"Cottage girl. I checked your blog about 15 times yesterday and didn't get a new post. This made me mad. You better have a good excuse....or else...."
Well, first of all, if my little blog is that important to you, I am humbled and honored that the silly things I say actually make a difference in your day. Gracious me, I just write nonsense most of the time. Do you really enjoy the ramblings that much?!
Well, I do have a very good reason for not posting yesterday. It was one of the three following and I leave it up to you to decide with one is the real one.....
1. I just didn't have anything interesting to say and instead of writing a bunch of nonsense, I chose to let you re-read some of my past blogging topics.
2. I had a glorious photographic adventure all day. I ran home to load them onto my computer only to be foiled by my stupid SD card. It quite happily, I might add, ate all my wonderful compositions of light and color and left me with nothing in return. I couldn't stomach a post of words without the beautiful scenes I had hoped to leave you with.
3. I was working some major magic with 3 other friends. We managed to feed and serve 130 teengers and adults without electricity and water for 2 meals. A savage windstorm knocked out the power. I couldn't post because, duh, no electricity. Plus my fingers were frozen because there was, duh again, no heat.
So what do you think? Laziness, adventure scorned or savage winds? Option 1, 2 or 3. It's choose your own adventure. Maybe if you all choose the false one, I'll write a random story about it anyway.
p.s. the quote above is what I imagined some of you said yesterday. It is by no means a true quote. Sometimes I like to think that other people enjoy my blog as much as I do.
March 09, 2008
March 07, 2008
Friday Finds
April 4th can't come fast enough. Here's a fun re-cap/refresher course. No one does promo's like BSG.
I can't seem to get enough of Pioneer Woman. She inspires me to be a better writer and photographer.
Flickr loves and gushes.
Sart finds another amazing one. The background made me Paris wistful.
I know it's kinda vain, but I rarely feel beautiful in photos. This one is a great exception so I'm posting it. Vanity, vanity, thy name is woman (it a bright pink dress with Mac Lipglass and clean hair soaking up some of the bridal glow from a friend).
My favorite actions. They enhance all my best photos. I've had them for months and still use them constantly.
Be still my FNL starved heart. The best news in TV land since the end of the strike. Can it be true!???
Project Runway finale. Did you see it? Did you drool over Christian's masterpieces like I did? My favorite was this little number.
Sci-fi defined. This made me laugh cause it seems almost more complicated that what it really is.
Happy Foody is doing a Raw Challenge. While I don't know that I can go all out, although I would love to try, the ideas she talks about have made me think a a lot lately.
Danielle was the guest designer at Hambly. Just look at all the pretties she made!
I LOVE Hambly. I think it's a Godsend that it isn't available anywhere near me cause I would spend way too much cash on it.
3191. What a grand idea. Love to pop over there every once in a while.
I loved the quote in this post. And I love this idea. Need to try it.
And for the big finale....I give you this video. I dare you not to laugh. The Q's introduced me to this gem while I was at their house this past weekend.
I can't seem to get enough of Pioneer Woman. She inspires me to be a better writer and photographer.
Flickr loves and gushes.
Sart finds another amazing one. The background made me Paris wistful.
I know it's kinda vain, but I rarely feel beautiful in photos. This one is a great exception so I'm posting it. Vanity, vanity, thy name is woman (it a bright pink dress with Mac Lipglass and clean hair soaking up some of the bridal glow from a friend).
My favorite actions. They enhance all my best photos. I've had them for months and still use them constantly.
Be still my FNL starved heart. The best news in TV land since the end of the strike. Can it be true!???
Project Runway finale. Did you see it? Did you drool over Christian's masterpieces like I did? My favorite was this little number.
Sci-fi defined. This made me laugh cause it seems almost more complicated that what it really is.
Happy Foody is doing a Raw Challenge. While I don't know that I can go all out, although I would love to try, the ideas she talks about have made me think a a lot lately.
Danielle was the guest designer at Hambly. Just look at all the pretties she made!
I LOVE Hambly. I think it's a Godsend that it isn't available anywhere near me cause I would spend way too much cash on it.
3191. What a grand idea. Love to pop over there every once in a while.
I loved the quote in this post. And I love this idea. Need to try it.
And for the big finale....I give you this video. I dare you not to laugh. The Q's introduced me to this gem while I was at their house this past weekend.
SCC confession
I cry every time I go see Steven Curtis Chapman. I try not to, but fail every single time.
Last night was no exception. Here are a few example of the things that made me tear up....
- I walked in the door to the arena and I was instantly in sight of about 3 families with little Chinese girls. No matter where I am, this makes me tear up, but here it's definite. And knowing that many of these little girls would still be in orphanages in China, if not for this family (the Chapman's) stepping out in faith and adopting.
- There were people walking around the lobby area with big buckets collecting change. The change would all be pooled together at the end of the concert and a check would be given to a family that was a awarded a Shaohannah's Hope scholarship. A family would be one step close to their new family member.
- The family that was chosen at our concert came on stage at the very end of the show. They held up a picture of the 2 little girls they were in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. The mom got choked up when Steven handed her a check for $5,100.
- He opened his show with my very favorite song of his. Be Still. I love that at the beginning of his concerts, he walks out by himself and explains to the audience that we are all there to worship God. It isn't about him and his songs, it's about worship. He played this song with his guitar and then prayed that we would all see the Lord and worship Him in the next few hours we would be together. So very humble.
- His sons were in his band on this tour. He has told stories about them for years. You could visibly see how very proud he was to play with them. And they were GOOD too.
- He told this story. And then performed Cinderella. It's the sweetest song.
- He sang When Love Takes You In. The video playing was of Shaohannah's Hope families who had mailed in videos of the moments that they had adopted their little ones plus the Chapman's and their adoption moments with their 3 little ones. Good gracious, I think everyone was teary eyed.
- At intermission, a little Chinese girl with her tub of change headed to find a Show Hope bucket.
- He did a set of him playing requests that people had emailed in. Lots of old songs. He was saying that those songs were like the Old Testement Ebenezer stones. Little pillars that you see (or hear in this case) and you remember what God was doing in your life at the time you first heard it. So very true for me. His songs have been HUGE in my Walk.
This is just a few, mind you. There were more, but I promise I won't drag on and on. If you ever get a chance to go and see him live, do it. Even if you don't really enjoy his music style, I promise that you will have an incredible experience.
And a special thanks to my mom who is always up for a SCC concert with me. It was a great time, wasn't it?!!
March 06, 2008
IOU
I know I owe you a big post.
I know.
I know.
I know.
Please forgive this short one yet again.
I'm off to see SCC live in concert.
(eeek!)
Life really will slow down soon, right?
I mean, I know we lose an hour this weekend, but it will, won't it?
I'm not caught in some black hole where a million and one things keep popping up and I have to keep doing them or my limbs will fall off.
Speaking of limbs falling off....my hands are finally recovering. I can now pick up a pen AND grip it while writing.
I'm thinkin' that's a good thing since I work in an office.
Well...usually work in an office unless there are rooms to re-do.
Then I let the machine answer the phone and the mail pile up.
Did I mention I'm behind in that area too?
Did I also mention that Project Runway was AMAZING last night.
Talk about inspiring.
I was in love with Christian's designs.
Very glam.
Very My Fair Lady - Day at the Races
More on this later....
I'm off.
I know.
I know.
I know.
Please forgive this short one yet again.
I'm off to see SCC live in concert.
(eeek!)
Life really will slow down soon, right?
I mean, I know we lose an hour this weekend, but it will, won't it?
I'm not caught in some black hole where a million and one things keep popping up and I have to keep doing them or my limbs will fall off.
Speaking of limbs falling off....my hands are finally recovering. I can now pick up a pen AND grip it while writing.
I'm thinkin' that's a good thing since I work in an office.
Well...usually work in an office unless there are rooms to re-do.
Then I let the machine answer the phone and the mail pile up.
Did I mention I'm behind in that area too?
Did I also mention that Project Runway was AMAZING last night.
Talk about inspiring.
I was in love with Christian's designs.
Very glam.
Very My Fair Lady - Day at the Races
More on this later....
I'm off.
March 05, 2008
eye candy
Hope some photo eye-candy will tide you over till I can post properly. I'm just barely getting this one in before midnight. After my lunch break, the only break I had today was the Project Runway finale at 10pm. But as of 9am tomorrow, my big project will be done. Hallelujah. Amen.
March 04, 2008
Edward Scissorhands
My hands are so sore that I can barely type tonight. Who would have thought that spray painting could take it out of you. I feel like Edward Scissorhands, not that my hands are blades, but that are cumbersome and in the way more than they help.
One more day and this room/project will be done and I will have my life back. Well, after this crazy weekend at work, then I will have my life back.
I AM looking very much forward to Thursday night. My mom and I are going to a SCC concert. I've seen him lots of times and have never been disappointed. He not only is a great performer, but an incredible speaker as well. I'm excited to see how much money is raised for orphans that night too. During this tour, he is giving away a Shaohannah's Hope scholarship at each concert venue. That scholarship will go to a family that is wanting to adopt, but needs some help with the money side of adoption. Cool, huh?! Can't wait for that, even if I am exhausted. I know God will have something for me that night. He always shows up at those concerts.
Sorry for the lame post. I promise to pick things back up again when work gives me some free time. It's just one of those months....
One more day and this room/project will be done and I will have my life back. Well, after this crazy weekend at work, then I will have my life back.
I AM looking very much forward to Thursday night. My mom and I are going to a SCC concert. I've seen him lots of times and have never been disappointed. He not only is a great performer, but an incredible speaker as well. I'm excited to see how much money is raised for orphans that night too. During this tour, he is giving away a Shaohannah's Hope scholarship at each concert venue. That scholarship will go to a family that is wanting to adopt, but needs some help with the money side of adoption. Cool, huh?! Can't wait for that, even if I am exhausted. I know God will have something for me that night. He always shows up at those concerts.
