seriously?

alright, i know i was tired when i picked out my clothes for today (the one set i didn't pack) ... but i seriously grabbed two socks that match? wow.

moving boxes

alright, all the boxes are moved. well, almost all. i have two downstairs to take with me tomorrow. other than that, i've got my laptop, a change of clothes and my bike to move and then i'm done.

done getting things to the house, at least. the next two days will require some major focus to get everything unpacked. i still cannot believe how much stuff i have. if you've been to marlana's before - think of it this way: you cannot enter through the front door & walk anywhere. the door will open & you can walk in - but there's no where else in the room you can walk. if you want to get to another room, you have to come in through the side door instead. major focus.

my phone line & internet will be hooked up on wednesday. so expect photos then. if i get too antsy i may run into the office to check e-mail & such. who knows, it could happen. :)

earth hour

i wanted to pass along this information from patti:

earth hour 2008 web site

Hello Friends,
Thought you might be able to participate in Earth Hour 2008. Turn off all your lights between 8pm and 9pm tomorrow (saturday) night. Depending on who you're with, it might be lots of fun or maybe romantic ;)

unearthing treasures

seriously, packing is a lot of work. especially considering i'll be spending the next three days undoing what i've just done.

today, however, i cam across a box that i thought held a lot of books from middle school through college. and they were there: juvenile fiction (tuck everlasting, there's a boy in the girls' bathroom, the face on the milk carton), a high school textbook (they must have been getting new french books) and college textbooks (tossed the criminal justice book, kept the photography). what i didn't expect were all the essays and poetry pieces i found. my final exam for college prep english that included a book i designed filled with writings i'd done throughout the year. a history essay where the professor commented that i could easily get into graduate programs if i was inclined to do so (i wonder if that would have been better than my art major). i found spirals filled with notes from old sunday school classes & Bible studies. i found my old prayer partner notebook. i found workbooks from "youth specialties" conferences. i found the letter i wrote to the board of elders. i found copies of feel-good & scare-them handouts we used for snowflake. i found a note given to all the americorps folks at the library reprimanding us for not filling out our time sheets properly. i found three handmade books - one each from fred, erin and nick. i found the personalized mickey mouse book from dave.

and i found an invitation to fred's 16th birthday party. the invitations were little mermaid, imagine that. do we think it's too late to rsvp? :)

happy friday!

i feel all grown up

i have nipsco service in my name!

so we went to lunch today ...

weather forecast

it appears we should be nestled comfortably in the 40s for the next 10 days. that's not bad for the end of march. we might get spring yet. :)

photo update

the obligatory off-the-balcony shot from the bunco trip to the smoky mountains. yes, the view was more breath-taking during the fall. but there's still something wonderfully majestic about the mountains.




goodies from the baby shower.


and the custom-labeled water bottles.





and the johnny depp set as it was around lunch time saturday. they hadn't started laying the cobblestone road, yet, but they were carrying props into the jail. beth & i now know exactly which two filing cabinets to look for in the movie. lucky us! :)

we will be spending more quality time in crown point this week.

comment fix

jessica: yes, i have three pfr cds. goldie's last day, great lengths and them. i'll hold onto 'em until our next bunco if you want 'em. just let me know.:)

julie: thanks, but i'm going to pass on the tv. there's an extra one here that i'm going to take with me, i think.

laure: oh yes, things ARE always cuter in miniature. this is why babies are so popular.

julie: the baby shower was for my mom's youngest sister. it was great fun & i do have a few photos. i'll get those downloaded & uploaded so everyone can see the delectable goodies we made. :)

dave: wow, this comment has been sitting in my in box a long time! sorry about that.:) but day trips into states totally count. what i meant was that i can't say i visited wyoming just because i drove through a corner of it on my way to colorado. i need to spend some quality time there first. which is probably a much better qualifier than saying i need to at least spend a night there because i actually did spend a night in wyoming, but i still don't think it counts.

anonymous: also an old comment, but timely since it's easter weekend. for the colored hard-boiled eggs: boil your eggs, cut 'em in half & pop out the yolks. then soak the egg whites in jars (we use quart jars) filled with water & food coloring. give the eggs a stir from time to time so they don't stick together. pull 'em out when they've picked up enough color for your liking. the longer they set in the water the deeper the color will be. we've let our set overnight to get good, deep colors.

and now i'm off to shower & stalk johnny depp. i mean, go see the excitement that may or may not be happening in crown point. now if only it wasn't so flipin' cold.

