Amy's Island

Funniest Video Ever

2009-06-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Simon

2009-04-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

At the end of a long day, I really enjoy cuddling with my dog, and truth be told he is an ornery little bugger and won't let me snuggle with him unless he is tired. So as I was watching TV last night I looked over at him sleeping on the couch and decided it was just too cute not to document, so I reached over and grabbed Mike's phone and snapped a shot before he stirred. I love it when he lays with his feet sprawled back like that. He makes me smile. :)

The economy is definitely getting bad:

2009-04-23T12:11:00.001-07:00

Cats are so dramatic! :)

Technology bewilders me

2009-04-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

My husband is all about the latest and greatest when it comes to technology, and he does a pretty good job of finding new inventions or upcoming products that are just too cool for words. Recently he blogged about Livescribe Smart pens. This little piece of technology is so flippin' fantastic and it just blows my mind that I thought I would share this mind-blowing video to demonstrate how truly fantastic technology can be. My only question is "Why couldn't they have invented this a few years back so I could have used it in school??" Trust me...it's worth watching the entire 7 minute video.

Since last time I...

2009-03-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

went on a quick business trip to Houston.
played bunco for the first time (and really enjoyed it!).
suffered through sinusitis and an upper respiratory infection that lasted 2 weeks.
spent 8 hours straight getting caught up on my 2008 scrapbook.
became a Stampin' Up demonstrator and am now sell scrapping products. :)
watched some girly movies and a ton of "What I Like About You" episodes.
got the long awaited letter that I passed my CMP! (Certified Meeting Professional)
had a hard time adjusting to the new time change.
got a pedicure, which I loved.
went to Stillwater.
listed our house through a realtor who happens to be a friend.
played Scattegories and actually didn't care about keeping score.
continued the count down until I see Britney in Kansas City. Woo hoo.

Peep Show

2009-03-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

It's time for Peeps again. Check out the photo gallery in this article.

Big Foot Encounter

2009-02-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Mike and I were sitting on the couch this morning watching TV when Simon started barking uncontrollably while looking out the window. This is nothing unusual for him, so we paused what we were watching, hollered at him to be quiet, and when he wouldn't, I went over picked him up and brought him over to sit with us. He does NOT like this when he sees something outside he wants to bark at, so I spent a few moments trying to get him to quit squirming. It all happened so fast after that it took me a while to process what happened next.

As we are sitting there trying to calm Simon, a white fluffy mass bounces across our yard. Mike and I immediately looked at each other with a puzzled look on our face to see if we really saw what we saw: a white animal--too tall for a goat, bouncy like a kangaroo, and what seemed like a shaved llama. What the?!

We immediately ran to the window and watched as the creature bounced through my dad's empty lot next door and back behind the neighbor's back yard. "What WAS THAT," we both screamed, while simultaneously grabbing our coat and throwing on shoes. I scrambled for my camera and we raced out the door to check out what had just darted through our yard. I tried to have my camera ready while running through the lot just in case we got another glimpse, but I must say running and focusing a camera is not an easy task.

I guess we were running to hard and fast because as we rounded the corner of my neighbor's backyard, the critter, who had stopped for a breath, started darting into the woods behind our neighbor's house. I quickly snapped my camera and got a glimpse of him, but it's pretty blurry. I immediately went to make a call and ask my dad what it could possibly be (because he knows a lot about weird animals). His best guess, based on our description and the crappy photo that I snapped was that it was an alpaca (see picture below).

Now, I don't know about you, but my first question after "What WAS THAT," was "Why the heck is an alpaca running through our neighborhood??" I couldn't figure it out, but I came to the conclusion that someone is going to be missing that weird guy...after some research, I discovered he could be worth anywhere between $100 and $500,000. For the sake of the owner, I hope he was only worth $100 and wasn't some big time show alpaca that ran his half a million dollar booty through our yard.

Made for an interesting start to Valentine's Day, that's for sure. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.

Our alpaca looked to have been recently shaved and was not as furry as the other picture below.

Time for a change

2009-02-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

21 Birthday parties
10 renovations
20 Christmases
132 campouts in the backyard
15 new friendships made
1 car crash into the garage door
1 horse, 62 pigeons, 1 rabbit, 326 bees, 2 cats, 3 dogs...even a newborn calf in the kitchen once
8 colors of paint on the walls
4894 bike rides in the neighborhood
36 games of capture the flag
6 new trees
1 snake in the washing machine
7140 +/- family meals together
863 hikes in the woods
1 very bad ice storm
8736 loads of laundry
Numerous amounts of laughter shared
Limitless prayers prayed
Countless tears shed
Endless "I love yous" expressed

The time for change has finally come. As of 2 days ago, I put my house up for sale. Soon I will have a new home. I will say good-bye to 21 years of memories in the place I have called home. I will drive away from the only house I've really ever known and drive on to a new place, a new house that I will come to know and love. And along with it will bring new memories. I used to fear change, which I think stems from my inability to adapt well to it. Surprisingly, I have opened up more to the idea and have gradually started accepting it. It's time for a new beginning, and I am excited. It's long overdue. I am ready. I hope it comes sooner rather than later.

Pet Peeve

2009-01-07T09:02:00.001-08:00

Like many of you, I have a lot of pet peeves, annoying things that just drive me batty. Yesterday I was reminded of one that quickly rose to the top of my list and I would like to take just a brief moment to step up on my soap box and vent. I promise it will be brief:

I would like to shoot the person who invented call waiting. Better yet, I'd rather sit them down and torture them and ask them questions about their childhood and whether or not they felt unloved growing up. What was once something that I was relieved to have, and got annoyed at people who didn't have it, has now become one of my least favorite technology inventions. Why? It is rude and intrusive. If I am having a conversation with you and you either A) tell me "someone's calling so I gotta go," or B) tell me "someone's calling so I'll have to call you back, or C) tell me "someone's calling, hang on a minute while I see what they want," you are telling me only one thing: "My conversation with you is not important," and that does nothing but make me feel annoyed and unappreciated.

The only good I see coming from call waiting is that when you are having a conversation with a person and someone "beeps in" to your conversation, you can see who it is and call them back AFTER your former conversation...and even then, you really only have caller-ID to thank for that.

Thank you. That is all.

On my vacation I...

2009-01-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

went to my niece's Christmas program.
threw a surprise 60th Birthday party for my mom.
was shocked that we actually pulled off the surprise. :)
went to another Christmas party.
studied for my CMP exam (which I am taking this Saturday).
celebrated Christmas 4 times.
watched the entire season 4 DVDs of Lost (S5 premieres in 2.5 weeks!!!).
listened to Mike's granny tell stories about living in the early 1900's.
shopped.
studied some more.
did some scrapbooking.
cleaned my house.
watched a lot of movies on DVD.
bought my Britney Spears' concert tickets (YAY!).
have I mentioned studying??
took down my Christmas decorations.
made a short trip to Branson.
ate a lot of junk food.
started working on a list of small projects that need to be done before listing our house.
learned how to play "Apples to Apples."
got a pedicure.
hung out with two of my dearest friends.
studied even more.
took Simon to the Bark Park. Twice.
slept in.
stayed up late.
lounged around in my PJs a lot.
got sick of studying and remembered why I am not a student anymore.
debated what to do with my Christmas money.
priced some garage sale items.
house hunted.
studied.

Now it's back to the grind stone for 3 days, then I'm off to New Orleans to take this stinking exam! Thoughts and prayers are appreciated. :)

In New York I...

2008-12-08T07:50:00.000-08:00

realized that everything truly is bigger in New York City.
won a bet that it wouldn't take us two hours to get to our hotel once our plane landed...enjoyed myself a nice cup of hot chocolate from Starbucks for winning.
rode around Central Park in a horse-drawn carriage.
walked around aimlessly looking for a restaurant in Central Park that unknowingly was $100 a person. (No we didn't eat there.)
woke up early to watch "The Today Show" being taped live.
saw Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera, Al Roker, Kevin Bacon, and a quick glance of Harry Connick Jr.
went up to the top of the Empire State Building.
walked around NYC a LOT.
watched "Phantom of the Opera" and LOVED it!
rode 15 feet in a Town Car and then got out when he told us how much he was going to charge us to take us back to our hotel. Ha ha ha
saw the Big piano in FAO Schwarz.
got lost on the Subway.
walked around in the coolest Apple store I've ever seen in my life.
spent some time in the Museum of Natural History, which was the layout basis for the movie "Night at the Museum."
half expected the people and animals to come to life after having watched the movie.
was extrememly surprised at how difficult it was to catch a cab in a city with 13,000 taxis driving around.
ate New York Sirloin at Uncle Jack's.
learned quickly that restaurants in NYC do NOT give free refills for soda.
took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
froze my buns off everyday.
shopped in China Town and Little Italy.
saw the Brooklyn Bridge.
tried a piece of New York style pizza-YUM!
finally conquered the Subway.
walked through Grand Central Station.
waited two hours to eat lunch at the extremely over-rated Serendipity from the movie "Serendipity."
shopped at the largest Forever 21 I've ever seen in my life.
saw the lighted Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza.
walked smack dab into a pole on the sidewalk because I was talking instead of watching where I was going. Yes, it hurt. BAD.
saw a TON of dogs walking around the city.
ate a vendor hot dog.
used the bathroom in the Charmin sponsored bathrooms in Times Square, where "the goin' is always good."
drank a ton of hot chocolate.
spent all of our money.
sat in the airport 3 hours waiting for a delayed flight.
nearly read an entire book in one day.
ran like a sprinter trying to win first place in a race trying to make a connecting flight.
decided the only thing I would have changed about this wonderful trip to NY was to come back when it wasn't 29 degrees everyday.

Pictures to be posted soon.

Guys beware

2008-11-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

Fellas, as the holiday season is approaching, I have some advice:

Beware of the Doghouse.

In Vegas I...

2008-11-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

ate at House of Blues for the first time.
was too tired to eat dessert...TWICE.
struggled a lot with the two hour time change, immediately following daylight savings.
spoke with a woman named Apple, who was mean.
got chauffeured around a golf course on a golf cart.
had someone in our golf tournament get a hole in one--the one year we don't have a HIO prize. Oops.
got yelled at. More than once.
saw some showgirls and acrobats.
learned all about the backstage life of a showgirl in "The Jubilee Show."
saw lion dancers.
celebrated a couple of birthdays.
witnessed my boss win $1100 on a $20 bill on video poker with a royal flush.
high fived and celebrated the big win!
lost every time I gambled...so I quit.
saw the fountains in front of the Bellagio.
walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at NY NY.
realized that Vegas brings out the worst in some people.
decided that I wouldn't give two hoots if I never went back to Vegas again.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:38:00.001-07:00

In the next several days I will...

2008-10-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

go to the dentist and get my teeth cleaned. Ugh.
see Carrie Underwood in concert-woo stinkin' hoo!
see some ghost and goblin kiddos running around.
eat lots of candy.
probably leave my light off on Halloween and go out on a date instead.
clean out my garage (it needs it desperately!).
go to yet another baby shower--I have too many pregnant friends right now.
eat cake...several times.
study, study, study.
TRY to take some time to scrapbook.
spend lots of money buying last minute things for my Vegas trip (I need new luggage).
pull my hair out from being so busy.
leave for Las Vegas.
start getting excited for my trip to New York in December.

Happy Wedding Day

2008-10-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a whirlwind. My sister got married on Saturday and even though Saturday feels like ages ago now, it was a really great day. Once the ceremony started everything fell into place and she just looked beautiful. I'm really happy for her and Brad and I am counting down the days until she gets back from Ireland so I can talk to her again. Usually when I travel I have some form of communication whether it's email or phone, so I can always sneak in a quick "hey how's your day." Not this time...I think this may be the first time ever that I will have to go this long without talking to her at all. :( I know she's having fun, but I will still miss her.

At the fair I...

2008-09-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

drove around for 40 minutes looking for a parking spot.
almost got in a fist fight with a car full of grannies when we finally DID find a parking spot.
toured a modular home.
saw a horse sculpted from butter.
got peed on by a sugar glider. Ugh.
did not buy something over $4000 this year...finally. :)
people-watched on the midway.
found a shower head that sold for $90! (No, I didn't buy it)
decided that the fair is basically a live version of "As Seen On TV."
watched some pre-schoolers tap dance.
saw some very "white-trash" people.
ate cheese-on-a-stick, an Indian taco, a fudge newberg, potato stack, roasted corn on the cob, a strawberry newberg, and a partridge in a pear tree. (This was over a two day period, btw-I'm not that much of a pig.)

