It would be sad if it weren't so beautiful

First of all, I know I'm a bad blogger. I have the best intentions to share the good, the sarcastic, and the beautiful of each day but the last few weeks have been so draining just don't have much left at the end of the day (or the beginning for that matter). All month I kept telling myself if I could just get through the 25th it would all be downhill from there. Hmm. I shouldn't lie to myself. The fabulous news is one more week until VACATION! I'm kicking off vaca week with the NKOTB concert next Sunday night and then it's off to SC (with Betty!) I promise there will be pictures and stories. Being the absolutely insane blogger that I am I will be posting every day on November again (I am slowly trying to drive myself into the nuthouse).

For tonight I will leave you with this story about NieNie. It would be sad if it weren't so beautiful.

Terrific Travel Tips

I am participating in a blog carnival for the first time today and the theme is terrific travel tips. I LOVE to travel and I'll go just about anywhere so this is an easy post for me to write. Although I have many tips and experiences, my best tip is this - step out on your own! When it comes to tours and excursions I highly advise a "do it yourself" approach.

What I mean is to get a good travel book and research online different tours and excursions offered. Instead of booking through the cruise line or a group tour with transportation provided, do the same things on your own. We do this with every trip we take and I have found that the cost is either comparable or less than a group tour rate and it's so much more fun. By hiring a taxi, private driver or private guide, you get one-on-one attention and you can visit cool extras like cafes, shops and special places buses can't fit. There's also the added bonus of not being herded around like cattle. Last summer when we went to Italy we booked private tours for every city through referrals I got through cruisecritic.com. I found the best drivers - they were funny and very knowledgeable! We also got to skip the lines at the Vatican and go right in because he purchased our tickets for us early. Using the "do it yourself" approach is not for the faint at heart though - you have to be willing to do the research and take a few chances in strange places. We've ended up on some nerve wracking rides and in some questionable areas trying to venture out on our own but I always leave feeling like I had a unique experience and with a little bit of an adrenaline rush. Typing this makes me want to travel ... right now ... anybody want to sponsor me? lol

I'll leave you with silly pick of me trying to carry a souvenir from the Colosseum ...

Are you still there?

Tap, tap, tap ... are you guys still out there? I took a blog-cation this past week. It wasn't planned, my life just got a little full and blogging took a back seat. I wish I could say I feel refreshed and full of wit but I am still a bit overloaded. Every time I overcommit I tell myself "this is the last time I'm going to do this." Well, now that my commitments are keeping me from photography and other things I love - I'm done. (Just as soon as soon as I finish what I have already commited to - which will be months from now) I am really going to work on prioritizing my commitments for next year and you all have authority to intervene when I start getting out of control. All that said, I am back and blogging is a priority because I enjoy it! I have lots to share this week and I need your input on some things ... for now, here's my favorite clip of the moment (I'm sure you've all seen this 100 times already)

Busted

I got busted the other day for something I said on this blog. Opps! (it was someone who gave me one of the "compliments" from this post) It was actually pretty funny because she was the one person from that post that I knew didn't actually mean it the way it sounded. Anyway, we laughed about it and I told her I didn't know she still read my blog. "Well, I was looking for your opinion on ponytails, I thought you'd said something about that once." I replied, "No, I don't have an opinion on ponytails - just scrunchies." Silence ... "I have a scrunchie in my hair right now."

Now we're even :)

By the way, I just posted some more beautiful babies on my photo blog

In the waiting room

You can really hear some crazy stuff if you just sit in a waiting room for any length of time. Conversations I heard last week:

Nerdy Man (to old man next to him desperately trying to ignore him): "Do you read Harry Potter?"
Old Man: "No"
Nerdy Man: "Have you ever seen a UFO?"
Old Man (looking confused): "No, have you?"
Nerdy Man: "No, not exactly but my cousin lives out West and he actually sees them a lot"

Me (thinking to myself): "Is this the waiting room for the looney bin? Also, can I take a picture of you for my blog?"

Little Girl: "Daddy, say Popeye"
The Daddy: "You say it"
Little Girl: "Popeye,Popeye,Popeye,Popeye,Popeye,(shoot me now),Popeye,Popeye"
The Daddy: "That's enough now be quiet"
Little Girl: "It sounds like p**py(a gross p-word I don't say)"
The whole waiting room erupts in laughter - seriously, am I surrounded by 3 year olds?

Nerdy Man (now to anyone who will listen): "Do you follow football at all?"
New Girl: "Sure, what teams do you follow?"
Nerdy Man: "Oh, I don't really watch it but I can tell you about when I used to play hockey ..."

Betty's Back

My posts on Crazy Betty have been a little light lately. Things kind of calmed down for a few weeks after the wedding but have no fear, I am going to Hilton Head, SC next month with her for a whole week so I'm sure there will be plenty of "episodes" to come. Plus, November is NaBloPoMo so I'll be posting every day for the whole month (yes, I am crazy). The most amusing part of our upcoming trip (or the part that will make me want to bang my head against a wall) is that we'll be traveling together during the week of the election. My mom and I have similar political views, however, my aunt and grandmother feel quite differently. I'm all about sharing ideas and opinions but Crazy Betty likes to push buttons. Case in point, I went to her house this weekend to pick up some items for the yard sale I am doing with a friend on Saturday morning (she was throwing stuff out of her garage faster than I could shove it in the car). Just before I went to leave, she told me she would rather I didn't vote. I laughed and tried to sidestep the topic by getting into the car. She continued to talk through the car window until I rolled it down, gave her the last word and drove away. I have a feeling that November 4 is going to be a long day. Then she called me at work this morning at 9:30 and asked if she woke me up ...

Uncommon Blonde: Presidential Edition

It wouldn't be a good election without some of my celebrity photos. This time, I'll share some pics of me with the candidates from my personal album . I'm not going to get partisan on here but I bet you can tell who I like. Whether you agree with me or not, you know it's funny ... i hope this isn't illegal ... seriously, do you think it is?


Who you callin' crazy? We were on a moose hunt and got a little excited.


How I feel about this guy ... or maybe he had just pinched my butt ...



Me and the boys


I accompanied John to a recent campaign event.


McCain-ia!