tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56505900160193384432024-02-07T21:23:44.958-06:00ChiTown Girl"All children are gifted.
Some just open their presents later than others." ---unknownChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.comBlogger1618125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-80684795019657632832015-06-26T10:55:00.002-05:002015-06-26T10:55:12.040-05:00Ok, summer has officially started!The last official day of the school year for CPS was Wednesday. But, don't let that fool you, I haven't really "worked" in a couple week. :P<br />
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I am going to try and ease my way back into the Blogosphere this summer. I really, truly do miss my Bloggy Buddies. :(<br />
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For now, let me share this totally cool picture of my Monkey.<br />
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She made the front page of the local paper's Life & Arts section. =)<br />
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I hope you all have a great weekend!<br />
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<br />ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-69418972859465917252015-05-28T17:10:00.003-05:002015-05-28T17:10:54.127-05:00So...THIS happened a couple weeks ago...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know, I know...I disappeared again. There's only about 3 weeks left in the school year, so I'm hoping to be able to catch my Bloggy Buddies up on my ultra-exciting life (NOT!) Maybe then I'll also be able to catch up on what's been going on with all of you. <br /><br />ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-21830275116314313282015-05-01T17:26:00.000-05:002015-05-01T17:26:11.757-05:00How in the world did she know........that I was having such a horrible day?<br />
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The past 36 hours or so have been kinda on the crappy side. I came home from work in a really awful mood, for many reasons, the least of which was the hour I had just been stuck in traffic.<br />
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I walked into my room, to change out of my work clothes, only to find a package on my bed. Hmmm...what's this?<br />
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Look what I found in the box:<br />
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Oh my holy hell!!! It's SO stinkin' cute!!!!! My sweet Bloggy Buddy, <a href="http://ricochet07.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ricochet</a>, sent this adorable bag to me, completely out of the blue. It literally brought tears to my eyes. It was exactly the bit of joy I needed today. And, it seriously warmed my heart to know that just because I've been away from the Blogosphere FOREVER, I haven't been forgotten.<br />
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Thank you, Ricochet!! Your kindness is such a blessing!<br />
<br />ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-28007481441810267072015-03-10T17:43:00.001-05:002015-03-10T17:43:30.256-05:00Reason #937 Why I love ChicagoI am in my car, driving home from dropping off my Monkey. My car says it is currently 58° outside. We are having a bit of a "heat wave" this week here in Chitown. I just passed two kids in shorts and T-shirts, outside playing. I love it! I can't believe I haven't seen anyone in flip-flops today.ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-56651640094015571212015-03-09T19:58:00.000-05:002015-03-09T19:58:31.324-05:00What does it mean when......my dinner consists of Buffalo Chicken Dip and tortilla chips, and a glass of moscato? <br />
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THE SEASON FINALE OF THE BACHELOR IS ON!<br />
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I probably should be embarrassed to admit that I even still watch this show. And, really, the past few seasons have been so horrible, I didn't really watch them. However, I'm just crazy about Prince Farming. I can't help it. I especially love how involved Jimmy Kimmel has been this season, as I just adore him. He brings out Chris' funny side, and they both crack me up.<br />
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Ok, gotta get back to my show. And, my chips. And, my wine. :PChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-56158109812231201042015-03-02T20:44:00.000-06:002015-03-02T20:46:50.489-06:00Bear Tie BallLast week, Magnum told me that, thanks to a case he has been working, we were going to be attending a black tie event. It was called the <a href="http://bearnecessities.org/NewsEvent/BearTieBall.aspx" target="_blank">Bear Tie Ball</a>. It is an annual event for the <a href="http://bearnecessities.org/HomePage.aspx" target="_blank">Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation</a>. <br />
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We had such a wonderful evening! We definitely are NOT "black tie event" people. And, this was a very "froo froo, shoo shoo" event (yes, that IS the technical term, thank you very much!) which we would never be able to afford on our own. Thank you, Crazy Client, for funding our awesome night!!<br />
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It was really fun to get all dressed up. Magnum commented that the last time we got to get dressed up like this was our wedding. =) The event was held at the gorgeous Union Station here in ChiTown. It was simply beautiful.<br />
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Because we don't get to get this dressed up often, Magnum was all about snapping pictures. We have a bunch of bad iPhone photos from that night. I played around and made them black and white, just to class 'em up a little. :P (My dress was actually navy blue. More on that in a minute...)<br />
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Ok, I'm sorry, but all I see here are my boobs!</div>