Good times, can't wait til next year!

Dumb

2008-09-23T08:59:00.001-07:00

Is David Blaine so bored with his life that he has to keep thinking up dumb things to do to set records? He seriously needs something better to do with his time...

Busy busy busy

2008-09-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Saying "it's that time of year" really doesn't mean anything anymore because it seems to me that my life is always "that time of year" when things are really hectic and slowing down is not in my line of sight anytime soon. It hit me yesterday that September is already half way over. I told Mike the other day that I always forget how much I love fall until it gets here. The weather is cooler but still nice, the fair comes to town (and I LOVE fair food!!), leaves change colors, Halloween festivities/decor, pumpkins...

Traveling for me has taken a rest until November and I admit, it's been nice to be grounded for a bit before my next couple of big trips. My sister is getting married in only three short weeks, so I have been keeping busy trying to organize her bachelorette party and find shoes and jewelry to wear for her big day. I know my worries of finding the right shoes seem trivial compared to all the details she gets to work on. ha! :)

I'm doing my first 5K Run this weekend with my sister. One of our high school teachers passed away from cancer a couple of years ago, so we are participating with a team in her honor. I am looking forward to it. Then, the next two weekends will be full of wedding festivities for my sister. And you better believe I'm going to squeeze in some time to go to the fair. My list of fair food I want to consume always exhausts the number of days I have available to go and eat.

One of my most favorite times of the year starts this week: FALL TV!! I am so excited about the new seasons of some of my favorite shows. Mike and I spent a couple of evenings re-watching the Heroes Season 2 DVDs so we could get a refresher before the premiere airs next week. Really pumped about my fall TV lineup, but a little bummed that Lost doesn't start back up until January.

Mike finished another level of ministry with the Assemblies of God, so as of October 25th he will be a licensed minister instead of just a certified minister. :) I'm really proud of him for completing another year's worth of classes. I am anxious to see what doors the Lord will open for us in music ministry now that he has his license. He is so ready to be doing music full time, and to be honest I am ready for him to be doing music full time too.

We are planning to put our house on the market next spring and move into something a little bigger. We always said that we wanted to move after 5 years, and come December we will have been paying on the house for 5 years. We have a lot of work to do in the coming months to get our house ready. We started doing some of the smaller things over the summer and will work to have everything ready come February/March. It would be wonderful to do a buy/sell simultaneously. ;) I know the odds for that are not great, but we have favor, so I am not worried about it. When the time is right, I know everything will fall into place. I'm so ready to move now it's driving me crazy!! Ha ha

November and December are always busy with the holidays but this year will bring a lot of travel for me: two weeks in Las Vegas for work and an additional week in New York for vacation the first week of December. Can't wait.

I know it's not good to wish my life away, but keeping myself busy gives me extra motivation to look forward to the different activities I have planned in the coming months.

Busy, busy, busy!

100,000 T-shirts

2008-09-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Jerrod Murr is a cool guy. And Jerrod Murr has cool ideas. This weekend he and his wife came over and I learned just how cool my friend Jerrod Murr really is. Recently he went on a mission trip to Haiti. After returning, he was inspired to raise $500,000 to build Hope Villages for the children in Haiti through the "Mission of Hope Haiti" organization. How does he plan to do this? By selling 100,000 t-shirts of course!

After listening to him talk about how the vision came about and how he has already sold hundreds of t-shirts through events that our church organization hosts, I feel compelled to help him out any way I can. He brings a message of unity and a vision to believe in a better way...and YOU can help be a part of that. Each shirt has its own unique number on the back and is only $15. To help support his goal, be the next person to buy a t-shirt!

Broken

2008-08-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

I know it's Murphy's law that everything must break at the same time, but honestly, it's getting really old and frustrating. In less than three months, these are the things that have broken at our house:

Surround sound
DVD player
Answering machine and phone
Garage door
One of Mike's tires
Mike's three month old guitar
Now our washing machine

For the love of all things good, please tell our stuff to quit breaking!!!!

Today

2008-08-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Marks ten years that Mike and I have been together. I remember that first year we were together back in high school like it was yesterday. Even with the ups and downs spread over ten years, it has been a wonderful adventure together and I am so happy to be with the one I have loved for ten years!

Two things I learned this weekend:

2008-08-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

1) Batman is a super cool guy (and Christian Bale is hot, but I already knew that part), but the Joker is even cooler.
2) Going to the zoo on a "free day" is not as fun if it's 100+ degrees outside. In fact, it's pretty brutal.

In Ireland I...

2008-07-23T10:28:00.001-07:00

unknowingly took the longest route from the Dublin airport to Galway.
saw a leprechaun...for reals.
dropped the top of my ice cream cone onto the ground accidentally. It totally sucked.
went into the Kylemore Abby Castle.
saw some killer sheep.
heard a dude playing bagpipes.
got my sixth sinus infection this year.
learned what 4D was.
saw the Spanish Arch.
watched the coolest parade ever.
missed my doggie.
ate croissants for breakfast. Everyday.

was told I couldn't enter the swimming pool area because I had street shoes on (flip flops) and I didn't have a swim cap on. Ugh.

saw a man so drunk he tripped down the stairs and fell face first into the concrete road.

tried to impersonate the Irish accent and sucked hardcore.
was flabbergasted at the wimpyness of the US dollar.
rode a train.
saw the hotel that U2 owns in Dublin.
took naps as often as I could because I couldn't get over the jet lag.
had hot tea with nearly every meal.
was challenged to find Dr Pepper for Mike.
stayed in a hotel that used to be the ambassador's home in Dublin.
took a city bus for the first time.
spent all of my money...and then some.
had a delayed flight coming home.
had to endure a two hour flight with a screaming kid the last stretch of the trip.

The trip was wonderful, but there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed after being away for 12 days. It's good to be home.

It's Time

2008-07-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

With only two days remaining, the time has come for me to start thinking about packing for our trip to Ireland! YAY! This meeting has been the works for about year and I have been looking forward to this trip for quite some time.

We will be leaving Wednesday for Ireland and won't be returning to the States until the 26th. Woo hoo.

I am excited about the pictures and the beautiful scenery, and from what I hear, there is no shortage of castles over there, which is the one thing Mike is really looking forward to seeing. :)

Talk to ye soon Laddies!

Holiday and stuff

2008-07-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

My extended holiday weekend wasn't long enough. They never are. :) I spent the majority of the long weekend relaxing, swimming, spending time with family, avoiding all responsibility, and riding my new bike.

Mike and I received some surprise money and have been planning to buy bikes all summer, so we thought it was a perfect excuse to go get some. We love them! We rode them everyday since we got them...it's my new favorite thing to do. YAY for fun exercise.

Now it's back to the grindstone and back to responsibility...the only thing keeping me motivated this week is knowing that next week I will be in Ireland. Woo. Stinkin. Hoo.

Happy

2008-06-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today I married my soul mate and best friend. I couldn't image my life without him in it, and I'm so blessed to have someone who loves me as much as he does. For many years we have laughed together, cried together, and loved together.

Happy Anniversary to the only one who gets me. I love you.

On the St Louis trip I...

2008-06-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

got started 3 hours late because the van rental company rented us a piece of crap van.
went to Bass Pro in Springfield.
posed with a bear...like a bear.
went up in the Arch.
saw the Mississippi River so high it touched the base of the white trim on the STOP sign below the Arch.
went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner in Union Station.
got a free shirt from Hard Rock because the waitress splashed BBQ sauce on my white shirt.
got free dessert because Hard Rock was out of bacon.
went to Six Flags.
rode all the roller coasters.
had the crap beat out of my back on "The Boss" roller coaster.
rode "Evil Knievel" the first day it opened.
came in 1st place twice on the go-karts.
creamed two people accidentally on said go-karts.
watched hundreds of people running a 5K for the Race for the Cure outside our hotel.
went to the zoo.
watched the sea lion show.
saw the three day old baby giraffe.
rented paddle boats.
got soaked in the torrential downpour about 20 minutes after leaving the dock.
ate the best frozen custard EVER at Ted Drewes.
got two bruises on my knees, bruised my palms, hit my head hard enough to draw blood, scraped my back and my ankle all for a good time at the City Museum.
went shopping at the St Louis Mills Mall.
ate lots of candy on the drive home.
went straight to bed after arriving home.

It was an exhausting but really fun trip.

I hate PSO

2008-06-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ever since the ice storm (or around that time), if there is a droplet of rain or a slightly windy day, our power goes out. It's really annoying. So it is almost a guarantee that if we get a full blown thunderstorm that there's a good possibility that our power will be out for more than an hour or two. Sunday night was no different.

We were sound asleep in the wees hours of Monday morning (2:30 am to be exact) when a very loud thunderclap rolled through...loud enough to scare the bajeezus out of anyone. A bright orange light followed and then our house went dark. Mike and I have never moved so quickly in our lives. We ran to the front door to see what had caught fire-we were sure something outside had been struck by lightning. No fire. Thank you Lord. We looked to the end of our street and both perpendicular streets had power. Not us. Ugh.

We finally go back to sleep in the pitch black and awaken in the morning for work only to be greeted by continuous rain and no electricity. I ended up fixing my hair at work because I was so annoyed by the candle light. By 4:30 Monday afternoon we still didn't have power and they were estimating an 11:00 pm completion time. So we ate dinner. In the dark. Twiddled our thumbs and stared at each other. In the dark. Then decided to just go to bed. By 11:00 or a little after the power finally came back on.

So yesterday we discovered that when the transformer blew, it killed our surround sound, our DVR box, all of our phones, and our garage door. As a note of gratitude to PSO, we want to send them a "You suck" card. And Mike wants to add some creativity to the inside of the card, which will remain unsaid.

We hate PSO.

Signs of the times

2008-06-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

So you know there's a good chance there's been a change in the economy when instead of cash prize giveaways, radio stations start advertising free gas for a year as the current prize.

The surprise weekend

2008-05-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

I love surprises. A lot. And just as much as I love being surprised, I love surprising other people. For two months I have been scheming on a surprise weekend trip for Mike this past weekend. Two months! Do you know how hard this was, or how stressed I was about it slipping?

Let me preface this post by saying that I had planned for a really big surprise for Mike for Christmas: concert tickets to go see Michael Buble in the City. Only the surprise was ruined because Mike found out he was coming to the City and wanted to buy tickets. Sigh. So ever since then I've wanted to do something else for him. Two months ago, I had the perfect idea...if only I could work the logistics out and make sure no one spilled the beans.

The prep work:
I had two free airline tickets to use before the end of the year, and Mike and I hadn't really discussed how we wanted to use them, so I took it upon myself to make that decision for us. :) I booked our flights, made our hotel reservations, made a few phone calls and then waited....for a month and a half. Since last Friday was my day off, my plan was to pack our suitcases, take care of some errands for the church, and clean house while Mike was at work so our trip would go undetected until the next morning when I would tell him. However, I came home from work Thursday to a lovely note from the electric company that our power would be turned off Friday from 9-2:30. Ugh. So I set my alarm to get up at 7:45 so I could do the things I needed to on the computer and to pack as much as I could before the lights went out. It was a busy day! Mike got home from work and we went to his sister's surprise birthday party that night. I was so on edge that someone would spill the beans, I never left his side the entire night. I had only told a handful of people (and only those that I had to)...since we would be missing church Sunday, I had to get approval and find someone to do the music for us. We survived the night with no bean-spillage. Whew.

