Funemployment, Danger bikes, Camping and Shenanigans!

WOW, I've been away for a long time!! I'm back now though and ready to party! There's been a lot going on since the last time I posted, so let's get started.......

Ugh.

I got laid off (super long story and it involved my attorney), which turned out to be a pretty good thing. I was already looking to move on because I hated my unethical boss and the daily bore that is a dental office. I'm now on the hunt for a "city" job, so I'm being kind of picky with potential job offers. Been enjoying sleeping in everyday and taking care of the house and yard. "Funemployment" has been MUCH less stressful than working, so bonus there! I've also been taking care of Mario and helping out with The Dub Shop - I learned how to solder! 

Some of last year's lilies

The weather finally dried out enough for me to get my vegetable garden planted. Only a month late. This year I planted two varieties of zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, snow peas, two varieties of beans, three varieties of tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, wheatgrass and green onions. There's a ton of herbs that weathered over from the last few years in pots on the deck too. I also managed to get my three hanging baskets up, add several new varieties of lilies to the beds and stuff some petunias into the naked spots. It's going to be another busy summer of watering! Now all that's left to do is lay down fresh bark in the front and back beds. That's going to have to wait for a really nice weekend because I'm not shoveling water logged bark in the rain.

My danger bike with booze/snack attachment

Let's move onto danger bikes. HA! Mario and I picked a couple of danger bikes last month. Mario is really, really into rallying with the boys on these things. Mine just stays clean and hauls booze and snacks!

A few Saturdays ago everyone got together to celebrate a couple of birthdays and the gorgeous weather. The danger bikes came out and the bonfire got started! We had a great time and the injuries were minimal. ;) Speaking of danger bikes.....

Danger bikes ready for action

Mario jamming in the mud

Dirt sandwich for Evan!

Tomorrow, we're leaving for some super awesome Memorial Day camping. SO EXCITED!!! We're sticking fairly close to home this year, only by shear luck. The property that we camped at last year in Concrete was being re-purposed this year, but luckily a friend of a friend has 40 acres on the river in the next town over. The danger bikes and quads are ready, the big cooler is already packed with booze and mixers and is ready to rock!! YES! I posted some highlight shots from last year's shenanigans - Enjoy!

Pete trying to charge his glow-in-the-dark boxers

Tif trying to lick giant marshmallow off her face

Potato gun time! Don't let the drunk girl hold the trigger

Oh Pete!

Tif and I getting ready to rally!

Shenanigans!

Ruby found a seat

Our sweet camp and toys

News Article/Current Event -

• Everyone loves flowers, right? - A crappy speller AND a thief! "Thnx for ur money." Man, talk about adding insult to injury.
• Rationalizing with him isn't an option. Pepper spray is! - This little psychopath had it coming. Mom needs to stop making excuses for this little demon spawn and get it figured out before he murders her in her sleep. The police don't need "special training" in dealing with this child, mom does. 
• Awwwwwwww! - Love doesn't care what species you are. Love is love.

Current Obsession - This week it's a cookie. I've never been a really great baker, so I only make cookies if I absolutely have to. For some reason, I got the urge to bake cookies at 11:30pm on a Tuesday night. I picked this cookie recipe at random - Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies. Holy crap, they are AMAZING!! They combine the best of three cookie worlds; chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal. I've made them twice now, once with creamy peanut butter, once with crunchy peanut butter. I loved them both, but my pick would be with the crunchy. Mario preferred the creamy. He took a batch to work and they were gone by 9am. Apparently, they're also good for breakfast!

Makeup Haul of the Week - 

• Kat Von D palette in Angeles
• Buxom Fashion lip gloss set
• Lancome Teint Miracle foundation
• Urban Decay eyeliner pencils in Deviant & Flipside
• Tweezerman tweezer set
• Sephora angled eyeliner brush

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - Memorial Day!! It's going to be AWESOME!! Mario is off for the rest of that next week, so who knows what we'll end up doing. Maybe catch a matinee of The Hangover 2, hit the Redmond Value Village for some clothes that actually fit us or do dinner with friends at the new Italian place in town. 

