Happy Halloween From the Gang!

Now, here are two dogs EXCITED to be wearing costumes. NOT! Dixie really was as irritated as she looks and after a minute or two, she figured out how to undress herself.

The ladybug costume was about two sizes too small for Bear Bear, but once we swapped costumes, he was super excited to be getting so much attention, giggles and treats!

Dixie finally "agreed" to look at the camera long enough for me to snap her picture. Little booger.

Now, for the grand finale, a Halloween video from our house to yours! We had Dixie in the ladybug costume, and the head is so big it falls over her eyes. I was sitting with her on the floor with a piece of cheese for Bear in my hand as I tried to coax him to look at the camera. Meanwhile, blind Dixie smelled the cheese and went berzerk sniffing for it. She has an eating disorder, seriously. She would eat herself to death if we let her. Oh, Sid wants me to disclose that he's wearing coveralls as part of his Jason costume.

Bored To Tears

I'm bored. How bored am I? So bored I'm considering jumping out of a second story window just to stir things up.

My state of boredom has heightened my senses, mainly my hearing. Here's a sampling of the sounds filling my ears at the moment:

1. Dixie. Where do I begin? If she not snoring, she's licking herself. If she's not licking herself, she's snorting. If she's not snorting, she's got her nose to the ground sniffing for any traces of food. At the moment, it's a mixture of snoring and whistling. If I were a mean person, I'd holler, "Who wants a bath?" She would be off the couch and hiding in no time.

2. The clock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Your. Day. Is. Boring. You. Are. A. Loser. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

3. The wind. When is it not windy in Celina? Never. Ever. Today the gusts are more significant - howling, rattling the windows. Either the wind is responsible for the noises in my garage (mainly the garage door rattling) or a murderous villian is rummaging around out there. Either way, it's noisy and annoying.

4. The biggest fly in the history of the world. He's been bzzzzing around the living room for several days now. When I'm not bored to tears, I hardly notice him. When I have noticed him, it's been apparent that he holds the world record for fly size. Today, he will die.

5. Bear dreaming. Under normal circumstances, Bear Bear dreaming is absolutely precious. He growls, he moves his legs as if running, he whimpers. It's hilarious. This afternoon, he's growling and I wish he'd catch whatever creatures he's chasing in his dream so he can shut up already.

6. The silence of the washing machine. Another load is complete and the silence is screaming at me, "If you're so bored, get your butt in here and start another load!" A woman's work is never done.

Well, my blog posting is complete. Now what in the heck am I going to do next? Sigh.......

Time Flies When You're Old as Dirt

Can anyone believe it's the end of October- already? I finally understand what I used to overhear grown ups saying to one another, along with their compulsory commentary on the weather, "Boy, the older you get, the more time flies." As a kid, they might as well have been speaking Latin because I sure couldn't translate. Time is time, right? 60 seconds is a minute, 60 minutes is an hour, 24 hours is 1 day.

Now than I'm ancient and nearly 30, I find myself speaking the same "grown up" language, weather commentary included. If I start inquiring about your gas mileage and whether or not you "made good time" on your last road trip like my Grandad always did? Well, that means the deal is done - I'm old. I find it simultaneously heartwarming and distressing when I hear myself uttering more of my Grandad's sayings. My favorite? "I'll tell you this and then I'll shut up." I always hid my smile when he almost never actually shut up and would usually launch into a new story without missing a beat. Now, I find myself using lots of grown up cliches and I can attest that time really does seem to fly the older you get.

I am flabbergasted that Christmas is 8 weeks away. Heck, forget Christmas 2008 - I'm flabbergasted that I graduated from Texas A&M SIX years ago, highschool TEN years ago, lived in Dallas for FIVE years, my precious beagle Dixie is NINE years old, Sid and I have been married for SIX years.... Goodness, life is such a whirlwind, isn't it? The funny thing is that I still feel like a kid. I don't feel like an adult. Maybe that comes with parenthood, or turning 30? It doesn't matter, I suppose. 1 day is 24 hours - always has been and always will be, no matter how old we get.

Miss Me?

I lost that bloggy feeling for a few days, but it's Monday and I'm back in business, baby.

The weekend had an outstanding beginning, with Sid walking through the front door after being in Midland/Odessa all week at a tradeshow. I don't know who was more excited to see him - me or the dogs. Dixie and Bear totally hogged him for the first 5 minutes.

Because I lost 25 pounds, we headed to Frisco to buy new Nikes! With a stop at LaHa for Fajitas, a detour to Cheesecake Factory for a shared slice of cheesecake (don't judge me...I had the available calories for it), Barnes & Noble for a new book (as if I NEED a new book), we were off to buy my new shoes. Party animals that we are, we topped the night with a quick two mile walk around the neighborhood. In the spirit of Friday night, Sid carried an enormous boom box and I covered myself in glow sticks and we didn't just walk....we boogied. I might be kidding, but you'll never know.

