Just Bailey and me

Daily Challenge 2/25/11

2011-02-25T23:28:00.003-06:00

Holy toledo it's been a long time since I've blogged. I've been trying to upload a video for the past three days and haven't had any success. So, in the meantime I thought I'd post a picture of today's Daily Ch allenge. Today's challenge was to draw a floor plan of your house from memory and identify the fire exits. So here's my very-professional drawing of my house with the windows and doors labeled. I swear I must have been an architect in a past life. That or I've truly missed my calling.

New Year, Same Me

2011-01-21T23:55:00.004-06:00

Yeah so it's a new year. 2011 and all. But, apparently I'm still the same me. Darn. Remember when I was exercising and eating healthy and blogging and being a responsible adult? Hmm...damn. It was fun while it lasted I guess. For the past three months or so I've really been slacking again. I'm not sure why. I guess my depression just starts getting the best of me. I'll go into more details later (well, I have intentions to, but you know how that goes), but I just wanted to post to let all my readers (all 0.01 of you) know that I'm still here, just in one of those "phases." I do have some good news though that I'll talk more about later as well: Andrew and I joined Snap Fitness 24-7, a 24-hour gym. It's just one of those one-room gyms, but it has really nice equipment. Plus, it's literally a five minute walk from Andrew's apartment. We've already gone 5-6 times and we just joined last week. I really think this is a great jump-start for us, and I hope it gets me out of my funk. I'll blog more later! Yay! I finally did a blog post again! Woo-hoo! I rock! I'm awesome! I rule! (hey a little positive self-talk never hurt anyone)

Kerry's Brilliant Idea

2011-01-04T21:12:00.002-06:00

So yesterday I had a brilliant idea; a way to get more cardio exercise into my day without taking up so much time after work. I absolutely abhor ("abhor" implies much more than "hate" I think) getting up early. I get up at 7:00 a.m. for work (okay, more like 7:06 if you must know), but I have these moments of thinking, "I'll just get up a little bit earlier and workout before I get ready for work." I'll even set my alarm early, wear my workout clothes to bed and all. Then the alarm goes off and I want to cry...so I hit snooze...or re-set it for the regular time. Well, the other morning I woke up at about 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep right away. I didn't even feel all that tired. I thought to myself, "Hey! I could totally get up right now and do one of SparkPeople's 10-minute cardio workouts and then go back to bed for a couple of hours!" And then I promptly fell back asleep. Well, I thought about that all day and decided I was going to try it! I could get up at 4:30 or 5:00, workout for ten minutes or so and then go back to bed. Then I'd only have 20-30 minutes of cardio left to do after work. It was a brilliant idea (hence the title of this post)! I know what you're thinking, "Oh, but Kerry; it's not a good idea to workout and then try to sleep. Exercising in the evening can make falling asleep difficult." But, trust me. Falling asleep has never been much of a problem for me so I wasn't worried about being able to fall back asleep at 5:00 a.m. So last night I set my alarm for 4:41 a.m. I wore my sports bra and workout pants to bed, I set my laptop up in the workout room so I could access it quickly and went to bed. Fast forward to 4:33 a.m. I woke up before my alarm went off. Checked the clock. Chuckled to myself. Re-set my alarm for 7:00 a.m. Turned over and went back to sleep.

So, that was my brilliant idea. Smart right?

Share five things on your bucket list

2011-01-03T20:47:00.003-06:00

Today's Daily Challenge is to share five things you want to do before you croak. I'm fairly certain I've done a post like this in the past, but oh well. Some of these things I've already done, but that makes it an easier bucket list to finish!

1. Go to Europe: I've been there four times, but I haven't been since 2003, so I'm really aching to go back. 2012 is the golden year. It's London or BUST!

2. Go skydiving: I went skydiving in August 2008 and it was awesome. I want to go again, but go higher up next time so the free-fall lasts longer. That was definitely the best part.

3. Learn a martial art: I don't know which one, but I want to learn how to be able to kick someone's ass with my pinky finger. Oh and learn how to be zen and all that.

4. Drive a car really fast: I'm not sure how I'm going to accomplish this one since I'm too chicken to speed too much. I doubt I've driven over 90 mph and that was probably just for a few seconds. I'm either going to have to drive on the Autobahn or drive a car on a racetrack. Either way I've got the need for speed!

5. Get married and have six kids: Ha! Just kidding. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Niko found the toilet paper

2010-12-31T17:57:00.000-06:00

Modern Art

2010-12-30T21:39:00.008-06:00

I created a piece of art today. I'm thinking about submitting it to a modern art museum and retiring early.

POTENTIAL

Boyfriend's Version of Stand-Up

2010-12-29T20:12:00.002-06:00

Here's Boyfriend's contribution to my "Eight Days of Blogging." He's all the time cracking himself up with jokes. Fair warning: some of these are pretty offensive.

1. What do you tell a woman with two black eyes? Nothing, you already told her twice.

2. How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb? That's not funny!

3. What's better: a picture of Jesus or the real thing? A picture because it takes only one nail to hang up. (see I told you)

4. Why don't women wear watches? Because there's a clock on the stove.

5. What's big and green and if it falls out of a tree it'll kill you? A pool table.

6. A guy walks up to a mailbox.

7. What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor? "Where's my tractor?"

8. What's the last thing you want to hear at a gay bar? "Can I push your stool in?"

9. Why do so many black men die in wars? Because when their commander yells "Get down!" they all just start dancin'.

10. What do you get if you cross a chicken with a donkey? It's a CHONKEY!

Share a Favorite Memory From 2010

2010-12-28T21:27:00.002-06:00

Today's Daily Challenge is to share a favorite memory from this year. The idea behind it is that remembering pleasant memories is good for your emotional health. I imagine I don't do this nearly often enough since I had an initial moment of "I can't think of a single pleasant moment!" Then I realized that although I may not have a lot of "big" moments I do have tons of "little" moments that are still pretty darn cool.

My favorite memories of 2010:

1. seeing Star Wars in Concert
2. waking up in the middle of the night to a dog sleeping with her head on my pillow
3. waking up in the middle of the night to a kitten sleeping on my head on my pillow
4. spending time with Jodi and Olivia
5. painting a "masterpiece" at Paint the Towne with some really awesome gal pals
6. spontaneously going to K.C. with Andrew for the weekend to eat at The Melting Pot
7. going shopping at Kohl's with my mom
8. spending time with my family in Texas for my grandpa's birthday
9. getting back into my "skinny jeans"
10. playing Wii Tennis with my parents and brother
11. getting to know my co-workers better
12. adopting Jasper, the hamster
13. buying new shoes
14. watching the new Harry Potter movie
15. reading lots of good books
16. buying my new Camaro
17. driving my new Camaro
18. taking Maddie and Bailey to the park
19. sleeping in on weekends
20. going to the zoo

I'm sure I could come up with more, but I need to go to bed and do one of my favorite things: sleep!

Who says it's not a choice?

2010-12-27T21:35:00.000-06:00

Niko Sits

2010-12-26T17:41:00.003-06:00

Niko sits on demand for canned food. Here's a video to prove it and to show how Niko's humans confuse him unnecessarily.

My Favorite Christmas Movies

2010-12-25T18:43:00.001-06:00

To get into the holiday spirit (since I really haven't felt it much this year) I thought I'd make a list of my top six Christmas movies. Yes, top six. Not five, not seven. Six.

Number 6: Scrooged

This is the parody of "A Christmas Carol" starring Bill Murray. It makes my list because Bill Murray is a hoot, and I like the scary "Ghost of Christmas-Yet-To-Come." Oh and the dead guy.

Number 5: Home Alone

This movie would likely annoy me now if I watched it, but when it came out in 1990 it was a really clever and funny movie. Plus, I really love the version of "O Holy Night" that is sung by the choir in the scene with the church and whatnot.

Number 4: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How can you not like this one? I especially like it because I'm a bit of a Grinch myself sometimes, plus the dog is so adorable. Remember the part when the sled gets going too fast and Max ends up riding on the back of it and waves at the Grinch? Love it!

Number 3: Die Hard

What you didn't know this is a Christmas movie? Uh, it totally is! The bad guys interrupt a company Christmas party remember? This movie makes the list because it totally kicks ass! Yippee-ki-yay mother f@cker.

Number 2: A Christmas Carol /Scrooge

This story has been made and re-made at least a billion times (seriously a billion, look it up). I have two versions that I like the most: "A Christmas Carol" with George C. Scott made in 1984 and "Scrooge" with Alastair Sim made in 1951. I watched these versions almost every year growing up.

Number 1: Love Actually

I pretty much love this movie actually. I love the soundtrack, I love the humor and I love the stories. This is a really awesome movie with a pretty cool message if you pay attention. My favorite story lines are Colin Firth's and Hugh Grant's. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Merry Christmas 2010! Perhaps next year I will not be such a humbug and get my shopping done sooner than the day before Christmas Eve. Maybe I'll put up a Christmas tree, send out Christmas cards and actually get into the spirit. Or not.

Eight Days of Blogging

2010-12-24T00:08:00.003-06:00

Instead of the Twelve Days of Christmas, it's the Eight Days of Blogging. I'm going to write a blog post every day for the rest of the year. Er...well, at least that's the plan. So, keep checking in every day until next year for new, exciting, riveting, informative, awesome blog posts! Yay! I totally rock!

And just to get you excited here's some random pictures.

Niko being a cutie

Heather and I with some random dude out and about for an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party

Me in my office at work today

Construction Confusion

2010-12-19T19:49:00.002-06:00

Do you see what I see? The "One Way" signs are pointing in opposite directions on the same one-lane street. Hmm...which way do I go?

Cousin Time

2010-12-17T23:22:00.002-06:00

My cousin Wendy was in town for Thanksgiving and so was my brother. We went out with Wendy's cousin Adrienne (who might as well be Josh's and my cousin also) for a few drinks...which ended up being more than a few. It was pretty fun.