CD purge

alright, so i know i'm moving quite slowly on this whole packing thing. and this is only going to slow it down more. but i'm refusing to move all of my CDs with me. i mean, seriously, i do NOT listen to most of this music. so, i'm going to only take as many as will fit into my nice CD tower. the smaller plastic tower will not be moved.

so if anyone wants to call dibs on any of my CDs, let me know. most of you can probably guess what kind of music i've got lying around from high school.

goodness

today was my friday at work. tomorrow will be spent mostly around the house getting ready for a baby shower. tonight i finished the labels for the bottled water. yes, i said "labels for the bottled water". sometimes the massive cuteness of these events is too much for me.

julie: you'll notice i asked about the photos on tuesday night, you posted the photos wednesday afternoon & i saw them thursday morning. what's this complaining about me not checking your site?

laure: while i can in no way defend the poor grammar of those who write the surveys, i usually do a much better job of correcting them before i post. :)

erin: you can keep your 80 & 90 degree weather. i like my 55 just fine, thank you very much.

jody: the capris were perfect for today! it was so flippin' gorgeous out! granted, my legs were a beautiful winter white ... but they'll get to be less glaring as the weeks go on. :)

speaking of the gorgeous weather ... did you notice how beautiful it was today? drove around with my sun roof wide open at lunch & on the way home. i love the sun-warmth on my head. it was also the perfect day for a shamrock shake.

and speaking of grammar ... i'm disappointed that not a single person (or a married person, for that matter) told me about national grammar day last week! well, okay, mental_floss told me about it, but they told me about it the day after it happened. and then i didn't open the e-mail for a week. and so here i am, more than a week late, wanting to celebrate grammar ... but no one else cares. hmph. i bet they would've cared last week.

alright, on to the next baby-shower-related task. cuteness everywhere ...

random tuesday night

yes, tuesday night randomness posted on wednesday. i'm having some issues getting my ftp site to cooperate & let me log in. hmph.

the stereo in my car tops out at level 45 on the volume control. that is not high enough to adequately hear "my sister's keeper" (by madison greene) while driving to work with a milk truck next to me. at least, not without adjusting the volume on my iPod to compensate for the milk-truck noise.

i had lunch at three floyds today. curry ketchup. mmmmmmm.

i love easter candy. sweetart chicks, ducks & bunnies. nestle crunch eggs. butterfinger eggs. jelly beans. did you know that nerds makes jelly beans now? i know, it seems like everyone puts out jelly beans now - starburst, jolly rancher, smuckers, sweetarts. but i'd never seen the nerds jelly beans before. they're bumpy jelly beans - crunchy shell with chewy insides. or at least, that's what the package claims. i haven't opened mine yet.

speaking of easter candy. when did sweetarts start putting bluck chicks, ducks & bunnies in the bags of chicks, ducks & bunnies? and what happened to the yellow & green chicks, ducks & bunnies? i mean, these are quite possibly my favorite candies of all time ... and they went & monked up the mix! seriously, people. this is very important stuff.

i would like to see the group photo from the smoky mountain trip. *ehem*julie*ehem*

actually, i'd also like to see our photos from the LAST smoky mountain trip. *sigh* this is why it's always important to be the picture taker. always be the picture taker.

for those of you who doubted my resolve - i did, indeed wear sandals today. and i made it known to several co-workers that i will be wearing my capris on thursday, so it would be nothing short of reputation-busting to back out of that. and we're all very aware of my concern for my reputation, right? :)

tuesday survey

i don't usually double-up my postings from myspace to here, but i thought i'd share this survey with you. :)

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
my car insurance. i mean, i'm a very safe driver! i've only totaled one car in my 12 year driving career. so what if i take photos while i drive? and flip through songs on my iPod? and take short naps? i'm a very safe driver! it shouldn't cost that much to insure me!

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
ummm ... wow. thanks for bringing that up, survey.

3. Do you regret losing your virginity to who you lost it to?
no. no regrets with that, yet.

4. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be?
i think i would have started dying my hair pink much earlier on in life.

5.What do you want to be doing right now?
hanging out with a friend.

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
a veterinarian.

8. How many colleges did you attend?
one.

9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
it's my only sweatshirt & i'm a little chilly.

