"It's So Ikea!"

We went here about two months ago but it's taken until now to get some of the better pix on here! If you've never been here or heard about it, Ikea is the brainchild of some Swedish guys who really go outside the box and invent some very unique items for the house. All rooms too!! Here is a little tour of what we saw:


I honestly did not think you could live in a space that was only 377 sq. feet, but lo and behold, Ikea not only did it, but they did it with style. I walked around in this thing and there truly is a place for everything. Just don't try to have a big party. The claustrophobia will set in so fast you'll be curled up in the fetal position faster then you can say "Air...I need air!" There was also this kid in a yellow shirt who kept popping up in all my pictures.


Me: "Emily! This is neither the time nor the place to take a bath!"

Emmy: "But Daddy, if not here...then where?"

Me: "Hmm...you may have a point there. As you were."


Ahh, now we're moving up in the world. For 753 sq. feet I think you get a closet.


Would YOU decorate your kid's play room like this? Me neither. But I do like all the colours of the rainbow being featured prominently even if it did give me a bit of vertigo. I would have sat down if all the chairs weren't so tiny.



After a long day of walking around (you end up walking the equivalent of a mile and a half), it was clear these guys were bushed. As was I! With two stories of everything from bunk beds to ice cream scoops, you can pretty much get everything for your house here. And even though we really didn't need anything, Cari sure found enough lol.

I haven't really talked about anything deep or philosophical in a while. I mean, how deep can you get with Transformers right? I did have a dream where a bunch of my family was getting ready to go skiing for Christmas. How did I know it was skiing? Well, I can't really say, I just know that's what it was. We were at my grandmother's house (which she sold in 1999) and who was there but Leo DiCaprio himself. I was loading stuff in the car and I passed him and said "Yo, wussup Leo!" He just kind of looked at me. Then I woke up. I dream about her house a lot. Probably because I lived with her for 2 1/2 years between 1995-1997. Things at home were becoming just awful and it felt like I had worn out my welcome. So she let me live with her and eventually I found something I enjoyed doing for a living, even if it was just delivering pizza. But she was always there for me and I owe everything to her. She will be 80 next January. I always forget to call her or give her a present but I hope deep down she knows I love her. When Grandpa died in 1997 it was just too much house for her so she sold it and moved in with my aunt. It was a great house. Lots of closets to hide in, plus an Atari 2600 lol. Always a pantry with all kinds of snacks. I have dreams about it all the time. I sure hope that's somewhat normal.

"Somewhere...Over The Rainbow..."

It was the weirdest thing! It was Wednesday evening, sunny as can be, when all of a sudden it started pouring. It's been a while since we had a "summer rain", so all four of us went outside and just stood in it. And while all of this was going on, this came out:


About 2 years ago I tried to get a good picture of a rainbow and just couldn't seem to. But not this time. It's perfect.

Having Emily's birthday party tomorrow!! The big 0-6! And the best part is, it will be at a water park (albeit a small one), so there's an increased chance for someone to almost drown and create a soap opera.

Had an idea for a movie where a kid (or some kids, whatever) actually discover the beginning of a rainbow and discover a leprechaun world that is anything but what they expected. So far that's all I have. But ya gotta admit your curiosity is piqued!

Not a lot going on. Now that I've seen Transformers (twice) and got all the toys I think I want, it's starting to leave my system. Slowly. But man, what a great couple of months lol.

I've always had a fascination with rainbows. Not like they happen everyday ya know.

"Is It Friday The 13th Again!?"

Hard to believe, but just last April we had a Friday the 13th too! What's sad is I don't even know the history of what makes it so spooky. I do remember reading somewhere how it all started though. I think LilBit posted it on her site a while back. All I know is going back to grade school I always had fun on those days. Ya can't beat Friday when you're in school...or work...or anywhere else lol. But man, what a thing to face after you've been on vacation for the last week. Even though it rained all week, the three of us still managed to make the most of it. Here's a re-telling of that week:


We started our week at the Fort Worth water gardens! For those of us whose last name isn't Rockefeller...or have change for a dollar...this is always a fun place to go and never fails to entertain the kid in all of us. If Zach looks uncomfortable (and you would too if your big sis was trying to choke you with your own shirt lol), it's because he hasn't learned to cooperate with me to get the "perfect picture", so I needed some back-up.


Emmy: "Zach's bag sure is heavy! What do you have in this thing anyway?"

