i think it might be time to retire this here blog. check in for updates on a less regular basis.

so now that we have the new tv, i need help with an idea for this wall. it's rather large so it needs to be something elegant yet subdued. thoughts???

our new purchase.

i know, i've been neglecting this here blog. i haven't really felt like blogging lately. i know it sounds weird but i haven't had anything funny to share, and i don't feel like rambling my insecurities or doubts regarding my job and nothing excited has really happened lately.

so, here i am listening to in rainbows for the 100+ time. it's the best. i have to admit that after kid a i started drifting away from thom and the gang but this album is great and has rekindled my love. let's hope that they tour AND come to the sprint center. since everyone else and their mother is, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?

Your Karaoke Theme Song is "Since U Been Gone"

You are a very expressive and genuine person. You're not so emotional that you wear your heart on your sleeve - but you're not afraid to show how you're truly feeling. Whether you're singing along in the car or singing on stage, your favorite songs make you get a little carried away. You're definitely the type most likely to dream of becoming a rock star! You might also sing: "Livin' La Vida Loca," "I Will Survive," or "Hollaback Girl" Stay away from people who sing: "I'll Make Love to You"

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?

the spider lives!!!


john found it the night before last, making a new web closer to the house. this time, he killed it. i know, killing is bad but this thing was huge and definitely could have done some harm with it's bite.

i hate spiders.

so you can imagine how i felt last night when i was sitting outside and saw the biggest spider, ever spinning a web away from our deck. i ran inside and told john he needed to come see it - when he finally came outside, he said, "wow - that's a big 'in". yes. he said big 'in.

anyway, he knocked down the spider and it's web so that it could run to safety and then i got really nervous thinking about the spider and how it was big enough to push through the doggie door and make a new home in our house. ok, so maybe i have a vivid imagination but still - it's totally possible, right???

dallas adventure, part 2

robbi and scott arrive at about 4 on saturday and we decide to leave at around 5 for the show. barbara helped us pack a picnic of sandwiches, vodka, chips and frozen guac and we head out.

we arrive at the venue and i decide that instead of waiting until we head into the show that i would go pick up our tickets. i walk to the east box office as the warehouse employee told us that's where our tickets would be, and get in line. i give the box office employee my name and they can't find my tickets. i give them jane's name, no tickets. i explain the situation and they "call" the fan club's contact for the show. apparently, the people we had spoken with on friday and the "contact" (which by the way, i was never able to see therefore i don't think they exist)tells them that under no circumstance am i to receive the tickets. WHAT? GET YOUR FRIGGIN ASS OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE. being the calm, cool and collected person i am, i start yelling at them and refuse to leave telling them that i won't move until they give me my tickets. they ask me where my seats were and i tell them. i can tell the girl thinks i am making it up because she kind of rolls her eyes. the next thing i know, this R A N D O M girl in line tries to butt into the situation. instant reenactment:

random girl: "what's your problem - they told you they don't have your tickets - you should get out of line!"
shayna: "excuse me? i don't believe that i asked your opinion." (btw - i could totally tell she was baked and was just rambling but don't F with me and my dmb tickets. ever.)
rg: "they don't have your tickets so get out of line!"
s: (moving closer)"i really don't think you want to fuck with me right now."
rg: "i am not going to fight you" AND THEN she flashes me her beautiful wrist tattoo that proudly displays "peace and love". peace and love this, biatch! meanwhile, the guy she was with tells her to knock it off as i move closer to her. seriously, punching her would have been well worth getting kicked out of the venue at this point.
s: "you really should learn to mind your own business. if you were in my situation, i think you'd be reacting the same way." side note: am i really going to put on the fist-a-cuffs on yom kippur? i mean, at this point i am probably going to hell anyway so why not add a little fuel to the fire.

and just when i thought it couldn't get any better - security shows up. for me. i'm dying laughing right now because it's me. shayna. the girl who may know how to pull hair (my sister can vouch for that) or say mean things but i don't think i could ever hit someone. maybe they figured since the fat girl was going crazy she might eat someone but nah, i was just fired up. ANYWAY - they ask me to leave the line and we move to an out of the way area to discuss what's going on. at first, there are two "security" people. a skinny girl who was probably shorter than myself and a guy who was probably five foot six, if that. just when i thought it couldn't get any worse, moley sir moles-a-lot comes in to offer a solution. i can buy tickets in the same section, same row (btw, the show was sold out) for the low, low price of $140. so basically, in my head they are trying to sell me back the tickets that are rightfully mine. because i really didn't feel like arguing anymore, we agree to buy the tickets thinking the warehouse will reimburse jane because of their ignorance and then jane can reimburse us.

after purchasing the tickets, we go back to our tailgate and i begin drinking. robbi's telling me to pound vodka cranberries but i just can't. i haven't eaten all day (see god, i am a good jew!) and the last think i need is to vomit. we continue our tailgate until 7:15 and head into the venue. despite all of the pre show drama, the show itself was really great. they played "loving wings" which made everything a - ok in my book, until monday when i called the warehouse.

btw - while at the show i dropped my phone and broke it (which is why i didn't call heather after the show).

the girl at the warehouse told me that jane told her to reprint the houston tickets and that they were at will call in houston, not dallas. two inconsistencies. 1. she told us our tickets would be at the east box office and there is no east box office at the woodlands and 2. WE TOLD HER WE WERE IN DALLAS WHEN WE TALKED TO HER. needless to say, they're refusing to reimburse jane which means $140 down the drain.

and this is why we probably won't be traveling to see dmb anymore.

and now, i present part one of our dallas adventure.

i had to work a half day on friday because i didn't want to miss my weekly status meeting with the benefits group at our purchasers office so i created a plan to get myself to work without having to leave a car at the office. john would drive me to work and then my friend shannon would drive me to the airport after my meeting. on our way to my office, john asked for the american express. while i was in my purse, i pulled out our tickets for the concert on saturday night and put them with the american express telling him to pack the tickets. so far, so good.

i get to the airport, go through security and realize that john is not there yet. i wait a few minutes and call him to find out where he is. parking. he'll be at the gate in a few minutes. i finally see him coming through security and ask him if he has the tickets. he said yes, he had the tickets that were on the kitchen table. ummm, what about the tickets in the car? yeah - he had forgotten them. we ask the gate agents if he has time to go back to the car and they tell us no. i am instanly pissed off and fear that we are screwed. i pull out my warehouse membership card (dmb fan club) and call the number on it. i guess the phone number has changed since i got my card 9 years ago so i called every person i know to try and get their number. finally, i call my friend jane (who had originally purchased the tickets) and leave her a message telling her what happened. john calls his mom to see if she can run up to the airport and fed ex our tickets. she gives him this bs long excuse but just when he starts making headway, the flight attendant tells him to turn off his phone.

we spend the first 20 minutes of the flight pissed off at each other and the next watching an episode of the office. once we land we have our cell phones in hand waiting for the all clear to make calls. jane had left a message saying all i needed to do was call the warehouse and we were good to go. ironically, the couple in front of us had done the exact same thing so they needed to talk to the warehouse, too. we call the warehouse, give them our info and she tells us where we can pick up the tickets. phew! saved!

or so we thought...