Sorry for the lame post. I promise to pick things back up again when work gives me some free time. It's just one of those months....
March 03, 2008
darn paint fumes
After spray painting furnisher for several hours today (I began to NOT notice the fumes and I think that was a bad thing...) and then listening to the amazing ending (again) of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the epilogue gets me every single time, especially "Albus Severus, you are named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." Uhhh....tugs at my heart strings and makes me tear up even though I've read it about 50 times.), I feel very ready to write and very un-prepared. I've deleted about 10 paragraphs already. I think I may have killed a few brain cells with all the paint fumes today. Either that or I'm feeling totally inadequate because of the beautiful writing of J.K Rowling. For whatever reason, my words seem silly and boring tonight.
Instead, here are some pictures of beautiful Loch Lomond in Scotland. I've been thinking about Scotland, mostly because AB (beautiful bride from previous post) was with me on that trip back in 05. Seeing her reminded me how fun and amazing that trip was. And just look at these views.
Definitely one of the most beautiful sunsets I have EVER seen in my life. The view even made me forget how cold it was that day. I can still close my eyes and picture being there.
Instead, here are some pictures of beautiful Loch Lomond in Scotland. I've been thinking about Scotland, mostly because AB (beautiful bride from previous post) was with me on that trip back in 05. Seeing her reminded me how fun and amazing that trip was. And just look at these views.
Definitely one of the most beautiful sunsets I have EVER seen in my life. The view even made me forget how cold it was that day. I can still close my eyes and picture being there.
With these sights in my head, I say good night and farewell.
March 02, 2008
soaking it in
Oh, how I wish I could say that I thought about you all each moment that I was gone, but alas, that would be a lie. While I did REALLY missed writing down all of my thoughts and capturing them for you to enjoy, I also greatly enjoyed LIVING them. Just being in the moment. Soaking it up and letting it wash over me. Sometimes I get to focused on saving/immortalizing the moment instead of truly enjoying and living in it. This weekend I did more enjoying and have so many more memories because of it.
I was again reminded of what an enormous impact camp has made on my life. If I hadn't come here almost 10 years ago, I wouldn't have these amazing friends that I had the honor of sharing the weekend with. I wouldn't have the million memories that we all share. I wouldn't have friends all over the US, who once shared a little plot of land on the water's edge with me. I wouldn't have these amazing women to be accountable to and loved by and accepted with. They make my life sweeter. They show me Jesus over and over. They are the type of people I prayed to be friends with after I finished college and plunged into despair thinking I would never find people I "clicked" with anymore.
We are silly and stupid and we just love every minute we can spend together. We can do nothing and still have a great time. We are amazed at functions like this because we worked at a camp together and rarely see each other this dressed up. We sing songs and make jokes and maybe do a little dancing. Laughter is in abundance when we are all together. It's kinda hard to be serious for a long periods of time.
I'm so happy for dear, sweet AB. She was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen. We shared a room together in the cottage for about 2 1/2 years. She is such a lovely soul. Her compassion and kindness are inspiring. I miss her living next door to me, but am so excited for her new chapter in life.
It was a great weekend, girls! I love each of you more than I can put together lots of pretty words to describe. Let's do it again soon!
February 27, 2008
Farewell, gentle readers
Alrighty, friends. I'm off to play with my girlfriends for a long weekend. My good friend, AB, is getting married this weekend, so I'm headed south. Hallelujah for warm weather!
I won't be taking a laptop because, oh yeah, I don't have one. So, no posting till I get back. I WILL miss you all so very much.
To tide you over, here is a fun site that I found tonight on Pop Candy. Storyline Online. You can listen to famous actors read kids' stories. I LOVED Bradley Whitford reading Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. (plus, I LOVE him and have been spending my lunch breaks with him...aka I've been watching West Wing season 3). What a sweet story! Can't wait to hear some more. Enjoy!
slideshow
Hi! My name is Luke. My favorite auntie (she totally made me say that) wanted me to tell you a little more about our trip to Disney World in December. She didn't take any of these pictures, mind you. She totally swiped them from Nana. Thief. Anyway...
This is me rockin' Auntie's sweet glasses. She pretty much dresses like a rock star. I think I look way better in them though. Plus, look at my sweet ride. It's perfect for waving at the ladies.
Pop and Nana and Great Grandma took me on a boat ride (they made me bring mom and dad though). Note Great Grandma's winter gear. It was about 50 degrees outside. That's swimming weather where I'm from. Wimps. And what's up with Pop's smile? Does he have a fly stuck in his teeth? These are the things I think about....
Yea, it's me. Does anyone else wonder why Nana chose this view of the poor horse? Poor guy. You can tell by my expression that I am wondering the same thing at the moment this picture is being taken. Also, why the heck do they have horses at SEA World. They don't live in the the sea....what? Oh, they pull the beer wagon. Of course. Silly me. I'm sure Uncle Tim took full advantage of that.
So I like to suck my thumb. So what? I think it's cool. You got a problem with that?
As you can tell, I'm trying my hardest to look like I don't belong with these people. I'm mean just look at them? Except for Auntie, the rock star (totally made me say that again), they all look a little needy and crazy. But, hey, that castle was pretty cool. Another crazy factoid. I had a temperature here and Auntie was sick too. But we're made of steel and conquered the Kingdom anyway. Yeah, I'm hard core.
Oh, yeah, I remember this. We were having a serious discussion about actors named Zach and how "they are the cutest ones in Hollywood. You know like Zach Braff and Zachary Levi." (I included links so you will understand who these guys were.) I had no clue what she was talking about, but I like to humor her cause she's 30 and still single. I think she deserves some attention from a boy no matter how old. Plus, that zipper was, like, the best thing to chew on in all of Florida. I WILL listen to her ramble on about Zachs just to chomp on that thing for a couple minutes.
Hey, there's my mom! She says that she loves Auntie and she wishes that she lived closer. Me, too. They must be smiling cause they got to be together for 2 whole weeks.
Dad wouldn't let me do anything but sit on the speeder. If he had turned his head for 2 seconds, I would have been out of there faster than that silly Ewok on the movie. I mean, look at my form?!
I have no idea what this is. I was "NOT ALLOWED TO RIDE" something so intense. I think it was Splash Mountain. Auntie says it's one of her favorites. If it was, why didn't she take ME? I like the water. I like splashes.
Look at the kid in front of them. Uncle Tim said he totally crammed into a seat in between this couple. They had no idea who he was. Now, that's the way to go. Gotta write that one down.....
Please, don't tell me there is proof of this stupid hat. Get it off my head! Now! Mom looks like she's falling asleep and dad has a death grip on me. It's just a boat ride, guys!
My auntie says these are two of her favorite things. Riding the Disney buses and giving me kisses. I agree with the first cause again, I love a sweet ride. But for goodness sake. I have a reputation to uphold. Do I need kisses on the way to Epcot? I say NO! Oooo, but this sweatshirt did have a nice string to chew. That must be why I'm smiling.
Dude, my Pop is so cool. He is pretty much Jack Sparrow's twin. We had just gotten off this sweet boat ride (yes another one) called Pirates of the Caribbean. It had a super fun hill. I got to see anamatronic pirates and ships and cannon balls splashing. I liked it....
So there you go. Hope you enjoyed my little slide show. I'm off to find another sweet ride.....
This is me rockin' Auntie's sweet glasses. She pretty much dresses like a rock star. I think I look way better in them though. Plus, look at my sweet ride. It's perfect for waving at the ladies.
Pop and Nana and Great Grandma took me on a boat ride (they made me bring mom and dad though). Note Great Grandma's winter gear. It was about 50 degrees outside. That's swimming weather where I'm from. Wimps. And what's up with Pop's smile? Does he have a fly stuck in his teeth? These are the things I think about....
Yea, it's me. Does anyone else wonder why Nana chose this view of the poor horse? Poor guy. You can tell by my expression that I am wondering the same thing at the moment this picture is being taken. Also, why the heck do they have horses at SEA World. They don't live in the the sea....what? Oh, they pull the beer wagon. Of course. Silly me. I'm sure Uncle Tim took full advantage of that.
So I like to suck my thumb. So what? I think it's cool. You got a problem with that?
As you can tell, I'm trying my hardest to look like I don't belong with these people. I'm mean just look at them? Except for Auntie, the rock star (totally made me say that again), they all look a little needy and crazy. But, hey, that castle was pretty cool. Another crazy factoid. I had a temperature here and Auntie was sick too. But we're made of steel and conquered the Kingdom anyway. Yeah, I'm hard core.
Oh, yeah, I remember this. We were having a serious discussion about actors named Zach and how "they are the cutest ones in Hollywood. You know like Zach Braff and Zachary Levi." (I included links so you will understand who these guys were.) I had no clue what she was talking about, but I like to humor her cause she's 30 and still single. I think she deserves some attention from a boy no matter how old. Plus, that zipper was, like, the best thing to chew on in all of Florida. I WILL listen to her ramble on about Zachs just to chomp on that thing for a couple minutes.
Hey, there's my mom! She says that she loves Auntie and she wishes that she lived closer. Me, too. They must be smiling cause they got to be together for 2 whole weeks.
Dad wouldn't let me do anything but sit on the speeder. If he had turned his head for 2 seconds, I would have been out of there faster than that silly Ewok on the movie. I mean, look at my form?!
I have no idea what this is. I was "NOT ALLOWED TO RIDE" something so intense. I think it was Splash Mountain. Auntie says it's one of her favorites. If it was, why didn't she take ME? I like the water. I like splashes.
