Ramblings from a rambler.

I hate hate hate when people want my help, but then argue about how to do it.  Ummmm, hello?  If you didn't need my help, you wouldn't have asked.

I hate it when people compare everything to their hometowns.  Ok, we get it, but you're not there anymore, so no one actually cares.

I love it when things work out like they did last night for Eclipse....and we somehow get theater 1 and get to sit down an hour before the movie starts and get out of the ridiculous crowd of:
1. Annoying preteens that think they're the shit.
2. People with B.O.
3. The group of people (college age) who thought they were really good singers and were singing songs from RENT.  I love that musical, but only when the songs are sang in key. (OH SNAP!)

Eclipse was great, but Kristen Stewart couldn't act her way out of a paper sack.  A tip: Long, closed eye, dramatic pauses aren't always needed before your lines are given!

I went through 3 totes yesterday and made our garage sale pile even bigger.  Got rid of a bunch of books.  I'm going to try and go through some more stuff in the guest room today.  I got almost all my totes in the garage taken care of.  Trying to get my "teacher stuff" into one big tote.

Gauged my ears up again.  I'm at a 4 now!

It cracks me up how brave people get when they've got a keyboard in front of them.  Coming up with rude remarks to say to someone they don't even know because there will be no repercussions.  These are the same people who in real life are sad people with no self-identity other than calling themselves _______'s mommy/daddy or _______'s wife/husband.  They are brave because they are faceless.  They are brave because there is no chance that anything they say will ever have any consequences in real life.  It's lame and funny at the same time.

I'm not just a wife.  I am:
1. a teacher
2. a woman
3. a painter
4. a pet lover
5. an adventurer
6. an explorer
7. a lover
8. a dream maker
9. a photographer
10. a fighter
11. a daughter
12. a sister
13. a grandaughter
14. an intelligent member of society
15. an activist
16. a peacemaker
17. a loyal friend
18. a trustworthy opponent
19. a cook
20. a genuine person

I could name a ton, but that should give you an idea that I'm not just one thing, and I'm not going to broadcast myself as ONE thing.  That's silly.  If my husband did that, I would question him as to why he is limiting himself to being just one thing. 

Be creative.

Know that when you say something over the internet, no one is going to respect or love you more.  In fact, I pity people who do so because I KNOW what you're all about. 

I know a lot of people who have been harassed via the internet, and to those harassers, I say, "Go to hell."  You're pitiful pieces of what could have been a real person, but instead of doing good and paying things forward, you look for things and people to put down or bother.  You're like the fat bullies in elementary school who only got away with bullying because you were bigger than everyone, not smarter, not more clever, and certainly not better than ANYONE.  Harassers, you are pathetic.  Stalkers, you are pathetic. 

Maybe it's just me and the way that I do things, but when I leave specific instructions on how something needs to be done, I expect it to be done.  I follow directions and expect my students to, so it always disgusts me when people refuse to.  There are directions and rules for a reason.  There is an order in which to do things.  There needs to be a set way of doing CERTAIN things.  I'm flexible on a lot, but there are just some things that I will not stand for. 
Someone is going to have a conversation with me.
Someone is not going to be pleased.
Someone is no longer trusted.
Someone is lucky that things weren't worse.
Someone is going to be thankful that my temper isn't out of control.

I got my tickets for the midnight showing of Eclipse today.  Say what you will, I don't care.  I love the Twilight movies/books.  I know they're hokey and silly.  I know that Kristen Stewart is probably one of the worst actresses in her age group.  I don't care, I'll still go see it because I enjoy them.

It's OK to be jealous, ladies...just know that he's mine.

Group of gals (and Brent to the right) at Buzzard Beach.

Love love love.

Just a few things that I need to take care of today/this week:

1. Call and get our dryer fixed.
2. Call about getting a trailer hitch/bike rack put on our car.
3. vac and mop
4. Get price quotes for car window replacement
5. grocery shopping
6. Fill our passport stuff
7. Pick up passport picture
8.Go through boxes in garage and make a "for sale" pile.
9. Get tickets to see Eclipse
10. Dust
11. Plant cilantro
12. Picture and shelf relocation
13. Mountain of laundry
14. Mow lawn
15. Give dogs a bath.
16. Start new painting.

