50 ODD Things about me!

1. Do you like blue cheese? I used to.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? No way!
3. Do you own a gun? No, but Robbie stayed with a collector of guns in Montana, and seems to think he's going to collect them as well.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? None.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not really, just the dentist.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I have to be in the mood for them, but when I am, and they're almost burnt, I can put 'em away like a champ!
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Nat'l Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Rooster Booster Lite from QT. No QT in RI. boooo!
9. Can you do pushups? Please! Have you seen my arms!?
10. Age? 28.5
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring.
12. Favorite hobby? Sewing.
13. Favorite Actor? Edward Norton.
14. Do you have A.D.D.? Sometimes, I exhibit the symptoms.
15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? My inability to small talk. I just smile and nod. And I've picked up Robbie's habit of ending each sentence in "so....." when I don't know what else to say.
16. Middle name? Fawn
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment
a. Shouldn't have eaten that.
b. What could I get my bachelor's degree in?
c. What are we gonna do for our 7th anniversary
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday/today:
a. 32 oz. fountain drink from QT
b. 12 oz. can drink from Word of Life
c. 2 $15.00 wardrobe boxes that I didn't want
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Diet Caffeine Free Coke, Rooster Booster Lite, and water with off-brand crystal light
20. 3 Current worries ?
a. My RI apartment that may or may not be ugly
b. My RI apartment rent
c. My RI oil bill
21. Current hate right now? That Robbie has packed up everything I suddenly need right now.
22. Favorite place to be? my little house that, box by box, is getting emptier and barer.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? Laser Tag with WOLF teenagers.
24. Where would you like to go? Rhode Island already for cryin' outloud!
25. Name three people who will complete this. I'm not sending it via e-mail.
26. Do you own slippers? yes, a few pairs. We have hardwood floors so your feet get cold.
27. What shirt are you wearing? basic brown tank that's really too short for the intertube that's growing around my waist.
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? That makes me shudder. All I can think of is Elton John's song that says, "laughing like children, living like lovers, rolling like thunder under the covers." He makes no mention of satin, but still it's what comes to mind.
29. Can you whistle? Yes.
30. Favorite color? White.
31. Would you be a pirate? I don't think I would look good toothless and with a peg-leg.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever Christian song is on the radio.
33. Favorite girl's name? Aubrey.
34. Favorite boy's name? Montgomery.
35. What is in your pocket? Nada
36. Last thing that made you laugh? A dog on TV that was dreaming.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? I don't remember having any fun sheets.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Huge laceration to my skull in sixth grade. This really big bully girl chased me into the closet at lunch time. I was a book worm, so I stayed in and read during recess instead of playing. She threw open the door, and I was pinned between the door and a coat hook. It was sick. I had to get 30 stitches.
39. Do you love where you live? Now I do. I griped about it for a long time and took it for granted. I still have the window units.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2
41. Who is your loudest friend? Shauna. I love her!
42. How many dogs do you have? one
43. Does someone have a crush on you? Just Robbie
44. What is your favorite book? The first Shopaholic
45. Where were you born? Claremore Indian Hospital. They got me mixed up with some other wild-haired indian baby.
46. What is your favorite candy? depends on the season
47. Favorite Sports Team? I guess the New England Patriots
48. What songs do you want played at your funeral? They always sing Amazing Grace in Creek at funerals in my family. It's so pretty. So I guess that.
49. What were you doing at 12 A.M? Watching DeGrassi High reruns courtesy of our Tivo.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? My back hurts.

My To Do List

My To Do list for Saturday went like this:

60 load Snuggle refill

Clean out Civic

Go to Laundromat

Go see Jeffersons

I bought the Snuggle refill first thing Saturday morning. But much to the Civic's chagrin, the clean out, that it has needed since spring, never happened. It was to occur in conjunction with the laundromat visit, which didn't happen either.

However, "go see Jeffersons" did happen. Boy did it!

Robbie and I were to meet Shauna, Donnie, and Dareek at our favorite place to eat, Friday's, at 2:30 on Saturday for a farewell lunch. Thinking ahead, and trying to outsmart the tears, I used waterproof mascara.

As we approached, I was sure I saw Pam Shipley's Durango. Anytime I see a grey Durango, I look for the "every knee shall bow" sticker. Sure enough, I checked and it was there. Strange, I thought. But Pam is a mover and a shaker. She's always out doing something. She's probably here with some other cool MOP, I thought to myself.

Robbie and I rolled into the parking lot. We saw Dareek rocking some new braids out front and Donnie lounging on a metal bench with his phone in his ear. I figured Shauna was probably inside putting our name down. And because my usually multi-tasking brain hit capacity this summer, the Durango, that looked suspiciously like Pam's, was long forgotten.

