"Raising the Bar" & Mark Paul Gosselaar

How did he go from THIS:

to THIS:

It's the little things that make me think. You make think I'm weird for it, but, well, I don't care.
...I'm talking about the newest "courtroom drama" on the market, which happens to star the one and only Mark Paul Gosselaar.:) Those of us who grew up in the 80's and early 90's ALL had big crushes on the blondie of "Saved by the Bell" fame, but that didn't mean any of us were convinced that he was a good actor. The young Mark Paul could raise an eyebrow and make my heart throb, but, when he fell out of the lime light after he ran out of school bells to be saved from, I wasn't at all surprised. Later, when I heard that he was on "Law and Order" or "NYPD Blue" or whatever cop show it was, I was surprised to see him back and in a serious role to boot, but I wasn't convinced that he could play it and I really don't enjoy pure cop shows-so, I didn't watch it.
BUT, when "Raising the Bar" started its drumrole in July I was intrigued because I was sure that the guy with the long, wavy brown hair was the Mark Paul of my younger days...and it WAS him. I hate to say it, but I decided to watch the show-purely to find out if the hair was real...well, and partly because the guy who played Gunn on "Angel" was on the show too. So, now I'm enjoying following the lives of many interesting characters, played by many well-known and talented actors...and all because I couldn't believe that the beach blonde babe of my younger days had now turned into a serious, almost middle-aged, long-haired, lawyer actor type. How funny it is how my mind works.:) But, really, who knew the man of 3 names had real talent AND could transform himself so completely?

confessions

I have a little confession to make: I am slightly addicted to the "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" show. I know, so sad, but it seems to be a good distraction from the fact that Robert is going to be gone for another 12 days before I get to see him...I always did want to be a cheerleader-deep down. BUT we all know I'm not a very athletic person, so it never really worked out. These girls go through A LOT MAN! WOW! I know it's a pretty exclusive thing, but I never realized the DETAILS...like a little bit of butt fat is a big deal! I like that they have someone who is supposed to help them with their own body issues as apposed to just making them workout until they get rid of all their body fat. The people who run this team really do think of every single detail. I guess they choose to go through this, but I wouldn't want to be picked on for every teeny tiny detail. Still, it's amazing to see their talent and perseverance.

Staying Home Alone

Well, it's finally happened: Robert has gone on his first traveling job. I know I said that it wasn't going to happen because I didn't want to be separated from him for long periods of time EVER, but, when you don't have any other options at the moment, and he's only 4 hours away in Louisiana, it doesn't seem quite so bad. We don't know that it's going to be that long of an away trip anyway...there are 2 different contracts in locally-one in Pascagoula and one in Mobile, so hopefully one of those will come through and he'll be back in a couple of weeks, right? It was so sad, but funny to watch him go this morning because all the cats were running around like something weird was going on. I think Jade still has some residual fears of packing because of when PJ left her with Aaron. Poor Sweetness must still have issues with being locked up for that weekend we left her in the closest by accident...and Sandy, well, she just likes to sit on top of luggage. Jade spent the hour before Robert left alternating between cuddling with me and attackinng me (although she has gotten much better about not actually PUTTING her claws INTO my body). Sweetness sat on the top of her Daddy's chair and got up with him every time he got up. Sandy just sat on the suitcase until Robert took it outside, and Topper went and hid. I think they are going to miss him just as much as I will.
It's hard to believe that some women deal with this all the time. I know plenty of people here in Pascagoula who deal with their husbands traveling for pipefitting or joining-gone for months at a time! Our friend Monica's husband is in the Navy and gone for 6 months right now! And my sister in law Janet stays home with the girls while Perry travels all week some weeks. I hope that we don't have to do this very often and not for very long when we have to do it. We're lucky because we don't have any kids, but I remember being that kid left at home while my dad went away for months and months at a time...it wasn't fun. Maybe that's why I have such a problem with it now.
Also, I'm not very good at being alone-especially at night-especially in a neighborhood like mine. I suppose it would be just as scary if I lived out in the woods away from all kinds of people. So, it's an experiment for me to see how brave I can be. I will just be keeping myself busy: cleaning, uploading CDs to my new Ipod, playing on myspace and facebook, getting on a better workout schedule, loving my cats, and doing anything else it takes to keep myself from feeling alone. I'm also lucky enough to have Robert's family close by in many different directions, so I'm really not ALONE...but I want to be able to do this myself. Too bad I can't throw myself into my work-they're counting every minute so we don't get overtime.
Here goes nothing.:)

Recycling

I know this seems small, especially to folks to the North, but I was so incredibly excited yesterday when I looked out on the curb and saw a crate sitting on the corner of my driveway. At first I had no idea what it was-maybe someone's garbage that got thrown to the side-AGAIN. BUT, when I went out to investigate I found a brand-spankin' new Recycling container from out garbage company! Now, this is SO exciting for me because I have been going to Mobile to do my recycling and now all I have to do is put it out on the curb once a week! I have no idea WHAT we are recycling, but anything is better than nothing-whether it's glass and plastic or plastic, glass, tin, and newspapers...I will fill it up every week and I am so incredibly grateful that the town of Pascagoula has finally come to their senses!
Yeah for recycling!:)

