Feel good story for the day since I'm still not quite feeling good.

I'll fill you all in later on how much gallbladders SUCK, but for now, here is a feel good doggie story. Great ending, but I'm warning you, heart tugging.

Vignetting, duh

A cute pic before photoshop:

An even better pic, cropped, photoshopped and using a technique called vignetting.
Cool, huh? I'm working on it...learning the ins and outs of PS.

Like the ghetto gloves? It's only too bad you can't see the one on her other hand.

Blame it all on my roots... I showed up in Boots

Okay, so I have a dirty little secret, well it's not really dirty, per say, but it is a secret. I really like Garth Brooks. In fact, so much, I've been OBSESSED with this song since it debuted in November. I even asked for the new CD release with this song on it from about 10 different family members for Christmas, yet not one family member got it for me. I realize that should tell me something internet friends, but I can't help it. I really really like this song. I've even pulled a TPD lately where I just keep watching it on YouTube over and over again since I DON'T HAVE THE CD! I like to sing along loudly and dramatically to the words as if I feel his pain. In fact, I'm pretty sure sometimes Bridget and my clients here at Sydney's Closet feel pain as they listen to me singing along to this song again and again and again..but I digress...

Please don't hate me, friends, now you know - it's worse than you thought, it's not only Jimmy Buffett, it's also Garth Brooks. There I've said it, and now I'm going to return to watching this video on repeat.. uh I mean I' m totally going to play Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Beatles' White Album while contemplating the meaning of life and the greater sociopolitical impact of this classic and meaningful music on our society.

Sidebar: I smell another weather-off coming. Will post after I see an updated forecast this evening.

Sidebar II: I am also willing to sell TPD and his cough to the highest bidder. In case you were wondering, no, he is still not over this paralyzing flu that hit us both last week. I am still coughing and drippy but fairly functional while he is still mopey and deep coughing, errr, I mean a barrel of laughs and would make a great addition to any family. All reasonable offers will be considered!

Throwback Thursday: Tomboy Edition #2

I thought this was a cute follow-up to our last tomboy-themed throwback. Can't you just see this pic on one of those adorable kid baseball cards? Scary what pictures I have access to, isn't it? You never know when you're going to be next!

Land of the Living... Barely

The common symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever (usually high) Check, if you call 100.7 high, but check on the fever..
  
• Headache CHECK!!!!
  
• Muscle aches The worst part of it all - check!!!
  
• Chills Check - only had them twice, but that's twice too many.
  
• Extreme tiredness Check, but unable to sleep (see other symptoms).
  
• Dry cough Check - but not dry.
  
• Runny nose may also occur but is more common in children than adults - Definite check for me, guess I'm still a child at heart!
  

These past few days have completely sucked, internet friends, I won't lie, but little by little I'm returning to the land of the living - not feeling like you're going to die is a start, right? Hopefully Tim is not coming down with this, too, but this morning it was not looking good for him. Luckily, Bridget seems to be holding her own. I'm thankful for the flu shot she got and keeping every single thing in my body crossed that she doesn't get what I've had for the past three days.

I will return to regularly scheduled whenever I feel like it blogging as soon as I feel like a human again: AKA - when my taste for non-fat mocha's and egg McMuffin's return.

Wash your hands people, know the flu facts! :) I'm bathing myself in Purell and Oust pure air sanitizer these days.

PS - Yes, that is a New Kids on the Block Donnie Wahlberg button hiding under the salt and pepper (don't ask) on my night stand, wanna make something of it?

Heartbroken

It's so hard to believe anytime something like this happens, but when it happens in your own backyard, it is even more surreal. I drive past that city hall numerous times a week and that drive will never ever be the same.

My thoughts and prayers are with all the family members and the entire community today and in the coming weeks.

It's one of those times you stop and think how unimportant life's small frustrations are when put into perspective with tragedies like yesterday.

How was your morning?

Our morning begins...

The time: somewhere in the 7 o'clock hour.
The perpetrator: Brogan.
The setting: Our backyard: the ghetto-ultra Hoosier - Tim rigged-up dog fence and one highly motivated Brown dog.
The crime: Said motivated brown dog busts out of said rigged-fence to freedom.
The resolution: Yours truly (just out of the shower, wet hair, still in a robe and barefeet) running around like a crazy person in 20 degree weather yelling in a panicky high-pitched tone, "Brogan, BROGAN! want a treat? treat... treat ... TREAT!" to try and bring him back. Luckily, that was successful and he was returned home without further incident, I however, after 10 minutes outside, still have icicles in my hair and a tiny case of hypothermia potentially.

