Our first Christmas!

Mr. Perfect and I decided to do our own Christmas on Christmas Eve - complete with waking up for a big Christmas breakfast and presents while still in pj's. Perfection! There was just one small problem...


For months now Mr. Perfect has been talking about a Wii and I have been talking about how I'm never going to buy him one.

I had the Wii purchased and shipped to my house before Thanksgiving.

To further my Wii lie, I removed the controller from the box and wrapped it separately, then made it abundantly clear to Mr. Perfect that he had three presents. Three presents that were obviously - by size, shape and weight - not a Wii. Meanwhile, the rest of the Wii was wrapped up and under Shell's tree. So sneaky.
Well, sneaky until we decide to exchange gifts at my apartment... dang it. I had to come up with a quick plan to sneak over to Shell's and get the Wii without him knowing. I couldn't just let him open the controller and then tell him the rest was at her house! Lame!

So Christmas Eve morning, as Mr. Perfect slaved away recreating Sharp's Farm Boy Benedict (that is seriously like the 10th time I've mentioned this dish on my blog. I should get them for free by now) I ran to get us coffee and to slide over to Shell's.

All was going well, I had the coffees, I had the Wii. But... how do I get back in the house? I have a front door and a back door. I never go in the front door, and didn't want to be suspicious, but the back door goes directly into the kitchen....

So I snuck up three flights of stairs and left the Wii outside my front door, then ran around back, grabbed the coffees and went in the back door. Mr. Perfect was cooking away. I went in the living room, turned up the music, then slowly creaked open the front door. I have a wooden, loud screen door that I had to sllllowwwwly maneuver around. I grabbed the Wii, slowly closed the wooden door (without it slamming) and started to place the beautifully wrapped box on the floor. Right before I set the present down behind the couch and out of site, Mr. perfect walked in. He stopped abruptly and yelled in the sweetest little kid voice, "You got ME A WII!!!"

Shit!

I couldn't help but laugh though, so much effort in keeping it a secret, then minutes before finally opening presents... busted. eh. At least it was still a surprise.

And any self pity I had was quickly washed away by BREAKFAST!!! Pictures!

And on to presents!

Mr. Perfect, my little boyscout, first opened his scout shirt. I can't find it online now, but it's a shirt silk screened to look just like cub scout shirt. It was a hit.

Next, he opened his Star Wars Trivia book! Again, a total hit. And omfg those questions are ridonkulous - how many meters tall was luke? uhhh....

And even though he knew what was coming, I made him open the Wii controller last.

He got me a ton of fun and incredible presents, but was shocked that the Little Mermaid DVD and Enchanted DVD were my favorites. Duh! Ok, so the digital picture frame that he loaded with an year's worth of photos was pretty amazing too... but come on! LITTLE MERMAID! ENCHANTED!

Merry Christmas, part 1!

A Christmas Preview

This video shows not only why GDSean is a beloved uncle, but also a wee sample of the horribly loud and deliciously rambuncious atmosphere at my family gatherings. That is what happens when you are one of 5 kids, three of whom are married, with 7 little ones running around.

It's awesome, it's exhausting.

Back to the video -

It's Christmas Eve. The family has been fed and watered, presents are opened, and people are starting to go home.

But first!

GDSean has to convince Caroline to let him toss her up in the air. Each time he tried she promised to let go of his arms, and each time he started to lift her up, she frantically grabbed at him. The video only gets better when Grace makes an appearance.

And the Award for Most Randomly Inappropriate Use of a Apostrophe Goes To...

Tanners!

Read, Rinse and Repeat

“If you’re feeling frightened about what comes next, don’t be. Embrace the
uncertainty. Allow it to lead you places. Be brave as it challenges you to
exercise both your heart and your mind as you create your own path towards
happiness, don’t waste time with regret. Spin wildly into your next action.
Enjoy the present, each moment, as it comes; because you’ll never get another
one quite like it. And if you should ever look up and find yourself lost, simply
take a breath and start over. Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place
in your heart… where your hope lives. You’ll find your way again.”

