Groundhogsnacks

The Holidays and winter make me want to do this too. But something tells me I wouldn't be adorable like this chunky groundhog.

The Christmas Story (without tongues sticking to frozen poles)

I am assuming this when I say that most of my friends look back on their first holiday memories with smiles on their faces. I know that people are frantically running around trying to perfect the holiday celebrations. (Some even fear they might ruin Christmas. Take it from me, I have ruined Christmas before and it's not a walk in the park.) Sadly, a few of mine were filled with frustration and angst. These feelings have nothing to do with gifts, the weather, or not embracing the Christmas spirit. They had to do with awful traditions that my sisters created that singled me out and forced me not to be able to celebrate Christmas in the ways they did. For some reason I was different. Maybe it was because I got up at 5am rearing to go--or unlike Kyleigh, I didn't look in every possible nook and cranny for our gifts--and then shout who was receiving what. (Ky was a spoiler-but she has come a long way) The reindeer could fly, Santa could travel worldwide...and I had a mystical power too. I was unaware that I was given the biggest holiday power of all--I had the ability to ruin Christmas. No, I wasn't a green monster and I didn't go by the name Grinch. I was just a happy little kid excited for Christmas morning.

The climax of this story begins while I am in bed on Christmas Eve. I was probably around 6,7,8 (c'mon family--help me out??) and I was listening to Kyleigh and Courtney chuckle in Ky's room. I knew they were playing late night games or something as equally exciting to me. They were making noise and I knew I could tip toe in there without my parents knowing I was up. Years prior Courtney got to sleep in Kyleigh's room on Christmas Eve. This was a huge deal because my parents knew that whenever any of us would sleep in Kyleigh's bed we were rowdy and were up until the wee hours of the night..aka 11:45 for kids. We made up games, cast shadows on the wall, played "look-a-round" (our own version of Where's Waldo, only with objects in Kyleigh's room), and basically could not have a better time.

This was before we had TVs, stereos, or phones in our rooms. It was just good old fun. Well, "This Christmas Eve is going to be different," I told myself as I was cradeling my bear Lucky in my arms while in bed. I was determined to be incluced this year. I felt I was old enough to be a part of their tradition--a hard feat the youngest of three to try to overcome. It was me against them--or at least until I could join them. What were these traditions discriminated against poor little me, you ask? Well, as I stated before, Christmas Eve was a holiday spent between Courtney and Kyleigh while I lay alone in my bed. (Seriously Mom & Dad--all I can ask is why?? A part of me understands because I soon learned how ruthless and serious Courtney was about these traditions.) Christmas morning I was discluded too. I was not allowed to go downstairs without waking up Kyleigh and Courtney first, which I understand...so we could run downstairs all look at the wrapped presents. But this ended up working against me. After my wake up calls, I was told to wait at the top of the stairs. Usually we had Christmas in the family room, which was out of sight from the stairs. I was told to wait at the top, like a little pet, until I was called for. Courtney and Kyleigh would race downstairs and sprint into the family room. I would hear their screams and shreiks of laughter. I could hear them rummaging through things and making comments about the presents everywhere and I would try to imagine what their words meant. That's all I had. My wild imagination until they called for me. It seemed like hours until I would hear, "Whitney you can come down!" I raced downstairs and would run into the family room trying to mentally digest all the presents under the tree. Ky and Court would kinda give me a look like, "Yeah, we saw everything before you." Like it was my fault that I wasn't down there with them. Then we would go wake up my parents and open up all the presents together.

