I am exhausted!

This weekend was jam-packed, and I mean jam-packed! But it was jam-packed with lots of fun! Kate, Kyle and their dog Abby came in town from St. Louis to visit and stayed with me. And the fun began Friday night around 10 and didn't stop until Sunday afternoon - and then I crashed and took a 2 1/2 hour nap. Much needed.

So, what all did we do? Well, if you're friends with Cole and me, you've heard us talk about Fast Lane. The Lokomotion/Chuck E Cheese for adults/Dave & Busters all rolled into one in Northwest Arkansas. That was Friday night. We played games, played laser tag, ate fried pickles and bowled all night long. And I have to throw in - I bowled a 181! I wish I had taken a picture! Then we all went back to my house and had a big sleep over. So much fun!

Kate and I discovering Dance Dance Revolution - who knew it was so fun?


Kate enjoying her 150 tickets from the Deal or No Deal game. This proved to be a very popular game among us.


Bo and Bailey hamming it up in the bowling alley - AKA Cosmo's Corner.


Cole working his magic. This is also a good picture of the bowling alley - there are big screens behind the lanes constantly playing music videos.


Saturday night was wedding time. Marlena Sweeney, a friend from college and a great fellow debater, married Michael Bond - coincidentally enough he's my boss Michele's brother. The wedding was at St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Springdale. Cole and I made it through the hour-long full Catholic mass complete with communion. The reception was at the Towne Center on the square. I saw a lot of old debate friends and my former debate coaches Leah and Keith Peterson.
Leah, Emily Story and I at the reception.


And Sunday was all about Fantasy Football drafting - next post.

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

This is not what the Westboro Baptist Church wants you to believe. This hate-filled group is well known (not for anything that positively impacts the world or themselves or their congregation) for picketing certain events, specifically funerals of fallen soldiers and well-known politicians or family members of politicians.

First of all, it makes me sick to enter their site http:www.godhatesfags.com. - please know I had to google this, I do not visit this site. But it also makes you want to laugh out loud that they use the words "God" and "hate" together so much on their Web site and in their everyday language. They do not preach love or tolerance or forgiveness - you may remember this is what the Bible talks about. Ironically enough, they preach the Bible by preaching hate. Below is what I would consider their pathetic "about them" section found on the homepage of their Web site:

"Since 1955, Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) has taken forth the precious from the vile, and is therefore as the mouth of God (Jer. 15:19). In 1991, WBC took her ministry to the streets, conducting over 34,000 peaceful demonstrations (to date) opposing the fag lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth."

Seems to me they cannot come up with anything better to bitch about besides the fact that there are people who live their lives openly gay and there are people who support it. I bet a few are just pissed off that they're gay themselves and are unable to admit it or act on it. Think about it, I bet some of them are gay. But that's not the point. Before I start a rant that is just as ridiculous as theirs I want to try and give you insight as to why they do the things they do. BUT I BARELY CAN! They're preaching is really just judging others and disrespecting millions of families.

I'm not going to preach - not my style - and you're not asking for it. But, it's so humorous (not really, but what else am I supposed to say?) that they cannot make a case for themselves except for "we live disgusting lives and God hates us for it." So, in turn they find it appropriate to picket Bill Gwatney's funeral and say that God sent the shooter because of his sins. And one of his sins is that he's friends with the Clinton's. Well, sign me up then. I just find it so inappropriate, weird, disgusting and bothersome.

If you feel like getting sick to your stomach you can visit their schedule of terror here. It lists Little Rock as one of it's stops before they scoot on to terrorize Isaac Haye's family. No that's not a joke. Check it out for yourself: http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html.

Do something good for the environment AND the water supply today

Fluorescent light bulbs and batteries contain toxic chemicals that are dangerous if they get into groundwater, air or soil and are absorbed even in small quantities. These products contain substances such as mercury, lead and PCBs and cannot be thrown out in your kitchen trash can - or your bedroom trash can. A single broken fluorescent light bulb (whose hazardous culprit is mercury) can contaminate as much as 7,000 gallons of water!

Light bulbs and batteries need to be recycled or treated as hazardous waste! So, the solution is below. If your city is not listed, you can google your city name and "solid waste" and I'm sure this information will appear. Also a great resource for finding a location near you is http://www.Earth911.org., which enables you to search by item and zip code for a recycling center.

For Fayetteville:
Bring them to us! We recycle ink jets and batteries at the Solid Waste and Recycling Facility for no charge. We are located at 1560 Happy Hollow Road in southeast Fayetteville and are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. Please take regular batteries to the Washington County Household Hazardous Waste trailer on Brink Drive. Their phone number is (479) 444-1725.

Also, many places such as Radio Shack, Office Depot and Best Buy will recycle these hazardous items.

NEW CAR!

