Brandi's Place

This year, it's two birthdays!! My family celebrated mine and my Aunt's birthdays today. It was a jolly good time with grandma's lasagna, garlic bread and cake! And, of course, the presents!

I got a fabulous new scrapbook tool, gift to macaroni grill, flip flop paraphanalia and candles. That'll work.

I went to get my Aunt a Macaroni Grill gift card yesterday, because it's her favorite restaurant. Then decided to get her something else. So, I laughed really hard when I opened my card to find that exact thing in the card.

I also found it cute that this year I turned 24 and my aunt turned 42. She's thrilled that when I'm 25 next year, she will not be 52.

We also went for our Sunday house hunt and OH BOY did we find a gem. This isn't like going to the jewelry store and finding a beautiful little diamond in the case. This is like going to Walmart and accidentally stumbling across THE Hope Diamond on the shelf full of Sam's Choice ramen noodles. It's cute as can be and half an hour after looking at it we submitted a contract. I've got a headache from being so excited. I probably will not sleep tonight. I'm trying so hard not to jinx this but OH MY GOD, it's perfect and fabulous. So, ye fingers be-eth crossed.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/31/2005 08:23:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

I wandered over to Beau's blog (see link on side) the other day and found his "100 things I hate" list. I was inspired. So here is my list of things I hate, as well as like. I don't have the energy to write 100, but I could if I wanted to.

The Hate List:

1. Voicemail Operators- it is 2005, do we really need to be walked through the 2.5 minute instructions?
2. Being charged for condiments at McDonalds
3. When my Mac battery is low and the charger is in the other room
4. Fiber Supplements
5. The gas station puts the expensive gas in the middle, tricking me to automatically pick it up
6. People on bikes who ride in the street, not on the sidewalk
7. People at work leave their leftovers in the fridge for 2 months
8. Paying to park
9. Local TV News
10. People who complain about the heat as if they are the first person to have ever been hot!
11. Bad food smells
12. Alumni solicitations- it's called tuition. I already paid it!
13. WalMart
14. Meetings that last more than 15 minutes
15. Office toilet paper
16. Excel Spreadsheets
17. 16-year old hostesses at restaurants who act like they are too good for the job
18. Restaurants that don't take reservations
19. Socks
20. When people with straight hair tell me how they'd give money/their first born/etc to have hair like mine
21. Math
22. The Red Bull truck that parks in front of my office for DAYS on end, taking up valuable parking space
23. My apartment complex
24. The price of tampons
25. When people do not close the cupboard doors, kitchen drawers, bathroom cabinet, etc.
26. I'm 24, I still break out
27. People who don't use their blinkers
28. People who make me feel like my hobbies and interests are lame
29. Popcorn and the stench it creates
30. Thanksgiving food
31. The hand molestors at Bath & Body Works
32. There are FORTY FIVE lanes at SuperTarget, there are 3 cashiers

The Like List:

1. Coming home from work and putting on PJs and a Tshirt
2. Flip Flops
3. Flip Flop Fridays
4. My husband
5. Managers that ask how your meal is at a restaurant
6. Thank you notes
7. The person that lets you pull out in lines of traffic
8. Sunday morning
9. Haircut Hair
10. Burt's Bees
11. Harry Potter
12. Filling a punch card at the Scrapbook store
13. Finding a front parking space
14. Finding a treasure on clearance
15. Ann Taylor Loft
16. My family, my friends
17. Email
18. Personal mail/packages at the office
19. OU Sooners
20. Oklahoma
21. Laughing
22. Believing in Santa
23. Happy cries
24. Loving what I do for a living
25. Cooking
26. Getting my way when I know I'm right all along
27. Finishing a good book
28. Romantic Comedies
29. The excitment people get in taking candy from my candy bowl
30. First snow
31. Finding the perfect gift for someone, for no reason at all
32. Dad's french toast
33. Mom's fried chicken
34. Jenna's brownies
35. Watching Kyle eat
36. Puppies, babies

Posted by BrandiK at 7/26/2005 10:28:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

After a 3-second event that took place in our bed last night (oh wow! did I really just start a post with that?!), I'm thinking I missed my calling as a boxer. About 5:00 this morning I was deeply invoved with a very intense dream. The scene was me telling a story, of course, and my little sister Jenna repeatedly interrupting me. Throughout this dream I had stopped to ask Jenna to 'Be Quiet', 'Hush,' 'Wait until I'm finished,' and 'Shut up!'

