Snakes and Sceptres

A Sordid Recap

2009-05-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

It is I: your long lost blogger. No, you are not reading the words of a ghost, dear subscriber, but merely the ramblings of a once forgotten story teller.
Ok, enough of that. I'm sorry it's been so long. I'd love to have a great excuse for why I have been so remiss in my writing, but alas, I just haven't felt like it.
Things have been really crazy around here as most of you know. Bart has officially deployed to Afghanistan. He is safe and sound and getting a good handle on his new job out there. He's also been able to spend time with his brother Bill, and that's a good thing. On top of it all, he's found a stray kitten on base that he has decided to befriend. I am now charged with sending a care package to said Combat Kitty and finding a decent name for her. I'll try to supply a picture if Bart ever sends one.
As for me, I'm currently trying to keep my head on straight. I was able to spend some really good time with Mom right after Bart left, and we got to visit with my grandparents over Easter (not to mention a totally excellent, if not short, lunch with Bradley along the way). I also had a wonderful visit with Beth and Stephen when they were in town, and I'm sorry for the lack of recap on that one. Suffice it to say, it was an amazing time for all of us. Now I'm starting to plan all my trips and visits for the next couple months. So far I've got St. Louis, Nashville, Lexington, Denver and Indy on my list of places to go, and I'm sure my Mom will supply me with a few more as she is traveling extensively this summer. I also have a visit from Katie to look forward to, as well as a fun weekend coming up with Conley and Bradley.
I am also trying to start some sort of vocation up here from home. Jobs are scarce here in NOLA, so I am looking into doing some proofreading online. If anyone knows of a good way to break into this business, I am all ears. It seems like a great thing for me to do, with as much as I love to read, and it will also allow me the freedom to travel whenever I want. Sounds like a dream job if I can just get going.
Beyond all this, I am taking care of Sherlock and PJ, who are constant joys and companions for me. They made the trip to West Palm Beach over Easter and Mom and I had a blast taking pics of them in the car. PJ wasn't thrilled with the arrangement at the start of our trip, but eventually settled down for the drive. Sherlock, on the other hand, slept as if he'd been drugged (hence the glasses).

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and that you haven't completely given up on me. I will keep up from here on out, now that my head is a bit more properly aligned with my body. Also, if anyone wants to send Bart a letter or email, let me know and I'll get you his info. Take care all, and I promise to get back in the saddle again ("I'm BACK in the saddle again...").

PS- Here are Bart and Bill on base together in A'stan. How awesome to get a picture of them both. Enjoy!

Blessed

2009-03-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Not that this is a long or extremely verbose entry, but I would like you all to know that I am truly blessed. I have the most wonderful friends and family in the world and I wouldn't trade them for anything. For all of you who have called, emailed, texted, etc., I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for checking on me and Bart. Your love and support means more than I can ever say to you. Thank you all and I will post more details about his deployment as I get them. Love you guys. Thanks!

A Not-Quite-Drunk Dial

2009-03-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

The reason I haven't posted in so long was that I was looking for the good in this world. Instead, all I came up with were some less-than-positive alternatives. At this point I am saying goodbye to quite a few things, which I love more than anything:
1. My husband (you may email for more details; and, no, we aren't splitting up)
2. A long friendship based on trust and honesty (which will never be over on my part)
3. My childhood (apparently at 27 you are no longer allowed to be a child)
4. My dignity (which is gone with all the crying I've done lately)
To explain: Bart has left. He is on his way to training for an OIC (officer in command) position in Afghanistan. His training will take him across the US and back before he leaves for the dessert at the end of April. All I can hope and pray is that God will bless His safety and mercy on Bart and all the troops overseas. Regardless of your opinions, I hope you will pray for the troops as well. Beyond those issues, we would have to be intimately close to discuss numbers 2 through 4. Better days to follow soon. I hope you are all well and holding your loved ones as close as you can. I know I would love to do so.

A Rant

2009-03-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that the entire world is just going mad. This isn't a new development, nor is it shocking that it has occurred, but good Lord when will it all stop? Now, I am speaking/typing on many different levels: state of the union, economy, mental capacities, etc. All in all, we're going crazy. At some point we have to think that whatever it is that is going on in our lives, whatever it is that is going on in this country, we have brought this on ourselves. We have made poor decisions and are now seeing the effects of those choices. It seems to me that we have all forgotten how to take responsibility for our own actions. Instead of fessing up and saying, "Wow, I made a mistake and I need to fix it," we scream at the top of our lungs that someone else has wronged us and that there wasn't any way we would have made said mistake if it weren't for someone else. Or, in our attempt to right a wrong, we take completely ludicrous steps down the wrong path in the hopes that no one will point out the error of our ways, but allow us to continue in a manner that best suits our liking. Nope. Sorry folks. It is time to be responsible. It is time to stop feeling entitled. We aren't entitled to jack except for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That's it. You don't get to cut people off just because you want to be ahead of them in traffic. You don't get to spend the country's money simply to further socialism (in the name of democracy). You don't even get to walk away from your mistakes because you don't feel like dealing with them. That's not how this whole thing works. When did humans stop being humane? Honestly, I am tired of lying and cheating all in the name of something better. When did bad things ever lead to good ones? Maybe I'm way off base and maybe I'm just getting things off my chest, but in my humble opinion (and on my own blog) it is time for every one of us to evaluate ourselves and make sure we are all making good choices and bettering the places in which we live. Ok, I'm done now, I promise. Happier and friendlier blogs to come.

An Ode to Angela

2009-02-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

Oh my dear Angela, how I love thee! Let me count the ways:
1. Talking and singing clams!
2. Great songs in a dirty pub.
3. Being brave enough to be "Lucid" (but you got a T-shirt for it).
4. Doing the pajama thing for an entire day.
5. Watching movies until our butts were sore.
6. Puppy Gras.
7. Searching out mask stores ('cause only one will do).
8. Seedy gay bars.
9. Seedy bars in general.
10. Playing pool with the locals.
11.... I could go on for a while here.
Suffice it to say, we had a blast with Angela in town. She blew in on a cloud of traffic-riddled frustration and it seemed the laughter didn't stop until it was time for her to go. I would post pictures of our grand and adventurous weekend, but not one of us had a camera and that's probably a good thing. It was great to show her around and show off our little town. I can't say that we did much of anything, but we did brave the French Quarter for a day and our timing was perfect. In the midst of Mardi Gras madness, we managed to go on the one day they were having a parade of dogs (thus "Puppy Gras"). Now when I say "parade of dogs," I'm not doing this thing justice. There were literally hundreds (maybe thousands?) of dogs dressed to the nines. They were decked out in everything from sailor suits to bumblebee costumes, had their toenails painted, fur dyed, all kinds of things. Needless to say, we could not have gone on a better day. The atmosphere made for a family friendly and tame crowd and it was awesome to see everyone all gussied up. This was just one of our many adventures, and there was so much more, but this blog just isn't big enough for all the details. I am so grateful Ang decided to come down and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed her visit. Ang, the door is always open and your room is ready whenever you'd like to come back. The offer is also open for my faithful readers. Come on down to the Big Easy and see what all the fuss is about. As for me, I'm off to Denver to see my Mom. Have a great weekend, everyone!

A Battle Almost Won... Part II (read Part I first)

2009-02-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

An "I'm-going-to-rip-my-hair-out" story: When last we left our lovely Princess, she was galloping to meet the good wizard Zinsel in the hopes of amending her befouled Altima. The Princess bravely met the hoards of traffic and wound her way through the kingdom towards the wizard's abode. In she strode, head held high, with all the confidence in the esteemed wizard. The Princess handed over the Altima's entry tools (keys) to the wizard with hope-filled eyes. As the Princess settled into a not-so-comfy chair with a predestined tome to while away the time, the wizard returned suddenly. "Alas, fair maiden. I have not the backing plate necessary to reattach your mirror." "Can't you conjure one?!" wailed the Princess. "No, I am unable. My skills are no match for your considerable issue. You must return to the dreaded Nissan doctor." "Never!" replied the Princess in haste and anxiety. The Princess stormed from the wizard's domain, broken and bereft of hope. "I refuse to spend 478,392 gold pieces, but I will find a way to make this right," she vowed to the Altima. Tears brimming in her hazel eyes, the Princess fled to another evil place, the market. Not only could she not fix her precious Altima, but she had to shop, like a peasant, for supplies. Upon returning to the castle and carrying in her supplies, the Princess even broke a nail. What a tragic and horrid day! The Princess was about to give up completely when suddenly her glorious Prince called with some wonderful news: He had found a replacement mirror, complete with backing plate, for a mere 894 gold pieces! The Princess was overjoyed and felt herself blessed to have such a wonderful Prince at her disposal. Much rejoicing ensued, with a bit of lunch to follow. Our benevolent Princess now rests. Thrilled with the outcome, even through the trials of her day. More merry-making will come later in the evening, but after the Princess enjoys last night's episode of Bones. There is happiness in the kingdom once again. The End.

A Battle Almost Won... Part I

2009-02-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

A sad story: Once upon a time there was a precious (and wonderful) blue '07 Nissan Altima that belonged to a gorgeous Princess. The Princess had moved into a new kingdom that was full of strife and messed-up-ness. Against the Princess's will, the pretty Altima had to be parked in front of the castle beyond the moat, instead of in the carriage house as it should have been because there simply wasn't a carriage house to be found for miles. One day, when the Princess went to visit her trusty steed, she found that a side-view mirror had been ripped from her darling car. She searched everywhere for broken glass to see if the Altima had been damaged by some "hoopty" of this realm, but to no avail. The mirror had been ripped off, leaving the casing fully intact but sadly missing its reflective gem.
An annoying story: In her sadness and remorse, the Princess took the Altima to a respected Nissan doctor who told her, "For sooth, great Princess, I cannot replace just the mirror. I must remove the entire casing because the Nissan God does not allow the mirror to be sold separately of its component. You must purchase the entire entity for 478,392 gold pieces." (This roughly translates to just over $300) The Princess was outraged by the doctor's analysis and refused to allow him to treat her valiant Altima and vowed to find the mirror on her own. For days and days she toiled over the phone and computer to find that every replacement was either not worthy of her gorgeous roadster, or was simply a cheaper form of the full component that the Nissan doctor had promised her. The Princess was saddened and dismayed, feeling that she had completely failed her beloved Altima.
A redemptive story: The Princess was near wit's end in her search. She had called and typed and researched until her fingers were sore and her melodious voice harsh from begging for the lowly replacement. She decided to make one last phone call; a last ditch effort to save her noble friend. The Princess called upon Zinsel, a glass wizard, and told him her long and sad tale, in the hopes that maybe he could help. The gentle and kind Zinsel replied, "Fear not, lovely Princess! I can heal your broken Altima! I can replace the appendage for a pittance. Only 893 gold pieces and your beleaguered motorcar will be as good as new!! (This roughly translates to $35) The Princess was overjoyed. She praised the glass wizard and promised to bring her Altima as soon as the mirror had been conjured. And even now, good denizens, the Princess rides to repair her Altima and the kingdom will rejoice. There will be much laughter, singing, and mirth. To the mead hall!!

Updates?

2009-02-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

Considering that Bart and I are living in a new city, Bart has a new job, and we have acquired a new cat, I have surprisingly little to blog about. I think, though, that it all comes down to perception, and I am willing to bend mine to give a little of myself to my readers ("There is no spoon" name that movie). First things first, our new addition, PJ has firmly set herself into our hearts. She has become an instant playmate for Sherlock, with them running up and down the hallway and wrestling at 2 in the morning, and an extra little fuzzy thing for Bart and me to love on. She is truly precious and our little family is more complete with her around. She's actually sitting on the desk as I type this, as if she knows what I'm saying. Now, what else haven't I told you? Oh, my dance card is getting a bit fuller these days. I am thrilled to say that Angela is coming to see me next weekend and I can't wait for her visit! We don't have solid plans yet, but I am totally excited. Anyone want to join her? After Ang leaves, I'll be going out to visit with Mom and Bill for a long weekend and I'm really looking forward to that as well. It'll be nice to have some down time with them, since the last time I saw them we were all running through an airport trying to get home. March is bringing a trip up to Nashville with Conley (ROAD TRIP!!!) for Laura's wedding and a much-needed Diva reunion. And last but not least, Beth and Stephen are making their way to the Big Easy to visit Bourbon Street, and I'm sure a bead collecting contest will ensue at some point (or at least the guys wish). All this to say, I'm really excited about the next couple months. There's tons to do and fun people to see, so that helps the whole "perception" thing a bit. I think right now I'm just a bit down because of the whole not-having-a-job thing. It is so strange to have worked every day for so long and now have nothing. As I told Conley and Bradley earlier today, I find myself letting things go around the house just so I'll have more to do later. I mean, I organized our CDs the other day! Yes, I'm totally bored. The worst part, though, is that boredom + lack of job = lack of good moods. I am finding it harder and harder to be positive about things and I'm sure Bart is totally sick of me being such a baby about stuff. I keep trying, though, and that's all I can say. So, with all that on the table, my job search is in full swing (anyone know of any openings in NOLA?). I'm searching daily and will continue to do so. The one thing I know for sure is that I am totally blessed to have a wonderful husband and 2 loving cats to share my evenings with. I also have the most amazing family and friends who are always willing to commiserate and "cope" with me. Who could ask for anything more?

Blog Alert!

2009-01-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

No, never fear my avid and loyal readers, nothing is wrong with this oh-so-sacred blog. I am just writing to let you know that the wonderful and truly effusive Miss Katie has moved her blog to a new space. Go check out her new rantings and ravings at 4th Quarter Katie. Let's all try and keep up with where she is going next. Good luck to her and to all of us for hanging on to this wild ride. Love you girl!

A New Start

2009-01-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it's about time that I showed you our new little abode. We've got a great house in a fun neighborhood and are loving it so far. The area that we are in has great pubs and restaurants within walking distance and we feel safe being out and about together (as long as we are together and not alone, 'cause that would just be silly). The house is a great size for us, and may even be a little bigger than we expected, but it's nice to have some room to move around and not be on top of each other. The cats love it and run up and down the hallway playing all day and night. We have gorgeous floor to ceiling windows in the front of the house (which really adds to the room we're using as a library) and with the ceilings being about 13 feet, it makes the house feel huge. There are 3 bedrooms, one of which we use as an office, and a really nice size living room with a built-in bar (that we only use for storage. Right. Storage). And finally there is a precious little backyard with a great deck. There is plenty of room for guests, so start planning your trips down to the Big Easy, folks. Beth and Stephen win the award for having the first planned trip. Any other takers? Anyone? Hello?!

Alas Poor Israel, I Blogged You Well

2009-01-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I know: I am the absolute worst blogger in the world. BUT, I'm writing now, I'm finishing off the stories of my travels and you can all enjoy and read and comment and we'll all be happier for it. So, where exactly did I leave off? Well, our group was heading into the last of our countries, namely Israel. (Disclaimer: I totally broke Bart's camera on the first day in Israel, so pictures may or may not be forthcoming.) The first stop on the tour of Israel was the Church of the Beatitudes where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. For all you "Lamb" readers, you will appreciate this on a completely different level. Of course the church wasn't there at the time of the sermon, but was built as a memorial. It was a gorgeous setting right on the Sea of Galilee (which is actually a large lake), with tons of flowers and greenery, which was an amazing site for all of us since we had only seen desert for the week and a half prior. Israel, in fact, is mostly desert but was irrigated for centuries to create work and exports for its inhabitants. After visiting the church we set out on yet another boat on the Sea of Galilee itself. What an amazing experience! We had a prayer out on the lake, danced with the crew and actually got to listen to our National Anthem. As a bonus, the crew of the boat plays the national anthem of whoever is on their ships. Nice touch to have a bit of home on the trip. We didn't get to stay out long, but again, it was an awesome experience. Our next stop on the trip was in Tabgha at the Church of Heptapegon, which is where Jesus fed the masses with the few loaves and fish. It was a very small church with very little to see, but neat to be there. As was tradition with our tour group at that point, we were quickly whisked back onto our bus and driven to yet another site: Capharnaum, or the city of Jesus. This ruined city was a maze of ancient buildings that told many different stories of the life and times of Jesus. There were meeting rooms and synagogues, churches and an actual city was laid out before us. Once we saw all these amazing sites, it was finally time for lunch. Yep, that's right, lunch. We quickly found out that we hadn't even learned the meaning of "rushed" before we got to Israel. Another word we quickly learned was kibbutz. A kibbutz is similar to a commune where a group of people work together to form a self-sustaining community. Apparently our guide was very fond of these and took us to every single one she could possibly find. Let's just suffice it to say that if all kibbutz's (I really don't know what the plural of kibbutz is) charge as much for lunch as the ones we visited do, then I have figured out how they are self-sustaining. No big secret there. The remainder of our first day in Israel was spent traveling to the Jordan River for baptisms. This was so very cool and there were people from all over the world having the same experience that we were. Two of the members of our group were baptized and it was awesome to share this with them. (Side note: In the interest of saving your brain cells, I'm going to hit the highlights from here on out. We did an inordinate amount of touring these last couple days and it all started to bleed together, so just trust me that you're getting the good stuff.) In the following days, we visited Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water to wine at a wedding (you guys can learn all about this from Bill) and Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. We also visited the Church of the Ascension, where the Angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her what God had in store for her (or as my Mom said, "Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time"). Caesarea was soon to follow and there we saw the ruins from the palace of Pontius Pilate (who was the judge during Jesus' trial). Next we were off to Jerusalem and Masada, where we took a suspended cable car up the mountain and got to see the city of Masada (if any of you have seen the movie with Peter O'Toole with the Romans trying to take over a city on a big mountain, this place is what the movie was about). After lunch in another kibbutz (I think this was the third or fourth by this point), we saw these awesome little wild goats that were literally standing in trees to get food. They were tiny but so very cute! I wanted to take one home, but they wouldn't let me off the bus. Our next big stop was the Dead Sea. Whoa... weird stuff. The water was way oily and dense and it felt like you would never get it off your skin. A lot of people got all the way in and floated in it, but I couldn't make myself go past knee deep. It just felt entirely too dirty. Gross!! There were folks all over the place bathing in the mud, had it caked all over their bodies and that was enough of a turn-off to keep me away. I admit it, I chickened out (although I did get some great pictures on Lori's camera of people who probably shouldn't have been in bathing suits). We visited the wailing wall, which is in the heart of Old Jerusalem and learned more than any gentile needs to know about the Jewish culture (just kidding). The streets or alleys that lead in and around Old Jerusalem are packed with tons of shops, similar to the bazaar in Istanbul. People just crushed in on top of each other, but we had a wonderful time shopping for treasures, bargaining and finding just the right souvenirs to take home. We spent an afternoon at Yad VaShem, which is the Holocaust Museum. I have to admit that I was fairly nervous about going, but the museum was very tastefully done, and although it wasn't a "pleasant" experience, it was incredible to see everything. We visited the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, and the garden Jesus was taken from before his trial. Experiencing all of this in such a short amount of time didn't give any of us a lot of time to process, so there was a lot of unwinding that needed to be done at the end of each day. We did venture into Palestine one morning to get to Bethlehem (yes, Bethlehem is part of Palestine, not Israel right now), and got to see the Church of the Nativity. Now, if I have to explain the significance of "Church of the NATIVITY," I'm going to be very disappointed, so if you don't know, don't tell me. K? K. Back in Israel, we spent the rest of the day in Mt. Zion and saw the room where The Last Supper took place, walked through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (a possible burial site for Jesus), and had communion in the Garden Tomb (another possible burial site for Jesus). Please keep in mind that all of these things happened in 4 and a half days. It was all jam packed and I am leaving a lot of stuff out. There were lots of trials and tribulations along the way, not to mention cats galore (yes, I tried to keep all of them), many complaints about our guide, stomach issues, blown out hair dryers, and more than I could ever relate. All in all, this was an amazing trip and it seemed to both last a lifetime and disappear in the blink of an eye. I definitely want to continue traveling and have plans to bug the tar out of Bart until he takes me somewhere (Italy anyone?). I hope you enjoyed my stories as much as I enjoyed gathering them. Coming soon: updates on NOLA, pictures of the house and a tourists guide to the Big Easy. Keep up, kids. I'm back!

