in the dark

It is very hot today, I'm sure you all know that; in an effort to conserve a tiny bit of energy I turned the thermostat up a little (5 degrees) and I am keeping all of the blinds closed and the lights turned off. So far I think it's working.

But I feel like a mole.

Remember Initiation Week at the house? I always felt like a mole then, too.

i like gnomes

I had fun on Friday night, we had a few beers and Jocko and I went out for a late dinner, and I had a margarita. It's been a long time since I've been tipsy (oh wait, I think Andrea's wedding counts); so it's been a long time since I've been tipsy and not at a wedding. There was no crying, Mel, because I don't think I can drink that much anymore.

I thought everyone could use a gnome, this one resides in my backyard. Have a great day!

but i don't want to

I am old. I am supposed to meet Jocko at work and then go to the bar with his buddies from work to celebrate a few birthdays (JOcko's included); but I am super comfy at home in my sweatpants (Mel - the pink ones you gave me:)) and tank top, and my house is like, the perfect temperature.

But I should probably go. Time to pick out an outfit.

america's got talent

last night i burned dinner.

it was soup.

the pink bubble

I'm back from Dallas :) And for the past few days I've been floating in my pink bubble - it's like riding out a Mary Kay high. I came home with a new sparkly bracelet because I was #4 in sales for my area. I also set some new goals for this year, I figure that if I share them with all of you I'll have to work hard to achieve them so that you won't think I'm a big loser.
* become a director
* Queen's Court of Recruiting - I need 24 new consultants, any volunteers ;) - I actually want to be the queen
* Star Consultant every quarter
* earn a pink Cadillac

In other news my very best friend from way back, Merissa, is having back surgery today; could you please pray that she doesn't have any more pain and that she recovers quickly? Thanks so much!

going to the big "D"

I'm leaving today for Mary Kay Seminar in Dallas. WooHoo!
See you all next week :)

today I feel nostalgic

Maybe it's because AJ posted dizzy bat pictures, or because Stephie was reminiscing, or maybe it was seeing Laura's old car - at any rate I felt like digging up old pictures.

Enjoy!

running errands

As I was running errands this afternoon a few things really stuck with me, so I thought I would share them:

Crayons I had to grab a few things at Office Max and there was a back-to-school display of Crayola products; of course, I was drawn in like a moth to light. I think I picked up every product, from watercolors and markers to crayons, and a few new things I'd never seen before, I had to touch them all. I thought about buying a whole bunch, but then I overcame TSM and decided I would look through my current stash before buying any new art supplies - score 1 for me :)

Bumper Stickers The truck in front of me for most of the ride home had a bumper sticker that read "Women love me, Fish fear me." I think that one pretty much explains itself.

Gigantic Drink Cups
Dear Panera Bread,
Your large cups do not fit into the cup holders in my car, thus creating a problem whenever I try to take your yummy iced tea home. Could you maybe work on that a little?
Thanks,
Alanna

I am wasting time...

Sometimes I do not feel motivated to work, I would rather watch every TV show on my tivo and stay in my pajamas and do absolutely nothing. But the thing is, by the end of the day, if I have accomplished nothing I feel terrible, and generally have so much pent up energy that I cannot sleep - so it is best that I actually get some work done, plus it helps when I have to pay bills that I actually have made some money.

So I need to get to work.

But first I wanted to say "Happy Monday."

And post a picture of Zippy - yep, she's still alive, and very spoiled.




That is all :)

Friday Fun!

One of my best friends, Adrienne, had this posted to her blog. It's a short film (maybe 10 min.) that is so cute and charming, perfect for a Friday!

Shoes Off! by Mark Sawers.

Enjoy!

Patio Pictures

Here's the short version:









Can you figure out which caption and picture belong together? Why won't any of this line up correctly?
* Dad and John "breaking ground" - yes, that was my white-trash patio in the before stage. Jocko and I started our patio last summer but ran out of time and money, so we had a weedy square in our yard that collected water when it rained, we affectionately referred to it as "The Pool." The tent was there for the guys to get some shade in, it is definitely not a permanent fixture in our yard.
* The layer of crushed rock. Can you see the length of my neighbor's grass? It was seriosly 6" long, we wish they would just move.
* The Pavers
* Mission Accomplished! Jocko, John and Dad ham it up.

WOOHOO!

I have a patio! My parents and my youngest brother came down for the weekend and we installed our patio. I will post pictures later, but I am super-duper happy with the results :) We have a little bit more work to do - seal the pavers, cover the base and grow some grass, and, of course, pick out some patio furniture.

And in other fabulous news, the guy who lives across the street has suddenly decided to take an interest in his yard - it's about time. He was weeding his front flower beds (note- there are currently no flowers in said beds) this morning; now he is spreading grass seed, presumably to fill in the areas of the grass that have died due to neglect. The best part is that he has the seed in the spreader, but instead of pushing it along he is dragging the spreader willy-nilly through the yard and throwing large handfuls of seed around. Maybe someone should help him, and let him know that when it is this hot outside grass seed has a hard time getting started.... nah, I'm going to assume he's a trial and error kind of guy.

Happy Fourth! If you are going somewhere fun for the holiday and they have snowcones, please eat one for me - I will assume responsibility for all calories :)

*yuck*

The tags are expiring today for both of our vehicles - and guess who forgot to send in the renewal-by-mail paperwork? Yep, it was me, so I am trying to figure out what to wear (because I haven't done laundry all week), and then I need to pack up some busy work and head to the exciting land of the DMV (or BMV, as it is called here).

