Morgan's Reel

My New Fav Website

Texts From Last Night

Thanks to Preash for turning me on to it. People post their drunk texts and hilarity ensues. Here's my LOL from this morning:

(617): i would really appreciate it if you would stop texting my girlfriend.

(508): i would really appreciate it if you would stop cock blocking me.


Tip for New Users: Click Random at the top of the website

Have a Safe & Happy 4th!

Hurray! The special session ended yesterday afternoon giving me Monday off! The bad news is I was somehow designatd to be the only person in the office today. The few people here now will be leaving by noon. I hope no one rapes me. Oh well, I'll just sit here working on Meredith's afghan and writing my thesis. Much more productive than I would be if I was sitting on my couch.

I went to Old Navy on the way home from work yesterday to see about getting a new pair of jeans. I like Old Navy and Gap for jeans because they carry short (petite) sizes. There's nothing worse than picking out a pair of jeans that you can't wear until you take it to the tailior for hemming. The only time I do that is when I splurge for designer duds. Anyway, I havn't bought a pair of jeans since I lived in Houston so like 17 months ago or something. So I was excited to find the perfect color and style for under 30 bucks at Old Navy.

I started looking around and found a couple of cute dresses and a couple of summery shirts. I knew I was going to be spending a lot, but with my trusty Gap card (you can use it at Old Navy and Banana Republic too) I knew I could pay for it. When I started to ring up I was thrilled to find out that it was the last day of a 25% off sale for Gap Card members!!!! I ended up saving like 40 bucks. I got out of there with 2 dresses, 2 tops and a pair of jeans for $109. BEAT THAT. I am the ultimate bargain shopper. Plus, one of the dresses will be precious to wear on Saturday.

I hope something fun goes down this weekend. I would love to drink beer, be with my puppies and see some friends on Sat. night. I'll do my best to make this happen. Oh and I'm finally getting my hair highlighted tomorrow morning. I may get some chopped off as well. We'll see if I have the guts....

Annabelle is 8 Weeks Old

Happy Birthday, Annabelle! You're 8 weeks old today! We're taking Annabelle for her first vet check-up at Banfield this afternoon. And to kill two birds with one stone, we're also taking Lily Princess for her one year check-up and rabies vaccination. So, it should be quite a scene at Petsmart today.

There is definitely something about Annabelle.

Every time I take this baby out to pee (which is like every 3o minutes) a neighbor stops by to fawn over her, a car stops driving to stare, or a neighbor walking by stops in their tracks to gush about our commerical-worthy puppy. I am not kidding. She already has a fanbase at our apartment complex. I'm starting to worry about what I'm wearing when I leave the apartment with her. I also saw a commercial for Cottonelle bath tissue and a yellow lab puppy, probably a month older, was the star. You can watch the commerical if you click the link. Maybe I should be looking for acting jobs for Annabelle....

This weekend is the fourth and I may have to work both Friday and Monday. My office is closed Monday, but if the special session runs longer than Friday - my boss has chosen me to be the one to be here. However, if anyone calls with a session question I won't have any idea what to tell them. I'm the last person who should be here. But oh well, I'll get to take the holiday another time.

And I forgot to tell y'all. Amanda Oppermann officially requested my presence in her wedding as a bridesmaid! Yay! I'm going to be a bridesmaid in Feb. for Royale and next June for Amanda. It truly is an honor that I have been asked to be in, now, three of my best friends weddings. I am truly blessed. I love them all and am so so so excited for all of them in their engagement bliss.

Meet Annabelle Sage Ash

She will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. Born May 6th, 2009. She is a purebred yellow lab with AKC registered parents (mom was yellow; dad was chocolate). She is the exact opposite in personality of Lily. Where Lily does what you tell her, Miss Annabelle does only what she wants. We're working on potty training and keeping her out of the kitchen. All she thinks about is food. She is so hungry! And thirsty! And trust me, you do not want a un-potty-trained pup drinking tons of water. More details and pics to come.

Don't Tell Mom

I'm serious. Please don't tell her.

