Alpacapalooza!

My mom and James came to visit for a while today, and tomorrow she is leaving and taking my brother and sister back home with her for about 3 weeks. The best part of the (short) visit, besides the free dinner, and getting to see our guests was our visit to the Monaco Pines Alpaca Ranch. If you haven't been to an alpaca facility, you MUST go. They are so great. Cute and soft and they only have bottom teeth. I don't know why I think that's cool, but I do. Here are some pics, and there are more on my Flickr (there's a link to the right).


If you don't know, alpacas are kind of like hairy llamas. Except that they're the softest thing int he world. You can tell the difference between them because llamas are bigger with thicker necks, and longer, banana-shaped ears.

(This is a llama.)

(This is an alpaca.)

Steven and a llama.

Justin feeding an alpaca.Stacy and a whole bunch of alpacas.

The ranch also had miniature donkeys. I think they look like muppets or something else from Jim Henson's imagination.

Here's my mom with the mini-donkeys.

I don't know why I don't have any pictures of James at the ranch. It was hard to get pictures because we all really just wanted to feed the animals. So fun.

Terrible Moments From Childhood II

When I was in elementary school, my best friend Meredith lived at the opposite end of the cul de sac from where I lived. It's just a block, but to a little kid, it's a pretty long walk. Everyone in the neighborhood was friends, and since we were kids, it never occurred to any of us that we should call before heading off to play.

One sunny summer morning I started walking off to see Meredith. Somewhere in between my house and hers I realized that I had to pee. It wasn't a disaster, I was only a few houses away from hers and I could just go when I got there. I got to the door and they weren't home. Well now, this is a problem. Now I'm a little stressed out about the lack of a nearby bathroom, but figure that someone will let me in, after all, it's a small town, and everybody in the neighborhood knows me, and who turns down a 7 year old in need of a toilet?

(This picture looks wildly appropriate for this story, but I'm actually playing hopscotch, not preparing to wet my pants.)

About three houses down from Meredith's was my friend Courtney's house. There was a car in the driveway, and with great relief, I knocked on the door. Her mom answered, and was very weird about me being there. Courtney wasn't home. I asked if I could come in to use the restroom anyway and she said no! Who does that? Seriously, if there was a child (especially one you knew) doing the potty dance on your front porch would you tell them to keep on walkin'? No way. But she did and it totally serves her right that I wet my pants and her driveway.

Ingenuity

Our corkscrew has gone missing. I think Justin wandered off with it and that it will turn up under his bed or in his medicine cabinet or on his bookcase. He thinks I threw it away. In any case, it is gone, and this is Not Good. We enjoy wine with our dinner and with popcorn on Netflix Night, and I really do not want to resort to boxed wines. -shudder-
I called my dad last night to see if they had a corkscrew we could borrow. He said that he did, so I headed over there. As definitive proof that the people in that household DO NOT DRINK, he handed me, not a corkscrew, but a cork, from one of Sussan's "decorative" wine bottles. (Read: wine bottles left over from wine consumed by the heathen children.)

Justin, having anticipated my parents' lack of a cork removing device, already had a Plan B. He used a screwdriver to put a screw into the cork, then used a hammer to pry the screw, with cork attached, out of the bottle. That, my friends, is The South's contribution to society: the redneck corkscrew.

[Editor's Note: Justin says that he prefers to think of this device not as a redneck corkscrew, but as a MacGyver corkscrew. It not being made out of a rubber band, paperclip and duct tape, I'm sticking with the original name. Also, if you search Youtube there are about a hundred clips of this procedure, all labled "Redneck corkscrew."]

Three Years

Justin and I have been married for three years today. Here's how we manage to get through it:

1. Justin puts up with my idiosyncrasies better than anyone else ever has. And there are a lot of them, and a lot of them that I know are really hard on him. He's tougher than most, let me tell you.

2. He understands my need (and seems to have the same) for my own space.

3. When I'm feeling bluesy, Justin dances around and sings silly songs to make me smile. Sometimes, he even manages to get a laugh.

