Maisy's Least Favorite Holiday.

Maisy HATES Halloween.

She hates it because the doorbell rings EVERY 3 MINUTES.

She hates it because I keep the gate up, so she can't come to the door with me. I know she would never try to bite a kid...I keep her blocked so she doesn't run out & get hit by a car.

But, the biggest reason of all?

She hates it because I won't let her eat any candy.

Matt had to work late tonight, so it was just me & Maisy & 10 POUNDS OF CANDY.

No joke.

Our 1st Halloween in our house (2004), I learned that one measly bag of snack-size candy bars wasn't going to cut it. I ran out in 10 minutes.

Every Halloween since then, I double my candy inventory. It lasted longer than 10 minutes, but not much more than 30.

So, this year, I got smart & bought two, 5-pound bags of a mix of candy, like Laffy Taffy's, Sweet Tarts, Jaw Breakers & Nerds.

10 pounds lasted 2 hours.

We had a steady stream of kids (AND ADULTS) from 6:30 to 8:30pm. There were cars still coming down my street, but I had to close up shop. No more goods to give out.

For the 1st time this year, I actually had kids PUT THEIR GRUBBY LITTLE HANDS IN THE CANDY BOWL & TAKE WHAT THEY WANTED.

Even their parents did it.

One kid didn't want the Laffy Taffy I was about to give him & he said, "Ew. I don't like those! Can I have some Nerds instead?"

I would expect that from like a 4 or 5 year old, but this kid was AT LEAST 10 or 11.

When I handed him the Nerds, he didn't even say thank you.

Ugh.

Anyway, here are some pictures & a video of Maisy, just to prove to you her lack of love for Halloween.

She's about to bark here

This is how she sat just about the whole time...perched on the back of the couch

Another angle of her perched on the couch

Me & Maisy...She finally came & sat with me, but kept her eye on the front door

Maisy...at 8:35...5 minutes after I turned the porch light off

Please excuse my voice in this video! I really hope I don't sound like this in real-life!

He Scores, He Scores...And, The Crowd Goes Wild.

My nephew, Jackson, plays football for a league called LifeChamps. He's on the Dallas Cowboys team.

It's his 1st year & he totally LOVES it. When he grows up, he wants to play football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, under Coach Houston Nutt.

(We don't have the heart to tell him that Nutt probably won't be the coach when he gets to college.)

Anyway, my sister enrolled him in LifeChamp's 2-day football camp this past summer & then found out he was old enough to play in the Fall League.

In August, he "tried out" for the league & made the Dallas Cowboys team.

His position?

The Center. The one who spikes the ball to the Quarterback. He loves it because he gets to touch the football on every play.

This past Sunday was the last regular season game. Matt ended up being the one to take him (long story...I won't bore you), which was fine because Matt hadn't been to a game yet.

Matt says the game was nearing the end, with Jackson's team down 6 points.

Because it was the last regular season game, the coach asked anyone who hadn't run the ball yet to raise their hand. Jack was the only one (keep in mind, he's the center, so there was no reason for him to catch a pass or run down the field), so he went into the last play as a Receiver.

The Quarterback threw him the ball.

Jackson caught it.

And, HE RAN IT DOWN THE FIELD FOR A TOUCHDOWN!!

HIS VERY FIRST ONE!!!!

EVER.

ON A TEAM!!!

And, with the extra point, his team won the game.

Matt says Jackson was so excited. He was grinning from ear to ear. Matt says to hear Jackson describe it is hilarious. Jackson says he was running down the field & "juked" a kid & scored.

Apparently, "juke" means to push someone out of the way.

Jackson says he only "juked" him a little.

Even though most of us missed his 1st touchdown, Matt was armed with our camera, so he was able to get some pictures.

Here's Jackson spiking the ball.

Matt says Jack wouldn't take his mouth guard out...even when he wasn't playing.

Here's Jackson running somewhere, after the kicker kicked the extra point.

And, here's my FAVORITE picture from the whole day. This is the expression on Jackson's face after scoring the touchdown. It's now the background on my laptop.

Tonight, his team won the semi-final round & they'll play for the championship on Thursday! Go Cowboys!

