Scraps' Adventures in Southerland

Ho Ho Ho and a bottle of OJ!

2009-12-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, but the update and pictures below will be worth the wait!
I hope this email finds you all as healthy and happy as we are!

We've had an exciting and busy 2009. We have been so busy, in fact, that we are forced to send you an email greeting/update rather than a traditional Christmas card. This gives
us some extra time to update our address book with new addresses (so,
please reply with any new information). The plan is to get paper cards
in the mail in time for the New Year! In the mean time, enjoy our heartfelt warm wishes and the cheesy pictures.

2009 Summary:

We rang in 2009 the same way we plan to ring in 2010: at Ben and
Katie's Annual Karaoke Death Match in Memphis. This year I am sure
that Michael will belt some more tunes while I shyly hide in the corner with
my noisemakers and silly party hat.

Brian, my oldest nephew, graduated high school and entered college while my youngest
niece, Allison, entered kindergarten. Niece Natalie got First Chair
flute and went all the way to NYC with her dance troop. Nephew Matt
got his driver’s license. Niece Amy is a Duke Scholar. Niece Emily competed in Junior Miss. Michael won’t let me brag about his nieces and nephews—he seems to think he has too much class for that. But, we did get to spend time with most of them in the past
year, and they are awesome, I assure you.

Michael and I actually completed the Grandman Triathlon again, but MY
biggest accomplishment of 2009 may have been getting Michael to help
chaperone a Homecoming dance and a prom! Tee hee.

We took a trip to Los Angeles to watch some of my old students graduate.

We stayed in Lauren and Craig’s amazing house and played with their
amazing animals.

We enjoyed a party at Ms. Cao’s, visited with everyone
we possibly could, and shared a few fantastic meals with good old pals.

Johana and Stage flew in from New York and we road-tripped with them all the way from Los
Angeles to Monterey, CA via Route I (the Coastal Highway).

We stayed with Brad, Jennifer, Jake, and Will Tonder and saw Brad graduate from the
Naval Academy.

We then drove Brad’s car from Monterey back to Mobile.

We saw the Grand Canyon...

...where we bumped into Paul and Susan Tonder.

Area 51.

And had a brief visit with the Houston Tonders (Matt, Jennifer, Tristan, and Maelyn).

We came back to Mobile and promptly moved into our first house! The Red Brick Dream.

Six days later, we adopted our three-year-old pound puppy, Red. He is a
lab/hound mix who gets into everything. He is perfect.

Before saying goodbye to our tiny old apartment, I took up gardening
on our old apartment balcony. The garden did pretty well, actually,
and I have done a pretty good job of continuing it in our new yard.
Cooking is so much more fun when you can pick some ingredients instead
of shopping for them!

Michael has done a bit of beekeeping with my dad this year, and he
spent a lot of time coaching the University of South Alabama’s Club
Football team.

We celebrated our one-year anniversary and became Oldlyweds.

We (Flo, the Grim Reaper, and the Red Pirate Roberts) threw our first
(tiny) Halloween party in our new house. Ben and Katie came all the
way from Memphis for it because they rock.

Michael and I became board members of the Historic Murphy District
Association (our neighborhood watch-type thing), and I somehow became
Secretary. Writing newsletters and attending meetings is a fun way to procrastinate
instead of lesson planning.

Mostly we are just having a blast painting and fixing up our house.
It’s a lot of work, but our Red Brick Dream is slowly turning into the
House of Many Colors.

I am still teaching high school English in Lucedale, Mississippi, Michael is still the best attorney in Mobile, and we still wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

love,
Scraps

Red Brick Dream and Orange Fur Dream Come True!

2009-08-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have a house and a dog!!!
-Scraps

Pulling myself out of the Scrapheap?

2009-07-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Scrappy 4th of July!

You may be wondering--as am I--why bother with a blog when everyone is on Facebook now?

I thought about that during my many months of not updating this blog. I wasn't sure if I should ever post again. What's the point? But then I decided to for a few reasons:

Everyone is NOT on Facebook. My mom, some relatives, and some good friends have managed to resist the call of that time-waster/keep-in-toucher we all love to hate.
I never really provide any detail or substance on Facebook. I just throw a few thumbs-ups at people, write the occasional line about my day, and slap a few pics on there. My Facebook profile doesn't really give anyone a clue about my life--and I really don't feel like it helps me keep in touch on a personal level with anyone.
I feel that if I actually take the time to post a blog entry every few months or so, rather than just quickly updating my Facebook status, maybe my friends and family will also take the time to read it and be more personal in their responses. I'm too lazy to go back to the days of old school letter writing, but I truly miss it, so the blog is the most personal update I can think of.
One day I will look back at this electronic diary and be greatly amused/embarrassed.

