Married with Beagles

... and we're back

2011-09-23T09:59:00.000-04:00

It was definitely not my intention to take a four month hiatus from the blog. However, it happened like this:

...my company had a great year which meant everyone was slammed with work.
...my brother got married AND my mom turned 50 in the same week.
...I started a grad school program which is full time while trying to also continue to work full time.
...other life stuff continued to happen despite my best efforts to ignore some of it. (The house still won't clean itself)

All of that combined with just not feeling terribly interesting lead to this extended break. Admittedly, I missed a lot - some of which I'll try to catch up on. We had our first anniversary. My brother did get married. We went to the beach for a week only to be interrupted by a hurricane.

While I make no promises that I'm going to be good about keeping this updated regularly, I'll try not to go another four months before posting. After all, that whole full-time employee while being a full-time student thing tends to eat into a lot of my spare time.

To make this not boring with only words, here's a picture of Will and me with a firework exploding behind our heads on July 4th at Fort Myer overlooking DC.

Regretfully Attends

2011-05-26T18:03:00.000-04:00

My little brother is getting married this July. It's awesome because it means a big family party, and I get a sister after wanting one and being disappointed 25 years ago. (Kidding, Steven.)

His wedding invitation arrived the other day, and I was giddy to open it. Inside, this is what I found:

I snort laughed all the way down the hall reading it. True story. Ask Will. Someone has to be the funny one in the family because I definitely didn't get those genes! Also, the last option happens more often than I knew before having a wedding of my own.

When left to my own devices...

2011-05-17T21:25:00.001-04:00

I rip things off the wall.

Ok, let's back up a little. Here's what the bathroom looked like before:

Boring...

and builder's eggshell...

...and huge dressing room bulbs. And gigantor mirror/medicine cabinet.

Last weekend, Will had to work both days. I had to keep myself busy with something. Therefore, I decided to finally tackle the bathroom project. It involved taking the gigantor mirror medicine cabinet off of the wall. Which involved a lot of screws and hidden parts and then nearly pulled the huge thing over on top of myself. In retrospect, it probably wasn't a good idea to do this by myself, but the mirror and I made it out without injury.

Then I tackled the towel bar which was awkwardly placed and totally unnecessary out in the little sink nook. I thought a few screws would do the trick. But son of a biscuit if I don't find little idiosyncracies with this place each time we update something. These are two screws holding on the plate which were also attached behind the plaster. A lot of fussing and pulling and unscrewing later, I finally got it loose and those hulking screws out of the wall. A little putty later, we were in business.

The next part of this involves no pictures because I was too frustrated/busy/determined to bother with a camera. The first light fixture I purchased (a simple one from Home Depot), didn't work. I found yet another idiosyncracy when I discovered the junction box behind the light fixture was set too deep in the wall and the light fixture wouldn't mount to it. No matter how many work arounds I tired. And I tried a lot.

So back to the Depot I went in order to find another fixture that had a different mounting mechanism. Because nothing was certainly going to fit easily over the junction box. To my dismay, 90% of the fixtures at the Depot were just like the first. After standing in front of the lighting section for no less than 30 minutes, I finally chose one that I wasn't in love with but knew it would work on the wall.

A little struggling later (including initially centering the light fixture over the open junction box without even thinking that it might happen to be NOT centered on the wall - doh! - another idosyncracy...), it was up!

Oh yeah, and I painted the walls and ceiling in the sink nook in the dark because I wanted the color on the wall before I put up the new light fixture and mirror.

And it's up! And I actually don't hate the pendants like I thought I did.

Here's the sink nook after Saturday's adventure...

Light up, walls and ceiling (boy, that's a job that's really no fun) painted, and new hand towel hook mounted.

Doesn't Virginia look pretty on the new wall color? It's Glidden Gentle Tide, by the way.

Will came home and was pretty surprised that I did all that. Well, truthfully, I was a little surprised I did all that too.

Sunday, I picked up where I left off. I painted the ceiling and walls in the actual bathroom (where the toilet and shower live) and hung the new mirror over the sink. Again, no pictures because despite that not sounding like a lot of work, I was busy all day long.

The walls required three coats of paint. I'm not sure if it might be the type of paint on the walls before, or the finish of the paint that I got, but man, it did not want to cover evenly. I also attempted to put up a new medicine cabinet before realizing that plan was not going to work either. When I held it to the wall, it was big, and looked odd, and was definitely not going to work with the light fixture. And since the light fixture was already mounted to the wall (and functioning by some minor miracle), I certainly wasn't going to be taking that down.

At 6:30 on Sunday night, I ran to my local HomeGoods, which lucky for me is only a few miles away, to pick up a simple framed mirror to go above the sink. And the medicine cabinet is sitting in the back of my car waiting to be returned to the Depot.

Here's the result! It looks like it's just plain brown, but it's got a bit of a metallic finish on it. And the look through the curtain...

And again! I think I'm going to either stain or paint the actual vanity a darker color to go with the mirror. I was concerned how it would look in comparison with the bedroom which has lighter/medium colored wood and white accents. I actually really like the distinctions. It's a really nice contrast with the lighter paint and darker wood.

I don't have a shot of the old fixture (that was actually switched out a while ago), but it looked somethign like a clear raspberry. Five dollars later...

This is the story how I painted the entire bathroom and sink nook, removed and replaced the light fixture and mirror, and changed out the ugly towel bar for a more attractive one. I am SO SORE from it all too. Sore muscles and a few bruises are worth it though. I am so pleased with the way it turned out.

But if you come to my house, you are not allowed to look above the light fixture (where I didn't quite cover the open junction box) or behind the toilet tank (that I didn't remove and therefore didn't paint behind) or behind the mirror ( where you might find a few unnecessary nail and drill holes).

Acceptance

2011-05-10T20:45:00.000-04:00

I wrote here almost two months ago about my nerves on being accepted to grad school at George Mason. Well, after several agonizing weeks of waiting for my decision to arrive in the mail, it finally showed up. Will called while I was still at work to let me know I had a letter from a guy named George waiting for me at home. It had been one of those weeks at work, and I was already really stressed out. When I got home and was ready to open it, I forewarned him that there was no way I could handle rejection in my already emotional state.

Luckily, it wasn't a rejection.

It was a huge relief to know that even though I'd placed all my eggs in one basket, everything was going to work out just fine. (I was going to make a joke about a chicken hatching or something, but that just sounded weird.) So, in August I'll start my four semester long program and dedicate more than every other weekend for 15 months straight to earning my masters degree.

That was pretty awesome. Then I got a letter in the mail today saying that I'd been awarded a scholarship for nearly half of my total tuition. And I nearly fell off the couch.

So, while the committment may be killer, Will and I are only going to be on the hook for a small amount of my total tuition bill. That's a huge help since we'll hopefully be looking to buy the doggies a yard (with a house attached) next year.

I'm breathing a little easier now. Thank goodness.

Making a Canvas Headboard

2011-05-04T22:08:00.000-04:00

Let's start with a little before, shall we? Here's what the bed looked like about three hours ago. Well, after a whole lot of staples and a little bit of work, I'm proud to announce what I think is a major upgrade. All for about $50.

Headboards can make a bed look immensely more put together and formal. You can buy plenty of them in wooden or upholstered frames. For a king sized bed, you'd be looking at an investment of at least $450. Plenty of others have made headboards from a piece of plywood, foam, batting, and fabric. However, as mentioned, we have a king sized bed. I drive a Nissan Altima. Bringing that home from Home Depot woudl have been a little awkward. Not to mention, I have no idea where I would actually assemble something like that in our condo. And plywood is a little pricey.

First, I started with eight 16"x20" canvases which I found buy one get one free in double packs from Michaels (total $20)...

One sheet of extra thick twin sized batting which was about $15 with a coupon from Joann's. (Abby was helping...)

A yard of gray linen fabric which cost about $10 and LOTS of staples. First, I stapled on the batting to give the canvases a little more depth and substance. Then I repeated the same with the fabric around them.

Then, I measured out my edges to leave the headboard hanging over two inches on each side. I used my level to draw a line all the way across, then I started putting nails in the wall. I've talked before about how good my hanging can be, so I was really pleased that I put every single one of the nails in place the first time without needing to remove and put them back in. Here's what it looked like after I got the top row on. Abby, still helping.

Then I did the exact same thing on the bottom. They fit together perfectly, and I love the way it looks! Not bad for $50 and two hours of work! You might notice if you compare this with the picture above that I did move the mirror over slightly. Turns out, I didn't hang that centered the first time, but I didn't notice it until I had a center line running down the bed.

Looks more substantial than a few one inch canvases, don't you think?

While this was a bit time consuming, it was a really easy project, and definitely easier to manage than a huge piece of plywood! The only problem now is that when we move out, there are 24 nail holes behind the headboard which will need to be patched and repainted. But we'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

The Bedroom, Actually Revealed

2011-04-23T14:50:00.001-04:00

After I unintentionally turned a reveal post into a teaser, I figured I should probably pretty quickly turn around the photos of our "new" bedroom. Before the new pictures, let's take a look back at the room before. Here was the old queen sized bed, the mirror which was moved from the living room, two mismatched lamps, and the builder's eggshell paint on the walls. And two beagles on the bed. (Yes, those are storage boxes and suitcases under the bed.)

The other side of the room. Pretty blah.

And now for the grand reveal! Ta-da!

Let's start with the new bedding that got brought into the room:

-The new Simmons king sized mattress, box spring and frame - $1050 (including tax and delivery!)

-Down comforter, Ikea - $50

-Duvet cover and shams, Ikea - $50

-Two king sized pillows, Ikea - $20

-Two Laura Ashley king sized pillows, Home Goods - $25

-DKNY Sheets from HomeGoods - $40

-Blue and coral Euro pillow cover, clearance from Bed, Bath & Beyond - $10

Thanks to an Ikea birthday giftcard for my birthday from my wonderful in-laws, the comforter, duvet, and pillows were free!

Now for the other stuff added around the bed...

-Blue lamps, Ross - $30 each

-Decorative mirror (originally black, spray painted white with paint already owned), HomeGoods - $30

Here's another angle of the room. Here, you can see the new beginning of our frame gallery, curtains previously hung, Will's mom's old rocker, and the Indian blanket from my parents thrown over the back of it. Oh, and to the left of the large armoire...

I made my own art. I needed something on the other side of the armoire/TV to balance the space. So, I found some fabric I liked (kinda pricey at $29/yard, but I still have a bunch of fabric that may get worked into a couple of pillows) and two blank canvases on clearance at Ross for $6. A staple gun and fifteen minutes later, voila.

Gallery walls seem to be very en vogue right now with home improvement bloggers, but I love pictures, and love showing off A LOT of them. The main frame is filled with pictures of me and my dad that my mom made long ago.I got some coral colored paint from Home Depot and painted the old frame to update it. Most of the frames were bought at Target for under $10 each.

The exception is the one on the lower left side of the frame that has close-ups of the dogs. That I found at Goodwill for $1.97. It was a Pottery Barn frame that had likely never been used. The wooden mats were green and blue, so I just used the coral paint to change that.

Rough cost for the whole gallery wall including the frames, printing pictures, and paint, about $50.

And finally, over the dresser (to the right of the armoire/TV if that's not clear). The mirror was the one previously hung above the bed. It got a shot of white spray paint to the frame. The lamp, which I love, was found at Ikea for $50 but free after my aforementioned gift card.

Total cost of bedroom update: $1,470. (I'm considering the paint "free" since I bought it so long ago. Something about sunk costs...) Subtracting things purchased by gift card, $1,300. Not bad considering that includes an entirely new king sized bed!

I am really pleased with the way it has turned out. I have some plans to make a headboard, possibly tomorrow. The only other thing I'll continue to think about is adding more to the gallery wall and possibly updating our dressers and night stands with some paint/stain.

The Evolution of a Bedroom

2011-04-21T21:55:00.002-04:00

So, I took a little hiatus there. Unintentionally. My bad.

I'm back with the grand reveal on a little teaser I threw out the last time I blogged, oh, three weeks ago. Hopefully you figured out that this was a paint chip. We painted. On a whim. The entire bedroom.

I have been saying for a long time now that I've neglected working on our bedroom like I have the rest of the condo because no one else sees it. When we have friends over, we shut the bedroom doors, and that's it. Then, when we decided it was out with the old, uncomfortable queen sized bed and in with Russell, Will wisely said that if we were going to paint the bedroom, now (err... two weeks ago) was the perfect time. The bed was out of the room for a few days, and we could simply scoot everything else to the middle of the room and paint around it. So at 6:30 on a Sunday night we began, and we finished the next day after work.

So after about seven hours of taping, trimming, and painting, the walls were covered in Behr's Elephant Skin, paint I had bought, no joke, around 10 months ago with the intention to do this a long time ago. And I love it. I was a little nervous that the gray was going to be way too dark, but the room is huge and with some of the new accessories, it feels really balanced and relaxing.

I have every intention of showing the rest of the room, actually finished, unfortunately, I just killed my camera, so it's going to have to wait. Here, however, is a bit of the inspiration that helped create the room:

From Urban Farmhouse

From the House of Turquoise

From Martha Stewart

More later. And in less than three weeks. I swear.

New man in the house

2011-04-06T22:14:00.000-04:00

There's a new man around here. Meet Russell.

The beagles have already become quite familiar with him. Russell is our new mattress. Our new KING size mattress.

On a whim I told Will we should name him. He said Russell because we have a Simmons mattress and Russell Simmons was one of two famous Simmons he knew. And sleeping on Gene Simmons would be kinda creepy.