This Just In

2008-12-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I'm a total slacker and I have a ton more of my trip to blog, but I just needed to get this info out to you and I PROMISE that I'll blog the rest of the trip soon and I'll post pictures of the house. Anyway, some very exciting news for everyone: The second (but not lesser, and actually the older of the two) Garrity Twins has joined the ranks of the bloggers. Check out Beth's page here and see the other side of the twin mentality. Enjoy!

Petra and Jerash. What? You come up with a good title for it.

2008-12-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

So, after quite an epic day to finish our tour of Egypt, our group woke to the gorgeous landscape of Jordan. First on our list was a morning at Petra. This ancient city was cut out of the mountains by a long-run-dry river. The water cut through the rock and left behind an amazing trek down into the city. We rode horses part of the way down the gorge and took the last part of the trip on foot. This gorge was the famous film site where Indiana Jones was chased by the giant ball in one of his adventurous movies. Petra, however, was originally used as an area for trade by voyagers from across the land. The most well known image of Petra was a building that was used as a treasury. Again, I was struck by the awesome beauty of the rocks and the ingenuity of the builders who carved immense structures out of rocks. This area is still being excavated and new treasures are being found every day. The thing that struck me the most about this area was how close we were allowed to get to everything. Literally, we were climbing on rocks and up staircases, looking into the past. Had we been anywhere in America, there would have been guards and roped off areas hustling tourists through. This really allowed us to get a better scope of the grandeur of Petra and enjoy it all the more. After an hour (which was not nearly enough time) of exploring (and a little bit of shopping), we were scurried out and returned to horseback for our trip back up the gorge. I will say, though, that Mom, Lori and I had a great time goofing off and taking fun pictures of the animals. Our next bus ride took us to Amman, with a stop for lunch at a little hole in the wall place for our first authentic meal of the trip. I relished my hummus wrap and loved finally getting a true taste of the area. We also stopped in Madoba to visit St. George's Greek Orthodox Church. This tiny chapel holds an amazing mosaic tile floor that depicts a map of the holy lands and was created centuries ago. At one point someone was a bit careless and built a column in the middle of the map, so part of it is lost, however, it is a gorgeous piece of history. Monday, November 17th found us in Jerash; a city of Roman ruins. I can't explain the immense nature of the columns, the city streets and the buildings that have been found, nor can I fill in much of the history. Unfortunately, this particular day was my first of several with stomach issues. No fun, highly uncomfortable, and very distracting. I'm sure our guide had plenty to say, but I was a bit busy looking around for the Roman version of a toilet. One of the things that really struck me in Jerash (besides my need for modern conveniences) was how much they are still finding. There were rows and rows of massive column heads just sitting about and waiting to once again top their rightful columns. Just seeing how many columns have been put up and how many there are still to go showed the enormity of what this city once was. I truly loved Jerash (and Petra as well) and would go back again instantly to see what developments have been made. Our day continued on Mount Nebo, which is the supposed burial site of Moses. I would say more, but there wasn't a lot there except for an inscribed stone and a wonderful view of Jordan. Yep, that was about it; we were up and down in about 10 minutes. The day ended when we crossed into Israel. Lori and I ran, exhausted, to our room and stayed there for the rest of the night in the hopes of feeling better for the upcoming day.

On Top of Mt. Sinai

2008-12-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

First off, let me apologize for not blogging yesterday. The internet was funky here for some reason, so that is why I'm behind. I'll do my best to get these out more quickly.
Anyway...
After two and exhausting days in Cairo, we traveled by bus (again) to an area called St. Katherine's. We had a short nap after dinner and got up at 1 in the morning to head to Mt. Sinai. Everything was pitch black and exceedingly cold. We were warned beforehand that it was going to be that way, but I can still feel the chill of the night. After bargaining with guides for camels, we were each placed on one of the massive animals, to take us up the first 3 miles of our 4 mile hike. Mine, of course, had a total attitude problem, took off without the guide and spent the entirety of the hike trying to play "chicken" with the other camels and people on the trail. Figures. Jacki and I were close together going up, and we enjoyed the darkened (or almost blackened) scenery and the immense nature of what we were doing. Soon enough, though, it was time to go up on foot. Our group was reinstated and up we went. Straight up a craggy mass of stairs leading to the top of the mountain. I thought several times of Frodo and Sam going up the treacherous stairs leading into Mordor, but kept that to myself. Our group barely made it to the top with enough time to find a spot to sit. Dawn was just breaking on the horizon and everyone was very quiet and still watching this amazing sight. There were throngs of people from all over the world and it was so interesting to see how we all reacted the same way. A lot of people starting singing, as there really weren't words to describe what we were seeing. As the songs progressed, others joined in, singing familiar tunes in different languages. Quite an experience. Soon enough, though, the sun was up in its full glory and it was time for us to head back down the mountain. Two things I neglected to mention were that 1. We had a guide and a guard keeping watch over our entire excursion. Neither of them were to my liking and 2. The camel jockeys had very specific ways of communicating with their wards, mostly by clicking at them, much the same way "that guy" at the bar clicks when he holds his hands like pistols and winks with an exaggerated smirk. Yeah, you get the picture. Anyway, our guide tried to keep the group together coming back down the mountain, but not only was there a mass exodus leaving the mountain at the same time, but we all finally saw the "stairs" we had climbed up in the pitch black. They were 100 times more scary going down, mostly unstable and not really stairs at all, but just rocks that have been worn into a path. All this to say, it was tough keeping the group together. Well, the guide and I had butted heads from the first (you know because I'm a white female infadel, and he's a pigheaded male camel herder), and I mostly tried to keep my distance from him. He eventually found me trying to sneak ahead of the group and wanted to hold me up until others had caught up (I wasn't about to explain to him that my bladder had reached full capacity after the 4.5 hour ordeal and that I was worried about the 4 mile hike ahead of me before there was an available bathroom). He responded to my "disobedience" by clicking at me like I was a camel and trying to herd me back into the group. Yeah, that was when my very thin rope tied to sanity completely snapped and I fumed the rest of the way down the mountain. Luckily, I wasn't alone in my grumblings. Lori and Mom were both suffering from similar bladder issues, so we took our own pace going down the mountain. We were all amazed at how the camels made it up in the dark as we slipped and tripped our way down the 4 mile trail. And of course, being the graceful entity that I am, I totally bit it and fell straight on my behind about halfway down. Yeah, that felt good after being up all night, muscles aching from exertion I'm not accustomed to, and being herded like a pack animal. I was in the best mood ever. The bruise became my first official souvenir from the trip and I was the only person to have one just like it (not that I was the only one who fell, but I was the only one who made mince meat out of my rear end). Side note: Pictures of the bruise cost extra. We were late (according to our guide) getting back from the adventure, so we had about 5 minutes to pack our things and get back on the bus. So much for breakfast. We were headed for the Red Sea and Jordan. Once we got to the water's edge, we had about an hour wait until it was time to go through customs and board the gorgeous ferry that would take us across the water. We were all entranced by the Red Sea, as it was the deepest blue we had ever seen. So concentrated and pure at the same time. We glided over the water while the sun set behind the mountains. Amazing to start the day on top of the mountains and finish it watching the sun drop behind them. As the sun set, the wind and water became much cooler, but we weren't too bad off as the boat captain played fun music and we really enjoyed our trip across the water. We docked in a little city called Acaba (Aladdin, anyone?), that was absolutely beautiful; set against the water with the clean white of the buildings (emphasis on clean) and the amazing (and horribly expensive) yachts docked everywhere. Most of us were sorely tempted to stay just where we were and not move a foot out of this amazing town. Alas, we were destined for another bus ride into the area outside Petra. As Acaba was my first experience in Jordan, I think I'll have to go back to get the full effect of it. I was too tired and grouchy to really appreciate just how spoiled someone could be in that little town. Next up: Petra and Jerash.

Walk Like An Egyptian

2008-12-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

After a late flight and arrival at our hotel, and a very early morning, our group was sent of to the Citadel in Cairo. Through my sleep deprived haze, I wasn't able to discern too much about what went on at the citadel, other than it housed the mosque and tomb of Mohammed Ali (yes, the boxer. Right). The fun thing about the citadel was that it was swarmed with kids on field trips and these children were ecstatic that we were there. They waved and yelled, just grinning from ear to ear if we even looked at them, and tried desperately to practice their English as we were hustled through the crowds. They were just so excited and it really was catching. Our guide commented that we looked exotic to them and they just wanted to get closer to us. Apparently she was right, because once we got up to the top of the citadel, a family ran over to me and begged to have their picture taken with me. I misunderstood and thought they wanted me to take a picture of them, not with them, but they quickly took the camera from me and shoved it at someone else, all placing themselves around me with huge smiles on their faces. Who knows, maybe it was "Hug a White Girl" day or something. Strange. The mosque and tomb, again, were just spectacular, and I think I was able to get better pictures of this one. After the citadel, we headed into the heart of Cairo to the Egyptian Museum. The big focus there, naturally, are all the artifacts that were found in the tomb of King Tut. Amazingly enough (so I learned), King Tut was not a highly revered king, ruled for a very short amount of time and had very little impact on the history of the country. The reason his artifacts are so central, though, is because most of the other tombs that have been found, were raided centuries ago and very little is known about the other rulers. So, for a "nothing king" as our guide put it, the people constructed literally hundreds and thousands of necessities that he would need for the after life: chariots, thrones, pots, an early version of air conditioning (very interesting, but hard to explain), three sarcophagi, built into three massive tombs, and even went as far as to bury servants and women with him. Man, can you imagine what they would do for someone they actually liked? I can't even explain the immense amount of items they had with him. Absolute craziness. The rest of our first day in Cairo was spent shopping and enjoying the town. We went to a store that specialized in papyrus and as I was browsing, one of the salesmen actually asked me if I had cats at home. Surprised, I replied that I did (he was obviously trying to butter me up for a sale). "I could tell," he said with a smirk, "you have beautiful cat eyes." Right. That makes me want to buy something. Hey, at least it was a line I'd never heard before. I also had a waiter at dinner profess his undying love for me (repeatedly) and then declare that he was going to kill himself because I was married. He was certainly teasing, but goodness, give it a rest folks! Our second day in Cairo consisted of the pyramids and sphinx. I can't begin to explain the grandure of the pyramids. I never realized just how huge they are. Did you know that if you lined up all the stones from just the Great Pyramid in a row that they would reach 3/4 of the way around the equator? Yeah, I had no clue either. Also, there is no mortar or bonding agent of any kind holding the pyramids together, only their vast weight. Incredible. The sphinx, although much smaller, was cut out of one solid stone and measures 20 meters high. (Side note: The sphinx was used as target practice by Napoleon's men and that's why it doesn't have a nose) Again, just amazing what these people were able to accomplish without any modern tools (a good argument for aliens, I think). The only gripe I would have about anything in Cairo would be the peddlers. They try to sell you anything and everything and want entirely too much money for their wares. They also have no concept of personal space (or deodorant for that matter) and will literally bombard you as you are walking around. Goodness, they will even charge you if you ask them to take a picture of you with your own camera. By the end of the day, I was pretty fed up with the "attention" and actually scared one would-be vendor with a very loud and abrasive "NO!" I guess he got the point. The end of our day was spent at an essence store where they make and sell oils for all ailments and maladies. We got a very long lecture about the curing abilities of oils and how we should buy them all (shocking), and also got a quick lesson on how their hand-blown glass bottles were made. Everything was absolutely gorgeous, but after a day of having things shoved in your face, I wasn't really in the mood. I think I just needed an actual night of sleep. Tomorrow and epic day of Mt. Sinai and the Red Sea.

Turkey Before Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

Well, first and foremost, I'm giving up on the "Ari says" bit. I think we all know why. No need to dwell on it, so we'll just get down to business.
Now, you all should know that I recently spent two weeks overseas on an amazing tour of the Holy Lands. I'm going to attempt to give details and recollections, but as it seems that I've left my brain somewhere in Israel, you'll have to bear with me. Our group flew out of New York's JFK airport on Tuesday, November 11th, in the evening and made our first stop in Istanbul, Turkey sometime on Wednesday. We started with 15 people in the group, including Mimi and Papaw (my fantastic grandparents), my Mom and Bill, and Bill's daughter and son-in-law (Jacki and Nick), as well as my Aunt Lori (who happens to be the source of all things bad that I do). There were a few other very nice people with us, including Lori's and my wonderful roommate Pat, who you'll hear more about later. Back to Turkey. We arrived bleary eyed and were hustled off the plane, through customs and the airport, only to be pushed onto our first of many buses. We briefly saw a glimpse of the Walls of Constantinople, and as we were flying past this huge monument of history I realized that our 12 hour stint in Istanbul was going to be entirely too short. We passed the sea of Marmara (which happens to encompass the Princess Islands, just so you know) and arrived at the Palace of Sultans. As you can imagine by the name, this place was amazing. The grounds look like an elaborate college campus and I swore up and down that I wanted to get my next degree there. One of the things that really struck me at the Palace was the different architecture that you could see everywherere. It was obvious that this particular spot had been added to throughout the ages and was just steeped in history (not that I know any of it to tell you). We ate a brief lunch that I barely remember and then it was back to the bus to head to the Blue Mosque (or the Mosque of Ahmet as it is actually called). Words cannot describe the absolute beauty of this place. Not only is it immense in size, but the decoration and ornamentation were just astounding. Alas, my pictures of the inside of the mosque are less than stellar and I'll have to get pics from someone else in the group before I can post that one. After the mosque, we had a brief stint in the Grand Bizarre and Lori and I had our first taste of the craziness that is the tourist traps overseas. There were shops everywhere, selling anything you can think of and each of the shop tenders had a lovely compliment for you, just to entice you into their store. Craziness. I can't even explain the immensity of the bizarre, except that to relate that when I thought Mom was lost inside and alone, I firmly and literally dove back in to save her. Yeah, I'm a big hero. After the bizarre, our guide took us to a rug store. I know, it sounds boring, but it was very informative, and a bit tempting. The rugs were absolutely gorgeous and hard to resist. I almost picked one and then realized that it was a bit early in the trip to buy my "big thing" so I held off, but with much difficulty. After what was a very full 12 hours, we were shipped back to the airport to await our flight to Cairo. Amazingly enough, it was just a fluke that we got to visit Istanbul at all, and only because our layover was so long. We all grabbed some dinner, wandered around the airport and then settled in for our short flight into Egypt. I have to say that I certainly want to go back to Turkey, especially Istanbul, and get a better feel for everything that we missed. 12 hours was not nearly long enough to explore this gorgeous country. Tomorrow, Cairo. Stay tuned.

I'm Baaaaaaack

2008-11-25T09:12:00.000-08:00

Ari says:
Hey all. The weary and wary wanderer has returned. I am absolutely exhausted after a couple days of tortuous travel. We left Turkey very early Sunday morning (would have been Saturday evening here in the states), but our flight was delayed and we missed our connecting flights in New York. I didn't get home until yesterday afternoon, so I am a bit worn out. I promise to post tons of stories and pictures very soon, but I am taking a day of rest (and laundry). Hope you're all doing well and I'll be back on soon.

La-La

2008-11-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Ari says:

I have a very small window of time here, so I'll be brief. I haven't forgotten about you all, but have had a tough time getting to a computer that I can monopolize for more than 3 minutes at a time. The trip has been amazing. I've been in 5 countries and on 4 continents in the past 2 weeks. We are finishing up the trip in Israel and it has been incredible so far. I miss each and every one of you and can't wait to talk to you all and catch up with what all is going on in your lives. Love you tons! And for now, here's a pic (if I can make it work). Talk to you all soon!

