You Dirty Rat

A few months ago (I know I am behind) I did what I do everyday, walk up the little walkway to our front door. I usually take a look in my dad's garden, just out of habit, but when I looked this day I was greeted by something other than flowers.....

Meet our little friend...the mouse. Okay, I know the title said "You Dirty Rat" but it didn't sound quite right with "You Dirty Mouse". Anyway, I have no idea how I spotted this little guy. Here is a picture of my dad's garden, and this little mouse was hidden in the far back corner balled up against the wall....

When I went inside, I told my dad that we had a little mouse and he didn't believe me. So he went out there to make sure I was telling the truth. Well, of course this was the kind of event that would need documentation. So I ran inside and got the camera and came back out. Dad couldn't believe that I could see the little guy...but he was big, and I couldn't believe that Dad couldn't even see him....here are few more pictures.:

Okay, I really hope that PETA doesn't read my blog because my dad threw little pebbles at the mouse to get him out of the corner. Then he took a hose and sprayed the bushes to make sure that he out of the yard. But after thinking about it, the poor little mouse was probably hiding from all the cats that love to lay in Dad's yard....poor little guy.

The footage that you will see is hilarious...it is very rare that I can actually do something without a bad result. Hence the point of my blog. So, I now introduce to you all Incident No. 252....the first part of it was cut off a little bit...But let me set the scenario for you....after Dad is done hosing down the yard we go to the front door to go inside. When I turn the handle for the screen the handle wouldn't turn...I turn around and look at Dad and he just stared at me and said "No F*&^n' Way!! You locked the door?" In my defense, there was so much excitement with the mouse that I must have locked the screen door on my way out....it wasn't my fault! I had to get outside in time to get pictures for my blog!!! I did inform my Dad about that and his response was full of words not suitable for my blog....

Anyway, to get inside Dad had to climb the fence and go through a window...I will tell you what window in case anyone tries to break in...I placed the camera on the garbage can so that you will be able to see everything. P.S. the part of the video where I throw my arms down is when I get yelled at again and I tell him it isn't my fault....

Oh yeah....the part where I run away I went across the street to borrow a pair of flip-flops to use when he jumped off the fence. There are a lot of rocks back there. Then when I am not paying attention, what a surprise, my dad throws a flip-flop and almost hits me in the head!!!!

Elevators

This morning I got stuck in the elevator at work :( I got in just like any other morning, pressed the button for the third floor and when I got there, the doors started to open and then stopped. They opened just enough for you to put your fingers in between the doors.

I stood there for a moment to sort of assess the situation and to make sure I didn't panic. I pressed the door open button and nothing happened. I was about to call my work to tell them I was stuck and would be late, when I saw some men on the other side of the door trying to open it. The only problem was, there was so much noise we couldn't hear each other. I am not sure why it was so loud, but it was.

When they couldn't get the door open, I just started hitting all the buttons. I figured I would make every effort to get out on my own before I had to pick-up the red phone and make a call. I am not even sure who is on the other line? Firemen? Dang...maybe I should have called...j/k Teddy.

Anyway, after all the buttons were pushed the two men were able to push the door open. Funny thing is, they weren't even elevator repair men. They were there picking up someones recycle bin....

The funny thing is...this lasted all but 5 minutes. I sure felt like forever being trapped in an elevator. Well, this is how my day began....I wonder what else will happen.

Radishes

Eating radishes again today...boy are they spicy!!! Sorry Teddy, no kisses tonight.

Blisters

My cousin Lindsay and I started our first day of walking. We used to do this a few years ago, but stopped. And boy do I show it. Anyway, in an effort to get in a little more shape before my big day (10/24/09 for those of you who might have forgot) we started walking.

As I detailed in one my earlier posts, my dad got me a pair of MBT walking shoes. They are really good, and boy can I feel the burn when I wear them but I need different sock. I have the worst blisters on my heels and on my big toe!!! Have you ever heard of such a thing...anyway, I have another pair of socks that I am going to try tomorrow.

Hello My Nemesis

As many of you know, I have an issue with choking. I have decided that choking has become my nemesis. Dictionary.com defines nemesis as the following:

nem⋅e⋅sis  /ˈnɛməsɪs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [nem-uh-sis] Show IPA
Use nemesis in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ses  /-ˌsiz/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [-seez] Show IPA . 1. something that a person cannot conquer, achieve, etc.: The performance test proved to be my nemesis.
2. an opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
3. (initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. the goddess of divine retribution.
4. an agent or act of retribution or punishment.

I believe that each of those definitions describes my relationship with choking. Even though many of you are laughing or scratching your heads wondering how I can have a "relationship" with choking, it is real and it can happen to anyone.

For the past few years, I have had to make sure that I don't have anything edible (i.e. food or medication) in my mouth when I'm: walking, running, laughing, or talking. To be honest, I can't do anything other than sit there or there is a chance I will choke.

People always wonder why it takes me so long to eat, well I realized that I don't touch my food while I am talking because I will choke. I would rather be the last one eating so that I can have a conversation with someone without the anxiety of another "incident".

Which leads to me to the point of this entry, tonight, while telling my dad how the funeral went I had to take some vitamins. They are the size of horse pills and I have to cut them in half. I almost had a close call while trying to take them whole and I was by myself the other day, but I was able to cough it up and spit it out. While my dad is taking to me, I try to hurry up and take one of the halves, so I can respond to my dad. I should have taken my rushing as a sign, but before I knew it...disaster struck.

