"So you're a nanny? Does that mean you can't get married or is that a nun?"

- my 11 year old cousin Lauren at our family Christmas

Just thought I'd share, it cracked me up, sounds like someone's been watching a little too much Sound of Music....I told her of course I had taken a vow of celibacy upon accepting my job. I am bound to this family forever....uh no...

I have four more days here, I'm not looking forward to leaving, but at the same time I need some routine in my life again. Vacation is good for awhile, but it doesn't pay the bills, and it doesn't always spark productivity...

What I'm really looking forward to is seeing Amyjill tomorrow and Kay on Friday. I love seeing people, I just wish I could keep them... : )



posted by Tracy 10:20

It's snowing...the world is freaking out because it's snowing. There isn't a news station around that isn't obsessing over the fluffy white stuff. It's really funny, sure there's a lot of snow there, but it's not THAT much...maybe eight inches or so, maybe a little more. I guess some people south of here got 12-22...that's a lot of snow. It's so pretty, I love winter!

I'm here in Ohio, I've been here since Saturday. It's been really nice, I've been sleeping, seeing people, wasting plenty of freetime. I'm not going to want to go back on the 2nd...well I may be a little ready. I was looking at pictures of the kids yesterday, and I actually missed those rugrats. I expected to eventually, but not this early. I know that Jimmy is going to scream his head off when I walk into his birthday party on Sunday, but I miss him anyway.


Well Merry Christmas to all my dear readers! I may write more when life gets exciting, but nothing's happening right now. : )



posted by Tracy 08:48

I'm good for dandruff???



YOU ARE ROSEMARY

What herb are you?
brought to you by



posted by Tracy 09:54

B:

Your Beauty liesin Plain Sight. Plain, simple and the girl nextdoor. People tend overlook you as you are the
"normal girl", but you're actuallyvery beautiful. And you have plenty about you to
set you apart, but more thatlets you blend. People love the stability you have
because as others may comeand go, you will always be there and you may always
be the same. You like simplethings and that's what people like about you. You
most likely enjoy things mostconsider normal, like movies, shopping, that sort
of thing and are very friendlyand probably have many friends. You are sweet and
kind and that shows on you,but you're also strong and not very naive. You're a
rather well-roundedindividual. Even though some people pass you off as
just another girl, shrug itoff because they don't know what they're
missing.

Some ThingsThat Represent You:

Element:Earth, Light Animal: Cat Color:
Pinks, Blues, Browns Song:Girl Next Door by Pilot Expression: Simple
Smile

Gemstone:Alexandrite Mythological Creature: Fox
Demon, Hobbit Planet: Jupiter Hair
Color: Light Brown Eye Color:Brown

Quote:"To the world you may be one person, but to
one person you may be the world."

Where Does Your Beauty Lie? ..::Original Pictures Are Back! Detailed Results::..
brought to you by



posted by Tracy 09:50

And here I am again, wow if I keep this up ya'll may start expecting a regular entry or something...we can't have that now can we?

I feel like crap, I hurt all over, and I'm nauseous. I know you all wanted to know that, but I thought I would share. I'm trying to keep from diagnosing myself with some terminal illness. Most everyone who reads this knows what a hypochondriac I can be. It's just a pickin' stomach virus Tracy, you don't need to start writing your will. If I had health insurance I would just cart myself to the doctor to ease my worry...but weird symptoms + doctor's office usually = ridiculously expensive tests where they charge you $250 to steal a vial of your blood and mix it with some chemicals.

Okay enough about that...I was driving back from taking Jimmy to school this morning and I passed this house with about 7 or 8 completely black cats just congregating on the porch. It was kind of freaky, someone is a little obsessed I think. I'm glad that I'm not all that superstitious. It was just a lot of black cats, it would have been equally freaky if they were all white or grey or plaid! Especially if they were plaid.

Just over a week till I get to go home again. Words cannot express my excitement, I wish it was tomorrow. It will be weird though, my parents had to put one of our dogs to sleep this week. It was very sad, but she was really sick, full of cancer. She had a good life, she was 13 or 14 I think, but it's still sad. It will be strange without her. In about three months we have gone from 4 dogs to 2, and my cat is ailing...pets just aren't supposed to all die at once.

Well I need to go, my brain tumor is throbbing.. : ) Just kidding, but I do have a headache, so I think I will lay down for a bit before Molly decides to wake up.



posted by Tracy 09:18

You are a silly English Knnnnnniggit! Brave, loyal,
and (somewhat) chaste, you follow your leader
without question...even though you're not
really that smart.

Which Monty Python & the Holy Grail Character are you REALLY?
brought to you by



posted by Tracy 20:46

J.R.R. Tolkien: Lord of the Rings. You are
entertaining and imaginative, creating whole
new worlds around yourself. Well loved, you
have a whole league of imitators, none of which
is quite as profound as you are. Stories and
songs give a spark of joy in the middle of your
eternal battle with the forces of evil.

Which literature classic are you?
brought to you by



posted by Tracy 20:35

You have the Renoir girl look. Youd have enchanted
the French Impressionists, who painted lively
girls at work and play. Their models were
ballet dancers, girls of Paris enjoying
themselves at open air dances or in music halls
and cafes, delighting in the sunshine or the
bright lights of French nightlife. The Renoir
girl loved to experiment with make-up and were
fun loving, sexy yet elegant. The following
painters would have loved to paint you; Dietz
Edzard, Edourad Manet, Edgar Degas and Auguste
Renoir.

'Pretty As A Picture' - Which Artist Would Paint You?
brought to you by



posted by Tracy 20:21

Oh I am feeling Woozy...I took an Ultracet today for a headache, my doctor gave me a few samples to try, it's stronger than a Tylenol, but not a narcotic...it took the headache away, but I'm so sleepy and off. It's sort of like taking a percoset, but not as much fun. I just want to go to bed, but I'm afraid that I'll have a hard time getting up when the kids wake up.
So I haven't written in a little less than month, I'm really bad at the updating of this thing. I used to be a lot better, but I guess my life just isn't as exciting as it used to be..and you're all saying..Yeah Tracy it wasn't all that exciting before either...
I flew up to Milwaukee and spent time with Amyjill for Thanksgiving. That was a lot of fun, and I did NOT want to come back. I almost didn't make it back since my plane was delayed about two hours, and I didn't make it back to the KC area until 1:30 am...I was supposed to be back before 11...that sucked. I got to my car at 2:20, floored it home, got a speeding ticket, and made it home before 3. I was in bed at 3:30 and got up at 6:15...yeah...we didn't do a whole lot last Monday. But the time up in Wisconsin was good, did a little shopping, got to experience going to a Christmas tree farm, played a lot of Dutch Blitz, hung out with an almost 5 year old who was convinced I had come to see him, made up some new words, talked, it was just a good time. I got my cheese curds which made me happy, and I think it was a successful trip. Good times good times! My thanks goes out to Amyjill for being so wonderful! Oh and I guess Matt and Josh too... : )
I watched the Jr. High talent show from when I was in eighth grade on Saturday. I sang "On my own" and I played in the Jazz band. It was all sort of depressing, I sounded awful and looked like a freak. I guess Jr. high is rarely the best time of anyone's life. But it was just scary to watch. Then I started wondering where all the other people were today. All these names and faces were just appearing in front of me, that I haven't heard in years. It was so nuts, I wonder what they're all doing and if the popular snotty girls are still the same, and if the weird brainy ones are off doing something incredible. It's just sort of weird that you spend 18 years with the same kids, and then suddenly you're out in the real world and you rarely hear of any of them. I also have to wonder if anyone wonders where I ended up, I wasn't the poster child for popularity, but people generally knew who I was...they had to have someone to make fun of...not bitter at all... : ) What would they think if they knew that I ended up graduating from college and becoming nanny in Kansas? Why do I care? I don't know, it just got me thinking.
Well I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open, I think I'm not taking this medication again unless I can go right to bed. I need to go do something that will keep me awake.



