My sister in law, the celebrity!

Check out an article in the prestigious Pensacola News Journal about my sister-in-law, Meredeth, and her dog and two cats in regards to hurricane evacuation.

Meredeth submitted a picture of her and her dog, Charlie, to the PNJ a while back. PNJ loved the picture, so they called her and asked if she would take her pets with her in the event of a hurricane evacuation. Meredeth said, "sure." So they came to the house, took some pictures, and featured them in an article. There will be another article later. Congrats, Mere (and Charlie-dog)!

Grant = Paris Hilton?

I completely forgot about this perfect blogging story that happened a couple of weeks ago in church!

We were singing a hymn, I can't remember which one. Anyways, Grant whispered something to me, and I could've sworn he said, "That's hot." I just looked at him with shock, because if that is what he said, it truly came out of nowhere. I thought, if anything, he likes the words to this hymn so much, that he's resorting to saying Paris' famous tagline.

He then repeated himself, and for a second time, I swear he said, "That's hot."

When I told him I thought he said that, we both laughed a little, and then he denied it. I don't believe him.

When I started thinking about it, I realized that I've never seen Grant and Paris Hilton in the same room together. Now, I've never seen Paris in any room, ever, but still... So, is Grant and Paris Hilton the same person? You decide.

Regular Joe

I was just reading on the PCC Board, that for Pastor Schettler's going-away reception at PCC, Joe Scarborough was there. Along with Emmitt Smith and Roy Jones, Jr., Joe is one of the most famous people to come out of Pensacola. He was a congressman, and now he has a show on MSNBC. He flies to New York to film the show, but still lives in P'cola.

I admire him for his ability to stay low-key. There's even talk about him possibly starting to film his show for MSNBC in Pensacola, so he wouldn't have to commute back and forth to New York.

So when I read the post about Scarborough being at Pastor Schettler's reception, at first I just thought of the "Regular Joe" that he is in Pensacola. Then I remembered that he has this TV show, and is a pretty recognizable person.

It seems that even though he's in the "big-leagues" now, he's still the same old Joe - down to earth and just a regular guy. It's for that reason that so many people in Pensacola wanted him to run for President.

Have I mentioned lately that I miss Pensacola?

Copy Cat

Following Haley's post, I decided I would take the Myers-Briggs personality test, which I had never taken before.

I scored an ISFP, which is introverting, sensing, feeling, perceiving. Their description of me is, "Gentle, loyal, and compassionate. Appears reserved and unassuming. Quietly does things for others. Patient, accepting, and nonjudgemental. Has a live-and-let-live attitude. Sensitive to conflicts and disagreement. Has little need to dominate or control others."

I think that's pretty accurate. I'm interested to hear from those of you who know me how accurate you think it is.

It also said that typical occupations for ISFPers are, and I'm copying straight from the site:

artist dietican or nutritionist optician
beautician factory worker physicall therapist
botanist food service worker police officer
carpenter forester recreation leader
clerical worker gardener secretary
computer operator geologist teacher
counselor marine biologist veterinarian or assistant
dancer mechanic dental or medical asst.
nurse designer occupationall therapist

Please notice, if you haven't already, all of the terribly atrocious spelling errors on this list.

To know that I would fit in well as a forester is an answer to a life-long dream of mine! I could be like Jeffrey, Uncle Leo's son, and work for the parks department one day!!

If you would like to take the test, and hope to be as cool as me and my future as a forester, go here.

**Edited to say, I guess Blogspot does an automatic spell check, because that list had all kinds of spelling errors, and now they're gone.**

Santa Fe Fun

Mrs. J had asked me a while back to come visit one of her classes at the beautiful St. John's Santa Fe campus. Since this is her last week EVER of her classes, I had to act fast. So on Sunday, we made very spontaneous plans for me to attend her Monday night class.

We left a little after 12:00 on Monday afternoon, and drove up to Santa Fe. She took me the back way to the Plaza, which was a beautiful drive through very unique neighborhoods that you can only see in Santa Fe. We got to the Plaza, and I showed her my favorite stores, then she showed me some stores on a street I'd never been down before.

When it came time to eat, I told her that I wanted her to take me to her favorite place. It was a Chinese Restaurant in the Design Center, which is a place I'm sure only locals know about. It took a little digging to find it, but once I told her to let The Santa Fe guide her, she found her way.

We ordered enough food to literally feed an army, but we got a good laugh out of it. Our whole table was covered with food! I tried to eat one last shrimp, but it proved to be too difficult a task. And that's all that needs to be said about that.




