Erin's Realm

2010-07-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I like to play the game, "If I Won the Lottery." It's a simple game, costs almost nothing (depends on if you actually buy the ticket or not) and makes me feel a little more optimistic about my boring... er, simple life.

Tonight I'm all about my love seat. Don't get me wrong, it's better than nothing, but when you only spend $30 at the Goodwill, you really can't expect much. It's lumpy, almost worn out (hello, it came from Goodwill) and you sort of sink into it, but not in a good way. More like you may need a crane to be hoisted out because your knees are up near your ears and you can't get any leverage to hoist yourself up. So while playing tonight's episode of "IIWTL," I decided that when I win, all the sitting surfaces in my house are going to be comfy. I don't care what they look like (although I do have some standards, don't plan on seeing this in my house: ...ever) but looks aren't as important as comfort. (Also, I figure that for enough money SOMEWHERE out there there has to be a sofa to be had that is both.) Don't get me wrong, I do have loftier dreams for when I win the lottery, but today... today, all I want is a comfy couch. That's not too much to ask for, right?

Thought for the Day

2010-04-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

I totally stole this from my sister, but I really liked it, so I am claiming it. :P

Women are angels and when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly... on a broomstick. We are flexible like that, so don't mess with us!

Random Thoughts While Driving Home

2010-03-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Mother Nature,

Can we talk about this weather?? {yes, I was actually composing a letter}

Perhaps an investment in new windshield wipers is in order. These aren't helping so much as smearing.

I should go home and update my blog. It's been an embarrassingly long time since I have done that. Maybe I should just start a new one and let the old one die alone in shame.

Where did all this come from? It was clearing up like an hour ago...

Seriously people, you live in Colorado, it's not like you've never seen snow before.

Ugh, I REALLY need to do the dishes when I get home... WHY didn't I get a place with a dishwasher? I wonder if I could pay someone to come over and just do my dishes.

Dude! Just because you have four-wheel drive doesn't mean you can act like a maniac!

"When you've only got a hundred years to live..." Oooh, I just realized this is the first time in forever this song has come on and I haven't immediately switched the station.

Is everyone playing commercials at the same time? What, do all the stations get together and plan this out so you HAVE to listen to commercials? They should make a station of just commercials. Of course, I guess that would defeat the purpose then because no one would listen to...

Oh my gosh, that has to be the biggest snow plow I have ever seen. I think it's gonna eat my car.

Why do I only think of blog posts when I'm driving? I can't even jot them down, let alone type them out.

I should probably do laundry when I get home.

I really love these new boots.

Maybe I'll watch a movie when I get home. Hmm.... "The Truth About Charlie" or "Mamma Mia?"

I should probably start packing a suitcase to go out of town this weekend, just in case. It is Colorado and you never know what the weather is going to do.

I REALLY need to get to the post office. I'm not sure anyone is going to buy the excuse that I don't know where it is much longer.

Sometimes the speed and randomness of my thoughts amaze even me. And most of the time I don't even realize I am doing it. These bits of useless fluff were all conscious thoughts I had while driving home. Keep in mind I only live 5 minutes from work. And that's if the weather is bad, traffic is heavy and I hit all the red lights.

Procrastinators, Unite!

2008-12-23T23:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was (supposed to be) packing to head to Utah for Christmas. I hate packing. It is in the top ten things I hate to do most in the world. It's on the list with cleaning the bathroom. Yeah, that bad. You might think my reluctance to pack is because I'm not excited to go. Not so, I just hate the act of packing. I would totally go with just the clothes on my back (provided I could find something I want to wear) but I know I'd just be mad I didn't have more clothes when I got there. And the bonus fun of packing to travel for Christmas is you not only have to pack clothes and toiletries, you have to cram gifts in there too.

So tonight instead of packing, I wrote the following song:

(It's to the tune of "Jingle Bells")

It's ten o'clock pm
The night before I fly
I have so much to do

It makes me want to cry

I need to find my clothes
And somehow get my gifts
To fit inside my bag
I want to throw a fit!

