I have been a bad blogger

I am so sorry, I have been a bad blogger and not been on to write blogs or read them in days. Well don't worry I am back and I am going to catch everybody up on what I have been up to the during the past week.

Last weekend was my father-in-laws birthday, (also rapture day I wasn't worried) we had a cookout over at the in-laws with all of Patrick's family. We had a blast, good food, awesome day, and seeing Patrick's brothers and their wives from out of town. (There were pictures taken, and I asked if I could get a copy to post on my blog since I have yet to receive the pics I was forced to improvise, so this will have to do....ENJOY)

After that I went out to dinner and ice cream with the RHH... we had a awesome good time... bad service but a great time.

Also I made a pot roast and it was banging.

Last Monday
I made the decision that I love the new Brittany song, "Till the world ends" I am not lying when I say that if you see me dancing like crazy in the car, the Brittany song is probably on the radio. I would switch lanes and pass me if I were you.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday
I worked!!!! ALOT..... (I have been teaching my little friend Will to swim in the past couple of weeks, we have been having a really good time. He is super cute)

Also I missed Blogger Buddy Appreciation Day, I am so sorry Blogger Buddies. Here is a quick shout out letting you know how much I appreciate you all, and if you haven't had a chance to check out their blogs yet... you should do it.

• Jessica (Heart on Homestead)
• Michelle (Left on Wishing Well)
• Nicole (Knocked Up)

Last Thursday
I was off work and it was awesome. Sadly I don't remember much else about Thursday. I guess that means it was either really awesome or really boring. (I do believe that I hit the tanning bed for a couple of minutes, so I guess that is a clue into what I do with my off time.)

Last Friday
I was scheduled to be off work again...2 days in a row YAY...I went to work for a little while anyway to get things set up for a big weekend.  I also brought Patrick dinner while at work.

Saturday
I worked all day, I had a big project that was starting so I spent along time there and everything went great. All my friends went to a festival and I was really jealous, so I took the opportunity to request off for the next festival while I was there...(plans for Summer Jam ladies???)
Patrick had to work at the rescue squad Saturday night, so I watched a movie in bed (How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days) and hung out with the pets...(We know how to really throw down right?)

Sunday
I had to work again...(working life might be less fun then being on vaca all day everyday, but it pays the bills.) Patrick and I both had the evening off so we went on a hot date...Mexican and Lowe's and Home Depot. Seriously we are a rocking couple. Patrick and I getting started on some big projects around the house so we were out pricing items. Then we measured for a shed. A SHED!!!! A shed is the kind of thing that homeowners do when they need more space in their house (kinda like the fanny pack-pack)

This is our current shed, pretty sweet eh?

Big things coming up this week: Obviously I have to work this week, but Patrick and I are going over to the in-laws for dinner Wednesday night. I am going to spend some time with my little buddy Will later this week, and on Friday Heather, Jessica and I are hitting the road for another offical road trip... We are going to Philly for a baby shower for Nicole.

Party with the pregos

I am sorry I have been so lame, but I promise I am back with more awesome blogs to come.

Bethany side-note of the day: Bethany got to see Brittany in concert when we were in high school... I wasn't jealous then (honestly I thought it was dorky) now I am super jealous. One day maybe

Reflecting On Camp

So this post has been long in the works, because for a very long time I did not know how to talk about camp with the right words. This is my best shot.

I am very sad that Memorial Day is coming up and for the first time since 1997 I will not be present to help prep and start summer camp in some capacity. For plenty of reasons Patrick and I are not living at camp anymore and so that is not part of our lives from now on. (This is not the time or place to get into all of that, this is a time to reflect on a lot of good things.)

The day after my high school grad

Camp was the place, like a lot of my friends that I loved to be at during the summers, and the place I wished I had been all winter. I started working there when I was 15 and I just kept going back every summer. There are very few jobs and tasks that I haven't done while working there. And I don't really think I have had a job I loved more then what I did while I was working there.

seriously...EVERY JOB

My husband started working there where he was in high school too and ended up taking a year round job there. These are some of the best years of our lives. We lived the first 5 years or our marriage in a house there and loved it. (My parents met and got married while at summer camp too, I am not really sure why they let me go to camp since they know what happens there... needless to say my kids can't work at camp.)

The friends that I made at camp are forever, good and bad I experienced more life lessons then I can count while I was there.