Then, Mrs. J wanted to show me to her old tanning bed/oxygen bar, and again, had a little trouble finding it, until The Santa Fe led her straight to it.

You see, there's a strange phenomena that happens, that I call The Santa Fe, in which you never really get lost, even if you feel like you are. You always seem to find your way.

Then, it was off to class. The campus was in a beautiful location. The class itself was interesting, even though I really don't get poetry, so most of what they discussed was way over my head. I wanted to take pictures of her classmates, and of her while she was giving very intellectual opinions on the poem, but I thought that might be a little embarrassing for her (and me).

Then it was back to the ABQ.

I want to give a shout out to Mrs. J since tomorrow (Thursday) is her last class, and Saturday is her graduation. Congratulations!

Work, work, work

This week, I've been attempting to get our closets organized, so they look better for when we try to sell the house. Plus, getting everything in bins will make it easier when we move. I finally finished my craft closet, which Pinky so graciously helped me realize that I could use one of our many hall closets for! I was trying to get it all into the guest room closet, but without shelving, it was going to be hard. She made me see the light! So now, I have EVERYTHING craft-related in one closet, in appropriate bins, with labels on them. Yay!

Meanwhile, Grant has been busy doing the "manly" work around the house...mowing the grass, fixing the pump in the pond, getting the swamp cooler ready for the summer, painting the garage, etc. Needless to say, we've been keeping ourselves busy.

Holy Dirt, Batman!

SixBit inspired me the other night, that even though I'm white, it's okay to show my ghetto-fabulousness every once in a while. So...

I'd like to send a shout-out to Grant, who whisked me away to Chimayo, New Mexico to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. It was bananas!



I'd like to send a shout-out to the mariachi guy at the restaurant. You showed much love, and we appreciate it.



I definitely want to send a shout-out to the Santuario de Chimayo for having holy dirt that has healing power. Without you, none of this could be possible.



And last, but not least, I want to send a shout-out to SixBit and Pinky and the kids for watching Watley for us over the weekend. Even though he gnawed on a dead bird, then licked SixBit's guacamole, you never complained. He was thoroughly worn out, and we thank you for that.



If I left anyone out, I'm sorry.

A fish tale

So, I've been temping at a PR firm here in town, and I've been helping out with this huge conference that starts tomorrow (Wednesday). I spent most of my day today down at the convention center, setting up for tomorrow.

For lunch, the lady I'm helping, Phyllis, took me to lunch at the Hyatt across the street. I had the most amazing fish tacos I've ever had--and probably will ever have--in my life. They were so good, in fact, that I couldn't wait until I could come home and blog about them. So, for those readers of mine who live in the ABQ, next time you're in downtown, go to the Hyatt, find their little restaurant, and order the fish tacos. You'll be glad you did.

On a different note, I'm really not looking forward to being at the convention center at 6:30 am and being there until about 8 pm. It's going to be a LONG day.

I'm also not looking forward to people complaining about little things, like how their name appears on their name badge that I spent 2 full days making, or how they want a green ruler instead of a red one (or vice versa), or whatever dumb things people complain about. Because let's face it, that's just inevitable.

BUT...Grant FINALLY comes home tomorrow. Five weeks is a long time. That's like, a month and a week! So, I'll be very excited when I get to see him.

College memories, Part 2 (or deuce, if you prefer)

*Disclaimer - Please read the previous post before reading this one. Thank you.*

The second part of my story is focusing on my 2 greatest friends, and they happen to be sisters--Jenny and Kellie. Having to narrow down the friends that I say keep me from regretting my PCC experience, it would have to be because of these girls.

I knew Jenny from my freshman year--we were in the same collegian, we played soccer together, etc.--but, we didn't really start hanging out until my sophmore or junior year.


Jenny is one of the funniest/craziest people I know. She's--well, she's hard for me to describe. I just love this girl. She makes me laugh at the most ridiculous stuff. Her and I are "twin souls." We will both do the most random thing, at almost the exact same time. It's like we're, well, twin souls! She's getting married this July, and I absolutely can't wait until I get to see her again. I'm really looking forward to her showing me the sites in Minneapolis. And then, there's our road trip to Michigan for the wedding, that's sure to have at least 100 stories spring from it that we'll remember for a lifetime.





And then there's her sister, Kellie. These 2 sisters are pretty different in many ways--sense of humor, style, personality, etc, but they each have something in common with me. Maybe I just have multiple personalities or something.



