Where is all this heat coming from?? Yesterday was 100, today was 97. Its not even JUNE yet.... close but not yet. We usually don't hit 90's until late June/July. Sigh. I literally baked while out in the sun today, no basking for me. I lasted just over an hour, which is probably enough anyway. According to our forecast, it will be about 75 tomorrow due to a storm moving in. I'll believe it when I see it. I got my cleaning and errands done today so after tomorrow morning's gazebo staining, I'll be DONE with the yucky stuff. What is it about going to Sam's Club (warehouse/bulk store) that you intend just to get a couple of items and spending around $30 but manage to come out with a cart full of stuff totaling $91.24? How does this happen? At least I managed to keep my total at the grocery store down to where I thought it should be. I also went to the local lumber/DIY store and got my yearly supply of spider traps. I HATE spiders. Since I live in a basement, despite being finished and kept CLEAN, spiders love it down here. Especially some poisonous ones called Hobo spiders. They're tannish in color (same color as my carpet in my bedroom!!) so if I see a dark spot, I know its one of those long-legged bastards. Anyhoo... these spider traps are great. They're baited, sticky cardboard things that attract the spiders then they get their legs caught and die a slow, agonizing death. Do I feel sorry for them? Nope, not one bit. Die spiders, die! This is the evil part of me coming out, I guess. LOL!!

No Friday Five today. :-( Hope nothing serious.

Thanks to Ariel for this link.

Oh God, the horror. Seek help, you're "lmfao". You laugh a little too much. What internet slang are YOU? | by brit

Work was CRAZY today. I was trying to get all the things done I needed to, so I really busted my butt. The last hour I saved to do my database stuff, and when I got into the database, it gave me an error... went to talk to the database administrator and he wasn't in, darn it! I couldn't do any work on it! Really ruined my day... ;-) I will have loads to do on Monday, but oh well... I was really tired today. I managed to break a way at lunch to go see my good friend Linda who is in the hospital recovering from surgery. I'd talked to her and she said she was getting along fine, but to see her made me feel better. She looked great. We chatted for a while, then she told me that one of the things she had to do before she left the hospital tomorrow is fart. Crap - I forgot my fart machine! I could have helped her out... faked the nurses out ;-) We started giggling about that, then I said "Hey nurse... listen to THIS" and pretended to set off the remote remote a few times and made farting noises." I really got her laughing... and it hurt her to laugh... kind of not nice. I do need to get the fart machine out though, there are some new people in our building that I could get. BUT if I did it while Linda was away, my cover as the "sweet and innocent" one would be blown. I should vow not to play any pranks until she gets back. I did that same thing when she was off work and it made her mad (in a funny way). Everyone was convinced after that that I was the nice one and Linda was the instigator. Some of my close friends knows that isn't true though... haven't got everyone fooled. I got my yearly review completed and hope I did a good job "selling" myself. Thanks to Colin, for helping me with the wording. Sometimes its good to have an extra set of eyes and he's got such a knack for writing. My boss also told me to add a couple of software that I know since I forgot. I won't know if I'm getting a good raise for a couple weeks yet though, my review has to go through a bunch of hooey to get approved. Looking forward to the weekend, not much planned though. Maybe I'll rent a movie or two that I've been wanting to see. Mom took pity on me and put the second coat of stain on the one level of the deck that needed it - what a sweetie. So now all I need to do is the two remaining sides of the gazebo. I will NOT over do things this weekend. I'm just barely starting to be able to move good again.

Just went out to lunch with a group of people here at work and had a blast... I even behaved and still had fun. We went to Famous Dave's BBQ and I had their Texas Beef Briscuit Sandwich and let me tell ya, that beef was pure heaven. Yeah, I know what you're thinking... the only kind of beef I'm gonna get for a while ;-) But if its this good, I think I can live with it... I may have to move into Famous Dave's though ;-) Mmmm! Feeling a lot better today, feel more at peace with my decision about Jeff - although the hard part (telling him) hasn't been done yet. I'm waiting for him to contact me, if he ever does. Who knows, this may be a mutual decision which will be a good thing. I don't think he'll fight for me though if its not a mutual decision.

Thanks to Ariel for this fun link...

What Jelly Belly flavor are you? I'm -

Find your flavor here!

Don't know if it fits me totally - I'm not a "fighter" or "opinionated" when it comes to most things. I like PEACE...I hate confrontation. I can be stubborn at times though.

Thank you everyone for the hugs and support!!!! :-)

I'm not up for much blogging tonight... I've come to the conclusion that things with Jeff aren't headed anywhere and I'm to the point where I need to move on. Its a hard decision and I haven't come by it easy. Thanks to all my friends who have stood by me and helped me on this roller coaster ride. I haven't talked to Jeff about it yet, he's been ignorning me and will wait until he contacts me. I know he says that he doesn't know what he wants... and its becoming apparent that one thing he doesn't want is ME. You know what? That's OK. I'm OK. I will be OK. I'm strong. I truly believe there is a reason he came into my life, and most likely its to show me that I can care about and have a healthy (on my part anyway) relationship. Its possible to give my heart to the right man. That reason alone is worth all I've gone through. It hasn't been all bad... Jeff made me laugh and made me feel good about myself. I'll never forget him for that. :-)

OK - I've read most of my favorite blogs, eaten an early dinner and now I'm heading to bed at 3:30 in the afternoon - who lame is that??!! I'm hurting pretty bad from my earlier activities - oh how I wish I could be sore from other types of escapades ;-) *snicker* I won't actually GO to sleep right away, I've got the Monty Python video read to go as well as another muscle relaxant. Ahhh... Nighty night!!

Thanks to Fluffy Muppet for this hilarious link!!! Cracked me right up!!!!

which "monty python and the holy grail" character are you?
this quiz was made by colleen "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is one of my favorite shows, and I'm thinking I need to watch it now!

Monday Mission thanks to Sean for the link :-) 1. What happened this weekend that made you smile? Lets see, got roses (still don't know from WHO though), quiet weekend to myself, my cat (she just makes me smile), nice comments on my blog, e-mails, and phone calls from friends and sister, and finished a really good book. 2. Did you make someone smile today? If not, will you try? Haven't seen another human today so far, but when/if I do, sure I'll try. I like to see people smile. 3. Have you any clothes or accessories you love to wear but just totally embarrass the person you are being seen with? Probably my entire wardrobe... kidding. I have old clothes that I would definitely be embarrassed to be seen in publicly. 4. What was the catch phrase you said the most in High School? No way. and F.O.A.D. 5. Who are you remembering this Memorial Day? (or for those not celebrating it, tell me about someone worth remembering) My Grandparents, sister-in-law, all those who have gone before me and all the veterans that gave their lives for our country. 6. Do you think you are a good friend? Yes, loyal to a fault. I try to make my friends smile and try to be there for them no matter what. I'm VERY lucky to have such fantastic friends. 7. (continued from MM 2.20) That outing tonight was a blast ... but that was last call. I totally overdid it and shouldn't drive, anything we can do while I try to "dry out?" Oh - now why didn't you offer to do this BEFORE this weekend? I had a bunch of shit you could have done for me. ;-) BONUS: Do ya love me, now that I can dance? Can't dance - two left feet. I'd like to slow dance with a man I loved though.