A Halloween Party.

Every year, for the past 4 years, Matt & I have gone to a Halloween Party, hosted by a guy from work & his wife.

It's always the weekend before Halloween.

And, everyone always tries to "out-do" each other with their costumes.

It's fun to see what people come up with. Because my ideas ALWAYS suck.

Every year, once Halloween's over with, I vow to come up with the GREATEST costume EVER.

Surely, in the next 365 days, I can come up with a freaking MASTERPIECE, but every year, I wait until THE LAST MINUTE to decide what I'm going to be.

This year was no different.

Matt & I found ourselves at Halloween Express at 2:30 in the afternoon, looking through racks upon racks of some of the most un-creative costumes.

In the end, Matt decided to be Kelly Pavlik. He's the guy who knocked out Jermain Taylor for the World Middleweight Championship belts.

And, me?

I'm still not quite sure what I was.

A country girl?

I don't know.

But, here are some pictures from tonight. I know most of you don't know any of these people, but when has that ever stopped me from sharing with you?

Whatever I am, we had a great time. I guess that's all that matters.

Gay Dumbledore & Goth chick (Greg & Laurie)

Woopie cushion (Burke)

Which came 1st: The chicken or the egg? (Katy & me)

Johnny Cash (Casey)

Courtney, Katy, Sydney, Katy & me

Do you like Matt's scratches on his face? They're fake tattoo's, but they look real. Also, the sword on his arm is fake...as is the one on his back & chest. He DOES have a real one, it's just on his other arm.

Babe Magnet & his babe (Tom & Sydney)

Me & Laurie (she's not smiling on purpose)

Bacon & Eggs (Jon & Katy)

The guy on the left is Aaron. He came as Houston Nutt's contract. Houston's the Head Coach for the Razorbacks & when we lost our 2nd SEC game this season, Nutt was asked if he thought this would be his last season with the Hogs. He said, "My contract says I'm here til 20-12. Not 20-07, not 20-08, not 20-09, not 20-10, not 20-11, but 20-12." Aaron printed out Nutt's contract & taped it to himself.

And, finally...JIM BOB & MICHELLE DUGGAR. They are the infamous Arkansas couple who have 17 (or 18) children AND THEY WANT MORE. Anyway, my friend Annette is pregnant (don't worry...it's only her 2nd child) & she found this really great wig at Party City, so she decided to pin babies to herself & go as Michelle Duggar. Her husband, Chuck, came as Jim Bob.

It Only Took A Second, For My Life To Never Be The Same.

On June 29th, 2003, Matt & I were in a life-changing car accident.

It's been over 4 years & I still struggle to talk about it, much less write a whole post about it, but I finally decided that it's time, mainly because it's a big part of who I am today.

It was about 10:30am on Sunday.

Matt & I were on our way to watch a golf tournament in another state. We were merging onto another Interstate, when we heard the sound of screeching brakes.

I remember us both kind of turning our heads in the direction of the sound & we both asked, "What is that?". I felt us get hit & I saw us turn sideways & run over the guard posts.

That's it.

After that, my next memory is Matt holding my hand in the ambulance & hearing him tell me that we had been in an accident & we were on our way to hospital.

I remember that my legs hurt.

Bad.

And, I remember thinking that I must be dreaming.

What my mind blocked out was our Jeep Cherokee rolling over 4 times, coming to rest by a tree. Matt was awake & conscious the whole time & remembers counting the rolls.

He says when we stopped, he looked over at me & I was hanging by my seat belt. His door wouldn't open, so he had to crawl over me, unbuckle my belt & lay me down on the grass.

We were lucky that people who witnessed the wreck called 9-1-1. A team of nurses on their way to work were 3 cars behind us & they stopped to help.

Matt says he didn't really know if I was dead or alive.

He says the nurses tended to me & told Matt to sit on the grass on the other side of the Jeep. I think they didn't want him to see me, in case I didn't make it.

Also behind us, purely by coincidence, was one of our reporters & photographers from our TV station. Not knowing it was us, they pulled over to get video of the wreck.

