HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY, SHAQ!

Today's celebrity birthday is the best of the year. Shaquille O'Neal... He's my favorite celebrity of all time! That's us above... So yeah... I'll be celebrating that tomorrow night. And it's especially nice, because I won't have to go to school on Wednesday, since Lers and I are going to Kansas City, baby!

We are going to a conference about teaching languages in a digital world. So if anyone knows anything about the KC that you wanna share, lay it on me so I can enjoy it to the fullest!

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated... I've been incredibly busy. I have a whole list of things that I want to write about (Lers' birthday, Nicole's birthday, things from long long ago... and so on)... But for now, I think I am just going to cover the past week or so.

Last week, I was in a lingerie runway show at a club here in Milwaukee called MOCT. Initially, I was just a model in it, but I ended up hooking up one of my best friends, Tia, who is a lingerie designer, with the girls who were running the show (Metro PR). So I ended up helping a little bit with fitting and with organization on Tia's end, as well. That also meant that Tia and a friend of ours, Brenda, ended up staying at my apartment. Ands through this all, I was still a teacher... So basically, I got no sleep over the course of several days.... Ok, "no" sleep is an exaggeration. It was closer to ten hours over three days. Still bru-tal.

Anyway the show was a ton of fun. I don't have any pictures from the actual runway, but I have some from before and after the show. It was funny, because after the show, this woman came upstairs and informed us that Eric Benet would be on his way up to take pictures with us. Oh really? Eric Benet? Halle Berry's sex addict ex husband, of VH1 fame? Hilarious. So yeah, we all took a picture with him afterwards, which is also shown below.

The makeup artist that worked on me did a look I am not quite used to. She put really dark lip stain on me, and I am used to lighter lips. The other makeup artist loved it, and he kept going on about how hot my lips were. And my makeup artist also glued darker feathers to my face by my eyes, which I found really distracting, since my hair and skin is so light. Ah well. It was different at least!

One thing that cracked me up... Among the models in the show (there were 13 of us), two were significant others of Milwaukee Bucks basketball players. One of them was Dan Gadzuric's girlfriend, and she told me that they've read my blog. How funny and cool is that!? The other Buck's wife (Kenya, Charlie Bell's wife) was probably one of my favorite models in the show. We got along very well. She was so funny, sweet and down to earth! We were the self-proclaimed "fat ones" and the only girls in the show who had an ass - haha.

Speaking of which, in my first pass down the runway, it was practically hanging out! I was wearing these boy shorts and a shirt from Fred. I can't believe it still! I've come a long way!

Here's a couple group shots from before the show...

That's me, all the way on the right, with the yellow, in case you don't recognize me amongst all of the gorgeous ladies with their perfect bodies who made me incredibly self-conscious. Haha.

The show went well. I felt like I rocked it, and I love the runway. I wish I were taller.

My last outfit was kinda crazy (in a good way). It was a mint green strapless band bra with a mint green tulle tutu. How fun is that? I walked in this coy, coquettish walk with my hands on my hips, all cute. Tia and Brenda decided that I had to wear my giant tiara that a photographer had given me... So here's the group after the show... First picture's with Tia and Brenda, and the second's with good ol' Eric Benet.

I'm... Well... The one with the tiara. Haha.

Anyway, after the fashion show, we partied a bit, which was fun. Apparently some photographer asked about me specifically, which is really flattering. Megan, one of the girls from Metro PR, is going to give me his information I guess. So that's cool.

Friday, I went and bought a shirt that someone else wore in the first pass on the runway. Not the exact shirt she wore, but the same style. I haven't worn it yet. Perhaps I'll rock it in KC. I love it. You'll see pictures... After buying the shirt, I just came home and napped.

Saturday, I pretty much was still recovering all day from the heinously tiring week. Then Saturday night I went to the last Marquette home game. Here is a picture of a sign that someone was holding in the crowd that just cracked me up. I swear I've seen it before.

I'm really going to miss going to all of these games. I don't know what I am going to do with my free time! It's been too long since I've been to Madison, so that is going to change. But I hope that I get to go to so many games next year! Anyway, back to Saturday... It was ESPN college gameday and Senior night. I've been to tons of senior nights. I cry every time. I cry during the intros (well, that's true of almost every game). And then I cry during the speeches at the end.

The speeches, by the way, were something to behold. Jamil talked for much longer than expected, since he seems pretty soft-spoken the few times we've met. It was hilarious to watch Ous. He was so antsy. Everyone else was standing still, listening to the speeches. Ous kept dancing around behind people, to music apparently in his head. Then he kept walking away from the group... Taking pictures with people, just wandering around. Then he started laughing at something Jamil said, and he put his jersey up over his face, like in Happy Gilmore, when Adam Sandler's character does it to Bob Barker and then punches him in the face! It was hilarious. Then, he goes and sits down by himself like 15 feet away from everyone, until Dominic James came and helped him up - made him get off the ground.

What makes all of this even funnier was that when he texted me later on, I asked him about his dancing, and he responded "hahaha, y everyone saw that?"

Are you kidding me, Ous? You are almost 7 feet tall, and you were in front of thousands of people. Everyone else was standing still but you. What a goof ball!

Anyway, after the speeches, I went on the court and got something I had wanted a very long time... a picture with Ous while he's in uniform! Unfortunately, though, it turned out very blurry. Bru-tal. Here it is.

I am the one who looks like a midget. Brut brut!

The saddest thing is, I think that might be the last picture my little camera took. It's broken. I called tech support today, and they told me that I can either spend $120 to have it fixed, $210 to exchange it for a refurbished camera with a 6-month warranty, or I can buy a new camera. I just don't know what to do. Any tips?

I'm off to bed. Lots to do to prepare for subs before I go to the KC!