I rock at putting worms on the hooks

Yes, that was my contribution to fishing yesterday. That, and I would take the little fish off the hook after the girls caught them-we were holding out for the big guys! I also drank some beer and sat in a lawn chair in the shade-yes, I worked hard. Dad and J caught most of the big fish-catfish and bass. The girls had a blast, too-everyone was down at the pond the entire day (except for mom, who stayed in the house to make us all dinner!). We got another turtle, although, I think this one may be psycho, so not sure how long he is gonna stick around (that, and Henry may kick his ass). Overall it was a great weekend. Very relaxing and I was so glad to see the girls have fun. My boy has a sunburn, probably from sitting out in that boat all day! :) Then there was an impromtu drive down the gravel roads at midnight last night. This morning J and I were not sure if that actually happened or not (we were really tired last night), but I'm pretty sure we did go out and see the witches altar and made it down to to the Meramac River. It was kinda fun, from what I remember. I know Hank and Stubby enjoyed all the attention this weekend, they're gonna be bummed that the girls are gone. We'll be back though, mom and dad can't get rid of us now! Here are some pics from the weekend. Enjoy! Hope everyone has a fabulous 4th of July!
My brother Tim, he's a real bad ass, isn't he????Stubby the Princess. She likes to lay on the pillows like she's a human.Hank the Tank. This is what he did in between the times he went swimming in the pond.Kristin is quite the caster! She was getting that line way out in the middle of the pond.My dad giving Avina some guidance. What in the hell am I looking at?Jesse with Big Joe's little brother-next time baby you'll get Big Joe! He's scared, I know it! Dad with all the catches of the day. I think there were 11 catfish and 2 bass. Not bad for a days worth of fishing at Lake PawPaw!

Day 1 in the country

Well, after a traffic filled drive, we finally arrived in Salem last night. Boy, Hank and Stubby sure were happy to see us and the girls love them! We had a good night last night just hanging out. The girls were having fun catching frogs for fishing (who knew they could be used as bait?). They caught a giant toad, which I thought was pretty disgusting, but then again, I'm not a 10 or 11 year old kid. We made our first trip to the Salem Wal-Mart. First of many, I'm sure. Mom has made us a good ol' fashioned country breakfast, just waiting for everyone to get up so we can eat. This girl was up by 7am-mark it down, it's not likely to happen again any time soon (except for probably tomorrow morning). Here's to another fabulous, relaxing day in the country!

Over the hills and through the woods....

We're off to Salem tomorrow for the weekend. I'm looking forward to it. Should be a fun, good time had by all! Mom will have Pizza Hut waiting for us. I see a Yahtzee tournament in our near future. Mom better watch out though, because the girls are pretty good! Can't wait to see Hank and Stubby. J is ready to go fishing. It should be fun. Hope everyone has a good weekend, it's the holiday you know, so be safe!

stress

I am feeling the stress I was hoping to avoid feeling. I know I am stressed when the following occurs: constant headaches, decreased appetite, exhausted but unable to sleep, feeling overwhelmed. This pretty much describes me as of late. It's all work related, life outside of work is GREAT. I try to keep things in perspective and remind myself that it's just a job. All I gotta do is come in, do what I'm supposed to do, and leave it behind when I leave at night. I try to focus on the fact that once I leave, I get to see J (which always makes me happy) and/or focus on the weekend ahead. This weekend we are all going to Salem (me, J and the girls) which should be fun-so this is what I am focusing on right now.

Well, this was my brief work break. Back to the daily grind. Hope everyone else is stress free!

Everywhere we go, we hear "Jesse's Girl"

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was good. Hung out with J and the girls Friday night. Saturday I took the girls to their softball game. They were so cute, kept checking to make sure I was watching and asking me if they were doing good. Their team lost 20-7, but it was still fun. I got sunburnt, but what else is new? Saturday night we dropped the kids off at the sitters and headed out to UMB to see Rascal Flatts. After sitting in traffic for like an hour and a half (and witnessing people peeing on the side of the road), we finally got there. Thank God there were people that J knows already there and saving a spot for us because it was freakin crowded! Wall to wall people in the lawn. The show was good, we of course got to hear our song "Bless The Broken Road". The funniest part was when they were just kinda playing around and playing other people's songs. All of a sudden, they started playing "Jesse's Girl". We laughed-that freakin' song follows us, I swear! Sunday I got to have lunch with Red. We were totally wanting some McCallister's but their computers were down, so we settled for Penn Station. It was always good to hang with my sis. I went straight to work after that, had a really crazy busy day, was totally exhaused by the time I got off at 9. It was good times had by all! And good news, my fungus has cleared up. Thank God.

Happy Birthday Aunt Jan!

Hi Auntie! Hope you are having a wonderful birthday! I know mom says it's just another day, but it's always nice to have that one special day to yourself-hope Uncle Craig and Kelli take care of ya! I'll see you at the end of July when we're beaching it up! :)

Rascal Flatts tomorrow!

I am so excited! J and I are going to see Rascal Flatts tomorrow night. Now before anyone says it, YES, I have turned back into a country girl and I love it! I remember in high school, my sister and I began listening to country music and a certain aunt of ours, we'll call her "Ruth", endlessly made fun of us for it. You might say she was "ruth" less about it. Well, irony has a funny way of kicking you in the butt, because years later, "Ruth" found her very own country boy, and, yep, you guessed it-began listening to country music and still does to this day. In fact, if I remember right, a country song was their wedding song. Am I correct? Anyway, I've got myself a country boy and have returned to my roots and wouldn't have it any other way! So, tomorrow night should be a good time. I can't wait. Just being able to spend some quality time with my boy is totally worth it. Love you J!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Hi Mommy! Hope you are having a fantastic birthday. Sorry if it was supposed to be a secret, but I told the secretary at your work when I tried calling you earlier. I won't publicly announce mom's age (although she is still quite young), but suffice to say she looks fab-u-lous! Mom, I love you very much, hope you got the card! I will see you next weekend, we can spend some quality time together while dad and J build stuff and/or go fishing. I can't wait!

Love,
Your baby girl Ker Ker

"Babe, better double up on your Benadryl"

This is what J says to me the other day. "Why?", I ask. "Because Clyde is coming to stay for a while". Who is Clyde and why would I need Benadryl to be around him you may ask? Well....Clyde is a C-A-T. Kerri is allergic to C-A-T's. Clyde arrived yesterday. He is freakishly huge. He already acts like the house is his and he's been there less than 24 hours. Already he has gotten in trouble. See, Clyde apparently thinks it is appropriate to lay on the table. He also likes to lay in the bathtub and on top of the couch. He and Henry the turtle seem to be getting along, however. Clyde just kinda ignores him. It's turning into a freakin' zoo and I LOVE IT!

So far, only mildly itchy eyes, presumably from Clyde. I can't even focus on the allergies because I also have the flu. SO unpleasant. Yea, had to leave work yesterday due to getting physically ill. I was going to stay and just work in between the vomiting episodes, but my boss made me leave. It was probably a good thing I did. I got home around 6pm and pretty much slept until this morning at around 9am. I was heading to my doctor anyway today because I discovered this rash-like thing on my back yesterday. It freaked me out. I was wondering if I had Tim's skin disease. Well, while I was at the doctors, I said "so, while I'm here, guess I should let you know I've been throwing up and have a splitting headache and all I wanna do is sleep". Next thing I know I'm being told not to go to work, to drink clear fluids and eat soup. Oh, yea, and I have a fungal infection on my back, which sounds way gross. I'm on some medication for it now. There is a fungus among us now.

In more exciting news, today is my mom's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! If you see her, make sure to wish her a happy 29th birthday! I'll see you next weekend mama! :)

Whew...

What a day so far. Work has been absolutely crazy. I spent most of the afternoon taking calls, meaning I couldn't do any of my supervisor duties. I am also knee deep in writing people's yearly reviews. I've been compiling numbers all week. My head hurts and I can't see straight. I only have 14 reviews to write-I should be done sometime in 2007. I'm also on call until Monday so I haven't been sleeping well because I'm afraid I'll miss a call (I haven't). I'm exhausted. Physically. Mentally. I also found out today that my job duties will be changing as of July 1 (don't worry, I am still a supervisor, they are just doing some "restructuring"-you know how that goes). I have mixed feelings about this, cannot comment more at this time as I am still processing it. Wow-is it only Tuesday? Yikes. We are playing a fun little game called "BHR Bingo" tonight. It's a game in which each square contains typical client statements we hear on the phones over and over again. Examples are "I need my nerve pills", "someone stole my medication", "come get my kids they're out of control", and "is this Domino's?" (for some reason we get calls at the crisis line for Domino's at least once a day). All I need is a "I need to speak with Dr. So and So" and I win. I rock.

Well, enough rambling for today, must get back to work. Or maybe I'll actually eat (its 7:30 at night, just realized I haven't eaten yet-oops). Hope everyone else is having a better day. Later people.

