Mens' Bowling Night with the Neighbors!

A time honored tradition for years was to gather with The Neighbors on Thursday nights for Mens' Bowling Night (MBN) in which adult beverages were consumed and cards games played.

Well, I think in all those years, we actually went bowling once. Now with kids in the picture and jobs we want to keep, this tradition has siezed. However, last night with our old friends (and former roommates at one point) Kat and Eddie in town after many military moves, we gathered once again for MBN. This time we recruited new "Neighbors" to play with us who didn't make a dent in the adult beverages because they are all under the age of three.

Morgan, Alexis and Troy sat on the couch for all of 30 seconds because I had just started Monster's Inc.Matthew had already moved on. 30 more seconds later...

Later in the evening, Matty hung out with his new BFF, Uncle Timmy!

Morgan (a.k.a Mini Chris) finally crashed on Molly Ringwald, I mean her Mom, Caroline.

The RV has been picked up for our trip to Northern Virginia tomorrow to see Jimmy Buffett which means there will be some Very interesting pictures coming soon.

Roll the Dice - Bunco Night

Once a month I get together with the ladies to play Bunco, a 12-woman dice game that involves three tables, a bell and a scorecard.

Last night, we had a great time eating, drinking, being merry and rolling some dice. Before we started, we had to tease my old boss Carol about her last email she sent to the large Bunco group. Very uncharacteristically, it was full of grammatical errors and misspelled words. So seizing the opportunity, her best friend Sue (and hostess for the evening) had to roast her a bit in front of everyone which was all in good fun and quite funny.

Everyone really had a good laugh.Including Carol laughing at herself.

We had a sub named Crazy Betty who brought her own Bunco hat. We should have known she was a ringer because she won most buncos. I came in third after a roll off with Donna but Nadya was the big winner of the night. She was a tad nervous waiting to hear the news. (Maybe it's good luck to Not wear a black shirt?)

More pictures on kodakgallery.com

The Babysitters

Tricia and the kids picked up Troy yesterday from daycare. Here are a few pictures of them in their driveway. Troy and Dylan
Troy and Taylor

Are You Ready for Some Football?

My seven year old nephew had a day of scrimmages today for his football team. Anxious for the college football season to start next weekend, we headed to Chesapeake for the Football Jamboree. More pictures are available at kodakgallery.

Our Happy Hour DD

Although we only had a few beers at dinner, Troy decided he would be a better DD (designated driver) than me last night. He even was buckled in for safety. He was honking the horn, turning on the wipers and emergency lights. I'm just glad didn't figure out where the gear shift was located.

DIY Contest - Best Bath Remodel

After our last bathroom remodel a few years ago, I entered a contest with the local paper to try to win the $500 prize for best DIY (do it yourself) project. Since we did another DIY bathroom remodel earlier this year, I wrote another essay and just sent it in. Of course, being the procrastinator that I am the deadline is in a few hours.
Here is the before shot of the bathroom.
Here is what it looked like just after demolition. The fan is sitting on the sand under the house. Thankfully, I didn't learn until spring that we had rats under the house who had eaten through our irrigation lines. I truly don't think I would have been able to sleep at night knowing all of that area was exposed for a few weeks.

Here is the finished bathroom complete with two sinks, two shower heads, heated towel rack and new, energy efficient toilet. The photos of each phase are available on kodakgallery. Wish me luck on winning this year! I didn't bore you with the 400 word essay I wrote for the contest.

The Morning Commute

Just a quick shot of what I see in the morning on my way to work.

Freshmen in College---What do they know?

I have seen this list a few times over the years. Basically, a small school in the midwest compiles a list of things that entering freshman have never experienced in their lifetime or have never not known. As the class of 2012 begins college this month (the majority born in 1990), here are a few highlights of the Mindset List.

1. Caller ID has always been available on phones.


2. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.


3. Soft drink refills have always been free.


4. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.


5. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”


6. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.


7. There has always been Pearl Jam.


8. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about “nothing.”


9. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.


10. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.

I feel old now so maybe I should send a text message to feel hip. ha!

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem

A weekend of family fun in Bumpass, Va. led us next door to the neighbors' big annual party. The theme this year No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem. They decorated their pontoon boat, set up a big tent, smoked a 325 lb pig, passed out t-shirts and had live music. The first band consisted of a policeman and landscaper by trade whose band's name was Guns and Mowers. Love it.More photos on kodakgallery.

Cheers to You, Virginia Beach!

Virginia Beach has made it to a top twenty list again. According to Forbes, Va. Beach residents like to drink more than every other metropolitan city in the U.S. after 11 others listed before us. Coming in at number 12, between Pittsburgh and Portland, almost 60% of Virginia Beach residents have had at least one drink in the last 30 days.

I wonder if Va. Beach bars will start offering better happy hour specials now and employing more taxi cabs..... I'm not holding my breath. It's a good thing we have Betty at home. Cheers!

Taking a Journey Topless

Last night Nadya, Caroline, CC and I went to see Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey. It was a beautiful night for a concert and we traveled topless (a la top down) in the mini cooper.


