Betrothed

Sorry, boys... no one stands a chance against Jacob.

The loss of a legend...

...calls for a 10:00 showing of this film: Yes, I own it. No, I'm not embarassed. Well, maybe a little.

I have a laughing hangover from this game:

We had Ashley (Sister-in-law) and neighbor kids over for a game night last night. I laughed so hard that tears do not explain the hysterics. Just one thing to say on this subject: Any night that results in someone getting a nickname, is a good night.

One question

When does school start back up again?

Fashion Victims

Netflix has granted me the opportunity to laugh at the poor clothing choices of the characters on Beverly Hills, 90210. Because I wasn't allowed to watch the coveted show on it's first go round, I decided as an adult with no rules to start from season one and work my way up. I have been laughing so hard at the parachute pants, mom jeans and quite possibly the worst trend ever: the overalls with one strap undone and hanging down the back.
Yes, Luke Perry plays the ultimate bad boy... but who can believe that when he has made the fatal overall mistake in three episodes and counting?! Ultimate bad boy or ultimate bad dresser? Poor kid can't stand a chance when the overalls are occasionally covered up by an acid washed denim trench coat- with shoulder pads. I kid you not. Despite the poor fashion choices of Dylan McKay, he's still my favorite. The voice alone is the definition of teenage crush. Aw, sweet Dylan, I kid because I love...

The toothfairy visits the House of Graham!

Losing a tooth at our house is, apparently a tragic situation. The tragedy comes from two parents that use the, "If you don't brush your teeth, they're gonna fall out!" as a tactic for proper dental hygiene.

Kaitlin was brushing her teeth and realized that one was bleeding. She started to FREAK OUT because Mom and Dad's prophecy had come to pass. It took a great deal of calming to finally urge little girl K into wiggling the tooth without total meltdown.
Two days after the ultimate freak out, Kaitlin lost her first tooth. We excitedly put it under her pillow in anxious hope of a visit from the toothfairy. An hour after saying goodbye to her tooth, Kaitlin woke up in a panic. After ultimate freak out, part deux, we deduced to write a letter pleading with the toothfairy to leave the tooth. Here's what a dictated letter from Kaitlin reads:

Dear Toothfairy,
Leave the money and I'm going to keep the tooth. I don't want to give you my tooth because I will miss it so much. I love you. What's your name? Please write a letter back to me and say your name. When is your birthday? Happy Birthday when it comes around. Do you have roses? Do you have a white dress? What color wings do you have? Thank you for visiting me.
Love, Kaitlin
p.s. Are you a princess?

The toothfairy responded with a letter full of flourishes. Lucky for Kaitlin, she lost a tooth on a Sunday night after all stores had closed. The toothfairy's smallest monetary increment was in the form of a five dollar bill. I was clear in my explanation that the first lost tooth is worth that much.

Preschool Graduation

Rather than bore you with any captions, here's a smattering of pictures:

The passing of a chocolate lover

My Grandma, Virgina L. Smith, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 9.

I have so many memories of my grandmother... but here I would like to share my favorite:

When I graduated high school, I moved from the east coast to live with my grandma in California. Living with that spunky lady was so fun! She was so full of class, dignity and many surprises. As part of our living arrangements, grandma had a white board left on the table to indicate where we were. Silly notes passed between us each day. Sometimes a simple, "Went to work" from me or "The market" from her. Both creatures of habit, we had become accustomed to writing our whereabouts. When two dainty ladies reside in a home together, there must be some kind of protection. Our knight in shinning armor came in the form of a home security system with shrieking alarm. Grandma was obsessive about that security system. She would go out to get the mail and set it... well, maybe she didn't go that far, but sometimes it felt like it.

One night, I came home very late from work. Upon opening the door, my ears that had been prepared for a shrieking alarm heard sweet silence... "ahhh, grandma's home. No alarm, sweet silence." I peeked in grandma's room to say goodnight and go to bed. When I looked in her room, grandma's bed was empty. And so was her bathroom. Her study. The den. Hmmm... Maybe I missed something. She might have gone out... Running to our white board saved for messages of whereabouts was the next order of business. When a blank message board was the result, I started to get a tad bit worried. Maybe she just forgot to state where she as going? I checked the garage- her car was still there! So, let's try to solve the mystery, my dear Watson.

No message on the white board- check

Car still in the garage- check

Late at night- check

Empty house- check

My head rushed with those terrible commercials of the elderly falling and pulling on their life line necklace. What if my grandma was lying on the ground yelling, "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" and I can't hear her?!?!?! What's a girl to do? Call the police, of course!