I started to gag, and I told my dad I was choking. He responded with "your fine, just breath and swallow." I was able to talk and swallow, but then it really did get stuck. I started to grab my neck and run towards my dad. He got behind me and tried give me the Heimlich. Mind you, he had to get in a big sigh of annoyance before doing so. He got behind my and gave a little squeeze. I was still gagging, started to cry and my face started to turn red. Before my dad could really do anything, the pill started to move down. Then I was fine. We both stood in the kitchen in silence just to make sure I was ok...

Alyssa always tells me I need to relax when I feel like I am choking, and if I wasn't sick I don't feel it would have been an issue. But I promise, this time it really did get stuck. Ask my brother, he really had to give me the Heimlich after I choked on a chicken finger after I got my braces on, so I do know what it feels like to really choke. That time I let it go so long my face started to turn colors.

I cut the remaining half of the pill in half, meaning I have to now cut them in fourths to make sure this "incident no. 200" doesn't happen again. :( Oh, to be a fly on the wall...but at least vegetables don't come out of my nose when I eat them...

Good Looks, Honesty, and Warnings

I want to start this entry off with a reminder that I drove my mom and my grandma to the funeral of my sister-in-law's grandmother....and I am sick. Or it's allergies, I can't quite tell.

Anyway, by the time we left the funeral it was around 8:30 at night. I was a little loopy because I was tired and it had been a long day. But for some reason, my Grandma was cracking me up. I don't know how often anyone really sits down and listens to what she says, but by golly, I finally figured out where I get my quirkiness from. SHE IS A HOOT!!! What initially set it off was, my Grandma was telling me and my mom where the reception for the funeral had been. She just kept saying it over and over again, when I finally asked her what the heck she was talking about, she replied with "I am telling you where the reception was," "I know Grandma, I was just there you don't need to tell me where it was at." "Stacey, I was saying it out loud so you could tell me if I was correct. Arlinda is going to ask me where I went tonight and I want to be sure to get it right." That was the first time I busted out laughing.

The second time was when we were on the freeway, and I was driving in the HOV lane. My grandma asked me what the lane next to the HOV lane was, and I told her it was the shoulder. She responded with "Okay, so that is where people go when they have car trouble..." Then she looked at the road in front of us and said the funniest thing....wait for it...."and this is what you drive on."

At that point, I couldn't hold it back and I was laughing so hard. Grandma, of course, didn't appreciate that and started to explain what she was saying. After her explanation, which was ok, I told her to think about how someone on the outside might have taken that. With that, we both laughed.

Then, that is when it happened....the flashing lights appeared out of nowhere and I look down at my speedometer. I pull over to the right and waited. Grandma only made one comment....in the beginning. When the officer came up he asked me if I knew the speed limit....I did (65 mph)....then he asked me if I knew how fast I was going....I did....."When I saw your lights come on, 80." That is when Grandma reacted...she didn't like hearing my speed. I could only respond with "I know Grandma."

When the officer walked away my mom, oh yeah she was in the car the whole time and didn't say a peep until, "I don't know why you told him the truth." I responded with, "I am going to get a ticket either way, so I figure, why not go down with a clean conscience...."

All the while I am hoping that he will give me a warning, but remembering that I only have luck on getting through on radio shows. The officer returned and did give me a warning!!! Can you believe it. He told me that I need to pay more attention and be careful. Then Grandma told him it was her fault, we were just coming back from a funeral and our minds were elsewhere. Plus it was her car and she should have been keeping an eye on me.

I leaned over and told the officer "You might have given me a warning, but I am going to hear it all the way home. And when my cousins find out, I met be better off getting a ticket :)" He thought it was really funny and even proceeded to tell Grandma that it is good to let her hair down and feel the need for speed. I wanted to make a comment that he just pulled me over for speeding, but I didn't want to risk it. I had already made two jokes with a good result, I didn't want to press three.

After we pulled away and continued our journey home...I told Grandma that I think the officer gave me a warning because he thought I was good looking. She responded by laughing really hard, and "No, I think it was because you were honest." If that isn't a hit below the belt....But my mom came back with, "No, I think it was how respectful you were to your Grandma and you apologized."

P.S. If you ever want to hear Grandma really bust a lung laughing, make a joke at how good looking you are....Apparently that is her weakness ;)

Radio Head

KMLE Country 108 is a local radio station here in Arizona, and they have a contest every Monday called "I had the best weekend!" Listeners call in and explain why they should win a certain prize by telling what they did over the weekend and why it was the best. Well, I took a chance on calling in and made it through!!! I explained to them that my family and I tried out for the "Family Feud." They were full of questions and they were very excited for us!!! Tim and Willy even asked me to keep them posted on whether we made it on the show!!!! How exciting!!!

P.S. I apparently have a knack on getting through on radio stations, hence, Cosmo Radio and now this!!!!

Dipolma

Adam came over to my house tonight with a little package.....my diploma!!!!! I need to get a formal frame from Phoenix College so I can bring my diploma to work. Then eventually I am going to get another copy of my diploma and hang it up next to Adam's in the condo.....

They Try To Make Me Go To Rehab.....

Each staff member has to come into my office to sign in every morning. Well, this morning I was in talking with my boss and I didn't get to see anyone come in. After my talk, I walked to the back to say hi to Courtney and Jacob....but when I turned the corner I didn't see Courtney, I saw Amy Winehouse!!!!!!!

