NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Cubs traded Mark DeRosa to the Win-dians. Me not happy. I cannot even process my sadness right now.

In other news, I have now adopted the Indians as my American League team as they are basically the mini-Cubs, what with the signing of DeRo and Kerry Wood. Oh, and Grady Sizemore is hot.

Cubs snag Aaron Miles from the Cardinals

The Cubs have signed my former baseball crush, Aaron Miles to a deal today. I say "former" because I used to think he was adorable in a five-feet-tall-I-wanna-put-him-in-my-pocket sort of way. That was, until one day when I saw an interview with him and saw that he has a WAY jacked up grill. That being said, he's a pretty scrappy player and I'm fairly happy with Jim Hendry's decision to add him to the team. Welcome to the best team in the NL Central! I'm sure he'll look smashing in blue..... :)

Now, if they could just unload Jason Marquis.........any takers?

Happy New Year's Eve party people!

It's already New Year's Eve. How in the hell did that happen? Where did 2008 go? I mean, seriously? I think we skipped a few months or something.....

So, who has big plans? I know this girl does. Oh yea baby.....this girl is working FOURTEEN (and a half) hours today! Woo hoo! Paaarrrrtay! Y'all are jealous, aren't you? I'm at my full-time job all day and then as a special NYE bonus, I am working six hours at the crisis line. Happy NY to me indeed! :) At least my girl Tanya is working with me tonight.....that should dull the pain a bit.

OMG, I have "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner in my head. The girls and I were talking about it last night (for reasons unknown) and then I heard it on the radio this morning. I'm having the urge to sing it out loud, which could be scary for all (I blame it on the caffeine).

I'm really not feeling like providing y'all with my annual sappy end of the year message, but I will say this: I hope everyone has a fantabulous 2009. May it be the best year EVER, I love you all (some more than others...). :)

And how was everyone's Christmas?

Christmas was good. Glad it's over, but it was still good. Not even a pain-in-the-ass sinus infection could keep me down.

Yes, I had to work Christmas Eve (and I was only slightly angry and bitter about it...), but I managed to leave work at 2:00pm and headed straight to Grandpa's where my family was. As soon as I saw them, I was immediately relaxed. They are my favorite. My pregnant sister looks ADORABLE, you can finally see her baby bump, our little Baby B is starting to get bigger! We opened presents there (I have pics posted on my Facebook page), then headed out to the Batto's house for the big fam extravaganza. A good time was had by all. I started to notice a bit of a sore throat but decided to ignore it....bad idea because, by Christmas morning, I wasn't feeling so hot (I'm going with a self-diagnosis of sinus infection...and today I still cannot hear out of my right ear....). Christmas Day we went over to visit the Davidson side of the family and that night, I went over to the Baumgartner's for some fine family fun complete with a couple rounds of Yahtzee (did you know that if you role anything other than a Yahtzee it's called a "not-zhee"?????). It was a fun night and I thank the Baumgartners for saving me from having to spend Christmas night home alone....

I worked at the crisis line the day after Christmas, but by then was full-on not feeling well and ended up leaving early. I headed to Salem where I let my mommy take care of me and buy me things. ;) It was a good weekend at home, we got to see Tim's friend Jeremiah and his new wife (Tim and Jere-moose have been friends since they were four...I used to babysit Jeremiah and his sister, so it was kinda weird to see that he's a married man now...).

Now on to sorta abbreviated work week. I am working from 7:30am to 10:30pm on New Years Eve (go me!), have Jan 1 off to recover, then am back at it on Friday. I'm a little angry and bitter toward those of you that are off all week (and you know who you are......), but I still hope you have a good week!

I'm gonna go try to do something productive now since I'm at work and all.....

Happy Boxing Day DT!

No one here knows what Boxing Day actually is, but I sure hope it's a good one for ya! ;)

Happy Christmas Eve to all!

Good morning everyone! So, in good news, there was no traffic this morning. In bad news, the reason I know this is because I have to freakin' work today. BOOOOOOOO for working on Christmas Eve! It's un-American I tell you! Damn managed care Nazi's...........

As a special I-Have-To-Work-On-Christmas-Eve treat for myself, I stopped by my local convenience store this morning and got.....a REGULAR Coke instead of diet. Craaaaaaay, I know. I love, love, love regular Coke and because I love it so much, I only drink it 2-3 times a year. Otherwise, I'd weigh 600 pounds, and no one wants that (yikes!). As a consequence of the straight sugar now coursing through my veins, I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay hopped up and am probably annoying everyone around me with my giddiness (well, annoying them more so than normal). So excuse my mania today.....at least I'm not a crab ass like I've been the last couple of weeks (although my co-worker Mary K and I did greet each other with a "bah humbug" this morning....inside joke, sorta).

