The first snow of the season here in Dayton

This morning we woke up to 3 or so inches of snow and it was still coming down. The dogs had a great time playing in it. They were racing all over the yard. They didn't seem to mind the cold. When they came in they had quite a bit of snow stuck in their fur. I got some of it off but didn't worry about the rest because it is just water. However apparently that wasn't good enough for Toby who proceed to lick all the clumps off and eat them! Silly dog. Quincy on the other hand could have cared less. The two of them just crack me up.

The road weren't bad yet they still canceled school for all of the local districts. I miss snow days! There were some kids out playing when I went to work around 9am. I think the last snow day I had was in college when we got several feet of very wet snow. I can remember walking home the day it started down folsom hill in 6-12 inches of very slushy snow. I was wet up to my thighs and freezing when I got home. The next day I can remember tying plastic bags over my shoes and walking to Sean's house. I didn't have any boots at the time. He thought I looked really silly but it mostly kept my feet dry. I have boots now! I had to buy some when we lived in Mass.

Any one having any other entertaining snow day stories they want to share?

Today's Smile: Funny story

A co-worker sent this to me and I got a laugh so enjoy!

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner. I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?" "No, I had to stop drinking years ago", the homeless woman told me. "Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?" I asked. "No, I don't waste time shopping," the homeless woman said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive." "Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?" I asked. "Are you NUTS !" replied the homeless woman. " I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!" "Well, " I said, "I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight." The homeless Woman was shocked. "Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting." I said, "That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine."

A Texas Thanksgiving

Sean and I had a really nice Thanksgiving in Texas at Sean's grandma and grandpa's house. I feel like all I did while I was there was eat. I must have gained at least a few pounds. Although Sean and I tried to exercise. We ran on Thursday and walked on Friday. So it probably could have been more pounds....

Sean's grandma fussed over us the entire time and it was nice to just sit and relax. I also finally got to meet Sean's Aunt and Uncle and their kids. Everyone was super nice and we had a great food fulled time. I love Thanksgiving, it is my favorite holiday!!!

How was everyone else's Thanksgivings?

de-flea-ing the house

So Charlie definately has/had fleas. The boys also seemed to have a few on them. So they all got Frontlined! That was an expensive trip to the vet!!! Then after the 24 hr waiting period I 've been washing and vacuuming the house like a mad women. Our bed being the first thing to be stripped and washed. I did the puppy beds last night. I have tons more clean/vaccuming to do this weekend. Plus lots and lots of raking! I can't see any grass in my front yard just leaves! More on that later.

I hope to not have to use any chemicals to get rid of the fleas. So keep your fingers crossed.

The cat has fleas

I'm almost positive that Charlie has fleas. I'm taking him to the vet today. I feel awful that I didn't realize it sooner. He hasn't been scratching more than usual I don't think but he is shedding little black worming looking things which are apparently flea dirt. He was due for his annual check up any way but he is not going to be happy! We'll see how it goes.

A fun football weekend!

Sean and I had an awesome weekend! Saturday we got up bright and early and drove to Indianapolis to meet up with Scott, Megan, and some of Megan's family to head up to South Bend for the Notre Dame, Navy game. The car ride up was pretty uneventful however we did see some deer. Once we got there we took a tour of the campus. It is a beautiful campus! We got to see where Scott and Megan got engaged (the particular bench is in question.... :-) ), were married, and had their reception. All beautiful spots!

We ate some brats from student run stands before the game and did some tailgating. It was Scott's birthday and almost Megan's sister's boyfriend Adam's birthday, so we had a cake and sang. Then we headed to the game. Since tickets can be hard to come by we all split up to watch the game. Sean and I were at one of the end zones and luckily in the sun pretty much the whole game. Thanks to Megan's mom for getting us tickets!!! The game was quite exciting and the fans and band were really into it, so it made it more fun. I had forgotten how much fun college games can be! Unfortunately after 3 overtimes ND lost to Navy. However it was hard to be too upset about it since it was the first time Navy had beaten Notre Dame in 43 years!!!

We ended the night with a birthday dinner for Scott and Adam at Texas Road House. Thank to Marilyn (Megan's Mom) for dinner!!!! Once we returned to Indianapolis we basically all crashed. We headed back to Ohio fairly early Sunday morning since Sean has 4 exams this week.

I may have to add Notre Dame to my list of teams I cheer for! Go Buffs and Go Irish!

A cold tuesday morning

Not only was it 35 degrees this morning but I locked myself out of my house at 8:30am. Sean and I recently installed a keyed lock on the door from the house to the garage. Well I went out into the garage right before I was about to leave to throw an empty bag of dog food in the trash. I shut the door behind me so Charlie wouldn't sneak into the garage. When I went to open the door and go back in the house it was locked! At first I was in shock like this can't be for real! Yeah, so I had locked the backdoor after letting the dogs in and of course the front door was locked. There is a lock box on the back door from our buyers agent still. I thought I remembered the code, but no luck. Also I'm not actually sure there is still a key in there anyways.

So I had to walk next door to my neighbors house and ring the door bell. I wait a good 2-3 minutes and she answers the door in her house coat and PJs. It is obvious that she has just gotten up which makes me feel awful. Anyways she let me use her phone and thank goddess Sean answers his cell. He rarely answers! So he had to come home and let me in. I spent the next 20-25 minutes in my quite cold garage organizing. I'm still cold!!! Probably will be all day! At least I had real clothes and shoes on, instead of PJs or something.

So lesson learned: Hiding a key in the garage and possibly outside.

House Guest

My Mom is visiting this week from Colorado. So far we haven't done anything too exciting. Saturday, we took her disc golfing because the weather was beautiful. She enjoyed it and is even talking about getting some discs of her own! Sunday, Mom helped us with yard work. She picked up all the apples while I hacked down my tomato plants. Monday, we went to trivia at a local restaurant. It was a lot of fun plus good beer. Today she is helping me paint my bedroom while I'm at work. I plan on helping her after work today and tomorrow. Hopefully we can get it finished so I longer have to live with the ugly brownish, pinkish, beigey purple color.

Toby is growing on her although he is at the bottom of the totem pole still because he kept getting his feet muddy every time he went outside yesterday in the rain. He just had to keep checking on his hole that he dug! Although he knows he will never be number one since that spot is firmly held by Max (Mom's only human grandson) he is at least hoping to tie Quincy!

Weekend Madness!!!

Sean and I returned to Boston this weekend for Dan and Shari's wedding. We arrived Friday around 7pm. I dropped Sean off downtown for Dan's bachelor party and headed To Robyn's for a girls night sleepover. Saturday was jammed packed with wedding prep stuff all day. I've got pink nails and toes to prove it!. Saturday was the Rehearsal dinner at Vinny T's. The food was delicious and it was nice to finally start putting some faces with names of various family members.

Sunday started bright and early for me with my hair at 6am. I swear my hair didn't change from 6am to 9pm. I got my makeup done around 11am and then pictures began. The ceremony started at 1pm and was beautiful. I had never attend a Jewish ceremony and it was a really neat and meaningful ceremony. The weather was just perfect. It was a little cool around 60 degrees but the sun was shiny. I would be lying if I said I didn't shred a tear. Thank goddess for waterproof mascara. The rest of the day was food and more food followed by lots of dancing. It was a super happy occasion as all wedding should be and the Bride was radiant as was the Groom. I can't wait to see the pictures.

I did bring my camera but I didn't actually take too many photos. If any of the ones I took come out I'll be sure to post one.

I'm happy to be home after an exhausting and wonderful weekend!

So many projects and so little time

I have so many projects I want to accomplish before Christmas. Most of them present related. I think I'm going to have to develop a plan of action if I want to accomplish all of them. So on my project list so far I have:

1. Christmas cards
2. Costume for ball in November (more info on that later)
3. Curtain/window treatments for living room, dining room, craft room, our bedroom, guest room, and Sean's office. So really I should have just said the whole house.
4. Paint our bedroom
5. Get new duvet cover for our bed
6. Paint closets
7. Other secret projects.

There are definitely days I wished that I didn't work full time. But even then I'm not sure if I could get everything I want done done.

Anyone got any projects they want to share? I'm also considering starting a second blog about my artsy/crafty project. What do you guys think?

My new nephews!

My new nephews were born yesterday very early in the morning. One is Jacob and the other is Christopher. Don't ask which is which yet! Aren't they adorable!!!

How can it be October?

