that's the last time i buy casey a toy on sale at target. i just gave him this toy 5 minutes ago and this is what i saw when i turned around....

yes, thats the stuffing everywhere. and don't even bother with the guilty look on your face. you knew exactly what you were doing.
stupid $4 toy.

this morning i read an interview with willie nelson. this was my favorite part:

question: a lot of guys a whole lot younger than you have said to themselves "i've had a good career. i'm going to sit in a lawn chair and drink some beer."

willie's answer: well i don't much like lawn chairs and i don't drink beer.

casey scared the &#$% out of a fedex delivery guy today.

on beautiful days like today, i leave the front door open and put up a baby gate on the porch so casey can walk in and out and roam around but he is still under tight supervision. kevin and i like to refer to this setup as "zoo dog" because if you see it from the front yard, he looks like a dog in the zoo just watching people walk by from behind bars. he generally terrorizes cats and old people out on walks. he loves it.

i was expecting a package from work today and from inside i hear someone talking and looked toward the front door. casey was crouched down with his non-existant stub of a tail wagging like crazy.

i suppose if you hadn't met casey before it could have looked like he was about to pounce.

the fedex guy was moving in slow motion, scared out of his wits. i heard him saying in a soothing voice "its okay, big guy. i'm not going to come any closer, i'm just going to leave the package here. easy big boy."

he left the package in the middle of our sidewalk and turned and ran back to his truck. i started laughing so hard! casey wouldnt hurt a fly- he was just excited because he thought someone was coming to play with him!

poor fedex guy. he had quite the scare. and poor casey, he was looking forward to making a new friend!

happy birthday to you! happy birthday to you!

happy birthday to mom!
happy birthday to you!

vicki turns 59 today, thus marking the final birthday she will ever agree to celebrate in public. no matter how many years pass by... the woman can still cut a rug with the best of em. happy birthday, mom!

i don't really understand the point of myspace. anyone out there agree with me on this one? what is the point?

in my estimation its just a way for people to find dates, spy on ex-girlfriends or high school crushes, and accumulate "friends." i'm giving it a test run for now, so the verdict is still out.

though, it was recently brought to my attention that there is a girl with the profile name "girls gone wild for jesus" so i guess it does make for a good laugh every once in a while!

i've been neglecting the blog this week because life has been entirely un funny lately. not just "not funny" more like the opposite of funny.

consider this my attempt to lighten the mood...

has anyone heard the new nelly song "grillz"? not that i sit at home and watch mtv... but IF i did and happened to see the video... i might think it was pretty darn funny. its a song all about teeth jewelry. and not just one gold tooth like leader of the muppet band.

these are teeth made entirely of diamonds. it looks like they made braces out of a diamond tennis bracelet. for reals. is this attractive? am i missing something?

update on the supposedly "indestructible" toy:

this morning was a mix of good and bad. i went on one of the worst bike rides on record, but that was quickly followed up by a fantabulous team in training info session.

first things first- the bike ride from hell. to start things off on a crummy foot, i had to wake up at 6:15 in order to get riding by 7am. clearly jenny and i both need a lesson on winter riding and the proper gear to avoid having your fingers so numb from riding in cold wind at high speeds that you can't physically move or bend them.

after about 2 1/2 hours of riding, it took 30 minutes in a warm shower to thaw myself and stop shivering. i'm glad that is over!

the team in training meeting was for people interested in possibly signing up for one of our races. it was awesome- everyone there was so pumped for the season and i could tell they were all really energetic and dedicated people. its going to be a great season.

of course the funniest thing that happened- i saw a guy there who introduced himself to me at the beginning of the meeting and i kept thinking he looked so familiar to me. finally when he was leaving, i yelled over to him, "hey! where did you go to high school?" and he responded that he went to highland park in dallas. small world! we figured out that he graduated the year after me, but of course he did not remember me, but remembered my older brother.

i guess thats what you get for being the editor of the newspaper. clearly i should have tried out for the football team.

