Twenty-something

Fab Find: The Polar F^ Heart Rate Monitor

2010-05-06T17:03:00.002-05:00

First off, I have to say how proud of myself that I am. I started exercising again in October and have stuck with it for seven whole months!!! (Pat on the back for me!) For my birthday, B got me this awesome heart rate monitor by Polar USA, the F6. So simple to use, I just strap a monitor around my chest and strap a watch to my wrist each time I work out. I went the sensor on the monitor down, click the button on the side of the watch a few times and it monitors my heart rate throughout my workout. But it not only monitors my heart rate, it calculates how many calories I have burned – which is awesome when it gets nice and you can be outside again! I have found that certain things that I didn’t think would burn much, actually burn much more and certain things don’t burn as much as you thought they did! I have also figured out that the calorie counters on the machines at the gym? Yeah, not accurate at all.

When you first get your monitor, you enter in a bunch of information about yourself, height, weight, age – everything. Then that information paired with your heart rate determines how many calories you have burned during exercise. (Machines at the gym do not take into account your height and your heart rate when calculating how many calories you have burned, thus its inaccuracy.)

B got my monitor off of eBay for about $90. A little pricy, but these things can get up to $500. If you want to get really into it, you can download your information from your watch to your PC and track your progress. (I am not that into it… yet.) When I first got it, I wasn’t sure how much I’d actually use it, but I have actually found that it encourages me to work out more because I want my calorie burn to be higher! Totally recommend this for every one!

New er ADDITIONAL Job

2010-05-05T17:00:00.002-05:00

Because my life is not crazy/hectic enough, I decided to take on a second job waitressing/bartending recently! I waitressed/bartended for 4+ years in college and shortly after and always loved it. The money is great and I just love socializing with both the regulars and newbies. Recently, B & I went to this little bar called Shuey’s in this little town called Shueyville (near where we live). I fell in love! I overheard them say they were hiring, so I filled out an application and started the next week. It’s just a couple of nights a week, which is perfect because I work full-time (and more) during the day. But it’s so awesome having a little bit of extra cash (hellooooo shopping!) and getting to meet some new people. It truly is fun for me and I thoroughly enjoy it!

So if you’re ever near Shueyville, stop in for the best tenderloin you’ve EVER had and a cold one!

Fab Find: The Nikon D3000 dSLR Camera

2010-05-04T20:52:00.000-05:00

Holy cow guy, I am in love… This time for real! I have always loved photography… Love, love, love pictures of anything and everything. They say a great photographer does not depend on the camera, just like money can’t buy happiness… But it helps! Enter my new dSLR camera – the Nikon D3000. I was originally going to go with one slightly more expensive, (the model ran me about $700 with two lenses and a four-year service plan from Best Buy) but decided since it was my first, and I am definitely an armature, I’d start of smaller. I don’t know if I could be any happier with a camera! This camera is so easy to use and takes crystal clear pictures. The settings are incredibly easy to use and it’s just FUN to have!

My next Endeavour is to read the D3000 for Dummies book… It’s gotten great reviews and I am ready to dig in a little deeper than just the preset settings. So far the pets have been my subject as it’s just getting nice enough (and dry enough) to get outside again in Iowa, so then I can get some outside shots (my favorite.) Below are a few of my favorites since I’ve gotten the camera – enjoy!

Southwest Egg Rolls

2010-03-11T08:28:00.005-06:00

I got this recipe from Sister's Stuff (LOVE their blog BTW - they have some awesome, simple recipes.) I tweaked it a little for our taste (the recipe below is with my tweaks)... The avocado ranch is soooo good! I'm a huge avocado fan and am so happy they're coming back into season!!!

This recipe actually made quite a bit so it would be good for a family recipe. I love leftovers because it twice the meal with half the cooking, so it worked well for us too. Enjoy!

1 lb chicken chicken tenders, diced
1 red bell pepper, minced
2 tsp onion powder
1 can corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can green chilies
½ T parsley
½ t cumin
½ t salt
Dash cayenne pepper
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
Flour Tortillas

Avocado-ranch dipping sauce:
1 c. ranch
1 whole avocado, mashed
2 tsp. onion powder
Salt & pepper
Blend together with blender

Cook chicken and dice.(I actually dice the chicken before I cook it because it cooks faster and I don't burn my fingers trying to dice cooked chicken...) In large bowl mix all ingredients together. Sauté all ingredients until warm. Remove from heat and add shredded cheese. Warm tortillas. Place ½ c. or so of mixture inside a tortilla. Fold completely together so mixture cannot escape. Place inside a panni grill or George Forman to grill and melt cheese. Serve with dipping sauce.

I Never Win Anything... Until Now!

2010-02-27T22:33:00.001-06:00

I never win anything. Ever. Even when there are ten prizes for eleven people, I will now win. So, imagine my surprise and elation this past Tuesday when I was notified that I won a DROID! (For my not-so-technologically-savvy readers, a DROID is only the coolest new phone on the market. Similar to the iPhone, but on the awesome Verizon network.)

To win my DROID, I entered a contest that I saw on Twitter. Basically, you had to follow a guy by the name of Pek (click here to follow him youself) and retweet a hashtag that he had created. (For those of you who do not use Twitter, I had to post a certain link.) I am not sure how many people entered the contest, but I clicked on the hashtag (link) after I won and it looked like there were quite a few people.

I have to admit, when Pek messaged me on Tuesday to let me know that I won, I was a bit skeptical that is was a scam. He asked for my address to ship me my phone, so, to be on the safe side, I had him ship it to work. I figured if it was a scam, he could do a lot less damage with my work address rather than my home address. :) Low and behold, it was NOT a scam and Pek is a pretty awesome guy! He has a pretty interesting blog, which just happens to feature a post about yours-truely if you want to check it out.

To make this whole thing even better, I have wanted a DROID since I first heard about them in October. I love having the latest phones and was hoping and praying that Verizon would get the iPhone sometime this year. Since they have come out with the DROID, it is obvious they have no desire to play ball with Apple for the rights to sell the iPhone, and honestly, now I don't care. The DROID is freaking awesome with LOADS of free applications. In fact, I may do some posts about my favorite apps sometime soon... The stuff that phones can do now is just amazing - does everyone remember using their parent's bag phones in the early 90's and thinking they were the coolest people ever!? :)

Anyway - huge shout-out to Pek and thanks again for my new phone - I love it! If any of you are considering getting one - DO IT! You won't regret it. As for me, I will now be entering ever contest I see from now until the day I die. :)

Snowy Shoes Solution

2010-02-25T11:59:00.000-06:00

I saw this on MSN.com today and HAD to share! One thing I HATE, HATE, HATE about winter is when you come in from outside with snow on your shoes. You have one of two options, take them off and leave them on the rug or take them off and leave them on the linoleum. Either way, something that is not suppose to get wet, gets wet. Then if you step on it with your socks, you have wet socks. Well, enter this Martha Stewart solution:

Make a boot tray by the door even better: Fill it with stones (found at garden centers). Ice and snow will melt and drain through the rocks to the bottom of the tray so your boots won't stand in a puddle. Most of the moisture will evaporate, but you should clean out the tray regularly. You can view the whole article here.

