Sazzle Style

Another First

2012-01-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

So...I recently bought one of these:

And...of course we had our first snow. So, last weekend I used my brand-new snow blower for the very first time. Needless to say, it was pretty comical.

Yes...perhaps my lines were more of a zig zag...

So what if I forgot where the start button was for a hot second?...

Sure, it did take me a bit to adjust the proper height of the spray so I didn't smash out my neighbor's window...

But...that's not why I'm writing this...

...the reason I am writing this post is that I want to know -- Who makes the chick snow blower?

Seriously, I am under 5'2" with child-like hands. Holding those damn levers down for 30 minutes while I blow the snow around is quite ridiculous. I swear I had finger cramps for 2 days! I was NOT informed you have to be a lumberjack to appropriately control a snow blower...

Another first for me...and another lesson learned...

...and crap...it has snowed again...

Resolutions

2012-01-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

2011 has come and gone and it's time to create goals for 2012. Here are the top 10 things I plan to accomplish in 2012:

10. BLOG MORE. I've done such a crappy job blogging in 2011

9. Be that person that always has a clean house -- one can dream, right?

8. Convince more of my girlfriends to come spend a night/weekend in the exciting city of Fremont

7. Lose some lbs

6. Reorganize the house - and buy new storage items -- ahhh pretty white storage

5. Get my lawn under control -- it is seriously a jungle...and learn not to hate it so much

4. Paint that nasty trim in my kitchen and bath

3. Paint my kitchen cabinets...yikes

2. Get my files in order -- they are out of control

...and the number 1 thing I plan to accomplish this year is...

1. Give back to my parents. The amount of good deeds they did for me in 2011 is quite ridiculous and I am indebted to them forever -- helping me move, driving in a crazy snow storm and helping me clean my old apartment, fixing tons of odds and ends in the house, adding ALL those shelves (in cupboards, cabinets, closets and cubbies), installing washer, dryer and dishwasher, cutting my bed in 2 and re-attaching to get up the stairs, hanging 20 sets of mini-blinds, fixing the hanging situation in my closets, helping with the tree situation - and the pipe situation, helping me mow the lawn for the first time EVER and teaching me how to handle/take care of the lawn mower, giving me/hooking up the AC window unit, watching my dog a MILLION times, hanging out at my house while cable and AC installation guys were there, driving my butt around a LOT, letting me hang out at their house and eat all their food, giving Niko a second home, KILLING THE BAT, driving 7 hours for my ikea bookcase and then putting it together and leveling it, installing the medicine cabinet, going chainsaw crazy in my back yard....and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I have the best parents EVER and I'll never be able to come close to repaying them for what they do for me -- but in 2012 I will give back as much as I can.

Here's to a successful 2012!

Turning 30: Shockingly NOT the End of the World

2011-05-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I turned the big 3-0 on Saturday the 21st.

Yeah, yuck...I know.

Unless you live under a rock, you remember that Saturday at 6pm they were calling for the Rapture to begin.
Big Surprise -- it didn't.

However, I did have a fabulous birthday. From cards, to presents, to people stopping by my house to wish me happy birthday, Birthday breakfast cake, homemade cards from my neice and nephew, calls at midnight, birthday cakes at work, partying to the wee hours of the night -- I had a great birthday. ...downed a bottle of wine BEFORE going to Mega 80s at the Intersection. Probably the best birthday yet.

And here, I thought it was the end of the world.

I would post pics...but I promised I wouldn't...oh the things I promise when I'm drunk...

Monster Ball

2011-05-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

MARCH 1 -- LADY GAGA

Tami and I decided to go together and got some pretty sweet tickets when they went on sale almost a year ago and we were not disappointed.

We decided to get into GR early to beat the crowd, so we went to the BOB for a bit before the show.

HOLY LEOTARD FREAKSHOW!!!

Yes, I was fully prepared to see people decked out in Gaga gear --- but I wasn't quite prepared for all the people in leotards. We saw SO many "look-a-likes". While I couldn't get any good shots, I pulled some pics from the original Gaga looks.

We saw a bunch of these:

And these...

One pop can girl looked pretty sweet. Although, her poor friend had a less than impressing set of pop cans.

The most common theme we saw that night was this:

While I am very impressed with the amount of people that were brave enough to wear leotards...I have to point out that about 99% of them should NOT have worn them. Just because you know where to buy a leotard does not mean that anyone wants to see you in one. But, kudos for the courage to do so.

Tami and I had a blast...and next time I won't take 2 months to post...but, I was born this way, baby

This is NOT About Trees Falling on My House

2011-03-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

My first post about the new house can NOT be about the tree falling on it...so, I'm going to write about my neighbor instead.

We all have bad neighbors, crazy neighbors, WT neighbors, right?

Just because you have bad neighbors doesn't mean you hate your house, right?

I LOVE my house. Sure, there are a million things I want to change (or fix now that the tree fell on it), but my house is absolutely ME. It Sazzles. I have a fabulous office, beautiful hardwood floors, crown molding, curb appeal, plenty of storage, and gigantic fenced yard that Niko loves.

How bad could a neighbor really be?

Well...I think it would be a violation of some sort to post a picture, but one of my neighbors is on a list. Not only a list, but THE list.

Yes, friends, the Michigan Sex Offender list. And BOY is his picture creepy.

He has a creepy garage that I hear funny noises coming from, Niko doesn't like him (she likes everyone) and is always barking out the window, and my sister, Sarah, was creeped out by him one day while he carried his shovel. But, I digress.

I am choosing to love my house, and my neighborhood, through the good and the bad...but I am asking my cousin (city cop) to stop by every now and then in his cop car --- but he has to park where the dude can see him.

...and as a disclaimer...my other neighbors are SO fabulous. The husband plowed my driveway one day and the wife was my sister's teacher in school -- so I am still happy and safe and in love with where I am.

Through snow and rain and sleet and hail and trees falling on my house -- my house, Niko and I Sazzle, dear friends.

How to Celebrate?

2011-01-25T13:51:00.000-08:00

This Saturday I'm celebrating the new job and buying my house -- I'm going out with one of my best friends, Kirsti. Her husband, Brandon, is going to be DD and comedic relief :)

So...here's my question. What should we do?

Obviously dinner and drinks are in order...I'm a huge fan of On the Border for both.

But, Blog Friends: What else should we do?

It's Official!

2011-01-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

I moving back to my hometown of Fremont, Michigan.

The job is Call Center Supervisor for Gerber Life Insurance. I have 8 years of call center experience and over 4 years of managerial experience...so hopefully I can hit the ground running.

While I will have to deal with no Target, Starbucks or the mall, I am going to be living next to my family and Niko gets a super huge fenced yard to play and run and just be her.

I'm super excited and there will be a ton of updates -- so stay tuned!!!

Movie Night

2011-01-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Mom had to bring me...something. (Has to do with my secret so unfortunately I cannot disclose at this time) My brother, Kevin, and his girlfriend, Ashley, decided to come visit so we could all go out to dinner.

Since the weather was HORRIBLE with multiple accidents and pile-ups, Mom and I thought it was best that she didn't drive home. So what did we do? Bought booze and movies, of course!

Mom can make a STRONG drink :)

Mom is a huge sci-fi fan, so her movie selection was

Honestly, we really enjoyed it. Ash and Kev left after that, but Mom and I decided to watch my selection:

Unfortunately, mom was not a fan -- but I love these movies with a million famous stars.

While I'm trying to avoid sharing my secrets, that is all that Mom and I talked about. Niko was in heaven with visitors and I haven't had a movie night in a long time.

...now, if I can just get through the next 2 weeks...

Mysterious Ways...

2011-01-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I had planned on handing in my 2-week notice --- and I was called tonight and told my job has been eliminated.

TWO WEEK VACATION!!!!

And...the new job is still a secret...so shhhhhh

Not Another Boring Review of the Golden Globes...

2011-01-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

...all I have to say is...

BEST.DRESS.EVER

Too bad she didn't win.

Oogy Read

2011-01-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

I just finished a book. (No, I don't want a cookie)

Oogy is a story about a poor dog used as a bait dog for a dog fighting ring who was found, saved, and taken in by a family. Since I am a huge dog-lover and ASPCA commercials make me cry, I figured that this would be a real tear-jerker.

Wrong.

Yes, there were terrible parts of the book that brought tears to my eyes -- but there was nothing motivational or inspiring about this book and here are the reasons why I do not recommend it:

You never read about anyone getting punished or caught for abusing the poor dog -- yet the beginning eludes to the fact that the owner tried to find out who did it
There is no plot to the book -- the first chapter explains how he was rescued -- the rest of the book doesn't say a whole lot
The writing is TERRIBLE. "I walked to the counter and poured myself coffee. Then, I put it in the microwave for 50 seconds. Then, I put laundry in the dryer. I looked at Oogy..." There was limited sentence variety and felt as though I was reading a text book

The BIGGEST reason why I hated this book is because the owner thinks he is the best man that ever walked the face of the earth. All 219 pages of this book are dedicated to what an amazing man the author is for taking this dog in, taking care of him and providing him necessary medical treatment.

Wait a minute -- isn't that what every pet owner does?

Here's the thing -- if you decide to take a pet in, you have to be willing to provide him/her ALL the necessary medical treatment and love that you would provide to a human being. Sure, some people chain their pets outside and ignore them -- but those people are not animal lovers -- they are animal abusers. That is my belief and I will stick to it.

So, while I wanted to love this book...and I really wanted to... I did not and it was a challenge to finish.

However, I hope Oogy has a wonderful life and I do love the fact that a family did take him in.

Security Blanket

2011-01-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

Does your child have a security blanket, or a pacifier...or some other object to which he or she seeks comfort?

I may not have a human child, but my "child" has a security blanket.

Normally, Niko lays on the floor next to the couch, or at my feet, or at the far end of the couch. However, when I pull out my GVSU blanket -- she immediately jumps up and cuddles right next to me, laying on the blanket.

Fondly, I remember the first time I brought her to my apartment. She was nervous, whining and pacing. It was a hot September afternoon so I turned on the air conditioning to cool her off. I got cold, so I grabbed the trusty old blanket, sat on the couch and covered myself. Instantly, she calmed down, jumped up next to me, cuddled against the soft fleece and fell asleep.

To this day, every time I grab the blanket, she is at my side, contently snoring. It is one of the sweetest things I get to see on a regular basis.

Here's my happy little princess

Resolutions, Resolutions

2011-01-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

We all make them, swear that this year will be the year, and proceed to break them within a matter of months...or weeks...or days.

Do I have a New Year's Resolution?

You bet your Alejandro Ass!

However, I hesitate to share. Will I look back in December and feel as though the year was a waste? Do I aim low so I can't fail? Decisions, decisions...

Well, you don't Sazzle if you back away from a challenge, right?

Unfortunately, I turn thir...thir...thir... 29 plus 1 this year. Yep and ick. I have decided that by time my birthday roles around (May 21 in case you want to buy me a present) I need to look and FEEL fabulous.

So, the resolution is Fabulous by Thir.... well, you get the point.

The Rules:

Do at least one thing every day to be healthier/happier/stronger/better -- physically, fiscally and mentally
Live up to the Sazzle name by May 21
Pose naked or get fake boobies --- just kidding --- those are for next year

So far, so good. I got all my Christmas decorations put away on the 1st. Treadmill, church, lunch with friends and a satisfying nap on the 2nd. Finally, treadmill and something nice for a friend on the 3rd. As long as I can say "today was a success because...", I shall meet my goal.

Side note: An important clause to this is that I need to maintain my fabulousness even after the icky birthday. I have a bunch of weddings to attend -- and if I have to be single at a wedding, you better believe I'm going to be the hottest chick there!

How do I keep it up all year? Hell if I know, but here's to actually having a goal!

Alejandro

2010-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Hello Lover!

Yes, this is Alejandro, my new boyfriend.

Super sexy, body as hard as steel, and knows just what I like!

Perhaps I cried when I opened him on Christmas morning...perhaps I cried like a baby.

You see, I had a suspicion that I was getting Alejandro (as Mom is terrible at keeping secrets from me). However, the few days leading up to Christmas, Mom and my sister, Sarah, did a really good job throwing me off. By Christmas I resigned myself in the fact that it just wasn't going to happen.

Well, dear friends, it did.