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Check out Magnum's shoes!! He LOVED them, and got a ton of compliments that night. =)<br />
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Here's a really BAD selfie Magnum tried to take of us to send to his buddy.<br />
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We had such an amazing time that before we even left, Magnum said he would love for us to start socking away a little money each week so that we can attend again next year. I think it's a wonderful idea!! Maybe we can sock away enough to actually bid on something this time!<br />
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Ok, quick note about my dress...<br />
I may have mentioned at some point in the 8 years I've been here that my brother was supposed to get married back in 2000, and called it off just weeks before the wedding. Of course, by then, our bridesmaid dresses were purchased, altered, and ready to go. 15 years ago, I paid $350 for that damn dress, and then it never came out of the damn bag! When Magnum told me we were going to this event, I immediately freaked out because I had NO idea what I was going to wear. Guys have it easy, he just went and rented a tux.<br />
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I spent a half a day just stressing out before I remembered that dress, which had been hanging in the closet for 15 years, along with the damn shoes (which were another $100!!) I pulled it out, tried it on, and hey! It fit! Well, there were definitely a few more lumps and bumps than there were 15 years ago, but it wasn't anything some great shapewear couldn't handle. The only problem was with the jacket. The sleeves were long, and for some reason, <i>too</i> long for me. What the hell, did my arms shrink since I bought the dress?! I spent another day trying to come up with an alternative, even calling one of my good friends to see about the dress she wore to her sister's wedding. Finally, on Thursday, I figured I'd better get the dress cleaned, just in case I ended up wearing it. When I went to the dry cleaners, it suddenly occurred to me that I should see if they could shorten the sleeves. I knew it was a long shot, since it was already Thursday, but I figured the worst they could say is "no," right? I asked the seamstress about making them 3/4 length sleeves. Then, I got REALLY bold, and asked if she could have it ready the next day (Friday). And, thank the sweet Lord, she said yes! I figured, this way, if I still didn't like it, I Friday night, and all day Saturday to look for something else.<br />
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Well, clearly the jacket turned out great. I'm so glad I finally got to wear the dress, as it really was pretty. And looking at those pictures made me remember just how far I've come from this:<br />
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I've been beating myself up lately because I've "fallen off the wagon," which is probably evident in those first pictures. But, I'm saving that for another post. In the meantime, I'm going to try and remind myself to be proud of where I am right now.ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-20423958730852749212015-02-16T18:49:00.002-06:002015-02-16T18:53:06.136-06:00What did YOU do for Valentine's Day?Ok, so Magnum turned 50 last Friday. I know I've posted more than once about how his birthday is the day before Valentine's Day, and how I always used to make it a big, combined celebration back in the day. Well, I managed to tie the two together again this year. I surprised him the night of his birthday with concert tickets. For a concert that was the next night. Valentine's Day. And, man, did I do good....<br />
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We went to see........<br />
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Ok, they actually look more like this now.....<br />
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We freakin' saw Fleetwood Mac!!!<br />
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Man, oh man, did they put on an incredible show!! I don't know if you are aware of this, but they are no longer spring chickens. (Mick 67, John 69, Christine 71, Lindsey 65, Stevie 66) We were seriously impressed with the show they put on that night. They played for 2 1/2 hours, with no intermission. There was a point, about half-way through, where everyone but Lindsey Buckingham went backstage for a few minutes, and he did a solo, but it was less than 10 minutes. We were amazed at their stamina.<br />
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Speaking of stamina, let me just say, Lindsey Buckingham is a freakin' MACHINE! That man was up and down, back and forth, all over that stage. He can still play that guitar like a rock star. It was incredible.<br />
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Stevie's pipes aren't quite what they used to be, but she still sounded great. She can't quite hit the top of her range anymore, so she adjusted a few notes here and there. But, it took nothing away from the show. And, let me tell you, she can still dance and move, and play The Diva. (She actually did two costume changes, which for some reason, amused the hell out of Magnum.)<br />
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It was really just an awesome night. We were cracking up, though, at the crowd. They were all geezers like us! Most of the men were gray and/or bald, and we lost count of the number of canes/walkers/wheelchairs we saw. For real! We thought it was so funny. Although, I didn't think it was funny when none of them stood up during the show. I was dying to get up and dance, like I've done at every single other concert I've ever been to. But, I didn't want to stand in front of the people behind me unless they were standing, so I just kept my behind in my seat. Although, we DID get up during the encores, and I got my boogie on. There was a group one section over, and a few rows back, from us, who were up and dancing the whole time. I kept telling Magnum that I wanted to move over where they where, but I didn't want to make the people in my row stand up and let me out!<br />
