haphazard musings

What a weekend...

I won our small group NCAA tournament pool.  While that alone may not seem totally amazing, check out the bracket I won with.

(in case its unclear - green is good, red is bad)

Pathetic for sure.  I have never done quite so bad.

I won with only one correct pick for the Final 4.

Out of 12 brackets submitted, I was the only one with a right pick for the Final 4.

Needless to say its been a rough tournament.

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I also got to spend a little time with a friend Sarah

(saddly the most recent picture of us is from our 2006 graduation - and its not my best work...)

and we enjoyed some more of these:

source

I might or might not have had like 5 of these since the last time I mentioned them...

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I also spent some serious homework time and finished editing all my poems.  You should read them, I am becoming quite the little poet.  

Well, not really.  But I am kind of proud of them.

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We also watched a whole lotta basketball.  On Friday since games we wanted to watch were on two channels Ryan rigged this up for us.

That's the KU game on the little screen hooked up to a laptop and other speakers and the UNC game on the big screen since we get CBS.

We enjoyed some much needed time with some good friends, watched basketball and ate sorbet and kettle corn with cayenne pepper.

I did not partake.

"I wonder how close I can scoot before the big people notice how close I am to this little one"...Finley.  Kesler seemed to be enjoying the attention. : )

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We had this for dinner.

source

Grilled Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Panini from none other than The Pioneer Woman.

It was, of course, delicious.

We are back!

Check out this view.  

It is from more than 12,000 feet above sea level.  

Not the best quality picture, but it is from Ryan's cell phone, so it's not too bad.

I did it!

I wrote a poem and a short story that people liked!!!  

Just thought you should know!

Love It...Hate It...vol. 7

I love this song.  

You should do what it says sometime.  

Move the furniture and dance around your living room.

 

We do it all the time.

Seriously, we did it last night - to this song.  A little two-stepping around the coffee table... 

For real.

Just ask Ryan.

He'll tell you - we love dance parties.

Compile a fun playlist on iTunes and off you go, maybe next week I will give you a sample of the tunes we use to jam out.

Finley likes them too.  He thinks we do it just for him.

Think about it this way, what better way is there to hone your mad dance skills than in the comfort of your own living room.

Just don't forget to pull your blinds or (in our case) shut the front door, otherwise your neighbors who might be out for an evening stroll might or might not catch a glimpse and might or might not make fun of you the next time they see you...

According to this calorie counter, you can even burn about 175 calories in a half hour of "really kicking up your heels" dancing.  

Just in case you want a sample song...try this on for size...a little classic 80's rock goes a long way toward a great dance party!

 

 

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And in a completely unrelated, typical fashion...I just talked to our car insurance man and we are going to by switching to a new and better policy we are going to be saving a bajillion dollars on car insurance, thanks to my friend Flo.

 

 

Memoir Monday

Well another wonderful weekend is under our belt!  I am linking up with my college friend Angela over at Ruby Red Slippers for this Memoir Monday.

It all started when I got to pick up my hubby from the airport.  He was gone all week in Canada.  He will be guest posting later this week on his exciting trip.

He was a little sleep deprived - as in he got to bed around midnight and had to leave for the airport at 4:15 am!!!  

So in his - shall we call it loopy - mood we had a lot of fun with friends, but first we went to Lowes to check out tile.

Ryan caught me at a very unfortunate moment...

Obviously, Ryan was in rare form...

Then we found...many blessings.  The Keepers of the Girl Scouts smiled on us.

We made off like bandits with four boxes sold to us by a little girl that Ryan spooked by calling her "absolutely adorable"...

We concluded the Friday evening with Red Robin (YUM!) with friends,

 

fresh homemade cookies and a few hands of "Scum" a hilarious card game with the only object being not to be the scum - aka last. Apparently everyone was a little crazy, because by the end, we were laughing hysterically at our own personal beat box, Ryan's loosing every round, Julie winning every hand, I couldn't ever remember whose turn it was...

I wish I had more pictures of the rest of the weekend, but I went running with my buddy Anne - we went just under 5 miles!  Totally stoked.  We are so close to the 6.5 needed for our upcoming 10K.

Then a little retail therapy and one of these from Starbucks.

Its called a Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea Leomonade!

It might very well be my new favorite thing - refreshing and cold, low in calories - it comes highly recommended!

Sunday I spent on the couch feeling a little under the weather...but I did get my homework done.

Hope your weekend was as happy as mine! 

 

I like this one.

The Kiss.