Saturday was a lazy one. After a gloriously kicked back day, Stacey and I went back and forth about our evening plans. Haunted house? Dinner? Movie? We finally agreed on Starbucks and the Gainesville haunted house. With hot chocolate in our bellies, we headed to Dr. Haunt's Chamber of Fears. First we were forced to endure a video about Dr. Haunt, who escaped from the mental hospital on Halloween a bazillion years ago, killing almost 100 people in the process. When the video ended, Stacey, with a straight face, said "I need to Google this Dr. Haunt. I wonder if it's real?" Yes, I'm sure it's real and his name just happened to be "Dr. Haunt" and it's a total coincidence that he was born and died on October 31. In Stacey's defensive, she's never ever been to a haunted house. How is that possible? Part two of the haunted experience was "Bloody Fun." It was bloody. It was not fun. Blood splatters everywhere, strobe lights and.....clowns. Enough said.

Dr. Haunt's Chamber of Fears was our final obstacle. A local highschool thesbian dude (although Scott swears it was a girl) hollered things like, "Get. In. LIIIIIIINE!!!!!" and "Shut. Your. MOOOUUTH!!!!!" "I don't like you....your voice is....squeaky," he said to me. I really wanted to reply that I didnt like HIM because he was ugly, but that wouldn't have gone over well. We made it through the Chamber of Fears alive, I'm proud to say, and we had a ghoulishly fabulous evening.

After an uneventful Sunday, Monday woke me up with a giant slap across the face. I'm dragging this morning. Coffee Break!

Glorious Wednesday

When I left the house this afternoon to meet Amanda for lunch, the temperature, according to my Jeep thermometer, was 75 degrees. When I pulled into my driveway after lunch, the temperature read 55 degrees. To capture the beauty of our first significant cold front, I journeyed the backroads around our house and captured some photographs.

My Myspace Survey

Myspace surveys are a guilty pleasure. One, almost always the survey was written by a 12-year-old girl who thinks she's cleverly going to find out all about her crush of the week when (and if) he answers the stupid thing. Two, though I rarely fill them out, it's just plain fun, especially when you're home alone and have nothing better to do. Because I'm lazy, I thought I'd just post the survey I filled out tonight.