You Are 60% California

You're fairly Californian. Unless you're really from California, you should be stoked!

How California Are You?

we just had one of the most eventful weekends of our lives. the recap will probably come in installments but really - stay tuned.

the last week has probably been one of the hardest weeks of my life.

the day after elise and ari's wedding, my sister was diagnosed with cavernous angioma which is essentially a birth mark on her brain. certain things can cause the birth mark to swell, causing awful headaches and seizures. on wednesday, she underwent brain surgery to remove the angioma and the result exactly what the doctors wanted. she's doing well now and will probably go home today but the stress and fear that i have been feeling for the past few weeks has been very overwhelming.

many of you know that rachel and i have had our ups and downs but at the end of the day, she's my sister and i love her more than anything in this world. i would do anything for her and i know that if the situation was reversed, she would have done the same. seeing her helpless in a hospital bed after her surgery really struck hard. when my dad had his surgery last year, i was pretty emotional but seeing my 26 year old sister go through brain surgery was probably one of the hardest things for me, emotionally. once thursday came around she was doing a LOT better and on friday she was entertaining a roomful of guests.

sometimes in life we take for granted what's closest to us and i know that i have done that in recent times. we get so caught up in the little things that we forget that trivial situations are not important. i know i am guilty of it from time to time (or more).

yesterday morning i was a complete wreck. i had to be strong for my mom for 4 days and really started breaking down yesterday morning but the shit really hit the fan yesterday afternoon when i was talking to john. i didn't tell many people about the surgery because i just didn't want to talk about it anymore but, for the few people i did tell, they were mostly supportive. more on this later.

anyway - that's my week in a nutshell and even though the week was very emotional, there were some very funny things that happened that i will discuss later.

OH MY GOSH - I HATE ZACH SO MUCH.

seriously - he ruined my boy, eric's game.

bb is going to be SO boring now. i guess we can cancel the showtime subscription now.

i haven't been this upset since marissa cooper died on the oc.

as many of you know, i have a minor obsession with the office. i religiously watch it and often quote lines from previous episodes my favorite being, "that's what she said".

today, i had the opportunity to play my very on office prank on my wbff (work best friend forever), shannon. if there were ever a bigger office fan it would be shannon. as a matter of fact, she one up'd me yesterday by purchasing the season 3 dvd set with an actual dundie. what's a dundie, you ask? here's your answer.

shannon was SO proud of her dundie that i decided that i must sabotage said dundie. whilst she was at a meeting, i snuck up to her desk and removed the dundie without incident and proceeded to take the dundie to ryan the i.t. guy's desk. ryan is friends with both shannon and myself although we still need to find out if he is loyal - this was the test. ryan has the typical guy's desk. nothing on it but a picture of his girlfriend and a bunch of lame computer equipment. translation: no where to hide the damn dundie. however, i figure that if she's smart enough to go visit ryan and see if he's holding the dundie hostage, it would be hilarious if it was just sitting out, like a regular desk ornament. ryan's all excited to be a part of the prank and goes along with what i tell him.

shannon returns from her 11 o'clock meeting and im's me as if nothings going on. this leads me to believe she hasn't realized that her prized dundie is gone. she leaves for lunch and returns an hour later. in the middle of im'ing me, she must have realized it was gone. i tried to pretend i had no clue what she was talking about (i wish i had saved the im - it was classic)and ran down to ryan's to get the dundie with the hopes of returning it to it's home without notice. the whole time i am cracking up because i think it's the funniest thing, ever. before i "enter" the 7th floor, i catch my breath and put on my work face. proceed to shannon's desk, put the dundie back in it's original place and head back to my desk. one problem - as i was turning the corner - there's shannon! she totally busted me and the two of us cracked up non stop for a good 10 minutes.

on my way home, i kept thinking about what i had done and how incredibly hilarious i am and started cracking up. literally laughing out loud because i am so funny.

when i tried to explain the story to john he seemed completely uninterested. it really was funny though - i promise!

i love justin timberlake, so much.

no seriously - i only watched the first 1/2 hour of the futuresex/lovesounds concert on hbo last night because i was exhausted but i am pretty sure i will be finishing it this weekend.

thanks, shea!

You May Be a Bit Histrionic...

Dramatic and over the top, you crave attention. And you'll do anything it takes to get noticed. You love to be seductive, even when it's inappropriate. If you're ignored, you're easily hurt ... and act out even more!

What Personality Disorder Are You?

yesterday, we had a major crisis at home.

the dvr was completely full. good thing we caught up on some shows really quick because i would have D I E D without big brother last night. (freakin' chiefs ruining my big brother watch time and not reairing the episode until midnight.)

dear boyd,

when wearing a shirt that's short enough to reveal the top of your pubic region, please choose jeans with a higher rise.

many thanks,
shayna dunn

ahhh!!! why is it that the day before a show goes by so slow. i am so excited for tomorrow...this day is going to kill me!

i really think i need this shirt.

it's so fitting, dontcha think?

why would someone carry their own bottle of hand soap into the bathroom when the company provides fairly nice foaming wash?

it's been a really long week and a half.

first off, we didn't make it to the counting crows show on the 10th because some jackass ran a red light and hit my car when i was on my way home from work that day. because he was in a work vehicle, we had to go down to the police station to file a report and by the time i got home it was almost 6:30 and i was in no mood to party like the rock start that i am. instead, we stayed home and had chipotle for dinner, finished packing and passed out early.

saturday was a run-around day. we didn't have to be at the airport until 3 so i treated myself to a mani-pedi and picked up some snacks for the dog sitter. the flight to sf was pretty uneventful. we watched taladega nights which was funny but not as funny as i had anticipated. from the second we stepped off the plane, it was non-stop until we left tuesday.

the wedding itself was nice but my feet were in so much pain that i was so thankful that i remembered to bring my flip flops to change into after the ceremony. the reception was a big high school youth group reunion. i hadn't seen most of the people there in nearly 12 years. it's funny how much people don't change. for the most part i could go another 12 without seeing these people although i did enjoy catching up with delilah and julie. the end of the night was the worst part though. walking a mile back to mikey's with drunk john. for those of you who've never met drunk john before, it's not fun. really not fun but i won't go into that.

monday was spent catching up with friends and cleaning out my room. my mom threatened to throw everything away herself so i at least had to be sure that i had removed anything of sentimental value. john laughed at all of my mixed tapes. ha! he has no clue. i can't believe i threw them all away but, it really was time. monday night we went for sushi and then topped the night off with an it's it.

nothing too exciting going on this week other than getting excited for dmb next tuesday. it'll just be us, jess and brynn - very low key. i am really looking forward to hearing some new songs and enjoying the show.

until next time...

we're off to sf in two days for elise and ari's wedding. it's going to be a really good time and i LOVE my bridesmaid dress.

before we leave, we have a hot date with the counting crows tomorrow night at the missouri state fair. i cannot wait! my cousin hooked us up with tickets but we won't know anything else until we get there. i am crossing my fingers that we get to watch from backstage like elise and me last year.

so, i ordered these shoes online for elise's upcoming wedding. since my dress is black, i thought it would be fun to get some snazzy black satin shoes. they fit, they're psuedo comfortable and they're way cute.

the question is, does beauty outweigh comfort?

just in case you were wondering, because i know i was...

