My License is so Pretty!

I have not been in town for a birthday for the last three years.  Each year Jim and I have been on a trip…our honeymoon in Costa Rica, Seattle, and then Germany.  This year I was in town, because out September trip became a December trip (Which is quite a blessing, because of my health).  It was really nice to be home.  It was such a good day.  I had a super productive morning and late evening work wise.  In the afternoon my sister brought me beautiful roses, a cake to smash (I have a disorder!) and a birthday crown.  She also took me to Starbucks and to get a pedicure and manicure.  (Wonderful!..Thanks Angie!)  Then she dropped me off at the DMV to renew my license.  This sound awful, but it was good!  No line and a glamour shot!  Then Jim surprised me with an hour massage at my favorite salon and spa.  It was my first massage and it was amazing!  My body needed it so bad.  (My husband is so thoughtful!)  We then went to dinner and just enjoyed time together.  The day will make me smile for a long time…a good way to start another year!

Quote of the Day:“Smash Me, Alisha”  (Written on my Birthday Cake…if you can’t eat it, smash it!)

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): I love my drivers license picture.  I want people to ask to see my license.  I am thinking about having my picture removed from my debit card so I can show my license more.  (OK maybe not…but for a license picture…it is good!)  I am thinking I may end up America’s Next DMV Model…Tyra Banks show has nothing on my new concept.  When you see me next…I will show you my pic…my passport is pretty awesome as well!

 

 

 

 

 

Practicing for My License...It Worked!

 

 

 

 

The Days Can Be Long, The Years Are Short

Jim and I spent time with my niece tonight.  It was really good!  It just made me realize how fast time flies…I cannot believe she is 15.  It is crazy!  I wish I could have her little again for a couple days…I miss hearing her calling me “Aink Alisha”.  I love seeing the woman she is becoming, but I also miss the little girl she was.  Then I looked at Kelli’s blog and was watching video of Elle (my great niece)….and realized how much she has changed in such a short time…it goes so quickly!

Quote of the Day: “Aunt Alisha…I am afraid of vomit and getting old.”  (I have digestive issues and my birthday was a few hours away…I am her walking nightmare.)

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): I have spent many hours the last few days looking for Senior Apartments…I know I am gaining another year but I am not quite there.  (They are actually for my mother in-law, but it is ironic.)

I Mentally Broke Down and Recovered

The day started rough (oh…I was a disaster), but ended well.  Quality time spent with family (Jim’s dad and brother Jeff were in for a visit.  Good Stuff!)   I realized  there is nothing like a convertible ride on the river road to clear your head and help you take life a little less seriously.  Spending time just hanging out and laughing together was good for the soul.

Quote of the Day: “I’m having a bad day” (Said through tear, tear and more tears and then laughter.  What a mess!)

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): I had one of those mornings and early afternoons where you know you are being completely irrational and over emotional, but you cannot stop the emotional train wreck that you have become.  I was sensitive to the extreme…and was ready to break at any moment.  (It started last night, and just continued into the morning!)  Jim was perplexed, confused and somewhat terrified that I had morphed into an alien being.  (He even had to pull the car over on the side of the road to try to console me…what a mess!)  I was just sad and irrational.  (It happens to the best of us!)  The quote of the day was said at least 30 times!  Thank goodness…I was able to pull myself together.  (Jim said if I hadn’t he would have left me on the side of the road….I would not have blamed him!) 

 

I Am Back!

So today I start blogging daily again.  Recently I have not had the energy to blog, but it is time to get started again.  (Warning: My life is rather uneventful right now…which may leave me with less material.)  So here I go…

Quote of the Day: “Remember your life is a marathon not a sprint.  Slow and steady is good!”

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): My brother in- law drove me to the doctor today.  I told him that I would fill the time driving with at least ten interesting facts…this is how I sold him on taking me.  (He is an easy sell!)  He then asked me not to tell them to him, but to blog them.  So these are for you Ron…(Weird and wonderful factoids!)

1. Ronald Mcdonalds Shoe Size: 29 EEE (Extra Long x Extra Wide x Extra Red)
2. The Average Engagement Ring Size in the United States is .49 carats
3. The Average American chews 300 pieces of gum per year…(the average Barnard or former Barnard chomps…smacks…orally mutilates 300 pieces of gum per year…love you guys!)
4. Most people have between  90,000 and 150,000 hairs on their head.  (Various colors have different amounts)
5. Boogers are sticky because they contain mucin.  Mucin is a branched polysaccharide.  (Like startch…when you mix mucin and water which makes up boogers you get stickiness!)
6. The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 May, 1840, for use from 6 May of that year. All London post offices received official issues of the new stamps but other offices throughout the United Kingdom did not, continuing to accept postage payments in cash only for a period. (I wonder if that was a forever stamp?)
7. Male orangutans become fully mature at about 15 years of age.
8. There are 206 bones in the adult human body, more than half (106) are in the hands and feet.
9. In 1988 Merriam-Webster added the word unibrow to the dictionary.  It is defined as follows: a single continuous brow resulting from the growing together of eyebrows  (Should be defined as gross!)
10. Travelers passing through Chicago’s O’Hare airport purchase 2 million Hot Dogs each year according to restaurant and concession stand reports. This makes O’Hare the biggest Hot Dog seller in the United States.

