Rainy Days Make Me Unmotivated

..to do anything but sleep... I'm glad I dont live/work in Seattle...

So, here I sit...smelling myself and loving it (see last week's post). Guess what happened today?!!!! GLAMOUR.COM is NOT BLOCKED on my work server anymore!!! If you'd have asked me when I was 21 years old what I'd be excited about during my workday, I wouldnt have EVER thought that would be the answer.. Whatever.. WOO HOO! I can now access my body by glamour challenge....and read the blogs....I love my life!!!

I also LOVE getting the horoscopes from as many magazines as possible when it's my bday issue! So, here's glamour's!

Cancer
July 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANCER!
Why you're wonderful: Your emotional IQ is Mensa-level: Sensitive, nurturing and loyal, you're a caretaker who champions the underdog.
Why you're impossible: Whoosh! That's the sound of your mood swinging from up to down and back again.
If he's a Cancer: His hard shell can be tough to break--he's skittish at first, but romantic, caring and reliable later.
Oh-so-Cancer Liv Tyler: July 1, 1977 Devoted mom Liv is sweet to the core. Her name means "life" in Norwegian.
Not-so-Cancer Courtney Love: July 9, 1964 She has never really been the dependable mother type.
Your month: You're carpe-ing every diem like cautious Crab never has. Bye, comfort zone! (I love this part!!!!!!!)
Your mission: Dating is the one area in which you should show restraint; sudden love moves may make him nervous.

Finally.. please go HERE and vote. Thank you. (and yes, we're quite serious on needing your vote) Love. :)

Welcome to Summer Weekends!

Saturday: I havent posted a pic of little G and me in awhile, so that one is "just b/c" :) Headed to dinner with Sarah, Andrew, Kristen, Josh, Kari, etc etc :) Then, Kel, Shelby and I headed out and ended up meeting back up with the gang from dinner at Gray Snail. :) There was awesome dance music-think circa 2002! ha! :) So, we took advantage and dropped it like its hot until we got embarassingly sweaty! Good times.


Sunday FUNDAY! Got a little group and headed to Charlestons...where we sweated on the patio and ate lunch...then headed to Bru House where we sweated on the patio there...then off to get frozen custard...

Friday night: Sarah and Andrews new casa! :) Girls vs Guys in Scene It! (Girls lost...whatever...). Then, catch phrase.. I think the girls won, but we quit keeping score at some point...

Headed to meet Kel briefly at Bru House since she was shackin at my place. My favorite was the guy who sat down and said "High school? That was SO long ago.. I graduated in 2003.." I replied "I graduated from college in 03." He didnt know what to say. LOL! My other favorite was the guy who kept announcing his kegger starting at noon the next day and asked why I thought I was too old for the kegger. Then, he kept repeating "You're too old for a kegger at noon?!"

Seriously? Chicago was looking reallllllly good at the bar on Friday night. REALLLLLLY good. haha... :)

I find that Aaron talks about Chicago and the stuff he's doing there...and I actually get jealous. I had a BLAST with the girls last night.. an absolute blast...but there's a part of me that's so ready for a change. I'd have a blast with the girls visiting me somewhere...right? Right. All in all, great weekend. Just wish I had a friggin pool! Fun in the sun much needed. :)

How I entertain myself...

I wonder why my toilet paper has black fingerprints on it...Um, yes. Apparently, the plumber came today to fix my toilet that kept running... (I tried to fix it and made it WAY worse the other day... it sounded like a waterfall...) Anyway, it's fixed...but my tp is not okay anymore. Boooooo....Ewwwww...

And...check out the kick ass hand-painted fan Aaron/his mom gave me. I say Aaron AND his mom b/c Aaron got it in Singapore for his mom a few years ago.. She wanted to decorate with it. Welp, Aaron insisted it smelled and they couldnt use it. His mom insisted she ended up deciding not to decorate with it for whatever reason. Whoever is right, it doesnt stink and it's gorgeous and I plan to use it! :)

I cant figure out where to hang it...It's gorgeous..I mean...I couldnt paint on a fan. Hello. Could you? Actually, Brooke, dont answer that... ;) His mom decided the guy on the boat looks like the dude from Curious George.. I agree....haha

Finally..b/c I'm easily entertained...The below pic is from Aaron's morning swearing in ceremony. As I was sitting there, I leaned to his brother and said "Dude, did you ever play Guess Who-The Mystery Face Game? Those dudes on the back row look like they're from the game.. I just want to flip their heads down!" He laughed and nodded emphatically, saying "Does your guy have a...mustache?" hahaha! SERIOUSLY.. It totally looks like it.