This year has really flew by. I can't believe that it is October. Sean and I have now lived in Ohio for over a month. Sean starts his classes today for his masters degree. So the next year and half will be totally different from the last 3 years we have been married. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Shari's wedding is only a couple of weeks away. I can't wait to be back in Boston and see everyone and witness this super special moment in two of my closest friends lives. I may have to stuff some Kleenex down the front of my dress and invest in water proof mascara.

October means fall, my second favorite season but it also means winter is coming. So far fall in Ohio has been warmer than usual and not very rainy. Some of the leaves have started to turn. I know it won't be an picturesque has it is back east but hopefully there will be some good color. Perhaps I will have to look up and see if there is an ideal place to view the colors here in Ohio. We have been talking about camping in the red river gorge this coming weekend so will see if there is any color there yet.

It is hard to believe that winter is upon us....it feel like just last week summer was starting and moving to Ohio was months away. Winter is my least favorite season. I plan on keeping myself as busy as possible so I forget is cold and gray. It probably won't be that hard since most of the housework will fall to me with Sean doing school. It is a good thing that my new washer and drier Rock!

Letting my dorkiness shine!

On Saturday Sean and I played Muggle Quidditch! Yes the game from Harry Potter modified for us Muggles. It was a lot of fun and I'm still sore. The way we played was as follows: 3 Chasers, 2 Beaters, 1 Keeper, and 1 Seeker. The chasers are played like ultimate frisbee. You throw a ball between one another, once caught you can only pivot and pass the ball to you next teammate. The object is to get the ball into one of the 3 hoops. The hoops were made from PBC pipe and insect nets. The beaters used hockey sticks and kickballs to try and take out the other teams chasers and beaters. If bludgeoned/hit with the bludger you had to take a knee for 10 seconds. Since it was a small field this really did effect play. The keep tried to catch the snitch which consisted of those spinning helicopter blades that you release from a launcher.

There is some information on wikipedia about different ways to play.

Words of wisdom

Here are some words of wisdom from my favorite online comic Questionable Content. Don't let the name scare you away, it is safe to open at work!

"Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past.
Wisdom is knowing you'll be an idiot in the future.
Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be and idiot NOW!"

~J. Jacques

A space of my own

Last night with some help from Sean I got my furniture all arranged in my craft room and started putting my stuff away. I'm very happy with how the color blue I picked out looks on the walls. I'm also really excited about my new desk! I can't wait to finish organizing the room so I can start back in on my projects. It will also be nice to have a place to set my laptop up. Charlie was happy because I put one of my desks under the window so he can look out. Toby was happy because I set up the papasan chair so he can curl up on it while I'm working or sit on my lap while I'm sitting in it. Tonight I plan on putting up some of my posters and getting the rest of my stuff where it belongs.

So now when Sean is watching Football which happens pretty much everyday. The only game free days are tues, wed, and thurs however that doesn't stop him from watching shows about football. I don't mind football games and can tune it out for the most part but I can't stand the hours and hours of analysis and speculation about football. So now I can just go in my craft room and blast my dance techno and do whatever I want! Yah!

still alive.....sorta

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth or something. Just been darn busy. Working is going well. I'm learning Java, XML, XSLT's, ANT, and more. Java isn't as evil as I once thought. Actually I never thought it was evil I just liked C++ better. Now I can see that plus and minuses of both languages in a more fair and even light. I will say though that I won't miss Jovial. No offense anyone I worked with before. It had its place on our program but it is not nearly as powerful as Java or C++.

The boys are good...all three of them. Charlie and Toby love to play and chase each other around the house. Quincy is starting to adjust to having a little brother. They even played some yesterday, which is a first. However the bed issue is still causing problems. Toby has decided that Quincy's bed is now his bed and Quincy should kick him off doesn't. So basically Quincy doesn't have a good place to sleep. We ordered a new bed for Quincy however they sent a medium instead of a large so we are now waiting for them to send the right size. Hopefully that will come soon!

Sean helped me get my craft room painted this weekend. It took two coats which sucked! So I'm going to spend all my extra time in the evening getting that room organized. The only rooms in the house that haven't been painted at this point are: both bathrooms, our bedroom, and the guest room. They is no point in painting either bathroom since both are in need of some remodeling. I'm waiting to paint our bedroom until my Mom visits in October. It is a big room and I'm sick of painting. I have the color picked out and the paint bought so it shouldn't be an issue it is just going to take some time.

Sean is still doing review classes. Real classes don't start for another week or so. We had all the people he is doing review classes over on Saturday for a BBQ. There was tons of food and plenty of football. It was a nice to meet everyone and at least be able to put a name with a face when Sean talks about people.

My babies

I thought it was time to post some picture of all of my babies. So the top one is obviously Charlie and the bottom one is Quincy and Toby. I think it is fairly easy to tell the two of them apart but that could be because I see them everyday. So any guesses as to which one is which?

Toby

Above are some picture of our new baby Toby. We pick up Toby at Sean's cousin, Bob's house on Friday night. Sean's Aunt Tammy and Uncle Bob gave him a ride out since they were driving out to visit their son, Bob and his wife Jessica. Toby is integrating into the family fairly well. Toby and Quincy mostly get along except when bones and toys are involved. Quincy is pretty jealous so hopefully he will get over it. Toby is a big love. He follows me around the house and wants attention all the time. The only time he doesn't follow me or Sean around is when he is following Charlie around. He is absolutely fascinated by the cat. I know he has gotten a claw to the nose at least once since he came yelping down the hallway. Charlie has mostly adjusted and basically rules the house again.

Toby's training is sadly lacking. Sean and I are pretty sure he walked all over Michael and April. Every time you tell him to do something he doesn't want to do we just lays down and rolls over. Like I'm so cute rub my belly....I'm innocence I swear....I didn't do anything wrong what are you talking about? He is also a bit of a "chunky monkey!" He was getting to free feed and not getting a ton of exercise. So now he only gets fed twice a day and he has been walking and running with Sean and I. He still hasn't completely gotten this whole we only eat twice a day thing and has gone partially hungry a couple of mornings. But don't feel sorry for him. He is at least 2 inches shorter than Quincy and has smaller paws yet weighs at least as much as Quincy if not more.

So the picture above are "Before" pictures. He has now gotten a trim so he is not so shaggy so after he loses some of his flab I'll post some "After" pictures.

He is really a sweet dog and I think will be a good addition to our family. It is just going to take some time to adjust!

Still in ahh of the big tv

Sean and I went to circuit city last night and picked up an up-converting DVD player. We then proceeded to start watching Hot Fuzz with some amazing picture quality. It was really quite nice. Side note everyone should see Hot Fuzz! It is a seriously hilarious movie. You will especially enjoy it if you like Shaun of the Dead which is directed and written by the same two guys. Needless to say another night of distractions lead to no pictures.

Distracted

Sean's new TV came yesterday......that is my only excuse as to why there are no pictures. He wasn't home when FedEx came so we had to drive down and get it from their warehouse after 7pm last night. Once we get it in the house and out of the box his response was "Maybe it is too big!" I didn't think it was possible for a man to think a TV was too big. Keep in mind we got the 46 inch so it could be bigger. Granted we upgraded from like a 28 inch or something. So comparatively it is huge. So once we got it setup and working with the cable we were both mesmerized. I managed to unhook myself by 10:30 and go to bed Sean however stay up until I don't know when watching it. Hopefully that won't be a trend or this school thing might not go so well for him. Now I just have to figure out how this DVR thing works on the new remote and with Time Warner and we'll be all set!

Finally have internet

We finally got our internet and cable TV setup last night. However by the time we got all the routers setup and working it was time to head to bed so I'll post some pictures tonight. We also got the fence done yesterday. Quincy loves his new yard! He was sprinting around last night will his ball. We couldn't be happy either since now all we have to do is open the door and let him out. Which is especially good since he has some sort of infection right now where he is drinking tons of water and needing to go out every couple of hours. I promise to post some pics tonight!

We're here and sorta moved in

We don't have any internet yet so hence the lack of communication. We should be getting it tomorrow so expect massive posts tomorrow night with pictures and the whole works. Things are going well, just busy. Today was my first day of work and it went fine. Mostly getting all of my stuff setup. The house is partially painted....so more painting will be happening this week and weekend. I'll write more tomorrow for now I'm heading home to do some more unpacking....yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (that was sarcasm in case you missed it!)

Unhappy babies....