Ok, that is a long list.  I should be able to take care of a bunch of it today. 

Me and Ben on my 25th birthday.

Backstreet Boys

Just a few pictures of the Backstreet Boys concert.  I think I took like 150 or so, but I'll only post a few.  Be jealous.

I:
1. need to go shopping.
2. want my laptop back.
3. wish I could get my little mermaid tattoo.
4. went through a bunch of old stuff in storage.
5. really miss my pets. 
6. just made some brownies.
7. can't wait for Eclipse to come out.
8. wish I had True Blood season 2 on my hard drive.
9. got a beautiful bike yesterday.  Not sure of the year (I think it's a 1968), but it's a chocolate brown Schwinn Suburban. 
10. need to get new tires for my new Schwinn Suburban.
11. have a ton of pictures to go through here and in New Mexico.
12. have a lot of new painting ideas.
13. really really really need a haircut.
14. am excited about our 2 year photo shoot when we get back.
15. love popsicles.
16. am starting to grow cilantro. 
17. loved Toy Story 3.
18. want to go to PF Changs sometime when we're out in MO.
19. had Jack Stack BBQ yesterday and it was delicious.
20. think that some people (and I won't name names) should have never been able to have kids...ever ever ever.

That is all.

Backstreet's Back...TONIGHT!

What a weekend!  Saturday was spent at World's of Fun and yesterday we went to a family swim/bbq.  It was quite fun, despite Sunday having a rocky start.  I know what's up though. 

Anyway, no sunburn for this light skinned girl!

Our "tough guy" picture.

On the Ripcord with David and Bekah.

Making fun of my mother-in-law.

Heading up...

Slightly nervous!

Right before we got our harnesses.

I'm glad I'm not like that.

You would have to visit every place in the entire world to be 100% sure that the place you grew up is the BEST.  I've traveled all over the US and have loved almost all of it!  Boston/Connecticut is beautiful because it has rolling hills, beautiful greenery, and lots of history.  Arkansas is not too bad.  Still green, lots of pretty little towns outside the bigger ones.  Texas has tons of stuff to do and beautiful architecture.  New York is a bustle of busy and there's always something going on.  Lots to see!  Florida has Disney World and lush green grass.  Love their quick thunder storms!  New Mexico has some beautiful mountains and quaint little art towns.

Of course, Missouri is my favorite out of all of them.  My family and friends are here, I grew up here.  I don't love it for what I do here, I love it because of who is here with me.  I love my memories here.  I love going to Broadway Cafe and sitting outside drinking coffee watching the weirdos go by.  I love going to the Plaza and walking around the busy streets.  I love sitting on Chip's porch hanging out with everyone.  I love going to Worlds of Fun.  I love going out to little bars with my friends and having a blast.  I love going ice skating at Christmas time and seeing everything lit up.  I love the snow.  I love it here. 

Despite the fact that I love it, I can still appreciate other places as well.  They'll never be what Missouri is to me. 

ANYWAY.

Mom and I went to Savanahland (yes, it's spelled right...it's named after a monkey) yesterday.  It was AMAZING!  We got to hold a baby Kangaroo named Carmine and a spider monkey named Mamie.  They were really sweet.  Carmine fell asleep while I was holding him, and Mamie was obsessed with my mom.  Wouldn't leave her alone for like 2 hours!  They had all kinds of monkeys, lynxs, hyenas, buffalo, gazelles, deer, warthogs, zebras, kangaroos, and more!  It was great!

Good thing my mom has a netbook!

Yesterday was a blast! 
Took my laptop in and told them everything that I was having problems with.  He wrote down everything and was super friendly about all of it. Hopefully it'll come back soon.  So glad Ben got me that external hard drive so I could back up all my pictures and stuff!

We went to PetCo after that and checked out all the small animals.  Totally wish it was an adoption day, but oh well. 

Went to Target and...shocker...didn't find anything I liked.  Target has not been my friend lately when it comes to clothing.  They ONLY carry black or gray leggings in the store.  What about all the other colors that are online?  I want pink and turquoise!  The gray ones just look like tight sweatpants, the material on them doesn't seem like it'd be cute with a skirt or whatever.  OH WELL.

