My Absence....

Sorry I have been away for awhile. I didn't mean to. I've been working my butt off and sometimes you just want to sleep! Also, I have been on MySpace, writing on there. Kismet20 or something like that-if you want to go there and read about me. It's pretty cool. My birthday is coming up soon, so I am excited about that. I'm gonna paint the town pink! As a suggestion from my friend Janelle, I am going to list some of the songs that Heather and I listened to when we drove to NC. Our "theme" song was "Shake that Ass for Me".......(get more ass than a toilet seat!) Then, all of Madonna's "Confession's on a Dance Floor", "Dancin' Queen" (ABBA). Right this minute I had a brain fart and can't remember what I put on those CD's. "Sexy Back" was one of them....ahhhhh JT! Cake, Widespread Panic, and maybe Jessica Simpson. (Sorry!) Right at this moment I am having a craving for Mellow Mushroom.........

I'm back!

Well, we made it to NC in 16 hrs and had a blast doing so! We were silly by the time we got to Mike's in Raleigh (4 am). It was wonderful to see Mike and everyone had a good time. I drank so much sweet tea it was unreal! made it to Sonic and Waffle House....maybe I wrote about this earlier but I forget. Needless to say I did not want to come back. So it's back to RL and the real world. I'm going away this weekend to Des Moines w/ the family for a little vacation. We'll hit Adventureland (like 6 flags) and the zoo. I'm excited to go w/ my neice and nephew.....I'm not sure they've ever been there before. Either way, I'll be acting like a kid!

I Can't Drive 55

So qwe made it! we left Iowa city, IA on or around 1030 am and rolled into Raleigh, NC @ 4 am. We only stopped fpr postcards, gas and potty breaks. i decided that we were going to drive straight through. I was delirious at the end of my 7 hr drive shift. It was a blast though! Heather and I laughed the whole way down and jammed out to Maddona. It's sooooo nice to be back on the east coast. Every time we went by a Waffle House I'd say, "Waffle House"and then by the end of the trip Heather was saying "Bojangles" after I'd say Waffle House. Silly, yes, but we were laughing. My gut still hurts. Mike was up waitng for us, thank goodness. I passed out shortly after arriving and slept till 11 am. I've had my sweet tea but no grits yet. I'm going to Sonic later.......fuck the Pizza Ranch. I am so happy to be back here. Later y'all!

Adventures??

OK, so about 2 or 3 more days until I get to see my best friend Heather. It's been almost 3 years I think since we were in San Fran. I am PUMPED! She is supposed to get into Iowa either Tuesday or Wednesday. We're gonna throw down and party like we used to. I cannot drink until she gets here. Got so hammered last night and I didn't even mean to. So Heather and I are leaving Thursday and driving to Raleigh, NC where she is re-locating to. It's a 16 hr. drive and she's got a brand new Mustang! How's that for a sweet-ass ride? So I'll be able to see Mike (yah!) and I'll fly home on Monday the 21st. We'll stay at his house until Heather's hotel room is ready and then it'll just be me and Mike. I'm excited to see him. I'm also excited to drink SWEET TEA, go to the Waffle House, SONIC!!!!!!!, and to be back on the east coast. I belong out there, yet I am here for now and that's OK. I am freaked out to fly back now after that terriost plot got foiled. As grateful as I am that it was busted up, I am pissed I cannot take anything for carry on. I have a frickin' 4 hr layover in ATL (yuck yuck)and to not be able to watch my DVD's or my mp3 player? Gimmie a break! What else am I supposed to do? Guess I'll be in the smokin lounge. I'll pack everything in my checked luggage....thank god I use Bare Minerals makeup. It's not liquid. I'd be sooooo pissed if I had to leave my Stella McCartney purfume there. Expensive shit, man. Anyway..........it's hot here, way HOT like I like it. I need to tan. Laters!!!!

Flash Gordon

I LOVE the movie "Flash Gordon"! It's soooo awesome! It was on a few nights back at like 4am on Starz or some other cable channel, I forget. I had come in from the bar and saw it was on. Even though I was crazy tired, I watched about an hour of it. I remember seeing it in the theater when I was a little girl. I wanted to be Princess Aura so bad. She had this long, dark awesome hair down to her butt and got to wear cool outfits. I think I even played Flash Gordon with my Barbir dolls! Hey, it was 1980! I NEED to get this movie on DVD asap!