1
ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
I was fishing on the pier in Rockport with friends, acting like a goofy fool. I leaned over the pier with a little net to catch some tiny little fishies swimming by, mostly just trying to win a laugh from the group. I jumped up like a nutcase and an old nail caught my knee on the way up. Oh how the mighty fall.
2
WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
photographs of NYC, painted tin tiles, metal artwork
3
DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP?
A while back, Sid said I giggled in my sleep. He thought it was cute. I thought it was creepy. If I ever hear him giggle in the middle of the night, only to find him sound asleep, I'll swear I'm in the middle of a horror movie and he's about to have a night terror where he'll try to kill me with a butcher knife. Oops. Got a little carried away. Can you tell Sid is out of town and I stayed up last night watching horror movies?
4
WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Everything! I'm a musicholic. I love jazz, I love R&B, I love country, I love Christian, I love classical, I love alternative, I love folk. Get the point?
5
DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
8:32 AM?
6
WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
Sid to be home. I miss him.
7
WHAT DO YOU MISS?
See #6
8
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)?
My wedding ring. Sid surprised me on our 5th wedding anniversary with a brand new setting that he picked out - it's perfect.
9
HOW TALL ARE YOU?
5'7"
10
DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
You betcha.
11
DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
Not usually.
12
THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
The Biggest Loser - when the blonde girl had a video phone call from her family.
13..WHATS YOUR INITIALS?
LAP.
14
LIKE MUSIC?
It's my drug.
15
MOST LISTENED TO BAND?
Hmmm...Muse, Travis...just to name a couple.
16
COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
Oh, I'm a coffee girl. I love coffee. I could swim in coffee. Maybe I'm swimming in coffee right now. How would you know?
17
FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
(laughing outloud at Whitney's response!) Mushrooms
18
IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
A gigantic Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard.
20
HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?
What the....no. Nor have I ever had even a fleeting thought of such a thing. Wow. I'm feeling disturbed.
21
WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
Dude. That's deep. I have no idea, but I'm sure it came from my Mom.
22
DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?
Sigh...here we go with the 7th grader questions.
23
ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
Nope. I'm normal jointed.
24
FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
You know, I don't think I have a favorite. If presented with a $1000 giftcard to the store of my choosing, I'd pick Banana Republic...or Nordstrom....that's the best I can do with this question.
26
DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
Dixie and Bear Bear
27
WHAT KIND IS IT?
Beagle and hound mix.
28
WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS
LEAVING?
Actually, I did. Sid and I met the summer before going off to college and I feel in love with him anyway.
29
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU:
Sigh....you answered the question in the question. Tell them! "Person, you mean so much to me." Done. I guess you could use sky-writing. Or the jumbotron at a ball game.
30 .
SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
13
31
BLONDS OR BRUNETTES??
I'm a brunette now. Kind of. And Edward Cullen prefers brunettes. So there.
32
WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL MOST OFTEN?
number 2 on my cell phone - it's Sid. (number one is my voicemail)
33
WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
Working my butt off and barely losing a pound.
34
HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?
Mexico, Jamaica, Caymans - does that count?
35
YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Luby's cheesecake. I haven't had a slice since the day my Grandad died this summer (Sid bought it to cheer me up) but I often crave it.
36
MET ANYONE FAMOUS?
Yep! Rhett Akins and Wade Hayes to name a couple. Wow - they really went far.
37
FIRST JOB?
Working in my Mom's office
38
EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
Of course! I'm laughing at loud right now thinking about it.
41
WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?
blogging
40
HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?
yep. Yuck!
42
WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
My breathtaking beauty. Cars often crash when I walk by. Birds suddenly appear every time I'm near. Men go blind at the sight of me.
43
HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?
Um, yeah. I've had braces. Three times. On, off. On, off. On, off. Fun times.
44
WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
Vacation!
45
HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
Three!
46
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Lee is a family name (after Robert E. Lee originally, if I remember correctly) so I guess my parents were feeling creative when the decided to change up the spelling.
47
DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
For sure, especially shooting stars.
49
WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?
Oats & Honey - I think. It's a Bed Head product. Sounds like horse food. Whatever.
50
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Sure.
51
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
turkey
52
ANY BAD HABITS?
No. Not a one. Except maybe that I don't hang up my towels. Or my clothes. And I drink too much diet soda.
53
WHAT CD ARE YOU MOST EMBARRASSED TO HAVE ON YOUR SHELF?
Hmmmm.....tough call. Maybe Will Smith?
54
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Um, yeah! I'm awesome.
56
DO LOOKS MATTER?
Well, yes they do. Not beauty, but the way you present yourself to the world matters. You wouldn't wear sweat pants and your retainer to the office, now would you? Would you?
57
HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
Driving. Music. Talking it out.
58
WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
Starbucks.
60
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
My "My Child" dolls. Jeremy, Jessica, Julie and Jeffrey. I was an awesome mom. Sure, Jessica broke her neck and got left at the Schulenburg Dairy Queen, but we can't all be perfect, now can we?
61
HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
No idea.
62
WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?
I think I was too old when Barney came out. But I would've loved that giant purple dinosaur.
63
DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Of course not. Sarcasm is the laziest form of humor.
64
MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?
Are you kidding? I have to pick just one? I'll take both.
65
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Money, fame, beauty, a great set of wheels. Seriously, kindness, humor, honesty. Relationships can't survive without all three.
66
WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
Leigh Leigh, Mizzer
67
WHATS YOUR FAVORITE BAND/SINGER?
Dude, did we not already go over this?
68
WHATS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
I'll pick three. How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, The Office.
70
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Cookies and Cream.
71
DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?
Yes I do and I'm proud of it.
72
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
Tonight.
73
Plans for tonight?
Sleep in about an hour.
74
WHATS THE FASTEST YOU HAVE GONE IN A CAR?
120?
75
DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
I couldn't care less.
76
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
Wind blowing through the blinds.
77
LAST THING YOU DRANK?
Water
78
LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Siddy
79
THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE/SAME SEX?
Eyes/Smile
80
FAVORITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG?
Maybe imagine by John Lennon. Because, is he saying there is no God? And is he saying we should be socialists? No thank you, Obama. No thank you.
81
FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
Cyclists. I hate cyclists. Why do you ride on the street when the sidewalk is so perfect for your stupid bike? And why do you insist on riding hilly country roads with no shoulder? Do you realize someone could come flying over the hill, at a perfectly legal speed, and still hit you on accident? Idiots.
82
FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR?
October
83
ZODIAC SIGN?
Gemini
85
WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
Reddish brown with caramel highlights
86
EYE COLOR?
Brown
87
SHOE SIZE
This is getting personal. 9.
88
FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
Chick Fil A. Perfection.
89
FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
RA, La Ha, Nicolas, Jaspers
90
YOU LIKE SUSHI?
I listed RA first on #89. I love sushi!
91
Last thing u watched?
Biggest Loser
92
FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
I love New Years Eve. And Halloween. And Christmas Eve.
93
PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?
I'm a brilliant pianist. Sike!
94
REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?
Republican.
95
KISSES OR HUGS?
always both
96
RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
relationships, please!
97
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?
Hmmmm...Diet Coke from Sonic?
98
WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU HAVE?
I'm a Jeep Girl
99
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
100
DESCRIBE YOUR LIFE:
Satisfying

Sleepless in Celina

I cannot keep my eyelids up this morning and my bed is whispering to me from upstairs, "Leigh....come back." Sid has been out of town since Sunday and last night I stayed up later than my body prefers, out of boredom I suppose, emailing with Stef (one of my favorite Baytown gals who lives in NY) and Amanda about our upcoming trip to NYC. I then pull out a good book, reading until my eyes beg me to stop. Next, I do the worst possible thing one can do late at night...I turn on the TV. I become transfixed by 4th Floor with Juliette Lewis and can not take my eyes off the screen. Ever heard of it? Didn't think so. It's a scary movie...about a girl... who lives alone. Uh huh. Home alone, late at night, watching a scary movie, about a girl home alone. Brilliant. I finally turn off the TV. A few minutes pass when I see someone breathing behind my curtains! Ok, I THOUGHT it was a person. Actually, I forgot the windows were open and the breeze was slowly spilling into my room. I turn over and close my eyes when someone shines a light in my eyes! Oops, it was just my glow in the dark remote control (hey, it's bright, okay?). Just as I'm finally falling into a beautiful deep sleep, barking erupts from outside my door. Great. Bear is always Mr. Tough Guy when Sid is out of town. I let him bark for a few minutes but when he doesn't quit, I open the door and sit with him at the window in the gameroom staring out into the darkness alongside my furry friend. He licks my face. In Bear language, that means, "Sorry Mom. Got carried away watching the critters and I knew you'd come join me if I could only wake you up." Bear does this two more times - once at 4am and then again before 7am. Dixie, by the way, barely stirs from her deep slumber as all this drama unfolds. Sigh.

