• Another day without the comfort of gchat.
• Another day of Google Reader filling up.
• Another day of Scrabulous moves left unplayed.
• Another day I wish I hadn’t quit smoking.
• Another day I wish wasn’t a weekday.
• Another day I wish I could still be in bed next to my sound alseep husband.

But I guess I have some things to be thankful for/happy about that will keep me going today…

• An unexpected ending to this cycle’s ANTM.
• A fully charged ipod.
• Thursday night TV, complete with season finales, the best episodes of the year.
• Seeing a commercial for the new 90210. There’s probably no sound that makes me happier than that of “duh nuh nuh nuh, duh nuh nuh nuh, chi chi”
• My dad joined Facebook and that makes me giggle.

Hopefully all of my happy thoughts will outweigh the dreary ones today. And hopefully I will climb out of my hole at some point today as well.

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 2

I’m a very good driver. A Very cautious, law abiding, general all around good driver.

Knock on wood, I have never gotten a speeding ticket or been in an accident. I have been pulled over 3 times. Twice for headlight issues (one time one was out and the other time I forgot to turn off my brights) and once for expired tags, but I had the new ones in my purse.

My family makes fun of me for the way I drive. I was never the one they expected to be the good driver. (Not that my sister is a bad one.) They can make fun of me all they want, I’d rather be referred to as “grandma” when I’m behind the wheel than pay a higher insurance premium or you know, be dead.

Now to be called “grandma” isn’t really fair since I tend to yell at elderly drivers. I do go 3-5 miles above the suggested speed limit, whereas I’ve noticed the elderly go 3-5 miles below the suggested speed limit.

Actually, I tend to yell at a lot of people while I’m driving. I blame it on my commute. An average of one hour a day spent driving to and from work on the highway in the middle of Nascar country will do that to you. I yell at the crazies who think we’re at the Daytona 500. Or the crazies who ride my butt and then whip out to pass me on the right. Or the people who drive the exact speed limit while in the fast lane. Or, the worst, the crazies who think they’re at the Daytona 500 who are so dead set on getting around me, the me that’s stuck behind some idiot going exactly 65 mph, that they ignore my blinker indicating I will concede and pull into the slower lane, and whip around me on the right, thereby negating any chance I had of getting out of people’s way. It’s all connected.

I hate talking on my cell phone while I drive b/c if I do it means I can’t yell at the idiot driving next to me for being on his cell phone. I never get through my entire travel mug of coffee b/c I like to keep both hands on the wheel at all times.

I’m a terrible passenger. I will ride the imaginary brake. I will grab onto that “oh shit” bar. I will yell at you to get off the phone, stop talking with your hands, and stay in your lane, just like you’re someone driving in a completely different car. I will always check over your shoulder when you start to indicate wanting to change lanes or merge onto the highway. And I will ask you if your turn signal is broken when you fail to use it.

So I guess what I’m saying is be my passenger, don’t let me be yours. Or, maybe I should just move to a city with Mass Transit?

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 4

Ahahaha, that’s just wrong. And now you know my humor.

Moving on…thanks to all for the birthday wishes. My birthday was wonderful. Very peaceful, very relaxing. The DMV took all of 20 minutes, they made me do the stupid road sign test, I got stuck on the first road sign but the rest was a breeze. They even let me keep my old license. Which is weird. Why would they do that? I told someone in the waiting room that it was a good thing I don’t know someone underage in need of a fake id.

I ended up getting 23 Happy Birthday wishes on Facebook, 24 if you include the message from the Facebook people at the top of my newsfeed. Myspace must really be on the outs b/c I got no messages over there. Mayhaps its time to cancel the Myspace account?

The family took me to our Japanese Hibachi restaurant for dinner last night, and as per usual we had a wonderful time. Our cook was very entertaining, and the food was extra special yummy…especially the hot saki

Take a gander at what I got from the family for my birthday…

My mom and dad got me, well found my copy of my favorite childhood book, Minou. Enclosed was some spending money for NYC!

My sister got me Cinderella, b/c I forgot to get it myself before it got put back in the vault. She also got me a bag with spoons (!) all over it! It’s amazing.

So thanks again for a wonderful birthday. You all are amazing!

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 4

I really do. I whine about turning a year older, or this transition into a new age demographic…or getting my “big girl” license, Which I totally should go and do lest I sit at the DMV for the entirety of my birthday.

My birthday party was a hoot. We ended up having dinner with some friends who had been out of town and then we headed over for Cosmic Bowling and beer! Yay! We ended up getting the two lanes nearest the bar and had a great turnout, best turnout in three years.

Any time I’m having a good time, you can tell from the pictures I take. My head starts popping into pictures…

And then I just start saying, really loud “Take a picture with me!” And then don’t want anyone else to take it b/c I’m a master of self portraits, obvi.