As they got closer, they realized it was Matt. They immediately went into "friend" mode, instead of "reporter/photographer" mode, sitting with Matt until they knew how I was.

Matt couldn't find our cell phones in the wreckage, so Brandis (the reporter) started calling people for us. She called our good friend, Greg, first...he's also a co-worker of ours.

Brandis also tried our parents, but being a Sunday, everyone was at church & no one had their cell phones with them.

The ambulance got there, stabilized me & put my legs in air casts because the impact crushed both of them.

Apparently, the girl who hit us was speeding, lost control of her car going around a slight curve. She tried to get back on the road, but she over corrected & started to spin.

When she did that, her front left side pitted us on our back left side, sending us spinning & then we rolled down a slight hill. Her car kept spinning & landed on the other side of the road.

She was not injured. Thankfully.

I, however, did not know what was happening & planted my feet on the floorboard. When I did, the energy of rolling over & over pushed through my feet, crushing the bones inside my legs.

Matt was not injured, either. Double thankfully. He does have a scar on his right arm from where glass from the windshield cut him pretty deep.

The EMT's put him in a neck brace & on a back board anyway & took us both the ER in the same ambulance.

Matt told them he had to ride with me because he wanted to be with me when I woke up.

When we got the hospital, I remember our friend, Greg, standing over me while I was on the stretcher, asking me how I felt.

Then, I remember my Daddy holding my hand & me telling him that I didn't want to die.

I remember Matt, my mom, my mom-in-law, Greg & another co-worker & friend, Alice, standing around my bed in the ER. I think I told someone I was going to get a new car.

I remember being in the CAT scan machine, asking if I could just sit up & dangle my legs for a minute because they felt like they were asleep.

At this point, I don't think I realized that my legs were broken. Now, though, I know that's why they felt all tingly.

This all happened over about a 5 or 6 hour period, but to me, still to this day, it feels like 5 minutes.

The next day, Monday, I was in surgery for 5 or 6 hours, as my doctor's tried to put my bones back together. They put a long, steel rod in my left leg from my knee to my ankle with 12 screws. On my right leg, they put a curved rod in my ankle with 6 screws.

During my 4 & 1/2 days in ICU, I remember a nurse washing my hair, I remember waking up every now & then to hit my Morphine button, I remember my aunt & uncle leading me & my family in prayer, I remember waking up & hearing a thunderstorm & I remember asking a nurse if they tested the blood they were giving me in a transfusion.

I remember feeling Matt's tears on my cheek as he was telling me how hard it was for him to drive for the 1st time since the accident.

The accident was on Sunday, he drove by himself on Wednesday. He didn't have to, but he knew if he didn't do it then, it would just get harder & harder.

I was lucky in the fact that my Dad is a doctor & was well known at the hospital, so they relaxed the ICU Visitor Rules for me & let Matt stay with me all day. He went to his mom's house at night to shower & sleep.

I was told later, that during my stay in ICU, I had lots of visitors. Some who came back & saw me. Others who stayed in the waiting room to keep my family company.

They prayed, they brought food & they listened.

I was moved to a private room Wednesday afternoon & stayed there until Monday. I was still on a Morphine pump, so I was in & out of sleep.

On a funny note, Matt says I would start a sentence, fall asleep in the middle of it, wake up 2 hours later & finish the sentence.

Because Matt & I lived on the 2nd story in our apartment complex, I couldn't go home. So, Matt & I moved in with my mom so that he could still go to work & my mom could take care of me.

For the first few days at my mom's house, I didn't do much.

Slept.

Ate.

Slept some more.

Friends & family came over everyday, bringing food, flowers & all sorts of gifts for me.

Every other day, my mom would put me in my wheelchair & take me out to the back deck & wash my hair. She had to help give me a sponge bath everyday.

When Matt got home from work each night, my mom would make us dinner. She gave her bed to us & she slept on the couch FOR 11 WHOLE WEEKS. She was & still is a saint.

Over the next few weeks, I had in-home therapy & the day before my 25th birthday, I had surgery again to fix a spot below my left knee that had collapsed.

Finally, on August 12th, I walked, with the assistance of a walker.

And, it hurt.

But, I persisted.

