Swooning The City

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T22:15:00.000-05:00

Friday Foods

2010-04-02T17:45:00.002-05:00

Easter snack? Sounds good to me!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:2 hr 15 min
makes:2 1/2 cups (10 servings)

1 box (10 oz) Cascadian Farm® frozen organic cut spinach, cooked, cooled and squeezed to drain
1/2 cup artichoke hearts (from 14-oz can), drained, finely chopped
2 medium green onions, chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In medium bowl, mix all ingredients. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.
2. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving (1/4 cup): Calories 60 (Calories from Fat 10); Total Fat 1g (Saturated Fat 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 250mg; Total Carbohydrate 9g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 2g); Protein 3g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 50%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 10%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1/2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

April Fools!

2010-04-01T20:27:00.000-05:00

Today is April Fool's Day and also my sister's birthday. I can remember long ago when we used to play tricks on here, we don't get that luxury anymore. One year my mom and I got her a PlayStation (yes the original) and my mom decided to set it up for her and just wrap the empty boxes. That same year I also got her a box of rocks. She didn't believe I'd do such a thing, but I did.

Well after school (she isn't as privileged as me to be off on my birthday no matter what) we had her birthday party before going to Celebration Station. Well she was so excited to open her presents. I was first and she was so mad about her box of rocks. I thought she was going to throw them at me. Next my mom let her open the empty boxes. She tore the paper open, not realizing they were extremely light. She was so excited and started jumping up and down. But then, she opened the boxes only to find that they were empty. She started crying huge crocodile tears.

My mom tried to explain to her that she had the system set-up, but that didn't make a difference. She was so upset that she had a joke played on her. From that day on we never played a joke on her again. Too bad, it was always fun. My mom wouldn't ever let us do anything to her.

So Happy Birthday to my sis! You're the best and I love you a ton.

... And The Winner Is

2010-03-29T18:49:00.002-05:00

The winner of my Scensational Scentsy Giveaway is Little Woman from Little Woman Little Home!!!!

She has been one of my long time followers and has an amazing blog. If you haven't ever read it ... you should go right after you finish reading mine.

If you are sad you didn't get to win Scentsy, but wish you had some ... go to my website and shop away. This stuff is great, you won't regret it.

In other news ...

I had a really random weekend. I sat in the car for 3.5 hours on Saturday so I could finally get outside and go "adventurin." Unfortunately, mother nature had other things in mind. Not only did the temperature drop 30 degrees from OKC to my destination but it also started raining and the wind was blowing like crazy. yay! Did I mention I didn't have a jacket? We had to stop at a random small town Walmart so I could pick up a $5 hoodie.

Being as outdoorsy and tough as I am (haha) I managed to get outdoors and climb through a cave. It was pretty fun and it was nice to not feel any wind. Then after all was said and done we had a picnic... in 40 degree windy weather. Talk about the time of my life.

Hope you all had amazing weekends :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-24T17:37:00.003-05:00

Only in Oklahoma ...

Friday Foods

2010-03-19T19:38:00.001-05:00

Chewy Chocolate-Oat Bars

Melted chocolate and fat-free sweetened condensed milk make a fudgy layer in these yummy bars. From eatbetteramerica.

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:2 hr 15 min
makes:16 bars

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup (from 14-oz can) fat-free sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or soybean oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup fat-free egg product
2 tablespoons old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
2 teaspoons no-trans-fat stick margarine, softened*

1. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, heat chocolate chips and milk over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; set aside.
2. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
3. In large bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup oats, the baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In medium bowl, stir brown sugar, oil vanilla and egg product with fork until smooth; stir into flour mixture until blended. Reserve 1/2 cup dough in small bowl for topping.
4. Pat remaining dough in pan (if dough is sticky, spray fingers with cooking spray or lightly flour fingers). Spread chocolate mixture over dough. Add 2 tablespoons oats and the butter to reserved dough; mix with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Drop small spoonfuls of oat mixture evenly over chocolate mixture.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden and firm. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. *Only use margarine with at least 65% vegetable oil.

Nutritional Information
1 Bar: Calories 160 (Calories from Fat 50); Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 1 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 115mg; Total Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 17g); Protein 3g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Don't forget to sign-up for my giveaway ending Monday!

I love animals ...

2010-03-18T22:03:00.000-05:00

"I love animals, I love animals, I love animals"

Yes I kept repeating that over and over in my head this morning to try and keep from fuming. So what happened?

Well, last night my cat and I were all cuddled up in bed snoozing. Cute right? Well about 7 a.m. I hear, hack, hack hack hack. As soon as I hear it and realize what it was I lifted my head up off of the pillow. I realized then that my cat was about to throw up inches from my face. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough and my sweet precious cat puke on my pillow and on my sheets. Gross!!

So, at 7 a.m. this morning I got up and changed my sheets and pillow. That's right, I love animals.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

I found the pot at the end of the rainbow.... boy was I pissed! Anyways, Happy St. Patty's Day!

Monday Meme

2010-03-15T21:55:00.002-05:00

My mind is in overload with all my homework and I've been a bit down this week, so to clear my mind a little I decided to do a little meme.

The Name Something Meme

Name something you do every day

wake up

Name something someone else calls you

Name something that irritates the heck out of you online.

pop-up ads

Name something that bugs the stuff out of you at a restaurant.

an empty glass when the restaurant is empty

Name something you cannot tolerate at a store.

rude salespeople

Name something you'd like to call your co-worker.

annoying

Name something that you hate about someone close to you.

moodiness

Name something you don't like about your sibling.

she puts friends before family a lot

Name something you like about yourself.

my eyes

Name something you would rather be doing right now.

sitting on the beach sipping a mai thai

Name something that you'll be doing next week at this time.

working

Friday Foods

2010-03-12T14:40:00.000-06:00

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients
8 ounces Cooked chicken
3 cups Cooked spaghetti -- 4 1/2 oz dry
3 ounces Velveeta Light
4 1/2 ounces Rotel
can FF Cream of Mushroom Soup (you could probably use cream of chicken if you don't like mushroom soup)
1/2 cup Chopped onions
1/2 cup Bell pepper

Preparation
Mix Velveeta with soup and chiles and heat. The cheese will melt without sticking. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into sprayed 13x9" dish, cover with foil, and cook until heated thoroughly approximately 10 minutes at 450º. Serve immediately.
Serving Size : 6

This is sooooooo good. I have been eating it all week! Enjoy!

Also, don't forget to sign-up for my giveaway!

A Scentsy Giveaway!!!

2010-03-09T17:04:00.005-06:00

Do you love candles but hate the flames and the mess? Do you have a small child and are afraid he/she may get burnt? Do you love walking into a house with the smell of an amazing aroma? Do you hate the fact that your candles burn so quickly? If so try Scentsy!

My sister and I have teamed up as Independent Consultants to sell Scentsy as we are both addicted to it and love how amazing it makes our house smell. But since we are just starting out we are offering a heck of a deal to you bloggers. We are trying to meet a goal of selling $500 worth or product in 15 days, this is the first Scenty award we can win. And I like starting things with a bang. We are already on day two so time is ticking. So how do you fit in? I am having a giveaway!

Enter to win a Scentsy gift pack! This gift pack will be a surprise, but it is something I am sure you will all love.

The Rules

1. For every $30 you purchase from my Scentsy site, you are entered 3 times! 3-for-30 in other words.

2. You get one entry for being a follower and commenting on this post that you are a follower. You also must leave me a way to contact you if you win.

3. You also can get another entry for blogging/tweeting about this entry. Post a comment linking to your post.

This giveaway will end on March 22, 2010 and the winner will be announced shortly after.

I am also looking for anyone JOIN my Scentsy team!!! If you're looking to JOIN... It only takes $99 plus local tax and $10 shipping. Pretty cheap for the amount of stuff you get in the starter kit. To be active it only takes selling $150 of product in a single month. You also aren't required to sell $150 every month! This product sells itself. The lady I signed up under has completely quit her job and sells Scenty full-time!!!! For more information contact me on my Scentsy site or e-mail me.

AHHHHHH!

2010-03-08T19:18:00.002-06:00

Sorry for being missing last week. Things with work were crazy and I was super busy. I had a huge (15 pages) essay due on Monday then I had to turn around and write 3 papers for Thursday and today. So needless to say, I have been a busy busy girl. I hope ya'll haven't missed me too much. :)

So, I went to see Alice in Wonderland this week and absolutely loved it! I can't believe it got some of the reviews it did. I think that it has to do with people's love/hate relationship with Tim Burton. I thought it was an excellent Tim Burton film, granted there were things I'd change but all-in-all amazing!

I also saw a trailer for another movie I want to see... Despicable Me. I have seen two trailers now and this one just cracks me up.

I also decided I am totally the guy cracking up about the cow can. I'm so easily entertained haha!

How were your weekends?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-03T16:43:00.001-06:00

Friday Foods

2010-02-26T20:05:00.002-06:00

Healthified Cream Cheese Brownies

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 55 min
makes:24 brownies

Filling
1 package (8 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Brownies
1 box (1 lb 2.3 oz) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup canola oil or unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in remaining filling ingredients until well blended.
2. In large bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water, 4 egg whites and 1 teaspoon vanilla with spoon until well blended. Spread in pan.
3. Spoon filling mixture over brownie batter in pan. Cut through filling mixture and batter with knife several times for marbled design. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until toothpick inserted in brownie 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For 24 brownies, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Nutritional Information

1 Brownie: Calories 160 (Calories from Fat 50); Total Fat 6g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 125mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 17g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Today makes one year ...

2010-02-24T12:30:00.000-06:00

... since you left this earth to be in heaven. I miss you every day mom, and wish I could say the pain has eased but the tears still fall and I still feel empty inside. While I will never understand why God took you from me at such an early age, I will accept that He has a plan. I know you are watching over me and I love you very much.

Girl Fest Weekend

2010-02-23T17:20:00.002-06:00

I totally went all girl this weekend and indulged in all things girly. Well, I take that back I didn't get the mani and pedi I was hoping to get, but that is OK.

My girl weekend started out Saturday when I went to see Dear John. I am an avid Nicholas Sparks fan, in fact he is my favorite author and I have read so many of his books. Unfortunately, I have not read this book, but I couldn't pass up on seeing Channing Tatum half naked. The guy is HAWT! Even if sappy lovey stories aren't your thing, it's worth it to see him. Haha, well I loved the movie. I thought it was really great. After the movie I went to my fave Mexican restaurant and indulged in some fajita chicken enchilada's and it was amazing.

Sunday, I had to write a paper and that wasn't fun at all but the day was made so much better by going out to see Valentine's Day. I wanted to see this movie last weekend so bad, but was kind of blown off. So, I went this past weekend and I will tell you it was pretty funny. I'm not a huge fan of Ashton Kutcher, but he plays his role perfectly in this movie. You should definitely see this one, no matter if you are in love or if you are a bitter romantic. I also had Mexican again on Sunday. Do you think I like Mexican food? Haha. I can't help it. We tried this new restaurant and it wasn't to bad. I wasn't sure what to order so I stuck with beef enchilada's. They were pretty good, but I like my favorite place so much more.

