Hey guys - so sorry that I've been MIA lately. School has gotten the best of me and I've been spending a lot of time studying and doing other such boring things.
Next week is midterms and then the week after that is SPRING BREAK (so excited)!!!!
Hope things are well with all of you. I have some fun stuff to talk about when I get back! Good books, more things crossed off of my list, honeymoon spots, fun links I've been meaning to show you since the beginning of time, and bridesmaid bios.
But now I am going to get ready for my day. Which includes school, work, studying, and possibly going to see some African women's directorial debuts at SLU. Depends on whether or not I have enough energy by the end of the day. We'll see.
24 February 2010
20 February 2010
The End of an Era
Thursday was interesting. Lots of stuff happened. I'll outline.
1. In class, I spent time on my laptop and looked at my emails/twitter/facebook and found out that my cousin is pregnant. This is my cousin who got married in October, so...no time wasted. I was just angry that I found out on FACEBOOK. (Later in the day, which will soon be mentioned, I had to call many family members about something and everyone else (seriously - my parents, my sister, my aunt that doesn't ever talk to anyone in the family) knew that she was pregnant. Everyone just forgot to tell me, I guess.)
2. Thursday was the day that my dad was to find out whether or not he was getting laid off. He works at Anheuser-Busch here in St. Louis. He's been miserable for a long time in his job. And if you live in the United States, you've probably heard about the In-Bev takeover, unless you live under a rock. So things have gotten bad.
And I spent all day Thursday waiting for my dad to call me and tell me what happened. I texted him at 9 AM saying, "good luck, I love you! Call me when you find out" and he texted me back right away and said, "sure thing I will let you know". So, I had my phone out on my desk all day waiting to hear from him.
My classes were over at 2 PM and I went to work at 3. Still hadn't heard anything. Spent all afternoon thinking I would hear from him while at work and I contemplated how to take the phone call without getting in trouble.
But by the end of the evening at work, I still hadn't heard from anyone in my family. So on my way home I called my house, my mom's cell phone and my dad's cell phone repeatedly. Like, stalker-repeatedly. We're talking like ten times each. And no one answered, anywhere. So I drove to my house, figuring that they may be there. No one was home. I drove by my parents' friends houses, looking for their cars. I drove by some of their favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, again, looking for their cars. I called my grandma and grandpa, my nonnie (dad's mom), an aunt and an uncle. No one knew. No one had heard anything. Or they didn't answer.
Nothing. So I became PISSED. Just absolutely miffed. I was so angry that no one was answering their phones, and especially that no one had called me. So I eventually went home, around 8 PM, after buying my favorite pre-made sandwich at Schnucks (local grocery store) and a humidifier for my room (which doesn't work very well, by the way).
Mom eventually called me around 9. "It's over!!!!" she said, sounding super excited. My dad has been working there for 27 years and within the last ten, they've treated him pretty bad - last minute trips across the country, presentations thrown in his lap the day before they're due, etc - so he's been looking for a way out for some time now. He even went to his boss and said, "Hey - if you're looking for someone to lay off, I would take that." No dice, until Thursday...
So after saying "yay!" and all that, I got a little...emotional. I started crying and saying that I was upset that no one told me. As it turns out, dad was laid off around 1 PM. He and the rest of the people that got laid off went directly a bar and proceeded to drink (not AB products, of course). His phone and laptop were taken away immediately (company-issued). He had had to clean out his office a few months ago when no personal belongings were allowed in cubicles/offices anymore, so there was nothing to do there.
So I understand that he couldn't have called me. Oh wait, except that he had gotten an iPhone on Saturday (a week ago today, yes) and I'm pretty sure he has his daughter's cell phone number memorized. That's the other thing - he knew, a week ago, that he was getting laid off. But he told me and my sister that he had a meeting to determine whether or not he was getting laid off. So weird. I don't really know why he did that.
So not only did I find out that 1) dad had lied to me and my sister about "not knowing whether or not he was getting laid off", I also found out that 2) my mom had talked to my sister around 4 PM and told her that dad had gotten the axe. I'm sorry, but WTF?! Seriously. I am sorry about that but that is exactly how I felt. At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, I was so upset that no one told me. Emme didn't think to call me and tell me, or just to call and talk about it. Mom didn't think, "oh, I just talked to one daughter, maybe I should call the other one". And the worst part is that I'm driving around St. Louis for two hours, looking for their cars at their usual haunts. Because that is how much I care, and no one thought to call me.
Anyways - I totally lost it when talking to mom. I started bawling (embarassing) and was all, "I can't believe you didn't think to tell me!" and when I found out that my mom had told my sister approximately five hours before she told me...oh, man - I was livid. So I guess she called my dad right after she got off the phone with me and told him to call me and tell me himself (something that really should have happened, oh, I don't know, seven hours earlier?). So he did and it was awkward because I was still super emotional and felt like crying but I was trying really hard not to. So, that's that story.
3. I found out that one of my friends (who is my age) is pregnant. We went to high school together and weren't very close then, but we've gotten closer since graduation. I could tell she felt really awkward telling me about it...and I've never had a friend tell me that she was pregnant and wasn't super excited about it (let's face it - Lindsay, you were my first), so...I just didn't know what to say, really. She had a little photo album with her sonogram pictures in it. I guess she started dating this guy five months ago, and she is 15 weeks along...so, yeah. I'm excited for her - I think more excited than she is - and understandably so. But it seemed as though she was coming around even in our hour-long conversation, so...maybe things will be okay. So. Two pregnancies in one day. Interesting.
4. And, the one real bright spot - I definitely have a summer job! I'll be working at Wilson's summer camp again, but only for four of the eight weeks (because of the wedding and honeymoon). It's awesome how flexible my boss is about it - because there was really no way around it. So it's great knowing that I have an income until August or so - and then I need to either get a completely new job, or another job in addition to Wilson extended day. I'll figure it out.
Yikes. Sorry so much writing. If you're still reading to the end of this, kudos. And thanks.
1. In class, I spent time on my laptop and looked at my emails/twitter/facebook and found out that my cousin is pregnant. This is my cousin who got married in October, so...no time wasted. I was just angry that I found out on FACEBOOK. (Later in the day, which will soon be mentioned, I had to call many family members about something and everyone else (seriously - my parents, my sister, my aunt that doesn't ever talk to anyone in the family) knew that she was pregnant. Everyone just forgot to tell me, I guess.)
2. Thursday was the day that my dad was to find out whether or not he was getting laid off. He works at Anheuser-Busch here in St. Louis. He's been miserable for a long time in his job. And if you live in the United States, you've probably heard about the In-Bev takeover, unless you live under a rock. So things have gotten bad.
