Hey Misty...

Have you seen this???

White Ayurvedic Chai CANDLE!!!

I need it. =)

♥ 

Teavana...

I may or may not have dropped another $20 at Teavana today.

I mean, after all, it was on my way home, 

and I have been wanting to get a Green tea and a Mate tea, since they were the only ones I was missing.

thank goodness they were out of tins, or I would've ended up spending twice as much.

Here's what I got...

Raspberry Lemonade Riot Mate, and...

Blackberry Mojito Green

and last friday, when I had my gift cards, I got...

Peach Bloom Rooibos, and...

Snow Geisha White.

Yes, I am in Tea Heaven. 

But is it a mild obsession?

Probably.

Oh well, at least it's not designer shoes. 

♥

Eventful Weekend

Well Hello there.

Much has happened since my last post. 

I guess I will go chronologically, since that seems like the most logical way to do it. 

So, here we go.

I had mentioned in my last post that we were going to Wal-mart at midnight for my $9 tupperware, and that was the only Black Friday shopping that we were going to do.

Well, I was half right. 

We got to Wal-mart at midnight, and there was literally no place to park. Jamie dropped me off, and I ran though the store, under the caution tape, through the clothes department, and grabbed the tupperware.

Then, I went back the same way (yes, back under the caution tape) and got in line.

I was way excited.

This is me in line at midnight. You can see a glimpse of the madness behind me.

Well, while I was waiting in line, Jamie noticed a Blu-ray player. For only $70. But...not until 5 AM.

I said "Yeah Right." 

He said "No, we can wake back up and come."

I said "Sure babe, I'll come with you."

Now, let me clarify that I only said "sure" because Jamie is the worst person that I have ever met about getting up for things. Sometimes I literally have to drag him out of bed for important things, like work and school. So, in saying yes, I did so with the knowledge that when his alarm went off at 4:30 AM, he would just shut it off and go back to sleep. 

Problem solved.

So I'm sure you can imagine my shock and horror when the lights flipped on at 4:30 AM, and he hopped out of bed, and said "Come on!"

So, unable to go back on my word, I got up, and we drove to Wal-mart and bought a Blu-ray player.

It sucked.

Then we went home, back to bed, and both got up for work at 9 AM. 

Gross.

That Friday evening, though, after a gruesomely long day of work, my mom took me to Keystone mall, and to Teavana, and bought me a new really cute tea tin, 2 oz. of Ayurvedic Chai White Tea (thanks, Misty,) and 2 teacups for my birthday! She's so sweet.

Afterwards, we went to Beni Hana, and we had a glorious, amazing, delicious dinner.

It was nice to spend time with her.

And then Saturday morning, Jamie was sick.

Again.

He stayed in bed all day, nauseous, and had to miss Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family, which is his favorite. 

So, he was bummed about that, and so was I.

But, my mom made me an amazing coconut birthday cake, because it's my favorite!

It was so delicious!

And then on Sunday morning, I let Jamie sleep, because he hadn't been feeling well.

And then when he got up, and was feeling better, we decided to be productive and go Christmas Shopping!

So, we started at Mass Ave, then went to Keystone Mall, then to Michigan Rd, and then back to 3 places in Brownsburg!

We shopped ALL day.

It was exhausting.

But, at the end of the day, it was really exciting, because we got all but 3 presents!

That's amazing for two huge procrastinators.  I was proud of us.

But then we got home, and realized that since we haven't done our christmas decorating yet, there was no where to put the presents. 

Oops.

So, here is where they are for now. 

Poor Jamie has had to significantly reduce his homework space.

We should be fixing this sometime this week, though.

And, we got Minnie a cute new Christmas Sweater, and Emma a Kitty Condo. 

They are both so cute!

But, then the day turned bad.
Really bad.
I started having really bad heartburn. I don't ever have heartburn, but I just assumed that's what it had to be.  I had an intense, burning pain from my stomach, behind my sternum, to about my collarbones. I just decided to try and sleep it off, and hope it was better in the morning.
Then, at 3:30 AM Monday morning, I woke up in serious pain. It hurt so bad behind my sternum that it was hard for me to breathe, especially deep breaths or yawns, and my shoulders hurt, and BOTH my arms were tingly and numb all the way down to my fingers.
I was concerned, but I've never been one to just rush to the hospital for every little thing.
So, I called a 24-hour immediate care hotline, and described my symptoms to a nurse.
And she told me to go to the ER.

