Love Me Tender

I just finished watching part of a documentary on the life of Elvis. I'm kind of a closet Elvis fan. It seems an odd fascination... like my fascination with Rocky movies and Christopher Walken. It's difficult to explain. I don't collect Elvis memorabilia or anything. I only have one CD... the latest compilation of all of his #1 hits. But, it's difficult for me not to watch old Elvis movies or documentaries when I run across them. I really think if I had been alive in the 50's I would have been one of those crazy girls who nearly faints at the thought of Elvis. Although, if I had the same parents then as I do now, I'm sure I wouldn't be allowed to listen to him music or watch his movies. My how things have changed!

Holiness

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'"

I Peter 1:13-16

Addictions... some old, some new

Okay, so I'm addicted to the "old-school" video games on John's website. If you've been there, you know what I mean! Snake is my favorite, though I'm obviously no good. (Don't be fooled by the fact that the initials "KDR" appear toward the top of the list.) Matt H. is the undeniable champion. (Don't say you're never mentioned on my blog!!) Well, except for PACMAN, where Matt F. has blown everyone away. Check it out, if you dare.

My other (renewed) addiction? 24

Season 6 started last night. I've decided (for the time being) to skip Seasons 3-5 and watch the current season with the rest of the world. Don't you just love Jack Bauer?!?! :) The second half of the premier is on tonight, so I'm secretly hoping choir rehearsal will be canceled.

Crazy Linda

Okay, here's the real update... at least as much as I can manage at this time...

I spent the morning in the courthouse. There was supposed to be a preliminary trial for one girl involved in our break-in. Apparently she didn't actually participate in the burglary... just got caught with the stolen good in her car afterwards. Allegedly. Did I say "allegedly"? ;) Anyway, it was all for naught. After an hour and a half we were released to go. She waived her right to the trial or something. I'm still a bit confused as to what happened. Regardless, it sounds like we could be subpoenaed to testify again in the future. In the meantime, we turned in a list of everything we lost and the real-world value of those things. Such a pain, such a pain.

In other life news... busy season sucks. :) I know that doesn't make any sense, but trust me...it does. Regardless, I'm feeling somewhat optimistic about 2007. Good things may be in store. In fact, I had a fortune cookie the other day that said, "Big change is ahead for you" (or something like that). I realize that could be big bad change, too, but I'm hoping for the best. :)

If nothing else, the weekend is ahead!

Commentary on the title line: I had a Crazy Linda Roll today at a local sushi restaurant. It totally rocks!!

My lovely nieces

Row, row, row your box...


I have to hand it to the competition (Aunt Michelle)... when Erin opened the box with the boots she exclaimed (and I mean EXCLAIMED), "THIS IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!!!!! I'VE WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THESE!!!!" So, Aunt Chelle may have usurped her authority as the underling aunt.

Our little model...


Princess Natalie...

L'il Avery. 'Nuff said. :)

Christmas 2004

No, the above title is not a typo. For Christmas 2004, our family decided to draw names for Christmas. And just to change things up a bit, we add a requirement that you had to MAKE the gift. Was it a success you ask? Well... let me put it this way... most of us received "IOU's" for Christmas that year. And a further indication as to the success (or lack thereof), there's been no mention of ever doing that again.


All that being said, Mom made good on her Christmas gift to me this year! And, it was definitely worth the wait. (I had my brother's name, and though he actually received a gift on December 25, 2004, they were baked goods... mainly cookies.)


So, without further ado...

Monogrammed sheets, too! (Thanks, Ann!!!)

Love you, Mom!! Yes... DEFINITELY worth the wait! :)

Ain't she a beaute!

Okay... here's the car....

Found!

I don't believe I blogged about it, but another attempt had been made on my jewelry... this time by my niece, Erin. :) My whole family came down for Christmas, and at some point, my niece gathered up all of my jewelry from my jewelry box, put it in some kind of children's toy (a plastic box with different shaped cutouts) and carried it out to the living room to show it off. The only problem was that half of it was falling out through the cutouts. I commented that the recent burgulars tried the same thing with a ziploc bag. :)

So, I collected the jewelry and untangled it all for the second time in recent days. The only thing I couldn't find was one tiny peridot earring. I wasn't too upset about it, but I was hoping to locate it, as it was a gift from my grandparents... when I first got my ears pierced. We searched high and low... from the bedroom, down the hall, into the living room, carefully through the living room carpet... to no avail. I finally vacuumed my carpet last night. (I had been putting it off... assuming I would probably suck up the earring as I cleaned.) No further sign of the earring. HOWEVER... when I got home tonight, I did a bit more cleaning in the kitchen. I saw the earring just as I nearly sucked it up! But, it was saved from the jaws of the vacuum cleaner, and it has been safely restored to my jewelry box! Yeah!

I think I've also finished my replies to companies and organizations regarding my stolen checks and credit card. That was quite a hassle, but I hope I'm done. (Knock on wood!)