And I spent all day Thursday waiting for my dad to call me and tell me what happened. I texted him at 9 AM saying, "good luck, I love you! Call me when you find out" and he texted me back right away and said, "sure thing I will let you know". So, I had my phone out on my desk all day waiting to hear from him.
My classes were over at 2 PM and I went to work at 3. Still hadn't heard anything. Spent all afternoon thinking I would hear from him while at work and I contemplated how to take the phone call without getting in trouble.
But by the end of the evening at work, I still hadn't heard from anyone in my family. So on my way home I called my house, my mom's cell phone and my dad's cell phone repeatedly. Like, stalker-repeatedly. We're talking like ten times each. And no one answered, anywhere. So I drove to my house, figuring that they may be there. No one was home. I drove by my parents' friends houses, looking for their cars. I drove by some of their favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, again, looking for their cars. I called my grandma and grandpa, my nonnie (dad's mom), an aunt and an uncle. No one knew. No one had heard anything. Or they didn't answer.
Nothing. So I became PISSED. Just absolutely miffed. I was so angry that no one was answering their phones, and especially that no one had called me. So I eventually went home, around 8 PM, after buying my favorite pre-made sandwich at Schnucks (local grocery store) and a humidifier for my room (which doesn't work very well, by the way).
Mom eventually called me around 9. "It's over!!!!" she said, sounding super excited. My dad has been working there for 27 years and within the last ten, they've treated him pretty bad - last minute trips across the country, presentations thrown in his lap the day before they're due, etc - so he's been looking for a way out for some time now. He even went to his boss and said, "Hey - if you're looking for someone to lay off, I would take that." No dice, until Thursday...
So after saying "yay!" and all that, I got a little...emotional. I started crying and saying that I was upset that no one told me. As it turns out, dad was laid off around 1 PM. He and the rest of the people that got laid off went directly a bar and proceeded to drink (not AB products, of course). His phone and laptop were taken away immediately (company-issued). He had had to clean out his office a few months ago when no personal belongings were allowed in cubicles/offices anymore, so there was nothing to do there.
So I understand that he couldn't have called me. Oh wait, except that he had gotten an iPhone on Saturday (a week ago today, yes) and I'm pretty sure he has his daughter's cell phone number memorized. That's the other thing - he knew, a week ago, that he was getting laid off. But he told me and my sister that he had a meeting to determine whether or not he was getting laid off. So weird. I don't really know why he did that.
So not only did I find out that 1) dad had lied to me and my sister about "not knowing whether or not he was getting laid off", I also found out that 2) my mom had talked to my sister around 4 PM and told her that dad had gotten the axe. I'm sorry, but WTF?! Seriously. I am sorry about that but that is exactly how I felt. At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, I was so upset that no one told me. Emme didn't think to call me and tell me, or just to call and talk about it. Mom didn't think, "oh, I just talked to one daughter, maybe I should call the other one". And the worst part is that I'm driving around St. Louis for two hours, looking for their cars at their usual haunts. Because that is how much I care, and no one thought to call me.
Anyways - I totally lost it when talking to mom. I started bawling (embarassing) and was all, "I can't believe you didn't think to tell me!" and when I found out that my mom had told my sister approximately five hours before she told me...oh, man - I was livid. So I guess she called my dad right after she got off the phone with me and told him to call me and tell me himself (something that really should have happened, oh, I don't know, seven hours earlier?). So he did and it was awkward because I was still super emotional and felt like crying but I was trying really hard not to. So, that's that story.
3. I found out that one of my friends (who is my age) is pregnant. We went to high school together and weren't very close then, but we've gotten closer since graduation. I could tell she felt really awkward telling me about it...and I've never had a friend tell me that she was pregnant and wasn't super excited about it (let's face it - Lindsay, you were my first), so...I just didn't know what to say, really. She had a little photo album with her sonogram pictures in it. I guess she started dating this guy five months ago, and she is 15 weeks along...so, yeah. I'm excited for her - I think more excited than she is - and understandably so. But it seemed as though she was coming around even in our hour-long conversation, so...maybe things will be okay. So. Two pregnancies in one day. Interesting.
4. And, the one real bright spot - I definitely have a summer job! I'll be working at Wilson's summer camp again, but only for four of the eight weeks (because of the wedding and honeymoon). It's awesome how flexible my boss is about it - because there was really no way around it. So it's great knowing that I have an income until August or so - and then I need to either get a completely new job, or another job in addition to Wilson extended day. I'll figure it out.
Yikes. Sorry so much writing. If you're still reading to the end of this, kudos. And thanks.
17 February 2010
Spring, Where Are You?!: Mod Cloth Edition
Okay, I don't really expect Spring to answer the above question. And it's February in St. Louis, meaning that it won't be warm for awhile. In fact, we've gotten more snow in February this year than we have the entire winter (this is not a known fact, but I think it's true).
But I'm so ready for spring. I'm ready to wear my small red coat instead of my huge, bulky black one. I'm ready for my hands/face/feet/legs/every other part of my body to stop being dry and rough, regardless of how much moisturizing lotion/baby oil/other fancy stuff I use. I'm ready to stop having static hair. I hate static hair. And my hair is so long (past my shoulders) that it's driving me more crazy than usual.
I'm ready to be able to take the kids at school outside. We've had so many "cold days" and the little ones are getting sick of staying inside, understandably so. I'm ready to start growing a balcony garden. I'm ready to start running outside again, and biking and walking and just enjoying the weather, instead of dreading running from the front door of my apartment to my car every morning.
But more than almost anything else, I'm ready for the spring clothes. I'm ready to drag out my colorful tights, skirts, floods, flats, and cardigans. Yes, I realize that lots of stylish ladies wear flats and cardigans and tights and skirts. But I'm a wimp. I get cold so easily and HATE being cold, so I've been very into the hoodies/sweatpants with pj pants underneath them. Because even if I look bulky or weird I'm warm and really, that's what I care about.
Spring clothes are popping up all over the place and I'm getting restless. I'm ready to bare my legs! And my adorable little tattoo on my foot!
So, in honor of spring maybe coming soon, here are some of my current spring favorites, from Mod Cloth:
The Colleen Dress
Through the Tulips Dress
Cherry Valence Dress
Lemon Custard Cardigan
Mint Condition Top
Lovely Lace Shirt
Luck of the Skirt
Brave New Waist Shorts
Beach Blanket Bingo Swimsuit
Beach Blanket Retro Two Piece in Red
Just Teasin' Tights
Second Semester Socks in Marshmallow
You know what would be even cooler? If I could actually afford all of these things. I would have one sweet spring wardrobe...
