Damn, I'm good.....

What has it been.....7? 8 months? I've never been good at the diary thing....some things never change....

While I would love to do a "catch up" post....ummmm...not so much. Most things are the same anyway. I just live in a house now. That's been my life since April.

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. While Tennessee doesn't get cold enough fast enough for me, we are at least now at the point where it is downright chilly in the mornings and I'm no longer sweating halfway through drying my hair. I love the changing of the leaves and even have my kitchen decorated in fall colors (all year round....not just for autumn). And, to me, the "holiday season" started at the beginning of October....Halloween being my favorite holiday! (I am going to ignore the fact that Christmas decorations have been in the stores since Labor Day.....)

(this was last year....it's been too dry for fall color this year...)

I am going to get married in October. The year (and the groom) are yet to be determined. If I could find a place on earth where it is fall all year long, I would be on the next plane. You people can have your springs and summers.....fall and winter are my seasons....bring on the cold!!

So tonight will be my first Halloween in my new house. I have no idea what to expect as far as trick or treaters go. I have my super huge bag of Smarties (sorry, I can't afford the good stuff!). I hope we have a moderate amount of kids come down our street.....I do love seeing the little kids dressed up.....though I also hope I don't hear my doorbell ring at 10:30 at night (it has happened to my parents....so I know). Oh, and the teenagers can stay home. If I have to ask you if you are maybe a bit old to be trick or treating, then you are. So, maybe an hour's worth of kids will be good....after that, the novelty will have worn way off....

We are allowed to dress up at work (which is surprising considering some of our dress code rules) Anyhow, about half the people get into it....and that includes your's truly. The last two years I went as a hippie (which was so not a stretch). This year, with Potter-mania, I am Hermione Granger. It was actually easier than I thought....the only stuff I had to buy was the socks and tie! It ended up being the perfect choice because I can totally pull off the Hermione hair (this weekend I'm getting it highlighted, so after that, not so much). And tomorrow I'll already be thinking of what I will be next year....

Jennifer is "barefoot and pregnant" and I am just fat in this outfit....

Where Are You Going?

This post brought to you by wine....love it or leave it!

I cannot promise in any way, shape or form that this will make any sense. But so be it.

I'm not happy.

Specifically, I'm not happy with me.

I came to this conclusion about a week ago. I've had my share of ups and downs. Right now I'm in a down period. I hope it doesn't last long. But, more importantly, I hope that only good comes from it. Feeling better isn't nearly as important as learning, changing, and growing. (Oooooo....so deep!)

I won't go into all the ways I'm displeased with the person I am. It would take me forever anyway. I just know that things have to change. I am someone that I wouldn't particularly want to hang out with. Not good, eh? I have just been so negative recently.....it's been toxic. I've not really shared this yet, but I am a spiritual person. I talk to God on a pretty regular basis. Again, details aren't what I want to get into right now, but I'm trying to walk the walk, so to speak.

Anyhow, my biggest dream in life is to find the man of my dreams. Read that as you will, but being single is not a happy place for me. But I realized (for maybe the ten thousandth time) the other night that meeting Mr. Where-have-you-been-all-my-life right now might not be the best thing. What do they say? "You can't love another until you love yourself"? Ain't feeling the love right now! I want a man that "loves me just as I am".....but I don't love me just as I am, so I'm thinking the timing isn't right.

It's just so hard. Will I ever get to that perfect point? Will I ever feel like I could truly be happy with or without a man? Will I ever stop worrying about how the rest of the world views my singleton status? I seem to have a lot more questions than answers. How I wish I could turn to tarot card readers or horoscopes or something to tell me my future! Just a little glimpse.....please!!

But I keep on keepin' on. Tomorrow is another day and all that. The good Lord is probably wishing I'd lay off the wine for awhile (if only!) But for right now, I will snuggle under the covers and cuddle with my kitty. I mean, how could you not just love and chuckle at this face?

Hi! I suck at this blog thing!

Thank goodness no one is counting on me to write on this thing every day because they would be so overwhelmingly disappointed.....