I am not sure how I will do this with the animals in our house... I can see the cat finding it amusing to take the rocks and hide them and the dog will think that they're treats. If anyone has any suggestions on how to keep my animals out of this, I would love to hear them! :)

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-02-25T10:56:00.000-06:00

This post is a little late... Only a week late though! Last Thursday I celebrated my 27th birthday (ah!) I used to LOVE my birthday. I was excited all day, I was one year closer to some kind of milestone (21 was probably the one I was MOST excited for) and everyone treated you extra special during the day. Now... Well, now that I can pretty much legally do everything except apply for Medicare and Social Security, birthdays are kind of just another day. I think I need to have a kid to dote on and have fun with their birthday.

However, I did have a great day on my birthday. B got me all sorts of stuff, a new heart rate monitor, PJs from Victoria's Secret and some bath stuff. My parents took us out to eat. I made cupcakes and proceed to eat most of them by myself and lots of people wished me a happy birthday (thanks to social media.)

It was kind of fun to look back at the last year and think about all that has happend:

I got to spend my entire 26th year with my best friend B
We got a kitty
We also got a puppy!
I moved back to the town where I grew up
B & I moved into together
Went to Arizona twice
I was asked to be apart of two different friend's weddings.
I decided to go back to school for my MBA
I learned to knit
I discovered my love of DIY projects
I took on a lot of new responsibility at work
I discovered that I am actually a pretty decent cook if I try
I became much more domesticated - which is weird
I bought my first car on my own (this actually happened at the end of January 2009, but it's close enough)
Learned how to use Twitter
Helped roof a house
Helped renovate a house for that matter

There are probably a million more, but that's about all I can think of for now. Thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday! It's cliche, but I have the best family & friends EVER! :)

Happy 50th Birthday Don Hommer!

2010-02-15T16:41:00.001-06:00

This post is a little belated, but my wonderful father recently celebrated his 50th birthday! To celebrate this milestone, my family rented out the Grand Master Suite at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort and invited about 100 friends and family to come down for some food, adult beverages and a little gambling. I would say that the event was a hit - everyone we talked to had a great time. A ton of our family was able to make it from south-central Iowa and lots of people from our hometown as well. I think my dad was very surprised at the turn out, but it's always nice to be reminded of how many wonderful friends my family has made in our 20+ years in Mount Vernon.

Sorry

2010-02-15T16:18:00.000-06:00

So, I wanted to apologize to all of my readers for my negative Old Navy post (which I have removed). I wrote the post to get Old Navy's attention - as a marketer in the 21st century, I feel it is extremely important to use social media to find out what your consumers are saying about your brand. Sadly, Old Navy is not that progressive and my post did little more than to make me look like a two year old throwing a tantrum. In retrospect, I should have posted that post on a separate blog as it totally does not fit the tone of my blog. So, from now on, you will only get positive updates on my life as well as my fab finds, recipes and DIY projects (which, I have had zero time or money for lately!)

XOXO

Katie

Life with Puppy: Six Months

2010-01-22T14:49:00.002-06:00

I can't believe my little baby puppy is going to be six months old on Saturday!!! I tell Bryan all the time, JD is the best investment we have ever made! He is so much fun to have around has so much personality!! To date, he has only destroyed a down-alternative comforter which is fixable and a strap on a Camelback that Bryan bought me, which is also fixable.

JD is proving to be very much a people person, LOVES meeting new people and new puppies as well. I weigh him in weekly and as of this week, he weighed in at 57 pounds!!! (It's kind of fun because our Wii Fit has a "Pet Profile" section, so we entered both JD and Wrigley under there.) He doesn't quite comprehend how big he is yet, he still thinks he is a tiny little puppy. He's fun to when he plays with other dogs because he has learned to "box them out" (like in basketball). He puts his little butt right in their faces and pushes them back until he gets to toy or whatever he is trying to achieve.

He's also hilarious to watch run - he runs with his butt down. At first we always thought he was scared, but now he just does it all the time! It's the weirdest thing. Another weird habit is his need to suck, yes suck, on blankets. A lady at our puppy class said it's because he never had a mama dog and so he does that as security, but he'll take his paw and "knead" the blanket like a puppy kneads a mama pup's belly to get milk. (Side note: Bryan's parents dog nips on blankets all the time and she too did not have a mama pup.)

While he is pretty much crate trained, he still prefers sleeping in our bed (a bad habit that I started when he weighed 20 pounds.) Every night he will jump into our bed and I'll let him lay there until about 10:30 and then he knows it's time to get in his kennel. The minute he hears an alarm in the morning though, he rattles around in his kennel until we let him out and then he runs and jumps back into our bed where he'll go right back to sleep.

JD is also loving the snow. I wish I had a better camera so I could capture it out side, (that is next on our wish list is a nice SLR camera.) Although temps have gotten down to negative 30 this winter, the cold doesn't phase him at all! He'll still run and run in the back yard. I can't wait for the summer when we can take him swimming and hiking.

New 'Do

2010-01-11T16:06:00.003-06:00

Before:

After

Fab Find: The Magic Bullet

2010-01-11T14:48:00.004-06:00

Get your mind out of the gutter - this is the best blender EVER. Yet another Christmas present from Santa (aka, my parents,) I requested the Magic Bullet to blend my morning protein shakes that I always drink. I usually either make a smoothie and toss in some protein powder or make Carnation instant breakfast and add a scoop of protein powder. Either way, protein powder needs to be blended in REALLY well in order for you not to taste it. I had been using a regular blender, but it was cheap, loud, annoying and messy. The Magic Bullet is super easy to use, it is made for one serving of drinks, but you can also make dips, desserts, sauces and all sorts of stuff in there! I especially can not wait to make salsa this summer. And guacamole. Mmmm...

It's a little on the pricey side - around $50, but totally worth it. You get all sorts of attachments and a recipe book with it, so I say it's a good deal. It's especially geared towards health conscious peeps and those who are watching what they eat/drink.