The surprise:
Saturday morning, it was my turn to take Simon outside, so at 5:00 that morning, I took him outside, then moved our luggage (which I had hid in the guest room) into the living room with the card I had made for him laying on top. Then I went back to bed and TRIED to fall asleep. I was so excited it took forever to finally fall back asleep. When my alarm went off at 7:45, Mike rolled over and gave me that "why in the world is your alarm going off at 7:45 in the morning on my only day to sleep in?!" To which I replied, "Happy Surprise Day!! I have a surprise for you, but it's in the living room." He agrees to get out of bed to go see what the surprise was. He opened the card and read that we were leaving at 9:00 to fly to Dallas (well, our final destination being Lindale, TX). When he looked at me very confused, I proceeded to tell him that we were going to Paul Baloche's church on Sunday in Texas. (Side note: Paul Baloche is a fantastic worship leader who has been in the industry 20+ years. At our church we sing nearly every song he's written that is available on CCLI; Mike has purchased and watched his entire worship leaders training DVD series, and completely looks up to and admires Paul and the ministry that he has shared...so to Mike, this was a BIG deal.)

We make the flight to Dallas and since I knew ahead of time that the list of things available to do in Lindale, TX are slim to none, we spent the majority of the day in Dallas shopping until we dropped. Mike looked at a few guitars that he's had his eye on and we spent some time at Guitar Center playing the instruments. It was fun. After we'd spent our money shopping, we drove on to Lindale for the night.

The next morning we get up and get ready for church. We decided to go to the morning service. Paul was leading the music when we came in, and since church had already started when we arrived, we just took a seat towards the back. It was such a blessing to sit under Paul's ministry and hear him sing songs that have become so familiar to us back home. The sermon was really inspiring also. After the service ended, we went up to the stage and introduced ourselves to Paul. He was so humbled that we would travel all that way just to attend a service at their church. He was so personable and down to earth. It was so encouraging visiting with him. He sat down and chatted with us for about an hour! He was so interested in us and our ministry back home. I really appreciate how genuine he was with us. He wrote a passage for Mike in Mike's song-writing journal, which meant a lot to Mike. It was so awesome to see this surprise coming to life before my eyes. It made hiding secrets from Mike for 2 months all worth-while. After visiting with us, he went back up on stage to prepare for the second service, which we ended up staying for.

Mike and I decided that even if we'd gone to the national worship conference (which we will miss b/c we will be in Ireland), we wouldn't have been able to spend the one-on-one time with Paul like we were able to this weekend. :) I am so thankful the Lord worked it out for us to be there this past weekend. Paul travels a lot and it was a blessing alone that he wasn't out of town this weekend.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and resting. Then that night, we went to the drive-in movie and watched "Prince Caspian." Neither Mike nor I had ever been to a drive-in, so we wanted to try it out. It was so much fun...and a great movie!

The next morning we slept in and took our time getting around, then headed back to Dallas. We ended up going back to Guitar Center so Mike could buy the guitar he'd been eying for so long. We flew home and spend the rest of the evening at the house.

I couldn't have planned a better weekend surprise if I'd tried. It turned out so perfectly. I am so thankful that everything fell into place the way it was supposed to. I love surprises and this weekend was a much-needed refreshment.

I've already told Mike that I'm not going to be able to top this weekend, so he shouldn't expect anything better from me for a long time. :) ha ha At least I'm covering my bases. :)

Murphy's Law

2008-05-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Why is it when you really really really want the time to fly by quickly it merely drags on in agony? It's like it knows how excited I am about the upcoming, long holiday weekend.

Okay, that is all.

Life lessons from a 6 year old

2008-05-19T08:09:00.001-07:00

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were in town this weekend visiting/moving back, so we went out for a family lunch, and I sat next to my 6 year old niece. After a little while, the conversation went like this:

Her: Amy, what is your favorite thing to do?
Me: (without stopping to think) Scrapbooking.
Her: Hmmm
Me: What about you? What's your favorite thing to do?
Her: Hmmm, probably playing.
Me: What do you like to play?
Her: Anything. I just like playing.
Me: Do you like playing outside or inside better?
Her: That's tough...but probably outside because you can run around and be active.
Me: Of fun! Me too...do you like to roller skate?
Her: I don't know how.
Me: Well, why don't you have someone teach you?
Her: Who should I ask?
Me: How about your mom and dad?
Her: They don't know how to skate!

Then a few minutes later she asks:
Her: Amy, what is your favorite thing to eat?
Me: (Thinking) Wow, that's tough...there's a lot to choose from...how about cheesecake.
Her: What is your favorite HEALTHY thing to eat?
Me: (dumbfounded) OH! Um, fruit?
Her: I like fruit too. It's good for you.

Oh to go back to the days where "playing" is my favorite thing to do...and I guess I need to be more conscious about what I eat. Yikes...a six year old is putting me in check.

This is home.

2008-05-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

Typically when I pick a song for my MySpace profile, I don't pay much attention to the lyrics...I look for one with a good beat or a pretty melody. Since my favorite band (Switchfoot) just put out a new song from the Narnia soundtrack, naturally I added it to my page without even listening closely to it. A week later I actually listened to the song and read the lyrics and I was surprised at my discovery. It was the perfect song to describe my life right now. After a long struggle through a difficult journey, I finally feel like I've found home again. Many months ago this place seemed so far away, and yet here I am...at the end of a long road, at my comfort place, home. Life is good again. And for the first time in a very long time, the smile on my face is authentic. I'm so happy to finally be here. To be home.

This Is Home
by Switchfoot

I've got my memories
They're always
Inside of me
But I can't go back
Back to how it was
I believe now
I've come too far
No I can't go back
Back to how it was
Created for a place
I've never known

Chorus:
This is home
Now I'm finally
Where I belong
Where I belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching
For a place of my own
Now I've found it
Maybe this is home
Yeah, this is home

Belief over misery
I've seen the enemy
And I won't go back

Back to how it was
And I got my heart
Set on
What happens next
I got my eyes wide
It's not over yet
We are miracles
And we're not alone

(Chorus)

And now after all
My searching
After all my questions
I'm gonna call it home
I got a brand new mindset
I can finally see
The sunset
I'm gonna call it home

(Chorus)

Now I know
Yeah, this is home

I've come too far
Now I won't go back
This is home

Travel

2008-05-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

It's official...I'm going to Ireland. I received the flight itinerary in the mail today. I can officially start to get excited (not that I wasn't already). I don't know what it is lately, but I have been in this funk where all I want to do is get away. From work, from responsibility, from life. Luckily my next trip will be one of leisure and not business, so hopefully I will get refreshed. I'm tired of this funk. Traveling here I come!

This must be the year of traveling for me. By the end of 2008, I will have traveled out of Oklahoma 8 times: Houston, Springfield, St Louis, Ireland, Vegas a handful of times, and New York City.

Sunburnt and rambling

2008-04-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot because Saturday I wore a tank top out in the heat of the day with no sun screen for the first time this season...and my very pasty skin is now the color of a lobster. And it hurts. Bad.

Now that we've established I'm an idiot, let's move on to something less exciting. Despite the fact that life just continues to rush on by and every time I really think about the fact that it's already close to the FIFTH month of this year I get overwhelmed, I really haven't had much excitement in my life to blog about. I've been enjoying the new episodes of "Lost" and "The Office" and have pretty much been counting down the days until the next time I go somewhere other than Sand Springs, America.

Work has been crammed full of mandatory fun meetings, and if we aren't at the mandatory fun meetings, then they are sending mass emails about the fun meetings. It's loads of fun, I tell ya. They (they meaning not my work people, but someone else) are currently knocking down and burning trees behind our parking lot, for what will probably be the 56th bank on this side of town, so we've had quite the smoke-filled odor floating through our building.

Mike and I are thinking about getting a new house. Wait. Let me rephrase: Mike and I are thinking about getting to the point where we think about getting a new house...next year is the goal. We always said we would live in our current house for 5 years, then move into something a little bigger (no that is not a plug to say we are planning to expand our family). Yes, we are only two people and a dog and we want more space. Sharing the scrapbook room with the guest room/catch all is not my idea of fun. I need more space for all the scrap stuff I am accumulating. :) I'm getting "new house fever" in the worst way. I try not to really think about it a whole lot because I know we won't be ready to move until next year, but I can't help it. It's so close I can taste it. I don't think my obsession would be so bad, but I have lived in this house for 21 years people!! (we bought my parents house when we got married in case you didn't know that) We've done a LOT to the house to make it our own, but I'm ready for a change. Like yesterday.

All that to say, I really have nothing new going on in my life. Just living life and having fun. Hopefully I'll get some more good blogging material soon. Blogger's block sucks. Hard core.

Addictions

2008-04-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever played Tetris so much that when you lay down to sleep at night and close your eyes, your mind is still putting the falling pieces together? I have...many times.

I have an addictive personality. I get "hooked" on stuff really easily. If I find a new TV show that I am interested in, I can't just watch every episode ever created from the series nonstop with no sleep, food, or interaction with civilization. I can't stop there. I have to go online and research the show, research the actors, the characters, and everything in between. I get obsessed until I'm convinced I know more about the show than the ones who created and wrote it. No lie. Then I have to get my sister into the show and all my friends and people I know, so that I won't feel quite so guilty about spending so much time obsessing over something that's not real.

But it's not just TV--it can be anything. If I read a book I really like, I can't stop until I've read every book written by that author. Or if I find a game I like, I can't stop playing it until I've mastered it. Or even a new website, that has my mind thinking of suggestions and scenarios to offer to the blogger to write about even when I'm laying awake at night. My mind won't shut off. So much so that I start to dream about the things I'm obsessing about.

I'm so thankful that I never tried drugs or alcohol because I'm sure that I would be an addict to all of it. I'd be in rehab for the 8th or 9th time...I'd probably be addicted to rehab. Thank goodness I'm not, or else I'd had to move to Hollywood.

My current obsession is a trial that's been in the headlines for a couple of weeks. It's a pretty gruesome trial, so I'm not entirely sure what drew me to it in the first place, but it did. And I have been obsessed with it for a week. I can't stop watching it. The jury is in deliberation right now, and I am anxiously waiting to here the verdict-whenever that will be. I'm hoping after they make their decision that I can go back to lead a normal life again...that is, until I find something else to obsess about. I need help. :)

Cops

2008-04-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

People are afraid of cops. It's in their nature. They can't help it. You are driving down the road minding your own business and you see a cop...your immediate reaction is to press on the break. Even if you aren't speeding.

Unlucky for me, there's a cop in my town that seems to have the same arrival time to work as me because I always seem to follow him into Tulsa when I'm running late. The police precinct is about 5 minutes from my job, so for practically the entire 30 minute drive to work I follow him.

Here's what I find annoying: If I'm running late, the last thing I want is to follow a group of cars going 10 miles UNDER the limit because there is a cop in front of them and they are scared to pass him. There is no written law that you can't pass a cop if you are not speeding. So instead of herding like cattle in all lanes BEHIND the cop, please go the speed limit and pass him!! He can't write you a ticket for going the limit. Seriously people. Get out of my way so I can get to work on time.

Thank you. That is all.

Life changing seasons

2008-04-03T09:28:00.001-07:00

Right out of college I went through a season in my life where all of my friends were getting married...including myself. It was a lot of fun-I love weddings, especially when it's a close friend or family member. I did find it ironic though, that the only conversation that a person could hold with me was to ask me about the wedding plans. The conversation was so predictable and would always go something like this:

Person: Hey how's it going?
Me: Pretty good...you?
Person: Good...
(long pause)
Person: So, how are the wedding plans coming along?
Me: Pretty good.
(long pause)

And then they go on their merry way. I thought that after a few years wedding season would stop...or at least slow down. But the truth is, it will never stop. Someone I know will always be getting married. But now I've found, that on top of wedding season, I've now entered baby season. Right now, 8 out of my 100 MySpace friends are pregnant. And that doesn't even include the "dad" friends that I have whose wifes are preggers. That's 8%, which seams like a lot to me. And now the predictable conversation has now transformed into the following:

Me: Hey, congrats on the baby! That's so exciting. Happy for you.
Person: Hey, thanks. We're excited. So...when are you going to have a baby?

It's like word vomit...they can't help it. They have to ask. So it makes me wonder--why do we do that? Why do we feel the need to ask the same question to every newly engaged couple and to every newly married couple? Why can't we just let them offer the information if they choose to? It's not like we really want to know. We just have to ask because we can't help it.

Duh!