posted by Tracy 13:12

I have a headache the size of Montana, but I haven't updated this crazy thing for awhile...so here I am. Aren't you thrilled? Today was a rough day, Mondays are usually hard, but Mondays after a long weekend are even harder.
I ended up in Ohio this past weekend instead of Colorado. There was supposedly a snowstorm where I was going ( although this has yet to be confirmed), I didn't want to be stuck here all weekend, so I journeyed home. I figured if I could drive nine hours west, twelve hours east wasn't that much further. I didn't tell my parents I was coming which made it all the more fun. I basically just hung out at home, saw a few people, cried over my terribly sick cat. I had a hard time leaving on Sunday, but I had to be responsible and come back to my job. I will get to go home again in about a month.
My drive both ways was relatively uneventful, except for my trip through Indianapolis. Those of you who know me know that I hate to drive in cities. Indy isn't that bad, but I still wanted to get through it as quickly as possible. I wasn't really paying attention although I wasn't going terribly faster than anyone else. I passed a truck that was annoying me, and in the process passed a cop without realizing it. Well the cop noticed me and pulled me over rather promptly. He was really arrogant and tried to make me feel as small as possible. I was too tired to truly be upset though, and I just answered his questions. He wanted to know if I could explain why I was going seventy-two in a 50 (I had to write out the first number because I just realized that my seven key doesn't work...bummer) I told him I wasn't paying attention which was the truth, I wanted to tell him that I could guarantee that no-one else was going anywhere close to 50, but I kept my mouth shut...He let me off with a warning. But as I drove on I thought of many other responses that would have been much more creative. Maybe not the smartest, but at least interesting...
I could have blamed it on birth order, I being the oldest am very competitive. I need to be first at everything, and it's only natural that I would pass everyone else.
I could have explained that I was researching the effectiveness of state highway patrols. I had been going 80 since Ohio therefore making both Ohio and Indiana's patrols very ineffective...that would have gone over well I'm sure.
I could have questioned his committment to the speed limit. I seriously doubt that he would go 50 in a 50, especially when there's six lanes to choose from , and ample room to drive.
And I also could have gone to the old standby and try to convince him that I was in labor...although that wouldn't have ended well since I most likely wouldn't have been able to produce a child....
I was very polite, and did what I was told. I didn't cry which is good for me! I was very calm as a matter of fact. He told me that the fine for what I did was $150 and unless I could afford that, I needed to slow down...I said thank you and told him to have a good day, but what I was really thinking was...thank you for the financial advice, now get away from my car.
So that was my only adventure on the road. It took me just under 12 hours to get home then I had about an hour to recover before jumping into a birthday dinner for Molly. That wasn't so bad, but I was exhausted and had to fake a smile for most of it. It's so hard to believe that she's one...time flies!
Okay, I really need to rid of this headache and I don't think it's going to happen while I'm sitting at my computer.



posted by Tracy 20:03

From the award winning Leavenworth Times...

Blast spews 120-pound manhole cover
By JOHN RICHMEIER, Times Staff Writer
A short in a power line apparently sparked an underground explosive force Thursday morning, blowing off a 120-pound manhole cover, (that would hurt...) officials said.No injuries were reported. Power was lost to much of the downtown area for about 30 minutes.
Water (Damn water!) is blamed for shorting out a primary line that feeds power to smaller lines. (and they were starving to death!) "That knocked out power to the circuit," said Karla Olsen, spokeswoman for Westar Energy.
About 800(very angry) customers were without power. The outage was reported around 11:20 a.m.(right in the middle of Judging Amy) The primary line runs under a portion of Third Street. The short apparently (although this is still under investigation..it could also have been the Leavenworth Troll who is miserable with a cold and had to sneeze) sparked an explosion that blew off a manhole cover in front of the Ramada Inn,(Good morning!) 101 S. Third St. (Leavenworth KS 66048...just in case you want to send a card or something) The cover broke when it crashed onto the street.
Smoke could be seen rising from the open (uh yeah!) manhole after the incident, but firefighters never saw any flames, (but that doesn't mean there weren't any now does it?) said Battalion Chief Mark Baustian,(Ooh all hail to the chief!) Leavenworth Fire Department.He said the smoke may have come from insulation burning off the power line.(that sounds safe...) He said Westar workers waited for the smoke to clear before attempting to repair the line.
The 100 block of South Third Street was closed to traffic following the incident,(Thank God we live west of Third...) and remained closed during the afternoon hours as Westar employees worked on the line. Westar employees could also be seen working on a nearby utility pole( I was so there, I took pictures!) Baustian said the Leavenworth Fire Department provided equipment to monitor air quality (How considerate!) as Westar employees went into the manhole. (I'm goin' in!...actually the kids and I went down there as a field trip I thought an adventure under the streets of Leavenworth was Tres Unique!) Olsen said the bulk of customers affected by the power outage had their electricity restored by 11:50 a.m. But the Ramada Inn remained without power for much of the day. (Sucks to be a guest at the Ramada!)

So you're walking or driving whatever down third street and all of a sudden this 120 lb. manhole cover flys off the sidewalk with a big boom and lands in the street. Wouldn't that scare the crap out of you? It would for me! It would suck even more if instead of landing in the street it landed on your head or car....I would be a tad ticked off. Now I'm scared to go walking down the street, I didn't realize that I had to worry about exploding manhole covers....just thought I'd share our bit of exciting news for the day. To be honest I didn't know it had happened until I read that article about 45 minutes ago...what's even scarier is that I was out with the kids. I had picked Jimmy up from school around that time. We took 5th street today, but every once in awhile when I'm feeling adventurous or just trying to avoid traffic or something I will take 3rd and go past the Ramada. That would not have been cool to be there at that moment.

My other story of excitement happened Thursday morning. I was sorting my laundry and getting ready to take it downstairs. I moved my laundry bag and this mouse jumped out of it. I didn't scream, I just gasped, swore and jumped on my bed. It was the tiniest little critter, he was terrified and couldn't move. I laid on my bed looking down at him trying to figure out what to do. Jimmy was completely unaware of what was going on, he was watching The Wiggles or something to that effect. I think I stared at him for half an hour or something, I named him Ronald and tried to reason with him. I explained that although he was very cute, he could not live in my room. We were not zoned for mice...I finally snuck across the room (surprisingly he did not move) and emptied my box that holds my LOTR Cds. It's a good sturdy wooden box that was the perfect size to catch him in. I blocked off all his exits as best as I could, he still could have gotten away I think. I put one side of the box behind him, and startled him with the other side so he backed right into the half behind him. Then I just closed it off. I carried the whole shebang out to the backyard and put him in the grass by the fish pond. He didn't want to leave the box, he clung for dear life as I said "I bestow upon you freedom! Be free!" and then he fell beneath a leaf. I returned to the house thinking I was pretty cool. I got rid of a mouse all by myself! Wow...I hope he survived out there...it was pretty cold and he was just baby....

I'm venturing to Colorado next week to visit Estacia. Could be interesting, I'm really excited though. It will be good to see Estacia, and Colorado Springs is gorgeous! It will also be great to get out of Leavenworth...seven months....or something like that....



posted by Tracy 23:54

I'm sitting here on Saturday night with nothing to do. My weekends have been fairly uneventful lately, with the exception of Columbus day weekend when I went to see Ruthanne. I cannot wait to get out of here....seven more months....

I drove up to the International Forest of Friendship in Atchison today. It was uh...friendly...well actually it was full of those evil Japanese Beetles, and they were constantly dive bombing me. I would have stayed longer had they not been there...it was such a gorgeous day today, although I think any amount of sun would have made it a gorgeous day after our grey drizzly week.

I watched a show the other day that talked about the super volcano underneath Yellowstone. If it erupts it would basically completely obliterate Wyoming, and then cover the entire country in ash, most likely causing an ice age that will kill the people who don't die of lung cancer. What's even more disturbing is that the guy who is in charge of monitoring the activity looks like he's about 12...I feel real safe. Not that it matters, there are so many potential natural disasters in this world...super volcanos, asteroids, earthquakes, tsunamis, man eating plants, sinkholes, alien abductions...it's amazing the human race survives at all... Gotta love the shows that point out that we're all gonna die. Praise God that He has it under control.

This week I have nothing exciting planned. Next month will be better, between going to Colorado and Wisconsin, it will be a busy month. Then comes December when I get to go home...woo hoo! Whoever would have thought that I would miss BG this much?





posted by Tracy 20:35

So I had this dream last night that Molly, Jimmy and I were kidnapped by liberals...I went to the front door because the bell rang and I opened it with the chain still attached. When I asked who it was no one answered and I saw a gun, so being the calm Tracy that I am, I shut the door and locked it, then I ran to the back door to lock that, but they were already in the house. They said that we had to go with them, so we did...uh yeah. They were going door to door passing out literature, and kidnapping anyone who didn't adhere to their ideals...they took us around the front of the house and walked us down the sidewalk, and I kept thinking that Tim and Sydney would definitely see us walking with these strange people...then I woke up. I had to laugh when I woke up...maybe God is telling me to vote for Bush...
It's so wonderful outside, it feels like fall. I love October. Today Melissa and I are going to the renaissance festival. I've been waiting to go since it opened over Labor Day weekend. It should be fun! I'm so happy that it's not even supposed to get to 70 today...summer's over thank God!
Anyone know a good chiropractor in Northeast Kansas? I'm scared to death to go to one, so I will only go if someone recommends one...I know that so many of you spend so much time here...



posted by Tracy 10:59

I am a very bad blogger...my last entry was going on about the end of August, now it's the end of September...What in the world have I been doing? My answer? Not a whole lot....I have been working like a madwoman all week, then on the weekends I shut down and sit around. It's fabulous, but not entirely productive. I'm now sitting here watching a National Geographic special on the building of the pyramids...I'm such a geek...

I've gone back to Curves, I'm loving it as I did before. I could do without all the peppiness though. I go in the evenings after watching two small children all day, I'm generally not cheerful. I'm not a complete crab, but I just want to get in get out, and get on with my life...like Chili's to go... They're all in my face wanting to know how I'm doing, what I had for dinner, my life story, any gossip I'm willing to share...it's sort of irritating. I've tried keeping a perpetual determined scowl on my face, hoping they would leave me alone, but then they just come over and demand that I smile...it's like a cult. In a month I'll be bowing to the mighty Curves Goddess...maybe I should get out now.. : ) Let me lose some weight first...