Look at the kid in front of them. Uncle Tim said he totally crammed into a seat in between this couple. They had no idea who he was. Now, that's the way to go. Gotta write that one down.....
Please, don't tell me there is proof of this stupid hat. Get it off my head! Now! Mom looks like she's falling asleep and dad has a death grip on me. It's just a boat ride, guys!
My auntie says these are two of her favorite things. Riding the Disney buses and giving me kisses. I agree with the first cause again, I love a sweet ride. But for goodness sake. I have a reputation to uphold. Do I need kisses on the way to Epcot? I say NO! Oooo, but this sweatshirt did have a nice string to chew. That must be why I'm smiling.
Dude, my Pop is so cool. He is pretty much Jack Sparrow's twin. We had just gotten off this sweet boat ride (yes another one) called Pirates of the Caribbean. It had a super fun hill. I got to see anamatronic pirates and ships and cannon balls splashing. I liked it....
So there you go. Hope you enjoyed my little slide show. I'm off to find another sweet ride.....
February 26, 2008
fire, windows and HP
No, my day didn't start off with a fire. Thank the good Lord! Don't want to relive that nightmare again. But isn't this pretty? I had to start a bonfire last weekend for the group I was hosting at camp. I took my camera along cause I was being a good 365 photographer. That didn't last though. My dreams of 365 pictures of my life for 1 year are dashed and burned. I gave up 2 days ago when I realized that I hadn't taken one for the day yet and it was 11pm at night. That had happened too many times. So frustrating. I hate not finishing something I start. But hey, I did get this pretty picture out of the deal...
This was my view today. OK, not exactly cause it wasn't snowing. This is from last week. My last 365 day. This is my project that I have been working on. Re-decorating this room. I LOVE this room. I lived here for a few months before I became a cottage girl. It has THE BEST window with the most beautiful view on our property. One night, I laid in bed and watched a meteor shower from these windows. A meteor shower over the water.
Today I was sanding and painting this particular window. The weather today was quite different than this snowy scene. The sea was quite monstrous today. The waves splashed against the sea wall shooting water about 7 ft in the air. The water was a churned up, white capped, murky being today. I got distracted by the water about 20 times and caught myself staring at it with paint dripping down my paintbrush.
Then tonight a low, eerie fog settled over the whole place. It looks like a scene out of Sleepy Hallow. A night the spooks and ghosts come out to play. I couldn't make myself go back up here tonight to finish my painting.
This has been playing in my ears as I've been working feverishly. It's just as delightful and engrossing as the first time around. I looked down at my watch today and realized that 2 hours had gone by in a wink because I was so caught up in the story. I love my little Zune and all the hours of music/books on CD it can hold. I can't wait to finish the window and the book tomorrow.
This was my view today. OK, not exactly cause it wasn't snowing. This is from last week. My last 365 day. This is my project that I have been working on. Re-decorating this room. I LOVE this room. I lived here for a few months before I became a cottage girl. It has THE BEST window with the most beautiful view on our property. One night, I laid in bed and watched a meteor shower from these windows. A meteor shower over the water.
Today I was sanding and painting this particular window. The weather today was quite different than this snowy scene. The sea was quite monstrous today. The waves splashed against the sea wall shooting water about 7 ft in the air. The water was a churned up, white capped, murky being today. I got distracted by the water about 20 times and caught myself staring at it with paint dripping down my paintbrush.Then tonight a low, eerie fog settled over the whole place. It looks like a scene out of Sleepy Hallow. A night the spooks and ghosts come out to play. I couldn't make myself go back up here tonight to finish my painting.
This has been playing in my ears as I've been working feverishly. It's just as delightful and engrossing as the first time around. I looked down at my watch today and realized that 2 hours had gone by in a wink because I was so caught up in the story. I love my little Zune and all the hours of music/books on CD it can hold. I can't wait to finish the window and the book tomorrow.
February 25, 2008
Oscar confession
Confession: I cry every time I watch the Oscars. Mostly when it's people I don't even know like the Short Animation Feature or the Art Direction or Costume Design. I think about all the work they put towards their little project and how they earned a Oscar just like any big movie star, but they didn't have a stylist to do their hair or pick out a dress. They are just normal people. And they are SO excited to be recognized for their hard work.
As a little girl, I was convinced that I would one day win an Oscar. I would buy the fancy dress and walk the red carpet and hear my name called by someone I admired. I always won in my dreams. I was never just "happy to be nominated."
I had worked for years and years on this one little project that I was so proud of. My family would all be watching at home, crowded around their TV's. My parents would see all that money they put towards my "production" major was worth something (instead of going to waste like it is now....).
Sometimes in my dream, I would be married and my extra handsome husband, who was dressed to the nines, was beaming as I stood on stage and thanked him deeply for his love and patience as I worked on this project. Sometimes, I would be still be single because my life long project had consumed my life and I didn't have time for things like a relationship. My guest with me would be one of my siblings depending on which one I had been getting along with at the moment. We would laugh and have fun on the red carpet and gawk over all the famous people we would walk by on the red carpet. I would thank them for all their love and laughter in my life.
I would be handed my award by some fabulous star who I would be just as excited to meet as I was getting the actual statue. Like Harrison Ford. One of my childhood movie star loves.
I would try desperately hard not to cry, but a few tear would trickle down my cheek as I thanked all those important people who made my project possible. Then of course, I would say "thank you, Jesus for giving Your life so I may live" cause wouldn't that just be the coolest place ever to share Jesus?!
Then I would walk gracefully off the stage just as the music begins to play, something by John Williams with violins, I think. I would chit-chat with Harrison and tell him that I used to wish I could fly around in the Millennium Falcon. He would smile and look at me like I was a loon, but I wouldn't care a snitch cause I was holding a freakin' Oscar.
That over active imagination was pretty cool. I don't know that it's really gone though cause today I was imagining that I was riding a broomstick with Harry Potter, zipping around camp property, laughing as we tried to knock each other off our broomsticks with the "stupify" spell jetting from the end of our wands. And of course it was warm outside. No good dreams take place in the cold. Yuk.
p.s.....
My favorite moment from the Oscars last night. So sweet and kind and humble. I love that they let her come back out. I've been wanting to see this movie forever. Love that they met on the movie (filmed in 3 weeks for $100,000, which is pocket change in Hollywood) and then fell in love and toured the world doing concerts with the songs they sang in the movie. That's another movie in itself.
As a little girl, I was convinced that I would one day win an Oscar. I would buy the fancy dress and walk the red carpet and hear my name called by someone I admired. I always won in my dreams. I was never just "happy to be nominated."
I had worked for years and years on this one little project that I was so proud of. My family would all be watching at home, crowded around their TV's. My parents would see all that money they put towards my "production" major was worth something (instead of going to waste like it is now....).
Sometimes in my dream, I would be married and my extra handsome husband, who was dressed to the nines, was beaming as I stood on stage and thanked him deeply for his love and patience as I worked on this project. Sometimes, I would be still be single because my life long project had consumed my life and I didn't have time for things like a relationship. My guest with me would be one of my siblings depending on which one I had been getting along with at the moment. We would laugh and have fun on the red carpet and gawk over all the famous people we would walk by on the red carpet. I would thank them for all their love and laughter in my life.
I would be handed my award by some fabulous star who I would be just as excited to meet as I was getting the actual statue. Like Harrison Ford. One of my childhood movie star loves.
I would try desperately hard not to cry, but a few tear would trickle down my cheek as I thanked all those important people who made my project possible. Then of course, I would say "thank you, Jesus for giving Your life so I may live" cause wouldn't that just be the coolest place ever to share Jesus?!
Then I would walk gracefully off the stage just as the music begins to play, something by John Williams with violins, I think. I would chit-chat with Harrison and tell him that I used to wish I could fly around in the Millennium Falcon. He would smile and look at me like I was a loon, but I wouldn't care a snitch cause I was holding a freakin' Oscar.
That over active imagination was pretty cool. I don't know that it's really gone though cause today I was imagining that I was riding a broomstick with Harry Potter, zipping around camp property, laughing as we tried to knock each other off our broomsticks with the "stupify" spell jetting from the end of our wands. And of course it was warm outside. No good dreams take place in the cold. Yuk.
p.s.....
My favorite moment from the Oscars last night. So sweet and kind and humble. I love that they let her come back out. I've been wanting to see this movie forever. Love that they met on the movie (filmed in 3 weeks for $100,000, which is pocket change in Hollywood) and then fell in love and toured the world doing concerts with the songs they sang in the movie. That's another movie in itself.
February 24, 2008
private eyes are watchin' you...they see your every move
This weekend, I started doing something totally fun. Kinda like reverse stalking, but not really. Stalking is a little severe of a word to use in this case. I signed up with a company to help me keep track of who is on my site, where they are from, what their favorite color is, their home address and telephone number. You know, all the vital info....just kidding.
I DO have a program that lets me check in on how many people have visited my site and where they found me. It has been very inter-esting to see who comes to read my little musings. I can almost pin point every person, but not everyone. Just so you don't freak out, there is actually no personal info included in my reports. The closest thing I get is the city you are from and that's only because of the internet connection you have. Don't fret. I can't come to your front door one day and ask for some cookies and milk. Wish I could. It would be fun to chat with each of you face to face and hear you talk about your life rather that listen to me ramble on and on about mine.
So, if you are usually a lurker (which I am totally guilty of in one time or another) here's your chance to introduce yourselves. Say hi! What part of the world do you call home? It would be fun to know your name, but no pressure. Of course you could totally make up a name and I would never know. Maybe you'll meet a new friend through the comments. That's happened to me before! The opportunities of fun and excitement are endless in blog world.
Love you, all my dear, sweet readers. And all of you that think you can read and I "won't ever know...." the end is here. Time to reveal yourself just like the final Cylons on Battlestar Galactica.
