Show Low 2010

This past Summer me, Alyssa, Lindsay, Stephanie, and Courtney decided that we were going to take a girl's trip to Show Low for skiing. I have a friend that has a condo up there and when I babysit for him and his wife, they will let me have a free night stay in the condo. It actually works out pretty good!!! I know I can't ski, but I decided to go anyway. To see the snow, watch the other girls ski and relax in the lodge. Stephanie wasn't able to come with us, but hopefuly next year.

Courtney had to work until 3 that Friday, but me, Alyssa, and Lindsay started out at 10 a.m.!!! We were very excited!!!

On the drive up to Show Low we went through a town called Globe that has this awesome antique shop called the Pickle Barrel. They sell sculputers for your yard that are super cute. I don't have a picture of the sculpture I got, but it should be on Lindsay's blog. Mine is named pickle :) Anyway, while we were walking around the shop Lindsay spotted this doll that we thought would look just like Manny when he is older...well, kind of I guess...you tell me ;)

I decided that I am going to dress Manny up like this for Halloween. Broken sandle and all. You think I'm kidding, just wait!!!! My cousin Courtney better get back in to sewing because I am going to need her services :)

All in all we had a good laugh with Manny the doll. He is perched on the counter of the condo we were staying at in Show Low. We are not positive, but each of us heard something making noise in the kitchen area on Friday and Saturday night. Is it possible that Manny came to life????????

On the way out of the shop I noticed this giant horse....I am not kidding this horse is huge!!! And I instantly fell in love with it!!!! Here is a picture of me and the horse, you can see my belly in the picture too ;)

I have vowed that when Teddy and I purchase a house with a yard, right now we are in a condo, I will by this horse for my backyard. His name will be Monty...

The rest of the way to Show Low was pretty fun. We talked, listened to music, and ate Munkins. Yes, I purchased Munchkins for our trip up there. It was a nice treat. I allow myself one coffee in the morning so I bought one for Alyssa and I, but I didn't know Lindsay liked coffee. Apparently this trip was also for me to get to know Lindsay a little more too :)

It took 3 hours to get to the condo in Show Low. It was cold and a little cloudy. Snow was on the ground and on the side of the roads. We were all excited!!! Once we got to the condo walked around and got settled in. Then we went to the patio to check out the view.

Once we were settled, we decided to hit the "town" to get something to eat. Lindsay and I suggested that we eat Native New Yorker, but Alyssa felt we should eat somewhere that we can't have back home. So we decided on the Branding Iron. It was a steak house that was actually pretty cozy. The hostess was an older cowboy, who took a liking to us. :) He put a hand on Lindsay's shoulder, joked with Alyssa and when I got up to visit the salad bar he asked me if I was going to the Out House. Yes, that would be the same as the restroom. I told him no, I was going to get a salad. We all had a good laugh. But this is also incident No. 4 involving a restroom. Make it to 10 and I might start a blog on just bad things that happen to me in and/or around bathrooms. Anyway, on the way out Alyssa snapped a picture of the Out House sign...

There was also an issue of french fries, but I will leave that to Lindsay since it happened to her. But just so everyone knows, french fries are cut up potatoes. ha ha ha ha ha.

When we got back to the condo we decided to play a great game of Uno. But not just any Uno, SpongeBob Uno. Now for anyone that loves Uno I highly recommend this game. It is so much fun and it adds a few different rules and advantages that the regular game. The best part of the game was when Alyssa and I learned Lindsay didn't know you had to say Uno when you only had one card left. We had a few good laughs and finally called it quits and went back inside. But not before we took a few pictures.

Here are the three of us on the patio....fyi I was not drinking...Those beers are Alyssa's and Lindsay's.

Here I am in the snow :)

Here is Alyssa and Lindsay and then me and Alyssa ;)

When Courtney got up to the Condo we hung out for a few more minutes that went to a good Mexican restaraunt in Show Low called Fiesta Mexicana. It was very good and wasn't that expensive. We had to get to Sunrise Ski Resort by 8 a.m. the next morning, so that meant we had to leave by 6:30 a.m.!!!! We actually ended up leaving by 6:45, which isn't so bad.

