Guess Who's Back!

I'm back! I just got home from vacation last night! My husband and I went to Outerbanks, NC with some friends. It was a beautiful place with wonderful beaches! I highly recommend a visit if you have never been. I will write more about my vacation later. I'm a little tired and my brain is not fully functioning, so I thought I would share a few photos from a side excursion that we took.

I'm all about visiting beautiful and historic places, but if on the way to those beautiful destinations you can visit something odd or unusual it makes it that much better! I am totally the kind of person that would stop just so I could have my picture made with the world's largest ball of yarn or an aluminium foil armadillo.

On the way to Outer Banks, we passed a place called South Of The Border. It is located on I-95 close to the South Carolina-North Carolina border. Don't worry! There is no way you can miss it if you want to visit. There are hundreds of billboards, and it can clearly be seen from the interstate. I have been dreaming about visiting this place ever since I heard of its existence.

Notice the large sombrero in the picture above. There is no way you can miss this place.

Below are a few of the billboards we passed as we neared South of The Border. You may have to click on them to read the messages. Every billboard had a different, quirky message.

This is by far one of the tackiest places on Earth! I mean it is right of there with Graceland! Of course, I love it! I love tacky things! I embrace tackiness! South of the Border is filled with shops and places to eat and concrete animals! I have posted a series of photos below that chronicle my journey into this new and wonderfully tacky place.

I'm sure you noticed that Michael is only in one picture. I promise that I wasn't being a camera hog. Michael just didn't find the concrete animals as glorious and wonderful as I did. He did find it funny that I would point and squeal like a kid every time a found a new concrete animal though.

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

I used to be a Yankee Candle freak! I loved them, and I thought that I would never find a candle that I loved more. However, I have given my love to another candle, Tyler Candles. Tyler Candles are the best smelling and burning candles that I have ever had. They come in a variety of sizes, and of course they have a variety of accessories like melting pots. The Tyler Candle Company web-site isn't up and running yet, but just Google them to find a variety of on-line stores that sell them. A lot of gift stores also carry Tyler candles, so keep an eye out for them as you do your shopping. My favorite scent is called High Maintenance. They also have a new scent named Icon that smells just like a handsome man! All the scents are wonderful so give them a try!

Side note: I just wanted to let you know that I am off on vacation. I will probably post again at the end of the week! Maybe I will have some great pictures and more funny stories!!!

Magical Butts, Smelly Cokes, and Dead Animals

A blog title doesn't get much better than that does it! I have several stories of my grand adventures to tell you today. None of them are super hilarious, but they at least should bring a smile to your face. They are all true too! I am not into telling fake stories just to get you all excited and motivated like Weight Watchers does (National Self Indulgence week my foot!)! I hope you enjoy!

Story 1-Magical Butts:

I have been working at my current job almost a year. It is truly my dream job! I enjoy the work I do, and I enjoy my coworkers. Wondering what I do? I am basically in public relations although my coworker, Heather, gave me a new job title this morning. We were joking around with our boss, and she said, "but I thought Jennifer's job title was social butterfly". I love it! I thought this was hilarious, and I love my new job title. I wonder if they will change the sign on my door. Oh, and I need new business cards printed! :)

On to my story-When I first began working at my current job, I was issued a key card. The key card gives me access to any of the buildings and gates that I need to enter. All I have to do is put my little card up against the key pad and like magic I am in! A few weeks into working, I noticed that when some men entered the office, they would turn around and put their butt up against the key pad. What? Why are they rubbing their butt on the key pad? What was even more amazing was that their butt always opened the office door for them! Now, I am a pretty smart cookie, so it didn't take me long to realize that their key card was in their wallet and their wallet was in their back pocket. No magic butts here, but I do giggle every time I think about what it must look like to our customers. Our customers probably don't realize we have key card entry, so I am sure they must wonder what the heck is going on when they see someone unlock the door with their butt.

