Polar bears & thank you notes - same difference...

If I didn't think you guys read every word I typed before, I do now. I made one little, itty, bitty, teeny, tiny remark on a previous post about not getting a thank you note & you gals pounced on me like nothing I've ever seen before! And I love the remarks I got about the notes: "Be patient", "give it more time"...

Then it snowballed into 'lets all make a post about thank you notes'! Have I mentioned how I love blogging & all my faithful stalkers?!

The older we get, the more things change. Everything is constantly evolving. I don't mind change, if I think it's a good change. Like DVR's versus VCR's - GREAT change! I still enjoy reading an actual book. With pages. And black ink. Call me crazy. But some people have those little Kindle thingies & read off a tiny hand held digital book. Different strokes for different folks. Some people don't like email or texting. But I do. I feel like texting, emailing & facebooking (is that really a verb?!) are just as good as speaking to me directly.

But there's something else that has fallen by the wayside. And it's not like it has morphed into another more updated 'thing'. It's like the poor Polar Bears - it is becoming extinct. And I don't like it - not at all...

In my ever so humble opinion, 'Thank you' notes are important. And here's why: When you go to a wedding or a reception, there are a lot of people there. You may not get one-on-one face time with the center of attention. And that is completely understandable. But I believe a 'thank you' note is a way to express gratitude for someone coming to your event & their gift, if applicable. When B-rad & I had our 4th of July bashes years ago, we always made it a point to try to spend a little face time with everyone. To me, that's just the 'nice' thing to do. I just believe it is tre' rude to go to a smaller, more intimate function & no one speaks. (We don't really need to go over this again, right?) My uncle would always give us money for the fireworks. And you know what I did? I wrote him a freakin' thank you note. He didn't have to do that. Of course we told him thank you in person...but I think there are certain situations that require a little more 'personal' attention.

Here is my list of events that REQUIRE thank you notes: Bridal showers, baby showers & weddings. C'mon, give me that, it's only 3! And I choose those 3 because they are important events in your life. They are life changing. I mean, you get a birthday every year. You just don't get married or have your first baby every day...

And the mvp of thank you notes? Personalized!!! Brad's cousins, Leslie, had a baby shower & the thank you note had a pic of the ultrasound & a pic of her belly with a note enclosed. Very sweet! And perhaps the best thank you note I ever got? Was from a certain lady who is an athiest about thank you notes. It was her sons 1st birthday. She took a picture of him playing with the toy we bought him. And then she wrote a nice little note on the back from 'his' point of view. And ya know what? Thank you notes are so important to me, that pic is still hanging on my refridgerator today. (Leslie, I would totally have your 'thank you' on the fridge - but I just can't handle a pregnant belly in my face when I want to eat. It's not you - it's me...)

[Side note - I went to a co-workers wedding on April 17th. As I type, today is April 26th. He brought me a thank you note...today. Do you think he reads the blog?!]

A bossy, er I mean, FRIENDLY reminder

Fellow bloggers that would like to 'sound off' on the great 'thank you' note debate - please let this serve as me being bossy & organized (or just being sweet - you choose) that your post needs to be completed & posted on Thursday, the 29th.

Mine's already done. But I'm an over-acheiver like that. (Sanguine, remember?!) Prepare to be amazed. And I am preparing for rebuttal arguments, if needed...

I know I am but what are you?!

I had official jewelry training in Elizabethtown, KY Saturday. And I am just like a little sponge because they bring in senior leaders (who make a ton of dough) & I figure they must be doin' something right so I need to perk up & listen.

And they train us on all kinds of stuff. Jewelry combinations, tips for home shows & bookings. And the ladies who trained were wonderful! They were funny & animated & I loved it!

And I'm tellin' ya, God has an unreal sense of humor. They trained on the 4 different 'personality' categories. And I'm thinkin' "what the heck does our personality have to do with anything?!" And since my 'personality' has been such a hot topic lately - I just HAD to share with ya'll!

Ok, so there are 4 types of personalities. Sanguine, choleric, melancholy & phlegmatic. You can open them all except the 1st one. Please save it as a pic & then go back & read it. It is me! (except for the always late part. I am VERY punctual & most the time early!!)

