daaaaamn! it's time for some pictures!

damn, i'm a looker.



by god, it's our new living room! with me looking like, well, like i've been carrying boxes in 95 degree heat. I'M PRETTY. and our cat, little brother (the orange and white guy) looks evil, but really he's just yawning.

boxes are eating our kitchen. and quite possibly that cat you see there.



this is the luxurious exercise room at the motel where we honeymooned at --- i'm so buff. and really i look like i might just vomit.

look how strong he is!



we really class it up.

KICK ASS!

you can't IMAGINE how excited i am for THIS movie!

return of the golden pic

OH....MY.....GOD......


remember the golden pig from earlier this year? well i've come across another one... will i ever be free?

isn't today supposed to be a day of rest or something?

it's supposed to be a high of 84 degrees today, which of course make sense, as we'll be hauling boxes and the remaining furniture from our house.

i make lists when i have a lot to get done. i make a lot of lists. not so much to reference and check off during a task, but to just get all this clutter out of my brain and on to paper, where it seems more manageable.

today's list is: STUFF TO GET FROM THE HOUSE
1. dustin's clothes and the remaining dresser, misc. from the bedroom
2. misc. boxes out of our storage closet
3. futon and large steamer trunk
4. misc. from abbey's closet
5. dishes, remaining kitchen stuff
6. dishwasher (although i'm not sure where it will fit in our new kitchen, unless we opt to suspend it from the ceiling)
7. misc. from computer room
8. misc. from bathroom
9. misc. from basement

note the amount of "misc" on the list. there is a lot of misc. i'm hoping that much of this "misc" can actually be thrown away, to avoid having to pack, unpack and sort "misc." after all, if it is called "misc," is it really worth moving? if this "misc" has been sitting at the house for days now, can it continue to sit in a place known as a "dumpster" or something?

pets are adjusting well to the move. however the first night, our cat, brother, refused to come out of a closet. and he meow SO LOUDLY. you've never HEARD such a meow. dixie the dog is doing well, although she has not put together that yes, she CAN use the yard as a bathroom. it's as though she doesn't want to make a bad impression on the neighbors.

and tomorrow is a holiday, so NO WORK FOR ME! hurrah! i like my new job, yes, but who doesn't like a day off?

oh, and if anyone wants a FREE upright piano, contact me and if you can haul it (or hire someone to haul it), it's all yours.

the mark of the beast

as an aside, my spam box in my email has 666 pieces of spam.

just so you know.

hurrah for connection!

we are officially connected to the internet at the new place -- isn't it scary how cut off from the world you feel when you lack internet? i don't know how good that is. but damn, it's nice to be back.

for a minute, anyways, b/c there are a GAGILLION boxes that need to be unpacked. or at least shoved into the basement until i realize they contain things i need.

ahhh... the definition of luck!

packing up mattresses. and, of course, we load them on top of our fancy schmancy mini-van. what happens next? TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. luckily our neighbors brought out a tarp for us, but not before poor dustin was soaking wet to the bone. we actually could ring out his shirt.

so is it bad luck that we put a mattress on the roof of the car right before it rained, or good luck that our neighbors kick ass? a mixed bag, this whole "luck" thing.

now we wait it out. damn, this could go all night.

i hate lifting heavy things

so we've begun the process of moving to our new place and i really, really hate carrying stuff. no, really, i HATE it. however i really like our new place and the fact that if something happens with the plumbing or the furnace or the appliances we just make a phone call and pay NOTHING. there is something to be said for renting, folks.

update on the new job: things going pretty well. as expected, full-time employment really cuts into your blog time, but i suppose that is the price of grown-up-ness.

and props to em and dyl for making a sweet lil' elliott agnes! she's a doll, very lightweight and smells of new baby. (which is good, b/c if she smelled of cigars and booze, i'd have serious concerns.)

just once, JUST ONCE, i'd really like to be able to sleep up until my alarm clock rings. not an hour before, leaving me tired the rest of the day. JUST ONCE.