- (via Live.Laugh.Love.) (via littlemiss) (via shegoesbam)

You Shook Me All Night Long: A Love Story - 11

Chapter 1 - I'm Not Wearing Any Pants! Or, Drinking and Dressing
Chapter 2 - Where's Luppy?
Chapter 3 - Charming
Chapter 4 - Snow Angeling
Chapter 5 - AC/DC is Romantic in the AM
Chapter 6 - Call me!
Chapter 7 - IMs
Chapter 8 - Blessings
Chapter 9 - Lovesick
Chapter 10 - Signs


Chapter 11 - And So, Like the Sands of the Hourglass...

A night out with the girls wearing little more than a shirt lead to meeting my Mr. Perfect. Somehow, after singing AC/DC to him (and utilizing other scare tactics) he was still interested in me. So in January I planned a trip to see him. And then I was diagnosed as love sick.


On January 18th, I flew to D.C. We went on our first date that night.

I returned home, completely in love. So much so that I started writing poetry about my Mr. Perfect.

January came and went, soon it was almost Valentine's Day and Mr. Perfect was on his way to see me! We hung out with some family and enjoyed the fabulousness that is cheesy corn bake.

We had an awesome first Valentine's, even if it was apart. February was a big month - we made our relationship official. On Facebook, of course.

March was fabulous. I visited Mr. Perfect in D.C. two weekends in a row. I learned that Mr. Perfect could not only put up with my craziness, but embrace and love it. Yes, even after texting him 70 times in one night. March was topped off in the perfect way - with one of the best birthdays in the history of birthdays.

In April, I asked Mr. Perfect on a date and we fell in love with Pizza Cones. Hmm... that... uh, that pretty much sums up April.

By May we had already discussed what we were going to do - how long before we are in the same city and uh, what city will that be? And how? And and and and! So many questions...

May was a really crazy month, with lots of travel for work and to see Mr. Perfect. My favorite trip might have been Mr. Perfect's birthday, Cinco de Mayo! Or Memorial Day. My Memorial Day trip was great - we ate amazing food, almost died, and played beer pong. It was a good time.

June was just as great - our first road trip! To... Wichita. The most accurate fortune ever. And a LOL cat visit at the office. I was able to piggy-back off a work trip at the end of June and spent another long weekend with Mr. Perfect & Co.

The next weekend I was back in D.C. again for 4th of July! And P.S. I'm still scared of jellyfish. In July I started to become impatient. I was so over this long distance dating crap. So Maureen offered me dating advice. Thankfully, Mr. Perfect came back to KC. We plotted and planned and even did a little shopping for our future home! Oh, and I showed off a little more crazy. Oye.

August was looking just as crazy as May. I was in the DC area for over two weeks, including a weekend in Florida. It was a rehearsal for our trip we were planning to go to Barbados in September! During my extended stay in D.C. (again, blessed work!), Mr. Perfect and I compared our relationship to a sitcom. So fitting some days...

I think I can safely say Mr. Perfect and I had both been looking forward to September for quite a while. The year was quickly ticking away, and our trip to Barbados was rapidly approaching. Barbados was bound to be interesting - our first big trip as a couple (and only, outside of Florida), the most amount of time we would spend together up to that time, the first Wednesday we would spend together, and the only time we would truly be together, just the two of us. Every other trip to see each other also meant making sure we were squeezing in time to see each other's friends and family. This trip was really just about us. And it was glorious.

October was a month full of fun with friends. Mr. Perfect and I knew we weren't going to see each other much after our trip to Barbados until the holidays. Dating long distance, half-way across country gets a wee bit pricey. I think knowing that we weren't going to see each other as often as we had inspired me to write the story of how we met.

The important thing about October was that Mr. Perfect did make it back for the Corn Shucking Contest! Ok, so he also made it back for Halloween. And, in a classic test of a relationship, yes, he held my hair when I puked. awww, it's real love.

November was fun. I loved it. It started out with a bang - a PJ party with Mr. Perfect and friends in my lovely Manhattan, Kan., and I was referred to as epically awkward. What more can a girl ask for?

Well, a girl can ask for her boyfriend to live in the same city! Yeah, that's right, even though Mr. Perfect tried to entertain me, I was pretty bummed by the adjective "long-distance" still being associated with our relationship.

Thankfully, Thanksgiving came quickly and brought Mr. Perfect along with it. We had a great time together - went on a fancy date, caught a game, and just had another fabulous week together.

