Karen’s Place

So I’m browsing through my stats today and guess how someone came across my blog today?  Today, I was found with a Google search of the phrase:

     “xxx free bend over backwards boyfriend” 

huh??  Yes, I can clearly see how they stumbled upon my little blog!  Just to put your curiosity at rest, here’s how Google placed them here:

Karen’s Place 

I’m sure that’s exactly what they were looking for!

On a different note.  I was asked last week about the 80’s.  It seems a co-workers daughter was having a party with an 80’s theme to it.  She was asking for suggestions.  I wonder why she asked me? ha!  The first thing that came to mind was hair!  I told her the 80’s was all about hair, hair and more hair!  I was a true example of that!  Whew did I have a lot of hair!  Here’s some proof-

I was told you can’t decorate for a party with hair (oh by the way, are you diggin’ the hat?  It has my name on it!  I was SOOOO cool!), so I had to come up with something else.  For me and my friends the 80’s were all about music.  It was everywhere and everything to us.  I suggested hanging concert shirts, in our day they were jersey style, or concert posters.  While thinking about it some more I ran across this video.  It epitomizes the decade at least our version of the decade completely.  Not only was this video filmed in KC, but it brings back warm tingly feelings.  Check it out:

In watching this again while posting, I have to say-yes we really did dance like that (head banging style I mean).  Even now, there is one person that can still get me to head bang when we go out.  Only now days, we send text messages the following morning she cursing me for her sore knee, me cursing her for my sprained neck.  Why do we insist on acting like we’re kids? 

What will the kids of today think of when they look back at the music of the millennium?  I hate to sound like my Dad, REALLY-I hate to sound like my Dad, but when I go out dancing with my friends the dance music right now all sounds pretty much the same.  You can’t even tell when the song is over.  Let me tell you, when you’ve agreed to dance with someone and find yourself regretting it, you things like song endings are very important!  Oh well, they enjoy it and when it suits me, I do too.  It’s not exactly Rick Springfield or Cyndi Lauper or even Duran Duran but I suppose times change.

Oh, my friends 80’s party?  She went with a Soul Train theme.  How fun!

Ok, I’ll admit it.  I’m an American Idol geek.  Have you seen this guy though?

I’m proud to say he’s from my home town…David Cook-Remember that name.  You’ll be hearing it a lot in the future! 

I curse my immune system! Ugh! What the heck? I swear I haven’t been really sick in a few years and it seems this season I can’t seem to stay healthy. I got sick again this weekend. This time the flu. It hit me with pain in my back, then slowly creeping into the rest of my joints. Before I knew it I was bed ridden with pain so bad my skin hurt and I had cold chills. I can barely remember being conscious enough to let my poor puppy dog in and out. Wow, I sure have a good dog.

This flu bug had me down all day Sunday and Monday. I think I was awake for all of 3 hours between the two. However, I woke up this morning feeling a little more human, and this evening a little more. Not quite 100% but getting there.

Somewhere around last June my life got completely off balance. I’m a girl that likes order and regimen with a little spontaneity thrown in. I haven’t felt like I’ve been on my normal schedule for the past eight or nine months. Maybe this is my new regular. Humm, just thinking out loud…

I have the biggest case of Spring Fever!  For instance, I’m at work right now-I’m supposed to be working, but I can’t stop myself from staring out the window daydreaming about the upcoming summer.  It’s only 8:00 in the morning and already the sun is shining bright.  It’s supposed to be up in the 70’s today, how will I manage to keep myself planted firmly in the office?

Sunday I went to a party/barbeque at a friend’s house for St. Patrick’s Day.  The parade for the town went in front his place so it seemed like a good excuse to gather.  We built a big bonfire in the back to keep warm, or just because that’s what we do, gather and create fire whenever allowed.  Time for the parade came (mind you, I really don’t like parades.  In fact, I find them intensely boring.)  I’d been told if I blinked, I would miss it.  I was looking forward to this idea.  A few floats (or in this parade, pick up trucks and convertibles) in, we all look to the sky with this ‘what the…’ look on our faces.  I had started to ice.  Yep, sleet on our St. Patrick’s Day celebration.  This was a first for me, I can remember years when I had actually worn shorts this time of year.  This really has been a crazy weather year in the mid-west. 

There were a lot of people there I hadn’t seen in a long time, some I’d only met once before at the float trip I went on last summer.  Seems they remembered me as the staff photographer.  I had my camera with me this time as well.  They were directing me on what pictures they wanted.  I came home with over 200 pictures on my memory card.  Ugh!  I’m still going through them.

