Yay for Myles and Christmas!

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know I sure did. =) Myles completely and totally surprised me this morning.

On Sunday, we had a big family Christmas at my uncles and aunt's house. After dinner and presents, my cousin and I went downstairs to play Guitar Hero III. Brian and I ended up staying down there for about two and a half hours. Yes, my hand was damn sore, but it was worth it!!! So, while Brian and I were downstairs and absolutely cracking up at his son, Cole, who was dancing to our mad guitar skills, Myles and my dad left to go Christmas shopping. I didn't find this out until today. =)

So this morning, we all get up at the butt crack of dawn -- ten year old little brothers like to wake up VERY early to open presents -- I am informed that I had to open my present first. So Myles hands me a gift (he wasn't supposed to be buying me anything) and I'm sitting there saying "No, let Matt open all his first" but I was forced to open it. Okay, twist my arm.

And what was it but what I've been KILLING for...a red Nikon Coolpix camera. Woo hoo! So yeah, he did GOOD. I open more presents later and he completed it by getting me an HP photo printer, extra ink cartidge and paper. Yes, I'm so looking forward to all the pics I get to take in Hawaii now while NOT using my outdated, inherited bulky Canon. Yes, he did very very very well. He's awesome. =)

So now I'm spending my evening getting some edits done...gotta have everything done by the 8th...and Myles is prepping the new rental to start painting it tomorrow. Only a couple of more weeks until Hawaii...wow. It'll be here before I know it.

Again, hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Now bring on NYE and our party!!!

It's almost here!

Yes, Christmas is almost here. =) We'll be leaving in the morning for my mom and dad's house and staying in South Bend until Tuesday evening. And for once, I'm not bringing my laptop!!!!! I might get online at my parents' house to check email quickly, but, no I won't be working. I'll be spending time with my thirty or so immediately family (yes, we're big...Myles says we're a typical Italian family...only we're Irish...I guess he's not used to big Irish families.) Monday we're going to see Alvin and the Chipmunks and heading to dinner and such. I'm really looking forward to it.

We were supposed to go out tonight with some friends, but after working on our new rental we closed on yesterday that we need to have "flipped" by Jan 1 so we can get tenants in it, we just didn't feel up to it. I'm content to sit on the couch watching Property Ladder and getting some editing done. And eating Dairy Queen. But, we could be out with Jay and Nikki, riding around with some other friends, in the limo, drinking and making fun of Christmas lights. Gar. Now that I think about it, I wish we would have gone... Oh well.

Since this will be the last time I post before Christmas, I just want to take a moment to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and hope that Santa brings everyone everything they asked for. Have a wonderful time with your family and friends and no writing or editing!!

Ah. the holidays

Man, this weekend has been crazy with getting Christmas stuff done. Got all of my shopping done last night, with the exception of my mom (She's always the most difficult), got my cookie boxes made for my coworkers, got all my presents wrapped, got the cookie party taken care of, got Christmas cards done. Wow. Just a little bit more to go and then I'll be all set to go. I've still got to make some more cookies to take to work and for Myles to take to his work, a candy cane white chocolate cheesecake for Friday...and...I think that's it other than shopping for my mom.

Nothing else going on this weekend other than that we got about a foot of snow last night. Ah, in three weeks I'll be in sunny Hawaii and I won't see any snow for two weeks. Thank god!

This should be a pretty easy week at work with all of the holiday stuff. Then a four day weekend in South Bend with family, then three days of work, then a four day weekend, then three days of work, the weekend, then a half a day of work and I go to Hawaii!!!! Yeah, I'm so looking forward to this no work crap. I've sooooo needed a break. I haven't had a vacation for a year and a half, and before that it was about four years, so yeah, I'm due for one.

And that's all I have to say about that. Now off to edit! And make chicken and dumplings for Myles for dinner...poor guy did our driveway and the neighbors, and it's a REALLY wet, packed snow, too.

My trees. =)

The house looked pretty when the leaves finally changed. =) Now, the tree is empty and it look all blah outside. But now I have a new tree to look at that's all pretty. My Christmas tree! Woo hoo. I wanted to get a bigger one this year, but it just wasn't in the cards. How come everything money-sucking related always happens around the holidays? Oh well, maybe next year. So, here's my tree, and my special ornament I found this year....a pink/purple elephant. Now, I know some of you are thinking "Huh? An elephant?" But, if you know me, you know I'm elephant crazy. I LOVE them. Dunno when it started and dunno why, but it's been years now. I've got tons of them...eventually when we have a baby, the nursery is going to be in elephants. =) I've even gone so far as to get a pink elephant tattoo on my hip. So, yeah, I love elphants. =) And yes, instead of a star, I have an abominable snowman on the top of my tree. =) I love him, too.

Oh, I gotta share

This is just too funny. Myles made this and sent it to me...had me laughing so hard I was crying. And yes, that is him and I...I have no clue what pic he used of me...I'm red. LOL

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1112176514

Ah, stuffed on leftovers

Hopefully everyone's Thanksgiving went wonderfully. Mine was great. =) Myles and I headed up to South Bend to my grandma and grandpa's house for dinner with the whole fam dam and then stayed the night at my Mom and Dad's. Poor Myles, though. Spending the whole day with MY family when you don't share our loud, annoying, mouthy, obnoxious genes can be quit trying. He came from a small, quiet family, so spending a day with mine is like putting a bookworm in a room full of jocks. Poor guy does well with us, though.

