The Ultimate Blog Party, you're all invited!

You all are invited! It's the Ultimate Blog Party this week! I will be partying with 5 Minutes for Mom and all her friends, I hope you all will join us.

Just a quick introduction to all the party goers who are new to my blog. I'm a single mom of 3 kids. My daughters, Tate and Newt live with me, and my son Bo lives with his father. I have recently reunited with the love of my life, Batman, who lives 2 hours away from me.

I just got back from The Daytona 500 (yes, I am a huge NASCAR fan) so, check out this post, for a link to some of the 400 pictures I took at the track.

I am just getting started in photography. With Spring just around the corner, my girls will come to hate my Nikon D70 almost as much as I love it. I will have them outside for mini-photo shoots every chance I get.

Baseball season is just around the corner (yes, individual game tickets go on sale Saturday for my Cardinals) so we are just getting geared up for my two favorite sports seasons.

I absolutely love blogging (according to my sister, I'm obsessed) and am so excited at the prospect of meeting new bloggers through this week long blog party.

For a quick overview of who I am, you can read my 100 Things about me the 2007 Edition, here.

So, grab a drink, pull up a chair, get comfy, and let's visit. Hope you enjoy your visit here, and come back often. The door is always open, and coffee's always fresh. And if you wouldn't mind, leave a comment, if you would be so kind so that I'll know who's been here, and I can come visit you.

As Promised, Daytona 500 Pictures!

I went through the 400+ pictures I took on our trip, and tried to pick out the best, of the best. I actually got 1 of all the drivers (except the Bush brothers -sorry, I just couldn't take their picture, and Jimmy Johnson -Batman wouldn't let me) and a few of the cars as they flew by us on the track, and a few in pit row.

There are 60 that I chose, but knew there was no way I was going to post them all here, as a blog post. It would be a mile long, and take a month and a half to load for those of you on dial up. So, I put them all on my Flickr page.

If you click on the picture below, it should take you right to the Daytona 500 set of pictures. (If it doesn't work, could someone please send me an email and let me know? Thanks)

Hope you enjoy them! We had so much fun!

Thursday Thirteen #7

13 Random thoughts going through my head this morning

Ugh, that 2^nd margarita last night is really kicking my ass this morning. Oh god don’t make any sudden movements, and please, please don’t mention food.

Looks like the Blond Train Wreck that was Anna Nicole is going to make it into the ground before James Brown. How crazy is that?

I’ve got to work on that website more today, and my head hurts too much to think that hard.

I could have curled up next to Batman this morning, burrowed under the covers and slept a few more hours. Sounds like heaven.

Tonight when I get off work, it’s back to B’s house, but no margaritas for me tonight.

It was raining this morning, with tornado warnings and watches. Yeah, tell me again, why I like spring? Oh yeah, it wasn’t snow and ice.

My nephews make life so much fun and entertaining. This morning Duck is playing a game on the computer, wearing his yellow sunglasses, and Stealth has blueberry muffin smeared clear up to his nose. My sister says she thinks maybe they partied with Jose last night too.

Some of the drama that has been swirling around my life lately has settled down. I know there has not be a resolution, but there is a possibility for change. All I can do is wait this one out.

I have promised Daytona Pictures for a week, and I am determined to get some of them posted here today. Come hell or high water, hang over included. There will pictures here by the End of the day. I swear.

I loved stepping outside today and smelling rain on the warm air. I’m not entirely sure winter is behind us, but at least spring is trying to come around. Thank god.

Three months from today, I hope to be completely moved and getting settled into our new home, starting our new life. Sounds like so long, and yet, it’s not.

It’s Thursday, which means the weekend is coming. I haven’t spent a weekend at home in 3 weeks now, so being home this one will be kind of nice. I will actually get to watch the cable programs I’ve been paying for and had to fight for 2 and a half weeks to get. About damn time. Oh, and I have internet at home, so I can blog from there too. YAY.

