I’m really really excited about the new things happening right now.

Last week I spent the week prepping my floors to have the wood laid this week. When I say prepping my floors I mean, ripping out tile, linoleum & carpet. Taking off tack strip, using crow bars, hammers, chisels, jack hammers… Busting my thumb, sweating more than I should have, breathing in fine dust particles, cursing… a lot. All for the new floors that are being installed right now as I type.

Not only that, my mom & dad went a bit nuts yesterday on my house. My mom came over to help me finish pulling up the carpet and before I know it my mom is out front ripping up the flower beds, she called my dad and he came over and started trimming trees… So I went to finish one project and by the end of the night, all my trees are trimmed, my fence has been painted, my flower beds are ripe and ready for the plants that will be planted tonight. Good things… Yes good things.

I will have an update blog coming soon with before and after pictures. Yay! I’ll also include my before and after muscle pictures. I’m ripped now from all that jack hammering.

I really get a kick out of how people come to blog… Google Analytics is my BFF.

Here are two more funny keywords people typed in to google and oddly enough got to www.laurenismyfriend.com

Enjoy!

“Has your dad ever walked in on your when you were playing with your girlfriend boobs”

I laughed for a least 10 minutes at this one.

The next one I thought was funny too.

“a letter to your friend advising him to leave the company of bad friends”

Nice… Glad you came to my blog to find out that.

Actually how disappointed must both of these folks been… They are just looking for answers to life’s tough questions. Especially the poor kid who’s dad walked in on him messing with his girlfriend’s boobs. Wow… It still makes me laugh!

Sometimes I miss my old job… Not that the ladies I work with now aren’t fabulous, but I they just aren’t as bizarre as the folks I used to work with.

For example… Chris Gerrish was a video editor at my old job. I’ve never quite met anyone like him before and I doubt I’ll ever come across anyone like him again. Seriously you never know what he will do next… The things I hear about him doing never surprise me, because he’s just that ridiculous. Several yearas ago for a couple of weeks Chris and I used to be best friends until Mindy, his real best friend, requested we stop calling each other best friends because it wasn’t fair since she didn’t get see her fake best friend near as much, since she is his real best friend and actually talks to him on a regular basis she reminded me a few weeks ago that it was time for Moustache May again… (Moustache May is where people grow moustaches and post a picture of themselves every day of the month of May… Seems stupid, I know)…  Mindy told me that Chris was going to pull off the Charlie Chaplin/ Hitler moustache this May. I looked him up earlier this week and was pleased to see a ridiculous moustache on him… Well today’s picture might be the best picture I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life… I am not exaggerating here. It’s Formal Friday, so I guess you need to take a picture of your moustache while in a suit or in a formal situation. Way to go Marcus & Chris… you definitely made me laugh for the day.

I hope you enjoy this picture of Chris and Marcus as much as I did.

Go to this link to see the rest of the photos as well…

Why?

Why not?

Wine, Women & Shoes… This event is so much fun! I know, I am biased because it is my job to make sure that this event goes by smoothly. But seriously this event is a blast! Even though I am exhausted and working 100 hours a week prior to the event, I still have so much fun at it.

What isn’t there to love… Vintners come to Tulsa with loads of their delicious wine from all over Wine Country… We have shoe designers come in and set up shop with our local retailers. Below is our list of retailers:

• Saks Fifth Ave.
• Glass Slipper
• J. Cole Shoes
• Moxie Shoes
• Miss Jackson’s
• Flirt
• Angeleigh Anastasio
• Nattie Bleu
• d.g. smalling
• Fleet Feet

And here is a list of our wonderful Vintners:

• Adi
• Cockerell
• Eagle Eye
• Gabrielle Collection
• Hahn Estate
• Jacuzzi
• King Estate
• Villa San-Juliette
• Zahtila

Each of these vintners & retailers will be represented at 3 separate events.

Wine and Shoe Pairing: 101

This playful event is being held at the Pearl Gallery, 1201 E. 3rd.  Art and fashion meet the vine in this fun event where vintners compare shoes and wine while guests have a chance to taste and learn about a variety of wines from the vintners themselves while enjoying light nibbles and art. Tickets are $40.

A Taste Of Wine Country

This event will be held in beautifully appointed individual homes on June 12.  Spend individual time with vintners as they present their fine wines and enjoy delicious delicacies prepared by local chefs.  A live auction at each of the homes will include wine trips and magnums from participating wineries and retail partners and so much more. Sponsorships are available or individual reservations can be secured for $150 per person.

Wine, Women & Shoes Luncheon, Fashion Show and Marketplace

This event will be held at the Renaissance Tulsa on Saturday, June 13 from 11:30am – 3:00pm.  Ten Napa Valley Vintners will be pouring their wines.  A fashion show will feature the latest in shoe delights and a shopping retail marketplace will feature shoes and unique accessories along with 20 percent of proceeds donated to the YWCA event.  Finally, shopping that is good for the SOLE! Reservations are $75 per person or included in sponsorship packages.

Click here to purchase your tickets! Or call or email me for more information. lhouston@ywcatulsa.org or (918) 858-2370

So… Well it’s up… But now I am afraid that it looks too much like my brother’s blog.

So I will probably be on the hunt again, unless of course I pay for Vigilance Pro… and then I can alter it.

What to do… What to do…

Until I figure it out, I will once again try to be like Bevan. Poor guy, he’s spent all but 19 months of his life dealing with me wanting to be just like him.

Sorry Bev.

• Big changes are happening in my life. I mean huge!

• Tonight, I plan on changing my theme on my blog. Quite frankly I don’t like primary colors and my whole blog is primary colors. So suck it “Ahisma” you are going away soon. I think I’ve settled on the Vigilance Theme. It really is quite exciting. I mean big time exciting.

• I am trying to decide if being single is easier than being a girlfriend. I’ll let you know what me and my therapist come up with on that one.

• Oooh & Swine Flu… Big changes are happening with that. 1 person in Oklahoma has it!!! Huge. I am thinking of staying home from work because of it. I like Michael Ian Black’s version better… He has been infected with the Unicorn Flu and that is funnier than Swine Flu… and swine flu is pretty funny.

• I am playing the guitar again. Not well of course, but I am still rockin’ it. I am really bad with time, but I am pretty sure it’s been over 5 years ago that my friend Jason and I started playing the guitar at the same time. Now he sells out stadiums and I can play a hacked up version of “Country Roads”. But better late than never right? So world, get ready here I come… Lauren Francis Houston, guitar prodigy!

• I am about to buy a XBox 360… So not only will I be a bad ass guitar player… I am going to be a gamer too. As long as the screen doesn’t move a lot, like with Halo, or I’ll get motion sickness. Really I just want to play Settlers of Cattan online.

• I wonder why I automatically want to call motion sickness, car sickness?

• OOOh.. I am about to remodel my bathroom & put down wood floors in my house. I know, awesome right? I’ll post some “before” pictures so I will shame myself in to speeding up this process. My carpets look like awful. And my bathroon looks like it did when the house was built 35 years ago. I will miss my wierd black countertops and blue & yellow linolium floors… But I think I will get over it quickly.
• Also, I just got a big time promotion at work… I’m waiting to see the benefits that some along with it… I think a corner office, company car (green of course), country club membership and of course a massive, i mean massive pay raise. Ladies & Gentleman… You are reading words directly from the YWCA Tulsa’s newest “Ozone Alert Coordinator”… Like I said before, big time. I think I have arrived. Yes, I have arrived.

• With all that said, I think I have wasted enough time… Time to get back to it.

• So those are some big changes happening with me at this time.