AWESOME

New location....

2010-02-14T19:48:00.004-05:00

I have a new blog HERE!

Changed my blog to make my life a little more convenient....don't know why I didn't do it before.

Thanks!!

The Wonders of Food Poisoning....or so I thought.

2010-01-26T03:32:00.005-05:00

I've experienced first hand how the human body reacts and fights off infection. Let me just say that it was life changing.

What was the source of this terrible scourge that victimized me for 8-10 hours? Not sure. It could be bad yogurt, undercooked chicken, feces on my cilantro.....no idea. All I know is that I will not be consuming either of those things for a little while.

It started at work with me just thinking, "hmmm, I feel a little queasy...I'm just going to go home and lay down awhile, I must be tired".......then eight hours later, during which I said what I thought to be my last prayers and almost dialed 9-1-1 like 16 times because I kept passing out on the floor, the worst was over.

I have to admit that during that time, I kept being amazed at how my body was reacting to ...well, whatever it was that it was so desperate to be rid of...... All of the blood drained from my extremities and focused on my torso. I was freezing, yet also sweating like a pig. All of these things somehow helped my body fight off the terribleness of infection. And, made a quick job of it, I'd say. I didn't miss any work and, while I was exhausted and sore for days after, I was pretty much able to lead my normal life. The human body is awesome.

Well, as it turns out, I did NOT poison myself (phew! I was actually considering severely overcooking all chicken that I ever made again), it's a stomach flu that's been going around. After my brother, nephew and 16 other people at the ER my friend works at, I realized that wasn't as special as I would like to have thought. Dang it. ;)

In the end, I just felt like I HAD to document, officially, the worst night of my life.

January 25, 2010. The winner of the "I've Never Felt Worse" award.

I haven't even started...

2010-01-23T23:06:00.002-05:00

Seriously, I'm not even engaged yet and the details of wedding planning are already overwhelming me.

I thought the money part would get me (and I'm sure it will eventually....when I AM officially engaged and I have to have that conversation with my padres...) but for now, it's the centerpieces (it might be sugared fruit and flowers....hmmm), deciding between having a cake or cupcakes, COLORS - yeah, that's a big deal!, and even bridesmaids!

SO MANY CHOICES.

I know that people say that all girls spend their lives planning their wedding, but I'll be honest with you, I never got past the ring (also, I want to know who these "people" are so that I can point and tell them to their face that they are WRONG!). The ring is what I keep for the rest of my life.....the wedding is ONE DAY (unless you're Indian...then it's more than one day...maybe a week)

All of this came from purchasing TWO wedding magazines today. Seriously, what will I do when I have a ring AND I have a wedding planning SPREADSHEET!?! Dear Glory!

My brain hurts. I'm going to sleep.

For those of you that like recipes....

2010-01-11T12:57:00.002-05:00

So, I wanted to make a "Cuban" dinner last night.

Yes, you read correctly.....while I may be Cuban/Colombian, I actually don't know how to make a ton of traditional Cuban entrees. I'm terrible, I know.

Anyway, so, I had a *general* idea of how to make Fricase De Pollo (Chicken Fricassee) but I didn't want to screw it up and make a mockery of the food that I loved so dearly. I knew just the place to go to get all my Cuban food answers..... GOOGLE!!!

There were a million different ways to make the same thing.....some recipes REALLY overcomplicated this dish....but, after some browsing...I found this awesome Fricase de Pollo recipe

Alright, there are some things to note:

I have friends (read: Stephanie) that will follow recipes to the last teaspoon...So, this is for you. ;-)

1. I pretty much followed this recipe in measurements except for the marinade.....I used "Mojo Criollo" (sold at Kroger, Fresh Market ...it's a Cuban marinade in a bottle and has everything in it that this recipe called for) and I used enough to basically cover my marinating chicken. Oh, and I STILL put all of the remaining marinade in the dish (only about 1/2 cup remained)

2. I added about a cup of water to the whole thing because it needed a little more juice for the potatoes. There's a chance that it wasn't necessary, but it wasn't like it was a soup when it was done. ;-)

3. Use golden raisins (always!) and capers and add a little vinegar if you're omitting the olives (again, for Steph).

4. I used the whole fryer chicken that I cut up in manageable pieces, but feel free to use boneless chicken breast....just make sure to marinade longer and brown well to keep the meat tender and tasty. (also, instead of that extra cup of water that I used, you might want to go with chicken broth)

But, this made a TON of food that was delicious......seriously...try it.

Christmas Trees and Familial Debates...

2010-01-09T21:20:00.003-05:00

Today, I had to wake up early to go with Aimee and Matthew to Matt's modeling/acting class.... (there will be another blog for that....believe me) so I was super tired and was very happy that I got a chance to nap....

I love naps.

So restful.

So refreshing.

You know what else is like that?

Meeting up with close friends and just spending the afternoon catching up, telling funny stories, sharing thoughts and just giving time for each other.

I spent my afternoon with Steph and her husband Duncan and had a lot of fun just sitting on the couch talking . We didn't go bowling, skydive , play games or even play pool. We just sat. And, in that time that we spent just sitting, more was shared than could ever have been shared if we had divided our attentions with anything else (ie Pictionary). Now, I'm not saying that games are bad because there are some awesome games out there (ie Apples to Apples), I'm just saying that sometimes you don't need (read: want) them.

So, I love how full my soul feels when I've had an awesome time sharing with great friends. It felt good just having such a good time that the afternoon flew by and before I knew it, it was late and I had to get back home!

In the end, I feel more refreshed and renewed than when I took my nap today.

Feelin' Good!

P.S. I still love naps.

I have a confession to make....

2010-01-08T18:52:00.003-05:00

You're eyes are not deceiving you. My Christmas tree IS still up. AND, I'm most likely NOT going to be taking it down tonight. So there.

The brightest tool in the shed....

2010-01-07T19:31:00.007-05:00

I'm a skeptic. A non-believer.....in weathermen. In the past 5 (no wait! 6 years! Dear Glory I'm getting old!!!) the city of Louisville has NEVER gotten a snow prediction correct. I am not sure if maybe snow is impossible to predict and they never want to tell us that, but I've seen countless warnings of snow storms, empty grocery racks where bread and milk were and NO SNOW. Also, I've heard the weatherman assure us that we were going to be spared and then got dumped on with feet of snow.....

So, to today. The news in Jeffersonville actually said we were going to be getting somewhere between 1 and 18 inches of snow. Really? Is it just me or does that margin seem a little wide. Anyway, so, today, I made sure to leave early because I actually witness snow falling down...but for some reason, didn't think that....

wearing my utilitarian mary jane heels with NO SOCKS would be a problem. Wow. I'm not right.

Needless to say, walking to lunch was no big deal and I figured that this problem was not going to be too much of an issue making it the rest of the day with no socks on and half-exposed feet. But, let's face it, ICE ALWAYS WINS...

Do not be deceived by this picture, the snow next to my car is as deep as the ABYSS....

It even mocks me as I try to open the frozen-shut door.....the nerve!!

So,in the end, the battle between Mother Nature and The Viv......

Mother Nature: 1
The Viv: 0

Small Token....

2010-01-03T23:03:00.003-05:00

I just HAD to put this up......the only feature the company thought was worth mentioning on this deodorant is the PRICE.....

AWESOME!!

(I will add that it smells really good.....)

Air Mattresses and Office Depot

2010-01-02T21:31:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty sure that a lot of what I'm feeling is just me and my hormones (if you know me at all, you know that I'm a crier....it's embarrassing, I know)...but, my parents left today and I feel bereft.

My house has been full of love, laughter, debates and prayer for the past week and a half. At one point I had 7 people sleeping in my small condo- 2 air mattresses in the guest room for Muriel and me, one air mattress for Danny and Aimee, Matthew on the sofa, and my parents in my bed. Talk about a full house! What's interesting is that not once did I feel as though we were too crowded.

That's family. Well, at least, family + one Swiss student. ;-)

I've had much on my mind this week. It seems as though a lot of prayer requests have been getting answered this season. A lot of fears eased. It just felt awesome to feel.....unburdened. Jehovah Jireh.

But also, there's a lot happening that is really going to change my future and, while I'm happy about it, it's daunting. It almost seems as though you can wait for something for so long and then when it is finally around the corner you think it came about very quickly. My dad gave me great advice about this though:

Let me preface this advice from my father by giving you a little history. The FIRST day that my dad met Vlad was when my parents had driven up in a 24 foot U-haul to bring stuff to put in my condo after first getting it. Vlad helped move furniture upstairs. THAT'S IT. The first chance my dad had a moment, he told me, "I really like Vlad, I hope you guys get married." Really?!?!?
So, with this history, please understand that my dad has mentioned marriage at least 5 times every visit. Most of the time, I've just rolled my eyes. Finally, this trip, we were on our way to Office Depot and I just told him point blank that most of the reason that I was so cool with not being married at this point in my life is because it's such a big decision and I was scared to make the wrong one and that I hadn't felt ready. He then told me that these kinds of decisions NEVER have anything to do with "being ready".

He's right. This decision IS huge and leaving that decision making entirely up to me would be ridiculous. This is the part when I'm so glad that the Lord leads us. I'm a sheep and am not capable of seeing into tomorrow's future, much less 25 years ahead. I have to have faith that the Lord is with me no matter what and that I AM NOT IN CONTROL. Also, that I'M NEVER IN CONTROL. That's still a lesson that I'm learning. Thanks Dad. I needed that gut check.

So, I'll let myself be Shepherded.

Small news: no ring yet. :)

Jehovah-Rohi.

Avatar.....Seriously.....

2010-01-01T22:34:00.005-05:00

Alright, so I have to admit that, at first, I was scoffing a little at all the crazy reviews that the movie "Avatar" was getting. I'm usually pretty skeptical when a movie comes with so much hype because I'm normally disappointed when I finally get around to watching them.

This is definitely the exception. I insisted that if we were all going to sit in one seat for almost three hours that we watch this movie in 3D (actually it was a completely selfish request since I hadn't seen anything in 3D since watching Alfred Hitchcock's "Birds" when I was a kid-that was creepy!)

Let me just say one word.................. CREATIVE.

It was amazing! Now, I was pretty prepared for the ultra-message-focused-concept, but it was still great! The effects were great, the story line was good and the action sequences were AWESOME!!!

In the end....I loved it.

Vlad, Muriel and Mom in the sexy 3D glasses!

My Baby and Me!

So, if you are considering watching "Avatar" OR joining Greenpeace....Definitely watch this movie!!

Talkin' bout my girl!

2010-01-01T13:48:00.003-05:00

So, there are two things that this day has brought that have made me gush a little bit.....

First, I was cleaning and I found my parent's wedding album in my closet and showed it to Muriel (the swiss student) so that she could see what my dad looked like with hair. ;)

Anyway, my dad got a hold of it and started to go down memory lane and talked about the wedding and how wonderful it was and how beautiful my mom looked. It was awesome to hear. He also started to talk about the music of that time and that he loved that kind of music....

in comes the incessant humming of "My Girl" as he walks around the house.....

I decided to stop that by finding a Pandora station with the Supremes and Temptations on it and the second song was....."My Girl"! It was great! My dad was so excited and so was my mom...they started singing along and then the sweetest thing happened.....my dad asked my mom to dance!!!!

So cute.

The second thing is that, right now, as I type, my boyfriend Vlad has taken my parents out to lunch to talk to them about marrying me. WHAT?!?!?! I know! How formal!!! He's asking for my hand in marriage. Wow. Wow.

Cheers!!

2010-01-01T11:55:00.003-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

and, in reference to my laundry beast......

It has been slain!!!

Resolutions.......really?

2009-12-31T07:44:00.002-05:00

who came up with the idea that resolutions had to be done at the end of the year? Why can't I do 6 month resolutions, or 3 week resolutions? That's it, I'm going to do a 3 week resolution staring January 1st.....

For the next 3 weeks:

1. I will make sure to do laundry every other day. That will ensure one load and the laundry beast will finally be tamed. (that should last for 3 weeks!)

2. I will work out at least 4 times a week. (this, technically, would be a YEAR resolution....but let's take it 3 weeks at a time, shall we?)

3. I'll be taking my lunch with me to work every day. (this one should be easy since I won't know anybody at this branch I'm going to...)

4. I will give Buster one bath.

5. I will purchase another sports bra.

Hmmmm, that was pretty easy! I like the 3 week resolutions!

Let's see, since it IS the end of the year, what do I want 2010 to look like?