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While we were waiting to get into the venue, we noticed a sign hanging on the wall above the doors. It was one of those "we are not responsible....." type postings. But, in the wording, the old name for the venue (The Rosemont Horizon) was used. (It is now called the Allstate Arena.) That made me think about the very first time I was there. (Actually I feel like I shared this story before...) It was the very first concert I ever went to, and Magnum took me. We went to see ZZ Top. As we were talking about that night, it suddenly occurred to me that that was ALSO for Magnum's birthday. His 21st, to be exact. It was almost 29 years to the day. (I actually looked it up, and that concert was on Feb. 27) The part I think I shared before is how, after the concert, on our way out, I fell down a whole flight of stairs. Magnum jokingly asked if I was planning to do that again that night and I said, "Jeez, I hope not, cuz this time I'd probably break a damn hip!" He then made some kind of crack about how he'd just borrow a walker from somebody there for me. Ah....the joys of aging....<br />
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I hope you all did something great for your Valentine's Day, too. =)ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-21094713815552440812015-02-06T18:01:00.000-06:002015-02-06T18:01:22.734-06:00My new obsession......lately has been this yummy little snack I threw together the other day. I had a little bit of peanut butter left in a jar, and wanted to use it/get rid of it, to make room in the refrigerator. So, on a whim, I grabbed some Greek yogurt (one of my other obsessions) out the fridge, too. I put the PB in a bowl, and warmed it a few seconds in the microwave, just to soften it up. (It was about 1/4-1/3 cup, maybe?) Then I mixed it with about a cup of yogurt, and a drizzle of agave syrup. (Only because I was using natural PB). I mixed the hell out of it, then said, "Hey! Why not add a little cinnamon?!" You know, cuz it's supposed to help regulate blood sugar and stuff.<br />
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Man, let me tell you, that concoction smelled heavenly! I sliced up a delicious, crisp, tart Granny Smith apple, and got to dippin'! Mouth-gasm!! It's very reminiscent of a taffy apple, but without all the "bad" stuff. I think the next time I make it, I may either add some chopped nuts (to REALLY get that Taffy Apple effect) or some flax seed. They would add some crunch, and I'm guessing, up the nutritional benefits.<br />
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I'm 100% certain some of you have already thought of this, and probably have enjoyed it many times. But, I love it too much not to share. I should have snapped a picture of it today when I made it (for the third time this week!) but I just couldn't resist shoving it in my pie hole. Sue me...ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-8221331474598938892015-02-02T13:48:00.000-06:002015-02-02T13:58:23.513-06:00The official number......is 19.2 inches.<br />
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We spent another 3+ hours clearing snow this morning. (We had to wait until 7 am to start, so we didn't disturb the neighbors.) Much easier this morning than yesterday, since there weren't the strong blowing winds we had to deal with yesterday. It took much less time. However, it's much colder today. It was around 19° while we were shoveling. But, without the gusting wind, it felt warmer than yesterday. Go figure.<br />
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But, I hear we're supposed to get more snow on Tuesday. I'm just going to embrace it as another chance to get a great workout. On my favorite news show this morning, they did a demonstration to show just how heavy the snow is, and how much of a workout you get shoveling. A cubic foot of snow (about the average shovelful) weighed in at 15 lbs. They said that shoveling an average driveway here in Chicago, which is generally 10x20, means that you would move literally a ton of snow. My driveway is double wide, and extra long, since my garage is all the way at the back of my lot. Between my driveway, the neighbors, and my parents', I plan to shovel close to 5 tons of snow on Tuesday. Go me!ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-61202434371370231012015-02-02T00:29:00.000-06:002015-02-02T13:15:43.640-06:00This is me...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/dancing%20penguin%20gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="dancing penguin gif photo: Dancing Penguin 2782280.gif" border="0" src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj227/rockygirlcat/Vehicles%20Dancing%20Animations/2782280.gif" height="300" width="400" /> </a></div>
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...thanks to the first real snow of the season. When all is said and done, by the morning, we could have as much as 19 inches on the ground.</div>
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This snow, however, is really making me miss my Buster. I can see him right now, running, jumping, just generally frolicking in the mounds of snow in the yard. He was always happiest in this kind of weather, and would instantly become that playful puppy again.</div>
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~~sigh~~</div>