So all-in-all I had a pretty good weekend. I think the only thing that would have made my girl fest better was a piece or cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

How were your weekends?

Friday Foods

2010-02-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:25 min
makes:4 servings

1 cup cut-up cooked chicken breast
2 tablespoons refrigerated reduced-fat or regular basil pesto
4 whole wheat pita (pocket) breads (6 inch)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (1 oz)
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, mix chicken and pesto until blended.
2. Place pita bread in single layer on cookie sheet. Spread 2 tablespoons pizza sauce on each pita. Divide chicken mixture evenly among pita bread. Top with remaining ingredients.
3. Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut pizzas into wedges.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 280 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 35mg; Sodium 490mg; Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 6g); Protein 19g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 8%; Vitamin C 10%; Calcium 15%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

I have yet to try this, but I plan on making it this weekend. It looks too delicious to pass up!

Change happens

2010-02-18T19:09:00.003-06:00

Change happens. And with change comes growth. I am still trying to learn and accept this philosophy. Unfortunately, it is not going too smoothly.

One week from yesterday will be one full year since my mother passed away. Exactly five months prior to February 24th, (Sept. 24) my grandmother passed away. In five months, I lost two of the most important people in my life and have yet to really accept that loss.

I have drowned my sorrows in alcohol, food, ice cream and countless amounts of tears. Sadly, nothing seems to fix it. I went to the doctor a little over a month ago and he referred me to some counselors. I plan on my appointments with them asap. He also put me on anti-depressants. Honestly, they have helped so much more than I could imagine, but they don't kill the pain.

So yes, change is inevitable, and I am learning to adjust. Spring is the time or rebirth and with that I am trying to be "reborn."

In case you didn't know, Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and also the first day of Lent. While, I grew up Catholic I don't go to church regularly (even though I should). But every year, I tend to give something up for Lent. I feel as though it is something I can do to better myself.

Since last year was the first year in a very long time that I have not given anything up, I decided to give up two things. Yes two! I decided the first thing I would give up is greasy fast food, yes I will still eat the healthy stuff like subway. Since my mom passed, I have been stuck in such a rut that fast food has almost been my lifeline. That is not healthy at all. I figured giving up greasy fast food would allow me to get back on track in my personal life and make myself do one of the things I love to do, cook.

The second thing I am giving up is more personal. It is the inability to process change. Sounds deep right? Well, I am making it my goal to work on myself and make myself happy. I am tired of crying almost everyday and I know my mom and grandma do not want me to spend the rest of my life like this. So, while I know there will be tears shed over the next 40 days, I do know that I am going to make a constant effort to make myself smile at least once a day.

Do you celebrate Lent? If so, what are you giving up?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T18:26:00.001-06:00

Yes, I am in fact a Twilight nerd. :)

Friday Foods

2010-02-12T19:13:00.002-06:00

I am so excited to be starting this! I am calling it Friday Foods because each week I will feature a different recipe I have tried, or will be trying. While my New Year's Resolution is to be healthier, I occasionally might slip in some "not-so-great for you foods."

Spinach Manicotti

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:50 min
makes:7 servings (2 manicotti each)

Ingredients
1 box (8 oz) uncooked manicotti shells (14 shells)
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (6 oz)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 container (15 oz) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1 box (10 oz) Cascadian Farm® frozen organic cut spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen® pasta sauce (any flavor)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Cook manicotti as directed on box. Rinse with cool water; drain well. In medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of the Italian cheese blend, the pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic and egg.

2. In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into manicotti; place over sauce in dish. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti. Cover tightly with foil.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Uncover dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Increase first bake time to about 45 min.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 340 (Calories from Fat 100); Total Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 6g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 690mg; Total Carbohydrate 43g (Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 8g); Protein 19g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 70%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 35%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 2 Medium-Fat Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 3

This is delicious! I make it pretty often and love it every time. Enjoy!

Random Thoughts

2010-02-11T17:54:00.002-06:00

Today has been a rather strange day for me. I don't know, maybe it is the weather or maybe it is just me going insane. I decided I'd just write down some of my random thoughts or happenings from today. Enjoy.

I got a shout out from my professor yesterday about how great I am doing. Did I mention everyone in the class got to see that shout out? I still feel like a rock star.
It's snowing ... again. I'm not sure if it is going to be a bad storm or not. I'm so ready for warm weather.
I'm still going crazy at work. I still feel overworked and underpaid. I guess that is why I am pursuing my masters to begin with.
I need a vacation.
Here lately I have had this weird obsession with kettle cooked jalapeno chips. It is starting to get bad.
Have you ever wanted to just hit someone with your car? No, I don't mean like run over someone. I just wish I could add padding and rubber to my car and knock all the jerks off the highway. Grrr, I hate stupid drivers.
I keep getting an itch to move. I constantly check the newspaper and craigslist for some sort of house to move into. I'm so over apartment life. Sadly, with the market being crappy rent has skyrocketed on houses.
Why is it people with diabetes continue to drink nondiet soda and eat candy all day? I mean this is the same guy constantly complaining about the possibility of insulin shots. Well drinking a 2-liter of sugar loaded soda at work and poppin the m&ms won't help, I swear.
I'm not feeling well. I want to go home.

Hope you are all having a Happy Thursday!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T16:38:00.000-06:00

This was my fave Super Bowl commerical this year.

Thursday Thunks

2010-02-04T20:52:00.002-06:00

I haven't really ever posted any meme's and I figured I'd post one today so you could get a laugh out of my ridiculousness.

1. You walk into a room, someone turns and looks at you and laughs. What do you do?
Give them the finger

2. You find an egg, take it home and keep it warm. It hatches. What type of dinosaur is it? Do you keep it and name?
It's a triceratops. I would name it Cera and keep it for a few days then get rid of it.

3. Which superhero would you want to be related to and why?
Mrs. Marvel, because she is a total bad ass.

4. A drunken sailor comes up to you on the pier...he begins harassing you in a most repulsive way....what'll be your defense?
Kick him in the nuts and run away. That's what mom always said to do.

5. Entering a CLASS A piano bar, you're encouraged to sing atop the grand instrument...you grab the microphone and sing.....
Achey Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. Wouldn't that be hilarious?

6. If you were a character in a Dr. Seuss book/movie, who would you be and why?
I would want to be a Who, because they are awesome.

7. If you have just been called to be a substitute in the Winter Olympics for your country (apparently everyone else was busy), what sport(s) will you compete in?
I'd want to be in the Jamacian bobsled team!

8. Did the audience from the piano bar in question #5 applaud when you were done with your song?
Of course

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T21:46:00.000-06:00

It was like deja vu

2010-02-01T18:25:00.010-06:00

My pants are wet, my feet are cold, and there is slush everywhere. It was like deja vu.

I don't know what is up with the weather in Oklahoma this year, but it sure has been interesting. After we had our Christmas Eve blizzard, we were ~~cursed~~ blessed with another bout of ice and snow.

So what did I do? I stayed in all weekend. On Friday, I couldn't even get my car out of the parking lot. I was parked on pure ice and the thing was not in the mood to move. I had to call in sick, and I spent my day writing a paper. Fun right? Not so much.

I hope you all had a comfy and cozy weekend like I did. I was warm and basically did nothing. It was grand. I will say that I am very thankful that I was not one of the thousands of people that lost power. Ice is no joke, it destroyed a lot of things, but I can't help be see some of the beauty in it.

Here's a look at Oklahoma Ice Storm January 2010.

*Most of the photos are from The Oklahoman, the bottom two are from a family friend and are pictures of her property.

SORRY!!

2010-01-26T00:03:00.000-06:00

I've been missing, and I really have missed you all. After the holidays and everything I just kind of got stuck in a rut. Really, life has consisted of working and going home. I'm feeling a bit better and trying to work things out. I plan on being back, but my posts may be a bit more limited now.

The reason I say they might be more limited is because I am working on my master's now. I started classes Jan. 19th and so far they are keeping me busy. I hope that you all are having a wonderful week and I promise I will post again soon. <3

A look at Oklahoma Blizzard 2009

2009-12-28T22:27:00.009-06:00

I have a ton of pictures that show you exactly why I was basically stranded all weekend. I made it home Christmas Eve, but didn't get back out on the roads until Saturday. Even today, it is still slushy and there is a chance you'll get stuck.

This blizzard made history, because we received 14.1 inches of snow, the most we've ever received in one day. Did I mention we are supposed to get snow tomorrow too?

Merry Christmas Blizzard Eve?

2009-12-24T21:30:00.004-06:00

So, it's Christma Eve and I am snowed in at work. In case you haven't heard, Oklahoma has been hit by a blizzard and I haven't been the exception to the rule. I am stuck, at work. How terrible is that?

I have been trying to decide what to do. Should I risk it and hope that I can make it to my apt or should I just camp out here.

So here you have it, I am sitting at work on my first Christmas without my mom, and sadly I want to just sit and cry.

Here's a small glimpse, I can give you more later. Merry Christmas All!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-23T20:14:00.001-06:00

I love this!

Sorry I've been MIA, Christmas stress is taking a lot outta me.

Tales of Key West

2009-12-18T13:00:00.000-06:00

Well with life getting in the way, I haven't been able to share any stories of the Key's. So, even though it has been awhile I decided to share another story of my adventures in Florida.

So if you look the the right, you will see an interesting sign. Yes that's right folks Garden of Eden, the Clothing Optional Bar!

So did I go? Yes

This bar was rather interesting. It is a three story bar and each level got you a little bit closer to naked. The first floor was fully clothed. The second floor was topless, and the third floor was full out nakedness.

I managed to make it to every floor. During our trip we went twice to this bar. The first time we were all pretty drunk. The music was awesome and we saw an artist doing some amazing body painting. As the night went on and ~~things~~ drinks got stiffer and stiffer the people got wilder.

There were women that were completely naked from head-to-toe and there were men who thought they would strut around in little thongs. The body paint was flying and women were looking like everything from zebra's to English flower gardens.

So after we left, and I drunkenly texted my friends the pic of the sign everyone was begging to know if I got naked. I simply replied, "what do you think?"

So I'll leave it up to my readers, do you think I got naked, partially naked or anything else? I'll reveal my answer in part 2 of the naked bar.

Wordless Thursday?

2009-12-17T20:33:00.001-06:00

A new Christmas favorite?

(Sorry I'm late on the post, spent most of the day in the ER yesterday. No worries, everything is fine.)

Ding Dong the Bitch is gone...

2009-12-15T21:33:00.003-06:00

(excuse my French)

Sometimes you don't expect to have those Christmas wishes to come true. I wrote Santa a letter and it looks as though he came through for me earlier than usual. I can't complain right?

Well, as many of you may know I have had so many problems with a woman that my step dad got engaged to crazy fast after my mother's death. You can read one of the horror stories from the tales of b*tch here.

Well, like the title of this blog says, the b*tch is gone! You read it right folks, my SD told the woman to pack her bags and get the hell outta dodge.

Come to find out, she has been lying on a regular basis to him and everyone else. She also is really psychotic and a pathological liar, I have decided. She apparently was busted in lie after lie after and my SD couldn't take it anymore.