Why do I need a mixer? Perhaps because of this:

And this:

Don't forget this:

I didn't keep track of how many I made or how many hours I spent -- but I think it was quite a success. Here are some of my delicious creations:

(Frosted sugar cookies, sprinkled sugar cookies, chocolate chip, peppermint chip, Andes mint chip, cinammon chip, pinwheels, cake mix cookies, cocoa cookies, no-bakes, oreo bark, peanut butter squares, fudge, cake balls, peppermint squares, oreo balls and Andes mint squares)

Needless to say, I'm pretty certain Alejandro will get a lot of action -- and we will live happily ever after

A Trip Down Awkward Lane... aka Peek-a-boo!

2010-12-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

Call me a creeper, but I think awkward photos of random people are hilarious. So, I was quite thrilled when my sister, Sarah, showed me This site.

Basically, it is a collection of awkward family photos and my oh my does it make me laugh.

Some of my faves are as follows:

Parenting at it's finest?

Pooh's family

A Special Kind of Love

One big, happy family

Dribble

Chester the Molester

And, last...but MOST certainly not least is the best of all....the Hidden Treasure (look close...)

Silent Observers

2010-12-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

Apparently there are some secret viewers of my blog now. Let me tell you a short story which led to said events.

Last Friday, my boss turned to me and asked, "What does your license plate say?"

Whoops.

I may have turned a few shades of red.

Of course, my response was "Look it up in the urban dictionary".

And, do we all remember what that says?

Hmmmm....not really something I wanted to share with my boss.

Long story short, this came up at the annual Christmas party, as well as the fact that I have a blog. Now, they announced the wrong blog address, so I doubt I will get a ton of them viewing my [awesome] blog, but apparently some have already viewed it.

While that may have been one of the most embarrassing moments ever, my new t-shirt totally sazzles!

So, I'd like to take a minute to welcome any of my silent observers out there! Hope you have a sazzlerific day!

...for the record...the "drugged up" comment in no way actually applies to me. If you question it, I'll give you a hair sample to test!

Super Lame...yet Awesome?

2010-11-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

I do NOT like Dancing with the Stars. I think it is lame. Super Lame. So, I was pretty annoyed when I saw a commercial for this:

Ugh. Seriously? LAME!!!

Seriously...I'd rather clean my bathrooms or vacuum than watch this crap.

Last Monday was the first time the show aired. Since I had only seen one commercial for it, I had no idea who was on it or even what channel it was on. That night, my girlfriend gave me a call, asking if I was watching it.

"H to the NO" I told her.

....but then, she pointed this out:

WHAT?! BETHENNY "Real Housewife, with a rock'n body, hot husband and beautiful baby" FRANKEL?
Do you all know that I love Bethenny Frankel? I do; a lot. She is gorgeous, successful, and didn't marry or have a child until she was almost 40. I want to be her. You may remember her from the Real Housewives of NYC or Bethenny Getting Married?

So...as lame as Skating with the Stars is...and is most CERTAINLY is...I will be watching each week -- at least until Bethenny is voted off.

....which could be soon because she isn't doing very well.

Thanksgiving Picture Extravaganza

2010-11-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

What a Weekend!

Obviously, I spent the weekend with the family...which continues to get bigger and bigger...

Back Row (L to R): Sara (Scott's fiance), Scott, David (brother-in-law), Mom, Dad, Kevin, Ashley (Kevin's Girlfriend)
Then: Me, Elizabeth and Sarah
Down in Front: Kendyl and Aden (Elizabeth and David's kids)

As usual, we took tons of family pictures (which the boys were super happy about)

This is my favorite one of the 5 kids

Kevin hates his picture taken

Scott loves his picture taken

My favorite of all the ladies

Aden-Pants and Kendy-Kins

Finally, a good one with Kevin and Ashley

Kevin blocking is face with Kendyl

And again...

Sara and Scott don't mind posing

Such a cute pic of Sarah and Kendyl. Saturday after Thanksgiving, Sarah took Kendyl to see Tangled.

Of course, the dogs had to get in on the action. We had all 4 dogs at Mom and Dad's.

Kevin and Max

Me with Niko (mine), Molly (black and white dog - Mom's), and Sophie (Kevin's)

Sarah and Sophie

As hard as we try, we can never get all 4 dogs to pose together. Even holding them doesn't work. Sarah is with Sophie, Ashley's holding Max, I'm holding Niko and Kevin is holding Max.

And, a few of my favorites:

Obviously, we had a ton of food, played board games, wrestled with the dogs, got almost zero sleep and barely argued at all! :)

I'm Thankful for my wonderful family. We are each vastly different from the next, but that's what makes everyone so special to me.

Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, I know I am late posting this.

One of my favorite holidays is Halloween. There is nothing better than dressing up and partying with friends all night. I am a people-watcher by nature, so costume parties are like crack to me. People bring out who they really are at costume parties....

Some like candy

Some like to show team support

There are criminals

There are video game junkies, geeks...and a whole lot of people that are confused

(can you figure some of these out? I had trouble)

We were invited to a party held in a hall in GR. It was the best Halloween party I've ever attended.

Here we are pre-game

...and then the night began...

Yes, I was the ghost from PacMan

...did you catch the extra feature on my costume?..

Sisterly Love

2010-11-13T20:48:00.000-08:00

I love my sister, Sarah.

I can be having an awful couple of days...and out of the blue, she Rick Rolls me.

Please tell me you know what Rick Roll'ing is...

Fantastic Follower Feature Friday!

2010-11-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Hillary and DB on the new addition to your family. I'm so happy for both of you!

Welcome Colbie Christine!!!

H1N1 and Herpies?

2010-11-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

Like many of you, I had H1N1 last fall. Quite frankly, it really sucked. I had a fever for 9 days straight, lost 6 pounds (ok, not so bad), and had absolutely no energy whatsoever.

Now, I'm thinking there is more to the illness than just being flu-like...

For the past year, I have been more sick than I have been in the last 29 years. I randomly get fevers that come on in the middle of nowhere and disappear in a couple of hours. I get more headaches. I get more colds. I have more sinus pressure. I need more sleep. I throw up more often. ...and the list goes on.

Yes, I realize I am getting old, but we aren't going there now...

I legitimately, seriously, honestly believe there is more to H1N1 than just being the flu. It was the super flu, wasn't it? Almost everyone I know that had H1N1 has been more sick in the last year than they have been in years.

Doctors should do a study on this. I truly believe that H1N1 does something to the immune system. I believe that when I come in contact with certain bacteria, I then get sick for a bit.

...it is almost like it causes "out-breaks"... perhaps like how Herpies works...

Did any of you have H1N1? How have YOU felt in the last year?

How Vain is Too Vain?

2010-10-31T21:17:00.001-07:00

If you had one of the most amazing bodies ever...one that required endless hours in the gym to maintain...how many half naked pictures are acceptable to show off?

...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

A Tribute...

2010-10-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my Uncle Doug recently past away.

He was diagnosed with cancer on September 17 and left us on October 14th. Nobody was really prepared for what happened and it has unfortunately been very hard on my family.

Here's to the man that taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels -- to the man that knew every CCR song and introduced me to Jeremiah was a Bullfrog -- to the man that would try to fix anything and everything, whether he could do it or not -- to the man that answered my car-buying questions from his hospital bed and who had an in-depth conversation with me about the awesome Michigan/Michigan State game this year:

Camping won't be the same without you, Dougie. Give Grandpa a hug from all of us! We love you!

Go State! ...aka In the Right Place at the Right Time

2010-10-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

I have some of my posts out of order. A few weeks ago, I went to an MSU game.

I met my cousin, Paula, and her boyfriend, Chuck, for the October 2nd game against Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is a pretty good team, so I was a little nervous...

Unfortunately, the day started of raining...so we spend some time in the stores before the game. Later, I was quite thankful for the rain -- because by being in the bookstore, we ran into this guy:

SPARTY!!!!

Did you know Paula went to MSU for 7 years (she is Dr. Paula -- an awesome vet) and never got a photo op with Sparty? Clearly this day was going to be awesome!

Oh...and did you notice the totally hot matching vests? Yep, we were at the bookstore walking around and next thing we knew, her and I both had one in hand :)

Next, we just so happened to walk into the band

After that...the rain decided to clear up a bit so we went to the tailgating section. We went where there was a decent sized crowd...and Chuck made some friends that invited us to free food and drinks :) SCORE!

That's where I saw this dude:

Did I mention it was cold? Burrr...

The game was awesome --- and of course an MSU victory. Paula, Chuck and I had a great time!!!

Saying Hello to the Future

2010-10-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

Do any of you know how long I have had my crappy car?

Let's put it into perspective. When I got it:

I was still in college
I was engaged -- that was 3, SIGNIFICANT, guys ago
I had not yet become a platinum blond...which I was for over 3 years...and have been a brunette again for about 5 years now
Kendyl and Aden weren't born
Elizabeth and David weren't married yet
Scott, Kevin and Sarah were in middle school or younger
I wasn't a total organizational freak yet
...I was a completely different person

I'm finally saying goodbye to the awful past:

And welcoming my wonderful future:

Here is my beautiful 2010 Chevy Aveo Hatchback. I have loved the Honda Fit for years, but found that the Aveo has better gas mileage and I could buy a brand new one for less than the price of a used Fit. PLUS, since it is new, I have a warranty...and the BIGGEST deciding factor is my mechanic :) Kevin, my brother, is a free mechanic who will drop anything to help me out. He knows domestic cars - so that's what I went with. Oh, and foreign parts are much more expensive.

I'm glad I took the time to do my research -- all around this is the best value I could get.

(Oh, and I completely understand that most of you hate hatchbacks -- I LOVE hatchbacks)

SIDE STORY:

Did you know that I purchased the car via email? That's right - I've never even spoken to the girl that sold me the car. After the sale I have texted her, but never any phone calls. Did you know that the car was purchased from a dealership in Durand, which is near Lansing? Yep...and they graciously drove it to my apartment building! I never had to go anywhere :)

MEN are DOUCHEBAGS

I'd also like to take a little time out to say that MEN car salesmen are douche bags. All of them. Shady, shady, shady. I had them lie to me, had them refuse to tell me if they could get the car I wanted unless I came IN to talk to them, and had them threaten me -- true story (basically he claimed that another dealer gave me a price too low and that if I bought it for the low price, Chevy would find out and come after me)

I highly, highly encourage Jamie Smith at Graff Chevy in Durand, Michigan. She is amazing! Plus, she isn't a douchebag dude. Jamie is the internet sales person. Seriously, she rocks.

When I got my new baby, she had 104 miles on her. And, I love that I can tell how many miles I have before I need to get gas.

I have always HATED to drive, but now I'm finding excuses to get out on the road. However, I'm scared to death that someone is going to crash into me...paranoid.

Now, you may ask...am I SERIOUSLY going to let naughty, shedding Niko ride in my car? Well, I thought of that too :) Here is the new seat cover

I'm hoping that this will not only keep hair off the seat, but that perhaps it will keep her in the back seat and off of my lap. I'm going to test it next weekend when I take her to the vet. And, if it doesn't work, I have a metal barrier coming in the mail -- although I'm desperately hoping I get to return it. So, everyone cross your fingers, please that she stays in the back!

Bored with the car details yet? No? Great!

Guess what was the first accessory purchased for the car? You got it!

The total geek bought a front seat organizer!

I can't even tell you how much stuff I have packed into this thing. Pens, highlighters, paper, glass wipes, armorall wipes, make up, hand sanitizer, travel garbage bags, a whole make-up kit, a medicine kit, and the list goes on and on... YOU NEVER KNOW :)

I also went to get a few keys made to give to Kevin, my mom, etc... However, they cost $106 to cut. Nope.

My vanity plate is coming soon --- I'll make sure to show you once it arrives :)

My new car totally Sazzles!!!!

Sparty Sazzles

2010-10-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

How can I NOT blog about the game this weekend?!?! It was AH-MAZING!!!

For those of you that are trying to forget...here is a reminder:

That's baby!!!

For the 3rd year in a row, MSU has claimed victory over U of M - to win the Paul Bunyan trophy.

While I do have some very dear friends that like U of M, they tend to get a bit full of themselves during the football season -- much of that is deserved as they DO tend to beat us. Even when we do win, it does tend to be close...except this year.

This year, U of M is rebuilding, but they thought they could beat us, especially with Denard Robinson. If you didn't watch the game, you missed out. Robinson, who is normally an amazing rusher and passer was completely shut down by the MSU defense. He threw FOUR interceptions. In addition, the U of M kicker is probably the worst kicker I have seen in my entire life -- while the MSU kicker is undefeated.