2008-04-01T13:01:00.001-07:00

My friend bought a new flat iron to take on her trip out of the country and noticed on the safety instructions that says, "Do not use while asleep." While normal human beings like you or I would recognize that to be somewhat obvious...some idiot had to attempt such a feat in order for them to include that on the instruction sheet, right? Which only leads me to believe that there are too many idiots in the world.

This week I

2008-03-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

went to Stillwater for a business luncheon.
sang at a funeral for a woman who was a blessing to my family in many ways.
sat inside my car at the car wash while Mike washed it (I'm not lazy-he volunteered so I could keep Simon company in the car...ish).
had dinner with two of my greatest friends!
booked our non-refundable flight to New York City 9 months before we are leaving (ahhh, that makes me nervous).
attempted and successfully made three new recipes. (what an accomplishment for someone who can't really cook-ha)
schemed with my sister's boyfriend to help with the arrangements of his proposal. YAY!!
did NOT get pinched on St Paddy's Day.
finally broke down and bought Guitar Hero for Mike for his birthday.
bought Easter eggs and candy to get excited about Easter.
told Simon if he was a good boy the Easter bunny would visit him...he likes bunnies....and cats...not really, he hates cats.
was thankful the "skunk" got the boot on Idol.
got super excited when I realized there's only three weeks until a new episode of "The Office!!"

Amy Bookout is a bad girl!

2008-03-12T07:31:00.001-07:00

When I was younger, coloring used to be one of my favorite things to do. My sister and I would take huge plastic boxes filled with crayons on all of our long family road trips, and I remember how we loved to doodle on the outside (and inside) of the crayon box. We would write words on there that were inside jokes between the two of us. Then we start saying the words under our breath in the car and start giggling like little school girls.

Imagine my surprise and my delight when my sister sent me an email this week of two pictures that she'd taken to show me what my niece had discovered while playing in the nursery at my dad's church:

I'm not real sure what I'm more surprised about...the fact that she found these after so many years...or that I wrote in my own handwriting that I was a bad girl. It does make me wonder what the heck I did that was so bad I felt the need to document it in writing.

I'm how old??

2008-03-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend a group from our church went to "Winter Jam" at the Maybee Center, which included a full line up of Christian artists ranging from mellow and mediocre to full-blown head banging rock. I wasn't real crazy about any of the bands, but went more to socialize than anything else. We waited in line with thousands of other church groups and finally got in only to find a section that would hold us up in the nose bleeds...not ideal, but we'll took it.

Another couple in our church rode over there with us and we ended up sitting by each other on the end of our row. Looking around the Maybee Center, I realized that the majority of the attendees were junior high/high school-aged with the exception of some college students and the group chaperones.

It didn't become clear to me how out of place I felt until halfway through the first sets when the hard rock band took the stage and nearly all of the kids around me were head-banging. Picture this: me trying to be cool and clever and joining in with them. No scratch that...that's a bad thought and I'd like to not be reminded how silly I actually looked, when all it did was give me a headache in the end. I finally excused myself to go to the restroom to get any sort of relief from the noise and it was at that moment that I realized how "old" I really was. I was clearly out of place.

Mike, me and the other couple finally dismissed ourselves after the intermission and the second half began-it was all we could handle. I'm pretty sure we lost major cool points with the kids...if we even had any to start with.

I remember when I was their age, I would have thoroughly enjoyed a band that hard core and would have dove right in on the fun...maybe I would have blended in a little bit more...but then again, maybe not.

Leave it to me to say dumb stuff

2008-02-27T08:32:00.000-08:00

I seriously considered not posting this, as I don't really need more proof that I am indeed, a ditz, and why should I really exploit the fact that I say and do dumb stuff, but my friend talked me into it, as she needed more good blogging material to read. Maybe I should re-evaluate my friendships. :)

We got an email last week at work announcing a few upcoming events that are guaranteed to make the staff have FUN...a good "bonding" experience where we do team building excersises and fun stuff like that. But, the catch of the email was that the "funtivities" were a SECRET. Each month we are going to have a "funtivity" that will build up to the major "funtivity" this summer. I swear, we should have the writers of "The Office" come evaluate our office for some good TV show material for next season.

So, some co-workers and I were discussing the secret excitement that will be mandatory fun, had by all, and one of them said, "Are they going to tell us at our first 'secret' fun-filled meeting what the last event is actually going to be?" to which I blindly replied, "Uh, no....they are building up the suspension."

Woo hoo. Can't wait to see what sort of FUN will be had by all this suspension.

Cookie cake-I Heart You.

2008-02-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

For the record, I have been trying to be good and get back in my workout/eating healthy routine to get geared up for summer (which has been temporarily suspended since I've been sick), which has absolutely nothing to do with this blog, I just thought you should know that since I'm going to be blogging about cookie cake.

It was a surprise to me when I came to work today and saw a large cookie cake sitting on the counter with some congratulatory remarks etched in icing for a co-worker who has superceded his current goal for the company. That's what we do around here to congratulate people...we eat. And cookie cake happens to be one of my favorite desserts in the world, especially the white icing that is placed on the outer edge of the circle. It's so delicious.

So when the time came for the cake to be divied up amongst our group, I was reminded of my desire to cut back on junk to start getting back into shape for swimsuit season. So even though I was handed a full pie shaped piece, I made up my mind I would only eat half and save the other half for later..after lunch or something.

I held on tightly to my enticing piece and savored the moment as I ran my fingers around the edge of the plate while my other co-workers scarfed their pieces down. I finally dug into my "half" after a few minutes and then walked the other half back to my desk for after lunch. It sat there for all of two minutes taunting me, rubbing it in my face that the best half, the one with the yummy white icing, was still on the plate just calling out to be eaten.

Before I knew it, I was IMing my co-worker that the other half of my cookie cake didn't make it. I'd scarfed it down. :( Mike is right...I have no self control.

Sigh.

Ugh

2008-02-20T12:15:00.001-08:00

I have totally been a blogging slacker lately. I know this. And it really frustrates me because I really haven't had any good blogging material lately.

I sat down twice to blog about the recent battle I had with all this sickness floating around, and it only annoyed me, so I deleted the blog...both times.

Then there's my birthday, which I celebrated for a week long and enjoyed every minute of it. But by the time I got around to blogging about it, it was yesterday's news and of interest to no one but myself.

So then I started cruising the internet trying to find something entertaining or interesting to post, but Britney Spears has taken over all things internet and well, to be honest, I just need a Britney Spears break.

So, here I am with a major blogger's block...with absolutely nothing of value or interest to say...just saying that I'm still alive and I'm still here waiting on something entertaining to happen in my life so the world can be normal again. The only thing that really keeps me motivated is the fact that my blogging subscribers have been somewhat quiet lately too, so perhaps it's not just me. Perhaps there's a whole world of bloggers out there with blogger's block who can empathize with me. Sigh. This is boring. I need some entertainment again.

"Lost" laggers

2008-02-11T08:55:00.001-08:00

Sweet!

2008-02-11T05:28:00.003-08:00

I don't know whether to do a victory dance...or to cry...maybe I will do both. :) FINALLY!

Early present

2008-01-23T11:39:00.001-08:00

So I got an early Birthday present from the City today...a big fat speeding ticket! :( Generally speaking I almost always watch my speed and try to be conscious of the limit...so much so that the last time I got a ticket was 10 years ago...after my 16th birthday. It's so frustrating. What a waste of money. I would rather set my $120 on fire than to pay it to the City.

At least the cop was nice. He bumped my speed down so it wouldn't go on my record or my insurance and so it would be the lowest ticket cost. Still doesn't help this annoyed feeling of disgust for myself go away any faster.

Happy early Birthday to me.

Self-Loving Bride

2008-01-22T07:40:00.001-08:00

The fact that this bride's dress looks like she threw up on it isn't enough, but she had to go and replicate herself into her wedding cake:

Read about it here.

Simon is spoiled

2008-01-21T07:14:00.000-08:00

Mike and I have a rule in our house that Simon is not allowed to have any form of people food. Growing up, our dogs only ate people food, which played a part in their deaths, so I made a conscious decision not to make the same mistake with Simey. Even on holidays, he only gets a "bite" of ham. Even my mom has to be reminded that she can't spoil her granddog with food like she does my niece.

A couple of months ago, I was finishing up a bowl of cereal when I looked down at my feet to see Simon looking up with me with his sweet little eyes like he does every other time we are eating. Funny how even after two years of us not giving him anything from our plates, he still begs and expects to get something. As I started to take my bowl of milk to the sink to pour out, Simey caught me in a weak moment. I bent down, held out the bowl, and let him take a few licks out of the bowl. He was in heaven. After about 5 licks (a tease mostly), I took the bowl from him, quickly toweled off his chin so as not to give me away, rinsed out my bowl and went on with my day.

To my surprise, the next morning when I started eating my bowl of cereal, Simon had jumped out of bed (he sleeps in with Mike until I leave), crawled into the kitchen and sat at my feet. He wanted more milk. Little stinker! What had I started??

So for a couple of months, this has been a daily routine when I eat cereal for breakfast. Even if he is dead asleep or looking out the window intently or playing with a toy (which is rarely the case since I get up at 5:15), the moment I stand up to walk my bowl to the sink, he stops what he is doing and comes running. It's actually gotten pretty cute to watch him sit at my feet patiently waiting for me to finish so he can have his dose of pleasure for the day.

This morning was no different. I got my bowl out of the cabinet, fixed it with cereal and sat down to eat. As I looked over into the living room, there he sat: cute as a bug watching me, the fur on his face smashed from sleeping on it funny, and his eyes so sleepy he can barely keep them open. But he sat there and waited. When I finished, he ran over got his 5 or 6 licks in and then ran straight back to bed. He is spoiled rotten. But I love him dearly!

Oops-someone lost their job...

2008-01-17T07:22:00.001-08:00

2008

2008-01-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

Things I am most looking forward to in 2008:
My trip to Ireland
My birthday
The new shopping center opening up on Hwy 75 and 71st Street
My trip to New York
Our annual meeting in Vegas (wow, I'm going to be traveling a lot!)
Writing more music
Seeing Michael Buble in concert
My 5 year employment anniversary with SEG (more vacation ha ha)
Weddings
A year full of change

Things I am least looking forward to in 2008:
The presidential election...political campaign ads only annoy me
Seeing a good friend move east
The drama of the holidays
Bad weather
A year full of change
Did I mention the election??

The 12 Days of Vacation

2008-01-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

On the first day of vacation, this is what I did: finished my "Lost" puzzle.
On the second day of vacation, this is what I did: went to two scheduled appointments.
On the third day of vacation, this is what I did: finished three scrapbook projects.
On the fourth day of vacation, this is what I did: cleaned four rooms in my house.
On the fifth day of vacation, this is what I did: watched FIVE DVDs from Blockbuster.
On the sixth day of vacation, this is what I did: went to six family functions.
On the seventh day of vacation, this is what I did: tried on seven new outfits.
On the eighth day of vacation, this is what I did: took eighty-something pictures.
On the ninth day of vacation, this is what I did: got my hair cut.
On the tenth day of vacation, this is what I did: ten loads of laundry.
On the eleventh day of vacation, this is what I did: slept in until eleven.
On the twelveth day of vacation, this is what I did: ate twelve dozen cookies!

Vacation was great and I did not want to come back to work. My time off was pleasant and I got a lot done. Now since it is the New Year and we're already two days into January, I can officially start the countdown until my birthday at the end of the month!! Woo hoo!!

Sweet!

2007-12-14T08:38:00.001-08:00

After 91 hours without electricity, we finally have power again. What a wonderful feeling to come home to a warm house and lights. I slept in my own bed last night and it was fantastic. It's good to be back.

Now maybe I can focus on Christmas...it IS only 10 days away. Yikes.

Things I have learned in our ice storm...

2007-12-11T08:44:00.000-08:00

Only the first 30 minutes of having no power are considered "fun."
You can "jimmy" a combination of C and D batteries to get your radio to work if you don't have enough of one size.
My hubby should not be left unattended with our seance of candles...he tends to catch his hair on fire.
Hearing large trees snap and fall in all directions surrounding you while sitting in pitch black is very scary.
One should make sure the neighbor's trees are trimmed BEFORE an ice storm hits, or you might be left with trees on your power lines.
Seeing your power box ripped from your house makes for interesting conversation starters.
Wal-Mart doesn't have generators and loses electricity too.
Years of growth in a tree can be demolished in a split second.
Gas stoves come in handy.
Seven layers of thick blankets still don't keep you completely warm when your house is 50 degrees.
The devastation of the trees can look as bad as a tornado or a war zone.
People find interesting means of entertainment with no electricity and no heat.
No one is safe in a yard full of trees that are falling.
You learn who your true friends are when you are without electricty and they are not.
Pictures truly are worth a thousand words.
Here's to 41 hours without power and counting.

