We may lose power.

So just to let you know. Well, I need to do something with my hands. They are idle. I may detail the bathroom. Yeah. That's what I will do until the power goes off. Hope everyone else is having good weather. Bye.



Oh by the way, we live just south of Mckinney. Just to give you a reference point...

It's a rainy, tornadoey day...

It's in the 60's here, it's raining, there is a tornado watch. I finally got the energy to upload the pics from the Red Elvises show on friday. After looking through them I wish I would have lost the camera all together. Shit what a night. Bad. Bad. Bad.

The first half of the night was good though. here are a few pics of the band.










The band was great, got to hang out with Igor for a while at the bar and catch up with him,I love the Red Elvises, my favorite band.

I am ready to get back to work.

I think I might stay here instead of going to Lauderdale... I just think it might be better to stay here, where i have no bills. But at the same time, I could be day working in Lauderdale pulling in a little bit of cash. Shit I don't know what to do.

Courtney says it's still an open offer if I want to come to FL.

Shit. I hate not having a job.

p.s. If you look at that first pic of the band you will see TONS of orbs.... the Sons of Hermann Hall is one of the oldest buildings in the city... lots o spirits... I love that place, it's creaky, and smells of old cigars and wood.

Oh yeah. I feel terrible.

Went out last night for the firs time in forever. Drank too much. So hungover. Can't blog. Must sleep. I think I took lots of pictures of the Red Elvises and stuff. When the lead singer Igor saw me in the lobby of the Sons of Hermann Hall he said "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL OF THESE YEARS?!" In his thick russian accent. And came and gave me a big hug! I love Igor. Amanda and I had a good time but really I will write tomorrow. I'm dying here. Night.

Oh yeah! I feel goooooood!

I just took a nice long ride around my side of town. It's a BEAUTIFUL day out, about 72 i guess. Not a cloud in the sky, nice breeze, wonderful sunshine. I call this set of photos, "Hometown Photo Tour."

Enjoy.


Tree in my neighborhood.
The softball fields where I spent a few summers sneaking beers into the stands by carrying a larger than normal purse...
I had to take a break at the ball park to reminisce about the good ole days. Remember my pretty new shoes I bought in St. Thomas? Yep, thats them... dirty and gross. NO. I don't wear socks thankyouverymuch! Socks are opressing.
I swear there are crop circles in this grassy area....
The creek where Mike, Jenn, CJ, Zach and I got busted by the cops on Halloween when we were in the 8th grade. I did NOT inhale. Really. That shit is for boring stoners...

Bike likes to take in the scenic views from the bridge too.



The school where I went to 7th, 8th and 9th grade.
An homage to Maria's biking pics, I nearly crashed taking this.

Right!

I'm off to ride the bike! See ya!

Hmmm... Chillin on a Wednesday night.

Hello everyone! Things are very chill around here for the time being. I have had time to tell my "was gonna be boss" in Utah that unfortunately I wont be coming to work for her, which was hard for me to do because I hate disappointing people, even people I don't know. She was really great about it and told me that I need to do what's best for me and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks because in the long run, others will do what's best for them no matter what you think. It's true and good advice. I changed my flight from Salt Lake City to Ft. Lauderdale for November 17th. If I don't get a job through my crew agencies before then I am going to stay with my friend Courtney and pound the docks till somebody lets me on their boat.

In other news, I started riding mom's bike yesterday and damn I am out of shape. I rode once around the neighborhood and my lungs felt like they had never expanded that far ever. Oh I had to sit in my LoveSac for twenty minutes just to recover. I have been doing sit ups and push ups all week too so maybe it will show soon. Today I went riding again and I did better, I was worn out but at least I didn't have to lay down for twenty mins afterwards. The ride was better because Dad aired up the tires and when I got home from my ride I inspected the brakes and realized that the port side brake pad is constantly rubbing on the rim so its making the bike harder to pedal. I will work on that tomorrow. I am really good at working on bikes seeing as how a bike was my only transportation for the two years I lived in Key West.