My 2010 wishlist:

1. to be planning a wedding (eek! sometimes that seems too daunting a task...HELP!!)
2. to look at 30 in the face and say, "this will be the best decade!" (that is, until I meet 40. )
3. to continue loving my job.
4. to serve the way the Lord wants me to serve, not the way I want to serve.
5. to become good enough to join the competitive volleyball league. (c'mon, I want to play with the adults!) ;)

Alright, enough of the resolutions.....let's get to what is already happening! Right now, my family is all together sleeping on air mattresses, couches, and my bed....it is WONDERFUL to be together since that has truly become a rarity. I will spend the next couple of days just cherishing every moment because I know it's most likely going to be another year before that happens again and no amount of resolution setting will change that.

I love today!

Mexican Guac and Bowling! The Perfect Combo!

2009-12-30T08:55:00.008-05:00

Those of you that know my father may not know the little known fact that he hates Mexican food. I'm not sure it's even a matter of taste, it's just that when he first came into this country his employers always thought he was Mexican and, as a gesture of kindness, would take him to Mexican eateries to get some "home cooking". Needless to say, my dad was not very fond of that and grew to hate Mexican food.

So, that was MANY years ago, but this deep seeded hatred for the awesomeness of Mexican food remained. My goal this trip was to de-throne this concept and change his mind about burritos.

In comes Fiesta Time. Yup, that's the cheesy name of this great Mexican joint here in Louisville that I'm sure my dad will like. They have this awesome Guacamole Mario that is to die for! So, last night Vlad and I were able to convince my dad to get out of the house in 24 degree weather to try it.....

...and this is what he wore. Cool, huh? What you can't see is that both sleeves have FUBU printed on them. I think he should have gold teeth in this picture, but he wouldn't let me get him a grill for Christmas....

The verdict???? My father LOVED Fiesta Time! He ate everything, LOVED the Guacamole Mario (imagine guac, but not mashed up.....so, pico de gallo, jalapeno, cilantro, avocado just chopped up with lime....A..W.E.S.O.M.E.) and was very excited. I was so happy!!!!

Onto bowling......

Another little known fact (or probably widely known among those close to my parents)....my parents are COMPETITIVE. If there is a score keeper within five miles, my parents will make sure they are the best at whatever it is...

The first game.....Vlad won, Mom and Dad (even though they came in close behind) lost. Dad especially took this hard considering everyone had gotten a strike at some point and he hadn't yet. My mother was motivated to win so much that she was willing to hurt herself if it meant getting the highest score. There was a point during the night that I thought we must be in the secret Olympics with how seriously they were taking it! But,oddly enough, they were also having a blast!

The second game.....Dad won (he actually kicked our asses), we lost. ;) Then we decided to leave on that high note.

I had a great time. I can't believe I don't bowl more often! Seriously....FRIENDS! WE SHOULD DO THIS!!!

Dad with his lucky pink ball.....

Mom, our resident south paw...

Vlad would get strikes, not by form, but by the sheer force with which he would throw that ball! It was a sight to see!

That's my Mom's grin after getting her umpteenth strike. She used to be a bowling champion in her church youth group about 40 years ago and she STILL had it!

In the end...good food, good fun. Nothing wrong with that.

Why is everyone else cooler than we are?

2009-12-26T23:43:00.005-05:00

So, as you already know, I have this Swiss student staying with me for this holiday while my parents are "Abuelo" and "Abuela" for Matthew in Hardinsburg.

To be completely honest, at first I was a little worried that I was going to end up with a European princess that would think everything that I like sucks. But, my friends, that is not what I ended up with. I got myself an amazingly gracious guest. She's shy, but very nice and willing to help in any way that she can.

But, here's what even better about her. She has been my window to life in Switzerland. I may have lived overseas half of my life but the only thing that have ever really known about Switzerland revolved around chocolate, skiing and mountains. Also, beer. I hear there's good beer there. I digress.

Anyway, Muriel speaks a million languages (pretty typical of Europeans in general). But what strikes me the most is the fact that she watches "Grey's Anatomy" and "Lost" in SWITZERLAND. She only listens to American music (she's an Indie Rock fan) and, apparently, no one her age listens to Swiss music. The popular radio stations there are in English and play Kanye....what?????

Also, schools in Switzerland make everyone learn German. All schoolbooks are in German. So, there is a national language......but everything is still in the language of the country that never invaded in the 40s, yet was such a big neighbor that had that big of an influence. hmmmmm.......... So, Muriel speaks German, Swis-German, Swiss, French, Swiss-French (I made that last one up), English, and she's learning Spanish. Would you like to know how many languages I speak???? Two....TWO and people are impressed with that where I work! That's CRAZY! I'm a schlepp-rock in Europe!

Oh yeah, and one more thing. When Muriel was getting into this program where she could come to the states to learn Spanish and polish up her English, she had to agree that, while she was going to be attending high school here, because the schools here are so terrible she will have to REPEAT her junior year when she gets back home! She sacrificed a year of high school to come here to experience everything ELSE that we have because it's obviously not for the schooling that she came. WOW!!!

It stinks that our schooling is terrible. But there are obviously things here that make a decision to skip a year of school an easy one. Muriel doesn't regret coming and she's learned a lot. She's seen a lot of things....and, let's face it, she's spending a year in MIAMI, FLORIDA......by the beach and just chilling with my parents...the best people on the earth!

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally proud to be an American. Check out our neighbors.....Mexico and Canada......I can speak Mexican and can totally understand Canadian TV. I think I'm good.

:)

Christmas......and the Swiss girl.

2009-12-25T16:14:00.009-05:00

So, everyone knows that I'm brown and that we do most of our Christmas celebrating on the 24th of December......we like to ring in the birth of our Savior with a bang. ;-) With that being the case, December 25th inevitably becomes this weird day where everything is closed, but I'm bored with nothing to do but sleep and lounge around. There's no "dinner" marathon or anything. Just me, Vlad, the Swiss student and "Criminal Minds" (totally addicted to that show!) My Parents went to Hardinsburg to stay with my bro and fam for a few days, so......that leaves me here to just sit...oooh, "Elf" is on with no commercial breaks!

Anyway, so last night was definitely chaotic......and A.W.E.S.O.M.E!!!!!!!! I forget about what my family is like when we're together until we're actually together again. My father is perpetually impatient before we eat.....he "supervises" and pretty much tries to rush my mother and I to the table with the food (which irritates the crap out of the both of us and makes us move all the more slowly....he, he.....). My brother is ALWAYS fixing some sort of electronic item (usually due to the fact that I either bought a new electronic item that I know nothing about, broke something, or he's showing me some amazing thing that my laptop could do- Thanks for setting up my shared network, Danny!). My sister in law and I are running around secretly buying last minute gifts and getting them wrapped- also making sure that Matt (my nephew) never comes into the room sneaking peeks at his unwrapped gifts. Vlad (my wonderful boyfriend that, I think, is making a significant purchase Saturday!!!!) just sits around chatting with my dad and agreeing that we should get to eating sooner than later. And then there's my mother....the glue that keeps us all together by making such amazing food that we just don't want to make her mad lest she hold her awesome cooking from us!

WAIT! We can't forget the Swiss student, Muriel (pronounced...Moo-ree-elle) that has been staying with my parents for the past two months while attending highschool in Miami learning English and Spanish......She was amazing. She sat in a room, like a weird version of Cinderella, and wrapped gifts while I showered last minute to get ready for dinner. No kidding....in the end, I think she wrapped like 15 gifts in about 35 minutes. She was the speed racer of wrapping!

My condo is not that big...so, for there to be seven adults and one very energetic 6 year old eating comfortably was no small feat. But, in the end, we made due by eating on the couch and chairs and just having fun being together. That's what Christmas is about isn't it? The gift of Christ and the blessing of family.

Once the gifts were opened, we just sat around and played with our new toys: Vlad and his new Pull Up Bar that you can put in door jams (for those that know him, you know how perfect that gift was!), Danny with his new Flip Camera, Matthew with his great new "Night Vision" goggles (more like they have green lights that turn on to make everything green), Dad with all of his sweaters, Mom and her cool new serving ware that she wanted, Aimee and her cool baking kit and PJs, and Muriel with her new jammies and scarves. We were like kids and Muriel fit right in.

ahhhhhh, Christmas........love it!

Prego!

2009-12-20T18:33:00.003-05:00

So, lately I've been surrounded by pregnancy. I'm not sure if we're having another baby boom but, I've taken to only drinking bottled water just in case.

There are definite upsides though. It's really the only time in anyone's life that you get to celebrate things like getting a belly, throwing up, craving pickles and ice cream, and farting. I love it! It's awesome when someone comes up to you and says "I think I'm getting a belly!" and you can respond by saying, "I agree! That is great! Yippee! I'm so happy for you!"

It feels awesome to be able to celebrate with everyone as they are taking this step in their lives. What's weird to me is that, for some reason (and I haven't figured out what that reason is yet), I don't feel left behind.

Should I?

I'm 29, in a committed relationship that is about to take that "next step" towards marriage, and while I say that I want to start a family immediately- I just don't feel the urgency that I thought I would at this age. And I know what everyone says; "I'm not getting any younger". But, I FEEL young and I'm actually really happy. I just don't know what that means.....if anything at all.

hmmmm......needless to say, I'm super glad that I have a lot of pregnant friends and that I'm not a basket case and that I can truly be happy for them.

wow.

2009-12-19T20:03:00.002-05:00

it's been a long time!

So, for a very long time, I decided that I hated sitting in front of my computer to blog after working all day in front of a computer. Therefore I stopped blogging all together. Terrible.

Anyway, I now have this laptop that I got for a steal and it works amazingly. Now I can sit in front of the TV, watch "Ratatouille" AND randomly put my thoughts down in writing. Awesomeness.

Vivian, welcome back to blogger.

In Loving Memory....

2008-09-21T01:31:00.008-04:00

It's so strange. August 2nd I lost my grandmother and after spending some time in Miami grieving with my family, I came back to face it all alone. I wasn't just grieving the loss of my awesome grandmother (Abuela Nena), I was also realizing that I was one grandparent away from losing that entire generation in my family tree. Time just flies. And I feel as though I'm not done grieving and rehashing memories.

That's my Abuela Nena next to two of her daughters- taken this past New Year's Eve. I like remembering her like this...before the hospital.

I mean, when I look back it feels like yesterday that Abuelo Adan was waking me up at 530 in the morning with a boombox playing "Cielito Lindo" and also singing "Happy Birthday" to me when I turned 8. Around the same time, I remember Abuela Nena was always SO afraid that a car was going to hit me so she would worry the moment I set foot outside the door. She'd also ALWAYS say, "Ojos abiertos, oidos abiertos y boca callada (or cerrada, depending on her mood) --translation: keep your eyes open, your ears open and your mouth shut. Or, later, I remember when Abuelo Pili took me and taught me how to drive behind my parents' backs when I was 15--man, I was so scared I'd wreck his car! And, I'll NEVER forget my Abuela Eloisa's mondongo (it's a stew....and it's awesome!) or the fact that she ALWAYS calls me "Mujer Bonita". She makes me feel special just being with her. I want to be like her when I grow up.

Well, it's 144am September 21 and I lost Roy Bolin Sept 20. He was the wonderful father of my sister-in-law. That family is amazing. When I moved to Kentucky in 2003, Roy made sure that eventhough I was away from my family, that I was a part of theirs. He was also always there for any of the "dad" times in my life- whenever I had car trouble, when I moved (like 19 times), for all the holidays.......anytime. That family treated me as their own and Roy would tell me that he loved me everytime that I saw him. Now he's gone. He leaves behind a loving wife, two daughters, one son, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren....and me.

So, I start all over. I think of my beautiful nephew and realize that he's already lost a grandparent and he just turned 5. That makes me hurt so much for him. I wouldn't be who I am today if not for the impact my grandparents made in my life. But, hopefully, Matt will remember the times that he spent with Roy. Let me tell you, Roy was a pretty cool grandpa and I think the moments they spent were pretty memorable.

-The Flip Side-

I'm blessed. I'm blessed to have been impacted so much by my extended family. I come from a very blessed(yes, I have used that word 3 times in the last 3 sentences...don't care if that irritates you) lineage and I'm so glad that I'm realizing this now while I'm still young. The Lord has been SOOOOO good to me and while I'm sitting here crying over the loss of Roy and the loss that his family is enduring right now, I just feel really lucky to have known him and to have our families intertwined(it's too late for me to care how that word is spelled). Lord, you are good to me. Thank you. Lord, please, please, please be with the Bolin family during this time.

