Foto Friday: Photobooth fun!

A few weeks ago (I told you these updates would be non-linear!), I attended my friend Jacqui’s wedding. It was a lot of fun, but I don’t have many pics from that night (other than a HILARIOUS–but unintentional–shot of me doing the “Carich dance.”)

The wedding was super fun… and they had a photobooth!  I’ve seen this on TV before, but never in real life. 

Basically, they have a booth set up and you get your picture taken (like you did at the mall when you were in Jr. high).  Except now they give you two printouts of your photos–one for you to keep and one that you paste in a book for the bride and groom.   There’s also a digital record–which Jacqui posted on facebook for the world to see.   SO FUN!!

Kyle and I. That last pic is horrendous...and priceless!

Group shot-- fun with props!

Me, Erin, Steph

Kyle is P.I.M.P.

Halloween Weekend

Yes, I’m a week behind… but that’s how I roll!

Last weekend was super fun-filled.  It started off with a surprise 50th birthday party for my Aunt Shelly.    It was a great party–lots of friends/family, good food, etc.

I loved this idea:  They had “50 faces of 50″ where everyone got a mask/necklace with a photo of Shelly at various ages.  I think mine was 1972:

My cousin's son, Dylan, had a lot of fun with it too...

He's a ham

They also did a really sweet slide show set to music.  There were a couple photos of me in there that I’d rather forget ;)  If I can get a copy of them, maybe I’ll post.  Maybe not :)

 

Shelly and Dana watching the slideshow

Megan and I (photo credit: Dylan)

 

Dylan and Mom attempt a self-portrait

After the party, I made the wise decision to bring copious amounts of wine to my friend Kim’s house.  She’d had a rough week, so I decided to cheer her up.  Greeat idea.

And now… the Halloween pictures:

I had been teetering back and forth between going out for Halloween and not.  It’s my FAVORITE holiday, but none of my usual crowd was doing anything.  So I was happy when some of the boyfriends friends asked me to join them.  YAY for dress up!

Since I didn’t really have a costume “planned,”  I dug out the dress-up tub and put together this concoction.  Most people thought I was your average run-of-the-mill Streetwalker, but I prefer to call her Charlene.  I think she has an 80’s Southern vibe to her (maybe b/c I wore the same wig as Dolly Parton?  IDK)

 

The "getting ready in the bathroom" pic. LOL.

 

 

The bigger the hair, the closer to God

 

 

 

 

 

Outside a bar w/random cast of characters

 

our group at the party--note the tights

 

another group shot--this time w/Chad aka 'Death'

 

 

Charlene and Waldo

Andy's Hooter's girl was a BIG hit.... He makes a better girl than I do!

 

 

 

Bloggity Bloggity Boo

I’m going to stop apologizing for not posting more often.  To paraphrase a popular book/movie title:  I’m just not that into it.

But, since you’re all dying to know what I’m up to, here’s the rundown:

• Halloween– I was going to do a Foto Friday each day this month of my favorite costumes from prior years.  But, well, I didn’t.   Look for one soon.  Maybe.   I’m working on my costume for this year.  Last year I was lame and didn’t dress up.  This year I’m dressing up, but I don’t have any definite plans, so my costume might be lame.  Whatever.
  
  
• Family stuff-  Last weekend we threw a shower for my sister-in-law. It was fairly low-key but I think she got lots of stuff.  There were LOTS of babies there.  We figured out that out of the 7 “kids” in my mom’s family, 6 of them will have a new grandchild this year.  Yowzah!!   I’ll post pictures if I ever get any (I am still sans camera).After the shower my friend Kelly and her two kids stayed with me overnight.  It was the first time I had youngsters at my house.  It was fun and I  survived!
  
  
• Running--  I made it one full week on my new program and then completely fell off the wagon.  I started back yesterday.  I was hoping to run a race in late November, but it is already full, so I’m looking at one on Nov. 1.    There’s a 10K option and a 5K option. I can’t decide which to do.  I won’t “technically” be done with my 10K program by then… but maybe if I sign up for it, I’ll have the motivation to kick it into high gear?   Or should I just do the 5K and work on getting a better time.  (note: Nov 1 is the day after Halloween and thus far my longest run is only 4 miles.)Oh, and I still haven’t bought my “rewards” for the last 5K. I’m thinking of getting an iPhone instead of a sports watch.  They have apps for running PLUS it has a camera and I’ve wanted one for a long time.

• Friends– I have another wedding in November. The bride’s sister had a super fun couples shower a couple of weeks ago complete with HILARIOUS scavenger hunt and newlywed game.  Alas–no pix of that either.   The bachelorette party is in a couple of weeks.  Hopefully I’ll be able to take pix by then.   Posts without photos are just no fun!
• Pop Culture stuff– Besides running (or not) and planning parties, I just watched the entire season of Warehouse 13.  Good, not great– Kinda like an Xfiles/Alias mixture with some Star Wars references mixed in.  The first season just ended, but I’ll probably watch next season.  I’ve also been catching up w/Glee on Hulu.  Hopefully I can start watching in real time this week.   This week’s Mad Men (which I just watched yesterday) had me dumbfounded.    I’ve been trying to watch Season 2 of True Blood, but I have to rely on the kindness of others for that since I gave up HBO (damn economy!)   I also watched the Rob Zombie movie House of a Thousand Corpses this weekend.   It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.  Kinda reminded me of a Nine Inch Nails video. 