Ok so....house news. After weeks of stress wondering "will I get the house?", "have I gotten all my paperwork in?", "is anyone ever going to call me back?" I does look like this thing is a go! I still don't know when the actual building will begin, but I drove by last night and the lot has been cleared:


And how exciting is it that I have trees! I am assuming that these will stay since they did clear out a few dead ones already. I was also excited to find out that I have a "driveway" (actually, a paved "ramp" leading up to my yard) This is great because I really want to be able to park alongside the house or even in the back (fingers crossed that the deck is high enough to park under).

So now I wait. I will drive by again on Saturday and see if anything has changed. This is just too cool!

Other news snippets:

• I bought a ticket to see The Police in Dallas on June 27th! STING!!!!!! I am going by myself, which is a bit of a bummer....but it's STING!!!!!
• I am going to see a Stars game this Saturday and I'm hoping to meet Ralph & Razor (our announcers). They are just too cool. No one can make me laugh more during a hockey game....
• I finished the Magic Scarf (pictures soon....I promise!) and am now working on jungle animals for Michelle's twins. I've been overloaded with the baby stuff recently....though I can't complain too much since it gives me the chance to work on some new things...

Ok....St. Patrick's Day Resolution....must post more often! (because, some day, someone may actually read this and will want to hear from me more than once every two weeks)

Neglecting my blogging duties

I think about posting to my blog a lot....but follow-through is another thing. It couldn't be that my list of thing to do is longer than The Oddessy or anything. Or that I think "well, that would be a good thing to write about....but it will need pictures....meh....". Or especially that I think there is no way I could write anything that anyone would be remotely interested in. Nope....those wouldn't be reasons at all.....

So, this is a very important week. It is the Week of the New House. On Monday I met with my real estate guy and we completed and signed my contract offer (this followed the freak-out I had last week that said house would be sold out from under me while said real estate guy was out of town). So now I sit and wait (not patiently) for the seller to come back with an acceptance or counter offer of my offer (we're pulling for the acceptance here people).

Yesterday I spent my entire day lining up a new lender (the one I was going to go with didn't meet all the requirements) and making sure I was crossing t's and dotting i's with the Housing Fund, with whom absolute acceptance is necessary. And again with the waiting.

I am pretty sure this is going to happen. And then I will become a homeowner. How scary is THAT?! But it's going to be so cool. I've been decorating and upgrading this house in my head for a week now ("Hello, Home Depot! I am your new best friend!"). And, since ground has not even been broken yet, I have plenty of time to plan and pack and save up some more money. Cause I hate to be rushed.

In other news.....I am going to a single's mixer this Friday (all a part of that "getting out more" plan). I will, of course, be very nervous since my social skills suck. But, as my mom always says, "Just go. You might meet someone." Well....I certainly won't if I don't go. So here's hoping that I can think of something to say!

Ok, I will leave you with a composite drawing of my (hopefully) future home:It's so PRETTY!!!!

A day late and a dollar short

I was going to write this last night, being that it was Valentine's Day and all, but my laptop picked the international day o' love to crash. Thanks HP. Love you too.

Now, back to the topic at hand. Valentine's Day. I am a vocal hater of said V-day. I have worn black from head to toe every year since junior high. If you are within 100 feet of me in the month of February, you will get to hear *why* I think Valentine's Day is the stupidest idea ever. Even in the (very few) years I have had a boyfriend this time of year, I have told them that I don't really *do* Valentine's Day and could they please just surprise me on some other random day? (This usually didn't work as said boyfriends would think I was joking and that they would be in very hot water if cards, chocolates and flowers were nowhere in sight on February 14th).

But this year I broke the mold. I have spent a lot of energy on this hate fest and, you know what? Valentine's Day still exists. My protests, boycotts and all-around bitterness haven't hindered the sales of flowers one bit! And I'm sure in year's past that I have just been an absolute joy to be around. So this year I just ignored it altogether. I was indifferent to the commercials, I wore cream and green yesterday, I partook in a pink and red cookie a co-worker brought in, and when someone wished me a Happy Valentine's Day, I said it right back without the nasty tone or a diatribe on it being nothing but a Hallmark Holiday.