We stopped and got some coffee and gas and then headed out. We passed a photo radar and were officially off. That was until a Show Low Police Officer came driving past us. Apparently after I passed the photo radar I decided to speed. I won't say how fast I was going, because that is not important. What is important is that the Officer pulled us over and only gave me a warning. Again, I was very nice and didn't argue or give an attitude to the Officer. I admitted to what I did and was willing to take the punishment. Of course we joked about what would happen if he found a warrant that I didn't know about took me in. The vote in the car was that they would continue to ski and come and get me on their way back. Also, no one was willing to pay the $2 service charge to use a different bank's ATM to bail me out. But if no one bailed me out, someone was going to call Teddy to tell him both me and Manny were stuck in a Show Low jail. Then that is when the Officer came with the warning. I was very lucky!!!!

I am going to let Lindsay blog about actually skiing as I couldn't do it :*( Maybe next year. I am however, going to show you a picture of the four of us before Alyssa, Lindsay, and Courtney went to ski some more. While they all went skiing I hung out in the lodge and read. I have to give a shout out to Alyssa and Courtney how went down the actual mountain 2 times. This was even Courtney's first time skiing!!! And there was a snow storm!!!!!

P.S. This was the only photo I had where the snow flake didn't completely cover Lindsay's face!!!!

4 Months

Well, now I am roughly 18 weeks and Manny is getting bigger, so that means my belly is getting bigger. I am really excited. To be honest, I am still a little self-conscience because it is still hard to tell between the donut belly and the Manny belly. But as my sister Alyssa said "you are just in the awkward stage and it is beautiful." So it is now or never.

Honeymoon

I have come to realize that I cancelled our wedding website premature. I never update it with pictures of our honeymoon before it was deleted. So...here they are....Teddy's parents sent us to Cancun, Mexico. It was amazing!!!!Here we are in the car on the way to the hotel. It was a long flight and we are full of smiles even though we are so tired!!!

This picture we are in the hotel lobby checking in. They treat with you a complimentary glass of champagne. Teddy doesn't really like champagne so I finished his!!!

Teddy and I used some of our gift money to have a romantic dinner on the beach. Teddy had steak and I had lobster. It was a great experience. How often can you have a private, romantic and intimate dinner on the beach??????
As it turns out, Teddy doesn't drink wine either. I did know this wine isn't his favorite, but he tried it and didn't particularly care for it. So, since we had paid for the wine there was nothing left for me to do but drink it. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I drank a whole bottle of wine on my own...Teddy actually ended up getting sick so we ended up going back up to the room. Wait...was that Teddy's plan all along?

The rest of the pictures are from the beach in front of the hotel. Which was so blue and clear I couldn't believe it. There are a few pictures where we were eating at one of the restaurants right on the water. I loved it, they had the best shrimp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This picture is actually pretty funny. For my bridal shower gift, Alyssa gave Teddy and I the t-shirts. My shirt said honey and Teddy's said mooner. We wore them on the way home and received a few compliments. Anyway, we came back on Halloween and decided to go to a party at Teddy's Aunt's house. We went as "Honeymooners". My mom was at the condo before we left and she helped us with our costume. She made a hickey on my neck and I kissed Teddy all over his face. It was pretty cute :)

Well...Manny is in there...

I felt Manny move for the first time today!!! It was so exciting!!!! I was at my desk eating some breakfast when I felt this spinning in my stomach. Now, I have felt somethings before that I thought were Manny, but they turned out to be just flatulence :) (I thought it would be easier to read instead of the other version) Anyway, this time it was different. It lasted longer and it felt like something spinning rather that bubbles or flutters. I felt it again this afternoon and it was so exciting!!! All the ladies at work were so excited when I told them.

Later, when I got home, Adam was saying hello to the baby and was asking Manny to move for him. He was a little sad when I told him that he won't be able to feel Manny move for probably another month. But he will get to feel Manny soon enough!!!!!

Birthday 2

Today I celebrated my birthday with my sister, her bf Andy, my mom, brother, niece, and Teddy. We had a lot of fun!!! My mom and sister picked-up Nello's pizza which is amazing. I actually only requested that because of this great salad with the most delicious salad dressing. I didn't have any pizza as Manny sometimes doesn't like it and punishes me with heartburn. Actually, Manny always punishes me with heartburn no matter what I eat or do...hmmmm....Anyway, I digress....After dinner we all played a few rounds of Sponge Bob Uno. Now for those of you who have children, this is a great game. And for those of you don't, it is a great game for all ages. There are special little surprises that aren't in the regularl Uno and keep the game interesting.

