Last night, Koda wasn't listening to me, so I found this phrase coming out of my mouth, muttered in a low I'm Serious tone, "Koda Hess- you get over here right now." Totally a phrase my mom would have uttered.

The only thing we're truly missing is a middle name to add to that phrase. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Brandon was a HUGE Barry Manilow fan as he was growing up. No, seriously. Ask his parents. In light of this, I think he should officially be "Koda Cobana Hess."

Speaking of Scrinny- it's her birthday today. Happy Birthday Mom!

springtime!

springtime!
(a tree
in our
back yard)

I love rock and roll.

That is all.

Just truckin' along, which is the best we can find ourselves doing sometimes, right? I am keeping busy with work and people are still requesting custom charms, in spite of my self-imposed custom charm hiatus which will allow me to focus on spring cleaning which will be beneficial to our pending move to D-town.

Through various groups such as Craigslist and our local Freecycle group, we have given away: one ugly dresser with drawers only tall enough to stack clothing an average of 1.5 shirts tall- MAYBE 3 pairs of underwear if you're lucky, a box full of white tiles that I had received for free at a garage sale- talk about recycling!, and best of all, we got rid of our heaviest couch in the world hide-a-bed. It was good while it lasted, right? The springs were a bit worn and the thing was starting to get holes in odd places, but a sweet soon-to-be-married couple came and reclaimed it as their own new couch, fit for a father to use during their upcoming May wedding. We tried searching for housing in Denver this weekend- well, were more trying to scope 'hoods, as you can be in a dreamy, charming neighborhood one minute and a scary neighborhood the next, such is the way in many a big city, I'm guessing. It's hard scoping housing long-distance, as you see housing advertisements in the paper that state, "Beautiful Baker neighborhood charmer!" and have no idea if that's truly a good thing or just witty housing advertisement copy. "Great place in Capitol Hill!" means nothing to us newbies. Bran's got a few co-workers who are trying to give us leads, but I think it's going to take several more trips down there to actually discover what the H-** the Baker Neighborhood is all about! I think Denver will be a good thing, though. Eventually.

In other news, subleasing one's house is never fun. It's a hard time to be renting in a college town, since most college kids and rental property agencies are on a strict August to August lease schedule. Maybe I can Freecycle our house.

Viva Las Wages

It has been decided. My sweetie Brandon is going to take me to Las Vegas to celebrate the big three-oh this year. We will probably hit up Coyote Ugly, where I will dance on top of the bar and kick, stretch then kick, then shout, "I'm thirty!"

Brandon has never been to Las Vegas, and it's been quite a while since I visited with my best girlfriends over spring break. I've been hoping that I would ring in this new year in a memorable fashion, so I'm thrilled and will be looking forward to this.

This is going to be the song running through my head over the next few months:

Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire
Got a whole lot of money that’s ready to burn,
So get those stakes up higher
There’s a thousand pretty women waitin’ out there
And they’re all livin’ devil may care
And I’m just the devil with love to spare
Viva las vegas, viva las vegas
How I wish that there were more
Than the twenty-four hours in the day’cause even if there were forty more
wouldn’t sleep a minute away
Oh, there’s black jack and poker and the roulette wheel
A fortune won and lost on ev’ry deal
All you need’s a strong heart and a nerve of steel
Viva las vegas, viva las vegas
Viva las vegas with you neon flashin’
And your one armbandits crashin’
All those hopes down the drain
Viva las vegas turnin’ day into nighttime
Turnin’ night into daytime
If you see it once
You’ll never be the same again
I’m gonna keep on the run
I’m gonna have me some fun
If it costs me my very last dime
If I wind up broke up well
I’ll always remember that I had a swingin’ time
I’m gonna give it ev’rything I’ve got
Lady luck please let the dice stay hot
Let me shout a seven with ev’ry shot
Viva las vegas, viva las vegas,
Viva, viva las vegas