Next time I volunteer for staining the hot tub, gazebo and decks all in one weekend, please - someone stop me... make me get my head examined. I do this every 2 years, but since I've got Rheumatoid Arthritis, I just can't do it anymore - at least not all in one weekend and certainly not all by myself. I did get the decks done in 3.5 hours flat today - a new record. But now, my back, shoulders, hips, and hands aren't liking me. I spent 5 minutes deciding whether to take a pain pill or a muscle relaxant. The muscle relaxant won out - I figured if I could get the muscles to relax, they might stop hurting... if not, then I'll try the pain pill in about 6 hours. Oh, I sound like a druggy, don't I?! LOL!! Some things are just necessary in life ;-) I've taken a nice hot shower to get all the splatters of redwood stain off of me, and now I'm going to lay down before I head outside to bask in the sunshine. Ahhhh... I can't use the decks though, so will have to stick to the lawn which means no tanning pool to lay in and splash water on me (it burns the lawn). I'll just have to rough it on a blanket, squirt bottle, and get up once in a while to hose off. Ashley (my cat) is NOT going outside for the next 24 hours. Last time I stained the deck, she walked on it. I was furious!!!! Poor thing was freaked out big time and ran on one deck, up the next level, then up the stairs where she waited to be let in at the sliding glass door. Oh, what a mess she made. I ran around through the garage and kitchen then opened the door and tried to catch her, but didn't quite get her fast enough, so the stain was on the carpet. I got her cleaned up (she had pretty red paws for a while though) which was so not fun... cats sure don't like water! Then I set off to work on the carpet. I had just bought some of the miracle orange cleaner and let me tell you, I was impressed. It took the stain right out of the carpet. Whew. Wooooo... muscle relaxant is kicking in so I'm gonna go! Weeeee! ;-)

Eight from the Eighties 1) What's in your room? Bed, tv, vcr, pictures, collectibles, etc, and me as much as possible. 2) Do you have fame? No, try not to stand out. 3) Are you on a road to nowhere? Trying to be on the road to somewhere... hopefully soon I'll figure out where I'm headed. 4) Ooh, are you a little runaway? Wish I could at times... 5) Have you ever felt the earth move, under your feet? Yup... a tremor. 6) I've been waiting, for a... MAN. A good MAN. 7) If you love somebody... You love them for who they are and don't try to change them. 8) Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies. Hmmm...whisper little naughty things, not lies.

Not much to blog about today. I woke up and decided to make myself some pancakes so I could enjoy the best maple syrup in the world (that Colin and D gave me when I met them in Boston). Mmmm... so yummy!! I've just been puttering around this morning, doing laundry. I'm just killing time until I can go outside and bask in the sunshine. I tried to water the lawn and garden last night, but the irrigation water has been shut off for some unknown reason. My neighbor thinks maybe a line broke or something. Its still off - hope things don't start dying off... good thing its not that hot quite yet. I did take pitty on some of the flowers that didn't look too happy and gave them a drink from the house water. I had such a nice, quiet night last night. I settled in early and watched Ocean's 11 and then Bridget Jones' Diary (love that show!) and read some before falling into a nice, dead sleep. I feel quite rested today, although still sore from over doing things yesterday. I'm not doing squat today - except squirting the deck off tonight for staining tomorrow. I didn't even work out today... just don't give a shit about it today. I can be lazy if I want. :-)

Och. I over did things today. I got up early and stained the hot tub and half of the gazebo - took me 4 hours. I ran out of stain on the gazebo, so its left half done. The back and side that no one sees isn't done...so ya know what?! Its gonna stay that way until next weekend. I don't feel like doing more and my shoulders and hands were killing my by the time I was done. Not like me to leave something unfinished, but right now, I just don't care!! ;-) Don't want to because an Rheumatoid Arthritis flare up either, so I'm done for today. I still have to do the decks on Monday, and I know they'll be easier to do cuz there's only the railings that are pissy to do, the rest is done with a big roller connected to a extender so it will be just like sweeping. It will probably take me less time to do the decks as it did what I did today. I've just come in from basking in the sun, now its nappy time!! :-) I'm LOVING this peace and quiet... ahhhh...

Someone totally wonderful just sent me ROSES! 6 beautiful light pink with dark pink edges... only thing is that no one signed the card... it just says "Thinking of you..." Hmmm... who could it be?? Nothing like beautiful flowers and a good mystery to start off my weekend. ;-)

FRIDAY FIVE!! 1. What's the last vivid dream that you remember having? This was actually the night before last. I was in my old house - the one I spent 20 years of my life in. I was home alone and washing a mountain of dishes. I heard a noise out in the car port, and there was a pigeon there running around like it was crazed. My cat was just watching it with an expression "I'm not touching it." I grabbed Ashley to take her back in the house because I didn't want the bird attacking her. Next think I know, the pigeon is running after me, and started pecking at my ankles. It didn't hurt, just tickled. Then it just flew away. I went back into the house, and went into my bedroom and it was filled with all sorts of stones (mostly jade, amethyst, quartz crystals) and marbles (like kids play with). Everything was so beautiful, I remember thinking that my collection is the best in the world. Then I woke up. 2. Do you have any recurring dreams? Have had, yes. I had three dreams that my sister Susie would die in a car crash - her car went over a cliff. I was really worried about her at the time, but don't remember what it was about. Another dream I had about her, just 2 times, the symbols said to watch her health. A week later she had to have surgery. Oooeeeooo. 3. What's the scariest nightmare you've ever had? I can't remember the details, but I woke up screaming, crying and drenched with sweat. 4. Have you ever written your dreams down or considered it? Why or why not? Yes, and I should write them down more often. My dreams are very vivid and they tend to warn me about things... I've also had two experiences where I had dreams about a traffic situation, and was able to avoid the accidents because I knew what was going to happen if I didn't change lanes/get out of the way. 5. Have you ever had a lucid dream? What did you do in it? Yes - often. Too many to say... when I'm not in turmoil about something, my dreams make perfect sense. I've also had VERY naughty dreams that seemed so real, I woke up in shock that it didn't happen.

I'm going to have the Introvert's (and very emotionally exhausted person's) dream weekend. Going to recharge my batteries, so to speak. Although I would like to have a special someone here to share it with me... but that's not gonna happen this weekend, so I'm just going to enjoy the peace and quiet. Just me and my cat. I'm sure I'll talk to people on the phone and online (I'm not shutting the world out completely). I've got a couple of big jobs to do, but will take one at a time and get them done as I feel like it. Gonna watch movies, read, putter around, take naps, bask in the sunshine, etc. Ahhhhh... :-D

Here's my horoscope for today... VERY interesting... doubt it will happen though ;-) An intense connection with someone new could cause you to pick up and move to a completely new location without warning. The people in your life should know by now that nothing can hold you back when something else is attracting you. You thrive on being a free spirit who is moved by powerful urges. The intangible world is as familiar as your own back yard right now. Newcomers deserve the grand tour, so don't be afraid to show them all that you have to offer.

