the finale

Day 30

A Dream for the Future


First off I would like to thank Abri for sharing the 30 Day Blog Challenge with me, it was really fun & I'm glad I did it! :)


Ok... so, a dream for the future. Well to be honest I have had one thing & one thing only on my mind lately when it comes to the future - kids. My husband is probably going to kill me for going public with this, but I just can't do this challenge any other way. It wouldn't be honest. I have total, crazy baby on the brain. I guess there was always a time in my life where I thought I wanted to have kids, then more recently there were a few years where I honestly didn't think I would ever want to have kids. I think that was my body telling me that it wasn't the right time, or God, whatever you believe in. Either way I know that any time before now would not have been the right time for me. My mom said she didn't think she wanted to have kids for a long time, and then she did. She said it was just all-of-a-sudden. That's kind of how it went for me also. Now I know that without a doubt I am meant to be a mother, Ted is meant to be a father. We are meant to do this. I won't bore you with how I came to this revelation, but I will say that this book helped me out a lot. A lot, a lot.

So there ya go... my dream for the future is a couple of kids, being even more in love with my husband then I am now, and being the best person I can be. Happiness, the ultimate dream, and it means something different to everyone.

hopes & dreams & plans - oh my!

Day 29

Wow! I can't believe this blog challenge is almost over! The last 30 days has really flown by.

Today's topic is: Hopes, dreams, & plans for the next 365 days...

I hope that we can fulfill our dreams by continuing to make good plans.

:)

Too easy? Ok.

I hope that over the next year... I can become a more dedicated person.
I dream that in the next year... we will be exactly where we want to be.
I plan that next year... we will be cruising Mexico! :)

I really just hope that next year is even better than this year. 2010 has been good to us, I just hope that we can continue to grow & prosper throughout 2011... and beyond.

what's in my purse??

Day 28

wallet - of course

keys to my life

lip balm - addicted to this stuff

MAC Blot Powder

my lifeline

I always have a pen handy

Inevitably I end up with a bunch of receipts at the bottom of my purse, these usually get cleaned out on Sunday night.

every girl has to have the perfect lip gloss in her bag, you just never know when you may need it

My favorite mascara

must have!

There are always other things that occasionally make it into my purse. Sunglasses (I really don't carry them around with me on a regular basis), my nook, grocery lists, snacks, etc. But the above items can always be found in my purse - always... oh, and tampons. But did you really need a picture of tampons? I didn't think so.

my worst habit

Day 27

This one is so easy - I'm lazy. That's my worst habit by far. I can be lazy in every aspect of my life. I can also get into these kicks where I am so ON, like nothing can get past me & I can do anything better then any pro out there. The problem is I'm a pretty laid back kind of personality, I often say "I can do that tomorrow." I'm trying to change my attitude to "Why put off until tomorrow, what you can do today?" or "Why put off for 2 hours, what you can do right now?" I'm really, really trying to embrace this new attitude. I've gotten SO LAZY about going to the gym. I'll feel lazy & tired on Monday and not go but say I'll go tomorrow or Wednesday for sure. Inevitably something will actually come up on Tuesday or Wednesday and I can't go. So I'm trying to start going to the gym when I feel like it, so when I get home if I feel like getting dressed & going right away, then I just do that. I just need to get out of my lazy rut and get back in gear.

The same laziness can apply to cleaning. I hate cleaning. It's just such a chore. The odd thing is I take so much pride in my job & our house when it's all cleaned up. You'd think that would motivate me. Nope. It's like... "Do I want to clean the kitchen, or do I want to watch last nights episode of Parenthood?" The damn tv always wins. I'm really trying to get more on top of this stuff. I think part of my problem is that it's just Ted & I. I like to think once we have kids I'll be super anal about keeping the house clean. Here's hoping. Luckily we're good at not keeping stuff just to keep it. Hoarders, anyone? Not here! Yippee!

