17 forever...growing up is overrated: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

No Tricks. Just Treats.

Here's hoping Rob shows up

at your door asking for a treat ;)

CANDYMAN

LOLLIPOP

LICK THE WRAPPER

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

I usually don't share a lot about myself...

but I've been tagged. I thought it would be fitting to come out of my shell and answer some personal questions on the one-year anniversary of my humble blog.

I know, Rob. It does feel like it's been longer than one year. That IS what that

look's for, right? It can't possibly mean that you're ready to toss a bullshit card

at me for my ~~lie~~ statement about being shy and closed off to people.

First, I was tagged by RobMusement. I have been following her from pretty much day one. She was one of the first bloggers to take me under her wing and help me with the ins and outs of running a blog. There has never been a question or request that she hasn't answered or granted me. She loves me in spite of a certain affection (she's thinking affliction) I have. Thanks for being a big part of my first year of blogging and for your unwavering love of our boy. (Oops! I may have forgotten the "y" in front of "our." My bad. Don't throw me under the bus!)

1. Name a song that feels like it was written for/about you.

“Seventeen” by Tim McGraw

Chorus:
Seventeen,
Only comes once in a lifetime.
Don't it just fly by wild and free
Goin' anyway the wind blew, baby!
Seventeen,
Livin' on crazy dreams,
Rock-n-roll, and faded blue jeans,
And standin' on the edge of everything.
Seventeen!

2. Dog or Cat Person?

Dog! My guy Maddux loves me unconditionally.

3. A book you read over and over (besides Twilight)

I will forever love A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. I used to read a ton of historical romance novels and dreamed of writing my own. This book has it all. I smile, I laugh, I squirm, I pray, I cry...HARD. I felt every individual character's emotions and I fell in love. I could totally see Rob playing the main character, too. If you haven’t read it yet, please do…and picture Rob while you’re reading.

4. Favorite holiday and how you celebrate

I love absolutely EVERYTHING about Christmas…music, lights, decorations, tree, crowded stores, baking cookies and candy, buying/wrapping/giving presents…but most of all, I love the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating that with our families.

5. What would your pirate name be?

Seventeen Men. Oh, snap! Conversed already used that for the sequel title for Twinned. LOL! How about Dry Docked? This pirate hooker will never set sail. There’s wh*les in them there waters, boys.

6. What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

Mama Cougar at The Cougar's Den and I had only exchanged a few emails after discovering we both lived in Illinois before she invited me to the New Moon DVD Release Party she was having for friends and family. She lives about three hours away and insisted I spend the night at her house. Her leap of faith set in motion a chain of events that I will forever be grateful for.

7. Heels or Flats?

Ha! I live in tennis shoes and flip-flips, depending on the weather. If I have to dress up for weddings or funerals, I wear flats. It’s probably been 17 years since I’ve worn heels.

8. The best Halloween costume you ever wore

My mom used to sew costumes for me and my younger sister. The last year I dressed up was in sixth grade, and I went as a Martian. She used a sparkly gold material (that ended up being scratchy) and made a one-piece outfit that had long sleeves and ended mid thigh. I had a gold tinsel halo with homemade antennae. My mom let me wear her go-go boots to complete the costume. Looking back, I was apparently a Martian hooker. LOL!

* * * * *

Next, I was tagged by Sparkle for Twilight. I like to refer to her and MissAmyJoon as my bloggy daughters. She has a new and exciting job in the entertainment industry, so RL doesn't allow for her to blog as often as she used to, but she still has one of the most beautiful blogs I've ever come across. Thank you for remaining true to yourself and being the romantic that you are. I know you will have your happily ever after.

1. If you could live any character's life on any television show, who would you want to be? (And you can probably guess what my answer would be.)

I’m going to guess that yours is Elena from Vampire Diaries, SFT :) Going with current TV shows (and not copying your answer), I’m going to pick Rachel Berry on Glee. What fun!

2. If you could get a lifetime supply of any one fruit in its most perfect and ripe condition, what would it be?

Apples. You can do more with them, and it’s a bonus that I now think of Twilight when I see them ;)

3. What's one talent you wish you had in you?

I wish I could sing. I am in awe of talented singers like Christina Aguilera and Pink, just to name a few.

4. Which celebrity do you think you could be best friends with?

Ellen!!!

5. What fictional place do you wish really existed?

Fifty’s penthouse at Escala. (Sorry, SFT, that’s a MotU ff reference.)

6. What food have you never tried, and most likely never will?

Seafood…all of it!

7. Do you have baby names picked out for your future children/Why did you choose your children's names?

Good question! My daughter (24) was named after my husband’s brother Dan. I liked names like Jessica and Erica and thought I was being original when I came up with Danica (pronounced just like racecar driver Danica Patrick). We had planned on calling her Dani, but my husband’s family still called his younger brother that at the time, so it never stuck. My son (22) was named after a character in my husband’s favorite childhood book, and later Disney movie, Old Yeller. The brothers in the story are Travis and Arliss. Luckily, he didn’t want to call him Arliss!

