K is for:

J is for:

Jaguar, my dream car!

J is for:

Joy!

We got some potentially bad news yesterday about our dog Bridgette. We were told that her kidneys might be failing because she is so old but today we were told that nope the bloodwork was clean and she's just old (No shit!) so now worries. I am filled with nothing but pure, sweet, tasty...

Joy

Priceless

http://homes.realtor.com/prop/1072436138#Photo

I is for:

Incredible! Yesterday Amelia and I took her niece Maya to the Columbus Zoo. Now I am not a fan of the zoo, it's just not my thing, I think it's cruel, and in general I don't enjoy seeing parents smack their kids when they are running around or watching grown men clap their hands (OVER AND OVER AGAIN) every time they get near the cages to get the animal's attention...fucking annoying!

Anyhoo...it was pouring when we arrived, it tapered off and then rained again as we were leaving. The rain cooled the day down considerably and we actually had a great time, despite our frozen egg rolls :) The weird thing is that apparently when it is raining the animals all come out to enjoy it. I cannot count the number of times that we've been to this zoo but I can tell you that most of the animals that we saw have NEVER (and I am not exaggerating) NEVER been out when we've been there! That black bear and the lion were right there, had there not been any cages or glass we could have hugged them...the bear was so incredibly cute, just relaxing in the mud!

H is for:

Hilarious...

http://www.tbs.com/video/0,,81008,00.html

Sperm Bank....HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA and nasty ;)

G is for:

Grayson

If I ever get pregnant Grayson will be the name of our son or daughter. It may be spelled differently for a girl but Grayson it is. I think we've also settled on middle names.

Grayson Evenia for a girl (Evenia, was my grandmother's middle name) or
Grayson Worth for a boy (Worth for someone else in my family) the boy's middle name is still up for debate...the other two options are Grayson Eli or Grayson Emmerson, also family names.

I know two of our friends already hate it but what do you think?

Post Secret Video

F is for:

Friday night with Friends. My friend Kelly in the blue and gray shirt here, stayed with us for five days while visiting from Uxbridge, Massachusetts. We threw a "surprise" (I cannot keep surprises, she knew before the invitees did) potluck for her as a going away.

Here's Becky in white, Kristy in stripes, and Kelly in blue and gray!

Good food and good friends, here's a small sampling!

Kelly and Shannon

Amy and Mary Ann

Kelly and Tropi

E is for:

early evening

My favorite time of day, the heat of the day has diminished, the fireflies are out and you can sit outside without sweltering in the unbearable heat.

The sun is sliding under it's covers and the moon is coming out to say hello.

I love early evening.

D is for:

Depressed...we took the pregnancy test this morning and it was negative. So very sad.

C is for:

C is for two things...the first being Coca-Cola of course. Coke (not diet or caffeine free) has been my favorite drink my entire life! Being a Georgia girl you must love Coke and no other pop exists...all drinks are called coke and you must, must, must begin drinking it at birth ;)

The other thing is the now defunct Camp Crowell-Hilaka in Richfield, Ohio. I worked there as a Unit Assistant, Unit Leader, Trip Director, Unit Director, and eventually Assistant Camp Director. That was one hell of a place. One day I'll post more about it but I'm just not feeling it today.

Have a great weekend peeps! We are on our way to Oberlin and Cleveland where we will be eating at the Melting Pot (yummy), going to hear some great classical music at Blossom, and I will be doing the final fitting for my bridesmaid dress! WOOHOO!

B is for:

Blue! My favorite color. It is the color of Amelia's eyes, my eyes, my mother's eyes, and both of sister's eyes. I love Tiffany Blue and Robin's egg blue! Blue has always been the name that I intended as my first child's middle name.

As a child in Georgia, I remember seeing ton's of Robin's Eggs broken on sidewalks, in yards, and on the playground at school. I would always pick them up and carry them home with me.

I interrupt my regularly scheduled programming...

On my other blog, this is going on....come on over to my site and comment over and over again and you can be qualified!
Click here: http://www.about-clevelandoh.com/or go to my other sites listed over there on the right and click the Cleveland site...good luck!

Time for another network wide comment contest for the public.

If I had $300 dollars I would buy________.
What would you buy with $300? Or even $200 or $100? Now is your chance to find out! Comment on any 451 Press site during the month of August and you could win! Three comments will be chosen at random to win a cash prize of $300, $200 or $100. The more you comment the more chances you have to win. So start reading and let those fingers fly.

Steve Shickles
451 Press, LLC
(256) 534-5123 x100

Encyclopedia of Me Meme

So over on Bella Dia a new meme has just been started. It is called the Encyclopedia of Me Meme based on Amy Rosenthal's (whom I love) book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. I have decided to participate because this is a very exciting time in my life. I have officially owned a house for one year now, I work full time for a huge publisher, I am doing some freelance writing, I am in an MLIS program at Kent State, and for me the biggest thing is that we are trying to have a baby. In one week, we can officially be tested so keep your fingers crossed! So this will be daily (fingers crossed) blog entries, and I'll post something new A-Z about my life. This exercise is more for me so if you get bored, well tough ;)

So here goes:

A is for: Amelia! Well that was an easy one :) I met Amelia at a Superbowl party nearly 7 years ago. We pretty much never left each other's side from that moment on. Our first date was at Shadowbox Cabaret at Easton. I was originally offended by it because it seemed too loud for a first date and I wanted to talk but in the end it was a great time. Amelia had washed and vacuumed her car for our date...she was very sweet. So A is definitely for Amelia

Poets

My favorite poet has always, at least for as long as I can remember, been Nikki Giovanni. My favorite Nikki Giovanni poem is Woman, here it is:

Woman

she wanted to be a blade
of grass amid the fields
but he wouldn't agree
to be the dandelion

she wanted to be a robin singing
through the leaves
but he refused to be
her tree

she spun herself into a web
and looking for a place to rest
turned to him
but he stood straight
declining to be her corner

she tried to be a book
but he wouldn't read

she turned herself into a bulb
but he wouldn't let her grow

she decided to become
a woman
and though he still refused
to be a man
she decided it was all
right

That's a good one right!?

Another great one, I mean what poet can write about love and sex in a way that makes you smile like:

I Take Master Card

(Charge Your Love to Me)

I've heard all the stories 'bout how you don't deserve
me 'cause I'm so strong and beautiful and wonderful and you could
never live up to what you know I should have but
I just want to let you know:

I take Master Card

You can love me as much as your heart can stand
then put the rest on
account and pay the interest
each month until we get this settled

You see we modern women do comprehend
that we deserve a whole lot more
than what is normally being offered but we are trying
to get aligned with the modern world

So baby, you can love me all
you like 'cause you're pre-approved
and you don't have to sign on
the bottom line

Charge it up'
til we just can't take no more
it's the modern way

I take Master Card
to see your Visa
and I deal with a Discovery but I don't want any American
Express 'cause like the Pointer Sisters say: I need a slow hand

I know right? Great shit right? But....and I hate to say it....an unknown (unknown to me) poet is taking over as my favorite...Mary Oliver...ever heard of her? Me neither until yesterday....I came across the poem below and fell in love with it. Mary lives in Provincetown and is still alive and kicking so maybe I will write her a letter and tell her how she kicked Nikki Giovanni out of the top spot for the small portion of heart that is reserved for great (and it has to be great because I don't usually get down with poetry) poetry!

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Oh how I love thee Mary Oliver :)