Batman still hasn’t had time to look at my pc that died. I’m worried it’s the motherboard, and that’s going to take serious $$ to fix. Then I’m worried I’ll lose all my pictures and music that’s on my hard drive. That would totally suck.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


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Overheard on Yahoo today

"Overheard" on Yahoo this afternoon....

But my cookies are sweet and taste better


That's all I'm saying.

Syd, the floor is yours.

A conversation with Princess

On the phone with Batman last night, he was helping Princess change into her new Hoodie we bought for her.

Do you know who helped me pick this out for you?

Who?

Becky

Really?

Yes.

Who's her favorite driver?

Kasey Kahne

Oh, well then, my favorite drivers are Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.

How sweet is she?

A little redecorating

I was getting kind of bored with the same 'ole same 'ole. I needed a change, something different, something not the usual cookie cutter look.

I found a new templates here and loved it. Although it's going to take some getting used to.

So, I've done a little rearranging, a bit of redecorating. Cleaning out some of the clutter, and tidying up the place.

I tried to copy and paste all my previous links to this new template, and I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. PLEASE, if you don't see your link in my sidebar, and would like it there, send me an email, I will be more than happy to add you.

So, tell me what you think of the new look?

Just asking....

If this was the burning question of the night at the Oscars, why is it I'm just now hearing about it 2-almost-3 days later?

Yeah, a bald head only makes the news when Britney does it.

Sorry Jack.

Just my thoughts

I tried to get around to everyone's blog today, and leave a comment. If I didn't leave a comment, that doesn't mean I didn't visit, I may have been called away from my desk, or god forbid *gasp* actually had to work.

I forgot my mom reads my blog, so imagine my surprise when I got an email from her today asking me "Man, did you really pay 3 figures for those sunglsses?" Uh, yeah, but I didn't pay full price! (like that makes a difference at this point) *sheepishly admitting the truth* Oops!

The drama around me swirls, but it's more of an annoying brisk wind vs a mad tornado. Of course, it still has the power to leave things changed in it's wake. The changes wrought by a thunderous explosion are yet to be discovered, as the debris has yet to fully settle.

And when I speak of this drama, there are 2 couples in the midst of change and drama. Both are on the outskirts of my life, although at different distances. Life is like the ocean, ebb and flow, high tide and low tide. Sometimes if I allow myself to think about it, I know there has to be a balance in the universe, and is it really that far of a stretch to think that my good fortune had to be counter balanced by their drama? Maybe that's just giving me and my life too much importance in the grand scheme of things.

Waiting, patiently waiting

He's not there yet.

We're together, we're a couple, I'm even his girlfriend (that still sounds so Jr high-ish) but things are different.

I knew they would be, they have to be. We're different. There is still residue from the past drama between us that isn't gone. And I'm not entirely sure it should be gone. There is lessons learned there, and the reminders are there.

The feelings are there, but the words aren't. Not yet. I spend a lot of time with him biting my tongue holding back the urge to shout out I LOVE YOU as loudly and proudly as I can. I don't say it for several reasons. I don't want to hear the silence that follows because he can't/won't say it back to me yet. I don't want him to feel pressured to say something he's not ready to say. It will happen when the time is right. Patience, the universe is constantly teaching me patience, and well, I wish it would hurry up and get this over with.

We have a blog we share. OK, we have a blog, I post to all the time, and he reads it. I wrote this post on there,

Once again, I find myself biting back the words I long to say to you. You sit there, just across the room from me watching the race. When I am done with this, I will go to you and join you. I will curl up beside you, cuddle into you, and my heart will swell with..yeah, I won't say it yet.
I am home again. I am grounded, I am centered. I am calm, and I am secure. I won't take it for granted.
So much to say to you, so much I feel for you, but I'll wait. Hard as it is, I'll wait, and I believe it will be worth the wait. You were. We were.
Until then I lov...well, you know.

