Am Waiting for the Next Shoe to Drop

So I basically have had the last 10 days from you know where...First of all, I get a call at 8:01 a.m. last Friday - first to the cell and then to the office phone which is never a good sign...A frantic Casey greeted me and said, "Um mom....there's been an accident." Four letter words flew through my feeble mind..."Uh, see, we were trying to fry churros on the stove and well, uh, a fire broke out and we called the fire department and everything is okay, we just threw water on it (SIDE NOTE: EGADS - on the ELECTRIC STOVE)...and so it went out, but then restarted, but then we got it out again...And well, uh, we kinda melted the microwave..." The EXPENSIVE(AND we got 50-75% off) stainless steel almost BRAND NEW microwave (it was maybe 4 months old)...okay at least no one was hurt, we are not being sued (from the family of Casey's friends who were at our home that morning) and the house did not burn down...wait a minute, safety aside, I'd love for this house to go up in flames so that we can start over again - the floor plan is horrible....oh well...Again, no one was hurt!

Fast forward to Tuesday (uh, 4 days later)...I get a pleasant invitation after work from Mark to go out to dinner with him and Jessa and the Green Day guitar-playing boyfriend, would Mexican food be okay, blah, blah,blah...On my way home, little did I know ANOTHER disaster was about to strike...Apparently, Jess had picked up a rock and was tossing it in her hands while they were outside waiting for me to come home from work...are you seeing where this is going? Uh, well said rock was accidentally hurled into the window of Mark's car (uh not the windshield - that according to SC law would be replaced at no cost...!*@#()%(@&(WD*A)*F! - could she have not hit the windshield?) and the window shattered into about 14,000 miniature shards of glass...and the hubby was cleaning up upon my return...for probably 45 minutes in complete silence (which ensued the entire evening!)...when the torrential rain storm hit...and we only had Scotch (TM - TRADE MARK) tape to seal the trash bag-donned window...I became the brain trust (scary) and recommended that we back the car in to shield the "vulnerable" side from the rain and horrible winds...well, thank God it worked...The window was replaced the next day (and was almost $100 less than we were quoted by another company...BUT IT WAS STILL EXPENSIVE - yet, there was a light to this story!)

So, other things happened to create the triumverate of things that are supposed to happen when you have bad luck so I chalked them up to that...

On a brighter note, Casey and Nolan arrived home safely from Edisto Island! I haven't seen Nolan for more than 6 weeks and he is 4 inches taller and probably 15 pounds heavier...he actually looks like a 5th grader now! I am walking on air to be with him...and Casey informed me she has a boyfriend (what?) He lives in Greenville and they met at camp but have just become an item "recently." THANK GOD he lives a couple hundred miles away...I am not ready for this!

Well, before I go upstairs to join them in a PS2 karoake game (I will SOOOOO BEAT THEM - although I am not successful on our Wii Guitar Hero), I must leave you with some great quotes...

"I like to literally put women on a pedestal." Vivienne Westwood, shoe designer

And girl, you do that and clothe them FABULOUSLY! My girl Gwen (uh, Stefani for your newbees) LOVES her some Vivienne...She is fantastic!

"It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes - that's why you sometimes need really special shoes!" Carrie, Sex and the City

Okay Carrie, I sorta remember your angst at being single (short-lived)...but, you can't compare needing special shoes to us working moms who are on our feet all day and then run around all night getting kids ready for school the next day, doing laundry, doing dishes, etc...need I say more? I am hoping that Manolo or Jimmy C will come out with an affordable, comfortable everyday wear shoe for working moms...okay, I am hopping off of my pedestal now...

Life is short, buy the shoes...Cheer on my Dawgs!

IS THIS A CRUEL JOKE?

WHAT???????????????????????? President Bush is pre-empting the Dr. Phil show TODAY OF ALL DAYS...on the one of two mornings I am off from work in the morning! And, it's a new episode too...

These things I know...

I know the economy STINKS.

I know gas prices SUCK.

I know the housing market is HORRIBLE.

I know that Mark and I don't make enough money to raise our ZOO.

I know we probably need to get second and third jobs to pay for their band activities, private lessons, COLLEGE, uh, can you say food and shelter?

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bail out...I know about it and I GET IT.

