Season's Greetings!

Just wanted to wish all of our friends & family a very Merry Christmas! We hope that today brings you happiness, joy, & moments to remember for a lifetime.

We love you,

Pat, Mel & Nala

Elf & Christmas Vacation

So as Christmas draws near, Mel was finishing up some paper-grading before she breaks from school for a few weeks. Yes, I did help, but we decided to pop in Elf to kinda get that holiday spirit brewing. Will Ferrell is great! Might have a screw loose, but great nonetheless. It was early enough that we ordered a pizza, stayed in and watch not only that, but also the best Christmas/holiday movie ever, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I think this movie is funnier everytime I see it because you can relate so well to these situations over the holidays.
Family with interesting characters, decorating for the season, having work issues, shopping for all the right goodies.
Let me tell you that after watching that movie, as we do every year around this time, it puts into perspective that the holidays can be what you make it -- they can be very stressful, fast, and hard to get through. But, with a little patience & organization, you can enjoy time with family & friends and celebrate with the ones you love.

Merry Christmas to all our family & friends. Hopefully you all have a wonderful time with all of your friends & family as well!

*Yawn*

Welp, its about 11:30 pm, Wednesday night, and I just got home from work about a half-hour ago. Cheever brought it to my attention today that I hadn't paid much attention to my blog lately, so here it is -- my first post in quite some time.

*Yawn*

I'm tired. Literally drained. Tomorrow is my first day off since Dec. 3rd. Its only 10 days, but gosh they feel like 2 weeks! I think its because I dont work 8 hrs in a day....matter of fact, I dont think I've put in just 8 hrs in one day since I've been at this store. Good thing I dont keep track of my hours, cuz I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be legal.

*Yawn*

At any rate, tomorrow I'm takin' the dog to get her haircut -- then I'm going to get MY haircut. Im a friggin shag and it looks bad. I need to get a ton of other stuff done and, frankly, I have no time to do it.

*Yawn*

Honestly, I don't really see things getting much better either. My manager got promoted to District Manager, and I finally put in for his old position. Doubt I'll get it, just based on experience, but it looks better if I go for it. But if I get this job, who knows what my hours will be. Im pretty sure I'll stick to mainly days but I'm getting way ahead of myself....get the job first, then worry bout the rest...

I've just re-read this post and I'm rather disappointed by its outcome -- but hey Cheever -- HERE'S YOUR POST!!!! haha

*Yawn*

Goodnight.

Nala

So I just realized that our banner up there says, "A dash into the life and times of Patterz & the Melsther....with a splash of Nala mixed in." However, I don't think I've even mentioned Nala on any posts.

Welp, here it is....Nala's own posting! Nala is going to be 3 yrs old on Dec. 13th. She is a miniature pinscher/poodle mix. You can really see both in her I think, because shes got the body shape and markings of a min-pin, but longer hair that curls when its long enough. She's got the yapper of a poodle and the attention span of a gnat. (which is pretty close to how a min-pin is)

We found her on the Internet and Mel told me as soon as she saw her picture, that this was THE DOG. So, we drove up north to Michigan and got her. We knew she was special right from when we saw her and lets just say the ride home with a 2 month old puppy was memorable. I'm not real sure how we came up with the name Nala, but we saw it somewhere and liked it. Of course, Nala is also a character in The Lion King.

Anyone who knows Nala knows that she is one of the most friendly dogs you'll ever meet. Almost TOO friendly as people routinely get face-planted kisses, she runs wild when company is over, and she rarely relaxes when people are around. On the other hand, if you really know Nala you know that she can be pretty chill and relaxed. She's definitely Mel & I's best friend and the three of us make our "so-far" perfect family.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you Nala

Go Colts!

Watch out folks, two posts in 1 day!

I can't believe I forgot about this earlier but Mel, Myself, My Brother, and Mel's cousin Brian all went to the Colts vs. Eagles game Sunday night. Talk about a good time! First off, we came across the tickets because Mel's uncle had tickets he couldn't use. So, I left work early and we all went and sat on the 50 yd line in the upper deck.

Some probably would think that being that high up isn't too fun, but I like it! You can see alot of what goes on and still get good views of the players. Sure close is nice to get better views of the players, but up high you can see plays develop and such.