Yes, women can be crazy and they can do crazy things. Take it from me folks, we are nuts at times ... but I think this woman has fallen off her rocker more than a few times.

Would you like some of the gory details?

Apparently she went through his cell phone and every phone number that was attached to a woman's name she changed the number. Apparently she was so jealous that even his clients couldn't be reached.

She told him last month that her mother had died. Unfortunately, she forgot to tell her brother she had been kicked out and he called today. The brother was trying to find out how to get ahold of her because apparently her mother is in the hospital and it doesn't look good. I'm sorry, but don't lie to a grieving family about the death of a loved one, and most importantly don't lie about your loved one's death.

She downloaded over $50 worth of games on his cell phone than hid the bill from him. Who knew that if you hid bills they would just magically disappear? Hmmm, I think I lost my car payment.

She is "pregnant," and apparently has been for the last 6 months. Sure, she has put on a few pounds, but the woman defiantly isn't having a baby. My SD said she was putting on the pounds because he was feeding her well.

She supposedly has a masters in nursing. Here, she would be making about 6 figures with a degree like that. What woman in their right mind would leave that lifestyle without even owning a car?

Apparently her license in Oklahoma is suspended, but since she has a card from Texas it doesn't count. Since when is that allowed?

Her kid has leukemia. Yep, she is basically setting her son up for a death wish. I mean who lies about that?

So there you have it folks, tales of a psycho b*tch that got a boot to the ass.

Can I say that I am insanely relieved and am actually looking forward to Christmas now?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T21:56:00.000-06:00

Mixed emotions run over me

2009-12-08T20:32:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I wonder if I am a sucker for punishment, my heart's too big or if the world just needs more people like me.

Last night I found out that my step sister had been shot and surprisingly it brought tears to my eyes. Why is this a surprise? Well because my SS has been off my contact list for years now. She became mixed up with drugs at a young age and has never kicked the habit, in fact it has just gotten worse as time goes by.

She burned bridges with me after claiming to have cleaned up and then stealing from me. She has treated my family like crap time and time again and never thought twice about it. No one mattered too much to steal from. She lost her kids to DHS, and she even jumped bail. Basically, meth is running her life.

Well, on Sunday night apparently her life changed. The story I was told is that a drug dealer had a gun up to her waist (why, I dunno) and she squirmed to get away and he shot her. The shooter than dumped her off behind a trash can in hopes she would die. She managed to drag herself to the street for someone to see her and call 911.

The bullet went through her lung and shattered her T10 vertebrae. The doctors said she will more than likely never regain sensation in her legs and be paralyzed from the waist down the rest of her life.

I debated whether or not I should go to the hospital and see her. I eventually decided I should because I thought if she died tomorrow how would I feel? I knew I would feel terrible so today I went to see her. She looked terrible, and one of the first things she told me was she couldn't feel her legs.

It's a sad reality, but we all knew something like this was going to happen eventually. It's amazing how many times you can not care to ever see or talk to a person again and then boom, something happens and you're torn apart.

I guess I will continue to see her. She has a tough road ahead of her. If she decides to go back to her drug addict lifestyle, then my contact with her will be sparse once again.

In a great mood!

2009-12-04T20:22:00.002-06:00

It's been awhile since I have been in a great mood. Sure I've had my happy moments, but typically it takes a lot to just be in a great mood. This past year and a half have given me a set of cards that I wish I could just fold, but unfortunately the dealer keeps giving me another.

But today, a huge burden has come off my shoulders.

Today my stepdad called and told me that he was going to meet with a woman to order my mom's headstone. A little bit later I got a call from my sister that made my dad. She said she talked to SD and said that he picked out a the headstone and has it ordered. She said that the news gets even better. I asked her what and she told me that he purchased a two headed headstone and that he purchased the plot next to her. She said that he is getting his name put on it.

So why is this such a relief?

Ever since we laid my mom to rest, my sister and I constantly felt like maybe we did the wrong thing. While we were going through the motions of getting the funeral taken care of we never thought of it. But, after the funeral our first thought was that our SD would get remarried eventually since he is still a young guy. We both felt like maybe we should have had my mother buried with her parents. I had this constant fear that she was going to be alone.

On November 22 (the day before what would have been her 43 birthday) we went to the cemetery as a family and brought her favorite yellow roses. We talked about a headstone and my SD said he wasn't going to be buried next to her or get a two headed stone. I'm not exactly sure what changed his mind, but I couldn't be happier. She was the love of his life and he hers, it's only right they lay together.

So what else does this mean? Well, I wonder how B*tch is going to take this. If you have no idea what I am talking about read my post here. Maybe she will be so furious that he made this decision she will just leave. One could only hope, right? I mean after all, she does get all pissy if you even mention the word mom (no matter if you are talking about my mom or someone elses).

A little bit of the Key's

2009-12-03T23:34:00.007-06:00

Well, I had typed out another great story from my trip, but my computer went psycho and froze. Joys of cheap products my office buys. Gotta love it. Anyways, since I am tired and don't really want type it out again, I decided to put a few pics from Key West on here. I have a ton more, but these are some I had on my phone. Enjoy!

This a view we had of the boat races. It took me forever to get one on camera, they were so fast. It may not sound like the most fun thing to watch, but it really was awesome.

These two pictures are from the southern most point of the U.S. The water was so beautiful, I should have jumped in.

Here is the sunset in the Keys. I thought this picture was beautiful. I took this while partially drunk on our "booze cruise." It's a wonder I didn't drop my phone in the water.

Happy Turkey Day?

2009-12-01T19:27:00.002-06:00

So how was your Thanksgiving? Hopefully, a lot better than mine.

*serious blog alert*

I knew this year was going to be especially rough for me, not only was this the first year without my mom it was the second year without my grandma. Not to mention a ton of other family drama.

For the life of me, (and the fact that I am too lazy to look) I cant remember if I posted a blog about my stepdad's new lady. Just in case I haven't I will give you a quick rundown. My stepdad has moved another woman into the house and has supposedly proposed to her. I found all this out 3 or 4 months after my mother passed away. Apparently it is pretty common for men to freak out and do this. Many people have told me stories.

Well, this woman is ridiculous and in all honestly my sister and I cannot stand her. I have given her the name b*tch and rarely call her by her name outside of his presence. Every time my sister and I come around B goes and hides in the bedroom and doesn't come out. If she so happens to be out of the bedroom she doesn't even acknowledge our presence. Get an idea of how this woman is?

So anyways, on turkey day my SD said she wanted to cook us all dinner and we would have a nice family get together. My sis and I agreed (hesitantly) and made a few of our staple dishes. We showed up to get hugs from our SD and don't even a glance from B. Her daughter was there and neither one of us were given an introduction.

At dinner, she sat across from us and put one piece of turkey on her plate. That's it! Apparently she couldn't even stand sitting by us because at the beginning of dinner she got up and ran in the kitchen. She started slamming counters and drawers. Did I mention her food was terrible? Honestly, I have never eaten so little on turkey day. I literally at the things my sis and I brought. I had no clue that food could taste so bad when it's not even burnt.

My sis and I didn't offer to help clean up or anything. Typically we were the ones that did the cleaning, but I didn't feel compelled to help a woman that couldn't even acknowledge my presence. The whole time she was cleaning my sister and I talked about my mom and our memories of growing up, I know this made B really mad. She can't tolerate hearing anything about my mom without getting all pissy.

So yeah after we left the house, my sis and I parted ways to go get real food from our friends houses. Luckily, we have those friends that treat us like family and wanted to make sure we had a decent holiday.

All-in-all I am at a loss as to what to do. My sis and I really want to have a conversation with our SD, but not sure if that will do any good or not. He tends to take up for her no matter what she does.

I have also thought of asking her what her deal is. I have so many more stories I can tell about the B and will eventually get there. I am trying to play nice, but even my fuse will go out.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-25T18:37:00.001-06:00

Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Meet drunk me

2009-11-24T21:34:00.001-06:00

I have this crazy alter ego when I drink. I get very confident, I don't care about anything in the world and I love to have fun at any expense. Yep that's me, the sometimes annoying girl at the bar, but typically very well behaved. That is of course, unless I am on vacation.

I was debating on which Key West story I was going to begin with, but settled on my night out our first night there. After a four hour flight, four hours of driving from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West and no sleep a night out was in order. Upon checking into our hotel, we headed out to the local "strip" called Duvall Street. Apparently Duvall was the place to be if you were in search of night life in Key West. There were so many bars and even places to pick up a quick drink as you walk up and down the street.

Not sure what to do, we picked up some drinks and walked down this notorious street. We gazed at cute little shops and picked out some local bars we knew we just had to go into. After about 2 hours of walking we settled in a bar called The Lazy Gecko. This bar wasn't anything fancy, just a little local place that was playing amazing music. We walked to the bar and little did we know, it was ladies night! I love ladies night, and in all honesty it can get me into trouble.

I ordered my staple, Captain and Coke, and downed the first one with ease. Uh-oh, trouble is comin. I continued to drink them one after one and found myself with a great buzz. I started dancing with strangers and probably making a fool of myself. I held a conversation with some guy and can't honestly remember what we talked about. I told a girl all about Oklahoma and how we in fact did not live in tee-pee's or use buggies or transportation. But that is just the beginning.

*Ladies, jump on the bar and get a free shot*

Wow, all three of my friends were convinced that I needed to climb onto the bar. As if I wasn't buzzed enough, I apparently needed a free shot. So, I did. I hoped up on the bar (for the first time in my life) and danced my little heart out. I danced like no one was watching, but I did in fact know they were. I'm sure eventually I will be on their wall of pictures as being apart of the crowd of bar dancers.

I will say, I was probably the most reserved girl on the bar. There was of course the attention getters who thought that making out with one another was exactly what needed to be seen. Granted they tried to pull me in, but I was in my own little world. I didn't want to be THAT girl. And it's not like attention mattered, drinks were free for the ladies.

When the song was over I was so happy to ~~jump~~ fall off the bar and get my next drink. Needless to say, the walk back to the hotel room was very entertaining, especially since it was 5:30 a.m.

I swear I'm alive

2009-11-23T20:41:00.002-06:00

Sorry I haven't written!

I had an amazing time in Key West! But, soon as I got back from my glorious vacation I came down with an insane sinus infection.

I was so sick that today was the first day I have been back to work. If you know anything about me, you know that I like to save my sick days for "personal health days." I really hate actually using them for being sick. So, it was no bueno the last week.

Even today I am not feeling 100 percent and could have honestly stayed home happily. Unfortunately I ran out of leave and had to make myself come back to work.

So there you have it, I have been insanely sick. I have been wanting to tell some of my amazing vacation stories but it has all been put on hold for the moment. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow and will be in the story telling mood.

I hope you all have been doing great and I miss you all!

Worldess Wednesday

2009-11-11T18:08:00.001-06:00

I like dogs!

Talk to ya'll when I get back!

Leaving on a jet plane ...

2009-11-10T19:32:00.002-06:00

... and I'll be back in a few days.

Well, I leave Thursday, but close enough. Yep folks, it is FINALLY time for my vacation. I thought it would never get here. I am so used to taking a trip in July, that waiting until November seemed like forever.

