The Boob Apron

So, as a chick with huge boobs, I try to keep them semi-covered so as to avoid direct and obvious ogling. But, of course, there are shirts that just don't cooperate. For instance, v-necks, wraps, button-downs, etc. I tried wearing a tank top under those kinds of shirts, but it adds bulk and makes me look fatter than I already am, plus it makes me hot as hell. So, they have these little clip on things they have been advertising on the TV. I was thinking, if that shit would actually stay stuck to my bra all day (doubtful), it might be worth a shot. But after seeing this video, I've decided not to be a shitty human being. I'm gonna let my puppies fly.

Hummingbird Takes Hot Air Balloon Ride

I thought this was a fantastic photo (right click to open in another window for full size). We got this feeder last year, just to see if we could get any hummingbirds, and this little lady has been gracing us with her presence. She's quite beautiful--and extremely fast!

Pretty in Pink

Travis bought me this Gerbera Daisy a few months ago. I thought it was so beautiful with water droplets on it from the recent rain. The second picture shows a tiny ant on the flower. How cool! (Click for larger.)

Lake Jocassee, SC Dive Boat Charter

This dive almost wasn't. This mask is mine. It shattered 15 minutes before we were supposed to load the boat. Because the mask had my prescription in it, I wore my glasses. Even though I thought about bringing my contacts, I decided I didn't need them and left them at my dad's--an hour and a half from the dive site. Needless to say we didn't make that 9AM boat. We drove all the way back to Dad's, got my contacts, drove to a dive shop, bought a new mask, and drove all the way back to Jocassee to make the 3PM boat. I should be mad that I wasted a $150 mask (including prescription), but I'm grateful that it didn't happen underwater. I also have to think it happened for a reason--that we weren't supposed to make that 9AM dive. Who knows. But, come 3PM, we were headed to load the boat!

The beautiful rocky and sandy shore surrounded by nothing but banjo playing BF Egypt forests was a little cumbersome when lugging dive gear. We had to lug all our crap down this little rocky trail--and then drag ourselves back up it for the next load. Plus, we had to take it all back up the hill. Not fun.

I'm lucky, though. I have a hot ass pack mule of a husband who loves me enough to drag all my shit around!

Not to mention that the scenery was breathtaking when you finally got all your crap situated and had a moment to look around. It was a mountainy area that just looked like a painting from our loading area. The trees were so green they almost looked fake. Even if you don't want to dive, this lake is spectacular. The water is clear and sandy--not muddy like Georgia lakes. It's very rocky, but I think that helps keep it more clear. It's well worth a trip, even for a non-diver.

Finally, we made it on the boat from the Scuba Shop in Spartenburg. They have a large pontoon and two smaller pontoons like this one. They are full service--providing tanks, fills, and rental gear. It is $25 per person for two-tank dives if you provide filled tanks. It's $40 if they provide the tanks. It's a great price either way. And, they cooked us corn dogs on the grill! Plus, we got watermelon! Mike, Cory, Dee, and the whole crew were awesome. They are super helpful, nice, and friendly. The first dive was to some wrecks and junk in the lake. Everything is connected by ropes, making it easy to find everything and very enjoyable. The visibility is good for a lake or quarry, but a lot of people had been there before us stirring shit up. It was still great. The second dive was a drift dive along the rocky wall near the wrecks. It was a cool dive which will prepare you for the ocean, and there are lots of fishies.

After we drug ourselves and all our crap back up the hill (see above), we were taking it easy, sharing the story of the shattered mask (for which we were celebrities). I noticed this cool walking stick on a nearby car. I had to take a picture. It was freakin' cool!. I highly recommend Lake Jocasee for fun of any kind on the lake, but I think it is a great place to dive. If you have never dove Lake Jocassee, call the Dive Shop. We highly recommend them, as we were immensely impressed. Plus, they take you to the dive sites, and you will never find this shit on your own! .

You've Got to be Kidding: Only in Georgia...

...can you have snow on Sunday and it be 70 degrees by Saturday.

