A Meme to re-start

1. Started your own blog - obviously.
2. Slept under the stars – I stayed at the lake regularly in high school
3. Played in a band - Drumline
4. Visited Hawaii- not yet.
5. Watched a meteor shower – in Washington
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/World - been to WDW twice. Both times w/ Kevin & Aaron
8. Climbed a mountain – mm, no. Just camped at the base of one. I've climbed foothills though, which are comparable to mts for Texans!
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo- You do NOT want me to do this.
11. Bungee jumped- Never will
12. Visited Paris- I don’t know that I want to.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea- No F’ing way!
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch – Unless interior decorating counts, no.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables- I grew a tomato this year! I've grown some strawberries as well. Forever ago.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France- this is back to the Paris thing.
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight – I have sisters. Pillows hurt.
22. Hitch hiked- hell no. I watch those movies.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - those are called “mental health days”, everyone needs them.2
4. Built a snow fort- I don’t know that it looked like a fort, but I knew what it was.
25. Held a lamb – Yes. They smell bad and are stupid.
26. Gone skinny dipping – The cops showed up. : /
27. Run a Marathon -
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice- Nope, but Kevin proposed in a Venetian Gondola in Vegas!
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset – my favorites have been from the last house on the back porch and on the cruise.
31. Hit a home run- I suck at almost all sports.
32. Been on a cruise – Yeah. I watched sunsets there, remember?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors- This confuses me. The Indian part, yes. The Irish/ German part, no.
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language- I know Spanish but I didn’t teach myself.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied- there’s always more, but it’s about more than money. I am so thankful for what I have.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing- Does indoor rock climbing count? I’ve done that.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke – What was that club we used to go to?
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - we made a point to do this in S Padre.
46. Been transported in an ambulance – we rode behind the ambulance when I had to go to the ER.
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing- my attn span is not long enough for this.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris- tired of France questions. Get over yourself, already.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling – In Disney World.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud – I’m still bitter about losing my jelly shoe in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater- In WA we would cram 500 of us into a van and hide behind the seats.
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business – Does Pampered Chef count?
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies – I was a Daisy, but I sold them with my Brownies sisters.
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma- I tried and the result made me forever scared of needles.
65. Gone sky diving- I was going to do that with mom for my 18th birthday.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check Oops : /
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy – My blue train is gone forever. :(
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job- miraculously not.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle- 127 mph. Asshole.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person – On the way to Vegas.
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car –The Jeep was my first brand new car. Probably never again bc of depreciation vs. my turnover rate. (T minus trading Volvo for Audi)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - for ag.
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House- hopefully taking Aaron soon.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - I have watched mom do it, but I didn't do anything hands-on.
88. Had chickenpox – with the sisters on Christmas.
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous – Singers when I worked at the bar. Johnny Lee, Merle Haggard, Trace Adkins, etc.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one - unfortunately. Colwin and Mom.
94. Had a baby – Eventually.
95. Seen the Alamo in person – Every time a relative comes in town…
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone - who doesn’t own a cell phone?
99. Been stung by a bee – I’m allergic, but not in the deathly kinda way.

Okay, so that's 39. Could be better (except for visiting France, wtf?) but I feel like I've done enough for my age and know that I will travel and do more in the future.

Blogging

I suck at this blogging stuff. I had such grand ideas when I started (a blog a day!), I just never get around to it/ remember what I had to say/ etc. I really do have a lot of great ideas, I think about it when I'm in the shower, when I'm driving, when I'm having a conversation with Kevin. But getting from there to here with it still in my head just isn't working. I refuse to "write it down" as I think of it. Number one- have you seen the size of my purse? I can't even fit gum wrappers in there, I don't have room to pack more random shit in there. Number two- I would have to remember to actually retrieve the scraps of paper. Yeah, that's as great as remembering the issue in the first place.

So I'll try again. I imagine this will be like when I work out- occasional commitment, but never consistent.

Domestication

I'll never forget the first time I went to IHOP with Kevin. My IHOP. The one I used to go to every night when I got off work at 4a.m. and eat a shitload of food before going back over to the bar to drink and watch the sun rise with my coworkers. I always had the same server, Michael. I sat in his section for two reasons: 1. he gave me all the food for free; a family salad, chicken strips, cheese sticks, and a massive brownie sundae with extra cherries. In return, I tipped him $20-40, depending on my night. 2. I could smoke in his section. When I quit the bar I only went back a few times, and that was after long night partying, again, to sit in Michael's section.

...back to the story.

So the first time I went to IHOP with Kevin, I saw Michael. I don't know what triggered it, but he registered immediately and told me I had been "domesticated." WTF does that mean? Oh no! What am I gonna do? Was I wearing mom-jeans or something? After that I struggled with being who I am and domesticating. I didn't want to lose the battle, whatever it was against.