After games I opened presents. And was my family generous!!! My sister gave me some new hair clips which I desperately needed along with this great book called Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy. Now, I am reading What to Expect When Expecting but this book is so much better. It is really like talking to your girlfriends...where as the other book is good for some of the medical stuff related to pregnancy. That is my opinion anyway. Andy gave me a Mother Hood gift card, which I am excited to go and see what they have to offer. My brother gave me a gift card to Einstein Bagels (which is perfect and both me and Manny enjoy) and an Old Navy gift card. I can't wait to pick out a bathing suit!!!!!

My mom was of course more than generous. She gave me so many new maternity clothes!!! I will tell you, I better start sprouting a belly soon so I can have a chance to wear all this stuff I have. She also gave me this pregnancy keep sake calendar so I can write down all the cool things that happen daily or monthly with my pregnancy. It is going to be really cool to go back and read everything that happened :)

After presents we enjoyed some brownies for dessert and Alyssa and I challenged each other to a great game of Critter Crunch. It is a new game on the PS3, which again may be aimed at children, but whatever, I have fun.

I do have pictures from my birthday and I will post them when I can. :)

Birthday

Well I turned 27 today and it started out pretty good! Teddy first surprised me on Monday with the new Verizon Droid. It is very awesome. Then this morning Teddy came in around 6:30 with a chocolate muffin, candle, and sang Happy Birthday. Which is a family tradition that my mom started when we were kids. He also bought me two new maternity shirts!


Then I opened some presents that my wonderful in-laws sent me. They also gave me new maternity shirts, gift card to Mother Hood, and a new elephant charm for my bracelet.


As I left that morning I was feeling pretty good, it has started out to be a great day. Then it went down hill. As I was backing out of my garage, I ran into the side of the garage causing the plastic cover on my left mirror to break off. I was so upset....I just sat there and started to cry. Now I know I cry at everything, but this time it was legitimate. First, I am hormonal so I am sure I cried harder than necessary; Second, I had to walk all the way upstairs to tell Teddy what I did. He didn't get "mad" necessarily. I think because I am pregnant, it was birthday, and I was crying like someone had died he didn't vocalise how mad he was. I was also upset because this was my first brand new car. only 10 miles on it when we bought it and it is only a year old. The only thing Teddy asked me was if I was playing with my phone. I wasn't, I swear, I would admit it if I did. I felt so guilty because I knew it was going to expensive to fix the mirror and Teddy just bought me the phone. I offered for him to take the phone back, but he said no and walked away.


Later that day I met my BFF Lizzie for lunch. She had a pregnancy appointment over in my neck of the woods, so it worked out perfectly. Only, she forgot it was my birthday and told the waitress we were just getting together to celebrate a late Christmas. Which was true...but we were also celebrating my birthday. I was quick to remind her that it was in fact my birthday and we told the waitress who just stared at us like we were idiots. Then Lizzie told her that she was the pregnant one at the table and her mind wasn't working. I also had to jump in and explain that we were both pregnant and that the waitress should just take out order so she could leave. Lizzie gave me two ASU shirts and some nice and comfy ASU pants. I gave her a wedding album. She never ordered pictures or an album because they were too expensive for her. Well I just ordered a copy of the c.d. and made the album online. I am pretty excited about the album and the shirts too. I don't have any maroon ASU shirts!


That afternoon my mom sent me the most beautiful flowers. They were all pink and pretty :) All of the ladies at my office loved them.
That night I went up to the bowling alley to watch my dad bowl in his league. It was a lot of fun. My sister-in-law Lauren and my Grandma Brown joined us. Then we headed off to Denny's. (Shout out to my cousin Cameron for both of us having birthday dinners at Denny's). It worked out perfectly because my sister was able to meet up with us for dinner. However, before we sat at our table Lauren and I had to use the little girl's room.

Well, when I tried to lock my stall door it wouldn't lock. So I hung my purse on the door to hold it closed. Lauren left the restroom and then someone just opened up my stall door!!!! It was crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! When I got out I was very nice and told the girl, who kept apologizing, that it was okay but the door doesn't lock so be careful. As I was washing my hands she got the door to lock. Well good for her. I wasn't so lucky. Then she proceded to tell me how to lock a bathroom stall door. That is when the "hormones" kicked in and I said "You know, I'm not an idiot. I know how to lock doors it wouldn't lock for me." And then I left the bathroom and headed for our table. As Lauren and I laughed about what happened, the girls from the bathroom were seated right next to us and kept staring at me. By golly, if my Grandma wasn't there I would have said something to them again!!!!! Sheesh, how many incidents with the bathroom can one girl have.

When we got home, Teddy was able to attach the plastic piece back on my mirror. The only things that don't work are the blinker and the electric part to move the mirror. Hopefully it won't cost as much to fix the rest.

