happy 30th, adam!!

finally. are all of you caught up, now? jeez! adam's bandmates want to wish him a happy birthday, fat one...

merry christmas, charlie brown!

i am obsessed with my christmas tree. obsessed. i'm obsessed with christmas this year. i just watched charlie brown christmas, now i'm watching elf, oooh and there are more specials on after this!!! i think the wine is making me like them even more. anyway. tomorrow, they're putting up the tree in nyc. last year tom and i watched the lighting from way up high in his office in rockefeller center. it was amazing. check it out:

i am so grateful that we also took my mom to see the tree last year. her first time ever seeing the tree. what a wonderful day we had. sigh. makes me smile. i like smiling. smiling's my favorite. :)

what i am grateful for today...

today melanie was awarded sole legal and physical custody of hunter. it's finally over. when the judge was making her ruling, she said "the child has become attached to the state of connecticut..." and i started to cry. i am so proud of melanie for sticking to this and not backing down. fighting for her son. my mother would be beyond words. this just the best day.

get your christmas on, people!

i thought we'd be the only crazy people decorating on thanksgiving night, but several of our neighbors threw the switch this weekend, too, which is awesome. i am in full-on christmas mode. above is our enormous 7.5 foot christmas tree. if we move, we'll have to find a house with either cathedral ceilings or a covered porch to put this up every year. (yeah, it's a fakey. it's just easier.)happy holidays everyone. take a moment, like my good friend jan, to remember all the reasons you have to be thankful and happy this season. i am so grateful for all of the loving people in my life. past and present.

graphic images to follow...

seriously dudes. i live with a licensed killing machine. tom and his dad have been going out at the crack of dawn for the last three days and today, tom murdered bambi. i am, at once, proud and squicked out.

in other news, hunter got a stripe on his belt at karate this morning! melanie and i realized we have an elite killing force between the two of them. BACK OFF, PEOPLE!

um, magellan?

i haven't posted in DAYS. sorry. i am loving life right now. sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass of red wine, watching back-to-back friends thanksgiving episodes. my absolute fave is the one with chandler in a box. "judge all you want but... fell in love with a gay ice dancer, left a guy at the alter, married a lesbian, threw a girl's wooden leg in a fire, LIVIN IN A BOX!" oh there are so many... i was going to say my second favorite was the one w/ brad pitt. oh the i-hate-rachel club. but i think i like the one with the trifle is better. where rachel wasn't SUPPOSED to put beef in the trifle! "it did not taste good." joey and ross wanting to show the hot girls the new world. phoebe wanting to be jack geller's can of condensed milk. ha. there are so many good ones. the one where chandler doesn't like dogs. "you don't like puppies?" "um, YOU are NEW." which reminds me of chandler's dumb states game. can any of you name all 50 states in 3 minutes? have any of you seen one of those round colorful things called a globe? here, i'll give you a hint, new england is not a state and neither is south oregon. enjoy your thanksgivings. break out the fancy china because let's face it, the queen of england is never going to come for dinner, so you may as well. but eat your food carefully, or the crazy plate lady will get you.

ps. i got all but nebraska, mississippi and oklahoma. dang.

mario? is a crybaby.

if i hear one more time about his "other commitments" i'm going to punch him in the dimple. dude, if you are so busy and important YOU WOULDN'T BE ON THIS SHOW IN THE FIRST PLACE.

that said? yay, to my true champions! also, the funniest thing i heard tom's mom say last night during the crowning of my true champions was about karina, mario's hag of a partner... "ew, she's ugly anyway." i love you, mrs. wright.


christine makes a good point in the comments section... mario DID cheat on his wife. which make me like him even less than his fake attitude and headbands did.

whoops

i just realized i haven't written in three days. which means not a lot is going on. the leasing-office-extravaganza project outside my office window update: they are now pouring a lot of cement into a giant hole. what else... jan MAY be pregnant with the world's largest baby. we shall see. i took keli to the vet this morning for her skin rash. i have to give her prednisone pills. she is morphing into my mom! except the vet said for a middle-aged cat, she is in excellent health. yay! i may celebrate by getting a manicure. for me, not keli.

OH YEAH! almost forgot!!! FINALE OF DANCING TONIGHT!!! go emmitt!

welcome tyler thomas nickolenko!

could he BE ANY CUTER!??!?! congratulations, brian, kim and big sister abby. another gorgeous baby. i'll be knocking down your door for a glimpse pretty soon.

i'm a mute.

i officially have no voice. like none. i'm simon. sigh. on the bright side, it's christine's birthday! happy, happy 30th birthday, christine! i can't wait to hear all about the weekend.

ok, i'm off to fall asleep with a little help from a friend i like to call quil. ny-quil.

holla back youngin.

how cute are they??

melly and mr. chaunce chillin' out before bedtime tonight. melly has had a long few weeks. it's tough work being a mom to a crazy five-year-old.

this is how we feel about work today:

happy 5th birthday, huntercakes!!!!

there is a tradition in my family, started by whom, i have no idea. but every year since i can remember, my mom would put butter on our noses first thing in the morning on our birthdays for good luck. i don't know why and i don't care. so.... without further ado....

hunter's birthday butter!!!

happy, happy birthday, sweet boy. i love you beyond smithereens. ;)

yes, i know i'm 31. shut up.

i voted 5 times. i am not ashamed. i realize i should be, but i'm not.

headaches.

so i finally have my "office" and wouldn't ya know it... they've demolished our trash compactor which used to be where that pile of dirt is and have begun work on a new leasing office. yes. this is the view from my desk. feel free to imagine the jackhammers, sledge hammers and various other wrecking machines and how loud they are beginning at 8am. it's so awesome. wanna know what else is awesome? that i think i'm getting strep throat AND that my landline keeps cutting out and now a technician is on the way over. comcast and me? not bff today.

guess what we did today...

today was hunter's birthday party. so cute. thanks everyone who came, brought treats and wonderful gifts and shared his 5th with us. his official birthday is wednesday, which we'll be celebrating by dining at chuck e. cheese. woo hoo!

i'm so excited our birthday tradition is back in full effect. every year, we put frosting on each other's noses...

ALSO!!! Happy 30th Birthday to JEN!!!! i should have written that yesterday, but we were so busy with planning this biz that i didn't get a chance. finally you caught up, girl!

BS

my digital cable is out. i am unhappy about it. so i've taken refuge in my little office with my little tv and my glorious desk. i have a sleeping cat on my lap and a glass of wine on my desk (on a COASTER, of course). oh yes, and a rerun of csi on spike tv. heh. so good.

tom's out shopping for socks or something. i'm not exactly sure. i had the kids over for dinner tonight. they are cutiepants usa.

ok, i'm getting tired. yeah, it's friday at 9:03pm and i'm tired. i should be cleaning for the party on sunday but i don't feel like it. i'll do it tomorrow. i guess. ha!

phew!

what hard work putting this thing together. now tomorrow i have to clean and rearrange the room so i can still watch tv while i'm working, hahahaha!

will wonders never cease???

breaking news.... i finally ordered a desk!!! so excited and i just can't hide it. thank you, thomas. you are the swellest.