I'm growing!

Happy Day After Valentine's Day everyone!! XXXOOOXXOOXXXXOOOO

Risk Taken!

Per yesterday's post, I have taken my first leap into riskdom. Go me!

Ok, so I read our local paper online and I happened to notice that a single member of the male persuasion had been conned by his fellow newspaper staffers to attend a speed dating event. He was supposed to blog his experience leading up to the event and afterwards. I didn't even see this until the day of, so I was unable to sign up to speed date the night he was going. Anyway, I thought he was cute from his picture and I laughed at his blog entries. But what to do now? I didn't want to be seen as blog stalker girl and I also figured ala Sleepless In Seattle that he had received e-mails from every single woman in Nashville by this time.

But, because I was Ms. Risk Taker Extraordinaire, I decided to e-mail him anyway. And I had to put my creative juices to the test....because no ordinary e-mail would do. So I wrote it from the angle of writing him for a "friend" ("My friend thinks you're cute and funny", "My friend would love to know how she might meet you"). It's hokey beyond all belief.....but I sent it anyway!

Now it's a wait-and-see game. I'm not holding my breath. But I'm just glad I chose to do something rather than sit back and hope a miracle would occur. I'll let you know if I hear anything....

Don't mind that girl staring at you....she's practicing!

It's time.

I really try hard not to get wrapped up in the fact that I am 36 and single. Everything happens in it's own time, right? Not everyone is married by 25. There's nothing wrong with me. Blah. Blah. Blah.

But, to be quite honest, it bothers me. Like this past weekend when I'm visiting all my relatives in Kansas City. No one asks me about my love life.....but I wonder if they wonder. I am the only adult not in a relationship (not that the other adults necessarily have "healthy" relationships, you understand). I just want them to know that, yes, I am a heterosexual female that is quite capable of having a boyfriend...I just don't right now!

So, not being one to just sit around and wait for things to happen, I've decided I need to make more of an effort. Now, I've tried online dating sites and I've tried speed dating....both with minimal results. I still can't quite shake wanting it to happen "by chance". So here's the plan:

First, I need to just get out and do more. I have my knitting groups and other volunteer things, but, let's face it, I'm meeting a lot more women then men doing this! But, even when I'm knitting with the girls, I need to LOOK AROUND. A few months ago a fellow knitter met a guy during one of our meetings.....so it is possible. I've been meaning to go to the local Amnesty International meetings for awhile now. No more excuses. Must go.

The second thing closely follows the first. I need to pay more attention. I am terrified of making eye contact....am I staring? Was that look long enough? Too long? It's high time I started practicing. How many people have I missed meeting because I am too scared to look up?

And thirdly, I have to take risks. I am so guarded that I don't ever take a chance. What if they don't like me? What if they don't smile back? What if they think I'm weird? What if's be gone! I have to put myself out there. Set myself up for rejection. Stop taking the safe route. Safety is overrated! There will be people that don't like me, but I have to learn to deal with that. Hell, there are people that don't like me now, and probably because I am so meek and scared. I've always heard that once you get into your 30's, you start caring less about what other people think. Yeah....that can start happening anytime now!

So, there you have it. Obsession with self-analyzation? Check! Now I'm going to enjoy some alone time....because soon it will become a thing of the past....I hope.....

A little hodge, a little podge

I'm dealing with the cold that isn't really but isn't not. And if that made sense to you, you must have what I have!

My week has been a variety of fun emotions....mostly on the negative side, but I'm working hard to turn it around. I'm already stressed about the house thing. I drove by the first two houses my real estate agent found and the neighborhoods were a little....well....discouraging. The first was across from a tall apartment building and the houses next to it were not well kept (if you know what I mean). The second was so cute but seemed very out of place in the industrial area it was in. Sorry, but living next to a wrecker service wasn't exactly what I had in mind.....

I am *not* the poster child for patience and I'm already anxious about not finding something in time. And I haven't been out to actually view a house yet. This is probably normal...I mean, I just talked to my house guy for the first time Monday night. But I'm just ready to be done and settled! And don't get me started on the money. I start breaking out in hives just thinking about it.....