Adrienne and Wendy at the dinky bar we ended up at.

Wendy drinking one of many

Wendy, me and Josh at da bar.

So colorful!

Okay seriously. Both of them texting. I swear I never even looked at my phone the entire night and these two were texting fools (especially Wendy).

I'm so thankful that my cousins, brother and I have such close relationships. No matter how long it's been since we've seen each other we can always have a great time together.

Brag on Yourself

2010-12-14T20:01:00.003-06:00

Today's Daily Challenge is to write down three things you've done successfully recently and give yourself a pat on the back for the accomplishments. It can be a goal you've reached or a contribution you made. I'm not very good at thinking highly of myself, but here are my three recent accomplishments:

1. I've lost over 20 pounds since June 2010. Until June I really thought I was going to stay chunky and lazy for the rest of my life. Then something kicked me in the butt and I decided I would NOT let me do that to myself. I joined SparkPeople.com, starting eating right and began daily cardio exercise by simply walking. I walked everywhere in Derby or Park City for several weeks. Then, I started adding workout DVDs into the mix, like TurboJam and Biggest Loser. I recently started majorly slacking and gained back a few pounds (I think), but I'm kicking it into gear again. I want to stay active and I want to keep feeling good in my own skin. It had been awhile since I've done that.

2. This one isn't an accomplishment as much as a contribution: I adopted a hamster from the Kansas Humane Society in October and then talked Andrew into adopting a kitten from there in November. Jasper, the hamster, has his forever home in a large aquarium cage in the computer room. He exercises daily on his wheel, has a nice cozy nest in his purple house and is fed endless supplies of hamster food, seeds, milkbones (yes, hamsters like milkbones) and fresh fruits and veggies. Niko, Andrew's kitten (and mine!), is now a 13-week-old black cat who loves to play with his toys, take naps on his kitty condo in front of the window and snuggle up to his humans at all hours of the night. The next big step will be to get him and Bailey together...cross your fingers for that one.aZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz (that was from Niko)

3. I'm reading. This sounds ridiculous, I know. But, how much I'm reading is a good indicator of how well my depression/anxiety is being controlled. When I'm suffering from depression I don't read. I love reading so it's a pretty good motivator for me to keep my depression in check. I've already read two books this month: a quick read from Dean Koontz and a Sci-Fi novel that was really good. I think I'm going to go to Barnes & Noble tomorrow at lunch to get the sequel. I read all kinds of genres: Sci-Fi, historical fiction, thrillers, mysteries, etc. I've read all the Harry Potters at least twice, the Twilight series twice, Ken Follet's historical novels, the Clan of the Cave Bear series (twice), most of Jodi Picoult's, Ursula Hegi's and Alice Hoffman's books and a bazillion other books. Without reading I don't think I'd be me.

Talking Kitty

2010-12-13T19:44:00.001-06:00

Today's Challenge is to "Laugh out loud". Laughter being the best medicine and all, I suppose laughing is good for reducing stress and increasing general well-being. This video seriously cracked me up. The cat looks like Niko so I can really see him saying stuff like this when I tell him he gets to meet his half-sister: Bailey, the 65-pound brown lab mix.

Create an Emergency Snack Kit

2010-12-12T19:25:00.004-06:00

Today's Daily Challenge is to create a snack kit so you avoid vending machines or fast food. Every since starting SparkPeople in late June I've done pretty well with this. I almost always have healthy snacks at work: low fat string cheese, bananas, grapes, baby carrots, yogurt and 100 calorie Deli Flats with Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese wedges. Lately I've been giving in to munching on all the food that co-workers keep bringing in for the holidays. Darn. I used to be able to resist. Well, at least I'm exercising regularly again so hopefully I'll be able to maintain my weight over the holidays. We shall see...

Encourage a woman you know to get a checkup (or get one yourself)

2010-12-11T21:22:00.003-06:00

Today's Daily Challenge is to get a checkup at the doctor or to encourage someone you know to do so. I do this every year in March since my insurance covers a wellness exam annually. They're not my favorite thing to do as most women would agree, but a necessary evil. And, those exams can save your life. My aunt discovered a lump in her breast at one such exam. It was breast cancer, but they caught it very early. She decided to have a double mastectomy in order to prevent any recurrence. Had she not caught the lump who knows what could have happened? I'm very thankful she was good about getting checked out yearly.

Daily Challenge

2010-12-10T21:59:00.004-06:00

As if I don't already have enough things that I neglect, I've decided to participate in the Daily Challenge, a website that encourages you to engage in healthy habits and increase your well-being. I figured it would go along pretty well with my SparkPeople activities. For example, today's challenge was to find a picture that represents one of your physical fitness goals. It could be a picture of anything that represents a goal: a marathon runner, a hiking boot, a body builder, etc. I chose an old picture of myself taken in 2003 maybe? I was in Kansas City watching my boyfriend at the time participate in a triathlon. I had been working out a lot, but hadn't really noticed how toned I was until I saw this picture and was shocked to see abdominal definition. My goal? Get those damn abs back!

"Get your ass back on track"

2010-12-06T21:02:00.003-06:00

If this blog is any indication of how much I've been slacking lately then I've been slacking for quite some time. Less blog posts, less exercise, more calories eaten, more selfishness, irresponsibility...yeah that's been me lately. I've been feeling pretty great since late June 2010 when I started losing weight and treating myself right. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Well, hopefully just on hold. Today I started "Get your ass back on track" and plan to get back into my healthy eating and exercise habits. Day 1 was a success. I've resisted eating ice cream...even as Andrew eats a Braum's brownie fudge sundae in front of me.

I'll end with this picture of Niko just because it's cute.

Monet, Schmonet. He ain't got nothin' on me.

2010-11-26T19:04:00.004-06:00

I've always been an excellent artist. I mean, Monet is an amateur compared to me. Oh hell. I can't even joke about that convincingly. My artistic ability is pretty much nil. But, a girls' night out to drink wine and paint a pretty cool painting? Hey, why not?

I went with Jodi, Shelley, Laura and Kim to Paint the Towne on Tuesday. We had registered for a private party so it was just us, two bottles of wine and our creativity.

A work in progress

My finished product

The instructor's finished product

We did it!
Me, Laura, Jodi, Shelley and Kim

Sagging is cool.

2010-11-21T13:21:00.000-06:00

Measure Twice, Cut Once

2010-11-15T20:37:00.002-06:00

If being a homeowner taught me one thing, it would be to make sure your vehicle is big enough to transport your Home Depot goods.

Hmm...I think we're going to need a bigger Jeep.

Meet Niko

2010-11-14T14:23:00.007-06:00

I now have four babies. Maddie (who's technically my parents' dog), Bailey (my favorite-ist chocolate lab mix in the entire world), Jasper (my littlest guy the hamster) and now...Niko, the kitten. He's a 9-week-old cat that Andrew adopted yesterday from the Kansas Humane Society. He is adorable. One of my co-workers fostered him for about a month and knew that Andrew had a black cat named Simon who died a couple of years ago and thought he might be ready for a new love. Well, he wasn't. But, I can be pretty persuasive when I have to be. Okay, and so can a cute, little, black kitty who purrs constantly and immediately snuggles up to you the first time he meets you. Andrew's face lit up when he met him on Friday. He took a night to think about it, and we picked Niko up on Saturday. Granted, his name was Aki at that time. Andrew was going to keep his name, but then spontaneously changed it to Niko after we called him Aki for several hours. Oh well, he's young and will learn his new name.

He was a bit timid at first and hid under the bed for awhile, but he soon started making himself at home.

He really likes his kitty castle. We placed it by the window and he already enjoys sitting there and looking out the window.

As an owner of dogs all my life and never a cat, I was very impressed with how it seems cats are automatically litterbox-trained from the start. Very nice! Every time Niko uses his he darts out as fast as he can once he's done covering up his business. I don't blame him: it's a pretty stinky business.

Already playing video games with dad. Oh what a pair they will be.

Having a Ball

2010-11-12T22:48:00.003-06:00

Hamsters in balls. Very cute. This is Jasper's first experience in a ball. I'd say he had a ball, except that would be too punny. So I'll say he had a good time instead. Bailey likes to watch hamsters in balls. Would probably like to toss it around a bit too, but she's a good girl and listens when she's told "no". So, don't worry. Jasper was perfectly safe in his ball. I tried to upload a video, but videos haven't been working for me on Blogger forever so I don't know what's going on...

Updated: Well, whataya know. The video is working.

Still Alive

2010-11-11T18:04:00.002-06:00

Yes, I'm still alive. I just haven't had access to internet lately (except at work and I obviously can't blog at work). Why haven't I had access to internet you ask? Because, I've been staying with Andrew. And Andrew doesn't have internet yet...in his new apartment! Yep. He finally did it. It's a really nice one-bedroom apartment on the top floor with vaulted ceilings and a pretty spacious balcony. It's really cozy. He's getting cable and internet this weekend, so my exile from Facebook and the blogging world will end soon. I'm at home today since I missed Bailey so much. Once Andrew gets used to his apartment I won't be staying there all the time though. I haven't taken any pictures of it yet so I'll do that soon and post a few.

I don't have much of an update on the weight loss front. I've been slacking quite a bit lately so I wouldn't be surprised if I've gained a couple of pounds back, but I'm too chicken to check. It just seems like I've been hungrier lately...and lazier. Hopefully I will get back on track again soon.

Speaking of hunger...it's dinnertime!

A Wedding

2010-10-31T19:35:00.004-05:00

One of my co-workers, Kelsey, got married on Saturday. I would have gone even if I hadn't lost over 20 pounds, but I was much more excited about dressing up since I have! Andrew came with me (and didn't even gripe too much about it!) and several other co-workers came too. We all had a really good time.

Prior to the wedding-the hair already wasn't curled...

Andrew being...well, Andrew.