Tips For Conference Call Etiquette
A message from IT

We’ve all been on a conference call and complained about not being able to hear or someone making a noise that echoes through the call. Below are some etiquette tips to make your next conference call a success.

-Do get comfortable with the fact you will be talking in front of a group and receiving no visual cues or feedback.
-Do set the ground rules at the beginning of the meeting.
-Don’t talk over someone else
-Place yourself on Mute if you are in a noisy environment
-Don’t use the Hold button. This plays on-hold music for everyone.
-Do use an appropriate phone in a quiet, undisturbed room.
-Don’t use cell phones or phones that pick up background noise.
-Do learn to use the mute button.
-Do set up the meeting in advance and communicate the dial in number, pass-codes and other information. Please keep Time Zone information in mind for those in different Time Zones.
-Do start the meeting on time. Take a roll call at the start of the meeting, highlighting the missing attendees.
-Do treat the conference call as if it were a face-to-face meeting. Prepare and circulate the agenda in advance, take notes, watch the time.
-Do get each caller/participant to say hello and introduce themselves. Use their names as a way to engage as many participants into the discussion as possible.
-Don’t assume everyone recognizes your voice, say your name before you speak.
-Don’t allow the topic to wander, stay on agenda.
-Do learn how to use your conference technology properly, before the meeting time/date.
-Do ask for input by using a person’s name. This helps participants pay more attention.
-Don’t shuffle papers; scrape chairs, tap pencils/pens, hum or other distracting, noisy activities.
-Do close the meeting formally, thanking everybody for their time.


Conference calls are a great tool to interact with team members at other locations. Using the tips above can ensure effective communications during your conference calls so they can be as productive as possible.

do not try the raspberry mocha frapachino from starbucks. i almost vomitted when i tried it this moring.

i am totally obsessed with paolo nutini. i've been reading about his debut cd for quite sometime and finally remembered to ask jess to download it for me.

it's super good and i really don't know who to compare him to. give him a listen though, you'll probably like it too.

another weekend, another day on the couch.

i literally spent 85% of my day on saturday in front of the tv watching live earth. call me a loser but i was completely sucked in.

the performances were short and sweet and i really did appreciate so many artists are interested in helping our planet. i learned a lot from the tips that were given throughout the day and hope to make some changes, soon.

my favorite performances were jack johnson, the beastie boys, john mayer, dmb, the police, madonna, paolo nutini and alicia keys.

please tell me i am not the only one to veg out all weekend!

i think my jen lancaster infatuation was a little premature.

on page 213 of "bitter is the new black" she talks about how much she hates dave matthews and that he makes her want to kick puppies.

i cannot be friends with someone who hates someone whom i love so much or someone who would intentionally harm a puppy. have you no class whatsoever?

two weeks ago, my friend shannon gave me one of the funniest books i've ever read called "bright lights, big ass". it's a memoir written by this girl who had major success during the dot com boom and then is layed off after september 11th. she's HILARIOUS calling rachael ray "titter mchighbeams" and basically needing a xanax to go to her well woman exam. seriously - i almost died laughing while reading it.

she's almost as funny as one sharon mcclennan and i am totally obsessed with her now. i check her blog daily and am considering linking her to mine.

do you think that's a bit much?

last weekend, i took john on a surprise birthday camping trip. we headed off to pamona lake on friday after work and had a great time. suprisingly, i really do enjoy camping (minus the rain storm on friday night) and we both had a chance to relax - which we haven't done in a while. it's also really nice to spend time, just the two of us. on saturday, john fished while i read. we also people watched at the "beach" and laughed a lot.

anyway, today is john's 30th birthday and i wish him many, many more.

i love you, honey!

last night, jessica and i went to see john mayer and ben folds.

oh my gosh it was SO good. i love ben folds! i don't think i have ever seen him live before and even though i was not familiar with his newer stuff (i love the ben folds five stuff) i really enjoyed his performance. he played this one song called "disco bitch" (i think) and it was AWESOME. also, there was a 12 year old boy sitting in front of us who is ben's number one fan. it was really cute to watch him sing along to every song.

jm was great - i got to hear "slow dancing in a burning room" which i hadn't heard live and his energy was great. dumping jugs was the best move he's ever made.

pictures to come later!

some people really do have too much time on their hands.

happy anniversary to one of my favorite musicals of all time.

the past few weeks have been nuts. it seems like the chaos has ended and i can give a brief update.

john's brother's wedding was saturday night. it was probably the best wedding i have ever been to in terms of location and music. they had an 80's cover band and the location was huge. john and i had a great time until i lost my purse after the reception and we had to track it down. luckily, a very honest girl found it and left it at the front desk of her hotel.

the wedding is now over and we have a few things coming up but nothing too lavish. this weekend my cousin will be here announcing the royals/marlins game and the weekend following is john's 30th. finally - i can start giving him a hard time about his age. i have a special weekend planned for his birthday but it's a secret so you'll have to wait to find out what it is :)

other than wedding chaos, i've been semi-interviewing for new jobs. i'm not actively looking however, if i see something that appeals to me, i am applying. the first job i interviewed for was an hr manager for the new downtown arena. i had the interview almost a month ago and haven't heard anything so that's kind of a done deal to me. then last week, i interviewed with a company that i have been very interested in for several years. i really thought i was going to get the job but then found out late friday that they had selected another candidate. there's a contracting role available that they're interested in me for but i am not sure i want to contract...decisions decisions.

susie's all set up. yay! it's official. i am obsessed with my dogs.

i copied jen and nikki by adding oliver's pupster link to my website. i'll work on one for susie in a few!

this will be awesome. although, i do prefer storytellers.

i had a blast last weekend. i'm so glad that i went! my chocolate chip cookies definitely won people over - everyone said they were better than costco's. root!

also, i got made fun of numberous times for thinking john mayer is hot. what a bunch of meanies.

wow. talk about well travelled.