Oh, but I broke a promise to myself but feel it was totally worth it......I have now packed one box! I was supposed to wait until February 1st because, once I get started, I can't stop, and I swear my entire apartment will be packed in a week. But it's worth it because it makes me feel better when my stupid neighbors are making noise with their music, swearing and stomping up and down the stairs. It gives me a zen feeling that in three months (or less) I will move to a place where the only music making the walls vibrate will be mine (and it will be Dave...oh yes....it will!)

But back to the money (and total lack thereof), I've managed to spend a LOT of it this month. Not going so well with the budgeting. Some were necessary expenses (i.e., car registration, Rachel's birthday gift, etc.) Most were not (i.e., the shirt I bought MYSELF when buying Rachel's birthday gift). So I've got to get back up on that wagon because life as I know it will be over once I sign my life away to a 30-year mortgage.....

Then there's the eating. God, I can put away the ice cream! It's probably everything else that is causing me to eat worse than normal and it's showing on the ol' waistline (oh what pretty grooves my jeans make on my skin!). I've been doing better with the walking (and am about to head out in a minute). I just need to think before popping stuff in my mouth....because mindless eating is a bummer.....

On a happier note.....they have mentioned the s-word for Saturday night (no, not THAT s-word....the SNOW s-word!). If it happens, you can bet that I will be sitting all bundled up on my porch watching it all.night.long. It's been a long wait and I want to see some white stuff, dammit! I don't even care if it accumulates....just to see it fall will make me giddy. Oh please Snow Gods! Please let me see snow!

Ok, enough rambling. Time to go home and plan my strategy for tomorrow's house hunt with a glass of wine and a kitty on my lap....

The House - Part 1 in a series.....

I am the queen of whims. I get grand ideas in my head all the time. Most of them I never even follow through on.....some I do (like my trip to London).

My latest whim is a home of my own. It came about because of two things:

1) I am totally obsessed with HGTV. The thought of actually being able to ALTER my living space is just too tantalizing to handle! I want to paint.....I want to install things.....I want to tear things apart and put them together again. Can't do that in an apartment....

2) I have spent a good part of the last three years hating my neighbors. I live on the second floor of a three-floor building. This means I have people on ALL sides of me. My last two upstairs neighbors have driven my nuts.....the last guy was a STOMPER. I swear he was wearing concrete-enforced combat boots. The current guy plays reggae music very loud. And I think he owns only one cd. And it's not any better downstairs. The last tenants were a Hispanic couple that yelled and threw things a lot....and always at really inappropriate hours. The guy now screams out obscenities and bangs on the wall at strange intervals. Needless to say, I am SO looking forward to not sharing walls with anyone....

So today I took the first big step in the house hunting process.....I applied for a loan. I will hear on my pre-approval early next week and then I can hit the ground running. The lease is up on my apartment in April and I am *praying* that everything falls in to place at the right time. I am going to go and talk to my apartment manager about what I need to do. I am hoping that, because I have been a very good tenant for over 5 years, they will cut me some slack.

Anyhow, I am excited and scared. I really have no idea what I'm getting in to. I really hope I can afford all this (if I could just win the $205 million Powerball, this would not be a problem). My monthly payments are going to go up, I know that utilities will go up, and the upfront costs of movers, appliances, getting utilities switched, etc. But other people do this every day, right? If they can figure it out, so should I!

Next step is to find a real estate agent and have them start looking. The next three months are going to be a whirlwind of craziness! Hopefully ending in a cute little house that I can start to demolish......

Obsession #583: Knitting

I've already touched on my love for crocheting, but I also love to knit. I first learned about 2 years ago from my co-worker, Kim (who has mad knitting skills). I made a lovely yellow and red Chiefs scarf (you know...the Chiefs....obsession #407). I made it from very basic Red Heart yarn and learned a lesson all knitters do.....stockinette stitch rolls.

I blocked. I washed. I dried under cinder blocks. I ironed (verrrrrrrry carefully). Still rolls. Oh well.

