Happy New Year

Ok...ok...so it has been awhile since my last blog. I kinda suck at this if you did not notice. The truth is, that after working all day, the last thing I want to do is get on the computer and type up the day I just had. I would much rather call people to tell them. I am going to try again though since so many people seem to want me to. Just so you all know though, it is probably easier to check out what I am doing by my pictures on yahoo or on facebook.

So Happy New Year to all! I cannot believe it is 2007. I am getting so old and my life is kind of reflecting it too! I mean I am as old as all of the characters on Friends when it first started, and they were all pretty much grown ups. I have a job, a live-in boyfriend, bills, and I fly home to see my family and friends...that is old! My boyfriend even got a stocking at my parent's house this Christmas. I mean, hello serious relationship, nice to meet you. When did all of this happen? Have I been sleeping for the past eight years? I mean, I just started dating this guy, because he was pretty nice and fun, and then the "L" word is introduced, and then we graduated and started becoming people, and all of a sudden he has moved in and I am in an adult relationship. Since when do I care if the sink is full of dishes or if the mail hasn't been checked. These aren't things I am supposed to worry about. I never used to have to worry about walking the dog, making dinner, and asking someone how their day was. Its like one day you graduate from high school and pick a pretty place to go to college and then BAM you are working at the Pentagon and dreading your long commute to work (yes I work at the Pentagon now...but that is a much longer blog).

You don't really think about the things that you didn't worry about when you are a kid. I never worried about where my next meal was coming from; I was just hoping that it was chicken nuggets, and I certainly never counted the calories in chicken nuggets. Oh man I wish I could have some chicken nuggets. Dieting in high school was like maybe I won't have any of that second pizza or that extra donut. When I got dressed, I wasn't concerned with whether it was wrinkled or too low cut or if it was deemed as "business appropriate". I just hoped that everything matched and maybe that a cute boy noticed my new hot pink stretch pants.

So I say, we all start boycotting this growing up thing. Sure we have to continue to pay our bills, but we can sign them with little smiley faces and hearts to dot our "i"'s. And of course we have to continue going to work, but it doesn't hurt to have a Mr. Winkle calendar and a little Dr. Seuss poem on your wall. And about this serious relationship thing...I guess boys aren't that bad. Sure they let the cap get all crusty with toothpaste, they always turn the volumn up way to loud, and they take up a lot of the bed, but they are pretty fun to wrestle with and some have a lot of good movies. Besides I never did really believe in cooties.

Fruits & Veggies Part Deux

From here we knew we had to start in on the veggies, so we decided to go next door since they were known for their great "veggies". I was again very surprised at everyone's willingness to eat their vegetables and join in on our health kick. Maybe it was just that green olives are impossible to resist! Because they are so impossible to resist I decided that my second helping of vegetables would also be green olives. After our last helping of fruits and veggies, we did exactly as my mom had suggested and drank plenty of water. Ramune decided to take the health kick one last step and get cuddled up in bed. After all, when you are working this hard, treating your body well also includes getting a good night's sleep.

Fruits & Veggies

After talking with my mom about gaining weight while in Louisiana, she suggested that I try to eat two fruits, two veggies and drink lots of water each day. Because of this, Kristin and I set out on a mission. We decided that a night of fun, while enjoyable, should also be productive and healthy. Before we went out Friday night we decided to pre-game and have our first fruit. While Kristin likes the Vodka and grapes I chose to partake in some wine to get my first helping of fruit. After that we felt much more nourished and ready for a night out in Baton Rouge. We grabbed a big group of work friends and headed down the street to the bar. Once there, we informed everyone of our plan and surprisingly all were happy to join in with the plan. After all, we have all been working so hard that we were not getting all of our fruits and veggies. In order to fulfill the fruit quota that my mom put into effect, we decided to have a few more slices. We got plenty of vitamins from our Vodka & Lime and Cranberry & Vodka (with lemon for extra). In order to ensure that everyone got all of their daily vitamins we all took a lemon drop shot and sucked just a little extra on that lemon. Everyone was so willing to get their daily allotment that eight people participated, that was everyone that came out! Who knew that us youngsters liked our fruits so much?

Southern Hospitality

Southern hospitality is not just an idea; it is as real as real can be! People don't just say hello on the street, they ask how your day was or compliment your shoes. They roll down their window to help you and will answer your requests instantly. Today we came back to the hotel and noticed there was a little bit of a smell. The cleaning man came right in, sprayed every inch of the room ,and even left the bottle in case it smelled later. Every skirt I own has been complimented and we got a free cookie today from a little cafe...from a woman even! People talk in the elevators and not just about the weather or what floor they are getting off on, no they really talk in the elevator and even after they get out while the doors are closing...they are still talking. People have offered to take us on tours of the area and pay for our lunches. It is amazing!