No Sun

It's cloudy today. First morning that I don't have to work, and it darn cloudy. I already went tanning, but the new pool is ready to go and now there is no sun. Bummer! Well, not much is new in my area. My best friend Heather comes next week, and I might go out to Raleigh, NC. we'll see. I am very excited to see her....no doubt we will tear up Iowa City!

Back to the grind

So here I am, back in Iowa, back to the "real world." Been working a lot, but I have tomorrow off. I also have to go to a dentist appointment tomorrow. Bummer. Y'all know how I feel about the dentist! Today it's not as hot as it has been. The pool is out of commission, so here I sit inside. That'll be my project for tomorrow. My best friend comes in about 12 days from Cali. She's noving to Raleigh, NC (where Mike is)and I am going to drive out there w/her and then fly back. I'll stay w/Mike for a few days and relax...hope that we can get along. I'll only be there for 2 days so I am keeping my fingers crossed! And to one other certain boy (who will remain nameless...KISS MY ASS!!!!! BEND OVER AND KISS IT YOU ASSHOLE!) Ok, I am better now.

This I Know is True

Here I am in St. Louis. I am having a great time, of course. So much I have to tell and so much I have seen! I just got in from the Panic show. Might I say it was a great show! A lot of old Panic songs, like back in the days........the past few shows have been so-so. Tonight they blew the roof off of the Fox Theater! Mom had a groovy time as well. My old roommate and good friend Heidi met us there from TN. Her and her husband, Jay came us to see the show with me and some of their other friend. I have not seen Heidi for at least 2 maybe 3 years. She has not changed at all. She's wild and crazy! We go back a long way in SC and I so miss her now that I am in Iowa. I also LOVE Waffle House! There is NOTHING like greasy, bad food after a long night of partying w/ Panic. I remember the one by my old house in Charleston. It was kinda rough sometimes, but there are still a lot of good memories there. One time I was drunk w/ Eli amd I walked in, sat at the bar and ordered a Bud Light......lol. Today I went to the Bud Brewery and had a tour. Free beer at the end! I also got to see the St Louis Arch. WAY COOL!! Oh year, and the BEST thing of all.......my Cubbies SWEPT those nasty St. Louis Cardinals in 4 games @ Wrigley. YEAH!!!! GO Big Z!!!!!!! It's really interesting to be in red Bird Country when you are a Cub fan. This I Know is True. CIAO!

Tanning Obsessed

I'm sooo obsessed with my tan! I lay out at the pool almost every day and then go to the tanning salon. There is this bed called the "Matrix". It's so big and powerful..it claims to have a 1% burning rate. Anyway, I was the skeptic, as always. I'm blonde and blue-eyed, Irish descent, so I burn like nobody's business. Anyway, it was a dollar a minute (July special) so I went for 10 minutes AND DID NOT BURN!!!!! I LOVE the MATRIX!!!!!! I bought 45 minutes worth, and now they are gone. I am going for 15 minutes a session. Now, I also have like 400 regular bed minutes that I have to use up every other day. I have this bronzer lotion that I also use and I may say I am pretty tan. I am not as tan as my construction-worker brother, but I am catching up. I want to be as tan as my friend Naomi who is Native American. I love slathering my body with The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter. Yummy!!!!! One week from today I will be traveling to St. Louis to see Widespread Panic! I am soooooooooooo excited! I'll be seeing Heidi, one of my old roommates from SC, and her hubby Jay. I guess Blues Traveler is playing there somewhere too, not sure if I can make it! It'll be a fun time for all! And, I can get a Route 44 Cherry Lime-ade. ROCK ON!!!!!!!

Dogs Daze of Summer.....

