Tuesday, January 18, 2011
You know it's bad when...
the VP from a different group stops you as you're leaving and says, "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you leave before. I thought you had a pillow under you desk."
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Cha-Cha-Changes
I've been working on some updates on the blog. Spruce it up a tad.
I changed the template and layout around. I know, it's still one of the generic blogspot templates, but whatever. It's a got a little more *umph* than the old one, and I felt like it needed changing. In making those updates, I've also added a few pages - About Us, Our House, and Running. I have another page or two I might add at some point, still determining what to do. There isn't a whole lot on any of these pages right now, but hopefully I'll be adding more to them over the next few months.
Also, I updated my blogroll - removed a few and added a few more blogs. Aside from the two I read that I know in real life, these other blog authors probably don't even know I exist, I just enjoy reading them, so you might too.
OH, and in trying to find a picture of our house, for the "Our House" page (which if you click on, you will find that I was unsuccessful at this moment), I came across a whole bunch of 'before" pictures, of most of the house from when we first moved in. Which re-motivates me to show you guys all the work we've done over the last few years.
And, let's end with an obligatory photo of M, because she's adorable.
Friday, January 14, 2011
You know the kind...
Those days that you wake up late, but then think ok, at least it's Friday, it can't be that bad, right?
And you spend the morning going through the motions at work, thinking about how you'll spend the weekend. Not overly concerned about anything, no real deadlines hanging over your head.
And then BAM.
An email pops up in your inbox. Or a boss stops by. Or, maybe if you're a doctor or something and an actual emergency happens (because let's face it, nothing I do should ever be considered an 'emergency'). And it all tumbles down into awfulness.
Ah well, at least I raked in some overtime. You know, to pay for the vet bill for the appointment I had to take M to in the middle of the chaos. (No worries, just a checkup on an ear infection - which is now GONE!... along with $90. *sigh*)
But, we got some surprise photos today, from our honeymoon. You know, almost a year and a half ago. The last full day there we did an all day horseback ride and then they had an old west photo shoot. The pictures are actually pretty cool. Here's a sneak peek, I'll post more next week - unless of course there's another 'emergency' at work.
And you spend the morning going through the motions at work, thinking about how you'll spend the weekend. Not overly concerned about anything, no real deadlines hanging over your head.
And then BAM.
An email pops up in your inbox. Or a boss stops by. Or, maybe if you're a doctor or something and an actual emergency happens (because let's face it, nothing I do should ever be considered an 'emergency'). And it all tumbles down into awfulness.
Ah well, at least I raked in some overtime. You know, to pay for the vet bill for the appointment I had to take M to in the middle of the chaos. (No worries, just a checkup on an ear infection - which is now GONE!... along with $90. *sigh*)
But, we got some surprise photos today, from our honeymoon. You know, almost a year and a half ago. The last full day there we did an all day horseback ride and then they had an old west photo shoot. The pictures are actually pretty cool. Here's a sneak peek, I'll post more next week - unless of course there's another 'emergency' at work.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Crockpot Sunday: Turkey Kielbasa Bean Thing
Yea, that's the technical name for it - at least in our house.
Our crockpot has to be my favorite piece of kitchen equipment. How can you not totally love something that you literally throw a bunch of stuff, it sits for a few hours, and comes out tasting amazing? And to top it off, its easy to make really tasty, pretty healthy stuff in it. Folks, does it get any better than that?!
So, here is our Turkey Kielbasa Bean Thing. The official ingredients list from SparkRecipies.com:
Few things to notice. I use frozen peppers and onions. I used to use fresh, before I realized frozen vegetables existed. So, go with whatever is best for you. Second, I use Turkey Kielbasa, but you could use whatever kind you want. Regular, lite, turkey, chicken sausage, really it will all work (I'm sure there's some kind of vegetarian alternative out there too). This is the healthiest and tastiest option I've found.