I don't promise any deep insights on the meaning of life on here, and I guarantee you will encounter some duplicate pictures, stories, and even typos, but I hope you will continue to visit my cheesy li'l blog whenever I update it. Don't think of it as a waste of your precious time--but as experiencing several months of my life in a Scraption of the time it took me to live it!

Also, for some reason, when I added the pictures everything came up in reverse order. Technology is Amazing. Thus, below you'll find the summary of the months since New Year's Eve in reverse order!

There is a chance, and a very good one at that, that we will be moving into a house soooooonish! We are not positive when/where YET, and I have no desire to jinx our dreams, so I will provide no details for now. But, we will be moving out of here soon regardless, so feel free to say goodbye to the tiny one bedroom apartment lovingly known as The Nest:

No more tears, please. Parting is such sweet, sweet, sweet, SWEET sorrow.

A few days ago Michael had to travel to Selma, Alabama for a work trip. Since I am off for the summer I went with him. I wandered the city, stopped at a diner for homemade ginger beer, and experienced the Voting Rights and Civil Rights museums while he worked. The museums were humbling and powerful to say the least.

Below = my first tomatoes! I also FINALLY have a green bell pepper growing! Yum.
I cannot wait to have a yard to plant the garden in.

Some highlights from our LaBama Road Trip 2009 (in reverse order).

Mike and Brother Matt in Houston:

Spooky Fun Area 51. It was actually on the way this trip!

The tour lady promised that the "fact" that I was being floated by an alien's mysterious powers would be obvious in the above picture.

Ah, the Grand Canyon.

We bumped into Mom and Dad Tonder at the Grand Canyon. Their camper is awesome!

Hoover Dam:

The new bridge being built above the dam below.
THAT was an awkward sentence.

Scenes from the passenger window during the trip home:

In Monterey, we saw Michael's brother Brad graduate.

View from restaurant at Cannery Row in Monterey. Can you see the otter?

On the road again....somewhere between LA and Monterey:

Sea Elephants (behind us!) near Hearst Castle.

Attack squirrels near the Sea Elephants.

A view of Hearst Castle on the drive up:

Creepy statue in Hearst Castle:

California Dreamin'

More scenes between LA and Monterey...

Us at Lauren and Craig's in LA:

View from Lauren and Craig's:

Iggy:
Buck and Lucy:
I miss LA billboards...
Ms. Cao threw me a party (well, she threw a party and I was invited):

The Summit View graduates:

I had such a great time visiting the peeps in LA (why wouldn't you let me take a million photos of all of you???), driving up Route 1 from LA to Monterey with Johana and Stage, and on our road trip from Monterey back to Mobile....

Before the road trip, Niece Emily competed in Junior Miss Mobile County. She was brilliant, beautiful, and talented--as always. She won tons of scholarships and made me cry. She rocks:

Niece Allison had her first dance recital. Precious...

Dad and I got banjos! I still haven't found lessons yet, but I look good holding it!

Michael and I both finished the Grandman Triathlon, again this year!
1/3 mile swim, 16 mile bike ride, 3 mile run. I almost died, but I DID finish--and wasn't last!
We even recruited Cindy this year!

I got this fortune cookie the next day: That about says it.

Still working on the garden and improving my cooking skills. The two kind of go together:

Almost everything in this seemingly boring meal came from the GARDEN! So, you may think it's just spaghetti with a sad excuse for garlic bread, but really it's:

spaghetti with chives, basil, rosemary, and thyme from the garden.
bread with parsley from the garden.
salad with chives, basil, peppers, and cucumbers from my garden--and blueberries from the parents' yard--with homemade salad dressing

Simple, yes.
Fresh and delicious, yes and yes.

The modest beginnings of my Garden of Earthly Delights:

the first cuc!

the first pepper!

Cuc sprout.

I was on the Prom Commitee, so poor Michael got to chaperone another school dance...

Michael did some beekeeping with my dad earlier in the year. He had a blast and now, of course, he wants to start a bee farm when we retire!

And possibly the biggest joy of 2009...

Nephew Brian graduated from high school!

Scrap ya later!

Happy New Year Memphis-Style!

2009-01-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

2008 was great...

...here's to an even better 2009!

We sang in the New Year at Katie and Ben's Karaoke Death Match New Year's party. This dude is not Boy Wonder; never fear--my main man is pictured below!

So much 80's cheese...

...so little time.

tooooo much fun!

yay for 2009,
scraps

Scenes from our Super Scrappy Honeymoon and Scrappy Christmas!

