" believe that the ear-piercing noise isn't coming from me.

Hate to eat and drive...but that's the fun in it all.

Last night our youth group did a "progressive dinner." For those that don't know what that is, the group starts at one house and has salad, then everyone from that house travels to the second to have an appetizer, then everyone travels from that house to the next for the entree, then dessert. You add the hosts from each house each time you progress so the crowd gets bigger as you go.

Mike and I decided to host the entree portion of the meal. At 8:00 they all start piling in the house. It was a good time of food, fun, and fellowship. On the way to the next (and final) house, there were about 5 or 6 cars in the line. Mike and I decided we would start doing firedrills at every signal light and stop sign...we were the only ones (and at the front of the line, so everyone had to wait-LOL!), but it was so much fun! The others just needed to lighten up a bit and have some fun. We laughed at one another and honked our horn at the others.

Good times were had by all.

A moment of silence for my favorite pair of black shoes

Simon has proved that he cannot be trusted to be left alone outside his cage. We were trying to ween him off his cage so that he could be free to run through the house while we are at work all day. That will no longer be the case. Among the numerous things he has chewed up since we've gotten him, we can now add the telephone connection cord, the base of the pappazan (sp) chair, and my favorite pair of black shoes (which I swear I left on a barstool out of his reach)...here's the end result. The shoes have died. May they rest in peace...

Pearly whites

I hate going to the dentist--everything about it...Even in their newly renovated, lush office--the smells, the sounds...it's just hard for the dentist office to get past that stereotype that the whole dentist experience is not a pleasant one.

I showed up yesterday for my appointment 15 minutes early, and of course, like all doctor/patient offices, they didn't call my name until 20 minutes AFTER my scheduled appointment time. I've been going to this dentist office for about 2 years and had the same hygienist for that entire time. Not this time. They gave me someone different. Snort. Now I have to start all over with this girl trying to make all kinds of friendly and catch her up on my dental history. Not. Fun. I sucked it up and tried to endure with the best of them.

The scraper that they use gives me the creeps. I hate the sound of a metal pic scraping against my teeth...and to feel it at the same time-not any better. It never fails, just as they ask you a question, they cram their fingers down your mouth so you either A) can't answer and look like a snob, or B) sound like an idiot blabbering something that only a small infant would understand.

Then you pay all your money to the dentist who spends a total of 15 seconds looking at your teeth the whole 45 mintues you are back there. I had maxed out my dental insurance amount for this year since I had my wisdom teeth removed, so this time I was footing the entire bill on my own. Who thought just getting your teeth cleaned would cost so dadgum much?! (Yes, I know, I am dedicated to go even though I had to pay it on my own.)

I spent an hour and a half of my life, which I will never get back, just to find out my teeth looked good, but I should buy a $15 prescription toothpaste to use at night to keep an area in the back of my mouth from developing cavaties. When I told her "no thanks, I'm footing the bill today," the dentist told her to just give it to me. :) LOL! Suckers.

I will give the dentist props though: I got my haircut on Friday and he was the only one that noticed (and it was an obvious cut!).

Six months until I go through the torture again...

My 4 year old niece is the cutest!

I was talking to her on the phone just now and she started blowing into the phone. I asked her if she was blowing into the phone and she said, "I'm blowing your socks off, silly!" Then she burst into a loud giggle. She thought that was the funniest thing. I was laughing too.

What a mess. :)

Simon=Onery

Mike and I painted the outside of our back french doors yesterday evening. We left the doors slightly cracked to finish drying and put a barstool in front of them to keep Simon from running out.

Mike and I were in the back room getting ready for bed, when I discovered the little Stinky Pot was nowhere to be found inside. We started hollering for him-Mike ran outside and I stayed inside checking all of his favorite hiding places: the garage, under the bed, in the laundry, etc.

I kept calling his name, then I heard the jingling of his collar. I opened the back door and there he sat on the patio: paint on his face and feet and a big smudge on our freshly painted doors. I was so happy to see him that I just couldn't stay mad at him. I washed his face and feet and brushed his hair then put him to bed.

We've only had him a month and a half, but I sure love that little dog...even if he is as onery as all get-out.

In light of the recent hike in gas prices, two of my favorite pictures:

Oh the things my dog does

Simon is such a scaredy cat (er, dog). Since we've gotten him he has managed to freak out, barking excessively, growling uncontrollably, and cowering like a scared child getting beat up by the bully at least three times. What does he freak out about? Random, stupid stuff.