Third, do you have any idea how many kinds of stewed and diced tomatoes there are? Quite a few. Mix and match to make it more or less spicy, or to your taste. I've been using Mexican Style Stewed tomatoes and the diced tomatoes with green chilies lately, but I've used other ones well, just as good!
Last, of the ingredients shown above, 5 out of the 7 are store brand. For fun, here's the grocery bill breakdown.
Hillshire Farm Turkey Kielbasa: $4.49
Frozen Peppers and Onions: $1.25 (saved $0.09 with my store card)
Store Brand Tomato Sauce: $0.67
Store Brand Diced Tomatoes: $0.93
Store Brand Stewed Tomatoes: $0.93
Store Brand Pinto Beans: $0.80
Goya Great Northern Beans: $1.00 (no, I'd never heard of them before either, so don't feel weird if you haven't. But they are right there in the beans section. Can't miss them. No store brand at my grocer though, but still not a bad price.)
And I'm not including the pepper or the garlic powder... because... well, they don't count, I already have them.
So, that's a total of $10.07.
The recipe I copy says its 8 servings (about 243 calories a serving - full nutrition info available on the Spark Recipes page). 8 servings, would be $1.25 a serving. Now, I'll be honest. In this house, it makes about 4 servings, because we aren't the best at portion control. But, that's still about $2.51 for a meal. And trust me, it's a true meal, fills me right up, we don't even do any sides with it. B will usually have some bread or something, but otherwise, this is a meal all by itself.
Anyway, you uh, open all the cans and pour them into the crockpot - duh. Ok... so drain the beans some, you don't want all the bean juice-goop in there. I do this by opening the can halfway and letting it drain out for a bit. But just pour all the tomatoes in as is. I usually do the stewed and diced tomatoes and all the beans first. Then I cut up the kielbasa, I usually cut the circles into half - that way you get more actual bites with kielbasa. Throw that in, sprinkle on the pepper and garlic powder (confession: I don't measure), and then pour on the tomato sauce.
3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low, and you've got yourself the perfect Sunday dinner, with plenty left for lunch during the week (saving big $$ over the corporate cafeterias at work and fast food options). I usually sprinkle (ok, pile) on some reduced fat shredded cheese, because there aren't many meals that cheese doesn't make better.
Our crockpot has to be my favorite piece of kitchen equipment. How can you not totally love something that you literally throw a bunch of stuff, it sits for a few hours, and comes out tasting amazing? And to top it off, its easy to make really tasty, pretty healthy stuff in it. Folks, does it get any better than that?!
So, here is our Turkey Kielbasa Bean Thing. The official ingredients list from SparkRecipies.com:
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 1-1/2 pounds reduced-fat turkey kielbasa, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) pinto beans, drained
- 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) great northern beans, drained
- 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
- 1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Few things to notice. I use frozen peppers and onions. I used to use fresh, before I realized frozen vegetables existed. So, go with whatever is best for you. Second, I use Turkey Kielbasa, but you could use whatever kind you want. Regular, lite, turkey, chicken sausage, really it will all work (I'm sure there's some kind of vegetarian alternative out there too). This is the healthiest and tastiest option I've found.
Third, do you have any idea how many kinds of stewed and diced tomatoes there are? Quite a few. Mix and match to make it more or less spicy, or to your taste. I've been using Mexican Style Stewed tomatoes and the diced tomatoes with green chilies lately, but I've used other ones well, just as good!
Last, of the ingredients shown above, 5 out of the 7 are store brand. For fun, here's the grocery bill breakdown.
Hillshire Farm Turkey Kielbasa: $4.49
Frozen Peppers and Onions: $1.25 (saved $0.09 with my store card)
Store Brand Tomato Sauce: $0.67
Store Brand Diced Tomatoes: $0.93
Store Brand Stewed Tomatoes: $0.93
Store Brand Pinto Beans: $0.80
Goya Great Northern Beans: $1.00 (no, I'd never heard of them before either, so don't feel weird if you haven't. But they are right there in the beans section. Can't miss them. No store brand at my grocer though, but still not a bad price.)