Kansas is starting to get on my nerves. We move in about eight months...we're all counting. I've had a few people (the couple of friends I have made here) trying to forbid me to leave. I'm ready to move onto the next exciting destination, even if that destination is Texas...oh God please don't let that happen! But I'll go whereever, it could be interesting....

I wish I had something more interesting to say...my life is getting boring....





posted by Tracy 20:11

It's the end of August...that is so nuts. Where is the year going? Summer is almost over..which is even crazier. Not that my summer has gone any differently than during the year or anything...

The play is over, words cannot express the relief that I feel. It was sooo much fun, but a big time consumer. I'm looking forward to getting back to relaxing evenings instead of running off to rehearsal right after working all day. I have to say I actually got to the point where I enjoyed playing Auntie Em...I wasn't so sure that I would ever say that back in June, but it was really fun....Even if Uncle Henry was a bit creepy....

Not a whole lot has been going on besides the play. My parents came out over the weekend. That was mostly fun. We went to Cabela's and had Buffalo burgers...my mother was feeling adventurous, which believe me..rarely happens. This coming weekend Amyjill is flying out, exciting stuff!!!! Woo hoo!



posted by Tracy 14:05

This just in....

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/tests/extreme/">%20src="From'>http://rumandmonkey.com/">From the towering colossi at Rum and Monkey.


Film at 11....



posted by Tracy 13:36

One year ago today I arrived in this fair land of Leavenworth Kansas. Isn't that nuts? I've been with this family for a year, and they still haven't kicked me out. Strong people! It has been a crazy year, and I can't believe how fast it's gone. It's even harder to believe that in less than 10 months we will be in another crazy state. I will be looking for a new church, new friends....whoa...

Not a whole lot to report. I've been practically living at the theater when I'm not at work. The show is kind of coming together, but it's still in scary shape considering we open next Friday....why do I sign myself up for these things?



posted by Tracy 22:41

The world is now orange, it was yellow, but it's changed. Oh now it's purple...earlier the sun was reflecting off the clouds in such a way that everything looked like it was in a yellow haze. Kind of eerie, but it's going away now.

So yes my friends, Tracy lives again...I didn't realize that it had been so long since I've posted. What's wrong with me? Well I went to Ohio, then I came back for a few days, then I went to Minnesota for a few days, then I came home and my internet was down due to a nasty storm...and then I just didn't post for a few days. So here I am...

My trip to Ohio was crazy and wonderful. I slept on an air mattress in the living room which made life interesting. I saw people just about everyday. We went and visited my crazy 82 year old aunt who still farms her land, and is incredibly rude to waiters who forget her coffee. I went to Columbus with a certain person who shall remain nameless because I may start swearing and saw a bunch of cool people. Hung out with some more crazy people and played spaceship at the park, all of us donning skull caps. I was the captain! We are so much fun, why can't I have that much fun here?

Minnesota was great as always! Played a lot of Dutch Blitz, ate some ice cream, saw some fireworks, spent too much money...it was all good. Ruthanne, Lydia, you guys are awesome! I think you should move down to Kansas! : )

I'm in a play, I'm playing Auntie Em in River City Community Player's production of the Wizard of Oz...stop the joking, I've heard it all. So far I'm not impressed with the way they run things there, but oh well, I can't quit now. It is fun in it's own way, although I'm having trouble meeting people there. This town is just weird for that!

I need to get a life out here...I'm doing a bunch of stuff, but it's all so frivolous...I'm such a loser!


posted by Tracy 20:59

bonitarosita may explode without warning

M EXPLOSIVE

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

Tee hee!


posted by Tracy 12:00

"ACHTUNG!

bonnierose may actually be a spider-human hybrid

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

It's those spiders in my bathroom....eeww!


posted by Tracy 11:57

T	Technological
R	Relaxed
A	Appreciative
C	Colorful
Y	Young

Name / Username:

Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com

Technological??? Yeah...


posted by Tracy 21:22

Well my friends, Tracy has her car back. Actually, I got it back on Wednesday, but I'm just now getting around to the announcement. It's beautiful, and I'm very happy. The only issue now is the airbag indicator light...but we'll get that fixed on Monday. All I care about right now is the fact that I'm no longer imprisoned here. I'm even over the fact that I had to scrape up $500 to hand over the deductible. Actually I had to scrape up $800 so I could pay the body shop, my insurance company and the DMV so my car is legal...thank God for salary advances. It's making things a little tight for the next few weeks, but we'll make it work. I'm supposedly getting the deductible back once the subbregation goes through. Hopefully that will happen soon...

I've found another perk to working for military people. When a former president dies, they get the National Day of Mourning off. So I only had to work for three hours today, so they could get some outside work done. Pretty cool!

Next week at this time I will be on the road, probably just past St. Louis on my way to good 'ole BG! I'm so excited! I just want to get back to Ohio and see my friends and family. Who would have ever thought I would miss it so much?

More later! Must go do something else productive now!


posted by Tracy 16:24

A spider just tried to attack me! I'm not kidding, I was in the bathroom, and I was watching this spider (a nice big one by the way)...He was just kind of creeping out of the corner. I walked to the other side of the bathroom, and this thing started chasing me. I had to practically leap out of the bathroom to get away from him. What was HIS problem! I wasn't even thinking of killing him. He was sprinting towards me too...I didn't know they could move that fast. Some spiders!

Well I'm still a carless individual. I was supposed to get it back today, but they found more to fix so it will probably be Monday now....how irritating. BUT I would rather it be fixed correctly than rushed and have big problems. I'm just sick of being stuck here.

I think I've come down with a cold...I guess that's what happens when you're a good little insomniac all week, and then you spend the week with a two year old with a runny nose. Maybe I should go to bed....


posted by Tracy 23:09

What is Your Destiny? by Valcion
Name
Color
Birthday
Destiny	Destroyer of Human kind
Date when you fufill your destiny	May 28, 2009
Created with the ORIGINAL MemeGen!

Well! Isn't that cheerful!? So ya'll might want to get on my good side over the next few years! : )
So here we are at the halfway point of my uneventful weekend. It hasn't been absolutely terrible, but I can't say that I've had happiness and cheer oozing out of me every second. I've watched some movies, done a little cleaning, on Friday morning my friend Melissa was stuck at the airport when her flight got cancelled. So she drove up here, and we went out to breakfast. That was fun.
Well so far nothing interesting has happened, otherwise I would write about it. I'm sitting here watching Monty Python's The meaning of life...it's a rather raunchy little movie. But then again it IS Monty Python, and as most MP goes it's terribly entertaining....more later!


posted by Tracy 21:35

Anyone want to come to Leavenworth this weekend?

A little depressed tonight..my car won't be fixed till late next week, so my weekend plans are scrapped, and I'm imprisoned on Broadway....ugh...I wish I could go back to last Thursday and change everything. This just really sucks.

I wish I had more news, but really ...oh my goodness low carb Ben and Jerry's what's the point? That's just wrong....my life has been beyond boring. I have not left the house without children present since I went to the bank on Friday, and it's not changing until this weekend. And that's only if I can talk Liz into coming out here. So yeah, I'm not exactly cheerful. Sorry....


posted by Tracy 21:02

I'm a loser baby, so why don't ya kill me?

I did absolutely nothing today...I want my car back!!! It's on vacation right now, it went to Kane's Body Shop, place of crazy fun... Of course they can't do anything to it until the insurance company shows up to look at it. Hopefully that will happen tomorrow. This really sucks..I should sue...maybe not.




posted by Tracy 21:30

You're an Etch-a-Sketch!! You're the creative,
artsy type who doesn't need to actually utilize
a single muscle group in order to have fun.
Doesn't matter though, you're still cool.


What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla



posted by Tracy 21:12

Murphy's Law...

So it's Estacia's last night, and I was planning on going down to have dinner with her. I left about 5:15, and I'm driving happily down K-7, listening to Reliant K. I had just gotten to Lansing when I looked to my left and there was a flat bed trailer veering across the road heading straight for me. I swerved, but I hadn't seen it in time and it plowed into the driver's side door of my baby. It tore up my door, and now it won't close....I'm so ticked. The trailer had been connected to the back of a truck and the pin had come out, so the guy just sat there and watched it hit me. My brand new, less than a week old car has already been in an accident...I'm okay, which is good, but my poor car. I was very nice to the guy, but I could have torn his head off. Sydney said that he probably didn't have the trailer hooked up right because that shouldn't have happened. So yeah, my evening sucked! I can't drive my car for at least a week now most likely, it looks awful. Ugh! And on top of all that, I didn't get to see Estacia one last time.

But one good thing is that I called the insurance company, and they were very nice to me. State Farm is fabulous just in case anyone wanted to know!

So yeah, that's my news for now. I'm happy tomorrow is Friday, but unfortunately my weekend plans are pretty much scrapped...oh well what can you do?


posted by Tracy 20:01

Whoa! What happened to blogger? This is screwed up! Oh well! So I am no longer scum, I've gotten over the fact that I took Gabriel back to the shelter. He will find a much better home, and be happier. It will all be okay! I still miss him, but my life will be much less stressful now! : ) Who ever knew that a dog could practically kill you?