Up until a few months ago, I mostly crocheted. Crocheting is faster. I have self-diagnosed ADD. We ADDers love fast. But watching all the knitsters at my knitting group made me give knitting another try. I've gotten a little faster after taking up the continental method (learned from Amy on knittinghelp.com.....she's fabulous!!)

I am also working on a project now that gives me LOTS of practice.....I'm making a case to carry my needles in....and it's going to be felted! This is my first voyage into the felting world and I really hope it turns out the way I want. The thing about felting projects is you have to make things really big because they will shrink in the wash. This case has to be 36" long! That doesn't sound like much, but this is the case at a little over 23":




My yarn obsession has led to some nice new strange habits (knitter know of what I speak). I am already a part of a knitting group through Hands On Nashville (we make hats, scarves and blankets for the homeless, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) and now I want to join the local Stitch n' Bitch group so I can work on personal projects with knitsters as well. I read one knitters blog....Crazy Aunt Purl. The girl is a RIOT and writes ten times better than I ever could. I can now spend hours at Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's Fabrics just looking at yarn and dreaming up possible projects. I Tivo the show Knitty Gritty on HGTV everyday. Oh, and I've become a no-bad-place-to-knit knitter. Of course I knit on my couch, during my lunch hour at work, and on airplanes......but I've graduated to knitting in my car in traffic (don't worry....no knitting is done while the vehicle is in motion!) I haven't become quite good enough, or brave enough, to knit in movie theaters or at church....but I aspire to those heights! (I also aspire to knit while not constantly looking at my work.....I know it can be done because I've seen others do it!)

I will post my knitting (and crocheting) adventures as they come along. Though I didn't too well on posting my finished sweater.....whoops. Guess I need to try adding "photography" and "posting to my blog" as obsessions...ya think?

I'm such a coward.....

The local Amnesty International meeting starts in an hour. I haven't been to one yet....and it doesn't look like I'm going in an hour either. Why not? Hell if I know. I guess I'm scared. Scared of meeting new people, scared I'm going to say or do something stupid, scared of leaving my house. And I know I'm going to regret it. (I already do) Why can't I do this? Why is it so hard for me to just get myself together and go?

Oh, but I will just sit here and make up excuses (for who, I'm not sure). But the guilt and feeling stupid will last all night. The next meeting isn't for another month....and I tell myself I will definitely go to that one.....kinda like I said I would definitely go to this one. This is bad. I haven't so much as stepped out my front door in five days. The only person I have had any contact with is an hour-long phone call with my mom. I am far too comfortable being alone.....this hermit-ness cannot in any way be healthy.

And doesn't stop with staying home from social functions. Oh, but I wish it did. I also tend to avoid phone calls. Unless I am expecting a call, I often let people just go to voicemail (to all my friends....it's not you, it's me!) I hate being caught off guard (it's when I tend to make my stupidest social gaffes). Of course, I hate talking on the phone anyway. I'm not good at it at all. I'm a very visual person....so when I'm talking to someone, I like to see facial expressions and body language. When I'm on the phone, I do a whole lot more of the babbling-to-fill-the-silence. It ain't pretty.

Ok, I need to stop thinking about this. It's too late to do anything now, so I just have to take a deep breath and tell myself that tomorrow is a brand new day and that I WILL get better at this. I really, really will.....

Where is winter?

It's a balmy 70 degrees here in Nashville, Tennessee. I hate it. I moved here five years ago from Ft. Worth in hopes of seeing "real" winters. Since that time, North Texas has gotten significantly more winter weather than we have. *grumble grumble*

I love snow. Love, love, LOVE! I am not a fan of driving in it....but, duh.....I stay in when the white stuff starts to fall! I'm a native of Kansas City, so I am not a run- to- the- grocery- store- for- all- the- bread- and- milk- I- can- grab person. Hello Nashville? When was the last time you were trapped in your house for a week due to snow? And I'm such a homebody that it's heaven for me to not have to leave my house for days.

