Just Dancin'

Last night, my sister, mother and I all went to visit friends who had recently purchased the "Just Dance 3" for Wii. (Tons of fun, btw). I, of course, couldn't pass up an opportunity like that - and I didn't. I made a couple of videos. Do the people in them know I'm going to post them on my blog? Not so much. But it only shows their back-sides. They'll get over it. ;)

I can't mention who the people in the videos are for fear of serious repercussions (do you think they're the only ones who were the stars of embarrassing videos where they are shaking their stuff? Nope.) so there isn't much to explain. It's just some people getting their groove on! (Watch the way the boys shake it! Hilarious!)

(Ignore my off-pitch singing. I was singing SUPER quiet. I didn't realize it would be so loud. Haha. Good thing most of you have heard me sing for real and know that I don't actually suck that bad. Usually. . . !)



How I Ruined My Art . . .

Today I woke up and decided that it was time I did another drawing. The last one I did was before I was divorced . . . so . . . it's been a while.

Since horses seem to be popular, I decided to draw a horse. At first, all was working out:

(Ignore that it's a little distorted - that comes from taking a picture that is at a bit of an angle.)

I draw a little more, and I'm still pleased with it:

But then I decide to add color. Ugh.

(Then I had to take a picture to show you my fingers, which are super filthy):

And then I finish ruining my drawing by adding more color.

Moral of this story? I should just stick with what I know I'm good at. Haha. Oh well.

Mom and I scare Aubrey and friends.

Earlier today, my youngest sister asked if she could borrow a couple of my scary movies so that she could take them to a friend's house to have a mini Halloween party. The friend's parents are gone tonight, so it's just three girls home alone - watching scary movies. Does anyone smell an opportunity here? My mother did . . .

About an hour ago, I'm innocently in my room working on my book (the one that doesn't suck), when my mom comes in and asks if I want to have some fun, to which my response is . . . "Cccchhhh . . . yeah!"

She then proceeds to suggest that we go scare my sister and her two unsuspecting friends. Sooo . . . I head downstairs, find a couple of ski masks, slap on some dark makeup, stop to take an unflattering picture . . .

 . . . and we head out the door to have a little fun. I make one more pit-stop in the drive-way to gather some pebbles, and we make our way to the house.

Good news: I recorded the whole thing.

Bad news: It's pitch black, so you can't really see anything, and all you can really hear is my mother laughing and me trying (kind of successfully) to be scary.

I'll see if I can't get the video loaded. Either way, I'll explain what happened.

The video (if I can link it, and you decide to watch it) starts off with my mom and I in the car driving in the dark towards the house. We get there, and walk across the yard, trying to find the best window through which to scare the girls. We are trying to avoid the lights coming from the front porch when the garage lights kick on, so we run around to the back of the house, laughing the whole time.

We finally find the best window, and I begin throwing my pebbles at it. It took a few times before one of the girls heard the noise and paused the movie. In the video you can't hear what the girls are saying (unless you use earphones), but they are asking who's there and telling me to go away. I of course DON'T go away and keep throwing pebbles. I start screaming for them to let me in (and it's creepy - can't lie).

Finally, my baby sister gets the nerve to come to the window. When she does, she is greeted by my masked face right up against the glass, and I make sure to scream. She hurries away, and her friends get up the nerve to come to the window. They open the drapes and I scream at them. Then I get up, run around to the front of the house and bang on the door.

Get this: They answer the door! HELLLLLOOO! What if we had been real burglars or something?! Anyway, they inform us (through laughter, once they realize who we are) that one of the girl's mothers is on her way. It then occurred to me that they should have called 911. I guess it's a good thing they didn't or we would have been greeted by the police instead of a mother . . .

(Still would have been worth it.)

Who is Jack Schitt?

(Thought this was cute)

WHO IS JACK  SCHITT?

For some time many of us have wondered just who is Jack Schitt?

We find ourselves at a loss when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt'!
Well, thanks to my genealogy efforts, you can now respond in an intellectual way.

Jack Schitt is the only son of Awe Schitt.   Awe Schitt, the fertilizer magnate, who married O. Schitt, the owner of Needeep N. Schitt, Inc.   They had one son, Jack.