Welcome back Mark Prior! YOU SUCK!

A quote from the Cubs web page: "Starter Mark Prior had command problems in his first outing of the year, allowing three homers in the first inning and four overall in a short start against an unrelenting Detroit attack. The Cubs hit three home runs themselves, but each was a solo shot, as Chicago was swept at Wrigley."

Sounds about right, huh? The Cubs lost 12-3 that day. They are now a whopping 16 games out of first, only one game ahead of the last place Pirates. It is a sad, sad season. Here's a good question-if the Cubs try to trade Mark Prior or Kerry Wood, is anyone gonna want them? My guess is, probably not.

Henry the Turtle and his excellent adventure

I'm beginning to think that Henry is a very special turtle. He's not slow like turtles are supposed to be. No, he books it across the living room like he's running for his life (and maybe he is, who knows?). Friday, he did something that made me laugh out loud, all I could do is watch.

Henry lives in a nice, plastic bin-sorta-thing. I'd say it's a good 6-8 inches high. He has plenty of room to walk around, he's got some grass, and lettuce, and carrots to eat. Well, Friday night he was apparently feeling adventurous. I looked over at him and saw that he was trying to get out of the box. Impossible, I thought. Well, I thought wrong. I watched him get both his front feet around the rim of the box, he then tried with all his might to get his back legs up and over. Several times, he made it, only to fall. Then, with one final push, Henry got his whole body over the rim. He just sorta balanced there for awhile-there was nowhere for him to go since the box was against the wall. That freakin' turtle was able to get out of his box! He didn't get far though, because he lost his balance and went flying back into the box, lying on his back, his little turtle legs flailing about. I was nice enough to put him right side up, but he was scolded for trying to run away and was told that he was grounded. Henry behaved the rest of the weekend. But, I'm keeping my eye on him now. I don't trust him. Hmmm....kids these days, they're out of control, I tell ya!

Happy Father's Day to my daddy!

Happy Father's Day Dad! I know I already talked to you today, but still wanted to publicly wish you a happy fathers day. I hope you are relaxing as you are watching the Cardinal's game today and that mom makes you a nice dinner-even though her grill is broken! I love you and I will see you soon!

To my Grandpa-hope you are having a wonderful Father's Day as well. Hope you get to talk to all 6 of your kids. I miss you and love you very much!

And to the other dad in my life, Jesse-hope you are having a great day with the girls. Hope you liked your present-the girls were so excited and couldn't wait to give it to you!

To all the other dads out there-hope your Father's Day is wonderful!

To my baby:

Just wanted to tell you (and the world) that I love you. No particular reason why, just felt like blogging it! You are my world baby.

To everyone else, J and I have been together six months now, and it has been the best six months of my life. We are very happy together and forming our own little family with me, him and his girls (oh yea, and the pet turtle, Henry). Life is good right now, that's all I can say! I can't wait to see what the next six months will bring, and then the six months after that, and the six months after that....well, you get the picture.

Sorry for the little bit of sappiness, sometimes I can't help it. J makes me feel that way. I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER CUTEBOY!

Anita Baker

My good friend Anita called me today. I hadn't talked to her since she called to tell me she was engaged a couple of months ago. I always love talking to her. We are the kind of friends that, even if we only talked a couple of times a year, could pick up right where we left off and talk as if we talk to each other every day. Anita and I went to grad school together at Webster. We started calling her "Anita Baker" (as in the singer, not her real name), I believe in our stats class. Stacy and Denise started it, and it stuck.

So, my girl is engaged. I loved talking to her about her wedding plans, but again, reminded me that if/when I get married, I am soooooo not planning a big wedding. Just don't want the stress! They have a date set-March 31, 2007-so, I guess a road trip to Arkansas is in our future!

Today

Today has not been that exciting. I woke up early, was up for a bit but felt totally and completely exhausted, so I fell back asleep on my couch. I debated calling in sick to work but ultimately decided to tough it out. I'm regretting that decision right now as I still feel nauseated (not sure if I'm actually sick or if it is the expose to the raw sewage....). Work has been fairly uneventful so far. I am monitoring some of my staff's calls (for quality assurance purposes, don't you know) and will be meeting with one of my staff for clinical supervision. We are gonna watch Girl Interrupted, if you haven't seen it, its about a girl with Borderline Personality Disorder who is locked up in a psychiatric hospital. Right up your alley if you work in the mental health profession!

Book Club

I have been in a Book Club for over three years now. It's me and six other girls. We take turns hosting each month and meet the 3rd Thursday of the month. Sure, I have to take a day off work to go, but it's worth it. The name "book club" is a bit misleading, however. Is it wrong that we haven't actually read a book in oh, say, three months? The term "social club" may be more like it. This is our monthly chance to get together with good friends, gossip, catch up on everyone's lives and, of course, EAT! Yea, we do have good food at book club. Each month we have a food theme (April was baseball themed, June is grilled food themed). It's our chance to watch Shannon's belly grow (she's 8 months pregnant), and hear Krista's stories about Hannah Grace, and hear everyone's horror stories from working in the mental health field. Oh, and we laugh. A lot. I love my book club. I consider all the ladies good friends. So, Thursday night I'm off to St. Peter's as Krista is hosting. Should be a good time had by all. See y'all then!

Cubs update

The Cubs are in second to last place in the NL Central. Not surprising. But watch out-D Lee is coming back soon, and Mark "I get hurt all the time" Prior is back within the next week or so. It is so ON people! :)

raw sewage, Day 2

Seriously, this is disgusting. The aftermath of the Great Flood of 2006 continues. Everyone in the office has been having headaches, nausea, and sore throats. We all have to fill out incident reports that are going to Worker's Comp. I feel like crap right now. My darling boyfriend tried to convince me that we are all going to get Hepatitis C. GREAAAAAT! My boss Bart confirmed that you can, in fact, get Hep C from exposure to raw sewage. That is such good news. This is a hostile work environment. I'll talk to y'all later. Feel like I'm gonna hurl.

The Great Flood of 2006

Ok, so I get to work this afternoon, get ready to walk in the door and see a huge fan in front of the door with a big sign that says "caution, floor is flooded". Huh? I go inside the office, there is green caution tape everywhere with more signs in the kitchen stating "do not enter" and "slippery floor". What the hell happened?, I asked when I made in to the call center. Apparently, I missed the great flood of 2006. On Friday, the kitchen sink apparently began spewing black sewage all over the kitchen. Staff said that the entire kitchen was covered in black goo and it began seeping into the call center, by my cubicle, of all places (my boss Chris tells me "it smelled like shit" in the call center)! Yuck! The Drain Surgeons were called (yes, the company's real name) and apparently all is well now. Except it smells. Not a good working environment. And all the staff are having weird symptoms that can't be a coincidence. Headaches, nausea, sore throats. We've been poisoned. This is really uncool.

In other, less disgusting news, I had a good weekend. I did not participate in Race for the Cure this year (for the first time since I've lived in St. Louis). I decided not to because I was on call for work on Saturday and could just imagine trying to deal with doing a 5K and carrying around my work cell. It was a good thing I didn't do it because I got called five times yesterday. I knew I would since it was the full moon and all. Always crazy good times when that happens.

Friday was a chill day. Hung out with J who made us dinner (thats right boy, do your job! Ok, just kiddin! But you know I hate to cook. Besides, I did the laundry and dishes-I think it evens out!). Were supposed to have the girls that night, but ended up not having them, so I had a "free night". J went to work and I watched crappy TV, hung out with the turtle, and read all night. Sometimes you gotta have nights like that. It was pretty cool. On Saturday, didn't do much. I took Henry the turtle outside to play in his pool. I think he was pissed off for some reason though. He kept ducking his head under water then rubbing his little face with his front legs. It was weird. And he was trying to climb out of the pool. He was giving me some attitude for real. Needless to say, our outside adventure didn't last long. I was ok with it since it was 107 degrees outside. J and I had aspirations of actually going somewhere on Saturday. Well, technically we did go somewhere-we went to the Chinese buffet again. I always have fun there-it's the damn chinese donuts. I love them. We just missed the downpour, but watched it from the safety of the inside of the chinese buffet. After that, went to Eddie's to watch Southbound 55 play while J worked, then on to everyone's favorite place, Pop's. It was a pretty uneventful night, right J? :) Overall, it was a good night, I had fun just getting to be with my boy. I don't care where we hang out, as long as I get to see him. I miss him already. Love you baby!!!!!

Ok, now I must do some payroll, pray the power doesn't go out in the office, and pray the office doesn't flood again. What kind of hellhole do they have us working in?????

Southbound 55 this weekend!

Ok, here's my shameless plug for Uncle Jimmy's other band, Southbound 55. They are playing at Eddie's in good ol' GC this weekend. I know many are afraid to cross the Mississippi (for reasons unknown, apparently Illinois is a foreign land to some), but think about coming out! The band is great-country and southern rock, I'll be there on Saturday. And if anything crazy happens, my baby will be there to stop it (right sweetie???) .

