Birthdays, Floods, & Mating Maxwells

So, it has been a while since I've blogged.  10 days.  That's kind of a lot for me!  I've been working more lately, so I think that accounts for some of it.  Some. 

I had an interesting weekend.  Friday night Jack & I went to see Grown-Ups.  It was pretty funny... mostly in a clean way, which I usually like better than dirty humor.  I think anyone can tell a dirty joke and be funny, but it actually takes TALENT to be funny in a "clean" way.  Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  It was a good movie; not something that I would say is a favorite, but I'm glad I watched it.

In other news, I went back to Maquoketa for the annual birthday bash of one Ms. Martha Schwartz.  She turned 90 on Friday!  CRAZY!  This picture is from Memorial Day weekend 'cause for whatever reason I didn't take a new one of us at her birthday party!  I love her!  She is the one who gave me my wonderful cooking abilities.  I must also add that I have found in recent years that I think I may have developed some of my sharp wit from her.  She must have withheld that from me when I was a child, but she sure doesn't hold back her sauciness anymore!

While I was home I also gave Destiny and Easton their birthday presents since I don't think that I will get to see them again before their birthdays.  Here is Little Man speeding away from the mess he made while opening up his presents.  LOVES himself some wrapping paper!

Easton & Destiny also liked jamming out to Destiny's new Justin Bieber cd.  Yes, I actually bought that for her, as much as I might be against the J. Bieb's.

We went to Bluff Lake for Grandma's birthday dinner, just like we do every other year.  I had to post the picture below because I can not figure out what Preston, Destiny Matt & Kim are all staring at!  They look like they are concentrating really hard on something.  Too funny.

If you can't tell, I love my family!  Now, let me tell you what I don't love.  My basement flooding.  Jack called me at 6:30 AM on Sunday morning (while I was in Maquoketa) to let me know that our (finished) basement was flooded.  NOT cool.  My house now smells musty and gross and we are still (2 days later) trying to shop vac. all of the water out of the carpet.  I'm pretty sure that we are going to have to replace it.  We didn't have any issues last year or this year yet, but this last rain must have been the straw that broke the camel's back.  We are supposed to have a whole week of sunshine!  Why couldn't it last through one more rain spell?  LAME.

In other news, we got a free load of firewood tonight!  That is a good thing!  I was not looking forward to paying for firewood this fall, but I HAVE to have fires.  LOVE them.  (Anybody know a good chimney sweep in the area?  I need one before this fall!  I want someone similar to Dick Van Dyke if at all possible...)

Lastly, the book challenge starts in 2 days!  Check it out.  I hope you all will be cheering me on!  I lack motivation people!  If you know me at all, you know this much to be true, so I need you!

Oh wait!  One more thing!  I saw a partnerless Mating Maxwell today in lieu of one Ms. Kate Bowman's birthday!  It may not have had a partner, but it still made me think it was just there to celebrate for Kate!  (If you don't understand the paragraph, then you don't need to.  I  mean that in the most polite way possible.)     :)  It was an amazing bluish tealy color.  LOVED it.  So did Kaiah.

Goose Goose GooseGooseGoose

I don't have to work today so that means that you all get to read a new blog!  Yay for you!  I guess technically I did do some work emailing this morning but other than that I get the day off.  We had tornado sirens and storms this morning so I was looking forward to a nice relaxing day of reading and being lazy.  NOW the sun has decided to come out so I suppose I will have to go out and take Kaiah for an adventure.  I suppose that's good... for both of us.  Either way, I was REALLY looking forward to being a lazy P.O.S. today.


Note to readers:  I'm going to start back up the YESS book club.  I know that I no longer work at YESS, but I like you gals and it's going to happen whether you like it or not.  Expect an email soon.  Also, let me know if there is anyone in the DSM area that is not a former member that would like to join.  [Perhaps one Ms. Kaci Sloss... :)  I would say that you fit both qualifications, but let's face it... being an employee at YESS is no longer a qualification. (The other qualification is that you read, of course... and that you're not annoying, so I guess there are three.)]  P.S.  I WILL be posting these aforementioned qualifications in the email, so be prepared to meet the needs of the group.  Also, any group members with requested qualifications, please notify me ASAP.

I've decided that starting up the book club again only makes sense (for me, personally) since I should be reading at least 4 books per month.  Why not make one of them a book club selection and get some of my favorite socialites back together?!  Let's face it people, you are the main reason I worked there as long as I did (no offense to YESS or it's uninvolved employees!)  :)

I feel my blog has been lacking in the picture department lately so let me leave you with this wonderful picture that Kaiah posed for so that we could try out mobile blogging (which failed miserably several times).  That means you get to see her show off her goose now.  :)

Recommendations!

If you aren't following my other blog yet, then you wouldn't know that I am asking for any and all recommendations for an entrancing premier book for my challenge. Help me out folks.  Go to my other blog and post what you think I should start my reading extravaganza out with!

Much love!

