Alphabet-Me

I snagged this from Jennifer because I will do anything to avoid housework right now. 

My Post-Its for today are in the previous post.

A. AREA CODE : 251 for all of my 25 years!

B. BED SIZE: We had a king and ditched it for the queen. I would rather have space in the room than in the bed. ;)

C. CHORE YOU HATE: All of them! Being a SAHM has made me the queen of procrastination, when I was simply the lowly common procrastinator before.

D. DOG'S NAME: Still debating: we get him in 3 weeks!

E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY!" ITEM: I know it's cliche, but I am a disaster without coffee. My Keurig is nearly my favorite thing my house, well favorite inanimate thing. =)

F. FAVORITE COLOR: There's no way I can even come close to pinpointing a fav.

G. GOLD OR SILVER: Silver

H. HEIGHT: 5'11 

I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: None - unless you go back to middle school, but then I would have to get with one of those Men-In-Black memory zappers so that you wouldn't remember how pathetic I was.

J. JOB: On medical leave from teaching high school English - not sure about next year yet.

K. KIDS: My sweet Finn-baby a.k.a. Chooker, Cukaburra, Foof, Foo Baby Shoo Baby…the poor kid is going to have a hell of a time learning his actual name.

L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: We live in the amazing house that my hubs built as a bachelor five years ago. 

M. MOM'S NAME: Cheryl 

N. NICKNAME: In high school it was B.P. or B.A.P. Some of my former students call me BP, too because my maiden name was hyphenated & looong; at work it was Cricket because of my long legs. Hubs calls me BooBoo - original right? He gives everyone else cool nicknames but me; we have had this discussion, but it's still sweet.

O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: Well, none until last year. January: gall bladder removal, well that wasn't overnight; July: Finn was born; September - November: I lived in the Transplant Unit at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, plus a few overnight stays there since then.

P. PET PEEVE: obvious spelling errors; certain grammar errors - I can't help it. I'm a teacher. 

Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: anything from Almost Famous or Christmas Vacation

R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Righty. But I right like I am left-handed with my pen leaning forward. It looks awful, but it is impossible to fix it now. 

S. SIBLINGS: One bro - 21 - He got the skinny end of the stick. NO FAIR! Guys don't even care about that stuff!

T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: whenever Finn gets up, anywhere from 6:45 - 9:30

U. UNDERWEAR: colored cotton

V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: I am pretty sure I like them all, actually.

W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: Getting distracted while getting ready

X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: knee, sinus, and a million chest x-rays

Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: Hubs is the chef, but I make a mean chicken salad =)

Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: the tigers and the otters

ALOT is MIA

Very few folks actually know "a lot" is two words. I try to never correct grammar because I often slip up; maybe you will take it as a helpful tip. Sorry, I've been out of the classroom too long: The teacher in me is coming out. Maybe I will post a tip or two of common mistakes on Tuesdays. Would that be bitchy?

Porch Therapy

"What happens on the porch stays on the porch," dangles on a piece of sheet hanging from the back porch. So, all the "Supah Stars" wanted know what the favorite part of our house is  for this week's All About MEme Monday.

Usually my favorite part of a house is the office or workspace, but since I haven't tweaked this one to my liking yet we will go with the porch. It is definitely the most infamous part of our home and the one everyone else loves the most, too. T-Ram says that there is a "porch code" that unites all that have had accrued porch time. She's right. Folks we haven't seen in awhile always say, "I miss the porch" or "I need some porch time." We are very lucky that we do not have any neighbors on our side of the street right now. Plus, we are on a dead end street. Once I got hubs to trash the green pleather "bachelor" couch and chair, things were definitely looking up out there.

There are so many porch memories to choose from: the first being within the first few months that Zac & I were dating we were cooking out one afternoon and decided to play 100 questions - no topic off limits - whatever we wanted to know we could ask, with a little liquid courage of course. A few months later, we had his sister's wedding reception pre-party/shrimp boil back there. One of the greatest bashes ever! Two summers ago we hosted a pre-party for all of hub's old football buddies before the 10 year reunion.