SD

My sister and I are going to San Diego this weekend for a little r&r. I am sure there will be plenty of things to blog about when I get back as I am sure a few of you remember the last time I went to SD with my sister.....it was very eventful.

Bad Day

I am having a really bad day today...I haven't had a day like this in a long time...but all day I have been listening to Sirius Hits 1 and they have played "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas three times now and everytime I hear it all I think about is my cousin Stephanie doing the robot on Cousin Day. It puts a smile on my face everytime....thanks Stephanie.

Gatorade

I really love Gatorade but I feel that it gives me really bad heartburn....the worst heartburn in fact.

It's Official

As many of you know, I was lame and had to take my Humanities class over again. I took a Film and Literature course over the Summer. It was eight weeks long and I have to tell you it was so much fun. I wish I had taken this class the first time around.

The basis of the class was to describe the differences between two mediums (books, movies, plays, etc.) Our first assignment was to watch Jaws and pull out different things from the movie. Apparently I had never seen that movie from start to finish before, and I was biting my nails the whole time! Then we had to watch and read Stand by Me and Shawshank Redemption. I never new that Stephen King wrote both those books! They were classics and I enjoyed watching them. It was even more exciting because Adam had never seen Stand by Me.

Our last two assignments were the last four weeks of class. We had to pick a movie that came from another medium (book, play, novella, etc.) Our teacher was very strict that we could not choose a Nicholas Sparks book. He said that he could only take so much of A Walk to Remember and The Notebook. This was really funny to me, because Nicholas Sparks is my all time favorite author and I really wanted to write about The Notebook.

I put some thought into my selection and gave my teacher two choices: Twilight or Running with Scissors. I had a feeling that a lot of people would choose Twilight and I wanted to get a good grade, so that is why I gave him two choices.

Of course, my teacher chose the hardest one Running with Scissors. If you have never read the book or watched the movie you should. It is about a young boy who is forced to live with his mother's Therapist after she goes crazy. That it obviously a Reader's Digest version.

Anyway, my last assignment was due on 7/22. I just looked at my assignment and my teacher was very happy with my work. For each assignment he gave me great feedback, by telling me my first assignment was good but he needed to hear a little more of me in my answers. The second assignment was great, but he said I made some silly grammar mistakes. Oops.

I called the Admissions office at PC and they told me I should receive my diploma three weeks from the date my grade is posted. I am so excited to be officially done...or am I? I have been thinking seriously of getting my Bachelors degree in Human Resources or Business Administration....something like that. But that won't be for a few years :)

Thanks again for every one's support.

Karaoke

Since my last randevue at the Rodeo by my brother's house and the "incident" with Tino...I don't know if I will ever have an open mic opprotunity like I did that night....anyway, I have been researching songs to sing on my next trip out there....and I have found it.

I cannot wait for you all the hear it :) And you will never guess what it is. It isn't Hanson.

Sam's Club

Today I met Adam for lunch at Sam's Club. The lunches there are so cheap!!!! You can get two slices of pizza, a bag of chips, and a large drink for just $1.50!!!! And you don't need to be a member to go to the food court!!! Anyway, as we were standing in line, I was trying to decide what to eat. I had finally decided on a slice of pizza, when we walked up to order I hear the lady in front of me ask for a side of sour kraut for her polish hot dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?????????????????????? I never knew that you could ask for a side of sour kraut. That was honestly the best news that I have heard in a while, well besides my cousin Lindsay saying she got Cousin Day off of work. So I ordered a polish hot dog combo, added a little mustard to the phd and then added the kraut....it was amazing!!!!

That little piece of information, the sour kraut not Lindsay, has forever changed my ordering dilemma at Sam's Club. I think that I might even write a letter to Sam's Club saying thank you for that little miracle.

Table for 4

Today I was lucky to have lunch with my cousin Michelle and her two year old twins Molly and Nicholas. Because of our schedules, I haven't seen them since Christmas!!!! We met at Applebee's and had to request a booth so we can sit on either side of the twins. They like to walk around. At the beginning of lunch neither Molly or Nicholas would talk or look at me and sat with Michelle.

But a little into lunch they realized how cool I am and joined me on my side of the booth. First it was Molly and then Nicholas, and then both of them. Here is Nicholas chillin'...doesn't he look just like Carlos?????

Once Molly saw we were taking pictures she walked over to me and started to strike a pose....Can you see Nicholas poking his head around Molly to see what is going on?

It isn't official until you have a self-taken photo. I feel like I look like Cousin It from The Munsters. I always thought I had a big head, but you never really realize it until you see that it is bigger than a 2 year old....

Here is Molly coming to get the camera....

And then Nicholas followed....

The funniest part of lunch involved mustard. Yes, you heard right, mustard. I ordered a cheeseburger and requested a bottle of mustard. Well, Nicholas was really into mustard and kept wanting to have some of it put on his plate. When he was distracted, I grabbed the bottle and went to put in on the floor. Our waitress happened to be standing at the table behind us and asked me if I was steeling the mustard. Michelle and I just looked at each other and were like no, we are just putting it on the floor to keep it from the kids. Then the waitress laughed and said that she thought I was putting the bottle in the diaper bag that was under the table. We all laughed and I told her that I didn't even know it was there. She wasn't mad, and she kept laughing at us...Later on, we had the ketchup on the floor and I told the waitress that we were having a picnic this weekend, so we needed to stock up.

