Vacay - Or Was It?

You know it's going to be an interesting vacation when, five minutes into the trip, your car starts acting funny. Funny, as in RPMing up to 3,000....4,000 and NOT shifting. Good thing I had built in extra shopping time into the trip before Amber's orthodontic appointment.

A quick drive back into town to our car dealership revealed that we were NOT in for a quick fix. We loaded everything into a rental car (warning: Arkansas charges a 22% sales tax on rental cars), learned that the extended warranty on our broken car had expired, and hit the road again, a little gloomy. However, I kept telling myself it could have been worse - we had been back and forth to Conway (a three-hour drive one way) twice in the prior week...and the roads between here and there are isolated. A break-down on those trips, or further into our vacation, would have been horrible. Oh, and the trip to Conway was to take Amber to choir camp, where she worked hard and had a BLAST:

She's the one in the front, on the left. I still don't know why I pay for jeans that look like they have been molested by a werewolf.

Amber had not-so-good news at the orthodontist. Remember those stubborn baby teeth? Well, by not falling out, they have diverted the paths of her adult teeth. She will need oral surgery to remove the remaining baby teeth, cut open her soft palate and attach metal handles to her upper canines so the orthodontist can move them into place. I don't know what they will plan for her twelve-year molars that never erupted. Poor thing.

BUT, I keep telling myself it could be worse - she can survive this. My pocketbook may not survive, but she will.

Speaking of my pocketbook - one of my air conditioning units at the office building took a dive. Sigh. Sometimes it's great owning your own company.

When we arrived in Mountain View, AR....it was raining...but our cabin did have a view of the river:

The worst part about the cabin? No cell service. I thought Amber was going to have a coronary. Every so often she could get a text message thru, if she contorted her body behind the living room futon. We had to drive two miles into town to get service.

The next morning, when we DID drive into town before visiting the caverns, I got a fun little text message telling me my office building back home had flooded. Try focusing on vacation after THAT little gem.

Oh well, at least our adventure was NOT going to be ruined by rain, since we were going into Blanchard Springs Caverns. Check out this formation that resembles a ship:

It was a fascinating tour - my photos didn't do the caverns ANY justice. I was completely amazed. We took the "Dripstone" tour - which took us through the most highly decorated level of the caverns, after an elevator ride 216 feet down into the earth.

I was impressed with the lighting, which was done by a man who usually assembled lighting for opera houses. It made the caverns all that more beautiful. Once again, I was in awe at the wonderous beauty of our earth, and remembered how tiny we all are in the face of its majesty.

Roger had never seen this level of the caverns before, so he was impressed, too. He even got to visit a music store in downtown Mountain View, and joined a "pickin'" session with several other musicians. He must have spent an hour there, while Amber and I poked thru galleries and found treasures here and there.

Our last stop before leaving town was this rock:

That's Roger, standing underneath. Years ago - like over 17 years ago - his best friend took a photo almost identical at this very spot. It was neat to find this again, and almost two decades later, take a similar photo...which we then emailed to his friend.

We are back home - and have taken care of all the office flooding. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined, and Roger did a lot to help clean things up. Amber came back to a new cheer coach for the varsity squad - her coach from last year - which made her very happy. Shorty missed us terribly, but having Lucas house-sit definitely eased our minds about the care of our three animals. He did, however, start a new trend by allowing her to sleep with him in the guest bed. So guess who is sleeping with us now?

Tell me about your vacations, if you had one this summer!

Random Miscellaneous Tigger Thoughts

I know I've abandoned this blog, it seems. It's always on my mind. However, with the instant gratification that is Facebook (yeah, I've abandoned Twitter, too), coupled with the addiction of Farm Town, my online presence has metamorphisized, and my writing skills have suffered.


So, if you want to know what I've been up to in the last few weeks, here it is, in random, stream-of-consciousness fashion:



We have a new guitar player in our band. And remember BND? Band Name Discussion? Well, we are officially changing the name from 7th Wave to one of our original picks - Searching for Signals. With the guitar player change, it seemed like a good time. And I like that name better anyway.



Shorty the Doxie Pin is doing VERY well, and if I could make her a house dog, I would. She has already learned the "sit" command, and I need to review Dog Whisperer episodes to figure out how to stop her from "happy piddling" on my tile floor whenever she sees me. Any tips are appreciated.



