Monday, July 31, 2006

Lobstah's Meme and Serial Flasher

Oh, fine, Monsty. I forgot to put the cheese out today. No need to make an issue out of it. *rummages through fridge* How does Shrimp, feta and tomatoes sound for lunch?

So I know a serial flasher. He's been exposing himself to women allover Madison. He even grabbed a few oobies. http://www.channel3000.com/news/9595091/detail.html
I went to high school with him. His brother was friends of some of my friends and thus the brothers hung out with us on drinking nights. Their siblings carried out booze for us a lot. My friend even dated the flasher. We always knew he wasn't quite right & couldn't figure out why she dated him.

So anyway, from Monsty's blog, I give you this meme.


What curse word do you use the most?
I would say I use shit and damn the most. I use "WTF?" a lot, too.

Do you own an I Pod?

No, and I'm quite bitter about it. My new treadmill habit means I need an Ipod.

What time is your alarm clock set for?
6:25 I think, but I get up at 6:10.

What color is your room?
Some medium green tone that Chris picked out. I like it well enough.

Flip flops or sneakers?
It pains me to say flip flops. I like having my toes exposed & you can dress up flip flops a bit. Tennis shoes always look like tennis shoes.

Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
Take it.

What was the last movie you watched?

A Knight's Tale yesterday. It was funnier than I expected.

Do any of your friends have children?
Um, yes. I would say 60% of them.

Morning bird or night owl?
Neither. Takes me an hour to get conversational in the morning and I'm ready for bed at 10pm.

Do you ever take medication to help you sleep better?
I tried OTC stuff & it doesn't work for me.

What CD is currently in your CD player?
At home for working out it's INXS Live Baby Live with Velvet Revolver waiting in the wings. In the car it's O.A.R.

What kind of milk do you drink?
Skim.

Who was the last person to call you on the phone?
My sister Sandy.

Are you nosey?

I like good gossip, but don't go searching it out. I'm not really a snooper.

Are you shy around the opposite sex?
No.

Do you own any band tshirts?
If I looked through my old t-shirt drawers I could find a Stone Temple Pilots tee. I think that was the only concert t-shirt I ever bought.

What is your favorite salad dressing?

Applebee's Low Fat Asian. As for regular store bought, I'll go with Hidden Valley Ranch. I do like a good Vidalia Onion or citrus, also.

Do you cry a lot?
No, just for sappy movies or tv shows. If I cry otherwise, it's usually out of anger or being insulted.

Who was the last person to text you a message?
Nobody. I don't use my phone for that.

Desk top or lap top?

I prefer a desktop. Laptops are too sensitive on their keypads.

Do you have any tatoos or unique peircings?
Nope. I don't even have my ears pierced. Those round ear-stretching piercings literally gross me out, btw. I forget what they are called.

Would you ever date someone with tatoos?

Is his name JD Fortune? Seriously, I would. I don't particularly like tatoos, but if I liked the person I'd date them.

Is sex before marriage wrong?
No.

When was the last time you slept on the floor?
Probably about 6 months ago at my BIL's place. Chris was snoring horribly and on the floor of their office was the only place to go.

How old will you be at your next birthday?
30

Do you like cottage cheese?
Yes, very much.

What will be your next big purchase?
Either stuff for finishing our basement, a Kitchen Aid stand mixer or an ultra-light kit for Chris. As you can see, it depends on if I win the lottery or not as to which comes first.

Last wicked fun thing you did?
Laughed at my friend for dating the serial flasher.

Friday, July 28, 2006

More pics!

I'm going to gain 80 lbs on my trip to San Fransico & Napa. I've been doing a little online research & everything looks fabulous. I can already tell I'll want to go back.

More Niagara pics!