Things You Might Know & Things That You Don't

*Everyone knows that I love pickles!  You might not know that I love cotton candy!
*Everyone knows that I love to cook.  You might not know that I have a recipe arsenal.
*Everyone knows that I like the idea of living by vegetarian principles.  You might not know that I have a strong desire to eat raw beef! (It's true!)
*Everyone knows that I love all things rock music (from indie to hard rock).  You might not know that while driving I sometimes only listen to classical music
*Everyone knows that I am an animal lover.   You might not know that I HATE opossums!
*Everyone knows that I love kitchen utensils.  You might not know that I want to collect mortar & pestle sets (but I own only one!)
*Everyone knows that I have celebrity crushes on Mark Ruffalo, John Corbett & Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  You might not know that I have a closet crush on Jonathan Safran Foer
*I like to read Jodi Picoult, Jonathan Safran Foer & Nicholas Sparks.  You might not know that my favorite reads are Tolstoy & Dostoyevsky.
*Everyone knows that I love giving gifts.  You might not kow that I'd rather give a gift than receive one any day!
*Everyone knows that I love spending time with my friends & family.  You might not know that I'm a major homebody.
*Everyone knows that I say what's on my mind.  You DON'T have any idea what I'm filtering!
*Everyone knows that I usually appear to be quite chipper.  You might not know that on average I get a migraine about once a week.
*Everyone knows that I LOVE sleeping.  You might not know that I get very little of it!


A few more things you may not know:
*I'm addicted to storage.  Yep.  Tupperware, baskets, you name it.
*I used to collect pogs.  Remember them?
*Justin Timberlake is my guilty pleasure.  I like his music but it embarrasses me to admit it.

I'm sure I will add to these lists in the future, but for now this is what you get.  Enjoy!

A New Goal. A New Blog.

I've started a new blog friends!  I am going to attempt to read 50 books in the next year.  Read about it in my very first post on My New Blog.  Check it out!  I am taking any and all suggestions to help me complete my goal!

Reading this blog entry will waste your time.

I think I'm officially addicted to blogging.  Maybe that means it's time to take a break from it.  Is blogging almost every day too much blogging?  I do know that I've only written 3 sentences prior to this one and I've used the word "blogging" 3 times.  Now four in four.  I'm on a roll.

If I'm using my computer & doing absolutely nothing productive and I can hear that my fish tank is really loud (because it's right next to me and in need of some more water), does it make me lazy for just sitting and being annoyed instead of getting up and filling it?

I don't even know why I'm blogging.  I clearly have nothing to say.  I'm sorry readers; you should have read my blog title.

Sadness Took Over My Musical Soul

I cried for a little bit of my old self tonight.  Not in sadness.  Not in happiness.  I don't know in what... reminiscence maybe?  You all may judge me and choose to have dramatic public readings of my blog after you read this (you know who you are), but I'm okay with that.

Tonight I was watching Journey:  Live in Milan.  Not old epic Journey; new Journey with the new front man that is younger than the age of the band itself.  Anyway, that is beside the point.  I was watching Journey and completely singing and dancing to "Separate Ways" (probably my favorite Journey song), and it made me cry.  I wasn't crying because I was happy.  I wasn't crying because I was sad.  I mean, the crying it what made me sad, but it wasn't a sad cry.  If that makes any sense.  It was like sob-singing.  I couldn't stop singing along but was definitely crying while trying to do so.  I would be willing to put money on the idea that this happens to everyone at some point in their life.  You just aren't willing to admit it.  Anyway, I know it sounds cliche.  I know it sounds super cheesy when people say they just "feel" the music.  But I was feeling it. 

It made me cry just like it does any other time I hear that song.  I love it.  There are just those songs that will get you every time, no matter how often you hear it and it will get you even worse if you're trying to sing along.  It will get you even more if you watch a tv performance of it, but it will get you the worst at a live concert.  I would be willing to bet that I have cried or nearly cried at almost every concert that I've been to, and for those who don't know me as well as others, there have probably been a LOT of live performances that I've seen.  Music is just powerful like that.

An artist is always going to find a way to connect with the audience.  It's not art if it can't connect with someone, even if it is just the artist himself.

I've always loved music and I love the rush that I get from it.  I've never drank before a concert I really cared about seeing, as a lot of people would, because I get such a physical high from the live performance.  I love songs that I feel I connect with and I love songs that represent the ideal me.  I'm sad to say, however, that I miss music.

A lot of my life used to be dedicated to finding bands to call my own (the lesser known bands that are just coming around); I used to be the person that my friends would come to first if they heard a new song and needed it identified.  There was not a band that a person could stump me with.  It's weird now for me to reminisce about it because I feel so out of the loop anymore.  My search for the ultimate song ended when I started spending all of my time with a certain man.  Let's blame Jack!  That's what I get for getting involved with boys.

I also put an end to concert-going last year in order to do adult things, like pay for a house and all of those fun little expenses that come along with it.  That's what I miss the most.  That is ultimately what made me sad tonight.  Watching that performance from Journey made me remember how much I love going to concerts.  I know that I am old now and could no longer handle some of the crazy crowds I've been a part of (how many of you have been to a concert with me where I didn't get you on the front gate directly in front of the stage?), but still...

Please faithful readers, tell me which songs give that feeling to you: that ultimate "hell yes" moment.  I need to know I'm not the only one.  (Tell me your favorite live performance you've seen too.  I need to live vicariously through you.)


P.S.  If any one of you want to attempt to knock on my love for Journey; go for it.  Try and tell me that you don't like Journey.  If you say that you don't, you're a poser.  There is no shame in loving Journey.