Pictures with the Camera Phone

So Kate took my camera last weekend so I had to use my camera phone while we were out. The pictures aren't great but they work. We went to hear a band play Friday night. Some guys approached us to dance. If only I had a picture of them wanting to dance with Tami. It was hilarious. She just literally ran away! :-) Saturday night we went out to eat and then as Holly calls it to the "golf place". It's called Mulligans so I guess you could consider it the "golf place."

:-) Denise and I listening to Maggie Speaks
I look like I'm glowing!

The bartender kept saying that the camera was zooming in on me. Not sure if that was a pick up line or what! I said, no it's just because I'm wearing all white!

Greg and Tim - Greg is Tim's friend from college. He wore out his best white tennies and "mom jeans" as Ash would say!

Trying to take our own pic with the camera phone.

A little blurry.

Ash trying on Holly's Roberto Cavalli glasses. She looks like she just had lasick! :-)

Answers to Pop Culture

Ok, apparently I am a lot bigger pop culture junkie than I realized. I thought this quiz was going to be fairly easy. I tried to put a few hard ones in there so people wouldn't just breeze right through it, but instead they seemed to be all hard! :-) Congratulations to Jenny by the way who won with 19 correct answers! Jenny I will be sending you your prize! So here are the answers:

1. What is Miley Cyrus' real name? Destiny Hope, she goes by Miley because as a baby they called her smiley as a nickname and it got shortened to Miley over time.

2. How many children do Brad and Angelina have now and what are their names? Brad and Angelina currently have four children and she's expecting twins. Their names are Maddox, Pax, Zahara, and Shiloh

3. On The Hills what are Lauren Conrad's roommates names?(she has 2) Lo(Lauren) Bosworth and Audrina Patridge

4. Who won Big Brother this season? Adam aka A-Baller

5. Who is Ashlee Simpson engaged to? Pete Wentz from the band Fallout Boy and supposedly she is pregnant as well, but she's not admitting it if she is.

6.What is Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes baby's name? Suri

7.Name five cast members from Grey's Anatomy. Patrick Dempsey (Dr. McDreamy), Katherine Heigel (Izzy), Ellen Pompeo (Meredith), T.R. Knight (George), Eric Dane(Dr. McSteamy)

8. Name Carrie Underwood's last two boyfriends. Chace Crawford and Tony Romo

9. What show did Chad Michael Murray have a guest spot on for multiple episodes before he got his own role on One Tree Hill? I've been informed he was also on Gilmore Girls, but he had a multiple episode role on Dawson's Creek as well.

10. What famous basketball player did Eva Longoria marry? Tony Parker

11. Who is Jennifer Aniston's best friend? Courtney Cox Arquette

12. What show did Britney Spears recently have a guest spot on? How I Met Your Mother

13. Who won season 4 of American Idol? Carrie Underwood

14. What actor is in almost every one of Ben Stiller's movies? Owen Wilson

15. What was Britney Spears' first husband's name? She was only married to him for 55 hours after a quickie wedding in Vegas but Britney's first husband was Jason Alexander

16. Who was Regis' cohost before Kelly Ripa? Kathie Lee Gifford

17. What did Martha Stewart go to jail for? Insider trading

18. What was the catch phrase that got OJ Simpson off for murder? "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!"

19. What is Anna Nicole Smith's daughter's name? Dannie Lynn

20. Who won the Superbowl this year? New York Giants

21. What famous baseball player wrote a book and incriminated many other players in his book about using performance enhancing drugs? Jose Conseco

22. How many times has Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France? 7 times

23. Who is Reese Witherspoon currently dating? Jake Gyllenhal

24. Name the five housewives from The Real Housewives of New York City. Ramona, Jill, Betheny, LuAnn, Alex and LuAnn is a countess

25. What 90's Disney Channel show produced a lot of actors/actresses and singers? Name the show and three of the actors/singers. Mickey Mouse Club, Keri Russell, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, JC Chavez, Justin Timberlake

Pop Culture

Ok, so I enjoy reading my cousin Tami's blog because for one she's hilarious and she always has these creative games. They are always fun and I love reading all of her friends comments, so I thought I would create a little game of my own! All of my friends know that I'm a total pop culture junkie, so I thought I would create a game to see how much you all know about pop culture. I will put down 25 questions and whoever gets the most right wins. I haven't thought about a prize yet, but I may come up with one. You just can't cheat! Try to answer based on what you know off the top of your head! :-)

