BABIES!!!!!

I'm so glad Erin made the comment she did on the last post, cuz now I can write this blog.


ERNI IS HAVING A BABY IN MARCH!!!!! YEAY!!!!

and

JULIE AND LUCAS JUST HAD A BABY!!!! Maria Gianna was born on Thursday!!!! YEAY x 2!!!!

Congrats to the girls who I spent most of my elementary and high school years competing against academically. Now we can pit our kids against each other too. SWEET. (Okay... I'm kidding about that, but they should totally be friends!)

Love you both and your babies (and your husbands ... but not like that) !!!

Because Krab Says So

Back in the dizzay, I always wished someone would give me a nickname that stuck. I just thought it was neat to have a nickname. I think I figured it was a term of endearment... at least it always seemed that way to me. I've come to realize that I only enjoy being called by my nicknames now when it truly is a term of endearment. Let me 'splain.

When I was little, my mom and dad called me "sis". I always felt (and still feel) extra special when they call me "sis". It gives me warm fuzzies.

As I grew up, my brothers (especially Tom) had numerous nicknames for me. Some of them were not so endearing... but one or two were. Tom dubbed me Krab because I was cranky alot. I was the one who decided it must start with a "K". But I actually enjoy being called Krab by my brothers. That one, for some reason, feels yet again like a term of endearment.

And then in college, I finally got a nickname that stuck. And that's what many of my blog-only friends know me as... Kiki. So I was pondering this nickname today and all nicknames really and I realized something. I don't like being called "Kiki" by just anyone. In fact, I find it annoying and almost offensive when someone who I barely know waltzes into my life and calls me "Kiki". Is that weird? I should be "Kristi" first and foremost... and maybe later on... if we're really super close, you can call me Keeks or Kiki.

Maybe it's some sort of identity crisis. I sort of feel like people who FIRST know me as Kiki rather than Kristi probably see me as a "Kiki" rather than a "Kristi", and I think those two names bring about very different perceptions. Kiki is a name that is frequently associated with ditziness which I at least pretend not to be.

Maybe I'm just a little crazy. Or maybe I just need something to be annoyed with so today I'm choosing nicknames. Either way, those are my thoughts of the moment. Do with them what you will.

No Time to Blog

The fam and I are leaving town yet again this weekend. Will there EVER be a time when we get to chill at home again??? This summer has been the epitome of crazy. But it's all good. "I guess we're at least having fun, right?"... says the poor mom who wishes gas prices would go down.



Anyhoo... here's my favorite Mia pic ever for your enjoyment...

Drunkeness.

I don't get it.

I didn't actually partake of alcoholic beverages until about 5 days after my 21st birthday, and I'm fairly certain that I've never been truly drunk. I've had buzzes... and maybe I've even been ALMOST drunk, but I'm pretty sure I've never been drunk. And I've definitely never had a hangover or puked from drinking.

So frankly, I don't get it. I used to not even understand drinking. I figured I was goofy enough without alcohol... what would be the point of drinking? But then I discovered the lovely and somewhat medicinal effects of a buzz. I understand that a buzz loosens you up after a stressful day at work... and I also get how it affects your social skills in the somewhat uncomfortable setting of a smokey and loud bar filled with strangers. But beyond the buzz... that's what I don't get.

As my husband put it, "Drunkenness is just wasted alcohol." I think that he means that he would no longer be enjoying the beer for its taste, but rather just be drinking period.

Does anyone out there have a good reason for getting drunk? I can't imagine that it always just happens by accident. And I also don't get how getting drunk could be so good that it's worth the disgusting cotton-mouthed, headached filled, pukey feeling that frequenly follows it.

Oh and just a clarification, because I'm used to expecting this on my blog by now: I'M NOT JUDGING YOU IF YOU DO GET DRUNK... I'M JUST SAYING THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Thank you for your time.

Um... yikes

This is what happens when Andrew dresses Mia.

Mama Mia!

Weird

This is my Sister in Law Kim with President Clinton. Doesn't he kind of look like a cut-out even though it's actually him?? Weird.

I'm now only 2 degrees from Bill Clinton. Neat.

Did you know I'm also only 2 degrees from Pope John Paul II? and Pope Benedict? and Mother Teresa? SWEET!