Story 2-Smelly Cokes:

Heather, my coworker and trusty side kick, and I went to lunch at a quaint little cafe one day. I ordered a yummy sandwich and a diet coke. This cafe is very quaint, so all of their beverages come in plastic bottles. They also give you a cup with ice. I happily ate my BLT and sipped my diet coke from the glass. When it was time to go, I took the remaining diet coke in the bottle with me. I went to take a sip from the bottle, and I smelled a terrible smell. Something smelled like body odor. Oh my gosh, did I forget deodorant? I didn't realize that my body could smell so foul! After a quick and discreet arm pit sniff, I realized it wasn't me. What was it? Like a human hound dog, I started sniffing around. The smell was coming from-MY DIET COKE! Ahhhh! The cap to my diet coke smelled like body odor. It was the most disgusting thing ever, so I of course shoved it in Heather's face so she could smell, and I took it back to work for everyone else to smell. We came to the conclusion that some plastics do have an odor, and that it must be the plastic that Coke is using. After all, this was not the first time I got a body odor coke. It was about the third time. I had dismissed the other two smelly cokes thinking it must have been the sketchy convenience store I purchased them from that caused the smell.

I take my Coke drinking very seriously, so after the third smelly Coke I knew I must do something. What do I do? I call The Coca-Cola Company. Upon calling, I was greeted by a very nice lady who introduced herself and asked the reason for my call. This is how the call went.

Me: I promise this isn't a prank call, but my diet coke smells like body odor?

Lady: Really! I am so sorry for the unsatisfactory product.

Me: It's okay. I just want to make The Coca-Cola Company aware of the issue. This is the third body odor coke that I have purchased.

-The lady takes down some information about the product, where it was purchased, and so on-

Lady: Thank you so much for your call. I have written a work order and they will be checking the problem. Can you please keep the bottle?

Me: I guess so. (Gross-I have to keep the body odor coke bottle.)

Lady: You will receive a letter from the company in about 10 days. Upon receiving the letter, you may throw away the bottle. We are also sending you a coupon for a free 8 pack.

Me: Thank you, but I didn't call to get something free. My only request is that my coke doesn't smell like arm pits any more.

That was about it for the conversation. I received my letter and my coupon, and I was able to throw out the repulsive coke that I was stashing away in my file drawer at work. The best news of all is that I have not come in contact with another smelly coke! I have truly made a difference in this world!

Story 3-Dead Animals:

Michael, my wonderful and loving husband, and I are about to take off on a vacation! Yea! My body has been aching to go on vacation (although it never aches to put on a bathing suit). In fact, now that I think about it. I might just be allergic to bathing suits. Every time I put one of those darn things on, I get all puffy and my skin gets very pale. I also get these dents on my butt and the back of my thighs. It's really odd! None of that is there when I have on normal clothes. It must be the bathing suit! Definitely allergic!

Back to my story: Daydreaming about my upcoming vacation made me remember a car game that Michael and I play when we go on trips. It's called the road kill game. Basically, you ride down the road and try to correctly identify road kill. If you are the first to shout out the correct name of the road kill you get points. For example, we are riding down the road and I see a squished possum. If I am the first to scream,"POSSUM!", I get the points. The point values are based on how rare the road kill is. A possum, squirrel, bunny, deer, anything of that nature is just two points. A chicken is three points just because it is funny. (Wondering why it is funny? It is funny to me because of the whole why did the chicken cross the road joke.) Something a little more on the rare side-like a beaver or an emu will earn you five points. If you see something extremely rare like a road kill giraffe or lion, you automatically win the game!

This is probably not a good game for kids unless they are teenagers. Teenagers love all things gross and morbid. It is a pretty fun game for adults. I am actually really good at this game. I spotted a road kill beaver once! Five points for me! I know this is a little unusual, but God only knows what trouble I can get into when I am bored in the car. Here's to hoping for some great road kill on our upcoming nine hour drive! By the way, I feel inclined at this point to remind you that I promise I am not a red neck.

A Young Soul with Little Old Lady Tendencies

A friend of mine once told me that I must have a young soul. I wasn't sure what this meant, so of course I battered him with a series of questions until I was satisified that I understood his meaning. Basically, he was going along with the belief that souls are recycled, and that mine must be a newer soul because I was always optimistic and happy and energetic. I always thought it was undiagnosed ADD, but maybe he is right. Maybe I am a young soul.