Final score: MSU 34, U of M 17

SOON!!!!

2010-10-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm getting my new car soon!!!!

So, I need your help. Which one?

I think I like the one with an H.....which one Sazzles?

Bob Free!

2010-09-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

As you know, a little over a year ago I cut my hair from halfway down my back to cupping my chin. Yeah, I know I was stupid -- and I've hated it since.

Growing hair out sucks. The awkward stage is, well, awkward.

So, I was pleased to find tonight, during my regular trim, that my hair is long enough to get rid of the bob!!! It feels like I am close to having "real" hair again. I'm so excited!!!

And...I decided to sexy it up a bit and add some side bangs.

Sorry about the crappy cellphone pic, but what do you think?

I think it totally Sazzles...

One Month Mission

2010-09-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got a little card in the mail telling me that Niko needs a few shots in exactly a month.

Hmmm...Problem. She's fat.

You see, the vet gives me a REALLY hard time that she doesn't weigh 85 pounds...but more like 98 pounds.... Now I could go on and on about how she is an ENGLISH lab, not an AMERICAN lab and how they are stockier, shorter, etc... but I won't. I understand she is a big girl and we need to get to work.

We have exactly a month to turn her from this:

Into this:

Tonight we went for a jog. She went crazy, barking at a little dog, some cute guy runner saw it, and we both almost died of exhaustion...apparently we both need the jogging. Needless to say, it was a rough one.

One month 'til the weigh-in...prayers are welcome :)

Happy Sad Birthday

2010-09-15T09:48:00.001-07:00

Today a sweet, little boy turns 6.

I'm quite certain he doesn't get the cards or photos I send...and quite certain I'll never see him again...

To the little boy I loved like my own:

"I love you Monkey. Life isn't the same for me and Niko without you. I miss coloring, playing cars/monster trucks/trains, watching you cuddle with Niko and the hugs. I hope you are loving first grade and that you get everything you want for your birthday. Please know it's not a choice that I no longer get to see you. Niko and Nonie love you and miss you more than words can express!"

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Congrats Scotty Potty!!!

2010-09-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

My brother, Scott, just got engaged!!!!

To be fair...I knew it was coming. I talked to him about a week ago and he told me that he had the ring and was thinking about a plan.... I don't know if he told me early because he was excited, or if he was sick of me hounding him to propose :)

I love his finacee, Sara! She is a beautiful woman who is caring, funny and great with children. I couldn't be happier with Scott's selection of my new sister.

The wedding is in August...so I have to make sure I'm looking HOT -- after all, he is 5 years younger than me and getting married before me. I have also elected myself as dress-finder for my mom :)

Congratulations Scotty and Sara!!!!

Ghetto Injection?

2010-09-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

So...am I ghetto?

I get a shot every few months. The way it works is that I get a prescription and pick up the vile at the pharmacy. I, of course, have to pay for the meds at the pharmacy. Then, I take the vile to the doctor and I pay ANOTHER fee for them to inject me.

Well, they have started to not give me a vile, but give me a pre-filled syringe...with instructions on how to inject written right on the box...

So, why do I pay an injection fee? It's $40!!!

Frankly, $40 can pay for a pair of shoes.

Instead of sucking it up and paying the cash, I had Tami meet me at the Walgreens parking lot near my work when she got out of work. In her car, I freaked out about how long the needle was...but still had her inject it. My arm DOES hurt -- but that means she did it correctly because she injected it in the muscle deep enough...gross...

Anyway, it went so well that I'll probably be hounding her every few months to meet me at Walgreens and shoot me up.

Is that ghetto? .... or does it Sazzle?

Deal Breakers

2010-09-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

So, I went on a couple of dates with a guy. I thought it was going well...polite, complementary, insisted on paying, great job, lots of cash money, etc...

Then...we are at dinner the other night and he shocked me with some deal breakers.

Deal Breaker #1: He doesn't believe in God, Heaven or Hell. Biggest deal breaker of them all. However, he is apparently confused because he said that he doesn't believe in God, but that if God really does exist, he will go to Heaven? What? Not possible. He claims that throughout his life he has always been in the right place at the right time -- almost like someone has been looking out for him. Guess what dude? That means you believe in a higher power...he disagreed because he is obviously stupid.

Deal Breaker #2: He has a kid on the way. While that fact alone is NOT a deal breaker (check my track record with guys)...he told me that he will not play any part of the child's life. WHAT? I do not respect any person (because I will not call him a man) who will not be an active role in his child's life.

Deal Breaker #3: He lifted up his sleeve and showed me a HIDEOUS tattoo. We are talking BAD PRISON TAT. (No, he wasn't in prison, it just looked like a bad prison tat) It is the all-seeing eye but it looks like a 5-year old drew it. When you have a huge tattoo, it MUST be really detailed in order to look good. This wasn't. Horrid orange...gross.

Deal Breaker #4: He feels the need to "educate young girls". This is probably my biggest pet peeve about guys -- which I absolutely hated about my ex. We were talking about my car and how I need a new car but I have no desire to have a car loan. Well, douche bag began "educating" me on the fact that I need a car loan to build credit and maintain a high credit score. Sigh. I was in banking for 8 years. I am a strong, independent woman that knows exactly where my credit score is and how it got there. Now, being that he probably didn't know all those details, I told him simply, "I have perfect, well-established credit. I am not in need of a car loan to establish anything." Well, douche bag wouldn't drop it. I HATE, HATE, HATE when guys feel like they know everything and have to "coach" others who must not know... He would not drop it even after I explained 3 times that I was fully aware of how credit was built, that I know my score and that I am well-established.

Say it with me... "DOUCHE BAG"

So, I told him that there were too many differences and that it wasn't going to work.

Another one bites the dust...

Hurray for me not dating a douche bag just because he has bank :)

Sazzle on dear friends!!!

Blogging from Bed

2010-08-31T20:17:00.001-07:00

My touch screen completely gave out today. Conveniently, today the Samsung Epic was released.

so.....

I am now 4G and have Android apps...like an awesome blogger on my phone.

It is going to take some time to get used to this phone but I should be able to blog more often

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Sunday's Sazzlerific Stuff

2010-08-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a weekly segment called "Stuff I want Sunday" or "Sunday's Sazzlerific Swag"

I really want this Nine West Zip Clutch at endless.com. It is fantastic. I'd take it in black, yellow or white. I think it'd work great for a night out with the ladies -- or style up a hot outfit on a hot date.

What do you think?

Oh Weekends...

2010-08-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

...how I have missed thee.

It's been quite some time where I felt like I had an actual weekend. Hospitals and family engagements will do that to you.

This weekend I finally got to do something enjoyable. My friend, Amy, had a BBQ at her house on Saturday night. I love sitting on her deck for hours. Maybe it is because she cooks good food. Maybe it is because it is so nice to sit outside. Maybe it is because it is very drama-free.

Or, just maybe it is because of her crazy (I say that in a nice way) older neighbor, Eddie, who cracks me up. He tells the dumbest jokes but he is a riot. I had a great time.

However, the rest of my weekend wasn't so fun. Cleaning, bathing Niko, laundry, laundry, laundry, laundry, organizing, sweeping....sigh. I hate to clean. And, I got really behind for the two weeks that Sarah was dealing with hospitals.

So...now, instead of finishing Breaking Dawn (which I so badly want to do) I am logging into work programs so that I can type up some documents due tomorrow. Boo...

Maybe next weekend I'll have something more interesting than cleaning

The Definition of Love...

2010-08-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

...is getting your sister out of a rectal exam.

So, many of you know but I found it necessary to write a blog about Sarah.

I started writing all the details and then deleted it all. Nobody wants to hear the hour by hour breakdown.

My baby sister, Sarah, is having the worst first week of College ever. She has been in the hospital continuously since Thursday. Doctor's think it is colitious, but they aren't positive which type yet -- chronic would be chrons disease, but we are just hoping for an infection which isn't chronic.

I spent the night in the hospital with her (and mom) on Friday and Saturday. It was hard to leave her there today, but I have to work tomorrow.

It is obviously also really hard watching her in pain and NEEDING to push her pain pump every 8 minutes. (I got it lowered from 10 because in the beginning it wasn't enough)

...and, yes...they keep wanting to inspect her colon. Mom and I wouldn't let them check it out on Saturday night. I would have physically prevented the doctor had he tried. (Seriously, it wasn't necessary -- I promise)

Mom and I don't trust the hospital -- but we think they have the right diagnosis at this point. The test results should be in tomorrow to determine what type she has.

Probably one of the most horrific things I have seen was when she woke up screaming at 3am on Saturday morning...I just can't handle HER in pain...afterall, she is the baby.

All that I can ask is that everyone keep her in your thoughts and prayers. It may heal quickly and that's all I ask that people pray for. She is obviously very special to me and I am very worried. Mom is exhausted but certainly won't leave her side.

I love my Sarah -- Get Better Soon, Pumpkin!!!!

The Little Things...

2010-08-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's really the little things in life that make me smile...

...such as work providing me with a gigantic white board that is ALL MINE!!!!

Live'n

2010-08-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

Both a Blessing and a Challenge, sometimes you get so caught up in living your life that you can't seem to find time to write about it...

Here is a quick update and a promise that I will start scheduling more time for blogging:

The New Job: is going quite well. Who would have ever guessed that "procurement", "billeting" and "armored vehicle" would be in my everyday vocabulary? It's quite fun working in a boys club and wearing my 5" heels :)

Niko: is doing well -- spoiled as ever. She really likes "busy bones". Yeah, they keep her busy...for about 2 minutes.

Friends: are wonderful. After 29 years, I finally have group of friends that I trust 100%. Gone is the drama, the backstabbing, the gossip, the jealousy, the LIES/STORIES, the evil...
My girls are fabulous. I'm lucky to have them.

The workouts: are...going. We all know I go through cycles. I was working out a ton before I got the new job but I'm so mentally exhausted lately that I haven't found time. I haven't gained back any of the weight I lost, but I want to get back to my smoke'n hot body. So, I'm cutting this blog short to get on the treadmill.

Shoes: I have LOTS of new ones to share with you.

Car: YES, I am preparing to get a new car. I am constantly looking and am only waiting for the "one" to come along... (story of my life, right?) I am still looking at the Honda Fit, but the used inventory is low in the area. However, I'm also looking at the Toyota Prius -- they are really cute.

Computer: My mom took my "good" laptop to her guy and he fixed it for less than $60!!! That included a whole new cooling system added. I'm pretty geeked -- but I need to take some time to move files.

The Family: My DAD, yes my dad...MY dad has a cellphone. Quite hillarious! I'm actually sending him random texts -- but he hasn't yet figured out how to respond :)

Guys: I'm keeping this a secret for now :)

Life is pretty good right now. I'm blessed.

Sazzle on Dear Friends -- Sazzle On!

Weekend Update

2010-07-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

Weekends are never, ever long enough.

Friday I met up with KPJ (my girlfriend, Kirsti) for dinner at On the Border. I LOVE that place!

Then, KPJ and I went to the mall. I bought TWO pairs of shoes (yes, deal with it) at Shi and some great new eyeshadow at Sephora called "Forever Make-up" which is supposed to be the longest lasting eyeshadow ever -- it really did last a long time but I haven't tried it a full work day yet.

To say that I have fun with KPJ is quite an understatement. She lets me be goof-ball Stephanie and I love it!

Saturday I drove to my parents' house to go with them to my cousin, Mandy's wedding. Niko was happy to spend some time with "Grandma" and her BFF Molly.

I'm going to get to the wedding, but first I want to talk about my stressful situation before. I was going to wear GORGEOUS gladiator peep-toes with a 5" heel.

Unfortunately, they BROKE when I put them on and my mom couldn't fix them. I almost cried. They were PERFECT -- and purchased the day before.

So, I went with these:

I was really bummed, but it all worked out. I got a few complements on my shoes -- and they are still HOT!

So, back to the wedding. Mandy looked beautiful!

Kendyl and Aden loved the bubbles

I have to say that Sarah and I were looking pretty good

During the reception, I ended up getting suckered into talking into the video camera going around. Yeah, I bet it came out pretty lame.

What was NOT lame was the dessert table. Pies, cakes, cheesecake...so good. I only had one but it was quite hard to decide.

As usual, the classic sisters picture was taken:

And, we added a few more to the sisters picture. This one has my brother, Scott's girlfriend, Sara.