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Magnum and I spent quite a bit of time clearing snow today. He actually plowed twice here at home. He went out early, before church, and did our driveway and sidewalk, as well our neighbor's. By the time we got home from church, it looked like he hadn't done a thing. We went to my parents' and took care of their driveway and sidewalk, before coming home and doing ours again. It was a tiring, chilly few hours, but it was a good workout. Plus, it looks so darn pretty out there! Ok, I'll stop now, before <a href="http://www.laughingatchaos.com/" target="_blank">Jen</a> reaches through her computer and smacks the crap out of me. :-/</div>
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Oh, one last thing. Stud and I will both be enjoying a Snow Day tomorrow. Love it!! =)</div>
ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-35224707935463444242015-01-08T09:13:00.001-06:002015-01-08T09:14:15.849-06:00Good night, Sweet Prince...We just got home from the local animal welfare place. We needed to put our sweet Buster down this morning. I had intended to do a proper post when the time came, but our internet went out last night, so I'm posting this from my phone. I don't know if this is even going to work. <div><br></div><div>Since I cannot use my computer to post, I tried to pull some pictures from old posts. I know there is a better way to do it, but this was the best I could do for today.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1ncStJs5RbdE6Hs53ldiayRtkAaXqwezv-gVta_UPgWv8Pu3AvrZOSbfOlbWKcu_MISYMewFqhq85cUiliqoDEvWJLXuhgTFseC9zSQ8BoZq89Y423LDVhorsERNSXYHVkfZNa70qEsr/s640/blogger-image--948767354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1ncStJs5RbdE6Hs53ldiayRtkAaXqwezv-gVta_UPgWv8Pu3AvrZOSbfOlbWKcu_MISYMewFqhq85cUiliqoDEvWJLXuhgTFseC9zSQ8BoZq89Y423LDVhorsERNSXYHVkfZNa70qEsr/s640/blogger-image--948767354.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1z_u4e4d-q-nfgjeb4sgtSMSNyWBgdOI6kNxffBL-Hb3vRNlusv-lgUtKtpznzQK9x1XH7u_1alGqnjiDItEvwb9Gt34MhUHQ3iEmhyzx9WL9lzTbhq8VHwGZq4_HZ4zVQZuP9y6o2-F/s640/blogger-image--2143945510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1z_u4e4d-q-nfgjeb4sgtSMSNyWBgdOI6kNxffBL-Hb3vRNlusv-lgUtKtpznzQK9x1XH7u_1alGqnjiDItEvwb9Gt34MhUHQ3iEmhyzx9WL9lzTbhq8VHwGZq4_HZ4zVQZuP9y6o2-F/s640/blogger-image--2143945510.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwexmEFetoloU388Jvl3-noixB-1_-zlx1AB8D2mc_OgDA0k2zsYHStSY0RVvhovH4J6PSPWYKgy0EGf9QLcC9SnDgYnqDu3B8-mne79WygZj96G8PsNYOUNZyLvtqlgkkKkVUFME2e6f/s640/blogger-image--1529197129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwexmEFetoloU388Jvl3-noixB-1_-zlx1AB8D2mc_OgDA0k2zsYHStSY0RVvhovH4J6PSPWYKgy0EGf9QLcC9SnDgYnqDu3B8-mne79WygZj96G8PsNYOUNZyLvtqlgkkKkVUFME2e6f/s640/blogger-image--1529197129.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICFkKWcOQlHKF-_-I-InBxUWRC17QsktttnMAUbfe4z6L-9MLszUDaGTUacBgDUjVMtg7LqBd8yKwA8rUu4bmvlfdLbdpNAByi93zAlfPFFl_EfEK73Msha376_9mZARi_wugyILFLIhS/s640/blogger-image-21192888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICFkKWcOQlHKF-_-I-InBxUWRC17QsktttnMAUbfe4z6L-9MLszUDaGTUacBgDUjVMtg7LqBd8yKwA8rUu4bmvlfdLbdpNAByi93zAlfPFFl_EfEK73Msha376_9mZARi_wugyILFLIhS/s640/blogger-image-21192888.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is one of my very favorite pictures of Dorky Dog. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkH2r63xEju3xTMkDn0yelQMMRR7sRXbbX8qhP-HC_4gzQrpJJ5LL0TxKOorNkNsD0-erMQ9FkdzgAM33N2eawhtp07CW8ngQtgGxa4RR087YawqwvpnmzvBNRcu91hwHqXHr0YPl-lIcH/s640/blogger-image-376902585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkH2r63xEju3xTMkDn0yelQMMRR7sRXbbX8qhP-HC_4gzQrpJJ5LL0TxKOorNkNsD0-erMQ9FkdzgAM33N2eawhtp07CW8ngQtgGxa4RR087YawqwvpnmzvBNRcu91hwHqXHr0YPl-lIcH/s640/blogger-image-376902585.jpg"></a></div>And, finally, my all-time favorite picture ever of Buster.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Cjmf5oozU3ZW2i-fKTlN7-oDl9EqtYCd4eN3T0YKLPwQtupMg1bGahBPti8-wvt4joy8-TFe6UyE4W7xjXQUS05CmWHlHzHv79_NaLPVHUNkt-eL42-UqoQt1fLDB-iPKmATG-3DvJbU/s640/blogger-image--1058790377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Cjmf5oozU3ZW2i-fKTlN7-oDl9EqtYCd4eN3T0YKLPwQtupMg1bGahBPti8-wvt4joy8-TFe6UyE4W7xjXQUS05CmWHlHzHv79_NaLPVHUNkt-eL42-UqoQt1fLDB-iPKmATG-3DvJbU/s640/blogger-image--1058790377.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Magnum is a complete mess right now. I'm waiting until later to have my breakdown. Right now, I need to mop the kitchen floor. You don't even want to know...</div><div><br></div><div>Good bye, Buster. We love you. </div>ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-60802688435090108212014-12-15T12:55:00.000-06:002014-12-15T12:55:44.415-06:00Just popping in to say......I don't have time to pop in!<br />
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Thankfully, I was able to get a bunch of hours with my sister's company. Actually, I guess I should stop calling it "my sister's company" since I am <i>also</i> their employee now, but whatever. We've been working like crazy since Black Friday. Today will probably be my only day off until Christmas. The only downside this year is that I'm actually working WITH my sister (no, THAT'S not the downside, smartasses!) which means I'm working downtown. The commute alone makes me hate it. I'm definitely not loving it like I did last holiday season, when I was at a suburban mall. But, the money is decent, and Lord knows, I need it.<br />
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Ok, like I said, this is probably my only day off, so I think I'm going to try and get some shopping done, and maybe bake a couple million cookies.<br />
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Or, maybe I'll give in to the desires of this old, worn-out body, and take a nap....<br />