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Stay cool, it's freakin' hot out there already and it's only 10:45am. Geez. Have fun. Get out of the house. It's good times. Peace, I'm out.

What the????

Ok, so today I was cleaning out one of my closets and I found this giant blow-up Corona lime (the picture is exact). Where in the hell did it come from? I have no idea. I remember stealing the pink blow-up alien. And I remember Carrie stealing the giant Bacardi lemon pinata (and Robyn biting it). But I do not remember the origin of the Corona lime. Hey Babe-think we should give it to Raven? Doesn't he like Corona stuff?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS HEIDI!!!

Happy Birthday girl, from those of us back in the states! I hope you are have a great birthday today. Hope you are having fun with your parents. Tell your hubby I said "sup". Everyone at BHR misses you and I was told to tell you happy birthday from them. What are you now, the big 2-9? Yes, that's right. How could I forget "hid 77". Ha! :)

Anyway, we miss you guys tons, can't wait to see you in August. Come pick up some shifts. I've got Sundays reserved just for you! Good luck the rest of the semester JP! We'll see you guys soon!

SO not nice Aunt Cheryl

This email was sent to me by my dear auntie. I was highly offended, but got over it pretty quickly because it's pretty damn funny! Enjoy!


May 8, 2006 Chicago, Illinois (AP) -
A seven year old boy was at the center of a Chicago courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with the child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible.
The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the Judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Chicago Cubs, who the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

It's 6/6/06 AND the full moon is coming....

Yes, it is crazy at the crisis line this week, and with good reason. Today is 6/6/06 and the full moon is coming in the near future (Saturday). We have been getting the strangest calls. I know it's par for the course given its a crisis line and all, but still!

I want to wish a happy belated birthday to my c0-worker Matthew. His birthday was yesterday. He tells me that he is 113 in "gay years", whatever that means. He's a nut.

That's about all I have for today. My brain is on overload. Hope everyone else is having a good week and it's not too crazy!

Holy Cow! I won our bet!

Say it ain't so! The Cubs actually took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals this weekend. And I won my precious Cubs hat back! Yay! Apparently, the Cards are the only team in the entire league that the Cubs can actually beat. Ok, J, so for our three bets so far, I'm 2 for 3! Better watch out for the next one baby! :)

What a great weekend

This past weekend was great. Friday, J and I drove to Salem. It looked bad for a bit as we were stuck in that Hwy 44 traffic, but once out of that, it was smooth sailin'. Mom had KFC waiting for us when we got there. J got to experience the magic that is Stubby and Hank. And those two were in rare form this weekend. J wanted to dog-nap Hank, but I really didn't want that giant dog in my car....Friday night we pretty much chilled. Dad took J and I to the farm-he was soooo excited and talking a mile a minute. I just sat there and laughed (and thanks for pointing out my math retardation dad. I owe ya one!). Saturday, we were up bright and early (like 7am early). I was surprised to find J awake, but truly, for some reason, you can't sleep in there. Or maybe it was because Stubby jumped on him, I don't know.....Mom, Red, Tim and I went up to the high school and did the 5K for Relay for Life. It was cool, but the course was almost all up hill (I am still hurting, for real!). Red came in 2nd! Yay! And, no, she did not eat Tim's dust. Turns out, all Tim's trash talkin' was just that-talk. But apparently he did really well-ran most of the way. Mom and I did the walk/jog method. Of course mom would be like "come on Ker, let's run some more". Now, I really didn't want to, but I couldn't let my mother beat me, now could I? Once we got back to the house, J was ready to do some fishing. My dad gave him one mission-get rid of the catfish in his pond. J was up for the challenge, so off we went to the Wal-Mart (uh, for the 2nd time in less than 24 hours) for some fishing gear. I was a little confused in the fishing department-who knew there were so many different kinds of hooks, and lures and other fishing stuff? By the way-the mullets were out on Sat. J and I saw some good ones!!!

J spent most of the afternoon down at the pond. He was catching the hell out of some catfish, just like dad asked. Those things are really ugly! And did you know that they talk? I think during fishing is when J fell in love with the place. Almost had to drag him out of there! We'll be back soon babe, don't worry. Now mom and dad won't be able to get rid of us! After a fabulous dinner by mom (mom it was still good even without the grill, I promise!), we had to go back home because J had to work. We went by and picked up Avina and introduced her to their new pet-a turtle that we "stole" from the country. So now, the turtle she named Henry, is now sitting comfortably in a box in the living room with some lettuce and grass. He's totally digging it.

Sunday was a chill day. I went to my friend Shannon's baby shower. That was good times. She is a cute prego person. Can't wait to meet baby Shelley! Then I went back to J's-we hung out outside where all the kids were playing. Sadly, all the fish J caught didn't make it, it's a long story...but they are resting in peace now. We WILL be back to Lake PawPaw for more. Be afraid catfish, be very afraid! We had a great dinner Sun night. I'm pretty sure J was making it up as he went along, but it was still good-it's a keeper baby! :) We ended the day with a bon fire-nice and relaxing and a great way to end a great weekend.

Mom, dad, Red, Tim-thanks for a great time in Salem. We will be back soon! And J-I am so happy that you liked Salem and want to go back! I can't wait to take the girls down there. Well, now it's monday, a new week. Hope everyone has a great one!

Do I have to bet????

Ok, so the Cubs and Cards are playing each other again this weekend. J and I have been making bets each time they play each other. Can I back out of this one J? I am not at all confident in the Cubs ability to win. They just plain hardcore suck. I'm not gonna lie. The bet will be a sure thing-for J. Yes, I am being a big baby.

me and my baby

Yay, finally a picture of me and J on my blog! Granted, I had to "steal" it from the family blog...This is from this past weekend at the family picnic at Shaw Park. Don't we look thrilled? Seriously, it was like 172 degrees outside.....too hot to do much of anything. Also with us is J's daughters, Kristin and Avina. What a good lookin' bunch, huh?

A 5K in under 20, Tim? BRING IT!!!!

Ok, my money is on Red for this one. Apparently, our baby brother is talking some smack and thinks he can beat Red in this 5K we are doing this weekend. Good luck with that one, Timbo! My lazy ass will be walking it, that's for sure. Getting me out of bed that early in the morning on a Saturday will be a feat in and of itself. At least I'm being a good girlfriend and letting J sleep in and not making him do this 5K at 8:00am! Mama-hope you're walking with me while those two fools race each other! I'm too old to run, I may hurt something.

I'm very excited to be going home tomorrow and getting to show J my hometown for the first time. All you Salemites know how exciting that is!!!! He can see the now skanky 4-way stop with the Tower Inn half torn down and the building across the street torn down as well. It's really pretty, let me tell ya! Then it will be on to touring the famous Salem super Wal-Mart, always a fun time. Hey baby, maybe I'll take ya out to Make-out Lake as well!!!!!! :) Ahhh...Salem is some good times.

Eaten alive....by mosquitoes

I am in hell. Seriously. I told my boss today that I considered jumping off a bridge today to put myself out of my misery. People-mosquitoes love me. LOVE ME. I have about 50 bites on me and the itching is DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!! I'm not sure how much longer I can take it......

In other, less melodramatic news, had a great 4 day weekend! I felt like I was doing something wrong when I didn't go to work Sunday or Monday, but I quickly got over it. Friday and Saturday I hung out with J and the girls. Had "cleaning day" on Saturday-while I was vacuuming, I bent over to move the cord, stood up and smacked my head on the corner of a shelf. Yes, it hurt. I'm surprised I didn't knock myself out. That would have been fun. My head is still sore...

On Sunday, had the family picnic at Shaw Park. I was so happy to have J and the girls with me. It was hard to have fun though since it was like 150 degrees outside-geez!!!! Most everyone just kinda sat and chilled-it was way too hot to move. At least Chloe-monster had a good time! That dog was getting all kinds of attention! Once back in Illinois, we had some BBQ and did a bon fire outside. The fire was cool-just sat around and drank some beer (yes, J, it was Miller Lite!). The night would have been perfect if not for the Mosquito Incident. Enough about that.

Monday was a chill day. J and I took a three hour nap-that was awesome and much needed, apparently. We watched that 50 Cent movie again. I missed half of it the first time we watched it because I fell asleep. It was a pretty good movie except I can't handle watching 50 Cent talk-his teeth don't move. I know he got shot in the jaw, but come on man!

I have now become a Benadryl addict-it's the only thing that stops the itching (at least that's what I'll tell them in rehab). Probably because it knocks my ass out. Love it.

