Mer & T's Excellent Adventure Part One: Onward to Orlando!

We just finished watching Easy A (really funny - I recommend it, especially if you ever had rumors spread about you in High School that weren't true because you will totally relate) and now we are sitting on our respective laptops not really interacting with one another, so I figured I'd start telling the story of our Excellent Adventure to Walt Disney World. I'm going to break this up into several parts, otherwise it'd get really long and honestly I don't think I can hold your attention that long. Ok ready? Here we go...

The day before we left we had to take Sly to the Dogs Day Inn. I was really, really paranoid that he was going to bite one of the workers cause we all know Sly doesn't like anyone but Mommy, Daddy and Aunt B. Lucky for us, he was all excited to meet his temporary caretaker and didn't even fight them when they took him away. I was sad because they didn't really let me say goodbye. I pouted for five whole minutes before T pulled into Culvers to buy me an ice cream cone to make me stop pouting. It worked.

We then got up at the ass-crack of dawn because we had a flight to catch. Dad was nice enough to take us to the airport. Normally I'd be complacent about catching a flight, but I was super excited for two reasons. The obvious reason was because hello we were going to that happiest place on Earth. The other reason I was super excited: We had two tickets in first class bitches!! I was checking us in online and noticed we could upgrade for like, $140 total and normally it costs well over a grand per ticket to fly first so we took Continental up on their offer. It was fabulous. I wish I had the money to fly first all the time. Yall, they served us breakfast on real plates. That's right, no plastic little tray thing with a wrapped up sandwich. We had cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, orange juice and vodka. We also got the hot towel. I'm pretty sure the flight attendant thought we were ridiculous but we didn't care. They also let us have the direct TV thing free, which really helps to pass the time. Overall, best flight of my life.

We landed in Orlando and made our way to the Disney Magical Express, the shuttle bus that would take us directly to our hotel on the Walt Disney World property. It was really convenient. We only waited about twenty minutes for a bus, and it was awesome people watching time. Lots of families with kids who were really, really excited. Their excitement was infectious.

We made our way to the Port Orleans: Riverside resort. It was a really cute hotel. Overall it was what we needed for a last minute vacation: a place to sleep and relax. I think the next time we go to Walt Disney World we'll splurge on one of the deluxe hotels. Port Orleans only had one dining hall and one sit down restaurant, which really wasn't enough of a selection. I think the other resorts have more food variety. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom was fine. It was a great place for a vacation on a budget.

We checked in and dropped our bags off in our room. We grabbed a bite to eat at the dining hall and then headed off to Animal Kingdom. I have to give a shout out to Becky for really helping us out with our last minute vacation. She was so very helpful with everything - Becky if you are reading this THANK YOU for everything!!! If you have a group and want to take them to Disney World, let me know and I'll put you in touch with Becky...she's one of their group sales peeps and I think she'd really help you get the most magical vacation of your life.

Animal Kingdom was great. We went on Expedition Everest first. I screamed the whole time...in T's ear. It was fun, and I bought a bobble head Yeti as a token of surviving the ride. Then we went on the safari ride thing to see some animals. It was cute and corny. We finished up the trip (we only had two hours in the park before it closed) with the Bug's Life movie - super cute!! We then headed back to the hotel to rest for a bit so we could finish out the night at Epcot...but we fell asleep and ended up not going. I guess we were tired because we were up so early - oops.

Ok so recap:
First Class - Awesome
Disney's Magical Express - Convenient
Port Orlean's Riverside - Good Value, but not enough food options
Animal Kingdom - Fun, but more fun if you have kids

Tune in for Part 2 of Mer & T's Excellent Adventure: Wait it isn't called MGM anymore? Oh my bad...

Toodles!

The Power!!

I just wanted to take a minute while at work to say carrying around a walkie-talkie makes me feel real powerful. I sorta grow an internal set of cajones and suddenly feel like I can stand up to people who mess with my peeps. So if you see me walking around with a walkie-talkie, watch out...I may just bite your head off and call you a straight trippin' punk yo who doesn't know what the h-e-double hockey sticks they are talkin' about. (Ok so when I get an internal set of cajones I talk like a gangsta'. Word to yo' motha')

Life Happens

Hi ten people that read my blog!
I would apologize for the extended absence, but I'm following the thought process of another blogger I read who said that apologizing for not blogging is silly cause it generally means you are out living your life and are just too busy to type it all out. So here's what you've missed....

We have a new niece and she is pretty amazing. She was born on November 3rd, weighing in at 6lbs 15oz. I feel so blessed to be a part of this little girl's life from the start. It really makes me think about babies...as in I want one.

I know, I know, for the longest time I said I would never ever have kids. However, that was before T came into my life and now I want little baby T's running around. I think before I really couldn't comprehend loving someone so much that you want to just see that love in a little human form. For some odd reason I imagine our little boy to look like the cartoon Chicken Little:

I think I picture this because both T and I were really skinny kids and we have lots of dorky tendencies. I can tell my Mom is gearing up for the grandkids, and recently B demanded that I give her a baby to dress up and spoil soon. My Dad just wants me to finish my thesis before I have a kid, but I'm kinda hoping I get put on bed rest whilst pregnant and I can write it then as I won't have anything else I can do. I don't know when we'll actually have a kid...only time will tell. In the meantime I will spoil my nieces and get my baby fix that way.

We went to Disney World. It was amazing. I think I"ll do a review of the trip for my next post.