I'm glad we got to go to this game because the Colts & Eagles are my two favorite teams. I'm not sure why the Eagles, but I like the team....I like Donovan McNabb (even though he didnt play) and I was stoked when Terrell Owens went to the team. I don't like how he blew the team up, but I do think he was a great player in Philly.

I took away from the game one thing -- Joseph Addai is THE MAN. He makes Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes look like pansies.

Anyways, just another experience I thought I'd share. See ya soon.

Retail.....ugh.

You probably dont need me to remind you that the shopping season has begun and it is in FULL FORCE. Working retail, I believe that we "retailers" know this more so than most. Yesterday I worked from 7:15am - 10:30pm. Luckily, I did manage to squeeze in my hour lunch.
Its mind-boggling to see how people just keep coming and coming. Don't get me wrong, being in sales and such - being busy is the best "problem" to have. But there is also something to be said about having some down time just to catch your breath and catch up on stuff.

Of course, this is brutal on personal life. I feel like sometimes I have to re-introduce myself to Mel almost daily! Usually getting home that late allows me just enough time to check email, news stories from the day, and other goings-on that I have missed since being cut off from civilization for 12-15 hrs.

I know I have brought this on myself and made the choice to work this job and I should just suck it up, because I knew what I was getting into. And I do realize all that, but it feels like it gets crazier and crazier every year. I'll just keep on keepin' on and make it through.

Thanks for listening to me vent -- sometimes I just gotta get that stuff out! Now, Im off to work!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hard to believe, but its actually here. Thanksgiving is among us and I was thinking, what are the things I am thankful for? Here's what I came up with:

-For God
-For life
-For family
-For friends
-For health
-For the allowance to provide for myself and my family
-For freedom

Sure, this list isn't exhaustive, but I think they're the biggest things in life that usually go thankless. So, I encourage you to really think about what you're thankful for and make the most of today, a day to reflect & really give thanks for the things & people in your life.

To my friends and family who read this: Thanks for all you have provided me in my life. You all are the ones who make me who I am & what makes life great -- thanks to you.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Colts Game

Currently watching the Colts play the Cowboys -- Nothing too exciting right now, I can tell by seeing Mel & Nala passed out on the loveseat. Also, I'm sitting pretty much in the dark with only the TV on and the kitchen light.

One thing I've noticed too -- Peyton Manning is in yet ANOTHER commercial. Its kinda neat, I think, since he's our boy. I do like the fact the commercials are friggin hilarious too. He's got the great MasterCard commercials where he plays the reverse role of fan to regular people at their jobs.

The Sprint commercial is good -- "laser, rocket arm" haha.

Now I just saw one with him in a Sony commercial as the QB of a team too.

I think, though, that my fav is the ESPN spot where the Manning Family is taking a tour of the ESPN studios and he and Eli are the "trouble-maker" kids picking on each other. HAHA, classic.

Stay tuned....

TV Shows

Alright - don't get the wrong impression. We really don't watch a whole lot of TV. We do love movies, and we get roped into shows on TV, but all-in-all we don't watch that much. With that said - whats the best show on television? I think that right now there are some pretty dang good shows on...but how do they compare to those we watched when we were younger?

Some of the shows we're semi-into right now are: "Grey's Anatomy", "6 Degrees", "What About Brian", "Desperate Housewives", "Nip/Tuck"

Not religiously, but I can handle an occasional "Real World/Road Rules Challenge", "CSI", "Wild N Out", or "Dancing With The Stars".

What about the oldies? I mean, back in the day, I remember watching "Seinfeld", "The Wonder Years", "Roseanne", "Cheers", "Saturday Night Live" (when it was good), "The Cosby Show", "Knight Rider", "Growing Pains", and "American Gladiators".

Of course times change, as do our interests, but really -- Which shows are the favorites? Any of these that I listed or maybe one I've not named?

You tell me -- what is the best show either currently running, or ever on TV?

Movies

I've never really understood why, but I get in random movie moods. Sometimes, Mel & I will go a good 3-4 nights straight watching a movie and others we'll go a good 3-4 weeks with out watching one. For example, we're watching Home Alone on TV right now and its entertaining! Havent seen it in a quite a while and even though I don't consider it to be an old movie, its actually 16 years old! That boggles my mind because I can remember when it came out in the theaters.