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

has anyone missed me? i knew these next few weeks would be insane - i just didn't think i wouldn't have time to post. good lord.

this weekend i am heading to the lake of the ozarks for the first time. i am excited but a little aprehensive because it's 15 girls and i only know 5 of them. i'm bringing a big bottle of vodka to make friends. i also baked chocolate chip cookies and made puppy chow. can you tell i am desperate for people to like me?

and, this really needs to end. once and for all. i can't deal anymore!!!

the next few weeks are going to be crazy. i leave thursday for sf and we're booked almost every weekend until july...

also, has anyone noticed that the tide pen smells?

i bought these over the weekend...aren' t they the cutest?

as if this weren't good enough news, someome posted "i'm alive" on youtube. horray!

i haven't had too much to post about over the past week. things are actually rather dull right now. not that i am asking for excitement or anything!

john starts his new job on monday, which is totally exciting. i am really happy for him that he found a job that he's excited about and will give him great exposure to an industry he loves. his new office is fairly close to our house and is also very close to chic fil a. wooo hoo for him!

we've decided to go to the kansas city and dallas shows on the upcoming dmb summer/fall tour. i haven't been to a show in dallas since 2003, and i am really looking into it. hopefully, we'll get to hang out with some old friends. robbi and scott are going to meet us there with the baby. i don't think she'll be ready to go to the show but at least we'll get to hang out with her for a little bit.

and finally, i really want blake to win american idol. he's so different from the other contestants and so cute! go...blake!

it's been almost seven years since i first my friend donnie introduced me to john mayer. back to you is still one of my favorite songs. i love when a song never gets old...this leads me to a question. what songs could you listen to over and over again or at different stages in your life and still be completely in love with it?

mine are:

back to you, john mayer
kiss off, violent femmes
warehouse, dmb
as is, ani difranco
anna begins, counting crows

wow, that kid's got the hook up!

i am obsessed with two cd's right now.

amy winehouse, "back to black" and james morrison, "undiscovered". do yourself a favor and get these! they're great.

any other suggestions on new music?

it's really no secret that i have a mild obsession with purses. last week when we were in ca, i was able to go to the coach outlet in vacaville and purchase another purse for my never-ending collection.

the purse i purchased is very similar to this. it was $169, which is fairly reasonable for a coach purse.

anyway, my mom and i went to a luncheon that thursday with a bunch of well off women that my mom knows from her married days. it was interesting to see how the other half lives and what is actually discussed at luncheons. mostly what i expected - gossip, shopping, jewelry - you get the point.

we got on the topic of handbags and this one woman was telling us about the most beautiful purse she had ever seen in her life. she found it at nieman marcus in beverly hills and she and her daughter both "had" to have it. long story short, this woman told her daughter to buy the purse and send her the bill. this is the purse. do people seriously spend THAT much money on a bag that will be out of season in a couple of months. insanity!!! furthermore - how much money does the mom have if she's offering to pay for a $3500 for a purse that's not even going on her shoulder?

we spent last week in san francisco which included a short trip to lake tahoe. the visit went really well. it's always nice to see friends and family and to catch up on each others lives. what's interesting to me is that everyone is at such a different part of life. sara and matt are getting ready to have a baby, elise and ari are getting ready for their upcoming wedding, and so on.

while on the road to tahoe, we realized that the radio in my mom's car is broken so we didn't get to listen to any music while on the road. it pretty much sucked. the drive to and from tahoe was interesting and i am sure john would agree, a little bit boring. regardless, we made each other laugh which is always fun.

although we did many things and saw many people, the best day for me was on wednesday when it was just the two of us...we drove out to half moon bay and took highway 1 into the city. john had never done any of the touristy things before so this was our chance. we drove through the haight, down to fisherman's warf and pier 39, drove down lombard street and some other sights. it really was a great day.

we also got to see my new baby cousin, berkeley. she is adorable and she loved john! she slept in his arms for nearly our whole visit without fussing at all. imagine that!

and now, it's passover. yesterday was the first full day and i am pretty sure that i am already sick of matzo. good times.

ahhh, memories. remember when we were young and there was no jessica simpson in sight?

dearly beloved, we gather here to say our goodbyes...

those of you who have been to my mom's house before know what an insane collection i have of cd's. cd's that i have been collecting since i received my very first cd player for my bat mitzvah. cd's that i've paid lots of money for, cd's that were limited editions, cd's that were imports, and so on.

my mom casually mentioned yesterday that she GAVE all of my cd's to her CLEANING LADY (who is probably making a killing on ebay). now, i will tell you that i do have a good chunk of the actual cd's with me in kansas city; HOWEVER. all of my imports, bootlegs (before i knew about tapers), and limited edition cd's are gone. i feel like i am in mourning.

feel free to leave your regards in my comments section.

i can't even begin to describe how amazing the justin timberlake concert was last night. it was a SHOW. i was equally impressed with pink. it the past i've thought she could be a wee bit annoying but she puts on a great concert.

but anyway - back to jt. oh my. i screamed so loud i thought i was going to lose my voice. poor sarah, she was probably embarassed with my antics but it was SO MUCH FUN. i was even going to buy a tshirt but all of the shirts had his face on them and i couldn't justify a 30 year old wearing a tshirt with justin's face on it.

we're off to some famous pancake place for breakfast before i head back to the world of non-stop basketball.

front row, baby!

it's been a fairly long past few weeks. orlando was a lot of fun but exhausting. i was in class from 8am until 4:30 each day, monday - saturday. then we stayed until monday to meet with one of our vendors. by monday evening, i was so excited to see my own bed, i almost cried. (ok, not quite but still.)

the next few weeks are going to be just as insane. on friday, i fly to nashville to see my man, justin timberlake with sarah. then a week from saturday, john and i go to san francisco for a week. three days in tahoe, four with friends and family. i am really excited to see alison, elise, sara and darcy but am a little nervous about seeing nana. rachel is there this week and i am anxiously awaiting a call from her to fill me in. i am sure it's not going to be easy by any means, so i am trying to prepare myself, emotionally.

more to come...

yes, i am alive...i'm in florida until monday!

kymm - call me! i don't have your number!!!

my dad and i are going to see john mayer in june. this is the first concert we've been to together since fine young cannibals.

i am so excited!

john mayer was sooo good. i am hoping i get some pictures soon so that you can see how close i was. at one point, he was standing right in front of us making goofy faces and i really was going to jump the stage. the only thing i did not like was that john made a "rockstar" entrance. it's been quite a while since i've seen him tour (last show was right before "heavier things" came out) and i don't recall him ever doing that before. oh well, i guess these things happen.

the funniest point of the night was when i was leaving for the concert, john said, "please come back from the concert". after he clarified by saying he knew if i didn't come back i would be in jail for attempted murder (on his new gf) or that i was on the tour bus and not coming back. he's so funny...sometimes!

maybe a pair of earrings from tiffany for valentine's day would make me feel better about the possibility of losing my job...

i am crossing my fingers for this in nashville!

i really thought i was done with the depressing posts but i guess not.

