As I walked up to my apartment door today, the song “Please, Mr. Postman” popped into my head, because lo-and-behold, I had a giant box waiting for me!! Who doesn’t love getting mail, and even better, packages??
I have been getting lots of mail from those I love over this last month & a half, and it makes me happy to know I may be out of sight, but I’m not out of mind.
But really, who COULD forget me!? ;)
And in honor of the ‘60s, here’s an array of "Please, Mr. Postman" videos for your viewing pleasure. The Marvelettes version is my favorite for two reasons: 1. They sang the original song. 2. The guy that is sitting closest to them has absolutely NO sense of rhythm… watch. You’ll see. Poor nerdy white boy. Ha.
I recently received an email chalk-full of pictures from my sister-in-law Bethany. Apparently, she & my brother braved a night of Autumn Festivities with their zoo of a crew. This was my favorite out of the bunch, and caused me to literally laugh aloud when I saw it… What a lovely face Avery. Really. Just lovely.
And I think he’s supposed to be a bee? Haha… And everyone say hello to Shamara!! :)
I was erasing pictures from my phone today when I came across this beauty from nearly a year ago… It takes a certain kind of talent to produce a square waffle from a round waffle-iron. Yup. I’m just that talented.
I was given the amazing opportunity to head up to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery up in Lynchburg, Tennessee this weekend with the Huntsville Young Professionals(because I’m a Young Professional in Huntsville, holla!). I have been to many a brewery, as par when living in Colorado, but never to a spirit distillery, so this was new & exciting for me!
We headed up via caravan around 9:45 am in order to make our lunch-time reservations for lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House. Um… UH-mazing!! Great southern home-style cooking enjoyed as a “family” where we all sat around a big table, always passing to the left & never going without. Hello fried catfish, pork chops, macaroni & cheese, Jack Daniel apples, fried okra, lima beans, corn bread, sweet tea, & the most amazing chess pie w/ Jack Daniel whipped cream. I highly recommend Miss Mary Bobo’s and if anyone ever wants to come & visit me, we can make a special trip there! (Mind you, I’ll need at least 2 months notice… it takes that long to get a reservation!)
I made fast friends with other “Young Professionals” on the way up there, so it was fun to wander around Lynchburg (the whole 4 blocks of the city-center) with them before we headed up to Jack Daniel’s. I met a dedicated checkers player (he beat me!), enjoyed a good ol’ fashioned Coca-Cola straight out of the bottle & experienced the most amazing scene of old men enjoying their sodas in rocking chairs on the porch of the local eatery with a classic car parked right in front. Perfect.
The Jack Daniel’s tour was superb as well. The fact that I despise black label Jack Daniel Whiskey was utterly reinforced, seeing as that I was surrounded by its scent the entire hour of the tour.
I learned that they used to catch moonshiners with illegal stills by the way the distilling process creates a special kind of mold that turns everything black in the surrounding area, including buildings & the bark of trees, such as this example creating a unique picturesque look of bright green leaves & black bark.
I got cozy with Jack & then went off to do a whiskey tasting (when in Rome!). Did you know Jack Daniel's makes 3 types of whiskey?? Gentleman Jack, Black Label & Single Barrel (and you can buy a whole barrel of Single Barrel for yourself for a mere $9000). Both Gentleman Jack & Single Barrel were suprisingly good, but I still would never be able to sit down & enjoy a whiskey on the rocks. Just not gonna happen.
Thank you Jack Daniel, for a magnificent day spent in Lynchburg, Tennesse (pop. 361).
Oh, and I've re-fallen in love with FM Static. Mmm... yup, definitely have had this song on repeat all day! You sure are crazy Crazy Mary...