Quincy and Charlie are kind of freaking out about the move. All of this morning from like 4am on Charlie was wondering around the house crying. I'm not sure if he was trying to voice his displeasure and confusion or what. It made me wish that I spoke fluent cat. He was extremely lovey to me and even Quincy. He rubbed up against Quincy like almost to say don't let them leave me or I love you or your mine I won't let them forget you. Quincy is just as confused, just not as vocal about it. He just seems kind of on edge. I think they are really confused about the lack of stuff. Charlie doesn't have any good places to hide and Quincy can't lay on his couch.

I have to say that is it kinda of weirding me out as well. When I got home last night I want to set my stuff down somewhere and my choices were the floor or the kitchen counter. I'm really looking forward to leaving this empty house and arriving at my new empty house. The good news is though that the truck with all of our stuff in in will arrive on Saturday as well so we won't really have to be stuff less for very long. I'm really looking forward to sitting in my new recliner. Oh and sleeping in my bed again. The air mattress wasn't too bad last night but whenever one of us moves the whole bed moves because the air shifts. I think it was weirding the dog out since he didn't sleep with us very long last night.

boxes here, boxes there, boxes everywhere!

I came home last night from work to a house full of boxes. The packer came yesterday morning and made quick work of all of our stuff. It is a little strange to have a house full of boxes. The animals are seriously confused. The cat hid the whole time they were packing. Quincy has been very clinging and mopey. Any guesses on how many boxes it took to pack all or our stuff?

Today the movers are loading up the truck. I just talked with Sean and they are apparently making pretty quick work of everything. Charlie is locked in my bathroom so hopefully that will help his nerves. So today I will come home to an empty house. It is going to be pretty weird. Although it looks like our stuff will get delivered Sunday Aug 19th. So we should only beat it there by a day. So I guess that means I'll only be stuff less for 5 days. Which isn't too bad.

Now I just need to figure out how to fit the large pile of stuff that we are moving ourselves into the Beetle and Passat. Luckily I have my secret weapon (aka, my Mom) arriving Thursday morning. She is amazing at packing cars so I have confidence that we'll be able to fit all of it.

Time flies when you're having fun!

Tues was Sean and I's 3 year anniversary. It is hard to believe that we have been married that long. On the same note sometime it feels like it was just yesterday when we got married. Sometimes people have a hard time believing that I'm married or that I've been married this long. To me it was just natural, the next progression. That is not to say that being married has been easy. I think being married and staying married it a lot of work however it is worth the work to have someone you love and can depend on.

Sean and I had a very low key anniversary. We went down Monday night to the North end and had dinner at Artu. The food was pretty good but the service was a bit lacking. We then headed over to Cafe Vittoria for tiramisu and lattes to go. I really hope that we can have dinner down in the north end one more time before we move because it our favorite place in Boston. We love the atmosphere and all the good food. So for us to go there to celebrate our anniversary was just perfect.

Expecting a new addition to our family...

Sean and I are expecting a new FURRY addition to our family. Sean and I will be taking in Sean's brother Michael's Brittany Spaniel Toby. Toby has become too much for them to handle so he is going to become a part of our family. Sean and I have been considering getting a second dog for sometime now so it was an easy decision.

Toby is a very sweet dog who is in some serious need of some training and more exercise. I imagine he will be a pill to deal with some of the time but hopefully having Quincy around will help. Sean and I will also have to adjust our habits again so we aren't leaving things around the house that puppies might want to chew on. We have gotten lazy now that Quincy knows what he is and isn't allow to chew on.

Toby is close to a year old so is still very much a puppy with a lot of energy. I think Toby will be arriving in early September. I will need to step up my efforts to locate a good dog walker and perhaps a daycare for a couple of times a week so the boys get plenty of exercise.

At this rate I think I'm either doomed to have all boys or all my children will be girls! Because I'm already out numbered 3 to 1 and now it will be 4 to 1. Good thing the furry ones don't get a vote. Oh and everyone should keep their fingers crossed that Quincy learns to share! Cause all the barking will definitely get old.

Not turbo charged!

For the last 9 months my turbo has been having some problems. Back before Christmas I had it checked and they replaced the waste control value. That seemed to fix the problem initially but then it came back. So for the last 6 months or so my check engine light comes on when the turbo is not working and goes off when it is working. Sometimes it will work for a solid week and then stop, other times it doesn't work for a couple of days.

Annoying but not really effecting my gas mileage I've been ignoring the problem because I knew it was going to cost money to have it fixed since it is no longer under VW warranty. Well I recent decided that perhaps I should have it checked out before I drive half way across the country!

So I took it to the VW dealership in Bedford which I have been taking it to for all of my services and what not. The mechanic says I have to replace the entire Turbo for a grand total of $1900. So I proceed to ask him tons of questions about what the problem is and he tells me nothing other than there is a problem and isn't enough pressure. He doesn't know what exactly the problem is! So I called my Dad and talk with him about it. My Dad is extremely handy and has worked on turbos before. Basically my Dad thinks I should get a second opinion and estimate because the guy wouldn't tell me or doesn't know exactly what was wrong with it.

So this morning I take my car to the Midas auto service in Nashua at Scott and Megan's recommendation. So we'll see what they have to say! Keep you fingers crossed that if it does need to be replaced they at least give me a lower estimate! I'm sure I gave the mechanics a laugh this morning because I wrote my information on the drop box form in purple ink and wrote about a page on the problem! I had to write cont on back!

I'll keep you all posted on the problem! Oh and for more information on how turbo work see here.

Its been a while.....

I know it has been a while since my last post. Things have been a little crazy. The move is less than 2 weeks away and we have tons and tons of stuff left to do before hand. Also we have social engagements almost every single day until we leave. In fact if anyone else wants to see me before I head out that doesn't already have an arranged time speak now or forever hold you peace! J/K you may just have to come and visit us in Ohio. Just to give everyone a better picture let me break it down for you:

Days left of work: 8
Days left in Mass: 11
Packers come: Aug 13
Movers come: Aug 14
Mom comes: Aug 16 (early)
We leave at lunch on Aug 17.
Arrive in Ohio: Aug 18

I just can't believe how quickly this came up on me. I have lists and lists of things to do. I have had great intentions of being more prepared, yet I can't seem to make myself do many of the things on the list. I have a scary feeling that I may be up all night before the packers come....so keep your fingers crossed that is not the case.

Also it seems like the list of things we are moving our selves keeps getting bigger instead of smaller! I just don't want things I can't replace to get lost or broken. It is good thing we have a wagon!

Today's smile: Attack of the Post-it-note!

I know it has been a while since a posted a smile so I'm going to recount a funny story about our cat Charlie.

One morning last week Charlie was sitting on the dining room table and was attacked by a sticky note! And by attacked I mean he sat his tail on one which was sticky side up. So try to picture a blue post-it stuck to Charlie's tail, flapping around. Needless to say Charlie was not happy and a little freaked out and kept spinning in circles trying to catch the sticky. Meanwhile the sticky is just flapping around. Well, I tried to catch him to get it off and he kept moving farther down the hallway clearly upset and thought he was being attacked. I finally caught him and remove it. At which point he look very indignant. Like how dare that THING attach to MY tail!!!

I really wish I could have video taped the incident because I think it would have done quite well on youtube. I could have been famous! Anyways hopefully you can get a small laugh or at least smile out of the narrative.

Officially home owners

We closed on our house today!!! I just received a call from my buyer's agent that he has the keys. So we are officially home owners. Sean and I are quite excited about the house. On one hand we can't wait to move, on the other we will dearly miss all of our friends and the area. I never imagined that I would come to like this area as much as I do. Or that I would make the close friends I have!!! I'm completely torn and not quite really to say goodbye.

On another note stay tuned for future house updates including wall color choices, floor options, bathroom tile colors, etc.

Possible projects:
1. Paint walls
2. New flooring in kitchen, living room, and entry way.
3. New linoleum tiles in storage room.
4. New vanity in guest bath
5. Re-glaze tiles in both baths (hopefully so we won't have to re-tile)
6. Put in a bigger patio in the backyard
7. Raised beds for my garden next year.
8. New light fixtures
- Entry
- Dining
- Hallway
- bedrooms?
9. Window treatments. (currently super ugly drapes)
- shades
- curtains - maybe
10. Replace back door with french doors or sliding glass door

I'm sure I will come up with more later! So exciting!

