What's been going on...

Hummm, life's been pretty good. Just came off of a much needed long weekend (come to think of it, isn't every weekend much needed??). My friend Tericka came to visit and we hit the beach on Sat. Seriously, I haven't been to the beach during the day in over a year and something (definitely not since I moved to FL which is ironic because I love the beach...). It was a perfect beach day. Breezy, warm, rolling waves, the whole bit and it was great to just be able to lay around and catch up with her. She's doing great things and I'm proud of the woman she's become since we were roommates in college. My how we've grown, hehehe. If I was thinking I should have pulled out some of those old photo albums, next time you come girl, next time. We were (and still are) some hot mommas. ;-)



Sunday my honey came home (he'd been MIA since Thurs, out of town for a cousin's graduation) and we took a moment to get caught up laughing and talking. 3 days felt like forever! Sometimes I'm amazed at the fact that we can sit and not say a thing and it's just as good as when the conversation can't stop flowing. That was the case as we sat eating a quick snack before going to see Pirates of the Caribbean. I guess we missed each other because I was a little sad when it was time to go into our movie because I felt like it was cutting our conversation short. Good thing I married him cause I know just where to find him when I need some intellectual rousing...or not (we have the most random conversations, often including debates on biddies, flying snakes, and if cows will bite...)

Soooo, Pirates was good. I would say great, but I don't really have a strong feeling like it blew my mind. It was a good "third" and most times the third version of a movie stinks. This one put to rest some of the previous plot cliff hangers and still managed to create one for a possible fourth. Johnny Depp's an excellent pirate, but I'm sure he would love some more roles (did anyone ever see Chocolat? He was a pirate in that too...), but then again, what do I know? Money's money and all of the movie showings were sold out on a Sunday afternoon/evening...

Mon was spent getting our house in order. KJ tackled the outside and I proceeded to wash and fold 83 loads of laundry. sheesh! But the house is clean and that's a good feeling.

Tonight my neighbor is hosting a tasting party for Tastefully Simple. It's kind of like Avon, only food and I'm excited about meeting some of the women in our neighborhood. I'm pretty sure that I'm on the outs because my husband's not military, because we have no children, and because I work. Still, if they'll have me (hehehe) I'd like to know more than just my neighbor Sarah b.c I actually like our little sub-division and if I run out of eggs and Sarah's not home then I'm screwed. I'll let you know how the party goes. You know I'm a food addict, so I'm going with a $20 budget that I refuse to go over.

I guess that's about it. Work is work. Not bad, so that's a blessing. Freelance stuff is still piling up and I need to start knocking it out so not to tarnish my name should I ever decide to "work for myself" again.

Speaking of work, let me get back to it. I came in with a "get it done" attitude and needless to say, it quickly waned.

Happy Thursday everyone (or atleast to the 4 people I know for sure haven't given up on me and are still reading this blog)! ;-)

Wife Extraordinaire

That's my mission.

We've been on the go sooo much lately that I'd just about forgotten how to work all major household appliances (ie. washer/dryer, stove, vacuum cleaner... you get the idea). Well all that ended yesterday as I went to Publix (we were out of juice and gatorade, staples in our household) and came home not only with dinner for the night (Salmon fillets stuffed with crabmeat... add a little butter and Old Bay seasoning, bake for 30 with a side of rice...yum!), but dinner for the rest of the week! I tried something new. After getting last night's dinner started, I did all the prep work for the meals for the rest of the week: Turkey legs -Tuesday; Jerk lamb - Wednesday and since KJ's out of town on Thurs and Fri, I'll probably eat ramen noodles the rest of the time. Hey people, I'm cooking to impress and remind my husband of one of the many reasons he married me, but I myself am a low maintenance eater and can get by on chips and salsa with no prob. ;-)

So that's the only thing I have to report about "getting back on the ball" with. Tonight I'm going to try and tackle some laundry so that we don't have to move to a nudist colony or start wearing our clothes inside out (that didn't come back in style did it???). I've also got my freelance stuff VERY organized in my mind. Now all I need are 2 more sets of hands, 3 more computers, 6 more hours added to the 24, and I'll be in the clear. ::sigh::

Ummm, let's end on a better note then my disorganization shall we?

Look at my babies!

Baby D is soooooo unbelievably studdly. His momma jumped right on in there like a pro, not a trace of newbie in her (and if there is, she hides it well). This is one love smothered child.



And here's little Miss S, my god-baby. She's grown up so much and finally she came to me and didn't want me to go (she's a huge Kj fan, but I've been bribing her with gifts of literature {this girl loves her books} on the sly, so I think I've pulled ahead of him in the running of her favorite). Oh yea, and me letting her "drive" has nothing to do with her unbiased love for me. hehehe




Such a good feeling these kiddos make ya have.

Happy Tuesday all!

