Laughing in Her Sleep

When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me that I laughed in my sleep. I always thought it was weird and that she was making it up. Then, one morning when I was 22 or so, I woke myself up cracking up at whatever was going on in my dream. So apparently I do laugh in my sleep.

...So does Kairi. 

Cute, huh?

(And for those wondering what on earth was going on in the background, it's the opening sequence to Rainbow Randolph's show on Death to Smoochy.)

The Fit

I don't know about you, but I like pictures that aren't always smiles and giggles and happiness and rainbows. Don't get me wrong - I like those pictures too, but I really enjoy seeing photos that convey sincere emotion, that really pull you into the scene and draw a mirrored emotion out of you. It's hard to do that with a group of people smushed together saying, "Cheese!"

I don't spend a lot of time with a camera in my hands, but when I do find the time to snap some shots, I do just that, in what some might call an over-abundance. I'm not a great photographer, but I've found that the more pictures you take, the more likely you are to come up with some good shots.

Today I was sitting in my living room messing around with my new iPod Touch. I was looking at the Histamatic photo application that I downloaded a couple of days ago, when Kairi approached me crying. I went ahead and snapped a couple of shots before consoling her. (Gracie had kept a toy from her - she wasn't hurt, just bummed. Just to clear that up.)

These are what I came up with. I think they turned out pretty good, for me at least. What unexpected moments do you find yourself capturing? Any good ones?

Drama Magnet

Have you ever met someone who always seems to have something bad going on in their life? They may not necessarily always be in crisis-mode, but they are always seconds away from a complete melt-down.

In my early 20's, I knew a lot of people like this. They would always tell me that they didn't know why the world was always crumbling around their ears, that people who cause trouble or create drama are just drawn to them like magnets. I always thought to myself that it must be something that person, the drama-magnet, was doing, some way they were acting, some choice they were making that brought all this trouble into their lives. After all, they were in fact the constant in the equation, and each individual crisis the variable. Their situation, despite different players, was always the same dramatic mess.

Over the past few years, especially since my introduction to social media (Hello, Facebook!), I have found myself in a similar state of disarray. I find myself constantly saying, "I am not a dramatic person, but you'd never be able to tell with all the chaos around me!"

I can't help but wonder if this extended access to larger groups of people isn't partially behind the high school-esque fights and situations I've found myself in recently. Opening myself up on a public forum to 500 people, only half of whom I am actually personally acquainted, probably has some to do with it. With a group so large, not everyone is going  to agree with me or with each other when posting on my page. Especially when you take into consideration some of the topics I post about (breastfeeding, to name a popular fighting topic from my Facebook wall).

But surely Facebook isn't the entire root of my drama. Some of my most recent problems, while the arguments and communications have taken place on Facebook, have not been the result of anything posted on Facebook. I've had some very big personal issues to deal with recently, all of which have taken me to DEFCON 1, full on crisis-mode.

I've decided to take some time to reflect inward and try to find the source of all of these problems. It seems that I can't go a week or two without something blowing up in my face, and there has to be a reason for that. I don't want to be that girl that constantly has drama and blames it only on the magnetic effect she has on people. (I guess.) Pointing fingers and blaming everyone else when all of these problems are revolving around me is not going to solve anything and until I find the root of these problems, I fear that they will continue to escalate.

So tell me, have you ever found yourself the at ground-zero of drama central? Were you able to dig yourself out of the rubble, or are you still trying to find your way through the dust?

To My Facebook People

Dear friends, family, and random acquaintances who have friended me on Facebook,

As I am sure you've come to notice, I post a lot on Facebook. Some would go as far as to say that I am obsessed. Perhaps that is true.

Some of the things that I post are not going to interest you. Perhaps a lot of the things I post won't interest you. Some of you will grow tired of reading my posts. If that is the case, do our relationship a favor and remove me from your feed before you grow resentful towards me for using my Facebook page the way I want to, as apparently some of you have.

Should you feel the need to tell me how you feel about me, please do not do so on my Wall. A private message is a completely appropriate form of communication for things that should remain private.

I make no apologies for my posts, no matter how frequent or controversial. It is, after all, MY Facebook page. And I will not tolerate personal attacks on my page, so if you become deleted after making inappropriate comments, feel free to direct your anger at yourself.

Gracie Turns 6

Gracie had a great birthday this year. I took her to school and immediately made my way to Wal-Mart to pick up some cookies and juice to take to her class, then I returned around 9:50 to share. The kids were all so excited and Gracie got to sit in a chair in the middle of her classroom while her friends sang the birthday song to her (and she sang it to herself).

I then went back home and wrapped all of her gifts. We had just gotten our state tax check in the mail a day prior, so I managed to buy her some additional gifts, as well as a couple for Kairi to open.

After getting her gifts wrapped, I made my way back to the school to pick her up and take her to lunch. She wanted McDonald's, so she, Kairi, and I went and had chicken nuggets before returning Gracie back to school.

I spent the rest of my afternoon cleaning the house, getting it ready for my Mom's arrival. Gracie and her Mimi are super close, so Mom tries to make it to all of Gracie's big events. After Gracie got out of school, she and I headed to Wal-Mart to pick up her cake, and I surprised her by stopping at the salon inside Wal-Mart to get her hair trimmed and curled. She loved it.

Later, after Mom arrived, it was time for Gracie's party to start. We had her party in the Burger King play room this year, and it couldn't have gone better. We had a blast. Several of our friends showed up, lots of kids, and Gracie made out like a bandit.

As the night wore on, she got to open her presents, and we saved the best for last:



Over all, it was a really good night full of fun and friends.