Warning: Too much cuteness to handle in this post.

The many faces of Miss Maddicakes Two of my favorite cuties together...Tessa and Maddi

Plugged In...

I've been cell phone-less since Monday afternoon. I couldn't find my charger anywhere. I was at this point where I didn't really want to buy a new charger because I knew that as soon as I did...my old one would pop up. So, I decided to give it a day or two to resurface. Most people have one set location where they plug their charger in and that's exactly where they charge it...every day/night. Not sure why...but this is a daunting task for me. I can't seem to muster up enough strength at the end of the night to plug my phone in and go to bed. Therefore, my phone is either dying or dead half of the time....so I typically talk while charging. I find myself moving my charger around all day...I take it to work to charge, to my mom's, plug it in the living room, sometimes my bedroom, and finally...the kitchen....which is exactly where Matt found it last night.

For two and a half days I've been sorta disconnected....I've missed texts and calls...I've had people calling Matt's phone looking for me...people sending me heated emails asking why i'm not responding to texts. It's nice to know I'm needed and somewhat missed. ;) I think the hardest part has been my drive home. I fall asleep in the car...even if I'm driving...so I typically call someone (usually ccl) while I'm driving home...(I know, I know...Oprah says not to talk and text while driving) It's been so hard to stay awake! I've had to turn up the radio...open my windows and let the freezing cold air in, and/or bring something in the car to drink or munch on to keep me awake!!

Thank God my charger is back...It makes me wonder how I ever survived before I a phone!

I've been looking at old high school pictures tonight...the good ol' days when hair was big, problems were trivial, the sky was the limit, and mix tapes were the ultimate expresson of love. It seems like a lifetime ago and just yesterday all at the same time!

When I think of my high school friends, I still imagine these young faces...and silly laughs. Through Facebook and MySpace, I've been able to see how most of them have grown and changed and now have kids of their own...but it will always be these faces that come to mind when I hear their names or think about them.

It's always shocking to hear the news of someone's death, but when it's someone YOUR age that you grew up with...it makes you stop and realize how fragile life really is. Robin is the girl pictured in the middle of the above collage. I chose this picture because that's the way I remember her...fluffy, blonde hair, happy, youthful, laid back. I've exchanged a few emails with her over the years...and it seemed to me that she didn't change much. She was really happy with life and her children. She was 8 months pregnant with her sixth child...and died of a pulmonary embolism. Unforunately I don't know all the details of her sudden death. But, do know that her baby boy, Cooper survived..and is now in the NICU. Please keep her family in your prayers as they try to deal with this sudden and unexpected loss....especially baby Cooper as he fights for his life with out his mother.

The weekend went by in a blur. And now, I'm having a bit of trouble falling asleep...so I turned on my current favorite song, "Gravity" by Sarah Bareillis and thought I'd write a quick post before I force myself to go to sleep. (I know I'll be paying for this in the morning!) The weekend was a lovely one. BF came home on Friday and brought lil' maddicakes with her. I pretty much hung out with them all weekend and look forward to a few more days with them before they head back to sunny, Florida. Madison's grown leaps and bounds! She does the funniest little things and gives the sweetest hugs. Ugh...parting is definitely going to be such sweet sorrow. =/

No 55 words of fiction today...I have a special anonymous guest writer who promised that he'd be posting this week's 55. I think I might be closer to solving the mystery of who this anonymous poster is. (thanks to a few of his hints)

I leave you with a picture of Moussey on Valentine's Day. She's a very festive girl...she loves when I get her holiday scarves! For those of you wondering...she's mellowed out a lot with age. Nowadays...her favorite things to do are sleep, snuggle, and eat...although she does love running outside and playing as well. Her old nicknames like...Moussolini and Moussipher no longer fit her personality. These days...she's just as sweet as chocolate! ;)

Valentine's Eve dinner at the "fancy pants" restarant was really nice. I wanted to take more pictures at the hotel, but apparently security didn't want us to since we weren't staying there. Minor technacality..sheesh! But never fear...I did have a chance to take a few. Here are a few of my favorites...

The MathewsDelish carrot cake...

Me and Matt...since we didn't get a chance to take pics at the hotel...we had to settle fo the CRV....equally gorgeous photo op spot. ;) In other news, I went a little accessory-crazy this weekend. I couldn't help it...I found cute stuff for great prices! I thought I'd share my finds...

Silver Necklace, Forever 21, 4 bucks and change

Earrings, Forever 21, 3 bucks and changeI think purple might be my new favorite color.

This beaded necklace? $1 Jewlery Galore...for a DOLLAR!

a ring to match $2

Last but not least...55 words of fiction:

I'm fully aware that there is an office policy against dating the boss. But, I would gladly give up
my position as Mark's assistant to take on the new role as his significant other. He wasn't much older than me, the owner of an up and coming ad agency, well built, and extremely good looking.

