friday for sure!

altho technically as i write this, it's saturday.  goal of going to bed by midnight - FAIL.

work was pretty slow today.  i got a lot accomplished, but not as much as i'd wanted to.  stupid issues.  :|   also i was in the bathroom a bit.  hopefully feeling better tomorrow.  AND then i left at 3:30 because i needed to get to the bank & home to pick some stuff up before i picked erin up at 6.  heh.

lunch was awesome!  i'd scheduled lunch w/ my friend amy.  she thought it was a group thing & that i'd forgotten to tell trish & megan, so she invited them.  then, i'm not sure how, but marcie was there, too!  so, it was like a surprise party & it's not even my birthday yet!!  *laugh*  we all gathered at the chinese buffet & had quite a nice visit!  : )

after work, i ran my errand & came home to switch purses (time to break out the autumn purse!) & do a couple things.  picked erin up a little after 6 & we went to arthur's for dinner.  ran into a former co-worker of trish's who ironically shares her birthday!  heh.  it's always a bit ... odd... when you see ppl outside of work, ya know?  like, not bad.  as long as they're nice to me, i love seeing ppl i know wherever!  LOL  the food was great, erin & i got to visit a lot, and then we went to the theatre for ...

COURAGEOUS!  seriously, if you are a dad, have a dad, know a dad - go to this movie.  loved it!  erin didn't love it as much, but she's forcing me to see the muppets movie later, so... altho there is someone in the muppets movie that made me think it would be worth seeing.  : )

oh my goodness, i'm supposed to pick leyton up at 9 tomorrow for our adventure.  i really need to sleep!

hope your friday was blessed & your saturday, too!  : )

ttfn!!

party planning

it's on my mind.  my birthday party - i think i've decided on biaggi's for lunch.  and i want to have a cleaning/wall hanging/unpacking party in december, if i can get any takers.  LOL  


in october, daddy will have been gone for five years.  SAD.


in november, i will be 35.  weird.  


in february, i will have been in my house for five years.  and my walls are not decorated, i have boxes that haven't been unpacked, my library is still an uninhabitable mess, and i have stuff... EVERYWHERE.  i have tried at various times to get things organized, but then stuff just keeps accumulating w/ nowhere to go.  it's getting a little depressing.  i have pictures that i want to put on my walls, but am afraid to hammer nails in.  idk why i'm afraid to hammer nails in... it's MY house.  i can paint the walls the color of grass if i wanna.  lol  


anyway...  i am trying really hard to do everything i can not to think about how sad i am and how much i miss my dad.  it's not working, really.  i mean, it's weird.  it's like - i think about HIM every day, but i don't think about missing him every day.  yet i feel like it's there just underneath the surface even when i'm not thinking about it.  and then i'm thinking about why i'm not thinking about it, or if i'm really not thinking about it.  round & round & rouuuuuuunnnnnnndddddd.


meh.


so!  i'm distracting my mind w/ party plans.  i ordered pictures the other day which i'm going to use as invitations.  thanks to my wall-mate today i've decided on biaggi's for lunch.  twilight is the movie.  : ) 


but first i gotta make it thru october w/ a smile!  


ttfn.




entertainment schedule for the evening: 
castle
2 awesome episodes of the lying game
playboy club


: ) 

this post will shock you

i am a private person.  


i know, i know - you are saying, "but carrie, you tell us everything!  how can you say that?"


well, i know i share a lot - here & in person & in letters & ... i don't believe in holding back, but i do believe in decorum, modesty, and privacy.  


i was very blessed, from a modesty pov among other reasons, to attend a christian private school, and my dorm at college had private showers.  i never had to go thru the "must shower after gym" thing, or "must change in front of ppl" thing.  even in elementary, when we would go swimming, in the locker room i would change in a bathroom stall.  i've never been brainwashed to think it's "normal" for groups of ppl to dress/undress together.  


