Where did it go?

I blinked, and it's a new year. Seriously? I swear, it seems as if the days are flying by and I don't like it at all. When I was a kid, it seems like the summer holiday lasted forever. Now, it's like two weeks and we're done. Alright, rant over. About that anyway.

Did ya'll have a good Christmas and New Year? I did. We celebrated Christmas on New Year's day at Daddy's house. We traded names this year for a present swap, and ended up helping my brother out by getting the gifts for his family too. That was a whole lot of fun. We had to buy gifts for my brother, Brandon, my step-brother, Jeffrey, my brother-in-law, Nick, and my sister-in-law, Chrystal. I barely know Jeffrey, Nick, and Chrystal, for the simple fact that we never spend any time together. Isn't that sad?

After walking around Wal-Mart for 20 minutes without a clue, we picked up bead bracelet sets for the twins, Cadie & Clara. My nephews had gotten their names. I thought about how much the girls would probably enjoy that, and that set me to thinking... shouldn't I get the adults something they'll enjoy? So over to the Lego sets. I picked up a Halo Warthog set for Brandon, he loves to put them together with his boys. While we were checking the game section, Mike picked up a poker set for Jeffrey. (Mike remembered that he'd gotten someone lottery tickets last year.) Then it was over to sporting goods for fly-fishing lures for Nick. I picked up a manicure/pedicure set for Chrystal because I had no idea what to do there. I suck at buying gifts for girls. I really do.

The dinner was really good, I spent most of it holding Jeffrey & Chrystal's son, Carter. He's so precious. It was hard for me, too. I keep thinking, I'm almost thirty, and I don't have any kids. It makes my heart ache. I keep my head up and smile, though, because really, there isn't anything else to do.

Brandon, Nick, and Jeffrey loved their gifts. Brandon and Nick were a sure thing, but Jeffrey was kinda worrying me. He told Mike that he'd been needing some playing cards, he'd had to borrow some the other night. So, happy happy joy joy there.

Mike got gift cards to Gamestop and Books-a-Million. I got a gift card to Torrid, fleece blankets, and some really lovely picture frames from my step-sister, April. She can pick out awesome girl gifts. I'm so jealous.

Afterwards, we played a game called Catch Phrase. Have you ever played that game? It was hilarious, we were playing guys against girls, and the guys won 2 out of 3 games. Only because Nick and Jeffrey were stretching it out and trying to pass it off at the last minute. I wish you could have seen Daddy. I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. He's never been the most descriptive person in the world, but he sure tried hard. The longer we played, the better he got.

After we left there, we went down to Brandon and Christina's house for a New Year's celebration. That however, is a story for tomorrow.

Love to all,
Allie

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

Craziness at the Batcave.

Has it been a full moon all week long or something? It has been craziness at work lately. It seems like everytime I turn around, something is going on.

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na... Batman!

That is what I wore to work Sunday. For the record, I am a Dark Knight fanatic. I love Batman. Adam West might be the original, but Michael Keaton is my favorite. Christian Bale comes in at a close second, simply because the movies with him are darker, harder, and of course have better graphics.

Anyway, I got all kinds of reactions to it. My favorite was this one old lady. She was probably around 70 or so, 100 lbs soaking wet, and a puff of cotton for hair. As she was leaving, she strikes a pose and says, "To the Batmobile!" I about died. Oh my god. I thought I would never stop laughing. It was great.

Is there a Flirtaholics Anonymous? If there is, I need to go. "Hi, my name is Allie, and I'm a shameless flirt." I can't help it. It is just me. Mom says I get it from Daddy. She said that it was a bone of contention between them in the early years. According to her, he swore he was just being friendly. She admits that after awhile, she could see that he didn't really mean anything, it was just his nature to be friendly and engaging.

The reason for this, is, I was molested at work. I totally brought it on myself too. My husband agrees, and he actually thought it was pretty funny. Alright, so here goes....

There is this guy named Chris. He and I have flirted with each other ever since I started my job in late July. (Definition of flirt: chat up: talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions.) We are both happily married, so I've never thought, or wanted to think, that it was going anywhere. So anyway, he was back behind the Pepsi machine and called me over. I thought something was wrong with it from his tone of voice, so I came around the counter and closed the door. Big mistake.

Chris: You have to see this!
Me: What? I don't see anything? (My hands are kind of down by my side, palms out.)
Chris: This. He grabs my hand and puts it on the front of his jeans. (He's a bold one, huh?)
Me: Holy f**k. You can't do that!

I pull my hand away and start backing away from him. I know that I was blushing and jabbering, but I wasn't exactly coherent enough to remember what I was saying. He advances toward me with the biggest grin on his face. And then....? I smack into the door. Crap. He leans down and kisses me. (Alarms are going off in my head. All I can think is the F word.) I'm pushing against him, and reaching for the door knob. After what seems like an hour, I find it. I jerk the door open and fall backwards. I slam the door shut behind me, and race around to the counter.