When asked what season is my favorite, I always say autumn. This is because I love what the time of year brings. It brings sweaters, scarves & boots. It brings pumpkin-flavored everything. It brings hot chocolate. It brings a new look to the foliage, whether it be turning Aspens into golden fountains & bright fires, or creating snow-like bulbs of cotton spanning across acres of land. And in Alabama, there is no lack of cotton fields to provide me with my seasonal pleasure. This one’s for you Eli Whitney…
So, I didn’t actually take this picture today. I took it back at the end of August, but I only found it today! So I’m counting it. :)
I made this little friend while in San Jose, California at my god-parents daughter’s wedding. It was late at night, and I was having a spectacular time (hey there champagne toasts!), when I meandered out and came across this slimy dude. He will be mine & I will call him my Escargot.
I’ve been in my apartment for a little over a month now. I’ve had all my furniture & boxes for a little over two weeks now. I’ve been eating with plastic utensils that I bought at Target all this time. It’s about time I bought some real silverware. Now, I could have gone for the matching set (probably easily found at Target as well…) but that’s just not how I role. Ever since I moved back to good ol’ Sweet Home Alabama, it’s been all about the thrift stores. And do you know what all thrift stores have?! An abundance of kitchen utensils, small & large!! So, today I found myself leaving work as a woman on a mission: To eat dinner tonight with real silverware!!
I made my way to the Asbury Thrift Store to buy my new-to-me eating tools, where I proceeded to find all sorts of mismatched knives, spoons & forks. Making my way up to the cash register with my 20 or so pieces of silver, something wonderful caught my eye. The Arc de Triomphe!! Oh yes… the Arc de Triomphe. In good ol’ Madison, Alabama. Now, you have to understand my love of Paris. And my love of ornately framed paintings of places in Paris. And my small collection of this love that I cover my living quarters with… But up until now, these paintings have been rather small… Maybe about the size of an 8X10. But not anymore!! I am the new owner of this hot mamma!! Probably a good 18X36 inches (and a steal at a whole whopping $5.00!!). I’m thinking it’ll be my new headboard. Haha… Or I’ll put it right where my non-existent TV would be. I’d much rather look at the Arc de Triomphe than a TV anyway…
What’s better than going through the self check-out at your local Kroger and seeing a giant display of Alabama football pride?? Well, many things actually. But still, this was a great show of some stock-boy’s creativity hard at work. He was probably incredibly bored some Wednesday night around 2 am and decided to find a way to utilize the extra 500 12 packs of soda they received that week in their shipment. I applaud you 17-year-old-stock-boy-from-Bama. I applaud you. Be sure to take a picture of this and send it in with your application to Auburn for the engineering program. You’re a shoe-in. Fo’ sho’.
Knock Knock. Who’s there? Banana. Banana who? Knock Knock. Who’s there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad I didn’t say banana!? Mmmm… The produce section of the grocery store is by far my favorite part of shopping. It always has been. I think it can be traced back to my days of Reading Rainbow & Sesame Street, when they would show clips of kids with their parents shopping for groceries on the streets of NYC or some big city, where they had produce stands with all the pretty arrangements of fresh fruits & veggies varying in colors & shapes. Such a weird sense of nostalgia, considering I never experienced it first hand, but there you go. Sometimes things need not be explained. Don’t worry about it. :)
I guess I really shouldn't have expected any different from people at the Lowe Mill (a very exciting & interesting place, complete with independent, local artists, and even a true-blue record store!) I mean, I was at the Flying Monktoberfest. No, but wait. I was at the Flying Monktoberfest. An event filled with all the free, great tasting beer you could ever ask for. (They were raising money to help legalise the distribution of higher alcohol content beer in Alabama, helping out Free the Hops.) You see, they couldn't charge admission, because they can't sell the beer, so, aside from a "suggested donation" there was no money involved.
So, I guess this presents the comment: I didn't realize this was a BYOSP (Bring Your Own Six Pack)...
This lovely fella' had a plastic bag filled with some cans of Miller, alongside the one he was holding in his hand, enjoying at the present moment. I just found this ironically uproarious, considering all the delicious (and free!) beer one floor below him... Maybe he was trying to impress the cute girl in the rad red cowboy boots. :)
I have come to the conclusion that Charlie Chaplin is stalking me. Why? Well, because I've seen him twice within the last two weeks. And not in the same place. Or even in two places within 10 miles of each other. Hmm. That is why I think he's stalking me. :)
But this picture was taken at Mason's in downtown Huntsville. Say hello to Jesse. He was my model so I could take a picture of Charlie without looking like a crazy person. So instead, Jesse looks like the crazy person. Oh, crazy Jesse.
