light at the end............

Well, after 4 weeks of travel for work the hubster is coming home on Saturday. I didn't know it was possible to miss someone so much. I have carried on just fine and accomplished a good deal of "stuff" while he was gone. But life just isn't the same. He's my best friend, the person I laugh with, share my day, my thoughts, my dreams with. He's the one I turn to when I am happy, sad, angry...........I know that I am lucky to be married to my best friend. I have girlfriends, don't get me wrong, and I love them dearly, it's just different with him. I guess because I share my life with him so completely.

I think this is the longest amount of time we have been apart in 12 years. We came close at 3 weeks when I was in Europe for work, but this is 4 and it's been way too long. He was only expecting to be gone less than two. Neither of us was prepared for him to be on this extended trip.

I have plenty to do that will keep me busy between now and then which is good. I really don't want to climb the walls for the next day and a half.

Switching completely, my little man is sleeping on the couch and he has to be running in his dreams. His little legs are just kicking like crazy. For those of you that remember me always talking about Caleb, he's our most skittish dog. The one that really doesn't know if trusting a human is a good idea. But in the four years we have had him he has made amazing progress.
He is so attached to us. He sticks to us closely and loves to be part of our family. He has even decided that snuggling with mom on the couch is ok. I can now get him to jump up into my lap. It's huge for him. He's become so loveable and playful. We get such a kick out of all the goofy things he likes to do. Every morning he and I play fetch. He's finally gotten to the point where he will bring the balls back to me so I can throw them again. He's gone from one messed up little dude to a total love sponge. It's awesome.

Lily is the other half of the adoption duo. And she is my princess. She's gotten to be so social and such a little love that our friend Kel has told us several times she plans to steal her. And to think when we got her she hid under the coffee table and barked non-stop at strangers. And if they got up and moved anywhere in the house she would charge them and try to bite their ankle. Yes, I am ashamed to admit, for a while there, I had an ankle biter. She has a small mouth, she can't really do any damage. And she never got more than pant cuff anyway. But those days are far behind her. Now she is social and loveable. Actually she has become something of an attention whore. She'll cuddle with anyone now a days.

Max and Sophie continue to be amazing dogs as well. Sophie is still the toddler that hubster and I adore. She makes us laugh so much. Not too long ago we imagined what she would be like if she was a human child. Weird, maybe, but it was the funniest conversation we have had in ages.
And when we told our friends about it they agreed 100%. They said that she would totally do those things.

Well, it's past my bedtime. Sadly, that is 10pm. Age will do that to you.

Today was my birthday and it was a good one.

11 and still hugging

Hubster and I celebrated 11 years as hubster and wife last month. Of course we went to Mama Maria's in Hudson Wisconsin to celebrate.

I am thankful for all the wonderful things we still are.

We still hold hands
kiss each other good night
call each other to say I love you
save messages just to hear the other's voice
email each other for no reason but to say Hi
laugh together
support each other
work together on projects
work together to make decisions
play

I'm a lucky girl and he tells me he's a lucky guy.

And we are thankful for every day we spend together.

Funny Ha Ha

Conversation with the Hubster

While unloading the car last night

Hubster: "Uh honey, did you know you had a pair of shoes in the trunk?"
Newt: "Yes, those are the shoes I wore at work today"
Hubster: "OK, just checking, I thought maybe you were storing them away like nuts."

Conversation with the Hubster 2

Newt: "Well, the doctor said that my shoulder will just have to heal on it's own - but unlike a sprained ankle it will take a long time because I have to use it which keeps re-aggravating it.

Hubster: "Well, I'm just glad it isn't anything more serious like a fracture or crack."

Newt: "Me too, but he said I might have pain for another 3 months or more."

Hubster: "So, what you’re saying is that you’re going to be milking this whole “hurt arm thing for the next 3 months”? I can hear it now, “open this honey”, “lift this honey”, “big jewelry heals my arm, honey”

Newt: "Actually I think he said that big jewelry and new shoes will speed up the healing process."


************************

I just learned that the hubster is going to be staying overnight in Amsterdam on his way to Berlin. So, nothing like having the one you love in the land of free pot and hookers. Fabulous.
Just freak'n fabulous.