And I'm not including the pepper or the garlic powder... because... well, they don't count, I already have them.
So, that's a total of $10.07.
The recipe I copy says its 8 servings (about 243 calories a serving - full nutrition info available on the Spark Recipes page). 8 servings, would be $1.25 a serving. Now, I'll be honest. In this house, it makes about 4 servings, because we aren't the best at portion control. But, that's still about $2.51 for a meal. And trust me, it's a true meal, fills me right up, we don't even do any sides with it. B will usually have some bread or something, but otherwise, this is a meal all by itself.
Anyway, you uh, open all the cans and pour them into the crockpot - duh. Ok... so drain the beans some, you don't want all the bean juice-goop in there. I do this by opening the can halfway and letting it drain out for a bit. But just pour all the tomatoes in as is. I usually do the stewed and diced tomatoes and all the beans first. Then I cut up the kielbasa, I usually cut the circles into half - that way you get more actual bites with kielbasa. Throw that in, sprinkle on the pepper and garlic powder (confession: I don't measure), and then pour on the tomato sauce.
3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low, and you've got yourself the perfect Sunday dinner, with plenty left for lunch during the week (saving big $$ over the corporate cafeterias at work and fast food options). I usually sprinkle (ok, pile) on some reduced fat shredded cheese, because there aren't many meals that cheese doesn't make better.
(I take awful pictures of food. Sorry. It tastes 100 times better than it looks)
I bet if you were creative you could throw some different kinds of beans or other veggies in there, and some different spices, etc and have a bunch of different variations of meals.
If you've never checked out Spark Recipes before, I highly recommend it. It's a user entered recipe site, with the nutritional information listed with each recipe. I've found a lot of easy and tasty recipes that I can actually make, that are - dare I say it - pretty good for us! And, because they are user entered, there are always more recipes being added.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
2011: Bring.It.On
I've never been real big on resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I always say I have them. And they are always things like, lose 10 pounds, get better grades, blah blah blah. I've also never been big on "goal-setting" per say. I have goals in my head, but I don't talk about them as such, and I never write them down.
But, maybe it's time to change that. I've got high expectations - not of 2011 - but of myself in 2011. This may seem like rambling and probably the same as every other resolution you've ever made or read. I don't care. Let's consider these goals and expectations.
Worry less about keeping up with housework, and more about keeping up with friends and family.
Let's be honest, I'm not a stellar housekeeper as it is. I've always been on the messy side, and found other things more important. But, now that we have our own house, and I'm a wife, I sometimes feel there are expectations of me, not necessarily by B, but in general, to have a clean and presentable house. And when its not, that's a reflection on me. Um yea, apparently there's a 50's housewife somewhere inside of me - she doesn't really come out and actually get the house clean, but she sure sits on my shoulder and makes me feel guilty when its not. In 30 years, are we going to remember that time my friends came to dinner and the sink was full of dirty dishes and there were dust bunnies in the corner? Or will we all remember the time we laughed ourselves to tears when we had to open the wine bottle with a drill? Now, don't worry Mom, I'm not going to give up on cleaning altogether, but who says you can't fold laundry while hearing about a friends day, or helping them brainstorm wedding plans? It's all about balance, and keeping in mind what the *real* priorities in life are.
Stop wasting time and energy comparing myself to others, and enjoy my amazing life as it is.
Because, in case you didn't know - and not to brag, I've got it pretty good. Sure, other people might have nicer cars, or I might view their houses as "better", or their jobs more meaningful. But I have a car in good shape that gets me where I need to go, I have not just a roof over my head - but a house that we are truly turning into our own and I love more everyday, and a job that I enjoy more times than not. I realize I'm fortunate and have had luck on my side in a few cases, but I've also worked really hard and I should really enjoy and appreciate the "fruits of my labor" (god I hate that saying...).