I'm pretty happy about having Russell around. I'm hoping to be even more happy in about eight hours.

Going to the Zoo?

2011-04-04T10:53:00.001-04:00

We're cooking up a little project at home right now. Full details when it's finished. A little hint though, it involves some of this:

Stay tuned for all the details! I'm really excited about this one.

Knobby

2011-03-30T21:41:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned, my parents visited this weekend. I've talked before about my dad being super handy. He is. Luckily, he could help out with our little door fiasco. Mom is also really great about organizing and arranging things, so she usually has some good inspiration for making things around here pretty.

While I love my beagles, sometimes they do bad things. Very bad things. Like this:

That's what happens when one very anxiety ridden beagle gets out of his crate and tries to escape a closed door. He tears it to pieces. Thanks, Jack.

Luckily, Mitch happens to be handy with doors. So now, it looks like this:

MUCH better.

I have also been wanting to do something about the mis-matched door knobs in the condo. A few were silver or brushed nickel, but most of them were, "Hello, I came from the 70s," gold. So, while we were at Home Depot picking up the new door, I picked up seven new knobs for our place. And then I decided while we were at it, the pulls on the bi-fold doors covering the guest room closet, linen closet, and laundry nook should go from gold to nickel as well.

Voila. Had I realized how much of a difference $10 door knobs and $2 pulls could make, I would have done this a long time ago. Not to mention how easy this was! Unscrew a couple things, rescrew a couple things, and BAM. New doors.

While painting the new door, I figured since I already had the trim paint out, I might as well go ahead and finish painting the trim. So I did that too. Whew. I'm tired again recapping it all.

Thanks, Mom nd Mitch for all your help. Couldn't have done it without you!!

To Do

2011-03-22T22:16:00.000-04:00

My parents are visiting this weekend. (Hi, Mom! Hi, Mitch!) When they come in town, I feel the obsessive need to clean every square inch of our condo. It's not that I fear judgement, but my kept a meticulously clean house when I was growing up. And, I know this will come as a shock to her, but I've actually started trending that way as well. Mom, I've even started making the bed almost every day. I KNOW.

I was out of town last weekend, so I'm behind on my normal cleaning routine. Therefore, this list is pretty extensive. Not to mention, things like the guest bathtub don't get cleaned much for lack of use.

This list includes everything from typical dusting and vacuuming to things like taking old patio furniture to Goodwill and cleaning out a cooler that I discovered still contained leftovers from a football tailgate in the fall. Gross. Luckily, the hubs is helping as well, so it's not terribly overwhelming. And he's dusting for me. I hate dusting.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

2011-03-17T20:57:00.000-04:00

Recently, I've found myself obsessed with mirrors. I think part of it is we only have windows on one side of the condo, and the mirrors help give the other walls a false sense of light. You remember the recent hallway project and my decorative mirror from HomeGoods. Prior to that, I actually picked up this one at Goodwill for about eight bucks. Yeah. Eight smackaroos for this big sucker.

If you've ever shopped for mirrors of a decent size, you know that eight dollars is crazy cheap. It's a decent size, but I'd envisioned something more substantial for this space. When I first bought it, I also had thoughts of painting it something other than the faux silvery-gold it is now. However, I think it's going to be transplanted into our bedroom and left in the same color. At least for now. And now, what took its place...

I found this mirror on a discount home website. Stick around to the end of the post, and I'll let you in on the deals as well! It's a Howard Elliott Collection mirror, which didn't mean much to me until I googled the name (looking for reviews) and found that it retails for over $400. !!!!!! No way would I pay that much for a mirror, but it was on sale for $100, and I had some store credit to go towards the balance. All in all, it came out to be just over $80 (including shipping) for a 48"x24" mirror framed beautifully in natural looking wood.

I particularly like the slightly inconsistent wood in the mirror. We have at least three wood finishes in the living room, and I think it helps tie it together. After three tries to hang it level (I measured multiple times prior to putting nails in the wall, I swear), I am really pleased with the way it looks on the wall. It's more proportionate to the very long wall, and the thick wooden frame really helps break up ALL of the tan on that side of the room.

So what do you think? Want in on cheap home decor deals too? Check out The Foundary by following this link: http://www.thefoundary.com/invite/christinalmcnally I love it.

Now off to rehang the Goodwill mirror in our bedroom....

Without a Back-up Plan

2011-03-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

When I was a junior in high school, I began looking at colleges. I had received mailings from every conceivable school in the midwest and a few from farther away (Colorado School of Mines, anyone?). I visited three schools, and only considered two seriously. When it came down to it, I applied to one and didn't even consider not getting in. To be honest, it wasn't really a gamble given Iowa gave you a formula that equaled guaranteed admission.

I submitted my grad school application yesterday to George Mason. Again, without a back-up. This time, however, there's no guarantee that I'll get in.

Yikes.

To be honest, I'm fairly confident that I'll get in. I'm less confident they'll provide me with any merit based scholarship to help cover the cost of tuition. Luckily for me, I have a company who is pitching in a bit and a husband who is willing to help pay for more of my education expenses and fully supportive of my endeavor. It is fairly accurate to say that I will be pretty nervous until I get that acceptance letter.

So, here's to crossing my fingers and hoping the essay that took me two weeks to pull together 750 words doesn't completely suck.

Licking the Bowl

2011-02-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

I come from a long line of cooks. I was lucky enough to have a family who fully appreciates home cooked meals, and I'm now getting to begin that tradition with our own little family. Some of my favorite memories are in my grandparents' kitchen, standing on a chair pulled up to the counter "helping". Recently, Pepaw (my grandfather) told me I was actually quite a good cinnamon roll roller. One thing we always did as kids when there was baking going on was licking the bowl.

I know that in today's hypochondriac society, licking the bowl where raw eggs are present is frowned upon. But hey, I'm 26 years old, and it hasn't hurt me yet. Licking the bowl is still one of my favorite parts of baking. In particular, my favorite batter to lick is banana bread.

I've grown up on this banana bread, and now when we have excess bananas, they get repurposed into this yummy treat. Because I'm not really a food blogger, I of course forgot to take pictures of the process. It is baking now, and it smells delectable. So, in case you have bananas turning black, here's a time-honored recipe to give them a little help.

Mom's Banana Bread
-1 stick of butter
-1 1/4 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-5 large over-ripe bananas, mashed well
-2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter. Add sugar to the butter. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Combine flour, salt and soda in a separate bowl. Add to sugar mixture. Stir in pecans. Spray bundt pan and pour in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool, cut, and enjoy!

What 22 Drill Holes Gets You

2011-02-25T18:55:00.000-05:00

Over the course of the last year, I've become fairly handy. I've stripped and replaced caulk in the bathtub, replaced a kitchen faucet, painted, cleared a faulty AC drain, and other home improvement tasks. For the bigger, more challenging things, I enlisted the help of my fantastic (and incredibly handy) dad. He grew up on a farm. He built an entire bathroom in our house in Iowa. So, I figured asking him to patch the holes Jack put in the drywall and putting a couple of sliding doors back on their tracks was cake for him. So while Mom and I finished all our last minute wedding details, he was here in our condo making it more of a home for us.

He's also the one who I consistently call when I'm starting or in the middle of a project and can't figure it out myself. I can't count the number of times during the kitchen faucet install that I called or sent a picture message as an SOS while on my back underneath our sink and completely stumped on what to do. It's also fairly handy when I'm in the middle of the plumbing aisle at Home Depot and I can't find any of those guys in the orange aprons around to figure out which one of the 132,209 plumbing pieces I need.

Today happens to be his birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MITCH!! I love you, and I appreciate every single time you offer advice or fix something for me. PS, I may have a few things for you when you visit next month. :)

I distinctly remember one of the first times my parents visited after I'd moved to DC permanently after college. We went to Sears (and I can't even remember why now). I decided while killing time that I should probably buy a drill. Just because. So, after walking through the drill aisle and analyzing the pros and cons of all of them, he helped me select my drill, my first and only power tool. As we were walking out of the store, he put his arm around me and told me it was the proudest moment of his life.

I have put that drill to lots of good work. Well, I've put it to work. Not always good. I may have been able to successfully switch out a kitchen faucet, but I am terrible when it comes to hanging curtains. Last weekend, I decided I was finally going to switch out the ugly 80s curtain in our bedroom and replace it with one I'd purchased about a year ago (not kidding). I also wanted to do something to help out another part of our bedroom.

The curtains were relatively painless. I only had to redrill once after I realized that I'd measured incorrectly. Four drill holes necessary, six put in the wall. Not too bad.

This is a terrible picture, I know. The lighting in our bedroom is attrocious, and this was taken after 5PM.

Then I turned my focus to the other side of the room. Our master suite has what I like to call a hotel bathroom in it. The sink is outside of the little room that houses the toilet and shower in a little nook off of the bedroom. If we were going to be here long term, I'd want to rip out the wall between them and close the whole thing off for a bigger bathroom. But alas, we're hoping to give the beagles a yard in the not terribly distant future, so we just needed something to make it functional while we're here. The problem with our little hotel bathroom is if one of us gets up earlier than the other and starts getting ready, the bathroom light shines through the bedroom reducing the chance you'll actually be able to fall back to sleep. I decided that a think curtain hung from the outside of the nook would serve as a light barrier.

This all seemed well and good until I went to actually hang the curtains and the rod came crashing down. There isn't a single stud on the wall that I could find and trying to hang the rod without anchors to the screws was not working. But I sure did try. Before I gave up on the first rod, I drilled a few more holes to see if maybe I could just anchor it a little better. None of those new holes worked. After a few not nice words, I gave up. I patched all the screw holes and set my mind to go to Target the next day for a new rod. At the time, I figured the problem was just that my current curtain rod was too heavy. It was, but it probably could have been saved if I'd just used the anchors. So, the next day, with a new curtain rod acquired (which had anchors included in the package), I put my mind back to hanging the hotel bathroom separator. After sanding the patched holes down, I measured, redrilled and hung the new rod. Voila. Success!

I don't love it, but it's functional and I think an upgrade. What I'd really like to do is paint the nook and bathroom a different color from the main bedroom to create the illusion of a separate room. One day. When I pick back up my paint brush. And yes, that's Jack chewing a bone on the bottom of the photo.

Here's a look from the side into the nook. The picture hanging is an old map of Virginia that I picked up at a local farmer's market.

There you have it. Just don't ask me to hang your curtains for you.

The Hallway Project

2011-02-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday I decided I was going to paint the trim around the doors in the living room. You see, beginning with the renovation of our building into condos, the edges of the door trim has been painted the color of the walls. Not good. They're finally white again.

While I had the painting stuff out, I decided I'd just go ahead and finish the hallway which I was neglected in the last painting go-round. With all the trimming that had to be done (base boards, ceiling, three doors), it ended up taking longer than I anticipated. However, it is now done!

Today, I dropped by HomeGoods (seriously, love that place) after work and picked up the finishing touch for the halway transformation. I already introduced the beagle shrine, but here you can see it in action again.

The wall color in this picture is kinda off. It's more true to life in the next pictures. But here's the halway as it is now!

I'd say this is actually pretty close to what the wall color looks like. Here's the new HomeGoods mirror. We already had a lot of photos up on the wall, so I wanted something a litle different. This area doesn't get any natural light, so I''m hoping the mirror will bring a little light back here. The one thing I'm not specifically pleased with is the mirror doesn't exactly hang level. I spent ten minutes at first trying to make it level. And I've straightened it every time I've passed it. Type A much?

Here's a close-up.

Now that the hallway is done, the next painting projects are the guest bedroom and guest bath. I want a slightly darker khaki that coordinates with the hallway color. However, I don't want to touch a paint brush any time soon again.

This goes without saying...

2011-02-12T10:45:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I made a public acknowledgement that we are crazy beagle people. If that wasn't evident already around the condo, we've just made it that way.

Enter what I am lovingly calling the "beagle shrine".

This is the wall between our two bedrooms. There's absolutely no natural light back here, so excuse the ultra florescent lit photo. This is now our beagle shrine.

Those who followed our wedding blog, might recognize the Jack and Abby pen renderings drawn by my brother-in-law, Colin. The two new pieces were found on Etsy. The one in the lower left corner is a dictionary page with a beagle over the top of it. The top right picture, my favorite, is a play on the classic "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster which was originally produced by the British government during WWII in order to help assuage its citizens' fears of invasion.

Overall, it did take me a while to measure and hang everything in order to get the lines pretty even. I like the look of the even borders, but I can already tell you that keeping those pictures straight is going to drive me nuts. I originally thought I'd spray paint the two brown frames around Colin's drawings black once the weather warms up, but I don't actually hate the mixed frame look. We'll see.

So, there it is. The new tribute to our babies.

On Ambition

2011-02-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

I'm pausing the recent theme on home decor. I feel like since that's now mostly what I read about on my favorite blogs, it's what I should be doing here as well. But, let's be honest. No one is ever going to follow me because I have seriously innovative and interesting home decor ideas. Just ask anyone who has seen our bedroom.

Back before this little blog got abandoned for a wedding, I'd posted a couple things about my job and future career ambitions. The week we got engaged, I began a new job. I'd gone through a really rough period at my previous employer which ultimately resulted in my resignation and new career venture. I've now been there for nearly a year and a half, and I am still very happy. However, I always had dreamed of going back to school and eventually teaching.

I'm not totally sure that a Ph.D. is ever in my future, but I am going back to school. Well, that is if they let me in. Actually, I'm not really concerned about admission, per se. Acquiring any scholarship money due to having the GRE weigh heavily on that criteria, however, is another story. The GRE isn't even considered as part of the admission criteria. If I want any scholarship money though, it's mandatory.