Sly is super awesome, even if he hates everyone except me, T & B. I love snuggling with my pups and I plan to spoil him rotten this Christmas. He currently has a small cold, and I need to take him to the vet cause every time he coughs it sounds like he's choking and that freaks me out big time.

Work is far too busy. The tour was successful and I'm glad it is done. I have some projects that I was hoping to be in charge of, but I don't know if that is really going to happen now. We'll see what the future holds with work.

I've cut a few people out of my life. Too much drama. I've decided that some people, whether or not they are family members, just don't deserve an invitation to the party that is my life anymore. And man, it feels good knowing I never have to set eyes on them again if I don't want to. Though I find I have a hard time avoiding them around the holidays. Luckily I have a plan for this year...I'll have to see if it works out and maybe I can use it again next year. If you knew the details (and some of you do) then you'd understand why I'm so harsh about this whole thing. If you want to know details, I'm more than happy to give you an earful.

Christmas is only two weeks away. I have several people to buy for still. This stresses me out.

Ok, I think you are mostly caught up now. I"ll be back soon(ish) with a Disney World Review. Until then...toodles!

Obsession of the Week

I've always loved video games. I love me some Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby and Zelda, and I always try to beat every game I can. I'm not really into the shooter type games like Halo, mainly because I find the controls far too confusing and I just end up spinning in a circle.

My newest game obsession just came out on XBox Live on Wednesday and I've already beaten one round of adventure mode:



The basic idea is this:
You own a house. It is being attacked by waves of killer zombies who want to eat your brain. How do you protect your house and brain? Why, you have seed packets that grow plants equipped with defensive maneuvers that kill off the zombies. You collect little suns that fall from the sky to trade in for these seed packets, and then you plant them strategically on the lawn.

Some examples:
Peashooters shoot out peas to hurt the zombies



Corn throws pats of butter to hit the zombies, which causes them to stand still for a few seconds:



Walnuts distract the zombies and are very tough. The zombies can spend awhile standing still eating on the Walnuts, allowing other plants to attack accordingly.



Here's you neighbor, Crazy Dave:



All in all, it is a really fun, addicting game. I'm looking forward to getting home and playing it all weekend (when I'm not at work).

Labor Day - Metaphorically and Literally

So this weekend was Labor Day weekend, so T and I decided to get the heck out of Houston and go see the S'port girls (and husbands). Can I just say again I love these peeps? I am so glad we have kept in touch and have been so great about getting together as often as we can.

When we arrived Saturday morning at Lil' Brudder's house, she first gave me a tour of her awesome new house (seriously J, it is super cute!) and then she shoves a book in my hands. It took me a minute to realize what the title was: 1,000 Baby Names. It all sunk in and I squealed for two minutes and did what I like to call the "pee dance" (if I had a video camera I'd show you, but I've been asking for two gift giving holidays now and no camera has appeared). Then Lil' Brudder calmed me down to say they weren't preggers yet, just decided to try. So then I said "oh...but that's still AMAZING EEEEEEEEEE" and did the pee dance some more.

So the rest of the weekend the topic at hand was all things baby. I'm not going to lie, I've felt the itch lately. I guess I'm settled now and I just know that's the next step. Plus I have the house and dog now...I need a new project. All of my S'port girls are feeling the baby itch, and it is really exciting to all be in the same place at the same time life-wise. We all declared what names were "ours" and then spent an hour at Barnes & Noble flipping through pregnancy books (FYI What to Expect when You Are Expecting is INTENSE). I'm excited that we are for real-reals grown ups now.

So this Labor Day weekend kind of felt like the metaphorical beginning of all our "labor days" to be. See what I did there?

What'd yall do on your Labor Day weekend?

Obsession of the Week

So I'm gonna start a new weekly thing called Obsession of the Week. I think it is pretty self explanatory.

My obsession this week is Suddenly Salad. I'm loving this stuff right now. It is getting me away from eating noodles bathed in tomato sauce anytime I need a quick easy meal, like tonight, when my husband decides to take a "quick nap" at 5:45 and leaves me stranded for dinner since he's still asleep at 8:15. (wow, passive aggressive much? I should work on that...) Anyway, Suddenly Salad is super tasty and really easy to whip up. I'd like to thank S'port Girl J for introducing it to me.

Runner-up obsession of the week is my dog. He sleeps with us in our bed cause he wouldn't stop crying at night in his crate and it broke my heart. I think it has bonded us cause I love our little cuddle sessions in the morning once T has left for work. Sly will come in handy when T has to work nights in a few weeks.

What are you obsessed with this week? Let me know in the comments section so I can jump on your bandwagon.

A Question

Can one be modest and full of themselves at the same time? Cause, I think I am.

Let me back up. I think I'm good at my job. I love what I do, and I work really hard to kick ass at it. But at the same time, I like that I only have one annual performance review because it embarrasses me to hear that I kick ass at my job from other people. I'm pretty sure my boss thinks I'm one of the greatest things since sliced bread (the reason I believe this to be true is he was harder on himself during my evaluation than he was on me, and kept saying he could be better about x, y, or z.), but I hate hearing it because honestly, I feel like the expectation should be that I kick ass BECAUSE its my job and I shouldn't hear about how awesome I am. Honestly I think it makes me a little lazy to hear because then I get comfortable and quit trying for a few days.