Kellie came my junior year of college. She played soccer, too, and we hit it off right away. We bonded over making fun of people who took soccer too seriously, and making fun of Jenny (who was the coach), who would get so mad at us for not taking it seriously enough. Again, she makes me laugh at the most random things. We each know the show, Friends, way too well, and at any mention of one of our favorite parts, we'll laugh for minutes on end.



I can't wait until we're all reunited, and can sing to Destiny's Child and NSYNC together, and make more lifelong memories!

College memories

This is going to be somewhat of a 2-parter, so just be warned...

I was just thinking today, that although I went to a really sucky college, I have very fond memories of it and my friends that I made there.

I played soccer all 4 years, but I wasn't all that great. I had more fun laughing at people with my BFF, Kellie, than actually playing. It was, after all, PCC collegian soccer, which was nothing to take too seriously, although some people did. We were the Zeta Kappa Generals. Notice our long cullottes that we had to wear.



Bible conference always brings back great memories! Okay, maybe not. Five church services a day for a week were a bit much. I swear, if I had to hear Pastor Clyde Box tell about how his granddaughter wet the bed with him in it, one more year, well, I don't know what would happen. I heard the story 4 years in a row, I think that's plenty!

Here's "the group" standing outside the Varsity Commons waiting for the back-to-back morning services. I specifically remember this day. I decided, since my skirt was a little short (it had to be at the top of the knee while sitting), I thought I should wear hose, so I wouldn't be breaking 2 rules simultaneously (we had to wear hose every day, but I never did, and got away with it, cause I was a town student). Well, in between services, Kellie and I went to go get a drink of water. Machelle Kingsley (that name still gives me shivers!) was standing by the water fountain "checking" to make sure the girls were dressed appropriately. Kell and I saw her, and started to laugh, so we quickly got our drink of water, and ran back to our seats as fast as we could. We were sitting in the balcony, and I remember seeing Machelle walk down the stairs to the front of the balcony, and then back up to my row, and sit down in the seat next to me. Please keep in mind that this is an auditorium that seats 6,000+ people, and everyone knew how Machelle was, so everyone's eyes (at least in the balcony) were on her, and then me, as she sat down next to me. She proceeded to tell me my shirt was too "snug," and that I would need to change it immediately after the second service was over. This took me by complete surprise, since I was positive my skirt was too short, and my shirt was absolutely not too "snug." So, she gave me the demerits, and went on her way. My face was, not surprisingly, beat red.



This was senior night--when they "let" all the seniors stay up past the 11 o'clock curfew, and hang out in the Sports Center all night. I know what you're thinking--how can they let us have this much fun? Well, let me tell you, it took a lot of convincing on my friend, Jenny's, part to get me and my friend, Drew, to go. We ended up having a lot of fun. I had to borrow a pair of cullottes from someone who lived on campus, since I typically don't wear those, and didn't want to go home to find something that would pass.



This picture is a perfect example of why alot of people at PCC didn't like the group I hung out with. Bill is in the foreground, on top of a table. People, this is what PCC calls "horseplay." I'm very surprised that a Commons chap (that's short for chaperone, in case you didn't know) didn't come and write him up right away! We were loud, we were obnoxious, we had fun. They hated us!



Oh, the beloved Eagles! Us girls decided it would be fun to crimp our hair for an Eagles game (Haley, this could have been against your alma mater for all we know. In fact, let's say it is!). Whoever they played that night, I'm pretty sure they probably lost.



My friends at PCC definitely kept me sane. They are single-handedly the reason I don't totally regret going to that glorious institution!

Springtime

I'm not trying to copy Pinky's latest blog entry, but I do love the springtime! You don't really think of Albuquerque as a very lush or green kind of place, but at the beginning of spring, all the trees are this beautifully vibrant green, which looks so pretty against the desert backdrop.

When I came home from Utah, all of the plants had grown quite a bit. It's amazing how much change happens in a 10-day period!

I only wish I had some cool chalk drawings on my driveway!

Deep Thoughts by Yo Mama

The following is a conversation that Grant and I had in the car yesterday after a long day of driving. It reminds me of one of those Jack Handy "Deep Thoughts" segments from Saturday Night Live.

Grant: "Would you keep a dog that was the size of a mouse?"

Kelly: "Sure. Why not? It'd be cute!"

Grant: "But, wouldn't it get annoying? I mean, it would probably always be biting at your ear. That would get really annoying after a while."

Kelly: Gives Grant a blank stare...

Grant: "If I had a dog that small, I'd probably keep him in a hamster cage. Or a fish bowl with wood shavings in the bottom of it."

