Been a while!

Alright, so its been quite some time since the last posting. That doesn't mean I haven't done anything blogworthy- it just means I've been too busy to take a little time to write something about it. So here's a look at a few of the fun fall activities:
As many of you know after reading Yo-Yo and Oakley's blogs- We went to NYC for a very special B-day celebration. But- what you may not know is that Kim and I had a couple fun side trips when people (aka The Tall people) weren't looking. First, we took it upon ourselves to duck into the backroom Purse shop so that the others would continue on their own merry shopping ventures for a while and we could get a little break/do our own thing. That was fun and felt somewhat undercover! I know we have friends who really do secret stuff, but this was more like my imaginary play-time when I was a kid! Good times!



Then Thanks to the impecable timing of our friend from the Land of Lincoln, we were yet again able to sneak away from The Tall People (and B) and have an awesome little adventure. First was the carriage ride. At one point i thought the horse was going to take us on a ride w/out the driver, but that would have just been fun!







Next came the Jumping activities- YAY! I love being a cheesy tourist! Too bad we didn't have t-shirts!











To follow that was the best part of our escape jaunt: Do you remember the movie BIG? Well- we now have had the experience of Playing on the piano just like Tom Hanks! HOW AWESOME!!









Then came the EVENT! The reason we came to NY (just in the nick of time) was to see Wicked! I was so excited! I had the best time and it was the best show! I know it wasn't Idina and Kristen, but I couldn't have been happier! :-) Of course our seats were so high, I thought we were all defying gravity for a bit! I had such a blast - and since the soundtrack has been playin on my computer, in my car, on the ipod and just about anywhere that I can make it happen!

After the show- things are kind of a blur. We ate at a fun restaurant, drove to the hotel (where everyone went to bed right away), Ani and I did some wandering, and finally to sleep. Church was nice the next day- but then it was time to head home. The weekend was short but excellent.
Other fun activities- Jump for Jefferson! What is that you ask? Just take a little look- Our timing is getting better! So is our balancing. Those pillars are farther apart than they look! At least that's how it felt! You'd never know that Yo-Yo was scared on this one. She was literally shaking. I'm tellin' you- this is harder than it looks. This one took a lot of effort- for reals! Rest time- that was hard work! Marty has the Karate Kid down, Jamie has the side kick, and I almost look like i'm sitting on a step, but i'm not! That's my heel grab- Eat your heart out Tony Hawk! Well, this is all that I have time for right now-ttfn!

Bye Bye Pool Time!

Its official. The gates are locked, the chairs are stacked, and the covers are stretched tight. Pool season is over! No more skipping the last few hours of work to hurry home and get some extra rays. Gone is tackle 500, hold your breath laps, tossing the kids, and most important- laying in the sun talkin' trash with the girls.

So what do we do now? The last ditch weekends are over (even our last summer beach day was cloudy- sad, but still wonderful) and there are no more sunny trips unless you pay a small fortune to find the beach on holiday!

Thankfully, Fall brings its own treasures. Mild weather, sunny days, and the ever beautiful (*or maybe I should say 2 weeks worth of beautiful*) changing leaves. New adventures are on the later rising and earlier setting horizon. Are we ready? I know I'm not!

Tan Lines- I bid thee a very very fond farewell!

:: L I Z Z Y ::

:: L I Z Z Y ::
You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of silliness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.

Take the Quiz here!

Softball Games!

As a young girl ( and quite the little tomboy), my favorite memories are of the hot summer days in PA when the neighbor boys would come over to my house and play. Countless hours were spent in the pool making waves, being tossed like a rag doll, or playing 'whirlpool.' So much fun! When things cooled off a little, we'd get out the plastic bats, wiffle balls, and electric tape. What? You didn't know that taping the wiffle ball with electrical tape makes it fly 10x farther than the little white floating ball is supposed to do? We lost many a ball to what we called the highway- Rt. 22 (a 2 lane rd). Hey, there were a lot of trucks! They didn't stop for anything!