Speaking of, we dont go to the theater a whole lot anymore. Particularly because prices are steep for the admission, snacks, etc. LOTS easier to wait a month or two for it to hit DVD and rent it or buy it for just as much as a 1 time showing on the big screen.

My brother, nephew, Mel & I went and saw "Flushed Away" a new animated film last week and I must say, it wasn't too bad! Cy was zoned in to the massive screen and his bag of popcorn. So, he was entertained for obvious reasons and we were entertained by the comedy of the film -- enough "adult humor" to make it funny.

I think theaters are great, but the more expensive they get, the less people will turn out for the shows. Its hard to find a theater anymore that is well kept, and just plain clean. I'll stick to my home theater set up and have control over the shows I watch in the comfort of my own home!

To close, I think I'd recommend "Flushed Away" to those who are remotely interested. I just dont know that I would see it in the theater though.

Adios for now!

Holidays.....ALREADY!?

HELLO! So I realized today that the retail environment that I work in really makes my days go by fast. Which, in turn, makes my weeks go by fast. Of course that makes the months go by fast. My point is that its NOVEMBER!

Today our Holiday Trim arrived in the store. Im sure it will have to go up sooner rather than later, but GEEZ, it was just HALLOWEEN! After work, I went to the mall and not only are Holiday decorations up, but they're already having sales and playing the music. I turned the corner and Santa is already there posing for pictures with the kids.

This all means that the Holidays come earlier and earlier every year. If you've ever worked retail, then you know what a stressful time the Holidays are and frankly, you almost dont look forward to them.

BUT - I do look forward to them for all the good times Mel & I spend with family and friends.

Here's to the happiest of Holidays and good luck for the rest of 2006!

Previous post's date.....

So I looked at the most recent post "I'm Back" and I realized that it shows the date of September 9th. Kinda freaked me out at first, but then I realized that I did most of that entry that day, but finished it today. Interesting.

Currently watching the Colts vs. Patriots and we're in the 3rd quarter. This is an outstanding game! I'm definitely excited that the Colts are up, but its pretty scary as the Pats are a dang good team.

Alrighty, enjoy the rest of the game!!

IM BACK

Alrighty -- I'm back. Hopefully I'm back for good. I'll be honest, I didn't really feel that I had much to write about. I was stretching for stuff....I STILL don't know if I have a whole lot to talk about, but I'll try to wing it. Also too, I keep up on my friends blogs, so I figured I'll try to match 'em. Scope out my links, Mel and I have a picture site that we house some fun moments. Also, you'll find along with Pat & Maya's blogs, you see Cheever's blog too. Check it out, this dude is one of the funniest guys I know so I know he'll have some good stuff going on over there.

One thing that I am pretty happy to write about right now, is football!!!

The season is back in swing and I'm pumped - For as long as I can remember, the NBA was my favorite professional sport to watch. I'm pretty sure it was cuz Michael Jordan was always my favorite famous personality.

But now -- I'm officially a football fan. The Colts are my favorite team and the Eagles are my second favorite. (I dont know why the Eagles, but I just like 'em)

Now that were in full swing again, theres nothing better than sitting on the couch on Sunday flippin' through the games and watching my Fantasy Football team do some damage.

Welp, hopefully I'll keep this up as often as possible and keep you in tune with us.

Go Colts!

Super Bowl!

Whew! What a weekend. Mel & I attended a wedding of some of her friends from high school on Saturday. What a great time! Mel got to see and hang out with a bunch of buds from high school and catch up on old times. Of course, Mel's friends are my friends too, but shes known them for a long time.
After the wedding, we all went out to Tiki Bob's in Indy....and had a blast! Normally I'm not up on those dance type bars cuz they're too smokey/loud/crowded. But that night, with the group we had, I must admit it was pretty fun. We got back that night and fell asleep.

The next day was of course Super Bowl Sunday. We had a party to get ready for and it literally took all day to get ready. Mel & I went to Target to stock up on necessities and grab the ingredients for the food. When we got back, Mel started on the food and I started cleaning anything I saw. I didn't get far when I realized --- WE DONT HAVE THE SURROUND SOUND SET UP FOR THE GAME!?! I got to work. Hooked up the reciever, ran the wires, tested the speakers....we were ready to ROCK! After all that was done, I cleaned the bedroom and vacuumed. Just as Mel finished in the kitchen, my brother and his fiance showed up.....the first guests had arrived!

