KISS it

I have much to say about my trip to Texas last week, but not enough time to share it at the moment. So I'll leave you with the following things I learned on vacation:

1. Children are expensive and make a lot of laundry
2. They need a new word to describe Cowboys Stadium; "gargantuan" isn't big enough
3. "Schlitterbahn" is German for "total lack of body awareness"
4. The amount of time spent waiting in line is directly proportionate to how unhappy Lonnie will get
5. When men find out you can cook, they invite themselves over for dinner
6. It takes two hours to paint four little boys' faces like KISS, and ten minutes for them to tire of it
7. Twin beds weren't meant for sleeping a deaux
8. "Despicable Me" is a great flick
9. I'm really, really glad I didn't go to medical school
10. It is possible not to check work email for four days

More later. Rest of pics are here, here, and here.

The twirl girl

Had a great time with the kids last week. Chance and Hope both won their games Thursday night, then we watched the NBA finals and I foolishly agreed to buy dinner should the Celtics lose. A 12-point swing later, I found myself driving to Taco Bell at midnight to eat tacos and crow.

Friday and Saturday brought work, meetings, a long-overdue dinner with Sorne and Vance, hanging out with my grandmother, and a very fun wedding. More on that later.

After the dance recital, Hope decided she needed "one of those stiff skirts" like the ballerinas. She loved it!



Here's to a fun birthday week!

Jesus was a chick?

Had a crazy day at work, then drove down for Taylor's baccalaureate service tonight. They had some students pray, and the girl doing the invocation said, "... most of all, we're thankful for Your Son, who was born as a woman... I mean, born from a woman..." Hahahaha! Is it irreverent to laugh out loud during a prayer?

Tomorrow I'm going to hang out with Alisa, Shauna and Amy for a bit at ATU, then head to NLR for a meeting. Hope the tornadoes stay far, far away from my hotel room tonight.

Oh, and a disclaimer about my blog: it's purely for entertainment. Most of it is accurate, but I have been known to embellish the truth a bit for both humor and story flow. So please stop taking me so seriously, k? I am my mother's daughter. If a true story is funny, adding details that didn't happen might make it funnier.

Rest of the pics from tonight are here.

Happy Mom's day!

Was looking through some photos today and found this picture. It was taken on Mother's Day in 2001, at my mom's house. Aren't they adorable?

10 years ago

Happy birthday to our Buddha Bear! He's learned to talk since then, but chooses not to most of the time. Love you, Chance!

Happy Easter!

Just returned from my great trip to Texas. The boys had so much fun, and it was great to get to spend some time with Lonnie and Jen as well.

I hope all of you had time with family yesterday and that you took a moment to remember the reason for Easter: the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. He lives!

The rest of the pics from this weekend are here.

The buzz

So proud of Taylor! The Hornets managed to pull out a win at the buzzer and will play in the state semi-finals tomorrow night. I think I screamed myself hoarse. My cousin Kendra said I jumped higher than the players when that shot went in.

Man, I have heart palpitations. Is there a defibrillator nearby?

Here's some proof that not all boys suck.

Hurricane Hope in Hackett Homecoming

Before we go any further, let's all agree that NO ONE tells my grandmother I'm staying in a hotel about a mile from her, and that I didn't take her to see my niece in homecoming. Because I'm a bad person. You solemnly swear? Ok, let's move on.

Hope carried the flowers in Hackett homecoming tonight. Isn't she gorgeous?

Lucky girl

I'm finally back in the land of the living. I exercised today for the first time in two weeks. No activity + increased caloric intake = 5 new pounds. Or 5 returning pounds. Now I have 15 to go instead of 10. Ugh.

I was so depressed this morning after stepping on the scale that I threw away the Oreos, did yoga and then walked three miles.

I threw away my fat clothes. Gaining back the weight is not an option.

Thank goodness I'm feeling like working out again since my life these days revolves around food. Ok, that's no different than usual. But I am finding it difficult to find the time to see all of my friends while I'm in Central Arkansas this week.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I'm lunching with some of my UCA friends. I'm meeting guy friends for dinner at my favorite place the next two nights. (I'm here to work... need to make that happen, too!)