So, overall a good weekend. I always love quality time with J and the girls. This weekend, I am taking J to Salem. I can't wait to show him my hometown-I'm pretty sure showing him around town will take all of like 5 minutes. We will definitely have to head over to Wal-Mart and harrass Tim. Always fun. Can't wait for him to meet The Wonderdogs, Hank and Stubby, either. They are worth the trip to Salem right there. Those dogs need their own TV show. Seriously. Doing Relay for Life 5K on Saturday morning then heading back home Saturday afternoon. I'm off on Sunday again but have to go to a baby shower for my friend Shannon that afternoon.

Hope everyone has a good week. I'm back at work now and it sucks. Probably because of my Benadryl hangover.......I swear I can quit any time I want!

Four day weekend

Ah, it is so good knowing that after tonight, I don't have to be back at work until Tuesday (not that I don't love my job, because I do-just in case Chris is reading this...). It's Memorial Day weekend, and, for the first time in five years, I am NOT working the holiday. Yay me! Got a great weekend ahead. Gonna spend lots of time with J and his girls and see my family on Sunday. Couldn't get any better than that! J-can't wait for our bon fire tomorrow, although you+gasoline scares me a little...... :) And hopefully the girls don't force feed me marshmallows again.... :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday. Don't eat too much BBQ!

I swear I don't watch it.....

Oh my God, the soap opera Passions has GOT to be the worst show on television. I swear to you I don't really watch it, but when you only have two stations that come in because you're too cheap to get cable, this is what you are stuck watching in the afternoons before work. I mean, there is a character named Siren who is actually a mermaid. Uh, yea...and a baby that is actually a witch and they have her talking by putting thought bubbles up on the screen. At one time the show also featured a talking monkey and a little midget named Timmy. Apparently, Luis and Miguel are the "hotties" on the show. I'm assuming this because, from what I can tell, they have slept with every female character on the show-at least once (I mean, what else are you going to do when you are shipwrecked on an island or locked in a castle?). The show is like a trainwreck, you can't look away. It's even crazier than when Days of our Lives had the "fake" Salem on the island...this is WAY worse. Tune in at 1:00pm CST for more!

And the salutatorian is....Grant Baumgartner!

Congratulations to my little cousin Grant who is the salutatorian of his 8th grade class! That is quite an achievement! Very cool. Can't believe he (along with Chelsea and Kelli) will be in high school next year! This whole salutatorian thing reminds me of my 8th grade year (you had to know a Kerri story was coming!). This is back in the day when I was actually smart. The race for the highest grades at Northwood R-IV Elementary was ON! I think it was a given that Dawn Brown would be valedictorian (I WAS the smartest person in the class until 3rd grade when Dawn moved to town. My glory days were over then. All I had was Spelling and Citizenship to keep me going...I'm still a little bitter about it.). Well, it came down to me and Delmer Plank for Historian of the 8th grade class (3rd highest). And wouldn't you know, Delmer beat me by like .06 of a point. I was crushed. No, I was pissed. Then again, he had to give a speech in front of everyone and I didn't, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. If only I hadn't gotten a C in 4th grade math. Damn fractions.

Love and prayers to my grandpa

Grandpa is having knee surgery on Thursday. I just wanted to wish him luck and send him my love and prayers. I know everything will be ok and then he will have his precious Lumpy to take care of him this weekend! I love you Grandpa. Hope to see you sometime this weekend!

Happy Birthday Maryjane!

Today is Miss Maryjane's 7th birthday. She actually informed me on Saturday that technically she was already 7 then because, after all, it was only two days away and didn't really make sense to say she was 6. Maryjane is a smart little girl. She was smarter than most adults by age 1. Seriously.

Davidson family Yahtzee and other adventures

Despite living in the middle of the woods, miles from town, life at my parents house is never boring. Sure, the dogs provide much of the entertainment, but so does my family. And we're not even trying most of the time. Ok, I already reported about my dad calling his cow a bitch. How bout my brother bringing his new girlfriend Laura over for Davidson family Yahtzee? First of all, only the tough and the brave can handle Davidson family Yahtzee. Seriously. It's every man for himself. Usually the most animated is my dad. He acts like a wacko and my sister and I just sit there and laugh at him while mom quietly rolls a Yahtzee. Dad then accuses her of cheating, this time he was attributing it to the "luck of the Irish" as well as the "luck of the Jews" (hence why we call it the Lucky Jew Game. Not sure where the whole Irish thing came in....). Meanwhile, Tim's new girlfriend just looked at us in awe. Davidson family Yahtzee is a sure way to weed out any potential suitors to the Davidson children (we never did manage to scare Jon away-sucker!). Well Dad won Game 1 despite the fact that Mom was the only one to roll a Yahtzee-you can imagine the gloating. Mom won Game 2 however, which was fitting given it was Mother's Day weekend. Then the embarrassing Tim stories began. I mean, you gotta embarrass him in front of his new girlfriend, right? The best embarrassing story we told was when Tim was in kindergarten and he and another boy decided it would be fun to pee on each other. True story. Tim says it was self defense.....In other news, Hank is officially in love with Chloe (for those that don't know, they are dogs). He followed her around all weekend with love in his eyes. Hank is much like Forrest Gump. He may not be a smart man, but he knows what love is. Thank you and good night.

I can entertain myself anywhere

Yes, J, I am gonna post about this. Don't lie-you know I entertained you for that hour long phone call!

Ok, so I left Salem at noon today thinking I would totally make it to work by 2:00. On a normal day this would have happened. But not today. No, instead I got to sit in traffic on Hwy 44 for an hour and 45 minutes. It was soooooo not good times. There's only so much people watching you can do. At least I was able to torture J with it too as I kept him on the phone for an hour. I saw some cool stuff y'all. Like the two people making out in their car (hey, we were stopped, what the hell else were they gonna do?). And the dude driving w/a weed wacker in the front seat. He was cool. But my absolute favorite was the dude who was driving and drinking out of a wine bottle. That was classy. Actually I was kinda jealous and was wishing I had some......I was an hour and a half late for work. And now I'm here and I have a ton of work to do, so no more blogging for today. Have a good week y'all!

I'm alive

I felt I needed to post today because I have received a million emails asking me if I'm ok since I haven't been on here in awhile. The answer is, yes, I'm ok. Not great, not wonderful, but "ok". I will not go into detail about it. I'm tough though, so don't worry about me, k? The best part of dealing w/some major stress in your life? Weight loss. Yes-I love it. It may be sick and twisted to think that way, but dropping 4-5 lbs in the last week or so is pretty cool to me.

I'm spending some time in Salem and I think maybe the country air is doing me some good. Or maybe it's spending time with my parents stupid dogs, Stubby and Hank. They are an endless source of entertainment. They put a much needed smile on my face today. I'm spending some time with my parents too. I actually heard my dad call a cow a "bitch" today because she hasn't had her baby yet. That was good times. He thinks now that she's not really pregnant, just fat. My dad is a nut. Probably where I get it. Haven't seen much of Tim-he's spending most of his time with his new girlfriend. And I've had some good talks with my mom. Red and Jon will be here tomorrow so we can celebrate Mother's Day. I see a yahtzee tournament in our future. Sunday will bring me back to reality, however. Back to my life. I gotta figure some stuff out, I've learned that writing helps a lot as I wrote an 8 page "letter" today. No one will ever see it but me, but it was definitely therapeutic (says the counselor!). I know I'm gonna be ok. I have some very special people in my life (you should know who you are) and know no matter what, I've got people who have my back and care about me and would do anything for me. That is what will help me sleep tonight. I love you all, if I haven't told you lately. Take care everyone!

mental health joke...

those of us who work in the mental health field have very sick senses of humor sometimes. we have to or we would be clients ourselves. here is a funny one i found recently:

1. Once I had multiple personalities, but now we are feeling well.
2. I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute.
3. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
4. The best thing about being schizophrenic is that I'm never alone.
5. Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get you!
6. Hypochondria is the only illness that I don't have.

Funny ha ha, right? Have a nice day y'all!

random thought of the day

I love being in love. Don't you?

Got to see my girl today!