I did get a nibble on the boat job bait today. I found a listing for a temporary stewardess starting this week and going till mid december. I could do that while I look for something permanent. Pay is good. It's a delivery job from New England down to Florida. I would take anything at this point. I am hoping to get a job that lets me live in Ft. Lauderdale but I will take a full time live aboard position that travels if they pay well. It would be fun to live on land and have the option of running down to Key West for the weekend but what's more important to me at this point is getting a good savings going. I am so tired of being a poor boat girl. I want to be able to build my Tumbleweed Tiny House in the middle of nowhere by next fall. If I go ahead and get something full time and save my paychecks instead of blowing them on stupid stuff I will be able to afford it. I am going to get me one of those fun little savings counters like Maria has and start my house fund.

The picture above is the house I want to build.

Here is John McCain's "Concession" speech.

Gripping, riveting, unforgettable...

This year, I put chocolate on my ice cream cone.

I just voted for the first time in my life!!!

:)

Oh hell no!

This video was shot by some folks near bermuda. Scary as hell. You can even see the tail fin at one point, that's what sold me on the video's authenticity.


The Real Jaws from Christian on Vimeo.

I has a fever...

"Sea-Fever"

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

By John Masefield (1878-1967)

Sunday Funday!

Today I will, take some clothes to Plato's Closet and maybe get some cashola to pay for new contacts. I will also wash my friend Amanda's car because it's sitting outside my house and it's FILTHY! And then I will dye my hair because my roots are out of control.

Oh and I got an email from a boat owner in Lauderdale that is doing a trip to the Bahamas and needs a stewardess/deckhand for the trip, could be a good way for me to get to FL. Even if it is for just a week or so at least it will be money coming in and give me more time to look for a long term job. I was also thinking of freelancing! I hear it can be a great way to have money in the pocket and also have something that resembles a Life. Hmmm.... I will have to talk to Kendra at LuxYachts about that one too...

Anyway, I am trying to loose some LB's before I go to FTL. I would show you pictures of my "maybe roommates" but you would all gag and hate them like i do because they are MODELS and wear a size zero!!! Courtney says they are lovely girls though and I really bet they are, that talk is just me being jealous for becoming a fat pig. peace love hearts flowers.

On our last weekend of Bush as our Potus....

Happy Halloween!!!

Click HERE for a funny halloween tradition to look out for tomorrow morning.

Found HERE on Apartment Therapy.com

just vote.

I HAVE TOTALLY LOST MY MIND!!!

And I can't even write about it. I'm having a hard time finding a place to live in Utah. It's not falling together like I think it should. It doesn't feel right. I'm already having withdrawls, I miss the water, and I don't want to be cold. I guess I am writing about it.

I had a moment of weakness and got a little down about my rotten luck with the yacht in Seattle. I thought it meant I needed to try something different. Maybe it just meant I needed to try again.

Here's the story...

Mom and Dad will be relieved to hear this news. I have been feeling this for a few days now and tonight it all came to climax while I was chatting online with an old friend from Key West.

Courtney and I have been friends since 2003 when I moved to Key West. You see, she is a badass. When I was a lowly dock girl selling day trips on the Schooner Liberty, before anyone even let me attempt to train on board, Courtney was the Firs Mate on a Parasail Boat at the same marina. She's just a badass. Anyway, we lost touch like people do and due to the majic of Facebook and Myspace we have reconnected and have been chatting frequently this year. When I told Courtney about my bad luck and getting laid off from the Seattle yacht she got all excited and decided it was a sign that I should come to Ft. Lauderdale and stay with her for a while, after all, it is the Mega Yacht Capital of the world. Now, any normal, "sign seeing" person would have seen that as a good idea, but I decided to wait it out. I was a little depressed I have to admit.

I had totally forgotten about that fleeting conversation when tonight Courtney instant messaged me and we started to chat. She was telling me all about Ft. Lauderdale and how great it was and she mentioned again that I should come stay with her at her new apartment. I told her I couldn't afford rent at a condo in Lauderdale at the moment and she just laughed and said " I didn't ask you to pay rent, I told you to come stay with me for a while and look for a job here, if you find one and leave thats cool and if I decided to stay then we could wait till the next month before we worry about rent." Can we say "HERE'S YOUR SIGN" ?
Then she continued to berate me about how I was a boat chick and to just get over it because I was going to regret being cold constantly... She's right.

