HAPPY NEW YEAR

This week has flown by. We were in Texas just Fri-Mon last week, which is entirely too short! I guess I have to pay my dues being the "new girl" at work. Christmas vacation is determined by seniority and 3 out of 8 of us have been working at Parker for 20+ years. Niiiice. The next person ahead of me has 5 years under her belt, so I'm pretty much staring down a no-Chritmas vacation destiny for quite awhile.

We had tons of fun on our short trip though. I will post pics as soon as we get our real computer set up. For now, I'm using Matt's work laptop every now and then, but it's not set up w/our little docking station.

Matt's under the weather....so no big new year's plans for us! Just two old married folk and a beagle watching tv by the fire (which is not too shabby in my opinion. Man, I turned into an old married lady pretty quick)! Yesterday we went to the walk-in treatment center to try to get Matt some antibiotics. They told us it would be a 20 minute wait. After 2 hours sitting in hard chairs in a freezing cold waiting room, we finally gave up. Matt seemed worse for the wear after not being in bed for that long, so he's on my self-concocted regimine of alka seltzer effervescent and tussin. Hope it works because he's scheduled for some Rose Bowl action this week.

More later taters.

Merry Christmas!

We are in Texas!!

Merry Christmas to all.

Movin and Groovin

We started moving today! We don't officially close until Monday, but the owners let us have the keys on Friday. I took a bunch of pics but left the camera over at the new house, so I will post all the "before" shots sometime soon.

We have already made a few improvements: Matt installed a new wax ring for the toilet (an absolutely disgusting, yet neccesary task), I replaced all the nasty gold cabinet hardware with new "brushed nickel" (oh so trendy). And we went down in the crawl space to patch up the furnace ducts. I tell you, that was an adventure! We were down there duct taping the ducts (how appropriate) when I looked over and saw a little pair of beady green eyes staring at me through the darkness. FREAK OUT. Turned out to just be a nice fat cat with a collar, so I guess he was just out for a nap in our CRAWL SPACE. Weird cat. Guess I'm the skerrdy cat! It's not so fun to jump three feet when you're in a three foot crawl space...

Now we are back at the old house swaping the washer/dryer that came with the new house for our set. I use the term "we" rather loosely. You all know I have no muscles :) Poor husband is doing all the manual laber. He prefers to do the lifting and I do the organizing/cleaning. Works for me! I hate to sweat :)

We'll keep you posted on the new adventure.

In other news, I had a traumatic Friday when I looked down at my wedding ring and a prong was BROKEN OFF. My diamond was just flailing about. Teeter Totter. As if it didn't have a care in the world. This wouldn't be so bad IF 1). Matt hasn't been telling me to get the ring insured for about 4 months 2). It wasn't Matt's mom's diamond that is on the loose 3). I had listened to the jeweler when she told me to sauder the bands together because they were going to rub and a prong would eventually break. So now I look newly engaged with a single band solitaire until I can get my wedding band fixed. Maybe we'll go out tonight and see if people will send champagne to our table as a congratulatory gesture...

Bon Noir mi Amigos

Rose Bowl Blues...

Today the "limited number" of Rose Bowl tickets that Ticketmaster had were released for sale at 11am EST. Matt sent out a huge email to all his co-workers (and some of mine!) pleading for us all to get online and refresh/refresh/refresh until we got some tickets for him and his dad to go watch the Longhorns in Pasadena. Now, this is a HUGE deal for Hubby. He and Dean bought their plane tix in SEPTEMBER because they were so confident that Tx was going to the Rose Bowl (never you mind that they ensured the tix were refundable before they bought them- side note from the token Aggie). Anyway, no such luck with all that clicking going on. I think Ticketmaster must've had about 4 tickets that they released today.
Boooooooo
Hisssssss
So, if anyone has alumni connections or anything along those lines and can get my sweet Hubby tix - let us know!!!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me, you will be Matteo's favorito amigo.

HoHoHo

Three Ho's for the all-Christmas, all the time radio station.

HoHoHo!!

Merry Christmas!

On that "note" (pun intended!!!), posted on the entrance door at Nville Wal-Mart was a typed up sign that said, "MERRY CHRISTMAS From Your Nicholasville Wal-Mart!" At first glance, you'd think - 'Tis the Season, right? Oh no - I totally think it's a slap in the face to Target who's employees are only allowed to say "Happy Holidays" this year. All this right next to the Salvation Army girl ringing her bell. Last year's controversy was Target not allowing the bell-ringers. So "Bah Humbug" to Tar-get' and Rock on Wally World.

Peace on Earth - except at retailers...

We finally went to a UK basketball game last night! After living here 2 years, it took free tickets to finally get us to go! A co-worker had extra tickets and I was the lucky recipient. Fun times! Of course, we are still partial to the Aggies and the Longhorns. After going to several different college bball games, I'm totally shocked at how awesome A&M's arena is compared to everyone else's - considering the fact that our team stinks!! Oh well, at least they look good doing it...