So, yes I own my laziness. I'm not proud of it, but I'm trying to change it.

my week

Day 26

Well, honestly, how can you keep track of everything you do in a week? haha. Let's see...

M-Th: Wake up, shower, get ready for work, drive to work. Work. Drive home from work, go to the gym on some days, come home & fix dinner. Clean up dinner and get lunches ready for the next day. Rinse & Repeat. Sometimes we have other things we need to do during the week, but overall our weeks are pretty predictable - and I like that, I don't mind change-ups, but I do find comfort in knowing I have X amount of time every week for the gym/cooking/etc. I'm in for one hell of a shock if/when we ever have kids and my "predictability" and "planning" goes to shit.

I have Fridays off so they can vary. Some Fridays I spend the day being lazy at home, getting some cleaning done, running errands, or spending time with friends. It really varies week to week.

Weekends are the best. If we don't have plans for the morning then we sleep until 8 or so and get the dogs up. We all stay in bed and just lounge around, watch from Food Network, or read. We usually get up and get ready in time to go have lunch and have some errands to run. On Sundays we'll get up and do the grocery shopping for the week. Some weekends we're super busy and just going, going, going. Other weekends we can't find enough things to take up time. We typically get a dinner in with either of our families on the weekends also. I enjoy relaxing weekends, I like to savor the "just us" time.

So that's a week in the life of ME. Exciting, eh?

a day in the life of me

Day 25

I'm suppose to share my day in great detail. Wow, are you all in for some boooooredom.

I will describe my Friday (9/17)...

I woke up... really didn't want to get out of bed. Really. Finally dragged my ass out of bed & went downstairs to let the dogs out - they sleep in the kitchen. Then I lounged around for about 20 minutes, trying to wake up. Made coffee and got Ted's lunch together. On this day we carpooled because my mom needed to use my car, so I had to get up & ride to work with Ted, so I would have a car. So we got in the car, let the dogs come with us, and went on our way. Dropped Ted off at work, drove back home & got stuck in some abnormally bad traffic. When I got home I called my mom to see what her plan was because we had talked about getting our nails done & seeing a movie together. Replied to a couple of emails. Got ready for the day. Picked my mom up, stopped by Starbucks, went and had manicures & pedicures (my fav). We went to lunch at Pick Up Stix. Our food was so good, I don't remember why I didn't why I didn't like it much in the past. Talked to my friend Krissie to wish her a Happy Birthday! Texted my friend Lauren to rub it in her face that I was seeing Eat Pray Love. (She's seen it twice and loved it). We went to the movie and I loved it. I really thought it was great. Took my mom home & then headed on my way back to my house. When I got home I realized how funky I was feeling and decided I needed a quick nap before it was time to pick Ted up from work. Got in a quick 30 minute nap, got up again & dressed again, told the dogs to "be good while I'm gone!" and headed out to pick up my Man. Got to Ted, headed to his parents house for dinner. We went to one of our favorite bars for dinner which was fun & yummy. Took his parents home & then headed to Borders to pick up a couple of books I've been wanting for a while. Wondered around Borders, finally found my books, paid & were on our way home. Got home, fed the dogs, changed into pj's, surfed around on the interwebs, now I'm typing this up. As soon as I'm done with this I'm diving into one of my new books. Yay! If I may predict the future I will probably be sleeping in an hour... I hope.

I didn't think you needed the details of bathroom breaks, etc. I'm sure you can all live without that. :)

That sure was an exciting day, wasn't it?!

where I live

Day 24

you tube

Day 23

I'm suppose to share a YouTube video with you today. I won't be. Sorry. Here are the reasons:

1. I'm being a good worker and spending my time at work blogging, but my work computer doesn't have speakers.
2. My monitor screen has decided everything needs to be purple or electric orange today... and I want to stab my computer now, so best to walk away.
3. I don't like YouTube and try to spend as little time perusing it as possible. 

