Butterflies are Blooming!

Tuesday I had a "play day" from work and a good friend of mine, Jamie, and I decided to spend the day together. We met for breakfast at Panera bread in the morning, ran a few errands and then went to the Frederick Meijer Gardens for the butterfly exhibit. The company I work for sponsors the butterflies and it is an annual event. She and I go every year.

These are some of the images from that, I shot over 4 rolls of film but this is just a sampling of what you might see!

One of the best things is during the day and on a sunny warm day like the day we went is they are all over, there is a huge indoor tropical garden you can wander through and they are flying everywhere and if you get lucky will land on you!
You have to look close on my shoulder but it's there! (also this is my new hairdo, although a bit windblown.)


The other thing I love is all the tropical plants and the temp in the garden is always about 78-80 degrees so it is a great reminder that spring is usually approaching fast in Michigan!

Some of the beautiful plants and flowers:



The picture doesn't show it as much but the wings on these two are clear, very pretty butterflies!

Brass Plum

As previously mentioned, I picked up The best of Poison 20 years of Rock last night at Target. Apparently half of my department here at work also got the CD and we have all been rocking out all day. This CD just came out Tuesday (it's on sale at Target if you want to get it too!) I left my cubemate Julie borrow it today and it brought up so many old 80s memories like Esprit bags and Keds shoes. One of my other co workers Elaina mentioned this store called the Bon Marche. She and I grew up in WA together and actually lived a few miles apart but never knew each other until we moved to MI and started working in the same department! She was like do you remember that juniors department at the Bon? What was the name. I couldn't remember but knew it was Plum something. She and I have been thinking all day about it and remember how that was the "in" place to shop and THE place to go to get Esprit bags, and trendy 80s clothes. I used to love shopping there and they were in the basement and it was this whole area with just juniors clothes. I can totally remember it. Well I emailed my Mom and asked if she remembered the name of that department .... she comes back about 20 minutes later with it, Brass Plum. It is just funny how something like a few songs can bring back so many memories! We've been laughing all day about stuff like that, Debbie Gibson perfume - Electric Youth (I had some!) and how when you got your Keds they had the big rubber blue Keds logo that you could put on your keychain to be fashionable.

Gotta love random memories and thoughts :)

Random thoughts about Rascal Flatts

I think I have mentioned Rascal Flatts before, I am not a big fan but I like some songs.

Well today I am listening to their new CD, Me and My Gang. One of the girls at work brought it in and I traded her my new Poison The Hits CD for listening to RF. (More about the Poison CD in another post)

I've never been a big fan, and I really get tired of their slow power ballad type songs, maybe I'm in a happy place in my life but I need upbeat fast songs. Traditionally I like their more upbeat, fast songs ... kinda like why I can't really explain to Heidi why I like the song 'Fast Cars and Freedom' so much =)

Well on this CD there are 2 "fast" songs that I like ... Backwards and Me and My Gang (the title track) they are both awesome as RF songs go which I think is high praise coming from a not so big fan.

I won't buy this CD but I will listen to those 2 songs if they come on the radio, until they do overkill then I will not want to listen to them again for years.

A bit of trivia

Here's a bit of trivia for you: On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. This will never happen again in recorded history.

Gotta love the old times....

Gotta love the old times of the 80s and 90s!
Some of these I am too old for and don't know but others I remember! I thought this was cute ane had to share :)

You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"

You can sing the rap to "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air"

You remember when Kurt Cobain, Tu Pac, River Phoenix, and Selena died.

You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey from "Blossom" and that "How Rude!" comes from Stephanie
from "Full House"

You remember when it was actually worth getting up early
on a Saturday to watch cartoons.

You got super excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

You remember reading "Goosebumps"

You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, wax off"

You have pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.

You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school.

You danced to "wannabe" by the Spice Girls, Females: had a new motto, Males: got a whole lot
gay-er. (so tell me what you want, what you really really want.)

You remember the craze then the banning of slap bracelets and slam books.

You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence...Not...

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? was both a game and a TV game show.

Captain Planet.

You knew that Kimberly, the pink ranger, and Tommy, the green/white Ranger were meant to be
together.

When playing power rangers with friends you fought over who got to be who............and still
all ended up being tommy.

You remember when super nintendo's became popular.

You remember watching home alone 1, 2 , and 3........and tried to pull the pranks on "intruders"

"I've fallen and I can't get up"

You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates

Two words... Trapper Keeper.

