Day ain't over yet...

I've had another "one of those days". I don't usually take time each evening to sit back and reflect on the day I've just had. I'm used to my life being random and unconventional, so remembering it all would probably make me realize how insane I actually am. But tonight I couldn't help it, and now I'm sitting here spilling it for whoever wants to read it.

For the first time in a week, I slept 5 hours in one stretch. I'd like to thank Vegas, Jill, Mike, and Sean for that. Thanks everyone. I owe you. This is disregarding the 12:30 am phone call from Heather that I let ring to my voicemail. I should never ignore her calls, especially late at night, but I was so excited about sleeping, I couldn't do it. She'd call me again if it was really urgent, right?? Good thing I didn't answer. I checked my voice mail this morning and it was her rambling on and on about a persian person or "pershian pershun" she had met. She must have repeated this phrase about 20 times, and actually pronounced it correctly only once. Good times. Love ya, Heather. This is also disregarding the 5:30 alarm I had set to get my butt up to go to the gym. Yeah... bye bye. Off it went so I could sleep for another couple hours.

As I was getting ready for work, the call from my sister came in. Read the post below to find out how that went. Got to work at about noon after dropping my sister off at work, then left again at 3:30 to go pick her up to get her car. Once we got there, she realized she had left her keys in her other bag, which her husband had taken home. The girl had had a rough day, so I went easy on her, but kicked her out of the car since I still had a ton of work to do. Thursday is always my busy day because I have Fridays off. (She was parked by a Quizno's and was starving anyway, so she went to grab a bite while she waiting for her husband to drive down with the keys... I didn't just leave her stranded).

Got back to work and proceeded to work until 7:30. In that time, checked my bank balance and realized I'm not gonna have any money for two more weeks after rent and bills... Fantastic. Came home, set the vcr to record Mr. Probst and his Survivor gang and headed to the gym. I hadn't gone to the gym at night for a long time, and had forgotten about one character that I used to always see: an elderly gentleman with white hair from head to toe (even his leg hair is white). The hair on his head is in an Elvis-style bouffant, and he's grown it out into a ponytail in the back. He wears super short running shorts and two shirts layered, and his outfits are usually something of the neon variety. He wears sunglasses and a bandana around his neck, which I think officially qualifies as a "kerchief". I have no idea how old he is, but he looks older than dirt. People are funny.

It'd been an interesting day, so I was looking most forward to hitting the steam room after a good workout. Kicked my own butt on the stair climber, elliptical and other things, then eagerly went to change out of my sweaty duds and into my bathing suit. Charged into the shower room, heading for the steam room... And it was closed. "Out of order." What!?!? Hopes dashed, I thought there might be a small chance I could be happy with sitting in the hot spa. Took a peak, and it was like My Big Fat Greek Wedding in there, there were so many people. Frankly, sitting in a hot tub with a bunch of total strangers really grosses me out. Dejected, I childishly grabbed my things out of my locker, threw my sweaty shirt and pants back on, and dragged myself out of there to my car.

Got home and decided to dye my hair. Nothing spectacular, just the usual refreshing of dark dark brown I do to cover the red that manages to come blazing through every 6-8 weeks. Now, I'm not known as being the tidyest hair dye-er in the world. I tend to dye hair, as well as necks, ears, and foreheads. There is a trick I learned where you can rub chapstick all over the hairline of the person whose hair you're dyeing in order that it will wash off without hassle. They don't make enough chapstick for me. With the very first squeeze of the bottle, I had managed to drip directly down the front of my forehead, next to my eyebrow, and down the left side of my nose. I only felt the drip on my forehead, and by the time I looked at my face and seen what I'd done, it was too late. I had a stain that made me look like my left eyebrow was much too overgrown, and that my nose had a weird inkblot birthmark. "Get that girl a pair of tweezers and some laser surgery!" I'm hoping it will rub off in the night. And should there be any remnants, I will just use some extra concealer in the morning.