A fabulous fried birthday

Sunday was Sean's 25th birthday! I told him that I would make him whatever he wanted for the entire day, food wise that is. So for breakfast he wanted to go to our local greasy spoon diner. They have fairly good and fairly cheap food. Sean had an egg, cheese, and sausage breakfast sandwich. I had the french toast. We course had ice coffee since they have excellent iced coffee!

For lunch we just had leftover from our dinner and Chili's the night before. Still tasty however. Now for dinner we went all out. Sean wanted Chicken fried steak with mash potatoes and cream gravy. I was absolutely terrified of messing this meal up so I did plenty of research and Sean even spoke with his mom about how she usually prepared it. Well with my recipes in hand and some help from Sean picking out the seasoning he wanted I jumped right in. Now keep in mind that I like to follow recipes to the T. I don't like to improvise and modify and I had never fried anything. Well even with my numerous handicaps the meal came out well! Sean thought it was pretty good so I'll consider it a success. I now feel more able to cook new things.

Below is the approximate recipe

Chicken Fried Steak
1 1/2 lbs Cube Steak (I didn't want to do the pounding)
2 eggs
1/2 Cup milk
2ish Cups Flour
Salt (~1/2 tsp)
Pepper (~ 3/4 tsp)
Cayenne Pepper (~ 1/2 tsp)
Garlic Salt (~1/2 tsp)
Paprika (~1/4 - 1/2 tsp)
Oil (enough for 1/4 - 1/2 inches in the bottom of pan)

In a shallow pie pan beat eggs and milk together. In another pie pan or bowl mix flour and seasonings. The amount of seasoning is up to you. Sean likes a lot of seasoning on things so I used quite a bit. Now sprinkle seasoning on each side of the steak. Again the amount and what is seasoning is up to you. Now one at a time dip the steak in the egg mixture allowing excess to drip off and put in flour mixture. Coat each side liberally with flour. For a thicker crispier outside repeat the egg and then flour steps. Meanwhile or in advance start heating the oil in the pan to fry. Be careful to get the oil hot enough but not so hot that is smokes. It should be popping a little but not smoking. On my stove I had the skillet a touch above medium. I think to get the best crust you should flour right before sticking it in the oil. I would also recommend only one piece at a time unless you're using a larger electric skillet. They need about 3-4 minutes per side. To keep warm while making the gravy I put them in the oven heated to 200 degrees on a broiler pan.

Cream gravy
~1/4 Cup grease from cooking steaks. (Keep as many bits as possible)
4-6 Tbsp flour mixture (leftover from steaks)
Milk (~1-2 cups)

Reheat oil on medium to medium low. Once oil is hot add flour. Mix well with whisk. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out flour favor. The flour is a thickening agent. So the consistency of the flour oil mixture should be a thick liquid. Pour in milk slowly stirring the entire time to avoid clumps. The amount of milk depends on the consistency you want. Cook 2-4 minutes to thicken. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve Steak with Gravy over top. Mashed potatoes are also good with this meal. :-)

Oh and no I won't make it for you. It will be at least several months before I make this again. To much effort and fat! Although quite tasty!

Fun at IKEA

On Saturday Dan, Shari, Sean and I met at Barnes and Noble to pick up our Harry Potter books and then headed down to Ikea. Sean and I wanted to look for bookcases and entertainment stands. Shari and Dan were looking for some organization stuff for their new apartment. We had fun wandering around the store and looking at all the crazy stuff they have. I found a new table for my craft room. See image above. The table height is adjustable. So I can make it counter height so I can stand to do certain things. I also got a barstool to go with it so I can sit if I want. The best part in it has a glass top and there is a 1 inch gap between the glass and the table so I can slide my pattern and my sketches in there so I can see them without cluttering up the top. Plus the legs have some store space. I'm super excited about it. Since we are in the process of moving I won't get to set it up until after we move. Also I got the barstool for 60% off since it was the last one in black since they were discontinuing that color.

Sean was a little annoyed that I got a desk and we didn't get anything that we were looking for. None of the bookcase were quite what we were looking for. Neither were the entertainment tables. I also picked up some glass containers for sugar and flour as well as a magnetic metal strip for knives. I want to hang it on the side of a cabinet by the sink. Knife blocks just take up too much space and seem a little unsanitary.

They are actually going to open an Ikea on the north side of Cincinnati in the fall so I should be able to go back for more home stuff after we get settled in our new house. Also Libby was telling me that there is a Pottery Barn outlet near Beavercreek that often has good stuff. It will be nice to have some extra cabinet space so I can get more dishes for entertaining and stuff. I just love kitchen stuff!

Going back to my childhood

Last night to celebrate Sean and Dan birthday's we met some friends for dinner at The Border Cafe and then saw Transformers. It was great to see everyone and catch-up and the food was pretty good. Although not the best Mexican I've had, it took care of my craving for the moment. Plus no meal can be truly bad with a margaritas and guacamole.

Then most of us headed to the movie theater. Let me preference this review with, I hadn't seen any previews for Transformers and had no expectation about it. Also I'll add that I generally like movies based on comic books, with the exception of the Spiderman movies....the actor who plays Peter really annoys me. Well anyways I LOVED IT! I thought it was absolutely hilarious and entertaining. I will grant you that it had some disjointed parts but overall I thought the plot was good and the corniness was at the right level. I think the movie transported me back to watching cartoons as a child. It almost felt like a kids cartoon the way it was slightly over the top and the dialog was corny. At one point during the movie I leaned over to Sean and said "They are so shiny." Anyways I was extremely entertained and amused! It could have been my mood last night or the lack of sleep or perhaps the fat overload from mexican but I was the only one who really like it! Mostly everyone else thought it was pretty good but could have been better. Dan has a nice review on his blog.

Fun with Purses

For my birthday Shari and Robyn got my a gift certificate to 1154 Lill which is a store that you can build custom purses. Last night we went down there to create the purse! We had tons of fun picking out fabrics and putting them together to build the perfect purse. I swear I was in purse heaven and it was so hard to narrow things down to the final purse (shown above). I really think I could have designed at 3-4 more purses from all the different fabrics I liked.
Unfortunately it will take until Aug 18th to get the purse so it is being shipped to the new house. So I promised to take and send photos of it when it arrives. I also promised to bring when I return to the Boston area for Shari's wedding in October. I seriously can't wait to get the purse. I feel quite inspired to open my own create your custom purse shop some day.

Well after designing and purchasing the awesome purse we heading over to The Upper Crust for some delicious pizza and of course more girl talk! We topped the evening off with ice cream from J.P. Licks in Davis square. I got some excellent cookie dough ice cream. I forgot how much I love cookie dough. It really might be my next food kick.....of course that might not be ideal for my waist line. It is a good thing that Edy's make a double churned light with the dough!

I will of course post some more picture of the PURSE when it comes! I'm so excited!!!

a few more house updates

I heard from my buyer's agent Bob today and things are still going smoothly. They are treating and retesting the well to clear up the bacteria problem. The air conditioner will be serviced this week. The only other thing we asked them to fix was the radon issue. The level was 4.3 which is only .3 above the tolerance. We asked the seller to install a system to reduce the level. They had a previous test which was below the tolerance. They got another quote for the system installation. So we'll see what happens with that. Sean and I weren't that concerned about that so if won't install it, it won't be a deal breaker. So all it all things are looking good to close at the end of July.

One other interesting note.....The large 6.6 acre property behind us is owned by the chief of police! I guess we won't be having any wild and crazy parties! We can't actually see his house from our yard......so maybe only quiet wild parties.

Things are coming together

I just wanted to give everyone an update on how things are going for the move. I heard from the guy in Ohio and they are going to offer me a job. So I'll get to stay with my current company and just transfer. This is excellent news and exactly what I was hoping for!!!

On the house front, things are still going as planned. There were only a few minor issues that we are asking to be fixed before we close. I haven't heard the sellers response yet but I'm figuring no new is probably good news. I'm going to call my buyer's agent today and get an update.

We discovered that we already paid our last month's rent so we are pretty much all set with our current house. We are solving the fence issue by throwing a fence removal bbq in a couple of weeks. Thank goodness for good friends who are willing to help in exchange for beer and food.

We still have a lot of stuff to accomplish before the movers come and a lot of people to spend some time with some I imagine this time will fly by way to quickly!

More fence rental fun!