Suddenly... it was December. I felt like I'd been waiting for December... all year! Once again I was blessed with the chance to see Mr. Perfect by way of a trip for work. The next thing I knew, Mr. Perfect was back in KC and it was time for Christmas! Our first Christmas together was nearly perfect, affected only slightly by my stress and anxiety. The week we had together was great, and it was difficult to see him go right before the one-year anniversary of the night we met.

And now here we are.

A year that rushed by.

It's overwhelming to look back at how much we did and how much we went through together.

And somehow, through the distance, the phone calls, the texts and IM's, the hundreds spent on parking at the airport and thousands (quite literally) on airfare, the tears of frustration, anxiety and fear, the laughing until cheeks hurt, the signs and banners and airport greetings, the lonely Saturdays and amazing vacations, a Wednesday or two together, and a million other moments, somehow we've only gotten stronger together.

And so today, one year to the day I first sang to Mr. Perfect, I gave my notice at work.

And in three weeks, on January 18th, one year to the day I stepped off the plane and jumped into his arms, I will step out of the car and into my new home in D.C.




Keep reading...

History

A year ago tonight I met you.

Yup, you, the guy in the back of the photo.

I fell in love with you that night. Even though it seemed like I was doing everything possible to scare you away.

I miss you Mr. Perfect.

Thank you for an incredible year. And thank you for everything.

Merrrry Christmas!

Christmas was fabulous, Mr. Perfect is still here, we are off to the mall again. To return gifts. Shhh, don't tell.

Giggles

OMG, so I won an hour massage at the Sweater Party. Mr. Perfect and I decided to get them this week - I could certainly use one after eating shit when I fell on the ice at work and jacked my body up.

So I call and make the appointment for tomorrow.

The receptionist asks if I want the couples room.

It was difficult not to burst out laughing immediately.

I can see it now - me, laughing at... everything.
Mr. Perfect, annoyed at... me.

So I sent him this note:
3p.m. tomorrow.
omg, couples room.
ROFL already.
I'm going to ruin your massage, fo' sho'.

His reply:
oh dear lord.


In case you didn't notice, I'm extremely awkward - and being in some strange pseudo-romantic cheestastic setting like a couples massage room will do nothing be increase my awkwardness.

Oh, and when I'm feeling awkward I laugh.
At everything.

Secrets

Mr. Perfect: What is that?

Me: You know in movies how there's the kinda clueless but sassy person that gets the key to all the secrets of the universe?

Mr. Perfect: Oh, that's what that is?

Me: Yeah. I could totally accidentally ruin the planet with a snap of the finger! *snap*

Umm, it's actually an awesome ring with two snakes coiled around a pink stone. A gift from Christmas past. Thanks Heather! But it might still hold the answers to the mysteries of the universe.

Notes from Lunch

It's not a good idea to try to drink water upside-down from a stemless wine glass. But, if you are going to try it, you should consider telling your lunch date first.

Although... Mr. Perfect's look of horror did make me giggle the hiccups away...

Wrapping

Me: How's the wrapping going?
Mr. Perfect: I'm having trouble rhyming.

In Which I Vomit Forth Minute Details of My Weekend Peppered With Random Thoughts And Tangents

Mr. Perfect arrived in KC, on time, on Friday evening. I was relieved he didn't have any delays, especially considering everything in terminal A was closed. Everything. I literally could not buy a bottle of water (being the amazing girlfriend/person in general that I am, I like to have some H2O waiting for my main man after a flight). Seriously. I asked. They told me if I had a lot of time to go to another terminal. Wow. There aren't even vending machines.

Thankfully, there was some excellent people watching at KCI on the Friday before Christmas. So many families buzzing with excitement as they waited for planes to de-board and loved ones to come into view.

We stopped by Firefly in Westport for a late-night snack and a drink. I was really pumped to finally check Firefly out, and was not disappointed. It was the perfect place to gather with a group of friends - which is exactly what we did. The food was great, the wine was great, and I loved the music. They had a DJ spinning a good mix of old school and mellow-but-fun songs.

Hmm, yup, it's officially my new favorite bar. It fills a niche in KC that was overlooked in the past.

I love it.

While we were at Firefly, I had the chance to meet a reader. I've met a few readers over the past month or so, and usually they're bigger fans of Mr. Perfect's than me.