You can find more information at their web site: www.buythebullet.com

Fab Find: The Slanket

2009-12-30T09:22:00.001-06:00

I am always cold. Always. I run my space heater at work in July (and I get a lot of crap for it.) I have no boundaries when it comes to what I will do to stay warm. I will wear long underwear, spend $200 on a winter coat, wear dorky snow boots - anything.

I am sure you have all heard of the Snuggie. When I first saw a commercial for it, I knew it was made for me. I was going to ask for one for Christmas, but as I usually do, I searched for reviews on the product before I made my official request. While searching reviews, I came across the Slanket.

The Slanket is a high-end Snuggie basically. I immediately requested one from Santa. Sure enough, Santa delivered and I am now the proud owner of a gray Slanket. I have compared the Slanket to the Snuggie and I will say, the Slanket was well worth the extra money. It is thicker, softer fleece and there is much more blanket. The sleeves are also longer, which is slightly annoying, but nothing that a few safety pins can't fix

Oh how I love my Slanket, I am actually thinking about getting a second one for work - like I said, I have no boundaries. :)

You can find the Slanket here: http://www.theslanket.com/

Fab Find: Cuisinart Grind & Brew

2009-12-28T11:23:00.006-06:00

Um... I've been slacking on the blog posts lately... Sorry! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas, Bryan and I sure did!!! Our families were beyond generous to us!!! I definitely got some very Fab Finds under my tree this year. The first of them is the Cuisinart Grind & Brew coffee maker.

Bryan is what I call a "coffee snob" and we can only drink freshly ground coffee beans, not the pre-ground stuff. I admit, the fresh ground does taste better, but the whole beans annoy me for two reasons. 1.) I find it the biggest pain in the ass to grind the beans in a grinder, and then transfer them to the coffee maker. It adds a full two minutes to the coffee making process and I am far too impatient for that. 2.) They cost about $10/bag/week. I am far to cheap for that.

Well, one of my annoyances has been alleviated. Enter Cuisinart Grind & Brew, the 12-cup PROGRAMMABLE coffee maker. (Our old coffee maker was not programmable, so this is very exciting to me.) With this coffee maker, you put the water, filter and beans into one machine, press the button and *poof* The coffee maker grinds the beans FOR YOU and then MAKES THE COFFEE. ALL AT ONCE. NO TRANSFERRING BEANS!

It's a little on the pricey side, $99, but I find it totally worth the investment that Santa made. :)

You can find this Fab Find here: http://www.cuisinart.com/products/coffee_bar/dgb-550bk.html

Recipe: P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps

2009-12-03T11:03:00.010-06:00

As I get more and more domesticated, I am enjoying making good meals. So, I am going to start posting recipes that Bryan and I enjoy for my groupies.

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps

CHICKEN FILLING

1 cup water chestnut
2/3 cup mushroom
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

SPECIAL SAUCE

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 teaspoons water
1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

STIR FRY SAUCE

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions

SPECIAL SAUCE

Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.

CHICKEN FILLING

Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and sauté the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce "cups".
Top with "Special Sauce".

Or you can visit the web site where I got this recipe

Christmas Tree Part Duex

2009-12-02T08:43:00.005-06:00

Your eyes do not deceive you, yes, that is a different Christmas tree than we originally had. Here's the story:

This is my first Christmas with a cat. In all fairness, Bryan did try to warn me that Wrigley would think the tree is a giant toy. But I have had dogs in the past who messed with the tree and even had one pull the tree on top of them, so I thought "Oh, it won't be THAT bad..."

I was wrong.

So very wrong.

We put the tree up on a Saturday afternoon and then left that evening to go to a movie. Upon our return, Bryan opened the door, closed it, looked at me and said. "You should probably just stay out here." I pushed my way past him to find EVERY ordainment, candy cane, snow flake and even the star on the TOP of the tree was now scattered all over the living room floor. You could even see where he had JUMPED to the top of the tree to get more ordainments.

I hit the roof.

Hard.

I was threatening to take him back to the shelter, I was SO mad! Bryan calmed me down (that's the short version of that portion of the drama) and the next day we put the tree back together and began putting Wrigley in the back room when we couldn't watch him. (With his litter, food and water of course... That didn't matter, he still meowed up a storm while he was in there.)

This strategy worked for a few days, but we left for a week-long trip to Phoenix that Wednesday and so he couldn't be locked in the back room while we were gone. So the tree got locked in the back room. As you can imagine, moving a tree to the back of the house caused the decorations to get just as messed up as when Wrigley attacked the tree.

The whole reason behind putting an artificial tree up was so that it would last 5 weeks. (We put it up the weekend before Thanksgiving because we were in Phoenix until the 30th and I didn't want to deal with putting it up when we got home.)

Well, deal with it I did. Since I already had to re-decorate my tree, we went out and got a real one, something I never had as a kid but Bryan did have and loved. I have to admit, I love how much taller it is. It's not the fullest, but next year we'll spend more time picking it out.

As for Wrigely and the new tree... Well, stay tuned, I have a good story about that too. :)

It's Begining to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

2009-11-23T12:47:00.013-06:00

I am so not afraid to admit that I LOOOOVVVEEEE Christmas! I love the decorations, the food, the shopping and of course, the presents! I am not, I repeat NOT one of those crazy people who put their decorations up as soon as Halloween is over. I normally wait until the day after Thanksgiving, however, this year, Bryan and I will be in Phoenix until the 30th, so I wanted to get it done since I know I will be tired once we return.

This year is especially fun because we are in our new house! I already had plenty of decor from apartment living, but a new house calls for new decor, right?... That's what I thought too! Above you'll see the outside of our house... I am thinking we need to add more to it though... Maybe some lights on each pillar? Yeah, that's what I thought. Next you'll see my tree. You can see my holiday colors of choice are red, silver and white. It just so happens to match our curtains too! I think my favorite part of my tree is my tree skirt... It is actually just a red flat-sheet because I couldn't afford a real one when I was in college, but I love how full it looks compared to a regular tree skirt, so I've kept it!

Next is our entertainment area, easily my favorite area I decorated. I got the "Ho,Ho, Ho" sign at Target for $2.50!!! Score! I also have some candle holders that were not done in time for the picture that I will post some other time that I Love! ... Yes, there are four stockings and two humans in the house... I am that crazy person who gets gifts for their pets. Deal with it.

I love ball ordainments. I love how simple and classic they look. I also love how it is a huge decor trend right now! So, this year I threw them in wherever I usually use vase filler. Easy AND cheap!!!