Finally! After our scary wreck, the Vibe had to go! About three weeks ago Cole and I drove to Kansas City and picked up my new Nissan Altima! I did A LOT of research to find the car I wanted. It had to have everything on my list - and this one does plus more! It's an 06 with 23k miles, fully loaded, leather, sunroof, spoiler, ground effects, they tinted my windows, the coolest navigation system with screen that is not any extra a month, satellite connection and 6 disc Bose stereo system!

It's so wonderful and nice - I cannot wait to show it to my family next weekend!

Summer Treats

I've had the biggest sweet tooth lately! The last two Fridays at work we've had cupcakes from Rick's Bakery here in Fayetteville - they have the best ever. The icing is piled so high and the cupcakes are always moist and yummy.


And below is a picture of a cake I purchased from Cold Stone. Last Sunday I was craving it and decided that instead of waiting in the huge line I would purchase a small cake. Then I decided to be an airhead and think the "time" labeled on the cake (when it was made) - 9:33 - was how much it was. I assumed I'd spend that much anyway and I'd bypass the line - genius move, right? Not really, the cake was $25 but I was too embarrassed to put it back! You should have seen Cole's confused face when I was walking back to the car - I had gone in for ice cream for me and a milkshake for him! As you can see we have polished it off quite nicely.

What a disappointment...

I almost feel silly for being so disappointed in Edwards - obviously, we're not close friends. And although I never thought he should be our next president I felt he was an important figure in bringing the Democratic party back into the White House. I also felt he was a wholesome and moral Southerner who tugged at our heartstrings when he and his wife Elizabeth publicly discussed her terminal battle with cancer.

It's such a shame. And I think there's more to the story, and I'm really interested to know the outcome of the paternity test.

"And the days went by like paper in the wind. Everything changed, then changed again. It's hard to find a friend. It's hard to find a friend."

The last couple of weeks have been a little different for me. This year I've had three good friends move away from me for good. Not to mention, I'm still not over Sarah P moving back to Memphis! I'm happy for them because they're moving on to big and better things but I miss them so much! It has been a little lonely and I'm adjusting...I guess.

First Kate, who just finished getting her masters in Hospital Administration at UAMS, and Kyle moved to St. Louis at the beginning of the summer. Kate is starting her fellowship at the Barnes Jewish Hospital. This summer my family went to St. Louis while my grandmother was in town and I got to see Kate. I can't wait to go again.

And Elise! Elise who just got engaged and we have to help plan her wedding from SO far away! Elise and Ricky just moved - like last week - to New Orleans. This is good in that we have a free place to stay when we want to go to NOLA! Elise and Ricky moved so that Ricky can begin his four years in dental school. Then hopefully they will move back!

And a couple weeks before Elise and Ricky moved Nick and Amanda moved to Enterprise, AL (nice!) so that Nick could attend Flight School.

But, on a brighter note, Katie and Ehren moved back from Dallas to finish their last year in law school. They also got engaged - and job offers to Baker Botts Law Firm in Dallas! Alas, they will be moving at the end of next summer - after their lovely destination wedding, of course.

I miss my friends!

More of St. Croix

Like I said there are so many pictures of St. Croix I've added more below.

Spencer and I on the ferry in the bay in Christianstead going to K Island. A very small island (more of a big sandbar that fits a hotel and restaurant) in the bay. This is right after the boys got done with their deep sea fishing trip.


Will and I at the restaurant on the K.


The entire family minus Spencer (sad!) at the Cruzan Rum factory. We had a fun time learning how the rum is made. And a lot of fun sampling all the rum after the tour.


Below is the view of Cane Bay from the deck of our house. The little yellow boat you see is Dad and the boys diving "The Wall at Cane Bay." They call it The Wall because not far off the shore the ocean floor drops 13,000 feet - probably right where their boat is now where the water gets darker.


Here are Spencer and Will in first class on the way back home. Dad and Paige somehow got upgraded and gave their seats to the boys. They were cute when I walked by and took their picture. They were amazed they could have whatever they wanted for free - Will had two cups of coffee and three Cokes!

STX U.S.V.I.

There are so many pictures from St. Croix - 413 to be exact - so I will try to post the "most interesting ones." The entire (immediate) James family went at the beginning of July - me, Cole, Dad, Paige, Spencer, Will, Nanny and Sherry. We rented a house pretty much on the beach - it was actually up the hill (a 2 minute walk to the beach) which let us have a wonderful view of Cane Bay, which is located on the north shore of St. Croix. I never slept in past 9 and there was so much to do every day all day. Dad, of course, stayed the busiest of all of us while the rest of us enjoyed having full days and relaxing days. It was certainly a great time - thanks so much Dad and Paige!!

This is a picture of Dad and Nanny at the Off the Wall restaurant and bar that is on the beach down the hill from our house.