Double click to make it bigger and get the full effect, people.

Things that are becoming a problem.

1. My snack habits. When I was on "Costa workouts," I was eating grapes and cottage cheese and rice cakes (which is actually a super good snack btw). But, uh...I have all those things...and I choose mini chips ahoy (thus making me feel like I'm eating less...even though I'm eating like 8 at a time). Oh, and hot tamales...They're a sick, twisted obsession that inevitably make me thirsty when I eat them. It aggravates me, but I do it over and over. Ugh.


2. Insurance. Kel and I had this conversation recently. She has NO paid insurance. My insurance is CRAP..at least for someone single. I pay EVERYTHING out of pocket up to 1,000. ER visits dont apply...That's another 1,000 before insurance kicks in. So, basically, if I'm ever in serious medical trouble, I'm alright, but doctor appts about kill my checking account..esp if they run blood work. It's just annoying. I mean..how is it that 2, young, single, ATTORNEYS have to seriously scrimp to afford health care?! My God. It's just ridiculous in this day and age....and it appalls me.

3. My student loans. I am just plain BITTER about this lately. BITTER. You see, if I'd taken out ALL private, I'd be fine. If I'd taken out ALL government, I'd be fine. However, since I have both, I cannot consolidate those two...and therefore got a letter from the govt wanting me to pay NINE HUNDRED FIFTY dollars a month! Holy SHIT! (I mean..that's with the private combined). I dont need to go into how much I make...but lets just say it's gonna be quite a feat to pay that. My friend took out only private...and was able to make his payment 1/3 of mine owing the SAME amt I do. My priority is my private loans...not only b/c they're manageable, but b/c I can see the light at the end... The govt loan people are just a-holes. It just makes me want to scream. I drive a p-o-s car, live in an apt, and really dont live extravagantly. UGH

4. To lighten it up, my addiction to So You Think You Can Dance and the Bachelorette is becoming an issue as well... I think I'm friends with DeAnna in my head.. and I actually tried one of the dance moves from the show tonight. Wasnt pretty. At all. Gracie looked concerned. :)

5. PMS. It's becoming a problem this week. Sorry. Again TMI, but it's true.

6. I think my apt is haunted. More on this later... I cant decide if it's a problem or if it's kick ass.

7. I cant figure out how to make my text wrap around my images. HELP. ME. I hate picasa. Do I have to use it? Love love. :)

I need a chips ahoy. Damnit. :)

Glob.al. Warm.ing. Clap.clap.clapclapclap

Whatever the case, we're having some crazy weather... This is from the day I lost my power. Please note how deep the water is with the car coming down the street while my neighbor looks on...

Pics from California tomorrow. I'm tired.

My apt still stinks. No idea where it's coming from.

Where My Head's At...

Maybe I will take this post and do it weekly? We saw how well the "in my 20s" Wed worked, though. Damn. Well, maybe...

So, today...

I cant WAIT to go home and upload the photos from California. I must remedy the dead animal smell my apt has taken on post electrical outage. DeAnna better not make me puke by loving Jeremy on the Bachelorette tonight. Aaron's cousin is really into Gossip Girl, too, and had the headband Blair wore with the big flower from Lily's wedding. I want it. I now have THREE vice presidents to write for and I'm finding it a bit scary-dont want to drop the ball. I've never encountered so many opinionated people re: religion as I have while dating Aaron. I kinda wanna convert to Judaism just to spite them, but that would be for the wrong reasons-I realize. Glad Obama got the nomination-we'll see where this goes. I could seriously use some sushi. I've been drinking way too much soda lately...WAAAY too much. I think my ribs are healed enough to get my ass back to the gym, but I'm gonna milk the rib thing awhile longer mentally I think. A "friend" recently seriously disappointed me, but I guess that goes to show that person wasnt a real friend anyway. I have to find seven "motivational clips" about leadership from movies and have them pieced together for a leadership meeting-I shouldve started on this sooner. Hell. Ever read the similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy? Crazy!!!! Michele (see her blog at Raising Me and Me), has a couple friends in Chicago that might be people I could talk to about potential employment there in the fairly near future. Yes, you read that right. The idea is officially on the table and bloggable.