(Best meeting a reader moment - I introduce Stephanie to Mr. Perfect, she says she knows who he is. GDSean immediately starts yelling, "Who am I?? Who am I??" Hilarious and awesome.)

Shockingly, Nadia actually came over to our booth to chat with me.

Amazing.

We had a good time chatting and I'm totally regretting not snapping a picture of the ridiculously large/hugely awesome flower on her dress. Very SarahJessica of her.

Saturday we had my favorite breakfast/the thing that will give me a heart attack at the age of 28 - Farm Boy Eggs Benedict at Sharp's. Even with just a half order, I still have leftovers. Ok. So maybe that's because I got a cup of chili...as a starter...

This gaggable cuteness brought to you by Erin's bad handwriting and Mr. Perfect's awesome embellishments.

After brunch, Mr. Perfect and I decided to go crazy and go shopping.

At Oak Park.

On the Saturday before Christmas.

What can I say, we're two willlld and crrrazzzy guys!

We totally had no need to go to the mall. Yeah, so we had like, two gifts we wanted to buy people, but really we just went shopping for ourselves.

Merrrrrrry Christmas!!!

I can't even bring myself to consider telling the story that was Trying To Find A Parking Spot. We already retold that horridness to Shell - it was equally painful for teller and listener.

Instead, I'll show off my totally comfortable and kick-ass already dirty new boots! They're from Naturalizer! I know, I was like WTFOMG!!!??! I just came into this store to sit down for a second and think about trying to get the hair out of my eye (yes, I got a freaking HAIR in my eye ball. TWICE this weekend. Hair FAIL.) and suddenly I'm in love with shoes that they actually have in my size and fit and are sale are !!! comfortable!!!!!!! (cue hallelujah chorus)

Oh, and totally randomly/while I'm already taking pictures of myself at my desk, I'm wearing another ridonkulously short dress today. Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!

(did you know saying Merry Christmas while drawing out the r's makes everything better? It does.)

After Oak Park Mall Madness was complete, Mr. Perfect and I headed back to my home. I had been stressing alllll day about what was about to happen. You see, I put this table and chairs on craigslist the other day and, well, it sold. Should be a good thing, right?

Not when you're ultra-paranoid like me and convinced the lady that is buying it is going to murder you or pull some scam on you.

Now, this conviction wasn't completely without cause. She sounded batshitcrazy on the phone. For example, during one of our 25 or so conversations, she started talking to a kid in the background, "... I want you to listen to me! They aren't going to live with us anymore, ok? Ok? Go in my bedroom and shut the door. I don't want you to come out. Don't come out! Ok? Even if you hear Mommy yelling, don't come out."

Ummm.... awkward.com! Seriously! You can totally call me back after having this painful conversation. I really would rather not hear about how you're evicting people from your house when it's 10 degrees outside and 5p.m. on a Saturday.

Oye.

So anyway, after an entire day of stressing about this lady, which included me telling Mr. Perfect she was going to ask to use my bathroom and then try to move in with me, and, well.... She came. Picked up the table and chairs, paid, and was gone in like 5 minutes.

Hm.

After that insanely stressful bit of my night was over, we went to see Milk at the Tivoli. It was incredible. The acting was amazing, but even more so, the story. The fact that here we are, 30 years later with so many of the same issues. I cried. Go see it while it's still in theaters in KC.

Sunday we were summoned to Shell's house for breakfast and a trip to Ronald McDonald House. We decided to donate to RMH in lue of adopting a family. RMH played an important role in Madeline's recovery and Shell's sanity this year, and we wanted to help other families in similar situations. They have a general store where kids can shop for parents and parents for kids. We took toys and other gifts for the store, and general toiletry items as well. It was awesome to walk around the RMH, watching Madeline run around. Three months and a million years ago... we're blessed.

After RMH, Mr. Perfect and I paid a visit to Miss Amelia and family. Amelia wasn't the biggest fan of Erin, but loved Mr. Perfect. She even coordinated her outfit to match his.

Ahh, an excellent weekend with some of my favorite people. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

yippiee!!

Picking Mr. Perfect up from the airport in a few hours. I'm hoping the weather doesn't affect his flight.

I think that as soon as he gets here, things will become a whole lot more Christmas-y.

I can't wait!

Deck the Halls with Balls and Holly

Ahhhh!