It was hilarious!!!!!! I really enjoyed having lunch with Michelle and the kids and I look forward to having many more :) The twins are so cute!!!!!

Name

Just a thought, how would Teddy feel if we named our first son Dunkin? Do you think that anyone would put the two and two together???? hmmmmm

One More Chance Dunkin

As everyone knows, I haven't the best relationship with Dunkin Donuts over the past year. Slowly but surely they are working up to my good graces, but each time I feel they just don't cut it. Well, tonight I am spending the night at my friend Clara's house to help out with her two kids and there is a DD right by her house. So tomorrow morning I plan to stop by DD and see if they can take one more step up the ladder to greatness. I will keep you all posted.

Plus, my friend Alo sent me and my sister an e-mail that DD is opening a new store on Chandler Blvd. Which is like 15 minutes away from my house. Sometimes, heaven is just 15 minutes away and covered with pink frosting...

Not Funny

Everyone always says that I am not funny and no one ever laughs at my jokes. For the past few months I thought I was getting a little better at it. But apparently not.....yesterday I sent out an e-mail titled "Why Back Women and White Women Cannot Communicate." I am not racist, I just thought it was funny. But no one else did, because I didn't receive a response from anyone.....

Incident 512

100th Blog

This is officially my 100th blog. It would have come sooner if I hadn't taken a few breaks, but it still came. I would like to take a moment to thank and mention the following:

1. Andy for being the first person to start a blog, which opened my eyes to a world I cannot live without;

2. Lindsay for reading my blog and wanting to start her own to document her worldly travels that I would have otherwise not seen;

3. And last but not least, all my wonderful and loyal BLOG STALKERS. I couldn't have done this without you. You are the best and I love you!!!!

Can you tell I have watched an award show lately?

First Time For Everything

Tonight Alyssa and I went to my brother Shawn's house for a little r&r. Alyssa had invited our other cousins, but Stephanie was the only one that was able to make it out. She had prior engagements so she didn't head out until later. While we were waiting, me my brother and my sister all went to dinner at this great Mexican restaurant. There aren't many restaurants in Gold Canyon, but of the few, this is the best.

Because it was so nice outside we sat on the patio underneath a tree with little white lights. It was really fun and beautiful. I must say that it was a lot of fun to hang out with my brother and my sister with no one else around. No offense to our spouses, but the three of us never get to hang out together. I really enjoyed it. Shawn, however, didn't enjoy Alyssa and I talk about our disabilities. But we had him laughing a few times.

Then, after dinner, we headed down the street to the Rodeo for some karaoke with Tino. This is a little bar attached to the Best Western hotel. We had so much fun!!!!!!! Alyssa sang "Eight Days A Week." During her song the microphone kept cutting in and out and when she finished she made a comment to me and Shawn that the cutting out wasn't her singing, it was the microphone. Then right after she said that Tino, the karaoke man, came up and said "What it is the problem?" Well, after that we figured out that Tino had a secret listening devise hooked up to our table and he could hear all the bad things we were saying about each other. Needless to say, it made it very hard for us to gossip about the groupies at the bar.

I warmed up by singing a little Cher, followed by The Pointer Sisters "Jump" which was a great hit. After my second song a man named Dave got on the mic and announced a singing contest. We aren't quite sure if the winner gets fifty one dollar bills, five one hundred dollars bills, or five hundred one dollar bills. Dave was very confusing.

While the girls were singing Shawn was starting up the dart competition. I won't divulge too much of the details of the games, but lets just say Alyssa and I beat Shawn and Stephanie 2-1. Even if Shawn says I got more turns, isn't the Brown motto "Winning is Winning."

The highlight of the night was Stephanie singing!!! This was her first time and I was excited to say that I was there to witness this. She did a great job!!!! She sang "Don't Stop Believing". People in the bar were clapping and dancing.

The low point of the night was when I sang a song that I had never found in any karaoke bar ever!!! I sang, Hanson Mmmmmbop. Yes, I know. Looking back I shouldn't have sang that song, but like I said it was a first time for everything. Someone actually came up and asked Tino to turn it off....It was really sad and a little embarrassing.

I am sorry that there aren't any pictures, but our photographer Lindsay was enjoying San Jose and wouldn't join us until Saturday.

In closing, I would like to say how much fun I had hanging out with Stephanie. I have never really hung out with just her before and I really enjoyed it!!!!

Graduation

Today I graduate with my Associates. It has taken me a really long time to get to this point and I know it isn't a Bachelors, but it still counts. I have worked very hard to get it. Between a full-time job, a part-time job on the weekends, confirmation classes for two years, and planning a wedding for the past two years I am just glad that it is over. I am even graduating with a 3.5 GPA, which I think is pretty good.

After the wedding I plan to join the National Association for Legal Secretaries (NALS). I can also take a test that will certify me for 5 years. I have to do a little more research on what exactly it does, because with my Associates I am already a Certified Legal Secretary. Either way, it will only help me in the future.

Because of the recession I can't expect a raise from my job, but I am just lucky to have a job right now.

Thanks to everyone for helping me and putting up with me for the past few years :)

Thanks Stephanie!!!!!

Today I used a gift certificate to Quick Trip that was given to me for my birthday from my cousin Stephanie....Thanks Stephanie!!! The sandwich was delicious.....

