It's a Success!!

So the party was a huge sucess, once again! Another year, another ROCKIN' party. The night started out slowly, I wanted people to have time to get here. We all spent time mingling and getting to know one another. I invited many of the guests from last year, and plenty of new guests. About a third of those invited couldn't or didn't make it, which sucks for them because this party was even better than last year.

I must digress... a big reason this party was such a great one is because of Ben. He worked his tail off to get the house in order and fully decorated. He is an amazing party decorator.

Back to the party... we had a candy guessing game, which went well. Someone actually got pretty close, statistically speaking. We also played a game of Halloween Hangman. I think that Ben was a little wary about how it would go over, but it ended up being a lot of fun. We also played an impromptu game of Halloween pictionary as a group.

After a few guests left, we played "Apples to Apples." Then we hung out and laughed until all guests were gone. Many themes for next year's party were discussed. We'll have to see what we come up with... only eleven months and 30 days left to figure that out....

Until then, start thinking about your costume.

Gotta go... trick-or-treators at the door.

Wallace and Gromit Review

I went into this movie with an open mind. Like I said before, I really knew very little about the show W & G, so I didn't know what to expect. I figured it would be mildly funny, much like Chicken Run (made by Nick Park, the same creator of W & G). Boy was I WRONG. W & G was so much more funny than Chicken Run. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is going through some stressful times... the laughter and jokes are so wonderfully healing.

The claymation was good, which I thought would be about right. The story was humorous, and the idea behind the characters' developments was fantastic. There were items that only kids could find truly funny, and there were jokes that only adults would really understand and plenty of funny for the in between.

Tivo and minutiae

OK... so I wrote a big long entry, then it wouldn't publish, and I lost it all... so too bad, you guys lose out, I'm too damn lazy to rewrite it....

Laters!

Tivo and minutiae

Last night Ben and I watched a bunch of shows from our Tivo. It was nice to just sit and watch stuff since we had such a busy week. We caught up on ER, Smallville and a few other shows. What's crazy is the fact that after watching all that, we still have 11 pages of shows!! I think that it's amazing that Ben and I don't weigh a million pounds with all the tv that we watch! It just blows my mind.

Then today, i worked at my part time job, the Challenger Learning Center. We had Girl Scout Juniors, which are upper elementary age. We had a diverse group of girls, and they were spectacular.

So now, I'm with friends (but they're all computer techs, so they're talking about crap that I don't get...) and we're going to go to dinner and see Wallace and Gromit. It looks interesting, and it's something that all my friends are excited about. I never watched the show, so I don't really get the whole wantiing to see it. I'd be plenty happy waiting until it's out on DVD, but oh well.

So, you'll get my review of W & G later. Sorry that this blog wasn't so funny..... Hopefully the next one will be.

If it was going to be anyone...

I'm OK with the Astro's winning. I'd rather that the Cardinals won the Series in their last year at old Busch, but the Astros are nice guys, and they played like winners. They've got a fantastic pitching staff. What else can you say?

Near the end of the game, Ben sent me out for ice cream because apparently I'm bad luck for the Cards. So I get to Cold Stone and they're almost closed. I'm the only customer. There are three workers there. One of them is done for the night and she's trying to find her keys. The guy working whispers to me that he took them and hid them. The other gal working knows this and starts giggling. The girl looking for her keys asks her "What's so funny? Did he take my keys?" The giggler lies and tell her some story about dropping the wrong mixer into the ice cream and having to start from scratch. The guy can't stop laughing. The key girl asks me if he took her keys... I find my way out of answering by avoiding the question. She walks back to the kitchen to keep searching and the guy pulls the keys out and puts them out in plain view. Key Girl walks past them a few times until I point them out right before I leave. She grabs them and asks the guy if he took them. He tells her that he did. She looks at me like I should have helped her out... so I did what I had to... I told her that the other two threatened to spit in my ice cream if I told...

Cards and other things

The Cards are losing 2-0 at the end of the 3rd inning. But I'm having fun posting comments to comments on my own blog. I'm much too easily entertained.

OK, and I just found out that a friend of mine got engaged. I'm super happy for him. I wish him and his new fiancee all the best. I can't wait to meet her! You can read about his engagement at Chris Hammond's Blog . Some of you may not know him, but my sister does and she'll want to read about it and see the pics. It was a very romantic way to do it! Go Chris!! Once again, all the best to Chris and Natalie.

DAMMIT! Mulder just gave the Astros a HOMERUN.... this is NOT good.... I'm closing this out before i cry in front of you all... the CARDS MUST WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Cards!!

OK, so tonight is game 6 of the NLCS. My Cardinals are playing for their survival. But I have faith. They have to win it to stay in it. Jim and Albert and Dave will get it done. I'm sure that Reggie and So will also contribute to the win. The Astros are going down.

I'll blog more tonight when I'm celebrating.

By the Way...

Today is my sister's 26th birthday!!! Everybody should post and wish her a great one! She checks my blog everyday... she'd love to hear from you all!