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Happy Holidays to all my Bloggy Buddies!ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-90173910461469109782014-11-27T13:05:00.001-06:002014-11-27T13:05:37.470-06:00Thankful Thursday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNk2fV0JmeY3ZkDGmdt3DZQ8E-j4QmF-wdPDjxfWCEkiUAT34zUF2S7bNC69hyphenhyphenmnXCO9m47Ye5cxSLXdubmczGXyR5-SjwGQjC8P5oXNFO5VWJoX77aK5UQ8QVZ2wJeCSsuZb7sKxAZQoQ/s1600/thanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNk2fV0JmeY3ZkDGmdt3DZQ8E-j4QmF-wdPDjxfWCEkiUAT34zUF2S7bNC69hyphenhyphenmnXCO9m47Ye5cxSLXdubmczGXyR5-SjwGQjC8P5oXNFO5VWJoX77aK5UQ8QVZ2wJeCSsuZb7sKxAZQoQ/s1600/thanks.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-54650370512884222312014-11-26T21:01:00.000-06:002014-11-26T21:01:03.081-06:00Wii-U WednesdayStud has been obsessed lately with getting a Wii-U. He's been talking about it, non-stop, for weeks. And, yes, he's been annoying the bejeezus out of me with it! The thing that was bugging me the most is that his car insurance is due in the next couple of weeks, and we told him that HE needed to pay it this time. His father and I have been paying his insurance since he started driving. He didn't really have a "real" job then, so it wasn't really a big deal. Plus, I DID have a "real" job, and we could swing it.<br />
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Well, as you all know, I no longer have a "real" job, and Stud now has two jobs, so we felt it was time for him to start pulling his own weight around here. (And, for the record, we KNOW we should have done this years ago, but we can't go back in time :-/ )<br />
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Anyhoo, like I told you the other day, I threw a surprise party for him this past weekend. Thanks to my VERY generous family, he received enough money in gifts to pay his insurance AND get his new Wii-U. <br />
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He went to buy it last night. I swear, he was like a little kid on Christmas morning. I can't believe he didn't try and set it up last night when he got home. He went to buy it with a friend, and then they watched a movie. But, today, when he finally came up from his "cave," he started setting it up in the living room. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't even play with it until he charged the main controller, which took a couple hours. But, as I sit here typing, he's in the living room, having a blast. Moments like this make it even harder to believe that he's actually 21 now.... <br />
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I guess he'll always be my baby boy. =)ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-58842351572901858362014-11-25T10:09:00.001-06:002014-11-25T10:09:42.704-06:00Tidbit TuesdayI know I dropped the ball this weekend, and didn't post Saturday or Sunday. (Hey, I said I was <i>unofficially</i> doing NaBloPoMo...) But, I got busy and just didn't make it here. <br />
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Saturday, the son of one of my besties got married. The ceremony was at 12:30, and the reception was at 6, so it turned into kind of an all-day thing. Everything about the day was beautiful. We really had a nice time at the reception, too.<br />
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Then on Sunday, I threw a surprise party at the bar for Stud's 21st birthday. He was truly surprised. It was a fun night.<br />
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Have you ever known me to keep a post so short?! There are basically zero details here, huh? Very out of character for me, as you already know, I'm a total over-sharer (yes, that IS a word!) But, I'm tired, and not feeling so great, so that's all you're getting, sorry.ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-85268620768418847252014-11-24T14:15:00.001-06:002014-11-24T14:15:37.685-06:00Must-read MondayMy sweet friend, <a href="http://www.vodkamom.com/" target="_blank">VodkaMom</a>, wrote an <a href="http://www.vodkamom.com/2014/11/frankthe-missing-pagesand-book.html" target="_blank">awesome book</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Frank-Lessons-Learned-Kindergarten/dp/1500411213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416845107&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Book+of+Frank+Debbie+Marsh" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Frank-Lessons-Learned-Kindergarten/dp/1500411213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416845107&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Book+of+Frank+Debbie+Marsh" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVw9eqyBpnREwFruSgmM2leMwatOhI-MUCUozh_uKKbyi_LqSnJijm_1Avd8u4J8jHXv0eMyfFozgDMHD343KiLrBOYRM-st54rgkQ03A8msKR4Gthh7WkjkLmn3Xb-00dDgohdHR4O3zF/s1600/frankcover.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a></div>
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Every one of my teacher friends will relate to the hilarious stories and anecdotes in this masterpiece. Even if you're not a teacher, you will laugh your ass off!! If you've never checked out <a href="http://www.vodkamom.com/" target="_blank">Vodka's blog</a>, you have no idea what you've been missing. She is hysterical!<br />
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If you have any teachers in your life, this is the PERFECT little gift for the holidays. Actually, it would be a great gift for any parent. Hell, it would be an awesome gift for anyone with a sense of humor!<br />
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I'm so proud of my girlfriend. This was a true labor of love. And, damn it, she makes me miss being in a classroom with her stories about her babies!<br />
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I was blown away when I opened my copy, and got to the third page of her "Acknowledgements." She included me in a list of Bloggy Buddies that she was thanking! I'm still a bit weepy over it.<br />
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Please go check out her blog, and her book!!<br />
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<br />ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-84072684510214125552014-11-21T23:50:00.001-06:002014-11-21T23:50:20.268-06:00Freaky FridayMy Bloggy Buddies who have been around for a while might remember <a href="http://iteachkdg.blogspot.com/search/label/BH" target="_blank">this guy</a>.<br />