She is nameless. 7 weeks and 2 days old and a pure yellow lab. That's all I can say.

Lily May Be Getting A Sister

We're baby crazy. Lily is 15 months old and it's just too hot to take her out to play even in the evenings. It's 105 again today for goodness sakes. And if she had a little sister they could play and play in the living room. We have an animal friendly house. My kitty Sage is officially gone for good so we're down two just Andy and Lily.

We want another Lab because Lily has made me a lab person for life. If I move I'll take the baby and Arthur will take Lily and so it will make that process when it comes so much easier.

Charlie (now my parents little dog) woke up my parents yesterday to a huge fire coming up the back of their townhome. Without his bark, our family's stuff could've been in danger. So, I want the protection and the companionship that only a pup can bring. Wish us luck as we try to find another dog as perfect as Miss Lily Princess Blattman.

Grrrr

I just got to work after a morning ankle doctor check-up. According to my hero, Dr. Dalton, I am officially ahead of the curve in my recovery from surgery performed two months ago yesterday. However, when I got to work and checked my email I was surprised to find an email from my boss asking for a list of our responsibilities by the end of the week. Apparently budget reviews are coming soon.

All I want is to keep this job until I'm closer to finishing physical therapy (I need the insurance) and/or I get my TV job. I'm working furiously on both goals, trust me. So, yeah, why can't things just go the way I want them to go?

Done whining. For now.

I'm getting pretty good at Dr. Mario.

Craziness

So I checked Twitter this morning to find some insane tweets from my fav gossip journalist - Perez Hilton. He claims he was assaulted by Will.I.AM, the frontman of the Black Eye Peas.
Here's an article with the dets.

Here's what I saw on my Twitter:

PerezHiltonI won't be talking about this any further. It is in the hands of the authorities.about 5 hours ago from web

PerezHiltonThank u all from the bottom of my heart for ur concern. The police are investigating the assault now. I did the right thing by reporting it.about 5 hours ago from web

PerezHiltonThe Toronto police are here now. Thank you. Please stop calling them.about 6 hours ago from Sidekick

PerezHiltonI spoke to my lawyer. I really need to talk to the authorities. Please come to the SoHo Met Hotel. Have called the police. Need them here.about 6 hours ago from Sidekick

PerezHiltonStill waiting for the police. The bleeding has stopped. I need to document this. Please, can the police come to the SoHo Met Hotel.about 6 hours ago from Sidekick

PerezHiltonI was assaulted by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.about 6 hours ago from Sidekick

PerezHiltonI'm in shock. I need the police ASAP. Please come to the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel now. Please.

TV Reporter for HIRE

I have now applied for 14 jobs across the state, plus, ones in Alabama, Florida and Arkansas over the past two weeks. I am not stopping there. I check every station in Texas every other day hoping to find a new opening. I hope that with my year and a half experience in the newsroom I don't have to compete with all the fresh college grads with zero experience. But there's only so many jobs out there with the economy the way it is and so many young people like who just want to be on TV reporting the news. So, who knows? But I have dedicated the next three months to getting my next on-air job - whatever it takes.

So if you know anyone in a small or smaller mid-sized market - tell them about me. Email them my resume (I'll email you a copy). Spread the word. Everyone who knows me knows I should be back where I belong - reporting and anchoring local TV news. I'll move anywhere, but I don't like cold weather much. But, hey, I'm ready for an adventure and if that means conquering my fear of cold - then, I'm willing and able!

Happy Juneteenth!
Today, marks the historic day that Texan slaves were finally freed - two and a half years late. See this article for the dets (short for details). Pretty interesting stuff and a little controversial. However, Juneteenth is a state holiday and only skeleton crews have to work. I am only in the office to make sure nothing crazy happens, and if it doesn't (and it won't) I'll be home for lunch. Plus, I get a few hours to take off whenever I want. I'll sure miss this part of working for the state.

I hope you have a great weekend - Don't forget to call daddy on Sunday for Father's Day. You should've sent a card!!! I sent my daddy the book He's Just Not That Into You because that's what he wanted. I asked if he was joking and he said, "nope". So, that's what he'll be getting in the mail. And I sent him a really sweet daughter/father card. He does so much for me. He deserves his own blog entry devoted to his dedication. That was some awesome aliteration, right?