Good news is my hair is back to being dark. And I'm much happier because of it. Okay, so technically the day is over since it's past midnight... but I'm still up and anything is still bound to happen.

Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about oh... 9 months

I thought the nephew was going to make an early appearance this morning when my sister called and told me her water had broken. She sounded more than a little panicked, so I put on my usual outfit of "brave and calm" and tried to calm her down. Her husband had left for work, and it would be at least 2 hours before he would be able to meet her at the hospital. I offered to drive the 45 mins to pick her up so she wouldn't have to drive alone, but somehow the 45 minute drive would've been much longer and more treacherous due to the recent 2 feet of snow that had just fallen. She drove down by herself and met up with friends who drove her the rest of the way to the hospital where I had been waiting.

All she kept babbling about was how it was too early. But not necessarily too early for the baby-- but too early for HER. She had work to do and was completely unprepared for his arrival. She had housework to do, baby necessities to buy, hospital bags to pack.... Poor thing was so frazzled when she left that she grabbed 3 outfits for the baby: a onesie that was fine, a pajama outfit that was sized 3-6 months, and a fuzzy blue number that was for a 0-3 month, but had random spaceships and aliens sewn all over it. Not exactly the pictures I'd be proud to show my child and tell him about the first day we'd brought him home from the hospital... but maybe that's just me.

The nurse hooked her up to all the equipment, asked all the normal questions, and left to find the doctor. The Red Sox victory must've meant the cosmos were all out of whack, because it seemed that every woman due within 2 months was there giving birth. Packed waiting room, full board of patient's names and their room numbers... Craziness. Eventually the doctor arrived and did the usual tests to determine if her water had, in fact, broken. The conclusion? No. Now, I don't want to allow my mind to dwell too much on what could've possibly made my sister think her water had broken, when it hadn't--that's probably something I never want to know, even when the time comes for me to be pregnant.

My job in the family is always to be supportive and stable, but I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we found out he still had some baking to do. I would love nothing more than to share my birthday month with my nephew. But I'd much rather have him hurry up and grow and come at the right time... Whenever that may be. Afterwards, the doctor was gracious enough to do an extra-long sonogram so that us family could stand there and ooh and ahh at the kid. "He's so cute!" "Look at his eyes!" "He's sucking his thumb!"

So strange to think I'll be holding this little alien in a few weeks' time.


Isn't he so photogenic?? The kid in July...

Mamma Mia!

The anticipation that was stirring before this weekend turns out was well justified. We were a little nervous that we were placing too much importance on how this weekend would go, and worried that the amount of fun we would actually have would be nowhere near as much as we were expecting. We were not disappointed.

The adventure begins. Thursday night, at the Del Taco drive thru.

Many adventures, most of which I cannot/will not write about here. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? Well, at least most of what happens in Vegas does not end up on Holly's blog.
I will post a few pics and you can let your imagination wonder about the trouble we are capable of getting into. We forgot to take pics until Saturday, our last night. Better that way--less evidence.

One thing I can definitely write about is Mamma Mia! Which we went and saw on Saturday night. Great show. Lots of laughs. Highly recommended for a girls night out, or any one who needs to reach their inner ABBA.

Getting ready for Mamma Mia. (And no, we didn't actually wear these to the show. )



H&H at the HOB

The girls. We offer something for everyone: blonde, redhead and brunette.

After Mamma Mia, we met up with the boys at The Beach. Lots of fun was had. For everyone's safety, that's where the story stops.


Me caught in a brother sandwich. Incest is best!


Right before trouble begins...


The ride home. An appropriate ending to the weekend.

Add another candle...

I've had a full 24 hours to get used to being 26. It's been an interesting and eventful ride so far. Here's how my birthday weekend wrapped up to look like:
Friday had lunch with a friend in the CBU Cafeteria, which, to be honest, was the best present I probably ever could have gotten. And it only cost $7. Dyed her hair, had a glimpse into the adventures of having two kids under the age of 3 (that's a story for another time. I'll only say it involved lots of poop.) Came home and did a whole lot of nothing, which was very appealing, despite the fact it was a Friday night. I couldn't have thought of anything better to do.
Saturday I did more of the same - again, I couldn't have planned for a better day. Caught up on all my programs and some magazine reading. Very important when you live the kind of life I do when these simple pleasures are so hard to accomplish.
Saturday night my brother, sister, and their spouses took me out to a very nice dinner at Las Campanas where we shared lots of laughs. I love my family. Some pics from the evening below.






