I'm Baaaaaaaaack!!

IN THE NEWS: According to the Assoc. Press and Fox News, "Three people in San Pueblo, Colo. were arrested on charges of swapping a 5-month-old boy for a down payment on a used Dodge Intrepid and cash, police said Tuesday."
(Um, what are people thinking with these days?)

Well, I'm back from my vacation!!

Thank you to everyone who wished us well in my comment section and my e-mail. We had a fantastic time at Walt Disney World!

But in a way, I'm glad this trip is over. It's true. My hubby is usually the detail-oriented (anal) person and outlines ALL our trips, but this time due to lack of time, he left it in my capable (?) hands. Just so you know, this is a big deal. He's the type of person to do a lot of research for our vacations.

For example: If we're driving somewhere, he'll research cool local restaurants or hangouts to go and eat at instead of your typical cattle call rest stop. So you see I had a lot of "pressure" not to screw this one up.

I didn't. (Thank you, God)

But I crammed like it was the final of all final exams for this trip. In fact, I did a tremendous job thanks to my sister in law's Disney book she lent me, maps, online sites I found and word of mouth. **Go me. Go me. Go me.**

But enough about me. So let's see. What to tell first... what to tell...

Oh. The let's start with the flight. Uneventful, but I still hated it. I hate to fly. There. I said it. I HATE TO FLY!!! I find it a necessary evil. Like going to the dentist. I want to chew, so I visit my dentist. I want to go on vacation, I fly.

My husband finds it amazing that in all the times I've flown--which is frequently--I always act as though it's my very first time. What can I say? I can't help it. I'm a bit of a mess the first and last fifteen minutes of every flight. All I could do was shove pizza flavored Combos in my mouth like it was my last meal. (At the time I thought it was my last meal) I hear every little noise, I'm aware of every change in speed, I even freak out when I hear the wheels going in and out. (They definitely need a silencer for those) But I survived. My hubby survived. Somehow.

Now the weather. It was unseasonably warm for this time of year--which was a nice bonus. Usually it was in the high sixties in the morning and low eighties in the afternoon. They were predicting rain/hail/tornado backlash type of stuff, but we never got it. Just very nice weather. YAY!

I still have so much to say, so I think I'll do a park a day blog type of thing and all we did there. So I'll do a quick close with the good and bad points of this Disney trip:

GOOD stuff:
* Little or no wait times for the rides/shows we wanted to do.
*we got to see EVERYTHING we wanted to see
*the shows were AWESOME and just pure Disney (will go into detail later)
*my daughter did not freak out on ANY ride. Thank goodness. **She cried on one ride but only because the roller coaster only went around once and she thought it would go around twice. (It was a bit short) But thanks to a spot on Disney attendant who took pity on the princess, he let us "cut in" and go on it again. Nice job turning on the waterworks, sweetie. (hehehehe)
*the food was great AND healthy.
*it was surprisingly a relaxing vacation (Um, thanks to all my hard work and research. Did I mention that?)
*everyone in Disney (workers and vacationers) were super nice and friendly. I can honestly say we only encountered two or three Dopeys in a massive sea of Snow Whites.

Now the BAD stuff:
* I have a MOUNTAIN of laundry to do. No exaggeration.
* I have no food in the house. (I just checked. We have some expired orange juice, white bread and a container of mashed potatoes--but plenty of Diet Pepsi)
* I need to pick up mail. I hate doing that. It's always so heavy.
* Our garbage disposal broke the day before we left. Need to take of that.
*Need to go thru almost 200 e-mails. **shudder**

I need to get on those things NOW.

So what have you been doing while I was gone?

Last Post of the Week

MENTAL STATUS: "Excited!" (See below)

Yep, it's true. This will be the last post of the week. I know, I know. Get your tissue boxes out now. But cheer up. There's always a silver lining. I will be back the middle of next week with tons of new stuff to "chat" about. And that will be twice the fun! Well, at least less boring than usual.