My girl Sharon was in town this weekend. My weekend was way busy, but I was able to see her for a little bit today before work. She used to work with me at BHR, we became friends right away. This girl knows me better than I know myself most of the time! Anyway, I hadn't seen her since she moved to North Carolina, so I was way excited today. Got to see her beautiful baby girl too. I can't believe Sophia is 15 months old now! I remember planning and organizing Sharon's baby shower! Time flies, that's for sure. Sophia is a wild one, thats for sure!Very smart though, and talking up a storm! Sharon and I both got teary-eyed when I had to leave for work. I hate it when your friends move far away!

good weekend

Well, another weekend is over. Time seems to be flying by anymore. I can't hardly believe today is May 1 already. This weekend was a good one. Friday J and I spent the evening with his daughter for her birthday. Went to her soccer practice, got some dinner, and let her open her presents. Then once he went to work, she kicked my butt in Yahtzee all night. It was fun, and I'm not at all ashamed that I lost to a 10 year old......Saturday had to rise and shine early to get to Jeff and Jessica's wedding. First person I saw was grandpa, which always makes me happy. I was so excited and happy that J was with me. I couldn't wait for him to meet my whole wacky family. They are some good peeps! :) The wedding itself was great. I forgot how long a Catholic wedding can be. Jon and I did get in trouble by Red once for talking about where the Virgin Mary statue was. I want it noted for the record that I was right. After the wedding, J and I went to my apartment for some much needed sleep. I think I only got an hour in, but he got to sleep which was good. At the reception, we got to sit by my parents, Aunt Jan/Uncle Craig and Aunt Paula/Uncle Jay. We laughed a lot at our table. And discovered just how immature my father is during the whole candy bar incident. Man, he has been picking on Aunt LaLa for 33 years now! :) I was very happy that night. I had everyone that I love with me in one place. I was sad that we had to leave early, but J had to work. I think it was a blessing in disguise because thank God I missed that whole clown thing. That would NOT have been cool! My sister was a bit tipsy on the wine (Red, I love you, don't forget that, ok?). Timbo was talking to his new girlfriend all night-I've never seen him like this. The boy is smitten! I think J had fun. I have a feeling he and my dad are gonna get along real well. Dad will now have a new audience to talk about the farm and his cows. When J and I go to Salem, maybe we'll pawn dad off on J and mom and I will go shopping! :) (just kiddin!). After we left, I went to work w/J and just chilled. I think at one point I accused him of trying to get me drunk as I looked down at my table and noted that I had 3 different drinks in front of me....of course, I drank them. That would just be rude not to! After he got off work, we went to Pop's w/his friend and girlfriend. I actually had fun there, but maybe that was b/c Jeff was buying us shots...who knows. It was a good time tho, and, of course, I always like getting to spend the entire evening w/my boy. Nothing better than that. Now today, I am hoping I am going to get to see my girl Sharon. She is in town from North Carolina. Been quite a while since I've seen her. Ok, must hit the showers. Later people. Have a good week y'all!

Happy Birthday Avina!!!

Today is Jesse's daughter's 10th birthday. 10 is a big deal, for real. You leave the single digits behind. You've completed your first decade on Earth. I remember thinking I was pretty cool at 10 (of course, when haven't I???). Hope you are having a great day kiddo! We will see you tonight. Daddy is in charge of the birthday cake, so here's hoping he gets exactly what you want!

my guardian angel is........Snoop Dogg????

I now have a picture of Snoop Dogg watching over me on my computer at work thanks to Stephen. It is actually quite freaky, all night last night I kept feeling as if someone was staring me. Sure enough, someone was. And that someone was Snoop Dogg. I believe it stemmed from a conversation I was having with one of our outreach counselors, Scarberry (who behind his back we call Scarsberries-he hates it!). We were talking about the wide selection of Snoop songs we both have on our iPods. Apparently, this gave Stephen the idea to make sure I had a picture of Snoop at all times. Kinda like when I printed a picture of Jesus for my boss, Chris (long story). I swear to you all, we really do work at the crisis line (J is convinced otherwise). Just sometimes, you need a break. And printing off weird pictures off the internet is apparently what we do with our down time. So as Snoop Dogg always says, let's "chill, til the next episode".

SO not right....

I got this from my darling little sister. Thanks Red-remind me to smack you on the back of your head on Saturday! Nothing but love baby, nothing but love! :)



A Chicago family of Cubs fans heads out to shop for the youngest boy's birthday. While in the sports shop, the son picks up a Cardinals jersey and says to his older sister, "I've decided to become a Cardinals fan & I would like this St. Louis jersey for my birthday." His big sister is outraged by this and promptly whacks him upside his head and says, "Go talk to Mother!" "Mom?" "Yes, son?" "I've decided I'm going to be a Cardinals fan and would like this jersey for my birthday." The mother, outraged at this, promptly whacks him and says, "Go talk to your father!" Off he goes with the Cardinals jersey in hand and finds his father. "Dad?" "Yes, son?" "I'm going to be a Cardinals fan and want this jersey for my birthday." The father then proceeds to whack his son in the back of his head and says, "No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!" Back in the car and heading home, the father turns to his son and says "I hope you've learned something today." The son says, "Yes, Dad, I have." "Good, son, what is it?" The son replies, "I've only been a Cardinals fan for an hour, and I already hate you Cub bastards."

To Jeff and Jessica

Wow-your wedding is only two days away! Jessica-can you hardly believe it? After, what, 10 years? You finally roped him in girl, good job! Baby Jeffy-I am so happy for you cousin. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and I know that Jessica will make you happy. Jessica-you have been around us for so long, we already consider you family, this will just make it legal! Congratulations to both of you. I can't wait for Saturday. You know how the Baumgartner clan likes to party! I love you guys and can't wait to see you! Love, your cousin Kerri

Ouch! I'm in pain......

As if spending 45 minutes of my life at the Missouri Department of Motor Vehicles wasn't bad enough, I also had to pay the sales tax on my car and get plates. I travelled to the DMV on South Kingshighway (very ritzy). I was first accosted by some gentlemen wanting me to sign a petition to raise the minimum wage. I figured that was a pretty good cause, so I signed my name. Then they wanted me to sign another one protecting Medicaid. Well, most of my clients are on Medicaid, again a worthy cause, so I signed that one too. Then on to the inside of the DMV where I see the drivers license line has, oh, 5 people in it but the plates/registration line has, say, 30 people in it. This is the line I had to go to. It was seemingly ok, although the old lady behind me had on this awful perfume that was about to make me gag. Seriously. Once I finally made it to one of the clerks, I knew it wouldn't be long until my entire bank account was drained. I was ready, but not entirely happy about it. The clerk was very nice (big shocker) as she advised me my grand total was $1,204.00. See what I mean by "ouch"? Good thing I love my car. Not as much as I love my boyfriend, but close.....(I'm almost just kidding J!). And can I just say, God bless the South Kingshighway DMV. They are some good peeps. Amen.

Pics of Lola

How cute is she? Lola is truly one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen!
Here's Lola and her mommy, my friend Robyn. I miss you girl! Hope we can get together sometime this century!

Goofy Hat Day

So, today at work is Goofy Hat Day-part of Employee Appreciation Week. So, of course I had to participate, so I am wearing my pink Cardinals hat, which, to me, is pretty darn goofy.

Wedding pix part 2

LOVE this pic of Kira. At least she wasn't growling...

Red and Timbo, our "baby" brother.

Dad walking his baby girl down the aisle. Made me tear up....

Dad giving his speech. I'll be honest, I don't remember it.

Me giving my Maid of Honor speech. I don't remember it either. I do remember that I was pretty drunk and nervous (see my cheat sheet?). I hear the speech was good. All I know is that it is weird hearing your own voice echoing throughout the room....

More pics of Red's wedding

The entire Baumgartner clan. There's a lot of us, huh?

How cute is this? Kira and Will were great as flower girl and ring bearer.

My mommy. Isn't she beautiful?

Mom and Grandpa

Me and my sis. Not sure what we are looking at...

Yes, I lost the bet-DAMMIT!

Ok, so I never really had a chance in hell of winning the bet. I realize that now as I sit here with a pink Cardinals hat on (its a bad hair morning). I have accepted defeat. And have accepted that my beloved Cubs hat is now sitting in jail with J's Cards hat. It's really not fair-it's sitting on a shelf in his room, so I can see it, I just can't touch it. What a tease. That's ok, it will be September soon.....I am ready for the next bet though. I ain't scared! Bring it! :)

I-55 series-THIS WEEKEND!

Bring it on baby! I absolutely love when the Cardinals and the Cubs play each other. It is always a good time, no matter who wins. Now, don't get me wrong, I fully intend to win this latest bet with my boy J, but even if I don't, it will still be fun. I'm a little nervous about it since it looks like Derek Lee is hurt-a wrist injury, I believe. Today on my instant messenger, Jeremiah (my brothers best friend since pre-school) asked me if the Cubbies were scared to go into the new stadium. Now, I haven't personally talked to any of them, so I'm just guessing at this one, but I'm gonna go with a......HELL NO! It's gonna be fun boys and girls. May the best team win!

You MUST try the new Ice Cream Skittles

Being a Skittles expert (certified and everything), I can tell you-the Ice Cream flavored Skittles ROCK! As if I needed more Skittles to eat....but when I saw them at Walgreens, I just knew I had to have them. In fact, I'm eating them right now as I type (I apologize to my Book Club gals and to J if I am a little hopped up on sugar). I love that they are expanding the flavors of Kerri Krack (as my co-workers call it). What's next? Diet Coke flavored Skittles? Hmmmm.......

Proof I'm a good sport....

"If I managed the Cubs, I'd be an alcoholic."--Whitey Herzog

"There's nothing wrong with this team that more pitching, more fielding and more hitting couldn't help."--Bill Buckner

"The Cubs were taking batting practice, and the pitching machine threw a no-hitter."--Radio deejay

Q: Did you hear about the new Cubs soup?
A: Two sips and then you choke.