I can't wait to see my family tonight! My sister and brother-in-law are already in town, my parents and brother will be here noon-ish. I'm gonna bust my butt to get out of work as soon as possible today so I can go to Grandpa's and hang out with them prior to the big family celebration at the Batto's tonight (we're headin' to Wentzville y'all! HOLLA!). Caseloads are light today (thank you GOD), so, barring any a-hole reviewers that call me late out of spite today (and I have plenty of them, those a-holes in Memphis kinda hate me), I should be able to get my work done in a reasonable amount of time and get the heck outta dodge.

To those I won't get to see for Christmas (and all y'all know who you are...), I miss you, I love you and I hope I get to see you soon! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Boxing Day, and Happy New Moon. Peace. I'm out.

Happy Sweet 16 Miss Rachel!

Happy 16th birthday to my baby cousin Rachel today! I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I'll see you tomorrow night (which, really, is the greatest gift of all). LOVE YOU!

What made me smile today?

Here it is, another crappy Monday at work. Nothing exciting to report....but then I get a Fed-Ex package. Knowing I hadn't had anything shipped to work, I wasn't sure what it was. Then I saw that it was a package from one of the hospitals in Pennsylvania that I used to manage (although it's been five months since I've managed them). They sent me a giant box of chocolates even though I'm not their reviewer anymore. Isn't that nice? It's the one thing that's made me smile today. :)

Happy Week 24 Red and Baby Girl Baumgart!

Here's what's going on with my baby niece this week in her fetal development:

-Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
-Her body begins to fill out with her appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
-Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing her distaste.
-Little creases have appeared on her palms. The muscular coordination of her hands has improved as she sucks her thumb.
-Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
-Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
-This week your baby is officially considered viable. (YAY!!!!!!!)
-Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler!

Week wrap-up

This has been a very up and down week for me. I have had some good days, some not so good days (example, Tuesday, as I was leaving work, I saw how horrendous the traffic was and I immediately burst into tears....). Today seems to be a good day so far, fueled by sugar and caffeine (and the GIANT caramel apples we just received from one of the treatment centers we work with in Pennsylvania), AND it's Friday. We are having a little holiday dinner party at my friend Amy's house tonight...that should be fun, although I hear rumors that we are playing the board game Cranium. That game makes me feel even more mentally slow than I already am. I don't like things that make me feel bad about myself......

In other news, didya know I chopped my hair off? Six inches G-O-N-E gone. I went in last Saturday and informed my gal that I was gonna let her cut a couple of inches. She just looked at me and said "a couple? Try six.". Now, I'm kinda intimidated by her and decided it may be best to just do what she says....actually, I decided to quit being such a baby and let her chop it. I'm glad I did. It feels and looks sooooo much better. When I actually bother to fix it, it's quite sassy (today would NOT be one of those days as it's in a ponytail).

Last nights company holiday party was, um....interesting. Yours truly stayed sober, but some other colleagues did not. Let's just say, there was some disclosure of personal information that I'd rather not know....... ;) I went for the free food and door prizes (that I sooooo did not win, but whatever). It was a pretty fun night, and I was home by 7:00pm.

OMG, I totally witness that Hwy 70 school bus crash this morning (and sat in the traffic jam it caused). I saw the bus STRADLING the median, it was full of kids, there were ambulances, police and crashed cars everywhere, there were kids on stretchers and whatnot. It was truly like a scene from a movie. Here's the link of the story: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/commutingtraffic/story/555CDB37780FF4A78625752400478B6A?OpenDocument

I'm hoping today doesn't suck. Are we still having our Girls Lunch tomorrow? Anyone? I still need to finish Christmas shopping which, really, I'd rather stick a pen in my eye than go to any shopping facility this weekend......

I am such an a-hole

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Today is my Grandpa's 81st birthday!!!! Happy, Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!! I called him this morning to wish him a happy birthday, he apparently had plans to go to the casino for dinner (because he has a $50 coupon dontcha know...only the frequent flyers get coupons to the casino....), I guess his dinner plans have been cancelled because his lady friend is sick. Poor Grandpa....I promised him I'd try to drag my butt out of bed on Sunday morning and go to church with him which now means I HAVE to do it. Grandpa is SOOOOOOO my favorite. :)

Call 911, I'm going into a sugar coma

First of all, the 14 degree temperature this morning was just completely unnecessary. Fourteen degrees? Really? That's effin cold. Then let's talk about the layer of ice on my windshield. Because it was so effin cold out, I had a heck of a time getting my windshield to defrost. And then, once I finally got moving and on the highway, the salt kept yucking up my windshield...which is when I discovered that my drivers side windshield washer thingy was FROZEN. Yes, so I drove to work barely able to see out my windshield. I contemplated getting all Ace Ventura and driving with my head sticking out the window, but then I remembered that it was 14 degrees outside. Luckily, I managed to make it to work (albeit 35 minutes late), just in time for...........