After 5 months of vigorous therapy, I went from a walker, to crutches to a cane to nothing.

Once I was able to use the walker fairly well, Matt & I moved back to our apartment (we have since bought a house) & I went back to work. Part-time at first & then full-time.

During the time at my mom's, I got so many cards of encouragement & prayers from people I didn't even know. A prayer circle was formed for me by my aunt's church in Texas.

I relied on prayer to get me through each day. I woke up praying & fell asleep praying. I asked God for patience & understanding. And, I asked Him to help me forgive the girl who hit us.

I watched the power of prayer work before my own eyes.

And, it was awesome.

Equally awesome was the fact that this wreck brought our families closer together. And, I watched my mom, sister, mom-in-law, dad & Matt drop EVERYTHING to take care of me.

They sat with me, shared stories with me, prayed with me & cheered with me when I stood up on my own 2 feet & walked again.

I've had several additional surgeries since the accident & I will have a total knee replacement in a few years, but my doctor's trying to buy me some time by draining my knee & giving me a Cortisone shot when my knee swells up.

I live with constant pain, but I'm used to it. In fact, if I wasn't in pain, I wouldn't know what to do.

I can't walk the length of the mall without having to sit down & rest, I develop a limp when my legs get tired. I can't sit Indian-style & I can't squat because my left leg won't bend all the way anymore. I can't flex my right ankle. And, I can't feel parts of my left leg from my knee to my ankle because of nerve damage.

BUT.

I'm alive.

And, I can walk.

And, I have an amazing husband & a wonderful family.

And, in a way, that makes all the pain worthwhile.

Turn The Heat On, WOULD YOU?

It's 47 degrees outside my house.

It's 62 degrees inside my house.

One word.

BRRRRRRR.

When I got home from work today, I knew my house was going to be cold. I'm very cold-natured, so anything below 68 is freezing to me.

My husband, however, is NOT cold-natured.

So, about this time EVERY YEAR, we get into an argument.

I want to turn the heat on.

He doesn't.

When I say I'm cold, he tells me to put a sweater on.

I respond by telling him that I don't think I should have to wear a jacket, scarf, gloves & 1,000,000 pairs of socks IN MY OWN HOUSE.

It's my house, I should be comfortable.

Anyway, he always wins because well, let's face it, we live in Arkansas & the weather changes about every 5 minutes. Tonight, it's 45. Tomorrow, it'll be 81. (Not really, but sort of).

That's just the way it is.

Back to tonight.

I got home from work, put on long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, 2 pairs of socks & a hoodie. I was ready to face our freezing cold house head on. And, I was actually quite warm. Surprisingly.

I had already told myself I wasn't going to tell him to turn the heat on. I can make it.

About 20 minutes later, Matt got home with dinner. We eat. He gets on the computer to do his basketball draft. I pay some bills & fold a load of laundry. Can we say: BORING?

I see him come out of the computer room & look at the thermostat. Then, go back into the room. A few minutes later, he comes out AGAIN & looks at the thermostat.

About 10 minutes later, he comes into our bedroom, where I'm putting away the laundry & the following conversation takes place.

Matt: "Are you cold?"

Me: "Actually, I'm okay."

Matt: "Oh."

(He lets out a big sigh).

Matt: "Did you know it's 47 degrees outside & 62 degrees inside?"

Me: "Yes, actually, I did know that."

(I will NOT complain, I will NOT complain).

Matt: "Oh."

(He lets out another big sigh.)

Matt: "How come you haven't asked if we could turn the heat on?"

Me: "Because you always tell me I over-react when the 1st cold spell hits & if I would just wait a day, the temperature will be back in the 60's or 70's. So, I'm trying to tough it out!"

Matt: "Oh."

(ANOTHER BIG SIGH.)

Matt: "Well, um, do you think we COULD turn the heat on? Because, um, I'm cold."

Did he seriously just say what I think he said?

Me: "Just put a sweater on!"

Matt: (in his whiniest voice) "Noooooooooooooo!"

I just smiled at him, turned around & walked away.

And, not 2 minutes later, do you know what I heard?

The heat turning on.

It's been on now for about 20 minutes.