2008-12-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

I mean "Scrappy" as in "HAPPY" (and/or sappy)--please don't take my title the wrong way! The Honeymoon was true bliss and Christmas was full of Merry as usual.

See for yourself:

Us in the car at the very beginning of our loooooooooooong commute to Key West, Florida!

We traveled to the beginning and the end of the earth....well, the drive felt that way to us anyway. We did get pretty darn south as far as our country is concerned, though.

The only fish we caught on camera before the waterproof camera showed that it wasn't. I chased an enormous Barracuda and a big ole Nurse Shark!

Us on the sailboat prior to snorkeling and kayaking.

Our hotel's beach. Sigh.

Dog walking a tightrope at Key West's nightly Sunset Celebration.

The sunset we were celebrating.

Me, marching to the beat of my own drummer.

Michael. I just don't know what to say.

Fiesta! The Sun Also Rises.

A very excited me on my way in...

Us at the Hemingway House.

Where the man made the magic happen.

Me on Hemingway's balcony. I was so starstruck.

The honeymoon's over.
The following are Christmas photos:

I finally finished the infamous state quarter collection! Is anyone else geeky enough to care?!

The annual family football game had to stop almost before it started when Amy had to be rushed to the emergency room for a sprained ankle! At least I didn't get injured this year!

The Arzonicos got a brand new puppy! Henry the precious Schnauzer.
Did I spell that right?

The O'Neals came to our family Christmas armed--with a potato gun! Looked more like a potato launcher to me. Scary stuff.

Scrappy New Year to all and to all a good night! I hope I live to see 2009...and that Michael doesn't kill me for including all these cheesy/lovely photos; he is a tad more private about things than I am.

-Scraps

Finally Some More Wedded Bliss!

2008-11-15T13:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so getting the photos and the rockin' wedding mixes out there is taking forever, but...at least we got all our thank you cards out in decent time! I think. I hope.

Marriage is great fun so far. We love our new place and are getting a ton of use out of our many fabulous gifts! Thank you all for your generosity--and a major thank you, again, to all who CAME to the wedding! We had a fabulous time and can't wait to see you all at our 5oth anniversary!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped!

Many, many, many, many special extra sugar-coated thanks to Mom, Dad, Wendy, Nancy, Paul, Susan, Trina, the Gardbergs and Linda Clausen, Stephanie, Lauren, Sam, Greg, Johana, and Stage for providing sooooooo much above and beyond-type help in putting the whole thing together! You are AMAZING!

Here is some evidence of the thanks we owe:

Sister Nancy: getting it ready.

Lauren, Steph, and Sister Wendy: getting it ready.

Sam, Greg, and Lauren: making party favors, etc.

Sam and Greg: running pre-wedding errands with me.

Our beautiful cake. Thank you, Trina!

Getting the hair cut a few days before the wedding...

...and the crazy sisters actually came to the salon to throw me a last-minute surprise pre-wedding party!

Now for some wedding pics. You know you want it.

The photographer told us to do something cute. So, without a moment of thought, we both started to choke each other! Ah, romance.

Much of my fabulous new family.

The entire wedding party showing its charms.

Sister Wendy and Katie's Ben gettin' their groove on.

Sister Nancy and Dan.

Stage and Johana.

Me and Niece Allison, the flower girl of preciousness.

Steph's mom, Danelle, Danny, Stephanie, and Honorary Niece Chloe

Laurens' mom, Craig, Lauren, and Joe.

Me showing my butt.

Me and my Laurabelles: Remarkable Laura, an old neighbor from elementary school in Alaska + G-Laura, a good ole college buddy from Baltimore.

the Nephews.

Baby Allison and Matt.

Me and my dad. Ah.

Nephew Matt, in an awkward wedding moment, caught the garter--though he tried not to.

Me "tossing" the wedding bouquet, flower by flower directly into the hands of some very lovely single friends.

Cutting the cake. Yum.

Eating the cake.

Cheesy dancing.

Greg showing us some cheesier dancing.

Even cheesier dancing.

Could it get any cheesier than me and Sister Wendy?

Yup. Us.

The very elegant Groom's cake.

LOVE.

The smooch that made it all official.

Dad giving me away. How could he do this to me???

Dad, Emma, me, Mom.

Nieces and Junior bridesmaids: Nat and Amy.

Ben, Katie, me, Greg.

High school buddies: Steph, Lauren, me, Sam.

Us + minister.

The girls + Michael.

Wedding party.

Lauren making an incredibly lovely and tear-jerking toast.

Love.

Me and mom.

Jogi and me.

Me + da ladies.

Mike's mom and dad + us. I love my in-laws!

Us + my parents. I love them, too!

Everybody blowing bubbles for our exit.

Us trying to leave in a storm of bubbles.