In other news, Molly has recovered from her weird spell and we are moving right along with the house. Mortgage, insurance, all that fun stuff. Set to close on 12/12.

Our buddy, Felty, who visited this weekend! Surprise, you're famous now - you made "the blog!"


Matt, running away from me taking his picture, at church.

This weekend flew by! We have been super busy and have had a great time this weekend.

Congratulations to Karen and Joe! They were married on Saturday in a beautiful ceremony followed by an extremely fun reception! Best wishes to the new couple! We were having so much fun that I forgot to take pics!!!

Matt's friend from HS, Chris Felty, is here visiting this weekend as well and we have enjoyed just hanging out with him and having fun.

Molly's had a rough weekend, though. She's been having some kind of "fit" where she is screaming in pain. It breaks my heart to see her like this, but aspirin seems to help. She's going to see Dr. Dan tomorrow so I'm sure she'll be better soon!

test

Movin' on UP ....(to the NORTH side)!

Yup, we're moving!!! (Again, I know)! But now that I have a job and we are both working on the north side of Lexington this is going to be great!! We currently are at least 30 minutes SOUTH of Lexington so this will shave about 45 minutes off of Matt's commute and I'll only be 10 minute from work!!! The house needs a little bit of sprucing up, but it's going to be fun to paint, etc! I'll post pictures as soon as I have some! WE're particularly excited about coming home for lunch. Yipppeeee!

My job is going great. I LOVE having a job that I actually enjoy and working in a professional environment. I'm SO thankful to be out of my last position and moving (notice a trend?) on with our life.

Matt's been asked to continue giving sermons at Hopewell Presbyterian church so he's very excited to be able to have time for both of his loves: computers during the work week and preaching on Sundays! The church has about 15 people in attendance and the people are great!

Lots of changes for us --- COME AND VISIT!!!

Detroit!

We're headed off to Detroit again this weekend. Matt's grandma's church - UMC Ferndale - is having a gala on Saturday night. Grandma Fleharty bought a whole table for the event and we will be her guests for the dinner and auction. I'm sure I will post pics early next week!

Thankful Day!

My college roommate, Laura, had her first baby girl last night - Lillian Grace! We're thankful that Alex was able to be home from his Navy duty for the birth and that all is well for mom and baby!

Congratulations, Scogin Family!

Workin Woman

I started my new job on Monday! So far it is great! Very overwhelming with everything I have to learn, but still interesting. My co-workers seem great, I can't wait to get to know them. Sadly, though, this may mean less blogging...I'll do my best as to not dissapoint the masses :)

Happy Halloween from Matt, the Ballerina!

Click here for more Halloween Pics

Molly the Pirate and Matt the Princess Ballerina!

Gatlinburg pics are posted HERE. Will write more later :)

Keeneland

Mom and Dad Kilgore are coming to visit today!! They should arrive this afternoon. This weekend we're all headed to Gatlinburg, TN to meet up with Kristi and Lex. It's pretty close to the middle for us all so it seems like a good meeting place. Mom and Dad rented a cabin so we're all going to hang out and relax (and eat a lot)! For some crazy reason, the cabin doesn't allow pets. Not even cute beagles (weird, I know). So Molly is going to a kennel - I mean, Pet Resort. We told her she's going camping, but I don't think she buys it.

I probably won't blog again until early next week, so...be good until then my peeps!

Puppy Tears

Most people don't believe me when I tell them that Molly cries REAL tears when she's upset, so I thought I'd post this picture of her with her big ole sad puppy tears for you to all see. This was taken this morning after Molly went to the vet for a vaccination. Poor little puppy!

Hopewell

This weekend Matt gave the sermon at Hopewell Presbyterian church in Paris, KY. He was AWESOME! My hubby is getting so great at giving sermons. I'm so proud of him! This church has about 15 people in attendance and has asked him to continue to give the sermons. To quote one member, (Matt)"just brings the life back into this church that has been missing for so long."

Love you, Hubby!

Pics Galore!

Our pictures from this weekend are posted! Click here to see them.

Anna Kate the Turtle!!!!

Beautiful Drive!

Niagara Falls

Uncle Matt with Anna Kate

Doesn't he look so natural holding a little pink bundle?

Cindy, Matt, Matt, Mary & Anna with our Maid of the Mist panchos. Check out Anna's little baby pancho! Here's a hint: Don't wear your glasses on anything dealing with "Mist!"

Coming Soon...Pics from NY!

New York, Here We Come!

We're headed up to New York (not the city) to visit our friends the Kofahls! I'll post pics on Tuesday!

Have a great weekend everyone!