Oh, and she has really bad breath. Which is a trademark Dachshund thing. But she doesn't smell like a dog anywhere else, which makes her nice to cuddle. Until she yawns.



The Offspring is evidently going to need orthodontic work. I guess it's not good to be 15 1/2 years old and have over 8 baby teeth still in your mouth.



We took The Offspring to choir camp on Monday in a town three hours away. Left her in a dorm on the third floor that had NO air conditioning. We drove the three hours back as quickly as possible, just so I could sit in a 2 1/2 hour cheerleader parent meeting with the high school cheer coach and the superintendent of schools. Grueling.



We have acoustic band practice tonight to work on harmonies. I have to make up harmony parts for songs that have no existing harmony. Our next gig is a 60's/70's part in a show September 12th.



We are going to Blanchard Springs Caverns in Mountain View at the beginning of next week. I've lived in Arkansas for 17 years and have NEVER seen them! We rented a cabin on the river...I'm ready to GET AWAY.



The upstairs A/C unit went out at my office. I have a new unit now. One thing after another, you know?



Oh, and the A/C unit in the downstairs part of our home failed this week, too. NOT good with temps reaching over 100 degrees...but it was a simple fix, and we are cooling just fine now. Who knew that A/C units needed condensate drains? LOL!



Really, any tips on how to keep the puppy from piddling with joy - I need them.



I'm evidently a Facebook Junkie. OMG...if you're not on it already...GO.

I'm actually excited about going to a Target store on Monday. I haven't been in one since I left Texas in 1992. I'm pathetic.

STILL haven't settled the insurance claims for the tornado damage to our old home. I got enough to pay off the mortgage...but still not enough to cover the damages. I plan to dig up the azaleas and hydrangeas and move them to our new home. As well as some of that gorgeous St. Augustine grass. Basically, I'm going to rape the landscaping.

We are planning a trip to Canada next year. I need to work on getting passports NOW.

I've lost 15 pounds since last October. Only 15 more pounds to go, but I'll settle for 10. Is getting back to high school weight a stupid goal?

The Offspring broke her toe, right before cheer camp. But she is healed. And their squad did AWESOME at camp - we were so proud! But oh...the season has just begun.

I splurged and bought a bunch of new underwear at Victoria's Secret.

We also splurged and bought new equipment for the studio. Roger now has wireless capabilities for his electric guitar, so he can run around. We also have new spot monitors, and big Mackie speakers that sit on very sturdy stands. Oh, and we're going with ear-bud monitors that hook into some complicated board that I don't understand.

Oh, and most importantly, I really miss you guys. I'll be back from vacation next Thursday at the latest!

A New Member of the Family

Could you resist this little face? I mean, really?
Evidently, we couldn't. One night, our band drummer and friend, Lucas, noticed a small puppy across the road from our property, curled up against a stump, while on the way to our house. I was headed down the driveway to go check out the situation...when Roger said for me to just let it be.

And then Lucas left to get food about an hour and a half later. I received a frantic text message from him that the puppy was still there...and something had to be done. Knowing that I would never be able to sleep at night with the thought of that baby, down there alone, I headed down the driveway with food and water bowls to at least give the poor thing a chance. Lucas was already trying to coax her away from the stump...as Roger watched from our porch. Finally, after listening to Lucas and me fret and carry on and attempt to assist her, Roger said, "Go ahead and just bring the dog up here."She looks cute in Roger's lap? Doesn't she? She is SO SMALL! Well, at least to me...after having Poo Woo for so long. And I DON'T LIKE SMALL DOGS. Usually. I'm a "big dog" kinda girl. But something about this little face...this sweet personality...I'm sunk.I don't know what breed she is, but with a little bit of internet research, my guess is half Min Pin, half Dachshund. I'm taking her to the vet for her first visit on Friday, so maybe he'll have a clue.

She's a good cuddler, too. I don't know if it is my maternal instinct, my hormones, my age, or just that I can't resist such a little cutie...but I think Shorty is going to be a part of the family.

(Oh, and The Offspring's reaction? She was okay with it...not thrilled...and mostly worried that the dog would cost us money that would not then be available for HER needs. Jerk.)

