I'm outski

Alright kids, I'm out. Gone. Hasta la vista. Ciao.
No no no, not forever...just for the rest of the year! New years at a cabin with some friends-it is gonna be great. Usually my year ends with champagne induced tears that have something to do with a silly boy but this year there will be none of that (ok there will be some champagne but no tears and no boys!) I promise after this holiday week things will start to get back to normal. I've never seen so little writing before (that is probably what Boss is saying right now too...ha!)

I hope that you are leaving this year with plenty of amazing memories and that the beginning of the new year marks the start of your best year yet.

A basketful of good wishes from Eberoni and me!

Tagged for 4

The lovely Sarah of One Long Road (I love her tagline...One short girl, one big blue world) did a "you're it" to me on a fun little get to you know you kind of post. I had to pick the 4th picture in the 4th folder in my picture files, post it, and tell a little story 'bout it. So, here it is!


A month or so ago I got invited to a girls night and what a girls night it was...we ate cake, had chocolate port, cheese, crackers, painted our nails, had a fashion show, did a dance party, and of course--took shots of tequila! (Note that I am so excited about my shot that I'm one step ahead of the rest of the girls.) The point of the night was to help one of the girls get over a recent heartbreak so there was an unspoken agreement to not talk about guys all night. We did, however, solve most of the world's problems and had a fabulous time doing so. Best girls' night in recent history for sure!

Morning uppers

I am a morning person. Correction: I am a morning person if I have gotten at least 8 hours of sleep before waking up. Still, in the winter in Minnesota it can be hard to be upbeat on the way into work at 7:30. Must be something having to do with the below zero windchills, icy roads, bleak trees and grey skies. There are, however, a few things that can perk me right up first thing in the AM.
1) When the streetlights turn off from their nighttime vigil I always think that maybe there are little gremlins under the road who get to decide when it is time for the lights to sleep. I love getting to see them go dark while I'm driving; it feels like a signal that it is officially time for the day to begin.
2) Everyone likes to be validated before getting to the office but when you live alone there isn't anyone around to tell you that you look nice or that they hope you have a great day at work. Instead, I get my validation from the card reader in my parking ramp. Every day, never fail, it says "Good morning" and after I swipe my pass it says, "C Conney: Valid." It makes me feel like nodding and saying, "Yes, thank you very much, I am valid and good morning to you too!" That thing is more reliable than any roommate I've ever had.
3) Seeing a toilet seat up first thing in the morning is usually a good thing but when it is at the office, it is a good thing. Why? Because it means the cleaning crew was in the night before and I get to be the very first person to use the bathroom. So clean, so great.

Happy holidays

Blessings to you and yours...



Love,
Caley Jennifer and Ebbie-neezer (hahaha, get it?)

Sidenote: I haven't decided yet if I'll be posting during my Christmas break so I guess we'll all just have to wait and see!

O Holy Night

I could listen to Josh Groban sing O Holy Night over and over and over again. You too? Well, here you go...now you can from the comfort of your very own desk/couch/other computer spot. My little Christmas Eve gift to you.

Holiday ER visits

The lovely Dolce recently told a story on her blog about a slightly out of control Christmas party. It reminded me of a Christmas break (or maybe it was Easter...) a few years back when the guy I was dating took a little late night trip to the ER.

At the time I was still an EMT. Whenever any of my friends got a boo-boo they called me so it wasn't too much of a surprise when ex-BF called to ask for some medical advice. His voice sounded scratchy as he started talking, "Um, ok so funny story. I swallowed a bottle cap." He paused and I waited for the funny part of the story. "And it is stuck in my throat."
"Are you serious? That isn't even close to funny. How did you swallow a bottle cap? Wait no, scratch that, don't talk anymore. You need to go to the ER. If it shifts you won't be able to breathe."
"What? No. I think I can get it up, I already tried throwing up a few times but all that came up was blood."
"Ohmygodpleasestoprightnow. Don't do that again. Please. Go to the ER. Trust me." Of course, he didn't trust me and insisted on having his brother call the ER nurse line to ask them if he should bring in his "little brother who swallowed a bottle cap." When the nurse insisted he should, they finally loaded up and headed off to the hospital. Apparently the doctor laughed when he walked into the exam room, not expecting the "little brother" to be a 20 year old 6'4" drunk guy who had swallowed the bottle cap during a drinking game at a Christmas party. The throat specialist doctor who had to be called in after midnight during a holiday week didn't so much laugh.
That year for his birthday I gave him a card covered in bottle caps and baked him a cake. Inside the card it said something to the effect of, "One of these things you eat and the other you do not. Think you're old enough to tell the difference now?"
Oh holiday parties.

