Advice from Butzie

So while I was home this weekend, my family celebrated my 30th birthday early. The card from my parents had a list of "30 Top Pieces of Advice" my mom had written out. Thought I'd share them with you.

1. Go to church.
2. Keep daily communication with God and those you love.
3. Never eat yellow snow!
4. Don't sweat the small stuff.
5. Accept change.
6. Don't buy something for $50 and then sell it a garage sale for .50!
7. Water your grass.
8. Make your bed and the whole room looks better.
9. Check the air in your tires.
10. Never drink and drive.
11. Know when to hold 'em.
12. Know when to fold 'em.
13. Never count your money while your sitting at the table.
14. Be kind.
15. Share.
16. Clean up your own mess.
17. Help others.
18. Learn to listen.
19. Know when to walk away.
20. Know when to run.
21. Allow others to have a different opinion.
22. Always put the dogs out before you go to bed.
23. Thank others.
24. Share your artistic talents.
25. Appreciate.
26. Wear your good undies every day.
27. Accept responsibility.
28. Bloom where you're planted.
29. Eat your veggies.
30. Be patient!

I hope you all know Kenny Roger's song "The Gambler" or some of these won't have been near as funny to you!

Africa Smafrica

So my sister, Amy, is moving to Africa tomorrow. I'm not too thrilled about it. She's excited though and feels it is what she is supposed to be doing. Hmmm...

She'll be there a year, maybe 2. The maybe 2 just makes me even more "not thrilled". Sigh. I'm a bad sister and a horrible person aren't I? I should be at least a little supportive I suppose. I just don't want to be. I want her to stay in the USA and preferrably Kansas.

Anyway, if you want to know more about why she is moving there, here is her new blog she has started for this particular journey. http://rubyslipperlady.wordpress.com/

Since there is no cell phone service there, she would love to read your comments. However, to leave a comment on her blog, you have to get a username and password...but you DON'T have to start your own blog.

Maybe I'll win the lottery and can go visit? Oh, and in case you were wondering, she will not be living in a hut in a village. (I was deeply saddened by this...I think she should!) The majority of the time, she'll be living in an apartment in a city...and will only be in the small villages about 30% of the time I think. Bummer, eh?

Wacky nonsense from my Vegas Vaca

Joy, Shavaun and I headed to Vegas on the 4th of July. One of Joy's brothers, Jay, got married on 07-07-07, so we had an excuse to go. (I was supposed to go the month prior with some college friends, but couldn't get off work).

First night there, some random man kisses me and then leaves the bar with his DAD! He was pretty good looking though (the guy, not the dad!) ha How did we not get a picture of THAT?!!
This picture was about 2 mintues before the incident occurred! ha


At the pool, I accidentally mistake an 8 foot drop off for what I thought was just another step down. Then after I quit choking on all the water I swallowed and could feel my toes again after they slammed into the side of the pool...I couldn't quit laughing and almost peed my pants, which would obviously have only made matters worse...much much worse!

We went to the wax museum and of course, took a bunch of stupid pictures. Here are just a few for your enjoyment.

Shavaun and Earnhardt....I hate NASCAR!


Joy with Agassi...Shavaun is cheering from the stadium seats set up behind him! HA!


Me with Siegfried, Roy, and one of the tigers. Rrrroarrr!


Joy touching "THE ROCK". She looks so shy! We know better!


Heff...look at Joy with her hand on his knee! Too funny!

I saw 2 famous people, which of course, no one else did and then didn't believe me! ha (We saw the soap star again the next day so I had proof). Eileen Davidson was the soap star and in the airport I saw Crystal Gayle!

Some strange man tried to abduct me on Freemont Street. He just grabbed my hand and started pulling me down the street. I'm like, "Ummmm, I don't THINK SO! I took karate fool!"

