Jamie Danford

Did someone say KICKBALL??????

You're totally not gonna believe this, but Big Dave and I, plus Kristine and Teddy are on an adult co-ed kickball team!  Haaaaaaa!  No seriously, how funny is this??  I mean, come on...you know Kristine and I right? She's the 'uber girly girl', and I'm the 'oh gosh please don't make me move' one.  Which makes this whole thing even funnier. 

Big Dave has a friend at work (Julie) who asked us to be on the team, and after some serious anxiety, I decided to do it because I thought it would be a good way to do something different and new with Big Dave...and boy was I right!  So we got Kristine and Teddy to play with us, and tonight we had our FIRST GAME!

Kristine played Right Field and Second Base, I played Left Field and Shortstop, Teddy...well Teddy pitched his heart out! He rocked the mound, yes he did. And Big Dave? My hero? He was of course the star of the game, with his amazing sliding catch, his crazy somersault over the fence to get a fly ball, and his reeeally long ball that he kicked all the way to the fence (it actually one hopped right over the fence!)

Can you even believe this????

Here's the proof...

Look!  It's me kicking a ball!!!! I really kicked it! I even got on base twice...sure once was because I kicked the ball right to the second baseman and he got Kristine out, but whatever...that's just a technicality. ;)

Here's my Boonkie kicking the ball...doesn't he look like he knows what he's doing? Totally opposite of this one...

...Bwahhhhh! Here she is...my allstar bff! (She got on base all three times, and she even slid into first base once...whatta rockstar!)

Look! I'm running!  Ta daaaaaaa!

I couldn't get any pics of Teddy's fabulous pitching b/c I was playing, and there's NO time at all to pull out the camera...it's INTENSE!

And here are the obligatory couple shots...

We're gonna play every Sunday afternoon for the next few weeks...so if you're in the neighborhood (we play at the little league fields off of Bona Bella and Skidaway) stop by and say hi... At least, you'll get a good laugh!

Somebody needs some lovin...

And I'm not talkin' about Big Dave! I'm talkin' about the sweetest calico in town...Trixie! It's a good thing I can type without having to see the keyboard, b/c I've been attacked by the luv kitten!

I think that she missed me today...awwww! Since I've become an unemployed college student, I'm at home almost everyday, and she's gotten used to it.  So my little furbaby was lonesome with me being gone all day today.  I guess it's cuddle time...sigh...

Note about the photo...yes, that a VERY large glass of cheap pink wine. Hey, it was a STRESSFUL day! And yes it has greasy fingerprints on it from the cold piece of fried chicken Trixie and I just snarfed. Are you wondering what those red things are?  Any ideas?

I survived!

Here I am, 11 hours later, and the tests are OVER!!! Hallelujah!! So how do I think I did?  Well, I'm pretty sure I rocked on all of the Basic Skills tests (Reading, Writing, and Math) in fact, I was totally surprised at how easy peasy the math test was...man, I was scared for nuthin'! Then came the content area tests...English I and English II.  Now these dudes ain't playin'.  This is the stuff that I'm supposed to remember from all those English classes I took 7-10 years ago (crap!) The English II was all about writing, and we all know I love to write and edit, so that one was a cakewalk...but that English I test...ugh, I shudder to think how I did on that one.  I'm thinking that out of 60 questions, I gave 'educated guesses' on 30 of 'em...flat out didn't know 15 of 'em and maybe got the other 15 right.  Geez! But come on, how am I supposed to remember what parts of a Petrarchian Sonnet maintained their continuity as they were adapted into Elizabethan literature?  Holy schmoley! Or, what about, "How would you best describe the major rhetorical device used throughout Victorian literature?"  ...well, how WOULD you?  (Heck if I know!)

I will say that one bright spot was at the end of English Test I...we had to write an essay about one of our favorite British authors and explain why we admire them.  I mean really, I know British authors and their works, but truly...I don't care for most of 'em.  And to be able to pick one and explain why I admire them? Yeah, right.  Lucky for me, last Saturday after Kristine went home from our scrapnight, I stayed up until the wee  hours of the morning watching "Becoming Jane" on On Demand.  Yep, it's about Jane Austen...British author...ha! So I TOTALLY wrote about her! hee hee, man God's got my back, even when I'm bein' an idiot...thank goodness! ;)

So now I have to wait and wait and WAIT to get my scores. I'm really not sure how long it takes, but I think it's a few weeks.  Ugh! But, man you should've seen all the people there to take the tests! I'm not lying, we took up all of Johnson High School...my seat number was 1014...seriously! SO, either somebody's tellin' tales about us needing teachers, or there's a butt-load of folks failing this sucker.  And I hope I'm not one of 'em!!!!!  ;)

(I'll let ya know when I get my results...we'll go through this together...just you and me...the two of us...well, maybe the 493 of us, but who's counting. ;)

Test Day...

