Night Owl No More

No time for posting last night. Jon left for Alabam-e yesterday so I decided to have dinner with a couple of girl friends, 1 of which still didn't know I was pregnant. (She got the nice dinner tell!)
After they left, it was bed for me by 8:30.

This is the worst part of pregnancy for me so far. I love to stay up late. Those are the hours I have to read, watch TV, blog, whatever. Right now, it's sleep, eat, work... lather, rinse, repeat. I know, I know, I shouldn't complain! Let's hope tiredness is the worst of my complaints. :)

I'm sure I won't be able to stay up late enough for Lost tonight, so I'll have to keep the radio off and not listen to any water cooler stories until after I've viewed it myself. For those of you who can stay up, enjoy!

Just Like in the Movies...

When I told Jon I was pregnant, I did it so perfectly with a special prepared meal and planned speech... yeah, right!

It was five am on a Saturday morning and I really had to pee. I've taken dozens of pregnancy tests over the years and all have been negative so I didn't give it much thought as I tiptoed to the bathroom for my regular disappointment.

Seconds later I freaked out, ran into the bedroom, thrust the stick under my sleeping husband's face and screamed, "Do you see two lines?!"

Forcing his sleep-drugged eyes open, his reaction was: "What? Oh. Honey I think you're pregnant."

After gulping air and calming myself down (you'd think after two years of trying I would have been more prepared and less scared to death, but no), we shared a snuggle and some congratulations.

"We could go back to sleep," I offered helpfully noting the time was only 5:20.

Jon just groaned and hit me with the pillow. "Just like in the movies," he laughed. Needless to say, we got up very early that morning.

So I'm wondering did any of you mommies out there manage to tell your daddies in a nicer way? Though I don't see what could be nicer than sharing my pee on a stick...

Milking It

I was hoping to tell you some of the stories I have been saving up these past few weeks, but I'm wiped. I guess they'll hold over another day.

For now, I'm milking my pregnancy status and crawling under the covers early.

Nighty-night! :)

Secret's Out!

Some of you may have noticed my lack of interest in blogging as of late. I haven’t had much to say and I’ve skipped several days of posting. Don’t worry, I’m not thinking about quitting my blog. I’ve just been waiting for the right time to share a secret and thus haven’t had much else to say. So………….

I’m pregnant!

As most of you know, Jon and I have been trying to get pregnant for the last couple of years with no success so this is very big news to us.

It’s very early yet, only 6 ½ weeks, but we’re too excited not to tell. Actually Jon and I were willing to wait till the 8 week ultrasound, but the soon-to-be-grandparents were having trouble containing their excitement. We figured we may as well tell people too, rather than have our friends hear through the grapevine.

Please keep us in your prayers, send us good vibes, cross your fingers and toes, or whatever else your spirituality demands so that we’ll have a nice, healthy baby next Sept. :)

Health Update

I realized I haven't posted any of the good news about my mother-in-law. Though she did have to return to MN and spend another week in the hospital there, ever since then things have been looking up. Her cancer counts dropped significantly after her first chemo and she has had a second one since so we're expecting another good drop.

She's doing so well that she was cleared for travel again. Good timing, since my sister-in-law just had a new baby boy last Sunday. (Congrats Laurie & Anthony!) My in-laws headed out to Philadelphia to see baby Ben for a few days and then are headed back south to Gulf Shores, Alabama to take advantage of the last month of their winter rental. Better late than never!

Jon is driving their car over next Wednesday, spending a few days, and then flying back on Sunday. I noticed he chose a flight that arrived in time for the Super Bowl even though it added a few hours of unnecessary lay over time earlier in the day. Every man has his priorities.

Doppleganger

I kind of believe that everyone out there has a twin. There's someone walking around with my face right now. (For her sake, I hope she has better, thicker, and more lustrous hair.) She might have even lived near me in college. I kept getting mistaken for this girl who everyone said looked just like me, though I could never find her to confirm this fact. Maybe the universe wouldn't allow us to be in the same place at the same time ala Superman and Clark Kent.

I'm not sure that I found Jerry's twin, but maybe his brother. For those of you who know the Jer-bear and also have access to Dave and Busters commercials, there is one playing right now that features a guy very similar to our Jerry. The hair is too short and when you really scrutinize him it isn't an exact match. But there are a couple of times when he gets this goofy grin and makes his eyes wide with laughter that I totally see Jerry.