Weight Update - Finally broke through the 50lb plateau I've been stuck on! Unfortunately, I've been hovering there ever since. Wendi and I walked the lake one evening last week when the weather was actually decent. It felt awesome! Hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate so I can get outside and get active again.

Neato Quote of the Week - Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -

(850) We couldn't get our shit together to go to the bar, so we're getting drunk and facebook stalking all the girls who have gotten fat since high school. Any names you wanna throw out? 

And Finally, My Gripe - No real gripes this week besides the crappy weather and the spring/summer we're getting screwed out of YET again!!

I've got a bird on my foot!

Yes, you read that right. There is indeed a bird on my foot. I got my tattoo done on the 19th and it looks fantastic! I did, however, find out that I'm allergic to A&D ointment a few days later. That sucked. My foot swelled up horribly, broke out into hives and turned an angry, painful shade of red. Petroleum based products are not my friend evidently. I stayed doped up on Benedryl all weekend (i.e. I slept) and switched my lotion to Cetaphil and things have calmed down. I still have a few hives hanging around, but nothing I can't deal with. We're going back down to the shop on the 9th for Wendi's consult and another session on Tif's sleeve. I think I might make a consult appointment to start expanding my back tattoo while we're there. These damn things are addicting! It's not the greatest photo, but there it is - 

Hmmmmm, what else has happened since the last time I posted? We had Hotluck, which went great! My Korean chicken drummies were a hit! Looks like I'll have to make them more often. Justin Hale's Band was playing last weekend at J.R. Phinickey's and it was awesome as usual. We also hit up a new restaurant that just opened in town called Adam's. It's gotten fairly good reviews, but I wasn't particularly impressed with the entrée I chose. I sampled a bite of Evan's smoked chicken and Mario's pasta bake. Both were pretty decent, so I'll give it another go and see how it fares next time. And finally, I had my cousin's baby shower on Sunday. What can I say about this? It was a baby shower; I think they're pretty much all the same. Pregnant lady, food, presents and cake. Yep, that about sums it up.



News Article/Current Event -

• Pole dancing for Jesus! - YUP! It's an actual thing, thought up by devout, church-going women. Apparently, Christian music is perfect for pole dancing to!
• A lot can happen in 3 days - Gov. Dennis Daugaard stated "I hope that women who are considering an abortion will use this three-day period to make good choices." Really?! Sometimes it's not about "choice", but someone with a penis might not understand that. South Dakota is being governed by an ignorant moron.
• Granny's got a gun! - It's not like she was asking for tongue or anything! Well, maybe she was, who knows?! Don't mess with her; she'll cap yo ass.
• Rebecca Black: The Most Hated Person on YouTube - I can't imagine why.... must be all the people with bleeding eardrums.

Current Obsession - This week it's a food item; Cabbage Crunch Salad. It sounds weird but it is SO good!! I had a taste of this salad at my cousin's baby shower last weekend and have been thoroughly obsessed ever since. I scoured the internet for a recipe and found the one above. It was pretty much exactly the same thing, but I changed some things to suit my tastes and to be Weight Watchers friendly. I made a big batch and have been eating it for lunch throughout this week. Veggies and a little bit of protein make for a filling lunch. I think I might add snow peas to the mix next time I make a batch of this. This salad will be perfect for those summer dinners outside on the deck. Try it and you'll love it - I promise!

