Yep, you read that right. 2 weeks from tomorrow, Brian’s being locked up. To be released on good behavior, he needs to raise $800 for his bail. Whatever did he do to get thrown in jail, you ask? Why, he’s MDA’s Most Wanted Citizen! It’s time for the 2008 Rochester “Stars Behind Bars” campaign for the MDA, and Brianis being locked up to raise money. To help him raise his bail money, you can make a donation by clicking here. He needs to raise as much as he can before the 29th, the day he’s thrown in jail. Make a donation to help Jerry’s Kids!

1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to bungee jump!
2. Seeing all the flowers and trees bloom reminds me that summer is almost here!
3. I cannot live without my computer!
4. Knitting and quilting are two things I’d like to try.
5. When life hands you lemons trade them in for oranges.
6. Camping with my grandparents all over the country is my favorite childhood memory.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going back to the Lilac Festival, tomorrow my plans include going to a charity “black-tie optional” dinner and Sunday, I want to watch the NASCAR All-Star race that I will dvr Saturday night!

Because hte Indianapolis 500 is only ten days away, I’m doing an Indy Car TT this week So, here goes!

Thirteen Things about the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500 1. This is the largest rookie class since 1997. Thirteen rookies are entered in the Indianapolis 500, the most since 1997 when the 13-member rookie class included Kenny Brack, Greg Ray and Sam Schmidt. Eight rookies have won the Indianapolis 500, including Helio Castroneves in 2001. Can a rookie take the checkered flag this year? 2. Old rivalries will be renewed at Indianapolis this year. The 92nd Indianapolis 500 will be the first under the unified IndyCar Series banner, meaning teams like Team Penske, Dale Coyne Racing, Andretti Green Racing and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will compete against each other in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for the first time since 1995. 3. This is the second consecutive season that three women (Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick) are entered in the Indianapolis 500. (Entered does not mean they have qualified for the race.) 4. The next generation is here. Andrettis, Foyts and Rahals will share the track for the first time since 1992 when Jeff, John, Mario and Michael Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Bobby Rahal were on the track together. That year, Rahal, Foyt and John Andretti all finished in the top 10. This year, Marco Andretti, A.J. Foyt IV, Larry Foyt and Graham Rahal will compete. Marco is the 21-year-old grandson of Mario and son of Michael. A.J. IV, who will turn 24 on Race Day, is the grandson of A.J. Foyt, and Graham is the 19-year-old son of Bobby. The only question is, can these next-generation drivers continue their family’s legacies at Indianapolis? (Graham nearly made the top 11 in qualifying last weekend.) 5. One of my favorite drivers, Tony Kanaan, has qualified in the top five in all six of his Indianapolis 500 starts. Other notable streaks include: Helio Castroneves, four consecutive top-10 starts; Danica Patrick, three consecutive top-10 starts; Marco Andretti and Scott Dixon, two consecutive top-10 starts. 6. Helio Castroneves is the only driver to finish in the top five in all four races this season. Tony Kanaan is the only other driver to finish in the top 10 in all four races. 7. Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon are the only drivers to complete all 683 laps in 2008. 8. One of my other favorite drivers, Helio Castroneves will make his 102nd career IndyCar Series start after qualifying fourth. It will also be his 100th consecutive start. 9. Buddy Lazier is the only driver to start every Indianapolis 500 since 1995. Hopefully, he will continue that streak by qualifying this weekend. 10. The points leader is missing a victory. Helio Castroneves leads the IndyCar Series standings from his four top-five finishes. However, he has yet to record a victory in 2008. Can he find his way to Victory Lane at Indianapolis, where he won in 2001 and 2002, and become the ninth driver with three or more victories in the Indianapolis 500? Or, will he continue a streak of points leaders who struggle at Indianapolis (Wheldon 22nd in 2007, Castroneves 25th in 2006)? I must say that his season of “Dancing with the Stars” is the only one I’ve watched completely. I was so glad he won! 11. Four drivers have won the first four IndyCar Series races of 2008, making this year the first time since 2004 that a season has started with four different winners. The top four drivers are separated by only 15 points. The last time five different drivers won the first five races was in 2003 when Scott Dixon opened the season with a victory at Homestead-Miami and went on to win the championship. Team Penske’s Gil de Ferran won the Indianapolis 500 that season (the fourth race). 12. Graham Rahal will become the fifth-youngest starter in Indianapolis 500 history (19 year, 142 days) if he qualifies for the race. A.J. Foyt IV (19 years, 0 days) is the youngest ever starter in the 500 while Marco Andretti (19, 76) is third. Sarah Fisher (19, 237) is currently fifth. 13. Four IndyCar Series champions are scheduled to participate in the Indianapolis 500: Buddy Lazier (2000), Scott Dixon (2003), Tony Kanaan (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005).