Meemo, Catt & I having a threesome:



Jimbo looking very stoic:


Baby Alex with the cutest, funniest look. CQ says she always does this when the red light on the camera shows up:


Mystic & Lights (no thats not JUST a soda she's drinking, her traveling minibar added to that):


Byoffer warming his hands by the fake fireplace in the sweet suite:

Trip Solved & Some pics

I decided to post some random peep meet pics on this post since It won't let me add (even by copying html) onto the other post. And my San Fran trip is all fixed. We are now flying in on Thursday and leaving Wed. Friday we are going to Napa Valley (suggestions are very welcome on places to go in Napa). Saturday I'll work half the day and then my conference runs from Sun afternoon to Wed. But there will be plenty o' time for peep meeting, don't you worry! We're staying at the Rennaisance Parc 55, as I was too pokey to get the one right next to the convention center. It looks like a decent hotel, though. Maybe not $212/night decent, but whatever. It's for work.


PICS (it's only letting me add three to my post. Grr. More later today):



Thursday, July 27, 2006

More Blog Game!

Let's eat some cheesy nachos & play more blog game.

I would go on The Amazing Race with:
I’d let _____ be my personal gift shopper.
I’d ask ______ to bring the wine to dinner.
I’d play Dance Dance Revolution with:
I’d have ______ write my biography.
I’d let ______ load up my I-pod.
I’d want _____ to be my Scene It movie game partner.
I’d let ______ plan my wedding.
I’d go to the county fair with:
I’d ask _____ to help me fix my broken dishwasher.
I nominate _______ as a contestant on Fear Factor.

DebCapsFan
Buggy
Mon Cherie
CSTL
CQ
Lights
Luna
Rose
Silvergirl
Sonya
BONUS: insert name of your own choosing.

Oh, and my SF trip is getting all fuckered up. Now, I have to conduct a focus group on Saturday (which was Napa Valley day for Chris and I). So we might come on Thursday and do Napa on Friday. Probably less crowded then, anyway. It's only a $25 changeover fee, so maybe...Grrr. Wish this didn't come up.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Heart Attack on a Bun

Today I'm serving burgers! Bacon cheeseburgers with an additional slice of breaded, deep fried provolone on it with a dipping sauce on the side of chipotle queso. What? Makes you want to barf?

It's what Nolay ordered last night for dinner.

Discuss.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Update & Your Media Purchases

Creamy Gloucester and thin, crisp crackers today, boys & girls.

I had yesterday off & didn't get much accomplished. Laid some patio pavers, read some of my book (Under the Banner of Heaven for our OT Book Club), watched a little of Big Fish & putzed around. Chris was at the annual EAA convention & fly-in all day, so it was nice to have a little time to myself. Well, myself & the needy cats. Tonight, if it's raining, I think I'll work on cleaning the basement while Chris gets the boat (that we are boatsitting) in the garage.

So, you readers, music listeners & movie watchers, how do you prefer/tend to purchase your media?

Books: I like to purchased used copies from the used bookstore or amazon.com.

Music: If BMG has a good sale, I'll buy a new cd from there. Otherwise, most of my music is either purchased from the used cd store or bought via downloads online.

Movies: I don't buy movies. Ok, once in a blue moon I'll buy a tv series on dvd, but that is it.

And you?

Update & Question About Media

Creamy Gloucester and thin, crisp crackers today, boys & girls.

I had yesterday off & didn't get much accomplished. Laid some patio pavers, read some of my book (Under the Banner of Heaven for our OT Book Club), watched a little of Big Fish & putzed around. Chris was at the annual EAA convention & fly-in all day, so it was nice to have a little time to myself. Well, myself & the needy cats. Tonight, if it's raining, I think I'll work on cleaning the basement while Chris gets the boat (that we are boatsitting) in the garage.

So, you readers, music listeners & movie watchers, how do you prefer/tend to purchase your media?

Books: I like to purchased used copies from the used bookstore or amazon.com.

Music: If BMG has a good sale, I'll buy a new cd from there. Otherwise, most of my music is either purchased from the used cd store or bought via downloads online.

Movies: I don't buy movies. Ok, once in a blue moon I'll buy a tv series on dvd, but that is it.

And you?

Friday, July 21, 2006

Time to write the report!