now, i'm not judging ppl who DO think it's normal.  if it never bothered you, changing in front of a group of ppl, then hooray for you!  if you went to a school where gym was mandatory & showering after gym was mandatory & it was a big group shower - and it never bothered you - then great for you!  but if it DID bother you, and you were bullied/forced/cajoled/convinced that this was just the way it was & you had to do it or not make waves, even tho you were uncomfortable, until one day it either didn't bother you or you didn't think about it anymore - that's what i'm calling brainwashing.  


it's my opinion that our society doesn't take modesty seriously but then wonders why there are so many sexual predators or abusers or whatnot.  it's not that having to shower w/ your teammates makes you into a predator.  if that were the case, NO ONE would be safe!  it's that the idea of "you're all boys/girls and don't have anything new to each other" that strips away a child's privacy.  it's the idea of - well, if i can show off my body in the locker room, why can't i wear this revealing halloween costume, or outfit to school?  never mind that you're 12, you've been showering and changing in front of ppl your whole life.


this attitude can continue to spill over into other areas of ppl's lives... 


anyway, wow that was a tangent of sorts!  lol  what started all of this thought process was my neighbors have the windows open & were watching a movie & i was thinking how i don't like to open my windows because i don't want to disturb ppl w/ whatever i'm watching/don't want ppl listening in on my phone calls/etc etc.   and then i thought of privacy, and that led to modesty, and that led to ... this post.


*laugh*  


so.  how was YOUR day?  i'm so grateful that i'll have money tomorrow!  not only for my cravings and groceries - seriously need milk & bread & stuff! - but because i will finally, FINALLY, be able to get leyton a toy at the pavilion on saturday!  the past couple times we've gone, i haven't been able to get him a toy.  and it's not that i think he needs a toy every time he's w/ me or anything like that.  just the opposite - i don't want to encourage a relationship where he only wants to hang out w/ me because he gets a toy!  ya know?  i just want to be able to get him things when i want to get him things, and it's been awhile since that's happened.


so, praise the Lord, praise the Lord!  


this morning leyton got up at 5:30 but didn't want to get up yet - which was good since i didn't have to be up for at least 40 minutes! - and so he snuggled w/ me for a bit.  snuggles are the best!  i just want to protect him from anything and everything that would ever hurt him, or make him sad, or make him doubt his love for the Lord.  his heart is so pure and his knowledge of God & what He's done is so true and sure.  i hate to think of someone taking that away from him.  i pray for him - and for you, dear readers - every night.  


i should go to bed.  it's not even 11:30 yet, so my goal of in bed before midnight should be accomplished!  tonight i got to chat w/ april, talked to mom some - did not go over to watch survivor so i'll have to watch that later, watched a couple new shows - revenge & terra nova.  i like 'em!  here's hoping a lot of other ppl did, too, so they'll stick around!  i hate picking up a new show, really enjoying it, and then having it randomly disappear until i've forgotten about it & they've cancelled it & i never find out what happened (i'm looking at YOU, The Event!  *raspberry*)!!  oh, i also watched the premier of glee tonight.  the music selection was AWESOME!  but i'm getting really, insanely, sick of everyone still being down on the glee clubbers and sue being so awful.  ryan, come on!  can't you come up w/ dramatic ideas that don't fall back on those crutches?? seriously.


and i think that's all i've got for tonight.  do share your stories!  i miss comments.  not that comments have anything to do w/ my blogging, but i just miss hearing from my friends.  *laugh*  likely everyone has run away from my nonsensical posting on a daily basis & just comes by when there are cute pictures of leyton... 


ah well, have a good night & ttfn!!  : )  i'll add my favorite picture of officer leyton from last weekend, just for kicks.  ; )  

totally tubular, man!

jen asked me to watch the boys tonight, so i picked up leyton & we went to her house & hung out w/ anthony for awhile.  but then jen texted to say that the games were going long (the 7 o'clock didn't even start til nearly 8!) so i could take leyton home w/ me if i wanted.  i asked anthony if he'd be okay, "sure - i didn't even know you were coming over tonight!" & made him give me a hug - "i don't know how to hug."  goofy kid.  :)  


leyton discovered my old glasses again, so we had some fun w/ that.  got jammied, popped popcorn & watched 2 episodes of thomas before hitting the hay.  him, not me.  obviously.  LOL  i'm here writing this & giving you hilarious pictures to laugh at!  ; )  


oh, we also got the mail - i received two beautiful postcrossings from taiwan & poland!  : )  

how was your tuesday?  


ttfn!

show schedule

more of a list than a schedule, really... 


