How we roll in California

I was driving to Wal-Mart the other day, and I was behind this van at a stoplight. I read what it had painted on it, and I just had to take a picture.

Funny, right? Fancy schmancy California people with their private jet cleaners. LOL

Emma and I have another meeting with an agent tomorrow afternoon. This agent is in Burbank, which is MUCH closer to us, and just happens to be where Chris works. Hopefully we'll be able to swing by his work and see him. Brighten his day a little with a cute little toddler running around his office. :)

I watched one of Emma's friends, Ashlyn, for a few hours this afternoon. The girls had a lot of fun playing together. They played a game, cooked in Emma's kitchen, had tea, bowled in the kitchen and had a dance party. And we watched The Little Mermaid. Good times.
That's all for now. More later.

Call me crazy, but: Shouldn't Pull Ups training pants have at least a LITTLE diaper-like urine retaining ability? I mean, who wants to clean up some other person's kid's pee from my carpet?

One down, one to go

Emma and I met with a super nice agent today. The agency was right down in Hollywood, just off of Highland. I basically drove right by the Kodak Theatre to get there. How Hollywood am I?? Anyway, the lady was really nice and really helpful, and she was great with Emma. Loved Emma's gorgeous blue eyes.
I told her we are meeting with other people, and she said it was important that we meet with as many people as we can to make sure we get the right fit for us, which is what my friend who has been helping me out said. But today's girl is high on my list. Emma really liked her, too.

So I'm glad today's meeting went better than the first one. I swear that first lady had no idea what she was talking about. And Emma didn't like her anyway. We have another meeting scheduled for this Wednesday, so I'll let you know how that goes. Hopefully we'll get some more calls from other agents so we can have lots from which to choose.

Happy day! I got the 30th anniversary edition DVD of School House Rock! at Costco today for only $9.99! I am so excited. It has EVERY song they did on there, including "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill". Bill is just the cutest little guy.

I loved it in middle school when we got to watch the School House Rock! videos. The two I mentioned before are my favorites, but I also remember "Lolly lolly lolly, get your adverbs here!" Yes, I am a nerd, and I know it. I love spelling and grammar. Give me something to proof-read, and I'm a happy camper.

That's all for now. More later.

Call my crazy, but: Does it mean I've turned into a true Californian if I didn't even look down Hollywood Blvd. when we drove by today because I've seen it before and I was on my way to a meeting?

Dorktown ...... Population: Me

Yes, you read it right. I have tickets to attend the October 8 concert of New Kids on the Block. That's right, baby, they're back. And I'm going to the show! My friend, Jenn, is going with me. She, too, was a huge NKOTB fan back in the day, and we are treating ourselves to a dorky evening out without children. We are beyond excited. Giddy with glee is more like it.

In other news, Emma and I have two meetings with potential agents in the next week. The first one is Saturday in Hollywood, and the other one is next Wednesday in Burbank. Exciting, right? I just know it has to do with the great photos Julie took when we were in Indiana. She did such a nice job with them. The lady from the Burbank agency commented on the great photos and asked who took them. Way to go, Julie!

I'll let you all know how those meetings go.

I am in the final stages of being chosen to be on Bingo America. Late last week they e-mailed me a 21-page packet of waivers and releases I had to sign and mail in. I guess they really want me on the show! The commercials I am in are still airing before and after Bingo America nightly. The show airs at 7:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Central). If you have Game Show Network, check it out! I'm the one in the green shirt. Can't miss me. :)

That's all for now. More later.

Call me crazy, but: Is it weird that I will probably tear up a little when the New Kids first step on the stage when the show starts?

Swim class

Emma had her first swim lesson today. We were supposed to work on the basics - blowing bubbles in the water, kicking her feet, etc. - which she already does. So our goal was to get her comfortable enough to let me hold her waist and to kick her feet and move her arms at the same time. It's 0-depth entry at the pool, so I had her lay on her tummy at the very shallow part and practice kicking and moving her arms there. I told her she had to let me hold her and show me how she can swim one time in the deeper water (probably 1 1/2 feet or so) before we left. She did it for me one time, and I was so proud. :)

We have another class this Thursday, then classes next Tuesday and Thursday. The next session we do (2 days a week for 2 weeks) starts Aug. 12. I believe they're the same classes, but at least we can work on the same stuff every time in the same format, and maybe she'll get really comfortable with it. I'd love to have her get comfortable enough to float, but we'll see.

