I'm fixin' to take another trip

I'm off to LA next week. Ok, so it's a week away but I love travel so much that I'm already planning. I have a packed schedule and I'm not sure how I'm going to get to everything. I have a feeling I'll be wiped out when I get back but I'm really looking forward to it.

To prep for my trip I make a list of everything I am bringing with me. Then I make a list of the stuff I need to buy. Usually on that list is a bag of Combos. I don't know why but I always crave those when I travel. As far as packing, I have changed and that's probably because of my trips to Africa. Now I bring the bare minimum instead of the 3 outfit options per day as I would previously have packed. I try to only bring one or two pairs of shoes and multiple outfits that work with said shoes. This trip I may try to achieve the almost impossible...no checked luggage. I have insanely early flights (6am both times) and not having to go to the ticket counter would be a big bonus.

My big question...what do I buy as a graduation gift for a smart, artsy and slightly emo girl that would pack easily?

One more pic...

And of course I couldn't let the day go by without one of these...


When I'm 85 I'll still be taking pictures like this. I'm addicted.

I think I'm getting sick. I'm hoping it's just allergies and not an actual sinus thing. And I really hope it holds off until the weekend because I'm going to a Riverdogs game tomorrow night and I'm jonesing for free beer and a hot dog.

Trip to Canada

WalMart Canda is still WalMart.

We are all wearing very similar necklaces (diamond-esque hearts).

You'll just have to trust me on this one 'cause you can't really see Ginger's.

I wish I had Ann's knack for captions 'cause all those tools on the wall are screaming something but it's not coming to me right now. Anywhoodle, this was the reception hall. The opposite wall had windows decorated with lots of tulle and pine needles thus embracing both the nuptuals and the great outdoors.

The tables. Her mom quilted the runners. They were gorgeous. And I was thrilled that I got to keep one of them.

The happy couple.

The church. Isn't it so cute?

MmmmmMojitos!

I would like to grill some tequila lime shrimp and a nice carne asada this weekend. My father however wants burgers and hot dogs. BORING! Anyway I think we'll do burgers and dogs one night and the other stuff another night. Mainly the reason I want to make the Mexican stuff is so I can make mojitos. With most meals there seems to be a drink motivation.

My friend Dana is coming to visit this weekend. I think she's bringing her dog, Loki. He's adorable. Gus will not be a happy dog.

Southern differences

Employee Appreciation Day at my job in LA: at a park, dumb games, families invited, decent food, etc.

Employee Appreciation Day at my job in S.C.: at the beach, dumb games, no families invited, decent food, and a blessing for said food. Seriously. We pray here. The only time anyone prayed in L.A. was after the towers went down in NYC. Our company occupied 2 floors in one of the towers and we lost like 140 people. It was well known that I and a co-worker, Dan, were Christians so they asked either one of us to pray at a staff meeting once. I'm prayer shy and thankfully Dan is not so he took that one. It's amazing to be at a place where it's assumed you have some sort of a relationship with God. They don't ask if you go to church, they ask where you go to church. Even if you only go on those two popular times a year (Christmas & Easter), you have a church that most of your family attends and has attended since the 1800s.

Too funny

I don't mean to advertise but Christy sent me this link and I fell for this t-shirt:



I hope I'm not ruining any movies for anyone...

Moooo, eh?

It's the subtle differences that matter most. For instance, their milk comes in a bag. They have tire stores that sell much more than tires. Their chipmunks are cheekier than ours but I'll tell you about that in a moment.

I had a good but busy time in Canada this past weekend. It was beautiful weather and we were really able to enjoy it. We ran a lot of errands and visited with a lot of people. Ash, my friend has an uncle who was very similar to your Uncle Lex. I guess we all have an Uncle Lex or in this case, Uncle John.

My dress had some issues but people said it was lovely and the wardrobe malfunction that could have happened didn't so that was good. I had to give a toast and I can't even tell you what I said. We played some fun games (wedding MadLibs, etc.) and there were some emotional speeches made. Overall it was a great time.

As we left very early on Sunday, we noticed that one of the cakes from the wedding (there was quite a selection) had all the chocolate dipped strawberries eaten off of it and there was a large hole in the window screen just above it. I guess some cheeky chipmunk got a whiff of those yummy strawberries and decided that he NEEDED cake. That's one determined chipmunk.

We were in Port Sydney which appears to be between Stephenson and Brunel. I circled it in purple. This was their version of Memorial Day weekend so a lot of people go up here to open their cabins for the summer.

Has anyone flown to Canada lately?

I have 45 minutes to run thru O'Hare to make my connection. I've run thru O'Hare before (technically I ran *under* O'Hare) and made it to my gate with no problem. This time though, I'm leaving my country for another so I'm hoping that doesn't mean a second trip thru security. I almost missed my flight once from Heathrow to L.A. because I had to stand in terribly long security lines. Ugh. I'm hoping and praying that this time will be much easier. The good news is that my bridesmaid dress and sparkly shoes will be on the plane with me so if my luggage gets lost I won't be too affected.

The irony is that I have a 4 hour layover at Dulles (Ash, wanna have lunch? I'm dying to see that belly!) on my way back. It's feast or famine with me, baby. I either have too much time or not enough. But it usually works out ok. On Sunday I'm probably getting a ride with someone who has a very early flight. So here's hoping I can talk my way onto an earlier flight than my 4pm. Standby has always been kind to me so we'll see.

