5 Weeks and Counting…

Today marks the beginning of the 5 week countdown to our wedding. 5 weeks! Does that seem insane to anyone else but me? It’s kind of scary, but it’s more exciting. I had Misty (Misty Anderson from Studio M Salon in Conway. She’s great) practice my “wedding do” and she did a perfect job, just like I knew she would. She did things to my hair that I didn’t know was possible. But yeah, I have my hair appointment scheduled for the wedding day, woo hoo. Now I have to think about the make-up situation. Now I’m not the most…artistic…when it comes to make-up stuff. I mean, do brides do it themselves? Do they have their friends do it? Do they TRUST their friends to do it? Do they go to Merle Norman and have them practice on their face and then buy the make-up and do it themselves? What gives? If you’ve already had a wedding, please let me know what the deal is on this situation.

I met with our DJ, and I’m SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED about our reception. Yes, the wedding will be simple and outdoors-y and cute and great, but man, the reception is going to be wonderful. I already have the cake-cutting song picked out, and the song for the wedding party introductions, and our first dance song. Any suggestions for the garter toss/bouquet toss songs? I have some ideas, but I want some more input!

And now for something completely different (wink, wink, nudge nudge)…

Little ol’ Sparky finally has this crate training thing figured out. He can stay in his crate ALL DAY LONG (almost 10 hours) and he won’t use the bathroom in it. He also sleeps through the night now, so no more 4:00 a.m. whinings and cryings to make me get up and take him outside. Now I’m the one who has to wake him up, and man I love that. As a reward for how good he’s been doing, I bought him a carseat so he can look outside when I’m driving, and so he’s not constantly trying to get in my lap (it has a hook that you latch onto his harness so he can’t get out of the seat). Check this thing out:

I know. You don’t even have to say it. It’s a little ridiculous. But when you have to drive almost 3 hours to get home, you’d want one, too. It’s annoying hauling Sparky’s big crate in and out of my car, and it’s much easier to just collapse it and throw it in the trunk. Besides, he looks so cute riding in his seat. Oh, and as an added bonus, Sparky is now the proud owner of a 2008 blue Democrat Donkey squeak toy. Cairn Terriers for Obama. BARK Obama 2008!

While we’re on the subject of Sparky/Cairn Terriers, let me rant for a second. I have grown used to the fact that no matter where I go, and no matter where I take Sparky for a walk, there will ALWAYS be multiple people to stop me and ask me what kind of a dog he is. The conversation goes something likes this:

Stranger: “Oooh, he’s so cute! What kind of dog is he?”
Me: “He’s a Cairn Terrier.”
Stranger: *puzzled look*
Me: “Like Toto.”
Stranger: “Oooooooh!! Cool!”

Ok, I don’t mind that conversation. Not many people know what breed of dog Toto was (that’s not even my favorite example. My favorite is that in I Love Lucy, Little Ricky’s dog named Fred was a Cairn Terrier). But the kind of conversation that just chaps my hide is this one:

Stranger: “Oooh, he’s so cute! What kind of dog is he?”
Me: “He’s a Cairn Terrier.”
Stranger: “Oh, like a Yorkie or a Yorkie mix? My sister has a couple of Yorkies and I love them!”
Me: *gives ignorant stranger a blank stare* “No, not like a Yorkie. Like a Cairn Terrier. They are a completely different breed.”
Stranger: “Oh ok” *proceeds to ignore my lesson on the difference between the yappy Yorkshires and the spunky/awesome/adorable/better-in-every-way Cairns*

*sigh* Man. It’s annoying. Cairn Terriers are so much better than those little rats.

ANYWAY

Speaking of going home, that’s where I’m heading tonght. I’ll make my last voyage in the Oldsmobile, thank goodness, because tomorrow morning I have to go sign for my brand new 2008 copper red Mazda 3. The only thing I wanted when I realized I had to get a new car (because of the JA who caused that 4 car pile-up) was an iPod jack, and man, I’m so excited to plug that thing in. Getting a new car is great and all, but ever since the wreck I can’t shake that overwhelming fear that I’m going to get hit again. I look in my rear view mirror just as much as I look out my windshield, and it’s so stressful. If I can make until the 23rd I’ll be OK, because that’s when I move to Little Rock. No more hour-long commutes twice a day. And maybe when I move I’ll find my phone charger for my car, my wall charger for my camera battery, my USB cable for my camera, and my iPod USB cable. There’s not telling where it is now. Somewhere in the Jones’ garage, probably.

