Wow, Weird Book, but GOOD!

Last week, my wonderful friend Stephanie from Mama Still Wears Gucci, posted about a book she had read and that affected her deeply. She was so impressed with this book that she decided to buy copies for some of her blogger friends that showed an interest. At first I was hesitant to say, "Me me me!" because let's face it, I could go out and buy my own book. But this seemed really important to Stephanie for whatever reason, so I gave her my address and soon received my copy of the book.

I don't consider myself a religious person, but more a very spiritual one, who believes fully in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I don't read the bible, and I rarely attend church, being the lapsed Catholic that I am. I try not to feel guilty about it because I feel my faith is strong and that I don't necessarily need to be part of a religious sect to be a good person and have God as a strong force in my life.

This book, although fiction, made me feel better about floundering a bit religiously. The story is about a man named Mack who has lived a great tragedy that leads him to question God's role in his life. It's hard to say more without completely spoiling the story, but there's really so much more I'd love to say about this book! Let me just say that this is not a holy roller type book in any way. It's just a beautiful story that truly makes you think about your own relationship with God, no matter what denomination you are. It leads you to think about forgiveness and how it can truly free you of hate and allow love in its place. It makes you realize that as humans, God doesn't expect us to be perfect because the only perfect human being was Jesus, and he gave up his life in order for us to have the freedom to make mistakes and still be forgiven.

But again, this story truly isn't about religion, but about Mack's experience when faced with the chance to meet with God personally and ask those many intriguing questions I think we all have. Fiction? Yes. Powerful? Yes. It's one of those books that grabs your attention right away and makes you fall in love with the characters, which in this case are very lovable indeed.

Go pick up a copy. I promise you, you won't regret it!

Me? Quirky?

That doodle head Stephanie, over at Mama Still Wears Gucci just had to tag me to list six quirky things about myself. Well guess what? I can't think of six quirky things about myself to list! I know, you're all shaking your heads in disbelief, but it's true. So now I'm going to sit here staring at the computer screen, overworking my poor sleep deprived (yes, I'm going to work that for all it's worth!) brain for something to list. Oh, the pressure! The pressure!

1) I think I've already shared this with y'all, but... I was born left handed, but when I attended kindergarten, my very old, very mean teacher, Mrs. Lahamadou (what a name!) didn't like my penmanship and made me switch over to my right hand. Now I couldn't write with my left hand if you held a gun to my head, but I do nearly everything else (except throw a ball) left-handed.

2) When I was really little... probably 5 or so, me and my friend, Sinead, used to poop in my back yard. Yes, you heard me, and yes, I shit you not! We used to pretend we were dogs and just popped a squat and went. Now that I think back on it I'm thoroughly grossed out. I mean, did we wipe? And if so, with what??? This probably falls under the heading of TMI, but hey, you asked for quirks, you're getting quirks!


3) When I was in labor with my first girl, Mikayla, I stupidly didn't get an epidural and the labor was pretty long. When it was time to push it literally took me hours to pop her out, and at one point I yelled out, "Doc! My hoo hoo hurtsssssssssssss!" Yes, I've always been known for my class.

4) Another Mikayla related story. When I used to sit down to nurse her, I had a song that I made up that I sang to her. Everyone far and wide heard me sing this and it always made people laugh, because not only was it completely goofy, but I sang it in a funny voice. It went something like this, "She dwink da booby juice (pronounced joosh), she dwink da booby juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuice! Booby juice booby juice, booby booby booby juice!" I know there was more to the song, but I've since forgotten, lucky for you!

5) I've never broken a bone. Ooh, intriguing!

6) I once beat Jill up with a can of Aqua Net, while banging her head into the bathroom tile. Oh, the memories!


So there you go. Now I can stop feeling guilty for avoiding this tag. Of course there are rules about tagging so many other bloggers, but I'm not gonna do that. If you think you've got some interesting quirks I'd love to read about them!

Bad Blogger! Naughy, Sleep Deprived Tiney!

You guys, I'm so sorry for being so absent the last few days. I didn't mean to worry any of you, but since I received emails and comments to that effect I know I did. Sowwy!!!!!!!!!!!