Anyhow, those days have long passed, but there is still something about swinging a bat at a slow moving white object that moves me. Is it the anticipation of getting on base? Or maybe its the fear of striking out (in slow pitch-you know you get mocked if that happens).

I have two teams to boast about in this blog. 1st, is my original team- Courseware Kamikaze. We once again made it to the championship game earlier in the summer. In the semi's we managed to steal a win from a team that had beaten us earlier in the season. We could not keep it fully together in the championship game, but we played well nonetheless. The other team just played a bit better. Overall it was a grand season.


1 team was not enough for us, so we made a 2nd. A team of friends! A team called Clique! Yep, you got it. We put together a team of friends (and added my coworkers Tiffanee and Keith and his Father Moe) who wanted to have a little fun. So we may be a little more competitive than we initially planned, but that's okay! We have a great time! Although, i do hate making substitutions. That's the hardest part of the whole thing.





Here is our super center fielder Keith at bat. HE is nothing short of my hero! This big guy doesn't miss anything out there! He also thinks he has jokes!














What's YOUR favorite number?
















Its great to be lefty- all of your pictures have your number in them! And they don't see the face i make when I'm swinging! Yay! Of course after a few lessons from Fatkid, that elbow isn't waiving around so much!

I'll keep you posted as to the results of our playoffs. We are already into the semi's after a great game on Monday. Details to arrive shortly.

Snotty Bitter

When life hits you hard, how do you react? I would like to take a page out of Lily Allen's book. Its good to know there are a few others out there who have want to do bad things to people who damage them! In conclusion, I dedicate this video to my favorite Snotty Bitter Pal -

One more for the Dancers!

What gets me through the day? Youtubing all things dance. Wade Robson from SYTYCD - maybe the reason for Justin and Britney's failure, but can you blame her? I wouldn't be able to stay away from him either! If the song and video do not have you moving by the end- something is definitely wrong with you! Enjoy!

Just Ducky!

Most likely everyone is blogging their Duck experiences at this point, so i figured, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Here goes!



If there is anything I love, it is the beach. I could spend all of my days there and be happy!However, since I was not blessed to be the daughter of some rich gent, I'm not going to be lazily living out my days on the blessed sands of my own island any time soon. First and foremost, NC is beautiful! Nice wide beach for playing frisbee, hot sun, great landscaping. The downside- Freezing cold water, crabs running all over the place, and seashells EVERYWHERE.

Anyhow, the weekend was packed. We arrived Friday evening after taking a kinda, sorta, roundabout kind of way to get there. Thankfully it was still daylight and we were able to take a nice little stroll (sorry - no pics of that). Saturday started the adventures (since i passed out on the bed while chatting w/ Kim friday night, there was not a whole lot of time for playing). It was time to hit the beach and watch my pals play some crazy volleyball games. I like playing, but I'm pretty sure i would have been done after 2 maybe 3 games. These girls made it all the way to the championship game.



And for saying they were playing against college players and pros- They rocked it out and managed to win game 2 rather easily. However, an unlucky streak hindered their abilities in the 3rd game and the gold volleyballs went to the other team. You're still champs in my mind! I supported from the sidelines and happily handed out waters to the team!


There were parties to hit Saturday night, but playing sardines with a lot of strangers was not really my idea of a great time. The hammock outside was perfect for a little four person swing time. 'Getting to know you!' Best party time for sure!
The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing. Beach, Pool, Play at the house. I didn't go anywhere else until Monday night for a movie. Check out the fun times.









I was supposed to leave Tuesday, but changed my mind and stayed one last day! Thankfully I did or this pyramid might never have happened. Note the awesome sweatshirts we are all sporting!








The group that stayed in our house was awesome! Many i didn't know or knew but don't often spend a lot of time with them. It was an awesome mix of people! Great times were had and hopefully many friendships formed! This isn't the whole group-but its a lot of it! Adios to Duck for another year! Live Fast, Get Dirty!!!

So You Think You Can Dance - Season 3 - JAMAL - FUNNY!!!!!

