November 17, 2009

Wherein one of my fears is justified

As I stood there that morning looking into my closet, trying to determine what I should wear, I was sure that it was going to be just another ordinary day. I had no reason to think that it wouldn't be. For just over three years now my weekly routine has been the same, and Friday was always the day of the week that I looked forward to most. It was, after all, the gateway to the weekend.


Then on the drive to work I realized that it was yet another Friday the 13th. The third one this year. I have been pretty open about the fact that a lot of things scare the shit out of me, and Friday the 13th just happens to be one of them. Until last week, I never had a reason to associate Friday the 13th with anything negative.

Friday I was laid off.

My routine is totally different now, and it's weird. I liked my old routine. I liked my job, though I could have done without the shitty commute for three years, and I am really going to miss it. I enjoyed working with most of the people there, and the atmosphere of the office was always fun. It was a great job, and I can only hope that my next job is half as good.

November 13, 2009

Didn't see this one coming

I never really expected anything to come of it, but I did it anyway. That's the kind of person I have become, I guess. Just try it out. If it works, great! If not, move on. I was driving in the car on my way to work one morning when I heard the DJ of the local morning show that I listen to call out to the listeners. "If you've got an idea for a topic we can use on the show, send us an email."

So I did. I sent him an email that told a brief version of this story. I was pretty sure that once the DJ read the email it would be passed over, and quickly forgotten. Surely there were more interesting topics out there. But at least I gave it a shot.

Turns out that wasn't the case at all. Yesterday I was driving to work and I heard that same DJ bring up my topic on the air. I hadn't emailed him back yet, and he was going to read the email on the air in five minutes or so. Two quick phone calls later, and there I was live on the radio talking about one of the most monumental things to ever happen in my life.

I was so nervous. I could fell my hands shaking as I tried to hold the phone steady to my ear. But I kept it together and answered all of the questions that were fired in my direction.

After the phone call was over, I couldn't believe it. I think that having the conversation live on the radio, and putting my story out there for everyone to hear helped make it so much more real for me. I couldn't help but wonder, what if he listens to their show, and he just heard everything that I said. What if he recognized my name, and now he's trying to figure out how to contact me? What if this was the step that leads to me actually finding him?

I think that this was a step in the right direction.

November 10, 2009

Creepy

Last week Brett and I rented the movie Orphan from our local redbox. I had really been anxious to see it for a while. We had seen the preview for it in the theater, and on T.V. a lot over the last few months, and it looked good. I am one to love a good scary movie, so naturally I was intrigued by how creepy the previews made this movie look.

A few days before Halloween I noticed that it was being advertised at the redbox, and stopped to grab a copy. After scrolling through the titles, and realizing that it wasn't in stock I informed Brett that we had to keep our eyes peeled! I was dying to see it.

About four days later Brett sent me a text saying that he had finally snagged it! Success.

Later that night we cuddled up on the couch to start watching it, and almost instantly you could tell it was going to be as scary as the previews made it look.

Without ruining anything for you, just in case you plan to see it, the main plot of the story is about a couple with two young children who recently had a pregnancy that resulted in a stillbirth. After a little while they decide that they are ready to have another child, but in fear of what happened to their last baby, they decide to adopt. They find a nine year old girl living in an orphanage, and decide to bring her home. Shortly after they get her home, funny things begin to happen. The mother knows that there is just something about Esther that isn't right, but no one believes her.

Let me just say this first, I am not normally bothered too badly by scary movies. Sometimes they make me jump or flinch a little, but after the movie is over I am fine. The spook doesn't normally linger. With this movie though, I was so disturbed that I didn't want to go to bed. It was that scary. Not in the traditional blood and gore kind of way, but more in the how could someone be that messed up? kind of way.

It was twisted. So twisted that I didn't see the ending coming. I was completely shocked by the way the story played out.

I can tell you one thing, I have no desire to ever adopt a child after seeing that movie.

November 7, 2009

You could save 15% or more on car insurace

One of the reasons that Brett is my hero is because he is always thinking of other people, and putting their needs before his own. Since our Halloween party this year was actually the day before Halloween he offered to work on Halloween night so that other employees that had kids could have the night off to spend the holiday with their families, and take their kids trick or treating.

Since he was going to be working on Halloween he decided that he wanted to dress up to go to work, but he didn't want to wear his Sweeney Todd costume again because it takes a while to pull it all together, and he just didn't want to deal with it. So we spent some time online looking at all of the hilarious costumes that are available, and finally settled on this:


November 6, 2009

Two Hundred

When I first started this blog I had no idea that it would end up being such a big part of my life. I just figured that it would be a good way to keep family and friends that didn't see us very often updated from time to time on what we were up to. Now I find myself compiling posts in my head during the commute home, or when I'm grocery shopping. I am always thinking about what stories I want to tell next, and trying to find the best words to express how I'm feeling at the moment. I have fallen in love with having a place to come and share my words.