A good example of this predicament coming to light recently is with this huge education project I've been slaving over for months now. We are down to the wire and I am mere hours of work away from completion. We were developing the credits page for the project disc, and both my boss and a colleague of mine wanted to put my name at the top of the list as the Project Manager. This embarrassed the crap out of me. 1. I should never, ever be listed higher on a credit list than my own boss and other people who far outrank me and 2. I don't necessarily need a title change. I did what I was asked to do. I don't feel that I deserve any credit above and beyond anyone else.

I find it interesting that one of our departments throws themselves a party after completing this one annual task they are responsible for. Um, what? I don't see why one would think "Hey I did my job...let's throw a party to celebrate!" If we did that in our department for every performance we pulled off, then we would never get anything done. I like having the very occasional pat on the back, hey yall are doing great gathering for the whole company, but I find it disturbing that they feel the need to celebrate that they did what was expected of them...

Is this weird to feel this way? Am I the lone modest, big headed individual in the universe?

I Have a Tendency...

to change my mind. A lot. Constantly, really.

For example, you know how I was super depressed about Sly? Well, I changed my mind. I'm not giving him up. I love my little spastic dog and we've decided to just not have him around people at our house. If we have company he'll go straight upstairs and stay in the goth kid's room. He's absolutely fantastic with just Ted and I and well frankly that's what matters. We aren't going to have a kid anytime soon, but I think he'd do well with a baby constantly being around if and when that time comes.

I know why I'm indecisive - I'm a people pleaser through and through. I overanalyze and look at a situation from every imaginable angle and how my decision will effect the entire universe. I think I know that my decision to eat a turkey sandwich for lunch today won't impact anyone other than myself and the place I purchase it from. However I am also thinking about how I've had a sandwich twice this week and I don't want the custodian to label me "that sandwich and Dr Pepper girl" because of my trash. I know he labels me the Dr Pepper girl cause he told me so when I was at work late and he came in. It freaked me out a little.

Anyway, I drive everyone nuts with my indecision, especially T. Deciding what to do for dinner is always an adventure:
Me: So, what do you want to do for supper? I forgot to take meat out again.
T: I don't care...what do you want?
Me: Ummmmmmmmmmm I don't know what I'm in the mood for. Maybe Sonic?
T: Ok I can do Sonic
*Brief moment of silence*
Me: Nevermind...what about Whataburger? That sounds good, right?
T: Either would be fine.
Me: Ooo no we should have BBQ!
*Brief moment of silence*
T: Ok which one?
Me: I don't know...you pick.
T: I really don't care and I know that you do, so which do you really want?
*Brief moment of silence*
T: Well? BBQ?
Me: Nah, just go to Sonic.

We repeat this same conversation as T walks out the door to get the food. I don't understand how he hasn't murdered me yet.

So if I can't decide food options, how am I supposed to make a sound decision on whether I keep a dog or not. I've gone back and forth every minute of the last few days. Ultimately I love him too much to give him up and I don't want the guilt to kill me. Cause that's another thing I'm horrible about - Guilt. That's a blog for another day.

What are you indecisive about?

The Saddest Panda in all the Lands

So I love my dog. He's amazing...until other people come around. Then he becomes a demon dog apparently and decides he needs to try to bite them. We can't seem to make him stop nor do we have the expertise to figure out how to do that, even with training. So the logical and realistic thing to do is to give him back to the rescue group because we can't handle him. But I don't wanna cause he looks at me with his big brown eyes and I just know he loves his momma.

Meh...I guess I really have no choice because soon people are going to just not want to come over to our house and see us. Therefore I'm the saddest panda in all the lands today. Cheer me up somehow.

Oh and my car is broken...the AC fan or something is out and makes a horrible grinding noise when I try to have air, so I'm currently rolling with no AC. FML.

1st Anniversary Shenanigans

So our first anniversary was last Sunday. I went with tradition and got T a card cause it is officially our 'paper' anniversary (ok honestly I had forgotten until like four days before and I couldn't figure out what to get him...so I told him to buy himself some sort of electronic device he's been coveting lately). T originally intended to take me to S'port for some gambling and a good meal, but we woke up late and I didn't want to ride in a car for four hours just to get there. So he bought me a dog instead. I think I got a sweet deal.

So our little guy is a 14 month old mutt of sorts (we think part Finnish Spitz part Pomeranian part Shiba Inu) and he was really chill and lazy...until he warmed up to us. Now he's hyper all the time. I'm pretty sure T would give him back to the rescue group (they are a no kill group that fosters the dogs in people's homes, so don't think we are cruel horrible people, k?) in a heartbeat, but I already love the little guy. He looks just like a fox. He's currently curled up next to me on the couch on his Ikea pillow watching America's Next Top Model. Maybe he's a gay dog. That's cool with me. His given name is Buddy, but we want to change it to Sly. Here's a picture of my new furbaby:



We also went to Benihana's for dinner. It was soooo gooood. Worth. Every. Penny. We sat at a table with three other couples, and the dude closest to us let us try his wine out of his glass...he offered...it was random. It was good wine so now we know what to get next time we go (Plum wine).

I can't believe it has been a year since our trip down the aisle. We've settled into this nice little routine and some days it feels like we've been married for years and years. I'm a lucky girl.

We're Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo

How about you, you, you? You can come too, too, too We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!

I love that song...in moderation...when you don't have to hear it twice a day for two weeks straight at an orchestra concert for kids.

