Also...

It's "Voilà!"
It is pronounced vwä-ˈlä with a V sound.

Not "Wallah" or "Whalla" or "Wa- La" or anything else that silly.

Quick french lesson: Voilà is not a sound effect. It is a word with a meaning. En Englais, it means "there it is!" or "see there!" because voir (or the conjugated form, vois) means "to see" and la literally means "there."

You might think I'm getting nit-picky but hopefully you'll thank me later.




PS While I'm pretending to be the Word Police, if you're a Punctuation Cop, let me know if I'm making errors. I know there are a lot of quotation marks in this post....

More "Words"

You drink ESpresso not EXpresso.
Odvious is not a word.
Neither is supposably.
Or undoubtably.


Thank you for your other non-words in my previous post's comments. I agree!

Deep Thoughts by Pamela Quigley

Heigth is not a word. It's HEIGHT.

Tag! You're it!

I've been tagged by two cool ladies (Trisha and Lauren) to play this game, here's how it works:

- Mention the person that tagged you.

- Complete the lists of 8s.

- Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends.

- Go tell them you tagged them!

8 things I am looking forward to:

1.) all new grey's anatomy and office tonight

2.) going to omaha next weekend

3.) starting a family

4.) a couple of cute photo shoots

5.) kissing my kitties when I get home

6.) my weekend full of fun plans

7.) getting a job where i'll be done with busy-work, filing and payroll

8.) being thinner....

8 things I did yesterday:

1.) thought about calling in sick

2.) went to work

3.) ate at norton's in soulard

4.) found out Norton's was closing after 23 years

5.) came home and snuggled my hubby and kitties

6.) caught up on American Idol

7.) went grocery shopping

8.) took pictures

8 things I wish I could do:

1.) be a photographer for a living

2.) go home and take a nap

3.) then clean my house

4.) and cook a really awesome meal for my hubby

5.) take a vacation to somewhere warm

6.) lose weight by snapping my fingers

7.) win the lottery- a big one

8.) have perfect vision

8 shows I enjoy:

1.) the office

2.) grey's anatomy

3.) lie to me

4.) american idol

5.) so you think you can dance

6.) dancing with the stars

7.) the soup

8.) saturday night live

8 people I'm tagging:

1) you
2) you
3) you
4) you
5) you
6) you
7) you
8) and YOU!

Britian's Got Talent

Wow! If you haven't seen THIS, you've probably been living under a rock for the last few days. After being uploaded to youtube it gained 2.5 million views in 72 hours!

It's one on my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals and watching this totally made me tear up! I was so shocked and moved and it brought back an ocean of memories of belting it out with my mom in the car.

I particularly like 4:02 in the video.

Talk about not judging a book by it's cover...!

A day late but...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MICHAEL!!!

One year ago yesterday, we were running around like crazy people in 45 degree rain. I hear it's good luck for rain on your wedding day and maybe it was. I hear the first year is the hardest... this year was a piece of cake. Speaking of cake....

I love you, MXQ!

Love,
Your Wife

Today's show has been brought to you by the letter B!

I recently read a list on Jen's blog, where she shared 10 of her favorite things all starting with the letter J.

Thanks for my letter. The letter B. So, after much deliberation and in no particular order, ten of my favorite things starting with


#1- Bloody Mary's! Although I use some less common ingredients and garnishes, I've been told they're pretty good.


#2- Baby Brendan! There's just something about that little guy (and all babies in general) that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

(My nephew)

#3- Brothers- I love mine to death and now that I'm married, I've got three brothers-in-law. They're all awesome.

(My Brother and I)

#4- Birthdays- I love birthdays! Even though I think I'm probably the worst gift-giver ever, I love birthdays.



#5- Brunch. Who doesn't love brunch?


#6- Baseball- especially Cardinals Baseball.

(Michael and I at the World Series win in 2006)

#7- Beaches- We honeymooned in Nevis. It was the first time I ever saw a beach (and ocean) in my life. That's a true story.

(from our honeymoon)

#8- Burberry Boots- Michael gave me a pair on our wonderful, rainy wedding day.

(*courtesy of Starry-Eyed Studios)

#9- Bread & Butter- homemade, of course.

(Just another night with TERESA)

#10- Boys- well... not all boys. Just this one.

(*courtesy of Starry-Eyed Studios)

US of Tara

I totally LOVE this show and I'm so sad this season is over. It's about a married woman with two kids and multiple personalities. Four to be exact.

Just a few months ago, I was talking with my husband about how nothing "cool" happens in the midwest- aside from Chicago- that would be fitting for a t.v. show. Well guess what. US of Tara takes place in Overland Park, Kansas. (It's sort of like the West County town of Kansas City.) Since I went to college in Kansas, I am so excited that I know what they're talking about when going to places like Oak Park Mall and in one episode, they talked about talking a roadtrip to the St. Louis Galleria.

It's the little things that give me a thrill.

Anyway- check it out. If you haven't seen it, check out Showtime On Demand and catch up!

Never a dull moment...

Here's just a glimpse into our life and home:

Me, shocked and curious looking at a very visible scratch on Michael's face, "Michael, what happened?!"

