KRAZY KRISTMAS TIMES!

We are going to the kid's

Christmas program tonight and I just hope that I can get in the right frame of mind before it's time to go. Work and certain bad feelings born at last Saturday's work Christmas party had left me in a less than friendly and jolly frame of mind this past week. However, i need to forget or move on or both and get my merry on for this weekend. After all, I had a jump start really with Thursday night's dinner date with Joe and Phoebe. It was very pleasant, actually and came with a bonus in the form of my middle sister and 2 yr old niece showing up at the same restaurant just as we were getting our drinks and about to place our order. As she and Joe had yet to meet (due to circumstances and whatnot) and because its just the polite thing to do, we asked them to join us, and it was a rather nice dinner.

So I'll spend the afternoon helping my mom wrap presents and my sister will take the kids to Burger King to play or to the park maybe. Whatever we do it will be fun, and they are on Christmas vacation for the next 2 1/2 weeks, so they already have the attitude that fun times are ahead, and I just need to absorb some of that. Determined to make this the best Christmas ever. :)

BRACE YOURSELF, FOOL!!!

BEST THANKSGIVING EVER!!!

The day started with a long(ish) drive out to the 'country', you know how it is - over the really crowded freeway, past the Igloo factory to auntie's house we go. Actually it wasn't too bad, and thanks to my dad's uncanny ability to be super-punctual, we were there quite on time for lunch - YUM! Ok, not so much yum... they're real fond of putting the guts in the dressing and gravy, tons of un-cooked onions in the mashed potatoes (but no butter or milk - weird!!!) and making various other casseroles and what not that's hardly if at all recognizable. Don't really care, though, as my mom and I brought 2 bottles of wine and turkey is always tasty!!!

The great thing about going out to the country is that the girls can go crazy running about playing, riding the 4 wheelers and horses, swinging from the trees and chasing the other kids. I seriously doubt that Phoebe went inside for the 8 hours we were there. Maybe to go to the restroom (she is my kid in that she will NOT tinkle anywhere that is not very much a well-appointed bathroom, thank God!!!). That's my niece in the picture above riding on a tire swing that my older cousin made to look like a horse. Too cute!

Now for the drive home... all I can say is the first few minutes was a bit stinky and quiet... then I woke up :)

Black Friday!!!!

I normally don't spend a lot of time at the mall or hanging out in a bunch of stores (except you, Walgreen's, I luv you!!!), and my temperament doesn't really lean itself towards crowds or waiting in long lines or being around a group of strangers. So you would think that I would run far and fast from Black Friday drama, but no, for some reason I luv it!!! I relish it!!! Hanging out in line for hours, freezing our tushies off... so much fun. My sister and I started out at Toys R Us, and it was a blast. We had some really funny ladies behind us and at one point we were laughing so hard at what she said about people who were cutting in line (see title), that I almost fell over. Seriously. Then it turns out the girl in front of us is the ex-girlfriend of one of the sons of one of the ladies at work. I know that's obscure, but we spent a while trying to figure out where we had seen each other before. Then when we finally got inside, it was so great - the lights, the noise and people, the smell of toys and new crayons! I didn't want to leave. Maybe that's why I love Black Friday so much - it's the start of my Christmas-y good feelings. Sigh...

FAT TUESDAY VOL. 3-3

Oh my, my.

Oh heck yes!

Gotta fit into that party dress!

Okay, this past weekend I found the cutest LBD. And it was on sale. The problem is it's not quite the right size (but it's not exactly little, either). But it is perfect!!!

So, new short(ish) term goal - lose 20lbs. so I can actually wear it on New Years Eve. Not sure if I have any rockin' plans for New Year's, but I want to be looking super cute doing whatever I end up doing!!!

And get my boyfriend to actually take me somewhere on New Years Eve. Looks like this might have to be a girls night out.

Relationships-Guest Post

Hello all! I'm Jessie, also known as Shutterbug Mama. Beauty Sale Shopper and I decided to guest blog on each others blogs for a few reasons. First, to increase her number of followers and traffic to her blog. Second, we are letting the kids play outside and we actually have time to think about something to write about.

We have decided that my topic should be relationships. There are many kinds. I think at some point in all our lives we have experienced many of them.

We all had the "high school sweetheart" phase I'm sure. The boyfriend you had most of high school. You thought for sure that you would marry the boy and live happily ever after, and so did many of your friends. Problem with this relationship, it is your first. You are naive, have yet to experience anything really and don't realize....there are better fish in the sea for you. Many of you end up leaving this boy for one reason or another and consider this a total waste of you high school years. I however do not. Those years were a BIG learning experience for me. I learned what kind of man I did not want and how I did not want to be treated. I would never settle for less again.

Once you turn 21....you have the "booty call relationship". While most of us ladies will never admit to it because every assumes it is just a guy thing, that's bull shit and we all know it. I did not have the typical booty call relationship, but had one similar just the same. It is what is....luckily, I ended up marrying the man!

