Erin’s Neighborhood

I had possibly the worse nightmare of my life last night.  In my nightmare I watched my brother fall from a cliff, land on his feet, break his neck and die.  It was awful, so awful that for the first time in, well I don't know how long, I woke up screaming, sweating and crying.  And I can't get the image out of my head.  So I haven't been able to go back to sleep. 

I feel awful that I even had a nightmare like that.  I blame the stomache ache I had before heading to bed. 

God I hope that tonights dreams are much, much more pleasant.

My best friend Jessica's husband, Michael, is on his third duty overseas.  He's in the Army and currently stationed in Afghanistan.  Today was a bad day for our troops. 

We spent the better part of the day knowing that there had been casualties in Michael's unit, 8 men were killed today, but not knowing whether or not he was one of the victims.

Thank God he wasn't. But that just means that 8 other families, 8 other lives changed forever today.  And that's just his unit. How do people do this?  He's not my husband, but he is family to me.  I can't imagine ... I don't know what to say to my friend.  She's so thankful that he's ok, but I know she's thinking what were all thinking, what if it had been him?  He's been there 3 times. He has 9 more months over there before he gets to come home. God, Keep him safe, keep them all safe.

Today was a bad day. Please, let tomorrow be better.

"Can you learn me more about this?"

really? Your 40? really?

Oregon's education system hard at work there.  I'll have you know that were in the bottom 10 states for education.  That having been said we are a really green state, that makes up for it right?

The last thing I conscientiously remember seeing last night before falling asleep, was a commercial for that new movie with what's her name from Resident Evil... It's either about ghosts or aliens. I'm not sure which, the commercial is a little vague.  However vague or not vague it might be it was still scary enough that it left me with several, weird and slightly terrifying dreams last night.  WTF. My imagination is way too active at night.  Not only did I have terrifying dreams, they all seemed to end with me waking up to look around my room for a sound that i'm not so sure I didn't just hear in my dreams. I remember looking at my alarm clock at 1ish, 3ish, 430ish and 545ish thinking shit my alarm clock is going to go off in 15 mins, is it worth going to sleep????? the answer: yes it is. Luckily, or unluckily depending on which point of view you look at this from, the Dr. I work for right now has the dreaded SWINE.  So I got a call at 630 saying I shouldn't come to work. YAY!

So, Suck it bad dreams that tried to keep me up all night! I got to sleep in, you ghostly/extraterrestial assholes!

Happy Monday voxers!

Thank You Toyota Commercial.  I so appreciate the squeaky dog toy sound you added to your car commercial that drives all my dogs so crazy that they're still barking at the TV and the commercial has been over for 10 minutes. I can't tell you how fun it is to try to calm down three dogs who only get more riled up by the sound of the other two's barks. It makes watching tv super fun.

So thank you Toyota, you suck.

If you joined the circus, what act would you most want to perform?

TIGHT ROPE WALKING. No hesitation, that's what I want to do.  Or wait, Trapeze... hmmmm... both?

What's everyone dressing up as for Halloween?  My friend Amanda is trying to think of a fun costume to wear.  My friends have all gone to the same party for the last 5 years or so, it's always a lot of fun.  Costumes usually lean more towards the creative, and funny rather then the trashy and slutty.  Last year we, my two best friends and I, went as The Highway to Hell, An Astronaut and a Flapper.  This year I'm going as Hedwig (the owl, not and the angry inch) and Megan is going to be a Smurf.  Amanda hasn't picked anything yet... we need ideas.

... the three ingredients in the food trifecta that is the family bar-b-que. Holy God!

I had a long weekend and to end it I raced home from Seattle to Portland to meet my family, aunt's and uncle's included for a bar-b-que and my uncle's ranch.  Football and AMAZING food... I can't stress this enough, it was amazing... sounded like a great idea.  But now, 7 hours later I sit here with what can only be described as a serious food baby.  I'm so full. Holy cow!

Grilled Salmon, Steak... Chicken Kabobs... lots of beer, all the fruits and veggies I can imagine, oh god there were meatballs too... It was a LOT of food.  And to top it off my Aunt Dorothy made two different kinds of heavenly amazingness for dessert, one recipe each from the Martha Stewart Cookbook and Paula Deen Cookbook. 

I'm not going to eat for the rest of the week... or at least until dinner tomorrow.

I haven't written in approximately forever and then I log on here and my first post isn't even something I wrote? How dare I.

Whatcha been up to neighbors?

I've felt very uninspired for the last couple months and I'm not sure that I'm completely up to par yet.  Ever since my heartbreak of spring 09, I've been struggling a little with words.  I can't seem to find them.  I've had a busy summer, and I'm thankful that it's over and the lovely, sweet smelling rain of the northwest has returned.  Fall is my favorite time of year... football, rain, sweaters, and fancy leaf umbrellas!!

I came up to Seattle this weekend for second of the two baby showers I've thrown this fall.  Both showers went really well, the first was a lady bug theme and this second one was a rubber ducky theme, both cute, both very time consuming.  I had a great time doing them but I can't lie, I'm glad that they're both over.

