Weekend Plans

It is almost 4:00 on Friday, and I am ready to get on with the weekend! It's going to be a good one - I can feel it :)

Tonight, we are picking out our Christmas tree! It's supposed to rainy tomorrow morning, and there's nothing worse than bringing a wet tree into the house, so we're going tonight instead.

Which means tomorrow, when it's rainy outside, we'll get out to do some Christmas shopping! Then tomorrow night, we're headed downtown for Stephanie's cookie exchange Christmas party - we're bringing two dozen monster cookies and two dozen black forest chocolate cookies. I'm sure we'll come home fat and happy :)

Sunday at noon we'll face off for some serious football family rivalry - Bears vs. Chiefs! Both teams are without their starting quarterbacks, but I'm saying the Bears will take the win - between the hometown crowd and a newly revived Julius Peppers attacking the Chiefs' unseasoned quarterback, I think we can pull of the W.

Now if only it was time to leave work...

Good for many laughs

Check out this hilarious article about the 90's icons that our children will never understand or appreciate. I laughed. A lot.

FB Debates

There are a lot of serious issues being debated in our country right now - Should Joe Paterno have been fired? Will Italy become the next Greece in Europe? Is Herman Cain a good guy or...not? Very important issues and passionate parties on both sides, and all of which have been debated via FB.

Check out this funny (and very accurate) description of a generic FB debate. I have read FB debates that went exactly like this.

Notary Public, at your service

Today I received my commission as a Notary Public from the great state of Illinois. I became a notary for work, but perhaps it will come in handy in other ways.

A few facts about notary publics:

• A notary public (according to the source of all truth - Wikipedia) is "a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business." My primary function is to "witness and authenticate" signatures and other documents.
• In some states, notary publics can do lots of other things. For example, in Maine, Florida, and South Carolina, they can perform marriage ceremonies.
• A a notary public is not the same thing as a notary - being a notary means you have some kind of legal training.
• The office of a notary can be traced back to the ancient Roman legal system, where they were referred to as "notarius". Originally, they were trained writing shorthand notes.
  

The whole fam-damily

Just got this from my cousin Alyssa - a photo of the whole family from Brown County. What a good looking bunch!



Just got this from my cousin Alyssa - a photo of the whole family from our Brown County trip - so I thought I'd share. What a good looking bunch :)

Brown County

This weekend Alex and I ventured south to Brown County, Indiana to spend some time with my family, including some of the extended crew - my aunt and uncle, cousins Sam and Alyssa, their boys Jacob, Noah, and Harry, and cousins Annie and Ben.

Brown County is the second most-visited park east of the Mississippi River (fact credit goes to Jim, my mom's brother, who is his father's son) and absolutely beautiful this time of year. I think the fall is an amazing display of God's creativity - taking trees that are preparing for winter and turning their leaves into vibrant colors.

Thanks to the generosity of a family friend, we all got to stay together in one giant "cabin" in the woods - all 14 of us under one roof. The house is really cool - porch swings everywhere, a great big yard, a giant "great room" to gather in, and a basement full of games.

Alex and I spent the weekend playing with the kiddos, relaxing outside, and catching up with family we hadn't seen in awhile.

These are the boys - Jacob and Noah are twins and just turned six years old. Here they are eating pigs-in-a-blanket for lunch - yum.

This is Noah - we drew pictures, played tag and air hockey, and went down the water slide together (the park has a cool indoor water park/pool).

This is Jacob - he and Alex played football, shot Sam's BB gun, and played four square with us. Together we all went on a hike through the woods around the house.

This is Harry - he's 18 months old and already has a great personality! He's so sweet, and so much fun to play with - he kept everyone entertained all weekend.

We had a great weekend together with family and can't wait to do it again next year!

The Little Turtle

Yesterday we picked out Leonidas' new Halloween costume. He's going to be a turtle. As you can see, he's really psyched about it. We debated between this and a banana - I think he should count his blessings :)

Also, if it's of interest to you, I edited this photo using picnik.com - a free photo editing site. Now, I know nothing about photo editing, but just playing with the exposure and color saturation made a big difference - as in, now you can see the dog. Originally, the photo looked like this:

My boss made it in the Onion!