8. What would be your Twilight if Twilight didn't exist (but thank goodness it does)?

Wow, that’s a tough one. Honestly, the only other thing that consumes my time outside of the Twilight/Rob bubble, is baseball. It’s been the one thing I haven't abandoned during all of this. I refuse to read The Hunger Games or the True Blood books because I don’t have time for another obsession; and as strange as this will sound, I don’t want to replace Twilight. I know all of this will fade one day, but I don’t see anything ever touching whatever "this" is in my lifetime. I’m old, you know ;)

* * * * *

If you're still reading, thank you to everyone for being a part of the adventure running this blog has turned out to be. Hang with me a little longer because I can't have an anniversary post without giving a special thank you to the following people.

Music to Scroll By

Without this song, I never would have lost my heart to Rob,

and I never would have been searching the internet for "my people."

Twitarded

Because of you, I found the confidence to blog.

Because of you, I did something selfish and traveled to FORKS.

Because of you, I found friendships that will last a lifetime.

Thank you for being our fearless leaders.

Mrs. P at TwiBite

Simply put?

I would not want to be doing this without you.

Thank you for being my Super Bloggy BFF.

RobMusement

You have such a big heart.

Thank you for opening it up to me.

Mama Cougar at The Cougar's Den

You always have me ROFLMFAO.

Thank you for being my soul sister.

@Twilove1_Sue

You have been a follower from practically day one.

Funny thing is, I would follow you anywhere.

Thank you for being a true friend.

Jen from Twired

With us, everything is black and white,

and I love you for it!

I'm glad we're on the same team ;)

DD at Dangrdafne Days of Delirium

You are generous to a fault.

I know you would do anything for me/us.

Thank you for being so very giving.

The Gang at Twi-sted Edbrella

(Stan, Mary, TwiWeasel, Nibbles, Becky)

Lacey at Tigerlily's Tirade

Starlit Violets at Violet Delights

Jelly Baby at Confessions of a Twiholic

You Twi-Hos make my day every day.

Thank you for letting me move into the neighborhood.

kiTT at Tongue-Twied

You remind me to take my Aricept.

You torture me.

You make me laugh.

You make me cry (in a good way.)

You make my day.

Thank you for being you (whoever that may be).

Living with Edward

They say laughter is the best medicine.

You, my dear, could open up a pharmacy.

Thank you for making me SPLODE!

MissAmyJoon

TC from Twilight, Travel, and Treats and Twi-Mobile Network

HG from True Blood Twilight

You make my bloggy life beautiful with

graphics, techie help, videos, and blog posts.

Thank you for making my real life beautiful just by being in it.

Mox at Twilight SagaPalooza and DML

You are the queen of one-liners.

Finding your blog and eventually DML

changed Friday nights for all of us.

Thank you for your wicked sense of humor.

Bleriana at The Cold Shower

If it wasn't for RobMusement's birthday blog train,

I may never have found you.

You are my fix for Fiftyp0rn and Robp0rn.

Thank you for being a #VPP.

Tina at Tina's Been Robd
Kelly at My DiscomRobulation
Donna (rpfangirldc) at It's Roblated
I have to thank RobMusement once again for leading me to you.
Thank you for loving Rob as much as I do.

Musing Bella at Cheaper Than Therapy

You opened your doors, and I wandered in.

Thanks for not kicking me out of the bar!

Marie and Kassie at Twilight Junkies Anonymous

Long after Oprah's off the air,

I'll still be tuning in.

Thanks for letting me live vicariously.

RobzSinger
I love your blog just for the picture slideshow alone!
Bonus that your funny as hell.
Thank you for covering all the bases.

Snowqueens Icedragon at 50 Shades

What else can I say?

MotU owns me.

Thank you for Fifty and his Bella.

I know what you're thinking. Good thing posts like this only come around once a year. I know I got a little carried away. I only have one more person to thank. Any guesses?

Still my blogger identity.

I know it embarrasses you, Rob, but it really is all about you.

Thank you for being as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

7th-Inning Stretch

That's right, kidz. October means the Major League Baseball playoffs and World Series at the Parker household. Even when my beloved Cardinals end up striking out like they did this year, I still watch every game. My license plates reads MLBFN 17 for a reason ;)

I don't own a laptop, so I've been abandoning my PC at night and lurking...checking emails and tweets...but that's about it. Well, that's a lie. There might be a little ff reading going on during commercials via my iPod Touch. Hey, a girl can only sacrifice (bunt) so much!

Baby shower gift for Bella?

I hadn't read the books before I saw Twilight in the theater. Imagine how excited I was to find out that Vampires play baseball. This is still one of my favorite scenes in the movie, and a lot of it has to do with Muse's kick-ass song.

So while I take a 7th-inning stretch, be sure and visit the concession stands and gift shops on the main concourse (aka my blogroll). Those bloggers are still working hard while I play ball. Now that blogger is cooperating again and uploading pictures, I hope to finish spelling out FORKS one of these days, too.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

O

If you missed my F post, click here.

Now it's time for the big O. (She said that.)

