Christmas was snowy this year

...and that's an understatement. In total, we have about 6 feet and it is currently snowing so heavily that I cannot see the Lake that was once right outside my window. But - it's absolutely gorgeous. If you can forget about the car wrecks, endless hours of shoveling, collapsed roofs, canceled flights and power outages, the snow is the greatest thing to happen to Coeur d'Alene since Good Morning America. We got about 4 inches of snow between 8am and 1pm today, followed by rain, freezing rain, and some incredibly gusty wind. I'm hoping that's all that Mother Nature has to throw at us today, unless a little sunshine is in her plans.

Christmas this year was a little hectic this year. Grant was supposed to catch a flight to Boise on Christmas morning, but he managed to catch the flu and decided to stay in bed all day on Christmas and the few days following. I felt so bad that he spend Christmas feeling so crummy...but God bless Walgreens for being open and providing the necessary medication to knock him out for the night. My brother and his wife didn't make it into town until late Christmas night, so we all stayed up for them and did a mini-celebration with presents and turkey for the second time. My cousin and aunt from California managed to make it into town with standby tickets and I think they really enjoyed watching us shovel endlessly while they continued to use the excuse of not bringing any winter clothing....yeah, sure. But it's been great having all the family in town and they're all staying past New Years so we still have a few days to hang out and enjoy the Griswold traditions!

I was really spoiled this year and Grant got me a KitchenAid stand mixer that I love oh-so-much! It's sitting on my counter, just waiting to be put to the test and I think I've found the perfect recipe to break it in. My work will probably start getting daily deliveries of my new baking attempts - but I hardly think they'll complain.

My brother got me the most incredible blanket ever made and all I want to do is go home, wrap up in it and sleep until I have no more sleeping left to do. Does it make me old when I start daydreaming about soft blankets and stand mixers? Please don't tell me if it does.

Anyway, I'm just always so thankful that every year, Christmas is filled with family, friends, too much food and a roof over my head. It's really easy to forget about those who don't have any of that and every once in awhile I have to force myself to think about what really matters during the holidays...and no, it doesn't involve chocolate and wrapping paper.

Snow Day!

Wow, there's a lot of snow out there...enough that my boss called me yesterday morning in the midst of the storm to say, "Please stay home today. We're going to be closed." I hadn't really looked outside at that point, but once I did I realized that even if we weren't closed, I would be staying home. As much as I love my car, there was no way I was getting anywhere close to leaving my driveway. Instead, Grant and I enjoyed our snow day together and made Christmas cookies, watched TV, did some shoveling, let Jersey hop around in the snow and pretty much made the most out of a day stranded inside. Around 5pm, the snow finally stopped after about 36 hours. 37 inches (that's just over 3 feet!) in total, although with all the shoveling and snow plowing, there are piles that are easily taller than me. It's the most snow I've seen fall in my lifetime and I'm so happy that it pretty much guarantees us a White Christmas.

Today was a bit of a challenge to get to work, but Grant's Subaru pushed through and we made it just fine. It's actually an incredible sight to see, especially around the lake. Tomorrow night we are supposed to get another 9 inches or so...just in time for my family in California to see! My cousin has only seen snow once in her life and it was about an inch deep - so this should come as quite a surprise.

In other news...my friend Kelsey graduated from college last weekend and I don't think I've ever seen someone look so fabulous on graduation day! I am 100% certain that her cheerleaders were the loudest in the crowd. We had a ton of fun dancing the night away...enough fun that getting locked out of the apartment in sub-zero temperatures didn't seem too bad. :) My other friend Liz got engaged today! Her and her fiance Bryce make a great pair and I am so excited for them! 90% excited and 10% jealous. Okay, more like 80/20.

WTF with an extra shot of F

My 9am meeting got canceled today, but they failed to send out a reminder, so I decided to make a small detour on my way back to the office and treat myself to a yummy coffee at one of my favorite coffee stands in Coeur d'Alene. It was quite clear that the two girls working in the stand were having one of those goofy, I-got-up-way-too-early-on-a-Monday type days as they were playing around and laughing about things I didn't understand. Anyway, I ordered my coffee, paid and as she handed me my drink, I asked, "do you guys have punch cards?"

She replied, "we can punch you in the face." And grinned.


Yeah. That just happened.

A Halloween to Remember

I love my friends...for many reasons, but today I'm particularly thankful that when I suggested that we dress up and celebrate Halloween like many 20-somethings do, they totally played along. While I think they were pretty blah about it to begin with, it definitely turned out to be well worth it.

I won't go into details, but it was an extremely fun night with an honorable mention of Grant and his tourist costume, complete with him distributing maps and brochures to various people throughout the night. I went as Tinkerbell, but since I didn't want to spend my life savings on an actual costume, I made it from scratch and ended up deeming it "Modern-day Tinkerbell". But, hey, I got to wear wings and draw fun things on my face, so I was good! The whole night was a success and even though Saturday was really icky for me, it was a great time.


On a totally unrelated note - tomorrow is election day and I couldn't be more excited. Excited to NOT have to watch any more political ads. Excited to stop hearing Dino Rossi complain about Gregoire even though I don't live in Washington. I may even take the liberty of ripping every single obnoxious campaign sign out of the ground within 5 miles of my house. Especially the ones that say "Ron Paul President 2008". Come on, people.

Nick and Norah

Last night, we took advantage of our $6.50 tickets to the movies and saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It was ridiculously fantastic.

It definitely had the Juno vibe going on, but it had it's own character that made it so incredibly charming. There were hysterical moments that made me wonder, "did they intend for that to be funny?"...and it totally worked. It was the perfect combination of comedy, drama, romance and drunken mishaps - many of which I could relate to on a much less extreme manner. I left the theater feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, which is usually a sign that I will likely spend the $15 on the DVD when it comes out. I will also add it to my favorite movies under my facebook profile. Now THAT's true love.

The soundtrack is sure to be swell - given the title of the movie, it would be a shame if it wasn't. I loved Michael Cera (Nick)'s addiction to mixed CD's...they are probably my most favorite thing of all time. You just can't be in a bad mood when you listen to a whole CD of good tunes. Unless you use music to fuel your fire or make you cry a thousand tears. Which I do, on occasion.

Anyway, enough of my less-than-expert-like review of the movie, I just think it was great and I want to see it again so I can redeem that ooey-gooey feeling again. Makes me want to curl up in a fuzzy blanket and hug someone that I love.

Between 7 and 9

I got tagged. So here goes....

8 TV shows I love to watch

1. Friends (I own all 10 seasons!)
2. Scrubs
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. How I Met your Mother
5. What Not to Wear
6. Iron Chef America
7. I Love Lucy
8. Sex and the City

8 Things that happened yesterday

1. Was 10 minutes late for work...oops.
2. Made a crazy-cool poster for a contest.
3. Ate an egg-salad sandwich.
4. Made my car payment.
5. Shopped at a store that I always pass by but never stop at.
6. Finished watching "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".
7. Broke into the Halloween Candy early.
8. Took a long, hot shower before bed.

8 Favorite places to eat

1. Tomato Street (Coeur d'Alene)
2. Moon Time (Coeur d'Alene)
3. Pizza Hut (everywhere)
4. Caruso's Deli (Coeur d'Alene)
5. Wolf Lodge (Coeur d'Alene)
6. Bardenay (Coeur d'Alene)
7. Loco Grinz (Moscow)
8. HOME! (I second Darcy's idea)

8 Things I am looking forward to

1. Going to California this Friday!
2. Moving into my office at work
3. Seeing "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"
4. Christmas!
5. Losing another 5 pounds before the new year.
6. The first snowfall.... :)
7. The future - lame, but true.
8. 5:00 p.m. - home time!

8 Things on my wishlist

1. New couch and love seat
2. HDTV
3. Personal trainer
4. Permanently shaved legs
5. A house with a backyard, grass, two stories and a garage
6. A dog companion for Jersey
7. A KitchenAid Mixer
8. To live happily ever after....(just becuase I don't want to seem too materialistic.)