Below are some pretty pictures of our excuse for snow. My parents (in the NE of the state) and other family members are all under about 7 inches of snow without power right now. My experience was earlier in the day, so most of it has melted. I hope I get some pictures from up there. I don't think we've had snow like that since the blizzard of '93. Lord, look at me, I'm talking like my grandma. "Blizzard of '93." I'm getting old...

Appreciating the Smaller Things

We were having withdrawals of pretty much everything fun yesterday. So, we went to the local indoor pool in the morning to play in our scuba gear. It's a cheap (free because the instructors were there doing a class) and easy way to get our scuba fix when it's freezing outside and we have no money. Then, in the afternoon, we decided to go to a friend's pasture to shoot some guns. Mine kept jamming. I swear I cleaned it the last time I shot the damn thing, but it just wouldn't feed right. And, don't say it was me because Travis has the same gun and I shot his perfectly with the same ammo. So, there. While we were there, we walked around the creek some. I sunk about a half a foot into the swampy stuff and soaked my boots--but my socks stayed dry. That always makes you happy! It was really beautiful out there, that's about all I can say. Anyway, I looked up into the country sky, which was amazing by the way, and I saw this

I know. It was the coolest thing to see. It reminds me to appreciate the simple and smaller things in life. Yesterday was a good day. A very, very good day.

Ragged Top

Road trips are always fun. You never know what you will see on the interstate. You should always keep a camera with you. Case in point, the picture above. Mr. I'm-showing-off-in-my-WHOREVette-with-my-vanity-tag-"1RAGTOP".

Actually, the tag is somewhat correct. I'd say it's more of a "ragged top" considering there is no glass (or whatever material it would be) in the back window.

LOL. Now, that's funny right there. I don't care who you are!

Georgia's Pathetic Excuse for Snow

Click for larger view. Yeah, Georgia doesn't get snow. We get these gay little things called "flurries". Awesome. Anyway, I decided to join in the hysteria that comes only when there is a little bit of white dotting the sky. But, the pictures sure are pretty. Even if it will never stick to anything--and people will drive like idiots anyway.

You're a Loser!

You remember that Megapede game for computers. You know, like, from the 80's? OK, so I was the only one who was a loser and played computer games in the 80's. (Might I remind you I was born in 1984. Yeah.) Anywho, at the end of the game, it would say, "You're a loser!". There were numerous other things it said, but I always think of that when I think of losing. If this isn't the picture of the week, I don't know what is.

That is the screen shot of the Oklahoma coach right after they lost the BCS title game. Ah, the joy of having a media center PC! Thank you, Daddy!

The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History

This weekend, after we were so disappointed with Bodies, we went to The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, GA. I've lived here for over a year and a half, and I've never been to my own town's museum. It was awesome! They have such amazing things in there. All these guns and swords and uniforms and stuff from the Civil War. I mean, Kennesaw is huge with war. There is so much stuff still in the ground here. Travis has found lots of bullets and a buckle and all kinds of stuff. It's cool to live in a historic place.

The best part of the museum was all the locomotive stuff. They have this entire assembly line for the iron works that made the locomotives. We played in the kids area (because there was hardly anyone there, and we're big kids), which was very cool. You could send telegraph messages to each other across the room. You could drive a locomotive with your shadow. You could play all day in there! And, then, the grand finale, the General was in there. It would be nice if you could get up on the train, but it's cool just seeing it.

