Made in Richmond

Read my wrap up of celebrity riff raff over at RVANews. Enjoy, mon friers.

Friday: Much working. Home and off to dinner at Galaxy Diner with hubs and in-laws. Resting and lounging before bed.

Saturday: Up and off to my aunt’s house for another Christmas celebration. Home for a nap. Running errands and what not. Home for much vacuuming and reorganizing of the closet. To bed late.

Sunday: Up to go to the gym. Home to putter. Church. Picked up dinner. Laundry and stuff before bed.

Have a great week!

We celebrated Christmas (for the 4th time) with my mom’s side of the family today. There was much eating of my favorite kinds of food and even more snuggling of baby heads. I also taught my cousin’s toddler “daps” and that camels live in the desert and bees live in a bee hive. And Ross spent much of afternoon commanding her about with a Ukrainian accent. We will be awesome parents.

By the time I got home, I had a noticeable “food baby” and was more than ready for a nap.

Now I’m more than ready for some more of those meatballs.

Ross and I spent a considerable amount of time last night lying around reading, rather than lying around watching television. For much of this considerable amount of time, Zapp paced bath and forth from the dining room to the living room, whimpering pitifully.

Confused, we repeatedly let her out, thinking she still had some business to attend to. But, each time she came back in and we settled back into our reading, the whimpering would start again.

“Maybe she’s confused because the television isn’t on,” I suggested.

Ross shrugged, grabbed the remote, and switch the television on. Zapp then curled up in a ball and went to sleep, as if finally able to relax.

I’m not sure how to feel about that.

And now, for the cute photo:

I gave blood today, in honor of SalesBlood 2007. Here’s photographic evidence that I didn’t keel over and die whilst doing it:

(This picture was taken by TheBossMan in the middle of my donation. Look how happy I am!)

TheBossMan thought up SalesBlood two years ago and our company promotes it every year. If you’re into saving lives, you should think about donating, too.

I mean, come on. If a 113 pound, borderline-anemic can do it without so much as a dizzy spell, you can do it, too.

Big Granddaddy and Valerie, December 1981

Here we have me as a wee babe cradled in the lap of my mother’s father (called Big Granddaddy because that’s what my older brother decided he should be called). Please note the cigarette, the Miller Light, and the appalled look on my face.

You can bet your sweet bippy this will be in a frame on my desk by 8:30 tomorrow morning.

(I apologize for the crappy quality, but this is a picture of a picture and there’s only so much you can do without a scanner.)

My car makes a strange “PING!” noise after I come to a stop.

My car makes a similiar “PING!” noise once I’ve been driving for approximately 3 minutes.

My washing machine is being somewhat irritable and emitting a strange odor when it runs.

My dogs keep tracking mud from the yard into the house and onto the new hardwood floors.

But, at least I have a car, and a washing machine, and dogs, and a yard, and new floors.

Friday: Stayed late at work for super-fun brainstorming session. Home. Went back out to pick up dinner. Various puttering before bed.

Saturday: More puttering and whatnot before a lovely lunch at Can-Can with the in-laws. Finished lunch with a Honey and Almond Coffee that included a shot of espresso. Preceded to go insane due to said shot of espresso. Wonderful catch-up talking and snacks at Galaxy Diner with Stephanie and Kate. Home for more of who knows what.

Sunday: Woke up and got McDonald’s breakfast for me and the hubs. Exchanged Christmas presents with hubs. Snuggling and puttering before church. Stopped by the store to get the goods for Catrow Family Christmas Eve-Eve dinner of steaks and baked potatoes. Watched Scrooged as hubs prepared dinner. Ate dinner. Wrote this. To bed semi-late.

Monday: Up and off to in-laws’ for Catrow Family Christmas Eve festivities. Ate wonderful dinner and opened a bagillion presents (including this!). Played Settlers. Home to sleep.

Tuesday: Up and off to my mother’s house for Christmas morning breakfast. Chatting and whatnot. Stopped at home to let the dogs out to stretch their legs. Off again to my dad’s house for Christmas dinner. Much eating and chatting. Home to feed dogs. Off to see Juno. Laughed. Cried. A lot. Home to bed.

Today: Playing catch-up a life. Back to work tomorrow.

Articles like this almost make me wish that I were still huddled in a corner in the basement of Boatwright.

Almost.