Dad and all the boys went deap sea fishing the second day we were there. This is them coming back from their eight hour trip into the bay at Christianstead. It's so beautiful there!


This is our family picture at the Rainbow Cafe - this restaurant/bar was located on the beach in Frederickstead. If we look like we're glistening a little - it's because it was hot. But hey, it's not so bad when you're on the beach in the Caribbean right? Right.


Spencer, Will and me at a stop during our jet ski tour around the island.


Cole and me during our jet ski tour. I love this picture - not because it's the most glamorous - but LOOK AT THAT WATER! The color of the water has nothing to do with the camera. That is how it looked. It was beyond amazing and I'd love to go back. Cole started calling it "his island" and still talks about moving there!

Tim McGraw is Sexy!

Look at him personally throw a concert-goer out when he apparently got overly aggressive with a woman in the audience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiAAIqFOrZE

Drip, Drip - Do something good for the water supply today

There are currently 400 million people worldwide facing severe water shortages, according to the United Nations. By 2050, that number will be 4 billion. In California for example, Governor Schwarzenegger has declared the first statewide drought in 17 years.

An enormous amount of water is lost through minor drips around the house - some that you might not even know about if your water bill isn't sky-rocketed like mine was earlier this year. A leaky faucet can lose up to 20 gallons of water a day, while a leaky toilet can flush an extra 200 gallons every day.

To test for an unknown leak, put five to ten drops of food coloring in the tank of your toilet. If ten minutes later there's coloring in the bowl (not your tank), you've got a leak that needs fixin'.

Also, if you water your grass or plants, water them in the morning or evening. Don't water them in the middle of the day as this is when the rays from the sun are harsh and will evaporate the water your plants need to survive.

Emergency Among Us

The near-and-dear to our hearts Buffalo Wild Wings in Fayetteville was located on this - list - and was served with a Business Closure Notification on 6/18/08. SAD! And stupid! Pay your freaking taxes. Rumor has it that BWW has been pocketing the 2% revenue from the new Fayetteville Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Tax.

Since they were served, they've been removed from the list. We shall see what happens...

UPDATE: BWW is still open for business at the moment.

Pathetic Souls

The below pin was being sold this past weekend by at the State Republican Convention in Texas. It was being distributed at a booth hosted by the Republicanmarket.

One comment to the link below says it all. "The fact that the GOP convention tolerated this says it all. It's pathetic that these idiots can even claim the "patriotic" label."

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/06/stick-a-pin-in-it.html

Do something good for the environment today

Wash your clothes in cold water - NOT HOT. Even warm water is better than hot. 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is used to heat the water. So, use cold water.

Also, hang up as many clothes as you can to dry and try to only do loads of laundry when you have full loads.

Aaron and Keyna's Wedding Weekend!

This weekend we all traveled down to Ft. Smith for Aaron and Keyna's wedding. There was a pretty big gang of us and we all stayed at the Holiday Inn and hung out at some Ft. Smith "hot spots" (ha!). We had a really good weekend - it's always fun to have lots of friends together having a good time.

Below is a picture of part of the group with the bride and groom. About seven more are MIA from this picture.


Here is a picture of Kate, Elise and me right before the ceremony.

What's this about?

John McCain and his first wife's rocky story. Is this drama that the media is creating or was McCain a cheating womanizer?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html

Discuss.

The Busiest Weekend Ever!

This weekend was one of the busiest but it was a lot of fun. Friday Mikey and I drove down to Little Rock and Spencer, Will and I went to eat at the Rumba Room downtown in the River Market. Below is a picture of Will and me - Spencer didn't want his picture taken. But that's okay, I haven't posted a picture of Will yet since he's always out of town! :-)


Saturday morning Mom, Morie, Joseph and I went to the airport and picked up my grandmother from Brasil - Vovo. That's Portuguese for grandmother. Below is a picture of Vovo and Morie with our Czech beer we were tasting. Both Mom and Morie and Dad and Paige are getting exchange students from the Czech Republic this fall. How exciting! Just what I need - more teenage boys in the house when I go home. Just kidding!


After I spent time with my family in Little Rock, I drove back to Fayetteville Saturday evening for Elise's birthday celebration - and ENGAGEMENT! Ricky proposed to her that afternoon and we double celebrated that night. Congratulations you two! Below is a picture of the two of us at Lulu's for her birthday dinner. It was very good - I loved the patio! One of the best in Fayetteville for sure. Patios are very important.


Then, Sunday morning Kate Jones and I drove back to Little Rock. After I spent more time with my grandmother, I drove down to Hot Springs to meet Cole and his family for his niece Bella's first birthday party! She was so cute and had a great time. Below is a picture of Bella and Cole. She's really loving her Uncle Cole and he adores her. They were really cute. The party was a lot of fun and the cake was so yummy - it was Dora-themed. After we rested, Cole and I drove back to Fayetteville that night. A lot of driving but I had a lot of fun this past weekend.

