Baby It's Cold Outside.

Baby, it's cold outside... Do you know that song? I am currently piled up in my bed, with the demon dogs, watching Eclipse. (Ok, so I'm technically watching it again and blogging. Bite me.) All I am going to say about the movie is this. Son, I am dissapoint. If you don't understand that, go to Internet Meme Database. Which is not to be confused with IMDB. I love both of those sites.

Speaking of things that I love.... some of you know that I am a huge movie person/nut/whatever. I try really hard to stay on top of movies and when they are coming out, so that way when Mike is home, we can go do something without actually having to do any research. Let me tell you, it is all about making his life easier.

I don't mean that in a sexist or bad way, it's just that.. When he gets home, he doesn't really want to make any decisions. He just wants to eat good food, relax with me and the demon dogs, and decompress.  And who can blame him? With a week like the recent one, he needs some downtime. In the last 3 days, his windshield has cracked all the way across due to extremely low temperatures, and a newbie backed his truck too close to Mike, ripping off the mirror and damaging paint. So, yeah, I'd say my honey deserves to relax.

Back to the movies. (Sorry ya'll. I tend to be random and ramble back and forth.) I've seen a few that are looking pretty good, according to previews anyway, so I'm going to post a link to the video with a brief description. All you have to do is click the link and it will take you straight to the website that plays it. (Website is IMDB. I trust it. That's all I can say about that.) I tend to like lots of action. Oh ha ha, smarties. I'll throw in a chick flick or two if I can find any that I want to back.

I want you to remember something. Movies are entertainment. They are not the be all, end all of the world. They are simply here to take us somewhere else, be it the future, the past, space, or somewhere not yet created in our minds. They are meant to make us laugh, cry, jump out of our skin in horror, and think. I hope you like my choices.

Cowboys and Aliens This one is for my dad. A strange mash-up of the two things he loves... Cowboys and aliens. It looks like it will be good. I know, I know. Alot of you are probably thinking... Uh, no. Give it a chance. Harrison Ford for the acting and Daniel Craig for the eye candy.

Battle: Los Angeles I'm kinda diggin the feel of this one. Marines vs Aliens in L.A. We always knew it would get hit first. Lots of action. Aaron Eckhart, Bridget Moynahan, Michelle Rodriguez, and Ne-Yo are the top names.

I Am Number Four Timothy Oliphant is the only name I know in this one so far. An extraordinary teenager is on the run from the government/his creators/bad guys? It doesn't really say, but again it looks interesting.

The Mechanic Mmmm. Jason Statham. That man is hotness defined. Gorgeous hazel eyes. Serious hard body. And of course, the accent. Drool. (Sorry Daddy.) He is an assassin, determined to take out the upper management who decided his mentor was no longer needed. The only catch? He has said mentor's son, played by Ben Foster, along for the ride. Yes. It promises to be exactly like his other movies. Lots of martial arts, lots of killing, and perhaps, if the movie gods decide to throw me a frickin bone, another striptease. (Sorry again, Daddy.)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon This is a teaser trailer, not much info, but some people might want to know about it.

Beastly Despite the name, this is actually a love story. It's a modern take on Beauty and the Beast. Only recognizable names are Vanessa Hudgens and Mary-Kate Olsen. (My husband loves to tell me there is a special place in Hades for me, between The Olsen Twins and Marilyn Manson. Me, myself, and I, would love to converse with Marilyn Manson.) And also, Alex Pettyfer, the male lead in this movie, also happens to be Number Four, from above. I didn't realize it until I was doing some research on this one.

Mars Needs Moms Animated movie. Title says it all, really. A little boy doesn't like the fact that his mother makes him eat his broccoli, do his homework, and is generally, a mom. He learns exactly how much he needs and loves her when Martians invade and take her away.

Tomorrow, When the War Began This movie actually came out on September 2, 2010. I'm including it because it looks like one of those that will make you think. I remember seeing the preview way back when and thinking... hmmm, this could be good. This is actually an Austrailian Indie flick. It just drew me in.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm sure there are tons more out there, these just jumped out at me. Now, as for that video, that's me. Yeah, I know. Totally not what you expected, right? Oh well. Me and the demon dogs out in the snow for some fun. Enjoy.

Love to All,
Allie

Depression and Black Friday.

Depression sucks. Majorly. I hate when I'm depressed. I know what is going on with me, but I still withdraw to the point of little interaction with human beings and only go out when I'm forced to. I don't understand why I get depressed. I know what causes it, I guess, but it still doesn't make it any easier to handle.

I miss my husband. I wish I was on the road with him now. I miss waking up beside him. I miss him being here. Hell, even the dogs miss him. (I say the word Daddy and they go off to the door, looking for him.)

