It's Sapphire's Birthday!

I just got home from Sapphire's surprise karaoke party. Although the party started an hour late, it was so much fun! It sucks though that I wasn't able to take any pictures since I was only able to realize that my cam ran out of power when I got there already. Ugh.

ABU was there too, she and her animalistic style of singing. I swear, if you hear her "sing", it's like some monkey chanting an ancient tribal rhythm. Oh LoL. She never fails to entertain me. Haha!

OMG, and I just remembered another ABU classic moment! That was about past 6 already, I was so ready to go and was just chatting with Zane. ABU called my attention and told me about this failed payment. Showing my most carefree attitude, I just shrugged it off and replied "Oh well...there's always Monday" LoL. I know my answer ticked the hell out of her because I saw her face crunched up! (I love it everytime that happens! Haha!) Not only that, Zane even commented on her attitude of being such a worrywart, which made her face raisin-ed up more! Hahaha! I love those classic sour face moments.

Anyway, just to give you a glimpse of the fun we had, here's an audio clip of the night's finale song.

Just click here.

I turned 40 about 10 days ago. I woke up and started this new decade at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware - NICE! Then we headed home and I spent the evening at West Frederick Middle School's "Back To School" event trying to get people to join the PTA.

I didn't really care because my plan was to celebrate my birthday in September when a bunch of my friends from Pittsburgh come down. So when the weekend rolled around and my parents came down for a visit and my dad and I went shopping for toilets at Home Depot, I never thought that I was coming home to 40 people, waiting to surprise me in my backyard.

I did get a little nervous when I was blindfolded. You see the last time my kids blindfolded me they presented me with a bunch of gifts and told me that I had to guess with my other senses what they were. For example, I smelled coffee and deduced that I got a Starbuck's Gift Card. I smelled and guessed the type of perfume they bought. Then when I tasted the dessert they made me I kept thinking to myself, Well all I taste is whipped cream. As I was trying to guess all of the deserts I like with whipped cream, they pied me!

Needless-to-say, when you've been pied in the past and someone blindfolds you and takes you outdoors, your first thought is, Damn, what the hell are they going to do to me this time? What kind of mess is involved that requires me to be outside? As you can imagine, a bunch of folks yelling surprise was a relief!

It was a lot of fun. The weather was amazing. The food was delicious. The decorations were out of control. The bar was stocked for lots of fun drinks. There were jello shots. You've got to love a party with jello shots! There was good music and even a dance-off at one point.

I have great friends and neighbors and I was touched that folks would go to the trouble. My parents and brother were able to be there which made it really special. I must say, my husband did a fantastic job. I was also pleasantly surprised that my kids were able to keep such a big secret from me. Looks like they're growing up, or merely perfecting their lying skills for their teenage years - who knows?

It was a great way to say goodbye to my thirties. And to all you husbands out there, a great way to earn at least 6 months, if not more, of bonus points with your wife. Suffice to say, since my turning 40, Gary has gotten in many rounds of golf, a bunch of new golf shirts, and bought himself a new driver to boot.

Saturday night, Irish and I took the long drive down from our cozy (read..tiny) ITP home and down into McDonough, Ga for a surprise birthday gathering for our friend Cee. McDonough is a cute little town about 50 miles outside of Atlanta. Most folks still consider it "metro" and make the commute in to their downtown jobs, and it's obvious why....property. It's something you don't see much in the ATL...good size houses on HUGE tracts of land. It reminded us of Kentucky..wide streets, sprawling yards and big houses. I was lackadaisical in taking photographs of the suburb, but I was kind of concentrating on road names and making phone calls to Ms M. make sure we were still in the right time zone so as not to ruin the surprise.

We arrived in more than enough time, as Cee and hubby were running late. Her sister and brother and law were amiable hosts, and their home was fantastic. The party location was in their fully finished basement, A "Man Pit" to top all "man pits." It included a pool room literally carpeted with the Florida gators, which I could SHOOT myself for not getting a picture. (Being an alumni, Irish had much love for that floor!) In the den area of the basement was a 50 - something inch flat screen TV....there was a mounted tv in the lavatory so as to never miss a moment of the game, even when nature calls. To complete the man pit, there in the corner, was the coup de gras....a full size cutout of Dale Earnhart Jr. The whole area was a true southern man's SEC carpeted wet dream!