ITS BACK! My favorite show of all time! The reality show of all reality shows. People from across the country show their skills. Sometimes their lack of skills. However, once in a while- a superstar arises. Someone with so much talent its scary. Maybe not true dance skill, but surely the dance adds to the charm. ENJOY this little number- and START WATCHING! This show is the best!

T-Shirts Rock!

Softball is in session! Kamikaze (the reigning Co-ed Champs) is back and with a new, more colorful, look! Thanks Mike for bringing out the new cotton t's. They are very nice (picture coming soon). I will admit that I am a sucker for uniforms, and I will miss our very real mesh jerseys! Something about looking official always makes me happy. However, the new lighter look is definitely a favorite. And as long as I keep my #10- Whatever Jersey is fine by me!

Along with new shirts came a very nice 24-11 victory as well as one of my own best hits.

We were all thrown off a little during the pregame when one of our more popular bats was deemed illegal - to wide for use. Hmm- maybe that's why we're so good! Kidding. Anyhow- it was a good night for change! First inning I had a beautiful push down the third base line (for those of you who don't know- I'm Left handed - that's quite a tough accomplishment for me). It was an easy triple, but I found myself being greedy and pushed it towards home. OOPS! Big mistake. I ended up getting out and twisting my ankle pretty bad. 3RBI's though! GO Dani!

I'm not sure who else did exactly what during the game offensively, but I would definitely like to give a few shout outs to the big moments. The Mahster- who literally ran onto the field, tossed her keys and phone in the dirt, walked up to the plate, and had a very nice base hit!!

Another offensive shout out goes to our female superstar, 9er- I get excited when I get nice hits, but watching this girl swing is like watching Michael Jordan shoot free throws. Perfection of form with a bit cockiness in the corner of the mouth.

On the male end of the stick- Stathis had a beautiful unloading of the bases. Paul was robbed by the kids playing soccer. Mike made some very nice hits, as is usual though- nice work! Newcomer to the team, Towers, also rocked it out.

They say Defense wins championships- if that's so, then we are well on our way to a repeat. Starting with the best pitcher- KKK's all around- even the big guy couldn't catch a hit. If by some chance they do manage to hit it, she's all over it like a cat on a ball of yarn. Pounce Baby! Of course, since that means she's usually on her knees that makes for some interesting catches at 1st base. I'm getting better at splitting and keeping my foot on the bag. Of course- with the ump we had last night- i had to jump on the bag a few times for him to believe I was actually standing on it. Not to brag, but there were some pretty fancy balancing acts on my part last night. Good thing my ankle wasn't hurting or anything (did you note the sarcasm?). Our infield rocks all around- from quick Whit thinking at second, superB's arm at short, and 9ers phenom- abilities at third- its tough to get all the way around! The outfield also made a name for itself last night- rarely a hit got past them!

Anyway- the season is young! Good times ahead! Until next time(which is Weds) I bid thee happy hitting!

One final note- The Fanikazes also represented in full force last night! You guys are the best and we love having you come watch! We do it all for you!

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

Okay, so i'm not the biggest music gu-ru but i do think i have pretty good taste in tunes. I've noticed over the recent months that my 'club/dance' mixes have grown - in fact maybe tripled in size.

I'll be the first one to say that Fergie did not strike me as an artist who would become one of my favorites. London Bridge really didn't do all that much for me other than make the shoulders bounce a little when it came on the radio. Fergalicious did test my rapid fire spelling abilities, but still not much of anything to convince me that I really liked her. Then, one morning as I was getting ready for work I turned on VH1 and MTV to have a little wake up music. To my surprise the Video for Glamorous grabbed me and I could not wait another minute to have the song to listen to over and over until I had mastered the Taco-Bell rap. I think i liked the flash backs to the 'pre big screen' days most.

What is your secret pleasure song? What hit gets stuck in your head - usually at the most inappropriate times? Sexy Back? I'm a Flirt? Candyman? What songs do you get busted listening to? Buttons? Let's hear it!!!!