We had about 22-25 people in all when you count the people who stopped in to say hey and didn't stay long. Lots of Mel's friends from the wedding stopped by and most of my friends were there. The HD was clear, the sound was pumpin', the party was JAMMIN'!

I really didn't care who won, because the Colts weren't in the game. Glad to see Jerome Bettis get his Super Bowl Ring, but I wouldnt have been mad if the Seahawks won either. I really just wanted a good game and I think I got that. It wasn't a blowout or completely dominated by one team or another so thats all you can ask for, right?

Oh yeah, and the commercials. I have to say, I think the commercials were pretty decent this year. The beer ones were good, as always. I liked the rotating fridge commercial. That one was funny. On and in the early going, the Hide & Seek beer commercial was really good. Also the guys on top of their houses, drinking beer...that was yet another good one. I think I liked the "little horse that could" for sentimental value, it got a resounding, "awwwwwww". Even the "dont judge too quickly" commercials were good too. The one where the doctor zapped the fly and just as the patients family came in the room, he said, "....well that killed him." HAHA

Of course, the beer commercials ruled the Bowl again, but there were some definite ones that were just as good.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Had fun with friends and family and that is always on my mind. Relaxing, having fun, and a little football & food helps.

More Auto Show!

Here's a few more pics from the Detroit Auto Show. I'll post a few now, then some later. It's an awesome way to keep you coming back, see. Thats the whole gist of it....dang, told you my secret.
Anyhoo, These 5 are celebrities ACTUAL vehicles. They're courtesy of DUB Magazine, and the artist who purchased it. After talking to the fine DUB Associates, the story is as follows:
The white 300c is Snoop Doggy Dogg's car. The deep purple (looks black in the pic) Charger is 50 Cent's. The red Magnum is the rapper The Game's. The Black '07 Escalade is Travis Barker's (the drummer from Blink 182). And finally, the yellow Lamborghini WAS Kobe Bryant's. The purchased their respective vehicle, then sent it to DUB to trick out. As part of the deal, DUB then takes the vehicle on the road for 1 year to various shows and events for publicity. After the tours, the artist then gets the car back. So, needless to say, this was pretty cool and maybe even a once-in-a-lifetime look at these rides. Enjoy!

P.S. - Notice behind the 300, Charger, and Magnum that the car on the poster is the actual car thats there. Kudos to DUB for the display -- it was killer!

$$$$

I'm not sure why I came up with this entry. I guess its just on my mind. I'm talking about the lottery. I was just thinking today....(oddly enough, while I was at work - imagine that) But, I was thinking...I could SO hit the lottery. And I don't even need the huge jackpot, I'd settle for a couple million. Something REASONABLE, you know....Like $15-$20 million. I mean, seriously, I'm looking to take care of our families first off. Then save, invest, and donate...you know the standard stuff. Then I'd pay off credit card debt, pay the bills, get a new house, couple cars. But I'm not even talking extravagant, I'm talking like NICE cars, NICE house, but I'm not gonna be cruisin' in Ferraris or rockin' that house that sits WAAAAY back off the road that you can only see the first 20 feet of the drive as it bends around through the plethora of trees that line the country road it wouldn't be on. Nah, just some NICE things.

This isn't too much to ask is it? I guess my point is....I'd rather worry about what to DO with all my money than worry about MAKING the money. I would probably do something to keep me entertained, buy a sports team a la Mark Cuban or something, but I just wont "work" in the full sense of the word.

I think my first problem is that I don't play the lottery. Whats the saying, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" We'll, I take my shots - its just I throw up the half-courter when the lottery hits its all-time high. You know, when the odds are at their complete worst. I need to do the scratch-offs. Once I master those, then I can move up to Hoosier Lottery. Once I hit that a few times, I can try my hand at Powerball. After that, I'll have enough to INVENT a lottery. The Lucky Super Mega Power Incredi-Lottery....yeah, thats what I'd do.