4. I -know- that he loves me. There are lots of people who probably do love me (some of them only because they have to), but Justin is the only person who I know is a sure thing.

5. He indulges my need to go into stores, put a dozen things in the cart and then change my mind and leave without actually buying anything.

6. He thinks I work much harder than I do, which will be useful for when I'm actually working very hard and need someone to appreciate that.

7. He lets me tickle him mercilessly until he screams 'Whooo!!'

8. He encourages my addictions to shoes, books, diet soda and fancy cheeses.

9. He thinks I'm beautiful.

10. He does his own laundry most of the time.

11. He works very hard at school so that, soon, we will be able to live a better life in a city that I love, even though he can be happy pretty much anywhere.

12. He loves my family and thinks of them as his own.

13. He doesn't mind driving me places that I'm perfectly capable of driving to myself, because he knows that it scares me.

14. He lets me be who I am.

I love you Justin. I know that I'm difficult, and exhausting, and intense; I'm so grateful that you're willing to put up with these things (and sooo much more). Thank you for wanting to keep me enough to make it legal.

Mucha

I love the work of Alfons Mucha. You probably don't know him by name, but chances are, you've seen his work:
It's very frequently used on tarot cards and in advertising. Lots of guys have Mucha girls tattooed in various places...Anyway, I like them because they look like something that would have come out of the 6os. It's appears to be very hippie dippie, flowerchild, LSD inspired. Actually Mucha produced most of his work between 1900 and 1925.

And now, thanks to the Power of the Internet (insert intimidating echo here), we can see what I'd look like as a Mucha girl. Sort of:

It's fun, go try it!

Countdown

Today is my birthday. I briefly considered making this the year that I start counting backward to 25, but I've always really looked forward to 30. Based on my current time line, 30 is the year that my real life gets to start, so the quicker I can get there the better. Here's to 28!

Photo credit: Schmutzie

Late

My period is late. Not incredibly late, but late enoughto be concerned. My breasts were tender in the middle of the month. I chalked it up to ovulation. The emotional roller coaster, sad, mad, manic, all over the map for a few weeks, I blamed on readjusting to some pills that I had been without for awhile. Breakouts, could definitely be blamed on stress, new products and my workouts, which make me sweat. All of those things added together with a late period though, equal trouble.

Every day for a week I've been actively waiting for my period, a little spotting, anything. No dice.

I hold my breath as we drive to Wal-Mart. The only thing open this late. I look terrible. A few seconds before leaving the house, Justin says to me, "don't worry, worst case scenario, we have a baby!" I DO NOT WANT A BABY. My face crumples and he tells me that he's joking, but I know he's not. Justin would be thrilled if we had a baby, but the fact is, it would ruin my life. I wouldn't be able to go back to school. I'd be a mom, for the rest of my life. Weight, which I'm just beginning to lose, back plus more. Stretch marks, money spent on diapers instead of shoes, 10 hour of sleep at night, just a distant memory. No, I do not want a baby.

As I walk into the store, I see a guy that I new in high school. We were friends, and I was happy to see him, even though, you know, I'm a wreck and dressed badly and have quickly braided hair and red eyes. We speak and he asks me all the usual questions: Married? Yes. Kids? No, actually we (I, anyway) don't think we want any. I take his question as a bad sign.

We get home and I pee in a cup. (The size of the stick makes me doubt my aim.) The package says to wait 3 minutes for a result, which seems ridiculous. Shouldn't something that's so important be much faster than that? I'm very into instant gratification, especially when it counts.

I wander the house, put up groceries, text Aaron. Finally.

There is only one pink line. I'm so relieved I could faint. Instead we break out the Crunch 'n Munch and vodka.

