*smooch"

This one cracks me up...this guy's name is Craig. Could his face be any redder?

Mortally Chaotic.....

So, I went to Minneapolis this weekend. Shawew! It was a good time to say the least. Erin and I have made it tradition (three years running now) to go see a local band called "Mortal Chaos" for my birthday. This year, they had a special show just for my birthday (*tear*). Erin and I made tshirts with spray paint and stencils. In case you can't read them, the front says "I'm with the band" and the back says "Mortal Chaos". I would be lying if I said there weren't more than a couple people that were jeal of our find handywork and craftsmanship. Here are some pics of our night with Mortal Chaos and some of their faithful followers. I'll try to explain them as I go...but most of them speak for themselves.

For those of you that do not have myspace....

Here's a little something I wrote on my myspace profile...I thought I would share with those of you who have not been introduced to the splendor that is Myspace.

My Ultimate Quests: There are a few simple joys that I feel I must experience in my lifetime....

I would like to own a gnome. There's no real good reason for me wanting to own a garden gnome. I think they're neat. It can't just be any gnome, though. It has to be one that isn't holding a squirrel or a toad or any other prop. I just want a plain gnome just standing there being a cute little gnome.

I want to play the violin. Now, I'm not saying I want to be the first chair in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Just a few screeches of the bow across the strings would do it for me.

I want to go to Wal*Mart and take pictures with my friends in Holiday turtlenecks.

I want to move so that I'm closer to work and not driving 40 miles there and 40 miles back.

I want to see a broadway show. I think just about any broadway show would appease me. Hey, I live in Iowa...beggers can't be choosers.

I want to dig out my 80's outfit and go hear some 80's power rock in Minnesota with Erin.

I want to learn to do a cartwheel.

I want to learn as much as possible about the Cleveland Browns (my team) and buy a jersey and wear it with pride.

I want to be a taebo champion.

I want to make and distribute t-shirts that say "I've got a mullet and some biceps, what are my options.

I want to use the money from my t-shirt sales to open a daycare and name it something fun.

I want to be on a gameshow. Winning it would be nice, but not a requirement.

I want to pet a whale or a dolphin or one of those mammals that look slippery, but everyone tells me they are bristly.

I want to meet someone famous and act like I don't care that they're famous. And we will drink martinis (or maybe something fruity) and talk about the hum drum of the everyday.

I want to go back to South Dakota to visit Auty and to take pictures at cock rock. (like we should have done the first time we went)

I want to make a soup in a pumpkin.

I want to adopt a child through the Sally Struthers foundation and post the certificate on my blog.

I want to own a chia pet. I would name him Archibald (most likely)

HAHAHAHAHAHA!! It's still funny to me.

Remember that circus potluck I told ya'll about? Well, one of my coworkers just sent me some pictures and I just have to post them....They still crack me up.

My aunt Beth is "neat"

So, if you know me at all, it will come as no surprise that in July, I promised pics of my aunt being "neat" at the fireworks show in Rockwell, IA. If you look at the pictures...she's illustrating a sentence. This was seriously a HILARIOUS night....I wish I could begin to explain....but I dont' think I better....because somehow I don't think all of you will find it quite as hilarious as we did. And, if you figure out my Aunt Beth's sentence, you'll see why. God, I love my family.

Well, I guess if you say so.....

Honestly, friends...I don't have anything to report. My life is pretty humdrum right now....Well, I take that back. It's not humdrum....just filled with little things that make me happy, but would probably bore the pants off of all of you. But, since I've been being asked continuously since my last post for updates...here you go. Please, though...feel free to stop reading whenver. It won't hurt my feelings.


My job has been going really well. I feel like I actually know what I'm talking about and doing, and that's always a good feeling. I will be working 8:30 to 5 like the rest of modern civilization now, and that makes me smile big teeth! I'm also on the assist que, which doesn't mean anything to probably anyone that's reading this (exept for Stephanie and whoever else works at Affina that may be reading this)...but just know, it's a good thing...a really good thing. I love love love the people I work with (with a few exceptions, of course) but for the most part, we're a pretty loveable bunch!
Teri is 7 months pregnant...well, at least that's what the doctor says. She thinks she's further along than that...either way, it's good news. The baby kicks ALL THE TIME, and we're ready to see him/her. I think they're having a boy, but they're still not telling.
Remember back in February when I posted all those pictures and whatnot of my trip to Minneapolis to see Erin and I told you guys about Mortal Chaos? Well, I totally found them on myspace the other night and couldn't be more excited! I'm planning a trip around my birthday to go up and see Erin, and we're totally going again. This time I"ll have a regular job to come back to, so that kind of sucks....but...we know how to squeeze a lot of fun into a small amount of time.
Tomorrow, we are having game night at Stephanie and Matt's house. Who doesn't love game night? I've got some mad skills and they are about to be unleashed upon that household. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

This Just In......