Yep, you read that right. 2 weeks from tomorrow, Brian’s being locked up. To be released on good behavior, he needs to raise $800 for his bail. Whatever did he do to get thrown in jail, you ask? Why, he’s MDA’s Most Wanted Citizen! It’s time for the 2008 Rochester “Stars Behind Bars” campaign for the MDA, and Brianis being locked up to raise money. To help him raise his bail money, you can make a donation by clicking here. He needs to raise as much as he can before the 29th, the day he’s thrown in jail. Make a donation to help Jerry’s Kids!

DH and I have been invited to a charity gala on Saturday for Habitat for Humanity. When he brought home the invitation, I was super excited. After all, we’ve never been to a “Black tie optional” event before, let alone personally invited! And that’s when it hit me: crap! I have nothing to wear!

Now, to most women, this doesn’t seem like such a daunting task. What’s the big deal, Trisha? It’s just a little black dress. Sure. So you think. Thinking that says you don’t know me. Because if you knew me, you’d know that I hate shopping. I don’t just hate shopping, I loathe it…I despise it. I’d rather gouge my eyes out with a dull spoon than go shopping. Really. Surprised? Most people are. So today I set out on my quest to find the perfect LBD. There were surprisingly more choices than I anticipated. They even had a rack specifically labeled “Little Black Dresses.” Thank you J.C. Penney for making it easy for me! I tried on a plethora of dresses. Admittedly, not all of these are formal enough, but I’m glad I tried them on, anyway, as some of them are super cute dresses I may get at a later date In no particular order, here are the dresses:

Dress #1:

I liked this dress because, despite hating shopping, I love to feel georgeous. This dress definitely made me feel that way, even if the price did not, lol.

Dress #2:

This is the front runner, and likely the one I’ll get. I had it down to two favorites, and dh liked this one better I wasn’t crazy about it at first because of that big ‘ol bow. But once I got it on, I actually really liked the way it looked on me.

Dress #3:

Cute, but not formal enough.

Dress #4:

Again, cute, but not formal enough. Though it isn’t zipped completely in this picture (the zipper was broken) when I tried another one on, it would need some alterations in the chest area to make it fit properly.

Dress #5:

This one wasn’t bad.

Dress #6:

I like this one, too, although it didn’t make my final 2.

Dress #7:

This is my #2 choice. It’s very pretty. There’s some beading on top with a satin sash and then a sheer, flowy layer on the bottom (only the top layer is sheer).

Dress #8:

Ok, but definitely not formal. Maybe a date dress.

Dress #9:

I really like this dress, as does dh. It would definitely be a cute dress for church or a date, but it’s not “Black tie optional” criteria.

Dress #10:

Blurry, but cute, too. I tried one like it with a green ribbon, but because they didn’t have it in my size, I didn’t take a picture. I think the red looked better, anyway.

Tomorrow, I’m off to pick up the aforementioned “favorite” and snag a matching purse. My big day-to-day Elvis bag just won’t do for such a formal event, lol.

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day. We went to church and were transferred in as new members. Then, my dad bought us a gas grill as an early Christmas present, so dh grilled steaks for dinner. I finished my photomosaic puzzle (it only took me a week!) and had a pretty relaxing day. Now, on to todays meme!

If the statement, ‘You are what you eat’ was true, I would be a cup of coffee. I know, you don’t technically eat a cup of coffee, but it’s the only thing I consistently eat/drink every day. Otherwise, I’d say that I’m some sort of fruit or vegetable.

If you had to have one piece of music (softly) playing in your mind for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be? ‘I Do’ by Mark Wills. It was our wedding song

What is the most important thing in any relationship? Something neither dh not I are very good at…communication. I would say that communication and love are tied for most important, at least for me.

Lots of school stuff going on today…well, this week, actually. Tuesday we had a parent/teacher conference with Ryan’s teacher and had an impromptu meeting with the speech teacher as well. Today, Alex had his kindergarten physical and 4 immunizations. What a trooper that kid is, I tell ya. He didn’t really cry for the first three shots. The last one, the MMR shot, was the one he screamed for. I don’t blame him, really. That’s the one that stings like heck. He dried right up when he got to choose a toy and a sticker, and I gave him a little packet of Oreo cookies that I still had in my purse from his Bill Gray’s kids meal from last weekend. He isn’t the type of kid that has any kind of reaction to immunizations so I don’t have to worry about giving him any meds at all today.

