The List

Okay so it's been a while...Summer is fabulous and hot and sunny and there are a million things to do while Hayden is at my mom's for a vacation. Since that vacation is quickly sliding to a close, it's high time I get back on my butt and sit with my BRAND NEW LAPTOP!!!! (more on that later) and blog.

I've been following several awesome blogs lately. One of my favorites (perhaps my top favorite) is Becoming Sarah. Sarah is an amazing blogger and never fails to make me laugh. I think my favorite thing about this blog is the blunt honesty about her subject, whatever it may be on a given day. She says all the things that we all think but usually don't say out loud.

Today Sarah has made a list of her pet peeves. As usual, she managed to crack me up...and inspired me to write my own list. So without further adieu, here we have my list.

1. Bill Collectors with no common sense (aka: most of them):
Okay, we all know what ones I'm talking about. The ones that call you about some bill that you supposedly owe that you don't even remember having, then demand that you pay the balance. Now. Immediately. Yesterday, if possible. When you tell them that you get paid in a week and will be glad to pay the balance then, they act like you've just told them that you never plan to pay it and asked them for a loan. No! Now! Today! Okay...how about I make a payment today and then pay the balance when I get paid? NOOOOOOO! NOW!!!!!! ALLL OF ITTTT! *frothing at the mouth over the phone* Really. What is wrong with these people? We've had one collector calling my husband for a bill that we paid six years ago (yes, six) and the company that they claim they're collecting the bill for can't even find record of it...) and even though it's a Canadian company the fellow on the phone affects a Brooklyn accent and acts like a member of the Mafia. Oh please.

2. People who go to the "10 Items or Less" checkout with 25 items or more:
Yes, you want to get out of here ASAP and the other lineups are longer. If everyone took your attitude, this lineup would be just as long as they are. I came in here for a carton of milk. GTFO my express line.

3. People who don't stop at crosswalks:
I am trying to cross the street, legally, with my precious babies and you come careening around a corner like you're in the Indy 500. LEARN TO DRIVE MORON.

4. People who pass me, either on the highway or in a supermarket aisle, then immediately stop or slow down:
If you are not going to go as fast or faster than me, stay behind me. I don't think I need to elaborate on why.

5. Automated phone systems with no option for "speak to a REAL LIFE BREATHING PERSON":
There is nothing worse than making a phone call that should take 10 minutes because you have the smallest and simplest question to ask and end up spending an hour and a half pressing buttons, only to hang up in frustration because you couldn't ask it. Is there a number I can press to wish the person who invented these automated systems can burn in hell? Please?

6. Oven Mitts that don't operate properly:
Ow

7. Parents who give into their children because they yelled and threw a tantrum in a public place:
Validating their behavior much? My kids know that all they're going to get if they yell and scream and kick in a public place is a trip home and a nice nap. Perhaps even a spanking.

8. Children's shows that make kids "Say it louder!":
Not designed with parents in mind is all I can say.

I have more...so many more...but I think I'll leave the rest for another day.

Check out Sarah's blog! She's awesome and amazing and all other things like that. I check her blog religiously about 4 times a day.

The Best Daddy in the World

I have never met anyone that loves his kids more than Val. He adores them. He's never too dignified to get on the floor and play with Transformers and Lego. Being a kid at heart, the boys relate to him and love him more than anything.

From the moment he came into my life and took James into his arms and heart, I knew that he was the man I would love for the rest of my life. He's a fantastic husband and incredible father. I should have written this yesterday but I was too busy spending time with him.

I love you honey, and Happy (belated) Father's Day from me and your boys.

And They Called it...Puppy Love...

Silas and my sister's dog, Meca.

Joanie's Butterfly

And left to kiss the cheek of Mother Nature

Nobody here can be denied such things

Make the ladies you love, come honey

No butterfly should be denied it's wings

(Joanie's Butterfly - Aerosmith)

Okay, so I said I wouldn't tell you my real name. I lied. Though I mostly go by Cam, my real name is indeed Joanie. Yes, like Joanie loves Chachi. That kind of Joanie.

This post is twofold (I guess threefold if you count the name part) about what makes me who I am. First of all, I am a huge fan of Aerosmith. I have been since I was a little girl, and the fact that they have a song with my name in the title just thrills me beyond compare. At some point, Steven Tyler sang MY name into a microphone for the world to hear. *dies* I don't think they have ever belted out a tune that I didn't enjoy to the fullest.

The fact that the song is Joanie's Butterfly makes it even better because you see I adore butterflies. For the longest time my favorite accessory was a butterfly hair clip, but since it went out of fashion I had to find a new way to carry my butterflies with me...

So I tattooed a butterfly on my skin. Yes, this is my lower back. As my friend Megan likes to say, it's my "tramp stamp". No, it's not colored. Maybe that also will tell you a bit about my personality. I intended originally to have it colored pink and blue, but decided to leave it completely black. Some things are just too good in their original form to be overdone.

It was so dark that I could hardly see

It smelled so sweet, you know who and Joanie

So many butterflies one could not see