I guess there was a secret conduct that I betrayed when I decided I was going to control my Christmas fate that year. As I lay in bed, I wanted to belong. I wanted to have fun and not be included with the tradition or 5 minutes behind. I lept out of bed and ran into Kyleigh's room. I was going to belong. No one was going to stop me. Immediately when I walked in I was shunned. I don't really remember Kyleigh doing much of it because Courtney was the ringleader. She called the shots and Ky had the good of the stick, so why would she cause a fuss? I was on my own and I was not going to lose. This year was going to be different I told myself. Courtney started yelling at me and told me that I was ruining a tradition and I needed to just go to my bed. Kyleigh and her had to sleep together. I started to cry because I realized I was losing ground. I couldn't change this tradition. I was not supposed to be included. My parents started to hear all the ruckus and mom my came down the hall. At this point I had no idea what she would say. My sisters told me I wasn't included and in my little world I could see my mom saying, "Whitney, it is tradition. Go to your bed." But it wasn't! I had someone who understood me and finally a whistle was being blown on Ky and Court! Muhaha. I knew I was gaining more power and as I remember, Ky gave up pretty easy. She invited me with open arms, but Courtney held on to the tradition. My mom said that I had to be included this year. I was actually joining the big sleepover! I couldn't help but smirk knowing that no matter what Courtney said, she wasn't going to change the outcome this year. I was no longer under her rule. I vividly remember Courtney screaming at me, "I can't believe you are doing this...if you are in, then I am out." Like I was the plague coming to infect them all. She continued to be frustrated and I think we all shed tears. Courtney was losing her power, I was ruining traditions, and Kyleigh cried whenever anyone fought. None of this really mattered because I was joining the sleepover. I would never forget the moment after Courtney realized it was over. She turned to me with hate-filled eyes and said, "I can't believe you ruined Christmas." I think I tried to retract my plea to join the sleepover because I didnt want to ruin Christmas. But she said it was over, I already did it. I ruined Christmas and everyone hated me. Courtney stomped off to her room and I looked at Ky. I knew I ruined Christmas and that became the year everything changed.

I could run downstairs with everyone and I was considered and equal, but for a while I had to live with the fact that I truly ruined Christmas. Everyone (aka my sisters) was mad at me, but I am glad that now this is one of our funniest stories. Who knows what would happen if I didn't barge into the infamous sleepover? Would Ky and Court still stay up all night without me? Would I be waiting at the top of the stairs until they called my name? I guess we will never know. After I got over Courtney's harsh words and realized that I can't ruin Christmas, I thought of myself as a trailblazer of sorts. I went against the grain and sought justice. Courtney was mad at me for a long time, but we got over it. We have a new tradition now. We celebrate as a family, the way it should be...Christmas can never be ruined if we are all together. While together, we have laughter and a funny Christmas tradition story share.

Wham Bam...

What am I thankful for?

My family, my friends, my Gianni, my health, 75 degree days, medical advancements, warm soft blankets, my kitties, the ability to travel, my education, warm baths, crunchy leaves, pools, good movies, soft socks, my pillow, good meals, the roof over my head, blogs, photos, dancing, laughing 'til it hurts, email, phone calls from old friends, snail mail, music...the list goes on! Even though it is getting colder and colder outside...my heart stays warm because of people like you. Thank you for your friendship--none of these things would matter without all of you. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

Guinness Book of World Records and its Impact on My Life

I love World Records. That's all there is to it. I does not matter what the record is, I am in total and utter awe of these record holders. It fascinates me to no end. Why do I care about a man with the longest ear hair or some other strange mutation? I have no idea. All I know is that I love it. Can't. Ever. Get. Enough. Even as a kid I would sit up all night turning page after page in my Guinness Book of World Records books. I must say, the book lacked in the photo department. Maybe it was just because I was a kid, but the only ones that made a true impact on me were those that had a photo attached to the record. I love to analyze each picture and just imagine myself living in the world's largest limo with a pool and helicopter landing base. We need more pictures Guinness writers! This book was such a quick read and totally supported my ADD lifestyle. I could just read little snippets about strange people and worldly things. There was a good period of time that my Mom would just automatically buy me the new one that came out annually and I loved knowing that I had my 5 inch thick record books all lined up nicely in my bed stand bookshelf for easy retrieval. (Just the thought of this today brings a smile to my face) These books have even played a part in my adult relationships. John and I have had quite a few laughs about some records that we remembered as children.

I am sad that I put this interest on the back burner. I have no idea what took its place. Growing up? Homework? Late night phone calls? I am also kinda ticked that since I haven't been a loyal purchaser of these books in the recent years that they will not be stacked nicely in my bed stand. If I start buying again, I will have this huge gap of years in my collection. Gap of information. Gap of necessary facts for my life.

