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Sirius-ly, guys...

Sirius Black has been successfully saved by Harry and Hermione. Lerah and I are quite relieved. It seems that Hippogriffs come in quite handy in tight spots. I think I need one of those. Birthday mental note- fantasy animals are a plus.

Lerah has just stated that she needs to make a trip to the Country Dollar. For those of you not familiar with the Country Dollar, it is the best store in Tallahassee. All of their amazing jewelry is one dollar. And I'm not talking, like, cheap, nasty jewelry, I'm talking like, at least $7 at Claire's. It's the best. It's off Lafayette Street across from the Governor's Square Mall. ;0)

There is not much breaking news to report over here. Of course, "breaking news" is rather relative in this household. When I mentioned Saddam Hussein being executed yesterday Kenley's reply was, "We caught Saddam Hussein?" He's a little behind on the times. But he can sell a house so he has that going for him.

My last day at Kirkland's is tomorrow. No one has taken advantage of my 20% discount except for Mrs. Linda Stringer. Last call, peoples. All Christmas is 75% off...

Speaking of which, all of our lovely Christmas decorations at Kenley's house are put away for next year. Christmas goes by way too fast. But at least we have our $25 prize to spend at Taco Bell. But I think we're waiting to go until David can eat with us. We might be waiting a while...Hopefully Taco Bell will not have gone under by then. Poor Taco Bell. They still have some loyal customers. Chives or no chives.

Well, Lerah is calling to watch the Goblet of Fire for our Harry Marathon. 5 days until Veronica, Olya, Jake and Taylor come! Ypa!

Чебурашка ненавидит Нирвану.

Me, Jenna and Sarah are having a guitar hero jam session over at my place. We pretty much rock. Cheburashka, who makes his home on top of my television holding his sunflower and Canadian flag (my tribute to Leo) loves it when we play Van Halen and Kansas, but evidently he does not like Nirvana as he fell off the top of my TV and toppled to the floor as soon as it started playing. Maybe he would prefer some Kino and Pyatnitsa.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Congratulations! 3rd Place!

First off, I would like to give a big round of applause to those of us who decorated Kenley's house for the neighborhood contest. We won third place!!! (Come drive by if you haven’t seen it- Cumberland Road off Hartsfield.)




For those of you who are not Tallahassee natives, or you do not spend more than 3 days a week with The Group, you may not know about the significance of Kenley's house. Kenley, seemingly, bought his house so that we all could use it. If this is not the reason he bought his house he has fooled us all. The garage code is given out freely, extra keys have been made, breakfast food is always stocked, the refrigerator is for public use (often with other people's food and diet pepsi vanillasburied inside), air matresses are left inflated in the second room and the mantle is reserved for our various art projects, currently a bunch of gingerbread houses. It's all of the benefits with none of the rent. :0) Thanks, Kenley!

That being said, it is already the sixth day of Christmas and I am terribly behind. Jenna said I did this last year.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

Six geese a-laying



Five GOLDEN RINGS!



Four calling birds


Three French hens



Two turtle doves



And a partrige in a pear tree.



And call mine and Jenna's voicemails for more Christmas cheer.

On the second day of Christmas

My true love gave to me:

2 turtle doves

















and a partridge in a pear tree.



Now, I'm just wondering, if my true love gives me a partridge in a pear tree every single day, that's a lot of pears and a lot of partridges. I don't know if I want him spending that much money on me. I'd rather go on a cruise.

Or, I would take Carli on a cruise because IT'S HER BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Someone stole two baby Jesus' out of the nativities on display at our store today. It's a sick world we live in. Sick. Who steals baby Jesus out of the manger? What the crap are you gonna do with him? I couldn't live with that kind of guilt. If it was you, and you know who you are, return the baby Jesus'. I mean, that's gotta be one of the seven deadly sins or something.

On the first day of Christmas...

...my true love gave to me:

a Partridge in a Pear Tree.



I don't know if that would really thrill me that much. I'd be happy with some flowers or a nice set of steak knives. I don't even like pears.