The sleep study went okay, I guess, although I didn't sleep well. It's hard enough when you're hooked up to all those wires, but add a tight-fitting mask to it and it's nearly impossible to sleep comfortably! Funny thing though. Remember I was going to a different sleep study clinic this time? Well, I walked in the door and who is sitting behind the counter? No other than Larry the Sleep Study Guy! I tell you, I have such class. The first words out of my mouth, were, "Holy shit! What the hell are you doing here?"

Anyway, I took some pictures for all of you. Here's the infrared camera that watches me all night.


And here's the machine that everything is hooked up to.


And the mask I'd be wearing.


And my leg. Okay, okay, I was getting a little bored! Look at how dry my skin was! But, no lotions allowed for the sleep study!


After I got all hooked up, Larry took a pic of me. Now please keep in mind that I was not allowed to use any hair products or wear any makeup, so this is me in my natural state, which is always scary! Oh, and all those straps aren't exactly good for hiding fat rolls either!


Anyway, I've been feeling really darn awful, which is part of the reason I haven't been a very active blogger these past couple of days. I was feeling awful last week, but I swear, after finding out how bad my apnea is, I feel worse! Not only am I exhausted, but I'm as weak as a newborn kitten. It's really kind of scary, and even though that damn mask is so umcomfy, I cannot wait to get one! I'll let you know when I get the results of this study, which will determine the amount of air pressure required to keep my airway open while I sleep.

And thank you to everyone who has been thinking about me and saying little prayers for me! I love you guys!!!!!!!!!

An Award From Artie and a Smooch From Me!

First off, I'd like to thank my beautiful, sexy, talented, funny, wonderful friend Artie from Color Outside the Lines for giving me this new blogger award. He also gave it to two other blogger friends and said such wonderful, heartfelt things about all three of us, which is just how Artie is. Thank you so much my friend. My blog will wear it with pride!

I also want to take a moment to thank all of my beautiful friends out there, far and wide, who are being so very supportive of me right now when I truly need it. You'll never know how much your comments mean to me... how much they make me smile and lift me up when I'm down. Some are truly so damn funny that I nearly split my sides laughing. What better medicine could a gal ask for?

I was afraid to go to sleep last night, and each time I woke up (I wake up a LOT during the night) I thanked God I was still alive. Sounds dramatic, but it's true. Anyway, I will be going to the sleep study clinic tonight, and I'll be sure to update all of you tomorrow as to how it went.

I did do some light reading last night about sleep apnea and found that any breathing loss over 30 times per hour is considered severe sleep apnea. So if I stop breathing 101 times, what does that make mine? Am I some sort of medical anomaly? A complete freak of nature? I tell you what though, it's great to finally know why I always feel so lousy. I haven't had what I'd call a good day in many years. Naps, and long ones, are a daily thing for me. My whole body will just get heavy and weak and if I don't lay down I feel like I'll fall down. I've fallen asleep in very public places, have a hard time keeping my eyes open to drive and have fallen asleep during more than one family get-together at my in-laws' house. I'm sure it was very insulting to them, but it is NOT MY FAULT. Now I know that. Jimmy gets very aggravated when I take naps during the weekend, and part of me totally understands that. A mother should not be spending half her time sleeping the days away while her kids are growing faster than she can blink. But he can get spiteful about it too. Last Sunday he was obviously upset that I was sleeping again, so he blasted the music, plugged in the vacuum, and repeatedly banged it into my bedroom door. Ah, what a good rest that was!

But, I seem to have gone off on a tangent again. This post was just supposed to be a thank you to Artie for the award, and a big thank you to all of you for your love and support! And I do thank you, from the bottom of my little sleep deprived heart! {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Friends}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} ::::::::::::::::::::::::::SMOOCH::::::::::::::::::::::::: (Stuck some tongue in there for G-Man. Hope you don't mind, French!)

Sleep Study Results Are In!

And unfortunately, the results ain't pretty. I got a call from the sleep institute this afternoon and basically heard this: "Hi Justine. We've just received an urgent fax from your doctor's office, telling us that you need to have another sleep study done as soon as possible, this time with a CPAP machine. According to the test, you stopped breathing an average of 101 times per hour."