P.S. The rent in Lauderdale is the same as what I would be paying in Utah. Ahem....

Let the comments begin....

Yes I know... I am a flake. I feel like a big flake. I don't know what to do.
I do know that being in Lauderdale is what's best for my career.

p.s. again I put out an email to my agent in lauderdale to ask her what she thought about me moving there, if she thinks it would help me get a job and if she knew of any shore based or freelance positions... we shall see.

Another perk... Courtney is a personal trainer... yep... she would kick my ass into shape...

Got this from the Ski Utah blog. Cute!

Ski Utah blog here.

In response to Russell's bad idea to make fun of a cultural icon...

Russell resigns from Radio 2


i still love russell brand.

Here is the recipe for the Rolo Cookies!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST(R) All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
48 Rolo(R) Chewy Caramels in Milk Chocolate, unwrapped
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating (optional)

Cooking Directions:

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; mix well.
In large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour mixture; blend well. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pecans. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes for easier handling.
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 tablespoon dough around 1 caramel candy, covering completely.
In small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Press one side of each ball into pecan mixture. Place, nut side up, 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes or until completely cooled.
Melt candy coating in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.
Yield: 48 servings

I just poured a half a bottle of Wild Turkey down the drain...

I decided to have a sip for old times sake... I nearly yacked all over the place... i went right into the bathroom and poured it down the drain. I have never abused alcohol like that... I feel bad about pouring it out... some homeless bum would have liked it. My brother would have taken it... oh well.

HAHA HAHHA GOBBLE THAT TURKEY!

It's coming...

The snow... It's on it's way to Utah finally! Forecast says Monday! Yay! Can't wait to get there... sure wish I had a room... haha! I am sure something will come up, I still have 3 weeks to find a place!

I have decided to make some Egg Nog.

I think my dad is worried about me now... haha I was standing on the stool reaching in the highest cabinet in the kitchen pulling bottles of alcohol out and placing them gently on the counter as if he wouldn't hear the glass clacking on the tile counter tops. He was playing the mandolin... Anyway, I finally got to the very back of the cabinet where I knew my mother hid the bottle of Wild Turkey she found in my room over a year ago. I pulled it out, over the Crown Royal and through the muffin tins (to grandmother' house we go) and then put all the other liquors back in the cabinet. With my bottle of WT on the counter I noticed we needed to make a pitcher of tea. So I got the pitcher and the sugar and made some tea, dad got up and walked to the garage door and paused when he walked past the wild turkey bottle and just kinda glanced at it... then walked outside. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. yarrrrrrrrr! I bet he thinks i'm back here swillin outta the bottle!

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
9 Eggs separated
1 cup extra fine sugar !DO NOT USE confectioners sugar!
2 cups light cream
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup Wild Turkey Bourbon Whisky
1/2 cup Remy Martin VSOP
( substitute Christian Brothers Brandy for a sweeter drink )

3 large mixing bowls
a whisk or electric beater
Directions:
Chill all ingredients Metal and glass bowls

Place 9 egg yolks into a bowl and add sugar. Beat until thick. Add light cream, bourbon, and congac. Set aside.

Place 9 egg whites into a bowl and beat to soft peaks.
Do not make stiff peaks as this will make the eggnog separate. Set aside.

Place heavy cream into a bowl and beat until whipped cream.

Gently fold all 3 bowls together into your punch bowl.

Enjoy with some freshly grated nutmeg.


It's the HOLIDAYS!! Just drink it!
Keeping the eggnog cool is always good so don't put it by the fire. Don't over mix or stir the eggnog in the serving bowl. Gently fold it together if it needs it after an hour or so. A small spice grater and whole nutmeg by the bowl makes it real nice!

For my viewing pleasure.

I already own National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation so I don't need to steal it from YouTube. But I don't own the other mandatory viewing... How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It's in 3 parts, enjoy!

For LYVVIE!!!!!! ahem....

SWEET POTATO CASSAROLE

you need:
1 can of sweet potatos
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
about a handfull of mini marshmallows


Open the can of sweet potatoes with a can opener almost all the way so you can use the lid to strain the juice.
KEEP THE JUICE!
Pour the juice from the sweet potatoes into a sauce pan
add the white and brown sugar to the sauce
you want to cook this mixture on low-med STIRRING CONSTANTLY
you can bring it up to a low boil to make the process go faster but you have to really be on it and not let it scorch.