You ever got injured on a Slip 'n' Slide

You wore socks over leggings scrunched down

"Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black, with silver buttons, buttons,
buttons, all down her back, back, back" SHE ASKED HER MOTHER MOTHER MOTHER FOR FIFTY CENTS CENTS
CENTS TO SEE THE ELEPHANTS PHANTS PHANTS JUMP OVER THE FENCE THE FENCE THE FENCE
he jumped so high high high he touched the sky sky sky and he didnt come back back back til the
forth of july ly ly he jumped so low ow ow he stubbed his toe toe toe and thats the end end end
of the elephants show show show

You remember boom boxes vs. cd players

You remember New Kids on The Block when they were cool

You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell"

You played and or collected "Pogs"

You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet or Nano and brought it everywhere

You watched the original Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Ninja Turtles

NANCY DREW AND THE HARDY BOYS WERE THE BEST MYSTERY BOOKS

Yikes pencils and erasers were the stuff!

All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand.(pencils.notebooks.binders.etc.)

You remember when the new Beanie Babies were always sold out.

You used to wear those stick on earings, not only on your ears, but at the corners of your eyes.

You remember a time before the WB.

You've gotten creeped out by "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"

You know the Macarena by heart.

"Talk to the hand" ... enough said

You thought Brain woud finally take over the world

You always said, "Then why don't you marry it!"

You remember when everyone went slinky crazy.

You remember when razor scooters were cool.

when we were younger:

Before the MySpace frenzy.

Before the Internet & text messaging.

Before Sidekicks & iPods.

Before MIKE JONES

Before PlayStation2 or X-BOX.

Back when you put off the 5 hours of homework you had every night.

WHEN LIGHT UP SNEAKERS WERE KOOL

When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.

When gas was $0.95 a gallon & Caller ID was a new thing.

When we recorded stuff on VCRs & paid $3.50 for a movie.

When we called the radio station to request songs to hear off our walkmans.

When 2Pac and Biggie where alive.

When the Chicago Bulls were the best team ever.

Way back.

Tag.

Get Over Here!!!! means something to you.

Hide-n-Go Seek at dusk.

Red Light, Green Light.

Heads Up 7 Up.

Playing Kickball & Dodgeball until your porch light came on.

Hopskotch.

Slip-n-Slides.... now there are just ghetto ones

Tree Houses.

Hula Hoops.

HELLO....HOT WHEELS!!!!!

"POWER OF LOVE" BY CELINE DION..ONLY COUPLES COULD SKATE TO THIS.

The annoying Nano Pets & Furbies.

Running through the sprinklers.

That "Little Mermaid"

Crying when Mufasa died in the Lion King.

Happy Meals where you chose a Barbie or a Hot Wheels car.

Getting the privelage to sit in the front seat of the car.

Drinking Sqeeze It "Squeeze The Fun Out Of It"

CAPRI SUN

Watching Saturday Morning Cartoons in your PJ's still wrapped up in your TMNT, Power Rangers,
Barbie, Fairy Princess comforter.

Hey Arnold, Doug, Rugrats.

The original Power Rangers

Or what about:

The Secret Life of Alex Mac.

Ren & Stimpy.

Double Dare.

Family Double Dare.

Rocco's Modern Life.

AAAHH!! REAL MONSTERS.

Wild & Crazy Kids.

Clarissa Explains it All.

CAMP NOWHERE

salute your shorts(CAMP ANAWANA)

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

The original cast members of All That.

Kenan & Kel.

"CITY GUYS"...ROLLW/ THE CITY GUYS

DOUG!

magic school bus.

Nick Arcade.

flash forward.

the adventures of pete and pete.

legends of the hidden temple.

hey dude.

dinosaurs.

Mummies Alive

pinky and the brain.

Sailor Moon.

blossom.

hangin with mr. copper.

wishbone.

bill-nye the science guy!

MR RODGERS!!!!

Who could forget Snick? & Nick @ Nite with Bewitched, I Dream of Jenie, The Facts of Life & I
Love Lucy.

Where everyone wanted to be in love after watching The Wonder Years.

or nick jr. with face

gulah gulah island

little bear

Busy Town

under the unbrella tree

PEE-WEE'S MOTHER F***ING PLAYHOUSE!!!

The Big Comfy Couch

Kool-Aid was the drink of choice.

Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school.

Class field trips.

When Christmas was the most exciting time of year.