I guess I'm supposed to tag a few others to do this as well...seeing as how I really don't know who reads this, I'll say David, Renee, Angie, and John McCain (but please don't smile as you do it.)

Copycat

My favorite morning radio station did a series this week where each day they each listed their five favorite things. It's such a broad topic: your five favorite things - with no rules or exclusions. Five things that make your life easier, more enjoyable or that just make you thank God you are alive. After listening to their individual lists, I started thinking what my favorite five would be. It's really harder than it seems...picking out THE top five things that you couldn't live without (or maybe you could but wouldn't want to, but that's beside the point). So, after a long weekend of thinking, I present:

My Five Favorite Things:

1. Diet Pepsi - there is really nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold, straight from the fountain, giant, 44 ounce cup of Diet Pepsi. Partner it with microwave popcorn, a sub sandwich or anything greasy and there's really nothing more refreshing. This is the only thing I've ever admitted to being addicted to - and NO!...Diet Coke is not an acceptable alternative. In my younger days, I really can't even tell you how much Diet Pepsi I would consume in a day, but I'm proud to say that in my older, more intelligent days I cut back to 3-4 a week. Not too shabby for an addict, I'd say.

2. Mid-November to Christmas - There is always a day in November when I wake up and realize that it's officially the holiday season. It's usually just before Thanksgiving when all of the Halloween goodies have been devoured, decorations have been stored away and I start thinking about Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas trees, putting up the lights, holiday shopping and the snow. Aaaaah, the snow. Something in the cold, crisp air just makes this time of year so special and I'm in a constant good mood from morning til' night. I spend a lot of my time in the kitchen, baking special treats and trying new holiday recipes to share with friends and family. When the snow falls, sledding adventures at Cherry Hill are a must and if you don't build a snowman in your front yard, well then you're just a Scrooge. When the shopping is all done, my baking supplies are empty and it's time to wake up and see what Santa brought us, I find myself more excited to spend a day back at home than any other day of the year. When Christmas day comes to the end, my whole family sits there with giant, stuffed bellies, horribly cheesy Christmas sweaters and tired, sleepy eyes in front of the fireplace, and I can never help but think, "I can't wait for Christmas next year."

3. Target - Now, I can't say that I'm proud to have a big box, corporate giant on my list of favorite things, but when I was thinking of my list, Target popped into my head too many times to ignore. Going to Target, for me, is one of the places I love to go when I want to go shopping but don't quite know what I am looking for. To guys, this sounds ridiculous, but for all my women confidants out there, you know what I'm talking about. First, I love the dollar section that they implemented not too long ago. A small section of the store dedicated to crap that you surely don't need but pick up and say, "awww, how cuUTE!" Marketing genius #1: present items at the beginning of the shopping trip that are cheap, perceivably useful, and so darn cute that sucker shoppers like me can't resist. Second, their home section has increased in quality and selection by 10-fold in the last couple of years. Knick knacks, wall art, clocks, kitchen appliances, gadgets, lamps, furniture...you name it, they've got it. Marketing genius #2: display kitchen necessities in the middle of all the household decorative items so as to draw in sucker shoppers like me. Third, the place is never crowded (with the exception of holiday shopping). I don't know if this is because the store is laid out so nicely or that I just shop at not-so-popular hours of the day, but I love going there and not having to worry about getting stuck in the middle of the aisle because there are people at either end debating which of the 500 varieties of shampoo to invest in. Marketing genius #3: encourage movement throughout the aisles - I have no idea how they do it, but it works.

4. Love Actually - The minute I saw this movie, I thought to myself, "if I ever make a list of my five favorite things, this will be on it." Okay, that might be a stretch, but this is definitely my most favorite movie of all time. I very rarely watch movies over and over again, but this is one that always calls out to me when I'm trying to think of a feel good movie to dive into with cozy pajamas and a bowl of popcorn. It brings out every single emotion I never knew I had. Every time I watch it, I get excited for what's coming next - even though I know exactly what it is. I can relate to almost every character and for those that I don't, I know that at some point in my life, I will. An added bonus: the soundtrack is amazing.

5. Google - How terribly, terribly cliche of me. But honestly, it would be a lie if I didn't include Google in my top five. I use it, on average, about 50 gazillion times a day and it always ... ALWAYS gets me what I want. Whether it be lyrics to a song, a cheesy image to use in my ever-so-popular blog (ha), directions to "that one place on that one street", or insight as to exactly how old John McCain's wife really is, Google is there for me, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I remember when I first started tossing the phrase "just Google it" around my workplace and people thought I was crazy. Boy, did I prove them wrong. I totally credit Google for much of my success at work - getting me to the websites and forums I need to answer my questions about InDesign, answering stupid adult questions that I'm too embarrassed to ask (get your mind out of the gutter) and helping me find the resources I need to do the work that my boss thinks I can do. I rarely say "no" anymore because I know Google will help me find the ways. I would be totally lost without it, which is humiliating to admit - but it's true and that's all there is to it.

So there you have it - 5 things that I can't live without. Okay, so perhaps I could do without some of them, but I'm fully convinced that if I couldn't sit in front of my computer and Google my name in various forms with an ice-cold Diet Pepsi in my hand, my life would never be the same.

2 dozen years old

I turned 24 on Sunday. While I fully expected to be depressed and worried that my life is nowhere near where I wanted it to be, things were almost entirely opposite of that. Maybe I was just distracted and didn't have time to think about it or perhaps I just convinced myself that I was taking crazy pills. Whatever the case, two days into my 24th year, I feel pretty content.

So yes, my birthday - in less than complete sentences:

• Friday - dinner at Moon Time, fishing on Fernan, smelly stink bait, fish being stubborn and s'mores over the fire.
• Saturday - Silver Mountain Water Park! Lazy River, killer water slides, drinking in the hot tub, attempting to surf, exposed cracks and $1.00 sodas at McDonald's. Dinner at Bardenay Coeur d'Alene, lousy service but good food, team ROCKIN' vs. team undecided, Burn After Reading - Brad Pitt being fantastic, wishing he was a trainer at my gym.
  
• Sunday - breakfast with the clan at Rustler's Roost, Hunter sharing his toys with the restaurant, the largest cinnamon roll known to man. Taking Jersey to the lake, enjoying the beautiful weather while it lasts, reading in the sunshine. Dinner from Tomato Street, opening presents time!! Beautiful orchids, bright pink colored wrapping paper, and a Wii! Added bonus: Wii Fit. In Heaven. Totally spoiled. Staying up way too late playing Wii.
• Monday - family birthday bbq, tolerating obnoxious family members, yummy burgers, mom being crazy, taking toe pictures, singing happy birthday, fudge cake and apple pie, lots of hugs. Returning home for Fantasy Football - Kelsey beating me by the hair on her chinny chin chin.

Back to normal life. Boo.

Neighbors

So we have these neighbors that aren't awful, per say, but incredibly awkward. It was pretty clear that they were that way when Grant introduced himself when they first moved in and the lady's response was "oh." Not a great first impression. And her daughter is so poorly neglected that she roams the neighborhood begging for people to pay attention to her. It's really, really sad. One day when we came home, she had a pet degu that she was dragging around in a bucket. A few days later we noticed a tiny little grave in the backyard and haven't seen the degu since.

I'm not entirely sure what the family situation is over there but the mom has this boyfriend that is just...eeew. Every time he drives up, he is blaring some sort of cheesy 90's love song with his windows down. It's like his mating call for her. Without fail, she meets him at his car door and they make out in the driveway, sometimes when he is still in his car. It's totally awkward when we pull in our driveway or open the side door and BAM! There they are, playing tonsil hockey across the fence. It's really not attractive to watch the two go at it. Her poor daughter just watches and occasionally screams, "mom!!" I think it's to help her to remember to come up for air.

