Larsita. Random Thoughts.

Looking Back @ 2011 ... Looking Forward to 2012

2011-12-31T15:14:00.000-08:00

As I sit here with just a few hours left in 2011, thinking back over the past year, I am feeling very blessed. 2011 was a good year.

In January, my dad & I painted my bedroom. I finally got away from that boring brown that was way too dark for my tastes. Now my room is a happy shade of pale green. I love my room now. It's a pleasant & inviting place to be. Sayid loves it, too. If he is just relaxing or taking a nap, odds are you will find him on my bed. Even Sayid knows I have the most comfortable bed on the planet.

In February, I went to New York City with several friends from work - Sheri, Keesha, Mrs. Paula, May Fances, & Jennifer. We had a great trip. So great, in fact, that a few of us are heading back again next weekend.

The first week in July was spent at the beach with Mama, Mrs. Barnes, Jody, Amber, & Joe. It was an awesome week. I think it rained for about twenty minutes the entire time we were there, so it was perfect beach vacation weather. One of my favorite memories from 2011 was from the 4th of July on our beach trip. I remember hanging out in the condo pool with Joe & Amber, watching the fireworks going off just 50 yards or so away on the beach, and thinking, "What a cool experience."

This summer, my mom & I both got bicycles. I haven't had a bicycle since I was a teenager. I was a little worried I would have forgotten how to ride it, but, fortunately, there was no need for training wheels! We got some great bike rides in before the weather got too cold & the sun started going down so early. My personal best was a little over 10 miles one Sunday afternoon. My parents' neighborhood is a great place for biking, so my bike lives at their house. Hopefully Mama & I can start riding again soon. But my bike was definitely a highlight of 2011.

In early August, Jody drove up from Dulac & I drove down from West Monroe. We met up at Janie's in New Iberia, and the three of us spent the weekend together. Apparently, we thought we were still in college, because we stayed up FAR too late. One night, we cooked a good meal (which we used to do at Janie's house in college), played Telestrations until around 1:00 AM & laughed until we were in tears, and then watched a movie - Soul Surfer. I remember thinking we'd all fall asleep during the movie, since it was the wee hours of the morning. Nope. 3:00 AM rolled around & we had all stayed awake the entire movie, and then we stayed awake talking about the movie for about thirty more minutes. It was really fun to just take some time to get together with two of my closest friends from college & have fun. We ate way too much, including Janie's famous breakfasts & Orange Leaf yogurt. We laughed so much we were hurting. Good times.

Thanksgiving was great. Sayid went with us & got to go on trails through the woods and then played in a little pond he found. My goodness, he was gross, but he had a fun time getting that way!

My sweet parents drove me to Dallas at the end of November, in their SUV with a trailer attached, so I could buy new bedroom furniture at IKEA. Without their help in transporting it, I would have never been able to get it. Not only did they haul it, but Daddy spent the next two or three days taking apart all my old furniture & putting together all the new stuff. And, let me just say that if it were up to me to build this furniture, I would be curled up in the fetal position in a corner, in tears. Daddy, on the other hand, is very competent & skilled. SO - my room now looks extra great. Not only do I have a pretty color on the walls, but I now have a new bed frame, dresser, two nightstands, & a bookcase. And they all MATCH. I feel like such a grownup! And I also purchased a red linen cabinet I've been admiring for years. Melissa & I have it upstairs in the loft & it is holding all of our board games.

Melissa also purchased new living room furniture! We have a pretty new dark brown sofa & love seat.

Christmas was so much fun. We spent lots of time playing games with family & eating & watching the Saints game (where Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's single season passing record). My sister, Ashley, knitted the cutest slouch beanie on the planet for me. Melissa gave me Telestrations & a great La Tech hoodie, among other great things. My parents gave me some great IKEA furniture I picked out for my sewing area & a one-of-a-kind purse where the company partners with Compassion International & their proceeds are going to sponsor a child in the Leadership Development program. My sister, Jennifer, gave me a really fun trip to Natchitoches with some of the other girls in the family. Goodness, I am spoiled.

I am thankful.
I'm thankful for my family. I couldn't have picked out a better one myself.
I'm thankful for my sweet Sayid. What a gift he is.
I'm thankful for my health. (And there was a time when I was waiting on some test results that I felt almost certain I was going to hear bad news.)
I'm thankful for my job. It's not a dream job, but it's a good one, and I'm thankful to have it.
I'm thankful to drive a car that I love.
I'm thankful for my Compassion kids. Their letters can brighten my day in an instant. I feel very blessed that God has given me the privilege of being a part of their lives.
I'm thankful for pretty days like today with blue skies & gentle breezes.
I am thankful for simple pleasures, like watching my dog run full speed at the playground to catch a frisbee in his mouth.
I'm thankful for people who inspire me.
I'm thankful for a God who loves me & hears my prayers. I'm thankful that He loves me even when I'm not very lovable.
I'm thankful for good friends.
I'm thankful for text messaging, which makes it easy to keep up with my best friends, all of whom live hours away from here.
I am thankful for my friend, Heather, who has taught me & still teaches me how to sew.
I'm thankful for microwavable rice bags that Heather taught me to sew, because they sure do make my bed nice & toasty on a winter night.
I'm thankful that I like vegetables. Not everyone has a taste for them, but I LOVE them. I find them delicious, which is a good thing since they're good for me.
I'm thankful to be roommates with my sister, Melissa, who is also my good friend. We have fun.
I'm thankful the Saints are having a good year! :)
I'm thankful that I followed Dave Ramsey's advice & saved money for Christmas gifts all year long. He's a smart man, that Dave Ramsey.

I'm thankful for a safe place to live & good neighbors.

I'm thankful to see the moon & stars at night when I take Sayid out for his "last chance workout" before bed.

I'm thankful for my sister's 17 year old cat, Shaq, who has given us grief over the years, but is such a sweet, happy cat. I'm glad he's still with us & he knows he is loved.
I'm thankful. I'm blessed. Life is a gift.

So now ... looking forward to 2012. I've made some resolutions!

#1 - Write to my Compassion kids at least once per month.
This is something I started a few years ago, inspired by the actual relationship Melissa was building with her sponsored child, Jolena. Of course, they love to get the letters, but ... it has made the sponsorship experience even that much more special to me. I love Compassion. Compassion has my heart.

#2 - Learn to knit.
This was a resolution of mine a few years ago, and my friend, Angela, tried to teach me. I'm a slow learner, I suppose. No luck! I still wish I could knit scarves & beanies. But when I opened my Christmas gift from my sister, Ashley, which was the cutest slouch hat ever, I decided to make it a goal again. Ashley has been knitting less than a year & she knit the cutest slouch hat ever, so surely I can come up with a scarf, right?

#3 - Pay off my car - preferably by the end of the summer.
I love my car. It does not really pain me to write a check for it every month, because I love it so much. (And I am truly thankful to drive a car that I love!) But the sooner it is actually MINE, the better. It doesn't technically have to be paid off until January 2014, but I've been paying extra all along. So, my goal of getting it paid off by the end of the summer is an attainable goal. I may even be able to pay it off by early summer! But by the end of the year, it should be paid off for sure. No excuses.

#4 - Memorize scripture.
I memorized a lot of scripture as a child, doing Bible Drill. And I still remember a lot of it. But I'd like to memorize some more. Often, I'll come across a verse that I will really love. Well, when that happens, I think I need to write it down & memorize it. I'm not setting a specific number here, because I'm not really sure if it'll just be a few that I memorize or a lot, but I do want to memorize some more.

#5 - Take an online continuing education course.
I saw some on Tech's continuing education website that look really cool. So, at some point, I'd like to find one of interest to me & take it. I might like online learning. I might hate it. But, I will never know if I don't try it.

#6 - Make at least one new recipe a month.
I love to cook! So often, Melissa & I will wonder out loud what we should cook for supper during a week & nothing new comes to mind. Just the same old stuff. Don't get me wrong, even our "same old stuff" is pretty tasty, but we should branch out. We both like to cook. We are good cooks. So, I'll be breaking out my Rachael Ray cookbooks or exploring Pinterest & finding at least one new recipe to try each month. Who knows, it may be a something we like enough to add to the "same old" library that sticks around for years!

#7 -Read at least 10 books.
I like to read. I read several books this year, but there were two books that I especially loved - The Help by Kathryn Stockett & Working It Out by Abby Rike. They were both excellent. They were completely different types of books, but I flew through them both. I actually have a shelf on my new, fancy, grown up IKEA bookcase of books I'd like to read. Some of them were garage sale purchases & some were discounted books at bookstores & some were given to me as gifts. But, I've got a stack. Time to get cracking on them. (Although I am rereading The Help at the moment!)

#8 - Learn some new sewing skills/projects.
Heather has taught me some great stuff. My favorite things to make are sock monsters & rice bags. We started on a quilt before the busy holiday season hit, so I'm excited to finish that & maybe learn something else fun to make ... maybe a fun purse or something.

#9 - Be a better employee.
Step one - get to sleep at a decent hour every night, so I'm not excessively sleepy at work. Another thing that might help is deciding the night before what I'm going to wear the next day, so I'm not standing at my closet for several minutes in the morning trying to figure out what to wear, thus making me arrive at 7:02 instead of a few minutes before 7:00. I also need to focus more. I have good days & bad days, like anyone else, but I need to figure out some kind of plan that helps me be more productive. That is a goal. And if need be, I may make myself switch to a five day work week. Currently I'm off on Wednesdays & I LOVE it. I love Wednesday. It is the most perfect off day. But unless I see some progress, especially with how tired I am, I'll need to make some changes. It's my responsibility to be a good worker, so ... I want to do better, because I know I can. (And, I have to say, I may end up just switching to a five day work week just because an eight hour work day also has its advantages. But, if I don't see better habits out of myself making for better workdays, then the decision will have been made & I can kiss my Wednesdays goodbye.)

#10 - Drink less cokes.
Coke is my soft drink of choice. I keep a case of cokes at my desk & have an unopened one in my fridge at all times. But so often, I find myself opening a coke just because it's there. It's not that I really want a coke. Water would have been just fine. But the coke is there, so I drink it. (Water is ALSO there, but I bypass it.) Sometimes I crave a coke, like when I pick up breakfast from McDonalds on the way to work. That doesn't happen often, but McDonalds calls for a coke, for me. If I eat pizza, I want a coke. If I eat Mexican food, I want a coke. But not everything calls for a coke. So ... I need to relax a bit on my coke intake. Step AWAY from the coke & drink water. I LIKE water. I LOVE water. I just need to remember that more often!

#11 - Log 365 miles on my bike.
I love my bicycle. The average ride when I go to my parents' house & take my bike for a spin is between 3-5 miles. My personal best was 10 miles in a day. It wasn't all at once ... it was actually broken up into three separate shorter rides. But 365 miles should not be a problem. I have 365 days to get it done. I'll have to go to my parents' house to ride my bike, since that's where my bike lives, but that breaks down to 73 five mile rides. I should be able to do that. And I give myself a bonus point if I can do 500 miles in a year! But, for this year, I'm going to start at 365 miles as my goal. And thanks to a handy little iPhone app called "Map My Run", I should be able to keep track.

That's all I've got at this point. So ... wish me luck! (And if anyone actually read this far, what are YOUR New Year's Resolutions? What were YOUR highlights of 2011?)

One final thing I want to focus on for 2012 is an idea I got from reading a blog on Compassion International's website. I believe it was one of their staff members who posted it. He likes to have a word that he focuses on for the entire year, as a spiritual discipline. Examples are obedience, relationships, shine, growth, contentment, forgiveness, etc. My word will be peace. I am a worrier. It usually takes me a while to get from worrying something to death to the point of peace. So ... my focus will be peace. I know God offers it to me & I don't need to worry over things. So, this year, I want that to be at the forefront of my mind, instead of the worry I'm so prone to.

Anyone else choosing a word?

Alright, here we go. Goodbye 2011. It's been a good one. Welcome 2012. Let's make the best of it.

I sent my heart to Guatemala. And Indonesia. And The Philippines. And India. And Uganda. And ...

2011-11-18T15:59:00.001-08:00

This photo has had me on cloud nine for the past 24 hours. This is my Compassion International sponsored child, Shakthi, in India, with her mother & brother. They are holding items they purchased with a family gift I sent recently. They sent me a thank you letter to tell me what items they purchased, and they sent this photo. In the previous photos I've received of Shakthi (which have been two - via the Compassion annual updates I've received on her), she is smiling ever so slightly. But in this photo with her handsome brother & her beautiful mom, she appears to be almost laughing! Shakthi smiling to the point of suppressing a laugh = me on cloud nine.

About eight years ago, at a Jars of Clay concert, I became a Compassion International sponsor. I looked at the table full of photos of the children & with the help of my friend, Brooke, picked a smiling little boy named Juan from Guatemala to sponsor. I sponsored Juan for a couple of years, but he eventually decided he didn't want to be in the program anymore & dropped out. Then Compassion sent me another little boy from Guatemala named Rully, who was about the same age as Juan. I sponsored Rully for about five or six years until he completed the program. Over the years, I've sponsored several other Compassion kids as well. Some stayed in the program for a very short period of time (either by their families moving away from the area where the Compassion project site was, or by choosing to leave the program) & others have stayed longer (completing the program).

In the beginning, I'd get three letters a year from Juan, and then from Rully. I would write to them on rare occasions, but I always looked forward to those few letters a year I would get from them. My sister, Melissa, began sponsoring Jolena, from The Philippines, a couple of years after I began sponsoring. Melissa received letters from Jolena way more often than I received letters. She kept all the letters from Jolena in a three ring binder & was quick to reply to any letter she received. I remember being envious of all the letters Melissa got from Jolena. Way more often than not, if there was an envelope from Compassion in our mailbox that had "Message From Your Sponsored Child!" stamped across the front, it was addressed to Melissa!

Then the obvious hit me. Of course Melissa received more letters than I did. Melissa was making the effort to cultivate a relationship with this child. She was truly becoming an important person in Jolena's life by encouraging her & asking questions & answering Jolena's questions. She was sending her photographs & pictures from coloring books & a sheet of stickers every so often. I sent my check in every month & felt like I was doing what was required of me. And I was happy to do it. I've always felt like the cost of sponsoring a child is worthwhile. But it was clear to me that Melissa was making a much bigger positive impact on Jolena's life than I had ever made on Juan's or Rully's. Jolena & Melissa gave me a reality check, and I am forever grateful.

Shortly after this realization, Melissa helped me get binders organized for my own Compassion kids. She helped me get all the letters I'd received put in order & their individual photos in the front displays. And then I decided I was going to make more of an effort. My initial motivation was selfish - I wanted to get letters, too! But then I realized that as much as I love to get mail, as an adult, it would mean so much more to a child who has so little. So, regardless of how often I received letters in return, I decided to write, with my goal being to write every month for a year. I think I missed the month of December & maybe one other month during that time, but ten letters in a year was a lot more than I had done before. Ever since, I've stuck to that same goal - write once a month. I'm sure there have been a few months that I've missed, but it has become something I'm committed to. And I can see a difference.

I've read blogs posted by Compassion that emphasize how much the children love receiving letters from their sponsors. It makes them feel important & loved. It helps to break the message that poverty sends to them, which is - you don't matter. When they get a letter, they know they do matter. They know someone in another part of the world cares about them & took the time to write to them. It means something. Even as an adult, I love to get a piece of real mail in my mailbox. Not junk mail. Not bills. Not credit card companies trying to set me up with an account. But a real card or a letter from a friend. And for a child who has so little, a real letter from a real person who cares about them means so much. I've read how these children keep their letters as prized possessions - saving them all in a box or a binder. I've even heard of some of them taping letters or photos from sponsors to the walls of their houses. Melissa went on a sponsor tour to meet Jolena in The Philippines a few summers ago & Jolena brought Melissa the binder filled with all her letters & photos. This means something. These letters are treasured.

I've gotten some of the sweetest & funniest letters over the years. Fatuma described the Christmas celebration at her Compassion center a few years ago as "a powerful party". (Melissa & I still use that phrase sometimes, because we love it.) She also likes to do some math problems or write some science definitions at the top of her letters. One letter began by telling me all about cockroaches, which had me laughing out loud. She has recently addressed me as, "my best friend Lindsay Leporati". Talk about melt a person's heart. Mauricio from Peru ended a letter by saying, "I like to talk with you."

I sponsored Bellina, from Indonesia, only a few short months before her family moved away when her dad was hired for a job. It was bittersweet. I was sad that I was no longer going to be her sponsor, but glad that her family was doing well enough that she didn't need to be sponsored. The funny thing was that the three letters I got from Bellina in that span of about six months were such an encouragement to me in a time when I was really needing it. I feel blessed to have had such a sweet teenage girl in my life even for such a short amount of time. As a sponsor, I was in the role of helping her, but she helped me, I'm sure just as much as I helped her, if not more. It's funny how God works things out.

When I sit down & write the letters to my kids, or make my monthly contribution, or send them an additional gift for their birthday or Christmas or for their family to use, it feels like the most worthwhile thing I can do. What is so little to me (the cost of one tank of gas in my small car, the cost of one meal at a sit-down restaurant, an hour or two at the dining room table with a pen & paper in my hand) is so much to these children & their families. Compassion International has my heart & my respect. I intend to sponsor until I am no longer breathing.