My other crazy news is I bought a new car! Sydney and I went to the dealership last night and came out about five hours later with a brand new Civic! It's so nuts! I wasn't very optimistic yesterday, I was sure that they would laugh at me when they saw my credit. They didn't though, I needed a co-signer, but they were very polite about it, and even let me use their phone to call my mother in Ohio. (Who actually agreed to co-sign for me, and I got the 2.9% interest rate!!! ) Sure they wanted to sell a car, but I was very impressed with the way they handled things. Praise God for Sydney though, she did most of the talking for me. I couldn't have done that alone. Negotiating is kind of scary, although it went pretty fast this time, they didn't even come back with a counter offer, and I basically got the car at invoice. It also helped that the dealer we were working with was in the Army Reserves, him and Sydney had a fabulous time chatting while I filled out all the paperwork...and it was a ton let me tell you! Everything went so smoothly, I was so relieved when it was done. I even drove it home last night. It's kind of a seafoam green, and it's beautiful! Power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control, CD player....it's so great! I'm actually driving a car now that most likely won't break down on me! Sure I've now got $296.00 car payment for the next five years, but it all turned out a lot better than I thought it would! So yes, Tracy has a new set of wheels! Woo hoo!

I got locked out of my bedroom last night which ended a great day in a not so great way. There's a deadbolt on my door, and it somehow got triggered, and pushed through the tape that was supposed to be blocking it. Tim had shut my door last night because Jimmy kept going in my room, and it locked. So bummer for me...the locksmith couldn't come till this morning, so I had to sleep in the guest room. (Thank God we have a guest room, although I could have slept on the couch. ) The locksmith came and removed the deadbolt altogether so it won't happen again. This had happened during my first week here as well, so Tim was a little miffed. It's not my fault!


posted by Tracy 09:26

I am scum...I took that sweet dog back to the shelter, and left him there. He didn't understand, he just looked at me with his pleading eyes confused. I left him...I hate myself.


posted by Tracy 16:38

So Estacia and I went to see the Price is Right live at Harrah's. It was so much fun! I got to go up on stage and spin the big wheel, it was so cool! I got picked out of about fifteen people who were chosen from the several hundred people who had tickets. I didn't win any money, Raymond did. I had a total of .65, and I stayed, then he got .75 which automatically knocked me out. But that's okay, it was just cool to go on stage, I got to talk to Mark Summers...woo hoo...and I got a t-shirt out of the deal. I was also given my money back for my ticket just because I was chosen to have a chance at spinning the wheel! Craziness!

On a less happy note, I am probably going to have to take Gabriel back, it has been a hellish weekend with him. I can't control him, I don't have enough time to train him properly, he needs more than I can give him. I haven't made a final decision yet, but I'm afraid that this was just a bad idea. I love the dog dearly....I want him to be happy though....ugh! I hate making decisions like this. On one hand it's just a dog, but I've grown attached to him. If I can work it out to keep him, I will, I'm calling the shelter to discuss this with them tomorrow.

Oh, along with my t-shirt I also won a car emergency kit at their promotional game. It was complete with road flares and matches! Woo hoo! They gave me road flares! Okay I'll calm down and go to bed now.


posted by Tracy 23:58

"Only those willing to give 99% on the job need apply."

Okay I found this while looking at the nanny jobs on 4nannies.com (I'm not quitting mine btw, I just look every once in awhile for other people). It struck me as a little odd...so if you keep 1% that's okay, why not only give 98%, 99.5%??? I don't know, I've just never heard someone ask for for anything lower than 100, let alone 99! Just thought it was weird...

Well last night was interesting. Gabriel went completely spastic and tore the living daylights out of my room. He tore apart my bags with birthday gifts in them, chewed up candles, peed all over my butterfly wall hanging, enough that I probably can't save it. It was just nuts. So I put him in his crate, and he proceeded to bark as loud as he could for the next hour and a half. I had to babysit, so I couldn't deal with him. I was trying to get Jimmy and Molly to bed, and his barking kept them awake till almost 8:30. I finally let him out of the crate, and put him on a leash, so I could try to control him. He tried to bite me, almost attacked Molly, kept running around like a lunatic...it was just something else. I was in tears, I wanted to kill that dog. I was so bringing him back to the shelter today. He finally calmed down and went to sleep around 10:30, and he's been much better today. I'm not going to take him back, I don't think I was really serious about that, and he would have to really do something terrible to make me do that. I was just really frustrated. I think everything happened because there wasn't time to give him a walk yesterday, I didn't get a break between my normal work day and my evening babysitting...that really sucked by the way...so I couldn't take him, and he had an incredible amount of energy that needed let out. He's used to two walks a day, and he really didn't get any yesterday, just a little outside time. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle, (gi joe a real american hero) but that brat is going to obedience school as soon as I can get him in. : )

Tim, Sydney and family all went to Virginia for the weekend! I took them to the airport this morning, so I'm home free till Monday morning! Woo hoo! It's kind of nice, I went to bible study this morning, took Gabriel to the vet, even got to sleep a little. Good stuff! Tomorrow, Estacia and I are going to see The Price is Right live at Harrah's in KC. We're going to win money! Oh yeah!


posted by Tracy 16:23

Wow those scientist types have important jobs!


Researchers Take Close Look at Moose Nose

By DAVID SHARP, Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Maine - Spindly legs and oversize antlers are all part of the moose's charm, but it's that big bulbous nose that makes it a cartoonist's dream.
Two researchers intrigued by the size and shape of the moose's nose decided to take a closer look, providing the first detailed anatomical analysis of the unconventional snout that hangs over the front lip of Maine's official animal.

Among their findings: the nose's structure allows moose to close their nostrils while foraging for aquatic plants.
Lawrence Witmer, a professor of anatomy at Ohio University, has studied the noses of many animals alive and extinct, from the common white-tailed deer to prehistoric creatures such as duck-billed dinosaurs.

He said he was surprised by the lack of research on the moose muzzle, so he and graduate student Andy Clifford went to work. Their findings were published last month in the Journal of Zoology in London.

"We know little about the moose nose, despite the fact that they're common animals in the northern half of the hemisphere," Witmer said in a telephone interview from his office in Athens, Ohio.

The moose is the largest creature in the Maine woods, reaching more than 1,000 pounds. Its nose, with nostrils up to four inches wide, droops over its front lips, setting it apart from the white-tailed deer and other cousins.

As part of their research, Witmer and Clifford examined the heads of moose that were hit and killed by motorists in Canada.

They used hospital equipment to examine the internal anatomy and dissected the samples to get a closer look at the physical structure, including nerves, cartilage and other components.

The researchers were able to discount the idea that the large size of the nasal cavity had something to do with heat regulation.

They also looked at whether the widely spaced nostrils gave the creatures any special capabilities, such as stereo olfaction. But they weren't able to make a conclusive determination.

One of their most striking findings was that the nose has a mechanism for keeping water out when the moose wades into a pond and plunges underwater to pluck aquatic plants to eat.

"Moose, as it turns out, have a mechanism to close their nostrils," Witmer said. "It's part of this crazy nostril apparatus that moose have changed their faces to develop."


Okay, first of all, by telling a moose he has a big nose you're going to give him a complex! The poor moose, moose suicides will sky rocket, plastic surgery will explode...not good not good....and another thing...there are people out there dying of countless diseases, world hunger is everywhere, and we're studying moose noses? And the guy has studied other animal noses too....get a life!






posted by Tracy 15:32

I found this very funny...these are the top ten worst cities for dating...I'm in trouble....and so is someone else I know...


1. Kansas City, MO
2. Wichita, KS
3. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
4. Detroit, MI
5. Louisville, KY
6. Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC
7. Atlanta, GA
8. Pittsburgh, PA
9. Houston, TX
10. Charlotte, NC



posted by Tracy 14:51

This won't be long, but I wanted to update everyone on my dog. His name is now Gabriel. That's what I originally wanted to name him, but my employers were giving me a hard time about it. We went through a ton of names before I finally just said "You know what? This is my dog, and I'm going to name him what I want to name him!" So Gabriel he is! I think it works! We went for a two mile walk today, and discovered that he's scared of trains, loud birds, and that there is a dog obedience training place on Cherokee st. which is less than half a mile from my house! It was quite an informative stroll!


posted by Tracy 21:34

Well I now have my dog! He's sleeping on my bed right now! He doesn't have a name yet, but I'm working on that, he's really sweet, extremely energetic and stubborn. He is pretty wonderful, and he will be quite a challenge I think, and I'm pretty sure that's okay. I doubt I'm going to be able to get him to sleep in his crate tonight, unless I want to keep the whole house up with his barking...it'll come, it's just going to take a bit. He's a beagle mix, and he's very cute! What an adventure this will be....




posted by Tracy 22:40

I've just discovered a funky bump on my left pointy finger...it's disturbing me...what if it's a tumor. You know how those deadly finger tumors can be! Maybe I should amputate...I do have that swiss army knife that Tim and Syd got me for my birthday! That should work. I'll wait till I'm done typing though.