It's hot here! I just spent a few hours at my parent's pool. I love just floating on a raft and getting sun. All I need out there is a tv/music and I'm happy. Temps are almost in triple digits, and tons of humidity. I don't have AC in my car which is no big deal.....I never had AC in my car in Charleston (when I had a car...lol). I just open all windows and the sun roof and off I go! All I need is a Sonic (please, please send me a cherry lime-ade!)and I'm happy as a clam. I'm sure Mom and I will find one when we go to St. Louis in a few weeks. Yes, another Widespread Panic show! Sooooo excited! I wish I had enough money to do the whole tour. I am thinking of going camping on my day off. I have to dig out the tent to make sure it's up to par. it's so hot though...lol we'll see. I'm drooling over the thought of a Route 44 Cherry Lime-ade.

Thinking of a Title.......

So today I go back to work after having almost 2.5 days off. I really, really, wish I was rich so I did not have to work. I could think of so many other things to do besides that! Alas, that is not the case. It's overcast and frickin' humid, so no gettin' in the pool. I know you can get sun when it's cloudy, but how fun is that? I guess I'll go going to Tan World later. Also, there is a baseball game tonight that I'd like to go to. Oh well. I think if i were in Charleston right this minute, I'd be a Folly Beach, by the washout, getting tons of sun. I'd have my Rt 44 Cherry Lime-ade by my side w/ a good book or maybe I'd stare at the surfers. How fun that is!

Happy Belated Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was Mom's b-day. According to my nephew Logan, she's 38. LOL! I like that number. That makes me younger than my 29 years! I made spaghetti and meatballs, caesar salad, garlic bread and then for dessert, tiramisu. My Mom LOVES my tiramisu. it's a pain to make it, but soooo good. Everyone had a great night and a full belly when they left. Anyway...it's hot here, and humid, too. it's funny to hear people bitch about it, as I spent almost 10 years in the deep south. I miss it like crazy. I think I'd sell my soul to be back there. Alas, some things don't work out like they were supposed to. "Even the best fall down sometimes...." a line from a Howie Day song called "Collide". I'm digging him, along with Keane, The Dixie Chicks, and as always, Widespread Panic. We're off to St. Louis on the 28th of this month to see them again. Sadly, it'll be my last show of the summer tour :(. BUMMER!!!!! I'll do more shows in the fall though.

Busy, busy!

Well there, hello from hot, sticky Iowa. Not as hot and sticky as Charleston, but close. Damn, I miss those hot as hades-humid days of the south. Why did I move back to Iowa, you ask? Hmmm...not sure. I think I was on crack that day. Well here I am. Let me catch you up to date:

My friend Stephen stopped by as he drove from Delaware to the Grand Tetons (WY and ID). He's got a job as a bartender at the Grand Targhee Resort(awesome place!) It was nice to see him since I did not get to see him before I left Charleston. Even though he was only here for a few hours, I drove him around town and we had killer Mexican food @ La Casa's.

I got 2 cards from friends in Charleston. One from Leslie and one from Janelle. These 2 girls are best friends, live 10 min from each other and ask me how the other is doing! LMAO!!! I guess they are both so busy to pick up a phone. Whatever works, eh? Either way, it was killer to get snail mail (no bills)! I hope Janelle keeps off her feet for a few weeks.

I'm going to see a free concert Monday night in town. The Charlie Daniels's Band is playing and since it's free...well, I'm excited. Granted I only know ONE song...........lol.

My Cubbies are not doing well, but today they finally beat the White Sox. My boy Zambrano had a HR and got the win. God I love baseball!!

Well, I guess that is all for now. I am going to a water park on the 4th, so that should be a fun time.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL!!!!!!

Catchin' Up

So, it has been awhile since I have had a moment of spare time. Work, work, work.......! I hate working! However, a few days ago, my Mom and I ventured the 5 hour drive to Kansas City, MO. We went and saw Widespread Panic @ the Starlight Theater. It of course was awesome! Busted out a "C. Brown" for the first song of set one. I was lovin' it, and Mom danced the whole time. I was able to get up to the 3rd row, and the boys never looked so good! Ahhh JB! Got some cool pics on my phone and everything! This show was the only highlight of June. There are Waffle Houses there (YES!) and I had the best sweet tea!! Love those Pecan waffles! It made me miss charleston so much! I am not sure how I put it in italics, but I am clueless how to remove it. Oh well. Time to go for now. GO CUBS!!!