I have a kitchen floor mat with a chef on it. It was sitting up against the trash can so that the chef was "standing up." He freaked out. Thought the chef was real and was going to get him.

Another time (more than once), we has gone balistic about a tall lamp that sits in our living room. We taped him on our video camera because it was so funny to watch him.

This morning, he was sitting on my bed facing the night stand and suddenly starts growling and backing up on the bed. I couldn't figure out what he was freaking out about, so I walked over to the night stand. He had himself a full blown hissy fit when I picked up my piggy bank and sat it down next to him. He took off running into the living room! LOL! I went and got him and made him get close to it and touch it so that he would know it wouldn't hurt him. He hated it! Finally he started licking it. Guess it scared him again b/c after about 5 minutes, he tucked his tail and ran away barking. He barked at that stinking piggy bank (which is about 1/4 his size) for 20 minutes.

Cheap entertainment. :)

Voicemail/Answering Machine

A few notes to those planning to leave me a voicemail/message:

1) When I say "please leave me a detailed message," you should probably note that leaving a phone number for me to return your call as you've requested is a good idea...especially if I have never spoken with you before in my life.

2) Trying to win the Guiness Book of World Records for speaking the quickest when leaving your phone number is not my idea of a joke. If it takes me more than 3 tries to figure out your number, I will delete your message.

3) Leaving me a message while you are snacking on your bag of chips does nothing but make me want to hunt you down and steal your chips, so I can have some too. You should understand that I probably won't call you back...I'll be too busy finding some chips of my own.

4) Our answering machine: "Hi, this is Mike and Amy. We don't want our debt consolidated, we don't have 30 seconds to take your survey, we already give our money to charity, our carpets are already clean, we have already won 17 brand new convertibles, with no strings attached, and we don't want new siding. If you're still with us, leave a message." Take a hint, salesman!

5) I speak English only...need I say more?

Please take these things into consideration before leaving me a message. Thank you. :)

Poor buddy

Simon has had an upset tummy today. Every once in a while he will go to a corner and poot silently. He thinks we don't know. It. Stinks. Bad.

LOL!

My discovery

Just when I thought my troubles were over, I was driving out of our parking lot today at work, and guess what I saw...not one, not two, not three, but FOUR of them! They're baaaaaack...and they've multiplied!!! They were strutting around practically mocking me as they watched me drive by. I could almost hear them screeching "Na na na na boo boo!"

Creepies just remembering...

ARG! Help me!

Someone please tell me how to get rid of the spammer comments! I've gotten 6 in the last 30 minutes!!!

I've seen on some blogs where you have to type in the code to post the comment--how can I add that to my blog so that the spammers will leave me the heck alone?!

Thanks!

OUCH!

Putting aside all things girly for a moment, let's talk about my finger for a moment. I cut one of my finger nails into the quick earlier this week, and now it is infected. :( It is red and swollen and feels very warm. I put some medicine on it with a bandaid this morning and when I took the bandaid off at lunch I squished some puss out. Ha ha ha ha! Gross, I know.

It. Hurts. BAD.

Feel free to send gifts, money, and cards directly to my home address. Thank you.

Stinkin ole stink stink

I got so carried away trying to make Simon not sad about me leaving for work today that I went off and left my lunch sitting on the counter. :( Since half of it needs refrigeration, it will stink when I get home. What a bummer. Hope this isn't a sign of things to come today...

Creature of habit

Same "getting ready" routine.
Same drive to work.
Same parking spot at Wal-Mart.
Same toilet in a public restoom.
Same seat at church.
Same conversation to Simon as I put him in his cage.
Same TV shows in the evening.
Same food selections.
Same polite smile when riding in the elevator with strangers.
Same websurfing sites.
Same clothes in my closet.

Everything is routine. It sure gets boring. Surely I'm not the only one.

Halloween

Definitely going to look into getting something cool like this for Simon to wear on Halloween. And. He. Will. Like. It. :)

Today I...

Sat in one spot for 30 minutes on my way to work because there was a wreck on the two lane road I was driving on and no where to divert the traffic...Not. Fun.
Swerved over 3 lanes on the highway to miss a dog that decided to dart in front of all the cars.
Suddenly remembered all the times that my mother told me if it came down to saving my life or an animal's on the road, choose my own. Apologized to myself for choosing the latter.
Got sad when I saw yet another rain cloud creep in this morning.
Lost my footing outside and tripped off the curb. Everyone rushed over to ask if I was okay. I laughed out loud.
Wrote a check for $1.87 at Arby's.
Laughed out loud again in my car as I replayed the above mentioned curb scenario in my mind.
Thought seriously about prank calling the local paper to get back at them for not delivering our past 2 newspapers on time.
Thought better of it when I told myself they might have callerid.
Felt guilty for not sharing my fries from Arby's with my co-worker who LOVES fries.
Turned all my pens and pencils in my utensil holder so that all caps and erasers were on top. Got warm fuzzies inside just looking at them.