Proof that my friends are awesomer than I am

Friend #1 ( Yesterday, via IM):  Hey, did you know that Cross Canadian Ragweed is playing here in a couple months?

Friend #2 (Today, via email):  Air Supply is coming to Indy.  Tickets are CHEAP.

See…  my friends not only know my obscure quirky really *cool* taste in music, they also know that I’m always down for a live show!

Foto Friday: Wild Wedding

Remember when I told you my friend Stephanie was engaged? Well, now she’s hitched and I was lucky enough to be one of her bridesmaids.  Some of my favorite shots from the festivities:

Bachelorette party, complete with homemade shirts

Clennon and I at the rehearsal dinner

the bride and I before the ceremony

the entire bridal party!

In the limo

Pit stop at Tumble Inn

and another at Senators Inn

Cory & I before our grand entrance

With some of of my besties

And my hot date...who likes to twirl!

It was a super fun night… with LOTS of pictures, plenty of beer, and a bunch of laughs.  I’m so happy I was able to be a part of such a wonderful day!

Foto Friday: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Last weekend (yes, I’m that far behind) I took a road trip with Stephanie and Drew to visit our friends Jennifer and Drew in Ohio.  We visited them in their lovely home and then went to a Cubs-Reds game.   Cubs lost (boo!), but a  great time was had by all:

Steph and Drew at a bar in Kentucky

recreating their engagment pix

our hosts... pondering something serious

Steph and Drew overlooking the river

The view from the bleachers

My BFFs: Self-portrait attempt #1

We ate a LOT of contraband peanuts

Jennifer and Drew

Dorks

Self-portrait attempt #2. This pic is horrible, but I LOVE it 'cuz it's sooooo us!

The game went into extra innings. They stopped serving beer after the 7th. What else was I going to do?

A mini-reunion

Some of you might remember that a while back, I re-connected with my college friend Jessie via facebook.  (Don’t remember?  Read this post!)

Well, On Thursday, I was lucky enough to re-connect with Jess in person–after 10 years!!  She was in Chicago visiting family, so our friend Kelly and I drove in to meet her.

We had some beer, some Chicago-style pizza and lots and lots of laughs.  We were able to reminisce about the “good ole” days and I was able to meet her partner Kirsten, who is a doll.

The only thing missing from this reunion was our other friend (and now my sister-in-law) Jo.  She lives in Southern Illinois and couldn’t get off work, but we called her so that she could at least feel like she was part of the festivities.

Here’s to old friends!!

Kirsten and Jess

Kelly and I-- self-portrait!

The girls of Hewett 6 (minus Jo)

group shot self-portrait: Kelly, Cari, Jess, Kirsten

Long time, no blog

I know the “too busy to blog” excuse is getting lame.  But it’s true.  I was hoping to write some proper blog posts, but since some of you like lists (shout out to Harley Quinn– I loved your last comment!), I figured I’d save myself the trouble of actually having to write anything.

In the last week and a half or so I:

• Witnessed masked Mexican wrestling in Chicago.  It was awesome.
• Tasted cucumber-flavored candy.  It was awful.
• Learned that you really can’t just miss your connecting flight or your entire ticket is invalidated.
• Re-booked my ticket.  Twice.
• Got hit on by a Greek waiter in Chicago and a Mexican bar patron in Minneapolis.
• Spent entirely too much time on Sporcle.  Finally learned the correct spelling of Kazakhstan.  It comes in handy.
• Ate some killer Malaysian food in MPLS.  Heard a great (albeit very broken) story about a fire in a Malaysian place in Chicago.
• Witnessed and responded to an on-the-job accident. Not real common in my line of work.
• Learned I like tamales.
• Congratulated a friend on her recent engagement. Yay Keem!
• Almost forgot, and then lost, and then found my journal/notebook.
• Saw Star Trek. Loved it, despite zero familiarity with the original.  Reminded me a lot of Star Wars, actually.  And Lost.
• Met (and held!) another newborn baby.
• Picked up a new nickname (which I’m trying HARD to not let stick).
• Ran my second 5K, less than a month after my first, with no iPod. After being gone for a week and out drinking the night before.
• Mowed my lawn immediately after the 5K.  Bad idea.
• Learned that I was selected to be a Nielsen “family.”  I can’t wait to report my 2.5 hours of TV watching a week.
• Improved my ability to ride public transportation.
• Received a comped dessert because dinner took so long.  Waited about 20 mins for said dessert.
• Had multiple weird conversations about weight loss.  Including one that started with “I hope you’re not offended, but…”  Um, no, not offended!
• Took a photo next to a statue of Mary Tyler Moore.
• Met a friend’s new boyf.
• Spent Mother’s Day with my mom, brother, and sister-in-law. Against our advice, my mom insisted on having it at her house and making all the food.
• Ran in Chicago.  Gave unsuspecting motorist directional advice.  Felt really bad afterward.
• Attended a baby shower and graduation party.
• Received invitations to two other baby showers.
• Witnessed teachers literally FIGHTING over free books.
• Engaged in some tipsy shopping.  Bought books and a belt between happy hour and an awesome wine-fueled dinner.