Wow - got a great surprise when I got home today! Dad was telling me that I'd need to monitor the sprinklers on the lawn, make sure the flowers were watered, and if the tree started shedding the seedlings in the back yard, he didn't want me to stain the deck... hmmm... I'm wondering why he's telling me all this, like he's leaving town or something... so I ask him "Where are you going?" He said, "Idaho. I'm taking your Mother, sister (YES!!!!!!!!) and niece with me." WOOOHOOO!!! Now, I've always got the basement to myself anyway, but the idea of the entire house to myself is very appealing, but the BEST part is that the bitch is gonna be GONE for the ENTIRE weekend. Someone up there does love me... Hmmm... now, what to do, what to do... I could dance dance in front of my cat (good way of de-stressing, or so I've heard), naked if I wanted to... but I won't cuz I love her and wouldn't torture her like that...

I forgot to mention that my day was made yesterday when my buddy Colin started calling me a scamp. :-) I took that as a compliment and that's how he meant it! Today my day was made when my friend Nancy came over to tell me how great I'm looking lately. My body is finally starting to cooperate and the weight is coming off again. I wore black jeans, black shirt (tucked in) and a vest yesterday and she said it really showed me off... sweet! :-) So, I'm gonna brag a little... don't do it often, but I'm proud of myself, damnit! Lots of hard work losing weight. Linda is teasing me about my saggy butt - let me clarify that its not my butt that is actually saggy but my pants! My butt is quite well rounded... just in case you wondered... its just bigger than it should be right now.

OK - today is not gonna be quite so naughty... (you're welcome or I'm sorry, which ever fits) It was a crazy day at work, I got lots done, but nothing exciting. One of my jobs was made easier by having to get bigger binders for some workshop materials - yes, in some cases, size does matter and is a benefit. ;-) We've been using 1 inch, but now have moved to 1.5 inch to accommodate the growing materials that go inside. Whew. Now stuffing the view spines isn't such a big pain in the ass. I now don't have to cut the spines within a tiny microscopic bit of the spine, I can just cut right down the middle of the two spines and voila - stuff away. Linda came by while I was stuffing the spine down into one of the edges of a binder and she told me I looked very skilled and knew what I was doing stuffing that spine down in the hole. We got a giggle out of that... Earlier, I yelled to my boss over the cubical wall "Hey, Tim... stuffing these bigger ones is so much easier..." then realized I had better say "BINDERS" really quick or else someone might think I was having some fun in my cubie. ;-) I don't know what's gotten in to Jeff... he's been such a shit the past 3 weeks - didn't send ONE e-mail to me while I was in England (not even in response to the ones I sent him), then after I got back, he was excited to hear about my trip, then barely talked to me since then. I was getting so pissed off and hurt... could feel something was wrong - or he was avoiding/ignoring me. So, over the weekend I really set it to him (while we talked briefly) and asked him WTF was going on... he said "I've just been really busy." Right. Anyway.. then finally Monday night he actually took 15 minutes and talked to me. I think he's avoiding making the decision of having me come out to meet him (which he said we'd discuss after I got back from England). He tells me he's ready to meet me, fine. Let's meet... then he gets scared (??) and then says "I don't know if we'll ever meet, my life is just too crazy right now." I told him that life will always be crazy, but we need to take chances and give ourselves a break (he agreed with me). Yeah, the guy is busy - he works 2 jobs and deals with a lot, but we're all busy too. I always make time for him, but he suddenly wasn't doing the same. So... I still don't know if we'll meet or at this point if I'm willing to haul my ass out to Indiana to meet him if he's gonna act like this. I don't want him coming here when we first meet, my family will interfere and I want to see if there could *really* be something before we meet families. Now all of the sudden, he's gone back to the old Jeff - talking to me in the mornings after he gets off work, then again in the evenings... hmmm... don't know what's up with that, maybe he sensed that I was so close to being totally fed up. Who knows... I'll enjoy it for now, but I will also watch my heart and figure out if I really want things to go further. If he stalls much longer, I'm not waiting - I'll move on. I've also decided I won't let my relationship with him keeping me from seeing others (not like I have any offers!) until it moves to a higher level. I'm NOT going to settle for being treated like shit and taken for granted. I've come too far to go back to that kind of treatment. I'm crazy about him and I've probably treated him better than any woman in his life - even though we're 1500 miles apart. Maybe he just doesn't know how to deal with a woman treating him nice?? Its really hard for him to take compliments... maybe that's a big key to this mystery named Jeff... hmmm.... MEN. ;-)

WHERE'S THE BEEF??? Today started out with me being in a naughty mood, like I really needed to get into some trouble today. I planned to go to lunch at the local Tony Roma's (ribs place) and my mouth was watering for my favorite BBQ Roast Beef sandwich - which is sliced, tender, lean roast beef piled high with BBQ sauce....Mmmmm... not the beef I *really* want of course, but the kind that will have to do for now... anyhooo... my friends and I arrived at the restaurant and I scanned the menu, NOT finding my usual sandwich. They had only had a sandwich with "pulled beef" but that is NOT the same... had that before and it just not the same and not as good. So, I asked if they could just give me a plain, sliced roast beef sandwich (I mean, how hard can that be??) then I'd just squirt the BBQ sauce on it. The waiter came back 5 mins later and said "no can do" so... I ended up getting the bacon cheese burger. Sigh. When it arrived, it was one of the biggest slabs of beef I'd seen (in the context of a hamburger!!)! Holy shit! With the bun, there was no way I could get my mouth around this sucker! So, I tossed the bun, squirted the slab of beef with BBQ sauce and dug in. It was quite delicious... and fulfilled that type of beef quota for the week. Lunch was a riot. Linda, Robin and I went with an old friend Tyrone that recently moved back to Utah from Colorado (he used to work in our building). Brian was *supposed* to go, but he backed out at the last minute to go to lunch with another friend... his loss! We got on the subject of Girl's Night the other night and the pics that I took... we explained to Tyrone what we were doing - poor guy - I'm not sure why he goes to lunch with us... he's such a sweet and shy guy. How he can stand us wild women is beyond me... he just sits there and listens, once in a while we'll see a sheepish grin... Anyway... Robin was telling us about a show on HBO - Real Sex that showed a company that makes actual size men manequins with detatchabe body parts to use... ummm... sexually. You can even pick your size! We all cracked up!! Linda and I said about the same time "wouldn't that be funny to have him sitting in your car so you could be in the car pool lane?" Then, we started saying that we could reach over and have fun with him as we're driving down the road... then Linda thought it would be better if we put HIM in the drivers seat and sat on his lap!!! We were about rolling on the floor laughing at this point... saying we'd like to go over every bump, chuckhole, speed bump and even go 4-wheeling! Woohoo! We kinda toned it down after that so we could eat without choking! After lunch, I went over to Linda's office to say hi... and Adrian was over there and offered us some strawberries... he'd washed them, and sliced them in half. Mmmm... they were delicious. We pointed out to him that strawberries are VERY sensual and showed him part of the reason they're so sensual. Ever look at the center of a strawberry when its cut? It looks like a certain part of a woman's anatomy... then Adrian got it! Told us how awful us girls were, then he got a look on his face, then said "Now I know what the significance of the whipped cream was!" Oh my God! What a day...my sides hurt from laughing so hard. J actually talked to me online last night and again this morning (I guess he started to get the clue that I was quite pissed and fed up - and about to dump his ass for not talking to me - who knows with MEN!). He really got me wound up - naughty, naughty!! I have been on one all day thanks to him and the already naughty mood I was in. Uh oh... you're saying?? I'm baaack... ;-) I'm sure I won't be THIS naughty everyday... but I'll try. tee hee

Welcome back, Pete and Emma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So glad you enjoyed Zanzibar :-D