I guess it could be worse. They could be drug dealers or thieves. Luckily those neighbors are a few doors further away.

Breathe.

I officially have 7 minutes before my weekend starts and even though this week was short because of Labor Day, I'm ready for a break. Last weekend we had a very busy time in Boise and it will be nice to stay at home and relax for a couple days before heading into another crazy week.

This week I was offered a new position at work. Starting Monday, I will be the new Arts and Culture Alliance Manager. It's going to be a lot of fun - getting to organize events year round that support the arts in our fine community. I'll get to meet a lot of new people in our area and be involved in a really fun, positive environment. The only catch: I still have to do my current job.

That's right...I will be Communications Director and the Arts and Culture Alliance Manager. I'm hoping they can condense that title into something that rolls off the tongue easier, but I'm not sure it's possible. I do, however, get to hire an assistant to help me with all the things that are guaranteed to start piling up come Monday morning. I think that office in the corner is starting to look a bit more desirable. We'll see how that works.

Thinking about everything that I'm going to be responsible for kind of makes my head spin in circles like that creepy girl in The Exorcist. I think I can handle it as I've always been one to face a challenge and at least give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, I feel confident enough to walk into my boss' office and say, "hey, this ain't workin'." That's a huge step up from where I was 2 years ago (almost) and makes me realize how much more to work there is than what college prepares you for. Go figure.

So, it's 5:02...time for me to take a deep breath, hold on to my socks and put myself to the test. Right after I enjoy my lazy, lazy weekend. :)

Living the frugal life

Growing up is hard to do. Responsibility sucks. Yada, yada, yada.

Being an adult and experiencing the pleasures of paying bills, cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, and balancing the checkbook sometimes makes me want to pull my hair out. I have a decent job with good pay, but I still feel the sting when the numbers on the gas pump creep up past that $40 range. With America whining about rising prices all across the board, I've forced myself to take a step back and challenge myself to save more and spend less. Hence, the following:

1. Stop buying clothes. Now, I'm not thinking about joining a nudist colony or anything, but I have been known to get a little too excited on payday and run to Target to browse their newest clothing line. Grant always gets so frustrated when I do this because, let's be honest, the quality of Target clothes has taken a large step down in the past 5 years. While their t-shirts may only be $6.99, they last just barely long enough to make it through the season. I'll allow myself to buy new clothes only when "needed", and even then, only what I need to get by. Even on a budget, I still have to look like a professional at work.
   
   
2. Analyze the basket before making it to the checkstand. This is one of my more successful efforts. First off, I like to use a hand basket whenever possible. If I grab a cart, chances are I'll fill it, and my credit card screams that much louder when I swipe it through. Second, once I've complete my rounds through the store, I stop for a minute and make sure that everything in my basket is justifiable. If the hot pink nail polish or the funky kitchen gadget doesn't make the cut, I'll survive.
   
   
3. Costco, Costco, Costco. I'm sure most people already understand the power of this wholesale giant, but when you're trying to save a penny here and there, Costco is like the Superhero of my bank account. The key here is, while you might pay more NOW, you're saving quite a bit by only having to do the shopping every couple of months instead of weeks. And those coupon books that they send out help you save that much more.
   
   
4. Eat at home. I love eating out. It's something that my family does a lot since it seems like we're always running from place to place. Once I started living on my own, I realized just how expensive it is to pay someone to cook, serve, and clean up after you. While grocery prices are going up just as much as gas prices, I still try to get creative with whatever I have sitting in my cabinets. Grant and I fully enjoy cooking meals together, so it's kind of a win-win situation.
   
   
5. Entertainment at home. There are lots of things that you can do at home for entertainment. Watch a movie on TV, play Blackjack with candy, put a piece of tape on your dog's back and watch her squirm. Okay, so that last one might not be very humane, but you get the point. Movies now cost almost $20 for two people just to watch. Add popcorn, drinks and candy and you're looking at double that. Grant and I bought a Nerf football at the beginning of summer and you'd be amazed at how long we can keep ourselves entertained...while getting a little exercise at the same time.

Okay, so a lot of this is common sense, but when I write it down, I feel much better knowing that I have enough sense to realize that there are easy ways to live the frugal life and not have to starve or bore yourself to death.

On the flip side, there are some things that I still can't get myself to skimp on:

1. Haircuts. Supercuts has ruined my hair more than once and I fully intend on spending the $25 or so every few months to make sure that my hair is styled uniformly.
   
   
2. Toilet paper. Cardboard is not acceptable for the job that toilet paper is built for. Hence, expensive toilet paper.
   
   
3. Cable/Internet. Yes, I am a twenty-something college graduate whose life would surely end if I could not watch Michael Phelps do the breast stroke on cable TV and then go online to read about it.
   
   
4. "Wellness" appointments. I like having white, straight teeth, eyes that can see and a body that doesn't keel over and die before I'm ready to go. Therefore, I am totally okay with paying doctors to tell me that everything is A-OK.
   
   
5. Having a life. I worked hard in college to have a job that would support me enough so that I didn't feel like I had to go to the food bank in order to survive. Being responsible with your money is important. Having a life is also important. If we decide to waste money on a romantic dinner that we don't have to cook, watch a movie on a screen bigger than the one in our living room and buy popcorn that wasn't made in our microwave....well, then, by golly we just might do that every once in a while. It may cost us a pretty penny, but there's nothing wrong with spoiling yourself on occasion and enjoying the heck out of it.

Dinosaurs and the creepy neighbor

Every once in a while, I have dreams that wake me up and I have a hard time making myself realize that it was, in fact, a dream. Last night, I had the craziest, longest, most vivid dream I've had since I was probably 6 years old and I dreamed that my school was on fire.

Last night, the world was invaded by dinosaurs. Laugh if you will, but it was incredibly real. What I first remember was me watching the news and the anchor was signing off with "God be with us." Then the floor started to rumble and I ran outside and this giant dinosaur foot came crashing down in our front lawn. It wasn't until then that Grant and I decided to pack up some things and start driving the heck out of there. I started packing a box of food and put two things in there: graham crackers and vodka. Good thinking, Raechelle. I grabbed Jersey and her ball, and the three of us crammed in my car heading for the freeway (not until after Grant was able to water the garden). As we pulled out of the driveway, I screamed, "Oh, s***, I forgot the peanuts!"

There are several things about that scenario that don't really make sense, but that's the glory of having dreams. I would love for someone to analyze that right there and tell me what it really means. The dream actually continued the entire night, despite me waking up repeatedly and checking outside to make sure the lawn was still in tact. They were all very similar, me screaming, Jersey shredding her rope, and Grant texting me that everything was going to be okay.

My last dream, and the one that woke me up for good this morning, had no mention of a dinosaur, but involved my creepy neighbor coming over and yelling at me. I can't remember what he was yelling about, but I remember after he yelled, I packed a box of old kids' clothes and put them on his doorstep, rang the doorbell and ran. It may have made more sense if I had left the box of graham crackers and vodka. Then again, maybe not.

Now, I'll be totally freaked out if Jurassic Park is on TV tonight.

The Planning Committee

As the summer draws closer to an end and life gets drastically less hectic, I decided to take some time for myself and planned a few trips to round out a busy season. Grant and I will be traveling to Boise on Labor Day weekend to visit his family and friends. I'm excited since road trips are generally a great time, especially when you're with someone who can make even the dullest situation seem like the county fair.

In September, we are going to spend a weekend up at Silver Mountain and try out their new water park that you can only enjoy if you spend the money to stay there overnight. While I don't particularly understand that marketing strategy, I think it will be a great time. Added Bonus: the temperature is guaranteed to be 82 degrees which is nothing to complain about.

After meeting with my planning committee (me, myself and I), we decided that I deserved a little time away from this beautiful state that often gets confused with Iowa or Ohio. So I booked a flight to Southern California in October. I'll get to see my wonderfully fantastic cousin as well as the girls that I lived with in Italy, so I'm preparing for an utterly wild and wacky time.

