still ....

1. aunt flo, monthly, "that time of the month", etc...
2. having said types of accidents. in public. w/o a coverup
3. you have to always be jovial. no bad moods allowed in your life, lest you be accused of #1.
4. having a zillion accoutrements on the bathroom sink
5. panty lines
6. not having any panty lines= undies up your butt (or a thong- same thing)
7. a normal-looking/average guy can still be attractive. an average looking girl just isn't enough. have you been to the movies lately???
8. shaving! yeah. we can skip w/o a lot of hassle or evidence, but it's so much more to keep up
9. if you don't have good hair- well.... then forget it!
10. expectations of having a kid.
11. bathing suits.
12. fear of labor.
13. labor. (worth mentioning twice!)

hate being a girl!

life changing

here are 13 lil' ol' letters that can change your life:

1. O
2. M
3. G
4. I
5. M
6. P
7. R
8. E
9. G
10. N
11. A
12. N
13. T

!!!! more to come.....

huh??

in the spirit of yum & yuck, here's my next list for huh??
here are some foods i've never tried:

1. pizza. (yes. i know it's on my yuck list. but i know i won't like it)
2. brussel sprouts
3. most fish (fish is too fishy for my taste)
4. cosmopolitan
5. mint julep (they sound fun, though)
6. thai food
7. escargot
8. caviar
9. calamari (no thank you to those!)
10. soft cheeses (they also smell gross)
11. jalapenos, and most peppers
12. mushrooms
13. cottage cheese

don't think i'm missin' much!

memmmmries....

some of my fondest christmas memories/likes are:

1. the anticipation of santa & excitement. (to this day!)
2. waking up oh so early on xmas morning as a kid and crowding on LJ's bed (by the window) after getting billy & ricky to join us and being excited to go wake up mom & dad.
3. seems like every year someone would tell me that santa can come back and take it all back if i'm not good. i think my window of opportunity left once we could go downstairs!
4. the 4 of us (and sometimes kenny) lining up on the stairs and bumping our way to mom & dad's room
5. seeing the tree & mantle on xmas morning (to this day!!!) all the lights, filled stockings, pretty wrappings.
6. as a kid, for a bit, all our presents were in piles. yes- 13 piles around the tree. we each opened our piles one by one.
7. singing xmas carols at church on xmas eve.
8. cookies & eggnog. (yum). i hope i can find mom's recipes when i go back this year
9. in 10th grade, i got to be santa. that's when i unexpectedly opened my clarinet last. wow.
10. watching xmas movies (to this day)
11. wrapping & unwrapping each item in the stocking (a la my mom.... for 13 stockings. not one thing was left unwrapped)
12. seeing a mantle that could fit 13 stockings, and all of our baby picture ornaments with them. each year, it was so fun to look at. and hearing dad proclaim he bought the house b/c of the mantle.
13. being w/ loved ones and sharing traditions.

...to be jolly

1. christmas trees--- the look! the smell!
2. shiny things--- wrappings & bows, tinsel
3. christmas lights--- on houses, on trees; tacky, elegant
4. christmas music
5. decorating my mundane living room & turning it into a peaceful, pretty place
6. seeing (some) family
7. baking cookies & desserts--- the smells! the taste!
8. being cheerful with friends
9. giving ---gifts, charities, santas ringing bells
10. the hubbub of all the kids' excitement (gosh, i miss that!)
11. christmas traditions--- new & old
12. cooler weather (cross your fingers!)
13. "ho ho ho"

YUM!

1. chicken paprikas
2. new york strip (medium well)
3. chicken curry w/ basmati rice
4. hibachi shrimp w/ fried rice
5. macaroni & cheese (i make my mom's and it's awesome. boxed is delish too!)
6. pork roast
7. pot roast (never get to make it though- The Mr. doesn't eat beef)
8. sauteed or grilled shrimp
9. spaghetti w/ butter (no, really!)
10. ice cream (duh)
11. lotsa starches- breads, potatoes, fries, rice, popcorn (if that counts?)
12. brownie sundae- complete w/ cherry
13. hamburger pie (another i miss)

there are actually many more yummy foods out there. tho some wouldn't believe... although i'm extremely picky, i can usually find something i like in most restaurants. as long as i can order them "my way".

so..... go ahead. invite me over. i'm workable!