However, she kept interrupting me. And I was getting REALLY mad. So, simultaneously, according to the one available witness, I screamed "Shut the F*#K up!" and I slugged Shelton in the jaw!!! He said he looked over, after trying to shake off the initial shock, and saw that my face was all scrunched up and I was pretty mad about something. So, in act of necessary self-defense, he quickly made me wake up.

Now, I remember screaming, because I heard myself. I do not remember the punch. He says he told me what I had just done and that I immediately started cracking up (which I've continued all day long). I guess I rolled back over and laughed myself back to sleep.

This morning, I asked him if I really had slugged him in my sleep and he said yes. Again, hyena-like laughing. Being that I've never had the opportunity to just out-right punch someone in the face, I asked him if I was a good shot? He said definitely. It was straight and solid.

He did not incur any temporary or permanent damage, not even a bruise. I'm thinking about buying him a helmet. I've always been a restless, eventful person to sleep with, but I do believe this one takes the cake.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/24/2005 04:01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

There's nothing quite like it. And something I've only experienced, well, three times. You spend so much time, so much energy thinking, creating, producing, back and forth, and finally, you have a completed TV spot. Then, it's released to the television stations and you wait. And no matter how many times I've watched in the office, shown it to clients, reviewed it meticulously for the most random, no-one-will-EVER-catch-that flaw, you've got the script and music memorized- it still makes my heart skip a beat- the first time I actually see it on TV.

It happened tonight with one of our new golf spots. I got so damn giddy! It's just exciting to see it up there, and know that thousands of other people are seeing it at that moment too. And I'm thinking- Did they get it? Did they laugh at the same spot? Did they even watch it? Part of me doesn't even care, it feels like it was up there just for me!

Posted by BrandiK at 7/21/2005 11:30:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

I went out to my car this morning and the car parked next to Shelton's had an egg smashed on it. I felt sorry for our neighbor. Then I walked to my car, and MINE HAD EGG ON IT TOO!!! That has never happened to me before and I was so steamin' mad. I went to the car wash but it couldn't get all the eggy gunk off, so I had to scrub it off with paper towels and then my hands smelled like egg all the way to work. SO GROSS!

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday love. Gifts and cards and greetings were all very thoughtful and enjoyed.

To my brother- thanks for quasi-remembering that it was birthday. Punk. :)

Posted by BrandiK at 7/21/2005 11:59:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

I have my baby book. I stole it from my parents a few years ago. I couldn't tell you how many times I've read through it. But I was looking through it tonight thinking, My God, I'm going to be 24 years old tomorrow. When my mom was my age, she had 3 kids. Blows my mind.

I'm reading tonight and, again, couldn't tell you how many times i've read through it, but suddenly it struck me differently. For the first time I actually noticed the different handwriting- my mom's versus my dad's. And although I've always known they both made notes, I realized just how much my Dad contributed. And I'm looking at the picture of them having their first dinner after I was born, and I'm reading all these notes thinking- they were just kids! My mom was weeks away from turning 19, my dad was 24, and they had this baby! OH MY GOD! I'm sure that's what they were thinking over and over.

It's funny when I read though because I don't hear or see two young scared kids. I hear my mom's voice and my dad's voice- as they are now. So wise and so comforting. It reads as if they'd written a hundred other baby books and they were old pro's by the time I came along.

So here are a few excerpts, written by my parents. These are a few notes they made that really caught me, and amusing because some are so indicative of who I am today. Thank you both for keeping such good notes. And for never once, not even now when i still call not having a clue what to do, not once seeming scared or clueless. You guys are rockstars, and I love you.