So what am I doing you ask? Wait. You didn't ask? Oh. Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

I'm going on vacation. YAY! ! (Yes, the hubby and the spawn are coming too)

Now, see if you can guess where. It's okay. Take your time.






Still don't know? Sheesh. I feel sorry for you, then.



How about this?




Did you guess? Thank goodness. Yes, we're going to DISNEY WORLD. My daughter is totally caught up in the whole princesses thing, so I'm sure I'll be able to say hi to Cinderella and Snow White for you. No writing will be done, obviously. But it will be nice to get away.


Will you miss me?

Where am I?

IN THE NEWS: The Food and Drug Administration has cleared for sale a handheld laser device used to promote hair growth. It's called the Hairmax Lasercomb and is the only drug-free FDA approved item on the market. So far, it's sold on the Web for a mere $545.


Where am I today? Well, at yet another dentist appointment. **sigh** But I did manage to do a quick post over at the Passionate Critters blog.

I'm talking about Critique Partners today. Muwah-ha-ha-ha-ha (evil laugh)

Come on over and see for yourself.

Happy P Day!!

MENTAL STATUS: "Relaxed". I'm having a very nice holiday weekend, thus far. Very relaxing. I did some writing. Went out to dinner. Watched a movie with the hubby. Even did some painting with my little one.

And what holiday am I speaking of? (This is for all those Canadian readers I have) All two of you.


President's Day!!!

According to Wikipedia, "Presidents Day (also styled President's Day or Presidents' Day) is the common name for the United States federal holiday officially designated as Washington's Birthday. It is celebrated on the third Monday of February.

As the official title of the federal holiday, Washington's Birthday was originally implemented by the federal government in 1880 in the District of Columbia and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices. As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22 (also my dad's birthday)

In 1971 the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February. In the late 1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term Presidents Day began its public appearance. The theme has expanded the focus of the holiday to honor another February President, Abraham Lincoln, and often other Presidents of the United States."

And now that you've had your history lesson, you can go back to bed--or go shopping. That's what I'm going to be doing.

What are you doing today?

Interesting Comments

IN THE NEWS: According to World Magazine, "The makers of a popular sleeping pill Stillnox have an unconventional problem. One rare side effect of the drug causes users to sleepwalk to their kitchens and gorge on food while slumbering."
(Now THAT's a side effect I never heard before.)

You know it's funny. Yesterday's blog, gave me a lot of comments--both public and private.

Like all the men commented on #5 (the tongue thing)

Yet, all the women commented on #7 (the toilet paper thing)

I just can't believe no one commented on #4 (my sense of taste thing). Come on, people! Don't you think that's interesting? You could rent me out for parties and your guests can have me taste food and I can tell them what's wrong with it.

See? Fun. Interesting.

Oh well. I must prepare the house for my daughter's play date now. Hopefully, it will remain in one piece by the time they're done. Hubby and I are having our date night tonight too. We'll be cooking dinner together while the little girlie is at church.

Have a great weekend!

TAGGED: Dare to be weird meme

MENTAL STATUS: "Wary". I have to go back to the dentist today for my tooth. You know, problem tooth #30? I hope this is it and they can just put the crown back on. I'm tired of chewing on my left side.


Well, thanks to Elle Fredrix, I've been tagged. AGAIN. (I must say she really keeps me hopping with this blog.)

So now I must name 6 to 10 WEIRD THINGS about myself. And to spread this "special" torture around, I will in return tag Chelle, Chicki, Erin and Angela.

Here goes.

I'm naming SEVEN WEIRD THINGS. (Just to be different)

7) If the toilet paper is not hanging in the correct "over hang" position, I HAVE to correct it. (Even in someone else's home) I know. Problems.

6) I have an almost paralyzing fear of heights and roller coasters.

5) Not only can I roll my tongue, but I can flip it upside down.

