Big News!!

So...we've been busy shooting engagements, weddings and portraits.  Car show this weekend and we have three shoots lined up for next weekend.  Fall is just around the corner!!  Can you feel it?!

And...yesterday I went to the doctor to confirm my suspicions...and found out that I am indeed, 5 weeks pregnant!!  I'm ecstatic and terrified and I will likely be a total monster during the next 9 months, so please forgive me.  Expect somethings along the lines of, "Don't smoke in my general vicinity!  Are you crazy?!"  or "Don't you dare touch my stomach!  Do you want me to break your arm?!"  If you don't remember why, see this post.  In a burst of optimism, I have now added a "pregnancy" label.  Yay!  (I'm very tired and my back hurts, so don't get angry that you didn't get a personal phone call.  This is way easier.)

Normally, I wouldn't share this happy news with people until we reached that critical 3 month mark, but I've put everything else out here, so I might as well document the whole experience.

I'll get results from a progesterone test on Monday, but my doctor has me taking a supplement anyway since my levels were low during the last pregnancy.  I have my first prenatal appointment (with a new obstetrician) on Tuesday, so I'm anxious to find out how we are going to go about keeping me sane during this process, especially since I have to quit my happy pills.  I think I have Restless Leg Syndrome, which is very uncomfortable.  That combined with the lower back pain that is pretty much constant, make me really nervous, but I'm going to try to be positive.   

Buzz, buzz

Been a busy bee...

1. Working on the photography business a lot, which feels good.  Please follow the blog--I've actually been updating it lately.

2. My child has suddenly reverted back to acting like a baby--, tantrums, saying "uppy, snacky, huggy" and ...not using the toilet.  Her doctor says we are locked in a "power struggle".  I say, it sucks.

3. I hate summer.  Anyone with me?  Bugs (I got bit by radio-active mosquitoes, which gave me red/purple baseball-sized lumps all over my legs), heat (yuck), sweating (nasty), grass that needs to be mowed (not my job, but still a bummer). 

4. I do like having frequent play dates with our neighbors.  Since I'm home and Renee is home for the summer, we've been seeing a lot of each other lately, which is very cool.  I LOVE that the girls are friends and so excited to see each other.  Anna keeps asking when she'll get to play with Sophia again.  And, we are having our second play date tonight with her friend Lydia, who lives not too far away.  It cracks me up that these are play dates for the adults as well as the girls, because we really like the parents of these kids, so that's cool.

5. I said I was done with vampires, but of course, I'm not.  I'm really enjoying the Sookie Stackhouse series and "True Blood", so....there.

6. I haven't actually finished a craft project in 4 years, so I'm very proud that I have one nearly done and will share pics next time.

7. We are shooting a wedding this weekend, which I'm excited about.

8. Paramore concert is one week away!!  Totally stoked!!!

And with that in mind, I give you the lyrics to my favorite Paramore song...

We Are Broken

Album: RIOT! (CD/Digital)

VERSE ONE: 
I am outside and I've been waiting for the sun 
With my wide eyes i've seen worlds that don't belong 
my mouth is dry... with words i cannot verbalize 
tell me why we live like this. 

PRE: 
and keep me safe inside 
your arms like towers 
tower over me. 

CHORUS: 
Cause we are broken 
what must we do to restore 
our innocence and all the promise we adored? 
give us life again 
we just wanna be whole. 

VERSE TWO: 
Lock the doors, I'd like to capture this voice 
That came to me tonight 
so everyone will have a choice 
and under red lights, i'll show myself it wasn't forged 
we're at war... we live like this. 

PRE: 
keep me safe inside 
your arms like towers 
tower over me 

CHORUS: 
Cause we are broken 
what must we do to restore 
our innocence and all the promise we adored? 
give us life again 
we just wanna be whole. 

BRIDGE: 
ahhhh 
ahhhh 
tower over me 
tower over me 

CHORUS: 
Cause we are broken 
what must we do to restore 
our innocence and all the promise we adored? 
give us life again 
we just wanna be whole.

I'm blue (da ba dee)

Today is May 11. Da da dum. I've been thinking about this day for a long time, but this past week, I thought of it a lot. Yesterday was kind of hard. I wanted to be happy about Mother's Day, but I kept remembering that I was supposed to be a mother of two.

I knew today would be rough, but I had decided that Anna and I would keep busy. We were going to go to the library, make cookies and paint pictures. She decided it was a pig-tail day, so we both busted some out. Then, she decided that she wanted to play with her animals and didn't want to go to the library. I don't have the strength to force her today, so I thought I'd sit down and wait her out. She loves the library, so I knew she'd come around.