All Kinds of Crazy

Yes, I'm still alive...and yes, I'm still in a band! The last few weeks have been filled with the craziness that happens after a tornado hits your town. Most of my personal craziness (besides the normal crazy I enjoy) has been centered on long talks with insurance adjusters, trying to get what is needed to really fix our old home properly. I've received three checks so far (each adjuster seems to disagree with the one prior), and it looks as if I will receive two (if not three) more before all is said and done.

Meanwhile, we took band photos last weekend - and The Offspring did well on a moment's notice. Not to mention, it is difficult to get seven people to hold still for any period of time. Oh, wait, excuse me - it's even MORE difficult to get seven MUSICIANS to hold still for any period of time.
She took a ton of photos - and then quickly photoshopped a few. We tried looking serious, looking goofy, looking happy...just tons of photos.I loved the walking ones the best - we tried taking baby steps up the driveway while she snapped away.
We have a gig this Friday night, and then one the weekend following. Just local stuff - and hopefully we will entertain the crowd and have fun at the same time.
So, if you don't know already - which photo do you think we chose as the "official" photo for the band?

Fun Monday Economic Adjustments!

Wow...how many Fun Mondays have I missed? A lot...I'm sure! Sayre is this week's hostess, and she wanted to know what kind of personal changes we are making to deal with today's economic challenges! Well, believe it or not, most of the changes our family is making is due to Roger's influence. He is definitely the most frugal of us all.

I noticed the first "change" the other day...in dishwasher detergent. For some reason, I've always been a fan of name brands. Even when I learned in business school that many "off brands" are made by the same company and are the same product without the fancy packaging, I still gravitate toward the colorful boxes with the names I know. When I saw the $1.00 box of no-name detergent under the sink, I was skeptical. But guess what? That detergent works JUST AS GOOD as the name brand stuff.

I'm not sure this qualifies, but we are slowly changing out the bulbs in our house to these twirly things. It's conserving energy, which is important to our future economic survival, right? These bulbs are uber-expensive, so they had better pay off.

We have also eliminated some of our eating out, which we needed to do anyway. It's so much cheaper to prepare food at home, and we used to do it a lot more in the past. We are trying to revive that habit, now that cheer season has ended and our nights should be returning to normal.

Personally, I haven't gotten a massage since before Christmas. That's a big sacrifice, since I'm usually as tight as a drum. I still am, but the guilt about money spent on my tooth extraction has kept me from indulging.

I feel even more guilty that I haven't been able to come up with more "cost-cutting" ideas. Maybe it hasn't fully hit me that we are really in a recession. Or a depression. Or a free fall. I'm hoping the other participants have great ideas that I can borrow.

Speaking of cheer season, this weekend was a 'milestone' of sorts. The Offspring has been cheering for the past seven years. She tried out for the high school cheer squad (she will be a sophomore next year), and MADE IT.

She Lives! And Still Breathes...

What a crazy week and a half it has been since I last blogged to you, my good friends! Yet the absolute best part of it, hands down, had to be spending three days with The Offspring during her All State Music Conference and Choir Concert. She was so thrilled to make All State her freshman year, and as you can imagine, I was one proud mom. I got to sit in on her rehearsals, as well as Ben's (pictured here with her). After rehearsals, we all went shopping and to the movies and had a heck of a time. (Note: Go see Coraline 3D. It was pretty cool.) Now, the title "Shorty" definitely fits Tiggerlane's Offspring. Standing at a mere 4'11" (she insists it is 5'0" - whatever.) Amber could hardly been seen on the back row. The choir is arranged based on voice part and chair placement from auditions, but the director decided that our little one should be right on the FRONT ROW! She even called her "Shorty," which made me giggle. But I was thrilled because it made it easier to see the squirt. But you know what made the day even better? Our friends! They made the drive to hang out with us and see our daughter perform! Here are Jeri Dee and Greg (she is our lead singer in the band, and he is our main bass player):Also, Brent and Dave are among The Offspring's biggest fans, so they drove in from Little Rock to see the performance and to give our baby props:
Of course, here are the proud parents, doing their best to embarrass the child:
So, the following Monday, I went to the oral surgeon to get the wisdom tooth yanked. First, I tried talking him out of putting me under. After all, I've had minor surgery TWICE with just local anesthetic with no problem. Plus, at the age of 14, I had four adult teeth pulled for my orthodontics. I also had the other three wisdom teeth pulled while I was wide awake. This guy was having NONE of that...and insisted that my tooth needed drilling. He assured me I wanted to be asleep for that.

