Monday, March 28, 2011

Guilty Pleasures

"Pretty Little Liars"- love love love. I know I shouldn't. But I do. Sorry.


pictures of beagle puppies on a bad day


Reese's Peanut Butter Cups


wishing I had a beagle puppy


Gilmore Girls reruns


getting a haircut when I don't need it just for the shampoo and hot aromatherapy towel thing that they do


checking out friends' facebook photos who own beagle puppies in order to enjoy the cuteness of the beagle puppies


sleeping past seven magazine subscriptions


google searching images of beagle puppies because they are just. so. cute.


shopping for baby clothes for other people's babies and being secretly grateful that I am not the one with the swollen ankles and stretch marks and other un-fun side effects of growing a tiny human inside of myself


wishing on every fallen star, eye lash, dandelion, and clover available that my husband will magically STOP being allergic to all furry pets so that I can realize my dream of having two beagle puppies, Charlie and Rupert.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Stuff that is Making me Happy Today

a good run with good music (Blitzen Trapper and Michael Jackson, who knew?)


free (aka did-it-myself) pedicure


sitting on my porch reading


hearing the cheering crowd at the baseball field across from my porch


my cute husband who is wearing pajama pants covered in smiley faces


saving $34 at the grocery store today


whole grain pasta with tomato sauce; simple, perfect dinner


my new haircut that my husband says is "really cute"


knowing that all the laundrey is washed, dried, folded, and put away


having more time to sit and read while my cute husband in his smiley face pajama pants is watching "Avatar"

Monday, March 21, 2011

Mini-Letters

Dear Barista at Starbucks this morning,

Thank you for making the most delicious latte I have ever had in my life. It may have been the most delicious because I hadn't eaten in fifteen hours. Or it was just that good. Either way, thanks...


Dear Fire Alarms,

While I am glad you are working correctly, as evidenced by the maintenance staff testing you for two straight hours today, you are so loud that I'm pretty sure my heart stopped a few times...


Dear Freshly-Laundered Bed Sheets,

Please help me have sweet relaxing dreams tonight. You are so wonderfully soft and cool...


Dear Dude in the Truck in the Parking Garage,

You were seriously mean. Driving 15 mph in a parking garage is perfectly acceptable, and much safer. I am offended that you honked and almost rammed into me because you would rather zoom through the parking lot at 65 mph. I am even more offended that you rolled down your window and yelled rude things at me. and my feelings are hurt...


Dear Dude in the Different Truck at a Different Location,

Thank you for coming to a stop and letting me and the others out of the parking lot we were in. You were very nice, and without your kind gesture, I would have been stuck in that parking lot for a looong time. Thanks for making up for the rude guy above...


Dear Husband,

Please come home soon. I know you've been working hard today, but I have gotten you a box of Whoppers which I know you love, and I would really like to sit on the couch with you and watch Monday Night Wrestling with you while you eat your Whoppers. Because that's one of the perks of being married; having someone to sit on the couch and laugh at The Miz and Seamus and eat movie candy with.


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Things I am Currently Obsessed With

1. Lemony Snicket books... currently on A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Third. Per the recommendation of my little brother. Very dark, very funny.

2. International Delight Caramel Macchiato coffee creamer. Oh my. Has cut my trips to Starbucks for the "real deal" in half. Oh my.

3. "Pretty Little Liars." Yes, it's a teen show. Yes, I should be watching opera or specials on obscure Russian poets on Public Broadcasting. I understand all of this. And yet... I love this show. Mystery, suspense, drama, fabulous clothes, high schoolers with insanely expensive handbags and a shocking lack of adult supervision... perfect.

4. Debating whether or not to cut my hair to just above shoulder length, in order to have a discernible (-able?) hair "style" as opposed to just having my fine, thin, flat hair hanging my back in the same "hairstyle" I had when I was in sixth grade and in love with two of the five Backstreet Boys (Brian and Nick). Yes, I should be watching opera or specials on obscure Russian poets on Public Broadcasting instead of thinking about something as vapid as to whether I should get a new hairstyle or not.

5. Volunteering at the library. I really love it. Love Love Love. The people are nice, both volunteers and staff, the patrons are generally great and excited about reading. I get to put my love of books and love of organizing to good use. I get to give back to a part of the community that makes a difference.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Saturday Stats II

1 night of restless tossing and turning

1 migraine headache in the morning

4 very loud upstairs neighbors

3 cinnamon/vanilla pancakes

2 cups of coffee

84 bazillion things I should really get done today;

83 bazillion of which I may put off until tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Things I Like About Heidi

She likes baking more than I do... and is "morally opposed" to secret recipes. Excellent combination.

she always offers encouragement when I most need it.

she makes chocolate chip cookies with coffee in them. seriously.

best sense of humor. EVER.

best marriage advice. EVER.

she really loves her husband. like, REALLY loves. so great to see a married couple who isn't afraid to spread the love!

her three girls are pretty much the most adorable, hilarious, spunky little girls I've ever met.

their mom is pretty much the most fabulous, hilarious, spunky girl I've ever met. :)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Stuff

"Elizabethtown" has a slight cheese factor, but the soundtrack is perfection.