I drove my new car home on Saturday night. It still seems not real to me, but it's slowly sinking in I guess.

Sunday morning I woke up to the best birthday present EVER... rain. And lots of it. Decided to break in the new car and left for church... I got as far as the end of my street when I ran out of gas. Actually, I made it as far as the middle of the intersection at the end of my street. Thankfully it started up one more time for me to inch forward a little further to the turning lane so I wasn't completely blocking traffic. Now, you must understand something: I've never EVER run out of gas. Call me responsible. Call me a goodie two shoes always playing by the rules, never walking on the wild side... whatever. I just don't run out of gas. It's a simple thing to prevent. So I was a bit shocked when this happened, considering I never witnessed a gas light warning me it was time, AND the fact that that needle hadn't even touched the red warning section on the gauge yet. Thankfully Rebecca was already in the area to meet me at church, and an angel named David ran across the street to help me push the car through the intersection to the gas station. Yes it was pouring, and I was in flip flops, pushing my brand new car on my birthday. These are things that are my life.

The day continued with lunch with the girls, then work, then dinner with Heather. Was strange because no one at work really knew it was my birthday, and since I'm not one to advertise, I let it stay that way. But I couldn't help the occasional thought pop into my head that said "I shouldn't be here today. I'm special. Be extra nice to me. It's my BIRTHDAY." Those lasted about 1 second and a half until I snapped back into reality and thought "who cares... get to work". Heather and I met up with Z for dancing at Club Sevilla. It was okay, except I was still stuffed from the fantastic cdinner we'd just had, so I spent a good part of the evening in agony and just trying to stay awake. Good mix of music when we finally started dancing, although Z and Heather spent most of the evening just watching me. Apparently I was feeling "really good" and was shakin' my groove thing pretty good to "Lean Back" and the rest. I remember everything-- mostly thinking what a good dancer I am.

I was falling asleep soon thereafter and knew Heather still had to drive home, so we left and I came home and crashed. Good times. Good friends.

Tonight had dinner with some other girl friends, which felt more like I was enduring some horrible test since the conversation tended to dwell more on the topics of nice cars, nice jewelry, nice hair, and other topics I tend not to stick too long with. It's a wonder I don't have more girl friends I hang out with a lot.

Most everyone I consider a close friend forgot my birthday, and even those who aren't close but should've known forgot... Weird. I guess it kinda hurts my feelings because I have a freakish memory that never forgets a birthday(maybe I should qualify that by saying I hardly ever FORGET a birthday, but I may forget to CALL someone on their birthday). But when people who are really REALLY important to you don't call... and still haven't.... or have given some really LAME excuse about why they didn't call... that just sucks. You have a phone, a computer, a palm pilot. All of these things have the capacity to set reminders for birthdays. Use them. That's all I'm sayin'...

But that's why there are people like your family and Heather in your life, who make your birthday a really special day and do everything they can to make sure it is memorable. This weekend can't come soon enough, and I look forward to celebrating with the parents and my brother again... while I drag Heather along for more fun.

Jonny Be Good

Last night saw Jonny Lang at the House of Blues in Anaheim. I like the venue, although every time I see a show there, you always end up standing in line forever, then waiting forever for the show to begin. But, you do what you gotta do, I guess.

The show opened with Yvonne Reyes who has an absolutely amazing voice, and good songs. But if I could’ve given her one piece of advice, it would’ve been this: the next time you’re planning on standing on stage where there will most likely be stage lights shining, don’t wear a sheer skirt. Or wear a slip. Just a thought.