My niece is having her first communion soon.  Her church still does first communions the old fashioned way-all in white.  She’s going to look so beautiful in her dress.  It’s hard to believe she is old enough to be at this stage in her life…All the kids in my life are growing up.  It’s a good think I’m not aging as fast as they are, that’s for sure!

Just some random Monday thoughts to no one in particular…

Some good news-I’m finally starting to feel like a human again.  I’d almost forgotten what that felt like. 

I get the strangest hits on this blog.  Not complaining, it’s an open web site of course.  Although, I wish these visitors would sign my guestbook or fill out the "contact me" or something to let me know who they are or what brought them here.  For instance, the other day someone from the EPA found me by doing a Google search on ‘kaylyn’.  Whoever they were, they stuck around for awhile.  I also get a lot of hits on ’stuck in cast’, based on that entry I made back when my Goddaughter got a pen cap stuck in her cast.  Guess it wasn’t as unique a situation as I thought.

My family asked me how my vacation was.  I asked them if they’d read my blog.  Ha!  They said, so that’s what it’s come to, huh?  If we want to know anything we just need to read your blog, there’s no visiting with you anymore?  I said, ya-pretty much. LOL.

Why does it have to be so hard meeting new people?  Men specifically?  Even when you both agree you hate those stupid games of trying to figure out what men want and what women want, you both still play them-albeit unconsciously.  If you email too often will you appear desperate?  If he doesn’t call enough, is he not interested?  What defines too often or not enough?  It’s a wonder anyone over the age of 30 can find a date in this day and age anyway…

I’ve been really lucky the last few years not to of become victim of any illnesses.  Until now that is…I’m going down hill fast!  I put up a valiant fight, but I just couldn’t hold it off any longer.  I’m not sure the last time I took a breath from my nose, I don’t remember what my actual voice sounds like or when my eyes were able to open fully.

I think I need my Mom! 

I’ve been fortunate in my life to of been to a lot of places.  Not as many as some but more than others.  I’ve seen a lot of historical locations.  I’ve seen a lot of tourist areas, and I’ve seen a lot of ‘must haves’.  This vacation, by far has topped them all.

I’m a little uncertain as to why this has been the best vacation.  Is it the company I kept?  Is it being in control of what I wanted to do?  Is it the fact that everything went exactly as planned?  Or is it the fact that at the end of the day, I was in a hotel room all by myself not having to share my much deserved off time with anyone?  That really has got to be the most selfish statement ever made, I know.  And really, with thoughts like that, how is someone supposed to ever find love?

So, to pick up where I left off in my last blog entry.  I did indeed go back to Paddy’s pub Friday night.  Bill’s friend Stephanie from the night before met me there and we hung out.  The guys were right; it was really packed in there.  I’m a little claustrophobic in crowds, but we were lucky enough to get a table up front and didn’t even notice all the people.  I met a really nice guy.  We hit it off right away because I overheard him telling someone he was a travel writer.  Being that my dream job would be a travel photographer, I couldn’t help but jump into his conversation.  We hit it off and talked the entire rest of the night.  Figures I find a really nice guy and at the end of the day he chooses to never come to the mid-west.  It’s his least favorite area of the country.  Oh well, he was a great guy all the same.

I left Saturday morning, with only a tiny bit of a hang over.  My contacts were on strike, so I was extremely glad I brought my glasses along!  This time I was able to see I-95 and Hwy 58 in the daytime.  I really think I-95 is the most beautiful Hwy I’ve ever been on.  Although the trip felt longer this time, probably since I had a remote idea of where I was going, the landscape was so pretty to look at.  I wished I’d had the time and opportunity to pull over and snap some photos.  One thing I did discover, is NC and Virginia are really particular when it comes to who they allow to pull over on the shoulder and where!  Side note, NC may have the most beautiful hwy, but Virginia had the most confusing!  Ugh!

I was instructed to call my Navy friend as soon as I hit the outskirts of Norfolk.  He stays off the ship with friends on the weekends.  I did just that and by good timing on his part, I ended up following him the last 20 or 30 miles into town and to my hotel.  By doing this, I didn’t get to drive through the cool tunnel again.  Oh well, it made it all the more worth being stuck in traffic on the way out of town that Friday night.  I was starving so as soon as I dropped my bags off we went to eat, then headed for my tour of the beach.

Side note.  It has been gorgeous here this weekend.  I took Katie out to the lake yesterday for a run (she ran-not me.  I’m not crazy!), she ran straight into the lake!  She didn’t even act like it was cold.  Mind you on another section of the same lake still had ice on it.  Guess it pays to have two coats.  We went out again today with my brother and my niece for a nice long walk.  We’re guessing maybe 3 miles or so.  I let her off leash in several areas today and she ran straight into the creek for a quick swim.  I guess in her world the water is always just fine.