We had a really good time, and we highly recommend it. We plan on going again very soon because we both can go for only $15! Unfortunately, I just had my blackberry and not my camera, so the pictures are not the best or most numerous, but here's what I got:

The Bodies Exhibit

This weekend, we went to see the Bodies Exhibit in Atlantic Station. It was in Atlanta before, but I never got to see it. Since it came back, we just had to go see it. What a disappointment. The people who were supposed to be in charge of everything were completely disorganized. And, the exhibit area was so small and cramped. Add that in with the massive amount of people trying to see it, and it was a disaster. I couldn't read anything because someone was up my ass the entire time. If I pay $50 for me and Travis to see something, I want time to enjoy it and absorb it. I can't stand that shit. No one has any patience. They are completely rude and selfish. I got to see most of the displays, but I didn't get to read about hardly any of them, so I was less than impressed. The actual display of real human bodies is very interesting, but the lack of organization ruined it for me. And, by the way, you can NOT take pictures. I swear to God (and Travis swears, too) that the stupid bitch who was giving us the rules when we walked in said we could take pictures. So, I was taking a couple pictures, and some bitch comes over and taps me very sharply on the shoulder. She's lucky I thought it was Travis who was touching me because bitch better keep her fucking hands off me. You do not touch me if I don't know you. Ever. I should have the cunt arrested for assault. Anyway, she hisses at me that I can't take pictures. So, the one above is the only good one I got before bitch pissed me the hell off. Overall, it was just a terrible experience. I'd say if you really want to go, go at a really random time during the day in the week or something. Maybe it won't be so crowded and chaotic.

The 2008 Year in Review

So, this has been a pretty eventful year. I have painstakingly put together a recap of everything I can think of at this very moment for a "Year in Review" (please click all pictures for larger):

In January, my office basically started over. In December, the guy who had sold his business to our company left--and took all the clients with him. January was a month of getting our bearings, moving forward, and trying to figure out who our new clients might be. Most of the employees in our office left to work for the other guy, and it came down to just my boss and me. We hired a receptionist, but she didn't work out--and we need to just leave it at that.

In February, I started this blog. It sort of started out being more about me and less about what's going on around me. But, I think the "Where are you Batman?" story started changing that for me.

Over the next couple months, March and April, I wrote very few blog posts, and they have since been removed. I was dealing with a very bad situation at work, and I was having a hard time moving away from that and getting it off my mind. It didn't really have much to do with work itself but with something that happened there. Work actually started picking up because our corporate office starting giving us work. Since then, I've been working for a large client and dealing with all the intricacies of them adding more water infrastructure to a military base. I have really liked going to the base. It makes me think of my grandfather who served in the Air Force for 22 years. I still miss him a lot, and the base sort of feels like a safe and happy place for me. I do hate the drive, though. Ugh.

May saw a slight pick-up in my blogging. Things started to improve with the situation, and work was going well with the work we'd been given from corporate. I found out I had hypothyroidism, and thought that I was going to move in this wonderful direction of losing weight. I mean, I just thought it would start falling off. After all, I was eating right and exercising. I was counting every calorie. But, alas, I am still gaining. It is quite a struggle to go from 100 pounds of tiny cuteness to 200 pounds of lard ass. I have a new appreciate for the DUFF--Designated Ugly, Fat Friend--because I am one now. I got out of that soul-crushing apartment and into the house I'm renting now. It was the best decision I've made in a long time. Don't ever rent from AMLI. Ever. Travis and I had our one year anniversary. I can't believe he's put up with me this long! We went to the Melting Pot for dinner to celebrate, and it was AMAZING! That was the first time I'd ever been. I highly recommend it, but unless you are rolling in cash, save it for VERY special occasions.

June was a great month. I got to go to Savannah for the first time in my life--even though I've lived in Georgia the entire time. Fort Pulaski was awesome. I took so many wonderful pictures that I am just insanely proud of. I love taking pictures, and I am trying to get better at it--trying to make them look professional. I really, really want a new camera that is ridiculous, but we'll probably wait on that one. We ate at Seasons of Japan while we were there, and it was amazing. You HAVE to go there if you are ever in Savannah! While in Savannah, we went to Tybee Island and went to the beach for a few hours. I love the beach. We went up into the Tybee Island Lighthouse while we were there, and that was really cool.

In July, I really started getting bummed about the economy. I did get to spend some time with my brother, though, so that was cool. I spent time with a lot of my family in July because I got to go home for the 4th. I took some really cool fireworks pictures. Uga VI passed away. That was sad.

