Gone, but not forgotten

Lately I've been on a little blog hiatus. We've been busy here and there, but mostly we've been living life and I haven't taken the time to chronicle all of the goings on. So, I'll be posting some reflections on things that have happened during the past few weeks. Warning...this is a long one...here we go!


Chicago~
In mid October we took a little road trip to Chicago to visit Erin & George. We always have a great time there just hanging out. This trip was no different. We enjoyed some great food, a little shopping, a movie and went to a comedy club. We saw Law Abiding Citizen...highly suggest it. The lovely Gerard Butler (and his lovely accent) star in this flick, along with Jamie Foxx.


We had lots of laughs at a comedy club, which was a fun experience. I hadn't ever been to a comedy club (other than the shows you see on cruises and at resorts we've been to). Overall, good times and a much needed few days away from the norm. Thanks, Erin & George for your hospitality!!


Colts Women's 101 Clinic in Indy~
On October 20th, I headed to Indy for the Colts Women's 101 Clinic. I was invited to go on the trip with a group of 20 other women. Let me tell you, it was fun! We boarded a party bus around 8 a.m. in Evansville (complete with stripper pole and neon lights...no, we didn't strip, but laughed about it a lot). After a few bathroom breaks, lots of getting to know eachother chatting and an abundance of junk food, we made it to PF Chang's for lunch. I have always heard that PF Chang's is a great place to eat, but had never been there. It did not disappoint...yummy! Then, we had a little time for some shopping at Circle Center Mall.


After that, next stop was the Colts Training Facility. We got goodie bags with cute Colts shirts and other trinkets. Then, it was off for a buffet dinner (even though we weren't hungry because we had been eating what seemed like non-stop all day). Next, we went to three sessions to learn about football. The first session was taught by two former Colts players. They explained the positions of the players and some common terms you hear on tv. Very interesting that they compared football to a game of chess. You can see that the players aren't just tough guys who are good athletes...there's a lot of thought and study involved to be really good. I honestly have no idea how they can anticipate what the other team's plans are.


Then, we met with current player, Rookie Kyle DeVay. Kyle shared what it's like to be part of the team, how he got on the team, their routines, what happens before/after games, etc. He was a super nice, down to earth guy, who took time to sign all of our 101 workbooks and take pics. You could tell that he was sort of "livin' the dream" by being a part of the Colts team...he was very humble and seemed truly excited to be there, even to talk to a group of gals, some of which (not me) asked crazy questions...he just rolled with it and kept smiling.


Last stop was a session with current player Pierre Garcon. He was also very nice, seemed down to earth and willing to answer all of our questions. Like Kyle, he spoke about how he made it to Indy, but elaborated on the Combine...the process that goes into being asked to play pro football...basically the "try out" process.


After that, we hopped back on the party bus and made the long trek back to Evansville. I didn't get home until nearly 2:30 a.m., but it was a great time. We had lots of laughs along the way and I met some new people. It was a really fun experience.


Little Time~
At the end of October, my BBBS Little Sis and I met up for some dinner and a movie. After diverting her attention from the rated R movies, she chose Where the Wild Things Are. I'm usually really into movies, but this was one of the oddest shows I've ever seen. I don't think I was alone in this because at the end of the movie, everyone just sat there. Then, you saw people kind of shake their heads and laugh and little...sort of like, "Wow. We sat through the entire movie and this is the end? " It was really bizarre. Little liked it though, which was good. I thought it was so strange that I nearly fell asleep and half way wondered if one of Little's earlier choices would have been better.


Trick or Treat~
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the scary movies, ghost stories, candy (not the crap candy, the good stuff), dressing up, etc. It's just a fun time to be someone else for awhile. So, Derick and I had a small gathering at our house where costumes were required. I'll have to post some pics later, but we all had a nice time. My parents (Elvira and a Pirate), Derick's mom and step dad (a Witch and Zorro) and my friend Rick (a King/Caesar) were all part of the Halloween crew. Derick and I used our costumes from last year (since we were in sunny Puerto Vallarta then), but I added a crazy new wig to my ensemble. If you missed it, click here...let's just say we went as Trick and Treat.


Laundry Room Redo~
Learning that I have to burn all of my vacation by the end of the year instead of being able to roll it all over as I have in the past, I've been looking for projects to complete. One of the first on my list was painting our laundry room. It was white, actually with no paint, just textured drywall finish. Being in a laundry/bathroom, it was starting to get a little gross. The textured walls are not something you can clean easily. Thus, the desire to redo was born!


Derick found a few leftover gallons of paint from our living room/hallway project, so I went that route with a great neutral color Walnut Wash. I had this color in my home in Princeton and really liked it, so it made the journey to Jasper. I spent all day last Friday painting and cleaning the room. After all of the work, I have to say that it looks much better to me. It's not a huge change, but it just feels cleaner and complete now. We also hung up some new satin nickel finish towel bars (from WalMart) that all match eachother (instead of the random plastic ones we had before). And, I found some nice window toppers at KMart to tie together our neutral beige Walnut Wash with some blue rugs we were already using. Overall, mission accomplished for around $70!!