In turn, Jack Schitt married Noe Schitt.  The deeply religious couple produced six children: Holie Schitt, Giva Schitt, Fulla Schitt, Bull Schitt, and the twins Deep Schitt and Dip Schitt.

Against her  parents' objections, Deep Schitt married Dumb Schitt, a high school dropout.
After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Schitt divorced.
Noe Schitt later married Ted Sherlock, and because her kids were living with them, she wanted to keep her previous name. She was then known as Noe Schitt Sherlock.

Meanwhile, Dip Schitt married Loda Schitt, and they produced a son with a rather nervous disposition named Chicken Schitt. Two of the other six children, Fulla Schitt and Giva Schitt, were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony.
The wedding announcement in the newspaper announced the Schitt-Happens nuptials. The Schitt-Happens children were Dawg,  Byrd, and Horse.

Bull Schitt, the prodigal son, left home to tour the  world.
He recently returned from Italy  with his new Italian bride, Pisa Schitt. They later had a son, Funny Schitt,who went on to become a world-famous comedian.

Now when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt', you can correct them.

Sincerely,
Crock O. Schitt

Tips Appreciated

It's always a fun time when an angry customer comes in. Today I had a guy and his two little kids (whom I felt sorry for because their dad was such an A-hole) come in. I was serving another customer at the check out counter when he entered, so I said hello and told him I'd be right with him. When I finished up with the other customer, I walked over to him, asked how his night was and asked what I could get for him. His response was:

"Who owns this Subway?"

So I answered his question. Then he says,

"Well, tell him he's ripping people off!"

(Pretty sure all I could do was blink at him) Then he says,

"He's skimping on his meats. Big time!"

I inform him that all of our weights are up to code, which he responds with,

"Uhh, no they most certainly aren't! We travel all over the US and you guys are ripping people off."

I couldn't think of anything (nice) to say, so I just said "I'm sorry you feel that way."

His response: "I think we'll pass."

I just said "okay".

As he's leaving he yells back, "And you can bet your ass I'll be calling and complaining about you!" To which I respond with,

"Okay". (And I even made sure to smile).

It's hard not to say what's really on my mind. Sometimes being witty isn't in my best interest. At least I can hold my tongue (usually). Fortunately,the next customer was super sweet and felt sorry for me. He actually apologized for the way the guy treated me (even though he didn't know him personally) and tipped me 20 big ones! Which was super appreciated! Thanks Mr. Big Spender! You completely fixed my night and even made it a great one!

Later, I found this picture - which also made me happy. :)

(Yet another) Cancer scare.

This afternoon, as I was driving home from Rexburg, I saw a bunch of elementary kids playing on the playground (it must have been lunch time). I only had a second to watch them as I drove by, but I watched as they played in a pile of leaves - throwing them into the air and letting them rain down over their heads. It made me miss my childhood and days when things were so simple. (I have to admit that I can still have a good time playing in a pile of leaves, though)  ;)  I almost wished I could have taken a picture, but I didn't want to be THAT person.

I have been keeping a secret ALL week, and it's been driving me insane! Earlier this week I found another lump in my throat on the lower right side. It freaked me out and, even though I forced myself to not think about it until I could get into a doctor, it's caused me to be sluggish with (subconscious) stress. I went and had blood tests (which I won't see the results of until Wednesday) and an ultrasound done. I watched as the ultrasound tech did his thing and I was relieved that I didn't see anything out of the norm besides maybe a lymphnode or two that are slightly enlarged. (Is it sad when you've had enough ultrasounds done to know how to read them even though you've had no training to do so? Maybe . . .) Anyway, the tech confirmed what I believed I saw. So . . . the bottom line is that, according to the ultrasound, I don't have any new tumors or anything growing. I don't think I'll feel 100% better until the blood results come back, though.

For the record: This is my second cancer scare this year. Gah! Enough already!

Alrighty, time for work!

Kid History

Have any of you seen the Kid History clips on youtube? They. Are. Hilarious. Here's a link to the 6th one, but if you haven't seen them, you should watch them all.

Click Here to watch Kid History Episode 6.


I found this picture today and thought it was cute:

Man, I wish the sun was still out. I'm not ready for it to snow!

