On river floating and dead bodies.

Hello, 2012!

It is our first post of the year, and it only took four months to get it published.  Not bad at all, wouldn't you say?

Well, the sun is shining (except when it's snowing) and the birds are chirping (except when those birds are geese and hissing evilly) here in Central Oregon!  Boy howdy, have I been waiting for sweet summer to come my way, and I can certainly smell the scent of its approach in the air.

Leslie and I decided to celebrate the warm weather last weekend by going on a river float!  You don't know this about me, but EVERY TIME we float I am absolutely sure there are dead bodies lurking beneath the dark waters, and I like to make these thoughts known to my companions.

Well, as we were floating last weekend, what do we see ahead of us but police officers on the bank, divers in the water, and nosy neighbors watching from a bridge...  Yes, we were those jerks wearing hot pink sunglasses and bathing suits floating through a crime scene.  We watched the news an hour later and apparently they were pulling a body from the water at that very time that we floated by, so that's pretty much one of my worst fears coming true.

In other news, I twisted my ankle two weeks ago and I am on a diet.  The two events are not related... or are they?  I'm an idiot and can't walk properly, and so I've been punished with a never-ending swollen ankle.  I am on a calorie counting adventure, and it's working out well so far!  But the swollen ankle is hindering my plan of daily bike rides with my pal, Leslie, so I hope to get that back on track ASAP.  I want to look like a Greek goddess by the time my ten year high school reunion rolls around in July, and I think that request is reasonable.

Hallo everyone.

Oh, I've missed you.
Did you miss me, too?

Hello Internet people! Just channeling a bit o' Bette Midler ala Hocus Pocus there... which is who I was for Halloween! Yes. Dressing up as Winifred Sanderson is awesome, as is having three of my best friends dressed as the other Sanderson Sisters and Binx the Cat. Observe.

Sherry as Mary Sanderson, Me as Winifred Sanderson, Leslie as Sarah Sanderson, and Julia as Binx

Sanderson Sisters!

It's just a little hocus pocus!

I hope your Halloween was full of mischief and candy. And maybe just a little karaoke singing.

I am alive.

Dear blog, you’ve heard it before: I’m a lazy son of a gun. I have not written to you in the longest time, but know that you are always on my mind… just like Georgia.

Leslie and I had some tough summers, and we are trying to settle into changes that have occurred in our lives. Hers may have been more heartbreaking, but I had some unhappiness as well which I don’t feel comfortable posting on the interwebs. Anyway, here is fall, and I am happy for it to be here with all of its leaves and cider and Halloween costumes. (BT-Dub, Leslie and I are going to be Ghostbusters this year. Frick yes!)

As you know, Leslie and I always enjoy a writing a good list, so here are the things that are making me excited right now:

1. The book Zombies vs. Unicorns. It was pretty much written with our interests in mind.
2. My new Wii. I pre-ordered "Just Dance 2," and it is released in three days. I CANNOT WAIT!
3. Black nail polish I keep peeling off my nails.
4. Going to visit the Roloff farm in a couple weeks with Leslie and Nike.
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows midnight showing!
6. Polar Plunging with "Team Apocalypse... We've all been there" as a gang of Buffys (or is it Buffies).
7. Finding an opportunity to wear Leslie's and my newly acquired unicorn costume. It's brilliant.

So, yeah, there's some good stuff I'm looking forward to right now. Yeah fall!

TV characters we'd make out with

Trent Lane (Daria)


















Tats, goatee, and lack of ambition. All very hot.

Jim Halpert (The Office)
















Sigh. We love this dreamboat. We'll cut Pam if we have to.

Barney Stinson (HIMYM)

Birthday suiting up, perhaps?

Marshall Erickson (HIMYM)

We'd scout out Nessy with him any day.

Eric (The Little Mermaid)

Part-time sailor, full-time cartoon hottie.

Sawyer!!!! (Lost)

We'd brave a hellish island and smoke monsters for this man any day.

Matt Saracen (Friday Night Lights)

So poetic and forlorn.

Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights)

He likes beer. We like him. And beer.

Gus Pike (Tales from Avonlea)

He may smell like fish, but he can read now!

Piz (Veronica Mars)

Clearly better than Logan. I mean, come on!

Jess (Gilmore Girls)

Dean is a whiny little bitch. Jess is obviously way better.

Joey (Friends)

How you doin'?

