Help Wanted

So my job search continues. I am holding onto Wal*Mart as my last ditch option as I am sure there are other things I'd rather do. (Like sleep at night.) I check the online classifieds every day as well as other websites like the hospital to see the updates on their Help Wanted. It's really too bad I'm not a nurse- I could get a lot of night jobs! Ever since Lola died I've been really interested in nursing, but that's obviously not an option right now. I'm not looking for a career here- If so, I wouldn't be willing to resort to Wal*Mart, now would I? Here are a couple of interesting jobs I'm thinking of applying for that I found, where else, but BYU's own 'Daily Universe.'

SUMMER FIELD Researcher wanted: To work with graduate students capturing and marking frogs in central Nevada, mistnetting birds in Utah. Must be willing to camp in primitive conditions for ten days, three times during the summer. Starts July 7. Contact Dr. Hatch: khatch@byu.edu

hmm... While I do enjoy camping in 'primitive conditions', I lack the necessary mistnetting experience to really be a candidate for this job. Plus, I fear the lighting would not be the best for makeup application, and my lighted makeup mirror is broken. (Is is possible that our definitions of 'primitive' differ?)

WANTED! FEMALE exercise assistant for my elderly father (retired BYU professor) who enjoys 1 mile walks, stretching, floor exercises, weight lifting, and especially dancing to big band music. We live very close to BYU. Position pays $15.00/hr. 1 hour sessions, 6 times a week. Schedule negotiable. Knowledge of exercise or dance required. Must be bubbly, fun, dependable & honest.
Call Nancy at 427-5552.


Now this one sounds really interesting. I am bubbly, fun, dependable, and honest. Maybe they would overlook all those other pesky fitness related requirements. On second thought, does it seem to anyone else that the position they are trying to fill is really a surrogate wife/companion for the poor old codger?

*It should be noted that I did not make those up. I am not that creative.*

When I was a student myself at BYU, my mom was convinced that I could get a job, or rather make my own business, cooking for guys in their apartments. Yeah, maybe in the 50's, and maybe it required some sort of silly outfit.

Other jobs I have had in no particular order: A vet tech for several years, occasional dreaded babysitting as a youth, a brief stint at Great Harvest (I couldn't stay there- it made me fat by association), manager at Petco, Account Manager at Leaving Prints, Kennel Tech (dog poop-scraper.)

OR- maybe I could hark back to the million idea I had as a child. I had many money-making schemes, but this was perhaps my best. When I was about 7 or 8 years old I thought I'd put my extensive library to work for me by running a paying library. I went right to work 'rating' all my books by labeling the spines according to a reading-level system I devised. All I needed was a dedicated phone line, some advertising to my friends, and I would be in business! But what- would you believe it? My parents would not concede to getting me my own phone line! Apparently they didn't think a 'paying' library was such a good idea. Apparently they thought people would rather just go to an actual public library where they didn't have to 'pay' and there was a bigger 'selection' and more 'organization'. I was indignant. Thanks mom and dad for squashing my childhood dream. If not for you I would have already capitalized on my grand idea and would be enjoying my millions instead of considering employment at Wal*Mart.

Assuming the library thing might not pan out, anyone have any other suggestions for me?

Wipe Adoration. Wipe.