Let's be honest. I hated geometry when I took it eleven years ago. I probably like it even worse now that I'm being forced to relearn it (on deminishing brain retention) only to be allowed to forget it in a few weeks because IT DOES NOT MATTER. Since I'm so disintrested in the material, I've found myself becoming busy with ten other things before I sit down to study. The house is cleaner and more projects are done.

In a week, the test will be over, and it's just a waiting game from there. I think more than anything what I've come to realize is that the older I get, the less I know what I want to do. I'm figuring it out as I go, but as long as I'm happy in the meantime, that's alright with me.

An early spring indoors

2011-02-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

I love flowers. I am looking forward to one day having an outdoor garden where I can make them grow and constantly enjoy them. I hope that along with her bad joints, Mom passed down her green thumb to me. In the meantime, I have a few indoor house plants that I haven't managed to kill yet and a few colorful blooms that occassionally show up in a vase for me.

While I love flowers, I generally think that florists prices are ridiculous. Having just planned a wedding and after nearly suffering a breakdown at traditional florist prices, we got all of our flowers from a grocery store. They were beautiful, and they were half the price. I often follow suit when I'm out doing regular grocery shopping and pick up a couple of bunches of flowers on my way out. Our local store generally has them for $4 per bunch.

Imagine my happiness when I come home on my birthday, and my wonderful husband has done the same. He showed up with pink, red, and white Gerber daisies (some of my favorites). I trimmed and stuck them in a vase before we attempted to venture out into the thundersnow. I was sadly disappointed when a couple days later, the red and white ones were severely drooping. I've always had problems with getting my Gerbers to stand up for very long - I guess the stem is just really weak.

However, instead of just chucking those red and white beauties, I decided to try something else. As a wedding gift, we'd gotten a big, beautiful glass bowl that's been filled with various decorative filler as a centerpiece on the table. I emptied the bowl and filled it with water. Then I snipped all those unsubstantial stems off and laid them atop the water. The pink ones which seemed to be doing ok on the stems were snipped shorter and put in a smaller vase by themselves. The results? Beautiful.

Pretty good, huh? They're starting to wilt a bit, but they've been alive for well over a week now. Pretty good for $12 of grocery store flowers. Thanks, hubs!

Home is where your beagles are

2011-01-30T19:39:00.000-05:00

Will and I often refer to ourselves as "crazy beagle people". I think most pet-owners are generally a little crazy about their pets. We are certainly no exception. We often ask ourselves what we did before we got the dogs. Now we spend our evenings playing with the dogs, talking to the dogs, talking about the dogs, or talking for the dogs (yes, you read that correctly).

So unsurprisingly, when I changed our mini chalkboard message the other day, it included something related to Jack and Abby.

This little chalkboard was a quick project I did last year. It used to be a picture frame, but I dropped it and shattered the glass. Opposed to chucking the whole thing, I bought a pint of chalkboard paint from Home Depot and painted the back of the frame. I initially did two coats, but it could probably use another coat or two.

Once the weather warms up, I'm planning to spray paint the frame itself. It's a little beat up from suffering multiple falls at my hand. This little chalkboard brings a little fun into our kitchen without being at all permanent. If you find yourself with a photo frame with no purpose, this is a cheap, easy project you can do in under an hour.

The Den/Sitting Room/Library

2011-01-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

Our condo has a semi-open floor plan in the main living area. We can see both the dining room and den from the living room which is why choosing a paint color that went with the existing green in those rooms was so important. To be honest, we rarely use those other two rooms. We do most of our living and eating and TV watching and hanging out in the living room. It's made decorating and figuring out a function for the den a little challenging.

This is when I wish I had a "before" picture of what the den looked like before I moved in. I really don't have any recollection of what used to be in there or how it was arranged. I do recall moving some furniture around and a vauge memory of the dining table being there at one point. Now, it mostly serves as a place to store books and dog toys and doubles as an extra guest room when we're housing a lot of people.

When my mom was visiting earlier in the fall, we did a bit of rearranging which including moving furniture back and forth and then back again to finally end up in this configuration:

Futon: Ikea (in bad need of a steam on the front of it... aye, those wrinkles!)

Pillows and canvas: Bed, Bath & Beyond

Side table: Vintage NY Giants table complete with miniature playing field under the glass, heirloom and awaiting its placement in the future man cave

Those are our diplomas/certifications on the walls on the side. Mostly, they're Will's. I can claim one.

And the plethora of dog toys somewhat contained in the basket to the left of the futon.

When we were rearranging, Mom mentioned that we should create a little reading nook in the corner of the room. It just seemed really empty with nothing there. Last week, I picked up this guy from World Market. Like most of our furniture, it was assembly required, but surprisingly easy to put together. I'm very pleased with the results.

Pillow from Home Goods.

Beagle from BREW.

As previously mentioned, the previous rugs had more than a mild dose of doggy accidents. I didn't want to purchase two new fancy rugs, so this Ikea rug became the replacement in the other room. I don't love the way it looks with the tone of our wood floors, but it was $40. If I get tired of it in a year, I won't feel particularly bad. You can also see in this picture (taken a few weeks ago) the way the corner looked before the chair was inserted.

I'm pretty pleased with the way the room looks now, but the most use this room sees is when we roll around with the dogs. Do you have a "useless" room? What do you do to put more function into the space you have?

Accidents

2011-01-27T09:27:00.001-05:00

When you have two beagle children, one of whom was taught that peeing inside the house was ok for the first year of her life, accidents happen. She has gotten so much better since we first brought her home (when accidents were a multiple-times-per-day occurrence).

When we bought the new rug, I only was willing to do so because I thought she was mostly past this phase. Imagine my horror the other day when Will says, "Christina, I think someone had an accident over here [on the new rug]." It was definitely an accident, but you could barely see it on the rug. Turns out those colored wheels are going to be a huge help in hiding stains.

We also discovered that the accident was dry and therefore a day or more old. At this point, I was discouraged because the old, set-in stains usually spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e for trying to get them out completely. After a series of blotting, spraying, and praying, the carpet tried and that stain is now no longer visible at all. That rug handled the stain like a champ, which made me EXTREMELY happy as it will inevitably not be the last we have to clean.

Thank you, Crate & Barrel. You've done it again.

State of the Family (McNally version)

2011-01-25T19:04:00.000-05:00

With the President's State of the Union address tonight, I thought I'd write a State of the Family for us since we've had a pretty big year.

-----

2010 brought us many changes. Some sad and difficult, but mostly, we were blessed with more than we deserved. We've navigated health issues, family, finances, and career challenges. But we've done it together.

Most importantly, this was the year we ceased to exist as only individuals and formed our own family. We have each other to lean on and co-parent the beagles. The coming of 2010 tax return season let's us capitalize on our newly formed DINK (dual income no kids) status, which husband is very excited about. The beagles are especially glad we're married as they are no longer little bastard doggies.

Speaking of the beagles, at the beginning of 2010, Jack was an only child. Abby came to our home through a semi-impulsive decision. Abby, I know you have struggled with potty training. You have come a long way from multiple accidents per day, and I know 2011 will be a less accident-filled year.

Jack, you have learned to tolerate Abby and maybe even love her some. You're willingness to allow her to snuggle up next to you every night shows just how good of a big brother you are. Next year, we'll work on sharing bones and toys.

We may not be parents to more than beagles at this point, but Will had the joy of having goddaughter Evelyn May born last spring.

We've supported family members through two bouts of cancer (both now in remission!!), one hip replacement, one knee surgery, one elbow surgery, and multiple hospitalizations. We are proud to say that together, we have overcome it all.

Baby brothers Steven and Colin had major accomplishments this year. Steven has a flourishing photography business and caught the marriage bug, asking long-time girlfriend Sam to be his wife. Colin's work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to recoveries.

We continue to be blessed by the unconditional support of our wonderful parents and grandparents.

We cruised the clear Adriatic Sea and toured Prague's cathedrals. We traveled to the Outer Banks, NC; Blacksburg, VA; Iowa City, IA; and Paris, TN. We came back to Arlington and have made our home here.

2011 will no doubt hold even greater events. We have already gained our first doggy niece and are looking forward to gaining a sister in July. Who knows what else will come our way?

The State of the McNally Family is wonderful.

Money and Marriage

2011-01-23T18:45:00.000-05:00

One of the main sources of intra-marital disputes is money. Will and I are very different in this regard too. He is extremely responsible with his money. While he uses it for the things he wants, he does so in moderation and has saved to make his life better in the future. I've not always been great with money. I probably buy too many pairs of shoes and replace my dogs' collars more often than they need to be because a new one would be cute. My 401K is well-tended, but my savings account isn't terribly meaty.

I joke with Will that in the money portion of our marriage he got the short end of the stick. He owns a condo, has no car payment, and no student loan debt. I own no real estate, am indebted to Nissan for my vehicle, and came out of college with quite a few thousand dollars of student loans.

One of the first things Will wanted to do once we got married was pay off my student loans. He transfered money from savings that HE had saved in order to pay off my education. My good bonus this year and more of his own saved money helped us get rid of it completely. Today I hit the send button for the final payment on my student loans.

This is just one example why I feel so humbled and honored to have him as my husband. I feel so fortunate and unworthy that he give the money he'd saved to pay off my loans. He didn't even think twice about it. He's teaching me to be better with money, but he doesn't scold me when I come home with a new pair of shoes after an afternoon of shopping with my girlfriends.

I am so thankful to have him as my husband. We've been married for just over five months, but I know already how lucky I am. Will, I love you. Thank you.

On the Walls

2011-01-16T18:29:00.001-05:00

Putting paint on the walls has been on my long term to-do list. I finally gathered up enough gumption to put that desire into action. Last week, I decided to give several colors a test drive. I wanted to make sure it would look good on every wall and in all lights. Therefore, the walls stayed like this for several days. You can now pick up mini paint samples at Home Depot and try out colors without having to commit to the larger quantities. I picked up four I thought I liked from the swatches.

Here, from left to right, Behr's Mochaccino, Glidden's Whispering Wheat, Glidden's Tawny Birch, and Behr's Safari Vest.

I ruled out the outer two right away for being too dark. After a few hours, I was set on the Whispering Wheat. It was just enough color to distinguish the walls from the builder's egg shell white which had been on half of them and light enough that it wouldn't compete with the couches and green from the other rooms.

I ended up having it color matched to Behr's Premium Plus because I wanted a no or low VOC paint. They're better for your health and the environment, but a big plus with painting in the winter, they don't have the typical paint smell which make you want to open all the windows to air out the room (not really a possibility when it's 25 degrees out). Then we taped, trimmed, and rolled. Here's an in-process shot with all of the furnishings moved away from the walls or moved into the other room.

Painting took longer than I thought it would. The living room is a good size - maybe 20 x 14. The walls required two coats to cover the darker color (Will called it brown. I called it orange.). Everything is done now and put back in place. I'm very happy with the results.

Before the grand reveal, here's what the walls looked like before:

And here's what they look like now...

I especially like the way it compliments the green in the adjoining rooms. It's much more cohesive than before.

The original plan was to continue the color down the hallway (at the right of this picture). I realized that the laundry nook and linen closet, covered by bi-fold doors would pose a bit more of a problem than I was prepared to deal with. The bi-folds don't sit completely flush with the walls. I'd have to figure out if I was going to paint inside them or just deal with the contrast.

PS - Did you notice Jack walking around on the new rug? I'll have some more pics of the new rug as well as what happened to the one in the den as well.

Back in Action

2011-01-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

After four years of solid posting to this blog, I took a nine month hiatus to get married. To be fair, I still did my fair share of posting over on this site: Here Comes the Blog. (To read about the entire wedding planning process and wedding, I'd recommend checking it out.) So, now I'm married. With beagles. (as the title would suggest...)

We've been married for nearly five months, and we're pretty settled into a routine at this point. I'm loving being a part-time homemaker. I know I will probably slap myself for saying that in a few years when we have kids, but for now, it's a nice little gig. I've done a good amount of cooking using all of our awesome, new kitchen gadgets courtesy of the wedding registry. I've also done my fair share of sprucing up our condo.

I suppose by "we're pretty settled into a routine..." I should clarify. Mostly, Will comes home and discovers that I've moved something. Or switched out the lamp shades. Or added something new to the walls. (Ok, to be fair, he doesn't always notice these things.) He has been so gracious to let me come into his home - he did buy it way back before he knew I was going to trick him into marrying me and have my beagles - and change pretty much anything that I want. His bachelor pad decorated in sports memoribilia and signs of being Irish as turned into a nice little home for us with real, adult decorations. I wish I'd taken "before" pictures because it really does look vastly different than it did even six months ago.

On that topic, I've been looking for new rugs to replace the two that are a little bit of an awkward color with the rest of the furnishings, not terribly cushy, and have unfortunately been stained repeatedly by poor Abby who didn't know until she was a year old and came to live with us that doggies must pee outside. I've stalked West Elm, Overstock, Target, Pottery Barn, Ikea, and of course my favorite Crate & Barrel repeatedly for several months. I have fallen in love with some and fallen back out of love after seeing the price tag. Imagine my surprise when I happened over to Crate & Barrel to browse again and saw this bad boy on sale for HALF PRICE.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the C&B Zumi Rug in ivory. It's mostly neutral with just the right color pops to help pull our semi-open floor plan together. I've been trying to figure out how to blend the green from one room with the blue from the other, and this does it quite nicely. It will go in our living room with the camel colored couches and brown and baby blue accents. I ended up getting a rug swatch from the store because I was concerned how it would look with our light colored hardwoods and the couches. I feared it would be too much tan/beige. But no. It is perfect.