More ordainment decor... The bow is too big, gonna have to change that.

A close up of the entertainment area.

Let the Holidays begin!!! (Bryan and Wrigley refused to pose for the picture, so it's just JD and I.)

New Moon Review

2009-11-20T16:02:00.001-06:00

I will probably get stoned to death by Twi-hards for saying this, but I thought the first Twilight movie was horrible! I am not sure why they didn't put more money into it to make it a better film, with the following that the book series has, any person with a pulse and a half a brain would know that Summit Entertainment would make their money back ten-fold.

Thankfully, Summit put their money where their mouth is for the sequel, New Moon. I will admit, I was one of the crazy fans in line for the midnight showing last night... Not because I was just DYING to see the movie, but it just sounded like something fun to do. (The next day at work? Not so fun.)

The movie was of course cheesy and sappy at times but the two male leads were easy on the eyes and this installation of the Twilight series provided some comic relief at just the right points in the movie. I thought there could have been more fireworks between Edward and Bella, just didn't sense the passion that they seemed to have in the books but I was happy that the acting seemed far less awkward than the last movie.

Overall? Two thumbs up! Probably won't see it in the theater again, but because I am a nerd, I will probably buy the DVD. :)

Black Friday

2009-11-19T14:08:00.005-06:00

Black Friday is like a drug for me... I love all the sales, I get giddy and my heart starts to race just from the thought of saving 50% on ANYTHING. But I know I should not go, I know Black Friday is NOT good for me. Usually I don't go. Because if I were to go shopping on Black Friday, I would shop for me and not for people I need to buy Christmas presents for. I save all my shopping for the day after Christmas. However, Bryan's sister-in-law sent me this AWESOME web site this year that you simply MUST check out. It's called Live Black Friday and it has all the Black Friday advertisements ALREADY!!!! Now you have a good week to map out your Black Friday strategy and to prepare yourself for all the crowds. Enjoy!

http://liveblackfriday.com/

TextsFromLastNight.com

2009-10-27T10:09:00.002-06:00

Enter my absolute new favorite web site: TextsFromLastNight.com. This site is beyond HI-larious. The site is exactly what it says: people send in their random text messages from last night (or whenever). The randomness is what makes it hilarious. Most of the text messages have something to do with drinking too much or indulging in, ahem, "special" brownies or similar smokeable grasses. But many of the texts contain an underlying sarcasm, which, if you know me, I find hilarious.

To add your own text (or forward a text you got) all you have to do is include your area code - no names or anything tying you to the message. GENIUS!

Here is a little sampling:

(516): Thank God they found balloon boy, I was afraid that Michael Jackson was ordering take out from heaven.
(630): all i remember is you climbed in a garbage can and said you were trashed
(774): i just walked into a room at this party and someone yelled "dibs!"...

My New Lover er Computer

2009-10-20T20:47:00.011-05:00

Yes, you've probably figured out by now that I have a lot of Love's in my life. Here is one of my newest: My MacBook Pro! That's right, I ditched my PC for a Mac and L-O-V-E it!!!

Here are the things I love the most about it:

iPhoto - so easy to upload, organize and find pictures
Numbers - incredibly easy to organize my finances as well as track them with charts and categories.
iTunes - I've never used iTunes before, I always used Limewire, but will never go back! iTunes is so fast and easy and I love how it organizes my music, with album art.
Safari - I stopped using Explorer when I started blogging because Explorer... Well, it just sucks. I had been using Firefox, but Safari is much easier to navigate and much faster.
Speed - there are only 14 known viruses for Macs at the moment, unlike PCs which are susceptible to... Well, a lot more (I don't know the number.) Therefore, Macs are much, much faster.
Size - I travel for work about every 6 -8 weeks or so and lugging my 10+ laptop around, plus it's cords and everything else was not fun. It made my back hurt and frankly, I just dreaded it. My Mac weighs 4.5 pounds. I carried it through the airport today and it was much, much more pleasant.
Battery - My battery lasts 7 hours!!! Yes, 7! Traveling today, I was able to pull it out at multiple times to use it without pulling out the cord with it! Those of you who travel a lot, especially for work, understand how wonderful that it.
Sleekness - You know me, things have to be cute! And this is cute! So sleek, modern and hip looking. Love walking around with it. :)

There are many more things that I love about this wonderful machine, but I will stop with my list there. The only con to my Lover is the cost, you can definitely get a PC for half the price. However, if anyone asked me before buying a PC, I would totally try to talk them into a Mac. It was worth every cent!

I'm in Love

2009-10-16T16:37:00.003-05:00

I have to thank my friend Stephanie for this next find I have... I can't believe I've gone so long without knowing about it! Have any of you guys heard about "Real Simple" magazine? Um, I haven't! But I have now! I have been pursing their web site all afternoon and have so many things I am going to be trying around our house!!! Check out their web site: RealSimple.com, so many great tips!!!

Life with Puppy: Week One

2009-10-16T11:24:00.003-05:00

We survived our first week with our puppy! Bryan said to me today "I think you should get paternity leave when you get a puppy!" That would be nice... Doubt that will ever happen though.

I think the first week went pretty good though! Potty training is going... OK. I thought it was going well at the beginning. At first, he would go to the back door and bark if he needed to go out, which I thought was just amazing! However, he has since figured out that he really doesn't like cold and rain (which we've had a lot of lately) and therefore, finds it much easier to just pee wherever he might be standing, which is most often a carpeted area. So, we've got to get him broke of that, I'll let you know how that goes. We only had one major accident this week and that was because we tried leaving him in his kennel for 9 straight hours - not a good idea at all! Our wonderful parents have offered to come over on their lunch hours though to let him out until he gets older so we don't have to deal with a smelly mess and batheing him every night - thanks Parentals!!!

So far he hasn't chewed anything of extreme importance. I learned VERY fast to pick up my shoes as well as my purse - anything is fair game to him! He loves his squeaky toys as well as any type of bone. We started putting peanut butter in his Kong, however, I don't think that is agreeing with him tummy, so that has stopped for the time being. He and the cat are developing a love hate relationship - JD loves to chase Wrigley and therefore, Wrigley hates JD. However, we did see Wrigley try to play with JD once this week, but that was before JD caught him in his mouth... Poor kitty.

He is not quite sleeping through the night yet which is making for two very tired masters. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it is coming soon though! He loves sleeping in our bed with us and we've made the mistake of letting him in the moring between his 5 a.m. potty break and when we get up. Now he thinks if he barks long enough, we'll let him up. So that too has stopped.

