The life of me...

Friday Night Bowling

2012-02-10T05:25:00.005-06:00

The season is half over - and we're in last place.

It's not that our team is bowling bad either - we pretty much hit (or exceed) our average every game - it's just that no matter what team we bowl...

...they have the greatest bowling night of their life.

I'm not sure how to compete with that. No matter how well we bowl - they [are practically guaranteed to] bowl better.

It's not cool.

It's so much fun to get together with friends, have a few beers, throw a few balls, and share some laughs. I'll miss it when the season's over.

There.

I said it.

I like bowling.

I'm a bowling nerd.

Parker Update

2012-02-09T05:42:00.000-06:00

Parker became an 'it' a few weeks back - that whole "he'll calm down once he's neutered...."

Yeah - that's a myth.

The blue collar is the new-fangled cone, to keep him from licking what he shouldn't be licking.

The Youngest of the Three

2012-02-08T05:36:00.001-06:00

Tamara Lynn - - - the youngest of the Don Reed children. Her nickname was 'Tuck' when she was little. I was her Kindergarten student aide - that was back when I thought I wanted to be a teacher. Ha ha ha ha - - - it was shortly after that experience, that I figured out that I don't like other people's children all that much...

Tamara is married to Jake Kraft - and I have yet to meet him face to face, or welcome him into the family. There's one more reason to get my butt over to Bettendorf this summer... It's difficult for the Kraft family to travel, due to job constraints, not to mention that together, they have five boys.

Ho-leeee-cah-mo-leeee!!!! (to have been spoken phonetically) I couldn't even imagine...

They certainly are a busy family, doing all kinds of sports, and other 'boy stuff' that comes with having five young boys in one household. I keep up with their activities as best I can on Facebook.

There's Caleb, Mason, Logan, Jake (Dad), Tamara (Mom), Collin & Nathan. And I think I listed them in the correct order, with the correct names, according to the picture.

Obscure

2012-02-07T05:26:00.000-06:00

My favorite 'candy bars' are two of the more obscure candies on the market.

Sixlets and Twin Bing.

Most people gag when I choose one of the two - I. Love. Them. They're my favorite....

The best part?? No one ever asks me for a bite.

My Favorite

2012-02-06T20:46:00.003-06:00

The Patriots lost. To the Giants. Again. Not surprising. Every single team I cheer for - - - loses. If I want them to win - they lose.

Honestly, you should always fade me...

All football aside - the 'naked' M&M's commercial was my favorite.

I'm a Patriots fan because Tom Brady is pretty...

2012-02-05T09:49:00.006-06:00

Super Bowl Sunday.

I'm headed to my brother Greg's house for his annual super bowl party, which is always a 'super' fun time - he hosts a good party.

Go Patriots!!

Little Baby Snowman

2012-02-04T15:14:00.004-06:00

Look! I made a little baby snowman.

B says he needs a nose, but my 'little baby snowman' accessories were rather limited. He's lucky he got a scarf.

And I think he's cute, just as he is...

It's Groundhog Day!

2012-02-02T11:25:00.005-06:00

So the Groundhog saw his shadow today...

Who cares!?!?!

If the next six weeks of winter are anything like the last six weeks of winter, no one will care that the rodent saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter - considering we haven't even really had a winter this season...

I'm about to say something completely out of character.

Go ahead winter - - - snow.

Fulfilling a fetish of mine

2012-02-01T19:16:00.001-06:00

I bought these shoes today.

I think they kick butt.

Runtastic

2012-01-31T22:12:00.003-06:00

About a year ago, I downloaded the 'Runtastic' app to my smart phone - it was a great app.

What made it so great, you ask???

Well... it was free, it was on my phone, it tracked time, distance, elevation, average speed, maximum speed, and calories burned. I could choose walking, smovey walking (whatever that is), jogging, running, and many other options.

It was awesome - say for example, I had to run 2 miles - I would simply run, and periodically check my phone, and when I reached 1 mile, I would turn around and run back home. Or if I had to run for 30 minutes, I would run for 15 minutes, and then turn around and run back home. I could set it to record miles or kilometers.

It was everything I ever wanted in an app.

Until.