(And of course Mom)

Unfortunately Kevin's girlfriend, Ashley, had to work.

And...we did get down

A special thanks to Raquel for letting me borrow the dress! When my "naughty" shoes broke she laughed -- she said they were deflowering her classy dress :)

Raquel -- the 2nd pair was naughty too :)

I had a Sazzlerific weekend and can't wait for the next!!!

Too Smart

2010-07-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

You all know Niko.

Hmm...weird place to lay...

Why are you pawing at the canvas totes?

These canvas totes hold all the toys that I have bought and have yet to give her. The picture above is a tote that holds an elephant with a "Happy Birthday" shirt. Each tote actually holds at least one toy that I am saving for the right time.

Niko...naughty, naughty Niko...

She can smell...SMELL PetSmart

Too Smart for her own good.

Put'n the Degree to Work

2010-07-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know, I got my Bachelor's in Journalism. However, my work history has been in banking, customer service, sales and office management. Hmmm... Journalism?

Well, now I actually have an opportunity to put my degree to good use. I have TWO new jobs.

First, I now have a freelance job at The Examiner.
I will be writing in the Style and Fashion section as a SHOE Examiner.

Seriously. This is no joke.

I know, perfect, right?

Check it out --- often.

My second job, (the "real" one) which I start on Friday (wish me luck) is managing a group of proposal writers. This is for a security company that bids on jobs all over the world. My employees will be writing proposals for the bids. I will oversee those proposals and the contracts that come in. I don't know a lot of the details yet, but I am pretty excited.

I owe you lots of blogs, but I wanted to start with this one since it is an exciting change to my life.

Using my degree totally Sazzles!!!!

Fusion Fantasy

2010-06-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

I HATE my short hair. Hate it, Hate it, HATE IT!

I have hated it since the second I cut it into a bob and have been working on growing it out. Sure, my stylist does a pretty good job of making it presentable when she trims it, but I miss my super long hair.

I should know better when I cut it because I always regret it in the long run and wish I could have my long, flowing hair...sigh...

Because of this little fact, I have been dreaming about fusion hair extensions. Have you heard of them?

Now, now, I know what you are thinking -- is Stephanie going to look super ghetto with a weave?

No, no dear friends --- GOOD Hair Extensions.

I've done my research on FUSION hair extensions:

They are the most expensive -- and the most life-like
They FUSE to your hair so look more real
They aren't braided in like a weave or clipped in, so you don't have any missing sections
It can take 8 hours to get them all in there
They are tiny little pieces of hair that you use a fusion gun to fuse them to your normal hair
They last SIX months -- by then your normal hair can grow out
They don't ruin your hair

Here is how the process looks:

I want them SOOOOO bad. However, they are really expensive.

You have to have the salon dye your hair before hand and then order hair that matches
Hair is really, really expensive
The process takes so long that the salon charges a lot
You have to pay lots of money to get your color touched up

All in all, it could run $1000-$1500...maybe more

So, I have to put it on my fantasy list, right?

Maybe not.... I have an employee that just got a fusion gun (she is going to school for cosmetology). She might be able to do it for less than a quarter of the LOW price!!!! I am really excited and hope to do it soon!

I would feel SO hot with my Sazzlerific long hair....

No Waiting for the Fun

2010-06-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Cedar Point #2:

What is the most annoying thing about Cedar Point?

Obviously, waiting in line

Well, when there is 80% chance of rain and thunder storms, there are no long lines. The ladies and I waited 15 minutes for almost every ride! How do I feel about that?

Oh, did I mention that we were also first in line?

So, we were able to ride almost everything we wanted by 1pm...and had time to show off our awesomeness

How does did that make us feel?

Ok...seriously, the thumbs up is a shout out to Amy's boyfriend, Matt.

However, this is not

Oh...and the rides were pretty fun too

Now, it did sprinkle here and there throughout the day but nothing that prevented us from doing anything.

On our second go of the Maverick, it did shut down the ride twice but we still waited less than an hour and a half (normally the wait is at least 2 hours) and we stayed dry the whole time.

As we later heard someone say "This trip will ruin every other trip from now on" which is true because we will never again luck out as much as we did.

...oh, and the rain came later but that's for my final post about this...

No lines totally Sazzle!!!

GET ON YOUR FEET!!! aka SHHHH!

2010-06-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Cedar Point Weekend #1

I don't know where to start in describing my Cedar Point weekend...so I will start with the part that is stuck in my head.

While on a break from rides, Amy, Shannon, Monica and I stopped at the Red Garter Saloon in the park.

Here's us before the craziness began: (me, Monica, Shannon & Amy)

Just stopping for a quick beer, right?

Oh, very wrong

Apparently we went to the Tropical Island Heat - Beat which apparently draws quite a crowd. (It looked exactly as it appears in the youtube video)

To say that the group was annoying would be an understatement. The blond girl thought she was the hottest thing in the world and the brunette sang like the Little Mermaid...but the guys were pretty cute.

So...being annoyed and tired, we started to have a bit of fun...we WERE in a bar

Well, apparently THIS bar is a silent bar. Some really old dude at the table in front of us did the following:

A: Shushed Monica. Yes, I said shushed

B: Called the manager over to complain about us

Next thing you know, the manager is asking me to quiet it down. I couldn't help it -- my first response was a very loud "SERIOUSLY?!?!"

Well, come to find out, Jacob the manager also thought it was quite ridiculous, but he was just humoring the guy -- I mean, COME ON -- it's not like we were screaming or anything

Anyway, we had a good time mocking the old dude after he left...although Shannon somehow thought that the "shhh" motion was a finger

LOL...there you go Shannon!

This is one of the many reasons why the trip totally Sazzled -- if you didn't find it funny, please watch the youtube video of the performance...and don't forget:

GET ON YOUR FEET!!!!!!! ...and Sazzle on!

Sazzlerific Memorial Day

2010-06-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

What a busy weekend!!!

Friday night I started the weekend out right by seeing this movie with my friend, Kirsti (KPJ):

The movie was great. Ok, maybe critics don't like it, but it is the Sex and the City girls!!! I could watch 15 movie re-makes...I don't care if I am watching Samantha hit on guys in the retirement home -- I will be there!

Oh, but funny fact about the movie. KPJ and I are sitting there, eating our popcorn and group after group of women come in...all groups of 4 wearing heels. Ok, I am super girly but really? As much as we all would like to be Carrie -- we are not her. Hi, I am Stephanie. I am not Carrie but I totally Sazzle!

The only downside to the movie was that I put too much salt on my popcorn. So much, in fact, that I burnt off my taste buds...literally. On Sunday I thought I had a hair in my mouth and couldn't find it with my finger. I looked in the mirror and found that it was actually my tongue peeling...yes, peeling...off. It had healed and peeling was part of the process. According to my mom, it was disgusting :)

But, before I talk too much about Sunday, I should talk about Saturday. Saturday I felt like a spoiled princess because I got my nails did and the whole process was part of a photo shoot. Yeah, I'm kinda a big deal :) Here are some pics of the process:

It is a new process, called "Shellac". Basically it is a hybrid of polish and gel. The nails are supposed to stay bright and pretty for up to 14 days. It cures under a UV lamp.

I went to Friends Salon and Spa. They hooked me up with a great deal. It's only $25 for the manicure -- which should last at least a week without any chipping!

Here is my favorite pic from the photo shoot:

Perhaps I was checking my Facebook after they were finished :)

So far I am 3.5 days in and I only have one tiny chip -- but that chip is on my texting finger, so I blame myself. I shouldn't use my nails as "tools". I'll let you know how long they last!

Saturday night was spent with my girl, Amy. She had a cookout at her house so a few of us ate some great food and drank a few beers. Good times and nice weather. Sorry, I didn't take any pics :(

However...Amy owes me a few pics so I can blog about my birthday party.

I spent Sunday and Monday in Fremont with my family. My "baby" sister, Sarah is graduating from High School and her party was on Monday.

I can't believe how old she makes me feel!!! I used to change her diapers!!!

While I was helping mom prepare and make food (I did actually help a bit), the "kids" got together. Max (my brother, Kevin's dog), Molly (mom's dog), and Niko "played" together. And when I mean play, I mean bite each other, run around like crazies, and wrestle until they can't breathe.

Here's a few of the kids together:

Now, on with the party. Sarah did a great job -- and so did mom.

Mom set up a 15-minute power point of pictures of Sarah.

Sarah mingled as she should

We took the classic "sisters" picture

The kids and I apparently were surprised and/or "creepy"

AND...biggest news of all --- do you know that my brother, Kevin, now has a girlfriend?!?!

Yes, yes he does. Her name is Ashley and she is a very nice girl. Finally Kevin!!!

Great Weekend. Very busy. Now I'm off to bed.

Sazzle on dear friends! Sazzle on!

Red Light Birthday

2010-05-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have blogged...because I spent the last 10 days in Amsterdam for work.

How was it?

SAZZLERIFIC!!!

Here is a pic of the wonderful time -- Lizette, Karen, Me and Delia

Now, it was a lot of hard work and was tiring. I suffer from jet lag pretty bad and when I finally get used to the time change, it is time to go home. There were lots of training days, meetings, and I was on the go from 6am to midnight or past every single day. BUT, it was fantastic.

Here is everyone from my class. We are from offices in Amsterdam, Singapore, Turkey, New York City, Dubai...and me from Grand Rapids :)

While in Amsterdam, I turned 29. Which will be the last birthday I ever celebrate...as there is no need to ever turn 30. Everyone helped make it one of the best.

Here is the beautiful birthday cake that I was surprised with:

Another training was also going on, so Lizette and Delia were there from San Fancisco and Montreal. Here are the ladies, plus me and Karen from NYC out to dinner for my birthday:

And here's us with trainer, Kevin, before we spent the night in the Red Light District

Not many people get to say that they spent their LAST BIRTHDAY EVER in Amsterdam!!!

Here are some more pics of my FABULOUS birthday:

The Red Light Sazzles!

Mother's Day and My Sister Sazzles

2010-05-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend was great!

Sarah Marie, my "baby" sister is nearing High School graduation. She played Diana Barry in the high school's Anne of Green Gables play. She was amazing!

The most fun? The scene where she had to be drunk. She's a good girl and has never been drunk (or around drunk people) so it was cute seeing her fake it.

Sarah totally Sazzles!!!!

Here's a pic of me, "Diana", my sister Elizabeth and my mom right after the play

Aren't we beautiful?! :)

Here's one of me and my beautiful Grandma

That night I watched a little of SNL at my parent's house. Did any of you catch Betty White? So, so funny!

Mother's Day was great. I saw both Grandmas and Niko baby got to play with Molly and Max.

We went to the "Shack" for lunch with my dad's side of the family.

Funny enough, I ran into Tami and her beautiful family there. I would like to be as beautiful as Tami is for just one day. Check out her blog - it rocks...and don't forget to check her blog about her recent run (her arms are so toned it is sick)

What did I get my mom for Mother's Day?

Well, I bought her this a few weeks ago:

It's her favorite body splash from Bath & Body Works - Country Apple - which has been sold out.

I also had these sent to her on Saturday:

Sorry for the grainy cellphone photo. They are chocolate-covered strawberries. They were huge! I hope she liked them -- it wasn't something she "wanted" but I thought they were fun and festive.

I am very lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive Mom. I hope she had a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope you all did as well!!!

And...to the sweet, little, angelic boy that I had the honor of being a "mother" to for 5 years: Nonie and Niko love you deeply, miss you every day and pray that some day we will see you again! Thanks for bringing so much joy to our lives, even if it was only for a little bit of time!

Not Sushi and Naughty School Girls

2010-05-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends, Kirsti, just finished her Master's Degree in Accounting from Grand Valley State University. As a celebration, I went out to dinner with her, her husband and her parents. We went to Ichiban. Have you ever been? It is the best Japanese Steakhouse/Sushi in the city...really.

We DID end up going out drinking...which was quite fun and I wish I had photos to show...this is the only one I have...aren't you jealous?

I had posted on my Facebook that I was going to have sushi. I didn't. I had hibachi shrimp.

Now, I did a bit of shopping this weekend and found a great deal on this dress:

Cute, right?

I thought so and have a million dresses with this fit so I thought it would be perfect. Right?

Wrong.

About 20 minutes after I got to work, I felt eyes on me...

