Hot Tamales

I'm sitting here at my desk eating Hot Tamales. There has never been a better candy in my opinion - or a worse candy if it's based on how addictive they are. I'm not normally a candy type girl. I like candybars and anything chocolate like that, but not so much just the hard candy/jolly rancher/gummy bear candy. However, Hot Tamales are the best! I've already eaten nearly the whole package. I have my reasons, today, though:

I'm bummed about the whole Katrina thing. There are people that have come to the Red Cross shelter in my town from New Orleans. That's hitting a little too close to home, Ladies and Gentlemen! I have a friend who had to leave his house and head across to the neighbor state because of the promise of disaster around his home. It was sad enough when all the mess around 9-11 happened, but I didn't know anyone directly affected by that. I felt for everyone involved and sympothized for them, but it just didn't effect me like this disaster has. This has just made me sad.

Also, I've been run ragged, I feel, over the past few days with my munchkins running around and my responsibility of taking care of my new 8 week old boxer puppy, Copper. (Pictured with Zoe). It's enough watching 3 children under 3 years of age during the day and trying, most of the time in vain, to keep my house from looking like a total disaster, but to add a potty training puppy to the mix and it makes for some tiring days. Plus, the little guy I babysit spent the weekend with Grandma 'Cat Owner' and we think the little dude is allergic to cats. He's been a complete fuss-bucket this week and I am now suffering from a very large headache, mostly due I believe to the constant whining.

Add all that on top of regular life and there you have me. I really need a day of vacation. Not one where I spend it running around and going and doing. I need a day to get a massage. I need to just relax. I need to not think or worry about any of my responsibilities. I need........peace.

Ok, all the Hot Tamales are gone now. Should I feel better? Or worse that I've sat here and ate and entire bag of candy? (it was only a 4 oz bag, but still...)

Deciding on Date Plans

The following is excerpts from Friday's conversation between 4 friends trying to decide what we'd do for our double date that night:

Mike,
I heard you were planning the date Friday night and Jeremy has told me what you have planned. Dukes of Hazzard is out of the question--you guys just want to see Jessica Simpson……what about the Wedding Crashers--I've heard it's funny from several people.
Michelle

(Mike's response - Jill's response to Mike in purple)
Jessica Simpson is in the Dukes of Hazard? Yes. What? You knew that. Why would anyone want to see Jessica Simpson in really short shorts? Cause some weridos think extremely dumb blonds are hot. I am simply interested in the car being as Jill and I both own Dodge vehicles. That’s a big bunch of horse $#!+! Jessica Simpson is just a silly interruption in great action packed car chase scenes. Yet more horse $#!+.

I was planning a theme night. Go Kart racing and a movie where the central theme is cars. Unfortunately Herbie Fully Loaded is already out of theaters so that left Dukes of Hazard. You are creative. Think of something else.

Wedding Crashers is a rated R movie Dukes of Hazard is pG13 And you point being……..?

I think the Dukes of Hazard with its positive theme of never letting the Man keep you down would be a great choice. Don’t you mean theme of “seeing dumb blonde girl strut around in nearly nothing” being a great choice? You know that’s what you were thinking.

(Mike's repsonse to Jill's comments in green - Jill's retort in blue - Mike's comebacks in dark green)
First off, if I thought Jessica Simpson was attractive (and I'm not admitting that I do) it wouldn't have anything to do with her mind. Her huge pair of HOOHA's possibly but definitely not her mind. Talk about something your WIFE will never be able to live up to… HELLO?! We can get you a new pair of HOOHA's if you want.

Second, what is the difference between going to see a movie about an impossibly romantic guy that husbands will never be able to live up to...And going to see a movie about fast cars, battling against the oppression of a ruthless tyrant interrupted, ever so briefly, by a scantly clad woman? The difference is getting wife into romantic mood for possible CPB (crunchy peanut butter = sex) after arrival back at home or……NOT. What about getting your husband in the mood for...nevermind stupid argument.