Cutting this off before it goes on forever. My mind is a whirlwind on Mondays...on most days actually...whatever.

Going to the chapel... :)

Do the math. :)

* 75 Bobby pins
* One bubble machine
* A couple hundred wedding favors
* A beautiful Catholic ceremony at Dave's (and now Blaze's, too!) church :)
* A photography book for Tulsa's 100th birthday (as the guestbook!)
* One awkward moment with Blaze's new mother in law asking me about her gurdle (?)
* A case of bud light...featured in the pictures at TU. Classic. :)
* One hummer limo (when they ordered a Cadillac btw) gone missing...then back...then fired by Dave.
* Two former pageant queens (aka Rachel and me..haha... "Miss Jr. Kentucy and Jr. Indiana-right)...sneaking into the Miss OK dinner for pics..We even convinced the pageant moms!
* One WEDDING DATE (Aaron was FINALLY able to make it to a friend's wedding!!!!!)
* Over 100 photos
* One Cha-Cha slide and Cupid shuffle with Blaze, the group....and my mom....and her dad, too
* One adorable little boy serving as "ring bearer/bell ringer" stealing the dance floor
* LOTS of kappas circling the new bride and singing in Kappa style!
* One other Chi O breaking it down appropriately to Like A Prayer
* One "hospitality suite"
* A limbo game

* A dance-off
* A few tears
* An awkward moment where the bridesmaids walked off during communion...then back...then off again...with confused looks on our faces.... :) It was the boys' fault-they messed it up.
* One hilarious exchange with the priest about what "bubbles" meant (in lieu of rice). (He kept saying "so, where will "the bubbles" take place? Who can participate in "the bubbles?"-had no idea what we meant)
* One hilarious introduction of the wedding party as written by Blaze and Dave (think "Here comes Jax... She has known the bride since 3rd grade...and has taken up the sport of cliff jumping.. Please dont ask her to raise her arm or poke her in the side..." LOL!)
* One moment where I looked like an air traffic controller holding Blaze's bouquet and mine while I crossed my hands over my chest to receive a blessing in lieu of communion (since I'm not Catholic)

* One bride and groom who danced til nearly midnight...and glowed with happiness the entire time! :)
* One Michael Jackson imitation (Dave)
* One "Mexico room" on the "third floor" (when the drinks were actually in the Canada room on the 2nd floor)
* Two stalkers of mini pageant queens (Rachel and Jax)


* One amazing wedding. One amazing couple.
* A thousand priceless memories. :)

Favorite Convo of the night:
Rachel: "I really want a tiara and a sash.."
Jax: "Me too! That might be too far? Nah...Let's go..."
*runs BACK over to the pageant girls holding glasses of beer*
Bethany: (trailing behind) "I think this is a bad idea..."
Rachel: "Damn. I guess it is...We went too far.."
Jax: "Damnit."
Rachel: *really disappointed* "I know. I really wanted a sash."

Here's the public link to facebook if you want to see more pics :)

Rehearsal Dinner and Getting Ready :)

Please note the HAUTE boquet I made for Blaze's rehearsal from the bridal shower bows! Yes, I am a creative genius. Whatever. ;)

Rehearsal dinner was at 5 Oaks in Jenks! Such a gorgeous location...right on the water with a huge deck complete with Christmas lights. :) I'm trying to accessorize my life more (hence the belt and jewelry). Anyhoo, I gave my toast (but hadnt memorized it)-Blaze laughed AND cried-mission accomplished. :) Nah, really, though...I got choked quite a few times that night. I kept repeating "Get it together, Jax... Gah.."