no bathroom words

Hi there!  This is Jim writing on behalf of Alisha tonight.  She isn’t feeling the best right now and determined that she wasn’t going to blog tonight.  She never really promised that she was going to write everyday, but it still made me sad that she wasn’t going to after such an impressive streak of days.  I actually didn’t think she had it in her.  I figured she could do 3 days in a row, but 25??  Nice job, Bib!

I don’t mind doing #26 for her… she pitched in once or twice for me- good thing we lit the unity candle.

The only rule that she had about me blogging for her was that I couldn’t use bathroom words.  Apparently, her blog is way too high class to discuss topics about bidets and their effectiveness in cleaning the…

Quote of the Day: “XX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXX!” (I had to edit out the quote Jim used….it was good but not useable!)

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): Well, I could list all kinds of things that are weird about Alisha… but I can’t think of anything weird about me.  Since she isn’t feeling well, I’ll just be nice and say nothing at all.

Oh So Good!

Just a few highlights of the day:

• Extremely productive morning work wise
• My war with Charter continues…even though I canceled service.  I will win this war!
• The Charter communications lady tries to teach me a lesson, I choose to teach her one instead
• Jim congrats me and laughs a lot about my Charter conversation
• Baby Clothes Purchase for the new niece
• Coaching Jim through making an appointment at the eye doctor (He has a phobia!)
• Sonic…need I say more!
• A fun night with Kelli, Elle, and Paisley
• Laughing a ton at Elle’s commentaries on the world (Oh… the 3yr old mind!)
• Giving Elle a bath…wow I love that kid!
• Movie with Jim
• A great day!!!!!

Quote of the Day: “Excuse me ma’am…does Charter send me a paycheck?  I understand that you spend eight hours a day on the phone, but they pay you for it.  I have actually been paying you while I have wasted hours on the phone with your company.  I actually paid you for the phone.  So…I am not sure what your point is that you spend hours on the phone dealing with issues, it really does not compare to my situation.”

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): (Warning: Mush factor!) It was so great to have Jim back and just be able to cuddle with him.  I am so blessed to feel so safe in the arms of my husband.  He truly is my safe place to land.  He is there in the good and the bad.  He know when to hug me, when to make me laugh and when to just let me rant.  We went and saw “500 Days of Summers” tonight, and he held me throughout the movie.  (Disclaimer: We would normally never do that…because we strive not to annoy others, unless it is to get a laugh….but there were only three people in the theatre.  In turn, it was completely acceptable.)  Life is pretty wonderful!

Let Them Eat Cake, Or At Least Look At It

Life without Jim has left me struggling for good blogs.  He gives me good material.  He should be home in about 30 minutes….that means tomorrow’s blog will be better.  So today…quote and weirdness.

Quote of the Day: “Being a grown up is a mix of being both a child and and adult.  You still have a childlike part on the inside, but you know you are grown up when you start putting others ahead of yourself…  when the people you loves needs become more important than your own.”

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): I cannot believe how many cake shows are on tv:  Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, Amazing Wedding Cakes, The Ultimate Cake Showdown….that is a lot of cake shows (I googled them!).  This seems rather ridiculous, but the truth is that I end up watching these shows.  I never knew that I needed to see a shark made of cake, or a wedding cake that is a replica of the Stanley Cup or a typewrite cake.  Yet, I have seen it and I am amazed.  But, I have a question when you work on a cake for a week how can it end up tasting good?  You would think it would get dry.  Also, have you ever tasted fondant, it tastes like licking duct tape.  (FYI: I do not suggest licking duct tape!) This is just something that I ponder.  If your wedding cake is pretty, but tastes like feet is it worth it? 

That is a Cake!…(What is weird, yet wonderful about this you may wonder…that I actually spend a decent amount of time thinking about stuff like this.)

