For the Love of Pete...

I changed my mind. When I started blogging here I knew I was too lazy to keep up with nicknames for all my family members. Plus I already told all my friends about my blog, cause I have a big mouth. Anyway, at the time I thought the next best thing was to not post pictures of my family. Then after writing an entire post about googling anyone and everyone I know, I realized all my sites are linked in some way or another, 6 degrees of separation and all that. And I'm not exactly trying to hide from anyone to begin with. Bottom line? The truth is I take tons of pictures of my family and like to share them. So I'm gonna, and you can't stop me!

Now that we got that out of the way, today we have a little show and tell. This post is for all of you who checked out my WWC and wanted to know about our unique little pets. I made this little scrapblog about a year ago, right after we got the boys.

The challenge is to find pictures that illustrate the weekly words chosen by the lovely Tink at Pickled Beef. This week we were looking for Three and Fire.

I'm running a bit late, but better late than never, right? I'll admit this week I did not get any new pictures. So I hunted through my iphoto and here's what I came up with.

The three puppies Brooke sleeps with.

Fireworks on 4th of July.

1. Okay so... apparently, I am not original. I copy everyone else's creative ideas including blog posts.
   
2. I was born in Miami, FL. Which makes me one of the few, the proud, the native Floridians.
3. I was adopted by my parents when I was 2 1/2 years old.
4. I have no desire to find my birth parents or family, although if someone finds me I would meet with them.
5. My niece is also adopted.
6. I am 16 years younger than my only sister.
7. My father called me "chicken" as a kid. I was indeed shy.
8. As a teen I became "turkey". I have no idea why, the man just likes nicknames.
   
9. I started my period in the 4th grade.
10. I pray my daughters do not!
11. From kindergarten through 9th grade I lived in Lakeland and went to school with the same kids.
12. We moved to Vero Beach the summer before I started high school. I hated it.
13. In my very first high school class, there was a guy who looked just like Jake Ryan. All of the sudden I loved it there.
    
14. I took three years of spanish in high school. I can count to about 39 in spanish. And I can ask for a beer. Then I can inquire where the bathroom is. That is all. 3 years people!
15. The Jake Ryan look a like also went to the same college I did and my friends would drool when he would talk to me on campus.
    
16. I was a straight A student until high school.
17. I took American History in summer school, by choice, to avoid getting a teacher I hated.
18. That American History class was taught by a football coach, we folded uniforms, played trivial pursuit and watched Gone with the Wind. Not surprisingly I have very little knowledge of American History.
    
19. My math and verbal SAT scores were exactly the same.
20. I have never liked science. My knowledge of all things scientific boils down to this. Electricity? I pay the bill, I plug things in, they work. The end.
21. I was on yearbook staff in high school, it prepared me more for college than any other class I took.
22. I was so tan my senior year of high school my friends surmised I must have some african american relatives in my birth family.
23. I went on a senior cruise to Mexico. Not with my own senior class, but with a friend's.
24. I worked and babysat a lot to pay for it myself.
    
25. No one has ever been allowed to "hitch" along on the senior cruise with Lakeland High School since.
26. I went drinking with friends the night before my calculus AP test.
27. I took 3 AP tests before college.
28. I started college with 0 credits.
    
29. I had to take calculus in college twice despite making As and Bs in high school calculus.
    
30. I picked the college I attended because it's where my friends were going.
    
31. I went to college because I honestly didn't know I had a choice, everyone in my family went to college.
    
32. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at 18 or even 22. I can say now I pretty much wasted the opportunity for an exceptional college education.
    
33. But I have a BS in Business from the University of Florida, because it was the path of least resistance.
    
34. I am a former "bow head" aka Sorority Girl.
    
35. I will forever be, in my heart, an Alpha Chi Omega.
    
36. I hope one day at least one of my daughters will be an Alpha Chi too.
    
37. I was also a little sister at Lambda Chi Alpha. Which basically means I drank there often and kissed many brothers.
38. I will forever be a GATOR fan.
39. I get annoyed when people don't know the difference between the University of Florida (GO GATORS) and Florida State University (boo seminoles).
40. However, I can't even keep straight the difference between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma University and my parents went to one or the other.
    
41. I hate people who support a big school football team just because. If you do not live in a college town, no one in your family went there, or went to the rival school, why the hell do you freakin' care? Go watch the NFL!
    
42. I am a klutz with absolutely no athletic ability what-so-ever.
    
43. I do amazingly enough have good aim and am fairly good at target shooting.
44. I have smoked one cigarette in my life, blech.
45. I have smoked more than one joint in my life, blah.
46. I have an open container that was expunged from my record in 1992.
    