"Dude! You can't do that! I'm married! You're married! There are CAMERAS!" I'm blushing and he is laughing. I remember all I could really say was dude, which comes out as doo. I don't know why, maybe my accent?

Anyway, he apologized, and promised not to let it happen again. I called Mom as soon as he left. I told her the whole thing and I could hear her voice shaking with laughter. I admit. It was funny. After the fact. He's been back in since, and while we still flirt, I know he wants more. And he knows that I stand firm, faithful to my husband.

Confession time. When I met my husband, I was dating 5 other guys besides him. If I'm lying, I'm dying. There was Kev, a man 17 years my senior, to the day. To this day, I will still remember the birthday we shared, and all that he taught me. The 2 Jasons, one of which I had tried desperately to have a relationship with, but it just wasn't right. Jeremy, the Paragod, with whom I had an extremely combustible and dangerous relationship. There was Matt, the sweet, naive church going, tied to his mama's apronstrings boy.

To be honest, there are tons more than that, I just don't remember most of their names.  For a very long time in my life, I used love and sex to fill a void in me. It's not that I was addicted to sex, I just craved the attention and affection. Mike is the only man I've ever been faithful to. He's the only one who's ever made me want to be faithful, to tie myself to.

I don't regret a single thing I've ever done. Everything I've done, has made me into the person I am today. I'm not going to say that I don't look back, because we all do. I think of some of the things that I have done, and sure, I wish that I'd handled them differently. Hindsight will always be 20/20.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't regret. If you've done something you wished you hadn't, don't keep reliving the past. Stop being ashamed or embarrassed. Let it go, and move on.

Love to All,
Allie

Wait. What?

My week has been kind of insane. Work has been hectic, home has been hectic, and I've had the flu, and those are some of the easiest things I've had to handle.

My former phone. RIP

My phone decided to commit suicide on Thursday. It was a doomed relationship from the start. I had a tendency to drop it. It had a severe attraction to water. I would lose it for hours on end, growing more frantic in my searchings until I finally found it in the bottomless pit...aka my purse.

I went on a 6 week trip with Mike during the months of June and July of this year. Right before we left, I had slipped the phone into my pocket and climbed down from the truck. There was a puddle of water 4 feet away. Somehow, the phone threw itself from my pocket into the puddle. I didnt even notice it. My husband said, "Uh babe, is that your phone?" Of course I panicked. I pulled it apart with a quickness and dried it out. I left it off for several hours. I used Mike's phone to text my mom and tell her why my phone was off before she called in the Army. (That is a whole nother blog post. I'll go there later.) It was saved.

At that time, I was a housewife. I didn't have any commitments and could just pick up and go where the truck took me. After I got back, I was extremely bored and to the point of cleaning the house for FUN. Something very wrong in that. Anyway, my mom, who works at the Sylvania store, was telling me about the Rainsville store, and how much trouble they were having keeping good help. I know this sounds wrong, but the only reason I applied there is because I felt bad that they couldn't keep good people, and I was bored. Yes, there is a reason to this whole back story. I'm getting there. Patience.

So anyway, a couple months after I started there, I was doing my job and cleaning the bathroom. Yeah, you know where this is going, don't you? I had stuck my phone in my shirt pocket, not really thinking. I had *just* finished cleaning the toilet and had bent over to pick up piece of trash that was in the floor. PLOP. Oh, fan-freaking-tastic. Thank you god, it was clean. Otherwise, well, I'd have flushed it. After I got it out, I cleaned it, then laid it out to dry while I finished the rest of my chores. I left it apart for the rest of the night, calling Mom from the store phone to let her know I was incommunicado for a little while. She really hates that, by the way. And again, it was saved.

The months wore on and my phone and I were inseperable. We went everywhere together, having the best conversations, sending humor out into our little piece of the world. Then one day, my phone started acting a little funny. It would give me the cold shoulder and freeze up in the middle of texting. It would power down in the middle of phone calls. The phone became jealous, keeping me for itself, cutting me off from the outside world.

I tried to coax it into sharing me again, but to no avail. The final straw came when I was on the phone with my dear husband, shopping in Wal-Mart. It turned itself off and refused to come back on.The little punk took all my cool ringtones and awesome pictures with it too. I walked right over to the electronics department, and picked out a new one. (Yes. I'm a Verizon prepay user. It saves money, thank you very much. And I'm a cheap hooker. Just ask my husband.)

Now let me say this. I loved my phone. I could send 5 texts within 60 seconds, easily. I knew just how to work the buttons to make it putty in my hands.