If anyone reads this & is considering sponsoring, please do it. Ask me any questions you have. If any of my friends who are sponsors read this & want to add your own comments, please do so. If you have children of your own, this would be a great way to teach them about other cultures & well ... compassion. They can write to the sponsored child & make a new friend in another country. You can search by country, age, birth date, etc., when choosing a child to sponsor. You could find a child who has the same birthday as your child, if you wanted. And, like my sister, you could even take a sponsor tour & meet your child. I've learned (thanks to Melissa & Jolena) that the more you put into this, the more you'll get out of it. And, most importantly, the more the sponsored child will get out of it. I think they crave your friendship & encouragement more than anything. I've gotten some great friendship & encouragement in return.

I originally became a sponsor because I wanted to help someone else. But I truly feel like I'm the lucky one here. I have no idea why God has given me the privilege of being instrumental in the lives of a handful of such amazing kids, but I'm so grateful. I'm honored to be the friend of all of these young men & women. What a gift.

I'm feeling inspired.

2011-07-31T16:37:00.001-07:00

I love Etsy. Love it. I can just visit that website & read a random blog (I really like "Get the Look Decor" & "Quit Your Day Job" postings, especially), and it leaves me feeling all warm & fuzzy inside. Etsy just makes me want to make stuff. So today, I sewed three rice bags. I know that's not a lot & took minimal effort, but it felt good to make something. And then I brainstormed about things I want to learn to do. I can only think of two off the top of my head, but here they are:

1. sand & paint (or refinish, or whatever) old furniture.
I read an article on etsy today & was inspired by a lady who has painted the same old desk three times, and it is currently a happy shade of turquoise. It just looks bright & happy to me. I love bright & happy! Also, in this lady's living room, was a really fun, yellow corner tv stand. It was also bright & happy! I showed it to Melissa, because we like to brainstorm about things we can do to our house, and we decided that might be a good thing for us to have. It would open up more space in the living room, because we use very little of what's on our entertainment center shelves. So, I would love to find a cheap corner tv stand, or some other kind of desk or shelves & make my own bright, happy furniture. Red. I love red. I've admired a red storage cabinet type thing in the IKEA catalog many times. So, it just seems like something that would be fun. And my friend, Janie, has done something like that before with an old piece of furniture, so she could probably come visit one weekend & show me how to do it properly.

2. reupholster some old furniture.
I'm not talking about anything huge. Not a couch. I'd start small. I'd start with something like a cushion on an old dining room chair. (It would have to be one purchased at a garage sale or something, because that's not the kind of dining room chairs we have.) But, Hobby Lobby has some really cute upholstery fabric, so that would be a fun thing to learn & do.

I think I'm going to crack open my August issue of Real Simple pretty soon. From the cover, I see that there's a section about "mini makeovers for every room - 45 easy, affordable ideas". Sounds good to me! And I did crack it open a couple of times so far, and came across a quote I'm loving. "Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style." (Billy Baldwin) Agreed.

our sister is trying to poison us?

2010-02-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

Last night, a group of us were eating gumbo at my parents' house. I have been craving vegetables lately, so Mama & I picked up some fresh asparagus at Walmart for me to cook. Melissa was talking about how she hates canned asparagus & thinks it stinks really bad, but she loves the sauteed fresh asparagus that I cook. Then this conversation happened with our sister, Jennifer.

Jennifer - "Did yall ever have poke salad when you lived in Blanchard?"
Me - "No. We went to the festival, but we never ate it."
Jennifer - "It's SO good!"
Me - "I thought it was poisonous?"
Jennifer - "It is! I'll cook yall some!"

Hmmm... not quite sure how to take that one! We told Jennifer we'll let her take the first bite!

I will be agreeable. Tomorrow. MAYBE.

2010-02-09T14:28:00.001-08:00

Today has been a funny day. Both funny strange & funny "haha". I'm seeing the strangeness & the irritation in just about everything, but it's been cracking me up all day. Truly, it's humorous. My roommates at work have had to deal with it, for better or for worse. Because, you know, if something is funny, even if it is on the irritating side, you can't just necessarily keep it to yourself!

I love my homies. Our room gets along really well. Other coworkers have commented that we have a good room, and we tend to agree. We've got Jennifer, who keeps us laughing; Mrs. Paula, who keeps us grounded; Mrs. Mary, who keeps us sweet; and me, who keeps us young. We all truly like each other & I can't imagine three other coworkers I'd rather share a room with than them.

So ... I'm in my mood ... everything is funny, but irritating, and I'm actually on the cranky side, but laughing. It's like the mood I get in when I've been drinking a Red Bull, except I hadn't had one. Mrs. Paula, towards the end of the day, gave me a card, with some positive advice on it ... which, I found hilarious, of course! Jennifer also found it funny. Mrs. Paula had given it to her earlier in the day & she kindly & promptly returned it. Oh, and I have to say Jennifer also appeared to be having a day like mine because at one point, she said, "Paula, I'm about to throw you out that window!" Maybe that explains why she needed the card!

Jennifer had stepped out of the room when Mrs. Paula handed me this card, and this is the conversation that followed (after I stopped laughing).

Me - "Okay, maybe I'll be agreeable tomorrow!"
Mrs. Paula - "Every day is a new day! Even NOW, you can start fresh! You can follow this advice TODAY!"
Me - "No! I don't want to be! Stuff is getting on my nerves! I don't wanna agree with stupid stuff! No more door mat!"
Mrs. Paula - "Mary is agreeable & she's not a door mat!"
Mrs. Mary - "Yes I am."
Mrs. Paula - "You are?!"
Mrs. Mary - "Mmm-hmm!"

I about FELL OUT laughing! Oh man ... funny funny funny! This may not be funny to anyone but me. I don't know. But yeah. I'll be agreeable tomorrow. Unless people get on my nerves & want me to agree with foolishness! Then I'll be grouchy & cranky & hopefully amused again!

Memaw

2010-01-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

My Memaw passed away last night. Over the past couple of years, she had gotten progressively worse, suffering from dementia & Alzheimer's. It was shocking & saddening to see her go through all of this. She was confused & unable to communicate very well, and I could tell that it frustrated her. I never really knew how to pray for her towards the end, so I would pray that she'd have a peaceful day. While we're all sad & we miss her, the truth is, at least for me, I've been missing her for a while now. Memaw had gone from living an active, joyful life, to merely existing. I'm so thankful that she's no longer feeling like that. She's not confused or sad or lonely anymore. I know where she is. She's fine. She's GREAT, even. No worries.

So even though the last couple of years were difficult, I have so many wonderful memories of her. I'll remember her as the mischievous, humorous, loving person that she was. She had the happiest smile & the most genuine laugh. And she laughed a lot. I've been remembering random things about her (& some about Papaw Leporati) that I want to record, lest I forget them later. I want to be able to read them again & remember these things.

When I was a kid and my parents, sisters, & I would go to Memaw's & Papaw's house to visit, they always had ice cream. Usually some type of popsicle. We always took advantage of that stash. And always, cokes. You never went to Memaw's house without being offered a coke... repeatedly, if you refused one the first time. They had a great tree in their front yard that Melissa & I would climb in. Melissa always climbed higher than me, but she's always been more of a daredevil. Papaw would call us his "little monkeys". Papaw would sometimes walk with Melissa & me to a convenience store around the block from their house. He'd have Melissa on one side & me on the other, and he'd hold our hands while we walked. Then we'd come home with grab bags that he'd bought for us. Papaw loved licorice jelly beans. (I guess that's where I get it from!) They had an end table with a cabinet full of games. We'd sit in the floor & make a big mess, playing Monopoly & Chinese Checkers. I'm not sure we ever really knew how to play Chinese Checkers, but we had fun playing with all the marbles. While most men have their recliner, Papaw always sat on the far right side of his couch. That was Papaw's seat. He was a quiet man, an absolute gentleman. He would just sit there and smile a lot. When we'd leave their house, Memaw & Papaw would stand in the driveway & wave to us. Memaw, Melissa, & I would blow kisses to each other until our van was no longer in sight of their driveway.

When Melissa & I were little, Memaw & Papaw took the two of us on a vacation to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We walked on little mountain trails & took pictures. We went to a shoe store & they bought us each a new pair of shoes. (Mine were Pound Puppy hightops.) They bought us toys in gift shops. I think we got little bows & arrows & those little plastic snakes that would move around when you held their tails. (Hmmm ... apparently Melissa & I preferred boy's toys?!) I think we got fussed at a few times for fighting on that trip, but I'm sure we deserved it. (Memaw probably did the fussing & Papaw probably just smiled.) I remember we went to Magic Springs. Melissa & Papaw rode one of those log rides, and when they got to the bottom, Papaw's comb-over had gotten wet & appeared to be waving at Memaw & me while we waited off to the side. I used to get really homesick as a kid, so I'm sure I cried & wanted to go home to my parents during this trip, and they were patient with me.

Memaw really liked the Olive Garden. She would usually pick that restaurant when Daddy would take us all out to eat & she was given the honor of choosing. One time, about six or seven months before Papaw died, we were eating there at one of the big, round tables. Papaw accidentally spilled his tea all over the table. Memaw got all flustered and was saying, "Honey! Oh, honey!", as she cleaned up the mess. Papaw just sat there grinning. After Papaw died, we were eating there again one time. We were sitting in the back section of the restaurant at a long table. Memaw leaned over and told the person next to her, "There is a lady over there who is so RUDE! She won't quit staring at me!" We looked up and then told Memaw, "Um, Memaw ... that's YOU. That's a mirror." She laughed & laughed.

Memaw absolutely loved her cats. She had one of them, named Spooky, for a really long time - at least fifteen years. Spooky didn't really like anyone except for Memaw, but Memaw decided that we needed to all come to her house for a birthday party for Spooky. I remember this well, because a group of my college friends wanted me to do something with them that night & I told them, "I can't! I'm going to my Memaw's cat's birthday party!" They all thought I was lying & told me, "Lindsay ... SURELY you can come up with a more believable excuse than THAT. A CAT'S BIRTHDAY PARTY?!" But it was true! They still bring it up sometimes when I see them! So anyway ... we had a party for Spooky. I think Memaw may have even gotten him a party hat, but he wasn't having it. I think I remember a lot of hissing & growling coming from the guest of honor that night. In fact, I think he would have been happier if the family had NOT come over to celebrate his birthday. But hey, who could resist a piece of cake & a coke at Memaw's house?

Memaw was scared of planes & refused to fly. If any of us were flying, she would worry herself sick. Melissa's ex, Kevin, was a pilot. One day, Kevin took Daddy & Melissa flying. They flew over Memaw's house, and as they were approaching, Daddy called Memaw from his cell phone & told her to go outside in her driveway. So she went outside. He told her he was waving at her & asked if she saw him. She was looking around & saying, "No, I don't see you. Where are you?" Daddy told her, "Look up!" He told her they were in the plane flying over her house. Her response was, "BO! You come down from there RIGHT NOW!" Also, on a side note, Memaw would always accidentally refer to Kevin as "Kermit". She always would look a little embarrassed, when she realized she had called him Kermit, yet again, but she'd laugh along with the rest of us!

Also, one time, Memaw & my cousin, Josh, were shopping & they came up with a little prank of their own. They decided that they'd call Josh's parents & tell them that they had won a trip to see a taping of Jay Leno's show in Los Angeles. A plane was picking them up & flying them to Hollywood, where they'd be picked up in a limo & taken to a fancy dinner & then to a taping of Jay Leno's show. Then they'd fly them back home afterwards. The family was NOT amused. In fact, knowing Memaw's fear & absolute refusal of flying, they thought something bad had happened & they were in trouble. So my Uncle Doug went to the airport with a photo of Josh & asked workers there if they had seen him. Daddy, as an employee of the phone company, was trying to track the location of the pay phone Memaw & Josh had used to make the call. It was a big ordeal & a lot of people were worried. I think Memaw & Josh got reprimanded when they found out how worried everyone had gotten. Poor things. They just wanted to play a prank. They didn't know they'd get in trouble!

Memaw loved my dog, Sayid. We didn't get Sayid until after she was in the nursing home, but she loved him. When she couldn't remember us, sometimes, she still remembered Sayid. She would ask about him by name. We would take him to visit her on warmer, sunny days. My parents would bring her outside in her wheelchair & Sayid would be waiting to kiss her all over her face. We would all laugh & Daddy would say, "Memaw, do you want him to stop licking your face?" And she'd say, matter of factly, "No, he's okay." A few times she said, "I love Sayid." I'm glad he was able to bring some joy to her life. Melissa said it best - there's something healing about puppy kisses.

Not too long before Memaw went in the nursing home, my sister, Ashley, and her sons came to visit. Jacob must have been four at the time. I just remember we went to Cracker Barrel and after we all sat down, Jacob looked to Memaw on his left & me on his right, and said, "Oh good! I was hoping I'd sit by Memaw & Aunt Lindsay!" I bet that brightened her day ... to know that her four year old great grandson was hoping he'd get to sit by her at the restaurant.

Memaw had little tolerance for stupid drivers. When she would encounter one, she would shake her fist and yell, "BABOON!"

Back when Monroe had a minor league hockey team, the Monroe Moccasins, my dad's company had season tickets right on the ice, so we'd go to a lot of games. We would sometimes take Memaw with us & she LOVED it. She loved when they'd fight! She'd be pumping her fist & yelling, "HIT HIM!! HIT HIM!!" She wanted to see blood! When they'd get sent to the penalty box, she'd ask, "So when they're bad, they put them in that cage?" But man, she loved a good fight - and preferably right in front of our seats. She told us, "This is the only place I can go and be my true self!"

Memaw once had a neighbor who went by the nickname, Peaches. So Memaw dubbed Peaches' husband with the name Cream. She would tell us stories about Peaches & Cream. I remember one time, a few years ago, after Cream had died, she was telling us a story about them. Whatever she said, she must have felt bad, because she looked up towards the sky, brought her hands into the praying position, and said, "Sorry, Cream!"

Sometimes when things got interesting in the neighborhood, Memaw would pull out her binoculars & stand in her kitchen window, to see what she might be able to see. And when given the opportunity, she was an ambulance chaser! She had a police scanner that she liked to listen to, so she could catch up on all the local drama.

There was one story that Memaw absolutely loved & would often ask me to tell her. It was about a time that my friend, Amanda, came to pick me up to go somewhere with her. My dad had eaten literally a dozen or more cloves of roasted garlic, because he had found them in the fridge & was hungry. Amanda walked in the door, got one good whiff of the garlic smell, and said, "WHAT?! What IS THAT?! What the crap is WRONG with you people?! I'm LEAVING!" And she walked out, slammed the door, and waited in the car for me. Daddy looked an awful lot like Papaw at that moment, just standing there with a sheepish grin on his face. Memaw loved that story. She would laugh her head off every time I told it.

For a while, we lived in Shreveport. My mom has always loved going to arts & crafts shows, & there was a good one over there. So sometimes, Memaw, Aunt Sue, & Aunt Melodie would drive over from Monroe to visit us & go to the craft show. We would usually eat lunch at Western Sizzlin. The group that came from Monroe really loved the big rolls there and I distinctly remember our whole table, cracking up laughing, as Memaw & my aunts wrapped up rolls in paper towels & shoved them into their purses for later.

My dad had a heart attack in the spring of 1998. I wasn't there for this, but I've heard the story, and any time it was retold, Memaw would laugh & shake her head & say, "I don't know why I said that!" The story goes like this. Daddy was being treated, and the family was gathering at the hospital, along with some friends. One friend of our family asked about Uncle Doug & Memaw told her that Uncle Doug worked at the hospital. The friend asked, "What does he do?" Memaw said, in all seriousness, "He's a brain surgeon." He is not a brain surgeon. He works on the computer systems at the hospital, but Memaw decided that day that Uncle Doug was a brain surgeon! She also told our pastor, about my dad & Uncle Doug, "They're both alcoholics." She meant WORKAHOLICS, but ... that day, they were alcoholics, according to Memaw!

As I said before, Memaw was a lover of cats. A stray would come to her house & she'd feed it, which of course would result in all of the other strays adopting Memaw. She bought them kitty condos that she lined up under her carport. In fact, I think she even pitched a small tent for them in the winter. She gave them all names. I remember there was one named Star. And there was one named Pretty Girl. But, once Memaw discovered Pretty Girl was actually a boy, she just added an addendum to his name. That cat was called, from then on, Pretty Girl Who's A Boy.

My cousin, Joseph, used to play football & one time he got hurt in a game. Joseph said when he opened his eyes, the first two faces he saw were Memaw's & Uncle Doug's. Memaw was fired up & ready to yell at the kid who had hurt Joseph! Joseph said that he hopes someone kept her away from the kid ... and he doesn't think she could find him. She was ready to defend her grandson!

Memaw loved flowers & her yard, especially her back yard, was beautiful. I hope I'm getting the details right on this story. Memaw & Aunt Sue had gone on a trip & Memaw saw some flowers on the side of the road that she loved. She wanted to dig them up & replant them in her yard. So they pulled over & were digging up the flowers. Someone came to stop them & Memaw told that person, "These flowers are for my son-in-law. He is confined to a wheelchair & flowers are his only source of joy!" So, as Aunt Sue stood there shocked at the lie Memaw had just told, as Uncle Don is NOT confined to a wheelchair & those flowers were actually being dug for herself, the person must have bought her story, because he let her keep digging!