so if there is anyone who feels like joining dustin in the week-long process of lifting, lifting and more lifting, let us know.

i've been asked if marriage feels differently than just living together. mind you, i've lived with dustin since 2001, so it feels basically the same... but a little bit sweeter. does that make sense?

and at work today and tomorrow it sounds as though i'll be getting smacked with stuff to preflight (for those of you not in the industry, that means to check files for missing fonts, images, etc). but i will blog when i am not working. or lifting. or packing. crap, it's going to be a busy week.

weekends: they go too fast (a message from captain obvious)

we had a nice spur of the moment honeymoon type weekend at a local hotel -- hot tubs rule. they completely kick ass!

in sad news, my great aunt passed away and although i wasn't super close to her, she was the last sibling of my now-passed grandparents, so it's a bit like an end of an era, in that sense.

and now i need to nap. and then shop for grown-up clothes. pictures of the weekend coming soon!

CONGRATS!!!!!

congrats to ellermee and dyl-bear on the birth of their little one! i'm a surrogate auntie!

eek!

first week of work and james freakin' blunt will be performing here during lunchtime tomorrow! yippee!!!

back to work for me

today=overwhelming but exciting. it's cool to be at a workplace where people seem to ENJOY going to most everyday.

and anyone who says that they don't cry when they hear song 17, The Wings, from the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, are LIARS.

LIARS, i say.

my kid sister graduated from college this weekend, which makes me officially OLD. but she is fantastic and i couldn't be prouder of my bug. congrats, meg! i love you!



earlier in the weekend, dustin did the honors of opening our wedding champagne (sparkling wine, if you want to be specific).





and no celebration is complete unless you include bean dip and chocolate chip cookie dough. (not at the exact same time, mind you.)



and after enough champagne and brandy, boys do amusing things.

wedding photos

this is just how i envisioned my wedding day as a little girl...getting security clearance.



and our judge was FANTASTIC. we loved her.

friday, may 12 wedding: no shotgun required

i turned 31.

me and boy.

me and my lovely terry.
dustin covered "don't worry, be happy." and damn! he nailed it!

sarah, andy and terry made an appearance at the townhouse.

ahh, a birthday table.

ahh, a birthday tradition.


dustin and paul do this sometimes.

we ate thai food for dinner. mmm...pad thai.

paul and sarah joined us at the townhouse, too.

meg and chris. my sister is adorable.

birthdays and whatnot

a great birthday was had -- i will update with photos soonish. after i sleep. sleep is important. and i may as well tell the blogworld that i had a miscarriage. it's been an emotional couple of weeks... complete fear overshadowed by complete excitement overshadowed by sadness and disappointment. but that is how it works sometimes, i suppose. like i said before, you are all with me for the whole journey, it just happens that this particular journey is shorter than expected (and wanted). but we'll try sometime in the future when life has calmed down more. but yeah, it's hard. but we'll be okay and we're getting through it.

the spoils of a birthday

had a lil' birthday breakfast at perkins, and of course i had to try out the claw machine. well lookeeee here! i won a hat! and what does the hat say? it says "fishing!" that is SO me.

I'm HOW OLD???

this is one way to spend your 31st birthday...

i think i'll go out for a few drinks instead.

an even longer day.

sometimes things happen. no reason for them, but they happen.

a looooooong day, indeed

a really long day is finally winding down. it's been such a long day, in fact, that i don't even have to energy to give a re-cap. maybe tomorrow.

a nice lil' friday night

kiddo has been preoccupied with renting "the greatest game ever played," so that's our friday night plan. she came home early from school with some weird abdominal pains, so i'm keeping an eye on that.

ate chinese food. yuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmm.

got my bday gifts from my dad and leona -- thanks, guys! the clothes fit great (and will still fit in six months!) and i can't wait to give the tool cd a good listen-to!

i love friday nights. i love saturday mornings. this is my favorite part of the week, by far.

truth be told....

so i've known about the pregnancy for over a week. i've not smoked in over a week. at first the amount of shock i felt was ... HUGE. when not expecting this to happen, you are a bit shocked, esp. when you've had the past five months of on and off turmoil i've experienced. having said that ...

i'm very excited about this baby.

and i know it's still very early along and i know a gajillion things can happen at anytime. but i'm excited. names have been tossed around a little bit, i've glanced more than once at the baby stuff aisle at target. and you know what? i'm a good mom. a very good mom.

when we were selling the VW, the woman who bought it noticed me hugging my kiddo.