Cabbage Crunch Salad

'Crunchies'

1 tbsp sesame seeds

½ cup sliced almonds

1 package Top Ramen Noodles; uncooked & broken (any flavor will work; discard seasoning packet)

'Salad'

1 large head green cabbage; shredded

1 cup matchstick carrots  

8 green onions; chopped

2 grilled chicken breasts; chopped

'Dressing'

3 packets of Sun Crystals

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use slightly less)

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Directions:

Spread the sesame seeds, almonds and raw ramen noodles on a baking sheet. Spray lightly with Pam and bake at 350˚ until golden brown (watch closely). This can be done ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together and stir well. Before serving, toss the dressing into the salad, mixing well, and top with the crunchies. If you plan to make the salad in advance, don’t add the crunchies until just before serving, otherwise, they will get soggy.

Makeup Haul of the Week - 

• Lancome Lipstick in Wannabe
• Buxom Lip Gloss in Dominque & Lena

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 

We're heading up to Chris and Wendi's again on Friday night for carne asada and booze sorbet. That combo pretty much guarantees a good time! I love our Friday night get togethers! Low key, but always a hoot. 

Other than that, I think we might have a free weekend. What?! It probably won't end up that way, but I'm going with it for now.

My girlfriend, Leah is doing the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk this year. Her mom passed away at age 42 from breast cancer, so this is a very important event for her. She needs to raise $2,400 in order to walk, so if you're feeling generous and would like to help out, click here. Thanks!!

Weight Update - Well, the new tattoo has put quite the kink in my weight loss. I haven't been able to put shoes yet so no working out for me. :( I haven't gained any though; still just hovering right around 50lbs lost. Hopefully, my foot will heal quickly and I'll be back to losing next week.

Neato Quote of the Week - Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -

(910) Had dinner with my ex husband. The box of wine is gone and I'm laying on the floor in my wedding dress. Where are you?!

And Finally, My Gripe - This week it's the weather. It's seriously NEVER going to stop raining here. EVER!! I still haven't gotten the garden rototilled or my peas planted. UGH. I'm glad it's spring finally, just wish I could get outside and enjoy it.

Sick People are EVERYWHERE!

Not too much to report on from the last couple of weeks. I spent the weekend before last taking care of a very sick Mario and then he turned around and spent last weekend taking care of a mildly sick me. He's now convinced that I've given the sickness back to him. Ugh. As a result of our combined illness and non-stop Jersey Shore watching, our house was a disaster and we had no clean laundry. Spent the week cleaning, sanitizing and doing laundry. I also dedicated quite a bit of time last week to bargain shopping at Value Village. I love, love, love it!! I found some pretty awesome everyday clothing as well as the most AMAZING outfit for our upcoming 80's party. We're going to head to the costume shop this weekend and get all the accessories for the finishing touch. Pictures coming soon!

Last Friday I managed to get out of the house and met up with Stacy at The Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue. I finally got to meet Tyler! He's so cute; you know, if you're into chubby guys that drool. And he's surprisingly quiet; just the way I like my babies. Ha! We had a great time just catching up and we'll definitely have to do it more often. She took a picture of me holding Tyler as proof that I like babies. I'm not convinced. LOL! I'm surprised I could even see him over all of my double chins. 



News Article/Current Event -

• No ears, but tons of charisma! - Animals are so resilient. I'm glad someone was able to help this little guy out! Here's an update to the story - he's going to a good home!
• Is there anything that you can't put advertising on? - Apparently not. I'm not sure how effective this particular form of advertising is however... 
• You just can't make this stuff up - I'm sure a lawsuit will be following shortly!
• Thinking about an abortion? Do it and go to jail - Ridiculous!!! 

Current Obsession - JERSEY SHORE!!!!! I'm hooked. I friggin' hate the state of New Jersey with a passion, but I love this show!! It's a train wreck and I can't look away! Mario and I have now spent two FULL weekends watching this garbage and have now started working the lingo into our everyday conversations. And now we have the tivo set to record every episode. Will the Ronnie and Sam domestic violence saga ever end? Will Snooki ever find a juicehead gorilla to take home and smush? When will Pauly and Mike realize that their beer goggles are terrible and stop bringing home grenades and land mines?! So sad. 