So, after a 10% discount for completing our registry online (I added it to the registry right before I purchased), Zumi is ours for about $180 for the 6'x9' version.

I'll post pictures once it arrives, but needless to say, I am excited.

Our growing family

2010-03-26T18:03:00.000-04:00

At the end of February, Will and I added a new member to our family.

This is Abby. She is precious.

We decided to pursue another adoption in order to give Jack a canine companion. Even though his separation anxiety had waned, he still was nervous when we left him. Plus, he loved the other dogs at the dog park, so why wouldn't he love a live-in companion?

This was taken the first day we brought Abby home. You can see that our plan to make them BFFs totally backfired.

We never thought we could have a more loving dog than Jack, but Abby is just that. She gives just as many kisses and loves to be snuggled up close. Her favorite place to be is underneath the covers snuggled right up next to a person.

We got Abby through the same beagle rescue association through which we got Jack. She is definitely beagle, but we think she is part Vizsla. She is way more energetic than Jack (who we're pretty sure is all beagle), has similar colorings and coat composition to the Vizsla, and she exhibits some of the typical Vizsla behavioral characteristics. See the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizsla The kicker for me is that they are "self-cleaning." She does not smell like a typical dog ever. We've noticed that from the beginning and just joked that it was because she was a girl.

Beagle or Vizsla... it doesn't really matter what she is. We love her so much already.

Just when we thought Snowpocalypse v.2 was over...

2010-02-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

Issued by The National Weather Service
Baltimore/Washington, MD
3:04 pm EST, Mon., Feb. 8, 2010

... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE... SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS... 10 TO 20 INCHES.

* TIMING... MID-AFTERNOON TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

* TEMPERATURES... TEMPERATURES NEAR FREEZING AT THE ONSET TUESDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

* WINDS... LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS TUESDAY BECOMING NORTHWESTERLY 15 TO 25 MPH WEDNESDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. THE COMBINATION OF SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS.

You have GOT to be kidding me!!

Chronicling the Snowpocalypse (live updates until it's over)

2010-02-05T14:48:00.005-05:00

Before the snow. Salt trucks have driven by twice to salt the road. Before the snow started. Helloo, overkill.

Before shots. There's probably 3 inches on the ground already in some places from last weekend and Tuesday night's snow.

--
Snow began 10:32AM (or at least that was the first time I saw it).

First flakes falling. Light dusting and hard to tell.

--
1:39PM. It's coming down more heavily now. Snow doesn't appear to be sticking to much except maybe the snow that was already on the ground. The cars do have a thin film of snow over them, but there's nothing on the road.

--
2:32PM. This is the first time I've looked outside (working from home and my desk sits right up next to a window) and have noticed the snow sticking to things. The trees look gorgeous, but the road is still mostly clear. IT should be at least from the double coat of salt it got this morning.

Here it comes...

--
3:41PM. Rigged a high tech snow reader. No yard stick? No problem. Find a 2x6 in the basement and mark off inches.

There was probably almost 2 inches on the ground or slightly accumulated on here.

--
4:49PM. Another snow measurement with the handy dandy measuring stick.

Nearing in on 3".

--
9:00PM. First time I dug out. It's a heavy snow, very dense. My back hurts. Will be popping advil shortly.

It's really coming down now. Nearing in on 8" according to the handy dandy measuring stick. I'm expecting at least another 8" by the time I check it again in the morning.

Day 1 of Snowpocalypse 2010 is coming to a close. Reports are it's supposed to continue all day tomorrow.

Day 2 of the Snowpocalypse 2010. Woke up around 8:30. It's still snowing. Pics are from 8:39AM.

The high tech snow measuring device measures around 18" this morning. I think it's possible it's off by a few due to drifts and snow blowing off the roof of the house.

The back deck

More snow...

The front of the house. The trees are dipping significantly due to the weight of the snow. The plows have come by as you can see from the huge mound of snow next to the cars.

I'll get more pics of outside once I decide to be brave enough and venture out.

--
9:32AM. Ventured outside for the first time to help Will clear snow. My sweet fiance did a majority of the snow removal. He may be marrying me for my dog, but I'm marrying him for his snow clearing abilities.

The view up my street, mostly uncleared.

Sweet fiance digging out my car. He later cleared one of my roommates cars for her as well. Love him. :)

Clearing my car and a skier in the background.

These guys clearly had the right idea. Cross country skiing is definitely the best way to get around right now. This is such a funny sight in the DC suburbs though.

The National Weather Service was reporting around 19/20" of snowfall in DC as of 10:30 this morning. The high tech snow measuring device says between 20 and 21".

We're getting ready to take Jack up to the dog park. The dog loves the snow like a fat kid loves cake. Luckily there's a good one only about 8 blocks from my house so we'll just walk it.

Oh. And it's still snowing.

--
11:57PM. Set off to the dog park. Walked through the streets to get there because almost no sidewalks are cleared. Saw more people on the road than cars.

Our little snow bunny.

Jack did NOT want to sit nicely for a picture with Daddy.

3:25PM. Remembered about the high tech snow reader. Should have marked more than two feet I suppose.

It's still snowing.

Impending Snowpocalypse

2010-02-05T08:23:00.000-05:00

The DC area is about to get blasted with another foot plus snowstorm. Having lived in Iowa for eight years, it's even a lot for me. I think it's breaking records or something. Anyway, this website, launched by DC residents in preparation for the storm aptly describes the atmosphere around the city. Please see below.

http://snowpocalypsedc.com/

On the menu

2010-01-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

I often pride myself on being able to put together a tasty, nutritious meal for me and the boy. Thanks to good internet resources and a lot of stolen recipes from my mother, I've built a nice little repertoire of culinary goodness.

Tonight however, it just didn't happen. Mom, you may want to stop reading.

My dinner consisted of post-Orange Bowl Chex Mix and a partial bag of Peanut M&Ms. I know. You don't have to say anything.

I did have two glasses of milk though.

Christmas Cards

2009-12-24T15:42:00.000-05:00

I've received eight Christmas cards this year. Most are either from family or my now married friends. I have received two cards from single friends though.

This is the first year I've felt guilty about not sending them. I have friends all over the country, we got a dog and got engaged this year, and it really just seemed like it should have been a good thing for me to do. But I didn't. Blame laziness or busyness (I've been both in the last month), but it just didn't happen.

Next year. When we have all those pictures taken by an expensive wedding photographer. Then we'll send Christmas cards. Or I'll be too burnt out of mailing things from all the thank yous. So, let's just say this is a goal for 2010.

Jack's winter adventure

2009-12-22T09:27:00.001-05:00

This is Jack's excited face.

Superfastbeagle

Look, Mom! I'm a bunny!

15 inches of snow has nothing on me.

Hey, guys! Break it up!

Dad, put me down. I have more running to do.

Superfastbeagle

I see a tail and a head... Jack, where's your body?

See, bunny!

Jack really enjoyed the 20ish inches of snow we got in the DC area over the weekend. We ventured out to the dog park with him thanks to Will's 4WD and a little craziness on our part. Glad we did though. It was so funny!

DIY Holiday Wreath

2009-12-08T14:45:00.001-05:00

I know I promised this last night. I got busy, my bad. Without futher adieu... The CB2 inspired wreath.

I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with all things Crate & Barrel. Once I convince Will we actually need a registry, I hope to be signing my name next to lots of pretty things. A month or so ago, an email from CB2 popped up in my inbox. In it was a beautiful holiday wreath and a link to the instructions to create it.

Here's what you need:

Floral or utility wire at least 16 guage like this
About 60 of your favorite ornaments
Wire cutters
Duct tape
About 18 inches of ribbon

Begin by cutting your wire into the size circle of your choice. It's easier to work with smaller wreaths. Mine are probably 8-10 inches in diameter. Next, begin stringing your ornaments on the wire in whatever pattern you'd like.

Work the ornaments so they stack on top of each other and hide the wire. I couldn't hide every bit of the wire, but it's mostly concealed. Now keep stringing until you have a full wreath.

When you get to the end, clip any extra wire, and twist the wire around itself. Secure the two ends with duct tape. Then, take your chosen ribon and wrap over the tape and tie a secure bow from which to hang the wreath.

Take and hang wherever you find that needs a little holiday cheer.

Voila! A wreath that looks like it was purchased from your favorite, pricey home goods store but you have the pride of knowing you put that baby together.

The green and silver wreath with the chocolate brown ribbon was my first attempt. I found those ornaments at Ikea and Walmart. I was SO incredibly proud of myself that I went to Target the next day to buy more ornaments to make another. The silver, red, and green wreath with tan ribbon is one that I made for a gift. There are some really great colored ornaments out in stores this year, so the color possibilities are endless! I plan on stocking up at the after-Christmas sales for next year.

*Ignore the bones and chewed Nerf football in the pictures of the silver, red, and green wreath. Jack isn't very good about putting his toys away.

Fun, easy holiday decor teaser

2009-12-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

I'm really excited to post more in depth about this project. It would get done today, but alas, I didn't have the time to take pictures this morning before work.

The inspiration came from this wonderful place:

It is easy, and fun, and people will think you are a decorating genius (or spend a lot of money). Pictures and details to come tonight. Get excited.

On Negotiations

2009-12-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

Three years ago I had LASIK surgery. For the most part, it's been great. That, however, isn't the subject of my post.

Part of the deal with TLC (the network I had it performed under) is that I have annual check-ups on my eyes. I headed to the eye doctor on the Friday before Thanksgiving for what I hoped to be a quick checkup. I had noticed a little difference in my distance sight, but didn't think it was a big deal. The doctor ultimately said my distance vision was fine but recommended that I up the prescription in my reading/computer glasses to further stave off any changes in my vision in the future.

I proceeded out to the lobby where the sales staff works through choosing frames, lens types, etc. with customers. I balked that lenses alone were going to run over a hundred dollars. Then they wanted to charge me an additional $70 for the glare-proof coating. That's where I drew the line. I asked if I could take my prescription and go elsewhere in search of more affordable lenses for my glasses. Right there, she took off the entire charge for the glare-proof coating.

I will never be paying for that again.

Home Deco

2009-11-19T12:11:00.000-05:00

I've never had a huge knack for decorating, and quite honestly not much interest in it as well. However, becoming a bride (or is it bride-to-be?) has suddenly brought on a nesting instinct.

I recently made a trip to Ikea and purchased this guy. Will and I did some rearranging of his living room to make space, and I think it looks great. Last night, I had way too much fun at Target. I got new throw pillows for the couches, a new throw to cover up the huge hole Jack put in the arm of the couch, a woven vase to put what I can best describe decorative sticks in. I also picked up a little holiday cheer.

I'm getting really excited to have a place of my own. Well, Will's own, but you know... the whole marriage thing makes it mine too. :) A place I can decorate permanently and not worry about landlords and crappy rental houses.

Thank You

2009-11-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

To anyone who has ever donned a military uniform and given of your service in order to protect our freedoms, thank you. Your selfless acts do not go unnoticed.

My father, grandfather, several uncles, future father-in-law, and several other future in-laws have or currently serve in various branches. And my favorite red-headed boy cousin has just signed on to become the one of the next generation of Navy officers.

I'm proud to have such a rich military heritage. Thank you again.

On Perfection

2009-11-01T23:31:00.000-05:00

In case you've been in a hole for the past two months, you might have missed the current Iowa Hawkeyes season. The record-breaking, national championship hope-inspiring, perfect season. It has not been without its scares (every game). And I guarantee I've aged five years as a result of the turnovers and unnecessarily close games.

However, here we stand. This team is 9-0 and currently ranked fourth in the BCS poll. We have never opened a season by winning nine games. The next three, which will conclude the regular season, include only one in which the Hawkeyes are questionable - a November visit to OSU at the 'shoe. We're listed as Rose Bowl contenders in every bowl prediction list available. Most Iowa fans have no idea what to do with this success or this team.

They were the dark horse among pre-season Big Ten championship talk. Now they're the dark horse in the National Championship game talk. This team wasn't supposed to be great. Early season injuries on offense made them even less so, but what they have done is great. They have taken control of games when it mattered, turned the odds in their favor, and consistently come out on top... much to pollster and analyst chagrin.

Every Saturday through November 21st, I will continue to watch my Hawkeyes plan, and hold my breath everytime Stanzi drops back to pass. I'll still probably be highly pessimistic and take no game for granted. I never thought we would be here, though, and so I will soak up every moment of this season.

You may not respect this team. Many don't. We don't care. We'll continue to fight through all four quarters and leave it on the field. This record speaks for itself. Respect us or not, we are Hawkeyes. And this.is.awesome.

It's Been a Busy Month

2009-10-30T22:49:00.000-04:00

You heard about the new job. Well, there are more changes in this girl's life. Head on over to the newest installation of the blog for further details on the question that changed my life:

Here Comes the Blog

The Times, They are Changin'

2009-10-05T12:51:00.002-04:00

As I've learned many times over the last two years, Life in the Real World isn't always peachy. Recently, I've had to deal with some pretty severe disappointment at work. Instead of making lemonade with the fruit given to me, I chucked them back in the company's face and set off to find a new grocer.

I'll spare everyone that hasn't heard me personally vent on this subject the gruesome details leading up to the corporate break-up. Needless to say, it was messy.

On October 20, I begin the new gig. I'm really excited. It's a small, boutique-y consulting company based fairly close to home. The people I've met are fantastic, and the company seems very flexible. Oh, and I realized I was way underpaid before.