I've been browsing the website and it is quite enjoyable. It's a lot more interactive than the book--kinda like a modern version of my books. The crazy-long-haired-ear-man even provided a quote to react to his record. Radhakant Bajpai, yes that is his name and he is from India, stated:

Making it to Guinness World Records is indeed a special occasion for me and my family. God has been very kind to me.

Globalization is crazy. I personally know that a guy in India has the longest ear hair and how he feels blessed. I wish the records website was a little more accommodating and would allow me to copy pictures so I could easily share my research--especially because I just came across something totally freaky. I don't want to ostracize these people, but I am totally shocked. I just clicked on Human Body, then Body Beautiful, then get ready--Hairiest Family. Please go check out this picture. It's gotta be Michael J. Fox in Teen Wolf. The article says 98% of their body is covered in hair and they suffer from hypertrichosis or "werewolf syndrome." It's been carried through the generations. Wow. I feel a lot different now about my eyebrow waxing.

I gotta at least write about one more. Largest Dog Show. (I need the SNL clappers) This picture makes my sides hurt. How could this dog win a real dog show? It looks like the funniest dog, but I don't know about the best. Anyway, this dog, "Danny", beat out almost 23,000 competitiors! Lotta dogs. I wonder if the qualifications are to win. A striking resemblence to a dog that looks like it has been electrocuted? Crazy mouth area that you can't quite make out? And finally a requirement of 97% fur, 2% fang/tongue, and 1% dog? Eventhough I include one here, you must go look at Danny's picture on the website. (Damn this site, it doesn't change its web address within the webpage so follow these instructions: Natural World, Fantastic Pets, and Largest Dog Show.

Okay, that was a short record--let's do another. (See how fun it is? I wanna curl up in bed with the computer monitor in my lap or run out to a 24 hrs Borders and buy the latest and greatest copy) Oooh...I found another good one. Farthest Human Cannonball Flight. Yes, human. David "Cannonball" Smith launched himself over 185 ft at speeds of 70 mph. Sheesh. (Seriously-what does one think when he is flying? "Oh shit, where can I land?" I don't think I would enjoy being a human cannonball unless I had a huge parachute to catch me-and they make no mention to how the land. Maybe that is why "Cannonball" does not have a comment to make about his record) This cuckoo has 8 children, 5 of which also explore cannonball opportunities. I did a little web search on this and found out more about the family of flyers. The day "Cannonball" made this record, him and his son, Dave "The Bullet," simutaneously launched themselves in the air. Cannonball landed a littler further from The Bullet and broke the record. Hmm.

So I just need to do something totally crazy and original and try to make my way into the record books and join this elite club of crazy people and worldly things. I drove a Ford Tempo that was totalled twice from the '80s, can pop my hip out, I could lick stamps and envelopes for days, and people say I have strange ear lobes, but I don't think either are extreme enough to be published. Guess I will have to settle for being ordinary in a world full of record makers and breakers. Yeah...I'll just stick to that story because when I figure out what my record could be, I'm not going to tell anyone so it can't be stolen. It will debut in Guinness Book of World Records 2022--and I am demanding a picture.

Klein out of Line

I have to update from my TomKitten blog...I came across this ridiculous article about "Kate's" ex, Chris Klein. Basically, this guy's remarks make anyone look good (maybe even Tom). One brilliant quote I extracted is:

I try to treat all women with respect whether they're pretty or ugly. I want to be nice and be like, 'Wow, thanks for the attention. But get out of my face.'

Read on only if you think your computer monitor can survive the beating.

I Need A Laugh, Maybe You Do Too

Kyleigh's Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard

It's only been a few days and I miss Tasha & Kyleigh so bad! It was great to seem them & be together for a few days. We had a lot of laughs, "Just try it on" (a Spanglish quote that requires the accent), celebrated Tasha's Birthday, and spent a lot of quality time together. I hate that a few of my best friends live across the country--how did that happen? When I start bringing home some bucks, I will be sure to be booking some flights!