Now, I have been known to eat a bologna sandwich or two in my life, but usually it involved two pieces of bread & some sort of condiment. But if you're a part of Young Life, we don't waste time with such things as bread & condiments!! We just send the bologna straight to the face!!
I believe my favorite part of this picture is the perfectly round pieces of indiscernible meat laying around the two boys, as evidence of their failed attempts to cover their heads with Oscar Mayer's pride & joy.
I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with these amazing kids, and for the laughter they create, even if it is a result of trying to catch pieces of bologna on their faces.
Oh, and here's a little something for you to enjoy... :)
Steak-Out: Another great thing about living in the South.
How’s it work? Well, let me enlighten you.
First, you call them up. Second, you order your Ribeye or Sirloin steak (anywhere from 6 oz – 12 oz) anyway you like. You want shrimp with that!? Next, you pick either a baked potato (loaded of course!) or garlic mashed potatoes (yummm…). Then, you choose the dressing to go on your side salad (oh the choices!) Finally, you hang up after paying $12 & wait 20 minutes for all of this deliciousness to show up at your door.
This picture is evidence of my incredible laziness Monday night & my desire to not eat a PB&J or fast food. Instead, I got great food fast! And don’t worry, I ate the whole thing. I was hungry after all. :)
I just want to preface this post by saying, “Please appreciate this picture, because it took us probably 5 tries to get it right.” Haha. Just kidding. You don’t have to appreciate it. But if I were to look for things to appreciate about it, here would be a list:
- I appreciate how I am 10 shades lighter than both of the boys beside me. - I appreciate the Coors Light Zac bought for us in honor of me. Yay Golden! - I appreciate the fact that we're all wearing grey shirts. Nice. - I appreciate the hours before this was taken, when we were hanging out at The Big House on the Corner, watching football, eating Puppy Chow & playing Rock Band. - I appreciate the fact that Ketchup wasn’t very crowded, but don’t appreciate how it still managed to make you go deaf due to the obnoxiously loud music they were playing. - I appreciate the ride home afterwards, and finding out Jesse thinks he’s a gangster, until Christina Aguilera’s “Come on Over” starts serenading us, blowing his whole cover. - And finally, I appreciate new friends & good times.
Thank you for letting me say "appreciate" 11 times in this post. Ohp, well, now 12. :)
So, you know how in some restaurants, when you get your leftovers, they wrap it up in aluminum foil & shape it into a swan? Well… I’ve discovered what animal I shall request next time this happens…
And please note the elephant beneath the moose. Amazing. There was also an alligator, but it didn't fit in my picture. :)
Oh, the things you discover when you’re on a mission to make enough Puppy Chow to send the 5 people you’re hanging out with into a diabetic coma.
This lovely piece of furniture is called a Baker’s Rack. And it is helping me fill the void of having no pantry in my apartment. (Seriously, what kind of apartment doesn’t have a pantry!?) I recently bought it off craigslist for like $25 (a steal!) under the assumption that it would be easily attained by myself by just driving by the previous owner’s house & picking it up. But I have yet to learn, that things aren’t always as easy as they seem.
So, I started off my little adventure to Maysville, Alabama with directions from Google Maps & $40 cash. I’m jamming to the radio in my car & cruising down Highway 72 keeping an eye out for the road sign indicating where I will turn off. Umm… this simple task turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. Why? Oh, well, maybe because I was in the middle of the Boondocks where they don’t believe in street signs bigger than the size of a ruler. Nor do they believe that they should be placed on both sides of a road, where people can read them regardless of which side of the highway they are on. This resulted in me driving a good 15 miles past my turn-off, only to realize this when I drove past a Piggly Wiggly. Yup, a Piggly Wiggly. At that point, I knew something was wrong. Piggly Wiggly’s don’t exist within 20 miles of Huntsville.
