Achy Breaky Heart

If you follow me on the twits, you know there was a little drama in the neighborhood last night. I'm not one to report people and whatnot, but this one situation has gotten out of control and I finally had to do something today.

About 6 months ago, these idiots moved in across the street. Immediately, our quiet neighborhood (it really was a quiet neighborhood, regardless of what people on the website say) turned loud and obnoxious. These people have a huge dog that barks all day everyday, and they keep it chained up in the garage when they aren't home, where its barks echo 10x louder than normal. They have people coming and going from the house at all hours of the night (seriously, I don't even know who lives there full-time), horns honking, people screaming and playing music and acting like they are at a freshman college dorm. 

This obnoxiousness has been going on and we have dealt with it. It's annoying but we figured other people would handle it.. I mean, people write on the neighborhood website about how they complain about these people all the time, but the response they get from the management company is that they worry about "retaliation" from the tenants. Really? You won't fine them because of fear of retaliation. That's insane. Some liar reports me for non-existent dog poop and we almost get fined, yet these people have horns blaring and tires screeching and fist fights in the street and nothing? 

Well, we've let it all slide and kept quiet.. until today. I was already annoyed from being awoken at 1:30am last night because of their stupidity, and I've had some stomach issues the past few months, and today my stomach was killing me. I was laying in my bed in my house with all the windows closed, and I was woken up by the loudest most vulgar music I have ever heard in my life. I'm not kidding, I have never heard music ("music" being a very, very loose term) that raunchy and disgusting in my life, and I could hear every single lyric with my windows shut.

I looked outside and this guy who lives at that house has all the doors open on his car while he is working on it and blaring the music. I give it 20 minutes, then decide to go say something. I go out on my deck and say (well I had to yell it so he could hear me) "Excuse me. Excuse me! Could you please turn the music down? I can hear it in my house and the lyrics are gross and I really don't want to hear that. He looks at me, puts his hand up (whatever that means), and walks away. "Thanks!" I say then go back to bed.

The music gets LOUDER. I wish I was kidding. I laid there for another half hour, hoping it would stop, but I couldn't fall asleep and I was in pain and I was mad. So I went back out on the deck and yelled "Excuse me!" again and again, but he couldn't hear me over the "music."

So I put my shoes on and walked down there and tried again. I mean, I am trying my hardest to resolve this civilly. I yelled in the nicest voice my body would allow "Excuse me! I don't know if you couldn't hear me before but I asked you to please turn down the music because I can hear it in my house and I really don't want to and.." He interrupts me and starts coming at me with his arms raised (keep in mind this guy probably has 6 inches and 50 pounds on me) and yells, "WHAT, IF IT WAS BILLY RAY CYRUS WOULD YOU LIKE THAT? HUH? HUH?" I was shocked and frankly, offended.. so just because I am a blonde white girl I have to like Billy Ray Cyrus? That's bull. And stupid. 

This may or may not be the background on my phone.. Okay, NOT

I was pretty scared of this jerk at this point but I didn't back down yet so I responded "uhh no, I don't want to hear your music inside my house though especially when I can hear every offensive word.." and he keeps yelling and screaming and cussing at me and I finally say "okay, do you want me to call the police then?" and he yells YEA EFFING CALL THE POLICE CALL THEM GO AHEAD." At this point I'm jogging back to my house scared and in tears. 

I call Brian who leaves work to come home. Then my doorbell rings and it is one of the neighbors who is usually nosy but who I was glad to see this time. He told me he heard the whole thing and that he deals with these idiots all the time and always calls management on them and nothing gets done and he tells me to call the police. He tells me they thrive off confrontation and then he leaves, telling me one last time to call the police or else nothing will ever get done about these scary people and reassures me that he is calling the management office tomorrow about them. 

I go in the kitchen to call my Mom and lo and behold SOMEONE ELSE had already called the police, thank God (I guarantee that guy thought it was me though, so I am scared of any "retaliation" I might have to endure). I see the guy pointing and raising his arms and the cop leaves like one minute (literally) later. As soon as the cop is gone, the music is back up as loud as ever. 