Anywho since I won't be posting for a while, here's something to think about...

Sweet relief

I never imagined that the thought of 5 days without having to talk to or smell someone would be so appealing. Forget that I'm going to be in a friend's wedding in Canada! I won't have to smell or talk to Perfume Pat for 5 whole days!

Oh and someone at NBC has their head on straight. Please to enjoy...

• NBC "bulks up" with 30 combined episodes of Heroes and Heroes: Origins, an innovative new spin-off that will introduce a new character each week, one of whom will be chosen by viewers through NBC.com to become a cast regular the following season.

• The network has ordered 30 half hours of the hit series The Office, including five hour-long episodes, and has also increased the season order for My Name Is Earl to 25 episodes.

Not to mention the fact that they renewed 30 Rock. As Ann would say...Huzzah!

Yay!

Mom's test results came back and she's fine. She has to keep her eye on things but for now she's all good. For that I am grateful.

This will be a short week for me because I'm heading out of the country on Thursday. What's cool is that I'm off work next Monday (21st). Then Thursday is Employee Appreciation Day out at the beach but I'm thinking I'm going to stay at the office and do some serious filing instead. Friday we'll most likely have a short day. Then the next Monday is Memorial Day. The week after that I'm off to L.A. on Thursday. I like not working full weeks.

Happy Friday!!!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Wednesday!

New Yorkers are funny...

Thanks to Christy, I've got a new past-time at work. It's the Overheard sites. They're all pretty great but I'm working my way through the NY version.

Dude: I don't think I'll do too well on The Price Is Right. I'm too used to Manhattan. I'd say 35 dollars for a box of Bounce. Then I'd be like, 'Holy sh!t, five bucks? Godd*amn, Bob, where the f*ck do you shop?!'


and another good one...


Thug #1: ... And I was like, 'D*mn, baby. I just bought you some pizza, we're about to see a movie -- is it really imperative that I buy you the Justin Timberlake CD so you can listen to it tonight?'
Thug #2: I know what you mean dog. My girl was beggin' me to buy her that new Akon sh!t.
Thug #1: Why can't bitches just be happy?


LAST ONE...I PROMISE


Student #1 filling out professor evaluation: What did you put?
Student #2: I wrote that I was unhappy with the lack of maturity he exhibited when referring to porn films.
Student #1: That's pretty bold coming from someone writing in pink pen.
Student #2: It's fuchsia!

Don't drop the soap, sweetie!

Why am I so excited about Paris going to jail? It's odd though. I think she really deserved to go for the drunk driving but she didn't have to. So now she's going for driving on a suspended license. Thems the brakes baby. I kind of agree that she doesn't deserve to go for the suspended license thing but if she had served time for the drunk driving thing then this wouldn't have been an issue. Then I heard her mom saying it's not fair and it's only happening because she's a celeb, blah, blah, blah. I'm sorry, she got out of it the first time because she's a celeb. What more does she want?!?!? Delusional!

Um, wow.

(click on the above and it *should* maximize so that you can read all the gory details)

If I had money I'd treat myself to something

I got A's in both classes. I was trying to post the grades as they appeared when I checked them but Blogger isn't very helpful with that type of thing. Oh well.

Time flies

I can't believe it's been a year. A whole year. 365 days. That's a lot of hours and even more minutes, you know, if you're counting.

Today is one of those days where I'm doing the exact same stuff I did on this exact day a year ago. And on this day when I was working on this same thing, exactly a year ago, a certain someone introduced me to his family as, "This is Alisa. She's the girl I was telling you about." [insert music] Memories....like the corners of my mind....misty water-colored memories....of the way we were....

Anywho, it seems like a lifetime ago. I wonder what I'll be doing next year on this day. Hopefully I'll be thinking about something and someone totally different (please God, let me at least be somewhere else) .

Urgh!!!

Commencement is this weekend and everyone is very stressed out. I want to smack them all but alas I cannot.

I read an interesting wedding announcement this weekend and sadly I couldn't find it online. I'll scan the announcement and post it tomorrow. You'll enjoy it.

"It's not a TOO-mah!"

I'm dehydrated!

I figured it out this morning on my drive to work and just confirmed it on WebMD. I wonder if a lot of people self-diagnose thanks to the internet these days. It's nice that I've figured out what's wrong and determined that it is not a brain tumor. Yes, that's where my mind went first. Anywhoodle, I'll go buy a bottle of Gatorade tonight and see if I can nip this in the bud before I have to go to the hospital again. Yes, again. I was hospitalized when I was a kid with dehydration. It was over Christmas and my poor dad thought I was going to die. Then when I was in college I started a heavy duty work out and my trainer did this thing where they put electrodes on you to figure out your BMI, etc. My trainer was concerned because I was borderline dehydrated and that's the way I've always been. I guess it just made a dip this month. Basically my headaches, nausea, dry mouth and increased thirst are all due to it. I'm not drinking as much water as I used to, though I drink more than anyone I know.

And since I was out yesterday, here's my delayed Butler pic for the week...


The Hugh Grant hair really suits him.