PS- "La la" is how you say "no, no" in Arabic. Learned that in Egypt.

Off I Go...

2008-11-09T16:03:00.001-08:00

Ari says:
It's almost time!!! My first overseas trip is about to begin. I leave tomorrow morning (at the BC-o-D) for New York to meet up with Mom and Bill. Tuesday afternoon we'll be boarding a flight for Turkey and that's where it all begins. For the next 2 weeks I will be gallivanting all over the Middle East and I am way excited about the entire excursion. We will only be in Turkey for a short time, and the rest of our trip will be centered in Egypt and Israel. All this to say, I won't be blogging for a while. Now, I do promise that upon my return, there will be pictures of the new house as well as a well documented entry on my entire trip. I wish you all well these next couple weeks and will give you a homework assignment while I'm gone: Start your Christmas shopping! I say this only because I haven't had a chance to do that yet and it's making me very nervous. At least if someone has started it will give me a good push when I get back to get my butt into gear. So for now I say, TTFN and I'll talk to you all when I get back.
PS-I promise to post updates if I find an internet café.

Nick-nacks and Paddy-whacks

2008-11-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

Ari says:
Just a brief note to let you all know that we are in our new house! It is all very exciting, but we have a ton of stuff left to do. Mostly finding places for all the little pictures, candles and basically junk that I have sitting around everywhere. The house is just darling and coming along nicely. Soon and very soon ("we are going to see the King") we will be primed and ready for visitors, so dust off those suitcases and get ready for a trip to the Big Easy. We are in an amazing neighborhood. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming; they've all been trying to feed us and help out with anything we need, so it's nice to know we're in an actual community. On a completely different note, the little kitten that we had been taking care of (the one that ran off while we were in Texas) came back around on Tuesday night, which just happened to be the first night that Nashville was supposed to get below freezing. Well, the little miss was crying outside the door and I just didn't have the heart to leave her out there. So, I brought her in, stuck her in the bathroom and have now moved her with us to New Orleans. All that to say, we have a new kitten and her name is PJ (short for Princess Junior). She is absolutely precious and I will post more pictures of her soon. She is going in next week for a de-claw and spay, and then she'll be ready to join our little family, instead of being cooped up in a bedroom all the time. Let's see, what else am I forgetting? There's so much going on and so much to do, I'm sure I'm leaving something out. I will certainly get pics of the house up soon so you can all see where we are and I'll give a full report of the move and the house. As for now, just wanted you to all know that we're here and ready for guests.

And I'm Out

2008-10-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
This is it folks. My penultimate night in Nash-Vegas. Tomorrow will be my last day of visiting with friends, packing and getting ready for the big move. The movers (yes, we hired someone) are coming early Thursday morning and by that evening, I will be with Bart in The Big Easy. I've been in Nashville for over 5 years now, making this one of the longest stints I've ever lived in one place. I'm really excited about the move and very ready to be with Bart. He, of course, is already down there, having had to check in for his orders yesterday. He is paving the way and will actually get into our house tomorrow at some point. I'm sure he'll just be wiling away the time until Sherlock and I get down there. Right. Anyway, as I said, I've lived here for quite a while, but I'm having trouble coming up with legitimate reasons that I'm going to miss this place. So, in case you were wondering, here is my list of the top 5 things I will miss about Nashville:
5. Music at any time, day or night, whether you want it or not.
4. The ease of being in a location that everything you need is within 2 miles of where you live.
3. (Mostly) Friendly people and smiling faces. You gotta love the south. (Not that New Orleans isn't the south, but it's a bit different)
2. Being so close to Lexington. It has been great being able to get up there any time I want to see my fam, and Beth and Katie.
1. Friends. I have met some wonderful people, not the least of whom is Angela and I will miss her terribly, although I know that we're both "only a phone call away." Love you girl!
On the opposite end of this sappiness, here are the top 5 things that I am thrilled to be getting away from:
5. Music at any time, day or night, whether you want it or not.
4. Horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible drivers (they're really bad, folks).
3. Metrosexuals. There is something wrong when a man is prettier than me, even if we aren't together.
2. UT fans. Nutters.
1. Not being with Bart.
So, there you have it folks. The best and the worst of Nashville. This has been an amazing time in my life and I know that God put me here for many reasons (mainly to meet Angela and Bart, have some great time with Bradley, and to find out more about myself), but I also know that He has a plan and this move is just the next step. I'll be out of touch for a few days, but promise to post after the move, and hopefully will have some pictures of our new place to show you. Until then, much love to you all. Wish us luck!!

Where to Begin?

2008-10-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Hello all! Yes, I am still alive and well. I know you're probably all wishing me ill will and all that, and I'm sure I deserve every bit of it. To be honest, so much has happened in the past couple weeks, that I don't really know where to start (hence the title). I guess I'll just dive right in. Bart and I are doing really well. When last I blogged, I told you we were heading to his parent's house in PA. We had a great trip up and a really nice visit with them. They are such wonderful people. We also enjoyed watching Penn State romp on Wisconsin. That was just good stuff. And, OMG, the colors of the trees up there were absolutely amazing. I thought several times of trying to catch the views with the camera on my phone, but knew that there was no way that justice could be done. I have to admit, that I haven't seen an autumnal change like that in a very long time, and it was a magnificent site to behold. Ok, enough sap. Anyway, we got home Sunday night and discovered a visitor in our midst. A stray, calico kitten was hanging around our apartment and decided that our porch was the place to be. She was way too skinny, covered in fleas, had a horrible cough and drainage from her eyes. In essence, she was totally pathetic, but entirely too cute to pass by. She purred her way into our hearts and the next day found us taking her to the vet to get checked out. During the week we talked a lot, fed and kept up with her, and finally decided to make her our own. We set ourselves up to take her back to the vet for the necessary procedures following our trip to Ft. Worth, and then to bring her home as the newest addition to our family. Thursday rolled around way too quickly and we were "on the road again" to Texas. Bart's great friend, Kristian (K-Dub), got married on Saturday, so we headed down early so as not to miss any of the festivities. We had a great surprise and were able to meet up with Mom and Bill in downtown Ft. Worth for a late dinner Thursday night. They were both in Dallas for business (separate trips, oddly enough) and so we took the opportunity to sneak in a visit. The rest of our time in TX was spent doing all the wedding stuff, but really spending some wonderful time with Dave (Contract) and his fantastic girlfriend Leigh Ann. They were marvelous hosts and we all had a great time together. The wedding was Saturday, and everything was just beautiful. Well done and a huge congratulations to Kristian and Kristine (I think they planned the name thing, don't you?)! The reception was a blast and I was lucky enough to meet some of Bart's buddies from way back, and put some faces with names. What a great group of friends my husband has! All too soon, though, we were back in the car and on our way home. Our thoughts quickly turned to our "Little Girl" as I had dubbed her (or "Princess" as Bart called her), and we set to picking out a name for her. We came up with a few ideas and were really excited to get home and bring her into our familial fold. Sadly, though, we have not seen hide nor hair of her since we've returned. I've kept food out in the hopes that she might wander back, but my real hope is that a good family is taking care of her and that she gets the love she needs. Our focus is fully on the move at this point. We spent yesterday getting rid of clutter, junk, and things we just needed to say goodbye to, and loaded it all in the truck, bound for Goodwill. We've got some more packing in our future and a lot of lugging things around, but I have a feeling we'll get it all taken care of. So, make sure to think of us and pity us a little bit as you work off your Halloween Hangover. We'll be shoving things into a truck. And last but certainly not least, to end this epistle on a really amazing note, a huge congratulations and welcome to the new babies in the world!! Tom and Sallie Namey are now the proud parents of their second child, Tommy. Mike (Porkchop) and Myra Davenport have welcomed their first child, little Miss Ireland. And my dear friends Mark and Jennie Ross now have their beautiful Katie Joy. Congratulations to everyone!!

Bad Blogger

2008-10-08T08:59:00.001-07:00

Ari says:
I know, I know. I've been a very bad blogger. I have only one excuse: Bart's home!!! In my defense, though, there really hasn't been too much to report, so I really was just saving you from some boring reads. Bart got home a week ago and we have really enjoyed having our time together. We've been running errands, eating out at places that Bart missed, hiking, but more than anything we've just been getting used to having each other around again. Tomorrow we are heading up to PA to see Bart's parents. We are actually going to be trading Bart's truck for their Lexus, so we'll see how that works out. Our hopes are for better gas mileage. Wish us luck. Next week will be a mad dash of packing and getting rid of junk and then we'll be getting back on the road. We're going to Ft. Worth, TX for a wedding of some friends, and hopefully a great visit with folks we haven't seen in a while. All in all, we've got plenty to keep us busy. We are officially moving the last weekend of this month and are just praying for a smooth transition into the new place. I'm very aware of all the things that can go wrong, but will try to be prepared for any eventuality. Ok, see?? I told you this was all very boring stuff. Anyway, hope you are all well. I'll get a good post up soon. Probably some mishap on our trip this weekend.

Captions Are Great

2008-10-03T23:02:00.001-07:00

A Poorly Titled Bachelorette Party

2008-09-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
I am reveling in this moment; not in a "Lafayette Revelers" kind of way (you have to be a true Lexentonian to know that term), but in an exhilarating kind of way. I'm sure I sound daft, but let me assure you that I am mostly sane. Right now, Bart is resting his tired eyes in Oklahoma City, a mere 10 hours away from our homestead. By this time tomorrow night he will have been home for a couple hours. This is only remarkable because he hasn't been home in 7 months, was gone for over 5 months last year, and in our scant 1+ year of marriage we have only, physically, lived together for about 2 and 1/2 months due to his orders and military obligations. Please understand that I do not harbor any ill will towards this circumstance, but am extremely excited that we are about to start a new chapter in our married life. We are embarking on an entire month of living together and a move to a new city. In light of my previous statements, allow me to say that it is about damn time that we get a chance to be husband and wife. We have so much looming on our horizon: new orders, a move to NOLA, new friends, children (not yet, so don't get any ideas), and so many other things (probably many of which as yet undiscovered). Above all, we get a chance to be a couple and this is what is most important to me. I couldn't be more thrilled to have him home. All this being said, I have become quite accustomed to having this apartment to myself (well, myself and Sherlock). In the time since Bart has been gone (both during and post-work days) I have found a routine and a place for myself and my distractions. In honor of this particularly grand night (seeing as I cannot sleep for excitement), I am allowing myself one last evening of relative "singledom": No boys allowed (except Sherlock, of course, who is happily playing with an ice-cube in the bathtub at the moment), greasy food accepted, and an imbibement or two at the ready. This is a night to say a fond farewell to a year of lessons and trials, and certainly one of personal growth. It certainly has been an adventure, but nothing compared to what is in store for us. Please wish us luck.

News Brief

2008-09-28T16:52:00.001-07:00

Ari says:
Wow, who would have thought that life could be such a whirlwind when you're not working? This past week has been one of trials, emotions, errands and preparation. I'm not even sure where to start. On the good side of things, Bart is on his way home even as I type this. He left this morning and should be home early this week. It will certainly be a long drive for him, so I ask for your prayers for safety during his trip. We are both really excited that he's coming home (actually, all three of us are, as I've told Sherlock repeatedly that Daddy is coming soon), but know that we have a lot of packing and preparation for the move ahead of us. We signed our lease this week and will take possession of the house we're renting on November first. We certainly have our work cut out for us. In other news, Beth and Stephen came into town late last night and the three of us, along with Angela had an amazing time hanging out, catching up and just blowing off some steam. We stayed up entirely too late, but it was totally worth it. Thanks for visiting guys! I guess beyond all this, I don't have much to report. As I mentioned, this week has been very emotional. I find myself very contemplative and reflective at the moment. I have a couple very dear friends who are in highly difficult situations right now and I am unsure how to help them. It is hard for me, being a "fixer," to be helpless and standby as someone I love is in pain. All I can do is offer my love and support and let them know that I will always be there for them. However, there is a bright spot in all of this. I know that God can work miracles in any situation, and I know that He has a plan. Whether or not it is what we want, He will do what is right and best in all things. This is an amazing comfort to me to know that everything and all of us are in His hands. Or as Katie would say, "This too shall pass." On a really great note, yesterday was an amazing day of college football. Penn State and Kentucky both won their games and a few more undefeated teams fell to their opponents. How fun that football has started back up and that fall has arrived! I've noticed a few trees starting to change and know that this is going to be a gorgeous season in many different ways. It is certainly a time for change, not only in the weather, but in life as well. Although some of these changes may seem formidable, it is so very exciting to experience what is going on in our lives and all around us.

It's Time For a Change

2008-09-22T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Hear ye! Hear ye! Come one and come all!! Experience one of the world's forgotten treasures! That's right, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm talking about that most forgotten of pastimes. The ever extraordinary, the ultimately elusive, the amazingly escaping: personal time.
When was the last time you took a moment for yourself? In my last couple weeks of unemployment and pseudo-solitude, I have found that there was one person that I had readily forgotten. In all my phone calls, birthday cards and emails, I had been left behind. And do you know what I've found? In fear of sounding a bit conceited, I'm a fairly cool person to hang out with. I have allowed myself (and sometimes forced) not to pick up a phone or send an email. I truly have taken the time to remember who I am. In spite of all my faults (and trust me, there are plenty), I have realized that I am fairly witty, humorous, and enjoyable to be around. In fact, I'm not all that bad. I say this only because in recent conversations, I have noticed that my friends and family are not taking the same note of themselves. Now (bragging moment ensuing), I pride myself on those with whom I associate. I have some of the most amazing people in my life, which you already know. They are my lifeblood, my center, and I owe everything to them. Why, then, would they not take care of themselves? This is my question to each and every one of you. When you know you are truly and deeply loved, why wouldn't you take the opportunity to improve upon "you" simply for yourself? You know that there are those who love and support you. Why, on God's Green Earth, wouldn't you take a moment now and then (once a day or week) for yourself? To remember what is important to you, or the things which make you most happy? I only say this because I, in fact, was gone for a long time. I allowed myself to be swept up in something that wasn't nearly as important as I thought it was. Now I am able to see that I am not nearly as effective a wife, daughter or friend as I am than when I truly appreciate and love myself. True to form, though, my loving friends and family were there for me and allowed me to do what I needed to do. Yes, I have a bit of time on my hands, however, I am realizing that time is a precious commodity and must not be wasted on the frivolous. We must remind ourselves what we are working towards and whether or not it furthers our personal agenda (which isn't a bad thing). Do we spend enough time with those that matter or are we focused on getting an extra hour in at work? Do we get in 10 minutes extra at the gym or can we spend a few minutes on the phone with a loved one? What are your priorities? Do you want to change them? I challenge each and every one of you to take a moment for yourself. To find something that makes you happy, for however short an amount of time, if only to enjoy yourself and to find you in the process.

Everything and Nothing

2008-09-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Side Note: I just lost half the blog I was trying to post, but will try again. Here goes!

I feel like so much has happened in the last week, but really don't have too much to tell. How very sad is that? So much time has passed and so many things occurred, but whether any of it is of interest, I guess, will be up to you. Anyway, here goes: Mom came in Tuesday afternoon and we immediately got into our "catch up" mode. It was so great to see her, but we could both instantly tell that out time together would be too short. We had a great couple days together filled with lots of talking, some work for Mom, a bit of wine for both of us, and an all around wonderful time. We did take a little detour Wednesday night and went downtown to babysit for the Namey Family (we didn't watch all three of them, just Kate). Tom and Sallie were in town for a movie premiere and I was eager to see them and spend some time with Kate. She was an absolute joy and Mom and I had a great time looking out the window with her, exploring the hotel, and witnessing the marvel of Kate eating. It was awesome! We were also able to catch up with the elder Nameys and see how precious Sallie is with little Tommy still in her belly. Tom and Sal, it was great seeing you. Keep us up to date on all the baby news! Thursday and Friday seemed to fly by with Mom and all too soon we were heading to the airport. I hated to see her go, but know that we'll get a trip in soon. She'll just have to come see our place in NOLA. Right? Right. After dropping Mom off, I got on the road to Lexington for another farewell of sorts. I realized as I was driving that this was the last time I would be able to jaunt up for a weekend. Soon enough the drive will be well over 10 hours and not so easily managed. Anyway, I got in Friday evening and Katie and I spent a great night outside talking and enjoying the weather. Saturday I met up with Beth for a fun lunch and some mall exploration. I can't believe how much my beloved Fayette Mall has changed. The silly thing seems massive and way too cosmo for Lexington. Oh, the times...they are a-changin'. Beth and I had a great time, and then we were off to get ready for the UK game. Beth, Stephen and Kevin came to pick up Katie, Neil and myself later in the evening. We headed to a place called Friends & Co. (formerly Trumps) and proceeded to have a great night of darts, football and people watching. Where can I get some of those cutoff shorts?! We did all have a minor heart attack at the end of the game when MTSU almost scored a touchdown on the last play, but the football gods smiled on the Wildcats for once and we were able to eek out a victory. The clan was all pretty tired after the game, so we headed to our respective homes and that was it for the evening. Sunday dawned not-so-bring and very windy, so Katie and I settled in for a day of crap tv and Chinese food, which turned out to be the perfect combo for a dreary Sunday. Soon enough, though, I was packing up my bag and saying goodbye to head over to my Dad's house for a final visit with everyone over there. Seanna and Kyleigh were both very excited that Sissy was there, and great commotion ensued. Both were eager to display all their talents at once and show every new toy and accrual since my last visit. I must admit that I'm not used to that much activity, but they are both so sweet and precious that you can't help but love them for it. We had a fun night just talking and catching up, but it was soon bedtime. Monday I got up and piddled around the house before heading to see Seanna at school. I had promised to come in and have lunch with her, so off I went. It was very strange driving near my old high school and seeing all the "kids" walking around. I will say, though, that I was a little nervous going back to school and wasn't sure what to expect. Seanna was so excited that I was there, and quickly introduced me to her friends and hustled me through the lunch line. We dined on "Pizadas" (which seem to be very small Hot Pockets) and mashed potatoes. Could have been worse. Seanna showed me around her classes a little bit, but soon had to return to class, so I headed out to run a couple errands. A couple of them were thwarted, but no harm done and I went back to the house with time to spare. I wanted to rest up a bit, so I turned on the tube and took it easy until everyone returned from work and school respectively. The rest of the evening was spent with dinner, homework, video games and a ballet display or two. Once it was "bedtime" I took my leave and got on the road back to Nashvegas. It was an easy drive and I was home a bit earlier than expected. Again, though, I am a bit sad that this era is coming to an end. I'll just have to be more diligent in my plans and travels. And that, my dear friends, brings us up to the present. On a completely different note, today is Sally's (or "Sally-in-St.-Louis" as I call her) birthday and I want to wish her a wonderful day. She is an amazing mother and a wonderful friend, and no one could ever ask for anyone more loyal to be in their life. Happy Birthday, Sal!! I guess that's all folks. I hope I haven't bored you too much with this epistle. News to come soon on the move, as soon as I have it, that is. Take care!!

