Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a great 3-day weekend and wonderful time ringing in the New Year. Make sure you spiff up on your Auld Lang Syne lyrics. I don’t think many people know the whole song, but I want to go to a party where everyone sings it, just like in the movies.

I hope the New Year brings you good health, happiness, and exciting new adventures. Cheers!

Spreading Holiday Cheer

Check my little "elf self" out!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=48be08e962172cf61cb06acG06122204


*Try the link a few times if it doesn't work at first, it seems to be a little jank.

Big Cat, Small Places - My Cat, Diego

Snack Attack, Beach Style

Check out what happened in the Outer Banks at http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=115267&ran=146714.

Now you can lazily drop your arm down from your beach chair and pick up a bag a chips. It's kinda like Willy Wonka's factory, but a little more on the trashy side.

I need to learn how to do my hair like this. How can anyone have a bad day wearing this adorable pefect hair wave? I could probably achieve the commoner version with lots of shampoo suds, but that is not the real deal. It fits well for this time of year and all. She looks almost Who-ish.

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Hanukkah.

Christmas vacation is my all time favorite Christmas movie. I have seen it a million times, but I laugh hysterically like I never saw the squirrel scene coming, cringe with sympathy when Clark's Christmas lights don't work and when Uncle Eddie wears the hideous dickie under his white sweater, and wish I could ride a sled (or shall I say fireball) like Clark. Each scene is priceless and you can find my family randomly quoting the movie throughout the entire year. It just becomes more special during the holidays. Maybe it will actually start feeling like Christmas when it isn't 60 degrees outside! Snow is on its way this Friday, so it will be the perfect weekend to spend some time with one of my favorite families, the Griswalds.



If you need more laughs check out some of the amazing quotes from the movie here.

The Data Diaries

Today was rough. I can't see straight from data. I can't think because of data. I can't stay awake because of data. I have officially become a data robot - a data robot who hates data. I can sum up today with two words "lost data". This occurrence definitely put a little sweat on my brow and almost made me have a breakdown. You know that feeling you have when you wake up 2 minutes before you have to be somewhere? That frantic, rushed, almost to the point of a major freak-out-session kind of feeling. Yeah, that was my day. I hope tomorrow will be better. Until then, I found this to help fix my problem.

Back home again in Indiana

Hey y'all. Again, I've been keeping myself pretty busy. Last week I moved back home to Indiana. It is really nice to be home, but sometimes I think I am going to pull my hair out. For example, the night before I started working my parents told me I needed to go to bed. I felt like I was 5. I told them I wanted to watch Project Runway (Sheesh, that's freakin' important because it was the 2nd to last episode!) and I got a lot of slack for it. I think I'm going to have to sit them down and say, somehow I have made it okay since I left for college when I was 18. I think I can continue to make my own decisions. I guess they will always be parents and I will be the "baby" of the family. Pretty old baby at age 24. Anyway, I started working in Indianapolis, so it is nice to get out and make some money. The one thing I don't like is the very early mornings and the inch of ice on my windshield when I start my commute.

I need to organize my thoughts and set some boundaries while I'm in Crawfordsville.

1. I will limit myself to only a couple trips to Wal-Mart a month. It is the worst place in the world to be in Crawfordsville.

2. I will try not to frequent the townie bars. The last time I
went out a bunch of my girlfriends were visiting, so that is the only way to do it. (Quick fact: You can get a few beers for only a couple dollars here.) Come visit and then maybe we can go out on the town.

3. I will NOT wear PJ bottoms out in public like many of the people like to do around here.

4. Unlike many of the people in this area, I will continue to drive at least the speed limit (or faster).

5. Just because Steak 'n Shake is the newest (and finest) establishment here, you will not find me frequenting it like I have never seen a milkshake in my life.

6. I will go to Lafayette or Indianapolis to shop for books. Do
you guys realize there isn't a single place to buy books here?!
Seriously. I guess Wal-Mart has books, but like I said, I'm putting a monthly quota on that, remember. (I just finished reading Night and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and I strongly recommend both.)

7. I'm going to count on the friends I do have here to keep me
sane. Well, we keep one another sane.

8. Anyone want to hang in Indy? Give me a call and we'll plan a
little something something.

9. Don't expect blogs with any bells and whistles (ie photos, videos, etc) because I have dial-up here at home. Yeah, remember dial-up? My family still lives in the archaic times. Takes about 20 minutes to check my email. I'm having perezhilton.com withdrawals because it takes forever to load. My Dad honestly stalks the guy at the electric company to wire high speed internet. My neighbors have it, but the electric company says that they won't wire the cables over "the creek" for some bizzare reason. Ugh, the logic around here drives me batty. How are my neighbors sitting pretty with high speed and I'm sitting here hearing my computer dial-up? It's like the nsync song "Digital Digital Get Down" but not so digital and without the freaky lyrics. Unless my Dad gets slapped with a restraining order from the electric company guy, the rumor has it that we might get high speed within the year.

This weekend has been exciting and fun. Saturday morning I drove to Bloomington for the IU vs Iowa football game. What a blowout, right Steve? Wink wink. I'm kidding. I think I might be in trouble now. Anyway, it was great to see the Hoosiers feeling good and I was so proud of their win. To beat a nationally ranked team is something to be very excited about at IU. I'm really glad I got to experience being there and I was so happy to see the football team rush the bleachers and celebrate with all the fans. Never seen anything like that, but they deserved all the fans' praise for fighting hard for the win.