Tonight I had dinner with Vickie, Brad, and the kids in Fort Smith. It was so great to see them all. I got to see Brad's crew last weekend, but I haven't seen V in a long time. (And I forgot to say so, but you look really fabulous, V!)

I stopped to see my grandmother on my way out of town, and attempted to explain to her how my cousins Carrie, Jen and I can keep up with each other without actually seeing or talking to one another. She doesn't get it. Mostly, she's just mad that I know stuff that she doesn't. Useless Facebook updates? I don't think so!

I love that my job gives me the chance to travel and see friends and family, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by trying to fit everything in. Then I feel grateful that so many people want to see me. Or at least pretend to.

Seriously, I am so very lucky. This afternoon I stopped in Van Buren to go to the bathroom and some dude stopped me and asked if I could spare a dollar so that he could buy some gas to get to Georgia. My first (smart alleck) thought was that it would take a lot more than a buck to get to Georgia, but then I felt humbled. So I took three dollars out of my $400 handbag for him.

I confess that I usually refuse to give money to people who ask for it because I'm skeptical. I assume they're too lazy to work. Or are making a lot of money from the generosity of others.

But today I started thinking about what Jesus would do. And I decided that giving isn't as much about the receiver as it is about the giver. And the spirit in which things are given. I am blessed so far beyond what I deserve. I should take the time more often to remember that, and to help others.

Heh. Consider my attitude adjusted.

Happy, happy day!

So excited about the start of football season! I had nearly given up on the 'Boys last night, but they managed to pull out the win. I'm afraid it's going to be another long season, Dallas fans.

In a few I'm headed south to pick up Chance and Hope (and maybe Taylor, if he's really, really bored) and go hang out with Jen, Lon, and Huey, Dewie and Louie. I'll spend tonight with Peep and Meem, and that's always interesting. Their house is like a zoo when we're all there. It's Beaver's birthday, so we're headed to his party at 2 p.m.

Tomorrow I'll be on Nebo with Scott, Alisa, and Grey. Not sure what we're doing since all our best laid plans got either rescheduled or are tentative due to weather. Nevertheless, I haven't seen them in months and can't wait to just chill and eat.

Have a great Labor Day weekend, everyone!

Our last Father's Day

A few weeks ago the awesome Shannon took some family photos for us. They're priceless.









I've been awake for over 21 hours, so I'm fading quickly. At this point we only know the service is Tuesday, but not sure what time. Details as I know them.

Thanks for the prayers!

Rest of the pics are here.

Best of 'Bo' Worlds

This is my niece, Hope, singing for us this weekend. Her new favorite song is "Best of 'Bo' Worlds" by Hannah Montana. No amount of talking could convince her that it was "both."

She also does a rousing rendition of "Girlfriend" by singing "I fink you meed a new one..." But she refused to do my personal favorite, "Low."

Had a great weekend with Brad and the kids. More later.

Sugar... oh, honey, honey

Taylor and Chance have planned for months to spend Spring Break with me. So I went to the world's largest retailer after church on Sunday to procure $75 of sugary snacks.

Since I'm working from home this week I discovered that my home office is way too close to the kitchen. I spent Monday afternoon chowing on cookies and Doritos and chugging Diet Coke. Taylor got a better offer last night to spend a few days with some friends in Branson, so the boys decided not to come to Siloam. I got stuck with fattening snacks.

Thankfully I had a luncheon in the Fort today, so I loaded up the honey buns, spaghettios, chocolate chip cakes, reece's puffs, ranch Doritos, trix and code red mountain dew and took them to Brad's. An empty pantry equals an easy diet.

Tomorrow is day two of working from home, but without the distracting snacks.

The most exciting part of my day? I found an awesome pink polka dot ironing board cover at JT Maxx. Every chick needs one of those, right?