3 Tomatoes And A Mozzarella Stick

No I didn't make this up and it isn't a new movie or sitcom. It is a name of a restaurant here in Phoenix and we are representing them. I only blogged about this because I love this name. Every time I see it I crack up laughing....

Manny Update

It has been a few weeks since my last update about Manny. Things have been pretty up and down. I went in for genetic testing and the results for downsyndrome came back in the low percentile.

The Dr.'s say I am 15 weeks pregnant, but they always add two weeks. I have heard different versions as to why, but by my calculations I am 13 weeks. I know this becuase I know the first day I could have conceived...Anyway, maybe if Aunt Cay reads my blog she can explain???? Everything that it says I should experience in my 15th weeks I am or have. I am forgetfull, clumsy, my clothes don't fit right, I go to the bathroom more. Those are all good signs that my pregnancy is moving right along :)

I am in my second trimester now and the books and everyone who has been pregnant has said that it gets easier in the second trimester. However, I have gotten sick two times and my body hurts all the time. It was not like this the first three months!!!! I have more energy, but when I do anything "normal" by body aches for days.

My appetite has gotten better; however, I need to learn to not gorge but graze...That is my goal for the second trimester. Not to overindulge myself. I am gaining the normal amount of weight, which is good. I was also given a whole wardrobe of maternity clothes from a family friend. It was so nice of her to give them to me. And they are the cutest clothes ever!!! I am going to dress better now that I am pregnant than I did before!!! Holla!!!!

I haven't felt Manny move yet...I can't wait for that. Teddy has started talking to the baby :) It is pretty cute...Sometimes he whispers so I can't hear what he says...

I went to the store yesterday and purchased the cutest onesies and pants for Manny. They are gender neutral, so they will work if Manny is a girl or a boy. I am not going to tell you what they are in case someone buys them for me. I will just take the ones I bought back :) hee hee hee...

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the update :)

2010 Olympic Games

Since the Winter games are starting in February and the Summer games will shortly follow, I thought I would show you how the Brown Family competes in a Summer game classic....gymnastics...

COMPETITORS

Devyn Brown seems to be the only competitor that actually practiced the events. She will hesitate from time-to-time, but always finishes with 100% perfection and is looking forward to walking away with the Gold.

Stacey Wright apparently didn't practice much for the competitions. It almost appears as though she can't remember how to do the routines at all. Stacey will be lucky to make it to the finals.

Lindsay Brown managed to fit the competition in to her busy schedule and her form is perfection. You will find Lindsay encourages her competitor's on from the side as she is happy to see anyone win...or make a mistake to cost them the Gold.

Alyssa Brown performs the events with grace and poise. However, her fear of the routines shows tremendously. Hopefully that doesn't cost her points in the end.

EVENTS

1st Event: Cartwheel - Competitors In Order: Devyn, Stacey, Lindsay.

2nd Event: Handstands - Competitors In Order: Alyssa, Lindsay, Stacey

Okay, okay. Incase you didn't figure it out...we were not competing in the realy Olympics. We are in my Grandma's backyard. A few of us got together to visit with our Iowa cousins Jim and Marlene Meyer and went outside to play.

I really believe we could have gone to the Olympics...I hope you enjoyed...

Little Manny

Per a request, here is my update about little Manny. Adam found out that we are expecting our first child around July 19th. We actually knew when we got back from our honeymoon...how we knew that is not appropriate for the blog....This is an ultrasound picture from our first appointment. Manny was moving and dancing around...it was really funny and even funnier to watch Adam reenact it!!!!

Oh, we are not naming the child Manny. Officially anyway. There is a show called Modern Family, and there is a character named Manny who is the funniest and cutest thing ever!!! He is short, chunky, and hilarious. Well I have such high expectations for my children, that I want my son to be called Manny and be just like the Manny on t.v. So for now, and probably forever, the baby in my bell is called Manny :) Even if it is a girl it will probably still be called Manny.

Bathrooms

I have recently started at a new law firm and obviously use the restroom throughout the day. The one thing I have noticed is that I use the same stall every time I use the bathroom. Generally, I am the first to use it everyday and I get pretty excited that no one else has tainted that stall. I have figured out that the stall is far enough away from the door it is unlikely that someone will use the stall on either side of me and it is in between the sinks so there isn't a high chance that someone will look through the cracks in the stall...Hey, we have seen someone do it from time to time.