Twenty major events that have occurred since the Chicago Cubs last laid claim to a World Series championship:

1. Radio was invented; Cubs fans got to hear their team lose.
2. TV was invented; Cubs fans got to see their team lose.
3. Baseball added 14 teams; Cubs fans get to see and hear their team lose to more clubs.
4. George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays.
5. Haley's comet passed Earth twice.
6. Harry Caray was born....and died. Incredible, but true.
7. The NBA, NHL and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each league.
8. Man landed on the moon, as have several home runs given up by Cubs pitchers.
9. Sixteen U.S. presidents were elected.
10. There were 11 amendments added to the Constitution.
11. Prohibition was created and repealed.
12. The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered and became the subject of major motion pictures, the latest giving Cubs fans hope that something that finishes on the bottom can come out on top.
13. Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League.
14. Flag poles were erected on Wrigley Field roof to hold all of the team's future World Series pennants. Those flag poles have since rusted and been taken down.
15. A combination of 40 Summer and Winter Olympics have been held.
16. Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown; several thanked Cubs pitchers.
17. Bell-bottoms came in style, went out of style and came back in.
18. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins have all won the World Series.
19. The Cubs played 14,153 regular-season games; they lost the majority of them.
20. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma and New Mexico were added to the Union.

Miss Health Department-what's up with the mumps outbreak?

Ok, I'm pretty sure I don't want to get the mumps. I don't actually know what they are, but they can't be good. Red, what is the Health Department doing to save the community from this outbreak? Inquiring minds need to know....

What is the next bet gonna be fool?

I'm challenging you to Bet #2 Mr. JackAZZ! What you gonna do? I'll even let you come up with the terms....shall we go 2 out of 3 again? I'm sure I can find some other Cubs crap to torture you with.....

J, sweetie, are you gonna wear your Cubs hat Saturday night?

The Cubs just keep on keepin' on

8-4 baby! 8-4. Rock on.

What a day

It started off normal enough but quickly got weird. Work was a little nutty, busy in the afternoon, crazy at night. I got a scary call in which the caller had already overdosed and was fading fast on me. Luckily I got the police there just as she was about to pass out. Even after being at the crisis line for five years, every once in a while I still a call that freaks me out. At the end of the day though, I will go to sleep knowing that caller will be safe tonight. That's my job. After that fun, the power went out. Well, not completely, but our computers shut down-which is a huge problem, all of our work is done by computer. Not good. Never fear though, Super Supervisor Kerri called the IT guy at home and made him come in to fix whatever was wrong. Thats why I get paid the big bucks, people... :)

Happy Easter Everyone!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Easter Sunday. I am spending mine at work for the first time in five years, but I'm not at all bitter about it.....Got to help J's daughters dye Easter eggs last night. That was fun. They were so cute competing to see who could color the best egg. I personally think mine was the best. I made a very special egg for J. It was a lovely shade of pink, and it said "Jesse loves the Cubs". Wasn't that sweet? I left him a note so he would find it when he got home from work. I am SUCH a sweet girlfriend.

On a serious note, I hope God has blessed you all with a wonderful day spent with family and loved ones. I guess my employees count as loved ones. Since their supervisor (me) is SO mature, we are having an Easter egg hunt in the call center. (don't you already feel sorry for the poor souls who call our crisis line?). It's just a bit of harmless fun since we all have to work on this day. I know all of us would much rather be with those we love.

May God bless you all with love, happiness, family, friends, and strength.

What is it about the Chinese buffet that makes you giggle?

Seriously. Everytime I go to a Chinese buffet, no matter who I go with, we always end up laughing and giggling the whole time we are there. Think its the MSG they put in the food? Or maybe crack? I don't know. Last night, J and I hit the buffet with the girls. Well, as soon as J's 9 year old asked us if the woman next to us was talking about smoking weed, the giggling was ON. I couldn't hardly stop. Then this guy that J knows was sitting a few tables away from us, called J on his cell, and started speaking "Chinese" to him. Dude, good times were had by all. I would blame the Chinese donuts, but I was the only one who ate them.

It reminded me of the days when Red and I would go to the Sunny China on Lindberg (or is it the Happy China?). We would sit for hours downing Diet Coke and Chinese donuts and just laugh and laugh and laugh. SUCH good times. Red-remember talking about the social status of the different school buses in grade school? Judy's bus was the "cool" one, Charlie's bus was the "skanky" one.....ok, so we were easily entertained growing up in Salem...

The moral of the story is, if you are looking for a fun way to spend your evening, go to your local Chinese buffet today.

J does look good in a Cubs hat...

J got his own Cubs hat. Apparently, he was afraid I'd try to pull something, and he would be right. I fully intended to get him a pink Cubs hat. I hate it when he outsmarts me.....Well, if you see him around town in that beautiful blue hat with the red "C" on it, don't make fun of him too badly. He's being a good sport. Can't wait till the Cards and Cubs play each other again (in a couple of weeks). Bet #2 will be on...not sure what it will be yet, but it's sure to be fun, no matter what! Sweetie-would getting a Cubs tattoo be pushing it too far????? :)

Quick! Look-you may never see this again....

One week into the season and the Cubs are in first place! Woo hoo! And, what? Where are the Cards???? I know it's too soon to talk real smack, but this may be the only time I see my boys in first place, so let me have my moment....oh yea, and the Cubs signed Derek Lee to a 5 year deal today. Hell yea!!!! Well on their way to a 2008 World Series title.....

National League

Central

1. Chi Cubs 4-1 .800
2. Houston 5-2 .714
3. Milwaukee 5-2 .714
4. Cincinnati 4-2 .667
5. St. Louis 4-3 .571
6. Pittsburgh 1-7 .125

Happy Birthday Cheryl!

To my friend Cheryl-hope the Cards win for ya on your birthday (and their home opener). I only say this because they are no longer playing my Cubs! No, seriously, hope you have a great birthday, can't wait to see you next week at book club. I'm bringing the Cracker Jacks!

Happy 30th Birthday Kim!

Hope you are having a great 30th birthday! Fun, isn't it? Can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks at Baby Jeffy's wedding! Love ya!

Happy Birthday to Aunt Paula and Kelli!!!

Happy birthday (yesterday) ladies! Aunt LaLa, you don't look a day over 27, really! And Kelli-is she 14 now? Good lord. I totally remember when she was born (wasn't that the baby boom of 1992???). I can't believe those kids are gonna be in high school next school year...yikes. I'm getting old. Anyway, hope you both had a great birthday. I love you both very much. See you at Jeff's wedding in a couple of weeks. Get ready to "shake your booty", Aunt LaLa!

J is gonna look good in blue.....

Yes, folks, it's true. I won our bet. My Cubbies have won the first two games against the Cardinals (I don't even care if they win tonight). J gave up custody of his Cardinals hat last night. It is now mine until at least September. I tried to be a nice winner and tell him that maybe he could have it back, but NO, Mr. Stubborn says a bet is a bet. Ok, fine. I'll be shopping for your brand, spankin' new Cubs hat, baby! I'll be bringing that and a camera-gotta capture this one on film! :)

I have a feeling....

that I'm gonna be wearing a Cardinals hat all season. Yes, I took J up on his bet. I say the Cubs will win 2 outta 3 this weekend from the Cardinals, and he says the opposite. Team hats are on the line. I gotta wear a Cards hat all season if I lose, and he has to wear a Cubs hat if he loses. Come on Cubbies, you gotta win. I'd pay good money to see my boy in a Cubs hat.....Unfortunately, I just don't have that much faith in my teams ability to actually win. I love them dearly, but lets be realistic-it IS the Cubs after all.....man I love baseball.

Why is it...

that when you feel you look your worst thats when others compliment you? I'm talkin' about bad hair days people. Today was curly hair day since it is a yucky, rainy day. I have to wear it that way when it rains because, if I don't, I will have what my sister and I call "lion hair". You know-as in, your hair gets big and poofy, like a lion's mane. I know, my sister and I need help. Today I walked into work and everyone was like "oh you look so cute today". My first thought was "huh? My hair is big and I feel fat and bloated, but ok". Then my boy texts me and tells me the same thing (not that I'm fat and bloated but that I looked "hot" today). Apparently he likes big, fuzzy hair (right J?). The good news is, it only takes me about 15 minutes to get ready, so perhaps I'm on to something.....

Not sure if I have ever mentioned this before, but for the record, I am so in love with this boy, we'll call him "J". He is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I just wanted to let everyone know how I feel! :)

Cards-vs-Cubs-This weekend baby!

It's never too soon to start talking some smack! Cards and Cubs are playing each other starting Friday. Can't wait for that one! Woo hoo! Bring it LaRussa!