In honor of the good times I camp, I made a Top Ten Camp Memories, (I know I am leaving out some really good ones, seven years is a lot to sum up in a top ten list)

(Honorary 11th place tie--The Statler Brother's on 4th of July and watching Ron kill a snake with a shotgun while wearing the American flag shirt.)
10. Stuffing Alison (my future roomie) in the dishwasher... why did she listen to us.
9.  Pirate Day and my old school Super Bowl XXIII hat.
8. Tommy and his special red pants.
7. Breaks when the campers weren't at the lake... time to sun.
6. The "comprehensive-plan"...a weight lose plan that really is what you make it... aka you make up your own rules.
5. Learning how to drive a stick-shift. The busted up Mazda I drove was terrible, and I stalled it out constantly all summer long, but it had a radio... (very embarrassing)
4. Driving around in the gator with Thomas Rodrigez Rigg on "safari" while lighting smug-pots... pit pit cheerio. (This barely made the list, I have only recently forgiven him for making me watch Hedwig and the Angry Itch)
3. Using the EMERGENCY PHONE to call while on an overnight hike to ask if somebody could run up a s'more kit.... spoiler alert: the s'more kit never arrived
2. The unofficial beach trip
1. Meeting Patrick and dating during the summer of 2002. (FYI we got married there first.)

Camp will always be part of us, and I am sure some time soon I will slap on some tie-dye and think of being up there.

Bethany side-note of the day- Bethany worked for a summer at camp too... she hated it. For those of you who know me from work, see if you can pick out the familiar face.

Hold On To Your Hats Kids

People have different ways of getting comfortable and ready for bed. I am not necessarily picky and in the last several years I have adapted to the way Patrick likes to sleep... IN A ARCTIC TUNDRA...COLD BRRRRRRR

In our bedroom we have count em:
1.

2.

3.

Fans in our bedroom.

Sometimes I wake up and my head looks like this.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the fans (anymore) I have gotten used to it and now I have trouble falling asleep without the gentle hum of air circling around the room. Do the people you live with have weird things they do around the house?

Bethany Side-Note of the Day: One year Bethany asked me to help her type her Christmas list to give to Mom, I put a bunch of stuff I wanted on the list and she actually got some as gifts.... She was heartbroken on Christmas, Mom and Dad were really pissed... I thought it was hilarious.

Terrific Tuesday/ Torrential Downpour Tuesday

I am awfully sorry that I haven't let everybody know what I have been up too. So here goes, this is going to be a great week.

Last night my friend Megan came over for dinner and a movie. I got to make my favorite pasta, (it was delicious but definately not healthy.) Megan really wants to go see The Hangover 2 when it comes out soon but she hadn't seen the first one. So we figured we would take matters into our own hands and watch it. I can't imagine the The Hangover 2 is the kind of movie where you have to have seen the first movie to understand the sequel but we don't want to take chances.

Today is rained.... and rained... and rained. But I got to work only a half day and I had a super fun lunch with Patrick.

Wednesday, I have a big work thing going on that I have been working on for months.... so here's hoping all goes well.

Thursday, no big plans so far but I will keep you posted.

Friday, I have to work in the evening which kinda sucks, but I will be getting prepped for a big Saturday.

Saturday, This is my father in laws big 5-0 birthday, so all of Patrick's family is getting together to celebrate and have a picnic. I have 2 brother in laws and 2 awesome sister in laws and I can't wait to hang out and celebrate. I know it sounds lame but we don't see much of each other. 1 of Patrick's brothers lives in Staunton and we are lame that we haven't gone to visit them. (we should do that really soon.) Patrick's other brother lives in North Carolina and we have been down to visit but we haven't seen them in forever. (Patrick sadly will miss some of it because he has a rescue squad thing he can't miss but hopefully he will be able to get of it early so he can come hang out.)

Some lovely ladies from Philly are coming down to visit Heather and Jessica this weekend and I am super pumpped. Saturday night we are going to be partying it up with the preggos (Heather and Nicole) I don't quite know what all the plans are but I know it is going to be a good time.

So that is the plans for now.