Catch Phrases

How many times do you say Seriously? Seriously? I mean it? I bet if you have ever seen one episode of Grey's Anatomy that word was re-established as your common Catch Phrase for all things exciting, surprising, stunning....etc. I believe I most often use it as Mere does, as a term of exasperation since I can't find a way to use 'supercalifragilistiexpialidocious' as Mary Poppins recommends.

Though I openly admit that I use it much more frequently since the shows birth 3 years ago, I still remember using the term through many occasions prior. Most revolve around my college job at Sheetz- a gas station/restaurant/all purpose stop!

Use 1- The 'Philadelphia' women forcing me to stand at the Lotto Machine for at least 45 minutes every Saturday afternoon. Those moments often created the Ally-McBeal flashes of me jumping over the counter to strangle each and every one of them until they had no numbers left to select, no more quick picks. This time- Seriously was a term of exasperation.

Use 2- 2:30am Bar Rush- The order screen goes from 2 orders to +75 and someone is shouting out at you that they have a special request for #34. My sister and I would look up, give the raised eyebrow (that we both rock at when angry- we get it from our mother) cold stare, and say 'Seriously?' The stupid drunks would be so stunned by this that they'd completely forget they had a request and just laugh their own obnoxiousness.

Use 3- The number one Seriously usage goes to 'gas pump sprayer.' We'll call her Jane. This time Jane was actually the one to use the word. She went through the process of starting the pump, but neglected to check and be sure the handle was not locked into position before lifting the handle (okay a mistake anyone could make). I glanced up from behind the food counter to see this fountain of Gasoline spraying from the pump. The look of horror and amazement on her face was priceless. Momentarily stunned, we watched. Realizing that I could do something-I hit the internal stop button. I ran out to be sure the woman was alright and start cleaning the gallons that had been sprayed all over the place. As I approached this wide-eyed; middle aged woman, she looked at me and said 'Seriously?' - Classic

Those are my top 3 pre-Grey's moments with the word.

There are so many words, phrases, expressions out there, that everyone thinks they originated them. Currently - I claim the phrase 'hello chicken' to be my own. Again, another Sheetz moment relived for years. This phrase is currently used by DC pals. Some in mockery and some as just a comical expression because they enjoyed hearing the story as I grumbled about its blatant reusage! Its only if they can say it in the silly voice that it really counts!

There are other phrases - Like calling everyone Paco- that I know must be used across the states. I can't remember if it was my sister or our pal Rob who used the term first and then spread it like wildfire. Rob stole 'what' (a low pitch, stunned, shocked, surprised version of the word) from a late night customer who didn't understand that we didn't have something available. We all used that one for months (i still do today). Its all about the memory chain!

The funniest part is that when people start copying you, not even necessarily copying, but say they start re-using the word- they find it in them to decide THEY invented it. Okay people, get real! I believe even in my country living days the word 'ghetto' went around until it pissed me off with its obscenity. Seriously, nothing is 'Ghetto' in PA until you reach Harrisburg, Lancaster, or Philly! I sent numerous peons to bathroom duty just because they said it as if they actually had a clue what in the world Ghetto really meant. Sorry people - Mt.Union does not count. We're not quite Lake Nonegro, Oregon (a term I heard from a friend once-I give props!) but we are more than a stones throw away from bars on the windows. Come check out the blocks surrounding my workplace- That's the Ghetto!

One day I accidentally said it myself, recognized that i was the biggest hypocrite on earth, and sent myself to bathroom duty!

Anyhow- tell me your favorite phrase (or favorite quote line from a movie) and we'll see if anyone else uses it too!!!

6 months to live?

This installment has been spurred by a very enlightening conversation had with some pals last night:

If you were given 6 months to live- what would be the one bad thing you would do?

One response was to take everyone out to a bar and get smashed. -That one would be fun. However, too many reprocussions for those left behind. Can that be chalked up to compassionate service????

I personally choose to skip the 'time and all eternity' clause and elope with someone deemed a qualified partner. Its not about relationship at this point- its all about ....well you can figure it out!

You Tell Me!