Say what? Did I hear her correctly? Did she just tell me I stopped breathing 101 times per HOUR? I actually asked her to repeat herself because I thought I had heard wrong. Nope, I'd heard right. I have a massively severe case of sleep apnea. K then told me that she had an opening for tonight, and for tomorrow night, but not in the clinic that's close to my house, instead one that's near downtown Jacksonville. I told her I was unable to drive myself that far and could I get in at the other clinic this week? Nope, no openings and she didn't want me waiting until October 3rd. I told her I'd have to speak to my husband and get back to her.

Now let me just say here that I pride myself on my utter honesty in all parts of my life. And I've always been honest on my blog too, just sometimes skimming over some minor details that would make me sound like I'm husband bashing or disparaging my husband's character. But after the conversations I've had today I've decided not to worry about that anymore. If I'm writing about something in particular, and he's adding to that situation by being a complete asshole, I'm not going to keep it to myself anymore. This is my blog. This is how I vent. I don't care who reads it, whether it's his friends, his mother, his damn boss. If he can't treat me with respect, he doesn't deserve my respecting his privacy on my damn blog. Treat me like a dog, and from now on this dog will bark for all to hear.

Anyway, when I made my call to Jimmy I was a nervous wreck and started getting really upset. When he answered I was actually crying but not hysterical or anything. I just told him about the test results and that I'm very scared. When I told him they really wanted me there tonight he said, "Well, you'll have to ask them if you can show up late because I have a softball game I'm not gonna miss." In my state of anxiety it didn't even occur to me just how selfish that statement was, and I said, "That's fine. We can do it tomorrow night then. I'm just really scared." Next thing out of his mouth was something like, "Well, it's your fault isn't it? You've let yourself get heavier and heavier and you just keep smoking. Until you lose weight and quit smoking you're not getting one bit of sympathy out of me." Click.

Does this hurt me? Not hardly, to be honest. You'd have to feel loved to be hurt by someone. What it does do is piss me off that he gets away with this type of behavior all the damn time but no one aside from my family and close friends knows about it. I'm sure I'll later regret putting this out there in blogland, but right now I'm so sick of feeling sick, so tired of being tired, and so over being treated like a third class citizen in my own house, that I just don't give a shit!

Sorry this was such a bummer of a post, but hey, I'm keeping it real, right?

P.S. When I spoke to my ENT he said I'd broken his record as having the worst apnea he's ever experienced in his career. Yeah for me!

Please Address Any Donations To...

123 We're Broke Avenue, Mortification, FL 00000. Tell me my blogger friends, when you see this face what comes to mind? Sweetness and light, correct? A darling little girl who can do no wrong and always makes Mommy and Daddy proud, right?

WRONG!!!!!!!! Oh so very very wrong indeed!

Today, when Mikayla got home from school she told me that while she was walking to the bus stop early this morning, our neighbor, Mr. Dave (better known as Boston Dave) was riding his bike and stopped to have a chat with her. He asked her if she had any idea about the notes her sister had been taping to every one's doors. Mikayla was clueless and asked what they said. What they said was this: "We're broke! Can you please help us? Here's our phone numbers! ..." I shit you not, bloggers!

Now this could be construed as funny, had it only been on Boston Dave's door, but no, Madison put it on every door in the two cul-de-sacs we're connected to! Dave kept asking Mikayla, "Are you sure your parents don't need some money for groceries or something?"



Later in the afternoon Mikayla bumped into our neighbor, Tina. Tina said that on her note Madison actually listed things that each of us could possibly use. I didn't even ask what was on the list... I truly don't want to know! I can just picture it now: "Mommy could use a 6-pack of panties because she doesn't do the laundry enough and has to go without wearing any sometimes. Daddy could use a barrel of flax seed for his life change and my sister hasn't gotten a new pair of shoes for three years and now her feet are shaped like arrows. The cats are so hungry they're eating their own dingleberries and fur balls.