Opened my computer to check Facebook and oh, hi, look at someone's 3D sonogram pics. And, that is all it took to derail me. All this after I said last week that I was "better now" and I "wouldn't break down" if the subject came up and people shouldn't feel bad about mentioning their babies to me. I guess I'm a big, fat liar, liar, pants on fire.

I have some pretty strange dreams. Last night's is easy enough to decipher. We were living in a small house by the ocean. My mom and grandma were there, as well as my friend Julie and her husband, Byron. We were watching a TV movie about Nancy Grace (who was a brunette) which was fascinating. I was holding Anna and the moms were watching our 5 month-old daughter (random), who we kept calling "Susie" (after my sister), even though that wasn't her name. All of a sudden my mom runs into the room and says that Susie just said her first words. I picked her up and she looked at me and said, "Where's Daddy?" I was so elated that I ran the girls out to the beach, where Roy (the fisherman) was returning with the other men with the day's catch. I told him the good news and we all embraced as a perfect, shining family. There are a lot of gaffes in this dream, the least of which being that babies don't speak two-word questions at 5 months, but dreams are silly that way.


Last week, we found out that there was yet another recall on the brand of crib we had purchased. I swear, if we found out that the stupid box sitting untouched in our garage was recalled, we were just going to call it a draw. I will NOT be walking back into Babies R Us until I need to buy something for a real baby with a real due date. No more trips for hypothetical babies. It turned out that our new crib was fine, but the lesson here is, DO NOT buy Jardine cribs from BRU. 60% of the time, they get recalled every time.


Some day I'll get over myself and remember that there are far worse things than losing a baby or babies that I didn't know, but today, I'm just feeling sorry for myself. What stings the most is that no one else around me would remember this date. Just me. Not even my husband. I don't blame him. I would have put this out of my mind if I could. I put the two sonogram pictures in the top of the closet along with the "What to Expect" and "1000 Baby Names" books. I haven't looked at them since October, but today might be the day I decide to face those demons. Maybe tomorrow will be the magic day that I wake up and move on. At the very least, you should all demand a sunnier post...or your money back.

I am SAHM, SAHM I am

This was my fourth week as a "part-time stay at home mom," meaning that Anna is now staying home with me three days a week. This is a big switch from going to school every day. She still goes to preschool two days a week, but that leaves ME in charge of her nutrition and education for three days. ME. The weekends don't count because we just play around. I knew she was getting a good education and nutritious meals five days a week, so we could be more relaxed on the weekends. Now, I'm responsible for making sure she eats veggies and learns to read. YIKES.

Ever since I became pregnant, my dream has been to stay at home with Anna. I was able to work part-time her first year, so I got to spend every afternoon with her and it was fabulous. But, she was a baby then and easy to entertain and easy to feed.

SAHM. The abbreviation is kind of annoying. Heather has her own version. The most fitting one that I could come up with for myself was: Slightly Anal Hell Monster. Roy would argue that "slightly" is not accurate.

Anna's preschool teachers would definitely be able to comment on my new nickname for myself. They have felt alot of my wrath lately as we've had many "incidents" that they needed to address. That is a whole other issue that I can't go into right now, but I'm sure they call me much worse behind my back. But honestly, she only goes two days a week now! You would think they could manage to follow regulations and keep her safe for TWO DAYS!!

ANYway, I'm proud to say that we've been doing pretty good here though. Anna is certainly enjoying more time at home. The first day she was here, I quizzed her on her letter recognition and we've been working on the ones she had trouble with. We do a letter per week and work on recognizing it, drawing it, and associating a sound with it, as well as words that begin with that letter. It really is fun to see her pick out letters she sees now and to know that I taught her that.

She loves the library, the mall and the park, but we've also had a ton of fun playing dress up and dancing around the house. She does a great job of alternating music with me so that we aren't listening to "Bop Bop Dinosaur" all day. She can sing the "Mamma Mia" soundtrack almost as well as I can. Some days are easier than others, of course. There were a couple of times that we actually yelled at each other, but I know we're closer than ever. She tells me everyday that I'm "her best friend," so I take that as a good sign.

Yesterday was a very good day. We made chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. Then, we decorated Mother's Day cards for grandmas. She practiced writing some letters and was very proud of herself. We got out my beads that have been gathering dust in the closet since her birth and made a bracelet. She picked out all the beads and loved the result so much that she wore it to school and showed it to everyone.