I rushed back from Bloomington to see Tiffany who just flew in from Denver for a few days. We sat around a campfire and I got to catch up with some friends. Megan was cracking me up all night and I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time. Tiffany brought home her iBook and she has this photo program on her computer, which totally makes your face look demented. You can choose what sort of effect you want to put on your face and it is hilarious. If I decide that I'm not too embarrassed to share this with you, then I might post some of them. But I will have to go Tiffany's (or the public library - why not, right?) to use the fast internet. You honestly might not realize that it is me in the pictures. Well, I hope you don't because I look really effed up. I uploaded the most normal one of my eyeball to myspace. I spent the night at Tiff's last night and just got home. It was just like old days. Having a sleepover and spending 24 hours straight together.

Better get going before my parents tell me it is my bedtime.

Did anyone ever tell you that you look like...

I was bored late last night and decided to check out "my heritage" and see what celebrity I resemble the most. Anyway, I decided to have a little fun with it and add strange pictures to see who the celebrity look-a-like program comes up with. I love the Jamie Lynn Spears came up. And who the heck is Eliza Dushku?

So, I tried a picture when I have freaky eyelashes. Ah, so maybe there is a reason why I belt out Rent tunes, like "I wanna go ooooooooooooooouuuuuuuut tonight" at random times. It is because I have an uncanny resemblance (and could possibly be related) to Rosario Dawson (yeah right). I just checked out her stats, she is of Puerto Rican, Cuban, African American, Irish and Native American descent. We all know how much my Dad loves real geneology and as far as I know, I'm not any of that, unless he uncovers a big family secret. Um okay, who is Tata Young? Can you guys help me out with this?

So...I couldn't really stop here. I decided to do more, but not just of me. I'm sure my sisters won't be too mad that I decided they needed to have their faces critiqued. By all means, this is for us to find out our heritage! And I also wonder if they think we look like the same people. Hmm - let's see! I, along with many others feel Courtney resembles Rachel McAdams and Jennifer Garner.

Okay, now onto Kyleigh. Who knew Ky was seperated at birth from Julia Roberts!?!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this thoughtless entry. I want to know who you look like! Check it out at www.myheritage.com and then let me know your celebrity look-a-like!

It's No Wonder Why "Whitewater" Starts With "Whit"

I've been taking a little bit of heat for not blogging recently. I apologize to my oh-so-small fan base. I returned from Hotlanta early this week and had a very nice time visiting with my sisters. One of the fun activities of the week was whitewater rafting on the Ocoee. This part of the river offers the most continuous stretch of Class III-IV Rapids in the country! I had the best time. It had been raining really hard and the river was very very high. It seriously was non-stop rapid action. Our "guide" was pretty serious and yelled at us a lot, but I was too busy looking for bears and enjoying the views to care. It started out as a pretty dreary day. All rain, a little lightening, no sun. Sounds like the perfect day for a water activity, right? It turned out to be fantastic. It still rained, we didn't see the sun, and the water felt like ice cubes, but we all were having too great of a time to care. We swam around in the frigid waters and screamed for our lives during the rapids. I spent about half of the trip in the very front of the raft - and oh man- what a ride! I knew right when I got slapped in the face by a huge wave that this day was going to be fun. It is funny because the outfitter place gave us these rain jackets to wear. Umm, were they serious? I got soaked from head to toe in the first 30 seconds. The rain jacket had no purpose. Check out the pictures from the day. I am sitting in the 2nd row. You can see my mouth open and close in excitement. Kyleigh is perfectly posed and is looking at the camera in each shot. She could totally win America's Next Top Model. We don't know who the random is in the yellow helmet. He wasn't with our party, but definitely offers some comedic relief to the intense photos. Check out his puffed cheeks. Looks like he is going to lose his breakfast. Not too long after these pictures were taken, we went through a crazy rapid and I, along with many others got sucked out of the raft. When I came up from under the water, I realized only two people, Matt and the guide, survived on the raft! Matt has no idea how he stayed in because he was up to his neck in water, while trying to stay inside the raft. Anyway, I think I found my new hobby. I hope to plan another trip soon!


Create Your Own!

You Coming Home Yet?

Dear Mom and Dad,

I know you are having fun in Las Vegas without me. I wish I could be your lucky charm. I miss you lots. Sometimes I bark for no reason, ignore Whitney and John, make the kitties hiss, and basically give everyone the run around. They took me to PetSmart and walked me around WashU. I do enjoy this fast-paced lifestyle, but I miss you. Come home with lots of dough, I spotted some really cute outfits at PetSmart!


Kiss kiss,
Roxy

P.S. Please disregard the "Too big for her britches" entry

That's more like it

Roxy at Puppy Camp

Too big for her britches

Hmmm...all that spoiling leads to no good. Cesar Millan, we need you!

A Whole Lotta Nuttin'

I thought I would write a little entry because I am bored, but I don't have much to say. I'm still on the prowl for a new job. Hopefully my hard work will pay off soon. Besides that, I haven't been doing much. If I leave my apartment, I tend to spend money, so I am basically holed-up in here all day. I'm becoming a little crazy - and it feels more strange to leave my place than stay here. I spend a lot of my time talking to my kitties and chilling with them. They don't seem to have a problem in the world, so it is nice to hang around with them because they have nice philosophies. Like I said earlier, crazy.

Youtube.com has become a great refuge for me lately. I like to watch "the modern day oompa loompas" (what i have decided to call them) dance around here and here. I have also really enjoyed seeing all the people who think they are bringing sexyback along with Justin. This guy makes me cringe, I can't get past watching more than 30 seconds of it. Sheesh, at least put some effort into your performance like these boys.

John and I rented TransAmerica the other night. Not the comedy of the year as advertised. I watched Akeelah and Bee lastnight and almost cried. It was pretty cheesy, but I still got into it.

I've been obsessively checking my email, hoping to receive an email with "Job Offer: Best Job in the World for You" in the subject line. Feel free to send me emails to brighten my day. Usually when I refresh my email, I only get emails from Oprah or CareerBuilder trying to make me become a telemarketer. Argh.