So I turn around, call the house I’m trying to get to & set on my merry way again. I finally find my turn off. Yay! It’s another 3 miles down the road until I get to their neighborhood, so I’m watching all the scenery go by. And by scenery I mean little tiny shacks that say “Feed” and “Grocer” on them. Amazing. I feel like I’ve fallen into a secret little southern Pleasantville. I get to the neighborhood, and now I know I’ve made it to Pleasantville. The neighborhood is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and all the houses are the same. The grass in their yards is all the same. It seems that all the cars in the driveways are all the same. It’s not creepy, just a little strange. Very “Wrinkle in Time.”
But I get my Bakers Rack, and return home with a little adventure in my back pocket. Good thing that thing sat in the back of my car in pieces for the better part of a week. And good thing it now provides me with my own little pantry. Good story. :)
Today was a fun day. I experienced Zumba for the first time (That’s one heck of a work out!) & I got to go with a friend from work to see Eagle Eye (I wasn’t expecting much from it, but it turned out to be really good).
But the cherry on top was walking out into the parking lot after the movie & seeing this. A giant Hummer (not an H2 or H3, but a big giant, gas-guzzling, original road Hummer) with the very astute license plate reading: HUMMMMR.
I went to the Madison Public Library today for the first time in 10 years. It still has not changed. Well, some of the books inside it have. As well as some of the posters.
I came across this poster with the stars of the new movie Twilight reading the book they come from. When I saw it I nearly laughed out loud, though quickly remembering I was in a library. I couldn’t resist taking a picture for a couple of reasons. 1. The Twilight Series (by Stephenie Meyer) has become one of my favorite series of all times. It’s ranked up there with Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings. Just spectacular. 2. I knew KimJim would get quite a kick out of it. And she did. 3. I just couldn’t believe they actually made a poster with this on it. It’s just kind of weird in my mind. Like when you’re standing in a hall of mirrors & there are an infinite number of mirrors & your reflection going on forever. Just funny to me I guess.
I just wanted to share this picture that my sister-in-law sent to me today. Ummm… how incredibly precious!!! This is Everett, my youngest nephew. Although I am quite sad that I no longer live in the same state as them, and will miss out on all the amazing little things little people do, I still remain quite happy that Bethany sends me pictures of some of the favorite men in my life.
When I return to Colorado to visit, I want Avery & Everett to be the same size as when I left, but I know that is not possible, so I can only look forward to seeing them bigger & better than before!!
Joe’s Jeans are one of my favorite brands of jeans. They are great quality & fit amazingly. So, to my absolute amazement & wonder, I found a store in Madison, AL that sells the entire line. Holy moly.
Now, I may be willing to drop $150 for a pair of jeans I’m going to live in for the next 2-5 years, but I’m not sure I’d do the same for a little person who would be sure to grow out of them in 2-5 months. Nonetheless, this was a priceless display of consumerism at its best, with a table filled with miniature Joe’s Jeans. Gotta love it.
I would just like to point out that I have always enjoyed Huntsville. Even when I lived here previously, there was never a moment I didn’t cherish, didn’t learn from & don’t look back on fondly. Maybe it’s because this is the “Rocket City.”
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is located here (along with half of all the military & aerospace companies in the world), and since they are located here, so are their rockets. Now, this particular one is not actually at the Space & Rocket Center, but it’s just outside the city, welcoming people into a city that’s a sort of island in the sea of “The South.” I say this because it’s probably not what you’d imagine, due to movies you may have seen & books you may have read. It’s a hub for all things military & aerospace (sort of Colorado Springs’ sister city) and thus, people from all over the country reside here.