Soon I realized (by all the creepers staring at me) that I probably looked a bit like this:

Ok, maybe not...but perhaps a bit like this:

Needless to say, I felt like all eyes were on me.

I even asked someone (in a panicked tone) if I looked like a "naughty school girl".

Her response?

"You look totally hot!"

Awesome - yet I felt a bit out of place. Not the example I would like to set.

I guess it's just another day in my life :)

Oh, and the cost? $5.68. Yep -- thank you coupons :) Tami - are you proud of me?

Sazzle Loves Freebies!!!

2010-05-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Now that Sazzle got her hands on one of these:

I will be able to post photos more regularly.

My baby laptop doesn't have enough USB ports to make it easy.

Any who... I love free stuff. Who doesn't, right?

Now, Tami might be amazing with coupons, but I'm pretty proud of the free stuff I get.

Here are just some of the things I have gotten in the last few weeks:

That is:

Detergent

Coffee

Shampoo/Conditioner

Pen

Lotion

Not so bad just for a couple of weeks!

Peepers, Pounds and Passwords

2010-04-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

Have any of you been reading the news?

There is a Peeping Tom in my apartment complex.

Luckily, it is in the other section of the complex, which is more ghetto than mine (is that possible?)

It was pretty funny when my mom called to tell me about it last night, since I never close the blinds in my living room and immediately raced to them. Although, he is peeping and exposing himself mostly to the first floor, still creepy...and I perhaps have once or twice walked around naked...ewww

Since winter is over, Niko and I are back to running and I'm counting my calories again. Christa

is also working on her fitness right now and is posting a "Wednesday Weigh-in". Congrats to her for losing 2.4 pounds in the last week! I actually lost 4 -- so I am pretty pumped. I'm sure most of it is water weight since I am really cutting back on sodium and you all know how much I love salt!!!

And...last but not least, I shared with many of you a couple of days ago that "someone" tried to hack into my gmail and/or blog which disabled both of them. Funny enough, that evening I found out that "someone" had changed the address on the mortgage statements and also attempted to put a password on the mortgage account so that I couldn't access it.

Funny enough...the mortgage company GAVE me the password. After all, I am the primary on the account. No, I will not sink to this person's level and share the password with the world (although I did laugh about it with my mom) but it did make me wonder...

Did I put a password on the mortgage at one time and "someone" got that from the mortgage company and attempted to get into my accounts? Perhaps...I honestly don't remember.

But, now I've changed my password on every account.

Sazzle on dear friends, I know I will!

Really?

2010-04-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

So, apparently someone tried to hack into my gmail and/or my blog. They attempted numerous passwords that ended up de-activating both gmail and my blog.

Really?

Guess what people? My gmail is only used for my blog -- so it really isn't that interesting. You won't find any drama, gossip, or my online purchases. No crazy photos, no naughty secrets...just my blog info that is, indeed, public already. What you see is what you get.

Quite frankly, get a life.

Sazzle on dear friends!

Something Sweet

2010-04-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

This week has been rough for me -- worked 7 days in a row due to the stupid volcano!

But, the good news is that my boss recognized me and my team for all our hard work.

Have you heard of Etsy? It is a website where you can buy and sell things -- I believe mostly/all of the items are hand-made.

Well, there is a specialty cupcake seller on Etsy called Sinners Saints & Sweets.

Here's what we got in the mail -- which were very, very good but probably too rich.

You'd Think...

2010-04-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

You'd think that if you really wanted to sell a house and I said "I have a buyer who is really interested, get me photos ASAP" that you would have a sense of urgency to send over the photos.

You'd think that since there is only ONE WEEK left of the tax buyer credit that you would have a bigger sence of urgency to send over the photos.

You'd think that you would have the brains to post it on Craig's List every single week...but if you look on Craig's List -- it isn't there.

You'd think that since you can't afford the mortgage that any help/assistance would be appreciated and necessary.

You'd think that when you created a flyer that you'd have more than just the exterior photo and perhaps would make sure to highlight all of the selling points.

You'd think that since I work in commercial content editing that you'd have me review the text.

You'd think that you would be grateful for the help, not a complete douche bag.

Apparently some people don't. Apparently my help isn't needed/wanted to sell the house -- really? Apparently he doesn't actually want to sell it, just keep it in my name for the next million years so that I can't buy Niko a house.

Maybe it shouldn't surprise me because... you'd also think that if I had thousands of photos of your son that you don't have, that you'd also ask for those...but that hasn't happened either.

You'd think that some people would have a brain, but apparently they don't.

Monday's a Bitch, and She's a Whore

2010-04-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Worst. Day. Ever.

All I can say is that this volcano is NOT something fun to talk about when you work in travel.

Emergency training on Sunday. My team has to stop their work for the week and work in Customer Service to help out with cancelations. Everyone is on high alert. Worked WAY too many hours with way too much stress. Today was an absolute BITCH!

But...instead of spending my time complaining about it, (Stress causes weight gain so I refuse to stress out...anymore) I'd like to talk about something I was thinking about this weekend. Who the Hell is Sonja?

I've talked about this before, but I love Bravo, watch marathons on the weekend, and I love this show:

Betheny is my absolute favorite and the only one that I believe is a real person to any degree (although Alex is surprising me this season with how normal she actually is)

Well, story on the street is that due to Alex's REAL job, she will not be returning next season -- or just won't be a big role. Thus, they need another housewife.

Well, Bravo, you made the wrong move.

Meet Sonja Morgan...

or as I like to call her, "Nasty Old Whore"

She gets botox in the first episode, talks about having sex with lots of random men, and spends the ENTIRE first appearance flaunting her money, elevator and looks. She is CLEARLY, CLEARLY one of those rich bitches that people absolutely hate -- even if they are rich.

It's no wonder that Luann is her friend...Luann is a snake like Betheny says

*If Bravo gives this whore lots of face time, this show may no longer be my favorite -- but I also heard that Betheny may get her own show and I'm ok with that.

Pics, Trips and Volcanos

2010-04-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, I won't be in Europe this week. I think we all know why:

Eyjafjallajokull (the glacier volcano in Iceland) decided to erupt and ruin all travel to and from Europe.

Now, the Schiphol airport (in Amsterdam) did send out some successful test flights today and they may re-open their doors soon, but my meetings were canceled - for safety reasons. You see, even if the flights actually attempt it, there are some scary things to consider:

The cloud of ash will continue until to be there/rise until the ice cap melts. At last I saw (which was awhile ago) only 20% was melted...it's going to take awhile
Should the ash ACTUALLY get into a plane -- dead. Seriously.
If the ash/lava gets anywhere near the neighbor volcano, Katla, there could be a far bigger eruption.

Working in travel where a lot of our revenue comes from people flying over Europe = not so fun. I had to come into work today and had to try to convince my employees to come in too. They will be helping customer service handle the canceled hotel rooms this week -- on top of all the work they are already behind on -- can't wait (huge sigh).

This trip is supposed to be re-sechedule which I would assume would be in about 2 weeks or so -- if the condition permits. I'm not too upset about it because I have another trip scheduled soon -- and remember, I am supposed to be traveling about 4-6 times between now and January.

What I AM concerned about this second volcano. If by chance it erupts, my trips for the rest of the year could all be changed or canceled entirely! No fun for me!

We shall see what the next few weeks shall bring, dear friends. All we can do is continue to Sazzle on!

Oh -- and the pics? Long story short, you haven't seen pics from me in some time due to a computer issue. I am still using my baby laptop and it has limited USB ports -- so I can't use a mouse, upload pics and save to my external hardrive while still using a mouse. It is irritating and absolutely annoys me -- therefore I have boycotted adding photos. I just bought a USB splitter, so now I have enough ports. It will take time to upload everything you have missed, but look forward to them coming soon.

It's HERE!

2010-04-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

My new luggage arrived and it is super awesome!

Ugly, yes. Awesome, yes.

The bright green will stand out and I bought the largest carry-on acceptable so that I wouldn't have to check luggage for this trip.

Isn't it rad?

I got it in black with bright green trim, but I can't find a photo of it.

Prepare yourself: Post soon to come about how much of a geek I am when I travel. It will be awesome.

Oh, and I owe all of you a ton of photos so I will have to do a photo update post.

Sazzle's Go'n Green

2010-04-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

Guess what I hate?

Doing this:

Niko poops twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening when we are on the trail. (To be fair, she never, ever, ever has pooped on pavement -- she always does it in the grass) Picking up poop is absolutely disgusting.

Honestly, I only pick up poop when people are on the trail and can see me. What? Come on, if nobody could see you, you wouldn't pick it up either!

Here's my new thought process:

Picking up poop = using plastic bag

Plastic bag = bad for the environment

Therefore, Picking up poop = bad for the environment

Do we all agree?

I have decided that I should make t-shirts to support this.

Front: "Go"-ing Green

Back: One Poop Bag at a Time

Or: "I'm reducing my carbon footprint by NOT picking up my dog's poop"

Or: "I don't give a shit" with a picture of a poop bag and an X over it

I think I should make a series of shirts and wear them each time I am walking Niko.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the Love!

2010-03-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Everyone seems to love the new layout and design of the blog.

Thanks everyone!

Sazzle on!

Sazzle is...

2010-03-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

...strong. I may scare men away because I am a workaholic and like sports, but I am proud of the fact that I am a strong woman

...battling back from the injury. I am doing my stretches and exercises -- AND still jogging twice a day with Niko. It is feeling a bit better - but still stiff and sore.

...going to a funeral this weekend. I don't want to - but it is the right thing to do.

..also going to a birthday party this weekend. I will have to leave early due to the funeral being so early in the morning, but this girl is FABULOUS and so I need to go.

...sure that MSU will win tonight! (I hope I'm not jinxing it)

...happy that I was so productive at work today. Perhaps the free coffee and cookies created a sugar-high :)

...loving my Chi tea

...late posting this blog so I've already gone to the Birthday party, funeral, and MSU won both on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

...financially responsible. I'm not one of those douche bags who always goes everywhere and always has new things because I put everything on credit. I celebrate the expensive things I get because I pay cash and worked hard for them.

...happy and content being exactly who I am.

...looking forward to the sunshine and nice weather this week

...happy that Niko got to spend time with her BFF's Max and Molly this weekend

...still a vegetarian

Sazzle on dear friends! Sazzle on!

Stabbing for Sazzle

2010-03-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sazzle had a bit of an injury.

So, I have a bad back. Every time Niko and I start jogging twice a day (or at all) it hurts for awhile. This time is really bad. We got back from jogging last night and I could barely move. At one point, I turned and I thought my entire body was going to give out.

Awful. Sharp Stabbing Pains. Awful.

I went to CVS and bought a heating pad - which I fell asleep on last night and it was wonderful! Don't worry, it has a 2-hour shut off.

I also bought these:

AWE - SOME

They claim that it works for 8 hours. Honestly, it worked for about 10 before I took it off. They are a bit expensive at $3-4 for each use. However, they really helped today. At the end of the work day, I felt like I was ready to go jogging again!!! (Although, I could still feel the pain)

Side note: A few people told me that my back could be due to not stretching my hamstrings enough. So, this medical trainer I know sent me a document of stretches and exercises to do to stretch out the hammies and strengthen my back. Hopefully that will do the job.

Yes, I am going to Sazzle and actually do the stretches/exercises

Oh -- and you RN's out there (and you know who I am talking to you -- all 3 of you) -- Yes, I am fully aware that I should be icing it as much as using a heat pad...but quite frankly, the heat feels better :)

Smoothies that Sazzle

2010-03-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Sazzle makes the best Smoothies ever?

Quite frankly, I do.

Yesterday I bought a blender. This one, actually:

You may ask, "How can you make the world's best smoothies and not own a blender"...the ex has it (and owned it so I'm not complaining about him having it)

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited about being able to make smoothies again and was pretty pumped buying all the stuff. (Similar to how happy I was when Starbucks started selling them last summer)

I even made sure to get some protein powder. I buy this one because it is low in calories, adds a nice consistency to the drink, is fairly cheap and doesn't have an awful taste.

The best part? Smoothies motivate me. I love them so much but I have made it a rule -- you can only have a smoothie for breakfast if you jog Niko on the trail. So, guess what happened this morning? I jogged Niko on the trail. To be honest - we get a better jog on in the morning because nobody is on the trail at 6am. (Ok...maybe it was closer to 7am when we finally got out there)

Now, how would I Sazzle without sharing the recipe? I wouldn't, so I'm going to share it. Now, it isn't anything spectacular -- I believe the more simple the better.