on tuesday evening before we all left for the day, my supervisor informed us that our company was being sold. it's a great deal for the company and our field employees but unfortunately, at this time there is not much hope for corporate employees. due to the company being regulated, the close of the sale will take approximately one year. that gives me time to get my act together and find a job that is perfect for me. hopefully one that will last a while...

the past week has been pretty uneventful. it's freezing in kansas city - which is not fun. i can't get over how cold it's been. today it's supposed to be 19 and colder weather is to come.

i am completely obsessed with continuum. i listen to it on repeat every day and am not yet sick of it. only 16 more days until the actual concert. john actually had a really good idea. he thinks i should take a picture of john and jessica and have it printed on a shirt with a big red line through it. thoughts? i don't know why it bugs me so much that they're together. probably because she's a dumb airhead and he's not. yeah, that's it.

did anyone else think the office was not as funny last night?

monday at lunch, we had a conversation about people who don't remove snow from their cars after a snow storm. basically what happens is that the snow melts together forming ice and then pieces of the ice fall off of a car as the car moves. it's super annoying and super scary. not to mention the fact that someone could get injured if a piece of ice (and by a piece, it's usually at least a foot long/wide) went flying off a car and directly onto your windshield. we're not talking rocket science, peeps. it's common courtesy. it's also LAZY to not remove said snow. seriously, how long does it take to wipe your car off with a snow brush.

my point (because i do actually kind of have one)...

there's this woman i work with who absolutely hates me. seriously, no one has hated me this much since shtacy shafer in high school. at first i thought she was just a mean person (which she is) but then i found out a little more...she originally wanted my position but my supervisor didn't think anyone in our organization had the benefits experience necessary to be successful at the job and let's be honest, my supervisor doesn't care too much for her either. from day one this girl has given me nothing but grief. she's one of those people who thinks everyone needs to be miserable because she is.

A N Y W A Y.

i'm leaving work on monday and notice that this woman has not brushed the snow off of her car. so freaking typical. tuesday, snow's still there. wednesday - yup, but it was warmer yesterday so the snow has melted down a bit. and today, it's still there. i find it so ironic that she out of all people leaves the snow on her car because she's totally lazy. also, she looks like a gorg from fraggle rock. remember those? and i know i shouldn't make fun of those who aren't physically beautiful but she's ugly on the inside which makes her even uglier on the outside.

long story short, CLEAN YOUR FREAKING CAR OFF AFTER A SNOW STORM (LAZY ASS)

here's the thing about toilets. they have flushing abilities for specific reasons - PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO FLUSH. especially if you are bulimic or have diahrea on a daily basis.

this week seems to be lagging a little bit. our "busy" season at work is beginning to slow down and i am actually having time to file and organize. how amazing is that? my desk is looking less and less like a tornado hit it. gotta love that.

is it just me or is everyone waiting with baited breath to find out what's going to happen on the office tomorrow night? it can't come soon enough for me!

hmmm...that says a lot about my life if i look forward to tv shows.

i've been reading pop candy on the usa today website recently and it's pretty cool. whitney, the author of the site constantly brings new and exciting pop culture to the mainstream.

two highlights for today:

this book, which looks really cook for the music enthusiasts.
and...this hotel, which may be where john and i have to stay if we go to denver for the 4th of july with the rest of the family.

my dad *hearts* john mayer. i love it! he wants me to send him more of john's music because, "he's so great!".

now, if only i could get my husband as excited about him...

i get to go to orlando for a week in february! horray!

dreamgirls was amazing. i can't get over jennifer hudson.

so, the cruise as i mentioned was great.

we left miami on sunday the 24th and returned on new year's eve.

day one we were at sea which was really relaxing. we tried to lay out but it was wayyy too windy so we hung out around the ship and one name that tune! horray for us! we also got the most amazing couples massage ever. and no, there where no happy endings sick-o's!

day two was in san juan. we opted to go on a tour of the fort and then to the bacardi run distillery. the tour of the fort was actually really awesome. picture number 1 was taken from the top of the fort, which gives you a little bit of a view of san juan. on the way back from the tour, our bus driver started speaking in spanglish which concerned me a little bit. then we got cut off buy a horse carriage. good times.

day three was st. maarten. my dad told us about this awesome beach in marigot. we got on a taxi to marigot and when we got there, there was NO beach. it was the shopping area. so we got into another cab to go to the beach. the beach was incredible. picture number 4 is from the beach. also at the beach, (which was john's first ocean experience) - nude 80 year olds with leathery skin, 60 year olds in thong banana hammocks with ipod's attached to the waist and topless 75 year old women. seriously, it was not to be missed. unfortunately, i lost my toe ring in the ocean and i think i am still permanently damaged from the nude man.

day four we were in st. thomas. john bought me a beautiful legend necklace at diamonds international, the largest jewelry store in the world. and we haggled a knock off burberry travel bag for mom's birthday. and, thank goodness day four was nudity free. also on day four, the platters were the entertainment on the ship. i never knew how many songs they sang, it was awesome!

day five we were at sea and spent the majority of the day lounging at the pool and playing name that tune - we won again. probably because i rule at name that tune! that night they had a hilarious comedian named craig carmean perform. he was hilarious. the act was complete with a dave matthews AND john mayer imitation. also on friday, rachel decided to wear this shirt. at first i thought it was sweet for derrick to buy her such a thing but then we found out she bought it for herself. so now, i think we're getting derrick this tshirt for his birthday. friday also brought the 80's dance party which was awesome. not. they played some good music but there were 3 japanese girls dancing...and no one else. i felt pretty bad for the dj, although john and i did chair dance a few times. and my sister was embarrassed when i was shouting the words to "mony mony".

day six was nassau. we went on a tour of the island and did a little shopping for our nephews. after that we lounged at the pool until dinner.

on sunday we arrived back in miami and flew back to kc just in time for eric and pam's new years party. we lasted until 10:45...we're so old!

the cruise was amazing! here are a few of the highlights.

recap to come within the next few days!!

this was just about the funniest thing i have ever seen.

totally reminds me of color me badd.

and how excited am i for dreamgirls? jennifer hudson's voice is amazing. i mean, come on! it's hard to fill jennifer holliday's shoes and she does a great job.

i won't go into the long, drawn out story of the entire weekend but long story short, john and my mom had a surprise for me on friday night. my mom had planned on coming into town to celebrate my birthday...i thought we were only going to dinner but alison, elise (my two best friends) and rachel surprised me by joining us. we spend the whole weekend hanging out, shopping and just having a great time all together. it was a great way to start my birthday week. john even scheduled spa services for alison and i on monday.

this definitely made up for the "xanadu" debacle.

i just had one of the best weekends of my entire life...

more later!

sarah mclachlan's cover of "river" is amazing...

what an insane past few weeks...

in a nutshell, things have been good other than john's car being stolen from the parking lot of his office. we bought a new car last night (2007 honda civic in tango red) and i can't wait until it's ours!!!