Oh My Tweets!!!!

This is what happens when your twitter breaks........
















His hand fell off!!!!!

Its a He/She, a She/She, She's a He......

Yesterday afternoon Courtney and I were driving home from work and she made a comment that she always enjoys people watching around the area that we work in. I told her it was probably because there are so many weirdos. Now, we work at 7th Street and Indian School, which isn't a bad part of town but it is where the VA Hospital is. Without meaning to disrespect our Veterans, there are a lot of crazies that go there.

So as we pull up to the light at 7th Street and Thomas, I look out my window and see this......














Ok, so you are probably wondering why we took a picture of a pregnant lady. Well it wasn't a lady!!!! It was a guy with a big ole beer belly, wearing a skirt, and a woman's jeweled blouse. This was the best shot that Courtney could get without climbing out the window. I tried to zoom in so you could see it better, but it didn't work....either way...it was CRAZY!!!!!!

I Always Feel Like Sombody's Watchin' Me......

Yesterday afternoon, Alyssa called me to check the wait time at the DMV. When I finally found the website, for those of you who don't know I have some issues with looking things up on the Internet, I was given a great surprise. There is a camera set up so you can see how many cars are in line and the wait times. Well, I decided I would stalk Alyssa and see how long it took her to get through the line.

The first picture shows Alyssa coming around the corner.

This is Alyssa waiting in line behind a tan truck. I marked it in red because it was easier to see than the white, there isn't a hidden message....or is there?

Here is Alyssa moving up to the line...I wonder if the worker said "Alyssa Brown, Come On Down!!!"

And finally, the red line shows that Alyssa isn't in line anymore.....

I have to tell you that this was so much fun!!!! Alyssa knew that I was doing this, but she hasn't seen the pictures. She was also going to wave but she didn't know if I would be able to see her or not. This just proves that big brother is always watching....

I might have just found a new hobby....stalking!!!! I was going to say keep your blinds closed ladies, but that kind of makes me sound like a big ole perv.....so never mind.

New Posts

Ok, so I know that I am not quite done with school, but I couldn't help myself. They are fantastic!!!!

Digress

After careful consideration this weekend, I have decided that I will continue to blog. However, I will just be taking a break until I finish school.

Good-Bye Blog

This is my last blog entry. It is has been fun and I hope that everyone has enjoyed my stories and the events in my life.

Gossip=Drama

I HATE GOSSIPING AND I HATE DRAMA. From now on I am not going to gossip about anything....People can't keep secrets and people can't take a freakn' joke. It is funny that I am always ridiculed for being the "sensitive" one when every other week people have to say "I'm Sorry" becuase someone gets upset about what is said. Since when did people start caring about people's feelings.

This Little Piggie Cried Wee Wee Wee.....

This morning I was running late, of course, and I ran into my room to get my shoes. Well the night before I had been working on my laptop and I put it down next to my bed. So when I ran into my room I stubbed my little pinkie toe. I didn't think anything of it until I got to work and my toe is just throbbing. So I look down and what do I see???????

It hurt so bad!!!!!!!!

And don't laugh at my toes....I already know they look like little sausages.

Tea Bag

So I made this detox tea this morning and i realized that i realy want a tea bag holder.

B.M.

Holy Crow (does anyone know where that came from?) So I was reading US Weekly today at lunch when I lost my breath and my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. What caused such a reaction??????

Bret Michaels will be at Cricket Pavillion on August 29, 2009!!!!! Oh My Gosh!!!!! I would love to go to that concert!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone want to come with me??????

Radishes

I felt the need to blog about this delicious little vegetable. I love radishes; however, how is it possible that such a little thing can be so potent????? You either have bad breath or the worst burps.....but I still love them....so my apologies to everyone that I come across today.

MBT

Yesterday my dad took me the store to get my birthday present...I know it is late and he still owes me a Christmas present too, which were a pair of MBT's. They are a great shoe that help your body in so many ways. They are only meant for walking but they help your posture, tone your legs, stomach and butt all just by walking. They are super cute!!!

Well, today Courtney and I went on our first walk and my legs are already hurting. But you know what they say, you aren't really exercising unless you can feel the pain :(

We also asked the receptionist Nina to come along with us. That way we can gossip about all the boys.

Congratulations Dad!!!

Today my dad is being acknowledged as Employee of the Month for working at the Suns games. It was really fun because all of us kids, my Aunt Arlinda, and my Grandma were able to go. Not only were we excited about seeing my dad, we took my Grandma on the light rail for the first time. Here is Grandma sitting on the lightrail, Alyssa is behind her playing her Nintendo DS.

When we get to the arena, we were greeted by my dad. It was really exciting to see him so soon as I thought he would be assigned to another area. Here is Grandma with my dad.

Here are Alyssa and me with our dad. I am a little upset that no one told me you can see by bra, but whatever.

You aren't a true fan unless you paint your face.

All of the employees being acknlowledged lined up on the court and my dad is near the end on the right side. He is even talking to Go-Rilla!

When the game was over we ran into my dad in the hallway. It was pretty exciting and everyone was giving my dad a hug. Well, apparently when Andy was giving him a hug I came up and pushed him out of the way and caused his drink to fall out of his hand. It caused a spill and everyone blamed Andy for the mess. I didn't realize that it was my fault until after everything was taken care of, so that is why I am taking responsibility for it now. But the upside was we were able to my dad in action. Here is calling on my walky-talky for clean-up in aisle.....ummm I am not sure what they say.