I'm still single and getting very close to the dreaded 28 years mark.  My friend Erin is trying with all her might to convince me to sign up for Match.com at the begining of the new year.  I'm very hesitant to do it for multiple reasons... I don't really trust Erin's opinion on anything soooo... jk, sorry erin.  haha.  I'm worried that I'm going to meet a lot of weirdos that are 30 years old, no jobs, bad b.o. and of course play W.O.W., 24 hours a day.  Has anyone tried it and had any success?  Would you suggest it?  I'm afraid that I won't really have a choice, when it comes down to it, one way or the other... Erin's gonna make me sign up. 

Good night for now neighbors.  I hope your all well. lots of love!!

I love the name Guster, thanks for naming a character that Psych! I appreciate you.  Guster will be the name of my next dog.  Jersey and Guster, they'll be best friends for days

I love Walt Whitman.  I loved hearing this in that commercial on tv.  

1
  COME, my tan-faced children, 
Follow well in order, get your weapons ready; 
Have you your pistols? have you your sharp edged axes?  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
2
  For we cannot tarry here, 
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger,
We, the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
3
  O you youths, western youths, 
So impatient, full of action, full of manly pride and friendship, 
Plain I see you, western youths, see you tramping with the foremost,  Pioneers! O
    pioneers! 
  
4
  Have the elder races halted?
Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied, over there beyond the seas? 
We take up the task eternal, and the burden, and the lesson,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
5
  All the past we leave behind; 
We debouch upon a newer, mightier world, varied world, 
Fresh and strong the world we seize, world of labor and the march,  Pioneers! O pioneers!
  
6
  We detachments steady throwing, 
Down the edges, through the passes, up the mountains steep, 
Conquering, holding, daring, venturing, as we go, the unknown ways,  Pioneers! O pioneers!
    
  
7
  We primeval forests felling, 
We the rivers stemming, vexing we, and piercing deep the mines within;
We the surface broad surveying, we the virgin soil upheaving,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
8
  Colorado men are we, 
From the peaks gigantic, from the great sierras and the high plateaus, 
From the mine and from the gully, from the hunting trail we come,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
9
  From Nebraska, from Arkansas,
Central inland race are we, from Missouri, with the continental blood intervein’d; 
All the hands of comrades clasping, all the Southern, all the Northern,  Pioneers! O
    pioneers!
	
  
10
  O resistless, restless race! 
O beloved race in all! O my breast aches with tender love for all! 
O I mourn and yet exult—I am rapt with love for all,  Pioneers! O pioneers!
  
11
  Raise the mighty mother mistress, 
Waving high the delicate mistress, over all the starry mistress, (bend your heads all,) 
Raise the fang’d and warlike mistress, stern, impassive, weapon’d mistress,  Pioneers! O
	pioneers! 
  
12
See, my children, resolute children, 
By those swarms upon our rear, we must never yield or falter,
Ages back in ghostly millions, frowning there behind us urging,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
13
  On and on, the compact ranks, 
With accessions ever waiting, with the places of the dead quickly fill’d, 
Through the battle, through defeat, moving yet and never stopping,  Pioneers! O pioneers!
    
  
14
  O to die advancing on!
Are there some of us to droop and die? has the hour come? 
Then upon the march we fittest die, soon and sure the gap is fill’d,  Pioneers! O
    pioneers! 
  
15
  All the pulses of the world, 
Falling in, they beat for us, with the western movement beat; 
Holding single or together, steady moving, to the front, all for us,  Pioneers! O
    pioneers!
  
16
  Life’s involv’d and varied pageants, 
All the forms and shows, all the workmen at their work, 
All the seamen and the landsmen, all the masters with their slaves,  Pioneers! O pioneers!
    
  
17
  All the hapless silent lovers, 
All the prisoners in the prisons, all the righteous and the wicked,
All the joyous, all the sorrowing, all the living, all the dying,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
18
  I too with my soul and body, 
We, a curious trio, picking, wandering on our way, 
Through these shores, amid the shadows, with the apparitions pressing,  Pioneers! O
    pioneers! 
  
19

  Lo! the darting bowling orb! 
Lo! the brother orbs around! all the clustering suns and planets, 
All the dazzling days, all the mystic nights with dreams,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
20
  These are of us, they are with us, 
All for primal needed work, while the followers there in embryo wait behind,
We to-day’s procession heading, we the route for travel clearing,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
21
  O you daughters of the west! 
O you young and elder daughters! O you mothers and you wives! 
Never must you be divided, in our ranks you move united,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
22
  Minstrels latent on the prairies!
(Shrouded bards of other lands! you may sleep—you have done your work;) 
Soon I hear you coming warbling, soon you rise and tramp amid us,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
23
  Not for delectations sweet; 
Not the cushion and the slipper, not the peaceful and the studious; 
Not the riches safe and palling, not for us the tame enjoyment,  Pioneers! O pioneers!
  
24
  Do the feasters gluttonous feast? 
Do the corpulent sleepers sleep? have they lock’d and bolted doors? 
Still be ours the diet hard, and the blanket on the ground,  Pioneers! O pioneers! 
  
25
  Has the night descended? 
Was the road of late so toilsome? did we stop discouraged, nodding on our way?
Yet a passing hour I yield you, in your tracks to pause oblivious,  Pioneers! O pioneers!
    
  
26
  Till with sound of trumpet, 
Far, far off the day-break call—hark! how loud and clear I hear it wind; 
Swift! to the head of the army!—swift! spring to your places,  Pioneers! O pioneers.