And if the Onion is mocking you, you must be making some kind of splash. Check it out.

Weird weather

The weather itself isn't weird - rain and thunderstorms are par for the course in the Midwest. But check out the crazy spinning pattern of the storms - it's like Chicago's own brand of mini hurricane.

Buried treasures

This week we finally took the plunge and bought...a new computer! Neither of us had replaced our college computers, meaning mine was over 7 years old and really struggling. It struggled so much that I never bothered to load photos on to it because it took so long.

With the new computer, I decided to finally break out my camera and load up photos and movies from the last 8 months or so, and among them, I found some buried treasures. Enjoy :)

Our ski trip to Colorado for Christmas:

Good Old Faithful with its busted windows:

A few shots from Michigan this summer:

Now that I have a computer to put them on, I'll try to be better about taking and uploading photos :)

10 years later

10 years ago yesterday, I was a sophomore in high school sitting in Health class when the first plane stuck the World Trade Center. We watched the live coverage in horror as the second plane hit. It was a devastating morning, to say the least, and even as high school students, I think we knew our world would never be the same.

In the days that followed, stories of incredible courage flooded the news, and we were reminded that no matter how terrorists from distant countries attacked us, this country would rise up together, rebuild and life would go on.

Personally, I remember standing on my high school football field before the game on Friday after 9/11 holding candles with my friends and listening to the words of our national anthem like I'd never heard them before. It was a moving experience, and I remember a deep sense of patriotism and appreciation for the personal sacrifices that built this country into a great nation.

Yesterday, 10 years later, I found myself filled with that same sense of patriotism and appreciation at another football field - Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears. It was my first NFL game and the game itself was really fun to watch. But before the game began, the NFL honored the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 by broadcasting the national anthem from Chicago to all of the other NFL stadiums with games about to begin, while unfurling a flag that covered the entire field.

A lot has changed in 10 years - finished high school, went to college, got a job, got engaged, got a different job, moved home, bought a condo, got married - but I felt as moved by that flag and that anthem yesterday as I had ten years earlier.

P.S. The Bears looked pretty darn good yesterday. What a pleasant surprise :)

One wonderful, fantastic, blissful year

I can't believe we've been married for a whole year. Sunday was our first anniversary and we marked the occasion with a trip to our favorite candy store, a fancy dinner out, and a drive by the chapel where we were married.

I couldn't let the occasion pass without concluding my impromptu series of posts highlighting what I've learned about being married.

2 months
4 months
6 months
10 months

Looking back over the whole year, here are a few things I've learned.

1. We feel most like ourselves when we are together. This shouldn't come as a surprise - I mean, we married each other for a reason - but I think it's an important thing to note. There is great freedom in being with someone who doesn't ask you to be anything but yourself. We have our differences, our preferences, our quirks, but we accept and cherish those in each other.

2. There is nothing like a spouse to show you a true picture of yourself. This goes hand-in-hand with #1. We love each other for who we are, but that doesn't mean we don't challenge each other to grow. We see each others' flaws more clearly than anyone else - the real challenge is expressing that to each other in a way that is loving and encouraging so we grow as a result.

3. It's really exciting to dream about our future together. The future can be a scary place, but we are so blessed to be going through it together. A wise woman once told me that the world can be a lonely place, so God designed marriage to give us a partner to go through life with. As I think about the months and years ahead, I have to say, God was right on. What a blessing to know that no matter what the future brings our way, we will be in it together.

4. We have a lot to learn from each other. I have learned to lift weights and work out in other ways besides hopping on the elliptical machine. Alex has become a political junkie and is often more up-to-date on the latest news than I am. I have learned to like tomatoes (chopped up, in salads and sauces, but hey, it's a start). And those are just a few examples, and I'm sure there are many, many more to come.

5. We love being married to each other. Sometimes it almost feels too good to be true, but we have memories of an incredible wedding celebration with family and friends, and the pictures and video to prove it :)

And the headline reads...

"Office reaches record temperatures during climax of midwest heat wave"

Okay, that's not seriously a headline from a newspaper, but that is seriously the headline of my Monday. The air conditioning went out at our office Friday evening, so we put a call and email into the landlord and had faith it would be fixed by Monday and not sit baking all weekend as temperatures stuck well above 90.