Didn't I tell you Jimmy is always chanting, "We're broke!"? Huh huh? Didn't I? Can you imagine the mortification we're feeling right now? I swear, if I start finding fruits and veggies in my mailbox and cash donations at the door, I'm moving!

Holy Crap! Somebody, Hold Me Back!!!!!!!!

I think I mentioned in my last post that Jimmy would be making a food shopping trip this weekend to prepare for his upcoming life change, right?  Little did I know this was going to be a 3-1/2 hour power shop with the girls in tow, and include many items I never realized we just had to have for a person to survive on a diet.

The girls came in the front door, followed by Jimmy, who of course was gabbing away on the phone.  I watched in awe as Jimmy made trip after trip from the car to the kitchen, each time making my blood boil just a little bit more.  By the time he was done I swear there was steam coming out of my nose and ears.  Why should I care how much stuff he bought?  Well, this is a man who will tell me how broke we are if I say I'm in need of a pedicure or a new pair of shorts, but suddenly he's doing something life changing and apparently found a money tree on the way to Costco?

I took some pictures of all the stuff he had piled up on the kitchen table.

 And then I walked down to the foyer.  O...M...G!!!!!!!!!!!!!  There was a LOT more stuff that he hadn't brought to the kitchen!  So I took pictures of that stuff too!

And even though I have an entire cabinet full of Tupperware and the like, he bought yet another box of containers!



If you looked closely enough, you saw that he bought a griddle type thingy that can be used on a smooth-top stove. But that wasn't good enough, I suppose, because he also bought a huge Foreman grill which will now take up a big hunk of counter space in the kitchen. And since he's basically off sugar for the next three months he also found it important to buy an iced tea maker, which I'm guessing will also get a spot on my very limited countertops!

And the EGGS! For goodness sakes, I had to boil 36 of them for the week!



I'm just glad I didn't have to peel all of them!



Oh, but wait, it doesn't end here. No, now I take you to the freezer in the garage. The freezer that was empty except for some containers of sauce. This is what it looks like now!



Tons and tons of chicken breasts and different kinds of fish. Granted, when you buy this stuff at Costco you're getting a really great deal, turning out to about $2-$3 per meal meat-wise. But to buy three months worth of it at once? Holy geez! Did he score on a lottery ticket and I'm just unaware of it?

And then there's the freezer door. He sliced and diced all kinds of peppers and various veggies to freeze and use for cooking later.



I'm proud to say that when I questioned his spending he was honest and told me, "Over $400." But come on! I haven't even done the food shopping for the rest of the family yet this week! And I swear, the next time I hear the words, "Don't spend any money. We're broke!" I'm going to shove a whole tuna steak up his ass!

A Blockage and The Power Challenge

Oh, this just sucks! I mean really really bites the big one. I've got Blogger Block! And not just an itty bitty case of it, but serious blockage. I think I may need some creative Draino or Liquid Plumber, or even a partial lobotomy. I'm even having trouble writing a blog post ABOUT my Blogger Block! I can now sympathize with published authors and the terror they go through when the juices stop flowing. Imagine how this would feel if my livelihood depended on my blogging abilities!

There's just nothing interesting or funny going on in my life right now. I haven't gotten the results from my sleep study yet and I'm frustrated because I want answers. I'm tired of being tired all the time, and doing nothing but sleep and read emails. I'm a slug!

Ooh, ADD moment!  And speaking of slugs!  Look at what I found on my patio chair this morning! Isn't he disgusting?  A slug with a shell!  LOL



But I'm so thoroughly impressed with this new camera I won. Look at how close up I was able to get. You can see every bitty bump on him!



I have thought of one thing I can share with you all. I could mention that Jimmy is starting some crazy diet thingy on Monday that is supposed to be life changing. It's called, get this, The Power Challenge. I shit you not. Click on it and go see. I haven't, but I guess I probably should being that this "diet" is going to take over his life for the next three months. Here's what the web site has to say about the program:

The Power Challenge is a comprehensive, 12-week, intensive and competitive health and fitness program designed to lower corporate health care costs by helping CEOs, key executives and their employees achieve maximum health and wellness. The program is also a proven and fun vehicle to teach those involved that there is nothing more important than your health.