Tuesday's Talk

Sid and I love sleeping in the same house as Makenzie because she gives the sweetest wake up calls. Tuesday morning, we heard her footsteps travel from her room to ours and ever so slowly, the door creeeeeeps open, her face peaks in, and then we hear the most precious, sleepy voice, "Leigh Leigh? Are you awake?"

Sid and I hopped out of bed and joined Makenzie on the couch for some before-school-cartoons and breakfast. When Ryan woke up, the three of us ran over to him in his bouncy chair to kiss him good morning and listen to him "talk." Miss Ken Ken had to go to school, so Siddy and I were on baby duty until Cindy returned from dropping Kenz off. As usual, Ryan was a perfect little angel. Sid left for work, and Cindy and I headed to the new outlet center on 290. Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Coach, BCBG, Juicy, Banana Republic, Elie Tahari, Ann Taylor....and our only purchase came from The GAP. Go figure! And naturally, the sky opened up with solid sheets of rain the entire time we were there...and of course, only part of the center was covered. Cindy, the rebel she is, did some shoplifting while we were there. She lives life on the edge. Oh yeah - by shoplifting, I mean she placed a baby shirt on the stroller and then we walked out with it, and though we returned it we were pretty embarrassed!

We picked up our favorite kindergartener and headed home. Kenzie was so excited because Colton asked her to sit by him if they watched a movie in class. That seals the deal, you know. They are officially an item. We spent the afternoon playing games and loving on baby Ryan, and then Kenz had a sudden urge for some Hannah Montana. She pulled our her karaoke machine and put on the show of a lifetime! I was trying so hard not to laugh because I didn't want her to stop or think that I was making fun of her. She is such a ham and destined to be a star whatever path she choses in life (although she told us three separate times she would be a "horse jumper" when she grows up). After supper, she promised a real live concert, 8 pm sharp (of course she couldn't miss Scooby Doo at 7:30), and even made invitations for her show.

If I adored that child any more than I already do, I would explode. She is kind but assured. Extroverted but humble. Tenderhearted but very strong. As for Mr. Baby Ryan, I can't wait to see his personality. Already, he is loving, easy-going, and perceptive. I miss my babies already!

Monday Mania

Monday morning, Ken Ken woke up around 7, and if there was a theme for our day, it was, "Let the games begin!"

We hit the carpet running! Breakfast, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, cartoons, play time with Ryan, Don't Break the Ice, Sorry. Playing games with Kenzie is always entertaining. She is very competitive, she makes her own rules, and the rules can change at any minute to ensure her victory. For instance, "Ummm....if you land on that space, you don't have to do what it says if you don't want to. Just say, "I don't want to do that."" Or, "When I pass go, I get as much money as I want!" Or my favorite - as I'm moments from winning (accidentally - I try not to win!), she'll exclaim, "Time for another game, Leigh Leigh!" Cindy says Randy enforces the rules when they play and it drives Kenz nuts, but Leigh Leigh leaves the lesson teaching to her Daddy. But like Nana tells her, "Kenz, we'll play by your rules now, but when you play with your friends, you better follow the rules or they will revolt!"

After lunch, we watercolored, made necklaces and played beads - you know, the kind you stick on pegs and then iron to make them stick? Sid and I still to this day laugh when, last Thankstmas, (our made up holiday between Thanksgiving and Christmas) we played beads with Makenzie. She sat back, all cozy and warm in her chair, and watched us like a hawk, dictating which colors to use, what pattern to use, which shape to use. When we were almost done, she said, "Siddy! You are my best earner. Finish up those beads and go earn!" Of course, what she meant to say was iron, but we laughed until we wet our pants at our little mob boss.

Kenzie couldn't wait for Siddy to get home from work, and when he did, it was time for more games, hide and seek, and Scooby Doo and by bedtime, I was pooped!

Monday's Media:

Sunday's Adventures

As you all know by now, Sid and I headed down to Houston on Sunday. Sid needed to visit the Houston branch for work - I needed some Auntie time with Makenzie and Ryan (Cindy & Randy ain't too shabby either).

We arrived Sunday afternoon and knocked on the door. I could see Makenzie through the glass and hear her hollering, "They're here, Momma! They're here!" (I had a brief flashback of my grandparents or cousins coming to visit when I was little - I would officially freak out the moment their car tires hit the driveway.) Is there sweeter act of love than having a child jump in your arms for a hug? One moment after stepping through the door, Makenzie ran full speed into my arms, and after settling down asked me in her sweet little voice, "What took you so long, Leigh Leigh? I was waiting all day!" What about Ryan, you ask? Well, he couldn't be any cuter or snugglier if he tried. He is such a good baby - he loves to be held, he loves to observe, and he is full of hilarious expressions! Oh, and he loves his Aunt Leigh Leigh. How do I know? I just do.

