Be My Valentine

Hello, blogging world!

I know it's been awhile. Not a lot has been going on lately in my life. Just mainly work and home, work and home. I did have a little skip in my record, so to speak, as last weekend, my dear husband took me away for a romantic weekend for Valentine's Day.

That's right, girls! Start the swooning and cooing and awwing. It started Friday, when Mike sent me a large bouquet of Stargazer lilies...my absolute FAVORITE flower! That may not say a lot, but what you people don't realize is that, as much as I love him, Mike's memory is not the greatest. He'll admit it, too. So, instead of sending the common Valentine's rose or a bouquet of wildflowers (both of which I would have absolutely loved as well), he actually remembered my favorite flower and had them sent to me. It came with a teddy bear and tear-jerking note, as well.

They have pretty much all opened since this picture was taken and they are beautiful!

The next day, Saturday, he picked me up from work. We had to go to the house inspection first (that's another looooong story). Straight from the inspection, we headed over to Fredericksburg, where we ate at the Olive Garden (best Italian EVER, in my opinion). We had time to kill before checking into the hotel, so we went to Spotsylvania Mall to walk off our dinner and to look for something special for that night (don't worry, that's all I'll say on the matter!). We couldn't find anything we liked, so we headed over to Lane Bryant across the way and found exactly what I'd been hoping to find. By that time, we were able to check in, so we drove behind Central Park to the Hilton. The Hilton! We made our way to our room and, after making me wait in the bathroom (not that I minded, I needed to change anyway), he told me I was allowed to come out. I walk out of the door to "At Last", the lights are off, there's a path of petals on the floor leading me to a petal-strewn bed. Little flameless candles are placed everwhere. Mike popped open a bottle of champagne and handed me a bubbly glass. And then...

You didn't seriously think I'd go on, did you? ;-) It was a great night, and I was kind of upset that it had to end. But Mike is so romantic and loving, that I only have to wait until next time. Until then, (*sigh*) back to my regular life...

Happy Birthday to Me...?

Okay, so my birthday was last week. It started off great just because I actually had off for my birthday this year. It was my usual day off from work, and to top it off, I didn't have ANY errands to run or jobs to do or cleaning out any houses! I didn't really do a lot for my birthday (not that I'm complaining). I went to Walmart with mom and dad to get a few things. Of course, this was the day before the big snowstorm and so Walmart was full of idiotic people doing equally idiotic things. There was actually a school bus that was pulling into the parking lot, trying to make a turn that a school bus is not supposed to make.
While I was in the store, I got a text from my brother Jimmy asking if I wanted to go to karaoke that night as it was his night to bounce. At first I was like, "Yeah, right." I had a headache that had been trying to break through all day and I had work the next day and with the snow, I had to be on my A-game. In the end, I popped a couple Advil and went on to the Corner in Charlottesville. When I got to Baja, the bar where Jimmy bounces, there were all of eight people in the joint. I went ahead and put myself down to sing "Before he Cheats" by Carrie Underwood. I did really well on that one the last time, so I figured I'd do it again. I sang that one right as Jimmy showed up. Then I put myself down for "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base (I've been trying to look for songs that don't have a really high octave range). I'd like to say I nailed that one. Then I pushed my luck and put myself down for "Gunpowder and Lead" by Miranda Lambert. I did absolutely HORRIBLE!!!! I totally blanked on how the song went! No, not the lyrics...those were written for me in plain view. I just couldn't remember the beat. By this point the bar was pretty packed. Well, once the music finished, I had hoped to slink off to my corner of the bar and not open my mouth again. Jimmy had other ideas...
Jimmy came up behind me once I was done and took the mic from me. I looked up at the ticker on the screen to see who was next...it said Laura, not Jimmy. So why was he taking the mic? He got the bar quieted down. From the moment he started talking, I knew what was happening. Much to my horror (as if me butchering the song wasn't enough), he proceeded to tell the entire bar that I was his little sister and that it was my birthday. He then had the ENTIRE bar sing me "Happy Birthday." Did I mention that the bar was packed by this point?
Anyway, at the end, everyone cheered for me and I--now ten shades of red, I'm sure--went back to my seat. Jimmy came up to me later and told me that a funny thing happened. BBQ (the stage name of a large, funny black guy that does mostly old Motown hits) had come up to Jimmy and said, "That's your sister? She is fiiiine!" Jimmy then told him that I was married, to which he replied, "It figures."
To end the night off, right before I went up to sing a final song with Jimmy ("If I had a Million Dollars" by Barenaked Ladies), this creepy guy that looked to be in his forties or so started hitting on me. Our song couldn't have come quick enough!

Cue the "Twilight Zone"

Do you ever feel like you should be living in a different time? I do. There are times that I get this feeling. I suppose most might call it daydreaming, but I have daydreams, and then I get these...I don't know...they almost feel like memories. I have such an imagination, and I'll be the first to admit that it'll not just run away with me, but kidnap me and hold me hostage! And I'm sure it probably has something to do with the books I read, as well.
On that point, I find that I always choose books to read that are historical. Present-day novels don't interest me. I gotta tell ya, I'm a sucker for romances. But they're always set in medieval times and/or in the Scottish Highlands (I love the brogue). I have dreams at night that are so vivid, it's like I'm watching a movie, or...heck!...even living it! I've actually woken up a time or two panting due to the running or whatever I've been doing in the dream. It's weird!
Anyhoo...this was just kind of a random thought...