But back to my point. I’ve been to the SRC about a million times & I never get tired of it. It’s amazing. And apparently ranked as one of the 1000 things you need to see in the U.S. before you die. (Interesting, so I’ve been there enough for at least 10 lifetimes? :) I love seeing the giant rockets from almost any point in the city, and so I love that they planted this one right along the highway giving you a glimpse into the history of Huntsville. Rock on Huntsville. Rock on.
1200 something miles, 4 tanks of gas & an infinite number of plays of Kid Rock’s Sweet Home Alabama on my radio have led me to this point. Welcome to Alabama the Beautiful.
I still cannot believe I managed to drive this entire way all by myself. I am very glad for the time spent singing out loud, learning about Houdini (via audio book… what an amazing man) & seeing my favorite kind of cow. :)
I am not sure what life has in store for me, what treasures I will find in here, what challenges I may face or what kind of people I will meet, but I can assure you, I’m going in with every intention of making the most of every minute & learning what story God has written out for me.
Now, I do not have a lot of experience with bachelorette parties, but I'm going to go ahead and say that today was one of the best that there has ever been. Because you see, it started out with riding roller coasters! :)
This morning Pamela, Janelle, Laura & myself headed up to Elitch Gardens. We rode roller coasters, laughed, screamed & just enjoyed each other's company all afternoon. And, got some amazing pictures along the way. Such as this beauty.
But Elitchs was not all that was in the cards for Pamela's fun day! We then headed up to Greeley & Ft. Collins, to enjoy a freshly prepared meal at the Hibachi Grill & then a night out on the town at the Drunken Monkey. Oh, friends are fun. :)
I must start this entry out with an amazing fact: I have lived in Colorado for 9 years. That is a huge chunk of my life. And during this chunk, I've lived in Colorado Springs for 6.5 years. Now, I've done all things touristy, via friends & family visiting. We've done the Garden of the Gods 8 million times, Pikes Peak 4 million times, the Cog Railway 3 million times, and most other things probably at least twice.
But today I discovered a new gem of Colorado Springs. Glen Eyrie. And the Punch Bowls.
My friend Julie & I went hiking this morning after hearing fabulous rumors of these Punch Bowls. Well, the hike started out simple enough, going over bridges, through streams, over boulders. And then suddenly you come up to a pretty waterfall. Now, when you start looking around to continue on your path to the Punch Bowls, the path is nowhere to be seen! What you do see however is a giant mountain of sharp rocks & loose dirt. Umm... yes, this was the trail.
So, after trekking over this mini mountain in the middle of a canyon, we come down onto more of the stream (which was feeding into the aforementioned waterfall) and then lots of slick rock and deeper water. But finally, after managing to stay mostly dry, we finally made it to the Punch Bowls!! There was about 15 other people there enjoying the lovely bowlness of it all. So we decided to go up & check everything out.
Now, I've already mentioned slick rock. This rock is already hard to walk on when dry, so walking on it when it's wet is nearly impossible. The Punch Bowls is all slick rock. With water. So I managed to make my way up a couple of tiers without any problems. But when Julie attempted, the poor dear slipped right in!! I must admit, it was kinda funny, considering it seemed to play out in slow motion, and thankfully no major injuries were incurred, and all electronics were safe. But once we climbed up to a certain point, we realized there was no way of getting back down without actually sliding down the natural rock slide right into a giant bowl of freezing mountain water. So we lifted our chins & gave it a go!! It was so much fun, and I must say, if you have a chance of finding your way into Glen Eyrie, then hobble on up to the Punch Bowls.
So. Wine. Vino. Delicious. Thus, when you get to attend a party with wine (and some cheese) it is obvious that the party will be fun, delicious & crazy. The night started at my friends' house (Will, Donavan, Mac [aka - Trevor] & Joe's house). Well, it ended there too. But okay. So, we enjoyed some laughs, some drinks, some cheese. Insert a bit of drama from Becky's oh so drama-free friends (yup... right) & then a bit more wine & you will find yourself at the end of the night when pretty much everyone has gone home. All except like 8 of us. Now, my friend Will likes his wine. I like my wine. But Will likes to mix his wine with some fun games. Such as Face Your Fears. If you've never played this game, I don't blame you. :) But let me explain the 1.5 rules involved in this little activity:
1. You must start out on your knees with your arms behind your back.
1.5 Fall forward onto your face.
Haha...