10. What are your thoughts on gas prices?
seriously?

11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you where would it be?
san francisco.

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
seriously?

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
please, don't dream about beetles ...

14. Do you miss being a child?
no, not really.

16. What errand/chore do you despise?
paying bills. :)

17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
i would definitely volunteer to meet my working friends for lunch, yes.

18. Get up early or sleep in?
sleepin' in, baby.

19. What is your favorite cartoon character?
the brain. from pinky & the brain, of course.

20. Favorite thing to do at night with a girl?
why isn't this question asked about a guy?

21. Have you found real love yet?
it depends how you define "real", what kind of love you're talking about, how jaded or optimistic i'm feeling. there are a lot of considerations to made to this type of question, survey.

22. When did you first start feeling old?
i don't, yet.

24. Your favorite lunch meat?
turkey! ham! roast beef! i'm a club kinda girl.

25. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
hives. i really, really don't like wal-mart.

26. Beach or lake?
beach.

27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
no. but don't misread that as i'm just dying to jump in.

28. Do you own property?
no.

29. Favorite Guilty pleasure?
i must say i don't feel guilty about too many things.

30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about?
if i had one, why would i tell you? (sidenote to beth: if you don't want people to find out about igby, you might want to take it off your profile ...)

31. What's your drink?
margarita. frozen. with salt. thank you.

32. Cowboys or Indians?
cowboys.

33. Cops or Robbers?
i'm very torn on this issue. however, there were some mighty fine cops at the garage sale saturday. mighty. fine. cops.

34. Who from high school would you like to run in to?
run into & say hi? or run into with a car?

35. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
chicago public radio. but i'm not much of a radio girl.

36. Norm or Cliff?
cliffy.

37. Grey's or 'The Office?
the office.

38. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
hmmm ... i don't know. i'm sure at the time i made the mistake i wanted to take it back. but this falls in the realm of me not having too many regrets & not really wanting to go back & change things.

39. Do you like the person that sits directly across from you at work?
well, no one really sits directly across from me at work. but i have my beth & my lynn. and we all get along pretty darn well. :)

40. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
johnny depp.

41. Indoors or Outdoors?
depends what i'm doing. is it raining? a heavy rain or a light rain? is it windy or just breezy? is it sunny or overcast? is it really hot? really cold? is there snow on the ground? snowman-building snow or powdery snow? do i have tickets to a baseball game? is there powdery snow on the ground AND i have tickets to a baseball game on an overcast day with a lot of wind?

42. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
yes. once. into a utility pole on my way to see the movie "twister" with my friends.

43. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
nope.

44. Last book you read?
a lifetime of secrets.

45. Do you have a teddy bear?
possibly somewhere in a box waiting for a new generation to love it. no ... that's not true. i have one somewhere in a box that will probably move with me. i've had it since i was a little kid. it was named timmy after my first crush & then re-named kevin after my second. all together now ... awwwwwwww.

46. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
the gates hotel in san francisco. that place was STRANGE. but cheap.

47. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
mendocino.

48. Do you go to church?
not very often.

49. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
i'm torn on that. either one would be interesting.

50. How old are you?
29.

comment responses

jody: movie night at chez 'becca? it could happen. :)

erin: no, i did not. however, there are still videos in the basement to be looked through. honestly, though, i think those are gone. they were either taped over or tossed away.

julie: nope. the old tv was put out for the garbage man, as it had stopped working reliably. and the old entertainment center has been stripped for parts & is now part of my dad's scrap wood pile.

laure: of course you're my favourite red head! isn't that what i said?

weather it be sunny ...

today's forecast still calls for a high of 46 degrees. i will celebrate our jump into the 40s by wearing sandals. and on thursday, when the high is supposed to be 50 degrees, i will celebrate by wearing capris.

i'm a firm believer in making your own reasons to celebrate.

mom & dad bought a new tv this past week. that required them buying a tv table, as the new tv doesn't fit in the old entertainment center. that required cleaning out the old entertainment center to make room for the tv table. which made it a really good time to go through all the videos inside the entertainment center & claim what's mine. moral of the story: never underestimate the amount of stuff you've collected over the years.

okay, it's not really a moral. but i seriously own a lot more videos than i thought i did.

and i found my audio tapes from all-region band & two years at band camp. yay! now to just find myself a tape player ...