When I got here at work this morning, it was sweltering hot - 88 degrees to be exact and outside was 63. No doors, no windows to open, so I sent an e-mail to the building maintenance guy to tell him to fix it. Meanwhile, I turned on both my fans that I've got sitting under my cubical desk space. Yes, under my desk ;-) you see, if I put the fans on top, then the fans tend to blow papers everywhere... and its funner having them under my desk. I'd actually forgotten how nice it is to not wear nylons (don't during the summer - too damn hot) and to feel that breeze from my fans. Ahhhh... perfectly innocent... *snicker* its not like I spread my legs and sit there and let the fans blow away up my dress... although that thought could be quite appealing... I really don't feel like working, but I am... well, no not right now... on second thought, I really am... waiting for phone calls from 2 different people about some conference rooms, so yes, technically working. ;-) I've started on my yearly review - yuck - that contains everything I've accomplished over the past year, all my duties, my goals for the year and how I thought I did in accomplishing them, then have to set more goals for next year. BIG waste of time in my opinion, but at least I'm getting paid while doing it... and should get a raise. Just hope its a nice big raise.

Thanks to Ariel for these links. :-) The Lazy Test 40% lazy people lazier than you (66%) people just as lazy as you (4%) people less lazy than you (29%) Based on the 1,016,871 submissions before you.

Thanks to Floyd for this link.
You are the classic yellow squeeky toy.
Find your inner rubber ducky.

Eight from the Eighties 1) Are you forever young? I wish!! Physically there are days when I feel 80, but the mental attitude I only feel 24 or 25. That's what counts, right?? 2) Are you like a virgin? Oh yeah... they say a woman is a virgin again after not having sex for six months, so I'm a virgin... ummmm...-- times over! Enough said ;-) 3) Are you looking for a new love, baby? Ya know, I think I may be! I'm feeling ready to look for loooove. 4) Are you in control? Ummmm... sometimes... and sometimes totally out of control! 5) Have you ever been where the streets have no name? Seems like I go there every night in my dreams lately. 6) Do you have a touch of grey? YES!!! My hair is touched a lot. That's why I must get blonded every 6 weeks to hide the touches! UGH!! I found my first gray hair when I was 21 - how sad is that?! Something I inherited from my Mom. 7) When was the last time you celebrated good times? In England!! :-D Definitely good times! 8) (thanks alie!)Are you wild an' willin' or is it just for show? Ready, willing, and able... that is for the right guy ;-)

Lovely Sunday

I think today will be a great day... weather is nice which means sunning for me! I got all the things done that I wanted and needed to this weekend, so today I'll kick back and enjoy the peace & quiet and do or not do whatever the hell I want. :-D The WWW (wicked witch of the west) sister is gone finally, but will return next weekend I'm sure. Its like she can't get the hint that she's really not wanted here all stinking weekend... short visits are nice. Kinda like sand in my underwear... just when you think its gone, more shows up and the grittiness sure describes her as well. tee hee How terrible am I to talk about my own sis like that? Well, I suppose its a very healthy way of dealing with the stress and anguish that she causes. I love her, but she drives me bonkers. I'm really surprised she stayed as long as she did this weekend. She got a royal chewing out Friday night - she's 39 years old and is still acting like a 10 year old. Mom and Dad told her something VERY private - something that is happening to Dad (the thing that's causing him health problems and stress) and told Kathy not to say anything to anyone...so what does she do? Gets right on the phone and calls other sis Susie and tells her all about it. Mom overheard her and came unglued. Kathy always has to cause trouble - like she hears a juicy tidbit and has to spread the word - even if it will hurt someone deeply. She doesn't think about that. Any way, Mom told me what was going on last night and my heart bleeds for my Dad. In short, someone has accused him of something that such a load of bullshit... he's gotten in the way of something that happened between this person (that he used to work with) and the company he used to work for. Anyhoo - can't elaborate, I'm just hoping that people will see the truth.

Wow - here's today's horoscope (a little late in reading it!) When are these negative feelings going to go away? Aquarius is easily absorbed in the moment's energy, which changes from one moment to the next. Have some patience as you listen for the call that you know will be coming. Although it might seem a long way off right now, keep in mind that pleasure and self-improvement can happen at a time when your services are less in demand. Forcing the issue isn't likely to bring about the desired results. I think I need to take this advice and listen to the dreams I've been having - me thinks this has to do with J and him being the pain in my ass that he is right now. I just need to relax and let things flow, and while I'm doing that, continue to work on things that I need to for me. There's nothing like something to smack me up the side of the head.

Only took me over a week, but I finally got my posts done for my trip to England. :-)

Last day – the journey home from England The day started out by getting ready to go, then Jacky took me to the train station to catch my train from Selby to Kings Cross in London. It was chaos for a minute, trying to find a place to store my HUGE suitcase. I didn’t even get to hug Jacky goodbye and thank her again (HUGS, Jacky!!) for everything. Got my suitcase stored and found my seat and was on my way. This was a train with no changes, thank God, and we’d arranged for a long taxi ride from Kings Cross to Gatwick Airport. I could have taken a train again, but I just didn’t feel like I could with what happened earlier in my journey and lugging the huge suitcase and two other bags. So, I arrived at Kings Cross and found my way to the Taxi Rank where my taxi was waiting. Very nice fellow named Paul. Since I’d never been to London, he drove by the Palace (Queen was in residence that day!), Hyde Park, some of the more famous hotels and told me about them. It took about 1.5 hours to get to the airport, mostly due to traffic. The taxi cost me 70 GBP (about $110), but it was worth it (was actually the least expensive quote we got!!). I felt safer and was glad not to have any hassles. Paul dropped me right off at the terminal and I have him a big tip – he deserved it. I didn’t have to wait at all checking in, and the lady who quizzed me was very thorough, which was really the first time that any airport personnel asked me any questions. Its amazing how different security is in each airport. I had a little while before they started boarding my flight and I still had some cash to burn, so I visited the duty free shops a the airport. Filled my carry-ons almost to max capacity. Once I’d spent all the cash, I made my way to the terminal. They boarded an hour early and we left early! The plane was only about half full, so no one was sitting next to me. It was GREAT! The movie were Ocean’s 11 and Count of Monte Cristo. I watched most of Ocean’s 11, but fell asleep during the Count. I slept about 2.5 hours, then got my CD player out and read my book. The flight was only 6.5 hours (vs. what was scheduled at 7.5). We arrived in Boston early, I went through Customs and thank God, they didn’t check my luggage. Those Mr. Big penises were in there AND I didn’t know if I’d be able to get it all arranged again. I gave them back my suitcase to be put back on the plane, then started looking for the security area, where I was to meet Colin and his wife, the lovely D… when I heard “Karen?” It was them!! I was so happy to meet them and we visited for an hour or so. Such wonderful people – just a great way to end my journey to meet them. They gave me so much Boston goodies, but managed to fit it all in my carry-ons. We made our way to Terminal C, I borrowed one of those push carts to put my carry-ons on and Colin was making remarks about my driving abilities cuz the wheels kept getting in the way. It was pretty funny… once we got to Terminal C – you should have seen the lines for security. There had to have been a minimum of 400 people in line. It didn’t stop – kept going and going. Colin read my thoughts exactly – “WTF, I’m gonna miss my plane!” We stood in line for a few minutes, visiting when they started to call my flight forward. YAY. I still spent 25 minutes waiting in the shorter line, but not as long as those poor people who had to stay back. The security looked pretty tight – and I’m sure they were doing a good job… but I had one bag that needed to be checked. He checked one corner and found a metal bank and said “This must be it. You can put your things back and be on your way.” I had other metal things in there… but he didn’t bother to check. Maybe he was watching me – seeing that I wasn’t nervous about my bag being checked… but it made me kind of uneasy that he dismissed me so quickly. But, I was happy to be on my way. This plane was smaller and more crowded – UGH. Only two rows of 3 seats on each side of the isle. Luckily, the seat next to me wasn’t filled, so the lady on the Isle and I spread out a bit. The flight was about 5.5 hours, and I did manage to sleep a bit, I don’t even remember what the movie was! I got off the plane, the gate I arrived at was one of the closest to baggage claim – woohoo! Then I saw my sister Susie! YAY, I was really home!!! I gave her a big hug, then we collected my monster suitcase and was on our way. By the time I got home, I worked out that I’d been traveling for 23 hours.