What I do know of it so far is that we can expect Jimmy to lose at least 30 pounds, gain tons of muscle mass and basically get in the "best shape of his life". Four times a week, at 5 a.m., he will be brutalized and tortured by a personal trainer for two hours, before putting in a 12-14 hour day at work. He's then expected to eat six small meals a day, but absolutely no beef or pork during the next three months. Only fish, chicken and turkey. Oh, and eggs. Dozens and dozens of egg whites. He's actually got plans of going on his own food shopping expedition tomorrow, which I'm sure will cost hundreds of dollars. But hey, this is life changing, right?

And did I mention that this program has a cost of $2,000 and that his company pays for it? They're obviously trying to make their image more progressive, and I guess they're doing a good job of it so far. I imagine they figure, healthy employee, happy employee. Only time will tell, I suppose, but I have seen quite a few pictures of other employees who have been through the program, and the results are astounding. Sagging beer bellies and man boobs miraculously turned into six packs and bulging pectorals. If they can do it, why not Jimmy? Here's a picture of one of the guys he works with at the beginning of the program.



And this is what he looked like 12 weeks later. I did giggle a bit when I noticed he'd shaved his chest for the photo. But holy rippedness! Does he look amazing, or what? He obviously didn't have a weight issue to deal with but he sure did improve himself! I could sit here and paste pics all day of some of the people Jimmy works with and you would be amazed at the difference just 3 short months made.



But how will this affect my life in the kitchen? God only knows, because Jimmy is hard enough to cook for as it is because he's rarely home for dinner anyway. I am not the type of wife to put on an apron at 8 p.m. and start cooking my beloved a gourmet meal. So, if he's still planning on keeping these hours, he'd better also plan on cooking his own fish/chicken/turkey/egg meals too!

And dinner tonight! Oh my goodness, it was so hard not to pop him one across the table. All day he's been reading his Power Challenge binder and soaking up oodles of healthy eating information. For dinner tonight I made an enchilada casserole. Under his breath I heard, "We eat like shit in this family.   We're all gonna die if we don't change the way we eat.    Kids have got bad habits."  Can you imagine the comments I'll have to live with when he actually starts the friggin' diet?  If you happen to open your newspaper one day and find an article about a man being castrated with a blunt butter knife during dinner, that'll be my story you're reading!

Well, at least I found something to write about, but I certainly don't feel that this is the end to my blockage. I need funny, witty, giggle-worthy things to write about!

Hello, god of the funny bone? It's me, Justiney. I'm sorry to bother you, but this isn't important enough to bother God with, so I'm left with only you, the god of giggles. Could you please send some funny shit my way before I lose my readers? Please? If you do, I promise not to curse you the next time I hit my elbow on the counter!

Okay, Let's Get Serious Now!

I've been futzing around with this whole new blog name thing and I think it's time we just choose one! The only problem is that out of all the suggestions I got, only four of them stuck with me, and two of them I made up myself! So, I'm going to put up a poll and see what you all have to say. Doesn't necessarily mean I'll listen, but I'm curious! Heeheehee!

And, should I actually start a whole new blog with a new addy? I mean, if I did that, I could leave the Froggy Bloggy open, and just have it blank and with a link to the new blog address. What do you guys think? Change the addy, or leave it? Help meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! Don't forget to vote on the poll!

My 100th Post, and About What? Jaundiced Jill and Panties!

I cannot believe this. It's my 100th post, which is supposed to be a big deal here, right? Well, I've got nothing to write about. Nothing! I could tell you that within the last day a million baby frogs have transformed and have been hopping all over my patio, and OMG, they are soooooooo cute. I'm talking teeny tiny  little things that are about this big --- from nose to butt. Two nights ago as I was sitting here typing, this little fella hopped onto my leg and I just happened to have my camera ready. He's not a tiny baby, but he is small.

Ooh, Madison just found this little guy hanging around. He's very tiny, but don't know if that shows up well here. Yes, that chair he's sitting on is covered in green mold. These chairs are not used at all!