It started misbehaving.

Last Thursday, as part of my training schedule of easing back into running, I had to run/walk for 15 minutes, which doesn't sound like much - but go run for 15 minutes - no really, go. Anyway, it stated my maximum speed was 23.4 mph. Not possible. If it were possible, I would win more races. I chalked it up to a fluke.

So then Monday, I had to run/walk for 20 minutes - and since I did not sleep at all the night before, I decided that I would just go for a walk (out of fear that I would collapse). I took the pups, and we set off for a 20 minute walk. At the end of my walk, my application told me that my maximum speed was 225.5 mph.

You may now call me Super Woman.

I no longer trust this app - but the thing is... I don't blame the app - I blame Blackberry.

Worst. Phone. Ever.

It was a long day

2012-01-30T20:42:00.000-06:00

You ever have one of those nights where you can't fall asleep?? I have no idea why I couldn't fall asleep last night - but it was reeee-dic-u-lous!

I went to bed at 11:30, and I don't think I ever actually fell asleep. I looked at the clock at 2:00 am, 3:14, 4:10, 5:05, and when my alarm went off at 5:30.... I simply reached over and turned it off.

There was no need for me to wake up - I was already awake.

Typically this only happens to me when I have something really serious on my mind - or a big decision to make, and trust me, that is not the case - everything is fine and dandy in my little corner of the universe. I must have caught a mini case of insomnia from someone - - - I didn't even know it was contagious.

I pushed through this fairly well today - but I will be pissed tomorrow if I can't sleep tonight.

It was a brutal day - and I'm going to bed.

Love that kid!

2012-01-29T21:14:00.001-06:00

M: Hi Elliott. It's Aunt Michele.

E: Hi Aunt Michele!

M: Your birthday is coming up pretty soon, what would you like for your birthday? (He's going to be five)

E: Ummm... I want an IPad.

M: Elliott honey, that's something you're going to have to ask your Mom & Dad to buy you. Is there something else you would like?

E: Ummm... I want a dragon for Lily - just like the one I have. She wishes she had one.

M: Elliott, that's sweet - but this is YOUR birthday. You should pick something that you want for your birthday.

E: Aunt Michele, I'm going to have to think for a little bit, I just don't know what else I want. Can you talk to Grandma while I think?

*two minute conversation with my Mom*

E: Aunt Michele, I would like a T Rex for my birthday.

M: Okay, I'll see what I can do.

E: Aunt Michele?

M: Yes?

E: I love you.

M: I love you too Elliott.

E: K. I hope I see you again real soon. Good-bye!

They call her Mel...

2012-01-27T06:01:00.002-06:00

My second niece - Melissa Fay. Hey! I just realized... I named my dog after her. Sort of... it's spelled differently, and I didn't even think about it until right this moment - but still - Chloe Fae - - - Melissa Fay... It counts!

Melissa is married to John, and they have four great kids! Two boys, Dylan & Gavin and two girls, Mackenzie & Peyton.

Melissa was always the sweetest little girl - super quiet and accommodating - and cute. as. shit. Her youngest looks JUST like her - so if you're wondering just how cute she was... well... look at the youngest.

I just love Melissa to pieces - she's still the sweetest person you'll ever meet. (unless you piss her off - then you're on your own) And fun! She is super fun - she's damn funny too. We've had some really good times. (she was a part of that infamous night at Perkins...)

I'm lucky to see her once a year - with the reality being that I see her every other year on most occasions. The sad part is that only a 4 hour drive separates us. It's the same story - life is busy.

Her beautiful family is pictured below: Gavin, Melissa, [Baby] Peyton, Dylan, John and [awesome] Mackenzie is in front.

More Puppy Poetry

2012-01-26T05:34:00.000-06:00

I find these things on the web - or someone posts them on Facebook - and I love them so much that I have to share it on my blog.

I really DO like animals more than I like most people...

Safety fail

2012-01-25T06:50:00.000-06:00

The above little apparatus was inside the Angry Bird stuffed animal toys that we got the puppies for Christmas.

I came across this because Beaner was being too quiet. I never understood how my Mom knew when we were 'up to something' because we were too quiet. It never made sense to me as a kid - makes total sense to me as an adult. And yeah - it applies to dogs too.