So, Jamie drove me to to ER, and we got there about 4 AM Monday.
I was concerned about my heart, but they did an EKG, and ruled that it definitely wasn't that.
Which was a relief.
They also did a Chest X-ray, took blood twice (and missed once,) and did an ultrasound of my internal organs.

It was a rough 5 hours.
Finally, around 9:30 AM, the nurse comes in and tells me that it was a severe acid reflux episode, and that they are prescribing me Prilosec.
But, they still couldn't tell me why my arms went numb.
Which is weird.
But, I guess I should just be thankful that nothing major was wrong, and they've given me a clean bill of health, other than acid reflux.
It just sucks that we had to spend 5 hours in the ER to do that.

I will say that I am so very overwhelmed by my husbands love for me.
He spent 5 hours laying across 2 wooden chairs in a 4 foot wide space to be with me.
Even though it totally de-railed his Monday.
I am so appreciative of that.

So, finally after all of that, this week has gotten back to normal.
and by normal, I mean crazy busy.
I have two major homework assignments due within a week of each other.
And by major, I mean can decide by themselves whether I pass or fail this semester.
So, I am going to focus in on that for a while.
Just saying.
I will be glad when school is over, and I don't have to be a lonely, homework driven, hermit.
Seriously.
♥

Does that make me Crazy?

Having a rough week.

Inside of a rough month.

And unfortunately, I know for a fact that it is going to get tougher later this week.

Which is why I am trying to cherish today.

Today has been good.

Really good.

Not stressful, more....Easy.

Almost forgot what that felt like.

To just have one day where it didn't feel like something was crashing down around me.

It's been nice.

So, I have been music browsing to continue my relaxing evening.

I love the song "Crazy" by Gnarles Barkley.

If you're unfamiliar with it, you can hear it HERE.

I also love Ray Lamontagne.

Love. Love. Love.

He is SO soulful, he can touch my heart in an instant.

Well, I found this tonight in my music hopping.

It. Is. Glorious.

Unfortunately, I can't find it to purchase ANYWHERE, so YouTube will have to do for now.

It's such a glorious song, and hearing Ray Lamontagne's gorgeous voice singing it just gives me chills.

Love it.

That reminded me of a really cool cover band that a friend introduced me to at Ball State.

It is by a band called "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes."

I had forgotten just how much I loved this cover until I heard it again.

So, I started clicking on some others by the gimme gimmes.

Turns out, they have 4 CD's, and they are all punk rock covers of famous songs.

They are ALL amazing.

For example....

"I'll be there" by the Jackson 5

"Leaving on a jet plane"

"Sweet Caroline"

and from their county album (yes I said country,)

"Jolene" by Dolly Parton.

These guys are awesome. 

I have so much respect for their creativity and talents.

Going to try and do some homework, chill out, drink some tea, hang out with my lovely dog, my precious cat, and wait for my amazing and wonderful husband to come home.

Love him.

And I'm so thankful that i have him.

♥

New Teavana goodness!!

My awesome husband took me to Keystone Mall today.

To go to Teavana.

I love that man.

Here is my loot. 

2 oz. of:

Zingiber Ginger Coconut Rooibos

The description:

"The exotic blend of ginger, coconut, and spicy black pepper complement our robust red rooibos in this caffeine free Ayurvedic blend.  It provides a delicious departure from the ordinary."

I am sipping on it right now, and I can tell you, it is 

wonderful.

And also, 2 oz. of:

Toasted Nut Brulee Oolong 

The description:

"Enjoy a sweet treat without remorse! Savor each sip of this rich tea blend and it's hazelnut cream brulee flavor while giving your body a health kick. It's the best dessert you'll find."

going to try this one later today, after dinner.

Excited.

Now when Misty comes over, we can have wine AND tea.

And I'm going to take some to Rachel next Sunday.

I'm excited to share.

♥

I've been sick, not pregnant, okay?

Just now starting to feel better.

I think I caught a bug from a friend at church.