Some of you might not like this, but it's really what I actually have today. It's a low fat banana cake with a relly light smear of cream cheese frosting. I had over-ripe bananas to use up.

I told my boss she could work on the report this weekend & I'd get her what I have done by the end of the day. I work well under pressure, so this is good.

Last night, Chris turned up the PSI on our water pressure tank a little too high. The tractor spinkler just wasn't moving fast enough for him. A leak developed at the tank & pipe connection. Time to call the plumber.

I get to eat sushi for lunch. Ok, it's grocery store sushi, but it's better than no sushi at all. I will be looking for a combo pack of tuna, salmon, veggie and shrimp. Our former student worker is visiting us for lunch. I normally don't eat out this much in one week, so this is fun!

Oh, and by the way, my lunch from yesterday: The restaurant was more Middle Eastern than Mediterranean. I had flatbread topped with grilled chicken and onions and a sauce of yougurt, lemon and curry powder, then grilled (it looked like a pizza). Unique presentation and good flavor, but it was hard to physically eat. It wouldn't cut well with my table knife.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Not sure what to write about.

Beer cheese soup with big homemade croutons for your dining pleasure.

I'm lacking focus, so I'll just write a blip about things going on.

1. Patio
The first row of pavers is laid. This thing is going to be large. I suspect it will be weeks before we are done. The first row was the most difficult (other than the cutout for the firepit), so the rest should be fairly smooth sailing. I'd like to seal it, but I don't think that will happen. Chris is much more concerned about sealing the garage floor.

2. Storms last night
A huge storm ripped through the Midwest last night. We were hit around 2 a.m. Winds were insane, rain & hail were pelting for a long time and there was a constant barrage of lightening. Lots of road litter and stop lights out of order today. Well, we DID need the rain.

3. MIL
She sent us a letter defending her rude and insane actions from last weekend (the incident with my sister up north). She just doesn't get it. "No more being a doormat" and "standing up" for herself doesn't mean being rude, bitchy and unreasonable. She brought my niece and nephew to tears when she started raging. Very mother & pastor-like, don't you think? *rolls eyes*

4. The report
I have a project report to write by the end of the month & am having a seriously hard time delving in. I wrote exactly one page yesterday. One. I expect it will be around 20. 19 more to go. *head hits desk*

Hope you have a good day. I have a feeling mine will be ho-hum. It's still gloomy outside & I still have no energy. However, I am having lunch with some coworkers at a tiny Mediteranean place today. It's somewhere I've never been & I love trying new restaurants, so yay for that.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Things that please me.

A good sharp cheddar with a glass of wine pleases me. Here, share.

If you haven't played my blog name game yet, read the two posts below.

2 things last night that I bought:
Harry & David Pear Bites. They are chocolate covered dried pear bits in ball form. Sooooooo yummy.

New underwear. I need to throw old yucky ones away. New underwear just feel good. I almost got ones that said Texas on them for Texas peeps, but they had a weird saying on the butt. I got some cute California ones that had no silly saying on the butt. So, um, I'll think of all the CA when I put on those underwear. That's creepy, isn't it?

Bra question: Do you always buy the same size bra or do different brands/styles fit you differently?

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Blog Game Pt. Duex

Provolone & a Port Wine Cheeseball today.

It's the second round of the blog game, and for your ease, this list is shorter.

I would go to a fancy New Year’s Eve party with:
I would ask ____ for a restaurant suggestion.
I would learn how to skydive with:
I would ask _____ to make a gift to give to my mother.
I would have ____ balance my checkbook.
I go to a sports event with:
I would let _____ pick out my wardrobe.
I would form a Survivor alliance with:
I would go camping with:
I would have _____ house/pet sit while I was gone.
I want _______ to be my officemate.

MTW
Breezy
Glow
Miamicatt
Lasann
Monsty
Jen
Nutz
Volsfan
Tkit
MM

Monday, July 17, 2006

Blog Game!

I'll give you a random group of bloggers & you fill in these sentences with their names. Each name can only be used once!