Stir and cook the sauce till its nice and thick like between honey and molasses.

put the sweet potatoes in a small dish about 6" by 6" or something to that effect
pour the sauce over them and put it in the oven on 350 for about 10 mins or so till warm.
take it out of the oven and sprinkle the mini marshmallows on top in an even layer covering all the sweet potatoes.

pop it back in the oven for just a couple of mins till the marshmallows are browned slightly

BE CAREFUL YOU KNOW HOW FAST MARSHMALLOWS BURN!!!

ta da!

dig in.

I will post the chocolate rolo cookie recipe next.

this pic is not mine but i forgot to take a pic of mine and it looked so much better.... :)

The big thanksgiving...

Well, after everyone said their hellos and got comfy the long lost cousins got up and started to leave and take 3 people with them BEFORE we ate!!! I almost blew a gasket!!! OHHHHHHHHHH NO! NOBODY IS BAILING OUT ON THIS GOOD OLD FASHIONED FAMILY THANKSGIVING NO WAY!!! I almost went crazy just like this....



Thankfully my father saw the crazy in my eyes and told everyone just to relax and stay a while... good thing too... i had a cassarole dish full of molten candied yams and I wasn't afraid to use it....

Whew,,,

it was a success! i will post the fam reunion pics soon. been cleaning and drinking wine...

HAL-LEY-LOO-YAH! HOLY SHIT!

Add another 2 people to the guest list!!! Uncle Derwood and Aunt Betty are coming too!!! Thats 10 people!!! I have to peel more potatoes and make the sweet potatoe cassarole!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Oh MY GOSH!

Mini Griswold famly gathering crisis. I started making the greenbean cassarole... i messed up the ingredients but don't tell anyone, we will see how it turns out... i don't eat it so I wouldn't know...

Got a call from Grandma, looks like we are having 2 extra guests for dinner, some long lost relatives I either met when I was 2 or never... so I am running around doubling up on food and making extra side dishes....

I knew there was a reason I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation this morning....

Turkey Time!

Naked raw turkey... ready to enter roasting compartment. NOW!

Oh! I made these mini apple pies yesterday...

I got the idea from Lyvvie.

The chocolate Rolo cookies

It's Thanksgiving again!!!

Today I am busy cooking Thanksgiving dinner for Mom, Dad, Jeff, Grandma and Grandpa!!! It's the second time this year! Before I went to Seattle we had turkey day because we thought I wouldn't be here for it. Well, we all know how Seattle turned out... Now I am back home but it looks like I won't be here for Thanksgiving again, and the grandparents are stopping by for the night so we decided to do it again!!! I love it and I don't mind cooking it. I made a honey glazed ham this morning because I think it's acceptable to eat that at room temperature. It was actually just a ham and I made a brown sugar honey glaze from scratch, I let the ham cook for about 40 mins then I smeared the glaze all over it and cranked it up to 400 for about 10 mins to caramelize the glaze. It looks yummy!

I just whipped up a batch of cookies, not sure what they are called, but they are chocolate, with a Rolo in the middle so when you bite into them its melty chocolatey caramel!!! I made those from scratch too. The dough is in the fridge cooling so it's easier to handle, so says the recipe so I will post pics when they are done!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

lol'd so much i think i woke mom up...

This is a little disheartening.

There is a big giant High Pressure system just SITTING over utah. Just sitting there, the sun a shining, temperatures mild, barely dropping to freezing at night. I have been looking at the ski and snowboard blogs and they are going crazy! Apparently this is the first year in their memories that they haven't been out on the slopes "shreading freshies" at this time of year. Is it really possible that my bad luck has already infected Utah? I have always been a hurricane magnet and I firmly believe that St. Thomas was spared because the hurricane realized I had moved away the night before squashing the island and altered course to go between the BVI and Sint Maarten so it wouldn't hurt anyone. Now my bad karma is getting a jump on my winter escapades. I really hope Utah gets dumped on soon or I'm gonna get really bummed out.

p.s. i only thing 38% of this blog entry is true.