The Bride and her dad (blurry, I know, but I didn't want to have the flash on)

The First Dance

Stephanie, Me, Julie, Kelsey and Shea

You know I've had a few drinks when you see me on a dance floor

Hmm...we didn't even get a good one of us together

It looks like my head is growing out of his shoulder

Down, down, down

2010-10-27T20:41:00.002-05:00

I'm now down about 24 pounds! I've actually been in bit of a rut lately...or so I thought. But, I still lost a little over a pound over the past nine days. Considering I've been eating a bit more than usual, hopefully this means my metabolism has sped up from all the exercising. Faster metabolism equals Kerry gets to eat more. Yay!

Meet Jasper

2010-10-23T00:08:00.004-05:00

Meet the newest addition to my family! Jasper is a (n approximately 2 month old) hamster that I adopted from the Kansas Humane Society. I went to the Splurge! party tonight; their goal is to adopt out 200 animals this weekend. Little ole Jasper counts! I knew I wanted another hamster even though the loss of little Tucker was very sad. I figured I would never buy a dog from anywhere other than a Shelter so why not adopt my hamster from a Shelter as well? He's currently getting used to his new home and is at this moment sleeping in a corner of his cage with no nest and not in his little shelter. I figure by tomorrow night he'll figure out he can actually make a nest. The Kansas Humane Society is in a contest to win a $100,000 grant. Go here to vote for us: votetosavelives.org. You have to enter your email address, but so far as I can tell you only have to do that to verify you're a real person. The only emails I've gotten is the one verifying your address and to remind you to vote. So, help the Kansas Humane Society become a no-kill shelter and vote so they can win the money. They're currently in second place!

Update: I just voted again (you can vote once a day) and KS is in first place now!!!

In Bailey's Opinion

2010-10-18T21:09:00.007-05:00

Bailey has some pretty strong opinions about certain things. For instance, Dingos? Good.

Organic dog treats, Milkbones and most other dog treats? Not so good.

Getting her ears scratched? Heaven. Getting her floppy ears cleaned out? Very bad.

Being able to sleep on the furniture? Good. Having to sleep on the floor? Bad.

Going for walks, getting her belly scratched, going to the park, licking the ice cream bowl and suntanning on the patio? All good.

Taking baths, getting her nails clipped, wearing a head harness on walks and having to "stay" when she really doesn't want to? Not the greatest.

Getting to cuddle with her momma? The best.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2010-10-14T21:04:00.003-05:00

"When she wasn't sleeping already she lay in the shade and waited for sleep to return. In slumber everything was as it had once been, when they were whole and he ran beside her, pink and small-limbed and clumsy...no search for him was necessary. In her dreams, he was there, always...not so in the waking world, which held nothing but an endless search."

I hate crying, especially at work. But, this book is so good. The quote above is the beginning of the chapter that had my mascara running by the end of it. "She" is Almondine, Edgar's dog. Almondine looks for Edgar every day for weeks, ever since he ran away from home (it's a long story, one that is definitely worth the read). The author is just so good at describing the special relationship between Edgar and Almondine that you can't help but be devastated at how much the dog misses her boy. I won't spoil the story (I've still got a ways to go myself-about 100 pages left), but I know for sure that I haven't spilled my last tear over this book yet.

"She stood broadside in the gravel and turned her head and asked her question. Asked if it had seen her boy. Her essence. Her soul. But if the traveler understood, it showed no sign."

Zoo

2010-10-09T21:43:00.004-05:00

Andrew and I went to the zoo today. We didn't stay as long as we probably would have if it wasn't 10,000 degrees out...in OCTOBER! We got to the petting zoo as the various cattle and horses were eating. You could reach out and touch them, except you can't...'cause they bite. Of course, that's never stopped me before, but Andrew wouldn't let me. Damn. I did get to pet a tiger. Too bad it was made of metal...

This guy cracked us up. He just laid there chillin'. I swear he would talk with a Jamaican accent. You know, if animals talked.

The "too small" stack

2010-10-06T21:46:00.002-05:00

I may have mentioned this before, but I have four sizes of pants. My weight doesn't really fluctuate that often, but I've just kept a lot of pants. I went to get dressed for work this morning, planning on wearing my black pinstriped pants...the ones that fit (although a bit loose) the last time I wore them. They were way too baggy! So, I went to my stack of pants that are still too small and grabbed the black pinstriped pants off the stack. And...they fit! Check out the size:

Happy Birthday Boyfriend!

2010-10-03T20:32:00.004-05:00

A couple of my favorite pictures of my favorite boyfriend who turns 32 today. Happy Birthday Andrew! You're the bestest (sometimes). Hehe.

My Last Day and Other Musings

2010-09-30T21:04:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is my last day at work...okay, not really. But, it is my last day working half of the week at Juvenile and half of the week at Adult Probation, something I've been doing since May. I'm pretty pumped about it; working two jobs, having two offices, working two case loads, etc. has been pretty tiring. I actually didn't mind doing something different for awhile, but being back full-time at my "real job" will be nice.

I'm still going pretty strong on the healthy living thing, although it has been a bit harder the last few days to avoid wanting to snack. It might be because I might not be eating enough calories anymore since my metabolism has probably sped up some due to exercise. I'll probably start eating larger meals to see if that helps reduce my cravings and increase my energy level. It's been a bit of an effort to get my cardio done lately too. I really don't want to burn myself out so I'm going to try not to stress too much about it if I miss a day or two here and there.

I have a busy weekend ahead. Saturday is Woofstock, which I want to take Bailey to. It's always fun to see all the dogs. I wish Bailey was better behaved on a leash, but that's my fault for never really training her correctly. I need the Dog Whisperer! She just pulls constantly, even with a head harness.

I also have a funeral on Saturday. My mom's co-worker's step-dad passed away on Sunday. I've known Nikki for a long time and actually had her step-dad as my biology professor in college. She was very close to Dr. Fox and is taking his death pretty hard.

After the funeral, Andrew and I will likely be going to sign a lease for Andrew's APARTMENT! He says he's finally going to move out of his mother's house. Long story short, he's been staying with me for over a month after he and his mom got into a(nother) huge fight. If all goes well, he will be living at The Villas of Waterford in Wichita. They're almost brand-new apartments located right off of Rock Road on 29th Street. I think he's pretty excited, but not looking forward to "breaking up" with his mother...tomorrow.

Andrew's birthday is this weekend too, and his horrible girlfriend hasn't even gotten him one present yet. So, I will also be shopping this weekend for presents. I haven't even thought about what I want to get him yet. Maybe I should get him a modeling contract...

Remembering Logan

2010-09-28T20:15:00.002-05:00

My friends Jodi and Ryan have a son. His name is Logan William. Today he would have been 3 years, 1 month and 1 day old. However, Logan is not here on Earth with his parents and his big sister Olivia. Logan is in a better place, a happier place, and he is waiting for his family to join him some day. His family prayed desperately for Logan to stay here with them, but he was too little and too sick. Three years ago today, Logan went to his eternal home. His parents, his sister, the rest of his family and those of us who never even met him, love him and will never forget him.

Weight Loss Update

2010-09-27T21:58:00.002-05:00

Well, it's time for bed, and I don't have any brilliant ideas for a post, so I'll just update my weight loss. I'm down about 18.5 pounds and two sizes. I'm pretty satisfied with my weight, but I still have some toning up to do. I want to lose about five more pounds (isn't it always "five more"?!) and maybe tone up enough to go down one more size in pants, but I'm okay with the size I'm in now, I just want to tone up. Hmm...didn't I just say that? Anyway, tonight was a test of my willpower because I really wanted to munch all night long. I wasn't hungry, but I really wanted to eat! Watching Man v. Food didn't help matters!

Eater's Remorse

2010-09-22T20:26:00.002-05:00

I wanted to eat out for dinner tonight for some reason. Andrew and I ate at Hamburger Heroes; I got a cheeseburger and fries (really greasy fries). It was really good...while I was eating it. However, eater's remorse quickly set in. I got too full and I feel really guilty for eating so much. I've burned more calories than I've consumed pretty much every day for three months so knowing that I'm guaranteed to gain a little bit of weight just from pigging out on a cheeseburger is pretty sucky (yes, 'sucky' is a word). I know I'm not always going to be able to eat less than I burn, and I will have to get over the guilty feeling, but right now I'm feeling pretty disgusting. Ugh.

Some before and now pics

2010-09-21T21:24:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures of me prior to dieting and exercising.

May 2009

September 2009

April 2010

Here are some of the pictures we took this weekend. I don't think any of the above pictures show me at my heaviest. The pictures below are me about 18 pounds lighter since late June 2010. Yay!

Dinner Tonight

2010-09-18T23:01:00.000-05:00

Andrew took me to Jason's Deli tonight for dinner. We think taking pictures of our food is fun; yes, we're odd. I had the salad bar (go me!) and Andrew had a turkey sandwich. It was really good. Jason's Deli is a pretty healthy option for dieters wanting to eat out. No high fructose corn syrup, no trans fat, lots of organic vegetables, etc. Plus, their website has all the nutritional information for their menu items. Oh and they have free ice cream, although come to think of it, that's not the best idea for someone on a diet. :0)

Andrew took some pictures of me to show how much weight I've lost. I'll post those later. I've lost about 16 pounds since starting SparkPeople at the end of June. I know I look thinner, but I still hate pictures of myself. I'm always so awkward in them. Ugh. I want to lose about 8-12 more pounds. I'm not exactly sure what I want my goal weight to be so I'm just going to stop losing when it feels right. I don't want to lose all of my boobs...hehe.

Kerry, is that you?

2010-09-16T21:24:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd share some of the changes I've made over the past three months.

Here's a typical work day for me three months ago:

1. Get up at 7:00 (after pushing snooze 4-5 times)
2. Go to QT for breakfast (chocolate-covered donut and diet soda)
3. Work until lunch time (maybe drink another diet soda before lunch)
4. Go to lunch (one of any number of fast food restaurants-McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc.)
5. Work until 5:00
6. Go home or to Andrew's (if at Andrew's I'd play video games on my XBox or play on my laptop)
7. Eat dinner (if at Andrew's it would be take-out from a restaurant, pizza or fast food)
8. Watch TV, lay in bed and watch a movie.