However, during my course of employment and bathroom runs I wonder if I subconsciously chose the stall for those reasons above. Is my bathroom experience so important that I have to layout which stall best fits my "requirements"? I have yet to have an experience where my stall has already been taken and I wonder how I will feel when that happens...I will keep you updated...

Wedding

My co-worker Jacob gave me this video from the wedding...It is pretty cool :)

Black Friday and Circle K Bathrooms

This year, Teddy and I drove to Gold Canyon for Thanksgiving dessert and to do some Black Friday shopping. Last year we attempted the mall, and it was the worst experience ever. Never mind the fact that what I went there for wasn't even on sale. We made it out to Shawn's house around 9 p.m. and hit the hay around 11 p.m. Then we woke up at 3 a.m. to stand in line at Kohl's and Walmart. I know many of you will say that we are silly and crazy, but we got great deals and Teddy and I are done with our shopping. Well except for a few, we are done.

The shopping wasn't as bad as I had expected. Some lady at Kohl's ran into me with a huge box and I hit myself in the face with some wrapping paper, but other than that it was smooth sailing. Up until I had to use the bathroom...

After we hit Kohl's and Walmart I wanted to swing by Ulta but they didn't open until 7 a.m. Well it was 6 a.m. and this point. So Shawn wanted to go a few blocks to another store to get a few things. Well, why Teddy and I were waiting for Shawn I had to go to the bathroom. So I walked down to Bashas, but they don't open the doors to the public until 7 a.m....it was 6:55 a.m. When Shawn got back to the car we were trying to figure out where I could go and we found a Circle K. I figured that was better than a Filiberto's 24 hour Mexican place. For those of you not familiar, the bathrooms are usually pretty gross....

Anyway, as I am using the facilities something strikes me as odd....why would they have a full size mirror right in front of the toilet? It just struck me as something sneaky or perverted was going on because they had three other walls the mirror could have been on. I tried to cover myself as much as I could, but it was too late. I guess waking up at 3 a.m. leaves my senses a little behind. I did walk up to the mirror to see if it would come off the wall and it looked like it would...but then I just stood there and thought...can I really be the first woman who went to the bathroom here and wondered if there was a camera behind the mirror. Then I thought....what would happen when I run out to the car and tell Teddy and Shawn that someone video taped me going to the bathroom...

Well I decided to leave the mirror and remind myself to never to that restroom again. However, now I can't remember where the stupid place is to warn the rest of you. So the best I can do warn you to never use the Circle K women's restroom across from a Filiberto's in Gold Canyon, Arizona. It might have even been on Signal Butte.

Also, if you happen to see me on one of those Dateline specials can you please tell me?

Douche x Infinite

So today my cousin Courtney and I went out for lunch at this place called Two Hippies. Her dad recommended it and as it turned out it was delicious. But let me get to the douche of the story....

We get to the place and find a parking spot. For those of you who have eaten Indian Fry Bread, this parking lot is smaller. We were lucky because someone was leaving right as we pulled in and we got the parking spot right next a garbage can and the wall.

Since Courtney and I had never been there before, we needed to look over the menu. While we were making our selection a guy walked in and placed his order. Then Courtney and I walked up and placed our order, after which the guy apologized for cutting. Courtney and I told him not to worry because we needed to look over the menu anyway. Then we had to wait for our order.

Mind you the place is a little small and there isn't a lot of room to stand or sit. So I found the seat next to our little friend, but on my way I bumped him, then another guy on the other side of the chair, then our little friend again. Needless to say I felt like a bull in a china shop.

Then my name was called and then our little friend's order was called. It turns out his name is Zach. As Courtney and I are walking to the car we and laughing about Zach, we notice that some Douche parked diagonal behind me. The first thing that comes out of my mouth was "What a douche. Who would park like that in a parking lot like this?" Then we turned around to see if anyone was behind us and low and behold it was Zach. When he realized that we were walking to my car he turned right around and walked back to the restaurant. That is when Courtney and I realized that it must be his car!!! But it wasn't confirmed until I backed out of the spot we saw Zach hiding in the bushes. He didn't get out and officially walk to his car until we pulled out of the parking lot!!!

That is why he is an infinite douche!!!

Hello Nemesis #430

By now I feel like I should change the direction of my blog to all the nemeses I seem to have. This past weekend, I was introduced to yet another nemesis of mine. I never would have thought this object would become a nemesis but I guess that is what the element of surprise is all about.



So this past weekend here in Phoenix, Arizona is was 60 degrees, cloudy, and rainy when I woke up. I was so excited as we haven't had a day like this in so long!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well since last year really. But I was even more excited that I was finally able to turn the air conditioner off and open all the windows in the condo for some fresh air.