Just this weekend I realized and have decided to come to terms with the fact that yes, I am domesticated. It happened when we went to WalMart on Sunday and I bought... hold your breath... a coupon organizer. That's the epitome right there, baby. It's over and there's no going back. There may have been signs and indicators, but this tangible piece of evidence in my car now labels me.

Some of you may think you have known for awhile, but seriously, this is the line for me. So now I am taking steps forward in this knowledge knowing tha I can still party and shake my ass all over the dance floor, but when I get back in my Volvo at the end of the night, my trusty little plastic envelope will be there to remind me that I can save 55 cents on green beans. (And I will probably be home no later than 12p.m.)

My Sisters ROCK. Do yours?

My sisters, if you don't know them, are spectacular. They are both moms- one is a single mother of two who chose not to request child support as they are share-parenting and the other is a mother of 4 plus two stepchildren. You bet your ass she is working hard and supporting the family in all ways that a mother does. I'm lucky they're my best friends as well. :)

I have been going to school for the most part all of the last 6+ years. I'm not even close to my degree. Granted I have been working, but seriously? I have never taken it seriously, don't really care and have taken for granted that I had the time and freedom to go.

So this week both of my sisters went back to school. Are you shitting me? I'm sitting on my ass at home eating bon bons at night (okay, guacamole) while they are taking care of their hordes of children after working all day and going to school. Dude, I'm gonna lose the race and I don't even have a handicap. Fuck.

I made a promise to myself not to have kids until I have a degree. I'm ready for kids now; too bad I haven't been working very hard towards that paper. So now is the time. To move forward with my life, stop stalling and pay attention to my sisters' example of doing what I should be doing. Didn't my mother teach me well enough not to let life pass me by? You think I would have picked up that lesson by now.

Better late than never. I'm getting back in the game. Promise!

The Best Freakin' Meatloaf EVER

It's a little more work and requires a few more ingredients than what I am used to, but the flavors and texture are so worth it!

Ingredients:
1 cup no-salt tomato sauce (I use more)
1 lb lean ground beef
2 egg whites
1 zucchini, grated
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (Oatmeal)
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 Tbsp sliced black olives
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a nonstick 9"x5" pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup (I use 1/2 cup) of tomato sauce with the rest of the ingredients, and use your hands to mix everything together. Press the meat mixture evenly into the pan, and pour the rest of the tomato sauce on top. Bake for 50 minutes (internal temp 160°F). Remove the loaf from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

T-Notes: I use a bigger can of tomato sauce, add 1/2 C to the mix and pour the rest on top. Also, I use a meatloaf pan that is two pans together with drain holes on the inner pan so the grease can drain to the bottom pan. The catch is you have to put the meatloaf in there so that it doesn't cover the drain holes or else it doesn't really work. It rocks, though. Also, the pan's non-stick so I don't grease it andyways. $5 at Ross, baby.

Stolen from Chef Gregg Avedon- Men's Health Mag

It's called PARENTING- you ought to try it

This morning I stopped at the gas station for a Diet Coke- I needed my fix but didn't have any cash or change for the vending machine at work. I was standing in line and I heard the girl behind me make a comment to her mother, "This is almost as good as Starbucks." I turned around and the girl was maybe 12, weighing probably 80lbs. She was buying a 16oz MONSTER drink. That's 160mg of caffeine, or almost 5 cokes. wtf? Granted a Starbuck's Grande Mocha has about the same amount of caffeine, but I'm bouncing off the walls when I drink that; not to mention the first bell (we were next door to the school) is going to ring in 20 minutes. I know her scrawny ass isn't allowed to have those on campus, so she'll probably chug it in the car before mommy drops her off.

You can call me a hypocrite all day bc I drink Diet Cokes and have Starbuck's once a week. I'm bigger than her and have been drinking caffeine and building a tolerance for a lot longer. Not to mention I'm not growing anymore (leave my ass out of this) and know that it isn't okay when I can feel my heart racing in my chest. I would imagine she thinks this is the best part- Aaron does.

How often do they stop? Does she get a Starbucks or Monster every day? Again- wtf?

According to npr.org those amounts of caffeine for a teenager (not that she is one yet) can cause "heart palpatations, jitters and addiction after 3-5 days, which includes withdrawal symptoms of headaches mood swings and trouble concentrating" as well as increased heart rate and blood pressure. Not only that, but think about the mid-day crash she's going to have, at school. Ouch.

I know there will be a lot to learn when I'm a parent, and that Aaron drinks his share of energy drinks (not at our house, thankyouverymuch). It just seems like common sense to me not to let your child consume mass amounts of caffeine, but hey- I was too distracted to see what the mom was buying for herself.