Okay, Kyleigh requested that she become a blog topic because she looks fabulous, but there was no need for her to request this because I willingly want to share how amazing she looks! I was shocked when I first saw her last weekend & it took me a few days to get used to it. Tasha and I cried and just stood there when we saw her and Ky said, "Well, aren't you gonna hug me?" I was in shock & I am sure when I see her at Christmas I will feel the same again! I am so happy for her & she looks amazing. She looks so young and freakin cute. One the first things she did was march into my room and scan it for some cute clothes to stuff in her suitcase. (I drew the line there!) I tried one of her shakes that she drinks & I thought it was pretty gross. Each time she made one, I still asked for a sip and I'm not sure why. Maybe it could work some magic on me? Kyleigh really likes them, so I think she is brainwashed...but that is good because she has to drink them all the time! I am so happy that she has such a support network as she makes this lifestyle change. She told me that when she lost 60 pounds all the staff at her school wore Hawaiian Leis to celebrate her feat! That makes me so happy that I could cry again...














Thanks for all the well wishes for my interview. For the most part it went well. When I arrived they informed that I had about 25 mins to give my presentation and chat before they had to leave to make a conference call. I was told I would had a flexible amount of time between 45mins-1hr, so that pretty much made me sweat bullets. I felt like the whole thing was in fast forward. I must have been moving pretty fast getting before my presentation because I returned home only to learn my skirt was on backwards. Yeah....awesome.

sowwy

Don't fret, I am alive. Some people have voiced their concerns about my lack of blogging and I apologize. I have just been really busy lately & I will try to catch you up (hopefully on more than TomKitten) in a few days! I had a wonderful long weekend with Kyleigh and Tasha and I am so sad that they are gone now. I will write about it later this week when I have more time...it makes me too sad to know they aren't here right now. :(

P.S. C-ville internet sucks and is not conducive to blogging.

TomKitten & Other Current Events

TomKitten

I wish I was talking about another cat with stuff on it. Unfortunately, it's scarier. Two of the freakiest people in the world somehow found one another and are procreating. Well, "Kate", wasn't freaky during Dawson's Creek and really wasn't freaky until about 7 months ago--when she met Tom. (And why all the sudden is she Kate? Tom decided to strip her from her whole being, including her name) The whole situation is so shady and they won't even claim how or where they met. Uhh--my guess is he invited her to the Scientology Center and I have the tabloids to back me up. Not only has Tom taken over her mushy mind, he implanted his bebe in her too. I wonder what this child will be all about. I heard Kate wants to marry at a resort in Mexico & Tom wants to do it at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International. Wow. Romantic. Does anyone think that Kate will get fed up and realize her lover is insane? Brooke Shields announced she is expecting this spring, so maybe their offspring will feud on Oprah. I guess we all will have to watch this story as it unfolds...

Karma's a bitch

An Oregon woman bought the winning lottery ticket worth $1 million. The only problem is she is a meth-head, who bought the winning ticket with her deceased mother-in-law's credit card. Too bad she didn't just fork over 4 quarters of her own and then she could be setting up the world's largest meth lab.

What the Greek is going on

Engaged: I swear this was just last week

Moving on to another Greek shipping heir that Mary-Kate passed along...
Happy Birthday Arch!

Today we celebrate the Arch's 40th birthday. They are offering a $1 special to go up today. I went up before, but I'd rather be $1 richer & 1 panic attack wiser! If you love being shoved in a small little capsule that swings 9874756 feet off the ground, then it is definitely your cup of tea.

Things...

Things I love

• the color green
• elephants
• kittens & my cats
  
• laughing
• orange juice in the morning
• firenze
• anthropology
• my sisters
• stationary
• quarters
• mechanical pencils
• electronic staplers
• dancing
• my friends
  
• pumpkin pie
• my parents
• laguna beach
• shopping at staples
  
• ancient cities
• play-doh
• new crayons
• burnt cds
• smell of grass
• cities
• chocolate
  