25 Things...

Several people have tagged me on Facebook to do this list, but I thought I'd post it here instead.

25 Random Things You May or May Not Know about Me

1. I love to play "Rock Band" with my nephews and can score a perfect 100% singing "Wanted Dead or Alive." I'm that good.
2. I am obsessed with celebrities and talk about their lives like I know them personally. I subscribe to both "People" and "Us Weekly" so that I can keep up with how many kids Brangelina have this week.
3. I once ate an entire box of Krispy Kreme donuts in two days. By myself.
4. When I look in the mirror after a shower and see the hail damage on my thighs, it makes me want to throw up.
5. I would have married 5 or so of my ex-boyfriends if they would've asked. Thankfully God protects the stupid from themselves.
6. When I got my first portable cell phone, I talked to my mom and my niece every day after work. I really, really miss talking to both of them.
7. My musical taste is so varied that I have everything from Miley Cyrus to Ozzy Osborne to George Jones on my iPod.
8. I love to read. I own hundreds of books and re-read books all the time. Not the classics... romance novels.
9. I watch way too much TV. I own two DVRs and have 29 shows on my series record list.
10. I cannot get a pedicure or go to the doctor without first shaving my legs.
11. I drove the getaway car in college for what could be legally construed as criminal mischief.
12. There are 5,172 songs in my iTunes library.
13. I used to have a crush on my friend the lawyer, but I'm kinda over it. And I realize he wasn't that good of a friend.
14. I never thought I'd be 36 and unmarried, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be.
15. If I had my life to live over again, I would have chosen a career as a sideline reporter for the NFL.
16. I need to buy new pants because mine are too big and that makes me really, really happy.
17. They posted and mailed my diploma before I rewrote my master's thesis, so I never fixed it or put a copy in the library.
18. I drink way too much Diet Coke... 8-12 cans a day most days.
19. I can watch football non-stop for days on end, but I don't like baseball at all. Or pro basketball.
20. I don't like Oprah. Or any of the books she recommends.
21. I have never owned a car for more than four years with the exception of my last vehicle, the TrailBlazer that I had for 5.5 years. (which is why)
22. There have only been six months in the past 20 years that I, or my parents, didn't have a car payment on my vehicle.
23. My three dream dinner guests, living or dead, are George Bush (#41), Tom Brady, and the Apostle Paul.
24. I am a very good cook, working my way to great.
25. I own every episode of "Friends" on DVD and I kick butt on the trivia game.

I'm not tagging any of you, but feel free to post your list on your blog... or on mine.

Stay warm, peeps!

Weekend update

At least one person has been waiting for me to post (thank you, Debbie), but I've been out of town since Wednesday, staying in hotels and with family, eating out and in my car, and driving. And driving some more. I filled up my car three days in a row.

Last week I momentarily considered renting out my extra room as a bed and breakfast. Granted, a Diet Coke is considered breakfast in my world, but still... I paid 120 bucks for a hotel room on Wednesday night in NLR that was less than luxurious. My guest bed is more comfortable than a hotel's. My towels less scratchy. I could totally slam some doors in the middle of the night and turn the TV up loudly, so I think it could work.

On Thursday night I checked into the other end of the spectrum... the Hilton at Branson Landing. Thankfully it's off-season and I got a great room rate, but it was one of the nicest rooms I've seen in quite a while. Too bad I was there a mere 10 hours. Upon arrival, the desk clerk asked me if I wanted self-parking for $8 or valet for $12. HELLO... it's 9 degrees outside and I'm a pretty, pretty princess, so what do you think I chose?!? I think the valet was in keeping with the comfortable bed, flat screen TV and fabulous tub. The couple yelling next door? Not so great.

After a productive meeting and lunch at Macaroni Grill (yum!), I attended the big Hartford vs. Hackett game Friday night, and it was painful. Let's just say the mercy rule was enforced during the fourth quarter. Good for Taylor, bad for my alma mater.