I found out today that, after all of this, I still have 3 whole days of comp time that I can do whatever I please with. I'm contemplating on what to do with those days, but I'm guessing that they'll probably get used during the holidays when I wake up after a long Christmas Day and decide that working on December 26th is just not in my agenda.

So I guess that I've decided that having a full time job is really not as horrible as some people make it out to be. I mean, yes, waking up every Monday morning and realizing that the weekend has come and gone isn't easy. But when I get to go on vacation and not have to forfeit some of my salary to do it, I'm a pretty happy camper. Now if I could just convince them that I deserve the empty office in the corner...

On a totally unrelated subject, we watched the Coeur d'Alene Triathlon last Saturday and took lots of pictures that, not surprisingly, look very similar to my pictures from Ironman. After going through all of them, my favorite picture turned out to be one that had nothing to do with the race.

I was sitting by the wall at the Cd'A Beach, hiding from the giant raindrops, and I looked over and saw all these feet hanging above my head. I snapped the picture and didn't think anything of it, but when I pulled it up on my computer I was totally impressed with it. I'm expecting a phone call from National Geographic anytime now. Ha.

Kind words from a stranger

It's always nice to hear a compliment. Even better when it comes from someone you've never met at a time when it's most unexpected. My boss forwarded this email to me yesterday:

"Wanted to pass along some kind words about Raechelle Clark. I first emailed Raechelle in May or June of last year, since I was looking for a B&B recommendation for my wife's birthday. She replied back within hours... On Monday of this week, I emailed Raechelle again for another recommendation...Raechelle was willing to help once again, even though she said she's in a different position. As I said in my last message to her, I know she'll do well since her Customer Service skills are excellent. I've been in CS for years, the last time with HP and at this point, I know what good CS is and what it isn't.

She is a definite asset to your organization, which I'm sure you already know and obviously likes what she does. It has been an absolute pleasure dealing with her these past two years and I hope that you will recognize her in some special way, since to quote one of our favorite Tina Turner songs, 'She's simply the best!'."

Wow. What a nice letter from someone who I will probably never meet. It feels good to know that I impressed him enough to have him take the time to quote Tina Turner. I'm just going to go ahead and give myself a little pat on the back. And then maybe go home and eat ice cream - afterall, that's what my mom used to do when I got straight A's. This is kind of the same.

Be grateful

Take a minute today and think of everything that you wish you could change about your life. A better job, a boyfriend, get rid of the clunker in your driveway, take a vacation, hope that you won't be bothered by an irritating family member, be skinnier, taller, have curly hair. Take all of that...think it through, and then spend a good 15 minutes and read the article below. Have a box of kleenex nearby. You'll need a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, and a pair of arms to wrap around you when you're done.

The Article.

Now think of everything important in your life that you would be lost without. Your parents. Grandparents. Legal guardian. Caretaker. Whoever it is, thank them for loving you from the moment you were born. And count your lucky starts that this article wasn't written about you. It's scary to think that there are probably other children suffering just the same who won't ever be saved.

Sorry for the downer today, but I think too many people take life for granted. I know I do.

Just say it

Last night, I realized that I'm an adult.

Life is hard. It takes work to keep people happy and even more work to keep yourself happy. My whole life, I've had a ridiculously hard time at putting my happiness first. I want everyone to like me, who doesn't? But after trying that for so long, I realized that as long as I have a few people who love me and some others who like me a lot, I will be just fine. I realized that I need to fix the things that are keeping me from being happy.

After being a stressed out bundle of nerves for the past week or so, I sat myself down, closed my eyes and decided to do the mature thing and talk it out. Too many times have I let little things wear me down and not said a word. Last night, I decided that I couldn't let my lack of communication drag down one more relationship...especially one that I fully intend on keeping for a long, long time. So, I took a deep breath, became an adult and started the conversation.

"Things need to change."
"Okay, how can we do that?"

Perfect answer. I love you.

Right then and there, I knew that the twenty-something college girl was waving goodbye as my older, more mature self introduced herself into the world. She is very excited to be here.

R.I.P. Raffie

My cat, Raffie, died over the weekend. She was about 20 years old, so she lived a great life and stayed with us even though she despised every other animal we've ever owned. She had three favorite spots at my parent's house...one in the garage next to the door so she could greet everyone when they came in or out, another in the window above my mom's flower garden, and another under the back deck in the shade. When no one had seen her for a few days, my mom went searching and found her peacefully curled up under the deck. It seems as though she picked her spot, took a nap and never woke up. If I had to choose any way for her to go, that would surely be it.

So my dad buried her next to Macie, our dog that died in May last year. They have a nice little spot by the pond, in the shade, where we can easily visit. I just hope they can get along next to each other...luckily, I think Macie was Raffie's favorite of all the pets we've had.

R.I.P. Raffie, you will be missed.

In a funk...

This has been a rough week for me. Nothing spectacularly awful, but my mood has been down a bit. I realized that 24 is just around the corner for me and I am (eeeek!) nearing my mid-twenties. And while the rest of the world views this as "you're still so young!", I am wondering if I really am where I should be. 5 years ago, I would have seen myself in a much different place than I am right now. Don't get me wrong, there are many things that I am happy about, but I'm trying to figure out how to change the things that I'm not thrilled with. Not so easy when you can't exactly identify what those things are. But hey, I made one heck of an ice cream cake last night and am fully prepared to devour it this fine evening. That should give me a boost.

The running has been very nice, since that is a very good way for me to stop my mind from racing around all these quandaries about life. Grant and I are waking up early and running around our neighborhood for 20-30 minutes before work. Our goal was 3 days a week and I've already done 4 this week, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. About three weeks into this venture and I can already feel a difference.

Also, I get to spend the day at Silverwood tomorrow for free, which is pretty dang sweet. Maybe my mood will change after being thrown upside-down and all around.

Doesn't Get Much Better...

Weekends are usually a great time. Any day that I don't have to work is a good one. This weekend, however, was tremendous. Nothing hugely spectacular that made it better, just an all around, great relaxing time. Starting Friday...

We took a short trip to Fred Meyer where I bought new flowers to replace the ones that I murdered in early Spring when I prematurely planted them in late May, not realizing that Mother Nature still had some snow built up from winter that she needed to get rid of. Oh, that and apparently you have to water them on a semi-regular basis, or so Grant says. I suppose I can try that method with these ones, although I have a habit of not remembering to do little things like that. It's a wonder I remember to feed my dog, although I have to admit that she has gotten good at making sure I know when she is famished. Back to the weekend recap...after some amazing shishkabobs from the grill, we took Jersey to our little spot on the lake for some much needed energy release. And that she did - she swam her little heart out and really didn't want to stop except that the sun went down and she couldn't see the ball in the water anymore so she just started swimming in circles. She didn't show an ounce of exhaustion until we got back to the car and instead of hanging her head out the window, she just collapsed on her towel and fell fast asleep. Grant entertained himself by building his "path to hope", which is a path about 3 feet long that extends into the water so people can walk on water...or whatever.



On Saturday, I had to check people in to the Osprey Cruise that I had organized for work. I was supposed to be there at 8am, so you can imagine the panic attack that I had when I woke up at 7:35am, realizing my alarm had not gone off. After the world's quickest makeover, I managed to make it down to the docks by 8:06am not looking too shabby considering the circumstances. The cruise was nice - beautiful weather - and I got 4 hours of comp time at work for checking people in and enjoying a nice cruise on the lake for a couple hours on a Saturday. Grant met me afterwards at Michael D's, where we enjoyed probably the best breakfast you can get in Coeur d'Alene. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the sunshine at the beach, which really puts me in a good mood no matter what. We took Jersey back to the lake that night for more swimming and we were surprised to see that the "Path to Hope" had been added to! While it wasn't exactly the same design that Grant started, at least someone else saw his vision and contributed. By the end of the night, his path was near complete and when we stood back to examine the masterpiece, we noticed it had an eerie resemblance to a body part that he swears was not intended. I just nodded my head and said, "okay, dear."