COOKIE EXCHANGE day! Woo hoo!!!! My team does this every year. I now have seven different types of cookies, the shakes and a bit of a headache. Is that a sign of a problem? Mix that with copious amounts of caffeine and you have yourself a PARTAY! I had a heck of a time baking cookies with Mikey Poo last night. We laughed, we cried, we baked. It was good times. Mike sang, I laughed and I tell you this much-I am NEVER making the Christmas wreath cookies again! What a pain in the arse. Sure, they're super cute (made like rice crispy treats only with corn flakes, you dye them green, shape them into a wreath and put red hots on them for the holly berries), but I STILL have green dye on my hands that I'm pretty sure is never coming off, and I had to put so much butter on my hands to make the stupid things (because they stick otherwise-DUH!) that I'm pretty sure my hand pores are clogged forever. Ew. They're really good, however.

Busy busy week this week. Ice storm be damned. We are having our Book Club Christmas tonight in beautiful Valmeyer, Illinois (rumor has it we're taking the four wheel drive...we'll be fine), tomorrow is food day at work, Wednesday I have to work at the always fun crisis line, Thursday is our work holiday party at my least favorite place on Earth, Dave and Busters (but hey, I'm a sucker for free food and door prizes), Friday is a Christmas potluck at Aim's house and I'm pretty sure there's something going on on Saturday too but I can't seem to remember what it is. I STILL do not have the holiday spirit and I'm pretty sure at this point that I'm not gonna get it. The only good thing about next week is that I get to see my family and only have to work three days. And that's all I got to say about that.

Happy Week 23!

My sister is 23 weeks today! She's still barely showing, but whatever.....

This week, Baby Girl B's stats are (according to pregnancy.org):

Proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since she hasn't begun to form body fat.
Bones located in the middle ear harden.
Your baby is able to hear. (Dads, did you know: low-frequency sounds mimicking a male voice penetrate the abdomen and uterine wall better than the higher frequencies of the female voice?)
The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. She has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day.
The average baby at this stage weighs 1.1 pound (501gm) and is 11.38 inches (28.9cm) long.

Shocking...

Apparently CC Sabathia is about to become a Yankee. Did anyone see that coming? (said in my most sarcastic tone I can muster up....). Does anyone think that's gonna make the Yankees good? Sure, so they'll win every 5th game. With A-Rod too busy cavorting with Madonna (ew), I think the Yanks are still gonna suck ass. At least I hope they do because I hate them. And I especially don't like CC ever since I saw his episode of MTV's Cribs. Yikes.

Thank you. This has been my MLB news of the day. Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

Cubs trade rumors

Ok, so I haven't talked about my Cubbies in quite some time. The grumblings of trade rumors have prompted me to state my opinion. Granted, it's not like Cubs GM Jim Hendry gives a damn about what I think, but still I'm gonna put it out there...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO to trading Mark DeRosa. I will not have it. Not only is he Mr. Versatility but he's quite easy on the eyes as well. I will NOT have them take down the Cubs hotness factor. As I mentioned on another blog, I will miss his hotness. And, really, isn't that what baseball is all about? No? It's not? Anyway...on to my next point-the Jake Peavy lottery. Would I like to see him in a Cubs uniform? Sure, he's pretty effin fantastic, but NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF ONE MARK DEROSA. Could I handle seeing Mike Fontenot go? Sure. How bout Ryan Theriot? Ehhh...I sure wouldn't like it much, but I'd deal. Felix Pie? Take him.

Here's my counter-offer. Cubs get Peavy and end up, hands down, with the best starting rotation in all of baseball and the Padres (or Phillies or whomever else wants to get involved) get Felix Pie, that Vitters kid and, just for shits and grins, we'll thrown in Jason Marquis....for free. Don't say we never gave ya nothing MLB. You're welcome.

I must get back to stalking all Cubs blogs/MLB news sites for the latest breaking action.

Seizures and tattoos

So, as I was driving to work this morning trying to decide what mood I was gonna be in for the day, a song came on that made the decision for me. I mean, how in the hell can you be in a bad mood after listening to "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves???? It's impossible I tell ya, impossible! The mood was touch and go before that as I had to take a different route to work. Luckily for me, I caught the traffic report on the radio and heard that there was not one, not two, not three, but FOUR accidents on Hwy 170 northbound-the exact route I usually take. So, I switched it up and took Hwy 44 through downtown hitting Hwy 70. It occurred to me that I'm gonna have to start going that way anyway beginning next Monday as the second phase of the Hwy 40 project begins and my precious part of that highway will be shut down for the next year. Luckily, today's drive wasn't bad and I made it to work on time. That being said, I don't like change.

Here is what I learned today about cooking eggs in the microwave at work. Put them in for 45 seconds and PERFECTO. I put some pre-cooked bacon in and a bit of cheese and voila! Instant breakfast. I am a culinary genius. No, really, I am.