Much more importantly, I have a husband that happens to be my best friend; an adorable, fun, and sometimes well behaved dog that makes me laugh everyday; an incredible family; and an amazing group of friends. And those things, those are irreplaceable and I'm not sure it gets any better than what I've got.
Quit defining my health by the scale, and start defining it by how I feel.
Newsflash you guys - when you eat crap, you feel like crap. Trust me. I certainly proved that over the holidays. I've been tired, cranky, and generally unmotivated a majority of the time. And to that, I say, No More! I'm not going to pull the whole "I want to lose 10 pounds" thing (although I wouldn't complain if that happened to be a by-product!), but I need to be more conscious about what I eat on a regular basis. When I eat mostly healthy (its never *totally* healthy), I feel so much better, so why deny myself that? I also plan to continue and expand my physical activity. I've loaded myself up with so many options, I'm a complete dope if I don't succeed in this. Five to six days a week I need some kind of physical activity. And that can be any of the following: gym workouts, running, Zumba, walking the dog, any one of the extensive workout videos I have, any of the Wii workouts I have, the exercise bike I just HAD to have last year, snowshoeing, skiing - whatever. Just something active, five to six days a week. An hour run? Sure. 15 minutes walking the dog? Fine. Just do something.
And speaking of the dog.... it's time for her to grow up.
I love M to death, seriously. I spoil her rotten, and she's well aware of it. But the jumping on people and the pulling on the leash need to stop. I don't want to worry about her punching one of my pregnant friends in the stomach. And I could also do without the little bruises I end up with on my legs from her paws all the time. And I'd enjoy walking and running with her alot more, if she didn't pull my arm out of its socket. (She might be little - 32 pounds - but she's pure muscle guys, freakishly strong.) So yea, being a better dog owner and actually getting her trained a little better is on the agenda for 2011.
Finally be done with grad school.
Barring the Apocalypse (which appears to be closer than I thought - did you guys hear about those random dead birds and fish down south?! eek!), this will be accomplished. I will have two Master's degrees as of the middle-ish of June. Who knew I would end up so educated? So I guess this isn't really a resolution, and hardly a goal, but it's still a big deal.
Oh and you know... get a few things done around the house.
There are a few things I feel strongly about getting done this year...
But, maybe it's time to change that. I've got high expectations - not of 2011 - but of myself in 2011. This may seem like rambling and probably the same as every other resolution you've ever made or read. I don't care. Let's consider these goals and expectations.
Worry less about keeping up with housework, and more about keeping up with friends and family.
Let's be honest, I'm not a stellar housekeeper as it is. I've always been on the messy side, and found other things more important. But, now that we have our own house, and I'm a wife, I sometimes feel there are expectations of me, not necessarily by B, but in general, to have a clean and presentable house. And when its not, that's a reflection on me. Um yea, apparently there's a 50's housewife somewhere inside of me - she doesn't really come out and actually get the house clean, but she sure sits on my shoulder and makes me feel guilty when its not. In 30 years, are we going to remember that time my friends came to dinner and the sink was full of dirty dishes and there were dust bunnies in the corner? Or will we all remember the time we laughed ourselves to tears when we had to open the wine bottle with a drill? Now, don't worry Mom, I'm not going to give up on cleaning altogether, but who says you can't fold laundry while hearing about a friends day, or helping them brainstorm wedding plans? It's all about balance, and keeping in mind what the *real* priorities in life are.
Stop wasting time and energy comparing myself to others, and enjoy my amazing life as it is.
Because, in case you didn't know - and not to brag, I've got it pretty good. Sure, other people might have nicer cars, or I might view their houses as "better", or their jobs more meaningful. But I have a car in good shape that gets me where I need to go, I have not just a roof over my head - but a house that we are truly turning into our own and I love more everyday, and a job that I enjoy more times than not. I realize I'm fortunate and have had luck on my side in a few cases, but I've also worked really hard and I should really enjoy and appreciate the "fruits of my labor" (god I hate that saying...).
