More to Come

I so totally was supposed to blog before I left Washington. And it so totally didn't happen. But rest assured I have a lot to blog about. There was Memorial Day weekend at work. Then there was the airport experience. And up to now, there are pictures and stories to tell about Florida. And I'm only on my 3rd day of the trip!!! So, rest assured, there will be more :). It is, after all, the Nilla Life we're talking about here :).

The Life and Times of the Nilla Wafer

Day-in, day-out... Life is full of surprises and twists and turns. And somehow I end up a week from my last blog post. On the up-side, at least I made a list of things to blog about :). Which should segue nicely into one of my points:

My lists. I'm so crazy. I made another list to keep me on track. And in case you were wondering, "clean room" became item one on the new list, since I didn't actually get to it last week. It remains one of the only 2 things left on my current list. And blogging is the other one. Hahahaha... Anyway. So, on my new list, one of my items was: make vacation list. I think I have issues. I put a list on a list. How classic is that? Oh, and by the way... As indicated previously, I have crossed that item off as having been accomplished :).

On Friday night, we went to the Temple. And since, on the way there, my sister and I had a lengthy text conversation (and I'm not a texter normally), which will end up being rather costly for me, I decided to get a text package for her phone and my phone. I guess I'm moving up in the world. I will only use it in certain circumstances, but I still prefer the talking. Just sometimes, you can't have a conversation out loud. So, Christina and I enjoyed our texting conversation. As I was adding this text package last night at Christina's work, I also learned that Alltell and Verizon people can now talk to each other for free!!! So now Julie and I can have our daily hour-long conversations if we want to :). Until my phone dies, of course. Which usually takes all of 10 minutes. I was also hoping to upgrade my phone last night. Sadly, I can only do it at this point by going to a Verizon store or online. But they don't have any good phones for free. And I am too cheap (frugal) to pay for it at all. So, I'll wait until July 29 when I can get the free upgrade at Christina's store. Maybe they'll have some good phones then. Actually, I want one with a full qwerty keypad for texting purposes. Because even if I only send a total of 1, I like the keyboard layout better than the number pad layout.

Sad news... Julie called me on Monday to tell me that NKOTB had cancelled their Tampa concert. It's not the only concert that got cancelled, but it's the one that mattered to us. To say we are slightly disappointed would be an understatement. But regardless, my ticket is bought, so I'm headed that way. And Julie and I will have a blast anyway, so not true tragedy. Would've been a great memory for she and I to share. But, life happens. So you just go with it.

Which leads me to my next topic... Our fabulous 80s Par-tay! I'm such a geek, I know. But anyway... I have gotten so many awesome comments and ideas from all sorts of sources!!! It ended up that we are going to branch out a little on our food theme. And you will totally get it when you see what we have so far. Oh, and keep in mind we won't be using all of these, but they are so creative, I have to add them all. And also, if you have any other ideas, pass them along!!! We like lots of options!!!

• Cabbage Patch Kid rolls (maybe)
• reese's pieces (they came out with E.T.)
• TAB soda
• Pretty in Pink lemonade
• He-Manwich (probably won't use this one, since we don't know if anyone will eat it, but isn't it awesome???)
• cheez-whiz in a can (have to investigate further about whether or not this came out in the 80s)
• Raspberry Beret jell-o jigglers (possibly shaping the jigglers like a beret?)
• Oreo truffle shuffle (from Goonies)
• Bananarama (something with bananas...)
• Cowabunga Pizza (from Ninja Turtles) (maybe we can make our own and cut pepperoni in fish shapes... Because I don't do anchovies)

These aren't our only options, of course. These are just additional things people have suggested, and I think they are great. It's going to be totally radically awesome. No doubt. And Julie and Alysha have their outfits and have gotten me some 80s accessories. I'm soooo excited.

I smashed my finger in my car door the other night. It didn't feel pretty. And it was pretty flat when I finally got it out. Imagine me standing there, with my middle finger trapped at the top corner of the car door, trying to use my mouth and my left hand to get my door-lock key so that I could unlock my car door, open it, and free my finger. OUCH. I have a nice bruise right around the knuckle of my middle finger on my right hand. It hurt just a little bit.

Scrubs had their series finale. Or I think they did. I hear rumors that they are going to try to keep the show running with a different cast. I probably won't watch it. I have to say, the way they ended the series was classic. Perfect. Everything the Nilla Wafer could want. It ended well, to say the least. And, I heard a song I'd never heard before. And I love the song. And so you should listen here. It's a very very pretty song. I'm a sucker for romance. Anyway, I loved Scrubs. I know it had gotten kind of raunchy. But I loved the show. I will miss it, and watching the finale was kind of bittersweet.