I dunno, I don't think I'm asking too much here. Can't I get a break? If you ask me, I think this sounds like a plan -- "Mel? Wheres my wallet, I gotta run to Marsh." ;o)

Super Bowl Champions are......

The Carolina Panthers. That's Mel & I's team for the rest of the playoffs. We've come to this conclusion by satisfying a number of requirements. The uniforms are cool. And also, Steve Smith is a freak. He dropped over 200 yards receiving on the Bears, supposedly the best defense in the league. They just have that aura around them that says were gonna win the thing. Although, I'm hesitant because their starting (actually second string) running back, DeShawn Foster is out. But I'm confident Nick Goings can handle it.

So there you have it folks, We're officially pulling for the Carolina Panthers....(hopefully they beat the Steelers in the big game.)

Oh yeah, heres a few pictures from the Detroit Auto Show!

Gamut of Emotions

This weekend brought forth the full gamut! Well, figuratively speaking. Saturday began at 7:30am with Brian, Mel's cousin...Jake, and Myself heading to Detroit for the North America International Auto Show!! How cool is that!? I had never been to Detroit, let alone to the NAIAS. Of course, we went to the Indianapolis Auto Show over the holidays and that was pretty cool, but this was INCREDIBLE! The roughly 4 and half hour drive was pretty painless and we got there around 2:30pm and stayed until about 8:30pm. Stay tuned, I should have some picks posted here soon. I have to get them resized.

Sunday, was a different story. The Indianapolis Colts played what was ultimately their final game this season. They came out of the gates pretty rusty but ended up making a game of it. However, they fell short. More specifically, Mike Vanderjagt BLEW what, for him, could be considered a chip shot for a chance to send the game to overtime. I found myself asking at the end of the game -- Nick Harper, why....WHY exactly did you cut back toward the middle of the field when, had you continued outside even with a stab wound in your leg, you could've outrun not only Ben Roethl....Big Ben, but the entire Steeler team since they were stunned at the 2 yard line.

Anyways....I do NOT know who I am gonna root for now. Let's weigh the options:

Broncos: They beat the Pats, so thats cool. My brother and his family live in Denver so theres a connection. I like their team too, seem pretty tough. Prolly my top choice right now.

Seahawks: Call me old fashion, but we're talking about Seattle Seahawks. You cannot only NOT root for them, if you paid attention in the 80's, then you'd realize that the Seahawks just suck. (good year this year though)

Panthers: Gotta love Steve Smith -- even though I traded him away for Drew Bledsoe and Rod Smith during Fantasy Football. (....hey hey, this is when Bledsoe was on fire. You're welcome Toph) Dig their defense and they've seemed to have stayed under the radar all year. This is a good choice too.

Steelers: I guess there is something to say about rooting for the team that knocked yours out of contention. I know alot of Steeler fans, so I could just join the bandwagon....but again...they DID beat my team.

Stay tuned for my CHOICE, and if you'd like to -- throw in your input with a comment. I'd like your advice!

Until next time.....

Dusting off the cobwebs

I'll admit -- I got away from this....big time. Just like Mel said I would. Man, I thought I was really committed to it too! Oh well, just like alot of other things, I think its a great idea at first...find an awesome use for something and JUST KNOW I'm gonna use it all the time, and I drop the ball.

Shout out to Maya -- for REMINDING me that I dropped the ball on this Blog thing. Thanks Maya, way to rub it in! Just kiddin' ya.

So, wow, its 2006? Today is January 9th and I'm still writing 2005 or '05 on all my dates and I friggin' HATE that so much. It'll prolly turn to February before I get it down.

Pretty good New Year so far. Went to the doctor recently to find out that my cholesterol is where its supposed to be (which is a complete shock) but I need to lose weight (which is NOT a complete shock). So thats good. And I do plan to do that -- seriously. No really.... stop laughing.....whatever.

To see 2005 pass and 2006 come, Mel, Nala & myself had some of Mel's cousins over and some of their friends as well as the best sister-in-law in the world, Lindsey. We pretty much just hung out flipping between Dick Clark/Ryan Seacrest/Hilary Duff, Carson Daly, and Regis Philbin. Also watched the Best of Will Ferrell which is always classic.

Welp, as I've said before -- I'll continue to update this often. I'm really gonna try to, seriously.

But, for now, I'm out.