Makeup Haul of the Week - 

• Japonesque Eyelash Curler
• Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeliner Set
• Z Palettes x 2
• Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes - Storm, Bad Girl & Sunset
• Sleek Rose Gold Blush
• MAC Kohl Smolder Eyeliner & Pro Longwear Concealer
• Revlon Lip Stain in Passion, Flame, Crave & Gothic

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 

We're heading up to Chris and Wendi's tonight (Friday) for hotluck! Hotluck is an annual event where every guest brings a spicy or "nicely seasoned" dish. Think jambalaya, bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers, spicy curry chicken divan and cheesecake with a raspberry-chipotle sauce. Beer and creamsicles are handy to cool the burn. I'm making this - Dae Ji Bool Gogi; except I'm using chicken drumsticks instead of pork roast. I think it'll be easier for people to eat that way. Going to be a great time as usual!

Saturday is shaping up to be an awesome day!! Andrea from Slave to the Needle called last weekend to let me know that she had a cancellation for Saturday. When I made the appointment she was booked so far out that I ended up with July 22nd. I took the opening and I'll be getting my leg/foot tattoo at noon! So excited!! After this one is done, I think I might have her start adding onto my back tattoo. I eventually want it to spread out across both shoulder blades. Tif and Wendi have taken to calling it my "upper back tramp stamp". Great. :)

Saturday night we're heading over to J R Phinickey's here in Monroe to see Justin Hale's Band play. I've never been to this bar, but I've heard things... should be camo and mullets as far as the eye can see! Sadly, we'll probably be the classiest ladies in that joint. 

Not sure what is going on Sunday yet. Mario has his VW XXX meet at 10am, but I'm not sure if I want to go to that with him or head out and work in the yard. It's supposed to be dry and as we all know around here, you have to take advantage of it! I managed to catch a break in the rain today and got the vegetable garden weeded and laid down steer manure and fertilizer. I wanted to get that all rototilled in, but the weather didn't want to cooperate. So, hopefully on Sunday I can get that done and the peas planted. 

Weight Update - The workout room is up and running, but I've just been holding steady for the past couple of weeks. I think between being sick and having so many evening errands to run, I just didn't work out enough to put a dent in it. On the bright side though, Tif joined Weight Watchers this week! I have a partner in crime! So excited!! We also have a top secret WW group on Facebook with a few of our other friends - we have meetings without actually having to go to a meeting. I love it!

Neato Quote of the Week - Many a person has held close, throughout their entire lives, two friends that always remained strange to one another, because one of them attracted by virtue of similarity, the other by difference. - Emil Ludwig

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -

(573) I found them on a couch next to the sidewalk screaming at cars with a megaphone. Kevin chased the mailman with a jello shot.

And Finally, My Gripe - Nothing to gripe about this week!! Woohoo! Since I don't have a gripe this week, I'll post a highlight.
My sweet, sweet baby bird, Marvin. He's a momma's boy and I love him to pieces! Even though he's mostly a gremlin. How could you not love that face (a face covered in sloppy oatmeal)?!

I'm not dead! Lucky you.

Alright, let me jump back into this! I've been AWOL on the blogging for a few weeks, but don't worry, you didn't miss anything. Not too much going on lately. Highlights below!

Tif and I had appointments to see the new MAC Wonder Woman collection last Friday. They did makeovers on us using the new products, which are VERY bright. I ended up looking like a hooker; complete with blue eyeshadow, glitter and bright red lip gloss. The picture doesn't do the look justice. There was stripper dust EVERYWHERE!

Tif somehow managed to look pretty good after all was said and done. We had fun and that's all that matters! And for once she outspent me on a makeup purchase. Amazing, but true. I did add a few new pieces to my ever expanding makeup collection though. I made a new section on the blog for my weekly makeup hauls; it'll be easier to see everything that way. :)

Last Saturday we all got together for dinner and games at Wendi's house.  Adult beverages and a rousing game of Apples to Apples. We had a great time! This Saturday we did spaghetti dinner and "Get Him to the Greek". Love that movie; so funny! Who could be afraid of a Jeffrey?