This morning I woke up grumpy. My allergies are driving me nuts so I couldn't breathe I didn't get enough sleep and I really didn't have time to walk Quincy. I decided however that for my sanity it would be better to be late to work and walk Quincy anyway. So we are walking along and he decides he needs to poop. I of course forgot a sack. So I try and stop him but he digs his heels in. Of course the spot he picks is in someones yard and on a busier street in my neighborhood. So Not only do I not have a sack 3 cars go by. Quite embarrassing! After we return home I get a sack and get into my car and drive back to the scene of the crime to pick it up. Of course this had to happen just down the street from my landlord's house. Who is taking out his trash at the time. So finish and turn the car around thinking this is a good time to try and reason with him about the fence. Why I thought this was a good idea I don't know but anyway..... I pull up and explain what I was doing which he sort of gives me a weird look and laughs. I then proceed to ask him about putting a top bar on the fence, since I understood that that was his concern. Well apparently what he is concerned about is someone suing him if they get hurt on the fence. Apparently he talked to him insurance guy about it. So I then ask him if he could just get him tenets to sign a release form or put it in the lease. He doesn't want to mess with it. The only way he would have been okay with us leaving the fence was if we had found a tenet to rent the place that had dogs and wanted the fence.

So basically I think he is mad that we didn't help him find a tenet, because now he has to find one himself! He tried to give us any incentive by putting in our lease renewal that he would knock money off our last month's rent if we found a new tenet. I'm sorry it is not our job to find a new renter. He got quite grumpy with me during this conversation. I could just tell by his facial expression and movements that he was mad. I then made him more mad I think by asking for a copy of our lease since Sean and I miss placed our copy. Part of me really want to say screw you about the fence if it isn't in our lease agreement. However Sean I think is to honest for that.

I'm just so angry about having to take an improvement to the property down! What do you think are the chance of someone suing him because they hurt themselves on the fence. I mean couldn't someone just as easily slip and fall in the bath tub and sue him for that. If fact that probably more likely since the tub doesn't have any preventive mat or stickers for more traction. I've whacked my head on the pedestal sink sweeping up cat litter in our half bath, perhaps I should sue him for that!

I think I'm done ranting, at least for the moment!

A wonderful wedding

I'm finally posting a few photos from John and Megan's wedding! Aren't they cute! Next photo is John surrounded by Meg's sorority sisters. Last one is their beautiful cake.

Tomato Tomado

I love tomatos!!! So this year I planted 3 different varietes of tomato plants in big pots. I wasn't sure how well they would do but they are growing gang busters. They are huge! The cherry tomato plant already has some little green guys on it! I'm so excited I can't wait for them to rippen. So this year tomatos, next year maybe lots of other veggies....or maybe just tons of tomatos!

Fun with Bleach!

So we hit a small snag with the well for the house. The water sample tested positive for Coliform (Various types of bacteria). So to disinfect the well it has to be bleached. The procedure itself is fairly simple but sort of a pain. We are going to ask the current home owners to do this and then we will have the water retested. Honestly I would think they would want to do this because currently they are drinking and using infected water. Chances are that the bacteria isn't enough to make them or anyone sick but if it increased it would. Hopefully this treatment will fix the problem and we won't have to do anything else. Otherwise all the other inspections so far have shown no major problems just some minor stuff. I'll keep everyone posted but so far it looks like we are still a go for closing on July 31st!

rental fun....

So apparently we agreed to take down the fence when we moved out if that is what the landlord wanted. I don't recall to agreeing to this....I may try and look it up in our lease..... Anyways he apparently want us to take the fence down. We made an improvement to the property and he wants us to remove it! What a pain in the butt!!! I can't possibly see why the fence would be a bad thing or a turnoff to potential renters. Especially if those renters also have dogs. I mean I know it isn't the pretty fence and it doesn't have a top bar on the chain link but still, it does its job. It keeps Quincy in and would definitely keep small children in. What more could you want from a rental. He is apparently concerned about the lack of top bar and the look. You don't rent a place because everything is perfect and beautiful you rent a place because it fits your needs. He could install a top bar if he wanted to! But no we have to remove the fence.

Sean thinks the man that installed will be willing to come back and remove it for free if he can keep the materials. I have my doubts that he will do it for free since it will be several hours of labor to take the fence down. Plus I think some of the posts are stuck in with concrete. I'm just really annoyed that we have to remove the fence! It just seems pointless and dumb to me. I would think most renters would like the idea of the fence. Although New Englanders don't seem to be quite and into fences and people in the west. Sorry I just needed to rant!

Now I feel more motivate to help find a renter that has a dog so I won't have to take the fence down! So know anyone looking to rent a 3 bedroom house in MA?

Getting closer to being home owners

The inspection went really well on the house. Only some small minor problems. Like some nails on the roof, and GSI outlets should be installed in the kitchen and bathrooms (the ones with the red and black buttons). He recommended insulation under the floor in the crawl space. Some all really minor stuff, which is really good. We still have the well inspector and termite guy. It is looking good. I'm so excted!

Soon to be home owners!

We have the house under contract! We were able to workout a deal with the sellers after several back and fourths. So baring any problems with the inspections and appraisal....We are HOME OWNERS!

Sean and I are super excited! I'll keep you all post about that and my job. I should find out whether they are going to give me an offer next week. It seemed very promising after my interview yesterday so keep your fingers crossed (mentally of course....cause that could get painful otherwise)

Big developments in Kateland

Sean and I put an offer on a house today! We have already received a counter offer which we are mauling over tonight. We are super exicited about the house! It is a brick ranch with 2000 sq ft. So plenty big for our little family of 4. Above are a few pictures of the house. First is the front of the house, second part of the kitchen plus Bob our buyer's agent, and third the family room. I'll keep everyone posted on what happens.

Also tomorrow is my interview with the Dayton office of my current company. So wish me luck! I really want this to workout because job hunting sucks and I'm really exicited about the position.

Whirlwind of activity

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. June has been a whirlwind of activity. I was home in Colorado for 10 days for a wedding and to visit family. I had a great visit minus some yucky stomach bug! The wedding was absolutely wonderful, the best I've been to in a long time! I'll try and post some pictures later.

I saw Max, Jenn, and Tim. All are doing well. Max is talking up a storm of mostly understandable english. Tim became his favorite uncle however "Uncle Tim" sounds a lot like "all done" so it was a bit confusing! I really wished they lived closer so I could see him more often.

Once I returned home I launched head long into preparing for our house hunting trip this weekend. I've spent hours and hours this week going through listing and prioritizing them. I gave the Realtor a list of our top 25 house yesterday morning. Lucky he deals with this sort of thing all the time due to the base. Last night I was up past 1am getting all of our stuff ready to go and printing stuff for the mortgage lady. This was really a bad time for Sean to have a business trip. He flies back in at 2pm today and we leave again for Ohio at 9:30pm. Lucky him! I've have my laptop while in OH so I'll try and post how things are going.

Keeping Tally

I feel like I should be keeping a daily tally of how many head hunters call me a day. I get 1 - 5 calls a day for jobs in MA. I have to keep telling people that I'm relocating or I just don't bother to call or e-mail back. However they can be quite persistent. Some will just keep calling or e-mailing until you give them a response. Last week I put in Bold letters at the top of resume that I was relocating to Dayton, but it is like they can't read or don't read it. Quite annoying! So I guess if you any of you out there is looking for a job in the Boston area there appear to be plenty!

Comfort Movies

I had a horrid day yesterday. I won't bore everyone with all the details it was just a lot of little things that built up. However I cheered myself up last night with watching one of my favorite movies, Pride and Prejudice (BBC production...not the new one which is awful in my opinion). I'm not sure what it is about this movie but I always feel better after I watch some or all of it. I watched most of part 1 last night as it is a 6 hour movie. I've watched it so many times that I can almost recite all of the lines. My other comfort movie is 10 Things I Hate About You. Both are excellent movies that I would recommend highly to all my female friends....as they are mostly chick flicks. Although Sean will halfway watch while he is doing something else. Anyone have any comfort movies they would like to share? I'm not sure if this is just a chick thing or not.....

Oh and bonus...Colin Firth is super hot in this movie (especially in the scene above)

Wine and Cheese birthday extravaganza

I had an excellent birthday party! All the wines and cheeses were so yummy. Above are some picture from the festive events. Thanks everyone for coming and a special thanks to Sean, Shari, Robyn, and Natalie for all your planning and hard work!

Top picture: Me and my two cakes
2nd: The spread
3rd: Me and Sean
Last: Amy, Me, and Jessie

The Big 25!