So, I called the police ensuing three squad cars lighting up a previously sleeping neighborhood. the very studmuffin-y police officers came in and starting casing the joint (what does that mean? If it means they were looking for drugs- that's not the case- I just really like cliches). After the handsome cops looked sufficiently under the porch, in closets and in her car with very official looking flashlights, grandma did not turn up. My level of panic had surpassed any level I had previously acquired. One officer started filling out a missing person report while another was trying to calm me down... and what do you know? I hear giggling coming up the from the front walkway. Giggling that suspiciously sounded like a spunky old lady... suspiciously like my grandma! I swung open the door so hard, it almost came off the hinges. The poor woman's next sight was that of her panic stricken granddaughter coming at her at warp speed. It seems that good ol' granny had a dinner appointment with a friend that she had forgotten about. So, in her rushing around to get ready, she had failed to write a message or turn on the alarm. Thus, ensuing mayhem. The best part of the night was when we received a lecture from the most studmuffin-y officer of all. We just sat, blushing as he told us the dangers of calling the police erroneously. (I still remember the tattoo around his HUGE bicep) After the craziness had finally left the house and neighborhood, grandma and I just laughed and laughed. Needless to say, we never forgot to write a message on the white board again.

I am so grateful to my grandmother. Her generosity is what allowed me to live in Napa and ultimately meet my sweet husband. The year I lived with her was an amazing experience for me. We shared her bed on the night of an earthquake, finished a half gallon of chocolate truffle ice cream in one sitting and watched the whole miniseries of 'A Town Called Alice' in a single weekend. I still see the sweetness in her eyes when she saw me cry. I still see the twinkle when we laughed. My grandmother was an accomplished and posh lady and I hope to someday live through the kind of things she endured with such class and dignity.

Dude, I'm soooo into video games!

Well, I am now... kind of... well, maybe not so much video games as video game conferences. Jimmy and I drove down to LA to go to the- let's see if I can get this right- E3 Xbox 360 Media Briefing. Yes, lots of words... I know! But in my book, lots of words equals lots of FUN! Here is a synopsis of the FABULOUS trip with pictures and captions to follow.

Jimmy entered a contest to win tickets to an invitation-only press junket for Xbox 360. I will explain to you in short what Jimmy had to explain to me in slow, simple sentences- multiple times. This briefing is a yearly occurrence each Summer in preparations for the Fall releases in the video gamer's world. Basically, fashion week for geeks... although, they were all handsome, designer wearing, European hotties... but we'll get to that later.

Anyway, Jimmy won the tickets on Thursday and we left on Sunday. A very quick trip. The drive down was fun and full of laughs. The fancy hotel we stayed at was... fancy. Excluding the terrible bed. I am sorry to any of you who have fallen victim to the 'Sleep Number' bed. It was a glorified air mattress covered in high thread count sheets and down bedding. I don't care how many goose feathers you cover a piece of poo in, it's still uncomfortable to sleep on. Narrow it down to one sentence, you say. Well, okay. I can do that: I will never consent to being a bikini clad spokes model for the sleep number bed. Never ever. (that's two sentences, but I repeated a word... doesn't count)

We got our ticket- from a CHP. Yes! We got pulled over on our way to the conference center. Luckily, Jimmy was driving. I just have to say, they make the police officers in SoCal with a different mold. She was too pretty to be wielding a firearm. I am sure many men have broken all kinds of traffic laws to be pulled over by that chica!

After my husband's run in with the law, we entered the hallowed halls of the USC Galen Center, press passes in hand. I was so excited for Jimmy! My sweet man watches this broadcast every year at home... now he finally gets to see it in person! I am glad I picked his outfit today. He was wearing a fitted long sleeve button down and dark jeans with leather pointed shoes. The only thing missing was the designer leather jacket. All the other men there were gorgeous eurocupcakes with different shades of man purse. I was in heaven over the smell of fabulous shoes. If it wasn't a eurochicmeister, it was a fit asian with velvet sport coat and pinstripe pants- totally rockstar.

Upon sitting for the briefing, in the fourth row mind you, we were dazzled with Icelandic water and freakin' awesome music. The floor was set up like a euro techno dance club. I felt so hip and with it. The presentations were loud and fresh and ultra chic. For someone who thought they would be bored to tears, I was pleasantly surprised by guest appearances from Yoko Ono, Steven Spielberg, Tony Hawk, Felicia Day... oh yeah, and the BEATLES!!!! Yes, the remaining Beatles stopped in for a short visit!!! I about peed my pants and I cried. And screamed. And giggled. Gosh, I'm such a freak. But I am a freak who saw Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr!!!! My life is complete. I may die a happy freak. I NEVER in a million years ever thought I would get to see them up close and personal. I cannot believe it! The Beatles are my favorite and have been my favorite since listening to them on old vinyls with my dad when I was a little girl.

All in all, I loved the show and had a great time with Jimmy. I am so happy for him. I can't wait until Jimmy's done with school so he can work in this industry. He will have a blast... and I will get to buy him a man purse and fitted leather jacket!

Without further ado, here are pictures from our trip:On our way! What's a road trip without watching a movie... or Season 4 Disc 2 of The Gilmore Girls?Look at those beautiful press passes!!!

Euro Techno Dance Club- yummy!Above: Yoko Ono walking off the stage.... complete with sunglasses and weird hat.

Below: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr!!!!!