• david sedaris
• photography
• my gianni
• shredded cheese
• baking at 3am
  
• baby anything
• surfaced brick
• blue ocean water
• my teva flip flops
  
• IU
• art museums
• electric pencil sharpeners
• foreign accents
  
• green grapes
• home videos
• making ginger bread houses
  
• the beach
• speaking foreign languages
  
• wrapping paper
• Christmas stockings
  
• american idol
• cat nip
  
• bike rides
• waterslides
  
• oprah
• c-ville girl's Christmas exchange
  
• space
  
• soft towels
• america's next top model
  
• swimming
• getting mail
  
• manicures
• pedicures
• cat toys
  
• bonfires
• veronica mars
  
• lemon shaped soap
  
• hoodies
  
• soft pretzels
• amaretto
• fresh sheets
• blown glass
• stuffing
  
• massages
• bed bath & beyond
  
• my comfy black pants
  
• confetti
• traveling
  
• lightning bugs
  
• my marsh
• perfume
  
• painting
  
• my pillow
• the container store
  
• ted drewes frozen custard
• new white socks
• conan o'brien
  
• licking stamps & envelopes
  
• the smell of birthday candles

Things I don't like

• boring books
• tv controllers facing me
• spiders
• getting my eyebrows waxed
• smelly towels
• mexican blankets
  
• vanilla scents
• math
  
• sponges
• horrific pillows
• meat-loaf
  
• white stuff in twinkies
  
• digger the dermatophyte
• soap operas
• when winter lasts too long
  
• real fur coats, etc
  
• doberman pincher poop stew
  
• being sticky
• wool
• tomkat
  
• sunburns
  
• joan cusack
  
• the smell of cinnamon
  
• automatic flushing toilets
• mold
• banana flavored food
  
• paper cuts
• sore throats
• socks with holes
  
• when food on my plate touch
  
• weeding
• being cold
• being hot
• cold showers
• jamming my finger, toe, copy machine

Thing's I'm not sure about yet

• interviews
• chicken
• my cell phone earpiece
• coffee ice cream
• ice skating
• tempos
• zoos
  
• eyeliner
• politics
• snakes
• vanilla ice cream
• turkey basters
• shoes with big heels
• orange juice pulp
  

What's on your list?

Fall Festivities

My oh so simplistic masterpiece


Katie's girly pumpkin with botox


John's scary dude


Mmmm...I love fall & pumpkin season. John & I went to a pumpkin patch & chose our gourdy gems. It was as good as a pumpkin picking experience should be. It included hot chocolate, a ride on a tractor trailer, fresh apple cider & an endless patch of pumpkins. We saw all kinds: small, large, bumpy, freakin enormous, rotten, and so many still on the vine! We found our perfect picks & were ready to carve.

Today John, Katie & I threw down the newspaper & carved away. We all took ours in different directions & it was so fun to laugh about how in the 80's our parents just gave us sharp knives and now the stores are stocked with child-safe carvers. But hey, we all still have our fingers.

I hope you enjoy our pumpkins. Everyone should really try to take time to carve one. I have been doing it since childhood & I believe it will never get old.

But now comes the fun part: We need you to decide whose pumpkins rock harder. Robby & Courtney's or ours. (Now don't get mislead by theirs because they used pumpking carving stenciling kits, while we used pure creativity & talent...sweat...tears...) So let the voting begin & share your true feelings. Let the best pumpkin win!

Stuff on my cats

So I'm not so good at putting stuff on my cat. Well at least on Bella. Booters probably hates it, but he has such a high tolerance for anything that requires him to move. I'm going to submit some pics to the official big bad stuff on my cat site...wish me luck. Maybe in the upcoming weeks I will even have to hire a manager to book Booters late night televisions appearances. Hey, let me dream.

Go Cardinals

Go Cardinals--Watch the game tonight!!!

Time Travels When You're Having Fun

John and I decided we needed some Indiana culture and decided to attend the Covered Bridge Festival. It's pretty hokey, but the smell of yummy crappy food and crazy music made it a great reason to enjoy the day outside.