The New Hotness. Name that movie!

So this.. this is my new phone. I like it, but there are reservations. It is pissing me off-fa-fa. And that comedian is? (Sorry, but I'm in a feisty mood, and I quote movies almost as much as guys do.) It's nice, don't get me wrong, but there a few kinks to be worked out. For example, I was texting with my friend Jamie and also with my friend James. Now, maybe this is user error here, but several times, when I was replying to Jamie, I would be in the middle of typing and a text from James would pop up. I'd choose view later, and finish my text. When it sent, it would send to James. What the firetruck? I don't understand. And while the qwerty keyboard is nice, it's SLOW. I'm not as fast as I was with the other phone. I'm sure I'll get used to it, and yes, I am eventually happy. I'm just whining. I'll get over it, or get used to it, one.

Alright, so for some more awesome updates. I've lost a grand total of 39.2 pounds. And as for the blog, I've had 944 page hits since 09/26/10. And of those, I've had recurring visits from France, Russia, Brazil, Croatia, German, and the United Kingdom, as well as the aforementioned Denmark, Lebanon, Canada, and of course, the United States. I've also had referral from sites that I've never heard of. In the photo below, my website has the TOP SPOT. Sorry for the screaming, but that is just amazing to me.

I'm going to bed now, I've got tons of stuff to do before the holidays are seriously upon us.

Love to All,
Allie

Pride.

This is CJ. He's the cousin that went shopping with me on Black Friday. Yesterday, he turned 18. I don't have kids, so I don't know how Uncle Tim or Aunt Tish felt, but, for me, it's crazy. I remember him as a fat, happy baby. I've changed a few of his diapers, babysat him a ton, and abused his muscles in my yearly move.

Anyway, today, CJ got the best news of his life. (Yeah, he's young, but wait, it's awesome.) He was accepted to the University of Alabama. The letter was dated for yesterday, his birthday. He said that it was the best birthday present he'd ever been given. Really though, it wasn't given to him. He earned it. He's a straight A student, a hard worker. Yes, I know. I sang his praises in my last post. Bite me. I'm overflowing with pride at the moment.

Uncle Tim called me not moments after CJ sent the text out. I was the first person he called. The very first. Do you know how special that makes me feel? I could hear the pride and love in his voice as he talked to me about CJ. He could hardly talk for choking up. And if you've ever talked to my Uncle, you know that understanding what he says when he's choked up is no easy thing. I love the man, but he talkes 90 to nothing. He's got a Southern twang that won't quit. When my husband first met him, all he could really do was smile and nod. Afterwards, he was like, "What was he saying?!" He, like everyone, has gotten used to it. They call each other pretty much daily while they're out on the road.

I don't know what yall's family is like, but mine are texting fools. We text, forward, joke with each other all day long. I got a forward asking this. Before the end of 2010, you and I should _____? So I answered back to that person, then sent it out. What did I get back from CJ? Go shopping again! I'm telling you ladies, a catch.

That's all I've got for now. I'm in the midst of changing over to a different phone. My old phone decided to commit suicide, and that just sucks. I'll tell you more about it later.

I love you CJ! I'm so very proud of who you are, and I know you will be epic greatness. Congratulations!

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

Departure From The Light.

Funny. That is the word I hear most often when talking about my blog. Several people were shocked to see that I'm so funny. I hear that all the time. I'm cool with that. I try very hard to keep my blog easy going, family friendly, funny, and light.

Well, I'm about to step into the darkness that is reality. This will be completely out of my comfort zone. My next few posts won't make you laugh as hard as you usually do. Instead, I hope they make you think. I want you to question yourself, your family, your friends, and your relationships.

I'm hoping that the posts will still be family friendly. After all, everyone needs to be in the know about what I'll be talking about. Yes. I am purposefully withholding the topic. Why? Well, cause I can. They will all be about the same issue, just different view points. So... I'm trying to get it all laid out in my head.

I'm off the next couple of days and they will be devoted to this blog and writing in general. Good night everyone.

Love to All,
Allie

Goblins and Ghouls

I know, I know. It's a little late, right? Well, all I can say is I'm sorry. Things have been a bit hectic lately, but really... Would life be any fun any other way? No. No it wouldn't. So, without further ado, photos from Halloween 2010. Warning: Cuteness may overload your brain.

I dub this Mace to the Face. No seriously, I'm not macing her. She's pregnant thankyouverymuch. It's just glitter.



This makes me think of Angels Among Us by Alabama. I have no clue why.




Alfalfa and a Punk Rocker. Isn't Alfalfa just so cute in his seriousness? Love it.





Baby Butterfly





Bat Girl. I have the Batman theme stuck in my head now.







Hard to call him Batman. More like Batbaby.