I started with our bedroom first. Teddy slept soundly while I struggled with the windows in the room, but hey, what are husbands for right? Then I moved on to the spare bedroom and then to the living room. I was feeling pretty good about the weather and just really excited....Little did I know disaster was waiting in the other room. For those of you who don't know, Teddy and I have a rather large window in our living room. Well I think it is a big window...anyway, I am pulling on the string to pull the blinds up when all a sudden I hear a snap and the blinds come flying off the wall and land on my head, shoulder, and hand.



I am standing right by the window holding my head because it hurt so bad and I was trying not to cry when Teddy comes running down the hallway to see what happened. Remember, he was sleeping when all this happened. When I saw him I started crying and he came running over because he thought I had really hurt myself. I just keep saying that I was sorry and asking if I broke them. Teddy kept saying for me to stop apologize and move your hands I need to see if you are bleeding.



After the excitement died down and I relaxed a little I asked Teddy if he liked how he woke up. He said no because he really thought I had hurt myself, but he thought it was something in the kitchen. I guess when I hurt myself I usually have some sort of reaction that follows the loud noise. But this time, he only heard the noise and thought I was seriously hurt. Poor Teddy :(

Dirty Feet, Dirty Looks, Pretty Nails

Tonight, after my car situation was worked out, I went to get my nails done and a pedicure. I decided to try this new nail place by my "new" house. Well, apparently my feet were really bad. The guy that was working on my feet kept looking up at me and down at my feet then back up at me with this disgusted look on his face. It was very uncomfortable....I didn't know what else to do but smile at him. Then he would return it with a snooty smile...I was so embarrassed that he thought my feet were so gross, but I swear they weren't that bad. But hey, I wore open toed shoes all day...what did he expect????

In the end, my feet feel amazing and my nails look great. The store was very nice and I do plan on going there again. I will just have to make sure that I clean and scrub my feet before I go...

One Car Garage Part II

Because my car was dead and Courtney drove me to work, Adam had to pick me up from work. When we got home he tried to push my car out of the garage so he could jump it; however, my garage is only a one car garage. So he really had to push my car all the way out. If only it were that easy...my car was so dead that the gear shifter wouldn't move to to neutral...so we had to call AAA to get a tow truck company to come out and tow my car out of the garage. Luckily, they only needed extra long jumper cables to jump start my car.....oh how great you are Downtown Towing...

Hello My "New" Nemesis....

Apparently I had a fight with a blue pen today and it looks like it won....now the only issue is how long I walked around the office with the markings from the fight....

One Car Garage

This morning started out like any other morning....Adam woke up and started getting ready for work. Then while he was eating his breakfast I got up and started getting ready for work. Adam left for work and I got a few snacks ready for me to eat during the day. I went downstairs to the garage and my wonderful car...but when I turned the key to hear the gentle pure of my car I heard nothing. I tried again but still nothing. Then I remembered back to a few months ago when my battery was dead and reached down to my headlight switch. And yes, I had left them on again. The last time I left them all on day while I was at work and my car was dead when I got in my car to go home.

Well, I called my dad to see if he could come and jump my car as he works only five minutes away but he didn't answer. Then I remembered my cousin Courtney. She works with me and would have to pass my house on her way to work anyway. So, I called her she saved the day. She even stopped by Circle K for me to get a soda in a Styrofoam cup!!!!

Alicia, Are You Out There?

Dear new best friend Alicia,

I know it is has been several weeks since we last spoke and saw each other, but I wanted to tell you that I will be going to the ASU game this weekend and hopefuly the one on 11/28. Is there a chance of a reunion? If so, please have your mom e-mail me your phone number so we can meet up?

Does that sound like we are 12? Have your mom call my mom for a play date? ha ha ha ha ha ha....

Incidents 260-268

I hope everyone enjoyed my sister's guest entry. The night began lovely, just as Alyssa described it; however, there were a few things she left out that lead up to Incident 268. It is my duty to address them one by one. Please start with Incident #260 further down to learn the story from the beginning.

Also note, Incidents 260-269 all happened between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Incident 269

After Alyssa and I composed ourselves, we headed up to see our niece. The day before, the nurse showed me where Shawn and Mindi would be staying for recovery. So when we got to the floor we went straight to the room. I stopped real quick to get cupcakes I had bought for said niece's birthday.

When I met Alyssa at the door she knocked and no one answered.