I’d go out to a quiet dinner with ________.
I’d go out for a wild night of partying with _______.
I’d make _____ cook me dinner
I’d go to a party at ______’s house.
I’d go on a trip to the Grand Canyon with _______.
I’d go to the park with _________.
I’d take salsa lessons with:
I’d let ______ take my SATs.
I’d want ____to babysit my children.
I’d swap books with:
I’d have _____ write my resume.
I’d ask _____ to fix my computer.
I’d go to the waterpark with ________.
I’d go shopping with ________.
I’d go to a concert with_________.

NAMES:
Swami
Augie
Nookie
Seana
HistoryDetective
Boo
Zombie
Bob
Coco
Carey
Arkie
Surveysez
Meemo
Puffy
Txmomma

I'll post another this week

Friday, July 14, 2006

Insane MIL & Weekend

I'll let you know when I can get more pics to show up in the Niagara 2 post. In the meantime, have some bonus Dulce de Leche cheesecake & listen to my stories.

My MIL is insane. For years my sister has taken her family up to Chris's mom's lake house for a weekend in the summer. Chris recently worked out a weekend where his mom would be in Chicago (she's a minister & is in Seminary for the summers) & thus my sister & family were ok to stay. MIL knew about this. She just drove up there today (my sister got up there last night, a 3.5 hour drive) & kicked my sister out!

Ok, even if for some reason the weekend got mixed up on one of our ends, did she have to boot my sister out? My sister always fixes things around the house & leaves at least $100 as a "thank you." They always leave the house cleaner than they found it. They'd already fixed the garage door today. Then, as a thanks, they get booted out. WTF?

I've said this before, but one of these days I'm sticking to this: I refuse to go up there anymore & visit her. She makes her place incredibly unwelcoming.

She pulled this weird stunt a few years ago for family friends. The Harpers are a mutual family friend from church days. The kids were friends with Chris and MIL was friends with the whole family. The youngest child visited a few solo weekends with his wife, with MILs permission. Again, they always left some cash & took care of the place. She "mixed up" weekends again & showed up freaking out...saying she knew who D. Harper was & he wasn't the D. Harper she knew and kicked him out. That was especially weird, an Alzheimerish moment. But otherwise, she has always seemed fine.

Ugh.

So anyway, we are laying out paver patio this weekend. It's supposed to be in the 90s & humid. Great. I'll take pictures.

Peep Meet: Niagara Pt. 2

Saturday & Sunday...
Or where good peeps go bad
*******A few more pics are posted then blogger started being mean AGAIN & not letting me upload. So have some Tintern....English white cheddar cheese with shallots & revisit later for MORE pics*****

I'm young, I'm lazy. It was vacation. That's why I opted out of breakfast over on the Canadian side with peeps. I knew we'd catch up later. So while Meemo, the Mystics, the Le Pews, the Lights, Seana family and the Byoffers (I think that was it?) had breakfast, we were just rolling out of bed.

Chris and I got up & walked around the State Park across the street from our hotel. Had some great views of the American Falls & Rapids. Learned a little Niagara Falls history.






Next, it was off to Buffalo while the breakfast crew headed to the zoo. The Maroonclows also went to Buffalo, but on a seperate mission. She wanted shoes for THE dress. We wanted wings. We went to the Anchor Bar & Grill, home of the original Buffalo wing.

We also wanted a weck, which Buffalo is famous for. What's a weck? It's a roast beef sandwich on a kimmelweck roll (a uniquely textured roll with salt & caraway on top). The wings were average, but the weck was outstanding. Looks like it would be a fun bar to hang out at. A pitcher of beer, some fried veggies, about 12 wings & a weck later (all shared), we walked out completely & utterly full. Buffalo was interesting. Had some nice areas & some more industrial areas. Lots of little colleges scattered around.