I may remember some more things to add later. But, those are some good memories I have. Even writing this, I've had to laugh a few times. She was an amazing lady. She instilled a love of family in us. In fact, most of the family was together at Olive Garden, celebrating my dad's retirement when we received word that she had died. Everyone who could be there was there. I kind of hope God gave her a quick glimpse ... just so she could see us all together, laughing & having a good time, at one of her favorite restaurants. She is one of the main ones we have to thank for that. She would gather us together often, and it's something we all enjoy doing. It's a tradition passed down from her.

I'm so grateful to have had 29 years with Memaw in my life. She remains loved & she will not be forgotten.

The Lindsay/Rachael Project - Recipe #1

2010-01-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

My sister, Melissa, gave me two gifts for Christmas that sent a message.

I love cooking. I love Rachael Ray. I loved the movie Julie & Julia. In fact, I could relate a lot with Julie. I don't think I'm quite as psychotic, though. And not quite as snippy. And I don't think I speak with people in my kitchen who aren't there. I talk to Sayid sometimes & he doesn't talk back, of course, since he's a dog. But I do not talk to imaginary beings. Oh, and I also don't have the cute, sweet, endearing husband. BUT - I can relate to Julie's love of cooking. And I can relate to how she feels in her job & how cooking at the end of the day could just make her feel better.

So, my sister/roommate bought me Julie & Julia for Christmas. (Thanks, Mars!) And she bought me a Rachael Ray cookbook - one with 365 recipes, to be exact. I love her 30 minute meals. For me, when I'm cooking one of her soups/stoups, it usually takes me an hour or longer. But they're worth it!

In the movie, Julie & Julia, Julie cooks through Julia Child's cookbook in a year. That cookbook was 524 recipes. This one is a mere 365. That's just one a day. BUT ... clearly, I don't have the money to cook a different meal from this cookbook every day. Nor do I want to blow up like my Aunt Roberta. But I do want to try lots of them! I saw one that involved canned sardines, and it's safe to say I'll never try that one. I've already made the Black Bean Stoup. LOVE it. I discovered it a couple of years ago & have made it several times. In fact, there are two bags of it in my freezer.

On the way to the grocery store the other day, Melissa was driving & I was looking through my cookbook. I found a recipe & the prettiest picture of brussels sprouts. I'd never had brussels sprouts, but I figured I'd try them. The only vegetable I've met that I really don't like is english peas, so I figured I should give brussels sprouts a shot. They've gotten a bad rap from my sister, Ashley. She had a traumatic brussels sprouts experience as a child. (Much like my earliest memory being of a plate of smashed up english peas when I was two years old.) But hey - brussels sprouts never hurt me! They'd never even had the chance. So I figured it was time to be brave. Plus, the ingredients in this recipe were so diverse, it grabbed my interest. It had bacon (I used turkey bacon), onions (I love a good yellow onion), dried cranberries (hmmm, that's fun!), chicken broth, & the brussels sprouts. I prefer fresh to frozen any day, so I got fresh brussels sprouts from the produce section.

Here they are cooking -

Beautiful! Okay, I have to admit, I ended up burning the bacon after this photo was taken. So when it came time to actual eat these brussels sprouts, they weren't quite as pretty. But if you ate around the burned bacon, they were pretty good! So, on a scale of one to ten, I'd give these a strong 7. I liked them. I didn't love them. But I do want to cook & eat them again. Soon.

Which recipe should I try next?

Observations from the VMAs

2009-09-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was reminded why I prefer talk radio to what poses as music these days. I'll take Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, & Dave Ramsey any day over the majority of what cluttered the VMAs tonight.

I didn't watch the whole thing, thank goodness. I mean, a girl can only take so much. I noticed several friends on facebook were commenting on Kanye West being an absolute jerk to Taylor Swift. I like Taylor Swift, so I was curious about what had happened. I found out, then watched the video on YouTube, and then tuned in for a while. (So if it was a publicity stunt to get people to tune in, it worked on me, but rather than enjoy the show, it was more like a train wreck.)

Taylor Swift (a classy, talented young lady who actually is a good role model for kids) won the award for Best Female Video. As she was accepting the award & saying her thank yous, Kanye West (a hip hop THUG) came onto the stage, took Taylor's mic away, and told her he was happy for her & would let her finish, "but BEYONCE had one of the greatest videos of all time! ... of ALL TIME!!" (Thank you for your insights, Kanye. We were all waiting on the edge of our seats until we knew exactly what you thought.) Kanye hands the mic back to Taylor, who is standing there looking surprised & embarassed & like she really didn't know what to do. It appeared she attempted to wrap up her thank yous, but her audio had been cut. So... thanks, Kanye. It truly is all about YOU.

Lady Gaga. First of all, she looks like a tranny. Secondly, I would think that if your music was good enough that it could speak for itself, you wouldn't have to wear weird masks & wigs as big as a trampoline & big fuzzy wreaths to frame your overly made-up face & whatnot. But I'm not really a fan, so what do I know. Personally, I can't say that I've heard a new artist who needed to win an award lately, and I'm pretty convinced that the shock value of her appearance has brought more attention than any actual talent. Nevertheless, she won "Best New Artist". She took the stage with a red mask completely covering her face, and some contraption piled high onto her head. Mid-speech, she took the contraption & mask off. I guess it was getting in her way. Imagine that. Then she finished her speech by saying, "This is for God & the GAYS!" Um... okay.

Perez Hilton. Did he lose a bet? Was he in a contest with Lady Gaga on who could look like the biggest moron of the night? Did my eyes deceive me or was he wearing a floral grandma blazer (with his hairy chest exposed) & a hot pink knee length skirt? Really? And I'm pretty sure my eyes didn't deceive me, because Melissa & I rewound & paused it & stood there in shock. Can someone please tell him that he's a BOY?

Pink. I like several of Pink's songs. Her performance was pretty cool tonight. But did she really need to have one breast completely exposed, with a pink heart covering her nipple? Really?

It was announced that some guy named T.I. won the award for Best Male Video. Then they immediately explained that, of course, T.I. couldn't be there tonight, but he'll be going home soon.... ATL represent! ATL represent! So I told Melissa, "I bet he's in jail!" I looked him up on wikipedia & sure enough, T.I., upstanding citizen that he is, is in jail for a year on a weapons charge.

Also, I learned tonight that Michael Moore is coming out with another propaganda film! I'd not heard of this until I was tuned into the VMAs on MTV ... so he can push his socialist ideas onto the impressionable youth of America. Why doesn't he just move to Cuba & get it over with. I prefer freedom. And also capitalism, as evil as he may think it is.

I must say that towards the end of the show, Beyonce (much to Kanye's enjoyment, I'm sure), won Best Video. (I can't say I see what all the hoopla is about with that video, but whatever.) Beyonce invited Taylor Swift onto the stage to have her moment. So Taylor came back & said, "Shall we try this again?" (YES!) Then she went on to thank a few people. I thought that showed a ton of class on Beyonce's part.

But yeah. Wow. That was something to see. It was quite the train wreck - the whole thing. Wow. If I were an artist & were asked to perform or attend the VMAs, I'd probably tell them thanks, but no thanks. I could find better things to do. Like ... clip my toenails. Or dumpster dive. Or clean a toilet.

Thoughts on Sarah Palin's Resignation

2009-07-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

I was out shopping yesterday & I got a mobile Facebook update on my cell phone. My friend, Renate, had written on my wall, "What's up with Sarah Palin?" I didn't know what she was talking about, but I knew one way I might find out. I went to my People Magazine application & sure enough, there was a news article - Sarah Palin Resigns As Alaska Governor.

I was surprised & curious & kind of sad. Since being introduced to Sarah Palin, along with the rest of the lower 48 last August, I have come to respect her a great deal. I respect & agree with the things she stands for, and I love that she will stand up for herself & her family. I find it to be refreshing. Being a conservative, she is despised by the far left & the majority of the media, but she is true to who she is, and she's transparent. I like that. (I'm sure Keith Olbermann is foaming at the mouth, waiting to rip this story & Governor Palin herself into shreds. He's comical.)

Governor Palin never struck me as the quitting type. She seems to be one who will persevere rather than throw in the towel. So to get the whole story, I read the speech she gave when she announced her resignation, and I think it makes a lot of sense. (To read the speech for yourself - click here.) Of course, the media is going to focus on the resignation itself and ignore the reasons behind it. But her reasons show that she is more concerned about her state of Alaska than she is about her title.

She explained that she & her staff are having to spend the majority of their days defending against these countless (now dismissed) ethics claims that were filed against her. She & her husband, Todd, have accumulated over half a million dollars in legal fees, just to set the record straight & defend themselves. The work in Alaska that she should be doing is not getting done as effectively as it should, due to all these distractions. She could easily stay in the job for the remainder of her term and just do what a lot of others would do ... collect the paycheck, travel the country, etc. But, she is choosing to do the right thing. She's stepping aside so the work can get done. She doesn't want the time & money of Alaskans wasted, so she's stepping aside. I think that's a very honorable & selfless thing to do. She demonstrates a level of class that is rarely seen in politicians. (Let's compare & contrast Sarah Palin with Nancy Pelosi, for example.) I think Sarah Palin should hold her head high & keep moving forward.

I don't think we're finished hearing from her yet. I hope we're not. She's a true conservative & there aren't many of those left. I'm anxiously awaiting what's next for her, and she'll have my support & continue to have my respect.

The Smaller The Town, The Fewer The Boundaries

2009-06-30T18:43:00.001-07:00

There's a reason I watch Fox News. Local news is just so special. It's good for some comic relief, but it makes me think, "Where do they find these people?!"

Last night, Melissa & I were at our friend, Wally's, house. Again I stress that if we had been at our house, the tv would have been broadcasting the second showing of The O'Reilly Factor. But, at Wally's house, it was the local news. And if nothing else, it was good for some comic relief!

A local community is having problems with their water system. The water is basically the color of a pitcher of Luzianne tea. I understand their reasons for being disgusted by it. I really do. But they sure did display some colorful characters for this segment.

Let me say that I think cities & small towns both have their pros & cons, but I think one of the problems with small towns is that everyone is so caught up in everyone else's business, that there are literally no boundaries. I, along with most people I know, am of the mind that there are some things you just don't talk about with strangers, and you especially don't broadcast to the entire ArkLaMiss region.

So, to set the scene, imagine a big, hot Louisiana field. There were probably about two dozen residents gathered around, all holding jugs, pitchers, glasses, or bowls of brown water. The voice-over said something to the effect of, "Some residents in this Louisiana town will go three to four days without showering, because the water is so filthy." (Okay ... gross. TMI alert #1.)

Here are a few of the characters we met last night.

One lady held a milk jug full of the brown water & sang a song about how she took a shower, but didn't come out clean. (Really ... don't do that. And especially not on tv.)

One man said, "We've been tellin' 'em for years to fix the problem, and all we get is that they're workin' on it! Well, we've lived here FOUR YEARS, and they're STILL workin' on it!"

Then what appeared to be a mother & daughter duo showed up. The daughter looked to be in her early twenties & mom looked to be in her forties. Daughter was holding up a rather large pair of formerly white granny panties, that were now brownish. She exclaimed, "They look like they've been thrown out & reused!" (Oh no! Oh no! MASSIVE GRANNY PANTIES! Noooo! On tv?!!?! What is she DOING?!)

Then mom, pitcher of brown water in hand, informed us, "I went to the doctor & he said this is why I keep diarrhea for so long! It's NASTY! It's NASTY!" (Uh ... YEAH, it's NASTY! Why is she TELLING US THIS?!!?!)

To wrap up the segment, we went back to the first man, who said they'd been working on the problem for years.

Local Reporter - "How does this make you feel?"

Local Man - "PEEEEE OOOOOOH'd!"

Oh no. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Thoughts on Miss California, Carrie Prejean

2009-04-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

Women everywhere should be standing up & applauding Carrie Prejean. If some of these women would stop hating her for two minutes & think about it, they would thank her. She just pushed the envelope & did something pageant girls are apparently not expected to do. She gave her true opinion on something. Instead of worrying over being politically correct & giving the typical "world peace" answer, she answered a question based on her values & principles. People were shocked. Some were shocked because of her answer, due to their disagreement with her views, but others were shocked because she was genuine. That is refreshing.

If pageant girls want to continue to be seen as mindless puppets ... basically empty, but beautiful, shells with attractive bodies & pretty smiles, then have at it. Continue on. But if they want to be seen as someone people will be able to respect, they'd be smart to follow in Carrie Prejean's footsteps. A pageant girl with a brain. Imagine that. Who knew?! A 21 year old young lady who was put on the spot over a very controversial issue and who chose to stick to her principles, even if it cost her the crown ... the very thing they were all striving to win. That is incredibly admirable.

I've read an article about what some of the other pageant contestants had to say about Carrie's response to the question about gay marriage.

Miss Connecticut, Monica Mary Pietzrak, told Fox News, "In general, when you're answering a question like that, you have to be politically correct about it. I would've answered differently to help accommodate all beliefs."

Well, I guess that's where Miss Connecticut & Miss California differ. Miss California was asked what she believed, so she told what she believed. She was genuine. She was not concerned with what the audience would prefer to hear. She was asked her opinion, so she gave her opinion. She chipped away a little at the "fake" persona that comes with pageant girls. Miss Connecticut seems to have just confirmed that they're supposed to use the popular opinion, whether that is their true opinion or not. Say what people want to hear. Don't really answer the question honestly.

Miss Massachusetts, Alison Cronin, said, "Had she gone the other way with the question, she might have won. I'm surprised that she would say it, knowing the demographic that she was speaking to." She added, "She would've made herself look more like an idiot if she had changed her mind. You got to be able to back up your opinion & not be wishy-washy. Good for her for standing by it."

Again, she was supposed to say that she agreed with gay marriage! Darn her! If she had been fake, she may have won! And, I don't think she made herself look like an idiot at all. I think she made herself look genuine. Maybe the pageant scene isn't really for Carrie Prejean, afterall. I think she's a cut above it. She has a little too much in the guts department. A little too much integrity & authenticity to be in that industry.

Several of the pageant girls interviewed said they disagreed with Carrie's stance on gay marriage, and it appears many would have answered differently regardless of their true beliefs, but they did admire her decision not to compromise her beliefs.

Miss California may have lost the Miss USA title, but she has won a lot of hearts. She has garnered a lot of respect from a lot of people. She certainly has my respect. She's a class act, and California should be proud.

Mom Of The YEAR!

2009-03-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

**Warning! This blog contains rather graphic (though not as graphic as I could have made it) content regarding a sick dog. Do not read further if you have a weak stomach!**

You know that wonderful feeling when you walk into your house after a long day at work, and you're instantly hit with the smell of food that's been cooking all day in the crock pot? Your mouth immediately starts to water & you just can't wait to fix yourself a plate? Ah, I love that feeling. Melissa & I like to cook in the crock pot, but we haven't done it in forever. Until last Wednesday.

I had sauteed some chicken & purple onion with some honey teriyaki sauce Monday night. Melissa loved it. I thought it was okay, but I gave her most of mine in favor of a bowl of Honey Comb. I just wasn't a huge fan of it. Melissa loved it so much that she proclaimed, "We should have this again soon!" I told her I wasn't really wanting to have it soon, because I was already tired of it. But one of these days.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning. Melissa sent me a text that said, "I'm going to make supper for us tomorrow in the crock pot! I stopped at Walmart on the way to work & picked up what we need!" I asked her, "What is it?!" She said, "It's a surprise!" That was her way of NOT telling me that it was the exact same thing I had sauteed the night before & didn't want to eat again any time soon! But, this time it would be cooked in the crock pot, all day.

Boxers tend to drool a lot. Sayid is no exception! If he sees or smells food, he immediately starts drooling. Some of our friends think it's gross, but Melissa & I think it's cute/funny! I guess we're biased. So, when we were talking about the crock pot supper, I told Melissa, "Poor Sayid. He is going to drool ALL DAY. He's going to be SWIMMING in his crate when I get home!"

Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon. I walked in the door and smelled the crock pot food immediately. Since I was hoping for a gravy smell & I was greeted with overly sweet teriyaki scent instead, it wasn't that appealing to me. As soon as I looked at Sayid's crate, I was absolutely shocked/scared/disgusted. He was swimming, sure enough. He had thrown up in his crate SEVERAL times. From the amount I cleaned up, I'm guessing he threw up four times in there. And he also pooped in there. He NEVER messes up his crate anymore, and if he does, it's NOT with poop! I was really worried, not knowing why he was so sick. As soon as I opened his crate door, he came running out as fast as he could. And you can't really blame him. He had been standing in that mess all day long. Poor boy. So I grabbed his collar & put his leash on him, and took him out the front door. We walked to the back yard where he peed, and then he threw up really big. Then he had diarrhea. So I took him inside & got him a bowl of water, which he drank down in about ten seconds. I called Melissa & told her what was going on, and we decided I should call the vet & see what we should do.