The old book of Guiness

What some people won't do for attention! Just to be noticed. This is kind of gross in a weird way.

The future and stuff...

I always see those banner ads for classmates.com, and fell into their advertising slam a couple of years ago. I was surprised to see how many of my other high school classmates had done the same. I always find it interesting who has been married/divorced and has children. Friends that I was once close to have settled down and started families.

I'm the nerdy one who is anxious to go to the 10 year reunion and catch up on everyone's life stories. To see how many of the class clowns have grown up and out of their immature ways or how the one at the head of the class has surprisingly fallen off the level-headed plane.

I can honestly say that my life has not completely played out the way I thought it would when I walked across the stage 6 years ago, but I am happy. I am happy with the decisions I've made, and can look at my life and smile. There's still time. Time to fulfill the dreams and goals that I wrote about on the "Where do I see myself in 10 years" essay my senior year--"To become a famous Christian singer." We'll get there Mike. God is opening doors for us. Maybe not famous, but full-time music ministry. We've received His word...now we wait on His timing.

Don't know how I segued into that from classmates.com....oh well, for what it's worth. :) Check into what your classmates are up to these days...

Today I...

Screwed up the time on my clock while sleeping to make it show an hour later than it really was (don't know HOW that happened!).
Woke up panicking when I saw said clock and thought I had overslept by 45 minutes.
Waved at a large dog who was staring at me in the car next to me at a signal light.
Drove fast through a really large puddle and accidentally splashed a man riding his bike on the side of the road.
Ran a red light in order to make it to work on time.
Prayed the cop sitting on the corner didn't notice my sudden impulse to have a lead foot.
While at the doctor's office, went up to the counter three times when they called my name only to find out they were calling the other "Amy's" who were also waiting. (Note to self: Pick a bizzare, uncommon name for your child in the future.)
Thought to myself "It sucks to be you" as I passed the construction workers outside working in the rain.
Apologized outloud in the car to the construction workers for being so selfish.
Thought seriously for about 10 seconds of giving said workers my umbrella, then thought better of it, as I realized they wouldn't be able to share it easily.
Pulled into the parking lot at work and saw a bunny hopping under a tree, which gave me warm fuzzies inside.

Now, it's time to get back to work.

The end is near?

Mike and I are doomed. Simon pushed his head between the end of the cage* and the wall last night after we had put him in there for bed. Once he realizes that if he can get his head out, then the rest of his body will fit out too, we are in big trouble. We will have no more options after he discovers how to release himself from behind the cage wall. Currently putting the trash can in front of the area he sticks his head through has kept him from fully squeezing his little body out. I am waiting for the day when we wake up in the morning to discover he has joined us in the bed.

*Cage: Hand crafted wall created to keep Simon in the kitchen. Wall made of thick, plastic, construction mesh, metal poles, cut up hangar, and screws. Yes, we fully admit to being rednecks who like to make stuff.

Fight becomes a battle

Three weeks ago I wrote about my poison ivy and bandaid collection. Here I am again with the same poison ivy hauntingly sitting in the same small patch on my arm. I have been without my bangle watch for some time now, and quite frankly, I miss it. I finally got the lye soap from Dad, and yes it has helped. Yesterday I was convinced the poison ivy was gone (no bumps, no itch), so I dug out my beloved bangle watch and put it on. Wore it the entire day. No problems.

Woke up this morning with the same blasted patch of poison ivy on my arm again! I'm really sad, because I'm pretty sure the poison ivy has transferred to my watch, which is what brought it back to haunt me. :( How do you get poison ivy off of your watch when you can't get it wet?! Sniff. Sniff. I love that watch. I hate this poison ivy.

A new look

Thanks to my wonderfully talented co-worker, who graciously offered to help me, I have a new layout! YAY!

I know zilch about html, so I am thankful and appreciative for her help!

Awww, how sweet

These were too cute! I couldn't resist posting them. I got them in an email this morning.

Back to the grind?