Even thought we're tired and a little frustrated with the potty training, Bryan and I LOVE having him around. He is so funny to watch and has such a little doggie personality! We start puppy classes on November 3rd, hopefully he'll be the smartest kid in the class. :) I'll give you guys another update when there is something more to report on that his bathroom habits.

Introducing Jack Daniel aka "JD"

2009-10-12T10:02:00.006-05:00

So, I finally won the battle of getting a puppy!!! :) After months of BEGGING and quite frankly annoying the living hell out of Bryan, we picked up our 12 week old puppy on Friday afternoon: JD, which is short for Jack Daniel - Bryan's favorite thing in the world (next to me of course.)

We had a great first weekend at home with him, he is doing great with potty training, 85% of the time he will go to a door and bark when he needs to go out. Hallelujah! He is also doing very well with crate training, he didn't like being in there the first night, but by Sunday, he was going back to his kennel just to take a nap with the door open! It just warms a mother's heart! :)

JD also met mom and dad's dog Sadie this weekend. Sadie does not like other dogs and proceeded to show her teeth everytime JD got too close. But Sadie is such a froo-froo dog that it was more funny than anything. He also met Bryan's parent's dog Maggie. Maggie is a pit-bull/terrier/beagle/boxer mix and VERY territorial. She decided to claim all of JD's toys as her own and not let JD near them. She snarled at him a few times which caused me to freak out and Bryan to laugh. They'll be good friends though once the whole territorial thing has been established. Which is good, cause we're going to need puppy-sitters!

JD also met our cat Wrigley this weekend. Wrigley has never encountered a dog that was not afriad of him, so he's not really sure what to make of this dog who is not intimidated by him at all... JD thinks Wrigley is there solely for him to chase... Which is pretty entertaining to Bryan and I for now, but we should probably break him of this.

I'll post some more pictures of JD as he gets bigger, at 12 weeks he weighed in at 18 pounds!!! He is going to be a moose, his paws and ears are gi-normous!

Mother of All Make Overs: The Outside After

2009-09-09T21:06:00.004-05:00

So - I am going to let the after pictures speak for themselves :). Stay tuned, my goal is to have the entire house posted this week, trust me, you don't want to miss the inside.

South side of the house - no more rotting siding!!

East side / back of the house - fully covered with siding

A quaint little porch is now on the front

Mother of All Make Overs: The Outside After

2009-09-09T12:28:00.003-05:00

Looking to the south

Back yard, the tree right in front of me is actually a cherry tree!!! So pretty in the spring and the cherries make great pies.

Back corner of the lot

Looking to the east

Side yard

Mother of All Make Overs: The Outside

2009-09-08T22:10:00.003-05:00

First off, sorry it was like two and a half weeks between posts... Right after I posted last, I hit the road for work with back to back trips and then threw being in a friend's wedding in there as well - it's been a busy month to say the least! Anyway, I wanted to get started with what I am calling "the Mother of All Make Overs."

In February Bryan decided to buy a house from his parents. His parents had bought the house in December with the intention of flipping it and renting it, but the more they worked on it, the more Bryan liked it and the more it became clear that it would be the perfect starter home (for him, not me, I still have my own apartment.)

When they started working on this house, saying it was rough would have been extremely nice. This house was worse than a sh*thole. It was disgusting, there was stuff growing in it and living things roaming around. Let me make this clear though - there were people living in the house up until the day possession switched!

The first pictures I am going to show you are the befores of the outside of the house. We hauled out 9 truck loads of heavy limestone, 12 truckloads of brush (packed down), cut down 19 trees and over 20 bushes... When I say "hauled out" I mean we removed from the back yard and moved to a friend's farm. Yeah. I had lots of blisters by the time this was done and we were all extremely sore - the best work out you could ever ask for!

Anyway, enjoy the befores!

2009-09-08T22:03:00.003-05:00

East side/back of the house...

Front door

The gutter situation

2009-09-08T21:51:00.007-05:00

Side yard... At one time that was a sand box turned giant kitty litter box

Front of the house, lovely red color :)

Another view of the side yard

South side of the attached garage

Stay Tuned... Mother of All Make-Overs: A Multiple Part Series

2009-08-14T16:56:00.002-05:00

Wanted to give all my blogies (my new word for Blog Groupies) a heads up that I will be starting a multiple part series this weekend on the before-s and after-s of Bryan's new house (which I kind-of-but-don't-technically-live).

Seriously, stay tuned, you DO NOT want to miss this!!!

Heritage Days 2009

2009-07-15T16:50:00.006-05:00

For those of you unfamiliar with small-town life, every respectable small town throws a little party every year, normally ending with the word "days". There is Sauerkraut Days in Lisbon, Watermelon Days some where up north, Old Settlers Days in New Virgina, well, in Mount Vernon, we have Heritage Days.

Every year, everyone that grew up in Mount Vernon or has some kind of tie, tries their best to make it back... Why you ask? Because its always a blast! There is a street band, a mid-way, lots of carnie food and of course, beer!

This year was especially fun for Bryan and I. Heritage Days kicked off on Thursday night with a fireworks show right across the street from Bryan's new house, so we had people over for a bon-fire and watched the fireworks. The rest of the weekends events take place in uptown Mount Vernon, which is where my new apartment happens to be located. So I threw a little housewarming party on Saturday night before we all headed up town.

Its always fun to see people you haven't seen in awhile and especially fun to be outside on a summer night, listening to music and enjoying a few beers. :)

Already looking forward to next year...

Goals for Summer: One Month Down

2009-07-01T13:07:00.003-05:00

So, I thought I'd give you all a little update on how I'm doing with my goals one month into summer. (FYI, I consider summer to be the months of June, July and August, so I have until the end of August to get these done.)
Goal #1: Create Art
I am happy to say I've actually done this one!!! Quite a bit of it too... In fact, my dad the other day said to me "When did you become so crafty??" I took it as a compliment. Ideally I would put pictures of the art I have created here, but it's not all done... One of the projects I did I am going to completely re-do, another is almost finished and the final one... Well, I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures. Soon though, I promise!
Goal #2: Start Scrapbooking Again
Well, my first scrapbook project is going to be a before and after book of Bryan's new house. The house isn't finished yet, so I don't feel like I can start yet. I want to have all the pictures I am going to use before I begin. His house-warming party is tentively set for August 8th, so it will need to be done by then!!!
Goal #3: Back-up Digital Pictures
Haven't even thought about it... I still have two months.
Goal #4: Plant some Plants
Haven't done this one either, however, my house warming party is in less than two weeks, so I might try to get it done before then. If I don't, I might scrap it for the year because then it's kind of late in the season. In my defense, we had a REALLY cool spring, then all of a sudden it jumped from like 60* to 100* within a week and now, three days before the Fourth of July, it's 63* at this very second. Not much time to get into the gardening mood.
Goal #5: Plan out Meals
I am very proud to say that I've been doing pretty good with this one!!! Bryan and I have cut WAAYY down on how much we eat out and I've been going grocery shopping once a week. It's helped my wallet too, however, that's just fueled my shopping addiction.
Be sure to check back, I will hopefully have pictures of my new place after this weekend!!!