I've said that word too many times, that now it's funny. Wipe.
With a 3-hour exception, yesterday I cleaned from 7 am- 11 pm. It was crazy, and I'm glad it's all done! Now I can bask in the glory of my very clean house and enjoy the fruits of my labors.
I just have to say how much I love Lysol Wipes. Or Clorox Wipes, or Kirkland brand for that matter. I just love cleaning wipes. I use them for everything on a daily basis. I use them to clean spots off of the carpet, to wipe up the high chair, get marks off of the floor, wipe out the fridge, wipe up the counters between deep cleanings...I could go on and on. In fact, sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that all wipes are not created equal. I find myself reaching for a Lysol wipe to change a diaper, or wipe off one of the cats. (I 'spot' clean the hairless cats in between baths. Yes, I bathe them regularly.) Luckily I have never used a Lysol wipe for one of these tasks as it is not generally recommended to wipe your baby's bum with bleach. But that's where the other great wipe comes in- Baby wipes! I use these for a multitude of things as well. I do use these to spot clean the cats, and various marks I find in the house. I also use them as a lazy way to clean my face when I'm too tired to wash it. (Oh, gimme a break-I know some of you are horrified. Deal with it.) They also double as great Wet Wipes after a sticky incident on the go. Basically I love wipes of all varieties. I think long after I have babies I will still buy Baby Wipes, and I think Lysol/Clorox wipes are some of the greatest cleaning innovations ever!
*What product do you love so much you would gladly do a free infomercial for?*

7 Peaks Success

Michelle and I braved 7 Peaks again today. I am happy to say that this time was a rollicking success! I was very careful to apply the sunscreen so it had minimal chance of getting in Bella's eyes, and gave her some Zyrtec beforehand for her allergies. Yesterday I bought a baby float so she and I could comfortably cruise the attractions. Today she loved it, and I found out she does a really great frog kick! The whole time she was in her float she was excitedly kicking and smiling- it wasn't until I took her out and let her 'swim' that I noticed she was doing a perfect frog kick! It's one of those things that you would think was just a normal baby reflex until someone like your sister tells you that it's not. Her dad the swimmer would be so proud...
Hopefully she likes the ocean just as much as the Lazy River since we leave on Sunday for Charleston!

25th Highlights

My birthday was also a great success this year. Since it fell on a Sunday, Timm and I went out Saturday night, thanks to Hannah. Hannah came over and put Bella to bed and watched her so we could go out. Timm and I were trying to remember the last time we went out for a date, and we think it was our anniversary last July. We don't have money or a babysitter, so we never go out together. Thanks to Hannah, we enjoyed a night on the town! He took me to my favorite restaurant, P.F. Changs- hence, the horse:

He also gave me a g.c. to Victoria's Secret so I could get fitted for a new bra since I don't know what size I am anymore. He also got me new perfume, and a g.c. to Nordstrom so I can buy some MAC makeup. (That's what I used to buy when I was single and had a disposable income!) Timm did very well in the gift department. I don't know where he gets the money for it all, as it added up to quite a tally! He squirrels away "secret money" and plans for months for such an occasion. I am lucky to have husband who is so thoughtful and giving. And he listened to what I really wanted for my birthday. In return:

I forced him to pose for these pictures with me. We have hardly any pictures together, and one reason is that he hates being in pictures. I, however, am a natural poser and relish a photograph with my husband. (As long as my hair and makeup are in perfect form and I am not fat at the time. That's a lot of conditions.)

After shopping and dinner we headed to Michelle's for cake and presents. Shell is kind enough to make my birthday cake every year. With the exception of my first birthday when I almost died due to whole almonds being included in the frosting, I have always had the same cake: White Mountain Cake. The title actually refers to the frosting, and I always choose to have a chocolate cake. To my knowledge, I have had the same cake for 24 years in a row. Our family has many, many delicious recipes, but for some reason, I always gravitate towards the same one. And I think I dare say, this year was the best cake yet. That's really saying something, since I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur after 24 years. Bravo, Michelle!

