And one to grow on

Happy 90th birthday, Grandpop! We look forward to many more!

My obsession knows no bounds

So after I posted my irate fan blog about Midnight Sun, I read through the 264 pages that Stephanie Meyer made available on her website. I skipped dinner. I barely remembered to feed the kitties I was so engrossed.

And I was blown away. I didn't think it was possible to love this story more that I already do, but hearing it all from Edward's point of view made me fall in love with him all over again.

Watching him fall in love with Bella and realize that he would fight his family over her if necessary was just as powerful as Bella's need for him in Twilight. True love stories do not come around often, so when one this perfect does, it's hard not to go all gooey and turtle-dovey.

So here's my plea to Stephanie Meyer - Please, please, please finish this book. I cannot live happily ever after without at least seeing "Confessions" from Edward's point of view. I need this. And I know you do too. You can't give up on him now!

Beware the wrath of angry Twilight fans

To the jackass who leaked portions of Midnight Sun on the internet-

Just who the hell do you think you are? Midnight Sun was not yours to distribute to the masses. You were given a copy because you were a trusted friend (or possibly even family member). And what do you do? You betray not only Stephanie Meyer, but also the legion of now devestated fans, by being the world's biggest ass.

As a writer, I am horrified by your blatant disregard for the legal copyright of Midnight Sun. As a fan, I am furious and devestated that you have potentially ended a story that I have been dying to sink into. (So furious in fact that I'm close to wishing you bodily harm. Serious harm that would help the overwhelmingly global impact of your actions sink in far enough that you are never quite right again!)

Did you think that we'd all be so voracious to read the unfinished manuscript that your betrayal would be forgiven? Because of you and your selfishness, the world may never know Edward's story. (I may never know Edward's story!) And that is unfrgivable. The fact that Stephanie Meyer said her mood was dark enough to let James win and kill all the Cullens should make you ashamed of yourself.

And even if Stephanie proves a kinder person that I (which I am counting on), I will always think of you as the person who tarnished the near-perfect saga. And like the books, Edward was damn near-perfect too and you've ruined that for her. At least for today.

So you better find a way to fix this disasterous turn of events and convince Stephanie that you are the lowliest type of scum on the planet and your actions should have no bearing on her writing or Edward's story. If you don't, I think there just may be a special place in hell for a person who angers and devestates millions of women with one careless action.

Think about it.

Sincerely,
A Seriously Irate Fan

One big, fat I told you so...

Comment from Karen on Facebook today after finishing Twilight:

"I am absolutely furious that you would do such a mean and horrible thing to such a loving sister. I mean really, giving me a book like that to read, knowing that I would be DYING to read the next one and PURPOSELY NOT bringing it. Honestly, I thought you cared. And seriously, what an awesome book!"

Proof

I have friends. Need proof?

The first picture is Krysti and me at the Karaoke Kong Marathon (notice my KK logo on the right side? I made that); the second is Andrea and me at Krysti's birthday party. My friends rock.

Is my beloved Veronica coming to the big screen?

Michael Ausiello made my day today with this post about how Kristen Bell and Rob Thomas had an impromptu meeting about making a Veronica Mars movie! (Yes, that sound you just heard, the one that sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard from a distance, was me sqealing my head off in sheer delight!) I don't know if it will ever come to fruition, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Direction Pt. 2

At lunch today, I told Mark that I finally gave into an idea and now my novel has a new direction.
His response: "You added vampires didn't you?"

(If this doesn't make sense to you read a few posts back about Twilight and it will all become clear. And to answer his question - No.)

Direction

After years of rebelling against romance of any kind in my writing, I have finally given in. For the longest time, I didn't want to be seen as one of "those" writers. I didn't want to be chick-lit or romance novel-ish. I wanted to be respectable. I wanted to be literature.

I wanted to be taken seriously as a writer and have my stories mean something. Somehow in my mind I felt that being literary mean that I had to give up the things I enjoy (ie romantic love) to be replaced by grown-up plots and ten-dollar words. But I read romance novels, devour them actually, and I lap up any good love story. And stories don't have as much impact on me if they don't make my heart sigh.

So why do I consider these authors and books to be serious literature, but not my own?

And that's when something clicked in my sluggish brain. This deep rooted seed of romance sprang to life and my novel has a new purpose. The mental block lifted and I could clearly see the path Aden was to take to get to the happy ending. Just by accepting that two characters are meant to be (which in my head I knew, but never allowed to be acknowledged on paper), everything fit in place.

I'm in love with a vampire

Well, actually a whole family of Vampires – the Cullens. But Edward Cullen is top of the list with his golden eyes, bronze hair, wicked crooked grin, and unequaled love for one Miss Bella Swan.

I immersed myself in my latest obsession, The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, this past weekend and read the 2,515 pages of all four books in a four day stretch. Back-to-back. With only brief interludes for minimal food and bathroom breaks. Otherwise, I was all vampires all the time. And it was well worth the aches from sitting in a chair with my neck cocked down to read.