Who else has not even started their Christmas shopping? Anyone? The thought of it causes me much anxiety and I just prefer to skip it entirely. I did order one thing online and that seems to be my preferred method. By shopping online, you avoid having to deal with people, noise and traffic. And (if at home) you can sit in your jammies while you do it. Mama like.

So, how was everyone's weekend? Mine was good, thanks for asking. I did a whole lotta nothing on Friday night and continued that trend well into Saturday (I think I stayed in my jammies until 3-ish). Saturday night, Tanya and I went to a party at our friend Lori's house (because nothing says "happy holidays" quite like partying with a bunch of crisis line workers!). Tanya and I managed to get lost (even though Lori seriously lives only a couple of miles from me) and while we were sitting and trying to figure out where in the hell we were, we saw two girls....carrying their babies....into a TATTOO shop. Does anyone else find that weird and inappropriate? Anywho-back to the party, there were a ton of people there and us crisis liners stuck together much of the night. There was some excitement toward the middle portion of the evening when a fellow party goer had a FRICKIN SEIZURE right in the middle of the hallway. Well, never fear, the crisis line is here! My adorable friend Hallie was ON IT and called 911, and impressively, the St. Louis City EMS arrived in under five hours (it was actually about 10-15 minutes). No need to fear, the guy was ok (which makes me feel less bad about what Tanya and I did....we took Hallie's camera, because mine was trapped inside the bedroom where the seizing guy was, and went outside and took a picture of me with the ambulance....I know, we're not right. I blame the rum).

Yesterday, I went to my sister's friend Jenny's house for our first Baby Shower Planning Committee Meeting. We are planning my sister's baby shower for late next month and meeting #1 appeared to go well. There are many good ideas out there and now we just have to make it all come together. I can't wait!!!!!

Burning rings of fire/Thankgiving 2008 pics

To sum up my time in Salem, I give you this: LOTS of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, LOTS of eating, LOTS of quality time with the family dogs, LOTS of quality time with the fam and LOTS of fun. Here's the pics:
Here are Hank and Stubby "helping" dad burn leaves......
Yes, the woods are on fire. Yes my dad is wearing flame retardant pants......
check out the burning rings of fire! That's how we roll in the country y'all!
more fire

My first niece, Chloe....she is quite possibly the cutest dog I've ever seen.

Look at that face! Stubby does NOT like it when Chloe comes to visit. It's a dominance thing, I guess. Stub spent much of the weekend depressed and lying on mom and dad's bed.....pitiful!

Awwwww, how pretty! Mom did a great job!
Ummm....yea. So, I wasn't so much good at the guitar. I think the highest score I got was like 52%

my brother-in-law Jon, and cousins Greg and Patrick rockin out!
my sis the prego rockin out to some Weezer!
me and my sis (and my in-utero niece!)
me and my Aunt Paula

Dad cutting the turkey
why is my dad holding a pitchfork????
Uncle Jay and his yearly tradition of passing out BEFORE the turkey... :)

dad preparing the turkey carcass for burial. Don't ask.

yes, I am posing on my dad's tractor...

only in the country.....
Awwww....my baby niece is in there! My sis is such a cute prego!

my brother Tim holding the super secret Wal-Mart map for Black Friday.....
more Guitar Hero/Rock Band fun...here's Uncle Jimmy, Tim and Grant rockin.....

Grant strikin' a pose.....

yes, I have a future as a lead singer.....

Watch out, Powderkeg may have a new drummer!
Just like the Partridge Family....

I look confused......

and over at my friend Eric's parents house, there was even MORE Rock Band. Like his super cool shades! I think he was playing the role of Scott Weiland in this pic...or something like that!

Did you know?

Did you know that if your gun gets impounded by the police, you can only reclaim it with the receipt and if you don't claim it after six months they destroy it by melting it? This is what I learned today. I thought I'd pass on this very useful information.

hodge podge

So, I was HIGHLY offended by 106.5 The Arch this morning. How DARE they try to insult Canadians! I mean, you all know I have a soft spot in my heart for Canadians (one in particular). I mean sure, I HAVE made my share of rude comments about Bryan Adams, Nickelback, Celine Dion and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (all deserved, in my opinion, but whatever), but for the most part, I dig all things Canadian. What prompted the anti-Canadian rant this AM? Well, the station had just finished playing "Sunglasses at Night" by one Corey Hart and the DJ mentioned that he's Canadian, then said he read an article about how the US economy is going to affect Canada, then he said "who cares? No one cares about Canada!". So rude! So, on behalf of the radio station, my apologies to our friendly neighbors to the north......