I’d just like to say that none of my pictures from the evening came out unfuzzy. I blame the cosmic lights, not my inebriated state…

Although, that’s just a fun picture, no?

Sunday we celebrated Mother’s Day and we were supposed to celebrate my birthday as a family, but myh sister was sick. I hope that she and her husband will be able to join us for dinner tonight at Kachi…mmm Japanese.

My mom still made me a cake though, my favorite, yellow with chocolate frosting. She actually said that she had gone out and bought mix for a different cake and woke up with the thought “Wait a second! Her favorite cake is yellow with chocolate frosting!” And lucky for her she actually had the fixings…and let me tell you, it’s yummy. I’m having a piece for breakfast.

So the husband just left for work and he came back inside and motioned for me to follow him. I went out side and found this:

My neighbors had decorated our door! How sweet! And they had left me a card and a tiara. And you should all know that tiara’s are like my favorite thing, ever. And the one they gave me flashes!

So, I guess I should be off to the DMV. Lucky for me, I bought a new book to keep me company…and a post about what new book I bought is on the way. I think I should finish it before I post about it.

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 4

Actual Conversation had with my husband regarding my birthday plans:

Me: “What time do you think Midnight bowling starts?”

Husband: “Um, I’m thinking Midnight?”

Me: “No, I think it starts at 11.”

Husband: “No, no I’m pretty sure Midnight bowling starts at Midnight.”

Me: “I’m looking at the website and it’s from 11pm -2am…Oh! And also it’s called Cosmic Bowling.”

So yes, for the third year in a row we’re keeping the tradition alive and we’re going to go bowling for my birthday! Yay! I love it, especially when we get the lanes closest to the bar

And I just called to make sure there wouldn’t be a prom after party like there was last year. And there isn’t, so yay! Birthday plans are a go!

*kisses*

Smiley Count:2

• New Ozzy Banner! I’m sorry I’ve been late the past two months but I should be on time for June and July since I already have some ideas in mind. And I actually have July’s head piece. Score!

• For the past couple of paychecks my husband and I have noticed that our online banking statement shows we have more money than our check register. I know that most people would think, ‘Sweet, money!’ but I had to figure it out. I finally sat down last night with the past two statements and a highlighter and went to town. After about 30 minutes I found the glitch. Because some bills need to be paid by check or in one lump sum my husband and I put aside a certain amount each paycheck and label it ‘holding’, that way we can go ahead and subtract it and we’re good about not spending it. When the next paycheck comes in or it’s time to pay that bill we take it out of holding, add it back into our checking account and either pay the bill or set aside a larger amount as holding for the next week. Well, last month when we went to Louisiana I set aside $30.67 for our Time Warner Cable Bill. And it never got taken out of it’s holding state, even though we’ve since paid our TWC bill. I can’t for the life of me figure out why we weren’t flipping out about not having that money, but the fact of the matter is, now we have a paid TWC bill and $30 extra in our checking account!

• Did any of that make sense or is it just showcasing how insane my husband and I are about our bills?

• I know I’ll be even happier with having extra money in my bank account when that damn tax rebate comes in! Why did we choose this year of all years to not select direct deposit? Bah!

• My birthday? Is in 4 days. I’ve been surprisingly calm about it so far but my body on the other hand is trying to tell me that I am not, in fact, calm about turning 25. All this week I’ve been lethargic, tired, cranky, my stomach has been in knots, etc. I’ve always been excited about my birthdays, this one is no exception, but it’s starting to be really difficult to be excited about something that is causing me so much duress leading up to it.

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 2

So last night after I had dinner with my parents I decided to stop by my local campaign office to pick up a button in support of the candidate I chose for president. A little late to start showcasing my support, I know, but better late than never. So I stop by for a button and they somehow convince me to stay until the polls close to make phone calls asking people for their support at the polls.

Ok they didn’t have to do much convincing for 2 reasons. 1) I don’t really know how to say ‘no’ to people, though if you ask my husband he’ll tell you I’m pretty good at saying to ‘no’ to him. and 2) I’m very proud of myself for being able to choose a candidate on my own without the influence of other’s opinions, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to want to spend 45 minutes of my time last night campaigning for a politician.

I’m stepping up my political prowess. 4 years ago I went to a rally in support of Kerry/Edwards. On election night I played electoral beer pong and fell down a a whole flight of wet fire escape stairs. And I still maintain that the two weren’t connected! But after doing all of that, I still didn’t vote.

This election season I not only voted but I also actively supported a candidate! That’s amazing to me, seeing as I’m prone to pick someone by the way they look or how cool their name sounds. Ross Perot? Had both of those things going for him if I had been old enough to vote!

So what’s fun is even if my candidate doesn’t receive the nomination from my party for the road to the White House, at least I had a small part in trying to help them reach their goals.