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Yeah...well....we had breakfast together today...<br />
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Freaky Friday, indeed....ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-19464705768041083122014-11-20T22:50:00.001-06:002014-11-20T22:50:53.664-06:00Thrilling ThursdayI got to watch the "Winter Finale*" of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal tonight, live. Yep, I wasn't needed at the bar again tonight. Poop for the lack of business, and lack of paycheck for me, BUT yay for live vs. DVR.<br />
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*Ok, when the hell did THIS become a thing?!?! I hate that my shows won't be back until January now. >:(ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-68822062464474649152014-11-19T16:17:00.000-06:002014-11-19T16:20:14.500-06:00Wonderful WednesdaySo, around 11 this morning, I got a phone call. All I heard when I answered the phone was, "Lee Lee? I was wondering if you would like to come ovuh?" It was my Monkey!!!<br />
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I jumped in the shower, and got dressed, and an hour and half later, I was at my brother's. (Have I mentioned how much I HATE how far he lives from me?!?!) While I was driving, it occurred to me that tonight is an overnight for him, and I immediately started plotting in my head how I was going to get to take her home with me. ;-)<br />
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Later tonight, we are having a Girls' Night at my mom's house. My mom, sister, sister-in-law KC (Ok, my brother's long-time <i>girlfriend</i>, but after almost 15 freakin' years, we consider her our sister-in-law!), a good friend of ours and myself try to plan these Girls' Nights every couple of months. We usually do them at our friend's house, but this time, my mom volunteered to host. I started thinking I would ask my brother if Monkey could join us for Girls' Night for a while, then he could come pick her up later. I was really going to play up the angle that if I took her with me, he could run errands, go to the bar and get some work done, or just nap. I was prepared to pull out all the stops until I wore him down, and he let me take my Monkey home.<br />
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Minutes after I walked in his door, I casually asked, "So, you have Monkey overnight tonight, right?"<br />
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"Yep..."<br />
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"Well, you know, Mom's hosting Girls' Night tonight. I was thinking maybe she could join us..."<br />
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"Yeah, I know, KC <his girlfriend=""> mentioned it to me. She actually said the same thing."</his><br />
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SCORE!! Way to go, KC!! Long story short, my Monkey is currently sound asleep in my bed. When she gets up from her nap, we are going to make cookies to take to Nonna's house for Girls' Night. Yay!!ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-88403942794719608832014-11-18T19:54:00.000-06:002014-11-19T07:56:15.255-06:00Tundra TuesdayWhen Stud left for school this morning, the windchill was -11°. Like his mother, he tried to walk out of here in just a T-shirt and hoodie. I finally got him to put a coat on, convincing him that a hoodie is fine if he's running from the car to the building, but God forbid his car broke down, or he got stuck somewhere, a hoodie wasn't gonna cut it for more than about 5 minutes. (In fairness to me, I always keep a coat in my car, even if I don't wear it. I also have gloves, mittens, ear muffs, and hand warmers. I like to be prepared, ya know.)<br />
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I guess we nearly broke a record for our low/high temps today. Apparently, the average high temp for today is 47°, but we only hit 19°. Ahhhh, refreshing.... <br />
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Yeah, I know, this post is painfully boring. But, hey, I needed an excuse to use my newly discovered degrees sign!! ;-)ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-36458556020514159422014-11-17T19:21:00.001-06:002014-11-17T19:21:35.050-06:00Is there something you want to tell me?For the second Monday in a row now, my brother told me not to bother going to work at the bar tonight. You might remember he had me stay home last Thursday, too. Did he fire me and not tell me?!<br />
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Actually, it's been a little slow lately at the bar, which is why he doesn't really want me to drive all the way out there. It would be a waste of my time. Plus, it saves him on some payroll. I'm ok with it, really. Once again, I get to watch my shows live, instead of on the DVR in the middle of the night. <br />
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It's so funny to me that my two favorite nights for television are Monday and Thursday, and those are the two nights I work at the bar. Anyhoo, I'm off to watch Dancing with the Stars. LIVE! =)ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-62896704598232918582014-11-17T08:26:00.001-06:002014-11-17T08:26:25.610-06:00Ahhh...gotta love that crisp, morning air...Like I mentioned the other day, I barely sleep anymore. So, I've been up for hours now (it's about 8:15am) and I've been watching our outdoor temp slowly climb each hour during the weather segment of my favorite <a href="http://wgntv.com/category/morning-news/" target="_blank">morning news show</a>. Right now, it's all the way up to a balmy 13°. =)<br />