***and if any of you are Battlestar fans, let me know so we can chat about who you think the final few are. I have theories. If you don't understand anything about that sentence, well, I can't help you...
February 23, 2008
Whirlwind
That's what my day was. I'm deep in a new project and it's taking up almost all of my extra time.
I did manage to kill a couple minutes in Borders reading this little gem. Gotta say that I laughed at myself because I was too cheap to plunk down $13 for it, so I read it standing up in the store. Oh, well.
I also started this book (it's a habit, I tell you. I can't buy a book until I've read at least one chapter while standing in the store). It's written in such an interesting way. Not normal sentences and paragraphs. Anyone else read anything by Ellen Hopkins? (ps...they are young adult novels. I always get lost in this section with so many fun choices. And they are usually cleaner than adult novels.)
I found some amazing deals at H&M. They had all their winter clearance for $1-10. I got 4 pairs of long gloves, a dress and 2 scarves for a mere $20. Plus I had a return for $8. LOVE deals like that!
But, of course, the main things I was hunting for were no where to be found today. And I also realized how much I HATE shopping for summer clothes in the winter. You just don't look your best in bitter cold February.
The rest of the day was spent painting and sanding. I'm a lovely mess! Can't wait to see the final product. More on the project soon....
I did manage to kill a couple minutes in Borders reading this little gem. Gotta say that I laughed at myself because I was too cheap to plunk down $13 for it, so I read it standing up in the store. Oh, well.
I also started this book (it's a habit, I tell you. I can't buy a book until I've read at least one chapter while standing in the store). It's written in such an interesting way. Not normal sentences and paragraphs. Anyone else read anything by Ellen Hopkins? (ps...they are young adult novels. I always get lost in this section with so many fun choices. And they are usually cleaner than adult novels.)
I found some amazing deals at H&M. They had all their winter clearance for $1-10. I got 4 pairs of long gloves, a dress and 2 scarves for a mere $20. Plus I had a return for $8. LOVE deals like that!
But, of course, the main things I was hunting for were no where to be found today. And I also realized how much I HATE shopping for summer clothes in the winter. You just don't look your best in bitter cold February.
The rest of the day was spent painting and sanding. I'm a lovely mess! Can't wait to see the final product. More on the project soon....
February 22, 2008
Friday finds and inspiration
I think this may be one of my favorites of Tara's. She is a true artist.
Two fun music finds. One from Zach (it automatically plays when you open the page) and one found through this picture. ps. I miss Zach's posts. He always gives great music suggestions....
My friend, who has triplet of her own, sent me this unbelievable story. Can you even fathom being 16 with 6 kids?!!!!!
This gives all us Dillon Panther fans some much needed hope. Need something good to watch tonight? NBC.com has all of FNL online for FREE. Please, please just try it....
The X Men Origins: Wolverine cast now contains some of my favorites. Dominic (Lost and I can never be best friends again just because they killed him off. jerks), Hugh, Taylor and Ryan (anyone else remember Two Guys a Girl and Pizza Place? Anyone?).
Some Jinky Art. One (I'm always drawn to multi-cultural families especially if they have little Asian babies!). Two. Three. I've been a huge fan of hers for years. The colors in her pictures are so delicious I want to dive in and swim around in them. I would LOVE to get her actions one day.
Lovely little preview of a wedding book that one of my favorite photographers made for their client. Isn't the music just perfect?! And, dear goodness, I NEED their actions.
A couple Flickr faves....uno, dos, tres.
And of course Pioneer Woman. This post was my favorite of the week. I am just loving this site. Has anyone else gotten addicted yet?
All right, gang. That's it for this week on my end. Did anyone else find anything fun?
Two fun music finds. One from Zach (it automatically plays when you open the page) and one found through this picture. ps. I miss Zach's posts. He always gives great music suggestions....
My friend, who has triplet of her own, sent me this unbelievable story. Can you even fathom being 16 with 6 kids?!!!!!
This gives all us Dillon Panther fans some much needed hope. Need something good to watch tonight? NBC.com has all of FNL online for FREE. Please, please just try it....
The X Men Origins: Wolverine cast now contains some of my favorites. Dominic (Lost and I can never be best friends again just because they killed him off. jerks), Hugh, Taylor and Ryan (anyone else remember Two Guys a Girl and Pizza Place? Anyone?).
Some Jinky Art. One (I'm always drawn to multi-cultural families especially if they have little Asian babies!). Two. Three. I've been a huge fan of hers for years. The colors in her pictures are so delicious I want to dive in and swim around in them. I would LOVE to get her actions one day.
Lovely little preview of a wedding book that one of my favorite photographers made for their client. Isn't the music just perfect?! And, dear goodness, I NEED their actions.
A couple Flickr faves....uno, dos, tres.
And of course Pioneer Woman. This post was my favorite of the week. I am just loving this site. Has anyone else gotten addicted yet?
All right, gang. That's it for this week on my end. Did anyone else find anything fun?
February 21, 2008
February 20, 2008
Lesson for all you high heel wearers
A story from the depths of Atlantic City:
She had on the type of outfit that gets second looks, but not for a good reason. 5 inch heels and booty shorts (reminder: this is NJ in February) with a blouse. And we are talking BOOTY shorts. Like Daisy Duke short.
When she walked by me and B we both looked at each other. No actual words were spoken for a moment, but if they were spoken it would be something like....
Seriously?!
Who is she kidding?!
Does she know how ridiculous she looks?!
It was one of those poor girls who you kinda feel sorry for because she doesn't know that she doesn't look "sexy/pretty" like she think she does. She looks ridiculous. The shoes are just plain ridiculous.
Well, we forgot about 5 inch heel girl and continued our walk around the indoor mall. We came to the end of a section of the mall and the 3rd floor just ended with a escalator going up. We needed to go down. Of course, one of us decides to go DOWN the UP escalator. Then it becomes a challenge because we didn't want to be the one left behind searching for another staircase. Challenge accepted and accomplished by all. And oh the scene that was waiting for us at the bottom.
We turned and looked up the back hallway behind the escalator and there was 5 inch heel girl. She was with her boyfriend (we think). But she was leaning against a large pillar with one knee bent and her hand grabbing her foot. It appears (from our extensive spying deductions) that her heels have gotten the best of her. She must have rolled her ankle or done something else equally as painful. We keep watching (from around the corner, trying to be invisible) and she finally can't take the standing any longer. She is now on her hands and knees gasping for pain freedom with her hand up to her boyfriend so he won't come any closer. It was just pitiful. And definitly not something you see every day. I must say that we did laugh. Sorry to disappoint all of you that think we took the high road.
The rest of the trip that image would keep popping into my mind I and would laugh out loud. So beware all of you who think high heels are "the bomb diggity." You can roll you ankle at any second and completely humiliate yourself all in the name of fashion. Is it really worth it? Well, my 5 pairs of tennis shoes and only 1 measly pair of 2 inch heels say no.
She had on the type of outfit that gets second looks, but not for a good reason. 5 inch heels and booty shorts (reminder: this is NJ in February) with a blouse. And we are talking BOOTY shorts. Like Daisy Duke short.
When she walked by me and B we both looked at each other. No actual words were spoken for a moment, but if they were spoken it would be something like....
Seriously?!
Who is she kidding?!
Does she know how ridiculous she looks?!
It was one of those poor girls who you kinda feel sorry for because she doesn't know that she doesn't look "sexy/pretty" like she think she does. She looks ridiculous. The shoes are just plain ridiculous.
Well, we forgot about 5 inch heel girl and continued our walk around the indoor mall. We came to the end of a section of the mall and the 3rd floor just ended with a escalator going up. We needed to go down. Of course, one of us decides to go DOWN the UP escalator. Then it becomes a challenge because we didn't want to be the one left behind searching for another staircase. Challenge accepted and accomplished by all. And oh the scene that was waiting for us at the bottom.
We turned and looked up the back hallway behind the escalator and there was 5 inch heel girl. She was with her boyfriend (we think). But she was leaning against a large pillar with one knee bent and her hand grabbing her foot. It appears (from our extensive spying deductions) that her heels have gotten the best of her. She must have rolled her ankle or done something else equally as painful. We keep watching (from around the corner, trying to be invisible) and she finally can't take the standing any longer. She is now on her hands and knees gasping for pain freedom with her hand up to her boyfriend so he won't come any closer. It was just pitiful. And definitly not something you see every day. I must say that we did laugh. Sorry to disappoint all of you that think we took the high road.
The rest of the trip that image would keep popping into my mind I and would laugh out loud. So beware all of you who think high heels are "the bomb diggity." You can roll you ankle at any second and completely humiliate yourself all in the name of fashion. Is it really worth it? Well, my 5 pairs of tennis shoes and only 1 measly pair of 2 inch heels say no.
February 19, 2008
I'm back
with stories to tell. Oh, yes I am.
And bonus points to my bro and sis who correctly identified the movie that includes the song from the previous post. And extra, extra points to my brother because he quoted the movie (there is a good possibility that he was mocking it at the same time), and he had to watch it about 57 times as a youngster because his 2 sisters were obsessed with it.
Ladies, if you have never seen Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, don't let the title fool you. It's still ranks up there for one of my favorite movies of the 90's. The story is so sweet and adorable and a true story to boot. It's about a girl who learns how to dive horses off of huge towers into a big pool below as a traveling show type act in the 30's during the depression. And it's rated "G." Did anyone else LOVE this movie back in the day?!
More from my trip tomorrow....
And bonus points to my bro and sis who correctly identified the movie that includes the song from the previous post. And extra, extra points to my brother because he quoted the movie (there is a good possibility that he was mocking it at the same time), and he had to watch it about 57 times as a youngster because his 2 sisters were obsessed with it.