My husband wears bike shorts when he goes biking. They are configured kind of like skin tight shorts with the world's tightest "suspenders" attached. They are called "bibs." Huh.

I keep having dreams about my old neighborhood; the peacock, the way it smelled after it rained, my old bus stop.

Daylight Savings Time has messed me up. I am still up, normally I'm asleep by 10:30pm, and I slept until 9, normally I get up around 7:30. ugh. Mandated clock changing? not cool.

I wish I could pull off a floppy red knit hat like Kirsten Dunst.

I was sent a surprise care package meant to inspire me:
-Godiva chocolates.
-a CD of a collaboration between Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane
-"Finding Forrestor" on DVD
-some cute, comfy shirts I can wear when I volunteer
-a note

It worked.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

"Relaxing" Saturday Stats

2 scrambled eggs

3 cups of coffee

1 load of laundrey

3 loads of dishes

45 minutes of exercise

1 really bad cramp in my rear, result of the 45 minutes of exercise

4 letters written

2 smoothies

1 husband who is still not home from rock-climbing

and now... 1 episode of "Bethenny Ever After" (I know, I know) and maybe 1 more cup of coffee.

okay, probably more like 2.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Things that Mean I am an Adult

Two years ago, one of my Vacation Bible School students nudged her compadre and said, "You gotta listen to Miss Lucy; she's a grown-up." That actually shocked me.

I feel very satisfied when my apartment is clean, the fridge and pantry are full, the laundrey is done, and I am able to sit with my feet up and read. Not that this happens often. But still.

I worry about things like high cholesterol, interest rates on my IRA, delivery charges for furniture, and other boring stuff.

All of my husband's best friends are married. Some of them are having children. Whoa.

I have a husband in the first place.

I actually go to bed before midnight...

I worry about things like conserving power and water, eating more vegetables, and consuming enough fiber.

Fiber? Really?

I actually go to grown-up salons where they offer mesparkling water, and ask me questions about my hair-care regimine-no more $7 Fantastic Sam's cuts.

I get disproportionately excited about double-coupon day.

I have someone that does my taxes for me.

Why am I an adult? When did this happen? Can I go back to the days of Brownie Girl Scout meetings, graham crackers and apple juice for an after-school snack, and having crushes on the Backstreet Boys? Please? sigh.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

27 Things About Me

1. I was going to make a list of 100 things about me, but that seemed a little over the top, and 27 is a much more unexpected and underappreciated number.

2. It makes me swoon when my husband does things around the house, like sharpen my abused kitchen knives, or vacuum.

3. He vacuums because I really hate vacuuming. I don't like any cleaning to do with floors... bathrooms, dusting, cleaning countertops, metric tons of laundrey don't bother me, but floors are gross.

4. Floors are gross and, by extension, feet are kind of gross. I don't like touching other people's feet, and I don't like people touching mine. I only give my husband a footrub if he is wearing socks. I realize how wierd that is.

5. I like avodacoes. I mean, I REALLY like avocadoes. I order any sushi roll/sandwich/salad on a restaurant menu that has avocado in it. I love them oh so much.

6. I used to be a really anxious driver who was constantly afraid of getting lost. In a town I had lived in for over ten years. Driving across the country and residing in California has cured me of this anxiety.

7. I love Colin Firth; I find his gawkiness adorable. I will watch any movie he is in, good or bad, repeatedly.

8. I love giraffes, probably because they are also gawky. They are clumsy and beautiful and just so odd-looking in the very best way.

9. I like white tulips above all other flowers... when my then-boyfriend (now-husband) lived far away from me, he would send white tulips to my office. Anyone who dropped by my office usually asked who died because apparently they kind of looked like funeral flowers. To me, they are beautiful and simple and graceful and way more creative than a dozen red roses. To other people, apparently they are solemn and boring and the flower of "mourning." sigh.

10. I am addicted to reading, buying books, reading book reviews, and wishing that I had a solid enough idea that I could turn into a book.

11. This means that I have boxes of books that I have bought or been given but have not yet read. I hope to finish them all by the end of the year. We shall see.

12. When I was a kid, I remember listening to "The Crash Test Dummies" more than any other band. I remember getting scolded in the library for humming "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." My dad has apparentely passed his, ahem, eclectic taste in music down to me.

13. I remember bits and pieces of my dreams every night, and try to write them down. It helps me figure out what's going on in the back of my mind.

14. I wake up every night at 2 am. I am not jolted awake by anything in particular, I simply end one dream, wake up and notice that the alarm clock says 2:00, and go back to sleep.