OLTL
GH
Warehouse 13
the Protector
Burn Notice
White Collar (i know it's over but not for me! LOL)
Glee (if i ever get to watch it on hulu)
Royal Pains 
Psych (whenever it comes back)
LXD
Pan Am 
Playboy Club (these two are new, and i wasn't gonna watch new shows, but i liked the premiers!)
Survivor
The Good Wife
Blue Bloods
NCIS
NCIS:LA
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
maybe CSI cuz ted danson's on it now  : )  
Ringer
The Lying Game
...
and then there are the shows ppl keep telling me to watch which i haven't yet
Revenge
Hawaii 5-0
...
oh, and then there are the shows i want to watch but never seem to work out
Vampire Diaries (which i LOVE season 1 & the 1/2 of season 2 i saw)
Secret Circle 
...
and the shows that i'm forgetting because there are just too many!  LOL  


it's nice not to be held to any kind of schedule, tho.  tonight i watched pan am and then had a warehouse 13 mini-marathon of 3 episodes.  you know i enjoy my marathons!  : )  


today was good, i must say.  i was blessed by morning vacation, and a productive day at work.  the rain was a bit much, but i didn't have an incident like that one day, so that was a plus!  my wall-mate & i had an adventure after our smoke break, in that there was a leak by one of the doors & we had to take care of it.  happily our maintenance guy was still around & when we went to ask for a mop, he said he would take care of it.  so hooray for that!  i got to chat w/ april for a bit tonight which made me happy happy!  


so, how was your day??  i must get to bed pretty quickly if i want to keep my "bed before midnight" goal!  and i don't get a pass on getting up tomorrow.  6:30 & still dark makes it realllllly difficult to get outta my nest!!  LOL  


ttfn!  

refreshing morning!

it was a perfect day for having a lie-in!  the rain pounding on the room, the dark & gloomy skies... sleeping til 9 was great!  then my computer semi-cooperated & let me watch Ringer & some you tube videos brooke posted. : )

now i suppose i have to go out IN the rain.  i was hoping it would let up a little before i have to run to my car.  *laugh*  i think i'm going to wear my sneakers instead of my normal work shoes, tho.  i just don't want to deal w/ wet feet, i'm sorry.

hope your day is going well & i'm HOPEFULLY going to have an interesting post for you later!!

ttfn!

soccer! (or futball as EVERYONE ELSE calls it) : )

what an awesome, wonderful time.  wasn't sure it was going to happen for a bit there - it rained this morning & i thought i would once again NOT get to see the soccer game.  happily, by noon the rain was gone & the sun was out.  the sun went back into hiding, but the rain stayed away, too, so the games were ON!  


it was a beautiful afternoon, even overcast, windy & cold (to me, that's gorgeous!).  i wore sweats & was quite comfy!  : )  

leyton took awhile to get warmed up to the soccer thing.  i think baseball is definitely more his sport.  but he ran & ran & kicked & ran & had lots of fun.  and we had lots of fun watching!  jen was playing co-coach, and phil, mom, tiny & shelly & i were the spectators - along w/ all the other families, of course!  

the kids all looked to be enjoying themselves.

leyton got to be goalie for the last quarter, and most of his time was spent being sociable.

but there were some opportunities for action!

