Darkeyedgirl's VirtualTourist Home Page

Next up for us: the annual heavenly retreat to the Hocking Hills rustic cabin, and then a day-long tailgating fest full of all things Buffett. (Jimmy, not Warren)

=-D

When I first started dating Jeff... I told my co-workers and friends "I have met the future Mr. Stephanie"... and Jeff felt the same way. Calling me the future Mrs. Jeff. =-)

My hubs totally digs how I pepper my food too much or drown it in Tabasco; he actually offered to buy me a gallon jug of Tabasco from Jungle Jims so I can feed my spicy food desires! He totally understands my Language of Belch (he has his own which I understand); and also, a man who is not obsessed with my long, beautiful hair... who actually was more attracted to me AFTER I donated 17 inches of the stuff and sported a shorter 'do. We love to do all sorts of things together and refer to each other as 'best friend', because the way I see it... he would not have been right for any other woman on this planet, and I certainly was not right for most of the men on this planet.

And here I was getting to the point in life where I was holding my hands up in the air and thinking I was facing "Singledom Forever"... simply cuz, I had a Titanic-y feeling (cold and sinking) that I was just too twisted, comical, dirty-minded, dark and crass to attract a sane man. I was wrong, and while some might consider Jeff a bit insane (in a good way; not in a Hannibal way), I think he's the best thing to happen to me. Cuz not having anyone who "gets you", well, sucks.

So, we planned the perfect wedding for the perfect kingdom... everything went weirdly perfect, and we're perfectly settled into Married Life. Married, With Children... =-) .... and many pets.

For two people who swore off ever "committing again" due to certain past experiences... we surely knew within the first 36 hours that yes, you actually CAN be yourself and other people will actually accept you and LIKE you for it... we surely are happy to be So Happy Together.

"You call it madness, but I call it love." ~ Don Byas

I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~ Rita Rudner

Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate. ~ Barnett R. Brickner

More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse. ~ Doug Larson

Marriage means commitment. Of course, so does insanity. ~ Author Unknown

Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without. ~ James C. Dobson

Only choose in marriage a man whom you would choose as a friend if he were a woman. ~ Joseph Joubert

Marriage halves our griefs, doubles our joys, and quadruples our expenses. ~ English Proverb

Spouse: someone who'll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn't have had if you'd stayed single. ~ Author Unknown

"When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." ~ Nora Ephron

If I didn't have her, I'd be even weirder than I already am. She's the one person who brings balance to my life (sort of like the Force... there's a Light Side and a Dark Side? Well, she keeps me from going to the Dark Side)... my daughter Emily is 12 (going on 16), and so far all I can see of 'me' in 'her' is the dark eyes, the sick sense of humor, and, her amazing ability to belch. Love her lots!!!

My daughter is one of those really smart, outgoing, funny and very beautiful kids who back when I was in school, I was jealous of and feared her types. I was the band-geek with glasses, braces, red hair, freckles, blah blah blah. So I am really happy to see my kid be a brainiac and ace "everything", she's got a smile that just lights up a room, and she is the leader of every single thing she goes into. I'm one happy momma!

My girl reminds me every day of how much patience I have (Lord Love PMS) and above all that, how much I can't believe at one point I thought of NOT having kids. I look at her and feel so much at times... whether it be bewilderment or love or anger or pride, I have to say, "Parenthood" has become perhaps the most rewarding job I've ever had.

She's almost as tall as me now, and there are times when I stand next to her and really can't believe she is my daughter. Funny how fast they grow; she's wearing the same jeans that I do, borrows my shirts every now and then, and is growing HER hair out because she loved my real-long hair. I guess all mothers are constantly in awe of their kids (dads, too), and I'm still in shock, even after 12+ years, that I have her!

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future." ~ Author Unknown

Taylor likes mustard just like me; Taylor also likes Salt & Vinegar chips (but his dad hates them) just like me; and we both sort of have this really great knack for passing gas. FINALLY A MAN WHO APPRECIATES the finer things about me.

Pooh all over you dumb little boys out there who say belching is "not very ladylike". You guys suck! =-P

Taylor loves having me as his Stepmom. And I really love having HIM as a stepson!!! It's lots of fun to eat those smelly vinegar chips with him while his dad stays faaaaaar away...

He looks great all spiffied up as a mirror-image of his dad (Jeff calls him "Mini Me"), and he's got his dad's sense of humor, which means we get along VERY swimmingly. Every day Taylor is getting to look more and more like his dad, and every day I marvel at their relationship with each other. Jeff would lay his life down for his son, and that is what I have always respected from any father.

To this day "T-dog" is the only man who can out-belch me. Sorry, Mark! You have to do this 'size versus ratio' thing. We have great fun in our Belch Wars. Fart Wars are another thing...

"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes." ~ Dr. Who

They really are not monsters. Actually the older cats sleep 90% of the time and aside from weird things being chewed or stuff being knocked over on occasion... they are very well behaved and quite angelic. Monster Angels?

I swear I am not a "pet collector" nor am I obsessed with cats in general. I lucked into 2 strays (Snickers & KC), adopted 3 more on my own (Jessie, Hammie & Dusty), was given one when he was on his way to being put to death at the pound (Zorro), and now my newest 2 kits, who are way-cool and younger & freakier than Hammie, came to me by way of expanding my life, my heart, my soul and my mind by marrying a man who is just as twisted as I am.