Birdman and The Good Witch. Not really, but she's a sweet person and I just can't call her a witch. By the way, that's Hot Guy That Smells Good. His name is Pete I found out.



My nephews. M is the tall one. S is the short one. They are both creeptastic.



So far, the only clown I can stand. (By the way - huge fear of clowns. I has it.) The cuteness is getting to me.



A cute witch.



Death and the Devil? Devil and her minion? All I know for sure is, girlie has the expression down.



Awwww! It's a baby Ewok. He better hide cause....



Darth Vader is here! Along with Jason. Check the princess in the back. She's like "Gimme my candy already. Dang!"



Jason was popular. He kept showing up. Creeped me out too. Can you hear the music?



My moms' friend Sherrys' grandkids. Why yes. I was raised in the South. What tipped you off?



Lady Gaga stopped by. I totally took this pic by accident. I'd taken one and Ryan was posing so I totally had to get this.



Preteen Mario. I said, "I'm sorry, Mario, but your Princess is in another castle." Kid comes back with, "Aw man. Can I at least have candy?" Yeah. He got extra candy. Such a sweet boy.



Luigi and The Princess came in not minutes later. When I informed them that they had just missed Mario, their faces lit up. I love the innocence of kids.



Monkey See, Monkey Do.





Mortal



Kombat



What do a pirate, a princess, and a creepy guy from Scream have in common? I'm not sure. You tell me.



A hippie, a happy Frakenstein, and... I'm not sure. A soldier from Halo, maybe? I don't care, but I love the look on his face. It's kinda half amused, half exasperated. Very good manners, though.

My sister Mames, holding Spiderson JonJon and my sister in law Jen, holding my niece Bacon the Witch.





Nemesis





Tinkerbell and the Punk Pirate. Check the hot pink skull n bones.



Fairy Princess



Killing me with the cuteness. Such a sweet baby puppy.



Purple Princess. I love her facial expression.



A much prettier Queen of Hearts than Helena Bonham Carter.



All I can hear is... "Rawr, I'm a lion!"



Roll Tide Baby! I love his face. Just so sweet.



Scooby Dooby Doo. Where are you? I loved that cartoon as a kid. Who am I kidding? I still love it.

Scream. Louder. Nope. Still can't hear you.

Snoopy.

Soldier Boy

Super Baby

Thomas the Train

Wild Witchy West

My Unc was a zombie. His grandson was.. a ninja? (Unc is short for uncle. I've called him that forevah.)




Alright. I hope your brain didn't explode from the cuteness. I hope you didn't have a heart attack from the scariness. I'm going to bed now. Night everyone.

Love to all,

Allie

Faking It.

I was an angel for Halloween. No, that isn't a joke. I went in last night to give out candy and lend a helping hand. One of the stipulations is, we had to wear costumes.

I'm cool with that. The other girl, Tab, wasn't so keen to dress up. For one thing, she's pregnant and there aren't really very many cool costumes for pregnant ladies. Sure, there's the baker costume, with the whole bun in the oven thing, but that's kinda played out, plus we wanted to dress alike, or at least compliment each other. How in the world could I have done that? I so didn't help with the baby thing. Then we were talking and decided to be spies. But the trench coat would've been too hot. I was tempted to get shirts that say F.B.I. and wear shoulder holsters with squirt guns in them, but - we have a serious problem with drugs up here. Now, I'm not saying that people that come in my store are on drugs. I'm not saying they aren't, either. I'm just not willing to take the chance of someone freaking out. There will be too many children there.

Tab came in one day and was like - "What about I be an angel, and you be a devil?" Her mom had picked up some things on clearance last year, and there were angel wings/halo and devil horns/tail. Hmmm. I can see myself doing that, so I told her sure.

She came in a week later with the biggest frown on her face. "Um, Allie? We have a problem." Oh, great. I'm thinking something is wrong, she's sick, the baby's not ok, I mean, anything really, other than what she says next. "Mom has 2 angel outfits, but no devil."

Lovely. Now, most of ya'll who have at least met me will know what I'm about to say is the truth. I'm no angel. I had absolutely no idea how to pull that off. I had wings and a halo, but... being an angel is so much more than that. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it right. So, I enlisted the help of my mother.

I bought a pretty white shirt, a watch/bracelet set, feather earrings and glitter. Then I turned it all over to my mother. She, with all her makeup and her expertise that I never took the time to cultivate, made me beautiful. I'm one of those girls who don't ever really see themselves as beautiful, but when I looked in the mirror last night, I was amazed.



The devil in disguise and the pregnant angel. Struck by lightning in 3...2..

Alright. I'm off for now. I'll post again later with photos of all the little goblins and ghouls from last night. I hope you had as much fun and saw as much awesome as I did.

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