Bethany side-note of the day: Bethany seems to have landed a new job and I am super proud of her and I know she will do a great job. (To congratulate her @BethanyFinn) 

This is how I waste my time

Its confession time. While some people might condemn my views but I really enjoy staying home and watching some TV with my husband, I would say that we are homebodies. Don't get me wrong between work and everything else we have going on we are out of the house a lot, but when we are home we definately have some preferred shows and I hope that you don't judge me when I tell you what kind of terrible television that I am watching and in a lot of cases forcing Patrick to watch too.

This might seem like a watch a TON of TV, but I have DVR so I don't feel burdened by television anymore. Television comes to me on my time and I am not sure when I last saw a commercial.  Patrick mocks me because I seriously have the DVR set to record some shows (cough cough Real Housewives or Anywhere) in the middle of the night because I am recording other things during prime time hours. So here goes.

I already confessed about The Real Housewives, the truth is I would probably watch the Real Housewives of Palmyra VA (my hometown) if it was on. But I am really hooked on most things that come on Bravo I think their motto should be "the other channel for women". I watch them all Top Chef, Rachel Zoe, Millionaire Matchmaker, etc ...... exception to this rule Tabatha's Salon Takeover (I mean really, that is just too much for me.)

Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant, I hang my head in shame on this one. I hate to admit that I am one of those terrible people who watch these young girls turn into train wrecks and ruin their lives. But it is darn good TV.  Don't write me off just yet, because I am totally pulling for these girls, I loved Leah and Corey and I was sad they couldn't make it. I have developed a theory though, perhaps these girls could use slightly more therapy then Dr. Drew can provide in a 2 hour end of the season special.

I am a serious Glee-k. If you are not watching Glee yet.... WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! The music is great, Sue is fun, the kids seem fun to hang out with, Stixs is obviously the Olive Garden and everybody loves the Olive Garden, and Brittany has a great twitter account. The show is great. My boss gets so tired of my singing Glee songs from my Ipad it is crazy.

I watch How I Meet Your Mother, Barney is hilarious. I have been watching Desperate Housewives for years I probably won't stop now, I have too much invested.

The Office is wonderful, sometimes when I am at work I like to think about what Michael Scott with do with a problem, (then I do the exact opposite.)  It was a sad day when he left but Dwight is so funny I will always watch.

Then there are a bunch of shows that I started watching because Patrick likes them and now I am hooked. Top Gear, this show is great, it is on BBC America. I know nothing about cars, but I can tell a good joke when I hear it and the hosts are always torturing each other... so funny. Swamp People, I would have never guessed that that is could be on television, clearly this show is not for the clever and complicated people out there but it is awesome. I secretly want to be on Swamp People, I would hope if I ever made an appearance that the producers would subtitle me back to Cajun so that all the locals would eventually understand me.

This guy makes overall cool again!

While you are out watching all this TV you are going to need snacks, I am a pizza fan so if you are going to eat pizza you ought to get it at Mama Mia's (shout out to Romeo and Heather) in Shenandoah, it is delish. If this is a little too far to drive you should get this DiGorno pizza... it rocks.

Well there you have it folks, enjoy!

Bethany side-note the day: I can't believe she still refuses to read my blog, I promise you friends that I really do have sister.

BETHANY CHECK MY BLOG!!!

Maybe you are a little tired of my consistently posting on your Facebook and Twitter that you should check my blog. I can understand this, I do have a silver lining for you and that is--- many of you do not see me on a daily basis so that I can tell you personally... "Have you checked my blog yet, because you should!!! Do it now, do it! do it! do it!" You should be feeling a lot better about things now.

I have been posting on a blog for nearly a month and I am consistently talking it up to everybody I know (seriously I practically forced my friend from Human Resources to bookmark me...wowzers), what I really want is for people to learn a lot more about me and for people to realize I am not nuts. (Still working on this part, I should probably stop writing posts like this one.) Throughout this time my dear sister Bethany has refused to read and comment on my blog. (I might be paranoid but I secretly believe she is reading my not owning up to it.) Clearly my attempt to blog-torture her by posting a fun note of the day about her is not encouraging her to comment in retaliation. So I may be forced to throw in the towel and accept that fact that she just isn't going to come around.

But before that I have to show a last attempt. So here is the game plan from now on... I have posted a new poll regarding reasons Bethany should post on my blog. And finally I will beg...

Bethany, please please please start reading my blog since I can't see you all the time because you live far away, at least you can check up on me on the daily buy reading my awesome thoughts.
Love you sibling, you are the best

The 90s were AWESOME!