> On the inside cover there is an 80s style, rainbow striped Apple Computer sticker. Lord knows where I got it, or why it's in here. But now I'm an Apple fan and who knew?!

>"She is a beautiful baby, but she has her daddy's temper-" Mom. Umm, yes mam I do.

>"Still doesn't want to sleep, I still have hope she will-" Mom
"Brandi hates to go to bed. We have to fight about 30-45 minutes before she will finally pass out from crying. it drivves me crazy-" Dad.
Well guys, my favorite thing to do is sleep. You won.

>"She uses her hands when she talks. The more intense the story the harder those hands go. it's funny to watch her"- Mom.
SO TRUE!!

>"Brandi started dancing real funny (at two) and now that is the only way she dances."- Mom. Umm, yes, I dance funny.

>"She is a doll, my biggest pride & joy"- Dad, on first Christmas.
I think this is still pretty true.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Posted by BrandiK at 7/19/2005 10:18:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

...And I wish I didn't. I finished reading Harry Potter 6 last night just before midnight. I would also like to point out that I finished 30 pages faster than my little sister. BRING IT ON LITTLE GIRL!!! I am the fastest reader!

So the story overall was fantastic, this might have just become my second place favortite (#4 still tops it). But then, all this stuff started happening and I sat frozen on my couch for fifteen minutes thinking, is it real, did it happen? I had to re-read the same page 3 times to make sure I had read what I thought I read.

Today, it was a funeral. My whole day was a little sadder. Even the sky cried, it poured down this freak of a thunderstorm.

I will not give details. I will not ruin the story. When you're ready to talk about it, let me know. Times like these call for close friends, and quite possibly therapy.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/19/2005 10:02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Yes, I'm one of the psychos who was at Barnes & Noble last night. We didn't make it there until 1:15am and MYGOD there was a crowd. And why didn't we make it there until then?

Uh, hello, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! This is a must- at the theater. Unless you are like my parents and have never seen the original. Then you should have your knees broken and THEN we'll take you to see the original. No, the movie was amazing. I was skeptical going in. I mean, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp always makes for an interesting match up. I thought his portrayal of Willy Wonka was dynamite. I laughed and cooed and loved every minute. I don't want to tell too much because you need to experience it for yourself. But go, you'll love it!

So we walk in to B&N at 1:15 and the placed is brewing with little witches and wizards. I was so bummed I didn't have my witches hat with me. They let all the pre-orders go in line first... about 400! And then I was number 143- dead last- of the not pre-order. That place ran like a machine. They had me in and out of there in like 15 minutes. The cashier told me they had sold 500 in books in one hour.

I haven't cracked it open yet. I"M SO NERVOUS! So much lies inside those pages and just want to consume every word RIGHT NOW. But I'll be patient. I don't want to miss anything.

So, HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY!!!

Posted by BrandiK at 7/16/2005 10:11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

We got up and left for the airport at 6am. Profanity-profanity-profanity!!! I found my way to the Cinnabon where I discovered bite-sized nugget cinnamon rolls instead of one big monster. While eating my cinny-minis I discovered the free wifi at the Las Vegas airport. Thank you for that.

I somehow got priority seating, so I got to board before the mob did. I was third on the plane. So nice. Then the bag that fit in the overhead on the way to Vegas was not budging on the return. So I was the moron in the middle of the plane going, durrr, my bag won't fit! It got checked. I thought I was going to score an entire row to myself. The whole plane had boarded, no one, they shut all the bins, no one, they shut the door, no one. THEN he showed up. Apparently my row-mate had to come from a connecting gate that was apparently on the other side of Nevada. Bummer, I was so looking forward to laying down.

About half an hour outside of Wichita he turns to me and says, "You guys got any mountains out here." I laughed so hard. I replied, after laughing, "Umm no. This is the plains." And he, dumbfounded, said "Really?! What are all those circles down there?" And I replied, " Crops. We have a lot of wheat and corn and cows. That's it. If you find a tree, call someone." He had apparently lived in Sacramento his whole life and never been any further East than Vegas.