Not only have I been able to reconnect with some old friends, but I have found some really great new friends through blogging. I feel like most of you {the ones that I know of anyway} are people that I would get along with well in real life, too.

I never would have thought that I would still be here 200 posts later, but I sure am glad it turned out that way.

November 4, 2009

Not the Radio Flyer you had when you were a kid

In an effort to try and get myself healthier I have decided to give up carbonation and alcohol for thirty days. I know, I KNOW! Trust me, I know. It’s insane.

I will be the first person to admit that this isn’t going to be an easy task. I love a cold Mountain Dew just as much, if not more than anyone else out there, and I don’t know how I am going to fight the temptation every time I go to a restaurant or walk past the soda aisle in the grocery store. I am what you would call a weakling. I do not have much will power at all!

After a long work week there is nothing like a glass of wine, or shot of Vodka to help unwind from the stress that the previous five days has inflicted upon my brain. Not having that for four Friday's in a row is going to be a challenge. I think that it will be worth it in the end though. I am totally out of shape, and if I don't do something about it now things will only get worse.

Brett is going to take my little booze-less journey with me, but for him it won't be as much of a struggle. He has a lot more will power than I do, and he doesn't really drink that much carbonation anyway. He just doesn't like it as much as I do. It will be good to have someone stick by me though, and help me remember the goal that I am trying to accomplish in my moments of weakness.

As of now, I am officially on the wagon. Wish me luck.

November 3, 2009

Older, but maybe not wiser

{On the beach in Carmel, CA 2007}


Today is the first day of Brett's 27th year. There have been many times that I worried about not having him around to celebrate him turning another year older. He's a bit of a thrill seeker, you know. Luckily though, that is not the case, and I can't wait to celebrate many more birthday's with him!!

He truly is my best friend, and my life would be incomplete without him in it. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have a great guy like him as my other half.

Happy Birthday Love!!!

November 2, 2009

Best. Party. Ever.

I don't think that work could have dragged on any longer than it did on Friday. I was so anxious to get the hell out of there so that we could head up to the Schlange's house, that it seriously made time move slower than a sloth walking through a tar pit.

Once the clock finally struck five though, we were on our way. Until we hit traffic.

Why is it that when you are in a hurry to get somewhere there is always a shit storm of traffic? You get held up forever just to finally approach the accident that has been holding everyone at a crawling pace for the last forty five minutes to find out that it was just a small fender bender, and the only reason you were held up at all is because the dick heads in front of you just had to slow down and stare. Then on the days when you have nowhere to go, and you aren't in a hurry at all, you know, the days that it wouldn't really matter too bad if you were stuck behind a bunch of retarded slow assholes, there are never any hold ups. Murphy's law, I guess.

We finally got there with just enough time to get ourselves into costume. Shay, who is a complete fucking rockstar with a makeup brush, did the makeup for just about everyone who was in attendance before she even got herself ready. I want to give her a special thanks for making us look as dead as humanly possible without actually slitting our throats.

All of the hard work and waiting finally paid off! The Dead Man's Party was a HUGE success!
The invitation said that the party was to begin at eight o'clock, so naturally everyone showed up at about nine. It was well worth the wait though, because there were some really great costumes! My personal favorites were Chaz and Shay as Tim Burton's Alice and Mad Hatter, Del and Jana as Jesus and Mary Magdalene, Zach as Betelgeuse, and of course Brett and I as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. There were a few people who were total party poopers {ahem TRACI!!} and didn't come as someone dead, or even dress up at all, but what can you do? Not everyone knows how to party like the Scothern's and the Schlange's.

I really don't know how to put into words the mass amount of fun that was had. Seriously, when else are you going to see Jesus and Sweeney Todd break dancing together? Chaz made an awesome beer pong table, there was plenty of dancing going on, and Midori sours and beer margarita's were enjoyed by all. I really don't think that I've ever danced so hard in my life. My calf muscles were sore all weekend because Shay and I were jumping around so much!

At one point there was some Chinese foreign exchange student walking around with a bottle of some hellish Chinese liquor trying to get everyone to take shots. I was a little worried at first but Brett and I eventually ended up giving into temptation. I don't even think that anyone there knew the kid's name, but he had a hell of a time. Did you know that in China kids start drinking booze at the age of ten? Weird.

Chaz beat me out for the award of best costume, but he totally deserved it! Shay did such a great job on his costume, and she even rolled his hair in sponge rollers to make it stand out crazy like the movie character. It was awesome!! I guess I can live with second place, considering the fact that I beat Jesus.

I ended up taking about three hundred pictures that night, but I picked a handful of my favorites to share:






I don't know how we are going to top the Dead Man's Party next year, but I can guarantee you we are going to try!