Alright, alright, I fully admit that I have been taking a hiatus from working out lately. I've been too busy...okay, I'm not a very good liar either--I just haven't felt like it. I have been demotivated. :( BUT, thanks to the motivation of my co-worker, yesterday marked the first day in like a month or more than I actually went down to the basement and worked out. I. Am. So. Sore. Today.

I feel like I can't move my arms, and my abs hurt every time I breathe. Oh well, least it shows I did some good yesterday. Let's just hope I can stay motivated...or rather, get my motivation back. This hiatus sucks.

Fast paced society

It's been raining here for like 4 days, and yesterday it cleared up just long enough to display a beautiful rainbow in Tulsa. I was driving home from seeing my brother-in-law at the hospital and stopped at a signal light that was red. I looked to my right and admired the beauty of such a thick rainbow--I haven't seen one that huge in a long time. I was completely engrossed in such a wonderful display, when I was rudely interrupted with a "BEEP! BEEP!"

Apparently the woman behind me wasn't as impressed with the rainbow as I was and was more interested in where she had to be. I moaned outloud that I was going and started griping in my mind about how impatient she was, etc, etc. Then as I merged onto the highway I thought to myself, "Pretty sure if I hadn't seen that rainbow and I was stuck behind someone who didn't immediately go at the first glimpse of green, I would have been laying on the horn too.

Ahh well, gotta keep up with this fast-paced society.

And he wonders why we don't let him run freely while we are gone?!

Of all the things Simon has gotten into and chewed on: Mike's CD, electrical tape, my favorite "Friends" DVD, newspaper, a thumbtack, my scrapbooking ribbon, Mike's guitar strap, artificial flowers from my bathroom vase, we can now add one more thing to the ongoing list: my birth control pack, which he did in fact, manage to pop out and swallow one of the pills. :( If I get pregnant, I'm blaming it on Simon. I. Will. Not. Be. Happy. :)

With or without power

So I had a busy day scheduled for Saturday: finish the laundry, clean the house, including vacuuming, watch an episode of "Dr. Quinn," etc. etc. You know, the usual weekend stuff. I got out of bed about 9:00, played with Simon for a bit, then started a load of laundry. Sat down at 9:45 to watch one episode of "DQ." Not even 5 minutes into the episode, the lights flicker once, flicker twice, flicker a third time, then nothing. Everything went dead. :( No loud boom. Just darkness. Well, we did have some light from outside.

I got up and called the electric company and they told me I was the first to report anything. YAY! Maybe that means it won't last very long.

One hour passed. Then two. Then two and a half. This wouldn't have been so bad, in say...oh September. But to have no A/C in the dead heat of August. Not. Good. After four hours without power, it was starting to get really hot inside. Simon was panting--there was no relief. I called the electric company again and the message said there was no estimated time of restoration. Sigh. So Simon and I did the next best thing: we went to Mom's. :)

Spent an hour at mom's, and by 3:00 I decided I needed to go home and get ready, as I still had some errands to run...Electricity or not.

Got home. Still. No. Electricity. :(

SIX HOURS and 85 degrees later, we finally got power. I do NOT want to do THAT again. Needless to say, I got nothing done that I wanted to.

Bills, bills, and more bills

I went to pay my electric bill at one of the hosting facilities here in Tulsa that will post your payments for you. Mike made out a check for half and I made out another check for the other half of the bill. Before I left, I called the facility and asked them what the surcharge was for them to process my bill. She said "$1." Whew, I had exactly one dollar in my wallet...that was it.

So I walked in and told her this was my first time to pay my bill this way, and asked her what I needed to give her. She laughed and said "Money." Hardy har har...no duh!

I handed her the payment slip and the two checks with my one-dollar bill. "Umm, yeah, it's going to be a dollar for each check to process." What the?! "Well, ma'am, I only have this one dollar bill. That's all the cash I have on me." Her snide remark, "Then, I can't post your payment. Neeexxt." (Reminded me of the Soup Nazi.)

It took me a few seconds to process just how rude this woman had been to me. I must have looked like an idiot still standing there at the counter with my face scowled thinking, "Did she REALLY just do that to me?!" So I politely waited until she finished with the customer she was helping and said, "I called to ask how much it was to process and you told me one buck. That's what I have. Can't you go ahead and process it?" Her: "Nope."

So I stood there in the way of everyone else, dug in my purse and called Mike (with all my papers strung out on her counter--hey, I can be rude too WOMAN). I asked him to transfer the money from his account into mine so I could just write this woman one check. He said he would, so I hung up (still in the way of everyone else), wrote this broad another check and gave it to her to process.