Clique!

It has come to my attention that even at the age of 26 (give or take a few years for those around me), there are still labels. Labels suggesting that you are an exclusive group, only willing to spend time doing things with others in the Clique. Wow, That's awesome!

Lets return to high school for a moment, shall we? What 'Clique' were you in? Who did you bond with, sit on the front lawn during lunch with, skip class?

In HS I was definitely the Cheerleader!

Just kidding- I was a jock! Maybe a bit too much of the jock. Come on! I was super shy and the only time I ever let loose was when I got the chance to kick the crap out of the other girls in school! Okay so by Sr. year, they made me play gym class games with the boys! Not just the average boys either- no, i got to play tennis with the quarterback, wall ball with the tight-end, lift weights with the wrestling team, play football, baseball, etc. etc. So Jock was my number 1 clique! Welcome to the world of the obvious! Anyhow- after that I was a free-ranger. I liked everyone (okay so there were the wierdos that i avoided- but who didn't avoid them other than the other wierdos who didn't have friends either). Basically, anyone I could have a real conversation with was in with me! Bandies were a stretch- there were the few cool ones that i loved to death. My sister was their idol, so they accepted my anti-musicianism in hopes that she'd talk to them becuase they were with me. Little did they know- she was way too cool for me too!

The Hesston crowd (they lived out at the lake) - always my closest pals came from there. Amy and Melissa- the best girls on earth! Of course- they lived in the exact opposite direction as I did - and in the country on a limited gasoline allowance - that was killer!

I liked the cheerleaders, I wasn't one of them by any means, but we got along splendidly! I loved when they cheered for me during games! Sometimes I did have dreams of strangling them, but that's a whole other blog! I wasn't a snob or preppy by any means, but i liked them and got along just fine. Okay, so some thought i was a snob, but that was mostly because I was too shy to really branch out and be me! Now, once you got to the 'smart' people- I was lost. I had great grades, but never put an ounce of effort into it. I also never took a class that was harder than I needed to take either! I'd say I'm smart, but smart in the way that knew I didn't want to study for hours on end! Thank heavens I have a pretty good brain naturally, cuz if it was up to motivation to get me through- I would have failed miserably. I didn't have the desire to understand their lingo, and they scared me with their constant notions of saving the planet (or taking it over as Milo always said).

Anyhow, High school was good times, but I would defintely have a few more things to say and do if I were to go back and do it again! I'd love to try that for a couple days!

Back to the present. What do you do for fun? I play sports, exercise, watch movies, eat food. Do you do any of the same? If so- I love you! You and I can be best pals if we have something fun to do together. That's how I meet people. Typically, sports bring out the people I gel with the most. Does that make me a member of a new Clique? Am I exclusive because I mostly hang out with people who like to do the same things as me? Because we go to diners at 1am after we finished playing hours of sports? Am I a clickster because I like to make fun t-shirts? I guess in a way I am. I don't pretend to want to do some of the things that other people do. That's why we don't hang! Do I invite the people who call and invite me to do the things? Yessirree! Do I stop inviting those who don't return the love? Yep! BUT- I know I also am constantly scanning the crowds for new fun faces! Sure, sometimes I strike out and pick someone 'not so similar' to invite to things, but that's okay. They go away fast enough! I believe I called myself an 'Inclusive-exclusive type!'

Just the other day in the VAN we rented on vacation, a conversation started about whether you think people recognize themselves (or their clique) when they see shows on TV (90210, One Tree Hill, Laguna Beach). That spawned some very interesting conversation. We learned that the Snob definitely sees herself, The Preppy sees herself but doesn't really want to admit it(come one- kids are cruel in high school-it happens), and well, the rest of us are pretty aware of at least what we weren't or something. I'm proud to say that I was not a cruel kid, but I'm pretty sure that my current attitude would place me somewhere between Lindsay Lohan being transformed to a mean girl and Veronica Mars' sarcastic mockery of 09'ers/ still dating them!