Sunday evening, we met up with Mom & Paul, who flew into Houston from Miami after a glorious cruise. At dinner, we were informed by Makenzie that she now has two candidates for marriage. Jaden, who she's been claiming as her husband for at least two years, and Colton, who is in her kindergarten class. "Does Colton want to marry you?," I ask (because Jaden very much wants to marry her). "Well, yeah!" she replied, as if it were the dumbest question on earth. After dinner, we headed outside to the water fountain so Ken Ken could make a few wishes and then piled in the Tahoe and headed for home. After Kenz's suggestion that we have sleepover, and make pallets on the floor, and drink hot chocolate (not hot cocoa, hot CHOCOLATE...there is obviously a big distinction in her opinion), the moment we got home for dinner, she flew up the stairs to get all the blankets we would need. At bedtime, we snuggled under the covers and watched cartoons. Kenz, the master channel flipper, landed on Star Wars (the cartoon version) and said that she LOVED Star Wars. Not coincidentally, Star Wars happens to be Colton's favorite cartoon. After about five minutes (all the while I'm wondering how this child could possibly like Star Wars), she decided she'd had enough, and asked if we could tell each other stories instead. She started with Golilocks and the Three Bears, then The Three Little Pigs (complete with sound effects) and then she decided to make up her own tale and it went a little something like this, "Once upon a time there was a girl, and she had a horse named Flicka....No!...Pebbles. Yes, Pebbles. And she and Pebbles rode through the forest. [giggles] The girl's name was Kate....No!...Her name was Makenzie. [long pause] Leigh Leigh? Can you finish the story?" After a few minutes she asked in a sleepy little voice, "Leigh Leigh? I'm tired. Can we go to sleep?" [pause for five minutes] "Leigh Leigh! I'm not even tired. Do we HAVE to go to sleep?"

Sunday's Photos:

Don't forget about me! I promise to blog soon, hopefully by this afternoon.

Music is My Favorite Food

Marie posted a fun blog today. "The idea is to tap into people's play list and see...well, what makes them tick. What's their jam? What makes them get going in the morning or for a run? So, I've posted 10 of my songs, chosen at random thanks to [my S-Pod's] shuffle and explained my reasons. I thought it was sort of fun and hopefully not too embarrassing. You should do the same!"

I added a link to Amazon so you can sample the song for free! (just click the play symbol - pick the first song when there is a list)

1."Boston" - Augustana

I love this song and it's beautiful melody. And sometimes I too want to go to Boston and start a new life where no one knows my name. Well, Sid would know my name, of course, because I would never move without him. One of our favorite dinner conversations is where we would move if we could live anywhere. Boston is almost always on the list.

2. "The Frog Prince" - Keane (Youtube was all I could find!)

Who doesn't love Keane, especially if you love being entranced by music. I'll let the lyrics speak for me about why I love this song. "An old fairytale told me, the simple heart will be prized again. A toad will be our king, and ugly ogres our heroes. Then you'll shake your fist at the sky"Oh why did I rely on fashions and small fry?"

3. "Breath" - Breaking Benjamin

Love, love, love this song. I love when the chorus slows down and then rocks out. Such a powerful song.

4. "Coming to Terms" - Carolina Liar

Carolina Liar is a fabulous band and this a great song to chill to when in the car. I love the mellow beat, and I'll probably be singing it for the rest of the day.

5. "Jolene" - Ray LaMontagne

What can I say? This guy is simply brilliant. His voice speaks to me. He's like holding a perfect cup of coffee in one hand, your soulmate's hand in the other, sitting in a rocking chair on a wrap around porch, witnessing the most stunning sunset you've ever seen. Beautiful. "Jolene" isn't my favorite song of his, but I do love it.

6. "Fix You" - Cold Play

I love melancholy songs. They make me feel, whether I can truly relate to the lyrics or not. "Fix You" is one of my favorite Coldplay songs, and it always reminds me how much Sid loves me. That know matter what I'm going through or how broken I am, I can feel him saying, "Lights will guide you home, and ingnite your bones. I will try to fix you."

7. "Please be Patient With Me" - Wilco

There is something so simple and beautiful about this song. If I close my eyes, I could be sitting in a cool coffee shop in some cool city surrounded by cool people, all of us swaying our heads to the beat.

8. "Last in Love" - George Strait

Oh, George. I've loved you since the 4th grade. I've been to at least a dozen concerts. You make me laugh. You make my cry. You make my heart skip a beat. This song never got much attention, but it should have. I think the melody of this "Pure Country" soundtrack tune is so pretty.

9. "Same Old" - Kate Walsh

Kate Walsh is amazing. I adore her cool, sultry voice and I love this slow, soothing song. Talk about being hypnotized by a song - this girl is a master.