Me: Well, let's see...Zach's diapers...wipes...toys...snacks...oh, and a brick I found last week."

Emmy: "Well, do you think we could take it out?"

Me: "Mmm...no, not just yet. I have big plans for that brick."


Emmy: "Hey Dad, what did the pioneers eat before they had all these modern convienences?"

Me: "Well, actually they ate what you're eating right now!"

Emmy: "You mean...they ate hamburger Lunchables?"

Me: "Mmm, yup! Of course, they didn't have snack size Butterfinger Crisps, so they had to improvise for dessert."

Emmy; "You've been reading Wikipedia again haven't you?"


Me: "Hey Zach, how's your turkey and cheese Lunchable?"

Zach: "Well, it isn't lobster tails, LIKE I ASKED FOR."

Me: Yeah, about that. The coast wasn't doing any residential flights so I was unable to get any 22 oz. Maine tails."

Zach: "Mmm...okay...did you at least get the Dom Perrignon I requested?"

Me: "Well, I didn't have the $200 to reserve a bottle, so for now let's just enjoy this lovely 2007 Welch's apple juice from my personal cask."

Zach: "Aye carumba. Good help is so hard to find."


Afterwards we enjoyed a couple of "frappes" at Starbucks. We got a strawberries 'n' cream and an orange 'n' cream. Emmy liked the strawberry, Zach liked the orange, and me...well, I was just lucky both of them were in a sharing mood ha ha.

Even though a lot of what I had planned went out the window where it was also raining, we still managed to have a lot of fun thanks to Toys R Us ha ha.

Going to see Transformers AGAIN tonight. And ya know what? I really don't mind. There's one more toy I want and may get. I have $12 in my wallet that Cari may or may not know about lol.

Got my promotion raise finally! A buck an hour. Wow. An extra $2100 a year! Where will it all go? Who knows. I'm now a "Level II Customer Service Rep". What does that mean? A lot more calls from some nut, and that's about it.

Are you superstitious? I'm not. Not really. But lately I've gotten into thanking God for a lot more then I used to. Not being the one in the five car pileup on the highway. Not having my kids go missing for days, even weeks. Not having any kind of terminal illness. I guess we take these things for granted a lot. But we can't help it. It's how we are. By instinct we turn a blind eye to the plight of others simply because we don't want anyone raining on our parade. Just last night on "The Office" it was Michael Scott's birthday and it was the same day Kevin was waiting to find out if he had skin cancer from his doctor. All Michael wanted to do was celebrate and everyone else was just in a real funk about Kevin. And yes, in typical form, Michael was a jerk and didn't want to be brought down on his special day. But I empathize with him. I hate being in a good mood while someone else is all depressed. But I will be sympathetic and put my happniess on hold if need be. If I had been all alone during my week off I would probably have played Pogo.com all day and took naps. But I know I will have time for that in my "golden years" ha ha.

"One Great Day"

What makes today so great? Well, it seems that everything I am doing today was designed with only me in mind, that's what! First, today at 10am the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History had a ton of props and special effects from all six Star Wars movies on display and a lot of exhiits about how close we are to achieving the medical and scientific technology featured in the movies. How close are we? Well, not very. C3PO will probably never be a reality in our lifetime but the meticulous details of prosthetic limbs are becoming closer to re-creating an actual hand/leg then ever before. Now that kind of thing is very interesting to me personally for many reasons. Losing any body part absolutely terrifies me. If I ever had to life life without the use of my hands or legs it would not be worth living. Sound a little overdramatic? Yeah, I agree. But that's me. But from what I hear re-creating the hundreds of muscles and movements of the hand is very difficult for scientists which means nowhere in the future, near or far, would this be possible. So...cut me some slack eh?

Now let's see what ya missed:

Millenium Falcon

X-Wing Fighter


Sand Speeder


Stormtrooper


R2-D2 & C3PO


This is just a sampling of what this place had, but needless to say, it was truly awesome. Someone from work was supposed to go with me, but he chose instead to have his own bone marrow drawn from his hip and then he was too much "in pain" to go, so I had to go solo. What a baby, ya know? How much could a needle the size of a Buick stuck in your hip for hours on end possibly hurt? Hmm...maybe I see his point. RIP Greg Wieberg.

Now...in about 45 minutes...I am finally going to go see Transformers at the Studio Movie Grill. Now do ya see why this day may be truly excellent? Plus...I have a coupon for a free appetizer! What a way to wrap up my vacation week on a really high note. What was your great day for you?