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The best part of this post? I finally figured out how to insert the degrees sign!!!! It's about damn time!ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-66242172826892663612014-11-16T19:53:00.000-06:002014-11-17T08:12:55.463-06:00Really?! Well, it's YOUR money...So, Magnum bought another snow blower today. I guess the flurries and slight (SLIGHT!) accumulation we had yesterday scared him or something. I had absolutely nothing to do with this decision. He didn't even tell me until after he already bought it online. He only mentioned it because we had to clean out the back of my truck so we could pick it up.<br />
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I know I posted about the snow blower we bought last year. I don't know if I mentioned that immediately after we bought it, the one we have at his parents' house stop working. We had bought a second one so we wouldn't have to keep transporting the one we already had from house to house, and in the windup, that's what we ended up doing all winter anyway. :-/<br />
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I guess at some point this summer, unbeknownst to me, he actually had his brother-in-law help him take the broken blower to a guy to see about getting it fixed. This goofy guy told him he only fixes lawn mowers in the summer, and snow blowers in the winter. HUH?! He told Magnum to bring it back in November. That makes absolutely no sense to us, but he wouldn't budge. So, bottom line, it's still sitting in his parents' garage, not working.<br />
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Magnum's plan is to keep this new one at his parents' house, and then get the old one fixed and keep it at MY parents' house. (They have the smallest amount of ground that needs to be shoveled. Our house and his parents' both have very long, double-width driveways) That will definitely make it a lot easier to take care of their snow. It's not that easy to drag that huge snow blower around, taking it in and out of my truck. We did that with our lawnmower for years, too, before my parents just decided to get a lawn service. You should see how torn up the back of my truck is from dragging these two huge machines around.<br />
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Just for the record, I thinks it's excessive for us to own three snow blowers, but like I said, it's <i>his</i> money. However, I will admit that I'm grateful I won't have to shovel the huge snowfalls anymore, and that I won't have to wait for Magnum to be around to take the machine in and out of the truck for me. I like to be able to do things by myself, ya know?<br />
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Anyhoo, that was our excitement today. We really live a wild and crazy life. We should really try and take it down a notch, don't you think?<br />
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(How obvious is it that I'm unofficially participating in NaBloPoMo?! For the two people who hadn't figured it out, that accounts for the super boring, super rambling posts lately. But, it was the kick in the pants I needed to get back into the swing of posting regularly again.)ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-4988897288277783172014-11-15T07:36:00.000-06:002014-11-16T19:37:17.343-06:00So, as I was saying...We visited with my mom for a while, telling her the whole saga of the missing phone. Then we eventually said our good-byes so we could head to the bank. As we were walking out her door, Stud says, "Hey, where are my glasses?!" <br />
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ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!??!<br />
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I seriously wanted to punch him in the throat! If I was <a href="http://daybydaywithsuz.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Suz</a>, I would have shanked him!<br />
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I KNOW he had them on his face when we were walking out of Walmart, so we figured they HAD to be either in my car, or my parents' house. But, lately, he has gotten into this habit of hanging his glasses on the collar of his shirt. You know, instead of actually WEARING them!! So, there was no telling where the hell he might have actually lost them. My fear was they fell off his shirt when he was either helping me put our bags in the car or when he was putting our empty cart in the cart corral. If either of those had happened, all I could picture was his glasses smashed in the parking lot, having been run over by who knows how many cars. <br />
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He and his grandmother looked all over her house, while I searched every nook and cranny of the car. Nothing. We decided we had to drive all the way back to Walmart and search the lot. Grrrr!<br />
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We drove back to the area where I thought I had parked, and looked up and down the parking lot, and in the cart corrals. No glasses. Stud went into the store and asked at customer service if anyone had turned in any glasses. Nope. He then went and looked in every single cart at the entrance. Nothing. We did one more drive through the parking lot, but didn't find anything.<br />
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By now, my blood pressure was sky-high, and I may or may not have been screaming at him about how damn irresponsible he is, and how HE was going to be paying for a new pair of glasses, while listening to him whine about how now he can't even drive because he needs his glasses. The whole scene was something out of a bad reality TV show. I'm not proud of it, but I know how I can get. :-/<br />
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We finally left Walmart, and headed to the bank, then went home. Magnum was already home when we got there. I walked into my bathroom, and the first thing I saw on my sink was a pair of men's glasses next to my own glasses. I asked Magnum if they were his, but they weren't. I called Stud over, and you guessed it. They were his! <br />
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What. The. Actual. Fuck.<br />