John and I also found out that a couple of our best friends from St. Louis, Mike and Lindsay are moving. We are sad. :( We are going to start puppy-sitting their dog, Roxy, again in a few days and I can't wait! Now I will have another animal to talk to. I'm sure she will keep me busy because John and I can't help but spoil her.

I'm planning a trip to Hotlanta to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday (holla!). I miss my sisters so much and can't wait to see them.

That's about all that is happening in my neck of the woods.

Justin Case You Missed It

908 East 3rd Street - Together Again

| I realized I haven't written in a while, but that is because I have been having fun. I spent last weekend in Chicago getting together for my Alpha Phi pledge class reunion. Oh what fun. It was so funny to cram a bunch of girls in one apartment in Chicago and spend lots of time catching up. I know it is Thursday now, but it took me a few days to recover from my wham bam weekend. It was so great seeing all the girls I used to live with. I sometimes can't believe how I lived with 100 girls in one house - but it was so much fun. I guess you really have to experience it to understand it. So many late nights, funny drama, cramming for tests, dinners that started before 5 (yes, it was like a nursing home), and so much more. I remember being scared out of my mind during pledgeship. I gave serious thought to dropping out. I didn't think it was for me. Now I look back and can't believe I misjudged it so much. At first pledgeship did take up a lot of time and I thought most of the girls seemed crazy, I soon loved every minute of it. This weekend really brought back lots of memories and reminded me how special the ladies of Alpha Phi are to me.

Moving in sophomore year was a blur to me. How could I remember all of these girls names? It's not like you can walk in and say "hey girls" to everyone - every time you entered a new room. I lived with Karen, Carrie, and Katie. Gosh, all the "K" names were tough in the beginning. I'm glad they decided to throw me with my “W” in the mix. I had such a wonderful semester living with those girls. We had a huge room in the house and I'm not sure if I have ever laughed so much as I did that semester. It didn't matter that Katie started every single sentence with "Get this..." or obsessively color coordinated her closest...and then mine. Or that Karen came home in the mornings wearing a frat shirt with really tall going out boots on a regular occasion. Or that Carrie absolutely hated my "shit pile" next to my computer. Where else was I supposed to put my crap when I only had a tiny closet? I made the best of friends with these girls. Next semester, I was moved into the smallest room in the house with 2 other girls, Leslie and Gilbert and enjoyed my secretarial duties of my position in the house. We were all loud and crazy girls...in the smallest room known to man. All three of us could never stand up, let alone get ready, at the same time in that room. It didn't matter; it was the best of fun. People who didn't live in the house wouldn't even walk in the room because the lack of space made them feel uncomfortable and anxious. At least I am prepared if I ever want to move to NYC. Honestly, was there a time when we didn't have Kylie Minogue blasting from our room? This was the year IU made it to the national championships and we have great memories from this time. We spent lots of nights staying up late, ordering breadsticks, making our rounds at the frats, and loving every second of being together.

All that fun eventually caught up with me and I got Mono. Party foul, right? Anyway, I chilled for the summer and recuperated out in Maine as a camp counselor. All summer I could not wait to get back to IU. Junior year, I lived in a decent sized room with Carrie (again) and Tara, but get this (that was for you, Katie) - it did not have a single window. Wtf, right? Well, it didn't really matter to me and now I know what it would be like to be a vampire. We lost all feeling of what time of day it was when we were in there. That semester was definitely an experience, but by that time I was looking ahead. I was planning to study abroad in Italy with Kathryn, a fellow Alpha Phi. I was prepared, we were used to extreme living conditions, so it was totally fine that our kitchen was the size of a bathroom, and our refrigerator, stove, and sink were seriously made for little people. Our bedroom was huge, but we couldn't really make use of the space because the only things in there were our beds and our Gap favorite tees (basically the only clothing we brought - we thought they were versatile, easy, and had the option of being dressed up or down). We would wear our Gap favorite tees out to the bars. I snagged a dark gray one before leaving the US and Kathryn couldn't believe that they came in dark gray. I would let her borrow the gray one for special occasions. Now I think I would physically gag if I touched a fav tee. Check back in a few years, maybe I will wear them then. Anyway, I had a great time studying abroad - got to experience life in another part of the world and met lots of cool people. Leslie got to come see me too! Even though I was in amazing Europe, I longed for my dears friends at IU. It was sad to have to leave, but I was not sad to return to IU.

Senior year I lived with Karen (boot girl), Kathryn (favorite tee girl), and Tiffany (friend from high school). Senior year was lots of fun and I felt the freedom of "living out" of Alpha Phi. I missed the cooked meals everyday and the maids. What was I thinking when I decided to move out? Senior year came and went so fast. I was so sad to leave IU.

This past weekend was so much fun because it brought back the carefree lifestyle of college. On Friday night, we hung out at Lauren (Claytor) {sorry lauren, I had to add the last names just in case people don't remember- haha} and Megan's apartment and waited for everyone to get into the city. Lauren was ridicously funny when asking if we remembered certain people and used their first and last names, like it has been 30 years since any of us spoke. We went out Friday night and had lots of fun. Our feet were aching from the heels we used to be able to wear out all the time. Saturday we hit the beach and watched the Air and Water show on the North Ave beach. We all met up for dinner on Saturday night and got to catch up over some tasty Italian food. We then hit up a bar and I swear, I saw like 897234 Alpha Phis. Some older than us and some younger. We then continued to go out to see more of Chicago's nightlife and then rocked out to SexyBack in the cab on the way home. That def made my night. It was a little rough to get up Sunday morning only a few hours after I went to bed, but it was nice to spend a little more time together before we all had to leave and also share stories from the night before. The wkd consisted of dancing, gin and tonics, beer, going out, pizza, staying up past 4am, and having the best time. The only thing different now than from college is that it took me days to recover and I was sore the next day. Am I really getting that old?