All afternoon and night this went on and on. I am talking to the management company tomorrow, but I don't expect any results. Legitimate complaints get no action around here. Like I said in my post last week, I am SO READY TO MOVE AWAY FROM HERE. As soon as I get a job, we're out. But in honor of poor old Billy Ray, here's Achy Breaky Heart for your listening pleasure :-) I'll be listening to it all day today on repeat because apparently that's the only kind of music I can like. 

P.S. I hope your posts are ready for the What's in a Name? Link Up tomorrow!!

How to Survive a Haunted House

..or a Haunted Hayride/Den/Walk in the Woods... haha I try to get to at least one of these every October, and because I've been going since 7th grade, I've picked up some tips on surviving them.

1. Dress accordingly. Seriously, don't be an idiot. Haunted attractions are usually at farms. Why are you wearing a nice sweater/fancy boots/flip flops? There's mud and hay and uneven surfaces. You will get dirty and you will fall. I was wearing old Uggs and still almost wiped out last night. Hoodies and crappy shoes are where it's at. 

Freshman me after Field of Screams.. perfect attire, stylin

2. Choose who you go with wisely. If you don't want to be harassed by the actors, leave your boyfriend at home. He won't warn you that a creepy clown/witch/zombie is right behind you and you will almost pee your pants. 

3. Don't go while pregnant. Honestly, I thought this one was obvious, but I saw more than one pregnant woman there Saturday night. The teenage actors playing zombies and psychos probably aren't trained to deliver your baby when you go into premature labor. 

4. There are youths everywhere. Keep away from them. Just, stay away. Trust me. Also, you will see the weirdest people you've ever laid eyes on in your life.. stay away from them, too. 

5. Be prepared for the longest lines of your life outside of the airport when you're trying to get back into the country during a sequester. Just when you think the line is over, you'll enter a building and realize you were only halfway through.

6. Speaking of lines, while you're waiting, be "scanning, constantly scanning" (if you know what movie that line is from, we're now best friends). But yea, this is extremely important. I mean it. There are people planted in the line trained to scare you, and if you're not paying attention or your boyfriend thinks it's funny not to warn you they will catch you off guard and scare the pants off you.

7. Learn to limbo. This will come in handy when trying to escape the crazies in line. Just duck under the chains and you're golden. 

8. Always turn your head slowly and look before you talk. If not, you will get out a full sentence as you turn to your sister before you realize a clown stuck its head in between the two of you and you will be face-to-face with it and scream your head off. 

9. They will touch you (at most places). They will touch your hair, clutch your shirt, grab your ankles. Don't touch them back, it's frowned upon. But seriously, if you can't take the heat, stay out of the haunted house. 

10. Never let 'em see you sweat. Do not look the actors in the eye. Walk past fast or act like you don't see them. And definitely DO NOT SCREAM. They will be bored with you and leave you alone. Or they will call you a Justin Bieber wannabe, just ask Brian bahahaha.

 

11. They WILL chase you out with a chainsaw. It happens every time, don't be surprised and don't run, because they'll chase you halfway through the park. 

12. When in doubt, run out the emergency exit. I've done it before They don't love you for it but you gotta do what you gotta do, man. 

*If you follow all of the above tips, your haunted house experience will be a lot less terrifying. But hey, I don't listen to most of my own advice and still have a great time. Getting scared is kinda the point.* 

And if haunted houses don't scare you at all, just remember this last tip..

13. It's impossible to tell if all of the clowns/zombies/monsters are employees OR if they're actually psycho murderers who are pretending to be actors so they can murder unsuspecting thrill-seekers under the cover of the haunted house (what? no one else thinks of that? because I definitely think it every time I go to a haunted house. The more you know..). 

P.S. Don't forget about the What's in a Name? Link up happening Wednesday!

Recipe: Pumpkin Soup

And another Friday rolls around.. and it hasn't stopped pouring rain for the past 36 hours. Everything is flooded, so what should you do? If you're looking for something awesome to make on this rainy Friday night/this weekend, you're in the right place. Even if you don't like pumpkin, you will like this soup, I promise! It is just the right combination of.. stuff, and believe me it's amazing. My mom and I have been making it for years and years, so I am not sure where the original recipe is from, but you should definitely make it this weekend! Plus it's easy, so win-win!