Thanks to Ariel for this link :-)
I Am
Arianrhod
Celtic Goddess of Love and Fertility.
I love everybody!! Like a Care Bear or Barney, I even like people that are stupid or have weird mental disorders!!!!
What Celtic Goddess are You?
Quiz by Aoibhell Hmmm... must have caught me on a good day ;-) LOL!!!

Day 8 of England Adventure: Jacky and I headed for Leeds – for the Markets and Arcades. Jacky hates driving in Leeds, so we took the bus, which was fine with me, I’d never gone in a double-decker bus! It was great fun, but I’m sure glad I took my motion-sickness pills! We sat in the very front on the top level and were jostled about quite a bit, but was good to get such a great view of things. The Markets were fun, but I didn’t find anything that really caught my eye… then we made it to the different Arcades. They were beautifully done, and had some neat shops. We managed to find most of the gifts that I needed, then headed back to Selby. Once in Selby we went through the Selby Abbey. The Selby Abbey was very quaint and pretty. Not as grand as the York Minster, but every bit as beautiful. There was a Washington (George Washington) Window that had his family’s coat of Arms, which was cool to see. They even had the American Flag hanging under it. On one of the walls, they had some pillars with leaf type carvings on top, there were three that had animals carved in as well. The stone masons must have gotten bored with the leaves and decided to put some animals in for fun. After we saw the Abbey, we made one last trip to a store to find the last gifts that I needed. I think both Jacky and I were both glad to have all my shopping out of the way! We made it home, and I took an hour to start sorting things out in my luggage for my trip home. I got everything to fit! I was amazed… ;-) truly amazed. That night, Bob, Jacky, Philip (their youngest son) went out to dinner to an Italian restaurant in Selby. It was really good food and great company. Bob & Jacky and Pete & Emma are all such wonderful people to have opened their home to me and to spend time with me. I can’t thank them enough…I had the time of my life in their company!!

I had such a fun time last night, going over to Nancy's for a girl's night. I spent the majority of the last 2 days at home printing out my pics. I found some Avery photo pages and put my photos in the sheets and put them in a binder. I didn't get all the pics printed, but the majority. They all liked seeing the pics, and couldn't believe that I was actually there! :-) Yes, I travelled out of my safe little world and went to England! When I do it, I do it right. ;-). I brought some naughty gifts home for the girls, some things called "Mr Big" stress keychains (rubber, filled with jelly). They were penises. Soooo funny!!! Last night, Nancy and Robin were playing with them, stretching, poking, etc. Had us all in stitches. Nancy dipped hers in her ice water then scrunched it up. We all let out a roar of laughter and I took some pics. Just had a great night. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful friends!! :-)

Day 7 of England Adventure: Jacky and I got up early and headed for York. We parked the car and headed for the York Minster. This church was incredible – really, there isn’t a word to describe it. It was almost all I could do not to stand there in awe. Some of the most beautiful architecture and stained glass windows I’d seen in England. The ceilings were so high and so ornate, really strained my neck just to look up. We saw some of the more famous windows: the War of the Roses window (circa 1500), the Five Sisters window (circa 1260), the Great West window (painted in 1338) and the Great East window (1405-5). The Great East window contains the world’s largest area of medieval stained glass in a single window. It depicts the beginning and the end of the world, using scenes from Genesis and the Book of Revelation. Under the Minster are Roman and Norman ruins. It was almost incomprehensible to think that there could have been something under the Minster, but there was. I wish I could have taken pics of the ruins, but we weren’t allowed. There was a huge Roman pillar that really got us thinking that someone stood there, someone sat there, and someone probably died there. It just made me think of the battles that had to take place. After the Minster, we made our way to get a scone and coming out of the bakery, I wasn’t watching my step and fell! I was so embarrassed… not hurt except for some impending bruises. Got a good chuckle out of it. ;-) We did a bit of shopping (at LUSH and other fun stores while we moved on to the Jorvik Viking City Museum. This was a great museum – really put together well, with modern devices. The tour started in a small room, that took us back in time through video. It had two people, dressed in modern clothes with a modern scene in the background. With each step back in time, their clothes changed and the background changed as well. It took us back to the year 975. Then we were loaded into bucket type carriers and we were off to see what life was like back then in the Viking city. It was so real – even installed the smells! Then we headed to the York Castle Museum. It started out with rooms from different eras, then we moved onto the town of York set back in the early 1900’s, I would guess. Streets of cobblestone and brick with store fronts that displayed their wares. It was just like being back in time. They have such a vast amount of things to see, through all walks of life and times. We stopped by the post office and saw something moving in there when we realized there was a lady in there with white gloves and a brush – dusting!! We walked through the mill and debtor’s prison, then through yet another portion of the museum. I was on the hunt for the Fudge Shoppe that Emma told me about that was supposed to be in York – they had a website, but I couldn’t remember the address. I wanted some peanut butter fudge, but alas, we looked at every fudge shop and couldn’t find the right one, so I went home fudge-less. Sigh. We gave it out best shot though. We made it to the car, then rode home in almost silence because were both dead tired! Great day though! :-D I highly recommend York!

Friday Five!! 1. What shampoo do you use? Biolage - smells yummy and cleans hair. 2.Do you use a conditioner? What kind? Biolage Detangler, lets the comb just glide on through. No more tangles for this gal. 3.When was the last time you got your hair cut? April 27, just before my trip to England. :-) 4.What styling products do you use? Sometimes Paul Mitchell Wax Works when its out of control - needed this in England!! 5.What's your worst hair related expirience? My first perm - it was AWFUL!!! Looked like a Bush Woman on one side, and it was flat on the other. My hair doesn't do perms very well.

Well, I've sat here for the past 2.5 hours printing pics out and really don't see that I've done all that many... but I suppose I have. I have to stop now, because my black ink tank is running low - damn. I still have days 7 - 9 of my England trip to type up... so look for those (if you're interested). I vow to get it done this weekend. The girls (a.k.a. the Motley Crew) are getting together tomorrow night and Nancy's house. I've been told that I'm the entertainment (oh, great!!!!). They want to hear all about my trip and see some pics. I'm sure we'll be our usual naughty selves and have a great time. Even if the conversation doesn't go 'south' (as I was told it always does with me), we'll still have fun. I've got a wonderful group of friends. Too bad Sandi won't be able to join us, but she's having a blast in Memphis visiting her family.