I went for a fabulous walk today. The weather was beautiful, I was antsy and needed to go do something alone, so I took myself out to lunch at Applebee's...everyone looked at me like I was a freak since I was there alone, but hey, I didn't care. Then I went to the state park near my house and drove around there. But that wasn't enough oh no, so I parked the car and set off on the hiking trail, which ended up being three miles, and I originally didn't intend to walk all of it, but I was having so much fun, I thought why not? The hills were a bit much, being from the flatlands, but I survived. I didn't have to wrestle any mountain lions either, but I was prepared to. I remembered all the tips from the "How to use your children to scare off a Mountain Lion" card in my Worst Case Scenario Survival Card Deck. But then I realized that I didn't have any children, so I had to change it to "How to use other people's children to scare off a Mountain Lion" But then I realized that there was a good possibility that there wouldn't be any children around, nevermind any parents willing to let me use the children, so that put another kink in my plans. So I started thinking about other ways to get rid of the moutain lion...like zapping him with my cell phone, sanitizing him to death with my handy dandy bottle of hand sanitizer, writing him a check, giving him a free kiss card from my wenching deck, pelting him with random change, stabbing him with my tiny swiss army knife blade..yeah...I probably would have been toast. Yes there are Mountain Lions and Cougars here just in case you're wondering what in the world I'm talking about. They have had quite a few sightings in my general area recently. I guess they're starting to move here for some odd reason...lower property tax perhaps? Who knows? So yes, the walk was nice, I got some good exercise, some time with God, some time with myself...much much needed.

Why in the world am I still up? I have to be awake in six hours or so! I must be crazy....I will have to write more later!


posted by Tracy 23:45

It's late, I should be asleep, but I haven't gotten there yet. I had a busy evening tonight, I tried Sushi, I tried sewing..well cutting fabric anyway. Just for the record, sushi is not Tracy's new favorite food. I had a hard time choking it down, but I tried three different kinds. Gwen was rather impressed. And we're not talking about just nibbling on the stuff, I popped the whole shebang in my mouth, chewed and swallowed it...ugh... : ) I did it all for the nookie...uh experience! : P

I'm restarting my great puppy hunt tomorrow, I'm still VERY upset over Nugget/Oliver, but I can't change anything. So I'm heading to Lawrence and checking out the Humane Society there. We'll see what I find. I'm also test driving a car tomorrow...so crazy I could have a new car in less than two months....whoa...


posted by Tracy 02:08

Okay, I have sad news...the dog I was going to adopt failed the cat test and my adoption has been denied... I was really upset. I was very excited, and very attached to this dog...it just really sucks! The shelter should have had that information before he was put in the adoption room, I know they're short staffed, and they can't catch everything, but hey just break my heart will ya? Ugh!


posted by Tracy 21:38

The wind is keeping me from going to church tonight....I really am in Kansas. I was driving home from the place I'm adopting my dog from, and the wind was just whipping dear Cassidy (my van for those of you who don't know) all over the highway, and it got really scary when I was on the bridge that crosses into Leavenworth from Missouri. So I'm staying home, Cassidy doesn't do well in the wind, and my route to church is full of opportunities to be flung off the road. But I can't believe that my excuse is the wind....how wrong is that?

On a happier note, I am adopting a dog! He's a two year old corgi mix named Nugget, although his name is changing as soon as I get him. He's black with an orange face, and he's so wonderful. I found him yesterday on my great puppy hunt adventure. I took Tim, Sydney and the kids back today so we could make sure it would work with them, and as long as he passes the cat test he will be home by Tuesday! I'm so excited! He really is a great dog, and I know we'll be inseperable. If you want to see a picture of him, go to waysidewaifs.org, and click on the link that lets you see the dogs up for adoption. The dogs are listed in alphabetical order, and he would be under Nugget. It's not the best picture of him, but it's him.

I'm running on about five hours of sleep, since I woke up at 8am after being up until 3...I just don't get me sometimes. So I think I'll use my night that I'm stuck here to rest up before I start another long long week, a week that begins with a 13+ hour day tomorrow due to me agreeing to babysit for the evening. Woo hoo....


posted by Tracy 17:01

I feel so loved, my employers are too good to me. They got me a cake and candles, and a present. It was so much fun! I feel like I've had a birthday now! I got some phone calls from friends tonight, another friend of mine sent me flowers, not that I require presents to have a good birthday, it's just nice to have it acknowledged! Woo hoo!

I am now a quarter of a century old...that's old.... : P


posted by Tracy 21:08

What a strange birthday...I don't think I've ever been away from home for my birthday. So far I've spent the day dealing with a very fussy five month old...yea....Jimmy's been good though. He's talking up a storm! It's so much fun!

Went to Minneapolis over the weekend, chances are you already know that, but thought I'd mention it anyway. It was a good time, kind of crazy, but a good time. I'll have to write more later though, because I have lunch baking downstairs!!!


posted by Tracy 14:05

1: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says.

"molecules behave in a certain way and certain results follow"

2: Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?:

Nothing...it's a big room

3: What is the last thing you watched on TV?:

American Idol...unfortunately...

4: WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what the time is:

7:10

5: Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?:

7:10...seriously

6: With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?:

Commercials, the ceiling fan

7: When did you last step outside? what were you doing?:

Just before 6 when I was making a mad dash for the bank.

8: Before you came to this website, what did you look at?:

The weather channel page...I'm such a loser

9: What are you wearing?:

Cream colored blouse, brown cargo pants, brown shoes

10: Did you dream last night?:

Yup!

11: When did you last laugh?

At dinner when Tim made a very interesting comment about me....

12: What is on the walls of the room you are in?:

A world map, a Wiggles poster, my wenching license, pictures of children, my Carebears calendar, and a few more posters and pictures....

13: Seen anything weird lately?:

Kids videos...nuff said!

14: What do you think of this quiz?:

It works for me!

15: What is the last film you saw?:

Return of the King

16: If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?:

I'd pay off my college loans...and then maybe pay off my friends' loans...

17: Tell me something about you that I don’t know:

Who are you again?

18: If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?:

I would even it out economically.

19: Do you like to dance?

When no-one's looking....

20: George Bush:

I don't generally think about politics...

22: Would you ever consider living abroad?:

Oh yeah!


posted by Tracy 19:32

Take the quiz: "Which American City Are You?"

Los Angeles
You are the epitome of duality. You'll deal with all the strife to bask in all the glamour.

Interesting...not sure how this happened, but it did...


posted by Tracy 18:47

Well, mom's back to BG, and we survived a weekend together. It was good for the most part with only a few minor irritations. It was good to see her. We stayed in Kansas City and it was just really nice. Tomorrow is the last day of my week before break, so things are alright at the moment!

My search for the perfect dog has officially begun. I think it's going to be a lot tougher than I originally thought. Not only do I have to find a medium sized dog, that is relatively calm, good with children, and approved by my employers, I have to be approved by whatever organization I adopt from. I knew this from the beginning, but we don't have a fenced in yard, and a lot of places require that, and many places prefer no small children in the house or cats....this could be a problem. I don't think I can convince Syd and Tim to rid themselves of their children... : P We'll see, I'll find a puppy eventually!

I'm off to Minneapolis on Thursday! Please pray for my car, I'm almost concerned that it won't make it all the way up there and back...could be an adventure!


posted by Tracy 20:54

And I'm waiting...waiting to leave to pick up my mother from the airport. Her plane took off late from Detroit, so now I'm waiting longer. I'm really tired, if I didn't have her coming I would just go to bed right now, but unfortunately, that's not going to happen.

Great news though, Syd and Tim are officially letting me get a dog! Woo hoo! I'm so excited! And it doesn't have to be tiny anymore, just not too big! So I've started my search, and hopefully I will find a good one soon!

I can't believe that it's April, that's so nuts! I turn 25 in ten days...whoa. That's even nutsier...yeah...

Tonight I ate Welsh Rarebit...never had it before, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't bad. I feel all adventurous now! Sure it was really only toast with a cheese sauce, but hey! It's Welsh! I'm Welsh..it all works!


posted by Tracy 19:54

I just found out that Jimmy is sick, like throwing up sick...ugh! I CANNOT come down with anything, my mother is visiting this weekend, and I don't think she would be too happy if I was half conscious because of illness. Jimmy seems happy enough, so maybe it was something he ate. We'll find out tomorrow...should be a fabulous day... woo hoo...

I survived my first day without Josiah...it was depressing, but what can ya do? Hamsters die, and they tend to do it in a short amount of time. I only really cried once today which is pretty good for me! I think my employers are going to let me get a dog, which would help! I just need fur in my life, and it has to be fur that belongs to me. I must name it and care for it, that's very important to me for some reason. It won't make me miss Jo any less, but a dog would be nice. Now the trick is finding a small breed that can deal with small children...that may be a challenge.


posted by Tracy 20:27

I keep looking up on the top of my dresser expecting to see the purple cage sitting there, but it's not. I had to simply put Jo's little sleeping box in a trash bag with him in it. I really didn't have anything else I could do with him. I couldn't bury him in the back yard since we rent this house....I feel really bad that I just basically threw him away. I wanted to give him a viking funeral, but I probably would have gotten in trouble for setting something on fire and launching it on the Missouri River. There are most likely laws against that.