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! I love you!!! Now, please get one of your colleagues to hire me, OK?

New Toys

I've decided why waiting to have kids until your 30s is absolutely the smartest thing you can do: New Toys. I grew up one of four kids (all three and half years apart) and I always wanted new toys. My parent are upper-middle class, but four kids and a stay-at-home mom (Bless you, Lalah) keeps you forever wanting. My mom was my age when she got pregnant with me and for the next few years kept poppin' out. My claim to fame is that I was the only planned pregnancy.

Well, last night Arthur brought home Wii Active. We have been talking about getting it and Wii Fit since he got the Wii about a month ago. However, I decided to wait until I could actually use it (ankle surgery). But he decided to get it. He starts playing it while I watched and we realized how awesome it is. It's like a real personal trainer - BUT SO MUCH CHEAPER. Arthur creates his physical profile and completes his first work-out. We're both blown away by the awesomeness of it. Right away he says he have to get Wii Fit now. You can use the Fit board with the Active.

He leaves, comes back and here is our new Wii Fit. The profile part is even better (it weighs you and gives you your BMI and stuff). I told him when I set mine up he has to leave the apartment and I teased about password protecting it since it tells you if your overweight or obese. Turns out YOU CAN password protect your weight and stuff. NICE. Anyway, as it turns out the Wii Fit is mostly about balance and stuff which is exactly what I'm doing in Physical Therapy. So I am so excited about doing more PT exersizes at home and maybe speed up my two more months of recovery. This is awesome, right???

So back to why it's truly smart to wait and have kids - if Arthur or I had kids we would be buying them kid toys and not enjoying our money ourselves. It really is such a short period that you make enough money (well, Arthur, not me, makes enough) that you can actually buy things you want - whenever you want. When you're a kid you depend on your parents and they ain't driving to Best Buy on a whim to buy Wii toys and when you become a parent you have so many real responsibilities.

So I am going to really enjoy these years without worries, responsibilities (oh, I know I have bills and shit) and appreciate them. I have plenty of good child-bearing years ahead of me.

Now let's play with our big girl and big boy toys!!!

My Grandma Died & I Heart SIMS 3

I didn't write last week because I was outta town for most of it. My grandma Lerie died overnight a week and three days ago. My mama, daddy and brother Ryan and I drove out to West Texas Midland on Sunday (a week from yesterday). Emily flew from Fresno, CA and Elliott flew in from his internship in Washington D.C. the next day.

A visitation at the funeral home was held Tuesday evening. As soon as I walked in the place my anxiety level was through the roof. Tears came quickly. I am not good with death. It's official. I could not make it the same room with the open casket. I finally got the guts to see her from a few feet away. I just don't like dead bodies - that's not the image of the deceased I want to keep forever. Ya know? I will be cremated - cool?

The next morning, Wednesday, June 10 at 10 AM, a graveside service was performed by the minister from her last church in Midland (she's been living with my aunt/assisted living in Houston and Alabama for the past three years). My mom and Aunt Berta, both spoke about the family's favorite memories of Grandma Lerie. I hope someone does this for me at my funeral. But I also want my fav music played.

Grandma Lerie was the only grandma I knew. My daddy's mom, Grandma Jo, died after cancer when I was 8. Grandma Lerie called me "Margon" and my siblings and Ryan Rawlings loved to tease me about that. She watched soap operas every single day. Books, the Astros and "her programs" were her life. This will sound bad, but my mom and I learned something important from her: Do not let TV rule your life - be loving, up-for-anything and a fun grandma. That's something Grandma Lerie wasn't. But we miss her. I only have one grandparent now - Pa.