That sounded bad. Jerry does not look goofy, but he does make these characteristic Jerry facial expressions - that is what I was referring to! Please tell me that you've seen it and that I'm not alone in this observation.

And if you ever do run into my twin, please tell me that I'm the cuter version.

3 Day Work Week

Not much new to report except my extreme exuberance that tomorrow is already Thursday!! I wish all work weeks could be 3 days long. (I don't count the planning day on Tuesday, it's not "work" when there are no kids to teach. Too relaxing to count, I guess.)

Right now, I'm watching my husband jog around the yard in the pouring rain with the weed-n-feed bucket. He likes to fertilize when he knows a nice rain will wash it deep into the soil. Give Juan's Yard Service a call if you ever need a dedicated yard man. Bonus: he "looks like the type" or so he was told by a snooty-Mercedes-driving-woman who asked him to load up her sod at the greenery! :)

I'm also dreaming of a good dinner. I don't know what I'm hungry for and we don't have that much to choose from in the fridge. I'm hoping something delicious will materialize....

Any moment now...

Ryan IS a Champion

What more is there to say??

Beer + painting labor exchange on LBF's room + the promise that we will finally view Black Snake Moan (and in the near future The Departed) = Ryan coming over and in a couple of hours fixing what Comcast has been attempting for over a month.

I finally got to see my new TV in all its HD splendor! Thank you! Thank you!

To my blog readers: You are lucky that we are in the middle of a writers strike, otherwise I might never blog again and simply spend all of my free time being HD-captivated.

Stuffed

I've had a great weekend so far and the best part is - it's not over yet! I love these three day weekends! My fun has pretty much revolved around food this weekend, hence the blog title.

Yesterday, I met a couple of my co-workers (along with our moms and 1 daughter) for lunch. Then my mom and I went shopping for the afternoon. In the evening, Jon and I just wanted to relax and watch a movie. None of our Netflix choices appealed to us. (Every once in a while I get a dud bunch of 3. Of course I can only blame myself. What was I thinking getting 3 dramas in a row? One must have a rotation of comedy, action, drama in order to ensure there is a movie for every possible mood, but I digress.) Our Video on Demand wasn't working either. (Another long story involving 7 phone calls to Comcast over the last month, three technician visits, and an as of yet unresolved cable issue!) Luckily, I ran across the street to Venessa's and finagled an invitation for Jon and I to come over and watch Mr. Woodcock (pretty funny) while eating cupcakes (extremely delicious) she had freshly baked.

Today included a dinner and a movie outing with my Mom, Venessa, and a couple of her friends. We saw 27 Dresses (a perfect little romantic comedy) and ate way too much at Cheesecake Factory. Even though I'm still stuffed, the to-go cupcake she gave me last night is calling my name. I think if I change into sweatpants I can stretch my belly just enough to savor its chocolate-pepperminty goodness!

Sorry!

Sorry no posting for the last couple of days. I haven't been home in the evenings to blog. Good news is that means I've been out having fun!

Thursday Night
My mom and I went to Broadway on Ice. I had bought us the tickets as part of my mom's Christmas present but neither of us were that excited to go. Thankfully we were wrong. The show was amazing! I highly recommend it if it comes to your area. They had single skaters, pairs skaters, and chorus skaters all set to Broadway's biggest hits. The stage at the Broward Center was a little small so the skaters didn't have much room to build up speed for huge jumps or throws, but what they were able to do was still amazing. I loved the choreography. It was more dance-like since they needed to keep their movement smaller.

Highlights:
Dorothy Hamill. She still looks amazing and she is a very graceful skater. She was one of America's first sweethearts and they still love her 30+ years later. (Maybe Britney could learn a thing or two from her?)
Singing Guy. I don't know his name but he is the original and longest running Phantom from Phantom of the Opera. He sang many songs live while they skated. Wow! What a voice.
Piano Guy. Can't remember his name either. He was a comedian/piano player. He was hilarious! He did a whole riff on Ft Lauderdale giving us different versions of our own city song to choose from. My favorite version ended with the lyrics: "you even have your own Ikea store!" (shocking that I would like this one, huh?)

Friday Night
Annual dinner with Jon's Uncle Doug and his wife Barbara. They come down here to go on a cruise every year so we meet them for dinner the night before they leave port. It's always a good time. This year we decided to head over to Bass Pro and eat at the Islamorada Fish Co. I've never actually eaten in the restaurant side before. It was nice and the food was good. Interesting observation: the average age for their waitstaff is 55+ years old. Not something you see at most South Florida eateries.