TGIF! It's been a busy work week! I'm especially looking forward to this weekend since it's a 3 day! God bless President's Day! It's Valentine's weekend...and I'm curious as to what (few) readers (I have left) are doing this to celebrate?

I celebrated a little early and made Matt chocolate covered strawberries last night since he's a chocolate fiend. Unlike me, he's not into cards and all that jazz...so I thought I'd do something I knew he'd really enjoy and appreciate.

Tonight...I'm going to see "Valentine's Day" with Furball. I'm thinking the theater will be packed since it's opening night.

Tomorrow...we are going on a double date with the Mathews. They arranged an awesome dinner for us at the finest hotel in the city....I will be sure to take lots of pictures!

Valentine's Day will be spent at church, my first bible study with the new church later in the afternoon, and then....no plans for the evening. Probably just a little maxin' and relaxin'...and enjoying the fact that I have NO WORK Monday!

PS. If you're reading this, Terry....HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

55 words of fiction courtesy of anonymous...

I was crazy busy this week and didn't have time to squeeze in my 55 words of fiction. So a big thank you to anonymous who took care of it for me:

Of course I could have stayed in again on a Saturday night and watched re-runs of Project Runway, or even better .. Anthony Bourdain! So maybe going to the party wasn't a bad idea after all. Maybe Mark was interested in me in some way other than the assistant tasked with every menial job possible.

55 words of fiction...

I went to the work party at Mark’s against my better judgment. I was never very good at making small talk or socializing with co-workers outside of work. For some reason, it just felt unnatural to me to see them in casual clothes, talking about non-work-related topics, and sipping alcoholic beverages. I shouldn’t have gone.

55 words of Fiction...Monday edition

So, I decided to give myself a challenge. I like to do that on the occasion to keep myself on my toes. A few years ago, a friend and I started doing "55 words of fiction Fridays." I thought it was high time to bring it back...even though it isn't Friday. Maybe I'll just change it to Mondays instead. I figure it will be a good way to muster up some creativity...and who knows...maybe those 55 words will lead to another 55 words...and another...and by the time I know it...I'll have a short story?!? We shall see...

I saw him tip-toe past my office in stealth mode. Although, my head seemed to be buried in a file, I was very aware of the fact that Mark was trying to avoid me. I’m quite sure that it had to do with the fact that I spilled red wine on his off-white carpet.

Cuppycakes...

I love cupcakes. I love everything about cupcakes...how they taste...how they look...heck, even the word itself is SO cute.

So, I found it quite hard to resist when I saw cupcake hair clips for little girls made out of ribbon! I had to try to make one on my own!

This is the cupcake sample I made. I still need to attach it to a hair clip and a "cherry on top" embellishment...but I think I got the hang of it at least.

I can't wait to make some for all my lil' cupcakes! They know who they are...

I've been out of pocket for a while. Our friends moved into their first home, and we've been helping them prepare for the move. It's amazing what a few coats of paint and a new rug can do to a place!! This weekend, I pretty much felt like we were all on some HGTV show where we had 72 hours to redo a house. It was tiring, but so well worth it when seeing the end result. (If only we had taken some before and after shots!)

And now, we've embarked on our own hunt to find our first home. I always thought that this would be so exciting. But, it's kind of grueling. It's hard to commit to a home that either has someone else's stuff in it...or nothing in it...and try to visualize things like your stuff in the rooms and your dog running around it and cooking in the kitchen. It's a stretch of the imagination...even for me!

We've already seen a couple but roof damage and odd layouts have kept us from totally falling in love with a house yet. Will keep you posted!

It's up and ready to go!

A very special thank you to my friend, Dains for helping me with THIS. This has been a long-time goal, and it's awesome to see it finally up and running. Please click the link and share it with your friends and family as well!!

2010

On New Year's Eve, I realized a few things...
1. I will never live to see another single digit year. Not that I'm particularly sad about this...but it was something weird to consider.

2. I hate football. But, I remember hearing people discuss the University of Oklahoma football team one year...and they talked about it being a "growing year"...which meant, they didn't think the team would go to any of the bowl games, but it was a year for the team to strategize, grow and learn. That's kinda how I felt about my life in 2009.

Now that it's 2010, I have lots of resolutions that I should make...blog more, excercise more, eat less sweets, etc. But, I hate making promises to myself that I know I can't keep. So instead, I've decided to do just one thing....stop fearing the future because of events in the past...but instead, move ahead focused on God.

Mousse hits the snow...

Christmas in OKC

My mom's house...Christmas morning. It looks so pretty when it's snow-capped!Marissa opening presents....she's looking more and more like a teenager. It's painful!

Andrew opening his scooter. It was proclaimed the best Christmas present this year. My head swelled a bit about that.

