Chicago- Post 1

There is so much to say and so few brain cells awake at 8:30 this Monday morning that I'm going to have call this Post 1. I have no idea how many there will be. I guess as many as I need.

About three months ago it came to our attention that Steve Burton and Rebecca Herbst would be in Chicago in October doing their first ever fan event together. In all the excitement about 15 of my friends arranged their schedules to fit this event in. I could not be left out so of course I jumped on this boat. Luckily we were able to split up the financing, the plane ticket and ticket to the show had to be paid for then and the money I save from doing weddings was my "fun" money.

Thursday afternoon I left work at 2 and headed north. I had never flown before and my sweet friend Lorna had hooked me up with her travel agent to get me on the same flight as her flying out of Kansas City. Now, for any of you too lazy to get out your maps, Kansas City is about 260 miles from Enid and there were three major airports closer to me, but like I said, I had never flown before and was a little nervous.

Friday morning at 4:50 we got up and got ready to leave. We drove in the dark until the sun started coming up on the plains. It was a beauiful sunrise, one for the books. We arrived at the Kansas City airport in plenty of time, made our way through airport security and found a seat. The airport had wifi and I was able to communicate with the world somewhat through my phone. Part of me wishes I had taken my laptop just to play with, but I'm glad I left it at home so that nothing bad could happen to it.

The time arrived for us to board the plane and the stomach was all a flutter with butterflies. Lorna gave me her window seat! During take off I said goodbye to the cows that were totally ignorning us and held on. Take off isn't bad, it feel like racing. Once in the air I was in total awe of the view.

The butterflies stayed with me for the whole flight but I managed to keep the barf bag in it's place. A lady behind me had two small children with her and one kept pulling my hair as he was grabbing on to the seat. At one point I grabbed his hand and held it for a second. He didn't pull my hair anymore. I felt sorry for the lady trying to keep up with the kids and I could smell at least one of them being sick. It was gross, but the view was amazing. We were only in the air for a little over an hour so it was great.

The tops of the clouds. I found this amazingly beautiful. It reminded me of fresh powder snow.

Up next--- Chicago, the Windy City

Countdown

Thursday I leave for Kansas.

Friday I'm getting on a plane headed to Chicago.

Saturday I'm going to party with friends.

Sunday I'm flying back to Kansas.

Monday I'm sleeping in.

I can't wait!!!

Smelling Roses

Life is good.

School is going well. I have not killed TheAnnoyingKidThatSitsBehindMe. I find it's always good to not kill your classmates. He's actually toned down a bit, the girl that sits across from him, she's next on my list. I kind of feel sorry for her. Kind of, but not really. She's obviously still in highschool and a little on the brainy side so she probably doesn't have many friends. Last week we were wrapping up the day's lecture talking about genetics and TheHighSchoolGirlWhoKnowsNothingAboutRealLife had to give an explination or example for EVERTHING. One girl actually left the room because she wouldn't stop talking. The teacher got quite upset. Not at the chick that wouldn't shut up, but at the girl who couldn't take it anymore. It's probably good I don't carry a knife to school. I'm just going to leave it at that.

Every fall I manage to fill up my schedule. Me, the girl who loves quite weekends at home will be going almost non-stop until... oh, about 2008. As I already posted we went racing last weekend. I'm doing my LAST wedding this coming weekend, you have no idea how excited I am to put this wedding coordinating behind me. And not to say I wouldn't help a friend out from time to time but sacrificing my quite weekends for other people who expect miracles is gone. Put a fork in it, it's done!

October is filling up quickly too. I'm going to Chicago around the middle of the month and the following weekend will be spent at Lake Greenleaf with family. (AJ, I'll give you a call when it get closer and I know what our exact plans are). There's other stuff going on but I haven't finished my coffee yet so at the present moment I can't think of what they are. But hopefully I can squeeze in a Saturday afternoon nap sometime there.