The other night I made Jill take a pic of herself to show me how her haircut came out, and I thought it was a pretty picture of her. Aside from the fact that her camera was on the wrong setting and she's yellow! But she did take the picture in her bathroom mirror, which gives her, what? DIVA STATUS! I wish Shelia was around to see this... she'd be so proud of my sis!



Now I have a question for all of you. How pathetic is it to be so lazy and aghast at doing laundry, that a person (not me) I lie! It was me! would go three days without wearing panties? Is that totally pathetic? Sad? Disgusting? Mental?

My 100th post. I should win an award for this one!

What the HELL is THAT? Results Revealed!

Okay bloggers, I have to say this was a blast. So many of you guessed the last picture as grass, but I don't know how you could come up with that. Since when it grass black? Crap on a cracker, you guys are hysterical!

1) English muffin
2) Grill brush
3) Flashlight
4) Kabuki makeup brush.

Kudos to JILL for the FUNNIEST answer! My muff? My MUFF????????? OMG, I nearly wet myself!

Yippee! I got my new camera from the SITS Girls Recipes contest that I won, and I love it! It's a Canon A580 and I decided to play around with it a bit today. But I took it one step further. I've decided we're going to play a new game. I kinda sorta stole it right out from under her ass borrowed this idea from my good friend Rhea, at Texas Word Tangle.

Are you ready? Everyone, sit comfortably, grab a drink and your reading glasses if necessary and let's get this show on the road! I present to you the very first addition of...



And now I'll post some odd pictures that I took today, and see who can guess what they are. No, no prizes, just good clean bloggy fun! Good luck! What the hell IS that?



What the hell is THAT?



WHAT the hell is that?



What the hell IS that?

Casino Night in the 'Hood

I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful, deed restricted golf course community here in Saint Augustine, surrounded by some really great people, most of which I haven't bothered to get to know. While our house in the Tampa area sits endlessly on the market, we've been renting here in this community, and I suppose I feel like I don't want to get attached to people in case when we buy we don't stay here in the neighborhood. Stupid reasoning. I have a phone. I have a car. It's not like we'd move far from here in any case. Here's the entrance to my neighborhood. I blocked out the name for my own safety.

The other part of not making close friends is that I'm somewhat of a recluse. I suffer quite badly from panic disorder and the simplest thing, such as going out to lunch with a friend, is nearly impossible for me. Shopping with a friend? Uh uh, ain't gonna happen. I hate this part of me, but I've dealt with it for so long that it's just become part of who I am. The recluse. The anti social one. If there is a party, let's say next door at our friend's house, I'd probably go, but I'd wind up coming home on and off to decompress. It makes absolutely no sense because I'm surrounded by great, funny people. They're not in the least bit scary. But illnesses such as mine are not logical, nor are they based on reality. The fear is always there, whether I'm taking a ride to the supermarket, or strolling the aisles of Wal-Mart. If you've ever had a severe panic attack you can probably empathize with me at least a little bit. But hell, I've gone off on a tangent, and in the second paragraph no less! This is not what my post is about!!!!!!!

No, this post is about a great get-together our community had last night called Casino Night. I think we pay $500 a year in association fees to live here, and from that, only $33 a year is taken from each family to plan all the different social events in our community throughout the year. Last night's shindig cost us absolutely nothing. We were just asked to bring either a dessert or an appetizer. The clubhouse was set up like a casino with oodles of blackjack tables, a craps table, and a roulette table. Outside in the breezeway was poker. There was plenty of alcohol to go around for mixed drinks, a keg of beer, and lots of water and soda for those of us who don't partake of the good stuff. Imagine that. We paid nothing, and there was an open bar! Plus, you are given $20,000 of play money to gamble with. This is not usually my type of thing. A huge crowd, loud music and gambling. But ooh, I really did have fun! I got semi dolled-up, walked in there and was instantly welcomed by people I know, and then throughout the night met so many more people I didn't know, who turned out to be so nice! Of course, more than half of them were juiced, but they were still nice!

Pic of me and Jimmy just before we left home.



Here's a picture of Tracy gambling. Now, I barely know her as of yet, but she kind of adopted me last night and seems to think I should join the community planning commitee. If only she knew what a stretch that would be for me! But we'll see. I told her it might be worth it just for the bullshit factor. Tracy is in the black spaghetti strap shirt. She's married to Jimmy's good friend, John.