Happy Birthday Blog!

2007-12-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Today is my blog's third Birthday. I can remember it like yesterday when I wrote my first entry and pondered whether or not my new-found addiction would last...guess this post goes to show, it has.

It's been a long journey, but I have enjoyed it. Some of my favorite posts from Amy's Island past:
Sitting In Traffic
The Reason Explained
Spandex Dog
Make Light of a Busy Day
Letter to My 10-Year Old Self

It's been fun...here's to many more!

Happy Birthday Blog!!

Driving Pet Peeves

2007-12-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

This was too funny not to share. :)

Yum

2007-12-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

As the holidays are upon us and all of the Christmas parties and gatherings bring you lots of wonderful holiday treats, sweets, snacks, and goodies...and as you stuff your self with plenty of turkey and ham, with all of the sides that accompany it like mashed potatoes, yams, and stuffing...and as you are so full you can't possibly consume anything else...just remember one thing:

On this day in 1931 Alka Seltzer was sold for the first time.

Happy Eating!

Food

2007-11-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

In the middle of all the Thanksgiving drama, my sister and I decided that we would go down the night before and spend the night at my grandma's, then get up in the morning and help her prepare the food. Many of you know my food making talent...or lack thereof...so imagine my surprise when we were getting ready to go to bed that night and my grandma asks what time my sister will be getting up the next morning to prepare the turkey...say what??

(When I agreed to help in the kitchen, I was under the assumption that my grandma would be doing most of the cooking and I would just be there to help do things like peel potatoes and easy stuff like that...I am FULLY aware of my inability to cook.)

Wrong. Apparently my sister had made a deal with her that Cheri' and I would do ALL of the cooking. By ourselves. Meaning, if I botched up the potatoes, we wouldn't be having potatoes. Talk about stressful. But, hesitantly I agreed.

So my sister and I got up at 8:30 the next morning to get the turkey ready. I had already made myself very clear I would NOT be touching the raw turkey, but I would get my butt out of bed to supervise (aka watch my sister and make fun of her if she messed anything up). She did okay until it came time to get the gibblets and the neck out of the inside. Gibblets were no where to be found.

Me calling my mom: Hi Mom. Is it possible that our turkey didn't come with gibblets? We can't find them anywhere.

Mom: No, Amy, that's not possible. Look harder.

Me: Cheri' is looking very hard and none can be found.

Mom: They are probably in the white wrapper that's on the end of the turkey.

Me: (long pause) Hmmm...well that sucks. We threw that away.

So we dug it out of the trash, washed it off before my grandma got up and continued on our mission (my grandmas makes gibblet gravy-blech). After the turkey was in the oven, we spent the rest of the morning getting everything else ready.

I was in charge of the easy stuff: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (I really only wanted to put the marshmallows on top b/c that's all I eat of those), salad, cold stuff (pickle tray), deviled eggs, corn, and I helped a little with the stuffing. My sister did all the meat and cut it and made the stuffing.

All in all, everything was edible (thank goodness) and everyone was stuffed after we ate. But after all of that, I can guarantee only one thing: I will NOT get volunteered to help cook next year. :)

Thanksgiving is over

2007-11-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone one more time, and sadly, I am thankful for that. I realized something this Thanksgiving that I think I always knew, but just never wanted to say outloud. I don't like Thanksgiving. I mean, don't get me wrong-I love the opportunity to give thanks for all the blessings in my life, and having time off of work is always nice. But I noticed something about Thanksgiving this year that just seemed to explode more this year than in years past. Thanksgiving brings out the negative in my family--too much stress and drama, and if it's all the same to me, I'd rather do without all that. I never have cared for the food, so I really wouldn't be giving up much. So despite my previous annoyance with people to skip Thanksgiving and go right into celebrating Christmas, I think after this year I have changed my opinion and it's very possible that next year I will do the same.

Mike and I decided that to avoid all of the chaos and drama next year, we'd just bump our New York vacation up a week and go during the week of Thanksgiving. Solves that problem. :)

This week I...

2007-11-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

survived without speaking any negativity or complaining!
cropped at the scrapbook store for 7 hours.
ate my first of many more Thanksgiving feasts.
remembered how much I do not like Thanksgiving food.
came in second place out of 5 by granny bowling.
made a trip to San Diego and back to Tulsa in 48 hours.
ate dinner looking at the ocean.
stayed in the hotel that the San Diego American Idol auditions were held at for next season.
watched many more episodes of "Heroes." (I've only got 3 eps left to be caught up.)
realized we only have 5 and a half weeks left until Christmas.
wrote letters to NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX to show my support of the WGA strike.
ate my second round of Thanksgiving feast...and now I am stuffed.

Say "no" to Negativity

2007-11-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning our Pastor preached about complaining and negativity, and how it is one of the things that God despises. At the conclusion of his message, he challenged the congregation to make a commitment to go one week without speaking anything negative, no complaining, no sarcasm, etc. He gave us all a form to sign and date it and if we failed to make it the full week, he challenged us to resign and date it and restart our week of no negativity.

Now, I knew this would be a challenge, considering we like to gossip at lunch and when we do crop nights at the scrapbook store (which we happen to be doing this Friday night). BUT, I accepted the challenge and signed my life away.

I made it until Monday at lunch when a woman walked into Subway with some funky pantyhose on that I just couldn't pass up making fun of her for. Oops. So when I blew it, I told my sister (who was eating lunch with me) that I might as well say all the negative things I had to say before resigning....But I couldn't think of any. Sigh.

So, I have decided I may need to take a vow of silence for a week until I succeed. Either that, or walk around with my eyes closed and ear plugs in my ears.

What?? I just can't help it. Some people just need to be made fun of.

I'm sad.

2007-11-06T07:55:00.001-08:00

REALLY sad at the news of the first day of the offical strike of the WGA. I am sad because of what this could potentially mean to an obsessed TV watcher like myself. I've been glued to all internet sites with updates on this strike and am hoping for a quick resolution so that my favorite shows, and yours, will not be drastically affected in their production. I'm going to be SUPER upset if "Lost" doesn't get to air as promised starting in February.

I understand the frustration of the WGA members and agree that they should get paid more for the DVD sales-it's only fair, since they are the whole reason the show exists in the first place. I just hope the networks realize this. SOON.

Here are some more sites with updates if you are interested:
WGA (the official website)
Strike Watch Blog

New obsession

2007-11-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Mike and I started watching the first season of "Heros" on DVD. We really knew nothing about the show at all when we first started watching it, just that everyone thought it was a great show. I'm really trying to be strong and not read ANY spoilers about this show so that every episode will be a surprise. I'm even avoiding media stories about the current season (2) that is on TV now, so that I don't get spoiled for season 2.

And after 4 discs, out of 7, that we have watched so far, I have only a few things to say:

Watching 11 hours of "Heros" in one weekend has caused me to have dreams that I also have a super power to "save the world." AND...

I Heart Peter Petrelli.

We survived

2007-10-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

It was a very long two days, but we survived...and the Maroon 5 concert was awesome...worth all the drama.

We...
flew to Dallas on an on-time flight (YAY!!!).
rented our car and drove straight toward Houston.
realized how much time we would have before the concert so we stopped at The Woodlands mall on the way in.
bought some stuff.
tried to find something to eat downtown and everywhere we went was either closed or had too long of a wait.
ate concession food instead.
made fun of the pre-opening act with others we befriended around us (he sort of sucked).
counted down the minutes until The Hives got off the stage so the real concert would start.
screamed, sang, hooped, and hollared during the concert.
screamed, sang, hooped, and hollared during the 30 minute encore. :)
drove straight to Dallas getting sleepy about 2:00 am.
found a parking garage near the airport and slept in the car for two hours before the car rental place opened.
returned the rental and boarded our ON-TIME flight home at 8:00 am.
made it home by 9:30 and were able to catch 2 hours of sleep before Mike's big ceremony. YAY!

A special thanks to my sister, Kristi, and Candice for the calls/texts throughout the night to make sure we were still alive. :) It was greatly appreciated.

Finally

2007-10-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

So Friday is finally the big day that I have been counting down to for months...the Maroon 5 concert. I'm really excited, but I have to admit, this 2-3 hour event has turned into a big stress ball and when it's all said and done will have cost me about $700 and a few gray hairs.

To make a long story longer, Mike was scheduled to get his certification through the Assemblies (church) this past weekend. It wasn't until AFTER we purchased the Maroon 5 tickets for this weekend that they decided to change the ceremony to THIS Saturday at 2:00 pm. Originally we had planned to drive down to Houston on Friday for the concert, spend the night, and spend all day Saturday driving back home. Because they changed the dates on us, we have had to be creative to find an alternate solution.

Turns out there are no flights from Houston to Tulsa that would get us back earlier enough Saturday to make the mandatory ceremony. So after a lot of thought, suggestions from co-workers and family, and even offering to sell the concert tickets out of sheer desperation, this is the resolution we came to...and not a very pretty one at that:

Fly from Tulsa to Dallas Friday morning, rent a car and drive to Houston. Enjoy the heck out of the concert we've been so eager to watch for a few years now, which starts at 8:00 (which means M5 won't start playing until maybe 9). Fight the crowds out of the Toyota Center and in lieu of sleeping (who needs sleep), drive straight from Houston to the Dallas Love Field Airport to check in our car and catch a flight home that leaves (fingers crossed) at 8:00 am. Go home, crash for a couple of hours, then go to the ceremony (which I hope we don't sleep through), and then go back home and pass out.

So, if I could get a volunteer to call me, oh about every hour or so between midnight Friday and 5 am Saturday morning just to make sure we are still awake, that'd be just fine with me. Otherwise, I will apologize right now to any one that may receive a call from me during those hours requesting jokes/stories/quizzes or the likes to keep me chatting and awake.

The only thing I have to say about all of this is that Maroon 5 better put on the best frickin' concert I've ever seen to make it worth our while.

Painters

2007-10-17T06:08:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I am changing offices next week. One of the requests that I had for my new office (which is currently my boss's) is that the wall paper on the main wall to my half of the space be removed and the wall be painted to match the rest of the space. The wall paper was a gigantic map of the world-wall to wall, so unless you are a geography teacher (like my friend Jeff), you can see where my desire to remove it stems from. Plus, it would completely clash with my wall decor. :)

The wall paper was removed yesterday, and they were scheduled to paint it this morning. My boss came in to tell me that the painter was wrapping up the quick paint job on the wall so I walked with him down to take a look.

Making a wise crack, as I entered his office I said, "Wow! You're gonna get high today from smelling this paint all day."

To which the painter curtly responded, "I hate to break it to you, but you can't get high on latex...it's water based paint. You might get sick, but not high."

(Me staring at him blankly)

"Yeah, I know. It was just a figure of speech."

Thanks for butting into my conversation. Have a nice day. :)

Random Ramblings

2007-10-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Driving to work in the dark makes me feel like it's already winter. And when I think it's winter already, my mind starts thinking about Halloween, and Thanksgiving, and...Christmas shopping! You know, I always say that summer is my favorite season, and it IS! BUT, whenever fall finally gets here, I think deep down I really enjoy the season and all the fun stuff that comes along with it...like the fair.

We went to the fair twice this year. We went Friday to the Switchfoot concert, which was awesome! They never disappoint me and I always leave their shows super pumped about seeing them again soon, then I have to listen to their CDs for like two weeks straight. However, with the Maroon 5 concert only 10 days away, I've been jamming out in my car to nothing but M5 since the Switchfoot concert.

But back to the fair-we usually only go for the food. And with the concert as the only exception, that is the reason we went this year too. Between Mike and I, we ate: An Indian taco, fudge newberg, cheese on a stick, chicken gyro, cheesecake on a stick, funnel cake and lots of pop. I feel fat just thinking about it now.