So, things are getting shaken up a little. Tune in for the next chapter.

PS-

2009-09-30T13:35:00.002-04:00

Mom, I think this is my "what comes around" for all my screaming as a child. If I could, I would go back and tell my infant self to hush.

The Stress of Being a New Mother

2009-09-30T09:30:00.002-04:00

I love my dog. Don't get me wrong. But, you see, this poor pup suffers from a severe case of separation anxiety. He's going back to the doc today to get medicated for it. We've tried everything else to no avail.

Hopefully the vet will be able to give him some drugs to help ease the separation anxiety. I was upset and frustrated when he ruined belongings of mine, but he's now starting to hurt himself in the process. He broke a tooth trying to chew out of the crate and looks to have possibly injured one of his legs climbing over the baby gate.

I'm starting tonight trying to leave him for short periods of time. Hopefully something works soon. Otherwise, the dog won't be the only one who needs Xanax!

The tales of Jack

2009-09-16T13:35:00.005-04:00

Little did we know when naming the new dog that he would turn out to be much like his namesake.

You see, doggy Jack Bauer likes to break free of his captivity as well. Once he does, he proceeds to let loose on his enemies (aka the door and any available window treatments). So far, he's shredded a curtain, torn wood from the door, and ruined a pair of blinds.

He goes wherever he wants regardless of authorization. The Keifer Sutherland Jack Bauer waltzes through FBI headquarters and CTU and the White House without invitation. Doggy Jack Bauer opens his box of doggy stuff (don't ask me how) and proceeds to rip apart bags of food, treats, and bones.

When presented with a situation to which he objects, they also act the same. Human Jack Bauer yells, "Damnit, Mr. President, there isn't any time!" Doggy Jack Bauer when put in his crate (the situation to which he objects) stands at the front of it and pees on the floor. Which I imagine is the dog equivalent of cursing.

After Season 6 of 24, human Jack Bauer swears off CTU and his life as an operative. He goes to Africa and lives a quiet, humble life to do missionary work. How do I get doggy Jack Bauer to go to his Africa?

Hi, Everyone.

2009-09-02T13:22:00.003-04:00

I'm Jack.

Jack Bauer is my full name. My new parents picked me up on Saturday. I'd been living in a foster home with two beagle siblings. Before that I'd been a lot of different places. I got picked up in Virginia as a stray. I'm not sure why my old owners never found me. I'm a really sweet guy.

I'm adjusting to life in Mom's house. I really love it when there are people home. I just want to snuggle on the couch with them! I do get pretty sad when they all leave though. I get bored during the day in my crate, so I've torn up a stuffed toy and my pillow. Mom really wasn't happy about that last one. I didn't mean to cause trouble. I was just lonely and scared.

We've been going to dog parks recently. I like them ok. The other dogs are fine, but I really love to sniff everything. I could sniff and sniff and sniff for hours!

Everyone tells me how handsome I am and that I'm just the sweetest little guy they've ever met. I haven't met a person yet that I didn't like!

I'm glad to be home. Those other places were kinda scary, and I got really tired of moving around all the time. I just wish Mom would stop taking all these pictures of me!

On Disappointment

2009-08-24T18:21:00.001-04:00

I guess no one ever said life was fair.

I'm going to be a mother!

2009-08-22T22:49:00.002-04:00

Not that type of mother... don't worry, Mom. Today I applied to adopt this little girl.

I've been thinking about getting a dog for a while. Tonight, Will and I were looking through a rescue group's website. We came across her profile, and Will immediately went "Oh! Get that one!" So, I submitted an application and am waiting to hear from them now.

As kids we had countless pets (no less than seven hamsters, several dogs, three cats, numerous horses, and three rabits... oh and quite a few fish). Now I'm finally getting my own, and I'm really excited!

When a Mood Turns Sour

2009-08-06T17:05:00.004-04:00

Good days haven't been necessarily easy to come by recently. I'm not finding the fulfillment I want at work, and it tends to bring me down. So, when I started off today on a positive note - things to fill a real "to-do" list and my favorite boy saying "have a good one beautiful girl" (I know... cue the sappy sighs and rolling eyes) - I was determined to have a good day.

A series of events managed to turn my mood south around 2pm though, and I'm really trying hard now to pull myself out of the self-pity muck. Will's scheduled to land around 8, beef stroganoff is on the menu, and tomorrow I'm volunteering at a company golf scramble and working from home for the rest of the day.

There are things to look forward to. It's just sometimes hard to focus on the positive when those awful, horrible, no good, very bad things are staring your be-suited self down.

Anyone have advice on how to keep yourself focused on the positive? I'm becoming determined to not let myself walk around everyday in a world of boredom, angst, and unhappiness. My life is just too good otherwise to do so.

Passing along the YUM.

2009-08-04T12:48:00.002-04:00

I like to pass along little food gems every now and then. This recipe is excellent:

Tortellini Pasta Salad

And it's eeeeeasy...

Overheard on the Streets of DC

2009-07-14T10:32:00.003-04:00

I don't consider myself what one might call "beautiful." I think I'm cute, have good eyes, tend to dress ok, and I'll concede that I'm quite photogenic. Occasionally though, something on my person strikes someone else enough to comment (out loud!) on it. Today's story occurred outside my office in the middle of downtown DC.

Friday I needed to make a quick jaunt to the Post Office in order to mail books I sold on Amazon. Editor's note: There is no such thing as a "quick jaunt to the Post Office." On this particular trip, I gave up after waiting 20 minutes in an unmoving line for a single cashier in a downtown DC location. I was walking back, slightly discouraged that I'd need to find time on Saturday morning to accomplish this errand but mostly happy because it was a gorgeous day, and it was nearly quitting time.

I was getting ready to cross Penn Ave. when a kid (I'm 24, I'm allowed to call someone who looks 15 a kid) approached me from the pack of skateboarders he was previously accompanying. I clutched my books a little tighter, but the tension eased when he said,

"I like your ehrangs, guuurrrl."

In his defense, they were rather large and shiny. I gave him a slight smile and kept on walking.

Though I may not usually think it about myself, I'm glad I have someone who calls me beautiful all the time.

Of Uncertainty and Self-Doubt

2009-07-07T16:44:00.002-04:00

I want a Ph.D.

I have no definite plans to actually attain one, however. I've made excuses why I haven't moved forward with defining a plan to get there - it's too expensive (reality: most students have tuition waived and receive a stipend for doctoral work), I don't know what I want to study (still partially true), I don't have enough real world experience yet (the most compelling reason).

My best professors in college were the ones who could give examples from their time in the workforce. I want to be able to deliver that to students as well. While I've now been out of school for a few years, I don't feel that I've had a lot of exposure or responsibility to take much back in terms of "lessons learned" from which others can benefit.

I don't know what I want to study, and whether I really like it or not, most roles in higher education come with a hefty dose of research, pressures to publish, etc. The daunting feeling of having to study something for really the rest of my life has lead me to push off trying to tie down an area of focus. Because really what I want to do is teach. I want to help students like professors helped me. Unfortunately, the research comes with the territory.

I think the main reason I'm delaying setting out a plan for grad school, however, is fear. I'm scared that I won't be able to handle the higher level math and statistics required. Let's face it, I haven't retained anything from the stats classes I had in college, and math was never my strong suit. Frankly, I'm scared I'll fail.

It's a little bit of a strange place for me to be. I've always done well in school and never had self-doubting tendencies. Perhaps I just struggle because this decision is so big. It would affect the rest of my life. And well, I've never really taken anything like this on. I'm just afraid it would be too much.

But I'm going to start researching and try to find some answers. Maybe that would ease some of the apprehension I have for this whole process.

Tis the Season to Get Married

2009-06-25T09:39:00.006-04:00

Or attend weddings anyway. I was lucky enough to be chosen as a bridesmaid in my friends Kate and Brett's wedding. It was a whirlwind long weekend in the Chicagoland area filled with manicures, scrumptious dinners, and lots of old friends!

The bridesmaids following our spa session and luncheon.

Me and my very-kind-to-accomodate-meeting-30-of-my-friends-and-driving-5-hours-to-be-with-me date and boyfriend at the rehearsal dinner. :)

Bridesmaids and ushers at the rehearsal dinner.

In the limo on the way to get them hitched!

The bride and I pre-ceremony.

My hot date.

Dancing with the newlyweds at the reception!

Our dresses were beautiful, but a little pesky to dance in! See my solution there in the back. I also switched to flip flops!

It was so great to see so many people that I hadn't seen since graduation. It's fun to get back together, see where life has taken everyone, and reminisce about old times. Kate and Brett are in Fiji now on their honeymoon (I'm not jealous AT ALL). So glad to see the two of them so happy!

My 'Hood

2009-06-16T09:33:00.002-04:00

Is it sad that I know where every one of those Starbucks are? And for those who have never visited, this video is about 98% accurate.

In which I consider building an ark...

2009-06-09T12:04:00.001-04:00

It's raining. Again... I feel like we've had rain daily since March. I know it actually hasn't been that bad... but I really wouldn't mind sunshine for more than a few days straight.

3-6-5 Blog

2009-05-28T11:24:00.002-04:00

I know I've been a bad photo blogger. I recently got a new camera, and I'm going to go back to before my trip and actually just start over. Check for updates soon!

http://threesixfiveinphotos.blogspot.com/

Best of OBX 2009

2009-05-28T11:02:00.006-04:00

I will preface this by saying, I took over 550 pictures and 11 videos this week. Our seven day stay in Nags Head, NC was a great vacation. Here, the story in pictures...

We found a plethora of workout videos (cassette tapes, not DVDs) and put them to good use on more than one occassion. Group yoga pictured here.

The first few days of our vacation, the weather was absolutely awful. Laurie and I decided to make productive use of our time and get pedicures for when the weather would actually be beach appropriate.

My view on the beach.

We flew kites!

Will and I on an early morning beach walk.

It's not a good week until someone walks through a screen door. Success!

You can't go to North Carolina and not get BBQ.

We had a field day of sorts which included this event. Placing a box on your head and trying to find things in the volleyball court.

Our team, the winners!

Goofy group pic.

It was a constant water balloon war all week. This night we actually offered a bag to a neighboring house filled with 50+ year olds and had a war.

The whole gang on checkout Sunday.

Unhappily Back to the Real World

2009-05-28T10:34:00.009-04:00

Yesterday morning, while most people were returning to work from a long weekend, I was returning from a long vacation. The nearly two weeks I was out of the office were fantastic, but I can't say I was "refreshed" and "eager to be back to work" like some say when they return from a long stretch of PTO.

I got there early enough to see Rachael, one of my college roommates and good friends graduate from pharmacy school. It was a little ironic because six years ago, I entered Iowa as a pre-pharmacy major. I would have been in that graduating class had I stuck with it.

Steven graduated. I tried to paper clip his hat to his head because his head was too large for a normal sized hat to fit. It didn't really work.

The fam was all there including Memaw and Pepaw. Of course Steven ruined this picture...

Of course you can't go back to Iowa without Whitey's...

It was a little strange being back in Iowa City. I felt like a tourist in my hometown. I lived there for four years and have been gone for two. Already the city seemed a little unfamiliar and many things different. New shops opened, old shops closed. My former bank was bought out. Buildings have flooded and stand in disrepair. At least there is always the construction that's so familiar.

Next up... the beach recap.

And I'm off...

2009-05-12T16:13:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow at 2pm I begin a nearly two week vacation from work. Stop 1 will take me to Iowa City to see my baby brother graduate. Man, I feel old. Stop 2 takes me again to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Just like two years ago, a bunch of friends are renting a big beach house and really relaxing for a week.

I couldn't be more excited.

The Car Saga Continues...

2009-05-07T10:05:00.003-04:00

I got a call last night from the body shop where my car is currently undergoing repairs from the hit-and-runs. They inform me that the previous work done to fix this wasn't done properly. As a result something (don't ask me what, I don't speak car parts) was rusted through because they didn't put the necessary coatings on.

Now the insurance company is involved, and I'm probably going to have to take it back to the original body shop to fix. Which will just be a joy considering it is a) located 50 minutes from my house and b) I'm going to run out of money for the rental.

Awesome.

Of Work and Aspirations...

2009-04-29T13:21:00.002-04:00

Back when I was little, dreaming of being a veterinarian or astronaut (yes - those were my two big things), I never knew I'd really grow up to be a professional PowerPoint designer.

::Siiiiigh::

TN Trip Recap

2009-04-27T13:56:00.005-04:00

I've been back home for nearly a week after visiting friends and family in Tennessee. It was a great time to see them and get away from work for a bit. First the pictures:

Out with good, old friends. Unfortunately, I didn't get a group shot of the four of us.

Gettin' hitched! That's Tennesse speak for the wedding ceremony.

The Black cousins.

Family picture.

Mom and I on the boat in the Opryland Hotel.

I had a great time while Mallory, Henry, and Chris welcomed me to Nashville, and showed me lots of sites you don't see while on a middle school field trip. Someone forward me a good group pic, please?

The wedding was beautiful. It was extremely unique and very indicative of Rachel's personality. The weather held off, and we had a sunny, warm day to enjoy the celebration. As always when Blacks get together, it was a good time. Oh yeah... I caught the bouquet again.