15. I miss my mom. I miss being a Brownie Girl Scout and thinking it was so cool that my mom was my troop leader and that all the girls in my troop loved her. I miss being 14 and sitting at the kitchen bar and telling her about my day while she made dinner. I even miss when I was 17 and being a complete moron and the arguments we would get in because I was a complete moron; she argued with me and tried to guide me, which meant she loved me and she cared and wanted the best for me. I wish she lived closer to me or I lived closer to her.

16. I miss living on the East Coast, even though I haven't lived there since I was 8.

17. I have named one of our tropical fish after the Beagle I grew up with. Their temperaments are very similar; the fish enjoys actually sitting himself on a coral and watching the other fish swim around, and gets most active around feeding time.

18. I have only ever been to one funeral in my life, and it was one of the saddest days of my life. and it wasn't that long ago.

19. I have always thought that someday I would like to have two little boys named Jack and Will. I am now rethinking that "2 boy" configuration. However, I am not trying to have two boys or one boy or any other spawn any time soon.

20. I am a dedicated Grey's Anatomy viewer, and have been watching since the first episode. I know it is basically a well-scripted soap opera, but I'm totally okay with that.

21. I do follow blogs of friends/family regularly, and sometimes it kind of makes me feel like a stalker, but blogs are there to be read, I guess...

22. My birthday is on the 22nd of a month.

23. I think my husband has a really cool job. I wish I had a really cool job.

24. I think earrings are wierd. The whole idea of poking a hole in your body to stick shiny things through it kind of freaks me out. I realize I am pretty much alone in this... that's okay by me. Just don't buy me earrings for Christmas.

25. I think my little brother is really cool. There is an eleven year age difference between us, and he changed everything. For the better.

26. It bugs me when people ask me "How I Do It" when they find out I am married to a member of the military. "Aren't you worried about him being in danger? Aren't you scared all the time?" The answer is YES, I AM, but I don't need anyone to remind me.

27. I can't believed I rambled off 26 odd things about myself. OH, one more; I am not very good at chess. I used to be, and now I am not.

Wishes

after looking the The Pioneerwoman's latest photo project about sisters, it kinda makes me wish i had one. but not an annoying one who really likes pink and tweeting and believes that Justin Beiber is dreamy, but a cool one who brews really good coffee and knows all the lyrics to songs by The Bangles and wouldn't mind if I borrowed her sweaters constantly.

i wish that my husband's appetite was not that of a tyrannaurus rex, because just when i think i have outsmarted him and "stocked" the fridge/freezer/pantry with versatile ingredients that should last at least three days... he goes for a run, comes back, and eats ten pounds of pasta.

i wish i could eat ten pounds of pasta without gaining ten pounds.

i wish my friends would all find jobs/grad schools five minutes from my apartment building, so that we could go get lattes together and eat pounds of pasta together, and i wouldn't have to send letters and texts across the country to remind them of how fabulous they are and how glad i am that they're my friends.

i wish avocados were not over $1 apiece. sometimes this wish comes true, but that is only because they are overripe and brown and squished on the inside, so that doesn't count as wish fulfillment so much as ironic-wish-fulfillment-that-bums-me-out.

i wish i could have the perfect latte every morning without having to pay $4.15 for it, or alternately have to buy an outrageously expensive piece of machinery that i will use twice and never glance at again that would, in theory, enable me to make my own lattes.

i REALLY wish i could eat ten pounds of pasta without gaining ten pounds.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

What I Saw at the Zoo Today

1. a polar bear sunning himself, arm thrown across his eyes and snoring happily... bore striking resemblance to napping husband..

2. two leopard turtles pushing each other around... slowest battle ever.

3. Daddy gorilla charge (from behind the glass) at a zoo visitor in pink fleece. Did not realize gorillas had such strong opinions regarding women's sportswear.

4. dozens of women wearing leggings as pants; no, not with a long shirt or dress to cover their derrieres... just leggings. Leggings do not = pants, people.

5. an adorable little girl in the reptile house with a propellor hat. must look into where one can purchase propellor hat.

6. adorable capuchin monkey leaping from branch to branch without stopping... slipped occasionally but just kept moving at a dizzying speend. bore striking resemblance to husband's behavior after consuming frappuccino.

7. beautiful family of giraffes. so relaxing and mellow, they are my favorite animals. they also have the most beautiful eyes. must find out what under-eye regimen they are using; they look very well-rested and refreshed.

8. sleepy koalas who look cuddly and adorable. was told by zookeeper that they can actually be very irritable in the morning, and like to be left alone while they eat their leaves. bears striking resemblance to, well, me.

9. plastic cups with zoo animals printed on them; $11. insane.

10. dozens of people drinking from $11 plastic cups. wearing leggings.