Cee arrived, and was delighted to see her small posse gathered to wish her happy birthday! The party kicked into high gear. First, there were shots of Tequila Rose liquor..which basically tasted like a strawberry milkshake with tequila mixed in. The soundtrack to Nascar was replaced with an ever changing cacophony of music, depending on who had wrangled the remote. Pool games were being wagered on.

Poor Dale Jr was extracated from his corner and molested. I was involved. I guess that was a first of some sort for me too!

After poor Dale Jr was used, abused, and forgotten, i was called over to my bar by Irish and P, the man of the house.

"Want some Moonshine?" P. grinned and raised a corked bottle into the air. The liquid it contained was perfectly clear.

"It tastes like vodka, tequila, and saki, all mixed together!" Irish offered with a grin. His face bloomed red with his "irish boy tan." He had already done his!

I love vodka. I love tequila. I dig saki in a serious way as well. So what the hell! Moonshine! Gimme a shot!

It wasn't THAT bad, bit definitely harsh. It DID taste a bit like tequila, saki and vodka blended...but let's be honest...who MIXES all that together!! P, seeing my face, handed me another, smaller pink shot.

"Here! Chase it with this!!!" he pushed the small cup of liquid at me, and I grabbed it and slammed it back, thinking it was some of the punch that Cee had been mixing with Rum. Not so. More homemade hooch! I had just chased my corn liquor with homemade muskadine wine.

I think my expression after the muskadine wine was more about expecting something sweet and getting something much more like gasoline.

I would love to tell you all that I saw Elvis, or had hallucinations that the Dale Junior cutout came to life and danced around the room as someone played that new KId Rock song that I so abhor, but not so much. I DID achieve a nice buzz, which I nursed with beer, poker, and having goofy fun with my husband and Girlfriends!

Last night I attended a surprise Cowgirl Birthday Round-Up for my friend, Jilly.  The night was quite a hoopla filled with brisket, beans, cowpies, costumes and line dancing.  What fun.  Wish I was a cowgirl.... O.K. not really, but we did have a blast and she was REALLY surprised.

Tonight we're off to another birthday bash at the Diamondbacks game for Jimbob.  I'm wondering how this is going to go down, being that we are in a heat wave and the ballpark has an open ceiling.... it starts in one hour and twenty minutes and it's 109 degrees outside.  I need to find my Canadian umbrella hat with the little fan underneath the brim.  Nerdsville FOR SURE!

As for those wondering about our adoption progress since our agency closed three weeks back, we have not decided which agency to go with yet.  We are waiting for a bit more information from two other agencies before we decide.  It's not an easy decision as there are so many factors to consider.  Thankfully we don't lose our place in line in Colombia.... still waiting for Zaza, our little girl.

Bags for Zaza had a record breaking week with six bags that were auctioned off for $408!  Wooo Hooo!  We are taking a posting break next week, but not a sewing break, so we'll be back up on Sept. 1st.  www.bagsforzaza.blogspot.com.

My dear husband has purchased more articles at Home Depot for the toilet that was having issues.  Hopefully tonight we will flush freely with glee once again.  Stay tuned.... or not.  :o)

Make it a great Sunday!

Web browser to get 'privacy mode'

Trial, or beta, versions of Internet Explorer 8 are already available

Microsoft is planning a "privacy mode" for the next release of its Internet Explorer (IE) web browser.

By clicking a button, users of IE8 will be able to limit how much information is recorded about where they go online and what they do.

Microsoft watchers have spotted two patent applications covering ways to manage the amount of information a browser logs.

When introduced the privacy mode will match features found on other browsers.

Medical test

Australian blogger Long Zheng has found two patent applications made by Microsoft on 30 July for ideas it calls "Cleartracks" and "Inprivate".

The applications deal with methods of erasing data that browsing programs log, turning off features that record sites visited or notifying users of what sites are doing to log a visit.

While many browsers already have menu options that let people alter security settings and clear history files it typically has to be done on a use-by-use basis.