Mike came home for Thanksgiving. He was in for 3 wonderful days. We had dinner at my Dad's house on Wednesday, because I had to work on Thursday. (No, I'm not complaining. It was time & 1/2. Can you blame me?) Mike went over to my Uncle Tim's house for dinner that day. When he picked me up, he had my cousin CJ with him. He's all happy... "Your Aunt Tish had brussel sprouts!" (A veggie that he and I both love.)

Anyway, we'd decided to go to the midnight sale at Wal-Mart. I had never been to one previously, and figured, why not? That's why we had CJ. To give a little background on CJ, he's days away from being 18. He's 6'7 and 235? lbs. He is the spitting image of his father. He is the most polite teenager I have ever met. Every time he sees me, he gives me a spine-cracking hug. He's one of the best people I know, really.

So, Mike is over by the video games with orders to pick up some that CJ would like, and to grab a griddle that is also on sale for Aunt Tish. (That was purely CJ's idea, btw.) CJ was with me stuck smack dab in the middle of panty and bra land because that is where they stuck the $20/500 threadcount sheets. Allie want!

So, CJ and I stroll up to the rack of sheets to check things out and it is already surrounded by some rude, older ladies, and a couple of girls my age. The older ladies took one look at CJ and automatically went on the offence. Going on and on about this is the Auburn side of the rack, you won't get any sheets, blah, blah, blah. Talking serious smack. CJ, being polite, said, "No, ma'am. We're Alabama fans." and proceeds to show her is Alabama tattoo. (Which I totally adore.) She laughs and says, "I bet if we cut him, he'd bleed crimson."  And, I love CJ for this, cause he's got the sarcasm that our family has perfected. He quips, "Ma'am, we ALL bleed crimson." Just smiling, waiting for her to get it. Greatness. That boy has it.

Things rock on, and another lady, probably in her mid to late 60's walks up and looks at the crowd and says, "Well, I doubt I get any sheets." She, another girl, CJ, and I get into a conversation about what sheets we want. I want a king size set, she needs 2 full size sets, and the other girl(Tuscaloosa girl) wants 2 queen size sets. The whole time, the old biddies up front are still talking smack and trying to covertly open the rack. Seriously?!

The associate walks up and makes them back up so she can take off the plastic wrap. And then.... it is GAME ON! CJ, with a quickness, hands me the one I want, goes back for the 2 the older lady wants, and then, hands me a queen size set. We back away from the crowd so we can see who has what. The old lady thanked us and left. I see Tuscaloosa girl (So named because that's where she lives.) and ask her if she got what she wanted.

She sighed and said, "No, I needed another queen size set." I hand her the one that CJ handed me and said, "Merry Christmas!" She smiled and hugged us both.

We were calling Mike trying to find out where he was while also trying to find the griddles. As we got closer to where they should be, We saw 2 ladies walking by, buggies piled high with griddles and crockpots. By the time we got there, the pallet was empty. I joked to CJ that he should've just ganked (thugged, thieved, stolen) one from the other ladies. He said, "Nope. If I can't get it the right way, I won't get it. Maybe I can find a decent one for Mama anyway." (I am telling ya'll, that is one good kid. Ladies, once he's out of college, he's going to be a catch. He's going for Civil Engineering. Smart, good looking, polite. Alabama fan. Some girl will be happy one of these days. :P)

After an hour, we locate Mike. Not only does he have a couple of games for CJ, he also snagged the last griddle. CJ just smiled. We paid for our things and headed for the Huddle House. Mmmm. Strawberry French Toast. Drool.

Anyway. That's the end of it. I'm sorry I've not been around for a couple of weeks. I pull into myself and don't really know how to get out of it. I'm going to try harder to be better at this. I love you all and thank you for the support.

Love to All,
Allie

Comfort.

The weather lately has... sucked. That's being nice. Don't get me wrong. I love rain. I even love storms with thunder and lightning. Once it escalates beyond that, I'm out. On October 25, a tornado hit Ider. For those of you who are not familiar with my area, Ider is the next city over.

Ider High School is my Alma Mater. That school holds a place dear to my heart. When I saw the photos I am posting below, I was devastated. (These photos belong to Melissa Smith/The Times Journal. 10/25/10 Ider Storm Damage for more photos) Yes, it has been over 10 years since I was there last, but that doesn't matter to me. I occasionally go to a football game there even though I don't know anyone playing. I always listen for the scoreboard update the night they are playing to see how my team is doing. Anyway, here goes.

This is the home side bleachers. The little house looking thing is the announcers booth.



A close up of the bleachers.

This just hurt my heart to see. There are more pictures in that link above that show more damage. I am extremely grateful that there weren't any lives lost.