Today is my 25th birthday! It is a little strange to think about being 25. On one hand it is just another day but then on the other I'm half way to 30. So far my birthday is turning out to be excellent! I may have a lead on a job possibility with my current company in Dayton Oh. I talk with the manager out there today and I'm going to meet up and talk with him when we are out there for our house hunting trip. My co-workers took me out for Indian! I love Indian and the food was excellent today. We even got my boss to come and try Indian. I think he liked it alright.

Tonight Shari and Sean are throwing me a surprise-ish birthday party with help from Natalie and Robyn. I know it is happening and I know who is coming but that is about all I know. I'm sure it will be fantastic! I'll post some pictures later. I even bought a new top to wear to the party!

One other highlight was my brother calling and singing me happy birthday! It was too cute!

A different view on African Aid

I read this interview today with a Kenyan economic expert. The expert stated that all the aide that western countries are giving to Africa is really doing more damage than good. When I started the article I was thinking how could this be? Wouldn't Africa starve without our aid? After finishing the article I think the expert has some very good points and makes perfect since. I think in the future I will think twice before I donate money to an African cause. I highly recommend you give this article a quick read.

I found another article that I wanted to include.
BBC news - Why aid doesn't work

Thanks

I just wanted to thank everyone for being so encouraging yesterday! I will keep you'll posted about the job progress.

Now back to the goats. I have strange fascination with farm animals, always have I guess. So while I think most of you thought I was kidding about the goats...I wasn't entirely. I did some research and here and the highlights:

1. To get the cashmere you can just comb your goats not shear.
2. The goats are profitable in 3 ways: cashmere, meat, and weed control
People actually rent their goats out to eat down fields of weeds. Can you imagine having your lawn maintained by a bunch of goats!
3. There are consultants that you can pay to help you set up a cashmere goat business.
4. An extremely sturdy fence is required to keep the goats contained.

While I'm still for the goat plan, I had no luck convincing Sean. He told me that only if I made 30,000 more a year than I do now. Because he thinks it would cost that much to get it up and running. I told him that the idea was to not work anymore, just raise goats. He also pointed out that we wouldn't be living there long enough to make the business viable and how would be move the goats....while I'm not giving up, I think the goats will have to wait!

Job search

I'm feeling a little discouraged by my job search. I imagine my expectation are too high. I've sent out at least 5 resumes over the last couple of weeks and haven't heard anything back. Waiting is the tough part. I guess I thought it would quicker or easier or something. If I was staying around here or willing to move somewhere else I think things would be looking at lot better. I get at 2-3 phone calls from head hunters everyday for jobs in the Boston area. Yesterday I got a call from a Woman at Amazon in Seattle wanting to talk to me.

I'm beginning to think now might be a good time for me to start my own business....or something. I wonder if I would be any good at retail! Or perhaps, it a good time to start raising cashmere goats. I wonder how much land you would need to raise goats....

Visions of the future

I came into the bedroom last night to get ready for bed and Sean and Quincy were cuddling together on the bed. Quincy was making himself quite comfortable in my spot. He is allowed on the bed but only when we invite him up and there is sheet covering the comforter and pillows. They looked so cute and content (except Quincy was giving me the don't make me get down yet...this is my spot eyeball) I suddenly had visions of a King sized bed full of animals and children. Sean has been talking about upgrading to a King bed for sometime....I'm not sold on the idea since I'm not sure I want Quincy sleeping with us nightly. Besides a bigger bed just seems like an invitation for other people and animals to join in. Although the image looks cozy....I think my sleep would suffer. Charlie already wakes me up at least once a night!

Today's Smile: Puggles

A Puggle is a mix between a Pug and a Beagle. They are so cute. They get closer to a Beagle in size. They are suppose to have the good qualities of each breed. I met one the other day on Newbury St. and it was the cutest thing. I was going to tell Sean about it and before I could he says to me "I was thinking that our next dog might be a puggle" and I said "OMG I saw one the other day and it was so cute and nice. It was a little crazy...perhaps it is a sign. To see more picture of the little guy click here.

Reunion of Bestfriends

My best friend of 23 years, Natalie, is visiting right now from Colorado for the week. I'm super excited to have her here right now! She is staying through my birthday on Friday. I can't take any time off from work so she will be doing some site seeing on her own in Boston this week. Today she was going to go to the aquarium! Hopefully she is staying dry in this yucky weather today. Hopefully the rest of the week will be nicer for her! We don't have any big plan for this week other than to talk talk and talk some more about everything that has been going on in our lives. Also she is helping Sean and I with our Tennis skills since she is coaching Tennis this year. She actually said that we weren't horrible. I wonder if she needs to have her eyes checked!

Pics of puerto Rico

Enjoy! Top one, the beach and light house at the Punta Tuna. Second one, Sean and I at the Bacardi factory. Last one, flower in El Yunque Rain Forest.

losing my mind lately

I think I may be losing my mind lately. I keep having this problem where I type an e-mail or blog post or something of that nature and I substitute different words in. I have to go back and read all things very carefully because the word I typed is usually not even close to what I meant. Like I mean to type have and type not. Those words are not even close. They don't start with the same letter! and don't mean any where close to the same thing. Do you think my body is trying to tell me something...like get more sleep, or stop taking tons of allergy medicine, or take more allergy medicine, or something else that is unknown to me.

I have a hug pile of Kleenex on my desk and I'm waiting for a call back from my doctor about getting a stronger Rx for my allergies. I can't seem to focus on anything. I'm being waiting to hear back all week about the resumes I submitted last week to Raytheon and Ball. But nothing! I mean I don't think I should worry too much since this week was a holiday week but I was really hoping to hear something. I guess I will submit some more resumes this weekend. Job searching totally sucks and is probably contributing to my total basket case behavior!

Today's Smile: Lego Art

I found this interesting article on CNN today about a man who stop being a lawyer to do Lego art. I was thinking what is Lego art. I was thinking giant statues of Harry Potter however it was so much cooler. You can find out more information and see some of him pieces at his website. The pieces are very cool and really do look like art. He currently has an exhibit at a museum. Can you imagine Lego's in a museum. Legos are now "high brow" The whole concept just makes me giggle. I love Legos and used to play with them all the time as a kid. So it is almost like part of childhood is in a museum. However the sculptures are so much cooler than something I would make. Definitely check it out!

New favorite website: Pandora

I've updated my current obsession website to be Pandora. Pandora is radio from the "Music Genome Project." So basically you can create stations based on an artist or song and then it will find other music that is similar. Than you can rate the music thumbs up- play more like this or thumbs down-don't play this anymore. The more you rate the better your station gets. It is so awesome. You can also share stations with friends. I'm currently listening to my Nickelback station. I also have a Anna Nalick station and well as a Pon de Replay station (when I need some upbeat dance type music). Check it out! Or if you already have some stations I would love to hear them so send me them in e-mail!

Walking Google Ad

I love google and all google related products. If only could only get them to pay me for all the advertising I do for them! My favorite google product right now is the calendar. I love that I can keep like 5 different calendars (could have more if I wanted). I have my normal calendar for all my appt and activities. I have an exercise calendar to keep track of when I workout and for how long. I also have a birthday calendar to keep track of every one's birthday's because I totally suck at remembering. I have a reminders calendar to help me remember to pay certain bills and other things I need to do. You assign each calendar a different color and you can choose to display whichever calendars you want. For example Natalie and I shared our calendars with one another other. I generally have her calendar unchecked because I don't need to know what she is doing everyday. However if were are trying to plan a visit and can overlay her calendar and easily see when she is available. It is seriously the best tool ever! Especially since I'm on my computer all day at work everyday. If any one wants to check it out and doesn't have a gmail account just let me know and I'll send you an invite. Seriously why don't they pay me....maybe I should send someone and e-mail!

Enjoying the last moments of Spring

Spring is my favorite season of the entire year. I love the weather and the flowers. The last week has been absolutely beautiful. I've taken a walk almost every single day to just soak up the sunshine. Soon it will be summer and the sun will be too hot during the middle of the day. I will have to start walking with an umbrella at lunch again so I don't get burnt.

Some of the other reasons I love spring is that it is the beginning of produce season. I love berries of all varieties. I have already gotten some decent strawberries, blackberries, and cherries. I also picked up a really good piece of watermelon last week that Sean and I ate in one sitting. I wish I have room to have a garden this year. I plan on helping the guy across the street with his so I'll be ready to have one next year.

This weekend I plan on going to the nursery to get some flowers for my pots that I put on the front porch. My herbs are still growing strong. The cilantro is crowding my basil so I need to cut it back tonight so it doesn't kill the basil. I may have to transplant the basil to another pot if that doesn't help.