I got a new bathing suit yesterday. I'm very happy with it, for a change, but the whole trying-on process stinks. Who likes bathing suit shopping? It's awful. I probably tried on 15 suits altogether. UGH. But I ended up getting my suit at Macy's on sale. Still paid a pretty penny for it, but I COULD HAVE paid more. I'm sure a picture will be taken of me in the suit at some point, but I don't have one yet. I'd never have one, if it was up to me. Here is the suit. Mine is brown with blue hem accents. I love it. And I never, ever thought I'd say that about a bathing suit (or "babing suit," as Emma calls them).

That's all for now. More later.

Call me crazy, but: I think the only thing worse than bathing suit shopping is bra shopping. Am I right, ladies?

Movie recommendations

I have seen a few movies lately that I wanted to recommend to you all. I saw "Definitely, Maybe" with Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") and Ryan Reynolds ("Van Wilder"). It is SO cute. The basic gist is that Ryan Reynolds' character is getting a divorce, and his daughter (Breslin) wants to know how he met and fell in love with her mother, hoping that might help him remember why they got married and thus want to stay married. He tells her the story, but he changes the names so she has to figure out which one is her mom in the story. Very cute movie.

I got "The Illusionist" from Netflix a month or two ago, and I forgot to watch it until last night. It's with Edward Norton and Jessica Biel. It was great! It's similar to "The Prestige," which is a great movie, too. So definitely see "The Illusionist." And see "The Prestige" too, while you're at it. It's got Christian Bale in it. That's reason enough to check it out, in my opinion. :)

"Step Up 2: The Streets" comes out on DVD today. It's really good. The music is great, and the dancing is cool. It's much better than the first one, which I like as well.

That's all for now. More later.

Call me crazy, but: Are car alarms SO difficult to turn off in a timely manner?

I'm on TV!

Whoa! I was watching this evening's edition of Bingo America (as I am still addicted to playing every night), and what did I happen to spy just before the show started? Why, I saw a new Bingo America commercial that I happened to be on! NO WAY! The little part that had me on it was the last little clip before the show started, and it was me telling how I called my mom and told her I won $50.

I almost died. It was the coolest.

Then AFTER the show, there was another commercial, and there were several clips of me on it. I was holding up the huge, fake $50 check they had me hold up, then I talked a couple of times about how you need to go online and print Bingo cards. Again, I almost died.

So, seriously, people...watch a little bit of GSN sometime and see if you spot me! I'm totally there!

If the spots were available online - or if they do become available - I would/will totally put them on my blog so you can see them.

That's all for now. More later.

Call me crazy, but: I could really use a McDonald's iced coffee right now.

Dance class video

Here's the video of Emma at dance class the other day. So cute.

Florida and dance class

This morning Chris was still in bed and Emma had gone in there to see him. She yelled for me to come in there, and once in the room she told me to go to sleep. I laid down on my pillow. Then she said she was going to go bye-bye.

I said, "Where are you going, Emma?"

To which she replied, "I'm going to Florida and dance class."

"Who are you going to see in Florida?"

"I have people."

And she was off.

That's all for now. More later.

Call me crazy, but: Whoever thought of making mini pancakes that you can easily warm up in the microwave was a genius.

The swing

Getting back into the swing of things after vacation is always difficult. We got home on Tuesday evening, and tonight (Friday) was the first time I actually made dinner. I didn't even want to tonight, either; but Chris wasn't interested in getting back out, and honestly we don't need to be spending money on eating out every day, nor do we need to be eating that much more fast food. I've gained enough weight as it is. But I digress.

So here I am, trying to get back to blogging regularly.