That's about it. An interesting little example of gravity in all its glory & the faces it creates. :)
Today is Father's Day. A day of celebration, of happiness, of joy. A day to hang out with Dad. A day to have the entire Anderson family over for chaos, craziness & crying. It just wouldn't be an Anderson outing without the 3 C's. Thus, our nickname, the Von Anderson Flying Circus.
Now, this picture is one of my new favorite pictures ever. If you've been reading this blog at all, I have said over & over how I love babies, and in particular my nephews. (Well, I might have only mentioned Avery, so I'm introducing a new nephew, Everett.) I love to hold them, and hug them, and kiss them. But sometimes they just don't love me back, thus creating this artwork of a picture. Poor Everett. He doesn't like his Aunt Becky. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I call him Fat Baby Big Head (though pronounced fatbabybighead). Or maybe the fact that Apache decided that eating his arm would be a good idea (well, licking it, but Everett probably thought he was being eaten). Have I mentioned I love babies?? :)
Movies + Ice Cream + Full Service Bar = Fantastic!!
There is this movie theatre, Kimball's Twin Peak Theatres, right downtown in Colorado Springs, that plays all the fantastic, odd-ball, independent, documentary-type movies. It is my favorite place to see movies in C-Springs, and I'll tell you why.
First off, they only have 2 screens. Meaning no large crowds & giant banners displaying upcoming blockbusters.
Second, they have a full service bar inside. Wine, beer, espresso, etc. You name it, they've got it. What a way to quench your thirst.
Third, they play those fabulous movies that most people are embarrassed to admit they saw, because they don't star Brad Pitt & Julia Roberts doing kung fu while saving the world during their wedding. I'm all about the quirky, independent films.
And last, they are located right next to Josh & John's Ice Cream. The happiest place on Earth! Or is that Disneyland? Either way, I love Josh & John's. All their ice cream is made in store, which results in my udder happiness (why, yes, that was a play on words). AND, they have the most amazing ice cream deal ever invented: Ice Cream Scoop Punch Card. Now, this might sound like any other punch card at any other food store. But it's not. You see, the colder it is outside, the more punches you get on your card in efforts to save up for a free cone! If it's 10º F outside, you get 10 punches. I love ice cream. Even when it's 10º outside. :)
Babies. Love them. I mean, they have miniatureeverything!Miniature hands, miniature clothes, they eat miniature food. What's not to love?
And I've mentioned before how much I love my nephew Avery. Well, we got spend the day together, because his parents were packing up their house to move down south. This day presented such wonderful weather, that I decided we should play outside. And playing outside means you get to wear your shoes. And Avery has miniature shoes.
I must say, I definitely prefer dogs over cats, and mostly because of their personalities, which are just so much funnier, especially my brother's dog, Merlot. Merlot is a basset hound. And she encompasses all that is basset, with her stubborness, smarts, and the ever famous vertically-challenged insecurities. One of my favorite things to do is to watch Merlot when she doesn't know I'm watching her. Because then she does things like what's happening in this picture. See if you can find her. Oh, how I love dogs.
And a side note: I like cats too. Just not as much. :)
I must say, working in downtown Colorado Springs definitely has its benefits. It's small, so you can walk anywhere within 10 minutes. You get to stare at Pikes Peak anytime you're outside. There are great places to eat on any block. (My two recent favorites are Jack Quinn's Irish Pub & Pita Pit [cause it's cheap...haha]). And.... they have these:
These little signs are posted at almost every street corner in downtown. Now, they wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that the word 'look' actually has little eyes in it. Can anyone say "creepy"!? But wait... it gets better. The giant stencil of "LOOK" on the road also has eyes!!!