Last night when he called to tell me good night, he told me... "I read our blog you know."
Yeah, I know
And you can say it, if you want to. I'm not there yet, but I know you are.
No, really, I'll wait
You don't have to, you can say it. It won't bother me.
Ok, but not now, I'll wait.

I want to believe he wants to hear it, but I don't know. That may be just me projecting my wants and wishes onto him.

I'll wait. Difficult as it is, I'll wait.

Hat Trick Meme

I found this meme on Attention Whore's blog, and well, I stole it. I thought it would be fun for a Tuesday morning. Rules? Three word answers, hence the Hat Trick (for all you hockey fans out there)

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse
2. Boyfriend? Together again, YAY
3. Hair? Blonde, straight, wonderful
4. Your mother? Brave and strong
5. Your father? emotionally, physically distant
6. Your favorite item(s)? Camera, hats, hoodies
7. Your dream last night? I don't remember
8. Your favorite drink? Batman's perfect margarita
9. Your dream guy? One I have
10. The room you are in? hot stuffy office
11. Your fear? heights, clowns, rejection
12. What do you want to be in 10 years? Happy, settled, safe
13. Who did you hang out with last night? Newt and Tate
14. What are you not? rich, lonely, dead
15. Are you in love?absolutely, beyond doubt
16. One of your wish list items? a new Beemer
17. What time is it? not late enough
18. The last thing you did? stole this meme
19. What are you wearing? black inside out
20. Your favorite book? Nora Roberts books
21. The last thing you ate? tacos for dinner
22. Your life? coming full circle
23. Your mood? bored, waiting, happy
24. Your friends? great, fun, dramatic
25. What are you thinking about right now? Batman tomorrow night
26. Your car? big white bus
27. What are you doing at this moment? blogging and chatting
28. Your summer? moving from here
29. Your relationship status? second time around
30. What is on your TV screen? better be nothing
31. When is the last time you laughed? earlier this morning
32. Last time you cried? been a while
33. School? could go back

Pictures coming soon...I promise

I want to say thank you very much to those of you out there who have been patiently waiting for almost a week now for pictures from Daytona. I was more than a little busy playing catch up when I got back into town last week, and was still giddy with the afterglow of a dream realized.

Now that life is settling back down into a semi-normal routine I was all prepared to go through pictures this week and get them all posted. Until yesterday afternoon, when Batman went to load new software on my hard drive only to discover I don't have a hard drive. Well, I do, it's just refusing to work. Everything fires up lights up, spins and whistles like it should, but the hard drive just doesn't connect. My pc won't boot up.

So, my wonderful computer geek boyfriend is going to hopefully tear into it tonight or tomorrow and see what can be done to save it.

In the mean time, I have a crappy piece of shit back up tower at home, and I'm hoping it can hobble through the process of getting some of the pictures off of the memory card and posted here and to my photo website. (If I can remember how to log on and my password...shit, that could be a problem.)

I know there are more than a few of you out there waiting. Thanks for being patient. I promise they will be up this week, come hell or high water (or snow, sleet or hail...whatever)

My seriously ridiculously overpriced, but oh so worth every penny I spent on them shades

That is a picture of me in my new shades. Bought in Orlando (yeah, it may have been cool down there, but the sun was still bright)

I have a reputation of losing my shades. Therefore I never spend a lot of $ on them (we're talking $5 at Wal-Hell at best) Batman's theory on that is, if you spend a lot of $ on them you take better care of them, and you don't lose them. (sounds to me like an expensive lesson to learn and a hell of a lot of money to throw away when I prove him wrong, but eh, we'll see if he's right)

So, it was his mission to find me a pair of shades. Thank god we found a place 20%-80% off. But even at those discounted prices, I about fell the fuck over. Of course, when it's my shades, and my money, Batman's tastes knows no limit. I was thinking a $15 pair of shades was good enough to keep me from losing them. Oh hell to the no. He saw these, and said those magic words....
"I love them on you, you look cute..no sexy in them." and I went "Duh, OK"

Needless to say, even at close to half price, they were still 3 figures. (yeah, don't ask, I won't admit it out loud) But I can promise you this, I will never lose these damn things. and he better like them, he' s going to look at the for a lllloooonnnngggggg time.