I am a half breed because I am a mixture of Sanguine & Choleric. And I know that & I fully admit to it! They did little 'skits' from home shows & acted out each of the personalities & I was crackin' up! Because some of the stuff they were doing is stuff I do! Then I decided to feel a little better about myself because there are actual schmactual written words to describe what I 'am'. Google it, it's real...

Then I realized that there are areas that I need to work on! I'm not perfect after all! Hmph! And while I don't demonstrate ALL the strengths (or weaknesses, however you wanna look at it...) of those personalities, I have mainly traits from those top 2. I love how on the right hand side it shows the areas you need improvement. Like being a betters listener. I am a horrible listener. Sure, I act like I'm listening, but I am actually thinking of what I'M gonna say next.

And I've decided that the moral to all these blog posts about ME is just because I'm different than other people - that doesn't make me BAD. It just makes me different. And that's perfectly ok with me.

Soooo, I thought it'd be fun for you guys to do an internal review of yourselves to see what personality YOU are. And maybe there are areas in your life that you can improve once you can put a finger on what personality you are?

The last 2 are below: Please comment & let me know if you are just one personality or a mixture or 2 or 3! If you're like me, you may be laughing out loud at yourself when you see them! I hope you get as much of a kick outta yourself as I got outta me! And be honest! There is no judgement here, trust me!!

Constructive criticism is my thang

I know I can be hard to deal with. Just ask B-rad. Matter of fact, he'd love to tell ya how much of a psycho I am sometimes. I am impatient like my dad. I get it honest. And of course I've told you a thousand times how I used to be quiet & shy & timid & let my 'friends' walk all over me. I do tend to 'dish it out' on a regular basis, but I also feel like on the flip side, 'I can take it'. I have no problem laughing at myself. It's all in good fun.

Sometimes my posts push the envelope a bit with my hard hitting 'honesty is the best policy' attitude. But I can't help it. That's just who I've been for the last 17 years. So after mom telling me I was brave for some things I say & you all coming out in full force, I thought I'd address some things YOU guys said. I feel like they are THAT important! First I want to THANK YOU all for HONEST, CONSTRUCTIVE comments. I'm glad you enjoy my honesty. There's an unspoken 'line' of what's 'ok' to say & what's not. And sometimes I stomp on that line like it stole somethin'...

Jami Leigh Lee:I love your blog and your honesty.To be fair to the bride, you are given 6-12 months to get thank you cards out for the wedding, showers however should come immediatly.

I didn't know about the etiquette on that. I will also say that when I mentioned not even getting a thank you note yet - I was 1/2 serious, 1/2 kidding. I said half...

Robin:I heart this blog. I read it about every day. I love your honesty and ability to express yourself so openly. I think you are doing a great job. And, your right, it's your blog and you can vent any time. :)As far as the bride, I would also give her a little more time for the thank you notes. (When my bff was married 8 1/2 years ago, I helped her with her thank-you notes. I addressed the envelopes and mailed them all for her--she wrote them out herself. It was part of my 'job' to make sure these were done in a timely manner.

uhm, exsqueeze me? I read it ABOUT every day? Tsk, tsk... Again, patience is a virture....that I don't possess...

Tracey I like your honesty! Now, with that said, I have to say I am a wimp and tend to hold things in b/c I'm afraid of hurting other's feelings. I am a people pleaser and sometimes I wish I could be a little more open. It's your blog, so say what you want. Just be prepared that people may not always agree with you. As far as the thank you notes go, give her more time!! That's my humble opinion. I think the rules are something like 4 months. Now, I don't think it should take that long...but never know! The real thing is that we don't give gifts JUST to get a thank you note. It should be done because we want to show our excitement for the new couple. So, I wouldn't get offended about it. :)

I have no problem when people don't agree with me. In fact, I think that's what makes us all wonderfully designed. We are all different. In every single way. I don't expect everyone to 'like' what I have to say ALL the time... (just like maybe 85%?!). I like hearing other peoples points of views. And I enjoy the banter back & forth when I don't agree with someone on something. While I AM hard-headed, I try to understand & respect others opinions. And yes, you're correct, I do not attend showers, receptions, weddings, etc. JUST to get a thank you note. But I do feel like it's proper... more on that in my 'thank you note' post.

Alicia i'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on thank you notes because i bet they are very different from my own!! :)be honest! fine by me but give amber a chance to get them out!

ok, I GET it! I gotta chill!