It's Friday people! Yay for Friday! I'm doing a whole lotta nothing tonight and I'm ok with that. Well, I DO have to straighten up my apartment as Tanya is coming over tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll get to that sometime before she arrives. Tomorrow night we are going to a holiday party with some crisis line folks, that should be some good times. Let it be noted that Alex announced to the call center last night that he was in love with me. Most people looked up and were like "what the hell????". I just laughed, knowing he was just being silly. This was during a brief period where I was not actually on the phone. I took many, MANY calls last night (I was none too happy about it either)-that little "glitch" in the phone system needs to be fixed ASAP. No one likes being the one that gets 3-5 calls in a row while everyone else is sitting on their asses surfing the internet. It can cause one to get a bit cranky. Add in annoying phone calls from Sniffles and it makes for a long, LONG night. ;) (Sniffles is an employee, not a client...ok, the two MAY be mutually exclusive....).

I am gonna just sit here now and sip my tea. It's cold out there folks! My car said it was 19 degrees this AM. Yikes. It is also cold in my office. I really hope I don't have to sit here with my coat on. That would just be weird.

Happy Weekend everyone. Vaya con Dios.


P.S. I now totally have "Sunglasses at Night" in my head..........

Happy Week 22!

My little baby niece is 22 weeks along today and last night her mommy and daddy got to feel her kick from the outside for the first time! How exciting! Good to know she's all active in there and stuff! According to pregnancy.org, Baby B is about a pound now (and nearly a foot long!), she can also hear what we are saying (so watch the cursing Baumgart! ;) ) and her fingernails are now fully developed! Can you tell I'm an excited auntie?

Planning for the baby shower is now underway. Myself and my sister's friends are having a Baby Shower Planning Committee meeting on Sunday to iron out the details. Fun, fun, fun!

Power out

I woke up at 5:30 this morning FREEZING. As I turned to look at the clock to see what time it was, I noticed my clock wasn't on. It took me a minute in my sleep-deprived state to figure out that it wasn't just my clock that wasn't on but it was EVERYTHING that wasn't on. My first thought was "I'm pretty sure I paid the electric bill", then I got up, looked outside and saw that the power was out on the entire block. Yay. I grabbed my cell to set the alarm and tried to go back to sleep but it was too damn cold! I then got a call from my mother around 7:00am making sure I was up for work...that was when I was informed that apparently a transformer (the electric thingy, not the robot) caught fire, thus causing the power outage. Apparently 53,000 people were affected. I was thanking God I'd taken a shower last night because, hello, I wasn't gonna be able to blow dry my hair today (oh no!). The good news is, just as I was walking out the door, my power came back on, but the damage had been done-as I drove to work, several of the traffic lights were on flashing causing much backup and causing people to generally drive like idiots (more so than usual). I mean seriously, can I not just have one uneventful morning drive to work? Yesterday's fun was the CENTIMETER of snow we got, causing accidents on every single highway in the STL metro area, and causing me to get to work late.

In spite of how it sounds, I am actually in quite the good mood. I don't have a particular reason to be, I just am. I mean sure, I DID call someone an idiot today (AFTER I hung up the phone), causing Dr. Smith to laugh and announce that I was back (he thinks it's funny when I talk about my idiot hospitals after I get off the phone with them). I'm gonna go try to do something productive now, Happy Tuesday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Happy Birthday today to my daddy! He's upstairs right now telling the Baumgartner's stories and entertaining everyone in the house....it's what he does. I hope you have a GREAT day, dad! You only turn 58 once...go out and live it up (or something like that.....). LOVE YOU!

Guitar Hero teaser....

I have soooooo many more pics from Salem Thanksgiving...including many more Guitar Hero moments....this will have to suffice for now as it took nearly fifteen minutes for me to upload this one pic on my parents slow-ass computer. This particular pic makes me laugh so hard I have tears in my eyes....my little brother and I know how to ROCK, ok?

Home, home on the range....

Ah, Day 3 in Salem and I'm still kickin. How is everyone's Thanksgiving week going? Mine has been, in a word, relaxing. Well, kinda. My mom and I were plenty busy today, baking/cooking since early this morning....yes, this girl spent most of her day in the kitchen. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. I even had to use some higher math and do (GASP) FRACTIONS. Yikes. I made two pumpkin pies, helped make some banana cake thingy, helped make the chicken wings AND I managed to sneak out for a bit and have lunch with one of my old friends from grade school, Dawn Brown (now Pharr). I don't think I've seen her since we graduated high school FOURTEEN years ago....yikes. She brought her 3 year old little girl, Avery, with her who is too cute for words. It was a nice little visit. Once I got back to the house, I got roped in to helping put up the Christmas decorations. Oh, it was fun. Dad accused mom and I of not setting up the tree right, then proceeded to re-do it, I helped my dad put up the lights (and I, of course, was doing it wrong the whole time, dontcha know). Somehow Tim escaped helping....not sure how he managed that.

Yesterday the dogs and I hung out outside while dad burned leaves. Nothing says "fun" quite like watching your father set the woods on fire. Pictures coming (because you KNOW I took pictures of it, right?).

