Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Little Greg Who Cries Wolf!

Some people have a fairy tale life, complete with Prince Charming and his big white horse. My life, I'd say, is more like an Aesop's fable... complete with the 'little boy who cried wolf' for a husband!

Seriously! I don't know if I will ever be able to take him seriously! At least once a week, Greg comes home from work to tell me that they may be sending him to Australia. And then after I reply with an ever-so-interested, 'huh,' he tells me all about this secluded, primitive island where he'll be working. Thank goodness Izzy and I won't be going along on this non-existent trip!

And Greg is constantly saying that his heart or his brain hurts. Yes, for some reason it's his heart, not his chest and his brain, not his head. Anyone who's close to Greg knows that he does this... his best friends and his parents know to rarely take him seriously. As Matt said in his best man speech, Greg's a little wishy-washy.

Ok... he's very wishy-washy!

So I emailed my friend, Mel, to find out the name of her doctor so I could get Greg a thorough physical and told her of his brain pains... she was very concerned and said we should order Greg an MRI. Then I told her that 'brain pain' is Greg code for a headache. See what I mean... the little boy who cried wolf!

And it continues through every aspect of his life...

Each and every time we eat out, we decide where we're going, head that way, pull into the parking lot, and then Greg changes his mind. I'll have my taster all set for enchiladas, and he'll say he now wants sushi. Even though I usually put my foot down and say we have to stay where we are, there have been times when I've given in and gone across town with Greg all the while pretending my sushi is an enchilada!

I'll never forget the first time I went grocery shopping with Greg. He proceeded to fill his cart to the brim, yet every two or three minutes he would change his mind and take something out. Greg's groceries were all over that store. Ice cream on the toilet paper aisle and lunch meat by the watermelon display.

More recently, Greg showed his wishy-washyness at the design center as we were choosing things for our new house.

"Add the full guttering, now take out the full guttering and add flood lights. Ok, take out the flood lights and add glass doors on the fire place."

I had to send Greg to the design center kitchen before he 'grocery shopped' our new house!

But you know, I wouldn't know what to do if Greg wasn't acting this way... our life would be very, very boring! This is the Greg I've come to know and love. I've learned to embrace his sporadic personality. As you can see, he's the main source of my blogging inspiration. I don't know what I'd write about without him...

Just the other day we were running some errands after dinner and decided that we needed some ice cream. Greg suggested gelato, and as we headed that way, we passed Fuddruckers. All it took was a 'Ooo, Greg, Fuddruckers!' for him to whip a u-ey and pull into the parking lot!

So I'm finally learning how easy it is to persuade my husband... that strawberry milkshake was just one small step for me... now what can I get him to do next?!?! Oh, I can think of a few things... yeah, whatever!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Look-Alike Contest 2009: The Izzy Hodges Edition

The votes are in... Greg looks the most like Jason Segal! And here are a few notable write-ins:

Tulsa Drillers Baseball Player

This is oh so true, Sarah Nurse! Greg does look like a Driller! Well, he did convince me of that on a dark night in May 2005! I think that we may just have to name our next dog, Driller... what do you think???

Matthew Lillard

I would have never thought of this one, Chelsea! But now that I'm reminiscing about Scream... I can so see it! Not just his looks but also his personality. Greg, of course, said no way. Then he proceeded to tell me who he does look like... which leaves me asking the question, why does Greg have so many look-alikes? In my lifetime, I've been told that I look like two people that I don't really look like at all: Fiona Apple and Jennifer Love-Hewitt. But Greg has countless celebrity twins... I don't get it!

John C. Reilly

This is a Greg Hodges self-proclaimed duplicate. I don't really see the resemblance, but as far as Reilly's comedy goes... Greg's right on. Maybe as Greg continues to age he'll look more like Mr. Reilly. He does have the beginnings of a receding hairline... and if he grew out his curls... maybe, just maybe, they'd look alike.

However, I think he looks more like JCR's 'step-brother'...

Will Ferrell

Greg looks AND acts like this funny guy. As long as I've known Greg, I've tried and tried to get him to dress like Buddy the Elf for Halloween. Just imagine that! He's so Will Ferrell! Maybe he'll dress like Buddy the Elf for Izzy for Christmas or something! That would be great!

I also got an anonymous comment that says that Greg for sure looks like McSteamy. Says he's never met Greg, but definitely McSteamy... hmmm... I wonder who that was... GREG!

Honestly, I could go on and on with Greg's look-alikes, but I wanted to have a little more fun with another contest for Miss Izzy!

Izzy isn't too similar to any of these famous faces, but still look and vote for the one you like best!

