Bad

Apparently someone {ahem, Jackson} thought that since he was bored and home alone all day it would be a good idea to grab all the mail off of the coffee table and strew it all about...and then rip some of it up.

After an hour in time out {yeah, we're lame and put our dog in time out} and a day full of no treats, I hope think he'll steer clear of the mail next time he's bored. Hmmm, if only I could teach him how to dust or something.

Oh, and the bill for my student loan payment? My dog ate it, sorry.

Root, root, root for the home team. Even when they lose.

Saturday night we made our way downtown to Safeco Field for the Mariners v. Rangers game. Before the game started we grabbed some munchies on the Outside Corner right before the rain started coming down. The retractable roof is one of the coolest things about Safeco Field. If it were raining, we would not be at the game. We're not that big of Mariners fans!

And apparently we aren't the only ones. This was the emptiest Mariners game we've ever been to. Maybe they aren't doing too well this year?? I don't know...neither of us really follow baseball...we just like to go to the games and people watch.

It just so happen to be Latin America night so everything was said in English and Spanish and a lot of the little ditty things they do on the big screen were Latino. They uniforms we in Spanish too. For all you Spanish illiterates out there, in Spanish the Mariners are Los Marineros. ☺

This was the sole M's score of the entire night. Kinda lame. What happened guys!?!

We then went home where Rob thought it would be funny to feed Jackson left over cotton candy. OK, I thought it was a little funny too. Yeah, we're awesome.

See, we're irresponsible when it comes to pets...we definitely shouldn't be entrusted with kids yet!

It's hip to be a square

Last Saturday we found ourselves wandering through what is normally a beautiful park along the Seattle waterfront. I say normally because this trip it was a little less than lovely. Seattle Hempfest had taken over the park and it was pure chaos, but in the most laid back of ways, of course.

We been to Hempfest once before, you know - just to say we'd gone, but apparently we've turned into complete squares since then. It was really crowded and super smelly (I got a wee bit nauseous and Rob was feeling a tad 'affected' by the surrounding odor) just by walking through the park.

The place was covered in garbage and there was an abundance of parents who thought it a good idea to bring their children. Way to go! It was a good place to people watch though...always a plus.

We snapped a few pictures, did a little bit of walking around/shoving our way through the park, dared to buy and drink some bottled water and then made a beeline back to the safety of our neck of the woods. I can confidently say we've been Hempfest-ed out. For good.

Gators!

After we left the cruise ship we picked up a rental car then made a quick stop in the Everglades to check out the gators at Gator Park.

We arrived there with enough time to check out the baby alligators before the feeding show started. These little gator babies were so still that they seriously looked like little toy alligators all thrown in together.

There were coin operated food dispensers near their enclosure, so we bought some, tossed it in and they went absolutely wild. It was really a strange sight to see! They had them separated into the different ages...these two were the smallest two sizes, I believe. The ones on the left were probably a foot long, the others were maybe eight or nine inches.

On our way to the feeding show we came across this huge alligator skin that was on display. Yeah, it looks big in the first picture, but in the second picture you can compare it to Rob and then it seems even bigger! Seriously, that was a big ol' gator! His name was Grandpa.

We came across another stuffed gator or two along the way. Oh, and there was a live alligator that they'd restrained his chompers and you could have your picture taken while sitting on his back. Crazy, I know...but there were plenty of people doing it. I have to admit, I was a little tempted (just a little), but Rob was looking out for me and kept me safe...you know, on the other side of the fence, with all the other sane people. ☺

We got to the feeding area/breeding pond just in time for the show. All the gators knew what was going to happen so they were all slowly creeping up out of the water. It was surprising how many of them there were! They would just walk all over each other too...stepping on the bodies, tails and faces of the other alligators without any hesitation.

The feeding was really neat to see, but I only caught about 23% of it. You see, the feeder guy had big buckets of rats that he was feeding them. And me, I don't do so well with vermin of any nature. I just kept my eyes elsewhere and relied on Rob to tell me when it was okay to look. Big baby, I know.

The feeder guy was luring the alligators up on the fence and even got a few to climb up it with all feet. He had them jumping for their snacks too. It's amazing how much air they can catch! There were several alligators that were missing partial or full limbs as well as tails. Apparently things get pretty violent out there!