This past weekend I didn't have much to do for a change. I took care of some car business that needed to be done for months. Oil change, cleaned out Xmas wrapping from 6 months ago and a car wash. My car is so clean and it feels great. Can I only keep it that way for more than a few days? I'll really try. Yesterday, I played the SIMS 3 game until 4 PM. Seriously, I never do that anymore. I've decided I love this game. The opportunities, wishes and community places are my favorite changes to the game. You'll just have to play it to understand. My Sim had two baby boys yesterday, but I couldn't figure out to get the baby daddy to marry her. So sad and she became an 'elder' before her youngest made it out of toddlerhood. So I gave her a makeover to make her look younger. Sims 3 is radical.

Bittersweet Friday

I am going to check in at the Double Treee Hotel Downtown in a couple of hours. Getting ready at a nice 2 room suite before a night of dinner, drinks, socializing. I'm excited and my bud Alisa is on her way to meet me.

My mom called this afternoon, left a message on my cell phone and now I have feelings of sadness. Grandma Lerry is dying. Hospice has been called. She leaves two faithful, loving daughters and a healthy husband. I spoke with my mom and I can tell that after months of close-calls this is really it. She may not make it through the night.

I told my mom to tell Grandma Lerry that I love her. That Morgan loves her. My thoughts are with my Aunt Berta, my mama, Pa and my siblings and two cousins. I'm scared of funerals.

I know I should probably go home tonight and be with my mom. Have a chance to tell Grandma Lerry goodbye before she goes away forever. But I have plans and I can't do anything tonight that would change any outcomes. And that's why I'll be drinking away the weirdness I feel in the pit of my stomach.

I hate death. I dead people. Luckily, I have only been to two funerals and only one that I remember: Uncle John. He was way too young. My family misses him very much. And we will also miss Grandma Lerry. What will happen to Pa?

Do I watch to much Nancy Grace?

Or is there really a lot more crazy people out there these days? From the Caylee and Casey Anthony case to the fake abduction of a mom and 9 y.o. to missing little girls - It's hard to feel safe.

I'm addicted to Nancy though. I even downloaded her show's theme song as a ringtone. But I'm too embarrassed to actually use it. I want to be Nancy when I grow up. How can I accomplish this?

UPDATE! Sage Spotted

Arthur just texted me he saw Sage earlier today. He ran away when he opened the door. But, hey, Sagey is still ALIVE. I'll get him in as soon as I get home. Hurray!

Baby Steps... More like Old Lady Steps and Missing Sage

I walked on my own two feet in my own tennis shoes! Yup, yesterday evening, my therapists made me put on my shoes and get up. Standing was weird, walking even weirder. It feels like it's someone's else foot. I'm supposed to be wearing my tennis shoes around the house now. I still have the boot for work and public since everything below my left knee is so so so weak. I feel like I could collapse at any moment. But it was a definite accomplishment.

I think my cat Sage is gone for good this time. He isn't fixed (I am such a bad cat mother) so when he escapes the apartment he often doesn't come back in for days at a time. However, I am usually able to get him in by calling his name either in the morning or at night. No such luck this time. I think he's been gone since Thursday and I haven't seen him since Friday morning when Lily scared him away from the back porch. I love that kitty so much and he only loved me. He was shy, but the sweetest most loving cat ever. He snuggled me so hard at night that he would move my crochet away with his head so I could get to him. Sometimes he would sit on my bed and meow for me to come to bed already. That was Sage and I's time together everyday. Watching Nancy Grace and petting my little orange cat.

Arthur and I had an arguement last night about what could happened to him. I hope and pray that he just found a family that fed him and they didnt have a big, annoying, slobbering dog. That he lives a peaceful life with them. Arthur said he was eaten by a hawk or an owl. I don't think there are owls big enough that could eat a cat. Or he was just run over. Whatever happened to him, I hope he's happy and knows how much I love and miss him. WHo know? he could be waiting for me when I get home. I hope he is. Sage, please come home!!!!

The Tuesday After

Love that it's already Tuesday. You just can't beat weeks without Mondays, right? Although, I already have a full calendar for the weekend. Alisa on Friday and a staff event on Sunday.

