Thursday, April 16, 2009

Something Worth Blogging About...

Once again, I've neglected my blog. I haven't had much to write home about these days.....I've joined the ranks of the unemployed. It's rough hitting those buttons on the phone each week to collect my unemployment. (do you smell sarcasim?) Optimistically on the job hunt, I took a week to travel to the great state of Texas for the wedding of Jim's cousin Amber and her new husband, Daniel.
It was storybook from the word go! With the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin as the backdrop, it was a beautiful evening wedding.
Here's Uncle Jesse (no, he doesn't own a white pick-up, nor does he wear overalls) giving his little girl away in her $10,000 gown. !!!! (she's an attorney for Austin's biggest law firm...smart cookie, that girl....and she DID pay for that dress on her own.)

Jim even took his suit out of the back of the closet for the shindig.

I finally got to meet his cousin, Corey, who lost his dad (Jim's uncle) 12 days after Jim lost his. Corey's not tall, Jim is just extremely fun sized.

Amber's guy, Dan, is a computer engineer....so between the 2 of them, I'm sure they are sitting very well.....they are honeymooning in Maui.

It was just about the prettiest wedding I've ever attended. She looked like Cinderella.....it appears that I do not have my pics in the correct order, but you get the idea.

Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Weigl!




Sunday, March 1, 2009

Haven't Blogged in a While....

Damn Facebook.

It has kept me from Blogging in a while....that and a wicked nasty stomach virus that has kept me down and out here and there....

After a few weeks of violent incidents in the bathroom, I decided I needed to visit the doctor.

Much to my surprise, I had a virus that attacks the lining of your stomach and can go dormant if it so desires instead of just going away.

Mine went dormant, and a few glasses of white wine woke it up......with a vengeance.

So its been a rough couple of weeks, and I had no idea my stomach could get so angry at me, but I think I am slowly on the mend - and I'm hoping by the time we go away to Texas for a week in April, I won't have such wicked bathroom emergencies. That could make for a miserable trip.


Saturday, February 7, 2009

Becky's Birthday Breakfast.

My baby turned 17 yesterday. Man I feel old.
So for her birthday, we made our maiden voyage to the Donut Whole this morning for some breakfast yumminess. Becky and I are officially in love with the Maple Bacon donuts. Fabulous. I also had a Pumpkin Ginger Snap.......wonderful. I worked my ass off at the gym for those donuts, and I enjoyed every sweet moment of it.

Miss Becky is a tad obsessed with photographing toilets - namely public ones (I'm not sure where she gets her eclectic/odd hobbies, SURELY not me) so of course, she had to snag my camera and make a beeeeeeline for the can.

She was pleasantly suprised:


I'm pretty stoked that the Donut Whole is open 6 a.m. to midnight, and the drive-thru is open 24hrs. RIGHT ON!!!!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Can someone please tell me,

WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL
HAS HAPPENED TO JOAQUIN PHOENIX?!?!?!?


Apparently he has announced that he is quitting acting forever and is going to be a musician. Whatever man, that's cool, I LOVED LOVED LOVED you in Walk the Line, but COME ON, DUDE! TAKE A FRICKIN' SHOWER, OR SOMETHING. Damn. AND......1986 called, they want their sunglasses back.

Family comes to Visit.

HEY LOOK! My double chin is going away!
Those workouts and dreadful low-fat lunch-cicles must be working!!

My brother, David and his wife and kids came for a Kansas visit. They're in Texas - my brother is an engineer for Fox Sports. For everything Fox, actually. He's my favorite techno-geek. He invited us out to the sticks, just south of Goddard last night, to join them for dinner at his in-laws. Nothin' like country cookin'!

My nephew Joshua turns 5 today. He's having a big Batman themed pizza party. I'm missing it because I'm working, but its just as well - my family is very disfunctional, and I really don't need the stress. Uncle Jimmy and I bought him Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" - I'm sure he'll be thrilled to pieces to get a damn book for his birthday - but we also got a pirate ship to assemble. Uncle Jimmy got sent to the party to bear the brunt of my family hell.
My niece, Olivia, is growing so fast! She's almost a year old and I can already tell she's going to be a LOT like her Aunt Robyn - chatty, chatty. She's a talker! I have no idea what she's saying, but I am positive its very important.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Went to see The Keeper.....

and found a TROLL.....

Last night, Becky, Jimbo and I went down to see The Keeper of the Plains after dark (lovely, but I couldn't get a good picture to save my life).
Becky drug us on quite a little hike just east of there to a spillover grate illuminated inside by a green light. Creepy.
Right there, down inside the grate was a troll! CREEEEEPY.
I never even knew he was there. Chained to the beams and wearing sandals. He must be seen at night for full effect though....cause he's CREEEEEEEEPY.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Saturday Night with the Kid.

I have discovered that the Daryl Starbird Rod & Custom Show every January is the same old stuff. So I think I'm going to have to skip a few years so I don't get so dreadfully bored. The highlight for me is stalking the folks at the Midwest Airbrush & Pinstriping Guild booth. I'm sure they're sick to death of me.

Becky, Jimbo and myself attended last night, to the tune of $16 a piece. Sheesh. When Mr. Starbird runs off to the big car show in the sky, I hope its on the weekend and his family chooses to run a big gigantic obituary so I can get my damn money back.
Speaking of death, I do believe my favorite exhibit was the copy of "The Black Widow" horse drawn hearse. The undertaker that came with it was one super cool dude....big black top hat and all. Becky & I were in agreement that he looked like Ted Nugent.
I love it when Becky spends time with us on the weekend. Its few and far between with high school and an after school job....me working the weekends......but when the stars are in alignment, she's got a day off from work and there's a teacher in-service Monday, we have us a good time!
She's a tad cooky like her mother though, and just like mom, she appreciates the unusual things in life. Becky and I always seem to find ourselves laughing at the dumbest stuff and embarrassing the heck out of Jimbo......He needs to loosen up.
Here's mommy's little angel checking out some rockabilly boys just out of shot of my camera.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Open Letter to John Travolta.