Young soul or not, I definitely have little old lady tendencies. I don't sport the perfectly rolled blue hair, but I do refer to my wallet as a billfold. If I ever get a napkin or facial tissue in my hand I will hold on to it almost all day. At times I even tuck it in my sleeve! (If my husband catches me, he makes me throw it away.) I also love little old lady things-like antique brooches!

This past week, I visited a local antique store, and I fell in love with the most delicate little brooch. It is a little swirl with a dogwood blossom in the middle. I'm not sure why I like it so much. I was just drawn to it. I guess it spoke to me. They still make this particular brooch in North Carolina, but I loved this one because it has a history. I don't know the history, but I can't help but wonder what lady owned this brooch prior to me. Was she a delicate southern lady? Did her high school boyfriend give her this brooch and she cherished it until her death? Was she simple and lovely just like the brooch? I think all these grand thoughts about who must of loved the brooch before me, but with my luck the past owner was probably the town drunk or call girl! In any case, this brooch has "seen" years that I have not, and if the local call girl owned it prior to me then it has definitely "seen" things that I haven't. The picture of the brooch is below. It didn't photograph well, but at least you get the idea.

I also love old houses. This is one of many things that my husband and I have in common. Don't worry, he does not have little old lady tendencies-that is limited to me. We dream of owning and restoring an old home. On Friday when I arrived home from work, he told me to that he was taking me on a field trip. A field trip! Yipppeee! The field trip took us to a little town in Elbert County called Bowman. He drove me through the tiny down town area, and just beyond the tiny down town was a gorgeous old home with a for sale sign in the front. We parked in the drive way of the home, and began exploring. Don't worry-the house was empty! We walked around the yard and peeked in the windows. While my husband wasn't looking I tried every door and window to see if just one was unlocked. No luck! I didn't have any bad intentions. I just yearned to see the inside. As I squealed with delight over the house, my husband laughed and asked me to guess what the asking price was. I had no idea. Older homes like this usually come with an enormous price tag. Not this one! This house was less than we paid for our house (a renovated 1970's ranch)-a good bit less! It made me want to immediately buy it. However, it isn't reasonable to live in Bowman. It is too far from our jobs, and we really can't afford two mortgages. So sad! My solution was to become a phone sex operator to make some extra cash. Don't worry-I'm only teasing-I think! :) A picture of the house is below. My sister is determined that is must be haunted since it is so cheap! I guess ghosts lower the value of a home!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

Ice Cream is definitely a summer favorite around my house, but being a member of the Fat Girls Club (Weight Watchers) there aren't too many varieties of ice cream that I can eat that won't cause me to go over my allotted points for the day. I know what you are thinking, "there are several low fat, low calorie options that you can choose from so stop your whining". True, but have you ever tasted some of those low cal, low fat ice creams? They are very low in taste also. In other words, they are gross. I would rather eat frozen broccoli on a stick! :)

However, I have found one "guilt-free" ice cream that is better than the "guilt-filled" ice cream. Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches are absolutely delicious. I know many of you who read my blog can afford to eat the extra calories of real ice cream, but this ice cream is the best. I would rather eat a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich than a regular ice cream sandwich (even if the calories and fat didn't matter on the real ice cream sandwich). Skinny Cows are definitely the way to go! They are yummy, and they are only 2 points. So whether you are fit and thin or a little round on the edges (like me), you should definitely try Skinny Cow Ice Cream! You won't be disappointed! This product is available at your local grocery store, but you can find out more information about it at http://www.skinnycow.com/.

What is the weirdest thing(s) in your desk?

What is the weirdest thing in your desk? I gathered some responses to this question from a few coworkers. The responses with pictures are below. Please share with me the weirdest thing in your desk? No desk? Just think back to a time when you did have a desk and participate! I welcome all visitors (whether I know you or not) to play along! All I ask is that you keep it appropriate! Enjoy!