I was born in 1982 and if you do that math correctly you will discover that I turned 18 in 2000. While it might seem totally cliche to say, the world was a totally differant place back then. The biggest reason for this is. THE 90'S WERE AWESOME! I totally "came of age" during this time and there was a ton to like about it.

1. New Kids on The Block hit their stride in the early 90's (It should be noted that I have been a huge fan ever since and can say with pride that I have Step by Step on my Ipod and Ipad... circa 1991)

2. The biggest fear most of us had was the impending doom that Y2K was about to bring.

Anita and I weren't scared

3. Counting Crows... nuf said, Mr. Jones has been my favorite song since 1993 and will likely continue to be for many years to come.

4. Nickelodeon, I am not talking about regular Nick TV I am talking about old school classics Salute Your Shorts and Hey Dude these shows were fabulous and if you were not watching you are totally out of the loop. If you are in your late 20's and you were raised in the the US and blessed enough to have cable you will think of these shows fondly.

5. Trapper Keepers these were basically the precurser to the Blackberry for most of us. The trapper keeper was organized, cleaver, and stylish. My whole life (aka school work) was held hostage in the trapper keeper when I was in school similar to my Blackberry while working now. 

6. My parents bought their first cell phone. If you have never seen a cell phone that had a cord and lived in a bag resembling a shoe box. You are missing out. The first cell phones were huge. I guess they should have been called car phones. But there were amazing, for the first time you could call your parents when they were out on the town partying and ask them for a slur-pie/chicken nuggets/clear pepsi/ etc. 

7. The Hoff- I have been a lifeguard for the better part of my life so obviously I have a soft spot in my heart for David Hasslehoff, but I will save that for another post. The important thing to remember here is that Baywatch was on and it was great. (side note Walker Texas Ranger was another landmark show of this decade. Upon request I can sing you both theme songs and this is a skills I am proud of.)

8. Clueless- This is a fabulous movie, it mixed so many wonderful things it is hard to put into words, but since this is a blog I will give it a shot. Paul Rudd, fun clothes, catch phases, whatever, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, computers to pick out my clothes. I loved this movie so much I wanted to be Cher.

The 90s had a sense of freedom like we were all about to have to grow up or something. The music was great, the movies were fun, dressing "up" could mean a nice plaid shirt, you could still get into Canada with just a drivers license, and there are so many cool things I could say. What am I missing, what is your favorite 90s things?

Bethany side note of the day: Bethany has a awesome mom, Elfie she is a real sweetie and I hope she has a great day. 

Happy as a K.Lam

So I was inspired by some other bloggers (and Oprah) out there to make a list of things that make me very happy... and since my name works into it so well I thought K.Lam would be really cute. So here is what I have: my top 10.

10. Warm weather: I hate the cold... sad but true, I turned down a job in Chicago because it gets cold there. (plus all my friends and family had just moved away from there.)
9. This tea (look I just like being warm)

8. Hammocks in the sun
7. Waking up on my own without the alarm clock.
6. Blankets and pillows: I am more of a blanket person while sleeping but I love cuddling with pillows on the sofa. Admit it there is nothing that makes you feel warmer and happier inside then some fluffy blankets and pillows.

In my most natural state

5. IPAD... I admit it I have a problem I am addicted to my Ipad. I take it to work, I read on it while in bed. I have a true addiction. (Please don't take it away.)
4. Pedicures, I don't know if it is getting a pedicure or the time I get to spend with the Real Housewives of Harrisonburg when we go to get them, but I love the times when we get together for them... hint hint, I could use one now.

3. Traveling: I have been really lucky and had a lot of opportunity to see a lot of the world. But I love to travel and can't wait till we can afford to do a lot more of it.

Cancun with Bethany

2. My own home to set my feet into. My parent are ministers so they moved around alot and lived in homes provided by their churches. When I was in high school I would have loved to changed the color of the walls but I wasn't allowed. For 4 years in college I shared a dorm and had a blast, I had a apartment with my own room for a short time before I got married, and for the first 5 years of our marriage we lived in housing provided by my husbands job so we couldn't change much there either. But when we bought our own house for the very first time in my life I got to pick paint colors. 

1. My family and I have a great one.

Bethany side note of the day: She always likes it cold and hates to swim... we are pretty much opposites. 