I'm in love.....with my iPod

It is the greatest invention ever. Seriously. Now that I finally have a working computer at home, I have been a downloading fool. All the Weezer you could ever want people! My iPod rules. I can't wait to get the car adapter-thingy that will allow you to play it in the car. Built in road trip tunes J!!!! I know you love my music (he really doesn't, but thats ok....).

Is anyone else having a rough week? Work has been absolutely crazy. Granted, its a crisis line, but still. It's been crazier than normal. Maybe it's the weather. Who knows. Whatever it is-it needs to stop. Seriously.

How cute are they????

Meet my friend Stormy's kids, Calahan and Maddie. Are they not the cutest things you've ever seen?

Opening Day Baby!

Opening Day is here! Welcome to the 2006 MLB season! I am so excited and cannot wait to see how this year turns out! My favorite show, Baseball Tonight, is back on (love myself some Harold Reynolds-watching him and John Kruk fight is good times). My Cubs are currently kicking the crap out of the Reds, its 5-1 in the 1st inning. LOVE IT!!!!!! For most of my friends and family-here's to good luck to the Cardinals. I hope I get the chance to go inside that beautiful new stadium. For Stephen-may the Windians actually win. For baseball fans everywhere-may this be the best season ever, and may Barry Bonds finally admit he used steroids. Amen.

Happy 30th Birthday Lizzard!!!!!!

I know it was yesterday, but I wasn't around a computer. Anyway, hope you had a wonderful 30th! Now you can feel me and Robyn's pain! :) I love you Lizzard and miss you tons!

WOW-just saw some wedding pics....

Go to the link for my families blog (Sibs and More). There are wedding pics on there already (Good work Aunt Cheryl!). I started crying......

Part III-The Party Bus and Reception

Oh the party bus...SUCH good times. Nothing like a place where you are handed a drink as soon as you step aboard. Here is what I DON'T recommend-letting my brother make you a drink. My Captain and Diet Coke was at least 3/4 Captain (not that it stopped me from drinking it, mind you) and my Red Bull and Vodka was almost all vodka and tasted like cough medicine. On this bus I got to see my father drinking champagne from the bottle and my mother drinking Captain and Coke. We went through three bottles of champagne in record time. Granted, there were like 20 people on the bus, but still. When we arrived at Forest Park for pictures, everyone was pretty well buzzed. We got out and "frolicked" in the grass, took some pictures and it was back on the bus! The alcohol was flowing and the dirty rap songs were playing (I'm pretty sure my mother was horrified). We dropped mom and dad off at the reception site and the rest of us drove around downtown St. Louis on the bus and continued to drink. We went past the Cardinals new stadium and yelled "STAN!!!!" everytime we passed the Stan Musial statue....once we arrived back at the reception site, parts of it become blurry. I remember going inside and I'm pretty sure we stopped to go to the bathroom. The announcement of the wedding party was blurry-I couldn't hear what they were saying, so we all just kinda paired up and walked in......as the Star Wars theme played (and the boys were all wearing jester hats-it WAS April Fools Day after all!). As we all sat at the head table we realized my brother was not there. The groomsmen went to find him, and find him they did-puking in the bathroom (sorry to publicise this Timbo-but this is good stuff!). Well, no one remembers Tim drinking so much, then again, the rest of us were drinking too. At one point, Dave, Polster and I got Tim out on the veranda and laid him down. He looked like a dead body laying there. Seriously. I didn't want to leave him (we were seriously afraid he was gonna die of alcohol poisoning). Julz-the wedding coordinator-made us all leave and she promised to take care of him (she rocks). The good news is-Tim made a miraculous recovery and by the end of the night was out on the dance floor with us.

The reception was great, although when they announced it was time for the Maid of Honor and Best Man to give their speeches, I panicked. Luckily, I was just buzzed enough to have the guts to go speak in front of 250 people. I remember shushing the crowd and telling them to be quiet so I could talk....I really don't remember much of my speech, but all the stuff I wrote that I thought would be funny was (I loved hearing the crowd laugh!) and I got through it without crying. Robert's speech was great too even though he was so nervous. Once back at the table the bride and groom assured us the speeches were great. Can't wait to re-hear it on the video......After that, the dancing began. I knew my family (the Baumgartner clan) would be out on the dance floor all night long. And they were. Uncle Nick is a dancing machine!!!! And little Kira has some moves (not bad for a 3 year old!). The band, The Ultraviolets, were GREAT! I did get a little sad when they played "Jesse's Girl" as I was really missing J at that point. To deal with it, I put myself in the middle of the dance floor and danced to my song!!!!

It was all great, it was clear the bride and groom were having a great time (which is really what matters). By the end of the night we were all absolutely exhausted and just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. After a rather lengthy wait for transportation (long story, I won't go into it-it will only re-upset the bride!), we arrived at the hotel around 1am, and crashed.

On Sunday, the immediate families met at Jon's parents house for a brunch and to watch them open all their gifts. I'm sure Corningware and matching towels are exciting...actually what was exciting was all the cash they received (after seeing all that I decided maybe marriage wasn't such a bad idea after all!). It was sad saying good bye to them (and weird to say good bye to my new "brother"!), but we all had to go (I was heading to J's where I drove straight into tornado alley. No one was hurt, but there was a tornado at J's house. On my way there, I get a text message that says "Just got hit by a tornado". WHAT?). Anyway, as we speak, the new Mr. and Mrs. Baumgart are on their way to Jamaica (while the rest of us deal with the aftermath of the storm from yesterday).

I may be biased, but I can't help but think that this marriage is gonna be one of the good ones. Sometimes you see two people that clearly belong together. This is my sister and Jon. I love you guys so much. Welcome to the family brother! :) Have fun, be safe, and don't drink too much Red Stripe while in Jamaica!

Part II-The Wedding

Wedding day arrived. We awoke to an absolutely beautiful, sunny day (God took care of us on that one!). We also awoke at 7:30am, but that's a whole other story.....After an ok breakfast in the basement of the Hampton Inn, and an emergency trip to the soda machine for Diet Coke, we were off in our cab/limo AKA mom and dad's mini van, off to the beauty salon for hair and makeup. All of us girls got our hair done, loved the up-do and the 16 gallons of hair spray they put on my head...Red's hair looked gorgeous, and mom (who I've never seen in an up-do) looked absolutely beautiful and way too young to be the mother of the bride (seriously mommy-you did!). Once we were all done, we were picked up by the limo and the first thing we noticed was the champagne. We advised the driver to take us to the Bread Company to pick up some lunch, but the time we travelled the two block trip, we had finished one bottle of champagne. Yea, it was gonna be a long day.....by the way, if you ever wanna draw attention to yourself, take yourself and 6 other people to the Bread Company with your up-do's and one girl with a veil on her head......

We arrived at the church a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule. We were afraid to go in and the Church Nazi (aka the wedding coordinator for the church) specifically said we cannot get in before 1:30. Well I got out of the limo, saw that the church doors were unlocked and smuggled all of us girls in. Church Nazi was nowhere in sight. We all started getting ready and had a bit of a panic moment when Jon's mom called to say she was running late. Not a big deal typically, but she just happened to have my sister's wedding dress with her.....the MOH was on it, trying to keep the bride calm at this point. Anyway, the dress arrived, all was well, and my sister was absolutely beautiful in her dress-I teared up and the wedding hadn't even started. At exactly 3:00 the Church Nazi has us girls line up. I started to get nervous then. What if someone tripped going down the aisle? Or stood in the wrong place? Or walked too fast? As the music started it all became surreal-this was it! My baby sister was getting married!

Once the wedding party was in place, we waited for our bride. I had told myself not to look at Jon because if he cried, I was gonna lose it. Well, as soon as the opened the door and my sister was standing there with dad, I saw just one tear go down Jon's face. That's all I needed. And as soon as I got to see my sister (also crying) walking with dad (trying not to cry), I teared up some more. It was just all so beautiful, hard to explain. I looked out into the crowd, saw a row full of my aunts, all crying. We are a crying people, apparently. The ceremony itself went smoothly, although there was some chuckling later about the sermon as, apparently, we are ALL responsible for their marriage...who knew? And, for the record, the vents were still on...Julie (bridesmaid) and I had our dresses blowing up, I was afraid I was gonna pull a Marilyn Monroe, but luckily, it didn't blow up that high. Julie and I just stood there and giggled. It was very exciting and strange when the pastor had my sister and Jon turn around and introduced the married couple. What? My sister is married now! Wow. After picture taking in the church (loved the whole Baumgartner/Davidson clan pic-where did all those relatives come from? We are one huge family!), it was on to.................THE PARTY BUS!!!! That will be part 3......

My sister is a married woman now.....

Wedding weekend is officially over. We made it and managed to get my sister married off-Jon you are such a lucky guy!!! For my loyal blog readers, this may be a bit boring, but I must capture all that went on this weekend. It was fun.