As we were heading towards the exit we saw a few geese (or maybe they were swan?? I am glad that my brothers don't really read this blog. They'd be ashamed that I cannot differentiate between a goose or a swan!) and I foolishly thought that they'd be safer than the alligators we'd just observed. Well, they weren't. One of those vicious little birds attacked me. Seriously, it did. It reached it's long neck through the fence and bit my leg...then it kept following me around and taunting me until we left. Good thing Jordan wasn't around or that little birdie would have been dinner to someone. ☺

Belize

We were so un-Belize-ablely lazy this day. Lame pun, I know, but I just couldn't resist!! We'd scheduled an excursion to Altun Ha, a smaller grouping of Mayan ruins, but we decided to skip it.

At this port we couldn't walk right off the boat onto the dock, we had to take a 20 minute tender in which would have required us to be up and at the tender spot around 8:00 in the morning. Yes, that is too early for us...especially since we'd stayed up in the karaoke lounge until 2:00 the night before!

We slept in a bit and made our way into Belize City a little later in the morning. Apparently we were still pretty groggy because the lady that took our picture told us that we looked bored in the first one and demanded we smile for another picture. So this is us, cheesin' it up on the tender into Belize. We look excited to be there, right?

We did a bit of sightseeing near the port, then we headed straight for the shops. We got a lot of fun things there. We may or may not have picked up some slingshots for my nephews, which I am sure their parents will be thrilled about them receiving. ☺

All along the shops they had pillars that had the neatest carvings in them. Not many of the pictures I took of them came out too clearly though.

We'd stopped into a pharmacy and saw that they offer nearly every kind of perscription medication imaginable over the counter. Lipitor, Prozac, Lunesta, Viagra, Retin A, Amoxicillin...everything! No prescription needed! Crazy, right? I was a little tempted to pick up a few dozen things, but then I wasn't too trusting in the quality/safety of the pills. Come on, I have more smarts than that!

After we'd shopped and saw the sights for what seemed like days hours upon hours we were pooped and ready to head back to the ship. Looking back, we both wish we would have sucked it up, risen at the crack of dawn and gone to Altun Ha, but Rob just says that now we have a reason to head back to Belize. Really, I wouldn't mind that!

It's a growin'!

My hair is now officially long enough to be put into a halfway decent looking ponytail.

BIG day for me, I tell ya.

Rob's been missing my long hair ever since I gave it the big chop. I think he's happier about the ponytail than I am.

I guess it doesn't take much to make us happy! ☺

and it gets even better

Lindsay just texted (or is it just 'text'??) me this picture and it made me laugh.

I forwarded it onto Rob, but then realized that he won't take it as a joke...he'll probably pick one up on the way home from work tonight.

Then we'd be a big ol' happy Snuggie family...we just need one for Sox now.

Doesn't that sound like a great picture for our Christmas card next year!?! Oh, and did you catch my sarcasm there? ☺

Weiner dog

Last week Rob called me from his Mom's house and told me to hurry over, he had a surprise for me. I was puzzled, but bored, so I drove on over. I was greeted by this darlin' little gal, Maggie.

Turns out she wasn't my surprise though. Rob's Mom bought Maggie for herself and the 'surprise' was that Rob was bringing Jackson home to live with us. Sure I was surprised, but not necessarily the good kind of surprised, but I thought I'd roll with it.

It's been quite the adjustment dealing with him at our house. I wasn't raised with pets and I think it's an understatement to say that I am not an animal person, but I am trying to stay positive about the little guy.

Over the weekend wandered down to the lake (which this blah cell phone picture doesn't do justice) to test him out around other animals and all was well. He didn't even chase the ducks that were wandering all around. I think he might be a sissy kind of dog, but don't tell Rob I said that. :)

The two love birds

There have been a couple of times over the past few days when we have been ready to send him back, but for now he is still around...we'll see how long it lasts!

Don't believe everything you read

I've been sick the past few days and thought I would be proactive and change the sheets/pillowcases so as not to pass my icky germs onto Rob.

As I was changing the pillowcases yesterday I noticed that the pillows were machine washable. I always knew there were tags on pillows, I just never took the time to read them. I usually just toss out bed pillows when they have done their time and then purchase new ones. I probably should have done the same with these ones, but I thought I would do a little extra work to make sure that my pillows were germ free.

I read the instructions and followed them to the letter. I'd started the washing machine and headed downstairs. A few minutes later I heard drip - drip - drip and looked up to see the ceiling leaking. I put something under the drip to catch the water and ran upstairs in a panic to see that the washing machine had flooded all over the floor! I turned it off and took off back downstairs to attend to the drips...only to find the ceiling dripping in three more places!!