Anyway, me, B and T all went to the zoo and an outdoor concert for July 4. It was hot, sticky and super fun! We had a really good time. B is leaving to go back to school this weekend, so it was imperative that we get in as much silliness as humanly possible over the past few days. Some silly things at the zoo included mocking the Dinosaurs! exhibit for the cobwebs all over the "real life dinos!", chasing squirrels and pigeons (ok only T did that but it was fun to watch), posing with various statues around the zoo, and standing in line for 20 minutes for a sno-cone (ok that wasn't so fun and silly but it was part of the adventure).

The concert was really good. It was hard for me to just sit back and enjoy because I was analyzing everything in case I needed to run and help my coworkers out, but B and T said they liked it alot. If you've never been to an outdoor concert before, you should go - there are 5 FREE ones every summer in Hermann Park. Next year I resolve to go to more of them and take a picnic and have a nice date with T.

I dyed and cut my hair yesterday. It is pretty awesome. If I remember to take a picture of it I'll post it so yall can see. Until next time!

Wait...We're Still In High School?

Oh ok now I get your attitude. *Rolls eyes and walks away*

That was a good chunk of my weekend. I'm going to vent a little now. M'Kay?

If my obviously not serious blog and the humor behind it offends you, you don't know me very well ok? And the whole not knowing me very well, well who's fault is that really? Though, if I were to be completely honest, the reason you don't know me very well is probably because I choose for it to be that way. I don't need people in my life who are going to bring the drama...I do that just fine on my own. So, if this blog offends you over a simple, tongue-in-cheek statement about when I was a kid, well frankly you should just stop reading and go on your merry little way, especially if you harbor some major ill feelings to begin with and don't really seem to like me all that much. Why be so fascinated with what this blog says if you have no real interest in my non-internet related life?

Maybe I'm being too harsh. I don't really know. I just know I have a really hard time dealing with stuff in my head as it is and I don't need extra sprinkles of crap like what went down this weekend. I'm beyond over it. I have so much good in my life and this type of thing completely grabs my attention away from the good. This kind of thing makes me feel like I'm back in the pettiness that is high school and I'm 27 for heaven's sake...I should be done with this by now!

Ok that's my vent. I promise to blog about my super awesome adventure with my hubs and B later today.

I Needs a Vacation and I Needs It Bad

So the arts organization I work for is going on a really big tour in October, and I've done a lot of work for it. Unfortunately, there is not enough money in the budget for me to get to go on the tour. I'm seriously bummed (and a bit bitter too) so to alleviate that depression T and I have decided to take a vacation so I don't sit in my cube and sulk for two weeks...cause I'm a whiner/pouter and that's what I do when I don't get my way.

We've narrowed it down to 3 possibilities, but we are having a hard time deciding what to do. Here are our options with a pro/con list.

1. Disney World - I love me some Disney World, and I haven't been since 1999. Disney was the choice vacation spot for my family and I'm pretty sure that's where we'll be taking our kids one day in the distant future. T, however, doesn't really feel the Disney love. He went on that same band trip in 1999 and hated it. He told me about how miserable he was, and I was in disbelief because who would ever describe a trip to Disney as 'miserable'!?! I feel like I need to prove to him that it is indeed the happiest place in the universe and he'll totally agree after he experiences Disney the Meredith way. So here are the pro/cons:
Pro:
I love Disney
There is a food and wine festival going on when we would be there and frankly, we love to eat
It would be at a great time of year: not too hot and not very many kids at the park because of the school calendar
Con:
It is a little pricey but if we skimped on some stuff between now and October we'd make it work. But I don't like to skimp on anything ever.
T doesn't like Disney all that much
While it won't be hella hot outside, it is still hurricane season and with our luck a Category 18 Killer Mega Hurricane would develop and plop down right on top of Orlando that week.

2. Hawaii - I love Hawaii, but not as much as Disney. I went on a college trip to Oahu and The Big Island in 2004 and it was AMAZING. The views were spectacular, and I loved all of the cultural stuff you can do on Oahu. T's never been and has always wanted to go. He'd love to take a trip to Pearl Harbor because he's a big WWII history buff.
Pro:
Beautiful and relaxing
The weather should be good
T would be giddy
Con:
EXPENSIVE - a bit over budget, but it would probably be well worth it.

3. Cruise - We've never done a cruise, but everyone and their mom seem to love them. I'm not sold; I think I'd get really bored because I'm not really interested in going on an excursion in Mexico (though Carnival has this underwater scooter thing that looks hilarious) or am I interested in laying by a pool doing nothing. Everyone says that there are plenty of activities, but T and I aren't really "activities" kind of people unless we have a group to do it with. I'm worried we'll get on the boat and do nothing but sit in our room and eat lots of food because we can't seriously go to one of the lounge acts for fear we'd make fun of it and giggle the whole time. Plus, we don't really do formal anything anymore. We had a wedding to get that out of our system. Despite all this, I still kinda want to see what the big deal is since seriously, every. single. person. has told us to go on a cruise.
Pro:
Less time off of work
Most Affordable - we wouldn't have to fly anywhere
Con:
What if we hate it by day 2?
Forced Socialization isn't really our thing
Pirates (laugh if you want to, but B has a very severe fear that this would happen should she ever step foot on a cruise ship, I kid you not)

Ok those are the choices. Help me pick.

Sisters...Sisters...

There were never such devoted sisters! Love that song. Can you name the movie its from? If so, bonus points for you!