Highlight:
The main focus of our evening involved deer meat. In exchange for a few good cigars, Doug brought down about 30 lbs of venison. (Add that to the 40 lbs we already had from Jon's deer he shot this fall and you have 7... a crapload of deer meat!) After dinner we had to meet one of Jon's coworkers for the second part of the exchange: we met in a dark parking lot and did a quick trunk transfer of 10 or so pounds of venison hamburger. This will eventually be coming back to us as smoked polish sausage. (Jon's going up to the guy's place tomorrow to help in the processing. We're hoping for a good turn out since the guy is 100% Polish himself!)

If anyone else is interested in procuring some venison, we'll be selling it out of the back of our SUV next to that van that sells stone crabs in Dania beach....

Pillow Talk

Me: Ow, ow! You're on my hair.

Jon: Ouch! Watch my nipple.

No, you don't have to stop reading for fear of TMI. This isn't an excerpt from some naughty tryst. This is Jon and I trying to survive a love attack from Rio last night.

Back when Rio was just a pup, Jon thought it would be cute to teach her to give me kisses. If he said the word, she would run, find me, and slather my face with licks. Over the years, she expanded the trick into its current nightly routine. Once Jon and I are both in bed and settled in for sleep, she starts her goodnights.

First she starts with me, crawling all around my head to lick from different angles. She particularly likes to lick right near the corners of my eyes. (It's a testament to how much I love her that I am able to endure this nightly.) Then she jumps to Jon (and I do mean jump) which is why sharp nails + bare chest = nipple damage. She tends to concentrate on the back of his ears. Back and forth she leaps several times until she tires and we can fight her off.

You might be thinking that it would be safer for us to retreat under the covers but we would tell you, from experience, that this maneuver is ill advised. It just causes her to dig and scratch ferociously on your head. It's better to lay back and suffer through it.

Are any of you other dog owners battered by such abuse?

Nuthin'

Yesterday was a busy day: I went to the eye doctor right after work and from there directly to Girl Scouts so by the time I got home and finished dinner it was... 10:10! I hate eating that late and then going directly to bed, but I was too tired to stay awake.

Today I was excited to come home, relax, and blog. I logged up the computer and... had nothing to say. I read everyone's blogs for inspiration and still had no idea what I wanted to say.

So here's nothing... :)

Torrential Rain

If you've never lived down south, I'm not sure you can appreciate the torrential rainstorms that we have (at least I never experienced anything like it when I lived up north). I'm not talking about tropical storm or hurricane type rain (that is definitely intense), but regular-old-afternoon-rain storms. It's like walking under a waterfall and drainage is so bad that it quickly pools till parking lots become ankle-deep lakes.

Well, we had one of those rains today. Since it happened when I was with my mom, it reminded me of another time she and I were caught in one of those rain storms....

It was several years ago and we had decided to meet Amy M. for an afternoon movie. The rain was coming down in buckets and we only had one umbrella. I hopped out of the car and went around the other side to get my mom out. Water was calf deep (if not deeper) and we were shuffling along together in that awkward umbrella dance where you try to keep both your heads under a little umbrella. I'm not sure why we were even bothering considering rain was flying at us from all directions and within seconds of being outside the vehicle we were drenched.

My mom, who was a newbie to these kinds of rains, kept screaming, "oh my god, oh my god" over and over. We had only made it about 10 feet when she bailed. "I can't make it," she declared in defeat, turning and sloshing back to the truck. Thinking this a wise decision, I decided to turn tail and run myself!

I got back to the truck, but got stuck attempting the tricky maneuver of getting back into the vehicle and closing the umbrella at the same time. (FYI: I still have not mastered this. I always end up half in, half out with my arm and umbrella stuck outside and rain pouring in. If there's a trick to this that anyone could share, please let me know.) Then the wind caught the umbrella and whipped it inside out. Now I was completely defenseless and struggling to somehow get the mangled umbrella into the truck without losing an eye.

My mother (ever the pragmatist) screams "leave it, just leave it!" I threw it into a heap, abandoning it forever to the murky depths of the Sawgrass Mills parking lake, and finally jumped inside. My mom was soaked. I was ...is there a word for beyond soaked?... saturated? The inside of the car looked like a wave of water had rolled through it. We were laughing so hard that I almost peed my pants. Who knows, I might have? I was too wet to notice anyway!