Congrats Mr & Mrs Hansen!!

2009-06-29T11:07:00.007-05:00

Over the weekend, Bryan and I's friends, Jamie and Troy, tied the knot! Bryan and I met Jamie while working at Highway and Jamie and I hang out a lot outside of work. :) The wedding was in Riverside and reception in Richmond. The day started off extremely hot and muggy, it down poured almost the second after everyone left the church and the evening ended cool with no humidity. Jamie looked beautiful - all her hard work on the wedding definitely paid off... Although, I am not sure what her and I are going to email back and forth about now at work...

On a side note, the following day was utter hell for me as I think I drank about ten too many beers... I have got to remember that I can not drink like I used to!!!

Whew!!

2009-06-25T10:46:00.005-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted!!! The past month has been slightly crazy. I moved back to Mount Vernon on June 1 and I've been busy working on my projects to make my apartment a home for myself. I plan on taking pictures as soon as I have everything in place and will be sure to post them. While this is not the nicest place I've ever lived in (I don't think anything will ever top my Chicago loft) it is the place I have put the most effort into and I have to say, I truly enjoy it the most out of any of the places I've lived.

I have also been busy helping Bryan with his house. In fact, last weekend I was roofing!!! Yes, me, on a roof with a nail gun. :) He is hoping to move in next weekend and of course, I will post pictures.

Goals for Summer 2009

2009-05-01T15:02:00.011-05:00

Maybe if I write these down and publish them, I will actually achieve them... Probably not, but hey! It's worth a shot!
GOAL #1: Create Art
I am moving to a new apartment on June 1 and am determined to fully decorate this apartment (this will be my 8th apartment I've lived in since the begining of college) I always start to decorate, but after I've moved in and the excitement has worn off, I lose interest and move onto other projects. I have ideas for three art projects/wall hangings that I hope to have complete by mid June. I'll post pictures as I get them done.

GOAL #2: Start Scrapbooking again
I love pictures and I love the way scrapbooks look. When I was in high school, I made a scrapbook for every year, but once I went away to collage, I lost most of my storage space and therefore, lost interest in scrapbooking. My first scrapbooking project is going to be creating a scrapbook of Bryan's house renovation from start to finish, then I hope to create a book for each year again. I have research some new scrapbooking ideas/trends and have also researched cute/creative/functional ways to store/display scrapbook materials.

GOAL #3: Back-up all digitial photos
Yep, like I said, I love pictures, but my pictures are all stored on my computer, in a very unorganized fashion, with no back up. I plan to organize all of my photos into labeled digital folders and back them up on to CD's or jump drives and in the process create more space on my computer's hard drive.

GOAL #4: Plant some plants
I've never been a friend to plants, I tend to kill them rather quickly. I hope to change that this summer. I want to plant a couple of potted plants outside my new apartment and maybe ever plant some in Bryan's new yard. I love the way plants look and hopefully with a little practice I can turn my thumb green.

GOAL #5: Plan out meals I'm horrible with this, I never plan out what I am going to eat and therefore end up either eating crap or eating out. With moving back to Mount Vernon in the near future and the fact that the only grocery store in town is extremely over-priced, I am going to start planning out my meals and hopefully save some money in the process. If anyone knows of any good/healthy cookbooks, please let me know!

I'm Officially Old...

2009-04-27T09:44:00.007-05:00

So, last Thursday night (April 23rd) Bryan and I went to Iowa City to the Iowa Memorial Union for a Dierks Bently concert. The IMU as most of you know is on the U of I campus, so, as expected there were lots of college kids at this concert, probably about 80% college aged kids.
So, walking up to the concert, I immediately felt old watching all the 19 year olds strutting around in their cute barely-there outfits since it was the first nice day in about a month and a half. However, I must say, I don't think I ever wore anything that skimpy.
So, there we are, standing in line with a bunch of kids, wearing basically what we wore to work because neither of really cared what we looked like. All of a sudden this cute little cupcake taps me on the shoulder and says "Ma'am, can you please take our picture?"
........
MA'AM!?!? Am I that old now that I am called Ma'am!? Until that point, I had always thought that I could still pass for someone in college. I think I look pretty young, I take pretty good care of myself, I don't fake bake in order to avoid wrinkles. Even though I was dressed in jeans, flip flops and a plain white tshirt, I thought I still looked half way cute, I mean, it was a nice white tshirt from Express. Not like Hanes or anything. Bryan at this point is just cracking up.
So, we get into the concert, which is a standing room only concert, and there are these two twenty-somthing year old boys in front of us, completely hammered. The one is trying to keep his friend from wandering off and in the process, they start wrestling around. I let them step on my feet a couple of times before I had had enough. I looked at the one who was trying to corral his friend and said "Look, I know you want your friend to stay here, but I don't appreciate my feet getting stomped on. So if you're going to wrestle, can you please take it outside?" He looked at his friend and said "Dude, you gotta calm down, this lady just yelled at me."
Fabulous. Now I am the lady that yells at the drunk kids. I used to be these kids!!!
In my defense, I think I would have said something to those boys had I been their age, no girl wants their toes stepped on.
By the time we left the concert, I have to say I was a little depressed. In recent months I have traded in my all weekend drinking binges for quiet weekends watching movies, working out and sleeping late. I no longer go out for a couple of drinks during the week because I don't like being tired at work the next day. I am now no longer concerned about having enough money to go out on the weekend, but more concerned about saving money to buy some new furniture. I could care less about looking cute on the weekends unless we have some where specific we're going. Make up and picking out clothes require far too much effort, I would rather stay in my comfy clothes all day and skip the make up. I am not quite sure when all of these changes took place, but after Thursday, I finally accepted that my early 20's have in fact been over for well over a year now and I am closer to being 30 than I am 20.

NKTOB Baby!