Here is me enjoying the sheer ecstasy of a fingerful of icing from the bowl:

Shell gave me these oh-so-cute stamps that I absolutely love! Some of them I have coveted for quite some time, and some I fell in love at first sight that night. She also gave me a stash of other delightful scrap supplies. (I can always count on her such things.)
Timm and I were going to go to a movie, but considering Timm instantly aged a year overnight with the revelation of his true age, we were too tired. I mean, it was nearly 10:30! We're getting old. We came home, relieved Hannah and watched an episode of Lost before retiring for bed.
The day we got up and got ready for church, but before we left I opened this present from Denise and Grandma:

Inside are all kinds of cute things for kitchen in my color of choice for said kitchen: orange! There is the cutest tablecloth, orange taper candles, tea towel, orange measuring cups and butter knives... I could go on. SO cute! Jill also gave me the cutest notecards ever, and a note-book. A book full of lists and notes by RealSimple from Target! Check it out there!
I opened my mom's presents in shifts throughout the day. Some of them included:
The New Complete Weight Watchers Cookbook, another really cute tablecloth in my kitchen color scheme, a really cute graphic black and white skirt, some diet snacks... I could go on as well, but I will stop there.
All in all, it was a fantastic birthday! The fun doesn't stop there- I am going out with my bookclub friends for dinner on Friday night. That's what I'm talking about- a week long celebration!
Thanks to everyone for your phone calls, emails, thoughtful posts, babysitting, gifts, cake, etc, etc... It's good to be 25!

Lola's Legacy

Thanks to the help of many friends and ward members, Lola's Legacy went off without a hitch! I have very little to do to prep the finished albums to be presented to the hospital, which I hope to do sometime this week before we head out to Charleston.

This is the display table I set up of Lola's things.

Hannah, Jill, Diana, Brittany (from the ward), Michelle, and Robin. Rachelle and Bridget and her mom also attended. Thanks guys!

Many hands make light work! (these are Robin's)

Me in action.

This is Sister Whittle. She is 99 years old, and walks without a cane or any other assitance. She doesn't (usually) wear glasses or a hearing aid, and she still lives on her own in the house she's lived in for many years. She is an amazing inspiration. She is also Ezra Taft Benson's sister, and taught my temple prep class. I love this woman. She is distantly related to Timm. I figure if Sister Whittle can come and make an album, there is no excuse for anyone else!
Thank you everyone for all of your help- It was a great success!

thank you

{60 candy bars}

+

{me}

=

{"danger, danger, danger"}

{but-that}

+

{homemade tags}

=

{cheap and easy 'thank you's}

some may say "slutty..."

Seriously a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who helped me with Lola's Legacy in any way, shape or form! Here's a few off the top of my head:
dad- for sending me cash to by supplies!
Bridget, Audrey, Jill, Michelle, Hannah, Robin, Rachelle, and Diana for coming and making so many of the albums! (And making them well...)
Michelle for making all the demo albums for people to follow at the tables
Hannah and Robin for helping me with some of the prep work
Rachelle for having her girls at Provo Canyon ink paper for me!
Robin and Hannah and Jenn for buying supplies
Thats all I can think of right now, but if I didn't have all of your help, I never would have been able to make this happen. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and contributions. It means so much to me, and a paltry candy bar or thank you does nothing to show you how grateful I am to each of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for thinking beyond yourselves and giving of your time, money, and talents to help those in need, and comforting those who stand in need. I love you all.
update to follow later...

Project Gallery

I know that Jill has given me 'labeling tenure', but something in the back of my mind is still afraid of losing that, so I am posting some pictures of my latest, and not-so-latest projects.

This is the notebook that I made for part of my present at the Blogging Party, and Kristi was the recipient. (I was her recipient as well and am lucky enough to be receiving monogrammed towels from her!)I used velvet stickers that Jenn sent me!

This is the blurry card I made my dad for Father's Day. (It's not blurry in real life, and I can post this because he's already opened it.)

This is the Mother's Day card I made for my mom to be a companion to her present:
A gratitude journal.

This is a sample of one of the filler pages.

I made these for 3 of my nieces, as I was commissioned by my mother-in-law.

I experimented using fabric as the binding, and pom-pom trim and buttons on the spine.
That's all for now folks!