All Andrew really wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth.

With their granny

The kids and my cuzzies...snowman building 101.

Finished product. Cute, isn't he?

Us with the snowman...he stole my hat. (I love how Moussey sat like a good girl)

Kids and their cuzzies

Hannah...another one who is getting too painfully close to teenagehood

Haley...so sweet and cute...I wish I could stick her in my pocket!

Kaleb...future model for sure. Check out the dimples and his collar! ha!

Christmas Eve in OKC

All I could think about was 12 o'clock. That was the time when I was going to get out of work, make a last minute, mad dash to Target and rush home to get ready for the Christmas Party later that evening. Except...things didn't go as planned. Not. At. All.

When I left work, the wind had picked up. I had a hard time walking to my car let alone driving my car. The snow was coming down hard and my already blurred vision was even blurrier. I made it about two blocks down the street before all the cars around me stopped...as if frozen. And they were...sorta. They were stuck in snow that was accumulating on the roads at a fast pace. Not to mention, the morning's sleet left a layer of sheer ice underneath the snow. People were either stuck or sliding in their mid-size cars, SUV's, and trucks...so I knew the Fit-mobile wouldn't stand a chance.

I pulled into a nearby neighborhood, called Matt, and implored him to come pick me up. But as I watched the main road, from the neighborhood, I knew there was no way he'd make it 10 miles up the street to me...or that I'd make it 10 miles down the street to him. So, I waited...I'm not sure what I was waiting for...the snow to stop? Scottie to beam me up? I called Matt back and told him to turn around and go home. It was too dangerous. Afterall, we spent last winter in the tropics...so he only had the previous year of experience driving in icy conditions. That wasn't enough experience! I'd either wait out the storm or brave it and drive really slowly. After a while, I decided I had to keep moving. My gas was half past half, I had no coat, and waiting it out didn't seem like a good option.

I began moving...slowly but surely. Phew...made it one block down the road to the next light. The car infront of me was stuck. And as he tried to get unstuck...he kept slipping and sliding...just inches away from my front end. I maneuvered my way to make a left turn, drove one more block, and parked my car at the mall. It was warm there atleast...and me and my car would be safe.

Luckily my buddy Shines was getting off work...and offered to slide by and pick me up. An hour later, I get a call from him...asking me to walk to the corner of the mall parking lot and wait for him at the bank. Although I had no coat...I was willing to make the trek through the snow, so it would be easier for him to get me. But as soon as I stepped outside, I realized that the snow was coming down harder. Within 5 seconds, my glasses were covered in snow, and I couldn't see my own hand in front of me, much less the bank on the corner! I called Shines back, and he picked me up at the mall front instead. I had never been so happy to see him...although I couldn't see him until I scraped off the snow from my glasses! "Nice blizzard appropriate outfit you have on there," he said. Even in the middle of a natural disaster...his sarcasm was still on point.

We slowly drove back to his house to retrieve his wife, so we could rescue the rest of their family, who were stranded on highways and byways...what is usually a 15 minute drive took approximately 2 hours. It didn't help that mid-way....the windshield wiper decided it was done for the day. We tried to use a make shift wiper for Shines to use, but it didn't prove to be successful. Driving with caution with your head out of your window while simultaneously wiping your windshield is not as easy as it sounds. We had some near misses and I had a few mild heart attacks...but we made it!...alive and well.

It was about 4 o'clock by then...we collected Merly and were off to go rescue the rest of the family. To make an already long story...a bit shorter...As we were on our rescue mission we got stuck 3 times. Each time, Merly gave the car some gas, and me and Shines pushed the car with our brute strength. It took about 15-20 minutes but we managed to get unstuck every time. This was saying a lot!...since there was so many abandoned vehicles everywhere...on the sides of the street and even in the middle of intersections! We kept saying how it felt like the end of the world...seeing people walk through the blizzard aimlessly and cars abandoned. All I could think of was...OMG...this is the last day of earth and I've been stuck with Shines for the past 7 hours?!? We finally got to my apartment at 8 pm!!...so much for being happy about getting off of work early!! We were drenched with sweat and snow and exhausted. And that, folks...is how we spent Christmas Eve in OKC.

I've got no passion for fashion...

After the recent Oprah episode about fall fashion. I was feeling pretty good about myself. It seemed I wasn't as clueless as I had assumed...I actually wore "in" colors, understood the basics of accessorizing, and made good use of tights! So, since I was "so" fashionable...I was pretty confident in wearing a dress to the last wedding I worked. Wearing Indian outfits are a job hazard. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've tripped on churidar pants as I was running around.