Users may wish to turn on the privacy mode if they are planning a surprise party, buying presents or researching a medical condition and do not want others users of the same computer to find out.

Internet Explorer 8 is due to go on general release late in 2008 though early trial versions are already available.

By comparison Apple's Safari browser already has a privacy mode and developers working for Mozilla, creators of Firefox, are reportedly working on a similar feature for future versions.

Other browsers, such as Xerobank, take a more thorough approach to privacy and try to anonymise all web use.

When we had a lot of people assembled, I went across the street to get Mom, and thought I'd come up with something clever to get her to come over. What did my brilliant mind come up with? Black stuff on my grout. Black stuff? On my grout?? Sheesh. But she totally fell for it. Gotta love my mom.

When my friend and her husband were leaving, my four-year-old nephew, a car fanatic, was exclaiming over their '68 Porsche. My sister-in-law pointed out that the gas tank and trunk were in the front, and then asked if he knew where the engine was. When she pointed to the back, he made this totally delighted guyish sound like "wha ha haaAAAaaa!" And then he skipped in a circle.

When my uncle and my brother dragged our old fally-aparty porch swing over to put on the fire, my cousin says "If you burn furniture on your bonfire, you might be a redneck."

Damn, I knew I should've blogged earlier. Cabana Boy had several blog-worthy comments, and I totally forget what they were. In fact, I should probably just put a mic on him. Half the stuff that comes out of his mouth is blog-worthy.

Morigami Floral Sweater Black Boot
Oh so lovely and delicate! These slip on boots will definitely add a lot of character to any outfit! Features a decorative black, green, and tan floral faux shearling outer, two black bows to tie the boot in place, black interior faux fur lining, slightly padded insole, and rubber sole.

Xanadoo Black Faux Suede Thigh High Boot
Slip into comfort this fall when wearing these new retro style thigh high boots by Sugar Shoes! And what's great is you can wear these boots in different styles, wear them high or wear them scrunched down low! Comes with a sewn on side bow which wraps around the leg to hold the boot in place. Features a black soft faux suede exterior, sturdy canvas and pleather interior, fashionable wrap-a-round bow, and black rubber sole.

Surprise Party Suedette Tan Boot
With the colder months soon approaching, you will want to snuggle your feet in something sweet! Features a smooth faux suede outer, light yellow tie-a-round side bow, soft faux shearling interior lining, slightly padded insole, and thick brown rubber sole.

Rockband Brush Off Black Ankle Boot
These boots are perfect for that punk princess in you! Great addition to any fall wardrobe - can be worn casually or out to that next rockin' show! Features black pleather exterior with some "brushed off" allowing some white to peek through, 8 lace hole tie up (w/ additional spare strings added in boot box), inner side zipper for easy on/off, thick white stitched seam, slightly padded footbed, and extra thick tall traction sole.

Guitar Hero Crinkle Black Boot
Cruelty-Free ROCK n' ROLL!!! These boots are perfect for that rock star in you! Features a black crinkle pleather exterior, two decorative side buckles, inner side zipper for easy on/off, thick white stitched seam, slightly padded footbed, and extra thick tall traction sole.

In other news, my new school is being quite the pain in my arse. I can't move to my new apartment til the 25th. First they were ok with me coming on the 18th to see the joint, but suddenly the principal isn't ok with it because they haven't received anything official from SMOE. I called SMOE and they helped me straightened it out but I still can't come til the 25th. Korea sparkling. All logic is lost on thee.

Ohhh and this morning when I woke up, I was practically swimming. Ok, it wasn't that bad. So it started to rain around I dont know...3 or 4 am? I was sleeping but aware of the rain. I was too tired to get up and close the windows so I continued sleeping. When I woke up at 6 there was water EVERYWHERE. Holy smokes! Huge puddles of water & there was no power. My computer was DRENCHED. I spent 1.5 hours cleaning up everything but the power was still out. The post office people dont get in til 8 am so I had to take a cold, cold shower at 730.