I mean, I couldn't even write her a check for the extra buck because she would have charged me a third dollar to process that check!! You see where this was going?! We could have gone in circles with all the checks!

Then, she had the audacity after all that to hand me my receipt, smile sweetly and say, "Thanks! Have a great day!"

Urgh. Mumble under my breath. Hmph.

Blast from the past

I loved these things! I never had one, but was always envious of the cool kids who did. :)

Simon

Finally got a few more pictures of Simon off the camera and onto my computer, so I thought I'd share one with you. He's soooooo sweet. :) I think I might be missing him already and it's only been 2 hours since I've seen him.

This is him perching on the bathtub. He loves to do this, though he doesn't like to take baths.

With or without, a woman just needs her makeup!

I was getting ready this morning, and when it came time to put on my makeup, I went to get my makeup bag out of my work bag (I take it to work with me so that I can freshen up after working out during lunch.) To my dismay, my makeup bag wasn't in my workbag....Panic. Freak out. What should I do?! It's 7:00 a.m. Need to leave in 30 minutes. So I called a co-worker whom I knew would already be at work have her check my office for the makeup bag. It wasn't there. More panic. Freak out again. Called my sister to ask her to save the day (she DOES work for Mary Kay after all). Went to check one more time in my work bag. Sigh of relief. It was there! That. Could. Have. Been. REALLY. Bad.

On a sad note

This depresses me. I never knew such a game exsisted. Did you?

Back

At ease Soldier. No, they didn't have pizza and not invite you because you stink. No, there wasn't any cool sightings outside. Yes, they were having a meeting without you. You. Just. Weren't. Invited.

Sniff, sniff. I feel so unloved.

Oh well, at least they are back, and while they were away, a co-worker came over and shared his popcorn with me. :) Things are starting to look up for National Lazy Day! :)

Where'd everybody go?!

This entire side of the building has suddenly become quiet and vacant. I went to each office hoping to find someone, but was unsuccessful. I think they threw a celebration party without me. Maybe they ordered pizza and didn't invite me because they think I stink. Maybe there's something exciting going on outside like a tornado or something that everyone has rushed out to see. Well, it is August, so that's not likely (although they did do the alarm test at noon today). Maybe everyone but me got a memo saying "Let's all go home in honor of National Lazy Day."

I think I'm going to go up and down the hall screaming, "Did you forget about me???? I work here too ya know! I don't work well when left alone!!"

My hands are clammy. I'm starting to sweat. I'm breathing heavily. I.AM.SO.SCARED!!!!!

August

Well, someone else shares the same opinion that I do of August. Check it out here. It's rather enlightening.

Sheer Laziness

In honor of National Lazy Day, I think I will call in to work, sleep in until noon, move to the couch and watch a little TV, munch on some chips while watching TV, move to the chair on the other side of the living room to get a new angle of the TV, get up and get a new bag of chips, move to the couch to take a nap, wake up and eat more chips, watch more TV, go to bed for the night.

Nah, I'm just too lazy to do all that.

Robbed

Ahh, the smell of the gentle breeze blowing in your face; the sound of the crisp yellow and orange leaves crunching underneath your feet; the thought of football season is right around the corner in your mind...Is it already autumn? NO! It's the experience I go through whenever I'm standing in my backyard...all the leaves have fallen from my trees and everything is dry and bare in my backyard because it's been so gosh-darn HOT around this mug! Grrr...I should still have another month to enjoy the beauty of summer. I'm not ready for fall! I'm not ready, I tell ya!

What a relationship!

Does this couple not even talk to one another when they travel?! Six hours of silence is a LONG time...

Weekend recap

Friday: Dentist appointment cancelled--Yippee! Partially clean house, do laundry, give Simon a bath. Get nails done. Come home and continue cleaning house. Find six credit card applications. Shred said applications, put shreddings in prepaid envelopes, and post on the mailbox. Play with Simon. Put bandaids on scrapes where Simon "playfully" bit a chunk out of my foot. Give Simon a treat for finally acting like a boy dog when he plays and not running under the bed like a sissy. Watch TV. Drive to Wagoner to have dinner with friends. Watch more TV before bed.