We knew the festival would be fun....but we weren't prepared for it to be truly funny. We felt really out of place when we arrived because everyone seemed like they knew their niche at the festival. Pork fritter eaters, lemon shake-up shakers, craft sellers and craft lovers. We felt a little overwhelmed so we decided to go up to this little shack, resembling Geico's Tiny House, that was selling tickets to someplace. We walked up and asked, "Where does this tour take you?" And she responded, "Oh...it goes to this really interesting Pre-Historic village from the turn of the century." John and I couldn't help but bust up laughing. The people behind us laughed, "PBBBAHHH Pre-Historic!" pretty much in the lady's face because they were next in line. We all continued to cackle uncontrollably. The thought of a time traveling T-Rex crossing these covered bridges struck us all as hilarious. John and I tried to muster up an acceptable response and slowly side-stepped out of line. We cracked a few jokes between one another & knew it was going to be a good day.

I posted new pictures, but be aware---don't look if you don't want to see tons of bridges.

I can't get enough

I need to know this person who put spaghetti on their cat's head

Oh my gosh, The DJ's mouth is open




Breaking News: I'm not sure if they are getting funnier or I'm just becoming crazy after seeing so many. Either way, I am in hysterics. You have to browse through the site & take time to really do each picture it's justice. Is it strange that now when I look at my cats I think about how long they will be still & what sort of objects I can force on them? From now on, my camera will be found in my back pocket & I am going to distribute various objects, masks & foods throughout the house for easy access. Watch out kitties. (Thanks Keenan for making me aware of this amazing site.)

Stuff + Cats = Awesome

I have realized that the new phenomenon of "putting stuff on y0ur cat" really makes me happy. I'm not quite sure why, but I can't get enough of it. These cats seems to be living such great lives that they don't seem to be bothered by post-it notes or seasonal outfits on their bodies or even a whole pizza on their head. (Why does that cat look exactly like Diego?!?!) I know that if I put a post-it on my cats they would freak out and run away from me....ferociously licking where the sticky part touched them. I can't even try putting them in outfits. If I did, they would just get real low the ground & act paralyzed in fear. Trust me, I used to do it all the time as a kid. And the pizza? Fugedaboutit. Now that I think of it, maybe Booters would allow a pizza head. He remains pretty still at all times. I am trying to launch Booters' worldwide web career. A while back I sent in pictures of him to the tubcat site. I think he has a lot of potential.

These kitties are real troopers & I wish my day would start off in a slideshow of stuff on cats. I have realized they update this site daily, so I will never be able to get enough. There's "Business on my Cat"--"Housewares on my Cat"--"Food on my Cat" (c'mon the spaghetti pic?!?!)--the possibilities are endless. I just realized people leave comments about the pictures-hilarious. I think I will try to figure out how to send some pictures of my cats with stuff on them. I will have to be really creative. Any suggestions? Check 'em out & let me know what ones make you laugh.

Enjoy.

Craw-meth-sville

I haven't really stepped outside my house much since I have been home, but there is a lot to be updated on about C'ville.

-People are suffering from salmonella reportedly from Taco Bell, but the newspaper won't disclose the restaurant. Shady.
-Wal-Mart is deserting its old building--only to build a Super Wal-Mart right next door.
-Target is still not coming back :( and JCPenney remains to be the 3rd huge vacant building in town.
-South Mont is trying to play catch up with the other high schools and build an addition that still encapsulates the old buildings 70's flair.
-Crawmethsville remains to have the largest meth bust in the state.
-The city is trying to educate people who are at risk to use meth by putting up a billboard by Uncle Smiley's restaurant. It shows before & after pictures of meth users. Hey, it's a start.
-The new library has its grand opening on the 9th. All of you are cordially invited.
-Arni's Pizza has renovated their building & now they actually have a parking lot.
-Everyone better push their inoperable cars into hiding because a new ordinance allows the city to tow 'em away. They define an inoperable car as "an abandoned vehicle on private property as one that's at least three model years old, is mechanically inoperable and left in a location visible to public property for more than 20 days." Good thing my Dad got the Tempo off our hands.
-A new Chinese "all you can eat" restaurant has been open for a little bit. It's right next to Wal-mart...but in a few months it will be next to the abandoned WallyWorld, but behind the new Super Wal-Mart. I find the place pretty tasty. Very affordable & it adds some culture with it's huge pagoda that canopies over all the tables.
-Keep your kitties indoors. Supposedly a coyote is on the prowl! EEK!
-There are no gambling quarter machines :(
-I have no digital service on my cell phone. I have to drive to Indianapolis to find out how many minutes I have used.
-The "south" Shell station has officially closed. Another abandoned building. They moved closer to downtown...I checked it out, it's enjoyable.
-Billy & Diego (our kitties) now know how to open their food drawer in the kitchen. I have found them both sitting inside the drawer chompin' on some kitty chow.
-My mom & I are all ready for Halloween. We bought a huge glowing pumpkin from Big Lots and it looks wonderful on the front porch.
-A huge furry spider jumped from my mailbox into my car today when I was getting the mail. I am sure he is procreating and I fear that he will pounce on my lap next time I'm in the car. I know this isn't C'ville news, but it's been on my mind.