I used to get so pissed off when the apartment owner would come in to my apartment when I wasn't there to close the windows. Now I totally understand hahaha. The rain didnt seem that huge to me when I was sleeping...I can't believe it was like a hurricane! I used up several towels and mops to clean that shiz up! I was so scared of being blamed too..I dried everything up really well and walked down calmly at 8 am. I was so suave and pretended to have no idea why I didn't have power. hahah It was really simple really..there was a circuit breaker behind the fridge. All I had to do was flip it. Retard.

For the remaining 2 weeks, I vow to not keep the windows opened when I am not home or when it is raining. I only hope I can savage my external hd and splitter. Here's to wishing!

udah lama niy gak nulis,, banyak yang kangen gak yah??

hehehe Lebaaaayyyyy :-D

hemhemhem,,

ada kejadian unik (*baca: memalukan) tadi malam (tanggal 12 Agustus 2008),,

berawal dari sms yang dikirim teman (yang dikenal waktu KKN yang bernama Nadira) sore harinya, yang intinya berisi ajakan untuk ikut di partisipasi surprise party yang dia buat untuk Dhani (*a.k.a Om). tapi sms yang beliau kirim agak tidak jelas dan mencurigakan,, (dhani juga mengundang kami untuk datang ke acara yang kata dhani ulang tahunnya Nadira, hmhmhm,, tambah mencurigakan)

akhirnya telpon sana telpon sini, banyak temen yang gak bisa datang,, ta juga ada janji ma kakak buat makan enak (*nyombong, hahaha), terus ta sms nadira bilang belum tentu ta bisa datang,, tapi ia membalas dengan sms yang menyayat hati sehingga saiah tidak tega dan bulatlah tekad saiah untuk menghadiri acara yang aneh ini,,

telpon nadira dimana tempatnya (*warung susu murni),, mengerti dengan penjelasan beliau, ta pun berangkat,, setibanya di tempat yang telah ia jelaskan ta bingung,, “koq gak ada warung susu murni yah?? Yang ada malah foto kopi?? Yaaah,, walaupun kopi juga jenis minuman tapi fotonya kan gak mungkin di minum, hihihi…. Pasti salah nunjukin niyh nadira,,”

….dan… ternyata firasat ta benar,, ia salah arah, ternyata ta harus belok kiri!! Hihihi dan sampailah disana,, ternyata tempatnya warung susu murni di jalan Sudirman depan asuransi (*sebut saja asuransi X, lupa ta namanya, hehehe), Yogyakarta.. bingung karena di pinggir jalan it ada tanda P coret alias P parkirlah ta dengan cantik di halaman asuransi X tersebut.

Menghampiri meja yang berulang tahun, ternyata dengan ta, kami cuma berlima (Ta, Nadira, Dhani, K’aFzaL, ‘n Marhadi). Ngobrol ngobrol dan akhirnya, karena tidak ada yang ditunggu lagi maka Nadira pun mengatakan dengan sediit berteriak “Mas Dhani Ulang tahuuuuuuuuun!!!” (*menunjuk dHani,,)… eh ternyata yang di tunjuk malah pasang tampang bengong,,

Terus kami nyanyi ultah,, tak lama kemudian yang bengong akhirnya berbicara “ralat yaaa,, ulang tahunku itu bulan lalu,, 12 Juli!”

Nadira : “Bohoooooooong!!!!!!!”

Whuaaaaa,,

Ta : “masa siyh?? Mana KTPnya?!”

Dan dia pun mengeluarkan KTP dan benaaaaaaaaarrr… dia ulang tahunnya 12 Juli,, dan kami pun bengong dengan sukses,, hahaha

Kemudian K’aFzal angkat bicara “Nadira ulang tahunnya kapan?”

Nadira : “Desember, kenapa kak?”

K’Afzal Lagi : ”soalnya tadi dhani ngundang acara ulangtahunnya Nadira, katanya Nadira ulang tahun minggu lalu…” hahaha sebuah kejadian yang bodoh,,

Senang juga siyh dengan adanya segala kebodohan ini, kami akhirnya bisa ngumpulngumpul lagi, udah lama juga ga ngobrol lagi,,

Keasyikan ngobrol, entah kenapa ta melihat kea rah mobil yang di parkir di halaman asuransi itu, eh ternyata hampir di gembok gerbangnya!! Untung saiah melihat pada saat yang tepat,, Pfiuuuuhh,, hampir saja puLang jalan kaki!! Hahahaha

Mungkin bakal jadi tambah konyol yah kejadian malam itu kalau dibumbui kejadian mobil gak bisa keluar karena pagarnya di kunci..