Work for Some...Pleasure for Others

Last week Kj had a work thing out in Vegas and being the wonderful husband he is, he let me tag along. ;-)
We had a great time. I think I seriously saw every inch of the strip, plus a few side streets to boot. We went in all the major casinos and asked them what their "major attraction" was so that I could take a million pics of us doing goofy things. We really did walk until I felt like I'd walked my feet off and was using only the nubs they had become. hehehe
My mom, sister and aunt joined us for the last half of the trip (after about 2 days on my own while Kj was working, I'd already decided that Vegas is more fun in pairs. hehehe). We celebrated my bday, my aunt's bday, my mom's bday/mother's day and for good measure, my sister just being able to make the trip (she messed her knees up pretty bad in a car accident a month or so ago- don't worry we rented a wheelchair for her to be rolled around in). KJ survived all of the estrogen and we had a marvelous time (I may have already said that, but when I think back to it now, I remember A LOT of laughter and that constitutes mentioning a wonderful time twice, don't you think?). Here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip. If you've never been, then it's some where to definitely visit, just to see. Talk about eye candy...an arsty-fartsy person like me was in a "creative utopia"!










Happy Tuesday!

Okay Okay

so I've been a little MIA. hehehe

more details on that later, for now I'll just say Viva Las Vegas. ;-)

Today, my Colleen gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.



Dash Ian D.
9lbs 4oz.

Perfect size for his Aunt Roz who is normally a little shy about holding newborns (they just seem too fragile). I think Dash knew that would be an issue so he decided to skip the tiny baby stuff. Can't wait to hold him close...

Congrats Team Dixon (John and Colleen and Dash makes 3)!

This is what

27 looks like (please excuse our matri d's photography skills hehehe):



Yep, that's 27 in the ruby dress, second from the right. ;-)
Yesterday was my birthday and as you all know, I love birthdays (everyone's really, but especially mine). I love getting more grown. I love that God has given me a chance to add another year to my name. I'm Roz and I'm 27. Has a wonderful ring don't you think? hehehe

Work was great (yep, you read right). I just like pep to know it's my birthday, it's not about presents or anything, I think that on this one day out the year, pep actually will give you less grief, just because hey "It's your birthday", and I take full advantage of that. I was telling Liz that I wasn't going to really mention it to anyone, but on Wed nite my bible class of teenagers were acting all funny (like teenagers I guess, too cool to answer questions, too inconsiderate in general) and I stomped my foot down and said "Come on you guys! You know these answers and if for no other reason, you have to atleast try because tomorrow's my birthday and this would be the best gift you all could give!" Yep, they instantly straightened up. As mentioned: I'm not above using my birthday for leverage. ;-)

So anywho here's a brief list of things I pondered on the eve of my bday that made me so grateful to be 27
1) I'm married to a wonderful man and I love the story of how we got to where we are. It's unique, it's quirky, it's sooo very much KJ and Roz.
2) My family comes second to none. They are the best. I'm very blessed to have been born into my home and to have married into another one that is just full of good hearted people.
3) My friends are my family. Plain and simple. Along the 27 year path I've met amazing people and you all just won't let me go and I'm so grateful for that.
4) I have the body of a 27 year old. Lumpy in some places, firm in others, but it's in great working condition and that's a blessing (especially if you remember that I had a "car wreck" phase of life where seriously, me and cars didn't go well together...)
5) I have a career that I enjoy, a job that on more days than not I'm creating something, and coworkers who make me laugh daily. I've been in worse situations (ummm, does "Panty Prison" ring a bell), and I can appreciate where I am now.
6) In general I believe people consider me to be a good person and that makes my heart feel good.
7) My faith in God has grown tremendously as I've gotten older and that makes "Life Decisions" less scary. You can't put a value on that.
8) My opinion matters, my advice does not go unheard.
9) At 16 I was allowed to drive and date. At 18 I went to college and established my being on the foundation I started under my parents guidance. At 21 I partied, studied, and loved in a way that I can look back and be proud of and tell great stories of. At 23 I moved to a city of my own and made it home. At 25 I was engaged and married. And well, 27... so far it's falling right in suit with being phenomenal.
10) That by the time I hit 30, my life will be even more intricate than it is now and that process is exciting.

Hope you all had a wonderful May 3rd. Thanks for thinking of me. Like I said, I love my bday and I love that you all not only let me keep my childish giddy, but play along. ;-)

Oh yeah and before we went to dinner, I learned this lesson:
NEVER try ripping off the tag of your dress (little plastic piece) while talking. That's just too much in your mouth and you may very well accidently inhale the little end of the plastic piece. (KJ's pretty sure it's going to just "pass" I'm hoping it's not scratching up my intestines.) In the future, I'll just use scissors, or pause and finish my sentence after the tag is removed. ;-)

Lots of lovin!

Happy Friday!