Today . . . was brutal.

Today . . . was brutal. And I don't believe in venting publicly, so I'm just going to say that it was rough and leave it at that.

Actually, I will mention this part: As I was taking the trash out (at 9 p.m. even though my shift should have ended at 2), something super disgusting happened. I carried all 5 trash bags out to the dumpster at once and then lifted the lid (which is abnormally heavy for some reason) with my left hand while using my right hand to hoist the trash bags into the dumpster. Well, as I was lifting the bags, one brushed my cheek and left something wet and sticky there. I don't even want to know what it was. Haha. So gross! I came home and immediately washed my face, just fyi.

And that story was NOT the worst part of my day, if that gives you any clues.

Another thing that happened (before my day went south) - Some guy came in who reminded me a lot of a guy I was so in love with all through middle school and into high school. I saw him while he was still in the parking lot and my heart went all crazy. I haven't seen the guy he reminded me of since I was 15 (maybe 16?) Should it still get me all nervous to see him? I don't think so. And yet - apparently it would. I wonder if I'll ever fully get over that guy . . .

Wow, I am sooo tired. Hopefully this blog post even makes sense. It wouldn't surprise me if I woke up tomorrow, re-read it and realized that it's all gibberish. I guess I should go to bed, yes?

PS, this is how I feel about my life today:

Hahaha! Ooh man. That is an ugly face.

 Good night all!

A trip to the Haunted Mill

*Spoiler Alert* (I am going to mention specific parts of the Haunted Mill)


Last night my mother, youngest sister, Milo, Janell and I all went to the Haunted Mill with the 2nd ward mutual. I had never been before last night, so Milo was giving me a heads-up on what to expect. (He made it sound WAY worse than it actually was). I was already tired from working ALL DAY, and that combined with Milo's version of what would happen made me wonder if I really even wanted to go through. (The only "spook alley" I've ever been to is the ride at Lagoon that runs all year long.) I'm not easily scared, but Milo made it sound like it was super taxing physically. He said we'd be chased down steep stairs by a guy with a chainsaw (didn't happen, btw), and that we'd have to crawl through super tight spaces in the pitch black (did happen).

I have to admit that I'm glad Milo warned me about the part where it looks like there's no floor (it's really just plexiglass or something) and the wall pushes you off the "ledge". That would have creeped me the eff out had I not known it was all safe. Haha.

Anyway, all-in-all it was a decent time. I'd go again.

Here's a silly (and not attractive) picture Aubrey and I took of ourselves on the way down.

Ahhh . . . Makes me laugh. :)

Reality Check.

Today, while I was making a sandwhich for some random guy, I had a sudden reality check. It hit me that I am 26 years old. That's crazy. Where did the last nine years of my life go? Seriously. It's like, I have so few memories of any of the years since my thyroid cancer. I swear I stopped at age 17 and everything else just went on around me . . . if that makes sense. It also hit me that I've really accomplished "nothing". Sure . . . I've battled and beat cancer three times, been married (and divorced) and all that . . . but I've yet to accomplish the things in my life that most people have accomplished by the time they are my age. Most of my friends are having their second or even third child by now. I of course have no children. A lot of my friends are graduated from College and working careers that they love. I "took a short break" from college to get married to a guy in the military. I always thought I'd go back after a year off, but then I got so sick and never did. It's really kind of frightening when I really think about it. So far I've been cool with just sitting back and seeing where things go. I haven't been too concerned with dating or marriage - in fact, I've kind of avoided that whole scene. (I've only dated 4 guys since my divorce which was 19 months ago . . .). Maybe it's time to get serious . . . ?

My Best Friend.

Ugh. I can't seem to fall asleep. Good thing I don't have to open in the morning. At least I (sort of) get to sleep in.

I watched the movie "Something Borrowed" today. I liked it. The dance scene in it is pretty fun. Here, see for yourself. Click here. Aubrey and I spent about 20 minutes learning and perfecting the moves. Haha. I still suck, btw. ;)

When I was younger I used to get told that I looked a lot like Kate Hudson. There was this one guy I dated for a little while who used to tell me that when I smiled, I looked just like her. I never saw it (still don't), and I definitely don't look anything like her anymore. It was all in the eyes, and as I've gotten older, my eyes have gotten wider and . . . droopier. Blah.