Ladies, if you have never seen Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, don't let the title fool you. It's still ranks up there for one of my favorite movies of the 90's. The story is so sweet and adorable and a true story to boot. It's about a girl who learns how to dive horses off of huge towers into a big pool below as a traveling show type act in the 30's during the depression. And it's rated "G." Did anyone else LOVE this movie back in the day?!
More from my trip tomorrow....
February 18, 2008
and now, I leave you with a song
On the boardwalk
In Atlantic City
Life can be peaches and cream
Cinderella
You will find your fella
Someone you've been waiting for
In romantic, enchantic
Atlantic City
Down by the old
New Jersey shore
In Atlantic City
Life can be peaches and cream
Cinderella
You will find your fella
Someone you've been waiting for
In romantic, enchantic
Atlantic City
Down by the old
New Jersey shore
February 17, 2008
February 16, 2008
stupid internet
It won't cooperate tonight. Sorry. I had a fun post too. Dumb, idiotic, useless.
Oh, who am I kidding?
I'll forgive it tomorrow when it starts working again.
Till then....
You know you love me.
XOXO,
Cottage Girl
Oh, who am I kidding?
I'll forgive it tomorrow when it starts working again.
Till then....
You know you love me.
XOXO,
Cottage Girl
February 15, 2008
Friday finds and inspiration
This story broke my heart. I can't even imagine how horrible it must be....
I know I post something of theirs every week, but I couldn't resist. Can you imagine having pictures of your kids birthday parties that look like these?!!! Again, they inspire me constantly.
I posted about this earlier in the week, but here it is again. Pioneer Woman. It is my new addiction. It.is.funny. It.is.beautiful. It.is.heart warming. It.is.inspiring. And so help me, I cannot stop reading. Be sure to read Black Heel to Tractor Wheel from beginning. I was glued to my monitor for hours reading. I kinda love that I'm behind in discovering this site because I now have a treasure trove of archives to sift through. Read it. Trust me. Audrey and Stephanie, you WILL love it. I think of you two every time I read it.
The campaigns have begun yet again. Time to save my favorite show from extinction.
Hallelujah!!! Now we just need the executives to play along and bring back Friday Night Lights, ER and Scrubs. They all have their heads on the chopping blocks.
More comic crash course from Pop Candy. This time it's for the kids. I read Y: The Last Man Vol. 1 in one sitting at Barnes and Noble one night. Gotta say, I loved it. I'm currently on the hunt for Vol. 2.
Indy. Sweet Indy is back. Oh, how I loved Harrison my days of girlhood. Han Solo, Indiana Jones. It didn't get any better. Good gracious I can't wait for it!
Elsie's creating again. I'm so jealous of her talent.
I SO loved this show as a kid. And now it's a TV movie? Hmmm, can't decide if I want to see it or not.
I really want Yahoo to win this one. Stand strong. Don't let the big fish eat you up!
Flickr yumminess for the week. All of these. This one. And this random one. This one is so creepy! And one of my own that I love for some reason.
And now can we all bemoan the fact that the Lights are NOT on this week. I must also admit that I am ridiculously depressed about the possibility of them never turning back on. Oh, the horror of it all. I'm going to their site to drown my sorrows in the webisodes. Sniff, sniff.
I know I post something of theirs every week, but I couldn't resist. Can you imagine having pictures of your kids birthday parties that look like these?!!! Again, they inspire me constantly.
I posted about this earlier in the week, but here it is again. Pioneer Woman. It is my new addiction. It.is.funny. It.is.beautiful. It.is.heart warming. It.is.inspiring. And so help me, I cannot stop reading. Be sure to read Black Heel to Tractor Wheel from beginning. I was glued to my monitor for hours reading. I kinda love that I'm behind in discovering this site because I now have a treasure trove of archives to sift through. Read it. Trust me. Audrey and Stephanie, you WILL love it. I think of you two every time I read it.
The campaigns have begun yet again. Time to save my favorite show from extinction.
Hallelujah!!! Now we just need the executives to play along and bring back Friday Night Lights, ER and Scrubs. They all have their heads on the chopping blocks.
More comic crash course from Pop Candy. This time it's for the kids. I read Y: The Last Man Vol. 1 in one sitting at Barnes and Noble one night. Gotta say, I loved it. I'm currently on the hunt for Vol. 2.
Indy. Sweet Indy is back. Oh, how I loved Harrison my days of girlhood. Han Solo, Indiana Jones. It didn't get any better. Good gracious I can't wait for it!
Elsie's creating again. I'm so jealous of her talent.
I SO loved this show as a kid. And now it's a TV movie? Hmmm, can't decide if I want to see it or not.
I really want Yahoo to win this one. Stand strong. Don't let the big fish eat you up!
Flickr yumminess for the week. All of these. This one. And this random one. This one is so creepy! And one of my own that I love for some reason.
And now can we all bemoan the fact that the Lights are NOT on this week. I must also admit that I am ridiculously depressed about the possibility of them never turning back on. Oh, the horror of it all. I'm going to their site to drown my sorrows in the webisodes. Sniff, sniff.
beep....beep
I don't know why, but I find this hysterical. I laugh so hard I can't breathe. See follow-up as well for additional hilarity.
February 14, 2008
Oh, what a day: the appendix
When I crawled into bed the night of the adventure filled day (see previous posts 1 and 2), I had to pray that the Lord would pretty please let me sleep through the whole night. I was exhausted. I'm surprised that I didn't have any nightmares of raccoons eating my face.
When I walked into the office the next morning all I could think is
Surely we won't have another day like yesterday. It's just not possible.
It was quiet in the office for about, oh, 45 minutes. Then 2 of The Guys came in, in discussion about something that seemed important.
What? What is it?!
Um, we think the tree next to the "house" is on fire still.
Yeah (laugh), right. It's been raining all night. Ice and everything. There's no way.
I saw red and small flames and smoke. I think we need to call 911.
And so he did. While on the phone, I and one of the other Guys decided to go and check it out. By this time, we didn't doubt that the crazed and unusual seem to follow us like fleas on dogs. So we bundled up, grabbed an umbrella and walked down the long driveway to the ruins of the once beautiful house. Sitting beside the house (or where it used to be) is a LARGE dead tree that has an old eagles nest in it's barren branches.
As we passed the end of our gate and headed to the other one belonging to the burnt house, we see a truck pull up and an older couple roll down their windows and say hello. They ask about the house. The live in the community next to ours. It seems that the fire engines went to their beach to get water. The tide was so low that night that they couldn't get to the water from our beaches. And we have no fire hydrants anywhere around our neighborhood. The couple was very nice and turned around and left (by this time, our street had become a parade of curious neighbors).
Before we entered the gate, we noticed a random car sitting in the next neighbor's driveway. The driver was just standing near his car walking back and forth every couple of minutes. Clearly he was waiting for someone. But The Guy I was with quickly identified him as "that creepy lying stalker guy" that had driven on our property the day before claiming to be an insurance agent. Hmmmm.
We opened the gate and walked down the burnt house's driveway. About half way in we began to see the tree WAS on fire still. It was BRIGHT red and glowing. Small puffs of smoke came out of the top of one of the branches. How in the world was this possible?!!
It's like Mt. Doom or Silent Hill (never watch this. Too creepy. stupid brother made me.) or that town in PA that is eternally burning from underneath. OK, maybe not that extreme, but pretty close.
As we were standing there watching it burn, we heard fire sirens.
Again.
They were back.
Again.
We opened the gate up to let the truck in. We explained the situation (by now all 4 of us who were at camp was all crowded around watching everything) of the burning tree. The firefighters were very nice and went to survey the situation. The decided that dumping 400 gallons of water on the tree was the best solution. Who were we to argue?
So we stood and watched the firemen do their thing. By now, it was FREEZING, damp and just nasty outside. I couldn't feel my hands or legs anymore. As the firemen finished, of the The Guys, went up noticed that "creepy stalker guy" had decided to walk up the road and knock on the doors of 2 of camp's townhouses.
Yeah, that's not gonna bode well for you mister.
The Guy took off after him and finally caught him in his bluff. He called out, and I quote, "hey, creepy stalker guy, you aren't really their insurance agent are you?" This guy, of course, back peddled and try to pull out some random story about being a public insurance agent.
Um, yeah. Totally creepy. I will be locking my doors more often now.
The fire department finished up and pulled out of the driveway just as bona fide insurance agent, in a company car pulled in. Creepy stalker guy seemed to think that this was a good time for him to head out.
As the engine was pulling out after it had turned around in our big parking lot, one of The Guys decided that he wanted to ask the fire men to turn on the siren by doing the old fashioned truckers sign. You know, the one that you pull your fist down out of the sky. The one you used to do when you were on the school bus in middle school. Yeah, that's what he did.
The firemen thought it was funny and happily obliged. Off they went.
We went back to the office and thankfully the rest of the day was uneventful. And that stupid raccoon never showed his face.....
Until today, again. Oh, yes, he's back.....
When I walked into the office the next morning all I could think is
Surely we won't have another day like yesterday. It's just not possible.
It was quiet in the office for about, oh, 45 minutes. Then 2 of The Guys came in, in discussion about something that seemed important.
What? What is it?!
Um, we think the tree next to the "house" is on fire still.
Yeah (laugh), right. It's been raining all night. Ice and everything. There's no way.
I saw red and small flames and smoke. I think we need to call 911.
And so he did. While on the phone, I and one of the other Guys decided to go and check it out. By this time, we didn't doubt that the crazed and unusual seem to follow us like fleas on dogs. So we bundled up, grabbed an umbrella and walked down the long driveway to the ruins of the once beautiful house. Sitting beside the house (or where it used to be) is a LARGE dead tree that has an old eagles nest in it's barren branches.