Hello? Are you out there?

Jonas? Matt? Where have you gone? I think the last time I heard from either of you was in the beginning of November! If it were spring time I might think you had given up my blog for Lent (because you're supposed to give up something very dear to you and we all know how dear Sidenote: is/should be to your hearts, right? right.) but it is Advent so that can't be it. Better be careful...you are quickly losing your status of most abundant commenters! Tsk Tsk Tsk.

Who wears it best?

I'm a little under the weather (that extra day at the airport did me in) so all I've got today is my own version of people.com's "Fashion Faceoff."
UPDATE: A photo of Sasha was sent in after the contest began. It has been added to the poll below.


Daisy sported a white version of this popular holiday headband two weeks ago in California at her family's Christmas tree decorating extravaganza!






Sasha borrowed her step-sister Daisy's head adornment for a later portion of the event at Carmel in Seal Beach.















Caley (Daisy AND Sasha's auntie) rocked the red style antler headband on the day of her Minnesota office's Holiday Luncheon this week!



Who wears it better?
A) Daisy
B) Sasha
C) Caley
D) It's a tie!
[Be nice. Remember, I'm sick! Haha...]

Dear Santa, (Revision)

Dear Santa,
Who knew my letter to you would cause such controversy? I'm not sure if you can get this message to the elves but apparently the tupperware containers I asked for are deadly. You probably knew this but I just wanted to let you know that I am ok with you making an executive decision on the issue and that it Pyrex is best then that is what I want in my stocking. After all, you are Santa Claus and you know pretty much everything (like when I'm being naughty or nice.)
Thank you and I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
Love,
Caley Jennifer

Bad Commute

Storms are hitting accross the country and everyone I know has been complaining about their awful commutes. Can you beat getting stuck in Chicago because the airports closed after already waiting for 5 hours at your gate? No? Then shhhh...it could be worse.
Home tomorrow (hopefully). Ni-night. Trying to travel is exhausting, even when you don't actually make it anywhere!

Mouths are confusing

Ok so question:

If the top of your mouth is the roof, which part of your mouth is the floor? Is it the tongue or is it the part underneath the tongue?

I'm stumped.

Things I love right NOW

OK so it has been a while since I did a round-up of random things that I am enjoying at the moment but with the temperature hovering at 0 degrees it felt like a good day for a fun pick-me-up. Enjoy!

Even if you aren't a huge animal lover you have to appreciate this picture from the wonderful blog, View from the Tundra (Minneapolis).

One of my favorite rituals is checking out the weekly updates on Sunday at a cool project website called Post Secret. Co-worker Abbie introduced me and I am pretty much addicted. People write in their secrets on postcards and I thought that this one was really profound. If you are looking for a cool holiday gift they have compiled books, too, and sell them on Amazon. I know I would be ok if Santa brought me one!

ZipHolder is here to save the day!
After visiting Sister over Thanksgiving I found out that she has a serious issue with a zipper on one of her pairs of jeans: it won't stay up. No matter what she does, the sucker slips down repeatedly throughout the day. Well never fear, Sister (and the rest of you who have this pesky problem),
Now nifty is that? (Image from www.zipholder.com)

A lovely lady I work with sent me this link. Click the box in the corner for an explanation and directions but lets just say that if you are ever stressed and need to space out for a bit, that is the website to check out.




What is one of the best parts of opening presents that come in the mail? BUBBLE WRAP! Well now you can buy a calendar that is made completely out of the fun, popping material. How cool is that?