Dear Mr. Travolta,

I enjoyed our visit this morning.

Allow me to explain.....

I was having my weekly "Cup of Coffee with a Celebrity" this morning (A.K.A. watching Inside the Actors Studio in my jammies with a mug o' joe) and suddenly found myself glued to the television and mesmerized by your all around nice guy-ness, clinging to your every word.

I mean, sure, I've seen every movie you've ever made, Grease repeatedly, Urban Cowboy like, a million times, (Pulp Fiction and Michael are my fav's though) and back in the day I watched Welcome Back Kotter reruns like a damn fool, but I've never considered myself a fan, like FANATIC fan or anything....
But today I have a whole new respect for you. I found your humble, genuine kindness quite refreshing. I was especially touched by the statement you made on how everyone has something very interesting about themselves to share - you just have to know the right questions to ask to find it. And your thoughts on not letting what others might say or think of you affect your outlook on your life or your career - well, that was just brilliant. You seem morally sound.

I must confess, as a very lazy Methodist, I used to scoff and roll my eyes at your religious choices, and admittedly, I know nothing about Scientology. With that said though, you seem to be an honest man of great integrity, and I dig that.

I'm totally adding you to my list of people, living and/or dead, that I would like to meet. You're going straight to the top of that list.

If you ever find yourself in Wichita on some sort of aviation-type business, call me. We'll do lunch. I can't make a bierock to save my life, but maybe we could go down to the McDonald's and get a Royale or Le Big Mac.

Sincerely,
Rockyn Robyn

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Bierock Still Eludes Me.

This is not any creation of mine.
"Operation Not Scared" took an ugly turn today. I took on a new project and failed. On Sunday, I attempted Crock Pot Beans and Ham, and it turned out so well, I got cocky.
Needless to say, what came out the other end of my cooking venture today was edible, but by no means did it even closely resemble a bierock.
I am not letting this culinary failure beat me down. It just makes me even more determined to get it mastered.
Heather? I may need a lesson in the ways of the Bierock. I'm just sayin'.


Sunday, January 4, 2009

Starting 2009 Off With a Bang.

Even though I am NOT a fan of New Year's Resolutions, I have suddenly found myself stepping up and diving right in to some.

I've decided 2009 is the year that I stop being scared. Period. Scared of what? Whatever. Even the slightest, smallest phobias are getting sucker punched this year.

It started yesterday.....

Jim and I attended a Concealed Carry Handgun class, instructed by a 27 year lieutenant with the Wichita Police Department. I caught some guff, being what he called a "member of the media" attending a Concealed Carry class, but he was a wonderful instructor, and I was grateful to have had him.

Just sitting in the same room with guns was a HUGE step for me. Guns of any kind terrify me, especially handguns. I grew up in Western Kansas where terrible hunting accidents and guns-in-the-closet curiosities caused the messy deaths of fellow students and a few friends. I was ready to stop being "that girl" - That prissy girl that lives in a happy little bubble of peace, love and non-confrontation. I was ready to be the kind of girl that can look anyone square in the eye. The kind of girl that can stand up for herself without getting mad and crying. The kind of girl that isn't constantly scared of the unknown.

So we spent most of the day getting a cold, hard education in a classroom setting and "dry firing" at targets. Then 4:30 came, and we all drove over to a firing range, where we had to fire 5 rounds into an FBI regulation target, one handed, at a 3 foot distance, to qualify for the okay to apply for a Concealed Carry License. (this sounds easy, but my little hand barely had the strength to pull the trigger all by itself - its tougher than it sounds.) Then we had to fire 20 more rounds two handed from 5 and 7 feet. (that's my target at the top of the blog. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself! except for the 2 strays.)

This was the very first time EVER that I had held a loaded gun, let alone fire it. I was petrified. I chose to use a revolver, as the glocks were just too hard for me to handle and get the job done.
The firing range was full of a few other classes, so it was loud with gunfire, even with my big red ear protection muffs on, and I was jumpy and shaking like a leaf. Shaking like a leaf is not good when you have to load a revolver in front of your instructor and then fire it one handed. (if you're conjuring images of Don Knotts, so was I at the time!)

Long story short - by the end of the day, I had overcome my gun fear, and after the shaking stopped, I felt like a million bucks.
Will I apply for the license to carry a handgun? Not sure yet. If push comes to shove and I was in fear for my life, could I fire a gun at another human being? If I had one in my nightstand and someone entered my home with the intent to do me harm, you're damn right I would.
Will I purchase a gun and spend time at the firing range with my husband? You bet. (I wonder if I can get one in pink to match my cell phone and my digital camera.) The confidence I had in myself when we left was refreshing. And I stood a little straighter for facing one of my demons, head on.

So whats next? Well, this morning I tackled the fear of making crock pot beans and ham - my very first pot got started and its cooking as I write this blog. I am CONFIDENT that it will be edible this evening.


Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year's Eve With the Girls.

Much to Jim's dismay....the evening of Dec. 31 was
GIRLS NIGHT!!
He was bored stiff, but took it very well.
Where there's chips and dip, Jim's not too far away.
Vonnie invited Leslie, Jim and I over to her place
for New Years Eve.
I think the photos speak for themselves.
Believe it or not, I was a VERY good girl, and awoke New Years Day feeling quite proud of myself, and not at all wanting to die. This is a HUGE step forward on my path to being all growed up.....knowing when to say when.
We did have a real good time though,
and it was good to cut loose and relax with my girls.
And Jim.