I am such a control freak...and I HATE being incapacitated. So, non-compliant patient that I am, I took a very few of the percocet I was prescribed for pain. They just made me too loopy to work, you know? Besides, I had NO INTENTION of not working the following day. Unfortunately, the pain was so horrible the next morning, I ended up taking a half a pill, and then passed out until noon. Still, I went to work the next day - didn't ice my cheek (who has time for that?), and spent the rest of the week looking like this:I know, I should have heeded doctor's orders, gotten some rest, etc. But I had important meetings Wednesday, paperwork to do at work, a presentation on Thursday, and a conference to attend Friday/Saturday. See why I haven't had time to have this tooth pulled before?

Even though I had a swollen cheek and some pain, I did well. I'm almost able to yawn normally now, and the socket seems nice and clotted.

I'm just bummed that of all the teeth that have come out of my head (including baby teeth), this is one I didn't get to keep.

Done Deal

Well, our first gig is finally behind us! It was a LOT of fun, and the audience seemed to think we were okay...so we might do this again! I know I haven't blogged much lately, but hope to get back into it next week. I'm leaving today to attend the Arkansas All State Choir clinic and conference with The Offspring, and then Monday the dreaded yanking of the wisdom tooth. Pray for my well-being!

And, as promised, the first Youtube video of our band - 7th Wave! I'm the bouncy little retard in black:

HONEST feedback is appreciated! And yeah, I know I could stand to lose about 10 pounds. Sue me. I like cake.

Whirlwind of Pleasure and Pain

What a week it has been!! Those of you who follow me on Twitter or look at the sidebar every so often have a small inkling of what I've been thru, but here's a recap for the remainder of my blog buddies.

Last Friday was an exhausting, yet exhilarating day. I had a HORRIBLE week...and by Thursday I could tell my nerves were shot. There was a lot going on at work, plus, I had been harrassing The Offspring to practice for her upcoming All State choir audition. If you have ever raised a teenager, you know that eye-rolling and sighing are part of the ordeal. It was also the same week I got ANOTHER phone bill delivered in a cardboard box, outlining the 18,625 text messages sent and received by said Offspring. Needless to say, "Mother of the Year" awards are not in my future for 2009.

Friday morning found me on a bus at 5:30AM, riding over two hours out of town to help chaperone kids for All State choir auditions. Thankfully, all the kids on the trip were GOOD KIDS...no behavior problems, and genuinely sweet. Still, my 40-year old butt does not enjoy sitting on CONCRETE in a gym for an entire day, waiting for auditions to end. We arrived around 8:15AM, and the kids got their audition numbers. There were 126 Alto II's numbered for auditions...and what number did The Offspring get? That's right. Number 126. She didn't audition until 4:30PM. The stress and nerves from waiting all day didn't phase the kid, however. She made the choir. Her FRESHMAN YEAR. I was so excited, I cried...surely tears of relief, joy and pure exhaustion. You go, Girl!


During the week, my one remaining wisdom tooth had been "twinging." I had three of them pulled in 2003, but my dentist said that last lower right tooth had a crooked root and required an oral surgeon's touch. The closest oral surgeon is an hour and a half from my home...so what have I done? Put the extraction off. For years.

The tooth has flared up over the years, but a good dose of antibiotic has always settled it down. This past Sunday, it decided to give me a run for my money. Now, I had a baby with no drugs...but this pain? OMG. EXCRUCIATING. Mind-numbing. Blinding. I was literally rocking back in forth in my recliner, tears streaming down my face, unable to focus because of the pain. I ended up in the ER, trying to determine if I was going to die. It was THAT bad.

Nothing like being FORCED to address a problem, you know? Anyone who knows me IRL knows that I push myself 110%, that I go, and go, and go...and rarely stop. Well, this tooth stopped me dead in my tracks. It got my attention. After VERY strong antibiotics, an x-ray, words of encouragement from my dentist, and LOTS of Motrin, I am better. I have "constant but manageable" pain. Which is a good thing, since I have to sing backup vocals for our band's debut this upcoming Saturday night.