As we passed the end of our gate and headed to the other one belonging to the burnt house, we see a truck pull up and an older couple roll down their windows and say hello. They ask about the house. The live in the community next to ours. It seems that the fire engines went to their beach to get water. The tide was so low that night that they couldn't get to the water from our beaches. And we have no fire hydrants anywhere around our neighborhood. The couple was very nice and turned around and left (by this time, our street had become a parade of curious neighbors).
Before we entered the gate, we noticed a random car sitting in the next neighbor's driveway. The driver was just standing near his car walking back and forth every couple of minutes. Clearly he was waiting for someone. But The Guy I was with quickly identified him as "that creepy lying stalker guy" that had driven on our property the day before claiming to be an insurance agent. Hmmmm.
We opened the gate and walked down the burnt house's driveway. About half way in we began to see the tree WAS on fire still. It was BRIGHT red and glowing. Small puffs of smoke came out of the top of one of the branches. How in the world was this possible?!!
It's like Mt. Doom or Silent Hill (never watch this. Too creepy. stupid brother made me.) or that town in PA that is eternally burning from underneath. OK, maybe not that extreme, but pretty close.
As we were standing there watching it burn, we heard fire sirens.
Again.
They were back.
Again.
We opened the gate up to let the truck in. We explained the situation (by now all 4 of us who were at camp was all crowded around watching everything) of the burning tree. The firefighters were very nice and went to survey the situation. The decided that dumping 400 gallons of water on the tree was the best solution. Who were we to argue?
So we stood and watched the firemen do their thing. By now, it was FREEZING, damp and just nasty outside. I couldn't feel my hands or legs anymore. As the firemen finished, of the The Guys, went up noticed that "creepy stalker guy" had decided to walk up the road and knock on the doors of 2 of camp's townhouses.
Yeah, that's not gonna bode well for you mister.
The Guy took off after him and finally caught him in his bluff. He called out, and I quote, "hey, creepy stalker guy, you aren't really their insurance agent are you?" This guy, of course, back peddled and try to pull out some random story about being a public insurance agent.
Um, yeah. Totally creepy. I will be locking my doors more often now.
The fire department finished up and pulled out of the driveway just as bona fide insurance agent, in a company car pulled in. Creepy stalker guy seemed to think that this was a good time for him to head out.
As the engine was pulling out after it had turned around in our big parking lot, one of The Guys decided that he wanted to ask the fire men to turn on the siren by doing the old fashioned truckers sign. You know, the one that you pull your fist down out of the sky. The one you used to do when you were on the school bus in middle school. Yeah, that's what he did.
The firemen thought it was funny and happily obliged. Off they went.
We went back to the office and thankfully the rest of the day was uneventful. And that stupid raccoon never showed his face.....
Until today, again. Oh, yes, he's back.....
Nielsen wrap-up
Last night ended our Nielsen ratings week. Over and done. You know what I discovered? I don't watch as much TV as I thought. In the last week (7 whole days), I only watched 4 shows in prime time. 4. The rest of the viewing was my "have-it-on-while-I'm-getting-ready-but-not-really-watching" show and last night it was David Letterman, which I was basically listening to while I made some Valentines (ah-hum, I tend to procrastinate till the last minute). That's it.
I read more than I thought. I'm on Flickr and blog reading more than I thought. I piddle around the house more than I thought. I did watch 2 movies, The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (beautiful, haunting, FANTASTIC performances by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. They were delightfully CREEPY.) and Across the Universe (ehhh. just okay).
There was a comment section on the last page of the diary. This is what I wrote:
We like TV, no, make that LOVE TV.
We hate the Writer's Strike.
We like doing Nielsen diaries.
We want a Nielsen box for our TV.
We want to know if you really read all these diaries.
We miss Scrubs and 30 Rock and 24 and ER and Chuck and Friday Night Lights and Battlestar Galactica.
We also miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Are you able to do something about that? Oh, and Veronica Mars. Anything? Please?!
Thanks for giving us an excuse to watch TV. We had fun.
The end
I read more than I thought. I'm on Flickr and blog reading more than I thought. I piddle around the house more than I thought. I did watch 2 movies, The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (beautiful, haunting, FANTASTIC performances by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. They were delightfully CREEPY.) and Across the Universe (ehhh. just okay).
There was a comment section on the last page of the diary. This is what I wrote:
We like TV, no, make that LOVE TV.
We hate the Writer's Strike.
We like doing Nielsen diaries.
We want a Nielsen box for our TV.
We want to know if you really read all these diaries.
We miss Scrubs and 30 Rock and 24 and ER and Chuck and Friday Night Lights and Battlestar Galactica.
We also miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Are you able to do something about that? Oh, and Veronica Mars. Anything? Please?!
Thanks for giving us an excuse to watch TV. We had fun.
The end
February 13, 2008
Oh, what a Day: Part Deux
After I finally feel asleep, it seemed like only minutes later that my alarm went off for me to get up and head over to the office. It was tough getting up and motivating myself to go to work.
When I stepped out of the door for the day, I decided to walk the long way to work, so I could see the house in it's final, burned out state. And it was such a sad site. All charred and broken and ugly, where it had once been white and pristine and beautiful. Several cars drove up the edge of the fenced driveway and then turned around after the occupants stared and shook their heads for a couple minutes. Finally, I, too, had to look away, and I turned my back and walked to the office.
I settled into my desk for the day, waiting for the The Guys to come in so I could hear the rest/more of the story. They finally arrived, bleary eyed, yet so kind in their willingness to re-lay the entire night's events again. It seemed almost unbelievable. One of the guys had gone to the gym that morning and said that the entire place was abuzz with the story of the fire last night. Many at the gym kept saying "oh yeah, it was the camp that burned down, right?"
Great, now the whole peninsula thinks our camp has burned to the ground.
Then as we were sitting in the office talking, a strange car drove by on the fire lane that isn't made to be driven on. We all looked at each other and then 2 of The Guys went outside to investigate. The rest of us continued to discuss the events of the day. When they came back they had another story to share.
Apparently, the person in the car had said that they were the "insurance agent" for the family of the burned down house. He then proceeded to ask for the family's phone number, which we didn't give him. And then he asked, "what was their last name again?" and "how do you spell that?"
Um, if you are my insurance agent you sure as heck better know my last name and my phone number. And asking how to spell it? Seriously, man, are you even TRYING to lie well?! Ambulance chaser...
After he left, we went and voted (Super Tuesday in our area) and were asked once again.
Oh, isn't that the address of that camp that burned down last night?
Um. No. The camp did not burn. It was a nearby house. Get your story straight people. Sheesh, gossip spread like wildfire in this little community!
We finally get back and then the next phase of the story takes place.
The day before, it had been discovered that a raccoon had taken up residence in the dark, dank basement of one of our buildings. Today was the day that The Guys would catch him. He didn't seem to like the traps The Guys had set, so it was huntin' time. They were gathering their "weapons" when one of them came in and said,
"There is a squirrel IN the Lodge. It ran up to me and finally stopped about 4 ft. from me before it realized I was there and then it took off into the chapel. I searched high and low and can't find the stupid thing. Gonna have to leave it for now cause we have to get this raccoon before it disappears."
What?!! What in the world is going on around here?!! Have the animals all gone crazy?!!
So the boys all saddled up and grabbed their weapons. I decided that this was one task I couldn't miss. I ran home, snatched my camera and came back just in time to see them all standing in the hallway with their weapons of choice. A lacrosse stick, a child's metal baseball bat, a small gun, a Maglite, a golf club and a trash can. Yes, these boys were ready for their prey. No way was it going to outsmart them...
I follow them downstairs to the basement to watch/laugh/photograph whatever would transpire. Here's proof that my job is never dull.
Just as we had him cornered IN the wall, a person ready on each floor, one of The Guys comes running down to us and says (I kid you not),
"Quick, put everything back. I put everything back in the closet (where he had been stationed) and shut the door."
Why?
"The health inspector is here."
Gulp.
For those of you who don't get the joy of interacting with the health inspector, let me tell you....Our is VERY thorough. He likes to show up, usually at the worst time possible, just to poke around. Now, we have never been shut down for anything and we run a very tight ship. Clean and passable. But we knew if he knew that we were hunting pesky raccoons, we would be knee deep in you know what.
So, we all gathered our gear/weapons and RAN back upstairs to look like we were all "working" on other things. More normal things.
Everything went fine. We passed once again and no one was the wiser of either one of our little creatures that apparently were able to outsmart about 6 of us full grown adults. We all went to lunch to return and find that the raccoon had disappeared.
We did find that dang squirrel though. He chewed a nice hole in one of our doors before we were able to open the door and shoo him out.
The day finally slowed down except for freezing rain and sleet that made the roads in our area more treacherous than a Jesse James train robbery.
So there you have it....a middle of the night awakening, a house on fire, countless discussions over said house, voting, huntin', squirrels and raccoons. All in a day's work.
When I stepped out of the door for the day, I decided to walk the long way to work, so I could see the house in it's final, burned out state. And it was such a sad site. All charred and broken and ugly, where it had once been white and pristine and beautiful. Several cars drove up the edge of the fenced driveway and then turned around after the occupants stared and shook their heads for a couple minutes. Finally, I, too, had to look away, and I turned my back and walked to the office.
I settled into my desk for the day, waiting for the The Guys to come in so I could hear the rest/more of the story. They finally arrived, bleary eyed, yet so kind in their willingness to re-lay the entire night's events again. It seemed almost unbelievable. One of the guys had gone to the gym that morning and said that the entire place was abuzz with the story of the fire last night. Many at the gym kept saying "oh yeah, it was the camp that burned down, right?"