That's Roy and me holding a Limbo stick at the SmilesFactory party that we threw at Home of the Innocence a few weeks ago. He was so great with those kids.

Vague Regulations....

2008-03-25T11:09:00.005-04:00

You know, sometimes I wonder how people can still get away with things when it comes to fraud in business.......then I come across some regulations that are so vague that it all becomes clear how easy it all is.

First a little back story so you know what I'm talking about. I'm studying for my Series 63 test that I'm to take on Friday morning. Basically, it is a test for State regulations of securities. It involves business practices and, of course, a MILLION exclusions to the regulations that I'm supposed to have memorized in a few days.

The example that I have here is in regards to Margin accounts- these are accounts that involve an extension of credit to the customer by the broker for securities purchases. In effect, it's a line of credit that you can use for your investment purchases.

Here's the regulation....

It is a violation to execute any transaction in a margin account without
securing from the customer a properly executed (signed) written margin agreement promptly after the initial transaction in the account.

Promptly??? Promptly?? I mean, who defines promptly??? Promptly could mean 6 months for someone!?!?! This was actually one of my practice test questions....

"When should a margin agreement be signed?

A. Promptly

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, THAT'S what a loophole looks like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll be seeing all of you promptly.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T19:02:00.007-04:00

I'm not sure if you can make it out, but it's NOT rain that I took pictures of. I happened to look out my window while watching UofL kick tail in their game when I saw these HUGE snowflakes falling down!! I was wearing short sleeves earlier today- I swear it was 55 when I was walking my dog!! So, here's my question...where the hell is Spring?!?!?!

I dub thee....

2008-03-18T14:58:00.003-04:00

Rosy, the fairest of all MP3 players in the land!

Yes, that's right, her name is Rosy. If Heather reads this, she will know why the name Rosy has haunted me all my life. For those of you that don't know, I will make sure this story stays short....

When I was younger, I had this friend, Heather, that is older than I am. Now that I'm in my mid twenties, it's not a big deal, but when someone is 6 and the other is 9, there is a HUGE maturity issue there.

Anyway, Heather was a good and patient friend. I followed her around while she taught me fractions, how to feather my hair and how cool neon clothing was. Eventually, Heather started to call me "Rosy"....honestly, I don't remember where or how it started, I just remember enduring that name for a long time due to my insistence of being her shadow.... Of course, I grew out of that in a very short time, but the name has remained even to this day.....

So, I have decided that "Rosy" was going to be the name of my MP3 player; it will go everywhere I go (or just about), it will like things that I like (because I upload the music and stuff myself), but it will never, EVER, wear neon.....

so, there you have it. Rosy has come back.

Update....

2008-03-14T15:55:00.002-04:00

My MP3 player came in the mail today!!!!!!! (at least according to the web tracking...)

Yay!

Now, to name it....

Snow Angels...

2008-03-14T08:10:00.002-04:00

You know, I was going to post about the snow and stuff that we had this past weekend (because I finally got around to downloading my pics from my camera)...but, my friend's blog has a MUCH better representation of how much snow we got and what it was like...so, please watch the videos for....

http://bambamtraining.blogspot.com/2008/03/utilizing-bad-weather-for-workouts.html

They are great!

Also, does anyone know a good website with which to download music? Like is any one of them better than the other? Give me your opinion....

Have a great day!

I LOVE Tony Bennett!

2008-03-13T07:51:00.003-04:00

I ordered my first MP3 player yesterday....

(I like how the display assumes that everyone listens to Tony Bennett)

Yup, it's not an iPod. I couldn't bear purchasing an iPod if I was only going to be using it at the gym. Just seemed like so much product for such a small use. This Sony 4GB MP3 player is just perfect. I researched online for a long time looking for something that was easy to use, compatible with just about anything, small, and had great reviews! This is the only item that actually fit the bill!

Yeah for me! It arrives in the mail in a few days.....

I corrected "here"!! Aha!

2008-03-11T09:19:00.004-04:00

Yes, yes, I saw that on my last post I misused the word "here" instead of using "hear"....it's just the kind of thing that I complain about other people doing so I was shocked that I had committed such an error! Needless to say, I'm glad that I have the "edit" option on my blog so I therefore CORRECTED my mistake and I'm going to pretend from here on forward that I never did it. As a matter of fact, I'm going to to deny it flat out.

A few things that I have learned lately:

1. Old friends are much more forgiving than new friends. I actually haven't tested this theory out, but I have some old friends that I lost contact with that LIVE IN TOWN (which means I have no reason NOT to see them whatsoever...they live 5 minutes away...) Anyway, after months of horrible non-contact, I sent an "invite" via facebook for coffee this Thursday and they didn't spit on my facebook wall! I love them.

2. If I eat ice cream after dinner, I'm pretty positive that I'm NOT going to work out at 5am the next morning. I don't know if it's a cream hangover....but, it's true. Therefore....I have to work out tonight.

3. My friend, Matt, is getting married!!! I'm so excited for him I can barely stand it! They make a beautiful couple (I'm not just saying that...she is gorgeous and he's always been cute) It makes my heart happy...

4. Two of my neighbors ALSO got engaged......I don't know either of the girls very well- I'm only familiar with their dogs.....but, apparently, my threshold for rings is very low because.....ENOUGH with the rings, already!! :)

5. In reference to #4, why is it that you can see someone everyday, stop and chat with them, pet their dog and STILL not know them at all???? It's a strange "dog walking" culture.

6. I'm getting a room mate!!! She's moving in at the end of the month and she is AWESOME!!! I met her at church and then I hoped and prayed for months that she would FINALLY invite me to her small group (they stopped meeting for the summer, but I didn't know that at the time )....and then she did (when they started up again)!! She's smart and witty....and just plain phenomenal! I'm so glad we're BFF!!!

7. You know, all of the girls in my Bible Study are pretty incredible people. I always feel so privileged to be around them considering what a blessing they are in my life. God is so good!

8. A buddy of mine is back in town after being gone for a week. Still wearing that purple sweater vest.

9. I'm going to Chicago April 4-6th to see Donna Peterson get married!! I don't know if any Jeddah people are still reading my blog. But, do you remember Bill and Meiko? Donna is a doctor now and she's got herself a great man and he's super funny. Again....what's the deal with all of the engagements and weddings???? (please reference: low threshold)

10. I'm studying for the Series 6 test that I'm taking next Thursday and today is the first day that I actually feel confident that I will pass it! Yeah!!

On the way in to work today, I actually heard someone on the radio say that we "lose" our souls to wealth and that she thinks that people are better off in poverty...... I'm sure she said that as she was cashing her latest royalty check from the umpteenth book she recently published...

Interesting...

Worky Work, Busy Bee!!!

2008-03-07T12:35:00.004-05:00

Alright, so I've been living and breathing studying for this darn series 6 test and I've had it!!! I'm so glad that it's Friday!! Jeez!!!

Okay, onto something else...

I have this friend who works for a local syndicate of a national radio station. Anyway, this week she's been hosting their morning "edition" (he, he) and she's had to wake up at ungodly hours to be there. Here's the thing; the past week I'VE been waking up at 515am to do some stuff and work out. For those of you that know me, I am the ANTITHESIS of a morning person. Frankly, I'm STILL of the belief that nothing good comes from the morning except the ability to see it because I'm still alive. BUT, every day, on my way to the gym I tune into my news radio station and who do I hear??? My friend, hosting that show magnificently! Of course, by the time that I hear her, she's been awake and working for a couple of hours now, so she sounds all cheery and bright while I can barely see the road because my eyes are still closed. But, somehow, knowing how early she had to get up and get ready to perform well at work is motivating for me to continue this habit of getting up in the morning and heading to the gym. So, in the end, Thanks Steph for kicking my butt out of my house and over to the treadmill! :)

Of course, I' m not sure where I'll find my motivation when she goes back to her regular schedule of 10-6 and is still sleeping when I'm waking up and heading out. I just hope that it's a habit by then...

Right now I'm looking out the window of my building and I seriously feel like I'm in a snow globe. We're supposed to get between 8-12 inches of snow within the next 24 hours or so.....fun times!

Oh, and again, just because I was reminded of it today..... Obama is STILL not Muslim.

In A Manner Most Undignified...

2008-02-21T14:37:00.004-05:00

There are a few things that I have learned lately (mainly yesterday) that have disconcerted me.

1. I have made a new-ish buddy at Bible Study. You know, one of those people that you see all the time, of whom you know little about and they seem to try and get under your skin a lot because they are naturally sarcastic?

Well, yesterday, after Bible Study, we went for coffee (actually, he ate breakfast) and I learned quite a bit and, as much as this is going to hurt to write, I was astounded at some of the similarities between my new buddy and me. I mean, granted, I don't have red hair or always wear a trench coat, but there were things that were discussed that didn't grow into a full blown fight or argument. Shocking. It made me happy to have finally been able to break through and get some conversation flowing. In the end, Barbara Lee's still did a good job of being a great "dive" in which to hang out.

2. Apparently, acting in a manner of that is undignified is straight up pagan. Who knew!?! I always assumed peeing on someone had to be involved...but, no, just being undignified is all it takes! hmmmmm, interesting.

3. There are women out there that can influence shoe buying decisions and whether or not a man should spike his hair. I love that.

4. Stealing office chairs out of conference rooms has turned out to be more rewarding that I could have ever imagined.

5. Borders Coffee is not nearly as great as I imagined it would be. Sad day.

I'm in the process of looking for a room mate. Preferably one that showers at least once a week, can speak English, doesn't need to shave her face and isn't afraid of a 7lbs cotton ball guard dog. I was actually thinking about putting those requirements down on a flyer that I was posting at the seminary, but then I worried about that ONE GIRL with the horrible hormone problem that would be offended.

One more thing..... Obama isn't Muslim.

Just in case people around you were wondering. ;-)

you know, two weeks is not even a day to God....

2008-02-19T12:59:00.005-05:00

Yes, yes, I know that it's been two weeks and I really thought to turn a new leaf and consistently update my blog. The good news is that I'm at work studying for some testing and I just finished a portion of testing and can't go on until tomorrow! Yippee!

For all of you that sent me text messages wishing me well on my first day, thank you so much! That meant a lot and I DID end up having a great day....I think I'm really going to like where I am now.

Though...here are a few things that I noticed.....

1. Working downtown really has some perks- I am working RIGHT next to 4th Street Live!- only those of you familiar with a "Hot Brown" understand what that means. There are tons of restaurants and shops around here. It's quite interesting..

2. This is connected to #1.... it is SUPER expensive working downtown if you are new!

3. This is connected to #2.....PARKING is RETARDICULOUSLY (a word created by Vlad) expensive downtown. The cheapest place that I have found (and, let me tell you, from what I've been checking into- it's a STEAL!!) is $75 a month. That actually only comes out to around $2.50 to $3.00 a day...but here's the deal, I stopped buying coffee so that I could SAVE that $3 a day and I'm spending it again!!! grrrr...

4. This is connected to #3, you really miss out on walking when you live in the suburbs and drive everywhere...I'm going to be getting a lot of walking in especially since the parking garage that I found is a block or two away (or more, I have to drive by it today on the way home).

5. You know, a few weeks ago, in Bible Study, I had mentioned how God answering prayer can be really faith bolstering. I realized today that I have been praying about something for a long, long time. As a matter of fact, I had kind of forgotten about it recently, only praying periodically about it because I was getting tired of the repitition (and because it was a pretty petty request).....then what happens? He answers my prayer and I'm so consumed with myself that I don't even notice that it happened!! Funny how the Lord works, huh? Regardless, talk about strenthening my faith!! Thanks God!!

6. Why are chairs at banks so darn uncomfortable??? I mean, when people actually have the opportunity to SIT at a bank, they are going to be there for a while...why can't we make them comfortable!?!?! Must we give everyone herniated discs and still purchase these darn chairs just because they look nice?!?! There's going to be a whole generation of banking customers with walkers in just a matter of years!!!

Alright, I've got to take a walk, my legs have gone numb because of this damn chair.....

standby.

(he, he)

New, New, New!!

2008-02-07T12:54:00.000-05:00

I got a new job!! As of February 18th, I will be employed by J.P. Morgan Chase, working at their downtown location as a Personal Banker.