The weekend was fun - at the least the part I was up for was. On Friday evening I met Sadie, Royale, Kerry, Laura and her bf James at Trudy's for dinner and drinks. It was fun catching up - although I had to stand up for Meredith and ended up making Laura cry. But I'm Meredith's friend and I just want to look at her choices as learning experiences. Keep it positive. They all went downtown, but I had to go home and put my foot up.

On Saturday afternoon Royale and Anderson hosted their engagement party at the Pence Ranch. I stayed about 4 hours and then had to go home to put the ankle up. I pretty much stayed that way the rest of the weekend. The BBQ was great. Caught up with more friends and Amanda and Mark ended up spending the night at my apartment later that evening. I brought everyone breakfast tacos and biscuits the next morning. I love being a good hostess.

Yesterday, Arthur and I just sat around, watched a lot of tv and ate too much food. But, honestly, that's all I really feel like doing anyway. I have my first real physical therapy appointment this evening and I will be having them every Tuesday and Thursday for a while I guess. I did my PT homework every day this weekend - so I guess I give myself an A+. The weird part so far doing my PT stuff is how little I can move my left calf, shin, foot, ankle, even my toes. It hurts big time when I have to move my toes. OUCH!

DGMDWR2K9

If you're cool than you know what that means. Since I will assume the worst it means Delta Gamma Memorial Day Weekend Reunion 2009. It's the second annual I believe. I hope I remember to take pics so I can post them here.

I went to my first physical therapy session this morning. My cast came off yesterday afternoon and I was put in a removeable air boot with the words, "you cannot hurt your ankle. I made it too strong". I replay those words over and over again since I always think I am hurting my ankle. Anyway, the therapist was awesome - we got along great! And I think it's going to be an interesting experience relearning how to use my ankle, foot, even my toes!

The new air-boot cast is soooooooo much better than my cast was. For one, my whole foot and leg feels like its wrapped in pillows - not hard plaster. Every step hurt with the cast as it hit my foot, shin and calf. This thing just fits snug and is inflated with air. But Dr. Dalton, my ankle doc, says I should be outta this boot in a week. ONE WEEK?! We'll see. I can't even imagine putting on a shoe, much less walking on that leg - putting actual weight on that leg!

OK - back to DGMDWR2K9 (now that you know what it stands for) kicks off tonight at Trudy's North (the one by me). I'm meeting Sadie and Royale and we're gonna save seats for the rest as they come into town. It's my first time doing anything besides work and teeny tiny amount of shopping. So I'm craving a margarita or a mexican martini with my whole being mainly. And since I'm not ready to go downtown after the long dinner - I'm close to home to drive without too much worry. Plus, Arthur is staying in town and could pick me up if need be.

Royale and Anderson's engagement party is tomorrow afternoon at her parents' ranch. Gonna be fun and relaxing. But no pooltime for me - not just yet. My wounds haven't even begun healing since they havent had air.

Is it Gonna be Adam or Chris?

Last night, the finale of American Idol rocked the house. Pure Music Entertainment. But tonight we find out who will win. I voted for Adam seven times. He is my definition of a rock god. He sings and performs better than most current famous musicians. Plus, I think Chris is a religious, married goody-goody. No offense. My sister loves him.

Yesterday I got three packages in the mail. It's like Christmas when you have packages waiting for you, right? Well, two of them contained books I had ordered online. But one contained "my editors choices" from Crafter's Choice. Somehow, during my surgey days, I must not have declined the club's choices and they were sent to me anyway. That explains that extra 35 bucks charged to my bank account. Well, now I have to send them back because I already have a book on window treatments and I don't think I'll ever have time (or the patience) for reupholstering furniture. The two best books I received are the ones pictured to the left. So I guess you can say I'm into crafting and gardening encyclopedias. A girl can never learn enough. At least if you're a girl like me.

Two days until DGMDWR2K9 (Delta Gamma Memorial Day Weekend Reunion 2009) begins. Emails have been bouncing around all week in anticipation. I, on the other hand, already feel funny about the whole thing since I'll still be in a boot and not in any condition to be bar-hopping, concert-going or wine-festing. But I will do my best to do what I hate doing: Going With the Flow. I promised Royale and Amanda I wouln't be annoying anyway. So, we'll see right?