1. What is Miley Cyrus' real name?
2. How many children do Brad and Angelina have now and what are their names?
3. On The Hills what are Lauren Conrad's roommates names?(she has 2)
4. Who won Big Brother this season?
5. Who is Ashlee Simpson engaged to?
6.What is Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes baby's name?
7.Name five cast members from Grey's Anatomy.
8. Name Carrie Underwood's last two boyfriends.
9. What show did Chad Michael Murray have a guest spot on for multiple episodes before he got his own role on One Tree Hill?
10. What famous basketball player did Eva Longoria marry?
11. Who is Jennifer Aniston's best friend?
12. What show did Britney Spears recently have a guest spot on?
13. Who won season 4 of American Idol?
14. What actor is in almost every one of Ben Stiller's movies?
15. What was Britney Spears' first husband's name?
16. Who was Regis' cohost before Kelly Ripa?
17. What did Martha Stewart go to jail for?
18. What was the catch phrase that got OJ Simpson off for murder?
19. What is Anna Nicole Smith's daughter's name?
20. Who won the Superbowl this year?
21. What famous baseball player wrote a book and incriminated many other players in his book about using performance enhancing drugs?
22. How many times has Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France?
23. Who is Reese Witherspoon currently dating?
24. Name the five housewives from The Real Housewives of New York City.
25. What 90's Disney Channel show produced a lot of actors/actresses and singers? Name the show and three of the actors/singers.

2008 NFL Draft Pick

Ok, so he may not be my brother, but I'm still proud of him! My cousin Marissa, her brother-in-law, Andy Studebaker got drafted in the NFL Draft yesterday. He was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles. The quarterback from ISU. Luke Drone, who I also know through one of my good friends signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills. It's fun to know some people that might actually be playing in the pros next year. It will make it more fun to watch! Andrew played for Wheaton which is a Division 3 school so going pro is tougher. He lead the nation in sacks the last two years which is what got him a lot of recognition. He hurt his ankle early into his senior year and ended up having surgery which seemed it may hurt his pro chances. Thankfully his ankle healed better than expected and he was back to his old self in no time. He reports to mini camp on Friday. Kind of fun stuff for little ole Central Illinois! The pics above are when he was announced on TV and being interviewed by the local news!

Aria Kay

Rebekah had her baby yesterday. She went in around 5am and had her at 11:49am after only having to push for 10 minutes. She was 6lb 15oz and 19inches long. Mom and baby are doing well! As you can see, she has a full head of black hair and looks A LOT like Darci did. They named her Aria Kay, Kay after Bonnie's middle name. She's a cutie but was being stubborn and wouldn't wake up for us while we were there! :-)

Girls Night Out!

Well after being at home for three and a half weeks, it was definitely time for a girl's night out! Ash, Holly and I went to see a movie and then Denise met up with us for drinks and dessert at Biaggis afterwards. If you haven't tried the lemon cake at Biaggis yet, it is a must! Yum!

Hero of the Week!

So my hero this week is my dad. I could think of a thousand reasons why I consider him my hero but this week it's because of how yesterday morning went. Our conversation went a little something like this:

He came in to tell me goodbye before I left for the airport, and he said,

Dad - "Tara, I don't want you to go home."

Me - "I know I don't want to leave either."

Dad - "Then don't."

Me - "I guess I could stay longer."

Dad - "Really?! How long? A month?!"

Me - "Well I don't know if I can stay a month, but I could stay another week. I'm not traveling this week."

Dad - "Let's call the airlines!"

It obviously didn't take much twisting of my arm to stay another week in California. I love it out here and it's been a ton of fun getting to spend time with my parents. So I'm here another week. By the time I go home I will have been here for three and a half weeks! Kind of crazy! :)

I've Been Tagged!

So Holli tagged me a couple weeks ago and I have yet to post my ten random things about myself, so here you go!

1. I like Jimmy John's sandwiches but what I love more is the chips that I put on the sandwich and the best part is the lettuce, mayo and chips that fall out of the sandwich.

2. I've always wanted to be a famous singer and then be one of those celebrities that doesn't throw away their money or constantly having the paparazzi chasing after them! :-)

3. I'm a technology junkie. I check my email, Facebook, Myspace, blogs, and work email ALL day long. I actually feel lost without my blackberry. Most nights I spend in front of the tv with my laptop on my lap for hours.