October = Breast Cancer Awareness Month

My favorite Breast Cancer site is TRIPLING their contributions for the month of October thanks to their premier sponsor, Linens 'N Things! All you have to do is click on a link (you can do it once per day) and the site sponsors donate the cash! SO EASY. This is legit, so no nay-sayers allowed. :)

Here's the link:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com

Everyone's doin' it!

Click Click Click!

Visit with the Flehartys

Grandma Fleharty, Uncle Jim, Aunt Dianne, Matt, and I at COMO'S in Ferndale, MI. Como's is a Fleharty favorite - it's been around for 50-60 years at least. The Flehartys used to walk to Como's to enjoy a wholesome family pizza dinner. As of late, Como's has evolved into a drag queen hotspot (as has most of Ferndale).

Matt and Grandma Fleharty

Grandma Fleharty, Matt, and Bones O'Grady

Me with a Big Ole Waffle














Matt and Uncle Jim















Cindy and Aunt Dianne

mfleharty AI: nothing good can come from not wearing orange

Well it's Texas/OU eve and things are shakin in our homestead. The Red River Shoot Out ranks second to, hmmmm, well nothing according to Matteo. Not even our anniversary ;) This year, though, will be different from all years past: we'll be in Michigan on game day! Matt and his Uncle Jim will be at the Michigan game WHILE OU IS PLAYING TEXAS. I couldn't believe Matt agreed to this. I think it must be because he is pretty darn sure this will be their year. He's already got a plane ticket to the Rose Bowl so he can see the National Championship!!

Have a good weekend everyone!

i heart verizon

Dearest Verizon,
Thou art the most wonderful cell phone company in all the land! I shall proclaim my loyalty and shout it from the rooftops (or from my blog, whatever's more convenient). My trusty Samsung phone broketh and the display doth dangleth from one tiny wire. My downtrodden cell phone and I headed to the mall to track down the legendary, yet elusive, Verizon customer service.

Alas! Customer service cameth througheth for me and my Samsung! A brand spanketh new phone was presented as a replacement for FREE.

Oh, Verizon! Thou art my knight in shining plastic!

Forever yours,
Madamoiselle Cynthia

Watchdog

Well, I must stay I'm a pretty darn good watchdog. For instance, when I hear noises outside I jump up on the table, look outside, and whine. It's all in the strategy, baby. Boogiemen outside will see my ferocious face and run - I'm sure of it. Just doin' my job around here. Someone's gotta keep this joint safe.

Peace in the 'hood,
Molly

**Disclaimer: When the Texas flag was stolen this weekend (as in someone ripped the flag - mount and all - right off the side of our HOUSE - leaving HOLES where the nails were), I will have you know that I was in my CRATE and unable to perform my window magic.

The Midnight Bakery!

My cousin, Mylynka, jumped on board the blog bandwagon! We're gaining momentum everyday -- Everyone jump on board!!! Get a blog today :)

themidnightbakery.blogspot.com

If any of you need a cake in the DFW area - call Mylynka!

Poth Diaries!

My sis, Kristi, and Lex finally got a blog! Yipppeeeeeeeeeeeee! Check it out: kristiandlex.blogspot.com

Happy Blogging!

(It's addictive - ye shall see!)

Autumn!

It's officially Fall! Matt's truck thermostat read 49 degress this morning! Aaaaa, Kenucky in the fall!

So Wrong.... Who Comes Up With This Stuff???

President Bush Sells Louisiana Back to the French

















President Bush and a giddy Jacques Chirac shake hands on the deal.

BATON ROUGE, LA. - The White House announced today that President Bush has successfully sold the state of Louisiana back to the French at more than double its original selling price of $11,250,000.

"This is a bold step forward for America," said Bush. "And America will be stronger and better as a result. I stand here today in unity with French Prime Minister Jack Sharaq, who was so kind to accept my offer of Louisiana in exchange for 25 million dollars cash."

The state, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild.
"Jack understands full well that this one's a 'fixer upper,'" said Bush. "He and the French people are quite prepared to pump out all that water, and make Louisiana a decent place to live again. And they've got a lot of work to do. But Jack's assured me, if it's not right, they're going to fix it."
The move has been met with incredulity from the beleaguered residents of Louisiana.

However, President Bush's decision has been widely lauded by Republicans.
"This is an unexpected but brilliant move by the President," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. "Instead of spending billions and billions, and billions of dollars rebuilding the state of Louisiana, we've just made 25 million dollars in pure profit."
"This is indeed a smart move," commented Fox News analyst Brit Hume. "Not only have we stopped the flooding in our own budget, we've made money on the deal. Plus, when the god-awful French are done fixing it up, we can easily invade and take it back again."
The money gained from 'T'he Louisiana Refund' is expected to be immediately pumped into the rebuilding of Iraq.