She knocked again…no answer.

Knocked again and added "housekeeping, want me fluff your pillow?"…no answer.

Then I opened the door to look in and the room was empty. Apparently, they had changed rooms and didn't tell us. When we headed back down the hall to the Nurses station, we saw our dad standing there. Apparently he had been there the whole time and we never saw each other….

Incident 268 Rebuttal

The only thing that I am going to rebut regarding my sisters outline of Incident 268 is that after I smashed the bag in her face I was really concerned that I had hurt her. She kept mumbling something about her lip and I couldn't understand her, so I thought I had cut her lip, pushed to hard, or that something was seriously wrong with her. I like how she left that part out of the story. I only smashed the bag in her face as a joke and I didn't even really mean for it to make contact…

The funniest part about the bag incident is that the spot of liquid was so small. We really had to search the bag to find it…

Incident 267

After we finished eating, I drove us back to the hospital and accidently went in a turn lane that I believe was just for U-Turns. Apparently that was all Alyssa needed to start telling me how to drive and find a parking spot at the hospital. Can you see why Incident 268 happened?

Incident 266

This next part I don't quite understand, but while we were sitting there eating Alyssa turned on my overheard lights in the car. When I turned them off, she replied that she likes to have the light on when she eats. The reason I don't understand that is because her house is really dark, even with the lights on. So I didn't know why she would need to the light on in the car. Needless to say she lost.

Incident 265

After we ordered, I drove to the JITB parking lot for us to eat. Alyssa didn't understand why we didn't just drive over to the hospital parking lot and that is when I told her that she was now on her second strike. The third strike she was going to walk home.

Incident 264

After QT Alyssa and I headed over to JITB so we could get some food. Now Alyssa hadn't been to this JITB before, but I had gone the night before to get my dad and brother some food so I knew how to get to the drive-thru. So as I turn into the parking lot Alyssa gets so upset that I didn't make the first turn and went a long way which actually gave me a better turning radius. What happened while we were ordering is unclear, but I can tell you that Alyssa placed her order and I was not given a chance. So I had to order when we got to the window.

Incident 263

After I went to the bathroom I didn't see Alyssa in the store, so I thought she went back to the car. Which was odd because I had the keys. When I got to the car I saw that the headlights were on but no one was in the car and I thought Alyssa was trying to play a trick on me. I get in the car start it and sit there. A few minutes go by and no Alyssa. I start to panic because her purse is in the car and it was unlocked with the headlights on….initially I thought she had been kidnapped. I started to look around the whole parking lot. And to be honest, I really was scared. But then I thought, just go look inside one more time before you say anything to anybody. Good thing I did, because when I walked back up to the door and saw she was paying for the items. I was really relieved to learn she hadn't been kidnapped.

Incident 262

During that whole ordeal, I had to go potty really bad. (I am sorry I said potty, but I felt that if I said I had to go to the bathroom really bad you would have thought something else.) When we get to QT we get out and are welcomed in the store. I go straight to the bathroom and Alyssa went to get Mindi's request…tootsie rolls. Well, when I went to the restroom there was a sign on the door that said "Closed for Cleaning" and a mop bucket outside the door. So I turned around and went to help Alyssa where we learned that neither of us pay attention to each other and we had two different conversations at the same time. Here is what was said:

Alyssa - Why didn't you get Shawn's soda

Stacey - Because some guy was cleaning it.

Then Alyssa ventured over to the soda and saw that no one was cleaning the soda machines and I headed back to the bathroom as I saw someone coming out which meant it was good to go.

Incident 261

Once the fitting was over, we ventured out to the hospital. It just so happened that it was around dinner time. That is always a touchy subject as my sister and I have a hard time agreeing on what things to eat. Anyway, as we get closer Alyssa calls my brother to see if he and Mind need anything and we get their request. As you read, he wanted something from QT but we hadn't decided on what we wanted to do. I suggested that we get a snack from QT and then stop for something with more substance on the way home. Well Alyssa did not like that at all and wasn't shy about expressing it. After I asked her a million times if she wanted me to stop at JITB with only being told no, I headed straight for QT.

Incident 260

My annoyance began before we were even in the same vehicle. That night my bridesmaids' had their first dress fitting. Alyssa and I had decided that we would meet at the bowling alley on Rural and I-60 to carpool to the bridal shop and then the hospital. Well, of course leaving work at 5 o'clock can have its hiccups. I can't remember what time I suppose to meet her, but I was late. She called and we "discussed" our options and then decided to meet at the bridal store and then carpool to the hospital. I arrived only minutes after everyone else, so it worked out great.