But I'm so ready for spring. I'm ready to wear my small red coat instead of my huge, bulky black one. I'm ready for my hands/face/feet/legs/every other part of my body to stop being dry and rough, regardless of how much moisturizing lotion/baby oil/other fancy stuff I use. I'm ready to stop having static hair. I hate static hair. And my hair is so long (past my shoulders) that it's driving me more crazy than usual.
I'm ready to be able to take the kids at school outside. We've had so many "cold days" and the little ones are getting sick of staying inside, understandably so. I'm ready to start growing a balcony garden. I'm ready to start running outside again, and biking and walking and just enjoying the weather, instead of dreading running from the front door of my apartment to my car every morning.
But more than almost anything else, I'm ready for the spring clothes. I'm ready to drag out my colorful tights, skirts, floods, flats, and cardigans. Yes, I realize that lots of stylish ladies wear flats and cardigans and tights and skirts. But I'm a wimp. I get cold so easily and HATE being cold, so I've been very into the hoodies/sweatpants with pj pants underneath them. Because even if I look bulky or weird I'm warm and really, that's what I care about.
Spring clothes are popping up all over the place and I'm getting restless. I'm ready to bare my legs! And my adorable little tattoo on my foot!
So, in honor of spring maybe coming soon, here are some of my current spring favorites, from Mod Cloth:
The Colleen Dress
Through the Tulips Dress
Cherry Valence Dress
Lemon Custard Cardigan
Mint Condition Top
Lovely Lace Shirt
Luck of the Skirt
Brave New Waist Shorts
Beach Blanket Bingo Swimsuit
Beach Blanket Retro Two Piece in Red
Just Teasin' Tights
Second Semester Socks in Marshmallow
You know what would be even cooler? If I could actually afford all of these things. I would have one sweet spring wardrobe...
16 February 2010
Baking and Dancing, Oh My!
As I was prancing around my kitchen this evening, making a pound cake, I turned on the mix that Pete and I have (tentatively) created for our wedding reception.
And you know, there are some really, really good songs on there. We still are at a standstill as to what our first dance song will be (we're disagreeing right now) but this one is, in my opinion, a serious contender.
Plus, I love the video. So I was baking my cake and singing the lyrics to this song, and lots of other love songs ("God Only Knows", "Real Love", "Sea of Love", "History of Lovers", "Red Right Ankle", "The More I See You", etc etc) and I remembered the video and then I really wanted to watch it. So I did and then I decided to post it here (again, two years later, almost!) because it's just so...amazing.
Enjoy.
And you know, there are some really, really good songs on there. We still are at a standstill as to what our first dance song will be (we're disagreeing right now) but this one is, in my opinion, a serious contender.
Plus, I love the video. So I was baking my cake and singing the lyrics to this song, and lots of other love songs ("God Only Knows", "Real Love", "Sea of Love", "History of Lovers", "Red Right Ankle", "The More I See You", etc etc) and I remembered the video and then I really wanted to watch it. So I did and then I decided to post it here (again, two years later, almost!) because it's just so...amazing.
Enjoy.
Socialites
I didn't really know what socialites were before I started watching Gossip Girl.
Actually, that isn't true. I knew what a socialite WAS. But the concept was so foreign to me.
Well - enter the Socialite Name Chart.
My name is Plum Guinness. I'm slightly obsessed with this. All of a sudden, I want to name my future children Plum (only the girls, obviously).
What's your name?
picture from the socialite name chart page
13 February 2010
Best Fictional Couples EVER
Inspired by the Secret Society of List Addicts
1. Weetzie Bat & My Secret Agent Lover Man - from my favorite book, Weetzie Bat. I love their relationship - and the writing style, thanks to Francesca Lia Block - because it just seems so real. Not only are they madly in love, but they have problems and issues. And they're just adorable.
2. Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble - from The Time Traveler's Wife. No, I haven't seen the movie. So I can still love the book and not feel sad about the world completely butchering it. Anyway - their relationship is heartbreakingly gorgeous. If you haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife, I very highly recommend it.
And you know what? I was going to finish this and think of more fictional couples I love, but I think I'm going to go make Pete a last minute Valentine (we just exchanged books this year, and no flowers/chocolates/cards...but I think I'm going to cheat).
Also - just as a heads up - Pete DID write a little something-something about me on his blog...it made me smile all night long.
1. Weetzie Bat & My Secret Agent Lover Man - from my favorite book, Weetzie Bat. I love their relationship - and the writing style, thanks to Francesca Lia Block - because it just seems so real. Not only are they madly in love, but they have problems and issues. And they're just adorable.
2. Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble - from The Time Traveler's Wife. No, I haven't seen the movie. So I can still love the book and not feel sad about the world completely butchering it. Anyway - their relationship is heartbreakingly gorgeous. If you haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife, I very highly recommend it.
And you know what? I was going to finish this and think of more fictional couples I love, but I think I'm going to go make Pete a last minute Valentine (we just exchanged books this year, and no flowers/chocolates/cards...but I think I'm going to cheat).
Also - just as a heads up - Pete DID write a little something-something about me on his blog...it made me smile all night long.
12 February 2010
Watercolor Tattoo
If I was to get another tattoo (I probably won't), and I had a lot of money (I probably never will), and wasn't scared of pain (unlikely), I would be ALL ABOUT one of these tattoos.
I especially love the last one - with the pink and yellow and blue. One of my favorite things about crafting/painting/working with my hands is getting my hands dirty. Or getting a bit of flour on my nose. Or getting permanent marker on the side of my hands.
Gorgeous.
And if you're squeamish, don't click on this - but apparently there's this new trend: eyeball-tattoos. Grooooss! It really freaked me out.
1, 2, 3
I especially love the last one - with the pink and yellow and blue. One of my favorite things about crafting/painting/working with my hands is getting my hands dirty. Or getting a bit of flour on my nose. Or getting permanent marker on the side of my hands.
Gorgeous.
And if you're squeamish, don't click on this - but apparently there's this new trend: eyeball-tattoos. Grooooss! It really freaked me out.
1, 2, 3
11 February 2010
Peter Randall
In honor of the upcoming V-day I decided to write a post all about why I am still madly in love with my fiance, Pete.
We've been together for approximately three years and four months. And every single second of those 1227 days (courtesy of here) has been amazing. We had our tough moments (living apart for a summer, mostly) but I am so fortunate to have a person that is so incredibly inspiring and wonderful in my life.
Plus, he's adorable. Since Pete is a teacher (at my alma mater), he gets a big package of school pictures. And he doesn't give them to anyone (his thought is, "who would want them?"), and he doesn't want to frame the big picture. So I took it and put it on my fridge. And every time I walk by the refrigerator and see his picture clipped up, with his goofy little smirk and adorable gaze...I just giggle. And get so happy that he is in my life.