No more ads, no more feeling like a junior blogger... I've got Blogger Pro! Woohoo!! :-D

COMING SOON (hopefully by tomorrow): BLOGGER PRO, baby!!! Yeah!!!

Thanks again to Ariel for these links :-)

% where do you LIVE? Hmmm... not sure it fits me 100%, don't consider myself a nerd, but maybe I am! I do like quiet places to live, a cottage sounds perfect.

Hey

It's hard to get to know you, but once people do, they're in for a wild ride. You had a rough childhood, and it reflects in your speech and mannerisms- you're focused on things like whores and crack babies, which fascinates people at first but may ultimately drive them away. Despite your somewhat depraved outward persona, you're a truly decent person who craves and deserves love and friendships.

Which Pixies song are you? Hmm... interesting! ;-)

Thanks to Colin and Ariel for this link.
what adjective are you?
quiz by maikamariel

Well, it takes me a while, but I finally realized I can post MY comments back to the people who leave comments. DUH!!!! Yes, I'm blonde ;-) LOL!!! So, now I'll be answering the comments that warrant an answer/comment, so please check back.

OK - had some questions about the Prince Albert piercing pop up in conversation - actually between Emma, Lorraine and I coming home the night we played truth or dare... forgot about them until now. So, maybe someone out there with this type of piercing can answer them *snicker*. 1. How do you use a condom without it tearing/breaking? Or can't you wear one at all??? 2. Does the piercing ever get caught places?? 3. Why would you pierce yourself there? 4. Does it heighten the sexual experience?? 5. What type of an earring - stud?? or hoop??

Day 5 of England adventure: I got up early and met Pete & Emma for breakfast before we met up with Pete’s parents Jacky & Bob. I had more English sausage (yum)… the kind they cook anyway… didn’t get the other kind of “English Sausage” if ya know what I mean. ;-) (can you tell I’m on one today??). Anyway, Jacky & Bob were kind enough to take my HUGE suitcase and another bag home with them so all I had was my purse and backpack to take on the train on my journey that afternoon to their house. Emma & Pete headed home to get packed for their honeymoon and I spent the day with Lorraine and her boyfriend Fish (also Pete’s good friend). We headed to see the Warwick castle – to go through it properly. It was just so amazing, I couldn’t get over it. So well taken care of all these years. We saw a man demonstrate why a sword and arrows are so deadly – he put on a good show and picked on a guy from New Jersey. Then we looked through the rooms of the castle, climbed the Mound and saw the view of the whole valley, which was really breath-taking. So green and lush. We ate lunch, then wondered into the town of Warwick to so a bit of shopping. We came across the church in town and saw that. We had the silly notion of climbing the clock tower. We weren’t warned about what a climb it was – and VERY close quarters. Not even room for two people to pass and the stairs were steep and severely spiral. We made it to the top, all of us feeling like we’d climbed 500 steps instead of the mere 160. Steppers don’t have anything on these steps!! UGH. The climb was well worth the view from the top though. Saw the castle from a distance and all the buildings around the town. By the time we got down the stairs again, our legs felt like total rubber. Almost felt like we couldn’t stand. But we managed to make it to a pub and have a much needed drink. Lorraine and Fish were a lot of fun to be around and really enjoyed my day with them. They dropped me off at the train station and we found out the rails were having maintenance done, so I was to get to Birmingham by bus. No big deal, but it started off my long journey with a little stress. I made it to Birmingham Moore St station, and then had to take a taxi to Birmingham New St station. I could have walked, but didn’t want to take chances on getting lost. Got to the station and found out my train was going to be over an hour late. I had 3 more stops to make, so I found out that I was going to miss my last connection, so I went to the help desk and they gave me a voucher for a taxi for my last leg of the journey. Being alone, in a foreign country and never riding trains before, it was just a tad more than I could deal with right then. I’m so glad I had Jacky’s number so I called her to let her know that I’d be brought by taxi from Doncaster. Just the sound of her lovely, caring voice almost made me cry. I’m funny that way – I can deal with a lot, but then if someone gives me a hug or hear a nice voice, then I start to cry. Anyway, a 3.5 hour journey took me just over 6 hours. I was beat by the time I got to Bob & Jacky’s and I can tell you, I don’t think I’d been more relieved to get anywhere before in my life! :-) They made me feel right at home and spoiled me rotten while I stayed there. Two of the best people I’ve met in my life! Day 6 was a relaxing day – and man, did I need it. It was a Bank Holiday in England, so we all just kicked back and visited, etc. Just really enjoyed the company and the rest I got. Was able to rest up for Day 7 & 8. ;-)

I was just over talking to Linda and Adrian and got the nicest compliment. Adrian told me that conversations with me always tend to go downhill. Made my day… I strive to achieve these things. Tee hee Today’s gripe is about people who use public restrooms, who ‘poop’ but don’t do the “courtesy” flush. What’s with that? Do they not realize we really don’t want to smell things while they’re wiping their ass OR not totally finished?? I feel like putting up a sign in the restroom here at work to “Please remember to courtesy flush” or hell – just “Please remember to flush” I can’t believe that people have trouble remembering to flush, but they do. I’m having a pretty good day here at work, clearing off my desk and getting things done. I went to lunch with my friend Cindy for her birthday (Happy Birthday!!) and we had a good visit. She’s a good friend and fun to be around. I got wind of Nicole and Pam decorating Jana’s cubical today for her birthday… so I offered to help. Jana and Nicole are the other two pranksters in this office (not the whole building though – that would be Linda, my partner in crime!). Jana keeps dishing it out, but hasn’t been ‘gotten’ so Nicole really decorated nicely. I gave them a bag of shredded metallic stuff (like you put in gift bags) and spread it all over the place. Hung some in her plants to make it look like Christmas in May. I just came up with the idea to use all the little holes left from the paper-puncher. I gathered some up from my boss and my cube mate and used mine – got quite a bit. Nicole and I dumped them in her desk drawer, then spread them through out her folders in her file cabinet. Jana will be so pleased tomorrow when she comes to work. It feels great to be ‘up to no good’ again. Been too long!!

Much better day today. Got most of my work done! YAY! I took a break and went to a workshop the family center had on base for analyzing your dreams. It was pretty good - I wish it could have been longer. They guy who taught it was quite interesting. We dream in symbols and dreams help us solve our problems and warn us about things. They're usually targeted at our health and well being. I have a dream dictionary that I'm always looking up my dreams in to see if I can figure them out, its not an exact science but if you listen closely enough, your dreams can really help you. I've had some real doozies... its funny how so many do come true. No 5th day of England trip yet, just didn't have time today and I'm beat. Will try and do 5 & 6 tomorrow.

I'm so impressed that I managed to get the 4th day post of England done after the day of hell at work. Note to self: don't be gone on vacation ever again when I have to do financials the day I come back. Thank God for Shanae at work who did my database stuff for me and offered to do it again tomorrow. She did such a great job at keeping things up while I was gone with the database as well as the workshop registrations. I'm sure Trudy helped as well (thanks, Trudy!). I'm still quite cranky... my friends assured me that I was still jet-lagging and wouldn't be back to normal for about a week. So, there ya go - excuse for being like this. ;-) I really had fun talking to everyone I saw today who asked about my trip and being able to talk to Colin (hi!) helped me make it through the stressful day. I'm so exhausted, I hope I can sleep... I have a feeling that my mind won't shut up tonight. Sigh. Tomorrow will be better!