If I were a random person reading this post, I would wonder why on earth anyone would give their dogs something that is obviously not pet appropriate. And I would probably shake my head, and have some type of opinion about it.

I know - weird. Me? Have an opinion? That hardly ever happens...

But these toys were made by Hartz.

So they should be okay, right?

The entire brand name of Hartz is dedicated to making pet supplies. It's what they do. So their toys would be safe for dogs, right? I would have never thought that they would put a battery, (complete with wires and whatever else is pictured above) in a stuffed animal that is made specifically for a dog.

The first thing my dogs want to do is tear open a stuffed animal, and rip out the stuffing to get to the 'squeaker' in the toy. Little did I know this 'squeaker' could have proved itself dangerous to my girls. I cannot believe that my dogs are the only dogs to do this little tear-a-stuffed-animal-apart-trick, either.

Shame on Hartz.

Freaky Fast

2012-01-24T05:38:00.000-06:00

It never fails, if I lay something on the bed, for even a millisecond, Chloe will run top speed from wherever in the house she may be... Just to lay on it.

She could be downstairs sleeping, I can oh-so-carefully-and-quietly, lay a sweater on the bed, and she will be there immediately to get her little white hairs all over said article of clothing - - - I'm guessing to make sure I don't forget her during the day.

We won't tell her about the lint rollers...

A new favorite

2012-01-23T18:43:00.000-06:00

Since Bath & Body Works discontinued my favorite 'Cucumber Melon' scent - I was forced to find a new favorite. Sure there are ways to still get my old favorite - but if it's not as easy as walking into a store locally, and buying it - then I'm probably not going to put forth the effort.

Instead, I went and found a new favorite...

Lazy Sunday

2012-01-22T19:56:00.004-06:00

There are some days that are just awesome from beginning to end.

Today happened to be one of those days - and for no particular reason whatsoever. Most people spend too much of their lives running around doing this - accomplishing that - I don't think enough people take the time to truly relax, to truly take a break, and enjoy life.

Sometimes.... the dishes can wait another day. The laundry won't go anywhere. It's not the end of the world if you don't vacuum or clean the floors. Trust me, it'll be there the next day - it will wait for you.

But relationships... whether it be with your husband, a friend, your parents, your children, your dogs, who or what ever - they need quality time. They need to be taken care of. Nurtured. Made to feel important in an otherwise, crazy busy life. When ignored, or worse yet, taken for granted, bad things can happen.

So that's what I did today. I took a mental health day, checked out of the day, made myself completely inaccessible to the outside world, and did nothing that I had to do.

B & I woke up, went to 7:30 mass, followed by breakfast at Le Peep, did the next week's grocery shopping - ok... so there was one 'chore' - but does it really count? I like grocery shopping - no.... I love grocery shopping (but that's an entirely different issue). We came home, watched the first Harry Potter movie (we had never seen a single one before), B made us lunch, we played with the puppies, we all took a nap (puppies included), we woke up, and finished our evening by watching football together.

It was perfect.

Mixed emotions

2012-01-21T05:59:00.001-06:00

This picture makes me happy & sad at the same time - for the same reason.

My first niece

2012-01-20T05:08:00.003-06:00

My very first niece, Stace. First daughter of my brother Don Reed. I was 5 when she was born. I was an aunt at 5 years old. Mind boggling to some people - to me... that's just my life.

She is married to Eric, and they have three children Cody, Ellie & Maddie. She's simply stunning - beautiful both inside and out. Eric's not so bad either.... (just joking Eric - you know you're dashingly handsome.)

In the interest of keeping this readable, I'll try to keep this short. Stace.... what can I say about Stace? People used to mistake us for sisters. We had fun with that. Most people didn't believe it when she introduced me as her aunt.

Oh the fun we've had over the years - there was that one night we went bowling, another time when we rented a school bus to bar hop around Omaha, followed by that 'special' evening at Perkins. The trip to Colorado, the GPS system lady, who kept telling us to turn around for over 100+ miles, and the next thing we knew we were at the hotel - good thing we didn't listen to her! The caves, the 'adobe' houses - dinner that one night with the super weird waiter guy. (what was his deal???)