I've decided that I haven't been really fair to the game of football...or maybe I wasn't being fair to myself. I don't really understand the sport, so I just wrote it off as something I'll never understand. Well, recently my eyes have been opened to the world of this game...and I decided that I needed a team...fast. Everyone's got a team they call their own. My brother John likes the Eagles, Matt roots for the Buffalo Bills, most of Northern Iowa thinks the Vikings are keen. I didn't want to pick a team based on scores....no one wants to be a bandwagon fan. So, I got to thinking....and it didn't take me long to come up with none other than....the Cleveland Browns! Now, I'm a new fan, so I'll admit that I don't know much. I do know that the quarterback's name is Charlie Frye. Also, their most recent victory was against the Chiefs in overtime. That was a nailbiter. True that the uniforms aren't the best color combination...but they've got heart and determination. And that, my friends, is what football is all about.
GO BROWNS!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After years of searching the globe high and low, I finally found them.....WAX LIPS!! I'm so excited! It has been my quest for 5 years to find wax lips. Why? You ask? So I can go with my friends to Wal*Mart and get our pictures taken with them, of course. Beings that it's the holidays, however....We'll have to postpone the photos until January or so....but here are a couple pictures of me and my coworkers (Josh and Shannon) sporting our Angelina Jolie looks. :)

Elmo Loves his Goldfish, His Crayons too.....

That's Elmo's World!
As you can see, Elmo is Hunter's new obsession. She loves anything and everything that deals with that red, fuzzy little monster. She's not shy about asking to watch her Elmo movies, either. I spent this weekend with her and was laying on the couch. She came over and bonked me on the head with her "Elmo For the Holidays" dvd. I got the hint. The good news is, Christmas shopping for her is going to be a snap! :o)

Okay, okay!

Some of you have been mentioning that you went to meet my friend, Stephanie...Well, unless you drive your buns to Iowa, this is the best I can do for ya. Here is Steph and her husband, Matt, and their kids. Cuties!

While I'm here, let me tell you a little thing or two about this fam... There's Matt...He likes Xbox, Karate, the Buffalo Bills, dogs, and doesn't like..................cheese. Have you ever met anyone in your entire life that doesn't like cheese? It's friggin' CHEESE! I think about Matt and his distain for cheese nearly everyday. It's something I'll need to get over....but I thought you all should know that someone exists in this world who doesn't like cheese. Yep, still dwelling...

Anyway, I work with Stephanie. She pretty much rawks my face off. She hates the phrase "rawks my face off". She is an awesome mom to her beautiful children and a pretty rockin' friend to have. Stephanie drives a minivan and she'll threaten to run you over with it if you cross her. Watch yourself. She loves Christmas and, well....her family. She has a myspace account now and I'm working on getting her a blog.... Anyway, these guys are my Iowa peeps. I think they're neat...I thought you should know.

Hunter's Halloween

Here are a couple pics of the Halloween costume we made Hunter. She just happened to win first prize at the Rockwell Halloween Costume Contest :). We couldn't be prouder of our little peacock!

Raise your hand if you're ready for winter.....

Anyone? Me either. I just thought I'd you all know that it's snowing...that's right, snowing in my part of the world and I'm not at all sure that I am ready to handle it. I hate it. Fall never lasts long enough. Ok, I'll quit being a bitter Betty. If the batteries weren't dead in the camera, i'd go out and make snow angels and take pictures of it.....but, unfortunately for us all....dead (you know, the batteries). The snow is actually really coming down though. It's actually sticking to the road....big flakes and lots of them...there you have it. I'm officially old. I just blogged about the weather.

Kicken and Chicken weekend

Erin came for the Kicken and Chicken BBQ in Rockwell this year, it was a most splendid time. She took a bunch of pictures and I finally got ahold of one to show you guys. I'm sure there will be more, in time. Later gators!

N ORDERS....JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE CIRCUS!