i just can't get enough of this darn baby! tim and michelle had lucy's first photo shoot this week and of course the pictures turned out adorable!

i have a niece news flash too! kevin and i have another munchkin to add to our niece & nephew list! pictures soon to come.

could this be home sweet home?

our option period starts tomorrow...

dammit! travis, travis, travis! don't you know that there were kappa girls everywhere holding their breath tonight hoping you would make this season of the bachelor interesting enough to watch?! we wanted you to pick cortney!!

and seriously, WHO tells a stranger that they are ready to move into the "reproductive" phase of their lives and refers to their eggs as "rotting" because they are the ripe old age of 33? that allie girl was craaaazy!

my mom bought casey a toy for christmas that was touted as "indestructible."

casey laughs in the face of marketing people who use words like "indestructible."

casey removed the squeaker from his mouth long enough to say
"ha HA!"

aww, isn't she adorable?!


and the baby's pretty cute too.

as an addendum to the previous post- someone found my site today from googling "hot drunk spicy women blog"

i really should think about changing my title...

a post on erin's wedding is soon to come- when i have some fun pictures to share!

having the words "spicy" and "hot" in your title combined with other random words in your posts can really confuse search engines. sometimes when i see the search terms that people used that come to my site, it makes complete sense. for example "mollie donovan burpo" is clearly someone looking for me.

but i can only imagine the disappointment of the sad people who found my site from searching...
"hot sorority girls"
"sexy hot girl pic"
"hot after dark"
"spicy kiss girl"

my favorite is that someone who works for the united states government came to my site after they googled "sexy girls kissing." ahhh, tax dollars hard at work.

happy new year!! i drove back to austin this morning exhausted from my sister's fabulous new years wedding, just in time to celebrate my new year tradition.

i love spending january first at barton springs. yesterday was a gorgeous day to be there- it was 84 degrees! usually this time of year its just me and some crazy old man with floaties, but yesterday it was packed!

just before i jumped in the cold spring water i prayed that i will feel the sense of renewal of new years in everyday- that the clean slate we have in Christ would renew me each morning. i prayed that i would be invigorated spiritually by the greatness of God each day in the same way that the cold cold water invigorates and awakens me physically.

it was a beautiful day.

its about time for "the holiday talk." in the donovan household around any major holiday or event, inevitably at some point my dad would gather me, erin, and tim in one room and give us "the holiday talk."

the talk varies from holiday to holiday and usually comes after some kind of argument between us kids, but all in all the jist of the talk is to get along with each other and by all means, not disappoint our mother. he always closed it out with a fairly grumpy, but stern "now, we're going to have a good Christmas dammit." of course you can fill in the blank with any holiday or vacation, etc.

the best part about the holiday talk is, it actually worked. he would remind us that his first priority was making sure my mom had a good time and that we didn't ruin her holiday with bickering and pulling each other's hair.

so this time, i think "the holiday talk" is going to have to pull double duty. some people, and you know who you are, have already started bickering before Christmas (or erin's wedding) are even upon us. so this time its my turn, and i promise to do my part to uphold my end of the bargain.. but "we're going to have a good Christmas AND wedding, dammit."

today's post is dedicated to meg jones.

Satellites. And, What are they?
by Casey Burpo

we love ya, me with a g!

blogs are tricky little things. its funny- i can post pictures of my sweet puppy, my adorable neice, links to my wedding pictures- all without any kind of hub bub or upheaval. then i post something remotely amusing (that, by the way, was forwarded to me in the first place) and everyone has something to say!

in other news, casey is home and recovering well this evening. (is that not the saddest face to ever don a satellite?!) i swear, i am going to be the most paranoid mother on earth if this is any indication. at the slightest whimper or cry, i am by his side, petting him, making sure everything is okay.