************************

So R.E.H. tagged me with a meme. I won't follow the rules, you know me better than that.
So, 7 weird things about me. Just for him. You are welcome to play if you would like. Of course I would never deny anyone the pleasure of a meme.

1. I'm a dog person. I honestly don't like cats all that much. But, I have four cats and we volunteered for 5 years at a cat shelter.

2. Pirates 3 is coming out on DVD Dec. 4th. I will be buying it on the way home, making mac n cheese for dinner, closing the drapes, turning out the lights, and enjoying the movie, probably more than once that night.

3. December 21st is my favorite day of the year. It is winter solstice. Which means that after that date the days get longer. It still might be cold, but we are over the celestial hump.

4. An hour in Barnes and Noble does wonders for my sense of well being. It's instant, relatively cheap therapy. I will never need a shrink as long as there is a Barnes and Noble within driving distance.

5. I was actually relieved to not be going to California in December. That has got to be weird right? I mean, let me think, Minnesota or California in December? Should be a no brainer. But I have my reasons.

6. There are certain people in my life that have left an impression on me deeper than I ever thought possible. The only way I know how to describe it is to say that they touched my soul. And that feeling is so much deeper than normal that sometimes it scares the hell out of me. Especially since a few of them I see rarely if ever, and in a few cases, will never see them again.

7. A friend of mine from High School died while I was in college. I have never gotten over his death. And I have carried his picture in my wallet for more than 20 years. I wasn't in love with him, we never dated, we were just very good friends, and he always knew how to make me laugh. But after he died I realized I didn't know him at all. One of my best friends, and I barely knew him. Do we ever truly deeply know anyone? Or is there a part of each of us that can never be reached or known by another human being?

8. I can't sleep with anything on my feet or legs.

9. I realized that I really live to the beat of my own drummer. At work the other day I was in a room with a wide assortment of people. I had my headphones with me so I could focus better on what I had to do since I only had to be in that room in case someone needed support. Anywhoodle, I was putting on Pandora when someone asked me how I listened to music with my laptop. SO I told them about Pandora. And then I said, "So, right now I'm listening to my station "Mat Kearney" cause he's my new boyfriend." Well, about 8 heads popped up and all of them looked at me like I was on crack. And a few of them sort of shook their head and mumbled "new boyfriend". It wasn't done in a mean way, just a sort of, "Ok, she's odd" sort of way. They laughed and no one treated me like a leper. But, I realized that I am definitely not a main stream person in my expressions or odd ness. I mean, I KNOW, he's not my boyfriend. And, I am fully aware that I am no longer 15. I was kidding. But I think some grown-ups, have forgotten how to have fun in life. They are all serious all the time. Sheesh, that's kinda sad.

Newt on the Loose Day 1

At 8:15 Sunday morning I kissed the hubster goodbye.

He's off to a class in California. Sigh.................

First stop: Target
Going to do some fall cleaning

After being lost in the vortex that is target for about an hour and 60 bucks the poorer I headed home

Everything bagel for breakfast. Fantastic!

First up: the living room. Sort and put away hubsters magazines and papers.

Dust off piano. Sneeze.

Start vacuuming living room. Chasing after furry dust bunnies bigger than Lily.

Pick up dog bedding and blankets - go outside and shake them out.

Sneeze

Wash doggie stuff.

Sneeze

Shake out entry way carpet. Sneeze.

Pull out jackets I probably won't wear this winter and stick in Space Bag.

Suck the air out - these things are SO damn cool.

Nicely hang up the rest of the coats.

Remove all items from entryway.

Sneeze.

Vacuum and wash floor.

Wow, much better.

Sneeze.

Start removing various living room items, dust, sneeze, repeat.

Dust and wash floors.

Put various items back.

What is that smell?

Pick up DVD's from floor and start to sort and put away.

Oh, god, the smell is worse.

Sniff Spiderman cover.

Don't need spidey sense to figure out Caleb peed on them at some point.

GROSS - EWWWWWWW - GROSS.

Scrub down DVD cases, throw paper covers away. Use cheesy inserts for cover so we know what it is.

Grumble Grumble Grumble

Ok, half of living room scrubbed down. Time for my date with the couch.

Start to watch Stargate - the directors cut.

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Paw paw paw in face.

MEOW!

MEOW!