Same symptoms, same forever-long duration.
At least now I know that the speculation and jokes of my classmates and co-workers about the "P" word will stop. It's gotten old.

Had Red Mango Tuesday, because my boss and I were scoping out a potential FamVid spot in Broadripple.

It was glorious.

Class on Thursday was pretty cool.  

I get to teach a science lesson to a group of 10, 

and meet with my "focus child" every Thursday.

I really enjoy it.

It feels like I am finally almost a teacher.
That evening I watched a re-run of one of my all-time favorite "The Office" episodes:
The one where Andy finds out about Dwight and Angela's affair.
Epic.

I actually had Friday off! 

It was awesome for me, but Jamie still had to work.

Lame. 

So, I set out to clean. and clean. and then clean some more.

I started on the kitchen and the great room, and I cleaned like a maniac.
I even moved all the furniture out, set the couches on end, and hand-mopped the hardwood.

It was crazy.
But, after I did all that, I had zero energy for the rest of the house, so the bedrooms and baths are still pretty rough.
I will get there though.
Really.

Saturday I worked, and then we went out with some of Jamie's friends from work.
We went to the Vogue in Broadripple, which was the first time I had been there.
It was awesome.
I didn't drink, because my stomach hurt, but I had a phenomenal time dancing my booty off.
Not really, it's still there, but  I can dream, right?
Emily and Karen
(These lovely ladies)

met me there, and we had a blast.
The are so great.

The furry children have been very lovable lately.
Minnie is not a fan of winter. So, she has been taking every opportunity to cuddle with us or under something.

She is so stinking cute.

Emma tried to help me do my homework.
And by help me, I mean eat my computer cord.

It was so cute though, I couldn't help but laugh.

Sunday morning was very bittersweet for me.
First off, Rachel was SO sweet and brought me a box of the tea she knew I liked.

I was so surprised and flattered, and felt very blessed to have such people in my life.

But at the same time, someone who has been with our church for a very long time that I have always respected and loved since I was 15 has made some decisions that I don't understand that ultimately have led to his decision to leave the church.
It makes me so sad, disappointed, and just unsure about what to think. We actually sat down and talked about next steps this Sunday, and it really got to me.
I am still pondering if I want to send him a message, and what to say in that message.
It's just hard.

It was also nice because Tim, one of our pastors, was back from Chicago.
I hadn't realized how different it would be without him until last week when he was moving.
I'm glad he is staying.
But, the lovely, wonderful, awesome Misty that I missed a lot was not there.
=)
But really, I missed her oodles and oodles, and can't wait to sing with her in a couple of weeks.
She is a really great friend to me, and I hope I am half as much of a friend to her.
I really want to maintain that friendship even though she lives in Chicago.

Jamie and I are on fall break, and he took the day off tomorrow, and we are spending the
WHOLE
day together!
We are going to Chateau Thomas Winery to spend the gift card we got as a wedding present, and Jamie says he had a surprise for me.
Really ready and excited for tomorrow.
I love him so much.
♥

If you're wondering if I want you to...I want you to!

Can't help but love this Weezer song.

Been listening to it all day.

This is the first time since FRIDAY morning that i haven't been working, at school, doing homework, or sleeping.

My life is crazy!

Jamie and I spent this past weekend in Rockville with his brother's youth group at a youth retreat.

It was a lot of fun, the only lame thing was that i took the wrong day off of work, and I had to leave at midnight, and drive an hour and a half. I got there at 1:40 AM. It sucked.

But, other than that it was a blast, and on a gorgeous property! The kids were really great,  I am so bummed that i didn't think to take pictures.

Monday was my first official day of Assistant Manager training!

It went well, but it was a lot. 

I did my first interview, and I think I did a pretty good job!

I was really nervous, though.

Friday my wonderful husband took me to Teavana after his class!

I got a new black tea, and it is amazing.

Peach-Cran Tango!

It's delicious, and I love it.

I also got a new Yoga video!

I am really excited about it, and so far the routines have been really great!

It has routines for morning to energize, and evening to relax.

Minnie has been quite a character this week. 

Jamie accidentally left the linen closet open overnight, and when I got up the next morning, this is where I found her!

Such a silly girl I love her!

I have a busy weekend ahead of me!