Happiness is a pretty pile of presents

I got this package from my mom yesterday for my birthday. (Which is Sunday, Father's Day. Incidentally, I was also born on a Father's Day.) I turn the big quarter century this year, although that was news to Timm as he told everyone I was turning 24. He also had to learn that he was a year older than he thought, causing for a minor breakdown on his part. But I digress...
Anything my mom sends is cause for celebration, so I am excited for those!
Then today I got a huge box from Denise (dpw) and Grandma that is large enough to hold several small children. (Not that I endorse such an activity.)I opened it just enough to see that the goods were not wrapped, so I put in on my kitchen counter- the only place big enough to hold it out of Bella's grasp.
I love the anticipation of birthdays and having wonderful people to remember you that day! (Even if your husband doesn't know how old you are...)

"ha, ha."

I'm not bragging, but the plain and simple truth is that Bella has beautiful eyes. (Maybe a little bit of boasting, but isn't that a mother's right?)
Well, we can't go anywhere, and I mean anywhere, without people complimenting her eyes. It's just a part of the routine that we have come to expect. It's obvious that Bella has also become accustomed to this attention from strangers because in any given situation, if the people milling about aren't talking to her, she gives a very conspicuous, and very fake little laugh. Just, "ha ha." She then looks expectantly at her subject until they return her attentions. She's already learning to work her feminine wiles.
{This picture was taken back in April, and is a bit blurry, but I love her eyes anyway.}

Be Forewarned...

Warning: At the end of this post there is an "Extreme Close-Up" of Smegel.
Brace yourselves.
This is what allergies do to an otherwise beautiful girl. Pity. But in response to the public's demand for more pictures of Bella, I am delivering, and this is the most recent shot of her, taken yesterday.
No matter what your feelings are toward my hairless cats, there is one quality about Smegel in particular that should unite us together- Even knit our hearts in unity and love. He is great with Bella. The other cats run when she has a terrorizing gleam in her eye, or lets out the tell-tale squeal of delight that lets me know she has just found a cache of kitties. The hairless cats like to cuddle up together and sleep with fleece blankets for warmth. One of their favorite spots is circled on our "foof" chair. Bella knows this.
Recently she has started giving kisses, and she lavishes such kisses upon man and cat alike. Smegel is the only cat that lets her maul him, so he is the lucky recipient of such love.

This is how Bella "pets" Smegel. I try to show her 'soft, soft', but to no avail. Smegel just bears down, closes his eyes, and takes it. (C'mon, doesn't that earn him any points?) He never runs away, let alone swats at her or bites her. He just takes it.

SO this is dear Smegel, resting after his maul session, er, I mean, petting session from Bella. What a sweetie...Smegel and Bella both.


{This message brought to you by the Campaign for Sphynx Acceptance and Rights.}

Isabella's Nursery

Ever since Michelle posted about her nursery, I have wanted to post about mine. Where Eva's colors are pink and chocolate, Bella's are pink and green. Where I consider Eva's nursery to be timeless and romantic, I consider Bella's to be a little bit funky and playful. I love Bella's nursery, and only wish that we weren't renting so I could have beautiful wordworking like Michelle did. At least they let us paint- I *love* the color, and I am proud that I picked it out myself and got my mom's color-expert approval. It is an old Sherwin Williams color called Sassy Green. Perfect name too. Michelle and my nurseries do have one thing in common- almost everything came from mom, and I love my nursery too.

It's a pretty small room, but we do what we can. There is an antique pink dresser that Timm bought for me when I was pregnant with Lola, and a wine-rack turned changing table from mom. The greatest thing is probably my green ultra-suede rocker. I love that thing! Cute and comfortable.

Cute shelf, also courtesy of mom, as is I think all of it's contents.

Detail of lamp courtesy of mom.
Cute crystal knob courtesy of mom, because every girl deserves a little sparkle, or 'bling', as I like to say.

In keeping with the bling theory- her own chandelier, courtesy of: that's right, mom.


Who knew a wine rack could make such a cute changing table and I could display diapers so artfully?

Cute rug from...mom.