I just paid off my credit cards.

ALL of them. COMPLETELY paid.

I'm 100% debt free now - thanks to my parents endless supply of cars and paying for college.

Holy shit.

This is amazing. A goal I've had for 4 years, just now achieved.

Ahhhh!

Fun!

Just woke up to vomit.

I'm going to blame my fast food salad.

Ew.

Tweets

Shell: Do you know my Twitter?

Me: Yeah, I follow you.

Shell: You do? All these people follow me! Why? I'm not going anywhere!

Just the ol' foot in the brain

This is just ew & sick & strange.

From the Denver Channel News:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A Colorado Springs family is part of one of the
strangest cases in medical history.

Dr. Paul Grabb, a pediatric brain surgeon, said he discovered a small foot growing inside the brain of 3-day-old Sam Esquibel.

The appendage threatened the newborn's life.

When Grabb performed the life-saving surgery at Memorial Hospital for Children in Colorado Springs, he was in for another surprise: he also found what appeared to be parts of an intestine in the folds of the infant's tiny brain, in addition to another developing foot, hand and thigh.

Holy foot in brain Batman!

Thank goodness T. Hart sent me the link...

In Which GDSean Fails as Babysitter

Shell left GDSean to watch the girls, and came back to them saying gems like this.

Also, Maureenie is missing her dollets and Caroline would like to be traded with Leprechauns.

Madeline isn't saying much because after all, Caroline "knows what she is feeling."

Not a good sign

Another commentpliment for today: You look comfy.

I'm pretty sure that means I look sloppy.

I don't know if it's the boots & tights, or the boots, tights & gloves that does it.

Translation?

A winter commentpliment: You look warm.

I think that can translate into fat/ridiculous/like Randy in A Christmas Story.

Good to know?

When I got to work today I had a voicemail from the Superintendent of the Tonganoxie schools, letting me know school was cancelled due to weather.

Umm, ok?

Worst Nativity Scenes EVER!

I thought it was bad when I got to the nativity made out of marshmallows, but surprisingly it actually continued to get worse.

Ahhh, List of the Day, you never disappoint!

Sweater Party

The KC Sweater Party Friday night was Ah-MAZING! It was such a great atmosphere. I've described it as similar to Halloween - everyone is super friendly and chatty, and you have an easy conversation starter with everyone around you. "Nice sweater."

Especially when your sweater lights up! I loved this Elf!And yes, we had to take two pictures to capture the awesomeness of our tights.
Speaking of tights... I found a tights twin! Except her tights were $40 from American Apparel and mine were $16.50 from Wet Seal.

Skirt made from actual Christmas tree skirt, FTW!

This girl was great - she told me she was the token Jew at the party with the token ugly Hanukkah sweater. Complete with dreidels. I told her to act Jewish while I took the picture - she was like, "What? I don't know how to 'act Jewish," and I snapped this:

Gangsta Santa tries to get fresh.

But has more fun with our Elf friend.This guy seriously had on four legit layers. We were floored. When T.Hart asked him if it was a real turtleneck or a dickie, he dug around in his sleeve until he was able to pull 'her' out. Yup, he called his turtleneck her.

He claimed he wasn't hot. I feel hot and claustrophobic just looking at him.

T. Hart and I didn't plan this or know the other person was making this face. Loves it.

A girl came up to me at one point in the night and told me a funny story. When I walked into the bar, her mom called me a bitch because I was more sparkly than she was - hilarious. Later in the night I see the girl again, this time with her mom. I approached her and told her I knew she called me a bitch, it was hilarious, she was like, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! After I finally got her to understand I actually loved it and thought she was adorable, we had a great chat about finding our respective sparkly outfits.

"Grandkids Warm the Heart"

I think this girl had the most literal ugly sweater.

I called this guy Felon Santa because he never had a wig/beard/hat, plus the short hair, and general tough look. He looks too nice in this picture... Here! This picture is more like Felon Santa. Ahh! Finally! Dolewite takes the stage. I had never seen them before and was really looking forward to it. They did not disappoint. Excellent band for a party. They do old school hip-hop and rap covers, songs everyone knows, loves and can't resist.

So I threw on my dancing shoes, and got down!

I accidentally snapped a shot of the set list. It's incredible. Tricky, Clear my Throat, Hip Hop Hurray. It was awesome.