Oh, packing sucks, packing sucks, packing really sucks!
Why can't I find my other shoe, for help I'd pay big bucks,
Oh packing sucks, packing sucks, packing really sucks!
I wish my clothes would fold themselves, but it seems I'm out of luck!

I know, I know, super talented, right? Still beats packing.

(And just in case you wondered, I did get my bag packed, see?)

Vote!

2008-11-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, first things first. You need to go here and vote for the image of my nephew and the pie. (It's #16.) My sister's image is one of the 20 finalists out of over 200, which I think is pretty dang cool. Voting ends December 2nd and there is only one entry allowed per IP address, so tell your friends!

And because I don't want you to be distracted by the other cute images on there (and because I like to put pictures in all my posts) here is the image you are voting for:

Lame-O

2008-11-17T20:47:00.001-08:00

Okay, so here is the bottom line. I SUCK at this whole blogging thing. (Which is really sad, because I actually really enjoy it.) My problem is that I have so much I want to say that I keep putting it off until I have "time" and I pretty much never have enough of that and I am tired of being behind. So keeping that in mind, I'm going to go ahead and skip a few (a lot of) posts and I'll get back to them when I can.

Breaking Dawn Concert-Seattle

2008-08-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed from previous posts, I absolutely adore Stephenie Meyer and her books. You may also have noticed that I was a teensy bit excited about the release of the 4th and final installment in the Twilight saga. In addition to being "mildly interested" about the book, I have also desperately wanted to to attend the Breaking Dawn concert series even since I found out about it.

So after much deliberation, preparation and manipulation (of my finances and plans, no people were manipulated that I am aware of) I headed off this week to Seattle to see the concert series--all by myself. In retrospect, this was no big deal. At the time, I was scared to death, and pretty sure I was going to hurl at many different times. I've never done anything like this--gone somewhere all by myself (for longer than a few hours) for no other reason than because I felt like it. It was actually quite an empowering experience and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.

I flew into Seattle on Tuesday and rented a car. Since I couldn't check into the hotel for about an hour, I drove around down by the airport and found a store where I could purchase the stuff I forgot and found some food. (How lame is this, I went to McDonald's. Apparently there was only so much new stuff I could handle at one time.) I checked into my hotel down by the airport, and the best things I can say about it were it was clean and cheap. After I got settled and rested a bit, I changed my clothes and headed into downtown Seattle for the book signing/concert. I cruised on in (after only a minor detour when I missed my freeway entrance and got lost... thank heavens for friends with the internet and google maps) and was giddily singing along to Blue October on my iPod, trying to see everything I could while still driving, and snapping pictures out the window.

I followed my directions into downtown, exited the freeway and made the left turn that would eventually lead me through the one way streets to where I needed to be, and nosedived. No one told me that the streets of Seattle were steep like San Francisco. I handled going down okay, but when I had to go up the next street, I was a ball of nerves. I was terrified that I was going to roll backwards into a car behind me and just prayed that there was a sticker or something on the back of the car that identified it as a rental and therefore I was from out of state and give me extra room. I found Benaroya Hall and luckily there was a parking garage just a little up the street so that I didn't have to add parallel parking (which I suck at) on top of the roller coaster streets. I grabbed my book and hurried to get in line.

When I finally got inside, it was PACKED. I was amazed at how many people were there, it was crazy! I found my seat and to my intense delight, I was in the 4th row. Not only that, but there was no 3rd row on the side, it was an aisle, so I had plenty of leg room in addition to the fantastic view. (Although to be honest, I would have sat in the corner behind a pole just to be there.) I sat there for awhile by myself with no one to share my excitement with before I finally got up the nerve to ask someone to snap some pictures of me. Self portraits just don't cut it sometimes. (Although you can kind of get an idea of how big the hall was behind me.) Eventually Cyndi, the girl I bought the ticket from on eBay, arrived and we sat and chatted until the show started.