Anyway, back to the movie . . . I would recommend it, I guess. It's not my favorite, but it was entertaining. I really like the bond that Kate and Ginnifer's characters have in that movie. Same with the bond that Kate and Anne's characters have in "Bridal Wars". I think I feel that way because I've been fortunate enough to have a best friend like that. (Not one that tried to sabotage my wedding or sleep with my fiance, but one that knew me better than anyone). We grew up together - completely inseparable - and even though we don't keep in touch as much now as we used to, I feel like we are just as close. She's my sister. I have so many memories of us that I wouldn't trade for anything. Like the time we got chased by a cow that jumped through the barn window, or the trips we took to Utah to visit boys. All of the time we spent when we were little collecting pennies and other loose change, and then purchasing "penny candies" down at Andy's gas station. Oh man . . . or the time that we watched Ernest Goes to Jail and laughed our @$$'s off while eating Raman Noodles and drinking Snapple! (We were such dorks, but oh so cool! haha). Let's see . . . Cruising around in the grape, making up dances with your brother, me developing a crush on your brother and you putting up with it, you plucking my eyebrows for the first time, you shaving my arms for the first time (lol), all the trips to the Mall, and our double dates to the dances . . . Pierre's and our infatuation with the guy who impersonated Elvis. I don't think I learned very much in the 11th grade because I was too busy writing you a note during my boring classes that I would later pass to you in the hallway between class (and you'd do the same). I still have those notes, btw. They are in my photo album with our HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of photos.

 I love how we didn't really fit in anywhere, but we fit in everywhere at the same time. We didn't have a "click", we just floated from group to group, making friends and hanging out. People could ALWAYS hear us coming because we were ALWAYS laughing . . . LOUDLY. I remember sleep-overs -- me in my sweatsuit and "toasty-socks" with three blankets and you in shorts and a sports bra with a sheet. We'd attempt to watch a movie and I'd always fall asleep before the previews were even over. Ooh . . . singing lessons. Some of my fondest memories were of our weekly singing lessons. I miss performing with you -- in church, at the park for holidays, wherever.

Remember the time we walked that kitten with the collapsed lung all the way to the vet on a wooden board -- both of us in tears and fuming at the kid who had squished it? Or how about making "healthy salads" for the horses?

I seriously have so many fond memories and great stories! All good times. I feel really fortunate to have had friendship like that. I know that not everyone does. So, thank-you for your friendship, "Freddie-Poo". I feel honored and blessed to have you in my life. I look forward to many more years of our friendship. ;) You know I love ya!

Love, Your "Hose Head". ;)

It saddens me a little that I don't have any pictures of us together passed the age of 17. We'll be needing to fix that.

Halloween Photos; Part II (and a few other thoughts)

Have you ever come across a couple and the question that pops into your mind is: "How did HE get HER?"? (Of course you have - everyone knows a couple like that.) What I'd like to know is if anyone knows a couple where the opposite happens and you wonder how SHE got HIM. (I personally know one couple like that, but I guess the guy has relatively low self-esteem even though he's seriously handsome.) The point is: Apparently it's a lot easier for an ugly guy to snag a beautiful woman than it is for an ugly woman to snag a beautiful guy. I'm sure many of you have noticed and maybe even thought about this before. Are men just more shallow in general? I guess so . . . ? I think that is really kind of sad. I personally know some really great women who may not be as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside (me being one of them - I like to think I have a more beautiful personality than face - is that conceited?). Anyway, that's just something I was thinking about this morning.

Ugh. My computer still isn't back to normal. It keeps freezing up and then telling me the "video drive" (or something like that) stopped responding and then recovered. It's really annoying. Especially when I dropped like $300 to get my computer back to normal. What is it with the Geek Squad? I'm thinking that maybe they aren't the best option. They are definitely expensive, and apparently they are just normal kids hired "off the street" (meaning they have no education in Computer Technology of any kind), are shown a manual and put to work fixing our computers. Is this true? And if it is, does anyone know of any better options in my area?