And yes, they did some Salt N Peppa. It was awesome. The girl in the group terrified T. Hart and I, but she rocked the hell out of the set. The next day I asked T. Hart why we were so scared of the singer. We concluded it was due to the fact she was hardcore and looked like she was ready to kick any one's ass at a moments notice. Come to think of it, I kinda wish she was my friend...They band was such a good time, so chill. They didn't even care when T. Hart and I commandeered the mics for some back-up vocals.

In fact, they were super cool about it and took our picture. And so I took his.

At the end of the night they announced the winners of the contests - there were several categories. And hell yeah your girl won Sexiest Sweater. That's right, I brought SexyBack to Sweaters. Ugly ones at that.

I was surprised to win Sexiest Sweater after seeing this get-up. Yup... that's mesh. With Santas on it. And white tights. With no pants. It's Ugly Sweater Overload.

If I knew the date for KC Sweater Party, I would mark it on my calendar right now. It was such a blast, and awesome knowing that all the money went to Operation Breakthrough - I think it was over $5k that was raised. Incredible.

Also, if you get the chance to see Dolewite, don't pass it up. They are fun.com

In Which I Become a Drug Dealer

Last night I went to see The Faint in Lawrence with Hurricane and a car load of boys. The Faint is band from Omaha that the boys are obsessed with and have introduced us to. I was really looking forward to the show, everyone (including GDSean and Hurricane) told me they were beyond incredible live.

Unfortunately, they had three opening acts.
Three.

Even after taking our time having an amazing dinner at Global Cafe (omg, I could eat there every day, wish it was in KC), and wandering into Liberty Hall about an hour after the show had started, we still caught the first of three openers.

And oh wow.

They were called Baiowolf, yes Mr. Perfect, like Scott Baio.
They were wearing cut-off t-shirts and bouncing around the stage screaming about "9,000 dicks."

It was at that moment that I lamented the fact I forgot my camera.
I don't know how to explain them ... yeah, just watch.

Wow.
You would have thought we'd be prepared for anything after that. But OMFG no. Jametatone and the Evolove Vortex was up next.

I really don't know that the music was that bad... well, ok it was horrible, but it was his talks about channeling energy and vortexes that put it over the top and into the realm of "is this really happening I feel like I saw a performance this bad in a movie one time."

Finally, after being booed for a painfully long 20 minutes, Jametatone and the Evolove Vortex was done. Up next, The Show is the Rainbow.

The Show is the Rainbow is a one-man act. I actually met the guy before his show started. We were standing around bitching about the opening acts when he told us who he was and insisted he would kick-ass. I didn't believe him. Mostly be Hurricane & Nick saw him at another The Faint show and hated him.

I was totally surprised to really enjoy his show. He was just straight up an entertainer. He was funny and manic and awesome. He jumped and bopped all over the stage, magically never falling over. All of his songs were accompanied by totally bizarre-o videos. I think his comments to the audience were the best though, like when he encouraged the audience to continue to worship his immense talent. Good times.

Here's one of my favorite videos from his show:

After his set was over, I went back to the merch table and told The Show is the Rainbow that I really enjoyed it and he was very entertaining. He was like, "That's awesome! I really thought you were going to hate it!"

We were sitting around up in the balcony all waiting for The Faint to go on stage when this exchange occurred:

Friend of friend: Man, I don't even smoke and I could really use a cigarette.

Me: hmm, I don't have one. But, I have... lip gloss?

FoF:

Me: It sparkles!!

FoF: What's sparkles?

Me: (realizing he didn't hear what I said correctly at all and crafting a evil plan) Hold on a sec, I'll give you some!

I dig through my purse, and pop a non-active pill from my birth control pill case, all hidden from view in my purse.

Meanwhile, the FoF turns to another guy and asks again: What's Sparkles?

That guy didn't hear him. I hand FoF the pill.

Me: Here, just try it.

Shockingly and without further questioning, he immediately pops the Sparkles into his mouth.

FoF: What is it?

Me: Oh, it will totally fuck your shit up!

FoF: Really? Awesome! I want to get fucked up!

And that children, is one reason I do not do drugs! You never know what asshole is going to give you Sparkles.