I know I should consider moving even further north. I have thought about Minneapolis. Or even east to North Carolina. My politics have seriously got me looking at Canada. Hell, I could move back to Texas.....it's 32 there now! But I know the moment I pack up and head north, Nashville will have it's snowiest (is that a word?) winters on record and wherever I go will be snow free for years!

Meet my little baby punkdoodle

Or my Josey-kitten.....or the Josmeister....or do-wat ("do" as in "do-re-mi" and "wat" as in "lightbulb watt")....or the most precious baby kitten on the planet.....the nicknames do just go on and on....



Josey is 9 years old and queen of the household. She was named after my favorite song by a college band I used to see....Deep Blue Something ("Breakfast At Tiffany's" anyone?). Though most people assume her name comes from Josie and the Pussycats. Cute. But not true.

So far Josey has tolerated her human fairly well. I may be a little slow on opening the door to the back porch, I don't make trips to the fridge to get her chicken/turkey/ham as much as she'd like, and then there's that having the audacity to think I can sleep in HER bed. But she's kept me around this long.....what a cross she must bear.

She would tell you that, despite my shortcomings, I'm good for a few things. I take those wonderful showers every morning that leave water on the tile for her to lap up. I fill the birdfeeder to give her hours of chirping enjoyment with the birdies. I bought a papasan chair perfect for afternoon naps in the sun. And I DRIVE to Texas every Christmas just so she can go and see her Nana and Grandad, peruse their much bigger habitat, enjoy three laps instead of just one, and chirp at many more birds than our poor little apartment ever sees. But she's not spoiled....not at all.....

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Today's is Dave Matthews' 40th birthday (I had to look up the year....I thought he was only 39...). I love Dave. I would marry Dave (except he already has a wonderful wife and two beautiful girls). If I could find a guy that LOOKS like Dave, I would be happy. *sigh*

My DMB obsession started back in 2002. Actually, I had bought Under The Table And Dreaming in 1995 because I loved Ants Marching. But, at the time, I didn't like anything else on that cd. My musical taste must have gone through a dark period. Anyway, fast forward to 2002 and a very brief "relationship" with a Dave fan (yes, I know there are five equal members of the band, but it's just easier for me to refer to them as "Dave"). I had mentioned said blip-on-my-dating-record to my best friend from college and this sent her into a frenzy.... "Oh! I love them! Do you listen to them?! You should! Oh my god!" So, in a moment of weakness wanting to have something else in common with the Blip, I asked Laurie to recommend a cd where I could get a good sampling of music. As any real fan will do, she suggested live stuff.....Red Rocks, I believe, was her first choice. She also mentioned that they had a new cd coming out soon....Busted Stuff. And, oh my god, I should go out and get as many Dave cd's as possible right.this.minute!

Well, I waited until Busted Stuff was released (July 7th....a date I remember well). I went to Best Buy because they tend to put everything by an artist on sale on release day. Bingo! I got about 5 cd's that day....I was so excited! I popped Busted Stuff in as soon as I got in the car and headed home. I enjoyed the title track....windows down....very nice. But the second song. Oh, that song. Grey Street. See, Blip had broken my heart. I was not in a good place. And that song. I know it sounds stupid, but Dave got into my head and wrote that song! I had to pull over I was crying so hard. And then I listened to it again. And, thus, my love for the DMB began.

So, today (as with pretty much every day (hee....Everyday!) ) I will be listening to Dave and his lovely voice on WDMB radio.

Love you, Dave! Happy Birthday!

Mom, it's my birthday
What would you say...
-What Would You Say, 1994

New Year, New Blog

Hello 2007. Will you be better than 2006? Worse? About the same? I'm going to put all my chips on better....because, really? What do I have to lose?

So far this blog hasn't had much direction...and I'm not promising it ever will. Most blogs I've read (and there haven't been that many....yet) have a "theme"....one thing that the blogger is mainly focused on. But my interests and obsessions change day-to-day and what I want to focus on today is not necessarily what will interest me in the least tomorrow (ADD anyone?). Five years ago I would have talked ad nauseum about Garth Brooks (*ahem* stalker *ahem*). But today I hardly listen to him at all (though my lovely right ankle tattoo is a constant reminder of the life I used to lead). Today's obsessions include knitting/crocheting, the Dave Matthews Band, getting asked out, my weight, travel, reading, my Tivo.....oh, the list goes on and on.....