An Early Thanksgiving

2008-09-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

There are times when I sit back and am overcome with emotions. The emotions tend to vary, and I sit and ponder how extreme and powerful they are. For example, I truly love Bart with everything that is in me, but every once in a while something (a thought, a memory, etc) will pop into my head and mentally head-slap me with just how strongly I feel for him. I usually end up crying for a minute and then calling him to tell him just how much I love him. I had a similar experience last night. I was watching a movie and all of the sudden a massive wave of gratitude came over me. I realized just how blessed I really am. Not only do I have a wonderful husband, who I love and adore, but I have a family who would bend over backwards for me if I needed it (especially my Mom, who I've told you about), two precious little sisters, amazing friends who I would not be able to survive without, a roof over my head and the ability to live a life that I love. How could I ever ask for more or be upset with my current situation? I actually paused my movie and thought long and hard about these things and how I am so very apt to take all these things for granted. It also made me want to thank each of those individuals in my life. You all know who you are and you know how I feel about you. Please know how special each of you are to me. Anyway, the reason I wanted to share this was because it is an amazing feeling. I wanted to pass this on to you in the hopes that it could spread and give you the same joy and appreciation that it has given me. So, what are you thankful for?

Voluntarily Unemployeed

2008-08-31T23:41:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Here I am looking for words. Searching for an anecdote with which to entertain you. However, with less and less on my mind right now, I find myself more lonely than ever. That's right Dear Reader, I am now one of the unemployed (it was completely by choice, so no worries there). I will say though, that with fewer things to focus on at work (or nothing, for that matter), I find my thoughts becoming more and more mundane. I worry about my next bank run or grocery visit. Honestly, I've been planning which day I should wash my sheets since I have a possible visitor coming to town (not that I haven't washed them recently, but one doesn't want to wash one's sheets too early or too late). Really?! Really?!!!?!!!? These are my worries? I thought I had a little more substance than that (not that cleaning and/or house keeping isn't substantial, please don't read that). It is just very odd for me to go from a lifetime of school and then move on to the day-to-day grind only to find myself in the midst of nothing. I have several days of packing ahead of me, but thanks to the weather, my attempts may be delayed. I don't know where this post is going, but be warned that, if you are a frequent reader, you may be in store for a few more random and rambling blogs. Forgive my "mundanity". I will find something interesting very soon. Promise.
Promise Fulfilled: The University of Kentucky Wildcats soundly defeated the University of Louisville Cardinals in their annual competition for the Governor's Cup (football). We won 27-2, with an amazing turnout from the defense (who scored 21 of our points), but with a bit lacking from our offense. No worries guys, it's the first game of the season with plenty of room for improvement. I'm hoping for a highly entertaining season.

An Ode to LifeWay

2008-08-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Oh dear LifeWay, how I will miss thee. In my few remaining hours within your hallowed halls, I ponder the time we have spent together. I reminisce over the toils and trials, the pittance and the pain. Ah, sweet LifeWay, I pray that my time here has not been in vain. Alas, I fear that I am nothing more than an unremarkable peasant to you; easily forgotten and certainly never recognized for what we could have had together. You are a cruel mistress LifeWay and my heart bleeds with the sorrow of a jilted lover.

Hahaha! I couldn't keep going with that crap, sorry I made you suffer through it. As you may have guessed, today is my last day here at the Baptist Vatican. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm sad and I try desperately to conceal the large grin on my face. No, to be blatantly honest, I'm not sad to be leaving. I am thrilled to be taking a new step in my life. One towards my husband, one towards our life together and generally moving forward to something new. I have a lot coming up in the next couple weeks, but now I have the time and opportunity to do those things. I can search for a new job, get the apartment packed up, secure everything to help with the move and get us ready for New Orleans (that is if there is a NOLA to go to in a few weeks). I will admit that there are a few people here that I will miss seeing, but I know that the true friendships that I've made here are already solid and distance will not disrupt them. So, I say farewell to LifeWay and this era of my life. I'm not saying goodbye to Nashville just yet, but will be ready to do so when the time comes. Wish me luck!

It's the Final Countdown

2008-08-26T05:37:00.001-07:00

Ari says:
Go ahead and sing the song; I'll wait.
Welcome back! Yes, my dear and wonderful friends, as of today I only have 4 days left here at the illustrious LifeWay. The time is drawing nigh when I will no longer awaken at the butt crack of dawn to trek downtown and snake my way through the bowels of the Baptist Vatican. I am very close to being a free woman. Alas, since I am trapped for a couple more days, I will attempt to alleviate my pain by wasting as much time as possible (well, not really. I've got a ton of junk to do, but I thought I'd give you a recap of the weekend). Bart and I met up Friday evening in the city of our future home, New Orleans. I picked him up from the airport and we drove across the river ("The Mighty Mississip" as Bart calls it) into an area called Algiers Point. This is the little town we both really like and have focused our search for housing here. It is a small community with a close-knit feel; very "homey" (not "Homey don't play that") and cozy. We checked into the Bed & Breakfast where we were staying and then drove around the area for a while, driving up and down the streets and getting a layout of where all we would be on Saturday. Finally, we decided we were starving and took the ferry (yes, a real live ferry) across the river into the city. We walked around the French Quarter and found one of Bart's favorite places called "The Gumbo Shop." Awesome food! We had a great dinner, walked around the city a bit more and called it a night. Unfortunately, the ferry took a bit longer than we anticipated, so it took us a bit to get back to "the Point." We just need to figure out what the schedule of the thing is so we don't waste so much time waiting for it. Oh, I lied. We did check out two of the local pubs. The "Crown and Anchor" is a tiny place that is just awesome and they have a cat that belongs to the bar. So, what does a newly married couple do when they haven't seen each other for 2 months? Naturally, we sat in the bar and played with the cat. The other pub, "Old Point" (I think) had a really great local band playing. We did quite a bit of people watching and just enjoying the interaction between the "natives" (I'll let Bart tell you his discovery). Saturday was a gorgeous day, if not warm, and we spent time with our realtor scoping out places. We have found 3 that we are very happy with and are just now trying to make a final decision. I told Bart that I would be fine with whichever one he chose, as I really would love any of the 3 places (that, and I hate making big decisions like that). There are 2 houses and a condo that we really like. The first house (the "gas lantern" house as we call it) has a beautifully open floor plan, a great kitchen and a neat balcony off the master bedroom upstairs. The condo is three stories, tons of space, great amenities, and has an amazing view of the city. The second house is in the heart of the point and has a ton of character, tall (14') ceilings, and a really nice backyard with a deck (rather rare down there) (Side note: Ang- This is the one she told us about that we couldn't see when we went down there). The rent is all very close on these places, so you can see that we have a tough choice ahead of us, but we're very happy with what we've found, so I'm sure we'll make the right decision. After a much-needed nap and shower for both of us, Bart and I went out for an awesome dinner of seafood (I have a feeling this is going to happen a lot) and walked around the area for a bit. It was a gorgeous night and we just enjoyed the time together. Sunday brought on the first bit of Hurricane Fay. Bart and I enjoyed a simple breakfast at Toute de Suite (a precious corner café, that is a local hangout) and then explored the area a bit more. We found a gorgeous cathedral, but couldn't figure out if it was Catholic or not. I guess we'll find out sooner or later. After a bit more exploration, the time came to head to the airport. Bart's flight was slightly delayed, but I didn't complain against the extra time with him. After a soggy goodbye (on my part), Bart headed through security and I got on the road. It was a long drive home in the rain, but I made it back safe and sound. Irritatingly, Bart made it back across the country before I arrived home. How wrong is that?! Anyway, it was a great weekend and was full of promise and possibilities for us. I was going to post pictures of the places we were looking at, but I'll wait until we've made our choice. Hope you all had a great weekend!

More Friday Happiness

2008-08-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Hey all! Sorry I'm out today, but instead of leaving you completely alone and abandoned as you try desperately to waste this Friday away, I have chosen to give you this little bit of joy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I'm sure it will become a place to visit daily just like my other favorites. Have a great weekend!

Let the Stoning Begin

2008-08-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

Ari says:

Not the drugged out stoning, I mean the biblical hurling of large stones toward the person who has committed a crime most foul. I have been found guilty of not blogging. In my defense, though, last week was not the week for a blog. You can thank me later. But for now, I have resigned myself to my rocky fate. Commence your launching.

Ok, now that that's all over, I can get to what's important. There has been a lot of resting going on for me in preparation for what is coming. I've been collecting boxes here at work and have been eyeballing things at home that will eventually be thrown or given away. There is a bunch of junk that I just don't want to move down to New Orleans. Work has become a madhouse. I think my boss and coworkers have realized that I have 8 days left and they are wigging out just a little bit. I have tons to do, but have been knocking everything out bit by bit and am confident that I'll be ready to walk out the door for good next Friday. Although, I say that, but I'm sure I'll have a myriad of phone calls for a few weeks asking where something is or if something was taken care of. On the home front, Sherlock seems to be recovering from his flea infestation. He's scratching less and less, and I'm finding fewer of the little buggars on him, not to mention that I haven't seen one on the couch or in the carpet in a couple weeks. Lord be praised!! I think my devastating attack on those bloodsuckers has actually paid off.

Wow, I guess I'm boring right now. Bart and I had this talk last night on the phone. I think we've gotten to the point that we're tired of just talking on the phone and are storing up all our stories and conversations for whenever we're together. We are actually meeting up in NO this weekend to look at a couple more places. I really hope that we can make a decision and sign some papers. I will feel a massive load off when that is taken care of. It will also provide me with a timeline for my packing and moving activities over the next month or so. With all that's been going on, I guess I've forgotten how to be entertaining. Don't worry, fair reader, I'm sure something ridiculous will happen to me very soon and I'll provide a tale of woe of some sort or another with which I will consume 2 minutes of your work day. On that note, I'll leave you with a picture of happiness. It has no bearing on anything and I don't even know the animal, but it was just a little too cute to pass up.

Bethie Wins!!

2008-08-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
My "Dear Abby"-esq post from yesterday elicited a couple of great responses, however, I must give credit where it is due. On a day that would take more than the jaws of life to get a smile out of me, Beth got me to totally LOL. Check out the post and subsequent comments for a great laugh. Thanks, Beth. I needed that.

Do Yourself a Favor and Read it All

2008-08-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

I don't even have words....

Catalyst-mic

2008-08-08T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
During our now-traditional phone conversation last evening, Katie and I eventually got onto the topic of emotional roller-coasters. Not to be a complete gossip, but we were discussing our husbands and how (like most of the male species) they have their extreme ups and downs which are in direct relation to certain factors in their respective lives. For example, Bart will decide that he wants to lose weight and will drastically alter his lifestyle for a period of time until he reaches his goal and then will find something else to occupy his time (like a new board game, computer game, cooking show, etc). His mood is proportional to where he is in this transformation. Usually at the beginning he's mad at himself for getting to the point that he has to do this, then the mood gets better as he does something about the issue, which then progresses to elation as the job is completed. You get the picture (sorry I used you as my example subject, honey, but you really are an intriguing study and I'm sure Katie wouldn't like it if I discussed how much Neil likes to...never mind. I'm sorry and I love you!!). The flip side of this conversation was how different Katie and I are from the men in our lives. I described my moods as being volatile situationally (hormones, bad day, etc) but in the grand scheme rather stationary. My overall mood (again, not the crazy girl stuff) and outlook on life will remain rather stagnant until some sort of catalyst throws me in another direction. I try to be an optimistic person, but my mood has been so "blah" for so long that even I'm getting bored with myself. One of the contributing factors of my blah-ness is my job. I am very ready to be out of here and I'm sure that not having to attend the Baptist Vatican every day will completely change my outlook. The major issue of my blah-ocity is that Bart isn't around. I usually envision him winging through the skies, looking dapper in his flight suit, while he silently dreads going home to his humdrum wife. (Now, I know that's not true, but you know how the mind works sometimes.) I am hoping and praying that with our upcoming move, my vision will evolve to include me in his oh-so-exciting life. Now, all that being said, there are also smaller and less cataclysmic catalysts in the day to day. For instance, I was minding my business last night when Katie called. My first question to her was "Are we drinking?" Her response was "We're drinking." So I quickly poured myself a drink to settle in for our talk. That may seem very minor, but it has greatly affected my outlook on the day. To be honest, I really don't have a point to any of this. I guess I'm just waiting for the next big thing in my life and that is coming right around the corner. Plus, Katie and I decided that we should blog about catalysts, so I did. Have a great Friday everyone!

And How Was Your Weekend?

2008-08-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Mine was great! Friday was a crazy day at work, but my husband was sweet enough to send me 2 dozen roses, so that made the day infinitely better. My boss treated me to lunch and then I practically ran out the door to head home. Angela came over for a bit, thus shortening the time that I had to wait until the book release at Barnes and Noble. She finally left me to fend time off for myself and I settled for watching some tv and preparing for the long night ahead of me. I met up with Laura and George at B&N right at midnight and we patiently waited in line for our books whilst teenagers garbed in cloaks and prom dresses (apparently prom dress screams "vampire") thronged the checkout counter for their books. Soon enough I was home with my books and I settled in for a long night of reading. Saturday nooned (it's like "dawned" only later) and I drug myself out of bed to do some more reading and get ready for my day with Angela. She was treating me to a pedicure and a viewing of The Dark Knight. Why all the special treatment? Well, Saturday was my 27th birthday. We endured the foot scraping and then hustled over for the movie. Let me tell you that this one actually lives up to the hype. I will be completely honest and tell you that I thought all the Oscar talk for Heath Ledger was a bit ridiculous and was really only being done because he died. Well, I was very wrong. The movie was amazing... or ask I kept repeating: epic. Go see it. I beg you, and please go see it in the theater. This is one that needs and deserves to be seen properly. After shaking ourselves from shock from the movie, Angela and I went over to McAllister's for dinner. We both enjoyed our sandwiches and decided it was time to chill. We hung out at my place for a bit, but I was totally boring and Angela soon headed home to let out her puppy. I, of course, immediately delved back into my book. Sunday I finished up with "Breaking Dawn" and then decided to take it easy. I had originally planned to clean up the apartment in preparation for Sally and Julia coming in, but I had hurt my wrist at work on Friday (if there were a good story behind it I would tell you, but there isn't) and by Sunday it was actually really bothering me. As of today I have full mobility back, but it is still sore and I can't put much pressure on it. Weird. So, I spent Sunday watching Smallville episodes and just relaxing. I must give a huge thank you to Angela for an awesome birthday, to my lovely husband for my gorgeous roses, and to all my fantastic friends and family for the cards and well wishes. Of course my Mom went a bit over the top with the shoes, but I didn't really mind at all. Anyway, it was a wonderful weekend that went entirely too quickly; but then again, don't they all?

When Good Movies Go Bad

2008-08-04T09:26:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know it's wrong, but you laughed too. Admit it.

These Books Suck

2008-07-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

I've been caught. Usually, I revel in the fact that I do not follow the masses. I tend to be fairly independent, keeping to my beliefs, likes and dislikes, regardless of what a celebrity or spokesperson, or even a good friend says. However, I now have to admit that I am one of the throngs who have been swept away on a veritable magic carpet of escapism. I honestly haven't been this captivated by any book since the Harry Potter series. And now, here I sit with just under 36 hours left until the release of "Breaking Dawn" by Stephanie Meyer. This is the fourth and final installment of the Twilight Saga and I couldn't be any more excited. I started the series on a strong recommendation from Conley and from the generous loaning of the books by Mama Bradley and Laura. Once I started, I was hooked. Yes, these are Young Adult books (Harry Potter?). Yes, they are all about vampires and other farcical entities (Anne Rice?). Yes, I am completely, totally and shamefully in love with this series (sticking out tongue at scoffers). The good thing is that I know I'm not alone in my fanaticism. There are many who would stand by me when I say that this is one of the best series of books to come out in a very long while. So, why am I outing myself on my own blog? Well, when I find something that I like, I want to share it with those I love. If you are any sort of reader at all and enjoy some good escapism, it would behoove you to try this series out. They are fast, easy reads with a great story line. I will say that some of the characters tend to chafe the reader, but instead of this being a bad thing, I think it only shows how enthralled the reader is that they are so affected. My only other caution would be that if you aren't thrilled by romance, steer clear; these won't be your cup of tea. Barring those items, though, these books are just great and I know that this weekend I'll be parked with my book, digging to discover just what is going on in Forks, WA.