I'm really upset over this! Come on Tracy it was a rodent, and he didn't even like you all that much! But still he was mine, and I will miss him. I hadn't even held him in at least a week...I'm such a bad pet owner. At least a bad hamster owner.


posted by Tracy 18:24

Josiah "Jo" the Wonder Hamster: Sometime in December 2002-March 30, 2004

Let us all have a moment of silence for dear little Josiah, my beloved hamster....I found him in his cage, a lifeless lump of fur around 1:15, Tuesday March 30, 2004. I didn't even get to say good-bye, I didn't even check on him last night, and for all I know, that's when he died. I never thought I would cry over a stupid rodent, but I loved that annoying little thing. And now he's gone. I banged on his cage, poked him with a pen, yelled at him, shook his sleeping area, but nothing....so sad. My baby's kicked the bucket. He's not just tired out after prolonged squawk, not resting....he's stone dead....and now I'm not sure what to do with him. Why is it so disturbing to touch something that's dead? Or maybe it's just disturbing for me....

Funny thing is, I knew that he was going to die this week...I just had this feeling, and last night I was trying to think about what I would do when he did die. And right before I checked on him, I had this dreaded feeling that he was no longer with us. I'm so weird...so anyway, shed a little tear for me, and little Jo, and if you think about and have time, call me and make me laugh. I need to laugh. : (


posted by Tracy 13:30

Happy Monday! It's thundering which is making me smile, and if you're smiling on a Monday...it's a good thing! Not much new to report, it was a good weekend. I had a little time to myself and a little time with people. I was the only one who made it to church last night, so the pastor's family and I sang the whole time. That was just crazy fun! We actually didn't sound half bad together, it was just really cool.

Well off I go to do the dishes...woo hoo...


posted by Tracy 13:29

I hate computers...they never boot up fast enough, they never listen to you...then there's the popup ads...I don't care that I'm the 420 gazillionth person to visit the website, I don't care about your 8,000 damn smileys that I can download for free...every one of them most likely infected with a virus that's going to cause my computer to be slower than it already is. I just want to check my e-mail, and hear a stupid screech owl call, so I can go to bed!!!!!!!!!! Sorry a little stressed and a little tired. I got home from fencing class, and as I was walking up to the house I heard the strangest animal sound I had ever heard in my life. It completely freaked me out, I thought something was coming to attack me. The sounds were calling to each other, and I was sure that Sydney and Tim were going to find me on the back patio mutilated beyond recognition in the morning. So I had to find out what it was, and while I was in the shower, I figured out that it could have been a screech owl...so I looked it up, and sure enough I'm almost positve that's what it was. Aren't ya'll proud of me?? I figured it out all by myself...I'm such a dork.

Fencing was great, it's going to be so much fun. I thought I was going to die during the exercises today, but I'll be okay. We have a small friendly class, except for the snotty 12 year old who came with his mom. I'm really excited about the next ten weeks! Good times good times!

Well off to bed I go...it'w waaaayyyy past my bedtime.


posted by Tracy 23:50

So here I am at home, when I should be at church. I'm using the excuse that I'm not feeling well, and I wouldn't want to bring sickness into a home that has a new baby in it. And that's very true to some extent, but when it all comes down to it, I just didn't feel like going. I'm such a heathen. It's not that I don't like my church, I just have a hard time dragging myself there on Sunday night when I've had a full weekend. I don't want to make the twenty minute drive to sit in a living room with twenty others....I'm so bad. I'm not quite sure what to do about that, I should probably go back to trying to find a church in Leavenworth, which is in the plans anyway. I just don't want to leave the people I've grown to love in Weston, but it seems like every Sunday I go, they're welcoming me back because I haven't been there in a week or two...or a month... I've never been this bad about going to church. It's a little unsettling if you ask me.

So while I'm not in church, what AM I doing? I'm shopping online, with money that exists, but doesn't exist for those purposes. One should not deposit $831 into Tracy's checking account...that one being the US Department of Treasury. I'm supposed to be paying bills and getting my car fixed with that money. Instead I'm buying nifty books about Early Slavic culture, and painting my own pottery at Crown Center. All very useful, and therapeutic things, but not what I'm supposed to be doing.....I wonder if I can duct tape the belt that's about to break in my car.....

Oh, just in case you're wondering my bank cleared up the 5 grand mishap, and all funds were returned to my account which was such a relief. I had money in there for the weekend, and it's all better now. Woo hoo!

I start my fencing class on Thursday which is really exciting! I've really missed it since I took it a couple of years ago. I hope that the teacher knows what they're doing. We'll see, I've heard that there are many bad ways to teach fencing, and it's rather common....we'll see.

In less than two weeks my mother will be flying into the area....could be interesting. I've never spent the weekend with my mother before, and I have to admit I'm a tad nervous about it. We're staying at the Westin downtown, and I'm not exactly sure what we're going to do all weekend besides shop. I don't mind shopping, but there has to be other ways to fill up the time. She's not much of a museum type, and I really don't want to go to the Casinos...I don't think she'd like that anyway. Oh well...I'll figure something out, but it WILL be a tad awkward I think.


posted by Tracy 18:24

There is a freakin' huge fly in my room, and I don't like him. He's now decided to perch himself on my wall, but before that he kept flying around my head. How annoying.

My new crisis is I made a mistake on an online payment to my credit card company earlier this week. I typed in 5000.00 instead of 50.00....but I thought I had cancelled it. Unfortunately, it went through anyway, so now my checking account has gone majorally negative. So I've been calling the powers that be to set it right...I'm not sure I have any money to do anything with at the moment...which really sucks. I know it will eventually clear up, but I have bills that need to be paid this weekend...ugh! I hate money!

Not much else to say, I think I'm going to go to bed. I think I'm coming down with whatever Jimmy had all weekend...I hope that it doesn't get any worse. I would like to have a weekend....


posted by Tracy 19:56

Oh my goodness! Jimmy just said my name! He said it clear as day, Tim told him to say it and he did! I was so excited! Just had to share that!


posted by Tracy 19:45

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!! I actually got "corrected" today for dressing Jimmy like a Protestant! Go figure. I put him in orange, because I liked the shirt, and I couldn't find any green. It was actually quite amusing when Tim said something to me about it. We finally decided that since he's half protestant it was okay! : ) The kids also got sunburnt which was the last last thing I was expecting to happen in the middle of March in Kansas. We at least had fun at the parade. I've never been to a St. Patrick's Day parade before, so that was really cool. I love St. Patrick's Day!

It feels like it's Thursday. Kind of annoying, since it isn't....it's been a long week. Jimmy's been under the weather which makes things a tad stressful. He had a fever for most of the day today, holding him was like holding a kerosene heater...he was fine before we went to the parade which was why we went. It probably wasn't the best idea overall though. He was really cranky, and obviously miserable when we got home.

Whatever happened to the days when I was entertaining? I haven't a clue. I used to write really fun blog entries, but lately...it's just sad...I need to work on this.


posted by Tracy 19:31

Ah the beauty of having a laptop! I'm not confined to my bedroom...it's so nice. Jimmy decided to nap early today, he's kind of sick, and very cranky. So I'm sitting in the nursery with Molly who's playing happily with her wind chimes, and also sneezing up a storm...my goodness! I figured I could just bring the computer in here, and do some internet stuff while she's being a cheerful little independent person. She's very good at this most of the time. I think both these kids are introverts...although they're still young, so who knows what will they will turn out to be.

I had a wonderful weekend, I was around people every second, but it was okay. I was just really tired yesterday, but I will recover shortly I'm sure. Ruthanne and I spent Friday and Saturday together, and did normal crazy things!
: P And then Melissa and I spent Saturday night and Sunday together, and that was good fun too. She introduced me to the wonderful world of Peirogis...I have no clue if I spelled that correctly. But they were good, and went well with our plethora of conversation. We just couldn't shut up. Whoa...

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's day which is kind of exciting. Leavenworth actually has a parade which is kind of strange, but fun! The kids and I are going to walk down to watch it. I don't think there is a particulary high concentration of Irish folk here, but they have a parade anyway. My mother actually sent me a St. Pat's gift...kind of odd as well, I haven't opened it yet though. I have this weird thing with only wanting to open such gifts on the day they are meant for. Or at least I try to be that way. Jimmy and I are going to make green cupcakes tomorrow..well it will most likely be me making the cupcakes and Jimmy wanting to put his hands in the batter....could be fun. Holidays make nannying all the more fun, because you can do crazy things and it's all justified! : )

I could take a nap myself...but that's hard with Molly being up and very alert! So I won't. I'll just play with her until she falls asleep again. Then I'll go get things cleaned up while Jimmy's out....such is my life...oh well.



posted by Tracy 10:42

So I'm all excited! I just got my federal taxes done! I did them all by myself...well I e-filed them anyway, which means an online program did them, but I put all the numbers in! Woo hoo! For those of you who are wondering why in the world I'm so excited about this...well I've never done my own taxes before, so this is pretty cool for me. Yes, the littlest things thrill me. I still have my state stuff to do, but that's okay, I've actually started this stuff...this is a good thing!

Today was a great day. I only really had to work until noon! This rarely happens, so it was very cheerful. Jimmy had an audiology appointment, and they decided to take Molly with them. I'm not exactly sure why that seemed so much easier to them, but hey, I'm not going to complain! I got four hours to myself totally randomly! So I basically stressed about money for those four hours, which wasn't so great, but I did get some not so stressful time in. Tomorrow it's back to normal, which really is fine with me! It's just fun to have a half day every once in awhile!