Us. Leaving. At last.

On the way to our "honeymoon" we realized that three lovely ladies needed a ride. Michael was perfectly happy to take Cherie, Daria, and Lauren to the hotel with us!

We stopped for more photos on the way to the "honeymoon"!

The crazy, amazing carpet at the Battlehouse Hotel in Mobile...our Honeymoon locale--thanks to Johana and Stage!

The tub at the fabulous Battlehouse was so big we could swim in it!

On the super-deluxe Battlehouse balcony the morning after the wedding.

Some life post-wedding:

My class door won 3rd place out of over 70 doors at George County High School! And, yes, my 4th block class did it!

Our new home. So cozy.

Us chaperoning our first GCHS dance instead of having fun on Halloween Night.
Aaaaaah, love.

I still love and miss you all...and that is NOT a load of Scrap!

Spoooooky fun!

2008-11-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Finally, some pics of the best Halloween Party this side of the Mississippi!

AIY-YEEEE!

The open-casket memorial service for the Headless Horseman was delicious!

Wedded Bliss

2008-09-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

More commentary and photos to follow....

in scrapness and in health,
Scraps

I Showered Again Today!

2008-08-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

This time it was thrown by Boy Wonder's co-workers...and it, too, was amazing!

mmmm. cake.

Us basking in the glow of the kindness of co-workers...

Aw, the obligatory Garden Gnome. I luv it.

Still sifting through the SCRAPS of bows and tissue paper...

-Scraps

Scrappy Days are here again!

2008-08-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am sooooooo loving the new job and the new kids and even the new rural commute.

I will be posting photos of my commute, Lucedale, and Mobile soon.

In the meantime, just know that, though my commute never involves heavy traffic, on my first day to my new job I was stuck going 30 mph on a highway behind THIS for quite a while:

I was simply too amused to be annoyed. I am in no way making fun of Mississippi, Alabama, or my rural route--I am just fascinated by it all still.

Today I hung some of the precious vintage strawberry fabric Lauren got me ages ago on the bulletin boards in my classroom. I framed it with--yep, you guessed it--red gingham. Mere words cannot come even remotely close to expressing the insane levels of cuteness and cheese that my classroom has now reached. Soon I think I will make classroom curtains out of the remaining strawberry fabric.

If you don't love that, then I am afraid you do not know the meaning of the word cute!

The sisters threw a bridal shower for me this weekend. Yay for sisters and prizes and cucumber sandwiches! Here are some photos of the madness:

Me. duh.

Mr. (and soon-to-be) Mrs. Wonder.

Me receiving the ultimate love chickens in the love nest!

Cutting the cake.

Boy Wonder, Me, and my almost parents-in-law!

Amy, Me, Nat.

The Bridal Party: Lauren (pictured as an Ugly Doll), Emily, Me, Nancy, Wendy, Stephanie, Amy, Natalie, Allison.

Sister Nancy.

Allison and I were tired after the festivities.

AND Boy Wonder's fabulous co-workers are throwing us a shower next week! I am just dumbfounded by the supreme niceness of it all.

OOOOH--and we now have a mini-honeymoon! Johana and Stage went above and beyond and bought us TWO nights at the super fancy Battlehouse Hotel in Mobile for our wedding gift! Which is amazing and exciting because the hotel is deluxe and near everything, but it's also kinda crazy romantic because Boy Wonder took me there on our first date. Okay, that didn't sound right. Let me explain. He took me to dinner at Busaba's (where he sipped wine through a straw) and then we walked over to see the lobby of the newly renovated Battlehouse. A hotel employee told us about the whispering arches and the "ghost" stories, so we ran around the hotel looking for ghosts and whispering through arches at each other. Okay, we walked around--but it was still fun. Thai food and ghost stories; he knew what he was doing with his wooing!

So, basically: I am super happy, showered with gifts, employed, no longer in pain, and almost entirely stress-free. It's a good thing.

-Scrap diddly dee

Ole Miss Scrappy?

2008-08-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

Happy update below!

Since I last typed I:

Mostly recovered from the Tonsillectomy--although I will always be a bit traumatized.

Quit the bookstore--they wouldn't give me enough recovery time, so I kind of had to quit or just not show up. Plus, you can't work there and teach!

Have made most of the wedding plans, and had several planning "meetings" with the siblings and mom (this means we get together to eat a lot).

HANDMADE the invitations--with help from the Sisters, Trina, and even Michael! (More on this on the craftiwoo site later).

Sent out most of the invitations (my poor mother had to write the addresses out herself--no one would let my handwriting near them. Ouch).

Found out that I had THREE schools that wanted to hire me: two in Mobile and one in Mississippi. I decided to take whichever one would pay me first, thank you.