So funny!!!

I found this on the "If it's hip it's here" blog on my list to the right!

DAD ONLY HAS ONE MORE CHEMO LEFT!

Woo hoo! Dad went in for treatment number 7 today and came home with good news! He only has to have 8 treatments! So two weeks from today he will be all done with the chemo and they will start radiation which shouldn't be as bad, or take as long I don't think.

In other news, I am knitting some leg warmers! I will post pics as soon as I am finished! :)

Looking for a place to live in Alta...

It's pretty hard... well... not really... it's just hard to decide which place to take... all the houses are big, like 5 bedrooms so you have to live with at least 4 other people which can be challenging. I will let yall know when anything exciting happens... pretty chill around here. :)

THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG!!!

I GOT THE JOB!!!! I am the new Ski Demo Girl at Alta Ski Resort! What is a Ski Demo Girl you ask? Well... let me tell you how I got the job...

My interview with Stephanie went really well this morning and she said she would let me know within the next week if I had the job or not. We talked about my experience with boats and being hands on and how much I liked getting into the thick of it and getting greasy and learning all about the way things worked, she mentioned the Ski Demo Shop and told me that's where the skis get tweaked and waxed and repaired and fitted and all that good stuff. She said she thought I would be good at that. I agreed. She didn't mention it again and we got off the phone a while later. This afternoon she emailed me and offered me the retail job at the ski shop, but at the end of the email she asked me what I thouht about working in the demo shop because she thinks I would be great at it. It pays the same AND I get to learn how to work on skis and all that good stuff plus... I work with all guys. :) She said they need a female influence down there and she thinks I'll be great at handing out the ass whoopins. :) I can't wait. I bought my flight ticket this afternoon and now I am in the market for a place to live. I have quite a few leads on cheap places to stay so I'm not going to stress about that. I leave November 13th! Now I have to dig out my long sleeved t-shirts and buy some long johns. wooooooo hoooooooooooooo! I'M GONNA MAKE THE BEST SNOW ANGEL EVER!!! Just wait and see...

That pic is the view from where I will be working.... YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

The interview...

went really great!!! She said she would let me know sometime this week as I was her first interview. She said there are 46 employees at the mtn. and this year they only had 6 open positions, as in, 40 employees came back from the previous year! That says something about the way they run, sounds like they are a pretty good company to work for. Now... I wait... but first... I eat mexican food... :)

yup.

Interview in an hour!

In t minus 59 minutes, I will be on the phone with someone from the Deep Powder House in Alta, UT. Wish me luck. Either way it's gonna be a good day because Mom and I will be having lunch with Aunt Diane at Jalapeno's Mexican Food place and I LOVE Mexican food. :) I will let yall know...

OK, HERE'S THE PROM DRESS...

It's a picture of a picture taken with my computer so the quality isn't that great but you get the gist.... my high school didn't have a dress code for prom until I wore this dress... they created one in my honor... I love my life.

cleaning out the closet!

Found my Burton gloves that I bought like 5 years ago when I worked at Sun and Ski Sports in Houston. I bought them with my employee discount, and I also bought snowboard pants and a snowboard jacket and snowboard boots and goggles. To this day I have yet to use any of it. I moved to the islands soon after! Ugh. Since then I have given my snowboard boots and Oakley goggles away to my ex-best friend Laurie. But I still have the pants, and gloves and I take that back, I always wear that jacket. It's a really nice jacket. I found this piratey hat and my fat hippie headband my friend Jess in Australia gave me. I am getting rid of all my old formal dresses, all but my prom dress. That dress is one of a kind and I refuse to give it up. I am trying to keep myself busy. I think I will go empty the dishwasher....

ok ok... this is it.

Yep, a guy riding a horse down the highway. Texas.

I got attacked by that grass by my legs and I had itchy seeds all over my shorts!!! That's what happens when you stop at roadside treasure troves... 
The booming metropolis of Gause, TX
Small town cute.
Blah... entering back into Dallas....
I wish roadtrips didn't have to end.

but wait... more...

It's a deer! Just walking around the neighborhood...

Some Kayakers on the Comal
Old barn on Hwy 77
Entering the Lost Pines area of TX