But, it is finally here and I will be heading to sunny Key West, Florida. I plan on sitting on the beach, maybe some para sailing, having some delicious fruity drinks and seeing the speed boat races. Sounds like fun, right?

So, that means I will not be here for awhile. I will leave you with a Wordless Wednesday tomorrow and you probably won't hear back from me until Tuesday or Wednesday. I hope ya'll enjoy the rest of your week, because I will mine.

I'm an airhead baby, so why don't you pop me

2009-11-06T20:53:00.003-06:00

Have you ever had those moments where you feel like a complete moron? Those moments where you look someone blankly in the face and have no idea what you are doing, often called airhead moments?

Well, I had one of those yesterday.

I don't know if it is was because it was very early in the morning and I had very little sleep, or if it was because I was at the doctor but I completely lost it. Upon arrival I had this form to fill out, to update my information in their system. You know, it was the basic stuff like name, address, emergency contact, and phone number ~~oh shit phone number~~.

I blanked.

Seriously, I completely forgot my own phone number. It's not like this was a brand new number, it's not like I just got it yesterday. In fact, I have had this number for years and years and I couldn't remember.

So what did I do?

I wrote down the first number I could think of. And what was it? It was a phone number my family had probably 7 years ago. Yep, I thought of a number from 7 years ago, but couldn't think of my own.

I didn't even realize what I had done until I handed the paper over to the receptionist and she asked me for a second number. ~~Oh shit, another number~~ I thought about it for a second and then, get this, I told her one of my first cell phone numbers. AHHHH!

Luckily, I saved myself and said wait no, that isn't a good one use this one, and gave her my correct number. Such a sly cover-up don't you think? At least she has one line she can reach me at.

So there you have it, my airhead moment of the week. And since I love hearing from my readers, I have to ask you ... what's one of your airhead moments?

Hands in the air, this is a stick up

2009-11-05T13:16:00.004-06:00

Yesterday while sitting at work I received a text message that simply said "I was robbed today." Not only did the text say that, but it was from my sister. So, needless to say, the mom in me came out and I started calling her hysterically. Not one, not two, but three phone calls later she finally picked up.

I asked her what happened and she didn't seem the least bit scared, she was laughing. She told me that someone robbed the bank the she works at. She just happened to be the lucky teller. Apparently when he walked in she had this feeling that he was going to rob her. She said that she started praying in her head for him not to hurt her and for this not to happen.

Immediately upon reaching the counter the mad said something. My sister didn't understand him and asked what he said. Apparently that is when he pushed a note in her faced asking for the money. I asked her if she hit the emergency button, but apparently her bank doesn't have one. Their policy is to hand over the money and as soon as the robber leaves to call 911. So that's what she did. She handed him the money and he threw it in a Dollar General sack (he probably found it while walking to the bank).

After the man got the money he took off running. I can't believe that he didn't even have a get away car. So how much did he get away with? $2,400. Yep, that's it. Apparently the bank doesn't keep much in the their drawers. My sister told me if he would have robbed the teller next to her, he would have made off with much more because she hadn't cashed her drawer yet.

So all-in-all it is a scary situation and I am more than grateful that she was all right. I really hope that the man gets caught. But, my sis will forever more have an awesome story to tell.

*The pictures are surveillance photos from the bank. That is the back of my sister's head.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-05T00:12:00.000-06:00

This is not cool!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T15:34:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Have a safe and fun one!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T18:06:00.002-05:00

Happy almost Halloween!

Ring, Ring, Ring

2009-10-27T17:36:00.002-05:00

That's what I heard at 3 a.m. this morning. Surprisingly, I was still up. If you're new to this blog then you probably don't know that I work nights, so being up at 3 a.m. isn't really an insane thing for me.

I'm not going to lie, I debated on whether or not to pick up the phone. But, since I am a great friend I answered the call and was happy that I did. I'm sure most of us have had those nights where we drank too much and the thought of driving home isn't even an option. I know that I have made a call or two begging for someone to come and save me. Well, that is what happened last night.

Two of my friends called and apparently had a little too much to drink and begged for my rescuing. So what did I do? I hopped in the car and drove the 15 minutes or so to go pick them up. I picked them up and since they lived so close to me, I took them home. Of course, just dropping them off was not an option... I had to come in and socialize since I was their saving grace. We hung out, they forced me to play Gears of War 2 and we watched some of Twilight. Interesting huh?

Before we knew it, it was 6:30 a.m. and I was freaking out. I was soooo tired and needed to get home to catch at least a couple zzz's before work. So I said my good-byes and they thanked me about a million times.

So what's the moral of the story? I am that friend that will come to your saving grace if you need me. I told them I better be getting a good Christmas present. :)

Looking for parenting tips?

2009-10-26T17:33:00.002-05:00

Just go and stand in a gas station parking lot, you'll learn tons of great parenting advice. OK, so that was complete sarcasm, and you should almost always never do the things that most parents do while at the gas station.

For example:

Today I was running into the store to get my caffeine fix before work. I frequent this gas station for the simple fact that it is right by my place. Unfortunately, not the most upstanding people also frequent this place. So what happened?

Well, I got out of my are and was approached by a young girl, probably 10 or so. She asked me if I had a cigarette that I could give her mom. After giving her I'm sure a dumbfounded look, I proceeded to tell her that I did not smoke and therefore could not give her mom a cigarette.

Soon as I walked in the woman behind the counter of the gas station asked me if that girl was pestering me. I told her that she asked me if I had a cigarette to give her mom. I guess the woman was rather unhappy because she got on this tangent about how ridiculous it is to use a kid to do those things. She said that she was a mother herself, and couldn't imagine that. I told her that I couldn't imagine letting a 10-year-old run around a busy gas station parking lot. The poor kid could have been hit, or much worse stolen.

We both agreed and she proceeded to tell me that the woman had her kid outside all weekend asking people for various things. A few seconds later the mom came strolling in with a few quarters or something. The gas station attendant refused to sell anything to her. I was shocked! The woman began to yell and cuss at her. The attendant told the woman that loitering is not permitted and that if she did not leave and came back again that she would call the police.

Here I was standing in the middle of two women arguing. I was close to freaking out, I didn't feel like being pulled into a fight. So I left my change on the counter and told the attendant to have a good day. It will be interesting to see if the woman brings her kid out to do her dirty work again.

After seeing all this happen I just couldn't believe some of the things people make their kids do. It is really sad and makes you wish that those people couldn't have kids. While kids need discipline and structure they do not need to be out peddling money out of complete strangers.

Can I punch you please?

2009-10-23T13:00:00.000-05:00

I have never wanted to punch an old man before, but this week may have brought the worst out in me. I'm not sure if he is on some sort of false power trip, but he is a co-worker to me, not my boss and he has pushed me past my patience level. Thank God we have a weekend coming up, or I could probably find myself fired. Sad thing is, I had a four day work week after requesting Monday off... maybe he is just jealous.

It all started Tuesday when he walked by me and apparently heard music coming from my headphones. He proceeded to tell me that I should turn that down because I am annoying people. Well first, the only reason he heard my headphones was because the weren't in my ears and he was leaning over my shoulder. Second, I don't sit next to anyone that works the hours I do. The 3 cubicles next to me were empty. So what was my response? I turned them louder. I hope he heard them at his.

Wednesday, he became the clock watcher. I walked in 10 minutes late (after staying 15 minutes late yesterday) and he had the nerve to ask me if I had "overslept or something." I told him no, but I came in later to avoid having to write down overtime. Well, last night I ended up having to stay 30 minutes late. I wanted to tell him to bite me.

On Thursday, he decided to nitpick everything I did. Because we are so short handed I often find myself picking up more work than the people's job I do already. I find this happening more and more as the days go by. Well, yesterday I had to help do some copy editing (which I loathe). It was so last minute, we were pushing the clock to hit deadline. Apparently I missed a few things as I quickly skimmed the stuff to make sure we weren't writing curse words in the copy. Well, after deadline he apparently copy and pasted everything I missed in an e-mail and sent it to me. Is this necessary? Don't get me wrong, everyone makes mistakes, but when we are so close to deadline I don't feel this is necessary.

He also nitpicked my e-mails and corrected the fact that I didn't capitalize everything. Seriously???

I seriously hope today goes better and that he doesn't continue to push my buttons the way he has all week. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I am a crazy hard worker that tends to become the "work horse." Maybe I should slack like everyone else?

I'm addicted

2009-10-22T17:20:00.004-05:00

I think I have a problem, and they say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

What's my problem? Freebies! I find myself looking at different sites every day that offer free samples, free trials and even awesome coupons (I should find more coupons). I sign up for samples almost on a daily basis from shampoo samples all the way to a free silver spoon. Yes, I signed up for a free spoon.

I don't really know how it started, I just remember hearing one day on the radio about this woman called the consumerqueen. She makes a weekly appearance on a station for her "Deals of the Week." It just so happens that she announced something (I can't remember what) that I thought at the time I totally needed. So I went to her blog and signed-up so I could partake in the freebie.

It's all down hill from there. From that day on I have found myself consistently looking at her forums for free stuff that other members post. I have found a few "freebie" web sites that I regularly visit. Don't get me wrong, I have received some really neat stuff but I almost feel as though it is an addiction. I can't seem to help it with the current state of the economy. I guess my opinion is hey, free is awesome I might as well get it while I can.

Now don't get me wrong, I've always been a bargain hunter. I try to shop when things are on sale and I always look for coupons for any online purchase. I try to be as "thrifty" as possible. Maybe I learned that while being a poor college student, life was easier that way.

So I have to ask, do you have a similar (if not the same) addiction? If so, what are some of your favorite sites for amazing deals?

EDIT
Per request, here are some of the sites I visit:

Consumer Queen (you have to sign-up to find her freebies in the forum)
Shop4Freebies
P&G Everyday Solutions
Walmart Freebies
Amazing Freebies

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T17:17:00.003-05:00

In honor of Halloween, we have a jailed pumpkin!

The Wii Fit Plus ...

2009-10-20T18:43:00.003-05:00

... beat me up.

After Nintendo announced that it was producing a new Wii Fit, I found myself very jealous. I had purchased the regular Wii Fit late January and couldn't believe a new one was coming out so soon after. Well, over the weekend I had a brilliant idea. I returned my first one and then bought the new one.

How? Well I had never opened the first one. Crazy huh? I know that sounds really terrible, but after my mom died my whole workout routine took a turn for the worst. I had no desire to do anything, so my poor Wii Fit sat in it's box on my dining room table.

After getting the new Wii Fit Plus, I was so excited to play it. Unfortunately I had to go and see Zombieland first. By the way, that movie is totally awesome and everyone should see it. Well I got home about 12:30 a.m. and decided now's the time to play Wii.

I sat it all up and began to play. It was so much fun, I couldn't believe how many calories I actually burned. But, apparently my downstairs neighbor didn't enjoy me running in place at 1:30 a.m. and he started banging on my ceiling. I totally felt like I was in an episode of Friends for a minute. I knew I would have to put my fun on hold after that one.

