oh sundays, mmmm sundaes...

Sunday, March 8, 2009

i really love sundays.

now don't get me wrong, they are not necessarily the perfect day of the week. they sure do have their faults. for example: its inevitable that after sunday is over it is monday, ugh, and when its been a long week and a busy weekend, sunday just isn't long enough.

but alas, i do love sundays.

sleeping in late (or at least until after 8am), football, watching movies, reading books by the pool, catching up on laundry (while its not fun, its good when it's all done!), nascar, marathons of gilmore girls, my so-called life, weeds, or 90210, staying in my pj's all day, not showering, napping, baking treats, falling asleep on the couch with my two kitties draped all over me...

oh that sure does make my heart happy.

what would i do without those two little fellas? i don't even want to think about it.

and after the whirlwind that was february, this is the first weekend that i have been in town for the weekend, and the first sunday i have had the day off/nothing to do in weeks and weeks. it makes me want to never schedule anything on a sunday again... haha. too bad i have the next few sundays already scheduled. not to mention, after last nights events at work a sunday in my pj's was just what i needed...

so what do you do on your sundays???

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the walking wounded...

Thursday, March 5, 2009

i just watched the movie "the holiday" for the first time and i thought this monologue was fitting for the moment...

Iris:
"I've found almost everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought.
Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives.
It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some quite inexplicably, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for the night.
And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. It's called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert.
Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone?
We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space!
Yes, you are looking at one such individual."

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beer pong anyone...?

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

now i am not the biggest fan of beer pong. don't judge me. i am a very big proponent of flip-cup, drinking jenga, and games like sevens and king's cup.

beer pong... eh, it's alright.

now due to the fact that i work in higher education, these are the types of things that i have to be concerned about:

Beer Pong spreads Herpes
Beer Pong spreads herpes, mono, flu
Beer Pong Herpes Outbreak

luckily those claims were not confirmed by the Center for Disease Control, like they said they were... phew...

'Beer pong,' oral herpes stroy discredited

BUT... that doesn't mean they don't have some validity.

oh the joys of my job are endless.

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brought to you by the letter B...

i've seen a number of my fave bloggers doing this rad post where you're given a letter and you have to pick your top ten favorite things that start with said letter. well, Rose over at Delightfully Inappropriate was sweet enough to assign me with the letter:
1. books
- i absolutely love to read. i go through books like water and i can usually read most books more than once (as long as i don't hate it). i'll read almost everything at least once though, classics, chick-lit, everything. i enjoy books like the outsiders and the bell jar, slaughterhouse five and harry potter. and yes i have read all of the twilight books, lol. i adore children's books like the bridge to teribithia and all of the narnia books. i really like horror and suspense like dean koontz and chuck palahniuk. but my all time favorite is stephen king. i firmly believe that he is somewhat of a god. i've read all of his books/
stories at least twice, some up around 10-12 times. i've even been to his house... but i swear it wasn't in a super-stalker kinda way. i swear! lol.

2. beer - especially beer from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, which is the 7th oldest brewery in the nation and resides in Chippewa Falls, WI, and is in my opinion... the best brewery in the world! my faves are leinie's sunset wheat (mmm, my fave beer! i'm so glad that added this seasonal beer to their year-round brews) and leinie's fireside nut brown (which goes really well with chocolate cake... no joke, lol! but watch out, it's seasonal!)

3. bees (honey bees to be exact) - because they are absolutely fascinating and the way they live their life intrigues me. enough so that i have a honey bee that i drew tattooed on the inside of my left wrist. (oh and if you have never read "the secret life of bees", you should.)
4. baking - because baking is one of my hobbies! not too mention i enjoy eating the finished products!!! and one day i aspire to be as great as my idol over at Bakerella... and just fyi... that is not a pic of a box of candy... that is CAKE!

5. beaches - because i could lay on the beach and people watch and/or read for hours and hours and hours all the while collecting more and more freckles... i love the sound of the waves, the feel of the sand and who doesn't love a good beach sunset???
this is a pic from our little cabins on the beach in jamaica during the spring break service trip i led in 2007...

6. blizzards - just because i really am a midwest girl at heart. i don't mind the snow (which is strange because i hate being cold... but i like being warmed up!). although for some reason every time i travel back to the midwest (or anywhere that gets snow for that matter) i seem to bring torrential blizzard like conditions... i'm talking 28" of snow in one night people! and the latest... snow/sleet thunderstorms in february! i think one of my all-time favorite daydreams involves a cabin in the mountains, a really big fireplace, a hot tub on the deck and tons and tons of snow outside... with those big huge ol' fluffy flakes falling lazily from the sky...