Soon after FoF was sparkling, The Faint (finally) went on stage! It was a really incredible show. I love it when bands not only put on a good show and sound good, but really sound 500 times better live than recorded.

It was so much fun, a massive dance party.

Here are three of my favorite The Faint songs. The Seduced in particular has some great lyrics.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

And a great video from when The Faint was on Jimmy Kimmel, with a great intro from Jimmy.

I would highly recommend seeing The Faint live. They are incredible, it's a fun dance party, and something about the keyboard player's dance moves is super sexy.

And no, I never told the FoF about Sparkles. Someone else tried to, but I don't think he got it. He probably didn't understand because he was all sparkly.

Also

Preview

The sweater party was amazing. I'm exhausted.
More photos and holiday cheer later.

Extra Creamy

We had our annual gift exchange at work today. It was a brilliant time, as always. Seriously, my favorite day of the year at work.

We have a $10 limit and gifts can be stole three times before they're out of the running. There's usually a good amount of booze and gift cards. This year I got a Hannah Montana party pack from Target, slit the packing up the side, and hid a gift card between layers of packaging. I like to go that route, make people think that they got stuck with a totally lame-o gift by hiding the gift card. Plus, with this gift I got to say, "It's Miley!" over and over.

This was one of my favorite gifts given:
It's just scandalous enough, without going over the edge. We also had a cheesy romance novel that was full of lotto tickets. That gave someone the opportunity to yell while stealing it, "Hand over the dirty book!"

I'd have to say I was most surprised by the gift that included me! It was pay backs, a year or so later, for a gift I gave.
If you can't read it, it says that you've won a lunch date to Chipotle with Erin! It also recommends shucking as a conversation starter.
love.
it.

I was surprised that the date with me was actually stolen. I mean, Chipotle gift cards are always in high demand, but I thought the awkwardness attached to it was enough to keep people away. It didn't.

The timing on the date was perfect though - it was stolen twice by the time it was my turn. I stole it for the third and final time explaining, "No one enjoys spending time with me as much as I do."

I so enjoy the characters I work with!

Ahhh, it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

She Married The Butcher

I went to a wake last night for my cousin, once removed (right, k-did?). Mary was my dad's first cousin. Due to the Great Depression, my dad's parents were older when they got married and had kids, so all of my dad's first cousins are older - in their 80's and 90's. So their kids, my dad's second cousins (am I getting this right?), are his age.

It was really confusing to me when I was a kid.
Ok, so it still can be.

Mary was such an incredible person. She was fiercely proud to be an Irish Democrat, a K-State fan, incredibly smart, witty and funny. While looking at a photo of Mary and her sisters, Sis and Franny, I realized how awesome all three of them really are - it was like a huge ah-ha moment, they are all totally awesome people. Three women who are/were really smart, funny, kind and extremely independent for their time and generation. Dad was like, wow, you're totally right. I'm so proud to have such incredible women in my family.

It was great to get to look at tons of photos and hear great stories about her life and, of course, to spend time with cousins I don't see often.

This framed headline was on display and caught my eye - I had to take a photo. Hilarious and awesome.

It's dated Jan. 3, 1944.

"Atchison Housewives Are Envious Of One Of The City's Recent Brides, Mrs. Robert Lykins. She Married The Butcher."

Dress, with Coat

The (invisible) dress, with coat. Yeah, there's no dress bits showing.

Well well!

Speaking of sequin pants!

(I hope to look like the Christmas equivalent of that on Friday)

Not going to work, ever.

While I was shopping for my Ugly Sweater Party outfit, I tried on a variety of awesomely bad leggings and skirts.

The best/worst was a pair of black sequins (sequined?) leggings.

Yeah.

So there's a problem with pants made out of sequins.
Two problems actually.
Inner.
Thigh.

Today I learned that I shall never wear pants made out of sequins. A little piece of my soul died.

OH yes I did!

I just bought shiny gold leggings in preparation for the KC Ugly Sweater Party.

I'm going to be so fuggin' awesome.

And yes, I just made fuggin' awesome up.

Yeah....

It's not the coat. That would be about 5-6 inches from dress hem to knee. Whoops.
I blame Shell, who told me I could wear it to work and that she wore hers to work (yes, we are sisters with matching outfits!)/forgetting that she's about 4 inches shorter than me which is just enough inches to make the dress respectable on her and slutty on me.