So my blog post today is dedicated to my dear sister B. I pretty much think she walks on water and I kinda want to be her. I love her to bits. She is five and a half years younger than I am, and for the most part the age difference has worked out nicely for us. We were never on top of each other at school, so we didn't have that competitive thing going on that most siblings deal with. She acts like I can give her great life advice since I'm older, but honestly I think its more that she learns from my mistakes.

When Mom and Dad first told me I was getting a baby sister or brother, I guess I was pretty excited in my little five year old way. I was pretty lonely as a kid I guess, because I had two imaginary friends. (See I was a loser then too) Mom and Dad knew I approved of the addition to the family because they noticed that my imaginary friends Hodge Podge (a blue elephant) and Jack Pumpkin-Head (self explanatory) weren't being mentioned anymore. Finally my mom asked, and I told her that they moved into the attic to play checkers because they didn't like babies. I didn't try to move into the attic with them, so I guess I had decided I like babies.

I wasn't too thrilled when they brought B home though, because she cried at night and I was a little diva Kindergartener and needed my beauty sleep. A few months later I realized that I had a golden opportunity to manipulate this baby in my favor and tried to blame all sorts of stuff on her, including the time I called 911 when my mom was in the shower. In my defense, they never really explained what an emergency was...I probably was ready to change the channel on the tv and considered that an emergency. When B was a little older I could get her to do anything I wanted, including what we called Granny Face. Our great-grandmother generally did not wear her teeth anytime we were over there, so I taught B how to bring her lips inward so that she looked like she didn't have teeth like Granny. Mom would see her make that face and oh man she always got in trouble. She didn't know until years later that I was the one encouraging B to do it. So yes, I was a mean older sister for awhile, but deep down I knew I had a really good thing and never ever hated her.

B was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was 10. I was a sophomore in high school at the time, and it scared the living crap out of me because suddenly my sister's entire life changed. Hell, all of our lives changed. I was a little bitter at first because Mom and Dad gave her major attention and I was just their other kid. In hindsight, I was never treated badly or anything...I think it was all teenage angst. However, I do think a big part of that angst was being faced with the idea that my sis is going to have a rough road and, in my morbid head, wouldn't be around for as long as I wanted her to be. I partly viewed the diabetes as a death sentence (it had been for my uncle) so I was terrified and it was easier to be angry than to deal with it. Like I said before, I knew B was an amazing sibling and person and I was already really close to her at that point, so it was really scary for me.

B is one of only two people who I feel completely safe around. I mean safe in the way that I can say or do anything and she wouldn't judge me at all. The other is T, and well he's the male version of B personality wise so it makes sense. We have so many silly little inside jokes that can make me giggle for hours and it truly brightens my day. I aspire to be more like her in every way. I'm super proud of everything she's accomplished and I'm fiercely protective of her. Mess with her and I'll break your face. She'd do the same for me. We're awesome like that.

So basically my sister is amazing. B is always there for me no matter what and puts up with all the annoying things about me. Having her around is pretty sweet, and I hope she knows just how much I love her.

Bittersweet Symphony

Remember that song? No clue if this blog post is even relevant to that song but I'm having a weird day so I feel it fits the occasion.

I've been a icky mood since Friday. I'm slightly depressed, the biggest reason being that my grandma was taken into the hospital and we weren't really sure what was going on. She's the only grandparent I have left, and at 85 years old let's be honest I don't know how much time I have left with her. Though with how tough she is she may just outlive us all. The tests are coming back ok, but I'm still really stressed and worried about it.

Out of my four grandparents, I never met my paternal grandfather (he died when my Dad was a teenager) and my paternal grandma and my other grandpa (Peepaw as I so called him when I was a little kid) died when I was in 3rd and 4th grade, respectively. I was really, really close to them. Like, if I wasn't with my parents then I was definitely at one of their houses being spoiled rotten cause I was the favorite. After my grandma died I was a mess and my parents had to put me in grief counseling because I wasn't dealing with it very well. I honestly don't remember 3rd grade cause I guess I've blocked it. When my grandpa died a year later I knew how to deal with death but I was still pretty bad and to this day get choked up thinking about how much of my life they've both missed out on. I wish they could have seen everything I've accomplished in my life, because honestly I think they'd be really happy to see that I'm doing ok and I married someone amazing and I own my own house. I really wish I could have seen them with my as-yet-unrealized kids. Hopefully my grandma will be able to meet any great-grandchildren I may pop out in the future, but this whole thing with her health has me freaked out on so many levels.

Another slight depression thing involves our open house party. Remember when I told you all about my party anxiety? Well, it was affirmed again. Don't get me wrong, I am so very appreciative of the friends and family who did make the effort to come out and support us this weekend. I love each and every one of you, and I thank you so much for your kindness. I should be focused on you and how awesome you are. But the ugly side of me is obsessed and pissed with the 20+ people who said they'd come and then didn't show. Seriously? I'd rather you have said oh sorry I have plans. Don't freaking lie to my face and smile and act like you are my friend. I don't get it...why tell me you are going to be there? Do people not realize that I spent a large amount of time / effort / money so I can show them a good time? Now I have like, 25 bottles of beer and 100 jello shots and 30 hot dog weenies in my fridge. All I can think about is why I'm not "good enough" for the people who didn't show up when I should be focused on those who are amazing and were there. I'm a f***ed up individual.