I called the vet & the receptionist answered. They know Sayid pretty well. He's such a sweet boy & he's been in there pretty often for different things. So I told the receptionist who I was & that Sayid had messed up his crate pretty badly & whatnot. She told me the veterinarian was out on calls & wouldn't be back until the next morning. She advised me to pick up his food & water & don't allow him to have anything else all day. She said I should keep an eye on him & if I saw blood in his ... sickness ... or if he was still throwing up by the next morning, I should bring him in. So as we were about to hang up, I said, "Well, let me tell you this right quick. I have no idea if this would cause him to get sick, but we've been cooking in the crock pot all day. When Sayid sees or smells food, he drools REALLY bad. In fact, I told Melissa that he would probably be drooling all day long, having to smell that food! Would that be any reason for him to get sick like this?" She told me, "That may very well be it. The hypersalivation makes them have to swallow a lot, and if they're swallowing too much, it can mess with their stomach acid & make them sick. So that may be exactly what's going on." I thanked her & hung up. Then I immediately unplugged the crock pot (which had been on for nine hours) & opened the windows in the house, so that poor boy could get some fresh air.

In the meantime, he threw up the water he drank on the living room rug & on my bedroom floor. He looked so sad & ashamed. He kept coming up & leaning against my leg while I would pet him & tell him how sorry I was that he got sick. Then came time to clean out the crate. I was literally praying that I wouldn't get sick in the process of cleaning it. It was unbelievably nasty. But, fortunately, once I got started, it wasn't that bad to clean it up. God answered my prayer! Sayid kept walking up and giving me some puppy love while I cleaned out his house. Once I took the divider out of his crate & vacuumed up all the dog hair in the back of his crate, he was barking enthusiastically at the vacuum cleaner, like he always does. His little tail was wagging and he seemed happy, but just less energetic than usual.

Melissa & I have decided that next time we want to cook in the crock pot, we can just get it all together at our house, and then walk it across the street to Cheryl & Cory's house & plug it in over there. Then we'll go pick it up when we get home from work. That way our poor dog won't get sick again from simply smelling food all day. We felt horrible that he got so sick from that. Oh, and the stuff Melissa made wasn't even that good. (She thinks so too!) We were horrible moms for making that boy sick all day long. But I am MOM OF THE YEAR for cleaning out that nasty crate. I even took a picture to show Melissa how awesome of a mom I am. No worries though. The photo has been deleted. I won't do that to any of you.

But be warned! If you have a drooler of a dog & he stays inside all day, you may want to avoid cooking in the crock pot. Find a kind neighbor who will let you borrow their electricity for a day!

Um. I plead NOT guilty!

2009-03-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of my birthday presents are every twelve year old boy's dream. I got a basketball goal from my parents, a basketball from my dog (courtesy of my sister), & Rock Band from Janie! I also got Blokus, which is a great game that someone got my eight year old nephew for Christmas. But I also got some very good smelling lotion from Victoria's Secret, and I don't know any twelve year old boy who would want that!

So yesterday afternoon, Melissa, Janie, Sayid, & I played basketball in the driveway for about an hour. It was FUN! (And I hope we do it again when Melissa gets home from work in a little while!) The neighborhood kids rode back & forth on their bikes as we played basketball, just doing their own thing.

I got home from work a few minutes ago & walked from my car to the mailbox. Neighborhood kids were riding past on their bikes. Then one little girl, who looks about nine or ten, yelled to another one, and then just rode back & forth in front of my house as they had their conversation.

Blonde Girl - "Hey Rachel!"

Rachel - "WHAT?!!?!!"

Blonde Girl - "Have you seen my basketball?"

Rachel - "No."

Blonde Girl - "Well ... it was in their driveway."

Me - "My driveway?"

Blonde Girl - "Yeah."

Me - "Oh... I haven't seen it. What does yours look like? Just a regular basketball?"

Blonde Girl - "Yeah."

Me - "Oh ... well, sorry, I haven't seen it. The only one I've seen is my basketball that I got for my birthday."

Blonde Girl - "Well, I haven't seen mine in about six weeks. When did you get yours?"

Me - "Uh... Thursday?"

Blonde Girl - "What did it come in?"

Me - "Um... a gift bag?"

What the crap!? I wanted to tell her I didn't steal her dang basketball! I don't go around stealing from children! I just called & told my sister this story & she was annoyed. Her responses cracked me up. She said, "I wish these kids would realize that we are not their age! I mean, really, they don't need to stop by & hang out!" And she said, "You got interrogated by a nine year old!" I said, "I know! If I had known that I needed to prepare my court proceedings, I would have asked her why did she leave her basketball in my driveway! Why didn't she come & get it?!" Melissa said, "You should have said, 'Do you make a habit of leaving your crap everywhere you go?'" HA!! So yeah, I have a neighborhood nine year old who thinks I stole her ball. I may have the toys of a 12 year old boy, but I'm not one!

Predatory Lending & Trickery

2009-02-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm so sick of the whining from people who think it's not fair that people are loaned money for a home they can't afford. Here's my thing. A few years ago, I was interested in buying a house. In fact, I came very close to buying a house. I was approved for the loan to buy this house. But then I found out how much my house note would be ... with PMI & all that junk included. Could I have done it? Yeah. Would I have been eating a lot of Ramen noodles? Yep! So I used the brain that I've been given & thought to myself, "Self ... would you like to spend so much money on your house note that you're stuck eating Ramen noodles all the time?" The answer was no. So I decided to turn down the loan & the house afterall. Thanks but no thanks. Why is that so hard? It's okay to decline. But apparently, with the mindset of a lot of people who consider themselves victims, the bank TRICKED THEM into this loan. I say read the fine print & know what you're getting yourself into, and then make a wise decision. Where's the personal responsibility? Now, for the people losing their jobs due to layoffs & whatnot, because of the current economy ... I hope those people are able to stay in their homes a little longer & work something out. But the people who are simply taking loans they KNOW they can't afford, just because ... well, the bank SAID they could ... I have very little sympathy.

Oh yeah ... Bathroom... AFTER!

2009-02-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

I went the lazy route & just posted my "after" pictures on facebook. But here you go ... for those of you who aren't on facebook & have been sitting on the edge of your seat for the past four weeks, unable to sleep at night, just waiting & waiting & waiting to see the finished bathroom ...

Oh, and I still don't know how to place pictures anywhere but at the top of my post.

Bathroom - BEFORE!

2009-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

Janie is here this weekend & we are going to spiff up my bathroom. I am excited! I took everything - well, most things - out of there, so we're ready to get going on it. Janie is currently making our shopping list. It's gonna look good. The only problem is the ugly floors & the ugly pink counter top. Also, Janie is going to help me with my clutter problem. As you can see from the photos above, I don't have very much space to work with in my bathroom. So my sink is often covered in various things ... toothpaste tube, deodorant, perfume bottle, hairdryer, straightener, hair clips & barrettes, tweezers (which could stand to be used right now!), etc. But Janie wants to help me with that. It's part of my Christmas gift. And it does not offend me! I know I need help! So, I'm gonna attach a couple of "before" shots, then I hope Janie & I go eat somewhere & run to Home Depot. "After" shots coming soon! Wish us luck!

P.S. I would love it if someone could tell me how to post pictures other than at the very TOP of my blogs. (And I still hate the word "blog".)

$850 vs. $16,000

2009-01-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ever since Christmas, I've been driving my parents' vehicles. They're so good to me. Plastikia gave me shaken baby syndrome on Christmas Eve on my way home from work, and I haven't driven her much since. I've been seriously contemplating & leaning towards buying a new car. Until today. Now I've decided to pay the $850 to have Plastikia repaired. Daddy took her to a mechanic today & he determined several things that needed to be done, but said that he thinks I could get another couple of years out of my car if we take care of those problems. So, I've transferred $900 from savings to checking, so I can have Plastikia fixed & then save save save for quite a while. I want to have a hefty chunk of a downpayment so I actually can get a car I'll like.

Daddy & I looked around at used car lots a bit. I want a car with good gas mileage. I don't care about being green, like your average liberal tree hugger. I just want good gas mileage, because I like to save my green & spend it on things I enjoy. So... great gas mileage is high on my priority list. I also like smaller cars. I don't need a big car. I found what I want. I would love to get a Toyota Yaris. In fact, nothing else is appealing to me much. But... they're about $15,000-$16,000. And technically, I could get one brand new. But then all of my money, every month, would be spoken for. I like doing fun things sometimes. You know ... eating sushi, or going to a movie, or going on a roadtrip, or scrapbooking. These things require money. So if I bought myself a Toyota Yaris right now, I'd sit at home a lot & think to myself, "Gee, I'm bored. But at least my car is cute!" Yeah, I've decided I'd rather putter around town in Plastikia for a while longer while I save to where I can afford a Yaris (or whatever else I prefer at the time) and still occasionally do things I will enjoy. Will I have a car note? Uh.... yes. Unless I win the lottery, which is highly unlikely! But my car note will be noticably smaller if I save for a while.

So... Plastikia will be heading to the mechanic in a few days & I will squeeze as much juice out of her as I can for a while. Tonight Melissa is going to show me how to open an additional savings account within my savings account. I will name it "car" & watch it grow.

Just Like ALL Women

2008-12-29T16:43:00.000-08:00

I hate returning phonecalls at work, but I'm a nice person (sometimes), so I'm returning calls for two of my coworkers while they're out on vacation for the holidays. Today I had to return a call to one of Mrs. Cindy's clients. Before I called him, I could tell from the notes the call center had made that he was not happy. He kept me on the phone for just over thirty minutes (no kidding), ranting & raving. I was nice to him, so by the end of the conversation, I was pretty sure he didn't hate me. He was just upset with the court ruling. So... he was ranting & raving about his ex-wife. I can't remember what he was talking about, but this part of the conversation was funny to me.

Client - "... so that's what she did... just like ALL women do .... "

** I started laughing kind of quietly, & he obviously heard me & caught himself. **

Client - "Uh... I mean... I didn't mean ALL women... uh... "

Me - "Mmm-hmmm! Remember who you're talking to!"

Client - "I... I uh... I meant like some women!"

So then we both laughed for a few seconds & his rant continued. After around the 32 minute mark, and after I had explained why the judge had made his decision on his case for the 7th or 8th time, and after an endless supply of "uh-huh... yes sir.... right.... yes sir...." on my end, he finally took a breath, & I was able to say, "Sir... I really have to go & get back to work on all these cases now." He understood, but requested a call from the supervisor over the case when she returns from the holidays. That supervisor tends to be quicker to end a pointless conversation than I am, so... she might hold him to ten minutes. I wish her luck!

Deer Hunting

2008-12-12T20:17:00.000-08:00

Sayid does not appreciate the Christmas light reindeer that some people put in their yards around this time of year. It cracks Melissa & me up. Sayid loves to go on car rides, so when we can take him somewhere with us, we usually do. He will happily stand in the back seat, with his face out the window. We pass the Griswold's house & get no reaction. But we stop at a red light, next to a house with a reindeer, and Sayid works himself into a barking frenzy. In fact, even after we've gotten the green light & are well down the road, he is glued to the back window, barking & whining. It's just something about those deer.

A few minutes ago, I took Sayid out to use the bathroom one last time before going to bed for the night. Rather than take him out back, which is our usual routine, I took him to the front yard. Melissa was asleep already, and you get to the back yard by going through her bedroom. I was being a courteous sister/roommate. So I slid Melissa's slippers onto my feet, put Sayid's leash on him, and we walked into the front yard.

I was prepared for a calm bathroom experience. You know... the typical walk in a few circles... sniff... squat & pee... and then go inside. And Sayid is not a six pound wimp. This boy is 50 pounds (so far!) of muscle. Before I could even get the front door shut, he was growling & barking & jerking me across the yard. My feet (in Melissa's slippers) slid through the mud as I tried to catch my balance & get control of my dog. So once that was accomplished and I was feeling the wet, cold, mud soak through the bottom of Melissa's slippers, I looked up & wouldn't you know ... Mrs. Dinah has added two of those offensive reindeer to her front yard. She must have done that tonight! Once I had him on a short leash, he did his business... while growling softly & looking over his shoulder at the reindeer the whole time.

We might have to lower the blinds in the dining room. Out of sight, out of mind. Otherwise, I have a feeling Sayid will be glued to that window until New Years... barking & whining at those two reindeer who dared to come onto his street! The nerve!

Something Funny & Something Irritating

2008-11-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

Melissa & I went to Walmart tonight to buy six things, because we're broke, but a few things were necessary - laundry detergent, toilet paper, milk, Puffs w/ lotion, lemonade, & creamer. I love how creamer is a necessity. I don't even drink coffee to use creamer, but I sure am a nice sister/roommate to pay for half of it every time! Anyway... as Melissa & I were walking down the laundry detergent aisle, and people were passing us, I decided to say something kind of embarassing. Not personally. Just something funny that you don't hear people say every day. I said to my sister, "SO... now toilet paper. And what goes with toilet papeeeeerrrr... MAGAZINES!!!" OH, I crack myself up sometimes. (I stole that line from a comedian, but it still makes me laugh.)

As we were leaving The Walmarts, I told Melissa, "I'm going to Taco Bell to get something to eat." She said, "NOT Taco Bell! Get something else! Get Chick-fil-A or CANES!" I said, "Canes is expensive & Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays! I can't get Taco Bell during the work week anymore, so I want that! We can go somewhere else for you if you want, though." Oh, and then we proceeded to be flipped off by a guy who ran a stop sign. HE ran it! I didn't! I merely pointed at the stop sign as he flew by. So his buddy in the passenger seat flipped me off! What the heck?! So anyway... on to Taco Bell we went. In the line, Melissa decided that she better get something, because when she smelled my food, she'd want some. So, she did the usual. She ordered a chicken meximelt with no pico. Well, I ordered a chicken meximelt, too, but I like the pico! The pico makes the meximelt complete. The pico is the essence of the meximelt. So I placed my order - "One crunchy taco, one chicken meximelt, & then one more chicken meximelt with no pico. On one meximelt I do want pico, and on the other meximelt, I don't." So she clarified - "One meximelt, all the way. One with no pico." I said, "Yes." As we were driving up to pay, I told Melissa, "You watch. You ruined it. They will both be with NO pico! It happens EVERY time." Melissa said, "It shouldn't! It's not MY fault!" I told her, "You throw them off!" She DOES! So we got home. Sure enough. Two tortillas with cheese & chicken inside. No pico. No essence. Just chicken & cheese. Such a disappointment. I should refuse to let her order meximelts with me!

Girly/Sick Day

2008-11-29T18:46:00.001-08:00

I'm sick. I'm thankful for Puffs with Lotion. (They are far superior to Kleenex. Trust me.) I am starting to get a little bit of cabin fever. Monday night, I could feel the sinus junk coming on. Well, wouldn't you know it was mild enough that I had no problems going to work on Tuesday & Wednesday. But Thanksgiving Day, it started getting worse. Yesterday was pretty miserable. Today was pretty miserable, but slightly better than yesterday. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. And, while I appreciate a good sick day every now & then, I'd prefer to feel good & go to work on Monday.

Yesterday, Melissa & I cleaned our house. Nothing else pressing was going on. So I went to bed last night around 11:00. Twelve hours & two Benadryls later, I woke up & decided to spend the day finishing the Karen Kingsbury book that I started yesterday. That may be the quickest I've read a novel - two days. And, being a Karen Kingsbury book, of course it had a little bit of tear-jerkiness in it. As if I didn't have enough snot going on already, I had to add crying to it for a good ten minutes or so, in the saddest part of the book.

So then I put in a DVD - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Melissa somewhat makes fun of me for liking that movie, but... it's GOOD! It's a great chick flick. It did leave me a little bummed out... thinking about how my four closest girl friends now live between 3 - 7 hours away. Janie is in Lafayette, Jody is in Dulac, Amanda is in Arkansas, & Christy is in Texas. I miss those girls!

So... what to do now? Another movie? Start another book? I mean, I've only been awake ten hours, so I'm not exactly sleepy yet. I need some cabin fever suggestions.

Tomorrow I have to wash clothes & write to my Compassion kids & do some bank account maintenance. But I don't really want to do anything responsible at the moment.

Maybe I'll just sit here & listen to iTunes.

Gertie Needs A SPANKING!

2008-11-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, the joys of my job. Today I was reminded why it does not hurt my feelings that I don't have any children. Sayid & Opie are enough for me!

Today was an appointment day for me, so I called a client back for her appointment. She had her child with her. Let's call them "Ms. Smith" & "Gertie", respectively. (Names have been changed.) Gertie was roughly 18 months old. Ms. Smith slowly strolled into the interview room, as Gertie darted down the hall a little ways, but fortunately, was directed into the right room. Before the interview started, Gertie escaped and started running down the hall. Ms. Smith stayed seated. Well... we can't just have random children roaming the halls of our office, so I got up to herd Gertie back into the room. She ran away from me & took off in the other direction! Ms. Smith yelled from her chair, "You might have to just grab her by the hand." (Thanks. That's real helpful!) So rather than risk Gert slapping my hand away, I just went for the sure thing. I picked her up & carried her to her mother, and then shut the door for the interview. I couldn't deal with an escapee. I had work to do.

So I sat at the desk & started reviewing Ms. Smith's application with her. Gertie pulled my shoe off. Gertie came around to my side of the desk & pulled the calculator off the desk. Then she slammed her little hands on the keyboard. Then she started pulling stuff off the walls.