A couple of weeks ago I got to see my sister Holly again. It's so strange that she lives so far away now, but we are hoping to be able to go visit her because I have never been to Washington State. Oh, so many places and so little time...
AND, of course, I finally got to meet my new niece, Emma Faith-Holly and Tim's daughter. She is so incredibly beautiful and TINY. I can't get over how little and perfectly proportioned she is. And there is something about her that is just so very AWARE. I felt like she totally and completely understood everything that we were saying. She just had so much more presence than any other baby I have ever met...and it's not just because she is my niece; I really think that she is extremely intelligent. And she is absolutely beautiful-even nif she doesn't have much hair:). I'm so lucky to have so many wonderful nieces and nephews...I just wish that there were more time to see them all. It seems like they are all growing up so fast.


Speaking of growing up fast: after spending some time with Emma Faith I was off to Lily June's 1st birthday party! I can't believe that Lily is all ready a year old! My GOD how time flies. Lily isn't saying too much yet, but she is all ready walking all over the place and she has this great thing she does where she will all of a sudden just burst into laughter-wide open mouth hilarity...it's so great! She is also the most well-dressed, girly baby I have ever seen-and that is saying something after having 2 twin nieces dressed by my sister-in-law Janet (who has the greatest sense of style). But, Lily June doesn't let the dresses get in the way of her action-she's all over the place and ready for action.
The birthday party was awesomely well done and I had a great time getting photos of the kids and of Laura and Trent's horses, which they have 4 of now! I wish I could have 4 horses!

The Harris Family Reunion

Oh, it has been far too long! I have excuses, though: I have been planning a family reunion, working, and I got my "after travel sickness" that I seem to get every time we fly anywhere. So, this might take a bit to restart itself, but I'll get there.
Still, all the hard work and loss of energy paid off. The Harris Family Reunion came off REALLY well. Robert got the house painted (Yellow with white trim and red doors), the yard cleaned up, the trees and bushes trimmed, the tents up, the hallway painted, and all my little flags, wind chimes, and birdfeeders hung up. I have to say that the house looks absolutely wonderful and everything was just awesome! I got some great family photos and dad and Lisa came to meet some more of the Harris family.
I really couldn't believe how well everything went because Robert and I usually get so flustered when large events become our responsibility, but by some grace of God, Robert got the week before the reunion off to do everything that needed to be done. I managed to get the day before off so I could frantically clean the house (which is DID need). And, the immediate family came over to help with the raising of tents, the moving of grills, and all the other things that required more than one person to do. We were so de-stressed-we were able to be gracious hosts-as you can see from this hilarious photo of Robert walking through the crowds:
Robert's family is absolutely awesome, by the way...everyone was so helpful, so complimentary, and so good-natured about the whole event; even their rivalries between Alabama and Mississippi State didn't get in the way.:) I just really feel lucky to have a family that I feel so comfortable around. I don't feel like I have to be anything more than who I am most of the time when I'm with them-I even find myself being funnier around them because that's the type of family they are. I even love all the children in the family, which, if you know me, is a bit of an oddity. I am especially in love with our cousin Paige's son, Jake. There is just something about him that is so touching. A photograph does not capture his vitality: he is ALWAYS on the move, always talking-sometimes in his own little language, always ready to try something new, always eating and drinking, and never demanding anything from anybody. He never stopped moving at the reunion. He always had a cup of cheetos or chips in his hand, and his little white shirt and checkered shorts were evidence of the fun he had-I wish I had gotten a photo of him at the end of the day.:) All the kids were really great-running around bare foot when I KNOW we have fire ants in our yard, but none of them seemed to be bothered by them.
Overall, it was just an awesome event. It made me wish I could see more of the family more often, but time is always short, it seems. The best part of the event was that we got all 7 of Robert's dad's brothers and sisters together for a photo. It was really great to get them all together and I can't wait for everyone to see the shots. My only regret is that poor Uncle Bill got blocked out in the big group shot...his was the ONLY face I didn't get, though: that's pretty good for 50 people!
I love having huge families all around me.

The Moustache

For all the folks who love my brother, who have seen him recently or not, I am blogging about his moustache. At first I wasn't so sure about it, but, now that it has grown to full potential, and with my uncle Adam's moustache history, I have not only accepted it, but really quite enjoy it. Yes, part of me wishes for the slightly clean cut, relatively every-day brother I used to know, but watching the evolution of Luke (now known as the Loblolly Boy-yes, Google it) is a pleasure that I would not give up in my life. I am very lucky to have such an awesome and interesting brother. I know some find it odd to be fascinated and I hope he is not offended, but I have had enough questions about it that I must speak out. So here are the answers to the many questions:
1) Yes, it is real.
2) No, it is not a disguise.
3) Yes, it is natural.
4) The Kalloch men just happen to grow red facial hair, despite having brown hair on their heads.
5) Yes, He uses moustache wax.
6) No, it isn't necessary, it is just fun.
7) I just want to make this one thing clear: it deserve the eccentric spelling of: moUstache.
So, here are some detailed photos from a curious photographer's point of view. Enjoy, contemplate, and leave comments if you would like.:)