Playing Catch-Up

As is the standard with my journaling...(because embracing the truth is sooo this week)...my performance is spotty, at best. (But what I lack in time I make up for in charisma, right?!)

In the past month, we've:

Welcomed a new baby cousin, Parker (born to J's sister, Katie, and hubby, Dan):

Kicked it Al Bundy Style:


(He's just missing the tiny feline pants down which to stick his uncivilized paw, but that's another day, another PhotoChop session altogether.)

Geeze, Buddha, I was only KIDDING about borrowing the remote. Seriously. Cats these days.

Celebrated our Handsome Man-Son turning seven.

(Sorry. Only good moms have a comprehensive shenanigans portfolio).

And to reward my favorite person in the world (I gotta hand it to me), I hatched one seriously sneaky birthday ploy. Yeah, there's just nothin' like the element of surprise...

• Drove to Flagstaff, leaving about 40 degrees Farenheit in the dust,


• Surprised him with an iPod docking station,


• Went out to a fabulous Thai dinner (Thanks for the restaurant tip, Mike & Jenny! Zagats my arse!),


• Caught a late movie,


• TAGALONG BLIZZARD @ DAIRY QUEEN (...Me? Obsessed with peanut butter-laced ice cream?! Surely you jest...),


• SLEPT IN (Only slightly lower on the Euphoria Scale than the Tagalong Blizzard),


• and enjoyed our time thoroughly.

Happy Birthday, Bubba. And good luck topping that. ;0)

Old Love...New Flame

I have a confession to make.

My name is Mandie, and I'm a Tunes-a-holic.

Now, I could sit here and type something witty about 'admission being the first step toward recovery,' but let's be honest: I'd be much better served by showering instead. (Praise Cisco Systems; you can't detect scents over the Web.)

Enduring this rather tricky (...yeah, that's the word...) time in our lives, I find I don't have the time for life's most basic functions. You know, like tweezing the six eyebrow-hairs I've got, or updating this mess.

One thing I made time for tonight, though, was the search for a Long-lost Love.

About five years ago ('cuz I dig ballparkin'), John Mayer (one of my all-time favorite artists) and Brad Paisley (an exceptionally talented guitarist/country artist...and alarmingly classy guy) got together for a performance. A performance I used to have on tape. But lost in the move. And cried about it. (How I wish I were joking here.)

But thanks to the JOYOUS advent of Youtube!!!...here's the audio! A bunch of their songs were keepers, but this was, by far, my favorite. I mean, c'mon -- cover a CLASSIC, soulful, positively chest-trampling song of Eric Clapton's and you'll get EVERYONE'S attention.

Hoping you're as in love as I am...or at least acquiring a taste...