Pete makes me feel good about myself. He regularly tells me that he loves me just the way I am and that I should do what I want to do (in regards to losing weight, mostly). And even though he's my #1 agent to make sure I don't eat a lot of sweets, he knows that on bad days I just want a cupcake or ice cream cone and he doesn't make me feel bad about going back on my resolution (something that did not last very long - mid January, tops).
Pete loves talking about our future together. If we see a cute baby in a store, we both give each other these looks that say, "oh my GOD someday we're going to have adorable kids!" And it's okay to TALK about. Even before we were engaged we both talked about getting married and what our first dance song should be. We've picked out names for our future kids. We've talked about moving around to other cities or even other neighborhoods - and he's just as excited about what lays ahead as I am.
Pete makes me laugh. It's not hard to make me laugh - I'm very easily entertained. But Pete really, REALLY makes me laugh. He'll make a funny noise or use an accent or we'll just talk in Arrested Development/The Office/30 Rock quotes for a half hour straight and laugh laugh laugh. We'll sing songs in the car and both sing the lyrics wrong and lose it. It's pretty awesome.
Pete knows what I like. He'll send me links or pictures or other things from the Internet saying, "Hey, I think you'll like this..." That is how SO many of my favorite things started. That's how I first watched The Royal Tenenbaums. That's how I started listening to Phoenix. That's how I began reading graphic novels. He just gets me and knows me.
Pete pushes me. I am very easily a lazy person. I have no problem sitting at home in my pajamas eating in front of a TV with a good show on. And by saying that, I'm not telling you all that that's the ONLY thing I do. Nor would it be what I would be doing right now if I had never met Pete. But Pete just nudges me in the right direction - "You should really read your book for school" or "what about that art project you started last week?" or "I thought you said you were going to write something tonight." Those may seem like he's being obnoxious, but it's not. I need someone to push me to do things sometimes. Homework wise, I would not get anything done until midnight or later if it wasn't for him.
Pete is gung ho. He's chill and happy-go-lucky. He's ready for anything and game for everything. I wanted to make a map wall during his snow day? Bam, we did it. I wanted a china cabinet? Bam, we found one. I wanted to go to a certain place for dinner? Sure, why not. I wanted to take a massive two-week roadtrip for our honeymoon? Sounds great! Pete is rarely in a bad mood...which leads me to my last point.
Pete makes me happy. His smile, his looks, the way he sticks his tongue out a little when he plays the banjo or draws a cartoon, the way his brow furrows when he reads a book, the way he cocks his head to the side when he says, "hey babe, have you seen my brown belt?" (as if I would have a clue).
And I love us together. Some people have said that we have an unhealthy relationship. But I love us. I love how goofy we are, how we both love to cook fancy foods sometimes but most of the time getting a frozen pizza is fine, too. I love that we don't have to be together all the time. I love that we can tease each other in front of friends (a friend once said that watching us interact with each other was like watching a sitcom).
In all, I love Pete. Happy Valentine's Day, boo!
Oh, SLU.
I have a beef with SLU (SLU = Saint Louis University, where I go to college).
I actually have more than one, but today I am going to concentrate on the one that has been bothering me a LOT lately - parking.
Parking wasn't really a huge problem for me until this semester. The first three years of my education at SLU, I lived on campus. I didn't even have a car freshmen or sophomore year. I just bummed rides off of Pete and other friends.
Junior year I was able to have me and my sister's car on campus. I lived in a residence hall/apartment building with a parking lot right behind it. There were almost always spaces for me to park in, all hours of the day. So, that was fine, too.
But now I commute. There is a huge garage on the East side of campus - Olive-Compton - where it is suggested that most commuter students park. It's also the garage that people park in for any events on campus - graduations, sporting crap, concerts - and it's pretty big. Four levels. Lots of space.
Last semester was okay. I didn't have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays (with a few exceptions) and so on Tuesdays and Thursdays I would park at Olive-Compton by 9:30 and scoot to my class in the next major building, close to Olive-Compton. My next class was across campus, but my third class was back on the East side, right next to Olive-Compton. Easy easy lemon squeezy.
But NOW. Oh, now. I have one class, all semester long, on the East side of campus. ONE. The rest are on the West side. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have class across from Humphrey's (a gross college bar that apparently doesn't card. I haven't been there and it is my personal goal to not go during my college career), which is on the West side of campus. And that's my one class for those days. So why park approximately four city blocks away for one 50-minute class? I park on the street. And I ALWAYS bring change to put in the darn parking meters, but I always run out. Like moments before a meter-maid comes. For example - Wednesday I got to my car three minutes after the meter expired. I had a ticket, that was marked as being issued one minute (ONE MINUTE) after my meter ran out.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are a pain, too. I'm just going to use SLU names for the St. Louisians/SLU people that read this...
I have my first class in McGannon Hall at 9:30 AM. This is almost the Western-most lecture building on campus. And where is the only place I can find a parking space? Olive-Compton. Which, oh, hey! Is LITERALLY as East as you can go on campus. It's a long walk.
So. I have a decision to make most Tuesday/Thursday mornings. Do I park right outside my building and risk (probably) getting a ticket? Because even if I'm only a MINUTE late, I'll still get one? Or do I park in a place that I've already paid for, and be 10-15 minutes late to class?
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "just leave home earlier."
I HAVE. I leave my apartment at 8:50 every morning. I only live 10-ish minutes away, and that leaves a half hour to walk to class. Somehow I am ALWAYS late. And I walk campus fast. I mean, the next step up for my walking is trotting, like a horse. And I'm not going to trot.
I think I know why I'm late, too. There's another "commuter" parking lot near McGannon, and for some reason I am always hopeful I will find a space there. It's teeny - probably only 100 spaces or so - but it's so CLOSE and I am just so damn hopeful. And I have yet to find a space here.
Oh well. The rest of my Tuesday-Thursday classes are spaced out ridiculously as well. By the end of the day, I'm almost back to where my first class is - which means that I have a 15 minute walk JUST to get to my car to go home.
Okay. I'm done being cynical and angry about this. The parking at SLU is not ideal. I get a lot of exercise so I can't really complain. I just hate walking into class late.
I actually have more than one, but today I am going to concentrate on the one that has been bothering me a LOT lately - parking.
Parking wasn't really a huge problem for me until this semester. The first three years of my education at SLU, I lived on campus. I didn't even have a car freshmen or sophomore year. I just bummed rides off of Pete and other friends.