 

Memories…”Way to Go Farty, Way to Go”

I was recently thinking about embarrassing moments, especially those that happen when you are younger, and it feels as though life will truly never be good again. because this embarrassing situation happened.  I have realized though, these are stories to be embraced not hid.   (Because they are awfully funny!)  So… I think I will occasionally share these tales from my youth.  (For those of you who know this story…here it is again.):

I am the worst softball/baseball player there is.  I can throw and I can catch, but I cannot hit a ball with a bat to save my life. ( I truly need a tee.)  This fact always made me very nervous when it came to gym class, especially in Jr. High.  I was a shy, awkward kid who tried to fit in, but grace was not one of my assets.  My seventh grade year…. it was once again time to play softball.  I was so nervous that I thought I was going to throw-up.  My stomach hurt,  my legs were shaking and I could not catch my breath, because I knew I was one step away from pure humiliation.  The gym teacher, Coach Payne was pitching and called me up to the mound.  “Barker, it is your turn.” (By the way, Barker is a cruel surname when you are in Jr. High.)  I grabbed the bat with my sweaty palms and was set to go.  I was determined that I was going to give it my all.  I was going to to hit that ball, actually not only was I going to hit  the ball, but I was going to use all my might to swing as hard as possible and just slam it. The first pitch came at me and I swung.  Strike!  I  regrouped and was set to go again….really believing I could do it!  The ball came towards me, and I was ready.  My eyes were glued to the softball,  my stance was low, my butt was pushed out and I could smell success.  As I swung the bat with all my possible strength….my nervous stomach releases all my might with the largest fart known to man.  It is released in sequence with the bat moving….all in slow motion.  (Like a seen from a bad 80’s movie!)  The field goes silent, except for the echoing  sound of my gas.  Coach Payne, falls down on the pitching mound laughing and kicking his heal in the dirt .  All 30 girls erupt in laughter…thanking God it is not them.  Then to top it all  off…..from the ground Coach Payne bellows out the words …strike!  (He precedes to tell me I can just have a seat.!  I probably used up all my energy!)  For the rest of seventh and eighth grade my name in gym was farty!  The constant cheer was…”Way to go farty, way to go!.”

I remember it like it was yesterday! Oh…Jr High!

Quote of the Day: “I’m about to go on a segway tour of Richmond….I am so excited!  It is the best.” (Jim has been dreaming of going on a segway tour forever!  Whenever we have seen people on them…I have always thought they looked a little ridiculous…Jim thought they looked cool!  By the way, he loved the tour!)

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): I just watched Jim’s video blog from yesterday.  It was weird and wonderful!  (He is so weird, but I love him so much!  His weirdness allows him to appreciate my weirdness.)  I think he may have a future as an auto show model.  (Make sure to watch the video till the end and you will understand!) 

Shower Dancing…The Art of the Future

Quote of the Day: ” Love God supremely and others sacrificially.”  (I wish I did not need to be reminded…but I want and need to live this way.)

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): I just found myself dancing in the shower.  This is silly in and of itself, and not very safe….especially for dizzy people.  (I am not officially endorsing shower dancing….even though it was fun.)  I could not help myself.   I was singing all of Lady Gaga’s top 40 hits….and the dance was inside of me and had to be let out.  It is true…rhythm is a dancer, maybe a shower dancer. So… I was in the shower busting out “Just Dance”.  (I refuse to link to these songs because it is not good music.  Actually it is kinda awful!.)  As the routine shower continued I moved onto “Poker Face”…and then as the grand finale was ”Love Game”.  (I am really good…especially at the papapapa poker face papa poker face part….I need help! ) I  may need to try out for “So You Think You Can Dance”…if they ever have a version involving water.

My Day…My Superhero

Today was super busy, but really good.  Jim left for Virginia…early this morning.  I took him to the airport.  (I miss him already!)  Then I met with a good friend, had a hair appointment (becoming a natural blond again), visited Paisley at the hospital, worked a little and then we celebrated Erika’s (my niece)15th birthday.  For her birthday she wanted to hangout in the Loop and go to the Chocolate Bar with my sister, my mom and me.  (What a cool thing…that she wanted to spend the night with us!)  It ended up being a great night.  We went to Blueberry Hill, Chuck Berry’s restaurant, and Vintage Vinyl, a record store that is a Central West End landmark.  Then onto the Chocolate Bar.  (It is this trendy dessert place.)  We had such a good time.  Lots of laughter, great conversation and just a ton of fun!  It was so good to celebrate her and the amazing young woman she is becoming (Wow…that comment makes me sound old!), but it is so true. 

(Happy Birthday Erika! I love you booger!…It has been her nickname since she was born.  I know it is unfair, but I cannot change it!)

Quote of the Day: “If I had a super power I would have the ability to poop out tulips, and fruits and vegetables.  They would be clean of course.  This way I could travel around and feed the world.  I could end world hunger.  I would be the best super hero ever. “  (Don’t ask!) 

Life Is Weird, Yet Wonderful (Or Maybe I Am Just Weird): The quote says it all tonight!  Who knew that would be my superhero of choice.  The sad things is that this is the first things that came to my mind…without a moments hesitation.  That is the super power I wanted.  I think I need help!  (I also need a Superhero Name!)