This one's for you, Katelyn!

Perfect lighting + willing friends (er, maybe not so willing in Brian's case) = fun in the backyard!

And, because Katelyn likes my "picture memory things" I made one for her. :) Here's a compilation of some fun shots from our impromptu backyard shoot.

Five on Friday

1) I saw the most ridiculous truck today. It was seriously like half hummer, half F350 on steroids. It tried to run me over in the Target parking lot, and then it pulled up to the front of the store while I was walking in. The Target boys waiting to load the grill into the back of it stared in awe at the monster, then looked at each and simultaneously said, "That's awesome." And I rolled my eyes. Because who the heck drives a tank like that, and doesn't have clear self-esteem issues?

Oh, I found a picture of the thing. Here, you can decide for yourselves. Overcompensation, yes? And this picture doesn't nearly do it justice as seeing in in real life about to run you over because the driver can't see past the hood.

2) I think that people who talk very loudly shouldn't work at pharmacies. Because what's the point of having the 'Wait at this point to respect other customers' privacy' line, if the guy behind the counter is just going to yell what you're medication is anyway? If you ever have an illness you don't want anyone to know about, do not go to the El Cajon Target pharmacy.

3) NCIS is the new love of my life. Andy got me hooked on it from reruns he watched on weekends, and now I've netflixed season four and put myself on the waiting list for all the other seasons at the library. Kind of sucks that everyone else loves it too, and I'm around number 47th in line for season one. I think Tony DiNozzo might be giving Logan Echol's a run for his money in favorite male fictional character.

4) Tonight I am going to scrapbook for the first time all year.

5) Got a little pat on the back tonight at Costco photo. When I went to pick up the pictures I plan to scrapbook later, the guy asked me if the pictures I took were in fact mine. They don't usually ask me that, so I answered yes, a little confused like. Then he told me they were marked as too professional looking by the printer, so I had to sign a form that they were in fact my pictures. Ha! He told me if I was going to be sending more pictures in like that I should just sign a professional photographer's form so I wouldn't have to sign the other sheet every time.

That pretty much made my day.

Dear little brother, on your 22nd birthday:

So, we don't really hang out or anything anymore.

But I remember when we used to be best friends. Rollerblading up and down the sidewalk, biking around the block to see if we could get away with it. Panning for gold in the driveway. (Boy was that stupid.) Watching Dad build us a two story playhouse, and then spending all day every day playing house in it. I would make you go fetch berries and leaves for our dinner while I swept the floor and "washed" the dishes. Playing countless games of Marco Polo in the pool, or throwing the sinking sticks closer and closer to the 9 foot mark to see who was gutsy enough to dive down that far. Throwing things over the fence into the neighbor's yard and then hiding when their stupid dog started barking. Going over to Melissa and Eric's every night they were visiting their grandmother across the street, and playing our made-up hide and seek version... complete with Eric's stupid poking stick that he'd jab into suspicious hiding spots until we yelled.

Anyway, you're 22 now and that's pretty old. And I kind of feel bad that I really don't have many memories of you from the last ten years or so. I kind of remember you were starting to get annoying around age 12. And I remember telling you that I wasn't speaking to you ever again until you apologized for whatever you'd done to me. We went a whole two weeks like that, until you finally begged me to talk to you again. Sorry about that- I was kind of a brat back then. And I'm sure you were, too, but I should have been a better big sister about it.

Anyway, that's really the last thing I remember about you being young. Because then you opted to go to public school, and for the first time we weren't all together in one place every day. I kind of remember dropping you off at Granite Hills on my way to college classes, but they were pretty quiet four minute trips.

So it kind of sucks that we don't have much of a relationship anymore. Hopefully we can change that in the years to come. I feel pretty optimistic after our little conversation texts today, since you usually ignore my texts or calls. Must have been a sucky birthday for you to keep texting with me for half an hour. But I'm kind of glad you had the time.

Now can you please just tell me what you would like as a present?

Love, your big sis.

(Oh, yeah. Rockin' the highlighter colors in the late 80's.)

This is it. For realsies.

I skipped small group.

I skipped running errands.

I've got no roommates at home.

I've got no TV or Netflixed DVD to distract.

I've got a full bag of pretzels.

I've got unlimited caffeine free coke, ice cream, and cookie dough.

I've given myself an hour to get psyched.

In that hour, I will watch the newest episode of NCIS and consume this wonderful treat I just pulled out of the oven and freezer:

(Oh, yeah. That's a freakin' homemade pizookie.)

And then I will write. At the kitchen table. For as long as it takes.

Until 5,000 words are written. Or until this scene is finished.

And then I will go to sleep, wake up early (for me), and try it again.

Peace out.

Wild Saturday night parties

(Disclaimer: Pictures to come.)