This whole experience is weird for me because I feel like I am in limbo. I don't really consider myself a stay-at-home mom because I intend to get a job and am actively looking for one. However, no one wants me, so it could be awhile. I would like to be a full-time writer and photographer, but while I attempt to refine my skills in both on a daily basis, I feel like I'm not getting very far because I have to split my time between so many things. Marketing yourself online really requires a LOT of time. And then there's housework. Ugh. I just can't keep up with everything, so that suffers the most.

All of this plus the drama that I don't write about and the fact that next week would have been my due date makes me a very blue girl sometimes. So...I talked to my doctor and upped my medication yesterday. I hope this gets me over the hump. I really meant for this to be an upbeat post...kind of screwed that one up.

She said the M word

I know I've been neglecting you all lately. Sorry about that. I still need to fill you in on what's been happening over here, but instead, let me use today to address something that several people have mentioned lately. Deep breath.....



Okay...in case you didn't know...I had two miscarriages last year. I have a separate blog that I started back then that I didn't share with anyone. I linked it here, but don't visit unless you are seriously prepared to hear to the gory details. Also, it is VERY personal, as personal as personal gets. I can't even believe some of the things that I shared on there, so A) don't be offended, B) don't be a jerk. My husband "knows some people who know some people who robbed some people." So, don't mess with me.

Another round of friend pregnancies. They seem to come in waves. Friends: please know that I AM happy for you. I am also a tad jealous, but that does not mean that I hate you, nor does it mean that you can not talk about your baby in my presence. A few months ago, that would have been the case, but I'm better now, really. :)

It is pretty crazy to think that if we hadn't suffered the first miscarriage, we would have a newborn baby in our house now. That is really hard for me to imagine.

I'm struggling a little with the future of Shareapy. At first, it was just for me, then it was also for strangers who needed to know they weren't alone. That part of my life was something I didn't talk about except in the company of close friends and family, but why? Because I didn't want to make people uncomfortable. No one wants to hear about my dead babies. AWKward....

It is very strange to think that someone who hasn't had a miscarriage and doesn't even know me might read that site. It feels like that dream I have where I forget that I haven't shaved my legs in months, but I go walking around in shorts and everyone is laughing at me, but I don't realize it until I've been out for hours.



We are such a voyeuristic society that we like to watch other people's pain up close. Does it make us feel more human to connect to someone's misery? Or does it make us feel better about our own lives? Either way, I engage in it, too. It is the reason I watch reality TV and read other people's blogs. It is just very surreal for me to be on the other side of the looking glass. I've given everyone in school the key to my diary...why would I do that?! I guess I just want everyone to have some insight. Maybe if we talk about miscarriages more openly, the women who experience them won't have to live dual lives--smiling and laughing while they die inside. And,
I think it will be a relief that I can talk how this still affects me now.


Here's the deal...the secret is out now. I had two miscarriages. It is a part of who I am. It doesn't mean that I want to bring it up in everyday conversation, but I'm not so fragile anymore that I will burst into tears if it does come up.

I'm not going to go into detail, but let me just clear up one thing right now: Miscarriages are a big deal. A HUGE, GIANT, ELEPHANT-SIZED deal. It feels like you lost everything. That might not make sense to someone who has never experienced it, but just take my word for it. I remember what went through my head before I had one. It was something like, "Oh, that sucks. But, they can try again." Oh, dear Lord. Just imagine...every single day, this person will wake up and remember that they were supposed to be pregnant today. Every day takes them closer to a due date that won't come. It is a DAILY struggle.

If you know someone who's had a miscarriage, you are probably wondering what to say to them. Feel free to email me and I can give you some pointers.

What I found especially difficult is that there weren't a lot of resources immediately available to help me. I didn't know what to expect physically or emotionally. I had to do a lot of research on my own, which just made me feel even more alone. Hopefully, other doctors provide more support than mine did.

With a miscarriage, there is no one else to feel your pain, except your spouse. While your husband is equally devastated, even he didn't have the physical connection to the baby that you did. The memories are all in your head. They are just visions you created of the love you'd share with your future child. No one can share in your pain because they didn't know your child.

Anyway, my whole point is that I think I will keep Shareapy a separate site because the ladies that need support right now don't want to hear about the necklace I bought last week or some hilarious website or Anna's latest revelation. When they get to a place that they can laugh and smile again, they are welcome with open arms over here at CFB. Meanwhile, all my lovely CFB readers may, once in awhile, hear about how I'm feeling in regard to my miscarriages, because that is as much a part of me as the fact that I can't go two days without gushing over Twilight. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight! I love Twilight!