Those events were just the beginning of a string of insanities and memories.  

Link to my old post

I ran out and took this right before I wrote the post. A little messy from building the fence, but summer's coming and it will soon be cluttered with beach chairs, towels, and floatees!

From YoTweeps to NoQuacks

In honor of #yotweeps today I am not writing too much, but but posting video evidence that spring is here. I took this video yesterday after I discovered that the biggest quacker had snuck in the back door while I went out the front door to get the mail. Yes, I had the back door open, but since when does a big nasty duck think he can come in and eat my kid's leftovers off of his exisaucer? ...hey wait...maybe I shouldn't have chased him out so fast...ha! Anyquack, I started cracking up as I chased him out, and he was rapidly running in place on the ceramic tile. They have become so domesticated that simply stomping your foot and yelling won't do; I nearly had to punt him between the double doors! Just kidding...sort off...as a whole - the flock has turned my back porch into a poopy Pollock. I first talked about this pile of poo here. Anyduckling, my anger was deterred by this sight:

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*WARNING: Santa Spoiler*

There was ONE item that you wanted when you were a youth.  

What was it? 

You know, the one your begged and pleaded for. 

The one you sold your soul for? 

 Show us a pic if you can and tell us a story about how you got it. 

You know how this works! 

Write us a post. 

Come back Monday March 22nd and Link up with us ! 

The year was nineteen ninety-three; the holiday was Christmas; on the wish list was Mall Madness.

 

Oh how I wished to swipe that playful plastic. Shop those sales and grab that cash!

Did it happen?

Nope, not in 1993.

1994? No.

1995? Negative.

1996? Bingo!

I remember searching through the cedar closet for something.

There in the middle of Santa's loot, stood Mall Madness. 

Mall Madness?!?!

I was so upset that I went and told my mom that I had found it.

To which she replied, "I thought you wanted Mall Madness!"

"Umm...yeah...Three years ago!"

I wasn't interested in make-believe shopping. 

I was interested in shopping for real!

Well, needless to say, I didn't let collect dust.

I did get some playing time anyway.

Oh how I remember having to place those gold stickers on the electronic part when I first opened it. 

I feel so bad about that now because she always works so hard getting us things that we like and want. :( 

Steroids, Dust, & Kenny Chesney

Today I am participating in Mama M.'s Five Question Friday for the first time. Head on over to Five Crooked Halos to read more responses to 5QF, then join in yourself!