Here's a typical weekend day for me three months ago:

1. Wake up at 11:00-11:30 (or later)
2. Eat breakfast/lunch (if at Andrew's probably fast food or maybe just cereal and then lunch later)
3. Play video games, play on my laptop, watch TV or something equally sedentary
4. Eat dinner (maybe healthier if my mom cooks, but if at Andrew's...you get the picture)
5. Watch a movie
6. Go to bed.

So, no physical exercise, very little water, no fruits, no vegetables (worth counting anyway), no social interaction.

Three months later:

Here's a typical work day for me:

1. Get up at 7:00 (after pushing snooze only twice)
2. Eat breakfast at work (yogurt and a piece of fruit and water)
3. Work until I get hungry and then eat a snack (carrots, more fruit, low fat string cheese, etc)
4. Work until lunch (drinking water the whole day)
5. Eat lunch (diet frozen dinner with at least one serving of vegetables, leftovers from dinner, soup, sandwich on 100 calorie deli flat, etc)
6. Work until I get hungry and then eat a snack (same choices as before)
7. Work until 5:00
8. Go home and exercise (walk outside, treadmill, Turbo Jam, other workout DVD, Wii Sports, dumbbells)
9. Eat dinner (grilled chicken, vegetables, extra lean ground beef, beans, etc)
10. Play on the laptop maybe, walk the dog, clean something, wash the car, generally more active things
11. Eat a snack (chocolate cake, ice cream--seriously not kidding-if I can still stay within my calorie/carb/fat/protein range)
12. Watch TV/movie
13. Go to bed.

Here's a typical weekend day for me:

1. Wake up at 10:00-10:30 (sometimes earlier, sometimes later)
2. Exercise (treadmill, etc)
3. Eat breakfast (cereal with skim milk, toast, yogurt, fruit, etc)
4. Go shopping, play on the laptop, hang out with the 'rents, etc
5. Okay, okay, you get the picture.

So, a minimum of 20 minutes of cardio every day (more than 30 on most days), strength training 2-3 times a week, 1200-1500 calories per day, at least 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 8-12 cups of water, more energy, less depression, two sizes smaller, at least 16 pounds lighter and a partridge in a pear tree.

Andrew's Banana of Evil

2010-09-14T21:49:00.008-05:00

I don't mean to alarm you, but there are evil bananas in this world. And they are cursed. Be afraid. Be very afraid...

Shopping is fun again!

2010-09-12T21:47:00.002-05:00

I went to Kohl's today to find some gray pants. I literally have four sizes of pants at home, but all of my gray ones are either too big now or still too small. I wasn't looking forward to it since for the last couple of years trying on clothes has been pretty depressing. But today, I actually didn't mind what I saw in the mirror and all the pants I tried on fit! If I remember I'll take a picture of my new outfit tomorrow since I'm wearing it to work. I still have some weight to lose, but I'm getting pretty close and it feels awesome.

K.C. Weekend

2010-09-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Andrew and I went to Kansas City to eat at The Melting Pot. Last year went we went up to see Tiesto we wanted to eat there, but didn't have reservations. So, since we had a long holiday weekend, we decided to make reservations and go pig out. The first course is cheese fondue with bread, vegetables and apples to dip in it. I didn't care much for anything in the cheese except for the bread. Second course is the entree. Andrew got steak and shrimp and I got chicken. There are two kinds of batter and then you fry it in oil in your fondue pot. There were about eight different sauces to dip it in once it was cooked. The meat wasn't all that tasty, but the broccoli was yummy. Now the best part and the part that made it all worth it? DESSERT! Melted milk chocolate with crunchy peanut butter swirled in. Brownie bites, cheesecake, Rice Krispy treats, marshmallows, strawberries and bananas to dip in it. Holy cow, it was good. We had to get more brownies and Rice Krispy treats. So good.

Sunday we went shopping at The Legends. Andrew bought some cowboy boots since eventually we are going to go horseback riding and you have to have cowboy boots to ride a horse of course. Then...I got to eat at Jersey Boyz, my all-time favorite. I love their sandwiches--okay, I've only eaten one kind--Turkey and Provolone, but I love it! After eating we drove home. The end. (I got tired of typing so that's the end of this post-no conclusion, just "the end".)

Olivia

2010-09-08T21:19:00.004-05:00

Please keep Olivia in your thoughts and prayers. She fell off of a slide today and suffered a concussion. According to Jodi, Olivia appeared to be okay after the fall, but about an hour later she became sleepy and started vomiting. Jodi rushed her to the ER where she had a CT scan. No fractures or brain bleeds were found, but she has a cerebral concussion. Olivia is resting at home now, but Jodi says she is still very sleepy and is still vomiting. I know Jodi and Ryan are nervous wrecks right now. Let's hope Olivia feels better soon and heals quickly so her parents can feel better too.

What we do on a Friday night

2010-09-03T21:25:00.004-05:00

Spreading the Spark

2010-09-02T21:22:00.004-05:00

I may have mentioned once or twice that I'm dieting and exercising. Well, dieting isn't exactly the right word since I still eat chocolate cake and pizza when I want to. Really what I'm doing is making a lifestyle change.

I love food, and I love eating. For about the past two years, it seems likes eating was the only thing I looked forward to in my day. I'd eat breakfast and then count down the hours until lunch when I could go to Taco Bell or McDonald's or somewhere else equally greasy. Then when I got home from work I'd be so happy that it was time to eat again! If I was staying at Andrew's dinner would be pizza delivery, Mexican take-out, Buffalo Wild Wings with a beer (or two) or some other easy-to-fix, easier-to-eat meal. At home I might eat healthier, but portion control was definitely not in my vocabulary. I've always loved to eat, but it was getting out-of-hand, and let's just say, the skinny girl who could eat like a pig and not gain an ounce was long gone. I needed to do something and quick.

But add depression issues and increasing laziness and no change was in sight. Until, my friend Jodi asked for suggestions on Facebook for recipes for diabetics. Someone left a comment mentioning SparkPeople.com. So, curious, I checked it out. At first glance the website seemed complicated and overwhelming, maybe even one of those infomercial-type websites that you eventually have to start paying to use. But, I was wrong. I took a chance and started using the site, reading articles on nutrition and fitness, tracking my calories and exercise, earning "Spark Points" like crazy.

Since I've started using the site, I've lost over 13 pounds, exercised 42 out of the last 46 days, started drinking more water, eating more vegetables and fruit and increased my energy by about a billion percent. I've still got a ways to go, and I still need to work on exercising more intensely, but I'm finally starting to feel good about myself again after a long, long time. I know eventually I will eat fast food again and there will be days when I eat too much, but I'm okay with that as long as it's just occasionally instead of every day like it used to be.

And, although, I know I sound like an infomercial for SparkPeople, I'm just thankful something worked and I'm getting back to my old self again.

Olivia Turns 3!

2010-08-29T19:32:00.006-05:00

I was honored to attend Olivia's third birthday party this Saturday. It was a Sesame Street party and even the real Oscar the Grouch showed up!

Olivia had sooo many presents! All of them wrapped with colorful paper and hiding wonderful toys!

Olivia was so excited over every present; she immediately wanted to open all of them to start playing. But, mean mom told her to wait until they were all opened. Mean mom!

At some point, Olivia just said, "You guys go ahead without me" and couldn't open another gift.

Finally, her uncle Don took pity on her and opened up her dollhouse family's car. She played with that toy for a looong time.

There's some strange guest eating Oscar.

Here's the cake. It was so cute and tasted as good as it looked. Add some ice cream and it was an awesome deviation from the diet.

Olivia loved having everyone sing to her and blew out her candle all by herself!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Olivia! Never forget how special you are. We love you!

Slowing Down

2010-08-26T21:33:00.003-05:00

12 pounds down...about 11 to go. I think the weight loss has slowed a bit from about 2 pounds a week to 1. I know losing 1-2 pounds per week is the healthy way to lose weight, but I'd rather lose 2 than 1. Poo. I plan on amping up the cardio and strength training next week to maybe get over this hump.

Day 5: Highway to Hell

2010-08-24T19:56:00.003-05:00

The morning we left Texas started out well. Breakfast at the restaurant (pancakes-Yum!) and more chatting with family. Time to go found us packing into the car (literally) since we had to take Josh to the airport. Mom and I and both dogs crammed into the backseat for the 1.5 hour drive to the airport. Oh, scratch that, the 2.5 hour drive to the airport. Bumper to bumper traffic FOREVER. Josh's flight left at 3:45; we got him to the airport at 3:20. He was getting a bit stressed.

After an emergency bathroom break (Dad did just turn 60 after all) we were on our way. Or so we thought. More bumper to bumper traffic all the way through the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and beyond. I thought aliens had landed south of Dallas and the residents were making a mass exodus out of the city (think Cloverfield or War of the Worlds).
So, a seven hour drive became a 9.5 hour drive. Wonderful.

Day 3 and 4: What a lazy vacation should be

2010-08-23T19:57:00.002-05:00

On Monday I woke up after a solid 10 or 11 hours of sleep feeling human again after my day of the worst hangover I've ever experienced. Nothing much exciting happened: exercised on the treadmill, played some Wii sports with Josh and Bryan and ate grilled-out hamburgers for dinner. One odd aspect of the day: I swear I drank my weight in water. Okay, so maybe not that much, but I would make a guess and say I drank about 140-150 ounces of water. Keep in mind the recommended water consumption (minimum) is 64 ounces. I guess my body was trying to repair damage wrought by half a bottle of vodka. Whoops.

Tuesday was pretty much the same except it began an obsession with Wii games. I probably played for 2-3 hours. My parents enjoyed playing too so now we're all pumped to play at home. Dinner was pizza. I'd been fairly decent all vacation so I splurged and ate three pieces. I'm weak when it comes to pizza. Three pieces is better than the 5 or 6 I could have eaten.