30th birthday festivities begin this weekend with a nice visit from my mom and don. we're going to go out for dinner on friday night but i am trying to think of something we can do on saturday. shopping is always an option but i know how much john and don loooovvveee shopping. hehe.

and really, i am beginning to feel i am the only person not pregnant right now. not that i want to be pregnant, per say but it just seems as though everyone around me is! it's obviously in the water and i am not drinking that water right now. i'll stick to tea.

i really want this phone...

i cannot believe it's been 3 years since charlie passed. it's rare that a day goes by where i don't think about her. in some ways, it still doesn't seem real. the fact that i turn 30 next month makes me sad for all of the things that charlie didn't get to do. don't get me wrong, i can think of a ton of things she did that i probably won't ever do - it's just different. i can do these things, she'll never have the chance to get married, have a baby, turn 30 or know true love.

on the opposite side of the spectrum, i am grateful for everything she gave me. i know i've said it before but charlie truly was my number one fan. she believed in me when a lot of people did not. she praised my intelligence and approved of my wacky dmb touring ways. i miss her so much and i wish that she was going to be here to celebrate my 30th, just as she was for my lots of other milestones.

where ever you are chucky, i miss you!!!

ben harper's cover of "strawberry fields forever" is really friggin good.

lots going on but i actually feel like being positive so i won't drown you in the negative. i gave blood yesterday for the first time. i was really nervous at first because i hate needles but it was really easy and didn't hurt at all. actually, the finger prick was the most painful part...i also really appreciated the fact that all of the staff were so caring and concerned with my well being. and, i saved 3 lives, how great is that?

so yeah, that's my rant for the day...donate blood!

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

gingerbread lattes at starbucks.

this month seems to be going by too fast. probably because i am dreading what comes in 32 days.

i wouldn't say i am depressed about turning 30 but it definitely does not excite me. remember when 30 sounded so old? now i will have to start thinking about 40. the funny thing is that 40 doesn't sound old to me, anymore. we'll see how i feel about that in 10 years.

this is hilarious.

is it bad that i really want this?

guess who has FRONT row seats to john mayer in omaha? that would be me! thanks, sarah!

oliver refused to wear his dracula costume but here's susie!!!

i can't believe there's less than 2 months until i turn 30. i am completely dreading my birthday because the thought of not being in my "20's" depresses me to no end. but that's enough depression...

this week has been filled to the rim. my sanity was getting to have dinner with sarah (and john) on tuesday night at kona grill. i had my favorite, the oriental chicken salad. it amazes me how addicted i have become to that salad. i'm not sure what makes it so good but really, it's the best.

nana is in the hospital again. i am 99.9% sure that her leg will be amputated from the knee down sometime in the next few days. while i understand why my mom and uncles have made this decision, i am not sure i completely agree. uncle mikey told me that the only reason why he's pushing for amputatation is because she would have to endure weekly visits to the wound specialist to have her three wounds scraped out and that is what causes her the most pain. the doctor said that if they don't amputate, she has 3-6 months...it seems so real when a time frame is used. not that i am in denial but at this point, would dying be the worst thing?

ok, i've got a ton of things to do before our flu shot clinic starts...i'll be back soon, though!

guess who's going to see justin timberlake in nashville in march?

oh, that would be me!

don't hate. seriously.

i am so in love with slow dancing in a burning room by john mayer.

hi! i'm alive, sorry i haven't posted for a few days, life has been crazy!

susie is really enjoying her time in her new home. she's made enemies with jimi and oliver has learned to ignore her antics. it's like a real family! last night i gave her a bath, as she had not had one in god knows how long. the girl was insane. tried to escape the tub a few times and did not like getting dried off. however, she smells and feels clean which is a big improvement.

through the whole susie adoption process, i made a new friend. we have so much in common. not only is she relatively new to the area, she's also jewish, loves beagles(obviously), works in employee benefits and so on. we've been hanging out a lot lately which has been great. it's nice to finally have a real friend here that's not a family member, future family member or coworker. the only down side is that her husband is currently interviewing for positions in tampa and they might be relocating, soon. ugh!

what else...the holidays are rapidly approaching. we've mutually decided that we won't be purchasing gifts for our sibblings (with the exception of michael and cody) which takes a huge financial burdon off of us. it also leaves extra money for john to by me a great gift for my birthday this year. yeah, it's the big one so i really think i deserve something wonderful! don't you agree?

we finally got susie on friday after her spay. she's adapting really well to her new home and has found a "toy" in jimi. too bad jimi doesn't want to play back!

i almost bought a purse similar to this last weekend. it was going for $75. now, i find out that people sell them on ebay for $30.

the question is...is it worth it?

here's a better picture of susie.

isn't she the sweetest?

i declare today musician boyfriend day. you know, because both of my musician boyfriends have new cd's out...

we adopted another dog this weekend! here's susie, our new beagle...

this picture does no justice but don't worry, more will come later.

thanks, perez!

ok, let's discuss. she's actually pretty cute...

i love justin timberlake.

1. LA or New York?
i’d have to say LA since i have so many friends there.

2. Red or White wine?
white. pinot grigio.

3. What's something a member of the gender you prefer can wear to turn you on?
i really like the smell of John’s deodorant

4. What's something a member of the gender you prefer can wear to turn you off?
cut off shorts!

5. Who was the last person you kissed?
john joseph

6. Favorite cuss word?
fuck

7. Favorite non-alcoholic drink?
water with lemon

8. Blondes or Brunettes?
brunettes

9. What’s something you always have on you?
my red glasses

10. Do you stay awake in bed thinking or do you fall asleep in 5 seconds?
usually thinking. If I am wired…I stay in bed thinking

11. What celebrity would you like to fight the most?
those new girls on laguna beach

12. What's the last thing that made you cry or got you teary eyed?
the fraggle rock monster.

13. What's your favorite holiday?
thanksgiving

14. What are you listening to right now?
gone by jack johnson

15. Are your parents still together?
no, my parents divorced when I was 13. my dad is remarried and my mom has a bf named no neck joe.

