My brush with death

Yesterday we finally had some much needed rain. Along with it came some thunder and lightning, but for Florida, that's pretty typical. Once the storm had passed (or I thought it had passed), I decided to head out for my evening walk.

Unlike most nights I walk, there was no one else out - no dogs getting walked, no kids riding bikes, no people out strolling - but hey, it had just stormed, right? I keep going, already deep into thoughts about my story. See, I like to work out the upcoming scenes while I walk. I get a lot of great ideas while I'm out. It's a process that works well for me.

I'm about ten minutes from the house, when all of a sudden, this massive bolt of lightning cracks through the sky so close to me that my scalp goes all tingly. Like I had ants all over me. The thunder that followed it was deafening.

A few seconds later, the rain starts back up.

Stubborn woman that I am, I decide to keep going (I am already 10 mins from the house. Looping around or headed straight back isn't going to make that big a difference.) Another two minutes goes by and a second massive bolt of lightning. The rain is coming down harder now. And I'm starting to rethink the wisdom of this walk.

A third bolt of lightning and I'm contemplating running. Or will that attract the lightning? Should I walk closer to the palms that line the street or farther away from them? Crap.

Suddenly, a black SUV comes barreling down the street toward me and screeches to a stop by the curb. Hotrod had come to my rescue! He saw/heard the first bolt of lightning and thunder and immediately hopped in the car when I didn't come back inside after it happened.

My hero! The moral of this story? When it storms, stay inside and use the treadmill.

Valentine's Day, Schmalentine's Day

IT'S HOTROD'S BIRTHDAY!

Happy birthday to the wonderful man I married.
You are THE best husband a girl could ask for. I love you!

Happy Anniversary, Hotrod!

Eight years ago today (yes, on Pearl Harbor Day) Hotrod and I said our vows. It was a lovely day filled with friends and family and promises.

I love you, Hotrod. You're the best husband a girl could hope for.

Mmm, Butterbeer

Yesterday, Hotrod and I went to Universal and had a day of silly fun. It's the best kind really, riding rides, watching shows, eating stuff you're not supposed to, you know.

One of the things we got to do was visit the new Harry Potter section of Universal's Islands of Adventure. The Forbidden Journey ride, a 50 minute wait while the rest of the park's rides were 15 minutes tops, was worth it. (The wait was made especially interesting due to me pointing out to Hotrod that one of his socks was on inside out, and then his insistence on fixing it in the middle of the line. *sigh*) Once you get inside the building, you're entertained with talking portraits, giant statues (Hotrod asked me if Portugal was the natural habitat of griffins. I swear that man is losing his mind.) and 3-D holographic images of Harry, Hermoine, Ron and Dumbledore that look amazingly real. Also, it snowed on us. In the building. Awesome!

The ride itself, despite an over abundance of large, spitting spiders, was pretty good. I commend Universal for making the ride nice and long. It's a good payoff for the wait, IMO.

After that it was lunch time and we headed to the Three Broomsticks to eat. We had fish and chips (tasty!) and butterbeer. I had a frozen one and Hotrod had the non-frozen. It's completely non-alcoholic in case you're wondering.

Butterbeer, which I believe is only available at Universal, might be Hotrod's new favorite drink. It tastes like rootbeer made from shortbread cookies and butterscotch, minus the root. It was good, but very sweet and not that thirst-quenching on a hot day. And it's definitely better frozen. There was a table of kids next to us who had their picture taken with their butterbeer mustaches, something almost everyone drinking the stuff had because of the thick foamy almost ice cream like head on the stuff. Dessert in a cup, really.

We had a great day. I love Universal. No matter how many times we go - and we go often because we're season passholders - we always find something new to do or see and have a great time.

When's the last time you took a day off in the name of fun?

Don't hate me...

But I'm headed to the spa today. (Thanks for the gift certificate, Hotrod!) And that's the actual spa I'm going to. It's fab. I've been there before and it's my favoritest spa I think I've ever been to. And not just because it's five minutes from my house.

I'm hoping as part of the massage, they can work on the right side of my neck and upper back and my right arm and wrist. Those are the spots that suffer most from long hours at the computer.

Other than that, I hope to come home relaxed and full of spa goodness. I plan to go early and sit in the steam room and defrost. lol

When's the last time you treated yourself to some pampering?

Eight years ago today

I realize today is Pearl Harbor Day.