Today I:

climbed a tree

ate Mexican and Japanese food.

rocked out to the Power Rangers theme song.

said goodbye to Carli

beat my friends at Rummikub

had Jenna save a table

pondered the significance of the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42

talked to a CEO

and went pearl diving.

It was a good day.

Extreme Makeover- Gingerbread Edition

So I learned something new tonight. People make gingerbread houses out of gingerbread. This was news to me, as I've always constructed my gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and frosting. I have been informed, however, that gingerbread is the best way to build a gingerbread house. Who would have thought? I will eventually prove this wrong, though.

My first real memory of gingerbread house making was when I was about 5 at my friend Jennifer's house. I don't remember the details of that baking day, but I'm sure my gingerbread/graham cracker house was not anything worth mentioning.
At Sarah Evere...Egger's birthday party one year we had a gingerbread house making contest. Alec's was definitely the most awesome. He made the whitehouse.



Uh...yeah, it looked something like this.

Anyway, to bring in the Christmas cheer this evening we decided to have a gingerbread house party tonight. I'll post our amazing results.




















Us working super hard on our houses






Carli made an amazing mobile home, complete with John Deer green pickup.













Alex quotes of the evening:

"No, you have to do this." -Diane Ashburn
"Wait, but I don't want to do any work." -Alex Cherukara

"We need some 2 X 4's and a drill gun." -Alex

"We're going to have these nice, alternative circular windows. Wait, by alternative I'm not suggesting that this house participates in an alternative lifestyle or anything."

"We don't build houses out of cookies in Norway." - Alex




My house.



Jenna's house.







































Poor David and Alex's house collapsed on top of one of their occupants. Poor Mr. Gingerbread.





David and Alex's house was the only one whose house did not stay standing. This proves that graham crackers make the better building materials. You can see the parade of homes on display at Kenley's house from now until December 23rd. Contact Diane Ashburn for details. Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

If I had one steak left, I would share it with you. I love you! Happy Birthday!

Only 20 Days Until Christmas!

Lori is home, everybody. Well, she is in Tallahassee. That is so exciting. I got to drive up to Atlanta with Mr. Tony and Mrs. Cheryl to pick her up at the airport. That is always loads of fun. Me and Mrs. Cheryl dominated the CD player the whole time. Poor Mr. Tony never got to listen to his Creedence. Mrs. Cheryl said, "Calyn, you have such good taste in music." I just said, "No, Mrs. Cheryl, I just have your taste in music." I ate at my first "Huddle House." Not necessarily something I'd repeat for fun, but I can say that I've done it.

I had a huge Dr. Pepper waiting for Lori as soon as she got off the plane. We've had a great time Christmas shopping this week and hanging out and catching up. Of course, I've only been Lori-less for a month, whereas most of you people have been Lori-less for about 11, and I don't know how you make it.

I'm staying with Josh and Melinda Cable this week and we're having a super great time. Mrs. Laura is a very smart woman to leave us no-oven-required meals, although somehow I'm sure I will end up messing those up as well. I didn't even know you could make lasagna in the microwave! Amazing. I'm staying as far away from their refrigerator as possible. (*See May's blog posts for reasons why.) Really anything that uses water I'm trying to stay away from.

Well, I will leave you with my two quotes of the week.

"I knew something was going on with Jan and Howard! I knew they were having an affair!" -My Mom
"You mean both of them?" -Cameron

"We have nuts. And Fig Newtons." -Kenley

I Am Going to Pick Up Lori!

It's Not All Fun and Games

The gang has developed a renewed love for old-school games recently. Diane and Kenley went out and bought Pictionary, Life and Monopoly at Walmart the other day for $8 a piece. With a price like that, they couldn't pass them up. It's interesting to see how individual personalities shine while playing a game like monopoly. Remember those personality tests you can take that rate you "I," "D," "C," or "S?" Those are no longer necessary. Just sit down and play a game and you will have all the information you need.



