(T)Eleven on Tuesday

I wrote these questions.  There are eleven.  I'm a rebel.  Visit here to link up!
[*Disclaimer: I have not pre-screened all of these music videos in their entirety, so I apologize if there is any offensive booty shaking or lyric(s) present.  The themes presented in the songs are not necessarily endorsed by me.  DUH.]


1. Do you listen to the radio in your car?  If so, what type of station do you like?
     I alternate between mix/pop/country/Christian stations.  I probably spend the most time listening to the pop stations, though.

2. What is the best concert you have ever attended?
     I am not a huge concert goer (with the exception of the Houston Rodeo concerts), but in high school I went to see John Mayer.  Maroon 5 opened for them before they were really big, and it was awesome.  John Mayer was obviously amazing, and I remember thinking how well Adam Levine sang live.  That's a big deal for me if your voice sounds great without all the studio help.

3. What is the most embarrassing concert you have ever attended?
     *N Sync.  Twice.

4. If you could have the singing voice of anyone in the world, who would it be?
     There are a few people I would gladly trade with, but my old favorite is Martina McBride.  I don't care if you don't like country music, she's amazing.  I would also gladly take Idina Menzel's voice.  If you don't know who she is, get with it, people!  Go watch some musicals!

5. You’re auditioning for American Idol.  What song do you sing?
    This always changes (I guess I think about hypothetical situations like this more than your average bear), but for now, probably one of these two songs:

"Bring Me Down" by Miranda Lambert

or "Someone Like You" by Adele

     Yes, I realize these songs have zero similarities, but hey.  It's my fake audition!  I can fake sing whatever I want!

6. If your previous weekend had its own soundtrack, what would be a few of the songs?
     Man, this is tough...  Probably the chorus from "Summer in the City."
The first verse of this song (there isn't an official video):

And on Sunday, this song:

7. Most annoying television show theme song ever:
     All that is coming to mind is the theme from "Friends" right now...

8. Are you and your significant other music-compatible?
     Not really.  The music we can both agree on are Coldplay-esque type bands.  (i.e. OneRepublic, The Script, etc.)  And don't get offended that I compared them to each other.  They have similar qualities and listen-ability.  Yes, I made up that word.

9. A song that brings me back to middle school:

"The Graduation Song" by Vitamin C (Cut to holding hands in a circle and swaying back and forth at the 8th grade dance).

"The Thong Song" by Sisco.  I never danced to this one!  Dad really, I didn't.  No one ever taught me how to dance until high school! 

    
10. A song that brings me back to high school:
     There are so many, but I swear this song came on the radio EVERY day on the way to school when my sister hauled my two friends and me to school in her hand-me-down minivan (much to my horror).  It's annoying as all get-out.

"Ms. Jackson" by OutKast

11. A guilty pleasure song (or three):
     There are so many.  For one, the soundtracks of the HSM movies.  (If you're a fan, even a closet fan, you have to use the acronym).

     Also, I legitimately love "Gunpowder & Lead" by Miranda Lambert.  I wouldn't call it a "guilty pleasure," except for the fact that it's about killing a man. But sometimes, you just need to turn up the radio and scream-sing about killing a man.

"Raise Your Glass" by Pink, but obviously I like the Warblers' version better-- I can say this of almost every song the Warblers have sung (Also, try not to die of this cuteness):