I had no less than 14 voice mails when I woke up that morning. My cell phone is my alarm clock, you see, and I turn the ringer off at night so only the alarm comes through. My mom, my dad, my brother, and several friends were worried enough about me to call. I was fine, of course. I slept through the whole thing. I even slept through my front door being opened by a gust of wind and my living room floor being flooded with water. Let me tell you, that was awesome to stumble into when I got up to let the dogs out.

After I got over the shock of water, I listened to my voice mails. My heart was warm. Every time I get fed up with living in a small town, something happens to make me grateful for it. That's how it is around here. Yes, we are backwards. Yes, we are rednecks. Yes, we get a little crazy about the Alabama/Auburn game. When it all goes downhill however, we have each others' backs. People here give for their neighbors. It doesn't matter how little we have, how poor we are. We will always give what we can to take care of others.

Yesterday I spent my time cleaning and playing therapist. I hadn't made any plans for today. I figured I would wait until today to find out what I was getting into. Why yes. I am a procrastinator, thanks for asking. I'll tell you why tomorrow.



Lovely weather we're having.

This is what awaited me today. Blah. Seriously blah. I whined and pouted for a few minutes while the demon dogs laughed at me. So I kicked them out in it. It kills me. They love the pool, but hate the rain. What gives? While they were outside, I decided to have a me day. I made Cheeseburger Mac with Caramelized Onions. No, it isn't healthy. Yes, it is Teh Awesome. (Yes I am misspelling that on purpose. I did it the other day too. I'll explain eventually.)

I actually took step by step pictures because I do plan on posting it. I'm not sure if it will be tomorrow, but my magic 8 ball says "All Signs Point To Yes!"  Who had one of those? I did. I asked it about every single thing I could think of. Wonder where it went?

Sorry. I get sidetracked easily. My post is titled Comfort because that is what I needed today. So what did I do? I made a big bowl of comfort and piled up with my laptop to catch up on Hawaii 5-0 and Blue Bloods. Then a friend turned me on to something and I became addicted. Best of Craigslist Have you ever been there? You can waste hours on this site. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. A letter to my dead girlfriend made me cry so hard tears actually poured out onto my cheeks. That is a rare occurence for me. I tear up now just thinking about it.

Anyway. I'm going now. But here is a look at what tomorrow will bring. Yeah, the picture is weird. It looks that way to me, anyway. Steam is not conducive to good picture taking, but hey, at that moment, all I cared about was getting the shot and getting that stuff in my belly.

Love to all,
Allie

Nanoseconds.

Mike is home for a whole ten hours. In otherwords, a nanosecond. I'm not sure how much ya'll know about truck driving, or what their schedules are like. I will explain, to the best of my ability. Say a driver starts at 8:00 am. He can drive for a total of 11 hours, withing a 14 hour period. After that 11/14 hour clock is up, he must be in his sleeper berth for 10 hours. It sounds compilicated, but it's not. So anyway, he's on his way through from Virgina to Texas and it routed him right by the house. He was able to time it so he spends the night here. I've been so happy all day. I'm so glad to have him home. Even if it's only for 10 hours. Guess who else is happy to have him home? The demon dogs.

I love this picture of them. They loved on him for a very long time. They've missed their daddy. I like this in the black and white. Mike prefers the color. What do you think?

Alright. Mike's out of the shower. I'm gonna go spend some time with him while I can.

Love to All,
Allie

Why?

Several people have asked me why I'm trying to lose weight. Apparently, being overweight is not a good enough reason to want to lose it? I'm not sure. So I sat down and thought about it for a bit, because I really wanted to know myself. One night, I just decided it was time, but why?

These children are one of  my favorite reasons. My nieces and nephews, Christmas of 09. I want to be able to play games & spend time with them and not be worn out in 30 minutes.

This little girl, Gracie, is one of the sweetest reasons. Here she is protecting mommy from the evil goggie in the mirror. She fought with it for a few minutes. I think she finally realized it was her. Or that the other dog was just protecting her mommy too.

Here's my funniest reason, Squishy. See the eyes? I told you they were demon dogs. She reminds me so much of a cat sometimes. She just doesn't want to do anything you want her to do, until she's ready. She named herself by the way.

This is my pushover reason, Spot. I am a pushover for this dog. I don't know why. Possibly has something to do with the fact that I can do no wrong in his eyes. He just wants to pile up with me for ear scratches and tummy rubs.
Can you tell I love my dogs? I do. And my nieces & nephews. (My whole family, really.)