One of the best things about having the benefactors that I do (mom and dad) is that I can look rich and extravagant even though I am in need of assistance from Wal*Mart's hiring department. My house is so cute, if I do say so myself, simply because my parents have outfitted it. There is hardly anything in my house that I have actually bought. This makes me feel like a loser,and grateful simultaneously, but either way I wouldn't trade it for anything!
I did a really cute layout of the nursery but can't post it for the off-chance that I would ever be able to get it published.
All these photos with dial-up? That's dedication people.

Swallowing my Pride

I know-there's a picture of Wal*Mart on my blog. And I put it there. What is happening to the world, you may ask? Well, I think it's come to this. I think I'm going to get a job at Wal*Mart. What on earth could possibly motivate me to work at Wal*Mart, you also may ask? Well, it comes down to two things: a) I am really hankering for a self-esteem boost, and b) I have a healthy, and justified fear of homelessness.

In other words, finances are beyond tight. We have various extraneous strains on our budget, in addition to our already strained lifestyle. Unless I find work somewhere, I'm not quite sure what we'll do. Timm already has 2 jobs and goes to school full-time, and in the fall he's going to be taking 20 credits. That's right- 20. You have to get special permission to take that many. Why?Because it's insane! It's suicide! If he doesn't take that many it'll push his graduation date back a year.

So why the drastic leap to Wal*Mart? Well, there are several reasons, which I will list for you here:

1. I can only work nights since we don't have any child-care, and even if we did I wouldn't want to leave Bella in someone else's care. Wal*Mart is flexible.
2. Since I'm going to be working night shifts, I consider my time very valuable. Wal*Mart is willing to compensate me adequately for that precious time. (They pay pretty well for retail.)
3. I am over-qualified. Seriously. Need I say more?
4. I already told you, I'd like the boost in my self-esteem.

I used to be a pretty big 'job snob.' If it weren't for my love of my family, running water, electricity, and other "luxuries", I would never consider this drastic concept. I enjoyed working as a veterinary technician for about 5 years, and loved that I had a specialized skill, training, and knowledge. I felt like what I did was important, out of the ordinary, and close to my heart. Then I was a manager at Petco. It was still retail, but in any industry that I love and know a lot about. I also love being in charge. (I have control issues.) Then I worked at a scrapbooking company where yes, I was sometimes an office lackey and scapegoat for customer's frustrations, but I also got paid to design scrapbook kits. If And now, the next frontier... Wal*Mart.

Unless you have any other suggestions...

Weekend Wrap-Up

Since being a stay-at-home mom, I have viewed weekends as just like any other day. I never did anything special, Timm wasn't really around any more, and it merely caused a disruption in my typical tv-watching schedule. (Too many infomercials and cartoons.) Not so anymore.
In the last year Timm was able to quit his former retail job that required him to work Sundays and get hired on at the dive shop so he is always home on Sundays. This is the first and greatest change in my weekend repetoire. We get to go to church together, although today we are home due to Bella's constant snot rivulets and phlegmy cough. We actually get an entire day each week to see eachother. (Although in all honesty, I spend a fair amount of time each Sunday getting in a Bella-supervised nap.)
The next change that occurred was setting up a weekly game-night with Robin, Mark, Hannah, and Lincoln. We do that each Saturday night, and I love it! The only downfall is that we have to make sure to wrap it up early enough so that our motivation to get up for church in the morning isn't sapped. (hence the need for the Sunday nap) I love the chance to get together with friends, do something fun, and it turns out, I really like games! (I just don't like to be competitive...)
And last but not least, Timm and I have instated a date night for us each Friday night. We set aside that night to do nothing but something together- no homework, no calls, no scrapping- but together. The only sometimes down-side of this is that it pretty much always consists of us watching something at home since we lack a babysitter. When we were enjoying 'Lost', that was fine by us- When we're through with that we'll have to find new entertainment. We set up camp-out style blankets on the floor and moved the furniture, thanks to Robin's suggestion. (We also discussed the fact that we hope our kids are satisfied with that type of camping only, as that is as far as our desires go.)
So weekends are picking up for us. I actually have a series of events that I look forward to, and get to spend some quality time with my little family.
*What do you do on weekends?*

Updates about things you probably don't care about anyway.

