Gig - noun. Any job, esp. one of short or uncertain duration.

Check me out!

lizvaagen.com

Random - adj. ran-dom, Proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern.

A couple of things:We are sad to see one of the original rebels go. Paul Newman just recently passed away, losing his battle with cancer. He's an American icon and will be missed.On a lighter, more bizarre note, Clay Aiken came out of the closet and announced his homosexuality in honor of his new born son. I'm sure all of you are as surprised as we are! In the words of Public Radio's 'Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me...', 'In other breaking news: McCain announced he's old, Barack Obama let it out that he's black and Yogi Bear said nothing, excused himself and ran into the woods...'.

Also, I didn't realize that Craigslist has a 'rant and rave' section. Caleb sent me a rant by a cashier. I thought that it was actually well written and am tempted to tell this person she's too smart for that job, not that you're dumb if you're a cashier, just that she seems pretty smart...

"You search the store for hours for all the clearanced, marked down, damage discounted, tore up random crap. And then, with your overloaded cart full of “deals,” you proceed to come though the checkout putting one item on the belt at a time, checking to make sure each item rings up at the discount price. You people annoy the freaking hell out of me. A transaction that could be over in a matter of minutes drags on as you place one item on the belt, watch like a hawk to make sure that it rings up at the discount (muttering the price the whole time I might add), then choosing the next item to send down to the scanner. Newsflash people that’s what receipts are for."

Check out the little boys clothes at knuckleheadsclothing.com. I can't get enough of the bowling shirts, little one-piece mechanic outfits and skater hats for little adorable men. Xander would so be the cutest thing in the world, well he already is, in these clothes. Going to make some extra moneys and buy him all of the clothes on the site.

Competition - noun. com-pe-ti-tion, The act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize.

Yep...It's official. We payed our dues last night and we are officially members of a ski-ball league. We swung by last night just for a couple practice swings and pick-up a couple of techniques given by our other team member, who just happened to WIN last year.
Last night night was free play night. Just a chance for everyone to get to know each other and play a couple of rounds to get the hang of it.You'll notice the pile of one dollar bills on the bottom right of the picture. I tried to put it in Caleb's pocket but for some reason he wasn't down with it.
Over there in the left of the picture is our other teammate Kelly. She is responsible for getting us into ski-balling, and for that we will be eternally grateful.

Spooky - adj. spook-y, Like or befitting a spook or ghost; eerie; scary.

I'm so excited for Halloween and fall! The weather gets better the leaves get pretty, pretty much everything is better in the fall, and let us not forget that it's the doorway to winter and better yet...CHRISTMAS! I've been checking out Martha Stewart to get in the mood for Halloween decorating...I just love the colors of fall too! I don't know why I'm obsessed with it, it might have to do with being raised in Minnesota, where they have actual, albeit drastic, seasons...I think I celebrate the weather change because it lets me hold on to Minnesota that much more, and I get to go home at Christmas so I look forward to it that much more. And snow...and it reminds me of growing up. Anyway, it's fun and beautiful and Caleb likes fall and cold weather too so our house gets a good feeling in it when it starts to get cold.It would be fun to decorate the porch...I think I might. Caleb killed all the spiders last weekend because I HATE them, seriously hate spiders, but I don't think I would mind fake ones.

Campaign - verb. cam-paign, To race in a number or series of competitions.

In no way does this post reflect my political leanings...so settle down...Anna.

Obama for your momma!

Presidential nominee Barack Obama was in Charlotte on Sunday just a couple miles from the house so we decided to take a walk uptown and check it out. We had a fun time, standing in line forever (I think it was about 3 blocks) and going through security, standing and being squished like cattle then deciding to go to the back. It was actually pretty fun and it was a great day, kinda cloudy and a nice breeze. Obama is a good speaker and easy to listen to and Xander loved crawling in the grass, so all-in-all it was a nice way to spend the morning/day.Getting ready to walk to Davidson and 4th! These kids were pretty awesome...I'm pretty sure they aren't even at legal drinking age and they were protesting the 're-legalization' of marijuana...Ha, silly children. There were other protesters on the other side of the block that we saw on the way out of the rally, they were the crazy ones, and it got pretty intense as the supporters were yelling 'Obama' and the protesters were yelling 'Noboma', really original...Anna!Xander Carl the security threat...Lots of people all trying to get to the front...This is the face I make when people start to push and get rude to one another. Everyone wanted up front and so people kept sneaking by and the old woman in front of me wasn't having it. Then another person around us passed out from the heat, that's when we decided it would be better for us to head to the back.We needed a park time-out and a wardrobe change. It was so nice in the back with the shade and the grass, and all the other people with children where back there with little kids running and playing all around us. Playing in the grass...He loves to walk! Soon he'll be doing it on his own!Our little family. Barack was speaking then, and if we could see through the trees then you could probably see him...I had to chase him around the grass, he wanted to talk to everyone he saw.And there he is...Caleb's a great photographer, I had to tip-toe just to see him, and I mostly just saw the white of his shirt.We thought this picture was appropriate. If you can't read the sign it says 'Federal Reserve Bank', lying in destruction.What a day! We were all worn out.

Ridiculous - adj. ri-dic-u-lous, Causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable.

Maybe a little early for Halloween costumes, but it was so cute I had to see it on, and I was crying, it was so cute. I know all parents think their kids are the cutest, but, honestly...my child is the cutest. Ever.

Awesome - adj. awe-some, Causing awe; appalling; awful; as, an awesome sight.