2009-04-03T08:59:00.004-06:00

So, last night a childhood dream of mine came true when I saw New Kids on the Block in concert at the I-wireless center in Moline. :) Yes, I am a giant nerd who loves almost all boy bands, I don't know why I do, I just do. The concert was so much fun and was well worth the $35 we each paid for our tickets. The Kids definately catered to their audience which was compromised mainly of chicks my age re-living the 80-'s. They stuck mainly to their older songs (such as Hangin Tough, Step by Step, You've Got It (the Right Stuff)) but also played their hits off their new album. I must say, aging has agreed with them! I hope I can dance half as well as they can when I am in my 40's and look half as good! However, growing up, my favorite was always Jordan (even though he had a rat tail) but now I must say I definately favor Donnie... He was freakin sexy in his sparkly Boston hat. :)

Soapbox: Proud to be an Iowan Today

2009-04-03T08:30:00.010-06:00

Well, actually, I am always proud to be an Iowan, but today is extra special... Just a little while ago, the Iowa Supreme court announced that banning same-sex marriages is unconstitutional and Iowa became the third state in the United States to allow same sex marriages! This is a huge step in equal rights for all, no matter who you love.
I know there are many out there that believe that homosexuality is a choice. (Personally, I do not believe it is a choice, they have proven that it is genetics, but that is a different debate.) However, regardless of if it is a choice or not, who is anyone to say how they should live their life? I am a straight, catholic girl and my church tells me that I should be against all homosexualtiy and condem all that practice it. But who is the church, the government or anyone else to tell anyone who they can and can't love and how they are suppose to live their lives? I think those "christains" who will be outside protesting this because of what they believe should step back and practice loving everyone for who they are, the way the bible is meant to be interpreted and stop forcing what they believe on others. If you believe it is wrong and that all of those who "are" gay will go to hell, good for you, that is your belief, just because you believe it, does not mean that everyone has to. Stop being so narrow minded and be open to other views and other beliefs. Being able to have differing views and beliefs is what makes this country great, it was what this country was founded on - FREEDOM!
I am so glad that gays in Iowa will now be able to visit their loved ones in the hospital and make tough decisions for them if they're not able to. I am glad that if they decide to give a child in a need a loving home, they will no longer be questioned and one of them will be able to stay at home with the child and still enjoy the insurance benefits of the spouse.
You know, it wasn't that long ago in this country when blacks were thought to be inferior to whites and now we have black president. Something I honestly did not think I would see in this lifetime. Now I hope that in my life time gay marriage and equal rights for gays will be common practice in all 50 states, not just in three.

Introducing Wrigley Fransico

2009-03-27T09:43:00.011-06:00

I told you to be on the look out for a blog about the impact Tristan's cats had on me...

As many of you know, I am a huge dog person, I just love them! I want a puppy more than anything in the world, however, it would not be fair to subject a puppy to my lifestyle at the moment, living in an apartment and always being on the go. Bryan's mom is a huge cat person and as I have spent more time at his house, I have grown to love the little critters. (Even though Fuzzy has a tendancy to attack on occasion.)

So, I began toying with the idea of getting a cat. I was on the fence about it until I visited Tristan and Brody in Des Moines. Both of them have cats and while we were there I just absolutly loved playing with them! I decided that weekend to get my own. This past weekend I went to the Cedar Rapids Humane Society and found the little guy pictured above. He was the first one I saw when I walked in the room and it was love at first site! I started the adoption process and found out on Tuesday that I had been approved. I get to bring the little guy home next Friday.

While thinking about names, Bryan was adament that I name him Fransico. (He likes the way it sounds when he yells it.) I wasn't too crazy about it, but I definately liked the name Wrigley after my favorite teambaseball team, the Cubbies! However, Bryan informed me that he was going to call him Fransico regardless of what I named him and since I am relying on him for major support and guidance through this process (since I have no idea what I am doing with a cat!) I combine the two names and it actually sounds pretty cool!

After I get the little guy home next week, I will be sure to post more pictures and I am sure I will have many, many storied about him since I am clueless going in to this. He is going to pick up on this right away and take total advantage of it, I just know it. :) I am excited to have a pet to take care of though and have something other than myself to talk to when I am at my apartment.

Summerset Winery

2009-03-27T09:33:00.004-06:00

While at the end of our trip to Des Moines, Bryan, Brody and I made a trip to Summerset Winery in Summerset, Iowa which is near Indianola. Now, I am not a huge wine person at all, I prefer beer straight from the bottle, but this wine is delicious!!! It's very easy to drink a bottle all by yourself and not even realize it. (Yes, I have made that mistake, on a week night and work was not very fun the next day...)

Ron Mark is the owner and he has pioneered the grape growing industry in Iowa. Grape production and wine making are two of the fastest growing industries in Iowa, which I did not know until this trip. There are actually numerous winery and vineyards in Iowa, but from what I hear, none of them stack up to Summerset. (Sorry if you disagree, I am going solely off of word of mouth here!)

Ron and his wife are always milling around the winery and love talking to patrons. Ron even took a group of us down stairs to see where the wine is made and talked a lot about the business. He even let us sample some wine that won't be available for awhile. :)

Between Bryan and I while we were there, we bought 18 bottles to bring back with us! Summerset wine is sold in some stores, as you get closer to Des Moines it is easier to find. As far as I know in the Cedar Rapids area I think you can find it at a few Hy-Vees and also at Basket Bowtique. But, there are only limited flavors, so we needed to stock up. :)

Here is a link to their web site Summerset Winery, if you get a chance to go, I would highly reccomend it! I know Bryan and I are planning a few more trips there this summer, so maybe we'll see you there!

Where did March Go?

2009-03-24T08:14:00.021-06:00

What a busy month!! I traveled to Orlando, Florida the first weekend in March for a trade show for one of my company's lines... I dreaded the trip as I do all business trips, but it actually ended up being a great time! The show hours were not very grueling at all which allowed for plenty of relaxation time, including time by the pool. The recent time change also allowed more time at the pool after the shows since it was light longer at night. We also ate at some awesome restaurants, which, you know me, food can make or break a trip!!! :)

I got back from Orlando on Friday the 13th (sidenote: flying on Friday the 13th is a little scary...) I literally got off the plane, hopped in the shower and picked Bryan up at work and we headed to Des Moines for a weekend with some friends. We first met up with his friend and college roomate Brody at Micky's off Hickman. It was Brody and I's first time meeting and he is a great, fun, hilarious guy. We had so much fun with him the entire weekend and he really made me feel "welcome" in his and Bryan's little warped world. Later that night we met up with my college roomie and close friend Tristan. With in two minutes of seeing each other, Tristan asked me to be in her wedding which will take place on May 22, 2010. Needless to say, I said yes!