At long last the job search is over:

And the winning town is: Lucedale, Mississippi!

I actually started TEACHING Special Education high school yoots on 8/6.

They do the inclusion/resource teacher thing there, so it is VERY different from what I did in Los Angeles, but I think it's going to work out for the best! Each class is 96 minutes (!) long, so there are only three classes per teacher a day--and one 96 minute prep period (so very deluxe). My first period is 6 students with mild mental retardation/autism. Second period I go into a 10th grade English class to teach collaboratively and to help the students. Third period I get to eat lunch and prep for 96 minutes--which is really great for someone (me) who got hired the day before the students came! Fourth period I teach 13 students of average cognition but with some learning disabilities and ADD (this is most similar to what I did in LA). These kids keep me on my toes! Never a dull moment. They already started calling me "Ms. D" yesterday; I got a tiny tear since that is what the babies in LA used to call me! Sigh.

It feels great to be in the classroom after almost an entire year of unemployment and bookstore jobs!

Soon I will post photos of the interesting things I see on my very long and very rural commute to this quaintest of quaint (I mean, I sooooo LOVE it. Seriously) towns.

If anyone nearby has any couches, bookshelves, coffee tables, etc. that they don't need/want I may be very open to scavenging once we have a place to put stuff in!

-Ms. Scraps

BLING!

2008-07-13T17:33:00.001-07:00

Today I was feeling a bit better, so Boy Wonder took me ring shopping! We went to about five different stores and saw several nice rings that weren't exactly right. I was about to pass out from exhaustion when we finally stopped at the last store.

The second I put it on my finger I knew it was the one. I think I lit up like a Christmas tree when I put it on! I never thought I could be so enamored by a ring--or any piece of jewelry--but I was. He loved it, too, and he bought it on the spot.

It is not a traditional engagement ring, but it is what I have always wanted: garnet and white gold. This one has three little garnets and two precious hearts--yes, hearts!--on the sides...and it is even prettier than I ever hoped for.

Here are the cheesy obligatory engagement photos that my mom took:

I am so annoyed that none of the photos show just how sparkly and pretty the ring is...although they DO highlight how strangely creepy-looking my hands are! I'm gonna go ahead and blame that on the tonsillectomy too.

Though the swollen tonsil holes still require ice packs, love makes the pain bearable....aaaaaah! Sorry about that.

We are thinking September 19th for the big day. And no, we are not rushing into this for the reason you may be thinking--we are simply eager to start our lives together already.

Oh--after we bought the ring I asked the sales lady if I could wear it home. As she was putting the ring in a box she looked at Boy Wonder and said, "Oh no--you still have work to do...the whole knee thing and flowers and dinner and all that."

So, when we got home yeah he got down on his knee in the grass and popped the question again...and I said, "mmmmkay" and then reminded him that I am not supposed to make important decisions on painkillers. Ah, romance.

As you can see, we are very happy & a wee bit scared.

Make sure you look at yesterday's OFFICIAL engagement post and pics, too!

love,
Scraps (now w/bling!)

I had a very ENGAGING conversation on my tonsillectomy bed yesterday....

2008-07-13T03:55:00.001-07:00

Yep, he proposed--precisely one year after our first contact!

At the time of proposal I had just woken up: no shower, no make up, no hair combing, still in ratty t-shirt. Not to mention my very romantic scabby tonsil breath! Basically, the boy is not just sweet and romantic; he is also brave.

I hope this self-taken cell phone engagement photo (which I really do want to put in the paper as our official announcement) fully captures the pain of a tonsillectomy and the fear in our tiny loving hearts...

You know you love it!

For those of you who have asked/are wondering: the big bruise on my left hand is from the tonsillectomy IV. The dark spot on my finger is an old ring (from AL-Stephanie, I think?) that we put on for the purpose of the photo--we are going ring shopping as soon as I am able to get out of bed!

Also, I am feeling much better today--they upped my pain meds and I seem to be making progress toward healing--finally.

So much love,
Scraps

I Feel Like Scrap!

2008-07-11T08:10:00.001-07:00

We want our tonsils back.

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

Funny, I don't feel very independent with my poor mother waiting on me hand and foot and my being unable to talk or eat or drink.... Yep, I went through with the surgery. I can't even eat ice cream right now! What a rip off—that was supposed to be the only perk of this darn surgery! Swallowing my liquid painkiller makes me double over in pain. I just started taking the steroids this morning, which should make it all much better soon; they better not make me angry and hairy like I heard they might. Gross.

