Uh. . . I'm Not From Around Here

Ok, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to bitch for a minute. This morning I brought my car to a Nissan dealership to get the oil changed/routine maintenance. The only reason I brought it to the dealership instead of my favorite Grease Monkey (where they are quick, cheap, and give me flowers) was because the last time I brought my car in for the 15K mile tune up, the Nissan folks somehow busted my glove box. I haven't been able to close it all the way since April. They told me they would fix it, but it would take some time. I figured I could wait a few months and kill two birds with one stone.

I scheduled the appointment early, so I could take the shuttle to work and not be too late. I am supposed to start work at 7:30, so I dropped off my car at 7:25. The shuttle was supposed to leave at 7:40. Therefore, I imagined getting to work by 8:00. Mind you, the dealership is about 5 minutes away from my office. Well. . . I was wrong. The shuttle didn't leave until 8:15!! When the guy finally rounded us up there were 3 total passengers: me, a guy with a creepy mustache, and a lady who looked to be 65 with spiked hair, giant sunglasses, leather skin, and a bedazzled belt. I should have realized the ride would be trouble from the beginning, but I am too naive.

As soon as we got in the car the driver admitted that he just moved here and doesn't know any of the streets. So when he asked us where our stops were, it was completely pointless. My office was clearly the closest drop-off, but the lady with the bedazzled belt threw a fit and said she was the closest and was on a tight schedule. To anyone who knows anything about streets in Aurora, her stop was the furthest away and the complete opposite direction from my stop and the mustache guy's stop, but our driver obviously had no clue and started driving to Cherry Creek. When we finally arrived at leather face's stop we realized it was an apartment building! She wasn't late for work!!! She got out of the van, said thank you and, "I'm off to get a cup of coffee!" Mustache guy and I were pissed. It took forever to get back to our side of town and the entire way I had to listen to the driver talk about his car being repossesed, bankruptcy, different types of marijuana, and how he should be accepted into the Aurora Police Academy any day now. Oh, he also suggested I come to one of his favorite bars because: 1) there are plenty of TV's to watch football; 2) the drunks are happy most of the time and when they aren't; 3) there is a lot of security; and 4) plenty of catfish. Let's just say he didn't sell the place very well.

I finally go to work at 8:45, only an hour and fifteen minutes late. Needless to say, I will be asking a friend at work to drive me over to pick up my car later today.

Is it Too Early for Lunch?

I am having one of those days where I can only focus on two things and neither is work. Today my brain has choosen to zone in on food and beaches. I can't stop thinking about how nice it would be to be at a beach today. The weather here in Colorado is finally hot and sunny and I want to enjoy it. If I could just lay out on the beach with a few cocktails today everything would be better--at least that is how I feel right now. All other thoughts that are not beach related today seem to be about food. I feel soooo hungry today!! I even stopped and bought a hash brown from McDonald's on the way to work today! Sorry, that is a lie. I actually bought two. I know, shame on me. The really bad part is that I wolfed them both down while sitting in traffic on I-70 between Federal and I-25. . . .there was a lot of traffic today. Give me a break! After the hash brown incident, I also ate an apple fruit leather my friend gave me. He got it free for biking to work. That made me feel even worse about myself. Not only did I drive today, I also snorked down McDonald's in my car while doing it. I'm sorry earth. . . and my body. If I could just be at the beach right now everything would be better. . . . . .

Is That a Tornado Siren??

If you don't already know, I grew up in rural Pueblo County. I remember plenty of times as a kid having to go down into the basement during tornado warnings, but I never once saw any actual funnel clouds. I never realized my first tornado sighting would be in the city of Denver.

Yesterday around 3:00 pm I heard the tornado sirens in my neighborhood go off. I didn't take them too seriously and I decided to make myself a quesadilla before going down into the basement. While I toiled at the microwave, Josh went to the backyard to wrangle the beagles. When he opened the door he saw this:

These photos were taken from our back door looking out over our garage. Crazy, huh?!? Luckily, nothing actually hit us and it didn't last too long. In an hour or two, the skies were blue again and the sun was shining. Colorado is so weird.

Happy Birthday Riley!!

On Saturday Riley celebrated her first birthday!! She got a delightful peanut butter puppy cookie, which she thoroughly enjoyed, as well as a squeaky squirrel, tug-o-war tennis balls, and a brand new collar. The vet says she is full grown now, so hopefully she will be able to use this collar for quite some time. She went through at least4 as a puppy. Her stylish new collar features skulls and lightning bolts on a baby pink background. You can kind of see it in the top photo.

Tigers Love Pepper

Last night I saw the movie, The Hangover. I have to agree with the rest of America, it is ridiculously funny. Not only did it make me laugh, it made me really want to go to Vegas. Don't get me wrong--I don't want to lose a tooth, steal a tiger, or wake up with a random baby in my room. I do, on the other hand, want to drink, sun bathe, dance, gamble, and feed a tiger a steak laced with ruffees. So, if you are game, let me know and we'll start planning something. Just imagine, ". . . us wolves running around the desert together in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine."

Recent Happenings and Such

First, an apology: sorry it has taken me so long to put up a new post. I haven't been extremely busy, so I guess I am just lazy. So, here is a quick list of recent happening and such to catch you up on what has been going on with the Messners.

1. Due to the cruel hand of karma, I have been sick for about a week. It just a stupid virus, but it has been making me hack and sneeze out of control. I'm pretty sure I brought it on myself because I took a sick day last week for a headache that really only lasted half the day, but really, who goes into work after being home all morning with a headache?!

2. There have been a shitload of tornadoes in Colorado!! It is weird. A lady at my office took these photos of a tornado that developed in her neighborhood on Sunday. These photos don't even look real to me--that's how crazy they are.

3. After two years of trying to nurse our stub tree back to life after someone stole (broke off) the top 10 feet in a cruel, drunken tree massacre, we finally gave up and planted a new tree. Isn't it pretty? I didn't realize how quickly I would forget stub tree and embrace my new shiny tree. Hopefully a tornado doesn't rip it out of the ground.

4. This may be hard to believe, but my softball team is not having a losing season right now. Our current record is 3-3-0!! We encountered three devastating losses (2 of which were cut short due to mercy rules) followed by three huge wins!! I can't take any credit for the win on Monday, but Josh hit a grand slam. No, really, a GRAND SLAM. I hope the bolding and font made it seem as grand as it deserves. Needless to say I am pumped. I'm going to try and take some pictures on Monday, since there is a remote possibility we might be able to pull off 4 wins in a row. Don't call it a comeback!

5. Check this out, during the month of May Josh and I attended: 1 bridal shower, 1 bachelorette party, 2 weddings, 3 graduation parties, celebrated 5 birthdays (inculding the literal birth of my cousin's baby, Landon!), ran 13.7 miles of Colfax, and danced in three shows at the Clocktower! Crazy, huh?? Needless to say, even though we had a ton of fun, I am kind of glad it is June.