It's 6:37am on a Saturday morning, and I'm wide awake...why? You ask? Am I going Garage Saling? Did I have a bad dream?  Do I want to be first in line at the new Publix? Nope!

It's because I'm about to go take the G.A.C.E.  Huh? It's the Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Educators...in other words, my teacher certification exam, YIKES!  I have to be there at 7:30am and it supposedly lasts until after 5pm. 

So, if you have a minute while your reading this, will you say a quick little prayer for me? I need all the nelp I can get! ;)

Wobbles and my hiney...a relationship story...

After my um, 'adventure' on The Bicycle of Doom, I decided that I'd give Wobbles a try.  Wobbles is this guy...

Big Dave's old mountain bike...and yes, it OLD. In fact, there are some mechanical flaws such as the wobbly back tire (hence the name Wobbles) and this...

 

I'm pretty sure this thing is important, but who am I to judge?

Like the BOD, Wobbles has clumps of mud from the redneck hunting bicycle adventure...

But, all in all, this guy's a complete charmer.  I can handle faulty brake lines, wobbly back tires, and clumps of caked mud.  But in the end, it's this right here...

that's the deal breaker.  Yes, this seat and my seat just ain't gettin' along.  My poor tooty bones are bruised from my 5 miles on this joker, and I didn't even get a nice steak dinner out of it!

So, I'm in a conundrum...what should I do? I want to ride a bike, it's much more fun than walking, but the BOD is like trying to run the Flintstone-mobile in my bare feet, and Wobbles is hell on my tooter!

I can't go buy a new bike because I'm a poor unemployed college student...sigh...maybe I can just go buy a new bike seat, yes...this is what I must do! A bike seat with marshmallow padding on it! Aha! ;)

Journaling Junkie Challenge

This week's Journaling Junkie challenge is to write about a place you love.  So I did a layout to pay homage to Mom's backyard, my favorite place in the world. 

I used a simple title from My Mind's Eye and matching dark red paper that I've had in my stashola forever, and then I picked two of the patterned papers I bought at our last Scrapbooking Garage Sale (which by the way, have you signed up to be a Seller at the next sale?  Click HERE for details!)

I thought the patterned paper needed some pizazz so I added red and gold glitter to the red flowers, but I'm not sure it shows up that well on the scan.  And see how I stitched each one of the buttons to the page? Yeah, right! I used a white Sharpie to fake it...ha!

My journaling's hidden under the photo of me, so if you wanna read all the gushiness I wrote just head on over to the Journaling Junkie site and check 'er out.  ;)

Oops,

Back when I posted about Lynn Whelan's new blog that is stuffed full of cuteness and goodness I forgot to post a permanent link to it over there in my side bar...just wanted to refresh your memory since I think she's so danged fabulous and all! I'm also adding a link to Amanda Johnson's blog that she TOTALLY needs to add more layouts to (eh hem...AJ...get to work lady!) We need your inspiration!!  And while I'm at it, don't forget to keep an eye on Michelle Peterson's blog because in between her layout show and tells, she's got some dang funny stories to share! Oh, and Stacy Armstrong's blog is worth a peek too...she's full of real life stories and occasionally she ACTUALLY SCRAPBOOKS, and boy when she does, it's worth the wait I promise!

These ladies rock my world...they are funny as hell, fresh-mouthed, down to earth women who I get to call my friends. Ah, look...I'm gettin' all sentimental...love you guys! ;)

Hell bike...

...Better known as THE BICYCLE OF DOOOOOOOM! (And that is not to be confused with 'vroooom' because there was no 'vroooooming' goin' on, I promise you that.)

So I got the great idea after my big ol' long walky walk the other day, and thought, hmmm why not switch up this exercise plan and do a little bike riding too.  Why not alternate days, ya know?  Keep my metabolism on it's toes, right?

One problem...I don't have a bike...We have four bicycles in our garage...1.) Elizabeth's...too short   2.) Katie's...too short (and not mine) 3.) Big Dave's old mountain bike that he tried to do a wheely on and now the back tire wobbles like a drunk skunk when you ride it and number 4.) The Bicycle of Doooooom!

Well, after some serious assurances from Big Dave that The Bicycle of Doooom would provide me with ample comfort while giving me a proper work out I decided I would try it, saying to myself, "I mean hey, if I walked 2.2 yesterday, I could totally ride 2.2 today right? Heck, I may even do the circuit twice."

