Two of a Kind

On Sunday night, I bought a lemon pepper chicken at the store. I took off the white meat for the week and decided to let Kelly lick up what was left. She just started devouring everything until I took it away. I didn't think much of it.

Monday afternoon I came home to find some interesting brown spots on the dining room rug! I looked at her, and said, "If you're going to vomit, can you at least wait until we are outside, or can you do it on the linoleum floor like I do when I'm too drunk?? She gave me a guilty face that said, "I couldn't help it..." After using spot remover, wipes and carpet freshener, it came out pretty well. When I was done, I went to lay down on my bed, and she cuddled up next to me. I think it was her way of apologizing.

I really can't be angry. It is partly my fault for letting her devour chicken scraps, which I have never done. And, I have vomited in some pretty interesting places back in the day, so I can relate.

I Have a Dog!

As of this week I became a dog owner to a cute yellow lab named Kelly. She is nine, and we are big buddies! She loves to play fetch in my backyard and take walks in the neighborhood. Sometimes she drives me a little nuts, like when she tries to lick my face in the morning or growls at other dogs, but I'm hoping she will become accustomed to city life. She was my brother's dog, but, now she has a new home...with me. :)

It's a Girl!

No, not for me.
My brother and sister-in-law know they are having a girl, in additional to their one-year-old twins! This will even up the boy-girl ratio for grandchildren in our family. Right now I have six nephews and five nieces, and new baby girl will give us six and six.

The girls were outnumbered for a long time. The first four grand kids were boys (Bill, Logan, Bobby, Jack), so when Kate came along, we were pretty excited. My sisters and I bought her every pink doll, dress and barbie we could get our hands on. We were excited for a baby girl.

Then four years later came McKenzie. In three years, Isabella. In the last 1.5 years, we got Ben, Elle and Jack (twins) and little Mary. In July, another girl!

I love my nephews dearly, but....
Girls rule!!!

Vacation-itis

I am suffering from Vacation-itis. This is when you are in major need of a vacation and are itching to get away!
Thank goodness I am leaving town for a few days on Friday to see Tara in Texas. Hopefully the weather will be even warmer than it is here. I always think the only thing you should debate on vacation is what kind of drink you should order. Any decisions more difficult than that...and it's NOT a vacation!

Not Today

My mom was recently babysitting my niece and nephew, Isabella and Ben. Ben is just over a year, and his sister is almost 1.5 years. Yes, they are very close in age! When my mom said to her in the afternoon, "Come on Isabella, it's time to take a nap....." She shook her head and said, "not today." Ha! She did end up taking a nap, and a pretty long one. But she also doesn't like to all the time.

Isabella is getting to be pretty smart, and she doesn't act like a 1.5-year-old. I laugh when I think of her saying it, and I like the bluntness to it as well. How much would we just all love to say that when we really feel like it?

May I please have some ketchup with that? Not today.
Are you going to get me that report that I asked for? Not today.
Does my butt look big in these pants? Not today.
Are you dieting? Not today.

Maybe tomorrow, but not today.

A Day in the Age of...

I had a nice happy moment this week.

After cardio kickboxing on Tuesday at the Y, the instructor, this other guy Eddie, and myself were chatting. The instructor said to me, "May I ask how old you are?"

Oh no.

Me: "Um, Suuuurrreeeee," I said, slowly. "I'm 30,......actually. Like, just turned...in October. Really recently. Yeah, just lately. My bday was like, yesterday. Well, not really, but who's counting days?"
Her: Really?
Me (inside my head): She thinks I'm 37. She thinks I'm 33. She thinks I'm older than I am. Be strong. You can take it.
Her: You don't seem 30 at all! Yeah, I would've guessed 27, maybe 28. Totally.

Yay, I made a new friend today! :)

Bring it Back

Five Things Tara and I Would Like to See Back:

1. Six-pack: I loved the six-pack of soda. Who carries it anymore? Now all they have is the 12-case, the 24-case or the refrigerator-friendly case thingy. Even better was the 8-pack 12-oz glass bottles. Soda (and beer) always taste better in a glass bottle. Back in the day, you could bring those back to Krakow IGA and get a refund. Sweet.

2. The Busy Signal: Call Waiting, schmaiting! I don't like call waiting. I don't really like putting people on call waiting, and I don't like being put on call waiting. And when is the proper time to hang up when the person doesn't come back? 30 seconds? 1 minute? 2 minutes? When I still had my land line, I didn't have any features on it, including call waiting. I had the good ole'fashioned busy signal! The crazy thing is, I don't even mind it when I hear a busy signal. You know what I do when I hear a busy signal? I hang up, wait 15 minutes, and call back. And if I hear it again? I wait again and call back. I love that annoying little beep that doesn't stop. I don't think we always need to be available 24-7. The busy signal is a polite way of signifying, "You know what, I'm BUSY talking to someone else. Call me again when I'm not."

3. Traditional bar: We love traditional bar. Tara and I can go to a bar and sit in the same two spots for hours. We watch people come and go. In this day and age of booths, tables, posh couches, being wallflowers, etc., nothing beats sitting right at the bar. Not only do you usually get the better service, but it's where all the action is. It's also a great way to meet men. Men like drinks, and the one thing between them and their drinks is....YOU. Hmmmm...

4. Layaway: This is more of a Tara thing. I've never actually done layaway, but apparently it was very well-received in her family. She said Shopko doesn't even do it anymore. According to her, layaway worked like this: If you're at Shopko and want to put a bike on layaway, you put down a deposit, and they keep it for you until you pay it off. I said to her, "what about credit cards, or payment plans? With those things at least you get what you want right away." She said, "I don't want it right away, and I don't want the big interest rates. I just want it held for me behind the counter until I can pay for it." Ok...Apparently this is a dying trend now with credit card use, payment options and gift cards.

5. Gas Station Attendants: When it's this bitter cold outside, I'd pay $5 extra just for someone to fill the gas tank. I'd pay $8 if they wash my windshield, too. Heck, $10 to run inside and bring me some hot coffee.