Dear M-Clear

Dear M-Clear,

What a week it has been, and it's only Wednesday! But thanks to you, I'm feeling much better...at least for the time being.

It all started Sunday with a small cough. While Sean and I were looking at houses with our realtor Louise, I noticed a persistent tickle in my throat. No big deal, just some drainage. But as the night went on, the cough got worse and worse. I felt fine, and the cough was really more annoying than anything else. I thought it was just allergies.

Sean and I came home and had a major discussion on whether or not we should make an offer on the home in Clairmonte. Then Amanda came over for dinner and we caught her up to speed on the home buying situation. I mistakenly added cayenne pepper to our chicken breasts instead of paprika. OOPS! I shouldn't be allowed to cook and talk at the same time. We survived the HOT chicken, and then enjoyed some mango sherbet for dissert. All the while, cough...cough...cough...The sherbet felt good on my throat, and I also made some hot tea to soothe it.

At 3:30 a.m. I awoke feeling absolutely horrible. I had the chills along with a deep ache over my entire body. I didn't get much sleep after that, and by 6:30 a.m. when the alarm went off, I knew that I was officially sick. However, I dragged myself out of bed and somehow made it to work. I had a presentation to finish and an important conference call that day. I also had an appointment in Cool Springs to sign the home offer than Sean and I made on the home in Clairmonte. Going to work was a fatal mistake. I should have stayed home sick on Monday and tried to recover. I did come home early, but it was too late. My sickness had settled in for good. My sweet sister brought me a stack of OTC meds to help soothe my pain.

Tuesday wasn't any better. I still had the aching bones along with a horrible cough. I coughed so violenty that I caused myself to puke, and I was so weak that I could barely stand. It would have been the perfect day to crawl back in bed, take some mega pain pills, and sleep the day away. Unfortunately, I had a commitment to give a presentation for a customer of mine in Memphis. I wanted so badly to cancel the appointment. The customer is great and they would've understood if I called and said I was really ill. But, my VP of Sales had flown up from Tampa just for this appointment. I couldn't call out sick. It would've made his trip a waste - a waste of his time a nd a waste of the company's money. So, at 8:00 a.m. I hit the road with my VP of Sales.

I was asked to drive because VP had to make several conference calls. Let's just say it was some of the worst hours of my life...mainly because I thought I was going to crash and kill us both. I fought to keep my eyes open the whole way there. And oh yea, my whole body was in pain.

I made it through lunch with the customer, and then did my presentation. Thankfully I didn't have to stand at all. We were with them for about 3 hours, and they kept saying "I'm sorry you have a cold." I wanted to say, "Dudes, I WISH this were just a cold, but I think it's something more like the flu."

Since I still had the aches, the chills and a low-grade fever as of 8:30 last night, I decided to stay home from work today...FINALLY!!! And, M-Clear, I was so glad when I remembered that you were in the cabinet. You - the pink miracle cough syrup with hydrocodone - have made me feel so much better. My violent coughing spells have come to a stop, and my body feels like jell-o due to the drugs. You are the best stuff ever! But I feel a little drunk.

Sincerely,
Stacey the flu blogger

P.S. They accepted our offer. AHHHHH. we are moving.

The rest of the O.C.

Last we left it, I was visiting my friend Jolene in sunny California in early January...

Jolene and I headed north up the PCH, past the gorgeous beach-front homes, rocky cliffs and rolling waves, and landed in Laguna Beach. Having seen the MTV "reality" show Laguna Beach: Richest Teenage Bitches Ever, I was expecting some hoity toity snobberiffic town. Much to my surprise, Laguna Beach was an artist/surfer community that reminded me of a very, very wealthy Franklin, TN. It actually had a HOMETOWN type feel to it! The streets were full of art galleries, cafes, clothing boutiques, and surf shops. We stumbled across a small art village with open-air stores, a courtyard, and a patio restaurant called The Cliff. We also took a self-guided driving tour of Laguna Beach's original bungalows and cottages from the 1920s-1950s.

Our visit to Laguna was followed by a birthday party for one of Grandma's caretakers, Jon (short for the Filipino name Djonji). We spent the rest of the evening enjoying a massive feast at the house with Jon's friends and family. A whole roasted pig was the center of the Filipino feast. Also on the menu: grilled squid, mini Filipino egg rolls stuffed with pork (I forgot the actual name), seafood paella, flan, and sweet sticky rice with coconut and raisins. After the feast and a few more drinks, we busted out the karaoke. Jolene made me sing some Tony Braxton song TWICE! It was the God-awful-make-your-ears-bleed kind of singing, and it was wy out of my range. My throat was so sore...

The morning after the birthday party, I woke early (8:00 a.m.) to the sound of hammering. BANG! BANG! BANG! Due to some over-indulgence in Key Lime Martinis the night before, my throbbing head was in no mood for such loud noises. A couple hours later, Jolene and I emerged from the bedroom and into the kitchen where we smelled the world's most delicious aroma. Come to find out, the banging was the harsh dismemberment of the leftover pig. Jon was busy slow-simmering a Filipino pork stew called Paksiw. I couldn't stop raving about how wonderful it smelled, and finally Jon convinced me to try some of the stew. I dipped my spoon in, past the pig foot and something else that resembled brains, and slurped the spicy liquid into my mouth. It was - to this day - the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...