NOLA Bound

2008-07-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Well, I'm sure the proverbial cat is out of the bag, but for those of you who don't know, I can now reveal that Bart and I are moving to New Orleans in the near future (NOLA= New Orleans, Louisiana; for those of you not "in the know"). This has been a crazy few months with several things up in the air, but Bart ended up getting orders to fly with 4th MAW (Marine Air Wing) for one year and the possibility of those orders being extended to two years. Right now we are just very excited to get to live together. In our one year of marriage we've lived together for about 2 1/2 months total, with visits about every month. So, what all does this mean? Well, Bart will stay out in San Diego until the end of September when his TAD orders are up (Temporary Active Duty). I will stay here in Nashville and work through the end of August (only 24 days left, not that I'm counting down or anything). September will be spent traveling to Lexington and Denver, getting visits in, and then I'll spend the rest of the time here in Nash-Vegas getting rid of junk, finding boxes and getting packed up for the move, on top of continuing my job search. Be proud of me that I've already started collecting boxes and applying for jobs. There are good and band points about this move. Again, the best part is that we'll finally be together. A couple other pluses are that we will be 3 hours from Bradley and only 5 hours from Conley. Bring on the Diva Conventions!! Of course, the hard part will be going further away from Lexington; my once 3 hour drive will now be over 10, and probably not doable all that often. And I have made some wonderful friends here, especially Angela, who I will miss terribly (but know that she will come and visit often because she just loves me that much, right?). However, as with any change, I am starting to feel the rush. Plans are starting to fall into place and I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. This brings me to this past weekend. Angela was my absolute savior this weekend and agreed to trek down to NO with me on a hunting expedition. We got on the road after work on Friday and made it to the Southern Sin City without too much trouble, barring one traffic jam and the "manalog" clock. The "manalog" clock was actually an analog clock that was in the dash of the rental car we had. As Angela was wondering why they put that particular model in if everything else was digital, I began to say that in some luxury cars I had seen they put in an analog clock to be posh. Well, I tried to say "manual" to describe the clock, but immediately knew that it was the wrong word and tried to correct that by saying "analog" at the same time, and thus the birth of the manalog clock. See, I'm human, I make mistakes (not many, though). Anyway, we made it to NO and settled into our hotel room. Saturday dawned hot and muggy and we were out early to start our search. Angela was a genius with the maps and got us through the crazy streets to start the search for living accommodations. We looked at places in the French Quarter and Algiers Point (cute little town across the river) and quickly decided that "The Point" was the place to be. We focused our search there and probably looked at 10 different possibilities through the day. As the thermostat topped 100, we sweltered our way in and out of the car, up and down new streets, but eventually found a couple spots that Bart and I could happily call home. We finally headed back to our hotel to cool off and get ready for dinner. After a brief search of the immediate vicinity of the hotel, we decided on a wonderful little place called Café Orleans and had an amazing dinner full of all kinds of seafood (we split a seafood appetizer and entree) and a couple glasses of much-deserved wine. We then sloshed through the torrential downpour to get back to the hotel and parked ourselves at the bar for a bit before retiring to bed. We were both exhausted, and sleep was not far off. Sunday was the long drive back, but we made it without any trouble and were both home at a decent time. Again, I can't say enough thanks to Angela for all her help this weekend. It would not have been possible without her. As for me, I think I've got a few great ideas for Bart and me, and at least we now know where to focus our search. All in all, the weekend was a success and I feel much better having the wheels starting to get into motion for this new chapter in our lives.

Nervous Nelly

2008-07-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Ok, don't tell Bart, but I'm a bit nervous. Angela and I are heading to New Orleans this weekend for a rather important adventure (I promise I'll tell you next week what all this secrecy has been about). I've rented a car, confirmed the hotel, got my maps (several of them), my contact and appointment information, and my rarely-used camera. I'm not forgetting anything and am as ready as I'll ever be, but there is always the chance that I am going to mess something up. I don't know if you've noticed from other posts or not, but I'm a bit accident prone and Murphy's Law has never quite applied to anyone so forcefully. Bart has assured me that I'll be fine and that there is very little likelihood of me ruining something so completely that he won't talk to me again, so that's reassuring, but there are still a few butterflies. Many details to come next week, so wish me luck and stay tuned!

The Ants Go Marching 1 By 1

2008-07-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
TGINM! For those of you not all that excited about word games, that translates to "Thank God It's Not Monday." I figured Bradley would enjoy it, although, after SOGWEAW, I don't think I can compare. Anyway, enough of that. Usually this is the part that I would recap my weekend, however it was exceedingly boring, so I'll save you the mental death and give you a few highlights. I got completely immersed in the Twilight series of books and spent an immense amount of time reading this weekend. It was so miserably hot outside that you just couldn't bring yourself to do anything. I also packed Sherlock up on Sunday and headed to Angela's house. I needed to spray down the carpet and furniture again with flea spray, so that's what we did. The rest of my weekend was spent vacuuming and doing laundry. See? I told you it was boring. On the other hand, last night held a small adventure. Bart and I have a medium size pile of wood out on our porch. It is really well seasoned, but we won't be needing it this winter, so I had decided to get rid of it. Since it was scathingly hot yesterday, I waited until the sun went down before I tackled this project. I moved the truck closer to the apartment and then started moving the logs down. This was an easy enough task, although it was still very warm. Well, I got about 3/4 of the way done with my little project and discovered that I was invading someone's home. Actually, many someones to be exact. After picking up one long in particular, I was greeted by thousands (most likely millions, but I didn't bother to count) of carpenter ants. My immediate, and rather girly, reaction was to drop the wood I was holding and jump back a step. These guys were not happy with me. My second reaction was to get a little ticked off that my project was being impeded. I have to admit, though, that I did feel a twinge of self-loathing. These ants were minding their own business, making a home for themselves and I came along all Godzilla-esq (because that's how I smurf) and destroy it all. Now, let me add to that by saying that if they had been inside my apartment it would have been a very different story and I would have doused the little suckers with anything lethal I could find. After getting Bart's opinion and trying to figure out the best way to handle this mess, I started kicking the logs off the porch and into the grass. I then rolled them all down the hill to get the ants off. By the time I got them to the truck, they were virtually ant-free. I guess my plan worked. Anyway, I finally got it all loaded up, was able to sweep my "guests" and the debris off the porch and didn't have any other problems. I told Bart that I was anticipating some sort of ant uprising, where they would march on the apartment with miniature pitchforks and torches, but nothing of the sort happened. I think I'm safe, for now.

Friday Happiness

2008-07-18T06:30:00.001-07:00

Ari says:

Ok, I know this is a bit of a cop-out, but I just couldn't help myself. Enjoy!

See, this just makes Friday that much better.

Randomness Abounds

2008-07-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Today has just been a strange day so far. Now, granted, I'm only about halfway through it, but it has just been weird. First off, Sherlock decided to play "Bite Mommy" at 3 am. Not my favorite at all, and when he discovered that I wasn't going to join in, he went on and started a rousing game of "Howl at the Pictures on the Wall." Again, this wasn't my game of choice, so I decided to remove the cat from the room for the rest of the night. I vaguely remembered on my way into work that today is my brother-in-law, Jim's, birthday today. Happy Birthday Jim... he's a great guy, like all of the Bartolomeas, is very intelligent, confident, talented at the iPod game and has gone to lengths to make me feel so welcome in the family. Anyway, I got to work and was quickly reminded by my boss that we had a Meet & Greet with the band DecembeRadio. Now, I'm sure most of you aren't familiar with this group, but they are releasing their second album and I have several stores that will be doing signings with the group in the next few months (thus making my presence at this event rather necessary). I walked into the room as they started their set and about fell off my chair when I realized that one of the guitarist was the absolute doppelganger for my brother-in-law. Now this guy has longer hair and is a bit more "Nashville" than Jim, but there he was. "Jim" is on the far left in this picture. I was able to talk to Brian (his real name) after the set and he was a great guy. I told him about his resemblance and possible long-lost relative and his only concern was whether or not Jim was a good guy. I reassured him that he was in good company (I had to be nice since it's Jim's birthday). Anyway, after all that, I came back down to my office and was treated to a series of rather unpleasant experiences. Suffice it to say, I'm just thrilled that this all will soon be but a distant memory. Don't get me wrong, I will certainly miss Matt's antics and Angie's wonderful friendship (and lunch demands), but there are several things that I will not be sad to leave. All in all, I'm hoping the rest of this day can turn itself around for the better. If not, I could possibly see inebriation in my future.

Oh the Horror!

2008-07-16T08:31:00.001-07:00

If this type of comedy is your thing, head over here for some greatness.

Bombs Away!

2008-07-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

INCOMING!!! Well, ok no. Not that type of bomb, exactly, but close enough. I was doing some major eradicating this weekend and it all started Friday after work. I got home, packed a quick bag, hustled the cat into the truck and got ready to head out. Just one more task to finish before going to the hotel: I had to set off the bombs. Yes, for the first time ever I had to set off flea bombs in my place of residence. I've never done this before and was a little nervous about the entire situation. I mean the box said I even needed to turn off my fridge (I accidentally forgot that part as I was scurrying out the door) to keep the pilot light from catching fire and blowing everything to smithereens! Well, true to form, I straightened my spine, marched into my apartment, grabbed two of the three bombs, reread the instructions for the billionth time and got into character. I was Dirty Harry (or any other cliché Clint Eastwood role) and I was there to wipe out all the dirty, stinky, rotten, no good, yellow bellied, flea varmints in the joint. I just needed holsters for my bombs (read: guns). If I had been able, I would have spun the "guns" in my palms, but instead I settled for a menacing glare around the living room, and an evil smirk as I shook the cans and got ready to "Make.... my..... day." Quick as lightning I set off the first bomb, placed it on the appointed newspaper stack, whacked my shin into the coffee table, cussed, shook the second can, set it off and placed on its stack, and then fled out the door. After I locked the door behind me, I sauntered down the sidewalk and did a combo wink/head nod to the imaginary "little lady" in the distance. Sherlock and I then rode off into the sunset to the hotel (actually we headed east a little bit, but you get the idea). We settled into the hotel and waited for Angela to join us. This turned in to quite the adventure. Sherlock was very intrigued with a couple items in the hotel room. First off, the full length mirrors on the doors to the closet were quite entertaining. When he first saw them he hunched his back, his tail got totally fat and he hissed for all he was worth. "Intruder!" I could almost hear him yell. I picked him up and showed him the "pretty kitten" in the mirror and made him see that it was just a reflection. He seemed to understand quickly, but forgot a couple times throughout the evening and would randomly scare the crap out of himself. He also did battle with the AC unit. Every time it came on he would jump and then either run into the other room, or get on top of it to swat at the air. He was in love with the kitchen cabinets because he could get on top of them and lay up there (he spent most of the night up there), but probably the most curious item was the bathroom door. Don't ask me why, but for some reason he thought it looked like a shelf and so proceeded to jump from the bathroom counter onto the top of the door (all while I was brushing my teeth) and got stuck laying over the door and the shower curtain rod. Nope, no shelf there. He looked at me with a face that was beseeching help, so I climbed onto the edge of the tub and rescued the poor kitty. All in all, Sherlock had quite the adventure. Ok, so going back in time a bit, Angela came over to visit and she and I ended up going to a yummy dinner at Pie in the Sky. We had a great time catching up, as it seemed we hadn't seen each other in forever. After dinner we headed back over to the apartment to air it out. I walked in and found the fumes weren't as bad as I expected, but that the fleas were still jumping. I hemmed and hawed for a few and then decided to set off the third bomb. I wasn't taking any prisoners or chances. So, Ang and I headed back to the hotel (does anyone remember that song?) and watched some tv and just chilled out before she headed home. Saturday dawned and promised to be a full day. I got up early and went over to the apartment to get started. I opened windows, turned the air back on and vacuumed everything in sight for well over an hour (side note: it is actually more difficult than you think to vacuum a couch). I started the first of my many loads of laundry, sprayed some flea-killing carpet spray and left again for the hotel. Sherlock and I chilled out while the spray dried, then checked out of the hotel and went back home. He was thrilled to be back, but was curious as to what the new smell was. I changed clothes quickly and cleaned up to head out for a movie. I was meeting up with Angela, Mama Bradley and Laura for our highly anticipated date to see Sex and the City. Can I just say: Awesome! I loved the movie and was surprised at the range of emotions throughout. If you haven't seen it, grab a girlfriend and go enjoy (along with a Cosmo or glass of champagne). Angela and I ran some errands after the movie and then crashed at my place for another movie. We watched "Death at a Funeral" and if you're in to British comedy, you'll love this movie. We laughed for almost 2 hours solid and I want to watch it again. Great movie. Angela left soon after to beat the nasty storm that was rolling in and I vacuumed again (keep in mind there is tons of laundry being done this whole time). I ended up talking to Katie for a long time that night and we made grand plans and pretty much had the world figured out. Unfortunately, I've slept since then, so I'll have to wait for another moment of clarity (or a great talk with Katie) to remember what it all was (Katie, don't think you're off the hook, we've got some work to do). Sunday, I finished off the laundry, vacuumed yet again, finished the book I was reading and settled in for a lazy day. I watched two great movies (yes, I know that's a lot of movies, but I enjoyed them all) "Charlie Bartlett" and "The Seeker" (I would recommend both of them) and started my new book. It really was a relaxing day and I loved taking it easy. The only thing missing was Bart, but we were able to talk for a while, so that helped. The great thing about the entire weekend is that I can now walk around the apartment or sit on the couch without a flea jumping on me. Sherlock is still a bit itchy, but I think the hardest part is behind us. I know I've got a lot of vacuuming to do over the next month, but that's ok, I'm feelin' lucky... punk.

Pathetically Hysterical

2008-07-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Before I get to my tale of woe, I have to tell you that today is Seanna's 10th birthday and I can't believe it. She's still an awkward (aquard) little girl in some ways, but she is growing up so quickly and I can't wait to see who she becomes. Happy Birthday to Seanna.
And on with the show... So, yesterday was "that day." We've all had them, we all know what it's like, but sometimes they just hit you harder than others. I had a righteously difficult day at work, filled with all kinds of ridiculous demands and last-minute projects, obnoxious coworkers (that word always looks like cow-orkers to me), and most of all an endless stack of junk that has to be completed by the end of August (let me just tell you that it may not all get done). And to top it off no one was available to escape and go to lunch with me (insert extended lower lip and frowny face here). Finally 4 o'clock rolled around and I practically ran out the door. I knew going home wasn't going to be much better, but I would have rather gone to the grocery for an entire day than stay at work any longer (yes, Bradley, the grocery; deal with it). I got home and immediately changed clothes to get on the treadmill (again, not my favorite), but I'm really trying to be better and workout more (Side note: I got an exercise ball and worked out with it on Wednesday and absolutely loved it!!). I trekked through my 45 minutes and was then able to cool down for a little bit. My next task for the evening was giving Sherlock yet another flea bath. I won't bore you with the details since I've already told you about the first one and we'll just say that it went about as well this time. So, this mean-ole-mommy let her son free after the torture and proceeded into the kitchen for some much deserved dinner. Got everything ready and in about 20 minutes I was propped on the couch, ready to enjoy food and a movie (Bart bought me Harry Potter OOTP for our anniversary. That's Order of the Phoenix for those of you not in the know). Sherlock was in hiding, licking everything on his body he could reach to rid himself of the residual horror that I had inflicted upon him. So there I was, eating, watching and just unwinding from a nasty day, when out comes Sherlock who decides to get up on his big box (which is actually a wide screen tv that was given to us for our wedding that we haven't been able to put up yet because of lack of space). He gets to about the middle of the box and then hunches down like he's going to pounce on something on the floor, concentrating intently. I'm vaguely watching him and wondering what has offended him, when I notice that he still hasn't jumped. No, he's not going to pounce. He's decided to pee on the wall. No, I am not kidding. The cat was so mad at me for the whole bath thing that he got right in front of me and peed on the wall. I immediately jumped up and swatted his nose, to which he responded by continuing his stream. I couldn't pick him up because it would have gone everywhere, so I had to wait until he was done. Needless to say, the cat was reprimanded and didn't come near me for quite some time. With dinner ruined and my mood even more foul than before, I did what any one of us would have done: I went and got a beer from the fridge. I plopped back down on the couch (after cleaning everything up, of course) and was able to watch the rest of my movie. By the end of the night I was able to laugh (almost) at the situation, but all in all, it was just a crappy day and I'm really glad it's over.
PS-Please don't make any "pissed off" jokes because if you did, I would be very disappointed in your lack of creativity. I know my friends and I know you are all way more clever than that.

I Just Don't Wanna

2008-07-09T07:13:00.001-07:00

Ari says:
You know, it's just weird. I had this fantastic weekend with Bart, and then another amazing weekend with my Mom, we've got tons of stuff on the horizon, and there is plenty for me to do, but all in all, I am just in a rut. I'll get back to that. On a positive note, Mom, Bill and I had a great visit. I've told you about Mom's reaction to me showing up, and then Friday we had an "Urban Barbecue" (which consists of amazingly yummy restaurant bought bbq, tons of people and fireworks as far as the eye can see) or an "Ur-b-Q" as Bart called it. Saturday we were wiped out, so we spent the day cleaning up after the party and setting the condo to rights, but also rested, watched tv and just visited. Mom and I don't usually care what we do together as long as we get to talk and shop. Those are our only requirements. Sunday Bill worked around the condo getting ready for a business trip, so Mom and I headed out, ran some errands and of course, did some shopping. We found some fun little items that I will strategically debut through the rest of the summer. We also got rid of some clothes that she desperately needed to part with and made some room in her closet. Ok, so we only cleared a small 2 ft space, but it was definitely progress. Mom was also a great sport and didn't put up too much of a fight with the pieces I told her needed to go. Unfortunately, Monday came all too soon, but we had a great morning and early afternoon, had lunch at a decent Mexican place and then it was off to the airport. Actually, it was a bit of a mad dash since we had dawdled a bit, but all was well and I was able to check in with plenty of time left before my flight. I know, it's all a bit too exciting (insert sarcastic eye roll here). As for me, I'm in a funk. Maybe it's that so much is going on right now and I don't know how to handle it. Maybe it's that all these changes are coming, but not soon enough. Maybe it's that we've got fleas everywhere and I've got to get a hotel room this weekend to bomb the crap out of the apartment. I'm sure it's a combination of all these things, but I just can't seem to get out of it. I know I'll be fine and in true Ariana fashion will get through it like I do everything else, but right now when I think about doing anything at all my general reaction is "I just really don't wanna do anything." Wow, I'm totally depressing. I know we all get in moods and ruts, this just happens to be one of mine. Stay tuned, I'm sure something crazy will happen soon and I'll have a tale of woe with which to woo you (now see, wasn't that fun?).