He was also excited about the possibility of eating at "Sonic Burger." Apparently, they don't have one out there and he's waited his whole life. He said he was after one of those, "Cherry something slush things-", I said, "Cherry Limeade?" "Yeah, that's it!" I think I ruined his day when I told him that you rarely find a carhop in roller skates.

Nice guy and made for interesting conversation.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/15/2005 02:47:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

The trip to Vegas is wrapping up. My bags are packed back up and my feet HURT! I have had a fantastic time. This place is like no place I've ever seen- unreal. It's nothing like you've imagined and even though I've been here, it still doesn't seem real. Everything is so much larger than you think and farther than you think. I will NEVER come back in July. Good God Almighty it's hot out here!!

Leaving the Wichita airport I was one lucky enough to be selected for random search. I got felt up and they rummaged through my stuff. No biggie. I kinda liked it.

Last night, my first night, we spent the whole night on Fremont Street- the original Vegas. Pretty cool. Saw some crazy stuff. I got some beads at La Bayou and that came with a 2' tall blue hurricane. I went back for a refill. Mmm, mmm it was good. Then we went to see a pretty decent cover band, Wonder Boogie, playing in the street. I was dancing like crazy and you know my mom was too. I made a friend. William. Pretty cool black guy from Chicago. We danced and talked for about an hour and then he found out I was married- wah wah wah Debbie Downer. We still chilled and he said to tell my husband he's very lucky and that I'm the sexiest girl on the strip. FABULOUS- thanks!

I got hungry, as I seem to be doing every two hours out here. We headed to the McDonalds and I got a cheeseburger. Hurricane and a cheeseburger- Yum! Then we went to play 3 card poker. I won a couple hands but like everything else I played here, loser.

I think I was the highlight of our cabbies evening. I had a mad case of the hiccups and everytime I hiccuped it made me laugh and then I'd hiccup and so the cycle continued.

This morning was a little rough. I was hurtin'. We made it to breakfast, pretty good stuff. Then I went to layout and I think the hangover and greasy breakfast and 115 degree sun took it's toll. I came back to the room, got a little sick, then took a shower and it was back to playin' ball.

We walked most of the length of the strip. Hot hot hot. Went to the M&M world. Pretty impressive that one little piece of candy can generate all that crap.

This evening we went to Benihana's for dinner. It was deelish. I tried something new- bean sprouts. Ehh, they're ok.

On our way back out to the strip tonight mom and dad and I were in the elevator. We got in, the doors shut, and then we waited. I realized we had waited so long that I had started dancing in a circle in the corner and I shouted, "Damn! This elevator is slow!" We realized no one had hit the floor button and we were just standing still. It was a had-to-be-there moment but the three of us were laughing so hard mom almost peed on the floor.

Tonight we walked the entire other half of the strip. Watched two shows of the Bellagio Fountains. Amazing. The played the "Beef, what's for dinner song" (I'm sure that composer is turning over in his grave that that is what his song is referred to as) and then the other show was Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain"- that one was my favorite.

We also watched a minute of the Treasure Island show and the volcano at the Mirage. We walked all through Caesar's, which was pretty cool. I got to see my first Harry Winston diamond up close and personal. Shelton- you need a promotion baby! :) On our way to the monorail we cut through Harrah's and there was a showgirl taking free photos. We took one together. It was hot. Dad got one too.

This has been a fantastic trip. I definitely needed the time away and mom and dad were great company. Someone at the cashier's stand asked me if I was old enough to play, thought I was 16. Umm, no, I'm here on my 24th birthday trip.

I'm anxious to come back. But I'll do it in say, January.

Birthday is next week. I'm kind of over the countdown, I'm sure you are too.

Mom and Dad, thanks.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/15/2005 12:46:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Brandi is trapped in Las Vegas (oxymoron?) with no internet connection so I, her faithful husband, am posting for her. All I have to say is HELP!!! I really haven't gotten her a thing. And I don't have any good ideas. E-mail me if you think of something good.

Brandi is having a good time so far. Her plane touched down yesterday afternoon and she will be there for a couple of days. I'm sure that upon her return she will update this post with some off-the-wall and very witty story.

