I <3 Halloween

When else is the following perfectly acceptable?

1. A woman at Target in a poodle skirt, striped shirt, and a "visitor" tag.
2. A girl dressed like a slutty cowboy. (Okay...so you can see this one pretty frequently if you're at a club, bar, high school or retirement home.)
3. A guy dressed like a pirate, driving a Jeep Cherokee with a black ribbon sticker that says, "Support Lap Dancing."

I have a problem.

And the first step is admitting it.

I'm addicted to celeb gossip.

BUT!

I don't expect great things from the pages that I visit. I do, however, expect the writers of these pages to have passed their 4th grade english class.

"A source tells TMZ that during the skit, "Bush" asked Babs if they could sing a solo together to which Streisand replied "How about "Enough is Enough?" (A reference to Babs' 70s disco duet with Donna Summer) At that point a disgruntled fan through ice at the 64-year-old diva. Barbra kept her cool, opted against using her now infamous retort of "Shut the F**k Up!," and simply said "It's ok, it's ok.""

itty bitty sugar sock

Octoberfest is done!

I'm a Lammle and Cari is a Basler. Yay!

Speaking of becoming a Lammle, I just requested our official marriage certificate today, so I can get moving on the name change process. Fun times!

Today is my brother's 4 year anniversary. It was 4 years ago today that I was laying on the floor of a hospital waiting room and my brother wouldn't be out of surgery for 2.5 more hours. He went into surgery around 12:30am and came out around 11.

Speaking of my brother, I'm currently struggling with what to do about him. He's having ALOT of trouble in school (he's in college) and I know a good portion of that is apathy and some depression. I really want to help him, but I know that if I assist too much, I'm going to feel responsible if it doesn't work.

My mom talks to me about him as well. He and she butt heads constantly and they both turn to me for venting. I want to help them both, but at the same time, don't want to get involved.

Regardless of what I do, it makes me feel bad to some degree. I get sad about the whole thing and wish I could help. I don't want to see potential fall by the wayside, but at what point do you say, "I can't help you, I need to concentrate on my own life?"

Either way, it makes my heart heavy.

The honeymoon in Chicago was a lot of fun. Just being together without worrying about work, school, or our home was nice enough for me.

I suppose I should get back to work. I've rambled enough.

Wedding Photo

This is my favorite pic from the wedding so far. We don't have the professional ones yet. This was taken by Rob's dad.

If you mess with Gunn, you get shot.

Show us your Gunn.

Gangs shooting others for colors, things that we wear for fashion...

Friday - Headed down to the Arms with friends for yummy lamb burger and beer. Headed to the City Museum next because two of our friends had never been there. Discovered that they've taken away our yummy cider and hot chocolate (with alcohol added, of course) and replaced it with a juice bar (not that kind..) and ice cream. Oh, and you can't smoke outside anymore either. (But you can smoke inside at Beatnik Bob's... makes TONS of sense.) Headed home entirely too late and crashed.

Saturday - Woke up wanting a substancial breakfast so we headed to Burkemper's for a fairly good breakfast. It's a tiny diner that is always packed. Food was better than Denny's but not as good as the Village Garden (otherwise known to locals as "The Diner" in Fisher.) Ran errands and went back to the condo because I felt craptastic. Cleaned. Rob headed out with the boys and I headed to the Mills with Kim. We were on a quest for awesomeness. Finding it in the form of a cornrow'd young man with an airbrush in his hand and tolerence in his heart - our quest for cheesy shirts had found a destination. Photos of the airbrushed awesomeness to come at a later time. Headed home to clean and hang out with Kim and Rob.

Sunday - Woke up and made cinn. rolls for Rob and I. Kim came over and we headed to the Mills for our airbrushed fun and studying. After spending entirely too much time at the mall, and only one shirt completed, I'm picking up the remaining shirts this evening when I head to class. We headed down to the Arms with the one completed shirt to drop off with Mike. Then we made the drive back to St. Peters where Rob was slaving over a hot stove making yummy lasagna. We ate yummy lasagna, studied, watched TV, and did laundry for the rest of the night.

My week looks like this:
Today - work (suckage), study, class, pick up dad from airport, then sleep.
Tomorrow - work (suckage), get nails done, study, pack, sleep.
Wednesday - work (suckage), get mystic tan, class, home to load car, drive to Fisher, sleep.
Thursday - drive to chicago, check in, CB2, nice dinner, drinks, newlywed things.
Friday - Museums!
Saturday - burbs! cousins! Ikea! MAC!
Sunday - C&B! Joliet! Chris & Cari! Married!
Monday - drive home! (Suck!)

Your quote for tomorrow....

"Angie Dickinson could suck the sorrow off a recent widow."

Indeed, Patton Oswalt, indeed.

Best thing I've read in a while.

"I would smile all day long, every day, if it guaranteed a unicorn getting punched in the face. I find them really annoying."

So do I, Rachel Ray. So do I.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Rehearsal day!

Earlier in the day, the ladies (and Mike & Jason) had their nails done at a nail salon in Mahomet. We then headed back to the hotel to relax for a little bit before heading to the rehearsal.

The rehearsal was at 4:30-5ish so the photographer could see the lighting in the church. The light came in at just the right angle so that it was golden and beautiful! On with the rehearsal.








We're waiting....








This is Caleb. He played Collide at our ceremony.








Rehearsing...


More to come... 

High School kids will make you looney. I have proof.

From the talented, creative, poetic mind of my maid of honor:

Ode to Grading

Like a thunder cloud pierces the heart of a sunny day,

my Fall Break is marred by the journals I slay.