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2008-07-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
There are few people in this world who can truly change your life for the better. I am fortunate enough to have many of those people around me, however, I'm about to gush for a minute and if you're not in the mood, feel free to come back at a later date. My wonderful mother is one of those people who would give the world for those she loves. I have been lucky to be one of those people and have been the recipient of years of love, generosity, knowledge, and most of all, the ability to be the woman I've become. As children we are constantly looking for the best person to emulate and strive to become, and I didn't have far to look. There aren't always words to describe those you truly love, so suffice it to say that my Mom is one of my best friends and I am blessed that she raised me. Anyway (enough sap), the 4th of July is a magnificent day. Not only is it our national Independence Day (Will Smith or no), but it is also the birthday of one of the most important people in my life: my aforementioned maternal unit. I was lucky enough to work out an agreement with Bill to surprise Mom for this special occasion. Amazingly enough, I didn't ruin the surprise and was able to get on a plane Thursday night and get into their condo in Denver without being suspected. When Mom and Bill returned from dinner, I was happily sitting on the couch, entrenched in a movie and a glass of wine. Mom was rather angered to find the lights and tv on; wondering furiously "Who is in our HOUSE?" Finally she found me grinning on the couch. Keep in mind that I have waited for this moment for over a month, and have envisioned our reunion a hundred times with smiles, hugs, kisses and many laughs. On top of all that, Mom has being throwing a bit of a hissy that I wasn't coming out to see her, especially since I didn't have anything else going on. My Mom's response to my arrival? "You're kidding me!" And then she proceeded to walk into the other room. Ok, great. Either I've pissed her off or she needs to use the restroom (either way, it's toilet humor). Long story short, Mom was incredibly surprised and we proceeded to stay up entirely too late catching up and just enjoying each other's company. So far the weekend has been wonderful, but this time is too sacred to spend on the computer. I'll do a recap when I get back on Tuesday. Happy Birthday Mommy!!
PS-This particular title comes from when I was little. I was taught to sing at a very early age, and was very obliging in anything that was requested of me. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "I'm a Little Teapot" abounded. However, when left to my own devices, my favorite song to sing was "Happy Birthday" to my Mom. It was always completed with an obligatory blowing out of the candles, whether or not they were present. Either way, I think it's still my favorite song.

Good Knight?

2008-07-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

I thought of you today...

I wish it was yesterday morning.

Now and again I find myself awake in the small hours of the morning, scared.

Of what? I can't say.

There's a place on the back of my heart that pricks me awake at night, and causes me to jump up with a gasp. A feeling that I'm no longer viable. That my life means absolutely nothing anymore. That I'm no longer a Knight fighting for the cause of good in this world. That somehow being a younger man made me a more meaningful force.

I don't think that many women will be able to understand or identify with this, but believe me when I say that your men understand.

I'm convinced that most men want to be a white knight. A champion willing to fight for honor, a Knight of Good. But so many don't know or haven't been shown how. So many turn to the things from their past that made them feel like some sort of warrior; sports, camaraderie, physical accomplishments, and conquests.

You can bet that in the absence of other physical challenges the challenge of some bar fight or random sexual conquest will make some men feel like they are significant again if they don't already feel that way.

I recently spent a night with my Mother-in-Law watching home movies of my Lovely Ariana as a young girl. And although this can be a fun, and indeed funny thing, it made me feel very humbled. Watching the grown woman I love as a young girl, made me acutely aware of my responsibility to her, to her parents, and to the hand that brought us together. I told her Mother, that I knew what she expected of me for her daughter. Although I didn't say it expressly, I knew she expected a white knight; a champion, virtuous, noble, caring, but also strong and willing to fight for her honor.

I hope that I am all of that. My fear is that I'm not living up to the Lord's expectations for the gift he's given me.

Look into the eyes of most old men. You'll see the very dream I've mentioned above awakened. In the sad eyes of an old man is the dream of a white knight fighting for his love and emerging a champion.

Hot Cross Thumbs

2008-07-02T05:19:00.001-07:00

Ari says:
If I am unable to use my space bar today you'll have to forgive me. You can blame Angela all you want, but you'll have to forgive me. Let me 'splain, Lucy. Angela called me this weekend and told me she had purchased a gazebo for her backyard. This was great for her because she's had a bit of difficulty getting good shade in the yard for Bastian (her precious puppy) and also wanted something to make the yard a little cozier. So, when she asked for me to help her set it up this week, I quickly agreed and figured it would be fun to have a little project. "The box says it only takes an hour and a half to set up." Right. Little project... hour and a half. Right. I got to her place around 6:30 and we promptly set out for dinner. I know, that's the best way to start any project. Got back to her house and began getting everything outside and ready for launch. It took us a few minutes to get all the pieces out and separated into proper groups, according to their lettered stickers (the best were the ones that didn't have stickers). After that we kinda fell apart. We started with one corner, jostling and juggling parts A, B, C, D, J and K (someone didn't know their alphabet) and after an extended period (probably around 45 minutes or so) had the first corner assembled. The second corner proved almost as difficult, but we were starting to get the hang of it. Please keep in mind that as we discovered random maladies (ie: Bar J not fitting properly into a certain A, but would work in others, Bolt CC was not interchangeable with Bolt AA, Bar J and Bar K are in fact very different, etc) a colorful stream of expletives would spew forth from which ever of us had made the discovery. We also found that if anyone overheard someone else assembling a gazebo, it would sound like a sexual experiment gone awry ("You have to twist it to get it in." "There's no hole." "Just shove." and my personal favorite "Yank it back out.") At 9 we finally called a break, went and grabbed some much needed caffeine and returned to finish the last two corners. Luckily the 2nd two proved very easy in comparison and we had those up in no time flat. Then came the frame. It wasn't a confusing item to put together, just physically demanding. Each bar had to fit into another (Insert corner G into bar I, then screw in bar H which will fit into center piece L) (unfortunately, neither the instructions or diagrams were that clear), and was latched with a metal nub that when pushed in would allow the pieces to slide together and then the knob would pop back out into a pre-drilled hole, thus linking the two pieces. Yeah, let me just say that those little nubs are metal spawns of Satan. Miniature torture devices designed to test your courage and thumb strength and coerce you into quitting just shy of your goal. With each one, you were forced to place your entire body weight behind the very tip of your thumb, as the rounded protrusions would gouge into the pad of said appendage. We were not to be swayed. We got the outer frame put together with many grunts, groans and "ow, damn"s and then set to the inner frame. We traded off climbing the ladder and using our force of will and mighty thumbs were finally able to get everything into place. We did a little victory dance and let Bastian come out to inspect his new awning. All in all, it was very rewarding to see it all put together. And I really must say that this gazebo is our bitch.

Old Married Woman

2008-07-01T06:39:00.001-07:00

Ari says:

I can't believe it's been a year. As of this past Sunday Bart and I have made it through the dreaded first year of marriage. Everyone says that the first year is the hardest. Yeah... 'bout that. Honestly, it has been a crazy year in more ways than just being newly weds. I won't go into details, since you probably all know, but it has been a wild ride. I just have to say that I am blessed with a wonderful husband and I couldn't ask for anything more. We do have some exciting things on the horizon, so stay tuned for details. Bart and I had a great visit this weekend. I can't really say that we did much of anything, but we had a blast nonetheless. Friday he surprised me with a Spa Day, so I got to be a pampered princess for a few hours and enjoyed my first ever facial, my second ever massage and my 10584th ever pedicure (give or take). It was amazing! I was so totally relaxed by the time we left and was basically a pulpy lump in the car on the way back to the hotel. Saturday was a lazy day, but we did manage to drag ourselves out to see Wall-E. If you haven't seen this yet, you've got to. I don't know how Disney/Pixar manages to make a machine robot so precious and lovable, but they do. We spent the rest of the night watching movies, eating pizza and just enjoying our time together. Coming home Sunday was difficult as always. I guess this time I was a bit better knowing that we are past the halfway point (3 months and counting) until he comes home and I'm on a 2 month countdown for other things (again, details to come and no, I'm not pregnant). I will say, though, that it feels as if I've spent the last year and a half counting down to some event or another and wishing away precious days. I don't think I've lost time or missed anything, just weird to constantly be pushing for next week or next month. Of course, I'm always ready for a weekend, but who isn't? OH!! Before I forget, Bart now has his computer back and has blogging capability. Feel free to bug the tar out of him until he actually writes a blog. Here's my threat: if he doesn't write one soon, I'll post all 3 of his email addresses, his cell number and hotel room number so that everyone can harass him. I'll give him until Friday.

Some Funny Title

2008-06-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
My creative juices aren't as freely flowing as they usually are today, but I will do my best as I try to recap the weekend's adventures. After work on Friday I sped home in the hopes of getting some errands taken care of before Katie and Neil showed up. Although they were crazy speedy, I was able to get everything done and we had an awesome night watching funny videos (You did come to my mind), listening to music, imbibing and catching up. (Side note: Sherlock did not hiss once, actually curled up with Neil on the couch, and this was all after his day-o'-hell at the vet.) Saturday dawned for Neil, but Katie and I snoozed until late in the morning/afternoon. We had a great lunch at Cozymel's (yes, again) and were going to head to visit downtown Franklin, but our plans were thwarted by weather. Instead we spent the afternoon learning as much as we could about Ultimate Fighting (they have their own reality tv show). We finally were able to go visit Bradley before she and Little B headed out of town. Angela joined us and we sat outside at the house visiting and enjoying the evening. It wasn't easy to leave, but I know I'll get to see Bradley & Co. soon, and I was lucky to have the support of great friends. We decided that we'd try downtown Franklin again and headed to McCreary's Irish Pub for some amazing food and fantastic live music. I'm usually not a fan (of live music in small settings), but these guys were awesome. The evening wrapped up with more chatting and just a good all-around time. Well, it must have been in their blood because Katie and Neil were Speedy McSpeedersons Sunday morning and were out and on the road by about 8:10. I finished my book and took a little nap. I was dreading the day's events and, therefore, procrastinating. Finally I realized that I must get it over with. What was this oh-so-daunting task? I had to give the cat a flea bath and manage to keep all my appendages at the same time. Well, I'm sure you can imagine the Comedy of Errors that ensued, but suffice it to say that although Sherlock was in the tub for about 15 minutes, I was probably more drenched than he was after the fact. I will say that he only jumped out of the tub once and didn't bite me at all (ergo, all appendages are intact). It was just miserable listening to his pitiful howling and suffering through his gaze of "Why do you hate me so?" and "Was I bad? I'll fix it, I promise!" Long story short, we got it all taken care of and the battle of the fleas is coming to an end. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and reading. I'm really good at both of those things. The odd thing about the day was how subdued Sherlock was after his ordeal. He slept like a fiend and I actually got a little worried about him. Sally told me that he was probably still wiped out from his day at the vet and this in combination with the bath just took its toll (2nd side note: Sally has a new blog and you should totally check it out here). It just struck me as strange that he wasn't playing, biting or howling at all. Yesterday was the same, although he showed a bit more life last night. Yes, at 2:30 this morning the howling started back up and he managed to knock Bart's lamp off the nightstand, thoroughly scaring the crap out of both of us. Yeah, I think the cat's fine. I think that's all for me at the moment. I'm thrilled that I'm leaving tomorrow to go see Bart. Not only do I get to leave work early and be gone for two days, but I get to see my sweet husband and spend some much needed time with him. Our anniversary is this Sunday, so it will be a great weekend for us. I hope this week is going well for you all and that it is very short and your weekend long. These are my prayers for each of you.

Much Ado About Blogging

2008-06-20T07:19:00.001-07:00

Ari says:

I know it's Friday and I should have a plethora of stories and catastrophes with which to regale you, but I'm tapped. Apparently nothing is going on around here. So instead of me making up something (because I'm really not good at that), I'm just going to list some of the random things that are on my mind:

I had to take Sherlock to the vet this morning and it broke my heart. Bart and I don't have kids yet, but he's our baby and just handing him over to the nurse is so hard. He gives me that look like I'm the worst Mom in the world and how could I do that to him?! I tried to explain that this was only to make him feel better, but I don't think he was listening.

I am so excited that Katie and Neil are coming down tonight. We don't have any big plans and I think that makes it even better. Now, if only Beth and Stephen would make the trek, all would be well, but it will be a great weekend nonetheless.

I am (selfishly) thrilled that I get to spend a little extra time with Bradley and BJ before they head to P-cola. I hate the reason they're staying longer, but am glad for the extra time.

Although I have wished and prayed for this for a very long time, my life is getting ready to be turned upside down and, although I'm ready, I'm scared and nervous. I'm anticipating a new life and trying not to pre-form it in my head, but allow God to work and make it what He wants.

I am really hungry this morning.

I get to see Bart next Wednesday for our anniversary (yes, it's been a year already) and can't wait to get out there.

It is really gloomy outside right now and the perfect time for a nap. I hope I don't fall asleep in my meeting.

Yeah, I think that's all I've got right now. I know, I'm totally boring, but I promised Katie I would blog, so here you go. Also, here is a random picture that just makes me smile.

Happy Friday to you all. Have a wonderful weekend, be safe and know that you are loved (not necessarily by me, but I'm sure there's someone out there who does...) (oh, give me a break, I don't know who all is reading this, so I don't want to make a blanket statement that I can't back up, right? Ok fine, you're right. I'm a bad person).

There's a Bump on the Log in the Hole in the Middle of the Sea

2008-06-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Ok, so either you know the song and have had a laugh and are now singing the song, or you think I've lost it this morning (which is probably true). For those of you "in the know" go on and sing and then you can finish reading later. If you don't know the song, your childhood was lacking. Enough of all that, let's get to the weekend. I had been really looking forward to this weekend for a while and it did not disappoint. Angela and I had a great dinner at Cozy's and then a chill night on the couch with a movie. I won't talk about the movie simply because it wasn't good enough to waste too much time on. We stayed up talking and enjoying the brief storm, but soon enough it was time for bed. I got up bright and early Saturday morning. No, these were not the actions of a crazy woman; I went to pick Conley up from the airport. She was coming in to visit with Bradley and BJ (it's my blog, I can call him what I want) before their move to P-cola. We did some shopping and errand running, but before long were over at the Bradley household to visit, play with the baby and commence the mini Diva Convention. What an awesome day! We spent practically all of it outside on the porch, passing around the baby and just enjoying each other's company. We did sing to little BJ, who seemed to enjoy it, and it's always difficult for the three of us to pass up a chance to sing together. All too soon, though, it was time to go home for the night. Conley, Angela and I attempted to watch The Last Unicorn (fantastically cheesy cartoon movie from our childhood), but Conley peaced out with 14 minutes left to go. New rule: if you pick the movie and others have to suffer through it, you have to stay up and finish it. Oh well, it was fun to revisit this once-forgotten story (it also made me realize just how brain dead we are as children). Sunday came all too soon and Conley and I got up and ready to meet her parents for lunch. We had an awesome lunch at Cozy's (yes, that was twice in one weekend), and it was great to catch up with her parents. On the way out the door, I engaged in one of those I'm-trying-to-let-someone-pass-by-me-but-they're-trying-to-let-me-pass-them dance routines with a guy who was presumably coming in for a late lunch. We finally got our steps in the right order and as we passed each other I oh-so-gracefully smashed the top of my thigh into a wooden bench. No, it didn't feel good at all, and by the time I got home and put my comfies on there was a 5 inch long, 3 inch wide fuchsia lump on the top of my leg (my not so lovely lady lump). Hence the "bump on the log" title reference. Trust me when I say that this thing isn't pretty and hurts like a mug. Anyway, when I got home, Angela came over and we watched our other rental from Friday night, "The Bucket List" (or Suck-it List as Conley would call it). We both really enjoyed it, but compared it to a deeper "Grumpy Old Men." It was basically a vehicle for two great actors with a nice life message. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Smallville and relaxing. I know, nothing too exciting and I only hurt myself once. I promise to try and get into something embarrassing soon. Hope you're all well and have a wonderful week!