The picture on the left is dad actually making the call but you can't see his face so I made him pose again.

Poor Andy, you can see him and Shawn in the background laughing about what happened.

Just as a little addition, my dad has also been recognized as Employee of the Month for working at the Diamondback games. He was even nominated for Rookie of the Month. It just goes to show that no matter at how much money you make, if you do what you love, you will be rich with happiness and go far.

Good-Bye Dear Friend....

I am doing an assignment in my biology class titled "Eat, Drink, and Feel Guilt". Basically it is a lab where you write down everything that you eat for 7 days, calculate how many calories each day, minus your daily activities to determine if you should lose or gain weight.

Well, in my log I realized that I drink a ton of soda. Like 4 or 5 a day...so I decided that I am only going to allow myself one coffee each morning and that is my caffeine for the day. Yesterday was my first day, and let me tell you I was so tired by 8 o'clock that I was grumpy and not so nice. I did sleep great last night though. But this morning I have the worst headache....Even with my coffee it is still the worst....

The good thing is I love club soda, which is basically just carbonated water. So when I get the craving for carbonation, I will just drink that. The only problem is that it is high in salt so I have to make sure I drink a lot of water throughout the day to keep me from getting puffy....

So good-bye dear friend (soda)....I will see you soon, but not that often....

New Name

Many of you know that I hang out with my cousins Lindsay, Stephanie, Courtney and my sister quite a bit. Naturally, we had to think of a name for ourselves because all clicks have cool names. Lindsay thought of the Fab Five as I like to call it sometimes.

It seems that Teddy hangs out with the Fab Five quite a bit and I don't think anyone minds because sometimes he is one of the girls.

But I was thinking that maybe we can make an addition to the name Fab Five....you remember that show "Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place"? Well, what if that can be incorporated in our name?

Five Girls and a Teddy? Or the Fab Five and Teddy.....I am not saying all the time, just when Teddy is going to be invited....

Grounded

In follow-up to my last entry regarding Cake Mania, Adam did buy it for me and it is amazing. However, I have officially grounded myself from my DS. I am really sad about it. But I am failing my humanities class and I can't have anything to distract me while I get my grade back-up.

But it was fun while it lasted and now, I only have three months until I can play it again....

Cake Mania

So as many of you know, I was given an extension to finish two of my classes from last semester. Well I just got my grades back and I earned A's in both classes!!!!! I took three classes and I earned a B and two A's!!!!!

Adam said that he would buy me Cake Mania for my DS if I earned all A's this semester, but I think I should get it now!!!!

I am so exicited!!! My GPA is 3.2!!!!

Introducing Baby Brown

I already told you about Baby Brown below, but now I can show you....

They will either name the baby Cecelia Irene Brown or if it is a boy, the middle name will be Rodney after my Uncle you passed away at a very young age in Iowa.

I get so excited everytime I look at these pictures!!!!

Baby Brown

This is going to be the best blog ever!!! My brother and his wife Mindi announced last week that they are going to have a baby!!! I can't believe it!!! They have been waiting for this day for so long! The baby is due September 14, 2009 (which is the day after Mindi's birthday).

What should the baby call me?

Jacob

As many of you know, Jacob is my co-worker and he is a part of a lot of my stories from work. Especially now that Courtney is working there. He even had a special blog dedicated to him and what of my work I should assign him. So I figured I would formally introduce him to you all.

Everyone this is Jacob.....

He is a lot of fun and he even talks Twilight....sorry Jacob, but I had to tell them. He reads my blog but doesn't comment. So let's see how long it takes him to mention this to me at work....:)

School

Today I took a half day so that I could go to school and finish a class that I was given an extension to complete. I had to take five tests and I did!!!! I am very proud of myself. Now I took the first test last week and waited to get my grade back so I could see how well I did and I got an A!!!! Now I can focus on my last three classes that I need to graduate this semester.

I really just keep dreaming about the day that I can say I am done with school!!!!!! Now I really need to focus on my humanities class....it is really hard and I have to read a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Old Men Pass Gas

So last week at lunch I went to Stapels to by some labels for work. When I went up to pay there was an elderly man standing behind me. All of a sudden I hear this noise that sounded like a huge fart. But then when I didn't smell anything I thought he had just made a noise with whatever he was buying. But then out of the corner of my eye he was down a few lanes looking at some stuff and that is when it hit me. The worst smell in the world.

So that old man farted then walked away so that it looked like I am the one that did it. It was not cool....

Muffin Tops

When they aren't hangin' over your pants, they can be a delicious treat....

The Office

I figured I would dedicate this blog to my cousin Courtney. Now Courtney and I have always been close, but now that we are older and have experienced some of the same things we get even more closer. So when a position at my law firm opened up I didn't hesitate to offer her the job. It is a temporary position but she sure is making a name for herself in the office and the firm.


I mean that in a good way. I would recite some of the jokes that the fab five made to her about the lawyers, but I think her mom might read my blog so I won't do that.

Even though Courtney has to work hard and stand at the copier a good part of the day, she still has a smile on her face....

And because she is so nice and wonderful, she will stop and get me a coffee from McDonalds. I pay for it, but she helps me out by stopping there on her way in to work.




















Wait a tick, who is that reading a law book?????