A few getting ready pics from Marilyn Ihloff South. :) I thought the back of my hair looked cool so I opted to feature it for your viewing pleasure. Blaze's makeup only added to the glow she already had that day. :) Gorgeous! Oh, and mimosas added to the getting-ready fun since we got started at 8am! Boys have NO idea what goes into this whole getting pretty thing.

PS- Aaron counted (hey, we didnt have electricity...it was entertainment)... I had SEVENTY FIVE bobby pins in my hair!!!!

Thursday-ITR and Alove

Crashley was in town. We dinnered to celebrate accordingly. :)

Power hungry

We got power back!!! I didnt know, though, b/c I was at my mom's. Apparently, it went on between 1 and 2 am. AEP originally told me 6pm. When I discovered that was obviously false, I quickly started packing for San Diego and an extra night at my mom's.

A good night's sleep was soooo great.. I should have packed up and gone over there sooner, but I didnt want that whole "I'm a nomad" feeling that I had in December. I figured a sweltering residence was better than no residence.

I leave for SD this afternoon. It will be a bit of a quick trip to watch Aaron get sworn in. He's got a couple ceremonies.. one in SD tomorrow morning, then one in LA tomorrow night, then brunch for his grandmother's bday, then back to SD then home? I think that's how it goes... Anyhoo... excited nontheless. I make no secret about what my favorite cities are: San Diego and Chicago. Kinda awesome that Aaron semi-lives in both of those places.

Something just hit me as I was typing that.. his gmother's bday.. Hell. I thought about a "hostess" gift for his mom, but not for his grandmother's bday.. Hells bells. PS.. Aaron's cousin calls me "Hells" for short b/c he combines Hells with my last name.. Quite clever I might add...

Opinion: gift for his grandmother or not? I have like zero time but I can make it happen.

Alright, have a great rest of the week if I dont get to blog more. :) I have a TON of pics to post already. :)

December Deja Vu...

Have a meeting in 10 min, so making this fast... :)

Blaze's wedding was OUTSTANDING! I took SOOOOO many pictures. It was one of the best receptions I've been to... coulda also been b/c I had a date to this one...haha.. The Miss OK pageant was in the building, too. Rachel and I convinced them that we were former pageant girls (drunk, of course) (Miss Junior Kentucky and Miss Junior Indiana)...and took pics with them! LOL! They even had the mini girls..looked like Jon Benet... Yup.

I kept trying to get pics of the little ones without looking like a drunk pedophile.. Dont think I accomplished...

Anyway, I want to look up who won b/c we had bets going...

So, long and short... the storm yesterday morning was IN.SANE. I have pics of Aaron moving my car b/c the flood waters were starting to get in my doors. Yes, I'm serious. We both waded out there with the windstorm and sheets of rain to move my car to higher ground.. along with all of my neighbors. It was CRAZY!!!!

And...

I still dont have power. Can we say deja vu? At least I had company this time! Aaron and I didnt really have a bad time at all... It was just a little (a lot) warm. We played board games by candlelight.. :) They're saying Tuesday I think...I love how everyone is so used to it from the Dec crap.. People here just got out their chainsaws and immediatey attacked the branches, etc... It was like "here we go again...."

Oh...and we saw Sex and the City... LOVED IT!!!! Go now. Thank you.

PS..

PS.. Some things b/c my blog has gotten too serious these past couple days...

1. The Rachel Ray thing is ridic!!! (Please see A Piece of Her Mind in my links for more)
2. My boyfriend is currently on a train...to STL...where he'll fly to TUL for the wedding. Why? Well..that would be b/c he didnt buy his flight til this week. Um.. sometimes being a bit A-type pays off in our relationship if you ask me (tooting my horn)... But, this is just a case in point as to why we balance each other well.... haha...
3. I will be attempting to belt a dress tonight for the reh dinner. Have you ever noticed that I do NOT accessorize a lot? I could lie and say it's b/c I prefer simpler, classic accessories...but really..it's partly b/c I have no idea what I'm doing. We'll see how this goes. :)
4. I love my job-b/c since I traveled on Wed, my boss is letting me go home early to get ready for the reh dinner tonight!!! :))

Now, I need to work. Lord. Distracted much? Yeah. Me.