4. I secretly enjoy watching some Disney Channel shows. I have a current fascination with Miley Cyrus.

5. I somehow managed to break both of my fourth toes in the same week on the same wall!

6. My dream trip is Australia.

7. I love the ocean but I hate the beach. I would love a house on the ocean with a pool, so I could view the ocean but lay out by the pool!

8. I like to keep people guessing and don't like people thinking they've got me figured out, especially if its wrong.

9. As I've gotten older I like to spend more time by myself and need about two to three hours each night to just veg and not be bothered. I talk to my friends on the phone while I'm in the car but if I don't get them and they call me back once I'm home during veg time, I will rarely answer. So if you call me and I don't answer you'll now know why.

10. I love kids but have never had this burning desire for children. I always wanted to be the working girl carrying a briefcase rather than having kids. Hopefully that will change some day for me! :-)

We Pulled it Off!!!!!

So Tami and I decided to throw Rebekah and Heidi a joint surprise party, but the surprises started early in the day when they woke up. The whole day they followed notes to tell them where to go. The places included:

• Breakfast with in-laws and family
• Manicures
• Painting pottery
• Afternoon coffee at Starbucks

The day ended at our house for "family night". We sat down to a fake dinner and after the prayer all their friends popped out from the basement to surprise them. Much to Tami and I's relief, the whole day went off without a hitch. So here are a few pictures from the day.

Painting at Fired Up
The birthday banner waitin for them at Fired Up

The cake we made for them. The California or Bust and the snowman is an inside joke from a trip we took years ago with a craving for cake and the store only having snowman cakes.

All the party girls.

The rest of the party girls.

Tami was the mastermind behind the whole day. Great idea Tam!

The fab four! I don't think we've ever called ourselves that, but I couldn't think of another caption to put underneath this! :-)

Bowling with Whit

So Whit and I went bowling the other night. She came from work and I came from a birthday party so we were a little overdressed for the bowling alley! We decided that without a sweatshirt and a beer we didn't quite fit in! :-) Whit's boyfriend Isaac apparently had someone from work that recognized us and said it was easy to pick us out because we were the only ones in the bowling alley wearing high heels!

Whit showing off her lovely bowling shoes and her gutter ball
I was testing the shutter thinking that if I sped it up it would take the picture faster. All it does is make the picture darker. This was the face Whit chose to help me test it out!

We decided that we may not bowl again any time soon because were apparently getting old since we were actually sore after bowling!

Eaters!

Ok, so I know I've been a little vacant lately. I like to post pictures but when I have no pictures to post, I feel like that just posting paragraphs about what I'm doing isn't nearly as fun to read!

:-) So my mom got us gifts for Valentine's Day and one of them was these blocks for our mantle that spell out Easter. I knew they were coming but Whit didn't know what they were, so when I took them out of the box they were all out of order. I said, Whit what do you think they spell? She quickly starting making words out of the letters and each letter that I set down, she would say another word. Eat, sat, tease, rate, seem, and then with the last letter I set down she yells out EATERS!! So my mom called shortly after and Whit promptly thanked her for our blocks that spelled eaters. My mom sat there quiet for a second and goes was there no S? Whit says no there was, eaters, s, s, s. Again there was a silent pause on my mom's end. All the sudden she yells out EASTER! It's supposed to spell EASTER!! Whit and I got a good chuckle and explained to my mom that we knew it spelled Easter. We just thought eaters was funnier!

An Afternoon with Will!

You know you have a cute child when we have to beg you to bring them over so we can watch them! :-) Heidi was kind enough to let us have Will for the afternoon.

This bag of twizzlers was keeping him busy for a while.
He would hold out the bag and squeeze as tight as he could and you could feel his whole body tense up and shake. Not sure what he was trying to accomplish but it was funny to watch!

I thought this was a cute close up of the little guy!

He totally looks like we posed him. He's so funny how he lounges when he's just playing!

Do you think maybe he's a little too close to the tv?! He was so enthralled with it!

Good Doctor

I think this has to be one of my all time favorite videos. I just think this little boy is so cute and the way he says stuff cracks me up!

Hero of the Week!