Alright, last random gift idea: Shticks! Ever wish you could say something to the car next to you or the person at the other end of the subway? These nifty sayings on a stick are the way to go.
The Alpha Man website has tons of cool random things that would be great gifts for those people on your list who already have anything they want and claim they don't need anything more. (Image from www.alpha-man.com)






Last (but DEFINITELY not least) is a cool little story about Lilly's grandpa. He recently started using a wheelchair and thought up the brilliant idea of adding a snow plow to the front of it for clearing his driveway! Check out the video. I think I might invite him over to my house the next time it snows :)

Dear whoever owned my textbook before me,

Dear whoever owned my textbook before me,
I just wanted to thank you for highlighting chapter 11 and making notes in the margins. Normally this drives me crazy and I can't focus enough to read with all of the neon marker on the page but in this case you were a lifesaver. See, I will admit that I am a bit of a procrastinator so at noon on the day my final paper was due I hadn't so much started writing it yet. "No big deal," I told myself. "It is only 6 pages long. Easy peasy."
Well, it would have been a bit harder without you. It seems as though we picked the same topic for our final projects so all of your hardwork paid of immensely for me. I was able to follow along with what you thought was important and work it into my arguments. Anyway, I hope you know that by selling your sullied book back to the store on campus you did me a great service. I feel a kinship to you that can never be broken.
Thank you again and best of luck in the rest of your studies!
Love,
Caley Jennifer

All I want for Christmas...

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas this year is to be able to put my hair in a ponytail. I don't care if it looks like a 3 year old's whale spout, I just want to be able to pull it back without 10 million bobby pins. If you and the elves can't get it together enough to deliver on that by the 25th, maybe you could have it happen by my birthday at the end of January.
Other things I would like include (but are not limited to):
-Towels for my new bathroom
-Ironing board (mine is broken...stuck in the up position)
-Tupperware for work lunches
-cream blush from MAC
I realize this is kind of a boring list but there isn't much that I need/want so thats all that came to mind.
Thank you and please give my best to Mrs. Claus.
Love,
Caley Jennifer
p.s. Ebbie would like some catnip because she has never tried it before. She has been a very good girl this year so I think she deserves it.

Two snowy pictures

A picture of the snow, per request of Nick. Sidenote: It was too dark last night to get one by the time it really started snowing.

Another picture, although this one will have to just be a mental shot because I decided it might actually burn your eyes if I took a photo of the real thing: me shoveling snow at 6am with with black puffer coat over a pink and white candy cane striped bathrobe (I was far too snuggly to change into a sweater), windpants with tights underneath and both tucked into boots (I couldn't find any sweatpants), my dad's old chopper mittens, a tan beret (no stocking cap to be found), and a giant grey scarf wrapped around my face.

The cat watched from the window and I can't help but feel like she might have been laughing at me...

Weather Update

Me: OOO look, it is snowing!
Mentor Pam: I know I just looked up and saw that crap.
Me: It's so preeeeetty...
Mentor Pam: Yes, you're right. It is the pretty kind of crap.

Can you guess which of us has a longer commute? 4-10 inches tonight! Whoohoo!!!

Girl with the pearl earings...

Grams and I have the same birth month which means all of her amazing antique garnets have my name on them. Whenever I visit Sister, Mom and I all get to dig threw Grams' jewels trying on pieces as we go. She has some stunners including a pendant made of old Jerusalem church glass, a giant aquamarine cocktail ring that is so sparkly it almost looks fake, and all of the great grandparents inscribed wedding bands. When I turned 18 I got a package in the mail, postmarked from Ventura. In it was a Waterford crystal martini glass holding Grandma's string of Japanese pearls. I adore that necklace and make a point to wear it on my first day of every new job; they make me feel grown-up, glamorous and unstoppable.
Over Thanksgiving break while I played cards with her, the ocean over our shoulders, she told me she had won a gift certificate to her favorite jewelers and that my birthday would be coming early this year. The next day we walked Main Street and window shopped, finally stopping at the jewelers. Together we oooohed and aaaahed over the beautiful necklaces, bracelets and rings until we stopped at the pearl earrings. We picked out the perfect pair and put them on hold. Grandma worked out the details and a few days after getting home from my trip to California I found a little package waiting for me. Inside were my pearl earrings. My set is complete and every time I see them I will think of Grandma, crystal martini glasses and Main Street strolls.
Happy (very) early birthday to me!