I actually had a great time gambling too, and made a profit! Here's me and Jennifer. I have no clue who the hell she is. She came to play next to me and I made Jimmy take a picture of us. You can see by the look on her face that she's wondering why this insane woman has her arm around her, taking a picture. Little did she know I was probably among the 5% of people completely sober!



Larry was there, and wearing the coolest shirt ever! I wish I could say the same for his footwear. He was wearing the gaudiest pair of white cowboy boots I've ever seen. I think they even had rhinestones on them. Damn, I really wish I would have snapped a picture of them. Would have given y'all a good giggle. On his left is Grisel, and on his right is Michelle. She's one of two Michelles I know, so I call her black Michelle. LOL



Here's a pic of the back of Larry's cool shirt.



Jimmy and John played at the same blackjack table all night, and OMG, a woman that was playing with them the whole time thought they were a couple! Gee, I wonder, can you imagine why?



My friend from next door, Grisel, on left, and Michelle, (white Michelle...heeheehee) on right.



No clue who these chicks are, but they seemed happy, so I snapped! Oh wait! Lady in the pink shirt is the one that thought John and Jimmy were "together". That's probably why Jimmy popped her some bunny ears.



I even took a very quick video so you could hear how loud it was in this place!



Ooh, what's this? Shelia will be so proud! I took a "potty" break and snapped away! Diva pictures!





Now this next picture is completely rude and I should be so ashamed of myself for taking it. I'm not though. It was just too good to pass up. This pretty chick walked in and the first thing I noticed was how short her dress was. Long, beautiful legs, but OMG, who the hell wears dresses this short? Only Heidi Klum should be allowed. This was almost indecent! Okay, so she looked smokin' hot and I'm just jealous. Whatever. Anyway, I was sitting at a table directly behind her, and to take this picture without her or her friends knowing, I put the camera on the table, sneakily turned it on and faced it in the right direction, and then when no one was looking, pressed the shutter button. Ooh, I am so bad. Probably one of those situations where I should have asked myself, What Would Jesus Do? But come on, Jesus didn't have a camera and probably wouldn't understand my blogging obsession for details.



You'd think that once the party was over, that would be it. I'd go home to bed and this blog post would end. But noooooooo. Tiney left the festivities a little earlier than most (10:10), came home, read some emails, then got in my jammies and crawled into bed to talk to Jill on the phone. Jimmy was getting a ride home with John and Tracy. At 11:45, call waiting interrupts my conversation with Jill. It's Jimmy, calling from John's house telling me that everyone wanted me over there. Oh yes, because I'm just so popular, the party can't go on without me, right? But then Tracy takes over the phone and starts yelling at me to get my ass over there, jammies or not. She then passed the phone to a very tipsy Larry who said he'd go home and put on jammies too if only I'd walk over. At this point Madison was sound asleep and Mikayla was heading to bed herself, but hey, my people were awaiting my presence. What could I do? I put on my crappiest clothes, smoothed down my bed hair, put my bra on again dammit, and once again locked the kids up tight, then walked across the cul-de-sac to John and Tracy's house.

John was behind the bar, the men were playing pool, Tracy was bringing out chips and dips, and I was trying not to yawn. At some point after midnight Manuel whipped up a bowl of homemade salsa and boy was it good! Here's Larry taking a shot at the pool table. Isn't this a cool room? It's an addition they did a couple years ago, and I love all the windows!



I wanted a picture of me and black Michelle, and at the last second Larry popped his head in the picture. Doesn't he look completely odd here? He's got a look of a deer caught in the headlights. A very drunk deer.



Here's a picture of me and Jimmy around 1 a.m., right before I left to finally go home and nite-nite.



And this last is my favorite picture of the whole night! There's nothing like 40-somethings acting like teenagers to put a smile on my face! Yep, I give to you John and Tracy.



And that's about it! I gathered up my stuff, bade everyone goodbye, and snuggled up to read the end of Tribute, by Nora Roberts. Great book, and a wonderful way to end a fun night!