And I also got a button and a t-shirt out of it, and that’s just awesome.

I wonder, when will the lure of a free t shirt wear off?

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 4

On Friday night my husband and I decided to stay in and hang out. We’re kind of irritated with one of our O’Charley’s friends who completely showed his ass last Friday night by hitting on me and pouring one of the beers my husband bought for the group down the drain b/c he’s, in short, a lightweight. So instead of inviting an unwanted awkward situation into our Friday night we just decided to stay home and may have played Mario Kart for the entire evening.

One of the things that amuses me about this game is how easily my husband and I get irritated by playing against the computer. For example we will be ahead of the entire crew for the entire race and just as we’re about to dominate we’re hit with 8 different objects that prohibit us from claiming our victory over a machine.

The main thing that amuses me is a course from the Nintendo Gamecube’s version of Mario Kart, “Donkey Kong Mountain”. Until tonight we thought that the aforementioned mountain, which of course has a face b/c it’s Mario World, was either angry or sad. But upon closer examination we’ve come to realize that it is in fact…constipated.

Wouldn’t you agree?

Perhaps some Pepto Bismol is in order?

If any of you have Wii’s and the amazing Mario Kart, let me know and we’ll play together!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

On a completely unrelated note…I voted today! It was my very first time and I must say it went splendidly! I’m very excited and am rocking my “I Voted” sticker with pride.

*kisses*

Smiley Count:3

In a week I’m turning 25. Wow.

One of my coworkers told me not to think of how I’m going to be a quarter of a century old but to think of all I’ve accomplished in the past 25 years and how much more I’ll accomplish in the next 25. I think that’s a pretty good way to look at this impending birthday so I’m going to take that advice and look at what I have indeed accomplished in the past 25 years and make a list of the things I hope to accomplish in the next 25.

• I was born. A feat in itself.
• I learned to walk.
• I learned to talk…and haven’t looked back since!
• Learning to talk led to learning to sing.
• I learned to drive.
• I graduated high school.
• I survived my 21st birthday. And that wasn’t easy.
• I graduated college.
• I fell into debt.
• I’ve become an adult, an adult with a cleaning schedule.
• I’ve had and excelled at 3 adult jobs.
• I’ve adopted two puppies who needed me.
• I met my soul mate.
• I married my soul mate.
• I’ve transitioned into marriage.
• I’ve put myself on a debt pay off schedule.

Things I wish to accomplish in the next 25 years:

• I plan to have two beautiful kids. No more, no less. I told my husband that I don’t plan on being outnumbered.
• I plan to get out of debt completely, except for good debt, of course.
• I plan to buy a house and make it a home.
• I plan to celebrate my 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th wedding anniversaries.
• I plan to be well on my way to retirement.
• I plan to watch my children grow into wonderful individuals. Because I’ll teach them all of the good values and none of the bad.
• I plan to volunteer at community theatres.
• I plan to be the “cool” mom whose house is always filled with rambunctious children and teenagers.
• I plan to chaperone every field trip my children go on and will be the mom whose group is always requested.
• I plan to live happily ever after.

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 2

• I didn’t mean to make you guys sobbing messes at your desks yesterday. I guess the fact that I was a sobbing mess at my own desk while writing it should have tipped me off?

• It’s absolutely beautiful here today. And it therefore sucks that I am stuck in my office and can’t be outside to enjoy this crazy gorgeous day.

• I don’t know if it’s hormones or the fact that I worked from home for most of the day yesterday, but I could not stop eating. I ate tried to curb it but I kept feeling hungry. These are the times when I need to have carrots in my house. I wouldn’t feel so guilty. I did manage to drag myself off the couch and away from my laptop long enough to do a workout, so I guess it wasn’t all bad.

• Anyone want to adopt my cats? Ok I’m kidding, but does anyone have any idea how I can get them to stop crying outside my door every morning? I thought it was b/c I would only feed them in the morning and force them to make it last throughout the day. But I’ve switched that up and now give them the same amount of food split between the morning and night. The only problem is that on the weekdays I’m up as early as 5:45, so on the days when I allow myself some time to sleep in I am awakened by the screaming cries of my famished cats. I seriously want to kill them. Not to mention the fact that Harley can’t take a hint and leave me alone after I’ve thrown her off the bed 10 times.

• Today, I have been married for 8 months. 8 months. Still feels like yesterday. Actually it still feels like a year ago when this day came around and I was saying “4 more months!” For shiggles, where does time go? I mentioned this to my husband last night and he said “just imagine how fast 10 years is going to fly by? Then 15, then 20, and then the kids will be gone and it will just be us again.” I think it’s absolutely adorable how he thinks about the future like that. And it’s cute that he referenced the non existent children.

• HAPPY FRIDAY!

*kisses*

Smiley Count: 2