Kelly: Continues to give Grant a blank stare...

Grant: "What if Watley was that small? Do you think he would nose at our fingernails?" Demonstrates what it would look like to nose at a fingernail.

*Sidenote--When Watley wants us to pet him, he "noses" at our hands.*

Kelly: "Did you smoke something today when I wasn't looking?"

Laughter ensues from both of us.

10-15 minutes later...

Grant: "If there were dogs the size of mice, I bet they would run pretty fast, huh?"

Kelly: Again, gives him a blank stare.

Grant: "If a dog that small was like Watley, and liked to snuggle, I bet they'd snuggle up in our pockets. Or on our shoulders."

The End.

Boys will be Boys

I was on my Ringo photo-sharing site this morning, and my friend Josh posted a picture of his friend's baby. She's really a beautiful baby, so I made a comment on the picture that I thought she was beautiful.

Grant looked over my shoulder as I was typing the comment and said, "You just think she's beautiful because of the bow around her head." I called him an idiot, and went on with posting my comment.

Five minutes later he said, "Why do you like bows so much?" Confused, I said, "What are you talking about?" He then told me how he thought babies wearing bows is the worst thing he's ever seen, and if an adult is "too good" to wear an elastic bow around their head, babies shouldn't wear them either.

Probably one of the worst conversations I've ever had.

Part Deuce

So, for those on pins and needles, we ended up go to Wendover, which is a very mini-Vegas. I think they have 2 casinos. When we were there, Grant and I weren't sure if we were in Utah or Nevada, so we asked the cashier. She said the parking lot was Utah, but inside the casino was Nevada. Huh?


Anyway, it took us about an hour and a half to get there, and we stayed for about an hour. We each gambled $20. Grant lost all of his on roulette, and after I had lost about $15, I came back, and in total only lost $6. It was a nice little excursion for us. Good practice for when we go to Vegas in June.

One thing happened on the way back to the base, that just reinstates what Pinks and I always say about our husbands....

We stopped at a rest area and saw a sign that said, "Watch for snakes and scorpions." Grant got out of the car, and immediately went over to the bushes and started kicking them, hoping he would see a snake or a scorpion. Is this not boy behavior?

Pinky and I are always saying that our men are just big kids. This is an observation, more than a criticism. Actually, I think it's a good trait for a husband to have--to be a big kid. It makes life fun, and keeps things interesting.

Snowboarding!

So, I'm here in Utah, with my hubby, since he's here for 5 weeks for work. And I know what you're thinking...Utah? But, it's actually very beautiful here. We drove to a ski resort today so we could go snowboarding, but on the way there, we encountered some moo-cows. This was on this road out in the middle of nowhere right outside of the base Grant is staying at. There was actually a cow standing right in front of the car, staring at us, and when we honked at him, he "moo'd" at us, then walked away.


We eventually got to Brighton, and got ready to go snowboarding (my first time in a year and a half).

Lacing up.

I'm carving some serious snow!

I guess Grant does some pretty radical carving, too.

Taking a break.

Getting some action on the lift.

Grant's ready to go!

Nostalgia...

Don't you love it when you're looking for something, and you unexpectedly find something else, that was completely forgotten about?

Tonight, I was looking for a stamp set (not postage stamps, to the boys who are reading this, but stamps that I make my cards with), and I found my baby pillow!

I don't really have any specific memories tied to this pillow, I don't even know who made it. I just know that when I saw it, it made me smile.

I'm scared

Okay guys, I'm really scared. I think there might be an intruder living in my house. I just went to Pinky's blog and clicked on the button to post a comment, and "yo_mama" was automatically in the Name field. Should I call the cops?

things that i love right this very second

1. yo_mama.

2. even though i'm upstairs, i can smell very much, the scent of the candles that i'm burning downstairs (pomegranate and wild currant scents).

3. not using capital letters.

4. my new jack johnson cd.

5. gatorade frost--riptide rush.

Update!

Sorry, to those of you who for some reason care about my blog, that I haven't updated in a while. It's been the busiest week that I've had in a long time! I got a temp job for this week and next week. I went to yoga two days after work. I had Survivor night at Pinky's and Six Bit's on Thursday. I had a Close to my Heart party on Friday. And I went to Santa Fe today.

But, it's been passing the time, and keeping me busy, so overall, I'm happy, just really tired!

Yummy!

I think the best sandwich in the world is turkey with provolone cheese, miracle whip, tomato, and avacado. The only thing that would make it slightly better would be bacon.