7. buttons -
i found my love for buttons when i was growing up... it might be because i am a child of the 80's, who knows. what i do know is that i still have a love for the buttons! who didn't have a jean jacket or a backpack or purse covered with buttons?!?! i know i still do! and thanks to facebook flair i get to enjoy the digital version as well...

8. blogs
- i still consider myself a newbie when it comes to blogging and i'm not quite sure that i've found my niche yet, i'm not the funniest blogger, the best writer, or even able to stay on topic for an entire post... but what i do know is that blogging has really helped me find a place to "think out loud", be myself without risking anyone in my "real" life judging me, and make some very wonderful, interesting, hilarious new friends. so to that i say... thank you!

9. bubbles - and/or most any bath & body product. i'm somewhat addicted. actually, no, strike that. i AM addicted. you should see the shelves in my shower, my bathroom cabinets and counter, the shelf in my bedroom... ok, ok, you get the picture. but really, there are many worse things i could be addicted to than personal hygiene products that make me smell like a freshly baked cookie or a bouquet of sweet peas, right? i simply adore shower gel, body wash, body lotion, body spray, body butter, bubble bath, creams, sprays, butters, lotions, potions... you name it. my current faves are warm vanilla sugar and midnight pomegranate from B&BW. the odd thing... i'm don't like citrus smells. that's for washing dishes. lol. but i do love bubbles. there is just something absolutely wonderful about being covered in millions of bubbles...

10. nick barnett - nick barnett is one of the NFL's best middle linebackers and in my opinion, not only the greatest, but also the sexiest! he plays arguably the most challenging position on defense and excels remarkably. he has been a starting player since he was drafted from oregon by the packers in 2003. he has led the team in tackles, been defensive team captain, played with a club on his arm for half a season, and been actively involved in the community as well as his hobbies in music/producing. and of course... he is a green bay packer!!! the best team EVER!!!

and that is my list of B's! hope you enjoyed!

feel free to leave me a comment if you want a letter of your very own!!!

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awards! so thoughtful...

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

thanks so much to Nickie for these adorable awards... i needed the smile today!!!


"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."


"This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day."

Deliver this award to those bloggers who so deserve, and then they may pass it along, and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

and with that... i am passing along these wonderful little awards to:

Nicole over at Breakfast at Wal-Mart
Shannon over at Love, Shannon
Courtney over at Sex and the Travelling Satchel

enjoy!

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homemade pizza and a beer...

alright, before i get into the emotional stuff, let's recap:

because i am a good friend (or at least i try to be) about a week and a half ago on thursday night i went out for dinner with some friends for veedub's birthday... and because everyone but the dr. and i went home right after dinner i felt obligated to head out with them for a birthday drink at our bar (partly because veedub joined me for my birthday and partly because i know what it's like to have a lame birthday). an you know what happens when i head to our bar...

i get ridiculous. then start dancing. and flirting. and just can't stop taking shots. (and eventually i take my pants off...)

and of course, all of my favorite peeps were there, jack sparrow, JD, and of course... charles ingalls (who i got a few kisses and a few drinks from, lol.) and of course they were all wondering where i'd been...

so i ended up staying out way to late and getting way to drunk... heehee. (but i did wait until i got home to take off my pants... this time.) which wouldn't have been bad except i still had to pack for my mini-holiday break and leave for the airport at 4:30 am!!!

i am a glutton for punishment. haha.

anyway... i made it (barely), passed out on the planes, and was completely exhausted, but too excited to see my sisters and present at the conference to let myself slow down. so i spent the first weekend at another conference... the last leg in my tour for february. and i have to say that it was absolutely amazing! my sisters are wonderful, my sessions went so great, and don't even get me started on the hotel. can anyone say polynesian getaway in the middle of winter??? we took to referring to it as TIKILAND. heehee. it was unforgettable. i managed to get second place in our annual euchre tourney for the second year in a row which was fun (but one of these years i am going to win!!!) and spend time with my favorite asians.

after the conference was over i headed even farther north into the upper midwest to enjoy a week of sleeping, eating, napping, drinking, watching movies, dozing off, and having fun away from work! i'm pretty sure that i slept all of monday and tuesday besides eating, sleeping, and a couple movies. after that i was up for some shopping, heading out to a basketball game, seeing some friends and family, drinks and bar darts (which i LOVE!), and an epic hockey game!