I walked in the other evening and watched the game unfold. Lerah was ready to let everyone manage her properties and money for her, whining when she landed on Park Place and just handing hotel owners handfuls of money to have them count it for her. James was glum and morose, having lost all of his money and most of his properties just wanting to quit and go home. Diane was doing fairly well, staying in the business, not making to huge of a splash, cranking out a quiet living for herself owning some choice properties. In the end, though, it was Kenley who, not surprisingly, defeated them all, although not without offering them comfortable, happy retirement plans and promising not to leave them in poverty. Kenley had his hands into every person’s game, owning 15% of this property, offering low brokerage fees to this player, giving out loans for low interest, sharing in the profits of hotels for others. Kenley was the boss of every player in some way.

We can learn two things from this story: 1) Kenley is most definitely in the right business. Real Estate is his fit for sure, and 2) Play the game of Life if you actually want to beat him. You will never win at Monopoly.

Note To Self:

When computer asks, "Do you want Windows to save this password?" click NO. Bce. Who knows when Wallers and Wirgaus might be in town to hack into your computer. It's a dangerous world out there, people. Only you can prevent identity theft. Smokey the Bear said that, I think.

Hi everybody! I just wanted to take a little moment and share just what has been on my heart lately. With Thanksgiving time here and just thinking about what I have been thankful for I have not been able to get three of my favorite people in the whole world off of my mind. I just want to write a post about Sarah, Jenna, and Alec and what I love about them. I just love them so so so so so so so much and I want to sing a song to express my feelings........
(to any tune you so desire)
I am singing a song
singing a song
I love Alec, Jenna, and Sarah so much
I love them I love them and I don't care who knows
because I love them so much!!!!
I want to run in fields of daisys
and glide down slip n slides like a champion
I love them I love them I love them
I want to brush my hair out of love
I want to go to the mall and skip through out the stores
I love them I love them I love them

man, I just feel better getting that off of my chest.

Now I want to write a letter to each of them

Jenna - you are my hero. I wish I had dance moves like you. Thank you for all of the times that you have plucked my eyebrows for me and combed my armpit hairs. You have always been there for me. You are my partner in crime (but don't tell anyone). I can tell you anything and I know that my secret is safe with you.

Alec - I love your hott butt. I can not take my eyes off of it. I have been wanting to tell you this for a long time but have not been able to get up the courage to tell you until now. Thanksgiving has given me the strength to share these things that have been on my mind for so long. I would even watch E.T. for you but only if you were there with me holding my hand. When I think of you and me a song comes to mind and I think I will share it with you now...
I love you
you love me
we're a happy family
with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you (hold this note out as long as possible)
won't you say you love me too

Sarah - I wish we were siamese twins so that I would never be able to leave you side. I would love to be physically connected to you since my heart is already yours. I would buy you a million buttercups if it would truly express my appreciation for you. I wish you could draw gardens on my back every day and suns too but they would only be allowed to have sunglasses. I would give you all of my gummy worms and would dance in the middle of a crowded supermarket if you asked me too.

Oh man, don't judge me for this post I just really needed to be honest and wanted the people who I love most in this world to know how I feel about them.

I am thinking about ...

putting my Christmas tree up today. Or at least making a spot for it in my room. Mmm, I love Christmas.

Quote o' the Day

"So, how are you ladies doing this evening?" -Cashier at Walmart

"Um, you know, I'm just not going to answer that." -Mom

"Oh, it can't be that bad." -Cashier at Walmart

[Very Long Pause.]

"Yes it can." -Me

Tis A Far, Far Better Thing Than I Have Ever Done In English Class

I am reading a Tale of Two Cities again. This is for Two Reasons. One, because I remember I liked the book, and two, because all I remember of the book is what I learned on Wishbone. Granted, I read and analyzed the book in ninth grade, but somehow all that stuck with me were images of two Wishbones, one Sydney and the other Charles. Funny how watching Wishbone on PBS taught me more about literature than all my English classes combined. It taught me the basic plotlines of all the “famous” books that you need to know, kept me entertained at 3:30 on weekday afternoons and saved me time and energy that I would have wasted on English homework character analyses. All that had to be looked up was the physical descriptions. (Describing Odysseus as brown and furry might have been looked over, but describing Sherlock Holmes as such probably would have resulted in a bad grade as well as a very perplexed teacher.)

