Another Edition of Where Am I Today (or Yesterday...)

Go here to see my review I did for The Opinionated Parent...

Go here (and scroll down to the August 6 entry, I can't get the permalink to work) to see the cool product that was mailed to me for me to try out for free. How cool is that??!! If only someone would mail me a new stroller or perhaps a side mirror for my van, that would be awesome...

Today is another scorcher as it is in most of the East Coast. Yesterday it was 83 degrees outside when I left my house at 6:45am. It finally reached 103 with a real feel of 112...

Tomorrow I am heading out of town. (I will be posting pictures tomorrow, I had Audrey's first haircut done on Monday (sob)). My friend Julie (the one in the picture of me in NYC with my Mom) and I are heading to Virginia Tech to check out the campus, the memorial they are building, and just hang out without kids at our old stomping grounds. I haven't been back in 3 years and am looking forward to see the campus. I am not looking forward to all the feelings that I will have in seeing Norris Hall where most of the shootings took place, but I think this will be a good trip. And maybe I will find a Virginia Tech apron...

Crazy Roommates

A few people have asked about my poor cat I had in college and her visit to the freezer in the townhouse I was living in.

It was my junior year of college, and I lived with three other girls in a townhouse. For those of you who know Virginia Tech, it was the Pheasant Run townhouses. Anyways, my roommates:

1. Lisa - nymphomaniac, striped for money at frat parties, was extremely smart, last I heard she was still waiting tables at Tech.

2. Amy B. - the bisexual one. Nuff said.

3. Amy C. - Little Amy, from a really small town in New Jersey, prior to living with us had never kissed a boy, had a job, driven a car, or boiled water.

Needless to say, it was interesting beyond the fact that there were three Amy's living under one roof. As I said, it was my junior year in college and the hardest year in the accounting program. I was studying a ton and working part time and breaking up with my long time boyfriend from high school. A lot was going on with me. They were all in their senior year and goofy off and having fun. Nothing wrong with that except their version of having fun was a little different than mine.

Exhibit A: My poor cat Cannoli was stuck in the freezer by Amy B. to see what it would do. Apparently, she liked to hurt animals. And I will tell you, it will meowed it's little head off. The following weekend, Cannoli went to live with my Mom.

Exhibit B: Little Amy was in the half bathroom and Lisa and Amy B. duct-taped the door shut except for the bottom and used a hair dryer to blow baby powder into the bathroom. I still to this day have no idea why.

Exhibit C: I like my stuff. I used to be really possessive about my stuff (had issues my freshman year with my roommate wearing all my clothes, that's a whole other story...). I have gotten better. Anyways, routinely they would do things to stuff in my room like hang clothes from the ceiling and mess with my alphabetized CD collection (don't make fun.of.me).

Exhibit D: On more than one occasion, I would come home to some boy crashed out in MY BED.

Exhibit E: Dumbasses Lisa and Amy B. thought they would teach Amy C. to drive a car at night to pick them up from a frat party. Needless to say, she wrecked Amy B.'s car.

That's all I remember for now. I am sure there is more, I just may have blocked it all out.

Thanks...

Thanks for all the great comments and emails yesterday. You guys are great and definitely lifted my spirits when I felt like I couldn't watch the TV anymore or listen to the radio.

I watched the convocation at my desk at work and was luckily interrupted by a phone call from CPA Mom, otherwise I probably would have been a sobbing mess at work, and that would not have been good.

Friday has been deemed "Orange and Maroon" day. Hokies and non-Hokies alike are asked to join the Virginia Tech family and wear our school colors in support of those families who had loved ones who died.

I am also a huge sports fan...seeing this on the morning news this morning brought tears to my eyes...

Virginia Tech

Massacre, 33 dead, largest shooting....

I never thought I would hear those words attached to Virginia Tech, one of my favorite places on earth. I used to joke that when I die, I want my ashes spread in Disney World and at Virginia Tech.

Both Ray and I graduated from Virginia Tech as did my twin brother. What happened on that campus yesterday is scary, sad, disgusting, heart wrenching...I can't even imagine what the parents of those killed think.