I cannot express how much I LOVE this series. In the next few days I will try though. I cannot stop thinking about the four books so I will do more blogging as the scenes keep replaying in my head like a widescreen. You'll also soon get to watch the trailer for the Twilight movie set for release on December 12, 2008. (Robert Pattinson - who played Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire - completely brings Edward to life.) Cannot wait!

Dwelling on what should have been

Just like too many cooks spoil a broth, too many trivia teammates second guess each other and we come in third.

I know I should be happy that we placed, but I'm not. It's annoying that we had right answers and then changed them. Oh well. There's always next week.

She's not done yet

Because no one, including J.K. Rowling herself, is quite ready to let go of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of our beloved (and hated) Potter characters, Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Amazon are releasing The Tales of Beedle the Bard – the book Dumbledor willed to Hermione upon his death. Proceeds will go to the Children’s High Level Group (CHLG) charity. This amazing addition to the Potterverse will be available December 4th. Amazon is also selling a leatherbound version for those with a little extra cash lyring around. I unfortunately am not one of those people, but I will be getting my grubby little hands on that standard edition!

When is a cake more than a cake?

When it's made by a bunch of half-crazed carpenters and artists turned bakers. That's when.

For a TV show with such an animatedly loud cast of characters, Ace of Cakes slunk quietly into my life. But now that the Baltimore bakery Charm City Cakes is on my radar, my goal in life is to one day get a Duff Goldman and crew masterpiece. And I'd probably be as girly as the group of librarians who requested that the cavalier, smartass Geoff deliver my cake.

Just spend one half hour on Thursday nights watching Food Network and you’ll be sold on them too.

Let the anticipation begin...

I received an email from Ash first thing this morning which made my day. Probably my week. Maybe even the month.

The Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince teaser-trailer hit the internet. Go watch it. Now. You won't be sorry. It gave me chills. I've watched it twice already and will probably watch it another million times before the day is up. Enjoy!

The family just keeps growing

I received a video today that told me I am going to be an aunt again. (And before you ask, no, it's not Karen.) Skip and Holly are expecting their second child in February. And Skylar is super excited about being a big sis. It'll be hard to see the new addition with them living in Tokyo now, but they'll be in the states for a good long vacation next summer!

A Little Self Esteem Can Do Miracles For Your Love Life

If you have not seen Penelope yet, stop reading this right now, and go see it. (I mean it, stop reading.) This gem of a movie should be on everyone's must-see list. It fits all the best criteria: quirky, heart warming, funny, clever, delightful, fun, entertaining, original. Plus it has Christina Ricci and James McAvoy (Where did he come from by the way? He's popping up all over the place in mega hits this year and setting the acting world on fire. And I love him in this!)

But I digress. Penelope tells the tale of a girl cursed with a pig's snout and hidden from the world by her self-involved mother. The only interaction she is entitled to is with the suitors who are brought into the mansion and forced to sign confidentially agreements to keep the family secret safe. But our little Penelope finally has enough and escapes her prision to have a beer (through a straw) and turns the world's prejudices on its head.

The rapid-fire dialogue between Penelope and Max/Johnnie and their fantastic kiss reminds me why I love well-written characters so much. Give me two people I can care about and it doesn't matter if one of them looks like a porker or not. I just want them to end up happily ever after ("at least so far anyway").

We are the champions...

We came in first tonight. With three perfect rounds at trivia, and one not so perfect round. But all that really matters is that we earned that $30 gift card. Free beer next week!

My Current Life Soundtrack

Mark bought the new Finger Eleven CD a few months ago because he liked Paralyzer and I liked Falling On. But neither one of us had been big fans of the band before (Plead don't get me started on the awefulness that is The One Thing). But somehow this little 42+ minute album has wormed its way into my head and burrowed in for the long haul. And I cannot help but play it. Over and over again. It seems that it's finished as soon as it starts, and by the end, I'm not ready to give it up yet. So I replay. And replay. Until my stereo begs me for something different.

My Secret Blogger Identity

I've been blogging more at work and instead of double posting, I'm just going to link to Talk's blog so that you can read my witty posts direct from the source. The Hellboy and Harry Potter blogs are mine. Couldn't have guessed, could you? (I'm such a dork.)

Where Have All The Cool Cards Gone?

With the recent lack of my beloved Squibnocket cards, I found myself at a loss for witty, eccentric, kick-ass greeting cards. Then Michael Ausiello (formerly) from TV Guide posted his partner's stationery site in his (former) weekly Ask Ausiello column. Pretty Bitter is awesome! I already purchased a nice supply so that I will be well stocked.

Long Time Gone

They did it. After 39 hours and 2 minutes, Anthony finally shut up. And won the world record for longest consecutive karaoke singing by one person. With the help of Jeff, our very own Karaoke Kong, the two took over a local bar and rocked out for three days. I wasn't on hand for the record-breaking song (I had a client meeting – stupid clients), but as you can see from the video, Mark and our friends Jeff, Krysti and Andrea were there to cheer Anthony on. Since the event, the story has made it onto Yahoo! News and ESPN's Top Plays.