Mom and I spent the afternoon in Nashville at Opryland. I hadn't been to the Hotel in 10 years, and neither had she. We rode the indoor boat, saw a fountain show and enjoyed the beautiful gardens. Unfortunately, the rain didn't cooperate with my entire vacation. The next two days we were in Gatlinburg, and it rained the whole time. We spent a lot of time shopping on day 1 and drove through Cade's Cove on day 2. We also saw Cirque de Chine, a Chinese acrobatic show. Both of us thought it was really cool.

I really loved seeing my friends and family again. Miss you all already!

Confessions of a 20-something Office Jockey

2009-04-24T12:20:00.001-04:00

I ate a hot dog from a DC street vendor for lunch. And it was really good.

Whew... ok, just had to get that off my chest.

I'm Going Home (sort-of)

2009-04-13T09:49:00.002-04:00

I've stated before that I don't exactly know where to call "home." I do know, however, that despite not having an exact geographic location for this word, it most closely relates to being with my family.

Since taking a job in DC, nearly 1000 miles away from my family, I can generally count on my hands the number of times per year I get to see them. This year, I'm a little bit more fortunate as major milestones in other family members' lives take me across the country to celebrate. This coming weekend my cousin, Rachel, is getting married, and I'm flying to Nashville to be there.

In addition to Saturday's ceremony, I'm really looking forward to this trip's other activities. I'm going in to Nashville early to visit some old friends (this one included). I'm so glad to still be able to get together with my childhood friends. These visits always promise a good time. I'm also taking a few days after the wedding for a little mother-daughter excursion to the TN mountains.

I'm really excited to see family and old friends, take a few days off of work, and recharge the old batteries.

Accident Prone

2009-04-06T16:31:00.004-04:00

I love my mother. I sometimes joke that she gave me all the bad genes. Recently, one of those (my accident prone-ness) sent me to the Emergency Room.

I love cooking. I've grown especially fond of it since the boy eats just about anything I put in front of him with particular voracity. He recently started on an out-of-town project, but I wasn't going to let it deter me from home cooked meals. I was making homemade chicken and noodles, one of my mom's specialties. See... she did give me some good things. To go with this yummy meal, I wanted a biscuit. Mom also taught me that Pillsbury makes really good frozen biscuits that you just pop into the oven. Unfortunately, mine had frozen together somehow, so I was using a knife to try to cut them apart.

Yep... you guessed it. Doing the exact thing you're not supposed to do with a knife. A slip of the knife later, I'm standing with a profusely bleeding left index finger over the sink. I contemplated just bandaging it myself but thought better of it once it wouldn't quit bleeding. Having never had a need for the hospital before, I called Will and told him not to freak out but that I needed to know where the nearest hospital was.

Two and a half hours, significant pain, and five stitches later, I finally left the ER.

A lot of people said things along the lines of it was good it was my left hand since I'm right-handed. You never realize, however, the number of tasks for which you actually use your left index finger. I became proficient at 9-finger typing. I learned to wash and dry my hair with only my right hand. I asked for help with anything that required a tight grip with both hands.

Last Friday, the stitches came out. My doctor said everything was healing up just fine. She also said that whoever put the stitches in had done it "beautifully." I don't know what constitutes beautiful stitches, but apparently I wore them around for 10 days. I'm now relearning 10-finger typing, washing my hair with both hands, but still trying not to hit my finger on things as the cut is still tender.

So here's the lesson, kids. NEVER cut TOWARD your hand. EVER.

A Few Kind Words

2009-03-27T09:18:00.003-04:00

It's been a really crappy week which has involved the ER, long work hours, and lots of pain meds. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday for my shoulder which I believe I injured playing recreational dodgeball. The appointment ran long so I was in a hurry on my way out to get to work. As I stepped off the elevator, there was an old man with a walker waiting to get on. I was in such a hurry that I didn't catch what he said to me at first, so I turned around and asked him to repeat it. He said, "My, aren't you pretty."

It made my day, and was probably the highlight of my otherwise awful week.

Blogger Spotlight: to the Nth Degree

2009-03-24T13:18:00.003-04:00

to the Nth Degree is authored by my coworker, Nadine. She is participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year campaign and is trying to raise $100,000 in just 10 weeks to find a cure for blood cancers. Check out her page to see how you might help Nadine and the LLS end the cancers that hurt so many. Those of you in the DC area, please consider attending her fundraising events!

The Blog had a Baby

2009-03-19T13:37:00.003-04:00

I started another blog (like I don't have enough to do with my time...).

Three-Six-Five: A daily photo through my eyes.

In the Bones

2009-03-17T22:19:00.003-04:00

I got a letter in the mail today from the National Marrow Donor Program. It was in commemoration of my five year anniversary of registering to be a donor. I don't put this here so whoever may read this might think more of me. I write about it to hopefully recruit more donors.

In July of 1990, I lost my father to leukemia. I am a donor so another kid out there doesn't have to. In the five years I've been registered, I've only been contacted for being a potential match once. I went into the local blood bank so they could draw a certain number of vials of blood for more tests. The nurse told me that with the number they were drawing, the initial tests must have shown a strong positive. I never heard back after that. I hope that person survived.

I've often forgotten that I'm actually registered. However, if I am identified as a match, I would have no hesitation undergoing the painful procedure if it meant possibly saving a life. Please consider registering yourself. The National Marrow Donor Program works with anyone across the country. You just have to be willing.

The one where I cry at inappropriate times...

2009-03-04T10:59:00.003-05:00

I've mentioned before that it only takes one synthesized meter of "Forever Young" for me to cry. There I was this morning, clipped into the pedals of a stationary bike drench in sweat when the instructor decides to use it as his cool down song.

I just hoped the sweat dripping down my face disguised the tears.

On Abuse

2009-03-02T14:40:00.002-05:00

I'm not one to speak out much on celebrity issues. However, the Chris Brown/Rihanna issue is forefront in the media, and I have something to say about it.

It is not ok for a man to hit a woman. Ever. Ever.

With Much Gratitude

2009-03-02T08:15:00.004-05:00

Was going to post this earlier, but it was a bit of a hectic Friday/weekend. Here's the story of the guy who restored my faith in humanity:

I walked to the Metro station on Friday morning ready to conquer the day and start my weekend. I got to the platform, checked inside my bag, and realized my lunch had escaped its not-so-airtight container and was spilling over everything. Picturing a hard drive fried by london broil juices, i quickly scrambled to remove everything and clean up the mess. I thought I had managed the situation right as my train pulled up so I zipped the bag and got on board. It was a calm metro ride - not overly crowded - as I read the Friday version of the Post Express. Metro Center, my stop. Reach inside my bag for the wallet that contains my SmarTrip card for exit. ::Panic:: My wallet is not in the bag. I step off the train and debate momentarily waiting four minutes until the train going back towards my origination point. I decided against it and instead rushed up to the station manager to ask assistance. He called nearly every station in the Metro grid to see if it had been turned in. Nothing. Dejected and worried I left the station for work - without paying my exit fare as I had at this point no cash, no payment source at all. That wallet contained not only my SmarTrip card but my driver's license, a couple credit cards, work ID and work keys.

Someone let me in the door at work to which I no longer had a key. I immediately pulled up browsers for my bank and credit card companies to cancel my cards. I'd just canceled the final one when an email pops up with a message on Facebook asking if I lifed on XX street at my Metro station. I knew he had to be getting my info from my driver's license and promptly messaged him back saying yes, and describing the wallet that I was at this point sure I'd lost forever. Wave of relief. I wouldn't be sitting through a painful DMV session to recover my license or explaining to bosses how I lost my keys and secure badge. He worked within walking distance of me and we agreed to meet over lunch.

He was a very nice guy, shook my hand, and returned my bag. He told me he wasn't sure why, but he just didn't trust returning it to the station manager at Metro. I walked away happy and relieved. Everything was in my bag - right down to the Starbucks gift card with $1.19 left on it.

So, thank you, Josh, who returned my bag. I know I thanked you 50 times, but you have no idea how appreciative I am of your selfless act.

It's a Big Scary World Out There

2009-02-26T12:46:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to talk to you all like you're dummies. You watch the news (or the Today Show like I do. It totally counts.). You read the papers (or the Express. Again, totally counts.). The economy sucks. Every company is laying people off. Mine is no exception.

You've heard me complain before about being bored at work. And it was true until last week. As a result of some layoffs that happened to affect my project, I was moved into a new role doing communications. This is good for a couple of reasons, but the main one: I'm no longer bored! I've already been given plenty to do, and will hopefully get some ownership of a few of our initiativess.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Anti-Valentine

2009-02-14T14:59:00.007-05:00

I believe strongly in certain things. Forks should always go on the left side of the plate. Men should open doors for women. Valentine's Day is stupid.

Reason #1 (from Wikipedia):

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.^[3]

This day, millions of people will send and receive flowers which the floral industry will strategically over price. Yesterday, my company's perks website was offering a dozen roses for $1 - $79.98 off of the regular price! $80 for a dozen roses? Give me a break. Cards, flowers, candy, and your assorted types of jewelry. The commercials that play for weeks beforehand, store displays, and aisles of cards. It's really overwhelming. All of these prominent displays of what Valentine's Day is supposed to be sets in motion the false phenomenon that on this day it really matters what you do for the person you love.

I think Valentine's Day sets many up for failure or disappointment. So many women think they should get a huge bouquet of flowers, diamonds, or brilliantly penned cards. Many men will try hard to impress their love, but be forced to deal with a look of disappointment when their homemade gift didn't quite stack up to the Zale's fairy tale the girl had dreamed.

In the past, I've looked forward to Valentine's Day and the Hallmark Holiday it has become. When Will and I started dating last year (shortly before Valentine's Day), I told him I didn't do Valentine's Day. I told him the same this year. We went out to dinner last night and spent the night together watching a movie. He sent me a text this morning that said "Happy Valentine's Day" and I responded in kind. And I'm happy with our "celebration."

For those of you that enjoy this holiday for the cards and candy it brings, I hope you get what you want. Most of all, I hope for others the type of love you feel every day of the year.

Oh, and Valentine's proposals are almost as bad as proposals via Jumbotron.

For PETA's Sake

2009-02-03T15:10:00.002-05:00

I remember when I was in middle school, my aunt had given me hand-me-down rabbit fur coats. I thought they were AWESOME. Then, some fashion sense dawned on me. They were given to Goodwill.

Recently, I have been witness to the resurgence of the fur coat. I was walking around Georgetown with KSteph a few weeks ago and we both commented on the furs that we were seeing. It's not like they'd suddenly replaced all the wool coats walking around, but even spotting a few (I think we saw 3 or more) was odd. I've seen them outside my building at work too. I really do find this a strange trend.

First of all, I thought that fur coats were, like, so 80s. A little bourgeois Dallas-esque, no? And secondly, hasn't the whole PETA hippy-resurgence of the 2000s pretty much made them taboo? No? Is anyone else with me on this? I'm not pro-PETA myself, but this is just one fashion trend that I cannot get on board with.

25 Random Things About Me

2009-01-28T10:42:00.004-05:00

This "note" has been floating around Facebook, and I actually think it's kinda fun. I did something similar a while back, but I have more than 7 that you might find fairly amusing.

I dunk certain food in liquids: Cookies and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches always go in milk. And sandwiches are really quite good in chicken noodle soup.
I got glasses when I was 5, contacts when I was 12, LASIK when I was 21, and reading glasses when I was 23.
I dislike the "cheap" toilet paper or tissue.
Despite driving the world's most unlucky car, I'm actually a pretty good driver. I haven't had a ticket since I was 17.
I have had more pets than I can count. We had hamsters, cats, dogs, rabbits, and horses as kids. I even adopted one of the cows my grandparents had and named him Alvin. I also had a series of Beta fish in college that I was really attached to.
I really like to cook but really hate to do dishes.
I have never liked the Simpsons.
I have a condition called Osgood-Schlatter disease. It's more common in boys than girls and less than 10% of people who have it as a kids have continuing symptoms into adulthood. I'm part of that 10% with persistent knee pain.
Minus a finger slammed in a locker (I didn't do it to myself) in sixth grade, I've never had a broken bone. And that was only a fracture.
I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
I attended Space Camp as a kid.
In college I claimed I didn't want children. Now I'm thinking I could probably tolerate a kid or two - not for A WHILE, however.
I played competitive ultimate frisbee in college for Iowa's club team. We were ranked nationally.
I found my first gray hair when I was in eighth grade. I started dying my hair as a senior in college.
Sometimes I think I don't have any concept of my body in space. I run into tables, couches, doorways, etc. all the time.
I drink, on average, 2 liters of water a day.
I love snow and hate rain.
My mom sends me cards from my cat. I mean my cat sends me cards.
I want a PhD.
I'm thankful that I learned how to drive a stick-shift early in life and that I had the experience learning to drive in lots of snow. Two very valuable skills.
My favorite movies are My Best Friend's Wedding and Steele Magnolias. Maybe I have a thing for Julia Roberts.
I got two piercings in my ear cartilidge when I was 18. I removed them prior to interviewing for jobs my senior year of college.
I think tattoos are ugly. Especially on women.
I generally have the impression that most babies are ugly. If I tell you your baby is cute, I really do mean it.
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if things had been different in my life. Then I realize, I love my life and I wouldn't want it any other way.

The Birthday Blog - 24

2009-01-26T10:39:00.007-05:00

I'm starting a new tradition with my blog on my birthday. I'm going to capture what's going on in the world around me on the 26th of January every year.

Front page from CNN. Headline - Blagojevich: I thought about Oprah for Senate

Weather in Arlington/DC - cold and snow.