Saturday: Wake up at 7:30. Play with Simon. Continue cleaning house. Do load 8 of laundry. Get groceries. Play with Simon. Do loads 9 and 10 of laundry. Go to my 2 year old nephew's birthday party. Note: Two year olds do not want clothes as gifts, they do not have an attention span long enough to open 15-20 presents--once they open the cool toy, it's over, they do not want to eat cake and ice cream--they want to play with new presents, and they could care less who came to the party. Go home. Play with Simon. Go to Mom and Dad's. Play Skipbo. Catch Simon outside rolling in another dog's poop. Call Simon a "Stinky Pot." Go home. Give Simon another bath. Do load 11 of laundry. Go to the 10 o'clock showing of "Wedding Crashers" with sister. Go home and crash on bed.

Sunday: Wake up at 7:00 to Simon licking my face. Tell Simon to leave me alone and go back to bed. Wake up at 7:30 to Simon pouncing my face. Let Simon out to potty. Get back in bed. Wake up at 8:15 to Simon barking at the neighbor's dog. Put Simon in his cage. Wake up at 8:45 to start getting ready for church. Go to church. Make yummy tortilla soup. Nap. Go to church again. Make cinnamon chips for snack. Watch "Dr. Quinn." Put Simon to bed. Sigh at the realization that another weekend has come and gone.

"It's just 'things' Amy"....my Mom always says. Well, THINGS matter to me, Mom!!

I love my new dog. There's not much that he does that I don't think is absolutely adorable and makes me want to love and squeeze him all day...

However, I guess we never sat down with him and told him just how much my DVDs mean to me; how much money I have invested in my time-consuming hobby; how when I am in the shower and Mike is sleeping, it is NOT okay to crawl into the entertainment center and get one of my FAVORITE DVDs and munch the crap out of it. Oh, yes...got out of the shower and found him gnawing on one of my "Friends" DVDs. I. Was. NOT. Happy. Why couldn't he have grabbed the dumb Play Station games that Mike never plays with?! Note to self and Mike: Close glass on entertainment center when not in use.

Pretty sure he got in trouble and I stayed mad at him for like ten whole minutes. Think that him getting in trouble backfired because he wouldn't play with me for the rest of the day. It is true. My dog pouts.

Peter Jennings

This is the saddest news I've heard all year. I'm really going to miss him.

Poochie

Aww, the only time my dog wants me to hold him is when I'm eating something he wants. :( I feel so unloved...

Case#: 1050592

ROFLOL! What the heck kind of dog is this?! The site says it's Italian Greyhound, but quite frankly, I gotta say it looks more "Sid" from the movie Ice Age.



Oh well, in any case, he's up for adoption.

Gypped

I bought a package of cheese/peanut butter crackers from the snack box, and one of the sandwich crackers only had a cracker on one side. I've. Been. Gypped. :(

Late

Pretty sure I got completely ready this morning, got in my car to go to work and decided I didn't like the outfit I had on. So I went back in, while I left my car running, and changed clothes. :)

I'm such a girl. :)

50 Things That Make Me Happy

Since I did 50 things that bug me, figured I outta counteract it with 50 things that make me happy. :)

1. a new outfit
2. being complimented
3. singing
4. puppies
5. hearing "I love you"
6. being hugged
7. a clean house
8. winning
9. getting new office supplies
10. telling someone "Happy Birthday" who doesn't expect it
11. goldfish snack crackers
12. my pink purse
13. finding money
14. Christmas lights
15. brownies
16. getting flowers
17. the smell of cinnamon
18. hearing my favorite song on the radio
19. presents (giving and receiving)
20. running into an old friend
21. sending shredded credit card applications back to the companies in their pre-paid envelopes
22. scrapbooking
23. taking pictures
24. leaving a big tip
25. a big glass of pink lemonade
26. putting away the groceries
27. hitting all the green lights
28. getting an extra 10% off a purchase
29. coupons
30. sunshine
31. the smell of a new car
32. getting my nails done
33. going on vacation
34. receiving comments on my blog
35. reminiscing
36. when Simon goes potty outside
37. running in a field of grass
38. Saturdays
39. movies
40. decorating my house
41. watching "Friends" before bed with my hubby
42. writing on my calendar
43. being home
44. flip flops
45. surprises
46. a good picture of me on my license
47. seeing the ocean
48. having all the lights on in my room
49. fudge popsicles
50. seeing a Dad playing with his kids

What makes you happy?