The weirdest things in my desk: A magnetic shoe that holds my gem clips, fishing line (inherited from the girl who had this job prior to me), a kazoo (yes I do play it at work), ring pops, a lobster sucker that my coworker brought back for me from her trip to Maine, a popper that pops up in the air when you turn it inside out, a "My Puppy Playtime" book, and gem clips in the shape of light bulbs

Heather's weirdest things: Kazoo (2 of them; one for each personality), Jar of glow-in-the-dark bouncy eyeballs, Out-of-date cheezits left over from Katie (ewww), Hardhat, Horticulture student of the year plaque, yardstick, Monkey mood indicator, Playing cards (2 decks) (Picture is located in the bottom right of the collage below)

Unnamed Coworker 1: a retro clock, a hippo, a rhino (not pictured), an etch-a-sketch, rocks, a tire valve, and a painting (first picture in collage below)

Unnamed Coworker 2: a toy car from a birthday cake, hair care products, the creepy gas guy, a teddy bear with the little grabber arms, a stress ball in the shape of a nose (remaining pictures in the collage)

Unnamed Coworker 3: a rubber roach, a shock pen, and a miniature globe (in which I make the rubber roach sit on top of because roaches are taking over the world) (all not pictured)

I asked my husband what was the weirdest thing in his desk. His answer-a pencil and maybe a 2006 calendar. What? That is totally not acceptable. I am planning to sneak into his office and plant something weird in one of his desk drawers. I have considered many things, but I think I my favorite so far is Lee Press-On Nails. Please feel free to let me know your suggestions!

And just in case you are wondering how this post came to be: Heather and I purchased some to give out at a class we were supposed to teach. We didn't get to teach the class, so we have a box full of toys. I think I already mentioned this in one of my earlier blogs. Well, the last time we had a box of toys we sent pirate eye patches, stickers, and tattoos to people through inter-office mail. We tried to do this without anyone figuring out it was us, but of course they all figured out who it was. We were trying to figure out who would be the recipients of our next round of toys when we came up with the idea to randomly put a toy in people's desk when they were not present. All of this prompted the weirdest thing in your desk post. Not a very entertaining story, but I wanted to throw it out there just in case people were wondering!

The Pink Chick Gets Creative!

Once upon a time, a very good friend (who may or may not be named Hailey) taught me how to make a necklace. I made a red and black necklace to wear to the football games. That is the last piece of jewelry I made until recently.

Recently, I was inspired by a new blog friend (The Watermelon Tree) and her etsy site. I saw all the beautiful things that she created, and I yearned to create my very own beautiful things. The past few weeks I have been making earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. I have never had a true hobby before (other than shopping and talking), so it so neat to finally have a hobby! My thanks goes out to Hailey and The Watermelon Tree because you helped start all of this.

There are a few photos of my jewelry below. I'm not sure what I am going to do with it yet. I may sell it in the family gift shop or I might just host a jewelry party! By the way, some of my photos are a bit blurry. I'm working on the whole photography thing! :)

The necklace above was the first necklace I made upon revisiting jewelry making. It has a shell pendant. The pendant matches the color of the beads. The flash on the camera made them look like they are different colors, but they aren't. Tricky camera!

The above picture is of my zebra necklace. Take a walk on the wild side! :) It photographed horribly, but my Wonder Twin is in love with it! I think it will make the perfect birthday gift for her.

The above necklace (again my photography skills suck) is one long necklace that is meant to be doubled. My favorite part of this necklace is that it looks very classic, but it has a little wild side too. It has a few cheetah beads here and there.

The above necklace is my very favorite necklace. It is a 3 strand necklace. It is shown twisted here. I made it so each strand can be taken off, so you can wear this necklace with all three strands, just one strand, or two strands.

The above picture will be my last for this post because I am sure you are tired of looking at pictures by now. It shows a few pairs of earrings I made. It also shows part of the 3 strand necklace that I mentioned above. You can also see a couple of bracelets I made-one is a charm like bracelet, the other is a bangle. Please ignore the presence of my keys and purse in the corner. Also, please ignore the background of the picture. It was taken on a ping pong table that my husband will not move out of the living room (that is a story for another day). Let me know what you think of my new creative streak! I welcome your thoughts and opinions (as long as they aren't too harsh). :)