I think it got up to 70 degrees today, which is so nuts, but I guess we are heading into spring. It's so hard to believe that this year is nearly a fourth over already. It's even harder to believe that I turn 25 in 32 days! Whoa....


posted by Tracy 20:20

Strange men should not approach girls and ask if they would like some company...at least not girls like me. Yeah, I'm sitting down at the landing watching the river, trying to write, and cherish my alone time, and this guy comes up to me and asks if I walk there often. I replied with a single yes and tried to go back to what I was doing, then he asks if I would like to walk with him. Hello? I politely refused, and he left. He was probably harmless, but nevertheless it freaked me out and I left. He ruined my solitude, but my mother taught me not to talk to strangers, and even though I'm nearly 25, it's still a good rule. I watch the news! I know what happens, there was no-one else down there, so if it would have turned out that he wasn't harmless who knows what could have happened. I was a little irritated, and now I'm a little apprehensive about going down to the landing alone, I've never been afraid to be there alone. But then again, I should know that Leavenworth isn't the safest town in the world, it's not incredibly dangerous, but there is quite a bit of crime. So yeah, I think I need to invest in some mace, or maybe stun gun..ooh that would be fun!

Little things are just setting me off today. I got this printer, and I can't get it to work, I tend to have the worst luck with printers. I can't find my package tape, my room is in complete disarray, and I'm feeling very incompetent. Ugh! Why do my emotions have to go haywire on such a beautiful day as this?


posted by Tracy 17:43

Happy Saturday, I have yet to come out of my room today. I'm such a hermit sometimes! I am enjoying the much needed rest though. That's a good thing I think.

Not a whole lot has happened. I survived a full five day week of work, the first one in about two weeks...it's a hard life I know. I went to another SCA meeting last night, although this one was more difficult for me than the last two. We met at a member's house, so it was a bit closer quarters, and I felt the need to hide in the corner and leave early. The people that usually talk to me weren't there, and everyone else pretty much has their own friends and are kind of oblivious to new people. I guess I could have tried a little harder, but it's a little difficult to do that when you're pretty much paralyzed with anxiety. They don't meet there that often, so next week it will be back to normal, and hopefully the herald dude will be there with the name books so I can get going on my persona. I've been trying to do it on my own, but I'm a little clueless I'm afraid.

Tonight I'm babysitting so Tim and Sydney can go out. So at least I won't be a complete and total loser for staying home. I think I'm going to watch some movies tonight, and get some writing done, maybe even attempt to do my taxes. I have to file in both Ohio and Kansas which kind of sucks. It makes things all the more difficult for me. This is my first doing my own taxes, and I haven't a clue really how to do them. But we'll give it a go and see what happens. I have all the forms now, so all that's left to do is try. Woo hoo...


posted by Tracy 13:42

So, once again, wanting to be just like Margey, I went and adopted a useless blob...His name is Oliver he is from Poland. He likes cucumbers...so be nice to him! : )

I am now back in my dear little room in Kansas. I'm so happy to be home, it was a good weekend, but I think we were both ready to go back to our dwelling places. There are just some people in this world who should never be roommates, and that's okay! We can still be friends, and do fun stuff and even roadtrip every once in awhile. Next time we'll have a better idea of how things will work...now we know and knowing is half the battle GI Joe a real American Hero...

Omaha (or Ohama as I called it last night when reading a sign) is pretty boring. A nice place to visit, but I'd never want to live there. Of course I'm in the KC area which isn't much better, but it is a little better. We basically went shopping because there wasn't much else to do. But we did find KangaROOs!!! I was so excited. For those of you who are thinking "Tracy, what in the world are KangaROOs and why are you so excited about them?" I will fill you in. Back in the 80's (good times good times) there were these tennis shoes (or sneakers as a certain person I know calls them) called KangaROOs (how many times can I write that before I annoy someone? They were tennis shoes with zippered pockets on the sides that you could put things in. They also had a kangaroo on them...concept! Anyway, I had a pair when I was about five, I remember they were velcro, and had the nifty pocket they were either pink or blue I think I don't really remember.. But they were so cool! Estacia and I were in this store called Von Maur (never heard of it, but it was kind of ritzy) and they had these shoes just sitting out there for us to find! I was so excited, and of course had to buy a pair right there. Estacia, who had never heard of them, got a pair too, and now we have some KangaROOs! Mine are purple and yellow! They're very me! It was so fun! But yeah that's really all we did, we shopped and ate dinner at Outback last night. We saw The Missing last night, which was a little too intense for me at the time. It was a good weekend, but I'm exhausted.

Oh! There were also a gazillion kids in this hotel! It got very irritating after awhile, because they found it amusing to play tag, using the whole hotel as their playing field. So there were around 20-25 6-12 year olds running around all the balconies and packing into elevators the whole time we were there. It was slightly aggrivating. We happened to pick a weekend where there was a ten year old's birthday party being held there. Oh joy! There were kids everywhere, in the pool, in the jacuzzi (they actually got it closed for a "sanitary concern"...ew, in the courtyard, running the balconies inside and out....it was something else.

So now I'm back and I'm going to crash now. I got about three hours of sleep last night for reasons that I shall not disclose here, and I just drove for over three hours. It's enough to make me sleepy!


posted by Tracy 15:34

Gotta love hotels that offer high speed internet access! So here I am in Omaha, it's thrilling let me tell you. I love staying in hotels though, so I'm having fun. We have a two room suite that looks like an apartment from about the 70's, but it's fun. The hotel has a beautiful lobby with fountains and little coffee shop. It's nice.

Who knows what we'll do tomorrow...Nebraska isn't exactly land of opportunity, but we'll find something! I'm sure I'll report back to ya'll when I'm back! I probably should get back to Estacia, she's resorted to watching tv.


posted by Tracy 22:08

Well after a brief encounter with the stomach flu, I'm back and bold and rollin in gold...uh yeah. That was actually a line I wrote in a poem once, I wrote it sometime in early high school I think. (well everything after the comment about the stomach flu! : ) ) It was a very entertaining poem by the way, it was the sequel to Hansel and Gretel...ah yes those were the days. Or not...

So yes I unexpectedly got sick this week. Both Jimmy and I got hit in the middle of the night on Thursday..let me tell you boys and girls, it was not pretty, and I'm very happy it's over. I got to take most of Thursday off which was nice, although all I could do was lay around for the most part. And it was such a beautiful day on Thursday, it got up to 65...so I was pretty bummed. Oh well, what can ya do now?

There is this odd rather unpleasant smell permeating through my room, and I'm starting to be worried that one of our beloved mice has died somewhere in this room. I DO NOT want to find him, but I do want the smell to go away, and I can't seem to make that happen! I'm going to go crazy, I can't even open a window because they're stuck. Kind of dangerous if you ask me, but hey, it's an old house....

Tonight I went to my second SCA meeting, and it was so much fun. These people are the strangest people I've ever met, but I love them! They have decreed that I am officially one of them, and are getting ready to teach me all sorts of fun little medieval amusements such as tablet weaving and bobbin lace making or whatever you call it. I'm working on my persona, I thought I had it partially figured out, but then the herald told me that I really could create an Eastern European character, so he's bringing books for me next time. I could seriously see myself getting way too into this group. Although, the particular group I'm in, isn't too nuts. They're fairly laid back, and let you get as involved as you want to, or as little as you want to. I guess some groups can be a tad insane... So yes I'm really excited! It should be truly interesting!

So I had a request from one of my newest readers... (welcome Tim! : ) ) to follow up on the baptism shin dig from last weekend. So seeing as how I'm always up for pleasing my employ--...er readers...I thought this was a fabulous idea! So yes Molly was baptized on Saturday, Valentine's Days to all you attached folk out there! There were a ton of people here which didn't end up being as nasty and unbearable as I thought it would be. Although I was happy to get away, but not because they were really annoying or anything, just because well I'm not a people person. The baptism itself was incredibly interesting, I really didn't know what was going on half the time, and some of that was probably because I was fooling around with someone's camera so I could take pictures for them. I do know that there was lots of prayer, which generally is good, Molly's head got wet, and she smelled really good afterwards! : ) Well she did! : P I felt a bit out of the loop since I think I was the only non-Catholic/Anglican there, but I wasn't completely clueless I guess. Just mostly... I kind of thought all the formality stuff was cool, all the ritual type stuff. Molly did very well, she didn't cry or anything. It was all a very interesting little experience. It didn't make me agree with infant baptism at all, but it was kind of cool to watch. Although my one thought was it took way too long, at most churches I've been to, they could have gotten twenty people done in the time it took to do her. But then again what do I know? I'm just a dirty Protestant.... : ) Just for the record, that was sarcasm...: ) I seem to remember having a rather heated conversation in a pool in Colorado with a certain former roommate about the infant baptism thing....yeah...that was amusing.

Wow, it's after 2...what am I still doing up? I've been awake since 6 this morning...I really should go to bed. Yeah...I should. Good night!


posted by Tracy 02:17

Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?

this quiz was made by the lycanthropes at Spookbot

I guess this works....

So life is okay here, nothing exciting, but sometimes that's good right? We actually got outside today which was kind of exciting! Jimmy and I walked down the street to the little talking thing that tells you about the houses, and then back. Unfortunately it was too muddy to stay outside though. The mud is really bad, I can handle a little, but when you sink a few inches down into it, it's just a bit much.