MEOW!

What huh? Alright sheesh, I'll get you some food.

Feed the kitties

Brush teeth

Take some Tylenol PM

Read a little snuggled in bed

WHAM! Book hits nose.

Throw book on nightstand, turn off light. Go to sleep.

Made it through the first 14 hours without hubster.

Newt's weekend reflection

Some quick and dirty thoughts from this weekend:

My friend's son graduated and she threw him a party this weekend. It was a perfect afternoon, the sun was out, there was a breeze, good food, family and friends, lots of love. Even the ex's and steps got along just for this special occasion.

While I was there their little dog Dodger fell asleep in my arms. I just sat quietly watching everyone and enjoying having the little guy cuddle with me. My friend's sister Girl C who I have come to simply adore said something so true. She said for most women it's babies, but for you, it's a dog. And well, yes, that is me in a nutshell.

I also stepped out of my usual box at this party. I wore a denim skirt that shows off ALL the junk in my trunk. And there is a ton of it. But Girl C is always saying how she wishes she had junk in the trunk like me. So I guess it isn't all such a bad thing to have some booty. I also went sleeveless which I usually don't do. For whatever reason I aways feel too naked. But I did it and to hell with what anyone thought. Maybe they all were thinking, "Damn, thats a big booty" but I think I have hit an age where it really doesn't matter anymore. And I realized that even when I dropped to a size 4 after the emotional stress of my divorce I still had a whole lotta booty. So, booty is going to be part of my life no matter how slim or chubby I get. You really wanted to know that didn't you????

I also was reminded that my husband is a generous and thoughtful man. Despite all his self-proclaimed pride at being a cheap bastard. I asked him for some cash for the card and he gave me a lot more than I expected.

Newt: "Hubster, do you have some cash for his card?"
Hubster: "Sure do, here, give him this."
Newt: Looks at hubster a little strangely.
Hubster: "He's a good kid right?"
Newt: "Yeah, he's the best."
Hubster: "Well then, I wish it could be more."

See, you don't expect that from someone who just joined Costco because of the cheap gas. And who figured out to the penny the comparison of buying membership vs. paying higher gas prices at other stations and how soon it would pay off if ever.

And finally, I just wanted to say that as I was driving home from Nettie's I realized something a little strange yet a little wondrous. In a few months I think that I will have actually been living in Minnesota longer than in any other place in my life. This nomad has found some roots. And she is very happy about the place that she has settled down in. I've called several places home but none of them have felt as right as where I am now, with Hubster.

So thank you to:
Hubster
The dogs and kitties
Boy J
Boy S
Hubster's family
Girl J
Other Girl J
Girl C
Sarah
and everyone else that has made Minnesota home.

The Hubster

The hubster knows I blog. He knows that I talk about our daily chaos and the like. He has never read my blog. I don’t think he really has any interest in doing so. But if we have a bizarre discussion he tends to start referring to himself in the third person as the hubster. He knows that the bizarre will get put into cyber space.

He surprised me last week with a very special gift. While I was out with the girls he took all the computers and hard drives we had in the house and went in search of something that went missing/lost 7 years ago. It was a copy of our wedding vows. The judge had liked them so much that he kept the copy we gave him at the ceremony. Apparently we weren’t smart enough to print off more. And then we forgot to print them off. And then we replaced the computer. So basically they got forgotten about. But it’s one of those things that has bugged me. And every once in a while we say that we will go in search of them. But then we get lazy and the vicious cycle begins again. But for whatever reason last week in went in search of them. And then emailed them to me. So that when I got into work on Friday I would have a very special surprise. And boy was I surprised. And then I read them, and then I cried. So here ya go folks. Our wedding vows:

[Introduction and greeting to guests]

We are gathered together to unite Hubster and Newt in marriage. This is but the outward sign of an inward union of hearts and, as such, marriage is the most tender of all relationships in life. What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined….to strengthen each other….to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable memories.

Each of you here has given something of yourself into their lives. Your love, guidance, and encouragement will forever be appreciated. Hubster and Newt are both thankful that you are here today in this celebration of their commitment to each other to live their lives as one.