When $5 seemed like a million, & another dollar a miracle.

When you begged to go to McDonalds for dinner everyday.

When Toys R Us overuled the mall.

Go back to the time when:

Decisions were made by going 'eeny-meeny-miney-moe'.

Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming 'do over!'

'Race issue' ment arguing about who ran the fastest.

Money issues were handled by whoever was banker in 'Monopoly'.

It wasn't odd to have two or three 'best' friends.

Being old referred to anyone over 20.

A chance to skate as a couple at the local roller rink was like winning the lottery.

Scrapes & bruises were kissed & made better.

Where the best form of protection was "circle circle dot dot now I've got my cootie shot, circle
circle square square now I've got it everywhere"

It was a big deal to finally be tall enought to ride the 'big people' rides at the fair.

When playing Nintendo was the hardest thing ever.

When Ninja Turtles ruled the world.

when "what would you do" was crazy. d-

when winning a mountain bike on a tv show was a jaw dropper.

How to make an Emmylou

How to make a CMCEmmylou
Ingredients:

5 parts friendliness

1 part ambition

1 part
Method:
Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Add a little cocktail umbrella and a dash of caring

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

Dierks Bentley

Heidi is very proud of me because I now own a Dierks Bentley CD! I got his self-titled debut album and I have not had a chance to listen to it yet. This morning as I am getting ready to leave for work I decided to grab it and a couple other CDs to listen to during my day in my CD player. I decide I am ready to listen to it now, open the case, and no CD!
I just remembered that I had it loaded into my multi-disc CD player at home the other day while I was cleaning but I never got around to listening to it and apparently never put it back in the case!

I'm listenting to the BeeGee's right now ... we'll try Dierks tomorrow :)

More about me

I don't have much to post about except I got my new glasses! So I case'd this from Heidi who got it from Melissa I think.

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	Diane
Birthday:	May 15
Birthplace:	Washington State
Current Location:	Michigan
Eye Color:	Blue
Hair Color:	Blonde
Height:	5'5
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Lefty
Your Heritage:	Norweigan, Finnish, French, German ... my grandfather is from Texas so when I was little I would say I was part Texan :)
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Black shoes with a wedge heel
Your Weakness:	Many, many things
Your Fears:	Spiders, Hitting a deer, never getting married
Your Perfect Pizza:	Pepperoni and extra cheese
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Get out of debt at least 95%, lose some weight
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	LOL or w.h.a.t.e.v.e.r.
Thoughts First Waking Up:	Ugh, I hate morning and then deciding if I like the song that is playing when my alarm goes off
Your Best Physical Feature:	Smile
Your Bedtime:	Ha! Lately anywhere from 11pm to 2am
Your Most Missed Memory:	All the crazy moments we had on youth group trips!
Pepsi or Coke:	Coke! Cherry Coke at that
MacDonalds or Burger King:	McD's
Single or Group Dates:	Single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Sweet Tea, but if I had to choose, Lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Vanilla
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Cappuccino
Do you Smoke:	Never
Do you Swear:	yes .... I need to quit
Do you Sing:	Not well but yes in the car
Do you Shower Daily:	Yes
Have you Been in Love:	Yes
Do you want to go to College:	Yes
Do you want to get Married:	Yes
Do you belive in yourself:	Sometimes
Do you get Motion Sickness:	Sometimes
Do you think you are Attractive:	Ummmm sometimes
Are you a Health Freak:	No .. if I was I wouldn't look like this *lol*
Do you get along with your Parents:	Yes
Do you like Thunderstorms:	Yes
Do you play an Instrument:	No
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	Yes
In the past month have you Smoked:	No
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	No
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	No
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Yes
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	I helped eat a box
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	No
In the past month have you been on Stage:	No
In the past month have you been Dumped:	Not really, dumping was awhile back, I'm not free
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	No
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	No
Ever been Drunk:	Yes
Ever been called a Tease:	Yes
Ever been Beaten up:	If you count beating up on friends on the playground yes
Ever Shoplifted:	No
How do you want to Die:	Natural causes, in my sleep. I just want to go fast
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	I'm not sure yet :)
What country would you most like to Visit:	Australia
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:	Brown or Blue
Favourite Hair Color:	Brown
Short or Long Hair:	Short
Height:	Taller than me
Weight:	More than me
Best Clothing Style:	dressy or casual
Number of Drugs I have taken:	Only prescription ones, not sure how many
Number of CDs I own:	Way too many!
Number of Piercings:	Triple in each ear, and one up top of my ear in right ear
Number of Tattoos:	1
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	Why regret it? Chalk it up to learning experience and life and move along.
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

New glasses

About 2 weeks ago I ordered new glasses and they came in today! I stopped after work to pick them up, I also had a haircut appointment so it was convenient. I am happy to report that they are correct and I like them as much as when I first tried them on! It is taking me awhile to get used to wearing glasses again (I still have contacts) but I like them and will probably wear them to work tomorrow too because it would give my eyes a break.