C, I am totally willing to compromise. Race Go-Karts, play violent first person shooter video games, watch Fantastic 4. I'm cool with that. Are we negotiating now? Shall I enter my 2 cents? Ok, great. I can do the go-cart thing. Afterwards, I like Michelle’s idea - you boys can go watch your sleazy hooha film I can just see the Dukes of Hazard Marketing group talking to the sensors now "We can't put sleazy HOOHA film in the trailer? That's what this movie is!!!" and Michelle and I can go watch something a little more mature. Or, we can completely compromise by seeing something we can all agree on. There’s a movie with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger coming out on Friday…..Matt Damon and Heath Ledger!!! Just admit that you want to see these two dumb as a wet sack of hammers because they will have tight fitting outfits on and you want to see their butts!!!

(Jeremy, Michelle's husband, adds his 2 cents)
I would like it stated for the record that I had absolutely nothing to do with that comment about the huge HOOHA’s. That was tasteless and inappropriate. If we can’t admire a woman for any reason other than her body, what does that make us? Personally, I think that there are other admirable qualities to Jessica. For instance, I just happen to admire her for the big melons she has in her fruit garden. I also am impressed by the large jugs she has in her kitchen. I have also noted that she has a nice set of bongos to play in her band. Obviously, there are many other admirable qualities to Jessica than her body – like her perky hooters (I’ve heard that she has some pet owls).

(Jill's response to Jeremy)
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Mike's retarded response)
If God didn't love hooters he would have had Noah leave them off the Ark.

As The dogWorld Turns

We've just rid ourselves of our beagle and now we're looking at other dogs. Madness, you think. Why, yes it is. The insane thing is that now some people in my family have changed their wantings from a boxer, which I could do, to a....... GREAT DANE!!! Jiminy Christmas, ya'll! Those things are bigger than me! Seriously!!! We called on some last night and let me just say that the daddy of the pups we'll see tomorrow weighs 175LBS!!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!!!! I'm not real sure I could deal with a dog that big! I mean, that's just HUGE!! It's like the second biggest dog ever! Actually, it may be the tallest dog. I don't know..... I would like another dog. Zoe seems lonely this week without her friend and I'm kinda used to having 2 dogs around, but I just don't know if I could handle one as big as a dane. I think I might could do a Mastiff. Those are the ancestors of great danes, but not quite as tall. They are still well over 100 lbs in average weight, but they're shorter than the danes. I'm all for the big dogs, mind you. I do NOT want a little squirly looking dog like the uglier than ugly Chinese Crested. These little dudes are UGLY! I'm sorry, but it's the truth! Any advice?

Sadie Is Gone :(

My dear little beagle, Sadie, has been taken to another home. Our back yard has holes all in it from her ventures throughout the day and my husband was beginning to get miffed. We had some ugly trees in our back yard and decided to cut those down and when we did, they became Sadie's escape to the other side of the fence. It was a way she could get close enough to the top of the chain link fence at the back of our property so that she could CLIMB the rest of the way over the wood fence to the neighbor's yard. She liked to visit our neighbor and usually every day, about the same time, our neighbor would come ring our doorbell with Sadie in tow. Nice. Dumb dog. I really think it's because they have a pool and we don't. Either that or they have better treats for their dog. So we removed the tree from the yard and hence removed her escape path. Dumb though she may be, she was determined to find a way over to the 'cool house' and thus began her digging spree. My husband had enough at this point. An ad went into the classifieds at his work and as of yesterday afternoon, Sadie's new home is on a farm somewhere. We got an email this morning saying she did great last night and enjoyed her new surroundings. However, the farm family has cows and apparently she was unsure about these creatures and barked at one of them. WHAT?! Barked?! Are we sure they have the right dog? Maybe the farm is just what she needed to release her true self because that dog has never barked!!
Now I'm wondering if I ever really had an attachment to the dog. I'm not really sad she's gone.

I still have Zoe, who's my lovely lab/collie/shephard/mut dog. I really think she's just a cat clothed in a dog's body. She'd much rather lay around and cuddle than to do normal dog type things. I love that about her. The only thing is that when my daughter came over to the computer and saw the picture of Sadie, she said "Sadie?". That makes me kinda sad.

And this is what I feel like doing.....

Since I'm sad, I feel like sitting down with a big bag of powdered donuts and a pot of coffee and wollowing in my misery for a while. Rachel seems to be enjoying doing that (except without the joe).

Yep, it's settled. I'm a crier!!