Yes, yes, I will be that person greeting you as you enter the branch, helping you with any issues AND upselling you to a better product! ;)

I've really had a great run here at Advent and it was really hard making the decision to leave, but, alas, more $$$ is a pretty strong selling point.

So, here's the question....what's more valuable: a wonderful working environment where you love your co-workers and your job or more money and a much more formal work environment?

As you can see, I voted for the formal work environment and while I think I made the right decision, I'm definitely already missing my buddies at work and the role that I played in the company's success.

Working for a smaller company, you really get to enjoy being a part of something tangible. You actually SEE where the company is going month to month and you also feel the pitfalls whenever there is a slow month. Everyone has a vested interest for the company's success and we celebrate together when things go well.

Going to a MUCH larger corporation, the idea is similar except because the "Puzzle" is so big, you aren't always sure how your "piece" fits in conjunction with company success. BUT, at the same time, being a part of something so big also has its rewards...ie room for advancement and growth within the company.

In the end, I don't know what's better overall. I just know that I think that my decision was a good one to take Chase up on this opportunity. I hope to stay there a long time and take advantage of what they have to offer.

We're still in Kansas, Toto.

2008-02-06T09:46:00.000-05:00

We were told that the intensity of the storms last night would give us this:

(this is Union University's Dorm in Jackson, TN- thanks for MSNBC)

Luckily, all we got was this:

I'm still alive! Yippee!!

For you P.C.S.-ers.....

2007-10-30T12:48:00.000-04:00

Do you guys remember the P.E. uniforms?

Well, my mother tells me last week, "oh, honey, I have a pair of your shorts here...." and she hands me a pair of shorts with this.....

For those of you that were kind enough to let me tag along on your Korea trip (you know who you are..) you remember Charlie and the fact that after that trip, "Charlie" became a strange nickname of mine......among others. Who was "Joe"?

I now have cable at home!!!!

2007-08-18T13:48:00.001-04:00

This may not mean a lot for you guys...but it's HUGE for me!! I haven't had cable at home for several years....that's what hotel rooms on vacation and friends are for! Regardless, I've had a computer at home for about 6 months and haven't even turned it on until today when the cable guy showed up at 9am.
yippee!! I cannot believe how excited I am about the most simple thing.

okay, this is short because I have some web surfing to do.

I'll be taking pics tomorrow and uploading shortly thereafter....

love you all!

Also...just in case no one knew.....GRACE IS MARRIED!!!!

I'm so happy for her.

OCTOBER 20th!!

2007-06-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

(Click on the pic for a larger view...)

The Derby City Roller Girls will be in BIRMINGHAM competing October 20th!!!

Grace and Naomi, what will you be doing that weekend? When are you going to Vegas, Grace?

and the carnage left behind....

2007-05-29T11:34:00.000-04:00

So, my parents surprised me this past week by calling and saying, "We'll be arriving tomorrow around 2:30- see you then!!". They are NOTORIOUS for unexpected visits. They are like the "white glove" inspections that we received in boarding school. You have hardly any notice, so you are running around disinfecting things you didn't know existed in your house and, as you keep looking around, you are SURE you've missed something.

and you did. you did.

Anyway, so my parents came to stay at the condo for a few days before we headed down to Birmingham to celebrate Harry's 70 years and we celebrated both my birthday and my brother's birthday (side note- which happens to be today) and just had a grand ol' time.

My folks just look so good!!!

I don't know what Vlad was trying to say, but apparently my dad just didn't care...;-)

Anyway, after my mother mopped my floors and did my laundry......(remember I said that I missed something?) we drove on down to Birmingham for a fun filled weekend of golf, wonderfully smoked food (thanks to Barron!), and just spending some serious time playing RPGs. Well, my parents and the Shadixes were productive "fun-havers" while the girls, their men and I spent a lot of time laying on the wonderful IKEA couch (dude, I saw their catalog....) watching movies, playing video games and snoring while napping (that last one was me....yup).

I was sick most of the weekend which kind of sapped a lot of the fun-having in me. But Branton and Naomi were trying to make the most of the time inside by practicing their circus tricks......that was fun.

hee, hee!

Harry just does NOT look 70!! It's insane! He's so cute!! I love the Shadix Family!

Poor Grace and Barron! They had to break away from the dimly lit video room (with that phenomenal couch!! Oh, and did I say that I saw the catalog?!?! WOW!!) to eat. We are abusers. :) this picture is small, but I wish you guys could see Barron's eyes. very pretty.

He was great this weekend! I don't think we could have asked for a better host. He made French Toast Waffles......DELICIOUS!! As of yet, I haven't seen or heard a single negative thing about him and I think he fits Grace perfectly.

Of course, and then we have Mr. and Mrs. Captain America. I love Branton. He's funny, charming, gregarious and wonderful to Naomi. He's the first boyfriend that she's had that I have REALLY, REALLY liked. I'm glad for her. He's going to be President, you know.....

Equine Love

2007-05-24T11:22:00.000-04:00

So, the owner of our company was gracious enough to take my team out to the track for a day of betting, drinking, eating and just having a good ol' time!

Moving along......

It was the first time that I got a chance to really watch a horse race and experience everything involved. It was awesome!! And the food.........wow.

This is the owner of our company re-evaluating his betting strategy after he started losing.... he's so great!

Let's visit something. There is value in the enjoyment of giving other people a wet willy. I cannot explain exactly how it seems to make my day, but the fact remains.......it completes me.

The blonde behind me is "Bam Bam". She coaches the roller derby team AND is our Compliance Manager. She's awesome.

We had such a great view from our suite.....What an incredible Wednesday!

One more new thing!!!

2007-05-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time so you may not know that I haven't worn glasses since I was in 7th grade.

Soooooo....whatcha think?

In with the new....

2007-05-22T08:47:00.000-04:00

New things:

1. I have a dog. He's 4 and his name is Buster.

(this is to document how bad of an owner I am...he's in desperate need of grooming...)

2. I've been dating Vlad a year now. (dang!)

(I've got a horrible 'fro' in this pic!!)

3. I've joined The Derby City Roller Girls......it rocks...

(I did not participate in this bout...but I like the art.....)

4. I've been using Arbonne on my face and it's phenomenal!

(this really doesn't document my face and it's improvement....but I like the picture anyway....)

5. I'm using FlyLady.net to get more organized.

(I love this website..............)

Okay, I'm at work and I don't have a lot of time. But.....I'm back.

Charlie Brown

2006-11-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

So, I put up my first Christmas tree last night. I didn't realize that in all of these years, I've never owned a Christmas tree!! I always travelled or didn't care. But this year I actually have to "host" so I had to spend the STUPID amount of money to get the RIDICULOUS glass bulbs and wreath...... Speaking of which....what the crap is the purpose of the WREATH???? I totally get the tree because gifts are put under it and stuff....but, there is NOTHING under the wreath and I HATE IT. As a matter of fact, I think I might return it tonight because I'm drawing the line in "holiday cheer" at the wreath.

My tree looks lame though. I thought I bought PLENTY of ridiculous glass bulbs but apparently not. so, only one side of the tree is decorated and.....it looks lame.

Has it occured to anyone else that I really do think that, overall, the idea of Christmas has really blown out of proportion. Not just the whole REASON for Christmas....but more that the whole materialism of the season has exploded into something that people actually go into serious debt just to buy things for others that they don't care about the rest of the year. It's sad. My family and I never really overdid the whole gift giving part of Christmas while in Saudi for several reasons, but I think some of it had to do with the fact that my parents were never super materialistic. The idea of things owned never gave them "that feeling". I don't go to the mall when I want to take some time to myself. Shopping doesn't calm my nerves and I NEVER feel better when I buy something....(unless it's pain medication or a pedicure...;-) . ANYWAY....I am saying all of this because I REALLY don't want to go Christmas Shopping only to spend too much money. GRRRRRR.......

My wallet is crying.

Corned Beef HASH....I get it now. ;-)

2006-11-27T10:52:00.000-05:00

Hope you guys had an awesome Thanksgiving Weekend. Everyone I've talked to had a really busy weekend. I, on the other hand, slept no less than 12 hours every night this weekend. I think something's wrong with me. I'm not kidding, this was one of the most sleepenest weekends I've had since going through puberty and jet lag!!! Horrible.

Anyway, I was thinking (more like dreaming) this weekend about all of the things for which I'm thankful. It's interesting how when you take time to really think about all of the good things in your life all of the bad things kind of fade into the backround. I've been really stressed about work lately and some changes that have taken place, but that all is minimal in importance compared to the fact that I have awesome parents, great friends and a wonderful boyfriend (don't tell him I wrote that) that is really good to me. Also, I love my condo and I'm happy with my church. Regardless of what happens at work I know that there is a plan for me and that things will be taken care of. I know this all sounds so dramatic. I'm not losing my job (as far as I know), it's more like I'm wondering where my future lies with this company or maybe what the future is for the company as a whole. I don't know.....but, either way, I'm not going to worry about it. I hate being stressed out and I loved this weekend because I got to rest (an unhealthy amount...maybe) and recharge the cool "positive" optimistic Viv.

i'm back. it feels good. i have my faith back. and, wow, it's wierd not using the shift button for uppercase letters.

hope you all have a great day!

SECURITIZE

2006-11-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

no, it is not a made up word and it IS an industry specific term. But I do think that I'm going to use it like Matt did when writing about his jealousy of not being able to use the word, "Awesome" without thinking about me. he, he, he

Securitize: (1)To buy (loans, such as mortgages) from lenders, arrange them in groups, and issue bonds on the groups. (2)The practice of a company selling accounts receivables or other debts owed to it. The third party that buys the debt assumes ownership of it and the responsibility for collecting the debts, and keeps the repayments when made. When it sells the debt to the third party, the company recognizes the sale price of debts as a positive cash flow under GAAP rules. (3)to convert (assets) into securities typically by transferring them (as by sale) to a special trust, partnership, or corporation that issues them as securities with a resulting reallocation or reduction of risk and increase in liquidity for the company (as a bank) acting as the sponsor of the transaction

Now, I know that this doesn't mean much to you guys...but I had to share my distaste for not knowing my vocabulary!! I've always prided myself in a decent knowledge of the English language and now I have been proven wrong. Awful. I'm going to go home and horsewhip myself......well....more like give myself a pedicure

Wicked Witch

2006-11-20T17:38:00.000-05:00

I learned a new word today. It shouldn't have been new since I work in the mortgage industry, but i just have to share it since I had some serious word envy of a co-worker that used the word in a presentation. Definitely envious. It's not even that big of a deal of a word, but I hate not being familiar with words...I am a word girl!! I should be labeled as such among peers!! Alright, maybe I went a little overboard, but I need to know how ignorant I am. So, I will put down this word and BEFORE you go to Dictionary.com to look it up....can someone give me the definition of.......

SECURITIZE

I now know the definition of this word..but it angered me that such an easy word slipped my grasp. What is going on with me?!?!?! Dear Glory...am I getting old?!?!?!?!

Alright, Wicked Witch...the waiting is over!!

new post?

2006-11-20T08:48:00.000-05:00

I've been a little busy, but I have not forgotten you, my fans!! Don't fret, a new post will be here shortly...please have patience my pretties!!

;-)

Well, I have nothing ORIGINAL to show you.

2006-11-13T16:10:00.000-05:00

MATT IS AWESOME!!!!

Okay, that was for, my friend, Matt's sake.

Moving along...

This weekend with Heather was pretty darn awesome. We had Indian Food on Friday that was pretty incredible....also, Heather hadn't had ANY Indian since being back from Uganda...so, I was VERY pleased that she got to experience that with me. yippee!!

Also, we got to be girly and watch this AWESOME Baliwood movie titled, "Bride and Prejudice".....it was hilarious. Grace I think you would love it....it's super funny!!!

Then we .....okay that's a stretch...more like I woke up late (while Heather was up at the freaking crack of 9am and out getting mochas for the both of us) and Heather made breakfast and stuff (Abelskivers rock) and we just hung out (oh yeah, we also Turbo Jammed a bit...).

You know what? All in all, it was a pretty normal weekend. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary like sky dive or anything like that, but it was awesome going through Walmart and Ulta with Heather just chatting with her as if she lived here. Needless to say...I was tempted to slash her new little honda tires to make her stay.....but I thought better of it. ONLY because I knew that God would be mad. ;-)

It's great having life long friends. It's a huge extension of your immediate family and, like family, time doesn't seem to affect much in the relationship. It's great. Of course, I DID open my mouth and tell Vlad about what Heather used to call me when we were both kids and now he can't seem to stop yell "ROSY!!!" whenever we're out somewhere. Do I need to express the irritation I feel? ;-)

So, Heather if you are reading this...... thanks for coming out. It was great and I can't wait to see you again!! Love you!