And when we got home, my parents' lab, Toby, went crazy and busted his tail open again...labs have a tendency to do that. Poor Tobias. There was blood all over the place and the poor dog wouldn't stay still because he didn't understand that Mom and Dad were just trying to help him by wrapping his tail up. Needless to say, he has about two inches of exposed bone...worse than he's ever done it before. Poor pooch is going in on Tuesday for a tail amputation. =( The vet said she has to do this to about four labs per year. My uncle breeds yellow labs and he had to have it done to his stud. Dog looks funny as hell now, but if you let it go, gangrene can set in or they can get septic and it can kill them. A doggie with no tail is better than a dead doggie, especially when you adore your dog as much as my mom adores Toby.

Not much else went on. We actually went out last night with some friends, which we haven't been able to do in a while, but it kinda turned out to be a bust. Instead of going to my fave bar, we ended up at another bar, which I'm not particularly fond of. Myles and I got there earlier than everyone and played a few games of darts...my arm is sore today from playing a total of seven games. And their drinks sucked, too. Turns out, the bar is on probation for serving minors, so they made really weak drinks. And, because of their probation, they closed at midnight, so we left at 11:30. By the time we got to my favorite bar, they were packed, which sucked because we had to squeeze into a table with someone I can't stand. I mean, really just don't like. Yeah, it was just all messed up. I didn't even get to sing. So, we were home by 12:30...what a bust.

Today, I'm finishing put Christmas stuff up. Woo hoo! And tomorrow is Thanksgiving dinner at our house for our friends, so that'll be good. More food! It's killing my Hawaii diet, though.

So, Halloween wasn't so good

Yeah, I seem to have caught some sort of cold bug, so I wasn't going anywhere yesterday after I got home from work. =P So, I wasn't about to go and sing last night. My "signature" song is Jewel "Foolish Games" and I wasn't about to try and croak it out. LOL Nor was I about to attempt any of my Bon Jovi songs, either. 'S not happenin'. So, I got in my pajamas, grabbed the book I'm reading, Dark Thirst by Sara Reinke, grabbed a beer, my smokes, and the candy and sat on the porch to hand candy out to trick-or-treaters. The weather was gorgeous! Between 55 and 60...on the last day of October! I'm not sure what's up with our weather--must be all that global warming stuff--but I'm loving it. I think I counted 104 kids last night. Then I stopped and went to bed to watch TV. =P

And today, well, I'm just gonna try and make it through half the day at work and then go home to curl up on the couch and read submissions and watch TV. And I'm still in shock...but it's November 1 and I'm wearing flip-flops and a skirt. I don't think this has EVER happened before. It's usually pretty dang cold by now in Indiana. 'Cept for maybe southern Indiana.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to all! What's everyone up to tonight? Me? Myles and I will be heading out with our best friends and their daughter, my adorable neice, to take the Squirt trick-or-treating. :) Then, she's staying with a babysitter while Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Myles and Aunty go out to have some adult fun. :) Not sure if I'm going to get into my costume or not. This year I was Hugh Hefner's maid...Hugh being my Myles. We'll probably go to our favorite hick bar so we can drink and Ann and I can sing and dance. Three of our favorite things. Woo hoo!

And on another front, yesterday we put an offer in on another house. If we get it, this will be our 3rd rental. This one will take some work to get it ready, since it's a foreclosure, but it's worth it. Losts of painting and yardwork and cleaning to do. Eeek. But, if we get it, we'll get it done and get it rented and have more money in our pockets between rent and equity. And then Myles will look for yet another one. :P

Editing tip for the day:
Pay attention to comma usage. Read your sentences out loud, pausing where you have commas and see if it sounds right. I've been running into a lot of misplaced commas lately. These are easy fixes, people! =)

Feeling better

I'm feeling a little better today about things. Last night was pretty rough, as Dave's fiancee sent us pictures of his car. Those were pretty tough to look at. I will be MIA tomorrow evening, much of Thursday and much of Friday, as those are the viewings and services. So if you need me and can't get ahold of me, be patient, please.

Nothing else is really going on. We had our annual Halloween Party on Saturday night. We decided that Dave would have wanted us to continue to party on, so we did. Well, at least partially. It wasn't a "normal" party atmosphere, but that's okay. We still had some fun. My brother and his best friend came down from South Bend, so that was a blast. They were dressed as an Air Force pilot and an Iraqi. They'd gotten the whole haji get-up when they were in Iraq, as they're both in the Army Reserves. So needless to say, it was pretty interesting when both of them went running down the road, dressed like that, chasing each other. It was a laugh I REALLY needed, to say the least. :) They're supposed to go back to Iraq in 10 months, so I'll be pretty bummed when they leave again...especially since it's two months before my wedding. They'd better be back for that, dammit!

Hope all is well with everyone else.