Washington Post front page. Headline - Major U.S. Companies to Slash 45,000 Employees

In my cup: Vanilla skim chai

... and on my cup - Starbucks' The Way I See It:

"I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. Then I realized, you just say, "Hi." They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word." -Augusten Burroughs

On the menu tonight: Will's chicken parmesean

Happy 24th to me!

A Boy in the Kitchen

2009-01-12T15:16:00.003-05:00

I love to cook for Will. He has a huge appetite and says just about everything I make is good. On the other side, he's generally not half bad in the kitchen either and does a fair amount of cooking for me. This is not to say, however, that he doesn't sometimes have bachelor moments. Two are stories of seasoning and one is of grocery shopping. We shall begin with Seasoning Story #1.

Seasoning Story #1

Will was cooking some pasta with grilled chicken and marinara sauce. In an effort to make the sauce less Ragu from the jar and more tasty, he went to his cabinet and started debating spices to add to the pot while asking my opinion. Oregano? Check. Basil? Check. Rosemary and whole bay leaves? No. Just no.

Grocery Shopping Story

Will and a few of our friends were going to the grocery store to grab supplies for a day of watching football this fall. I asked if he could please pick up a few things that I needed to make a dip. I described exactly what I needed (with some description and where they would probably be found). He wrote some form of the three articles (cream cheese, Rotel salsa - which is essentially diced tomatoes and chilis, and sausage) on his hand in pen. He returned with: a jar of Old El Paso Hot salsa (WRONG), a kielbasa (really WRONG), and cream cheese (at least he was 1 for 3). I promptly returned to the grocery store to retrieve my own items.

Seasoning Story #2

Occasionally he gets kinda excited to cook something (which in turn gets me pretty excited). Last week he wanted to make tuna steaks, but said his first go-round with them had not gone well. He emailed me and asked how I thought "we should decorate them." [Emphasis mine.] I chuckled at my computer, but was happy about his effort. They turned out fabulous, by the way.

Despite these funny stories, he has yet to make me a bad meal.

Auld Lang Sine

2009-01-07T12:18:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone. Hopefully you haven't fallen off the resolution wagon quite yet. Before I begin with my goals for 2009, here's a pictoral update.

Will and I at the top of the St. Louis Arch. Our flight from Baltimore left at 6:45, so while this was before noon, we had already been up for quite a while. Note the tired eyes.

I rather enjoy having a photographer for a brother. On Memaw and Pepaw's wooden swing in Paris.

Roy came back to visit for NYE!

My midnight kiss. :)

Not sure what was so funny. Taking a break from the first Rock Band session of 2009 with Dave.

Now that that's out of the way, here's what I'm trying to do in 2009. I don't want to call them "resolutions" because I haven't so much had luck with those in the past. But I'm trying to do small things this year that will improve my life and help me reach the bigger goals I want to.

There's about 20 or so pounds sitting mainly on my thighs, hips, and lower abs that I would like to do away with. Instead of making that my goal, I'm doing the following things to get there. 1) I'm drinking 2 liters of water per day. I have a liter Dasani bottle that I'm filling up at work. 2) I'm cutting out the ice cream/sweets. I bought Healthy Choice fruit pops and stuff to make smoothies instead. 3) My gym-going is actually pretty good. I am committing to going to the early (6:15am) cycle class now every Tuesday. I'm hoping to kick-start the morning workout routine again.
I'm saving more. I increased my percentages in my 401K/IRA at work. I'm also taking part in our employee stock purchase plan which automatically deducts a certain percent from my pay check and then purchases stock on our behalf at a discount at the end of the six month investment period. At the rate things are going, I'll get an additional discount thanks to the slumping economy. I'm also now having money transfered directly into my savings account. If you're interested, I'm doing it through ING Direct. They have a pretty good rate. Click below for a free $25 if you sign up.

ING Direct Orange Savings Account

The links can only be used once. Let me know if they expire (post a comment) and I'll renew them.

Here's to everyone's healthy and wealthy 2009.

Occassionally I'm a Girl

2009-01-05T14:02:00.005-05:00

In the last few year's I've developed what I think is a generally even keel. Despite what my aunts will tell you (and they will, trust me) about my younger years or my college roommates will tell you about my college years, I've become harder to ruffle, but when I do cry, it's generally bad.

Going back to Tennessee is generally an emotional experience for me. I don't get to see my extended family very often, and it holds a lot of childhood memories. This time was no exception.

The first feeling I usually get is a certain sense of relief. There's just something about being back in Paris that makes me feel care free. It's like there's a no-stress bubble around the town, and that for just a little while, everything is ok.

Paris is the closest place to "home" that I have. Memaw and Pepaw have lived in their house my whole life, so it always feels like that familiar, comfortable place. One day Will and I sat out on the wooden swing in their backyard in the warm December sun. It was so serene and peaceful. We sat there for a long time, talking, and enjoying each other's company and the nice weather. It was so good.

Without question there's happiness. I am extremely close to my grandparents on my mom's side, and it is always so good to see them. This year was especially poignant given that this time last year, I was positive it would be the last time I would see Memaw. While she is still having health problems, she was getting around much better and eating regular foods again. It was a relief, to say the least. Additionally, the rest of Mom's crazy family was around, and it's pretty hard to not have a good time when they're there. "Crazy" Aunt Suzy is probably making some loud, semi-inappropriate comment or someone has gotten their hands on a kid's toy and made it into a fun game (this year was punch balloons that turned into keeping the punch balloons of the floor that turned into how many punch balloons can we pop on the ceiling). Also, my cousin, Alex, brought her new baby this year. He's pretty much the cutest kid ever. I spent a lot of the time there playing with him and didn't even care too much when he spit up all down the front of my shirt.

I can also pretty much count on an "Inman Middle School Reunion" with a few of my Parisian faves. It's a great time to recant old stories from our younger days and keep those friendships growing. I love still being able to call them all friends.

Cycle back to that intro paragraph about me crying. When I'm in Paris, I try to make a trip to my dad's gravesite. I like to spend some time there, plus I figure otherwise, he's pretty much left forgotten in that cemetary. I stopped by the IGA nearby to pick up some flowers to leave. I forgot, however, that it was a small, country grocery store with no floral department. My aunt and Memaw had put some artificial flowers out there though, which while they were just that - artificial flowers - it meant so much to me. As soon as we stepped out of the car (Will went too), I teared up. Usually I do ok when I'm there, but this time I bawled. Cried while I was picking the leaves off of the headstone. Cried while I was wiping mud from his military plaque. Cried while Will held me as I looked at the grave. Cried in memory of what was and what could have been. Then I spent the rest of the day trying not to cry as it was already on my mind.

And as previously mentioned, Will spent the holiday by my side. It was so good to show him where I was from, to have him listen to Little Christina stories (even the embarrassing ones), and have him play "pick Christina out of the cousins' baby pictures." It was especially good to have him by my side at my dad's grave, to be my strength for that moment.

I sure hope my family likes him because I really do.

Love my Hawks.

2009-01-02T12:46:00.002-05:00

While I've been on a brief hiatus that included not working and traveling far distances to see family with the boy, the thing that's highest on my list of OHMYGOSHTHATREALLYHAPPENED is yesterday's Outback Bowl where Iowa thoroughly drubbed South Carolina.

This year's tumultuous, could have been really bad, but instead turned out very well season is officially over. The early bowl game yesterday put the final stamp on the season that included among other things benching the once heralded quarterback, Jake Christiansen and the big question mark at running back that turned into this year's Doak Walker Award winner, Shonn Greene. I predicted a season better than last year, but thought it would be a nail biter all around. I came away from this season thoroughly pleased with our performance having lost four games by a combined 12 points, upsetting the number 3 team in the country, rocketing three players to All-America lists.

Shonn Greene is officially declaring himself eligible for the NFL draft which is both exciting for him and terribly sad for the Iowa program. Today begins the Jewel Hampton era of Iowa football. Good luck, Shonn. I hope you go to the Giants, but I'll still love watching you run on the next level.

Way to go, Hawkeyes. You make me proud.

2008-12-31T10:16:00.001-05:00

I'm on vacation.

Pardon the lack of posts.

Dear Gold's Gym,

2008-12-17T10:52:00.003-05:00

I am a regular attendee at both the Ballston and Clarendon Gold's. The spinning and Body Pump classes have become a great way for me to stay healthy. There are a few things, however, with which I am displeased about your Gyms.

I attended a spinning class last night at 7pm. I braved the cold, driving rain in order to get my workout. I showed up, and there was a sign posted saying there were no towels available. Now, recipient of this letter, I'm not sure if you've ever attended one of these classes. If you obey the instructor and actually push yourself, you will be dripping buckets of sweat by the time you exit. A towel at that point isn't really a nicety but a necessity. I nearly took my tank top off and rode in a sports bra but instead just dealt with the dripping sweat.

Also, the state of your equipment in the GGX rooms in the Ballston location is pathetic. Half of the bikes are broken in one form or another - loose clips, shaky handle bars, seats that tip backwards, and those problems are just with the few good bikes there are. The old model black bikes that still fill most of the room are an atrocious excuse for modern exercise equipment. I've been listening to ten months worth of "we should be getting new bikes soon." Just do it already.

If you weren't the sole provider of Les Mills classes and didn't have extremely convenient locations for me, I would take my $40 monthly membership fee elsewhere. For me and the hundreds of others who pay that fee monthly (not to mention the exorbitant joiner's fee you charge), it is not too much to expect top-notch equipment, much less clean towels.

Please remedy the matter ASAP.

Sincerely,

The sweaty girl on the bike

PS- To the lady on the bike next to me last night: No one is impressed with your diamond necklace or the fact that you can spin your legs really fast with clearly no resistance when we're doing a hill climb. Oh, and I'm especially not impressed that you can sing along with the music - I'm actually annoyed that you're not working hard enough to be out of breath and force me to listen to your "singing".

Mix of Emotions

2008-12-17T10:14:00.004-05:00

One of my cousins requested to add me on Facebook last week. I was immediately hit with a wave of emotions - curiosity, anger, sadness among them. She's among the family on my dad's side which I haven't personally heard from since I was five.

From what I've gathered over the years there was always a strain between my dad's side of the family and my mom. I gathered a lot of it stemmed from the difference in religion - Dad was Catholic; Mom is not. After he died, they cut off communication from us. I understand feelings may have been hurt when Mom moved us to Tennessee to be near Memaw and Pepaw. One thing I've never understood is how they could cut out us out of their lives completely.

I was five and Steven was three when my dad died. I never received a birthday card, Christmas present, letter, or phone call from my dad's siblings or mother after he died. What could possibly make a person want to cut off communication with the blood of their now dead brother and son?When my grandmother died, we found out well after the fact from Mom's friends who still lived in the Cleveland area.

As I got older, the wound sunk deeper. I came to resent them for what they did. I have a full family with Mom's side, so it's not like I was hurting for familial relations. I didn't/don't need their love to feel complete. I get plenty of that from the Black side of the family. I've always felt like I was pretty balanced and normal. Maybe I could stand to pay a therapist $200 an hour to draw out my resentment towards them. I feel blogging is more cathartic, personally. Plus, I don't have that kind of cash.

Today, a week after I received the friend request from my cousin Niki, I finally accepted it. It took me a week to click that button because of those feelings with eighteen year roots. Then I realized, she didn't do anything to me. She was a kid when this all happened and as innocent a player in all this as I was.

This one "friend" acceptance doesn't mean I'm ok with everything. I'm still perturbed that my aunt, Niki's mom, never responded to an email I sent four years ago when I was curious about the genealogy on my dad's side. But maybe it is one more step to closing the wound.

PS - Mom, I know you'll read this. I do not blame you one bit or think that you could have ever done anything differently. You gave us the best childhood we could have asked for, and I don't want you to feel bad about this post at all. Though, I'm guessing you probably will anyway. I love you.

Words on the Page

2008-12-10T12:03:00.004-05:00

This year I have read a lot of books. Specifically this fall I have read a lot of books. It's been so nice rekindling this habit. Here's my reading list from 2008.

Forever Odd, Dean Koontz
Brother Odd, Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas may be the best fictional character ever created)*
The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives , Ted Gup
A Million Little Pieces , James Frey
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street , Michael Lewis
The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of How Six MIT Kids Took Vegas for Millions, Ben Mezrich

And because my boyfriend is an avid reader as well, I've been raiding his shelves...

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch*
Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai, Ben Mezrich
Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions, Ben Mezrich

While all these books were good, the ones with * are my recommended reads.

I plan on finishing Brother Odd tonight and will begin reading The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber.

I'm always looking for new book recommendations!

Change of Command

2008-12-10T11:04:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I was honored to be invited to Gen. Martin Dempsey's promotion and change of command ceremonies. Gen. Dempsey (Marty as he introduced himself to me) is Will's uncle and the newest 4-star general in the US Army. The ceremonies were held at his new post, Ft. Monroe, home of the Training and Doctrine Command of the Army which is a picturesque base located right on the Chesapeake in Norfolk, VA.

The ceremonies were lead by Secretary of Defense Gates and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Casey (no big deal, right?). They included speaches, music and tradition deeply rooted in military history. It was very cool to experience, and like I said, I was honored to be a part of it.

Sunday night, the day before all the formal events took place, close friends and family of the General's gathered for a celebration. There was food, community, and what I'm told is a tradition, karaoke. I don't have too many natural talents, but I can sing. After I was practically signed up by the General himself, I got up with the mic and did my personal favorite "Like a Prayer" by Madonna. The rest of the time there was spent trying to avoid comments about signing me to a contract, signing autographs, and general references to American Idol. I appreciated the compliments, but it was actually a little embarrassing. I just wanted to make a good impression - not stand out.