Dang it.

You happy C-Love?

Blame it on the Coat

This morning I was lamenting the length of my coat as I walked into work. It's just long enough that it covers my dresses a good portion of the time, but just short enough to make it look like I'm not wearing clothes.

"Dang coat!" I thought, "if it wasn't for the coat, this dress would look totally fine." I unbuttoned the coat, hoping to create an optical illusion of length.

Then I realized, wow, it's not the coat.

I'm wearing a mini-dress to work.

Whoops.

For the rest of the day you can find me hiding my scandalousness in my cube.

The Rep for Christmas

If you’re looking for an affordable holiday outing for your family, look no
further than Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas
Carol. As a holiday gift to Kansas City, the Rep is offering $25 tickets
for its December 10-12 performances. Youth tickets (18 years and younger)
are available for $20. Call 816-235-2700 or visit www.kcrep.org and use the special code SPIRITS.

A Christmas Carol runs through December 27 at Kansas City
Repertory Theatre in the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center on the UMKC
campus, just east of the Country Club Plaza. -KC Rep

The girls

Shell went on a blogging spree last night. Here are some highlights:

Mush's Christmas list vs. Caroline's

Madeline's first comment to make the blog!

And Maureenie, singing. Apparently it's some Barbie song or something. It's really just funny and kinda creepy. After filming her singing that, it was stuck in my head for weeks. I feel... connections!

Notoriously B-I-G

Wow.

I just stumbled upon GreatBigStuff.com (via CakeSpy, random).

I feel a lot of inner conflict over this site. I'm repulsed by it and want every thing they sell at the same time.

See also: giant pickle.

You can find it under the "Wacky Stuff" category, which also includes a sushi seat.

Lovely Lady Links

My favorite is the last one.

I heart you Jeff!

A look at KC.

Disgusting awesomeness.

FAIL. Failfailfailfailfail.

Outsourcing Love. (via Julia Allison)

Gifting FAIL

I had a guy once buy me flowers, then when he saw that I was drying them
out to put in a vase that I had, he asked me to pay him back for them since I
was using them to decorate. - Fit Darcie

Not quite the e-mail I wanted to get

From: GDSean
To: Siblings

I got laid off today!!! Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!

Meaty

So my coworker and I have received more than 8 meat catalogues between the two of us this holiday season.

Three days in a row we both got a different one, every day.

How in the hell did I get on all these meaty mailing lists??

I'm really regretting not saving all of them so we could do our own meat catalogue reading party. Or...something.

After all, he IS Batman

Ummm, Nick & Hurricane saved a family's life last night. No biggie.

Seriously.
This is insane.

Last night when they were driving around, Melinda saw a strange light in a house. She had Nick back up the car, but they couldn't really see anything. After driving past, she asked him to turn around and go back by the house again. She just had a feeling. When they did, they could now clearly see the Christmas tree in the house was on fire.

This is why you never ignore your intuition.

Melinda told me that she called 911 as Nick ran to the house and started pounding on the door. They couldn't tell if anyone was even home.

They ran to neighboring houses and started ringing doorbells, frantically trying to get the address for the 911 operator. Naturally, the neighbors were confused and startled to have strangers banging on their door late at night. They finally got the address and one of the neighbors ran outside to help, grabbing a ladder.

Melinda said that by the time they ran back to the house they could hear the family banging on the upstairs window.

A neighbor kicked the front door in, and Nick went into the home. He couldn't find his way in the smoke, so he went back outside, up a two-story ladder to break the window to the room the family was stuck in. Meanwhile, Melinda was around back with a neighbor, helping the mom off the roof of the house.

The two kids both got out - Melinda thought the older one was able to make it out on her own and thought a neighbor ran in and saved the youngest. The fire department showed up and got the father out. She said he couldn't walk on his own.

Today Hurricane told me, "We will be signing the NY Fire Department calendars at Borders from 6-9 pm."

It's incredible to think about how so many little things fell into place to put them there at that point in time - and how easily Melinda could have ignored or brushed off what she felt as nothing.

I like to think that by introducing Nick & Melinda to each other that really I had a major hand in saving this family.

Ok, or maybe they are just incredible on their own.

I didn't know they were taking this superhero thing so seriously.