Tonight:

Howl at the Moon with Emily (and maybe Amanda!)

This is my favorite bar in the world, if you have never been to one, go!

Tomorrow:

Work all morning, and then

Trampled by Turtles in concert at Birdy's!!

Going with Amanda (and maybe Emily!)

So excited that they are in Indy!

And Saturday:

Family Reunion and then

Andy McKee and Eric Johnson in concert!

My husband is super excited about this one!

And, dinner with my parents on Sunday after work!

It's going to be crazy, but at least it will be crazy and something that I enjoy!

Well, hopefully I will be able to post again sometime before next year.

♥

Hello, world.

It's been a while.

With a full-time job and full-time school, it's hard to find time for the things I enjoy.

I will be making time, however.

I love and need my "me" time.

Listening to Ray Lamontagne.

I love him.

My sister and her boyfriend just left.

They are in town, so they came over for lunch with me.

Jamie was supposed to be here, but he ended up having to work last minute.

Long story short, he was the only guy who could cover his old position, because the guy's grandma died.

Which I completely understood, and my sis did too.

So, it was just the three of us, and the furry children.

We had Crispy Cracker Chicken, Rice, and Fresh Cooked Carrots.

It was delicious.

We followed it up with some tea.

Yum.

Speaking of furry children, one has been indiferent to Jamie and I starting back to school:

I kind of think she enjoys it, she gets to lounge on the bed more, which doesn't happen when we are home.

This furry child, however:

Has been a holy terror.

She is doing things she never used to do, and doing things that she has been broken of for months.

Like pottying in the house. She peed multiple times on the blanket Jamie's mom made us for our wedding. She hadn't peed in the house in 8 months. She has also been pooping in the house, which we had her completely broken of.

We had been able to leave her out of her crate almost all of the time, and now we have to crate her even if we leave for just a few hours.

She digs in the trash, and gets it everywhere, which she has NEVER done before, and steals my underwear, even the clean ones, and tries to hide them in her cage.

She also nipped at my sister today, which is another completely new thing.

I am at wits end with her.

We still love her, and I feel guilty that she doesn't like us being gone, but there is nothing we can do about it, and she can't keep behaving like this.

Uggh. Children.

It has been a weird week altogether.

These randomly appeared:

Along with a bruise on my neck.

I know I am clumsy, and run into things, but this is ridiculous. And I don't remember where I got any of them.

Weird.

Jamie says I am like a bull in a china shop. He laughs at me when I run into stuff.

But I know he thinks it's cute.

I just wish I didn't bruise so easily.

I recently discovered that I really needed new work/school clothes. We have to dress up when we do field work, and I am quickly running out of clothes. So, my awesome husband took me shopping.

I got all of this:

Plus some Grey dress pants that I forgot to take a picture of.

I love him.

He got a shirt, pair of shoes, and some work pants.

It was a good day.

Jamie and I are singing in his cousin's wedding in two weeks.

Exciting.

We just got the song three days ago.

Not so exciting.

It's "From this moment" by Shania Twain. I am NOT a Shania fan.

But, it's what they want, so I hope we do it well.

We have to learn it first, though.

Well, I work in about an hour, and I have homework to do (that's all i ever do now.)

My life is busy, but great.

♥

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.

♥

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.

♥

Boo you, homework.

I should be doing homework.

But...I'm not.

I leave for class in an hour.

I am so sick of school.

Dang it.

Minnie is in heat.

It sucks, we have to put a diaper on her.

She hates our stinkin' guts.

We are going to have her spayed as soon as she is done, because this sucks.

She does look a little cute though.

I made this last night for my husband and I

Beef stir-fry, and it was delicious.

I am failing miserably at only eating meat twice a week. I just need some better recipes, or it will never work. I think I am going to buy a new recipe book next week.

Can't help but be a little excited about that.

I'm drinking Pomegranate Raspberry Iced Green Tea.

Amazing!

Thank you, Misty, for teaching me to make good iced tea at home.

I love it.

Jamie is working 7 straight nights in a row. I have been off for 2 days, and I am bored to tears. I have cleaned everything.

I am so excited for him to have a normal schedule, which is supposed to be starting in August!

Yay!

Okay, but now back to homework.

Dang it.

♥