[To the parents of bride:]

To Newt’s mother Hubster would like to say Thank you. Thank you for giving her life, for giving her beauty, for giving her the sweetness he adores, and for giving her the good sense to say Yes. And to you, her father, he promises to honor and protect her, though he will never replace you in her life or in her heart. And he shall love her for as long as they both shall live.

[To the parents of the groom:]

To Hubster’s mother Newt would like to promise you that she will love and protect him, this son, who is always a part of your heart, whose life is a part of your life. She will give him joy and trust, laughter and solace, compassion and strength. To you, his father, she would like to say thank you, for his wit, for his knowledge, and for teaching him the good sense to wait until the best came along.

[To the couple:]
Dear Hubster and Newt:
In being here today, you are performing an act of faith in each other, a faith which will grow, mature, and endure. Cherish and build on the hopes and dreams you now hold. Stand fast together in hope and confidence, believing in yourselves and in each other. You will create a union that will radiate between you, giving new hope, happiness, and strength to you and those around you. It is in the union of marriage that the little things are the big things. It is never being to old to hold hands. It is remembering to say “I LOVE YOU”. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted.

The union of marriage is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and a demonstration of gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humor. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful in life.

And it is in this spirit that I ask you to turn and face each other.

Hubster, do you take Newt to be your wedded wife, to share your life with her, and do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?
If yes say, “I Do”

Newt, do you take Hubster to be your wedded husband, to share your life with him, and do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him for as long as you both shall live?
If yes say, “I Do”

Repeat after me:

I, Hubster take you Newt to be my wife / and I commit my life to you / including all sorrows and joys / all hardships and triumphs / all the experiences of life / a commitment made in love / kept in faith / and lived in hope.

I, Newt take you Hubster to be my husband / and I commit my life to you / including all sorrows and joys / all hardships and triumphs / all the experiences of life / a commitment made in love / kept in faith / and lived in hope.

Now the exchange of rings:

Hubster, repeat after me:
This ring I give you / in token of my devotion and love / and with my heart / I pledge to you / all that I am. / With this ring I marry you / and join my life to yours.
Newt, repeat after me:
This ring I give you / in token of my devotion and love / and with my heart / I pledge to you / all that I am. / With this ring I marry you / and join my life to yours.

In view of the exchange of vows and rings by Hubster and Newt, in the presence of witnesses – and family and friends – I pronounce you Hubster and Newt to be husband and wife.

[Kiss and Applause]


Until tomorrow,
So Long and Thanks for all the Fish!

Frivolous Firday

So yesterday when I posted about my last hurrah in the warm weather I forgot to talk about THE most important part of that perfect night. The hubster made me a drink. It’s my new favorite. It’s called a sidecar. And it is MARVELOUS! Though my hubster “girlies” it up for me by adding a little more triple sec.

Conversation with the hubster:

Newt: “So at work today I was talking with S about love. And she and I both had been through almost the exact same scenario in our first marriage. And we both met our current hubsters while we were still waiting for the divorce to be final. AND we both knew within hours that we wanted to be with the hubsters for the rest of our lives.”

“Then we talked about having to give advice to people that ask “So how do you know” and we both agreed that if you have to ask that question you are with the wrong person. And then we talked about how awkward it can be to try to explain that to someone because you hate to see them make the same mistake but maybe they have to.”

Hubster: “Oh, it’s easy to explain to a girl about just knowing. All you have to tell them is: Ok, you know when you go to a shoe store and you see a pair of shoes and from the second you see them you just know you have to have them? well, love is the exact same way.”

Newt: “Ok, that’s actually a pretty perfect way to explain it. But how do you explain it to a guy?”

Hubster: “Well, you tell a guy, you know when you try a beer and it’s the best tasting beer you have ever had? And you know you can’t go home without a six pack, or a case of the stuff? That’s what “You’ll know” is like.”

Blog Stats

October

Highest hit day: October 10th with 86 hits
This was the day I blogged about the Star Trek auction

Search terms that brought people to my site:
“You’re the puzzle piece behind the couch that makes the sky complete” I don’t know what the heck caused this to link to me. But I LOVE the expression. It’s apparently in a song or the title of a song by the Lemon Heads. As well as a blog title by an Australian blogger.

November search terms:

“Do Newts get ick.” – does grey hair count?