Ingram Hill was next up. Not impressed. They came out to MJ’s “Beat It” which I still don’t understand. The bass player looked like he belonged in 1968 with his long hair and tight bell bottomed jeans. The guitar player jumped around inexplicably while doing his own variation of the running man the ENTIRE set. The drummer just looked bored and I forgot he was there. The lead singer has a great voice live, but the fact that none of them looked like they were in the same band, it threw everything off for me. Not one of Memphis’ finest products, although they ended the set with their version of “Suspicious Minds” in tribute to The King.

Jonny was amazing of course. It's my 4th time seeing him and I'm never disappointed. We were three people deep, and in within spitting distance of his huge mouth. He’s always kind of frightened me because when he launches into a guitar solo, he tends to look demon-possessed where his eyes roll back into his head and his face contorts into things I never could imagine a face could look like. But he shreds and has a great band, and is so appreciative and thankful for the crowd, you forget the scariness. First time I’ve heard him play “Livin for the City” live (except for the live version on the CD), and it’s the coolest thing when he plays “I Love You Lord” on the acoustic right before "Breakin’ Me”. It’s the second time I’ve seen him do it, and it’s kinda cool that he incorporates his newfound faith into his shows, as subtle as the display might be. To most, it’s just a pretty little song he picks out on his guitar… but to the rest of us, it’s… I dunno… comforting.

I do have to briefly touch on a few highlights of the night that did not take place on stage. First was the girl who sang along to ALL of Ingram Hill’s songs and knew NONE of the words. One of my fascinations is people-watching, and I could not stop staring at this girl who kept mouthing all the wrong words, and would once in a while just happen to stumble upon the right word. Why did she feel the need to sing along when it was so obvious she’d never heard any of their stuff before? Was she trying to show how much she liked them? Who cares??? It cracked me up and provided me with something to do during their set. Second was the drunk girl who had pushed her way through to the front using the old “I’m looking for someone” routine. She spent the entire show dancing to the music playing in her head and yelling completely inappropriate things at the top of her lungs. She spilled her drink (which was wisely switched to water at some point) on my friend Isabelle numerous times, and at one point spilled it on herself and got so mad that “someone” would throw water on her. (Her own arm jerked up on its’ own. We witnessed the water splash up and out ourselves). She also kept insisting that we put our arms in the air because we would “feel so free”. Umm… no thanks. But the third (AND BEST) highlight was the crazy girl who seemed so sweet and innocent at the beginning. She stood behind us the entire night, and even followed directly behind us once we got closer to the stage. She kept leaning on my back all night, and I finally had to tell her she couldn’t do that anymore because it was really annoying. She had mentioned something about her family knowing Jonny’s and there had been some disagreement so their families didn’t like each other now, and she was hoping Jonny wouldn’t see her. YET… she goes to every single one of his shows whenever she can and got as close to the stage as possible. (?!) Throughout his entire set she screamed as loud as she could and said things like, “I know you hate me Jonny, but I love you!” She also sang as loud as possible every single word to every song – in my ear. Once we got a little more spread out, she took her hair down and began to fling her head around and make faces that looked like someone who might be doing an imitation of a cross between Billy Idol and Zoolander. Very scary.

All-in-all a very memorable night. I always tend to have very memorable times with Isabelle and last night was no exception. I was so tired and my back hurt so bad from standing in one place for 4+ hours, and we had to wait to exit the parking lot for another 45 mins or so after the show. Oh well.. We got our Jonny fix until the next time comes around…