Well our faith was sadly misplaced, and I came to work to find the office sitting at a cozy 83 degrees. I have now been here for almost 5 hours and it's reached a sweltering 87 degrees. That's 87 degree INSIDE the office. Bummer.

The good news is, Mr. Fix-the-AC is on his way and should be here within the hour. Bad news is I can't leave to work from home until he arrives. Wish me luck :)

Has Jimmy Fallon always been this funny?

I never been a big fan of late night talk shows, but every time I see a clip of something with Jimmy Fallon I think, man, this guy is funny! Check out the two videos below if you haven't see them - History of Rap parts 1 & 2 with Justin Timberlake. A worthy distraction for a Wednesday afternoon :)

History of Rap Part 1

History of Rap Part 2

Camping weekend

This past weekend, Alex and I took a mini-vacation with our church small group to go camping! We headed out to Starved Rock State Park, where we enjoyed the outdoors, ate awesome camp food, and made some fun memories with our group.

Everyone pitched in to bring food, but Alex played grill master, along with our leader Joel. We had hotdogs and hamburgers, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, green beans, and lots of snacks!

We also held a couples corn hole tournament. After an early victory in the first round, Alex and I made it all the way to the finals, only to lose in the championship and take second place. We did pretty well, considering our skills were a little rusty. Here's me with two of the girls, Kristina and Katie:

And of course we got outside for some hiking around the park. We were fortunate to miss this heat wave by a day, and although it was warm, we had a great time in the shade checking out some beautiful canyons and overlooks of the Illinois River.

It was a really great trip, and I could really relax because Alex did most of the work packing for the trip :) But after 3 days of bug spray, sweat, and sleeping on the ground, we were ready to get home for a little air conditioning and long showers!

Hole-In-One!

Although I wasn't there to witness this historic occasion, today Alex shot his first hole-in-one...on a real golf course (if it were me, it would definitely have been mini-golf)!!! He was on #3 at Seven Bridges using a 9-iron. Here's the picture, which I'm told shows the divot where the ball first hit, and of course, the ball in the hole.

Way to go babe - I'm so proud :)

Thanks on the 4th (belated)

Given my line of work, on national holidays like Memorial Day and 4th of July, while everyone else is relaxing, eating a burger and grabbing a beer, I go to work. Mostly, this means corralling a bunch of volunteers around our decked out SUV and marching in parades. That's parades, plural.

This year, I owe my wonderful, dedicated, loving a husband a giant THANK YOU for driving the car in the parade and generally helping me maintain my sanity on this long, hot day. He was a real trooper, smiling and waving to parade goers, passing out t-shirts, and managing our music.

I also want to say a special thank you to our men and women in uniform, serving their country and protecting the freedoms we celebrate on Independence Day. To our family and friends who serve or have served in the military, thank you. We are so grateful for your sacrifice.

Down and out

Last night we had some major storms in the Chicago area, and as a result of 60+ mph winds, lines are down and power is out everywhere, including my office! So today I have the unexpected pleasure of working from the comforts of my couch. The only problem is now I am constantly aware of all the cleaning that needs to be done :)

Thanks to a tornado warning (sirens went off and everything), Alex and I rode out the storm in our guest bathroom, which is the most interior room in our condo and doesn't have any windows. Leonidas managed to stay pretty calm wrapped in his Thundershirt, and we are all safe and sound!

Chicagoland Summer Throws Series

On Sunday, Alex hosted his very first meet of the Chicagoland Summer Throws Series! I say "his" because this was totally his brainchild - as a way to make some extra cash for the track program where he works, he decided to publicize, get sponsorships, gather entries, and run three throws meets this summer, and the first one was a complete success!!!

I took this picture at the end of the day around the shot put. At one point during the discus, I counted over 80 people throwing/spectating!

Although Leonidas doesn't normally go to track meets (the starting gun is just too much for him), he came out to this one and hung around all day. Lots of little kids (and adults) came over to pet him, and by the end, he needed a nap...good thing he can use his paws to shield his eyes from the bright sun!

Congratulations Alex on a VERY successful meet, and here's to two more this summer!

Burrito puppy

Last night Leonidas let me wrap him up like a burrito while we were watching some TV. What a goofball.