The good news is I can tell this surgery will help with my asthma--I can breathe better already now that my airways aren't obstructed with enormous tonsils! Still can't swallow, but I can breathe. I think my recovery will be a tad harder because the doc says it is harder when the tonsils are infected and big at the time of surgery and mine were both.

So, I am going to be out of work for at least a week to recover, and there IS a good chance that I will be fired upon return for some things that I couldn't possibly get done before taking my sick leave.

I’m sorry, but when you are sick and exhausted from working to death for paychecks smaller than what I made in undergrad and you are asked to stay over to finish up a project the night of the TOM WAITS show you spent $195 on and have been waiting since 1992 for…. well, I guess it kinda skews your priorities a little. So, I may get fired and I may not care…

And I am sooooooo glad I went to see Tom Waits. This guy really knows how to put on a show. I knew he’d be good, but this was downright thrilling. We were in the center of the tiny (gorgeous & old) theatre--only 15 rows back....perfect view. The audience was great, too….they knew all the words and got really into clapping for the encore and randomly standing up to yell and clap after certain awesome songs. After the show we walked out the side door where he was standing about 10 feet from a bunch of fans and talking to them! I stood behind everyone and waved timidly. HE WAVED BACK! I expect his proposal any day now. Then he walked over and started shaking hands with everyone, but not me because I just couldn’t put my hand out there or make eye contact. This man fully defines cool. Boy Wonder only knew two songs before the show: “Mocking Bird” and “Goin’ Out West.” Now he is a HUGE fan and wants to go see him again!

The perks of possibly being fired after sick leave: not working that hell job any more and at least a day off before I start my new emergency job. Any job, no matter how quickly rushed into, would have to be better than the current one. And I should know by the beginning of August if I have a teaching gig or not. The principal seems convinced that I do…. It is all in the Board of Education’s court.

Much love,
Scraps.

Grandwoman.

2008-06-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Grandman Triathlon
Fairhope, AL
May 31, 2008

THAT’S RIGHT—I DID IT!

And I have the world’s ugliest shirt/photos to prove it.

1/3 mile swim.
16.4 mile bike.
3.1 mile run.

2 hours and 19 minutes.
And I wasn’t last.

Boy Wonder looks all fresh and non-sweaty because he finished a tad bit before me. Show off. This is me in my sweaty, red-faced glory just after crossing the finish line...

So, on the way home I was expressing how proud I was of myself that I finished without DYING and Boy Wonder says, “So are you ready for the one in July?”

WHAT?!

Upcoming events:

TOM WAITS: JULY 2ND IN A TINY THEATRE IN MOBILE, AL!
I am sooooo ready for that.

And the next day I am having my tonsils removed. I am not so ready for that.
But, yay for ice cream!

Here are some belated photos from our down-home family Easter:

This one is my favorite of me and the sisters. Wendy is clearly saying, "Take my photo already!" Nancy is clearly wondering if she should put on more lipstick while my face contortion screams "Not ANOTHER photo!" Precious. They will kill me for putting this one up.

This is the randomest all-time blog. That being said, below lies The Creature.

My mom and I have been hiding The Creature all over the house for each other to find (attempting to out-do each other each time) much in the tradition of the "I Voted" sticker that Maske and I used to hide all over the Glendale Ghetto and the unmentionable that Katie and I used to hide all over the dorm. So, I think I won when I surprised her by having the waiters at the Olive Garden put it on a cake and sing Happy Birthday to her. No, it was not her birthday. Yes, it was hilarious.

When I was looking for more memories to add to my sentimental tee-shirt quilts I found this bonnet. My mom ACTUALLY made me wear this bonnet on an Easter Sunday when I was a yoot. Yikes. That explains a lot about my love for all things cheesy.

Stephanie's Amazing Fondue Birthday Party in the Neck.

No, I do not have a teaching gig yet. Soon, my pretties. In the meantime I am the Assistant General Manager at the local Books-a-Million. Which will have to do--for now.

-K

Maybe I have just been supporting the writers' strike all this time? Yup, that excuse works for me!

2008-02-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

I am back at last--and am finally providing you with the cheesy update/photos you know you long for! Sorry for the neglect, but I hate the dial-up almost as much as I love you....

Also, I've been a bit busy looking for a new career, working two jobs, getting my life in order, hanging with the family, re-connecting with AL-Steph, catching up on some reading, and just being in love. Eeeeeew, that was sappy. Sorry. I'm gross.

Things are really great here. Seriously. I mean, yeah, I am broke as a joke but I got to play in a rectum at the Science Center's Grossology exhibit! You know yer jealous. And I only did it so you'd have a photo to tease me about. I am so giving.

Below are two photos of last year's Halloween merriment. Yes, I know it is now the end of February. Sorry. I am officially the worst and the laziest correspondent EVER.