I seriously don't have anything else interesting to say...that's so sad!


posted by Tracy 18:30

you are darkslateblue #483D8B

Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy. Your saturation level is medium - You're not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it's required of you. You probably don't think the world can change for you and don't want to spend too much effort trying to force it. Your outlook on life can be bright or dark, depending on the situation. You are flexible and see things objectively.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

posted by Tracy 17:12

tracy allen is showing dan bullwinkle an extram installed in a model 100 while one of many such brewski's are skillfully delivered by our waitress
tracy allen is a reporter for the kansas city call
tracy allen is available for purchase or download (Wow! Good to know! But how much do I cost?)
tracy allen is counting the days
tracy allen is a scientist who makes environmental dataloggers



posted by Tracy 21:07

So yeah, I know I stole this from Kay, but at least I'm admitting it!!!! I probably won't put as much commentary in it though, but I'm sure some will find it's way in! : )

tracy is a wimp (what a way to start off!)
tracy is mr
tracy is inaugurated
tracy is texas league player of year
tracy is one of america?s leading authorities (you better believe it!)
tracy is back
tracy is too cute for this entry (oh yeah!)
tracy is normal
tracy is een nieuw systeem om uw voertuigen en zendingen op (my thoughts exactly!)
tracy is singing the blues"
tracy is a leading authority on personal
tracy is a looooooooooooooser
tracy is a snob
tracy is another
tracy is available
tracy is turning 20
tracy is special
tracy is 30
tracy is a wimp tin (a what?)
tracy is (that says it beautifully!)
tracy is eager to jump
tracy is presented with the presidential medallion by dr
tracy is a system for the management of herbarium collections
tracy is the interface to a relational database system consisting of paradox tables accessed via the borland database engine
tracy is a journalist erik olson montana kaimin
tracy is a journalist courtroom query lido vizzutti / montana kaimin
tracy is een nieuw systeem om uw voertuigen en zendingen op eenvoudige wijze te volgen en eventueel bij te sturen
tracy is singing the blues
tracy is distraught
tracy is a leading authority on personal and business success
tracy is seeking an individual who is able work independently with minimal supervision
tracy is the best name
tracy is also unopposed in this election
tracy is now working full
tracy is a
tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success
tracy is featured on us postage stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of comic strips
tracy is one of america?s leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness
tracy is a growing community of around 65 (well yes, with my multiple personalities...)
tracy is approximately 47
tracy is the second bike from the right
tracy is having an affair with breathless
tracy is one of america's foremost jazz educators (ha ha)
tracy is haunted
tracy is unable to convince his superiors
tracy is called in to solve the crime and find a criminal mastermind
tracy is a rapidly changing community of nearly 65
tracy is very committed to promoting the creativity of children through her weather sketcher's club
tracy is a long
tracy is a commute away from many work areas in the san francisco bay area
tracy is the picture of good health (again ha ha)
tracy is an internationally recognized expert in the application of longitudinal research designs to the study of criminal careers
tracy is one of the country's leading authorities for development of human potential and personal effectiveness
tracy is working in his studio on his new solo cd not yet titled
tracy is so heroic that an obviously impressed audience rose to its feet and gave the movie a standing ovation last month in orlando
tracy is available for public speaking and private consultations (I am am I?
tracy is a registered copyright of tribune media services
tracy is keeping a diary about herself and her life in the children's home
tracy is a triumph
tracy is not courtney love (why didn't you tell me sooner!!)
tracy is doing so well
tracy is the 1
tracy is president of the brief therapy institute of denver
tracy is the winner of bam?s 1988 critics poll
tracy is putting the finishing touches on her new album now
tracy is a rapidly changing community of nearly 48 (I'm shrinking!)
tracy is a certified public accountant and a certified bank auditor (No I need to marry one of those!)
tracy is not a typical student (amen!)
tracy is a comic strip brought to life
tracy is a general purpose mobile agent system that was designed to
tracy is taken back to blofeld's lab
tracy is not a controlled field; pilots come and go on their own
tracy is the eternally pure pre
tracy is great
tracy is inspired by the sharp turn of a phrase
tracy is an internationally renowned speaker
tracy is the andrew thomas greeley and grace mcnichols greeley distinguished service professor at the divinity school
tracy is alma's 12th president
tracy is a native of chicago and makes her primary residence in the city
tracy is just 60 miles east of san francisco and 60 miles south of sacramento (wrong again!)
tracy is yet another in the still growing cavalcade of comic book/action heroes brought to the silver screen
tracy is a noted author of 3 books
tracy is entering his fourth year here at northern lights
tracy is on the fast track with a $22 million expansion plan that should be
tracy is about to set out to do
tracy is a certified kayak guide by the sea kayak guides alliance of british columbia
tracy is thirteen years old
tracy is currently a silent partner in grx
tracy is a new 3d rendering engine i'm working on
tracy is able to so correctly assess the speakers' talents and with few words
tracy is today a scattered debris field of flattened hull plates and larger pieces
tracy is "slimy da"
tracy is proud to be associated with athens classic properties where she has been in the business since the fall of 1997
tracy is known to write a detailed thesis defending her clients? position

Wow I've been busy! Kudos to Miss Margey for putting the link to this on her website!!! Nice work!!!


posted by Tracy 21:01

So happy happy Friday the 13th!!! As we all know, I'm quite fond of Friday the 13th, because if it weren't for that blessed day, yours truly wouldn't be here...or I would have been born on Thursday the 12th or Saturday the 14th I guess. Granted my Friday the 13th birthday was in April and not February, but it's a great day all the same! Woo hoo!

I just got back from Wal-Mart, and I know that we all know my opinion of that place. Well tonight it was worse than usual, it looked like Christmas Eve in there, it took everything I had not to flip out. There were children playing tag in the clothing department, guys wandering around talking on cell phones not paying any attention to who they were running into, the card aisle was impassable...my goodness you'd think tomorrow was a over commercialized Hallmark holiday or something! I only went to find black shoes and a black shirt, which I didn't find by the way...they've moved onto their spring merchandise and black is not the new pink...I was a little bummed, but I still managed to spend way too much. I have a knack for doing that ya know.

Tomorrow my little "charge" (I hate calling her that, but I'm not sure what else to call her) Molly is getting baptised. I've never been to a Catholic baptism, should be plenty interesting, and I'm sure I'll disagree with all of it. But oh well, I'm very happy I was invited since their first nanny wasn't invited to Jimmy's. I think that's just awful, she only spent 12 hours a day, five days a week and frequent weekends with him, you'd think that would warrant an invitation. So I get to hang out with Sydney and Tim, and about six members of their family tomorrow...the grandparents arrived today. I didn't know they were coming until last night, and it made me cringe when I found out. They haven't been too bad though, I think it's because I know they're leaving on Monday! And they're also not staying here which helps a bundle as well.

Okay, I'm hungry, I think I'm going to go remedy that...I'm not sure I want to run the gauntlet of people though...kind of scary if you ask me.


posted by Tracy 20:17

I'm A 1970s Geek

You've decided for the world that it's time for a change. JOIN THE GEEK REVOLUTION!

find your geek decade at spacefem.com

posted by Tracy 13:06

How rich are you? >> I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 666,338,940 richest person on earth!

That's really weird...a nice little eye opener if you ask me...


posted by Tracy 20:45

Poor Daisy!

I just answered the call of a feline in distress. I heard the familiar thumping of Jimmy's feet barrelling down the hallway, and then I heard the shriek of our beloved cat. Jimmy was trying to smoosh Daisy between him and my bedroom door, so I opened my door, let the cat skitter past me, and picked up the little monster and redirected him to his room. I think it is Jimmy's personal mission in life to traumatize the cat...not that I ever did such a thing...oh no! :P

My week is almost over...I'm technically supposed to have tomorrow off as it is President's Day weekend, BUT Sydney and Tim both have big papers due, and there are a million family members coming this weekend for Molly's baptism, so guess who got roped into working??? Ugh! After the dunking er sprinkling shin dig on Saturday I'm going to escape to Estacia's where we're going to celebrate our singleness, rent movies, order in and hang out. It should be fun, it will at least be good to get away from the scary people here! And at least I get Monday off, and I'm sleepin' in!!!! : ) Woo hoo!

So I don't have anything profound to say about relationships like some of my friends do...except for Boys are Dumb throw rocks at them...I'll probably get sued by the company who has been marketing that statement, but it's rather expressive of my attitude lately. We don't have to throw rocks at all the boys by the way, just the annoying ones.....


posted by Tracy 19:13

BLUE You give your love and friendship unconditionaly. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive. Find out your color at Quiz Me!

Wow, that was totally unexpected....yeah....whatever... I'm sitting here watching American Idol which isn't all that impressive. It's also not as much fun as it was with Charla last year.

So Kay and I had a fabulous time! Of course, what else were we expecting? I'm not sure Kay and I have ever been together and not had a fabulous time in some way. It really sucked to see her go, but I guess we can't all live in the same place. We even made it up to Minneapolis...we were busy girls! : )

I'm now trying to figure out if the girl on the screen right now has the biggest hands I've ever seen in my life, or if the camera angle is just strange....yeah that's as exciting as it gets tonight!


posted by Tracy 19:41

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