1. Have you ever had a celeb sighting?
• When I was a senior in high school, Kenny Chesney came into the department store where a friend and I were working as fragrance models for the weekend. He had on sunglasses, a hat, sweatshirt, and gym shorts. In other words, we didn't recognize him; even though we were going to his concert that night. Oops. He came up to the counter with his little entourage, which just looked like a group of average guys. We were telling them about the fragrance, of course they were flirting a bit: typical charmers. =) All we cared about was selling the stuff, so we flirted back then offered them some samples. When I asked about how many they needed, one of them responded, "Counting the band and crew, probably about 13." I was bent over getting the samples out of the drawer, and my friend was tapping me and nudging me with her knee whispering, "That's Kenny Chesney. That's Kenny Chesney!" Sure was and we didn't have a camera to prove it to everyone else that was going with us that night. So what do we do: literally run down to the Target and buy one - but wait! As we were leaving to do that, one of the regular saleswomen told us that she probably had what we needed. She pulled out a Tommy Hilfiger disposable camera from an old men's fragrance gift set underneath her register. When they came back through on their way out, we asked if we could get some pictures with them, and of course, they obliged. We all headed outside and took photos in front of the shrubbery - the camera didn't have a flash. By the way, Kenny came up to my shoulder: it was Bethany and her pet Kenny.
2. At what temperature do you keep your house?
• It definitely varies. Before I was on Prednisone, I was pregnant. Interpretation: it's been quite chilly in here for about a year. My body temperature is way higher on the Prednisone than when I was preggers. Even in this 40 degree weather, it was still around 65 in here. 
• Funny story - well, it's funny now, barely - but it wasn't then. The first night that I moved back up to the Transplant Unit from ICU after surgery, they started the iv steroids. I had severe shakes and the hot flashes of a lifetime. I felt like I was on fire and started to panic because I couldn't breath. Enter SuperNurse! Dace had been my nurse on and off throughout my two month stay, and he was my nurse that night. He found a high-powered tabletop fan and sat it on my food table/tray and aimed it right on me. Then, he went and filled up some Ziplocs with ice and put them in the palms of my hands, and that's how I slept. Did I ever get cold? Nope. At the time, I probably would have been annoyed, but now I wish I had a picture of how "rigged-up" I looked that night. I felt like a human sacrifice. Knowing that I couldn't get up and run if I to, freaked me out as well. I know, but it's crazy the stuff you think about when you spend that much time in a bed. That would have been hilasterous: me...scooting down the hall for more ice...3 stomach tubes, 2 sets of pacing wires, a catheter box-thing (TMI, I know), and a dangling PICC line, in tow.
3. Do you notice dust at other peoples' homes?
• Rarely, it would have to be really bad. I am the one with the dust problem: it's a daily battle that I cannot figure out, especially without any pets inside anymore.
4. What's the worst job you ever had?
• Honestly, I can say that I have never had a bad job. The most boring had to be when I worked as a trade-out a gym three hours a week: longest three hours of my life.
5. What is your most sentimental possession?
• Oh my, this is very difficult. I keep everything that is even slightly tied to a memory. I have several sentimental items, but probably now the most precious is the locket Zac gave me for my birthday when I was in New Orleans. Read about it here.

When Did Hubs Take Up Writing? Here's When...

I was gone for a couple of hours last Thursday night. I returned home to find this taped on my bathroom mirror written on a Winn-Dixie receipt:

Folded and taped where the arrow is pointing.

I guess he was attempting to build suspense, and I admit I was a little nervous; but I never suspected:

As you can see, he remembered how much "alot" drives me crazy: it's two words, people!

So you ask how do I know he won't be mad that I put this up for the whole world to see?

I'm pretty sure that's called the "go-ahead."

Then I find this yesterday in the hall bathroom. Well, you can see where I found it...

Apparently this has been building up for awhile.

Oops...

Wordful Wednesday is for those of us that like to showcase a photo(s) but that just can’t seem keep our mouths shut about it (them). If you’d like to play along, post a photo {or more if you are so inclined} on your blog, and let the words roll.


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Minty Post-Its

Pretty Meme Prom

All About Meme Monday: Pretty or Not Prom Story

Go to Supah's Blog to read other gals who shared their "Pretty or Not Prom Story"

Rather than going into detail, rambling, and losing you, I will give you the extra short version. For my senior prom I was set up; yes, set up...by my boss. A friend came into where I was working about a month before prom and asked if I had a date yet. My boss's husband heard this and starts freaking out about how his son thinks I am cute and loooves to dance. Oh my! He immediately picks up the phone, calls him, and tells him that I don't have a date for prom yet. Umm...could I have felt more pathetic? He called back later that night, we start talking, and ended up dating for that month prior to prom. Interesting, huh? Turns out several of my friends knew him, and everywhere we went he knew folks; seriously, everywhere we went.

Needless to say prom night was a blast. I went to a private, Baptist school...14 years....ugh. You know what Baptist means: no dancing. Thank goodness our parents didn't agree. We had a large banquet, then the parents rented a venue, decorated it, and hired a D.J. It was sort of a Footloose situation; except the majority of the parents agreed with the students. =) All that the students had to do was buy a ticket for the dance just as if it were the prom. So, yes, we did get a prom...sort of. 