50 Things That Bug Me

1. mosquitos
2. granny panties
3. missing the basket when I throw the ball
4. forgetting things
5. dropping food on my new outfit
6. losing my pen
7. junk mail
8. bad customer service
9. know-it-alls
10. holes in my socks
11. pop up ads
12. too tight jeans
13. overplayed songs on the radio
14. losing
15. hair in the drain
16. dishes in the sink
17. cigarette smoke
18. unpolite people
19. tattle-tales
20. rude drivers
21. kids with no manners
22. waiting in line
23. discovering ther is no toilet paper after going to the bathroom
24. a run in a brand new pair of pantyhose
25. rain on a good hair day
26. rain when you have to go outside with no umbrella
27. being late
28. doing laundry
29. morning breath
30. finding melted chapstick all over the clothes in the dryer
31. overflowing trash cans
32. someone clipping their nails during church
33. having no gum after eating
34. getting a guilt trip
35. canceling plans due to inclement weather
36. chapped lips
37. disorganization
38. people who never have anything positive to say
39. when guys compare girls to supermodels
40. the smell of farts
41. cold weather
42. when people don't answer ANY of their phones
43. traffic
44. tolls
45. when people forget my birthday
46. paying taxes
47. bullies
48. when my eye twitches
49. assumptions
50. when the store is out of the one thing I want

What bugs you?

We broke.

After two and a half weeks, Mike and I finally caved last night. I have him to thank, as he was the one who planted the seed in my mind on Monday night. Last night Simon got sleep in our bed with us. Although I was reluctant for many reasons, mostly being that I didn't want him to potty on the floor in the night or mess up my comforter (he likes to pounce and chew on our feet while they are under the covers). I told Simon he had one chance last night. Surprisingly, he never left the bed the entire night. He did curl up next to Mike's head a couple of times and I did wake up in the night with him laying on me, but he was sleeping, nonetheless. Sleeping is a good sign. :)

As we got up this morning to get ready for work, I thought to myself, "What on earth have we started?!"

Annoyed

There's nothing more annoying than enjoying a nice, big, fresh bowl of popcorn only to get the pieces stuck between every single tooth. :( And it's really embarrassing when someone walks by your office only to catch you with your finger stuck down your throat as you frustratingly pick at your teeth. Very. Annoying.

I need a toothpick.

Your never too old

Once upon a time in my younger, slightly more nerdy days, I used to collect things--amoung the many things, character/cool design bandaids was one of them (unused, mind you). Up until recently, my bandaid collection of about 50-60 styles had gone unused. As of late, I have decided that the bandaid collection is one childhood memory that isn't necessarily worth keeping--I mean, I still have my pencil collection...who needs the bandaids?!

So Mike and I (okay, mostly me) have slowly been using them as deemed appropriate. For about three weeks now, I have had a small patch of poison ivy on my arm...right where my bangle watch usually falls and sits. So, I have been keeping a bandaid over it to keep it from spreading while I have been patiently waiting (for three weeks, mind you!) for Mom or Dad to find their long lasting bar of lye soap.

This morning, I reached into the cabinet and pulled out the lucky winner for today's display: Toy Story with Woody and Buzz Light Year all over it. :) It made me smile to put it on, and I knew that my "boo boo" would be all better.

However, I was slightly offended when I went to Sonic for lunch, and as I handed my money to the chick who brought out my food, she says with a scoff, "Nice bandaid."

She only WISHES she were as cool as me.

One should listen to her mother

So my momma always told me to never put metal in the microwave...found out this morning why she always told me that: I stuck a small dish of apple sauce in the microwave and apparently I didn't quite pull off all of the foil lid. Large sparks flew. Simon ran and hid. I jumped. Then I laughed. Oh the things that amuse me. :)

Lurkers?

I've been guilty of this on many occasions, but I never realized that I am a victim of my own medicine until this week...oh yes, I'm talking about being a "lurker"--you know where you "quietly" view someone's blog, never posting any kind of comment, so as just to remain "anonymous?" There are millions of us out there. It's something that happens quite often, and everyday. So, why does it bug me that I have found out, just this week, that I have a lurker...someone who is close to me, and who does not know that I know about them reading my blog.

When I found out about my lurker, I fully admit that I frantically scanned my memory to recall what I had written on my blog. But alas, I am relieved-I've never even mentioned this person's name on my blog. Nor have I said anything on here that I wouldn't say to anyone publicly (obviously). I am free to breathe easy. ;)

I just want you to know....that. I. know. Feel free to comment now, because your cover is blown. You can come out of the "lurker's" closet.