Well, that's the news around here. Hope all is well in your neighborhood.

This is your birthday song. It isn't very long-HEY!

Happy Birthday Courtney!!!

I love my family so much. We work like a little efficient city. I think all of us carry multiple roles to make our family work. Dad, the ultimate businessman, keeps everything straightforward. No shenanigans here. He tells us how it is, but sometimes we have to question his bizarre behavior. When he goes out on errands he always says where he is going and then adds he will come back. For instance, "I'm going to go to the store & come back." Being the sarcastic children that we are, we always say, "No way?! You are going to come back Dad?" We love him. And to this day he always comes back.

My mama is always trying to make everyone achieve maximum comfort. She always stuffs another pillow behind your head on the couch and covers you with a nice blanket. Glass of water with a straw? She's got it for you. And a nice little bowl of chocolate ice cream on the side too. No matter how bad your day is, she can always make you feel better. Many a day I call, and she just knows how I'm doing, and is still the only person that can make me feel like everything is okay. In college, I would call when I would feel like I was walking the plank...aka going to a scary exam or totally overwhelmed by a paper. Sometimes I would call post-plank walking and she always has just the right words and tone to make you feel like you are still fantastic & it will all be okay. She is such an incredible woman & I love her so much.

Courtney is hilarious. But she doesn't always know it. She feels so strongly about things & is a very passionate person that sometimes we all just crack up when she is telling a story. She tries to remain serious, but slowly breaks into laughter because she realizes how ridiculous she is being. I hope that never stops, I don't think it will ever get old. You might be surprised that we are still friends after childhood. She used to bully me, force me to stick my hand in a cup of very very hot water---slam my hand in a cup of cold---then back into the hot. (All with my eyes closed or the cups scrambled. Fun game, Court!) She didn't let Ky & I hang out with her boyfriends, but to us, the bored children that we were, that just meant she was challenging us to a fierce game of "see how mad we can make Court without her screaming because her boyfriend is around." Haha, now that was a fun game. Hey, I'm the little sister. I think this type of behavior is written in my contract. When she wasn't pushing me around or accusing me of "ruining Christmas"--she paved a great path for me. Now when I, or any of my friends, have peculiar rashes or medical problems, she always helps out. Haha, she knows way too much about a lot of people.

Kyleigh is like another mother to me. (I'm sure she is grinning right now...she has been anticipating her blog debut). Since she was a toddler she was always taking care of other people. Her kindergarten teacher even said all the kids would go to her with all their problems: bumps, bruises, un-tied shoes. I swear Ky was born with an old soul. On summer days, you would find her with cooking in the kitchen by herself, wearing 4 inch red hot heels and pretending she was holding her own cooking show. Some days she had an English accent, some days not. Need I remind you, she was 7. As we got older, I became her little "rag doll" friend. I basically woke up in the morning & she told me what was on the agenda that day. She made all the plans & I just had to get into step. Unless Courtney came in & took over. Then Ky's plans meant nothing. She still tries to boss me around, but often I still find myself her little rag-doll.

Today is Courtney's 29th Birthday & I can't believe it. I still feel like we are kids riding our bikes around & exploring the Christmas tree farm. She fulfills all the big sister characteristics. She is smart, protective, a leader and a counselor. Yesterday she did something amazing. My mom's herniated disk was causing her excruciating pain & Courtney performed an unexpected spine surgery on her last night. It was so nice knowing my mom was in good hands. My mom said she is relieved from the back pain. It is so scary knowing a family member is in such pain, but it is amazing to know that another can heal it.

