Feeling Better.

So, I apologize for the negativity of the last post.

I am feeling much better, though,

and much more positive.

It is still a bit overwhelming, but I can already tell the weekends are going to be my saving grace.

So, random thought, and I will start the following by prefacing that I have no prejudice against tattoos. I think that a person has every right to get one if he or she wants.

But... I wouldn't always choose some of the things people get.

For example:

Tonight at work, a young woman, probably in her late teens/early twenties was leaving, and she was wearing a spaghetti strap tank top, showing her many tattoos.

As she left, I could see that on the back of her neck, she had a giant tattoo that read

"Sin for Sale."

Really?

Explain that one to your kids in 15 years.

Also, on your neck?

Good luck covering that up at funerals, weddings, and job interviews.

I just thought it was nuts.

Jamie and I made a spontaneous trip to Broadripple today.

It was awesome.

We so rarely do anything spontaneous anymore,

and we just drove off.

We had Jimmy Johns and Red Mango (which he loved!) I was pumped about that.

We also went and checked out Three Dog Bakery, so that Jamie could see it.

With our schedules being so crazy, it was so nice to just have time to be with him, and have no plans.

So lovely.

I attempted home-made Spinach Ravioli today.

I have been so excited about it all week.

Here is what the Raviolis looked like partially made:

They were really fun and easy to make, I was super excited at this point. I used fresh spinach and everything!

Here is me making them.

Thank my wonderful husband for the photography, for which he oddly enough volunteered. =)

Here is where things started going downhill:

The recipe called for water and Extra Virgin Olive Oil to cook them in, and I followed the instructions perfectly, and yet they stuck to everything. The pan. Each other.

And I don't know if you've ever tried to pull ravioli off of something, but guess what happens?

It tears open.

I think at least 50% of them were broken open.

Spinach filling was going everywhere.

But, in the end, I got them on the plates, sauced, and they tasted pretty good after all.

So, in the end, A for taste, C- for presentation.

I think I am going to start doing yoga. I did it at one time with my mom and sister, but I just need something to get me going in the mornings, and to wind me down after work.

I think yoga will do that for me.

Now I just have to find a video.

Excited about this.

Well off to bed Church (finally) in the morning with my love!

♥

Back to school...

This week has been ROUGH.

Jamie and i both started back to school full time.

And we both work essentially full time.

Essentially, we say goodbye around 7:30 AM,

and every weekday but Monday, don't see each other again until one of us gets off work,

which is 11 or 12PM.

Mondays we at least get to have lunch.

So, on top of never seeing my husband,

and working 35 hours a week still,

and our house looking awful because we are never here,

Here is the homework I was assigned after the first week:

Tuesday

Reading: 1/2 of our lit. group novel (119 pages), Ch. 1 of textbook (21 pages)

6 pages of research about the novel, 4 page article

Write a paragraph about an assigned section in our textbook

Find a song that pumps you up

Art: Read Ch. 1 of textbook (19 pages), find a 3-D object that represents me

Read an online article (7 pages)

Music: Listen to the noises while sitting at your desk, find pictures of those things, and make a mural. (because I don't have anything else I could be doing during that time.) =(

Thursday

Science: Read 1/4 of a novel (that I don't even have yet.)

Write a 1-page paper addressing "What is Science?" Read 10 pages out of the textbook

Pick my topic for the science mini lesson I have to teach in 2 weeks

Math: Read Ch. 1-5 of textbook (88 pages), Read a 12 page article, Read a 4 page article

Write a reflection about all three readings.

In case you were wondering, that's 344 pages of reading. Plus all of the writing and other stuff I have to do.

The only positives:

I love my friends in my class.

They make it bearable.

And now that Jamie doesn't work weekends, we will at least have those to enjoy each other's company.

(when we are not doing homework.)

Oh, and i found a new blog to love.

http://aestheticoutburst.blogspot.com/

She is an art lover, and stay at home mom, who loves to post art she finds, and things she does with her kids. It's great.

I just miss my husband.

and I am so overwhelmed already.

Jamie asked me the other night as we collapsed into bed at midnight

"Are we doing the right thing?"

I said,

"What, killing ourselves for our education?

I hope so."

♥

It Came!!!!

My tea steeper, Frutto Bianco Tea, canister, and Rock sugar came today!!!

It is wonderful!!!!

I absolutely love it.

I didn't get to use it until just a few minutes ago, because it came late. boo.

Spent the afternoon with the lovely Misty! (and Nash, of course.)

It was so great!