We had a pot-luck at our work and each team had a theme. Our theme was "N Orders....just another day at the circus." We dressed up and has circus music playing and had cotton candy, peanuts, carmel apples, balloons, hot dogs and otehr various circus-related wonderment. We even won first place in the potluck competition!!! YAY for US! The first picture is of my friend Stephanie. She and I planned the whole potluck extravaganza for our team. The next pic is of me and Dana, another girl that works there....she actually sits right by me. The next pic is of me and Stephanie and Steph's desk, and the bottom picture is a fun one of LaTrees, looking all sassy in her wig and freckles.

Blogging for the sake of the Blog.....

Well, I had all of these grand ideas about things I was going to post to keep you guys up-to-date on my life. I know, you're on the edge of your seats and nails are chewed to the bare nubbins....Apparently, the camera that I took the raddest pictures on, doesn't want to upload the rad pictures to my computer....(breathe...i'll figure out a way). Anyway, as to not dissappoint (being the people-pleaser that I am (thanks, Steph)) I will blog about random things going on in my life. What have I been doing with my life these days, you ask? Well....I've been hanging out with my friend, Stephanie....a lot. Since most of you who are reading this blog are Nebraskans, I just want to let you know...that even though, I've finally made friends with an Iowegian or two, I'm happy to report that she calls Sloppy Joe's....say it with me now.........TAVERNS. I'm telling ya, the friendship was meant to be. Anyway, she's really cool. You guys would like her. I took some pics of Stephanie's kids yesterday....I'm going to try to draw them....I haven't drawn for awhile, so I thought I better get back into it before I forget how. It's nice to have friends in Iowa....ones that I'm not related to. I love my family dearly, but...well.....you know.
Did you guys know that it's Friday the 13th in October this year?!?! The next time this happens is in 11 years!!!!!! I want to have a monster bash...or maybe a spooky game-night. I don't know, but I definately think the occassion should be celebrated somehow. Raise your hand if you love Halloween....and Friday the 13th during Halloween season!!
Pyro-palooza is this weekend. I'm going to burn things like I've never burned before. I'm so excited. It will be fun to hang out with Michelle. I haven't seen her since she left Affina. I'm starting to miss that silly Sally. The ulcers are coming back full-force. That kinda sucks....I've been a little stressed out ....nothing too major. Well, comparitively speaking....I just hope i'm not doomed to eating tums like they're skittles for the rest of my life.
Ok, well....I'm going to try to get my friend Amanda to load my pictures onto her computer and email them to me...she's supposed to call me tonight. If she does it....YAY!! I will post them tonight....if not, I guess this little post-let will have to do until then. Thanks for reading, my faithful bloggers, I love you all and hope to talk to you soon!
Holly
P.s. leave me comments....they make me happy. :)

If we do say so ourselves!

My friend Stephanie and I painted her kitchen last weekend.....it used to be white...and not so attractive.....but in one afternoon, her kitchen went from drab to fab. :)

GEORGIA SUCKS

and it's dumb and stupid

Just because you're not a planet anymore, doesn't mean we don't still love you!

*NEWSFLASH*
Did you guys know that Pluto, beloved Pluto is not a planet anymore?!?!? It's true! I read it on a friend's myspace and then googled it, and it's totally true. I can't explain to you guys how I feel about this. I can't believe this! I feel like everything I've been taught has been a lie! Now what is My Very Excited Mother Just going to Serve us? It sure as hell won't be Nine Pizzas! They will have to change that all together! Now it's going to be something dumb like "My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Nachos!" Well, I don't want Nachos! I want Pizza! Everyone knows that pizza is better than nachos!

Here is an article I copied from www.nytimes.com about it.

Pluto is Demoted to "Dwarf Planet".