Men.

I'm Feeling Crafty.

So, last month when Matt & I were in Dallas for my friend's wedding, we went to an IKEA.

Our 1st IKEA.

Ever.

Do you understand that we had never been to an IKEA until last month?

I fell totally & completely IN LOVE.

Crazy love.

The 45 minutes we allotted ourselves WAS NOT ENOUGH. Had I known what was inside the huge yellow & blue building, I would have budgeted AN ENTIRE DAY.

At IKEA.

Yep.

Matt was equally as delighted as I was, but for different reasons.

He loved it because he got 2 hot dogs, chips, a cookie & a coke for $2.50.

Boys.

Anyway, I found lots of stuff I wanted from IKEA, but we only bought this & 3 of these, mostly because it was the only thing that would fit in our suitcases for the plane ride home.

I knew with the right accessories, I could turn the rail & frames into something I saw in a magazine 2 years ago. With 6 really cute picture hangers, 6 hooks, a spool of ribbon & 3 pictures, here's the finished product.

What do you think? And, can I just tell you HOW HARD it was to get each frame level? Especially the 2 frames on either side. Trying to get them the EXACT SAME LENGTH was painful! To the point, that if I had to lower or raise the ribbon ONE MORE TIME, I was going to throw it all through the window. If you tell me that they look uneven, I'll cry.

We put it above the china cabinet in the kitchen. I'm thinking that I'll get 2 tall, skinny black vases (one on each side of the cabinet) with some kind of greenery inside the vases. I have a mental picture of what I'm trying to describe & I tried to find a similar picture to show you, but I didn't have any luck tonight. I'll try again tomorrow, so that you can see what I'm talking about.

If you have other ideas about what I could do to this area, feel free to comment!

Weekend Plans. **UPDATED!!**

Me with my Best In Show scrapbook at the Arkansas State Fair. (It's the one in the middle with the 2 ribbons).

A group shot of most of my competition.

My ribbons. 1st place in my category & Best in Show overall.

***OK, quick story. When Matt & I got to the fair this afternoon, there was an older couple & I guess their friend looking at the scrapbooks. The friend says, "Best in Show? What's so good about that one?" Then, she gave like a half-snort, half chuckle & walked away. Realizing that she was talking about mine, Matt (really loud) goes, "HONEY, GET UP BY THE GLASS SO I CAN GET YOUR PICTURE BY YOUR BEST IN SHOW SCRAPBOOK!" The older couple says (genuinely nice), "Oh, yes, you get right up there!" Then, the woman asks which one is mine & Matt says, "THE ONE WITH THE BEST IN SHOW RIBBON!!". He takes a few pictures & then we look over at the couple & their friend & the woman is whispering to the friend (the one who trash-talked my book) & the friend looks over at me & her face went ghost-white & she turned around & walked away. I don't really care. I know not everyone is going to like my stuff. But, mine IS the one with B-I-S ribbon, so there!**

***********************************************

Want to know what I'm doing this weekend?

Nada.

Zip.

Nothing.

This is the 1st weekend in SEVEN WEEKS that we actually DO NOT have plans.

And, I am loving it.

We can stay in our PJ's all day, watching college football. The house is clean & I finished our laundry last night, so there are no chores to be done. We can order pizza & eat junk food all day.

But, we won't.

Why?

Because even though we don't have a "set" schedule (be here now, do this then), we do have a few errands to run, including...

• go to Sam's Club: buy a membership & get bottled water & snacks for these sacks I'm making for my friend's wedding. I'm a hostess in the wedding & she asked me to put together little "informational" bags for her out of town guests. I'm filling them with 6 brochures of things to do while in Central Arkansas, along with some water & healthy snacks. We'll give them out to the guests as they arrive at the hotel. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm making these cute tags that'll say "Brandis & Jason: Novemeber 10th, 2007" & I got a hole punch that looks like a wedding bell. I'm going to attach the tags with silver & purple ribbon (the wedding colors).
  