Junior year I was able to have me and my sister's car on campus. I lived in a residence hall/apartment building with a parking lot right behind it. There were almost always spaces for me to park in, all hours of the day. So, that was fine, too.
But now I commute. There is a huge garage on the East side of campus - Olive-Compton - where it is suggested that most commuter students park. It's also the garage that people park in for any events on campus - graduations, sporting crap, concerts - and it's pretty big. Four levels. Lots of space.
Last semester was okay. I didn't have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays (with a few exceptions) and so on Tuesdays and Thursdays I would park at Olive-Compton by 9:30 and scoot to my class in the next major building, close to Olive-Compton. My next class was across campus, but my third class was back on the East side, right next to Olive-Compton. Easy easy lemon squeezy.
But NOW. Oh, now. I have one class, all semester long, on the East side of campus. ONE. The rest are on the West side. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have class across from Humphrey's (a gross college bar that apparently doesn't card. I haven't been there and it is my personal goal to not go during my college career), which is on the West side of campus. And that's my one class for those days. So why park approximately four city blocks away for one 50-minute class? I park on the street. And I ALWAYS bring change to put in the darn parking meters, but I always run out. Like moments before a meter-maid comes. For example - Wednesday I got to my car three minutes after the meter expired. I had a ticket, that was marked as being issued one minute (ONE MINUTE) after my meter ran out.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are a pain, too. I'm just going to use SLU names for the St. Louisians/SLU people that read this...
I have my first class in McGannon Hall at 9:30 AM. This is almost the Western-most lecture building on campus. And where is the only place I can find a parking space? Olive-Compton. Which, oh, hey! Is LITERALLY as East as you can go on campus. It's a long walk.
So. I have a decision to make most Tuesday/Thursday mornings. Do I park right outside my building and risk (probably) getting a ticket? Because even if I'm only a MINUTE late, I'll still get one? Or do I park in a place that I've already paid for, and be 10-15 minutes late to class?
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "just leave home earlier."
I HAVE. I leave my apartment at 8:50 every morning. I only live 10-ish minutes away, and that leaves a half hour to walk to class. Somehow I am ALWAYS late. And I walk campus fast. I mean, the next step up for my walking is trotting, like a horse. And I'm not going to trot.
I think I know why I'm late, too. There's another "commuter" parking lot near McGannon, and for some reason I am always hopeful I will find a space there. It's teeny - probably only 100 spaces or so - but it's so CLOSE and I am just so damn hopeful. And I have yet to find a space here.
Oh well. The rest of my Tuesday-Thursday classes are spaced out ridiculously as well. By the end of the day, I'm almost back to where my first class is - which means that I have a 15 minute walk JUST to get to my car to go home.
Okay. I'm done being cynical and angry about this. The parking at SLU is not ideal. I get a lot of exercise so I can't really complain. I just hate walking into class late.
10 February 2010
Only Five Months to Go!
Wowza! Only five months...I can't believe it.
So here's what we've accomplished in the last month (and when I say "we" - it truly is a "we". It is SO not all me):
1. Booked a florist
2. Reserved a block of hotel rooms at one hotel, and are working on the other
3. Decided on designs and colors for the flower girl dresses
4. Made a super fancy budget tracker in Excel (it may not seem like a lot, but I'm pretty excited + proud of myself)
5. Registered at Target. There isn't much in that registry. Mostly board games and tools. Seriously.
6. Booked our rehearsal dinner site
7. All of the bridesmaids have received their dresses
8. Figured out how tall my shoes have to be so that my dress doesn't look funny (I would rather invest in a good pair of shoes, as opposed to getting a dress hemmed an inch and a half)
9. Received our first wedding gift. Yes, seriously - my neighbors, that used to live in Soulard, moved to Florida a long time ago. We sent them a save-the-date but I guess they can't make it, because we got the most beautiful set of stainless steel pots and pans from them last week. I'm afraid to use them. Also excited.
10. I kind of gave of creative control. Actually, let me rephrase that. I decided that I do not need to make everything 110% representative of me. I had wanted to make gorgeous centerpieces by hand (I don't know with what, or how) and create little favors (again, don't know what) but I realized that I really don't have the time to do these things. So at our meeting with our new wedding planner person at the reception place, we decided to...
11. Go with pre-made centerpieces, offered by the place (save money! And they're beautiful!)
12. Make a big old donation to Studiostl instead of favors for the guests
13. Thanks to Rosemary, we now know what to expect when getting a marriage license, and I learned how to change my name!
Okay. I think that's it. Whoo! Lots of stuff!
I went to our florist yesterday to drop off the deposit and I was talking to the other owner, Keith (Dean is the guy that is working with us for the wedding). As I left, he waved and said, "Please keep being excited! This is the only time you're going to get married and as stressful as things may seem sometimes, always try to smile about it!"
So that was pretty awesome.
Also, another note. In order to figure out how tall my heels have to be, I had to try on my dress again. I have to tell you, I fall more and more in love with it every time I wear it.
photo by Ryan Gladstone (our photographer!)
08 February 2010
Honeymoon Spot #6: Venice Beach
Hey! It's like we're going somewhere besides San Francisco!
We're spending a few days in Los Angeles, but in general we won't have a lot of time. We're going to spend an afternoon/evening at Disneyland (I'll have to do a post about that another time). I want to hit up a few museums and sneak around Beverly Hills...but really, we're not going to have a whole lot of time.
However, I do want to go to the beach. When I was younger, my family and I went on beach vacations every summer (well, almost every summer). We went to Hilton Head Island (wow, no posts about that? It'll be remedied) and spent a week in a rented house right on the beach. Our backyard WAS the beach. There was a short patch of grass but really, the beach was in the backyard. It was amazing. And I haven't been to a REAL beach (a riverbed with some sand in middle Illinois does NOT count, Pete) in three years. Sad.
So, Venice Beach will be happening. We went there when I went to CA with my family in 2004, but it will be more fun with Pete, I think...now I can read all the brochures about legalizing marijuana instead of glancing at them and hurriedly running along and acting as though I don't know what "marijuana" means. Not that I would WANT to read the brochures but it's nice to know that I have that option.
Venice Beach really hit its stride around 1904 when a tobacco millionaire decided to recreate Venice, Italy, in Venice, California. He built realistic-looking canals that had boats (gondolas) going through the waterways. There were Italian restaurants and he recreated Venetian architecture where he could.
As the years went on, it became more of an amusement park - concession stands and circus rides were built. Aerial stuntman were hired. It was fun, for awhile. But then the canals started making the actual land sink. And no one really cared. So by the '50s, people called it the "Slum by the Sea". But the city eventually fixed it up a little, and then the beat poets moved in (yee-yeah!), and then, since they were so awesome, all the hippies and other cool people moved in. And then the rest is history. (Note: that was SO not a complete history lesson but it's to the best of memory.)