i stayed most of the week with one of my old pals, fresh. he now lives in an old farm house with 4 guys in a sort of hostel. there are guys coming and going, staying for a few days here and there, popping in for video games, beers, basketball. all in all, a scene i pretty much dig, EXCEPT: the ONE bathroom! it was awful! dirty, small, NO outlets! seriously... there were NO outlets! ladies, trust me when i tell you that i did my best to convince those fellas that if they ever hoped to have an ladies stay there on any sort of regular basis they needed to remedy that situation. and fast. lol.

oh and the hockey game... let's just say that it was preempted by me eating my weight in wings, it was dollar beer night at the arena, there were people kicked out in the first 3 minutes, i witnessed one of the best and bloodiest hockey fights ever, and i made new friends! heehee... and by friends i mean the guys in the 2 rows in front of us (we were in the third row behind the players box) that were amused by my amazing decibel level and clever antics when yelling at the players, coaches, refs, fans, whoever or whatever i could think of to yell at! what can i say... i'm loud. (did i ever tell you that i was once told to "QUIET DOWN" by a REF at a HOCKEY GAME? seriously. no joke. they skated over to the glass, pointed at me, and told me to "QUIET DOWN!" ahh, but i digress...) they were amused... the one fellas girlfriend, not so amused. but hey, she was lame and had no idea what was going on anyway. it was a blast and we kicked the other teams ass!

and so yeah... i also got to enjoy a really comfy hotel suite, a trip to a giant bass pro shop, yummy food at my favorite restaurants, snowstorms and -20 degree weather, and some great clearance shopping.

it was GREAT!

i was sad to have to come back to socal.

unfortunately, i have tons and tons of work that has been waiting for my return and i just can't seem to shake this melancholy mood that has taken over.

and i think i know what started it (its not all of it, but i think it is what started it).

#23.

originally, i planned on extending my conference trip so i could spend the rest of the week with #23. but since that fell apart i had to make other plans. and yes, it was great to have the time off and catch up with friends and family, in the back of my mind i knew i was supposed to be seeing #23. and i think that a part of me was hoping that i would get to see him. nothing serious. just something like dinner or drinks, a little catch up.

and it's not even that i was hoping he'd see me and realize he made a mistake. because i really don't think it's the right time for us... and timing is everything. it's that i was really hoping that we would be able to be friends.

we kind of skipped that part and if given the chance, i think we would make quite good friends. but unfortunately, it looks as though that isn't going to happen.

and i know, we live far apart, we have separate lives, we have plenty of other friends. i guess i just thought that there was enough between us that we would be good for each other.... as friends.

but alas, he doesn't return my calls, or my e-mails, or my texts. and that's that. so now what do i do? i need to stop thinking of him and just stop trying. so how do i do that when there are little things that make me think of him that only he would understand, or things that make me laugh that only he would laugh at with me, or things that happen that i only want to share with him? maybe i should cut him out, delete him from my facebook/myspace/phone, etc. ugh, i don't know.

what i do know is that it got me into a funk and now i can't stop thinking too much. thinking too much about what in the world is going on with the ranger. thinking too much about how much mr. west wants to come and see me. thinking too much about how it seems that fresh is looking at me as more than friends these days. thinking about what in the world i am going to do about the dr. thinking about whet i'm going to do and where in the world i am going to go and if i'm going to have to do it all alone.

and all i want is my happy, positive mood back. ugh...

oh and my boys were pissed that i was gone (again). and i can't blame them... but at least buddy has willie to hang out with (terrorize) when i'm gone now. the dr. played cat sitter for me again, which i appreciate beyond comprehension. and when i return sunday night they were surely not going to let me sleep... they wanted attention from mom and they were not going to have it any other way.

so much for catching up on my sleep... lol.

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peanut butter cups and too much work...

Monday, March 2, 2009

i have returned!!!

unfortunately my work has been piling up waiting impatiently for just this moment. sad panda. therefore, i have limited amounts of time today to regal you with stories of my much-needed, midwest holiday mini-break.

don't worry! i will make sure you are all fully updated as soon as i get a minute. in the meantime... i leave you with this wordle that i made from my blog:


i like it. :o)

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the ABC game...

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Nickie tagged me to play this little blog game and it seemed to be perfect for my vacation blogging mood (not to mention i heart her and hope she keeps her chin up!)... here goes:

the rules are :
1. for each letter of the alphabet, write a word connected to you.