I too, like Jill took an involuntary Blogging break. I tried several times to post, but to no avail. I was getting so mad because I kept getting all these error messages and pages after I had written and rewritten entire posts complete with pictures etc. So know that I still love you all, and if this doesn't work I might go postal.

• I got all the envelopes done. I really don't mind the stuffing, I just didn't like my tight deadline. I am glad to have gotten it done to have a little bit of money to add a drop in the bucket to our financial needs.
• Robin is my hero because she came over on her own volition on Wednesday night and helped me stuff envelopes for like 2 hours. We had a refreshing chat and it was good times to have some rare one-on-one time with Robidoo. What a gal!
• After my successful envelope-stuffing (I only got a few minor paper cuts) I bought a newspaper today to see if there are any job opportunities that I could do from home. I'm always afraid that all of those things are scams...
• Today is day 15 of my 30-day Points Challenge, and I am proud to say that I have stuck to my points everyday, and even cut out my 10 extra nursing points because Bella is almost weaned! The gym however, has been a great failure the last 2 weeks. (But that wasn't part of the challenge, now was it? Lay off!) How are you doing on your goal(s)?
• I am mos thoroughly enjoying watching 'Lost.' Not that there was ever any doubt that I would, but it is just so enjoyable! I am almost done with Season 1 and can't wait to start on the 2nd. I love watching great tv shows on dvd! Thanks Diana! Oh, and Kim, it's definitely worth watching on a scrap of carpet in an unfinished basement. I think I even read a review somewhere that said just that...
• Lola's Legacy Super Saturday is one week from tomorrow! Please plan on attending, and if you need the address for the chapel please email me and I will get it to you. We need everyone's help to get it all done- especially scrappers! Bring a friend- there's actually going to be a great lunch! (And I mean that- not your typical RS food.. it really is great. Chalk it up to a culinary girl in the RS presidency. What a treat!)
• In general I don't mind bugs. I even like spiders because they just help keep the rest of the bug population down. (Jill, please still be my friend- I will rescue you from spiders!) There is however, one notable exception: 'pedes. 'Pedes have no place in my life, or my home. Something about the creepy way that they locomote. Yesterday one such creature made its way into my living room and the cats were on that thing like white on rice. That is when it's great to have them around. This picture gives a great view of the extra skin and wrinkles on the Sphynx cats.
• This is Mister. He doesn't get much publicity unless he's peeing on my laundry, which in all fairness, he hasn't done for months. He must be feeling secure in his feline-hood.

He's not too bad looking for a hairy cat, huh?

(Okay, and apparently I still hate Blogger because it won't let me load any pictures. I am going to go breathe and try not to go postal.)

Did I agree to this?

I think I may have over-committed myself. I don't know what I was thinking-well, that's not true. What I was thinking was, "I'm really desperate."
I told Hannah I would stuff 5,000 envelopes by Thursday night for her aunt's business. Hannah was doing me a favor because earlier today I had actually volunteered ny services should there ever be work available for me to do. Apparently mindless monotonous work appeals to me. Lo and behold, just a couple of hours later there was work for me to do. On a very tight deadline. On the phone I thought, "hmm... 5,000 sounds like a lot of envelopes. But I bet I can do it. I really need the money." Then Hannah brought over the 10 boxes of envelopes and I got a little concerned. I will have to stuff every night and every one of Bella's naps now through Thursday night to get them done. Good thing the house got cleaned yesterday and today.
The money is going to a good cause. Timm's Instructor Insurance is due soon (he's a scuba instructor) and it's $700! Crikey! Not to mention he's taking 8 credits in Summer semester that we have to come up with the tuition for, my car has to be registered and possibly needs a new windshield, and we have to come up with nearly $800 for August's rent before our next student loan disbursement comes in. Ahh... to be young and destitute.
Thanks Hannah- I mean it. I'm not sarcastic.
Cross your fingers that I don't hemorrhage to death from paper cuts.