And on another school note, I’ll be transferring in to SUNY Brockport this fall! I am super excited about going back to school. I’m transferring in as a senior, based on the number of credits I have. I can only transfer 90 at the max, so It’ll be interesting to see how many of them (and which ones) transfer. I’ll find out in June when I go to schedule my classes for the fall. It also appears I have received a massive amount of financial aid, which I’m also super stoked about! I’ll be sure to let everyone know how it all goes. My major is Political Science within the Department of Education. My actual degree will be a Childhood Inclusive Education degree, with dual certification in both Childhood Education (k-6) and Special Education (k-6).

Today’s Thursday Thirteen is a “gross” edition, in honor of the 144th edition. We could use any definition of gross, so here’s mine:

Thirteen “gross” things about raising boys. 1. No matter how many times I remind them, they just don’t seem to remember to put the toilet seat up. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve found pee on the toilet seat! 2. I have found that boys can not pee in the middle of the night. By that, I mean that they can’t actually make it in to the bowl but rather they pee all around the toilet. Either that, or they are having way to much fun trying to see how many surfaces they can pee on before mom goes insane! 3. Laughing at bodily functions is a favorite pastime for my boys. I don’t get it. I think it’s disgusting, they think it’s funny. 4. Their room is a mess. Not just a mess, but it looks like a tornado hit it. I can’t tell what’s dirty and what’s clean. And getting them to clean it themselves is usually a waste of energy. 5. Their feet smell! Zach’s shoes reek so bad that I have to go in search of odor eaters for kids shoes! 6. They don’t care if they never get clean. They love getting dirty, but hate taking showers or baths. 7. Picking their nose and eating their boogers is probably the grossest thing ever, and they do it all the time. Never mind that I get on them about it constantly. 8. The sleeves of shirts make great napkins and/or kleenexes. If I ask them to wipe their noses or faces, that’s the first place they go. Even if I hand them a napkin or kleenex at the same instant, they hold it in their hand, and wipe with their sleeves. 9. Eating food off of the floor is socially acceptable. This is particular with one of my kids. In fact, he dropped his gum in a parking lot one day, then proceeded to throw a fit when I wouldn’t pick it up for him. Yes, there ar times when the 5 second rule applies, but that rule does not apply to any public places of any sort, especially not parking lots! 10. Bathroom announcements are necessary. Neither I, nor anyone else in the room, cares if you have to use the bathroom. Why they insist on announcing it to the entire world, no matter where we are, is beyond me. Now, certainly this does not apply if we’re out somewhere and they are telling me they have to go so that we can then find a restroom. What drives me crazy is when they are somewhere where they don’t need to be accompanied to the restroom, and they announce it to the room anyway. 11. They have no problems with eating dirt. I can’t be certain that mine have, but when they come home from playing outside, their faces sure look like it! 12. If there’s a mud puddle within half a block, my youngest has found it! He loves getting dirty. And not just a-little-dirt-on-the-face-and-hands kind of dirty, but completely covered from head to toe in anything resembling dirt, including sand. 13. Any and all insects, reptiles, invertebrates, etc. make better pets than dogs and cats. I can’t tell you how many times the boys have brought home some sort of bug and asked if we could keep it. They especially like worms and ants.

I have to say that I am so super impressed with how Rochester does their walk! They had music, a bounce-around, Home Depot Kids Workshops, crafts for the kids, pizza and hot dogs afterwards, Starbucks coffee, donuts, clowns, face painting and more! I did a little spiel about why I got involved with the MOD and then I was interviewed by a local tv station (as you can see from the previously posted picture from dh’s cell phone).

We have been chosen to be the Ambassador family for their golf tournament this summer. I am super excited about that and our meetings will start in a couple of weeks. There’s something about being involved so closely with an organization that really makes a person feel fulfilled, ya know? I just don’t know that I can explain in words what volunteering for the March of Dimes feels like. Those of you who have been or are involved in charitable organizations know what I mean.

I’m tired, but I’m completely happy. And now everyone is down for a mid-afternoon nap and I’m going shopping with mil

March for Babies - Trisha Interview, originally uploaded by purdue_babe007.

Trisha being interview by another Rochester TV station. For some reason they didn’t want me. A little shower but so far so good. Trisha will have more later.