"are you her mom?" she asked.

abbey had climbed up on my lap and put her arms around my neck. i put my arms right around her as well and just held onto her while talking to this woman.

"yep, i am," i said, proudly.

"that's interesting. i don't usually see moms so affectionate with their kids," she said.

i just sort of half-smiled and nodded, but really i didn't understand it. what kinds of moms does she see? if you are a mom and you have a kid hugging you, YOU HUG THEM BACK FOR AS LONG AS THEY'LL ALLOW IT! i know in three years my kid won't want me near her, so i'm enjoying this while i have it.

i know that my kid feels as though she can be herself with me. she knows that she could do ANYTHING and i will always love and accept her unconditionally.

so yes, i'm excited for this baby. this baby will be adored. this baby will have THE COOLEST older sister EVER. this baby will have fantastic t-shirts and great taste in movies. this baby will have genius-level intelligence (dustin's dna) and searing wit (my dna). this is one lucky baby.

time for a real post

i need some chinese food for lunch today. who's with me?

also, if someone could assure me that little debbie oatmeal cream pies are good nutrition, i'd be very appreciative, as i can't stop eating them.
the past few days have been one errand running event after another. the new vehicle (okay dustin, you win, the MINI-VAN) is proving to be a dandy mode of transportation and the kiddo highly approves.

i should be receiving my tool cd in the mail today or tomorrow (thanks, dad and leona!), along with some maternity type clothes that i can wear to my new job. yes, it's business professional dresscode, so i have to not dress in manner of poor college student. i'm nearly 31 (next tuesday!) and maybe it's time for some proper clothes. yes, i'll be working for the man. well maybe not THE man, but definitely someone who knows THE MAN.

seriously, i need chinese food. of course in china they just call it "food."

had an interesting moment this morning. i went to the dmv to renew my license, after which i needed to stop someplace and buy a little datebook/planner type deal. the nearest place? walmart. i hate walmart. i hate their little whistling smiley face bastard, i hate their treatment of employees, i hate how the stores all have a chemical smell and bad lighting. but i'm also lazy and sometimes that laziness overpowers my conscience.

so i went in, found a datebook/planner type deal, some oatmeal cream pies and a bottle of water. at the checkout aisle the clerk was telling someone to clean up some water to avoid a customer slipping and then suing walmart. under her breath to me she said "i don't want them to sue me, i don't have any money." i sort of nodded in understanding and said "well i'm sure if someone sued walmart, walmart might have some money to spare."

her reply:
"might? they MIGHT? i work here and BELIEVE ME, they have money. of course i can't live on what i make here. you work at walmart and you neede two jobs to live."

pretty interesting.

and this just sucks.

other than that, nothing new to report. and sometimes no news is just fine with me.

photo day

little brother hearts me.



i was so inspired by crystal's eff you post, i felt i should join in on the fun.

one for the baby album

awwww, it's six weeks along and already grown so much!

HURRAH!!!

I WAS OFFERED A JOB AT TARGET TODAY! YAY! (of course, i accepted!)

i start may 15! yay! i can't wait!

also...

can i just say how excited i am for the new tool cd?

THE MAN

you should really see what The Man has been posting.

4 a.m. .... fully awake.

i just wanna sleep through the night while i still can. is that so much to ask?

the responses to the pregnancy news have been ranging from ecstatic to ... well ... not so much. and although i accept all points of view, currently i'm in the mindset of "if you can't say anything nice, then fuck right off."

(i'm too lazy to take a photo of myself giving the finger, so johnny will do it for me.)

look at our grown-up car!