“newt losing toes and paws” – frozen toes maybe, but haven’t lost any

“keys inbetween boobs” – never tried keys before. Don’t really intend to either.

“Syndrome de goutreaux” – uh? I have no response to that

“Subaru throat plate” – Didn’t know my putt-putt had one of those.

Have a marvelous weekend everyone!

The Good, the bad, and the downright ugly

The Good:
Whoever came up with the idea of putting blinkers on the side view mirrors of cars. Genius I say, sheer genius.

The Bad:
Whoever came up with the idea of spinning rims. They drive me nuts! For one, the people that have them tend to be psychotic drivers to begin with. Add to that the fact that they always look like they are moving and you get a whole lot of distrust in driving. Primarily this bothers me at stop signs and stop lights. I mean I would already assume that the tricked out punks that do this to their car would already run a stop sign/light. So now that it looks like they are moving even if they aren't. Yeah, it's just bad. And frankly it pisses me off.

The Downright Ugly:
The road in front of my house. Why? Because we never have a clue when they are going to come street sweep. So our cars are usually parked in front which ultimately means we never get swept in front of our place. Dang it!

Conversation with the hubster:

Newt: "Hey honey, where ya going?"
Hubster: "Outside to work on the garage"
Newt: "Ok, have fun."
he then walks toward the front door
Newt: "I thought you were going to work in the garage?"
He turns around and shows me one gloved hand and one bare one.
Hubster: "I am, but I have to find my other baby first."
Newt: while laughing hysterically; "check Lily's kennel"

Search terms that brought people to my site:

red spotted newts can live in sink drain - I've tried but it's kinda smelly
"i love high heels" blog shoes sandals" - yeah, it's what life is all about
happy friday dance - yep, there is one and I will be doing it tomorrow

What countries were my visitors from:
Unknown - don't remember this country on the map
UK
Australia
Korea
Netherlands
Japan
Brazil
China
Turkey
Switzerland
Saudi Arabia
Romania
Portugal
Europe - uhhhhh, when did this become a country?
Nicaragua
Philippines

Addendum to today's blog: Newt would like to issue a formal apology to anyone she might offend by implying that spinning rims are stupid. I mean, they are stupid, but it's your personal choice if you have them. So if I offended any of my handful of readers out there in blog land I really truly do deeply apologize. And I promise to not make fun of you until after you pull away from the curb.

Friday Fluff

An odd and funny moment:
Alright, since we brought home Caleb and Lily I have mentioned almost every day the fact that Lily collects “babies” from all over the house and brings them to her bed. Well last night the hubster had me struck a little dumb:

Hubster:”Honey, why are my Sketchers sitting here?”
Newt: “Uh, cause Lily collected them.
Hubster: “She did?”
Newt: “Uh, yeah, like she collects everything else.”
Hubster: “Oh”
Newt: “Did you just refer to your shoes as Sketchers?”
Hubster: “Yeah, why?”
Newt: “Nothing, just making sure I heard you right.”

Why did I find this conversation odd you might ask? Ok, well obviously for one it “slipped” his mind that Lily collects stuff? And the majority of what she collects is HIS shoes. But that’s not what really struck me. What baffled me is that he referred to his shoes as Sketchers. The man doesn’t have a clue what label is on what item of clothing. He could care less about brand names. He has Reebok’s and Bass, and a number of other brands. So for him to refer to his brown boots as Sketchers really threw me. They are Sketchers so it’s not some funky new name for shoes in general. I was just a little taken back that he even knows who made his shoes.

On that same sort of note:
I spent a part of this morning putting “babies” around for Lily. I had gotten a whole bunch of tiny stuffed animals for Sophie since she likes to play with small toys. But of course now that I bought her a bag full she isn’t interested in them. So, now that we have Lily I thought it would be a good thing to pull them out of the bag and lay them around the house in spots where she always wants to pick something up. Such as the steps by the back door. Every time she comes in from outside she wants to take something back to her bed with her. Usually that is a shoe or glove. But since all the shoes and all the gloves are now on her bed she is looking for other things to bring back. This included some huge tie down straps that are in a bag on the kitchen floor. So I piled up babies by the back door and also by the hall closet where the hubster stock piles his shoes. No sooner did I do this then Caleb decided to run around the house and gather up all the babies I had left around for Lily. So now all the shoes, gloves, and babies are piled up on their bed. If nothing else, they keep me busy.