Anyway - now there's this long boardwalk with all kinds of restaurants and shops and tattoo parlours that is along the beach. There's lots of graffiti on walls (and it's legal to graffiti there, which I LOVE) and, well...did I mention that Muscle Beach is located on the Venice Beach Boardwalk? Hee hee.
And then, there's the actual beach. This isn't THE place for surfers (they tend to migrate near Malibu and Huntington Beach and other "cool" places), but we will probably see some surfers. Which is awesome.
Regardless. It's a cool area and I'm excited to explore it.
photos: 1, 2, 3
We're spending a few days in Los Angeles, but in general we won't have a lot of time. We're going to spend an afternoon/evening at Disneyland (I'll have to do a post about that another time). I want to hit up a few museums and sneak around Beverly Hills...but really, we're not going to have a whole lot of time.
However, I do want to go to the beach. When I was younger, my family and I went on beach vacations every summer (well, almost every summer). We went to Hilton Head Island (wow, no posts about that? It'll be remedied) and spent a week in a rented house right on the beach. Our backyard WAS the beach. There was a short patch of grass but really, the beach was in the backyard. It was amazing. And I haven't been to a REAL beach (a riverbed with some sand in middle Illinois does NOT count, Pete) in three years. Sad.
So, Venice Beach will be happening. We went there when I went to CA with my family in 2004, but it will be more fun with Pete, I think...now I can read all the brochures about legalizing marijuana instead of glancing at them and hurriedly running along and acting as though I don't know what "marijuana" means. Not that I would WANT to read the brochures but it's nice to know that I have that option.
Venice Beach really hit its stride around 1904 when a tobacco millionaire decided to recreate Venice, Italy, in Venice, California. He built realistic-looking canals that had boats (gondolas) going through the waterways. There were Italian restaurants and he recreated Venetian architecture where he could.
As the years went on, it became more of an amusement park - concession stands and circus rides were built. Aerial stuntman were hired. It was fun, for awhile. But then the canals started making the actual land sink. And no one really cared. So by the '50s, people called it the "Slum by the Sea". But the city eventually fixed it up a little, and then the beat poets moved in (yee-yeah!), and then, since they were so awesome, all the hippies and other cool people moved in. And then the rest is history. (Note: that was SO not a complete history lesson but it's to the best of memory.)
Anyway - now there's this long boardwalk with all kinds of restaurants and shops and tattoo parlours that is along the beach. There's lots of graffiti on walls (and it's legal to graffiti there, which I LOVE) and, well...did I mention that Muscle Beach is located on the Venice Beach Boardwalk? Hee hee.
And then, there's the actual beach. This isn't THE place for surfers (they tend to migrate near Malibu and Huntington Beach and other "cool" places), but we will probably see some surfers. Which is awesome.
Regardless. It's a cool area and I'm excited to explore it.
photos: 1, 2, 3
05 February 2010
100 Things We Didn't Know Last Year
It's the weekend, which means that I am finally able to go through my bookmarks from, oh, the last MONTH or so and start slowly posting them.
I came across this awhile ago- I think via twitter - and found it absolutely fascinating. Really? We didn't know any of these things? Insanity. Check it out.
I came across this awhile ago- I think via twitter - and found it absolutely fascinating. Really? We didn't know any of these things? Insanity. Check it out.
Helvetica Cookie Cutters
I know that these have been seen all over the place. But I just realized that I never posted about them. I'm basically a typography/grammar/font-loving freak. Also I love to bake. So, seeing these kind of made my day.
They aren't available to buy yet, but if you click on the link above, you can sign up for a mailing list. I assume that Beverly Hsu (the artist) will email everyone when anything changes. Eeee!
They aren't available to buy yet, but if you click on the link above, you can sign up for a mailing list. I assume that Beverly Hsu (the artist) will email everyone when anything changes. Eeee!
Lime Green
Do you know how happy I would be if I saw this soaring through the sky? (It would probably have to be flying pretty low...)
via swissmiss
04 February 2010
102 Things
So, I've been scooting along with my list of things to do in 2010.
Things I've accomplished so far:
1. Eaten a piece of pizza backwards. This was harder than I thought it would be. So, here's what happened: The first time I tried to do this was when Pete and I made our own pizza, with dough from Trader Joe's (which is delicious, if you haven't tried that yet). However, Pete and I sometimes have a hard time creating that PERFECT pizza, and it was kind of soggy so it just sort of fell apart in my hands. So, fail there.
The second place I tried this was at Pi, in the Loop. If you live in St. Louis and have not been to Pi, you really have no excuse. There are currently three locations (one in the Loop, one in the West End, and one in Maplewood) and I imagine that the second two are just as amazing as the original. The pizza is "San Francisco" style - thick with a cornmeal crust - and it's kind of hard to eat with your hands, regardless of attempting to eat it backwards. I think I just looked like a fool in general.
However, FINALLY. I ordered a stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut and devoured it. Super easy to eat backwards. And there's cheese in the crust. And I do love me some cheese.
2. Giveaway - well heyo I had a giveaway! I would like to have some more this year. I need to keep thinking of cool things to giveaway, though. If anyone has anything they want to donate to this cause, let me know!
3. Losing weight. Well, I've lost about three pounds! I know it's not a lot, but I've been eating healthy (I bought a Cooking Light cookbook and have been making things from there) and since my classes are incredibly far away from each other, I practically run all over campus for probably a half-hourish a day. Also I ordered a pilates DVD from Amazon. Then I'll be able to work out at home, too! My pants are looser, too. It's exciting!
4. Magazine cataloguing. I've been doing a pretty good job at keeping those up-to-date, too - I only have ten or so magazines that I need to go through, as opposed to the usual 35.
5. Crafts. I posted about our save-the-dates, which are finished and have been sent out, and then a couple weeks ago, I decided to go ahead and make a lyrics canvas. I used "Pink Moon", by Nick Drake, and I really love how it turned out. Of course it's not hanging up anywhere, but still sitting on our dining room table.
There are some more projects I have ready, too. Just waiting for more time to do them.
6. Fresh flowers. You can actually see those in the picture above! We do a weekly Trader Joe's run and they have beautiful flowers that are pretty inexpensive. So I got some roses on Sunday. I love them.
7. Craft day/night - my friend Lindsay had a few ladies over to her house one morning. We ate some delicious waffles and eggs and worked on our respective crafts. It was so much fun, and while I didn't organize it, it made me realize that YES, people will come and it can happen. So that was the January event.