Ginmommy Brutal honesty is who you are.....with that said....sometimes it could hurt people's feelings. For the simple reason, someone may see the same thing a different way than you, and when people feel differently, they can get their feathers in a ruffle. I totally enjoy reading what you have to say, but sometimes, I'm shocked, cause if that was my family, they'd be peeved at me!!! I wish I could be more open like that though, as long as your okay with it, then you are right, it's your blog, say what you want sista'....just as long as it's not about me ;)

Ahhh, this is the one that got me right in the ticker. I never, ever mean to hurt anyone's feelings. I don't try to be a vicious person. I know words can hurt. And God knows I let my mouth run faster than my brain sometimes. But here's the thing. I have feelings too. And most of the time MY reactions to people or to situations is a direct result of how those people hurt my feelings. And I know you may not believe this, but there are some things I don't blog about. (Pick your chin up off the ground.) But it's true, even I have limits. (I didn't tell you 2 of my cousins at the wedding had no teeth. Seriously. All their teeth - gone.) To me, THAT kind of thing is hurtful. They can't help it all their teeth are gone now. (Technically they probably could've had better dental hygiene habits- but I get off topic...) But not saying 'hello' to someone? You CAN help that? See where I make that difference?!

My side of the family is not so close. You have probably noticed I don't blog about them much. But with Brad's fam, we're all so intertwined because of the farm & the fact that we live within 2 minutes of each other, sometimes that gives me more ammo. I've told you before, I do not get along with Brad's brother. And that's a loooong story that goes back 16 years. And I make no bones about that. He even knows I don't like him much. And I think the feeling is mutual. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Sister in law? Love her. Niece & great-nieces? Love them. Nephews? Love them. I just have a problem with Brian. And because of some of the things that have gone on, I have NO problem whatsoever speaking my mind about him. I will NOT cower down to him. I do not like the way he treats B-rad sometimes & in that respect I'm like the big bad bear mama protecting her young. Again, it goes back to being a psycho & not wanting to go back to the time where I would just let him bowl me over.

That being said, Ginmommy is absolutely correct. Sometimes my words may hurt peoples feelings. And for that, I am truly, truly sorry. That has never been my intention. (My intention is to make ya'll laugh!) And I will try to make a conscience effort to think a little more about who may be reading that I may NOT know about.

And maybe it's bad to say? But I like who I am. I like that I try to be honest. I like that I don't take crap off anyone. But I don't wanna be that mean girl who just says mean things to be mean. Nope, nu uh, that's NOT me. Maybe I say 'not such nice things' to be funny (but they're all TRUE 'not such nice things'...)? There's that silly unspoken line again. Hmph! Bear with me - Rome wasn't built in a day, people...

La Grange is weird. There - I said it

First off, I must apologize if any of my loyal stalkers are from La Grange. Or if any of your families are from or currently live in La Grange. I also apologize if you like La Grange or if someone you like lives in La Grange. (Also, I apologize if any of MY family is from or living in La Grange...)

Ok, there...on with my story.

I had official jewelry business in La Grange last night. It had little stores & shops down the street. It also had railroad tracks. Down the middle of the main street. And a sign that read, "No train horns." Uhm, okay...?

So on my way to the show, I drove down the middle of the main street. And my car was straddling the railroad track. And this got me thinking, "What the hell do ya do if you see a train come up behind you in your rearview window?"

So as I chatted with my hostess, I asked her that very question. And she said, "You get the heck outta the way!" Ok, seems simple enough...

On my way back to the interstate last night, I was coming up through the little quaint section of town approaching a 4-way stop before I was going to turn left. And I saw something that just didn't add up. It was 3 large lights kinda tall in the sky shapped in a triangle. It was a freakin' train comin' straight at me! (By the way, it took a second for this to register in my brain. And they weren't lying - there was NO horn...)

I got over as much as I could (there were cars parked on the shoulder) & just held my breath as the train came toward me. It wasn't moving too fast, but fast enough that it would've done real damage.My car is at the edge of that white line. It was so close I could've reached out & touched it.
And it banged & clanged right beside me the whole time. If something had fallen off, it could've hit me or my car. That was a scary thought.

And you know me, Miss Patient, I got annoyed that it was taking soooo long to go through. It was a really long train & by this time is was 9:45...

