25 June 2010

She’s Just So Beautiful

Current mood: loved

And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and you're head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
~ “this is the Life” by Amy Macdonald


A few months ago, I bought a sofa, which folds down into a full-size bed. Now that GirlTwin is 5’6”, I assumed that she would want her own sleeping space while she is visiting. I was wrong. Luckily for me, my pre-teen still lets me treat her like a little girl when it comes to bedtime. These past few nights, she’s been in bed with me, Elizabeth, and Gracie. While she has always been a fitful sleeper, now that she is taller, her every movement causes a ripple effect on the bed. She moves, then Ebie shifts, and Gracie changes positions, waking me up as she ‘kneads’ my head to get comfortable again. To compound matters, last night the “Tooth Fairy” came, having to get the tooth container out of GirlTwin’s pillowcase so that it could be exchanged for money. I have no idea how the entire clan didn’t wake up from that maneuvering. I love every moment she is here and I am so blessed to still be in her life.

Last night was our Second Base Preservation Society Multi-Vendor Open House. Six people came, not including the vendors. GirlTwin sold a ton of raffle tickets and a couple of t-shirts to the vendors and the six guests. I am so close to my goal of $2,300 that it was disappointing more people didn’t’ show up – especially with the vendors donating proceeds to the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure. So, for all of the people that didn’t get to go, please check out the website www.SBPS3Day.com fundraising page for the links to the vendor sites. They are holding the orders until July 1 to give everyone a chance to order something. Or you can make a direct donation at www.the3day.org/goto/jtuck2010

This weekend we plan on going to the zoo, getting a haircut for GirlTwin, going on a Training Walk, and doing some crafts. This must be the least relaxing vacation she has ever had. Yesterday, I let her stay at the house all day to work on her reading and crafting. She called me in the morning to alert me that Gracie escaped to the great outside. I mumbled, “That damn whore”, to myself, then let GirlTwin know that she’d come back when she was done gallivanting around the neighborhood. Sure enough, she returned around noon, very upset that no one was there to greet her. She then escaped again before we left for the event. And once again, upon our return, she was on the front porch, starting at us in an accusatory fashion. I swear that cat has a superiority complex.

For those with ideas on how to entertain a 12 year old girl on a budget, please let me know.

Keep my sister and her fiancée in your thoughts. Their house is underwater from extensive flooding in Missouri.

That is all. You may go.

PERSONAL NOTE:
Hope the reunion is fun!

22 June 2010

Little Miss Motivated

current mood: not-so-motivated

Everyone has their private world
Where they can be alone
Are you calling me?
Are you trying to get through?
Are you reaching out for me?
I'm reaching out for you....
~ ‘Beautiful’ by Eminem

The past few days have been incredibly busy. I spent Friday locked in a glass room, being recorded by cameras while I took the Series 7 exam. Yay for me, I passed. Getting that giant gorilla off my back was a relief like none I have ever known. I celebrated with some peeps downtown. And surprisingly, my shenanigans did not get us arrested or even kicked out of anyplace we visited. Perhaps it helped that every person we came across was required to clap or cheer for me due to my exam success!!!

Saturday, NBF, my Niece Tibbie, and I went to KC to pick up GirlTwin at the airport. Thanks to the magic of GPS, I was able to get from the airport to Oceans of Fun just in time for black clouds to roll in out of nowhere and dump a deluge of water, lightning, and wind on us for 2 hours. Not to fear, we waited out the storm in the ridiculously rickety gift shop, where flying projectiles consisting of snow globes, sunglasses, and key chains could have very-well killed us. Luckily for us, the structure held (though the electricity didn’t). Once the wind died down a little, we hurried over to our rented cabana and took advantage of lunch service so that we would be ready to play when the park attractions reopened. Sure enough, the storm vanished almost as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving the half-occupied waterpark, under clear blue skies. We enjoyed every slide the place had to offer, which really isn’t saying all that much. Still, it was a fun day and everyone was exhausted from the frivolity.

For dinner, we went to a recommended Mexican restaurant in St. Joseph, MO. To keep the girls entertained, we decided to behave like robots. The poor waiter was terrified of us by the end of the meal. I was highly impressed with GirlTwin and Niece Tibbie for their participation with limited laughter. We wouldn’t have won any Oscars for our performances; but we could have easily done community theatre with ease.

Having GirlTwin here is such a treat and I am looking forward to the rest of our adventures over the next two weeks.

I just want to remind everyone that our Open House Fundraiser is this Thursday, 6:00 – 8:30pm at Billings Photography. Please plan on attending, supporting the Breast Cancer team, and buying some amazing gifts.

PERSONAL NOTE: I think that you are a complete and total whack-job. I don’t know how you function in the real world, because your delusions of grandeur have even astounded me. Good luck being a supah-stah!!!

10 June 2010

The Sun is Getting Busy, Baby

Current mood: anxious

But Mariella just smiled as she skipped down the road
because she knew all the secrets in her world.
yeah, she always got the crossword puzzle right every day
and she could do the alphabet backwards, without making any mistakes.
~ “Mariella” by Kate Nash


I lost my self-control this week with regards to not reading the news. I know that people want to keep up with current events; but let’s be realistic; most current events are about devastation (BP and some oil leak) and mayhem (the little Dutch boy and his murder addiction). Yet, I had to look; had to be “in the know”, as they say. Due to my curiosity, I now know that the sun is pissed and it is going to start sending solar storms our way, possibly interfering with satellite communication or killing us all – the scientists just don’t know. Poor Abby Sunderland, the 16 year-old girl sailing around the globe solo, is missing somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Oh, and I am pretty sure that Lindsay Lohan is drinking again. All of this scary stuff is making me agoraphobic.

To make matters worse, NBF is heading to Bloomington this weekend, to find a place to live and meet his law professors. I will be holed up in my house, wearing tin foil on my head to prevent solar flare radiation, and studying for that damn exam I take next week. Luckily for me, I will also be peddling my Second Base Preservation Society t-shirts in front of the Papillion Devil-Mart for 4 hours on Saturday. Stop on by to purchase a t-shirt and some raffle tickets or to make a donation to the cause. Or better yet, make a donation directly on the website: www.the3day.org/goto/jtuck2010 .

On a positive note, my favourite TV shows are back on the air for their summer seasons. This, my friends, makes me so very happy. In fact, one of these aforementioned shows allowed me to view one of the most humbling commercials on TV – the Twix commercial where the guy asks the girl at the party to go back to his place and when she gets insulted, he takes a bite of his Twix, then says he thought she was someone who liked to blog about her ideals – to which she responds, “Oh, I love blogging.” And she goes home with him – where it is safe to assume, no blogging actually went on. While I seldom blog about my ideals (Prince Harry for American King) I do like to think that blogging females are not as naïve and gullible as the chick in the commercial. While it is true that we assume people want to read the thoughts pouring out of our heads, we are not so naïve to believe that a guy would take us home for our thoughts. LOL that is just plain silliness.

PUBLIC NOTE: Free Beer for anyone who helps me move boxes this weekend from one storage unit to another. It will literally take less than an hour.

PERSONAL NOTE: I cannot wait to meet Imacoolbaby

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: *wink wink* *nudge nudge*

Eidetic Vision

Main Entry: ei·det·ic Pronunciation: I-'det-ik Function: adjective : marked by or involving extraordinarily accurate and vivid recall especially of visual images - an eidetic memory Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.