But what I don't know is what the result was of the smack down by the mom who wanted the registered sex offender out of her daughter's home...I AM ALL ABOUT THE DRAMA PEOPLE...Speak to me Phil...

Okay, I AM an admitted, capital "L" donning LOSER.

Does This Make Me A TOTAL LOSER?

That I am excited it is 10 a.m. and I think there is a new episode of Dr. Phil on this morning? Tuesdays and Thursdays are my late work days so I get to indulge in "the Doc" and "The View." I curse the TV when it's a rerun...

Now that I have told you why I am asking the above said question, it's totally rhetorical - you don't have to comment please.

Must go turn on the TV!

AM I OUT OF MY MIND?

Okay, don't answer that question.

We are adding to our "zoo." Upon Nolan's return from his whirlwind, travel-filled summer, he will be bringing home two...not one....TWO new pets. Sebastian and Herman will join our brood on the 26th of July. You guessed it - they are hermit crabs. The last one we had accidentally "baked" in our sun room after Jessa let him out to "exercise." Too bad he wasn't bigger or we'd have eaten him for dinner...Apparently the two have a "cat proof" cage...We'll see how that works for us.

Our cats have been known to knock over fish tanks..."Michael" and "Jordan" met their fate that way - I tried to resuscitate their dehydrated little bodies that were literally glued to Nolan's carpet. I thought that if I added a little water to them, they might spring back to life like one of those capsules that once you add water, they poof! become a sponge...okay, I had a MAJORLY blonde moment at that point but wanted Nolan to see his mom trying any measure to bring them back to life. After a brief tear (ha!) and flush of the toilet, he was all about getting a new fish...he'd moved on. It's pretty incredible that Swimmy is still alive after surviving in an inch of murky water when Nolan has forgotten to clean his tank...

Anyhoo, now our zoo will include two dogs, two cats, two hermit crabs, one fish and four (make that 5) kids...The 5th kid just happens to be almost 48...

Am I crazy or what? No wonder I find solace in shoes...mindlessly admiring them in my closet each day as I rock back and forth in the fetal position...

Oh, great quote..."Shoes are the foundation of all fashion." Anonymous

Are you kidding me? ANONYMOUS, SHNONYMOUS...I say that every day! I think I should get some residual money for them using my quote and publishing it on that fabulous shoe calendar of theirs, don't you think? It would help to pay for all of our pet food, pet toys and stuff...BTW, are there toys for hermit crabs?

I wrote a book and where is this blog going...discuss amongst yourself!

This weekend, I wrote a "book." Actually a sequel...My niece Olivia wrote a book for me to illustrate entitled, "Pink Bunny Bakes a Cake." She had added artwork of her own and in order to maintain the integrity of her original masterpiece, I wrote a sequel for her to illustrate. (I didn't want to mess up her work...) Guess what I named the book? "Pink Bunny Goes Shopping!" It is so cute...Pink Bunny gets a new purse and shoes from her Mimi and Nonnie Bunnies - and CASH - and she goes shopping and buys cool things and then doesn't have enough money to buy what she really wants - a cake mix and icing so she can make another cake with her Mommy. Of course, her mom being brilliant and all, figures it out and stops by the Hare-is Totter (get it ladies?) and buys a cake and so now not only does Pink Bunny have fabulous shoes, a fabulous purse, new jewelry, a fancy new dress, she also gets a chance to bake another beautiful cake with her mom...It was fun to write but unfortunately I can't print it out because our printer is broken...heavy sigh...

And where is this blog going? I have no idea! I am seriously thinking about trying to lure advertisers to this blog...do you think that would work? Who would purchase ad space for a little known blog out of Fort Mill, SC, right? Well, I say it's worth a shot...

There are plenty of shoe sites - 6pm.com, zappos.com, shoes.com, bluefly.com...you name it, they are out there...It may be a pipe dream (what exactly does that mean? Enlighten me, someone - a hooka pipe? Party vile-o-crack pipe?) Pipe dream or not, I am determined to make this work...

Okay, this entry was totally random so I need to bring this back around with a great shoe quote from my wonderful shoe calendar (a shout out to Sharon again for the great gift!!!)

"Sometimes when Suze (I don't know who she is so don't ask) isn't at home, I open my wardrobe and just stare at all my pairs of shoes, like some mad collector." Sophie Kinsella, "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" I suspect that Suze is in the book that I have yet to read but I have heard it's a great read...