And finally, my girlfriend Stacy and her husband Tobbie had their baby on the 8th! Yes, my partner in "no-baby" crime had a friggin' baby. Tyler Jay arrived at 3:25pm weighing in at a whopping 7lbs 12ounces. She's officially one of "them" now! It's alright though because he's pretty damn cute. I think he might be a keeper.



News Article/Current Event -

• Man makes lifelong friend in injured sparrow - A feel good story is SO rare these days. Enjoy!
• Time to start learning Spanish! - Useful and it keeps your brain sharp. 
• Unsinkable Molly B. - She's not going down without a fight! Gotta love an animal with personality.
• A bonafide repository of Americana - It's all fun and games until you find your momma shopping for store brand cornflakes.
• Art is subjective!!! - Would the "outrage" be the same if the couples were not same sex? Probably not. Open your minds, people!

Current Obsession - www.allcosmeticswholesale.com. It's a seriously amazing site if you're looking for brand name, authentic cosmetics on the cheap. Especially if you're trying to find something rare or discontinued. I've been spending at least 65% of my day surfing this site. I've yet to place an order, but my shopping cart is getting pretty full!

Makeup Haul of the Week - 

• MAC Burmese Beauty eyeshadow quad
• MAC 224 blending brush
• MAC Wonder Woman collection red lipglass and cherry red lip pencil
• Benefit Bella Bamba blush
• Benefit Hoola bronzer
• A brand new pink Sephora train case (I picked it up on Craigslist for $50! DEAL!)

I also have some Sleek products being delivered, but they're coming from the UK, so who knows how long they'll take to get here. I'll post some pictures when they arrive!

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 

Not a whole lot going on this week/weekend. On Thursday night, Tif and I are heading down to Slave to the Needle for a session on her sleeve. I just go along for entertainment. Until April 9th anyway, I'm getting my foot tattoo done finally. WOOHOO! 

Friday night I may drag Mario out to Benjarong for some won ton soup. I never would have thought a Thai restaurant would have such amazing won ton soup, but they do! It's excellent! 

I'm sure we'll end up doing something fun as a group on Saturday, just not sure what it is at the moment. Maybe games, dinner and a movie? Maybe bowling or rollerskating? Rollerskating sounds super fun; I think I'll try to get everyone out to do that! Drinks before hand couldn't hurt either....

Weight Update - I'm down .6lbs this week for a grand total of 45.8lbs lost. I lost some, but have hit a major plateau. Things went horribly, horribly bad for me this weekend; it's a wonder I lost at all. Let's just say it started with a Dick's Deluxe and ended with strawberry swirl cheesecake. I got the guest room emptied out and the exercise equipment set back up last Sunday, so I'm gonna keep working on it and just focus on keeping the nutrition balanced and working out every night. Hopefully the added exercise will jump start the losing again!

Neato Quote of the Week - A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears. - Anne Roiphe

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -

(513) Today the house voted to defund Planned Parenthood but continue funding NASCAR. I fucking hate everything.

And Finally, My Gripe - No real gripe this week other than the weather guys. Why do we even have weather guys in this region?! They NEVER know what's going on, even as it happens. This week we're supposed to get 4"-6" of snow. I'll believe it when I see it, but here's to a possible snow day! Yay!

Best weekend EVER!!

I'm a week behind, so here's last week's rundown -

Holy crap - BEST. WEEKEND. EVER. This was the weekend that I was not at liberty to discuss in last week's blog post and it was amazing!! The whole weekend was to celebrate Wendi lady's BIG 4-0 and celebrate we did! Her husband Chris surprised her and rented a 4200 square foot log cabin out in Sequim. He then filled it with all of her favorite people; including her sister, Mandi who flew out from Michigan to help celebrate! We started off the weekend by pre-funking on the way there in Wilson (Chris & Wendi's motor home, for those who haven't already met him.) 