47. I have to state every year on my application to volunteer at my daughter's school that I have an open container that was expunged from my record in 1992.
48. I have worked in a library.
49. I have worked in a veterinarian's office.
50. I was a runner for a law office.
51. I worked at Sea World of Texas taking photos at the front gate.
52. I was once turned down for an assistant librarian job because my score on the librarian's test was too high. Go figure.
    
53. I have been the manager of both major card retail stores (Hallmark and American Greetings).
54. There I learned I hate being responsible for other people.
55. I was also once the manager of a small independently owned store that sold fun tropical stuff, we listened to Jimmy Buffett all day, and life was good.
    
56. I worked for a not-for-profit association dealing with laser safety.
57. I still know next to nothing about lasers And I hate laser light shows.
58. I once drank a margarita on the top of the Mexico building at Epcot during a laser light show.
    
59. I worked at a payroll company. Funny enough I can figure out payroll deductions without a computer program. At least training for one job stuck with me.
    
60. I have known Brian since I was 6 years old, we went to the same church and became friends in Luther League.
    
61. I had a crush on him then, he says he also liked me.
62. We were friends and didn't date until we were in college.
63. Our first kiss was in my ex-boyfriend's apartment my junior year of college.
64. We didn't date after that because I knew he could be "the one" and I wasn't done having fun yet.
65. My type of guy in college was dark haired with a nice car, usually Jewish.
66. The only 2 men I ever even entertained the idea of marrying, both German, Lutheran, and blonde.
67. I dated a few boys before I settled down with Brian.
68. I slept with many boys before I settled down with Brian.
69. I kissed a whole hellava lot of boys before I settled down with Brian.
70. When I settled down with Brian I KNEW he was what I wanted for FOREVER.
    
71. Much in the same way that I know my favorite dessert is chocolate tres leches cake and I could eat it every night, forever.
72. And I love him more now than I did then. Today he is my best friend too.
73. I dislike hypocrites above all others.
74. We don't go to church often now, too many issues with organized religion. And don't get me started on the people who claim to be Christians while spouting intolerance and hate.
    
75. I have no desire to travel internationally, ever. But there are many places in the US that I would love to visit.
76. I hate coconut and mushrooms.
77. I do not like coffee. But I do like iced coffee with lots of cream and sugar and artificial flavors. And I like things coffee flavored, like ice cream.
78. I like roller coasters the bigger the better. I can not ride on the carousel, round and round makes me barfy.
79. I am a huge sap! I've been known to cry over a good long distance commercial.
    
80. I throw a theme kid's party like no other!
81. I have a knack for decorating and love to spend other people's money. I may have missed my calling.
82. I can sew. I am better at copying something and making my own pattern than following one.
    
83. I can also cut and style hair fairly well for having no training. I am the master of the french braid, and I have even been known to corn row my daughter's hair for vacation.
84. I've always been fairly good at and really liked photography.
    
85. I don't know if I love my computer or my tv more.
    
86. I am addicted to diet coke.
87. I am an animal lover. I am currently "mom" to 4 degus, 1 chinchilla and a big old black lab. I'd have more if money and divorce weren't a problem.
    
88. I am a lazy house keeper.
    
89. I have no non-vital organs left. I've lived with out my appendix since I was 4.
    
90. My tonsils were taken out when I was 22.
    
91. And I have no gallbladder, it was taken out when I was 33, merely months after Brooke was born.
92. All the women in my immediate family (grandmother, mom, sister, me, and BreANNa) have the name Ann somewhere in our names, except Brooke. Whoops, didn't think that one through.
93. I don't ever really want to go back to work, at all, ever. But I probably will, only part time though, I want to be around to torture my girls through adolescence.
94. I had gestational diabetes while pregnant with Brooke. I had to prick my finger 4 times a day and give myself insulin shots at night for my last trimester.
    
95. I had one miscarriage resulting in a D and C between my two daughters.
    
96. I have two daughters I adore above all others.
97. I can not fathom after giving birth that someone could not believe in a higher power.
    
98. I want no more babies.
99. But if I suddenly became rich I would consider adopting.
100. Because I think we are good parents.

I got nothing today. I've wracked my drugged brain and I can't come up with a single coherent thought. Unless you count this post about my stuffy head, sniffles, and coughs. Yah, it's okay, I don't either.