I don't even know what to say about the show. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Justin Furstenfeld came out and sang a couple of songs (which were awesome, of course, just him and an acoustic guitar--so cool) and then they brought Stephenie out and she sat and chatted with the audience, talked about how music influenced her writing and how some of the Blue October songs in particular applied to different parts of her books. As she would talk about a specific song, Justin would then sing it. I'll be honest, that whole segment was probably my favorite part. I tried to do videos of each of the songs with my camera, but people kept walking in front of me, so the only song I got in its entirety was "Sound of Pulling Heaven Down," which is my favorite. (You can go here to watch it. And you totally should, it's awesome.)

After they finished the music part, Justin left the stage and an interviewer came out and asked Stephenie a bunch of questions that had been submitted by the audience prior to the show. It was really neat to listen to her talk about the books and get a little "bonus" info about some of the characters. (She even talked a little about the Host and it's probable sequel!)

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and there were a lot of books to be signed. They started having people get in line based on where they were sitting, starting with the balconies. Turns out just because you have a screaming good seat, there are drawbacks. Front row, last in line. (Again, so not complaining, I would have stayed to clean up for this opportunity.) I waited almost three hours before I got my book signed, but it was so worth it. Stephenie was so cool, she stayed until every last one of the 2000+ people got their books signed. Sadly, by the time I got to her, I was completely tongue tied and only managed a mumbled, "thank you!" in place of the well thought out things I had planned to say before I shuffled off with my book.

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful... had to walk down into a deserted parking garage at 11:30 at night all alone with a dead cell phone, got lost downtown while trying to find the freeway, finding the freeway, but going the wrong direction, finally made it back on going the right direction, realized about half way back to the hotel that I had been driving with no head lights on, quick sandwich from the Safeway and sleep.

And if you made it this far, you deserve a cookie. I don't have any, but you should go into your kitchen and have one.

I'm Getting There...

2008-08-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post for those of you who have ~~demanded~~ inquired about when I was going to post about my recent trip to Washington. It is coming, in fact, I have it partially typed up, but I am fighting with the pictures, trying to get them to go where I want them and be the size I want them to be. Since this fighting usually occurs after 10 pm, I pretty much get tired and go to bed.

So no worries, my tale is on it's way. In the mean time, here is one of my favorite images from my trip. It was taken somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula, and yes... you should be very jealous. It was STUNNING up there.

The tradition continues...

2008-08-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

When my sisters and I were younger, one of our favorite things to do was build Barbie Kingdoms. (Yes, you have to say it with the capital letters. It makes a difference.) We would use anything we could find (nothing was safe) and build the most elaborate Barbie houses we could. The building of the Kingdom would take days and usually made a pretty significant mess, but that was the fun part. In fact, I don't even remember much about actually playing with the dolls, just the creation of the houses. Sadly, no photos exist (that I am aware of) of these masterpieces.

This weekend, I took the opportunity to pass the Barbie Kingdom torch to Juju. I helped her make a very large mess in the basement and we built our very own, brand new Kingdom. Now, she has a really nice doll house with lots of furniture and accessories, but as I explained to her, the fun part is in using everyday items. We collected everything we could find and this was the result:

Yay Me!

2008-08-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

So I got a phone call today from my good friends at Barnes & Noble; I won the Eclipse trivia contest! (Turns out it pays off to reread the books right up to the very last minute.) I won a Twilight Godiva chocolate bar and a $10 B&N gift card. Anytime you can win chocolate and books just by reading, it's a good day.

Breaking Dawn!!!

2008-08-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me, you know how giddy-stupid-excited I have been for the release of the final installment of the Twilight Saga by my favorite author, Stephenie Meyer. I have been not-so-patiently waiting for this book for over a year now, ever since I went to the "Eclipse" book signing at the Tattered Cover last August. I am absolutely IN LOVE with this whole series, and if you haven't read them yet, you need to run to your local bookstore and get them in hardback--they are that good.

Here is a synopsis of the first three books that I borrowed from The Twilight Saga (They summed it up better than I could...):

In Twilight, Bella Swan’s move to Forks could have been the most boring move she ever made. But when she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella.