Madness

"He may be mad, but there's method in his madness. There nearly always is method in madness. It's what drives men mad, being methodical." ~G.K. Chesterson

I believe he also said, "it is chess players, not artists, who go mad." Actually... I've just retrieved the actual quote... "poets do not go mad; but chess players do." (Orthodoxy)

Peppermint Perdition

Okay, I must respond to comments in my previous post, "Temporary Depression."

1) The stuff everyone noted in the shower this weekend was "mint bliss scrub for feet" not the "pampermint foot work" that I mistakenly referred to as "peppermint foot scrub." However, I can see where there could be some confusion. I realize it might be a bit ridiculous to be upset over one scrub when I had another there at my fingertips, but again... see my comments in the previous post about people rooting around in my personal things.

2) It was what I would call a "thorough and conclusive search" (so I thought before I stepped into my bath).

3) I do not enjoy vats of lukewarm bath water. But, that's all I had at the moment. I had already run a full bath and could be assured of no more warm water after that. So... it was either a lukewarm bath or a very cold shower. I opted for the lukewarm bath that night and a hot steamy shower in the morning. So, I don't believe my lukewarm bath can be used to question the legitimacy of my previous statements and temporary depression.

4) Ion, Michelle... the soap was Zest. Please avoid it in the future. I'm sorry to hear about your resulting full-body rash. :( Maybe that's your penance for (apparently) using my "mint bliss scrub for feet." (JK)

5) I'm going to bed. Have a good evening, folks.

~Krista

Temporary Depression Brought on by Apparent Missing Peppermint Foot Scrub

I know you men will not understand this, but I decided to take a bath tonight. I don't normall take baths, but taking some time to soak and relax sounded very nice. Right before I hopped in, I thought, "ahhhh... I feel like a little foot care this evening." But, when I looked for my peppermint foot scrub I couldn't find it. I searched high and low... in the likely AND unlikely places. I became more and more frustrated trying to find it. I kept thinking, "surely the thieves didn't take the foot scrub." But... there was a girl involved in the robbery... so, who knows.

Most of you probably don't know how depressing it is to think someone just wandered through your house looking for things they might want... either because they were worth something or they just liked it. I'm sure they were mainly looking for things of value, but that can't be true of the St. Patrick's shamrock charm bracelet they took or the fake strand of pearls or my blue dangley earrings. :( So... I finally concluded that the perp must have been needing (read: wanting) some nice Peppermint Foot Scrub. Grrrrrrrr.

However, there's a happy ending here. After soaking in luke warm water (yuck!... the laundry must have taken a considerable amount of the hot water) for a bit, I got out, dried off and resumed my search for the scrub. I finally found it in the most obvious place... a place I'm sure I looked several times before getting in the tub. You know, it's strange how sometimes you're completely blind to the one thing you're really looking for. Hrmmmm... that's fairly profound. Maybe THAT'S the moral of the story. :)

Welcome Home!

I did it! I bought a new car, and by "new" I mean NEW!! :) I test drove it this morning, when its odometer read "0000007 miles." :)

She's a beaute... 2007 Nighthawk Black Pearl Honda Accord Sedan EXL V-6 with ivory leather interior.

I haven't named her yet, so I'm open to hearing your suggestions on the name. (I'm pretty sure she's female, but I'm open to considering other options as well.)

Busted!

It's late, and I should really be in bed; however, I need to catch you up on a few things...

1) Theresa and I swept leaves off the roof on Friday night. It was rather enjoyable, actually. It was unseasonably warm, and so we sat up there and chatted for awhile after we were done with our chore.

2) News Channel 8 showed up on my doorstep Friday night. They told me that the Tulsa PD had busted a house over in Sand Springs. Among other stolen property, my checkbook surfaced! They wanted to interview me for the 10 o'clock news! Not only did they come in and interview me about it all, they lead the news with the "exclusive" story and a live shot in front of my house! How crazy! They said it could take awhile for us to hear about or get any of our stuff back, but I'm hoping it won't be too long. I'm anxious to see what they've recovered!

3) We had The Gathering Christmas Party at my house last night. It was great fun... lots of people, lots of good food, a great way to celebrate the season. Now I feel like I'm home-free for Christmas. I have work and a concert this week, but that's about it!

4) Other interesting things may be afoot, but I can't be sure.

If I don't write again before then... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Unflappable

Un·flap·pa·ble: marked by assurance and self-control

So, a friend of mine told me yesterday that I could have been Winston Churchill's mother. I'm still digesting that and trying to figure out if it was a compliment or not. :) But, he also used the word "unflappable" to describe me. (See definition above.) And tonight I went to a Christmas party. The host introduced everyone in a fairly unique way, and I was donned "Krista 'The Rock.'" So, I suppose I see the theme. In fact, it reminds me of a letter a friend wrote to me in college. He was going through some rough times and remarked that "You have been the one physical rock that has held me up and kept me from giving in! ... You are the strong one - but someday soon I'll be back home and you can lean on me!" I'm not sure that ever happened, but it sounded really nice. I think it'd be nice to lean into someone else for awhile and explore my softer side.