The cool part is; he doesn't mind the fact we have a houseful of cats! =-)

Our angelic monsters are very dear to us. Snickers is of course my favorite but he was my first; I love the way Tiger makes his chirping noises, the way Barney sniffs every cat-butt like it's a brand-new toy, and the way people look at me when I tell them "guess what; I have 2 more cats..."

".... to add to my 6... "... "oh and the dog..."

... "and 2 kids".

PetSmart loves me. And just like home improvement stores, PetSmart receives part of my salary each month, for all the same reasons; Pets are truly a 'home improvement' for me, because without them and all the sweet chaos they bring to my life... man would I be bored.

I was voted in high school to "most likely work at the Cincinnati Zoo". I think that back then, people knew more about me than I knew about myself. I'd not take back any part of my decisions for each animal life I've saved, nor will I ever be able to forget the feeling (feelingS, it still happens every day) of when I first took in each cat (and Barney). I was a born caretaker and my beloved monsters are a part of me!

***
In April of 2008, we lost our lil Miss K.C. to renal failure. November that same year Dusty succumbed to the same old-age illness. Both girls will be missed very much in our household. Thankfully broken hearts are soothed by all the loving memories left behind. We miss you!

As a 'Meomy', I can say that back when I was adopting and taking in cats not as a hobby but because they stole my heart... I never thought about death or 'the end' or losing them. I have found that I am very lucky to have known each pet and cherish every minute with them. My two elder girls lived very long happy lives and I can say they both added something very special to mine. ADOPT if you can! Pets add so much love to your life and leave so many cherished, lasting memories!

For my beloved monsters,
~ Miss K.C. and Dusty ~
If Tears Could Build A Stairway,
And Memories A Lane,
I'd Walk Right Up To Heaven
And Bring You Home Again.

"It's not merely that our pets teach us how fragile and finite life is. It's that it often takes an animal to draw out our innermost humanity." ~ Joseph Russomanno

Check out the Locks of Love site: http://www.locksoflove.org/

January 2002: 15 inches

December 2005: 17 inches

January 2009: 15 inches

I started donating my hair in January 2002 mainly because it was a 'shed the past' kinda thing. I was real sick of men liking me or obsessing over me because of what's on top of my head, not inside of it.

When I chopped that first tail off in '02, it was not only liberating but physically gratifying. A pound of hair is a lot of weight for a lil gal like me. I became addicted to the idea of growing out my hair and donating it.

Why? Because I have been blessed with one thing on this planet that most women would die for. I can brag about it because it is the truth. I have naturally curly, naturally red hair (poo on all y'all who teased me as a child!), and it is so thick and luxurious. I take care of my hair up til the end. The night before my donation, I soak it in pure vitamin E oil. I am *that* dedicated to my cause.

One of my daughter's friends from school has cancer and is totally bald from chemo. She is a real sweetie (her name is Emily too). She received a wig from Locks of Love recently. It made me swell with pride knowing 'I do what I do' for a reason, if not a mission.

I donated in 2005 because I had planned on it for a few years and my scalp was freaking killing me. Neck problems galore. I will never forget 12.10.05 when I had the ponytail cut by Jessie as everyone gathered 'round. Seventeen inches went to someone who appreciates what I do.

God blessed me with something, and I am not about to let that blessing go unheard. Yes it is beautiful, and yes it does grow back. The lovely thing about being a Hair Farm is, my hair gets to a certain point and grows like a weed. It is exciting and fun to do this!

My third donation was done with my kids and my hubby. I have to say this is the one thing I can do while on this planet that will make a difference. They know I can't donate blood due to not meeting the weight guidelines and I can't donate organs 'yet', so my hair is what I can give!

I am going to work on a fourth lock, because I so far have the grays under control and it is just something I feel very strongly about. My 40th birthday will be like this: 1. Locks of Love donation, then 2. go buy myself a used Mazda RX8 in 'Winning Blue'. Oh and a night out with my awesome best friend (hubby) for dinner and dancing til our knees fall off.

Literally!

An explanation as to why I *used to* dress up as Dorothy:

I guess my favorite movie growing up was Wizard of Oz... I loved how Dorothy got swept into another place, the adventures she went on, and well that little dog too! My dog, Barney, is a Cairn Terrier, and he joined me every year as I pranced around the front yard skipping to the soundtrack of the Wiz of Oz. Some of the kids on my street came back 2 & 3 times just to see the lady with the ruby slippers & her little dog, too.

I had my dress made to fit me & I made those shoes myself. On Halloween night, I got to go where no one else has ever been. Over the freakin' rainbow... the only difference is, I'm not looking for my home... it's right here in lovely, beautiful Kentucky.

Those ruby slippers really *did* bring me home!

I've changed my costumes over the years, but in the end, for Halloween night, my Dorothy costume is the most genuine I've seen, and I love to be in character while wearing it. I refuse to be one of those adults who won't dress up or who say 'dressing up is for kids'... if you are a kid at heart, YOUNG at heart, you should dress up for Halloween. If you don't, you're lame, and you've lost something.

~ Go find it! ~

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"If you ever go looking for your heart's desire, don't look any further than your own back yard. Because if it isn't there, your never really lost it to begin with." ~ Dorothy Gale

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