Next is was off to find some brew in St. Catherines. Well, Chris failed to write down the name of the place we wanted to check out & due to a festival downtown, we failed on our mission. So we called to see what everyone else was up to. The Lightsies were heading back to their hotel to grab a drink & dress for dinner. We had brought along dinner clothes & needed to change too. So we headed to their hotel & relaxed for a bit. I learned Mr. Lights is crafty & our Lights is the keeper of the lawn mower. Mr. Lights has a job to do: Make Lights a cupholder for her lawnmower. Why does she need a cupholder? This woman is a fool for Southern Comfort & Cokes. So much so that she has a "travel pack" of SoCo. She has little mini liquor bottles that she refills with SoCo & puts them in a Ziploc bag. She was pleased that we were bringing a cooler & she could pack those in for our late night drinking in the Sweet Suite (Catt's room).

We packed up for the evening into our truck (where we again heard Mr. Lights complain about the Zoom Zoom rental car). We parked in the Casino where it was free with a Player's Club Card. This meant we had to roam the Casino. I went in & signed up for the card while the gentleman asked me about Chocolate Cheese from Wisconsin. Apparently he hasn't visited my blog....or HAS he? I also exchanged REAL money for that silly Canadian Monopoly money. :-) The casino looked fun, but it's not really my thing. Then Chris wanted to buy some um, fine Canadian (or some other "C" place) cigars so we shopped for that in the casino complex.

Next up was Cafe Tu Tu Tango. What a neat place! It's upstairs from Wolfgang Puck's (which I never went to....boo hiss). There is art covering every wall, made by local artisans. It's all for sale, so they encourage you to wander throughout your evening. The menu was tapas style & had some great items. More importantly, you want to hear about peeps.

Waiting for us (we thought WE were early) was cq & babycq! I immediately recognized them once our area was pointed out. Beautiful ladies! Cq was quieter than I expected, but soon found out she just has a quiet voice. We had no problem making conversation, especially with the ADORABLE babycq there! The Maroonclowns, The Meemos & The Le Pews then all arrived at about the same time. Unfortunately, The Meemos & LePews were behind us & we didn't get to chat much. What beautiful people, though! Pene is gorgeous, Pepe seems to have a ton of energy (and is quite handsome himself) and the kids are very outgoing! Mrs. Meemo & baby Meemo have the same beautiful hair & smiles. Wish I'd have made the effort to talk to them a little bit. I was just too wrapped up in our crazy table! Jimbo, Catt, The Mystics, and the Byoffers then arrived. Mystic was busy playing with the kiddos (she has a great knack for that) & I'm not too sure what everyone else was up to. We got a call from Silvergirl who was with her family & looking for the restaurant. After about 15 minutes of direction guiding, Meemo & Chris got her there. She brought starfish shaped chocolates for everyone! How sweet!

Oh, and Seana & family made a quick appearance at dinner just to say hello. They'd had a long, long day & were pooped. So she proved to DH that everyone wasn't imaginary, nor axe murderers, so mission accomplished.

Babybyoffer was wearing his special shirt, made just for this occassion
The Maroonclowns drink like fish (go figure

The LePews

Baby cq apparently always gets freaky eyes when the red light comes on cameras. *giggle* I love this pic

The LePews, Mrs. & Baby Meemo and Seana's family had to leave just as we were done with dinner. It has been a long day for all the kiddos. Byoffer told baby byoffer to suck it up & press on. I kid, I kid. As the rest of us stood on the street, we realized we TOTALLY messed up by not getting a group shot in the restaurant. *Doh!* So those of us that were left found a spot & some nice waitresses on a smoke break to take our picture:

Meemo, Jimbo, Catt and the Maroonclowns & The Mysics went to play at the Casino. The rest of us went for a stroll along the falls. It was a gorgeous night for it. Some random pics:


The Silvergirl family needed to get back to camp, so we said goodbye. Not before I decided Mr. Silvergirl looked like a politican & should run for office. He was a very nice guy & put up with my idiocy (or was it the half gallon of sangria I drank at dinner?) We met back up with the casino peeps & headed back to the Sweet Suite for some drinking & debauchery. Dragonflies had sent candles for everyone so we gave her a call to say "thank you"! Wasn't that sweet? We tried calling some other peeps, but nobody wanted to talk to us. Snobs. We'd brought a cooler of Wisconsin brewed beers for the gang, so Chris had fun being the beer bitch. We also brought leftover wings from The Anchor, so Jimbo was able to enjoy those. We realized Maroonclown had this uncontrollable laugh where she looks like she's going to need CPR eventually. And Catt? A total snorter! Jimbo has a cute giggle.