Star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward return in New Moon to find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrify

ing threat of revenge from a female vampire, and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy’s reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger in Eclipse, the third novel of The Twilight Saga. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Anyway, being as excited as I am, when I found out that Barnes & Noble was doing a midnight release party, I immediately knew I HAD to be there. Katie and I went down to the bookstore at 9:00 a.m. to pick up our wristbands this morning, and to our excitement, we were near the front of the queue!!! We snagged the #34 & 35 slots! (This may not sound super exciting to you, but last year for the Eclipse book signing, we were #312 & #313... it mostly means waiting for well over an hour for your book.)

I was so excited all day, I had a hard time concentrating on anything, but

I made it thru the day and Katie & I headed out about 10:00.

We hung out, had some Starbucks

(who also stayed open for the release and even created a new "Vampire's Kiss" drink that I had to try--it was a vanilla bean blended creme with raspberry sauce...tasty!), listened to music, filled out the trivia contests and waited impatiently.

Midnight finally arrived, and we were 4th & 5th to get our books in our line. After we gladly shelled out our money (Katie has been saving hers since her birthday) we immediately headed home to get started. (Okay, it was just me, Katie was smart and went to bed.) I personally sat up until 4:30 a.m. reading and I finally had to force myself to go to sleep. It is that good! I won't say anything now, I don't want to spoil anyone else's experience. I am now torn between tearing thru the rest of it because I am dying to know what happens next and dragging it out because I don't want it to be over. I know all good things must come to an end... but what am I going to read now???

(This is Katie & I with our books last night/early this morning. Aren't we cute??)

What I Am

2008-07-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

I got this one from Holly... I promise I really do have other things to post, I just can't seem to get the time to sit down and do it. So for now, here is another fun one. Well, I was cracking myself up with it, anyway...

Here is what you do:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, MP3 player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look.
4. Title this blog what the answer to your last question is.
5. Good luck and have fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY? The Small Print (Muse)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Everything Around Me is Changing (Sinead Lohan)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Mr. Midnight (Garth Brooks)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? What You Waiting For? (Gwen Stefani)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston)
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Coldplay)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Whisper (Evanescence)
WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT? In My Heart (Moby)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Missionary Man (Eurhythmics)
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Sparkling Diamonds (Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge Soundtrack)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Penny Lane (The Beatles)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? The Remedy-I Won't Worry (Jason Mraz)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? AM Radio (Everclear)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Shotgun Blues (Kalai)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Holly Holy (Neil Diamond)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? No One Sees You Like I Do (Plus/Minus)
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME THIS BLOG? What I Am (Edie Brickell)

Happy Birthday Luke!

2008-07-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast time has gone! Today is Luke's first birthday. It's hard to believe that it has already been a year. It seems like just yesterday he joined our family. He is such a happy even-tempered little guy and I just love hanging out with him. He is such a joy and we are so blessed to have him!

Happy Birthday Katie!

2008-07-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

Today was Katie's 16th birthday. Wow... now that makes me feel old. I first met Katie when she was about 4 years old. I had seen her before, in the nursery at church where my mom was working. That summer, the Hunchback of Notre Dame came out in the theater and I had gotten tickets to a special screening that the Disney Store was doing. I ended up with an extra one, so I called up Sandy and asked if I could take Katie to the movies with me. Trusting soul that she is (she had no idea who I was, just my mom from the nursery) she agreed to let me take her first born to the movies. The rest, as they say, is history. Mwahahaha! (Did you like that evil laugh?)

I was watching her at her party tonight and it's hard to believe how quickly time has passed. From that sweet little girl I took to the movies, Katie has grown into a awesome young woman. She is crazy and silly and a great sister and friend. (Yeah, I posted the video, haha... you knew it was going to come back and bite you one day.) And since I am making myself mushy now, I will just say, Happy Birthday, KP! I love ya!

Memory Game

2008-07-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is something fun I got from Heather... jump in!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. Enjoy!

Okay, okay...

2008-07-13T14:00:00.001-07:00

It's time for some updates. Bear with me, I have a few and you will need to scroll down to see them all.*

*EDIT: So it turns out that this is taking me longer than I thought it would and so far there is only one new post. But it is now late and I need sleep. Stay tuned... more is coming....

