Friday Night Randoms

Sitting in the recliner, music playing, wine poured.  Let's go!

I like:
Steve Harvey hosting Family Feud
Heath Toffee Bars
Friday afternoons, say 4:00

I don't like:
Richard Karn hosting Family Feud
Paydays  (the candy bar, not the event)
Monday morning, say 8:30

Best Christmas movie:  It's a Wonderful Life
Worst Christmas movie:  Anything on Lifetime

Favorite Christmas Song:  Mary Did You Know?  (choral version)
MOST ALL TIME HATED CHRISTMAS SONG:  Red Shoes   (shoot me now.  My version of hell would be this song playing over and over and over.)

Trend I like:  Pay it Forward, Sweater Leggings (even though I could never pull it off)  and tall boots.
Trend I don't like:  UGG boots

Favorite Part of Weddings:  When the groom sees the bride for the first time.
Least Favorite Part of Weddings:  Yeah, I don't have one.  I love em.

What I love about Christmas cards:  Photos of any kind.
What I loathe about Christmas cards:  the brag-a-thon that some people share.  Honestly folks, did you not have one bad thing occur this year?

Best Food Network Show:  Chopped.  And, I love love love Amanda Freitag.  LOVE her.  I want to be her friend love her.
Worst Food Network Show:  Sweet Genius.  Seriously-that guy scares me.  He should be a villain in a James Bond movie.

Favorite Pizza:  Currently, the Holy Shiitake Pie from Mellow Mushroom.
Un Favorite Pizza:  That white pizza from Vinny's that wasn't really white.  Big hunks of unmelted cheese, tomato sauce (on a white pizza, hello?), and raw crust.  YUM!

Current Place I'm spending a lot of time at on the web:  Tumblr
Current Place I'm sadly neglecting:  this blog

Number of toes injured in the middle of the night last week:  one

Number of races entered:  2
Number of races ran:  0

Two words I despise:  SLIM FIT

Best four letters in a row?  T G I F!

And on the Flip Side---

This is as close as I got to the Arnold Gobble Gobble Race. 

I was sick as a dog the whole week. Cough Cough.  Hack Hack.  Wet the pants.  Cough Cough. 

I kept everyone awake with that cough. 

I was too sick to run in that 25 degree weather. 

However, Sir and the Jackson's made it and Sir was 15th in his age group.  (NO idea how many were in that age group)

I was very disappointed to miss the race and to sound like a sick frog at the wedding.

Although the wedding and seeing our friends was awesome, frankly, the rest of the week stunk.  Some of the highlights?  (lowlights)

1.  I hit a parked car.
2.  Steven's mother had emergency surgery. 
3.  Taylor's grandmother (on her dad's side) died on Thanksgiving evening.
4.  I couldn't taste food or enjoy any wine while in my favorite food city.


I WILL get another race on the books.  I need one with a really dumb name and tshirt.  

A Wedding in St. Louis

We've been in St. Louis for the past week.  

Not only did we celebrate Turkey Day while there, but we had a wedding!

Well, WE didn't have a wedding, Angela and Garrick did.

Angela is the daughter of my bestest friend on the planet.  (Rose)

She and her sister, Jennifer, are like my own daughters.

Well, I love them like they are.

So, to be able to celebrate this very happy moment was just awesome.

Even though I was sick the whole week, and my singing SUCKED, it was still such a special wedding.

Two people, plus one little buddy, joining and becoming one.

And now I have two more people to love like my own family.

Congratulations to Angela and Garrick!

Congratulations to Me!

Gobble Gobble

Let's see, I can't remember where we last left off--other than it was Halloween and I was an old man with a rather frightening old woman as my date. 

Now, I'm just a scary old woman with a frightening old man as my husband.

Well, actually, I have a little tale to tell you.  It's about a gal who started running about twelve weeks ago. 

This gal doesn't run.  Well,she never has enjoyed running.  She would always get the stitch in her side in school. She was always the slowest runner.  She doesn't like to sweat.  Let's just say that exercise wasn't one of her favorite past times.

Then, she listened to a friend who suggested taking it 30 seconds at a time.  Surely, she could do that.  Granted, that 30 seconds sucked.  Then, that minute sucked.  And, after that, the three minutes, five minutes, eight minutes, twenty minutes, etc sucked.  But, now she runs thirty minutes, and speaks in third person.

She wakes up early and runs.  Before work. 

She schedules life around these runs, and is glad to do it.

Basically, she is @##@$# in the head. 

But, she runs her first RACE this Thursday, in Arnold, Missouri.  She runs the Arnold Gobble Gobble.

This is why she doesn't blog.  All her energy is spent on running (jogging)  or thinking about/talking about running.  She is a woman obsessed.  Never has a woman so slow been so obsessed.