All the while, Ms. Smith is saying, "Gertie! Come here! Come here & sit down! Gertie! Gertie!" She was successful in enticing Gertie to sit down once (for about .0000034 seconds) when she mentioned candy. "CANNEE?!", asked Gert, with a look of hope & wonder on her face. "Yeah! If you come sit down, I'll give you some candy!" So Gertie planted her butt in that seat & bounced right back out of it. (You know, that's exactly what Sayid does when he's full of energy & is asked to sit!)

So after Gertie's momentary sit, she came back to my side of the desk & continued pulling info sheets off the walls. I had my pen in my right hand, trying to write on the application, and with my left hand, I was grabbing sheets of paper from that chubby little hand... court schedules, phone lists, etc., while saying, "No ma'am" to Gert. I won't get into what I wanted to say/do.

At one point, Ms. Smith actually got out of her seat & spanked little Gertie with a belt. All the while, she asked me, "Do you have any kids, ma'am?" I said, "Nope!" And I thought - are you jealous?!

So yes, I probably didn't get everything completed as thoroughly as I should have on Ms. Smith's case, but can you blame me? Ms. Smith & her precious little Gertrude just made my heart swell with gratitude... to be the mom to a dog (who has his Gert moments, but not nearly as many as this kid) & a cat (who sleeps 24/7). The good life.

Plastikia May Be On Life Support.

2008-11-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

I think Plastikia may be in her final stages. My poor car. Tonight, Janie, Melissa, Sayid, & I headed to Johnny's to pick up some pizzas. On the way home, I thought to myself - it sure does look dark in front of my car! About that time, a truck passed me & flashed his lights. Sure enough, my lights had gone out. And it was dark out already! I flipped them on & off a few times & nothing happened! Fortunately, Janie advised me to turn on my hazard lights, and that helped! But then they had to remind me to slow down, since I really couldn't see anything! So we drove about two or three minutes with no lights and then they miraculously came back on! What the heck. So now, I guess I shouldn't drive at night anymore, until I take Plastikia to the mechanic & have her checked out. Great timing... this happening a month before Christmas! She seems to be getting random, minor problems a lot lately. I want her to last a lot longer, because I kinda like my ghettofabulous little car! But sometimes I wonder if she's about to call it quits.

Tomorrow Sayid goes to the vet to be neutered. Poor baby. But, alas, Bob Barker advised us to do this, so... we will. I will miss him tomorrow night, since he has to stay one night at the vet's office! I feel like a mean (but responsible) mom.

Those are NOT Tootsie Rolls.

2008-11-21T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sayid has taken to snacking directly out of the litter box. We've had to redirect him away from the litter box several times. I had been shutting my bathroom door lately, but a little while ago, I forgot. Melissa & I were cleaning the kitchen & I noticed that it was very quiet & Sayid was not on the couch. I thought to myself - oh crap, did I leave my bathroom door open? I walked out of the kitchen, and sure enough, my bathroom door was open. I knew Sayid would be in there. I peeked in, and there he was, chewing away, with litter stuck all over his face.

So Melissa & I put him in the bathtub & bathed him, towel dried him with a big, soft beach towel, then put him in his crate. Melissa finished the kitchen while I cleaned my bathroom & permanently removed the litter box from in there. Now the cats will have to use one litter box - the one upstairs, where Sayid has no access.

Now Sayid is about 95% dry, and we decided to let him eat & drink a little more tonight... maybe to help settle his stomach from the clumping cat litter treat(s). What sucks about it is that he's still a puppy who can't hold it all night if he drinks too close to bed time. (Crap, I'm 28 years old & I can't hold it all night most of the time. No, I do not wet the bed. I reluctantly get out of my bed & go to the actual bathroom.) So yeah... now I will have to make sure to get up in the middle of my slumber & take Sayid out to pee. That wouldn't be such a bad thing, because, let's face it, I'm gonna be up anyway at some point. But it's cold outside. So I will have to throw on a few extra layers to keep from shivering at 3:30 (or whenever) in the morning. It's not going to be pleasant. ***Note to self - lay out hoodie, beanie, snowboarding socks, & slippers before going to bed tonight.***

But enough whining! Let's look on the bright side! The bright side is this. We won't step on random little pieces of litter nearly as often downstairs! The cats tend to toss litter out of the box, like confetti at a party, when they make their grand exits. I try to keep it swept up, but it doesn't always work very well. So, at least now, most of the litter will be contained to the upstairs part of the house, and vacuumed up every weekend.

So now, as I sit listening to Sayid drinking like a camel who found an oasis in the Sahara, I am going to confiscate his water bowl & call it a night. At least until around 3:30 AM.

Spelling Bee

2008-11-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

If you were a fly on the wall tonight in our house & had never met us before, you'd never believe that my sister & I love to read & write & always did well in English & Language Arts classes. We were playing Scrabble, and a few basic words had us confused.

Melissa played the word B-E-E-N.

My response? "That is not how you spell bean."

Melissa said, "No, it's not how you spell bean. It's how you spell been. As in, 'I've been good'."

Me? "Oooooh!!!" Then I proceeded to laugh at myself for a minute or two. Wow.

Then I played a word - F-E-E.

Melissa said, "There is no such word as FEE."

I said, "Um... taxes and FEES?!"

"Ooooh!!!"

Then later, Melissa put - F-E-D.

I said, "FED is an abbreviation."

Melissa said, "I fed the cat!"

"Oooooh! I thought FED as in FEDERAL!"

Bless our little hearts.

Disclaimer - Yes, we DO often make words that are longer than three or four letters. No, we are not always this stupid. Yes, Melissa does beat me 98% of the time. The one time I can remember winning resulted in my posting the score sheet on our fridge. I think it's still there. (At least until Melissa reads this!)

Mandatory Shopping Spree

2008-11-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

I have no choice. I have to buy some new clothes this weekend. Oh, and shoes. I'm definitely not rich at the moment, so... I'm gonna have to figure out how much I can actually spend. But yeah, I have no choice but to buy new clothes.

Why, you ask?

My duties have changed at work. I am no longer the caseworker who works mainly in the office, listening to my talk radio all day. Now I have to leave the office a lot. I have to schedule all our appointments & I'm the one who has to go see the clients. It'll probably be two or three Ouachita appointment days per month in our office, along with four days (minimum) in different parishes. I can't make our office look bad, so I have to look a little more professional. My big problem comes in with the shoes. I can't wear tennis shoes. 97% of my shoe stock belongs in the following categories -

* flip flops

* Converse All-Stars

* Rocketdogs

Well... it's getting too cold for flip flops. And, unfortunately, Converse All-Stars & Rocketdogs tend to be a little too casual. (Or a lot too casual.) So... I need new shoes. And I need new other stuff. My favorite dress pants are dark brown & very comfortable, but... the hem is coming out of one of the pants legs at the bottom. Well, that's not professional! I've got some black ones & gray ones, too, but... I could stand to get a few more.

ALSO... I have some cute skirts, but I never know what kind of shoes to wear with skirts, other than flip flops. And, it surely wouldn't be professional for me to show up wearing toe socks & flip flops in the middle of winter! I may have to pack away all my cute skirts for the winter. So... yeah... mandatory shopping spree tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Post-Election Thoughts on Sarah Palin

2008-11-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin has earned my respect. What an incredible picture of integrity we had the honor of seeing for the past couple of months. She is a true lady. The attacks were coming at her from every direction by the mainstream media & she handled them all with grace. I am a fan.

A legion of attorneys & investigators were sent to Alaska in the days after Governor Palin was announced as McCain's VP pick. They dug & dug & dug & came up with ... *drumroll please* ... NOTHING. The only thing of substance they thought they found on her was "Troopergate", and she has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Sarah Palin has values & has lived by them. She doesn't just claim to be pro-life. She proved it when she gave birth to Trig, whom she knew from prenatal testing would have Down Syndrome. It is common for these children to be aborted. But... true to her convictions & values, Governor Palin chose life. Class act.

Sarah Palin didn't go to an Ivy League school. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho. So, to the elites, she is uneducated. (Call me crazy, but I thought a college degree qualified as an education.) She is educated, although she may not meet up to the standards set by the elites. Those who think they are elite think she is stupid. But she has street smarts. She's tough. She's made a lot of positive changes in Alaska.

The media is ripping her apart over stupid things. They are upset that the GOP spent $150,000 on clothing for her while on the campaign trail. No matter what she did, it would have been wrong. She said her favorite place to buy clothes is a consignment shop called "Out of the Closet". (I have lots of clothes from garage sales, so I love that she also loves second-hand clothes!) If she had worn her second-hand clothes, she would have been labeled "White Trash". But because the GOP spent money on clothes (that she is NOT keeping now that the campaign is over), she is slammed for it.

Some "anonymous sources" from the McCain campaign are coming forward & saying negative things about her. The very thing Sarah Palin was praised for when introduced by John McCain, which was her independent spirit & the fact that she will stand up for herself, was suddenly a bad thing. "She's going rogue", they said. She was calling a few of her own shots instead of letting the handlers (who did a crappy job) tell her every move she would make. So... suddenly her independent spirit is a negative?

One thing they are upset over is that she once answered her hotel door in a bathrobe & with wet hair, because the advisors knocked after she got out of the shower. *GASP!* NOT A BATHROBE & WET HAIR!!! I'm sorry, but who cares. If they're so sure of the negative things they are accusing her of, then why not come forward & say their names. Why be anonymous? It's clear to me that the real problem is that the McCain campaign staff did a crappy job of running the campaign & they don't want to take any blame for it. They are anonymously throwing Governor Palin under the bus, to take some of the focus off themselves & the crappy job they did. It's not very flattering. They should really accept that they hold a sizable part of the blame for the loss.

John McCain is an American hero & I was honored to cast my vote for him. I like him pretty well, and I think, of our two choices - McCain or Obama - McCain was clearly the better choice. But let's face it - John McCain is not a Conservative. He is a moderate. Sarah Palin is a true Conservative. She was our (sometimes mishandled by the crappy handlers) voice. If it weren't for Sarah Palin, John McCain wouldn't have had nearly as many votes as he did. She energized the base, but... our Presidential candidate was not a Conservative. A lot of people stayed home. I fear they are going to regret it very soon. Sarah Palin was the bright spot in this campaign. The mainstream (liberal) media will tell you otherwise, because they want to rip her apart. She threatens them & they hate her for it. But I think any true Conservative will tell you that Sarah Palin was a breath of fresh air. She has earned our admiration & respect. I truly hope that we will fight hard to return to our Conservative values and elect some true Conservatives to office. And I pray that Sarah Palin is back in 2012. She would absolutely have my support.

God help us.

2008-11-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

So... this is a shame. We have sold our values in exchange for free healthcare & a welfare check. HOPE & CHANGE!! Give me a break. I mean... who cares about the unborn babies? All we want is to hold our hands out for whatever Obama can give us. Great. Redistributionist in chief. Killer of the American Dream. Friend of domestic terrorists & racists posing as ministers. Forgive me if I'm not jumping up & down.

Sarah Palin was the one bright spot in this election for Conservatives. I respect John McCain & I was proud & honored to cast my vote for him. He's an American hero. Sarah Palin deserves much respect as well. I know we're going to hear how Sarah Palin was the problem, how it was a mistake for John McCain to choose her. I don't agree. Sarah Palin is solid. That woman has my respect for many reasons & I hope & pray she's back on the scene for 2012. (Let's hope we still have an America at that point.) The problem we ran into, in my opinion, was a combination of two things. One was that we've let Conservatism become dormant. We've just grown complacent - plain & simple. (John McCain is not a Conservative.) The other reason is that John McCain wouldn't take the gloves off, and he should have. He really should have. Sarah Palin was the only one who did so, and she stood by everything she said. You gotta respect that.

So here's what needs to happen. Conservatism must wake up. It's on life support, but it's not dead. I, for one, refuse to let it be dead. Maybe this absolutely ridiculous choice of Barack Hussein Obama is for the sole purpose of lighting a fire under our butts. I mean, really. How did we let it get this bad? Hilary would have been an easier pill to swallow than this guy.

God help us. This can not repeat in four years from now.

What We're Up Against

2008-10-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who said it, but it's true - "With great freedom comes great responsibility."

We are on the verge of becoming a socialist nation - a massive welfare state. Depending how the election goes on Tuesday, that is.

On the radio yesterday, I heard a guy say he was voting for Obama. He was asked, "So you think it's right for the rich to be highly taxed, so the government can send checks to everyone who makes less than they do, including people who don't pay any taxes at all, as it is?" The guy said, "Yeah! I think that would be great! Anybody who's not rich would agree with that!"

Um... no. I don't agree with that. I'm not rich. I don't think the wealthy should be paying an obscene amount of taxes so they can send me a check. I sure don't. Those who are wealthy got that way due to hard work. They took risks, which paid off. They've worked long & hard for that success, and they've obtained it. Good for them! I've never had to receive a welfare check & I don't want to start now. I earn my living at my job & that's good enough for me. When I chose my major in college, I knew it wouldn't result in my finding a job with a six figure income. I chose my major. It was a personal choice. Nobody pushed me into a certain field. It was my decision. So... there you go. I earn the salary my job provides which is in the field that I chose to go into. I made my bed...

Yesterday, I drove to my parents' house, after hearing this guy on the radio say that anyone who isn't rich would agree with Obama's tax plan to get some money on behalf of the wealthy, and I passed by a house with a McCain/Palin sign in the yard. In simple terms, this house was basically a shack. It was old & run down & it was obvious that the person who lives there is not wealthy. In fact, I would guess that this person might make less than $15,000 per year. I don't know this, of course, but this could very well be a person who lives on minimum wage.

But you know what? I had the utmost respect for that person. I respect that that person has self respect. That person isn't falling into the trap of holding out their hands for whatever the government can give them. That person isn't rushing out to vote for Obama, so they can get a check, courtesy of the wealthy. That person is living within their means. They don't have a fancy house & an expensive car. But it appears that they respect what they do, the money they earn, and the fact that they don't have to look for the government to take care of their every need. I thought very highly of that household.

Self-respect. Personal responsibility. These aren't bad things. They're good things. And if Obama wins & gets to do everything he wants to do (which would be likely, with Congress also being led by liberals), say hello to socialism. Say hello to dependence on the government for everything. Say hello to mediocrity & low productivity, because nobody is going to want to work hard for what they can't keep. Nobody wants to take risks to create a small business, only to have all their profits taken away to give to those who simply won't work. I fear the American Dream will be a thing of the past.

Barack Obama will do much more harm than good. I see this "change" he wants to impose with his ridiculous tax plan as an attack on the American Dream & an attack on our freedoms, to an extent. America will become just another socialist nation.

President Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

What a shame if that happens as a result of lack of courage, backbone, & fight in my generation. God help us.

Man... it's been a while!

2008-10-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

So I haven't abandoned my blog on purpose! It's just been a very busy three weeks! Let's see what has happened...

* We took a short weekend trip to the lake with our parents & Sayid had a life jacket! He was so cute/funny.

* Puppy class has continued & it's fun!

* I got an iPhone!

* Last weekend, I was able to see some good friends, whom I miss, & a few family members that live out of town.

I'm posting a picture, but I'll tell a quick story first. Melissa & I live within walking distance of an elementary school. For as long as we've lived here, we've liked to walk down there on occasion at night & swing on the swingset. Now we get to take Sayid there. I mean, it might not technically be legal for us to do this, but we do it anyway. I mean... we pay taxes, so we've contributed to that playground equipment! Anyway... Sayid's favorite thing to do at the playground is play tetherball. He will play it by himself for five minutes or so, even. But we discovered this weekend that he also loves to climb up the stairs & go down the slides.

Breakfast

2008-10-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

Melissa & I used to get up at different times every morning. Since we got Sayid, we have arranged our schedules a little bit to where he will get some time out of his crate in the mornings. He's in it all day while we're at work, so it's only right for him to have a little bit of time every morning where he can play outside of the crate.

Our schedules have finally fallen into place. Melissa gets up at 5:15 every morning & takes Sayid out to use the bathroom. She fixes her lunch while he eats breakfast. Then she gets his medicine (which is mixed with peanut butter & spread on bread, to trick him) ready while I get up, around 5:35. I play with Sayid, then take him out around 5:45 to use the bathroom one last time. (He usually doesn't. He drags his feet out the door, then sniffs around for ten seconds, and leads me back to the door again.) I put him in his crate & then go about getting ready for work.

Since we have time now, Melissa & I have started eating breakfast together. Usually we'll have a toaster strudel. Sometimes we'll have a blueberry bagel. Melissa has gotten to where she asks me, "Lars, put something in the toaster for us!" Yesterday, after I fixed us some toaster strudels, and we sat at the snack bar eating our breakfast - Melissa's complete with coffee, mine with orange juice - I started telling her, "I shouldn't always be the one to make us breakfast! You should do it sometimes!"

She pleaded her case by reminded me that she gets up earlier with Sayid so I can sleep a little longer. Okay. True. I still think she should contribute to breakfast sometimes! So I told her how demanding she is. She sits over there on her bar stool, texting on her phone, reading Sayid's puppy class syllabus, or writing down things she needs to do that day, while I am slaving over a hot toaster! (Yes, I realize I am being dramatic!)