Last weekend was just like old times. I still can't believe how great it was to see everyone. It is impossible to be bffs with everyone in my pledge class because there are just so many of us, but it I couldn't have been happier than seeing each and every one of 'em. We are all bonded together and shared such an exciting time of our lives together. I really do care about every single on of the girls and want the best of them. We got through everyday life, the exams, rush (I’m sorry, "recruitment"), the long days and nights, and 4 years of before-the-real-world fun - together.

I'm so proud of all the girls and I truly cherish every second while I was at IU. I knew while I was there that what I was experiencing was something I would cherish forever, but I was having too much fun to think about it. I'm glad it was that way. I look back now and love it. I'd give almost anything to go back to that time. Too bad college doesn't last forever.

Anyway, before I enroll for another undergrad experience or try to convince everyone that we should all rent a house together (we are talking about some seriously cheap rent!), I should wrap this up. I am so happy that I saw the wonderful ladies of Alpha Phi that could make it to the reunion this past weekend. Those who couldn’t make it were definitely missed!! Everyone seems to being doing fantastic things - so proud of everyone, not just because of their accomplishments but because of who these ladies are--girls I, and so many others, can count on for a great time, a shoulder to lean on, definitely some laughs, to reminisce about the good times at IU, and share our futures. Thanks for the wonderful weekend – it was long overdue and very much needed. Let’s not wait a long time to do it again!

*I’ll post pictures soon. Check back.

So since I have returned from vacation, I have been hit hard by the realities of finding a job. I spend long hours a day sitting at my computer, sending out resumes and crossing my little fingers that a good opportunity will come my way. I knew this stress was waiting for me when I returned from vacation, but it was much easier to put the stress behind me when I was sitting in my little beach chair, sipping a mojito, and enjoying the view of the ocean. I better go be productive...or start constructing my sign.

Why I Loved Vacation...

In Florida

• I could see my toes while swimming in the Gulf
• I spent lots of QT with my sisters
• Visited with my extended family
• Awkwardly met cousins who I had never met before and had no idea would be at the family bbq
• Laughed really hard about how Courtney was thinking about not wearing a shirt and just her bikini top to the family reunion that we didn’t know about
• We rented jet skis and saw dolphins (and I did many burn outs to splash Ky and Court)
• Realized we are still young enough to get in stupid fights
• Looking at Kyleigh’s huge sunglasses everyday cracked me up
• My sisters made fun of me for bringing goggles on vacation, but all begged to borrow them in the pool (and also for the underwater photo fun)
• Because we ate rock hard salt water taffy that almost pulled out our teeth
• Kyleigh was constantly on “burn patrol” and would decide who was most burnt each day and wouldn’t stop talking about it
• I was convinced I would be attacked by shark, but I wasn’t
• I didn’t accidentally swim with a huge alligator this time
• We took hilarious underwater pictures
• Made me miss my sisters even more when we all had to leave
• I knew I had another vacation coming
  

In OBX

• I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt
• I found out Robby knows all the words to “ScatMan”
• I learned that John can really rap and has lots of stories to tell about his struggles in Harlem with his Dad
  
• I stayed up all night to watch the sunrise on the beach
• I realized all I really need to pack for the week was a swimsuit, gaucho pants, and a tank top
• I had lots of wine every night
• I kicked some major tail in bocce
• My frat rat days did not go to waste. Keenan and I sent all the guys packing in “Survival Flippy Cup”
• I caught some major waves while boogie boarding
• Again, I had a strong fear that I would see/get bumped/get bitten by shark, but I did not.
• If it wasn’t written in the latest Cosmo or The Devil Wears Prada then I didn’t know about it.
• Lindsay sent me pictures of my kitties via cell phone so I could see their precious faces.
• I didn’t have to use an epipen after my major allergy bug bite attack
• I honestly don’t know what it is like to wear shoes again
• I saw many shooting stars
• I mastered making a mojito (sorry I left the lime out and poured a bit too much rum in yours, Nat!)
• We all mastered our Nacho Libre faces
• In true Nacho Libre form, I started at least one sentence a day that begin with "Get that corn/sand/towel/camera/etc out of ma face"
• I hadn't had that many consecutive great meals probably since last year in OBX
  
• I spent everyday playing on the beach
• I have sand in everything I brought back
• I have officially confirmed that there is no such thing as being “vacationed out"

*stay tuned for accompanying OBX photos - since the big storm came through St. Louis, the internet has been veeeeery slow.

Summer has begun

Yesterday, I had the perfect summer day. The days I felt like I used to have as a child all the time. Even then, I could recognize a great summer day and I don't think I took too many of them for granted. I spent most of my summer days outside at the lake, pool, riding bikes, and playing outside. Now, as an adult, I have to orchestrate a day like that and maybe I can plan a day a week like that. Even that is pushing it. Now all these adult responsibilities creep into my weekend and try to push out the fun. I know have tons of dishes to clean, an apt to straighten, oil to change in my car, grocery shopping, etc. As a kid, the only thing that would get in the way of a fun summer day was getting grounded. Ugh. John and I were talking about the differences of summer now and then. Now, you have to plan ahead with friends when you want "play" and almost everything costs money. Our lives are so busy that it is even hard to get together a group outing. It took nothing as a kid to find yourself outside playing night games with a bunch of kids. Everyone was available and had nothing else to do.