Friday Odds and Ends

1. Myles says "mamamama" now (at 8 months).  I first thought it was a fluke, but it seems pretty consistent to me.  It's also mostly when she's whining at me...  It's still pretty cool!  I think her next words will be "Give me more fooooood!"
2. I make baby food for the kiddo, and for some reason I decided to use brussel sprouts.  Neither Dave nor I eat them, but I wanted something green without going down the broccoli road quite yet.  Anyway, the smell of these frozen cubes of steamed/pureed brussel sprouts is nauseating.  I can't wait until she finishes them.  It grosses me out to feed them to her.
3. I don't consider myself to be really good gift giver, which is great because Dave doesn't love to receive huge gifts.  While we consider ourselves to be very blessed, we don't really go all out for gifts at any occasion (with the exception of my earrings from last Christmas--thanks babe)!  Anyway, I have started writing down random things I think of throughout the year on a "Christmas list" to tell family when they ask me what we want.  The only thing is, these are things we would need to get anyway, like tennis shoes or shirts for work.  Last year my mom and mother-in-law Santa tried to find stocking stuffer ideas for us.  Here are some examples of things that I suggested and we received: toothpaste, deoderant, manly shaving cream for Dave, ibuprofin, socks, etc.  We also got all the candy goods, which rocked.  You may think this is lame, but you'd be wrong.  I didn't have to buy any of those things for months, so I got to spend grocery money on fun things like salmon! 
4. That last number was a meaningless rant to lead to this: I want a solid-floor vacuum cleaner this year.  I think they are pretty cheap in general.  See, I hate sweeping, because I can see dirt with my own eyes that will NOT go into the dust pan!  It is the most infuriating thing in the world.  And the Swiffer is alright, but I don't want to keep buying covers.  I've been eyeing this little number: http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-PowerEdge-Floor-Vacuum-81L2T/dp/B00450U7V8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313764302&sr=8-1.  Does anyone have a favorite little vacuum that won't choke under the pressure of two canines?
5. Friends and family, please do not discourage Dave from buying me a domestic device for Christmas, because I want it.  I don't want jewelry!  I'm not playing games here!
6. I'm totally serious.  
7. Ok I'll get off this train now.
8. Dave and I went to a lovely wedding a week ago.  My friend from high school somehow snagged this beautiful German lady while on a month-long trip to Europe.  Four years of long distance later, they tied the knot.  Listen, we don't know how he managed to do it either. (Just kidding, Erik, we love you)!  I actually remembered my camera, so here are a couple shots from the big day.

The happy couple dancing:

 Neal + Suze (who apparently needed to put some more clothes on according to a random old lady):

 Casey J:

 We don't get out much.

 Oh wait, that's better:

I paparazzi d Mama and Daddy Lawless:

 They caught me.

 "I'm married, and I have two thumbs!"

 This cute guy I sat next to the whole time!  (I mean "sat" literally, as in I did not dance).

 Casey apparently had something really important to say to the bride. 

 Two pretty ladies K+S (4 evah):

      9.  Remember way back to #1?  Well, it seems Myla really is passionate about eating.  She throws a fit every time she runs out of food.  I tried to capture the gist of it on film.  Yes, I let my child cry for 20 seconds again so I could make a video.  No, I don't feel guilty about it.  Yes, she does get distracted in the middle there by the Today Show.  Yes, this could be an audition for a soap opera.  The upside is, if she does become famous, I won't have to worry about choosing a 529 savings plan...

Why You Shouldn't Buy a Glass Coffee Table

(Alternately titled: Parenting Fail)

This is Myla's newest hobby.  I spend half of my days trying to prevent it and the other half wondering if I should just let it go (and then dealing with the subsequent fear/guilt about the trip to the hospital that will surely occur). 

Parental consistency: FAIL
Baby cuteness: WIN

I think that means it all evens out.

Ten on Tuesday

You can join, too!  Just link up here.

Provided by Kara at Kara’s Chatter.

1. Mac or Windows? (Or Linux for you super geeks!

Windows.  Now I'm nervous that I won't even be able to answer these tech questions...

2. What drew you to that operating system?

Um, it's the normal one?

3. Mice – Wireless or Wired? Mouse pad or none?

I have a laptop, so I use the little touch thing in the middle.  What is that even called?

4. Other than the Internet – What do you use your computer most for?

Other than the internet, I use it for recording meal plans.  Dave and I also use it for our super-cool budget spreadsheet.

