HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Yay for family photos! ^_^



^(L-R) Hector and Ruben are "Dexter and DD", Chela is a Sea Princess, and Brandon (her cousin) is "Darth Vader." I did all the costuming this year (except for Vader...obviously.)



^Hehe... Best family photo ever



^ME! I am the "Evil Emperor Zurg"! My friend was the "Anthrax Fairy"!

(I did our costumes too... Yay, Jazzmin! ^_^)



Close-Ups of my costume. :-P

We <3 Flip Video

Brian got an inexpensive Flip video camera and it has been way fun. It's super compact, easy to use, and takes great videos. Check out the video I posted on Facebook from yesterday's Atlanta Tea Party protest. Or, for brief moments of silliness, watch these:

Christina Makes Them Dance

Future Olympic Athlete

Chillin' - or Not - to the Backstreet Boys

Resolutions Were Made to be Broken

Soooo...

I've been back from TN for a little over a week. (It feels like longer. 0_0)

It was good to see mom again... Hopefully next year will be more eventful though, 'cause being stuck in the house was kinda lame.

Aunt Teresa, I'm sorry that I had to miss your wedding. I was HORIBBLY, UTTERLY bummed that we couldn't go (although it turned out that we COULD have...which was an even bigger burn)that I practically wallowed in disappointment for most of the rest of my time in TN. (Seriously... I did. :-( ) NEXT year, mom and I WILL be there though (even though it won't be for a wedding...*sigh*) because missing family get-togethers is LAME.

-Also, I have to send your x-mas presents via snail-mail now... DAMN I hate going to the post office...

AND NOW FOR MY 2009 RESOLUTIONS!!!

*I'm happy to announce that I started the year off with an internship at a small film/production company called FormTV. (Yay!) I plan to be all up in their grill until I get a part or full-time job from them in the future.(If not, at least the experience will look good on my resume and I can obtain a similar job at a different company.)

*I exit JobCorpse (lol) Feb. 17th! I was nervous about it at first because my living situation/issues were a bit shaky, but I'm actually look forward to leaving... I'll be moving back in with Aunt Jonna and Grandpa temporarily.

I tried to find a roommate to move in with, but since I couldn't this is my only option. However, I'm gonna take Aunt Jonna's advice and try to find a roommate via internet because, although it'd be nice to see her, Adrian, and Hector more, the house is a bit crowded and I need a place closer to work and school. (I'm not trying to bust a 2.5-3 hour commute all the time like Adrian does... I already had to put up with that bull**** when I worked at Joann's and it SUCKS.)


*School has become...a bit complicated for me. Not hard and unbearable...just complicated. I'm one semester away from completing my Graphic Design requirements, but now that I'm almost done, I'm not 100% it's what I want to major in when I go to a 4year. Since I wont have Job Corps to answer too anymore, I'll finally be able to explore other potential majors...which I find exciting, especially since I have all of my General Ed crap out of the way and can just do stuff for fun. I'll probably end up in Junior College for another year or two, but I'd rather take the time to explore my options than do my "soul searching" at a 4year and change my major a bunch of times because that would end up costing be butt-loads of dinero.

In Fall 2009, I'll be enrolling in El Camino college and taking Fashion Design (which I never knew they had... I don't know why LACC doesn't have it!)

*Although I hate slangin' pizzas for a living, I'm obviously stuck with this job for a while longer. *sigh.* I will still continue looking for other part-time employment that is flexable and will put up with my freaky hair colors. 0_0

*Lastly: After putting a lot of thought into the "make your own online business" thing ('cause more people than expected keep suggesting it). I have already cut out some patterns for stuff to sell. I'm gonna start of with hoodies (yeah...I can make those. I'm awesome.) 'n' stuff since it's winter... When I have more time, I'll tackle things like pants and shorts ('cause DAMN they take forever to make).

Other Goals for '09: 1.)Finish my friend, Brigitte's, Luigi dress-I got the top part done... I just need to sew in buttons (which I hate) and finish the skirt (pleats scare me). 2.) Find and affordable room for rent...somewhere that doesn't suck. 3.) Find a productive way to curb my fabric, craft, and movie-buying addiction...s. 4.) I have 4 large bags of fabric and craft stuff. Damnit, I'm gonna make something...s out of all that crap!