Sazzlerific Smoothie

*1/2 cup milk

*2 scoops Aria protein powder

*1/2 cup frozen strawberries (I usually use 5 strawberries)

*1 banana

*Ice cubes (add for desired texture -- today I ran out of ice cubes so I didn't use any - and I personally wouldn't use more than 5)

For those watching your calories, it is 273 for the drink. WELL worth it if you went jogging in the morning.

Did I mention Niko almost jumped out of her skin when I ran the blender? Poor baby!!!

How to: Love Sazzle

2010-03-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Trust me - there is a point here.

Have any of you read this book?

No? You haven't read it? It's cool - I haven't either.

However, I am familiar with the concept. Basically, there are 5 love languages. They are how people show love and how they like to recieve love.

The Love Languages are: physical touch, acts of kindness, presents, words of aspiration...and one more that I can't remember -- but it doesn't matter what it is and it isn't the point of this post.

I show love by giving presents. I also do the other things, but I like to give things to those I love. If you question that, ask my neice and nephew :)

While I GIVE gifts to show affection, I always thought that I liked to receive love through physical touch and words of affirmation. I was pretty certain of that...

...then this showed up today...

OH yes! I got a present in the mail!!!! The best part? It was a present for absolutely NO reason at all, just to show me that I was loved and cared for.

AH-MAZ-ING

What? Someone loves Sazzle? Who? Is it a dude?

No dear friends, no dude. However, yes, someone does love me. My beautiful friend, Raquel (who doesn't have a blog but should). Raquel is amazing. She used to live in Holland but now lives in Texas with her husband, Scott and beautiful "daughter" Sophie (her puppy). I hope everyone has a friend like Raquel -- one of those women that just does good things to just do good things. Love her to death!!! I wish she lived here because I'd hang with her ALL the time.

What did the present include? Oh, it was a box full of wonderfulness!

If you can't tell, she included the following:

The Lost Symbol
Twilight
York Peppermint Patty pieces
A ton of tea

Raquel knows my love for books, yorks, and knows that I am trying out tea and wanted to give me some wonderful selections to choose from. Green tea, black tea, chi, etc... I think I am going to try the chi tonight. Raquel even gave me instructions on how to prepare them. Words cannot express how wonderful she is. LOVE HER!!!

In conclusion, I guess I ALSO like presents. Well, who doesn't, right?

Raquel TOTALLY Sazzles!!!

A New Look for Sazzle

2010-03-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

Spring is here!

Thus, I found the need to create a new layout and show off a brand-new Sazzle. Do you like the header and background?

I actually stole this idea from Tami . If you aren't reading her blog, you should be. So, I went to the person who created Tami's blog and got mine done. Krizzy is great and really took the time to make me happy. She even changed the color of the girl's eyes for me (they were brown and I have hazel).

Now, I am going to add a few things, maybe some new widgets, and change a couple of things around -- but for the most part, she is good to go.

Oh - and did you notice that I show up in your feed now? That is because I (gasp) went public again. A few fabulous people all said the same thing "If someone that you have no relationship with feels the need to read and comment/criticize, they look stupid -- while you continue to Sazzle". Very true point. Read on Haters!

One final parting thought --- I highly encourage you to read my blog from your phone or Firefox. Internet Explorer doesn't show my pretty signature :)

Sazzle On Followers and Friends!

***Don't forget to vote (upper left-side) and tell me if you like the new layout!!!

Pretty Things Spring Fling Giveaway

2010-03-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hillary showed me this one and I have to say, I LOVE it.

Check out BonBon Rose. They have a great giveaway going on with pretty, girly things.

BonBon Rose Sazzles!

Deja Vu... or, My Brother Sazzles

2010-03-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

Remember when this happened?

For those of you that may have forgotten, my car door wouldn't latch -- thus using a scarf to tie the steering wheel to the door -- of course I cannot drive like this.

Well, last Wednesday I got home from work, ran with Niko on the trail, ate dinner and got ready for tanning. I went out to my car but I forgot something so I went back inside to get it...

...then I went back to my car...

...and this happened:

Again, the car door wouldn't shut.

Thank GOD, Kevin (my "little" mechanic brother) showed up at 2am (he works 2nd shift) and fixed it.

Thursday, I went to work, came home, ran Niko, ate dinner and prepared for tanning.

Again, I went out to my car. Again, I forgot something and went back to my apartment to get it...

...and again...

...this happened:

Again, I called Kevin. He said that he was working on getting a part for me.

He showed up at 2am and fixed it again.

Friday morning, I went to my car to go to work, and this happened:

Sigh.

Double Sigh.

Thankfully, Kristen (Administrative Assistant at work) lives close and is a friend, so she picked me up for work -- and even had the desire to pick up Starbucks! :) Mom was having dinner with me that night, so she was able to pick me up from work.

2am Saturday morning, my AWESOME brother Kevin showed up. It took him 4 hours to fix the car, but the new part is in and hopefully this never happens again:

Side note: I am no longer able to lock my car from the INSIDE. Bright side? I can never lock my keys inside my car anymore!

My brother Sazzles!!!!

Terrible Tuesday

2010-03-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

A. I'm home with the flu
B. Too much to do for work so I've been working from home -- and important people know I am home and have emailed me a million times asking for things
C. Niko had her second "emergency" bath of the season

Emergency bath -- what is that you ask?

Niko has a problem with mud puddles. If she sees one, she's in it. Period.

With the snow melting, there are mud puddles EVERYWHERE. She has been really good about me letting her off the leash. Only going a certain distance, doing her poopy, and then coming back. Also, all winter long she has been a champ at playing frisbee at night. She retrieves it and brings it back...without wandering off. Well, she has decided that it is too fun outside to be a good girl.

Emergency Bath #1

Sunday. Beautiful day -- but I feel like crap.
I need to take Niko on the trail to run her, but I feel like crap and the trail is still all ice and snow. Instead, I decide to play frisbee with her. Normally she is perfect with the frisbee.
I take her outside - throw the frisbee...she runs and gets it...and then turns into the devil.
She runs for not a mud puddle...but the DRAINAGE DITCH

Yes, the poop-filled, crap-smelling, rotting leaves-holding DRAINAGE DITCH....and jumps in.

I am screaming at her and she is trotting around in the gross-ness. Then, she drops her frisbee, which immediately sinks. She freaks out... "MY FRISBEE!!!" and begins dunking her head in the nasty drainage ditch. She can't find it and starts splashing around trying to find it.

I get her out...and she smells like CRAP...literally like human feces!!!

I get her in the apartment and tie her to the door while I ran the bath.

This is the naughty girl. You better believe that is mud on the floor and on her face!

Here is the disgusting mud on the wall...N-A-S-T-Y!!!

So... she gets her emergency bath...it was the most disgusting bath and she will now probably get an ear infection.

For those of you that care about her well-being and happiness as much as mine -- YES, I DID go out and find the frisbee. I used a stick to dig it out of the ditch. And, I washed it with anti-bacterial soap.

This was before I washed it.

Emergency Bath #2

This morning I felt worse. I took her out to go potty and she got so excited that she ripped the leash out of my hands...and started running large circles around me.

Jumping in drainage ditches

Running in the mud

Swimming around in drainage mud

Running in more mud

Laughing at me as she ran by me

I could have killed her. Absolutely killed her. She again was tied up and had another emergency bath. This time was MUCH worse than Sunday. I was FURIOUS....just FURIOUS.

If you don't know how mad...take a look at what the bathtub looked like when she was done...

International Women's Day

2010-03-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Happy International Women's Day to all of you!!!

In the spirit of International Women's Day, I am going to review some websites directed at women.

Here are 10 Women's Websites I took a few minutes to review:

10. She Speaks: (http://www.shespeaks.com/) This website is really a forum for women's discussions. You have to sign up and have a username and password. The reason I checked out the site is that from time to time you are supposed to be given free products to try and keep (as long as you write a review). However, right away there are no such options. A couple of things to note:

I was able to go to the Member Offers and get a couple of free samples sent to me
Fill out their survey -- that is supposed to be what gets you the free samples

9. iVillage: (http://www.ivillage.com/) This website has a few different sections: Pregnancy & Parenting, Beauty & Style, Home & Garden, Entertainment, Go Green, Food, and Health & Diet. Again, you need a username and password. You can sign up for a daily newsletter, which I did. A couple of things:

The shopping section isn't so bad. However, I found that the searches and results were quite slow. I actually searched for "flirty" dresses and was given a bunch of what I would consider "grandma" dresses. However, there were some cute options as well.
I thought the Home and Garden section was pretty nice. Again, it was slow but had a few nice links with ideas to decorating/organizing problems.
I have a feeling I could get lost in this website -- lots of links and sections. I will be exploring it a bit further and maybe you will see an update.

8. MeetUp: (http://www.moms.meetup.com/) I don't have children, but this is a site used to help women find groups in their area. You can search by zip code to find groups in your area.

It's just for moms so I don't have many comments -- check it out if you have kids and let me know.

7. Bella Online The Voice of Women: (http://www.bellaonline.org/) This site is for women to write for women. The topics can be anything -- but it is more of a resource on how to get published.

Of the bat, I was excited about this website because on the homepage, they were advertising dog bone cookie cutters :)
I got lost in this website because of all the ads.
BORING and LAME :)

6. DIY Girl (http://www.diygirl.net/) This is basically a site with article on how to get better skin, lose weight, do crafts, etc...

This site feels like you are reading every article ever published from COSMO.
I did, however, like the pet section :) However, it is more directed at GETTING a dog than having one.
Site is slow and unattractive to look at.

5. Total Woman: (http://www.totalwoman.com/) This is a cover for http://www.herbalist.com/ and promotes better health through better knowledge

One look and I left the page. Don't waste your time

4. Daughters of Eve (www.cryptograph.com/women.htm) This site gives you a quote each day from notable women. It comes in a puzzle that you need to figure out.

Quite frankly, I don't have time for this -- but if you have time for word puzzles, check it out.

3. American Association of University Women (http://www.aauw.org/) For all the smarties of the world. I would highly support this website for those who really want to give back to other women.

There are membership dues and fees -- so I won't be joining :)

2. Woman's Day (http://www.womansday.com/) A site to go along with the Woman's Day magazine. There are deals, give-a-ways, a blog, stories and articles, and lots of recipies.

I am a huge fan of the Home - Home Organization section
Lots of great money-saving tips.
You get all the great stuff from the magazine for free!

And last but certainly not least:

1. Sazzle Style: (http://www.sazzlestyle.blogspot.com/) Is there any better site? :)

Oscar Re-Cap 2010

2010-03-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the Academy Awards.

A bunch of people won some awards and a bunch and some really dumb jokes were made.

Did I care about the winners? Hmmm not really. I wanted Sandra Bullock to win - that's it.

Surprisingly, I did get excited when one movie won. Up won! I watched Up at my parent's house and it took everything for me NOT to cry!

Now, onto the most important part -- the fashion and attendees...

Do you know that I love him?

Normally, I love him too, but doesn't he have a stupid look on his face?

And this is one of the hottest guys in Hollywood, but WHAT did he do to his hair?

Seriously? Come on...seriously?

Can Ryan Reynolds please marry me?

She looks so "Carrie" in this. Love it for her, but nobody else could do it.

Oh, and SERIOUSLY, look at how beautiful she is and how ugly her husband is!

Rachel McAddams looks much better in this picture than I thought she looked on tv.

Perhaps she can't handle HD

Doesn't Tina Fey look a bit like Betty Rubble?

Overall, I'm happy with most of the dress selections -- although a bit bland by many.

There was ONE stand out favorite of the night.

Demi Moore looked AH-MAZING.

Straight bananas!

I want this dress!!!

Get to Know You Sunday aka I don't feel like Cleaning

2010-03-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

While I am on a current break from cleaning, I found this survey in my blogger dashboard, so I thought I'd participate.

Here are the questions....
1. Are you more of a talker or listener?
Both. Unfortunately at times I am more of a talker

2. Bra. Underwire or wireless?
Underwire -- these puppies need support!

3. I wish I was....
A millionaire...or just had a fully-paid for house and car

4. The Academy Awards are on tonight...will you watch?
Yes, to see the dresses! But, I will be working on my laptop during.

5. Do you put your deodorant on before or after you get dressed?
Depends on what top I am wearing. Usually before I put on my top, but after my bra and underwear.