*PERINGATAN PEMERINTAH : JANGAN NGADAIN SURPRISE PARTY SENDIRIAN DAN TANPA RISET YANG VALID + JANGAN PERNAH PARKIR DI HALAMAN ASURANSI!! :lol:

but,,

anyway,,

btw,,

buat dHani : HappY MiLad yak Om, we aLL Luph U!!

This visit was for a special occasion. My brother was 50 last April but we have a tradition in our family for throwing surprise parties for 'big' birthdays so we thought he'd expect one. His partner decided to arrange it for the end of July when he wouldn't expect anything. He was told she was arranging a Kenyan party for about 40 of her friends and relatives here in England and I was invited as an 'honorary Kenyan'. In fact, only her sisters and their husbands were invited, the other guests were our mother, my other brother and his family and our uncle and his partner. My brother was very surprised. He didn't expect anything like that. He was very pleased and happy.

My uncle is 79 and we haven't seen him for 25 years. He worked abroad a lot and then his wife got Alzheimers Disease and he looked after her for 7 years on his own. He just didn't want other people to visit. As he lived in west Wales then, it was hard to arrange to see him. He's happy now with his new partner. He looks frail and he hasn't been well. He's still the same person, though. He doesn't act old.

When I was a little girl, I worshiped him. I thought he was absolutely wonderful and would follow him around like a little dog. Bearing in mind he was a very young man when I was born, he was endlessly patient with me. In fact, he told me that he adored me as a little girl and I'd always been his favourite. We both nearly cried when we met again after so long on Saturday. I'm so glad I've seen him, who knows if we'll have another chance.

It was such a lovely weekend, I really enjoyed it and am so glad I went.

Shelly’s Mom turned 60 this past Saturday, and she got quite a surprise! I was sure that someone would end up slipping, but Shelly managed to pull off a surprise party with about 25 people knowing what was going on.

This isn’t so say that everything went perfectly, because there were some “moments…” The worst was on Saturday morning when we learned that the bakery had lost our birthday cake order. It worked out great though because they had a beautiful cake for us a few hours later, and it was on the house!

Then we got to the restaurant too early, so I pretended to misread a parking sign and drove around the block an extra time before parking. Then we took the long way to the restaurant, about two extra blocks. We ended up walking into the restaurant at 2pm, or right on time. :)

Donna was totally shocked, we ate some good Mexican food, and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. Win… win… win.

Lane was super helpful throughout. He helped Donna open her gifts, make a wish before blowing out her candles, and even managed to taste test the frosting on the birthday cake.

It was quite a memorable birthday for Donna, and I am glad that things worked out so well. You can check out all the photos from the party over on Flickr, and my Mom also posted a video from when we walked in and everyone yelled “surprise!”

I've already bought my train tickets. At one time, it was always cheaper to buy a return ticket and when you check the prices online, those are the prices you get when you put in your starting station and destination and the days you are travelling. If you check on the single tickets, though, they are often cheaper. I'm paying £9 each way (about $18 ) for the single tickets whereas I'd have had to pay about £48 ($96) for a return ticket. That is just so silly. Why would anybody buy a return ticket when it's over double the price?

So, the party went off without a hitch and boy-oh-boy was Aunt Sara surprised. Some pictures of the fam and the surprises, San Francisco, Monterey, Tiburon, the Gas Guzzler and Santa Cruz:

Amazing how fast a week can go. Now it's time to plan for Virginia Beach!

Looking at pictures of the party, I see a small pooch where my flat abs once resided. They may still be flat, but now they hide behind a small belly where my baby grows.

We are playing a little game with one of the members of the share house: trying not to tell him I'm pregnant until the end of the summer. He did notice that I was drinking Non alcoholic beer but I don't think that gave it away. I turned around my pre-natal vitamins lest they give away the secret.