Guest Incident #268

Hi everyone this is Stacey’s sister Alyssa, aka poohead/aka abroblogstalker. I have the unique opportunity to be a guest blogger on Stacey’s blog!

I wanted to write about incident #268 in which I was the victim of one of Stacey’s incidents.

It was a lovely Thursday night, a great night really because my niece had been born the day before. Stacey and I were heading to the hospital to visit said niece and we ended up making a few pit stops on the way to kill time (baby niece was practicing eating and she needed her privacy!) We stopped at QT to get our brother a soda and there was an incident with Stacey and the bathroom (I’ll let her tell that one) and there was an incident with Stacey getting to the car earlier than me (again, I’ll leave that one to her) but the one I want to focus on is the incident that took place with the Jack-in-the-Box bag from dinner.

To set the stage, we were both very tired. We clearly had sympathy fatigue for the new parents-waiting for text messages at odd hours of the night and for babies to be born is very hard work! We were both a little irritable (mostly Stacey) and short-tempered (again Stacey)…

Ok, so we arrive at the hospital. We’re in the car gathering our things to take up with us. We grab our purses and drinks. The bag from Jack is in the center of the console so I push it towards Stacey for her to grab.

We laugh.

She pushes it back at me.

We laugh.

I threw it at her.

We’re laughing harder.

And then she chose to RAM IT IN MY FACE.

After the brutal attack I realize there is something on my lip…all I know is it feels wet. I start screaming (while laughing my butt off) that I have something on my lip. “What’s on my lip??” “What’s on my lip??” But I’m trying not to move my mouth because I don’t know what is there so it sounds more like “wup on ma lip?” I’m imagining the worst that maybe my lip was cut from the bag or something gross is on there!! Finally after we compose ourselves (sort of) from laughing Stacey looks and says “IT IS JUST WATER”. Somehow the bottom of the bag got wet (maybe condensation from a drink?)

This started our laughing again and we kept laughing until our tummies hurt and we had tears running down our faces. I don’t know which is funnier, her ramming it in my face or me thinking I had a busted lip from it.

Thanks, Stacey, for letting me blog!

Peace out!

Headbands

After reading the comments on my "Famous" blog, I realized that I forgot to tell a very funny and embarrassing story that happened at the Mary Kay party. If you haven't been to a MK party before, you usually sit around a table at what would be a "station" to try out the different product. Generally, you wash your face with their product and then follow with their make-up. It is actually pretty fun if you haven't every tried it before. Anyway...the consultant gives you headbands to hold your hair back while you are testing the product....well at the end of the night, I asked her if I could keep my headband. She responded with "No, I take them home and wash them so I can reuse them." Well she said this with a smile on her face, so I thought she was joking. But she wasn't. Everyone started laughing and telling the MK lady to hurry and get the headband before I steel it and they are super cheep at Walmart.

I looked and sounded like a psycho...but she was smiling!!! How as I suppose to know she was serious?????

Word Verficiation

Have any of you noticed the word verifications that we need to type in every time we post a comment? Just recently I started paying attention to them and I feel like blogspot is trying to be funny...For instance, I just posted a comment and my verification was "gnoosh" which I think is funny when you say it.

So from now on when I leave a comment for someone I am also going to include my word verification...

Famous

Last night I attended a MaryKay party at my friend Kim Moore's home. Many of you know her as the candle lady :) There were a few PartyLite consultants there along with Kim's sister. One of the Consultants, Elaine, brought her daughter Alicia. (sorry if I spelled her name wrong). I didn't talk to Alicia that much, but I could tell that she is a fun and very nice person. She also seems to have a really good relationship with her mom which I kind of admire...anyway, I digress (I have always wanted to say since I saw Kathy Griffith's stand-up show)...and I digress again!!!!

While we were putting on our make-up Alicia asks me if I was in the video, which I didn't understand what she was talking about. Elaine said that she recognized me from the "You Dirty Rat" entry on my blog. I was so excited!!!!!!!!!!! I have been recognized from my blog, and by somebody that isn't related to me!!!!!!! Everyone said that is their favorite entry and they love my blog!!!!!!!!!

I liked Alicia before this comment, but now I feel we can be the best of friends!!!!! I don't know if Alicia will want to be best of friends, but I would like to hang out with her....Good thing Roni and David bought me those Superstar Sunglasses for my birthday. I will need them when the paparazzi start following me!!!!

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.