It is also our wedding anniversary. Hotrod thought December 7th would be an easy day for him to remember as it's a date so closely linked to the formation of the Air Force.

So far, so good.

For our anniversary present, we bought ourselves a Wii. Tons of fun!

And I couldn't ask for a better husband. He's sweet, supportive, does chores without having to be asked, funny, loving and my best friend. I love that man!

A slightly different Monday

Hotrod is having his knee scoped today. Not sure how long he'll be out of commission recovery-wise, but I'm sure it will involve me making at least one trip to Steak-n-Shake for medicinal purposes.

In other news, the fabulous Roxanne St. Claire is celebrating a birthday today! If you don't follow her on Twitter, you should. Find her here: http://twitter.com/roxannestclaire

Have a great Monday!

Caturday! Without Cats

Just thought I'd share a shot of some of the sandhill cranes that hang out in our backyard. That's Hotrod's hand. I call him the bird whisperer because, as you can see, they really, really like him.

I Pity The Fool!

What is Mr. T doing on my blog today, you ask? Well, let me tell you. See, Mr. T and I share a birthday. And that birthday happens to be TODAY!

So not only do we both like a good tan and appreciate sparkly things, but we were both born on May 21st. Amazing, huh? I was never an actual member of the A Team, however. Hard to believe, I know.

And while I can't speak for what Mr. T will be doing (jewelry shopping?), Hotrod and I will be spending the day at Universal Studios riding rollercoasters, eating junk and acting like teenagers, despite the fact that I turn 39 today and he's been 39 waaaaaaaaay longer.

Of course it goes without saying that I pity the fool who doesn't wish me happy birthday.

Dirty Harriet

Last night, Hotrod and I took the class to get our concealed carry permits. And I shot my S&W 9 mil for the first time.

It was a little scary at first. Not because I was afraid I was going to shoot myself, but because I was afraid I would yelp like a girl when I fired the first round. It was loud on the range, even with the headphones, and I knew the gun would have some kick to it. I squeezed the trigger and sure enough, when that round fired and I saw the muzzle flash and heard the pop of the explosion, I squealed like I'd just seen a spider. (The instructor was very helpful and stayed with me until I felt comfortable.)

Once I knew how it was going to feel, I was fine. It was a lot of fun, actually. There's something very satisfying in knowing how to handle a gun. I can't wait to go back and shoot again! I brought my target home and while every shot didn't hit the paper (I know that first one didn't), I'm proud of the one that hit dead center.

Beware. I'm now cute and lethal.

Friday Matinee

The new Nic Cage movie, Knowing, comes out today, so we're planning to hit the matinee and check it out, then do another round of homemade pizza for dinner tonight.

I'll also be writing - just like I did yesterday. Don't you love it when you feel like what you're working on is really, really good? I'm loving the book I'm writing, and I'm enjoying the work. Which is not to say it's easy, but that it's worth it.

Saturday, Hotrod and the Sicilian (doesn't that sound like a '70's movie?) are headed to the races in Sebring, FL. My dad knows a guy who sponsor a car so they're going to get to be in the pits and everything. My mother and I will be celebrating this exciting opportunity by shopping.

What are your weekend plans?

Oh Happy Day!

My house is now empty of all visiting family and in a few short hours, Hotrod will be on the road too.

Don't get me wrong, I love Hotrod's family (most of them anyway), but I'm not used to have kids and babies in my house. Or having to be fully dressed just to go into the kitchen. I like my routine. My cats like their routine.

Granted, in a few days, my parents arrive, but for me, they're much mellower visitors. When he's not fixing something that needs fixing, my dad sits outside and watches the water and the birds. When she's not cooking, my mom sits inside and reads. It's peaceful when they're here.

Speaking of peaceful, can you hear that? It's the sound of silence. Blessed, sweet silence. Ahhh...

Now, I will spend the day writing and at some point, take some time to workout. What are you doing today?

Break Out The Hand-Sanitizer

Is it just me or is everyone you know sick? Hotrod's been fighting a bug, one of CP's husbands is sick, lots of people on twitter have been tweeting about their sickness...it seems to be everywhere!

I do not want to get sick, so I'm upping my vitamin C intake and keeping the hand-sanitizer close. What do you do to keep from getting sick?

Morning. DO. NOT. WANT.