Tim and I have been playing ourselves some Rock Band AND Guitar Hero. I've been playing it safe and have been playing the role of lead singer (I can totally rock out, dude), but tonight Tim made me try the guitar. It wasn't pretty folks. In fact, my darling little brother video taped it with my camera. If y'all are good I might just post it for ya. Maybe. You have no idea how much I sucked. You see, playing that guitar requires some level of coordination.....something I don't have.

Hey DT, you should totally go to the Avalanche game tonight....they're playing my "hot" St. Louis Blues...... :)

My sister and Jon should be arriving in Salem in the next hour and a half or so. That should be fun...the dogs (and by "the dogs" I mean Stubby") don't really adapt to Miss Chloe so well...always a fun challenge when Red and Jon first arrive. A bit later tonight I am doing the one thing I NEVER do when I'm back in my hometown....and that is, I'm going to the local bar. Ew. My dear, dear friend Eric will be in town shortly and he asked me to go with him. How could I tell him no? :) I'm sure it will be fine, I'm also sure that the entire town will be there. Yippee skippy. In the meantime, I'm gonna watch the Blues game.

More tales from the country coming soon.

Baby B is a...............GIRL!

Meet my niece everyone! Isn't she cute? Yes, my sister and Jon found out yesterday that they are expecting a little girl in April. I KNEW IT! I am so excited and can't wait to meet her! My sister said that Chloe is not at all excited about having a little sister (Chloe being the dog). I'm thinking Chloe may be upset either way, knowing she is soon gonna have to share her parents with some screaming, crying critter. :) Mom and I are excited because now we can start buying pink stuff-there is so much cute baby crap out there! I can't wait to spoil this little girl (because that's what being an auntie is all about!). We still have 20 weeks to go, but I'm hoping they'll go by as fast as the first 20 did. I love you already my little niece and I can't wait to meet you!

Yep, I'm good at being lazy

So, you may be wondering what I've been doing with myself since I've been on "vacation". Well, the answer is.....not a whole hell of a lot. And I'm quite alright with that. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have done SOME things, I managed to work a couple of shifts at my part-time job, I got the oil changed in my car, I went to church and I saw Grandpa twice. But other than that, I haven't done much.

Lunch with Grandpa on Friday was some good times. I'm telling you, from the moment I walked in his door until the moment I left, the man didn't stop talking once! I'm not sure he has an "off" button. He was quite worked up over some confusion his Christmas email caused (and don't even get me started on the fact that he types in all caps...he thinks it's perfectly acceptable and in no way signifies SHOUTING) and told me some story about the 1964 Indy 500 in which he "saw some guy's skin burn off his body right in front of my eyes". WHAT? Has anyone else ever heard him tell that story? Oh, and DT remind me to ask you something...Grandpa had an actuarial question that I'm not sure I can explain in writing, but I'm pretty sure has to do with math...... ;)

Friday night was spent at the crisis line where I took one real call in five hours....that was fun. Saturday, got my oil changed (after going 8,000 miles in between changes...I'm bad, I know.), bought my dad's birthday present, hung out at home a lot, ate tater tots for dinner and fell asleep on the couch. Exciting times.

Today, I went to church, hung out with Grandpa for a bit then went back to the crisis line where I was assaulted by a Cheez-It thrown by Tanya (I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO didn't deserve that abuse, by the way). After that, I've spent the evening recovering from my emotional pain caused by the Cheez-It incident and watching the American Music Awards. As I mentioned on my Facebook page, the Jonas Brothers just cause me to say "dude, what the f**k". Someone please tell me why they're famous. And don't even get me started on Kanye West. I want to tape his mouth shut. Did y'all see NKOTB? LOVE IT! Also loved Alicia Keys, Pink, Annie Lennox and the Sarah McLaughlin/Pink performance was cool. What was Scott Weiland on? Couldn't understand one word dude was saying.....I don't even know what to say about that Miley Cyrus song. Words can't describe, I'm afraid.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to see my doctor for a long overdue physical. You know, I ain't getting any younger, need to make sure everything is working properly and what not. I also need to squeeze this visit in before my health insurance plan changes to an even crappier one than I have now....... :( After my MD visit, it's off to Salem, where I've promised to make dinner (shocking, I know, but I can actually cook, and I'm gonna prove it tomorrow night....). Tomorrow is also a very exciting day because........my sis and Jon get to find out if their baby is a boy or a girl! YAY! I so can't wait for that call home tomorrow night!

Ok, enough rambling, I've got more nothing to do. Later peeps!