Oh yeah...SEND ME PICTURES!!! That's why I have nothing to show you, Heather took all the pictures and hasn't sent me anything because, really, it's a little unreasonable for me to expect her to rush out of her car after driving for like 8 hours and running to her computer and downloading everything for my convenience. ;-) But, tonight...SEND ME PICTURES!!!!

Tomorrow

2006-11-09T17:39:00.000-05:00

HEATHER IS COMING!!

Stealing can sometimes be fun...

2006-11-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

I found this at http://dailymumps.com/2006/04/05/meme-come-true

and I thought it was eye opening.

The Daily Mumps has officially ended....so, in memory....I will post this from the site. I loved them!!

Meme come true
Got a blog and nothing to say? Try writing on the following wonderful topics:
1. Your current mood, expressed via algebraic symbols
2. Two things you wish manatees would get through their fat skulls
3. One thing you ate today without realizing it (hint: most likely hair)
4. Your least favorite Chinese warlord (not counting Chang Hsueh-liang, 1882-1948 … Hello, obvious!)
5. A pop song that reminds you of ironing
6. No kidding, the ironing’s really piling up. Get on that, would you?
7. Bow ties: Seriously?
8. Compose a tactful letter to God about the noise. (You might open by complimenting his cooking, which it so happens you can smell through the vents; then gently suggest that he turn down the Def Leppard after 10 p.m.; finally, praise the zinnias in his window planter.)
9. An early memory involving ironing. (Gotcha!)
10. Explain yourself. Cite examples.
Wow, I can’t quite believe how easy I just made it to write blogs. What’s that you say? You wish to crown me King of Blogging? Naturally, I accept.
Wednesday April 5, 2006

aww man!! I messed up my map!

2006-11-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah.....just a little tired.....totally sucked in to the election drama last night. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, my man on my right and my blue and red map on my left....as a matter of fact, somewhere in the middle of everything the cable went out for a bit....you should have seen me...

I jumped up and ran to the tv (as if it could answer me) and started screaming..."Did the democrats get their seats? DID THEY?!?!?!" Vlad ended up having to sedate me with large amounts of the spice cake that I had just baked....

sike.

More like I sat there having a fun and heated debate with Vlad about politics and communism while engorging myself (and I wasn't alone...Vlad loved it too) on the African Chicken Stew that I tried making for the first time that evening {*side note*- it was awesome....awesome, awesome, awesome!!} and spice cake. What ended up happening that kept me up so late was that, after Vlad left, I was so full that I just planted myself on the couch and meant to stay there ONLY 5 MINUTES until I got up and cleaned up the kitchen and washed dishes and everything....yeah, I ended up falling asleep....the TV was blaring so it kept waking me up...instead of getting up off my fat butt and either (1) finding the remote to turn the tv off or (2) just walking to the TV and hitting the power button. I did neither. I was so lazy that I just laid there and kept watching all of the election coverage.......idiot.

Needless to say, all of my dreams last night involved elephants and donkeys.....

...strange, strange, strange...

dude.....

2006-11-06T17:13:00.000-05:00

I'm a little irritated.....(1) because I started writing this blog with such fervor and, let me tell you, I was funny...really funny. Then, I hit the spell check button on this dang blog and it CLEARED EVERYTHING OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that? All of my ingenius humor, all of my impeccable grammar (he, he)....gone. forever. (2) because we have only 17 DAYS TILL THANKSGIVING!!!!

Honestly, I'm so irritated that my whole blog entry was deleted that I can't even think of what I wanted to say. So, I stop here....I will write again tomorrow...hope you have a great day.

By the way.....there really was something that was going to follow the whole "Thanksgiving" line of thought....but, it's just not the same when you're writing it for the second time. Just not funny, just not witty...just not cool.

On a side note......(and there is definite rabbit chasing here...) I bought this cool stainless steel pan yesterday. I swear its magic......

You can sautee anything at high temp, then put it (top and all) in the oven to finish up or even just bake a casserole and THEN.....you can take it straight to the table to serve!!! Isn't that great????

I've been trying to cook every night for dinner just to change my habits a little.....and this is my new toy and I'm very excited. Yes, I am well aware that this is a pan that I am talking about....but, its so cool. ;-)

Grecian Formula

2006-11-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

so, have you ever had those days where you realized that some serious time has passed since....let's say...highschool. Or your middleschool memories? I think back to my life in Saudi and I realize that it is so seperated from me by a lot of time.....wow. I at this rate, I'm catching up to having spent only HALF my life in a foreign country as opposed to almost all of it.

That's just ridiculous.

don't get me wrong, I understand that it follows a simple line of logic that, as time passes, the ratio between how much time I spent in Saudi and how old I am continues to change...but, emotionally I want that connection to Saudi and my life there to remain intact.....strong.

Okay, there is a big chance that the reason that I'm thinking about all of this is because I realize now that I'm a "big kid" now. I've got bills and I even have a freakin condo!! I'm so....what's the word?....oh yeah.. "settled"....that's not cool. What the heck is wrong with me??!!??!!!??

I have the "must travel" itch......... So, to soothe my fears, I applied to renew my passport. Dang it, I WILL use it within the next 12 months.....

How Matt Spent His Thursday......

2006-11-03T08:58:00.000-05:00

So, my friend.....is funny....hilarious actually. He took a small trip to pick up a new purchase and this is what was waiting for me in my inbox this morning.

Because of this, I decided to take a mindless day off and simply show you what he did for his day yesterday.....

http://www.mattcoppel.com/mini%20trip/

It's great!!

Shiver me timbers......what a lame line.....

2006-10-31T11:49:00.000-05:00

So, in the wake of the abandonment of my cats, I did what any normal, greiving girl would do.....I went to a *new* friend's house, made enchiladas (for the first time....and they are EASY to make!!) and hung out with her and her boyfriend until around 130am!! Telling you....fun times.

My condo is a disaster with stuff that I've been taking out of the apartment for the move and, honestly, I don't like being there alone now because it feels so empty without my furry companions.......BUT....I did want to show what our office did for today's celebrations!

Just in case it has been awhile...that's me on the bottom left as the pirate. It's been a good Tuesday at the office.

I wanted to leave you with this question........

If Pirates only bathed when they hit port.....and they only hit port every so often......do you think that people so willingly gave up their belongings to pirates because they were scary or because they smelled scary awful?

Just wondering.

Another thought..........

I bet they didn't suffer with dry skin in the winter considering they barely washed the natural oils (and anything else, for that matter) off of their skin.

alright, I'm done.

Going to sharpen my plastic sword now.

Have you ever had puffy EYELIDS?

2006-10-30T10:53:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this weekend I had to make a very difficult decision. As we all know, my cat Charlie was sick and I was having to do a TON of stuff to the house and to him everyday to make sure that (1) he wouldn't get worse and (2) that it wouldn't transfer to me or anyone else that comes by the condo. Well, my parents called me and they were telling me that they were planning on bumping up their visit from christmas to Thanksgiving. Also, that they were going to invite a bunch of family to come down as well. Not only that, but Heather is coming to visit me on November 10-12.

I have been treating him for a while and I've been disinfecting my house everyday for a while. The only problem was that Ringworm wasn't going to be completely gone from him by the time everyone was showing up and I couldn't bear to give any of my family members ringworm from my sick cat.

I called a million animal hospitals and basically offered to pay WHATEVER the COST to have them take Charlie and treat him so that I could have him out of the house. But the animal hospitals wouldn't take an animal unless what they had was life threatening....and a minor skin thing wasn't life threatening- just time consuming, costly, and irritating to treat.

well, the more and more I thought about it, the more I realized that if it were any other time of the year where I wouldn't be hosting guests, I could keep the cat....but I couldn't now. So, I spent all Saturday night crying and thinking. Then Sunday morning, I woke up......cried....went to church....cried....then got my cats together and turned them in to the Humane Society. Then cried the rest of the day. I didn't keep the kitten because I knew that she would be easily adopted (since she's so adorable and sweet natured) and I wouldn't be able to take her at home going through the grieving process of losing Charlie.

You have no idea how hard that was to do. It was surprising to me how hard I took it all. It's as if I gave up my kids or something.....I still cry.

Anyway, I must have cried hard Saturday night and Sunday because (1) my contacts were so foggy that I was having problems seeing to drive while I was moving the last of my things from the apartment to the condo and (2) I woke up this morning and my EYELIDS are really puffy. That's strange to me. But, yeah, I look like I got punched in the face. I also feel like it.

This sucks.

And to think.....I used to pray for this.....

2006-10-27T15:33:00.000-04:00

Dude, it's been raining for THREE days straight. And, it's not the cute, warm and inviting rain that makes you want to grab a loved one (by the hand) and frolic in it....nope....

.....It's the kind of torrential downpour that every woman with any kind of slight curl in her hair dreads......

And there doesn't seem to be an end to this!!! It looks like it'll rain all day tomorrow and it won't even CONSIDER slowing down until Sunday afternoon. I think that's pretty unacceptable. Who can I call to cancel this order? You know what the worst thing about the whole thing is.....The rain's not even polite enough to finish well....

Let's remember, folks......rude rain is not the kind of rain anyone wants to have.

On a side note.....and, believe me, this is a note that is completely irrelevant to anything that matters to any of you...but is of utmost importance to me..........

i'm getting my brakes and rotors replaced next week!! YEAH!! Then on to getting 4 new tires! i'm so excited.

Would you like an orange??

2006-10-25T08:37:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know. I have been MIA for about...hmmmm.....months....so, I'm going to create a quick synopsis on what's been going on. So, everyone knows that I got a new kitten (at least I think everyone knew) and that was probably one of the biggest mistakes EVER. The kitten, cute as she is, gave my roommate and I stapph infections (no...I know that it SOUNDS like an STD...but it's not.....but it DOES suck) and once we got over that....it gave my OTHER cat ringworm!!!!! So, I've become this crazed cleaning machine-vacuuming twice a day, spraying everything down with bleach water 3 times a week. I also have to bathe my cat (that's a peach, by the way) every three days and have him sit in the shampoo for 20 minutes.....that's awesome. So, my time is spent cleaning. That is my life.

On a good note....my parents bought a condo and it's mine, all mine!!! Well, really it's all mine to rent....it's AWESOME!!! love it!!!! And I don't have a roommate right now so it's nice....but I'll be needing a roommate come January so that I don't go broke paying the mortgage. I will probably be posting up certain colors to see what the surveys say my walls should be because I'm horrible at picking paint color for walls.

ANYWAY......I'm back. So, it's good to *see* you all. You are great!

Dear Glory....Why?....WHY??!!?!?!

2006-09-07T17:48:00.000-04:00

Why is it that every coke machine in this freakin building has Big Red, Coke, Sprite, Mountain Dew and a plethora of other sugary sodas.....yet only has ONE diet option!!! Diet Coke!!! Don't they know that Diet Mountain Dew tastes GREAT or that Diet Dr. Pepper, even better??? Maybe even a Diet Sprite....

what is wrong with soda vendors today????

See...this baby likes Diet Sprite......People should know that we are a new generation of soda drinkers......

the Irony of all Ironies

2006-09-06T16:57:00.000-04:00

So, there is this guy....he's wonderful. funny. quiet. sensitive. interesting. did I mention funny? I don't mean the kind of funny that survives on jokes.....no, no....this is funny in a very quiet, ironic way. I love it!!

anyway, I get this email from him the other day in regards to calling me.

Here's the irony of it all. I got excited about finally being able to talk to him...well...you all know me and I'm horrible about keeping in contact...and, frankly, I think the only reason I have friends at all is because they are as cool as this dude....and Grace....dang.....I don't think I've ever heard someone break up with voicemail the way she does....it almost made me cry ...;-). Anyway, so, I go home and clean up a little, make dinner, read a little, and watch "Harold and Kumar go to WhiteCastle" (no joke)....all of the sudden, it occurs to me that I haven't gotten a phone call.

I go through my purse looking for my phone and I realize.......IT'S NOT THERE!!! I had left it in my desk at work!!! So, it's 11pm and I am running to my car like my life depended on it and I drive to work....sneak into the building and get my phone.....I just about broke my arm trying to get the door open to my office and then I wished that I had because I HAD MISSED A CALL!!!! ARGH!!!!!!!!!! I was so pissed.