As it turns out

So today, my boss took the day-to-day contact with one of my favorite clients away from me. It's because, I was told, I am not firm enough with him. He likes to be put in his place and told when something he wants can't be done. But I am the type of person who will do whatever it takes to make my clients happy no matter how frustrating or hard it is for me. That, I thought, was my job.

Turns out I have been disillusioned for the past year and a half. My job is really to be a psychic and know how people like to be handled without being told. My job is to be an extrovert who loves people and is good in social situations, someone who always says and does the right things. My job is to wow everyone all the time. I can do none of those things.

After work, I made it down Eastwood to College before I started to cry. It seems that my top strengths, from the famed Strengths Finder test that my boss loves so much, all came crashing down on me on the drive - Relator, Achievor, Responsibility - resulting in having to face the fact that I failed months ago, but I just wasn't smart enough to see it.

These are the things I've learned from this:

• The mascara Mark put in my stocking at Christmas is not waterproof
• Being a nice person gets you nowhere in life and garners you no respect
• As I suspected all along, I am not cool enough to do my job

The Man Without a Face

After almost a year and a half of talking to one of my clients almost every day, I finally know what he looks like. We had to be sneaky. But since he refused to be in a picture, and I had made Deb and Shawn promise not to come back without a photo of said client, sneaky is the way it had to go down. And I don't feel bad. Not even a little.

Everywhere but the bathroom sink?

As many of you know Pippin likes to be in things. I woke up yesterday morning and I found him curled up asleep in the bathroom sink.

Quotes of the day

Quote 1
Kirsty (talking about a certain web programmer): "He needs to be ridden really, really hard."

Quote 2
Shawn: "Whose purse is this?"
Susan: "Lindsay's." (pause) "Why? Are you starting a collection?"

If you require context, please email me. Otherwise I hope you enjoyed those as much as I did.

The Results Are in

I received the official letter this week that I'm OK. The nodule on my thyroid is benign and all is well with my world. this comes two weeks after the phone call syaing the same thing, but seeing it in writing makes me feel much better. Let's hope the follow-up in August goes well.

Long Overdue

As you may have noticed, the blog has been incredibly quiet, okay non-existent, for almost a year. Many of you have asked for updates and I have unfortunately been very slack about posting anything, though I have actually had many things to say.

So I am backdating posts from the past year. If you are interested and have the time, check out the archives and you can get caught up in our lives. I'll try to do better in the future.

Sincerely,
The Slacker

13 Needles

I went in for a thyroid and lymphnode biopsy at my endocrinologist's yesterday. Since he was taking smaples from my thyroid and two lymphnodes I was prepared for 3 needles. But what I got was 10 for the biopsy and 3 for numbing the different parts of my neck. But those three seemed to be just to poke at me more because the other 10 needles hurt like hell. But luckily after 45 minutes he got enough good samples to test. Now let's just hope that all is well and I don't have to go through that again.

Pool Table Fiasco pt. 2

After six months of no one knowing how to make the table and slate fit together, the one thing Mark had been asking all long was what eventually worked — why not just drill new holes in the rails to accomodate the new slate holes? Simple enough. At least it's done now and Mark can releive some stress up there while I watch my shows.

And the first one to use it was Chaucer.

Belles of the party

This year, all the girls in the office attended the Azalea Festival Garden Party while we left the two guys to hold down the fort. The Garden Party is our chance to get all gussied up, have free drinks and play the game "Who's had a Boob Job"

This year we found out it was one of our own. Any guesses Former Talkers?

All It Takes Is A Little Recovering

Our dining room table was my grandparents from when they lived on Signal Mountain, and maybe even before that. After they moved to the lake it went into storage until Mark and I moved into the condo in Wilmington and were in need of a table.

So this table has been around a while. And it was showing its age by the time we moved into the new house. As a housewarming gift, Susan and Dad offered to have the chairs recovered. So while they were visiting in October, we selected a coral print fabric for the chairs and for the two wicker chairs that we use if we have more than four for dinner.

After a few mishaps with the upholsterer, all that was left was to sand and repaint the frames, which Mark did in the garage with the help of a refrigerator box we took from one of the trash piles from a house in the neighborhood. And voila! They are gorgeous.

Boring Yard? Spice It Up.

Here is my landscaping wishlist:

• Pink Dogwood or Flowering Cherry
• Hollyhock
• Tradescantia
• Harlequin Hydrangea
• Lillies
• Poppies
• Iris ( Lousiana Black Gamecock and Lousiana Bold Pretender)
• Daffodils
• Tulips
• Azaleas (Wolfpack Red, President Clay, and White)

Quote of the Day

An exchange at work today...

Kirsty: "Shawn, you'd make a great pimp."
Shawn: "I'm not good with money. And I'm not good with hitting."

The After Party

David and Amber took two cases of champagne to the reception, but the venue refused to serve it except for the toast. Well we couldn't let that go to waste. So Pete gathered all the groomsmen and most of the bridesmaids at his apratment for the part of all after parties.