4) My sense of taste is what some would call "heightened" or "sensitive". I can eat something and almost right away tell you what is in it or what is missing from it. After putting in my mouth and then directly spitting out a Little Debbie Christmas Tree Brownie because I could taste every single preservative and chemical that went into making the thing, my hubby dubbed me "Chemical Ali". (You know after Saddam Hussein's cousin who was also called Chemical Ali because he was so good at making bombs.)

Well, I laughed. But I guess you had to be there. We watch a lot of cable news.

3) I had a mini-anxiety attack last year because we had those little black ants in our house. I had to break down and call an exterminator--which then caused me even further anxiety. (see below)

2) I have a pharmacy license and I hate chemicals in the house or in my body. It really freaks me out. It's almost a phobia. I don't even like smelly candles because I might be breathing in chemicals.

1) I hate green beans because they taste like crunchy tea to me. Yet, strangely enough, I love to drink tea. Go figure.

Ugh. I think that's plenty of ammunition. But don't say I didn't warn you.

I'm a headcase.

What about you?

Happy Valentine's Day!

IN THE NEWS: According to Happynews.com, "Archaeologists working on the eve of Valentine's Day carefully began digging up the bones of a prehistoric couple on Tuesday in Mantua Italy, hoping to keep their 5,000-year-old embrace undisturbed forever. An archaeologist said there is little doubt the couple's pose was born of a deep love, but warned it could be impossible to determine the exact nature of their relationship and how they died."
(Aww. How sweet)

It's Valentine's Day and that means one thing...

I must bring cupcakes to my daughter's preschool party.

(Kidding) Well, not about the cupcakes. I really do have to bring cupcakes to my daughter's school today. She decorated them beautifully, too.

Actually, my hubby was sweet. He came home with lovely flowers for me yesterday, so I would be surprised. And I was! He's always one step ahead of me. I like that. Which is why I wasn't shocked when I took this love quiz and got the answer below.

True Love Lucky you!

You guys have a very mature and down-to-earth view of love. You've been through a lot together, so you realize that it isn't all a bed of roses. You are very comfortable around each other and confide in each other about almost everything. You can't imagine life without one another and are committed to seeing this through.

Take this quiz!

What kind of love are you?

"BEAR" with my sense of humor

MENTAL STATUS: "Wired". I have a lot of energy but I can't write for some reason. I was doing so great writing-wise last week. What happened? Right now, I feel like I have my hands in so many things and nothing is getting done.

I just learned my hubby got an e-mail from his friend. Seems as though as soon as we left the Borgata Saturday night, Vice Neil (Motley Crue lead singer) jumped up on stage at the Gypsy Bar and sang 4 songs with the house band. The place was going crazy. In addition, about 6 of the Flyers, including Peter Forsberg stopped by after their win.

Figures.

Anyhew, yesterday, my hubby came home for lunch and to spend time with the family. We had the news on in the background. Nothing exciting was happening.

That is...until I left the room.

Again. Figures.

I heard my hubby laughing so hard he was howling. So I rushed back into the room. "What? What did I miss?" I asked. My hubby then proceeds to describe what he saw on the news about this bear up in a tree and how these people were trying to get it down.

Well, I started laughing too, because of the way he was describing it. It sounded like it was right out of a cartoon show. So I said, "Oh, boy. I'm sorry I missed that." He then suggested I try to find it on YouTube.

I did.

Now, when I watched this I laughed, although in the back of my mind I kept thinking that bear had to have cracked his skull, but the news said the bear was all right. So don't call PETA on me. The bear is fine.

I must have a warped sense of humor because I laughed at this video all day whenever I thought about it. Which was often. No wonder I didn't get any work done.

Check it out. Bear on trampoline.

(Side note)
Dear Einsteins in Montana:
Thanks to you, there was a bright spot in my day and material for my blog.
Hugs and kisses,
Me

Saturday Night Recap

IN THE NEWS: According to HappyNews.com , "A woman who auctioned an old painting hoping to get a few thousand dollars toward her daughter's college tuition was stunned when the picture fetched $600,000. The picture sold Sunday by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, CA to an unnamed New York dealer and has no title or signature and staff of the gallery couldn't determine its origins. But the buzz in the art world is that someone thinks it's the lost work of a 17th-century Italian master, Pier Francesco Mola."
(How awesome is that! )

Okay. I know you're just dying to know how Saturday night went.