Tonight was Wednesday Night Dinner, and in honor of such an event, me & Kristi decided to make some Puppy Chow for dessert! Cause honestly, who doesn't enjoy a nice big bowl of the most amazing snack food ever invented!? Although, we did have a little snag in between making our delicious delicacy and presenting it to our host & fellow WND participants. Because someone (ahem... Kristi...) forgot to bring it! :) We made it all the way to Jeff's house & realized we had no Puppy Chow. Good thing he only lives 1.2 miles away from me. (Don't worry, I mapquested it... Haha...)
As amazing as our Puppy Chow was, it was not the most exciting thing about WND. You wanna know what was?! Jeff owns Kübb!! It's only the most brilliant game ever invented. So if anyone ever wants to have a sweet little tournament/get together involving kübb, let me know!!! :D
So... The Jesus wrote me a memo today. This is what it said:
I'm pretty sure I should listen to him... And I'm pretty sure I had no idea companies actually used these "While You Were Out" memos... Made me laugh a little bit on the inside. :)
But if you could keep me & my fabulously futile job search in your prayers, then that would be outstanding!! Cause as much as I'm in love with clerical part-time work... I'd much rather be designing those fantastic gravity-defying death machines or creating magical moments on screen or stage. Just saying.
So, I have a new friend. Her name is Kristi Vana. And she's amazing. I just wanted to start out with that. Oh, and she does this great thing on her blog with a Picture of the Day. It's so great in fact, that I'm going to steal the idea for myself. :) So here goes:
I'm actually going to cheat a bit and do a PotD for Saturday, yesterday & today.
Saturday - 24.5.08
This was the day for my first time EVER shooting a 12 gauge shot gun.... This pose? This is a true-blue action shot... Yup, it's the recoil having its way with me... I'm pretty sure my shoulder was dislocated... haha... I went with Kristi & Travis to Rampart Range to learn to shoot a rifle and a shotgun and it was a great time! Not sure I'm ever going to shoot a shotgun ever again in my life, but we'll see. :)
Sunday - 25.5.08
This is my nephew, Avery. He loves strawberries. And he really loves strawberry pie. I love feeding him strawberry pie. And well, I really love Avery and I love this picture.
Monday - 26.5.08
Today was Memorial Day. Happy MemorialDay!! And a shout out to all the men & women who deserve this holiday more than most people ever give them credit for. You guys rock my world. And in honor of rocking my world, I raise my box in toast to you!! Yup, that's right. That's a little tiny box of wine. And I drank it during dinner. Right out of the box. Only high class for me.
Oh... and a little P.S. to this story. Apparently I've been drinking some orange soda recently. Cause I've got a Crush. ;)
I graduated in what, December, from CSM with my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and it's now mid-May and I've yet to find a job that fits just right. I think it's because I lost my favorite pair of jeans that actually did fit just right. Boo. But anyway.
I have recently become gainfully employed by Pottery Barn. Could be way fun. I do really enjoy their merchandise, and I know my friend Pam will highly enjoy my discount... :) But I'm also working for the MDA for a couple of weeks making some nice $$, along with physically working for my temp agency in their office. I can get all this amazingly easy-as-pie crap to work with, but not a real job?? I think The Jesus has something else planned bigger & better for me, but I'm having a hard time seeing it... I wish they made special glasses for these type things... ug.
Needless to say, I think my situation is kind of funny, but I'm also a bit put out by all of it. At least I'll get some cash in my pocket.
But tonight is Wednesday night dinner!! Free food is fantastic! As is awesome alliteration. :)
And I have attached a photo from Physics day at Elitch Gardens with my friends Jeff, me, The Fackelman (my old high school physics teacher) and Travis! Notice the high quality. Yup, stolen via Print Screen from the internet. :) Enjoy.
11:50 pm - Inspect why I'm so itchy. Turns out I have giant welts on both my elbow & my knee! What the heck?? Have a bit of a freak out & inspect in better lighting. Umm... I appear to have been attacked by something horrendous.
11:55 pm - Attempt to overpower this rash with some Cortizon 10.