In August, the Bulldogs were predicted to go to the title game. It didn't last long. We went to Pelham to the quarry there to dive. It was amazing as usual. I love that place. It gets cold pretty fast when you hit that thermocline, but it's beautiful and clear--and a very short drive for diving! I freaked out about the Large Hadron Collider a little. I got a Crackberry, and it now ru(i)ns my life. We had a month full of birthdays. Travis' Mom's is on the 10th, Travis' is on the 14th, my Mom's is on the 20th, and my step-mom's is on the 16th. And, sadly, my grandfather had a severe stroke. He wasn't doing super great there for a while, but he's doing decent now. His speech has kind of hit a plateau it seems to me. He isn't slurring, he just doesn't enunciate well. His leg is working pretty normally, but his hand is still giving him the run-around. He's still working on it, though. My grandmother thinks he may have had another mild stroke, and my dad seems to think he isn't getting much better now. I hope it's just a plateau he will overcome soon.

In September, we went to Vortex Spring to dive. It was a little cold, but there were no thermoclines, so it was constant--and much more bearable. Just pee a little, and you'll be warm in no time! (No kidding, don't knock it if you don't dive. There are two kinds of divers: those who pee their wetsuits and those who lie about it.) After Vortex, we went to Fort Walton Beach for a day. It was amazing. I obsessed over the lesser of two evils Presidential campaign--an obsession that would lead up to a great disappointment come Nov 4th. And, tragedy struck again when Larry Munson announced his retirement. I was heartbroken. I love the "Voice of the Dawgs"! But, I got to spend some time at home and have some wild "Muskydines and Scuppendines"! I had to get my wisdom teeth removed, and I'd never had a single surgery in my life. So, I was terrified of being put to sleep. But, all went well, and I got a very nice bouquet of flowers from work. That was so thoughtful! While we were home, we went to Hoschton to see the scarecrows. They were trying to break a Guinness World Record--I think they did!

In October, my step-mom was laid off. She still hasn't gotten a job. Where are you now, Obama? But, we got to go to the Atlanta Botanical Garden and see the Sculpture in Motion exhibit, so at least some good came from the month. Speaking of plants, that was the month the giant mushroom tried to take over my yard. Them little shits are still trying to get me, but I kick their ass whenever they come up! And, of course, we had a fun Halloween. I went as Sarah Palin.

I turned 24 in November. I have to say, that wasn't all that fun. Less fun, though, was finding out that Travis' Dad had colon cancer. He went into the hospital on Nov 6th for surgery. After 22 days and 2 surgeries, he got to go home (that was the day after Thanksgiving). Unfortunately, they readmitted him the following Wednesday, and he has had 2 more surgeries and is now in ICU in a drug induced coma. He has sepsis (blood infection) and is having a really hard time. He is cancer free, but he is having some terrible complications from surgery. But, we had a nice Thanksgiving with my step-mom's family, even though I hate going up there, and I wanted to spend it with my family. And, we spent Thanksgiving evening with Travis' family in the hospital. This was also when someone rear-ended Travis' 1965 Mustang. It still isn't fixed. Ugh. On a lighter note, I got my Chubby Snowman, which I love hugging! And, I got some lovely stockings embroidered with Travis', Pepe's, and my names. And, I put my tree up before Thanksgiving because I was so excited about the holidays. Sue me. Finally, Travis and I got engaged on Thanksgiving Day. It was supposed to be for my birthday, but he didn't ask my Dad for his blessing, so I made him wait until he did. Ha.

December has been filled with trying to get into the Christmas spirit despite a year with a lot of setbacks and sad days. It is especially hard with Travis' Dad being in the hospital. He and Travis' Mom spent Thanksgiving there, their 40th wedding anniversary there, and are now going to spend Christmas and New Year's there. And, Mom's house is where we go all the time--especially for holidays--so we're all really bummed and getting exhausted from that 6+ week ordeal.

But, now, I guess it's time to get ready for a new year. Let's hope it's a good, happy, and exciting one!