2009 Shopping List: iBook with Adobe programs (to work on portfolio's), iPod ('cause I miss having one, damnit!), more of Terry Pratchett's books ('cause I need to read more), a new DVD player ('cause mine is a NAZI and will only play X2, Stardust, and Perfect Creature and I wanna watch more than three damn movies!), my own table that is the proper heigh for sewing (because coffe tables are too low for me to sew or do any kind of work on and I don't want a hunch), and 20-eyelet Doc Martens (though I'll be happy to settle for a cheaper, knock-off).

HAPPY 2009 EVERYBODY! MAY THIS YEAR BE BETTER THAN 2008 (which wasn't really so horrible, except for the job market)!!!!!

Student of the Month

Somehow I missed the bulletin but Lea Anna was named Student of the Month in October.



We also missed the ceremony last night where the gave the medals to all the first quarter honorees since Lea Anna pulled the announcement out of thin air exactly one hour after it started. But no matter, She's still happy as a clam. Lea Anna picked up her medal today and we celebrated with a trip to her favorite place - McDonalds. Needless to say Mom and Dad are super proud. I'll try not to let my head swell up too big.

can't believe no one has posted this yet...

baby alex has arrived!!!

Christmas Likes to Bite Everyone in the Uranus

Seriously. It does.

So, I'm getting started now.

I want to make ALL presents this year, so I need your measurments 'n' what-not.

If you want a SKIRT, send me your waist and hip measurments, along with how long you would want it.

If you want a TOP, send me your shirt size and your bust, waist, torso, etc. measurments.



However, if you want something like a blanket or pillow, I can make those too.

You can leave me the info in the comments, or send them to my e-mail.

Be sure to give me ideas. I.e-what color you like, fav. animal or flower.

I already know what I'm doing for the kiddies. I'm SUPER excited to start making it! (I really want to say what it is, but I can't because they might see the blog!)



Here's my Wish-List this year. As always, I love movies and can never really think of anything else other than that or craft stuff. At least I'm pretty low maintenance...



I can't wait to hear from everyone and see you all for Christmas!

Silly Sadness...

I just wanted to say, that I really miss you mom and aunties.



I know I don’t really say much about how I'm feeling, but I just want you all to know that I think about you a lot.

I wish I could be one of those lucky lottery winners, so that I could buy a GI-NORMOUS house in Hollywood and have everybody live close by.

I really miss Lea Anna and Daniel, too. As much as I like reading about what’s going on with them, mom, and Gary, it’s kind of depressing...especially when mom posts pictures of them doing fun family activities like roasting shmores in the backyard, playing in the snow, etc. I still can't believe you got a new dog, Mom! ...I always wanted a DOG!

Sometimes, I want to just pack up my sh*t and go to TN, just to be with everybody...but then I remember that there’s no future for me there (unless I wanna work a normal office job for the rest of my life).

Another thing I miss about TN (which is funny 'cause there's not many things I miss about it) is that it’s close to GA, which is where all the fun family get-togethers take place. I miss those! If I were to settle in another state, it'd be GA 'cause that state doesn't suck and I'd still be reasonably close everybody.

NE-wayz... Yeah. I just really miss everybody and wish I could see you all more than once a year. I don’t even get to see Grandma and Aunt Jonna often because I’m at school and work all the time! I even miss GRANDPA and he’s the CRAZY one!

Once I graduate LACC, before I get a REAL job, I’d like to spend time in TN for, like, a month with mom and visit Aunt Teresa, Susie, etc. I’ll just babysit, do chores, and leech off of my loved ones for awhile and enjoy your company until I have to go back to LA and start working 9 to 5, or whatever.

Maybe I’ll kidnap Daniel and Lea Anna, too... They can visit California with ME for awhile! Daniel’s been in TN too long, anyway. He’s starting to talk like a little hick!!!

Besides, Adrian and I can take them to Hollywood, Universal Studios, Disneyland... It'd be awesome!

*sigh*

Being away from family is lame.

David Returning from Iraq

David will be arriving at Fort Hood Monday. Angela and I are hitting the road tomorrow morning to drive to Killeen so we can be there to meet him. I'm thankful he'll be back, safe and sound, very soon.

Chattanooga Rendezvous Details

Y'all ready for Chattanooga? I'll be updating this post if there are any new/changed details, so check here for the latest.