Emma went to dance class yesterday (Thursday). It was the first class of the new session. She did so well. She didn't cry at all, and she participated like a big girl. I took lots of video - which hasn't been uploaded to Google Video yet but will be eventually - since I'm an idiot and couldn't figure out how to turn off the stupid flash even though the button was right in front of my face. Again I digress.

Got a letter yesterday from a high school friend. We exchanged addresses a few months ago and promised to send each other mail from time to time, as it's nice to receive any mail that's not a bill or junk mail these days. She wrote the letter on lined paper. It made me smile. I returned the favor and wrote her a letter on lined paper, and I even folded it like I used to fold notes in high school. For old times' sake. A little nostalgia is always fun.

That's all for now. More later.

Call me crazy, but: There should be a "do not call" list for junk mail.

Big trip excitement

Hi!

Emma and I got back yesterday evening from our big trip to Indiana. We had a great time, but we were ready to come home. A week is a long time. Here's what we did on our trip...

Wednesday, July 2: Got up early early early to get to the airport on time for our 9:15 a.m. flight. Made it in time. Non-stop flight to Indy, and Emma actually slept for an hour and a half on the plane. My dad picked us up at the airport. Emma was SO happy to see her Papaw. Had dinner at my parents' house then went over to the in-laws' for a while. Papaw gave Emma a bath when we got back to my parents' house. Emma loved it.

Thursday, July 3: Emma and I went with my mom to her hair appointment in the morning. Her stylist has her shop in her home, so her 2 1/2-year-old was there, and Mom wanted the girls to play. Emma was still tired and not quite used to being in a different place yet, so she just sat with me mostly. She did get out of there with a green bouncy ball, though. We went out to visit with my grandparents for a little while, and I got to see the new quilt my grandma is making for our next child if/when we have one. It looks amazing.

Friday, July 4: Big family 4th of July party at Chris' parents' house. We went over after Emma took a nap and spent the rest of the day there. Emma got to see all kinds of family, and she even got to play a little badminton with her Papaw. It was cute. We stayed for the fireworks, but she did NOT like them, so we had to leave early. Such is life. When we got back to my parents' house, she talked a mile a minute about the fireworks and how they were up in the sky and were pretty colors etc. It was hilarious.

Saturday, July 5: Aunt Cayla (Chris' sister) went with Emma and me to Mooresville to get Emma's picture taken. Julie did a great job with the photos. We went to the Bloomington Mall in the afternoon and had dinner at Red Lobster. Those cheese biscuits are so delicious. Emma and I went over to Rick and Terry's house (in-laws) after we got back from Bloomington. We ended up watching Cars and stayed there really late. It was fun.

Sunday, July 6: We went to church at First Christian Church (my old church), and Emma tried going in the nursery but didn't really have any fun, so she came back out in the service with us (with PAPAW, her main man). Right after church, Emma, Mom and I took off for Noblesville, where I was co-hosting an open house baby shower for my good friend Amy (the one who came out here for the sale at Extra). It went very well, though silly me forgot to take any pictures at the shower. Duh.

Monday, July 7: Drove back up to Noblesville to have lunch with Amy (Emma and Mom came, too). We ate at Chick Fil-A. Yum. Then we went over and visited the newspaper I used to work at. Emma was standing in the assistant editor's doorway, and he said, "Emma, you're getting so big!" To which she immediately replied, "No, I'm little." It was so funny. I had dinner at Steak N Shake with my cousin Jennifer that evening, while Emma stayed in with Mamaw and Papaw and had dinner. I haven't seen Jenn for a long time, so it was nice to catch up with her.

Tuesday, July 8: Mamaw and Papaw both had to go to work, so Emma and I hung out alone at the house and got all our stuff ready for the trip home. Mamaw Terry (Chris' mom) picked us up and took us to the airport. We finally made it home, which was SO nice.

That's the main gist of what happened on our trip. Emma also learned to ride a tricycle by herself, which was really cute. And she "fished" in the ditch next to Mom and Dad's house with a kiddie pole that had an attached fish. It was cute.

That's all for now. More later.

Always remember: Fake fish are a lot cleaner and less slippery than real ones.