We went to Broadripple, and she introduced me to Red Mango. It was awesome.

and we went to Three dog bakery,

and I got Minnie and Dex, my parent's dog, Mini Cupcakes.

They are so cute.

Minnie went CRAZY when I gave her one.

It was hilarious.

We also went to two health food stores.

It was a great day.

I always forget to take pictures when we are together, which is a bummer.

I am going to miss you, Misty.

For real.

Well, going to go and enjoy a few minutes of time with my wonderful husband, as I will see him at 7:30 AM when I leave for school tomorrow, and at 11:00 PM when he gets home from work.

Yuck.

♥

I love technology...

Okay, so besides being a slightly awesome tribute to "Napolean Dynomite," my title is somewhat sarcastic.

Jamie and i finally went and got a new printer today.

we have been saving up for it all summer.

This one:

Was perfect for us:

scanner, copier, and printer

Kodak (so therefore more eco-friendly)

and....

wireless access!

I was so pumped, especially about that last part.

Until I got it home, spent 2 hours setting it up, and then neither of our computers will connect to it for some unknown reason.

awesome.

I tried videos and troubleshooting online, but nothing worked.

So, now I am just angry and irritated at the stupid thing.

Grrr.

Jamie starts school tomorrow, and I start on tuesday.

I am not ready for this.

Summer went way to fast.

We will basically now both be leaving the house before 7:30 AM and not getting back until after 11:00 PM at least 3 days a week, and probably more like 4 or 5 most of the time.

He's excited to go back to school, and I am super proud of him.

I am just ready to be done.

I am already overwhelmed.

I have an assignment due tuesday, and one thursday as well.

Did I mention I work 35 hours this week?

My life is about to get crazy.

We had Jamie's niece Natalie's birthday party at our house today.

I worked during most of it.

Luckily, my awesome co-worker Nicole was cool with me leaving an hour early, so I got there in time for cake.

Nicole may be reading this sometime in the near future, so thanks oodles and oodles, Nicole!

Teavana stuff gets here tomorrow!!!!!!

I have been checking the shipping every single day.

I am like a little kid.

It's going to be wonderful, and amazing, and awesome.

All at the same time.

Well, tomorrow is my prep day for the craziness that is about to happen. Groceries in the AM, Red Mango with Misty (so, so excited!) in the PM, and homework and prepping for class in the evening, along with some lovely "Frutto Bianco White Pearl Tea."

Here we go.

♥

"The perfect con is one where, in the end, everyone gets what they want."

So, I really want to see "Inception," as everyone loves it, and I have been told that it is the exact kind of movie that I love.

Working at a video store, I have seen many movies, and do have quite a passion for them.

My favorite kinds of movies are those with surprise endings.

Not movies with random endings that don't make sense,

but movies with well thought out, intelligent plots, that have you thinking one thing the entire movie, and then BAM! It all comes together to make sense in an entirely different way.

I love them.

So, in the spirit of things, I have compiled:

"My top 8 (because I had too many for 5, and couldn't think of 10) movies with awesome endings."

#8: "500 Days of Summer"

-Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

While this movie is #8 on this list for endings, it is in my top five movies of all time. It is a phenomenal story about love and life, and the end will both move and surprise you at the same time. It is the most true-to-life love story I've ever seen, with a little comedy and creative filming thrown in, and I recommend it to all.

#7: "Book of Eli"

-Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis

Definitely liked this movie. While I typically try to stay away from "end of the world movies" because they often depress me, this movie didn't. However, you must watch it all the way to the end, even if you don't like the beginning, because the end is mind-blowing.

#6: "Fight Club"

-Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham-Carter

While one of my husband's favorites, there is too much overall weirdness in this movie for me to say that I love it. People soap, chemical burns, support group touring, underground beatings, cult-like activities: some may say art, I say it's a little bizarro. However, as far is interesting, surprising endings, this one is far and above many others. However, once you know the ending, you will never watch the movie the same way again.

#5: "The Others"

-Nicole Kidman

Probably the best ghost movie I have ever seen. I don't typically enjoy stories about hauntings and ghosts, but the ending for this one has stuck with me for many years, and to this day I still think of it as one of the most jaw-dropping endings I've ever seen.

#4 "Shutter Island"

-Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley

I definitely want to watch this one again, as I have only seen it once. It is a controversial pick, I know, as everyone that i have talked to either loved it or hated it. However, i thought it was wonderfully done, and extremely creative. The ending not only surprises you, but leaves you with an air of curiosity. I will definitely have to watch it again.

