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.

more pics from Orlando!

I like this pic.

Here ya go Sis..

Being sick sucks!

Yep, that's right. Being sick sucks. I have not felt good for about 3 days....headache and sore throat and just a general lack of energy for anything ( i think that might be a little bit of depression, but who's really paying attention) Here I was just hoping I had a small sore throat and a bit of vitamin C and some rest should kick it in the butt. AHAHA! No I had to go and look in my throat to see a bunch of white spots. yea! My sister who has a very severe case of tonselitis has the same thing. I was really glad to hear that. It seems our beloved nephew....my Godson.... spread his pink eye germs into our throats. Great. So.... I have done nothing for the past few days except watch T.V and eat peanut butter and crackers. ( I am having a strange craving for them) Lots of CSI. It's on all the time. Well.... it's about 11:00 and I am feeling tired so I'm going to go lay on my bed...that is in my living room and watch some more CSI: there's a marathon coming on!

In yet another airport

Here in Chicago they have Wi-Fi so my 3 hour connection won't be so boring. I only have one more hour left. Yipee. How much trash can one girl read and I don't think I should really drink another cup of coffee. There has to be some health complications from the only thing in your belly is about 8 pots of coffee and grapes. (maybe that is an exaggeration...) So I have been gone for a week with work. I go home for two days. Get my bed delivered!!!!! Drive to Indy come home, Katie comes into town and then we fly to Michigan for 5 days. Damn! Can't a girl get a brake but I'm looking foward to a few days with the kids and Sam and Kelli. Katie gets to do some fun stuff when she is here like go to the doctor with me, take an exciting to Cingular. Whoo Hoo! maybe we'll paint my bedroom....just kidding. Well, I think I'll go get another cup of coffee.