Yesterday, I had one of those days. A day when I felt like a kid again and could not have been happier. I can't believe I am old enough to say the phrase I felt like a kid again. Our day started real early. I was up shortly after 6:00am. John and I were meeting our friends, Mike and Lindsay, and their dog, Roxy, at 7 to spend the day rafting! I didn't even think twice about not wanting to get out of bed. We were so excited when we arrived and couldn't wait to get on the river! I got a little worried when we all piled on a school bus with about 50 other people. All the guys were obnoxious, cursing at every single chance they could get. The donned beer bongs, one that was shaped like skull and the beer flowed down the spine. That same man had a home-made tattoo of Tweety smoking pot. I got a little worried because I felt like John, Mike, Lindsay, and I were outnumbered by these interesting folk. I whispered to John, "I think we are surround by a bunch of Roosters." They always provided a bit of comedy as we passed. We got on the river a little after 9am and were ready to roll. I don't think the river was ready for us to roll. We barely moved at times, but that did not concern me. We leisurely drifted down the river...for over 6 hours. We ran into Roosters every once and a while, but they provided some humor to the day as we passed them on the river. The sun was out all day and it was so nice to float, swim, and be with friends. Roxy had the most adorable "extra extra small" life jacket that she wore all day. Whenever we weren't looking, she would dive off the edge of our raft and paddle around. That girl can swim & it was the cutest thing. On our way home, we topped off the afternoon with a little bit of ice cream and for the first time, my summer actually felt like summer.

We went home and got all cleaned up for the evening. I felt "good tired" - the kind of tired after a long day in the sun and fresh air. John and I headed over to Mike and Lindsay's for some pizza and deck top fireworks. The fireworks were great and I hope to see more on the 4th. I hope all of you got a little taste of true summer this weekend. Have a wonderful 4th of July!

taco taco

So I just got back from watching Nacho Libre (which was mucho funny) and I am digging the ethnic vibe. Actually, I can't get this song out of my head. Ever. John told me I had to stop singing (but actually he just sings along after he scolds me). I guess he doesn't want taco flavored keeeeeeeeeeses. If anyone can find more video from this South Park episode, let me know asap. In the meantime, enjoy getting this stuck in your head.

Meowsers! Happy Birthday, Bella & Diego!

Okay, quit your whining, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Yes, I created a kitty slideshow - but it is for a very important occasion. My kitties, Bella & Diego, turn 3 today! You know you love it. Enjoy :)

What's Worse?

That this is very entertaining to me or the fact that I have personally done every single move showcased in this video?



How did we once rock out in all seriousness just like this to these songs and when did these moves become funny?

From now on, I will be a wallflower. That never goes out of style. Actually, that is impossible for me. I can't help to shake my thang to any type music. Rock on brotha and I will do the same.

I wish I knew how to quit you

I just unearthed something that I buried years ago. I should have never brought it back. It took over my life, distracted me from my studies, kept we awake at night, and had full control. When I closed my eyes at night, I saw it playing out in my mind. Free moments were stolen by its addictive grip. I knew it was so dangerous - why did I bring it back? Because it is Snood.

If you haven't played, DON'T even think about downloading it. The little snood men will take control and pretty much get you fired from work. They are eeeevil. They dance around in your dreams at night and control you by day. Now, I mean it, if you haven't been touched by the Snood-bug, don't do it. See, I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books because I think there should be at least one person in the world who has not read them and has no idea what hogworts is. Even the word hogworts pretty much freaks me out. I will keep my distance from Harry - you keep your distance from Snood. Just in case something happens - we need someone who hasn't been brainwashed by these little colorful shapes. Oh my, I just checked out the website again. It even says "forget life, play Snood." This is getting ooc (out of control). Just don't say I didn't warn you. Play wit fire, ya gonna get burned. Unless you want your computer to look back at you and see THIS - don't play.













I don't know what got into me tonight. Why did I open this huge can of worms?! It has been years since I have played, but it felt great knocking the purple triangles out, strategizing to build a looong chain - just to blast it away, and angling my mouse juuuust right so I could bounce the little men off the wall to fit right where I wanted them. Then I felt the rage that comes along with Snood...things don't go where they are supposed to. They don't bounce like they should. I miscalculate the angle by .00000001 degree and I'm screwed. I definitely feel like I am a freshman at IU again sitting in my hot ass room with no AC, but I had no worries because I was playing Snood. Actually, it didn't matter if I had a 10 page paper due in 1 hr, no A/C, and someone just shouted down the Briscoe hall that "the store" just got in the cheese squares or the chip dip (you Briscoe dwellers know what I am talking about!). It seemed like everyone was playing Snood. We would wander into one another's dorm room's to play Snood. Snood brought us together. I remember how ticked I would get if someone played on my computer and out-scored me and I had to look at their lousy name until I beat their score. I would have to snap in the air and say "oh no u di 'int"

I need to get some sleep and dream of sugar-plum snoods. Nuh-night :)

The Cat's Meow

I’m on my lunch break right now and thought I would blog a bit. Nothing too exciting happening at this moment besides the little pizza bagels that await me in the toaster oven. I’ve been working on html e-newsletter today…and the past few days. I enjoy learning more about html - don’t get me wrong – but when the codes don’t work like they are supposed to it drives me absolutely nuts. I’ve been working on the same problem for the past 3 days and it is driving me crazy. ARRRGH.

Anyway, I decided it was time for a little lunch break and I started doing a little research on cat condos. Yes, I said cat condos. I am bringing my cats back to St. Louis after this weekend and could not be happier about it! I’m nervous about the whole country to the city transition, but I think they will be okay. I stocked up on cat supplies at PetSmart the other day and I swear, I could spend some big bucks there. I really want to get the perfect scratching, climbing, sleeping, and playing contraption for my cats. My parents have a kitty condo (see picture), but look how much fun that cats are having. NONE. They look ticked that someone even created something so absurd for them to entertain themselves with. I need something that actually makes my cats move. I checked out the pretty pricey merchandise at PetSmart and there isn’t that much of a selection, so I took my search to the internet. I’m finding insane contraptions. I had no idea that kitty gyms, tee pees, a freakin house, (on my gawh) a cat cottage, kitty cities, and pueblos even existed. (You must take the time to check out those links!) Where do these cat home designers draw the line?