~Shelton

Posted by BrandiK at 7/14/2005 07:01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

This week has been mildly eventful. Small things that just seem to keep adding up. I leave for Vegas tomorrow. It will be 113 degrees when I touchdown, ouch! 2 and a half days in V-town with my parents. Should be fun and definitely interesting. We found a house that we are actually persuing. It's fantastic, but I'm not going into details because I don't want to jinx it. I got approved to go to a marketing conference in San Diego. Three days all paid on a beach front villa-fabulous!! And finally, we finished up TV spots for golf. These are my actual first TV spots. I'm so excited and giddy, it's been an awesome experience and I'm pretty proud of them.

Well, the countdown continues. We're almost there. I do not have a fun fact for you today.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/12/2005 10:00:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Do you have any idea how many countdowns I could have going right now?
Harry Potter VI comes out on Saturday. I'm so excited I can hardly standed.

I leave for Vegas on Wednesday afternoon. A MUCH needed vacation that won't get here soon enough. Although it will ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN DEGREES when I land, but... the casinos have AC, right?

Cheers to a quick, easy and great week to everyone!

Posted by BrandiK at 7/11/2005 07:59:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Top 10 TV Shows in July 1981:

Three's Company
60 Minutes
M*A*S*H
Dallas
Dynasty
Laverne & Shirley
Too Close for Comfort
Magnum, P.I.
One Day at a Time
The Jeffersons

Posted by BrandiK at 7/10/2005 10:29:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Last night I decided to go in and clean up my Flickr account. I deleted all the photos that weren't of my friends or families. I thought there is no real reason to leave all these photos on here, I'll never use them again. Turns out when you do that, it deletes the photo from the blog as well. The answer is so obvious. THEY ARE LINKED! So, my way cool countdown has lost the efforts of the first 10 days. C'est la vie.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/10/2005 10:22:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Yesterday was the close of a very strange week. Everyone I talked to said the same. Coming back to a 4 day week after vacation meant losing a day and trying to cram that work in somewhere else. It was bizarre and I dont' know why, but I can't tell you how glad I am to see it end.

My boss David is no longer my boss. (sweet!) Yesterday was his last day. I was so busy with so many things that I hardly had any time to kick it with him during the day. However, about 25 people from our office left about 3:30 to go play laser tag and followed that with drinks in David's honor. It was a really good time. I had no idea how fun laser tag could be! I came in 16th out of 20- ouch!
At the bar, our prez made a little speech and we all toasted and cheered David. Then maybe one or two other people made quickie speeches, tell your favorite story kind of thing and it was great. Then I was called upon. OH NO! This is bad on two levels- I hate speaking in front of people. My body turns into jello or something. That and I had been saving it all day but I knew as soon as my vocal chords moved that lump lodged in my throat would break. And sure enough, in front of God and everybody, I stood there bawling. Thank GOD somebody cracked some joke which forced me to laugh and then I was captain cool again.
Our client bought him this yellow t-shirt from he*ll (wal*mart) with a big picture of Utah (that's where he's moving) and it said, "Utah, but I'm Taller". This is a man who now owns THREE t-shirts and 99 heavy starched button-up collared shirts. He wore the t-shirt for most of the day and through the farewell party. TOO FUNNY! David, farewell. And Julie, farewell. You will be missed by every person here. We wish you the best in your new home. And David, now that you live amongst the mormons, I hope your second wife is just as delightful as Julie. You kids have fun out there, and take care.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/09/2005 09:43:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

11 DAYS

This is the TIME Magazine issue from July 20, 1981. How interesting that O'Connor was just nominated to the Supreme Court, and now she is resigning. We are like soul mates or something.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/09/2005 09:42:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Weather or not you care, this is what was going on outside on the day of my birth!

High Temp: 100.9 F
Low Temp: 74.8 F
Avg Winds: 14 mph
No precipitation

Posted by BrandiK at 7/08/2005 08:02:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

The President when I was born was Ronald Reagan.
Vice President was George Bush, aka "Daddy Bush."