Then, after I've finished making the breakfast of the day & have put it on a plate for her, she starts grinning really big & begging. (Which, of course, I exaggerated.) I imitated it for her. I started shaking & stuttering, "Um... can, can, can you... um... can you give me a FORK?!" or "Um... can you give me my.... my... WATER?!" or "Lars... can you um... can you give me a MULTI-VITAMIN?!" Mmm-hmmm, always making her demands!!

So Melissa laughed & said, "WHATEVER! I don't act like THAT!" Then she reminded me, "Yeah, and I take Sayid out & scoop up his POOP while you are sleeping in your BED!" (And I'm grateful for this!)

Melissa made a suggestion. She said, "How about I will put peanut butter on Sayid's kong every morning if you will make breakfast." "OKAY!", I said. (The peanut butter thing used to be my job and I was always pressed for time. And okay, breakfast isn't the worst duty in the world.) So we had a deal.

This morning, I made scrambled eggs & grits for us. I fixed Melissa's plate & handed it to her. I gave her a fork though. She didn't have to ask. But then, she DRAMATICALLY started grinning & shaking like she had Parkinsons & said, "LARS!! Can can can can can you... can you... give give give me... my my my ... WATER?!??!?!!!?!" I handed her water bottle to her & said, "Mmmm-hmmm! I told you!" This caused her to crack up & a piece of scrambled egg to fall out of her mouth & into her lap.

Aaah, we have fun.

(Thank you Daddy for instilling a love of breakfast in us when we were kids. Actually, we weren't big fans of choking down oatmeal when we weren't hungry, but you always made us eat something before school. And now that tradition has begun again!)

Puppy Class

2008-09-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

Sayid started puppy class tonight! He will go every Monday for eight weeks. He's been around people a lot, and he loves people. But he hasn't been around many dogs. He gets excited when he sees other dogs, but he just doesn't really know how to act. He doesn't seem to realize that he is bigger than most puppies his age, and he may unintentionally hurt them.

Well, tonight, he was the loud one in the class! He was very excited to be in there, and Melissa & I made sure to keep him on a short leash. But he was jumping & barking & trying to make friends with all the other dogs. It was hilarious. The best part was when the instructor gave us all a bathroom break half way through the class. We took Sayid out to pee, and then he was so anxious to get back inside for more fun, that he ran smack into the glass door. He just slammed his face right into the glass. It was hilarious! Everyone inside gasped & looked toward the door when it happened. Melissa & I couldn't stop laughing. Melissa said, "He's not having his brightest moments tonight!"

He did really well with the commands tonight. He already knew the ones that they taught - sit & lay down. Also, they worked on having the dogs come to their owners when called by their names. It was fun. He was eager to please, because his treats were cheese & hot dogs. We tried to give him a regular dog treat in the middle of all this & he spit it out on the floor. That boy wanted the cheese & hot dogs.

The instructor said that next week, the puppies will get to play with each other some. (Tonight they all stayed on their leashes the whole time.) She also said we're going to play "Pass The Puppy", so the puppies will meet all the people in the class & get used to being around people besides their owners. Sayid will enjoy that. He's never met a stranger.

All three of us had fun tonight, so we're looking forward to the next seven Monday nights!

Finally. A weekend at HOME!

2008-09-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

As strange as this sounds, I am so excited to clean my house in a few minutes. Usually, Melissa & I clean it every weekend. But I don't think we've been able to clean it since three weeks ago. First, I was working all weekend. Then last weekend, we were in Denver for the Saints game. But today is the day! And let me just tell you, this house needs a good scrubbing. I am sitting on the couch next to Sayid, and I see puppy paw prints on the floor. But in a few hours from now, that will be gone, my friends. (And Sayid will be free to create fresh puppy prints on the floor!)

After 19 straight days of busyness, this weekend is not so busy. Well, yeah, we have to clean. I had to mow the yard yesterday. But I have not had to set an alarm. The only places I went yesterday were to PieWorks & Walmart. Today I'll go to Lowe's with Melissa, because she wants to get some cement blocks (hopefully kind of cute ones!) and make a little back porch, since we just got a patio roof back there. But besides cleaning & going to Lowe's, my plans consist of... hanging pictures on my bedroom wall, reading a book, & watching the Saints game on tv. Oh, what a wonderful day!

And finally, tomorrow, I will be back to my usual schedule of Mondays off. I'll take Sayid to the park if it's nice out tomorrow morning. (And the weather this weekend has been beautiful so far!) Or maybe I'll take him to Ruston to meet Mrs. Karan! I'll write to my Compassion kids. I'll balance my checkbook.

Not to mention that yesterday my new mattress was delivered! It stands up a lot higher than my old mattress. I wondered if my fat cat, Opie, could jump that high, but he's doing fine with it. It looks a little bit awkward in my room for the moment, and I really need to get a dark brown dust ruffle/bed skirt/whatever you call it. Anyone know where I can find one of these?

So yeah, you add all these things together... a freshly mowed yard, cleaning my house, writing to my Compassion kids, watching the Saints game, reading a book, hanging pictures on my wall, and enjoying my new comfy bed.... it's a great weekend. I love it.

Weekend in Denver!

2008-09-23T19:38:00.001-07:00

Melissa & I drove to Dallas Friday night, flew to Denver Saturday, stayed with Melissa's friend, Deb, went to the Saints/Broncos game on Sunday, & flew home Monday. (This was after working 12 straight days for me, so... needless to say, I am still exhausted, but it was a blast.)

It was a pretty eventful weekend! On the drive to Dallas, we stopped at the Ruston Starbucks. Melissa forgot about her cup of coffee & dropped her cell phone right into it. It died. Saturday morning, we were to fly out at 10:31 AM. From the time we went through security until we were sitting on the plane, I thought I had left my phone in the car. But, fortunately, it was in Melissa's carry-on bag! We sat on the plane for nearly an hour before we were told to deplane due to a technical difficulty. We were all given lunch vouchers & promised that we'd all be on one of the next two flights to Denver - one at 1:58 PM, one at 3:55.

1:58 came & went.

3:55 came & went.

There was a line of about a dozen of us waiting by the Frontier Airlines counter. It turned out, they gave away our tickets to people on standby, so we were stuck there even longer. A lady took down all of our names & worked out details for everyone. Melissa & I were put on an American Airlines flight at 5:55. So we finally made it to Denver around 7:00 Mountain Time. We were given a PT Cruiser for our rental car & we headed to Deb's house, and then the three of us went out for sushi.

Sunday was great! Deb borrowed one of Melissa's old Broncos jerseys. Then there was me, in my Drew Brees Saints jersey & Melissa in her Reggie Bush jersey. We ran some errands around town, and if looks could kill, Melissa & I would have never made it to Mile High Stadium. People just didn't look too happy to see Melissa & me galavanting around Denver in our Saints jerseys. But then they'd catch a glimpse of Deb (aka "the great equalizer") and their faces softened a bit. At one point, a man said, "It looks like we've got a bit of a conflict here!", so Deb bursted into song. "Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends...."

During the game, we endured our share of heckling. It was mostly in good fun though. I can count on one hand the number of people who were genuine jerks. Melissa & I were loud & proud for the Saints. Too bad we lost in the end - 34-32. It was a good game. I wasn't ashamed!

After the game, we drove up into the mountains for a little while, went to Whole Foods & Barnes & Noble, and then headed back to Deb's house. Melissa & I were going to sleep by around 9:30 that night, and then our alarm was going off at 4:00 AM. We flew out of Denver at 7:00 and arrived back at our house shortly after 5:00 last night. Then we had to leave around 5:30 for sushi class.

Needless to say, we're tired. Very tired. In fact, I'm about to finish cleaning the kitchen & go get ready for bed very soon.

Oh, and I am happy to report that Ashley Furniture called today to notify me that my new Sealy Posturepedic Pillowtop mattress & box springs will be delivered on Saturday! Man, I am gonna have some amazing sleep Saturday night.

Sibling Rivalry On The Subway

2008-09-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

I see a series coming - Funny Stories from NYC. (Or other vacations. I've got lots of funny vacation stories!)

I think this happened on Chinatown/Brooklyn Bridge day. Jordin had a fever blister... and chapped lips. Jennifer had chapstick. I had... entertainment.

***Walking through Chinatown towards the subway...***

Jordin - "Hey Jennifer... my lips hurt. Give me your chapstick."

Jennifer - "No."

Jordin - "Come on! My lips are chapped! Just let me borrow your chapstick!"

Jennifer - "No, Jordin!"

Jordin - "Why not?!"

Jennifer - "'Cause I don't want your herpes!"

*insert gasp from Lindsay here*

Jordin - "Come on, Jennifer! My lips hurt! Just let me use it!"

Jennifer - "NO! I don't want your herpes!"

Jordin - "Good. I don't want your chapstick."

***While walking through the Subway station, we stopped at a news stand. I bought a candy bar & Jordin bought a pack of Starbursts. Then we got on the Subway.***

Jennifer - "Jo, give me a Starburst."

Jordin - "Nope."

Jennifer - "Come on, I'm hungry!"

Jordin - "Give me your chapstick."

Jennifer - "NO! I don't your herpes!"

Jordin - "Good! I don't want your chapstick! Lindsay... you want a Starburst?"

Me - "Uh... okay! Thanks!"

Jennifer - "Jordin, come on! Let me have one!"

Jordin - "Let me have your chapstick!"

Jennifer - "NO!"

Jordin - "Nope."

Jennifer - "You're such a brat."

Jordin - "Lindsay.... want another one?"

Oh, it was FUNNY. I tried to stay out of it, other than accepting the candy she offered me, but I couldn't help but laugh! I do think Jordin finally gave Jennifer a Starburst.

In the picture above, Jordin was continuing her Getting-On-Jennifer's-Nerves/Cracking-Lindsay-Up streak. There was a streaming message board that said the same thing over & over. She kept reading it out loud. It was something like, "If you see any suspicious packages, please notify the police immediately. Be aware of the upcoming stops. Don't litter New York." So she just read the same message over & over & I think Jennifer asked her to shut up. But, as usual, I just laughed & laughed.

Wanna Smell Something Weird?

2008-09-16T20:00:00.001-07:00

Friday night, I got a random text message from Jordin. It said, "Just seeing if you remember: 'Wanna smell something weird?'" I immediately cracked up. It's such a great story, it has to be told.

In January of 2007, I took a vacation to New York City with my college friend, Jennifer, & her younger sister, Jordin. Jordin is a trip. She is one of the funniest people I've ever met. But she doesn't get too animated, even when she's cracking everyone up. She's very even keel. Our hotel room was on the 17th floor, so we had a pretty long elevator ride.

You know elevators. Awkward silences. People starting directly ahead of themselves. No sounds other than the "beep" as it passes by each floor. Well, at least two or three times on this trip, Jordin decided to break the silence. We'd be in an elevator of strangers, in the midst of our awkward silence. And then Jordin would say it.

"Wanna smell something weird?"

Big sister, Jennifer, would quickly snap, "JORDIN!"

I would crack up.

Jordin would just shrug her shoulders & laugh along with me.

Usually it would cause at least a little bit of activity in the elevator.

One time she said it & got no reaction at all.... just the same awkward silence. It wasn't because I didn't want to laugh. I was just trying not to be the one person in the elevator being loud. It went something like this.

***silence***

Jordin - "Wanna smell something weird?"

***crickets***

Jordin - "Tough crowd."

Man, I love the Crosbies! One day I'll write more funny stories from that trip, just because they crack me up. But I will leave you all with a picture. (Apparently I don't know how to add a picture unless it's at the top, so... scroll up to see the picture!) This is typical Jennifer & Jordin. We were at the Statue of Liberty, and we each purchased the audio tour as well. In this photo, you'll see Jennifer, Miss Liberty, & Jordin. Jennifer was busy taking notes of all the historical facts she was learning via her headphones. Lady Liberty was proudly standing in New York Harbor. Jordin, on the other hand, was listening to her iPod, while using the big headphones to keep her iPod earbuds in place. You gotta love Jordin!

Working @ 7:00 AM on a Saturday is just WEIRD.

2008-09-13T05:35:00.000-07:00

So here I sit. It's 7:36 AM & they just announced that our system came up, so I'm about to work. Random thoughts & questions in my head on this Saturday morning -

* WHY was there a Wilson Phillips song stuck in my head this morning? I mean, really. Wilson Phillips?!

* How am I going to make it 12 hours today without Laura Ingraham, Rush, & Sean Hannity to keep my mind stimulated? I guess I should be thankful I thought ahead & brought my laptop/iTunes with me. I mean, maybe it'll be fun. I hardly ever listen to music anymore, so... maybe the change will be good for a day. And if it doesn't stimulate my mind & help me work, I guess that's what that case of Red Bull is for.

* Too bad Sonic doesn't have Happy Hour first thing in the morning. I spent $2.08 on this Route 44 Strawberry Limeade!

Alright, that's enough thoughts for one morning. I gotta get people's food stamps issued!

OH - one last comment. My puppy is so stinkin' sweet in the mornings when he first wakes up. I opened the door of his crate & sat on the floor while he stretched & got out of it. Then he came up to me & got in my lap & rested his head on my shoulder for a few minutes while I scratched his little head & he woke up. Sayid is such a great addition to our little family. Shaq & Opie don't agree.

Alright... to work I go. People in South Louisiana are hungry.

134 hours

2008-09-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Gustav, our office had a few days off last week. Our computer system is run out of Baton Rouge & had no power for three or four days following the hurricane. So... unplanned vacation! This week, we are paying for it. Our entire office is required to work 7:00-5:30 this whole week. The good news is, we get K-time for it! I love K-time. K-time sent me on a trip to Colorado, a trip to New York, a trip to Nevada to drive cross country with Jody... and probably a few others. Well, we don't just get those 10 hours of overtime/K-time. We also get to work the disaster food stamp program. I am one of about 18 people at our office who is going to work 12 hour days - 7:00 AM-7:00 PM - for the next seven days. That includes Saturday & Sunday. Then, once next Wednesday rolls around, I will have three more 10 hour workdays to go. That's 134 hours of work before a day off. Then I will finally get to rest. Or not. Melissa & I will leave that Friday evening to drive to Dallas, get up early the next morning to fly to Denver for the Saints/Broncos game, fly back Monday, and I'll be back at work - doing four 10 hour days in a row, starting that Tuesday. So... the next time I'll get to sleep late will be... Saturday, September 27th. It kinda makes you cry, doesn't it? Then again, I do have that new Sealy Posturepedic Pillow Top mattress ordered. If it arrives sooner, then great. But there's a small part of me that kind of wants it to arrive on September 26th. That would be the most heavenly sleep of my life. Speaking of sleep, I think I'm gonna do that. But if I have any problems staying awake the next seven days, my little fridge in my office contains six Red Bulls with my name on them. I will miss sleep so much. But here's me being optimistic & seeing the glass half-full:

134 hours will equal either LOTS of money or 72 hours of vacation. That's 8 hours short of two weeks vacation. I'll take it!

We get to wear jeans on these long work days.

Hopefully I will not be meeting with clients. I will be assigned a computer duty & can sit at my own desk, in my own office, with my own snacks & personal heater.

I should still be able to get my daily fix of Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, & Sean Hannity while I work. I was worried about that! But my desk = my listening preferences.

Alright... time to sleep while I still can...

VMA's

2008-09-08T20:47:00.001-07:00

Fortunately, I didn't waste my time watching the VMA's, but I heard about them today. I heard about the ridiculous host. Some guy I had never heard of by the name of Russell Brand. Apparently he is a British stand-up comic who is a former heroin addict, sex addict, & alcoholic, and who has been arrested 11 times for public indecency. Wow. He's a real winner. Let's reward him with a stage & a national audience! That's MTV for you!

During the VMA's, he reportedly made fun of the younger stars, namely the Jonas Brothers, who wear purity rings & have pledged to remain pure until marriage. Other young stars have made the same pledge... Miley Cyrus, Jordin Sparks, & Selena Gomez, to name a few. Jordin Sparks, while on stage later, stated to the audience that there's nothing wrong with wearing the purity rings and that not everyone wants to be a slut! SNAP! You know, I knew I always liked Jordin Sparks! I'm glad she stood up for herself. Funny how in Hollywood, doing the right thing is wrong.

Also, this no-name Brand character begged the United States to vote for Barack Obama, made fun of Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, & her boyfriend, & called President Bush a "retarded cowboy fella". Wow. Class act. He needs to head back over the pond & stay there.

Our celebrity culture over here makes me sad. I use the word "celebrity" loosely for Russell Brand. These people make absolute fools out of themselves. And really, how narcissistic of them to feel as though they should really have that much influence over the rest of America. These people play pretend for a living. Sadly, some people are overly influenced by this bunch. But, there are a few good role models for those who place high stakes on what the celebrities think. I'm glad there are a few good kids out there like Jordin Sparks.

Wrong Car!

2008-09-06T21:46:00.001-07:00

My sister has this bad habit, but I love it. I mean, it's fun for me. This has happened many times over the years, but it happened again this morning.

Melissa & I went to garage sales & she wanted to stop at Walgreens to use their ATM. I pulled into a parking spot & waited for her to go get some cash. As I was waiting, another car pulled into the spot next to me, but closer to the door of Walgreens. After a couple of minutes, Melissa came out. She was looking at the cash or receipt or her cell phone - whatever was in her hand. She was not paying any attention to what car she was walking towards.