The next day I decided to play again. I spent quite a bit of time on the silly board. I did every strength exercise they offer, some aerobics and even a few other games. It was so much fun a time flew by.

But here we are on Tuesday and I can feel the pain of the workout. How sad is that? My arms are sore, my abs are sore and even my calves are sore. I forgot what it feels like when the muscles burn. It feels great!

So, I will keep up my Wii Fit challenge and plan on starting to hit the gym again. You'd be surprised how out of shape you get just from taking a few months off. I know I am pretty rusty.

Question:

If anyone has a Wii Fit have you found that it helps? Have you found any other games that are fun?

Mod Podge mess

2009-10-15T23:36:00.005-05:00

Why is this called a mod podge mess?

Because right now my brain is thinking all million things that are all timely and need to be combined into one post. I mean, I guess I could post individual posts... but then you might miss something and we can't have that.

First on the list is the Cheese Festival.

I know a few of you had asked me about the cheese festival and unfortunately I have sad news to report. It was a bust! I drove an hour and a half to be surrounded by small town lovin and yellow cheesy goodness. Wrong!

There wasn't a human running around with a mouse head, there was no magician doing crowd pleasing tricks. So what was there you ask? There was a line that offered free samples of cheese. There you have it folks, I drove an hour and a half to stand in line for free cheese samples. I should have just went Sams Club, it's like next door to my apartment.

Oh, and it was a drizzly cold mess. It was so cold my feet were freezing. So in the end it sucked, but I have faith that it was a whole lot more fun the day before. I blame myself for waiting till the last minute to attend. Maybe next year ~~or maybe not~~?

Second: Did you see balloon boy?

I mean seriously? Was this some sort of publicity stunt by his "Wife Swap" parents? I honestly feel for the kid. Don't get me wrong I was one of those idiots that watched and worried for the kids safety, but I think now is the time to worry about him. I won't lie, if it was my kid the belt would be coming out ... for days.

Third: Looks like a trip to Vegas is in order!

I know I will be headed to Key West in a few short weeks, but now's the time to start planning my trip to Vegas. In case of you are country fans, the man Garth Brooks is coming out of retirement. I am so excited!

I am not one of those crazy country fans, but I listen to it occasionally. But I will say I am a huge HUGE huge Garth fan. I literally cried the day he said he was going into retirement, mainly because I had never seen him live. So, if you're a country fan be prepared.... He's Back!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T22:15:00.000-05:00

I love how there is a drawing of a finger in the pigeons mouth.

Creepy e-mail

2009-10-12T19:24:00.004-05:00

OK, so after a rather interesting weekend that may or may not have involved going to a small town cheese festival, I returned to work to something kind of creepy.

I often get spam work mail, that is just part of the world of journalism. My company e-mail is posted in more places that I can imagine I'm sure. Pretty sad, but it's probably true. Anyways, I typically get e-mails that say something about "You just won a million dollars," "Free Mercedes coming from Iran," "Please come to my art show," "Would you like to advertise with us for free," and the list goes on and on.

But, for the first time in 3 years I received an e-mail like none other. Here is what it said:

how are you doing?
i hope you are fine,my name is Mary,please don,t be suprise to receive my message, when sarching througth ( insert company web site) i came accros your contact,because i believe one can find a very good caring,understanding and God fearing person anywhere in the world,i hope to hear from you so that i wil tell you more about my self with love and trust, and i will give you my pics thanks Mary

How creepy is that?

In other ~~I'm a terrible~~ blogger news:

The fabulous Moonjava over at Moonjava's Muse gave me an awesome award! I am so excited! If you haven't ever read her blog you should, she's great.

Rules for this award!

1) If you have a blog, post it on your blog with a link back to the site who gave it to you;

2) Leave them a comment on their site, email, etc. to let them know;

3) If you don't have a blog but have a website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or other type account, post there with a link back; and

4) Pass this on to 3-10 loyal fans.

I'm passing this onto:

1) Anais @ Through Green Eyes

2) Lil' Woman @ Lil' Woman, Lil' Home

3) Tamela @ A Brunette Making It One Day At A Time

4) Kristen @ Happily Ever After

5) Wendy @ Wendy's Adventures in LaLaLand

It's like Russian Roulette

2009-10-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

There are two vending machines in my office that I swear it's like playing Russian Roulette. And yes, I am actually writing a blog about vending machines. So yeah, these two vending machines can either drive you absolutely crazy or they excite you from the possibility of getting something random.

They are both soda machines, so that right there means you never know. The Pepsi machine isn't really all that exciting, but there is still the thrill of the game. Time after time I have put money into the machine waiting for my delicious diet mountain dew and SURPRISE I get a Pepsi. I mean OK I like a lil Pepsi sometimes, but usually when I'm heading for that machine I'm in need of an instant caffeine high from mountain dew, that doesn't happen so much with Pepsi.

The other machine is where the fun is. See it is a Dr. Pepper machine, and that is my true addiction. I often go to the machine and think really hard about whether I want a diet Dr. Pepper, a coke zero or a delicious Dasani water. 9 times out of 10 I go with the diet Dr. Pepper. Not only do you really never know what kind of beverage you are going to get, there is an added strategy to this game ... will you get 1, will you get 3 or will you get screwed none.

It's kind of sad that trips to the vending machine for a caffinated beverage can brighten my day.

Random side note:

I'm considering buying a boat. We are still having a ton of rain and I keep thinking that maybe I should get a boat instead of waiting for my car to wash away. Today I literally was drenched just from the walk to my car from my apartment. Everyone in my office found it quit comical, I in turn sat here freezing.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T20:27:00.001-05:00

Pole dancing gone bad ...

Why Men Are Happier People

2009-10-05T18:05:00.002-05:00

THis was sent to me in an email and I knew I had to share it with the blogosphere. Hope you find it as accurate as I did.

Men Are Just Happier People-- What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress-$5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time!
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

Weekend plans in Oklahoma?

2009-10-01T22:15:00.000-05:00

My friend L and I had an intense discussion today about what our plans for the weekend are. Here is a clip of the best part.

L: Hey we could go sit outside the zoo ampitheater on Sunday and listen to chicken fry guy. (Zac Brown Band)
Me: Hahaha now that would be funny.
L: Cheap and redneck...
Me: We just need to bring recliners and a cooler.
L: Don't forget the rusted pickup.
Me: And a toilet seat.
L: Nah, we're high class rednecks.

Oh the plans we make while working.

Seeing red

2009-09-25T20:45:00.003-05:00

Have you ever been so mad you're seeing red?

I am at that stage right now, and have been since yesterday. Why you ask?

Well here is when anonymity comes in handy. I am so pissed about my job right now that in all honestly if I could survive on a Taco Bell salary I would have submitted my resignation yesterday. Crazy, huh?

Last week I was approached by "the boss" about upcoming changes in the company. Now with the recession and layoffs I understand that you must be flexible in order to keep your job. In all honesty, I have been extremely flexible. I have changed my job description, I have taken on a ton more work and I have changed my schedule.

Apparently that isn't good enough.

I was confronted and told to give my best argument about why things should stay the way they are currently. I gave some reasons about my workload, my prior flexibility and ~~most importantly~~ lastly my personal life. I told the boss I have submitted to every request possible, but there were some things I don't think would be fair to me.

Where did that get me? NOWHERE!

Last night I found out that not only was my schedule changed (and the worst possible change it could be) but also that I will be taking on even more work than before. I already work my fingers to the bone, but that isn't good enough. My coworker found out the same thing, and what did she do? She put in her notice of resignation.

The "boss" just wanted to use her newly found power against me and take control. There is no need for my work life to change, whatever happened to that old say ... "don't fix it if it isn't broke?" That doesn't apply at my job. We keep fixing and fixing and fixing and people will continue to quit.

So where does this leave me? It leaves me with a terrible schedule that in all honestly if knew it was going to come to this I wouldn't have taken the job in the first place and it leaves me without my coworker. Yay, I also get to do her work too.

Sorry that this blog is just a big bitch session, but in all honesty I am so furious right now. I was up until 4am this morning searching and applying for new jobs in hopes that I can screw them just like they've screwed me.

... we've been struck

2009-09-24T18:30:00.002-05:00

Break out the medical masks folks, we've been contaminated.

Upon coming into the office the other day we all got a great surprise, tons of giant bottles of sanitizer. Why you ask?

BECAUSE SWINE FLU HAS HIT THE BUILDING!

Sorry for the over dramatic yelling that just happened there. So yeah, now I get to come to the office every day in hopes if dodging the pig flu. There are literally 10 bottles of sanitizer within 10 feet of my desk and posters all over saying how to protect yourself.

Seriously, these posters are ridiculous. I'll briefly summarize them.

Step 1. Wash your hands, especially after going to the bathroom.
Step 2. Sneeze or cough into a tissue instead of your hand.
Step 3. Use sanitizer.
Step 4. If you are running a fever or have the chills see a doctor immediately.
Step 5. Take your daily vitamins.

OK, that's not all of them but you have to understand where I am going with this. How many people don't know that they should do this stuff? Especially during an epidemic of the pig flu.

I will say on a sadder note that a teenager in Oklahoma died today from the virus. So even though I make light of this sickness, please get your flu shots and stay as healthy as possible.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Well, the important thing is that while this person is donating orgasms or taking d*ck breaks they are also looking out for the safety of those on motorcycles.

Shameless promotion

2009-09-21T22:58:00.003-05:00

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

OK, so I've been working on a t-shirt venture. A friend and I are design tee's and selling them. While I know I am doing some crazy self promotion, I thought you guys might enjoy them.

There isn't a lot of designs up there at the moment, but we are working our little fingers to the bone to get more. We are also taking custom design orders. Just go to the store site and send us a message and we will get back with you as soon as possible.

While we just have tee's (and one dog shirt) on the site we do have the ability to do just about anything on there. Looking for business cards, fliers, letterhead? We can make it all.

Modern day Noah?

2009-09-18T15:56:00.003-05:00

Here in Oklahoma I am beginning to wonder whether or not I need to ~~build~~ purchase my very own ark. I'm seriously thinking about running down to the zoo and making sure we have males and females of all the animals. Maybe I should start stocking up on can goods and bottled water?

For the past two weeks it has been nothing but gray skies in Oklahoma. We will have an hour or two of actual rain every day, but then when it stops we are left with that humidity filled air and the rain that just feels like someone is constantly spitting on you.

Normally, I love a great rain or even a crazy thunderstorm but I am just over all this. My car is filthy from grass sticking to my shoes and driving through puddles, I get up every morning and try to go back to sleep since there is no sun, and most importantly my hair stays flat. Woo hoo!

So here I sit in my ~~cave~~ cubicle with the skies partially dark praying for sunshine.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

Shoplifting, seriously

2009-09-14T18:03:00.002-05:00

There comes a time in every one's life where you decided whether not not shoplifting is bad. For most people, it is at a very young age when you stick that piece of candy in your pocket that mom or dad said you couldn't have. Then, once you're busted eating it in the car on the way home you have to do the walk of shame into the store and tell the manager you stole it.