This time it wasn't me barfing, it was Mario - before we even got there! Thank you, Pete!! He spent the first three hours of our weekend on the motor home bathroom floor. Very nice! The rest of the weekend we all spent drinking, riding bikes, ziplining, playing extreme air hockey, soaking in the hot tub and listening to Justin Hale's Band (minus the band. LOL!) play some awesome music. It was such a great time! Not a whole lot of pictures were taken as most of the people with cameras were drunk and otherwise engaged, but here are some pics that made it.

Prefunking in the motorhome on the way there!

Wilson and the super amazing cabin.

Wendi's 40th bday decor.

Justin Hale's Band

Tif and Evan trying on hats.

SHOTS!

Mandi & Anja looking awesome in their hats!

Tif and I. Not sure what we were doing or why....

Mario napped and Chris did dirty things to him.

She was done for the night!

It's true. LOL!

Hats in the bathtub.

Oh! And I got a new hair cut and color on Friday. I've been wanting something new and different, so I went with long layers and super dark. Here's what I ended up with. I'm kind of digging it; it's sassy!!

News Article/Current Event -

• There are just some things you wish you could unknow... - While I am a total, hardcore pro-choice kind of girl, this made me absolutely sick. 
• It's never too late for Facebook! - 105 years old and checking Facebook for bday wishes; that's one rockin' granny!
• Why the hell can't I get this lucky?! - All I ever end up with in Vegas is empty pockets and a hangover. 
• Could Twilight be the worst movie of the year? YUP!! - This one is for you Tiffany!! LOL!
  
• Bestiality tops gonorrhea! - WOOHOO!! Every state is bad at something, I guess.

Current Obsession -  Ecotools brushes are this week's obsession. They're cheap and awesome and I'm missing the eye brush set. How could this be?! And I need another foundation brush so I can rotate when I wash them. That brush takes forever to dry!

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 

Not too much going on this week. Tif and I are going to hit the mall on Wednesday. Hopefully, Wendi and Missy will be able to join us. Tif needs a new shirt and I'll be shopping for makeup. Big surprise! Last week we hit the mall and both picked up a new MAC shadow in a color called "Club". It is AMAZING! Because it's a duochrome color, you can create a smoky eye using just one color. Watch how to do it here.

We don't have any big plans for the weekend either. I started emptying out the guest room this weekend so I can get my exercise room up and running. The guest bed and our big chair-and-a-half + ottoman are seriously holding up my flow. I'm going to try and get those out of there next weekend and get them into storage. I have my treadmill, recumbant bike and health rider to set up and depending on how much room is left, I'd like to add a rowing machine and elliptical. I miss working out!!

Weight Update - Last weekend did me in - I'm up .8 pounds. No matter; it's a new week and we're back on track! Will weigh in again this Friday. On a slightly related note, Mario and I signed up for The Warrior Dash along with some of our friends. I'm pretty sure we'll die while doing it, but at least we can say we tried!

Neato Quote of the Week - I am more and more convinced that our happiness or unhappiness depends more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves. - Alexander Humboldt

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -

(910) So just in case you wake up on the couch wondering how you got there - you came home at 7am, put ice in a cup, then you proceeded to put the cup in the microwave to melt it because you "wanted water". You then, fell down the stairs while saying "you don't know me", then crawled to the couch.

And Finally, My Gripe - OH, the flooding!! Every damn year. Hwy. 203 was closed today due to "water over the roadway". UGH. It took me over an hour and a half to get to work last week since I had to go ALL the way around the valley to get to Redmond. This is a little sample of what we've had to deal with up here in rural Snohomish county this year. Here are some pictures of the 2009 flooding - the worst I've seen since we've lived up here.

The only other bridge across the valley -
this one is the first to flood and when it does,
I know it's time to head home from work! 

This is the bridge I drive over everyday to get to work.
The river normally only runs in the right 1/4 of this picture.