Great, now the whole peninsula thinks our camp has burned to the ground.
Then as we were sitting in the office talking, a strange car drove by on the fire lane that isn't made to be driven on. We all looked at each other and then 2 of The Guys went outside to investigate. The rest of us continued to discuss the events of the day. When they came back they had another story to share.
Apparently, the person in the car had said that they were the "insurance agent" for the family of the burned down house. He then proceeded to ask for the family's phone number, which we didn't give him. And then he asked, "what was their last name again?" and "how do you spell that?"
Um, if you are my insurance agent you sure as heck better know my last name and my phone number. And asking how to spell it? Seriously, man, are you even TRYING to lie well?! Ambulance chaser...
After he left, we went and voted (Super Tuesday in our area) and were asked once again.
Oh, isn't that the address of that camp that burned down last night?
Um. No. The camp did not burn. It was a nearby house. Get your story straight people. Sheesh, gossip spread like wildfire in this little community!
We finally get back and then the next phase of the story takes place.
The day before, it had been discovered that a raccoon had taken up residence in the dark, dank basement of one of our buildings. Today was the day that The Guys would catch him. He didn't seem to like the traps The Guys had set, so it was huntin' time. They were gathering their "weapons" when one of them came in and said,
"There is a squirrel IN the Lodge. It ran up to me and finally stopped about 4 ft. from me before it realized I was there and then it took off into the chapel. I searched high and low and can't find the stupid thing. Gonna have to leave it for now cause we have to get this raccoon before it disappears."
What?!! What in the world is going on around here?!! Have the animals all gone crazy?!!
So the boys all saddled up and grabbed their weapons. I decided that this was one task I couldn't miss. I ran home, snatched my camera and came back just in time to see them all standing in the hallway with their weapons of choice. A lacrosse stick, a child's metal baseball bat, a small gun, a Maglite, a golf club and a trash can. Yes, these boys were ready for their prey. No way was it going to outsmart them...
I follow them downstairs to the basement to watch/laugh/photograph whatever would transpire. Here's proof that my job is never dull.
Just as we had him cornered IN the wall, a person ready on each floor, one of The Guys comes running down to us and says (I kid you not),
"Quick, put everything back. I put everything back in the closet (where he had been stationed) and shut the door."
Why?
"The health inspector is here."
Gulp.
For those of you who don't get the joy of interacting with the health inspector, let me tell you....Our is VERY thorough. He likes to show up, usually at the worst time possible, just to poke around. Now, we have never been shut down for anything and we run a very tight ship. Clean and passable. But we knew if he knew that we were hunting pesky raccoons, we would be knee deep in you know what.
So, we all gathered our gear/weapons and RAN back upstairs to look like we were all "working" on other things. More normal things.
Everything went fine. We passed once again and no one was the wiser of either one of our little creatures that apparently were able to outsmart about 6 of us full grown adults. We all went to lunch to return and find that the raccoon had disappeared.
We did find that dang squirrel though. He chewed a nice hole in one of our doors before we were able to open the door and shoo him out.
The day finally slowed down except for freezing rain and sleet that made the roads in our area more treacherous than a Jesse James train robbery.
So there you have it....a middle of the night awakening, a house on fire, countless discussions over said house, voting, huntin', squirrels and raccoons. All in a day's work.
in between
My brother posted a pretty amazing picture of the whole adventure yesterday.
He also told his side of the story.
Obviously, I tend to over-verbalize stories compared to him.
So, if you want a quick version of the story, read his post before scrolling down to read my 100 page volume.
I promise I will continue the story as soon as I can.
Or as soon as I can tear myself away from Pioneer Woman. (It is possible that I ran out of valuable posting time yesterday cause I was unable to tear myself from her stories. Possible and very likely. If you have also been reading feverishly, do share.)
He also told his side of the story.
Obviously, I tend to over-verbalize stories compared to him.
So, if you want a quick version of the story, read his post before scrolling down to read my 100 page volume.
I promise I will continue the story as soon as I can.
Or as soon as I can tear myself away from Pioneer Woman. (It is possible that I ran out of valuable posting time yesterday cause I was unable to tear myself from her stories. Possible and very likely. If you have also been reading feverishly, do share.)
February 12, 2008
grap a cup of something and settle in. this is going to be a LONG one....
I grumbled a little and rolled over.
I'm dreaming. My dream woke me up.
I snuggled down into my bed and swished my face back into my pillow and sighed hoping that I was only partly awake and that I would quickly fall back asleep.
Then again, a noise outside. Nothing shocking or loud, just weird. Out of the ordinary.
I grumbled again and rolled over to my other side, fluffed my pillow again.
My eyes slightly opened, saw nothing and closed again sleepily.
It's all in my head. My two roommates were still sleeping soundly.
I opened my eyes one more time and glanced at my clock.
Of course, for the last week, I had been waking up at 4am to go to the bathroom.
The clock glowed red 4:00am.
Right before I shut my eyes, I heard something that made my stomach drop. A noise that I've heard quite a few times before. Then, it was followed by a couple of bright flashes of light.
No, please not that. Not again. Not at 4am.
I closed my eyes again and hoped and prayed that it was just a dream.
I sure didn't want to get out of my nice warm bed on a 15 degree night like it was. (ps...the cottage never gets warm on nights like that. Stepping out of bed is like stepping onto a ice rink.)
It will go away. It's not what you think.
That weird low rumbling noise again....
Okay, that was it. I couldn't imagine it away anymore. I threw back the covers and shuddered as I stepped onto the ice patch/carpet.
I peeked out of my blinds in my bedroom window. Gulp...it's exactly what I feared....I closed my eyes for a second...
It's not there. You're dreaming.
Open eyes....nope. There it was right in front of me. A police car with lights swirling in blues and reds sitting in my neighbors driveway.
Quick, look in the other direction. That's not what's making the noise. You KNOW what that noise is.
I turned and looked to the right. There blocking the dirt road that led past my house and down to the beach was a LARGE, brightly lit, FIRE ENGINE. That's right.
Quick back-story...for those of you who have never lived at camp (those of you that read this and have lived here will know exactly what that sight and sound does to your heart). Our camp is OLD. Our oldest building is about 110 years old. The second oldest building is a HUGE lodge that was built in the 40's. Our biggest fear in life is that The Lodge will one day catch fire and burn in about 30 seconds flat. We call it a match box/tinder box/fire trap. Not that it's dangerous, just that it is VERY old. It's entirely wooden. Little insulation. That type of thing. One little flame would finish it in mere minutes.
The other part of it is that we have LOTS of fire systems at camp. You have to to be up to code with the various government agencies in our area. Kids have to be safe! Anyway, with all these systems comes the inevitable false alarms. And let's just say, we've had more than one. Many a time, the fire engines have rolled up our dirt roads when nothing is wrong, but the alarm goes off. While it's wonderful that it's that good of a system, it can drive you crazy. We've had to turn them away several times in the middle of the night because of a false alarm.
So keep this in mind as you read "a LARGE, brightly lit, FIRE ENGINE."
Back to 4:00am.....
My fingers slipped off the blinds and I ran as quickly and quietly (roommates still sleeping in next room) to look out another window. Living room....window facing The Lodge....wait....it was still dark on that side of the room. I got as close to the glass as I could. No bright lights. The Lodge was dark still. But I could only see half of it. The camp garage blocked the other half. I ran from that window into the kitchen barely noticing the icy floor didn't have the protective carpet shield. I leaned over the sink to see as much as I could.
The fire truck was still there. Blocking the road.
That's it. Something weird is going on....then I gasped.
My eyes had glanced upwards and I gasped because I saw smoke. HUGE billows of white smoke. Billows upon billows blowing in the wind.
FIRE!
My mind screamed over and over.
I ran, even quicker back around the corner to my room and pulled on whatever heavy layered pieces of clothes I could find plus and coat and hat and gloves.
I grabbed my boots out of the closet and ran to the door, unlocked it and burst outside as quickly (and still quietly) as I could.
I ran down the stairs and fast-walked out of my little gate, past the gym that sits next to my house.
When I rounded the corner of the building, I literally stopped and gasped in a huge intake of icy air. I think I stopped breathing for a few seconds.
There in front of me were about 10 fire trucks/tanker trucks, at least 3 police cars and a swirling mix of lights and people running around.
To my right, before my very sleepy, but now 100% awake eyes was a very large 2 story house with a large front porch COMPLETELY engulfed in smoke and flames. A ladder truck had it's bucket extended as high as it would go over top of the 2nd story (which was about 50% gone at this point) spraying gallons upon gallons of icy water. Fire fighters were running around talking loudly on walkie-talkies.
I stood there for a couple minutes rooted to my spot before I realized that it was truly happening before me. Then my mind sprang into action. Not really logical action, but at least it was working again.
Boys....I have to find The Boys...surely they know what's going on....(I call all the guys at camp "The Boys/The Guys" regardless of age or whether they are married or not)
I saw lights on in their houses, which face the inferno, so I knew they must be around somewhere. Doing what should be done.
My mind switched to:
roommates, still sleeping. No idea what's going on. Wake them now. Need someone else out here with me to find boys.
So back to my house I ran, up the porch stairs i to the house panting as I entered their dark room.
Hey guys....(huh?! what?)...um, the neighbors house is on fire and there are about 20 fire trucks here and there is smoke everywhere and do you want to come outside with me? I don't know where the boys are.
That, of course, got a sit-bolt-upright-in-bed (as much as you can with bunkbeds at least) WHAT?!!
I repeated my 1 sentace tale.
We're coming.
The three of us clomp outside to the field to stand there again, dumbfounded.
Finally, we see one of The Boys.
And then the true tale is told....