Of course, she veered off before she came close to Plastikia. Immediately my eyes got big & I watched this train wreck happen. (While laughing, of course.) She walked to the passenger door of this stranger's car & almost opened the door, when she realized that was not the car she arrived in. I watched Melissa's face turn into a mixture of shock/embarrassment/apology, as she told the girl, "I am so sorry! I went to the wrong car!" The girl was laughing and said, "Yeah, I was about to ask if you needed a ride somewhere!"

Melissa got in my car & I was just laughing my head off. I told her how I saw it coming & could do nothing but sit & watch (& laugh). We both laughed for a while. She told me I'm HORRIBLE for enjoying that kind of scene & not doing anything to stop it. I asked her, "What do you want me to do?! HONK next time?!" She said, "Maybe!"

But nah... it's more fun this way.

Thoughts on Sarah Palin

2008-09-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people." - Sarah Palin

Well said. I have a ton of respect for this woman. This is a real woman. We need more like her in Washington. (Well, anywhere, for that matter.) Sarah Palin is bold. She's a straight talker. She's strong. She's real. Her family is real. I couldn't be prouder or more impressed. Man... utmost respect.

The media has been heaping criticism & vicious attacks on Sarah & her family in the past several days. The inexperience thing really cracks me up. Has the media forgotten who is #1 on the Democratic ticket? It's laughable. I think Sarah Palin is better prepared to walk into the Oval Office on Day 1 than Barack Obama is. And she's not going to. She's #2 on this ticket. Should something, God forbid, happen to John McCain, I have confidence in her abilities & leadership. She is more ready to lead if something happens to McCain than Obama is if something doesn't happen to McCain. She's been in a leadership position where she has to make decisions. (And with an 80 to 90% approval rating, I might add.) I'm confident in this woman. And while John McCain, an American hero who has proven his loyalty to this country, his ability to make tough decisions, & his resiliency, leads this nation as President, this unbelievably strong, solid woman of integrity, will be doing her part & getting more prepared to step in as President if necessary. I'm confident in this team.

With John McCain as president, I will be able to sleep at night. He is a protector. He understands the enemy. Barack Obama wants to hold hands with the enemy. There haven't been any major terrorist attacks on American soil since September 11, 2001. That's due to strong national security. These people don't play around. We can't forget this. The war monger argument is tired. John McCain was a soldier & a prisoner of war. He knows war is not pleasant. He lived through the most brutal experiences imaginable while fighting a war. Nobody loves war. But there is a time for war. And I say it again - there have been no major terrorist attacks on American soil since that horrible day of September 11, 2001. That is not a coincidence. It's certainly not that the terrorists have lost interest. John McCain honors the military & understands the importance of their job. He has been there. Sarah Palin's son is heading over there & she is proud of him & stands behind him. I, for one, am thankful for the heroes in uniform who are protecting our freedoms. Of course I hope the war ends soon & they all get to go home. I'm sure John McCain hopes for the same. But they are doing a job that needs to be seen through to completion, and I'm grateful for their service. If Barack Obama becomes president, I feel we will be sitting ducks. And, I like being able to sleep peacefully at night.

After all the personal attacks on Sarah Palin (& her family), this woman got on that stage last night & gave an amazing speech. She seemed comfortable up there. She seemed confident. And she cleared quite a few things up. This lady is the real deal. She relates more to the majority of America than anyone I've seen. She's not among the elite snobs. She's a hockey mom, hunter, fisherwoman, sportswoman, wife to her high school sweetheart, turned competent leader. And in regards to the personal attacks on the Palin family, to quote Laura Ingraham, "Congratulations, Obama camp. You've kicked the hornet's nest."

Evacuees? Or Divas?

2008-09-02T21:40:00.001-07:00

Today I was called to work at one of the shelters for the Hurricane Gustav evacuees. I worked a 12 hour shift and what really struck me was that there was such a lack of gratitude. I don't remember it being that bad during the aftermath of Katrina. (And, remember, in Katrina, many of the evacuees literally lost everything but the clothes on their backs.) I mean, we definitely had a few bad attitudes floating around, but this almost seemed overwhelming. There were a few very polite children, a very smiley little boy named D.J., and a handful of thankful adults. But then we had the divas.

I mean, really.... this is a hurricane shelter. This is not the Hilton. We do not serve gourmet seven course meals. We did, however, have the Picadilly Cafeteria on hand, serving hot meals three times a day, free of charge, I might add. The evacuees were not eating the MREs that our brave soldiers stomach every day without complaining. Today for lunch, they were eating beef stew served over rice, whole kernel corn, a homemade roll, & sweet tea. It was all fresh. But some of them were not satisfied. One man started yelling at a coworker of mine because there was no meat on his plate. Another lady walked up to the Picadilly servers & said, "I see y'all opened a can for us today. Y'all feeding us out of a can." She went on to complain about the carrots in the beef stew. The server replied, "No ma'am, these are fresh carrots, steamed this morning." It just got under my skin.

The shelter is set up at an old store that has closed. It's a very large building, but there aren't many bathrooms. Not enough for 1200 people. So outside, they have 118 port-a-johns. Nobody likes a port-a-john, but you've gotta work with what you've got. There was one small bathroom set aside for the National Guard, Police Officers, & DSS workers. Then there was one additional bathroom inside for the residents. Then the aforementioned 118 port-a-johns. Tonight, around 9:00, an announcement was made that the indoor bathrooms were closed for cleaning, so whoever needed to use the bathrooms would have to use the port-a-johns until further notice. A special needs evacuee asked if one of us could walk with her to the bathroom because she was afraid. (And for good reason. Two men were arrested the night before for fighting... over FIFTY CENTS. A few evacuees gave my coworkers the heads-up that they overheard some people saying they were going to "cut" the people in the blue aprons. That would be us... the DSS workers... wearing blue "Department of Social Services" aprons to identify ourselves.) I was nominated to walk with this lady to the bathroom & was told that she should be able to use the indoor bathroom, due to her problems. So she & I walked back there where the doorway was blocked by four members of the National Guard. There was a small crowd around. You know, your typical "the rules don't apply to me" group.

I explained to one of the soldiers that the lady with me was a special needs resident & I asked if she could use the bathroom. He nodded towards another soldier & told me, "I don't know. You'll have to ask him." Well, then one of the divas piped up. She yelled, "Well if SHE get to go, then HE get to go!", as she motioned toward her son. Then another diva said, "Yep, my kids gets to go, too!" Then a smart-alleck diva loudly & sarcastically exclaimed to her fellow divas, "Oh... they just doin' they JOB!" I started thinking to myself... great... this is all we need... people getting arrested over a bathroom. These people will go outside in the rain to smoke all night long, but they can't walk a few steps further to use a port-a-john. I didn't want to fight with the National Guard, so I was trying to decide what to do with this lady. Then the soldier in charge told the divas, "The toilets are clogged up. They're working on the problem right now, but you can't use a clogged up toilet." I turned to the special needs lady & said, "Ma'am, these bathrooms are not working right now, so you have to use the port-a-john if you need to go. But I will walk out there with you." She agreed & followed. And I wished I had a minute to thank the National Guard for all their help... and apologize on behalf of the abundance of rude, ungrateful, apparently ENTITLED evacuees. How embarassing. These National Guard troops were from all over & this is what they will think of Louisiana. I know that if I had spoken up, I would have run the risk of getting "cut" on my way to my car that night. And I'm sure I would have heard rude comments, laden with expletives, about how I was just gonna drive home & use a clean bathroom & take a nice hot shower & .... etc. But man, those soldiers have to put up with a lot of crap from a lot of people who choose to live in an area that floods extensively & then get mad at the rest of the world because they had to flee their homes & didn't get a gourmet steak dinner & pillow top mattresses. It annoys me.

I have to counter this with a sweet story. I was in charge of filling hundreds of cups of sweet tea during lunch & supper. A sweet little girl came up to me & politely asked, "Can I please have a cup of ice?" I gave her a cup & she said, "Thank you so very much!" What a sweetheart. She needs to walk around & teach manners about 75% of the other evacuees in that shelter. The sweet ones do exist. They were just few & far between.

I was scheduled to go back in tomorrow to work 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Shelter work is something we all jump on when given the opportunity, because shelter work equals overtime - either in the form of money or k-time (vacation). I am a huge fan of both. So I was fully prepared to sleepily drag myself to the shelter tomorrow. But then I drove home at an average speed of 40 mph, hydroplaned severely half a dozen times or more, and in the meantime, decided that it wasn't worth risking my safety to get 12 hours of overtime. I mean, I might have just screwed myself over to where they don't ask me to work shelters again, and I've been pretty lucky in getting selected. But it was just scary. And I'd rather remain alive and not hospitalized. So I called the supervisor in charge on the night shift & asked her to give my shift tomorrow to someone else. I love overtime. I really do. But for tomorrow, it just wasn't worth it. Gustav is wreaking havoc as far as flooding goes. Gustav caused my house to be without electricity for quite a while. Gustav has me sleeping at my parents' house tonight. Gustav has caused my office to be closed two additional days after our labor day holiday. So tomorrow, unless they call & tell me I absolutely have to come to the shelter, I will take a shower for the first time in 48 hours (gross, I know), and watch the Republican National Convention on Fox News. It'll be a good day.

Homemade Frappucinos!

2008-09-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

I want to like coffee. And I do like cold coffee (usually), so I decided I wanted to learn how to make frappucinos. I barely know how to make a pot of coffee, but I'm working on that. So today, Melissa & I decided to find a recipe online for frappucinos & see if we could do it. Again, Melissa & I don't follow recipes exactly. We learned from our cajun cooking class teacher, Bobby Schwab(by) to just use recipes as guides, but to branch out to meet your own tastes. So, here is our homemade frappucinos... a recipe we found online, with a little bit of extra flair from us.

1 cup strong coffee (refrigerated until cool)

1 cup crushed ice

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp (roughly) of Hazelnut syrup

5 or 6 big spoonfuls of Cool Whip

6 to 8 Andes Mints

Combine all these ingredients in a blender & blend well. Pour into glasses or coffee mugs. Top with a spoonful of Cool Whip & shaved Andes Mints. (We used a carrot/potato peeler for that.) This makes two large coffee mugs full.

It was good. I, the girl who does not drink coffee very often, drank my whole mug of it. And nothing beats an rainy afternoon of pajamas, homemade frappucinos, & Scrabble.

The Calm Before The Storm

2008-08-31T21:47:00.001-07:00

I remember the night before Hurricane Rita hit. It was a few weeks after Katrina & Louisiana was about to get a double whammy. My friend, Amanda, had come to my house, and I remember that Melissa, Amanda, & I sat out in my parents' driveway for a really long time. It felt amazing outside. It was very breezy & cool. And I live a good 250 miles from the coast. Katrina didn't do much, if any, damage in northeast Louisiana, but Rita did. Rita brought winds strong enough that my parents privacy fence got off track & it still won't close. That was three years ago. I just stepped outside a few minutes ago, wondering if it would have that awesome pre-hurricane feeling, but so far it doesn't. So far, it's just your average Louisiana August night... kind of humid. And I know that by tomorrow night, the storm will be blowing through & we won't get to sit in our driveway & enjoy the breeze. Strange how up here, we think the pre-storm phase feels wonderful. In South Louisiana, it feels like fear & destruction. Hopefully it won't do the damage Katrina did. Hopefully Jody's family & Keith's family & Janie's family & the Raneys & the Crosbies & the Hattalas will all stay safe. Hopefully the damage done will be minimal. I hope this thing blows through quickly. The schools in Louisiana (even up here) are closed until Thursday. I heard that Monroe is expected to get 12" of rain on Tuesday. That's wild. Anyway... this is probably the last night I will go to bed without listening to a storm for a while. And man, tomorrow night is going to suck. That's my night to take Sayid out to pee in the middle of the night. I hope we don't blow away.

Begging In The Streets

2008-08-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

**Don't let these two pictures of Sayid & the title of this blog confuse you. Sayid was NOT begging in the streets!**

Before getting into my rant of the day, I needed to post these two funny pictures I took of Sayid tonight. We've had him exactly seven weeks. You think he's made himself at home?!

So Melissa & I went to Walmart in Monroe this afternoon to do some grocery shopping. We did some severe damage, indeed. Anyway, as we were driving around the parking lot, I noticed that there were two groups of people, hovering near the doors, asking for money for something. I told Melissa, "Man... those people are gonna be begging us for money!" I suggested that we keep our sunglasses on, so as to avoid direct eye contact. Then I told Melissa, "I hate when they do that! I want to tell them, 'No thanks, I already have my charities.'" (Compassion International, that is. I like giving my tithe money to Compassion! Not... random organizations in the area. I love/trust Compassion!) Well, Melissa cracked up & told me that was a horrible thing to say... but that I really *should* say it! Of course, I wouldn't really say it. I'm all bark & no bite.

As we got closer to the front, we realized it was the Drill Team from a local junior high school, asking for donations for their group. Um... NO! I wanted to tell them, "Girls, you need to go have a car wash or something! Do a real fundraiser! Don't stand out in the street, begging for money, like a bunch of tramps!" But... I was in Monroe. The odds of "getting busted with a cap" were higher. So I kept my comments between my sister & me.

I vow, if I ever have children & they are in a youth group or baseball team or any other group that plans to sit in front of Walmart or walk out in the middle of an intersection with a bucket & ask strangers for money, I will tell the adult in charge that my kid can do some actual work for their money. It really irritates me! Does this happen in other places or is this just a Monroe/West Monroe phenomenon... begging for money without putting forth any kind of effort to earn it?

Perfect Timing, Apparently!

2008-08-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago, I decided to pay $5.95 for a one month subscription to Laura Ingraham's "Laura 365" deal. The Laura Ingraham show has become my healthy radio addiction, indeed. The Laura 365 Membership gives you access to a 30 day show archive, live streaming feed of the show, & message boards. Well, apparently, I did this in the nick of time.

I went to sign on this morning & listen live on www.lauraingraham.com, but it was really slow to load. So I went to my usual website - KRLA 870 in Los Angeles, to listen there. Instead of my audio window popping up, another message came up. As of today, apparently, live streaming radio is blocked. WHAT?! I started to panic a little bit. I mean, I can only listen to the ghettofabulousness of local radio for so long. It's kind of mind numbing. I enjoy the brain stimulation that comes with talk radio. So then I decided I'd try once more to see if my 365 account would load. It did. Thank you, Jesus. So now I'm listening to the live streaming feed of the Laura Ingraham show as I work. Well, as I blog. I'm about to get back to work!

But I guess I will have to listen to Rush on local radio (which is high on the static, by the way) instead of KSFO in San Francisco. And then I'll have to lose Dr. Laura in favor of Sean Hannity in the afternoons. I like Sean Hannity, so... it's okay. But I like to be able to choose at the moment - Dr. Laura or Sean Hannity? But now it'll be - ghettofabulousness or Sean Hannity? (SEAN HANNITY, for SURE!)

Okay. Laura 365 Membership. That was $5.95 well spent. But I'm still ticked off that they took away our online radio. I mean, really. What does it hurt for us to listen to the radio online while we work? What's the difference between that & listening to actual big, bulky radios in our offices? Or iPods? Give me a break.

Crate Training Help?!

2008-08-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

I don't understand crate training. Well, I do, but I guess I don't understand Sayid. Melissa & I were a few weeks into puppy ownership when she read in a book that it is unreasonable to expect a puppy to be able to make it more than about 4 hours in a crate without having to use the bathroom. Their bladders aren't fully developed until around 6 months of age, so they will need bathroom breaks. Well... Melissa works in Ruston. I work in Monroe, but I have a 30 minute lunch break, so I don't have time to get home, let him use the bathroom, and get back to work in 30 minutes. So we brainstormed. We had our friend, Angela, coming over around noon every day to let Sayid out to use the bathroom & paid her $25 per week to do it. Oh, and BEFORE we realized this would be a bad thing, I switched my schedule back to a four day work-week - 7:00-5:30, Tuesday through Friday. So now we're down to four days a week that he's in the crate most of the day. He gets a three day weekend like me. And we now have our neighbor, Cory, coming by to let him out around noon. Cory comes home for lunch anyway, so it just takes a few minutes of his lunch break. We're paying him, too - $20 per week. This week, Cory has been out of state on vacation, so our sister, Jennifer, has been coming. Also, Melissa sometimes runs late getting home, due to having to take care of things at work, so Mama has come around 4:00 the last couple of days. STILL, Sayid pees in his crate. He goes out in the mornings, then he goes out at 7:00 AM (when Melissa leaves), noon (when Cory/Angela/Jennifer/whoever comes), 4:00 when Mama comes, & then if I get home first, I am home by 6:00. And he still manages to pee in his crate. WHEN?! I mean, really, $20 per week... that equals $80 per month... and plus, it's just an inconvenience for someone to have to do, even though he's right across the street. We're thankful that Cory is kind-hearted! But really... come on, Sayid. Oh, also, Melissa & I take turns getting up at 3:00 AM to take him out to pee. Otherwise, he will pee in his crate & start whining by around 4:30 or 4:45. (We get up at 5:15.) We don't know what else to do. Well, tonight is my night, so I'm setting my alarm for 3:00 and going to bed. Any suggestions that won't be detrimental to our puppy's health?