Or. You can remain anonymous with the guilt of knowing. That I know. :)

Today I...

passed an old man with a hairy back and no shirt on running on the side of the road.
laughed maliciously at a bug that was stuck on my wind shield wipers as I mischieviously put them in the "on" position.
watched a child about the age of 5 pick his nose in his car, then smile victoriously as he looked at me and ate it.
tiptoed around the office looking for any abandoned snacks someone might have forgotten about.
found a bag of animal crackers.
made said animal crackers dance and play together just before I ate them.

And it's only 10:00 in the morning. It's going to be a good, busy day!

Haircut for meetings

If I did this to my hair, our once a month All-Staff meetings at work wouldn't be so long. :)

Through the eyes of a child

Mike and I lead praise and worship at our church (okay, he leads, I just sing). We've been doing this at our church for a couple of years. Last night at church, a little boy about the age of 6 or 7 came up to Mike with such honest sincerity and a piece of paper and asked, "Can I have your autograph?" Talk about melting your heart! It just goes to show that you never know just how many people are watching you and looking up to as a role model. You have to be somebody important if a child views you as someone worthy of getting your autograph. Bless his heart.

Quirky vs. OCD Pt. 2

For Part 1, please check here.

1. When eating any type of cereal (Kix, Froot Loops, Cap'n Crunch Berries, etc) I must eat the colors separately. . . one color at a time.

2. The display on Mike's car radio must show the time--not the song title, the radio station, the volume level--the time.

3. I flip my head over 10 times before towel drying my hair after getting out of the shower.

4. I must push every programmed radio station in my car, even if I find a song I like, in case there is a better one on another station.

5. The clock next to my bed and the clock in my car must be set 10 minutes fast...not to keep me on time (b/c I obviously know its set 10 fast)...just because I'm weird like that.

6. I cannot go into Blockbuster to rent a movie without buying one.

7. I must calculate our grocery total as we shop for groceries, even though it makes no difference in how much we spend.

8. I must coverup with a blanket when watching TV, even if it is stinkin hot in the room.

9. I must play a "C" chord every time I sit down to a piano.

10. I rub my hands up and down my steering wheel whenever I get in my car.

11. I must get ready in the same order every day, otherwise I will be late.

12. Feet freak me out. They cannot touch me.

13. I snort when I see a cop...every time.

Coincidence? I think not.

As I was sitting in my car at lunch today listening to the Gwen Stefani song "Cool," it dawned on me who her voice always makes me think of...I'm convinced in a past life, one slightly more 90s and completely UNcool, Gwen Stefani was the lead female vocalist in the band Aqua...you know, the group that sang, "Barbie Girl."

Oh to be young again...

Mike's sister is now 16. She has her license and got her first job at a small pharmacy/gift shop. She told me about the job and how excited she was to finally have money to buy clothes and stuff, and I just chuckled. "Well, Tammy, you just had your last free summer for the rest of your life. I hope you enjoyed it...." {Insert picture of deer looking into headlights.} "What do you mean," she asked me. I told her now that she has gotten a job and her license she was going to be working for the rest of her life to pay for all the hobbies and bills she would soon have (well, truck payments...she really doesn't have any other bills). It was almost as if she couldn't comprehend not ever having a free summer again and I wished with all my heart I could take back what I'd said. Poor girl. Not only did she get the realization that she would now be working all the live long day through what was once her sun-filled, pool-sided summer, she opened up her first paycheck to discover that the $200 she was expecting had quickly dwindled down to like 130 after Mr. Sam had taken his portion. Ahh, the joys of growing up. Welcome to adulthood, Tammy. :) It only gets better...

Happy Anniversary to me!

Today is my two year Anniversary with my company! Seems like a lot longer, but I have enjoyed every minute of it...well, nearly every minute!

It is also my mom and dad's 33rd Anniversary, so Happy Anniversary to them too! :)

We should celebrate...where's the cake and ice cream? Pretty sure I'm going to treat myself to Freckles today. :)

Shoes

According to some statistics I heard on the radio this morning, 2/3 of women own more than 25 pairs of shoes, and 86% of woman buy at least one pair of shoes a month. I fall into these two statistics, as I currently own close to 25 pairs of flip flops alone! I'm really bad in the summer time when all the fun flippies and sandals come out. I've always said I am a sucker for movies and shoes. In my opinion, a woman can never have too many shoes. :) The average woman spends $54,000 on shoes in her lifetime! Wow! What a great investment!

Motocop

Maybe if the squirrels on the grounds here at my work took after this guy, they wouldn't get run over so often. :)