Father's Day

2008-06-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

I decided at the last minute to fly to Idaho Falls this weekend to spend the holiday with my entire family. (I cannot possibly express how I LOATHE being left out of things, and the fact that everyone else was going to be up there was just too much for me.)

I flew up late Friday night after work and the plan was to surprise my dad, who didn't know I was coming, but it turns out that at the last minute two of my ditzy sleep-deprived family members spilled the beans. The exciting part of the travel portion of my trip was that although I had a short direct flight from Denver to Idaho Falls, United still managed to lose my luggage, along with the luggage of about 5 other people. Turns out it never made it onto the plane in Denver. Lovely. Thank heavens for 24 hour Wal-Mart and the foresight to carry my make-up with me.

We spent most of Saturday shopping and running errands. Jake had to work, but I got to hang with the parents, my sisters and the Pip. OH! And, most excitingly, I got to experience the thing I had been looking forward to for quite some time. I had a delicious snow cone. I know, I know, that may not seem like a big deal to most people, but I have been wanting one BAD and they just don't have those "SNO-SHACKS" or whatever here in Colorado, more's the pity.

On Sunday everyone got together at Mandy & Jake's for awhile before Mom and Dad had to head home. The cousins had a good time and we even managed to get a family picture with everyone this time! We haven't had one since before Tanner was born, so it was definitely time. Later that evening after the parents left (which always makes me feel unsupervised) and Stephen & Heather took their boys home, Mandy, Kimberly, Jake, the Pip and I went to Jake's brother's house for banana boats. Can I just say delicious? Basically, you slice open the banana long-ways and then put in marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts, close it back up, wrap it in tin foil and put it on the grill. Then when it's done, serve it with ice cream. YUM.

Monday Kimberly and I got to babysit the Pip and that is just one of my favorite things in the world. We attempted to have a mini photo shoot with him, but it turns out that nap time is a stupid time to do that. >You'd think the aunties would have been smarter than that, but turns out no. (Okay, it was mostly just this auntie.)

I also got to go over to Stephen & Heather's to hang out for a bit before my flight and hang with my two other favorite boys before my flight.

We mostly just played and visited and I stole sneaky attack hugs from Vance, which I like to tell myself he secretly loves. (I also finally got to try out MarioKart on the Wii. Fun stuff.)

Then about 30 minutes before my flight, I reluctantly decided that maybe we should head to the airport if I was going home. I love small airports. I checked in, went through security, and headed to my gate (from which I could still see the parking lot) and had plenty of time to spare. (Oh! And my luggage managed to make it to Denver, with my flight. Just saying.)

It was a really fun weekend, I just wish we all lived closer so we could do it more often...

Grrrrrr.....

2008-05-26T20:03:00.001-07:00

So I walked back to my car after lunch today, and this is what I saw:

Since you probably can't tell, that is the passenger side of my car, right behind the wheel. Some bozo hit my poor little car! I have no idea when this happened or where. I know it wasn't at the restaurant today because that side of my car was parked against the curb. Needless to say, I am royally ticked off.

I ♥ Stephenie Meyer

2008-05-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last night (or rather very early this morning) I finished the latest book by Stephenie Meyer, "The Host." This is one of those books that you are dying to see how it ends, but you don't want to finish it because then it will be done, and then what will you read? It is brilliantly written and it even had me tearing up several times.

If you haven't already done so, you NEED to read this book. Go! Go read it now!

Where will you be December 12?

2008-05-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

Cuz I will be here:

Teitur

2008-05-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sam & I have been trying to go see Teitur for the last three times he has been in town and we haven't managed to make it. So this time when we found out he was going to be at the Soiled Dove Underground, we made it happen. The show was totally awesome. We had so much fun, we didn't even leave early like we had planned. Teitur was very entertaining and personable and they put on a really good show. And, of course, the music was awesome. (Even if they didn't play my favorite song. Just saying.) We had an awesome time and we will DEFINITELY be going back to that venue.