#3: "The Illusionist"

-Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti

Another of my husbands favorites, and this one is wonderful. Definitely one of the most well-thought out plots I've ever seen, and an awesome tale of overcoming social expectations, and finding true love through adversity. The ending is so beautifully done, and wonderfully clever.

#2: "Lucky Number Slevin"

-Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freedman, Ben Kingsley

An awesome all-star cast, an intense tale of murder and revenge, and another "love through adversity" tie-in, this is number two because of the complex nature of the plot, and the way it is played out all the way to the end. I love this movie, because I am amazed every time I see it at the creativity of the plot.

#1: "The Brothers Bloom"

-Adrian Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz

Amazing movie. Amazing. I love Adrian Brody anyway, but he is awesome in this movie. A movie about life-long con artists, the ending of this movie makes perfect sense in so many ways, and yet you never see it coming. I also love the creativity of this film, through the timelessness of the sets and wardrobe, to the creative use of Steven's maps, and the wonderful work of the entire cast, I adore this movie. It is a must see in my book.

So there you have it.

My favorite ending movies.

Props to Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and Edward Norton for making the list twice.

Love.

♥

mmmm, tea

I just went and added all of this stuff to a

"Wish List"

at Teavana's site.

I have been to the store at Keystone several times, but I like the site because it gives explanations and definitions of everything.

Misty, I think I am worse than you, hahaha.

You should never have gotten me started with that tea you made me. =)

I feel like such a loser, because I didn't actually buy any of it.

I will have it all some day soon, though.

I am thinking about getting the steeper first, and then starting with the teas.

Because I can't afford them both at the same time.

I love it.

I also did a little research, and found a website for a Health food place in Avon.

They sell local meats and produce, and organic everthing. I plan on going there to check it out, maybe on thursday.

Super excited about it.

Hopefully it is affordable, that is my only concern.

Ordered my books for school yesterday.

All 11 of them.

Yep.

The combined cost for Jamie and I's books was over $800.

it sucks.

But, it is a necessary evil, I guess.

Oh well, only 3 more semesters for me.

Uggh.

♥

My kind of town!

Had an amazing weekend.

In Chicago.

With my husband.

We seriously didn't want to come home.

It was wonderful.

We took the train up, and the bus back, so the whole time we were there, we walked or took the L to get around.

We loved it.

Here are some highlights of our trip:

Jamie had never been up the Sears (or Willis...whatever) tower, so we went there.

They have a cool new box thing where you can step out over the city.

It was crazy.

We spent some time at millennium park,

just doing what people at millennium park do.

Hanging out.

(And yes, I took both of the above pictures. I'm quite proud of them.)

Ate at Grand Lux Cafe.

It was gorgeous, ritzy, and the food was amazing.

We went to the Art Institute (my personal favorite),

and saw awesome art.

I studied Impressionism for several years in French in high school,

so I was very excited to see so many paintings that i had studied.

(Monet, Seurat, and Renoir, just to name a few)

I also have a strange obsession with interesting and unique chairs.

I was basically in chair heaven.

=)

We also went to Buddy Guy's Legends, had a few drinks, and saw some really awesome live blues.

Two ladies sat at the extra chairs at our table, and it turns out they are in Chicago shooting the new Victoria Secret commercial that will be going out world wide.

Apparently the commercial will have animals in it, because they train animals for all sorts of movies and commercials.

It was pretty cool.

I would have liked to talk to them about that a little more, but honestly, they were pretty drunk.

The last day, we went up to the beach for a while.

We just happened to catch a really cool air show.

and then just walked around the city looking at buildings, and for ice cream, lol.

I was so sad to leave.

The whole time we were there, we kept talking about picking up and getting an apartment in Chicago, just so that we could live there for one year. Just to do it.

But, with school, and the house, and work, we will see if it ever happens.

We got home at midnight last night, and i had to get up and open today.

This opening every sunday thing is getting REALLY old already.

My manager (who has 4 years seniority over me, might I add) has decided that she is not going to work any Sundays during football season.

That currently leaves...me.

But, church is a really important part of my life, and I am not going to miss it every Sunday for work.

maybe once or twice a month, if I have to (and believe me, as understaffed as we are, I do,) but not every sunday. It's not fair.

So, I will be working through that these next few weeks.

plus school.

it's gonna get crazy.

at least I got one last weekend with my love.

♥

anticipation

I have lots to do before we leave for Chicago in the morning, but I need a few minutes to chill after my 8 hour work day.