I was lazy about the costume, too--simply wore my goth bar uniform and my old vampire teeth (thanks, Adam!)--but we weren't lazy about the decorations--and the party itself was a blast! + how cute is AL-Steph???

Still don't have a proper teaching gig due to the hiring freeze in Mobile (let's hear it for my awesome timing), but I have been subbing a lot at a local middle school. I also continue to work part time at the bookstore--and may get promoted to a manager position next month (which is better than my current situation anyway).

Since I last wrote to you I:

...watched friends make fools/superstars of themselves at Ben and Katie's Karaoke Death Match....Ben and Katie throw a great party, let me tell you! They also have an awesome house and guest room. I can't wait to visit them again.

...went to Dothan--the land of the PEANUT!

...consumed mass quantities at Thanksgiving. My first thanksgiving with my whole family since I was about 14! Apparently they have a tradition of making individual gingerbread houses with random candy bits after dinner. Boy Wonder was a good sport about this--even after the nieces and nephews smashed his house to smithereens...

...turned 34--and realized birthdays are much better when yer young and precious, like Princess Baby Allison (my Fairy God Daughter):

...attended several Christmas parties...

...had a holly jolly very merry Christmas with the family, Charlie Brown, and Boy Wonder (who hates having his photo taken and is dating the queen of photos)...

...rang in the new year...

...almost learned how to play chess. No photos to indicate who won.

...went to my first Mardi Gras ball. Major cultural experience--let me tell you. It was white tie. This means very fancy, kids. I didn't even know white tie events existed! I wore a dress I got at the thrift store in LA and felt very under-dressed.

...jog/walked my first 5k (did I say first--I have to do more now???) I almost died, but it actually was fun, and I guess I am pretty proud of myself and what not.

...and spent an entire week and a half fighting the Death Grippe (still in progress). You will never see photos of that.

Love ya bunches!
-Scraps.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, MY CREEPIES!

2007-10-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long since I have updated you, my friends in far-away lands, about Southern Living.

As you can see I am now officially an Alabama resident. There is no turning back now. They better just get over themselves and hire me already!

Yes, I am still struggling with the job hunt. The Alabama Board of Education has FINALLY given me the "go ahead" to shop my resume around to schools--months after I applied for Alabama state certification. Of course, since they took so long to process my application, the only remaining openings are in elementary schools--yuck. So, my choices are: wait around for someone to retire, quit, go on maternity leave, and/or die.....or just suck it up and take something in an elementary school. I am looking for ANYTHING now because I can't really afford to be picky anymore.

My advice to you: never move anywhere until you have a job lined up.
Of course you already knew that--didn't you?

The legendary Ms. Roman came to visit for a day! MOST pleasant surprise. Her sister lives about an hour away, so she dropped in, met the folks, and treated me to lunch. Super fun times were had. I still owe her a postcard....

People from Alabama are odd--in a good way. They have this whole "Boo-ing" tradition here (which I actually suspect my sister may have started because not too many folks around here have heard of it). It goes something like this: You leave a bag of treats on someone's doorstep and sneak off. Then that person hangs a ghost in their window to indicate that they were "Boo-ed" and then they have to do the same thing to someone who doesn't have a ghost in their window. I didn't fully understand the concept of Boo-ing, so I tried to "Boo" Boy Wonder by decorating his door with the help of my niece, her friends, and Stephanie. We brought faulty tape and hideous decor--as you can see.

(note the awesome Milky Way shirt)

We did this on our way to BayFest--which is the cheapest (as in thrifty) and most organized music festival I have ever been to. For $35 dollars you can get in for the entire weekend to see dozens of bands (some of which were decent big name bands). Tons of good, greasy food: every type of french fry, corn dog, and funnel cake you could possibly imagine!

We saw JOAN JETT there! She was brilliant. I want to be her when I grow up.
I certainly want to look like her when I grow up.

The Halloween Party was spooktacular. You have no idea how serious these people (AL Stephanie, Tamara, and Lorrie) are about Halloween. They impressed ME. Actually I felt ashamed by my pathetic lack of life-sized bloodied brides, grooms, butlers, dead babies, etc. as I helped them decorate a whole house with theirs! Pictures will come soon (from Stephanie)--and I hope they somewhat capture the terrifying decor and mad, crazy times of that night. I highly recommend that everyone fly down for next year's event.

And now for a special shout out to Katie and Ben who drove all the way from MEMPHIS to be there: YOU ROCK! And to Wendy and Sparky for dropping in way past their bedtime--and driving way out of their way: it really made my night to have you there! "Come here li'l bee!"