2008-05-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

I come from a very clever family. At least I think so. This is an analogy that my youngest sister wrote about dating. I think it's pretty insightful. You can read her full post about it here: Not What I Ordered But in the mean time, here it is:

Dating is like going to a restaurant. Not just any restaurant, but one that all of my friends (married friends) have told me has the best filet mignon and creme brule. And I "just have to go." (Plus, it's a commandment, so I really do have to go anyway.) So I put on my best dress, pull up my hair, splash on my fanciest makeup and head to the restaurant with eager anticipation.

As I walk into the restaurant, the waiter seats me and I order my steak and dessert to follow. Meanwhile, I look around at everyone relishing their filet mignon and creme brule and my mouth waters in anticipation. Butterlies flutter in my stomach and I can hardly wait for the tasty treat. Finally, the waiter brings me my plate which, much to my dismay, is not filet mignon, but brussel sprouts! I HATE brussel sprouts! Sorely disappointed, I leave the restaurant to tell my friends about the experience.

"How did it go?," they ask, blissfully holding the hands of their spouses.

"Not well," I respond. "Not only did I not get the juicy, flavorful beef and the creamy, sweet dessert that I ordered, but I got slimey, puke-green vegetables that taste like dirt instead!"

"Well, that happens to almost everyone at least once," they say. "Sometimes you have to go back several times, but it's worth it in the end."

So I go back. The same thing happens again- brussel sprouts instead of my filet mignon! With stubborn determination I keep going back to the restaurant again and again, seeing the other customers enjoying their meals and hoping for some savory delights of my own. Unfortunately, the same result follows each time.

And although the green little devils are prepared in different ways each time, (because everyone is different), - in a buttery sauce, in a shower of paprika, or a la parmesano oregano- I still hate them. No gravy, sauce or spice can cover up the flavor of dirt.

Quite frankly, I'm just not hungry anymore.

100 Interesting Things About Me

2008-05-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, I clearly have not updated my blog in awhile, but I do have lots of things to post, so watch for them. In the mean time, here we go:

1. I am 31 years old.
2. I live in Littleton, Colorado.
3. I have lived here for 13 years.
4. This is the longest I have lived any one place in my life.
5. I have lived in 7 different states.
6. I went to 5 different elementary schools, 2 different middle schools and 2 different high schools.
7. I graduated from high school in Middleton, Wisconsin June 4, 1994.
8. That almost didn't happen.
9. I haven't set foot in a classroom as a student since.
10. I believe college isn't for everyone.
11. I have some regrets about not going to college.
12. Mostly they are for social reasons.
13. I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher at one point.
14. Then I realized it required more school.
15. I think I have done pretty well without college.
16. I work at Expressions Photography in Littleton, Colorado.
17. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE my job.
18. I hope everyone gets a chance to work doing something they enjoy.
19. I am a workaholic. For real.
20. I work 10-12 hour days on average.
21. I find that a lot of times I work that much because I don't have anything better to do.
22. Yes, I do think that's kind of sad.
23. I have a hard time getting out of my box socially.
24. I enjoy being with other people socially, but I also find it stressful if I don't know them well.
25. I usually sit back and observe quietly and wonder what everyone is thinking about me.
26. I'm not conceited, I'm paranoid.
27. I have three siblings, a brother and two sisters.
28. I am the oldest.
29. I have three nephews, who I love more than anything else.
30. I don't get to see them nearly enough.
31. My favorite thing to do in the world is hang out with my family.
32. I love to travel.
33. I have been to 39 states.
34. I have been out of the country once.
35. I went to Canada for 2 days for work.
36. While I was there I met an Inuit and he told us about Inuit art.
37. There is a story that goes with that, but I'm not sure I believe it myself.
38. My favorite TV show is the Simpsons.
39. I don't watch that much TV.
40. I am obsessed with Sims 2.
41. I have been known to play it for hours at a time without realizing it.
42. I was a cheerleader in the 6th grade.
43. I had blond hair when I was little, but it has darkened into a muddy color over the years.
44. I found my first gray hair when I was 27.
45. My favorite movie is "While You Were Sleeping."
46. I am a sucker for chick flicks.
47. I love to read.
48. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling & the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.
49. I have a hard time concentrating on anything but fiction.
50. I love music.
51. I like or can tolerate pretty much all music.
52. Except death metal. But I don't consider that music.
53. The best concert I have ever been to was Peter Gabriel.
54. I would travel far to see him in concert again.
55. I am basically a slob.
56. I like everything clean, I just don't like to be the one that does it.
57. My most hated chore in the world is scrubbing the bathtub/shower.
58. I'm very passive-aggressive.
59. I'm also somewhat of a pushover.
60. My favorite store is Target.
61. I have been known to spend hours in there.
62. I'm usually in the baby clothes.
63. I eat out everyday, usually twice.
64. I wish I didn't.
65. Ice cream is my favorite dessert.
66. My favorite flavor depends on my mood.
67. When I read I usually adopt the mood of the part I am at.
68. For that reason, I try not to stop on a sad or angry part.
69. I have been known to take out that mood on those around me.
70. My favorite holiday is Halloween.
80. I currently have 6 different costumes in my closet.
81. I saw the 2nd & 3rd Harry Potter movies a week before the releases.
82. Yes, I have a wizard costume I wore to them. My mom made it because she's awesome like that.
83. I have been at the bookstore at midnight to purchase the 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th Harry Potter books when they came out.
84. I wore the costume to the 5th & 6th. (I didn't have one yet for the 4th and my friend Nik said I was too old to wear it to the 7th and it was embarrassing.)
85. I love the smell of fresh rain.
86. I HATE being hot. It makes me extremely crabby.
87. I have been in one car accident.
88. It was pretty bad; It totaled my car.
89. It was a hit and run by a (most likely) drunk driver.
90. I learned a very valuable lesson about keeping your insurance current.
91. Somewhere in the universe (probably prison) is a man that owes me almost $10,000 that I will never see.
92. I went almost 9 months without a car, but I have some extremely wonderful cousins who sold me theirs.
93. I can never adequately explain to or repay them for what that did for me. I am very lucky.
94. I really hate shaving my legs. It's a good thing I sleep alone.
95. I'm pretty sure this hasn't been that interesting.
96. I would rather shop for a swimsuit than pants.
97. I have no eyes when I smile.
98. This is a big reason I have glasses instead of contacts.
99. I am extremely sarcastic.
100. Stupid puns make me laugh. Hard. Especially when I am tired.