First off is the weather. This being the South it could change every five minutes but right now they're saying a slight chance of rain in the morning and sunny and high 80's after that. So bring your sunscreen. And bring your towel because you're going to be squeezing the little kiddies outta those fountains to cool off yourself.

Check Accuweather's Forecast for Chattanooga

Next, the meeting time: noon (ET, Lisa!) has worked well, so let's stick to that. Whoever gets there first should stake out a spot under a shady tree, then call one of the others and let 'em know where you are. If you feel like it's safe to leave your gear then you can head toward the fountains and wait on the stragglers : )

Most importantly, The Grub: I'm thinking we can organize a picnic pretty easily if the rest of you guys are interested. What I had in mind was each carload bringing some kind of sandwich/wrap/hearty salad/main meal - one for each person in your group but cut 'em in half. That way we can all can share the tasty eats everyone made (or had the Publix deli lady make if you're desperate). If each group will then also bring an accompaniment (fruit, veggies, chips, cookies) we should be all set. I can bring a big cooler full of ice water and some cups. And Janet and Amanda, who are riding with me and Suzanne, can just bring whatever drinks they think would be good for everyone and Suzanne and I can throw an extra sandwich into our coolers.

Sound good? If you're in, post here and also say what accompaniment you're going to bring so we don't get five bags of chips but no fruit or cookies!

Love,
Miz Bossy

30 June - Head for Chattanooga!

If you haven't already heard, another Chattanooga rendezvous is in the works.

Suzanne and Caitlin are coming. Amanda will head down from NC and ride with them. Lisa will be coming as long as her car holds out or Gary can fix it (everyone cross your fingers!). I will be checking with Janet to see if she wants to ride up with me, and Michelle will be joining us in Chattanooga when her friend Emily's mom drops her off after a couple of weeks of hanging out in Lisa's neck of the woods (Emily's family just moved to the Nashville area from these parts).

So, what do y'all think about doing Coolidge Park again? The place with the fountains and carousel? There seemed to be a variety of places to hang out and things to do around there, and we had fun last time. If you have any other ideas let's hear 'em this week so we can firm up a meeting place.

David Found Justin

Justin was in the Army. David has some details as they've e-mailed a couple of times - Amanda told me a few things and it's not great. He'll be 19 on July 7th. Loretta had two more kids after Krysta.

Gee, Mom - You're Swell!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Blog-Blog Sisterhood moms and aunties: Mom (Lorraine), Janet, Suzanne, Lisa, Jonna, Liubinka and Amanda.

What "mom-isms" did your mom or grandma use? Which ones do you find yourself saying now?

Mom:
"Who took my good scissors?!?"
"Come here!" (when she wanted us close enough to smack - needless to say I wasn't very cooperative on that one)

Grandma:
"Put on [a sweater, shoes, etc.] or you'll catch a cold."

Me:
"Don't MAKE me come over there!" (I am sure my kids could rat me out here and come up with a lot more)

Tons of Fun

We went to Six Flags Over Georgia today and had a blast despite getting rained on intermittently. We were all wiped out except for Brandon, who was disappointed we were leaving before he'd ridden everything twice.

It was rainy and a little chilly at times, and Michelle and Christina were the only ones brave - or crazy - enough to want to ride Thunder River. They should have known better than to leave Brian, Amanda and Brandon behind, because those three were waiting at the Thunder River water cannons to soak the girls as they rode by.

It's not quite 8:30 now but I think I am going to hit the "Publish" button and then hit the rack. I'm beat!

2007: This is How We Do!

Wowee - I still haven't recovered from our New Year's festivities, which included a New Year's Eve party and the New Year's Day "Fiestamas." No, this is not because I drank too much (although there were a few people who can't say the same - you know who you are!). It helped that on Christmas I had the day after off. No such luck with New Year's Day - straight back to work! The hutch in the kitchen is still loaded with gear from the parties. I should put it away...or maybe since it's so convenient I should just have another party ; )

Charles, Suzanne and Caitlin came down from TN. I really enjoyed their visit, and it was nice to have Charles around for a change. He and Brian's dad hit it off and sat on the couch talking about motorcycles and drinking Bud for most of New Year's Eve. Oh, well - except for when Brian's dad (who is also Brian, but not Brian Sr.!) found out I had three-week-old margaritas in the fridge and was glad to help use them up!