Champage. Karaoke. 17 twenty-somethings in a two bedroom apartment. Need I say more?

They Do!

David and Amber's wedding was stunning. Candles and groomsmen filled the chapel. Snow cascaded down, whirling around the front doors as guests arrived and the bridesmaids tromped around in their polkadot rain boots. The perfect scene for a Colorado wedding in February.

Cold Trumps Beauty. Any day.

My first ever trip to Colorado has shed some light on the state. Here is what I have learned:
Colorado is as breathtaking as Everwood depicts (even though the show was filmed in Utah) and Colorado is freaking cold.

Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Is it bad that all I could think of during half of Sweeney Todd was that Barbara Streisand sings "Not While I'm Around" on one of her CD's?

Seriously though, damn good movie. I mean it starts with three Potter actors Snape (Alan Rickman), Bellatrix (Helena Bonham Carter) and Wormtail (Timothy Spall) and then adds in Johnny Depp. You can't go wrong.

But you do need to be OK with blood, guts and crunching noises as bodies hit the floor underneath the trapdoor where they are then turned into meat pies to be consumed by patrons of the restaurant. Even if you are squeamish (like I am) go see this movie! Just remember to avert your eyes and plug yuor ears whenever anyone goes in for a haircut.

Pregnant Teens Are Awesome!

Or at least Juno, a movie about a pregnant teen, is. With lines like "That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, Homeskillet", "I mean I'm already pregnant so what other kind of shenanigans can I get into?" and "He's the cheese to my macaroni", it was well worth going to the movies alone. Juno is part Napoleon Dynamite, part Veronica Mars with a dash of Gilmore Girls' pop culture references just for fun. Damn near perfect!

Once Will Not Be Enough

I've never been a huge fan of Keri Russel. I'll admit that I didn't watch Felicity longer than the first few episodes. But after August Rush, I'm a believer. Keri Russel is stunningly beautiful and a brilliant actress.

She plays a starcrossed lover who has a one night stand with Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Joe from Bend It Like Beckham) and gets pregnant only to never see him again. Add in Freddie Highmore (Willy Wonka's protege fron the Depp version) as a musical genius who is searching for his parents and you have a heart-wrenching movie with an amazing soundtrack.

I sat in the theater as the credits rolled to pull myself together and to talk myself out of sitting there and watching it all over again.

Southern Exposure pt. 1

I've been contemplating retiring from Smuudged Pot for a while now. I finally decided that November would be my last month at the shop. And then the PR Specialist at work pitched a story about me working at Smudged Pot to Wilmington Magazine for their Southern Exposure section — a full-page story and photo about "people you chould know" in the area. And the editor went for it. Now I can't quit. I mean how would it look for a marketing and PR professional to ruin a story before it even gets printed. So much for making plans.

For Those About To Rock

Halloween is my favorite Holiday. It was around that holiday that Mark and I started dating. For eight Halloweens we've carved jack-o-lanterns and dressed up together. For the past three, we've had kick-ass costumes. A trend that I hope continues.

This year we rocked as Axl and Slash from Guns N Roses. Shawn gave me a cigarette (which I did not smoke but kept in my mouth the whole night) and made me a Jack Daniels label for my Vitamin Water bottle so that I was an authentic Slash. Mark wore cutoffs, a blonde wig and Axl's trademark bandana. If we had entered any costume contests we would have won again. I am sure of it.

Enough Description. Here Are Some Visuals.

Home Sweet Home

Living Room

Kitchen

Pool Table Fiasco pt. 1

Even before we moved Mark has called the FROG the "Pool Room". The plan was to buy a pool table once we could afford it. But plans change. Our good friend Jeff just so happened to have a pool table in pieces in a closet because it didn't fit in his apartment. So he sold it to us for $1.00.

But there was a catch. The slate was chipped so we would have to replace. No big deal, right?

Wrong. The slate that Mark bought does not fit the table. The holes are not in the right place to screw into the rails. And no one — not Mark or the guy he bought it from who owns a billiards store — can seem to make it work. So for now we have a really nice pool table in pieces on the floor with no set up date in sight.

Is Anyone Else In Love WIth The Pie Maker?

I was a little wary of Pushing Daisies after all of the media hype. This usually doesn't bode well for shows. But this whimsical little show has heart. And humor. And a quirkiness that has the potential to land a coveted spot near the top of my must-see list.
The shy pie maker Ned, his playful alive-then dead-then live again childhood girlfriend Chuck, his afflicted dog Digby that he can only touch with a wooden hand, and voice overs by none other than Harry Potter's narratoe Jim Dale — what more could a girl ask for?

A New Hope Revisited

I've hit the one year mark and I an still as excited about working at Talk as I was a year ago. With my one year anniversary came a promotion to Account Executive and a raise. Who knew that it is much easier to do a good job when you enjoy what you're doing?

Not For Another Ten Years

The move is finally upon us and luckily we have cool parents who are coming in our time of need. Dad and Susan came on Monday to help pack, clean and physically move us into the new house. I took the week off of work so that I could spend time with them and get things in order. We had most things packed and organized so that unpacking would be easy.