Actually being serious for once

I hesitate to even post this because you don't see me being serious too often----
I'm feeling very emotional today, and am actually tearing up as I write. This may seem like a depressing post, but it's really not meant to be. Yes, I know it's cliched to talk about all that you are thankful for at Thanksgiving time, but I'm just thinking about all the people that I love thatare going through some tough times right now and I'm trying to find a positive. I'm thinking about my wonderful, brave, strong friend Maggie who just went thought the biggest loss of her life, but came out to Book Club last night to be around the support of her friends who love her. Maggie, thank you so much for sharing all the pictures of Baby Frankie...I know he is now a little angel watching down on all of us. You and Matt are truly amazing. Truly.

I'm also thinking about a family that Aunt Jan, Aunt Mary and I had the pleasure of meeting last weekend. Their beautiful 4 year old daughter has Tay-Sachs disease, the same disease that took my baby cousins, Adam and Andy, so many years ago. Aunt Mary made a connection with this family and I don't know why, but I felt compelled to meet them and to meet their little girl. Perhaps for some closure as the boys passed away when I was very young, I don't know. This family was amazing and, in fact, Tim, the father posted on his blog today that meeting us felt like family. I couldn't agree more. Perhaps it's the bond of knowing what they are going through. Many of you (luckily) have no idea what it's like to lose a child to a devastating genetic illness. But, I think it was healing to meet them and meet beautiful Elise, who is one tough cookie! This family will stay in my thoughts and prayers.....

I suddenly want to tell all my friends and family how much I love them. I'm taking Grandpa to lunch today because I feel like I don't spend enough time with him (even though I see him weekly). I'm looking foward so much to next week because I get to be with my family. I'm trying to focus on all the good that is going on....my sister is pregnant with my first niece or nephew, my brother just found out that he is going to be able to graduate with his Associates Degree in May. I personally have nothing bad going on. I just hate it when people I love struggle, that's all.
Anywho, I guess the message is to try to focus on the good things you do have. And make sure your family and friends know you love them. Don't be silly-tell them. :)

Some of you are probably saying to yourselves "geez, when does she go back to work, she needs more to do than to write depressing blog posts"........aren't you? ;)

Happy Week 20!!!!

What's that I see? Why....I do believe it is the tiniest of baby bumps!!!!!That's my niece or nephew in there! How cute is my sis? I always knew she'd be a cute prego! :) She's now at 20 weeks.....we find out on Monday what she is having....that is, IF Blue cooperates!

Sis, I can't wait to see you, Jon, Chloe and Baby B next Wednesday!!!!!!

Made up Christmas songs and other things I'd like to complain about

Ok, so now that it's mid-November, I totally don't mind the occasional Christmas song on the radio. Hell, just the other day I caught myself singing along to Wham's "Last Christmas" (a true classic). But what I don't like are the made up Christmas songs....the "originals" if you will. Give me a traditional Christmas carol, sing me some Jingle Bells or some Let It Snow, shoot, I don't even care if you play White Christmas by 1,500 different artists (and that includes Celine Dion's version), but PLEASE, no "original" Christmas songs!!! What prompted this latest rant, you may ask? Well, it happened on my way home from work when I heard Bryan Adams warbling something about "wishing it was Christmas every day" and "feeling joyous all year long". Get that crap off the radio! Who really wants it to be Christmas every day? Shut up Bryan Adams! Stick to cheesy love ballads, would ya? I'd make some rude comment about him being Canadian, but I like Canadians, so I won't (this time).

Next....yours truly nearly died on her way home from work today. Ok, so maybe "died" is a bit melodramatic (are you shocked?) but I DID very nearly get into an accident, caused by some Crazy Man who clearly should not be allowed out on the roads. There I was, minding my own business, driving down McCausland (probably listening to Bryan Adams' Christmas song.....), when this man in a puke-green Geo Prism (that was his first problem.....) comes barreling out of his driveway on the righthand side, comes over two lanes into my lane and very nearly slammed right into my passenger side. I had to slam on my brakes so hard my car skidded to a stop.....I then started slamming on the horn because Crazy Man was still a' comin. He then swerved and his Geo ended up SIDEWAYS in the other lane. I believe my exact reaction was "what the f**k????????". I then started to get angry at the thought of having to get my car fixed right before Thanksgiving just because some Crazy Man can't drive. Long story short, he didn't hit me, my car is fine, and my blood pressure is now back to normal. Thanks for being concerned.

Speaking of "dude, what the f**k" moments, so once I got home (safely), I was parking my car when I see this man in all black in the park across the street.....he was taking a running start and JUMPING on the sidewalk railings and balancing on top of them-like he was a ninja or Superman or something (or that James dude we went to college with...remember the juggling and balancing, DT????). He would then jump down, go the other direction, jump again, this time over the railings and then would roll to the ground like he was on fire. I sat and watched him do this several times because I wasn't sure if I was really seeing it or if I was hallucinating, before I quickly got my ass inside my apartment and locked the door. I don't think I'm coming out again until I leave for Salem on Monday. It's a scary (and weird) world out there people!