Well...

We. Had. A. Fantastic time! Truly. Everything about the night was so fun! And the Borgata is beautiful--not your typical Atlantic City casino at all. I would definitely go back to hang out.

Anyhew, first, we met up with our friends and went to Wolfgang Puck's and learned it was a 3 hour wait. Ouch! Okay, I know what you're thinking. Jennifer, didn't you make a reservation for a party of six, you doofus?

Uh, no.

In my own defense, when I checked out the website it said no reservations needed--or required--something like that. Ooops. It's been awhile since I've been out, I guess. Luckily, my hubby has connections. And our 3 hour wait turned into a ten minute wait--with no money exchanging hands.

What can I say? Even after almost 12 years of marriage, he STILL impresses me.

Dinner was delicious. I had a lobster club sandwich, which was so tasty I was sorry to see it end when I popped the last bite in my mouth. Then my hubby looks up and says, "Hey, there's Bobby Flay."

I look up and who is coming directly toward our table and then walks right by us, but none other than BOBBY FLAY. And if you ask who Bobby Flay is, I may have to smack you with a wet noodle. But then again, maybe I watch the Food Network too much.

For the record, he looks exactly as he does on TV. But what was curious was he was dressed in his white chef uniform and walking into Wolfgang Puck's. What was he doing, borrowing a cup of sugar?

Then of course, after dinner Brian Regan was hilarious. Even the guy who opened up for him was great. Brian even came out for an encore and someone shouted, "Poptarts!" So I got to see my favorite Poptart routine after all.

What a great way to end the night.

What did you do this weekend?

Saturday Funny

MENTAL STATUS: "Excited". Going to the Borgata tonight. (See pic below)



It's a rare Saturday post. But what the heck. I'm excited!

Got the hubby tickets to see Brian Regan at the Borgata tonight. We're going with some friends and eating at Wolfgang Puck's for dinner. (My mom will watch the kiddie.)

So who's Brian Regan? What? You never heard of him? He just so happens to be one of our favorite comedians, along with Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano and Jeffrey Ross.

Here's a sample of his act. It's a few minutes long, so sit back and relax. I tried to find one of my favorites that he does about Poptarts, but it's not available anymore. But this is just as good.

I give you the "Eye Exam".

Who's your favorite comedian?

Friday, I'm Still Sick

IN THE NEWS: I'm telling you, WORLD magazine had a ton of great material to use this week. I had a hard time choosing. But here's another goodie: In Japan, McDonald's recently rolled out it's biggest hamburger yet: A four-patty burger known as the Mega Mac. It's said to be popular with young men, and McDonald's sold over 3 million of those burgers in the first 4 days.
(I love this. WORLD magazine entitled their article "McCoronary". Uh, yeah.)

I took my title today from that Cure song "Friday, I'm in Love--which to my horror is about 15 years old. **shiver**

Anyway, I was pretty much down for the count yesterday afternoon. This "bug" hit me full force with everything it had. I couldn't even do normal food shopping. I ordered everything online. It's being delivered today around 1:30PM.

YAY! Food IS coming.

So as I lay in bed with my eyes rolled back in my head, my four-year-old daughter was a complete sweetheart. She played quietly around me, covered me up in her 12 x 12 inch receiving blanket (yeah, I know, but it's the thought) and hardly needed anything from me at all. She was an all around super good girl.

In honor of that, this blog spot will be about her.

Here's a sample of yesterday's conversation with her when I was feeling better:

Me: (looking at her being so good and trying to think of something to reward her with) Hey, honey, when the food comes tomorrow we can make cupcakes, if you'd like.

Her: (perked up) Yay! We'll need eggs, sugar, butter , flour and love to make them.