Gizmo

People always react to our dog's name in one of two ways - they get the joke and think it's hilarious, or they stare blankly because they've never heard the word before.

However, today something popped into my Google Reader that made me think perhaps Leonidas is a misnomer - perhaps it should really be Gizmo!

He's got the ears and cuts fuzzy face for it! What do you think?

Back by popular demand

So I completely missed marking 8 months of married life with a blog post, but today is 10 months, so I'll try to make up for it with extra useful marital advice - the theme is traveling together, something we've been doing a lot of lately!

1 - Packing for "the family" makes me feel like a real adult. Right now, "family stuff" only includes toothpaste, dental floss, and the dog's bag (he counts as part of the family), but someday it'll mean packing up the kids' toys, sack lunches for car trips, and a million other little details I'll try to keep straight with long packing lists. It makes me feel a little bit like my mom, who always had everything we needed, whether we'd thought of it in advance or not.

2 - It's helpful if both spouses are fully briefed on the travel plans. I found this out the hard way. We were traveling to see friends in Washington DC, and we had an early morning flight to catch. I had booked the tickets, planned for the trip, and got us to the airport just in time to catch a 6:00AM flight...only to discover that the flight was at 7:00AM. Alex was a good sport though, and we used the extra time to get a delicious breakfast.

3 - I like having a husband to help with bags. I hate checking a bag when I fly, which means for years, I've been heaving my own over stuffed roller board suitcase into the overhead bins by myself - a feat for my 5'4", noodle-armed self and potentially life-threatening to all passengers seated nearby. Now, Alex just tosses it up there for me like all I packed inside was a fluffy pillow, instead of a hairdryer and 4 pairs of shoes shoved in with all my clothes.

4 - We have different tastes when it comes to car snacks. Whenever my family went on road trips, we always packed a generous snack bag (as I would imagine most families do), but unfortunately for Alex and I, we don't really like the same car snacks. Namely, he likes beef jerky and the smell of beef jerky makes me nauseous - not good in a contained space like, say, a car. Between plugging my nose and cracking the windows, we've managed so far, but eventually we may just need to make a permanent switch to trail mix, or something else less...potent.

5 - The best part of traveling is spending quality time together. You get the chance to spend time together without the distraction of TV or chores or work obligations. It provides a shared experience, a set of memories just for us. There is a great sense of "together-ness"that comes from planning and going on a trip, no matter where you go or who you're with, and it is something to be treasured.

Tune in in August as we celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Daily dose of cute and cuddley

This is the cutest video I have seen in a long time...maybe ever. If you're looking for your Friday dose of cute, check out this video of a mama cat hugging her sleeping kitten.

Take the dog to work day

For me, lots of days are "take the dog to work" days - it's one of the best things about this job. Other people get smoke breaks - I get dog walking breaks, and in the spring, he provides a welcome excuse to enjoy the nice weather (when we occasionally have nice weather). As you can see, he does a lot to contribute around here:

Although apparently he does not appreciate having his picture taken:

He didn't actually make any effort to get up and avoid the pictures, but I think those eyes show plenty of disapproval.

The best summer beauty tip

I know everyone loves summer - the warm weather means more to do outside, more chances to sit poolside, and longer daylight hours. However, summer also means more humidity, and if you're like me, that means more frizzy hair and more oily/shiny skin.

Well, last summer the makeup artist I used for our wedding introduced me to the BEST product for oily skin that I have ever encountered: MAC Pressed Blot Powder.
This stuff works miracles. No joke. Simply roll the pad around your finger, roll it on the powder, and roll the powder off on your skin - no more shine. It doesn't smear or remove your make up like oil blotting sheets do. It saved our photos on our wedding day, and it's saved me for many afternoon meetings and evening events.

It's more $ than I usually invest in make up (about $25 as I recall) but it's worth it - I've used it all year and barely made a dent in it, so I know it will last. If you're looking for a way to tackle summer's oily skin, I would highly recommend it!

we must have terrible taste...

in TV shows! I just found out this morning that one of our new favorite shows is getting canceled - The Chicago Code. It was a cop show about Chicago and I thought it was pretty good. It wasn't a procedural, so each show was related to the ones before it, and the characters were more unique/less cheesy than a lot of other cop shows. Plus, it's always fun to see my home town get some air time.