Caroline joined us as well.Recycling at it's finest. Nadya discovered a new way to carry empty beer cans to the recycling bin.

She walked for a good 10 minutes like this before she noticed. I'll have to remember this the next time we're tailgating.

Tim's 40th Birthday

Tim's 40. His party was a ton of fun and I am finally ready to post some pictures. Enjoy!

He started smoking the pork on Friday at 3 p.m. It wasn't done cooking til almost noon the next day.

Party On!

Tim's 40th birthday party was a ton of fun. I haven't gotten all of the pictures off the camera but here is one of the girls.
Nadya, Kim, Christine and myself paused for a group shot early on Saturday afternoon.

Family Pictures

Our friend Sue took these pictures last weekend at Ryan's birthday party. I forgot the golden rule of putting your chin slightly forward to get rid of the double chins. Oh well...they're still great pictures of the boys! Troy is giving the stink eye. We interrupted his cooler shoving game on the deck.

Water Babies!

Cooling off after a long day at work, Tim and Troy took a swim last night in the ghetto pool. Troy learned how to blow bubbles in the water. He is getting more brave every time he gets in. We'll see what a week at the lake does for him.

Under the Table and Dreaming

Being a dedicated radio listener has paid off again. I just won Dave Matthews Band tickets off BOB-FM for the fourth summer in a row.

VIP parking, VIP bar area and tickets for this week's show is going to be great.

Two years ago on Fourth of July, Tim and I went and had fifth row seats and I got great pictures of him and the rest of the band. Of course it was 110F with the heat index and I was five months pregnant but we had a great time even after paying $10 for a 20 oz beer. Below is a picture of us before the show still in A/C.

I love DMB, all of whom I met in 1997 when a friend's dad let us backstage at the Nissan Pavilon to meet them. Chelsea Clinton did a stroll through that night and Dave made a smart remark about giving her a spanking. Ha!

Sloppy Joes and French Fries

I turned 26 on March 11th in 2002, Tim told me he was going to make me a "special dinner" instead of going out to eat. I came home from work to find my gift of outdoor speakers (which I had wanted) unwrapped and some daffodils in a vase (which he had cut down from outside the condo door) and hamburger cooking on the stovetop. When I asked him what my "special dinner" was going to be he said, Sloppy Joes and French Fries (SJ&FF). I was not too pleased about this menu because eating out was a treat for me and I wanted to go somewhere where I could possibly have leftovers for lunch the next day and not have to do dishes. So, I didn't say a word and waited.

March, April, May, June, July and then it was August 5th...Tim's birthday....He woke up to happy birthday wishes and promises of a "special birthday dinner" that night. Having not remembered something that happened five months earlier, he asked what I was making - steaks, shrimp, crab cakes....
I said, "Oh no baby, I'm making you something 'Extra special' because you made it for me on my birthday, Sloppy Joes and French Fries!"

The look on his face was classic. It went from surprise to confusion to who is this person that I asked to be my wife.

I gave him a sweet smile and reminded him of my birthday back in March and to his protests insisted that it is in fact what we ate.

It has evolved into quite a joke so when our friends had their birthdays in November and December of that same year, we ate SJ&FF too. It's also a nice way to describe waiting out your spouse until they do the very thing they got mad at you for.

Today is Tim's 40th birthday and guess what we are having for dinner?

Sloppy Joes and French Fries!

Not by the hair of my Chinny Chin Chin

I should start by saying it's Monday morning and I'm driving to work with Troy in the backseat. We approach a red light in a residential neighborhood and I see this. On the left it says,

"My Japanese Chin is Smarter Than Your Honor Student!"

I was thinking the person driving behind the tinted windows may have a bit of a chip on their shoulders due to being of Japanese heritage but in the U.S. Navy (Pearl Harbor anyone?). Well, when I looked at the rest of the bumper stickers, I realized I was Wrong. In the top right window it says, Japanese Chin with a picture of a dog. I googled it when I got to work and this is what this stupid dog looks like. I obviously had never heard of it but then again it's owner thinks it's pretty darn smart.

18 and Life....to Live

Happy 18th Birthday Ryan! We had a great time at your party and wish you the best at Auburn.

Troy was already thinking about cake.

I Hate Squirrels

Sometime in 1997, while in college, I started to have dreams where my co-star was a squirrel. After the second or third time, I started to get a little freaked out. Since then, my hatred of squirrels has deepened. Now as a homeowner the little buggers eat my bulbs, build nests in our big tree in the backyard, tear up the landscaping fabric under the mulch and eat the birdseed.
A few years ago I was walking towards my brother's condo and came around the corner where there was a squirrel in full alert position, standing on top of a first floor bay window and HISSING at me. He knew.
He knew that I speed up when I see one in the street and swerve to hit it. (I always miss for the record and would feel guilty but I hate them.)
I did a quick google search to find an appropriate squirrel hating picture and this one was actually the most entertaining. There is actually a website called www.deadsquirrel.com which is dedicated to the demise of the rat-like animal.