Tomorrow the cast comes off!!! Hurray!!!! I hope it doesn't hurt and I hope hope hope it's easier to get around in. Wish me luck.

Tomorrow is Surgery

I'm scared. I hate pain. I like to walk. I tried practicing on my crutches and lasted about one minute. Wish me luck.

This Week in Gardening

On Tuesday the 14th I saw my first vegetable bloom on my Cayenne Pepper plant and last night I saw my first tomato bloom on my cherry tomato. This is so exciting! They got a lot of rain today so these blooms should be cultivating nicely. Like my gardening pun?

I went to my pre-op appointment yesterday for my ankle. I get a handicap placard for six months since I'll be disabled. Can't wait. But my recovery time may be worse than expected.

Gardening this Week

So I have like 20 potted vegetable plants that I move around the outside of my apartment's patio so they can get some sun. In one week and one day my ability to move will be sufficiently hindered for at least a few weeks. These plants, plus my two shrubs and many potted flowers, need to be watered every other day right now. I hope Arthur helps me move these 20 pots around so they don't all die.

I am so looking forward to fresh tomatoes for homemade spaghetti sauce and peppers for fresh stuffed peppers. It would be devastating to lose all my daily hard work because of the stupid surgery.

I took some new pics of my plants last night and tomorrow I will try and to a comparison from pics I took a couple of weeks ago. That should be interesting to see how much they have grown. They're all doing really well right now.

No More Gym

Although I really hate working out - I actually really liked my 24 Hour Fitness near my apartment. I was really getting into step class again. However, it was always really painful (obviously).

I just called and had a medical freeze put on my account. So I'll be saving 33 bucks a month for awhile. And I won't feel guilty when I can't make myself get to the gym.

Two Weeks Till Cadaver Ligament

If you don’t already know I will be undergoing the craziest surgery anyone in my immediate family has ever received. Ten years ago I snapped my ankle during gymnastics doing a round off backhand spring in a foam pit. I heard a terrible snap and felt the most outrageous pain. I was carried out of the gym screaming by my neighbor and he took me home.

My mom took me to my pediatrician, Dr. Byrd, the next day. My ankle was x-rayed and t wasn't broken. Dr. Byrd advised me to keep off of it for a few days. What he didn’t know was that today I would literally not have a real ankle left.

After continued re-sprains, swelling, and pain (my whole foot hurts now when I exercise or walk for more than a few minutes) and my constant falling down whenever I walk on uneven surfaces, plus, great insurance, I finally got a referral from my new primary care physician for an ankle specialist. I was referred to Dr. Dalton, foot and ankle specialist/orthopedic surgeon).

Yesterday I had my first appointment. Ten years late.

The nurse took extensive x-rays of my ankle and then, Dr. Dalton came in to examine my left ankle. As it turns out, I have absolutely no ligaments keeping my ankle in its socket which is why I fall down whenever I walk on hills, curbs, uneven concrete, or any surface that’s not perfectly level. I also have a huge spur (a growth off the bone) where my ankle joint has rubbed against each other for so long. Bone spurs are caused by osteoarthritis which means at 26 I have the joint of a 70 year old.

The Doctor said my ankle couldn’t get any worse so if I decided to do nothing I would just keep falling down because ligaments don’t grow back. I have a completely unstable ankle and it would just keep coming out of its socket because nothing is holding it in place. Also, if I did not undergo surgery I would have terrible arthritis as I age which cannot be reversed. I would be Grandma Lerry, but worse.

So the plan is for me to have a cadaver ligament grafted to my bones and then ligaments reconstructed through it. And the spur will be removed. I have pasted a website that has pictures and explains the surgery. It's the most invasive type of surgery, and ankle surgery at all is extremely rare. I wasn’t lying when I said my ankle always hurt.

Lesson of the day: if you sprain your ankle go to a specialist right away. Treatment right away will prevent you from going under the knife.


Scroll to the bottom of the website to see pics of the surgery. They even show the cadaver ligament.