Posted by BrandiK at 7/07/2005 03:33:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

#1 Song on 7/20/81:

"The one that you love," by Air Supply.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/06/2005 08:04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Now that is a movie worth seeing!

Since Friday I've been to the theater three times to see three seperate films with three different groups. It's been quite enjoyable.

FRIDAY
We had a big important "client meeting" that involved skipping out of work at 3 with my client to go drink beer and watch War of the Worlds. See, the theater here is quite fantastic. For one, our office and the theater share a parking lot. Secondly, they bring you beer. In your seat. While you watch the movie! We watched WAR OF THE WORLDS. I have to say from that whole plot, acting, special effects, viewpoint - WOW! Really fantastic. However, I will not be watching it again. Absolutely scared the peewoddin out of me. I just hate all that suspense crap. Aliens I can handle. And can I say, I hope little Dakota Fanning gets some award for her part, unbelievable. She is amazing.

MONDAY
Mr. & Mrs. Hobag Cheater Pants... I mean Smith; that's right, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Shelton's parents were in town for the fourth and we went to see it. Back to the fabulous theater. This time we did not partake in the alcohol. But we did have our lunch served to us right there in our seat. Thank you very much.
Ok, so the movie. It was honestly really good. Very very funny. I'm glad to see that the romantic comedy and the action spy flick have finally married in blissful harmony. And at the end, the funniest part of all, Shelton's mom flashed two sets of 4 fingers at me- 8 fingers! You so funny... you go girl!

TONIGHT
Shelton and I get to see 2 free movies a month at the not-so-glam theater through his employee's club. Quite the deal. So we just got back from Monster in Law because there really wasn't anything else. Surprisingly decent. Predictable of course and can J-Lo PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE act in ANOTHER wedding movie. We know you're good at the wedding thing- find a new genre PLEASE! So it was funny and I was really impressed by Jane Fonda.

War of the Worlds is definitely a theater must-see. Mr. & Mrs. Smith could go either way. And Monster in Law you could wait for the DVD if there was nothing left at the Blockbuster.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/05/2005 09:24:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

In the Movies, 1981:

Best Picture: Chariots Of Fire

Best Actor: Henry Fonda - On Golden Pond

Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond

Posted by BrandiK at 7/05/2005 09:24:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

The waving wheat swept Shelton's parents in to town about 7 o'clock last night. They came in and we gave them he 1/2 penny tour and then decided we were all starving. We decided to take them to Chipotle- so tasty. It had been lightning for a while, but no rain and no real threat of storms. 15 minutes after their arrival we load up in their mini van to go to dinner when we realize the sky is a very black black. The kind of black that made Aunty Em run for the cellar and make the hair on the back of any Kansas-born person rise. We turned the radio on just in time to hear them tell us there was a Tornado Warning in our county and the neighboring county. Umm, screw dinner ya'll! I live in the upstairs apartment and do not own a cellar- I told Kerry to head to Aunty Jay's- NOW. The wind was obnoxious and the power started flickering on/off at the businesses and street lights. I tried to call my Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Britt, but they weren't home. I decided in my head that I would bust the door down and buy them a new lock later. I was able to catch them on their cell phone and they were on their way home from dinner. They met us there and we all went inside. I apologized for barging in on them, with additional company no less. They of course didn't care. We watched the weather and talked for about 1/2 an hour when all the warnings were lifted. The warning didn't remove the torrential downpour that was happening outside, but we thanked them and went on our way anyway. Soaked to the bone back in the car, Chipotle was now a no-go. Driving to Papa Murphy's pizza, we looked like that little fairy boat that sloshes around at the bottom of Niagra Falls. We made to PM's just in time for the OPEN sign to be turned off. So, across the street to the world's most ridiculously priced and poorly stocked grocery store to pick up Digiornios. Ahh, dinner- at last.

HAPPY JULY FOURTH to everyone!!! We are going to spend the day vegging out with his parents, go see a movie, and have Chipotle for lunch. Be safe and have fun, and be thankful for America!