Shame on Everyone

2008-06-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Please excuse my mood this morning, but I had a rough night and a rotten commute, which just tends to start the day off on the wrong foot. Anyway, since I've found that ya'll don't like hearing about precious babies that have been brought into the world (or maybe just don't care), I guess I'll just tell you about my drive into work this morning. As I stepped out my door today, I noticed that it was a bit cooler than it had been in recent mornings, and noted that it was going to be a gorgeous day. Maybe my lack of sleep wouldn't affect me too badly. I hopped in the truck and headed for the road. (Disclaimer: Now, I will admit to not being the most calm driver in the world, but I try to keep my "outbursts" within my car, generally commenting on the upbringing and genealogy of other drivers, and then speeding past them.) So, I'm happily driving down Moores in the right lane when (just before a traffic light) the guy in the left lane starts to pull into my lane, however I'm already occupying the spot. This wouldn't have been a big deal (the truck could have done some damage to his little Honda), but he turned on his turn signal and just started pulling over without even looking. It was like he had made a declaration of what he was doing and was then entitled to do so regardless of anyone around him. I was able to find my horn (and keep my cool) and let him know that this wasn't the case. For normal people or even highly functioning social outcasts, this would be the end of the encounter. Not this guy. He responds by laying on his horn for about 15 seconds, throwing his hands up in the air, flipping (flicking?) the bird and actually yelling at me like I could hear him (or cared what he had to say). He finally got behind me and continued on this escapade until we were both on the interstate. I actually had to laugh at him and this ridiculous display. Not only was he just freaking out, but his face was turning really red and he looked like he was about to burst. Now, don't get me wrong, this was all a very humorous situation, but it really got me to thinking (and pre-7 am is too early for that). This is what real "road rage" looks like. Yes, I get frustrated. Yes, I cuss and squirm and pass those that get in my way. But, it kinda got to me that if this guy had some sort of weapon, he wouldn't have been hard pressed to use it. This all just reiterated to me that, as a society, our tolerance for each other is slipping day by day and our sense of entitlement is growing by leaps and bounds. What happened to "please and thank you," or a simple "have a nice day (Bon Jovi not withstanding)?" These things are becoming less and less prevalent and the toll it is taking is becoming more and more apparent. Do me a favor: smile at someone today or say "hi" just 'cuz. I'll make an effort and hope that you will too.

Welcome to the World

2008-06-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Congratulations are in order! Bring out the cigars and champagne... IT'S A BOY!!! Mr. Bradley Derek Vilendrer has joined us in this world and I couldn't be more thrilled. Of course I have deemed myself "Aunt Ari" to the precious bundle, and I don't think Bradley Senior will mind too much if I continue to call him BJ (for Bradley Junior, duh). But, as with all posts on this page, we'll have to rewind a bit to see just how we got there. To read the parent's perspective on the pregnancy, click the link above, as you will find only my ridiculous sagas contained here. As you read last week, Wednesday was Beth and Katie's birthday. I was sad that I didn't get to spend that time with them and rather embarrassed that I didn't have their presents in time to send them. So, in an attempt to make it up to them, I decided to head up to the big Lex-Town for the weekend. I knew that with the baby coming in a week and a half, Mom trying to come into town and our anniversary coming up so soon, that it would be quite a while before I could get back up to my hometown. Friday morning dawned, I packed the truck, fed the cat and headed to work for my shortened day. Got all my junk done and was able to get on the road at a decent time. I was just happy that I was going to make it to town before 10 pm for once. Anyway, when I got to Katie's house, she had a beverage of choice (read: beer) waiting for me, and we sat outside staring longingly at her (gorgeous) pool and getting ourselves ready to head over to a Lexington Legends game. A group of people were tailgating (yeah, I've never heard of tailgating at a baseball game either) and then were going in to watch. We got to the ballpark and first thing, I make a total ass of myself. I jump out of the car to greet Beth and am dressed in essentially a wife-beater and green khakis (Katie and I had joked earlier that I was bringing out my inner lesbian) (and yes, I had a sweater on at work so that I was appropriate). Of course, my proper greeting to Beth is, "Look Bethie! I'm dressed like a lesbian!" She ran to me, gave me a huge hug, while laughing hysterically and said, "There are lesbians here." What a great way to start off the night. Oh well, I successfully avoided them the rest of the time, and, trust me when I say that we had on similar attire and I had no trouble spotting the aforementioned couple. Anyway, we gorged ourselves on way yummy food (Christina is the tailgating queen) and then headed into the game (and promptly seated ourselves at the bar). We had a great time sitting around talking and catching up. Soon, though, it was time to head out. Katie went home and I left with Beth, Stephen and Kevin for Georgetown. We got to the house and decided to walk the mile to the local pub (the walk home was way more entertaining). We met tons of interesting characters and amused ourselves with seeing just how much we could confuse our befuddled server. After finally getting back to the house, it wasn't long before Beth and I were in bed (not together). Saturday dawned with a mild headache and bottomless pit that was my stomach. Beth, Stephen and I ordered some much needed greasy food and settled in for a day of crap tv. We all decided that since we were going to a cookout at the Garrity's house (a celebration of the twins' birthday), we would head over early to spend extra time with Katie. As we settled in with food and remote in hand my phone rang. "BradleyCell" it read, so I grabbed it to see how "Little Mama" was doing. "I'm on my way to the hospital," she says. Figures. I leave town in anticipation that I won't be able to for a while and that's when she decides to go into labor. Thanks a lot. I waited for actual confirmation that she was indeed being admitted and jumped in the truck for a Speed Racer version of the drive from Lexington to Nashville. At 4:58 pm on June 7th, 2008 (06-07-08), little Bradley was born. He weighs 8 lbs. and is 20 inches long and is perfect. We've been waiting a long time for this little bundle and he most certainly did not disappoint. I can't wait to see how he grows and changes, and molds the lives around him.

About a Blog

2008-06-06T06:17:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
I am in mourning. I would have worn black today, but it didn't go with my brown shoes. In setting up this silly little website/blog, I've actually become rather attached to it. I've taken care in its appearance and have methodically ruled which topics are and are not appropriate. In essence, this is a new hobby for me (too bad I'm not getting exercise while doing this. Side note: doesn't "blogging" or "to blog" sound like it should involve some sort of physical activity?). All this being said, I had quite a moment when I got in yesterday. The day started like any other; I checked my work email, responded to some, scoffed at others and then checked my personal email (followed same procedure), and then I hopped over to the blog to check for any comments or just to see if inspiration would jolt me like a bolt of lightning. Oh, I got a shock all right. The title of my blog had mysteriously moved overnight and the layout was quite changed and disturbing. I spent a bit of time (more than I should document) trying to figure out what was going on and then enlisted the help of the Diva Blogger herself to get this straightened out. However, it was all to no avail. Apparently my template has been changed and I am stuck. There is nothing I can do to return my lovely little blog back to its former glory. I am mildly undone (but happy that I have a topic to lament over). I hope the retched appearance of this layout is not offensive to any of you, but please know this was not intentional and I also hope that this does not assuage your drive to return to this humble place. Please, accept my apologies and grieve with me.

Twin Peaks

2008-06-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Please prepare yourselves for a glutinous mass, oozing with schmaltz and sap (you've been warned). Today is Beth and Katie's birthday and I have to give a big nod to them on this very special day. As I've mentioned before, these lovely ladies are two of the most amazing people in the world. I truly consider myself a better person for knowing them, and consider myself blessed to call them friends. Although they are quite a pair, and their "twin-ness" can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, these two are individuals unlike any others. Their generosity, love and devotion are all complimented by their drive, passion and ability to see the best in every person and situation. I honestly don't think I could say enough, so I'll make it short and sweet. I love these girls and couldn't ask for better companions in this crazy life. Thank you, both for all you are and have a wonderful birthday.

An Apple a Day

2008-05-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Bart didn't want me to blog about this incident, but since he's not here and since he's not an active participant right now, I'm gonna tell it anyway. So there. In true keeping with all things office related, our department loves to celebrate birthdays. It's really just an excuse to eat a lot of junk that you normally wouldn't and get away from your desk for 30 minutes. Yesterday I volunteered to bring in a fruit tray of some sort for our shindig that was taking place today. After quite a long trip to Hallmark last night (no real reason, I just couldn't make up my mind), I headed over to Kroger ("the grocery," Bradley) to pick up said tray. Side note: did you know that fruit trays are a ga-billion dollars now? OMG! Anyway, while filtering through the massively expensive arrays of fruit, I found a smaller tray with sliced apples and a ramekin of caramel. Perfect! Upon further inspection, though, I realized that the caramel in this particular tray had been replaced by "Ranch Veggie Dip." I had a good laugh at this one and in true Ariana-fashion, turned around to share my joy in this mishap with someone else. I found only a small Asian woman who looked like she wanted to shake a chicken at me or something. Oh well. I then put the tray I found and a correct one in my cart thinking: "I would be upset if I got this home and didn't notice it, so I'll give it to someone on staff who can either fix or remove the offending tray." I got the rest of my meager shopping done and found an "employee" standing at a small podium which I assumed meant he was there to be helpful. To be honest, I knew this exchange was going to be bad before we had even exchanged words (I have a keen sense about these things). This worker (würker) was leaning against his podium, staring longingly between a magazine with Paris Hilton on the cover and a Hershey's bar (tough choice). Anyway, I walked up and, as politely as I could, handed him the tray and said that if possible, the store should change the dip in the container. His response: "So, what's your question?" (Yeah, this was not going to go well) I pointed to the ranch and said that, although it is a lovely condiment, it probably isn't the best accompaniment to apples. I added that it probably wouldn't be a big seller for the store and knowing that this was going nowhere fast, I chose to walk away and let it go. I could have sworn I heard him mumble a not-so-nice name behind my back, but I am choosing to believe that there was a female dog walking past at that moment. Whatever. I was more disappointed that I didn't get to share my funny find with anyone at the time (and impressed that he knew a word with so many letters).

I'm Melting, I'm Melting....

2008-05-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Yes, I know; I haven't blogged in a week and now you get two back to back. Don't whine about it, revel in it. Anyway, do you want to hear what I have to say or not? Well, I guess that's obvious since you're reading this. Ok, so I left the office a bit early on Tuesday (long story, don't ask) and came back Wednesday morning to an email from Angie (our amazingly wonderful office goddess) saying that the AC was out and that they were working to fix it. No big deal to me, I'm usually cold, so yesterday was the first day in a while that I simply did not turn on my space heater. Once I left yesterday, though, I found out why I hadn't been so bothered. It was only in the mid-60's during the heat of the day. Yeah, so today our AC is still on the blink and it is about 80 or so outside. Big difference. I'm fighting off sleep (more so than usual) and have actually removed the little shirt/jacket that was concealing my tank. That had to go. And now, to conserve energy in this area, they have cut off the main running lights, so that it is now a very shaded and fairly dark area. Right... I'll be awake for the next 2 hours. Sure.

I'm Still Here

2008-05-29T07:51:00.001-07:00

Ari says:
No, dear readers, you haven't gotten rid of me yet. I've just been dealing with a few demons recently and haven't had the appropriate level of moxy needed to contrive such abundant issues to which you've become accustomed. Demon slaying aside, you deserve a weekend wrap-up and I have been remiss. My wayward husband made it home Friday evening and he was smart enough not to check his bag. I walked in to the airport, found him and we walked out. As simple as that and we were home in no time. We spent the rest of the evening drinking champagne, eating snacks in the kitchen and laughing at Sherlock who just couldn't decide whose leg he needed to rub against more. He was so happy that his Daddy was home and was purring so hard that he almost fell off the counter at one point. Quite cute. Saturday was adventure day for us. Bart has decided that he wants to take up playing either the banjo or the mandolin. No, he's never played a stringed instrument, so we're taking things slowly right now. We headed into downtown Nash-Vegas to scope out a few of these instruments and ended up finding some gorgeous pieces that were just a skosh outside of our price range (I'm not prepared to pay $62,000 for something we don't even know if he'll like yet. Call me crazy). We had a great lunch at Jack's BBQ (which is apparently famous, but neither of us had ever been) and then we were off for a little drive. Thanks to gas prices being what they are, we didn't go far, but just enough to get out of the city and mill around some back roads for a while. We finally ended up on the Natchez Trace, and listened to some great tunes and enjoyed the lovely day and our surroundings. We got home with just enough time to change clothes and head back out for our much anticipated movie date. Prince Caspian was fantastic!!! I won't say any more for those of you who haven't seen it, except to say go. Go right now. I'll wait...
We both enjoyed the movie immensely and were both pretty pumped when we left, so we headed into downtown Franklin to visit a favorite pub of ours, McCreary's. The place was nice and quiet and we enjoyed our time there (but not the service, especially). The rest of our night was spent at home listening to music, watching videos online and staying up entirely too late. Sunday was supposed to be another relaxed but fun day, but I really wasn't feeling well at all (and no, it wasn't totally due to hangover). We had a fun lunch with Angela and Bradley, but unfortunately, I was a total wet blanket. Bart and I went home and he indulged me in some reading and napping. He's such a good boy. We ended up having a late dinner at Cozy's and watching Big Fish, while curled up on the couch. The perfect end to the day. Monday's weather matched my mood exactly. It was very overcast with a storm just on the horizon. Bart and I had an easy morning and went to Bread Co. for lunch. After choking down my soup (not because it was bad, but because I still wasn't feeling well) we drove across the street to Borders to get something for Bart for his flight back to CA. I had a couple gift cards and they were having a sale, so we both walked away with some amusing tomes. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and we all-too-quickly found ourselves on the way back to the airport. I'll spare you. Bradley was sweet enough to invite me over for a Memorial Day cookout, so I spent the evening helping her and Momma B do some baby crafts and eating some wonderful food (again, Laura, the ribs were amazing). And that, dear friends, was the weekend. Nothing exciting, but just enough to whet my appetite for our next visit.

So Totally Couldn't Help Myself

2008-05-23T07:01:00.001-07:00

This is how stupid U look. Amen.

All the time. I know. Craziness.

Killer Balloons

2008-05-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Ok, no I didn't hurt myself in the past couple hours, but I actually had something rather amusing happen and thought I'd share it with you and attempt to dig myself out of the "boring" hole I started digging earlier. Here goes: from time to time, my job requires me to send decorations to my stores for sales events. Sometimes these are posters, table cloths, pennants, basically anything to help garner attention and improve shopping morale. One of the easiest things to send (because everyone loves them) is balloons. I usually buy them by the thousands, literally. I have enlisted the help of these buoyant baubles time and again and have found that not only are they easy to have made and to send to the stores, but they are also an easy item for the stores to implement. Just trust me when I say that we've had our issues with other items. Please don't hear me say that my managers are incompetent or unintelligent, but there are times when I wonder if they just "didn't bring their A-game" that day (we actually have a "Wall of Shame" at work with "those" kinds of emails). We recently sent the aforementioned accoutrément to the stores for an upcoming event. Considering I have never had any questions about the balloons (they're fairly self-explanatory), I was rather surprised when I got an email from a manager saying that after filling her balloons with helium, they were just lying about listlessly. "Ok, bad batch" I thought and sent her more. Problem solved. The second email, though, took the proverbial cake. A manager actually emailed to ask if our balloons were latex-free. Apparently he had a customer in the store who was allergic to latex and was "very concerned" about their presence in her shopping abode. It took everything in me not to respond that if she was so concerned she probably shouldn't eat them. I mean really. If you know you have an allergy, don't touch, bite, lick or carouse with something that may endanger you. I know balloons are prone to jumping out at unsuspecting bystanders, but I think (just maybe) that if you keep from touching or inhaling one, you should be ok. Honestly.

38 Hours

2008-05-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
But who's counting, really? Tomorrow night Bart is coming home for the holiday weekend, and I'm not excited or anything. Nope, not even a little. I mean, honestly, I don't even like him all that much. Right. The great thing is that we don't have any big plans (except for going to see Prince Caspian), we're just going to take it easy and do whatever we feel like. To give you an insight into how my wacko brain works: for the past few days I've been singing "Here Comes the Snake" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies to myself (no, I'm not being crude, Bart flies a Cobra that they sometimes refer to as "the Snake") (And now you say to yourself, "Well, the title of the blog is making a bit more sense now..."). Wow, this is a boring blog. Sorry you guys. I'll try to hurt myself either today or tomorrow so that I can regale you with my tales of woe. As for now I seem to be in good health and that makes for less-than-stellar blogging. I hope you all have a very speedy Friday Eve and that your weekend stretches on forever.

Sore-ly Disappointed

2008-05-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Ow. I mean really: Ouch. Apparently this blog is becoming the location to document all of my ridiculous aches, pains and mishaps. Grr. At least this time I am not injured as much as I am responding to activities. Basically, I didn't hurt myself by accident, I did it on purpose. Ok Lucy, I'll 'splain. Saturday was a gorgeous day here in the big Nash-vegas and I had promised Angela that I would help her weed out and replant her flower bed. We made a trip to Home Depot to get some mulch and plants (I used my "big girl truck" to haul it all around) and then we were ready to go. We realized that the last time anything had been done to this particular area was almost exactly 2 years ago. Yeah, it was a long day. We commenced eradicating the offensive weeds and dead plants and 2 hours later were only halfway into our task. We dug, scraped and clawed our way into the depths of the earth only to find that the roots we were tracking actually had no beginning or end (I won't even go into the numerous apologies to earthworms or screams at scampering spiders). Finally, everything was removed and bagged and we were ready to plant. The planting, top soiling and mulching took much less time and eventually we had a lovely little garden to show for all our hard work. That's when the pain set in. Apparently I used every single muscle in my body and by Sunday morning they had all joined forces to form one giant "super" muscle that would be in a perpetual state of soreness and pain. Yeah, I'm sore, but it's a good kind of sore. I was supposed to clean my floors and wash Bart's truck yesterday, but I'm sure you can guess that these things just didn't happen. I spent yet another day feeling rather proud of and sorry for myself. I am such a big baby.
And now for something completely different: for all of you blog-readers and day-wasters, Miss Katie has a new blog and invites you to read it. Head over to Bugg's Life for fun, folly, frivolity and a few infractions.

Let's Go to the Movies!

2008-05-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Go ahead, you know you want to sing the song from Annie when they go to the theater and they have it all to themselves, and all those ladies are dancing on stage and they have the weird silver condoms on their heads. I'm singing it right now, as I'm typing (yes, I know I'm talented, and no, I don't have any prophylactic headgear). I'm getting carried away... let's get back on track. This weekend the new Chronic (what?) cles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie is coming out (that's actually "Chronicles", but if you don't know what I'm referring to, you must click here) and there are already rave reviews of this movie. If you aren't excited yet, then I'm guessing you don't have a pulse, but if you are, please join me for a quick squealing-while-jumping-up-and-down-and-waving-hands session. For those of you who want to be in the know, check out some movie reviews or head over to IMDB to get the full scoop on the cast, characters, synopsis and trailers. As for me, I have finished reading the book (for the second time) and am anxiously awaiting next weekend to go see it. Yes, I know you are shocked and amazed that I don't have my Fandango tickets in hand, but I promised Bart that we would see it together when he comes into town. I'm entirely too devoted to that man. Maybe if I am devoted enough he'll actually write a blog (insert: hint, jab, rib poke)? Enjoy the movie everyone!