YUCK!

1. pizza
2. condiments of any sort
3. tomatoes, or anything tomato like (curry is NOT made of tomatoes! shuttup)
4. so that means, no spaghetti, lasagna, chili, meatloaf, etc...
5. vegetables (w/ the exception of very few)
6. casseroles
7. cheesecake
8. tiramisu
9. beer
10. grits
11. mandarin oranges & other weird fruits
12. seafood (except shrimp.... & i'm particular about that, too!)
13. lotsa stuff on lotsa stuff. i order things plain, or w/o something. it's very rare that i can just order exactly as it appears on the menu.

so, i pretty much stopped my list, but i'm sure if i were invited to your house for dinner, i could think of something else to add.

..........i KNOW. i'm pathetic!!!!

happy thanksgiving

1. turkey
2. skin
3. mashed potatoes
4. sweet potato souffle (i'll miss that this year)
5. chocolate pie
6. sister shubert rolls
7. more turkey- sandwiches
8. friday's lunch of indian food
9. sharing news & stories w/ The Mr.'s family
10. sleeping late
11. watching the lions
12. leaf-colored ground
13. yummy holiday

i'd like to go to....

in no particular order:

1. switzerland
2. italy
3. california - drive up the coast
4. niagra falls
5. canada
6. cruise
7. martha's vineyard
8. nantucket
9. maine
10. sequoia nat'l forest
11. fancy spa
12. girls' trip to vegas
13. provence, france

hmmmm, guess i have to stop now. it's not the thursday 30. ......

i've been to.....

not quite a complete list...

1. london (9th grade band trip)
2. indianapolis- i've marched in the hoosier dome!
3. new orleans (12th grade band trip)
4. disney/universal florida (several times, first 2 w/ band)
5. NYC (same as above)
6. DC (same as above)
7. Phoenix (i'm still in awe that there are mountains in dem dare hills!!! you know, bugs bunny does NOT show that)
8. jamaica (celebrate 1st year teaching)
9. paris (honeymoon---- blissful in september!)
10. vegas (for a wedding)
11. hawaii (3rd anniversary)
12. rocky point, mexico (for a wedding)
13. denver (rocky mountains--- AMAZING)

concerts i've been to

1. jimmy buffett (twice)
2. steve miller band
3. nirvana
4. countless hootie & the blowfish
5. billy joel (quite a few)
6. billy joel/ elton john
7. josh groban (thrice)
8. james taylor
9. rod stewart
10. beastie boys (thrice)
11. dave matthews band (twice)
12. the next move
13. chicago

ode

not looking for anything, we both found each other.
through random chance, a proposal, & lotsa laughter. and that was just the first conversation.

he watched me grow from a sad, confused, lost little girl & he shaped me into who i am today: sometimes admittedly still sad, lost, & confused at times... but mostly happy. silly. supported.

through all the ruf times, the sad times, the fun times, the scary times, the elated times, the fussy times, the loving times.... i grew into who i am.
and that's because of him.

smart as hell
and funnier than that.
he cares about me and tries to teach me through all of my one-mindedness.
he supports decisions i make, and guides me. and he loves me. ME!
plus, he's tall dark & handsome: who could ask for more??

who knew that 13 years ago, when i wouldn't even feed him, he'd stick around and become the best husband of bunko.

The Mr. is amazing. and i'm so glad he's mine.

here's to many more!

um, 13 +1

oops...
is it already friday? well, i completely forgot about the thursday thirteen, so today will have to be plus one. i know, i know.... you waited with bated breath!