Since we didn't really have a Spring this year, our cleaning fever hit us Sunday morning. We got up and did all sorts of gross cleaning tasks that rarely get thought about, including dusting the blinds, picking up pine needles and spraying the pollen off of everything outside. To reward ourselves, we decided to spend the afternoon back in the sun and fell asleep with our feet in the water. After dinner, we went and saw Wall-E, which is the best Disney film I have seen since Finding Nemo. Definitely a must-see in the theaters for kids and adults...I actually think adults might enjoy it more based on it's plot and adult-sized humor. Topped the evening off with "The Next Food Network Star" and off to bed after a full, fun weekend.

This morning started Grant's and my quest to become more active and get into better shape. We got up at 5:45am and ran, which I have to say was a very different way to wake up than normal. It felt amazing and I really enjoyed getting up early, having time to make some coffee and take my time getting ready for work. And hey, I was even a couple minutes early to work, which rarely happens on a Monday (or ever). We hope to continue this at least 3 times a week, considering that most weeks I have to be somewhere for work at 7am twice a week. Hopefully our run sessions will go longer as we keep going, but I'm proud of us for attempting to get our butts into better shape. I do have to say that, compared to 2 years ago, my bathing suit fits about a million times better and I've worked incredibly hard to get it that way. I fully intend on trying to keep it fitting so well. It would be much easier if I didn't love and crave every junk food known to man, but I guess that's just who I am and I'll have to work twice as hard to look decent in a bathing suit. It's totally worth it, I hope.

Monday hates me.

In a nutshell, today sucked.

I could go on and list the reasons, but I'll restrain myself and just summarize by saying it sucked. Thank God I have people in my life who will listen and a dog who stares at me like she's listening when I know she's really thinking, "get the food, get the food, get the food." To add to the equation, the Inland Northwest is hotter than a sweaty mule in a wool sock. To think that three weeks ago it was snowing in the mountains is just a ridiculous thought.

On the upside of life, I got a promotion last week. My title is now Communications Director and my salary got a hefty bump up from near-poverty to doing-pretty-well-for-almost-fresh-out-of-college. It's nice to see that they appreciate me working hard, even when the job isn't the most exciting at times. I just feel bad for some who probably deserve a raise just as much as me and probably won't see it anytime soon.

This weekend was adventurous and fun and made Monday that much harder to prepare for. Grant and I went golfing Friday night and on Saturday, I finally got to sleep in for the first time in what feels like forever, to sound utterly cliche. Saturday afternoon I got to watch Hannah compete in AJM (America's Junior Miss) and she did an incredible job. Congrats to her for winning a national talent award and for being naturally awesome. Sunday we woke up early to bid my parents farewell on their European vacation and then spent the day swimming, playing frisbee and trying the fishing thing again with no success. Guess there will be other days, more mosquito bites, and hopefully a fish or two that we can say we once caught.

Thank goodness it's almost Tuesday and here's to hoping that it's much better than this sucky monday.

Reason #163 that I Love Coeur d'Alene

Two words: Garage Sales.

You really cannot beat a Saturday morning in Coeur d'Alene going garage sale shopping. Well, sleeping in might be an alternative, but for an avid shopper like myself, garage sales are the perfect way to start the weekend. Here is a list of my recent finds:

• Boat Tube - $5
• Pyrex serving dishes (2) - $6
• 2 lb. hand weights - $1
• Picture Frame - $.50
• Giant dog water bowl - $.25
• 8 Kenny G CD's - $.50
• Stuffed animal for Jersey to destroy - $.25
• Lamp - $4

$17.50 later, I am a very happy camper with my new finds. Jersey is thrilled with her new water dish and stuffed rooster and Grant is content with the morning after a delicious donut at The Donut House in Hayden. Not too shabby for a few early morning hours of junk shopping.

On the flip side of doing garage sale shopping is the joy of having a garage sale of your very own. I had one over Memorial Day weekend and let me tell you, if you're a people watcher like me, have a garage sale. It's totally worth it to dig through your storage, dust off your junk and clutter your lawn with the remnants of your past. I guarantee that you will thoroughly enjoy the kinds of people who come out of the woods to catch a great deal or two. Garage sales also bring out the WORLD'S WORST DRIVERS. Drive ridiculously slow, slam on the brakes, and park in the middle of the road because that is clearly the best parking spot.

Reason #1 why I hate Coeur d'Alene - BAD DRIVERS.

Reason #2 why I hate Coeur d'Alene - The winter of 2008 that still has not ended. A few degrees cooler today and it would be snowing. In June.

Responsibility

It really angers me to see grown adults who can't muster an ounce of responsibility. Sometimes life hands you a pile of bad luck and it sucks. Life goes on. But sometimes, that bad luck is brought on by you and you alone. Blame the government, the weather, your landlord, the bad driver in front of you or the fast food worker who forgot your fries. Blame whoever you want, but chances are, if you're placing the blame elsewhere, you have nowhere to look but in the mirror.

I have a few words to say to someone, but since I have little or no guts to actually tell them these things, here goes:

1) Go to work. Your job might work out better for you if you showed up.
2) Don't quit your current job, insult your boss and expect him to hire you back.
3) Quit letting your girlfriend pay for your life. It's rude, disgusting, and sad that she lets you do that to her.
4) Stop buying (or making your girlfriend buy) frivolous things. You can only do this when you have a job that you actually show up for.
5) Stop thinking that drinking makes you cool. It does not. Many people agree with this and have discussed it in length with me. The smoking isn't winning us over either.
6) Stop going on vacation when you owe people money.
7) Call your daughter. Send her a note at school. Make a gesture of any kind.

I'm sorry if this insults you. That's not the purpose. There are many good qualities about you, but they really get overshadowed when you act like points 1 - 7 above. So stop it. I hate being mean. It's just really hard to see someone that you love going downhill so fast.

The Best Intentions...

I should never give advice. EVER. Because of my advice, someone is having a terrible, horrible, no-good, awfully bad day and it's mostly because of me. That makes me a total jerkface for suggesting what I thought was a good, mature way of handling the situation. Clearly, I was wrong and I deserve a slap on the wrist and a strip of ducktape to keep my mouth shut next time. So, for all parties involved...I'm so very sorry. If I have to travel 2,400 miles to mediate some sort of reconciliation, I will. Just say the word.

So while I'm trying not to feel like a total ass for this mishap, I am enjoying what could be the most delicious cranberry orange scone I've ever had. One that I certainly do not deserve. Maybe I'll package some up and send them as part of the remediation.

On to brighter things...Darcy's wedding on Friday was beautiful and I'm convinced that she and Adam are the happiest looking couple I've seen in long time. They are both very very lucky to have each other and I wish them all the happiness in the world...

Yesterday I actually got a sunburn..yes a SUNburn! Which means that the sun was out for the first time since like last October. While it's a bit sore now, I'll be super happy when it turns into a golden tan...but next time I have been instructed to wear sunscreen because Grant says he doesn't want to be married to a lobster. Two words to notice there: LOBSTER and MARRIED.

=)

Broken.

In the past few weeks, more things have broken than I can remember ever being broken in my life.

1. My car
2. Cute brown shelf in the bathroom
3. Bracelet
4. Shelf in the shed
5. Grant's car
6. Vacuum cleaner #1
7. Couch (much attributed to a certain dog)
8. My nails...all of them
9. Vacuum cleaner #2
10. Towel bar
11. Door to the shed
12. Toilet handle (don't ask me how...)

Such a random assortment of breakage. It gets frustrating when it's all at once though. Fortunately, for the most part, we were able to fix and/or replace some of the items, although the toilet handle still boggles my mind. Not sure if I can go to Home Depot and ask for a toilet handle without being totally humiliated. Do they even sell toilet handles all by themselves? Maybe I should hit up my landlord for a spiffy new toilet that has a cushion seat and shoots water where the sun don't shine. Nah. That's way too European for me.