Here's Miss Izzy:
And here are the look-alikes:

Judy Jetson

We're starting off with Judy Jetson. For the longest time, Izzy's little nickname has been Judy Jetson. Why? I really don't know. It's just a little nickname I have for her. I call her Judy just about as much as I call her Izzy! Kinda weird, I know, but I just have this weird nickname thing that I do... but now that I look at Miss Jetson... I see a resemblance!

But I think Izzy looks a bit more like the next two!

Gilly

This is Gilly. It's really Kristin Wiig from Saturday Night Live playing Gilly in this skit. This ornery character reminds me a lot of Izzy's personality... and her curly hair! And maybe the fact that Gilly is always getting into trouble... Gilly, was it you??? Sorry!

(If you haven't seen this skit, check it out here... so funny!)



Chris Farley

And last, but not least, the late great Chris Farley! It was Greg that first mentioned Izzy's likeness to this funny man. Then I started to notice that when Izzy makes certain faces she does look like Chris Farley!



So what do you think? Who's Izzy's celebrity counterpart? Since Izzy looks so much like Greg, does she look like one of his famous look-alike faces? I would hate to say that my daughter looks like Screech or Will Ferrell, but McSteamy... maybe. Yeah, whatever!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Am I Smarter Than a Fifth Grader???

Finally, I got a job! I am so very excited to start working as a 5th Grade Teacher at Exley Elementary in Katy, Texas.

This great opportunity came after about seven months of filling out job applications and going on dead-end interviews.

I got so discouraged. I couldn't understand why I wasn't getting a job. I started analyzing every aspect of my resume, my interviewing skills and even my wardrobe. I seriously changed my earrings thinking it might help!

Through all of this, I kept telling myself (and half-believing myself) that everything happens for a reason. Now, I know that everything truly does happen for a reason, and it sure does make getting this job feel so much better! Like I said before, this job is in Katy, a place where we really want to live. They have an excellent school district and amazing neighborhoods. This will be a great place for Izzy to grow up and attend school. Katy is just a short distance from the Galleria where Greg works. He can hop on the Westpark Tollway and be home in minutes.

Now we just have to find a house! I'm sure it will be another 'everything happens for a reason' adventure... but I'm ready for it. I'm so excited to begin this new chapter in my life. Greg hopes that it will give me less time to write about him on my blog... yeah, whatever!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Greg Hodges Look-Alike Contest 2009

It seems like each day someone tells Greg that he looks like a different celebrity. So, now, I've decided to take it upon myself to take a vote and decide who he looks the most like! Take a good look at Greg:


Now here are his famous look-alikes...


Jason Segal

We first saw him on How I Met Your Mother... we absolutely love that show, and Greg looks even more like 'Marshall' because he acts so very much like him! 





Ryan Reynolds

Greg claims that he looked like Ryan Reynolds in his prime. I, however, have seen pictures of Greg in his youth, and I have to say that he looked a lot like Screech Powers from Saved by the Bell. That brings me to our next contestant...




Samuel "Screech" Powers

Imagine Greg in high school... a scrawny 6'3" opposed to the lumberjack-ish Greg we know today. Imagine Greg's hair just a little bit longer... it would be just like Screech's... a head full of curls! I may just have to get my hands on an old school pic of Greg to prove that he looks the most like this Saved by the Bell star!


American Idol's Matt Giraud

Just a few months ago Greg got a phone call from his bestie (Greg's word, not mine) Eddie, telling us to switch the TV to FOX... and there he was, Matt Giraud, Greg's lastest, greatest twin! The R&B crooner looked so much like Greg that even Izzy pointed to the TV and said, "da-da"!

The Brawny Paper Towel Guy

This is probably my all time favorite Greg Hodges look-alike! Greg told me that someone at work noticed his likeness on a roll of paper towels, and I immediately knew who he was talking about! Since growing out the beard Greg does have the flannel shirt-wearing, lumberjack quality that makes you think of the Brawny Paper Towel Guy. I think he may even be able to carry an axe around in public... no questions asked!

"McSteamy" - Eric Dane

Not too long ago, a girl that Greg works with told him that he looks like McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy. I don't really see the resemblance, but Greg loves the fact that McSteamy has been added to his list of look-alikes! He now randomly says, "McSteamy". And he's really into doctor stuff. He used to think he was pretty close to being a doctor because he took half of a semester of pre-med courses in college... now he thinks he's even closer!

So cast your vote. Who do you think Greg looks the most alike? Feel free to elaborate on your answer, and if there's somone that's not listed that you think looks like Greg... please, oh, please let me know! I'm going to go with Screech Powers carrying a roll of Brawny paper towels... yeah, whatever!

2023: My Favorite Reads

 In 2023, I set these book goals: Read 60 books. Gift the books in my TBR stack after reading them. Write! Use this creative outlet to keep ...