I just think it's totally weird to have a train going down the middle of the town. Granted, the track was probably there before the town. So whoever built La Grange is weird. Ok - I apologize if you were someone who built La Grange... etc, etc.

Challenge extended...challenge accepted!

Ok, so after my previous post, I got all kinds of comments. And I just heart ya'll! I love it! And I am racking my brain for ideas because I am gonna do a post from your comments. Be afraid...be very afraid...

(If you haven't commented yet - no worries, I have NO time right now to work on it. You still have a few days to let me know how you feel!)

Although I don't have a problem making decisions & I AM very opioniated, I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading all of your thoughts on this little dog & pony show I call my blog! And while none of you said I was rude (thanks...), ginmommy had an excellent point about feelings. And I was so moved, I think I need to address that...

And then, Alicia sent me this comment: jaime, i think we should have a kind of "blog off" about thank you notes. we should pick a time and blog our opinion of thank you notes at the same time. then we could read each others responses! i think that would be fun! i love the spin you put on things so i'd like to hear your spin on that too! :)

And BOY do I love this! Since we've been friends, for-eva, I already know her feelings on 'thank you' notes. But I would LOVE to see what all of our creative minds can come up with!

So here's the challenge - I want all my loyal stalkers to come up with a post about how you feel about thank you notes. My wheels are already spinning. I've already got a title, but I'm not telling you what it is because I don't want you to steal it. Since I know we're all really busy (I haven't even had time to get a good nights sleep lately!-Thus the post about me being rude? I'm cranky & irritable without a good nights sleep...), I will throw out the gauntlet for next Thursday, April 29th. If you wanna join the fun - throw caution to the wind. This is your freebie to say whatever YOU want HOWEVER you wanna say it! No judgements! It will feel SO liberating! And if you wanna be a party pooper & not join in the fun - I will still love you - but I won't respect you anymore...

Brave, rude or just plain stupid?

Ok, so we've all learned one way or another that I call 'em like I see 'em. The brutal truth. Tough love... you get the drift....

And if you recall, I blogged a few weeks ago about my cousins' shower. In that post I told a story about how no one greeted me when I walked in & other atrocities. And the list on inappropriate posts could go on & on. I told about how Brad & I rode a motorcycle when Brian was outta town. I blogged about how I didn't like the bride at a wedding reception. And who could forget about the Easter Sunday conversation where we realized Elvis died so Jeremy could live?! Whatever. It is what it is.

So yesterday at lunch, mom tells me that I was 'awfully brave for saying what you said about Amber's shower.' And I was like, "What I said when?!" She said, "Your blog..." And then it started to make sense. Who knew mom reads the blog? How exciting!

Anyway, so I was like, "Why was that brave? It was the truth!" And she said she understood, but didn't think I should've said all that. And I said, "Mom, when I'm at jewelry shows, I greet every person who walks in the door. 'Hi, I'm Jaime the jewelry lady'!" To this she replied, "Yea, but you're trying to sell jewelry!" Whaaaaa? It's not even about that! It's about common freakin' courtesy!

So here's the thing. It WAS the truth. I don't say anything in the blog that is a lie. Everything I say here is the truth as I see it. Now, I will admit I do try to put my special quirky spin on every story I tell you. But the stories themselves are always true. I wouldn't lie to you.

Besides, I don't think any of my family reads the blog. But if they do, I don't see how they could be mad. It.was.the.truth! When Lora & I had a baby shower for Erin 2 years ago - we greeted everyone as they came in. Erin went around to every.single person & spoke. Before the shower started I got up in front of everyone (surprised?!) & introduced myself & welcomed them & thanked them for coming! So when I attend a shower, maybe I have an un-realistic idea of what to expect? Sure, the girls hosting didn't introduce themselves. Ok, fine. Sure, I didn't get a clothes pin thingie when I walked in. Ok, fine. Sure, no one thanked me for coming. Ok, fine. But is it that unreasonable to assume that someone hosting/affiliated with the shower should simply say "hello"? (In the spirit of full disclosure - the brides mom & grandmother sat beside mom & I & spoke to us throughout the shower...) Also, I have YET to get a 'thank you' card for the shower AND wedding. Don't get me started on 'thank you' cards...