At the end of the night, we realized a bed "leg" photo was in high order. I don't have pics of that, but if you keep your eyes open, you can find them on blogland or OT. :-)

The next morning, we met up with Catt & Jimbo to take them to the airport, as Buffalo was on our route home. Well, it wouldn't be a stop in Canada without trying some Tim Horton's coffee, so we made a point of finding one on our way out. The line was crazy long & the staff not to sharp. But let me tell ya, that's some good effing coffee. Pastries? Meh. Did you know they served sammiches at Tim Horton's? I did not realize. I decided for anyone that hasn't been there, Tim's is much like a Dunkin' Donuts, with lunch. Oh, and what is this crazy "hot smoothie" thing they serve there? Crazy Canucks.

I was very sad as we left the final peeps we saw at the airport. The weekend was officially over. *sniff* I can't WAIT for Peep Meet '07. I SO hope to meet more of the clan!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Peep Meet: Niagara

Friday: Michigan to Niagara Falls
Peep Meeting Frenzy
Mr. Breezy had given us some good directions on our giant map. He drives truck, so his directions were based on where restaurants were. Crazy Mr. Breezy.

We drove up through Canada and crossed into the U.S. at Lewiston. We checked into our hotel where Chris decided he needed a nap. Pbbbbt, I was too excited to be there. I walked around our hotel area to get my bearings. Found the pedestrian path to the Rainbow Bridge, checked out the State Park across the street and found our driving route to the Rainbow Bridge.

I called Meemo, our awesome event coordinator, to get the scoop on the night's adventures. We were meeting at the new Fallsview Casino at 8:00. Chris and I decided to walk over, as the Casino was literally right across the falls from our hotel & didn't look far away once we crossed the bridge. Ha. The streets angle over there & the casino is on top of a hill. Looks were deceiving.

We were the first to arrive at the meeting spot, which was to our advantage. We were easily able to recognize the group walking down the street. I immediately recognized the tall, dark & handsome Meemo, as well at the tall, red-headed handsome Jimbo. It took me a second to recognize Catt because her hair looked blonder in person. Or maybe it was just the sun. *shurg* Catt & Jimbo looked like a fashion advertisement with their matching garb. I couldn't figure out who the beautiful couple with them was. I started running through the list in my head. Nothing was matching up. I had to ask. They were the Maroonclows! Next, I immediately recognized the tall, attractive couple with the cute baby in the stroller. The t-shirt with the big purple ball was a dead giveaway. The byoffers were there!

Immediately everyone was so welcoming and chatty. I got awesome hugs right off the bat. Meemo was busy talking on his pink razar phone, though. We peeps are a bothersome bunch.

Within minutes, a darkly dressed mysterious couple walked towards us & waved. We were too stupid to immediately recognize the woman WEARING THE WOLF SHIRT. *doh!* Of course, within seconds we realized it was the Mysticwolf's!

Around the same time, a cutie single lady came prancing up to the group and it took us a second to figure out it was Seana, checking out the serial killer status of the group. She didn't look at all like a tart nor a boring housewife.

90% of that evenings group was there & the Lightsies were on their way. Chris & Jimbo scouted out a bar/restaurant for us across the street. It had a lovely terrace that was almost empty & a nice casual menu for the many of us that hadn't yet eaten. Perfect!

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mrs. byoffer & baby byoffer. Mrs. byoffer was so nice to talk to. She was curious about all of us and didn't hesitate to make fun of her husband. I think she should post on the boards, don't you? Baby byoffer is a happy, happy kid. He was flirting with all the ladies and dancing to the music that started up & drowned out our conversations. Hey, at least the music was good.