It's 3 am....I must be sleepy

A certain someone has developed a nasty habit of waking up at ridiculous hours and climbing into bed with us. Not mentioning any names...(cough) Condoleezza Rice (cough).
I have a tight sleep schedule that needs to be kept...10 pm-ish: Go to bed. 7 am-ish: Wake up. Anything in the middle completely derails the rest.

BTW... I'm posting this from my iPhone, so if a sentence doesn't make sense, it is because auto-text turned it into words that were not intended. “Rah” turns into “ran”, “Send help now!” Becomes "I love hobos!". That sort of thing.

ANYway...some of my twitters on Thursday sounded kind of CRAzee. I had just found out that the job I thought I had didn't go through and I kind of flipped out a little. Sorry. Things seem a tad out of control lately and I am just thankful, once again for my meds, which auto-text wants to turn into "mess." That SO would not make sense in that context, silly AT.

So, had some laughs with the girls at Bunko last night and then spent a glorious g'day (I'll let that AT slide b/c it is funny) with my man, who said that I didn't have to look for a job today, but could instead help him organize the office. So we crossed a couple things off our list and it felt good.

Which brings me to today's lesson. I spoke with a couple of ladies this week who, like myself, were struggling with a long To-Do list. It seems exacerbated by the fact that we are home more. When there is always tomorrow, how do you make yourself do it today? Answer: a support system helps and I don't mean the 18-hour bra. Someone needs to kick you in the butt and turn off the TV/computer or roll you out of bed and help you tackle that list one stupid thing at a time. It helps if it is to the tune of "That's Not My Name.". Great getting shot done jam. What?! AT won't let me curse?! That's bullshit. Wait, that worked.

I should wrap this up before my battery dies. I would sincerely like to thank everyone for the phone calls, urgent texts, emails and FB messages regarding a post earlier this week. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a tad dramatic. "Family crisis" is code for "I'm on the verge and loosing my grip." No one died or has a terminal illness. We had a delicate situation that freaked us out and I'm still trying to figure out to phrase it so that you can gain knowledge without compromising someone's privacy. Basically, someone let us down big time.

Okay, I need to go remove my mascara from 2 days ago and steal my blanket back from Condie. She is so needy lately. Happy Saturday. y'all!

Most Likely to Surf the Internet...All Day Long

In case you missed this, a woman hired a stripper to attend her 10-year high school reunion for her and then videotaped the whole thing. HI-larious. I couldn't have gotten away with that at my reunion because there were only 77 in my graduating class and everyone knows everyone else's bees-ness.

On the left, you have my senior yearbook portrait. On the right, that would be me, drunk at my 10-year reunion.

I was voted "Most Likely to Become President" in my class, which I guess means I should be schmoozing politicos in D.C., hobnobbing with Hillary. And yet, here I sit, on my couch, laid-off and schmoozeless. Perhaps I should give Hill a call. Maybe she needs someone to make her grilled cheese sandwiches on the weekends.

Life under a macro-scope

Anyone miss me? Don't answer that. Unless you did.

We had a bit of a family crisis this past weekend. I'm still running a debate within myself about whether or not I will share this with you. We're still coming to terms with the whole situation and I'm consoling myself by sleeping as much as humanly possible. That's where I go when I'm depressed, so that's where you'll find me---in bed. I saw my paid therapist yesterday and I spoke to my free therapist (my aunt) today, so I'm working on putting myself back together. Life just sucks sometimes, but you have to move on.

Roy's company is going into a merger, so he has been working very hard lately, but it has been nice to have him working from home some days. Since he has been working four 10-hour days, we've gotten to spend a lot of time together as a family and it has been very nice. I'm so thankful that he is my rock, as always, during yet another storm.

ANYway...I've been playing with the macro lens lately. It has taken me repeated efforts to actually get any shots worth keeping. But, today, third time was a charm. It turns out that you have to be very specific about what you are focusing on.

Anna and I were having some fun in the yard this morning and we spent a lot of time harassing a poor ladybug. Anna kept begging me to let her "keep it forever and ever."

We're going to go pick out a tree to plant in the backyard this afternoon, so, Happy Earth Day!

Experiment in Humiliation

Yesterday, my mom told me that a story on the news said that it is pointless to try to get a job online and networking is the way to get employed.  I scoffed.  