I was so tired that I slept until 10 a.m. on Saturday, then Taylor and I went to see Chance play basketball in the afternoon. Chance had 20 points (AKA 75% of the team total) and got the offensive award for the day. He really, really wants the ball... so much so that he follows his teammates around while they dribble and yells for them to throw it to him. If he could pass it to himself, he would.

Brad and I went out to dinner last night, then I drove back to Siloam. Today I've just been doing laundry, taking naps, and catching up on my DVR. Thankfully there's no travel this week, and it will be great to get back to my routine. I haven't been on the treadmill since Wednesday and I can feel my rear end getting bigger.

Double the fun

Since Hope's birthday was Tuesday and Dad's is today, we celebrated both of them today with a joint party at my house. We had standard New Year's fare: pinto beans, fried potatoes, cornbread, dumplings and mac and cheese... yes, we ate from the beige food group. I guess the food was okay; Taylor ate three helpings of dumplings, so it was worth the sweat and tears to make them.

Here are some pics from today.













Chance tried to run on my treadmill in socks and jeans at 8 mph and fell off. His pride hurt worse than his elbow.

Wonderful Christmastime

Some pics from this week:

Chance



Hope got lots of makeup



Taylor and me on Christmas Eve



Dad, Taylor, Hope, Brad, Chance and me



Mason and Isaac on Christmas morning



Jen and me on Christmas day



Taylor, Brad and me



Peyton taking his Christmas nap

Countdown to Monday

Another weekend has come and gone. Thankfully I have a mere 40 hours to work before nine blessed days of vacation. Hopefully Jen can perform an extraction of my Blackberry when I'm in Texas so I won't check my e-mail incessantly. I have a serious problem with that thing.

The other good news? No traveling this week, unless you count Rogers. But I don't, because I spend more time there than I do in Siloam most weeks.

On Friday I met with a loan officer and then made an offer on my house. The bank has until 5 p.m. tomorrow to respond (it's in foreclosure, and I offered $27K less than it was listed for a year ago), so my fingers are crossed. My mortgage would be about the same as my rent has been, and I won't have to move. I'm sure the roof will blow off or a toilet will explore mere moments after signing on the dotted line, but oh the joy of taking the interest off my taxes and not watching my hard-earned money (okay, my money) being flushed down the toilet every month in rent for five more years.

After a marathon work lunch, I headed south to meet Paige and we went to the Miss UCA pageant to cheer on our friend Erin. She was the interview winner and third runner-up.

Taylor had a game in Fort Smith Saturday morning, so Eck and I went to watch. They have a great team, and it was fun to see Hope and Chance, too. Hope was in an especially good mood and was generous with the hugs and kisses and declarations of love. Not quite sure what that was about.

Five days. 40 hours. Then sweet freedom.

Bring on Turkey Day!

The flyin', the witch and the whatever

Belated Halloween greetings from my awesomely cute niece and nephew, Chance and Hope. Oh, and my brother's not too ugly, either.

(Thanks to Dad for sending the pics!) Can you believe how much they've grown?

Like putting lipstick on a kid

Having come from humble beginnings, sometimes I marvel at my good fortune. But I also worry that I will, at some point, start to take my life for granted. I'm sure that Donald Trump thinks of new towers as "just another building," and Paris Hilton must grow weary of the paparazzi, but I still feel like Alice down the rabbit hole a lot of the time.

Today I had sushi with my pal Ashley for lunch, went to get a pedi (black... isn't that fun?), and then drove down to Mount Magazine for my conference. I checked into my king suite with the spacious views of the valley below from my balcony (see previous post). After tonight's dinner meeting, I got to visit with my BFF Alisa, then I languished alone in a whirlpool tub built for two. Obviously my life isn't perfect, but it's pretty amazing.

Seriously, when did I become such a brat? I don't even feel guilty. Well, not really.

I'm also grateful that I got to see a lot of my family earlier this week. Monday night I met my dad and the kids at Chance's baseball game. They lost, but then we went to McDonald's and he got over it pretty quickly. Hope found the lipstick in my purse, so she was looking pretty cute.