But alas, after next week's two hour season finale, The Chicago Code will be no more. Sadly, this is the 3rd show we started watching this year that has subsequently been canceled (the other two were Lights Out on FX about a boxer, and Detroit 187, another cop show). Since most of our man-approved shows are gone, we're going to have to figure out something new to watch in the fall. Hopefully we can break our streak of bad luck and find a show that will stick around!

PS sorry for the extreme blogging lapse. I'll try to be better this month :)

Our national budget crisis

I know not everyone's lives revolve around the political scene like mine does, but if you've been watching the news at all this week, you've probably seen that our country is debating two major budget issues right now.

The first is the budget for the remainder of 2011, often referred to as the Continuing Resolution, or CR. The current CR funds the government through this Friday, and if the Senate does not take action and an agreement is not reached, the government will shut down. Lots of federal employees will stop getting paid, including our troops. Bad news.

However, to be quite honest, that is not the biggest issue on the table right now. Yesterday Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee and Republican Congressman from Wisconsin, released his much-anticipated 2012 budget, a document he's calling the "Pathway to Prosperity". For the first time, someone is proposing a plan to start paying off our national debt by reforming the major entitlement programs: Medicare and Medicaid.

But Ryan's budget does much more than address our debt - it proposes a way to save these entitlement programs for future generations, including us. People currently receiving benefits from these programs would not be affected - seniors need not fear. Instead, this is a chance for seniors to get behind a plan that will save these programs not only for their children, but their grandchildren as well.

If you want to read/watch/hear more about Ryan's plan, here are a few good links:

Full Budget, Summary, Key Facts, and a video from Ryan

Ryan's Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal

Politco Op-Ed focusing on Medicare

Radio Interview with Roskam on both budget issues

I don't usually post political stuff on here because politics can be a sensitive issue for a lot of people, but this is too important not to pass along for discussion. Just imagine a future where international debates over the security of the dollar are over, our country is paying off it's national debt, and you and I would actually see benefits in our old age. Without reforms like these, that future is impossible.

The Big Chop

Yesterday afternoon I made a major life change...well maybe not major, but definitely a life change. I cut my hair! And not just a trim....I cut off almost 8 inches! Here's me on Wednesday, holding my office neighbor's adorable lab puppy. As you can see, my hair is about halfway down my back:

Here's the cutting room floor:


And here's the final product:

I have to say, I feel quite liberated :) It's definitely a new look for me (I don't think my hair has ever been this short....ever) but I'm getting used to it and I'm excited/nervous to figure out how to style it myself!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today, because it's St. Patrick's Day, and because I have a husband who loves me and is going out of town for the weekend, I got a special breakfast treat - biscuits and gravy!!!

Biscuits and gravy is one of my favorites, and when paired with some delicious canadian bacon...yum :) Here is my wonderful husband hard at work in the kitchen this morning - he woke up extra early to make me breakfast before I went to work!


He even made the biscuits from scratch (i.e. from Bisquick, not the pre-made refrigerated ones) - way to go babe! And happy St. Patrick's Day everyone - especially Jennie, and I know this is one of her favorite holidays (hehehe)!

Shreddin' some pow-pow

The title of this post was the catch phrase from our first ski trip - Scott even made us t-shirts with the phrase for Christmas!

Last weekend Alex and I went skiing at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah! It was a work trip for me, but honestly it was more fun than work :) You see, I love downhill skiing - I'm not great at it, but I'm good enough that it doesn't take me too long to get back into it and really enjoy it.

Alex learned to ski for the first time in December when we went with my family for Christmas, so this was the big test to see how much of his skiing knowledge he retained. As it turned out, he did great! He got back into it really quickly and we were skiing some tough blue runs in no time.

Here we are on at the end of the second day - the first day was sunny and beautiful, and the second was snowy. The first had better views, the second had better powder - I liked that we got a little of both!

You'll notice we're both wearing really attractive helmets - I skied with a helmet for the first time at Christmas and I will never go back to a hat, no matter how ridiculous we look with our giant heads that require giant helmets. They're safer AND warmer AND they keep the goggles from giving me a headache. Yay for helmets!