So, Friday, at the rehearsal, several of us were confused. At first, I thought it was just me because I am easily confused (right, J?), but it wasn't just me. The pastor called Robert and I the "honor attendants". I wasn't sure at first, but he assured us he was referring to us. Then there was the matter of the vents blowing up my dress. I was a little concerned about this and hoped it would not be on during the actual wedding (more on that later....). The ushers, Polster and Jones, seemed confused most of the time-who knew that ushering was such a difficult job? Watching grandpa and mom come down the aisle together brought tears to our eyes. We were all thinking of grandma this weekend, we know she was there in spirit, but the reality of seeing grandpa walk without her really hit home. After our trial run of the ceremony (still confused at this point and figured we'd just "wing it" at the actual wedding...), we headed out to Forest Hills Country Club for the rehearsal dinner. At the door they served us with champagne mixed with cranberry juice-I knew it was gonna be a good night. The dinner was great and getting to chat with the family was great too. Of course, silly Jon just HAD to ask the pastor and his wife to sit at our table, so we felt like we couldn't drink. I got smart though and got a Captain and Diet Coke-for all pastor knew, it was just Diet Coke. Sneaky, right? Then there is the matter of the slide show that Jon's dad put together. This was a truly horrifying but hilarious experience. It was your typical show, pictures from each of their childhoods mixed with current ones. The childhood ones were the horrifying part. Why? Because siblings made the cut. And I really did NOT want to relive the permed-mullet years with 100 people....but I did anyway, and I threatened to kill my mother for giving Jon those pictures!!! The crowd favorite was a picture of Red, Tim and I and on the wall behind us was a giant picture of Michael Jackson-when he was still black, mind you. Hey, it was the '80's after all!!!! So, after dinner, on to the hotel where no one slept. I awoke to a knock on the door at 2am, I look out the peep hole and there is our bride, hair a mess, I open the door and she says she can't sleep because someone in her room was "snoring like a trucker". Well, we couldn't have a bride with bags under her eyes, now could we? So, I let her in and let her sleep with me. I promised her I wouldn't snore like a trucker, but I couldn't guarantee dad wouldn't (he and mom were in the room with us). Anyway, morning came WAAAY too quickly......now for part 2.

Rehearsal Dinner

So far, the day has been good. My mom, sister, and I got manicures and pedicures this morning. That was awesome. Then we went to lunch at Qudoba, or however you spell it. Can you believe the wind today? I thought it was gonna pick us up and carry us away! Right now I am blogging from grandpa's house. Yes, that's right. Grandpa has the internet. He's hip and happening. He even has a cell phone. He doesn't know how to use it, but he has one. Today I tried 3 times to show him how to access his voicemail. I finally gave up. So, we are just chillin right now. According to Jon we must be at the church at 5:45 tonight. I'm ready for dinner. We are having a pasta bar. I'll eat then want to go to sleep. Tomorrow is an early rising day. I believe Red has us at the salon for hair and make up at 10am. Wedding weekend has officially begun!

Wedding Weekend is about to begin....

Man, I hope I can shake whatever is wrong with me. I have felt just under the weather this week, not quite enough to define me as "sick", but definitely not feeling good either. Just really tired and worn down. I have no energy and sleep 10 hours in a night and am still tired...wonder what that's all about....

Mom and dad arrive into town today, in fact, mom just called. They are hitting the mall to go get dad and Tim's tuxes. I can't wait to see them in a tux-I'll bet I cry. Hell, who am I kidding? I'm gonna cry the entire day. Hope my Mary Kay waterproof mascara does it's job.....I am looking forward to seeing everyone-family from out of town and friends that we have not seen in a while. I'm gonna test out my maid of honor speech on mom today and see what she thinks. I'm a little nervous about it, to tell you the truth. Red informed me yesterday that I will be going first...yikes! No pressure there!

Today is pretty much a chill day. I have to go to the store and purchace alcohol that will go on the party bus following the wedding. Then I'm hauling all my wedding crap to grandpa's, where mom and dad are staying. I'm hoping to get to spend a good chunk of the evening with J since I will not see him until Sunday. As I've said before, I don't like going that long without seeing him, but I know this is just one weekend and we'll live through it.....

To Red and Jon: I hope this is the most wonderful weekend of your lives. I hope it is everything you want it to be. Let's have some fun!

My new car!!!!!!

Good-bye Crapalier, hello Mazda 3! Isn't she pretty? This is just a picture I found online, but this is what my new car looks like. I love it. I don't love having a car payment after being payment free for nearly 3 years. It was nice, but the Crapalier was slowly crapping out on me....who wants to go for a joyride? And if anyone wants to make my payments for me, the first one is due mid-May. Thanks.

So the guy that was a big a-hole to me last week (I do not respond well to that condacending tone and talking to me like I'm stupid-I'm not stupid) came up to me and apologized. Good, he should have. Then we got to talking and turns out he's a Cubs fan....I should have known. Actually had a great time at the dealership today. I was entertaining everyone (go figure). Fun times were had by all.

If anyone is in the car buying market and need someone to come in and throw a temper tantrum, let me know. It got me more than $3,000 off the sticker price.......sometimes it pays to be a bitch.

Yikes! Only 3 more days!

Wow, the wedding is in 3 days. So hard to believe. See Red-I told you it would be here before you know it! I am off work the rest of the week so I can be my sisters right hand man (or woman, whatever). I am fulfilling my Maid of Honor duties to the fullest extent (or trying to at least). Or is it really just an excuse to not go to work??? Hmmmm.....

So, finally got internet at my apartment (thanks Tim). I can finally load up my Ipod. So can't wait for that.

I am going on a car buying adventure today. Hopefully I come home w/a new car. We shall see. They better hope they don't piss me off like they did last week......will post more later. Will post a pic of the car too. Later peeps!

good weekend

Had a good weekend. Got to spend time with J when he wasn't working. It was fun. Except for him trying to scare me and telling me that there are clowns in his house that are gonna come after me......SO not cool Mr. B!!!!!!! I do appreciate you making me lunch today.....had a great afternoon just hanging with you before work.

Well, the countdown to the wedding is on! Can't believe it's Saturday. Red, I'm all yours starting on Wednesday. Tell Bean to call me-we need to finalize who is buying what for the limo/bus-thingy! I'm very excited to get to see all of my family-especially Clint and Ben and Mike and Kim (are they coming?). I am totally gonna miss J though-three whole days without seeing him-yuck!!!! I'll see ya Sunday evening though baby!

Well, I have a crapload of work to do today and tomorrow since I will be out the rest of the week. Have a good one y'all!

non-word of the day

rectalfy. not a real word. just ask Stephen.

Another 5k to consider.....

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 15, 2006. This is the First Annual L6 5K Walk/Run, benefitting the Laura Laughlin Medical Fund.

You may remember me mentioning before my friend Krista's sister-in-law Laura who was in a horrible car accident last July. Laura is still in a coma and her husband/family have incurred an insane amount of bills. This is a great cause if you are able to go. You don't have to do the 5K-there is also a 1 mile fun walk you can participate in! All participants will receive a T-shirt! Here are the details:

Location: Chesterfield Commons Athletic Club
Registration: $20 in advance, $25 Race Day
Info: you may register online at www.lauralaughlin.com

I hope people can attend. I will definitely be there!

Opening Day-coming soon!

Can you tell I'm excited? It is almost time for Opening Day 2006. Being a huge baseball fan, I totally cannot wait for another season of fun! The Cubs first game is actually April 1-I will be unable to watch it since my sister decided to go ahead and get married that day....the nerve. I had high hopes for my Cubbies initially, but now during spring training they are dropping like flies. . Mark Prior is hurt, as is Derek Lee. And don't get me started on that giant wuss Kerry Wood. That dude is weak. Still, I have some hope that they will do ok this year. I think the whole NL Central is much improved this year, so it should be some good overall competition.
Sorry for those of you that could care less about baseball, because after next week, most of my blog subjects will be about it. I talk a lot of smack (as those who know me well are already aware). I can't wait. BRING IT!!!

weird sightings on the road

No I wasn't high on allergy meds today. What I saw was real. I swear it. I saw two strange things on the road today. One was this pickup truck stopped across from me. Lodged in the grill of this truck was a big stuffed cow. No joke. The main reason this is funny is because I have a plastic frog stuck in the grill of my car...don't ask.

So, later, on my way to work, I was cruising down the highway, minding my own business, when I feel/see this car right next to me. Typically, I don't look over when there is a car pacing me, but today I did. And what I saw cracked me up. It was this chick driving a Civic hatchback. In the front passengers seat was a keg of beer.....in a seat belt. It was awesome!

My super-cool cousin Clint

Look at my cousin-he got to meet Miss USA. Isn't he cool? Clint-did you hit on her? My guess is yes.....

Support a good cause!

Help support my little cousin Ben! He is participating in the March of Dimes Walk America fundraiser. For more information, go to his personal web page at www.walkamerica.org/personal_page.asp?w=505824