2013......

How does 'Grumpy Cat' always know the face that goes along with how I am feeling!

You have done it again  grumpy. You have done it again.

Perhaps my first day back to work after a nice long New Years vacation isn't the best time to update my blog- Ill try and keep the snarky and sarcastic remarks to a minimum.

This New Years really doesn't feel like it always did when I was younger. Parties, dances, playing monopoly, celebrations- singing "Shot thru the heart, and your to blame, you give looooove a bad name!" by Jon Bon Jovie at the top of my lungs along with some lobby cover band just isn't what it used to be.

This year just doesn't seem to be starting off with such a BANG!

I guess it could be worse.... right?

I just need to talk myself into it! I need to pump myself up with excitement... or maybe really low expectations is just what the Doctor ordered (I better get a prescription for that)

Here is to a mediocre year with low expectations!!!

Confession: I Miss A Real City

Every once in a while, I go thru Big city-withdrawal.

 I miss the loud noises

The tall sun-blocking-shadow-causing buildings

The smells (even the smelly people smells)

The food choices from every corner of the globe

The sidewalk restaurants with little wobbly tables and chilled glasses of water

The shopping (OH sweet baby Tootsie roll the shopping!!)

The parking garages

The walking EVERYWHERE

 The people who walk into you at cross-walks

 The food-vans and food-carts

New people to meet ALL THE TIME

The lights- everywhere! 

Some this open at ANY time of the day-or-night

The cars humming as they wait for a light to change.

The sounds of bands and singers in random bars, clubs, coffee shops

Always having something to look at

Always having something to DO; even if it’s just sitting and waiting.

The fact that everyone seems so purposefully- they are going THERE or HERE or somewhere.

The clothes you get to wear in a city (much nicer than a "trip-to-Wal*Mart" outfit...)  

The variety of EVERYTHING. 48 different doughnut shops? Yes -in a 3 block radius.

I just miss it.

Thanksgiving (From my heart)

Whelp, I’m sitting here at work blog surfing and catching up on some of my favorite people and what their lives have gotten them into, pinning thing on Pinterest, and stalking people on facebook, when I remembered how long it had been since I had actually hammered out a few lines, slapped up a picture and said a little "howdy ‘do" to the blog followers of my own.

Hello blog-stalkers. I know, I know, it’s been far too long. Please forgive me. Pretty please! Will big doe-eyes and a duck face make it all better?

Phew... ok now that that is out of the way...

Me: Well today is Thanksgiving...yes I’m at work "working “today for a bit.

You: But why are you at work????

Me: Well you see kids, I had no real plans, and my family is spread all over and so my roommate and I planned a little some'thang some'thang for dinner...plus holiday pay... plus all my coworkers have families and activities to run to and be involved in... And did I mention holiday pay???

You: Ohh I see. Yeah, that makes sense. Wow Ry, you’re so thoughtful and nice to your co-workers...

Me: Aww shucks, stop-stop.

ANYWAYS.....

Today is Thanksgiving, and what a better time to ponder all the things i am thankful for.... These are a little unconventional ....I’ll try and be a little serious....maybe. (Please know that I 100% and truly thankful for the following list....)

1) I thankful for a job. A paycheck. And the not-stressing day to day how I would be supporting myself.

2) I am thankful for my P.O.S. lil' 1994 Toyota. Its not much, but I don’t have a car payment and it starts and gets me from A to Z with pretty decent gas mileage.

3) I am thankful for the 180degree switch my body has made from night-owl to morning-person. From sleeping in until 2 or 3pm to waking up on-the-dot-alarm-or-not at 5am and able (most days) to hop up and start the day is amazing. I love it. It makes me feel so GREAT!

4) I’m thankful for make-up. Sometimes before I slap on the ole'war paint and head out into the world I get a glance of fresh-faced-me.... She ain’t as young as she once was that’s for DANG sure! I’m thankful makeup can help rectify that situation.

5) I’m thankful for amazing friends who make me laugh until I pee my pants and my cheeks hurt and I can’t stand up straight and tears roll down my face and come with me to stupid events and lame movies and let me rant about stuff they don’t care about and listen as I make fun of people who dress up their animals, and "LoL" when I sent them stupid pictures of turtles dancing and put up with my "no cell phone when we are together" and "be on time or I will stab you" rules (yes...those are real rules) and who make me the happiest gal in the whole world just by texting me and being my friends. I’d be in a psych ward talking to a fish tank without them.