Much more importantly, I have a husband that happens to be my best friend; an adorable, fun, and sometimes well behaved dog that makes me laugh everyday; an incredible family; and an amazing group of friends. And those things, those are irreplaceable and I'm not sure it gets any better than what I've got.
Quit defining my health by the scale, and start defining it by how I feel.
Newsflash you guys - when you eat crap, you feel like crap. Trust me. I certainly proved that over the holidays. I've been tired, cranky, and generally unmotivated a majority of the time. And to that, I say, No More! I'm not going to pull the whole "I want to lose 10 pounds" thing (although I wouldn't complain if that happened to be a by-product!), but I need to be more conscious about what I eat on a regular basis. When I eat mostly healthy (its never *totally* healthy), I feel so much better, so why deny myself that? I also plan to continue and expand my physical activity. I've loaded myself up with so many options, I'm a complete dope if I don't succeed in this. Five to six days a week I need some kind of physical activity. And that can be any of the following: gym workouts, running, Zumba, walking the dog, any one of the extensive workout videos I have, any of the Wii workouts I have, the exercise bike I just HAD to have last year, snowshoeing, skiing - whatever. Just something active, five to six days a week. An hour run? Sure. 15 minutes walking the dog? Fine. Just do something.
And speaking of the dog.... it's time for her to grow up.
I love M to death, seriously. I spoil her rotten, and she's well aware of it. But the jumping on people and the pulling on the leash need to stop. I don't want to worry about her punching one of my pregnant friends in the stomach. And I could also do without the little bruises I end up with on my legs from her paws all the time. And I'd enjoy walking and running with her alot more, if she didn't pull my arm out of its socket. (She might be little - 32 pounds - but she's pure muscle guys, freakishly strong.) So yea, being a better dog owner and actually getting her trained a little better is on the agenda for 2011.
Finally be done with grad school.
Barring the Apocalypse (which appears to be closer than I thought - did you guys hear about those random dead birds and fish down south?! eek!), this will be accomplished. I will have two Master's degrees as of the middle-ish of June. Who knew I would end up so educated? So I guess this isn't really a resolution, and hardly a goal, but it's still a big deal.
Oh and you know... get a few things done around the house.
There are a few things I feel strongly about getting done this year...
- Finally hang wedding and family pictures
- Add the mudroom on that we've been talking about for a year
- Gut the basement
- And then hopefully actually re-do the basement
- Get non-80-year-old-lady shades for the master bedroom (they're awful)
- Get that 3rd bedroom cleaned up so its actually functional and not just storage
- Maybe some things in the backyard... we shall see there...
- And whatever other little projects I come up with - stayed tuned, could be a busy year!
And then there's this here blog...
I know I haven't exactly been the #1 blog updater lately. And there's probably like a million reasons for that (work, school, holidays, life etc etc etc). But I don't really feel like I need to explain. This is my blog, and I'll update it when I want to. And for that matter, I'll write about whatever I want to. See, when I started I felt like I needed to have a "theme". Most of the blogs I read have a topic that they are about (homes, home improvement, running, etc). Some I can always count on for a laugh, some for motivation, and others are thought provoking.
This blog, does not have intentions of being any of those things. My intention is to use this blog to keep track of events in my life and the things that are important to me at the time. That's pretty much the "theme" I guess. Our lives and what's going on in them. Sometimes it'll be about running or working out. Sometimes it'll be about our house or a vacation we took. Sometimes I'll throw out some recipes or it'll be about nothing at all. And sometimes, if you're lucky, maybe I'll be unintentionally funny - but don't hold your breath. But as I said, I'll update when I want to, and I'll write about what I want to, deal? Deal. :)
So bring it on 2011.... I've got big plans for you.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2010: The Year in Review
2010. It was a good year. We can't complain.
Kicking off with the fire department last New Year's Eve, when B burnt the garlic bread for dinner, we rang in 2010 with good friends at our place and at a local bar. From there, well, we kept busy with a few of the following things that I'd like to remember....