Tuesday was my last day in California. Joelene's boyfriend Zack drove us up to Dana Point where we explored a wildlife preserve on the coast. The 3 of us strolled through the sand and climbed along the water's rocky edge. We stood atop massive boulders and watched the tide roll in, and also spotted a few sea urchins. Watching the sun set along the water was breathtaking. Satlwater, warm rays, fresh air, and bare feet -- what a perfect ending.

California Love

The holidays are enough to drive you crazy...so I decided to recover from Christmas by taking a vacation. I packed my bags and headed out to Sunny California. I needed to have some fun and get out of my grey, Tennessee winter rut.

My very oldest friend in the whole world, Jolene, moved to San Clemente, California about 5 months ago. (Ok, she's not an old person. She's actually younger than me. I just meant we go way back.) We've known each other since we were about 7 years old. During high school Jolene and I became very best friends. It was only for a few years -- 2 or 3 at the most -- but it seemed like a lifetime. We needed each other to just....well, in order to survive, I think. We didn't talk in much detail about our problems. Oh, sure...we'd talk about boy problems, school problems, friend problems...but the real problems? the problems that transcend your poor, juvenile teenage angst-ridden minds? those were just understood between us. We knew each other, and we clung to each other. I just needed her so things didn't fall apart. I needed to be understood. I needed to laugh and enjoy being young and silly. We did that for each other. It was good times.

Inevitably, things changed in both our lives and we somewhat drifted apart. But through the years, and through our differences, we've remained close. I cherish that kind of friendship. We can go for a long time without seeing each other, and when we finally reconnect it's like no time passed at all. All those years of knowing each other inside and out really help. We have so many inside jokes, such history, that we almost don't need to talk!

And so, I went to see Jolene in California for my recovery...

Day 1: Downtown San Celemente. We started off our morning with a walk down to the beach, then made our way to the pier, and then strolled through town. Lunch was at Fisherman's right on the pier. I ate oysters on the half shell...even though it was Sunday. I'm always willing to risk food poisoning for a good bite to eat! Fisherman's had awesome fish tacos, too. We sipped on bloody mary's, listened to the waves, and watched surfers. It was a little cooler than I anticipated, but the weather was still gorgeous. It was perfect weather for sightseeing because it was cool, which meant I didn't get sweaty.

View of the beach, right across from Jolene's house

The stretch of land behind my head is Dana Point. We'll go there later...

Here's the view looking UP from the beach. It goes: beach, wall of rocks, railroad track, cliff, mainland. Got it? We had to climb 100 stairs to get back to the street. My ass would be rock solid if I lived there...

Beautiful view of the San Clemente pier and clock tower thingy.

During our stroll through San Clemente, we stopped in some cute boutiques, grabbed some coffee, and we spotted A WOODY DOLL!!!
(And if your last name isn't Carroll or McCloskey, then you probably don't know Woody. I'm sorry. Jolene was just pretending to be excited here. She doesn't know Woody either.)

More to come...check back later...i'm going to bed.

NYE 2008 (incriminating photos included)

New Years Eve -- you either love it or hate it. And this chick happens to love it. It's the start of a new year, new goals, new seasons, and turning over a new leaf. Quite the cause for celebration, if you ask me. This year Sean and I had the pleasure of attending a NYE Unofficial Sleepover Party at Bobby & Crystal's house in Hendersonville. Sherri brought homemade Apple Cider Moonshine, Zach brought homemade wine, and Crystal cooked up some delicious snacks. You can't have a party without snacks...

We laughed, we danced, we sang, we played, we ate, we drank, and drank...Yes, New Year's Eve 2008 at the Juechter's house was quite the party! We had a great time ringing in the new year. But you don't have to take my word for it...

I love Sherri's face here...

...and Sean's face here!

Playing Mad Gab - best game ever
"Unique waters forth ease lots!"

Awwww...

BFF's

Bow Chica Wow Wow

That was a pole. And that's me dancing. And this is so redneck.

Much to Crystal's surprise, I know how to drop it...

Look out, Heidi!

Lovin me some Rock Band

i don't know what's going on here, but Sherri's making another awesome face

I think Chad had something to say, but it was probably really really quiet.

Looks like he's saying, "Tooooooot!"

Happy new year, ya'll!!!!

The last one for 2008

First thing's first: Two blog entries ago, I mentioned that I got a really short haircut. This picture is about 3 weeks old, so it has grown just a bit. I hope you enjoy my new Dutch Boy-esque coiffure.

Best thing about a short 'do? -- Badass chicken hair in the morning.

If I were truly brave, I would leave the house like this.