Major Car Trouble

I have had a long and sorted history with vehicles. Lets do the math I am 28 and I got my learners permit on my 15th birthday so I have been driving a vehicle for 13 years. (That seems like a very long time, I can't possibly be that old.)

Lets review the highlights/low-lights of my lifetime of driving.

These are the rock-star vehicles that got me through high school. The van had some pretty exciting features, the ignition for example was broken and no longer required a key to start, if you turned the ignition without a key the engine turned on and purred like a grizzly bear. Also I learned a lot about how to jump start a vehicle from the van. One last cherished moment about the van, by friend Suset glued quarters to the ceiling, my dad got really mad yet we never removed the quarters.

Then there was the "little blue twuk" as my mother affectionally referred to it. This is the vehicle that I got stuck in the snow when my parents were out of the country and I was driving around in the snow when I wasn't supposed to. Also this is the vehicle that I tried to drive down to visit my then boyfriend (now husband) with by racing the snow to Ferrum... ended up pulling over and knocking on a random door because it would drive no further. I could have been killed by crazies, but I met a very nice couple that I still send Christmas cards to. (My parents could be pretty mad about this genius decision on my part, so lets not tell them.) Needless to say I am not a awesome driver in the snow.

A few years passed by with no real out of the normal vehicle excitement. I drove a Volvo station wagon (because I am that cool, sadly no pictures) I got to experience what a sunroof was like. With a little luck in life I might get another one someday. There is still a soft place in my heart for that Volvo.

Then this happened....

TOTAL BUMMER!!!

But for the last several years I have driven this sweet moonbeam around... I like to refer to it simply as "the Saturn"

The Saturn also has some interesting features... Raise your hand if your vehicle does not possess POWER-STEERING. (Anyone? didn't think so) Now raise your hand if your vehicle does not possess CRUISE CONTROL. (Anyone? again didn't think so) The service engine light used to just come on when I went over speed bumps but it has been been on now for the last couple of years. I like to think that if the service engine light goes off, the electric just burned out... (this can happen note previous pic) The saturn and I have been through some good times and I love it dearly. A couple of month ago I thought that maybe somebody might have dinged my right side because my side light was not looking quite right. Yesterday my worst fears were confirmed when it comes to my bumper. I accidentally pulled up on the curb when arriving at work and when I back off the curb my bumper stayed with it..... now it looks like this... please note the bungee holding up the bumper, this is a sure sign of classiness. Patrick says it is super fixable so I will keep you updated.

Life is quite an adventure..... safe driving all

Bethany side-note of the day: Bethany's middle name is Gene... she is named after our grandfather

Weekend Excitement and Catching Up on Some Stuff

Announcement People!!! I took 3 days off last week (and they were in a row!!!)

Let do a rundown of all the things I accomplished.
I washed the dog... look how unhappy she looks. It should be noted that she smells great and I have a big goal of giving her a bath weekly from now on. (Keyword to the previous sentence: goal)

I took Patrick out for his anniversary date, Fast Five and steak. Please don't judge me for watching Fast Five it was actually the best of the series since the original movie which I can say without shame that I also saw in the theatre. Plus it made Patrick really happy and I am all about that.

I painted pottery with the Real Housewives of H-burg minus a couple of girls. (we missed you guys hope to see you all soon.) This is what I painted it hasn't been glazed and fired yet so I will be sure to post the final product when it is done. We had a great time. (And Angie got Twitter so blow her up @angie_daddy)

We tried to find cupcakes all around downtown Harrisonburg.... No Luck!

I went to the gym with some friends and pulled a muscle... sadness. I wanted to show a picture but I have no desire to show my crazy pasty white legs for all to see.

All in all I didn't really accomplish much but I had a good time and I got to hang out with some great people. Can't wait to do it all again soon.

Now to some business. My friend Jessica gave me a blog shout-out on my big day so here's to her and Kevin. Today is their 1st anniversary and they are both awesome. (Plus she paints a mean trivet with a blue pineapple on it.)

Bethany Side Note of the Day: The saga continues, Bethany please read my blog so I can move on with my life. For some reason my sister who considers her self awesome and righty so, has started to watch wrestling (or wraling as it is sometimes pronounced) with her boyfriend. I don't understand it Bethany pull yourself together...this is that girl that I used to know!!!