Each box was labeled with the cointents and in which room it would go in the new house so that whoever carried it inside would know where to put it. The system was almost fool proof. The closing however wasn't.

A few headaches, like the water being turned off a day early and having to go down to the county office and complain and trying to work out how to close on Morley and have the money transfered from one lawyer to the other so that we had the downpayment on Sweet Bay, made it all a little stressful, but we survived.

Now were in and quickly unpacking because Mark's family is coming and we need to have furtniture put together so they have beds to sleep in and locate towels so that they can bathe. Too bad it can't all put itself away. Tonks knew how to do that.

Dirty Mind

License Plate at the house across the street:
HRLY GRL

I read it as Hourly Girl. Then I saw the Harley-Davidson sticker on the window.
I liked it better my way.

Leave This City pt. 2

Today was Allison's last day. I closed my door and cried after she left — there was nothing I could do to stop it. We've shared an office the entire time I've been at Talk and now she's leaving. I'm thrilled for her because I know she needs to do this, but I'm sad for me because I feel like I'm losing a friend.

I know we'll keep in touch, but I won't have her here every day with her desk next to mine. Just a half chair turn away. She won't be there to ignore work for a few minutes with and gossip or to try to figure out what word I need to use by using her as a sounding board.

I'm sure most people would hate sharing an office, but having Allison as an office mate is one of the things I love most about my job. And I'm going to miss her like crazy. In her honor, I promise to refer to her desk always as Allison's desk no matter who takes it over. Kinda like Ashley's office. Some things never change.

Karen's B-Day CD 2008

As I do every year, I made my sister a CD for her birthday. I usually try to intorduce her ot new music I think she will like as well as throw in some favorites from our childhood and teen years. I struggled with this one because I didn't have any music to put on it. So I began scrambling and just looking up songs from TV and movies and I ended up with one that is pretty damn good. See for yourself:

Fences-Paramore
Crucify-Tori Amos
The World Spins Madly On-Weepies
Good to Me-Inara George
Sway-The Perishers
Beautiful-Adrienne Pierce
Superhuman-Cinder Road
In the Mean Time-Spacehog
Le Disco-Shiny Toy Guns
Six Feet Under-Neve
Monster-Meg & Dia
Shadow of the Day-Linkin Park
Redwing-Hem
Cold Hands Warm Heart-Brenden Benson
Back To Life-Soul II Soul
Unsingable Name-Mike Daughty
Thanks for the Memories-Fall Out Boy
Seven-Prince
Sweet Sacrifice-Evanescence

The Final Installment

Scene: 12:08 a.m. Harris Teeter in Ogden.

Mark and I were fourth in line to get Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have the time-stamped receipt to prove it.

The Breakup

Dear CW,
For the past 9 months, I thought we had a good thing going. I know it started out a little shaky when you chose that crappy family drama (which you had previously rejected) over Everwood, but I forgave you. Then you allowed Lorelai to marry Christopher. That indescretion was a little harder to get over, but eventually I did.

I stood by you when others pointed at you and laughed. I defended you when people called you a wannabe network and when they made fun of your name. I was faithful to you, never straying from our weekly dates on Tuesday nights, which were the best of the week for me. And I thought you were happy with our little lineup of kick-ass girls who were smarter and funnier than the rest of the nights combined. We had a good thing going. So why did you have to go and ruin it?

Last night was the final straw. After what you did to Veronica I don't think we can see each other any more. Please don't look for me next season. Not even the lure of Kristen Bell as the voiced-but-never-seen Gossip Girl can make me forgive you this time.

Sincerely,
Susan

I Guess This Is Goodbye

So last week I posted about Gilmore Girls and how I was losing my two best friends. Well, tonight was the last Veronica Mars and I am devestated. Mark's solution was to give me a few too many drinks to hopefully take the edge off my misery, but it really only added to it.

If I adored my Gilmore Girls, I LoVed my Veronica. (if you've seen Logan and Veronica in action you get the special capitalization)

I didn't cry as much tonight as I did last week, but that's because the episode wasn't set up as a series finale, but a season finale. There were no tearful goodbyes or couples who were meant to be together finally getting together. It was just another day in the life of Veronica. And it was great. Tonight showed why I love all the characters as much as I do. It made me laugh. It made me cry. And it made made want more.

I don't know what my Tuesdays will be like from now on, but I can guarantee they will not be as funny, or as looked-forward-to.

Veronica, you were one-of-a-kind. And I will not forget you. Thanks for three great seasons.

1011 Sweet Bay Circle

Somehow our house is the first in the development to be worked on. We've been checking every few weeks on the progress and when we went down on Wednesday, we had a house!

We weren't expecting it, but there it was framed and standing in the middle of lot 12, well actually closer to the back of the lot but what we won't get into that. So we walked around inside looking at what will be our new home in a few months.

And then the reality of the situation hit. We have to finish working on our current house. We have to have a yard sale. We have to put more stuff in storage. We have to get our house on the market. We have to sell our house with a good dozen or so in the neighborhood already on the market.