Keith and Carrie at Razorback Stadium!

Thursday night Amanda and I went to Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood's concert at Razorback Stadium. It was a free show for the Wal-mart Shareholders Event. It was so much fun! I love Carrie so much, but I have to say Keith was a huge surprise hit. And so cute! He came out into the audience a lot and even traded his guitar for one fan's hat! Lots o' fun!

The Chicken Dance

I'm sure by now you've heard that McDonald's has come out with the new Southern Style Chicken Biscuit and Sandwich to compete with Chik-fil-A's chicken biscuit and sandwich. Well, maybe you haven't. Well, I have - maybe because on the day McDonald's launched these two new products they gave them away for free with a purchase of a large drink and it seemed like every male in my office went. See below:

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/05/12/daily33.html

But, the question is: How do McDonald's two new items measure up to Chik-fil-A's famous (and wonderfully mouth-watering) chicken? I've heard many say they're not sure if they could tell a difference between the two if they didn't know any better. Well, I'm not so sure.

I've yet to try to the Chicken Sandwich (and I bet that won't happen until after our trip to St. Croix) but the Chicken Biscuit didn't measure up. Cole didn't care for the biscuit; I thought the chicken was gross. It was a grayish color! Chik-fil-A definitely won that battle.

What do you think?

Can't decide? Maybe the nutritional information will help:
McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Biscuit:
Calories: 410
Fat: 20
Fiber: 2
Weight Watcher Points: 9

McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich:
Calories: 400
Fat: 17
Fiber: 1
Weight Watcher Points: 9

Chik-fil-A Chicken Biscuit:
Calories: 420
Fat: 19
Fiber: 2
Weight Watcher Points: 9

Chik-fil-A (Breaded) Chicken Sandwich:
Calories: 410
Fat: 16
Fiber: 2
Weight Watcher Points: 10

Do something good for the environment today

Unplug!

Unplugging certain electronics and small appliances around your house can definitely help to cut down on the amount of energy used. I know some things like refrigerators and washing machines cannot be unplugged but other little things can be.

When not in use unplug phone chargers, laptop chargers, small appliances like coffee makers, toasters, some or all lamps, etc. Keeping these plugged in while not in use only wastes energy. They're small electronics that are easy to plug in and UNPLUG.

Try to make this part of your leaving-the-house regimen!

Sex and the City! Opening weekend!

The Sex and the City movie opened this weekend to an impressive $56 million! I believe this is the most ever for an R rated movie!

I won't say anything about the movie because I know some have not seen it yet but it's wonderful. Please see it. I saw it both Friday and Saturday night and cannot wait to see it gain!

Cheers!

Wow

I really do mean this with all the respect in the world. But, is this person not embarrassed by now?

Finding small amusements :-)

Tonight was just a regular night during the week. But, after a looo-oooong day at work I guess I came home and found everything that I love and things that make me laugh.

This past weekend we went to Branson and Cole purchased this ceramic frog that he's put next to the sink in his bathroom - next to his palm tree toothbrush holder ;-). He got this toothbrush holder a few weeks ago and I mentioned how it was "interesting"... He asked me if we lived together if this holder would be in our bathroom or the guest bathroom - tough decision. Would I want our guests to see it or would I rather look at it every morning? :-)

Tonight I made us yummy blackened chicken with kabobs of tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and sweet potatoes (random) with rice. I had to take a picture. This is one of my favorites - I think because it's easy and it's yuumy.

Cole finishing off the black eyed-peas. Probably thankful I didn't make lima beans AGAIN!

Below is a picture of the pups chillin' in the 300. They feel like pimps in this car. Did I mention we have Dad and Paige's 300 for a little while because Cole and I had a (pretty bad) accident in my car. Please everyone take the time to buckle your seat belt and make sure everyone else in your car buckle theirs. And if they refuse, forget about their lives (obviously, I'm NOT serious) think about how hard it would be to go through life knowing you were responsible for someone else's life ending.

American Gladiators!

"I don't really like to talk about it; I like to be about it. So let's go."

No, I didn't watch it when the original show was on but yes, now I do. But it's Cole's fault! Who saw Crush on American Gladiators Monday night? Wow. Still undefeated.

Do something good for the world today

Visit http://www.freerice.com/ and not only expand your vocabulary but for every question you get correct Free Rice donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

The rice you donate is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and makes a huge difference to the person who receives it. WFP is the world’s largest food assistance agency, working with over 3,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. According to the United Nations, about 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children. To a mother or father watching a loved child die in their arms from hunger, the rice you donate is more precious than anything in the world.

Please visit the WFP website to learn more at http://www.wfp.org/.