I've been threatened

I have received several items of hate mail relating to the lack of posts to my blog, several meaning one...because really, one item of hate mail is one too many. So to placate the people (one) that care so deeply I will post, although the reason I haven't written in a while is because I don't feel that I have anything blog worthy to tell...

So...what have I been up to lately??

I've done a lot of babysitting

I fit into my skinny jeans (although that may have been a fluke)



I went to Kings Dominion and got paid 4 dollars for it...too bad I felt like this all day



Found out that in addition to rhyming with can, fan, man etc...



I got some good snuggling in with Claire

Watched The Office premiere (SO HILARIOUS)

Denied myself one of the best treats in the world: rice crispy treats topped with slightly melted snickers, twix, 3 musketeers, butterfingers and reeses peanut butter cups

Dreamt that I beat Senator Bennett in the Senate race, so the next day I took my picture sitting at his (my) desk...



got the cutest cards wrapped in the cutest paper from my cousin Lauren



and I'm going to New York this weekend.

Stud

This is me with my nephew Jake. Check out his mowhawk. Go ahead, try and tell me he isn't going to be the coolest kid in preschool!!!

hmmmm

I did a little window shopping at the mall during lunch today and while perusing the wares in a very cute clothing store the sales associate came up to me and said "Let me know if you can't find your size, we might have it in the back." Was she trying to call me fat??

milestone

The stat counter at the bottom of my page has almost reached the 1000 mark. While I didn't add my counter until more than a year into my blogging experience, I still think it is important to recognize. It is possible that there will be a prize to the 1000th guest to my blog. If you see that you are lucky number 1000, leave me a comment.

Actually I think we should do a little roll call. I'm curious to know who reads my blog, so c'mon, don't be shy, say hi...even if you're a complete stranger. I love making new friends!

Can you believe it?!

I have been waiting for this day for weeks...if not months. When I found out the Justin Timberlake album was available to preorder on itunes I immediately reserved my copy. It was a great little deal because I could download his first single immediately. I have been listening to that song in anticipation of the album which was available for download today...or at least it SHOULD have been available for download. I opened ITunes, so excited to finally get my JT fix, only to find this...



How dare they update the music store in the middle of a TUESDAY, don't they know I need my Justin???

I am worth...

My blog is worth $1,693.62.
How much is your blog worth?

Maybe I should cash in...I could really use the money!!

thoughts on today

I have been racking my brain, trying to find the best way to articulate my feelings about what happened on this day five years ago but am having a hard time. The saying "We will never forget" seems to accompany any reference to 9/11, but whether or not it's intentional, I find myself in a constant state of forgetfulness. I feel that it's a sort of self-preservation because whenever I allow myself to think about September 11 I feel an incredible sadness, unlike anything I've ever felt before. It is hard for me to comprehend that each and every person in the United States, not to mention around the world, has been affected whether directly or indirectly by the terrorist attacks that happened that day. I have written about these events two other times, you can read them here and here. With the exception of a few weeks when I was 6 or so I haven't kept a journal, so I think that it's appropriate for me to recount what I went through on September 11, 2001, ensuring that I never forget.

Five years ago today I was in the first weeks of my final year at the University of Utah. I had an early morning aerobics class and went to the Union building to grab something for breakfast afterwards. They had recently put a big screen TV in the sitting area and I walked up to see a huge crowd huddled around it. I couldn't really tell what was happening and asked a friend who was there. She explained that planes had hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (I don't believe the plane had crashed in Pennsylvania by that time). It took me a minute to absorb that information and once I did I was worried for my sister and her family, who lived just outside DC at the time. While they had no reason to be near the Pentagon that day, I was concerned for their safety. I tried calling her but couldn't get through, so I called my mother. She reassured me that they were ok, but promised to keep trying to get ahold of her to be sure. When I got the word that my mom had gotten ahold of my sister and had confirmed their safety, I was relieved, but that feeling was fleeting, knowing that there were so many families across the nation who hadn't received that same confirmation.

I spent the rest of the day watching CNN. While it was hard to watch, I couldn't pull myself away. Even with all of the information that was relayed by the news reporters, I don't think I really grasped what had happened, what those brave people went through, what we as Americans continue to go through, I still haven't grasped what happened. I don't know that I ever will.

my weekend with Ernesto, Rocky and Pat

Sorry I'm just now getting to my weekend update! I'm still unable to post pictures so I'll just use hyperlinks, so look for them :)

Anyways, I decided that I wanted to get away for the long weekend so I took the opportunity to go visit my friend Holly in Philadelphia. I've been there a few times in the last several months but of those times it has either been raining or I was there for work. This weekend was no exception thanks to tropical storm Ernesto. Ernesto hit Virginia Friday morning and was traveling north through, you guessed it, Philly. I thought I'd take my chances and left for my trip around 8:00 pm Friday night. It was raining hard, but surprisingly traffic was moving. If you know Virginia traffic, you would know how amazing this is. Mom, you will be relieved to know that I was an extremely cautious driver and maintained a weather appropriate speed on the road. Not all drivers were so careful as I watched one car swerve (I'm assuming he was hydroplaning) across three lanes of traffic. Miraculously he didn't hit anyone. Traffic continued to move until the Harbor Tunnel in Baltimore. It was there that I learned that I am a horrible lane picker. I of course picked the slowest tunnel, the slowest lane in the tunnel and finally I managed to sit in a non-lane for a while in front of the toll booth. When I finally got through (an hour later), after making a trucker VERY mad, traffic again let up. This was an ongoing trend as I made my way through the few toll booths on the way to Philly. I saw a few more accidents before I made it to my destination at 12:30, which is double the amount of time it normally takes to get there.

Saturday was kind of a bust thanks to the rain. Holly had fallen asleep while watching a movie at her boyfriend's house and didn't make it home until 10:30 the next morning. While I waited for her to come home I went on a walk through the downpour which was both the most exhilarating and miserable thing I've ever done. I had brought along my cell phone and my ipod and I'm shocked they didn't become waterlogged (like my poor computer). When Holly came home and got ready for the day, we took her roommate Laura to work in Delaware because her bald tires were making for a dangerous commute in the less than favorable conditions. We just hung out at the mall for a few hours where I spent only $24.99 despite shopping in Delaware where the welcome sign says "Welcome to Delaware, home of tax-free shopping." We later saw Invincible which takes place in Philly. Great flick, highly recommend it.

Sunday was a much better day as far as weather goes. The sun was out and it was warm. My friend wanted me to go see the Rocky statue in front of the art museum so that's what we did. We saw some neat exhibits, including the Asian art exhibit which was so neat but unfortunately I didn't get many pictures because the lights were so dim and you can't use flash photography, and then went to the front of the building to find Rocky. As you may know, the Philadelphia Art Museum was immortalized in one of the Rocky films by Sylvester Stallone running up the steps and doing a little victory jig at the top (those details might be wrong, I've never actually seen the movie). I of course sang the Rocky theme out loud as Holly and I went up the steps. Unfortunately when we reached the top the Rocky statue we had been promised was nowhere to be found. Instead, there were some shoe prints and his name carved in the cement. We had been told that Rocky had been moved to a different location, and we promised ourselves we'd find it. After church we decided to get some dinner, cheesesteaks of course, and made our way to Pat's and Geno's, the most famous cheesesteakeries in town. There were long lines at both places but we settled on Pat's. They are extremely hard core there and don't tolerate mistakes. I found out the hard way when I was slow to give my order. There were three or four guys working the window and all of them were yelling at me. In my defense I didn't know they were ready for my order (extra American cheesesteak wit)...the people who had ordered before me were still in front of the window and he was still taking their money. It's a good thing my skin has gotten a little tougher these past years or else I would have cried...it was that scary. We enjoyed our meals with only a few emotional scars and minor spills. We then made our way to the sports complex where we were told Rocky had come to rest. Unfortunately for us, it is being used for the new Rocky Balboa film, but they left behind this nice reminder. Holly and I went for a walk through her neighborhood Sunday night, what a beautiful area. The homes are old and beautiful. We walked by one that was built in the 1700's and if there wasn't a Jaguar parked in front of it I would have thought I had been transported back to another century. I definitely felt like I was in the middle of a Jane Austen type film. The drive back to DC on Sunday went much more smoothly than the ride up as the weather and toll booths cooperated with me. I didn't do a whole lot on Monday, it was nice to have a day to relax.

You can see the rest of my pictures here.

Photo Issues

I have written my weekend update but can't get the photos to upload. I promise I haven't forgotten.

Labor Day weekend

I have an update, but it is late and I don't have the pictures uploaded. I've learned from previous posts that if I post with the intent of adding pictures later it will never happen, so I'm going to wait. Check back later for tales of Ernesto, Rocky and Pat...