Below is my niece, Natalie, modeling what was Boy Wonder's costume for the party. Hey, he lost a bet. Yep, I beat him at pool so he had to be a pink unicorn.
Never bet your Halloween costume, guys. He was precious by the way.

Next time I will tell you about the Mullet Man....it's not what you think!

Have a SPOOKY day!

What a load of Scrap!

2007-10-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Happy BEST MONTH EVER!

Went to Harper Lee's hometown yesterday and took no pictures and bought no cheese. Er? Who am I? Will do better next time, I promise.

Today I used the John Deere to mow my parents' lawn again. SOOOOOO scary. Took me two hours and I did not get to the whole lawn! If I ever grow up and have a house I will pave the lawn--or make the whole thing a pool--just to avoid having to mow. Sheesh. Okay, so, yeah, it was a little fun riding that thing.

The Alabama Board of Education interviewed me today, but there are no jobs left in Special Education anymore. Great. So, now I can take any old teaching job--but miss out on the SpEd signing bonus--or WAIT SOME MORE. I am opting to wait and do subbing/tutoring in the meantime because the signing bonus will be worth it.

Here are some photos of recent adventures...

Sister Nancy, Kym, Me. Getting crafty--woo! Wait....wrong blog??? So, I went to a crazy crafting party at Sister Nancy's Friday night. Eeeeek. We made scary (not spooky--SCARY) ornaments.

Afterward Emma and I left stalker notes on Boy Wonder's door and tried to hide, but he caught us. We are so smooth. Emma and I then had a slumber party, ate too much junk food, and watched 16 Candles (she is 16 now, see?). That girl has WAY too much energy.

Emma wants to be a super model...

Yep, I am feeling a bit nostalgic. Here is my old classroom's Quote Wall. Some of the finest thoughts ever put to paper, by some of the most loved and missed students in the world.

Spooky fun to all!

I want to use my machete to cut through red tape....

2007-09-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

I want to assure all of you that I am alive and more than well. Alabama, as a whole, has been very good to/for me. I love the people, I love the crickets and the stars (the real kind--not the Hollywood kind), I love the trees and the open stretches of road, I love the slower pace of life down here. I really do.

This is a pic of me with my new super short hair of DOOM. It looks decent here--this is not typical of the sad li'l mom cut.

Here is a small taste of why I had to move. Not the cake--the NAMES on the cake...
I would have missed ANOTHER set of September family birthdays had I not come!

Old, old, old school cemetery in Mobile.
Spooky fun indeed.

This is Boy Wonder captivating a bunch of teenage girls at Emily's Sweet 16. He took them SNIPE hunting! Suckas.

I just got back from an interesting trip to Orlando this past weekend. The aforementioned snipe hunter was in a triathlon and somehow convinced me to ride 8 hours with him to go cheer him on. It was worth it, though, because we stayed in a house with a dog and a pool. Oh, and 'cause he's a fun guy. It was a really good time.

I still do not have a job. I prefer to leisurely work out each morning, lounge around all day, take random trips to Orlando, and pretty much shirk all responsibility....Stop cursing me--that was a joke! I mean, I DO all those things, but whilst making/fielding job-related phone calls/emails all day, I swear!

I really am working hard at the job hunt, but the red tape at the Alabama Board of Education makes me want to cut someone. I am now looking for jobs in other fields in the meantime--that is how bad it is. Sad, but true. I can't wait forever for them to wise up and hire me. And neither can my bank account.

AL-Steph and I are planning the Halloween party. My first in Alabama and her first with me! It is October 20th, and all are welcome to attend....I don't want to hear any whining about the distance either: get yer butts down here! You know you can't celebrate Halloween without me!

AS WE ALL KNOW I MOVED TO MOBILE FOR THE LOVE OF THE NIECES AND NEPHEWS!
(not that Wendy made me add that or anything).

I mean, could any sane person stay away from these cuties?
(note: cuties below)

Anyway, I am happy and optimistic. Stay in touch, my pretties!

Lauren is making me do this....

2007-09-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Soooo.....where to begin the begin? As most of you already know: I moved.

I moved much too far away from our favorite vegan bistro, but blessedly far from the 405. I moved to the land down under. No, not Australia--L.A.! No, not that LA--I moved to Lower Alabama.

Mobile, Alabama.

Now why would a nice young lady like myself up and leave all that she knows and loves for the land of flying tree roaches and unholy humidity? That's right: the ever-lovin' nieces and nephews and stupid Catholic guilt. So, here I am: jobless, penniless, terrified of trees and their inhabitants, and nearly bald (not from stress--from a bad haircut).

I gots-a-lots to tell ya about my adventures in these countrified parts...and I will as soon as I find me some DSL!

Passionate hugs and tentative kisses,
Scraps