"Pete did it," he responds. Pete is our (usually friendly, non-scratchy) cat.

"Why???"

"I bit his tail."

"You what? What for?"

Clearly upset, angry and annoyed he justifies his actions. "He was being a jerk."

I guess sometimes, you need to show your pet who's boss...

Then they will scratch your face and show you that you're not.

a little bit of a rant

I read a lot about photography. I read a ton of books, magazines and blogs and I even take classes from time to time to brush up and keep myself up to date. I know I'm not a seasoned pro but there are some things from Photo 101 that everyone should know like how to hold a camera. I've even seen a few professionals hold a camera this way and I just cringe every time. Yes, at first it is a little uncomfortable (and even still, I sometimes have trouble remembering to keep my arms at my sides.) In the beginning, I found myself wanting to rebel and "do what I want" but as time goes on, you get a little more skilled and you'd like to start increasing your credibility you'll learn. Holding the camera the correct way makes a huge difference- especially when you're using a larger, heavier lens and your arms are getting tired.

Whoops...

My sister and I took our three-year-old cousin to Target on Saturday. Annie was very excited about Target- probably even more so that her two Target loving cousins. We perused the purses and shoes and then headed over to the toy department and made a beeline to the Barbie aisle. That's where I found this... Wow...

For more found accidental porn click HERE.

Deep Thoughts by Pamela Quigley

Spell check is a funny thing. I always proofread emails, letters and the like multiple times and thank goodness I do. Otherwise, I might not have caught the mistake of calling myself a strangler instead of a stranger. Stranglers are creepy.

Watch this

This is probably one of the best commercials I have ever seen.... but I'm touchy feely like that. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Some people are just awesome

Aww- doesn't that just warm your heart? No really, though....

Some people are just awesome. (I'm not going to name names because I don't want to embarrass anyone or leave anyone out.) This is just a little shout out to people who get "big sister protective" of me and my feelings, who believe in me when I sometimes have trouble believing in myself and the people who don't get upset when I ask them to unload the dishwasher and make me a milkshake (ok, maybe that one is easy to guess.) You are the people who really keep me going. You know who you are.

Thanks. It really means a lot to me. Here's one for you.

Loving Aperture

I understand that this post might not make a lot of sense to some people and for that I apologize but I am too pumped not to post.

I think I have a new favorite program. I love photography and I edit my own pictures in Photoshop CS2. My husband (always encouraging me) has asked me a few times about Aperture. I've played with it a few times at the Apple store but never really saw a point to own and use it myself. Until now. Apple recently released Aperture 2 and I am already in love with it!

It works with Photoshop- not as a replacement and the newest version has over 100 upgrades and new features. You can make basic edits in Aperture and then export the image to PS for finishing touches with filters, masks, etc. In Aperture, not only can you lift your edits from one image and then stamp it on another but also stores all of your camera settings and tags it to your image. (Apparently Adobe Bridge does that for RAW images but I've never used it.) I just think this is a huge asset for me. I've always had to write them down or get get over losing that information. No longer. Of course this is still a very new program for me and I'm still searching my way through all of its capabilities but I am so excited about what this means for my work. It will help manage my workflow, allow me to create books (instead of using blurb or a similar program) and save me a ton of time! I am seriously so excited- I feel like a 4 year-old at Christmas. Has anyone else used this program?

Almost Friday!

Enjoy!
Don't forget to click on the picture to make it bigger!

I feel cheated!

I work with a lot of those "really cool" parents that bring in the order forms for their kids' fundraisers. (My parents never did that for me.) Anyway, I managed to avoid most of them but I was suckered into buying some Girl Scout cookies. This really is a terrible thing.... especially for my waistline.

Well today the cool mom drops off my two boxes (hey, they're just lucky I bought them in the first place and I was not about to buy more that that!) Trying to contain myself, I put them aside so I won't eat the entire box. This lasted for about an hour and then I dove right in. With excitement, I tear open the Tagalongs and much to my chagrin... they're smaller! They are much flatter and the diameter is not as large as the Tagalongs from my day. Of course I ate them anyway but it makes me sad to know that I just wasted 140 calories on two cookies the size of quarters.

OLD TAGALONGS

NEW TAGALONGS: they look more like thin mints...

ACTUAL PICTURE- from my iphone
ignore unpainted nails, crappy lighting, blur and multiple beverages in the background...

I want to thank the academy

oh... wait...

Angie over at Klenke Konfessions tagged me for an award! Thank you so much- it really does mean a lot to me and this is now one of my most valued awards.

Sometime it can be a little rough in the blogsphere- I feels like it can be a bit of a popularity contest every once in a while and it's nice to know that someone is reading when I didn't think anyone would. I really do want to thank those that not only read this blog, but my other one as well. The comments you leave are truly encouraging and have gotten me out of a few lags. Angie said, "I like to share and I love the sense of solidarity I feel when people can relate to my posts," and I completely agree. Thanks again, all of you, from the bottom of my heart.