the only slightly funny sight is of his shaved legs and butt- with a furry tail stuck in the middle like a soul patch. i would have taken a picture of that, but there is a whole process involved in having him stand up... plus its kinda mean. : )

i know its kinda ridiculous the lengths we will go to for pets these days, but i am also so thankful that we are able to provide him with this kind of care!

from my satellite dog to yours, merry christmas.

you just never know what you are going to come across on the internet...

this is the one, the only, cortney bailey. a fellow kappa kappa gamma member from college, she is now starring in a flick called "12 Hot Women" and is soon to be seen on the latest and greatest edition of the television show "the bachelor."

i swear, i cant make this stuff up.
check out it!

i just came home to change my underwear. i just about crapped my pants at the vet this morning when i got the quote for casey's knee surgery.

apparently because of his size, we've had to upgrade to a TPLO surgery. what does this jargon mean? it means casey is going to have a permanent metal plate on his knee and the price tag just skyrocketed to $2,500.

ouch.

after this, casey had better make it big with his high kick routine to pay us back.

is there anyone out there that can tell me WHY i have a record in my cell phone address book for a "tammy" with a 303 area code?

how weird is that. i dont know a tammy! does that ever happen to you?

kevin has the most organized cell phone address book i've ever seen. every entry is a uniform Last name, First name. oh yes, until we had been married for months my record was still "Donovan, Mollie". i finally convinced him that being his wife, i was pretty sure he didn't need to refer to me by last name so now i'm just "Mollie".

i should just call the number and figure out who this is....

i'm watching 'grease' on tv right now and so far every single dress i've seen at the big dance could easily be on the racks right now at anthropologie.

all of the cute caplet shrugs and full skirts- its cracking me up. i wonder what bad movie i'll be watching in 10 years and suddenly realize that style is completely in fashion again... lets hope its nothing from the mid 90s a la 90210.

s - c - o - t - s, we're the scots, we're the best.

my alma mater, good old HP, is headed to the high school state football championships this weekend. go scots!

whew. that was tiring. i just dredged up more school spirit than i had probably my entire high school career.

what's that you said, lucy? i'm your FAVORITE aunt?!

aww...so sweet!

look at me!! i'm lucy!!


aren't i fabulous and adorable?! hooray for me!

what's that you said, dad?

mollie is my coolest aunt? i totally agree.

i've attended two doctors appointments this week. one for me, one for casey.

the first was my annual exam. girls know that is slang for "the gyno". it was your usual slightly uncomfortabe appointment. now i don't dread the annual exam, but i certainly see it as a necessary evil.

of course my appointment was with the nurse practitioner, whom i have never met. so as this total stranger sticks her hand where no stranger's hand has gone before, i winced slightly and she said, "wow, i guess you don't like this."

ummmm hello?! who DOES like this? i thought that was the craziest comment. i wanted to say, "oh no, i actually love it." i mean, what should creep her out more, someone who winces or someone who seeems to be enjoying that moment?

moving right along to casey's appointment. anyone who has visited with our son lately may have noticed his slight limp. on and off the past couple of months he has been favoring one of his back legs. the doctor had to knock him out for a few minutes to test his leg and we got the bad news... casey has a stretched/torn ACL.

yeah thats right, the girl who is insanely prone to sports injuries has a dog who needs orthoscopic surgery on his knee.

the good news? it looks like everyone in the burpo family has lost weight since the wedding. its clear that kevin has (hello?! skin & bones!). but it was nice to see after casey's and my appointments that we are eating right. casey is down to a slim 79 pounds!

i am working today from mozart's on town lake. its such a gorgeous day- the sun is shining and the breeze feels amazing. this is the view from my picnic table.

the amount of freedom that i have at this job is a shock to the system after filling out time cards at apple and having to keep a consistent lunch hour.

i'm going to finish up some stuff here and then go for a jog before a few conference calls i have this afternoon. who knows, maybe i'll even take casey for a w-a-l-k. shhh... don't tell him. i want it to be a surprise.