• go to the State Fair: ugh. I do not like the state fair. The rides totally scare me & if they learn how to fry one more thing (this year the delicacy is fried coke), I'm going to scream. But, my best in show scrapbook is there & this is the 1st chance I've had to go see it. I'll take pictures & post them later tonight. And, while we're there, we might as well play a few games. I do like the games. Plus, we'll stop by our TV station's booth.
  
• stop by Best Buy: we always have to do this every time we're out to see if they've marked down the 55 inch screen TV that Matt's been drooling over for about FOREVER. I don't really think we need a 55 inch TV, but Matt says he'll buy me this beautiful new entertainment center that I LOVE, if we get the TV. Bribery? Sure. But, it's a fair trade.

I also think Matt has to mow the yard & I plan to work on my name frame & note card orders sometime today. Matt might also be shooting a wedding tonight, but it's unlikely.

I know I just rattled off a full day of activities, but you see...the point is that all of this can be done on our own time. It's nothing we HAVE to do today. All of it can wait til tomorrow.

So, if we happen to stay in our PJ's & watch college football all day, it's okay.

*******************

Before I forget.

October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month & this morning, more than 45,000 women participated in the Race for the Cure in downtown Little Rock.

I was a "virtual" runner, meaning I paid the registration fee, but didn't race.

I did it in honor of Matt's mom & Aunt. My MIL was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 + years ago & beat it. Martha was diagnosed in 2002 & she too, beat it.

They are survivors.

Because they got mammograms & were able to catch the cancer early enough, they're both here today & let me say that the world's a better place because of the 2 of them.

So, the take-home message is this: GET A MAMMOGRAM.

Please.

Let's Take A Walk Down Memory Lane.

Inspired by Beth, this post is about high school.

Remember those years?

I do.

Sometimes, I wish I didn't.

I mean, high school was fun, but I'll admit, I was SO happy when it was over.

I think it's because in high school, you're "required" to take all those classes, like Physical Science, Algebra & Civics. I was so NOT interested in those classes.

I'm not knocking those who were, but it just wasn't my thing.

My favorite classes were Speech Communications, Journalism & Creative Writing.

Makes sense, though, seeing as how I work in the field of Journalism, as a news producer.

As far as friends, I had a "core group" of about 10 girls, but that's about it. I was very insecure about myself back then & I was uncomfortable being around anyone besides my core group.

I think that's an insecure time for a lot of girls, whether they admit it or not.

Moving onto the subject of boys, I had my share of boyfriends.

In 10th grade, I don't remember having a boyfriend, but I do remember going on dates & stuff. I also went to another school's (Hall High) prom with a guy named Marc M.

In 11th grade, I dated a guy named David T. for just about the whole year. We were "in love". He was a year older than me & he was so cute. We broke up a short time after his prom.

Then, in 12th grade, I dated a guy named David B. He was my neighbor & went to an all boys school. He, too, was so cute. I had very strong feelings for David. I know now it wasn't love, but it came really close. People, we talked about marriage & we even named our kids.

Hello?

Because we went to different schools, we would write each other notes during the day. We got home at different times every day, so when we'd drive past each other's houses, we'd put the notes in each other's mailboxes or under the front door mat.

On night's that he had to work (he was a waiter at a local mexican restaurant), I'd go there (by myself or with friends) to see him. He also played hockey, so I always went to his games. Afterwards, we go eat or go back to his house & his mom would cook us dinner.

I was heartbroken when we stopped seeing each other. But, I got over it. Obviously.

I think, though, because of that relationship, plus the fact that I had so much fun with my friends & I was finally taking classes that I LOVED, I would say that my senior year was my most favorite & funnest year.

And, I won't lie.

My parents had gotten divorced a year earlier & my mom was dating my now step-dad & they went out of town a lot (we had a condo in Hot Springs), so I would have parties on the weekend.

I got in trouble once.

Like I said, I won't lie.

Me & David & some of our other "couple" friends would come over to my house to play pool & we always got someone to buy us beer.

One Sunday, my mom came home way earlier than I expected & I had not thrown away the garbage bag full of empty cans & bottles. She called me at David's & asked me if I'd had a party the night before. I admitted it. But, instead of grounding me, she told me not to do it again.

Um?

I did.

The next weekend.

And, the weekend after that.