Things I haven’t done

• unpacked
• watched last week’s Lost
• slept, at least not much

Let me Explain. No, there’s not time. Let me sum up.

I’ve been a bit busy lately.  Here’s what I’ve been up to the past 8 or 9 days.

Went to see an AWESOME high school production of Footloose.  My friend was playing in the “orchestra” (if that’s what you call it.)  Cheesy.  High School.  Great costumes.   Can’t beat it with a stick.

Baby shower for Kristi.  Aren’t they cute?

Kristi and Lindsey

Celebrated Kari’s 30th bday (a week early) with a surprise party at J2.  Check out these kids.   Cuteness abounds in my circle.

Beau and Macie mini-bowling

NKOTB, part deux.  This time, we did it up limo-style:

Limo girls in Larry’s shed

shots at the pink house

We had 9th row seats

The “Kids” Wore Illinois shirts for the encore

Ran the FULL 5K for the first time.   Good thing, ‘cuz it’s Saturday. I’m READY TO RUN!

Wrote two stories for my class that I actually like.  They’re about Italian circus performers, naturally ;)

Met threebabies for the first time:  Clennon’s son Neil and Jacelyn’s twins Jacob and Dylan. I even held and fed Dylan, which is quite a feat for me because I’m not much of a baby person–and he was only 4 years old!

Took Roxie to get her shots.  And then to the Emergency Vet for the allergic reaction to her shots.   Her face swelled up like Will Smith in Hitch. It’s funny now, but I was too worked up at the time to snap a pic.  Damn!

Helped celebrate the birthdays of Scott and Kari

Caught about half of The Princess Bride, thus the title of this post.

And then everyday stuff like work and chores and running… I’m kinda worn out, but I cannot WAIT until Saturday.   Don’t worry–there will certainly be a 5K update very soon!!

The Hostess with the Mostest– accidents, that is!

I love “entertaining.”  Since I live by myself, I don’t normally cook that much, but I enjoy doing it from time to time.  Plus, it’s just nice to have a full house every once in a while.

This week* I decided to host two events at my house, the rationale being that I’d only have to clean once.  SCORE!!

Thursday night was book club. 

It was one of the best meetings in recent memory.   We read This is Your Brain on Music, which was fascinating, if a bit dry.  But the most fun came when we played songs for one another.  It was really great to listen to some different types of music and to be able to share what we liked with one another.  You can read more about it (and see pictures!) on our book club blog.  (yeah, we’re that cool!)

Oh, and I broke a wine glass that night.  It was my wine glass, so I didn’t feel so bad.  Just a little embarrassed/clumsy.

Friday night was Bunco night! 

We haven’t played Bunco in months so it was good to get everyone together again.  I made a taco/nacho bar that seemed to go over well and, as always, there were lots and lots and lots of drinks.  Unfortunately, there aren’t many pictures.   I was apparently having too much fun playing hostess to remember to take photos, even though I had my camera out.   Plus, there’s the unfortunate situation with my camera cord (see below)  D’oh!!    

For the first time in maybe forever I actually WON!!  I got most wins and a $25 prize.  Awesome!

The “highlight” of the evening came when I decided to sit on my fold-up buffett table.   I had already put most of  the foodstuffs away and we were just sitting around gabbing.   I hopped up onto the table and it decided to fall out from under me… everything on the table (the remainder of the food, the tablecloth, me) slowly but surely slid to one side.  Everyone was laughing so hard they were crying and Kim managed to snap this pic with her cell phone (the quality isn’t great, but I think you get the point)

FAIL

After that we decided to go to the local strip club.  Yeah, yeah, I know… but I’m fascinated with strippers… and it’s within walking distance… and it’s a bit of a tradition.

Anyway, this was NOT my night to be at the “club.”   I got knocked in the head by a stripper heel and had to call security on a creepy guy who wouldn’t leave us alone.  

Note to guys:  Just because girls are in a strip club doesn’t mean they want to sleep with you.  Or talk to you.  So when someone asks you to leave, LEAVE!!  Don’t argue, just move on.  Get yourself a lap dance or something.

In conclusion, I had two parties at my house in two nights.  I’m 2-for-2 in breaking things:  first a wine glass, then a table.  Awesome!

—————–

*My mom’s &**%-ing really cute puppies chewed through my camera cord, so I can’t post pictures from LAST weekend, but now I’m caught up.. SCORE!!