Oh, and Catt threw food at me like some tough chick. Mind you, she was wearing a prairie skirt...how tough can a chick look in that?

A few peeps went for a smoke & ran into the lightsies! I had to wait my turn to hug the bejeezus out of my northernmost buddy! What a wonderful, warm person she is! And Mr. Lights was such a happy, smiling guy, not at all bothered by spending time with us lunatics!

We decided to hit the road back to Catt's fancy suite (ahhh, the sweetness of upgrades) so we didn't have to yell over the music and it was almost time for the promised FIREWORKS. Mrs. byoffer & babybyoffer had gone back to the hotel by that point. Boo. In the Sweet Suite, Magically some beer arrived (thanks Meemo & byoffer!) & I got to have a Keith's....a favorite of JD Fortune. It's like we have a connection now.

Well, Jimbo quickly realized we couldn't actually see the fireworks, however the falls were beautifully illuminated with colored lights & provided an awesome view from the living room of the suite. By that point, we were chatterboxes. Maroonclown had some catching up to do, the boys were talking about birthdays and gay penguins, we all had to make fun of Catt about Hayden & here geekly Star Wars love....you know, it was just like a day on OT! There was no akward conversation lulls or anything. We babbled forever. We talked about the fact that Mystic became a blue peep for Starting Over, yet had never watched the show. She has since watched one episode. Seana and Maroonclown have these silly, larger than life personalities. You always knew when one was near! Seana is queen of the sarcastic quips...easy to see why she found a home at OT. Maroonclown is just a hoot. I can't even describe her personality very well. I guess you'll have to meet her for yourself! Crazy Canadian ladies, indeed. Mystic has this calm demeanor when she talks, yet commands a room. So she sounds all serious, yet will throw in something completely laugh-worthy often. Lightsy spent a lot of time laughing and making silly comments. I missed most of the men's coversations, as they were in the bedroom most of the time. *cricket cricket* Although I didn't note that Jimbo really loosed up as the night went on. Little did I know how much he'd loosen up over the weekend. *snort* Oh yeah, did I mention Catt is a snorter when she laughs? Now whenever I type *snort*, I think of her.

I could've stayed forever that night, but we had a trek back to the U.S. side of the falls. Everyone decided to leave at that point. Meemo offered to give us a ride to the bridge, as he had to go by there anyway to take the Maroonclowns home. About the time he said his car must be on the next level & we'd have to find the staircase, we realized he really could be a serial killer. Uh huh.

We made it home in one piece, it was a beautiful night to walk back to the hotel across the bridge.

Much to your disappointement, I didn't bring my camera on Friday night, so everyone else will have to show you pics from then.
Stay tuned for Saturday...

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Peep Meet: Michigan

Let's have some spicy pepper jack while we hear the spicy dirt from Michigan & Niagara. :-)

THURSDAY: Wisconsin to Michigan
I totally forgot about the time change between the states & called Breezy about an hour after she was expecting us to be there (doh!). After our 6.5 hour drive, we pulled up to the Breezy house...or what we assumed was. There was no house number, so I was just going on her description. A man came to the door as we were walking up.
Me: Are you Mr. Breezy (ok, I used his real name)?
Man: *looks at me with confusion* Who?
Me: I'm looking for Mr. & Mrs. Breezy's house.
Man: *shakes head* I don't know who that is.
Voice in background: Now you know why Carey wants you to kick his butt!

Yep, we had the right house. Mr. Breezy was just being Mr. Mischievious. *kicks his butt*

We immediately felt at home since Breezy had a Packers blanket on the couch and a shrine downstairs (along with her mini green monstah). Breezygirl was so shy at first.

We went outside to enjoy the afternoon. Chris immediately became fixated on the tractor sprinkler. It travels along the hose to water a large lawn space without having to move sprinklers & hoses. Guess was landed on our Monday Menard's shopping trip list? Then Mr. Breezy & Chris started working on one of Mr. Breezy's toys: the Harley. Breezy and I decided drinking on the deck sounded more fun.