Girl Talk

I love this picture of Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

I would -really- like to know what the First Lady said to make Mrs. Sarkozy cover her mouth like that, but I bet it was seriously funny. If you click to see the picture full size, you can see her expression, which is great. I also love that Carla (we're on a first name basis y'know. ptth) has just thrown her, probably very expensive, jacket on the sofa behind her. The only thing that would make this better would be if they were both on the same sofa in pajamas. With popcorn.

Can you tell that I really want some girl-talk time? Aaron, Shannon, Terroni, couldn't any of you move to Texas? Please?

The Official White House Photo Stream can be seen HERE.

Back to School, Etc.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know this already, but I'm posting it here anyway, it's been awhile. I'm officially going back to school in the fall. I think that I want to teach English, and my education in theater just won't cut it for that. I'm excited, but also feeling slightly overwhelmed and scared that it's something I won't be able to handle. I'm trying really hard to keep from getting discouraged enough to change my mind, because I really, really want to do this.

Justin seems to really like working at Toys 'R' Us, although, today he has a really long day, so I guess he may change his mind. The best part about that, besides the fact that we need the cash, is that even though it's a part time position, they offer pretty good insurance, which we need. Justin's officially been accepted into nursing school, as I mentioned, and so between now and August there are about a million things we need to do, including various vaccinations and physicals, so the insurance will help with that.

Also, I just found out that Dolly Parton is producing a Broadway version of Nine to Five. I'd do just about anything to see that. Hopefully there will be a tour.

Hannah Bee

Today is my niece, Hannah's, 5th birthday. I cannot believe that she's 5 years old.

I love this kid. She's bright and funny and a total drama queen.


In July, she will no longer be the only little girl in the family, but I can't imagine that she'll be bothered in the least.


Because she absolutely knows how fabulous she is.

It's Aaron's Birthday!!

Today is my friend Aaron's birthday. I will not be disclosing her age, because she's unhappy about it, but I will tell you that she is younger and more glamorous than I am, and should therefore get over it. Aaron is fantastic. We've only been friends for a few months, but during this time she has become instrumental in helping me maintain my sanity. I feel like I can tell her things that I would never tell anyone else, and that she understands them. She never tells me that I'm being ridiculous. She never makes me feel bad about who I am or the things that I like. (Except that one time with Hannah Montana.) And she totally understands exactly how amazing it feels to find the perfect shade of nail polish, which you've been searching for for months. We're so alike in our feelings and experiences that I feel as if we could be, should be, sisters. She even dated Justin, like a hundred years ago, so she has that interesting bit of perspective. She can also walk in heels, apply eye makeup, and sing opera. Perhaps someday she'll teach me.

I love you Aaron!! Happy Birthday!!

Owie!

Marlowe has a head wound. It appeared a few days ago (I just now managed to get a picture), we don't know what happened, but he doesn't seem bothered. I suspect that he thinks he makes him look tough. You know, tough but sensitive.

Feet!

I love feet. Justin's feet are my favorite part of him, and mine are probably my favorite part of me, so I really, really like these pictures that we took tonight.

My feet. Smooth and pretty and girly.

Justin's feet. They're really dense and tough and real. I love them so much.

Woooh!!!

Justin got his official acceptance into Nursing School today!!!!!

Sense Memories

1. The fur collar on the fire department jacket my dad had when I was a little girl. It was the softest thing I'd ever felt and I loved to rest my face against it and stroke it with my fingers when he came home from work. It always smelled like smoke (from various burning things, not cigarettes) and something undefined. These are still the smells that I associate with Dad. Smoke and something else.

2. Spending the night at my grandparents' house. (My mother's parents.) The sheets on the bed were super smooth from hundreds of washings and always cool. There was an egg crate, upside down, under the sheet and I loved to run my fingers over the bumps. I could hear the tick of the big clock in the living room and put myself to sleep with it's steady rhythm, only to be startled awake when it chimed the hour. I have a set of these sheets, but, sadly, they don't fit on either bed.