Luckily Rob got home soon after that and took over for me. Turns out that even though the instructions say that washing two pillows at the same time in a full size washer is acceptable, it really isn't. I think it's safe to say I won't be buying anymore Laura Ashley pillows...those liars. :)

The Retainer

Since I didn't have the self discipline necessary to wear my Invisilign at night, a couple of my teeth have shifted a bit. Bummer, I know! So I visited my Orthodontist, got a little lecture, some molds taken and was told that a wire retainer would be my next step. This is what I thought he meant by a wire retainer.

Boy, was I wrong! I went to pick it up only to find out that it is one of those old school retainers that take up your entire mouth and have the wire on the outside of your teeth! As if this isn't bad enough, it is pink with sparkles!! Why they did this is beyond me. If I would have had the choice, pink is definitely not the way I would go. Green maybe, but never pink.

Plus I got a sparkly purple case to keep it in. Cool huh...if I were eleven, and even that would be pushing it. Honestly, I think I would prefer to have my braces back on. I'm a whiner, I know.

Word to the wise

When you find yourself in your pajamas and needing to run out to your snow enveloped car, heels may seem the best option to keep your warm feet from sinking into the snowy ground (which they certainly do), but they don't do much in the traction department. That is how you end up sliding around and eventually landing on your keister...along with being wet and cold. Opt for putting on your boyfriends boots instead. Your bum will thank you. Not that I would ever do anything like this...I'm just saying.

Bad Momma

I am definitely not ready to have kids...I cannot even take care of my fish! I just returned to work after being away for FIVE days and realized that he hasn't had anything to eat since Wednesday morning.

In a panic I called the guy who services the aquarium in our lobby and he reassured me that my buddy would be okay. I feel so neglectful! I had better get it together; I am sure that PETA will be here any minute to take him away. Sorry fishy!

Me vs. the 'Bucks

After living in the Seattle area for nearly a decade I can officially call this my home. I have really acclimated to the culture with one major exception. I don't drink coffee. I cannot stand the taste of it, let alone the smell of it! With Seattle being the unofficial Land of Coffee, I am definitely considered to be an oddball due to my dislike of the bean. However, I do my part in supporting the King of Coffee, Starbucks.

I recently gave into the hype of the new drinks they are promoting and tried their Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate. As I hit their drive thru in the early morning hours instead of ordering my usual chai tea latte, I gambled and grabbed the cocoa instead. It was terrible!! I've had several people rave about how great they are, so why am I gagging it down?

Perhaps I shouldn't have nixed the whip? But everyone else loved it...can it really be that bad? Maybe I should try it again...just to confirm that it really is crap. The barista probably mixed it incorrectly, that's why I didn't take to it. Everyone else cannot be wrong, right? But if I do try it again and it's crap, then I am just the chump who bought not one, but TWO crap cocoas.

After a few days I gave in and tried it again...I was right. It is crap! Back to chai tea for me.

I rest my case.

I. Am. Heartbroken.

I just read terrible news. ABC is cancelling my new favorite show, Dirty Sexy Money. Such a letdown. I am officially bummed. I hope they change their mind. Doubtful, right?

Watch it online while it's still here.

Casual Friday...to the extreme

I woke up this AM with a cold...I don't feel good!! I didn't want to go to work, but figured I am up anyways, I will go for awhile. I had been freezing all morning, so I pushed past the stacks of capri's in my closet in search of some long pants. There was a lonely pair cast off on the end of the shelf, so I grabbed them, wondering why they were all on their own. Then I remembered that these were the most comfortable casual jeans ever...perfect for feeling crappy at work. Yes! I will wear them today...it's Friday anyways. So once I get to work I realize that they are a little too baggy and I am feeling slightly sloppy. I chalk it up to casual Friday and plan to stay seated in my office so no one will see me. A few hours into work, I take a big lean back in my chair and notice that something feels different in my pants area. It then all comes rushing back to me...I remember why these jeans were cast off into the corner of my closet shelf...oh no!!!

Yep, I am sporting jeans with a big hole in the butt! Feeling slightly mortified, I dash off to the bathroom to see how bad it is. After glancing at myself in the mirror I tell myself that it isn't that bad. It matched the distressed wash of the jeans, right? So, I run/walk back to my office to grab my phone so that I can take a picture. It took about 14 tries to get the right picture. I opted for a close, close, close up because I am not brave enough to post a picture of my entire bum online. Coward!!

As if my day wasn't dumpy enough, a co-worker walked in on me taking a shot of said hole. Weird, right? I kind of explained to her what I was doing and she laughed at me. What else had I expected? Whatever...I knew I should not have come to work today...I am going home.