We had the in-laws all over this weekend to finish up Breanna's month long 9th birthday. Hubby does all the cooking and baking, and they all help, really they do. But ladies, you know that the bulk of the clean up still falls on us moms. Needless to say my house is a mess again. Hell, I barely got it picked up for them to begin with, good thing they don't expect much. We've been married almost 14 years and our house has been the central meeting place most of that time, so they have learned to accept my general lack of housekeeping skills.

I was feeling crappy going into the weekend, which while I admit I did less than usual, I am now completely exhausted and sick. So while I should have been grocery shopping and washing the sheets from the weekend during my 3 hour block of time this morning, I've been vegging on the couch. I'll stop for the necessities on the way home from picking up Brooke and camp out in front of the tv with her for my next 3 hour block. Once Breanna gets home I can completely sack out for awhile if I need to, because she can be trusted to play with her sister and only wake mommy for an emergency. She also can distinguish the difference between getting a snack = not an emergency, blood = emergency. Sorry but that's all I've got for ya today.

With any luck resting today will get things back to normal by tomorrow, because I want to do a 100 things post for my 100th post, and goodness knows I'll need at least my brain back to normal by then.

ps Back to ask why is it my hubby declared last night he thought he was getting sick too. Really?! Can I not be sick for a whole day by myself? Bitter, Me? Why do you ask? I NEVER get a sick day. I still had to get kids to school and run to the store (Pete forbid he offer to pick up luxuries like toilet paper and paper towels, while I'm already out anyway). Okay I'm not on my deathbed, just rundown and I know it's just little things, but still, I'm SICK. Yes, as a matter of fact I do like cheese with my wine, thanks!

If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.
~~Jimmy Buffett~~

Stat counters, site meters, the names are different the results the same. Being able to "track" those reading your blog. Sort of. People who comment can sometimes be tagged as a certain IP because of the time. Your stalkers... um regular readers can be labeled. But the random factor here is huge. Who the hell lives in Backwater, GA or Big City, MN? Does it drive the rest of you crazy? Just me?

I readily admit I have a massively obsessive... um, mild case of Stat-itis. I think it's great fun to see who's finding my page and how. By the way ALL you people googling "cars with 3rd row seating"? I love my Rondo! Now come on back, ya hear! Of course, I think it's much more fun to read comments. HINT, HINT. But we all know some people merely prefer to lurk. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I assured my hubby Stat-itis is harmless fun. Soon I learned of the nasty side effect, blogger paranoia. See, awhile ago I had a friend job interviewing. She was making funny comments, about hoops she was having to jump through to get hired by a company she had actually worked for before she had her baby, on her blog. Then she checked her stat counter and saw someone from NY hitting her blog. At the time she was really new to blogging so she pretty much knew the IP's visiting her page. The home office of that company, yep, in NY. She changed the wording on her post and prayed it was just some random blog hopper who had found her site. We may never know, but she did get hired. Anyway, you know I was laughing my ass off as she frantically called me saying "I think THEY found my blog, THEY are never going to hire me back" My response, besides the laughing? "YOU ARE PARANOID!"

Jump forward to Wenesday when I posted about how famous I am. Wouldn't you know the first comment is from someone I referenced in the post?! How the hell did he find me? I am sure he was laughing his ass off... um, chuckling about how he's my brush with fame! I know he's mingled with the rich and famous, The Blair Witch Project being the little indie film that could and all that. Anyway, while I am cyberstalking his ass... um, trying to find a current email address to say hi to him, I go check my stat counter. Hmm, lots of hits from NYC. Well, he's probably sending the link to other friends from that group so they can all get a good laugh at my little blog. Which, fine, funny even.

Then I notice IT. A hit from Fox Tv. Three times in a row. That's interesting, wonder who I might know working there? OF COURSE I copy and paste the host address in my browser, which takes me to Fox Sports. Oh shit... um, crap?! What exactly did I say about a former Heisman Trophy winner? Could someone actually set up some sort of search to alert them whenever they are mentioned on the web? Don't big companies have people who's job is just that, to keep lies about them from being spread on the internet? And holy crap, wouldn't that job be in the LEGAL department? Now my mind is racing, what would someone do if they thought you said something false about them or their employee? Not just any average Joe, but a well known, award winning, sports figure? Shit, shit, shit! Did I mention the paranoia has now set in? Would they send a cease and desist email?

Back to check log, nope no more hits from Fox. Okay, calm down, I didn't actually say he did anything wrong, just that it looked like it. Then it hit me. DUDE, how famous would I be if Fox pointed out my blog as stating false information?! Isn't that how Perez got his big break?! Sweet!

Back to check log, nope no more hits from Fox. Still no more hits from Fox. Damn, guess I'm not going to be famous today.