13 proud moments in my life:

1. i landed the job i quit teaching for
2. i just finished running all of my 1st 5k (time- 32:25)
3. i was a good teacher
4. the last 2 years of Relay for Life were exceptional
5. i was a good captain of RFL
6. i was nominated teacher of the year (for my efforts in RFL, and dealing with an un-dealable student)
7. i graduated from Clemson University
8. i recently paid off my LARGE student loan
9. Irmo High School marching band finished 9th in the nation
10. and we got the "esprit de corps" award (sorta like miss congeniality)
11. i had a small clarinet solo once in 10th grade.
12. in 10th grade, i got "most improved band musician"
13. for xmas in 10th grade, i got a "selmer signet soloist 115" badass clarinet

plus one: The Mr. married me........ & loves me.........zits & all!

happy thoughts for today

1. i am now employed.
2. it was the job i was waiting for
3. The Mr. bought me a kite for my birthday
4. it came in today.
5. supportive people
6. at my interview, the lady was IMPRESSED w/ my profile assessment.
7. we're going to Raja on saturday to celebrate this week's events
8. i'm running (bleck) a 5k on saturday
9. sunday it will be over!
10. my "kittens" crack me up
11. carvel snickers ice cream cake
12. i'm in a good place right now
13. reading the comments on my blog. (you don't have to be shy, either....)

baby baby baby BABY baby

i know it's incredibly difficult to fully get the effect of the title here. for whatever reason, i absolutely loved that line when reese witherspoon says that to joaquin phoenix as june carter/johnny cash in "walk the line".

annnyway....

it's times like these i come back to remembering how i'm the baby of the family.
when i meet someone, inevitably over time, it comes out about my large family and my number order. most of the time, for whatever reason, if the person is older than me, they'll ask: "oh--- so, you're the baby??"
and i am QUICK to reply/respond/retort: "no. i'm the YOUNGEST"
and, we all can guess the next line, yes? "well, you'll always be their baby."

and this i know. for all the world tells me so. and have ever since i started to rebuke/rebel/resist.

mainly, it was my dad who would introduce me as his baby. (insert my insistence here). it was an ongoing "battle". it was our thing, i guess.
i don't know when it started, but i have quite a few memories of my mom introducing me and stutter at baby, and claim me as her youngest. [victory!]

then, 6 months after i got married, my father passed away.
and from then on, my mom & i simultaneously ignored the "youngest rule" and when i was called the baby, i allowed it. and fondly.
somehow, i guess it was just intrinsically understood.

but now, it's been a year (!) that my mom passed away.
and it's been creeping up on me lately-

i miss being their baby!!

refresher course

here's an easy Thursday 13
my parents had:

1. bobby
2. paul
3. jo-marie
4. mary-ellen
5. dianne
6. barbara
7. danny
8. karen
9. kenny
10. billy
11. laurie-jean
12. ricky
13. me

The Thursday Thirteen

i stumbled across this wonderful idea when i was reading cheeky lotus. of course, it resonated with me b/c of the magic number. i always perk up when i notice the number, and knew that once i started this blog i was set for thursdays... at least until i run out of ideas.

so, without further ado, i present to you:
although i think alllllll of my millions of readers know me in person, i will attempt to offer:

13 things you may be surprised to learn about me:

1. i have never tasted pizza (that's for the ONE person who may happen to stumble on this blog)
2. i have never flown a kite
3. i learned to ride a bike on my own when i was in the 3rd grade- never having training wheels
4. i always wanted peppery freckles on my face (now i have rosacea instead) and because of that, i love every freckle i do have in random places
5. i once testified in divorce court for the lady i babysat for
6. i had a terrifying experience while babysitting my newborn nephew jordan... his head snapped and i thought he'd be damaged when he threw a colic fit and i didn't hold him quite perfectly.
7. (as mom would say): i'm ascared of being ascared
8. i almost consider my picky eating a handicap
9. i save all my tivoed episodes of curious george
10. i have always been a good speller (recently i've been slipping)--- i remember 3 challenge words in 2nd grade that i got right: dictionary, encyclopedia, cousin
11. earlier this year The Mr. & i were invited to a sweet 16 birthday party
12. The Mr. & i have been together for 13 years
13. even tho i'm not in love w/ this large family of mine, i'm glad i am #13. it gives me one interesting thing to hang onto. i would absolutely find nothing amazing in the same situation, had i been, oh- i dunno- dianne. (#5)

[that was harder to do than i expected]