Socks and underwear

Do you know what everyone loves to get? New socks and underwear. No seriously. There is nothing quite like unfolding a pair of tube socks and slipping your toes in that shapeless cotton for the very first time. You know that the fabric is going to mold perfectly to your feet and the elastic around the top will fit snugly to your ankle. Everything about it feels clean and new so you know it is going to be a good day with a fresh start.
Then there is new underwear. Guy or girl, it doesn't matter, new under-things make everyone feel special. Whether it is printed boxers, ruffly underwear, or something else entirely they are your very own little secret. Even if no one else but the inside of your jeans sees them, you feel pretty/handsome/beautiful because of your new little pants.
So maybe this Christmas season as you are trying to watch your money you should consider the gift of new socks and underwear because really, who wouldn't want some of those?



(Photos from google images, boxers from www.oldnavy.com)

The "Sometimes Taco Bell" Story

Sometimes during class I get so hungry I have to go to Taco Bell on my way home. Sometimes when I go to Taco Bell on my way home I order extra food so I can have the leftovers for breakfast.
Sometimes when I order extra food so I can have the leftovers for breakfast I eat all of it that night and have none left for the next morning.
Sometimes when I eat all of it that night and have none for the next morning I end up running late and have no time for breakfast so when I get to work my blood sugar is so low I want to throw things.
And sometimes, just sometimes, when all of that happens someone surprises me with a package of Hostess Suzy Qu's chocolate cake sandwiches on my desk which boosts my low blood sugar, nothing gets thrown, and all is well.

Sidenote: Mentor Pam is the best.

In a funk

Sometimes it is easier to post things I've written long after the fact.

10.2.08
Do you ever get in a funk? Where nothing is wrong but everything feels off? You know that everything in your life is wonderful and nothing bad has happened but you just don't feel like yourself. The roof of your mouth tickles and your ankles itch. Your eyes change colors with your moods, from hazel to a definite green. In the morning you wake up after 8 hours of sleep and feel like you could do another ten. Your appetite is gone and you crave everything. Staying at home in the quiet sounds perfect but being alone is lonely. You blame the barometric pressure, the full moon, maybe hormones, allergies, or a bad batch of Chinese food. People do nothing wrong and yet it feels like they're out to get you. The mirror becomes your enemy and the shower your best sanctuary. Do you ever feel like that? No? Yeah. Me neither.

The prettiest mom

Flashback...circa 1995...blue dodge caravan...driving home from 5th grade...

"Mom there is a new girl at school and she is in my class and she is so pretty but I haven't talked to her yet and she has long hair and she has highlights in it and she was wearing really cute shoes and her name is Andrea and she is from Mexico and we met her mom and oh my gosh her mom is the prettiest mom I have ever seen." I paused to take a breath.
"The prettiest mom, huh?"
Without hesitating I said, "Yes. The prettiest ever."
"Prettier than me?" The van filled with silence as I thought.
"Well, she is the prettiest mom but you are the funniest."
"That's ok, she can be the prettiest." Mom said without skipping a beat, "I'll be funny for much longer than she will be pretty."

Yet another old lady moment

After a cold snowy day of shopping Kelsey and I voted on having a Sunday movie afternoon. The whole way home we talked about how much we wanted a cup of tea, blueberry tea to be specific. Since I usually just make a cup for myself I have never gotten to use my teapot for company. I boiled the water and poured it into the pretty ceramic pot to brew our belly warming drink. When I set it on the table Kelsey laughed. "Your teapot has a sweater!"
"It isn't a sweater. It is a tea cozy! My grandma knit it."
She started laughing so hard at me she could barely speak. "Most 23 year olds have beer cozies. You have a tea cozy."
"True story but I am still PUMPED to use it."