Well, the roses smell great, time to get back to work.

Love ya!

Banana Pudding

Yesterday we left Oklahoma behind and headed north just across the boarder to Ark City, Kansas for then annual Nostalgia Races at the Mid America Dragway. First stop was the car show. We saw lots of cool cars.



Peanut is getting pretty good at distinguishing between the different Chevelle's. This one was a....70.

Later on we hung with friends and family until well past sunset. Nickel wanted to stay the night but knowing how Sunday nights are on a regular weekend I wanted to come home and get as much rest as possible. Peanut was very upset with me but after meeting this little blonde she forgot about how mean I was. This girl is 9 and in her Jr Dragster (not pictured, this one was for sale because she had outgown it) did a quarter mile in just over 10 seconds. Just to give you some perspective, a couple of years ago when I raced my camaro I made the quarter mile in 17 seconds.

Today, I'm tired and have blisters on my feet. Life is good.

Ursa Major

I watched them dance the other night,
A ballet I had seen a thousand times,
Dancing on the midnight stage,
Miles beyond what I could see,
The choreography had not changed,
Full of batterie and tour en l’air.
No, time to them means so little,
For night after night they must perform.
A dancer appears to fall from grace,
Quick, say a wish.

The Award

To Leslee with the Fresh Cut Flowers, from whom I first learned to respond to the nice folks who comment here, and who happens to have been my very first commentator, I also give the

First, let me say that I am truly honored to receive this much undeserved award. It feels like months since I've really blogged and even more since I've kept up with your lives. There are lots of reasons for that none of which are you, my blog readers/friends. I've been traveling through life on a path I'd rather not be on and it seems easier to not talk about it. Perhaps someday I'll talk about it but it's not fun stuff and I really don't like to talk about stuff that isn't fun. I'm don't like being depressed, it doesn't suit me well at all. I will find the light, I promise I will and I'll return to my normal, so-called life.

But, back to the award. I was given this award by my friend jrh of Turkey on Whole Wheat. He is a very kind man that often reminds me of my own dad. And I don't think he'll mind me saying that as we have established I'm the age of his own children. jrh showed up on my blog around February this year so of course I had to check him out. He has a fun way of counting down his blogs. I don't know what he'll do once he actually reaches 1, but look forward to seeing it. He tells stories of his past and present. Stories of Lela touched my heart deeply because I could feel the love through the strings of words he used to tell their story. If you have a moment stop in at his blog, I'm sure he'd like the company.

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Peanut

Some mothers push their babies on a walk. Others drag them.

An Anniversary Tale

Nickel and I got married eight years ago. Here's a picture. Weren't we just the the cutest couple alive? Ok, so you can't really see all of Nickel's face, but he's a cutie.


That's my brother in the back ground. He was the cheapest preacher I could find -free. My colors were purples and yellows. It was a fun little wedding.

Anyway, that was 1999. Our first year of marriage was by far the most difficult. Nickel and I hadn't really known each other that long, but I knew he was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. A month after that picture was taken we moved over three hours away from my momma. I had moved out of my parents house six months before that but still went to my mommas house almost weekly and talked to her on the phone daily. Being so far away was an adjustment. Then after being in the new city where I knew NO one for a couple of weeks we found out we were expecting a Peanut.

So just to recap, we got married in June, moved to Enid in July, and found out we were expecting a baby early August. That was a fun six weeks. I was lonely and hormonal. It's a wonder he didn't send me home to my momma's!

But we managed to survive both the first year of marriage and the pregnancy and have the ever so fun loving Peanut to show for it. But after eight years I finally feel like I know this man. I know how he takes his coffee -black with LOTS of sugar. I know more about comic book characters then I ever thought possible (which has actually won me brownie points at work), I can even actively listen when he talks about cars, Camaros are his favorite but he likes Chevelles, El Caminos, Corvettes, Novas, Malibu Station Wagons....