Here and there, scattered on my classroom floor,

the papers are the carnage of my waging war

on grammar and literature and things of that sort,

things my kids think are of no import.

My rallying cries of "Steinbeck!" and "Douglass!"

are answered by shouts of "We couldn't care less!"

Now, the kids and their drama are nowhere near school,

but their papers and projects make me feel like a fool

to be here grading while Dawn is in Cabo...

I'd have to get married to go there like her though.

So perhaps I'm not a fool after all,

even though I've lost my break in the Fall.

One class set of journals is almost finished,

but my entire grading pile is hardly diminished.

I may bring it all to Champaign for the wedding,

(not mine, of course) and use it as bedding.

But as uncomfortable as grading might be,

I'm sure that would keep me from sleeping soundly.

So here it sit and listen to my iPod way loud,

and having the new Beck album makes me feel proud.

At least I've got good music and sounds

even though the grading still abounds.
-K. Rast

Doodletastic

i just drew him. I kinda like him.

I'm an on-air personality.

My brain is certainly not here today. I’m 10 days away from the wedding, and my brain is content to be sitting at home and worrying about everything that needs to get done for the 14^th.

I still have quite a bit to do, including getting a mystic tan or two. I don’t know what that’s going to cost me or where I need to go, but that’s some information that I need to get figured out today. Anyone have any ideas?

I spent most of the morning out of the office and on an impossible mission for water-soluble oil pastels. After hitting Hobby Lobby, and Michaels, I realized that we desperately need an art supply store in the suburbs. We have to settle for “arts and crafts” stores, which translates to “place over-run by fake flowers and the smell of eucalyptus mixed with middle-aged white housewives with minivans, the same haircut, and a desire to scrapbook little Timmy’s first bowel movement.” Go ahead. Walk into your local hobbyist Mega-Mart and have a look around. Tell me what you see. I’ll wait.

While I’m on the subject, this place could also use a few other specialty stores. How about a decent place to buy yarn? I have yet to find a good natural-fiber yarn at a Mega-Mart. It’s all synthetics.

All of this looking at various art supplies has me wanting to do some work of my own again. I have this great plan for a huge painting/drawing for the kitchen, but I don’t have the time or resources currently to get it done. Maybe this is what I’ll focus on for Christmas break. We’ll see, tho.

While driving around, I did get to listen to my new iPod. Rob allowed me (have to say it that way, because that’s how it went down…) to get a new 30 GB video iPod. The iPod mini we have has a funky battery or battery gauge and doesn’t like to hold a charge. Now, I have 30 GB of storage to be filled with my pop-tart music, my singer-songwriters, my funk, my hip-hop, my electronic, and my soul. Oh, and also (so far) 5 episodes of The State. (“Hairdryers are good. They don’t use a lot of energy and they keep food warm. Keep hairdryers on all the time.”)

I need to fill up the iPod before next Wednesday when I’m driving the 3 hours to Champaign by myself. If anyone is listening to anything fun lately, throw the suggestions my way. I’m looking for new music.

I just realized I didn’t do a weekend wrap-up. On Friday I headed down to the Scottish Arms with Piper and Zac for some fish n’ chips lovin’, along with some Strongbow lovin’, as well as some Cline in a Kilt lovin’. Poor Mike had been there since about 8am that morning, and didn’t get off work until 11. Ugh. This is exactly why I never worked as a server or any other part of the restaurant business.

We stayed down there just long enough for Zac to drink anyone within shouting distance under the table, and Piper and I to get to hang out and have a wonderful time. It was nice to sit and have a drink with her again. It’s been way too long since she and I have done that. It was also nice to have a conversation with Zac. (Zac & Piper are a new thing.) He’s absolutely crazy about her. They’re cute.

I got home entirely too late, and hit the sack after watching half of an episode of the State. Woke up at about 10 am the next morning and texted Beth, Helen, and Ellen to see if I could find a shopping buddy. Beth called to say she was at work, Helen said she was going four wheelin’, and Ellen asked me if I wanted to go to Eckert’s Orchard first with her and Ann. I quickly got ready and headed out to Collinsville to get Ellen and go pick up Ann from Erin’s. We went to the Orchard, bought appley goodies and went to Fairview Heights Mall where the most that was purchased was an order of Chinese food and a few pretzel dogs. Headed to Old Navy for new clothes and then headed back to Ellen’s to get ready for the party we were heading to that night. Helen came over, did a little talking about the reception setup, and we were off.

Got to the party at about 8:30 where I proceeded to drink entirely too much beer while admiring the lovely house. Helen took me back to Ellen’s at about 1am where I passed out and woke up at 5am. Sober and ready to go, I headed back to MO to finish my slumber in my own bed.

Rob was home early the next day, so we headed out together for various errands. We had a really nice day together. I felt like we escaped from the world around us and reconnected for a day. It was a needed thing, because these next 10 days are going to be filled with high-stress and tension.

That’s all I’ve got for now.

Chicken sandwich, CAAARRRRLLLL!

Stupidity runds rampant

If I have one more person either be too retarded to understand when I repeat myself a bajillion times or someone yell at me for disagreeing with policy... I'm going to fucking snap.

I'm under enough stress here, people without you fucknuts coming in here and getting in my shit because you think that a city government will accept liability for people drinking at YOUR event.

God damn mother fucking shit!

In other news, wedding stress/nervousness has set in completely, so that's fun. This weekend, as Rob said, we'll go back to Fisher/Champaign and proceed to bleed money to get everything finalized.

This week or next I will be getting the following: Waxings. Mystic Tans. Massage.

I'm in need of all three.