Wishbone as Beowulf
Wishbone as Ivanhoe

Speaking of dogs, I went jogging today and I am becoming quite annoyed at being growled at, barked at and chased by dogs in my neighborhood. Don’t people believe in fences anymore? Granted, I am a person who lets her dog occasionally wander free around the front yard, but you must understand that my dog has the energy level of a zucchini. If he ever treated pedestrians like tennis balls fried in bacon grease he would never leave his leash again. I’m thinking about getting a big can of pepper spray and taking out everything in a 20 foot radius that so much as shows a tooth to me. That’d put a stop to this nonsense, and maybe kill some weeds while I was at it. Heaven knows these people are not shooting for Yard of the Month. I’m just hoping that one day when the satan-possessed terrier on Crowder runs at me paying no heed to the road, the UPS truck will be making a delivery at 45 miles an hour at the exact same time. If the people I volunteered at the animal shelter with ever heard me say that…

Lerah's Party Pictures!

How awesome is that cake? Lerah and Leah went and saw Marie Antoinette that day and so we were very excited about "eating our cake."

Awwww

Girls in da hood

Jenna is out of Diet Coke. Sad for her.

Blow out that tea-light, girl


Lerah is pretty much the best ever and I'm so glad I got to hang out with her on Monday for an impromtu party. I love you, Leritchka!!!

Happy Birthday, Leritchka!!!

Euro-Chi, por favor...

After I helped the USF football team to victory, I headed up to Orlando to stay with Carli for a few days. Now, Carli lives in Orlando, land of turnpikes, toll fees, and confusing road systems. I was supposed to merge on this toll road I was on to get on another (meaning another 5 bucks down the drain...oh, wait, I'm sorry, toll roads are so superior to regular roads...oops, another flat...) but somehow I ended up staying on the original toll road. No problem, right? Just get off and turn around. Except that there was no place to get back on. And when I finally did I saw a sign...

Entrance Ramp West Bound Closed. Follow Detour.

There was no hope for me after that. I start following the detour from...Hello, is that a sign for Epcot? Oh no, there's one for Disney World...I ended up at Disney World. If you know anything about Disney World, they design the road systems so that you will never find your way out. 30 minutes later I found myself back on the road.

But eventually, I got to Carli's. My wallet was empty and my stomach was eating itself, but I made it. Here's some pics:




Me and Carli in "Winta' Pa'k," Florida. You think that Golden Eagle's snobby? You ain't seen nothing.



Carli and Zorro



We got to talk to our hero, Jake Mumm. He was lost on some country Texas road trying to find a taxidermist for his boss' two deer heads he had in the back of his Ford escort. Gross.




Me, Carli and Jake



We were really excited about...I don't know, actually...



Look at my mad jumping skilz



Carli's got some long arms...but not MASSIVE ARMS!



The amazing magnet on Carli's fridge.

And the letter of the day is....

I'm sitting here in the living room doing my favorite thing- babysitting. (Most of you will recognize the intense sarcasm in that statement. If not, you don't know me well at all and you should be ashamed.) Some PBS kids show is on and they're yelling in Spanish in voices at least two octaves higher than normal ones. That seems to be the requirement for doing voices on PBS kids' shows. Oh, I changed it to our other PBS station. Sesame Street is much better than Dragon Tales. Elmo kinda gets on my nerves, but other than that, I can handle it. Telly is trying to figure out if the baby is a triangle lover. I can relate to Telly. He's obsessed with triangles much like I am obsessed with symmetry.

So this weekend, me, Dad, Uncle Richard and Cam went to South Florida for the USF/Pitt game. And USF won! Yay! (Although, I'm rather partial to Pittsburgh so I wouldn't have cried either way.) My Dad and Uncle both graduated from USF so they were going for the homecoming game. It was a lot of fun.



This is, "Oh my gosh, the sun is in my eyes."



Cam making sure he gets his normal 14 hours of sleep.



Dad displaying his new hat he got.



Cam was being anti-social.







And...the sun is still in our eyes...

Steakhouses, football, movies, Starbucks. You can't beat weekends like that. And then...more to come...CARLI!

*This blogpost was brought to you by the letter, "D," and the number, "9."