10. "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" - Travis

Haven't we all felt that way? If I could only listen to one band for the rest of my life, I might pick Travis. I love them that much. There is such diversity in their songs, so their music is never, ever boring. I also love "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer and this song is on her playlist for the book. I think of Bella. I think of Edward. Edward, Edward, Edward. MMMMMMmmm.

Oops I Did It Again

Remember back in May a little blog I posted titled "Chocolate is from the Devil?" Click here to refresh your memory: http://leighsproject365.blogspot.com/2008/05/chocolate-is-from-devil.html Well, oops! I did it again.

Sid met up with his parents yesterday afternoon and along the way, Sid Sr. and Linda stopped at the world's best barbeque joint, Woody's, in Centerville. The sweet parents they are, they bought a huge bag of jerky for Sid and a huge bag of fudge for me. Sid's Dad is notorious for loading everyone up on sweets. If you substitute drugs for sweets, our family gatherings would be an after school special. "Leigh! Sid! Come in here and get some of this good stuff. No? What do you mean no? Everyone's doing it, you sissys."

So, Sid comes home last night with a giant bag of fudge. Okay, giant is an overstatement, but there were 5 or 6 pieces of enormous fudge squares. I happen to be a chocolate lover, but I rarely indulge myself. However, yesterday was an especially low calorie day for me so I thought to myself, "Self? If you're going to cheat, today's a good day for it." At that, me and self walked over to the bag of fudge, took a tiny bite, and walked away. A few minutes later, self pestered me, "Is it really so bad to eat the whole piece? It was a gift, for Pete's sake." So, self gobbled the entire piece. And after dinner, I gobbled giant piece #2. It wasn't until our evening walk that I realized this girl was drunk. As a skunk.

If you think chocolate can't intoxicate you, then you better start Googling, my friends. I was giggling at illegal volumes, slurring my speech and I remember hollering at Sid that if a snake "slizzled" across the road I was really going to lose it. We actually finished our four mile walk in about an hour by some miraculous intervention, and as we sat down to watch Must See TV, I looked into the eyes of the son of the man responsible for providing Satan's special treat, "When I'm sick as a dog in the morning, it's not the flu. It's chocolate."

This morning, I woke up two hours before my alarm went off with the most painful headache I've ever had, and I've had some bad headaches. I truly thought I was having an aneurysm, and the pain was so bad I burst into tears, which naturally, made the headache even worse. I tried taking a hot bath but that only made me more nautious. Sid tucked me back in bed, and I Googled "how to cure a chocolate overdose" on my Blackberry and found an article titled, "How to Survive a Chocolate Hangover." Handy, right? Her first sentence was, "It's hard to believe that the powerful antioxidants of chocolate can lead to a hazardous condition. It's hard to believe that just one or two potent truffles can make your mind revel in glee for just short of an hour, only to leave you mumbling and even disoriented an hour later." Yeah, where were you last night, Sherlock Holmes? The author suggested drinking a cappuccino (the caffeine clears your head, the milk soothes sour stomach, according to her), which made me want to hurl at the time, but when I finally was able to drag myself out of bed, I decided I'd give her remedy a shot (ha - get it? A shot? An ESPRESSO shot?) The first sip made my stomach turn, but I swear, by the time I was finished, I felt a billion times better.

I'd like to say I'll never eat chocolate again but I don't like to lie. Maybe next time I'll exhibit some self-control. Or maybe not. Who can know the future?

Hump Day Ramblings

I actually got to use our new espresso machine this morning. You will recall, yesterday I was rudely interrupted by a terrifying mouse when I was tiny steps away from the machine. But, ding dong the mouse is dead and my belly was very happy to be filled with a warm cappuccino for breakfast.

Amanda and I had plans to meet for lunch this afternoon to celebrate her birthday. I told her to pick the place and designated the meal as a “birthday lunch” which purposely implied that I would be buying. I planned on making a quick stop at Barnes and Noble or Half Price Books to purchase a gift card, because, like me, Amanda is a book lover. [I’m compelled to interject that my “last minute” preparations have zero correlation to my love for Amanda. I am a procrastinator. It’s who I am and what I do.] As I prepared to leave the house, I began collecting my things and discovered that my wallet was nowhere to be found because I’m an idiot and left it in Sid’s truck. I scrounged the house for cash and ended up with a whopping jackpot of $22. Not a problem… if I didn’t have an empty gas tank…and if I was only buying lunch for one…and if I didn’t need to buy a gift. I took out another $20 (the max you can get with no ID) from the bank after answering 17 billion questions to verify my identity, put a drizzle of gas in my tank, grabbed a gift card on the way for less than I'd planned to spend, and had barely enough cash to buy my lunch. L.A.M.E.

Now, are you wondering about my new hair? I spent days researching, preparing, planning. I went in with two pictures and explained in very simple terms what I wanted.