Upcoming CD's I plan to purchase: Carrie Underwood "Carnival Ride" on Oct 23, Britney Spears "Blackout" on October 30 and One Republic, sometime this fall. I can't wait.

Speaking of Britney, I think I've been reading too much Britney coverage lately. I had a dream last night that she and I hung out together for a day. But in my dream, it was pre-post partum Britney...not crazy Britney.

We went to a costume party on Friday and hosted one at our place on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. I always enjoy dressing up-this year as Mrs. Pirate. (I'll post pics soon) Saturday we went on a scavenger hunt around my neighborhood, which was fun, although I was surprised how many houses told us they didn't want to help us. LOL Only a handful closed the door in our faces without saying much. :) We ended up having a tie because our team "borrowed" a few items since I knew the neighbors, so the other team didn't think that was fair. I guess it wasn't, but still our stuff was cuter than theirs. :)

My aerobic class was officially cancelled because they couldn't find a teacher to commit. BUMMER. I'm really sad about this, because Monday nights were the only nights I was actually excited about working out. ha ha I need to think of a good motivational reward for working out consistently...suggestions?

Next Thursday, I am changing offices at work. I'm moving three offices down and sharing an office with my co-worker/friend. We are quickly running out of space here at work and cube land is rapidly taking over our floor. :( I agreed to split an office with Canaan since she is my friend. :) ha ha I've been in my current office for 4 years, so I'm afraid I may continue to walk in on the newbie since I am a creature of habit. A few things I will miss about my current office: the printer is right outside my door; the elevator is a straight shot from my office (ha ha), and the view of the parking lot from my window that has created many funny blog stories. I think I may have a window watch party my last day in this office. But I'm looking forward to some things too: new furniture, sharing an office with my friend, and we've talked about getting a fish...which sounded like a good, fun plan until she mentioned taking turns cleaning out the fish bowl. :( I'm the person that wants pets with no responsibilities, so I'm going to have to think really hard before committing to a pet, which has been temporarily named Fred. :)

Mike and I have already started Christmas shopping, but we still have a long way to go. We didn't want to be bombarded with hundreds of dollars worth of presents all at once like last year. Hopefully we can stay on top of this, since Christmas season is also Birthday season around my family.

Okay, I've rambled plenty...if you are even still reading this, I'll be surprised. :) Congratulations...you've made it to the finish without killing over. Two kudos for you.

In San Antonio I...

2007-10-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

walked on the Riverwalk.
ate ribs at Tony Roma's for the first time.
sang kareoke to "Love Shack" with some co-workers.
managed to stay clear of any foot injuries for the first year.
paid a butt-load of money in cab fares...mostly to the golf course.
tried a variety of cheesecakes-all seperate occassions.
had dinner in the Tower of the Americas.
worked out once...with half-hearted effort.
made up for my fruitless workout with all the walking I did.
was amazed at how much coffee our geo-guys drank.
talked on my rental phone. A lot.
missed my husband and my doggie.
was sick the entire time.
rode in a golf cart.
saw Tony Parker's house.
ate more than my fair share of Mexican food.
went to Dick's Last Resort.
took more medication in two weeks than I've taken in my entire life combined.
ate a Texas-shaped waffle. Three times.
met "Hints From Heloise" columnist, Heloise.
ate a ton and had a blast-admist all the work. :)

Top 20 Songs (imo)

2007-09-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

I am copying this idea from Heather and Canaan. Ever since I read their posts my mind won't rest as I kept thinking of songs I wanted to add to my "Top 20 Songs" list. So here they are in random order...

1. Sway, the Michael Buble version-there's something about this song that brings out the ballroom dancing girl inside of me. I just love it!

2. Starts With Goodbye, Carrie Underwood-While I love all songs Carrie has, this one has just a beautiful melody with wonderful lyrics about change and moving on.

3. You're Still the One, Shania Twain-For the obvious reason, this is mine and Mike's song, which I sung to him at our wedding.

4. Please Remember Me, Tim McGraw-This song never gets old to me. I could hear it a million times and I'd still want to hear it again. I love the lyrics of this song a lot. It's a very sad, apologetic song.

5. On Fire, Switchfoot-Even though Switchfoot is one of my favorite bands and it was really hard to just pick one song of theirs that I loved the most, this was the first one that came to my mind. The message of this song is one of hope beyond our current situation and beyond the desperation that we feel. It shows a direction to turn when you know there's more to life than what you feel. I love it, love it!

6. Fly, Mike Watson-This is the song that Mike wrote to me and sang at our wedding. I may be partial to it, but I love the sweetness of its melody and it takes me back to the happiest day of my life-when I married my very best friend.

7. Senorita, Justin Timberlake-JT is the bomb and this song has a fun beat. That's all I need to say about that. :)

8. Cold Hearted Snake, Paula Abdul-My best friend growing up, Audrey, and I made up a dance to this song and we thought we were hot stuff. So hot that we entered the talent show in elementary to (another) Paula song which brought me nothing but heartache for the next 11 years. Ha ha There's a story there, but too long of one to tell right here. Anyway, this song makes me think of my childhood, which I love to think about.

9. (They Long to Be) Close To You, The Carpenters version-I love the richness of Karen Carpenter's voice, and this song does a good job of showcasing her talent. When I was young, I would dance to this song in my bedroom and pretend that I had a voice half as good as hers. Ha ha

10. Can't Stop Prasing His Name, from the Chi Alpha Live CD-Since my life revolves around praise and worship, my list wouldn't be complete without a P&W song on here. This song, whether slow or fast, is very powerful and one of my favorite P&W songs to sing and play.

11. The Little Girl, John Michael Montgomery-This is the only song that makes me cry every single time I hear it. Okay that's not true...Christmas Shoes makes me cry too.

12. Blessed, Rachael Lampa-This song is a perfect description of my life. And Rachael's voice is a power house on this song, which inspires me to further pursue music.

13. Ain't It Funny (both versions), Jennifer Lopez-I love songs with irony and this song (the fast version) is a perfect example of such irony. And the slow version makes me think back to when I was in the Miss NSU pagaent and I had to walk in an evening gown to this song. LOL Oh the memories...it actually is kind of funny. :)

14. (I Got That) Boom Boom, Britney Spears-Before her crazy, psycho days, I had no problem admitting that I was a huge Britney fan. I still like her music, and this song has the best beat ever to dance to. Anytime I hear this song, I turn my radio WAY up and jam out like it's the last time I'll ever dance again. I can't help it...I just love it.

15. Breakdown, Mariah Carey-This song takes me back to when Mike and I were dating. It was popular when we first starting dating, and even though the lyrics are some-what depressing, it makes me think back to when our love for each other was still very new. Plus it's a very wordy song and I used to be impressed with myself for knowing all the lyrics. LOL

16. Perfect, Alanis Morissette-This song takes me back to my 10th grade year in high school, which was a very difficult year for me. I had a lot of personal family issues this year and playing this song made me feel better about venting.

17. Figure It Out, Maroon 5-Another of my favorite bands, it was again, very difficult to narrow it down to just one song. I LOVE love love the beat of this song. It makes me smile to blast it on my radio and jam out when I hear it. If you ever drive by my car and I'm completely jamming out, it's likely that I'm listening to this song. :)

18. The World Is a Vampire, Smashing Pumpkins-This song cracks me up and takes me back to my favorite year of school-my 9th grade year. This was the best year for me and I have so many wonderful memories from that year. However, every time I hear this song or think about this song, I can remember Nick Swaim coming into our typing class and singing this song almost every single day. What a riot.

19. I'm a Believer, remade by Smash Mouth-I smile when I hear this song because this is the song that Mike and I walked out of the church to when we were pronounced husband and wife. I loved breaking the rules and not being so traditional. It was fun. :)

20. Lady Marmalade-Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil Kim, Mya-This song reminds me of my college days. The girls on my floor made up a dance to this song and performed it at one of our formals. It was hilarious. It also makes me think of my sister, because that is her ringtone on my phone. :)

Since I last blogged I...

2007-09-06T05:59:00.001-07:00

Went to the Scrapbook Convention and spent lots of money.
Realized just how many obsessive scrappers besides me there are in Oklahoma.
Got sad news that my aerobic class is moving to a night I can't attend.
Had a picnic on my back patio.
Watched "The Notebook" with my dad.
Finally ate at the Tulsa Cheesecake Factory-YUM!!
Got my hair chopped off.
Swam for the last time this year. Sniff.
Repainted and redid the decor in my main bathroom.
Got very excited about "The Office" season 3 DVDs coming out.
Became a little overwhelmed when I realized I have less than 2 weeks until Annual Meeting.
Drove to work for the first time completely in the dark before the sun came up.
Started getting excited about "snack week" and "jeans week" next week!
Hung out with friends.
Thought my laundry pile never would diminish.
Laughed at Simon for poking his nose through the blinds to see out when I closed the blinds on him.
Did a lot of little things in-between.

31 days...

2007-08-24T06:44:00.001-07:00

until my favorite time of year...Fall TV Premiere Week! Unfortunately for me, I will be in San Antonio for our Annual Meeting, so will likely miss the entire week of all TV show premieres, so my DVR will be completely full when I return two weeks later to catch up! :)

Here's a preview of what my line up will be:

Monday-
7:00-7:30: How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
9:00-10:00: CSI: Miami (CBS)
9:00-10:00: October Road (ABC)-Starts mid-season

Tuesday-
8:00-9:00: Chuck (NBC)
8:00-9:00: House (FOX)
9:00-10:00: Damages (FX)-Unless the season is over by then

Wednesday-
9:00-10:00: Lost (ABC)-Starts in February

Thursday-
8:00-9:00: CSI (CBS)
8:00-9:00: The Office (NBC)

I am still very bitter about investing 9-10 weeks into 4 new shows last year only to see them get cancelled that the only new show I am taking on this year is "Chuck." And that's only because the previews for it look SO dang funny! Any other show will have to wait until they are picked up for a second season before I will watch.

What shows will you be watching?

Oink Oink

2007-08-21T13:54:00.001-07:00

I've had four Jamba Juices today. That's right. FOUR.

I blame that solely on my boss. Well, both of them actually. One for bringing a large ice chest full of them to work today, and the other for talking me into trying all of the different flavors (yeah, he had to try real hard to talk me into it. I promise.).

I've been a little oinker today. But they were yummy!!

OCD

2007-08-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

Last night at Carl's Jr, some of the kids in my youth group started teasing me about the weird OCD things that I do. They made me list all of my quirkiness, which got me thinking about why I do some of these things. And I couldn't come up with a reason, so I'm just going to list them for you instead:

1) I won't step on sewer grates or grates of any kind on the ground. I always walk around.
2) I write words and a certain "heart" shape in the air with my finger. Randomly.
3) When eating a bowl of cereal, I have to eat one or two pieces dry before I put milk in the bowl.
4) Speaking of cereal, if there are different colors (i.e. Trix, Fruit Loops, Cap'n Crunch, etc) I must eat one color at a time.
5) The clock in the car must always be displayed.
6) All of my DVDs must be alphabetized.
7) The clock in my bedroom must be set 10 minutes fast.
8) When on a phone call, I doodle words that I hear in the conversation.
9) When I sit down at the piano, I have to play a "C" chord first.
10) The clothes in my closest must be organized first by style, then by color.
11) I always take my shoes off when I drive home from work. No other time.
12) I can only write with a certain blue ink pen in my Planner.

What are some of yours?

Note to Self...

2007-08-09T10:45:00.001-07:00

When you pull into the garage, be sure to pull all the way in before closing the garage door. Otherwise, you will be left with two deep scratches on your back bumper that will cost $300 to replace.

Thank goodness for $0 deductibles and good insurance. :)

PGA has its pros...

2007-08-07T05:23:00.001-07:00

and I don't mean the Pro golfers.

Thank God for the PGA being in Tulsa this year-and that's not because I'm really into golf. I'm definitely not. The sport bores me for one...probably because I just down right suck at it. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that since the PGA is in Tulsa, the city ordered the construction crew on the 71st street/Hwy 75 area to open up all lanes of traffic again (instead of just two lanes we now have four). I'm assuming they did that to help with the traffic in that area. But I'm definitely not complaining about the reason. I'm just happy they did it. For a week I get to enjoy driving to work without the annoyance of the orange and white barrels.