Stayed tuned for Day 5, otherwise known as the longest drive in history.

I thought a question was followed by a question mark

2010-08-18T22:37:00.002-05:00

Am I wrong!

Day 2: Kerry's an idiot (and a birthday celebration)

2010-08-15T16:28:00.004-05:00

So Day 2 of Texas was actually worse than Day 1. Well, for me anyway...and for a reason that was entirely my fault. I swear, sometimes I never learn. I was so hungover from drinking the night before (and morning). I was a zombie all day. And, believe it or not, I've never actually been physically sick from drinking. While the details of most of the night (and morning) are either fuzzy or missing completely, I had the pleasure of remembering in great detail vomiting violently for quite some time in the yard (sorry Aunt Linda) while the cousins took turns holding my hair back. Ahh...the joys of being intoxicated. So, Sunday was almost a complete bust as I tried to recover from what was most likely about 1 drink away from severe alcohol poisoning (I may be smart, but I'm not too bright).

Sunday's redeeming qualities included lasagna for dinner and celebrating three birthdays: my grandpa turned 83 on the 7th, my cousin Bryan turned 29 on the 11th and my dad turns the big 60 on the 20th.

I felt so crappy that I didn't exercise for the first time in over a month. I went to bed early and felt human again the next day. Lesson learned: Vodka is not my friend and lasagna and cake taste better when you're not hungover.

Day 1: Monkey Chunks

2010-08-13T17:41:00.005-05:00

So day 1 of vacation to Texas started out blowing monkey chunks. I had to wake up at 6:10 a.m. Six, combined with the letters A & M, and I do not mix. In fact, I routinely roundhouse kick 6 a.m. in the face every time I see it.

Alas, waking up at the butt-crack of dawn was not to be the worst part of the day. Little did we know that near Paul's Valley, Oklahoma, a construction zone was to be our downfall. Dad was driving (very intelligently I might add) and had slowed to about 20 mph as cars were starting to back up when it got down to one lane. All of the sudden he yells, "Oh shit!" and then "BAM!" We got rear-ended. Luckily we weren't the first car hit, but the second. A girl driving a Firebird (entirely too fast) apparently wasn't paying attention (texting is my guess) and rammed into a small pickup truck, which then rammed into us.

No injuries in our car except I hit my head on the head rest. I was just damn happy that my dogs were okay. Had the girl hit us directly I think the story would have been much different. As it was, my dad had to help the girl out of her completely totaled Firebird and she was pretty much in hysterics. The man in the truck had a really bad headache. Both went to the hospital in an ambulance. An hour and a half later and we were on the road again, more than a little anxious about the wheel well damage rubbing on the rear tire.

A 7-hour drive was turned into a 9-hour drive. But everyone was okay so that's the important thing. Here are some pictures my dad took. The next time I'm in a wreck remind me to take the pictures. Dad never got a picture of the entire scene or the truck that hit us. Duh. Our car doesn't look too bad but the estimates we got this week put repairs at about $6800.

The commercials will be over soon I promise!

2010-08-12T22:11:00.004-05:00

Damn, commercial breaks get long and annoying. For all of my 5.2 readers, this blog's commercial break will be over shortly. Promise. Soon to come, vacation update and weight loss/exercise debriefing. And, maybe pictures of Bailey at the annual KSK9 ResQ picnic that we're going to this weekend. Until then enjoy another round of commercials.

Pizza Tonight!

2010-08-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

Nine pounds down...fourteen to go!

Signs My Diet/Exercise is Working:

2010-07-28T19:03:00.003-05:00

1. My clothes are fitting better.
2. My love handles are smaller.
3. Increased self-esteem.
4. More energy.
5. I don't crave fast food.
6. Carrots now taste "sweet" whereas before, nothing was sweet unless it was a dessert.
7. I get full faster.
8. I eat less and I'm okay with that.
9. Starting to see more tone in my legs (I think).
10. I no longer constantly think about my next meal.
11. My skin is less dry.
12. I only drink one soda a day, most days. (Diet of course.)
13. Water tastes good.
14. I look forward to exercising more (although not all the time-I'm not that big of a freak yet).
15. I can walk faster and for longer.
16. Bailey is getting in better shape because I walk her a lot.
17. I have to go to the bathroom 500 times a day because of all the water I drink.
18. I eat when I'm hungry instead of when I'm bored.
19. I snack on fruit, vegetables or cheese when I'm hungry instead of sweets or chips.
20. I can't remember the last time I ate fast food.
21. I can turn down pizza (I'm a superhero).
22. Need less sleep. Haha! I wish!

Jump Rope for Butt

2010-07-27T19:33:00.004-05:00

When I was a little kid I remember raising money for the American Heart Association with the Jump Rope for Heart campaign. Okay, well maybe it was only the one time, but I remember it because my friend Jodi and I got our picture in the paper.

Anyway, I started jumping rope the other day because it's been too hot to take walks until about 9:30 at night. Jumping rope is supposed to be awesome cardio. Can I just say that it's awesome for your butt too? Man, my butt was so sore after the first day; hell, I only jump for about a total of 4-5 minutes (Hey, don't laugh until you try it-it's not quite as easy as when you were a kid), but wow, it really works your butt. I had no idea! It's my new favorite exercise. Buns of steel, here I come!
P.S. I didn't really eat only a handful of carrots and a spinach leaf yesterday, just in case you were worried about me extreme dieting. Ha! I love food too much to eat that little.

Rollover Carbs

2010-07-26T21:42:00.003-05:00

You know how some cell phone companies have plans that allow for "rollover minutes"? You get to use any minutes that you didn't use that month and can use them the next month. Too bad diets don't work that way. I only ate a handful of carrots and a spinach leaf. Cool! Tomorrow I can have four donut cheeseburgers and a chocolate milkshake!

Notice a Trend Here?

2010-07-21T21:31:00.011-05:00

As I was watching Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woma n while I ran on the treadmill (yes I own the entire series; yes I'm odd) I realized something. Let me illustrate:

The man on the left is Peter Reckell who plays Bo Brady on Days of Our Lives. The man on the right is Michael Weiss who played Mike Horton on Days of Our Lives. I haven't watched Days in probably almost two decades, but when I did watch, these two were my favorite "soap hunks."

On the left is Hugh Jackman as Wolverine of course. And Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow is on the right. Both very yummy.

Eric Bana as Hector in the movie Troy. Holy smokes.

Oh Lord of the Rings, how I love thee. And how I love Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, the true King of Gondor.

Josh Holloway (bad boy "Sawyer" on Lost) and Sean Bean (one of my favorite actors)

Joe Lando, better known in my world as Byron "Sully", otherwise known as probably the most perfect man on the whole damn planet.

Just in case you didn't see enough of him.

Yeah, He's my fave.

Hehe

2010-07-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

A Few of My Favorite Things (Take 2)

2010-07-17T22:37:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd take some more pictures of some of my favorite things when I was a kid. I'm glad my parents have a basement with enough storage area and are gracious enough to let me keep a lot of my toys I had as a kid. There are boxes and boxes of toys that my brother and I had. Someday I'll look through them all.

Little House on the Prairie book series
I have no idea how many times I've read these books, but it's a lot. They are still kept on my bookshelves today.

My rocking chair
Josh had one too in a different style. We got a lot of use out of them.

Patches
Oh my favorite stuffed animal of all time. He still hangs out in my room. Don't tell anyone, but he sometimes still sleeps with me. Shh...

Some progress

2010-07-11T16:05:00.002-05:00

Awhile back I blogged about wanting to change some things. Well, I haven't done much of what is on my list, but I have started to really make some progress on the diet and exercise. I think I'm doing better on the dieting, but the exercise will come in time, I hope. I've been taking Bailey on walks almost every day and also walking on the treadmill some too. I just really want to start amping up the cardio though and haven't yet been able to. Baby steps I suppose. There's a website that I've been using to track my diet and exercise called Sparkpeople.com that is a pretty big pain in the butt actually, but it seems to be helping me eat healthier. I think I've lost about 3 pounds since starting on June 26th. I say "think" because I didn't bother to weigh myself when I started and just guessed my starting weight. Then about four days ago I finally weighed myself using my Wii and discovered I weighed more than I thought I did. Oh joy. I'm down 3 pounds since then, but I weighed myself earlier in the day than last time so who knows? I also read an interesting article about hypothyroidism and how losing weight becomes much harder when your thyroid doesn't work right. Great. Just great. As if losing weight hasn't been a hard enough battle, now I actually have a medical reason for it, not just me being a lazy ass.

I have also been a bit more social. In June I went to Heather's fundraiser and a few days ago I went to see Eclipse with Jodi and Heather. Ah, Twilight, my guilty pleasure. I still need to do more things, but not having very many friends and having a boyfriend who'd rather chew glass than do something with other people kind of puts a damper on that goal. I'll continue to work on it.

Andrew and I are still talking about taking horseback riding lessons. Talking is all we're doing about it. Maybe someday...

So, a little bit of progress. Not so sedentary, which is good. I hope I can continue to get more active.

Team Edward

2010-07-07T22:26:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow at this time I will likely still be mesmerized. Yes, I'm going to see Eclipse tomorrow with Jodi and Heather. Yay! I'm so excited! I'm such a sucker for a love story...and for the dark brooding type. Sigh.

4th of July Park City-style

2010-07-04T23:23:00.004-05:00

Park City residents go pretty much all-out for the 4th of July. Last year our street actually closed down entirely to allow for all the fireworks. While the street didn't close this year, the fireworks weren't lessened any. It's 11:40 and the fireworks have finally slowed down. They've been going pretty much non-stop since about 8:00. Watching fireworks always makes me feel like a kid. We used to go to Cessna Stadium every year for the 4th of July Celebration. I can almost feel the itchy fiberglass seats as I type this!