I’m going to keep shopping around to see if I can find something that is affordable and not insane. Until then, I guess the cats will have to sit on the dreadful couch....

I've been kinda busy with this little sweetie

Is she not the sweetest thing? John and I have been puppysitting since Thursday evening. Roxy's parents are flying in tonight, but it looks like their flight is delayed, so we might have Roxy for another night! We have had a few wonderful days together and I wish Roxy could extend her little stay. We bought frosty paws, went on a looooong walk, relaxed over crepes, and cuddled lots. We learned about puppy pads and tried to channel our inner dog whisperer. She is the sweetest thing and I better go enjoy her last night's stay with Auntie Whitney & Uncle Johnny!

(Having technical difficulties with the video...check back later!)

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

We met when we were 14 and before too long, I knew we would be great friends. We have hilarious high school notes, pictures, and memories. We experienced summers, concerts, late nights, college, tears, laughter, and lots and lots of dancing. We just understand each other and I'm so happy she is in my life. I'm so lucky to have a friend who has been through so much with me and that I know will always be there. Love you, Nat. I hope you have a very very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

¡Felicitaciones!

So I lied when I said there was big news today on CNN. I have even BIGGER news! Tasha is ENGAGED!!! What?! I know! I said ENGAGED! I received a call this morning at work and when I saw it was her, I was a little confused because we never talk about 10:30am. Since it was a little out of the ordinary, I decided to take the call in my cube. All I can remember hearing was "I'm engaged!!" come across the phone line. I ran out of cube to go outside to giggle and celebrate with her. She was definitely still in shock and told me the story from the morning. Today, Tasha and JP celebrated their 4 year anniversary. JP got up bright and early and brought her breakfast in bed and gave her a present at 6:30am. She thought it was really sweet, but quite groggy, so she said she was going to go back to sleep for 15 minutes. JP left the room and then Tasha heard music BLARING from the living room. She thought JP had the stereo up really loud and was wondering what was going on. He called for her to come out of the bedroom. She walked out and there was a freakin' MARIACHI BAND rockin' out in living room! A mariachi band. Let that soak in. She woke up and there was a mariachi band in her house. Haha - I love it. For those who don't know JP, he is from South America and Tasha has basically grown Spainish/Latin roots since she spent a summer down in Mexico quite a few years ago. She became fluent in Spanish and loved the culture. They actually met through speaking Spanish. Four years ago, they met a big graffiti party when Tasha was visited Rose Hulman to see her sister graduate. For the graffiti party virgins, the party consists of people walking around in white shirts and using markers to write all over one another for the whole night. They were both waiting in the line to go to the bathroom and she noticed he spoke Spanish. She spoke back in Spanish and the rest is history (and they have a really cute pic from the party with writing all over their shirts-haha)! Anyway, back to my original story...JP pulled Tasha into another room and got down on one knee and asked her to marry him!!! I'm soooo happy to see someone who really feels more like a sister, than just a best friend, get engaged. JP - Job well done - I am so happy for you both :)

¡Deseo para usted una vida por completo de la aventura, de la alegría, de la salud, de la felicidad, y del amor!

¡Te quiero ambos!

...uhh if that doesn't make sense, blame babelfish!

Morning News

Well, Crawfordsville finally made it to cnn.com. Unfortunately, it is a "stupid criminal" story. He should get two points for trying, right? Usually I have to read cnn.com and then journalreview.com, but now it is a one-stop-shop! I wonder if this big news is being discussed at the Wal-Mart cafe over soft pretzels and meth?

10 Reasons Why Today Needs to be Friday

10. It’s only Tuesday and I have nothing to wear to work for the rest of the week

9. Weekends are so great, the sleeping in, the PJs, the relaxing mornings…

8. Who needs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday? I take that back, we need Thursday to celebrate Natalie’s birthday

7. I would already know who got kicked off on American Idol

6. I would be visiting my kitties (who I desperately miss!)

5. I can avoid going to the grocery store for another week

4. Maybe eye twitch will be gone by then?

3. The Monday blues seem far off

2. Because the feeling of two days of freedom is amazing

1. I wouldn’t have to wait any longer to see my sister, Kyleigh!

Mondays are Inhumane

Only click on this if you can have your speakers on and you feel like breaking out into an uncontrollable giggle. To experience this to the fullest, make sure you let it loop a couple times. I better get back to typing in my cube.

A Breath of Fresh Air

You hungry for a little snack?















I’m sorry I have been really out of the loop lately. I tried to appease my starved-whittlesnack- site-readers with a few entertaining blogs, but I know they have been pretty lame. I’m going to try to be better because I do really enjoy keeping a blog, but lately the only thing on my mind has been my Mom’s cancer and it is really hard for me to try to think or write about much else. The last thing I want to do is write about it, but I struggle wanting to write about anything else because other things seem so unimportant in comparison. I am trying to find a balance…but right when I start feeling like I am doing okay, I feel like my feet get knocked out from under me. This whole situation has really changed the way I see life, good and bad I guess. Some days it motivates me to push harder to have good days and make the most out each moment, but other days I feel like I just want to cry because it seems so unfair and painful for my family. It is tough to realize that this is my new reality. I guess death and sickness in the family has always been “a reality” but I never saw it coming. In the grand scheme of things, we are only guaranteed so much. I think our mortal minds have trouble with these thoughts.

Anyway, the whole point of this blog is to explain the breath of fresh air I feel right now. I've had a wonderful weekend with John and a few friends. I spent most of the weekend outside, which is the best thing about Spring. We visited the botanical garden, which is currently accented by Chihuly’s glass art. I think blown glass is beautiful, so I ate this all up. Chihuly was also displayed at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, so I saw his work there too. We spent the evening playing Guesstures and Cranium and Lindsay and I kicked some serious tail. To this date, the boys have never beat us at game night! :) Today we went bike shopping and John picked out a sweet ride. Reminds me of being a kid again – spending time outside, bikes, games…all the simple and wonderful things that made each day full of adventure.