What makes it all the most irritating to me is that people actually have the nerve to call us out on this. They are begging to join us for things, yet mocking us as soon as we turn our back. I believe that was the 'bi+@#' clique in my high school which I wanted as little to do with then as I do now! Especially when you take a step back and see that Everyone else is a group of some sorts as well. Roommates, Movie watchers, Obsessed TV Fans, Ice Cream Lovers, They come in all shapes and sizes. Everybody's got their Something!

To my fellow clique members- I love you all, we'll be FRIENDS FOREVER! Keep Cool, and Never change! K.I.T. and Don't Steal My Boyfriend- okay so that one is a stretch-alls fair in Love, right Posh? Just don't mind if I make out with him when you're ON A BREAK!

Lazy Hazy Crazy Dayz of Summer

I love the beach!





I remember 4 years ago FRYING at Ocean City becuase I didn't understand how much spf really does help! The Lake Raystown sun never was that hot! 3 years ago, I had my first experience with Key West sun. I regrettably admit that I will one day likely die of skin cancer because I burnt a couple times before I figured out that even with 30 spf- you still get freakin' dark in that sun! Did you know that you can start tanning at 5pm and still get about 2 hours of good tanning glow there? Yeah, that's awesome for those who have to work when visiting Margaritaville!



Today, I believe I'm a Tanning Professional! Along with my tanning soul sister, we've tested and truly experienced the joys of tanning in Florida! How proud we are when we come back and kick the trash out of all those palies (pronounced pale-EEs) . Compliments are always accepted incredibly graciously (well, with a hint of cockiness) when even weeks after trips, we find our ways to hang on to as much of the color as possible. That would be WITHOUT FAKE BAKING, since a few of our pals have taken to the habit in order to keep up with us!



Hillsboro Mile is the new vacation spot of choice for me. When I dream of my happy place- its there! Its the private beach, the huge fish print towels, the clear blue/green water, and well- Mississippi Sweets (A restaurant located a couple miles down the street). It is there that I lose my fear of old people, my fear of what i look like in a suit (seriously- its a retirement community and the older gentlemen love us there please share in a moment of silence for my sugar daddy Sal who passed just this spring), and my fear of dying pale! I could leave this beautiful earth happy right now!!

If all works out- I hope to spend the majority of Summer 08' in Florida. That would be awesome!
What is your favorite leisure vacation ( i don't mean trapsing throughout Europe- that's too much like work). I want to know how you relax the most.

iReady

What are the key things that make a great party...
3. you walk in the door and recognize the attendees as people you Actually know and want to hang out with.
- Example- New Years Eve, head to a house where we normally know everyone. Walk in the door to find a circle of unfamiliar faces staring at each other. Yep that one lasted a total of .05 seconds before we jumped to a side room to discuss how to exit w/out ever having entered. Since we were only 3 steps in the door- it wasn't too bad. The only sad part of leaving that party was that I had magnificently parked my civic in the tightest spot ever w/out so much as a dc-tap to any other vehicle. I made myself proud!

2. The snacks- maybe more important to the non-mormon friends- The drinks (seriously miss the taste tester days). No party is complete without something to munch on to stifle any possible awkward moments. For the fat girl- I love me some Lime Tostitos!

1. Most important- MUSIC.
- Now, I claim my ipod to be a wonder of musical genious. There's the typical on the radio music, the found on tv shows music, the oldies, songs for when happy, songs for when angry, songs to get pumped for bball (go Ramalama), and of course the cheese. The cheese being songs like Barbie Girl, Wannabe, Can't Touch This - you know, the stuff you pull out for giggles when driving around playing Name that Tune game in DC since finding a parking spot or the way out of that damn circle is impossible. Anyhow, if you're going to be so bold as to display your new iplayer and hot 30g ipod- you better have a party list on that thing (and please- check and be sure there are songs that people KNOW). If you don't, be prepared. Somebody has their mix in the back pocket. Much like the days of slippin' a little something in a drink- the party will come alive. Careful now, don't let my tunes make you easy. I'm not that kind-a-girl!

ps. The Blue Nano is HOTT!