Woo hoo!!

Lord of the Flies

2007-08-06T08:59:00.001-07:00

Something happened between this weekend and last at our house because in the last few days Mike and I have been noticing more and more flies in our house. Buzzing around-being annoying like they do. I thought we had a few, but I had no idea how many until Mike grabbed the swatter Saturday night and just went to town killing. Of course, in true Simon fashion, he tucked his tail and ran for the bedroom because he's a wuss and frightens at the drop of a hat. So I went into the back bedroom with him and closed the door as Mike continued away wiping out flies with the swatter.

Fifteen minutes later Mike comes in to let us know that he's killed an army of flies. I walked into the kitchen and sure enough, there were about 20 laying helplessly dead on my kitchen floor...not counting the ones he killed by the window and blinds. I couldn't believe it. I think a couple got in and had babies!! They multiplied like rabbits.

This morning I got up to make my breakfast and heard that taunting buzzing sound around my head. Ugh. They were back. I grabbed the swatter and just tore into them. Before you know it I had killed like 5 and had plenty more to demolish. After a few minutes I realized that I was making comments outloud to them:
"Come on suckers!"
"Land you punk!"
"I'm gonna squash you like a fat kid on a bike."
"Who wants to die next?!"

Then I wondered if it was wrong that I got such pleasure out of extinguishing so many at one time. Heck no, I decided and continued swatting away.

After 10 minutes had passed and they all lay helpless on the floor, the sink and the counter, I felt powerful...like a Queen. Like I could conquer the world. Then that power quickly fizzled as I realized how long it was going to take me to clean them all up.

This week I...

2007-08-06T08:48:00.001-07:00

watched our speakers at church catch fire. During service.
spent two hours at Guitar Center finding replacements for said speakers.
took Simon to get his hair shaved off.
laughed at Simon when I picked him up from the groomer's. :)
got surprised and momentarily overwhelmed when I looked at my calendar and realized I only have 6 weeks until Annual Meeting.
layed out and caught some not-so-obvious rays at the pool.
reunited with two very great friends. At the same time. In the same place.
drove to Pauls Valley, America for my nephew's birthday.
shopped with a million other folks just to save a few bucks.
didn't buy anything in the process.
danced enthusiastically to songs on the radio to stay awake on the drive home.
watched "Kiss the Girls" for the first time and loved it.

My dog

2007-08-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

My dog, Simon, is really funny. He makes me laugh. A lot. But, as much as I love him, sometimes, he's a little annoying.

Whenever I have a day off or a chance to sleep in, he doesn't like it. Starting around 7:30 or 8, he sticks his nose in my face to wake me up. If I don't wake up, he licks my face. Usually, I push him away and roll over and that satisfies him for another 15-30 minutes. Then he comes back and does the same thing. All he wants is for me to get out of bed and go into the living room with him. So sometimes, I will go open the blinds in the living room for him to look out, then go back to bed...but before long, he's back licking my face trying to get me to go in there with him.

The annoying part is that every single time I give in b/c I can't sleep anyway with him licking my face, I'll go into the living room and sit on the couch with him or fix my breakfast whatever...Five minutes later I look for him and he's back in bed in the bedroom!! You stinking dog! Tell me why I had to get up out of bed just so you could go back in there and lay down. Sigh. He really is a smart dog--I think he just wants my "spot" on the bed so he can sprawl out and get comfy. Little stinker!

The camping/float trip blog

2007-07-23T06:39:00.001-07:00

A group of friends went camping with us Friday and then we floated the Illinois River on Saturday. I've been excited about this trip for over a month and was really happy when Friday finally arrived. I went to Wal-Mart to buy all the food and then packed all of our camping gear into Mike's car. The plan was to have 3 people ride in our car with us, but I quickly realized that would not be happening...seeing how the trunk and the backseat were stuffed to the brim and I was holding in my lap Mike's guitar and some other miscellaneous items. Lucky for us, two of the three that were planning to ride with us called to say they were running 2 hours behind and would just meet us out there. Whew! Problem 1 solved.

When we got to our meeting destination we did a little rearranging to fit one more person in our car, and our 3 car caravan headed off to Tahlequah. Our car is the front of the lead and made light of the fact the other two cars were dragging behind us. We get about 10 minutes outside of Tahlequah (on Hwy 82, which has zero shoulder on it), and Mike delivers the bad news: "My car just died." Oh goody. Lucky for us, 25 feet ahead is a turn off, so he makes a hard left and puts it park. We have about an hour and a half left of daylight. The next 30-45 minutes played out like this:

Problem 2 became: What the heck is wrong with his car? (I gotta say, it was a little humorous to watch 5 guys hovered underneath the hood trying to "figure it out" while us gals chilled in the backseat.

Problem 3 quickly became: If we can't get his car fixed, how the heck are we going to get 12 people and all their gear into two cars to the campsite, which is still 30 minutes away?

Solution 2 was suggested: Call AAA. Problem. We don't have AAA. Next.
Solution 3: Call a wrecker. That will cost $200 or more. Next.
Solution 4: Peter take all the girls to the campsite and start setting up camp since we only have about 45 minutes of daylight left. The rest of the guys will go to AutoZone in town get a strap or chain so Brandon can pull Mike's car into town with his truck. Then AutoZone will run a diagnostic test on it to see what's wrong. Sounds good. Let's do that.

Problem 4: My cell phone gets no service at our campsite. How do I call the guys to give them an update and check on their status?

Solution 5: Use the campground's phone to make lots of long-distance calls. :)

Done. Now what? The part Mike needs won't arrive to AutoZone until 2 pm the next day.

Problem 5 surfaced: How do we get 5 guys back to camp (with all the gear from Mike's car) in a truck with only 2 seats that are currently filled with people and a bed that is jammed full of camping stuff?

Solution 6: The car that was running late was just arriving into Tahlequah, so they will stop by Autozone and pick up a load and the truck will carry the rest.

When they arrived at camp, I swear it looked like the cartoons where a load of characters were squished in a box, you remove the box and they are still holding the box shape. :) Quite humorous really.

So we camped. And played some volleyball. And laughed. A lot. Ate some dinner. Made jokes about not being able to keep our fire alive b/c the wood was wet. Played/sang some tunes around the no-fire. Laughed some more. Went to bed.

Woke up to float the river after breakfast. We had 3 rafts rented for 12 people. The plan was to float until 1:00ish then Mike and I would split from the group and high-tail it back to camp, run to Autozone, replace the part and head back to camp to pick up our group by the time they finished floating the river.

That didn't happen. Well, part of it did...up until the part where Mike replaces the part and we head back to camp. He goes to replace the part and viola! The timing belt had shredded. Sigh. Dollar signs flashed through my mind and I quickly saw the look of disgust and frustration on Mike's face. Poor guy. "It's just things Mike" I tried to reassure him. "It's just stuff that can be replaced. It could have been a lot worse."

So we call his folks to get a trailor and come get us and tow the car home. The rest of the group (most of it) went on home after they finished floating. A couple of them stayed to hang out with us. We ate dinner at Mazzio's and waited for Mike's parents to rescue us. When they finally arrived, we loaded the car, and drove 50 mph all.the.way.home. Took 2 hours. We got home at 10:00...and were very tired.

Mike has always hated camping. Now I'm not so sure I'll ever get him back out there to camp again. Needless to say, it was an adventuresome weekend. :)

My day just got a little brighter

2007-07-19T08:08:00.001-07:00

I just read that Switchfoot is going to be at the Tulsa State Fair this year...for free! That right there is reason to celebrate folks!!

Where did my energy go??

2007-07-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

My aerobics class got cancelled last night, so I thought to myself, "I'm already here...might as well do something productive." So I started lifting weights and then suddenly the blue plastic caught my eye...a jump rope! Fun!! I used to do the "Jump Rope For Heart" every year in elementary and I can remember always winning the endurance award. I could jump rope for a very long time. And it was fun.

So, I picked up the jump rope and walked into the empty aerobics room. I noted the time on the clock so I could time myself and started jumping at a fairly slow pace. "Oh this is easy," I thought to myself after the first 30 seconds..."I'll speed it up." How bout a few "double-unders." Yeah. Way to go. You're going strong. Surely I'd been jumping for a good 5-10 minutes. I looked up at the clock. WHAT THE?!?! Only 2 lousy minutes had passed and I was quickly running out of breath and energy. I do NOT remember jumping rope being this difficult. Glad I attempted this in a room by myself. Others would have pointed and laughed I'm sure. I even verbalized to myself how pathetic it was that I couldn't jump rope consistently for more than a couple of minutes.

I'm embarrassed to say I only lasted 10 minutes. Oh what I wouldn't give for the energy level of my 12 year old self.

Say "no" to DFW

2007-07-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late in posting this, but I needed some time to cool off before my ranting and raving became incomprehensible. So, you know I went to San Antonio last week for a business trip, which went fantastically well...until the trip home. Of course.

We had some delicious Mexican food, laughed a lot, got some work done, and had lots of time for stories, BUT I should have listened to my body when it gave me those stinking creepies as I noted that we would be flying through DFW to get back to Tulsa. Sigh. "Bad weather" they said. Of course.

We finished with our meeting early and bumped us up to the earlier flight which put us in DFW at 4:20, as opposed to 8:30. YAY. We deboard and go to the reader board to see where our gate will be. Flight to Tulsa scheduled for a 5:20 departure now bumped to 5:45. So we get ourselves front row chairs at Chili's, order drinks and food, and "people watch" the folks that come up to the reader board and leave in disgust.

However, our 5:45 departure quickly changes to 6:15...then 7:15. More drinks and food please. Coming right up. And alas, 8:15. Just leave our tab open ma'am. Thanks.

Meanwhile, the flashbacks from the last trip through DFW were starting to haunt me, and I started to get annoyed. Really annoyed.

Two transvestites, 10 super cute pair of shoes, a man with a broken leg, a woman who kicked the air, nachos, cheesecake and 6 drinks later, the boss comes back with great news: "Don't trust the reader boards, no one knows anything right now." Great. Then, to top it off, our flight just disappears off the board. That can't be good. It wasn't-it got cancelled. So the bosses are in line to get us on the next flight out to Tulsa, as there were only two left. Turns out, we were the last people to get on board the next flight, which really wasn't even a guarantee since there were rumors that the flight was overbooked. Great news for me (not)...I had a "C" boarding pass (we flew SWA), while the majority of my group had "B." Of course.

Thank God-when the time came, they took my ticket and my co-workers had saved seats in the back of the plane. Whew. BUT, I have pretty much decided that it would probably be worth a few extra bucks and an extra hour added to a trip if it meant avoiding DFW. That place is just a magnet for people like me with the worst traveling luck.

San Antonio

2007-07-10T20:38:00.001-07:00

Ahhh, I just love being in San Antonio...with the hot, muggy sunshine beating down on me. It is so greatly appreciated after being beat to death with 30 days of rain. Even if it won't be long-lived...I'm going back to Seattle bound T-Town tomorrow.

Just wanted to gloat. Thanks for listening. :)

Tulsa makes CNN homepage

2007-07-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

Just sucks that it had to be because of this.

Random

2007-07-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

I was 5 minutes late to work today. Five. I have been on time or (gasp) early for the last 2 1/2 weeks (since I changed my schedule to 7-4:30)...until today. Wah! I should get a gold star for being on time/early for that many days in a row. It's like a record for me. Seriously.

I did an hour long aerobics class last night for the first time in 10 years...and I'm not sore today! Except my abs. Two gold stars!

Oh yeah--Happy 4th of July!! Got any exciting plans?

This week I...

2007-07-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary.
ate at Charleston's...TWICE (YUM).
watched my first "4th of July" fireworks display this year.
laughed out loud when Mike asked me if it was supposed to rain this week.
went to another baseball game.
went to my first East Coast Swing dance lesson...And loved it!
got a temporary crown on my back tooth.
offically changed my work schedule from 8-5:30 to 7-4:30.
bought more scrapbook stuff to make me feel better about 20+ consecutive days of rain.
laughed at Simon who decided to sleep under the bed with his butt and back two feet hanging out.
started getting excited about my time off for the holiday/vacation.
got told I "could get thrown in jail for doing that."
listened to my dad lecture for 3 minutes about how excise tax was the government's worst way to steal our money.
got excited for a split second when the sun teased me with only a moment of brightness.