Please keep our friends Brooke and Michael in your prayers today.

Much love to you both!

It's Official...

...my car is a LEMON! This is the THIRD time it's been in the shop in one year. The service girl just called and said, "Girl, you need brakes in a bad way" (think small town Kentucky accent). That's just what I wanted to hear! She said, "whew, they are all rusted and causing your engine and everything else to jolt." Niiiiiice. Hope Superior Nissan can turn my lemon into some lemonade. They should for $300. Booooooooooooo Hisssssssssssss.

Cincinnati Zoo

This little gem you see here is the cause for the signage: BE ALERT! And that's no joke! She gathered up sticks and clumps of grass and hurled them at the crowd. Whatta little joker she was! Gotta love the Gorillas!

Gütentag, Hofbräuhaus!

What is the NUMBER ONE thing about living in KENTUCKY? Oh yeah, only that we have the ONLY Hofbräuhaus in America. That's right folks, there are two in the world - München (Munich) and NEWPORT, KY! Ok, so Newport is really "metro Cincinnati," but it's on the Kentucky side of the river, so I'm claiming it for the Commonwealth! (By the way, if anyone knows the difference between a State and a Commonwealth, I'd really like to know.) These pictures are of Matt and I posing as Germans and dancing the night away to the sound of an authentic Bavarian band complete with an Accordian player and YODELING! I think we may be the only people to ever do the Texas Two Step to Bavarian Folk Music, but hey - it worked for us. Towards the end of the night, however, Matt traded me in for a "more experienced" dance partner! Look at the sweat he worked up - she gave him a run for his money! She definitley knew what she was doing - she was the accordian player's mother!




We left there stuffed to the gills with excellent German fare. We had pretzels with grainy mustard, bratwurst, mettwurst, bierwurst, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes! It was awesome. For those of you who've been to the original - this was every bit as great! Come visit us and we'll take you there!

Newport on the Levee

Hanging out at Newport on the Levee on Saturday (Cincinnati in the background).

At the Pump Financing Available!

Couldn't resist one more gas sign for the blog! At the Pump Financing - whew!

Foggy Kentucky Morning

"Action without Reflection leads to Burnout... Reflection without Action leads to Cynicism"

Any thoughts?

Komen Race for the Cure

We participated in the Komen Race for the Cure this past Saturday. There were approximately 6000 people there (in lil' ole Lexington)! We were shocked at what a production it was. Each participant donated $20 to race, and many had others donate in addition to their entry fee. So - at the very least - $120,000 was raised that day! 75% stays in Kentucky and 25% goes to the national Komen foundation. Way to go Lexington!! We finished the 5k walk in about 50 minutes. Matt and I walked together the whole way, but - of course - on the home stretch Matt took off in a sprint so he finished about a minute ahead of me (ya bum)!

TWO BUCK CHUCK ROCKS!

Many thanks to our new friend, Joe, for my first bottle of Two Buck Chuck Shiraz! Love it. Unfortunately, 2 Buck is sold exclusively at Trader Joe's stores and Trader Joe has not moved into Kentucky yet (or Texas for that matter). So the next time you drive by a Trader Joe's, I suggest you pick up a case of this wonderful wine.

What's "Two Buck Chuck?" The affectionate nickname, "Two Buck Chuck," is inspired by its price ($1.99) in Trader Joe's stores in California. Our guess is someone thought that since the wine is so inexpensive, it deserves a less formal nickname. "Charles" is so $8.99.

http://www.traderjoes.com/new/chuckshaw.asp

A Word From Molly

Well, I've finally mastered typing. This whole computer thing isn't as hard as I thought it would be. My puppy 'rents are teaching me all kinds of tricks. That's why they don't have time to dust the computer (as you can see in the photo of me typing). I'm still having trouble learning to roll over and be quiet, but typing is a piece of cake. In this photo I am checking out some financial information. I'm thinking of switching auto insurance companies.
Love, Molly

This'll be the day...

Unfortunate Wording...

No matter what side of the Bush fence you're on, this is funny!

Matt's Garden

This was yesterday's crop from Matt's very first attempt at a garden. He's got a green thumb for sure! We've been picking tomatoes faster than we can eat them, but the peppers have just started ripening. Good job, hubby!

Dean's Visit

Dean came to visit this weekend. As you can see - it was an action packed adventure ;)

Sleeping Dean

Brooke's Sale Update

Brooke's Sale earned $1200 on Saturday! Awesome job, Brooke! The local bank is matching all the funds she earned, so the actual amount is $2400. You should have seen how much stuff was there! This money was raised for things that were priced at $.50-$3.00 so the turnout was huge.

Here's a picture I took through my window while driving home from the sale. Kentucky really is a beautiful place. The pics would've been better, but I was driving 60mph so I didn't have a chance to focus - haha.