I am still adjusting to this though. Not only am I an independent woman who does not need the door opened for her, but I also speak my mind all the time. When we went to the hotel to set up for recruiting I started to unload the car and carry things down to the room. The bellhop ran after me and tried to take everything out of my hands. I let him carry some other things I had not grabbed yet, but then just asked if he would follow me. As we were walking he said "ya'll aren't from around here are ya?" I replied "no, I am living in DC"; to this he said "yeah ya'll from the North are real independent women ain't cha?". I have also learned that southern men do not like to be referred to as boys in ANY situation. To me, it is very natural to say, "you boys ready yet?". Apparently, southern men take great offense at this and I do not think one of my supervisors likes me much any more. It is definately a different culture that I am glad I am experiencing, but not one I would ever really be able to be a part of.

Air Like Pea Soup

For those of you who do not know I am down in Louisiana for the next few months working on a project supporting housing relief and assistance. Now that I have you up to speed, I can let you in on a little something. I like Wisconsin; I like the cold in Winter; I like snow and being able to see my breath in the air. That crisp air at night makes me happy. Putting someone like me in Louisiana in the middle of summer should be outlawed. Frankly, the air down here is so thick that I feel as though I am drinking pea soup every time I breathe. I am doing my best to get used to this.

Anyway, I am based out of Baton Rouge, but got to go to New Orleans the other weekend for some recruiting. The work we are doing down here is incredibly rewarding. So many people were hired that it inspired me enough to keep me smiling even after a 14 hour day. While in New Orleans we decided we just MUST go out on Bourbon Street. So Monday night we hit the bars. As we were walking down Bourbon Street with out hotel drinks in hand, we saw one of many little spots to grab a drink. I tried one of the famous Hurricanes from one of these places, which was eh. But then we went to Pat OBrien's, where I was able to try the most famous Hurricane (since it was created there) and I must say that thing will knock you on your ass! After there we grabbed some dinner and headed over to a karaoke bar called "The Cat's Meow". It was very much my kind of place, dancing, drinks, and people making fools out of themselves. The last stop of the night was of course the casino, where once again I kicked ass on the Black Jack tables and made a little extra spending/drinking money.

Overall, it was one of the best nights I have had in a really long time and New Orleans definately did not dissappoint, even on a Monday night. We are hoping to go back a few more times while we are down here. Once I get a cord to hook my camera up to my computer I will post pictures. Until then, just picture a good and drunk Kelly stumbling down Bourbon Street taking pictures with half naked legs sticking out of a wall and sipping on a bright red hurricane.

My Apartment Smells Like Fish

Noah and I have been experimenting with the recipes in Rachel Ray's book, but because I am not a big fan of red meat and Noah does not like fish very much, we have been sticking mostly to chicken. We decided to make a meal with cod in it, since cod isn't that fishy, and well lets face it Noah will eat anything! So I actually was able to touch the fish and cut it (I cannot touch the uncooked chicken, which makes it kind of tough to cook); the fish didn't bother me at all! That was very exciting and I was beginning to think I would cook a lot more fish. So we made these spinach mashed potatoes and these little fish ball things with bread and vegetables and stuff; it turned out to taste a lot like a fish stuffing. The potatoes were excellent and we made a red pepper dressing for them that may be my favorite dressing ever. The fish tasted fine, not one of my favorite Rachel Ray recipes (it was kinda bland), but a good meal none the less. I was feeling very good about myself and thinking fish would become a regular around my apartment, however; it is now two days later and my apartment still smells like fish! Ok so this is not my greatest blog every but its a story nonetheless.

Why We Love Dogs

Yes I am an obsessive mother with my puppy, but you don't have to read my blog if you don't want to. You know those shows on animal planet or those commercials that show funny acts by animals and it says this is why we love our pets. Well this blog is going to be about that...here are all the adorably funny things that Daisy does that make me just love her while falling over laughing.
Here are some of the everyday occurrences at my apartment. Whenever she jumps up for a toy she tends to come down sideways, ramming into a coffee table and landing on her back. She tries to cuddle with me on the couch, but gets stuck behind my big ass and squirms for about a minute until she can contort herself and jump out of there. She runs figure eights around the house, periodically stopping to make sure her ball hasn't moved in the last few seconds and sometimes gets herself stuck under the bed. She plays with her ball under my chaise and hasn't realized that she is big enough to almost tip the chaise over. She chews on her collar, but when she can't get to it she bends and fights like she is attempting to bite her own neck until she gets it.

And here are some specific moments. The other day we went to a doggie park and Daisy got to play with all of the other small dogs in an unleashed environment. She started by running around and challenging the baby greyhounds to a foot race. Once she was a little warn out, she rested and the male doggies started flirting. There were two little boys that were particularly interested in her. One was a wiener dog who was attempting to mount my poor baby. Luckily he got interested in a male dog and started mounting him instead. The other, a pug, did not give up so easily. He would shove his head under Daisy and try to lick her hoohah. Poor Daisy did not know what to do, but every time he came around and starting sniffing her behind, she turned around and sat straight down. My girl is no floosy!

Daisy is getting very good about holding it during the day while I am gone. So good in fact that the other day when I couldn't get home until 2:00 she held it. That was like 6 hours! Anyway, the following day, I came home like normal at twelve. Well I must have woken her up, because she came out of her crate all tired and was not in a hurry to get outside like usual. I dragged her outside to her favorite spot and she started peeing. Right in mid stream she fell flat on her tummy, peeing all over her leg. She glanced up at me almost as if she was saying "yeah what of it, I'm tired".