8. The Etsy shop - I haven't been able to open one, because you need a credit card to do that. Which is great, because getting a credit card is also on my list of things to do! But I can't get a credit card now, because I still belong to my dad's bank. And why get a credit card five months (holy crap) before I get married, from the Anheuser-Busch Employees bank, when I will just have to switch soon? It's a conundrum, yes - but the Etsy shop will just have to wait (as will the credit card nonsense).
9. Paxil. First of all, thank you all SO MUCH for the sweet comments and emails about this. It's awesome knowing that people are supporting me. Because going off of an anti-depressant is rough. Last week was horrible (for many reasons) but I decided to stick with the weening off and I'm still doing the half-whole-half-whole thing. This week has been much better.
10. Blog comments. I've been commenting more. That's really all there is to that...
11. Chuck Berry - Pete and I are going to see him in March. Tickets go on sale on February 19. So I haven't officially bought them, but I will! Yay!
12. So far, I've read two books this year for fun, and am halfway through my third. Baking Cakes in Kigali was first, and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey was my second. I'm currently reading The Importance of Music to Girls. This semester, I have a LOT of reading (I haven't taken a real English class in a long time, and we've already read three novels) and I had forgotten how much time that takes up.
13. Having a collection - Pez Dispensers. I have ten. If anyone has some they don't want, I'm your gal.
14. Talk less, listen more - I've been trying to hold back my thoughts more, and thoughtfully listen and so when I do open my mouth, maybe things make more sense. I think this has been going okay, but there's really no way of me telling.
15. Baked goods - Rosati has gotten some delicious cookies from me, I made cupcakes for Pete's brother's birthday when they had a game night here, and I made cake balls for StudioStl's Wordfest (another post for another time).
So. That's that. It's been funworking on this list. It's also super helpful that I printed it out and put it up on my bedroom wall. I look at it a lot and cross things off and think about the stuff I have to do.
And there are a ton of things on that list that make me nervous, still (skydiving?!?! Why I wrote that...well, I know why I wrote it. It scares me that I wrote it) but I am convinced that 2010 will be the best year EVER.
Things I've accomplished so far:
1. Eaten a piece of pizza backwards. This was harder than I thought it would be. So, here's what happened: The first time I tried to do this was when Pete and I made our own pizza, with dough from Trader Joe's (which is delicious, if you haven't tried that yet). However, Pete and I sometimes have a hard time creating that PERFECT pizza, and it was kind of soggy so it just sort of fell apart in my hands. So, fail there.
The second place I tried this was at Pi, in the Loop. If you live in St. Louis and have not been to Pi, you really have no excuse. There are currently three locations (one in the Loop, one in the West End, and one in Maplewood) and I imagine that the second two are just as amazing as the original. The pizza is "San Francisco" style - thick with a cornmeal crust - and it's kind of hard to eat with your hands, regardless of attempting to eat it backwards. I think I just looked like a fool in general.
However, FINALLY. I ordered a stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut and devoured it. Super easy to eat backwards. And there's cheese in the crust. And I do love me some cheese.
2. Giveaway - well heyo I had a giveaway! I would like to have some more this year. I need to keep thinking of cool things to giveaway, though. If anyone has anything they want to donate to this cause, let me know!
3. Losing weight. Well, I've lost about three pounds! I know it's not a lot, but I've been eating healthy (I bought a Cooking Light cookbook and have been making things from there) and since my classes are incredibly far away from each other, I practically run all over campus for probably a half-hourish a day. Also I ordered a pilates DVD from Amazon. Then I'll be able to work out at home, too! My pants are looser, too. It's exciting!
4. Magazine cataloguing. I've been doing a pretty good job at keeping those up-to-date, too - I only have ten or so magazines that I need to go through, as opposed to the usual 35.
5. Crafts. I posted about our save-the-dates, which are finished and have been sent out, and then a couple weeks ago, I decided to go ahead and make a lyrics canvas. I used "Pink Moon", by Nick Drake, and I really love how it turned out. Of course it's not hanging up anywhere, but still sitting on our dining room table.
There are some more projects I have ready, too. Just waiting for more time to do them.
6. Fresh flowers. You can actually see those in the picture above! We do a weekly Trader Joe's run and they have beautiful flowers that are pretty inexpensive. So I got some roses on Sunday. I love them.
7. Craft day/night - my friend Lindsay had a few ladies over to her house one morning. We ate some delicious waffles and eggs and worked on our respective crafts. It was so much fun, and while I didn't organize it, it made me realize that YES, people will come and it can happen. So that was the January event.
8. The Etsy shop - I haven't been able to open one, because you need a credit card to do that. Which is great, because getting a credit card is also on my list of things to do! But I can't get a credit card now, because I still belong to my dad's bank. And why get a credit card five months (holy crap) before I get married, from the Anheuser-Busch Employees bank, when I will just have to switch soon? It's a conundrum, yes - but the Etsy shop will just have to wait (as will the credit card nonsense).
9. Paxil. First of all, thank you all SO MUCH for the sweet comments and emails about this. It's awesome knowing that people are supporting me. Because going off of an anti-depressant is rough. Last week was horrible (for many reasons) but I decided to stick with the weening off and I'm still doing the half-whole-half-whole thing. This week has been much better.
10. Blog comments. I've been commenting more. That's really all there is to that...
11. Chuck Berry - Pete and I are going to see him in March. Tickets go on sale on February 19. So I haven't officially bought them, but I will! Yay!
12. So far, I've read two books this year for fun, and am halfway through my third. Baking Cakes in Kigali was first, and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey was my second. I'm currently reading The Importance of Music to Girls. This semester, I have a LOT of reading (I haven't taken a real English class in a long time, and we've already read three novels) and I had forgotten how much time that takes up.
13. Having a collection - Pez Dispensers. I have ten. If anyone has some they don't want, I'm your gal.
14. Talk less, listen more - I've been trying to hold back my thoughts more, and thoughtfully listen and so when I do open my mouth, maybe things make more sense. I think this has been going okay, but there's really no way of me telling.
15. Baked goods - Rosati has gotten some delicious cookies from me, I made cupcakes for Pete's brother's birthday when they had a game night here, and I made cake balls for StudioStl's Wordfest (another post for another time).
So. That's that. It's been funworking on this list. It's also super helpful that I printed it out and put it up on my bedroom wall. I look at it a lot and cross things off and think about the stuff I have to do.
And there are a ton of things on that list that make me nervous, still (skydiving?!?! Why I wrote that...well, I know why I wrote it. It scares me that I wrote it) but I am convinced that 2010 will be the best year EVER.