Hello, stress.

The End of an Era

The Gilmore Girls are gone. Tonight I feel like I had to say goodbye to my best friends. For 5 years now, I have been glued to my television on Tuesday nights enthralled by their wit. I have laughed with them and at them, cried with them and for them. There have been times when I didn't agree with their decisions, but I stood by them because I love them.

I have spent more time with them than most of my family and friends and it is becoming extremely hard to let go. I spent the better part of an hour crying (hard enough that I was having trouble breathing at times) during their final hurrah tonight. The last half hour I cried straight through the commercials.

I know most of you will think I'm crazy for being so attached to fictional characters. But I am a writer. As Visha likes to say "I live in a world of lies." Lorelai and Rory may not be real, but to me they were treasured friends who will be missed dearly.

These girls went out in style. They came full circle, sitting in the diner talking a mile-a-minute as Luke worked around them. The camera panned back and the conversation faded leaving our girls in the middle of their lives without me.

A Little Ego Boost

In my job, I get to write quite a bit. Most of my accounts are healthcare-based and I write their articles for the Guide to Health & Medicine in our local paper. In the past, I have had an account supervisor who edits my work. Now, as we are in a major transition period in regards to staff, my boss (Founder, President, CEO) is my direct supervisor. No pressure, right?

So, I wrote an article forour arthritis client, and sent to Debbie for edits. This was the e-mailed response from her:
"You make me proud. I made one or two edits. Great job. Brava."

Does work get any better than this?

Leave This City

Ashleypalooza. That's what we're calling it. There could be no other way to describe the week-long celebration of all things Ashley. We've known for a few months that this day was coming, but we all secretely hoped that she would change her mind. Unfortunately, that doesn't look to be the case.

Her office is cleaned out, her bags are packed. She really is leaving us.

I've only known her six months and I don't feel as if that were enough time. I recently told Debbie that I want to be Ashley when I grow up and I meant it. If I could be even a fraction of the smart, witty, creative girl that Ashley is, I would be very happy with who I am.

I hate that she's leaving because I'll miss her. But I hate more that I don't get to learn from her. Even though she's only two years older than me, I see her a role model. Someone I can aspire to be. And the fact that she has already achieved this level at 28 is inspiring. And amazing.

I'm going ot miss talking Potter with her and sharing the latest juicy romance novel scenes we've both read. I'm going to miss her sitting on the credenza in Allison's and my office. I'm going to miss her laugh and her easy way of teaching. But most of all I'm going to miss all the good times I know we would have had. Have fun in Georgia, Ash. And know that you will be missed every day.

An Assistant No More

I got promoted today to Jr. Account Executive. And I can't tell you how nice it is to work hard, do a good job and get recognized for it. After three years of being dumped on, I finally have a job I LOVE and that I am actually very good at. Here's hoping that I can keep up the momentum and go the Creative route. Maybe one day I can be the next Ashley Harp!

The Munchkin Likes the Beach

I think Caroline takes after her Grammy and Aunt Susie, not her mom. As bored as Karen gets with the beach, it is a wonder that C loves it so much. She didn't care that the water was freezing or that she had sand in places that a person should never have sand. She LOVED it. She also loved taking a running start and leaping on her favorite aunt, knees first, over, and over, and over. I've never been that worn out and beat up in my life. But its hard to be annoyed when she is this adorable.

Shamrock Shindig

Tonight I'm going to make drinks at the Shamrock Shindig - a fundraising dance party orchestrated by two wonderful teenagers whom I know from Smudged Pot. Christina and Lara were both adopted when they were very young, and their parents and older sister, Erica, run an adoption agency that helps children in other countries get placed with families in the US. I've known these girls for a few years and I am so impressed that at 13- and 14-years old, they've put together this whole initiative to raise money to send to children in orphanages. At more than 10 years older than them, I'm still not that active in helping others. The most I do is give my leftovers to the homeless every week after trivia. These girls rock. And I am incredibly proud to know them. Knowing that there are families like the Bergerons out there, makes me want to be a much better person. And hopefully by knowing them, some of their amazingness will rub off on me.

And the hits just keep on coming, but with possible reprieve...

So trivia this week back at Copper Penny wasn't very exciting. It was good, and it wasn't Vince running things, but it just wasn't the same. Afterwards we trekked over to Orton's for karaoke where Krysti and Anthony proceeded to berate Rich (the owner) for taking away our trivia. And low and behold, there came a light at the end of the tunnel. Rich said he will run trivia for us again next week, back at our bar, and if we can bring in a decent amount of people, he will start it up again. So I am going to try and use some connections I have and get the word out there. Maybe, just maybe Wednesday nights can be saved.