High School Reunion

OK... so I'm 28... that can only mean one thing... a 10 year high school reunion. And it wasn't just a night of catching up. In my hometown, it's a whole friggin' weekend of activities!! It all started with a happy hour at a local sports bar and grill. Ben and I walked in, and I recognized no one. I seriously wondered if I had not gotten an updated invite or something. Finally I asked the waitress if she knew about a reunion meeting at this bar. She pointed to a group of about four women and a guy. I thought, "Great, we graduated with 386 people, and six showed. I'm a flippin' loser!" Turns out I'm not a loser, just someone who likes to be fashionably late. Everyone else was just chicken and waited forever to show so that they would know someone! I gots me some balls now! Very few people recognized me on sight (OK, two people... that's it.), but once I told them who I was, there was a whole lot of "OH MY GOD" looks. It was great. A couple of drunk guys even said "Holy shit! You look nothing like I remember!" That felt pretty darn great! If only I had a high school picture to post with a current one. I don't think that I look all that different. I think that the big difference is in how I present myself now. I know how to dress for my figure, and I'm confident as all get out. I like myself, and I like how I look. Back in high school I was so not confident. I guess it makes a difference.

Anyway, so then it's Saturday night. Most everyone else has been to the parade, tour of the school and football game. I spent the day working. That night we have dinner and a dance at the local Knights of Columbus hall. Ben and I decide not to show right away since the Cardinals were finishing up a big game. But once we did show, we walk in and there's my ex. Yup, the guy I haven't seen nor talked to in five and a half years. At that point, I figured the night could go one of two ways.... he would be a bastard (not a small possibility) and we'd leave early and call friends to come hang, or he'd be a half-decent guy and we'd hang with a bunch of people I barely know anymore and people that my husband didn't know at all. Luckily, the latter happened, and the night was pretty great. I saw old friends and acquaintances that I hadn't seen in a while, and I really go to show those who thought I was a loser back in high school that I looked better than them for once. It was great.

So, I'll so be going to my 2oth reunion. I'll do my best to make sure that I look great there too. I have a feeling a few of the gals will get some work done and look fake... that would be great...

Professional Development and Shopping

Today my sister attended a professional development conference in St. Louis not far from where I work. It's funny, because yesterday I attended a professional development conference. Both of us went into them thinking that they may be slightly helpful, but came out very satisfied with what we learned. I love it when that happens. When you expect one thing and something better happens. Always a good thing.

Well, then after she finished the conference today, we went to dinner and shop at the Galleria. We ate there, then shopped at Target. We both LOVE that Target. I got make-up and a shirt, and Jessi bought a new outfit.

Well, "My Name is Earl" is on the Tivo... I love me some Earl!!

Chinese food

Yay!!!! Ben and I finally found a Chinese place that he actually likes!! Wait, did Hell just freeze over? I could have sworn I heard Satan's chattering teeth a minute ago....

Anyway, the way that we found this place is because we offered to have dinner with my sister who is in town for work, but she's at my parent's house all alone. So when we called, she said she had already changed into her house clothes and she didn't want to go anywhere, but she wasn't against us picking up some China King and watching "How I Met Your Mother." Ben wasn't super psyched about that, but I told him we'd get him Hardee's on the way from China King to my mom's house. So I called and placed our take-out order, making certain to order extra crab rangoon since Jessi liked it so much, and because that's about the only Chinese that Ben will eat. When we pick up the order, Ben smells the crab rangoon and EATS one while we're in the drive-thru at Hardee's! I believe his statement was, "This is the BEST crab rangoon EVER!!!" So, now he's telling me that we can get chinese whenever. Which is cool by me, because I tend to crave it more often than he's willing to put up with it... he he he

So, now I just have to get our friends to try the food... cuz I really enjoyed the sesame chicken. Plus, the crab rangoon really did rock the hizzy.

Halloween Party

I'm getting so excited about my upcoming Halloween party. I'm always thinking about games that could be played, and today I went shopping for prizes and decorations. I love throwing parties. It's a sick obsession, but you can't blame someone for what they love. I have fun planning it all out, designing and sending the invites, preparing for it, cooking for it and then the actual party itself. People usually end up telling me that the partywas the best they've been to... I just so can't wait.

But I always worry that no one will show. I know that my closest friends will be there, but it's the acquaintances that I always worry about. I hope that people will RSVP and show. I have so many fun plans for games, food, beverages and decorations.

I hope that blogging will ease some of my tensions about this... I think it will. I would also lay out my plans for the party, but I don't want to give everything away, since the only people who probably read this will be people who are coming anyway.

OK, so now it's dinner time... laters!!

So here's my first *REAL* post

I'm doing this from Louisville, KY, where my sister Jessica has been talking nonstop about blogging. She has been doing so for a little while now. So, she's hooked me up with a super simple place to blog, and she even personalized my page for me. "THANKS JESS!!! It looks fantastic... I couldn't (and probably wouldn't) have done this without you!"

Ben and I arrived in Louisville late last night. We pretty much went to bed as soon as we got here. Neither one of us slept very well, but that tends to happen when you're not at home. We slept in a little before getting up and getting ready to go to Lexington to vist baby sister, Katie. We had a great afternoon with her, and we even met her boyfriend, Brandon. He seems like a pretty cool guy. Both Ben and I gave our thumbs up to this guy. Katie seems to be really happy at school despite having a pain-in-the-butt roomie. The friends of hers that we met (Rachel, Angelina and Ashley) were really nice and they make Katie happy, so that makes me happy.

Tonight we're back in Louisville with Jessica and Craig, and we're getting ready to watch "SNL" with Jon Heder as host. We have high hopes that it will be mostly funny... remember the days when all of SNL was funny? Not a stupid, useless skit to be had back then... now, every skit is a toss-up. Well, I think that they are ready to watch. So.... laters!