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 fresh bay leaf

- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped

- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

- salt and pepper

- 3 tbsp flour

- 2 tsp thyme

- 2 tsp hot sauce

- 6 cups broth (I use veggie)

- 28 oz can of pumpkin

- 2 cups heavy cream (I sometimes use half milk to lighten the calories)

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

- On medium/medium high, add oil and melt butter.

- Add bay leaf, celery, and onion, and season with salt and pepper. 

- Cook 6-7 min, until tender.

- Add flour, thyme, and hot sauce; cook for 1 minute.

- Whisk in broth and bring to a bubble.

- Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls. 

- Simmer 10 minutes to thicken, then add cream and nutmeg.

- Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

Told ya it was super easy. You can serve with some bread, a salad, red wine, etc. Have a great weekend guys! Don't forget to get your posts ready for the What's in a Name Linkup next Wednesday!

Let's Talk About Lists, Baby

Funny story-- someone found my blog yesterday by searching for 'true facts about carrots' haha, if that's what you're here looking for, you're in the wrong place! Anyways so Erin posted this list/countdown thing a few weeks back and I've been wanting to do it, so I am because lists are fun!

Five things I'll be doing over the next week:
1. Making mini apple pies! We love making these in muffin tins, so cute!
2. Going to a cookout. In October.. yea we're cool like that.
3. Linking up for What's in a Name? on October 16th! You know you wana join in the fun!! 
4. Job searching. Because duh.
5. Finding out if the pass the bar exam. At least, I hope the results come out within the next week, everything is so secretive! Cross your fingers for me, please!

Four items that I need to purchase:
1. The gold iPhone 5s! My poor 4s is truly on its last legs 
2. Suits. Blah, but attorneys wear them so yea. Anyone know any places with nice suits that won't break my itty-bitty bank?
3. Halloween candy for the kids. I like to buy it early but then I eat it all and end up having to buy more. I am ashamed, but probably not as much as I should be. 
4. Pie crust. For the mini apple pies. Like I'd make my own, ha!

Three shows I can't wait to have come back into my life (I am actually going to change this to shows I am glad just came back into my life):
1. Revenge. 
2. The Good Wife. 
3. Nashville. 
(Oops there are more than 3.. Parenthood, Parks and Rec, American Horror Story, I could go on!)

Two reasons I'm excited for fall:
1. Leggings with boots! (That counts as one reason, right?)
2. Halloweenie!

One thing that's currently bothering me:
1. I have NO Monday night shows this fall! Any suggestions?? 

Link Up Announcement!

Happy Hump Day! I have an exciting announcement... Miranda, Kelli and I are co-hosting a one-time Link Up next Wednesday, October 16th, called What's In a Name? Share the story behind your name, like how you got your name, who you are named after, funny stories about your name, the origins of your name, another name you'd rather go by, anything goes! It should be fun, so get your posts ready for next Wednesday! Can't wait to read your stories!

What to Do:
-- Follow your hosts: Miranda, Kelli, and me! 
-- Grab a button!
-- Link up through one of our posts.
-- Click around and check out other participants!

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The Joys of Townhouse Living

And by "Joys" I mean "Nightmares". So Brian and I live in a townhome community, with lots and lots of row houses all grouped together in a relatively small area. These houses were all built recently (within the last 7 years) and are all privately owned. We love the house itself, as it is super nice, and the location of the house is great, at the back of the community on the end, but man, are the people around us ANNOYING. I never knew that living in a community like this was SO full of drama. I should have guessed, since there is a homeowners association but I mean dang, people, get a life. 

 

Let me give you a few examples:

--My next door neighbor (who is never home) has told us not once, not twice, but at minimum 3 times not to let our dogs poop in her yard (they NEVER EVER have, by the way). She even lied and reported us to the association and we got a letter in the mail. This is the same woman who Brian actually helped when she flooded her house because her bathtub overflowed and all the smoke detectors went off (sounds suspicious, I know). I could go on and on about this idiot, but I won't for your sake. 

-- The neighbors to across the street to our right are nosy. N-O-S-Y. When my little brother was having a lemonade stand at our house, the wife came over and told Mitchell he needed to be wearing a hat because it is sunny. Then I came outside and she told me that he should be wearing a hat. Umm who are you, the hat police? 