Just like I said before, right when I feel like I gain some stable ground, my feet get knocked out from under me. I was just going to end the “happy” blog here, but I’m not going to. My friend just IM-ed me as I’ve been writing. He lost his Mother to cancer last summer and talking to him just stopped me in my tracks. He’s letting me know to spend as much time as I can with my Mom because he didn’t realize the severity of his Mother’s situation. He and I have something in common that I wish we didn’t; I don’t want to share this fate. These little reality checks really hit me hard. I felt like 5 minutes ago I was doing okay, but now I don’t know. Little things like this pop in when I am having a good day that remind me of what I don’t want to be reminded of. Most of them catch me off guard, like cancer commercials or overhearing someone’s conversation about something of the nature. Or when I went to see “The Family Stone” and thought it would be a cute Sarah Jessica Parker movie. It’s not. They don’t show you in the previews that it is actually really sad and the Mother in the movie dies of cancer. I felt tricked, I came to the movie to laugh and enjoy myself, not watch a family react to their mother’s diagnosis and death. It took everything in me not to just get up and leave the theater. This is my daily battle – and a battle soo many people experience. A battle I wish I wasn’t forced to face against my will. As I sat in the airport waiting for my delayed flight in Dallas, I met a woman who lost her Mother to colon cancer. I have to wonder if it was meant to be that we met. I will probably never see her again and I don’t remember her name. But her sincerity and compassion was so nice to receive. I can’t really explain it. It’s almost like little spurts of strength and hope surround me at times. She said she would pray for my Mom and I thanked her. It is amazing what saying hello at the airport can do for you. I was thinking about changing the title of my blog, but I’m not going to. I have ups and downs and that is the name of the game. I might find something in a couple hours that gives me the strength I need right now. I feel like I experience every feeling harder than I used to. I feel joy and love harder; I feel sadness and despair harder. The stories on the news break my heart like they never have before; at times I think I feel more compassion than ever.

I’ll post a few pictures from the weekend. I hope you enjoy them.

I love furballs

I need these kittens to de-stress. Sometimes Stuffonmycat and Cuteoverload are the only things that get me through the day. Who couldn't love these precious furballs? :)

Good News

Work made me a job offer! Big news, eh? :)

Hip Hip Hooray!

Happy Birthday Johnny!!!

Wednesday Thoughts

I'm taking a quick lunch break and thought I would blog a little bit. The weather has been gorgeous here lately. I'm loving the time change because after work I have a couple hours of light. I'm not a scary old winter vampire anymore. I feel so much more motivated to do things when it is light outside too. Last night I watched American Idol and then went to the grocery store! We all know how much I despise grocery shopping too. I guess I have a little Spring in my step now! I could never do that in the middle of winter. By 6pm I am in my comfy cozies trying to stay warm for the night.

My family is all in NYC right now. My Mom has her appointment at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital tomorrow. Please send us good thoughts and prayers. I hope they have something positive to offer because they are the #1 cancer hospital in the US. My sister, Kyleigh, and my Mom arrived in NJ a few days ago to visit with some old friends. Last night my Mom and Ky were surrounded by our dearest friends in NJ. I am so happy they could be surrounded by friendship, familiar faces, and fond memories at this time. I wish I could have been there. I need to make a trip back to NJ. I haven't been back since high school graduation. I imagine things have really changed.

This time of year usually brings back memories and emotion because tomorrow is the anniversary of a few of my friends passing away. In 1999 they were killed by a drunk driver. You can check out the website dedicated to them here. It is strange because when I look at their faces now, they look so young. I have grown into a young adult since their death. I was closest with Shana, who honestly loved life...so care-free and full of energy. Their court case received national attention and was presented on CourtTV. I believe the drunk driver who killed them is one of the first people to receive multiple 2nd degree murder charges.

I am in a reflective mood right now, but I think it is good to look around at what you have and make the adjustments in life you want to see. I think this is what we all strive for, but our everyday lives overshadow the things that were once so important to us. I'm trying to find balance in it all right now.

Fierce Flashbacks

I am too perky right now. It is midnight and I am wide awake. Well, it is kind of 11 because of the time change thing. I will just tell myself that. This time change is giving me jet lag or something.

I had a nice weekend and I can’t believe it is over. I savored it, but it didn’t make it any longer. I am feeling stronger about 3-day weekends now more than ever. Besides the tornados that came through here tonight, the weather was beautiful all weekend. I drove around with my windows down and felt the warm sunshine on my face. I hope the nice weather continues because I am so happy about having an extra hour of light after work. I want to try to take advantage of it.

I had my massage tonight and it was great. I really got to relax and get my muscles worked. It is rather strange having a stranger massage you with minimal clothing on. I had moments where I got a little freaked out, but I tried to push those thoughts away. I think I want to send John to massage therapy school, so I can weasel some free massages out of him.

I have some fun pictures to share. Last weekend in C-ville, I spent the evening with Tiffany and Natalie. We chatted all night, baked tons of cookies, and then decided it would be a great idea to go through my closet and laugh at my clothes. What else were we to do when we baked all the cookies and all the champagne was gone? They tried on prom dresses, formal dresses, and other random crap I had in my closet. All I have to say is that these girls are fierce (tyra banks) because they really worked it and made my nerdy clothes tres chic. It is funny looking back at these clothes because it really wasn’t that long ago that I wore those dresses, but now I cringe just thinking about them. At least we are still putting them to good use! We even dug out Courtney’s prom dress from 1995. Recently she told me “that dress was totally the style back then.” Gotta love bright red sequins…everywhere. I even put on the good old high school letter jacket. Inside its pockets I found: lots of trash, high school note (from tiff about nat-classic!!), *nsync picture, and much more. It was like a little time capsule. We came across these moon-boot sneakers that I got in Paris when I was like 15 and oh man…they are funny. Over the years Tiffany, being the neat freak that she is, has cleaned my room many times. She always told me to get rid of the moon-boot sneakers because I have no use for them. Look who’s wearing them now…the one and only Tiffy. (look for moon-boots with the short black dress) I knew I needed to keep those puppies around.