5. What’s one computer-related thing you wish you were best at? (CSS, Photoshop, Excel, etc.)

Pass

6. Describe the first time you ever used a computer.

My earliest computer memory involves forging a river where my oxen died in elementary school.  Anyone else with me on that one?

7. How often do you upgrade to a new operating system?

Never.  That's the truth.  I bought this laptop in 2006 or 2007, and I have Windows from 2003 (I think).

8. Are you a short-cutter (CTRL+C) or a right-clicker?

I recently converted to the short-cut (within the last year or two).

9. Is computer-use a constant thing in your life (such as using it both at work and home) or do you get a break (because you don’t use them at work)?

Computer use is pretty constant since I am home most of the time.  It is a pretty constant time-waster for me.  When I used to work with a computer, I never ever used mine at home, because I was already burned out by the end of the day.

10. Where do you think the world would be if personal computers did not exist?

Well, I guess we would all have to go have real friendships instead of virtual ones!

Kohl's: A Coming of Age Shopping Experience

This year I will be working for a few hours in the afternoons at the wonderful school where I student taught.  This past weekend, my dad met up with me at Kohl's because apparently, you're never too old for back-to-school shopping.  If you know me, you know that I generally do not enjoy shopping or spending a lot of money on things.  While the money part wasn't an issue this time (thanks Mom and Dad!), I still like to hit up Kohl's because of their selection and cheapness.  For the same reasons, my other go-to place is Old Navy.  I'm not ashamed.

Anyway, the concept of "work clothes" is a bit of an issue for me, because historically, I have not had a job which required me to dress in your typical business attire.  To illustrate this, how about a short walk down memory lane:

In my first job out of college, I worked with a lot of great people and got about as fancy as this:

 

 (This was the official employee photo I was forced to take).

or this:

 

 (This photo was actually taken at a party in college, but I'm pretty sure I wore this same outfit to work the following year.  My seamless transition of party clothes to work clothes shows you just how craaaaazy I partied in college.  I'm pretty sure there's lemonade or something in that cup).

After that, I moved to the Dominican Republic for 6 months to work in a place where I frequently dressed like this:

or this:

 

But alas, 6 months in another country showed Dave what he was missing, so I had to come back home and act really charming for a week for him to propose.  My next job made me wear this:

 

(This photo was taken during a pre-workday 7:00 a.m. Starbucks date.  It was Dave's idea!  He's so dreamy).

By the next time I needed "work" clothes, I was already knocked up.  The awesome Lindsay gave me her maternity clothes, so that plus a few extra shirts got me through the fall semester of school!

(Note: after this photo, there were still 4 more weeks left of me getting huger).

ALL that to say, I needed to purchase some clothes for work!  This trip was a coming of age experience for me, because I realized for the first time that I am, in fact, old.  I started off uncertain of where to browse, because I went straight from shopping in the Juniors section to the Maternity section at Kohl's.  Now where should I go?! My internal dialogue was eye-opening.  I started off wandering around the Juniors section because "Hey, I'm really not that much bigger than I was before..."  I felt myself looking at clothes, then shouting in my head, "You're somebody's wife and mother, get out of here!"

So then I went to the grownups section...

Over the course of the trip I found myself thinking these things, which further proved my transition into being a woman of a certain age:

"Hmm, it's nice that these pants come up a little higher to camouflage some of the tummy pooch."

"I'll have to get an undershirt if I want to wear that."

"I just wish there were more shirts with 3/4 length sleeves."

"I think my mom might have this same shirt... oh well."

The last thought was the most shocking of them all, friends.  I guess since I'm already headed down this road I should go ahead and buy some cold cream and learn how to crochet...

She's a Genius

Either that or a weirdo...

Apparently, Myla wanted to do some core work on the bottom part of her bouncer.

At almost 8 months old, Myles is crawling and pulling up like a champ.  This is her newest trick.  Actually, it's more like an old trick with a new twist.  I guess you could call it cup crawling.  She enjoys the single-cup or double-cup variety.  This video shows you the gist of it. 

Genius?  or weirdo?

Or both....?