i didn't exercise this weekend, but you could say i was in hardcore training. have you ever shopped for 5+ hours the day after thanksgiving? that would put anyone's stamina (not to mention patience) to the test.

the visit home was great. thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays- it seems to be the most relaxing of holidays. casey had a *fantastic*holiday. he has finally warmed up to my parents' dogs - the first couple of times they met, he wasn't sure about them but he seems to have decided that they can belong to his club.

its nice to be home now gearing up to celebrate Christmas- the most important holiday of the year and my favorite to decorate for. the tree is up, the lights are on, and i'm ready to roast chestnuts on an open fire.

walter dewey pickerell
august 6, 1916 - november 13, 2005

i think i just closed my first deal at work. i should know this afternoon for sure, but based on the phone call i just had, i'd be surprised if it didn't go through.

this calls for some celebrating! good thing i'm meeting tim for lunch- its never good to drink alone!

mollie burpo. how weird does that sound?

mary kathleen donovan burpo. what a mouthfull! as far as the social security administration is concerned, that's my name! i got my new social security card this week.

it was so strange on the first day of work, the president walked me around and introduced me to everyone as "mollie burpo" and i chuckled inside (and out loud) every time i heard it.

its one thing to add "burpo" to the end of my name with people who have known me for years as "mollie donovan", but its entirely different to meet someone and have their impression of me not include "donovan".

i blame it on my parents. if they hadn't given me such a kickass name that i love so much, maybe it wouldn't make me so sad to leave it behind. i know it makes kevin a little sad inside when i make fun of the name "burpo" and i'm sure one day it will be second nature to sign credit card slips with that name, but for now? its just plain awkward.

this weekend kevin and i attended a wedding shower for my sister and her fiancee. it was a very trendy wine tasting hosted by two of the hippest twins in history.

i am happy to report that after playing a very heated game of "who is cooler: mike or erin" i learned that my new brother-in-law has a grasp of street slang that would rival a rapper.

in other news, california says "hi!"

i'm still fumbling around in the dark for the most part with this new job, but i'm sure to come across a light switch before too long... right? right. (i hope)

just in time for thanksgiving, i have something to add to my "things to be thankful for" list.

i was sitting in a meeting yesterday, perched gingerly on my seat in the conference room at AMD. we were discussing an upcoming project for about an hour and a half.

a little background: i am uncomfortably dressed in work clothes that i have chosen based on the fact that they rub my open wounds less than my other options. i have a giant piece of tegaderm on my hip that is slowly filling with goo.

about 45 minutes into the meeting, i feel something warm tricking down my leg and a brief glance confirms my dread- i am dripping down my leg. i tried to casually stuff kleenex under my leg and sit through the last half of the meeting just wanting to get up and run to the bathroom.

by the time the meeting ends and i can finally get out of my chair to hurry to the ladies room...i realize i have left a dark circle of ooze on the fabric chair.

the lessons we should all learn from this?
#1. be thankful for things like skin. hooray for skin! thanks to skin, we usually don't have to be concerned with things like oozing on furniture.

#2. next time you are about to sit down in a conference room or waiting room chair with mysterious stains...find another chair.

there i was, cruising down bee cave on my bike yesterday, enjoying the warm sun, chatting with jenny on my left.

suddenly all i remember is realizing our bikes are too close together, yelling "shit! shit! shit! SHIT!", pushing off her shoulder to try and regain my balance and the next thing i know, i am scraping myself across the shoulder of the road, gravel in my hands, my leg, my stomach.