So, would I do high school over again?

Nope.

Is there anything I regret?

Sure.

I regret worrying too much about what people thought of me. Because in the grand scheme of things, it didn't really matter.

Would I change anything?

Surprisingly, no.

What happened in those 3 years, the choices I made, the mistakes I made, the people I loved & the people I didn't love, helped to shape the person I am today.

And, I'm pretty happy with who I've become & how my life turned out.

I have a wonderful husband, a nice house, a great job, an awesome family, a crazy dog & a group of friends, who I consider my 2nd family. And, I have a good relationship with God.

I laugh a lot, I'm more confident in who I am, I'm not so worried anymore about what people think of me, I'm not afraid to meet new people & I stand up for what I believe in.

Not a bad deal, I'd say.

So, now, you go. Tell me your high school stories.

I Cannot Wait For Friday.

So, ever since SoapNet moved "Days of Our Lives" to 6pm & put "The Young & The Restless" in its 10pm time slot, I have become a major "Y&R" fan.

Yes, Jenny, it's true.

Like, I can't get enough.

I watch it every weekday night & even sometimes on Saturday nights.

Last night, they started airing promo's for a storyline to begin on Friday titled, "Who Will Rise From The Ashes?".

I had to learn more, so I got on "Y&R's" website & found the following explanation & video.

"A major storyline is brewing in Genoa City. Clear Springs is the hot topic on everyone's lips. J.T. is checking into some questionable business dealings for Cane. Nick and Sharon have decided to host Cassie's Challenge at Jack's new casino in Clear Springs. Nikki and Victor are fighting over funding. Lauren is gearing up for the grand opening fashion show. When a tragic event happens, who will be left standing when the ashes clear..."

Can you contain your excitement?

I can't.

My Weekend In Numbers & Pictures.

2 = birthday celebrations for Matt

5 = mouse sightings
3 = hours we danced at Jancey's wedding reception
4 = mouse traps we bought
1,000,000 = times I screamed & yelled "MAAAAAAATTTTTT?!"
1 = traps that were actually used
3 = times I cleaned out & vacuumed the pantry
6 = presents Matt opened
3 = times the mice escaped from our "boundaries"
10 = number of times Riley called Matt a "poopie-head"
23 = pictures I want to share with you from this weekend

Matt grilling hamburgers & hot dogs at his mom's house on Saturday

Some of the family eating lunch on my mom-in-law's new back deck that she & Matt built this summer. And, do I even have to point out how "staged" Matt & Jim look?

A whole Suzanne, minus a tooth! She lost her 1st one last week. The one beside it is also loose. Madeline, my other niece in this picture, did not wish to be photographed.

Matt & of all his presents from his mom, sister & cousins

It's a rubber chicken! It was a gag gift from Suzanne & Madeline.

The fish cupcake cake that we bought at Wal-Mart. What? You thought I would make Matt TWO cakes? Nope.

Matt blowing out the candles

"Do I have something on my nose?"

Me, Jessica, Melissa, Sonseeahray, Cecillea & Mallory at the wedding reception for one of our co-workers, Jancey.

Jancey & Rob: 1st dance as husband & wife

Courtney & Pete (a.k.a: "Peteney")

Chris, Jancey, Matt & Greg

Courtney, Katy, Cecillea, Me, Melissa & Stephanie

Matt & me after 2 hours of dancing

A dance floor shot

Kevin & Aaron

Matt opening a card at dinner with my mom, sister, niece & nephew Sunday night

Matt opening a golf-themed business card holder

Matt ("Mop") & Riley...she has straws in her mouth

Jack & Matt "sharing" a coke

Uncle Mop is soooooo funny!

And, last but not least...here's one of the mice that we caught today & set free way, far away, from our house. Matt pretty much just opened the container thingy & the mouse jumped in. The 2nd mouse got caught up on the sticky pad that we bought this afternoon. Matt took him to the woods said he was able to scrape him off the sticky pad, but because of the poison on the pad, the mouse probably won't live. We think we've narrowed down how the mice are getting into our house. But, until we can block off their "secret" passage, we set more sticky pad traps out, in case others try to venture inside.