Thanks to Hotrod's inability to let go of his long-passed youth (he's 9 years older than me, have I mentioned that?), he played basketball with the guys after church last night - and by guys, I mean those male humans who probably just started shaving a few years ago and think retirement planning is something only their parents should be doing.

He seemed fine when he came home, although fine is relative because at any given moment he can start gimping around due to his 130 year old knees. Anyway, about 2 AM I was awoken to the sounds of...well, let's just put it out there: whimpering. Seems his back decided the knees were getting too much attention.

Long story short, I refused to take him to the emergency room (aren't I a sympathetic wife?), doped him up with some pain meds left over from something or other and stayed with him until 4 AM when he finally fell asleep on the couch. He's still sleeping. Meds, I love you!

Anywho, I have a crap load to do today, including getting my hair some much needed attention, but all I really want to do is nap. Cranky, thy name is Kristen.

How did you sleep last night?

Action!

Hotrod and I never made it to the movies on Friday like we planned, so today is well and truly movie day. In fact, we're going to two in an effort to catch up. Since his birthday was Saturday, he gets to pick the movies. Probably Taken with Liam Neeson and no idea on the second one. I don't care, I'm just happy to go. We have a great theater near us with stadium seating and most matinee's are pretty empty. Usually it's us and one other couple. You can't beat that!

Have you been to any movies lately? What did you see? Was it good? Should we go see it?

Caturday!

Today is a very special Caturday featuring my sweet little boy, Sam. And thanks to friend and fellow Etsy shop owner, Moxylyn, Sam's been photoshopped into this really cool picture! Not only is Moxylyn talented with photos like this, she also makes the most amazing handmade writing journals. Go check them out here!

Happy Valentine's Day, too! And Happy Birthday Hotrod!

Friday the 13th

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia. If you can say that, you really have no reason to be afraid.

When it comes to phobias, I really only have two: spiders and the fear of being buried alive. Weird, I know. What phobias do you have? (See a list of every named phobia known to man here.)

In other news, I finally managed to spend 20 minutes on the elliptical yesterday! So much accomplished, although I still have a contest entry sitting on my desk, waiting to be judged. That's first on my list of things to do today (and I'd like to write a page or two). Then I think Hotrod and I are going to play hooky and head for the movies. He's been traveling so much lately I've barely seen him! Plus, tomorrow is his birthday.

More NOLA Pics

We're home now, but I've got more pics to share.

Here's one of our favorite breakfast spots, Petunia's. They serve lunch and dinner too, but we always go there for breakfast. It's the pink 3 story Creole townhouse in the middle, which was built in 1830. One of the fun facts about Petunia's is that it's ceiling fans, made by Hunter, were the first ones installed in the city and have been in continuous use for about 85 years.Hotrod got one of the massive crepes they're know for(he'd already started nibbling on one end before I snapped this shot):I wasn't that hungry, so I went for a hot ham and cheese po-boy. Both were delish and ended up being our breakfast and our dinner, since we took the leftovers home.Across the street from Petunia's is another old home that's been turned into a museum. We didn't go into the museum, but we did wander into the courtyard where I snapped the pic of this hidden stairway:On the other side of the courtyard was an iron gate which led into this typical New Orleans courtyard. I stuck the camera through the bars to get this pic since it was locked. I don't know how much you can tell in this picture, but there are oranges on those trees. Really lovely. I'll have one more post of pics and then that's it. Hope you're enjoying them!

The Big Easy

Hotrod and I are in New Orleans for a week. We love this town - Hotrod is a Tulane alumni. It's a little tough on the diet, but I'm going to do my best to maintain.

We're going to do two things we've never done in here before - visit the aquarium and take one of the nighttime vampire tours. (Okay, those are both my idea but Hotrod said he would go.)

Hopefully we'll have internet so I can give you some updates through the week. Have a good one!

Christmas Sales...

So I hit Target this morning to see what fabulous sales I could find. It was a little underwhelming saleswise, although I did pick up some gifts for next year's Christmas for the kids. Got Hotrod some iPod speakers for $2.50, which seemed like a good buy to me. Other than that, the crowds weren't too bad until it got later in the day (I was in there for about 1 1/2 hours) and then I called it quits.

Hotrod and I are going to a movie tonight. Not sure which one yet, but hopefully Quantum of Solace. We are woefully behind on movies. Obviously.

Now it's back to reading for me so I can make my 50 books in a year goal! And at some point, I need to clean the house. Exciting life I live, no? What are you up to today?