Jubilation.

On a much more exciting note - I hit my Mary Kay goal! Thank you so much for the orders, and for registering on my website - I love you all *smooch!*! In fact I had one of my highest sales weeks in a long time, which is really impressive because I didn't even have a party - just one little facial and a bunch of reorders. Thanks, again!

a little plug for me

So the end of the year for Mary Kay is June 30, and I am $700 away from the goal I set for myself last year, so if you are in need of anything (something for you, a gift, perhaps) just let me know. You can shop right from my website. I have a full store in my home and orders are shipped the very next day. If you already have a Mary Kay lady please call her with your order - I do not want to steal another consultant's customers (it's just not right). Also, if you see something you like but would like to try a sample let me know, I have samples for almost everything.

I'll blog more after I wrap up this goal - see you all soon!

Who wants a facial?

I am making a rare, cameo appearance in Metro Detroit!
Jocko and I will be in town for the weekend for Andrea's wedding, and then I'm going to stay an extra week, WooHoo! Mel is planning on coming into town so that we can hang at The Collection and I am planning on hanging out and visiting with as many people as possible.
I will send an email to the AGD group with my phone number, so call me and we can do fun things :)

PS- I love Somerset, but we have always made fun of how pretentious it is, I mean it's a mall, get over it.

Googlisms

I went to google and typed "Alanna needs" just like Heather told us to, and there really wasn't very much that I needed, however, I did find this fun time-waster site that simplifies the google search for your name.

Here are a few examples of who I am, according to Google:
*alanna is a unique female that just loves every thing about knights
*alanna is handling everything like a pro
*alanna is one of the least slutty people in the book
*alanna is indeed alive
*alanna is one wild girl
*alanna is no damsel in distress
*alanna is an excellent choice for any gentleman
*alanna is currently writing her dissertation on the bukharan jews
*alanna is a natural martha stewart and should pursue a career in interior design

So I'm an alive, wild, not-so-slutty, great catch that can keep my cool while playing the domestic goddess and moonlighting as a student, and I am a medieval recreationist in my spare time.

And I thought my life was so simple.

K2tog. *yo P2tog.*

I started a new knitting project the other night. I have frogged it 3 times now, but this time I think I have finally gotten it going. My mom and her friend, Lisa, were in town for the Knitter's Market, it's like the market clothing stores go to to order the new lines of clothing, but this one is all about knitting and needle arts. So anyway, they were in town the day before and the day after aforementioned market and of course they were knitting so I had to start a new project because I did not want to be left out of the fun. It's one of Lisa's patterns for a very fun shawl/scarf, the best part is I happened upon the yarn I am using and only paid $3 for it - what a steal!

In other bargain news, I made a pilgrimage to Stein Mart and bought a really great skirt, jacket, and tunic - I know Mel, I can't wear tunics, they make me look pregnant, but this one just worked, so I thought "I certainly must have this." and into my shopping bag it went. I also ventured into the shoe department, finally got some new tennies and a super cute pair of bright pink slides with fabulous bling on them. All-in-all a shopping success, and even though TSM was present, he was like a small dog, yipping and yapping throughout the store but I just tried to tune him out. :)

Just Because

Your Monster Profile

Basilisk Strangler You Feast On: Olives You Lurk Around In: Shopping Malls You Especially Like to Torment: Your Exes

What's Your Monster Name?

Ouch!

I find that at the begining of every summer, right when I pull out the flip-flops and open-toed sandals, I have a day or two when all I do is smash my toes.

Today is that day.

I stubbed my baby toe repeatedly while pushing a plant cart at the market, and I rolled a very heavy cart over my entire foot while at the grocery store. But my toe polish didn't even chip :)

Hope you all had a great day today, and that your toes are all accounted for.

disturbing

I had a great weekend - hung out with old friends, watched the Indy race (Jocko was there, I watched on TV), ate lots of bad food - just a very nice weekend.

But I called my mom and the weirdest thing happened to my little sister. So here's the story.

Preface - My little sister, Susie, will be a sophomore at WMU in the fall, she is at home for the summer. Home is a nice neighborhood in Troy, MI.

Story - On Thurs. at about 7:30 my parents took my brother and sister to DQ for ice cream, they were gone maybe 20 minutes and came home like usual. My Dad walks down the hall to the bathroom and glances towards the laundry room - he realizes someone has broken the window to the side door of the house. If you know my parents you understand that this is where panic ensues.
So they call the cops and then check out the upstairs - the cops advised against doing this in the future, and they emphasized the point when they checked all of the closets and shower stalls with their guns drawn. None of my mom's jewelry is missing, the laptops are all accounted for and nothing else seems out of order.
This is where it gets creepy.
My mom asks Susie if she left her bedroom light on and her door open when they left for ice cream, she says "no," and heads up to see if any of her stuff is missing. Nothing is missing, but... Whoever broke in dumped out her dirty clothes hamper and took all of her dirty underpants and spread them all over the bathroom. GROSS!
Now the Troy Police have about a half dozen pairs of my sister's dirty undies as evidence, ha, ha! And my mom and Susie ripped through her room to make sure nothing "odd" was left behind. So all is now well, and Susie gets to go to Victoria's Secret and buy all new undies.