Me: [pointing to picture #1] I want this hair cut, but NOT that short [I make digusted, horrified face to show her how passionately I do not want short hair]. Picture that hairstyle three inches longer.
Hair Girl: [name withheld for her protection] Gotcha! That haircut a few inches longer, dramatically shorter in the back than the front. [takes a pause to admire herself in the mirror, but hey - if I looked like her, I would admire myself too]
Me: [Feeling very confident that she understand my wishes] Yep!
Me: Now, for color [pointing to picture #2] I really like this color. Warm brown, lots of caramel highlights. NO RED! I’m sick and tired of my hair fading overnight.
Hair Girl: Warm brown, nothing too dark, full of highlights. Maybe I’ll pick a shade with red undertones? That way you have a tiny bit of red but it won’t fade?
Me: If it won’t fade, great. Let’s get down to business, girlfriend! (ha ha - I didn’t really say that)

After all of the discussion AND the photographs, Hair Girl chopped my hair off and made it exactly like the hairstyle photograph and the exact opposite of “warm brown” with tons of red, making her claim of "no fading" impossible. Don’t get me wrong, the color is gorgeous and the highlights are fabulous....well, if you pretend not to notice the glob of brown right at my temple where she must’ve sneezed when she was applying color. That’s better than earlier this year when I left the salon looking like Paulie Walnuts from the Sopranos. I must admit that Sid and I peed our pants when I pretended to be Paulie Walnuts for ten minutes, but that’s not the point. Why do I put up with her mishaps? Is it because she charges me $120 TOTAL for hair cut, color and highlights when Dallas salons would demand $60 for the cut, $60 for color and at least $150 for full highlights? Yes, that’s exactly why. Sid loves it, and I can tell he’s not lying because, let’s face, he is a horrible liar. He says the color makes my “eyes pop out” and the cut is “sexy.” And I did get hit on at Starbucks yesterday, but I should probably disclose that the man was creepy and 20 years older than me. So why do I feel like a butch truck driver? Maybe because I hate myself with short hair?

So, here is a photo. The tricky thing is when I take a photo with a flash, the red is really obvious but in person, I think it's more brown. What do you think? And don't lie. I do a MEAN Paulie Walnuts.

And for the record, this is the photo I took her (from a virtual makeover site). Uh-huh. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Totally different.

This was me "before" and I have to admit, the "after" is much, much better. I think I just need time to adjust to the chin length cut and the dark color.

Just For The Record...

I don't enjoy having a suffering mouse in my home. I didn't tower over the little fellow as I hurled curse words and evil cackles in his direction. My fear of mice is so severe that there might as well have been a hungry bear or an angry rattlesnake in my pantry. The terror takes over and I go into panic mode - Get. Me. Out. Of. This. House.....NOW!

Last year, we caught a mouse in a homemade trap - a paper towel roll with peanut butter in one end, balanced on the countertop with a gigantic bucket on the floor beneath. The mouse goes in for the treat and the paper towel roll falls into the bucket. Naturally Sid was gone when Mr. Mousey fell for our trickery and when I called Sid to give him the news, he pleaded for me to simply look in the bucket to make sure we really did catch our uninvited guest and then move the bucket to the garage. Yeah. Right. I refused. He begged some more. "Fine - all you have to do is LOOK IN THE BUCKET!!!" I refused some more. I've even refused to go to work when mice were suspected (am I right, Stacey?)

I'm sorry Mr. Mousey suffered before his ultimate death. I truly am, from the bottom of my mouse fearing heart.

Satan's Pet Update

I opened the door very slowly when I arrived back home from the salon and tiptoed into the living room. Bear and Dixie glared at me as if I were a crazed intruder and they were contemplating my take down. I peeked around the corner to catch a glimpse of the closed pantry door and I'm not quite sure what I was expecting to find. A pool of mouse blood? A vicious mouse holding a knife poised for revenge? It was exactly as I left it - door closed, one corner of the sticky trap visible from under the door, and silence so loud it was disturbing. I crept into the kitchen, opened the back door to let the pups out, and the squealing erupted from the pantry. I hollered at the dogs to go outside, slammed the door shut, and hauled my hiney upstairs to gather my laptop bag. When I was all packed, I let the dogs back in, ignored the thrashing about from the pantry, grabbed my keys and, 30 minutes later, here I sit at Starbucks, sipping a latte and enjoying a mouse free work environment.

Wouldn't you know it, today Sid is in Arlington at a conference for work that doesn't end until five, so he won't be back until after 6. It's going to be a loooooooooonnnnngg afternoon, because I certainly won't step foot in that house until Mr. Mouse is dead and gone.

Monday AND Tuesday Mornings Should Be Banned

Woke up this moring, let the wind blowing in the windows wash over me, reach in shower to turn on the water and then hesitate because I don't need clean hair to go to the salon - she's going to wash it anyway. Look for makeup bag but it's missing, and I realize it's in Sid's truck and Sid is gone. Reach for my reject makeup and work with what I've got (an old MAC foundation compact, blush from an old Smashbox set that I've worn once or twice, brown eyeshadow, and a new tube of mascara that I never used because it has a funny brush), walk (more like drag) myself downstairs to start the espresso machine. I hear a funny noise in the pantry, look at Bear and tell him with my eyes, "Holy crap. Something is in the pantry, buddy!" I look down and see the mouse sticky trap that we keep in the pantry at all times because we pretty much live in a corn field but that has been empty for months is halfway out the door and moving. Full on panic attack sets in and Bear starts whining and pacing, ready to attack. I grab a bra and jeans from the laundy room, grab my laptop and cell phone and race up the stairs.