I did come away from the trip with nothing but a great impression of his family though. They welcomed me and made me feel like one of their own.

Listening to Christmas music!

Apparently I'm a threat to National Security...

2008-12-04T16:02:00.003-05:00

Reporting live from the Cincinnati airport now.

As the three of us went to board our plane in Indianapolis, the Delta man stopped us and started asking all kinds of questions. I figured it was because we obtained the seats outside of protocol and someone was gonna get in trouble. Instead, we didn't have the correct little scribbles on the ticket that TSA marks as you first enter security at the airport. Granted, we had the old tickets, but we were still stopped, all our bags searched and publicly patted down and wanded in the middle of concourse A.

They finally let us board - as soon as someone else from TSA came running down to our gate with the proper stamp. I kid you not, we could not get on without that little stamp. Ridiculous.

Apparently young, white females clad in business suits now arouse the suspicions of Homeland Security.

In which I manage to save $50 and get us all home earlier

2008-12-04T14:17:00.003-05:00

I'm sitting in the new Indianapolis International Airport. I've been in my fair share of airports, and it's admittedly pretty nice. I do appreciate the plethora of outlets and free wifi.

We had originally planned to fly home at 5:40 tonight. Our meetings today, however, were concluded by lunch. The three of us made the decision to grab lunch at the airport and see if we could get on standby for an earlier flight. Unfortunately, Northwest has no afternoon flights going back to DCA.

As we rolled up to the rental car return earlier, I told Alexa and Lauren that I loved this part of traveling. I've managed to finagle myself onto a number of flights that I was not originally supposed to be on or ones that I was told otherwise were unavailable to me. I was a little disappointed that the nice lady at the Northwest ticket counter told me that there were no other flights available and they did not yet have an agreement with soon to be merged Delta to get on their flights. We resigned to spending four hours waiting by gate A 12.

Then I got the briliant idea to check Northwest's website for possible flights that the check-in machine may have missed. Up comes a flight back to Reagan via Cincinatti which would put us in a full hour and a half earlier. There was an agent a gate away from us, and I had nothing better to do, so I decided to pose the question to him. I'll take an extra stop if it will get me home earlier. Bruce, the awesome NWA agent, explained it was a Delta flight and they weren't yet integrated with Delta's flights fully. He told me I could go to a Delta counter and they could probably confirm me, but it would cost me $50 for the confirmation. Then he told me to hold on for a second. A few key strokes later and the printer next to his computer buzzes to life. He was able to confirm all of us on the Detla flight, and we'll now be home before six.

Man, I'm good.

Where Work Takes Me

2008-12-03T18:11:00.002-05:00

Today I boarded a plane and flew to Indianapolis. My first business trip is to Indianapolis. It's snowing here, and I'm reminded why I moved out of the midwest.

The Boy's first business trip was to Hawaii. For two weeks. I think I lose.

One Great Weekend

2008-12-01T19:28:00.004-05:00

Aside from not working for four days, I had a fantastic weekend. A really fantastic weekend.

Friday I spent the day avoiding every place in the Northern Virginia area that sold anything. Aside from Will coming over for chili, I spent most of the day just hanging out by myself - which was actually really nice.

Saturday we hung out with friends and watched football for pretty much the entire day. Virginia Tech beat Virginia which kept all well with the world I know. Later in the night we headed out to see Mr. Greengenes, one of our favorite cover bands in the area. Made sure to be in by a decent time though... Will and I had a big day on Sunday...

Sunday we finally got to use Will's birthday present from June! I gave him tickets to the the Giants when they came to town to play the Redskins. He sang "Happy birthday to me" all day. It was pretty cute. :) I fixed pancakes for breakfast and then we hopped on the metro for the long train ride to Maryland. Luckily I had the foresight (or luck) to have purchased tickets in the lower level underneath the upper deck. The weather was cold, rainy, and cold. We got a little wet walking from the metro to the stadium, but only had to deal with the temperature once we got there. Unfortunately we were in the back row and got pelted with a wind blast the whole time. The G Men pulled off a 23-7 victory. We got tacos and the new Indiana Jones movie (not recommended) once we got back to Arlington and spent the rest of the night trying to thaw out.

Even though it's Monday now, I'm pretty content having seen the boy a lot in the last few days. We had a great time, even if we did almost acquire pneumonia in the process.

Also...

2008-11-28T22:33:00.003-05:00

I finally broke down. While I realize I'm years behind the trend, I bought my first Ugg-type boots the other day. I'm now the proud owner of a pair of Sand Emu Austrailia Hip Boot. They are fantastic, but like Will says, I "... walk funny in them."

I would like to state now that I bought them for the functionality - not the fashion. Go ahead, Mom. Mock away. At least my feet will be warm as I walk to work.

A Non-Southern Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

This year was the first Thanksgiving spent away from my family. Will and I are splitting holidays with each other's family. While my family was feasting on more southern food than is necessary for one family (granted, one family in this case is 20+ people), I was eating a mostly quiet dinner and playing Family Feud with Will's family in Northern Virginia.

It was a huge departure from "normal" for me. I'm used to kids running around the house screaming. I'm used to having more deserts than vegetables to chose from. I'm used to being constantly fed by grandparents who apparently think I don't eat when I'm not in their presence. I do think, however, we're probably not normal, but for me it's comfortable.

It was a bittersweet moment as I sat and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. As long as I can remember, I've sat with Memaw to watch that very parade and the dog show that follows. This year I wasn't there to comment on which bands we thought were good or hear her say how much she likes the Rockettes. At the time though, I was excited (and nervous) to be leaving soon for Will's parents' house.

Their Thanksgiving dinner was very nice. I'd met his immediate family before, but there were a few more relatives that would be in attendance. That was reason enough to cause a few nerves on Thursday morning - would I be interesting enough? would I have anything to contribute to their conversation? would they even see me as a fit girlfriend for Will? As such, I may have changed clothes 15 times in order to find a delicate balance between conservative (without looking old) and nice enough (without looking over dressed). I finally settled on a pair of light colored trouser pants and a gray J Crew cardigan over a dark purple shirt.

While I miss my family terribly, I really had a nice Thanksgiving with Will and his family. It's weird thinking that I've come to the point where I'm choosing a man over the family I've known for the last 23 years. Welcome to adulthood. Welcome to love.

1.5 Year Reunion

2008-11-20T12:51:00.003-05:00

Ducking out of work early tonight so I can catch a Chinatown bus to NYC. A's birthday is tomorrow, and a large contingent from the prestigious Tippie College of Business are gathering to celebrate the bi-annual black/white party in her honor. This trip promises to be A) a lot of fun and B) quite expensive I'm sure. I'm keeping myself away from the Chinatown lure of knock-offs galore. I'm super excited to see these guys all in one place for the first time since graduation.

Report back with pictures upon return.

Listening to Christmas music! It's baaaaack.

Just a little unprofessional

2008-11-17T15:56:00.002-05:00

The new office doesn't have quite the amenities as the previous one did. I'm now having to bring my own cups for water, deal with no ice, no free coffee and use a key to get into the bathroom. We also have no free plastic utensils.

Today, I brought in a banana and peanut butter for a mid-afternoon snack, but I forgot to bring a knife. I used my finger instead. Classy I know.

In which I nearly lose a toe

2008-11-15T14:41:00.004-05:00

Thursday night was a big night for Virginia Tech fans. The Hokies took on Miami in a division game. I planned to watch it with friends. Will was on his way to pick me up to go to Kevin's. My roommates had just given their dogs bones to keep them occupied. I walked by one of the dogs, asked him (like he was going to answer me) what he had as I pointed at it with my toe. Turns out, he did answer me... by grabbing my foot in his mouth and clamping his Husky teeth into my skin.

Luckily, I'd just put my shoes on, so the damage to my body was minimal. My hundred dollar running shoes, however, now sport a big hole in the toe. I called Will hysterical (much more scared than actually hurt), and he rushed into the house when he got here. He calmed me down asI bandaged my toe, letting me know it was ok.

After we got back from the game (which Tech incientally lost), he held onto me in the living room, "protecting me" from the dogs as I was still shaken up from what happened earlier.

I'm sure I overreacted, but it was really nice to know that he'll protect me even from the little things that try to hurt me.

What I Do

2008-11-14T11:05:00.001-05:00

Government Contractors: Teaching government employees how to play nice with each other since 1950.

"You'll look good in Black and Gold."

2008-11-09T16:32:00.007-05:00

The dean of Iowa's phamacy school told me that as a junior in high school during my college visit to UI. Today I'm so proud to be a Hawkeye in the wake of the Iowa victory over #3 Penn State.

Weighing in on the Election

2008-11-05T12:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, America elected Barack Obama to the nation's highest office. It is a historic time, to say the least. I am glad that we have come this far in recognizing equality among people so that they are not judged as a whole by the color of their skin or their background.

I did not vote for Obama. I am conservative with a centrist lean. I liked the John McCain of 2000 - the one who stood up to party lines and did not follow blindly to what was observed to be en vogue. In this campaign, I saw him make poor choices based on what his strategists saw as the key to winning 270. I was not a fan of Sarah Palin. I thought she was not prepared to potentially take the presidency should John McCain die, and I thought her controversy and poor rhetoric ultimately brought the demise of the GOP ticket.

I feel a little alienated from the party, and I feel that Republican leaders have a lot of searching to do in the next few years to figure out where they went wrong and how to get it back on track. I was insulted to constantly hear "Joe the Plumber" remarks and think they ultimately lost touch with who America is and the things which they hold dear. I did, however, vote for him. While John McCain was not my first choice for the presidency, I chose him because I did not like my alternative.

While this was not the outcome I wanted, I am not reacting with the same venom and outrage that some of my fellow Republicans are. I'm ashamed at the disdain and poor outlook these people wish upon our president-elect. I am also ashamed of my Democrat friends who are accusing anyone who did not vote for Obama as being racist.

I do not wish ill on Obama. To hope for a crash-and-burn scenario is to wish devastation on our nation. I do not want a deepened recession, global crisis, more war. I hope that the 52% of the nation was right in putting their faith in him to execute the nation's most important job. I hope he goes on to be the nation's most prolific leader. I would be happy to be proved wrong. It does not mean however, that I am not a little fearful of what the next four years hold. Obama's Senate voting record was very liberal. His campaign was very centrist. Will he stand up to the liberal Pelosi Congress or will he follow along, raising our taxes, spending our money, and putting our national security at risk?

What I can hope for now is that he surrounds himself with very smart people. People who can advise him on the important issues. His inexperience is still a a little scary given he's being tested in one of the most uncertain times in the last 60 years, and I'm frankly not convinced he will or can deliver on his campaign promises. (Not like that's happened before... "No new taxes," anyone?)

I'm preparing for a national situation that could go either way. But for the good of America as a whole, I hope Obama brings the change this country does need.

I've been tagged! (by Linsday)

2008-10-31T08:27:00.002-04:00

Imagine my suprise when I went to see a new comment posted, and it was from my friend Lindsay (who I didn't know blogged!). So here goes.

I don't know where I'm from. I was born outside Denver, Colorado and moved to Cleveland, Ohio for 4 years. After my dad died we moved to Paris, Tennesse to be near my grandparents where we stayed for 10 years until Mitch got transfered to the Quad Cities. We lived in Bettendorf for 4 years until I headed to college in Iowa City. Now I reside in Arlington, Virginia. So, I'm never quite sure how to answer the "Where are you from?" question.
I can wiggle my ears. It's a stupid human trick that both my brother and mom can do. I can only raise one eyebrow, however. (Will can and likes to try to get me to raise the other one so he can laugh at the stupid face I make.)
I graduated college in the top 5% of my business class. While I didn't quite make my goal of graduating with a 3.85 GPA, I think a 3.82 isn't too bad either.
I've watched the Today show pretty religiously since high school. The first thing I do after I get out of the shower is flip on Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al. I use it as my excuse for getting "news" because I really don't like evening news shows.
I have sung the National Anthem more times than I can count at events. In high school, I always sang at basketball games. In college while I worked in sports marketing, when our singers didn't show up, I filled in. It's a goal of mine to do it one day in front of a professional sporting event.
I played the violin for 10 years. When we moved to Iowa, however, I gave it up. At one point, I was quite good. It's still at my parents' house packed away with my old stuff.
Since I have bad knees and hate running, I have become a pretty big cyclist. Stationary cyclist that is. I do spin classes regularly and love the workout.

So now I'm tagging the following people to do it as well!

Lauren and Kristen
Mallory
Katie
Tom
Henry
Steven

The Orange Starburst Conspiracy

2008-10-29T16:59:00.003-04:00

After opening not one, not two, but three packages of Starburst minis (I was trying to prepare for our impending trick-or-treeters and may have had a few pieces of candy myself) with two oranges inside them, I'm convinced that Mars is trying to pull one over on us.

I have never once heard someone say that the orange Starbursts were their favorite. Why then, would Mars pack so many of them into the mini packs (I think the regular size packs have the same number in them alternating)? I'm guessing they are the cheapest to make, and they are trying to pawn them off on unsuspecting Halloweeners.

The candy has alredy been bought. I have therefore come up with a more creative solution to the orange Starburst problem - pick the orange ones out and throw them individually back into the bowl (sorry, roommates).

Listening to "Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil' Wayne

Blind again

2008-10-28T13:41:00.002-04:00

Went to the eye doc last week for my annual checkup. Turns out after two years, I have a very mild prescription (.25). In an effort to help keep my eyes as good as possible for as long as possible, the doc recommended I get glasses for the computer and reading. $300 later...