Needless to say, we had to call Amy and tell her we couldn't make it. She (armed with boots, rain jacket, and umbrella) was fine and watched the movie alone. Sorry again for that, Amy! Makes for a good story though.

For Pete:
I did my best to convey the humor of the situation, but it's kind of one of those "you had to be there" moments. Sorry if the story wasn't "captivating" enough!

P.F. Cirque

I have just enough time for a quick post between the nice dinner we had at P.F. Chang's and our theater outing to Cirque Jungle Dreams tonight.

Dinner was entertaining. Some random observations:

- P. F. Chang's takes reservations. Who knew? I know no other restaurant around here that takes reservations for parties of two. This means we had to eat at the bar, but it was actually quite nice and as a bonus we got to keep an eye on the Packers game while we ate.

- Is it weird that I loathe the Packers during regular season play, but once the Vikings are out, I switch my allegiance to the them (or the Bears)? I guess I must want some midwest representation.

- Though the sloppy snowy football game was entertaining, Jon and I were mostly absorbed in eavesdropping on the conversation of the bartenders. One guy was desperately trying to hit on the only girl back there and she was showing him no interest and herself was much more flirtatious with the other guys. We felt a little sorry for him. Later though he managed a boob grab and she didn't swat him away so we were perplexed... the joys of people watching.

- We only had three pieces of spicy chicken left and then a lot of Dan Dan noodles. When the barkeep was putting the leftovers in the boxes, one of the pieces of chicken stuck to the plate so he didn't bother putting it in. I could see Jon visibly snarl. (He also didn't add the brown rice, which Jon promptly corrected the minute he walked from our sight.)

We're looking forward to some acrobatic antics at the Cirque so we must be off.
Hope you all enjoyed your Saturday!

So Tired

Let's see: I worked 4 days this week, took 18 kindergartners to Mrs. Wishy-Washy's farm, and... and... nope, that's pretty much it. I'm not sure how it's possible to be this tired with only that short list of accomplishments, but I am!

I will have to update you on my boring life another day.

TGIF!

American Gladiators

So the last few nights I've been watching DVR'd episodes of the new American Gladiators. I must admit that the Gladiator names are really what draws me in: Venom, Justice, Wolf, Siren to name a few. (The guy who plays Wolf is so ridiculously cheesy that I have a bit of a crush on him actually.)

I love the crazy competitions they have: beating each other with jousting poles while standing on little pedestals high above a huge water tank; wrestling each other on a tipping platform; running across a bridge while tyring to maneuver around huge balls that pendulum into your path (I'm pretty sure Indiana Jones would kick butt at that one); and the huge obstacle type course at the end. I'm assuming all these events have names, but since I like to fast forward through as much of the boring stuff as possible (including all the motivational and inspirational contestant comments!), I have no idea what they are.

My favorite event is the one where the contests try to load different weapons and then shoot a target above the gladiators head. If they hit the target, the gladiator gets flung back into the air on this pulley-type gadget. Hard to explain if you've never seen it, but it looks wicked awesome! (Speaking of, I think Wicked has a nice ring to it for a gladiator name.) The wicked part of me would like to hook up a couple of my trouble makers to that gadget and fling them across the room and out of my teaching zone! (Can you tell I had a stressful day?)

Well, my Mom just stopped and brought a dessert she literally made up while trying to get rid of things in her pantry so you are spared my continued ranting on the gladiators. The dessert is delicious by the way. Sort of pumpkin spice cake meets better than sex cake. Trust me, you wish you were here! Gotta run...

Goodbye Dad

My dad had to return to MN today. Pooh! It seems like he just got here, but someone has to make the big bucks and my dad has always been a good sacrificer in that respect. Actually his biggest sacrifice is that he bought my mom a place down here so she could be closer to me and he lets her stay here for a couple of months at a time! (Just curious: is it horribly obvious that I'm a spoiled only child?)

It's a well established fact that my mom and I are best friends (we talk on the phone constantly when we are apart and spend all of our time together when we are in the same vicinity), but most people probably don't realize that I'm just as close with my dad. We may not gab on the phone as often, but I'm definitely a daddy's girl. When I'm stressed, confused, and needing advice, I turn to my dad.