And finally... I went ahead and bit the bullet. I decided that I am, in fact, going to go to the CZ reunion this year. And so, I bought my ticket today for Atlanta. And I'll be going from July 1 to July 7. And I will see people I would have graduated with if I'd have stayed in Panama. And, I'll be making memories. And that's what life is all about, right? And who knows what's around the corner? I might be 8 months pregnant next year when reunion comes around and not have the opportunity to go. Hahahaha... Okay, so not a likely scenario, of course. Because I'd kind of have to have a quick romance and marriage. But... You get my point :). I have learned the value of grabbing life by the horns and the truth in carpe diem!

I'll be having a busy couple of weeks here, so don't be surprised if you don't see many blog posts... I'm actually having a vaneopolitan kind of life lately ;). Thanks, Jessica, for that ice cream flavor analogy!!! Hahaha.

To All the Great Mothers I Know

Happy Mother's Day!!! I hope you have all had a special day :)!!! I am not going to list you all, because it would be one of my never-ending lists :). But I know each of you, and I am in awe of the great mothers you are :). Okay, so Happy Mother's Day!!!

I got my mom Baby Boom on DVD. Because it's a cute movie. And I know she'll probably cry in the same spots I did about a year and a half ago :).

Of course, I also bought myself Where the Heart Is. I love that movie. Love it.

Today, I forced myself to write a list of things I need to do. It helps me be accountable. I have crossed off several items. There are still some major ones that need doing. Like cleaning (de-cluttering) this room. I'll be honest. That one will probably happen last :). See, I'm blogging now. And that's item #1 on the list. I do have my priorities, you know :).

So, in the mail the other day, I got a letter to do a survey since I recently graduated from library school. In the letter was a crisp new $2 bill. Too cool. I'm not spending it. I'm saving it. I mean, how often do you see a $2 bill? And I don't know that I've ever seen one that is brand spankin' new! So, of course, I felt obligated to do the survey. Probably the point of the money. Eh... 15 minutes of my life wasn't much. Oh, and FYI -- that item wasn't on my list (doing the survey), but since I did the survey, I added it to my list, and then crossed it off. I'm a touch neurotic.

Wow. When I put my life in writing, it really doesn't look very exciting! But oh well.

Oh!! I am calling on my brain trust. Which includes you, if you are reading this. I need your help!! Julie and I are planning an 80s bash to end all 80s bashes. Or something like that. Because we are going to see the New Kids. But anyway, we thought it would be fun to do the food theme thing, if possible. So, anybody have any good ideas for foods that came out or were popular in the 80s? One place suggested Tang drink. I think we're going with that. My only thought was TAB soda. I've never had it, and I don't even know if I could find it for sale anywhere. But, it's what came to my mind. So anyway... Give me your feedback!!! I'm hoping to swing by Grocery Outlet at some point and see if they still have BooBerry cereal. Brad found some there about a month or so ago... Hmmmm... It was cheap, too. Okay, now I'm just blabbing. I'm done.

Oh, except for this... While searching for 80s food ideas, I came across this picture:

Finally proof that this stuff did exist!!! I'd been googling it for a while, but never got hits, as odd as that is. I remember one time, a couple days before the start of school, Brad, Christina, and I had to spend the day with my mom at Diablo Elementary School. She was working with the Special Education department at that time, and I was probably going into 5th or 6th grade. And we got commissary priveleges, which was a big deal. And so were tv dinner things. And so that day, as a treat for us, my mom bought us these, along with the milkshakes and hamburgers that went with them. I can't tell you if they were really good, though. I don't remember. But, to my 11 or 12-year old mind, I'm betting they were the best thing ever. And finding this picture and having proof of an awesome memory? Even better.

My Life in Snippets

It's late. And I'm tired. But, I promised my cousin -- you know: the one, the only, the fabulously great Elka -- that I'd update for her benefit. So, here are a few snippets from my last few days...

Went to another Twilight party. There were 6 of us there, all ladies from church. We watched the movie again and pigged-out on junk food. Seriously. I'm still feeling like a heifer, and it's been 2 days. UGH.

Walked with Sue. Which always feels great, even though I still feel like a heifer. Hahahaha...

Got an awesome calendar from Heidi:


Realized that sometimes I look really bad in pictures.

Worked.

Tried the new Twisted Frosty at Wendy's. I'm assuming they are new. I'd never seen them before. Of course, when was the last time I was at Wendy's? Who knows... Anyway, I got a chocolate frosty with cookie dough. It was okay. Probably not worth the $2 and change I paid for it. But whatever.

Worked on applications for a library job. And then found out about another one that I will be working on applying for. And that is grammatically incorrect.

I'm [Walking] in the Rain

For the lovers of musicals out there... This is my song-title post song. I suppose I could've been singing in the rain. But, I didn't do that. I did, however, walk in it today ;). I'll get there.