When Shampoo Attacks

2008-05-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

I know you all see me as this lithe and graceful, multi-dimensional, intelligent and beautiful woman (and I hate to shatter this illusion), but, contrary to popular belief, I too have my faults. I'll give you a minute to get over the shock.... Now that I have you all back with me, I must confess that from time to time I am prone to an attack of clumsiness. Last night was one of those instances. Yes, dear reader, I was in the shower after my workout (don't worry, this is family friendly) and was almost finished when I realized that my bottle of shower gel was creeping to the low side of the bottle. Side note: Usually, I leave my bottles open in the shower so that I don't have to mess with wet and soapy hands trying to grapple open a container of conditioner or whatnot, but when they get low, I close them and turn them upside-down to get out every last drop. Anyway, it was that time for the shower gel and I pulled it down, closed the cap, and set it leaning against the shampoo bottle (it has a rounded top, so it has to lean). Well, I didn't realize, but the soap bottle was too thin for the shelf and started to slip through. With my cat-like reflexes I grabbed the soap bottle out of the air and righted it before damage could be done. Crisis averted? I think not. In the process, I hit the (rather large) bottle of shampoo which then came cascading down the wall of the shower. Luckily, my ankle was there to break its fall. Can I just say ouch? Yeah, that was about a 3 lbs of hard plastic ramming into a bony part of my body. Before I was even out of the shower, my ankle had started to swell and discolor (I'm on the swole). I spent the rest of the evening on the couch with an ice-pack (of frozen veggies) and a feeling of utter self-pity.

All Hitched Up

2008-05-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

It's o-fficial!! Bethie is all married. Wow, I still can't quite believe it, but I'm sure it will sink in eventually. This weekend marked the end of an era. The founding members of the GOB Scale are now married off and getting on with their more demure and reserved lives (please remember everything is relative). To ward off any fears of my favorite twins, I will not go into any explanation of the GOB Scale at this time, but if anyone needs some good stories, give me a call and I will regale you with tales of teenage mayhem. However, in honor of this momentous occasion, I have a couple memories that I'd like to share with Beth and Katie (please know that I'm not excluding the rest of you, I just have a lot of history with these girls):

-LTMS, need I say more?

-Cheerleading routines

-The Notebook (not the movie)

-really good fights

-"I'm not trying to fee-bunny."

-Your parent's back porch

-Cops (birthday party, Glendover, etc)

-The Land Yacht

-Techno music

-Boys, boys, boys...

Honestly, I could go on forever. Beth and Katie, I thank you for being two of the most wonderful friends anyone could have. I love you both dearly. Beth, make sure Stephen takes care of you and loves you the way you deserve. If anyone can keep him in line, it's you.

Ok, enough sappy junk, and on to the good stuff. The weekend was a blast! Thursday night was the highly anticipated bachelorette party, complete with a pink Hummer stretch limo. (Can you believe I actually got in?) Well, we decked Beth out in the fun veil, sash, blinky ring and all the other stuff that goes with it and set off. We drove around Lexington for a bit, enjoying our champagne and showing off and then headed to dinner at Joe B's. Our server decided to have a massive brain fart before we got there, so it took us a bit longer than we planned. Luckily, I was at the fun table, so I didn't mind taking the time. After dinner we headed to Marika's (sp?) for drinks and a couple reunions (unplanned) and got back downtown in time to let our beleaguered driver go at the appointed time. We stopped in at Redman's for a few and then trekked back to the hotel to put our bride-to-be in bed. The rest of the evening was spent fending off inebriated bachelors and scouring the city for a lost entity. (Yeah, that's a long story that I'm not getting into.) Friday was the rehearsal, dinner and cookout. Awesome stuff and some great food! Saturday dawned fresh and beautiful ("It's a nice day for a white wedding") and we were all ready for the big show. Everything went down without a snag, but we did get the "hitch" part taken care of. The only "goof" was that the minister forgot that I was supposed to sing. Oops! No big deal, and I'm guessing a few people were as relieved as I was. The reception was way too much fun and I spent the evening dancing with some of my favorite people, including a set of twins, a hot redhead and a MILF (and no, Ice Dancer Barbie will not be included in this list).

All in all, it was a great weekend. Congratulations to Beth and Stephen and a huge Thank You to Katie and Neil for letting me crash. Love you guys!!

Animal Kingdom

2008-05-06T05:33:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
I, Ariana Bartolomea, am the new Ace Ventura (sans bad hair and Hawaiian shirt), a Squirrel Whisperer of sorts. This past Saturday Sherlock and I were visited by a baby squirrel who decided to make our porch his home for the day and spent his time tormenting the cat. So here's what happened: I was enjoying a great book in bed, doing a lazy-Saturday-afternoon thing when Sherlock abruptly sits up and darts out of the bedroom. 2 seconds later I hear the blinds by the sliding door go crazy and realize that there must be something outside grabbing my cat's attention. Upon investigation, I find a 10 inch long, baby imitation of a squirrel. His tail was at least half his length. He was poised on his haunches right by the window staring down Sherlock. The cat, of course, was trying desperately to paw his way through the glass doors in the attempt of bagging a meal. For the next few hours (literally), our visitor proceeded to tease the cat by sprinting back and forth across the porch, climbing the screen door, tottering on the wood pile and basically running amok. Sherlock tried his darnedest to catch his fuzzy tempter, but to no avail. That layer of glass was just too difficult an obstacle. I spent the time laughing, snapping pictures and giving my Mom a play-by-play on the phone. In the meantime, I found that the little critter wasn't nearly as scared of me as he should have been. Bart suggested I try to give him some food, so I went outside to leave a pile of sunflower seeds. In the process, the squirrel returned and just looked at me like "Sup?" and proceeded to walk right under the chair I was sitting in and grab some seeds. Knowing that although this creature was precious, he was probably also filthy and possibly mean, I think I ended up being a bit more frightened of him than he was of me, so I basically got trapped on my porch by the squirrel. As I was debating on how best to get back into the apartment, a very small lizard made his way into the arena. He and the squirrel started circling each other like odd Sumo wrestlers. I was convinced I was a goner until the lizard scampered off, distracting the squirrel and I was able to make my way back to the relative safety of my home. It's easier to laugh when you're not worried about getting rabies. The rest of the afternoon was quiet, despite the occasional clash of the blinds and the rare thump when Sherlock would try to jump straight through the window.

....These Go to 11

2008-04-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Sniffle and sigh, my long-awaited and glorious weekend has come to an end. I headed out to San Diego to finally spend some time with my husband. It had been entirely too long (8 weeks) since we had seen one another and I expected a rocky start to our adventures, but we had nothing of the sort. Friday was dinner and a great night of catching up. We also decided that we would celebrate the "3 Days of Birthday." I had three presents for Bart and since I'm horrible at waiting to give someone something, we agreed that one present a day would be fun. Bart proceeded to sing "On the first day of birthday my true love gave to me...." and we had a great time going through the presents one by one each day (I'll let Bart tell you what he got). Saturday was some fun shopping at an outlet mall and then an awesome dinner with "the fam," drinks at a pub and then a fun, impromptu party back at Karl Strauss (no, not my German friend Karl's residence, but rather his restaurant which is situated in the parking lot of the resort where Bart is staying) (and not that I have a friend named Karl, I was just being silly). The place has great food and drinks, and a fun staff that doesn't mind if you're loud and obnoxious. I also got a chance to meet some of the guys that Bart is flying with, so it was awesome to finally put faces with names. Sunday was Bart's Birthday (Happy Birthday to my sweetest!), and we took an awesome drive through the mountains and Cleveland National Park. First off, I don't know why it's called that since it's in California, and second, if you're looking for this park on Google Earth, make sure you you start your search at San Juan Capistrano, CA and not San Luis Obispo, CA. That'll make it much easier to find, trust me. We topped the evening off with some thoroughly sought-after sushi, a quick dip in the hot tub and some crap tv (thanks for indulging me, honey). Monday took us to the base for a couple admin items and then it was back to the airport. This weekend was very tough to close out, but I am holding on to the hope of seeing Bart for Memorial Day weekend (that would only be 4 weeks away). If not, we'll get back together for our 1 year anniversary in June.

For Bart Only: Thank you for a wonderful weekend, Baby. I miss you already, but know that we'll get back together soon. Until then, fly safe, behave and go get some of those great shirts we saw at the mall. They'd look great on you. I love you so very much.

I Can Get Enough

2008-04-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

Ok, you've seen a full-out hissy, but it's time for a rant. If you don't want to read it, I don't blame you a bit, but here goes: I am about done with gas prices. In preparing to write this little entry, I found this picture of a Shell station and became even more incensed that the price shown is a full dollar less than our current gas prices and this picture was taken less than a year ago. I've got two words for you "E Nough." I will refrain from getting all political on you, especially because my political savvy is rather limited, but this is just ridiculous. I don't care who you are, what office you hold or how much money you make, at some point this is going to ruin us all. We are successfully running our entire economy into the ground simply because we can't let go of our incessant and churlish "need" for oil. Not to mention the fact that it's filthy. I won't pretend that I'm "green" or anything, but we have to realize that this is destroying our planet and if we don't change what we're doing we won't have a planet left to destroy. There are so many alternatives to our gas-guzzling customs, I just don't understand why we can't start to actually use them. I take that back, I understand that the oil companies have their fingers in so many pies that trying to eradicate this epidemic would be on par with exorcising demons from the soul of our country, but frankly, I'm not sure I care at this point. I'm sure I have a very limited scope of what something that drastic would do to our economy, but I can't help but think of all the good using a renewable resource would do (hey ethanol, how are you?). I'm not a tree hugger type, but I love how pretty our world is and would like to keep it from being destroyed. I'm also not a spend-thrift, but if things keep going this way, I'm going to need a raise just to get back and forth from my job.

That's a Wrap!

2008-04-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
From time to time, God sees fit to test us. I get that, and am sure He's just keeping us on our spiritual toes. Saturday morning must have been my time. I got up that morning at 9 (which should be illegal on a Saturday) and showered in preparation for Bradley's baby shower. I got my hair slung into a towel and proceeded into the living room to wrap Conley's and my presents for the shower. I had purchased this absolutely precious paper (white with silver hand and foot prints) and was really excited to use it (I'm kinda a freak about wrapping presents). The great part about the paper was that it was gender neutral so that I could use it for all the upcoming newborns that are spewing forth from my friends. Anyway, I removed the annoying plastic wrap from the roll and commenced unrolling the paper to cut it. As I unrolled the lovely white paper turned a solid pink and continued to be that color for the rest of the roll. I was bamboozled, tricked, hoodwinked (not to mentioned severely pissed)! The entire reason I bought the paper was wiped out in one fell swoop. I rushed to my conservative collection of wrapping paper and was able to find some that was acceptable, but I was certainly not happy in any way, shape or form. The shower itself was very nice and Bradley certainly racked up on the baby paraphernalia. Now it's time to get little BJ here. We're all very excited to see what he looks like. But before that happens, I've got some wrapping paper to return.

It's a Mexican Thing

2008-04-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

First off, let me offer each of you a huge TGIF (not anything about toes being inserted first or other extremities going in front, but the real thing)! That being said, let's get down to business. As some of you may know, I am a fan of La Comida Mexicana (Mexican food, or "that's Spanish for The Comida Mexicana") and today I am certainly feeling the effects of not having had it in a while. You could say I'm "feenin' for a fix, yo". I generally rely on lunch outings with friends to feed my addiction, but the past few times I've been out, those wonderful friends have let me down. Don't get me wrong, I heart food of all shapes and sizes, but there's just something magical about bowls of chips and salsa waiting to be gorged upon. I know, though, that I am not alone in this craving. I know there are others of you out there that may be afraid to speak up (like you have a pair). Well, fear no more! Arise fellow enchilada-cravers and join me for lunch, dinner and the occasional breakfast burrito. Any takers?

Spring is in the Air

2008-04-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
Yeah right and let me add P-shaw! It was 34 degrees outside when I drove to work this morning. Come on. I mean really?! Yes, things are in bloom and there are lovely colors everywhere, but the fact that I wore a sweater and jacket today is just not right in the middle of April. (Please note that the following actions are all being done in excess at this moment: extending of lower lip, stomping of right foot, head rolling back onto scrunched shoulders and slight raising of outer right nostril to display utter distaste.) Yes folks, you have all just witnessed an S&S hissy. I am not a fan of being cold, although I know Bart is crigning right now. Ok, allow me to modify that statement, I don't like being cold when you shouldn't be. Dead of winter, snow outside, fire going... cold. I get it and actually enjoy it. Football game, cool, crisp autumn weather, chili and hot dogs to keep you warm.... cold. I get it and actually enjoy it. Middle of April, sunshine, flowers in bloom, bees bombarding my porch and having to scrape off the car in the morning.... cold. I don't get it and I don't enjoy it. Nope. I veto this weather.

Cat Scratch Fever

2008-04-11T05:22:00.001-07:00

Ari says:

It isn't any secret that I love our cat Sherlock. He is basically our child and we treat him as such. As with all children, though, my fuzzy child is going through a new phase. Well, lucky me, Sherlock has returned to an old favorite: howling at anything and everything in the dead of the night. For the past week or two between 3:30 and 4 in the morning I have received a lovely little wake-up call from the ball-0-fur, who is usually perched on some piece of furniture and has just decided it is the perfect time to demonstrate the full extent of his vocal chords. This performance is usually followed by me basically flopping out of bed and then chasing the offender around the room until I can put him out and shut the bedroom door. I don't understand our cat and have never claimed to, but some things that just really get to me are that: 1. he won't do this in another room, just in the bedroom, 2. he runs from me when I try to put him out, and 3. he's silent after I lock him out of the room. Not a chirrup or purr escapes until I let him back in the room for our morning ritual of "let's-knock-everything-off-the-counter-while-mom-is-trying-to-get-ready." Don't get me wrong, I love this precious monster, but sometimes (ie. 3:45 am being awoken from a dead sleep) I think very bad things about him.

And the Winner is....

2008-04-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
The K's have it. Last night 2 particular K's became champions (not to be confused with Special K, the cereal or the artist) and I want to send out my congratulations to them both. Kansas became this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Champions in a great game against Memphis. Considering Kansas was down by 9 with 2 minutes left in regulation and were able to win by 7 points in overtime, I am impressed. I love it when the last game of the season actually lives up to the hype, and neither Kansas nor Memphis disappointed. Great game all around! My second congrats goes to Kelly who easily won the Bartolomea Bracketology, in what would have been a bloodbath had anyone else actually picked Kansas to win. Kel, you rock and some day you'll have to teach me your secrets. I'm wondering at this point if you have that sports book from Back to the Future 2 (anyone with me?) and are just hoarding it to yourself. Anyway, congratulations to all. Now I'm going to hibernate until November when it all starts again.

It's All Relative

2008-04-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ari says:
What an awesome weekend! Despite a nasty drive on Friday, I was lucky enough to get up to Indy this weekend to see my Mom and several other wonderful members of my family. Side note: for those of you who don't know (which most of you do/should), my Mom is fantastic. She's seriously one of the greatest people I've ever known, and I'm not biased at all (I could go on forever, but I'll spare you). Anyway, we didn't do much of anything, but we all had a great time hanging out, catching up, and of course eating more than we ever needed to. I will say, though, that I've developed a nasty new habit. My lovely (aforementioned) Mother and Grandmother peer-pressured me into learning the revolting and time depleting game of Sudoku. I'm really mad at them right now, considering that I got so into it last night that I gave myself a headache trying to make the grid work on the diagonal (don't ever try that). Hey, I've already told you that I am weak, and buster am I a sucker for things that so fully appeal to my OCD. If you haven't started playing, don't. You'll never see your television or favorite books again. If you have started, do you know how to quit? I could use some help over here. And if you're laughing at me right now, it means you know exactly what I'm talking about and are a closet player yourself and have no room to talk.

All in a Day's Work

2008-04-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

It's official. I am well into my second week of "the travels." Now some of you may consider this some horrid form of incapacitating bodily function, but in fact the name says it all. Starting the last weekend of March through the middle of May, I will not have one weekend at home. From San Diego to Kentucky (or "the bay," name that quote) I will not be resting until the weekend of May 16th. And then, buster, allow me to say... bring it. Not only does the new Chronicles of Narnia movie come out, but I plan on divulging my entire weekend to one of the greatest things ever: relaxation. With life comes work, responsibilities, errands, obligations, but with those sacred, unfettered weekends comes a simplicity that can only be reached when one fully devotes oneself to doing absolutely nothing and loving every second of it. I plan on reveling in that weekend and I challenge each and every one of you to find that time as well. Come on, you know you all have your indulgences like crap tv, cheesy romance novels, long baths or even a mild sport; in which case, you know what I'm talking about. Go on and find that time to devote entirely to relaxing. You'll thank me for it. I promise.

This is Only a Test

2008-04-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ari says:

I am a weak woman; a woman of little substance you might say. I swore that I would never become one of the dreaded "bloggers", but here I am, typing my first post and feeling a shameful tingle of excitement that I might actually accrue a comment. Sadness. Anyway, before I start regaling you with fantastic stories, amazing demonstrations of my lexicon and pure entertainment, I must check to see that I have set this contraption up correctly. Stay tuned....
(Disclaimer: I love to read other people's blogs and really don't think of you as "dreaded." Also, no Bibles were injured or sworn upon during the refusal to create a blog.)