For our anniversary this year, being on a Tuesday, we dropped the Peanut off with Grandma and went out to dinner. We decided that downtown stood the best chance of not being crowded. Did I mention that Nickel hates crowds? He doesn't like most people. We drove by one place, it looked too crowded. We drove by a second place, there were a few cars, but the third place looked empty. And it was for the most part. I think the whole time we were there there were three couples served. We talked and enjoyed the good food for about an hour and a half without interruptions, except from our waiter who actually asked Nickel if he wanted a straw for his beer.

Nothing elaborate. We don't exchange gifts for our anniversay. We just usually enjoy a dinner for the two of us. That's fine with me, I don't want stuff. I just want his attention and it was mine, mine, all mine, for an hour and half on our special day.

Psalm 3

1 O LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
"God will not deliver him."
Selah
3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
4 To the LORD I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
Selah
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear the tens of thousands
drawn up against me on every side.
7 Arise, O LORD!
Deliver me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Selah

I got some disturbing news yesterday from my doctor. They'll retest me in October. God will take care of it by then I'm sure. Until then, this is my prayer.

Inflation is out of control!!!

So my house payment goes up every June (except that one year it actually went down but still, in June) and they always tell me in my May statement what it's going to be. Well, I got my May statement today. And you guessed it, it went up again.

Me: Honey, the house payment's going up.

Him: Great.

Me: Yeah, I'm going to need to put some extra money in the bank from now on.

Him: How much.

Me: Well, I don't care if you do it all at one time or a little bit with each check.

Him: How much more a month do you need.

Me: 43 cents a month.

Happy Birthday Peanut

My Peanut turned 7 today. I'm depressed.

Foul

I'm in a foul mood. Be back when I've changed my attitude.

Time keeps on a tickin

Sorry I haven't had much time to blog the last few days. There's been plenty of stuff to talk about just not time. Peanut lost her first tooth last Saturday. This of course was a big deal. What's sad though, is she already has two of her adult teeth growing in behind her bottom baby teeth so when you see her "toothless" smile you see a row of teeth just one is further back then the others. She's working on a couple of the top ones and then she'll really have a toothless smile. Sorry, I don't have a picture. I'll try to take one soon.

So, in other news due to a miscommunication error Nickel's family will be coming to town this weekend. I was expecting them the next weekend. It will actually work out better for us for them to come this weekend but that means I have to really clean my house a week earlier and I really don't want to.

I've got everything I need to do at work done. This is good and bad all at the same time. For the rest of the month it'll just get to pay a bill here, pay a bill there, do a payroll, and little stuff that'll come in. This is so not fun when I have a million things I need to do at home and am stuck here bored out of my mind! And by the time I get home I'm not at all in the mood to do a darn thing on my list! Oh well. That's what the mad grab and stash two hours before the MIL gets there is for, right?!?!

Be good! I'll check in when I can!

Feeling Good

I was going to post some song lyrics but decided I didn't want to do that so I'm not. But the truth is, I do feel good. The weather is gorgeous! The sun is shining and we have no more snow!! It's even starting to warm up with temperatures close to 70! Hallelujah! I bought a Michael Buble' CD and am loving it!!! If you'd like to listen to him head over to his website: MichaelBuble.com I think you can even hear the Feeling Good song there but first read my post and comment because I like comments.

I've got to send out the invitations for Peanut's birthday this weekend. We're having a Bratz party in a couple of weeks. I think we're going to do hair, makeup and maybe nails (maybe not...might be a bit messy) and have cupcakes. Then I'm going to invite the family to come over around lunch time and have some family time. Peanut's cousin is also having a birthday party that day but later at the skating rink. We'll see if she makes it to that one. Depends on if any family come up for her birthday luncheon and what we end up doing that afternoon.

