My brain doesn't want to get it....

Chemistry. It should be a four letter word. I struggle. Really struggle. It's like a bad game of Tug-a-War. Just when I think I might be gaining some ground it gets pulled out from right underneath my common sense. Uugh. I have a hard enough time with the generic idea of chemistry....sharing protons and electrons, stealing and giving electrons, ionic compounds...all of the "charged particles" that make up every bit of substance. I have a hard time grasping that. I just envision microscopic Tasmanian devils spinning around and around and somehow all these atoms and molecules make up my arm, or this key board. What? Then if that isn't bad enough my professor seems to have a love affair with math and throws conversions and exponents at me from left field. Our ENTIRE Chemistry Lab (note the word "lab") has been Math. Worksheets of word problems. I think my head might explode some days. No wonder I've been getting so many headaches, I have a permanent frown on my face due to serious confusion. I thought "Lab" was experiments. Nope. It's math. Lab = Hell. My only saving grace is my lab partner who is about the same age as me and just as lost. So together we seem to hammer some sense into our brains. There is light at the end of the tunnel....I think, or maybe that's just from an aneurysm

Her favorite toy

This is without a doubt Daisy's FAVORITE toy....this ripped up, run over, deflated aqua blue soccer ball is her pride a joy. She walks around with it in her mouth with such pride and honor. Shows it off the the dog across the street. She gets very possesive of it if you get too close to it and as you can see gets VERY excited if you hold it up in front of her. "Throw it! Yes! I want it! Throw it!!!" she barks at me. But she knows that when she is done playing with it, it is an outside toy only and she politely leaves it at the front door. I love this about her....

Family visits

This past weekend Andy's sister, Tina, came into town for a visit to celebrate their mom's birthday. I remember Tina from high school but never really knew her so it is fun for me to be able to spend some time with her and get to know her a little better. Both her and Andy have their mom's spectacular sense of humor. It's very dry and very witty. All three of them together crack me up. It was a trip that I hope was somewhat relaxing for Tina, we went to the Beach Club one day for swimming and to see who could find the prettiest coquina. We went out to eat..ALOT, Alice Sweetwater's, Sushi-Tai Too, Moravela's...yum yum. Drew spent the weekend with us too so it was a full house. Lots of laughing and giggling going on. It meant alot to Ann to have Tina here for her birthday. Tina stayed with us so it was so nice to be able to spend all that time with her and not have too much planned.

Man, I'm a Slacker

I am HORRIBLE about updating this thing, I love to read everyone elses blogs but then when it comes to mine...well. I sort of fizzle out. Go figure. Put everyone else first and you run out of steam for yourself.
On a lighter note...In just a few short months (5 to be exact) I'm going to be the proud Aunt of another NIECE!!!! I am so excited for my sister. I might have possesive issues when she is born...I'm already constantly looking at K8's registries almost everyday oohing and awwing over how cute it all is....I mean, come on AL. Get a grip. Needless to say I will be willing to babysit ANY TIME!!! When my other niece, Grace, was born it was fun to go see her as a baby and watch her change and grow, but I only got to do that every couple of months. With K8 I'll get to see the little one everyday. It makes me grin ear to ear just thinking about it. K8 and Dave might get sick of "date night" and make Dad and I stop taking the baby.
I don't have any fun pictures to put up....K8 has all the ones from the "Big Reveal" night when we found out it was a little girl. So other than think about the baby (see, i act like it's mine) I'm plowin through school. It's a lot of work but I'm actually enjoying it. well, not the Chemistry but everything else...yes.
So...(K8 and mom, since these are the only two people who read this hee.hee.) I'm gonna go study.

It's about time!!!

So...my sister and I became good friends when I was in college.....then we became great friends and now she is my best friend. When Katie moved back to Florida she kept trying to get me to move back down here. She tried. And tried and then tried a little harder. 5 years later it worked. And now that I have been living 5 minutes away from her (after of course when I was living in the guest bedroom) I can't imagine ever living anywhere she is not. But now she has just sealed the deal...she's gonna have a baby! I can't move hundreds of miles away from that! (not that there are any plans in ANY near future) If one moves...it's a package deal....we ALL move. I'm so excited for her, so happy. It's a blessing they weren't sure was going to become a reality for them. It's been a hard and emotional ride up until now. Katie and Dave are a strong and committed couple. They love each other completely and honestly. They are going to be incredible parents. I am looking forward to being able to be a part of my new niece/nephew's (niece) life on a day to day basis. K8 & Dave sure do have a solid babysitting staff...Dad and I. I'm so proud of my little sister and am so thankful and blessed to have her in my life....
and the new little peanut!!!

Kinda creepy.