Both dogs will be happy the fireworks are over until next year. They don't like them, although Andrew and I took Bailey on a walk this evening and she didn't seem to mind it too much. Video of the fireworks turned out pretty good, but Blogger won't upload it of course. I'll try again later.

Double-u Tee EF?

2010-06-30T20:22:00.007-05:00

I was almost late to work after lunch because I just HAD to get a picture of this car. Can anyone say "Hydraulics Gone Wild"? Or, "You know your wheels are too damn big when they don't fit in the wheel wells."

Dear Fast Food,

2010-06-29T21:46:00.002-05:00

I'm so sorry to have to write this letter, but I feel it is long overdue. Don't get me wrong; I still love you, probably more than the day I first met you all those many years ago. But, our relationship has become toxic. We spend too much time together and it's not healthy. I need to branch out, try new things (you know, like a vegetable or two) and find the skinny girl inside of me again. And, I can't do that with you. Maybe someday you and I can be friends, once I've started exercising regularly again and lose a few pounds. Maybe then I can come visit you every once in awhile. But until that time, I must let you go. I'm crying greasy tears as I write this letter, but I know it's for the best. Until we meet again Fast Food, goodbye.

Love always,

Kerry

Oh crap. No posts for five days. Fack.

2010-06-28T22:15:00.001-05:00

Time to trade it in!

2010-06-23T21:38:00.003-05:00

My car turned over 1000 miles today. It's all grown up now! Maybe since it has stopped growing it'll stop guzzling gas. This 16.5 miles to the gallon crap is not cool. Camaro, you need to go on a diet!

Picture Perfect

2010-06-21T19:23:00.008-05:00

Me: Hey, let's get a good picture of us for my Facebook page.

Andrew: That's a great idea! Let's do it!

Take One

Me: Dammit Andrew. Be serious.

Andrew: Okay, okay. Let's do it!

Take Two

Me: Sonofa. ANDREW! Dammit!

Andrew: Okay, OKAY! Sorry. Let's do it!

Take Three

Me: Oh my god. Andrew, I'm not even kidding this time.

Andrew: I'm totally done. I'll be serious this time. Pinky swear.

Take Four

Me: You're retarded. I'm giving you one more chance and then I'm punching you in the shirt.

Andrew: Ooooh. Not that! Anything but that! Don't punch me in the SHIRT! Let's do it!

Take Five

Andrew: Kerry! You ruined the picture! Why did you do that?!

Kerry: Sorry. It was just a facial twitch. Let's try one more time.

Take Six

Me: Hmm...that's a pretty good one. Shall I make that one my profile picture?

Andrew: Yeah, that does look pretty good. Let's do it!

Take Twenty-Five

A Beautiful Soul

2010-06-20T00:12:00.005-05:00

This is definitely a classic example of "bad things happening to good people." Heather is one of those people who just exudes "happiness". She is very genuine and real. She's a wonderful mother (to two beautiful children) and really seems to realize how precious life is. It's no wonder. She's been fighting Stage 4 Melanoma cancer since 2008. Tonight her friends and family threw a fundraiser for her to help raise money for all the costs associated with fighting her cancer for the second time. She travels to Nashville and Houston regularly for doctors' appointments. Heather is currently on a drug trial in Nashville and is on the drug Ro5, which is an experimental cancer drug, not yet FDA approved. She's already been on Interferon and Bio-chemotherapy. They didn't work. Heather is such an awesome individual. She has faith in God and yet can still say things like, "Cancer fucking sucks." This makes me smile. The fact that she can still have faith despite her fight against cancer at the young age of 31 amazes me. She knows she has a long fight ahead of her. She knows the odds. But, she also knows the rewards WHEN she wins the fight: a loving husband, two beautiful children and tons of loving family and friends. I don't know Heather well, and as bad at making friends as I am I may not ever know her as well as I may want to, but I want her to beat this cancer so badly I can taste it. This girl deserves to win. And she will.

Stephanie Bergmann from KSN news giving a welcome speech

The t-shirt table. Only $15 if you want one: http://www.youngcancermommy.com

The donation jar for the spaghetti dinner at less than an hour in

Live entertainment: "Jam something-or-other". Sorry boys, I can't remember your name

Ella, Heather's daughter, with her daddy Cody. Beautiful curls!

Blurry picture of Heather (and her enviously white, straight teeth)

Pretty good turnout (Yay!)

Shot of the kids' carnival games. Yeah, I set those up. Wonderful placement right?!?!

A Few of My Favorite Things (Take 1)

2010-06-19T12:58:00.005-05:00

I was going through some boxes the other day and came across some things from my childhood. Man, I loved playing with my toys. And boy did I have a lot of them.

Huckleberry Pie and Strawberry Shortcake
I have a shoebox full of these dolls and accessories.

The Emily and Adam Books
Very likely my first "box set" of books.

My toe shoes
I used to love how graceful I felt dancing in these.

Sometimes I wonder

2010-06-16T18:17:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I wonder why dogs lick their humans. Is it just because our skin is salty or are they showing affection?

Sometimes I wonder where the Leonardo da Vincis and Michelangelos are in our time. Is no one that talented anymore?

Sometimes I wonder if one day we'll think flying cars and teleportation are "no big deal." If so, I'm totally teleporting to Europe all the damn time, even if I'm 80 years old.

Sometimes I wonder why teenagers are so quick to grow up. It's not that fun really.

Sometimes I wonder why words like goddamn and shit are censored on TV, but violence is not. I'd rather a child hear profanity than watch someone get beat up or shot.

Sometimes I wonder why some species of animals have a huge range of variation and other species do not. I mean, there are hundreds of breeds of dogs, but a hippo is a hippo, ya know?

Sometimes I wonder if J.K. Rowling will ever write another Harry Potter book. Please J.K.? I miss Harry and the gang.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a country where in 2010 you might not know that people have been on the moon. Would I want to know that other places in the world are so much more advanced than where I lived?

Sometimes I wonder how much damage one species can do to a planet. Granted, there are damn near 7 billion of us, but you'd think we'd be a bit more careful with the place considering it's the only home we've got.

Sometimes I wonder if anybody still believes that money doesn't buy happiness. Puh-lease.

Sometimes I wonder why I'm pretty good at a lot of things, but not really great at anything. How mediocre is that? Damn.

Sometimes I wonder how people can think that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Hollywood made a movie called 10,000 B.C. and it showed people. on the earth. Duh!

Sometimes I wonder when I'm ever going to stop writing this post. Oh. I just did.

Love me some good grammar

2010-06-12T21:15:00.002-05:00

Seeing Red

2010-06-09T22:45:00.000-05:00

This is an artist's rendition of how I looked this morning. Pretty much the only thing missing is the steam coming out of the ears. Oh and maybe the red eyes.

"Why were you so angry this morning, Kerry?"

Well, I'm so glad you asked. Let me tell you. I was driving to work this morning (from Andrew's house) on K15 in Derby (the worst road in Wichita for morning traffic in my opinion). Andrew was in his car behind me. I was in the left lane when an idiot woman in a maroon Acura TL, license plate DUM 123, decided she wanted to get in the left lane (you know, for that left-hand turn she needed to make in 3 miles). She started moving into my lane, saw me at the last second and corrected back into her lane. But the lady, brilliant as she so obviously is, must have thought my car miraculously vanished because she immediately started changing lanes again despite SEEING my car there 1 second earlier. I had to slam on my brakes (speed limit is 55 on K15 by the way) and swerve out of the way so she didn't sideswipe me into the concrete median. In turn, Andrew had to slam on HIS brakes to avoid rear-ending me.

Now, I'm a pretty laid back person. I don't get angry very easily, and when I do get angry, I don't stay angry very long. And road rage? Not in my vocabulary. Granted, I think 99% of the drivers on the road are morons who shouldn't be allowed to have a license, but when they do something stupid I usually just shake my head and go on with my day. Not so much this time. Maybe it's because I didn't take my Lexapro the night before. Maybe it's because a thunderstorm woke me up at 4:30 and I didn't go back to sleep until after 6:00. Maybe it's because 6 of the 8 planets in the solar system are soon to be in alignment with the Sun. OR!, maybe it's because I just couldn't ignore blatant stupidity this time. I got so angry I laid on my horn behind that ignoramus for about 2 miles. I just couldn't believe what she did. Andrew (whose middle name is "Road Rage") zoomed past me, pulled up beside her and began yelling expletives at her out his window. Aww...my hero sticking up for me. I swear, if I wouldn't have been late to work, I would have followed her when she turned left just to terrify her further.

I would have been slightly more angry had I wrecked my brand-new Camaro.

Not quite as lazy

2010-06-06T22:13:00.004-05:00

I've had lazier weekends. Much, much lazier. Weekends when I don't put makeup on at all. When I don't get out of my pajamas. Weekends when the only exercise I get is walking to the bathroom or walking to the car to go through a drive-thru for ice cream. So, a weekend when I actually do anything at all is a success, or closer to one than I've been for awhile. Andrew and I went and saw a movie: Robin Hood. I've wanted to see it since I saw the preview for it. I really like Russell Crowe, love the legend of Robin Hood and loved the movie Gladiator whose director Ridley Scott also directed Robin Hood. I figured we couldn't be disappointed. I was right! It was a really good movie. One that I'm sure we'll buy and watch over and over like Gladiator, Braveheart and all those other awesome epic movies.

new Robin Hood

old Robin Hood

Now I have two Robin Hood movies to watch over and over again! Maybe not twice a day like in the good ole days though.

Summer Bucket List

2010-06-03T20:33:00.003-05:00

Okay. I've had it! I'm tired of being a lazy, antisocial, depressed zombie. Seriously. I'm annoying. I'm irritating. I'm exasperating. What happened to the girl who had friends, enjoyed carrying on a conversation and actually engaged in life? Well, I'm going to go looking for her. I may not find her, but maybe I'll find a piece of her, or maybe a different version of her. Who knows maybe I'll find a better version.