The fourth day – THE WEDDING!!!!!! Emma and I got up early and went to get our hair done. I gave the hairdresser instructions on how I wear my hair, which is curled under softly in the front and sides, and the back does a SLIGHT flip. My hair is basically straight, but has some curl on the ends (drives me bonkers) so I straighten it. It was especially frizzy because of the humidity, so the hairdresser had to do a little extra work to get it under control. She took the flip very literally and really did a job. By the time I got done, I looked and felt like a dog with long, straight ears and curly hair on the back of its neck. I didn’t like it at all, but felt so bad that the hairdresser had gone to painstaking lengths to get it to flip, I couldn’t tell her. So, I went straight home and fixed it. Everyone said it looked ‘fine’ but it just wasn’t me – maybe a bit too modern, I don’t know. It just didn’t suit me at all – and it was one extreme to another which was just down right unnatural. I took my brush, curling iron, and more hairspray (my hair was so bogged down, I’m surprised it moved at all) and fixed it up. Problem solved. Emma’s hair looked so cute – really suited her. We made breakfast for everyone, then set off to get ready for the wedding. Emma looked amazing. Such a beautiful bride and she was so happy, she glowed. Pete looked very dashing in his suit and had the coolest boots to go with it (much to Emma’s Mums’ dismay). The ceremony took place at the local Registrar’s office and was beautifully done. They took their vows and it was such an honor to be there to witness them. You could just feel how much they love one another. After the ceremony, we went outside and blew bubbles at the new couple and took pictures. Then we were off to Warwick!! I rode with the other brides’ maid Martin (great guy!) and Pete and Emma drove in their car. We made it to the Warwick Hilton where the luncheon was served. We had a little while between the luncheon and the pictures, so I got settled in my posh hotel room. When we got to Warwick Castle, I was blown away by the magnificent structure! I couldn’t believe I was actually there… it was almost like a fairy tale. The pictures were taken outside the main hall (group photos) then Pete and Emma had some taken in the gardens as well… can’t wait to see them. After the pics were taken, we were met by a knight on a horse and escorted to the main hall. He was such a funny man. He told us that the evening’s entertainment would take place as if we were going to battle the next day with York. He told us a bit of history of Warwick and how he came about being a knight there, etc. Before the evening’s entertainment, they had a Champagne Reception for the bride and groom. It was in the great hall and such a perfect setting. When I first walked into the great hall, a few people made comments about the look on my face. I was just astounded by all of it. Minstrels started playing and everyone visited with each other. After the reception was over, we were led through the castle’s displays of the mannequins and settings to our final destination, the dining hall. The entertainment: master of ceremonies (who was also the knight), a serving wench, a jester, and minstrels. They were all so fun and played their parts well. They continued the program throughout the meal. The meal had 4 courses: bread and broth, salmon, roast chicken (YUM!) and tiny new potatoes, and then custard for dessert. The best man gave a great toast and Emma’s Dad did as well. Pete got quite embarrassed by both – it was a riot. The evening ended and I think everyone was sad to see it end. I had the time of my life that night. Without a doubt – the BEST wedding I’ve ever been to.

I'd like to point out two great blogs that I've added (see my side bar): Sean and Round the Corner. Thanks for links to mine! :-)

Gotta admit, I'm not up for any socializing today. Bit cranky. I think its just me being an introvert, I'm worn out. Ever since I got home, it seems like I've been around too many people and have been deprived of my space. UGH... and tomorrow I have to go to work and face everyone. I don't wanna go!!! WAAAHHHH!!!! I did get outside today and get some sun, that perked me up a little - usually does. :-) I'm making progress on my England notes! Woohoo! TTFN!

The third day Emma took me into Abingdon. It’s such a quaint little town, very well kept and quiet. We parked the car in the car park and walked into town. We planned on seeing the Abingdon Abbey, but the visiting hours didn’t start until afternoon and we didn’t have time then, so we just walked around and went to the Abingdon Museum. The museum is in the top of the County Hall which is described as ‘the grandest town hall in England’. It was built between 1678 and 1682 by Christopher Kempster (who worked with Wren on the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral). They have a tradition – bun thowings, staged to mark national and Royal celebrations. They had some buns on display that were actually thrown. Not good to throw now, they could hurt someone ;-). We shopped around a bit, then headed for home. Since it was the day before the wedding, Emma needed to get some things done. The best man Kieran and his fiancé Linda were to arrive that evening, then we were going out for Indian food. I blogged about the food earlier, so I won’t bore you with it again. Kieran is one wild driver – on the way home, he drove OVER a round about. Good thing it was a small one! Kieran and Linda are great people – lots of fun to be around. Kieran had us cracking up about a lady that works in his office who they’re always playing pranks on.

OK - decided to finish through the 2nd day and post a bit at a time. Knowing blogger, it will be happier if I did it that way. What an incredible trip to England I had! So much fun and saw such amazing things. Emma greeted me at the airport and it was like we were long lost friends. We’ve talked over the internet, but never met face to face, so it was so great to actually be there and hear her talk and see her face. (I met Pete later on that evening and felt the same way about him.) Emma and I drove to Abingdon and we went to see the Thames and feed the ducks. Had a nice, relaxing afternoon. She fed me a good dinner with lamb chops, herbed sausage, chicken, and mint new potatoes. I went to bed about 8pm and slept for 12 hours!! The second day, Emma and I went into Oxford. We walked around all sorts of fun shops and saw the oldest building in Oxford, the Saxon Tower (built in 1040) and climbed the tower. I got quite a few good pics of the town from there. We went into the Oxford Museum and took the tour on the fun little cars… felt like a haunted house ride. We walked around one of the colleges and saw the Bridge of Sighs at Hertford built in 1914 (that joined two buildings together) and the Radcliffe Camera built in 1794. We saw the Bodleian Library founded in 1320, but didn’t go through the guided tour (at least I think that was the name of it!). We walked along the All Soul’s College founded in 1438 (again, I think that’s what it was). I was terrible about writing things down as I went. Too many packages and a camera to deal with. That night we had a Hen Night (very tame) for Emma. Her friend Lorraine and I took her out. Lorraine got her a L plate (learner plate for drivers) to wear for being a bride. We went to a pub, had a drink then started playing Truth or Dare. Lorraine didn’t answer a question, and took a dare. The dare was to kiss a guy from Pete’s table if he happened to be at the same restaurant. We went to a Mongolian Wok and sure enough, Pete and his group turned up there. There were about 10 men and 2 women – all from Pete’s group at work. Lorraine fidgeted all night long about kissing one of them. We continued to play the game and had a lot of laughs. Emma took a dare, went over to Pete’s table and told all the guys that she needed to kiss one of them for a dare and asked for a volunteer. All of them said “I don’t want to get fired!” so she ended up kissing Pete. We got a little silly and I came up with the brilliant idea to ask one of the guys at Pete’s table to see his Prince Albert piercing. I just said it for fun – didn’t actually WANT to do it, although was curious. Emma and Lorraine tried their hardest to find a question that I wouldn’t answer. It was so funny… but the couldn’t come up with one. Emma went over and asked Pete for a question and he came up with “Which guy at his table would Karen like to take home tonight.” At first I was really embarrassed… wondering IF I answered it, if they would really tell the guy I picked. Then I realized that asking to see the Prince Albert would be a hell of a lot more embarrassing to see… so I answered the question. Yes, I was a chicken. If I were drunk, I probably would have asked him to see it without being dared. Anyhoo, I said that a guy sitting next to Pete was kinda cute and was told his name was Steve. Never met him or talked to him though. The whole time we were playing this game, Lorraine kept stalling her dare to kiss one of the guys. She waited until the last minute - just as we were leaving. She picked a guy (that she thought was the safest) and went right over and planted one on him and walked away. The look on his face was priceless - didn't know what hit him. So funny!!!! The night was a lot of laughs.