3. The first time a boy kissed me. On a school bus, me half asleep and cold under his jacket. We were on our way to a speech and debate tournament at 4 o'clock in the morning and I couldn't keep my eyes open. He was singing me songs, all the "rock ballads", and his voice was surprisingly good. Then suddenly he kissed me and I was too surprised and sleepy to know what to do. I never even opened my eyes. He called me Vicky, my character's name in our duet acting piece. I've always wondered if he was kissing me or her.

Ipod Meme

I was tagged to play this on Facebook today and I thought my answers were so weirdly accurate that I wanted to post it here too. Also, I'm not ashamed of all the bad music that I love so there!!

The Rules:

1. Put your iPod or iTunes (or whatever) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You MUST use that song name, no matter how silly it sounds!!
4. Tag whoever you want (or nobody).
5. Have Fun!

(Note: I don't feel like going on a big tag-fest; if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged.)

1) If someone says 'are you okay' you say...?
"Over Me"--Tricky

2) How would you describe yourself?
"Don't Know Much" -- Linda Ronstadt

Okay, this one I am ashamed of. Why is that even on here? Ew.

3) What do you look for in a love interest?
"Ironic" --Alanis Morisette

4) How do you feel today?
"Run Around" --Blues Traveler

5) What is your life's purpose?
"Papa Don't Preach" --Madonna

*snort*

6) What's your motto?
"Happy Girl" --Martina McBride

Hey, that's not a bad motto! I'm working on it.

7) What do your friends think of you?
"If You Were Here" --Thompson Twins.

Makes sense, as almost all of my friends are several hundred miles away.

8) What do your parents think of you?
"Daydream Believer" The Monkees

Hmm, that's kind of what I think of me too...

9) What do you think about very often?
"Wonderful" --Everclear

Also, is this question worded strangely? It sounds funny in my head.

10) What do you think about your first kiss?
"You Give Love a Bad Name" --Bon Jovi

Surprisingly accurate. Or maybe not surprising at all.

11) What do you think of your best friend?
"Fresh Feelng" -- Eels

12) What is your life story?
"Superman" -- Lazlo Bane

13) What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Windmills" --Toad the Wet Sprocket

14) What will you dance to at your wedding?
"American Girl" --Tom Petty

Sadly, there was no dancing at my wedding, but I *do* dance around to this in the kitchen.

15) What will they play at your funeral?
"Into the Great Wide Open" -- Tom Petty

I think this is an excellent choice. Justin write that down!

16) What is your hobby/interest?
"Murder of One" --Counting Crows

Hopefully this is referring to my frequent viewings of CSI.

17) What is your biggest fear?
"Lost Cause" --Beck

Yup.

18) What is your biggest secret?
"You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving" -- Reba McIntire

**uncomfortable silence**

19) What do you want right now?
"Good Life" Francis Dunnery

Don't we all?

20) What do you think of your friends?
"What the World Needs Now Is Love" -- The Carpenters

hehehe!

Guy Gonna Do Stuff

Justin is in the kitchen doing dishes (yes, I know, I'm very lucky). There are a lot of dishes to do. I haven't really been able to motivate myself to get in there and do any of them, primarily because the battery in my ipod was dead (it lives again). So anyway, a huge pile of dishes to do. With that in mind, why does he keep coming in here doing other things, like repairing the handle of my frying pan (totally was not broken) and shaking out the silverware drawer? (He says the drawer was dirty.) Is it possible that he's giving himself extra chores so that he doesn't have to wash the dishes? Or perhaps the act of doing dishes inspired some kind of CLEAN EVERYTHING mood. I do that sometimes. I think that I'll just straighten up the living room and then suddenly I'm elbow deep in bathroom scrub. In any case, Justin's frenzy is making me feel guilty for not helping. Although not guilty enough to go help. Yet.

The Blue Zone

Good things have happened today, but I still feel like I'm living in black and white. Like all the color has been sucked right out of me.


Here are the things Justin says to me when I'm sad.

Don't let yourself get lost in this.

Don't let it cover you up.

I love you more than anything.

It will be okay.

And sometimes it is.