Alright, time to do some work here at work, I guess.

4 Car Pile-Up on I-40…

If you heard Mike Willingham announce a 4 car accident on I-40 East during his traffic report on Alice 107.7 last Thursday, then you should know that he was talking about me. Well, me and 3 other vehicles. What started out as a normal day quickly turned into the longest, most annoyingly drawn out day of my life. Now when I found out I was going to have to commute to Little Rock everyday until I could move to LR in August, I knew that it wasn’t going to be pretty. Driving stresses me out a little bit, and I have a car-wreck-phobia. I’d never been in one, and nor did I want to be. It seriously scares the wits out of me. Anyway…

It was July 31, and I was due to move out of my house that day, so, of course, my car was already loaded down with storage containers, clothes, and random knick-knacks (by the way, what a great word. I’m going to start using it more). When I got to Mayflower, I noticed that traffic was really weird. Kind of abrupt, and like you had to pay very close attention. I thought to myself, “Self, this is not good. Something bad is going to happen.” I kept going and I eventually got into the right lane to get ready to take the I-430 Exit. As traffic started slowing down right before the exit (like it ALWAYS does, EVERY morning), I noticed that the car behind me was pretty close to me. This didn’t bode well, I thought. But she didn’t hit me or anything. She was paying attention and stopped her car. That’s when I heard it…

About 3 cars back, I heard a very loud, sickening thud. In the nanoseconds that followed, I looked in my rear view mirror, realized I was about to get hit, and told myself to try to turn onto the shoulder to avoid it. Before my hand could move, though, I heard a deafening THUD and was propelled forward in my seat. I was expecting it, but it still didn’t prepare me for it. As it was happening, my brain formed one thought: “So THIS is what it feels like to be in a wreck….” Almost before that thought formed, I heard a second THUD (they should be called Car Thuds instead of Car Crashes) and was propelled forward again. This time the only thought in my head was: “Oh my God, is it ever going to stop?” Keep in mind that these two impacts and these two thoughts in my head happened in the span of about 1 full second. Anyway, It did stop, and I pulled onto the shoulder, shaking like a leaf and quickly checking I didn’t have a severed arm or anything. When I was certain that all my limbs were attached, I pulled out my phone (which was inside my purse. I was a very safe driver that day), and called Dallas. Of course he didn’t answer the first time, because he never does, so I hung up and called Mom. Why didn’t I call 911? I don’t know. But I called Mom, and after making sure I was alright, I hung up and called Dallas. After he made sure I was Ok, I called his mom, thinking that she was on her way to LR to go to work and that she could help me or something. I don’t know. What ended up happening was Dallas’s brother Robby passed by the wreck on his way to work (after standing still in traffic for 45 minutes), and he picked me up and drove me to Maumelle where Dallas was waiting. My car had to be towed, and it turns out it had about $7000 worth of damage. I’m just glad it wasn’t totaled.

So what happened, exactly? Well there were 4 cars in the line, and I was in the front. At least that meant that I didn’t hit anyone in front of me. A black Jeep Cherokee started it all. He must have been going at least 60 when he slammed into a white car in front of him. I think this car was a Mazda hatchback of some sort, but I couldn’t tell because the back end was COMPLETELY demolished. I don’t know how that guy wasn’t hurt. But that white car so hard that it hit a green car in front of him, which shot forward and slammed into me. I think that the white car was hit so hard though, that it didn’t stop after it hit the green car. It kept going and slammed into the other side of my bumper. It’s very obvious that two different vehicles hit my car, even though jerky insurance claim adjusters were skeptical about that when I told them. I told them that I wasn’t stupid and I can look at a car and tell if either one or two vehicles hit it. After a rousing game of phone hockey with me, my dad, the Reckless Driver’s insurance guy, and my insurance guy, we got it all straightened out. Crain Mazda’s body shop will be fixing my car. The only down side is that the guy didn’t have enough insurance to cover my car, and the other two cars (which were both totaled), so we have to make a claim on MY insurance for $1000-$1500 to cover the difference. And so now I’m driving around in my mom’s Oldsmobile, rockin’ the pink ribbon bears lined up against the back window.

So the point of this story is to pay attention, especially during the morning rush hour. By the way, I wasn’t hurt. Just a sore back and neck. It seems like it’s worse today, though, at least in my shoulders and neck. Maybe I’ll go get a massage…