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I haven't got anything close to a rational explanation for how those glasses ended up in my bathroom. Well, other than Divine Intervention, that is. The entire time I was driving back to Walmart, I was praying and praying for us to find those glasses. Right now, we really can't afford to be replacing glasses that cost over $350. Plus, like Stud said, he can't drive without them, and it would have taken a minimum of a week to have a new pair made. I would have had to drive him everywhere until the new ones were ready. I should probably mention that he DOES has a second pair, but they broke about a month ago, and we never got around to bringing them to the eye doctor to get repaired, mostly because I was afraid of how much it would cost. So, yeah, I was praying hard to find this pair.<br />
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Not only do I KNOW he had them on his face when we left Walmart, there would have been no reason for his glasses to be in my bathroom in the first place. Magnum and Stud are basically barred from using "my" bathroom. They share the bathroom in the basement, and I have the upstairs bathroom all to myself. Magnum is lucky I let him occasionally pee in there so he doesn't have to go down to the basement every time. But, Stud just about NEVER uses my bathroom. MAYBE once a week, if that. That's mostly because he never ventures up from the basement unless he's at work or school. <br />
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My point is, I have no freakin' clue how or why those glasses were in my bathroom, but you better believe a sent up a giant prayer of gratitude. My mother was completely freaked out by this whole thing. How about you? Does it freak you out or reaffirm your faith? I'd love to hear what you have to say.ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5650590016019338443.post-53747716841345188592014-11-14T20:30:00.000-06:002014-11-16T18:42:53.591-06:00F@%* Me, FridayStud and I had a very busy day today. He worked early this morning at the grocery store, then when he came home, we took a drive out to his school to take care of a few things. He needed to pick up his paycheck, and find out about, what we thought were, missing checks.<br />
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We were there for quite a while, and walked from one end of the campus to the other. We walked back across the campus to the car, and as we were getting in, Stud realized his phone was missing. UGH! He frantically searched the car, but it wasn't in there. We then realized we were going to have to retrace every step we had taken in the last hour and a half. Double UGH! <br />
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Now, let me back up a minute and get some bitching out of the way. When Stud came home from work, he changed out of his uniform. He put on a T-shirt, and his flippin' pajama pants. I can't STAND it when he wears his pajama pants out in public, which he does all the damn time, including to class. Granted, they are solid black and fleecy, as opposed to plaid flannel, or something like that, so they sort of just look like sweatpants. But, still, I think he just looks sloppy, because they are so loose and baggy. I asked him to put jeans on, but he refused.<br />
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So, now let's go back to school. We established that the phone must have fallen out of his pocket. He got back out of the car, and started retracing his steps. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention that as we walked from building to building, I used to concrete walking paths. Stud, on the other hand, took the "short cut" and walked across the grass. I'm pretty sure it was just to annoy me. :-/ <br />
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He started to walk across the first patch of grass he walked across when we got there, then went into the building. I originally was going to wait in the car, since it was freezing outside, plus I was pissed at him for being so irresponsible. But, after about a minute, I figured, what the hell, I might as well look, too. I took about 5 steps across the grass, between the same two trees he JUST walked between, and lo and behold, there, buried in the carpet of ivy on the ground, was his damn phone. I think I was more annoyed that he had just walked past it a minute ago and didn't even see it, than the fact that he dropped it in the first place. <br />
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Stud seems to have whatever that gene is that most men have. When they are "looking" for something, unless it jumps up and bites them in the nose, they can't see it. ANNOYING!<br />
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After I found the phone, I still ended up having to literally chase Stud all around campus. Gee, if only I could have called him on his PHONE to say I found his PHONE. He was too far ahead of me to even try yelling across the open campus for him. I had to just hope that at some point, he would stop long enough for me to catch up. Luckily, that's exactly what happened. I finally found him in the department office where he works, on the phone with security, trying to see what they could do for him.<br />
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Ok, so we walked ALL the way back to the car again, and went on our merry way. From there we went straight to my favorite store (yes, Walmart!) We were there for a while, then had to stop at my parents' on the way home to pick up one of his paychecks before heading to the bank. That's when the next part of this craptastic day happened. But, I'm going to save it for tomorrow, so I'll have something to post about. Besides, this post has already been WAY too long, and WAY too boring! ;-)ChiTown Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09240876368610100419noreply@blogger.com0