It's PAST my bedtime!

2008-08-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's way past my bedtime. I think at 9:29, I was finishing up making my tiramisu. Then I had to clean the kitchen.... then brush my teeth, floss, wash my face, & whatnot. So now it's very late. But this is too beautiful to pass up. So there you go. Whoever's mouth is watering, raise your hand!

(Do you see all the layers? First, there's a layer of lady fingers... then jam... then sauteed beef & onions.... then...)

Okay, for real. Recipe... the quick version, because I'm sleepy. This is similar to the recipe I found on food network's website, but I personalized it quite a bit.

16 oz. cream cheese

1 small package of instant vanilla pudding mix

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

16 oz. cool whip

2 or 3 cups of strong black coffee... cooled off a bit

1/2 cup (or so) of hazelnut syrup

3 packages of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies

1 dark chocolate candy bar (HOWEVER, I bet cocoa powder would taste better)

Combine cream cheese (softened), vanilla pudding mix, & powdered sugar in a bowl. When it's blended well, fold in most of the cool whip. I save some of the cool whip for the top. I also pour in a little bit of the coffee & the hazelnut syrup in that mixture. Not much at all, but... just enough to give it a hint of coffee flavor. Pour the coffee & hazelnut flavored syrup in a bowl. Soak several Milano cookies in the coffee & layer them in the bottom of a dish. Add a layer of the cream cheese/cool whip mixture. Then another layer of coffee soaked Milanos, another layer of cream cheese/cool whip mixture. Do this until you're out! I always save enough to where I can have a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture topped by the remainder of the cool whip at the very top. I also pour in a small bit of coffee on top to just soak down into the tiramisu as it sets. Get a cheese grater or carrot peeler & grate some of the dark chocolate bar over the top of the cool whip. Then just let it set in the fridge a while - at least an hour, probably. Then it should be ready! Although, I have to say, it's better after it sets overnight.

If you try this, you should tell me how much you love it, so I can be jealous that you have some.

Warm Milk & Excedrin PM?

2008-08-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those mornings when you wake up & think to yourself - There is no way I'm going to be productive for 10 hours today. How am I going to stay awake at work?! Yeah, I'm going to bed by 9:30 tonight. That was me this morning. Oh, and it's gonna happen. *I hope.*

We have this adorable little elderly man named Mr. Wilson who works at our office. He's 82 years old, I believe. He works from 8:00-noon every day, sorting our mail & putting all the caseworkers' mail in our specified mailboxes. (And he puts way too much mail in my box, if I do say so myself!) He is such a sweetheart & everyone loves him. His children have talked him into retiring, due to his health, so tomorrow we're having a big snack day in his honor. I'm making tiramisu. So that's one thing I need to get checked off my list by my 9:30 bedtime tonight!

Melissa & I took a cajun cooking class a couple of years ago, which was great for several reasons. One reason is this - our teacher told us, "NEVER follow a recipe." He told us, "You make something how you like it. If you like garlic, put in more garlic. If you like onion, put in more onion. The more you put in, the mo' bettah it be!" Melissa & I were able to do this more easily than some of our older classmates. Some of the ladies in their late 40's/early 50's had the hardest time with NOT following a recipe. They had followed recipes all their lives! But, I have to say, it's more fun to cook that way. Melissa & I never measure.

So all that being said, I found this tiramisu recipe on foodnetwork.com a few weeks ago, but I changed a few things. You're supposed to use coffee soaked lady fingers. I can never find lady fingers. So I use coffee soaked ... drumroll please ... MILANOS. YUM. I love me some Milano cookies. And I doubled the cream cheese, because it's just too cool whippy for my taste unless I double the cream cheese. Anyway, it's pretty good. It's not one of those fancy tiramisus like you'd get at Olive Garden. It's very quick & simple. I will have to post a picture of it tonight after I make it... hopefully around 7:30 or 8:00!

popcorn

2008-08-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

When I was a sophomore in high school, we had an exchange student from Switzerland who lived with our family. Her name is Jana & we love her. I call her my swiss sis. She calls me her "little Lindsay Lou". We loved having her live with us. But I have to say, Jana burned me out on popcorn. Every day after school, Jana would pop a bag of microwaved popcorn for a snack. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Microwaved popcorn has such an overwhelming smell. It takes over the entire house. It's just too much to deal with. I experienced it about 180 times, give or take a few, in that span of 9 months. So to this day, I do not want to smell microwaved popcorn. A lot of my coworkers make some popcorn late in the afternoons & I'm the girl who walks through the kitchen holding her breath. It's just too much.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at the beach for a few days with some of my family. My mom bought some microwaved popcorn. I wasn't thrilled about having to smell it, but there are worse things. Well, this popcorn is amazing. I love it. Melissa & I have bought some for our house, and I actually brought a bag with me to work today for my afternoon snack. Please do yourself a favor & buy some. It's Orville Redenbacher's Naturals - Buttery Salt & Cracked Pepper. It's actually kind of spicy. And the butter is not overpowering. Man. I'm kind of already wanting to pop this bag of it, and it's 7:35 AM.

So go get your grocery lists & write this down. Orville Redenbacher's Naturals - Buttery Salt & Cracked Pepper. Do it. (Unless you're my nephew, Seth. He doesn't like Orville's picture. He said this to my sister - "Mom, can you not buy that kind of popcorn anymore? That guy really creeps me out.")

I heart Sam's Club.

2008-08-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

Melissa & I let our Sam's membership expire about two years ago, give or take a few months. And we don't really have the $40 or so to spend to renew. So our sweet Mama took a special trip to Sam's with us tonight so we could buy some things using her membership. I LOVE Sam's. We got a big bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts, a bag of breaded chicken strips, a bag of frozen talapia fillets, & a huge container of fresh blueberries. (Oh, and a magazine with good looking recipes in it!)

Tonight when we got home, we made a quick supper. We ate leftover squash casserole that Melissa made a couple of nights ago, a bagged caesar salad from Walmart, & talapia. Melissa cooked them with garlic pepper & they were GREAT. Brain food. Yum. I recommend going to Sam's & buying these talapia fillets. It was unreal how quickly they were ready to eat & they tasted wonderful. (Good job, Melissa!) Next time, we might blacken them. I am going to post a picture of the supper tonight, even though it's not one of the better food pictures we've taken. But hey... it was still good. It tasted better than this picture portrays.

Oh, and the massive container of blueberries means we have to make two things very soon - blueberry pancakes & the yummy blueberry muffins we found on www.foodnetwork.com.

This is NOT a small task.

2008-08-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that uploading cds to iTunes can be very time consuming? Not just a couple of cds. But... four boxes. That's what I'm working on. I'm over halfway done with the final box though, so I am seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. But I sure am sleepy. I have to admit though, it has been exciting to come across some old favorites that I haven't seen in years. I wondered where my Critics cd was. It was in Box #3. Audio Adrenaline's Underdog was another one I was happy to find. It reminded me of that video Johnathan & I put together in college. We used that song with footage from the girl's flag football game. And yeah, we were certainly always the underdogs! So it has been pretty fun going through these boxes. But the later it gets, the less enthusiastic I am. However, the more I get done tonight, the less I'll have to do tomorrow. It's nice having Mondays off. I think I am now about 15 cds from being finished. Can I make it?

como se dice "muchacha" en ingles?

2008-08-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

I was in the Dollar General earlier, trying to find some sticker labels for an upcoming garage sale. No luck. Anyway, as I was perusing the aisles, two Hispanic guys walked by. One of them looked at me & said, "Hola, muchacha!" I just gave him a half smile. Yes, I took a year of Spanish in high school & three quarters of Spanish in college, but my response to EVERYTHING was, "yo no se". (translation - "I don't know.") It always worked for me! So I was thinking to myself, "What does muchacha mean?" I got back to the car & told Melissa. She said, "You should have responded with - "How do you say 'muchacha" in English?" Then her Spanish came back to her. She said, "You SHOULD have said 'como se dice 'muchacha' en ingles?!' HA! Classic. I wish I would have thought of that! (Oh, I've looked it up. Muchacha means "young woman", so I'm not offended.)

the cool kid on the block.

2008-08-24T16:19:00.001-07:00

My dog is the coolest kid on this street. He wins the popularity contest. Some of the neighborhood kids absolutely love him. We've had to start taking Sayid in the backyard to use the bathroom, because there are way too many distractions out front. A few of those distractions go by the names of Dalton, Mary, & Marissa. Earlier this afternoon, I was taking a post-mowing-the-yard shower & Melissa & Sayid were napping on the couch. Next thing Melissa knew, she & Sayid were both startled out of their sleep by a knock on the door. Melissa answered the door & there stood Marissa, asking, "Can Sayid come out & play?" So, Melissa put him on his leash, and he calmly sat there & let Marissa love on him for a few minutes. Usually he's hyper with the neighborhood kids, but he'd had a busy day so far, so he was still in nap mode. After that, the whole family (minus Opie, who slept in my room with the door shut) had group nap time in the living room. Then a little later, Melissa & I ran to town so she could put gas in her car & I could pick up a few things for us at Walmart. Sayid likes car rides & Melissa wasn't leaving the car (except for to pump gas), so he came with us. As we were pulling back onto our street, that trio of kids was walking down the street. They recognized Melissa's car, and Dalton ran alongside the car, making funny faces at us the whole way into our driveway. But, alas, Melissa & Sayid were heading to Mama & Daddy's house so Daddy could change the oil in Lafonda the Honda. As Melissa backed out, Mary walked up next to Dalton. They asked, "Can Sayid play?" I told them, "He's gone with Melissa. They just dropped me off right quick." Mary said, "MAN! I haven't seen Sayid in FIVE DAYS! I miss him SO MUCH!" It cracks Melissa & me up.

puppy-proofing

2008-08-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

My room is a disaster area about 87% of the time. I just don't have enough room for all my stuff. We got Sayid on July 12, but I've always had to keep my bedroom door shut so he won't go in there & chew on things he needs to stay away from. This works out kind of nicely for Opie, because he stays safely tucked away in my room where Sayid can't get to him. But this is going to be bad in the long run. I mean, Sayid started out in our family at 10 pounds - roughly five pounds lighter than Opie. Now Sayid is somewhere around the 23 pound range, which is a good seven pounds on my fat cat. The longer I keep Opie sheltered from Sayid, the worse it will be when I *do* get my room puppy-proofed. So I am working on that now.

Melissa helped me rearrange my room last Monday night. Now I'm going through all the clutter. And once that is finished - hopefully by the time this Monday night rolls around - my bedroom door will start being open. Poor Opie.

So the project of the moment (which is a time consuming one) is to go through these four boxes of cds that were under my bed. I'm finally putting the songs I like on iTunes. My old Dell computer died about a year ago & I've had my MacBook for about 10 months and I am just now putting my music on iTunes. But yeah, I might make a small fortune off cds at our upcoming garage sale!

I might try to tweak this blog a little bit while I'm uploading all of this music. I'm on the computer, so I might as well! It gives me a good excuse!

But before I end this entry, I want to post a picture of my sweet, beautiful boy. He is getting so BIG. It's awesome. Oh, and in TWO WEEKS, he will be finished with his puppy shots & we can take him to Kiroli Park! We are counting down the days!

When my bedroom is done, I'll have to post a picture of that, too.

catching hypothermia.

2008-08-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

You know it is ENTIRELY too cold in an office building when my coworker, Shelly, often works with winter gloves on her hands. I turn on my heater every morning before I turn on my computer - even in July & August. I hate when I get called to see a client, because that means I have to leave my nice, cozy office & head out into the North Pole that is our hallways. Sometimes I wave to Santa on my way to the front & do my best to look angelic. I guess this is what happens when you work with a bunch of menopausal women! Unfortunately, we are getting a new office building in April. That's bad news for several reasons.

1. We will have four caseworkers per room, rather than our own offices.
2. It's closer to the south side of town, meaning "the hood".
3. It's NOT right down the street from Moe's Southwest Grill, PieWorks, Kyoto, Starbucks, & Sonic.
4. We are not allowed to have heaters (OR personal refrigerators, for that matter).

So if April 2009 rolls around & I happen to go missing, please come to my new cube & find me. I will be housed inside a Lindsay-shaped block of ice. Please move me into the sunlight for a while to thaw.

the playground!

2008-08-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Melissa & I live right down the street from an elementary school. School started this week & I noticed that the gate to the playground is now unlocked/open. I am excited. One of these days soon, it's going to be NOT raining, and then Melissa & I can take Sayid to the playground! He can run around & we can swing & everyone will be happy! Don't worry though... we will take our pooper scooper. We don't want a bunch of kindergardeners coming in after recess with Sayid's poop on their shoes. Then I'm sure the playground will start getting locked again. And I have to say, Sayid is getting too heavy to pass over the fence.

Sayid scared off the Mormons!

2008-08-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Melissa & I took Sayid to the vet this morning for his third round of puppy shots. One more round to go, three weeks from today, and then we can start taking him on walks & to the park! We are counting down the days! Anyway, it was around 10:00 AM, and we had to leave by 10:10 for his appointment. We were playing with Sayid on the stairs, and I had to hurry & brush my teeth & finished getting dressed. As Sayid was viciously growling & barking at his squeaky elephant toy, I headed down the stairs & noticed that there were two men standing at our front door. They hadn't yet knocked, but they were standing out there. As I walked into my bathroom, I told Melissa, "There's someone at our door. They look like Mormons." You know... suit, tie, briefcase, Watchtower Magazine in hand. I guess that would make them Jehovah's Witnesses? Anyway, they were that type of visitor. Melissa said, "Oh no. Wait... they're leaving!" Maybe these Mormons/JWs were scared of dogs. And even though Sayid sounded vicious, he was really just vicious towards the squeaky elephant. If someone had come into the house, I'm sure his little tail would have been nearly flying off his booty, because he loves new people! But we didn't really have the time to deal with these door-to-door people, nor did we really want to. So... GOOD JOB, little Sayid! He scared off the Mormons! Yessssss!

what a way to go.

2008-08-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

This morning, as I was in my bathroom getting ready for work, I noticed a little bug trying to find his way out of the maze of bumps that is my kitty cat doormat that sits outside the litter box. It was one of those earwigs. Melissa & I always referred to them as, "bugs with pinchers on their hineys!" I distinctly remember us yelling, "DADDY! Come KILL IT! It's a bug with PINCHERS ON HIS HINEY!" Anyway, this bug was wrapping his body around the little raised bumps on that doormat. He was having problems. I don't like bugs with pinchers on their hineys, so I made no effort to rescue him. I mean, had I rescued him, I would have just made a quick transfer to the toilet & flushed him down the potty. He was going to die either way. Maybe he likes mazes, so the kitty cat doormat would be more fun. Stinkier, for sure, what with all the tiny pieces of litter scattered about & with that being the first place the cats poopy little paws land when they exit the litter box, but... more challenging, therefore, more fun. So I thought to myself, "Wow. What a way to go." Then I continued drying my hair.

local commercials

2008-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I've vented about this before, but I'm sitting here watching the Olympics on our local NBC station & it reminds me of just how horrible local commercials tend to be.

Our biggest local embarrassment is an ad for a local attorney named Ronnie Cook. In fact, I think we deal with him on occasion in child support court. Anyway, this is a direct quote from an ACTUAL CLIENT, not an actor! She says, and I'm not kidding, "He's a really people person. He talks to you just normal." He's a REALLY PEOPLE PERSON?! What does that MEAN?! I mean, they should have said, "CUT! Take TWO!" She butchered that sentence! And he KEPT IT for his AD! Maybe he wanted to make it realistic, and unfortunately, we have quite a few local residents who talk like that. I've seen the ad on TV & heard it on the radio, and every time I experience this commercial, it leaves me dumbfounded.

Ahhh... the beach.

2008-08-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

I just got back a few hours ago from a few days in Orange Beach w/ some family. (Mama, Jennifer, Brooklyn, & Josh.) It is 11:16 & I still need to unpack, so... the short version goes like this....

Took Hummer instead of van. Josh drove & "felt fancy". Nice condo! Luxurious shower that you could basically run laps in. Saw dolphins! Two days of relaxing on the beach. One rainy day of shopping at an outlet mall. (Poor Josh.) Went to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2! (Poor Josh.) Josh rode a Ferris Wheel for the first time ever & was nervous (Poor Josh.) Watched Brooklyn perform in her own "Special Olympics", which was hilarious. Bought way too many groceries. Ate great food. Played Scrabble on Josh's iPhone - a LOT. Experienced Lambert's Cafe, "Home of the Throwed Rolls" today. Took lots of pictures. Laughed a lot. Great trip.

Time to unpack!

maybe this place will inspire me

2008-08-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else miss diary-x?! As cool as iWeb is, I just don't feel very inspired to post blogs there most of the time. So maybe I'll just save $100 & lose that email address/website once renewal time rolls around in December. Maybe I will be more inspired to write here. And hey, this is free, right? I hope so. I didn't exactly get around to reading the Terms & Conditions!

Tomorrow I am heading to Orange Beach, Alabama for a few days with some of the family. Mama, Jennifer, Brooklyn, Seth, & Josh. It should be fun! Oh, and hanging around Josh's iPhone for a few days might make this temptation too much to bear. We'll see!