As of today, I have not made this blog "public" (haven't told a soul)....I probably will soon. And then we'll see just how many people want to obsess with me! (one way ticket to psycho coming up....)

Ok....off to knit....while listening to Dave.....and thinking about where my next date is coming from....

The Sweater - Part III

We're in the home stretch now! I've finished the "body" and am now working on the sleeves. I got a little obsessed last weekend and worked on it for a full day, but I really do want to get it done by Thanksgiving (which is a little over 40 days away). I started thinking "dang, what am I going to do when I'm done with this project?" But I know about 3 pregnant/recent mothers that I can do stuff for.....perhaps trying my hand at booties for the first time? And of course there's always my HON stuff.....can never make too many hats, scarves or blanket squares. I'm beginning to think this is not just a passing hobby.....

London Calling

London is amazing. I'm not even sure where to begin....I managed to write 35 pages of thoughts and observations in the five days I was there. The two days leading up to the trip were stressful....flying non-rev has it's perks, but it's downsides as well. And I think my nerves got the best of me on the flight because my upset stomach kept me in Heathrow's bathroom for three hours (my nervous tummy is a constant form of fun). But after some swigs of Alka-Seltzer (thanks Rachel!), I got on my way and had a blast!

Day 1 - Got into London on the Tube ok. Had a little trouble finding the hotel, but once I did, I got my stuff up to my teeny-tiny little room and headed out into the city. Today was a walking day....no tours or visits to specific buildings. I walked to Westminster Abbey and saw Big Ben and Parliament. I walked toward Trafalgar Square and happened to be in the right place at the right time to see Charles and Camilla coming out of one of the government buildings! Trafalgar Square had some festival going on and the place was packed. Picadilly Circus wasn't as cool as I thought....it's probably better at night. Hyde Park is HUGE! The Speaker's Corner was entertaining.....after much searching, I found Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain and then walked to Kensington Palace (strange that it's just in the middle of the park). I'm surprised I made it as long as I did on that first day.....not much sleep on the plane and then the tummy troubles didn't slow me down.

Day 2 - Started the day at St. Paul's. It's breathtaking inside. And the very polite fire alarm cracked me up! I climbed all 400 steps to the top of the dome....the views were spectacular (and the climb left my legs very wobbly). I made my way across the Milleneum Bridge to Tate Modern....a bit of a disappointment. I enjoy art that I recognize and there wasn't much there. I walked along the Thames toward the London Eye. Lordy, there were a lot of joggers out there! Not sure what jobs people have that allow them to run at lunch (do all businesses come with showers for employees?)....but there are no fat Londoners. The Eye was fun, though definitely a one-time thing. St. James's park is lovely....lots of flowers and water fowl. Last stop was Buckingham Palace....just a great place to sit and people-watch (and I had to scope out my "changing of the guard" spot)

Day 3 - Trip to Windsor Castle. Once again with the mild confusion with the bus and stuff, but I got out of there and really enjoyed sight seeing from the bus. It took us an hour and twenty minutes to get to Windsor....and most of that was just getting out of London! But the houses in England are just like you see on tv and movies. The Castle is HUGE! The audio guide came free with the admission and while I don't like holding the thing to my ear, it was very informative. The Queen's Dollhouse was really neat as was the gallery of pictures of Queen Elizabeth's life. After I got back into town, I headed to the Library.....loved how they had everything you would want to see all in one room! I loved seeing all the hand-written stuff....especially the really, really old Bibles.

Day 4 - Changing of the Guard. As usual, I got there outrageously early (hey, better early than late!). It was pretty cool....but definitely a "been there, done that". Headed up to the National Gallery....another disappointment. All the works I really wanted to see were being moved. Oh well....guess I'll have to come back. Next was the tour of Westminster Abbey. Another gorgeous cathedral. The ceilings are so high....and the place is full of dead people! It's starting to hit me now that the next day is my last. I'm not ready to leave, but yet I can tell that being a tourist is beginning to wear on me....