02 February 2010
Valentine's Day
I love Valentine's Day! I know that a lot of people find it super mushy and gross and annoying but pink is one of my favorite colors, so it's nice to see it splashed all over the place.
I also am kind of a romantic-at-heart, so...that helps too, I guess.
So when all of the creative bloggers I love to follow come up with ideas for Valentine's day, my heart just swells and I get really excited!
When Emme and I were little, my parents would buy us each a little bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. I remember one morning that I went downstairs for breakfast and tried to sneakily open it and have a piece before school...and I dropped all of them on the floor. It was sad.
But besides that memory, I only have pleasant thoughts that surround Valentine's Day. I only dated one other guy seriously before I met Pete, and I even had nice Valentine's Day memories with him!
But now I'm going to concentrate on Pete. Our first Valentine's Day together, in 2007, Pete was on-call as a resident adviser. At first I was angry (WHAT? YOU MEAN WE CAN'T GO OUT TO EAT SOMEWHERE NICE?!) but then I realized that it would be great! So before he went on call at 7 PM or whatever, we went to dinner at Fitz's and then on our way home, stopped at Cold Stone Creamery and made our own special pint of ice cream. I'll write a post about the specifics of that later (like, what our special flavor is).
Then we went back to Fusz, where he was an RA, and watched Robin Hood and some other Disney movie (don't remember which).
To keep with tradition, I signed up for on-call when I was an RA the following Valentine's Day. We went to Fitz's again, got the ice cream again, and watched Disney movies again (except it was a girly movie - definitely Sleeping Beauty, maybe).
But last year, since Pete had a real job, we decided to go out to a nice dinner.
It was kind of disappointing.
I'm not going to say where it was, because we both LOVE the place. It just wasn't worth the time or money to do it. It's a small restaurant, and it was relatively expensive for the both of us. We had to sit right by the door and every time someone came in, a cold rush of air hit us. The food was okay, not anything special.
So we decided a few months ago (I don't normally plan that far ahead, for anything. For some reason I was just thinking about Valentine's Day, I guess...) that from now on, no fancy dinners. Who wants to get dressed up, anyways? And spend way too much money on a meal?
From now on, we are going to hang at home, cook some really, really delicious food (preferably somewhat fancy), get our special ice-cream, and watch Disney movies. And instead of him buying me flowers that I'll forget to water/take care of, or chocolates that will only make me gain weight, we are going to exchange books every year from here on out.
I'm pretty excited about this. I love spending time with Pete and just hanging out. We both really enjoy cooking together (this rarely happens, because our schedules are so weirdly opposite of each other), and we grew up with Disney movies. Also we love ice cream. Also, we love books.
Yikes, lots of "we's" up there. Sorry about that.
Anyways, so that's what we're doing for V-day. Still thinking about what exactly we'll be making. Definitely lobster mac-and-cheese, but that's all I have so far. I'm open to any suggestions!
I also am kind of a romantic-at-heart, so...that helps too, I guess.
So when all of the creative bloggers I love to follow come up with ideas for Valentine's day, my heart just swells and I get really excited!
When Emme and I were little, my parents would buy us each a little bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. I remember one morning that I went downstairs for breakfast and tried to sneakily open it and have a piece before school...and I dropped all of them on the floor. It was sad.
But besides that memory, I only have pleasant thoughts that surround Valentine's Day. I only dated one other guy seriously before I met Pete, and I even had nice Valentine's Day memories with him!
But now I'm going to concentrate on Pete. Our first Valentine's Day together, in 2007, Pete was on-call as a resident adviser. At first I was angry (WHAT? YOU MEAN WE CAN'T GO OUT TO EAT SOMEWHERE NICE?!) but then I realized that it would be great! So before he went on call at 7 PM or whatever, we went to dinner at Fitz's and then on our way home, stopped at Cold Stone Creamery and made our own special pint of ice cream. I'll write a post about the specifics of that later (like, what our special flavor is).
Then we went back to Fusz, where he was an RA, and watched Robin Hood and some other Disney movie (don't remember which).
To keep with tradition, I signed up for on-call when I was an RA the following Valentine's Day. We went to Fitz's again, got the ice cream again, and watched Disney movies again (except it was a girly movie - definitely Sleeping Beauty, maybe).
But last year, since Pete had a real job, we decided to go out to a nice dinner.
It was kind of disappointing.
I'm not going to say where it was, because we both LOVE the place. It just wasn't worth the time or money to do it. It's a small restaurant, and it was relatively expensive for the both of us. We had to sit right by the door and every time someone came in, a cold rush of air hit us. The food was okay, not anything special.
So we decided a few months ago (I don't normally plan that far ahead, for anything. For some reason I was just thinking about Valentine's Day, I guess...) that from now on, no fancy dinners. Who wants to get dressed up, anyways? And spend way too much money on a meal?
From now on, we are going to hang at home, cook some really, really delicious food (preferably somewhat fancy), get our special ice-cream, and watch Disney movies. And instead of him buying me flowers that I'll forget to water/take care of, or chocolates that will only make me gain weight, we are going to exchange books every year from here on out.
I'm pretty excited about this. I love spending time with Pete and just hanging out. We both really enjoy cooking together (this rarely happens, because our schedules are so weirdly opposite of each other), and we grew up with Disney movies. Also we love ice cream. Also, we love books.
Yikes, lots of "we's" up there. Sorry about that.
Anyways, so that's what we're doing for V-day. Still thinking about what exactly we'll be making. Definitely lobster mac-and-cheese, but that's all I have so far. I'm open to any suggestions!
The Winner!!!
Yikes, sorry it took me so long, guys. This was a super busy weekend and then I just kept forgetting about doing the drawing whenever I was near my computer, and I remembered to do it when I was away from my computer.
You can see my dilemma, I suppose.
Anyways - drum roll, please!!!
Blogger: happy notions - Create Post
I used a random integer generator but I don't know how to take a screen shot of it so you'll just have to believe me :)
NUMBER TWO (2) WAS THE MAGIC NUMBER! Which means that Heather is the lucky winner!!!
Yay, Heather! Please shoot me an email: kaylen.hoffman@gmail.com and give me your mailing address. As soon as I hear from you I will send your lovely book off!
You can see my dilemma, I suppose.
Anyways - drum roll, please!!!
Blogger: happy notions - Create Post
I used a random integer generator but I don't know how to take a screen shot of it so you'll just have to believe me :)
NUMBER TWO (2) WAS THE MAGIC NUMBER! Which means that Heather is the lucky winner!!!
Yay, Heather! Please shoot me an email: kaylen.hoffman@gmail.com and give me your mailing address. As soon as I hear from you I will send your lovely book off!
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