It's raining..it's pouring, the old man is snoring.....
He went to bed and Bumped his head and wouldn't get up in the morning...
Not a very pleasant Nursery Rhyme. It's actually a little disturbing.
I found another version which is just down right odd...
It's raining, it's raining
There's pepper in the box
and all the little ladies
are holding up their frocks...
Uh, Excuse me?
What on earth is that supposed to mean? I don't even want to speculate.

Just Another Day....

So much for the "This day in history"
It was boring me to tears...and I don't need any more help with boredom these days.
I'm suffering from Chronic Acute Boredom. Or CAB. I suspect there will be more reported cases as the recession drags on.
Symptoms:
Rapid speaking when ever another human being is present.
Brain cells denaturing due to excessive t.v.
Too much day dreaming.
Big Lists with not enough check marks....
Wait, is it boredom or laziness?
I say. Boredom. oh yea...and poverty.

Diet of Worms

I don't know if anyone reads this blog let alone the "This day in history.." tag that is at the top. I added it my page in hope that it would provide some interesting and noteworthy information. So far that is not the case. Most of the tid-bits are pretty obscure and not all that interesting to read about. If the Diet of Worms was actually about just that...well, it might prove to be worth reading. But, it's not. It has to do with the bible. Yep. A man named Martin Luther was speaking out against The Church and well.... people just didn't like it. And here I thought I was going to be reading about someone who discovered that a diet of worms was like finding the Fountain of Youth. That would be worth reading. Oh well.
I'm taking a break from my studies in Anatomy. Time to get back to the nitty-gritty.

What's a girl to do....

Welp, I have a lot of free time on my hands but still have not found the time to write on this blog...maybe if I actually did something with all this free time I might have something to write about. I'm on a week break from school and work has slowed down to a snail's pace. It is hard to find enough work for 4 bartenders when there really is only enough for 1. So that means it's time to hit the streets and find something to supplement my tiny tiny income. I hate that part of the "hospitality industry" The inconsistancy. So many people are yearning to get out of their 9-5 jobs and I can't wait to start mine. You mean I know my schedule and it's not going to change on me at the last minute or I know EXACTLY how much money I am going to get paid. What?! Who ever heard of such a thing? Holiday's off? Nights and weekends off? What? Who does that? There are parts of the job that I will really miss...like having my entire day off, but in reality how much fun is that if I don't have anyone to do anything with. There is only so much time I can spend with myself before I start to get sick of my own stories. So....that I guess has been my life for the past few months. Not much of anything. I had better take advantage of this free time while I can and get some things done.

The Iceholes and The Keg

Andy is on a Men's Hockey team called the Iceholes. This past weekend their team stole the Championship with a 8-1 Victory. It was a great game...lots of cowbells ringing in the arena. Afterwards we did a little tailgating to celebrate. It's a really fun way to spend an afternoon. I have to be honest, when I first moved back home and found out Andy was on an "ice-hockey" team I was...well, in disbelief. This is southwest Florida. It's 90 degrees here 90% of the year. But Naples is also a town full of transplants from the north where hockey is as normal as football. So, I have started to learn the ins and outs of hockey. I even went so far as to buy "the girlfriend's guide to hockey" book. So here are some pictures...


Just off the ice...sweat dripping and all


the ladies of the Iceholes

Memphis

Awhile back Andy had some training in Millington TN which is just outside of Memphis. I went up to visit him for a long weekend. There is not much to do in Millington and as we discovered not much to do in Memphis in the dead of winter, unless you want to spend your time in bars. That was not on our high Priority list. We spent a day with Jay and Kristin at their house which was so great. We had a really good time and it was nice to spend time with Bella who is ADORABLE. I wish I had some pictures to show but I don't... didn't take one while we were at the house. Unbelievable. We also went to the Peabody hotel to watch the "walking of the Peabody ducks" It's really cool to see. This gaggle of about 5 ducks live at the hotel. They have a "penthouse" on the roof of the hotel and every morning they are escorted down the elevator, down a red carpet into the lobby where there is a duck ladder for them to climb up into the fountain and they stay there all day until it is time to go home at 5:00. It's a hard day's work. It's pretty fun to see. Other than that. We just had a great time with each other.

The roof of the Peabody

The Master Penthouse....so funny!

The Peabody Ducks

Me and the Duck Master

Update!!!! Some of our Holiday Season

Well, Mom this is for you. New pictures.
Our Holiday was great. i didn't have to work Christmas Eve. Andy, Drew and Daisy all came over on Christmas Eve to have a big Sleep over. It was perfect. Dad was there, Poe and Farrah, Kate, Dave....A nice big family Christmas. what a real nice suprise.
It was so fun to watch Drew open up her GYNORMOUS stocking. Wish you were there mom!

this picture is hysterical. The expressions of everyones faces....Andy and Dave look like they are about to get into some kind of argument while K8 with a mouth full of Monkey Bread is attempting to "break it up" while Dad and Drew are just having a good time playing Jenga. Too funny.