Anyway, I just wanted to write about how great some people are in our lives. What a great blessing it is to have people like him in my life.

Matt.....don't let me live down the fact that I have yet to speak to you. I deserve to be beaten sensless with a foam finger that has UofL on it. love you!

Happy Vivian has gone fishing

2006-08-04T12:14:00.000-04:00

So, for those of you that haven't heard from me...... here is where I will spew all my negativity.

I have had, probably the worst last few weeks of my life. What sad about it is that I KNOW that there are people (for instance, my friend Matt) that have been dealing with worse things...so, I feel bad that I feel so bad considering, also, there are kids in Africa that are dealing with worse things. Doesn't matter, though. I feel like crap.

My boss has been on vacation as well as our accountant, so I've been taking on the extra responsbility of doing my bosses work AND handling some of the accounting for our lending line. This means that I've been coming into work at around 830am and not leaving until I get EVERYTHING done that I need done for the day....which usually means 11pm. So, I've been sleeping and working.

Wait, there's more. Someone ELSE took off work and who had to do their stuff too??? Me. I was at work yesterday until 1130pm, then I had to drive to the airport to drop off a late pick up over night package....didn't get home until after midnight.....then, because I've been so stressed, didn't sleep. So, I wandered my apartment....cleaning.....noticing that I'm running low on shampoo, I made a trip to walgreens at 330am to pick up some toiletries. I then took a long shower, watched "Blade III", read a little bit of "The Broker" by Grisham (good book, by the way....I totally want to go to Italy now) and took at nap at 600am to get up and get ready at 730am.

Oh, that's not all....my professional life has been eating me up and spitting me out for fun, but I've also had to deal with looking for a place for my parents to buy so that they have a summer home here. That sounds like fun,huh? Yeah, not so much because there's that constant pressure of wanting to make sure that there is nothing that could displease them with your choice because they are completely trusting you. And then, my brother has to approve it too (which, by the way, has been a great help because he's good at stuff like this.....thank God for him!!) so there is the added pressure of pleasing him....if you know him...you know that's really hard to do.

And, then...there are personal dramas that happen all the time and are part of life....but when combined with everything else...seem a little overwhelming.

God, I cannot wait until I can go to Birmingham and spend some good time with Grace and Naomi....Vlad is also going (he's kind of excited)...so, we'll see how we can handle being in a car for that long together....it's going to define our relationship...I'll either kill him or kiss him.

Everyone, I'm going to go ahead and do the blanket apology for my bad attitude. I'm not usually like this and, normally, I LOVE being the optimistic one that likes to talk and bolster people....but, today is not that day. I'm sorry that I'm being so retarded.

I'm going to whine:

I'm tired
I'm stressed
I feel like if someone else comes up to me and asks me to do something, I'm going to scream.
I feel the pressure to perform in outstanding fashion because that's what I do....I do my best and, frankly, if I feel that I can't do that....it pisses me off.
I'm worried about my family (part of that personal drama)
I'm sad that the one person that I mesh with so well may be the worst person for me.
I'm mad cause I just realized that I haven't bought a wedding gift for a friend who's wedding shower is Sunday. swearword.
I'm kind of hungry
Gas is too expensive (sorry, just had to interject that)
I need to do laundry.
I need a vacuum cleaner...but dude...there are too many options....can't decide.

On the positive....

tomorrow's weather is supposed to be sunny and 89......I'm going to sleep in so late that it will be unhealthy and then I'm going to the pool. I will most likely, after recharging at the pool, going to call my friend Matt (to whom I've been a horrible friend because I didn't want to spew my negativity on someone that really needs positive bolstering now) and finally bring "Happy Cuban Vivian" back.

Until then.....it is "Unhappy-living-under-the-rule-of-unhealthy-Castro-Vivian". sorry everyone, I thought he (Castro) died on Tuesday....but, no such luck.

Hope you have a communist....I mean, great day.

I know, I know.....

2006-07-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

You Are An ENFJ

The Giver
You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.
You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

What's" Your Personality Type?

Vicious Rumors

2006-07-11T17:43:00.000-04:00

So, I leaked some info today that I would be posting....yet I never told anyone WHEN that post would happen...he, he, he....I'm so easily amused!

Alright.....updates, updates......

I'm still dating the "mighty" (it's better than "dirty".....and it totally sounds dictator-like, huh?) Russian and things are going well.

I'm still working at the mortgage company that I love, thus involving myself so much into my work that I barely do anything else.

I'm still brown. More so now because it's summer...but it's a pretty consistent thing with me.

I'm still living with my roomie Jamie-she's awesome by the way!!

I'm still the owner of my super cool cat and might be getting another one tomorrow! yeah!

I'm still loud and obnoxious.

I'm still bad at keeping in contact.....I mean I can't even keep up a blog for goodness' sake!!

I'm still fighting with UPS about a package that I sent to Matt Coppel for his birthday...Matt, I just saw your email and they are trying to figure out what happened to it.....sorry!! This sucks!! I was so stoked about my gifts!!

Now.....

I am working with my parents on getting them a condo here in Louisville for them to stay in when they visit....which means I'll have a condo to live in!!!

I am looking at possibly getting a new car....but that's kind of like this thing that happens to me every so often...I usually just end up with the car I got cause it's good to me.

I am enjoying watching my room mate date this really cool guy that doesn't speak much english...(he's mexican), it's awesome watching them relate because they are so much like the giddy highschool students I see at the mall.

I am trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to get Grace for her birthday because, dangit, she sure does like specialty items that aren't sold here!!! So, Grace.....can your gift be late?

I am gagging at how cute and cuddly Grace and her man are....it could be a tinge of jealousy, but I'm definitely going to chaulk it up to nausea at how "cute" they are. ;-)

I am tired of thinking of things that I am right now.....oh wait! I am wearing a pink linen skirt today. ;-)

I am about to stop posting for today and think of something much more witty to say tomorrow...

hmmmm....I want ice cream.

that's what!! tomorrow will be all about what I want!! I'm sure you are all just sitting on the edge of your office chairs just WONDERING what it could possibly be that I want...

he, he, he..

I love you all....I'm sorry this is such a crappy blog.

I promise that tomorrow will be inspiring. ;-)

hello...nice to meet you.

2006-06-21T08:56:00.000-04:00

Wow.....this is definitely a new feeling. Posting a blog. Hmmmmm.......

How is everyone?

As surprising as this may be......I don't have a ton of time to update....so I leave you with these ransom pictures of my general manager's ceramic lakehouse bear.

The picture of Steve Alvey is Brad's (our GM) father. Apparently he offers Solid, Dependable Leadership.....

We went to his lakehouse and one of our ransom demands was that he let us have the lakehouse again. It was awesome!!!!

I had a blast.......

3173244134

2006-05-17T11:40:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here at work, at a loss becuase this is the first time in about a month that I actually have some down time. It's a false feeling though because I'm watching my boss get some stuff ready for us to take care of in the afternoon and the list has grown longer than a legal page of stuff. So, the anxiety or being busy is still there, yet, I have nothing to do.

Also, I had a large coffee this morning and I can tell that I'm on a high because I'm typing faster than usual and I have a TON more nervous energy than normal...and that's a definite bad thing.

During this time that I've had I've been thinking about what I'm doing (in a much "larger picture" mentality).....my job.....the city that I'm living in......the relationships that I have and have had....and the fact that my family lives a bajillion miles away in a city in which I despise living.

I've always told myself that I would never live in a place that was so far away from the coast. For real, I love the beach. I was born near a beach. When we were in Saudi our families (The Shadixes, The Heaths, sometimes the Pickerings) would go to the beach ALL the time and we would go snorkeling and just have a blast!! In Miami, I would go to the beach just to chill and to hang out. In Columbia, SC we would drive to Charleston, SC EVERY weekend in the summers (this is after highschool) and chill at the beach trying to pretend to surf, play volleyball, sunbathe and even go out on the katamaran (I can't spell that)......

Now I find myself in Louisville, KY. A beautiful city with history just coming out of its ears, yet 8...get that? 8 hours away from the nearest coast!!!! Oh yeah, we DO have the Ohio river....but it's brown and its coast is lined with caution signs discussing the high content of bacteria and how you shouldn't get the water in any of the orafices of your body. eccck....

and, yet I still find myself settling here. What the crap is that?

My camera is broken, but I took these pictures awhile ago in downtown Louisville. I had a blast just walking around with my friend Megan just snapping shots and having fun. I really, really wished that Matt and I had done that the weekend that he came down because I'm sure his pictures would have turned out so much better than mine. Matt, you're cool.

I leave you with some pieces of my new home town...

Or not.....I've been trying to upload those pics since yesterday morning and the website is giving me problems....so, you're going to have to IMAGINE how pretty my city is....I'll try to put them up later today when the "issue" is resolved with this site.

thanks!!

so, to explain......

2006-05-16T17:27:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about my very good friends, Naomi and Grace. They are phenomenal women that astound me with their strange ritualistic religious ideals all the time.

riiiiiiight....anyway, so I have these two friends who happen to also be sisters and they are great. They are strong, funny, expressive and beee-oooo-teee-fool...... They live in AL and they have ridiculously interesting lives. I visited them in February and it was an AWESOME, fun-filled weekend! We did a lot of stuff, but, really we could have gone to the park and watched the grass grow and it would have been a blast. They both have this knack for making EVERYTHING new and exciting. And, for some reason, when I'm with them I become this weird brown girl that totally loves ripping on stuff and being astonishingly uncouth....it's great.

Well, I have this horrible flaw and they have this wonderful gift.

My flaw- totally sucking in keeping in contact.

Their gift- unconditional love and forgiveness.

Frankly, Naomers and Grace.....FORGIVE ME!!! I AM going to call, I swear......... Grace, I'm a little concerned about these tremors your mom mentioned too.....I do think you should stop running...just so that you can keep drinking...j/k...he, he, he....

Naomi, MUST discuss your companion and how much I love him and his weird white, yet spanish, ways!!

Heather....I know I didn't start with you, but I haven't forgotten you!! I have news for you!! Oh yes, news!!! I figure I'm going to leave it as vague as possible just cause I can...;-)

Matt.......you dog........thanks for tossing me under the bus after the last email....;-) So, just to respond to your incredibly pointed questions....yes, the guy I'm in "like" with does happen to have a name that MIGHT rhyme with "glad". But it doesn't matter! I AM glad to see him!! ;-) Yet, when I asked him about the Beatles song...he kind of mumbled something that I didn't understand (you know, that accent is hard to get past sometimes) so, I assume that it's NOT his favorite song. Anyway, I was thinking that we could chat sometime later this week.

On another note....my camera was broken by a co-worker of mine when he borrowed it for a trip, so there are no pics....I will simply leave you with this.... ;-) That's my cat, Charlie.....Matt took that picture and it's awesome.

hmmmm.......I'm the weird cat girl now, aren't I? Dang it.....

Thought I was dead, didn't ya, didn't ya?!?!

2006-05-10T16:54:00.000-04:00

you know what? I know that it's been a while since I've updated my blog and that there is a very high probability that i've lost the 4 fans that I had that used to read this. So, now that I'm all alone...what do I write about?

Well, I'm just going to update the general public in cyber space that happens to find me on google on the happenings in my life.

1. I'm moving out of the apartment that I have because my lease is up and I despise the apartment complex at which I live.

2. Only one other room mate and I are moving in together so we won't have the full house that we did before. I'm excited about living with Jamie.

3. I still love my job. It's a stressful, ulcer-creating environment....and for some reason, I'm thriving in it. It's awesome!

4. I just planned a trip to Miami for a weekend in August and I think I'm going to go sailing....(yeah, that's really here nor there...I just had to let you all know)

5. I like someone. I love the "liking" stage of romance. It's totally unknown and mysterious and nerve wracking.......it's fun.

Alright besides that.......some random things.....I've just joined a hip hop aerobics dance class.....he, he....I've lost 10 pounds since I started taking the meds for my sugar.......and I'm cooking a lot more. I think I'm going to make lasagna this weekend with eggplant.....we'll see how that goes.

wow, I'm kind of tired and really scatterbrained. I apologize to that one person in Germany that is reading this.....;-)

updating more useless facts tomorrow.

just because

2006-04-18T13:56:00.000-04:00

you know what? I've been busy. It was the end of our month and I pretty much spent my time living at my desk. But...I don't have to explain ANY of this to you. All you need to know is that I HAVE BEEN BUSY!! There are no apologies......

alright...dudes, I'm sorry that I haven't updated. The medication that I usually take has run out and I have to wait until my welfare check comes in before I can get a refill. So, I'm so sorry if I hurt anyone...please forgive me...