Here's some things I want to do over the next few months to help with the search:

1. Take horseback riding lessons--sounds very random I know, but it's something I've always wanted to do.
2. Exercise 3-4 times a week--I've been saying this for about two years now; I know I love food too much to diet very well, so I need to exercise regularly so I can eat what I want. I'd like to train to run a half-marathon or something-I really admire the dedication runners have-but that may be a bit too ambitious.
3. Do something "social" at least twice a month--I'll probably struggle with this one the most. I have one for June already scheduled--a fundraiser for Heather at her church to help raise money for her cancer treatments, hotel stays, etc.
4. Take Spanish classes--I have a friggin' minor in Spanish and can't speak a word of it anymore (well, other than very basic stuff like "Donde esta el bano?" The summer session of Spanish at the Department of Parks and Recreation starts next week so I might have to put that off until Fall, but I definitely want to do it.
5. Sleep less! Any day I don't work I sleep until 11:00. 11:00! This one is going to be tough too since I swear my body just needs more sleep than the average 32 year old. I'm not sure how sleeping less will help me "find myself" again, but it can't hurt.

Well, that's what I've got so far. My progress? I ran on the treadmill for 8 minutes (and walked for 3) today. Haha! Baby steps. Baby steps.

Oh yeah, now I remember

2010-05-26T21:01:00.002-05:00

So now I remember why I stopped blogging in the first place. I don't have anything to say! I'll just do a random meme/quiz that I found after googling "blog meme". Pathetic, I know.

1) What's your middle name? Ann

2) How old are you? 32

3) Where are you from? Are you living there right now? Wichita, Kansas--yes

4) Is it cold where you are? It's cold in the winter, but right now it's hot-still 79 degrees at 9:30

5) What's the time? I just told you! 9:30

6) What are you wearing? Jeans and the shirt I wore to work-why the hell am not in my pjs yet?

7) What was the last thing you listened to? The TV is on-House Hunters, but I'm not watching it.

8) What was the last thing you ate? ice cream

9) What was the last thing you watched on TV? I watched a re-run of America's Next Top Model-I haven't seen that show in a few seasons.

10) What's your favorite tv show? Why? Lost, even though it's over now. Why? Because it kicked ass.

11) Quick! Find a book, or something with text on it! Flip to a random page and post the second paragraph's first sentence. After warming up his pupils with some standing and yelling practice, Mr. Bennet moved on to actual hitting and kicking, although the girls had yet to hit or kick anything more solid than air.

12) What was the last movie you saw? How was it? Legion--it was crap.

13) Do YOU think you have an accent? Where do people in your country do people speak with strong accents? I don't have an accent. People in the South, North and Northeast have accents.

So there's my blog post for the night. Entertainment at its finest no doubt.

I once was lost, but now...I'm still Lost.

2010-05-24T20:18:00.003-05:00

Well, I guess I'm not really "lost" per se, but I still have some questions. Like, what the hell happened to Walt and Michael? Who the hell was the woman who raised Jacob and his twin brother? And speaking of Jacob's brother, what the hell was his name? Why was there a polar bear on the island? Why were Hurley's lottery numbers so significant? Why did the "Others" want to kidnap Aaron? Why did "the man in black" turn into smoke? These are the questions that keep me up at night!! But, I must say the emotional, sappy part of me is glad that we all got "closure". We know that they all ended up in the right place--together and happy--although it took death for that to happen. There definitely won't be another show like it.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

2010-05-22T23:14:00.006-05:00

photo courtesy of www.starwarsinconcert.com

Today, my mom, Andrew and I went to see Star Wars in Concert, a totally awesome show that combines a live orchestra playing the Star Wars soundtrack with scenes from all six movies and narration by Anthony Daniels (the actor who played C3PO) who was actually there in person. I'm a huge Star Wars geek so this was a pretty great experience. My face had a huge smile plastered on it for pretty much the entire concert. The live orchestra playing the music from the movies was so amazing--I got chills on more than one occasion and not just because the arena was FREEZING!

photo courtesy of www.starwarsinconcert.com

The Death Star--artwork at the exhibit on the arena concourse

Naboo, Padme Amidala's home planet

Yoda!

Han Solo frozen in carbonite--the actual movie prop

Chewbacca, the Wookie

C3PO--the actual suit Anthony Daniels wore

an outfit worn by Queen Amidala

Stormtroopers hanging out with Darth Vader

Andrew harvesting the Force (he may be an even bigger Star Wars geek than me)

It was a really cool experience (I wonder how many different ways I can say "this concert kicked ass"?). I'm so glad I saw the commercial advertising it on TV a few weeks ago. I rarely pay attention to commercials or to what events are coming to Wichita's new Intrust Bank Arena, so I could have easily missed that this show even exists, let alone that it was coming HERE!

Good night...and may the Force be with you.

A Year (give or take a few months) in Review

2010-05-20T20:35:00.002-05:00

April 2009: Went to Vegas with my brother Josh and cousin Stephanie

May 2009: Went to Colorado with Andrew to his sister's high school graduation

June 2009: Went to Colorado (again) with Andrew to his friend Ryan's wedding

July 2009: Went to New Kids on the Block concert with Jodi and Shelley

August 2009: Went to Texas with my family to visit more of my family

August 2009: Went to my favorite little girl's 2nd birthday party

September 2009: Went to Colorado (yet again) with Andrew to his sister's wedding

October 2009: Went to Tiesto concert with Andrew

November 2009: Went to Old Town with cousins and cousins' cousins

January 2010: Went to the zoo with Andrew

April 2010: Went to the March for Babies

May 2010: Went and bought a 2010 Camaro!

Speaking of...

2010-05-18T20:42:00.007-05:00

Okay, so I don't have any grand ideas for a post today; I just wanted to post something to prove that I'm still all about this blog thing. I'm really going to try and stick with it for awhile again. It's nice to have a venue to blab about all the really important things in life--like saddles, jumper cables and duct tape. Oh wait. Wrong blog! Wrong blog! Delete post! Delete post!

Ahem. Cough. Speaking of jumper cables, I have the coolest car since the invention of cool. I love it so much it make me feel like a priest at a playground.

Speaking of priests, my boyfriend says he read pedophiles are attracted to the color yellow, which is why I went with grey.

Speaking of ninjas, I saw Chuck Norris roundhouse kick one's head off, though I was really tired and may have been dreaming. I'll have to ask the midget.

Speaking of crazy boyfriends, he helped me write this post, which is probably why it doesn't make any toast. Yeah toast!

Just Bailey and me...and Tucker makes three

2010-05-15T20:20:00.006-05:00

In October I did something really spontaneous. I went and bought a hamster. I'd been contemplating it for awhile; I had two hamsters as a teenager and thought they were pretty neat. My first hamster was named Scooter, and he was a sweetheart. He knew his name, would sleep in my shirt and loved chocolate chip cookies.

Well, one day in October I was hanging out with Jodi and Olivia. We went to Petco to get Jodi's cat some food. I had mentioned to Jodi about wanting a hamster so we went to look at them, just for fun. We took one look at a handsome cream-colored one and instantly fell in love. I just knew he was the one. I immediately bought him. Jodi, who is the pet-naming guru thought he looked like a Tucker. And, he did. I named him Tucker.

Tucker was tame right from the start. I gave him a couple of days to get used to his new home, let him use pieces of an old t-shirt that had my scent on it for his bed and then slowly started touching him more and more. He never bit me once. From the second day I had him I could reach in and pick him up and give him kisses on his nose. He loved to climb the bars on his cage and unfortunately he loved to gnaw upon them as well. This is not good for hamsters and can actually break their teeth, cause brain damage and can be fatal (hamsters' teeth grow their entire lives; if one breaks, they grow unevenly and can prevent the hamster from being able to eat). So, I bought him a huge aquarium and put tons of toys in it to keep him entertained. He was a happy little guy.

Then, sometime in February, I noticed he was sleeping later and later. And he started getting fat. I just thought he was lazy like his mama. :0) But, one day in March it dawned on me that I wasn't seeing a whole lot of droppings (ahem...AKA hamster poop) so I thought, "Wow, maybe he's constipated and that's why he looks so fat!" I took him to the vet the next day (Jodi referred me to the vet she used for her guinea pigs). In the back of my mind I knew it wasn't just constipation and a lazy hamster. I was right. The vet confirmed that Tucker had a tumor in his abdomen. The vet also assured me that he did not believe Tucker was in any pain. So I took the little guy home and expected to be able to spend at least a few more months with the sweetie.

Nine days later, Tucker died. I watched him take his last breath. He was a special hamster. I know it may sound silly to mourn the loss of a rodent, but he was such a cuddly, sweet, gentle creature. And he was my pet. I didn't have him in my life for long, but he will always be in my heart.

I'm the coolest person on the planet

2010-05-14T20:50:00.004-05:00

So I used to drive this:

Now I drive this:

Yeah, I'm pretty much the coolest person on the planet.

Blog Revival...maybe

2010-05-13T19:57:00.003-05:00

So it's been over a year since I updated this stupid thing. I'm not sure why I stopped. Well, yeah I guess I do know why: because I get obsessed about things for a very brief amount of time and then I completely lose interest.

Other examples:

One summer when I was a teenager (pre-job age) I watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves twice a day for two weeks. I still have the soundtrack pretty much memorized and can "watch" the movie just by listening to it.
I once took notes on the Lord of the Rings movies just so I could memorize trivia; you know, just in case.
When I was really young and I first learned how to do a cartwheel, I used to do them everywhere, including the aisles in the grocery store.
A while ago I was bound and determined to learn sign language; I memorized dozens of words and practiced every day; I can't remember any of them. Okay, maybe a few. Okay, maybe one.
A couple of years ago (more like 3...maybe 3.5) I was obsessed with exercise. I exercised twice a day, had abs of steel and ended up weighing about the same as I did in high school. Then one day I stopped. And gained 25 pounds. Gross.
Ex-boyfriend, 'nuf said.