I had a meeting with a headhunter this morning.  It looks like I may have a job next month.  It isn't anything glamorous, but "Shakespeare gotta get paid, son."  The only reason I will be getting this job (if I do) is because of Roy being the big stud that he is.  So, I officially retract my scoff. 

To celebrate a good meeting, I decided to have a fun day.  (Don't tell Roy.)

Did I go to the mall?  No.  Lunch with friends?  Naw.  Play date with Anna?  Nope.  Then, what did you do, Jessica?  Well...let me tell you.  

I played with my Mac Book.  Yep.  I sat my butt on the couch in front of my computer just like I do every day.  And, it was awesomeness.

I heart Photo Booth.

And, I was playing with iMovie, but I'll be honest...I don't get it.  It seems very complicated.  So, as a special treat for visiting my little corner of the world...you get to watch me sing.  I would turn your volume down if you are listening at work.  Actually, you might want to just mute it.  Anyone watching at Penton....well, don't.  Let me say, there is a reason that I haven't tried out for "American Idol."  I'm no Lil Rounds, but get a few beers in me and I'll karaoke until the sun comes up.  Badly.  

Expose Yourself: Day 4

Today's clue: Something I collect...

Eiffel Towers. Pretty self-explanatory. No, I've never been to Paris. Yes, I've wanted to go everyday of my life. Someday, I'll take the plunge.

"Paris is always a good idea."

I tell you what...Roy and I are having fun with these photo challenges! :) Probably because we'll use any excuse to take pictures.

Expose Yourself: Day 3

Today's clue: Something I can't live without....

This is the Tiffany necklace that Roy bought me for my very first Mother's Day. I had it engraved with his, mine and Anna's first initials. It is my absolute favorite piece of jewelry, aside from my wedding and engagement rings. While I adore the necklace, the things that I truly can't live without are Roy and Anna. Since they are at work and school, you'll have to settle for a picture of their initials.

Obviously, I can physically live without material possessions, but I sure do love stuff. The living room has been my "office" for the past month because our home office is in a state of chaos right now. However, that should change this weekend as we finally got our new storage system, yay! The ottoman pictured above holds my Mac and iPhone, two things that I never would have asked for myself, but Roy purchased for me and now I can't imagine life without them. I always have the house phone and TV remote handy, in case I get a call for an interview (in case, ie: hasn't happened yet) or I have the sudden, unexplainable urge to watch "The View" (which also hasn't happened yet.) Then, we have my magazine stack full of sticky-tabbed pages and my legal pad full of sticky notes.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have a notebook full of sticky notes. You can write on a notebook, so why write on sticky notes and them attach them to a notebook? Because I am a freak. I love sticky notes almost as much as I love chocolate. I think of random things at random moments, so I grab a sticky note. Writing things down makes my brain sigh in relief because I was hanging on to that one thought until I could find a pen and paper, but now I can forget about it. And forget about it, I will, because that thing will never get done. No, the sticky note will fall off and get lost long before I remember to remember the thing that was so important that it had to be written down right that moment.

Expose Yourself: Day 2

Yesterday, I was at Bed, Bath & Beyond with my mom and we were looking for a bed pocket for Anna's bed. They didn't have one, but they did have lots of new wall art, which I have a real weakness for. I can't tell you how much wall art we have sitting in our garage that is not being used.

Anyway, I saw this...

...which inspired me to try something similiar. So, when today's clue was "something borrowed", I decided to "borrow" BB&B's idea and make my name out of objects around the house. Voila!

Once I decided what I was going to do, this exercise was so much fun! At first it was hard to find things that look like letters, but by the end I was seeing letters, letters everywhere!

Fun with Photo Editing

Boy, did I have fun today. I bet I will hear about it when Roy gets home tonight. I'd like to point out that aside from the awesomeness that you see here, I also iChatted with Jenn for the first time, which was Awesomeness on a Stick, and I got two, count 'em, TWO loads of laundry done. A really fulfilling day.

I apologize if the lovely lads in this pic don't think they look good. I think you both look awesome. (That's the word of the day, BTW.)


I believe I was practicing my Edward-smolder here...


Hanging out in the woods, always fun...

Put in your orders now for this limited-edition framed print of...me...in my awesomeness...

So that you don't think I'm totally vain, I included a collage of some of the magnets that we purchased recently for our new white board in our office-revamp-in-progress. These are available at your local Michael's store for the low, low price of $1 each. Can't beat that.

And I'm spent.