Dempster re-signs with the Cubs

Thank God. The Cubbies are keeping Demp for at least another 4 years after he re-signed with the best team in the world! It's all part of the Cubs campaign to have as many canucks on their team as possible (the other being Rich Harden). The Cubs are single-handedly bridging the international gap....or something like that. Here's hoping Demp's last season's awesomeness was not a fluke and that he will be awesome for years to come.

KD and the Elliptical-A Love/Hate Story (with an emphasis on the hate)

I decided to be a big girl and graduate from the treadmill last night at the gym. I decided I'd move on to a bigger and more effective gym machine-the elliptical. I mean, I see other people do it, how hard could it be? So, I ran on the treadmill for a few minutes to get warmed up then I went to tackle this machine. Let me sum it up in three words: I HATE IT. It's hard. I mean, I know the gym isn't supposed to be fun or easy, but good lord man! I think it tried to kill me, I really do. I am proud to say, however, that even when I wanted to quit, wanted to cry or felt like I was having a heart attack, I kept on going....and going....and going. When it was all over, my legs felt like jelly, and I'm a little sore today, but it was worth it. I WILL overcome the elliptical. I WILL make it my friend. I WILL.

Random, random and more random

Oh, all kinds of random stuff going through my head today (yea, I know that's not exactly different from any other day....).

So, remember a few weeks back when my girls and I got a little bit drunk on martinis and someone (Ashley) decided making international calls to a certain hot boy in Canada would be a good idea? Well, I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about seeing that phone bill....I mean, I get free weekends, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't count on international calls...so, I got my bill today (it gets emailed to me) and with eager anticipation (and a bit of dread), I clicked on the button to show me the call details. Guess what? Calling British Columbia at 3:00am and talking for a couple of hours isn't that pricey after all! Only $18.27!!!! Wow, guess we can do that a little more often now, huh DT? ;) Because nothing says "hey, I really miss you" quite like a drunken phone call in the middle of the night.......

Would it be weird for me to be sitting here in the office with my gloves on? My hands are really cold. I'm wearing an orange shirt today and my gloves are green striped, not exactly a fashion statement (well, not a good one anyway)........

Today is technically my Thursday. You see, after tomorrow, I don't have to go back to work until December. Yay me. :) I'm gonna be spending the bulk of that time at my parents house letting my mama spoil me.......right mom? ;) I absolutely cannot wait until next week. Thanksgiving is my favoritest holiday. I love it because it's the only one we spend in Salem. My sis and Jon will be there (along with my special niece, Chloe!), the Dingi will be there and on Friday, the Batto Clan is coming down along with the Baumgartners...full house and I love it!!!! I'm also gonna see some old friends while I'm in town (breaking my own rule of not socializing with anyone when I'm in Salem). I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike is sitting over at his desk, muttering under his breath, but I'm pretty sure I just heard the word "dumbass" come out of his mouth....rough day, Mikey?

I leave you with this-do computers have faces? And if you threaten to punch one in the face, is that considered violent in any sort of way? Just wondering ......

Hangin with my college peeps/TOO much tequila....

I love my college friends. I really, truly do. They are some of my favoritest people on Earth. I don't get to see them nearly often enough, even the ones that live here in St. Louis. You know how it is, life gets busy and time flies (especially when you're old). So Friday night was a great time. We met at Tequila's and tequila was definitely the theme of the night....yikes (may explain why I slept most of the day on Saturday....)

This is my friend Deven modeling his Mexican beer (HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY by the way!). I hadn't seen him in four years, but I'm happy to say good ol' D Mac hasn't changed a bit...... :)
A typical Mikey drunk face...check out that giant beer he's drinking......

I don't know why Mike L entertains me so much........
This painting was quite popular with us drunko's....I don't know why it's so funny, but it is. Some say he looks like a certain Cuban doctor that I work with on a daily basis......
Here's the whole gang! From the left: Deven's wife Mandy, me, Christi, Christi's hubby Jim, Lori, Mike, Ryan and Deven. LOVE IT!

Ryan and Deven.....they came all the way from Jeff City (in the rain!) just to see us.
this makes me laugh out loud.....
so does this.....
I think this was the portion of the show when Mike was trying to call DT in Canada (hey, we were all missing him!). Oh and DT, Mike has big plans for you for Mardi Gras, so sure hope you're showing up....Mike even promises to be sober enough to go with us this time! ;)

me taking random shots as we are about to leave....Deven looks thrilled, doesn't he?

nothing but love from Christi's hubby, Jim.
Christi and Ryan
I think Mandy may have had too much margarita...... :)
not sure what Jim is doing here....and not too sure Mike is liking it..........

Mike and Lori...too cute! Um, and that glass in Lori's hand is now in the floorboard of my car......don't ask.
me and Ryan....proof that you CAN get along after not seeing each other after many years (Ryan and I tended to have our disagreements back in the day...usually alcohol induced).
Lori and Christi....two of my favoritest girlfriends ever!