Apparently (and this is from what has been gathered from several sources aka "The Guys" and their whole crazy adventure last night), about 3:15 two of the guys, who live in adjoining townhouse with their lovely wives, heard strange popping sounds. One of them looked outside to see a bright orange glow. He, then, ran outside to see exactly where it was coming from and saw the house engulfed in enormous flames, to which put him in panic mode as his loving wife ran outside shoving warm clothes at him and a cell phone to call 911. When he called, the other Guy was already on the phone (in his adjoining house) with 911 telling them the same story. The fire engines came a couple minutes later, but by then the house was pretty much a lost cause. The firefighters were simply trying to keep the fire from spreading to another building. Lots of the rest of the staff had been up and around and had gone back inside (ah, warmth) by the time us girls came over.
At publication time (or while I'm sitting here typing this) it appears that the fire was arson. It was most likely started by the punk kids that live in our neighborhood and have been reeking havoc for the last few months. We've already had problems with them breaking into our buildings and stealing stuff. It seems that they broke into the house and the fire started after that. The police found TVs on the beach outside of the house. We don't know if they started the fire or if they knocked something over and it was accidental, but either/or, they started it (again, as of press time). The house is (was) a beautiful summer home that had been in our neighbor's family since the 40's. They had re-done their entire front wall/pier after a hurricane had demolished it in 2003. Thankfully, it is only used in the summer and no one was home when all this happened.
I went back to bed after about 20 minutes when I realized that there was nothing I could do and it was freakin' freezing outside and I couldn't feel my face anymore. I tried to go back to sleep, but my mind wouldn't turn off. What if it had been The Lodge?! What if we had lost all our data bases (The Lodge houses our offices as well as kitchen, dining hall, chapel and 30 rooms upstairs). That made me have a mini panic attack. When I finally fell asleep an hour and a half later, I dreamed that the fire jumped over to The Lodge and it was now burning to the ground.
Now this only takes us to about 6am this morning. This is only the beginning of the adventure that the day turned out to be. But, I'm exhausted and I'm sure you are all tired of reading this LONG epic. I will close for tonight, but there is much more to come.
So until then....to be continued...
I'm dreaming. My dream woke me up.
I snuggled down into my bed and swished my face back into my pillow and sighed hoping that I was only partly awake and that I would quickly fall back asleep.
Then again, a noise outside. Nothing shocking or loud, just weird. Out of the ordinary.
I grumbled again and rolled over to my other side, fluffed my pillow again.
My eyes slightly opened, saw nothing and closed again sleepily.
It's all in my head. My two roommates were still sleeping soundly.
I opened my eyes one more time and glanced at my clock.
Of course, for the last week, I had been waking up at 4am to go to the bathroom.
The clock glowed red 4:00am.
Right before I shut my eyes, I heard something that made my stomach drop. A noise that I've heard quite a few times before. Then, it was followed by a couple of bright flashes of light.
No, please not that. Not again. Not at 4am.
I closed my eyes again and hoped and prayed that it was just a dream.
I sure didn't want to get out of my nice warm bed on a 15 degree night like it was. (ps...the cottage never gets warm on nights like that. Stepping out of bed is like stepping onto a ice rink.)
It will go away. It's not what you think.
That weird low rumbling noise again....
Okay, that was it. I couldn't imagine it away anymore. I threw back the covers and shuddered as I stepped onto the ice patch/carpet.
I peeked out of my blinds in my bedroom window. Gulp...it's exactly what I feared....I closed my eyes for a second...
It's not there. You're dreaming.
Open eyes....nope. There it was right in front of me. A police car with lights swirling in blues and reds sitting in my neighbors driveway.
Quick, look in the other direction. That's not what's making the noise. You KNOW what that noise is.
I turned and looked to the right. There blocking the dirt road that led past my house and down to the beach was a LARGE, brightly lit, FIRE ENGINE. That's right.
Quick back-story...for those of you who have never lived at camp (those of you that read this and have lived here will know exactly what that sight and sound does to your heart). Our camp is OLD. Our oldest building is about 110 years old. The second oldest building is a HUGE lodge that was built in the 40's. Our biggest fear in life is that The Lodge will one day catch fire and burn in about 30 seconds flat. We call it a match box/tinder box/fire trap. Not that it's dangerous, just that it is VERY old. It's entirely wooden. Little insulation. That type of thing. One little flame would finish it in mere minutes.
The other part of it is that we have LOTS of fire systems at camp. You have to to be up to code with the various government agencies in our area. Kids have to be safe! Anyway, with all these systems comes the inevitable false alarms. And let's just say, we've had more than one. Many a time, the fire engines have rolled up our dirt roads when nothing is wrong, but the alarm goes off. While it's wonderful that it's that good of a system, it can drive you crazy. We've had to turn them away several times in the middle of the night because of a false alarm.
So keep this in mind as you read "a LARGE, brightly lit, FIRE ENGINE."
Back to 4:00am.....
My fingers slipped off the blinds and I ran as quickly and quietly (roommates still sleeping in next room) to look out another window. Living room....window facing The Lodge....wait....it was still dark on that side of the room. I got as close to the glass as I could. No bright lights. The Lodge was dark still. But I could only see half of it. The camp garage blocked the other half. I ran from that window into the kitchen barely noticing the icy floor didn't have the protective carpet shield. I leaned over the sink to see as much as I could.
The fire truck was still there. Blocking the road.
That's it. Something weird is going on....then I gasped.
My eyes had glanced upwards and I gasped because I saw smoke. HUGE billows of white smoke. Billows upon billows blowing in the wind.
FIRE!
My mind screamed over and over.
I ran, even quicker back around the corner to my room and pulled on whatever heavy layered pieces of clothes I could find plus and coat and hat and gloves.
I grabbed my boots out of the closet and ran to the door, unlocked it and burst outside as quickly (and still quietly) as I could.
I ran down the stairs and fast-walked out of my little gate, past the gym that sits next to my house.
When I rounded the corner of the building, I literally stopped and gasped in a huge intake of icy air. I think I stopped breathing for a few seconds.
There in front of me were about 10 fire trucks/tanker trucks, at least 3 police cars and a swirling mix of lights and people running around.
To my right, before my very sleepy, but now 100% awake eyes was a very large 2 story house with a large front porch COMPLETELY engulfed in smoke and flames. A ladder truck had it's bucket extended as high as it would go over top of the 2nd story (which was about 50% gone at this point) spraying gallons upon gallons of icy water. Fire fighters were running around talking loudly on walkie-talkies.
I stood there for a couple minutes rooted to my spot before I realized that it was truly happening before me. Then my mind sprang into action. Not really logical action, but at least it was working again.
Boys....I have to find The Boys...surely they know what's going on....(I call all the guys at camp "The Boys/The Guys" regardless of age or whether they are married or not)
I saw lights on in their houses, which face the inferno, so I knew they must be around somewhere. Doing what should be done.
My mind switched to:
roommates, still sleeping. No idea what's going on. Wake them now. Need someone else out here with me to find boys.
So back to my house I ran, up the porch stairs i to the house panting as I entered their dark room.
Hey guys....(huh?! what?)...um, the neighbors house is on fire and there are about 20 fire trucks here and there is smoke everywhere and do you want to come outside with me? I don't know where the boys are.
That, of course, got a sit-bolt-upright-in-bed (as much as you can with bunkbeds at least) WHAT?!!
I repeated my 1 sentace tale.
We're coming.
The three of us clomp outside to the field to stand there again, dumbfounded.
Finally, we see one of The Boys.
And then the true tale is told....
Apparently (and this is from what has been gathered from several sources aka "The Guys" and their whole crazy adventure last night), about 3:15 two of the guys, who live in adjoining townhouse with their lovely wives, heard strange popping sounds. One of them looked outside to see a bright orange glow. He, then, ran outside to see exactly where it was coming from and saw the house engulfed in enormous flames, to which put him in panic mode as his loving wife ran outside shoving warm clothes at him and a cell phone to call 911. When he called, the other Guy was already on the phone (in his adjoining house) with 911 telling them the same story. The fire engines came a couple minutes later, but by then the house was pretty much a lost cause. The firefighters were simply trying to keep the fire from spreading to another building. Lots of the rest of the staff had been up and around and had gone back inside (ah, warmth) by the time us girls came over.
At publication time (or while I'm sitting here typing this) it appears that the fire was arson. It was most likely started by the punk kids that live in our neighborhood and have been reeking havoc for the last few months. We've already had problems with them breaking into our buildings and stealing stuff. It seems that they broke into the house and the fire started after that. The police found TVs on the beach outside of the house. We don't know if they started the fire or if they knocked something over and it was accidental, but either/or, they started it (again, as of press time). The house is (was) a beautiful summer home that had been in our neighbor's family since the 40's. They had re-done their entire front wall/pier after a hurricane had demolished it in 2003. Thankfully, it is only used in the summer and no one was home when all this happened.
I went back to bed after about 20 minutes when I realized that there was nothing I could do and it was freakin' freezing outside and I couldn't feel my face anymore. I tried to go back to sleep, but my mind wouldn't turn off. What if it had been The Lodge?! What if we had lost all our data bases (The Lodge houses our offices as well as kitchen, dining hall, chapel and 30 rooms upstairs). That made me have a mini panic attack. When I finally fell asleep an hour and a half later, I dreamed that the fire jumped over to The Lodge and it was now burning to the ground.
Now this only takes us to about 6am this morning. This is only the beginning of the adventure that the day turned out to be. But, I'm exhausted and I'm sure you are all tired of reading this LONG epic. I will close for tonight, but there is much more to come.
So until then....to be continued...
(Click photo to see bigger)
What?!
You. Will. Not. Believe. the day that is happening right now. It's still unfolding.
Ooooo, uh....Gotta go.....More later.
Ooooo, uh....Gotta go.....More later.
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