I'm sure there are other examples, but...I've lost interest in the list. Anyway, so perhaps there will be more posts and perhaps there won't be. Just don't hold your breath. Unless you're a Twilight vampire, then you don't have to breathe (yeah, another one of those obsessions).

Ho hum

2009-03-04T18:03:00.004-06:00

Not that anyone is still paying attention, but yes, I'm still alive. Just haven't had a blog post jump up and bite me in the nose this week. It's been pretty much status quo around these here parts. I was experiencing quite a bit of anxiety and depression last week for no discernible reason other than that it's the nature of the beast I suppose. Seems medications work pretty well for several months and then start being less effective and I have to change brands. Hmm...maybe the medication isn't the problem and I'm the problem...

I'll try to be more creative in posting...sometime soon.

Just 'cuz

2009-02-18T20:16:00.005-06:00

A picture of the coolest Grandpa on the planet. Just because I wanted to. He turned 81 in August.

A picture of my dork being a dork. Just because I wanted to. I'm 99.998% sure he's playing a video game in this picture.

A picture of the first time I met Olivia. Just because I wanted to. She was so small! Now she's getting to be such a big girl!

Here's a random picture of Bailey-girl. Just because I wanted to. She's a little mad at me for not taking her on a walk for the past two days.

Meet the Stepkids

2009-02-17T19:36:00.005-06:00

Jasmine's my favorite kitty

Doesn't she look warm and cozy?

Anna: the Scared-y Cat

Anna in her natural state

I've always been a dog person; I'd have a hundred if I thought I could get away with it or afford it. I love all animals really, but I've always been allergic to cats so I've never really spent too much time around them. Granted, nothing's cuter than a kitten (except a puppy), but allergies and having a dog who chases and kills small animals for sport doesn't exactly allow for kitty companions. So Andrew's cats are kind of like my step-pets. Anna is the young cat with a short-term memory problem. Every day (or every five minutes, whichever the case may be) you have to remind her that you won't hurt her and that she can let you pet her without hissing and throwing a big fit. She likes her butt scratched while she eats and can hide better than anyone I know. Jasmine (aka Jazzy, Jazzy Jazzerton) is the old girl with diabetes and an independent air. She loves to be cuddled though as long as you don't tell anyone. She loves to drink water out of the bathroom sink and lying in the sun in front of the door.

Odd thing, those cat allergies. Turns out if you put your face in the fur of a cat long enough, your allergies go away!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day or Anti-Valentine's Day (whatever the case may be). I know all about Anti-Valentine's Day as I'm actually more familiar with that version of the day. This year is different though! I have a boyfriend that ~~drives me crazy~~ is awesome and loves me very much. He may act like an 8 year old boy ~~most of the time~~ sometimes, but God help me I love him too.

Friday the 13th--BOO!

2009-02-13T20:42:00.002-06:00

We're too sexy

2009-02-09T19:52:00.002-06:00

We thought we'd take some pictures to get us motivated to start dieting and working out. Our 30s have really started to take their toll on the ole waistline. Ugh. Can hardly wait until 40.

My birthday was fairly uneventful (just like I like it). Andrew and I went to dinner with my parents. And that's about it! I am making Andrew take me to the zoo sometime soon though. He promised!

Lunch, a movie and my favorite baby

2009-02-03T19:42:00.007-06:00

Jodi and I went to lunch and a movie today for our birthdays. We both turn...29 this month. Jodi just did on the 1st. I will on the 7th. We saw Defiance, a film based on the true story of the Bielski brothers who, during WWII, led a resistance against the Germans by surviving in the forests of Belarussia. At war's end 1200 Jews were saved. I'm a huge history nut and actually contemplated becoming a Holocaust historian so I really enjoy learning new stories about Jewish resistance. 1200 people may not seem like a lot but considering 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, their story of survival and triumph is truly amazing.

A big shout out of thanks to Ryan for taking the afternoon off work so Jodi and I could go out. What an awesome guy! Olivia was adorable as usual. The pictures are a bit blurry because she was always on the move! She woke up from her nap shortly after I got there and it was so cool to see her standing in her crib waiting for us. What a big girl! Oh and just in case you forgot; I'm raising money for the March for Babies. Over there in my sidebar is a link. Help! Jodi's kicking my butt!

A good day, a good lunch and a good movie. Now I'm thinking a hot shower and a good book. Not at the same time of course.

Yard of the Month?

2009-02-02T19:05:00.002-06:00

Well I hope the owners put all those car parts out after they won "Yard of the Month". Gotta love Park City.

Happy Birthday Jodi!

2009-02-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

Jodi and I have been friends since we were five years old. We had the same kindergarten class. Ms. Bartel was our teacher. We rode the same bus together and lived around the block from each other. We spent many nights at each others' houses, rode our bikes around the neighborhood, attended birthday parties and generally had a good time being friends. We lost touch in high school, hung out a bit more in college and then lost touch again, although I think we both thought of each other often. Since Olivia and Logan's birth we have become good friends again, and for that I'm so thankful.

Jodi, Happy ~~31st~~ 29th Birthday! (We decided after 30 that we're going backwards) I'm so glad to be your friend. I hope you enjoy your day!

Jodi and Me (in the middle) at my 5th Birthday

Kindergarten Class (Jodi in blue standing, Me kneeling below her)

Anyone?

2009-01-27T20:26:00.002-06:00

So. At what age would you say guys actually grow up and become something other than selfish, immature eight-year-old boys? Just wondering if there's some magic age I can look forward to and see a transformation.

1/25/09

2009-01-25T11:14:00.002-06:00

Please keep Andrew and his mom in your thoughts and prayers today. Andrew's grandpa passed away last night. He had been fighting cancer for the second time, but just couldn't win the battle this time. I hope that Andrew can find comfort in knowing that his grandpa is no longer sick, and I hope his mom can understand that she is not to blame.

Party Time!

2009-01-23T19:18:00.001-06:00

The parental units are out of town visiting my brother in Omaha. So Maddie, Bailey and I decided to party it up. We brought out the Keystone Light, cranked up the stereo and partied hard. Man that was a good time.

Bailey and Maddie playing "Ring around the Keystone"

Bailey trying to look innocent

BFF Dude!!

I love you man!

So I need to get out more. What's your point?

*no actual alcohol was consumed during the "party"

A Bucket List of Sorts

2009-01-22T19:08:00.004-06:00

I got this survey from Ciara and Enya's mom's blog, a blog chronicling the lives of twin micropreemies in Germany.

The rules are that you are to bold/change the color on each of the below that apply to you, then tag 4 more people and let me know when you’ve posted!

1. Started your own blog (if you can call this a Blog)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (high school band counts right?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (not professionally or anything)
9. Held a praying mantis (I can't be certain, but I wasn't always terrified of bugs)
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris (twice)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (who hasn't?)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (Dude. I really did. Tomatoes, corn, carrots, onions and cucumbers. Once.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (There were sooo many people in that room!)
20. Slept in an overnight train (on the way to Italy)
21. Had a pillow fight (yeah...NAKED!)
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (Gasp! Of course not!)
24. Built a snow fort (me and my brother did this a lot when we were younger)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (once you get past the fish smell, Venice is quite lovely)
29. Seen a total eclipse (I think we did at school once)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (I've seen the sunrise, but I sure as hell wasn't happy about it)
31. Hit a home run (Hells yeah!)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (the Canadian side is sooo much cooler than the U.S. side. Go figure)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (Does TV count?)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (That thing looks about ready to fall any day now)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (And he is magnificent!)
41. Sung karaoke (Only when drunk and by force)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (Yep, he's faithful alright)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person (Pretty amazing actually)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (twice)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again. Hmm...I think that's "singing in the rain". Oh well)
53. Played in the mud (routinely as a child)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Dude. Girl Scout Camp was the bomb-diggity)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (Thanks Andrew)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (Dachau in Germany)
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Yeah...like ALL of them)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (numerous times--never gets old)
77. Broken a bone (only fingers; we won't discuss the broken finger from last New Year's Eve)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Quite frightening, but cool)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican (It would be hard to see the Sistine Chapel in person without visiting the Vatican don't you think?)
82. Bought a brand new car (a Grand Am GT and a Mazda RX8)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (several times I think for softball and cheerleading. Oh! And one time Jodi and I were in the newspaper for Jump Rope for Heart or whatever it was called)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Gary Busey is my ex-great uncle, Jake Busey is my second cousin or first cousin once removed or second removed once cousin, first cousin seconded, or whatever)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person (Boy howdy)
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day (many times--I can be quite single-minded when given the chance)

And no, I don't know what happened to numbers 11, 54, 64 and 65. Maybe they started a band together and went on tour.

I'm not tagging anyone in particular. I just couldn't think of anything to blog about today so I thought it would be fun to do another random survey.

Change Has Arrived

2009-01-21T19:48:00.004-06:00

Photos courtesy of abcnews.com

KCMO Yo

2009-01-21T19:24:00.005-06:00

View of the Plaza from our room

View of our balcony

Floor to ceiling windows

The Intercontinental is the hotel on the right

Walking back from the Cheesecake Factory (hence the double chin)

Me and my goofball

Merely an illusion (we wouldn't bring an Xbox to the hotel; that would be ludicrous)

Kansas City was a nice getaway. We spent tons of time on the internet prior to going, searching for things to do while we were there, like plays, concerts, etc. We wore ourselves out just thinking about it and ended up not doing anything! We're so pathetic (and predictable). We did go eat at the Cheesecake Factory and Jersey Boyz though, so all is right with the world. We stayed at the Intercontinental on the Plaza. It was nice, but expensive. We contemplated purchasing a bottle of liquor from room service, but the $90.00 price tag for a bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme was just slightly over-priced. Maybe $85.00 and they would have had a sale. Ahem. Seriously. How do they get away with charging that???!!!

So maybe next time we'll actually do something. Just getting us out of the house for a couple of days was a big step!