Alrighty then.....on a more serious note.....yes, I'm still alive.....no, I'm not bipolar or manic....yes, I wish I was so that I could say things like that and have an excuse for being so rude......no, I didn't mean what I just said....;-)

So, I have a million pictures that are coming your way..I'll try to upload later today.

YOU ALL ROCK!!!!! true story.

the best shoes in the world

2006-04-11T16:32:00.000-04:00

Alright...this is a very dumb blog....but I just had to tell everyone about these shoes that I purchased yesterday. See, I was wearing these shoes yesterday that were killing my feet. So, in desperation (and because it was payday) I ran into the local Payless to buy some shoes that I could wear in place of the devil's shoes that I was wearing at the time.

Well...let me tell you..the shoes I bought simply out of convenience have turned out the be the most comfortable shoes in the world. I just had to broadcast to the world how awesome they are.

Also...I needed a reason to put my shoes on the desk....he, he... And put my foot on the printer...this should be a kind of art form...=)

I love the text setting on my camera.

2006-04-07T14:56:00.000-04:00

Tornadoes.....

2006-04-07T14:38:00.000-04:00

For the love......

Today, it's like 78 degrees and THAT'S the darkest cloud out. It's beautiful.

For lunch, instead of eating, I decided to drive around town with the radio blasting just enjoying this gorgeous day. The past 4 days it's been doing nothing but raining and storming. It's been gross.....then......today graced us...

Except for the fact that the temperature is going to drop about 40 degrees in a few hours and we're having a cold front come in with expected large hail, severe thunderstorms, and 33 counties in the state have tornado watches in effect until 9pm. Ridiculous.....

For real though....does this look like tornado weather????

My Job...

2006-04-06T17:06:00.000-04:00

I realized today that as messed up as my co-workers can be....I love them. We're like a disfunctional family.

There is every type of person working in my office. And, strangely, we seem to blend well. I'm this type-a, conservative sitting adjacent to the most rebellious and crude person in the world....yet, we seem to get a long. My boss has got to be the funniest man I've ever encountered and also has a real problem with OCD...yet, he's the most encouraging person I've ever worked for.

This picture is of me laughing, just enjoying the banter that we have in the office. I've just turned EVERYTHING in Doug's (my boss) desks upside down and I inverted his desk..changing everything from left to right....it'll kill him when he finds out that it was me instead of our accountant....... Doug just called and cussed out (in jest) our accountant and Mark Suter (another manager that sits adjacent to me) just made a fake news story about our accountant, Brian, saying that he had been arrested for doing something awful in the gas station bathroom of some podunk town and he forwarded that story to the whole company. What's great is that Brian takes it all in stride and prints up fake paychecks with wrong amounts and hands them around to everyone that messed with them and told them that the owner of the company had to creat cutbacks on payroll....oh, you have no idea how awesome it was to know about the jokes and see how everyone reacted. Those five minutes, I'm sure, seemed like an eternity to a few people.

In all of this......about 4 million dollars was funded and about 6 million in loans was cleared and sold. I love my job.

My weekend with Matt

2006-04-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

You know...I was thinking that I would just go through the weekend play by play and tell of all the things Matt and I did....but, just thinking about it really bored me to tears imagining having to read that from someone else's point of view....so, I'm going to sum up and just tell some funny stories. .......or not....we'll see...

The first picture at the top should be of Matt sleeping on my couch...oh wait...the second picture should be of him sleeping as well. That's because he did A LOT of sleeping on my couch. It's almost as though when he sat in that certain spot he regressed mentallly to the days of chloroform and he passed out. It was funny. For a time, my room mates dubbed him, "Sleeping Beauty"...he, he, he..

I like how he still was holding the remote...

It also seems that when he wasn't sleeping and he was just waiting for me....he took some pictures. And, being Godly, as he is....he dubbed this one..."The Trinity". (it's his shoe)

Anyway, Friday we went to this concert that would have been great to have pictures of, but Matt wouldn't let me bring my camera in because he was pissed that they wouldn't let him bring HIS camera in because it looked too professional. Alright...along those lines....about his camera...dear glory!! it's awesome!! It takes incredible pictures. BUT...he carries it and serveral lenses in this backpack that weighs at least 30lbs!!! I carried it for like 5 minutes max and it was stupid heavy!! Continuing along

Saturday we went to Brown County, IN...it's this cool place with like a bagillion shops claiming to be antique and artsy....it was cool. We had some lunch in this really old restaurant and just had a good time in general....that picture was taken in one of the shops.

Sunday we were kind of lazy.....wait, more like I was really lazy...so we drove around town and then I dragged Matt to Java (a local coffee shop that is just so.....darn.....good) and we just sat in these rocking chairs and chatted. Of course, the topic went to something like..."you should smile more.....no really..you should...here, let me take a picture and you just pretend that you won the lottery..." yeah...he'll be a very happy rich man...

Sunday night we went to Buffalo Wild Wings....it's this great place and Matt had never been. I talked it up a little bit because I love their wings.....anyway, we get there and our server takes our drink order and doesn't come back for....I don't know....a RIDICU-LONG time....so, we had plenty of time to take this picture...

Leaving from BW3, there were these horrible storms with tornadoes and crap. So, I decide that it's a great idea to try and drive home. It got so bad that Matt SAW lightning stike the ground not too far from us and we ended up having to pull off the road into a gas station to get away from the wind and hail....as you can see, Matt was really scared at this point. It was tough. =)

I'm going to end there......See, Matt didn't leave until Monday evening, but I had to work...so, Matt, being a good little boy, got to come into work with me and just SIT quietly while I did my job. Of course, the good thing is that he got to see, first hand, what us big people do when we go to work....j/k. So, he had plenty of time to take these pics....

In the end, though, I had a GREAT weekend. I don't know how Matt enjoyed it, but I love that he came and I truly enjoyed his company. Hope I didn't bore you guys too much.....

Ever have one of those days?

2006-04-04T17:24:00.000-04:00

I'm sick.....yup, my throat hurts, my head is pounding (and I've already passed the healthy limit of Ibuprofen intake), I'm weak, tired and SUPER irritable.

This is a bad time to deal with people because when I'm in this mood I tend to over analyze situations AND verbalize my feelings no matter how irrational they are. For example, I have this friend (more like work acquaintance that is growing to be a friend) that is, for the most part, cool but kind of cold in personality. So, already, I'm having to compensate for his cynicism by being EXTRA positive with him.

Today.....there was no compensation taking place. As a matter of fact, we've been chit chatting throughout the day and as time passes my responses have become more and more scathing. What's awful is that he's being honest with me about how my attitude is bad....and, what do I do? Just show him how bad my attitude can get............then........I feel bad about being mean......then I get mad about feeling bad because I ALREADY feel bad.......then my attitude gets worse. Dear Glory I wish there was a way that a sign would come up automatically on my shirt stating how I felt, warning the innocent bystander of the danger.

The story's end? I've apologized. And he writes me back asking what I'm doing tomorrow BESIDES feeling sorry for myself (good stab back, Vlad)..... he's cool. ;-)

Matt......speaking of having a bad attitude.....I sent you an email....I tried to recall it once I realized how stupid it sounded.....but, in case I didn't get to it before you read it, I'm sorry and just disregard it. Thanks for being cool.

Part two....

2006-04-04T11:47:00.000-04:00

Okay, so part two was going to be wedding pictures but I just took my sweet time getting them out to you....so, here are a few...

The first one is of the sunset when I went boating with my uncle and mom and dad.

The next is my mom and I after jumping into the water that was ICE cold!!!!

The third is my new cousin, Julie.....she's so funny!!

Then Kelly and I went to the beach and Coco Walk and hung out....so, there we are.

Next is the entire bridal party....including the flower girls....let me tell you...weddings are DRAMA.... I think I wanted to hit some of those girls at least 5 times that day......

Then my beeoooteefool cousin in her wedding dress. She looked awesome that day...

And lastly, this was taken the night before the wedding after the rehearsal. It's some cousins, including the bride and her friend.

Alright..there is part two.

hmmmmm..until part two comes out....

2006-04-04T11:41:00.000-04:00

Your #1 Match: ESFP

The Performer

You are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others.
A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic.
You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally.
You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic.

You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor.

Your #2 Match: ENFP

The Inspirer

You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.
You are also unconventional, irreverant, and unimpressed by authority and rules.
Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.
You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're qutie the storyteller!

You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.

Your #3 Match: ESFJ

The Caregiver

You are sympathetic and caring, putting friends and family first.
A creature of habit, you prefer routines and have trouble with change.
You love being in groups - whether you're helping people or working on a project.
You are good at listening, laughing, and bringing out the best in people.

You would make a great nurse, social worker, or teacher.

Your #4 Match: ESTP

The Doer

You are adventurous and risk taking. You act first, think second.
You love being the center of attention. Chances are you were the class clown.
Competitive, charming, and charasmatic - you have your own code of honor.
You live a flexible life, bouncing between a series of activies that interest you.

You would make a great salesperson, marketing director, or entrepreneur.

Your #5 Match: ENFJ

The Giver

You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.
Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.
Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.
You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.

You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

What's Your Personality Type?

a very, very long story....part one

2006-03-29T11:27:00.000-05:00

So, I MUST tell you about my trip to Miami because it was definitely eventful beginning with the frisk down that I got in the Louisville airport because I was conveniently "randomly" selected to go through the whole security shebang.... it changed me to be wanded over and inspected by a woman that had WAY too much testosterone in her system and needed to shave her beard. It was a little weird.

Anyway, once I got passed all of that and actually made it to Miami, I sat and stared at the conveyor belt at baggage claim just willing my bag to be the next one to come out. Well, I must have lost track of time doing that because, the next thing I know, standing next to me what this wee little of a man dressed in Delta gear asking if I was still waiting for luggage that came from my flight. I quickly recuperated from the shock of realizing that oompa loompas did in fact exsist and told him that, yes, I was still waiting. He laughed at me and said, "There ARE no more bags for that flight....we must have left yours behind somewhere..." WHAT??? Somewhere? What's that supposed to mean??? Let's not forget that I had chosen this flight out of Louisville because it left late, arriving at around midnight; so I was tired and hungry and incredibly irritable. So......then began the violence.....nah, just kidding. I did get kind of snooty with him because he laughed at me in the first place....but, in the end, I'm at the mercy of the luggage gods, hoping that I would find favor and that they would release my bag from the black hole they hid it in.

Long story short.....I didn't get my bags for two days....so, this trip immediately became very expensive having to buy new clothing and toiletries and such. Really, I'm SOOOO grateful to Delta for giving me $25 for new toiletries. Great people, they are.

Anyway, the weather was slightly chilly over there since it was still just the beginning of spring. And the water was ridicu-cold. And I was so busy with wedding stuff that I didn't get a chance to even SEE the ocean until Monday afternoon when my uncle took me out on his newly acquired boat and we went to Ellis Key and stuff. It was beautiful. I took a ton of pictures of the setting sun and stuff. Just great.

I got to spend time with my mom and dad. It was good to see them. Grace and Naomi, my mom sends her love to you guys. She even offered to send you a drain plug, Naomi..=) Heather, I told her about you and the good news about Kenneth. She was stoked and very happy for him and for you. She sends her love to you. My mom wants to know when you guys are coming down to Miami to see them and...of course...the BEACH!! My dad bought a sailboat, so they are on the kick of taking everyone out. It's cool.

Now that the Miami trip is over I am focused on the next more important topic...MATT!!! He's coming day after tomorrow and I have yet to finish unpacking, cleaning out my car and figuring out what he's going to do while I'm at work on Friday. But....no fear is had because I got the worst of it figured out....my friend, Megan will be his chauffeur for the day on Friday. She'll pick him up at the airport and then bring him over and we'll have lunch and then they will do some quick sightseeing while I'm at work and then we'll hang out that night. I know it sounds weird, but that's all I could think of...short of me printing up a ton of Yahoo! maps and leaving him on his own with my car while I work. I think it's nicer to have company anyway.

Well.. I guess I should be getting back to work now. You know what I was thinking? What exactly is happening in your mind when you have come back from a trip and having to readjust to real life? I was only gone for a week and I almost forgot how to do my job when I got back...it was weird.

I'm so stoked about this weekend.

oh yeah....