6. Would you rather do the dishes or clean the toilet?
Dishes all the way -- but I'd rather clean the toilet than vacuum. I hate vacuuming, and when you have a huge, hairy dog you can't really neglect it.

7. How much did you weight at birth?
You'll have to ask my Momma about that one -- but I think I was pretty small. May 21, 1981!
8. If you could only buy one thing for the Summer/Spring season....what would it be?
An entire month's worth of sun dresses!

Weekend Marathons

2010-03-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

Do any of you watch Bravo?

I doubt it. Most people I talk to don't catch any of the shows on Bravo.

On the weekends, I'm a junkie. Since I normally watch network television during the week, the weekend is to catch up with my soap-opera styled reality TV....instead of cleaning/organizing my apartment.

I watch this:

I am a Gretchen fan...although I think the Orange County women are money-hungry slackers that don't know how a true woman should behave.

I also watch this:

Patty is so funny and tells it like it is. But, seriously, some of the Millionaires are just plain disgusting -- what women will do to be rich...

I love this one too:

Back in the early college years, a hair stylist told me that I should be a hair model (it was thick and gorgeous back then). There is no way in HELL I would be a hair model -- how they jack up women on this show is appalling!

Speaking of Hell... this is my new fave (and currently on a marathon as we speak)

It is about Kelly, a PR rep for the fashion industry in NYC. Watch it sometime.

I'll watch about anything on Bravo: Top Chef, Flipping Out, Chef Academy, My Life on the D List, Launch My Line, Million Dollar Listing, Project Runway (now on Lifetime), Tabatha's Salon Take-Over, The Fashion Show, The Rachel Zoe Project, all of the Real Housewives shows (although I don't like Atlanta)...and the list goes on.

However, I have one that is my absolute favorite...LOVE IT!!! That is the Real Housewives of NYC.

I am a huge Betheny fan -- although I'm sad to see that this season all the other Housewives are ganging up against her. I actually programed my phone to go off every Thursday night at 10pm so that I don't miss it. And...this is the only Bravo show that I will watch during the week instead of catching up on marathons over the weekend.

I can't wait to see the drama unfold between Betheny (I actually have one of her books) and Jill.

Anyone else a Bravo fan?

Debt Free

2010-03-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

Being single has a wonderful perk: I am no longer caring for 2 grown adults, a child and a dog. I am JUST taking care of me and Squeakers!

That has given me the ability to completely eliminate debt. I have been doing a great job of saving/paying...and all of a sudden, something amazing happened....

I came into some money. I won't discuss how, but it came out of the blue as a surprise reward for something I did. I also won't discuss the amount (HUGE), but what I will say is that with my tax refund deposited to my account today I was able to pay off all of my debt, including my student loan from my parents.

...It feels REALLY good to be debt free!!! Now, I'm going to save for the next year to buy a car -- preferably a Honda Fit.

I Sazzle because I am DEBT FREE*

*Yes, I am aware that there is a house in my name...and that Jason is living in it...and that he is probably going to let it go to foreclosure because he can't afford it and isn't doing anything to sell it...but now is not the time to discuss that negative aspect...it is happy time!!!

Calling BS on This One

2010-03-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

So, I did not get a call or a text from Ryan. Figures.

Like any normal girl sick on a Friday night, I figured that I'd read my Eharmony...and I see an email from Ryan. This is what it said:

Hi Stephanie,

I had a good time having coffee with you on Sunday. But I've been thinking about it, and it just doesn't seem right.
I find you fascinating - I don't recall the last time I met a 28 year old who was as accomplished as you are. Frankly, it's a little intimidating. Perhaps that's a sign that my self-concept is not as strong as it could be? I don't know. But I've got to go with my gut on this one.
I hope you enjoyed your 10am coffee today :), and I wish you and Niko well.
With high regard,

Ryan

I'm calling BS on this one. Oh well, his loss.

Should I respond?

Finally...a Date Re-Cap

2010-03-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

I have gotten asked by a few to fill in the details from my date, so here goes.

Ryan and I met at Noshville, which is a coffee shop in a strip mall on 44th street near Ramblewood apartments.

It looks like this:

I arrived pretty early so that I could beat him there and got myself a nice large Cappucino, sat at a table and began reading my Travel & Leisure magazine (what, it is a good magazine)

Ryan soon arrived.

The conversation was easy. He was nice....and REALLY tall. Here are some details to re-cap:

He loves that I sleep with Niko
He brought Niko a treat -- which she ate in about 30 seconds
He isn't a huge sports nut (darn) but he does watch the big games (good - start with the big games and work your way to the NFL Season Ticket)
He did all the remodeling of his own house
He told me that I have beautiful eyes :)
He was interested in my job (we all know I can talk about THAT for hours)
There really wasn't an awkward moment
We talked for over 2 hours
He loves that I am an organizational freak :)

So...I think it went well. He was in Lansing this week so I haven't gotten a call...but I'm not really concerned.

Unlike most women my age, I LIKE being single.

More and more every day I realize how fun it is to be single - not having to deal with someone else's crap. Now, don't get me wrong, I would like to marry and have babies...but even though I am 28, I'm not too concerned about it. If it happens, cool...if not, at least I have Squeakers :)

So, we shall see...

To Go Public or Not to Go Public

2010-03-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

I thought about making my blog public again.

Quite frankly, the reason is that I am so jealous with how many followers Tami has and her shout-outs to her favorite blogs (that I am not included in).

Should I go public?

The crazy ex and his inmature friends would be able to read it...but so could a million others that might decide that my blog totally Sazzles and it might become a famous blog...

decisions, decisions, decisions...

What do you think?

Blog Pages

2010-03-03T18:12:00.001-08:00

Now you can add pages to your blog.

I found this out through a blog I follow, called Shabby Blogs.

Don't forget to check out my other page...one one more now but I spent some time on it and there will be more to come :)

Here is where you can go to get to my other pages: Look for this on the left-hand side

Back from the "Dead"

2010-03-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Great news!

I bought an external hard drive last night and one of the IT guys - Ken - was able to recover all my files from my dying hard drive.

Come to find out, it may not be my hard drive at all, but is probably the cooling system. I still need to get it checked out. However, in the meantime I am able to blog about all the stuff that has happened lately.

Prepare yourselves for the next few days of fun :)

For starters...here is a little Niko story.

The other day I was trying to fix the jacked-up computer and I looked over to see her doing this:

How sweet, right?

What a cute little princess!!!

So...I go back to messing with the computer.

A few minutes later, I look over at her again...and this is what I see:

Google This

2010-03-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever Googled your name? Your boyfriend's name? A random person's name?

Yes, I'm sure you have. Perhaps it even prevented you from going on a date with someone.

BEFORE WE PANIC (or laugh): No, this is not an unfortunate story about me and Google-ing Ryan to find out he is a creeper...thank my lucky stars! This blog is actually about Google.

I am pretty much the queen of Google. Part of that could be that my job requires me to be good at Google...but I am the queen. I can find a needle in a hay stack...although Tami (Tami - please teach me how to link your name to your blog) is far better at finding coupons than I am.

Sometimes I like to Google stuff. For fun, I think I will start reviewing and commenting on stuff I find on Google.

Oh...and side note: I Sazzle because none of you will find me on Google. "Stephanie Smith" is too common for my business to show up on the top of the organic searches. :)

Meet Ryan

2010-02-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

Here is Ryan:

29
6'3"
Manager of 2 pets stores in GR
Owns his own home --which he wants to pay off in the next 10 years
Goes to church every Sunday
Likes his space (we have learned that I really like my "me" time lately)
Knows what a "Brother" label maker is

We are meeting at 7:30 at a coffee shop. Nervous. Gonna puke.

What do you think of him and any thoughts???

Crashing

2010-02-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

I have a couple of great things to blog about - with pics...however, my laptop has decided to crash on me.

I still have my baby travel laptop that works - but all my pics are on the dead computer. Over the next week or so, I will be buying an external harddrive and getting my files moved from the bad to the external. Then, I will be able to blog about baby Niko's birthday and a couple other things.

...then someone at work is going to fix my cashing piece of year-old crappy Sony Vaio...

Stupid computers...

A Quick Work Story

2010-02-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

This week we had a bunch of visitors from other offices that were training

2 people conducting the training from NYC
2 new hires from San Francisco
2 new hires from Orlando
1 new hire from Montreal
3 new hires - that will be in the GRR office (we use the name after the airport code)

Now, I'm sure none of you care about the visitors and I won't go too much into detail, but I want to make mention of something...here is a picture of the new hires:

Make note of the clocks...

What you cannot see in this picture is the fact that my desk is just to the right of the Sau Paulo clock... it is JUST out of the picture... they just added the clocks this week.

Thank GOD that my team will move desks soon. All I hear ALL day long is:
Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick - Tickity-tick-tick -

I am going CRAZY!!!!

Side note...do you think the 3rd person in from the left is cute? Trying to figure out if he is single. Shhh! Just kidding - I don't date guys at work...

FML you STUPID Car!!!

2010-02-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

I drive a POS. 2001 Pontiac Sunfire with 114,000 miles on it. Honestly, it is awful: missing a hub cap, the heat doesn't work all the time, the air goes low on the tire often because I have a bent frame that wrechs the wheel.... I still crank my windows!

Why do I drive a piece of crap? 3 reasons:

I bought it in college and it was "cool" enough back then
I never had a loan for it and it continues to run...can't justify the additional expense
For 5 years I was paying all of douche bag's bills that I never had anything left over to buy a car for myself

No...I'm not bitter...

I have to keep this blog short because my blood is starting to boil again.... So, an hour ago I decided to go to Target. I found a REALLY cute dress. I have one just like it, but in other colors. This one was black and reds/pinks. They only had it in one size - XS and I couldn't remember if mine was Small or XS. Mine fits tight in the boobs so I knew I couldn't get an XS if mine was a Small...so I went home

This is the dress I have:

...come to find out, I have an XS. WHOO HOO!!! So, I got excited to go back to Target to get the dress...

I went out to my car and what did I find? My car door open. What?!?!

Immediately I began to panic, thinking that someone may have broken in...ok, it is a piece of crap, but I have a few good CDs in there.

Nope. No break-in. My car door has decided to no longer latch - even when locked. Nothing is blocking the door - everything LOOKS fine...just no latching. FML

So...I texted my brother, Kevin, who is a mechanic - but I don't think he gets out of work until after midnight...looks like I am going to miss out on the dress...boo...

I am a bit nervous about someone stealing or damaging the car...so I did this:

To make a bad situation worse - I was supposed to go to a Birthday party tonight...

But...I sazzle because I have a good rope/scarf to tie it to my steering wheel..

Kevin is calling...gotta go!!!

A Waste of Calories

2010-02-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

I think many of you know that I count my calories. Most of the time it is a mental count - but I like to stay within 1000-1200 calories per day.

It is VERY easy to reach that number quickly - so I am conservative with my calories - I don't like to waste them. Here are some foods I can't STAND because they are calorie wasters:

If you can't chew it - why waste the calories?!?!

Now, I noticed this recently:

I figured I'd try it. It has more texture and volume than yogurt and it is only 60 calories. Outcome? It does taste very similar to pudding, which I'm not a fan of - but it did satisfy my chocolate craving. I might keep one in my lunch as an alternative to candy bars.

What IS worth the calories?

I have an insane addition to the following foods:

Only 150 calories for 3 small ones

Only 90 calories per bar! And, it has real fruit!

What are your secret addictions?

I'm Bringing Sazzle Back...

2010-02-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

So, where the hell has Sazzle been?

BUSY!!!

Work has been insane - hiring a million new people - having a million new projects get put on me - organizing new positions - strategic planning - ahhhhhh! It is very good because I have an opportunity to prove that I really Sazzle at my job, but I haven't had any time for anything...so my place is a mess, I need to go see the eye doctor and dentist, Niko ran out of food today, I haven't made the picture book I promised to Kendyl and Aden, and the list goes on and on...

Being busy has ALSO made me neglect my blogging duties. I will be changing that going forward.

Today I took the day off. I WILL be working from home, but I also need to accomplish a multitude of things. One of which is updating the blog.

That will happen this afternoon - but right now I need to run to the store and pick up Niko some dog food... more to come soon...

7 Pounds

2010-02-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

I WISH I was referring to this:

What I am actually referring to is Niko and my weight issues. We are both fat and need to lose weight.