Blossoms burst with color,
as varied and bright, as a painter’s pallet,
in the field to which they flee. A
kaleidoscope of violet, red and ochre 
vines entangle her
feet as she kneels draped in his embrace.
A mosaic of flowers bloom on her
garnet hair and amber gown,
both more radiant than the finest stone.
Her beauty rivals that of the meadow.  

The sky burns bronze as the day
releases to night.  Particles of
gold dance from the lovers.
Could it be sparks of passion an
erupting heart can no longer contain?
He gathers her, his yellow cloak
enveloping both, as his lips
ignite her cheek red with longing.

At dusk everything seems to glow, as the sun
rushes down just ahead of the horizon.
The world is briefly suspended between
day and night, a moment of stillness.  Serendipity
prevails, successful in her search for seconds - 
secret lovers stall
fate.

 

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt

source

 

a bone to pick...

so, like the title of this post says, i have a bone to pick.

i demand to know...where are the girl scouts?

now i will be the first to say that i probably eat way too many cookies.  i have a cookie problem.

i will now and forever blame my parents.

every day growing up, after dinner, we had cookies.  and if not cookies, ice cream.  i loved it.

however, now, i still feel like i need a cookie or a piece of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream or...well you get the picture...after dinner.

anyway...that is not my bone to pick (which now that i have said it 3 times makes no sense - why does it mean i am annoyed by something?)

for the last couple of years, i have been searching for a girl scout. 

i want to support their efforts by purchasing cookies; this one in particular.

i am completely swooning over here.  i love those things.

why is it that when i want a cookie, i can't find a darn girl scout. 

i thought perhaps this will be the first step in breaking my cookie attachment.

however, i recently discovered

 

at my grocery store.

they are just like the real thing.

utterly addictive.

absolutely glorious.

outrageously delish.

so long no cookie resolve.  hello, cookie eaters annonymous.

a new assignment

we have been asked for class to compose a new poem.

this one should be reflective without actually stating my feelings directly.  which will be an interesting task.  part of the assignment is to take a work of art, or a scene of some kind and "let it speak".

i am looking for works of art to use.  do you have any suggestions?

this is what i have so far.

Minute to Win It!

Have you seen it? 

It's a new game show on NBC.  You can play it at home with the rules provided by video online.  Check it out here.

We played it last week with our small group.  We had a little competition. 

It was so much fun.

So here is the story in pictures.

Game 1...A Bit Dicey.

Game 2...Junk in the Trunk

Which for some reason inspired a strange dance party...

Game 3...Pop Top.

Game 4...Face the Cookie.

Game 5...Yank Me.

Game 6...Sharp Shooter.

Game 7...Office Tennis.

No pictures...it was too fast.

Game 8...something with a yard sitck and a marble.

We had so much fun playing the game.  You should set it up in your basement sometime and play with your buddies!

Thanks to Jon and Lori for setting it all up and giving prizes.

Anna and Richard were 1st.

Ian and Julie were 2nd.

Bret and Lori were 3rd.

 

 

Caffeine overload.

here is a Friday post where you never know what you are going to get.  i met a friend for a coffee meeting this morning.  i usually get decaf, but this morning i opted for leaded instead - in a 16 ounce.  can i just say whoa.  i am a little jittery...i am even having trouble typing...

but yeah for friends and coffee and great conversations!

this morning i am having so many thoughts, so many ramblings.  not that this is any surprise to you all.  :)

I am however, a little sad and pondering.  a friend of mine is having a baby.  she is very young.  when i was in high school and early college, we spent a lot of time together.  i was, according to my mom and my memory, kind of like a big sister/mentor to her.  while babies are definitely wonderful gifts and an amazing picture of God's creation, i can't help but feel a little like i failed this young lady.  

i know that sounds silly.

i probably haven't even seen her in five years.  but we have chatted occasionally on facebook or email.  

i guess i was really hoping that i had instilled in her the importance of waiting until marriage by leading by example.  i was dating her older brother...and we were being a good example...thankfully!

i guess it just feels like i kind of let her down.  but she is a grown up and has to make her own decisions.  

i guess it's kind of like having your own kids...a little bit...that you hope you impart knowledge, wisdom and values, and then you hope they use them when it comes time.  i was hoping that for her.

luckily i feel like God has given me another opportunity to invest and teach and lead another group of young ladies.  i love them all so much.

even when they have consumed gallons of soda (check out below the arrow).

thank goodness for second chances.

and thank goodness for fridays!  I love fridays.

fridays mean time with my spouse and time with friends and pizza!

and time with those young ladies!

and time with my favorite little buddy

just look at those cheeks!

hope you are enjoying your friday as well.  tomorrow i will tell you all about this...