Today, being Courtney's Birthday, we have a lot to celebrate. We are a wonderful family, we can face anything together. Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister, Courtney! I love you!

Happy 51st Birthday Carolyn Holli Hood Burkett

Happy Birthday MOM!!! I am sad I couldn't spend your birthday with you mom, but I know you had a good time celebrating with your friends this past weekend. I thought this was a good picture of us since it is you and your two babies. (not that i'm a mama's boy or anything weird) I know i've told you about a baker's dozen times, but you need to come and visit St. Louis sometime. Keenan and I are sad that we don't see you and Dad enough, but those times when we do meet up are always great. I am really looking forward to having Keen/Mont come up for Thanksgiving, and we will all have a great few days together. Take care of Cheney and remember he has a birthday coming up too! Trick or treat. Also, if and when you pass out candy on Halloween, make sure to give mulch to the pillowcase kids who aren't dressed up. Fall is coming and it won't be the same if we don't go to Wessler's Orchard, so whenever I get home this fall, we have to go. Well, I can't wait to see you, and I hope you had a great day! We can only hope we'll be as youthful and vibrant as you are when we're your age. Thanks for everything and I'll see you soon.

I love you,
John

Cha-Ching!!!

I have found my calling. Some might call it an addiction, but I just say I'm trying my luck. Friday night John, Brad, Natalie & I decided to go to Dave & Busters. We walked in and I felt like a kid in a candy store. Games...money machines...prizes everywhere. Stimulant overload. We decided we should eat some dinner & take time to let all of our surroundings soak in. After we scarfed down our dinner, we headed for the game room. This time I was walking around and really checking out all the games...I needed to be frugal with my game card & had to choose wisely. Soon I realized this place was even more amazing than I had imagined.

While in college, we spent many anight bowling. I disguised my need and passion for gambling by showing interest in bowling. Why? Because at the front door of the bowling alley there was a money gambling machine. Keenan & Monte know exactly what I'm talking 'bout. The kind you could drop a couple (or 50) quarters into a little slot and watch them tumble down to the sliding money floor. If you positioned your quarter well or screamed loud enough, it would land in a magical spot...pushing and forcing the other quarters to fall down into the abyss of pure elation (my little hands). Oh man. I need to go bowling right now.

As we walked into the game room with nothing but ass-kicking on our minds, I found MILLIONS of money game machines. My mind could not comprehend what my eyes were seeing. The left, right, far and near--MONEY MACHINES EVERYWHERE. I grabbed my Dave & Busters game card and became a card swipin' fool. I haven't had an inanimate object ever evoke so much joy, despair, hope, and grit from me. I can never get enough. I walked around the game room like a vulture, sizing up all the different games...looking at my chances. Are more coins hanging over the edge on this one or that one? I made my decision and went in for the kill. I found my perfect money machine. I slid my card...watched my coins drop and then they were allll mine to strategize with. I used the "skill shot" to perfect my aim. It allowed me to make my coin drop so precise, I almost giggle thinking about it. The "skill shot" was a button that controlled a plastic coin shaft and allowed it to move back and forth. After, umm I would say just a few tries I banked on the Cash Roulette. Natalie was my witness and we shrieked together in celebration. I dropped the coins in just the right places & sometimes dropped two at a time to really disturb the moving money tray. And MAN...it was raining coins. Coins were getting pushed over the edge, flowing like it Niagra Falls. We were jumping around, celebrating my new feat. If you do well on these Dave & Buster games, you can get tickets. Seriously, the ticket slot exploded when I won. I didn't know what to keep my eyes on. The coins falling out of the sky or the tickets I won filling up the game room. I think I saw some people running for cover.

I hope you share my passion for this type of gambling. The night soon came to an end because I ran out of points on my card and redeemed my tickets for a stuffed animal dog. John got some sunglasses with attached sideburns...but of course he needed some of my tickets to afford his purchase because I totalled banked. One great thing about the bowling alley is that it gives you cold hard cash...no bells & whistles, which is very bowling alley-esque.

Please, if you see these money machines, just drop in a quarter for me. I bet you can't stop, but don't blame it on me.