thoughts on monday

did anyone else notice it's supposed to be 47 degrees & sunny tomorrow? we might get spring weather yet! (should there be a comma before the word yet? my grammar skills are going downhill quickly. given that & the fact i misspelled the word grammar on the first try ... well, it doesn't bode well for a happy monday, does it?)

frank left last week's secrets up on postsecret this week. he posted new secrets, too, but last week's are down below this week's. i wonder if he plans to make a habit of this. i often wished he had an archive of old secrets. even just one week will be nice for the weeks i miss.

i'm hungry. i blame it on eating crackers & pimento cheese spread when i came home last night. i do love pimento cheese spread.

the chicago performance was fabulous. i enjoyed the first act better than the second, but all around it was a good show. i do believe, however, that if i can say hello to more than 4 people i work with it should be considered a work event, and i should be able to take comp time for working on the weekend. :)

ultimate cubicle prank

keep in mind, *they* call it the ultimate cubicle prank. while i find it funny, i'm not sure it's really the ultimate.

long weekend

a week ago today i was asleep on the sofa in our smoky mountain cabin. i was relaxed & having a great time. but, as everyone knows, all good things must come to an end. so on tuesday i went back to work. every day since then has been so chaotic my body had no idea what do with itself when i woke up this morning & didn't have to run somewhere.

that having been said - all the chaos paid off. tuesday through thursday we were gearing up for two huge events. friday was spent here. a fancy, first-class event honoring local businessmen who have each had incredible inpact on our communities. and saturday was spent here. totally different end of the spectrum, but still a successful and well-attended event.

and today i slept until after noon & am still sitting around in my 'jamas at a quarter after 3 in the afternoon. :) tonight is the performance of Chicago at the star plaza. mom & i will be attending. also a work event of sorts ... but one that doesn't require any work, just a chance to enjoy. between now & then my plans include laundry and possibly packing a box or two.

that or i might just take a nap. hmmm ...

happy sunday!

finish the sentence ...

1. Hi my name is... silver girl.

2. Never in my life have I been... to south dakota.

3. The one person who can drive me nuts is... a co-worker that i'd prefer to not discuss.

4. High school... gave me a lot of fabulous friendships.

5. When I'm nervous... i either talk a lot or clam up.

6. The last time I cried was... a few weeks ago.

7. If I were to get married right now my maid of honor would be... in her pajamas, probably. i mean, it's almost 10 o'clock at night - why would i be getting married right now?

8. My hair is... in need of a good cutting.

9. When I was 5... i did a lot of things i don't remember.

10. Last Christmas... included a trip to atlanta.

11. I should be... sleeping soon.

12. When I look down I see... my lap top.

13. The happiest recent event was... being in tennessee for the weekend.

14. If I were a character on 'Friends' I'd be... much richer than i am right now.

15. By this time next year... i will be thirty!

16. My current gripe is... the fact that rubbing my eyes made both of my contacts blurry so i can't see clearly.

17. I have a hard time understanding... quantum mechanics.

19. You know I like you when... i joke with you.

20. If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be... my mom.

21. Take my advice... chocolate covered gummi bears will make you happy.

22. Something that I really want to buy is... a fancy sewing machine.

23. If you visited the place I was born... you'd be in a hospital.

24. I plan to visit... st. simons island.

25. If you spend the night at my house... i'd make you breakfast in the morning.

26. I'd stop my wedding if... it seemed like the right thing to do? this is a strange question to me.

27. The world could do without... broken promises.

28. I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than... the butt of a dog.

29. Most recent thing I've bought myself... a shamrock shake.

30. Most recent thing someone else bought me... a margarita at cheers, i think.

31. My favorite blonde is... alicia.

32. My favorite brunette is... johnny depp.

33. My favorite redhead is... laure.

34. My middle name is... renee.

35. This morning I... went into work late.

36. The animals I would like to see flying besides birds... gophers.

37. Once, at a bar... i shared drinks with steve & lynn. i miss steve.

38. Last night I was... up later than i should have been.

39. There's this guy I know who... doesn't know.

40. Hmmm another one of these... surveys. i love them.

41. A better name for me would be... (i'll let you fill in this one. i like my name.)

42. Tomorrow I am... going into work after lunch.

43. Tonight I am... going to sleep.

hello

the girls from tennessee say hello.