The dress I picked was actually a skirt and shirt. I bought it a few years ago for a Christmas party. I'm not sure what the skirt is made of, but it is charcoal gray with black velvet designs on it. I knew the colors were in this season, so I figured I could pull it off with a pair of my favorite black tights. Of course, Sheryl made fun of my shirt....and come to think of it, so did her mom. It was a 3 quarter length sleeve jacket-shirt in black velvet. Sheryl didn't get how a jacket could be a shirt and her mom didn't get why I buttoned it all the way to the collar. But, I blew them off...I mean, what do THEY know about fashion? So, I went to the wedding and felt pretty good about myself. And I felt pretty good about the outfit after...thinking I should wear it to all weddings that I work.

Until....I was at Walmart over the weekend and saw someone else sporting the exact same outfit. Now, I'm not a fashion snob who thinks I need to be wearing "originals." The problem def'ly wasn't that someone else was wearing something I owned. The problem was.................she was 60. She definitely burst my bubble. If only Stacey London wasn't so rude to her show guests....I'd def'ly sign myself up for "What Not to Wear."

Wii dont' have it...

Pardon me for my lack of posting last week. It was an extremely busy work week. I actually had to spend time at the office after 5 pm, which is very unusal because I'm usually out the door and in my car with my seatbelt strapped by 5 pm.

Let me fill you in on the events of last week. I had been dropping both subtle and obvious hints to Matt that I wanted a Wii for Christmas. Partially because I rock at Wii bowling and I also wanted the Wii Fit to excercise with. Since Walmart was giving away a $50 gift card with their Wiis Matt decided that we could finally get one. So, we woke up at 7 am one Sunday morning to beat the rush. We came home with our new purchase and I was so excited to set it up and start playing...after church, of course. So, imagine my disappointment when we stuck the game cd in and it...DIDN'T WORK!!

I could hardly concentrate in church because I knew that if we took the Wii back to Walmart, we wouldn't be able to exchange it. There were only 3 more in the store when we bought ours. Sure, I could wait until Monday to exchange it...but that totally threw a wrench in my plans of playing the Wii all afternoon long!! Church was finally over and I told M & S (not to be confused with M as in Matt or S as in Sue...) about our dilemma. They were certain it was an easy fix and offered to come by and look at it.

Unfortunately, they couldn't fix it either. We were all set to go get a refund for our purchase when Matt decided to call the 1-800 number help line. I was pretty sure that the call would get him nowhere...it was obviously a problem with the console that couldn't be fixed. Matt told the lady that he tried to put the cd in and it kept giving him the same message over and over "unable to read disc." She very patiently asked him to walk over to the console, and see if there were plastic feet on the top of it.....

And there ya have it....we had the unit upside down the whole time....so it was reading the disc upside down!!

We had to go through all these obstacles and in the end....we didn't keep the Wii afterall. Oh, it worked perfectly fine...but, SOMEONE seems to think that they're going to come out with a new and improved system next year and then by that time ours will be outdated...(blah, blah, blah).
So, there goes that Christmas wish...on to the next....

I recieved a call today on my cell...no number, no info...just said "incoming call." When I picked it up, the person said, (in a very professional voice), "May I speak to Susan?" My automatic response was, "this is Susan." That response literally took one second to come from my mouth...but in that one second of time, my brain worked over time to figure out who the caller might be. Initially, I thought it was from India...but the voice sounded American. Maybe it was a credit card collector...but wait...I have no credit card. Maybe they were going to offer me a credit card...doubtful...A real estate agent that I had contacted weeks ago? Perhaps...orrr was it church that I had recently sent my resume to?? Maybe they were calling me in for an interview. But, just as my hopes soared, they came crashing down when I heard giggling....

It was Sheryl. She was trying to convince me she was Ellen Degeneres, calling live from her show. Needless to say, she needs to brush up on her prank calling skills, and I need to be less imaginitive I guess. =/ People always tell me I have an overactive imagination. I guess they're right...

Hey...that's not an onion...it's my finger!

Last night was cooking marathon night...the one night a week where I make enough food to feed our faces for atleast 7 days. I make Indian curries...which is time consuming and stanks up the entire apartment, but it's cheap and eating leftovers isn't so bad.

So, I made beef, chicken, fish, and fried potatoes and onions. Just as I was cutting the onions, I sliced the tip off my ring finger. It started bleeding profusely. Matt ran for a bandaid, and I ran for the sink. When I finally got my finger cleaned, we inspected the wound and realized a chunk of my ring finger was mia. We walked back to the onions...I certainly didn't want to throw my finger in and fry it up with the potatoes!!! There it was...still on the knife. It looked like a piece of onion...but it was rubbery...so I knew it was my finger. I saved it ...I'm not sure why. It's not like I can super glue it back...but I'm just weird like that, I guess. So now i'm typing with out a tip of my ring finger...and it hurts...so I'm gonna stop here. Until tomorrow, folks...