January: We spent time ice fishing down at B's parents lake house, which we aren't very good at, but we always have fun. I started a new term at school, taking 2 classes. M turned 3!
February: Celebrated my 25th birthday - B got me a new front door and Super Mario Bros for the Wii. Welcomed TWO babies into our lives - a friend had her baby boy at the beginning of the month, and my niece was born at the end of the month - missing my birthday by one day! For Valentines Day, B bought me a sump pump, which I was pretty grateful for a few weeks later when there was flooding. We also bought new couches.
March: Went on a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas that I had won through work. It was our first cruise and it was ok, but we weren't overly impressed. But it was free. And we won $500 dollars in bingo. So, we made money, can't complain there! Also pretty sure this is the month we tore up the carpet in the bedroom (woo hoo!) and had bamboo floors installed, and repainted, again. Which I promise to actually post about sometime, because it's a pretty awesome transformation in my opinion.
April: We started discussing redoing the kitchen. I feel like most of this month was probably spent discussing, planning, and trying to figure all that out.
May: The month of the kitchen! And starting this blog. And starting to run. A majority of the month was spent working on the kitchen renovation. But we did get down the B's parents lakehouse for some fishing.
June: More time at the inlaws lake house, as well as my grandparents. The kitchen was mostly completed. We held our first ever yard sale. Another little baby was welcomed into the world in our circle of friends. Oh, and I ran my first ever road race, a 5k at my company. Also, my "best" blogging month, with 22 posts.
July: It was hot. We watched alot of fireworks. We drove to Wisconsin and got to see my midwest family :) There was fishing and family time. It felt like a quick month, but a good one.
August: A college friend got married. We attended "The Last Rodeo" Brooks & Dunn concert. I finished my first Master's degree.
September: We celebrated our first anniversary with a wine tasting, a tram ride, and some hiking. B got me a TV, and I got him a watch and some coasters made with maps of four important places in our relationship. We also purchased an electric fireplace for our bedroom.
October: We took M pheasant hunting several times. I ran two 10Ks. We celebrated our friend's 30th birthday with a surprise party, and B celebrated his 25th birthday at the house with some tasty pizza and a bunch of friends, and I got him a waterproof video camera and accessories.
November: Justin Moore, Darius Rucker, and Brad Paisley concert at Mohegan Sun. Thanksgiving was celebrated celebrated in B's parents new house with his grandparents, and made a stop at my grandparents on the way home. I ran in the Great Gobbler 5k Thanksgiving Day race. I went Black Friday shopping with my mom.
December: We spent Christmas with both sides of the family. We spent time some with college friends we don't see nearly enough. I started taking Zumba classes again. I got promoted at work. For Christmas, I got B warm clothes including some Carhartt insulted overalls (perfect for ice fishing!), cologne, and a new electric razor. He spoiled me - an under armor jacket, several running and warm hats, oh - and a muzzle loader (which if you don't know, yes, is a gun.).
*Phew*. I'm sure there's some stuff I missed, but that's a quick roundup of things I can still remember that I don't want to forget.
I hope you all had an amazing year, but are also looking forward to the next one - because I know I am!
Kicking off with the fire department last New Year's Eve, when B burnt the garlic bread for dinner, we rang in 2010 with good friends at our place and at a local bar. From there, well, we kept busy with a few of the following things that I'd like to remember....
January: We spent time ice fishing down at B's parents lake house, which we aren't very good at, but we always have fun. I started a new term at school, taking 2 classes. M turned 3!
February: Celebrated my 25th birthday - B got me a new front door and Super Mario Bros for the Wii. Welcomed TWO babies into our lives - a friend had her baby boy at the beginning of the month, and my niece was born at the end of the month - missing my birthday by one day! For Valentines Day, B bought me a sump pump, which I was pretty grateful for a few weeks later when there was flooding. We also bought new couches.