The picture with Mom; I didn't think she would be happy about me leaving her in this one.

My dress was two separate parts. I HATED the prom look. I wasn't into glitter, neon, and crunchy up-do prom hair. I wanted something basic but different. The skirt was the bottom of a Watters & Watters bridesmaid dress that I had worn in my cousin's wedding a few months earlier, and I found the perfect v-neck lace top at a Stein Mart. My mom cinched the shoulders together to make it look more formal, and ta-da...The only downside to the fitted skirt: the back slit ripped a little higher from the dancing. ;) 

I was so excited about wearing false eyelashes; I was probably batting them all night as if I was in Maybelline commercial.

Back to the date: yes he could dance; so much so that guess where his picture was the next week: the front page of our school paper...hand in the air...dancing his butt off. HE DIDN"T EVEN GO TO OUR SCHOOL, and he was the most popular guy on Monday morning! Geez. 

The official prom picture

Anyway, we dated maybe a month after that, had an argument, and didn't talk for a long time. About two years later we started talking again, only as friends. We were both in serious relationships. When I got out of that relationship and began going on different dates again, he was my guru, and became one of my best friends. He was the best for guy advice; he always, always called it right! We are still very close to this day. When I had all of my health issues back in the fall, I knew that I would break down if I told him myself, so I sent him a text just so he wouldn't hear it from anyone else. He is a great friend and looking back gave me a great senior prom! Love ya babe. 

Nowadays...

While I was looking for the old prom pics, these were in the same book: pictures from my senior trip to Disney World. I thought they were funny. Ah, the life of no worries past the weekend plans.

Think this was an alligator tour?

I think everyone poses on this thing; sorry, I don't the official Star Wars term.

Love me some Flik; this made my day.

Honey I shrunk the seniors!

Battle of the Book Nooks + a Self-Portrait

    
     Supah's All About MEme Monday assignment is to post a self portrait created by yourself. Since I haven't turned the camera on myself for a couple of years, I sifted through all of my iPhoto files and found this one taken on Memorial Day 2007 after finishing my student teaching, pre-married life, pre-baby Foo, pre-heart failure, and pre-transplant. Plus, Shell's post inspired me to post a "look how nice and defined things used to be" photo. ;) By the way, no I wasn't naked! I had untied the strings of my navy and white stripped sundress and plopped down on the hotel bed. As a matter of fact, I wish you could see the dress: it was perfect resort wear. I will wear it again, I will wear it again, I will wear it again... (mantra-like) It was the cutest little sundress. We were at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, about an hour's drive from where I live. 

Maybe this pic will better help you understand how irate I was this day (10/24).

*~*Next Topic*~* 

     As I promised a few days ago, here's how the trip to NOLA went: I got there relatively early for a change. I was so excited to chill-out, browse some blogs, order a movie, and pizza. By the way, the pizza is doctor's orders: I have a tendency not to drink enough fluids and that can make biopsies very difficult for me and the cardiologist, so by eating my more than average amount of sodium I retain water and thus making the vein in my neck easier to push the catheter through. Those of you that know about heart caths have typically heard of them going through the groin, but going through the neck is apparently much easier and you are up and out of there as soon as they are done. Anyway, back on topic, there is a hotel attached to the hospital that makes everything much easier. When I stepped up to the front desk and asked for a single room for one night, I got, "We do not have anything available for tonight." Oops. This place is NEVER booked, and I have NEVER had to have a reservation. Who wants to stay at a hotel adjoined to a hospital unless they are a patient or family? Well, apparently there was some sort of conference going on that day. I felt sort of lost there all by my lonesome. So, I dragged all my junk into the atrium and pulled out Baby Mac and hit up Expedia and Priceline for the closest hotels with the lowest rates and WiFi: yes, I had to have it. God bless technology. 