The following 45 minutes were filled with more extreme stress as we tried to get two adults ready, one of them showered, one tiny half-pint dressed, fed, bundled & packed up and out the door by 8:15am so that Tim and I could make it to my doctor appointment on time (which, as you can probably guess we did not - BUT we were only 4 minutes late - a minor victory). Not to mention, all the while I'm trying to balance out when I am supposed to drink that yucky orange drink for the blood glucose test at the doctor and when to start drinking my 30 ounces of water for the ultrasound following.

To summarize, the doctors appointment was great - 4 chambers in the baby's heart - YES! (Not that I was really worried, but always reassuring to hear that everything's good speech) I'm 27 weeks (aahh only 11 weeks to go!!), baby's over 2lbs, 140 heartbeat, less than Bridget's so maybe a boy?! More likely, tho, that has nothing to do with anything. Got my blood drawn for that glucose test to which I'm now praying I don't have to return for that miserable 3 hour follow-up like last time. - GO BLOOD - come on metabolize that sugar properly, will ya? So, all in all, once we actually made it there, the appointment went pretty smoothly with little to no waiting, which is NOT the norm at my office.

So, back home and since I was STARVING (again, no food this morning for me due to the test and ultra-sugary orange drink) and, surely about to DIE of water ickiness (you know that yicky feeling that comes from drinking too much water on an empty stomach) and starvation, I immediately went for food. Upon deciding on a lovely breakfast lean pocket, I hit the one minute auto button (or so I thought) and left to go check email and talk to tpd. I've decided to let the final part of our morning's story be told in a picture montage as I feel it does the best justice anyway...

Just so you don't worry, everything is fine, I only wish I had pictures of the plumes of smoke billowing out of one tiny microwave but at the time I didn't think running for my camera was acceptable. We actually had everything taken care of but our alarm company had already initiated the fire department. They were very nice and even gave our neighbor's little boy (fascinated by the big fire truck on his street) one of those fireman plastic hats.

So, this morning we learned:

1.) Whether you are chasing a dog fugitive around or sucking smoke out your house, 25 degree weather really SUCKS.

2.) Smoke inhalation is serious business.

3.) Breakfast lean pockets are not to be taken lightly.

4.) Even the awful smell of charred lean pocket in your hair, (and as tpd said, "it's burned in my nosehairs"), can be laughed off when your puppy is not lost after all, you have a good doctor appointment and your house is filled with the sounds of a little 17 month old voice saying "tur-tle"all morning.

Who's a Big Dork?

Oh yeah - me.
But, I voted (unlike 2004's voting debacle)!

Someone showed me this sucking in your cheeks thing to make your face look skinny
- while I think it does work, it also makes me look like a fish, doesn't it?!

A webmaster QB rises to the occasion

Who would have thought back in good old football fantasy land that when it came down Muldrow's qb vs. mine in the real Superbowl that the webmasters qb would be victorious?

Sure, everytime webmasters played that pesky Business Time team, Brady would score like 87 points while Eli struggled to stay in the positive and pull out a 6.23 pts, BUT in the end, in the big time game to end all games, it was Eli.

Geez, Eli would it have killed you to have played like a Superbowl qb the other 18 games this season? Anyway, no hard feelings, Eli, I still love you and I'm glad I defended you all season against all the critics.

Congrats Eli, Strahan and all the Giants!

PS - What was your favorite superbowl commercial? I think I gotta stick with this one - I just love it too much - it might be my favorite commercial of all time! (the etrade baby spit up and all was definitely a close 2nd!)

PPS - A-Le can you send me those pics of them playing under/on/in the box if any of them turned out cute?

Throwback Thursday: Friday Edition

Sorry, with all the weather hoopla, I missed the Thursday throwback. Enjoy today's cute-as-a-button, tom-boy throwback.


PS- Yes, I am conceding this one to the weather people, although I still believe it was over sensationalized. We got about 6" out here in glorious Ballwin and it was nice and pretty, but it wasn't exactly a blizzard and I didn't see the need for them to break into my favorite shows every 15 minutes either. But, yes, chalk one up for them.

Weather people - 1, Erin - 1