2006-03-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

There you go Dawn. I hope that was to your specifications. =)

Wait...wait...wait...how did Friday go? Do I get a dollar from you?? One more thing......nice dining room table my friend. It looks bee-oo-tee-fool!!!

For the Love!!

2006-03-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

Well.....how was everyone's weekend? Mine was definitely interesting, I guess. I will say that I had a blast checking out some local bands that had won "Battle of the Bands" the week previous play their own little victory concert. That was awesome! Also, I got to do all of this with a new friend of mine....it's always good to make new friends.

Hmmm....besides that, I'm pretty much spending my time taking care of one dog (at my friend, Megan's house) and three cats (at my friend, Amber's house). And since both households require "quality" time spent besides the typical "making sure your fed" attitude, it's been taking a LOT of my time to divide myself up. But, I love the dog and the cats are awsome. Also, Amber has this bottle of catnip bubbles that I get a kick out of because the cats aren't quite sure what to do with the bubbles as they are falling. So, it's been geeky fun.

I have great news!!! So, I have this friend that I really haven't seen in....hmmm, Matt, how long has it been?....well, a very long time and he has decided to grace me with his presence the weekend of the 1st of April!!! I'm totally stoked. Of course, after the feeling of stokedness wears away, I'm pretty sure that I'll start freaking out trying to figure out what we'll do that weekend cause I would hate it if he was bored.

Alright, forget everything that I just wrote because....most importantly.....I'M GOING TO MIAMI TOMORROW FOR A WEEK!!!!

My very wonderful cousin is getting married on Saturday and she has chosen me to be one of her bridesmaids wearing ........a ......CELEDON (it's like a putrid mint green) dress. Oh yeah, AND it's a halter. For those of you that know me and my body shape....you would immediately be able to fathom that halters are NOT my most flattering cut. BUT...I'm happy to be in it....AND because I get to go to...........................THE BEACH!!!!!!

So, I end this with a

HECK YES!!!!!!

Old Maid?

2006-03-13T18:31:00.000-05:00

It's the end of our month, here...so, I've been stupid busy and I'm a little tired.....instead of writing out the funny story that precedes this....I'm just going to tell you that when asked what my age was today, the response was a huge intake of breath and the sigh of, "Wow, you're an old maid!"

What the crap was that?

I'm freakin' 25 years old....turning 26. I don't FEEL like an old maid. Frankly, I'm glad that I'm not married yet....That's just......you know what? I have no words to describe how flabbergasted I am by this lady. And, what makes it worse is that she was serious!!

So, here I sit....taking a small break before finishing up my work for the day (I'm working a little late to catch up) thinking about all of the things that I could have told this woman in response to her snide remark.....something else besides the the courtesy laugh that I gave her....grrrr....

Onto to happier subjects.....I cooked again this weekend....and it went REALLY well!! I even had friends over for dinner and they all liked it and had seconds!......The weather's been kind of icky the past 4 or 5 days (rainy and sometimes really cold) so I made 15 bean soup with smoked sausage and stuff....hmmm, it turned out to be kind of like a gumbo of sorts and we ate it over rice....so....so..good. I'm so proud of myself!!!

If my mom ever finds out that I've been working hard at mastering the kitchen.....she'll tell my dad....who would then take it as a queue to start looking for "eligible" bachelors to whom to marry me off ...very bad....must keep this all a secret....my family is SOOOO hispanic it's ridiculous. =).....hmmm, on the other hand, I guess that's ONE way to get out from under the "OLD MAID" banner. =)

Hope you all have a great night.

I have wonderful news!!!

2006-03-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

So....my mother had surgery recently to remove a tumor that had grown on her neck and thyroid. That sounds serious enough....yet, when they ran some tests on the tumor the results came back with a positive in......CANCER.....

the dreaded "C" word.

The surgeon referred my mother to this oncologist (who is absolutely wonderful) and he went over the test results with her and ran some tests of his own and......NO CANCER!!! The tumor was completely benign and the cancer cells they found were absolutely microscopic and had already been removed. So....WE'RE GOOD!!

You have NO IDEA how good I feel right now.

*sigh*

I don't have a lot of time.....so, I leave you with this...

2006-03-07T09:07:00.000-05:00

I went on to Grace's blog and she had a cool link for slogans....here's mine:

This is the first time I've inserted a link...so, in case you can't go to it....here's what is says....

IT'S A LOT LESS VIVIAN THAN A HOVER.

makes a lot of sense, huh?

Well that didn't turn out...but let me tell you a story about....

2006-03-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

the CURSE of Birmingham!!

It all began the weekend of the 10th of February.....What I thought was going to be a weekend filled with fun and excitement with my bestest friends.....little did I know that lurking at the corner of a warehouse my worst nightmare was waiting for me.

The weekend progressed as expected, having fun making jest at Naomi and her raspberry face (he, he) and taking pictures of an armless manequin. Saturday night, Grace told us about this concert thing over at this old warehouse that was going to be really fun. Of course, it had to *conveniently* be the coldest day of the freakin' year that night and out of the goodness of some strangers heart, a bonfire was built to keep the nice, toothless, preaching hobo warm.

The trap was set when we were told to get our own drinks and we went to the store to buy some ridiculously large bottles of water (that Grace drank happily....without leaving any for ME!!) and some Modelo Negros (I think, I don't remember if that's what they were called). We get to the warehouse and WOW....it was like walking into a meat locker! It was horribly cold. I swear, there were some penguins there with scarves and mittens on, cussing the cold!!

So, naively, Naomi and I think, "We should go outside by the nice, toothless hobo and his fire and try to warm up." RIGHT.....BAD, BAD, BAD DECISION. See, the wood used and the other trash that was thrown in that fire created a kind of MUST that just stuck to your skin, hair, and clothing.

You have now been introduced to the Curse of Birmingham.

The curse works in strange ways. Apparently, it only works if you LEAVE Birmingham with that stench of fire on you. Also, it NEVER comes out until there is bloodshed. Alright, I totally just adlibbed the bloodshed part...but, I'm telling you, something must happen because I'm still stuck with it!!

I wore this really cute brown top to the warehouse that night and I completely understood that it was going to smell musty until I washed it. So, I had no qualms about doing my laundry when I got back and getting my bag cleared out immediately.

Here's the problem......that top was worn a month ago this coming Saturday. I have not worn it AT ALL since getting back from Birmingham. I have washed this top TWICE since returning.

I am wearing it now and I smell.....FIRE!!! It is KILLING me that, as of yet, I have not been able to escape what I have now grown to call....The Curse of Birmingham.

AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

So, I had to copy.

2006-03-06T09:11:00.000-05:00

You Are 44% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

I'm a crazy, crazy vixen.

2006-03-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

So.....from the title I'm sure that you would easily assume that I have grand plans for my weekend.....you are RIGHT!! I have HUGE plans.

Tonight, I play volleyball in the league that I always play with. We'll probably lose, but it's fun, so.....who cares?

Tomorrow, I get to wake up at the butt crack of dawn, clean house, start laundry, meet my trainer and get my tail kicked, then coming back to finish laundry, waxing my eyebrows, changing the kitty litter and then meeting some friends to hang out that night.

Sunday, I'm going to church (early service) and hopefully (dear God, please, please, please!) taking a nap, reading......then meeting some friends for late lunch and meeting other friends for an evening of watching movies....UltraViolet comes out tonight...so, MUST watch!!!

yup, I'm such a WILD woman. No one can keep up with me!!!! Watch out!!! =)

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my quiet weekend. Hmmm...love you guys.

Also, on a side note....may I just put down that I miss a certain friend very much. I don't know what it is......we haven't lived in the same state for at least 4 years, we really don't talk all that often and I'm sure my friendship is not that important to him, but I have this feeling that he may have gone through a tough time and I hate the idea that I haven't had a chance to talk to him to bear these burdens with him. So, I'm going to try to call him this weekend.

later everyone.

oh yeah

2006-03-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

So, I had to add the pic of my arm because everyone at work thinks that my arm shows one of two things.....either I'm VERY unhappy with myself AND have bad aim for veins....or that I'm some sort of freak in bed (I heard this said today....ridiculous).

This picture was taken after 4 days of healing had passed. I only wish I had taken one right after it happened because I looked like I walked off of the set of a horror movie.

The mark on my palm is actually from my cat BITING me....and the rest from his front claws.

My room mate Dawn said something very insightful yesterday regarding my cat. I was sitting in a chair and Charlie kept coming up behind me and playing with my hair and trying to bat at me to get me to play back with him.....it was during this annoying episode that I spouted, "I'm going to get you declawed Charlie!!". My room mate looks at me and says, "Now you think about de-clawing him? Where was that line of thinking when he was maiming you this weekend!!??" yeah...I don't know. =)

Hope you all have a great day!

ahhhh.....migraines.

2006-03-02T09:14:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday was a little weird. I was sitting innocently at my desk working and, suddenly, out of no where, this migraine comes up behind me and clocks me in the head! I'm telling you....I haven't had a true migraine in so long that I didn't even recognize the symptoms as they were coming.

I ended up driving home hoping and praying that I wouldn't throw up or pass out. Then, I fell into my apartment, ran to the couch and laid down for about 15 minutes waiting for the horrible dizziness to pass. After that, went to my room, turned off the lights, closed the blinds and went to bed at 6:30pm.

And woke up at 2:00am, wondering where the heck I was and feeling like I had just gotten out of bar fight I was so weak. Stayed up until around 3:30am, had some breakfast and fell asleep again.

Can I just say.....GREAT NIGHT last night. Hmm...I'm sure you all are jealous. =)

One a side note.......Matt....that's why I didn't call you.

Another side note......The UK game kicked some serious tail. I'm sad I missed it.

Go Big Blue!!!!

Let's see.....

2006-02-27T18:07:00.000-05:00

So, I've been waiting for work to end so that I could spend some time updating you all on my dealings for the past few weeks. But, as I waited, I kept thinking, "What really HAS happened since I last wrote in my blog"? Well, a lot and not much at all at the same time.

Isn't it interesting how your life is summed up in all of the small things....hardly ever in the large? For example, these last few weeks nothing huge happened... I didn't get a new car, get a new boyfriend (or lose one, for that matter), get a new apartment or house, get a new job....nothing. BUT....I did get scratched in a ridiculous manner by my cat and now look like a suicide attempt; I did buy a ring for $50 in Birmingham and had it appraised for $2100; I did buy a pair of pants that I really think I look good in (you have NO idea how good that feels!); I did spend more time with my room mate, Dawn and had a BLAST; and I did watch a ton of movies, including "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (it was awesome), "Pride and Prejudice" (the BBC version....yeah, it's 6 hours long), "The Transporter 2" (how I just LOVE that man), and, regrettably, "While You Were Sleeping"(....it's sad, I know).
Finally,I did get caught up at work (Thank God) and I did get a compliment from my boss saying how impressed he was with my work (yeah!).

Small things. I was thinking about this last night when a best friend and I were talking on the phone and she was telling me about how she hadn't gone out to get a FREAKIN' plug for her bathtub.....so, she was using a WOOL SOCK!! Hmm...Naomi, do you have ANY idea of whom I am writing????? GO TO TARGET!!! =) I'm not EVEN going to mention the hot water....but I will say that it kind of reminded me of when we were little kids and we used to put ice cubes in our bath water! =)

I love the small things. Really, if my life was made up of only the big decisions , I would be so bored in between! Thank God for my cat and his weird phobia of hairbrushes (that's what caused the freakish scratches on my wrist--pictures to come later), and for that guy who plays the Transporter, for Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Jack, Peter, and, of course, Mr. Brad Smith (for you, Dawn).

Panera and Crack

2006-02-27T13:34:00.000-05:00

So, I'm sitting here at work scarfing down a Panera half salad and sandwich combo.....and, I've recently become convinced that Panera somehow is able to smuggle crack in their breads. I don't know how but I can definitely admit that am now enrolled in my local rehab center to kick this addiction.

Thanks for everyone's support. You guys are great. =)

Alrighty then.......Grace, you were absolutely right....for anyone to visit my blog, I would have to actually post something to read. =)

Anyway, this will have to do for now because I have to get back to work. I'll write later....hope you all are doing great!

I'm back!!!!!!

2006-02-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

So.....since I can't get on myspace anymore....here I am, at blogger trying to keep in touch with my wonderful buds.

Of course, I'm given the opportunity to write down my thoughts of any sort of consequence....and I have nothing. =)

This is going to be really short.....hope you are all having a great day!! love you all.