Well, I finally saw the "Da Vinci Code". I liked it, although it was long. True to the book, I thought. It's 2.5 hrs long! I also rented "Shop Girl" w/ Claire Daines and Steve Martin. It was sad, but I enjoyed it.

I'm getting geared up for the beginning of Widespread Panic's Summer tour. My mom and I are going to KC on the 21st for the opening day. I am getting excited! We are also going to St. Louis in July. FUN FUN!

Iowa City ArtsFest

So, my sweet, precious, ADORABLE 5 year old neice, Maggie, had her Iowa City debut @ the Iowa City ArtsFest this Saturday. She is a member of the Stapelton School of Scottish Highland Dancers. What a show! Yeah, I am biased, but she was the BEST dancer up there. I was in tears. I love her so much and she is so talented! My Mom made her little red tartan plad "kilt" and white lace blouse. I was hootin' and hollerin' to cheer her on and believe me I took a TON of pics!

I've been working A LOT these days, followed by a lot of drinking, which is unusual for me, sort of. My good friend Amanda was in town over Memorial day so we spent Sunday pm at the old Fitzpatricks (Old Capitol Brew House?) having a great time. Her friend Jeremy from Chicago was also w/ us. Some of her old IC friends showed up and next thing I knew it was closing time. Monday @ work was slow, then busy. Then that night I went out to a keg party and got so wasted! It was fun until I hurt someone doing a kegstand. I also went out Thursday night w/ peeps from the RL. My friend Crystal got back into town, so I met her downtown. It was a good time, but I was tired and didn't stay out long. Plus, I am watching my Mom's dogs, so I had to get back to the house @ a good hour. Having dogs is like having kids. can't leave 'em like I can my cats. WOW!

And....my Cubbies battled it out to the death with those NASTY St. Louis Cardinals for 14 innings. The Cubs won, and I was very happy. Sleepy, too. I think they are winning right now as I type this. GO CUBS!!!!!!! Well, I am gone for now. Have a good weekend everyone!

Mall of America

Well, since we were not able to get to MN, my Mother suggested we go to Des Moines to go shopping. Our latest shopping finds have been the Philosophy line. I love the Grace! (Plus, it's a great name!) We went to Valley West mall and then to Jordan Creek. We squeezed in a trip to Steinmart because I love it & Mom had never been there before. We had lunch @ Famous Dave's (delish!) AND they have SWEET TEA!!!!!!!! God, I LOVE sweet tea! It's so good. The table wine of the South. This batch could have been sweeter, but good none-the-less. I miss Charleston a lot. I did buy quite a bit though. 2 kick-ass paqirs of flip-flops, some stuff from Walliams Sonoma, etc., etc.,......I hated the 1.5 hr drive back though.

My Cubbies lost it in the bottom of the 9th. Bases loaded, 2 outs, the Marlin hits a fly ball out to the warning track. I thought it was a grand slam. Instead the Cubs lost again. At least I'm not a KC Royal fan.

I hear my friend Amanda's coming to visit me this weekend. I am excited to see her. She lives in Denver and I saw her last in CO in January. Should be a good time.

Well, the trip to the Mall of America fell through because my Dad is still in town. It's cool though, as I can get some things done around my house and my parents. I have 4 days off and I need them! I'd like to hit a Kernel's game w/ the girls in CR. Who knows? My other brother's birthday is this week too. My cousin's b-day is the day before his as well. This past Saturday the whole family went out to eat @ Lone Star to celebrate the birthdays. The food was good and the service was EXCELLENT!!!!! I was quite upset @ the fact that 2 members of my family gave this poor server a VERY hard time. I wasn't sure what he did to deserve such attitude, and I was sitting close to them. We are a large group: 4 kids under the age of 5 and a 6 month old baby. All of us had seperate checks (no BIG deal) and the grat was included as it is for large groups. Anyway, I was personally insulted and called the manager on Sunday to apologize. My Dad's side of the family is so rude sometimes. I'm quite ready to wash my hands of them. No one except for me and my little brother have worked in food service. They don't know how HARD it is and how it sucks ass to have bitchy guests. You know u cannot tell them off because you'll lode your job. I may go back and tip him a little more. (I didn't have any cash w/ me on Sat.) So, to those of you out there who think that we are your damn servants...F OFF!!!!!! Wow, I really do feel better now. Don't make me tell you about my friend who waited on a newly drafted Hawkeye and how he was an ass: snapped his fingers for her attention, asked for a DISCOUNT, and tipped her crap. Y'all have a good day!!!!