Went to Old Navy and got 3 different black shirts.  Didn't necessarily mean to, but it just worked out that way.  Found a black tank that I had wanted at the Old Navy in Albuquerque, but they didn't have a small!  Good thing Lee's Summit did! 

Had lunch at Panda Express, Jack's treat.  It was quite delicious. 

Bath and Body Works is having their giant sale, so Mom and I checked it out.  They're discontinuing Butterfly Flowers!  I love that scent.  So warm and floral, and it's wierd because I'm not a floral person typically.  I got lotion of that and then a Vanilla Coconut cooling mist that they weren't going to have anymore.  I think it'll feel really good after showering or swimming at the pool.  Smells great too. 

Hobby Lobby was having a sale on their canvases...40% OFF!  It was amazing.  I got 8 new canvases, a new set of small paintbrushes, and a photo organizer box (giraffe print, of course) for $22.  What a freaking DEAL! 

Came home and Ben came over.  We headed up north to see the JBays and to pick up a really cool 1983 bike that Justin was selling to Ben.  Got some dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings (par/garlic boneless wings, I could eat you alllllllll day!), and hung out for a bit.  Hopefully, we'll get to see them more than just that and however long they stay at my birthday party. 

Went over to Chip's afterwards and hung out with him and Mary.  Sat out on the front porch just talking and laughing.

I freaking love being in Missouri. 

Brent is cutting my hair tomorrow, and it couldn't have happened soon enough.  I need shorter hair, the upkeep is getting ridiculous and I have no one in Clovis that I really trust anymore to cut my hair correctly.  My hair is still uneven in the front from the last time someone cut it.  I really need to just go to Brent.  He's a hair whiz.  Always makes people look great.  I'm just gonna put my trust in his hands and hopefully get some discounted salon stuff. 
\
I miss my babies quite a bit and hope that everything is going smoothly.  According to Barnes, everything is great!  I know I shouldn't worry with him around, he adores all 3 of our pets!

I'll be off for awhile I think...

My laptop needs to be taken in for repairs (DVD player and power cord adapter), so I won't be on here until it's repaired. 

Tomorrow I will:
1. Try to find clothes that don't make me look weird at Target and Old Navy.
2. Take my laptop to Best Buy cause it's still under warranty.
3. Go to PetSmart with my mommy.
4. Go get a bike for Ben.
5. Eat dinner with the JBays.
6. Love life.

Yeah, I know it's not a list of 10...which bugs me, but it's my vacation, so I don't have to do a lot!

Yesterday I heard a new word: "glamping"  It's glamorous camping.  Surprisingly, it was all men.  I'm pretty sure they liked each other a lot.  It was a little ridiculous.  A bunch of men going "camping", but having it catered by private chefs, a huge ass tent (probably could fit a wedding part in it dancing), candles, beds, etc...THAT IS NOT CAMPING, DUMMY!

Oh well.

Not much else to say except if I don't get my hair cut soon, I'm going to go insane.  I'm so sick of it.

I'm just going to throw this out there:

I
am
AWESOME.

If you make jabs at me or poke fun at me to try and upset me, you will fail.  You will not upset me because if you're doing that to be mean, then you do not matter to me.  I know I'm cool, I don't need anyone pretending otherwise.

When you talk about someone, using names and spreading gossip, it just means that you're jealous of the person you're talking about.  Maybe not everything about him/her, but something about his/her life is more appealing than your's.  It's really sad, and you won't ever agree with it until you're more mature, but you'll realize that I'm right.

It sucks if your life is crappy, but it's not anyone's fault who is not directly involved in the situation.  I'm tired of all the stuff I hear behind people's backs.  I don't like it, I don't like hearing about it, and it just makes me think less of the person who is spreading gossip because I know they'd do the same to me.

Like I said, you can't make me feel bad because I love myself and am loved by those around me.  I will just shut you down and make you look silly.
Now, for some pictures I liked:

A birthday wish!

Super Cute!

Good gravy, I'm tired.

I was in the car for 11 hours, luckily it was with someone I ADORE.