Nickel and I are going to go to another Hornet's basketball game this month. They play the Knicks here at the end of the month and Nickel loves the Knicks. He wanted me to take him to NYC to see them in the Garden but I just couldn't afford that. The Hornets will be going back to New Orleans next year so I thought this might be the last chance to see them and the Knicks for a long time (at least until we get our own team and who knows how long that'll be). The seats are in the nosebleed section but I think we'll still have a good time. Peanut's going to spend the night with one of her grandmas so she'll love that!

Yeah freedom is mine -- And I know how I feel-- It's a new dawn-- It's a new day-- It's a new life-- For me-- And I'm feeling good--I feel so good.

Makeup

I may not need it, but I'm still going to wear it!

Friday Caption Contest

Got a funny caption for this picture? Leave it in the comment section for everyone to enjoy!

Thought for the Day

It's a proven fact that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the world's population.

The Pets

MICE
So, thanks to my friend Parker the mice have found a home. I asked him Sunday if he needed them and he laughed and said no. But then he suggested a teacher at Peanut's school (where he use to go as well) that might be interested. I called her and she was indeed very interested. I won't tell you what she wants them for...but here's a hint: snake.

She was also very pleased to have the mommy and daddy mice because most pet stores won't sell female mice because they don't want you breeding your own. But now she can.

CATS
Peanut was a little sad that I had given the mice away without her being able to say goodbye but I reminded her that cat would have kittens in just a matter of days (Please dear God, let it be 2 or less!). That made her happy until she remembered that I had let the cat outside last Thursday and she hadn't come home yet. But God heard her prayers again and sent the pregnant cat back home yesterday so that Peanut can hold her hostage until the kittens are born. Then I'm having the cat fixed. I say this every time, but I mean it this time!

DOG and FISH
I'm thankful every day that the dog is a boy and that the fish is alone in its tank!

Tornado Season!

Ok, call me weird. I know you want to and I'm giving you permission. This last weekend the weatherman said the weather was almost perfect for a tornado and I got a little bit excited. Now, I'm not mean spirited. I know that tornadoes can do lots of damage and people loose their lives every year to weather related conditions such as tornadoes. In 1999 Nickel and I watched a tornado hit the Electric Company's power plant across the river and it did plenty of damage and I was plenty scared because we lived on the top floor at the end of our apartment building. But there's something about the weather conditions that make me excited...warm air. I like warm air. You see, on Valentine's Day the temperature was hovering around something like 4 degrees (honestly, I don't remember what it was but it was cold enough to freeze the water pipes). I don't like cold weather and I'll be the first to admit it! Then last Wednesday it was something like 74 degrees and I was so happy. So if the weatherman tells me that the weather is optimal for tornadoes I'm going to smile, because that means that warm moist air is present and that means it's gotta be close to spring. Right?


ADDENDUM: Ok, so thinking back I remember talking about weather at least once before on this here blog. Here's a little something I wrote a while back about thunderstorms if you're interested.

10 is ENOUGH!!!

So a couple of weeks ago Nickel brought home 2 pet mice for Peanut. I was less then thrilled but didn't put up too much of a fight. Nickel and I had a pet rat when we got married. Bebee was a sweet little rat and Nickel cleaned out her cage and all was good. Bebee died before Peanut was born. This morning Peanut was commenting on how fat the black one was. I told her she better not be pregnant because we don't have room for baby mice. Well, that's just too dang bad. After sending Peanut to get me a Kleenex she came back almost hysterical.

"MOM!" she exclaimed. "My two mice are married!"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They had babies, they're grown ups now and married now!"
"What do you mean they had babies?"
"Come see, they got married and now they have babies!"
Yep, 8 babies. I'd say they're grown ups. Oh, and the cat that Peanut's been holding hostage since she came home three weeks ago, she's pregnant too. Probably have her litter within the next few weeks. Guess we're gonna need to build on to the house now.

Here's the proud daddy keeping his babies warm while momma got a drink of water.
Did you know they were born bald? I didn't. Now I need to go google mice and see if there's anything I need to know.