Greatest Dad Ever!

puppies and Christmas and lots of kisses

K8 Being quite dramatic

Nothing better than sisters

Still trying to figure out who is cuter, but I'm gonna have to say Andy

Self timer + two dogs = hard picture to take.... this is us trying to take pictures for the christmas card.

Our little Babooushka.....Daisy.

My newest love Affair....Who Knew?

Life sure is strange. I finally found the love of my life and it turns out I met him 23 years ago. Go figure.

I was going to put some more pictures up but it seems the only pictures we have taken have been at the beach and CLEARLY I look much better in my mind than I do on film so...... needless to say there will not be any pictures going up. And as a matter of fact, i'm going to the gym right now.

My new love affair

So, I have a new love affair and it's with Miss Poe....the Camp Anderson Mascot. I absolutely adore her and just can't stand it. Her mom and dad go away for a few days in a couple of weeks and we get to have a weekend play date--just Poe and I. Maybe I'll be daring enough to take her to the Dog Beach.... Hmmm. Doubt it, it'll just be more like alot of walks, new toys and I'll probably spoil her rotten with people food. When K8 and Dave come back Poe will be eating her food at the dinner table. They'll walk in and we'll both be sitting at the table with a plate of lasagna and her food bowl will be filled with wine....I'll let her drink for me. Anyway, she is just a great dog and her personality is just so sweet it makes you sick. I bought her a lady bug toy and she loves it and it makes me feel like a proud parent when ever I see her with it. Maybe one day I'll get her a sister...a dark weim.... but like k8 said by then Poe will be a cranky old lady and will be annoyed with the young whipper-snapper. Oh well....figured I should write something on this so Mom could have something new to read....

Nothin Doin...

Summer is here in Naples and it is quiet and hot. Not much to say really just figured I should put something new on this thing. I work. That is about it. And I'm fine with that. That is why I made "The Move" so I could work my butt off for a year to stop the rapid downward spiral that is/was my finacial situation. I'm working at Pazzo's on 5th to shmooze with the Old Naples wealth and the well-to-do snowbirds then I get my dash of locals at Pelican Larry's. So, focus on making the creditors happy....not to mention a little personal pow-wow is long overdue.So nothing exciting. Just the everyday things of life.

JOB HUNTING IS FOR THE BIRDS!

Well, as it goes I am on the quest once more for the perfect job, actually right now I'll take the next job I'm offered. The process of finding a job is a frustrating, monotonous, disheartening and tedious affair. I would much rather be at the beach or reading or running a marathon, anything! It's almost been a month since I have been here and so far I have landed a job that won't have consistent work until late July. Perfect. Now I'm getting tension and stress headaches.
On a lighter note......uuh....er...hmmm..aaah...there's got to be something...er...
I'm thinking of cosmetology school, which costs 11,000 beans which means I will have to take out a loan which will add to the debt that I am trying to pay off....hence the whole idea of me moving here.
Ahh...I'm not very optimistic at the moment...guess I'll go work out to relieve some of this stress.
But at least I get to look at pretty homes like this while I marinate in stress and tension headaches to remind me of the wealth I will never obtain....
WAIT! Let's re-phrase that, let's re-direct that energy to ..remind me of the wealth that is only waiting for me to take. That's better, or even the wealth I deserve to have, that's more like it. DESERVE!
anyway, while I dream let me hop in my snazzy alero with the "government issue" black rims i.e. no hubcaps and jet on over to the gym where I am using my dad's membership and then come home and eat my sister's food.
Geeze!

It's not so bad down here....

Made the move...

It has been quite some time since I have updated this thing. Much has gone on in the life of Al and I haven't had the time to really take a breather. As of June 1st I am officially a Floridian again... well according to the DMV I still reside in St. Louis but that will change eventually. I'm staying with my wonderful and accommodating sister and brother-in-law who are gracious enough to let me free-load off of them for awhile. Until I tap into my money-making niche. It is certainly a strange sensation to be living back in my home town after 10 years. It still hasn't really sunk in yet, I still have the hazy feeling that this is still a vaccation and soon enough I will hopping on an airplane to head back to the Lou. And when I can't find something the first thought that races through my head is "crap I left that back home" rather than "that must be in storage... I wonder what box it's in" There has been a drastic and at times a little overwhelming amount of change that has gone on in my life in the past year and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down any time soon. Change is good. Change in needed, it's all in how you choose to direct your path of change.