Ned (Pushing Daisies)

Several inappropriate comments were just made about pie. That's all we can say.

Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Bite me? Yes, please.

Seth (The O.C.)

Shawna: What's it called when you're a whiny little bitch in high school, but awesome?
Leslie: Emo?
Shawna: Oh, yeah.

Puck (Glee)

Totally hotter than the other Glee Club douches. Kirk/Kurt is also awesome, but we can never remember his names.

Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser)

Probably gay, but straight enough for us.

And for the grand finale, Jacob (Twilight Series).


You're welcome.

Zooey Deschanel likes fro yo, too!

Zooey Deschanel is awesome. Fact. I've had a fascination with that girl since I saw her in Elf and she blew me away with her amazing rendition of "Baby, it's cold outside." Since then I've YouTubed the heck out of her, first scouring for videos of her singing in her cabaret act, "If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies" and now of her in her better known band with M. Ward, "She & Him." I happen to be going to a She & Him and Band of Horses concert in 1.5 hours. Jealous?

I love Zooey because she is quirky and fun and girly with the voice of a 60's pop singer. I basically want to be her, but sadly I don't have the vocal ability. Whatever, I can try to embody what she means to me, all dresses and ukuleles and bangs and cuteness.

Recently it has been brought to my unavoidable attention by a cruel doctor's office scale that I currently weigh more than I ever have and ever thought I would. This upward climb must come to an end, so I've decided to make Zooey my inspiration. She's a visual reminder of what I want for myself, a joyful life (and a Joseph Gordon-Levitt) of my own.

This blog post sounds really stupid, doesn't it? Whatever. Zooey is awesome, and I'm going to see her in person so soon!

10 years

So, today was the 10th anniversary of my sister's death. I don't know why I feel the need to broadcast that on this blog like I did last year, but I guess I just want to shout out to the universe that this date hasn't passed by unnoticed by me.

Every year I call my mom on May 3rd. It feels like we are the only two people in the world who know what this date means to us. Heather is not forgotten, not by us. Sometimes my mom or I will mention her during the phone call, sometimes not. But I know that Mom is thinking of Heather just as I am on this day a week before Mother's Day.

It's been a decade since I've laughed at my sister's sarcastic humor, attacked her with my painfully tight hugs, and eagerly awaited a letter from her in the mail. Sometimes I feel like a jerk when I point out to others that I still miss her and love her as much as ever, like I feel that they feel I should just be over being sad already. But I can still hear her laugh and feel her love, and I know I'll never be done grieving for who she would have been today and who I miss from before.

I am now 26, the age Heather was when she died. She is my older sister no matter what age I am, but it's strange that she'll always be frozen in time for me at that age. When I'm 50 with wrinkles, I'll still remember my big sister as she was in 2000, a young and happy 26-year-old growing into herself and her life.

Life is so short, and it's hard to believe I haven't seen my sister in ten years when she's still such a part of my world and who I am. These are the years my sister was given; these 26 are what I've been given so far, too. Ten years ago I got a phone call that made me wonder how I'd ever be able to wake up the next morning, breathe in and out. Here I am, still standing, and so is my mom. I feel like love is an incredible thing.

Dear blog, I miss you. This seems like deja vu, I believe.

I am boring. Often I can't think of what to write about on this blog, but still I want to write something, because I miss it so and I always look forward to reading Leslie's hilarious stories. She's a fun roommate.

So, here I am with nothing particularly important to say except hello. Yes, it did snow this morning, but Leslie and I managed to go for a lovely bike ride this evening despite the earache inducing cold. Bike riding is a good bonding and shared experience for us, maybe more so than Leslie would like it to be. I have no internal monitor for the things that pop out of my mouth sometimes, but she's pretty understanding of that. Anyways, she shouldn't be shocked by anything I say anymore.

My 26th birthday is this upcoming Wednesday, and my sweet 26 birthday party extravaganza is next Saturday! I'm so excited and can't wait to see all of my friends dressed up in their prom-worthy attire. I don't think anyone is going to be able to handle how awesome we are. It's going to blow some minds for sure.

Leslie and Shawna Attack Your Face!!! (Episode One)

We've decided to start making a video blog series! Here is episode one for your viewing delight... It is very well thought out as you can probably tell.

For the coming year, a prayer for you and me.

Hello 2010.