So, I'm still doing Halloween pics for a few more days if anyone else is interested. Just let me know (facebook: Cortney Durbin). They are pretty effing sweet!

Before:

After:

Here are a few other examples:

Let me know if you want one! And feel free to post this to your facebook, twitter, whatever, if you think you know someone who may be interested!

Idaho Falls and . . . Dogs, apparently

I just got back from an afternoon in Idaho Falls with my mom and my youngest sister. It was a good day, but I had a difficult time when we drove passed the park that my ex-boyfriend and I hung out at a few times just a few weeks ago. Bummer. I also felt a little sting when I drove by the car dealership that my ex-husband and I worked on the signs for. It's odd how stuff like that strikes at random, unpredictable times. I was just in IF a couple weeks ago and I had no such feelings at any point during that trip. Odd.

I did my best not to spend a lot of money today. I think I spent about $90. What did I come home with? Well . . . A new drawing pad, charcoals and erasers - which set me back about $30 - and dog food. Yep. The dog food was WAY expensive. Good thing my little dogs are so tiny and don't eat too much cause, yikes! They are totally worth the money, though. Look how adorable they are!

Remi

Harley

Levi

Tell me they aren't adorable. ;)

They even make cute babies.

Hmmm . . . My blogs never go in the direction I think they will. Funny.







Just for fun

I came across this today and thought it was kind of fun, so I decided to share it. :)

My first words were:

Witty
Outgoing
Courageous
Dramatic

Hmmm. . . . Sure. :)

I also saw this and really liked it:

Awe.

More Than You Need to Know about My Driving History

I've already posted on my blog today, but I have yet to see a rule book that declares one is not allowed to post more than once in a 24 hour period. ;) Besides, I have a crazy story to share. Okay, okay . . . It's not THAT crazy, but I still want to share it.

So, I picked my sister up from school today, and as she's getting in the car I think to myself: Hmmm. . . I wonder if I ever put my new registration stickers on my license plates. I don't actually remember doing it and my plates expired about three months ago. Two minutes later - I'm pulled over on the side of the road by the Sheriff.

I've been pulled over 7 times in my life, but only ever recieved one ticket. I (of course) was really hoping that I wouldn't get one today. The Sheriff approaches my window and informs me that my plates are expired and says that most people just forget to put the stickers on. I reach into my jockey-box and pull out the registration with the stickers still attached. He asks to see them, and then proceeds to place them on my plates for me. Then he tells me to have a nice day and gets back in his car. Yea! No ticket! Thanks Mr. Sheriff for being AWESOME! And thanks for putting my stickers on for me. :)

It was a good day. :)

Oh - The time I got a ticket was about 2 months after I got my drivers license. I was pulled over for speeding - 86 in a 55. The cop was PIIIIIISSED. And not nice. In fact, he flipped me off. Now I laugh about it, but at the time it was kind of devestating. Haha. I believe my ticket was for $108, and he told me that if I had been going just 2 more miles per hour, he would have arrested me. Yikes. Lesson learned. I never got pulled over for speeding again. The other times I've been pulled over were for (legitimately) expired plates, running a red light, twice for failing to stop at a stop sign, having a broken tail-light, (oh, wait . . .) speeding 42 in a 35 at 1 a.m., and an illegal lane change. All of which I just got warnings. They only looked at my drivers license on two of those occasions, on the others they didn't even bother. They just gave me a warning and drove away. I don't want Karma to catch up with me - it's not like I'm bragging or anything Just sharing the facts. Also, for the record: All of these time happened before I turned 20. I haven't been pulled over (until today) since.

Lindsay . . . and other disasters.

So . . . Yesterday I stumbled across a picture of Lindsay Lohan that frightened me. Tell me, how does someone go from looking like this . . .

To this . . .

ANYway . . .

I put in 9 hrs at work this a.m., and now I get to go back for a few more. I've been working too much lately. At some point I need to catch up on some sleep. At least I got my workout in this morning. FINALLY. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't worked out in the better part of two months. I mean . . . I've gone running, but I don't really count that. Today I got a good half-hour ab workout in, and it kicked my hind-end! I used to do that workout two or sometimes even THREE times in a day! It's amazing what just a few weeks of slacking can do. Boo to that! Hopefully I can get back on track.