Now, for the fun part...Here are the rules:
“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

It is eally tough to only choose eight- especially because I just tagged a few people last week or they've already been tagged and I know for a fact that a few of my nominees will be touched but aren't always in love with tagging others but I'm going to tag them anyway! (A heartfelt thanks will suffice. No need to tag if you don't feel like it.)

1.) Jen at Eggs Over Medium
2.) Sarah at Sarah Gone Wild
3.) Stephanie at Kitschicagoan again :)
4.) Katie at The life of Juan & Katie
5.) Trisha at A Day In the Life of a Seelen
6.) Amy at The Adventures and Mishaps of Mrs. Amy B!
7.) Kristal at Good Food, Good Friends, Good Life because she almost always leaves a comment and comments make me smile.

8.) and of course, my last one is always open for you. If you do read my blog(s) and have never commented, I encourage you to do so now. I love making new friends.

"There are many more blogs that I read but I could only nominate 8 so don't feel sad if I didn't mention you.
I particularly love to read these 8 blogs, because these ladies are all witty, funny, and excellent writers." -Angie. And I completely agree.

Sarah Interviews Me

So when Sarah posted this fun little game, I had to play along. First, the good part - the questions from Sarah and my answers!

1. Where in the world IS Carmen SanDiego?
That, my Friend, is an excellent question... I bet she's looking for Bin Laden.

2. If you had to guess (which you do because I'm asking), what would you say "The Thinker" is thinking about?
All the birds that probably crap on him and what he really did to be stuck outside and not safe and warm dans Le Lourve.

3. Tell me all about your worst college experience. And no, not the class related ones.
Oh geez... we're gonna go there? Hmm... I'm not sure- college was actually a pretty good experience but the worst ever was probably the last day of my junior year (2004) when I drank a HUGE Long Island Iced Tea and fell flat on my face outside the bar. It looked like I was dragged (drug ?) behind a car. I have never been and will never be that irresponsible again and haven't had a LIIT since. What did I tell my parents? The truth. There is no lying to save your ass in a situation like that. It was the day before my dad had to pick me up and move me home for the summer, a week before my little brother's confirmation and two weeks before I was in my cousin's wedding. Thankfully, I healed in time for the wedding... only to faint on the altar... but that's another story.

4. I think it's weird that a food is named "hot dog". Rename it and explain why you chose that name.
Scrap meat. Sounds delicious. That is what it is, after all. Why do they call it a dog?

5. Would you rather be mute or infertile? (Haha - I know you like talking AND babies!)
Thanks! I say mute. I can still see and while I'd be sad not to hear music or sing terribly at the top of my lungs, I'd still be able to photograph my babies.


If you would like to play along, here are the instructions:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions.)
3. You update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. You know, to pay-it-forward and keep this little interview game going.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions and so on and so forth. The first five ‘askers’ get the interview!

I swear I'm not a hypochondriac and I am fairly certain I have this: Delayed sleep-phase syndrome.

I have complained about these symptoms a kazillion times and in retrospect, I'm seeing them impact my everyday life as seen here, here in #17 and 23, possibly here in #7, here and blatantly obvious here.

Wiki states, "Often, people with the disorder report that they cannot sleep until early morning, but they fall asleep at about the same time every "night", no matter what time they go to bed. Unless they have another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea in addition to DSPS, patients can sleep well and have a normal need for sleep. Therefore, they find it very difficult to wake up in time for a typical school or work day. If, however, they are allowed to follow their own schedule, e.g. sleeping from 4 a.m. to noon, they sleep soundly, awaken spontaneously, and do not feel sleepy again until their next "night"."

That fits me perfectly. It's the unwinding and actually falling asleep and then the waking that's the worst part. Once I'm asleep, I'm fine. Even if I do wake up in the middle of the night for some reason, I rarely have trouble falling asleep again.

"They often have asked family members to help wake them in the morning..." I seriously ask my husband every night to help me wake up in the morning. It's terrible. In turn, I'm frequently a few minutes late in the morning.

"By the time DSPS sufferers receive an accurate diagnosis, they often have been misdiagnosed or labelled as lazy and incompetent workers or students for years." I can't tell you how many times I have felt this way, heard it or said it about myself. Some days seriously feel like an out of body experience. I feel bad. I am totally useless on those days. It continues to read, "DSPS is often confused with ADHD or ADD or other sleep disorders..." Who knows me in real life? (I'm still not entirely convinced that I don't have ADHD...)

I found this because I couldn't sleep. I googled insomnia and that led me to this discovery. I know this can be related to stress, depression and anxiety but honestly (aside from the stress of everyday life) I can tell you that I've never had a problem with any of those things... I've tried all of the suggestions to help me relax, unwind, etc. Nothing makes a difference. I about 4 nights ago I decided to self medicate with NyQuil. It worked for two nights in a row. The third night was useless. I decided to forgo the meds tonight and see what happens and here I am- exhausted and unable to fall asleep.

It's currently 2:31 and I am wide awake- and this is common! What do I do? Call a sleep center? Shut up and get over it? Does anyone else have this? Or a problem similar?

*Why does my time stamp say 1:53? Weird...