We can't wait to go again next year - although I'm psyched for summer to come, I'm sad to say goodbye to skis for the season!

My new favorite shoes

I recently bought a new pair of shoes and, quite unexpectedly, they have turned into my new favorites! I say "unexpectedly" for several reasons. First, I had never shopped at the store where these shoes are from, and the only reason I was there is because Alex desperately wanted to go. Second, I almost didn't buy the shoes - I tried them on, liked them but put them back, and walked around the entire store before I decided to give them a try. Then, I left them in their box for two weeks debating about returning them.

In the end, however, I did start wearing them and now I LOVE them - the Women's Suede Mocs from Cabela's!

I bought them thinking they'd be ideal for track meets - water resistant, good traction, and comfortable for all day with an orthotic footbed. Turns out those features also make it great for the dog park (which is why mine are rather dirty), taking walks, or wearing to work on a casual day. AND they were only $25 on sale.

If you're looking for a new pair of casual walking shoes, I would highly recommend these.

We're halway there!

A lot of people say the first year of marriage is the hardest of them all...well if that's the case, we're halfway through the tough stuff! Monday was our 6 month anniversary, so I thought I'd mark the occasion with another burst of marital wisdom :)

1 - It's really fun to swap stories with other people who are married: We recently joined a "young marrieds" small group through our church, and it has been a great opportunity to meet new people that are quickly becoming friends. It's also great because it gives us a chance to commiserate/laugh about the common elements of every marriage. Last time we got together, there was a lot of, "wait, your husband does that too?" It's nice to know you're not the only ones!

2 - When it comes to home improvement projects, always measure twice: Last week there was a blizzard in Chicago, so we took the day off to hang curtains in our living room, a task we'd talked about for awhile. We got out the drill, stepladder, and curtain rod brackets and went to work. Alex did a great job getting the curtain rod up, we slide on the curtains, and voila - the curtains are hovering awkwardly 3 inches above the ground. Bummer. So, a short TV watching break later, Alex undid all of his hard work, spackled the old holes, and drilled new ones. Now the curtains look perfect :)

3 - When making a major purchase, know your strengths: We recently made our first big married couple purchase: we bought a car. As we went through the car buying process, we learned a lot about each others' strengths and weaknesses. I loved the planning - I made our budget, looked up tax/fee information, scouted cars, planned our shopping route, etc. But when it came to talking to the sales people, I learned to just sit quietly - Alex is a way better negotiator than me! I got totally flustered, both negotiating and making the final purchase. Thankfully, Alex had the confidence to pull the trigger when the time came and after all that, it was definitely the right decision.

4 - Always take sound Biblical marriage insight to heart: This Sunday at church, we heard a sermon that provided some really great marriage insight. In fact, it was so good, that I think you'd all get something out of it. Watch it here - it's the "Marriage and Intimacy Redefined" lesson with Dan Allender. Don't worry - it's not intimacy in "the Biblical sense", so it's safe for all ages :)

That's all for now - here's to 6 more months of martial bliss!

Snow day in Chicago!

Yesterday was the first snow day for Chicago public schools since 1999! That's right, we'd gone 11 winters without a snow day, but Tuesday's blizzard took everyone out on Wednesday. And I've got to say, it was pretty fun :)

Tuesday night Alex and I ventured out into the storm twice with Leonidas - our strategy was that he went ahead of me and carved a path and then dug out around some trees so the little guy to take care of business. Poor little thing got so much snow whipped in his face with the wind, he looked almost completely white from the front. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture because, well, we were out in a blizzard.

Wednesday, the sun came out so the shovels came out! Here is Alex with our neighbor digging a path from the front door to our cars.


What you can't see here is that the sidewalks are completely buried everywhere else, and the snow is waist high in places. As in, we may not see a sidewalk until the spring. But all in all, the blizzard was great - now today feels sort of like a Monday but it's already Thursday!

The blizzard is coming!

Turns out this blizzard really is coming...could be the worst storm we've had since the 60's. Whoa. Schools are closing early today, already closed for tomorrow, and I certainly won't be into work, at least in the morning. For full effect, check out the radar of the Chicago area as of 5:00 tonight:

Welcome February

I tend to think of December and January as the worst winter weather months in Chicago - December is full of snow, and January is full of cold...bitter cold. Well apparently February is making an effort to top them both this year by bringing in....a blizzard!