Sidenote: If you know me, you know how I like to bitch about being a bridesmaid. However, I should clarify that it is simply the cost that gets to be annoying. That and not having control over what I am going to wear as I am ver particular. However, the fact that I have had four friends who think so highly of me that they chose ME to stand up with them on their special day, means the world. Plus, it's always kind of fun being apart of the wedding party, it almost feels like you're a celebrity for the day, even if it is only in front of like 200 other people. :)

Anyway, back to our trip. Bryan and I stayed one night with Tristan at her and Billy's cute new house and got to play with their cats. (Stay tuned for my next blog about the impact of the cats.) Saturday night we went out to dinner with Tristan and her friend Jess, who was a blast and then Brody met up with us and we all ended up at the Piano bar.

Later on that evening, Bryan and I's friend Burge met up with us too... Burge is always a trip. :) It was a great trip and a lot of fun, very tired when we got back!!!

Birthday Trip to Phoenix

2009-03-05T14:35:00.009-06:00

I am really horrible about keeping my page updated! Anyway, for my 26th birthday on February 18th Bryan and I took a long weekend to Phoenix. He used to live there and his brother (Mike) and sister-in-law (Jill) are down there now along with all his college roomates, so we had plenty to do and plenty of places to stay. I had never been to the south west before and I loved it, although, I think visiting is enough. There were actual real cactuses (sp?) everywhere and the weather was perfect while we were down there. During our trip, we hiked to the top of South Mountain, I was not sure if I would like it or not but I had a blast and it was such a sense of accomplishment when we reached the top. I will definately climb another, bigger mountain during my lifetime! I also got my first tattoo while down there! I was nervous and I'm not going to lie, it didn't feel like I was being tickeled with a feather, but I think it is really cool and I would like to get another one some day. We also spent time with Bryan's college roomates and their finacees, wives and girlfriends, they were all such nice, down to earth people! It was also a lot of fun hanging out with Mike and Jill - you can definately see the brotherly bond there. (Between Bryan and Mike, not between Mike and Jill.) It was a great, relaxing trip and I definately want to go back someday in the near future!

South Mountain

Hiking to the Top

My first tattoo!

Out on the town in Phoenix!

Louisville, Kentucky

2009-02-13T13:52:00.004-06:00

As many of you know, this past May I started a new job with Highway Equipment Company where I am the marketing coordinator. Part of my job entails traveling across the country for trade shows. This past week I was in Louisville, Kentucky for the National Farm Machinery show. We were pretty busy so I didn't have much spare time to do any sight seeing, however, I did attend my first tractor pull!! Those of you who know me probably think it's pretty funny that I was at an actual tractor pull, but I had so much fun!! I would definately go to another one! The best is when the tractors get going really fast and the sound litterally shakes your whole insides. (We were definately wearing ear plugs!) Spectators got really into the "colors" of the tractors (for those of you who are not farm-oriented, people are very loyal to their "color" of tractor... John Deere green vs CaseIH red vs Ag-Chem gold, etc. etc.)

Next trip on the agenda will be this upcoming Wednesday (also my 26th birthday) when Bryan and I head to Phoenix for a fun trip to see his brother as well as some of his friends. Ah! Warmer weather!!!!

Mama Hommer Turns 5-0!

2009-01-15T15:30:00.005-06:00

This past weekend, my wonderful mother, Debbie (aka Debabe) turned 50! My mother means the world to me, she is one of my best friends and has been there for me during the ups and downs of my life, no matter how big of a brat I have been. To mark this milestone birthday of hers, we threw her a surprise party at Gwen's in Lisbon. Both of mom's sisters, Diane and Marsie made the trip as well as her brother Roger. Many of my cousins were able to attend and most of my dad's family as well as tons of friends from the area. Mom was absolutly speechless, she was bawling (good tears though!). I could not have asked for a better night for my mother and I am so grateful to everyone who braved the cold weather and made the drive, your presence meant the world to my whole family! Pictures from the post party will be coming, or you can check out my facebook page for all of them!

Twilight... My Current Favorite Book!

2008-11-23T21:57:00.005-06:00

I have been hearing a lot of buzz about this book entitled Twilight, so last Thursday, on a whim, I saw this book at Wal-Mart, it was thick and priced at $8, so I thought, what the hell. I started reading the almost 500 page book at 9 p.m. this past Thursday and was half way done by mid-Friday morning. I probably would have finished it on Friday, but I was in Minnesota for the football game. As soon as I got home this afternoon, I started reading again and didn't put it down until I was finished! The book is an easy read, no real thinking involved, but it is such a unique story line, absolutly amazing! I am not a vampire, gothic type person, but you almost forgot how absurd the idea of vampires are once you start reading it. I am going strait to the store tomorrow night after I get off work to pick up the next one in the series!!! I highly reccomend this book to anyone!

Also, check out the author's web site, it's pretty interesting!

www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Iowa/Minnesota Game

2008-11-23T21:22:00.007-06:00

I made the trip up to Minneapolis this past weekend for the Iowa/Minnesota game. Iowa beat Minnesota 55-0 in their final game in the metro-dome, which added to the already fun-packed weekend we had! Three of my college girlfriends were in town, including my friend Erin who recently informed us all that she is pregnant! It was great seeing all of them and catching up and also hanging out with my parents! Go Hawks!

History in the Making

2008-11-04T22:36:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I haven't done the best with posting regularly, but I think I shall change that now! Today is November 4, 2008 and I am sitting here waiting for Barack Obama to come on and give his acceptance speech. The last time I voted in a presidental election, I was 21 and it was the first time I had voted and until today, the last. I voted democratic then (John Kerry) and today I proud to say I voted democratic again for Barack Obama. I try not to be a person who argues politics (sorry Mike, I know I argue with you about it all the time) and I try to respect people's opinions. So, whoever you voted for today, congrats on getting out and excersizing your right to vote. Something we should all be greatful for and I think too many people forget about.

I actually typed out a long blog describing why I voted for Obama, but realized that all of my reasons are pretty personal. However, no matter who you are tonight, witnessing history is pretty cool. I mean, if you ask your parents, did they ever think that they would see the day that a black man was elected president? I can't say that I ever thought I would, it's just really cool to see how America and her people have matured in their thinking over the decades. Watching the emotion tonight is truely amazing and I can't imagine that I will ever see a more memorable election.

God Bless America!

My First Blog...

2008-07-01T13:02:00.003-05:00

I love reading people's blogs to see what they're up to and since I am horrible about keeping in touch with people, I figured this is a great way for everyone to keep up to date with me. Check back soon as I hope to update this frequently. :)