Now I just have to work on my Tuesdays. Word on the street is that a season 4 of Veronica Mars is not looking hopeful. Did you hear that? It was the sound of me hysterically crying. (And I'm not kidding. If Veronica doesn't come back I may just lock myself in the house watching the first 3 seasons on DVD for a solid week.) There is still a chance it will come back, albeit not the same as it is, but back nonetheless. So I will join in the email and letter writing campaign to try and save my favorite show. If you want to help my cause just go to: www.saveveronicamars.tv

Wednesday nights are...Oh, you know the rest

So after a depressing Veronica-less Tuesday night, I went faithfully to my Wednesday night trivia at Orton's only to find out that they are quitting. Trivia is no more. Kaput. Finite!

WTF?

They said they were losing money. That we weren't bringing in enough people to make it worthwhile. Since when is it the customers' job to do the marketing? (I'm in marketing, I should know how the whole thing works, and usually that's the company's job). So as a fitting farewell to the bar that unceremoniously dumped us, our team name was "That's okay, we like Copper Penny Better Anyway"

Tuesday nights are a little less exciting...

Starting last night, and for the next seven (yes, count them 7) weeks, my Veronica Mars timeslot will be usurped by those (expletive deleted for the more conservative readers) Pussycat Dolls. Who would rather watch strippers compete for a chance to be the next pussycat over the classy and witty Kristen Bell? Personally, I don't get it. So my Gilmore Girls will be followed by House in real time (as opposed to DVRing it and watching it later). While House is great, I miss my Veronica. And Logan. And Wallace. And Mac. And Weevil. And...

New living room furniture to go with a new house...

Our couch has been slowly deteriorating: first fading from sage green to drab brown from the sun, and second having the back cushions detach from the back of the couch so the stuffing can be pulled out like Scarecrow's straw. It's a sad state of affairs in our living room. And the futon, while a great piece of extra seating, doesn't exactly say "grown up" house. So since we're upgrading houses, we decided to upgrade furniture too. This is the couch and loveseat we are getting. The couch is a sleeper so those of you who have had the pleasure of staying with us, but were relegated to the couch or futon, will soon have a nice (hopefully comfy) semi-bed to sleep in. We hope y'all will enjoy it as much as we will.

Lot 12

So today we wrote up a contract to buy lot 12 in The Willows! After going to the model home with Dad and Susan and learning they were taking contracts, Mark and I decided to move on the house quickly. We were deciding between two lots (19 and 12) and after driving to Leland and walking around the site, we realized that lot 19 was backed up to Hwy. 17. Not really what we were looking for in a new back yard.

So lot 12 it is.

We picked out all of the colors in the house (flooring, cabinets, vinyl siding, carpet, paint, etc) and we should be able to move in in September. It will be a light gray house with slate teal (like slate blue but more teal) shutters and doors. The kitchen cabinets and counter will look very similar to this picture (that is the exact counter top style we are getting - Himalaya Slate). Mark wanted this gorgeous black granite look but luckily I convinced him to go a little lighter so the kitchen didn't look like a "black hole" (his words, not mine). We'll keep this updated with pictures once construction starts.

We're thinking of moving...

Not out of Wilmington of course. Well, technically I guess it is out of Wilmington and into Leland (or LA as it is called around here for the Leland Area) which is just across the river from downtown Wilmington. But mainly we want a new house. One with a bigger, usable kitchen, a garage (large enough for 2 cars or Mark's power tools), a little more space (600 sq. feet more than we have now with the house we are looking at), a screened-in porch, and a FROG.

The house we want and will hopefully get once they begin accepting contacts on is in a new subdivision that is being built called The Willows (www.thewillowsnc.com). We want the Oleander II style. We better get it because between the two of us, we've already planned out where everything will go in the house (pictures included) and it'll be a huge let down if we don't get it.

So we've begun the process of readying our current house for the market. The colorful walls are no more in the main rooms and in their place are drab sand colored walls which make the off-white trim look dirty. So we're having to paint all the trim and doors too. But hopefully it'll make it easier to sell. We can live with drab if we know a new house is in the works!

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

The final Harry Potter installment will come out this summer. July 21st to be exact. I have mixed feelings about the end, as most fans do. I can't wait to find out what happens in The Deathly Hallows, but I don't want it to end. It is such a all-consuming story that it doesn't seem right that it won't continue after July. But as long as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny are all still alive at the end, I can live with knowing no more books will follow.

Thanksgiving at the Chateau

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to Chateau Elan a little outside of Atlanta. It involved lots of food, family, liquor, fish, and drama. But usually not all at the same time.

The Highlights: getting to spend time with family - having a swedish massage - the two-headed faucet in the shower - outlet shopping - watching Caroline play in the bath - Mark and Jon doing some brother-in-law bonding - free Mayfield ice cream - watching Caroline ride a pony - fireworks - The Georgia Aquarium - Mom telling me my dress was a "Lorelai dress"

The Lowlights: Mark having to leave on Friday morning - dry turkey on Thanksgiving - Karen, Jon and Caroline leaving a day early - The Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta traffic - getting a cold from the munchkin and her mom

As You Wish

As most of you will (hopefully) recognize, Mark and I were Wesley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride for Halloween this year. We got all decked out in our costumes and headed to our favorite bar, Orton's, to celebrate Halloween with our trivia friends. Everyone knew who we were. We had quotes shouted at us as we walked down the street and as we sat in the bar drinking.