Movies and Such

Hello! So I have been watching a lot of movies this past few weeks. I saw "Derailed" which was good. 4 out of 5 stars. A different role for Jennifer Aniston. "Flight Plan" was ok, 3 out of 5 stars. The suspense was good. Then I watched "In Her Shoes" w/ Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette. Alright. I haven't read the book though. "Ice Harvest" was really dark and funny. It has John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton in it. I liked it a lot. "The Interperter" w/ Nicole Kidman wasn't so good. Long and hard to follow. "The Family Stone" was wacky, and a bit sad. Gotta love SJP, Luke Wilson and Diane Keaton. What will I rent next? Tune in to find out!

Well, first things first...Let me give a shout out to Kara, Bob, Keaton, Kelsey and Sadie Stokes of Marion, Iowa! Hi guys! I went and got a Hawaiian Shave Ice (cherry limeade) with my Mom. She got something hawaiian. They are better than icees. My friend Molly made me 2 new mixed CD's. I am so excited to listen to them. I had today off. My dad got back yesterday (YAH!) and we went to lunch. Then I did laundry and hung out @ my parents. Laid back, nice day. Took a short nap, too. Back to work tomorrow. Gotta make $ for Mall of America. Well, time to watch The Real World: Key West. YAH!

Oh yeah, I forgot to wish my brother, Clay a happy 20th birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAY!

Well, what a busy weekend it was. I spent a lot of time at the restaurant. Almost had overtime!! I am happy to announce that I have tomorrow off! Of course it'll be spent doing laundry and cleaning. Hopefully my Dad will be back tomorrow, too. I miss him. My Cubbies aren't doing real well these days. After winning a game, that have lost like the last 3 I think. Carlos Zambrano is pitching tomorrow night. Hopefully Kerry Wood will be back pitching Thursday night. Let's hope so.
So I am going to the Mall of America next week with my Mom. I am excited to do a lot of shopping. Hopefully there weather will be nice. I am also looking forward to shopping at IKEA. It's right across the street form the mall. I want some new furniture and to up-date some things. We'll see.

Cubs.com
widespreadpanic.com
yahoo.com
thesmokinggun.com
carnival.com

Is anyone excited to see The DaVinci Code? I am. I loved the book and I love Tom Hanks. I most likely won't see the movie until it has been out for a few days. I hope it's good. I know the book's made up, but what if that stuff really happened?
My mom and I are going to the Mall of America in a few weeks. I am excited. Anything to do with shopping is cool. We are goining on another cruise in Jan of '07 w/ Naomi, Molly Jo and Monica. Carnival LOVES us! We got rooms with extended balconies (50% bigger than regular balconies) and are right next to each other. We chose a 7 day this time, and will be leaving from Tampa, FL. We're sailing to Grand Cayman (my fave!)Cozumel, Belize, and Costa Maya, Mexico. I am super excited to go to Belize!!! If anyone has been there, please feel free to share anything cool about what to do/see. That's true for any of the places we'll be visiting.
Also, Mom and I will be going to Kansas City and St. Louis this summer to see Widespread Panic. YAH!!!! Of course I miss Charleston, and hope to get there late this summer.

The Adventures of Kismet in Iowa

FINALLY!!!!!! Finally my bloved Cubbies won a game! They beat the San Francisco Giants 8 to 1. I was happy to see Barry Bonds DID NOT get another homerun. Carlos Zambrano had a GREAT night and pitched an amazing 8 innings. We'll see how things go today with a day game. I'm welcoming any comments from sports fans or anyone esle wanting to chat.