6) Shopping. Yep. I’m selfish and I’m an addict and while I really only have 3.8 stores here to shop at, I’m thankful that I can go spend money and buy pretty things (plus, those 3.8 store options make it so that I am not in bankruptcy court)

7) I'm thankful for Vanilla ice cream and nerds. It might seem silly but it tastes amazing- and often times can turn my frown upside down.... So can Oreos, a juicy hamburger, sushi, good lemonade, and hundreds or even thousands of simple pleasures.

8) I am thankful for the ability I have had to travel. I still have tons of "go-here" places, but I have seen a lot of beautiful places and hiked and strolled and zip lined and swam and canoed and bussed and trekked thru and to a bunch of really amazing places.

9) I’m grateful for a tan. When the sun hits my skin i can almost hear it say "Ohh hello honey! I love you. let me hold you until you are a golden hue and let me make you toasty and warm and did I mention that I love you?? Cuz I DO!!”.... I swear! That’s what it says to me!

10) I’m thankful the history channel, the discovery channel and stupid TV shows that either suck me and dull my mind for 30min, or educate me and give me knowledge and information on random topics like how to make a kite or how the dinosaurs lived, etc...

Well, that’s a good start. Happy Thanksgiving! May your pants fit tomorrow!!

.....what?

Do you ever hand your phone to someone to show them ONE picture, and then suddenly they are flipping thru thousands of hundreds of random pictures that you have taken over a 4 year time span? (dang you memory card that allows me to keep phone pictures years after taking them!- DANG YOU!) 

well... this happened the other day and it made me think 1.) Good thing I don't have any inappropriate-ish pictures and,  2.) I hope they enjoyed my hundreds of bored "duck-face" pictures I take to check my makeup when I don't have a mirror handy (I cant be the only one that does this... can I?)

So I started flipping thru the pictures to "check" out what they may have just seen ..... and I found these......... Enjoy!

(For some reason I was impressed to take a picture of my breakfast... This is usually what I eat Monday -Friday- I cant get enough!)

(DUCK FACE!!!!!! ..... And I straightened my hair and was taking a picture for my sister...)

(Stayed in Vegas a few weeks ago and the uber nice hotel had this amazing mirror that was crafted by the Gods and blessed by some Buddha prayers and was then sold by unicorns and elf's .... you get my point, best make-up mirror EVER... In pricing them I found its over $120.00 - Dang you elf /unicorns! Cant you have a coupon or a sale???)

(I was on hold at work and was really really really bored...... )

Channeling my Inner Betty Crocker

Yup. You know when you walk into any store, you see those little plastic containers with huge soft fluffy sugar cookies with whipped buttery smooth frosting and the trade mark sprinkles? ( I'm drooling just typing this out...) 

Well, with the help of Pintrest, I was able to stumble across this little recipe of delight and joy!! 

24 hours later (you have to refrigerate the dough over night) but once their cut out, baked and frosted  and sprinkled, they practically scream "Quick eat me up and then eat 7 or 8 of my friends!!"   

....Who am I to ignore the wishes of this beautiful lil' blue cookie!

Got it at Target... It's on sale

Do you ever notice little things that you do that you maybe didn't ever notice before??? I had a little moment where this happened...

Someone said to me "Ryanne, Cute shoes" (I have to admit they were really cute...) and immediately after hearing that I respond "ooh thank you... I got them at old navy... last year... I got them on sale!"

That's when it clicked- As soon as anyone compliments me on some piece of my outfit, I immediately comment on

• Where I got it (Old Navy/Target/etc...)
• When I got it  (Last summer...)
• Whether or not it was on sale

I wonder if its some sort of verbal disease.

Or if I'm channeling my inner Ricky Bobby

JAWS

SHARK WEEK!!!!!!!!

Need I say more? MY favorite viewing experience...

 IT'S AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Sent to me by my friends..... out of concern and fear... a post on interventions will appear shortly)

(Also stay tuned for info on my "swim with the sharks" adventure!)