I stare at my shoes a lot too...like a mad collector...I get it Sophie.

SHAMELESS PROMOTION OF MY BLOG...

Okay loyal blog visitors...did you know you could "subscribe" to this blog's updates? Scroll down to the bottom of the page and sign up for the updates - actually, it is sort of at the bottom of the page! Just above the Shoe Trivia section....You won't have to wait for my emails updating you that I have updated the blog - you will already know that I have done so... Please...I am desperate...

Is this totally shameless or what? Don't answer that question - it was totally a rhetorical question...Of course it is shameless!

(I can't believe I am begging for visitors...okay, feed my ego peeps!)

FLAGS AT HALF STAFF - A GREAT ONE HAS PASSED

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 06/28/08
ATHENS — The following is a statement issued by the University of Georgia on the death of its mascot, Uga VI:

The University of Georgia's beloved and Churchillian English bulldog mascot Uga VI died peacefully Friday night in Savannah of congestive heart failure after serving nine seasons on the sidelines as the Bulldogs' winningest mascot.night in Savannah of congestive heart failure after serving nine seasons on the sidelines as the Bulldogs' winningest mascot.

Uga VI, owned by Savannah attorney Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler, was the heaviest in the line of six solid-white English bulldogs to serve as UGA's mascot since Uga I became a Georgia football game fixture in 1956.

"He was a good one," Seiler said. "What can I say? He had a marvelous record. He was a very strong and healthy dog. He was the biggest of all the dogs, and he had the biggest heart. It just played out."

Seiler noticed Uga VI was breathing heavily shortly after arriving home from work on Friday evening. He was taken to Dr. Stanley Lester, the family's veterinarian, who consulted with Dr. Bruce Hollett at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine before Uga VI passed away.

"I noticed he had a little congestion in his throat, which usually is not cause for alarm," Seiler said. "I gave him a bath, which he always loved, to cool him off. After that, I called Dr. Lester, whose office is about a four-minute drive from our house. His heart just played out. He suffered no pain and died peacefully."

A successor to Uga VI will be announced by the Seilers and the Athletic Association at a later date; however, the Seilers stated that the lineage is secure.

Uga VI, who would have turned 10 on July 22, will be buried in a marble vault in the Southwest corner of Sanford Stadium with his predecessors. The private ceremonies are expected to be held early next week.

"This is a very sad day for the entire Bulldog Nation," Director of Athletics Damon Evans said. "Uga has always been such a strong figure associated the University of Georgia nationwide. Uga VI was a damn good mascot and a damn good dog. He was an outstanding representative of our fine institution. While this is a sad day for all Bulldog fans, our condolences especially go out to the Seiler family."

"UGA VI served with extraordinary courage and heart as a beloved University of Georgia mascot," University of Georgia President Dr. Michael F. Adams said. "He was a true symbol of the toughness and competitiveness of our athletic teams, and was a rallying figure for the entire Bulldog Nation. We extend sympathy to the Seilers for the loss of a dear family pet and a great campus mascot who will be missed and remembered by UGA alumni and friends everywhere."
The Georgia football teams compiled an 87-27 record during Uga VI's tenure, which officially began in 1999 with pre-game ceremonies prior to the South Carolina game in Athens. The Bulldogs captured both the 2002 and 2005 SEC Championships and won six of eight bowl games over that span. Uga VI's record surpassed the mark of 77-24-4 of Uga IV.

All of Georgia's athletic teams enjoyed remarkable success during Uga VI?s reign. All told, 19 of Georgia's 35 national championships have been secured under Uga VI. Bulldog athletic teams also have won 35 SEC Championships. In addition, Georgia has recorded six top-10 finishes in the Director?s Cup, the annual all-sports competition ranking the nation?s top athletic programs.
Uga VI also was featured in countless national publications and television shows. Most recently, a documentary on the Uga lineage was produced for CSS TV by Jeff Eldridge.

Uga VI, who was only one year old at the time of his coronation, was the biggest of all the mascots weighing in at 65 pounds – more than 20 pounds heavier than his father – and like his forefathers was a solid white English bulldog. His registered name was "Uga V's Whatchagot Loran?" – a reference to the famous question of Georgia radio play-by-play announcer Larry Munson when communicating with sideline reporter Loran Smith.