On the flip side...my really good friend is getting married today! Congratulations to Darcy and Adam. I always knew that Darcy would be a part of some horribly romantic love story one day, and sure as shoot I was right. I'm very excited to see her and her husband tonight...weddings are always so much fun. I'll be there...someday.

I do have to give a little shout out to Mother Nature for FINALLY getting off her streak of PMS and blessing us with some SUN! I made a deal with myself that if it snowed on May Day, I would officially be selling my belongings and moving somewhere that has sun - and lots of it. But, alas, she made me proud and the temperature actually broke 50 for most of the day! Certainly no cause for breaking out the bathing suit and blinding the neighborhood with my bright white skin - but it definitely makes me hopeful that Idaho isn't morphing into the North Pole. While I was a little miffed that I had to scrape ice off my car this morning, it turned out to be a beautiful day again so I'm not complaining. We're on a roll, Coeur d'Alene!

It's a Beautiful Day...

Finally, the sun came out this Monday morning and decided to give us a much-needed break from the cold. Unfortunately, Krem.com states that our sunny days are over for awhile. I intend on fully enjoying the sunshine while it lasts.

This weekend was really quite nice. The weather was decent, my list of things to do was significantly smaller than last week's and Jersey appreciated some much-needed "her" time. Probably my favorite part of the weekend was cooking some new dishes for me and Grant. On the menu were:

• Pesto and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken
• Beef and Spaghetti Macaroni (we used Penne and it looked much better than this picture)
• Taco Salads (no recipe needed...just naturally delicious)
• Oreo Cookie Cheesecake

The cheesecake has lasted us through the entire weekend and I'm pretty sure it ranks at the top of my dessert list. Thanks AllRecipes!

Jersey very much enjoyed the weekend since she got to go swimming twice! At first, I was worried that the long winter gave her brain damage because it seemed that she forgot how to swim. I threw her ball, thinking she would fetch it like normal, but instead she looked at me like, "why would you do that?" and barked at the ball, eagerly requesting it come back to shore. After a few minutes of watching the ball slowly float further and further away and me deciding whether hypothermia was worth a $2.99 floating ChuckIt! ball or not, she finally grew a pair and went all in...a perfect 10 bellyflop. After that, her body totally went into swim mode, despite the fact that the water was probably about 35 degrees. After about half an hour, her body was shivering uncontrollably and I decided to be a mom and take her home to get warm. On Sunday, we took her back to the lake and tried to get her to jump off a dock, with little success. She finally kind of fell in after going NUTS that we threw her ball in the water and realizing it wasn't coming back on its own. She later found a 7 foot stick/tree that she wanted us to throw and that pretty much pooped her out. She's been sleeping ever since...and I did check to make sure she was still breathing.

We went and saw Smart People on Saturday and I would definitely recommend it. Very enjoyable indeed and the free small popcorn was an added bonus! I was pretty surprised that we were the youngest two in the crowd and our fits of laughter often did not match those of the surrounding company. But I would definitely say that it's a movie I would feel mostly comfortable sitting through with my mom.

I'm seriously considering taking the rest of the day off and sitting in my front yard enjoying the sun....

Thanks, Mom and Dad

In 2007, studies showed that the divorce rate in the United States was the lowest it had been since the 1970's at a rate of 3.6 divorces for every 1,000 people. While that may seem like a good thing, when you put it into perspective, the meaning of marriage seems to be much less than it was 30 years ago. The number of unmarried parents has increased exponentially in the past decade. So when unmarried parents split, the effect is pretty much the same on the child as a divorce, regardless of the fact that there is no ring on the finger. That statistic is often left out of these studies.

Now, I don't mean to go all CNN on you, but the past few months have really proven to me how bad this problem is. In our group of Junior Miss girls, 9 out of the 16 participates came from divorced families. Because of this, we had to completely restructure the auditorium seating because "the divorced" couldn't handle sitting a few seats apart. We even had one dad say that he wouldn't attend if he had to sit in the same section as his ex. I felt like screaming, "grow the hell up!" For God's sake, it's a time that they should be so exceptionally proud of their daughter, and they can't get over the fact that things didn't work out. Granted, I don't know the whole story, but adults should be mature enough to last a few hours - 3 at most - in a dark auditorium where speaking is not required. But they still couldn't handle sitting 5 seats away.
A) Sad. B) Pathetic. C) Embarrassing. D) All of the above.

Then, today, I get a call from a mom who is crying over the phone because she wasn't told anything about the Junior Miss program and didn't even know her daughter was participating. Now, she wants me to inform her of anything that her daughter should be involved in from here on out.
A) Inappropriate. B) Awkward. C) Embarrassing. D) All of the above.

Why can't adults see how much their actions affect their kids? Some of the girls even talked about their parents' divorces in their interviews and you could just see how hard it was for them to not want to either stand up and scream or cry their eyes out. I commend them for having the courage to move on and be outstanding young women.

Divorce is becoming such a trend in today's society. I'm not saying that divorce is a horrible thing that no one should consider. I have family members who have divorced, friends from divorced families and I know some people that are in the middle of a divorce right now. Sometimes it's necessary. Sad, but true. I do, however, think that those who choose to take that path should consider who it's affecting and be mature enough to make sure that it doesn't jeopardize what relationships they do still have. Kudos to anyone who has achieved this.

On that note, thanks, Mom and Dad. Thanks for finding each other and making all the right choices to get to where you are right now. I honestly don't know what I would do if one of them came to me and said, "we're splitting up." Thankfully, I don't ever have to worry about that. They put up with each other's bad hair days, lack of fashion, smelly morning breath and horrible taste in movies because they love each other unconditionally. I am a very lucky girl to have them.

That's all for the love and stuff.

Zoom Zoom...

I got a new car. That's right. I made the commitment to be further in debt than I ever intended to be and I purchased myself a fine investment. It's exactly what I wanted and, although I loved my red Jetta, it's a pretty steep upgrade. And, hey, it runs! That is very important in my book! While I wish that this picture was me, driving along the coast somewhere, it at least shows you what my new little friend looks like. You'll notice that there is plenty more room for the Cow Dog. She loves it just as much as I do.

I've had several people ask if I'm doing okay these days and I'm having a hard time figuring out why this is. Sure, I'm still a bit exhausted from the past few weeks of scrambling to get Junior Miss over and done with, but mostly, I'm great. I'm sure as heck not a morning person and these 7:00 a.m. days wear on me a bit, but it's nothing a little shot of coffee can't heal. I hope I'm not putting off a vibe that's giving the wrong impression.

The weather forecast says it's supposed to snow tonight and/or tomorrow. If this is true, I'm seriously thinking of relocating. It's just not funny and horribly unfair. My sad little garden is frozen and it doesn't look like there's any sunshine in the forecast to fix it. So much for my first domestic project!

Down...

All you Carpenters fans out there will understand when I say, "rainy days and mondays always get me down". Well, today is Monday and it's most definitely a rainy one which has put me in a funk. There are probably several reasons for my bum mood, my car on the verge of dying, knowing that this week is going to be nuts-o, the fact that my house is an utter disaster and I have no time to clean it, or that I stayed up way too late last night and now I'm having a hard time staying awake at my desk. But, honestly, none of that seems to be bothering me right now. I'm just down and that's all there is to it.

Yesterday, however, was extremely productive. My mom and I drove to Spokane to get flowers for Junior Miss this weekend and got a screamin' deal. The guy there loved us and we walked out of there with 25 free roses. Afterwards, we ate lunch at Schlotzsky's and got free cookies! Man, we make a good team. We are convinced that it must be our radiating beauty.

Grant and I finally planted our garden yesterday afternoon. Hopefully, this fall, we should have some strawberries, basil, green onions, and enough garlic to make the entire state of Idaho un-dateable. I also planted some very colorful flowers so as to convince Mother Nature to keep the sun out but apparently she did not get that message. She always hated me.