Tiggerlane has learned her lesson. She is going to have the tooth extracted on the 23rd. I don't know if the world will keep turning, but if it stops suddenly at 11:00AM CST, you'll know why.

And the Holidays Just Keep on Comin'

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas holiday! In case you don't follow me on twitter, let me tell you about a "fail" I pulled on the Santa present. We got The Offspring an acoustic/electric guitar set with everything she needed to rock the house. For a week, we've had it hidden in the closet of our bonus room (that infamous 8x28 closet). Now that the bonus room is our studio, we use it as a place to chill and relax...

On Christmas Eve, my baby girl didn't feel too well. She was laying on the couch with me and woke up around 1AM. Since our living room is tile, sound tends to carry to every room on the bottom floor. She wanted to talk, so I suggested we go up to the studio so as not to wake her father in the master bedroom.

Not a good idea. Because unbeknownst to me, the father had moved the humungous box with the guitar and amp inside into the MIDDLE OF THE BONUS ROOM/STUDIO so that he could attach a big bow to it. She and I trudge upstairs, open the door, and after I'm a few feet into the room, WHAM.

"Get out of here!!" I holler.
"Okay," she says, running back down the stairs.
"Did you see it?" I query.
"Uh...no..." she replies, totally unconvincingly.
Then the father appears at the bottom of the stairs. Not exactly happy. Technically, it WAS Christmas morning. And yeah, she did have to wait until we got up to actually play the thing.

I think she enjoyed it:We went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra for her birthday the next day - and let me tell you, it was incredible. If you get a chance to see them, GO.

Our next adventure? New Year's Eve. We usually have an adult party, with 20 or so revelers. This year, the kid wanted to invite more than just a few friends. She passed out fliers at school before the break. Fifty fliers.

This ordinarily wouldn't worry me - after all, you usually can expect half of the invitees to show. However, a few weeks ago, she asked me (with a sweet innocent face, let me add) if she could have FOUR or FIVE friends over. Got that? A few text messages later, and kids start showing up to my house. From out of nowhere. When it was all said and done? This is how many ended up there:In case you're not good at counting, there are 23 kids in that photo. At one point, as one kid is hauling in the whole set of Rock Band to play in the living room, I asked her, "When exactly is this party over?" In return, I got a shrug.

A bottle rocket/roman candle war broke out in the yard shortly after the bonfire was lit. And when I left the house in the care of the male influences, I returned to find a kid being duct-taped to a tree:She DOES appear quite happy about it.

Hopefully, I will survive New Year's Eve. We are cleaning out the garage (not that we've had much time to get it messy) and hope to contain some of the teen melee in there.

Pray for me, will ya?

And here's wishing you all a happy and SAFE New Year!

Fun Monday Holiday Music

Ooh, I'm LATE today...maybe because I stayed up until wee hours...but then, none of you care about my excuses. Blah - get with the program.

MamaLang is the hostess for this Fun Monday, and she wanted to know our favorite Christmas songs and our favorite Christmas item.

Only THREE songs? Wow...okay...that's a tough assignment!

1. I LOVE (adore) George Winston's version of "Holly and the Ivy." If you have never heard this piano version, take a listen here.

2. Mannheim Steamroller and Christmas - This version of "Silent Night" has a very special meaning to me, b/c of a very special Christmas, many years ago. I wonder if Mr. Big still remembers?

Kinda weird to see a house in lights to this tune, but here ya go:

I get tears in my eyes every time I hear this.

3. I don't actually think this last song is a Christmas song, but I can't spend a holiday without listening to it. And for the record, this song will prove that I am a total dork. And nerd. And should be wearing glasses and braces and carrying a stack of books under my arm. I had a Christmas album by Dean Martin as a kid, and I LOVED it. Yes, Dean. Poor, dead Dean. He just always sounded like he was SMILING when he sang, you know? Now, I realize his smiling might have been due to large quantities of alcohol consumption. Still, I love this tune, called The Things We Did Last Summer. Listen if you dare. Total cheese.

As for my favorite Christmas thing? Well, I could pick all sorts of ornaments...pretty little glass things...but when you go into labor on a Christmas Day, it's hard to pick much else but my almost-a-Christmas-Baby as a reminder of what this season really means to me:
Now go check out all the Fun Monday participants!