Didn't quite turn out as I had expected

For the past few months I have been trying a high protein, low carb diet. Not diet, I mean 'way of life'. I realized that this would be challenging since my typical day is made up of oatmeal for breakfast, and either pasta or rice for lunch and dinner. But hey, no problem...it can certainly be done...I just have to eat a lot more meat. As it turns out, I don't really like meat that much. It is hard to eat enough meat to fit into the high protein category. The simple solution: protein shakes. Rob drinks them all of the time, so I am sure that I can handle them, right? Um, no! Rob's protein shakes taste horrible! I don't know how he can drink that crap. I had to spend half of an hour just psyching myself up to drink it (the smell would really get to me) and then once I did it took all of my willpower to keep from gagging it back up. Gross, I know...sorry, it's the truth. So I shopped around for the best smelling and tasting protein powder. I did find a decent brand (Designer Whey), but their shake still left something to be desired. That something just happened to be bananas. On a whim I chopped up and froze a banana one night with the intention of throwing a couple frozen chunks in my regular shake in the morning. I got the idea from Jamba Juice. Seriously, how did I not think of it sooner!?! The next morning my protein shake with banana was fantastic! Ever since then I have been adding a few slices of banana to my shakes. Well a few days ago I bought about a dozen bananas and chopped them all up and threw them in a big freezer bag. Up until this point I have only been using a banana or two at a time since I only use about a quarter of a banana per shake. Well when I pulled out my bag of frozen bananas this morning to make my shake, this is what I found...

...a big, frozen lump of banana slices. They were frozen into a huge rock!! I couldn't even manage to break a few chunks off...it was SO hard! I started prying into it with a knife, and the knife broke. Granted it was a plastic knife, but still this thing was hard enough to break a knife. So now I have a hunk of banana in my freezer. I don't want to let it thaw out and get all mushy. I think that I will have to remove it and monitor it's frozen-ness this evening and break the bulge up and then package in smaller, more manageable baggies. Really I thought that it was such a great idea to do it all at once. Well, I learned my lesson! Maybe I should just give up with the bananas all together??

A change is gonna come (but I need help)

OK, I clearly cannot be left alone! The second that Rob left for class tonight I got bored and dyed my hair back brown. And of course, it looks nothing near the salon-like color Clairol promised! This morning I called my salon to make an appointment to have my bad hair cut fixed and decided to schedule a color as well (I have been thinking of going back to brown for a month or so), but I just couldn't wait for my appointment. So here is my new crappy cut with my homecolored hair. Please excuse my sunglasses, I had already washed my make up off and I was feeling too lazy to put it back on. I am also too big of a chicken to post a make up free picture.

Now I just need to decide on how to cut my hair. Over the past few years I have had a number of short hair looks. Which one should I go back to? Pardon the fuzziness of the shots. I pulled some pictures out of a photo album and scanned them rather than dig through all of my photo back up discs for clearer pictures. Also, please ignore my goofy grins and poses...just focus on the hair. And, no the first one isn't a mug shot! It is my driver's license :)

Which style should I go back to?

Oh no...big mistake!!

Over the last few weeks, or maybe months I have been contemplating what to do with my hair. But usually I just think about it and talk about it and whine about it. I certainly never do anything about it. I don't know exactly what it was that got into me this morning, but something prompted me to call my favorite hair salon and see if they had an opening for an afternoon haircut. Maybe I had low blood sugar?? Since they never do have appointments open at the last minute, I expected to be turned down. But what do you know, they did have an opening! After I hung up I was hit with a huge wave of 'oh crap, what am I going to do?!?' and immediately hit redial to cancel the appointment. But before they picked up I chickened out on chickening out and hung up. How stupid would I sound cancelling an appointment that I had just made! I had 2 hours to put together a plan, which of course, I didn't. I just showed up there with no idea as to what I wanted to do. I am sure that they (I am not exactly sure what their titles actually are...stylist, barbers, hair cutters...so I will just stick with 'they') find that completely annoying. I managed to spit out a halfway decent description as to what I wanted and she, scissors in hand, was off! Her hair looked really cute, so I assumed that she would do something really cute with my hair. I didn't have her blow it out and style it before I left, which I know now is a big no-no. I thought it felt great wet, so I was sure it would be good dry too. Not so much! I got home and played around with it and with tears in my eyes, tried to make it look somewhat like what I thought the stylist/barber/hair cutter had in mind. I still haven't worked myself up to actually taking a picture of my new do to post. Maybe sometime this weekend after the swelling in my teary eyes goes down I will be ready to share my big mistake with the world. Any by the world, I really mean the small handful of you who might read this. I have got to use you all as a buffer before I have to show it off at work on Monday. Or maybe I could call in sick. That makes me sound pathetic, never mind...I didn't really mean it! Stay tuned...