Update: I added a vacation collage to Red Photo...http://red-photo.blogspot.com/2009/03/stay-tuned.html

Portrait of a Twerd

That's right. I admit it. I'm a Twilight nerd and proud of it. Rockin' out my Team Cullen t-shirt and my Twilight necklace. Check out the red eyes....Oops, I'm a naughty vampire.

Anna and I made lamb and lion cookies for the DVD release party. They were more defined before they were baked...they just look like blobs now. I blame the 3 year-old.

I had fun with the girls Saturday night, but as usual, I was busy drinking and forgot to take pictures. Shout out to Carrie, Denise, Hilary and Amy! We had leftover black vodka from our Halloween party, so Roy used to that to make screwdrivers. It looked so cool in Martha Stewart, but it just ends up looking gray when we do it.

Speaking of Halloween, here's me as Glampire, holding my bloody pina ghoulada. What Martha didn't mention was that the corn syrup runs down the glass and onto your hands, which will then be dyed red for the next 2-5 days.

A-n-y-w-a-y, I bought the 2-disc DVD from Borders and I was not impressed by the Borders exclusive extras. There was a yawn-fest of a book club Q & A with Stephenie Meyer. Dear Lord, I couldn't wait for that one to end. I love Steph, but maybe the tween girls could have come up with some more original questions than, "Like, is Edward real?" Of course, if I ever met her, I probably wouldn't be able to form a coherent thought either. She's a rock star!

As far as the special features, the deleted scenes had been all over the internet, so I'd already seen the majority of them. There were a couple that should have been left in, but then there was the blasphemous travesty where Bella trips Edward and he bites her finger in jest! As if! There was no need for Catherine Hardwicke to introduce the deleted scenes. We found ourselves giggling because she has one of those personalities where you aren't sure if she's on drugs or if that is just how she normally acts. Kind of like Joaquin Phoenix.

And, here is further evidence (like you needed more) that, A) I have a problem, B) my husband is an enabler. (And, I love him for it. ) We've got: Twilight Saga gift set complete with lithographs, "Twilight" DVD (Borders exclusive edition) with 10 photocards, "Twilight" score CD, "Twilight" Sweethearts candy, Twilight Director's Notebook, model of Edward's Volvo (courtesy of the lovely Pooles.)

Roy has a Ferrari room. I'm thinking I need a Twilight room. Ooohhh! I just had a thought! I could decorate the guest room just like Edward's bedroom. Unfortunately, there won't be a bed, so it would negate the whole "guest room" and so it would just be a shrine to all things Edward. That wouldn't be at all creepy.

So, I wanna hear from you. Did you celebrate the DVD release? Did you like the special features? Do you have a lot of "Twilight" memorabilia? How much do you want for it? Just kidding--Don't answer that last one.

Back from a nice weekend...

Sleeping with the enemy...

(For purposes of this blog, we'll call my daughter Anna.) We were at my in-laws' house this weekend. The guest room that we sleep in is filled with KU memorabilia, as my husband's family loves KU. Since Roy and I met at K-State, our loyalties obviously lie there. Here Anna is, all decked out in her KSU purple, napping in the Jayhawk bed. Don't worry, we'll learn her up right.

On Saturday, we all went for a walk with our friend, Tom. Anna and I were looking for bears. Sadly, we didn't find any bears, but we did see a beaver. We think. We watched the geese swimming and the guys showed her how to skip rocks.

That night, Tom, Roy and I went out to the local watering hole, O' Kelly's, for a drink, or 20. I apologize to anyone who was following my drunken tweets. Roy found them endlessly amusing. We had a rousing bargument about turning tricks versus dealing drugs to keep your family from starving. I won't go into where we all ended up on that one.

A girl that I went to high school with recognized me and filled me in on her life's journey. Our alma mater is three hours away and she was two years younger than me, so I was more than a little surprised to see her there. I honestly thought I was in trouble when she and her friend were staring at me from across the bar. I was afraid that I somehow offended her unintentionally and she was coming over to kick my butt. She was a clean cut red head the last time I saw her. Tonight, she had black hair, skull earrings and arms covered in tattoos. I seriously thought I was going to get pummelled. Turns out that she is a very nice young lady and a mother of two. Just goes to show.

We ended up staying until last call, when I apparently shook the hand of some guy who was out on the dance floor breaking it down. I told him something along the lines of "I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there and not caring what anyone thinks." He seemed genuinely flattered and not at all offended, so he must have been as intoxicated as I was. This is a classic example of why Jessica does not drink much. She ends up saying things that she is profoundly embarrassed about the next morning. Moving on...

Tomorrow, I'll share pics of my weekend purchases.