I went in a cleaning frenzy last night right around the time that I really, really should have crawled up in bed and fell fast asleep. So I stayed up entirely too late cleaning but still feel like the house is in desperate need of a makeover. But it is at least a little bit better, enough that I don't want to pull my hair out when I open the door.

This week is guaranteed to be stressful, crazy, and full of caffeine and I can't wait. Saturday night is Junior Miss and for anyone who knows me, knows that I love doing this. Over four months of hard work will wrap up on Saturday and I can't wait to see the result. Plus, I get to wear my cute red dress that I bought forever ago and haven't had an occasion to wear. Man, I love being a girl.

Extreme Easter

I love my family. While we hold an uncanny resemblance to "The Griswolds" from the National Lampoon's Vacation series, there is never a Clark family gathering that ends without some sort of excitement. We may not have the best manners, funniest jokes, or your typical traditions, but we do have fun, and lots of it. Yesterday's Easter celebration was no exception.

Our lunch/dinner menu was one of the strangest I've ever seen. Chicken Fettuccine, Ham, Chicken Wings, jello salad, asparagus, BBQ Beans, cheese and broccoli rice, deviled eggs, jalapeño poppers (or something of the sort), finished with peach cobbler, rice krispy treats, and ice cream. It was like fancy Italian meal meets Summer BBQ meets Kids birthday meets Christmas. Strange spread..but mmm good.

My dad, of course, will never grow up and had to organize an Easter Egg Hunt that everyone could participate in. He had rules, maps, and weather gear lined up for everyone. The rules could not be broken, or else you were disqualified from the competition. No joke. The first round of the hunt featured "all those eligible for Medicare." I don't think they found the "humor" in that statement as we did. But, they managed to round up all 25 eggs holding spectacular prizes: candy and money.

Round two was organized for the "youngsters" ranging from my uncle who is 50 to me and Grant...so a good 27 year difference between the competitors. We also had 25 eggs to find, but our territory was much larger than the Medicare hunters. I swear on my life that my dad took it upon himself to use the Chuckit! toy and launch two dozen plastic Easter eggs into the forest. He even admitted to almost tossing one into the pond to see how we would get it. The competitive edge came out in all of us as we fearlessly scoured the mountain, checking under pine needles, looking under falling trees, and wandering into questionable terrain. Knowing my dad as well as we do, there were no limitations to where the eggs could have been hidden. About an hour later, I had a grand total of four eggs. Jersey helped me find one and Grant and I almost went swimming in the pond as we both eyed an egg at the edge of the water. Because of the torrential downpour that was not letting up,we gathered inside to track our progress. Our tally counted 22 eggs that had been collected, leaving three still missing somewhere in the wild. And since my dad couldn't even point us in the direction of those last three, we called it quits. I went home with $3, two tootsie rolls and a miniature Mr. Goodbar. Grant was totally shocked by this strange family event, but he went home with $4, enough for a couple Slurpees, so he was happy.

Thanks, family...for another tale worth telling.

Items my dog has consumed

1. Friends Season 6 case
2. Bowl of Seashells
3. Reef Sandal
4. Snow Patrol "Eyes Open" CD
5. MP3 player (thank God, not my iPod)
6. Acrylic Paint
7. Cell Phone ear buds
8. DVD Remote Control
9. Bird
10. Half of a couch cushion
11. Fudge from Cabela's
12. Package of Pita Bread
13. At least 3 pens
14. Her Dog Bed
15. Marketing Research Textbook
16. Plastic silverware
17. Bag of bagels
18. Christmas Ornaments

I love my dog dearly, but she very nearly makes me want to pull my hair out. Then she gives me that innocent look and I crumble. I'm totally doomed when I have kids.

Watch. Laugh. Repeat.

My wonderfully weird boyfriend and I were watching this video the other night and couldn't help but laugh our pretty little butts off. I only wish that I weren't 3 years old when it came out so that it wouldn't have taken me 20 years before I got to enjoy it. It's just....well...see for yourself.



Now if that didn't make you laugh, there is something terribly, terribly wrong with you.

Nil Gaeilge maith agam

What a splendid weekend! The weather wasn't too shabby for a mid-March weekend, especially for North Idaho. I did some much-needed sleeping in on Saturday, followed by our 3rd annual St. Patrick's Day Parade downtown. It only lasted about 20 minutes, but all the people wearing green just puts a giant smile on my face. A little miniature leprechaun even stopped by and gave me some fool's gold which I thought was a chocolate coin. Boy, was I wrong. I've never seen so many dogs in a parade in my life! Good thing I left my dog in the car, or else I'm pretty sure we would have ruined the parade all together. She doesn't do so well when she cannot wrestle strange dogs to the ground.

After the parade I got some things done around the house...fixed our vacuum cleaner (again), did the dishes and cleaned out my fish tank. That night, Grant and I were going to defend our glory at Thunder Extreme bowling, but all the emo kids got there too early and we were going to have to wait for an hour to get a lane. So we strolled downtown and took some cool night shots of downtown. Grant is an amazing photographer. I'll have to steal some of his pictures and share them...it was funny watching all the drunkies downtown acting like fools and realizing how good it feels to NOT be among them.

Sunday was another relaxing day with a nice hike of Tubbs Hill in the afternoon. Although we didn't anticipate the amount of snow and mud left, it was a great time and we got some more great pictures of Spring peeking out around town. Top the day off with a yummy pot roast and Ghostbusters II, and..well, that's just one good weekend if you ask me.

Bowling and Bullies

I'm always sad when the weekend is over...mostly because it means I have to spend the next 5 days waking up to my obnoxious alarm, dressing up, going to work, making dinner, cleaning, and going to bed early enough to have enough energy to start all over again the next day. When the weekend comes, it's so much more randomness and I never know exactly what's going to happen. Plus, I get to spend much more time with Grant, which is always a good thing.

Friday was Kelsey's birthday. Kelsey is my extra-special superhero friend who pretty much rocks around the clock. In honor of her day of birth, we went to Sunset Bowling and treated her to some amazing THUNDER bowling, which is just like normal bowling with neon lights, horrible music and emo teenagers. While we were waiting for our lane to open, Grant challenged me to embarrass myself with DDR. I, being the competitive freak that I am, accepted and we dueled for a good 5 minutes, him kicking my butt without question. Then this drunk guy came over and tried to mess up our game. Not cool. We tried the old-fashioned "reasoning with the drunk by treating him like a 5 year old" with no prevail. Finally, we stepped up the anger and tried physical force, which only led drunk-o to think that we wanted to step outside. If it was something much less embarrassing than DDR, maybe. But the adult hiding in me told me that fighting over DDR is pretty much the lamest thing ever and we walked away, leaving drunkie totally confused and wanting so much to be sober to figure out what just happened. But I was pissed because we had at least 3 more rounds left on the game and totally wasted our 50 cents. Lame. Must go back to finish this challenge.

Bowling was much happier, although there was this kid on the lane next to us that had a shirt that said, "cockbite." on it. At some point through the night, he went on to explain the difference between shaving your privates and using a vibrator. But whatever, if anything, it made for a hilarious conversation, especially when combined with a few pitchers of beer. My bowling skills were absolutely horrid, with my high score reaching about 60 if I remember correctly. Maybe I should stick to DDR.

The rest of the weekend was a combination of relaxing, watching TV, hanging out with Joe and Kelsey, shopping, and playing Harry Potter Scene It, which Kelsey kicked the pants off of all of us at. I told you she rocks around the clock.

But, alas. It's Monday. Back to routine. Perhaps I will return next weekend to defend my glory at Sunset. We shall see.

Fate?

I just got two Dove Promise messages in a row:

"Keep the promises you make to yourself."

Well I promised I would stop eating Dove chocolates. What the hell kind of marketing is that?