That's about all that has happened here today! I will post more later!

I'm not dead :)

I just have been really busy and not really had any time to devote to blogging or checking other's blogs.

My ex boyfriend moved out over this weekend so I was busy helping him get everything packed and moved to his new apartment. It feels very strange to live alone again after almost 6 years but I like it :) This has been a long time in the making and once he finally got approved for Social Security Disability and got medical insurance through that it all went fast. He got approved on March 1 and found an apartment a week and a half ago and moved on Saturday. I feel good about my decision that we broke up and I am looking forward to living alone again for awhile until I meet the man I am supposed to marry.

I'm slowly putting my apartment back together, when you are in process of moving there's really no need to try and clean up big time since you're surrounded by moving boxes and junk so I just straightened up as I went the last 2 weeks and now I am rearranging and making a list of furniture or items I need to purchase to replace what we split up and am cleaning up as I go. I still need to tackle my bedroom and then I will be able to move on to redecorating :) I have decided I want to have pink in my bathroom (no surprise there) I have decided I am single and a girl, why not have at least one room with pink? :) I chose the bathroom since it's such a small space I want bright pinks so it pops out and maybe some lime green mixed in.

That's about all that has been going on lately. I promise to write sooner next time :)

Concert season has begun

It always seems that end of April to early May is the un-official start of "concert season" here in west MI. I love concerts and have already been to see Keith Urban so far this year, am going to see Kenny Chesney on June 2nd with Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood and have 2 more on the docket. They just announced Tim McGraw and Faith Hill May 7th and Sugarland is playing Summer Celebration July 5th.

I have my tickets for Kenny, Dawnn and I are making plans to see Sugarland (she's beside herself with excitement over this) and I am seriously considering going to see Tim and Faith. I was thinking of going when I was home in Seattle in August when they are playing but those are sold out, I just asked a friend of mine if she wanted to go, she's thinking about it.

Can't wait to see who else comes to town this year!

Happy Friday!

Johari Window

I got this from Veronica's blog. Please visit the link below and pick out words that you think describe me.

Click here: Johari Window

Some background info:

The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up.

Kenny tickets are in my hand!

As mentioned many posts ago I got Kenny Chesney tickets before they went on sale, because I got them through work. I got them in my hot little hands today!

I am for sure going to the 1st show, Friday June 2. WooHoo!

New eyes!

I had an eye appointment today to get my eyes checked and to get new contacts and glasses, I was overdue by several years!

I have vision insurance through work that covers glasses or contacts each year so I took advantage of it. I'm happy to report my eyes are no better or worse than last time. My right eye is actually a bit better so she adjusted my prescription for that so they are more balanced because my left eye has been doing most of the work to compensate. I have a trial pair of new contacts to wear and I have a follow up appointment next week to make sure they fit alright and I don't have any problems. I am sticking with Acuvue 2 but now I have the new hydraclear which helps them "breathe". So far so good.

I also ordered new glasses. I am really pleased with them and think they will look good. It's always a little scary going alone and hoping you made the right choice with frames. I did have a helpful person though that I felt comfortable with when trying on different lenses. Here's a link to my new glasses:
Clicky

Whatcha think?

What temperment are you?

I'm kind of feeling uninspired for posting right now so I thought I'd toss this out too.
Take it and see what you are. I think this one fits me well.

You Have a Phlegmatic Temperament

Mild mannered and laid back, you take life at a slow pace. You are very consistent - both in emotions and actions. You tend to absorb set backs easily. You are cool and collected. It is difficult to offend you. You can remain composed and unemotional. You are a great friend and lover. You don't demand much of others. While you are quiet, you have a subtle wit that your friends know well. At your worst, you are lazy and unwilling to work at anything. You often get stuck in a rut, without aspirations or dreams. You can get too dependent on others, setting yourself up for abandonment.

What Temperment Are You?