And then I went into the garage and found The Bicycle of Doooom...lurking behind the tiller, mangled up with some tree stands...there it was...

...waiting...

Now, let me take a moment to tell you a bit of the history of The Bicycle of Doom.  You see, we did not pay money for this bike, oh no...nor were we given this lovely piece of nostalgia...no no no...

Big Dave found it on the side of the road in a garbage heap with a sign taped on it that read "ADOPT ME PLEASE"...

I'm dead freakin' serious!

Ready to see  it yet?  okay I can't keep it from you any longer... I present to you...

The Bicycle of Doooooom! 

(This is where I wish I could insert the music from the shower scene in Psycho.)

Yes, this is it...did it live up to your expectations? Here's let's examine some more of it's finer details...

Seriously, it doesn't have gears to help you, so you're on your own...nuthin' but leg muscle controlling this puppy!

And of course the rusty chain doesn't help out much.  Then there are the bulbous wads of mud stuck to it...where did they come from? Oh, let me TELL you...ya see, Big Dave's a huntin' man (you gathered that already didn't you?) and a bunch of his friends went hunting on some land down yonder, but this land has a no motorized vehicles policy.  So, that's right, my husband...a grown, 185 pound, man loaded up his gun and other hunting paraphernalia and rode his bike through the woods (and mud and muck of course.) Now wouldn't that be a site? A bunch of grown men on bicycles with camo and guns?  Welcome to Georgia!

Okay, one more...

So there ya have it...a full description of The Bicycle of Doooooom!

Okay, back to the story (dude, what a loooong story!) so I dragged out the BOD (let's abbreviate shall we?) and mounted it's padded springy seat, thinkin' okay, piece o' cake...2.2 here I come! However, approximately 100 feet from my driveway I began to realize that riding this bike wasn't like riding Big Dave's mountain bike with the wobbly tire...oh no...it was SOOOO much harder! I guess the lack of gears, the rusty chain, and the half inflated dry rotted tires were working against me. (duh!)

So basically, I made it 1.3 miles and almost died.  Yes, at the one mile mark I had my very own personal "Biggest Loser" moment where I almost threw up, and fainted.  I begged God just to let me lay down and die...(okay, not really, just threw that in for dramatic effect.) I did, however, beg God to get me home because throwing up in front of some strangers house would be reeeeeally tacky.  After all, I'm not in high school anymore right?

I made it home, I put the BOD back in the garage, and begged my thigh and booty muscles to forgive me.  (I think they did.) And today, I walked my 2.2 miles...and tomorrow?  Oh geez, I cannot even THINK about tomorrow without wanting to eat both ears off of Miss Priss's chocolate Easter bunny.  But I guess I'm gonna go ride that doggone BOD again, after all it did give me a GREAT workout.

Or maybe I'll ride wobbles...we'll see.  But for now, I'm goin' to fix me a HUMONGO salad for lunch, YUM!  ;)

Roxann...

Here's the official explanation of the 'suspender shirt'...

It's really just some stickers that Kristine made me wear! baaaaaah!!! I think they're from Memories in the Making or something like that...reeeeeeally old, and quite fashionable on a plain black T don't you think?  See, stickers really aren't just for scrapbooking! ;)

(By the way...talk about a day for unflattering photos of me eh? That's what no make up and and extra 7 pounds will do for a gal...blech!)

2.2 miles...

That's how far I walked today...sigh...and no it's not because I ran out of gas, or because someone told me they'd pay me a million dollars.  It's because of this...

And that ain't no fetus...but I do think I'm gonna name it...possibly, 'Keystone', or perhaps 'Coors'...hmmm what about 'Big n Tasty.'

Yep, it's time to face facts...Weight Watchers can only do so much before I have to break down and...excercise (shudder.)  After all, I wanna look like this this Summer..

This pic's from two summers ago.  Funny how at the time I thought I was quite hefferish, and now I'd love nothing more than to get back to that SO badly!

So, that's what prompted me to set out on the walk from hell...

2.2 miles, ugh...I'm tellin'  ya, when I got to about the one and a half mile mark I thought my legs were gonna stop, drop and roll! It's so different than walking on a treadmill...I can't decide I'm done and just hop off, nope, gotta keep walkin' or you ain't gettin' home. (I considered hitchhiking, but that seemed riskier than the abuse my legs were already taking.)

But I did it...day one...numero uno...the first of many, many MANY. I like that I finally got started on it. In fact, I was so proud of myself...

I ate a bag of sugar babies to celebrate!!!  ;)