So here's the question: Am I pushing the envelope too much with my 'brutal truthfullness?' Should I try to rein myself in? I mean, that's kinda the point of the blog, right? To say what I wanna say how I wanna say it? By God, this is AMERICA! I still have the right to say what I want...for now...

Setting the record straight

B-rad read my little post about starting to plant. And he had a very lengthy comment (I don't know where he gets THAT from?...). I told him he should've commented 2 days ago when I posted because my faithful stalkers are seething in anticipation to see what I'm gonna say next.

And since I'm a giver & all - I decided to make a post out of B-rad's comment: (Disclaimer: this is his comment, however - I made some grammatical corrections. Sorry, I can't help it...)

Any corn planted after May 5th has a loss of 1 Bushel per acre of final yield for everyday after that date. May 6th - 1 bushel per acre, May 7th -2 bushel per acre, and so on, follow me? This is about the exact same time we start every year. Usually we start on Thunder for some reason it just happens that way - not planned. Corn is pretty tough. It takes a hard freeze to really kill it. Frost will stunt it but very rarely kill it. The earlier you plant it the better you are. That gives the corn time to grow in the cooler part of the year versus trying to grow when it is super duper hot. Corn should be tasseled by July 4th. Anything tasseled after that will suffer some yield loss. We don't always make it by those dates every year and those fields usually do worse than the earlier planted ones. Also, the main factor on planting corn is that the ground temperature has to be above 52 degrees or the seed will rot. This year the ground temp has been up since early April and we know that it will more than likely stay above 52 degrees now. It takes multiple days of cold temps to drop the ground temp once it comes up. 2 days of a cold rain will increase that time, but that is a risk you take. Farming is a gamble period. The only things farmers can control are seed placement, planting time, and weed control. Mother Nature is in charge after that, and she is not always nice to farmers. Like right now we are way dry!! We should be worrying about not being able to plant because of being too wet, but we are now worried about it being too dry and too hard to get the seed in deep enough. There are many factors to go by when planting. Although we do say "such and such" started planting, that doesn't make us want to start. We were already wanting to start, it's just that we had parts & seed ordered & the low ground temps held us up. Some people jump the gun and sometimes it pays off, and sometimes they get kicked in the Ass by Mother Nature. There is way more to it than that I just wanted to clarify a few things.

So there you have it. Farming 101 by B-rad. I still stand steadfast with some of the stuff I tease him about (the hysteria caused when the 1st farmer starts planting...), but he's really good about taking my sarcastic-ness. And since I said this was HIS post, I will hold my tongue (don't pass out...) until it's my turn again. I mean, I don't want him to get pissed & quit reading & making comments!

It has begun...

Planting is underway! From now until whenever it's done - Brad will eat, drink, breathe, live, (not) sleep, planting. Ahhhhh...here we go again... The kitties came out to hang with me while I sat in the swing & watched B-rad.
In my expert farmer opinion, it's a tad early to be planting. I just think the weather here is WAY too unpredictible until after Derby. But alas, they did not ask my opinion. But see, here's what happens - all it takes is some farmer driving down the road with his planter & the hysteria begins. With all farmers...not just mine...

They had sown some grass around the edges of the field so B-rad had to get out & look to see where the line was so he didn't plant over it. Again, I think it's some government program we're in that they did that for... Also - I should add - these are things we sign up for. The government doesn't make us do them. However, when we agree to do them, they give us the guidelines we have to abide by. We have to pay for the fuel & supplies & of course, the boys do the work - then the government gives us money for it. Psssh, like we do it for free?!

B-rad is an extremely smart guy. He is SO good at electronic stuff. So of course, he's the guy in charge of all the fancy schmancy electrical stuff we have in the machines. This is the new toy for the planter. I don't know what all this crap means, but he does & that's all that matters! (This is the thing that I had to download software upgrades for...)

And did you think for one second that I could be out in the field talking to Brad & the cats wouldn't come over? Tsk, tsk...

Brad was ready to go, so I had to walk around to the back of the planter & tell him, "C'mon, Sonny - daddy is ready to go!" And like any good child, he ignored me...

then I said, "Sonny, he will run US over if we don't get outta the way!!!" And he still just stood there. Then Brad made the planter move & bit & that got his attention!