Easier Said Than Done

I haven’t blogged all week, so in order to make up for it, I am going to give a brief rundown on the hightlights of this past week:
Saturday morning drove in from Vegas, picked up Heather and went to my work’s staff picnic. It was in appreciation of lowering our workman’s comp claims so they had it at this cool park, invited all 260 employees and their families, had lots of games, and gave away tons of cool gifts in a raffle (think iPods, a computer system, and a couple LCD tvs). I have horrible luck and was not surprised when my number was never called. Oh well. Got home, showered, and went to my friend’s birthday party at a Japanese restaurant. Good times and met some new people, so that’s always fun. Hung out in downtown afterwards and drove the birthday boy home. Got to my house and crashed I was so tired.
Sunday night got off work early and went to one of my favorite places: the 99 cents only store. So fun. And if the guy with the iPod that I talked to that night is reading this, email me. I think I might marry you.
Monday night had dinner in Pasadena with good friends from Texas. One of the boys is young and always good for a few hours of flirting and fun, but I figured since he’s gotten himself a girlfriend since I last saw him, things would be significantly tamer. Apparently it only makes him flirt more, which was a pleasant surprise. I’m always down for an evening of innocent flirting. On my drive there, I was convinced I was being set up because they told me they were inviting another guy who I know is single and lives out here. I’m still not convinced I wasn’t being set up, but I was having too much fun to bother with the single guy. I should probably pay more attention next time.
Tuesday we found out we have to get rid of the cat or pay a heavy fine for a pet deposit at our apartment. If you know anyone who wants a really cute, fluffy calico, let me know.
Tonight I went to a business seminar which was slightly informative, but mostly not. Not a terrible way to spend 2 hours, but with the week I’ve just had and the next few days, I could’ve used those 2 hours to write these blogs. Which would mean I would be sleeping right now.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

A few random things I feel the need to share:

I need to learn how to make homemade salsa because I love it so dang much.

People who explain the same thing to me 20 times in 20 different ways really irritate me. Look, I understand what you’re saying. I do this all the time. I speak English, and you can shut up now.

Chewy Sprees should get more respect. They’re chewy and they’re sour. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about them. Good road trip snack. And yippee! I’ve got Vegas again next weekend. Must stock up.

I broke an entire chunk of plastic off my cell phone yesterday. I have no idea how. I really need a new phone. I also need $150 to spend on a new phone.

No, it doesn't have a Hemi

I have reconsidered my career choice, and I'm considering applying for a job as a professional rental car test driver. I could rate it on all sorts of criteria: power, agility, handling, appearance... And then on the more important categories: the possibilities of one getting asked for their number, the rate of double-takes the car causes, and self esteem boosters. I already blogged about the Dodge truck I drove last weekend that had a Hemi and made me feel very powerful.
This weekend, my sister and I got a kick out of the cars that were waiting in the parking lot to be rented, joking about how we would look driving to Vegas in this or that... We both noticed the Dodge Magnum and stated how ugly it was. So of course we picked it when they offered us an upgrade. We mostly cared about comfort and didn't care too much about how we looked in it, as long as it got us there and back.
Little did we plan on the kind of reaction it would inspire. At our stop in Baker, we got a couple of older gentlemen who were pit-stopping with their families asking us all types of questions about its speed, what a good-looking car it was, etc, etc... We just drove away laughing, baffled at the thought of how anyone could think this car was attractive in any sort of way. But it got me thinking about how well it really did handle, and how we didn't feel anything on the road at all. I was cruising at 95 and didn't bat an eyelash because it was so smooth.
Mom loves the car and now wants one. Dad encouraged the conversation saying she needed a new "Vegas car". Sis and I just kept saying how completely ugly it was, and how it was just a glorified station wagon.
On the drive home while creeping along in traffic, a couple of teenage boys drove up alongside yelling "That thing have a Hemi??" I answered no, but to be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I just didn't want to continue any further conversation about a car that was getting all this attention. I didn't understand it.
So we turned the Magnum in on Saturday morning and bid our farewells. It brought us home safely and smoothly and gave us a few laughs along the way. It's still really ugly, tho.
Bring on the job application. I'm ready to go.