As much as I enjoy my job (most of the time,) there are many days when customer stupidity just about drives me mad.

Today was one of those days.

For example...

-The man who stands at the counter while I have five inventories to do, and rants about how stupid it is that the rating association puts "smoking" as a reason for a PG rating. As he does this, he takes deep breaths through his portable oxygen tank. Irony? I think so.

-The customer who stands at the counter, and when I ask "Would you like these for 1 or 5 nights?" they answer "No."

-The customer who asks me (rudely) for a bag, to carry his 2 movies all the way to his car. Really?

I could go on for a while, but there is really no point.

I just have to focus on the nice customers who actually realize that I am a person.

They are great.

Jamie and I took Natalie to Western Boone yesterday, to kind of give her a head start for when she starts there tomorrow.

It was weird.

They have remodeled it, and it looks way different.

But, hopefully it gives Nat the head start she needs to start things off right.

Jamie and i pray about her a lot.

She has a lot of things stacked against her,

so we just try to be the best examples possible, and spend lots of time with her.

We love her.

My Tortellini Con Colore turned out great, by the way!

My only complaint is that the pea pods are so big, that it is hard to get them into your mouth with anything else. I think I will chop them in half next time.

Well, we are off to Chicago in the AM, and won't return until Saturday.

I am so excited.

Especially to get to spend three uninterrupted days with my husband.

It is kind of our last hurrah before school.

Pictures to come.

♥

Clutter and Critters

Watching "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" for the first time.

It's good, but sad.

Spent the last few hours going through Rachel Ray magazines.

For some strange reason, Jamie got like 7 months worth free.

Found some awesome recipes.

I will be trying Tortellini Con Colore tonight.

Sounds great.

Just made lunch/dinner for Jamie and I.

Today was his first day of working 2:30-11.

It was weird.

But, I think I could get used to it.

I only have to cook once a day, because I can make us a big lunch, and then use the leftovers for both of us when we work, or make myself a small dinner when I don't.

I am excited though. I really think this is a good thing.

No more nights!

Been doing some major re-organizing in the spare bedrooms.

Because of this we have a ton of stuff to get rid off.

So, I put it all on craigslist today, and since I am off today, I am playing official secretary.

We have already had 4 calls about the bookshelf.

I am sick of it already.

But, I hope like crazy that it pays off, and all of this stuff can be out of our living room.

Clutter free is good.

Speaking of bookshelf, I bought a new one for the office, because i outgrew the other one (that we are now selling.)

When I bought it, Jamie was at work.

I loaded the 70 lb. box into the cart, into the car, and into the house by myself.

Then, I put it together myself, and voila!

I was so proud of myself.

and it looks great!

My new stove finally came today.

My momma is so awesome.

But, after they delivered it,

and we got it all hooked up,

we figured out that the center burner (the one that specifically sold me on this stove)

didn't work.

at all.

So, I called Lowes, and my options were:

Order another (wait another week and a half)

or call maintenance (wait another week.)

Lame.

But, at least we have it until they come out and fix it.

The first meal I cooked on it was Crispy Cracker chicken, Mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob.

It was great!

My furry critters have been hilarious today.

I laid out a towel for Minnie after her bath yesterday.

This is where I found them this morning.

They actually were civil with each other for 10 whole minutes.

Emma was quite the little entertainer this morning.

And, when I was cutting out recipes, she decided to sit on them.

She's so stinking cute.

I love her.

I had a lovely day with my family yesterday at the Mossman family picnic.

We went to McCormick's Creek State Park.

We hiked, and ate.

It was lovely.

Only two more work shifts until Chicago!!

Uggghh, I am so excited!

♥

stuff

Last day of summer classes tomorrow.

The semester starts in 2 weeks.

dang it.

Been doing some re-arranging in the office.

Looking for a big comfy reading chair to go in there.

Probably going to have to get it used.

It's really hard to find a cute used one, though.

I really like this one from target,

But it doesn't look very comfortable.

The music room is also almost done.

looks good.

My "Almost Vegetarian" book came today.

Awesome!

Jamie is trying to adjust to his new schedule, but things will be a little hectic for a couple of weeks. He had to be at work at 6 this morning, and he was exhausted.

It's worth it, though.

Chicago a week from tomorrow!

Can't stinking wait.

So excited!

Big things happening at work.

Big things.

I have a lot to think over.

Possible management opportunity.

I think things are going to be good, though.

Excited about spending some time with Misty on Friday.

I enjoy these things.

Yup.

My life's boring.

Boring, but good.

♥