The dilemma of Sleep.

I don't get sleep. I mean, I get sleep- I just don't understand sleep. It seems that I can never have enough sleep. Does anyone else face this dilemma? I don't know how to tell how much sleep I really need, except that it seems when I get 9 hours I feel good. The problem is, that is nearly impossible. Especially if I am trying to wake up early to exercise. (Which, incidentally, has not gone well the past week...) I've heard several different theories about sleep. For instance, I've heard that you need to get an even number hours of sleep because of when REM cycles occur. Following this theory, it would be better to get only 6 hours of sleep rather than 7, because you will enter another REM cycle that will make you tired trying to come out of. Something like that. All I know is, it seems I am always tired, and always ready for sleep. I wish I had a solution for this. I have never suffered from insomnia.
Today, for instance: Last night I went to bed too late, at 11:30, which is really late for me. I was unable to wake up for the gym at 5:30, so I slept until about 7 when Bella woke up. I still felt so tired! I busied myself picking up until her nap at 10:30, at which time I reasoned myself into taking a nap as well. Even though Monday is typically my cleaning day, I justify this by asking what kind of hurry am I really in? I will only be able to do this now while I only have 1 child at home, so I better enjoy it while I can. So I took said nap. Bella usually wakes up at 12:30, and then takes another nap at 3:30. Instead, she woke up at 2:30. And so did I. We took a 4 hour nap. It felt great, but not so good for productivity, since now this is her only nap of the day. (I reasoned I would clean the bathrooms during her second nap.)
So what's my deal? I wouldn't even have woken up after a 4 hour nap if Bella didn't! Do normal people always feel tired? What is the answer? I would really love it if I didn't need so much sleep, and could get more done. Even though I love to nap, I would rather not need it, and continue to be productive during Bella's naptimes. Help!

Blog Party

The blog party was a huge success. Thanks to Jill for hosting the event, and Kristi for helping to organize it. I am so glad to have been able to go. It was such a great experience to have a girl's night out. I don't know about the rest of you, but it felt like a slumber party to me. Actually, I wish that it were a slumber party. I could have stayed for several more hours, but seeing as how my husband was the only one who called me, (twice) I had to go.

This is the present that I brought to represent me at the party. It included a picture of Dobby, one of my beautiful hairless cats. (I don't see what all the hype is about. They're cute.)

Amy M. has the best bone structure of most anyone I know. It's sickening. (No offense-you look great!)

Kristi is so cute! She is just like you would imagine. I have met Kristi a couple of times, but years ago. She is so warm and characteristically sweet- I'm so glad she came!

I love this picture of Shell- It's blurry, but you look so cute! My friends commented that they loved how much Michelle laughed at everything.

Our fabulous hostess Jill, enjoying her new digital technology. (yay!)

Hannah staring me down with her camera.

I was so glad that I was able to meet Amie. She was one of the few people there that I hadn't met. I still want to get to know you better- I think we have personality traits in common!

Kristi was the lucky recipient of my present. I offered to give the framed cat picture to Robin instead of Kristi, but she wanted it! (who wouldn't?)

The whole group! My picture has a crazy halo around everyone, but I think we all look great! I had so much fun. More on this tomorrow, because it's getting late. Thank you Jill, Kristi, and everyone who came! I can't wait to do it again.
*Was anyone surprised by anyone or anything they learned last night?*

I need serious help

My blog is hideous right now, I know. I need serious help. After last night I was inspired to customize it more and make it my own, and apparently I am color-code retarded. I thought that I could figure it out myself, but that was apparently my first mistake. I have left messages for Jill and Michelle and am anxiously awaiting calls so that my blog is not such an atrocity. Till then...