1/30/09

I celebrated my birthday with my mom the Friday after my birthday. We went over to my Grandma Hoff's house because it was easier than going out and I wanted my mom to have a good time. So we ordered Native New Yorker and my family plus my best friend Lizzie, her husband Mike and their little boy Mikey joined us for dinner. We all had a lot of fun and so did my Grandma. And even though it was my birthday, seeing my Grandma laugh and play with Mikey made me so happy.

Again, everyone was so generous.....but the present that topped the cake.....my Nintendo DS!!!!! I have been wanting one for so long, but Adam said no until I graduated from school with straight A's. So I was so excited that my mom, sister and brother all pitched in for one. And to make it even better...They gave me the game Diner Dash which is my all time favorite game...

All in all, this was probably one of my favorite birthdays. I was always surrounded by the people who love and care about me the most....

1/28/09

The Wednesday after my birthday I met my family for our weekly visit to The Vine and we celebrated my birthday. It was very nice and everyone was so generous with their gifts. I was even given a sundae that I shared with everyone. My cousin Lindsay has pictures from that night on her blog, so you will have to visist that to see them:

http://whereintheworldislb.blogspot.com

1/27/09

Well today is my actual birthday. I was actually a little sad the night before because it was the first birthday where I would wake up by myself. Every birthday I have either had my family there with me in the morning or my girlfriends will stay over. So Adam was nice and spent the night with me.

It is a tradition in my family to give a present to you in the morning when you wake-up. It is usually something that you wear all day :) So when I woke-up that morning I had a present from Roni and David (Adam's parents) along with the sweetest card. I took my birthday off as a vacation day so that I could relax and enjoy myself.

When I opened my delicious looking cake, there were sunglasses in side! Don't I look like a movie star? "Ralph Lauren was boren before I worem...." Adam just taught me that....

After the paparazzi cleared the way outside my house, I went to Sanctuary to use a gift certificate my Dad gave me last year for my birthday. If you thought I hoard my perfume, you should see how long it takes me to use gift cards.

Anyways, Sanctuary had a special where instate residents got 30% off their treatments through the end of January. So I made it just in time for the deal. It was the most amazing this I have ever experienced in my life!!! When I was finished with the massage, I took a shower and did my hair. I wish I had really known how much I could have done while I was there, because I would have brought my make-up, and then my bathing suit to sit in the hot tub. But it was still so much fun.

Because I was given that 30% discount I still had enough left over on my gift card to have lunch at the resort restaurant. I was sat in a booth over looking the pool and facing Camelback Mountain. (The picture was taken from my camera phone and I am not good at downloading them on the computer)

For lunch I had the most amazing chicken, shrimp, and sausage chipotle pasta. I didn't really care for the sausage, so I picked that out and the rest was amazing. I even had a Bud Light. Of course I had two glasses of water because you need to hydrate yourself after a massage. But who can say no to a Bud Light????

After the pasta I had a delicious dessert. It was peanut butter with chocolate ice cream....

Now, after my amazing massage, great shower, amazing view, great lunch, I was walking out of the restaurant and I tripped and fell walking up the stairs. It was very embarrassing. Even one of the waitresses came running after me to see if I was ok. I almost cried.....what a way to finish my birthday.....

1/25/09

The Saturday before my birthday Adam planned a special surprise for me. All he told me to do was be ready by 5:45. Of course I was running late and while I was getting ready someone came over the house, but they were super quite. The reason I could tell was because Princess, my dog, was acting really weird. Well when I came around the corner I saw my sister Alyssa and her boyfriend Andy sitting on my couch. It was really exciting as I had no idea what was going on.

That is when Adam told me we were going on a trip on the light rail to downtown and then Alyssa handed me ear plugs...which only meant one thing.....MONSTER TRUCK RALLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was awsome riding on the light rail.....here is a picture of Andy, Adam's mouth, Alyssa and me before we got on the train. As you can see, we needed Lindsay's help on getting the group shot.

Alyssa and Adam had a little trouble buying our tickets......

But soon everything worked out and we were on the rail....

And then we made it to the MONSTER TRUCK RALLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I ate
a giant bratwurst and Alyssa had to wear ear plugs....

As for the MONSTER TRUCK RALLEY, the only way to show you what it's really like is to play a video.......

Birthday

I would like to say thank you to everyone that has helped celebrate my birthday. I will have a lot of blog entries coming this weekend to document each celebration, but I just wanted to send a quick thank you. Plus check out my new profile pic!!!!

'Bacon Explosion' a huge hit

OMG Jackie......http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/dining/28bacon.html?no_interstitial

Light Rail

Hello Everyone,

On February 16th, my cousin Courtney and I are going to take the Light Rail from McClintock and Ash to Indian School and Central to see how long it will take us to get to work. If anyone would like to join us....we will be meeting at the park-n-ride on McClintock and Ash around 6:30 a.m.

Then I plan to come home and go back to sleep!!!!

Twitter

Many of you might have noticed that I have added a new section to the right of my postings called "On The Go." Well my sister introduced me to a whole new world and level of blogging....I can make entries from my phone. All I do is text my message to a number and it will show up on my blog. Now I will be able to keep it updated!!!! Holla!!!!!

Free Samples

So the other day I went to Sam's Club to get a few things for the office and what did I see what I turned the corner?????? Free Samples!!!!! And what did I see when I got closer???? Bacon....as I was walking up there it was like angles were singing and we were running towards each other in a field full of flowers.