all in all, a lovely time.  : )  


today i also baked an apple pie of sorts, made pasta for dinner, watched a bunch of hulu - GH (jason & sam's wedding, AWESOME!), AMC (finale - DISAPPOINTING), Burn Notice & Suits (2 eps of BN = 2 Pretender alums; 1 ep of Suits = 1 Pretender alum.  it was cool!), and got caught up on 3 eps of LXD.  woot!  so amaaaaazing!  every time i watch this show, i am just blown away by these ppl's talent.  love it!! 


tomorrow i happily get to sleep in, then should go to the PO & make sure i can mail out my sparkle gift.  then off to work for a few hours.  and i have no plans for tomorrow night, so i should be able to catch up on OLTL, i hope.  : )  


what'd you get up to today?


ttfn!

of museums & balloons

this is a story about an off-duty police officer who will someday be a fire fighter, and the gramma & aunt who take him places. 


this morning, aunt carrie was awakened from a pretty cool dream featuring NEAL CAFFREY by the telephone. she had not been expecting the phone to ring until at least 10:30, but here it was, barely 8 o'clock!  she tried to go back to sleep, but the phone rang again, so she got up to see what was the matter.  it was her mom, saying she & leyton were up & would be picker her up in an hour.  oh my!  


aunt carrie attempted to watch thursday's GH and get the address for her sparkle swap partner, so she could address the package & go to the PO, but her computer was acting up.  she could hear jason & sam but she could not see them - and forget about trying to get gmail to open up.  finally, FINALLY, success - in the address section, not GH.  she will have to try again on sunday!  sadly, aunt carrie was out of time to get to the PO by the time she got the needed address.  sigh.  will have to run an errand before work on monday!  


officer leyton came knocking at the door around 9:30.  aunt carrie was a little intimidated, until he took off the hat & said he wasn't there to arrest her.  wheeeew!  he even let her try on his hat, as an act of goodwill!  (lol)

they set off onto the first of their afternoon adventures, the family museum!  with a little pit stop at kwik shop for coffee and a liquid bombpop for officer leyton.  there were many friendly ppl at the kwik shop, one of whom had an amaaaazing Twilight sweatshirt, featuring jacob w/o a shirt.  mmm!  


the family museum had many exiting things for our adventurers.  there was a tortoise named natasha: 

a firetruck that officer/firefighter leyton found fascinating: 

 "get in the back, please, aunt carrie!"

that little ladder is the cutest thing ever!!!

dollhouses:

the wonderful world of Clifford:

and many other fun exhibits for aunt carrie, gramma, and officer leyton to enjoy: 

after all the playing, tummies began to rumble.  where should we have lunch?  they asked.  it was decided that chili's sounded delicious, and they set off to enjoy queso & chips, steak quesadillas, cheeseburgers and potato soup.  mmmm!  officer leyton colored a chili, and discovered that many others had done the same.  there were jack-o-lantern chilis, and chilis supporting the hawkeyes.

after lunch, it was decided that naps were in order, so our troupe headed back to gramma's for some much-needed rest.  aunt carrie pulled out her People magazines while gramma & officer leyton got some shut-eye.  around 4, everyone woke & packed back into the car for the day's final adventure - balloons!  

this one reminds me of indian corn.  : )  

officer leyton met many like-minded ppl, and even got to meet a real, live lieutenant of a ladder company.  exciting conversations commenced!  : )  there was funnel cake, and delicious hot dogs and brats, as well.  

aunt carrie's friend penelope was there, but they were unable to meet up.  :(  many texts were exchanged, but no success was found in finding penelope & her family.  alas!  however, aunt carrie's friend greg was also in attendance with his family, and she was able to visit w/ them for awhile!  : )  

due to weather concerns - there had been some lightning spotted amongst the clouds - the balloons were unable to take off, but they did still produce an attractive "glow" once the sun went down.

our adventurers picked up some cookies & a marshmallow on a stick from a fundraising booth, and headed home to bed after their FUN and exhausting adventurous day.  : )  

i hope you enjoyed our story tonight!  what did you do today?  blessings to you, and ttfn!!