After all that, you get the lecture all the way home about how terrible stealing is and that you will have timeout when you get home. Yeah, there are those who do it a few times before it is ingrained in their head, but then there are those that never learn.

So where is this all going?

Well last week I went to the mall to pick up some new makeup and as I was walking to my car I saw something really strange. A person was reversing out of a parking spot when a man walked up to the car and tapped on the window. The driver doesn't do anything, and the man yells that he is security and she needs to roll her window down.

She rolls her window down and I hear the man ask her if she took anything out of the store. I guess she said she didn't and the man asks "what's that" as he pointed to her passenger seat. As I walk by I hear her say "that's my purse." He asks her to hand it to him and it still has the tag on it and it's from the store she apparently dashed out of. He then makes her park and she does the walk of shame back into the store.

I couldn't help but laugh about this. I mean I know people steal, and I do not condone stealing, but if you are going to do it then be smart about it. First, don't stop for a man knocking on your window, second don't put your stolen goods in the passenger seat for possible security guards to see and most importantly try to go into the mall to blend in, don't go outside where you're more than likely alone.

So yes, I just gave you my tips on proper shoplifting, I hope none of you use them.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T18:06:00.003-05:00

Boating on the lake

(This boat was so awesome, I want one. We got up to 90 mph and I shoulda thrown my hands up also. My friend took this pic of us. Fun times!)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

It's that time again ...

Over the weekend

2009-08-31T21:31:00.003-05:00

Well, I have a bit of good news and bad news. So, since I typically pick the bad news first, I'll tell ya that.

Bad news: This is going go be another crazy week, another short post and as soon as I started feeling better I got sick again. So here I am sitting at work feeling like hell. I really really despise being sick during the summer.

Good news: I got a new car!

It's an '08 Pontiac G6.

(It was love at first drive)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T18:09:00.002-05:00

Here's to getting my ducks in a row!

Pot luck post

2009-08-25T20:27:00.002-05:00

Blogosphere friends, I am so sorry to have been gone. My work schedule has been absolutely insane here lately. Like I said in my short post, I didn't know that work actually required working all day. I mean, I typically have time to check my email, read some blogs and even post. Well not recently, my coworker was sick and since the economy has drained my office I got to pick up her job and do both. Talk about fun.

So anyways, I am crossing my fingers that I am back (at least for awhile). Instead of doing a traditional post, I decided I would just post some random stuff about the last week in one bit pot luck post.

I rode a bicycle for the first time in probably 15 years. I loved it! I basically stole my friends road bike. I decided I am going to get one, but all the ones on craigslist are either old and crappy or way too much. So if anyone would like to contribute to the Trixie Bicycle Fund, email me at swooningthecity@gmail.com. :)
My dog has decided that using the designated "poopy areas" are not to her liking, probably because people aren't cleaning up after themselves. The last few times when I've walked her we have stopped at the designated area and wait, and wait and wait. I get impatient and I'm not kidding you about 10 feet later she decides she needs to go. This is not good, and yes sorry it is so random and kind of gross.
I've been having late night rendezvous. Last weekend my friend and I decided to drive around the city looking for walking/biking tracks. We found a few and, without flashlights, walked them in the dark. It was really fun getting out and walking.
During our walking trips we found a group of pot heads smoking in the park. It was so funny because when they saw us one took off running and the others tried to play it cool. I was so tempted to yell, "Police, don't move." Unfortunately I didn't have time because they ran from their smoke cloud into the truck parked by.
I decided I am a loyal fan of Google, there is no changing my mind. At work the default search engine is Bing and I tried using it twice. I hate it. It never seems to give me the results that Google does so I have made public my love for Google.
I watched "I Love You Man" and thought it was totally awesome. I did think that the relationship the guys had was a little awkward though. Do those kind of things exist?
I've been sick. I have no idea what happened, but I lost my voice almost completely for about a week. While I am sure that some of my coworkers enjoyed my lack of talking, I sure didn't. I am feeling better now, but still have a slight cough. I think my allergies just decided to go crazy on me.
I am about to commit myself to a masters program. I graduated in 2006 from college and since then have said time and again that I would start my next degree program. Unfortunately I have been seriously lazy and haven't done so. Well, I started doing some research and think I have finally decided that I am going to get my MBA in Organizational Leadership. Now, to just get to filling out the enrollment application and write my essays.

Well, I hope you all have had a great week. I feel a bit out of the loop since I have disappeared.

MIA

2009-08-18T19:06:00.001-05:00

Sorry I have been MIA once again guys. Who would have ever thought that you sometimes actually have to do work at work? Here I was under the impression that I should be able to blog and check my email while doing work, but that hasn't been the case here lately. Things have been a little bit insane, but I promise I won't be gone much longer (at least I hope).

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T16:49:00.001-05:00

Because even though this came out a lil while ago, I am truly excited to see it!

Epic giveaway

2009-08-11T20:15:00.002-05:00

The lovely Kym is hosting an epic giveaway .

She is giving away handmade stuff from other bloggers, so if you like that kinda stuff visit her blog and let her know. If you don't, you should really check out her blog anyways because she is hilarious.

Sorry, but no

2009-08-11T15:10:00.002-05:00

I don't know if it is just me or what, but have any of you noticed the amount of beggars going up? I know the economy has been bad and everyone can use any dime they can get, but honestly I have seen two or three people on one corner begging for money. At least spread out a bit, oh and don't wear brand new Nike's and a Ralph Lauren shirt while you hold your cardboard sign. But that isn't the worst of it, I can't even go into the gas station without someone asking me for money.

Now don't get me wrong I am not one of those greedy girls that won't help a fellow man in need, but I won't just hand out a ton of cash to complete strangers when I'm money-strapped myself. Instead, I'd much rather go pick up a double cheeseburger or two and hand a person in need that or some fruit instead of a bunch of money for them to pocket. I have reason behind this thought.

Today as I walked out of the gas station after getting my oh so delicious diet dr. pepper I was approached by a woman with a long sob story. She told me that she was from Ohio and was trying to get to her grandmother in Texas because she was admitted to the hospital. She said she ran out of gas and had no way to get there because someone stole her wallet and her bank wasn't in Oklahoma. Sounds depressing right?

Well I couldn't help but make a smart ass smirk and laugh a little. The woman acted as though she was offended by my laughter. It does make me look cold-hearted doesn't it? I then proceeded to tell her that just last week she told me the same exact story and asked me for money for her ailing grandma.

She began to argue with me saying that it was not her and I was confusing her with someone else. I told her I distinctly remember the smiley face shirt that she is wearing today and the same exact story. I told her that I gave her $5 dollars for gas and that since she is still sitting here scamming people that she should give me my money back. She took off running.

It's those people that make the world a terrible place and more so the reason why people refuse to help others. If you are a need then be honest, but don't expect someone to hand over money so that you can get your next drug fix.

Hiking in the dark?

2009-08-07T15:49:00.009-05:00

There are times in your life that you make stupid decisions. Well, I managed to do that during one of my hiking trips.

Over the weekend K and I decided it would be a great weekend to go on a hike. After weeks and weeks of 106 degree weather it was finally down in the 90's, which seemed like the 80's compared to that.

So we hoped in the car, took a drive and ended up in a little town called Watonga. There is a ~~big pond~~ lake there and some ~~nice~~ hiking trails.

We got there late in the afternoon, and decided to explore. After circling the ~~pond~~ lake we found some trails and decided it wouldn't be a big deal to take a small hike. We hop on the trails and come up to a map. We see this location called "Inspiration Point" and feel as though we should go get some inspiration.

We take a look at the route and head on our way. Little did we know that this was going to be a long hike. The map didn't give distances and believe me maps can be deceiving. As we are hiking we are having a great time cracking jokes and checking out the scenery. The woody areas were gorgeous and the trails were a ton of fun. After about 4 miles, a little over an hour and climbing up a few hills we find "Inspiration Point."

See the sun setting? We thought it would be a great idea to see a bit of the sunset and hoped to gain some inspiration. It was a fabulous idea, until we look at the map and realize there was no short cut back to the beginning of the trail like we thought. No, instead we have to hike the entire 4 miles or so back the way came. I felt cheated. Here is our last view of the spot as the sun was going down.

So why was this a big deal? No, it wasn't because of the extra exercise it was because the sun was setting, most of the trail was through the woods and we didn't have a flashlight. We also didn't have cell phone signal (not that we could tell anyone where we were because we really didn't know ourselves), and the light from our phones didn't do much good.

Once we came to this conclusion we decided to walk as fast as we could down the rocks of the hills before the sun disappeared. At least we wouldn't have to go down large rocky hills in the dark. As we made it down the hill the sun was still peaking through and we entered the woods. The only protection we had was a stick that K picked up on the way down the hill.

It was a lot darker in the woods as we tried to keep our eyes on the dirt trail. A little ways in we then heard something no hiker ever wants to hear day or night ... coyotes. Not just one, but it was few hollowing and causing a commotion. At this point we are almost running through the woods, but can only go so fast due to roots, rocks and other things on the trail.

As we get farther into the woods it sounds like the coyotes are getting closer and we are both freaking out at this point. Then, we suddenly hear something move in the woods next to us. We both stop and try our best to see the impossible. Instead of standing there for too long we took off faster than before. My heart was racing at this point and then we finally made it to the edge of the woods. The light was barely peaking through and we can no longer see the trail.

We follow what seems to be the trail and found the white rocky area that we could actually somewhat see. The sun is almost gone at this point and I step off a giant rock and hurt my ankle. I'm now somewhat limping and suddenly realize we were lost.

So here we are in the wildlife, listening as the coyotes get closer and lost. We start to back track and eventually find the first trail we took. We finally made it to the beginning just short of a heart attack. By the time we got there it was pitch black and all the campers were snuggling in their tents. Our trip to "Inspiration Point" took us a little over an hour, our trip back took us just over 30 minutes.

I guess the inspiration we were seeking was to make it back to the beginning without dying.

From this hiking trip on I decided I will never hike without a flashlight again. I don't care if we start at 10 a.m., a flashlight will be with me.

Bye bye bottle?

2009-08-06T17:00:00.004-05:00

I had planned today to share some of my outdoorsy adventures, but instead I am posting something else that I find to be a bit disturbing.

As I was listening to a local morning radio show, I heard them mention something about breast feeding. No big deal right? Well after a few seconds I started paying attention and heard that it wasn't just a general topic, but instead it was about a new toy.

Apparently a Spanish toymaker took reality a little too far and created a new doll that allows a child to imitate breast feeding. There is a halter top that children put on in order to breast feed their baby as it makes sucking noises.

Since when are children not content with bottles?

Read about it here.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T15:56:00.001-05:00

Speechless

No, I'm not missing ...

2009-08-04T15:38:00.004-05:00

So you can call back your search parties, I have been found. :)

Sorry I was gone so long, my weekend adventure ended up making me an outdoors woman that went from just the lakes to a ton of hiking. I will say, it was nice getting away from the normal work life, the Internet and dare I say it ... the cell phone.

Now I am a girl that feels naked without my phone so when I ended up in the woods several times throughout my journeys and realized I had no signal, I just decided to ditch it. It felt invigorating to say the least. I never really realized how much I was at the beckon call of my cell phone. Weird huh?