I sat at work yesterday and many people emailed me about the tragedy. I am a huge Virginia Tech supporter. Every football game is watched, my kids have matching Virginia Tech cheerleading outfits, my Mom wears a Virginia Tech Mom shirt. Those four years at Tech were the best present my parents have ever given me.

I had one class in Norris Hall, I had friends who lived in West AJ. In fact, my biggest memory of Norris Hall? I was sitting in that classroom in Norris Hall when I decided to pledge the fraternity I ended up meeting Ray in.

It kills me to watch TV and see Virginia Tech Massacre and the VT logo all over the screen. What also kills me is how they are harping on the fact that the students weren't informed after the first shooting at West AJ, and how they are blaming Tech officials for the second shooting. Let's get all the facts and figure out exactly why, how, who. How in the hell are they supposed to contact all the students? 26,000 that live all over on campus and off? I think they did what they could with the information they had. 26,000 students over 2,600 acres and 100 buildings? I do not think the president should be fired.

Sorry for the rambling post...My prayers and thoughts to those involved. What a sad, tragic day. The Virginia Tech campus will never be the same.

Questions Answered

Glad to hear I'm as boring as some of you :). Want to go get a burrito?

To answer two questions that were asked - Rachel wanted to know if we were going to have more kids. And the definitive answer is NO. Actually, we did contemplate it for about 3 seconds once when Audrey was teeny tiny and sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. We thought, heck, we can do this! Piece of cake! The she started cutting teeth, then she started getting ear infections and not sleeping through the night and that idea went right.out.the.door. Plus, I like to stick to man-to-man defense. I don't like to be outnumbered.

Swampwitch wants to know what a Hokie is. The origin of the word "Hokie" has nothing to do with a turkey. It was coined by O. M. Stull (class of 1896), who used it in a spirit yell he wrote for a competition.

Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy.

Techs, Techs, V.P.I.

Sola-Rex, Sola-Rah.

Polytechs - Vir-gin-ia.

Rae, Ri, V.P.I.

(V.P.I. stands for Virginia Polytechnic Institute).

The Hokie Bird, is modeled on a large turkey, has been the official sport mascot of Virginia Tech since 1961.

Intimidating, huh?

Good weather

Hooray! It's going to almost 80 degrees today and tomorrow.

Hooray! For the time change.

Can you tell I like warm weather? This past weekend was beautiful, we played outside most of the time. And for those of you not in the bible belt (I was told by one of my neighbors that there are three religions here in Raleigh; Methodist, Baptist, and Basketball), this past weekend it was the ACC tournament. On Saturday, Virginia Tech made it to the third round to play NC State. And since Ray wanted to be outside and watch the game, this is what he did.

Just call us rednecks, go ahead. I can take it.

Oh, and Audrey? Goes to bed SO FREAKIN' easy now (sippy cup, book, get into crib, nigh-night, leave, and goes to sleep). Whew. Ashley was easy to put to bed also, but she did that much earlier than Audrey started doing it. And Audrey is almost walking. She took a good 10-15 steps unassisted on Saturday and will walk holding onto one hand. Everyone keeps telling us to enjoy her not walking while we can, but honestly, we would rather have her walking. She will be so much happier.

More Christmas in Pictures

Ashley has always been into dollhouses and such. And knowing how much she loves Disney and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, this gift was a must. Of course all the people to go in it sold out before I could buy them, but Ashley is good at improvising. This has now replaced the Dora Dollhouse in her room.

No Christmas would be complete without the Virginia Tech presents. Ashley and Audrey received matching outfits from our good friends Wendy, Matt and Ethan (and soon to be baby sister!!). And as a good girl, Ashley insisted on wearing this Christmas day. We are so good at brain-washing...
Ray's Mom normally gets me something from Virginia Tech, and I love my new sweatshirt. I also received Virginia Tech toe socks. Very cute. I am going to wear them on Saturday in honor of the game.
This is what a three year old looks like who hasn't napped in four days (and it's only 4:00pm on the 4th day).
TMX Elmo has been banished to the floor. Audrey is not too keen on him. He is kind of scary...