Speaking of workouts - You know that feeling you get immediately after a good one? The feeling of all of your limbs having turned to "jello"? Yeah . . . not a fan of that feeling. I do, however, like the feeling of all of the muscles starting to tighten up and get a little sore. I'm not sure why. I just like it.

Alright. I guess it's time to head back in to work. Whoot! (So not.)

Fall . . . And Other Random Thoughts.

I love Fall. Even though it's the season that leads to 8 months (or more) of ice and sub-zero temperatures, I still love it. It's so beautiful! There is nothing better than the snow-capped mountains in the background and fall-colored hills in the foreground. I feel really blessed to have grown up in this beautiful valley. Here is a random picture I took (with a cellphone . . . from a boat - so don't judge it too harshly). It was taken at Palisades Lake. I love, love, LOVE the colors!

Unfortunately, that will all be covered by snow soon. *sigh*. Snow isn't THAT bad. It's just the cold and ice that I can't bring myself to love. But . . . I suppose many people feel that way.

Speaking of snow, I really think I need to hit Targhee this year. It's been years, and I mean YEARS, since I've been skiing/snowboarding. (Can't lie . . . I prefer skiing.) I even worked at Targhee right before I got married and I didn't ski one single time. I could have . . . for free . . . but I didn't. Ugh. Hopefully this year I can find the time (and money) to get up there! Now all I need is someone to go with me. Who's in?!

Speaking of being married . . . (this is totally random, but) the other day I totally missed being married - which is odd since I can't really remember what it was like being married. Something about the change in the weather sparked some vague emotional memory, and it made me miss cooking dinner for my husband. (Which is also odd since cooking isn't really something I typically enjoy. I guess that comes from spending so long eating as a "raw vegan".) It's crazy to think that I haven't heard from my ex-husband in over a year. I don't think about it that often, if I'm being honest, but every once in awhile (like right now) I do wonder how he is. I really hope that he's well and happy. That only seems fair since I am both of those things now.

Well, this post started as one thing and ended as something totally different. That's the way it goes, I suppose. OH! Psych is on! I'm out! (PS, if you have never watched Psych . . . you need to fix that asap. James Roday? Yeah . . . so cute!)

All about THIS guy!

So, I recently discovered who Matt Dallas is. Let me just say, YUMMY! (Too bad he's gay) Why is that too bad? I'm not really sure. It's not like I was gonna have a shot at dating Matt Dallas even if he was straight. Still, it saddens me a little.

My sister doesn't think he's hot. At all. I think she's crazy. What do you guys think? Yummy? Not so much?

I think he is absolutely delicious. Seriously . . . So beautiful. Has anyone seen the show Kyle XY? The first season (in my opinion) sucks. Annnd so does the first half of the second season. But after that it gets pretty good. Or maybe by the time you have watched that many episodes you are just desensitized to it's cheesy acting and cliche lines . . . ? Who knows. Either way, I was entertained. Too bad the show got canceled just as it started getting interesting.

Okay, so here is another pic -- just in case you really want to weigh in on whether or not Matt is a hottie (which he most definitely is).

MmmmmHmmmmm.

Speaking of Kyle XY, here is a link to a song I really like (that also happens to be on the show). Enjoy!

Halloween Photos

So - Originally I started this whole blogging thing for random reasons that no longer have anything to do with anything, and I kinda figured I wouldn't keep it going for long. But - I've changed my mind. I think I will keep blogging. What the heck!

So, I just wanted to say thank-you to all of you who have let me trick out your photos Halloween style. It's been a blast! I'm still taking requests if any one else decides they want one. ;) Here are some examples of how awesome they are!

Here are two of the ones I did for myself:

Annnnnd this one of my beautiful friend Miriam:

This one of my beautiful friend Tasha (BTW, if any of you object to me putting these on my blog, just tell me and I'll remove them.)



My sexy friend Daniel:

Or this one of my sister, which is a little more creepy:

I think you guys are getting the drift. Seriously - if you want one done, hit me up on facebook. Just search for Cortney Durbin and email me a request. :)

Isn't October the BEST! I <3 Fall (and Halloween). Haha.