Catching up on 24
I finished disc 2, season 1 of 24 last night. The peanut gallery was on his computer in another room so I was able to finish the show without the running commentary of how much it sucks.

Craft show preparedness
I was able to leave work early yesterday so I went home and got everything ready for my craft show tomorrow. I have a pretty nice variety of stuff this year. I just hope it moves. I even decided to have some clearance items this year. Stuff that has been hanging around for the past couple of years and hasn’t sold. I eliminated the expensive ($25) hand made bracelets. I spend between 2 and 15 hours weaving bracelets that I think are beautiful and easily worth $25 but you would be amazed at how cheap people are when it comes to homemade items. To pat myself on the back here I think that the woven pieces I make are beautiful. I wouldn’t hesitate to pay $25 if I was on the other side of the craft table.

A Political observation from the Bat Cave:

I work for the classic corporation. Dark suit, white shirt, power tie. I stick out like the pink flamingo on the green lawn of life. And that’s ok. I won’t loose who I am in order to get an office with a door. I’m happy in my bat cave and enjoy the less than zero responsibility that I have. This is not a put down on myself. I have chosen to not be ambitious in my career. Sure there are directions I wouldn’t mind going in my career and I work toward those. But I won’t step on other people to get there. I won’t play the game. So, I guess since I am on the outside looking in I tend to notice things that the rest of the sheep just walk past.

Elections are only 3 weeks away and we host several debates/meet and greets with various candidates. The posters for the second event just went up and I now notice a trend between the two. Both the ass and the elephant are invited to speak. The poster tells us the names, the date of the event, and what food they are bribing us with. The poster also shows pictures of the candidates. I find it interesting that in both posters so far the Republican is wearing a blue suite, white dress shirt, and the proverbial red power tie while standing in front of Ol’ Glory. This of course is in severe contrast to the other side which in one case the Democrat has been pictured in a sweater against a plain tan background as if they had the portrait done at Sears, and in the other case the candidate is looking sideways with a background of blurry trees and some odd indiscernible thing behind her. The two pictures together have that Felix and Oscar sort of look. We have the proper GQ candidate that knows how to dress and we have the backyard photo of the slovenly other candidate. I mean, why be subtle? Why not just have one guy standing with his arms around US soldiers and have the other guy giving flying lessons to terrorists with a soldiers head swinging from the rear view mirror? I mean, at least that way, I know for sure what point you are trying to make.

Now I know that the Democrats prefer to be thought of as “the neighborly sort” and so pictures of them do tend to be more down to earth and approachable. And I am all for that. But put side by side, there is a remarkable contrast.

I am a proud liberal and have every intention of voting the way of the donkey. But I also understand all the complaints about the Democrats not having their crap together and being more unified. I also can see where fence sitting people would hesitate to vote for the democratic candidate because in this time of war (thanks entirely to our oil greedy Commander Coo Coo Bananas) there is a lack of faith in their ability to defend the country. Going strictly on photo impression (and you can’t argue that looks don’t matter) there is more safety and security conjured up by a person in a suit near the flag then there is in a guy that looks like an English Professor.

OK, this is WAY to heavy a topic for a Friday.

Winter Holiday of Your Choice Blog Extravaganza Gift Exchange Questionnaire Answers
Fill in the blanks:

If I could, I'd invent a bra with heater, and damn it, the world needs one because, headlights in winter, need I say more?

I sometimes buy sexy tops, because it is/they are more like theme I want to be than the me that I am.

If you came over to my house to play and touched my animal in a violent way I'd be a little bit mad at you forever. (Actually forever would only be as long as it took me kill you and dispose of your body.)

The color/s burnt orange/olive green makes me want to shave my eyeballs with acheese grater.
The color/s yellow, peach, and pink is/are so beautiful that when I see them, abeam of light comes down and I hear a choir sing.

Talk shows like Oprah and Jerry Springer makes me gag, feel it in my mouth for a minute, andthen swallow it back down rather than spit it out (or else I just don't likeit, but I'm too nice to say it.)

I might get sick or die if I touch or ingest seafood, or look at Paris Hilton..