16. If you inherited $20 million, what are the first 5 things you'd do with the money?
pay off the house, pay off the car, invest half, buy john a new car, give some to charity

17. What was the best year of your life?
2003

18. Why?
because that’s the year i married john!

19. Have you ever flown first class?
no but I have flown business class. that was nice!

20. Who was your first kiss?
alex kramer. i was going into fifth grade and he was going into fourth.

21. What are you SUPPOSED to be doing right now?
working. working hard!

22. Are you gonna do it?
yes – i have a ton to do

23. What's the best thing a member of your gender preference can do to turn you on?
no comment

24. Pro Life or Pro Choice?
pro choice

25. Favorite physical features on the opposite sex?
eyes.

26. Whats the date today?
8/31/06

27. How old are you today?
29 ¾

28. Who do you have a crush on that doesn't know yet?
I only have one crush and I tell him every day!

29. Best movie you've seen this year?
i’ve hardly seen any movies this year…

32. Ever been in love?
yup.

33. Who makes you laugh the most?
ginamarie/willboogie

34. Where do you want to be living in 20 years?
probably in kc.

35. What was the last CD you bought?
the last cd i got was the xanadu soundtrack

36. South Park or Simpson's?
south park although i am kind of warming up to the simpsons

37. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
breakfast. stuffed french toast from Mimi’s

38. When was the last time you talked to your mom?
yesterday

39. Have you ever written a song?
not a real one. i have tried, though

40. Can two people be "just friends"?
of course

**i am trying to figure out what happened to 41 & 42**

43. American, Cheddar, or Swiss cheese?
cheddar on burgers, swiss on turkey sandwich, american on grilled cheese

44. What was the best thing about high school?
graduation day.

45. Favorite movie quote?
“i need a c o o l r i d e r”

46. Are you [sleepy]?
kind of. definitely ready for the weekend.

47. When was the last time you were drunk?
hmmm…my cousin’s wedding? I can’t remember.

48. What do you want on your tombstone?
how morbid!

49. Your name spelled backwards?
anyahs

50. Where were your parents born?
san francisco and denver

51. What is the last thing you downloaded on your computer?
the september host special for pampered chef

52. What's your favorite restaurant?
pasta primavera in san mateo

53. What's one thing most people don't know about you?
i hate grasshoppers

54. Are you in love?
of course!

55. Are you single?
nope

56. What type of music you dislike most?
hillbilly country

57. Are you registered to vote?
yes

58. Do you have a car?
yes

59. One thing you want right now?
take a nap

60. Ever prank call anybody?
heheh – yes!

61. If you could be a famous person for a day who would you be?
lindsay lohan. just to see if she’s all that people say

where the hell is 62????

63. What's the farthest place you ever traveled?
caribbean

64. Where do you want to be in 5 years?
working as a human resources generalist

65. What is the size of your bed?
king

perez says they're together. i don't know WHAT to think.

forgetting to put on deodorant is NOT a good thing.

ps - congrats to esther and maarten on the birth of their adorable son, yannick. can't wait to meet the little bugger!!!

is it unrealistic to ask for this for my 30th? the color goes perfectly with our kitchen.

ABC's of me (thanks, jess!)

A is for age: 29
B is for beer of choice: ROOT beer.
C is for career: Benefits Administrator
D is for your dog's name: Oliver Theodore Dunn
E is for essential item you use everyday: mary kay satin lips and my ipod
F is for favorite fast food place: chipotle
G is for favorite game: T E T R I S
H is for Hometown: San Mateo, California
I is for instruments you play: I don’t play any instruments
J is for favorite juice: Grape
K is for who you would like to kiss: John
L is for last place you ate: Cafeteria. White Wine Garlic Pasta. It’s not as good as it sounds.
M is for favorite movies: RENT, Clueless
N is for full name: Shayna Cramer Dunn
O is for overnight hospital stays: 0
P is for phobias: spiders, rollercoaster’s, rodents
Q is for quote: Forget regret, or life is yours to miss
R is for your biggest regret: none.
S is for status: Married
T is for time you wake up: 6am
U is for underwear you're currently wearing: is that really necessary?
V is for vegetable you love: broccoli, asparagus, artichokes
W is for worst habit: picking my zits
X is for x-rays you've had: chest and ankle
Y is for yummy food you ate today: a chocolate chocolate chip cookie
Z is for zodiac sign: Sagittarius

a few things.

#1 - if you are trying to get people to watch your show, why would you publicize the fact that kevin federline(yo) will be making his first television performance?

#2 - if you have a rather large bust line, please wear an underwire bra. thank you.

so much going on...

my dad is having an angioplasty tomorrow...i am really anxious about it. i know it's not a major surgery but it's still nerve wracking to think he's going under the knife. i am thinking about driving down to dallas tonight just to be there but i am not sure if that's the best idea. it's really scary when you're parents are old enough to get things like angioplasties...ugh.

my nana has taken a turn for the worst, too. she developed several blisters on her foot which have turned infectious. she had gangrene scraped out of one and the other is being treated so that infection does not occur. there's an option to amputate but she is not expressing much pain and the family has decided that until she expresses pain, we will not consider amputation. there's an oxygenation process that can be done to help the wounds to breathe but it's experimental. at this point, it's hard to make a decision of what to do. if she does have the surgery, there's a chance she might not wake up. if she doesn't, the infection will travel to her heart and ultimately cause her death. kind of a catch 22.

this is a bummer of a post. hopefully i can think of something more uplifting for my next post.

well, it's official - oliver is a beagle.

he hunted his very first bunny last night. she/he seems to have escaped the rath of oliver but you never know. it's a really good thing that i was not around for this hunting event. luckily i was at a dinner meeting and came home to a beagle who was proud of his findings.

i can't believe it took me 26 years to see xanadu.

i loved it!!!!

ahhh, another dunn family canoe trip has come and gone and i can say that this was easily the best one yet.

i love the fact that we can drive 4 hours and be in the middle of nowhere. the river was great, too. we only had to get out once to walk the canoe and that was for about 5 feet. we also played a challenging game of "i love the 80's" which john's brother tim won all by himself. we've decided he's rainman. seriously! no one should have that much unnecessary information in their brain. no one.

the only downfall to the weekend was the awful sunburn i got. a few months ago, i bought some avon active insect repellant with spf 15 wipes. they did NOT work. i had to call in sunburned on monday because i couldn't put a friggin bra on! how insane is that? and now, i am at the itchy part which is highly annoying. at least my scalp didn't get burned. that's the worst.

i have a new favorite singer! if you haven't heard him yet, take a listen! he's great. and really cute, to boot.

current obsessions:
-the fray
-the classic batter bowl
-bananas
-jolene

things i learned this weekend...

-don't play rough with the dog while intoxicated. you might end up with a broken (read:sprained but broken sounds much more dramatic) nose.
-don't make an entire recipe of icing for 20 cupcakes
-don't take a nap on sunday afternoon, or your husband will take control of the tv and play final fantasy for hours...and hours...and HOURS

oh, jt...how i've missed you.

this morning i was rocking out to "unwritten" by natasha beddingfield(sp) on my way to work; pretending i was lc from the hills and instead of driving into downtown kansas city, i was driving up the 405 to la.

loser.

happy birthday to my hubby! i love you, honey! hope this year is a great one for you!!!

what a friggin week. i am so exhausted and there's only more to come this weekend. we've got the first of the "emily & pat" wedding events, an engagement party tomorrow evening followed by father's day brunch at john's parents house on sunday. good times.

besides the busy work life and the busy home life, i am still doing my pampered chef thing. i absolutely love it and am really happy with the choice i made to sell. i've earned so much free stuff and am already contemplating shelves in the garage or basement to house all of my supplies. it's really fun! my favorite thing so far is this. i seriously use it every day. did i mention that i am currently participating in a contest for pc? if i submit a certain amout of shows, i can win a killer prize. so, if you're interested in anything pc, check out the website and shoot me an email with your request. i'll even pay your shipping! whatta girl!

since it's been a few years since john and i were married, i was wondering if it's still appropriate to send a thank you note after you receive a gift? i think it is but we sent a gift to someone over 3 months ago and have yet to see a thank you. it also makes me wonder if the gift actually arrived. not that i've ever had a problem with crate and barrel but you never know.

it's been a busy few weeks. last week we were on vacation. went to see dmb in st louis and here. the shows were great! and now, i really want to go to the dallas show. getting tickets might be an issue though. apparently, a ton of people were declined for that specific show. i'll cross my fingers, though!

not too much else to report. we've got a pretty mellow weekend ahead. early dinner tonight, some coworkers coming over tomorrow and cleaning on sunday. ah, the life of a married woman. it doesn't get more exciting than that.

and now, we work.

some things in life make me laugh...like this picture...