Right now you are probably thinking, um this is all bitter and no sweet, but here is the sweet part: I am getting a second niece in November! I'm really really happy and excited for Sis-in-law M and Bro-in-law A and Niece A! I love that my family is expanding and that I'll be there for the whole duration of this little girl's life. I plan on spoiling her rotten, and continuing to spoil Niece A even more. I am so in love with Niece A - she's one of my current favorite things.

So I"m sad and happy all at the same time, and I think that could be considered bittersweet. I appreciate all of the love I have in my life right now, but I'm stressed over alot of stuff at the same time. I don't know...I just needed to talk to someone about it and well, you blog peeps won. I'll try to perk up and blog about some fun party stuff later tonight.

Hi I'm Mer and I'm Lazy

Seriously, I'm like the laziest individual on the planet. My laziness effects almost all aspects of my life. I don't work out cause I'm too tired and would rather watch tv or play Super Mario Galaxy 2. Which, btw, is the hardest. game. ever. ok not really but this one damn level is holding me up from finishing the whole game and I apparently turn into Queen Bitchiness the Fourth every time I play. T is gonna leave me if I don't take a chill pill next time I try to play this game. But if those damn goombas keep getting in my way then so help me I might just...

Anyway...

I'm lazy. We moved into the new house on May 22. It is June 15 and we still have boxes all over the place. You can't get into my closet because there is just piles and piles of clothes and blankets on the floor. All of my shoes except the pair I wear to work and my flip flops are still packed. This makes me wonder if I really need to keep all of those shoes since I haven't even tried to wear them yet. The only part of our bathroom we have unpacked are the things we use daily, like our toothbrushes and contact solution. Our gameroom upstairs was full of boxes and empty book cases. Basically, our house is a royal mess and honestly, it didn't bug me one damn bit because, as I said before, I'm lazy and figured eh I'll do it eventually...maybe...

So this weekend B and Sis-in-Law M decided it was time for an intervention. They basically called me out and said it was time to grow up and unpack my house. I grumbled and whined and really thought I could squirm out of it (the goombas were calling my name!) but no they are two tough cookies and won the war. We got the whole gameroom organized as well as 99% of the boxes that had been in the breakfast nook unpacked. Thank goodness I have people around me who see my laziness and can guilt-trip me into doing things.

The only area of life I'm not really lazy in is work, but that's because I'm a people pleaser so I can't be lazy and not do stuff at work cause then my boss wouldn't like me anymore and that would pretty much kill me. So often times I forget to take my time doing things and end up with nothing to do because I'm already done with all of my projects for the week by Tuesday at noon. I wish I could transfer some of that work ethic to my personal life, but ha I don't have to impress T anymore cause he married me and he's stuck with me so HA!

So there you have it, my worst fault. I hope you can all accept me anyway.

Ain't No Party like an Open House Party!

At least I think that's how that phrase goes...

Anyway, we are having a party to show off our new digs. We've sent out a blanket facebook invitation to pretty much everyone we know because I secretly need validation for my new house/life/whatever and need to throw the best house party Crosby has seen this year. T, on the other hand, isn't as thrilled about a HUGE party that involves copious amounts of alcohol. He'd be perfectly fine if no one ever saw our house.

So far about 30ish people have given me a firm "hell yeah I'll be there" but I have major party anxiety and expect three people to show up (which so won't happen, as three of my friends and their husbands are staying with us the entire weekend, making the automatic guest count at least six). As you can see this anxiety has no logical basis, but I feel like I'm a notorious lame party thrower...let me take you back to 1998...

I was a freshman in high school. I was friends with a large group of people from my church youth group. I thought I was well liked and that everyone would love to come to my uncle's annual crawfish boil (Note: I base all epic parties on his crawfish boils...he and his friends threw kick ass parties and I have always dreamed of having the same kind of awesome events as an adult). I invited everyone to come, and everyone said they'd love to be there. Everyone lied. Only two people came and I was so embarrassed and didn't understand why they didn't like me enough to show up or at least give me an excuse. I've pretty much harbored that 14 year old mentality when it comes to planning social events ever since.

So here I am some 13 years later (holy crap) and I continuously check the facebook event page hoping to see the attending number increase, proving that people like me. Can you say LAME? I mean, I logically know that this anxiety is stupid. I know it will be fun whoever comes and we will have a great night drinking, playing some games and just hanging out.

But the 14 year old inside of me will continue to nag me for the rest of my life and frankly if that 14 year old isn't appeased then I'll probably just die.

Yeah, that's overdramatic but damn it some of you expect some drama from a blog that's named after the mother of all drama-fueled reality shows. Here's hoping some awesome college-esque drama goes down at my party so I have something to post about after. I just kinda hope that the drama doesn't revolve around me and my penchant for dancing when I drink too much.

Sad Times Indeed!

Rue McClanahan died today, leaving only one Golden Girl left. I'm seriously depressed by this bit of news. A part of me blames Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper for paving the way to the "Celebrity deaths come in 3s" thing. Dang it...

Am I the only one who finds themselves truly upset when a celebrity dies? I remember when Heath Ledger died...I was depressed for like, three days. Then Brittany Murphy did the same thing. Oy...I'm going to go mourn now by watching the Hallmark channel's repeats of Golden Girls and eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

What celebrity deaths have effected you most?

My House is Plagued...

with a cannibal man-eating frog! *Cue organ horror/shock music*

Ok, so maybe I exaggerate a tiny bit. For Christmas this year, T's mom gave him two aquatic frogs. They were easy to take care of, just a few pellets every other day. We noticed that one frog was considerably bigger than the other, and he would bully him around. He sometimes appeared to be raping the tiny one. I guess he was lonely and needed some lovin'.