Today was Monday. But, it didn't feel like Monday. Perhaps it was the way I woke up. I literally woke up laughing. Let me tell you about it. Okay, so I had a weird dream. About five of us were going to a company function. I only remember 3 of the five. Me, my mom, and Buck. I know there were 2 others, because I remember us sitting at a table with 5 chairs, and that we all had a chair. I just don't remember who the other 2 were. So I don't know why, but in the dream, Buck had shoulder-length hair and he was wearing a suit. Only the suit had stripes that were kind of disco-ballish. Like, they would shimmer different colors when he would move. And okay, you have to know Buck to know this is nothing like him. So that in and of itself is hilarious. Anyway, so right after we get seated, Buck stands up and is waiting because he's been asked to assist on an autopsy. Okay, Buck is in charge of the grounds at the cemetery, so he has nothing to do with anything like that. And we don't do autopsies at the funeral home. So this is just random Nilla-brain stuff. But anyway, finally this door opens and this huge procession, carrying a casket, marches by our table, and Buck goes with them. Then another huge procession comes through the doors. I'm talking about people in choir robes, singing. And it was like a Christmas song. Only it was really peppy, beat-wise. And so suddenly the chairs were bouncing up and down to the beat of the music. And my mom fell off her chair. And she and I were laughing. And that's when I woke up, and I was literally laughing as I woke up. And that was even weirder! Now, I've had dreams before that were upsetting and so real that I was crying in the dream, and I woke up breathing hard like I had been crying for real. But this was the first time I literally woke up with my shoulders shaking, because I was actually laughing along with my dream, for real. Hahahaha.... Toooo funny! My mind is weird.

Anyway, so I went to work, and I got a lot accomplished today. I went to Taco Bell with John for lunch, and then I worked some more. And by the end of the day, it was raining. Not the typical drizzle that is Washington State. But actual raindrops. Not huge downpours, of course. But harder than an Alabama sprinkle ;). So, my church walking buddies cancelled. But, Sue from work was still going to walk. So, I joined her. Shoot, I've been motivated to walk lately. So, I'm going to go ahead and grasp that feeling :). And so, this is how wet I got from all that rain:


Anyway, so that's it. Nothing else to report :). Just crazy Nilla Wafer stuff.

100 Things About Me -- Part 9 of 10

So, before long, it will be a year since I started this list. I guess that's what happens when I'm not sitting bored in a little cubicle at work. In an effort to maintain a semi-current blog, I will do a post :). Also because I've thought of some more quirky things about me :). Go ahead and laugh. I know I do.

81. I am an extrovert. There was a time in my life when I would have said I was an introvert. I think I didn't know what the two words meant. Because I am definitely an extrovert. I love to socialize. I thrive on socialization. Now, I'm not a party-girl or anything like that. I don't like massive groups of people I don't know. But, I like being with other people. I like finding people with whom I click and hanging out with them. I love to run my mouth and talk.
82. If you know me well enough (or if you are reading this), you know that you can tell I'm annoyed/angry/irritated when I set my jaw. It was pointed out to me once. And since then, I've noticed that it is true. If you're like me and like visuals... This is what I look like when I'm annoyed/irritated/mad. I saw this as I was going through some pictures, and I laughed my butt off. I have no idea why I was mad in this picture. But it cracked me up that I was caught on film this way. 83. I do not like cole slaw. I do, however, like the cole-slaw-ish mix they have at Japanese steakhouses that they kind of stir-fry up and add soy sauce to. So, my conclusion is that the problem with cole slaw is the mayo. Which shouldn't surprise me, since I don't like mayo. And I actually addressed that issue in a prior entry of my 100 things about me.
84. When I was in 6th grade I won a trophy (a plastic one, but a trophy nonetheless) for Math Olympiad. I was shocked and didn't see it coming. It was the one and only awards ceremony my mom forgot to attend. She felt hideously guilty afterwards -- especially when she found out about the trophy. I still have the trophy.
85. I like white meat chicken. And pretty much only the breast meat. And I love fried chicken breasts. Soooo good.
86. At Popeye's or KFC, I save the biscuit for last. Because it is the best part.
87. I prefer cats to dogs, because cats are cleaner. At least, in my opinion.
88. In my life, I (or my family and I) have had 13 cats: Citter, Sandy, Friskie, Mittens, Tigger, Jungle Cat, Garfield, Shadow, Smokey, Socks, Max, Smudge, Maliante. The most we ever had at one time was 8. And that only lasted a week, because Mittens died about a week after Max showed up.
89. I like clean-cut, clean-shaven men. I've never been particularly attracted to facial hair or long hair.
90. I can't listen to music while I'm reading. I get too distracted and want to sing along.