RIP, marissa cooper.

i cannot believe that they killed marissa off the oc. seriously. i kept waking up in the middle of the night asking john if i was dreaming. it's like when brenda went to london on 90210. yeah, they replaced her with val but it just wasn't the same. so marissa will be replaced by her sister caitlin but she's no marissa.

ahhhhhhhhh. i need to get a life.

every time i hear "in the ghetto" by elvis, i think of cartman from south park singing making it really hard not to laugh. so, when elliott sang it this week on american idol i couldn't help but giggle.

speaking of ai, i do really like elliott. better than katharine or taylor. while taylor is FUN, i feel that elliott is truly more talented. i'll cross my fingers for him while john prays that katharine wins. personally, i think the only reason why he digs her is because she sang, "black horse and a cherry tree" on her knees. but - whatever.

one last ai comment - why are seats for kelly clarkson $75 bucks. shoot girl, i love your music but i am so not paying that much money to see you in concert. so sorry!

heeeeeeeeeee!!!

You Are Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies Ice Cream

Not *those* magic brownies!

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

is it really only wednesday? this week has been dragging. there's so much going on at work yet i feel like the days are lasting forever.

i've decided to change my name to bob for work purposes. the majority of my job focuses on our retirees. i speak with them on a daily basis and they can never understand my name. yesterday i spent nearly 5 minutes trying to spell my name for someone and finally gave up. when she asked me what kind of a name it was, i told her it was yiddish. she didn't know what yiddish meant. so i am literally screaming into the phone where my name came from. so, yeah. my name is bob.

also yesterday, i biffed it big time outside of the parks and rec department. i was leaving a meeting and missed a step. landed flat on my face, skinned my hands and knees. when i woke up this morning, i was in completely PAIN. getting old sucks. remember when you were a kid and you'd fall and bounce right back up? something tells me i am going to be taking some major pain reducers this evening. good times.

where to begin...

i am starting to get really frustrated with john's mom and her inability to think before she says things. as of late, she has been saying so many hurtful things to those around her, probably not even realizing the effect it's having on that person.

she talks NON STOP about pat and emily's wedding. don't get me wrong, i am SUPER happy for the both of them but she's making it seem as though she's more involved in the planning aspect than she truly is. while i understand her excitement, it's just becoming a hassle to speak with her because she is truly in denial of the fact that she is not that involved in the planning.

so, it begins with the whole getting married in the catholic church. ok, who cares? they chose to get married in the catholic church. pat's only doing it because he always strives to be the favorite and do everything his parents want. emily's not catholic but she's agreed to this set up because it's what pat wants. good! compromise before the wedding! it continues with some dumb idea that pat had to have all of his attendents wear kilts instead of tuxs. ok, that's all fine and dandy but the dunn's are irish, not scottish. correct me if i am wrong but aren't kilts a scottish tradition? i guess john's mom is going on and on about how proud she is that pat is sticking with his heritage. my question is, whose heritage is it? not theirs!

anyway, none of those situations really hurt anyone, it's just funny how she makes it this huge ordeal. however, she decided to tell my other sister-in-law that kids aren't in the wedding. that is complete BS. not only did my sister-in-law just go through labor with her second child, but she's exhausted from the pregnancy situation. the last thing she needs is someone making her feel uncomfortable by saying untrue things.

it's getting to the point with her where i am beginning to feel like we need to say something to her. she doesn't filter anything she says, causing much pain. how do i address this though? the dunn's aren't into talking about feelings, etc. it's truly frustrating!

a few weeks ago, we found out that counting crows were playing a benefit concert in kansas city. i knew that we couldn't afford the tickets, so i emailed my cousin to see if he could hook us up. sure enough, he could.

we arrived at the venue (a new shopping complex by the kansas speedway) and immediately started looking for dave and busters, where we were to pick up our tickets. i give the lady my name...she doesn't have it on her list. she tells me to proceed to the red carpet area where the bands tickets are being held. elise and i head down to the "red carpet" and give the walkie talkie dude there my name. not on the list. ok. by now, i am super pissed off. i've driven a significant amount to see this show and didn't want to have to leave!!! i hear the walkie talkie dude say "she's cousins with adam.". yeah, so not what i said. anyway, long story short, i am asked to go to the fence and talk to the bands security. hehe. tom. tom rules. he also loves my cousin. he hands both elise and myself an "all access" pass and tells us to enjoy ourselves.

did you hear that? all. access. pass.

yeah. so first we call everyone we know. ok, not everyone but like 3 people each. unfortunately no one answered their phones. then we go into the outback steakhouse (makeshift backstage area) and right in front of us...adam. yup. i thought elise was going to pass out. but she didn't, she's a trooper!

we casually sit down at a table and order a drink. i tell elise to stop staring, as we don't want to draw attention to ourselves. more staring. more staring. radio station contest winners come in for meet and greet. they leave. more staring. then the band leaves to get ready. tom comes to check on us to make sure we had a chance to chat with adam. yeah, we didn't. i wasn't ready yet. but still. we saw him and tom cares. tom also probably thinks that my cousin and i are super close, so we'll just let him continue thinking that.

five minutes before the show starts, golf carts swarm up to the stage and there they are. standing 3 feet from us. getting ready to go on stage. adam with his kendall jackson chardonay. i vowed to steal the bottle but alas, he took it on stage with him. tom escorts us to the VIP section, the first 100 feet from the stage and the show begins.

about halfway through the show, we decide to head backstage again to watch from there. it was SO weird. like you weren't even there. they close the set and come backstage to await the encore. literally 4 feet from us this time. they're just chillin. hanging out, laughing, etc. and there's shayna and elise. trying not to freak out. trying to act calm. trying not to embarass my cousin. and we remained calm. when the show ended, the band came backstage and watched the fireworks. i finally get the nerve to go up to adam, thank him for the tickets and introduce elise. all while remaining calm.

so, there you have it. adam part deux.