So anyways, I have plenty of stories to share during my crazy adventure, but today i am going to answer the two questions asked of my readers (since I'm a slacker.)

Question One - Andhari over at Insomniac Lolita asked me the following question:

If you could trade place with one of the celebrities in the world who would you choose and why?

Answer: I would trade places with Vanessa Paradis, the French actress and singer. Why? Well because this lucky lady is not only gorgeous but she is married to Johnny Depp.

For the longest time I thought that I would somehow run into Johnny Depp, he would be smitten by my gorgeous eyes and then want me to have his babies. Then the rest would be history.

Unfortunately, he is now married to Vanessa and I have lost my chance ~~until they divorce~~. So, I would love to swap places with her so not only could I live a life or luxury, I could also cuddle up to Mr. Johnny Depp.

Question Two - Lil' Woman over at Little Woman Little Home asked me the following question:

What made you start blogging? Is there a reason you choose to stay anonymous?

Answer: The lovely ReRe persuaded me to make a blog after she did. She made hers and became an instant hit and I thought it sounded like a great idea. So I jumped on the bandwagon and made one.

I blogged for a bit and soon realized a few people in my office were reading my blog. I wrote a post about a co-worker that was driving me absolutely made one night at work, and also wrote a post about hunting for a suga daddy one night at a bar full of old ~~rich~~ men. Apparently the co-worker I complained about felt inclined to apologize and another co-worker asked me how my hunt was. This was not good.

I started with the pretense that I could write about anything and expression my thoughts and feelings how I wanted to (even if it entailed bitching about work). I realized that this wouldn't be possible since several of my co-workers were reading my blog and soon created another one. This is that blog and why I am now anonymous. In the future I may change that, but for now in this office I feel like I should remain that way.

So those are the answers to the only two questions I was asked. I figure my readers would want to know something, so please feel free to continue asking me questions.

Out of town

2009-07-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I am heading out of town for a weekend at the lake today. I am super excited to soak up some sun and play in the water. I hope ya'll don't miss me too much.

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T17:03:00.003-05:00

My zoo peepshow!!!

Read the story here

Burrito Boy part 2

2009-07-21T16:57:00.002-05:00

So, did I call?

Actually I didn't. He called me the following day and I hadn't saved his number so when I answered I was a bit confused as to who was calling me. Did I let you all down? Haha.

When BB called we talked a little bit and he asked me out on a date during the upcoming weekend. I agreed, thinking what's the worst thing that could happen?

On date day he picked me up and said he was taking me to this place where they had amazing food. He wouldn't tell me the name, but during the drive I noticed that we were going into a part of town that wasn't so safe. I asked him if he lived over here and he said "oh no, this place isn't the safest."

After a few minutes we pulled up to this diner looking place. While I'm not high maintenance, I wouldn't recommend this place for a first date. I mean not only is the location bad, but seriously it had tables with those metal folding chairs. I have eaten at several "dives" and sometimes they are great so I gave it a shot.

I ordered just a burger and fries thinking that would be a bit difficult to screw up. It wasn't, my bread was soggy and they gave me mayo (which I hate.) While at "dinner" our conversation was good when I wasn't focusing on the grossness of my meal. He mentioned going to a free concert that a local casino was hosting. I had never heard of the band, was game to get out of the ghetto.

At the concert it was looking pretty cloudy and we weren't sure if it was going to rain or not. The local band wasn't too bad, but nothing to brag about. About what I assume was half way through the show it starts to pour down rain and we end up soaked. I thought it was pretty funny, but I guess he was pretty upset.

So how did the date end? Well we went to Walmart because he wanted to by a new dvd player he saw in sale. Talk about exciting.

Needless to say I never went out with BB again, but the funny thing is he has become one of my dearest friends. I am also coaching him on dating skills, because I'm not high maintenance but this date wasn't the greatest way to start things off.

A sly burrito boy ...

2009-07-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

Meet Burrito Boy, a charming young man who makes me burritos during a long day at work who apparently has had his eye on me for awhile. I never really paid much attention to him, I usually just got my burrito and then was on my way out the door.

And then one day I noticed. I had just got back from a long weekend at the lake and decided I could use an awesome chicken burrito. I walked in looking half tired and holding a conversation via text with my friend.

I ordered my chicken burrito and BB started giving me a hard time. He kept saying that I should have got this salsa instead and pestering me about why I don't like beans.

As I was getting ready to pay for my food and finishing up a text with my friend BB asked me what kind of phone I was using. Delighted, I showed him my phone and he asked if he could hold it.

I handed him my phone because it wasn't like he was going to run off with it, I mean the guy was at work. He held it and explained to me that He was wanting the same phone. He asked if I liked it as he started to play with it. I told him I loved it and then he handed me my phone back.

As I walked to my car I received another text from my friend, but happened to notice a message in my outbox. The message was to a number not in my phone book and simply said.... you should call me (insert phone number here) -BB

Did I call him? I'll save that for another post.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

Look Dad, we found kittens!

Handicap parking?

2009-07-14T22:00:00.003-05:00

Just when I begin to think the people that work at my apartment complex are at least a little bit intelligent they go and do something that proves me wrong.

Last night when I was desperately searching for a parking spot that wasn't a mile away from my apartment I pulled into an empty spot. This one spot was crowded by several others and I wondered why it was left open.

So, I looked up and realized at that very moment why that parking spot was indeed left open.... a handicap sign. Now this spot has been a spot I have parked in several times and it was never labeled handicap.

You're probably thinking that adding a handicap spot couldn't possibly be a bad thing right? Well, this spot isn't bad... just in a completely dumb location.

Now I know that not all handicap people are in a wheelchair, but I'd like to think handicap spots are there to cater to those who are. This spot goes completely against the opposite. This spot does not have a ramp, its not any wider than a normal parking spot and if that wasn't enough ... the spot doesn't even connect to a sidewalk.

I can't help but ask myself what handicap human-being would even think this would be a great place to park. My mother had a ton of back problems and she had a handicap placard and I know that if she came over she wouldn't dare park in that spot.

So, like I said... my apartment complex once again proved to me that monkey's can run a business.

Side note:

I am jumping on the bandwagon and offering readers a chance to ask me something they want to know (that's not too personal). If you'd like to ask me a question feel free to leave a comment or email me at swooningthecity@gmail.com

A walk in the zoo

2009-07-13T17:55:00.003-05:00

Even though it was Sunday and the high temperature was 104 with a heat index of about 106, I woke up at 7am and go ready to head to the Zoo. Now I am not by any means a morning person, partly because I work late evenings and also because I just haven't ever been, so me being up without a huge Starbucks caffeine injected beverage and no serious appointment was a big deal (especially on a day that it was going to be hotter than hell).

The grand plan was that we would get there at 9am when they opened to enjoy as much of the zoo as possible before our skin started to melt from the rays of the heat. We made it about 9:30 am and started the trip out with looking at the ducks (one of my favorite animals).

As the day went on and the heat started to rise we eventually found our way to the grizzly bears, which by far was the funniest animal we saw that day. Why you ask?

Well, when we walked into the building we saw two grizzly bears. They were both sleeping, one was in a hole and the other one was laying against the glass. What's so funny? Well as soon as you walked around the the corner to see them you notice that the male is spread eagle... foot on the glass and all, it would almost seem like an Al Bundy moment if he had his hand on his crouch. Not exactly what you were expecting when you walk around the corner. I can hear the kids now, "mommy what is that?"

After getting the peep show, he then decided to roll over and change positions. It seemed like he couldn't get comfortable because he just kept moving around. Eventually another group of about 4 people came walking in to see him. The best part of the whole thing was, as soon as they were about to take a picture of him, he decided to put on a show. He rolled over onto his back again and then went spread eagle. Talk about a Kodak moment.

Even though the sun was beating down on us and I was sweating to death I had a great time. I probably drank a gallon of water which is always a good thing. I don't think I have ever seen as many animals in one trip as I did Sunday. They always seem to be hiding or put away. It was great.

Who would have known that going to the zoo early in the morning was the best? The animals were all active and happy as opposed to late evening when they just hide in any place of shade they can find.

Kids say it best

2009-07-09T16:52:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend I celebrated my birthday with my family. If you didn't know I have two younger siblings that are almost 9 and 7. Strange right? Oh well, I love them dearly and pretty much spoil them rotten.

So why am I posting about them? Well because kids say some hilarious stuff and I wanted to share some highlights.

Convo 1
Me: Whatcha doin lil bro?
Bro: Playin video games.
Me: Whatcha playin?
Bro: Grand theft auto... (pause) Did you know they have hookers in this game?
Me: (jaw drops) Oh yeah? What's a hooker?
Bro: (changing subjects) Did you just see that car? (I'm sure he has no idea what a hooker is, at least I hope not)

Convo 2
I'm playing with my little sisters hair.
Sis: Don't touch my hair, I have lice.
Me: Who said that?
Sis: I dunno, just don't touch it.

Convo 3
Bro and sis are playing with sparklers chasing us around and then they run to the swing set.
Me: What are ya'll doing?
Sis: Putting our sparklers on the swing set.
Me: Why? You're supposed to be drawing with them.
Bro: We are welding... duh.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T15:30:00.000-05:00

Not the cleanest video, but hilarious!

A message from George Carlin

2009-07-07T21:46:00.001-05:00

Today while sitting at work I was in a pretty poor mood. I was going to blog, but had nothing to say. Then I received this e-mail and decided to share because I think it is a great message.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ' I love you ' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

~George Carlin

Driving disability?

2009-07-06T16:49:00.003-05:00

I think that over the holiday weekends people come out from under rocks. I'm serious. The highways seem to be crowded with a lot more cars than you see on a typical weekend, and those extra cars are full of stupid drivers. You also see a ton of cops out. While everyone seems to think it is for speeders, I think it is for the stupid drivers on the road and then the drunk asses that decide to make a late night munchie run. I prefer having my drunk ass chauffeured.

So in light of the holiday weekend and more to come, I decided to make a list of things that you shouldn't do in a vehicle for those that have a driving disability.

1. It is rude to not let someone on the highway. I know that when you're on the on ramp of the highway you are supposed to yield, but honestly people already on the highway should be a bit more kind. When you don't have cars next you, change lanes and do us all a favor.

2. It is not OK to get on the highway going 30 mph. If I can get my 4-banger up to 60 mph before being on the highway, I know your v-8 can too.

3. Just because you suffer from big *&#@ truck syndrome, doesn't mean you get two or more parking places.

4. The left lane is for passing or for people that choose to ~~speed~~ go the speed limit. If you want to drive 40 mph on a 65 mph highway, please take your car to the right lane. (These drivers also help oncoming traffic)

5. If I have the possibility of dying from carbon monoxide poisoning while waiting at a stop light you should really get your car off the road.

6. If you decide to text while driving make sure you memorize the keys so you don't drive off the road and almost hit a light pole.

7. Semi's are scary, do not drive next to them or just a little bit ahead of them forcing other cars to be by the trailer.

8. While staring at a car wreck, pay attention to the car in front of you. If they stop and you don't you will become the one gawked at.