We walked up and Shauna and Donnie greeted us. Shauna looked gorgeous as usual in a crisp, white, tailored short-sleeved jacket, and a kind of old hollywood glam coif. Dareek came flying out of the door exclaiming something breathlessly that I didn't really catch.

We dished about the usual while we waited. House stuff, hair stuff, etc. Then, Dareek came back out and said our table was ready. We shuffled in and rounded the corner. Knowing, this might be the last lunch with Shauna for a while, I was already giving myself a mental pep-talk, silently chanting, "don't cry, don't cry, don't cry."

I looked up . . . and there in front of us, were about 15 of some of the coolest people we know. We had been ambushed!

There was Pam & Darin Shipley, whose backyard treehouse was the location at which Robbie chose to propose, and would be the back drop for our wedding less than four months later. Down a few chairs were Ronney & Patti Surber who have been like spiritual parents to me: Ronney with his perfectly timed, carefully chosen words of advice, and Patti with her wisdom and humor. The McKnights were present too. Casey & Kayla were there. Many of the people who have encouraged us from day one. Encouraged us in our choices, our path, and our dreams. I can remember Paula telling me one time that there was something different about Robbie. Something that made him stand out. I remember being so proud to be his wife that my throat hurt.

I'm sure you can guess what happened next!

I buried my ugly crying face (that you've all seen if you've known me for any amount of time) into my hands and tried to keep my knees from locking (because as you probably also know, I'm a fainter) as I moved toward everyone. Both Brandi(y)s were there, Diahanna George, and Kerry and her adorable, doe-eyed son Aidan.

It was very thoughtful for everyone to come out on a Saturday in the middle of the day to show their support for us. And I can't believe Shauna, who is busier than a one-armed man in a paper-hanging business, put all of this together. But if anyone can pull it off, it's her!

You will all be missed and thought of often! We felt very blessed and loved!

taking care of bidness

Yay! Thank you for your prayers! Our home appraised for $75,000. Now, we just need the termite inspection and the enormous amount of paperwork to get done, and we'll be rolling outta here.

I went and got my hair did one more time by Jaycee. I'll probably have to find someone decent in RI to do it in between now and November when I come back to Oklahoma. It looks great. She spruced it up and made it lighter.

space heater & sweater

Today was my last day working for Malcolm McCollam. I'm going to miss him. We were just getting to the place where we were laughing together and having fun. He says I'm like his daughter Katie. I hope he finds someone to replace me that thinks he's as great as I do. I will definitely keep in touch with him.

I had lunch with Dan Beirute, Diahanna George, Patti Surber, and Paula McKnight today. We ate at Billys on the Square. We took some pictures and laughed and talked. It was nice to see all of them together.

On August 2nd, Kayla's (my sis-in-law) birthday, Robbie and I kept our nephew, Tanner (Carlton Francis Selph V). He is so sweet and cute and intriguing. And he lived!! We were successful. He seemed to enjoy his bath even though Robbie and I disagreed about the temperature of the bath water. I got him to sleep by 8:40, which is probably late according to his mother's standards, but I still counted it a success. I'm going to miss him so much. I always want to hold him, but I'm really all thumbs with babies. Especially when people are watching.

Last night, our small groups met and we had a game fellowship. It was also a surprise good bye get-together. They took up a collection of money for us. I was shocked and very moved! According to Robbie's calculations, it should be enough for gasoline for our U-Haul truck. Gina & Roger Lloyd gave us a cross for our new home and a lovely plate to hang also. And then our groups gathered around us to pray. My head was bowed and my eyes closed while they were praying. I was, of course, bawling my head off and snot was pouring from my nose. Literally! My brother-in-law Casey saved me and handed me a wad of tissue. But I was still a snotty, mascara'd mess. We are so attached to our church now. The people at Angus are so genuine and transparent and humble.

As I've gone from job to job these last six months (totally unlike me), I pack my belongings up and gather all the junk I've deposited into my lap drawer: emery boards, lipgloss, gum, etc. And the two constant things that give me comfort wherever I end up: my grey sweater and the space heater Shauna gave me. So today, it was with sadness, excitement, and a sense of completion, that I collected my things, swung my purse onto my shoulder, put on a brave face, fought back the tears and went out Malcolm's front door clutching my heater and sweater. He was interviewing my replacement at that moment, which was a good thing since all my energy was going toward not crying. My heater and sweater will be put in a box somewhere by Robbie for now. And then they will take the cross-country ride in our U-Haul truck (I can picture them bouncing along the highway.) to be used at my new place of employment where no doubt the thermostat will be governed by attorneys in suits. My memories and long distance friendships will keep me warm. But when that's not enough, my trusty space heater and sweater are always there.