This man right here. He is the most awesome reason. He is everything I'd have asked for. He amazes me. For example, when he was in last, I was complaining about the fact that the radio at work sucked. You can't pick up a decent station and it didn't have a place for cd's. Only tapes. I love music. Alot. Mike knows that. I'd gotten an mp3 player for when I go for walks and we had looked for a docking station, but they were too expensive. I was adjusting to the fact of a non-musical work place. I really was. Well I had to work on one of the days he was in. He had to go to the pharmacy to pick up my meds for me & was cruising the clearance aisle, killing time. And then? A light shined down from heaven and pointed out a docking station for $1.99. So smart him picks up that & the triple A batteries needed for it and delivers it to my workplace that day. See? I love, love, love him.

Oh, and that girl up there in the pic with my hubby? She's the best reason to lose weight. My stance is this. I am and always will be number 1 in my life. Why? Because if I don't take care of myself, how can I take care of others?

So, those are my main reasons. My family. My dogs. The love of my life. Me. Now then. I'm going to share with you my reward for losing the weight. My goal is to be 200 lbs. Once I get there, I may decide I want/need to lose more. But my reward for getting to 200 lbs?

This is a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R. (This picture is credited to Norman Mayersohn for The New York Times. I just found it on Google images) This. Just this. I drool for this. I see this and my heart beats faster. I wants it. It's my precious. I could get it now, but I won't. I am pushing my patience, commitment, and self for this. Every time I want to slack off. Every time I feel like I'm not getting anywhere, I look at this.

A friend got me hooked on this site : http://killboy.com/ I love the highlights. The photography is awesome. Most of the things being photographed I want. At least to touch them. I saw this image earlier today and it makes me think of my daddy. (This photo does not belong to me. I don't know who took it exactly because they have different photographers, but it's on killboy's website, so it's his.)

Alright, I've had enough photo fun today. I hope you go by killboy's website to check out the cool cars/trucks/bikes. Oh, but word of advice. If you're at work, the fuzzy pictures - a.k.a. the naughty - are definitely not safe for work.

Love to all,
Allie

Tired.

   Tired. That is the word for today. I did a bad, bad thing. Well not extremely bad. Not even immoral or illegal. Just not good for me. I didn't go to sleep until around 1 this morning. Why? Because I just couldn't wind down quickly enough. And then, I woke up at 7. I didn't want to. I had my alarm set for 7:45, but oh no, my brain decided I needed to be awake 45 minutes early. So I snuggled with my demon dogs for 45 mins before I forced myself out of bed. I put on my new sports bra. (Danskin High Impact - it's awesome) & my workout clothes and headed to moms house.

  We went to the walking track in Henagar. I love to work out with mom. It's so much fun. She just so happens to be my best friend. So anyway, it's been kinda rainy here. Which is awesome, because we need the rain. But it is major suck to walk in the rain. We'd done 1.5 miles when we noticed the storm clouds moving in. We made the big loop to add the last .5 mile in one. We'd just finished our cool down stretches & gotten in the car when the skies opened up and poured buckets. That walking track is pretty great. There are just a few things wrong with it. It needs to be resurfaced. There are several cracks that make it a little unstable in places. That is caused by what you see in the picture below.

  These are workers for the city of Henagar that collect the garbage. Instead of walking over to the trash barrel and carrying it 10 feet, it is apparently neccessary to drive on the walking track. Where I might add, people were still walking. How effed up is that? What totally kills me is the fact that there are signs everywhere that state no cars/bikes/skateboards on the walking track. Grrr.

  Alright, so after that we had to rush over to Pisgah school & take my minion some pain reliever. Someone opened the door and it cut her toe really badly. After we checked on her, we flew (not really) back to mom's house so we could do the strength training routine before I got ready for work. I had to be there at 11:30 am.

  Work was slam busy tonight. Mondays are usually slow after 5, but we were busy right up until 8. I've been going, going, going all day and I am worn out. But before I leave, I'm going to copy & paste the Day Two post from sparkpeople. I hope whomever is reading this is enjoying it. I'm really enjoying writing it.

Day Two : Oh. Em. Gee. I woke up this morning & I was so sore. But it was such a good feeling. My stomach, my arms, my thighs... all sore. And I loved it. Every time I moved, I could feel it. It was great. Is that weird? I went to see my dad today. Trying to do the whole balance work, family, friends, life thing. And the first thing he says? Gosh, you're getting so little! And my daddy? He calls it like it is. Not so long ago, he said to me, Shay... you're fat. And I said yeah, you too kettle. (That's how we've always been. Nothing but love, I swear.) So to hear him tell me repeatedly today that I was getting smaller & he was so proud of me, well that just makes me glow. From the inside out. So yes. I am sore, but I am ecstatic.


Love to all,
Allie

By the way, Danskin does not support me in any way, shape, form, or fashion. I just happen to love that bra.