Small children pass her in their dreams.

She goes to St. Louis Sunday to prepare for the big run. Oh, and there is a wedding and a major holiday as well.

But, we all know the main event is the GOBBLE GOBBLE run.

Stay tuned.

HOLY MOLY

I went to bed on October 31st and when I woke up it was November 23rd. 

Well, not realllllllllllllllly.  But, it feels like it.  Where did November go?

This is my life in a nutshell this month:

Run
Work
Stress about work
Work some more
Drink wine to de-stress about work.

Rinse.
Repeat.

I miss blogging.  I miss my blogging friends.
Tonight, I will try to come up with something interesting to tell you.  Maybe about my first race upcoming???

Post Halloween Halloween Party

Observations from time spent at a Halloween party of a young bachelor kind of dude:

 No matter what the age, people love to dress up.

 People under 40 don't start their parties until after 9:00. 

That's my bedtime.

On a good night.

 Boys don't provide a wide variety of snacks.

Popcorn:  one normal, one cheese.

They also don't provide a lot of toilet paper.

 When given the option, Sir will always dress up as a woman.

 My kid is pretty darn cute.

As are my friends.

 40's make for great photo props.

 Shopping for costumes at the Thrift Store is the best way to go.

 Gun Holsters are also excellent 40 holders.

Next to Sarah's feet, mine look enormous.

Happy Tuesday everybody!

Friday Night Randoms

Yes.  I'm still alive!!

Work is driving me nuts.
New hires, re-training old hires, growing pains.
And then someone goes and poops in our parking lot. 
Dealing with that is NOT in my job description.  Except, yes, it really is.

Still running!  Tomorrow is the last day of my nine week training program.
I still run as slow as molasses.
But, I'm up to 1.6 miles each time I run.
I seriously can't believe it.

One of our cats is not feeling well.
We can't figure out what's wrong with him.  He doesn't seem to be able to walk normally.
But he eats, drinks and poops the same.
When do you know to take cats to the vet?  This cat hates the vet, so what good would it do to take him?
Why can't vets make house calls?

We ate dinner at the American Legion tonight.  (Sir's Dad's Birthday)
GREAT people watching.
And, I was one of the youngest in the room.  That doesn't happen much anymore.

Just turned by Young and the Restless--I swear Jack looks younger than he did twenty years ago. 
Botox?

I'm sick of:  Kanye and Kim, their baby, anything to do with Miley Cyrus, Nancy Grace, discussions on health insurance, roof problems, whiners.

Book recommendation for you:  Afterwards  LOVED this book.  It's unusual--but great. 

We started watching, "American Horror Story."  (first season )  That is some weird a$$ stuff.  I'm not sure we will stick with it.

I miss Breaking Bad and Jesse.

We booked a cabin in the mountains for New Years.  I am thrilled!!

St. Louis in 24 days. 

How have all of you been? 

Sherri, if you were on Facebook, my life would be easier. 

Did anyone else watch Project Runway?  I enjoyed this season. I love me some Tim Gunn.

I promise to be a better blogger.
I promise to be a better blogger.
I promise to be a better blogger.

Tomorrow is a Halloween party.  Sir is going as an old woman.  Me?  An old man.  Pictures on Sunday!
xxx

Winding Down

A few months back, Steven asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him that the only thing I really wanted was to have both of my children together.  I hinted that it would be great if he could make it happen.

A few weeks ago, Sir showed me the email he had with Jake,wherein Jake said he couldn't make it for my birthday weekend, he had to work.  Little did I know, this was a scam.  Steven, Jake and Taylor plotted behind my back,and flew Jake in for the weekend.

 

I opened my gifts the morning of my birthday to find out Jake would be in town within 24 hours, and would be joining us at my birthday party.  

We picked him up Friday evening, and got to play with him all weekend long.  

 And, on Saturday, my birthday wish came all the way true.  I had my two kids together!!  And it was great.

My dear friends,my family and my wonderful husband were all with me to celebrate at Mellow Mushroom.

 We got to play the next day at a teeny tiny Oktoberfest. (complete with the world's worst Oompa Band!)

 

It was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER. Turning 50 was no big deal.  But celebrating it?  With all my loved ones together?  That made it the best deal.

Thanks Sir. xxx

WHEW

I have had a whirlwind kind of week.  Once I get a chance to sleep, I'll share some details, but until then, let me tease you with some pictures:

 

50 Tulips

 

 Two Offices Decorated

 Two Snack Days

 A super special birthday present

 50 Memories on 50 Wine Corks

50 Pictures of 50 Different Hairstyles

A Trip Down Memory Lane

I turn 50 on Thursday.