Okay, so that was actually harder than I thought it would be.

TAG-- I am going to tag Mandy since she is the only other one that I know of who reads my blog but hasn't already done their own list. Anyone else reading this, I am tagging you too, but make sure you post a comment on my blog so I know to check yours. Cheers.

It's about time...

2008-04-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

After four years of owning this car, it's finally time:

That's right, I finally have my license plate mounted on the back of the car instead of displayed in the back window. My friend John took pity on my and figured out what was needed to get it done. He also fixed the driver's door that didn't like to open unless you kneed it just under the lock. It's good to have friends.

The Call

2008-04-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

At 6:30 this morning, my mom called and told me that Uncle Bob passed away. The hospital had called in the very early hours of the morning and said he wasn't doing well and they should come up. Several of them were able to be in the room with him when he passed. I know it is better for him because he isn't in anymore pain, but we are all going to miss him.

(This picture was taken a few years ago when I was in Reno visiting.)

Nothing Interesting?

2008-04-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

So last week I was lamenting the fact that I didn't have anything interesting to post about. All I've done lately is work, which isn't super post-worthy and there aren't pictures to go with it.

Unfortunately, I have something to post about now. On Saturday, my mom called me and told me that my uncle Bob was admitted to the hospital. His blood pressure was low, his heart rate was high and they thought he had internal bleeding. So she and my sisters headed out on Monday to go out there to visit him. They were able to visit him in the ICU and while they said he didn't look good, he was able to respond and talk a little to them. Unfortunately, also on Monday, my mom's brother Hugh J was also admitted to the hospital with an aneurysm. As of right now he is out of surgery, but not out of danger.

I have been worrying and stressing over what I should do. I can't really afford to take time off right now, but on the other hand I would really like to see both my uncles. So, after making myself sick, not being able to sleep for stressing and giving mysef a SPECTACULAR headache, I talked to my mom and decided I should go ahead and go out there this weekend. I fly out late Friday night and come home Monday.