The above photo is from my trip to Seattle in March. It was taken at the Belluve Botanical Gardens. I'm thinking about having it printed in an 8 X 10. What you do you guys think? It is good enough for a bigger size?

Still alive.....barely!

So far today has been a bit rough. I'm still exhausted from my weekend festivities. This weekend was my friend Shari's bridal weekend. It started Friday night with hanging out at their place and then sleeping over and then ended Monday morning at a hotel downtown where we stayed Sat and Sun night. It was a super fun time involving lots of eating, girl time, and some drinking. I'll try to post some pictures later today or tomorrow. I know I always say that but I really will this time.

I'm trying to get some work done however I really just feel like crawling under my desk and sleeping. Hopefully I sleep better tonight than last night.

Today's Smile: Pack order

For today's smile I'm going to share a slightly amusing story about the pack order within my house right now.

Background information: Quincy my 45 pound Brittany spaniel is a fairly passive dog. Charlie my 11 pound cat has been above Quincy since they were wee ones. So basically Charlie rules the house.

Currently we are watching our friend's greyhound Cerin. Cerin is a 72 pound male greyhound. Just trying to give you guys a good imagine in your head of the size of this dog. He is a fairly dominant dog and established dominance over Quincy a long time ago. Well the order between him and Charlie has been ambiguous until now. Cerin has always been curious of Charlie and Charlie has always been a little unsure of him. Cerin will run after Charlie and he will go under the bed where Cerin can't get him. Well after much of this on many occasions Charlie has decided that Cerin just isn't scary. So this time there were having staring contests. They would just sit and stare at one another. It was like the cat was daring Cerin to come and get him. Well Cerin apparently decided last night to go up to him during one of these occurrences. I was on the phone at the time and I hear some hissing. I turn and look and Cerin is in shock and backing away for Charlie. From this point on last night and this morning Cerin skirts around Charlie with his head down. He doesn't make much eye contact when close and give him a wide berth.

It is quite the amusing site to see the large greyhound scooting around the small cat. Charlie is quite pleased with the outcome because now he can move freely in HIS house again. Cerin on the other hand seemed a little put off by not being at the top of the pecking order anymore!

Silly animals!

Where am I going to buy my produce?

One of my biggest concerns about moving to Ohio is the lack of a whole foods or other natural grocery store in Dayton. I'm extremely picky about my meat and produce items. I also buy a number of natural or organic items on a regular basis.

Today I did some research and discovered that Krogers has stores in Ohio. Better know to most Colorado folks as King Soopers. That is a definite plus since they tend to have a large section and good stores. I also discovered today "Dorothy Lane Markets." They appear to be a more natural type grocery store. They sell natural meat and organic produce. They only have three locations but depending on where we end up living it shouldn't be more than a 20 minutes drive. I also discovered a Trader Joe's. So things are definitely looking up.

My sister also introduced me to CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture). Using Local Harvest, I did some research and discovered that there are several close by (Dayton that is). Their prices seem fairly reasonable. Some were around 350$ for the year (June - October, once a week, 19 total). That is around 18.50 a week. I definitely spend at least that much on produce every week. Probably more. We won't be able to start in August, but we could do it the following year. The website also lets you search for farmers markets and other natural type stuff.

I also currently have a bunch of books from the library on organic gardening, compost, vegetable gardens, worm buckets, etc. I think one of my projects for the new house will be a garden. My herbs that I planted in a regular pot are going gung-ho, so perhaps my thumb is more of a brown color instead of black! I'll try to post a picture later of my herbs. (Should finally have some time tonight!)

I'm continually adding to and updating my pro list in an effort to be more okay with the move.

In search of a new purse!

It is time for a new purse. It has been time for some time now, but I can't find one I like. I have approximately 20ish purse already but I'm sick of them all. I just really want a new one. I've looked and looked and looked and haven't found the perfect one. While we were in Puerto Rico I scoured all the shops in Old San Juan but with no luck. Apparently I'm too picky.

I found a few possibilities in Macy's the other day...but I wasn't sure about a Kelly green purse. My brother-in-law said it would look good with the right outfit, but I don't tend to match my purses with my outfits. I mean if it is really going to clash I will use a different purse but otherwise....

I also looked at some lesport sac bags...but I wasn't in love with any of the patterns. I keep thinking about the green purse so perhaps I will go back and get it.

What do you guys think about a green purse (I mean a fairly green like grass green)? It was a nine west purse but I haven't had any luck finding it online.

Also any thoughts on borrowing purses...there are websites where you can borrow purse for a monthly fee. What do you think? I feel like that might help my purse fetish but I"m not sure if it would be worth the monthly cost.

Man I really want a new purse...I think about it all the time...not sure if that is healthy!!!

Today's Smile: Open Cola

WikiHow continues to amuse me greatly. The latest find, open cola! This article describes how to make a cola drink and is quite amusing. Be sure to read the warnings at the bottom about caffeine and how oils could burn the skin.

Allergy Season

Since getting back from Puerto Rico I've been suffering horribly from my allergies. I take my Allerga everyday and put in my eye drops and I'm still miserable. If it doesn't get better by the end of the week I think I will have to call my doctor and get a stronger Rx. It really sucks because this is my favorite time of the year. I love all the flowers and the new leaves...and the fresh produce at the grocery store. I got cherries this past weekend which I've really been enjoying.

I can't wait for it to strawberry picking season. I'm determined to go this year since it will be our last chance before we move. If anyone is up for a trip in the nearest future let me know. I'm still need to do some research to find an Organic farm close by. Strawberries are one of the fruits that is highest sprayed with pesticides and what not...plus I've decided that based on taste alone I've had better luck with the organic ones...although I suppose I could call the farms to see how much spraying they do since they are local farms. I understand that is a bit of a pain to be certified organic so some farms maybe close and just haven't gotten certified. Anyways enough babbling about that!

Happy nice weather to everyone! Also keep fingers crossed to nice weather over the weekend too!

Job Hunt!

I have officially started my job hunt for our move. It is a very daunting task filled with schmoozing and nightmares. I'm having to come up with all my possible contacts to see if they know anyone who knows anyone who could help me get a job in Dayton. So if any of you have an contacts with employees who work defense stuff like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, ITT,.... please let me know. A referal often goes better than just submitting a resume on their website. Also if any of you want to review my resume (tons of fun I know) let me know.

As for the nightmares...they started our last night in Puerto Rico. Sean woke me up because I was wimpering in terror....hopefully that isn't a bad omen.

Keep your fingers crossed for a quick job offer!

I'm Back!

Hey everyone! I'm back for my trip! Sean and I had an awesome time in Puerto Rico. I will post some photos later. It was a very relaxing trip and it was sad to have to come back to the real world. However it is nice to be home and we did miss Quincy and Charlie. Charlie has been my personal shadow for several days. He has even curled up with me on the couch which he never does! The house is still a bit of a disaster but I'm working on it....Sean it working on taming the lawn which became a jungle while we were gone!

I'll tell you all more about our trip when I post some photos!

Some progress

To do before Friday:
1. Call House of Brides
2. Find an alterist for Megs wedding
3. Pack
4. Clean the house
5. Find someone to baby sit my herbs.....(maybe Heather can do that and Charlie)
6. Organize trip to maine this weekend
7. Pack for trip to maine
8. Work 9 hours each day (mon - thurs)
9. Exercise at least 3 times per week
10. Mail cell phone rebates and saftey form
11. Call cell phone company to get phone adjusted for Puerto Rico
12. Guest list for Shari
13. Buy black swim suit bottom from tankini top
14. Buy more memory for my camera at Costco
15. Cat boxes
16. Rent
17. Take herbs to Dave and Mary
18. Clean sheet on bed
19. Wash some clothes for Sean

While I've made some progress...but things keep getting added to the list. Thankfully if all goes well at work today I only have to work 8 hrs since I worked 10 yesterday. So keep your fingers crossed that my documents get approved.

A contrarian's view of buying a house

I read this article today on MSN about how investing in stocks is better than buying a house. An interesting view point. I think he has a good points but there are other reasoning for buying a house besides financial. Give the article a look.

While I have never believed that renting is like throwing your money away it would be nice to be able to paint or customize my house. There is no point to improving my rental property because that would be throwing money away while doing some small improvements to a house might improve its value or at least you know that its yours and you can take pride in the improvements you make.