Me: (smiling, despite how awful I felt) That's right, sweetie.

Her: What's your favorite part? Mine is eating them and love.

**Keep in mind that it's doubly cute to be there in person, because she was smiling so innocently and has these big brown eyes with these long, sooty eyelashes you only read about in romance novels or see men blessed with in real life.

I have another cute story, but it'll have to wait for another time. Right now, I'm going to try to make up for some of that lost writing time, since I'm feeling SOMEWHAT better.

Is it spring yet?

MENTAL STATUS: "Frustrated". This crazy weather is keeping me and my daughter sick. Every time I think we're all better, I start getting the "nose" thing, aches and the sore throat. WAH!

Even though I feel like I've been run over by a reindeer, I must venture out today and get food. The refrigerator is in very sad shape. It's almost embarrassing. So I'll keep this short.

I'm freezing. Yesterday it was one degree in my town in New Jersey. Yes, I know it could be worse. I lived in New England for five years, so I KNOW what real cold feels like, thank you very much.

But I don't like it. So there.

It doesn't help that my house--a rather large 2 story--is extremely cold on the first floor (my hubby and I had thick socks on and they were still cold!) and suffocatingly hot upstairs (we're sleeping like it's summertime).

And I'm wondering why I keep getting sick?

The only bright spot to this cold weather is I'm doing VERY well with my writing challenge. I knocked off almost another 500 words. YAY!

Is it cold where you are?

Life Begins Today!

IN THE NEWS: This is taken from World Magazine's February 10th issue: "Looking for a date in Washington State? Don't look at the dentist's office. That's because Washington state law forbids health-care providers, including doctors, dental hygienists, opticians, and nurses, from engaging in a romantic relationship with patients (even a former patient up to two years)--EVEN if it's true love."
(WOW. This is external conflict at it's best.)


As I stated above in my title: Life does begin today. Well, life began when I was born. Uh, no that's not true. Technically, life began as soon as sperm A met egg B, but that's for another discussion.

So why does life begin for me? Because my hubby ordered and we just received.....

That's right.

Look out. I'm toning up. I plan to look so GOOD this summer--maybe even by May. I'm so excited!

Here's the video on it: Cableflex. We watched it a week ago on some infomercial, and my hubby and I were sold. What's nice is it doesn't take up a lot of space too. I love going to the gym for aerobic classes and to use their exercise machines, but I CANNOT STAND working out with weights in front of everybody. Call me crazy. I don't mind my butt giggling on the Precor machine for all the world to see and cringe, but for some odd reason I can't pick up a lousy 5lb weight in public.

Hopefully this will be the answer to the prayers of my flabby arms.

Do you work out with weights?

What's Your Motivation?

MENTAL STATUS: "Happy." Going to my mom's today with my little one. We're going to get our nails done. AGAIN. What can I say? We're pampered ladies. Actually, my mom suggested we go to the "beauty school" near her, since it will cost about 1/4 of the price you'd normally pay at a retail salon. We'll see what happens...

Well, I'm not only happy because I will soon be getting a pedicure, but because I also managed to write 233 words on my new manuscript.

<< cue the crickets chirping>>

Okay. That may not sound like very many words to someone who doesn't write--but actually 250 words equals ONE page. What? That's right.

ONE.

WHOLE.

PAGE. (And probably at least a handful of hairs and a 1/2 cup of sweat too. )

One of my CP's (critique partners) suggested a challenge this week. 250 words a day or...else? Something like that.

Oooh! I love a challenge, and it was just the kick in the butt I needed right now. Thanks, DD!

What motivates you?

Not So Super Ads

IN THE NEWS: According to the the Press of Atlantic City, Saturday, an eight month pregnant woman playing the penny slots at Resorts in Atlantic City started to feel labor pains that she mistook for gas. Wrong! A little while later the woman's water broke and she ended up giving birth to a 5lb boy on the casino floor. Both baby and mom are doing fine.