If you're still reading, you probably understand why I haven't blogged much lately. With the holidays right around the corner, I'll probably fall behind again, so sorry in advance!

Odds and Ends

I can't believe it's been a week since my last post. Funny how I'm always thinking of things to blog about, but somehow only a fraction of those thoughts make it online. Sometimes I think I need to use my microcassette recorder to capture random thoughts...

Speaking of that, here are a few...

If you're not watching The Forgotten and Fringe, you're missing out. I like these shows because they make you think and really pay attention. Although I still love reality shows, sometimes it's good to give those brain cells a workout.

The Forgotten stars Christian Slater and is about a group of volunteers who help solve John/Jane Doe missing person cases. I love a good mystery and seeing the pieces come together to form the solution.

Fringe is a little out there. It reminds me of The X Files. I loved that show and wanted to be Agent Scully. Seriously, I wanted to be a pathologist or FBI Agent and be paired with a a hunk like David Duchovny. Instead I'm a media buyer paired with my laptop...minor tradeoff. I have Derick and that's pretty great, so I'll give up the FBI dream for now. Fringe highlights mysterious happenings that you never really understand and aren't sure they're from this reality (if that makes any sense). Of course, much like The X Files, there's the looming backstory that you never can quite put your finger on (and you know will take forever to unravel). I have my theories, but I guess I'll just have to keep watching.

And, on the reality show front...will the new season of The Girls Next Door be the same with all new girls? I had hope, but now I think not. After seeing only one of the new episodes, I'm nearly ready to remove it from my DVR.

Another item that may be removed from my DVR (I admit, not willingly) is Jon & Kate Plus 8. I still love that show, but all I can say is this...what a deal. We all know that life doesn't always turn out as you planned. I really hope that Kate gets her own show and the kiddos can have some privacy. Despite many of the Kate haters out there, I still like her and appreciate the way she tries to make an event out of little things, etc. Jon...I can't judge him because I'm sure he's in a rough situation.

Lastly (on a non tv note)....
Remember my post on how nice everyone was in Nashville? Well, after a trip last night to Eastland Mall, my thoughts were confirmed time and time again. The place was completely dead....really to the point of being depressing to be there. I went in many stores and was greeted by a salesperson maybe (and this is being generous) 10% of the time. Just a different mentality, I guess. Needless to say, I didn't buy anything (other than dinner). I'm not looking forward to going back. Am I really saying that?? Sadly, yes.

Ode to the Bathroom Scale

I was being really good to you, but lately have been putting too much pressure on you.

I know you say it hurts you more than it does me, but this can't be true.

I'm getting back on the wagon now.

Fewer late night snackies in my future, I promise!

Remember her?

Quite awhile ago I blogged about Stephanie Nielson. She and husband Christian were in a very bad plane crash about a year ago. The crash left her in a coma for months. Both she and Christian suffered severe burns and are lucky to be alive.

Since then, I've been reading Stephanie's blog NieNie Dialogues, were she recounts their journey of recovery, as well as tidbits about life and her faith.

Tomorrow, Stephanie will be on Oprah to share her story.

Field of...

Mice.

Sorry for anyone who thought this was going to be a post on the film career of Kevin Costner. This is an account of what happens when the weather gets cold and your house is surrounded by fields.

I'm not a fan of rodents, snakes or insects. They give me the creeps. So, as a walked down the hall to the living room and spotted a dark grayish blur moving quickly from the entertainment center to the back of the couch, you can imagine my reaction.

I immediately went to the kitchen and sat on the table (both feet on the chair as to not touch the ground and potentially be attacked by whatever just scampered about). Derick (also in the kitchen) missed the blurry object, but went to check it out.

Yes, say hello to my little friend...Mickey (actually we now think it was Minnie) was under the couch. I was mortified and vowed that I couldn't stay in the house for long with that thing on the loose.

Derick loaded up a trap with some peanut butter and we headed downstairs to watch a movie. I hoped that by the time we came upstairs to go to bed, the little furry would be dead in his tracks. No deal.

I could not sleep for more than maybe 30 minutes at a time Saturday night. I was sure I'd wake up with the little guy on our bed staring me in the face ready to attack.

Sunday morning...Derick discovers that the trap was a dud. The mouse had licked the peanut butter and left. Derick set another trap and went for his early morning swim. I stayed in bed, still scared that the mouse was running about.

I layed there and pondered...do I turn the tv on? No. I have to be still and make him think it's still night time and we're all asleep (so he'll come out to eat). So, I relaxed and catnapped a bit. Then, less than 30 minutes later.....SMACK! Ahh, relief. The little friend was dead.

UPDATE: We still have two traps set in the house to make sure our little friend didn't tell his buds to come along for the ride. So far, so good. But, we've already caught three more potential break ins in the garage. The saga continues...