Throw away the placemats. Grab a magic marker for the classroom charts. Take a pair of scissors to the solar system mobile.
After years of wrangling and a week of bitter debate, astronomers voted on a sweeping reclassification of the solar system. In what many of them described as a triumph of science over sentiment, Pluto was demoted to the status of a “dwarf planet.”
In the new solar system, there are eight planets, at least three dwarf planets and tens of thousands of so-called “smaller solar system bodies,” like comets and asteroids.
For now, the dwarf planets include, besides Pluto, Ceres, the largest asteroid, and an object known as UB 313, nicknamed Xena, that is larger than Pluto and, like it, orbits out beyond Neptune in a zone of icy debris known as the Kuiper Belt. But there are dozens more potential dwarf-planets known in that zone, planetary scientists say, and the number in that category could quickly swell.
In a nod to Pluto’s fans, the astronomers declared that Pluto to be the prototype for a new category of such “trans-Neptunian” objects but failed in a close vote to approve the name Plutonians for them.
“The new definition makes perfect sense in terms of the science we know,” said Alan Boss, a planetary theorist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, adding that it doesn’t go too far in cultural terms. “We have a duty to satisfy the whole world.”
The vote completed a stunning turnaround from only a week ago when the assembled astronomers had been presented with a proposal that would included 12 planets, including Pluto, Ceres, Xena and even Pluto’s moon Charon. Dr. Boss said today’s decision spoke to the integrity of the planet-defining process. “The officers were willing to change their resolution and find something that would stand up under the highest scientific scrutiny and be approved,” he said.
Jay Pasachoff, a Williams College astronomer who favored somehow keeping Pluto a planet, said, “The spirit of the meeting was of future discovery and activity in science rather than any respect for the past.”
Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology, who as the discoverer of Xena, had the most to lose personally from Pluto’s and Xena’s downgrading, said he was relieved. “Through this whole crazy circus-like procedure, somehow the right answer was stumbled on,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming. Science is self-correcting eventually, even when strong emotions are involved.”
It has long been clear that Pluto, discovered in 1930, stood apart from the previously discovered planets. Not only was it much smaller than them, only about 1,600 miles in diameter, smaller than the Moon, but its elongated orbit is tilted with respect to the other planets and it goes inside the orbit of Neptune part of its 248-year journey around the Sun.
Pluto makes a better match with the other ice balls that have since been discovered in the dark realms beyond Neptune, they have argued. In 2000, when the new Rose Center for Earth and Space opened at the American Museum of Natural History, Pluto was denoted in a display as a Kuiper Belt Object and not a planet.
Two years ago, the International Astronomical Union appointed a working group of astronomers to come up with a definition that would resolve this tension. The group, led by Iwan Williams of Queen Mary University in London, deadlocked. This year a new group with broader roots, led by Owen Gingerich of Harvard, took up the problem.
According to the new rules a planet meet three criteria: it must orbit the Sun, it must be big enough for gravity to squash it into a round ball, and it must have cleared other things out of the way in its orbital neighborhood. The latter measure knocks out Pluto and Xena, which orbit among the icy wrecks of the Kuiper Belt, and Ceres, which is in the asteroid belt.
Dwarf planets only have to be round.
“I think this is something we can all get used to as we find more Pluto-like objects in outer solar system,” Dr. Pasachoff said.
The final voting came from about 400 to 500 of the 2,400 astronomers who were registered at the meeting of the International Astronomical in Prague. Many of the astronomers, Dr. Pasachoff explained, had already left, thinking there would be nothing but dry resolutions to decide in the union’s final assembly.
It was hardly the first time that astronomers have rethought a planet. The asteroid Ceres was hailed as the eight planet when it was first discovered in 1801 by Giovanni Piazzi floating in the space between Mars and Jupiter. It remained a “planet” for about half a century until the discovery of more and more things like it in the same part of space led astronomers to dub them asteroids.
In the aftermath, some astronomers pointed out that the new definition only applies to our own solar system and that there was so far no such thing as an extra-solar planet.
The decision was bound to have both a cultural and economic impact on the industry of astronomical artifacts and toys, publishing and education. The World Book Encyclopedia, for example, had been holding the presses for its new 2007 edition until Pluto’s status could be clarified.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, said children are flexible, when asked about the cultural impact of today’s redefinition. He said that he had not bothered to watch the International Astronomical Union’s vote in the Internet, as many astronomers did. “Counting planets is not an interesting exercise to me,” he said. “I’m happy however they choose to define it. It doesn’t really make any difference to me.”
Dr. Tyson said the continuing preoccupation with what the public and schoolchildren would think about this was a concern and a troubling precedent. “I don’t know any other science that says about its frontier, ‘I wonder what the public thinks,’ ” he said. “The frontier should move in whatever way it needs to move.”

Wild Wild One!

Hunter had a "Wild Wild West" birthday theme for her first birthday. Here are a couple of the pictures I took for her WANTED posters.

Lissy's birthday!

It was 103 degrees on Lissy's birthday, so what better way to cool off than I dip in the nearby lake? Punkie strapped on her lifejacket and came along for the ride too!