We think the costume contest was rigged because Jeff, who runs karaoke every week, picked us to win the contest even though other people got louder applause. But since we looked so good, we couldn't really complain.

A New Hope

I started my new job at Talk PR, a marketing and PR company here in Wilmington, on October 2. So far I love it. I've been writing media alerts, press releases, new hires; I helped plan and successfully execut an Open House event for Wilmington Orthopaedic Group to show off their new offices; budgetting and planning for '07; researching new clients and probably some non-glamorous things too. But it is fun and it keeps me busy and writing. And it is not my old job. I actually feel respected and appreciated at Talk PR. I am also going to get to help in the creative department with some design work when I'm needed! It's so nice to be able to do a lot of things I enjoy doing in such a creative (and gorgeous) atmosphere. I should have business cards and be added to the website by year's end.

A year later...

So it's been a year since we got married...and things are still great. Most bills and accounts are under my new name and I'm finally used to signing my name as Crispell ( took a while to make it legible when I was signing something). We're still happy together. Life is good.

A Whirlwind Visit

So Mom and Karen came this past weekend to visit. The arrived at lunch time on Friday and my boss gave me the afternoon off to spend with them. After lunch we went to my house and I gave Karen all of her birthday presents (the highlight being a collection of Mix CDs that I made from my 11 years of mix tapes with individual scrapped covers) which she was appropriately excited about. I love giving her presents because she is so expressive and it makes me happy to see her so happy. :)

We had dinner at a restaurant on the ICW and then went home to watch a few episodes of Veronica Mars because I love it and I think Karen should love it too. Which, thanks to me, she now does!

Saturday we had Dunkin Donuts for breakfast which we took to eat on the beach. (Brings back so many memories of Destin and The Donut Hole) And we spent almost 2 1/2 hours there before Karen was thoroughly bored and wanted to leave to go shopping. So we left and showered and were out shopping by 1 pm. We did stop to eat and grab margaritas in the middle of it, but we basically spent until 6 pm shopping! My sister wears me out. But I got a pair of Rainbows and two awesome t-shirts of of it (Thanks, Mom!) and lots of Christmas wrapping and gift tags, so it's not like it was a bad day of shopping, just very l-o-n-g. Dinner at Bluewater followed with crabcakes and Blue Moon beer for the three girls and Mark had to get the grouper and a Corona to be different. And then more Veronica along with Karen's birthday cake and wine!

Sunday I didn't have to work at Smudged Pot because Mandy rocks! She worked the shift for me so I could spend the morning with Mom and Karen. We had a nice relaxing morning of breakfast and then coffee and a quick stop at A.C. Moore. And then they were off. (I say that like the leaving town part was quick, but it actually took them a long while to find Mark's Walgreens so they could say bye to him)

So the weekend was a lot of fun. So much quality time crammed into less than two full days, but I think it was worth it. I hope they do too. :)

My one-of-a-kind, original Brent Sanders

My very own Brent Sanders painting

For my 25th birthday in April, Mom and Hal gave me money to buy something I wanted but would not normally get for myself. The conditions were I was not allowed to spend the money on bills or for repairs/updates to the house or put the money in savings because Hal wanted me to have something that I could always keep.

So after lots of thinking and talking with Mark about what to do with the money, I decided to have my favorite artist paint a picture of Wilmington for me. Brent Sanders is a Chattanooga artist who does mainly studies of architecture in acrylic, watercolor and inks. If you've been in our house, you've probably seen some of the prints we have of his other work.

Well, my painting came yesterday and I LOVE it! It is of the Oceanic Restaurant and Crystal Pier on Wrightsville Beach where we got married. I sent Brent a picture and told him to use whatever colors he wanted and if I had given him paint samples from our house, he could not have made the painting more perfect to hang on our walls.

Two Years Ago

Two years ago on July 20 Mark asked me to marry him. And for the second year in a row, we've let it pass by without even knowing. I usually think of it a few weeks before and then I remember a few days after it has passed. I know it is not the most important date to remember in the grand scheme of things, but it is the day he proposed and it deserves to be celebrated. Maybe next year.

So far this July...

After an uneventful Fourth-Mark worked that night and I stayed home and watched House- and a midnight showing of Pirates 2 last Thursday, we had a relaxing weekend with his parents when they came to visit. It involved lots of seafood (yes, I know I actually eat some seafood now), Yhatzee!, and touring Orton Plantation where we saw Screen Gem Studios filming a movie called Hounddog starring Robyn Wright Penn and Dakota Fanning. Mark had to restrain himself from shouting lines of The Princess Bride ("Bow down to the Queen of Garbage...) as Robyn-or who we think was Robyn, walked amongst the trailers.

Now, I'm trying to convince Mom and Karen to come visit sometime in the next few weeks for Karen's birthday (on the 26th!) so I can give her her presents in person because I missed out on Christmas in person. It's so much more fun when I can see her open them. The reactions are always priceless!