Suzanne brought some good fireworks from TN - the kind we can't get here in GA. There were a couple of cool ones, like a huge $15 thing that sent arcs of exploding color into the air...once we finally got it lit (it got damp, so that was quite a challenge). Unfortunately, the neighbors once again showed us up with their display. They probably went to Alabama to buy it and spent $250. Grrrr...wait 'til next time! Charles says he knows how to pick out the good ones. We're just gonna have to pool our money so we can get the big guns.

I made Cosmopolitans on New Year's Eve, which went over well with everyone except those who had more than they should have. Or used them to wash down dark chocolate brownies. Or both. Ah, well, I guess that was almost everyone. Oops. I also made a couple of different kinds of fondue, including the traditional Swiss fondue. Mostly I made it because I had never made the thing that started the whole fondue craze. Once was enough - it was kinda stinky. The Mexican bean-chile fondue recipe is yummy, but next time I decide to serve more than one kind of fondue I'll go for the popular Not-Yo-Cheeze and make the additional one with Velveeta and salsa!

New Year's Day grub was muy delicioso, thanks to Brian's fantastic fajitas. When I found out Lisa & the gang couldn't come, and that Suzanne & Co. were pulling out in the morning, I scaled back, cutting out the Chicken Tortilla Soup. As it turns out that was not a good thing. There were still something like 10 people and we plowed through those fajitas like Sherman through Atlanta. I made a pitcher of margaritas and we drained that, too. I made Sopapillas for the first time, and they were easy and delicious. Everyone loved them except for the fact that I hovered in the kitchen while I was supposed to be helping my Cranium team. There were complaints about that but I didn't notice anyone protesting by not eating them.

Thanks to everyone that came (Brian, Amanda, Steve, Janet, Brian's dad Brian - ha - Christina, Michelle, Brandon, Caitlin, Suzanne, Charles, Angela, Chris, Ashley, Greg - am I forgetting anyone?) and hung out over the holidays. Y'all made it really fun and many of you helped with the load as well (Manda - food/drink, Janet, Angela, Christina - dishes, Brandon - sopapillas, Brandon & Michelle - bottle rocket cleanup, Chris & Ashley - game masters, Greg - last-minute chips, Steve, Charles, Brandon, Chris, Ashley - pyrotechnics, Brian - pretty much everything from home repair to dishes to cooking and serving). Sara and Grayson miss your company and the constant attention, and are looking forward to the next shindig. That will most likely be a Kenmore party. The date? As soon as I can replace my broken dishwasher!

Merry Happy Fiestamas

I'm hoping to see as many of you as possible as we usher in 2007. I know the Goodlettsville Gang is trying to sort out transportation issues (anyone got a ride that'll accommodate six, plus gear?) - sure hope we can get y'all down here. Wouldn't be as fun without you. Anyway...

We were at a Mexican restaurant chowing down on some decent fajitas a couple of weekends ago, but Brian and Michelle said they weren't nearly as good as his. Since I've perfected my margarita recipe it's been hard for me to get a margarita at a restaurant that I'm satisfied with, but the margarita I had with my fajitas was better than most restaurant renditions. Brian said "Yours are better" (thank you, B!). I said we ought to get together and make his fantastic fajitas and my fabulous margaritas and then he asked if I knew how to make good beans. "Suzanne makes some awesome refried beans!" It was then that the idea for a Merry Happy Fiestamas for our New Year's Day feast was born. How does that sound? Lisa, how about some of your chicken tortilla soup to accompany it all?

Clarification on the "Chinese" Gift Exchange:
Only bring one gift per person participating.
It should be something new or something handmade or homemade.
It should be worth around $15.

Various ages will be participating so anyone could wind up with anything. I have a feeling it will all sort itself out in a fun way, but I suppose there is that chance Daniel could wind up with a kitchen gadget and I could be the recipent of some cool Hot Wheels. In those situations, someone else usually wants what you have and will "steal" from you, enabling you to get something you'd like better. That is, unless it's something odd or undesirable that no one else wants to steal. Like the pink pig cookie jar Brian wound up with at my company Christmas party. Ah, well...I thought it was cute.