I think it all stems back from my childhood. My dad taught me to be strong and competitive from an early age (no letting me win when we were playing slap jack and my hands were a quarter of the size!). He was the one giving me pep talks at my dance competitions. Like when I was at Nationals and I danced my solo 18th out of 20 girls. Talk about intimidating, but he came over, told me not to worry about the other dancers and their hoards of screaming fans, and I felt better. (I also leaped and high kicked my way to a 1st place trophy, but that's another story...) And who did you think I got my love of the Vikings from??

My dad and I have a tradition when we are parting from each other. Of course it includes hugs, I love yous and all that, but the essential part is that we watch the other person drive away. (It's something my grandparents started actually. When we would leave their house, they would stand in front of the window and wave as we drove away.) Every night when I've left my parents place these past weeks, I've looked up to see my dad standing in the front window giving me the goodbye wave.

Last night was the most important one since it would be the last wave before he returned to MN. I got in the car, backed out of the driveway and looked up, but my dad wasn't there. The adult in me said, "oh it's a silly tradition, keep on driving." The little girl in me said, "I can't leave without seeing me daddy in the window!" I reached for my cell phone, but by then he was there. I should never have doubted him!

Thanks dad for the wave ...and everything else you do for me!

Serbian Christmas

Merry Serbian Christmas!

I have to admit I don't know that much about Serbian Christmas even though I've been observing it/ celebrating it ever since I started dating my husband (which was back in high school as most of you know). My main reason for continuing with the tradition is I get to leave my tree up way into January (I'd do just about anything to gain myself a couple extra weeks).

I did a little wikipedia research the other day to at least be conversational about it and learned about some of the traditions observed by Serbian families. My favorite was the hiding of coins inside a special baked bread. If you found a coin in your piece it was considered good fortune. I thought I may have discovered the reason behind my husband's obsession with coin collecting, but he couldn't remember ever doing this. (Guess he really just is a geek at heart.)

I also discovered that we could be celebrating Serbian New Year...
so party at our place on the 14th?

Nightmare

With one day to go until work resumes, one thought comes to mind: "I've had just about as much vacation as I can stand!" (Bonus points if you can name the movie.) Though my vacation was not exactly everything I hoped it would be, I am still looking forward to the return to normalcy.

If I keep telling myself that - I just might believe it by tomorrow!

My subconscious knows I'm lying. Last night I dreamt that when I returned to school, my class size had increased from 18 kindergartners to 34. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and was vaguely similar to the beginning of Kindergarten Cop.

Here's hoping that was only a ridiculous nightmare...

Emotional Roller Coaster

I'm stressed, exhausted, and a wee bit crabby so I'll be brief.

Thursday night my mother-in-law seemed to be doing great. She was in good spirits, ate a little bit etc. By Friday morning, however, she was already starting to not feel well. Things continued to get worse and last night she was unable to keep anything down. After considering many options, my in-laws decided to fly back to MN this morning (forgoing their trip to Alabama, where they had planned to stay for a couple of months, at least for now).

We scrambled around getting tickets, packing them up, and racing to the Miami airport so they could catch a direct flight back to Mpls. Their plan is to drive back to their hometown and check into the hospital tonight.

Both Jon and I launched into projects when we got home from the airport. He's still out working in the yard and I just finished cleaning the house and am almost done with the laundry. I think both of us wanted to be able to "control" something.

I will post more in the coming days as I get updates. Thanks for listening...

Mom-in-law Update

She's back!! :)

Today my mother-in-law was finally released from the hospital. She came back to our house this afternoon, took a nice long bath, had a little lunch (she has to introduce food slowly and in little amounts) and then vegged out on the couch with me while we watched the Daytime talk shows.

She's in good spirits (as always) and is only upset that while she was in the hospital for a week it was 80 and sunny, whereas today it's 50 and windy!

Hopefully there's only good days ahead for her.

Welcome home!

Terror of 2008

A terrifying thought has been gnawing at the back of my mind for the past couple of months. Once a week it is pushed to the forefront whence I allow myself a moment of indulgent hysteria before pushing it back to the recesses where all thoughts and memories too painful belong.

I think my favorite pair of jeans is starting to fall apart!

Each time they emerge from the laundry slightly more battered and tattered than the last, I feel a multitude of conflicting emotions: joy that they have survived to see yet another wearing… sorrow that they are one wash cycle closer to their eventual fate by the blades of my mother’s shears… guilt over the knowledge that less wear could prolong their denim existence… understanding that they would not be happy being confined to my closet shelf while missing out on all the fun places I would otherwise take them… and determination to make their remaining days as meaningful as possible by strutting around in them with pride.