... as if there was any question. I just finished reading yet another book by my now favorite author, Karen Kingsbury. This woman has a way of writing that makes the story she's telling come to life in my mind and grips me until I put it down..... and then sometimes way beyond my reading the last words. This, I can tell, will be one of those stories. It was an escape from reality for me. I got involved in the world of these characters and they became real to me, if only for a few days or hours. In the end, it's a tragedy. I was crying through every word of the last few chapters and even now, tears well up in my eyes as I remember these people and all they shared and lost. Years have past in a matter of just minutes this morning as I read the last pages. I'm sad now because I feel like I've lost a friend all over again.

Today I'm Thankful For....

Yesterday was a weird day. I listened to a tape that was given to me that had some readings of journal entries from one of my friends that passed away last year. It was over a span of about 3 years. It wasn't readings from every day, of course, but selected days over the years. It made me sad that my friend isn't with me anymore. But more than that, it made me realize even more what a beautiful person she was, not only on the outside, but in her heart. She listed the most simple things to be thankful for. Therefore today, I shall follow in her footsteps and list some things I'm thankful for:

* Today, I'm thankful for my daughter. I'm thankful that she pee peed on the potty the other day!
*I'm thankful that Mike called me from work this morning and cared what I had to say.
* I'm thankful for my friends.
* I'm thankful for email since I don't talk on the phone much.
* I'm thankful for the Wiggles and Barney that keep Rachel entertained while she learns cute little songs.
* I'm thankful that I can sleep in tomorrow morning.
* I'm thankful for Mary Kay and the sales I made yesterday.
* I'm thankful that it's sunny outside and I got some good coffee this morning.

Anyone else thankful today?

AAAHHHH The Agony!!!

Yesterday, my dear husband left for a few days of Kids Camp so my precious friends invited me over to their house for a sympathy dinner so I wouldn't be alone. Little did I know, it was all a scheme to kill me - or for me to kill myself! You see, I cannot get away from friends who own homes on a ridiculous incline and these are no exception. This home is built on a hill overlooking the lake. Beautiful, you think. Yes, it is. However, the trek from their home down the hill to the water is retarded!! Stupid me decided I was going to be cool and stylish by wearing some flip flops instead of tennis shoes. Mistake #1. Then I decided that since every adult there besides me was covered in dirt from laying sod that I would carry my child down the hill myself (there's no way she could have walked herself). Mistake #2. As we were 'walking' down the hill, I averted a couple of disastrous falls by clinging to inch thick 'trees' for dear life. Needless to say, I was cursing my choice of shoes at this point. We finally reached the water and as I stayed on shore, the others went in for a little dip and all was well. It was hotter than Hades, but fun. Then.......dear God, it was time to CLIMB that mountain back up to the house. I came to my senses this time and let someone else carry Rachel so I didn't have her to contend with. And traveling down hill in flip flops was one thing; trying to climb UP the mountain in said shoes is another thing entirely. Now, you have to get this picture - I HATE exercise!! I mean, hate is really not a strong enough word. Loath might come close, but still, doesn't do my feeling justice. So, here you have me - totally out of shape and climbing a 60 degree mountainous incline. Thankfully, the people traveling behind me were taking their time as well and someone 'lost their shoe' so they had to take time to put it back on. I patiently waited for them as any good, totally out of breath friend would do. Then, my exercise freak friend who runs a few miles every day was walking up the hill like it was nothing and I thought, "I can't let her show me up that badly"...... you guessed it - mistake #3. By the time I reached the top of the hill, I really thought about sitting down and crying. I caught my breath finally and we went into the blessed air conditioning. But the agony wasn't over yet. These dear friends have 3 stories to their home. The kitchen is on the main floor, the TV where Dora was playing and where my daughter wanted to be was on the bottom, and the bathtub where the girls had to get cleaned up was on the top floor. Dear Jesus, when will it end?! So, after a lovely dinner and some visiting, Rachel and I headed home. I entered a very deep sleep and was really ticked when my alarm went off this morning - but the ticked feeling was replaced with agony as soon as I stood from my bed......... HOLY CRAP!!!! There are places that are sore today that really shouldn't ever be exposed to exercise, I believe. I can only imagine that this will get worse as the day goes on and heaven help me on what tomorrow will feel like. Bottom line and lesson learned - I will NEVER wear flip flops to their house again, never carry my child down the hill again, and their Christmas gift this year is a lift that will carry innocent, non-exercisers down to the lake and back.