Day 5 - Started at Covent Garden....this needs to be done later in the day....not much happening at 10am. I walk up Fleet Street toward the Tower of London. I'm to the point where I'm seeing sights that I'm only remotely interested in and I am getting tired. I finally have the traditional fish and chips (a fish stick and fries, basically). The Beefeater tour at the Tower is very good (though doesn't cover everything). The Crown Jewels are amazing and seeing a film of the Coronation is cool (Elizabeth was so young!). I had planned on walking across the Tower Bridge, but I needed to get to Westminster Abbey for Evensong, so I ended up taking my first bus ride across it instead. Evensong was more of a service than I thought, though hearing the choir in that immense building really was awesome. I rode the double-decker back to Victoria Station (and got to sit up top and in the front!). I grabbed some last-minute stuff at the shops in the station and then just watched people for awhile. It was hard to tear myself away and head to my hotel....I knew this was it.

This was truly an amazing trip. There were advantages and disadvantages to going solo....not sure one way is better than the other. I wish I could travel overseas again next year....but buying a house comes first. I will find a way to take a long weekend somewhere here in the States though....this traveling thing is just too much fun!!

I'm 'a leavin'....on a jet plane.....

London, here I come!

Saturday is the big day. My first trip over that big pond and I must say I'm a bit nervous about it. I'm mostly anxious about the first day.....will I get on a flight? Can I find an ATM? Will I be able to figure out the Tube? How will I do all by myself in a strange city? I figure if I can get to my hotel and set out, after that I will be just fine.

The whole walking around the city and taking everything in excites me to no end! You might as well stamp "TOURIST" in big, bold letters on my forehead...I really don't intend to hide the fact. I plan on setting a world record on how many pictures one person can take in 5 days (I'm sure some Japanese tourist holds the current record). "Oh look! A London pigeon!" "Oh look! A London tulip!" "Oh look! A London homeless person!" Yes, it really is going to be that bad.

This trip is a true venture outside my comfort zone. All decisions are up to me. No one to bounce ideas off of. And I'll have to talk to strangers...can't send someone to do it for me. And I'll have to work at not getting lonely....it would be nice to be able to turn and say "Isn't this fun?" to someone I'm sharing this with. But I believe that this will be a great learning experience I'm hoping for a confidence boost and that I learn a little something about myself in the process. It takes courage to travel overseas by yourself. I deserve a little pat on the back just for trying!

I will not burn the day away.....

The Sweater - Part II

Just moving right along on the old sweater. I'm almost done with the "body" of it....I'm making it longer than the pattern calls for. I think once I get that done, the rest will go quickly. I work on it when I get bored at work (shhhhh! Don't tell anyone....) and, at this rate, I should have it done by Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, I have been neglecting my hat-making responsibilities...with cold weather around the corner, I should perhaps whip a few of those out.

Anyway, here is the progress thus far:

Are you ready for some football??

There are many reasons that fall is my favorite time of year: I like cool weather.....the leaves are so pretty.....sweaters and jeans make me happy.....I get to sleep with my windows open.....and, finally, football begins! There's not much that beats sitting on the couch on Sunday afternoon watching my team play. My team being the Chiefs (or "Cheeps", as I called them when I was three). The boys in red haven't been to a Super Bowl since 7 months before I was born.....so I'm thinking they're due.

Chiefs fans are faithful fans (you have to be with the statistic above). We have no room or tolerance for the bandwagon fan. You're either in or you're out. And most fans are actually from Kansas City. I'm always a little surprised (but delighted) when I find a fan that has never lived there. Most of us were just born this way.....I think they make you sign a contract before they let you go home from the hospital. (It should be noted that my sister is not a fan. She was born outside of Chicago. Enough said.)

So the Chiefs kick off the season hosting Cincinnati this Sunday. I will show my pride by wearing my appropriate red home jersey this Friday ("Red Friday" for those that don't know). And you can find me at Jonathon's at noon on Sunday.....I'll be the one yelling "GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!"