A REAL Kamikaze Drink

I don't want you to miss David's commentary and my childhood memory in a past comment. Check it out...

No Stone Unturned

So... I'm in a choir, and every time we begin new music they have practice CD's available for people to buy for $1. It seems like every time I'm short the dollar or have to scrounge for change, etc. So, at one of our rehearsals last month I specifically took a dollar bill and put it in my choir folder for the next go-around.

Tonight when I got to choir we started practicing our new music... Missa Solemnis by Beethoven, and as always, they had practice CD's out. I was so excited to pull out my dollar and show my choir friends that I had been responsible and kept back a dollar for the CD.

You probably guessed it... the dollar was GONE!!!!! :( Man, those thieves were thorough. I guess that explains why my music was strewn about my room during the ransack. It was only a dollar, but I'll tell you... THAT CHAPS MY HIDE!!!

The History of the Bible

I was reading from James last night… the verse about the “double-minded man.” Well, that reminded me that I had emailed a friend recently about that verse. I was fairly certain that I had looked that verse up in my old NIV Bible to make sure it was from James before sending the email. When I remembered that, I continued my detective work and pulled up that email to verify it had been sent on Monday the 20th. I usually don’t take the Bible from the house except for Sundays, and I don't believe I had taken that Bible from the house on the day of the Burglary (the 26th). So, more and more signs were pointing to the stolen Bible theory.

However, shortly after determining that, I searched my car one more time and found the beloved Scripture in the floorboard. :) It was a little cold and shaken up, but it’ll be okay. I will have had it 19 years this Christmas.

So, cross that one off the list!!

P.S. - RE: the comment cottage cheese comment in the last post... I know better than to test the viability of cottage cheese by tasting it. In fact, I won't touch any dairy product that is even close to expiring. Blegh! :( It makes me sick just thinking about it!

Car Update

To answer questions posed by Mike (disguised as an "Anonymous" commenter), no I have not yet purchased a new car. I have done some looking, but haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet. I have found something I like, though... a 2003 Nighthawk Black Pearl Honda Accord EXL V6 Sedan. I made an offer on one that had about 31,000 miles, but they wouldn't go as low as my offer. The salesman called the next day to say he had an identical car (with a few more miles on it) that he could take down to my price. I went and looked at it. It was okay... had about 46,000 miles on it and some damage to the paint on the back trunk. They were planning to fix the paint spot on the back, but I just didn't feel as good about that one. I think the salesman was frustrated with me, because I was still stuck on the other one. But, I'm glad I didn't do it, because I was looking on-line today and saw the second car listed in their inventory for $1500 LESS that my offer amount!!!!

I apologize if any of you reading this blog are or have been a used car salesman (... Mike... :) ...), but stuff like that makes me boil!!

No, I'm not pregnant! I swear!

Well... another update. Yesterday morning I started remembering what was included in a stack of cards that appear to be missing from my desk area. All I could think of was my voter registration card. But, it also contained several store-credit cards that I rarely use. When I thought of one... I thought of FOUR!! Yikes. So, I quickly got on the phone and started canceling cards. Only one had a balance... a Sears card. Apparently some charges were made on Monday (day after the burglary) and included some maternity items. :(

I just can't imagine what it might be like to live life like that... "honey, we really need to decorate the nursery for li'l Junior Gangster. Whose card should I use today?"

Btw... has anyone seen my blue, leather NIV Bible? I can hardly believe it was stolen, but I can't seem to locate it anywhere...

Hope everyone's staying warm. There's still lots of snow on the ground here. I've snowbound now for approximately 53.5 hours straight. I may have to bust outta here later!

Blue Danglies

Well, I haven't much felt like blogging this week... after the event of last Sunday night. For those of you who haven't heard, someone broke into my house. Fortunately we weren't here. Apparently a boy (juvenile) and girl were casing the neighborhood or something. They had noticed a purse or something in Theresa's car and were planning to steal it. Before they could do that, though, Theresa came out and left the house. So... they apparently went up and knocked on the door to determine no one was home before going around to the back and breaking in through the bathroom window.

Long story short, they ransacked the place looking for anything they could find that might be worth something. Unfortunately, some of the stuff they took was worth much, much more to me than it would be to anyone else. But, all-in-all, they really didn't get away with all that much. The police pulled them over (because the car had been described in connection with other burglaries) and recovered a portion of the stolen items... my camera and some jewelry.

Since then we've been cleaning and taking all the necessary precautions (changing accounts, rekeying locks, etc.). What a pain!

I like the way my friend Babs put it... "Wouldn't you rather they just write you a letter demanding money? You could just write them a check and be done with it." :)

Thank you to all of my friends and neighbors who have rallied around us in support! (Lesser thanks to the neighbors who the very next night decided to play outside circa 1:30 am and scare us with their screaming and barking dog.)

Commentary on the title... it's a description of the latest thing I've noted missing... a pair of blue dangly earrings I bought last time I was in La Jolla, CA. :(