Kate is my hero of the week! She doesn't have a part time job during her Freshman year of college so she can focus on her studies, so I told her I could put her to work for so many hours a week to give her some extra spending money. She helps me with paperwork, runs errands for me, does my laundry and cleans my room at times to rack up hours.
As much as I give her a hard time about packing my suitcase and forgetting to pack me an entire outfit when I'm out of town, buying a baby gift for me and forgetting the main portion of the gift, forgetting specific instructions I gave her because she was busy eating a cookie when I was telling them to her, buying something else when they don't have what I wanted and it ends up being the completely wrong thing or sending out a package that she addressed back to our house instead of the recipient, she is a HUGE help to me on a weekly basis. Every week I give her a list of things to get done by the end of the week. I send her all over town to run errands, get groceries, etc. It saves me time from having to do it all on the weekends when I'd rather be doing something more fun. I try to tell her thank you for all she does, but I know I don't relay it as much as I should, so Kate is my hero of the week or most weeks for that matter for her willing effort to help me out and make a few bucks! :-)

FCA Dinner

My friend Jon works for FCA(Fellowship of Christian Athletes). Every year they have a banquet dinner to say thank you to their supporters as well as spread the word about FCA and bring on board more supporters. Jon asked me to put a table of 8 together, so my faithful Ozark's crew was willing to help me out to fill the table. We had a great time. It was Ash and Luke, Holly and Tim, Ben and Marissa, and Denise and I. We decided that we need to do another trip together and this year, somehow it was suggested to do a houseboat trip on Lake Cumberland. That ought to be interesting!

Hero of the Week!

Ok, I'm totally stealing this from Tami and Beks, but I like the idea and I have a hero today. Ash Zeller is my hero of the week! First of all, I was at their house last night and my tire went flat. I apparently drove over something and put a hole in, which is now the 5th tire I've replaced on this car, but that's another story in itself. So she drove me home last night and also offered to pick me back up to help me take my car somewhere today to get the tire fixed. If that wasn't enough already, she made beer bread for my Valentine party. She knew I had a ton going on and offered to make it for me to help me out and here I was borrowing the mix from her!!! It was so sweet and such a huge help to me. I barely had enough time to get everthing out on the table before people showed up, so it was a total load off to have that already ready. Thank you Ash for helping me out and making my day easier!

Celebration of Singleness Night a.k.a Valentine's Day

What is it about this fateful day that depresses single people around the world?! I don't even like flowers and chocolate and the cheesy Valentine cards necessarily but for some reason just the idea of receiving these corny gifts puts a smile on my face. So last year we had a get together with single friends rather than sitting around doing nothing or lamenting over the fact that we don't have Valentine's. We thought 2008 would be our year, but as you can see from last year's group, there are quite a few repeats this year. We figure 2008 is still new, so there's still a chance, just not early enough for Valentine's Day! :-)

Last years group
Wait, this chair looks familiar! I totally didn't even plan that!

So the wine opener broke. We had to get creative with pliars. It took Josh and David about a half hour to get the cork out and the broken off piece of the wine opener!

It took a lot of strategic planning. If that didn't work we were going to get a hammer and just lap it up out of a bowl!

Denise didn't know her own strength. She broke my wine opener! Actually Heidi's wine opener. Guess I actually have to go out and buy one now! ;-)

Yes, still trying to open the bottle. Now there's an audience!

Kate's friends all got boyfriends in the last week, so her date for Valentine's Day was her friend Katie.

This is Denise's attempt at looking like a disciple in my slanket(it's a blanket with arm holes, best invention ever!)

Well let's see.......we spent the evening watching the guys open a bottle of wine, checking out the pizza delivery man(not cute), talking about why Mandy and Sarah voted for Aaron Shock(they think he's cute), learning spanish from a Ricky Martin song, watching karaoke rather than singing it, and having a hilarious Valentine's Day grab bag exchange.

Mandy's flash is VERY touchy and Kate forgot the art of taking a picture with notifying the subject with 1,2,3........(take picture), so there are some hilarious photos on Mandy's camera. By the way, Mandy I expect those pictures to be on Facebook by tomorrow! :-)

My two old roomies

If you can read the Family Feud question in the background, see if you can guess the top answer! And no, it's not an airplane. That's what I guessed! :-)

The girls! Recognize the chair? Same chair, different year(and house)!

Is it just me or do I almost look invisible? I HAVE GOT TO GET A TAN!!!