Clowns and Mimes gives me the willies and I might need to consider afrontal lobotomy if I even think about it further.

I love the feel of flannel so much I want to hump it like a puppy ona sofa pillow.

No one should have to watch me eat sopapillas, because then I mightconsider being polite enough to share, and I don't want to share it.

I'm a grown-up now, so I don't have to eat brussel sprouts anymore, and you can't make me.

If I could invent a way to permanently coat my nostril hairs with this scent, I'd be my own biggest customer: Irish Spring Soap

Three things I like that anyone might like: Apple Pie, Reading, bike riding

Three things I like that nobody else in the world likes:Corned Beef Hash, Circus Peanuts (those orange marshmallow things), Macaroni and Cheese wth Brocoflower mixed in

I have TOO MANY/TOO MUCH OF beads, and not enough books.

Okay, we know the best things in life aren't things, but these are the best things in life if there are going to be best things: Well written books that move me to laughter and to tears.

When people have kind, sweet and nice things about me, they're usually talking about what a sucker I am. When they say I'm too sensitive, they're usually right too.

It's true, I'm a geek. I'm learning to be proud of it.

If I could have any talent in the world, I'd choose musical talent and use it to play the violin OR the piano . One or the other.

You are given a day and a no-limit credit card to spend in one of theseplaces, childfree. Choose one, or write your own: Barnes and Noble

If I could suggest that you read only one post from my archives, this one would be it:

And
If I were to name the Holiday of my choice for this exchange, it would be:Winter Solstice! This is the turning point of winter and the days only get longer after it.

Random Newt

*Despite all the chain e-mail reminders, quotes, and songs I still forget sometimes to remember how precious life is and to focus on those things in my life. Visits with friends you miss dearly end way too quickly. And you just never know when a life will end. Maybe I should find a tattoo that will remind me daily where my focus should be. I get too swept up in things that in the end really don’t matter. Each time I am reminded I try very hard to make that my focus but then inevitably the daily hum drum of life creeps in and seems to capture too much of my attention.

*I think I have said this before but it sucks that we get to know most of our family when we are too young to appreciate them. And then by the time we are old enough to want to get to know them many are gone. I was thinking about my Uncle Mort in the shower today. I don’t know why. He died many years ago. He is buried in an old Jewish cemetery in New York. He was my favorite relative on my mom’s side. Probably because in his eyes I was perfect. While in everyone else’s eyes I was flawed, rebellious, bratty, and as one relative put it: not photogenic to the point where they won’t display my pictures. I think that was one of the most hurtful things anyone has ever told me. Who says that to a little girl??????????? Anyway, my Uncle was left handed and since I was too he just adored me. I was his left-handed monkey wrench and the only other one in the family that was right in the brain. He took us to Toys R Us every year for our birthday and let us pick out anything we wanted. I don’t remember many of those trips except the one when I picked out a little black baby doll. He never said anything to me about it. Of course when we got home and I proudly showed off my new baby I overheard “Why on earth would you let her have that thing?” I didn’t understand at the time what the big deal was. I still don’t. But now I understand how ugly that particular person was/is. Of course it’s the same person that told me that I was unattractive.

My uncle remained a bachelor his entire life. I guess now I would love to know why. I don’t care why he was or why he never fell in love. Or maybe he did but he could never tell the family about it. I just wish I could talk to him again. I wish he knew that he has lived on in my heart all these years. He was and always will be very dear to me. I miss him every day.

*When we were at the wedding reception the hubster and I were talking with a cousin of the groom. She’s a beautiful and sweet woman. She’s 25 and unlike her younger siblings she is still single. But she is fine with that. She’s still waiting for “the one”. Once again the hubster left me speechless. He said to her:

“I just want to tell you that you are smart to do that. There is such a thing as love at first sight and don’t let anyone tell you differently. If you meet someone and you don’t know after a month if you want to be with them the rest of your life they aren’t the one. When I met Becca I knew in an hour that I was going to spend the rest of my life with her.”

Yeah, that’s what he said. Knocks your socks off doesn’t it???? Sure did mine.

*I tried to watch the second disc of 24 from season one that had just come in the mail. I got through a little over 2 hours when the running commentary from the peanut gallery made it no longer enjoyable.