Tuesday Morning
12:15 am - Nothing's happened. Oh wait, yes, it's starting to spread. Stupid Cortizon 10.
12:20 am - Put socks on my hands in order to prevent scratching. Ha. Like that actually ever works!
2:30 am - After trying to sleep for the last 2 hours (which didn't actually happen. more like tossing & turning for 2 hours!) I finally pull out my trusty Sidekick (haha... I've always wanted to say that!) and research what it could possibly be. First thought, one of the poison plant families. I was playing with my dogs earlier, who had been on their daily walk just shortly before I decided to pet them all for 20 minutes. Or I could have come in contact with something else during the day that my skin apparently doesn't agree with. During this research effort I start to inspect my wonderful new skin additions and discover it's spread to the other elbow & other knee!! I then watch as a patch on my right elbow increases before my eyes... uh... scary.
2:40 am - Have decided on trying a home remedy, cause well, I don't want to drive to the store at 3 o'clock in the morning. First, I take an extremely hot bath. I think it helps because it dries your skin out. Then they say banana helps relieve itching. So I proceed upstairs to smash some bananas and apply it to my appendeges and cover it with saran wrap. Oh my goodness. I reek of banana.
Bananananana
3:00 am - Back to bed with me. Good thing I sound like a giant plastic bag walking around. And smell like bananas.
8:00 am - Wake up. Still smell like bananas. Rash has proceeded to spread to cover both arms entirely. Awesome.
8:05 am - Back to the drawing board. Next step: my wonderful father goes to the store and buys me every itch-curing chemical he can find because my arms look like the surface of Mars. Meanwhile, I proceed to cover my knees in oatmeal (another home remedy) and saran wrap. Me and saran wrap have become very good friends at this point. Now I smell like bananas and oatmeal. Father returns with Benadryl ointment. This turns out to be my life saver. Rash disappears in about an hour.
My life-saver.
Ummm.... talk about strange. Oh, and after doing all my laundry, including my entire bed set, I woke up this morning with a rerun (though not nearly as bad) of the other night. Stupid stupid flesh eating skin disease!! I know you're very happy to have been informed of this incident. Next subject.
I've discovered a new favorite artist. Justin Nozuka. He sounds like melted butter. Mmm...
And last, but most definitely not least...
I was given the incredible privledge of seeing a special premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspianlast night!! (Thanks Disney, Walden Media & Grace Hill Media) It was brilliant, spectacular, amazing!!! I could go on, but I just wanted to put the plug in for everyone to see it!! It's been a long time since Disney actually made me laugh, cry & sit at the edge of my seat (even though I knew the story line from having read the books...) all in the same movie. Just brilliant. Go see it this Friday when it comes out!!
So.... Me, myself and I am stuck. I'm trying to decide what to do with my life, or better yet, figure out what exactly The Big Guy has planned for my life, and it is in 100% honesty the most confusing, frustrating, tiring, boring thing to go through!!
I talked to a lady at Young Life yesterday about their international ministries and it sounds amazing, but the process is something like 2 years long, and well, that's a long time in my world. I mean, it sounds fantastic, and I'm definitely going to pursue it, it's just... it's just not now. And not that I need an immediate answer to anything, but I'm just ready to get a move on, ya know?
But, today I woke up and decided I'm going to research all the procedures to getting up and moving to another country. I don't need a job just to move somewhere. Especially not overseas, because you can't really take all that much with you, so moving expenses really only apply to the airline ticket & then finding a place to live, but I'm looking more into moving somewhere where I know a few people. My ideas so far are as follows:
- Ireland
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Vancouver, Canada (So far away... I know... haha...)
So, today I'm looking into these things... if you know anything or have any advice, I'd love to hear it!! :)
As I walked up to my apartment door today, the song “Please, Mr. Postman” popped into my head, because lo-and-behold, I had a giant box waiting for me!! Who doesn’t love getting mail, and even better, packages??
months. Nonetheless, this was a priceless display of consumerism at its best, with a table filled with miniature Joe’s Jeans. Gotta love it.