Fun Monday Neighbors from Hades

Whew...now that NaBloPoMo is over, I'm actually glad to merely focus on Fun Monday for a while! Ari_1965 is this week's hostess, and she wants to know about our worst neighbors EVER.

Living in a small town, I figured this could get me in some trouble. I started thinking of all the bad neighbors I had in the past, and then realized they were bad neighbors only b/c they had such little tolerance for the late-night partying ways of a college student. Other neighbors that city ordinances define as 'bad' were the quietest, most non-obtrusive on the block.

I've only had one REALLY bad set of neighbors...though they didn't live quite next door. When I lived in the "old part" of town, my house was very close to the houses on both sides. Likewise, the houses across the street were close. One of these houses was obscured by overgrown bushes...it used to be a cute house, belonging to a local artist. When The Offspring was a toddler, the house became a rental. The occupants had NO restraint when it came to the use of expletives - LOUD expletives, shouted for the entire block to hear. Sometimes, their voices could be heard even with all the doors and windows shut.

As years wore on, activity at the house increased. A lot. Random folks would seem to appear on the sidewalk, and stumble away with hazy eyes. Young men would sidle up the alley behind our house, and magically find themselves across the street, at "that" house. Only to stay for a moment, before exiting, bleary-eyed. The traffic became so obvious, that it was only a matter of time before police vehicles frequented the domicile. We observed one occupant (female) submit to officers as she was led away in handcuffs, crying, pleading...to no avail. Most disturbing were the little children in and out of the house. I wondered what their existence must be like. I was sad for them.

In our old home, our master bedroom windows faced the street. One morning, in the wee hours, I awoke to flashing lights. Reds and blues, blinding almost...as I went to the window to see what was going on, I couldn't see anything. There was a haze in the air, with only red and blue flashes within the fog. Slowly, I came to realize that this time the flashes were NOT only from the police, but also from the large fire truck in the street. That 'haze' I was struggling to see thru was the smoke from a fire that had broken out upstairs at 'that house.' The smell that filled the air was horrific...I'm not sure what was going on at 'that house,' but I was assured that the fire was caused by something left on the stove unattended. I was glad the children escaped the home unharmed.

I don't miss living so close to my neighbors. Granted, I do miss some of the porch visits and talks with my "good" neighbors, but I like the serenity of the pastures I see, and my new neighbors - a pair of docile horses!

Now, go check out the other participants!

NaBloPoMo Day 30 - The End. Period.

Day Thirty. Endgame. I did not fail. I rock. Again.

I really can't believe that I accomplished this month-long-daily-posting thing - and yet, I still have a lot to say. And music to share. If you care.

Interestingly enough, I am saddened by the fact that I haven't visited many of my blogger friends in the past month. OR in the past few months. But I will...and I will respond to comments, as always.

But you know, I started this blog to have an outlet for expression and to find out what YOU were thinking...and I'm so thankful that so many of you share your thoughts with me.

I will return to visit you all soon...all of my faithful readers...I have enjoyed blogging this month! For now, enjoy one of my "new" favorite groups...Paramore:

And imagine me and The Offspring, thumping in the Intrepid, singing along.

NaBloPoMo Day 27 - Happy Fat Bird Day

Day Twenty Seven.

Giving Thanks.

There are so many things I am thankful for this year, not the least being that I can wake up in the morning, step out on my porch and enjoy the first light through the trees.
I'm also grateful that I HAVE this porch - a year ago, this house was still under construction, and I could only dream of what it would be like to live here.

Now, I sit on my porch, and gaze at the mountain, which gives me peace.But most of all, I'm thankful for this person in my life:She brightens every day, and if I lost everything and everyone else in my world? Well, she'd be enough to sustain me.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

NaBloPoMo Day 24 - Fun Monday High

Day Twenty Four - hey, this is almost over, isn't it?

Mariposa is this week's Fun Monday hostess, and she wanted to know about those 3-5 "high" moments in our lives. NOT what you are thinking...but those moments when we felt "on top of the world." Or something like that.

My "first" high is easy - the birth of my daughter. Especially since that day marked the first time I had ever met someone who was my actual blood relative. (Click here if you missed out on all that drama.)