Three for the road

I took a spontaneous trip to Vegas this weekend. My sister had some rare time off, so I went to keep her company as we visited the fam. Short trip: Thurs night to Sat morning. Quick trips like that are great because they still leave you time to recover before the week begins. But they are also exhausting. Good thing my last two trips out there have been a tad bit relaxing: visiting with family and old friends, going to the spa for some good hot tubbing and sauna action. Not to mention the massages. Good stuff.
Really glad to spend the time with my sister. She totally gets me, even if she doesn't get me at all. We can talk about anything, and we can absolutely crack each other up without really trying. We have the same giggle, which brings us hours of endless entertainment. If one starts, the other is sure to not be far behind causing those around us to stare in bewilderment about the two strange girls laughing about nothing. Yeah... we're dorks.
My sister has about 6 weeks left in her pregnancy, so much of my time this weekend was spent with my hands on her belly. The Thumb, as I've affectionetly named my soon-to-be-born nephew (don't ask), is destined to be an acrobat, or so my sister is convinced. He's a somersaulting freak, and loves to poke Auntie Holly back when she pokes him too much to ellicit some type of response. The fact that there's a human being inside my sister is a concept I'll never be able to wrap my brain around, I'm guessing. Great to get some sister time in until the little dude makes his debut.


Just hangin' out.





On the drive home, early Saturday morning. Killing time while stuck in dead stop traffic on the I-15. Classy gals, we are.

On the road again

I learned two things on my drive to Vegas this weekend. First, is that snacks on a road trip are a definite must. I didn't bring anything with me, and the 5 hours of sleep I got on Thursday night was catching up to me at about hour 1.5 into the drive. I wasn't hungry, so I figured I'd be fine until I got there in time for lunch. Well... I was. Except that I was completely BORED the entire drive. I sang every song my iPod threw at me, but it was no defense against the inevitable sleepiness that overcame me at some point between Victorville and Barstow. I never stopped except to gas up in Victorville. My bladder impresses me sometimes. But I was tired. I took pics to help pass the time. Probably not the safest activity to while driving, but it was better than me falling asleep.

Speaking of gasing up, that brings me to the second thing I learned. That I was meant to drive a truck. Enterprise convinced me I was gonna need the extra power up I-15, so I should go with the Hemi. For $5 a day more, I agreed they were completely right. I loved driving it, and I think trucks have the ability to make anyone's hotness factor go up a few points. I know mine did.
We're definitely gonna need to go with the Hemi when H & H make the trek again in a few weeks.. just because we'll look so much cuter that way.

Follow Through

I listened to Gavin DeGraw's album today and was really impressed. I appreciate lyrics that are thoughtful, and I really dig the vibe he's got.
Another guy I just heard of is Shawn McDonald. Saw him play on Sunday night and I liked him so much I bought a t-shirt. I never buy t-shirts from bands. Ever. But I dug his music, and the shirt was pretty snazzy, too.

If you're in the mood, also check out Taylor Sorenson. I didn't buy his t-shirt, but I still dug his stuff.

Holly's two cents for today.

man in the mirror

Visited the fam in Vegas this past weekend. Was a fun-filled packed weekend, but really relaxing at the same time. Saved my energy for a few weeks from now when I'll be taking my friend for her first visit there, and celebrating my birthday with my brothers and sister-in-law. This weekend was reserved for hanging out with the parents, kissing the dogs, teasing my nephew, and letting my butt revisit an old friend - my parents couch, which is the best couch ever.
Friday had a cool experience getting to be there for the first stop on Lance Armstrong's Tour of Hope bike tour, raising awareness for clinical trials for cancer research. His foundation donated $500,000 to the new cancer research facility in Las Vegas that is set to open next year. They closed down the strip for the group to ride down, then they rode right in front of us as we stood on the bridge at Treasure Island. I have a new digital camera that I apparently still don't know how to work, so my pictures are all blurry. But you'll get the idea. I stuck my arm out to take a picture of Lance right before he reached us, but was too busy looking at him and not my camera, so I only got about one inch of his face in the shot.
And if you happened to be in Vegas watching the 11 o'clock news on channel 8, then you probably saw us there as they featured the Lance story. No autographs, please.

Lance handing over the check.


My dad torturing me with the "Lance Fan"


Good clean, family fun... at the slots


Christopher, my nephew who never stops talking. Unless he's eating.