Well, aside from the opening kick-off, the Superbowl wasn't very exciting. But I'm very happy the Colts won--particularly since they dominated the game and it would have been a shame if they'd lost because of the weather and how slippery the ball was.

So let's get down to the real poop: the commercials.

My hubby and I thought it was a weak year for them. I actually ended up reading the paper (hence the Atlantic City news above) during the commercials because I started to get bored. I expected to laugh and be entertained between the game and instead I ended up hoping they weren't going to replay some of them.

But two caught my attention and tickled my funny bone. Coincidentally, they were both Bud Light commercials. In the second quarter, it was "The Slap" and in the 4th quarter, it was "The Hitchhiker". For a laugh, check them out: http://sports.aol.com/nfl/superbowlads

What was your favorite commercial?

Superbowl Time!

MENTAL STATUS: "Not all there". The hubby and I had a "date" night last night, so I had a margarita at the restaurant. Since I am a light-weight, I'm paying for it today. Despite this feeling, I am judging some queries over at Romance Divas. So if I scored you low, I blame loss of a few brain cells.


Well, the hubby and I are staying in to watch the Superbowl in the privacy of our own living room. But in honor of the festive event, I am making my "cheesy meatball lasagna". I have a nice salad, bread sticks, and even dessert to go along with that, too.

Yes, I know that doesn't sound diet friendly, but what can you do? Sometimes you need comfort food--especially when the Eagles and the Patriots are not playing. But I digress...

I have no real "stake" in the game, since my two teams are not in the Superbowl (did I mention that already?). So I must decide by some other means a team to cheer on.

Either coach could be the first African-American coach to win a Superbowl, both seem like nice guys and are men of faith; neither team has a particularly attractive quarterback. Hmm.

So if I have to root for a team, I'm going to have to go with...



Which means they will probably lose now that I've written this. So let's hope there's some really good TV commercials on.

Will you be watching? And if you are, are you watching for the commercials or the football?

Crazy for You??

IN THE NEWS: According to Fox News, "Pillow-fights are no longer reserved for pajama parties and pre-teen girls. Now, adult women are getting involved, and it's getting serious." There's actually a pillow-fight league for this new sport, and it's taking Toronto by storm. If you don't believe me, click here.
(Hey, I think this would finally be a sport I could be good at.)


I had some major work done on my "problem" tooth yesterday (#30 for all you dental buffs) Anyway, as I was on my way to the endodontist, I got stuck behind a car doing 40 m/h in a 50m/h zone. **sigh**

Now, I'm a go-with-the-flow type of person and would normally just end up doing 40 too. But I was late.

Really late. Okay, not that late, but late enough.

I cannot stand being late for ANYTHING. It's a pet peeve. I start to get that claustrophobic tight in the chest area shortness of breath, my pulse spikes up way above it's normal 52 beats per minute (I know that's low, by the way) and all I can think about is getting away from that car standing in my way of perfect un-late attendance.

What can I say? I've got issues. But I can't help it. It drives me crazy.

But this sudden revelation of what drives me crazy prompted me to think back on some of the conversations I've had with my hubby on things I do that drive him crazy.

What? You mean I'm not as perfect as I thought I was? Hmm.

Here's a few examples of what drives him crazy:

1) I "clean his bathroom too much". **(This was before my daughter and we "spread out" in our house ) But my question is: How can you clean a bathroom TOO much, anyway?

2) I "hog the computer". **Oh. Well, this is true. But hardly enough of a reason to drive someone crazy, right? Uh, right? RIGHT??

3) I constantly leave the microwave in "please stir" position and when my hubby checks the microwave, he can never see what time it is. **I admit that is my laziness at its peak. You see it's much more efficient to punch the "beverage" button once or twice to heat something up than to spend time thinking how long something is going to take to heat and then pushing in those numbers, which will require more than two punches on the keypad anyway. So you see? Efficient.

Yeah, he didn't buy it either.

What drives you crazy?