If you’re a man, you may not fully understand the importance of a truly perfect pair of jeans so let me put it into a context you can comprehend. Women are obsessed with the way their butt looks. You know this. We ask you all the time. You dread the question, “Do these pants make my butt look fat?” If you’re one of those good guys, the keepers as we call you, you probably have a couple of stock answers on hand ready to reply to us when necessary.

These pants make that question irrelevant and unnecessary. These are the pants that set the butt standard against which all of my other pants are measured!

[Ladies, as an aside, I tend to go with the safer and more helpful “do these pants make my butt look good?” question hence eliminating the whole fat/ non-fat debate. Whether or not the butt looks good is the responsibility of the pants. We all know some pants make the butt look good and some do not. Whether or not the butt looks fat, well that responsibility falls back on me and has more do with the amount of ice cream I’ve consumed relative to the number of miles I’ve walked on the StairMaster. Considering I don’t own a StairMaster or have a gym membership anymore, this may soon become a depressing calculation. Thankfully my metabolism has not yet slowed to snail proportions.]

Back to the butt standard: butts are like snowflakes, each one unique and special in its own right (whether or not your bum is also glittering white like mine depends on whether or not you share my Scandinavian genes). As for the other kind of jean sharing, well that only works in the magical land of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Even sharing jean preferences is difficult. What makes your butt look cute may make mine look ridiculous and vice versa.

There are so many factors to be considered when setting the butt standard: the cut of the jeans (too loose and they might not be flattering, too tight and your butt will look fat whether it is or it isn’t); where they sit on your hips (too high and you’ll look like your wearing a girdle, too low and you’ll get into crack territory); and most infuriating, the pockets! There are multiple facets to be considered when it comes to pockets. The shape, size and placement of the pockets will give your butt various looks - some flattering and some horrifying. They can’t be too small or too large, too high or too low, too narrow or too wide. I feel like the Goldilocks of jean pockets searching for that which is just right.

You might think it easier to remove the pocket factor all together, but going pockectless is a little like mooning the whole world. (I tend to hear Kramer from Seinfeld in my mind, “I’m out there Jerry and I’m loving it!” True he was talking about an entirely different kind of “out there,” but I still feel it applies.) Pocketless exposure takes a courage I only possess on rare skinny days… and even then I keep walking and standing to a minimum, preferring to keep those cheeks pressed and hidden in the upholstery.

You can see why the idea of having to replace my favorite pair of jeans sets me into a panic. Though I’m not ready to give up on them quite yet, I need to face the reality that 2008 will probably be their last year.

I guess I need to add one more resolution to my list (worded appropriately to ensure success):
- I will not find the perfect pair of jeans

There. I have all year to work on that goal so I'm not going to stress about it again. Today my fave jeans and I deserve some shopping and fun!

Happy New Year!

They say the person you ring in the new year with will be the person you're with the whole year through. Do you believe this is true? I'm a little worried, you see, because my first kiss of the new year did not come from my husband. We'd planned it to be together. We were counting down and waiting for that special moment. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1...and then that sly dog Scooter (Jess and Jerry's beagle) jumped into my lap and french kissed me right at 0. So hopefully that rule doesn't apply to dogs, but either way it appears Scooter and I are taking our relationship to a new level in 2008.

Last night's Froydstravaganza was the perfect way to say goodbye to 2007 and hello to 2008: good food, great friends, sparkling drinks and spectacular fireworks. We're not talking wimpy bottle rockets here, these were the real deal. Even people across the canal were exclaiming how beautiful they were. It was my mom's quest to decide on the prettiest firework so Jerry, our fire master (who loves blowing things up...and bacon), announced each firework to her like it was a vintage wine. You'll be happy to know that she decided she likes the straight up Crackle variety (no snap and pop for her!).

In honor of starting fresh in the new year, we allowed each person the chance to pick one thing they wanted us to retire for the year. Since I'm not allowed to bring them up anymore, I'll just say some people retired stories they don't want to be teased about and others nicknames they don't want to hear again. Our hope is after the year-long moratorium maybe the gang will forget about them entirely and they shall never be mentioned again. I'll let you know what happens in 2009...

As for resolutions, well we all know they are cursed. I know that whatever I say I'm going to do the opposite will happen, so I've decided to rephrase my resolutions this year.

In 2008,
- I will gain 5 pounds
- I will take Rio for less walks
- I will work more on the weekends

Happy New Year!