March: Went on a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas that I had won through work. It was our first cruise and it was ok, but we weren't overly impressed. But it was free. And we won $500 dollars in bingo. So, we made money, can't complain there! Also pretty sure this is the month we tore up the carpet in the bedroom (woo hoo!) and had bamboo floors installed, and repainted, again. Which I promise to actually post about sometime, because it's a pretty awesome transformation in my opinion.
April: We started discussing redoing the kitchen. I feel like most of this month was probably spent discussing, planning, and trying to figure all that out.
May: The month of the kitchen! And starting this blog. And starting to run. A majority of the month was spent working on the kitchen renovation. But we did get down the B's parents lakehouse for some fishing.
June: More time at the inlaws lake house, as well as my grandparents. The kitchen was mostly completed. We held our first ever yard sale. Another little baby was welcomed into the world in our circle of friends. Oh, and I ran my first ever road race, a 5k at my company. Also, my "best" blogging month, with 22 posts.
July: It was hot. We watched alot of fireworks. We drove to Wisconsin and got to see my midwest family :) There was fishing and family time. It felt like a quick month, but a good one.
August: A college friend got married. We attended "The Last Rodeo" Brooks & Dunn concert. I finished my first Master's degree.
September: We celebrated our first anniversary with a wine tasting, a tram ride, and some hiking. B got me a TV, and I got him a watch and some coasters made with maps of four important places in our relationship. We also purchased an electric fireplace for our bedroom.
October: We took M pheasant hunting several times. I ran two 10Ks. We celebrated our friend's 30th birthday with a surprise party, and B celebrated his 25th birthday at the house with some tasty pizza and a bunch of friends, and I got him a waterproof video camera and accessories.
November: Justin Moore, Darius Rucker, and Brad Paisley concert at Mohegan Sun. Thanksgiving was celebrated celebrated in B's parents new house with his grandparents, and made a stop at my grandparents on the way home. I ran in the Great Gobbler 5k Thanksgiving Day race. I went Black Friday shopping with my mom.
December: We spent Christmas with both sides of the family. We spent time some with college friends we don't see nearly enough. I started taking Zumba classes again. I got promoted at work. For Christmas, I got B warm clothes including some Carhartt insulted overalls (perfect for ice fishing!), cologne, and a new electric razor. He spoiled me - an under armor jacket, several running and warm hats, oh - and a muzzle loader (which if you don't know, yes, is a gun.).
*Phew*. I'm sure there's some stuff I missed, but that's a quick roundup of things I can still remember that I don't want to forget.
I hope you all had an amazing year, but are also looking forward to the next one - because I know I am!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Good Stuff: December
Honestly, this month was a blur. Sitting here, I'm having a hard time remembering how I even spent my time this month, but I'll give it a shot.
- Snow - I love snow. A lot. We didn't get much of it this December, but we did have a big storm the Monday after Christmas, although its starting to melt now.
- Christmas Music - I started listening to Christmas music as soon as Thanksgiving was over. My favorite addition to my iTunes library this holiday season was a few of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's albums. I always knew of them, and like their music, but never paid it much attention. Well, this year I realized how awesome they are, and also discovered the running to their music is great! Especially when it's a chilly December night and you're running past houses all lit up with Christmas lights. Yea, pretty amazing.
- Family Time - We had an incredibly busy Christmas eve and day, but we were grateful to get to spend time with both of our families.
- Christmas Movies - Yup, I watched Elf 3 times in the last month. Christmas Vacation twice. Both versions of the Grinch, Charlie Brown, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story... and who knows what else. Love 'em all.
- Hyundai Holiday Commercials - Ok, I actually hate these commercials, but I loved watching B freak out every time it came on, because OMG you guys I have never seen a grown man hate a commercial so much in my life. Full on toddler tantrums, inappropriate hand gestures, and words you don't say in front of your grandparents. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. And if you look it up on youtube, he's not the only one. Such nasty comments from people! So, for my enjoyment whenever B gets around to reading this, here it is:
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