*I’m going to borrow the digital camera tonight so I can take pictures of the new kids. This morning my new little girl sat on my lap for a good ten minutes and just cuddled. It’s the longest session we have had yet!

*I had planned to make tacos for dinner tonight but I forgot to take the meat out. Dang!

*We got a hunk of the most excellent swiss cheese last week. One of the things I have not had in a long time was a slice of cheese with peanut butter on top. I forgot how really good that is.

*This coming weekend I have my first craft show. I had to skip the first one I signed up for because we had just brought the pups home and I had that bachelorette party to attend.
I’ll take some pic’s of my work and post those too.

*Last night I switched out my shoes. Sigh………………

*I can’t bring myself to switch the clothes yet.

*My dad just called to say hello. I love that so much.

*He wanted to know how Kell is enjoying The Thirteenth Tale. But Kell is out of town so I don’t know if I will find out for a while.

*Yes, I talk about my blog buddies to my dad.

*Reading Tink’s blog yesterday reminded me why I like her so much. We did the same exact thing when a little bird was trapped in a building. Well, except the hubster didn’t tell anyone that it had bird flu. I have pictures of our little rescue too. On my finger, on the ground. It was too funny to read her story about it. It was a big case of Déjà vu.
I would share pic’s but they are on the other computer.

*I’ve had three people come in to my bat cave as of late and tell me that they love it because it is so cozy and inviting.

I guess…………..I have papers and piles strewn all over the place. But whatever….

We’ll be moving three floors up early next year. I hope I can make a cozy cubicle up there too. I figure I spend enough time here I might as well love my surroundings. Dad mailed me a pink flamingo beanie baby. He sits on a water glass right next to my computer. He always makes me smile.

Musings of Newt

I am packed. The nice thing about a road trip is that you don’t have to limit your packing. I don’t need to worry about the knife in my purse. Or the small bottle of lotion.

However, the down side to that is I can pack anything I want. And when you do that your suit case gets mighty darn heavy. And I packed WAY more shoes than normal. I did leave the 4 inch heels at home. Those just won’t be good walking shoes. Even if they are sexy as all get out.

Besides, there are SOOOO many shoe stores between here and Indy.

I was at Target last night picking out car snacks for the trip. I was debating a box of Cheese Nips so I called Girl J to see if she liked them. She cracked up because she had just pulled a box of cheese nips out of her grocery bag. We think alike. Which is probably a good thing since we are stuck in a car together for 10 hours or so.

Another down side to road trip vs. plane trip, you can bring food. And lots of it. Between the two of us we have enough snacks to feed a small army. But there is nothing wrong with that. Girl J said something about calories not counting on way overdue vacation road trips. And I believe her.

Books are another plus to the old road trip. I packed 3. Chances are I won’t read all of them. And sure I could have picked up a book if I need to while I was there. But why? When I can just throw them in the car with no consequence??? But then I have to go back to that down side of road trip: heavy stuff to lug around.

So, aside from all of that I am going to dearly miss the hubster and the zoo. As always I was close to tears having to leave my babies. But maybe after I come home I can look forward to an additional baby joining our household. If the Petfinder Fates decide it should be so.

On a different note:

The hubster and I sometimes end up on the same wave length about very odd and random things. Then one of us will say something, sometimes more like thinking out loud, and the other one of us will pipe up with “Hey, I was thinking about that………..”

We had another occurrence of this phenomenon on Monday. The hubster asked me how many movies or shows I actually watch on Showtime and or HBO now. And I told him I had actually been thinking about that over the weekend and the answer was none. And I went on to say that I was thinking maybe we should cancel the two premiums and sign up for something like Netflix instead. And we’d probably get more for our money. He started to laugh because he had spent the afternoon looking at the on line rental companies and talking with co-workers about who they used. So, yesterday we kissed HBO and Showtime goodbye. And today we will say hello to Netflix.

And that kids, is the end of my ramblings of Newt for the day. Newt’s Muse will be closed till Tuesday September 5th. Until then, I will be hanging out with four fellow bloggers in the beautiful town of Indy.

I hope maybe future travels will take me to other blogger towns. Or maybe your travels will take you to mine. We all need to have a few personal blog cons!

Hugs all around! Be safe. Have a great holiday weekend.

Cheers!