Another "high" that always catches me off guard is when I hear The Offspring sing. She has been singing since she was a wee thing, but now when she is performing I am overcome with emotion. It doesn't hurt that she has sung with a talented all-region choir for the past three years, not to mention a select auditioned group at school and a special group at choir camp. These perfomances tend to move me to tears.

And an everyday "high" also involves MUSIC. I can't live without it, in one form or another...I honestly think I would be lesser of a person if I didn't have a broad musical background and the opportunity to listen on a daily basis.

I was late to Fun Monday today, so forgive the short post! Be sure to go check out all the other participants!

NaBloPoMo Day 18 - Gettin' Pussed

Day Eighteen.

I can't believe I've made it more than halfway thru this challenge!

Now, before you get all wonky at the title of this post, it is NOT what you think. THIS is what the title refers to:
That is The Offspring with our cat, Whiskas. Whiskas has a habit of making herself comfortable upon any member of the family (and a friend or two) who sits still long enough to let her. We call this "gettin' pussed."

She will then purr incessantly, post-pussing. The worst time is at night, when I am her favorite victim. I like to start out sleeping on my side...and Whiskas will lay upon me, her body stretched along my side...her head on my shoulder. Sounds real cute, doesn't it? Well, it's NOT. Because the next step in the pussing is when she takes her paw, CLAWS EXTENDED, and snags my lips. No glass of warm milk or dose of Valium will allow me to sleep thru the torture. Not to mention the loud purring in my ear.

And when I turn? She doesn't budge. I have to turn and hoist her off me, and as soon as I am settled on my other side, she climbs back on. I've had lovers who were less clingy.

Sometimes, when I get into bed, she has already pussed Roger. Then I laugh and giggle that he is the victim, not me. Of course, he is usually lying on his back, with Whiskas on his chest. Still reaching for his lips, with that crazy paw. However, as soon as the lights are out, I get pussed. All thru the night, I toss and turn and shove and move that cat, and just like a magnet, she returns.

Purring and pussing - she is the reason I have bags under my eyes.

NaBloPoMo Day Fourteen - Musical Fluff...Again

Day Fourteen.

I know it's been a while since I've introduced you to any addictive musical drivel. Don't worry, The Offspring is STILL making sure I don't miss out on any new music. If the XM radio isn't blasting Ethel, I will assume the electricity to our home is cut off. Especially if I hear wailing and gnashing of teeth. Preceded by a scream of, "MOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" The child's life has a soundtrack, guaranteed.

Occasionally, good sense will NOT prevail in her musical world. This usually results in the constant repetition of ONE DAMN SONG. Over and over ad nauseum. The second she gets in the car, the song is immediately found and blasted. Her phone blasts it. The iPod blasts over speakers while she is in the shower. It can't be ignored. What happens in the process is that I become brainwashed, and the song will not leave me be. I am humming and singing it all the time. Remember those geeky guys from Hellogoodbye? 3OH!3, featured below, is much the same:

I love the line, "Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips." Helen would have loved it.

An addiction from a few weeks back, Family Force 5...and I liked the song a LOT more, before I saw this video:

It was a rockin' song...until...sigh.
Why do geeky guys make it on the music scene? I just don't see the same market for rockin' geeky girls.

BTW, I think FamForce5 inspired The Offspring's latest look.Have a great weekend...I'll still have posts, just not as intense!

NaBloPoMo Day Three - Fun Monday Reasons

Day Three.

Our Fun Monday hostess is Bee Dancer, who wanted to know WHY we blog...and then wanted a photo that represents the area in which we live.

The reason I started this whole blogging thing was simple; I did it for her:
I wanted her to be able to look back, long after I am gone, and read my thoughts and concerns and maybe get a laugh out of the perspective of her mother. I also want her to take comfort in the fact that NO, you DON'T have to have everything in life figured out when you are 30...or 40. I figure my ramblings and questions would help her see that. Now that she is 14-almost-15, she thinks she knows it all and that her parents are woefully ignorant...we all know the perspective of a teenager, right?Then again, I am blessed with a pretty good kid. We have an awesome relationship. And something I didn't expect? She actually reads my blog from time to time.Something else I didn't expect was her propensity to rock the fangs every Halloween.

As for a photo of my area? I love the mountains here. They aren't the Rockies, but their natural beauty during every season bring me peace.Now go visit the other participants!