I was a little disappointed to find that it was Turkey Bacon, but it was still good.....so maybe not angels singing, but still the field full of flowers.

Yeah Right Jackie

So my friends from Wake-Up With Cosmo kept talking about these youtube "webisodes" called Jackie and Debra. They even had Debra on the show! So I decided to watch them, and I have to say I love it!!!! Yeah right Jackie!!!!!!

I Want My TV Back!!!!!!!!!!!

First, Go Cardinals!!!

Second, obviously I love Adam which means I deal with.....wait....support his love of sports. However, as a woman who didn’t sit down to watch a sports game until I met Adam, I have to voice that three sports games back to back on a Sunday is ridiculous. I had this whole plan to relax and catch up on my recorded shows (shout out to Ellen!), only to be pushed out of the way to watch the Eagles and Giants game. I understand it was a big game, but then it is was the Suns game, and then the Chargers game! When this happens at Adam’s house, I usually go into the bedroom and watch my shows there. That way we both are happy. But we were at my dad’s house and there is only one TV (dad’s house, dad’s rules, dad’s TV) so I kept my mouth shut and cleaned my room and bathroom.

But later that night, I turned the TV on to watch Desperate Housewives and walked away to get something only to come back to the couch to find Adam watching ESPN highlights of all the games he had just watched. He must have recognized the look on my face and put the remote down and went to the bedroom to watch TV And I would have gone to the bedroom to watch the show, I was doing laundry so it would have made sense, but Adam gave in so easily I wasn’t about to say anything.......hee hee

Third, I know this is a battle that I will lose, but I had to voice it…..I am now waiving my white flag….

What's Buzzin Cousin????

My cousins and I have a little joke that cousins are a gift from God and we are going to make shirts that say I "heart" Cousins. And I was thinking, there has to be a day to appreciate your cousins....and sure enough there is.....

Cousin's Day
When : July 24th
Cousin's Day honors your Aunt and Uncle's kids. They are those great kids who are likely close to your age, and endure the countless family get togethers with you. If it wasn't for cousins, these family events would be much, much longer.

This is a great day for your cousins. Now, hold on a minute. If you have cousins, that means your cousins have cousins. And, that's you! Therefore, today is your day,too.

Celebrating should be nothing but fun. Get together with your cousins. Hang out, just chill, or do anything you want to do...... as long as its a fun time spent with your cousins.

http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/July/cousinsday.htm

Rude Follow-Up

And just so everyone knows, my eyebrowns will be taken care of on Saturday....

Rude

Today Adam and I had lunch and he was sitting across from me and stared at me for a few minutes, then he asked "When is your next eyebrow waxing?" As Stephanie Tanner would say "How rude!!!!!" Even though I do have a little unibrow, I can't find my tweezers to keep it undercontrol....but don't think that I took it lying down. I responded with "Well your fingernails are longer than mine, and that is innapropriate!" Ha, I showed him!!!

Cosmo Prize Pack

Sheesh...it has been a while since I last blogged...my apologies. Well I did open my Cosmo Prize pack and they sent me a little mesh backpack that says Cosmo Sirius Radio, a water bottle that says the same thing, and compact that lights up when you open it. The oustide just says Cosmo. I have used the backpack once and I keep the compact in my purse. The light really comes in handy. I just washed the water bottle so I will start using that in a few days.

Unveiling

So my Cosmo Prize Pack came in yesterday and Adam is going to bring it to The Vine so I can open it in front of everyone!!!! I am so excited I can't wait.....

Good Going Down

On Sunday night, Alyssa, Andy, Lindsay, Adam, and I went to the Botanical Gardens to see the luminaries, but that didn't work out quite like we planned so we decided to head to Gallagher's for some dinner. There we each had a couple beers and I ordered the chili baked potato. Before I ordered it I took some advice from Lindsay's friend Lisa and requested a sample of the chili. It tasted good, so I went ahead with my order.

Little did I know that at 2 a.m. I would wake-up and throw-up the chili until 7 a.m.!!! 5 hours of throwing up....it was the worst......I did call in sick to work (sorry Jacob) because every hour I was throwing up!!! I even tried to drink some water and eat some pretzels because I didn't have any crackers and those didn't even stay down. The last time I threw up was yesterday evening.

I haven't been that sick in a long time. The last flu I had included nausea, but I never really threw-up.....

It is over.....

Adam shaved the mustache...something about being teased, looking like an idiot, having to meet with clients at work....all lame excuses to me.....so he lost!!!!!!!!! He only lasted two weeks!!!!!

Mustache Update

I will take another picture of Adam's mustache this week and post it for everyone to see it. It is starting to get full!!!! As of today, my birthday is when everyone seems to want Adam to shave his mustache....but since that date wasn't part of the original bet, he will shave it on New Year's Day. It is really funny to stare at him....I don't like it at all!!!!!

I Can Be Your Hero Baby....

Resemblance?????

Poll

So, As you can see I have added a poll to my blog about Adam's Mustache. He started the mustache the day after Thanksgiving. And everyone at the tailgate (well, me, Alyssa, Stephanie, and Lindsay) decided that it would be fun to see how full the stache got.....hence the poll. Please vote for when you think Adam should shave his stache....and it can't be a date earlier than 12/24....

I will upate the blog with pictures of the stache every few days so everyone will see the status....here is a picture from 12/1......