I hate dandelions & yellow fields

The dandelions have taken over my landscaping. And this pains me because I hate yard work. I hate pulling weeds. I hate putting down mulch. I have let them go so long that they are taking over my landscape lights. (yes, there's a light in there somewhere...)And perhaps the thing that pisses me off the most? They are choking out the plants I actually PAID for! I can't be havin' that!

When I got home last night, I went out & started to pull some of them. And you can't wear gloves so your hands get all muddy & green & smelly. (Another reason I hate yard work...)

Of course, Sparky was right there with me... watching. I swear, if I could find a way to make him help me I would... All the dandelion schrapnel is laying out in the yard that needs to be mowed. And don't get me started about mowing the yard. When we got married, we paid $500 for a 70's model cub cadet. B-rad 'didn't have time to mow!' So I would mow & weed-eat which took about 2 1/2 hours. A few years ago we paid a helluva lotta money & upgraded to a zero turn mower & now B-rad won't allow me to mow. It takes him 45 minutes. Hmph...

And ya know how you just get used to seeing something? Well, it suddenly hit me that the field wasn't 'green' anymore. Brian had been here & sprayed last weekend.

And now instead of looking out & seeing a view of lucious green like the pic at the top of the blog, I see this:

Blah. Yellow. Death. Farming lesson #345 - we are in a government program where we have to sow wheat in the winter to help keep down erosion. It grows until close to planting time & then they spray it. With all kinds of dangerous chemicals. And kill it. And make my field a sea of yellowy death...that's our government for ya...

Of course, Sparky followed me out into the scary field to make sure no opossum or coyotes got me.

And when he saw all was safe, he figured he'd go ahead & rub in the dirt.

Sonny didn't venture out so far. He stayed on the safety of the driveway.

And rubbed himself on the gravel. When I pet him, white powder comes off his coat.

Creature feature

Country life is exhausting. It's hard to understand unless you've actually LIVED it. But you're just gonna have to trust me, I know what I'm talking about. And while I'm certain there are downsides to living in town (that's what we say when we leave the country, "we're going in town...") I challenge you city slickers to beat what I'm about to tell you. It will make your hair curl (or go straight, whatever the case may be). It will make you appreciate your grocery stores & other amenities that are mere moments from your home.

So we've lived through several adventures together since I started the blog: The 2ND, (yes I said 2ND) break-in, the deer hanging out in my backyard & rubbing my trees, the skunk coming up onto the front porch & eating the cats food. Hell, the cats themselves are a by-product of country living. And I must say they hit the jackpot at the McAfee's. I mean, they're fed (well!), they come in when it's cold. Smart move, Sparky & Sonny... And we all know how I struggle daily with the fact that I have no hi-speed internet. I don't think I'll ever get over it... But, by God - we DO have satellite service with DVR's...that helps me feel better.

But before I started the blog, B-rad & I lived through the 1ST break-in. We lived through 5 days of no electric after the Hurricane winds came. We lived through 7 days of no electric after the ice storm. (And when I say 'lived through' - sure we were breathin' & all, but it was so miserable I wanted to die...) And the electric was out so long because 'we didn't live in concentrated areas of homes'. Uhm, exsqueeze me? Do I get a 'pass' on paying my bill since I live in the sticks? Nu uh, don't think so... C'mon, beat that city slickers, I dare ya!

OK, back to the point. I've found yet another critter that comes up onto my porch & helps themselves to the cats food.This time it was a raccoon.And he could've tried to be little neater with his food stealing. He made a total mess & spilled the water everywhere!

And this has got me thinking - I've found a skunk & raccoon both on my front porch in like a 2 month period. What else is going on outside the confines of my home that I DON'T know about? Opossum? Mice? (Sparky kills them! :) B-rad says there are coyotes too (gasp!) Oh, the humanity!

I'm a gopher (as in 'go for' this, 'go for' that...)

Last night I had plans - big plans - of making an actual dinner. I promise... it was gonna be mini meatloafs. Mmmm mmmm good! But B-rad called & said he needed my help. 'Cuz ya know, I am an intregal part of the farming process. He really couldn't do it without me. So I put on a bra (sorry, tmi?) & packed up my ugly blue laptop & headed over to the barn.
Brad's been working on updating the computer thingie for the planter. I'm not sure what all it does... I just know it's been pretty expensive. I've told ya'll we're fancy farmers.... He's been installing new 'stuff' on the planter...