One guess what she made for "drinks". Points for the peeps that guessed JELLO SHOTS! And not just a few...a whole 9x13 double stacked pan of them. And they were HUGE. And the blue ones? Totally lethal. She tried to tell us she just used a cup of vodka. I think Breezy lies and was just trying to get us drunk.




Anywhooooo, Breezygirl was cracking me up. She is so smart, confident, beautiful & silly. It's easy to tell what a great relationship she and her mom have.

Ok, guessing time again! Guess what Breezy made for dinner. BEER BUTT CHICKEN! But we had to start the grill first. And the ignition switch wasn't lighting the fire, so Breezy broke out the lighter. But it wasn't one of those long stick lighters, it was just a cigarette lighter. How would THIS help light the grill? She starts mumbling about spaghetti. *boggle* You can't cook spaghetti on the grill, I thought. She triumphantly comes out of the house with a single spaghetti noodle and proceeded to try & light it on fire. I think I about burst my stomach from laughing so hard. After a few minutes, and to my amazement, it actually was on fire & she was able to light the grill. I still think she's crazy.



We ate the yummy dinner while the husbands and some other men tinkered on the bikes. There were sparks flying from the garage & everything. They finally came in & we chatted for hours. We even did a shot of Naners! Oh, and Chris drank some patootie (as we decided to call it) that I hear Clueless is responsible for.

Finally we hit the hay, since I decided Chris looked quite drunk & was really blabbering. :-)

Friday morning we were very sad to say goodbye & that we couldn't force the Breezy's in the truck to come to Niagara Falls (they had a wedding that weekend where Breezygirl was a junior bride).

Breezy is such a laid-back, fun, intelligent and kind person. She and her daughter are both beautiful. They look so much alike! I hope that we'll have another chance to hang out with the Breezy's again!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Peep Meet Appetizer

Flambe'd queso funditio with peppers, chorizo and tomatoes. Grab some tortilla chips & dip in.

We are in Joliet, IL right now. It was time for a rest. Only about a 3.5 hour trip home tomorrow. However we have to stop at Menards on our way home tomorrow & get a tractor sprinkler (thanks an effing lot, Breezy). We're ordering our patio construction supplies, too.

I have a camera full of pictures to share. Our trip was awesome. Breezy was a great hostess. I immediately understood why Carey wanted to kick Mr. Breezy in the butt. But more about that later.

There were beer butts and jello shots in Michigan.

Drinks, drinks, and more drinks in Niagara. The parts in between the first drink and last are all a little fuzzy. Thank Cod Catt got the suite for us to parte' in.

Oh, and those silly Canadians, eh. Let me tell you abooot them....

I'll save all the details for Tuesday. It's about time for bed. We just got back from a local Mexican restaurant that was OUTSTANDING. Nolay made me drink the gigantic (think about 24 oz) margarita. They informed us they drive customers home if needed. *LLMC* (laugh like Maroonclown)

Buenos Noches!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Bob is in charge of the cheese.

If you are looking for cheese, I'm putting Bob in charge while I'm gone. Please, I encourage harassment of Bob. I bet she'll put out some fancy cheese for you if you ask nicely.

My Independence Day weekend was ok. Worked a lot at the theater. Made enough money to pay for vacation between Chris and I. Yay! Went to Chris's brothers & sat around outside. It was ok. Just nice not to be working. However, yesterday morning we were supposed to go boating. Instead, Chris's brother & SIL needed help picking up windows they bought from a flea market. They were heavy double paned windows for a four-season porch that they intended to seperate & use for a greenhouse. Well, that took 2 hours of heavy lifting where FIL hurt his knee quite badly, SIL got some nasty scratches & I had a bungee cut & snap against my knees. Everyone else got some pretty sore backs out of the deal. We just went home after that.

But good news! Tomorrow morning I head out to see Breezy! Then Friday I head out to see lots of OT peeps! Seana is afraid we are all crazy. Well, she's probably right.

Tonight...I get to meet dragonflies, albeit, for about 15 minutes. Yay!