OUCH. that freaking hurt. the pain of the accident compared to the pain of cleaning the asphalt out of my skin? doesn't even compare. the pain of cleaning out the asphalt compared to spraying open skin with bactine? forget about it.

thankfully brenda was kind enough to come pick me up and didn't seem too worried about whether or not i was going to get blood all over her brother's pickup truck. thank goodness for good friends.

all in all, i'm doing ok. its just some road rash afterall, but its gonna sting for a few days.

working from home definitely has its benefits. so far i've had the pleasure of learning via 'good morning america' that molly is one of the top three female dog names.

tell me something i don't know.

sitting in the airport yesterday afternoon, i was thinking about how much of a bummer it is to be on a southwest airlines flight holding a ticket marked with anything but an "A". when you have a lousy "B" or the dreaded "C", you know you are most likely going to be confined to a middle seat.

i struck up a conversation with a friendly guy next to me in line and we were talking about being in line "C" and what criteria you use to pick your seat. as we walked down the row, i spotted a coveted empty aisle seat!

the two older guys in the row were in the window and middle seat and were both wearing camoflauged ballcaps. i sat down and quickly realized that they had been saving the seat for a third "real tree" clad guy who was coming down the row behind me. they yelled to him "you'd better find yourself a seat because our row is full!" their friend walks up to our row and says, "well i was going to try and find a seat next to the prettiest lady on the plane, but you two beat me to it."

ahh, good old fashioned charm.

over the course of the flight i learned that the guys were on their first plane ride in over 20 years and their destination was bow hunting for boar out in burnett. they were such nice guys. its funny how quickly you adjust to your surroundings. pretty soon i was trading in words like "thanksgiving" for the colloquial "thanks givin".

when i landed and was waiting for my bags at the carousel with kevin, i challenged him to pick who i would have chosen to sit next to on the plane and he was not surprised when i pointed at the camo group. when he asked why- i answered "it was the closest thing to riding next to my dad!"

cruel and unusual punishment.

my feet are sore. i think yesterday was the first day in at least 2 years that i wore shoes with a hard sole for 8+ hours in a row. i'm serious.

so despite the fancy shoes, the only other shocker came when i met the other new business developer for design reactor - his name is kevin and he appears to be in his late thirties.

i learned at lunch that he is not. he is in his late forties.

i asked him if he had a good deal of sales experience before joining design reactor. his answer? "actually i have about 18 years of experience as an art director for various advertising agencies and then about 6 years of experience in management consulting"

just so you know, he wears fancy shoes. and they match his belt.

the new job is going well so far (just ignore this ugly black laptop i'll be using from now on). everyone here is really great and the work they are doing is fantastic.

my freak out moments so far have not been kept to a minimum... but i kind of expected that. i had to fly to california with sinus pressure, which was not fun at all. i kept trying to nap to make the 4 hour flight go faster, but resting my chin in my palm would shut my mouth and breathing through my nose was NOT an option... so it was a long flight.

then i got lost. then kevin saved me. then i got mad and frustrated and sick and tired and cranky. and kevin still saved me.

then i tried to complain about things like sore feet and sinus pressure to my sister who had been with a friend whose husband unexpectedly passed away on sunday... and that saved me again.

i'm tired. and cranky. i'm going to bed.

things found in the process of cleaning out my cubicle:
matches
loose change, lots of it
fabric swatches for bridesmaids dresses
lists and lists of bands for CD compliations
old fashioned christmas lights
old gumballs
a glass etched plaque with my name on it
my nametag with my maiden name on it
an easter basket

and lots and lots of trash.

the most precious baby i've ever laid eyes upon...


lucy victoria donovan
8 pounds 13 ounces
october 26, 2005

i am not in the army, nor do i ever plan to be, so why oh WHY did i think that bootcamp class at my gym would be a good idea yesterday? i am in pain. the kind of pain that makes you walk like you are 85 and wish you had never heard the word "lunges".

the bright side? when i recover, i get to have sex with a semi-pro cyclist! check this out! i'm so proud of him!