Too Much Information

In light of having to supervise my office while it's being used for a meeting, I thought I'd search the internet for some entertaining reading material. Bad Idea. I just read a story about a kid on a blind date which ended with his pants getting ripped off and him shooting diarrhea in the face of a guy who just punched him. While I have to say that explosive diarrhea may be the best possible retaliation to a good smack in the face, the story made my Wendy's Combo #1 churn a few times in my stomach.


On to some good news...ABC has episodes of My So-Called Life online! I hope that someone out there shares my love for the show...although for me, it has some "sentimental" value. You see, as a child, my mom was so darn overprotective that I wasn't allowed to watch anything that hinted at the idea of a kiss or *gasp* sex. Therefore, I was stuck watching re-runs of Full House which I thought was cool until my friends started discussing more mature matters than DJ wearing makeup to school. My first experience with My So-Called Life happened at my best friend's house and I'm pretty sure it was the moment I realized I knew NOTHING about life. But I was addicted. I needed to learn more. And while I can't say that I actually learned anything from the show since I didn't understand most of it, I enjoyed it and was horrified when they stopped filming. But worry no longer, my friends. I can now buy it on DVD and figure out what the heck was happening there.

Damn you, Wendy's, for giving me regular Pepsi when I ordered Diet. That's just a cruel thing to do.

Overshadowed

My Valentine's Day present this year rocked....literally. On Sunday, we headed over to Spokane for Joshua Radin, featuring Ingrid Michaelson. For those who haven't experienced Ingrid's music...do so, immediately. She is purely awesome. She also had an amazing singer open for her, Alexa Wilkenson. Check her out also.

The concert was great, despite the strange breed of people that always turn out for concerts at the Big Easy in Spokane. Ingrid Michaelson is probably one of the best entertainers I've ever seen...funny, talented and a great storyteller. I mean, she ended her show with a cover of the theme to Fresh Prince....you can't really top that.


It was kind of sad to see the place nearly clear out before Joshua Radin even took the stage. We stayed and I will admit that Joshua is extremely talented...but the chicks got him this time. He's not the best entertainer...very slow transitions between songs and virtually every intro started with, "so I had a pretty rough breakup about 6 months ago..." I feel bad for the guy, but tell a happy story, please! His music is great, but a bit redundant, and he ended the show so abruptly that it was awkward. He's got potential, but he definitely was overshadowed by the female vibe that night.

All in all, it was a great night...good food, good music, and an even better date. Any date that ends in a slurpee has to be good.

p.s. Sorry for the photo quality...these are the best I could do...

Simple Pleasures

The sun was shining yesterday so we decided to take Jersey out for some much needed exercise. We brought along her favorite sibling, Zuess, who definitely was excited to get away from the devil cat that has invaded his home. So we took Jersey to PetCo where we purchased her first Chuckit! toy. We graded her a C- for her behavior at PetCo. She just can't stay calm when there is a perfectly good puppy to wrestle! But, alas, with Chuckit! in hand, we picked up Zuess and headed to Cherry Hill where we fully intended on exhausting the dogs.

I must say, if I were a dog, that Chuckit! toy would be my most favorite thing ever. Even as a human, it ranks towards the top of my favorite things list. Since our dogs don't exactly have the best sight or smell, the Chuckit! certainly sent them in fits of bewilderment as it "chucked" the ball way farther than they expected. More than once, we actually had to find it for them, and they looked at us like, "how the heck did you throw it so far?" Pure awesomeness. Jersey definitely has a competitive streak in her, as every time Zuess got to the ball first, she threw a fit and proceeded to steal it right from his mouth. You'd think big brother would fight back, but since my parents cut his man-parts off, he's pretty much the biggest baby ever.

I beg you to click to view this picture at full-size. It is a laugh out loud moment.

Needless to say, our evil plan to knock the dogs out worked quite well. Jersey crawled up in a ball in the car and barely noticed when we drove through McDonald's and ordered her favorite meal. It was perfect since we were heading to Spokane for the night for the Ingrid Michaelson and Joshua Radin concert at the Big Easy. Sleepy dog = no chewing up Grant's art supplies. Phew.

When I get pictures from the concert uploaded, I shall report!

Dear Sk8er Boiz,

Do you remember yesterday when you approached my car and terrorized my dog? I certainly do. I saw you, skateboarding along Target's sidewalk and didn't really think twice about you. Average, punk looking kid...but, hey, I don't judge. I got out of my car, started walking to the door when I heard my dog barking, which is pretty rare since she rides with me often for a quick trip to the store. When I turned back to see what she was barking at, I realized it was YOU, banging on the window and "barking" at my dog. I only wish that she had the smarts to roll down the window and bite your nose off. Luckily for you, she is not the brightest bulb in the shed.

What kind of creature raised you to think that this is okay? Why couldn't you have just walked by and said, "hey, there's a dog"? Instead, you decided to turn into some sort of demon and act in a way that would make your mother disclaim you as her son. It's people like you that piss the world off. It's not the fact that you're a skateboarder...I honestly do not judge that quickly. But you piss the world off when you do idiotic things....like bark at a dog in a car.

Had there not been several people around to witness, I would have unleashed the terror. But I am the better person. That is quite obvious.

A piece of advice...go to school, ditch the skateboard when you graduate, attend a decent college, and grow up. We all do stupid things. You are especially handicapped in this way, which is okay. Some people aren't blessed with brains. I beg you though, to think carefully the next time you act like that. People are watching.

Dos Cosas

Two things that are bothering this morning:

1) People who go to the gym for attention.

I love my gym. Generally, the people there are very pleasant, hard-working souls like myself, just trying to justify that giant piece of chocolate cake they called dinner. As an additional bonus, my gym just got brand new equipment that has us all flabbergasted as to how it works. (Do I touch this button? ....NO. Definitely not.) All in all, it's a very motivational group to be around. Until Ms.IncrediBody walks through the door in her hot pink Puma track jacket, stretchy bottoms (that just barely meet the requirements for shorts) and hot pink running shoes. It's almost like a choreographed Broadway show when she walks through the door as the walking testosterone suddenly forget that they're even at the gym and the sweaty, "curvy" women like myself roll our eyes and push our ellipticals up a few levels. Even more obnoxious: when she walks for 5 minutes, lifts a weight and calls it good. I can only hope that underneath the fake tan and bleached-blonde hair that there is some legit reason for her paying $40 a month for something other than to confirm that "yes, I am attractive."

2) People who suck at email.

a) Do not write in ALL CAPS.
b) Do not "reply all" when "all" do not want to hear what you think about the sender.
c) Do not ask to unsubscribe from my emails, then find 3 more emails from the past that I sent you and become angry that they are still in your inbox. If you would like a better explanation, please let me know.

Cow Dog Comes Home!!!

So I'm happy to report that Jersey has made her way back, although it's safe to say that she actually never left. You see, my half-brained cow of a dog managed to lock herself in the shed yesterday morning, and her half-brained owner didn't think to check there before alerting the masses. A big thanks to all who spent hours driving around, pissing people off for driving so slow. I very much appreciate the hugs and positive thinking that I received from everyone....even though now I feel like a total ass for panicking oh-so-much.

Jersey is very much happy to be inside today, since she probably spent the majority of yesterday crammed in between folding chairs and my stash of summer clothes, stored in giant crates. She didn't potty all day and spent a good portion of her first few minutes of freedom relieving herself. What a good dog. Stuffed lobster was equally excited for her return.

I do have to say "wow" at the Kootenai County Animal Control lady (sorry I don't know your name). She is amazing. First of all, she called yesterday (from her cell phone) after I reported Jersey missing to ensure me that she would do some extreme searching and to offer some tips as I was on my own dog-hunt. After I found Jersey, I made sure to call animal control and cancel the missing dog report. Mrs. Animal Control then called me this morning to express how happy she was that my little friend was found and wanted to know the whole story. How sweet and so unexpected from animal control.

Our happy little family has been reunited. Cheers!