     I rang the Marriott Courtyard down the road and they had plenty of "room at the inn." I ventured back out into the torrential NOLA rains, and scooted on down the river highway to the Marriott. I timed it, only six minutes down the road! My room was very neat and quaint with a little balcony over-looking the pool. Too bad it was nearly a monsoon outside. I fell back on to the bed and...hello, memory foam. This night was going to be just fine. 


     I ordered a Papa John's Tuscan Cheese pizza and watched Law & Order then Couple's Retreat, and in case you were wondering the pizza was by far best of the three. Maybe it was because I had not so much as tasted a pizza in at least six months, but the movie wasn't so great either. I ♥ Vince, but this was a bomb. It was very tough to keep my eyes open. 


     The next morning I went on to lab as usual, picked up a scone, and strolled on over to the cath lab, were they took me right on back. Dr. Fisher was there to biopsy rather than my regular doc, Dr. Mandras. I was good to him again. He was the cardiologist on-call in the days surrounding my transplant, so it was great to see him again since that was the last time that I saw him. This was the first time I was attempting a heart cath/biopsy without taking any anti-anxiety or pain meds ahead of time. The needle and numbing of the neck wasn't was tough as usual, but apparently I have developed a lot of scar tissue in my chest that made the introduction of the catheter extremely painful. They continued to give me something, what it was I do not know. It did not help the pain, and when I sat up to leave, I was exhausted. I was even little wobbly walking back over to meet with Moriah for my clinic check-up. After chatting with her and checking all of my numbers, I moseyed on over to the MRI building, which I didn't realize was a little walk outside then to a mobile MRI trailer building. I guess they are remodeling or something because this is a nice hospital. Anyway, it was a regular MRI so my nose nearly touched the top of the thing, and I guess that they made some adjustments for momma hips. I fell right to sleep for however long it took.


     After I emerged from the pod-thing, I went straight to the coffee shop in the Atrium to get a White Gold (compare to a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha). I called hubs and told him I fell a little "slow" and that I was just going to relax in the atrium for a little bit. He got all nervous and said that he didn't want me driving. I didn't exactly feel like it either so we agreed it would be best for me to stay another night. Luckily, my regular hotel now had rooms available, but not until 3:00 p.m. It was noon. 

     To kill the time until I could check in, I went to fill a prescription for an antibiotic that I had to have to treat a little splinter infection, and pick up a few snacks. On my way, I decided to stop by Border's Books. I had never been in one before. We have a couple of Books-A-Millions and a couple of Barnes & Nobles, but no Borders. I loved it. Of course, Barnes & Noble will always be my true love and I cannot stand Books-A-Million simply because it lacks that aesthetic that encourages reading. I walk into a Barnes & Noble and you just want to read. You walk in a Books-A-Million and I want de-clutter and start cleaning. I will go to Books-A-Million for little random funny gifts, i.e. magnets, pens, stationery, gift books, stickers, etc., and I will escape as quickly as I can. 

Borders is the happy medium. 

It has the delightful reading aesthetic, plus the large gift and knick-knack/impulsive shopper section. 

Did I mention the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves? I felt like Belle!

This is a former funeral home that they have recently turned into a Borders. I couldn't ever got an actual photo to post on here because the traffic wouldn't cooperate, but here is a Google photo. The colors and exterior are the same, but of course it has a Borders banner hanging across the porch and no chain-link fence. Isn't it great?! Apparently, Borders has been doing restorative projects across the country rather than building from the ground up. Cool, huh?

Now it's your turn to VOTE 

In my sidebar, directly under my profile, I have posted a poll. Let's see what true fan favorite is! You can select more than one because if you are like me, you have a favorite local, privately owned store and a favorite chain.

Ahh, the charming Page & Palette

     So, needless to say I had a peaceful night's rest; I slept in, made a few routine stops, did some wishful-window-shopping and headed home to my boys.