2. tag 6 people.


A – Awkward... i am really really good at being awkward.

B – Buddy! the best cat in the world (don't tell Willie!) and my partner in crime... he's been with me through a lot!

C – California... even though i'm a midwest girl at heart.

D – Deliciousness... because i've recently used this word to descride what things taste like, ex: "what does it taste like?" "deliciousness." "very helpful, thank you."

E – Exciting... just because i need a little excitement in my life.

F – Firsts... because firsts can be good, bad, and/or ugly!

G – Graphic design, because it's one of my fave hobbies!

H – Hilarious... because laughing is so much fun!

I – iTunes... because i love music and making rad playlists!

J – Jaded... because it is what i am, and i am trying desperately not to be.

K – Knee-high socks... because i adore them!

L – Lipgloss, and chapstick, and
lipbalm... love it!
M – Movies... i love movies!

N – Naps... because i would enjoy one right about now.

O – Ohmygosh!... because i say that way too much.

P – Pizza... because it is tasty and delicious.

Q – Quiet... which is something i am NOT (well not at sporting events, or when i've been drinking, or when i've been drinking at sporting events...)

R – Rad. because i still say things like
RAD!
S – the Soundtrack to my life is Super rad!

T – Tipsy... because it's fun gettin' a lil' tipsy.

U – Ultra... because we should start adding ultra to the begining of more words... ex:
ultracool, ultrarad, ultrahip, ultranasty, ultratasty, ultrafancy, ultradrunk... etc!
V – Vacation... who doesn't love a good vacay?!?!

W – Woot!... because i say that too much, but it's fun!

X – Xerox machine... because the copier is outside my office which has inherently made me an expert at troubleshooting. lol.

Y – You betcha.

Z – Zoo... because most of the time my job makes me feel like i work at a zoo.



this was actually harder than it should have been for me to accomplish... i'm lame.

the 6 people i tag are: whoever wants to play!!!

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a girl like me...

Friday, February 27, 2009

you don't need a girl like me
i've got bruises you can't see

and when the lights go out

i won't be around

you don't need a girl like me


you can't have a heart like mine

but you can hold it for a while

and when the lights go out

i won't be around

you can't have a heart like mine


there's a rule that goes unwritten

and i break it from time to time

if you're fool enough to listen

then i'm fool enough to lie


that's the kind of girl i am

i take off before i land

and even though you think you can

you can't change the way i am


cause the rule remains unwritten

i still break it from time to time

if you're fool enough to listen
then i'm fool enough to lie

you can't change the way i am

you don't need a girl like me

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we interrupt your regularly scheduled blog...

Monday, February 23, 2009

for these important announcements:

ok. so they are not important to you all. but they are to me.

#1. i am officially on vacation. (alright, not vacation so much as a much needed break to attempt to catch up on sleep and regain some sense of sanity... my insane february schedule and conference tour really caught up to me...)

#2. i am in the midwest. woot! and you all know how much i heart the midwest!!!

#3. i've been doing some thinking (and i imagine there will be a lot more of that over the course of the next few days...), i have a lot of thinking to do, and i need to not think so much. make sense?

#4. i will be sleeping, eating, drinking, napping, watching movies, snoozing, catching up with friends, and catching some zzzz's...

#5. i won't be regularly updating my blog... but i will have plenty of updates when i return... i know you are all just boiling over in anticipation... heehee.

can't wait to update ya'll and catch up on all of your news when i return...

xoxo,
gossip girl.
oh, wait... i mean, calixta.jive.

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let me be forgetful...

Thursday, February 19, 2009

"better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad."

~christina georgina rossetti

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i hope someone is looking for me...

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

maybe you're just jaded from some nobody's unforgotten words maybe you're just faded, a little gray from every time that you've been hurt
so you're lookin' for your skin that you never did fit in
you can't hide when you're turned inside out
love is looking for you now

maybe you been burnin' but you can't blow out a flame that you can't find
maybe you've been thirsty but the rain just ain't enough when you're this dry
so you're runnin' from the water and the fire's getting hotter
i think you better find some level ground
love is lookin' for you now
love is lookin' for you now

maybe you been wearing the shoes that someone else is wearing now
maybe you've been swearing forever might have already run out you can't love yourself at the expense of someone else
you can't hide a liar from the truth
love is lookin' for you
love is lookin' for you

i've been looking for you
baby i've been lookin.....
i've been looking for you

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