Random and Odd, out of sorts

Your emotions need some nurturing, so make sure you don't play crisis counselor for anyone else except yourself right now. The life you fix needs to be your own. It's time to focus on your agenda.

That's my horoscope for today.

I've got a lot going on around me right now. For once, the drama is happening in other people's lives, instead of mine. But being who and what I am, their drama effects my life. I don't get drawn into it, but I am aware of it, and end up offering help in dealing with it.

Sometimes it's more than I can handle and more than I can deal with. My drama is enough for any one person to contend with. But I find it hard sometimes to shut the door on other people's drama.

Sometimes I know I have to, to preserve my sanity, and my relationships and my family. Hard as that is to do. Much as it breaks my heart.

I've barely gotten Batman back in my life, and well, that relationship is still new, still fresh, and still fragile like the newborn that it is. It is precious to me beyond words, and I will do all in my power to protect and nurture it.

My countdown is getting smaller, which means my new life is coming closer and it's time I get serious about that, and start thinking and looking ahead and planning for that day.

I spent a wonderful weekend with Batman, but I know that next weekend we will be apart, for the first time in 3 weekends. Not looking forward to that at all, but I know I'll get through it. Somehow.

Other things happened in people's lives around me. Things not unforeseen, but the timing was unexpected. Now that the bell has been rung, it can't be unrung, and words spoken in the heat of the moment, can't be taken back, the damage is done. Whether they were truly meant at the time is irrelevant. The thought had been there for the words to be spoken. This is not new territory, just a little unplanned.

I've gotten spoiled in the past couple of weeks, having Batman to chat with on line while we're at work. For whatever reason, he's unavailable right now, and has been most of the day. I am sure there is nothing wrong between us, but his silence is unsettling at best. I'm not worried, I just miss him.

I was Home again this weekend, and Sunday afternoon rolled around, that sick to my stomach feeling came back, at the thought of leaving him, coming back here to a place I barely exist any more. I'm a shell of myself here now, with my heart being with Batman. Soon, though, soon, I'll be so much closer to him. Just not soon enough.

Uh, yeah

Yeah, I'm speechless.

Totally speechless.

Owning my life, making it my own

Once again, I am borrowing words from my sister, (and giving her full credit, and posting a link, and making sure she gets all the credit due her because she's brilliant beyond words sometimes.) just because she put it into words so perfectly, and it gives me a good starting off point.

In October of '05, sis wrote this post. Uh, yeah, she was talking to me. Maybe, just maybe she was talking about other people too, but yup, that's me right there, in Some people never get it and You can not see or hear. Dead on, bulls eye, direct hit.

There are people out there that just don't get it. I used to be one of those people. I used to be the one that would whine and cry about how awful my life was, and yet, I did nothing to change it. I continued to make the same choices, and get the same results. I continued to react to the same situations in the same way, and get the same results. And I continued to be miserable. And I continued to expect other people to sympathize with me, or fix the problem.

The very definition of insanity is Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. It's not going to happen, folks. If you don't like the way things are going in your corner of the world, it's up to you to change it. Change you, change your surroundings, change the people in your circle, change the circle you're in. A rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out.

I wanted her life because it looked so much better than mine and I didn't like mine. It was easier to steal hers than it was to change mine and make mine what I wanted. Funny thing is, it doesn't work that way. I couldn't have her life. I needed to fix mine. I needed to do the work to make the changes to make my life better. I wanted her to come in and fix my life, and well, that doesn't work either.

I wanted to make her friends my friends, because I didn't know how to make my own. I borrowed....no, stole bits and pieces of her life. Why? I wanted what she had and I didn't want to do the work to get it all for myself. The problem is, her life doesn't fit me, and I don't fit her life. We're just too different.