Now, I tend to think people overreact to snow fall and it's never as bad as the weather folks predict. In this case, I certainly hope that holds true as we are under an official "blizzard watch" through Wednesday this week. This storm is bringing over a foot of snow, with up to 18 inches possible, coupled with winds that could result in 4-8 foot drifts.

My favorite quote from the blizzard watch: "SNOWFALL RATES OF AT LEAST 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR ARE POSSIBLE... ESPECIALLY WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT OCCUR." Who knew you could even have thunderstorms and snow at the same time??

Combating the Wednesday blues

Do you ever have those days where you get to work, sit down at your desk (or stand in front of your classroom or whatever), and you think, "I don't want to work today, not because I have other pressing issues, not even because I'm tired, but because I just don't want to."

That is how I felt this morning. It's cold and gray outside, like it has been for months, and the only thing I want to do is curl up with a blanket and a book. So I said to myself, "Okay Ashley, work. Now. You can do it." Don't judge - my office is usually empty in the mornings, so I am the only person I can talk to. Anyways, slowly, painfully, dragging my feet about a mile behind me, I started to work. Eventually I got into the rhythm of my day and it got easier, but those first few minutes were kind of brutal.

Do you ever have these days? What do you do to combat it? Tips appreciated!

Unfortunate Forecast

This is a really unfortunate forecast for later this week:

This means that over the course of one night, the temperature will drop 21 degrees and then leave us in single digits. And that's just the temperature - the windchill is going to be worse. These are the days I wish for a backyard, so the dog wouldn't need walks, and an electric blanket made for pipes so nothing freezes. Brrrrrrrrrr!

The Pirate

This weekend, Alex and I made our first big purchase as a married couple - a car! As you may know, Old Faithful (our affectionate name for Alex's '96 Honda Accord) had been giving us some problems - 230K miles and all of a sudden it started needing repairs, roughly one every other month, and we decided we'd had enough. So we started car shopping.

We had a strict budget in mind because we wanted to pay cash, and we knew we ideally wanted something a little bigger with decent gas mileage, and 4-wheel drive if we could find it. Well, we did! We bought a 2003 Honda Pilot (it's new nickname is the Pirate, kinda sounds like Pilot), in great condition with 80K miles on it. Here's a pic:


We are pretty pumped about this car, excited to own another Honda, and ready to do battle with the elements of a Chicago winter. Plus, it's got lots of seating, with a pop up third row of seats if we ever need to fit that many. It was sad to say goodbye to Old Faithful (we traded it in), but exciting to drive home in this!

This is not an interesting story...

But I'm sharing it with you all anyways :)

Today I was scheduling a mass email at work, which I do fairly often, and whenever I pick the time, I have to set it in Pacific time....it's just how the system is set up. So today I wanted to schedule for 2:00CST, which is 12:00PST...12:00PM, that is.

And I wondered, why would 12:00AM signify the start of the day, rather than the end? Why does the time counting start with 12:00, only to go back to 1:00 an hour later?

Well, after a little research (meaning I googled "12:00PM"), Wikipedia gave this explanation. My favorite part, which was difficult considering I actually found the article somewhat confusing, is this:

"In the United States, noon is often called "12:00 p.m." and midnight "12:00 a.m." With this convention, thinking of "12" as "0" makes the system logical."

I'm not sure what is logical about giving a different number value to a number that already has a value of it's own (i.e. 12 = 12), but at least it confirmed that I was sending my email at the correct time!

My favorite Christmas decorations

One of my favorite parts about Christmas is all of the mail! This year, we got cards from family and friends all over the country and our fridge is covered - and these are just the cards with pictures! The rest are displayed out in the living room.

As we prepare to take down our tree and return the holiday cheer to it's big gray bin this weekend, I think I might leave the cards up for just a little longer...I love seeing so many smiling faces in our kitchen!

Leonidas has some style!

Look what Alex's mom made the dog for Christmas! It's an argyle sweater, complete with a collar and sleeves! He looks hilarious/adorable in it and it's loose enough that he doesn't seem to mind wearing it. She made a second one with Penn State fabric so he can be a real fan.