After a long HOT day, I stopped to get a drink at our hotel bar. About 3 hours later as were leaving again for the evening, I realized I had no wallet. Long story short, I had indeed left it at the bar and someone had actually turned it in to security...with everything still in it. The security man thought it was a riot and made fun of me. (We stayed at the Frontier which and it was only gonna be open one more week and then they will tear it down...sad...it's the first place in Vegas Elvis performed!)


I was given a new nickname by one of the other gals that had come for the wedding. Apparently my hot pink high heels made me look like a hooker, which she seemed to think are all named Candy. And because they were pink, she started referring to me as Cotton Candy..and then shortened to CC. It was entertaining.


So, even though it was 116 degrees every day we were there, we had a blast! Although the next trip...will be in the frickin winter please and thank you!

OH WAIT!!!! I must not forget to tell you about the Bikini Bull Riding. We stayed at the Frontier..which has the bar Gilly's. The night we went there we finally got a table and it was right next to the mechanical bull ring. Later that evening they were trying to get girls to enter the bikini bull riding contest to win $500. Now, I have actually rode a mechanical bull and have pictures for proof...quite frankly, I rocked! ha Still, there was no way in hell you'd get my ass in any kind of swimsuit to ride a bull that a bunch of other nasty half naked hookers had just rubbed their skanky germs all over. So a bit later the first girl comes out and is wearing Gilly's hot pants, and tiny shirt. We're like oh, she must work here and is gonna get the crowd revved up. She gets on the bull, but it goes real slow and she is gyrating with it. Next thing we know all she has on is the hotpants. I turned to the other 4 women at my table and said, "I don't think she works here, and this is NOT what I thought they meant by bikini bull riding". They all laughed and agreed. There were 2 other women that attempted to outdo the first. 2 of the 3 gals were so flat chested they might have actually been men with it tucked in..I'm really not sure! The other one, must have won this a few times and used her winnings to get a boob job. They were so fake she actually could move them up and down like male body builders do. It was so NOT RIGHT! All I could do was laugh and be thankful that: there were only 3 contestants so it ended quickly, mine are real, and I don't feel the need to bare them to the world for a little cash or any other reason! God is good. Amen.

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

Why do people seem to WANT me to have a breakdown?!

Frightening as it was for me, I have now given in and had my hair done by 2 different women here in G-town. My Aunt Kathy has done my hair since I was in grade school and rocks, so this was somewhat traumatizing for me. The first woman I went to, I just needed a trim and wanted some bangs. I'm always nervous when the person doing my hair, hasn't seemed to take the time to do her own. This was such the case. Still, I let her chop away. The cut was okay, the bangs weren't quite what I had wanted, but I was too scared to ask for more to be cut off.

The next visit to a local salon, I needed highlights...desperately. It had been WAY too many months. I chose a different salon and made the appointment. I should say, both ladies were pleasant and overall kind people. This woman, however, asked more questions and conversated much more. Which led to the inevitable..."I know the perfect man I should set you up with...he's in the process of getting divorced and only has 18 million kids....but you'd be SO GREAT together!" This led to me that feeling of vomit building up in my throat. But I held it in..that would have been embarrassing. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough...as she's sectioning off my hair and applying highlights...(and please remember I just met this woman about 10 minutes previously)...she says, "Oh, you have some gray hairs!"

WHAT?! I said, "Gray hair!!!??? What? You're kidding me!!!" I think she noticed the terror in my voice and panic in my eyes. She then calmly said, "Oh, well actually it might just be really really blond hair."

My heart slowed to a more normal pace and I exhaled. "Yes. You're probably right. I'm sure that's what it is", I stated.

Then we moved on to much more normal conversation...you know, like what other men she could set me up with.

I left that salon thinking I was aging way too quickly, a loser for still being single...yet still loving that I found this hair stylist...because my hair rocked! I'll still stick with my Aunt Kathy, whenever I can get home, but if in a crunch...I know where I can go for good hair and a depressing hour of realizing I'm old, alone, and seem to be the focus of every match maker in town. sigh.....