As you get older, there is more to think about then just having fun. What are his goals in life? Will he always have this shitty job? Is he funny? Does he get along with people that I get along with? Will my family like him? All these questions matter on some level. Relationships take time. They are an investment, an investment of the heart (the most expensive). And, at some point in the relationship you will get scared of the unknown. But you need to ask yourself, are you happy with the way things are forever, or should you jump in both feet first because it could possibly be the best thing you have ever done in your life and to hell with fear getting in the way?

Every thing happens for a reason. Always been my motto. You have to take chances if you want to try and make your self happy. You can't always wait around for someone else to do it. I don't want to look back one day and wonder "what if". It's not a good way to live.

So to what ever kind of relationship you are in, enjoy it, but know there is always so much more.

Please be kind and check out my blog, if you like it, feel free to follow. Enjoy your weekend!

Jessie

FAT TUESDAY VOL. 3-2

Ok, ok, I know it's actually Thursday, but this and that... you know what I mean?

Any way, I did not lose any more weight this past week, but I didn't gain any... I think it's because I'M LAZY!!!

Yeah, that's about it.

But I've got to get hard core about it ASAP.

Now, usually, this time of year is bad for people to lose weight, but I have the advantage. I do not like most holiday foods. Yes, I am a very picky eater... and I know when I go to east Texas for Thanksgiving at my aunt's house, I will have to bring my own food or else eat only turkey. Same thing for Christmas, wherever that my be this year (still no firm plans - Hilary can we work on that?)

I'm joining the Jillian Michaels plan/website thingy, and hopefully getting her game for Wii, though the preview suggests that the 'game' part of that may not be completely accurate -- it looks hard! Going to bust my buns and try to be super good. My kid (and darling niece) is so active, I know she would walk or ride bikes or go do what ever with me - I have no excuse!!!

YOU WANT TO WAIT HERE FOR 6 HOURS?!

I am not a fighter. Snotty, obnoxious, passive-aggressive - yes... but I'm not about to have a physical altercation with anyone. It's not me. When people cut me off in traffic or look at me crazy or whatever, my response is to seethe, mumble under my breath (or blog about their sorry butts!!!)

Saturday, however, almost saw my inner ninja come out.

Fo' shizzle.

While standing in line waiting to fill up drinks for Phoebe, Hayley, and myself a little thug kid stepped all over my foot. He said something that might have been 'sorry' and walked off. Consider this - I was wearing flip-flops, he slammed his foot on my mine repeatedly, and there were tears of pain in my eyes, yet his mother (who looked A LOT like the picture here) starts yelling at me. Apparently I'm supposed to tell him it's ok, and everything is hunky-dory, but guess what - IT'S NOT. And you know what I told this b-word when she said "get over it, he said he's sorry!" I said the following - "I don't give a damn if he's sorry, it still hurts" She started repeating "he said he's sorry" over and over, getting louder each time and THEN she starts what I have to assume is cussing me out in Chinese. Maybe I shouldn't have said the next thing, but I couldn't help it - "You're so mature, no wonder your kid's such an ass"

oops

The Asian swearing rose in volume at that point, and she started walking toward me. Now, in my head I'm thing OMG!!!!, but I'm not going to let this little you know what push me around. Then, like an angel sent from above, her brother/husband/teenage son (?) grabs her arm and says "Grow up! Why do you always start sh*t?!"

Thank You!!!!

But, seriously, I almost peed my pants. Eeek!

WHERE THERE'S A SPORK, THERE'S A WAY

like, no way.

Last week sometime (and I want to say Friday, but maybe not, anywho...) SB Mama and I were at the local Long John Silvers/Taco Bell - because I don't know about you, but my fave meal is a burrito, chicken plank, and hush puppies JK!!! - just having lunch and minding our own beeswax when...
In the booth behind ours (which i can't see but she can) my ears perk up to the teenage voices of 3 high school kids having the most interesting conversation. Now, this is what we found out -
Boy #1(Abercrombie guy, according to SB Mama's observation) is like, so pissed that his best friend girl's boyfriend would actually follow them out to his car when all they were doing was going to get her other shoes to change into. And then she said that she wasn't dating that guy, but if she wasn't, then why did she say they were "back together" if they weren't together in the first place? This happened after he broke up w/some chick named Amy, apparently. And it's not like he even wants to be with her, but she's always dragging him into her guy-drama!!! Boy #2 (Juvie guy) totally knows what he's talking about!
This goes on for the whole lunch! And just to be cool (and not completely obvious) the two of us sit there quietly listening to every word. Personally, I had no idea boys sat and talked this way about their friends and girlfriends. Girls, definitely, but this was a pleasant surprise for me! There was a girl sitting with them (Out of their League!) but she didn't really say anything and SB Mama said that when she went to the bathroom they were all like "what is up w/her?" and whatever about it. They were all preppy, but Abercrombie guy was like the Zach Morris of the group I think. Juvie guy was kind of creepy, and the girl just didn't seem to belong w/ those two at all. Makes you wonder how she ended up there in the first place.

Way.