-- Her husband is just as bad. Mitchell was standing near this little fence that has rocks around it and he came out and told him not to throw or kick the rocks (he never touched a rock). This is the same man who I saw sweeping the street (yup) and who peeks out from behind his blinds all the time to spy on everybody (*news flash* we can see you).

--You cannot leave your trash can outside of the garage. Apparently it lowers house values (uhh what?!), according to residents who complain on our development's website. Our landlady got a letter for that before we moved in and so we have to keep the trash can in the garage which stinks up the whole basement. Now we buy expensive flushable dog poop bags because the smell was intolerable. 

Speaking of our development's website, here are some gems that have been written on it by residents:

-- Well apparently the trash pick-up people come at different times of day each week (the horror!) so this woman complained to the association, then wrote on the site that the trash company is known for "their deception and inconsistency!" 

-- Evidently the property management building is a bit, uh, unorthodox, because this was a complaint from someone who went in there: "Last time I was there a pregnant woman was breast feeding at the front desk with her boob hanging out and all" umm alrighty then.

-- "7:20 a.m., woman in black Saturn Vue turned left and ran to the stop sign in 3 seconds." No words.

-- There is a "rebel with a loud truck and other uncouth behavior" but apparently he and his "clan" have moved away, so don't worry guys.

-- Someone called 911 to rescue their iPod from the gutter, and a fire truck came..

 

-- Someone's dogs are barking "infernally" which is not relaxing duh, and apparently "delivering their morning speeches again, awakening the entire neighborhood." This is obviously not true, because I am part of the neighborhood and if I knew dogs were giving speeches I would've called the National Enquirer. But wait, the woman recorded the barking on video, so maybe I can pay her for it? I could make some serious dough on this! Man! She already called the police and gave them the "evidence." 

--Someone clipped their side mirror backing out of their garage. This is hard-hitting news. 

-- There was a 'suspicious' man leaning on the hood of a car, "peering" into a garage that had a broken door (it had fallen apart two days before, however that happens??). And the "peer-er" had an accomplice, say it isn't so!

-- I could go on and on forever, but I won't because someone invited the entire neighborhood out to lunch (how is that even possible, there are over 100 houses!), and I need to go because obviously these are people I would love to hang out with.

Needless to say when I have a job we are so buying a house away from here and I cannot wait!! 

"This is Not Apple Pickin!"

So seriously, what is with this weather? Highs in the 80s in October? How about 50s and 60s please! You see, apple picking has been a family tradition since before I was born. My mom's whole side of the family always got together and went apple picking in late September/very early October and then we got together after for lots of food. In all those years, we have never gone apple picking in 85 degree weather, ever! It's usually hoodies and jeans. Also, the employees at the apple orchard we went to this year were, let's just say, less than nice. They also nickel and dimed us, and made us pay $3 a person to ride out to the orchard. So though apple picking was still fun once we got out there, it just did not feel like apple picking in these circumstances (mostly because of the temperature!!), so we kept saying "this is not apple pickin!" I think you have to be part of our family to get the quote haha I will explain at a later date (the original quote is "This is not Nutcrackin" courtesy of 4-year old Taylor). So anyways, here are the pictures from yesterday's apple picking adventure.

The hay ride to the orchard

Kaylee, Taylor, Mitch, Amelia (cousin), Savanna, Me, and Brian

Savanna

Taylor

Kaylee

Dad (Kaylee is always photobombing)

Amelia and Aunt Julie (actually my ex-stepaunt.. what can I say? Our fam is complicated)

Brian, my parents, and all my siblings minus Cory, and Me.. excuse Mitch's face

Yay the leaves are changing!

Awesome new centerpiece/bowl holder thing my mom got! It holds 6 bowls or plates!

I guess I am doing this post backwards, but we didn't do too much the rest of the weekend, mainly just a little Target, laying around, and watching TV. It was too hot for anything else! 

Kaboo, Snoopy, Hansel, Schnitzel, and Snickers all waiting for food to drop!

Savanna redid our chalk wall for us! Excuse the exercise equipment

Schnitzel went and got himself stuck in the tub again hahaha

Like my Halloweiner napkins?? hehe

Hansel always lays in the sun

Fall, if you can hear me, please come back ASAP (it's actually supposed to be in the 60s again starting Tuesday, thank God!).