We left the frogs at the apartment during our big move. They were only there for two nights alone, and so we expected them to both be alive and kicking when T went back to the apartment. Unfortunately, the tiny frog was dead and floating lifelessly at the bottom of their little cube. We thought he just died of natural causes...or did he??

T left the now single frog at the apartment for another couple of nights. When he went back to finish up the apartment cleaning, he discovered something horrible: the bully frog ATE the corpse of the tiny frog! All that is left are a couple of tiny frog bones among the pebbles!! We own a cannibal man eating frog!!! Isn't that horrible!?! Maybe he murdered his tiny buddy so he could have a hearty snack!

I'm really creeped out by the frog now and kinda want to flush him. Thoughts?

My Friends are More Awesome Than Your Friends

Happy Memorial Day, faithful blog readers! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend, and took a moment to remember those who served our country.

Most people celebrate this holiday by hanging out with friends and/or doing some home improvement projects. I did both, and in this blog post I'm going to tell you about the first half of my weekend: my awesome trip to Shreveport, LA (which will for now and ever more be known as S'port cause it is way more fun to say and easier to type)

I went to college in S'port at Centenary College of Louisiana. There I met some cool people, but none as cool as the four girls I affectionately call the S'port girls. The five of us were in Sigma Alpha Iota together and we were all music people. I've managed to stay in close contact with all of them, despite our living in four separate cities (Crosby/Houston, Dallas, Austin and S'port). These chicks are my bffs / sistahs from other mothahs and I love them more than words can say. Lucky for us, all of our husbands get along too. I know, the S'port girls as a group name isn't male inclusive, but they just deal with it. So let me introduce you to my S'port Girls: S'port Girl J; S'port Girl S; S'port Girl Lil' Brudder; and S'port Girl R. I could give you descriptions, but that would turn into a really long blog.

We try to get together once every three months or so, and we decided that this weekend would be a perfect opportunity to gather in S'port and do our usual itinerary of shopping, gossiping and lite drinking. We share everything, and no topic is off limits. I'm sure people overhear things we discuss and are completely shocked. If we all lived in the same town, we'd be reality show material.

While at our ritual IHOP breakfast, the girls expressed that they like my blog and it makes them laugh. They decided they could write this post, and this is what they came up with:

S'port Girl S: S sucks, and her hair is frizzy.
S'port Girl Lil Brudder: Hey! Don't say that or I'll shank you with a spoon! *She then picks up her spoon and threatens S with it.
S'port Girl J: Hahahahahahahaha
The End.

Umm, I think they shouldn't quit their day jobs. Even though they can't write a blog to save their life, I love them all the same :)

In my next post I'll tell a story about T's frogs. You won't want to miss it.
-Mer

Dreaming of Gaga Glee

I am a diehard Glee fan. I love the musical numbers, I love the hilarious one-liners that come courtesy of Sue, Brittany and Kurt, and I definitely love that they do not shy away from the real awkwardness of high school. Last night's episode featured Lady Gaga hits and it was AMAZING!

I admit, I hated Lady Gaga when she first hit the scene. I remember seeing her perform "Just Dance" on So You Think You Can Dance (Another favorite of mine...it starts Thursday so be prepared for blogs about it!) and thinking "Who is this and what kind of crack is she smoking??" Now, I can't get enough of her hits. Plus, I respect her a bit more because I found out she went to Julliard and I think that's just too cool cause as we all know I'm a bit of an arts nerd.

I woke up this morning and realized I had had a dream about Lady Gaga influenced by the Glee episode. I'm a little traumatized about it, so I need to share it with my loyal blog followers. Basically, the arts organization where I work (am I still fooling anyone here?) decided to do a special with Lady Gaga...and the staff members got to be in the performance. My coworkers and I were on stage and honestly had no idea what we needed to do, and yet we worked together as if we had been rehearsing for months. The curtain went up, and a woman brought out a baby - it was the birth of Gaga. So we use all of these sheets and mattress cover things (I think this was my subconscious using some of my packing experiences from the weekend) to make Gaga appear in various forms. It was pretty weird. Then the real Gaga appeared from a trap door and she spotted me and said she wanted to pierce my ear cartilage on stage in front of everyone. This is when I realize that all of my coworkers had piercings that they don't have in real life. I freak out and tell her no and run off stage.

I don't remember the rest of the dream, but I'd say that is weird enough, don't you? So readers, do you have any similar dream experiences?

The ABCs of Moving Into a New House

A is for antique store that won't get my business again. Why? Because they couldn't find Crosby on google maps to deliver my chairs, forcing B and I to stop everything and go pick them up ourselves.

B is for Budget Rent Truck. Honestly, they weren't the best because we had to wait over an hour for the truck. Guess they were cheaper than Uhaul for a reason...

C is for couch, which almost fell down the stairs and killed T and S'port guy Tuba. It was truly frightening

D is for Dad, who put up with our moving shenanigans and arguments. Thanks Dad!

E is for extra effort. Yeah, I didn't put forth extra effort. Everyone else did.

F is for friends who came to the rescue and helped us move! Thanks to S'port guy Tuba, Lil' Brudder, B, Sis'n'law M, Bro'n'law A, and T's BFFs Big H and Lil H.