These memories mean nothing to the random reader - but they mean everything to me. She was my maid of honor, you can read more about her here. She's awesome - but..... people grow up, have [more] responsibilities, move away, have children, get careers - - - basically, life happens. I don't see her as often as I should - and I miss her.

Pictured below is her family. Cody, Maddie, Stace, Ellie, and Eric.
And they lived happily ever after.

Shot down without discussion

2012-01-19T05:43:00.000-06:00

I asked B if I could have a baby polar bear - it's not very often that he tells me no...

Especially not that emphatically.

Subconscious stall tactics...

2012-01-18T05:16:00.001-06:00

It was going to be too cold to run or walk (or breathe, for that matter) outside Tuesday. So I had to plan accordingly, and get my butt to the gym to run on the treadmill.

I woke up early.

I packed my gym bag. I had to go immediately after work, because if I were to come home first, well... the odds of me getting up and going back out in the cold??? Not likely.

I even remembered to take my little bag into the office, so my clothes weren't 8 degrees when I went to put them on later.

Well... I decide that I'm going to change before I leave the office, I didn't want to have to store my winter work coat, or my work clothes in the small, cramped, [smelly] lockers.

I go into the restroom. I put my winter coat and scarf on the door hook. I take my boots off. I change my socks. I take my skirt off, I put my workout pants on. I take my sweater off, I.... Ack! I put my sweater on. I take my workout pants off, I put my skirt on. I change my socks. I put my boots back on. I put my coat and scarf on - and proceed to my car.

No. Sports. Bra.

Vital piece of workout attire for one planning on doing anything at the gym, let alone running.

And, just like I predicted, once I got home - I didn't leave.

There's always tomorrow...

Spooked

2012-01-17T05:05:00.000-06:00

I've been taking advantage of the amazing weather this winter, and have been taking the pups for walks. Outside. All you have to do is say "Do you wanna....." and they are all over it. They usually have 'cabin fever' by now, but not this year!

I typically avoid the trails when I walk the dogs. It's too hard with two little adventurous, curious dogs and the bicyclists. They hate me. My dogs run back and forth on the trail, making it difficult for them to pass. Callie & Chloe don't know the meaning of 'share the trail' - I try really hard to 'get my dogs out of the way' - I'm always checking behind me, trying to accommodate - but there are curves, and I'm not always able to move as quickly as they would like me to. So to avoid this mutual frustration, it's just easier to stay on the sidewalks in the neighborhood.

Well.... I decided to walk the trail with the pups - I needed to get two miles in on that particular day - and I wanted a change of scenery. We take the turn that leads us through the park, and onto the trail.

Now, I must back up just a bit and further describe the behavior of the girls. Both are super excited and they are always at the end of their leash - always looking for what's around the corner! Always curious! Always excited! In fact, everything about their walk could be described with! an! exclamation! point!

Perhaps multiple exclamation points!!!!

We get past the park, and onto the trail - Callie immediately falls back and is walking right beside, if not a little behind me. In fact, I have to slow down to allow for Callie to keep up. Then she's giving the indication that she wants picked up. This is done by her standing up on her back legs, and putting her front paws on me.

Ok. She definitely has my attention. Not normal 'walk' behavior by Callie Mae. So I pick her up. And she shakes. And she shakes. And she shakes some more. She's so emotional... I decide that something is stressing Callie out and it's not worth it - so I turn around and head back to the park, and back to the neighborhood.

I kid you not - the second we got back into the neighborhood - she wanted down and was back to being excited! And curious! And exploring every single leaf, stick, and stone.

I have no idea why she is now scared of being on the trail, but that's fine - it'll just make it easier for everyone. Especially the people riding bicycles...

In case no one told you today

2012-01-16T11:37:00.001-06:00

Proud Moments

2012-01-15T08:17:00.001-06:00

My nephew was (elected? nominated?) student of the week at his school - I'm not sure how one gets in the running to receive this award/recognition - but he got it. And he will appear on the news tonight in an interview snippet.

So super proud of him...

He's such a great kid!! Soon-to-be adult...