Eventually I got it. Eventually I realized that I needed my own life. I needed my own friends, and I found them, I made them, I've worked hard to cultivate friendships, and I work hard to maintain them. I enjoy them because they are mine. I found my own things, my own hobbies, my own interests, my own voice and it all means more to me because they're mine. I have my own music, I have my own style, I have my own life, that is not my sister's.

I did the work, I made the changes and I'm standing on my own two feet now. That also means when I fall, I make my own mistakes, and I learn my own lessons. I pick myself up on my own, and go on. If I need help, I ask for help. I don't want someone to come in and make it all right for me, but if I can't do it on my own, I get the help I know I need. Nothing wrong with asking for help. That's a sign of greater strength.

Yes, I started this blog post with my sister's words. I didn't steal them. I borrowed them. I linked to them, I gave her full credit.

The rest is my own.

I'm just saying

Once again, I've the the 2-hours-left-to-work-it's-nice-outside-I'm-going-to-spend-the-weekend
with-my-honey-and-I've-got-nothing-to-do-at-work blues.

With Britney in rehab, and Anna Nicole on her way to the Bahamas, there's nothing on the blond train wreck news front to report.

I promise there will be NASCAR pictures posted from Daytona next week. I just have been busy every night this week and haven't had time to get through them. With 400 pictures to go through it's going to take some time.

I'm bored out of my mind at work. Nobody is in the office this week, but me. So, there's nothing to do.

I have things I want to blog about, but not sure how to handle the situation just yet. May have to think about it some more.

I didn't exactly see this coming

But in the bizarre world of blond train wrecks, it doesn't surprise me.

Apparently, there is a video taped message from Anna to Britney when they were both pregnant, saying she would like to meet the Pop Princess and become friends.

I knew those two had a connection somewhere.

She's BACK. Third time the charm?

Reports are surfacing again that Brit is back in rehab. Maybe with K-FedEx scheduling an appearance in family court, possibly about the boys, it was enough of a wake up call, that she's actually going to stay longer than a few hours.

Mama Spears took her in today (last night?) after K-FedEx refused to let Brit see their sons last night at his house.

Maybe the thought of losing those boys is enough to rattle her cage, shake her up and get her on a fast track back to reality.

We can only hope.

Who gets the body?

The judge has ruled on who will get custody of Anna Nicole's body. (Hey, now that Anna's going to find a resting place, maybe Brit can settle down too)

I told Batman all along, they should just cremate her and divide her up between all the interested parties. That way everyone can bury Anna where ever they want to.

They came damn close.

The judge compromised and gave custody to attorney Richard Milstein, the guardian for Smith’s 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn.

Now, what he will do with the body is anybody's guess.

Perfect Sense

When does the logic part of the brain develop and become active?

I mean to me it all makes perfect sense. To the girls? It might as well be greek.

Homework. I'm not a tyrant about it. I believe it should be done when we get home. If they need help, ask for it. HELP. I will not do the homework for them. I've done elementary school. And passed. I don't need to do it again. They, apparently do.

To me, homework is not done until the work is complete, I've looked it over, signed it, and it's back in the home folder, and in the book bag ready for tomorrow. To the girls, it's done when the work is done and it's left on the table (or the floor, or the sofa, or the chair, or their bed, or your guess is as good as mine). That usually means there is a mad search for homework just as we're trying to run out the door in the morning.

I've tried to tell them until I'm blue in the face, put it in your home folder the night before, but well, they have more important things to do. Such as torment their brother when he's home, throw clothes all over the floor, argue with each other about stupid stuff I don't even want to know about.

Oh, and like TN Becky I didn't realize that shoes now belong in brother's room, and in the bathroom closet and every now and again, they belong in the kitchen. I would have never believed the one place they didn't belong would be the girls' closet.

I figure a few more days of left at home homework, and a couple of days without shoes, and clothes (I can't wash what I don't have) they might begin to change their ways. I can only hope