But I think I will be more careful next time I wish for something interesting to blog about.

Bean Boozled

2008-03-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

So you may have noticed from the photo in my previous post that the Easter bunny brought me a box of "Bean Boozled" Jelly Bellies. They are Jelly Bellies with weird and gross flavors BUT they also look identical to some of the actual tasty flavors. Ever since he saw them, Alek has been dying to try them out. For some bizarre reason, he was especially excited about the pencil shaving, baby wipes and skunk spray flavors. Well tonight I decided we needed to break them out and give 'em a whirl.

Juju gets ready to try either Toothpaste or Berry Blue, Alek has either Black Licorice or Skunk Spray and Nik has either Moldy Cheese or Caramel Corn:

Clearly Alek got Skunk Spray... Nik got Caramel Corn, but it turns out he's not a fan of that either:

This time they decided to try the same one. Who got Juicy Pear and who got Booger?

Ewww... turns out they were both Booger!

So here are the final ratings according to Nik and Alek (who were the only ones brave enough to try them all.)
One being the absolute nastiest and ten being the most palatable:
10 - Toothpaste
09 - Black Pepper
08 - Pencil Shavings
07 - Baby Wipes
06 - Ear Wax
05 - Rotten Egg
04 - Moldy Cheese
03 - Booger
02 - Skunk Spray
and the nastiest Jelly Belly flavor ever to be conceived....
01 - Vomit

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today was an absolutely beautiful day in Colorado. The Easter bunny found me and he brought me lots of tempting treats. There were the traditional Peeps and chocolate bunny and also some yummy Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares, Butterfinger eggs and jelly beans.

Since Sam was out of town, I also did the traditional Easter pictures on the front porch with the kids before church. We did the nice one for mom:

And then the kids did a pose of their own:

After church, I decided we needed to get out and enjoy the day, so I took the kids to the park. Some of us played on the swings:

Some of us played basketball:

And some of us just soaked up the rays:

But we all enjoyed the first super nice spring day!

Pysanky

2008-03-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight we dyed Easter eggs. In Puc' Family tradition, we decorated them using a method called pysanky. Basically you use a stylus to make designs on your egg with wax and then put your egg in some dye. After you get it the shade you want, you take it out, make more designs on it with wax and continue like this for several layers. When you are done, you melt the wax off and you have really cool multi-colored eggs. Obviously we don't get as fancy as traditional pysanky, but we still have a good time.

2008-03-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

So after about a week and a half of being miserable, I finally broke down and went to the doctor for this cough/cold/sinus thing that won't leave. The good news is it's not bronchitis (which is what I had feared) but I do have a sinus infection and it is aggravating my lungs and making me hack. The bad news is that while I did get a prescription for the sinus thing and the cough, the cough med was a $50 co-pay... something everyone neglected to tell me until after the prescription was filled, AND it's a liquid, my most hated form of medicine. I really hate being able to taste my meds. Luckily, they were able to flavor it--cotton candy/strawberry. (No one asked me what flavor I wanted first.)

Hopefully now I can kick this so I can get back to normal... because I just don't have time to be sick!

Did I mention they gave me a big syringe-thingy to take it with?

I'm Baaaaaack!

2008-03-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

Uh, so it has not escaped my notice that it may have been a teensy bit of time since I have posted. So, in an effort to get my sister to start her own blog, I have agreed to pick mine up again. (Not that there was much going on to begin with... I mean, one whole post, but still.)

So, Mandy, I started... you're up!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

Happy 2007! I rang in the new year in Texas with my parents and sisters. Unfortunately, Jake, Heather, Stephen and Vance weren't able to make it, but we partied anyway. We spent the evening eating, laughing and playing games. Mandy got the card game Killer Bunnies for Christmas and we attemptes to figure it out (it's extremely complicated, but very fun) and my favorite, the Great Dalmuti.

That game resulted in gales of laughter and many silly pictures.

When midnight rolled around, we pulled confetti poppers and acted like idiots. (Not that that was such a stretch.)
A great beginning to what I hope is a great new year!