Um. Yeah. That does it for me ;) This gorgeous new wallpaper was created by my bloggy daughter, Miss Amy Joon. This also looks great as the wallpaper on my BlackBerry. Amy also helped design my current blog banner. Today is her birthday! Happy birthday again, Amy. Please stop by her tumblr account and wish her a happy birthday and see all of her beautiful creations.

http://missamyjoon.tumblr.com/

Outside my comfort zone

As my family knows, I am NOT a fan of having my picture taken. I can count on two hands the number of pictures I've had taken of me in the last 10 years. So having my picture taken so many times in FORKS, was definitely outside my comfort zone.

I mean seriously. I don't have this many pictures with my kids.
What a shame there's a glare on the dog's face. *snickers*

I have a stupid, idiotic phobia about wh*les that has steadily gotten worse over the years and now extends to all sea life. There is a reason they live in the water and we live on land people! The two should NOT meet. We left Seattle to make the four-hour drive to FORKS, and somehow I missed the memo saying we would be taking the ferry part of the way. I pretty much had an anxiety attack when I found out. The water was choppy, I got nauseous, and Mama Cougar held my hand during most of the voyage. Hey, we were on that damn ferry an entire 17 minutes! *shrugs* It might as well have been 17 hours. I was beyond disappointed in my reaction. Embarrassing.

I took this out of the van window. I should have stayed in there.

As part of the Dazzled by Twilight bus tour we took when we first got to FORKS, we went to Rialto Beach, which is one of the beaches near La Push. It was a nice, short visit and I was able to admire the beauty from afar. Then the group I was with wanted to go back because it just wasn't long enough and they wanted more pictures. I was a trooper and went back. How I let Twilight Cupcake talk me into hiking down close to the water in my flip flops is beyond me. She's so tiny. I could have taken her, too.

Chubby white chicks can't jump. Just sayin'.

L to R: Twilove1_Sue, Starlit Violets, Chubby White Chick, Twilight Cupcake,
TrueBloodTwilight/Honolulu Girl, Twired Jen, Cullenary Curser, Mrs. P

There was also much discussion prior to making our trip as to who wanted to go hiking and who didn't. By now, I'm sure you can guess what my vote was. But VitaminR told me that there was no way I could visit her beautiful state and not do some hiking. So it was that I found myself in the Hoh with a bunch of hos :) VitaminR was right...her state is beautiful.

Twired Jen channeling Sandra Bullock

This can also serve as music to scroll by.

L to R: Me, Cullenary Curser, Cullen Family Crazy,
Mama Cougar, Twilove1_Sue, Twired Jen, Mrs. P

Pictures do not do it justice.

Mrs. P and Twired Jen

Had to have proof for my family

Mrs. P and Twired Jen

Twired Jen: Look! There's Edward's spooge.

Dandgrdafne and Me at the end of the trail

Just look at what I would have missed out on if I hadn't let them

take me out of my comfort zone. Thanks, girls! XO

Monday, October 11, 2010

F

CullenaryCurser, Mrs. P, JJ, STY, Twilove1_Sue, Twired Jen, Me

On October 24th, I will have been blogging for one year. So much has changed since then, but the one thing that has always remained a constant is Twitarded. They were the very first blog that I started following. I wish I could remember exactly how and/or why I found them, but I do remember that they had less than 300 followers back then. Obviously, I knew a good thing when I saw it. They continue to make me laugh and, on the rare occasion, cry. It has gone far beyond blogging. It's a community. No. Even that doesn't cut it. It's a family. That family has expanded with the addition of Latchkey Wife and honorary Twitards Myg and VitaminR. Thanks for adopting all of us and then taking us on a family vacation to FFFOOORRRKKKSSS!!!

Music to Scroll By
(Yeah. I'm sappy. *shrugs*)

Friends

Me, Mama Cougar, Mrs. P

Twilove1_Sue, CullenaryCurser

Me and Starlit Violets

Twired Jen and Me

Me and Twilight Cupcake (cupcakegirl76/Twi-Mobile)

Me and Musing Bella having a live version of Thirsty Thursday
on Saturday, which is usually when I show up online ;)

RottyMama and Me

RottyMama, Me, MusingBella, RenaBug

STY and Me
(sad panda that I can't find the one of me with JJ)

Me and VitaminR
(Love ya, girl!!)

Living with Edward, Edward, Me, Dangrdafne

Living with Edward, Edward, Me

Me and Munkee (who makes the awesome totes!)

Me and Starlit Violets' gorgeous husband

Me, Micki_Martini, Twilove1_Sue

My Soul Sister, Mama Cougar, and Me

Dangrdafne, Twilight Cupcake, Me, TrueBloodTwilight/Honolulu Girl,
Musing Bella, Mrs. P, Twired Jen, Twilove1_Sue

Back Row (L to R): Me, STY, JJ, Twilove1_Sue, Mrs. P
Front Row (L to R): Latchkey Wife, Twired Jen, Twilight Cupcake, TrueBloodTwilight/Honolulu Girl

Our fearless leaders, STY and JJ

Because of JJ and STY, I found "my people." Forks validated that the friendships I have formed online are real. I wish I could meet everyone who has touched my life through blogging. For those of you that I have not met...yet...please know that I value every comment, email, Gmail chat, tweet, and/or blog post that we have shared.

MWAH!