Posted by BrandiK at 7/04/2005 08:22:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Tasty July 20 events in food:

It is National Lollipop Day!!!

It is National Creme Brulee Day.

1851 the first US cheese factory opened in Rome, NY. I heart cheese.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/04/2005 08:21:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

My cousin Wade and his wife Jeni invited us out to my aunt and uncle's house in Clearwater for a day full of food and drinks and poker and mischief. It was an all around good time. My aunt and uncle were supposed to be out of town, but that changed at the last minute. So at times, it felt like a high school party that the parents accidentally showed up for. But my aunt and uncle are pretty cool party people- so it was no thing at all.

The fun started out with my quickly losing two $5 hold-em games. That stung. I gorged my self on chips and beer. By the time dinner was ready, i was too full for the hamburger. But did that stop me from eating one-and-a-half burgers? Oh no. It also didn't stop me from eating potato salad, chips AND a peanut butter cookie. And. more. beer.

An old friend of Wade's, Jeremy, who I've had the pleasure of hanging out with on a number of occasions, brought jello shots. And they were good. I had a few and i've decided blue raspberry jello shots are by far my fave.

At one point my grandma showed up... with a mohawk. That's all I have to say about that.

The fun continued with a new game, Polish Horseshoes. This is a fantastic game where horseshoes, frisbee golf and kick-the-can marry and become one. I'm also a fan of any sport that allows me to hold a beer in one hand and play with the other. There are two pvc pipes staked maybe 10-15 feet apart. On top of each pole is a can filled with water. There are two teams of two and the team mates stand on opposite sides, next to the opposing team mate. You get three frisbees. The object is to throw the frisbee and hit the can directly or hit the pole causing the can to fall off. The opposing team mate on the opposite end has to try to catch the can before it hits the ground. If they accomplish this- they steal the points.

We then played a little volleyball. I suck. And then we tried to rally everyone together to play hide-n-seek. But there were no takers. Keep in mind, everyone in attendance, was at least my age to probably 27. It's been a while since any of us played hide-n-seek. We finally managed to convince ourselves to play Kick Ball. I've never played before in my life. We had SO MUCH fun. I laughed and cried and ran and jumped. By this point is was after midnight and we were tired and some drunk. It was mad silliness. My injuries list includes:
> running smack into another player to try to catch the ball. We both landed on the ground.
> kicking the ball and losing half a toe nail.
> having the ball chucked at my ear and shoulder
> having the ball chucked and smacking me in the FACE knocking my glasses off and leaving me in a momentary tweety-bird state. I had to go have my glasses re-adjusted this morning.

It was an absolutely gorgeous evening, clear skies. Shelton and I drove home with the sun roof open and the mood was just so relaxed. I asked if I could stand up outside the sun roof while we drove home (totally kidding), and he said "absolutely not. We might hit a deer." And I replied, "Deer don't live in the summer." I just meant they are as keen to run in the road in the summer because they stay back in the trees where it is cool.

We made it home at 2 this morning. At 10 this morning, I realized that my eyelids were about the only muscle that didn't hurt.

Thanks for a great 4th of July chillin' day Moreheads. We will most certainly have to do it again.

Posted by BrandiK at 7/03/2005 01:21:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

July 20th Events in History:

1991 Mike Tyson accused of rape

1984 Vanessa Williams asked to resign Ms. America

1981 Yours truly is born!!!

1976 Hank Aaaron hits 755th/final home run

1969 1st men on Moon, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Apollo 11 (of which I'm most proud)

1968 Iron Butterfly's "In-a-gadda-da-vida" becomes 1st heavy metal song to hit charts, it comes in at #117

1944 President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated for an unprecedented 4th term at Dem convention

1881 Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull, surrenders to federal troops

Posted by BrandiK at 7/03/2005 01:19:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

Other people who share my birthday:
Chris Cornell
Carlos Santana
Sir Edmund Hillary (first to climb Mt Everest)
Natalie Wood

Posted by BrandiK at 7/02/2005 11:59:00 AM | Permalink | Comments