I gained about 7 pounds over Christmas and am struggling to take it off.
Running outside was SO much better for me...

And...Niko went to the vet today. Somehow, she has managed to gain 8, yes, 8 pounds in a week!
Running outside was SO much better for her...

Now, Niko weighs 104 pounds and I can feel my clothes getting tighter. We both lost a couple of pounds a few weeks ago...but it has apparently been gained back...

We both miss our spring/summer/fall runs on the trail - early in the morning and late at night...

Tomorrow we will be more focused.

$180 later....

2010-02-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

I joined EHarmony.

Yep. 6 month membership.

I joined with 2 other girls. Tonight they came over and we compared matches and checked out photos. Weirdos and creepers are still there - but there are a couple of decent looking ones too. One of my girlfriends had a couple of HOT guys on hers that I was jealous of.

It should be more interesting with the 3 of us doing it together.

Wish me luck!

A Non-Creeper?

2010-02-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

You all know that I have joined the free dating website...and it hasn't gone so well.

CREEPERS

Picture this: redneck, jobless, teethless, Nascar-lov'n icky men...sending me the weirdest messages...

"You are a bitch if you don't respond to me"

"I just signed up for this yesterday and I saw your pictures. You look interesting..." (the guy sent this to me about 4 times over a 3-month span...the same message)

yuck..

So, tonight I logged on, ready to cancel my account...when I found this:

Yes, yummy. Hottness!

This is the last shot on the free site...cross your fingers.

10 Reasons Why I am JUST like Victoria Beckham

2010-02-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Last week/this week on Facebook, was/is Doppelgänger week. You have to change your photo to the celebrity that you look like. Who did I pick? Hello, my twin!!!

Victoria Beckham

LOOOVE her!!! AND, not only do I look like her (ask my momma, she will confirm), but I also have many things in common with her.

10 Reasons Why I am JUST like Victoria Beckham:

#10: I love tank tops and big sunglasses

#9: I have been a platinum blond

#8: I love black clothes, big purses, and bootie shoes

#7: Mine may not be beautifully big and fake (one can dream), but I have fabulous boobs

#6: I love dresses

#5: I have occassionally had a wardrobe malfunction or 2

#4: Hot Men flock to me...lol

#3: I love kids - although she has some of her own

#2: I am totally obsessed with tanning

AND...the #1 Reason why I am EXACTLY like Victoria Beckham....

I totally Sazzle....

...aka my Momma said I look like her

PCD is NOT for Me!

2010-01-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

So I went shopping with my girlfriend, Kirsti, on Saturday. During the trip (which was SO much fun), I decided to buy a couple new workout videos. I have a million...but what's another one?

You see...I bought one for entertainment value. I thought it would be a cheesy good time. What did I buy?

Oh yes...yes I did. The PussyCat Dolls workout (aka PCD)

Last night, I decided to try it out - hoping that it would be fun and give me a bit of a workout.

WRONG!!!!

This "workout" video is more about teaching you a tiny portion of the dance moves to "Don't Cha" and "Buttons" that you repeat over and over. Now, I like to get down like any other club skank (totally kidding) so I was down to try it out. I was quickly annoyed. Typical encouragement/instructions included:

"Smack that butt. And smack it. Smack it. Smack it smack it smack it"
"And really spread your legs here"

...and my absolute favorite was after you completed the "practice" and finally you were going to dance to the actual song...

"We are going to slip into something a bit more sexy. We hope you do too"

Next thing you know, they are in stilletos and catsuits.

So, end of story is that it was NOT a workout and more like soft core porn - I should give it to one of my dude friends. I got absolutely nothing out of it...EXCEPT I woke up with the worst back ache I have had in, well, forever...all those whore moves are something I'm not used to :)

I still Sazzle...even though PCD is NOT for Me!

Busy January for Sazzle...

2010-01-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

January has been quite the busy month for me. What has been my goal? Get through it all with my sanity in tact!!!

Here is a breakdown of what I've been doing (yes, I keep stats on myself):

Hung out with Girlfriends 8 times
Did 15 miles on my treadmill - I know, not enough but most were in the last week
Completed 10 employee reviews
Hired a multitude of new employees and working on some more
Went to the vet twice - for a total of $130. I have to take Niko back in 2 weeks.
1 date.
My boss was in town for 3 days. I had the best yearly review I could possibly ask for!!!!
Started wearing dresses :) I now have 6 of them and plan on wearing them roughly 2-3 times a week.
Went shopping with my favorite shopping buddy, Kirsti
Saw my Mom's puppy Molly

Now that the insanity is starting to make sense (not dying down, just organized better), I can focus more on my goals.

What are my goals for the rest of the month? Work out every day! I bought some new videos - so I either have to run on the treadmill for hours - or do something as little as a 10-minute arms/abs workout. SOMETHING. Wish me luck that I will Sazzle!!!

Oh, and enjoy a couple of pics from this month:

The Kindness of "Strangers"

2010-01-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

I have said this a million times and I'll say it again - BE NICE TO EVERYONE. It really pays off.

I went tanning last night. The girl working the counter was Angie. I make sure to chit chat with Angie every time I go into the tanning salon. She has a dog, a brand new puppy, so we have an immediate connection. Her and I talk about dogs, boys, the holidays, everything...

Well, I was thankful last night for building a decent relationship with her. When I left my cellphone in the tanning bed, she stayed almost 2 hours after closing so that I could come pick it up.

Oh - and thanks to Amanda who saw my Facebook post and called Angie to ask her to hang onto it.

Now for a little fun...

2010-01-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

A good friend, Amy, reminded me yesterday that while it feels really good to blog about the jerk to let off steam, it also means I am going to repeatedly re-visit the issue by constantly checking on the new comments people leave. I love the support from all of you, but Amy is right - I need to share the fun stuff and look for the fun, positive comments. Don't worry - you will be filled in on all the drama, but let's focus a bit on the fun stuff.

2010 is going to be a great year - Let's take a look at some of the pictures that have recently surfaced of me...I know this is fun for me! :)

There is this one:

And this one:

This one too:

Oh wait...here is the best one of all....

Apparently my life isn't so dull - I seem to be having quite a good time single :)

Happy New Year Folks!!! Let's have a fun one!

A New Level of Shady-ness

2010-01-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

So, Jason owes me money - we all know that.

He had is lawyer friend (his Aunt's boyfriend) draw up some papers regarding the money, the house, etc...

When he brought the papers to me, he wanted me to sign on the spot and was pretty annoyed that I said I wanted someone to look at them first. He went on and on about how they were legit and that Jeff wouldn't write up documents that were shady...

Hmmmmm....

After doing research, I found out that the papers consist of me signing over the deed to the house. Mind you, the mortgage would still be in my name and I would still be financially responsible - but he wants the deed.

SHADY, SHADY, SHADY!!!!

Sigh...and 2010 was going so well for me so far...

Now we are fighting again. Fun. Wish me luck.

I Sazzle because I trust my gut. It saved me in this case.

Welcome 2010!!!

2010-01-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

2009 was the worst year of my life. However, I have very high hopes for 2010.

Well, I have already started off the new year right. Last night I had my first date in 6 years.

Matt works with my friend, Stephanie. He has his Master's degree and works as a therapist. When he told Stephanie that he needed help organizing his DVDs, she obviously told him to meet her geeky, organizational freak friend (me).

Yesterday I went over to Matt's place - a cute apartment in towntown Grand Rapids and helped him alphabatize about 800 DVDs. We had a great conversation - he is easy to talk to.

Matt is the guy that you marry. He is smart, educated, funny, and cute. He isn't exactly the type I normally go for, but we all know that I usually go for jerks - so I feel I should change it up a bit.

After casually commenting on the fact that I haven't had a date in 6 years, Matt said that he was going to take me out.

Last night we met up at a sports bar to watch the MSU bowl game. We had some appetizers and beer and cheered on the team. At half time, the bar was starting to clear out so we finished watching the game at my place.

Perhaps we made out a bit. Perhaps Niko doesn't understand what is happening when Mommy gets kissed and jumped up on the couch licking both of our faces...quite embarrassing.

All and all, I think 2010 is going to be a great year and we shall see how things work out with Matt - we plan on hanging out on Friday....

BTW: Found this picture of Matt online and stole it :)

"Amsterdam - What?"

2009-12-23T14:32:00.000-08:00

Roger, a teamlead from Customer Service, here in the office, brought in some video that he took at the Christmas party in Amsterdam.

I have to admit, there is some embarrassing video of me...

Perhaps at one time, I am saying "Amsterdam, WHAT?" and jamming out with Flat Kendyl and Flat Aden waiving in the air... sigh... It was really fun

Best Job Ever

2009-12-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

I love my job.

I work hard, enjoy what I do, get to travel, have wonderful friends from work...it is amazing.

I get to have parties at the Amway...like this:

As all of you know, I just spent a week in Amsterdam - for work. While I had all-day meetings Monday through Thursday, I also had a lot of fun.

I rode the tram:

I visited Central Station:

...and the Anne Frank Huis (again):

I met up with Santa:

I went shopping:

I ate yummy Dutch Pancakes:

I visited the Van Gogh museum (again):

I hung out with one of my employees - Atsumi:

I got to see Natalia:

...and ate Indonesian food for the first time:

Spent some time with Karen and Ahmed:

Drank some beer:

I hung out with my favorite French Canadian, JC (although different because he is from France and now lives in Canada)...he calls me Sazzle in work meetings:

Also, I attended lots of meetings that were fun:

And got to see a bunch of fun Christmas stuff:

I actually even talked to the COO:

Wait...who are these guys?

This is flat Aden and flat Kendyl. My sister gave them to me so that they could visit Amsterdam. I took pictures with them everywhere. They are going to learn about Amsterdam and she will make a scrapbook. The "kids" were a huge hit.

Overall, I had an amazing time in Amsterdam. It was a lot of work and I am exhausted, but I am so blessed to have a job that I love - and get all these perks!!!

Oh...and I did have an AMAZING good time at the Christmas party there :)

OH POOP!

2009-12-14T13:16:00.000-08:00

(I really hope Kim reads this)

While I am fighting through the jet lag, I thought I would share a pretty funny story. Now, some of you might think it is TMI, but quite frankly, I don't mind sharing.

I am one of those people that doesn't lie. If you ask me a question, I will tell you the truth. Also, at times I probably share too much information. Really, I am an open book - and I have no shame :)

Here is the story:

Are any of you the kind of person that has to poop in awkward situations? Perhaps you have to poop in a business meeting? Perhaps at the dentist while you are getting major work done? Maybe it is when you are getting ready to cuddle up to your girlfriend/boyfriend? Or maybe in church...any time there is NO WAY you can poop then.

My pooping problem?

I ALWAYS have to poop when I get on an airplane. Seriously.

I had a 2-hour flight and then an 8-hour flight on Friday/Saturday. Do the math on that...still in pain. :)

I am a BAD Person

2009-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

So, Jason came over tonight. He was dropping off 2 shelves and also bringing me the document that states that he will pay me (some) of the money he owes me.

Now, before I tell you why I am a bad person - I have to say that I didn't sign the document. It was drawn up by Jason's Aunt's boyfriend - who is a lawyer. It is in legal talk and I don't really trust that there isn't some crazy loop hole. I want to read it over for awhile first. Does anyone know a lawyer that would read it for free and give advice?

Now, on with the important topic:

Here is why I am a bad person: Jason got dumped. ... and I am kinda smiling inside. I don't think he has ever been dumped before and I can tell he didn't expect it at all. She went back to her ex. Now, a little part of me feels bad for the guy. You gotta feel for someone that gets dumped. ... I didn't know this until AFTER I talked about how I have "met" a few guys...lol. He always mocked online dating but actually began checking it out himself.

I am pretty ashamed with myself that I am taking such joy in it. It isn't nice of me. I shouldn't be thinking "see - you are NOT king of the world like you think you are". I shouldn't be thinking, "HA - you were dating her almost immediately after we broke up and joked that I couldn't find a guy that wasn't a loser...at least I haven't been dumped for an alcoholic". Again, that is not nice. I am a bad person for feeling like this. I don't mean harm on him and he wasn't ALWAYS a bad guy to me - but a part of me is happy.

I am sure everyone will say it is a natural feeling to be (at least a little) happy - but I don't want to be happy that someone else was hurt. I don't like it when people hurt. So, officially I feel bad for the dude. I had my moment and now I'm not going to dwell on it. Squashed.