Here are some things I learned today:
1. As soon as you hit Oklahoma, expect humidity and beautiful greenery. (Neither of which occur in Clovis)
2. David Cross is only funny when playing Tobias on Arrested Development.  His stand up cd is 1/4 jokes, 3/4 political/religious rambling.
3. Aziz Ansari is HILARIOUS and I love him.
4. Businesses on I-40 like giant American flags.
5. Falling asleep at an incline with your hand over your head leads to your entire arm falling asleep painfully.
6. Bugs splat really hard and make a mess when hit going 78mph (not that we were speeding or anything)
7. The person at our house taking care of things is awesome.
8. My brother is a giant (although 7 years younger than me).
9. I will always feel at home at my parents' house.
10. Eating friend mushrooms fast is not smart because you don't enjoy the flavor.

Anyway, that's my post.  I'm going to go fall into a coma...slash fall asleep.

Wombat

I'm currently waiting for the sun to go down so I can take the pups on a long walk.  Gonna try to go pretty far seeing as how I won't see them for 2 weeks.
That actually makes me super sad.

I think it goes without saying that these are my babies and I love them to pieces.

So here's the thing:

If you don't want my opinion or thoughts, don't freaking ask for it.  If you're just going to blow off what I say, then what's the point of me wasting my freaking breath?
That's so irritating.

I'm out of canvases again.  I guess it's ok, since we're going to Missouri tomorrow, but STILL.  I don't like it that I can't pick up and paint if I wanted to.  Ah well.


Another friend asked me to do a painting for her.  She wants one similar to the one I did yesterday of the family.  She's got a new baby, so that should be challenging.  Never painted a baby before.  Hopefully I can make it look right.  I've got the idea of how I want it to look in my head.

Things I need to do today:
1. fold clothes and pack them
2. go over list of stuff to not forget and make sure I do not forget them
3. vacuum the house again
4. make sweet and sour chicken
5. pick up bedroom
6. make instructions for the care of our animals while we're gone for the person who is house sitting for us
7. try and not get irritated
8. take the dogs for a walk (after 6 so I won't die of heatstroke on the way)
9. shower
10. get passport picture taken

I like to have at least 10 things on my "to do" lists.

OK, Off to fold clothing.

Hopefully I will go swimming this weekend and remain the chicken champion!

So you're gonna do [insert something here]?  Well here's what you can do to make it actually good or way better.  You wouldn't know about that though, cause my way is the best way.

I'm about sick and tired of that.

In other news:
I'm slightly cranky.
I'm sick of the weather being so freaking hot that I can't walk my dogs until like 7pm.
I'm sick of being in Clovis.
I'm don't like feeling like I'm not good enough at things.

In slightly happier news:
I gauged up:

I painted a new picture:

...

Getting paid to do paintings is pretty awesome.

This week is slowly creeping by.

Today I:
1. Played Fable 2
2. Did laundry
3. Took the dogs for a walk and sweated my butt off
4. Made us dinner
5. Vacuumed
6. Mopped
7. Dusted
8. Trimmed the hedges
9. Swept the front porch area
10. Cleaned the bathroom
11. Took Ben dinner.
12. Gauged up my ears (I'm at a 6 now)

I'm one tired little lady.  I've got a Netflix movie here, so I may just put that in and paint some more.  I've been trying to get stuff ready for our visit home...but there's just a lot to do, and a lot of it has to be done right before we leave.  I hate the long drive, but it's all going to be worth it to see everyone.

Here's how it is when we go home: It's like we never left and we haven't been living in New Mexico for 2 years.  We pick up where we left off and we're all just as close as ever.  It's a beautiful thing.

A Few things before I go to bed.

1. Why did I capitalize "few"?
2. Random people started following my tumblr and reblogged pictures of my paintings.  That makes me feel quite good.  My stuff is being appreciated, not just by close friends!
3. Getting lots of compliments on my stuff from family and friends.
4. I need to get my passport tomorrow.
5. I need to do laundry tomorrow.
(I'm not sure which one, but BOTH 4 and 5 won't get done tomorrow.)

I played a lot of Fable 2 tonight.  I forgot Glee was on, good thing I have DVR!


Made it home just in time for the marble sized hail and sideways rain to kick in and start blowing into the side of my house making it sound like I was receiving heavy ammunition from a group of terrorists.

I really need to go to bed.  I'm actually tired.  Here's hoping that there'll be an episode of Law and Order: SVU on!

In my dining room:

Newest painting!