"bummer man... he delivers."
- father of the bride

i started crying today when i found out i have to use an HP computer at my new job. its not all about the computer. it just made me realize how bummed out i am about leaving apple. i think thats the best description of it.

the thought working on a windows machine bums me out. windows blows. thinking of not being at apple bums me out. i'm not sad about leaving my job- my job sucks. but working at apple? man, its amazing.

its been an amazing experience to work for one of the most recognized and admired brands in existence. its been wonderful to work for a visionary like steve jobs. i'm going to miss it.

i went downtown today to have lunch at the roaring fork with the three big-wigs from design reactor. it was a party of four: me, the ceo, the president, and the key strategist. someone in my head is singing that seasame street favorite "one of these things is not like the other one"

as i waited for the rest of my lunch bunch to arrive i had to hold back the giggles watching tens of hundreds of thirty-something men saying things like "business plan" and "hows the PL on that". they all walked by wearing their starched button down shirts and black pants with shiny belts. its just so out of my realm! its a big day at apple if someone actually has on a belt... and an even bigger day if the belt matches their shoes.

the meeting went really well and i formally handed over my signed offer letter. i am really excited about their plans for austin and i have a good feeling about this new venture.

i strolled back into work, slowly slipping into a food coma from the delicious lunch, and stopped cold when i saw a giant sign meant to encourage us to start out this new quarter strong. it said "pick up the pace!!" and was on a table of complimentary chips and salsa. so ask me again if i'm gonna miss this job....

i know i keep making empty promises that i'm going to stop making fun of the people i work with and how dorky they are, but in two weeks i'll be working solo and i'll have much less material to work from.

i came to work this morning and was greeted by flyers everywhere announcing the new "apple chess club". now i can respect someone's desire to play a nerdy game like chess, and when i'm 80 i am sure i will enjoy a rousing 'check mate', but at work?? what is going on here?

the newly formed club is going to meet on mondays at 7pm... after work....but in one of the work meeting rooms. um... yeah. the flyer also says its "byob" (bring your own board) and that "beginners to pro are welcome". what the heck does that mean? is there such a thing as a professional chess player??

nerds. i work with nerds.

i was so excited to find out this weekend that our wedding video is almost complete!! they have posted our "highlight video" online if you want to check it out: go here!

i have watched it probably 10 times and if i'm being totally honest- i started crying before it even started playing the first time : ) it just completely captures how HAPPY we were that day.

my fortune cookie last night read: A man does not know what he is capable of until he tries.

i gave my two weeks notice this morning at work. on my 28th birthday i will begin a new adventure at design reactor.

i will have to adjust to life without constant chatter of 100 other people in my hometown of cubeville. life without a rearview mirror on my computer to stay on top of things. being miromanaged to the point where i am told exactly how many phone calls i am required to make in a day. life without an access badge attached permanently to my hip.

i'm going to have to get used to life downtown in the hustle & bustle of austin, relying independently on myself for results and success. life at an agency surrounded by creative people doing really interesting work. answering to the president directly on how things are going and if i am going to hit my targets.

whew... gotta take a deep breath.

i should be ashamed of myself, but you HAVE to read this - click here

confessions of a 28 year-old newlywed sales girl:

- i fake cell phone calls when i don't want to talk to people in public. yes, even you.*
- i rudely honk at bad drivers and curse at them for doing things i did two miles back.
- i make excuses for my music choices when people get into my car and my stereo is blasting christian music.
- i look inside the kleenex after i blow my nose.
- i pretend to make fun of kevin when he wants to go to the macaroni grill but i secretly love their eggplant parmesan.
- in classes at the gym i secretly hope other people in the class are jealous of me.
- i was recently offered a job by a company that apparently has more faith in me than i have in myself. and thats a shame.
- i've never spent more than $50 on a pair of shoes in my life... and no one that matters cares.
- when julie told me the compliment her mom gave me after her rehearsal dinner, i prentended to laugh and shake it off, but i think about it often because it is one of the nicest compliments i've ever recieved
- i secretly registered for wedding gifts cheesy people would want to give and returned them all
- i don't pray enough. even though i always feel better, act better, love better when i pray more often.
- i wear pajamas so seldomly that i almost always forget to pack them on trips- even to my inlaws' house.

so what's your confession?

*today's post inspired by post secret