Okay. Saturday.

Saturday was the day Jenna had planned for the return of a friend from college. She'd made plans for a bunch of us to go to Family Fun Center for miniature golf, then out to dinner, then back to another friend's house for hanging out in the jacuzzi. I was totally down for it.

But then Jen and Justin invited Jesse and me over for dinner and video game night at the Aubrey's house, where they were housesitting over the weekend. How could I pass up two nights in a row hanging out with some of my best and oldest friends, in the very place where most of our younger antics took place?

So I came up with a plan.

I would hang out with the college crowd for half hour to an hour. Enough time to say hi to Jon Hawk, take some fun pictures, watch a couple holes of mini golf. Then I'd go to the Aubrey's for a scrumptious dinner and night of kicking Justin and Jesse's butts at Halo! And then, when the college crowd finished dinner, they'd call me up with directions to Russ' house for the jacuzzi part of this shindig.

My plan first began falling apart when the three guys came back from the mini golf window with four putters. So then I felt like I had to play, since I wasn't paying for it. Clearly fate wanted me in this game of mini golf. But it ended up being way fun, especially when Jenna suggested a guys vs. girls contest, losers paying for the winners' desserts. Oh, Jenn-ay. I never did ask her and Jen what they had to buy the guys after dinner.

I showed up an hour and a half late to the Aubrey's, but they were just starting to dig in for dinner anyway. Jen had made the best spaghetti I've had in my life; her secret was using spicy pork from the 700 pound boar Kayla shot last year. (Just one of many reasons I miss hanging out with the Deyling family.) That spaghetti, paired with Justin's Famous Salad, some amazing garlic bread, and a case of Smirnoff Ice, was just the perfect meal after two hours in the sun playing mini golf.

After dinner, Jesse and Justin proceeded to kick my behind in Halo, despite the fact that they haven't played for a couple years and I've been practicing regularly on Ryan, Andy, and Chris. I think I'm officially giving up ever beating them at that game. It's just time.

Kayla stopped by and we broke out the Rock Band, while Jen took my camera around snapping band pictures and photos of the dogs running around (Jen and Justin's three, and the Aubrey's two). For once I can actually say I enjoyed playing Rock Band for an hour straight.

By then it was eleven thirty; I was beginning to think the other group had forgotten to send me instructions on the next meeting place. But then Adam called with directions and I said adios to the high school gang and headed up to College Ave for some jacuzzi time.

Oh, boy, did we jacuzzi it up.

We got in at around midnight. At one a.m., we did a quick contest on who had the wrinkliest feet. At two a.m. we discussed our least favorite professors from college. At three a.m. we confessed our best getting-pulled-over stories. (I think Jon wins that one for the cop who told him he'd pulled over Jon's mother just half an hour before him.) At four a.m. Adam finally decided he had to get up in three hours for church, and the rest of us followed suit.

So that was my Saturday night. Slash Sunday morning. I was close to convincing Jenna to stay up for the sunset, since she's been wanting to wake up early and climb a hill near our house to watch it. She was all willing for awhile, but sleep took her right after we got home. Oh well. By the time I fell asleep, the sun had already started pushing light through my window.

I consider that staying up for the sunrise.

Has anybody seen my clothes?

I did some laundry over the weekend. I meant to actually take my stuff out of the dryer sometime Sunday night, but instead I went to bed early. And then it was Monday, and nothing ever gets done on Monday if you're me. So today, Tuesday, as soon as I got home from work, I rushed to get some things done before meeting Ryan for Coffee Shop Tuesday.

I made a quick dinner.

I washed the cookie sheet I'd used the night before.

I washed everyone else's dishes in the sink. (I am such an awesome roommate.)

I went out to get my laundry.

...

No laundry.

Not even another roommate's laundry in the dryer and my laundry on top. Absolutely nothing.

Okay. So maybe someone threw it in their basket to drop off in my room.

Went up to my room. Nothing on my bed. Nothing on the floor.

Went to the other room. Laundry baskets galore! Chalk full of clothes! Surely my laundry must be here.

Nope. I searched everyone's laundry baskets. Then I searched the floor. Then I went back downstairs and looked in the dryer again, just in case my laundry was playing some dirty trick on me.

Did I mention that this particular batch of laundry had my sheets and pillowcases? My bed is so lonely looking.

Grumpy Bear is not happy about this current situation:

Dear readers, particularly of the roommate persuasion: If you have any knowledge of the whereabouts of a pile of laundry and bedsheets, please let me know. Or at least tell Grumpy Bear. He lives upstairs in the southside room, on the bed currently devoid of color.

thesmallblondeone's tips for post-grad living #1

You know the day's been a success when you get home from it at 5 a.m. the next day.

Details to follow....