I spent the first day of 2010 waking up at noon, playing with babies, watching the Rose Bowl, watching two National Lampoon's Vacation movies and also the Jackass 2 movie.

A very good start to the year, I'd have to say.

We are creepy neighbors.

The other day Leslie's sister and I were sitting in the living room and, lucky for us, our wide blinds are positioned just right for one-way neighbor spying. We were ogling the tattooed neighbor boy as he tied his shoes on his front stoop and did other neighborish things. I knew that he was moving, and as I just looked out the front window to spy on him again I noticed that all of his things are gone from his apartment. This is a sad, sad day for me.

An excellent evening of cheese and paint.

Tonight Leslie, our friend Anne, and I all had a wonderful evening beginning with us cooking a gourmet meal of macaroni and cheese (with peas, bacon, mozzarella cheese, and puffy Cheetos added in) and another cheesy twisty pasta. Following that we went and bought Nutella, cream slushies from Sonics, and a bargain pack of canvasses that Leslie proceeded to paint a large banana on when we got back to our apartment. It was rather odd and creepy.

What a glorious evening in our new place! What adventurous souls we are.

Haircuts for everyone!

I'm getting a haircut tonight! Yay yay yay! I've been on the internet looking at styles I like, and I usually end up getting a similar bob. I know I'm boring, but I can't help thinking that these are the cutest haircuts in the world:
I'm going to feel like a brand spanking new woman in my new extremely Parisian apartment with Leslie.

Cheater cheater, bacon eater.

So, I know the date on this post is saying Sunday, the 27th, but it's really only the 26th at 12:33pm. I'm cheating at my post a day, because I know I will most likely not have access to a computer tomorrow, so whatever.

At this simulated time and I am waking up from a ridiculous night of frolicking with friends and drinking too much beer, and I have a backache from sleeping on my stupid air mattress. Sucks to be me. I am also waiting for my parents to arrive with my furniture.

When they do arrive they are frantic because there is nowhere to park and are therefore making me stressed out. Finally after much cursing they settle in and my friends and I do the heavy lifting as my parents are rather old. I mean wise! Did I say wise?

Finally we are done and we celebrate Leslie's actual 25th birthday by going grocery shopping, buying cupcakes, and riding our bikes around the park several times until we are so exhausted that we topple into the river and drown. The end.

Banned books week!

Also, I forgot to mention that this is the first day of banned books week, and it runs until October 3rd! Check out this shocking map to see which books are currently being challenged in this day and age in the United States.

What are you going to read to protest the suppression of glorious, glorious words? I'm finally going to read "Catcher in the Rye" since I know I've most likely been missing out all these years, and I also have the urge to read some "Wicked" or "Dangerous Angels." Happy Banned Books Week everyone!

The countdown begins...

4.5 hours until I get off work, head to our new apartment, and embark on great adventures for Leslie's and another friend's suit-up birthday party extravaganza tonight downtown! It's also Octoberfest today and we are going to hit that up later, and maybe spread a little suited chickendance cheer around the block. Did I ever let any of you know what I'm suiting up as tonight? I can't recall. Well, let it be a surprise for the pictures to come whenever I can get internet access for my computer to upload photos!

On a side note: I just called Leslie and she said she couldn't speak because her father had back his truck right up onto the front lawn and to the door so they need to unpack quickly. I think this is awesome. Also, Leslie met our new neighbors. I bet they think we are pretty stinking cool and will stoop sit with us soon.

I hate packing for a weekend trip.

Packing to move to another town is obviously more exhausting. Leslie's right, we won't have internet for a week so we may be scarce around here. Hopefully by the end of that week our apartment will rock out with impressiveness and unicorn magic. Until then I'm just going to have to sneak a blog post in during my lunch breaks.

GOODNIGHT!

Soo...

Today I wore plastic fangs and flung a squishy rubber bug across the workroom. I love my job.

We can't go to Applebee's every night, Kim. We're not billionaires!

Tonight Leslie and I enjoyed an extravaganza of $5 bargains.
We went to Applebee's and ate the Surf 'N Turf burger and fries for 5 bucks!
We also went shopping and bought a sparkly pineapple welcome mat for our front stoop. Excellent.
My motto is that anything worth buying is usually $5. Fact.

Okay, okay.

So, it's officially the first day of Autumn. I've been pre-embracing the autumness of the world already. Soo, that's all. Goodnight.