G is for gas and the many gallons we had to buy for the move :(

H is for heat. At least we didn't move in July or August, right?

I is for irritating pool party that the apartment complex held while we were moving. I guess we could have stood on our balcony and flashed everyone like it was Mardi Gras or something. Too loud, you whippersnappers!

J is for 'just kidding, I want that *points at the big piece of furniture* upstairs'

K is for kitchen organization - thanks Lil' Brudder and Mom!

L is for laundry I forgot to do :(

M is for money - geez it is expensive to move!

N is for new couch! It is glorious (and not the previously mentioned one that nearly killed people...that's the ugly Al Borland couch that I'd rather just burn)

O is for omg are we done yet???

P is for packing...lots and lots of packing...

Q is for quick sonic run that went something like this:

Me, leaning over B who was driving: I need a #7 with Sweet Tea and Fries...a Kid's Pack with a hot dog, just mustard on the hot dog, apple slices, and a Dr. Pepper...an order of mozzarella sticks...a regular size watermelon cream slush...a Route 44 Coke...a Route 44 cherry lime-ade...a Route 44 Sweet Tea...
Sonic Worker on the Speaker: Will that be all?
Me: God I hope so...
Sonic Worker proceeds to rattle off the entire order and then says: Is that all correct and do you need anything else?
Me: Ummmm and....Two Bananas
B and I proceed to giggle for ten minutes...pretty sure they thought we were high.

R is for running out of bubble wrap a few times.

S is for sister...as in, I have the best sister ever cause she designed everything for me.

T is for tired. Enough said.

U is for umbrella...as in, ha we didn't need one!

V is for very grateful to be done with moving

W is for watering the yard everyday kinda sucks

X is being skipped cause I'm ready to wrap this up.

Y is for yay I'm a homeowner!

Z is for zzzzzzzzzs that I need to catch up on this week.

Ok, that's our move in a long nutshell. I'm too tired to be more witty. Tell me about your moving horror stories.

What is it about Ikea...

...that brings out the freaks?

As newlywed first time home buyers, we frequent Ikea because we are strapped for cash but want semi decent furniture. I've had really odd experiences the past two times we were there, so I figured I'd share.

Last weekend, we all took a trip to finalize what dining room table we were going to buy for the house. But, as anyone who goes to Ikea knows, you look at every single section in the store even though you don't necessarily need anything from the other sections. B and I were walking through the bedroom / bathroom section, and we rounded the corner into one of their fake bathrooms (FYI Ikea sells sinks and stuff now...it is pretty awesome!) and we find the following: a little girl, about 8 or 9 years old, sitting on the fake toilet, fully clothed, grunting like she's pretending to use the bathroom. She looks up at us and is like "hey get out I'm using the bathroom" and then giggles. Um, what? Really? I look at B and she looks at me and we quickly exit the fake bathroom. All we could think about was, why are kids these days so weird??? And more importantly, were WE ever that weird? I shutter to think that I'd ever do that when I was kid.

A few weeks ago, a similar awkward situation occurred as I walked into another of Ikea's fake bathrooms. I turned the corner and there is a couple standing there full on making out. Like, I saw their tongues. I yelped Oh sorry! and quickly ran away. I have no idea if they saw me, but they ended up being near us the rest of the way through the store. Is that what people do for thrills now? Make out in the middle of a department store? Maybe T and I need to try that to ignite some passion...on second thought no I'm not in the business of PDAs because I'm not in HIGH SCHOOL anymore.

So between the weird kids and the icky adults, should I bother going to Ikea anymore?

Hello World! Are You Out There?

Hi.

So this is my first blog, and I must say, I'm kinda nervous about it. See, I have this need to impress people with every. single. thing. I. do. So I guess that's why I sorta relate to the real housewives you see on Bravo every week. I want / need / yearn for attention, but you won't catch me turning over a table in a restaurant full of people or trying to force feed a "singing career" down all my friends' throats. No, I'm going to indulge my need for attention through this blog. So if you are reading this, thanks for the attention and I really hope you are impressed with my writing...I aim to give you a little chuckle or two or twenty :)

A little about myself: I'm a newlywed. We got married almost a year ago and it was pretty spectacular. T is everything I could possibly want in a husband. He lets me get away with just enough to keep me happy, but keeps me on the ground at the same time. He is incredibly patient and I really don't know how he deals with me. T is pretty much the male version of my sister B, who is my bff and has put up with my BS for years. I guess that's why I was drawn to T - I subconsciously knew he was just like B and would put up with my crap. Plus he has a cute butt.

I work for an arts organization. I don't know if I should say which one to "shield my identity" and what not, but most of my readers know me in real life so I guess it doesn't matter. Guys, this is my dream job. I literally have wanted to work here since I was 12. Can we say lucky?

We just purchased our first home. It was a really long process and I'm a bit jaded now that we are close to moving in. (Side note: I should be packing right now. Obviously I have no interest in doing that) I have a tendency to have, as they say, champagne dreams on a beer budget. I'm working through this issue and trying to love my house. I'll blog a bit more about this later, cause it is an interesting internal struggle which I'm sure many of you can relate to (at least a little).

So to summarize: this blog is a bit of an indulgence for me. I get your love and attention and I get to write and express my ideas, my likes/dislikes, and my struggles/triumphs as I navigate the next chapter of my life in a very small town that I swore I'd never go back to. Hopefully you'll join me on this little adventure.

-Mer