Just like the rest of you out there, Sean and I are wrapping up the holiday season and preparing for 2009. Can you believe yet another year has passed? Where does time go so quickly? Sometimes the seasons seem to drag on and on, but in other ways they feel like they're gone in a flash. As I walked out of the grocery store tonight, the cold weather hit me like a block of ice. (Ok, so it was probably only 40 degrees...but I'm a wimp.) My immediate reaction was a shiver and I thought, "I can't wait until the warm weather arrives!" But I had to remind myself to let it soak in...to embrace the season and all that comes with it. I took a deep breath of chilly air and it stung just a bit, but that was ok. Warm weather will come soon enough.

It looks like the last week of 2008 will be dedicated to cleaning. Sean and I accumulated quite a bit of junk (boxes, trash, wrapping paper, ect.) between all the gift giving & receiving, and it's still lingering around our house. Plus, we have so many new gifts that will require new spaces in our "cozy" home. And the biggest chore of all still has yet to be completed - taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the decorations. *cringe*

Oh...and because Sean and I are really organized people, we decided to use Christmas money from my dad to buy brand new living room furniture...and we brought it all home today! Our poor little living room is now at maximum capacity. With TWO couches (old & new) a new chair, the existing tables and cabinets, and the Christmas tree there is absolutely no room left in which to move. It's a total freakin disaster! But oh well...such is life. Things will get moved some way, somehow.

I think it's pretty swanky, don't you? And I'm so thrilled that we aren't Boring Beige people anymore. We have color in our lives! It may be hard to tell from the pictures, but it's a gray-ish blue color.

Thankfully, I'm going to California in one week to visit Jolene (if my vacation is approved by my boss...I still haven't heard back from him. argh.) So, if things at home don't get organized by the time I leave, I figure Sean will just take care of it while I'm away. What else will he have to do? In fact, he should consider the junky house a favor since it will keep him plenty busy. Love you, honey!

Happy new year to you all!!!! I'll be back in 2009.

Becoming Gene Simmons

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and each year I find myself obsessing over a costume months in advance. This year I went with the most natural choice - Gene Simmons. With a tongue as long as mine, the transition is quite easy. I've used this costume in the past, but it had been a few years since anyone saw me in the paint. This year I added some metal flair to my all-black clothing, and I was quite pleased with the outcome.

Step #1: Tease Hair

I like to call this picture "There's Something about Stacey"

Step #2: Begin outlining The Demon face

Outlining is the most difficult step because you have to draw to scale. See, Gene has a tremendously large forehead, so when I draw on my face I have to adjust the scale quite a bit.

Step #3: Fill in the outlines with black and white paint. This is a very tedious process. The whole thing combined takes about an hour.

Sean rigged up a Lego Man costume the night before. His procrastination sometimes stresses me out. In the end, the costume came together and it was a big hit.

We took our costume show on the road and went to a Halloween party at The Greenhouse bar in Nashville. It was really poorly put together, but we had a good time with Sherri and Keith.

Sherri and Keith went as Skeleton Sweatshirt Man and Daphne from Scooby Doo.

Sean's costume came with many challenges. He had limited visibility, and no one could hear him talking. Needless to say, he felt isolated most of the night. This costume could also be called "The Yellow Helen Keller." Thank goodness he added a built in drink holder to his Lego hand.

One of my favorite costumes of the night was the Oompa Loompa. P.S. he didn't bring any chocolate with him.

My Whereabouts

Dear fellow readers,

After a long month (and 2 weeks) of no word from me, I figured I owed you some sort of explanation. Up until this point, I've been pretty good about keeping my real emotions out of this blog. The blog was created as a fun place for family and friends to check up on me, my husband and our life in the little yellow house. But tonight will be dedicated to some raw emotion. It's not meant to become a regular thing, so just bear with me this once...

My days have been mentally and emotionally draining, which means I don't have the desire to spend time on blog entries. I don't have the desire to do a lot of things right now. It's not that I don't think about you out there -- I do! I have new updates to share and lots of new pictures for you. It's just hard for me to focus on those things right now. So please be patient, and don't think I gave up on the blog altogether. I'm just taking a break.

I've been feeling a lot of daily frustration...which somehow, for me, turns into self-doubt...which is, of course, mixed with a healthy dose of anger. And there you have it -- I'm a big boiling pot of unhappiness! It's safe to say, I'm not a very fun person to be around these days. Maybe on the surface I could pass for normal, but I know what's going on inside me and it's not been very pretty. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's the truth. I don't like the current version of me. I know it's getting bad when I lose my appetite...because Lord knows how much I love to eat!!!

Anyway, if you feel that I've been ignoring you recently, or haven't been kind to you, I'd like to extend my apologies. I'm here...and I'm thinking about all you friends & family out there, and sending my love your way tonight from my Blogging in Bed session.

Now, don't go thinking that anything is wrong with me and my wonderful husband! He is the absolute best. He's the only thing that holds me together sometimes. Sure, he might be the world's LOUDEST BREATHER at night, but I love him to pieces. In fact, I think I'm going to go hug him right now because just thinking about him made me smile.

And P.S. -- I got a really short haircut and I look like a boy.