& he's also been running wires inside the tractor...

for the actual brain computer thing.

One of Brian & Lora's dogs, Sandy, was there. Isn't she the cutest?!And I started to pet her. And she really enjoyed it. So she rolled over on her back & I'm a sucker for the animals, so I scratched her belly for a bit.You may be thinking, "where do YOU fit in?" Well, he didn't need me to run wires. He didn't need me to install anything on the planter. He needed my laptop to download a software update for the planter computer thingie. Which was gonna take 3 freakin' hours. And I said, "nu uh, I'm not standing here for 3 hours..."

So he said, "Hey, why don't you go to your mom's & download it with her hi-speed?" Ahhh, once again - mooching off mom's hi-speed. So I headed to Palmyra to download an update that took about 5 minutes on a 'real' internet connection. (Good thing I had put on that bra... & never fear - mini meatloafs & mashed potatoes are on the menu for tonights dinner...)

Amber's wedding

My cousin, Amber, got married yesterday! Jeremy had ran 12 miles (gulp...) that morning & he was afraid he would wither away to nothing before the reception - so he brought himself a snack...to eat...before the service...in the sanctuary... My cousin, Ann on the right is the brides mom.
And I don't know what it is about weddings, but I love 'em. I don't know why. I get all teary eyed & emotional which is NOT really like me.
Maybe it's the bride walking down the aisle with her (step)dad towards her new life?

Maybe it's my brother facebooking or texting during the service?!

Maybe it's the innocence of the bride & groom as they enter their new life?

And all they know is they love each other. And it's them against the world. Love conquers all right? blah, blah, blah...

Maybe it's because I know they have NO clue what's going to happen to them? Car payments, electric bills, house payments, cooking & cleaning...

Actually, I think it's the anticipation of eating cake that gets that tear in my eye...

My mom's side of the fam is not real close. So when we're all together it's like a mini-family reunion. Mom's in the middle with her 2 sisters & 2 of her 3 brothers. The 3rd brother wasn't there. They all had a falling out...sad, but necessary.

And this is me & Jer with most of our cousins. There were 6 missing. We used to go to Grandma's house every.single.Sunday when we were little. We all played together - outside. We played hide & seek, we buried each other under leaves that fell off Grandma's trees, we played all kinds of Easter egg games... I miss my Grandma...

There were bowls of chex mix & m & m's on each table. We devoured the chex mix right away. And you can see the other bowl is empty (that was the m&m's...), so Jer went & told the grooms mom he was starving so she gave him the bag of chex mix to re-fill our bowl... (An example of what a small world it is? The groom's parents used to be Jer's scout master when he was in Cub scouts... after seeing the groom, Jer remembered him from when he was a little boy hanging around.)

Check out my cousin photo bombing me. What in the world?!

So, of course I scolded her & we did a do-over... I like my smile better in the first one. Hmph...

I had to threaten Brad within an inch of his life to come to the wedding. It was at 1:00 in the middle of the day which just really throws a wrench into his farming thang. He said, "Ugh, why does it have to be in the middle of the day?!" I said, "Well, uhm, I'm sure they didn't really worry about YOUR schedule when they picked the day & time?!" Then I really laid it on thick, "What if it was YOUR family? You'd be there. Period." So he came to the wedding. He wasn't gonna stay for the reception - we even drove seperate cars. I tried the 'free food' angle, but he said, "I gotta get back home to finish the planter!" Well, see the guy on the right? Brad likes him WAY more than he does me - so he relented & went to the reception & ate chex mix & m&m's...

First dance...

Jer helped one of our cousins kids open the hershey kiss packages... uhm, that's a knife...an awfully big knife...
And Gabe was all about that! (Just because Jer probably CAN have kids...doesn't mean he SHOULD...)

It's hard to tell, but Gabe's mouth was PACKED with hershey kisses. His cheeks were poofed out!

Then it was time for the single men to go out. And Jer wanted NO part of it. So mom & Aunt Mary were pointing him out to the dj.

Then they tried to remove him with physical force. And he went limp. And it was hilarious!

So I yelled out to Amber & she came & drug him out there! He can't refuse the bride!

Me & the bee-u-ti-ful bride!