The party was fun but there was a part of me that was jealous watching everyone drink beer and later smoke I know in the scope of my life, this is a short temporary hiatus from indulgences, but I still miss them.

My husband agreed to abstain for nine days, after he told me that nine months was not that long. He has yet to start his nine days but claims he will. Whatever.

I'm kind of bummed that those cute fitted t-shirts I recently bought expose my growing stomach.

I know I'm blessed and lucky on so many fronts, but I'm not excited about being pregnant (despite the ice cream benefit). I'm starting to get excited about having another baby though. I just have to figure out how to squeeze the new one into the apartment.

The fabulous cake.  Rachel made that G herself!  She's so creative!

The grand surprise entrance.

She absolutely has the greatest facial expressions!

This is Gretchen saying, "I had NO idea!"

Gretchen and ZoAnn.  ZoAnn calls her "Sissy" they are so sweet!

Seriously, don't you just want to be their friend?

ZoAnn giving her speech about "Sissy"

Everyone had such sweet things to say about her.  You could tell she was very loved by all of her friends.

Laughing about some old pictures Spike (yes Spike) had put in her birthday present scrapbook.

All in all, Rachel and I had a completely lovely time and felt like we were party of the group even though we had just met almost everyone there.  Happy birthday Gretchen!

Just comment saying your name (first) and your email and if you have a blog, the Url to it. It does not ahve to be about Club Penguin. If someone who wants it not for Cp, Ill help them with it.

And if no one wants it, I might just start it into a Gamecube blog. Who knows.

The one and the only, Club Penguin hater, Gjmc784.

That day we're all running around finalizing our semester's grades, then I thought we were leaving, but they insisted they needed coffee before dinner (?!?), so we sat in a coffee shop for an hour. It was fun, but I was hungry! FINALLY, we left.

We walked into the restaurant... and there were (almost all of) the full-time teachers and the TAs from the office! It was a surprise going-away party for me! And what a surprise it was --- I had not a clue, and I had seen most of these people at least a couple of times that week already! No one spilled the beans.

I was so touched, to say the least. Not only was it totally unexpected, I believe it is THE VERY FIRST time anyone has ever thrown me a surprise party! They gave me a hysterical card -- it had my head on Christian Siriano's body, and the banner over it said, "Project Run-a-way!" (I would show it to you, but I've packed it already, apparently!) They also chipped in and got me a gift. Technically, a cash gift, but they printed out exactly what I had to buy with it (and it saved me packing it, yeah!). They "got" me an Italian leather portfolio presentation case for when I'm making my rounds with my designs to show clients/employers! So now I'm all set for that interview with Monique Lhullier <g>.

I tell you, them all being there, the wonderful things they said on the card, the extremely thoughtful gift -- I almost started crying, and you KNOW how hard it is to get me to do that in public! So of course I made jokes, but it was a wonderful night finding out that I may not have been designing, but the 13-1/2 years I spent in Korea were well spent!

New Comic
At the Community Page stuff has been updated again. There is some new Fan Art, a new coloring page (if you didn't knw already) and a new comic! Click the image below to read it.

~Jellyboard

P.S. I will start on the Newspaper post.....now!

Jillian's surprise birthday was a success.  It was this past Friday, and we all showed up at her house when she got home from work and surprised her by taking her to Earthen.  It's this crazy Chinese place; I flung my chopsticks a couple times but it was a good meal.  Marika, one of Jilian's old friends came up in the clutch and showed all the way from Diamond Ranch. 

Yaw Eno floated the Illinois River in Tahlequah.  Because of all the recent rain, the river was more treacherous than usual.

Yaw Eno ended the night at a hot nightclub.

(I checked and although the Yaw Eno's replacement has been there for two weeks, Yaw Eno is still standing.  Long live Yaw Eno!)

Then I came across these photos of cupcakes that look like hamburgers. John is obsessed with burgers, It looks really good, easy to make and def I could make enough to feed everyone. So I'm thinking I'm going to make them instead. Perhaps I'll make the simpson's cake another time (like when I have a paying job) or in addition to the cupcakes. But so far I really like the cupcakes since they're unusual and quirky...just the way I like em!