I've started typing up a post about my adventures in England, really I have!! I've got through the 2nd day done... hopefully can finish it tomorrow. I'm just too tired today. Today is actually a worse day than yesterday recovering from jet lag. It hasn't helped that I was on the go constantly yesterday and all afternoon and evening tonight. I've been printing some pics out and they turned out pretty well, but I'm far from finished. It will take a while to get them all sorted and I'd like to make an album just for the trip. I wish I could post some of the better pics on my blog, but unfortunately I don't have access to a server to store them on. So, if anyone wants any pics of Oxford, Abingdon, Warwick, York, or Selby (by York) then just e-mail me and I'll send you a couple. This afternoon, I went to my great-niece Mylee's first birthday party. She's such a doll. Then Mom, and my two sisters and I went out to dinner (cheese enchiladas, cha, cha, cha!!) and then to do some shopping for Mother's Day. Yeah, like I really wanted to go shopping again, but it meant a lot to Mom. I'm quite concerned about my Dad. For the past 3 days, he hasn't felt well. He's got diabetes, and the insulin he takes attacks the arteries around his heart. He's never had a heart attack, thank God, but has had 2 open heart surgeries and needs a 3rd to do more bypasses (they're holding off as long as possible). He had to take quite a bit of nitro yesterday, and we're all on his case about calling his doc to see what he wants Dad to do. Being nauseated, numbness in fingers and pain in the arm are all signs of trouble... its been coming for quite some time. We just don't want him having a heart attack if it can be prevented. Dad wants to wait until Monday to call the doc, unless things get worse. Dad did say he was feeling a bit better tonight. Hope he continues to get better - BUT he's still calling the doc on Monday, no if - ands - or buts about it. So, I think I'm headed for bed now - tomorrow should be a better day. :-) Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers!

I'm HOME!! :-D I've got a lot of unpacking and laundry to do (and resting of course) but I will write something up about all my adventures in England. Had a fabulous time. On the way home, I stopped off in Boston and was able to meet Colin and the Lovely D while I was there. It was so great to be able to see them and talk face to face (hi Colin & D!!). I was figuring out how much time I was traveling and from home time, it was Midnight to 9:30pm. So that makes it 21.5 hours. UGH. I made it though. Feel like I've been ran over by a truck this morning, but should get better as the day goes on. I will probably take a nice long nap later.

This post will be short and sweet. I just LOVE England. Having a great time with Bob and Jacky, but will be making my way home tomorrow. Gotta get allllllll my things packed and hopefully my suitcase won't burst. I'll have to write up something about all my adventures when I get home and de-jetlag myself. TTFN!

One word describes the wedding and wedding reception: FANTASTIC. Had the time of my life!! It was such an honor to be able to share P&E's wedding day and celebration with them. The Warwick castle is so incredible and the entertainment was so great. They had minstrels sing while we ate, and between each course, they had a couple of guys joke and entertain us. I was able to see the castle properly yesterday, then went by train (and bus and taxi) to the Selby/Brayton area. It wasn't fun at all, but I survived. I was so thankful to get here and be greeted by Jacky and Bob. They've got a lovely home and am looking forward to the time I'll be spending here before I make my return journey home. :-) There's so much to tell, but I'll have to do that later!! :-)

Had a little mishap with my haird this morning. The dryer I brought is a small 1275 watt job that my Mom used for traveling. Its got the American plug, and I used an adapter for it. I was about 2/3 done drying my hair and all of the sudden, the dryer got really hot and started smoking. Lovely. So, I brushed my hair (to straighten it) and waited for it to finish drying... then... I tried my curling iron and the light was 'on' but it never heated up. Oh, shit. I sure hope it didn't damage the adapter or I'll be buying Linda a new one!! While we were out today, we stopped off at the local Argos and picked up a cheap dryer and curling iron. I don't want to go around looking like a fuzz head. It finally rained here today. We've had clouds since I've been here, but hasn't rained. Just love the smell when it rains - so fresh and clean. Tonight we'll be dining at an Indian restaurant which will be fun to try. Although I'm a picky eater, I would like to try something new. Then tomorrow is the wedding and I'll be away from the computer for a couple of days. I think I may go through withdrawls... ;-)

Time for the Friday Five!! 1. If you were on The Dating Game and could choose just three questions to ask your potential dates, what would you ask? (Remember, you can't see them and their answers are all you have to go on to make your decision. Assume you have not yet met your current partner or spouse, if you've got one.) * What would be your perfect type of a day to spend with someone? * Do you have a great sense of humor? * If I had two heads and a big boil on my butt, would you still go out with me? 2. What is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you in public? Tough one - so many embarrassing things happen to me... but I'd have to say... reading a paper in front of my 11th grade English class and saying 'rubbers' instead of 'robbers'. Didn't live that one down all year. 3. What's the worst made-up job you can think of? Its not made up - but a proctologist. Ew. 4. What is your favorite TV gameshow ever? Why? Newlywed game!! Funny questions and is fun to see them squirm and hear what crazy answers they have. The older shows were the best - back from the 70's. 5. Do you have a favorite drinking game? What is it and why? Quarters! I sucked at it, so I usually got very drunk!!!!

Hello from England!! Thanks to all the comments everyone left for me :-) I'm here, safe and sound and having a great time. England is beautiful! My flights were good. From Salt Lake to Atlanta, the plane was half full, so no one sat by me which was great, and we arrived 30 mins ahead of schedule. Tail winds, I guess. Movie was Kate & Leopold (YAY!) so the flight really 'flew' by. I arrived in concourse A and had to get to E for my flight to Gatwick. Like a ninny, I decided to walk it vs taking the train. It was a nice walk, but not in sandals. By the time I got to E, I had a blister. Oh well, not the end of the world... get those a lot. I put on a bandaid and all was well. The plane to Gatwick on the other hand was quite full. A young college student sat by me and she was quite nice. We didn't chat a whole lot since I was able to sleep for 5 out of the 8.5 hours. Movie was Blackhawk Down, which I've wanted to see, but was sooooooo tranquilized, I just zonked. By the time I woke up, they'd quit playing anything on the video, which I wish they would have done something to keep me entertained. I was quite bored and couldn't read cuz it was too dark. We arrived a few minutes late, made my way to customs and breezed right through. Came out, and there was E waiting for me! :-) Today we went around Oxford and found some touristy type places and some shoppes. Its just so great to see such history in a town and how the modern world has migrated with it. I'm surprised to see so many people actually walking and riding bikes VS driving cars. I think getting hit by a bike is more likely than a car here. ;-)