And here I sit. Waiting for the clock to hit 9:20 so I can haul butt to my Jeep and drive to the salon where I will attempt to forget that Satan's pet is writhing around in my pantry.

Day Breakers and Makers

Red Lights – Apparently, I’ve been named president of the Red Light Lovers Club, and to praise and celebrate my esteemed position, the club somehow rigged every single stoplight in the entire universe to turn yellow the moment I’m spotted. Sometimes, when they really want to honor my highness, I get to sit at the same light for several cycles. It’s a privileged life I lead. Too bad they weren’t informed that I’m officially (yes, officially…I have a name tag) the world’s most impatient human when it comes to traffic. I’d rather drive, uninterrupted, for 10 minutes, than for five minutes with several stops. I love going the back roads and am known for my “short cuts.” My Jeep couldn't be more perfect for me.

Country Traffic Jams – No doubt, I’m fortunate to live a commute-free existence and am rarely forced to endure DFW rush hour traffic, which apparently, is in the top ten for worst traffic in the country. However, we country folk have our traffic pickles, too – like getting stuck behind an inexplicably gargantuan piece of John Deere equipment that claims the entire roadway (and who’s going to argue?), or the cyclists who flock to our winding country roads with their fancy bikes and apparent death wishes (it should be illegal to cycle on roads with no shoulder). Today it was a flock of dump trucks going 30 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour speed zone. “Oh, they’ll turn off in a couple miles,” I naively said to myself as I forced a happy grin on my sour face. Oh , but of course, they kept going and going and going and I’m surprised we didn’t end up at the same restaurant for lunch, where we could hold hands and sing Kumbaya, because we’re tight like that.

New Shoes - Sid met me for lunch today. I told him last night that I had cabin fever, so this morning, he suggested I work from Starbucks and meet him for lunch. Due to certain traffic conditions, I arrived in Frisco too late for a leisurely cup of coffee and headed straight to Cafe Express. After a yummy lunch with my favorite dude, I casually mentioned that I might do a tiny bit of shopping - you know, for the sake of my mental health. Two pair of shoes later (aren't they cute?), and I'm cured! I can't help myself - I have slight addiction to high heels. I have a gazillion pairs...well, make that a gazillion and two pairs. They make me happy, what else can I say, and it's cheaper than therapy.

Espresso - Yum! - My day might've had a crummy start, but boy did things turn around. Our new espresso machine, like a long lost friend, was waiting on my doorstep. I can't wait to brew myself a cappuccino and straight espresso for Sid, and we'll close our eyes and remember the magical night we strolled through the village in NYC and ran for cover on the Caffe Dante patio when it started to rain and sipped the best espresso as we waited for the rain to stop. And then I'll channel Rosemary Clooney as I sing (...and Sid will roll his eyes and sigh), "The more I travel across the gravel, the more I sail the sea - the more I feel convinced of the fact New York's the town for me. It's crazy skyline, is right in my line, and when I'm far away, I'm able to bare it for several hours and then I break down and say - take me back to Manhattan....." And then we'll get all giddy because we WILL be back in Manhattan in less than 11 weeks! Isn't it funny how something so simple, like a cup of espresso, brings a flood of a million memories?

Happy Friday everybody!

My name is Leigh, and I'm Boring.

I haven’t felt inspired to blog this week, and after many days of profound thought and introspection, I've exposed the deep down, dirty truth. I'm boring. Dreadfully, excruciatingly, tragically…boring. More boring than C-SPAN. More boring than a timeshare sales pitch, more boring than a presidential debate. Boring. Booooorrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnng. B-O-R-I-N-G.

At this very moment, I’m sitting cross-legged in our worn leather chair, watching Frasier at an illegal volume to drown the disgusting sound of Dixie biting and licking herself and Bear's irritated thinking-of-attacking-Dixie-if-she-doesn’t-shut-the-heck-up sighs, and (before I started this blog) typing up a new price list for work. I’m bored just typing that last sentence, but, this is my life.

Don’t get me wrong, the working from home factor, in most ways, makes me happier than I’ve ever been. I wouldn’t trade my worn leather chair for some fancy ergonomic swiveling office chair under any circumstance….except for a six-figure salary…or a publishing job in Manhattan....or a personal secretary who would bring me coffee and stacks of my favorite magazines every morning, or all of the above, but I digress. Point is, I’m happy working from home, so though it seems the obvious cause of my boredom, it’s really not the answer.

I am getting a makeover on Tuesday. Not some fancy TV makeover (I’m boring, remember?) but an appointment with my hairdresser at which time I’m definitely changing my hair color and maybe changing up my hairstyle. Maybe feeling more glamorous will inspire me. And I’m 4 pounds away from getting to cash in on my weight loss prize – new shoes! When I took the first step on my health revolution journey, I promised myself new running shoes when I lost 25 pounds. Not off-the-sale-rack-at-Academy Nikes, but sexy, make-my-feet-weep-with-pleasure Nikes that will definitely spice up my workout time.

Any other suggestions, friends?