Lists, lists, and more lists

Here is an update on my progress so far on all the things I need to accomplish before leaving Friday! The completed tasks are in gray. Below are partial lists for our wants and would like for our house. The house hunt is on! (think the song "The heat is on")

To do before Friday:
1. Call House of Brides
2. Find an alterist for Megs wedding
3. Pack
4. Clean the house
5. Find someone to baby sit my herbs.....(maybe Heather can do that and Charlie)
6. Organize trip to maine this weekend
7. Pack for trip to maine
8. Work 9 hours each day (mon - thurs)
9. Exercise at least 3 times per week
10. Mail cell phone rebates and saftey form
11. Call cell phone company to get phone adjusted for Puerto Rico
12. Guest list for Shari
13. Buy black swim suit bottom from tankini top
14. Buy more memory for my camera at Costco

What we are looking for in a house the must haves:
1. Large kitchen
2. Open layout
3. At least 1 3/4 baths
4. At least 3 bedrooms
5. A basement (finished would be nice but not necessary)
6. At least 1400 sqft in top portion of house
7. Good sized yard. (fenced would be prefered)
8. Good, safe neighborhood (a family neighborhood, don't get any idea about kids yet though!)

The would likes:
1. Walk in closet in master
2. Big master bath
3. Separate family and living rooms
4. Eat in kitchen and dining room
5. An extra room or study or loft area for my craft room
6. Laundry Room not in basement
7. Two car garage
8. Patio or porch in back yard
9. Fire place
10. Double sinks in master

I think that may be enough lists for one day. Enjoy....And of course feel free to comment!

BIG MOVE to the middle of no where...

Well now that it is official I might as well announce it to the world. Sean and I will be moving to Dayton Ohio in mid Aug. All of you may be asking Ohio? What the heck is in Ohio? Well the Air Force Institute of Technology is in Ohio. Sean will be starting a masters program there in September. We will also have our follow on assignment there so we'll be there for 5ish years. Well I'm not that excited about moving to the Midwest, this is an awesome opportunity for Sean! I support his fully in this decision to better himself by getting his masters. Also I'm hoping that it will increase his earning potential so I can continue to convince him that I can be a stay at home Mom when we decide to have kids in several years. He is not so keen on this idea and keeps pushing the you can work part time thing.

One of the other good things is that we can buy a house! Sean and I are really excited about the possibility of owning our own house. I'm already thinking about colors to paint certain rooms and the garden I can have in the back yard. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that I can have a space for my craft room again. We plan on having two guest rooms so all of you can come and visit when ever you like. I know Frontier flies direct from Denver so for you guys out there...cheap tickets maybe! As for the Bostoners it is only a short 850 mile drive! Just kidding there are airports and we will be willing to pick you up! We are also hoping to host family events if we have a big enough house. Like maybe Christmas or Thanksgivings one year! Family and friends are extremely important to me so I hope I can keep in touch with everyone! I will be of course keeping up this blog so you can always check it for the latest stuff I'm up to!

I know that Ohio will be a big change from Boston but I'm trying to go into it with an open mind so wish me luck! I will miss Boston more than I ever thought I would!!! It will never be Colorado but it was an awesome place to live for a few years and I wish it had been a few more. Sean and I have a jam packed summer already but I'm still hoping to fit into some of the things I want to do before leaving. Check back later for the list.

A week from today....

A week from today I'll be on an airplane on my way to Puerto Rico! I can't wait. Sean and I talk about it constantly. I have already started packing and getting ready for the trip. I feel like this vacation is exactly what Sean and I need. We haven't had a vacation just the two of us since our honeymoon almost 3 years ago. I can't wait to lay out on the beach and splash around in the ocean. I also looking forward to seeing the only rainforest in the US park services. I plan on taking tons and tons of photographs of everything. Photography is a newish hobby of mine. I have a digital SLR camera and with the new lens Sean bought me for christmas I should be able to take some awesome shots. Check back in two weeks for photos from our trip.

Today's Smile: Crazy patents

For today's smile I'm going to link to a blog about real life patents that are just plain nuts. Some of the inventions found on this site include: A weed cutting golf club, Penile Volumetric Measuring Device, and many more stupid, silly, and just plain nutty inventions. So check Patently Silly out! I'm positive it will make you smile at the shear stupidity or at the amusing diagrams. It may even make you laugh out loud!

Doesn't Bode well....

The start to today does not bode well....While showering this morning I conditioned my hair before shampooing! Apparently I was still half asleep or something! Then I rolled my ankle while walking into the building...luckily this happens often enough I didn't fall just stumbled a little. Keep your fingers crossed that this string of events doesn't continue the rest of the day!

At least it is Wednesday! We are halfway to the weekend and I can't wait! Sean and I are going up to Maine with two other couple friends. It should be a blast! The weather is still looking pretty good so let's hope it stays that way. I'm hoping to see some piping plovers birds. These cute little birds are endangered and every year from april to august volunteers in Wells keep their nests protected. For more information about these little guys and the protection program I found this article.

The end is in sight......

With my trip only less than two weeks away you would think I would be on the down hill, however it will be an uphill battle to the finish! I'm swamped at work between my two groups. Everyone should keep their fingers crossed that I get everything done on that front before I leave. As for my personal life the list keeps getting longer...

Here it is so far:
1. Call House of Brides
2. Find an alterist for Megs wedding
3. Pack
4. Clean the house
5. Find someone to baby sit my herbs.....(maybe Heather can do that and Charlie)
6. Organize trip to maine this weekend
7. Pack for trip to maine
8. Work 9 hours each day (mon - thurs)
9. Exercise at least 3 times per week
10. Mail cell phone rebates and saftey form
11. Call cell phone company to get phone adjusted for Puerto Rico

I'm sure I will come up with more later....It will definately be a sprint to the finish! At least I'll be able to relax once I get there :-)

Children Everywhere and memories!

Today is apparently take you child to work day. There are kids everywhere at work today! One little girl just stop out side my cube and said to her mom that there was a wolf. Her mom said "a real wolf?" and then the little girl said "no a picture". It was so cute. Children just seem to have a way to lighten your day without even really trying. They are just being themselves!

On a related note I think I only attended take your child to work day once. I went to NCAR with my best friend and her dad. I couldn't go with my dad to work because it was to dangerous. For those unaware my father in an electric engineer for General Electric. He works on big power equipment like generators. I did however once get to see the inside of Rudi which is a big hydro-electric dam in glennwood springs Colorado. It was pretty neat. I think we were on the way home from my Hayden (near Steamboat springs) and he wanted to check on something so we stopped by.

My dad is forever the engineer! On the christmas following my first year in college I recieved a small tool box stocked with tools. At the time I wasn't very exicited but the tool box came in handy and still continues to come in handy all the time. So thanks Dad!

Anyone have any memories of going to work with their parents?

Beautiful Weather Today!

Today is absolutely beautiful in Boston! I just got back from a walk at lunch time. There was a nice breeze and it wasn't as hot as yesterday. Just perfect. For those living in Mass try to get out and enjoy some sun shine and warmth today! Perfect weather for the Sox's game tonight....for those going enjoy!

On a sort of weather related note...I've taken and interesting in gardening lately. So expect some garden related posts in the future. After work I'm picking up some books I reserved about gardening at the library and I've been slowly collecting possibly helpful website on my del.icio.us account. I also offered my help to my neighbor across the street to help with his garden this year. Last year and the year before he would leave us vegetable deliveries when he had an over flow. I made some awesome zucchini bread with one of his delivers and Jenn made some good pesto when she, Josh, and Max were visiting from the overflow of basil he had last year.

Exercise Progress

I just wanted to post a quick note about my exercise progress. While I have not been able to do the Self challenge like I wanted to because of my hands I have been doing cardio around 3 times a week. This last 2 weeks I've really steped it up. So far I've lost 2-3 pounds and reduced some of my pud. While I haven't measured lately my clothes are a little looser in the tummy area and I'm less self conscience about the it, so I'm calling it progress. In prepartion for our trip to Puerto Rico, I tried on my swimming suits and while some area were more jiggly then I would have liked, overall not so bad. I still have 19 days (see top right for the count down) to make some more progress in that area! Not that I'm going to quit after our trip!

I'm attempting to work up to running so Saturday I walked some and then ran some and so on. It is getting easier to run but my legs still get tired pretty quickly. The elliptical must work most of the muslces but not the inner thighs because my inner thighs always hurt after I do some running.