9. Wave when someone does something nice, such as letting you out of the gas station parking lot after numerous people have been greedy pricks.

10. As a matter of fact, you don't own the whole damn road so don't be stupid.

Here is only a small selection of Trixie's Rules for the Road: A Guide for Drivers suffering from Driving Disability Syndrome. Look for it on Amazon.com. :)

*I'm not really publishing this book, but I think it is a good idea.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-01T17:23:00.000-05:00

Momma said there'd be days like this!

It's more than a holiday weekend

2009-06-30T15:33:00.003-05:00

So not only is Saturday the Fourth of July, it is also my birthday. Normally, I would be completely stoked because it is one of my favorite holidays, but this year I am completely bummed. No, it isn't because I will be 26 and technically closer to 30 than 20 (which has crossed my mind several times). It's because this year is the first year I will be "celebrating" without my grandma and my mom.

I can't seem to stop thinking about my mom this week. I keep remembering all of the little things that I know I will miss the most. So instead of making this post another sob story, I decided to post some 4th of July memories and remember her like she deserves.

1. Every July 4th my mother would call me at 11:56 a.m. and sing Happy Birthday to me. I was born at 11:56 and she called to let me know that it was at that time that I really aged.

2. Growing up I was convinced that the whole world celebrated me on my birthday, my mom never shot me down by telling me that it wasn't just for me. I eventually figured it out.

3. After my birthday song call, she would call me to ask when I was going to be at her house, if I didn't answer she would leave me a voicemail saying "Hey, this is your mommy!" in the most excited voice ever.

4. My mom always told me that on July 3rd she convinced my family to do fireworks because she knew that she was going to have me on the 4th. Everyone thought she was crazy, but did it anyways. When the 4th came, she went into labor.

5. When my mom was in labor my grandma was there with her. As the clock kept ticking closer and closer to noon, my grandma kept telling her she needed to hurry up and have me because it was almost lunch time. She had me just before lunch.

6. One year she decided to make my birthday cake instead of buying one. My sister decided to decorate it and instead of getting a red, white and blue cake... it was baby pink and baby blue. I told them it was a birthday party not a baby shower.

7. On my 21st birthday she bought me a bottle of wine. It was so good I couldn't stop drinking it. I remember my uncle started freaking out thinking I was drunk and going to drive home. My mom assured him that I was welcomed to stay in my own home.

8. For a good 6 years or so we would go out for my birthday, as opposed staying in and I got to pick what I wanted to do. For dinner I would say I wanted to go to a Mexican restaurant and she would have them put a sombrero on my head and sing to me. I also went to a theme park and we would stay until the fireworks were over and the park was closing.

9. My 24th birthday she had a custom ring made for me. She tortured me for months about my birthday present. When I finally got it I was so happy. I put it on and realized it was insanely big. She felt bad that it was so big, but was happy that I loved it. I cherish that ring now, and still haven't had it sized.

10. Every year I spent my actual birthday with my family. I know a lot of people go out with the friends on theirs, but I never felt deprived. I loved spending the day with them every year.

11. On my 16th birthday I got a picture of a wrecked car instead of the actual thing. I was just as happy with that picture as if I had seen it in person.

12. Growing up there were many times that we almost got in trouble for playing with fireworks in city limits. My grandpa and uncle were instigators and would go buy a ton of them for me every year.

13. On my 25th birthday my mom called and let me know that I was officially a quarter of a century old.

14. On my siblings birthday's we would usually grill out burgers, but on my birthday mom would always make me steak and potatoes because it was my favorite. I always felt special.

15. The 4th was one of her favorite holidays, she started planning our party for this year in January and I thought she was nuts. Too bad she isn't going to be here.

I could keep going on and on about the great times we had, but I figure that's enough. I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July.

We are a team?

2009-06-26T19:38:00.003-05:00

Since this blog is basically annonymous, I get to talk about work! Yay!

Well, I work for a media company as a graphic designer (incase you didn't know) and basically have two bosses. One boss signs my paycheck and he tries to tell me "how the cow chews the kurd." I'll call him A. The other boss I absolutely love, and she was the one that I orginally worked under until the company did some reorganization and royally screwed me, but that's a different story.

OK, so last week I received an e-mail from A saying that next week would be his last week. He accepted a job at another company. Well, I was thinking Woo Hoo! This is great! I can't wait! Mainly because he just has a strong dislike for me, and hasn't failed on letting me know that.

Well, my company is always looking for excuses to buy food and someone leaving is always a reason. The group I technically work for is even worse about food purchasing.

Since today was his last day, apparently the "team" I work with threw him a little going away party. He got up and made a speech and there was all kinds of food and a card. Well, my coworker and I weren't invited.

Now, I don't really mind the lack of the invitation... that isn't what bugs me. What bugs me is that during my performance review one of my negative traits was that I seculuded myself. I looked at my new "team" as them and I was separate. If my company would have been giving out raises, it would have effected my raise.

So, how do I go about not seculuding myself, when they do everything (including the lack of invitations) to make me the red headed step-child.

Update: I was just invited for leftovers... 5 hours later.

Tribute to the King of Pop

2009-06-26T16:46:00.002-05:00

You were weird, but you were one hell of an entertainer.

What's going on in Hollywood?

2009-06-25T18:28:00.002-05:00

I can't believe the news, another big name celebrity is dead. What's the deal?

It's been a bad week in Hollywood, and I find myself a bit sad.

Ed McMahon: I loved loved loved Star Search. When i was growing up I knew that I would go on that show. I thought I wanted to be a singer for the longest time. Well, I never got to go on there, but I watched the show religiously.

Farrah Fawcett: While I am too young to have watched Charlie's Angels when they were filmed, I did watch the reruns growing up. I always loved her feathered hair. I think it is ridiculously sad that she never got to be married after she said yes, finally. :(

Michael Jackson: I'll never forget Superbowl 27. I thought it was awesome. While he was a bit crazy and had a lot of problems, I will never say the man wasn't talented. I still listen to his music from time to time.

So while Hollywood is in a state of mourning, I hope all of these celebrities that have at one point or another touched us all rest in peace.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T22:02:00.002-05:00

Watch Kiss the Girl... Continued and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

Sorry I have been MIA, as my previous post stated things are crazy in my life right. I will try to post more asap, just don't want to bore you all with all my drama.

Lost between up and down

2009-06-18T15:56:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I have posted. I've been lost trying to figure out up from down and left from right, and so far I still find myself lost.

Just a warning, this isn't going to be one of my typically silly posts.

I'm starting to feel like there is some sort of target on my head. That every time things start to get better something has to happen because "omg Trixie is getting happy again, we can't let that happen."

Well that's what happened ... again. It's been four months since my mother passed away, and about 9 months since my grandmother passed. And while I am still not my typical happy self, I am trying to get back into the swing of life because I know that they don't want me to be miserable forever. I still find it extremely hard to go a day without crying and the littlest things set me off. I expect that to continue for a long time, and my tears will never go away.

So here I was, finding myself a little closer to normal and then the rug was ripped from under my feet and I fell to the ground once again.

On Monday, I received a text from my dad saying "Hi daughters (sent to my sis and me) I have important news call me asap!" Well after seeing that, I called immediately. I thought maybe we finally got the cause of death, my grandmother's estate stuff was settled or something generally great happened.

Well, I beat my sister to the punch and got to him first. When he answered he seemed very shaky. He then said something along the lines that he figured that as his daughters we should be told the news first. At this point I was concerned that something was seriously wrong, possibly that he was terminally ill. But, no that wasn't it... it was something I never would have expected to hear.

"I'm engaged."

My jaw dropped and I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. I was sitting at work, fighting my tears and couldn't even say a single word other than OK. He kept talking to me and I can't even remember what he said, I just know that the only thing I could say was OK.

My worst nightmare came true, and it was only four months after he was widowed. All these thoughts came rushing in and I was overwhelmed with tears. I left work because I couldn't handle sitting there anymore.

I figured he would eventually remarry, but never did I think it would be this soon. And while there "isn't a date set" I figure that it won't be years away like it should. I just don't know how you could logically think this is a good idea. I don't know how a woman could say yes, knowing the man's wife of 10 years died four months prior. Most importantly, I don't know how he could even consider proposing to a woman when his children haven't even heard of her or even know that he was dating.

So now I find myself lost. I haven't talked to him since, I've been eating my emotions, and sleep has been virtually non-existent. I don't know what to say to him, and I'm dreading looking him in the face on Father's Day. At first, I wanted to take back the overly extravagant gift my sister and I purchased for him. She decided that we shouldn't do that even though my thoughts are somewhere in the middle.

I feel like I should have my own reality TV show, and I think I'd be a billionaire by now.

I'm just so sick of all the bad shit, when will something good happen to me for once? And, when it does will I be able to enjoy for fear that something terrible is lurking around the corner?

When ghetto kids and Jessica Alba attack

2009-06-11T18:05:00.003-05:00

If you don't live in any of the major cities, hell even a highly populated city, it is often exciting when a "big famous celebrity" shows up. Especially in Oklahoma, where are local celebrities that aren't country stars are weather men. Seriously.

The past few weeks and possibly this week as well, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, and Casey Affleck were here making a film in a little town called Guthrie. And by little, I do mean little.

Once the word was spread, the masses went wild. So much so that I am waiting for the prison to call and say the arrested my friend for stalking. So far almost every time I log into my personal facebook page I see millions of pictures of people "stalking" the film site. The funny thing is the big bad bodyguards aren't letting anyone get close, but the photos keep coming. And even though I've seen millions of photo's not a single one has one of the stars mentioned above.

Jessica Attacks: So what did Jessica do?

Well she made her presence known by posting "public art" all over downtown Oklahoma City. She glued (apparently insanely well) shark posters all over downtown in an effort to support Shark Week, in landlocked Oklahoma. Don't worry Jessica, we will do our best to save our sharks.

Ghetto Kids Attack: Well, apparently Jessica started a trend and now all the ghetto kids have decided to attack with their spray paint cans (even though you have to be 18 to purchase it)and create their own version of this "public art" all around my apartment complex.

After living in the same place for three years (which is a miracle I've been in one place that long), a broken driver side mirror, and a stolen license plate I experienced my first "public art."

You're probably thinking I live somewhere crazy. Well even though it sounds like I live in a scary place, it really isn't too bad. It isn't the best of the best, but believe me it's not even close to some of the scarier places around here. I have never once been frightened(except for a few crazy neighbors and a stalker). And it hasn't been until recently that I have noticed an abundance of teenagers hanging around my area, it's been mostly 20-somethings and young parents with a little mix of old people.

But what it comes down to is growing up we've all had our fun, done a bunch of stupid things we shouldn't have, and maybe even did a little "public art," but seriously... I don't live in the projects, can you please take that crap to the stop sign, the over pass of a bridge or even the side of a train?

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-06-10T17:29:00.004-05:00

(This seems to be becoming a trend.)

Happy Hump Day!

Giveaway!

2009-06-09T20:50:00.002-05:00

The amazing a H.I.T at A NY Housewife in Training is hosting an awesome giveaway that ends tonight!

Check it out!