Oh, and don't stare at the cat's eyes in that picture- they look like they get bigger and it's creepy.

New Phone!

(Except it's Silver)

Love it! I'm really sad that I won't have a mirror phone, so I had to go buy a pocket mirror from WalMart. So much for discreetly getting the crap out of my braces after eating. :::eyeroll:::

At the store I was sure I needed a pink Blackberry, but the guy insisted I had to buy the $30 min data package. Nuh-uh, my sister doesn't have that and she has a pink BB. I think he got tired of my arguing and looked up her account. Turns out she does have the data package, and the expensive one at that. Oops! So we bought the phones with a Qwerty keyboard and added the texting package so we can finally join the other 98% of the population who communicate via text. Welcome to the 21st century, baby!

Oh, and please be thankful I didn't write a whole post about what made be gag at HEB yesterday. If you are interested, cautiously click this link and read the ingredients:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10536024

Bible Study

I was invited to be in Bible Study by my neighbors this week. Um, that’s not a good idea. For starters I have my own views of religion. They don’t exactly line up with any sect’s version of how the Big G rules the world. Kevin doesn’t agree, but he respects my views. I would not discuss my opinions with people I hardly know, let alone those who judge me on a regular basis. Religion and politics are off limits.

One of the other neighbors said maybe if we call it “Book Club” it won’t be as terrible. Mmm, still nope. Not unless I get to red-line my book.

Therefore I will be holding my own Bible Study: Zax next Wed at 6pm. It’s pint night and you get to keep the glass. ;)

Thank you for being my readers

I don't have anything to write today so I'll c&p an e-mail from yesterday...

Teresa :
Where
Are
You?
Dana:
I
Am
At
My
Desk
Teresa: http://upsidedowndogs.com/
Fantastic.
Didja bring your lunch? I’m going to TB today. [Taco Bell]
Dana: Yeah, I’ll eat here then I have to go and get K’s b-day present during lunch. He turns 45 tomorrow (old man!!)
I was out yesterday. The old man got me sick.
Teresa: Damn he’s old. (As if my K is that far behind.) That sucks.
What are you getting him?
Dana: I can’t wait until he turns 50 and we get AARP benefits. I’m not even kidding. I effing love the AARP.
I want to get him a pair of Chaco sandals
Teresa: Lmao. You are so old lady.
Dana: Dude, have you ever looked at the AARP benefits? [blah,blah, blah/ deleted]. Seriously, 50 is the new awesome.
In summary, I’m all about AARP. Not so much all about being 50 myself though, which is why I’m excited for K to be 50.
Teresa: No Dana, I have not looked at AARP benefits. Ever. Good for you, though.
I started a blog. I need to keep working on it, though.
Dana: Is this conversation going to be in your blog?
Teresa: No. At least it wasn’t…
Dana: And just how big is your readership?
Teresa: I have two subscribers! :)
Dana: YAY!!!!!
Teresa: I know, right? You have AARP and I have "readers".
Dana: Don’t mess with the AARP. Those seniors can be positively vicious.
Teresa: I know. That’s why they really carry canes.
Dana: See?
Teresa: Have you had a blog? It’s a PITA trying to figure out what to write. I’m completely uncomfortable with the whole thing and the entries prove it- I hope it gets better with time.
Dana: I blogged for a little bit on my myspace account, but I get very uncomfortable with the whole thing myself.
Speaking of which, I’m about to delete my myspace in favor of facebook.
Teresa: I figured- you haven’t checked the damn thing in months.
Dana: Yeah. I’m pretty much over mycrack

[Teresa Update] I looked up Chaco Sandals. Dana, you are doing nothing to improve the age issue here, sorry.

Overprotective D-Dog

We have a dog named Daisy. She's 1/2 husky, 1/2 malamute and completely crazy. We think she's 2, maybe 2-1/2 and has OCD. Daisy doesn't bark; she talks. She will look at you and say "arroughrrghhhrr" and I swear she is trying to talk. She yells at me sometimes when I get home if she needs food/ water. When she's bored- she howls. Seriously. Daisy only barks when something is wrong- not at deer, but at kids on motorcycles, etc.

Yesterday night we were in the house watching tv and Daisy barked. Kevin went to the door and got her to come over to see that she was okay. He sat back down and a few minutes later we heard her growling. D only growls at the exterminator. Kevin went outside to see what was going on and there it was, what Daisy was valiantly trying to protect us from: a fist-sized frog trying to get on the porch. Her porch. She was growling, snapping and hopping up and down in a circle around the poor amphibian. Kevin rescued the frog, put it outside the fence and abandoned the blond hero to get back to his regular scheduled programming. Maybe someday we'll really appreciate all she does for us. ;)