Letter to my 10-year old self

2007-06-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

(Note: I got this idea from a stranger's blog that I happened upon, and was touched with the idea so much, I wanted to do one of my own.)

Dear Amy,

Although given the opportunity for you to read this, I don't know that you would actually take my advice, but here it is...for what it's worth. Take it to heart and listen to it. It will help you in a way you can't imagine.

You will not walk the "teacher" path that you have always dreamed of achieving, but don't give up on this dream. It will take you to a University that will offer you a career path that even in your wildest dreams, you can't imagine. A career that is fun and exciting and will encompass one of your great passions: traveling.

Spend as much time as possible with your church friends. There will come a time when you won't see them again and all you will have are the wonderful memories that you have created together. The one where you spend a week with Tiffany will be one of your most treasured and will constantly remind you of your innocence.

In 6th grade, go ahead and give mom the schedule for the end of the school year events. She won't disown you for dancing to a Paula Abdul song in the talent show. If you choose not to give it to her, the outcome will be much more severe. And the guilt will go with you until your wedding day. It's not worth it.

You will see and hear a lot of things in your home growing up. Especially in junior high and high school. You will cry-a lot. But always remember, you are loved very much. I wish I could tell you that things will get better...but they don't. But through this time, it will teach you everything you need to know to give great love to those around you and to appreciate the ones you love.

Your sophomore year will be filled with many laughs, as well as heartaches. You will become best friends with a girl who will bring a lot of happiness to you during a time of great struggle. Share your secrets with her, because she is a great friend who listens. Hang on to that friendship-she will come back into your life years down the road.

When you are 14, Dad will be rushing you to get into the car while you are trying to listen to a song in the house. Go ahead and jump in the car, turn the key to hear the song on the radio and enjoy the ride into the garage door. Dad won't be mad at you and he'll get a new garage door out of the deal.

Your freshman year of college will be a year of loss. You will lose one of your very dear childhood friends, and this will change you for the rest of your life. It is because of this loss that you will gain a great fear of dying in a car accident. Get ready for it, because it will linger with you for many many years. Spend more time with your Uncle Gordon. It is this year that the surprise news of his leukemia will take him home to be with Jesus in only three short weeks.

At 17, you will meet the man you will marry. You will know this right away, but it will take you a few years to adjust to giving up your independence. It is worth it in the end. He will love you in a way no one else can. And he will show it. Don't listen to anyone else but your heart, because only you will be able to make the right decision. Fight for the one you love, and years down the road, he will do the same for you.

Although you can't imagine it now, your sister will become your best friend. You will fight and you will laugh many times between, but she loves you more than anything. Be nice to her more often and don't fight so much over petty things. She will need a good friend in the years to come and you will need to be that friend for her.

Don't be so upset your junior year in college when you get your rooming assignment in the mail. The "surprise" roommate will become one of your very best friends, and living with her for 2 years will be a blast! God knows what He is doing when He messes up your plans. Thank Him for it. Daily.

A time will come when you will want to put your music aside for a break. Take the break-you deserve it! But never lose your desire to play the piano and sing. As promised, God will use you to minister to others through your music, and eventually will inspire you to write your own. This will be a major common bond between you and your husband, so never give it up completely.

Guard your heart and stay focused on only the things that God has put in your life. If you choose not to do this, 2006 will be a very difficult year for you. You will make mistakes. Big mistakes that you thought yourself incapable of. But in making those mistakes, be truthful with the ones you love...and they will forgive you. It will be a huge challenge, but learn to forgive yourself also.

June 26, 2004 will be the happiest day of your life.

Sugar and Curly won't be the only pets in your life. When your husband begs you to get a dog, give in to his request. By doing so, you will bring home someone that will be one of the greatest loves of your life.

Take in all the beautiful scenery you come along and take a lot of pictures along the way. You will not regret it. Keep God first in your life and you will have nothing to worry about. He will hold your hand through the trials and give you strength to make it through each day. Love unconditionally. Your life will be filled with struggles and disappointments, but it will also be filled with lots of laughter and victorious memories. When you get my age and look back on your life you will see that you have been extremely blessed with the life you were given.

Sincerely,
Amy (Age 26)

Row, row, row your boat...

2007-06-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, my friend Audrey and I would go camping in our backyards. I have a lot of wonderful memories from those "campouts." But I remember one specific time that we had made plans to camp out all week--it rained the very first night and we were so bummed about that. The next day I overheard my dad talking about how God had answered his prayer for rain. Here's how the conversation proceeded:

Me: DAD!!!!! You PRAYED for rain?!?!
Dad: Yes, Amy. We need the rain.
Me: But DAAAAD!! Audrey and I want to go camping this week, and we can't if it rains. So will you PUHLEEEESE stop praying for rain? Just for this one week??? Or can you ask God to stop the rain just for this week?
Dad: I'm sorry Amy, but we need the rain. I won't ask Him to stop it.

I walked away so heart broken because I really wanted to camp out that week.

From that moment on, whenever I wanted to make any plans that involved being outside, I'd call my dad up and ask him if he was praying for rain because I was planning something outside and I needed to know if it was going to get rained out. :) Becuase if Dad prays for rain...it rains.

I heard this week that it has rained here in Tulsa the past 20 out of 24 days. I've already traded in my car for a boat, and have been paddling to work. I finally called my dad this morning:

Me: Hi Dad. So I was just wondering if you are still praying for rain, because I think it's okay to stop now.

For the love of all things holy, PLEASE make it STOP!!!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-06-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

After being together close to 9 years, you'd think the surprises would stop, but my wonderful husband has surprised me yet again. Today is our 3rd Wedding Anniversary, and for my gift Mike got us private swing dance lessons! I took a semester of ballroom dancing in college and we have always wanted to take it together, but haven't been able to find a place that did lessons on Friday nights. But he found one! We start this Friday and I am SO excited!!

I have the best husband in the world!

Happy 3rd Anniversary Babe-I love you!!

Weird

2007-06-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Most people know that my current employer is the same one that hired me right out of college. I did my final internship with them and then a full-time position became available 2 months into my internship that I applied for and received. I've been with the company 4 years next month. During those 4 years the woman who hired me left to do independent meeting planning and one of my (now) friends hired on in her place. And even since then, my friend has moved into another industry and I switched positions into hers. Which brings us to today.

I was going through my filing cabinet making room for some files of meetings I just completed. I stumbled upon a file that the woman who hired me had created. Inside were the resumes and interview notes for myself and 2 other candidates for the intership I received here before I came on full-time. Now THAT was weird.

Rain rain go away!!

2007-06-20T07:22:00.001-07:00

I feel like it has been raining for 326 consecutive days. I'm tired of the rain. I miss the sunshine. Please make the rain stop. If it doesn't stop, I will be forced to trade my car in for a boat...and I don't know the first thing about picking out a boat. Ugh. :(

The past two weeks I...

2007-06-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

had dinner with a group of geo-guys.
made some new friends.
missed my niece's first dance recital. :(
played water volleyball and water basketball...and sucked at both-of course.
went to some historical sites in San Antonio.
ate dinner on the river at the Riverwalk.
missed a high school graduation.
layed out by the pool. A lot.
got my hair done.
had a Birthday party for my dog.
had lunch with a good friend.
have seen enough rain to fill a swimming pool--maybe 2.
bought new clothes. And jewelry.
started running again.
made close to $300 at my garage sale (woo hoo!).
listened to the new Maroon 5 CD at least 20 times.
stuffed 650 packets of information.
tried Strawberry Cheesecake yogurt (YUM!).
and plenty more in between!

Turkey Pics!!

2007-06-04T13:50:00.001-07:00

Feel free to speed up the slideshow because there are a lot of pictures...and I mean a LOT. :)

Happy Birthday!

2007-06-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today my little Stinky Pot is 3 years old! Happy Birthday Simey Boy!! Wish I could be there with you to celebrate today. We'll eat cake on Tuesday. Miss you Pooh!

*And Happy Half Birthday to my sista*

I love my job!!

2007-05-30T21:57:00.001-07:00

Besides the obvious reasons why I love my job (i.e. travel, friendships, cool bosses), I now have another reason to add to my list.

I am in San Antonio right now working a meeting (that starts tomorrow). At 5:00 this evening my hotel contact calls my cell phone and asks if I have plans for the rest of the evening. She has two extra tickets to the San Antonio Spurs basketball game and wants to take me (box seats)!! Heck yeah I wanted to go. I freakin' LOVE basketball, and like I would pass up an opportunity to watch an NBA Western Conference Championship that sent the Spurs to the NBA finals.

It rocked the house! Although I was a little disappointed that the Spurs held the lead (from the very start) by at least 20 through the ENTIRE game. Yawn. Oh well, the excited atmosphere was fun and I loved it!

Stupid me forgot my camera at home on the desk the ONE time I really needed it. So I won't be posting pictures until my hotel contact emails them to me tomorrow. :)

Woo hoo! Go Spurs Go!!

Venting

2007-05-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

I'm officially annoyed with traveling...mostly just flying. A co-worker and I had to fly to Austin yesterday for a quick one night/two day trip for a committee meeting. After the meeting, we rushed to the airport to try and make our 3:15 pm flight to Tulsa. We ran. For nothing.

We boarded our flight and sat on the plane for TWO AND A HALF HOURS. Apparently there were thunderstorms in Dallas (where our flight connected) and we couldn't leave Austin until they cleared. After the 2.5 butt-numbing experience, they taxied back to the gate and let us get off the plane and stretch our legs/get something to eat/use the restroom. 45 minutes later we got to board our flight. Meanwhile, we missed our 5:30 connection from Dallas to Tulsa.

By 8:00 we finally pulled up to the Dallas gate, deboarded to enter the most chaotic of all situations. People. Everywhere. Lines forever long. We got in line and when we finally reached the counter, the ticket agent graciously gave us an upgrade to the next flight out (leaving at 10:55 pm) for free. We were stoked. Changed into something more comfortable (thank goodness for clothes in your carryon!), then we went to our gate to camp out. While minding our own business, a gentleman sitting next to us asked if we were on the 10:55 to Tulsa. Bad News: it was cancelled. UGH!

So now I am sitting here in the Dallas Love airport holding a ticket to Tulsa departing at midnight. Yes midnight. I am tired and I want nothing more than to be home right now.

In Austin, I bought a couple of magazines while we were waiting to reboard the plane. As I was walking away from the counter, the cashier politely said "Have a great day." Being the optimist that I am responded with "It can only get better." What happened to the power of the tongue, b/c I'm pretty sure it only got worse from there. Sigh.

Pt. 2 So far in Turkey I...

2007-05-19T02:02:00.000-07:00

rode a camel.
learned a handful more of phrases in Turkish.
went in a castle.
tried Turkish ice cream.
soaked up some sun rays on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea.
got a full body massage.
sat in a Roman arena that seats 15,000, and is still used today.
climbed a portion of the Taurus Mountains.
taken pictures of at least 4 famous (in Turkey) sets of waterfalls.
have gotten followed in every store I have gone in.
have missed my doggie VERY much.
spent all of my money.

I have enjoyed my time here, but am ready to go home. Only 17 hours until our flight leaves.

Woo hoo!! Oklahoma here we come! :)

So far in Turkey I...

2007-05-15T00:54:00.001-07:00

rode a Yacht on the Mediterranean Sea.
haven't gotten a good night's rest yet.
learned how to say "Please pick up my empty tray" in Turkish.
washed my face each night sans wash cloth...only a hand towel.
have breathed in enough cigarette smoke to warrant X-Raying my lungs for spots.
laugh a little on the inside every time they bring me a Coca Cola with no ice and a slice of lemon.
have taken lots of wonderful pictures.
have eaten some interesting food.
watched a lot of Turkish TV.
discovered that the birds here are a lot nicer than the ones in Tulsa, America.
unwillingly saw some guys catching rays in speedos.
tried Turkish Delight.

And I still have 5 days left! Woo hoo!!