This is what happens when Caleb goes away for the weekend...I waste my time doing ridiculous things I find on the internet. It's called 'yearbookyourself.com', and if you have extra time, and everyone does, play around on it for a bit...it's pretty funny. Some of these pictures look so much like some old pictures of my mom. I'm thinking of doing my hair like some of them too. Can you imagine how long it took some of these ladies to get ready in the morning? Insane, but silly.





In other news, I'm watching 'Legend' on TV. I'm still impressed with the quality of movie it is, in my opinion it really doesn't date itself. They didn't try any special effects that seem cheesey like older movies do, and I'm not going to lie, the devil guy still kinda gives me the creeps...like I need to annoint myself with oil after I watch the movie. Seriously, I don't know why my parents wouldn't let me watch Scooby Doo, but this was ok. Not to mention the swamp scene *shivers*. I don't think I want Xander to see it anytime soon, but in reality he's probably already seen scarier things. Like me without my make-up.

Fantasy - noun. fan-tas-y, An imaginative or fanciful work, esp. one dealing with supernatural or unnatural events or characters.

We stopped by a local art gallery and I saw these 'sculptures' that I thought were so cool. I'm sure my mom would like them too, but they are so strange I couldn't help but be drawn to them. I took a couple pictures that don't quite do them justice, so here's the artists site: http://jasonbasden.com/gallery_faeries.html

After - prep. af-ter, Later in time than; in succession to; at the close of.

Here are a couple 'after' pictures! These are just of the living room and the kitchen area because the other rooms need to be painted. We've been busy this last week. I can't believe it's only been one week! I guess we've just been busy and doing things and meeting people, it was a lot to pack in a week...It only makes us more excited for what's to come.The view of the living room and kitchen from the front door.

This is right in the front door. Caleb's painting and the lovely orange bench! X's room on the right, but it's still a work in progress.

The kitchen and part of the living room, with the sleeping Flooper. That's the yellow rocker we got from the last tenant.

The little man playing in front of the tv, a view from the kitchen.

Another view from the kitchen of the front door. We've been hanging things on the walls all week! We're glad the big rooms are done and now time to start painting. I'll send more of the other rooms when we're finished.

Inheritance - noun. in-her-it-ance, The genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively.

Caleb's mom sent over a picture of him as a baby, just to rub it in a little more that my son looks nothing like me and all like his father, like we needed any more evidence.

Caleb Carl Clark...

Xander Carl Clark...Like father like son.

Refresh - verb. re-fresh, To provide new vigor and energy, to freshen in appearance, color, etc., as by a restorative.

So much going on! We're officially moved! We have been super busy these last couple days. The last weeks we've been packing up our house and on Saturday we (by we I mean mostly Caleb) packed up the moving truck and on Sunday we drove to Charlotte. We had some WONDERFUL friends meet us here and we unpacked the moving truck in just a fraction of the time it took to pack, and thank GOD I didn't have to help Caleb with the big things, like the couch and everything else heavier than me. All the pictures I took of the house were right after moving everything in, that's why it's a complete mess! Once we get everything in its place I will post 'after' pictures. It's already come together really great and the main rooms are pretty much finished.

First, here is a picture of X and his muscles. He's a really big boy and helped us move all the really big stuff. He's been a champ at moving and has taken it all in stride. He loves taking walks in the morning to the coffee shop and really likes how open the new house is, lots of room to explore!

Here is a front shot of the new house. Isn't it adorable! It's an old mill house, built around the 20's, I think. Anyway, all hard wood floors and a very open floor plan. It had an added addition later on and you'll see how that worked out in a bit...

This is a shot from the back of the kitchen. By our bedroom door, as you can see, lots of stuff just all over the place. That's the front door in the left corner of the picture. The fridge is just to my left.

A shot of the front door and the entrance to X's/guest bedroom. Still a mess, and the yellow on the wall in the back isn't going to stay long. Some of the colors on the bedroom walls are bright, that is an understatement!

A shot of the kitchen from the front door area. See how open it is? I think at one time there was a wall there and they tore it down, which was really smart, now it's all open.

Another shot from the front door. X's bedroom door is just to the right and the front door is right behind me. See that yellow rocking chair behind the white couch? The last tenants left it for a house warming gift, it's so cool!

This is Xander's room and the guest bedroom, it's a nice size. I thought it would be a tight fit but there is actually a lot of room. The yellow is really muted in the picture compared to the actual color, practically neon.

A picture of our bedroom from the doorway. That color is called 'Ridiculous Orange', well, that's what I named it. Caleb says it's 'School Bus Yellow', either way, it shouldn't be allowed in paint cans. Definitely painting over that. And that's our bed.

Our bathroom from the bedroom. It's a very feminine lavender color that must go away soon. The bathrooms and kitchen have all been remodeled with new sinks and toilets and counters, so it's really in good condition. I think our main problem is lack of storage, but definitely worth it, we can work around that!

Here's a picture of the laundry area, the door on the right is the entrance to the guest bathroom. This is where you see the effects of the addition added to the house...

This is just inside the door from the kitchen. See the siding on the wall? It's from the outside wall of the house that was just left. The floor is made from concrete tiles that used to be the patio. The guess bathroom is technically two rooms separated by a door way. This room is just the sink and mirror and the next room is the toilet and bathtub. It will make for some really cool decorating when we get into it. I'm repainting the floor and the walls.

A picture of the guest bathroom (that's the room with the toilet and sink, and the sink room to the left), this is taken from Xander's room. It's kind of Jack and Jill style, a door from his room and a door from the kitchen. Well, those are the pictures of the house so far! Look for future 'after' pictures to come...

Here's a shot of one of the neighborhood streets. Check out our neighborhood site at - http://noda.org/

A really cool neighborhood!!