Ennui

I don’t really have anything to say. I am just sitting at my desk and on my lunch break. I just found this amazing word in my thesaurus: ennui. This day is going fast so far, so that is good. Like before, I am still looking forward to my relaxing weekend. I actually made an appointment to get a massage on Sunday. Ooooh-wee! I can’t wait. I am sure I will be lethargic for the rest of the evening. I feel like I have 87935 knots in my back, so hopefully the massage therapist will triple the time of the massage. I try to weasel a massage out of John all the time, but I rarely get one, now I am resorting to pay for one.

We are supposed to get bad storms coming through tonight. Someone mentioned a “squall line” and I feel like we have had many of those lately. Just the phrase “squall line” frightens me. A couple months ago I awoke to a really loud scary siren with a man’s voice telling everyone to seek refuge. I honestly felt like it was WWII. John grabbed his wind-up radio and we went in the downstairs hall of our building. No one else was awake but us, freaking out. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again tonight because that will only add 923838 more knots in my back.

Well my Stouffer’s lasagna is getting cold, so I better go.

Wow. Sorry this blog was so uneventful. I will try to make up for it next time. Ciaooo.

The Art of Doing Nothing

I have decided that this weekend will be full of nothing. I'm not driving anywhere, getting on a plane, or doing anything. I haven't had a weekend like this for a long time. I think it is taking its toll on me because I got sick last week and now I can't kick it. It has turned into a head cold and I look like an idiot with my mouth open all the time, but I can't breathe. I have lost count on how many times I have sneezed today and I currently doped up on some cold medicine. I just want to snuggle with my computer monitor and fall fast asleep.

I usually don't like weekends when I do nothing, but I have been deprived of "nothing" for too long. This weekend I am going to sit around in my PJs as long as I want, watch some sort of marathon to increase the probability of doing nothing, and basically just lounge and do nice activities. If weather is nice, maybe I will ride my bike in the park! I might even hit up the outlet mall because the mornings are just getting harder while I try to find work clothes to wear. I could even read "The Art of Doing Nothing" but that would mean I was doing something, right? They should put that on tape for people. It is just cruel to make people read a book to tell them how to do nothing. Something tells me that the people who actually need this book, don't have time to read it. I, on the other hand, will master these techniques this weekend! I know it is only Monday, but I have to make this plan and try to stick to it. This morning John IM-ed me and said, "Let's do nothing this weekend." He said his wallet needs to rest & I know I need to rest. I am glad I have a companion to do "nothing" with and I can't wait.

CHICAGO

I’m back from my whirlwind weekend in Chicago! I fully understand now why it is called the windy city! I had a wonderful birthday and great memories from my birthday weekend. On Friday, John and I spent the day at Shedd Aquarium and saw some amazing fish. We bonded with otters, dolphins, beluga whales, turtles, and basically anything else that swam and we thought was cute. We also saw some freaky stuff that really gave us the creeps. We met up with Kedavies and Katie for some fun St. Patty’s festivities. That night we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day (the right way) with green beer and friends.

Saturday we walked around the city with our tour guide, Katie. She is a spectacular tour guide and will take you inside of buildings. She also brought us to the animal shelter where she works and John and I almost walked out with two large orange kitty brothers. We hit up Michigan Avenue and I rambled on about Oprah facts. We caught the game at Katie’s apartment (which is the perfect size apartment for mini-me) and cheered for the Hoosiers. The TV network put us out of our misery and switched to another game, so we didn’t have to watch the final fall of IU this season. The only thing that diverted our attention away from losing was Annie, Katie's cat, and her amazing kitty tricks. I have never seen a cat like her go hog wild on this toy. We laughed pretty hard everytime she batted the ball around really fast and it never got old. We stuffed ourselves with Chicago pizza and contemplated snoozin’ on the couch all night. We went out and met up with some more old college friends--Amanda and Andrea. It was so great to see everyone again. Just like old times, but only in a really loud Latino bar. We peaced out of there and headed to the Gin Mill. On our way, I bumped into an old IU friend on the street. What are the odds? The Gin Mill treated us right and before we knew it, we were singing “Man in the Mirror” only to be followed by “Africa” at 2:30am.
We were rudely awoken to it being morning too soon. We crashed at Katie’s apartment and rushed back out to the suburbs to get ready at our hotel for our last day (and my birthday!) in Chicago. John and I spent the day at the Field Museum. We saw Sue, the T-Rex, hieroglyphics, and the exhibit for The Evolving Planet (where we saw fossils found from John's hometown). It was really a fascinating day at the museum and I had a little birthday cake too! We were sad to have to leave, but we had a fantastic time in the windy city. I absolutely love Chicago. Thank you all for showing us a great time! We will back soon!

Personal Advertisement: Katie has found a new jacket (circa 1991) in her closet at home that has never been used. It is reversible—hot pink or purple, take your pick! The late ‘80s were about letting you be control of your fashion. Warning: The jacket does tend to add about 45 pounds to whoever wears it and bunches up in the back. Katie is going to put this jacket on eBay, but I thought I’d do my share and post this advertisement on my own site. Interested buyers name your price. I’ll let Katie know you are interested and she will have to decide if you are worthy of this great find.

*P.S. It is the 1st day of Spring and it is snowing outside! It waited all winter to snow today?!