I'm the last of all my school friends who are reaching this milestone.  I was always the youngster in the class. You know, everyone else was able to drive, vote and drink (legally) before me.  It was a real pain in the keester back then, but at least I'm one of the last ones in my 40's.

Last year, my forever friend, Laura, turned 50.  To honor her birthday, I sent her a list of 50 memories I had with and about her.

Saturday, I walked out of my house and saw a book from Shutterfly on my front step.  Look who's on the cover:

 

Oh, you might not recognize her.  That's Jake's mom.  (seriously,  I totally see Jake in myself here!)   This girl was all purity and filled with hope and dreams.  (pretty funny, really, since I was stood up at the dance I attended in this dress)

My 50 before me friend took my memories,and went one step further.  She found photos, memorabilia, and put them all together to bring those memories back to life. 

I love stuff like this, I love gifts like this, and I so appreciate that she took all this time to put it together.

Don't be jealous of my blue shawl.

We haven't seen each other in many years. She lives in Colorado, and of course, I'm here on the East Coast. But she's one of just a few people in my life that  have been there for years and years; close to 50 years, really.  Our birthdays don't pass without each of us sending a card, and we correspond at Christmas. For the most part, that's about it. But, I always count her as one of my forever friends.  I mean, she IS.  The advent of Facebook has helped tremendously, as we're able to share our lives more easily, and more often.

But, what a treat it is for me, to start this birthday week with such a special trip down Memory Lane.  Thanks Laura! I think I'll go listen to some Ohio Players now.

Mid Week Mute, One Day Late

Yes,You Can Thank ME

Two Warnings:

#1:  If you haven't watched the final Breaking Bad, there is a major spoiler coming up in this post.  (MIKE JACKSON, I'm talking to YOU!)

#2:  I promise this will be my last post about Breaking Bad.  Well, maybe.

Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyy

I saved Jesse Pinkman.  Yep, you read that right.  I saved him.

You see, I went for my run on Saturday.  As you all know, I'm a wee bit obsessed with this BB show,and the life of Jesse. In addition, I have been a bit bothered about the fact that I'm such a slow runner.  (see previous post) 

So, on Saturday, I was trying to find ways to up my speed and pace.  Fast music helps, as does reminding myself that Diana Nyad didn't meet her goal until she was 64. But, I needed something to really kick my tail into high gear.  (Well, high gear for me?)

So, I promised myself that if I could get over two miles total (between walking and running) OR get over one mile running, that Jesse would live. 

So, I pushed these short legs.  I made them make bigger strides.  I spit loads of saliva.  And, when I made it home, I checked my screen and saw this:

 

Whereas I didn't save him with total distance, that final sprint pushed me over the one mile mark on the run.  

And ladies and gentlemen,

Jesse lives!!

Of course, now the series is over and  now I need to find someone else to save with my exercise program...

In another Breaking Bad moment of my weekend, my little friends made some blue meth for me:

Yeah, okay, it was really rock candy.  But, how fun is that? 

Thanks Nick and Dave!

***************

and Saturday, we celebrated with friends as they married at Folly Beach.  Congratulations Drew and Mandy!!  A beach wedding sure is lovely.

I took the day off to recover from a stressful week of work, a busy weekend, and the suspected emotional duress experienced during BB.  It's been a nice quiet day, and now that I've written this post, I promise to put this part of my life back into just my little delusional head.  Thanks for sticking it out with me.

Who knows what my next addiction will be?  I bet you can't WAIT to find out that one!

It's Official!!

Yep, it's official.  I run slower than I walk.  Here's your proof:

This is week four, and I'm getting slower.  Huh?  What's with that?  Granted, I'm still pleased with myself for sticking with it, but good gravy, what is up with my body?  I honestly think the simple fact is that I don't know HOW to run.  My knees are aching a bit, so I think I might be a bit afraid to up the ante.    But either way, I am S L O W.  Turtle slow.  I don't scare the squirrels slow.

In other news, one more week of Breaking Bad.  After that, I will have some kind of emotional let down, and then I don't know what.  All I want is for Jesse to live and Todd to die.  Other than that, I'm easy.

We went to a Great Gatsby party this weekend, super fun.  It was a promotional event for YELP, so all the food and drink were free.  Let me just say if you ever get a chance to try pumpkin infused vodka, DO IT.  Yum!  It was like drinking pumpkin pie.

There was no sign of Leo, but these folks sure looked hot!

We always enjoy dressing up (Sir calls it Fancy Dress) and it was neat to see what all the people wore.  We had most everything sitting around our house, I think the only thing purchased was Steven's white tie.

I had help with my dress---

 

I introduce you to Domino, my personal tailor.

 He is oh so helpful.

Things have been busy and good.  I hope all is well in your part of the world and that your running pace is faster than your walking pace.  Sheesh.

My favorite picture of the Gatsby night: