Okay, i'm just gonna say it...

Not having the internet sucks!

Al Gore is an idiot, but at least he invented the net! Our less than one year old laptop died early this week and I have been going through Internet withdrawal!! Thank goodness that Mark brought his laptop home and I could check my email, but I had to go an entire night without checking it. It was rough! Then, he got the re-boot disk in Friday's second day airmail and fixed our laptop. Connected again!! Whoo hoo!!!

So, about my weekend:

Mark and I watched Dylan last night and then I stayed at Laura's today until Jeff got home from work. She had to work yesterday night 7 pm to 7:30 am and then tonight 7 pm to 7:30 am - a whole 11.5 hours off in between shifts. :-(

This morning Mark left for class 5 white water rapids in WV with his best friend, Dave, and his fiancee Kelly. They are sleeping in tents and that's totally gross so I decided not to go. I would have gone (maybe!!) if they were staying in a cabin and a Walmart or at least a 24-hour drug store was within 20 minutes, but no such luck for where they are staying. So, I decided to stay home.

Tonight, I went out to our fav Mexican restaurant with Marie and Ray and we came back to my house for a fire and marshmallow toasting. Our first fire of the year! Blarney was fun outside with us. Every time the wind would blow and a spark or piece of ash would fly, he'd try to catch it in his mouth. Thank goodness the sparks would disappear before they could hurt him.

Good news is we bought a new mattress and it came in yesterday. I have our whole brand new bed to myself tonight and tomorrow. I am a bit of a bed hog, but Mark is good and lets me have what he says is 75%, but I think it's more like 60%.

Marie offered to spend the night and have a sleepover party, but I told her she didn't have to. I have big plans to clean the house tomorrow, and if she was here I'd put that off. Anyway, after Marie and Ray left tonight, I went to check my email and NO internet again!! I rebooted the modem and laptop - but still no luck. So here I am in our family room hard wired to the modem - oh the humanity. I guess just our wireless is down. I could not live without the internet I think I'd give up TV before giving up the Internet.

Well, off to my bed. I hope to enjoy it a little more tonight than last night. When Dylan is here, I can't seem to fall into a deep sleep. I keep staring over at the video monitor to make sure he's alright and still breathing. Tonight, I hope to have uninterrupted sleep. :)

Birthday & Memorial Day

Today is Mark's birthday. This early afternoon, we went to see Iron Man with Marie and Ray. It was good, but kind of long for what it was.

Mike, Melissa, and Aidan are all kind of sick, so we didn't go to Carol's today. We did go to my parent's though. She made a Honey Baked Ham and some really good baked potatoes!!!

Here's Blarn with his stars and stripes bandanna.

Happy 1st Bday John

This afternoon we went to my friend, Kathy’s son’s first birthday party. I hadn’t seen him since he was 3 months old. Her and her husband, Andrew, moved to Chicago about 6 months ago. It was at a park in a covered pavilion, and it was kind of chilly out when the wind whipped through. She had some very exciting news for me too – SHE’S 9 WEEKS PREGNANT! Here’s a pic of John getting ready to dig into his cupcake, he had a few licks in his dad's arms and then he really got into it. He was covered!

He’s a big boy, walking around like he’s two instead of one. He’s also talking a little bit. It was great seeing her.

Pizza!

Last night Mark and I went to my Uncle Carl and Aunt Kelly’s restaurant Arpeggio’s Pizza. My parents came with us, which was great. Their pizza rocks!!!! (and I’m not just saying that). We started off with some garlic and butter croissants which they make with the pizza dough. The pizza was thin on the bottom with a sweeter sauce. The crust was my favorite part – very crispy. 4 of their kids were there too: Phil, Natalie, Tommy, and Joey. It’s on Broadview & Brookpark Roads if you are in the neighborhood – stop by!

Evan!!

Introducing my newest nephew!!! He was born today at 10:22 AM, weighing in at 7 lbs 7 oz and 19 inches long. I think he looks like Melissa (Mark's brother Mike's wife).


Mark's mom CarolClose up of Evan
Uncle Mark
Mommy Melissa

Dr. Phil's Test: Here you go. Try this!

Dr. Phil's Test: Here you go. Try this!

Below is Dr . Phil's test that I got in an email from Marie’s mom. (Dr. Phil scored 55; he did this test on Oprah - she got a 38.) Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out! Read on, this is very interesting! Don't be overly sensitive! The following is pretty accurate and it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself and send it to your friends.

Answers are for who you are now - not who you were in the past. Have pen or pencil and paper ready.

This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today . It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees. It's only 10 Simple questions, so grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your letter answers to each question.

Make sure to change the subject of the e-mail to read YOUR total. When you are finished, forward this to friends/family, and also send it to the person who sent this to you. Make sure to put YOUR score in the subject box.

Ready?? Begin.

1. When do you feel your best?
a) in the morning
b) during the afternoon and early evening
c) late at night

2. You usually walk...
a) fairly fast, with long steps
b) fairly fast, with little steps
c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
d) less fast, head down
e) very slowly

3. When talking to people you. . .
a) stand with your arms folded
b) have your hands clasped
c) have one or both your hands on your hips
d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with..
a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
b) your legs crossed
c) your legs stretched out or straight
d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with...
a) big appreciated laugh
b) a laugh, but not a loud one
c) a quiet chuckle
d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you...
a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted..
a) welcome the break
b) feel extremely irritated
c) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most?
a) red or orange
b) black
c) yellow or light blue
d) green
e) dark blue or purple
f) white
g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going
to sleep you are...
a) stretched out on your back
b) stretched out face down on your stomach
c) on your side, slightly curled
d) with your head on one arm
e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are...
a) falling
b) fighting or struggling
c) searching for something or somebody
d) flying or floating
e) you usually have dreamless sleep
f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS:
1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e ) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 ( c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. ( a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS : Others see you as someone they should "handle with care." You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS : Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS : Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS : Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken .

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS : People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything! They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you' re boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

Marie is a 42, and her mom is a 50. I was 45 and I think that's pretty accurate. I do try to be kind and try to help people out whenever I can. However, after reading <21, I am also a worrier who sees problems that they don't have. However, I don't think I'm someone who needs looked after, so I guess 45 is more accurate.

Treebeard

For my birthday earlier this year, Marie’s mom bought me a planter that looks like Treebeard (my second favorite character from The Lord Of The Rings) I put begonia's in him planter last weekend. I had wanted to plant him with some sort of decorative grass and have a whole Bart Simpson / Chiapet thing going. However, I bought too many plants and had to put begonia’s in Treebeard too. Blarney barked at him for a few minutes and tried to bite his nose. Blarney does not like change, anything from furniture to new accessories in the house to a bag of newspapers on the floor waiting to go out for recycling. He barks at anything out of place and studies them for a while before he's comfortable with them - he's a wacko. Anyway, next year I will put some sort of grassy looking plant in him. Thanks again M*A for thinking of me on my birthday. What's great is this year, because of my Treebeard planter, I got to extend my birthday all the way until Marie's! Don't tell her though, she'll be pissed ;)

Mother's Day

No pictures, but we had a nice Mother's Day. Mike was sick and in the ER and Carol was not feeling well either, so, we did not see Mark's side of the family this weekend. However, Mark and I went out to Stancato's with my parents. We went back to our house for dessert.

Mark and I had to go shopping at a store over by Laura's, so we decided to stop there to babysit. This allowed Jeff to go to the grocery store so Laura could relax a little before she had to go to work. Her first Mother's day and she's working the night shift both Sat and Sun. :( Dylan is getting really big and so grown up. I got to feed him some cereal which was fun. He loves the stuff! I took a few pictures with her camera of him trying to feed himself. Him with the spoon just means that cereal got smeared from his eyebrow down to his chin. That's what bibs are for though, right?

I asked Mark what Blarney bought me for Mother's day and he said nothing because he doesn't have a job. I thought that was funny!

Marie's Birthday

Marie, Ray, Mark, and I went out to Legacy Village to eat at The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant) on Saturday for her birthday. It is quite pricey, but well worth it. They start off with a cheese fondue course, then bring veggie broth and a plate of raw shrimp, salmon, filet mignon, chicken, and sirloin which you cook yourself and then season with several different kind of dips. Then......the dessert course! I am not a huge chocolate person, but I turned into a beast when they brought out the dessert! They bring you a plate of fruits, rice krispie treats, brownies, pound cake, and cheesecake squares to dip. We got the marshmallow and milk chocolate fondue with crushed oreo pieces. I was counting the rice krispie treats and pound cake and yelling at Mark not to eat any of them! We were there for a few hours and had a great time. It's really dark in there, so I couldn't take any pictures inside. However, here's a cute one of Marie and I outside. Happy 31st Birthday Muriah - love ya!!!!

Blarney's Graduation

This picture is a month or two old, but I just got around to scanning it in. Blarney graduated Pet Smart's puppy class. I love his graduation cap!!

Hurry Up

I don’t know why, but I am always in a hurry. I try to find the most effective way to do everything. I walk fast, I talk fast, etc. I was peeling some carrots for salads a few nights ago, just using the potato peeler. I then peel the entire carrot making long shreds for our salads. I remembered that I had Pampered Chef Mandoline so I went into the basement to get it. It took me a minute to figure out how to change the blade to the one that I wanted – it’s the first time I had ever used it. I start slicing the carrot and am flying – loving how much quicker it goes and how nice the slices are. All of a sudden, there goes the tip of my finger. I was a dummy and didn’t use the holder. OWWWIE did that hurt!! Of course, it’s the index finder on my right hand! It bled for about 10 minutes then Mark told me to sit down and put my hand above my head to slow down the bleeding. It took me a minute or two to find the mandoline in the basement, then I had to wash it off because it was a little dusty, then figure out how to change the blade, then wait for the bleeding to stop. I would have saved more time by just using the regular plain old potato peeler. Or, slowed down and used the food holder. Lesson learned (at least until next time!)



P.S. M*A - I put a link in my post just for you :)

What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Funny story that’s worth sharing. My sister-in-law Melissa and I both love ice cream. She usually has a half gallon of Sara Lee strawberry cheesecake ice cream in her freezer. When I go over there, I look forward to having some. I can not find it in my local grocer store, so I can’t buy it for myself – which is a good thing because I try not to have ice cream in the house! Anyways, Melissa found Sara Lee strawberry cheesecake Klondike bars, and they were on sale. She bought me a package and gave it to me last weekend at Aidan’s birthday party. Mark had them when we were leaving, because I was driving home. Mark put them in the glove box of my car because they were cold and he didn't want to carry them. (see where this is going!) Well, yesterday Mark took my, I guess it's called a cross over SUV, but I call it a car - to the store to buy 10 bags of dirt for our flower beds and a bag of concrete for the post for our new grill. He was looking for my garage door opener and opened up the glove box. Inside he found a completely melted package of week old Klondike bars!! Thank goodness they were not opened because it would have been very messy - not to mention smelly! The condensation of the melting of the ice cream got a few of my papers damp. I was kind of concerned because I had my warranty from my paint & leather protector, undercarriage coating, and window tinting in there - but I laid them out to dry and they were okay the next morning.