So there you go. Sorry people. Here's a link to another post I did where I did include a video. Again I will warn you it's profanity heavy - and super effing hilarious.

________________________

On a side note, yesterday marked one year of home ownership for Ted & I! Woo! One whole year of mortgages (only 29 more to go!), paint, projects, fixing clogged drains, and good memories. I still remember when we finally closed escrow and I thought "Who the hell let this happen?!" hahaha. Yeah. I don't feel like that so much anymore, although I do have my moments where I am taken aback by the fact that I'm 27, married, and own a house. Sometimes I still feel like I'm 18 and fresh out of high school - thankfully those days are few & far between. So we celebrated last night with what will go down in history as one of the worst dinners I've ever made. Klassy.

a website

Day 22

Today I'm suppose to share a website with you. Wtf. I'm so weird, I have no idea if any of you would be interested in anything I peruse on the Interwebs. I guess I'll share something with you that I have recently become a fan of...

Recently a friend of mine turned me on to Lush and I really haven't looked back.

My products of choice are: Herbalism cleanser, Eau Roma Water toner, & Celestial moisturizer. What I really love about these products is that there's not a lot of stuff in them, you know - stuff I can't pronounce. Plus they make my skin look & feel great. I've also tried the Seanik shampoo bar and I liked it. It made my hair feel very clean. I tried the Jungle solid conditioner... I'm not sold on it yet. I don't know if I didn't use it correctly or didn't use enough, but it didn't leave my hair feeling sleek and soft. The Heavanilli and Wiccy Magic Muscles massage bars are also really nice. They smell fantastic. So far there isn't anything I've tried that I wouldn't use again - maybe with the exception of Jungle. I can't believe how little I have to use of the Celestial moisturizer after I use the Eau Roma Water toner. My skin tends to be a little on the dry side after I wash it and I always had to use a lot of moisturizer. After I use the toner my skin already feels quenched and I use just a pea size amount of the moisturizer. It's awesome.

I also love that the Lush website is so fun looking. It's like a feast for the eyes just to look around at everything. If you think you may want to try some Lush products then I would highly recommend seeking out the closest store to you because they are very generous with their samples! Seriously. The sample they gave me of Herbalism lasted me for 2 weeks - granted I was only using it every other time I washed my face, but still. It was enough time to figure out if I liked it. Plus the people who work at Lush are ridiculously helpful - don't forget to ask them about the hand treatment. It's a cleansing / salt scrub / moisturizing treatment so you can see how well their products work. When they did it on me I could literally see the difference in the way the treated hand looked in comparison with the one not treated. The treated hand visibly looked healthier and younger. Crazy. Love this stuff.

This turned into way more of a review then I planned. I promise I just love Lush and wanted to share with you all so you can love it as much as me. :) 

recipe

Day 21

Today's challenge is to share a recipe... I have to admit this was tough because I have so many I love and I've shared several on here as well. I'm actually re-sharing this one, but I just love it so freaking much and I want everyone to give it a try.

Melinda's Spaghetti Squash with Avocado and Parmesan

Seriously, you all have to try it. You won't be sorry, and you'll probably be impressed. The only thing Ted & I change is we add grilled chicken to give it a little more substance for a nice and healthy dinner. You can easily keep it just as is and have an amazing vegetarian meal. If you have vegetarian friends and have ever struggled with making something that veggies & meat eaters will like - this is it. Pair it with some yummy garlic bread and you have a really flavorful and filling meal. The only thing missing? Wine. And me. I'll be expecting my invitation in the mail.

a hobby of mine

Day 20

I don't really have many hobbies, unless you count hours watching tv as a hobby. Yeah, I didn't think you would. My main hobby would have to be reading. I love reading, and I love reading even more since I got my nook. I guess from looking at my reading history I like mysteries, series, super predictable romances, and female main characters. I will read almost anything though, and there are only a couple of books I just haven't been able to make it through.

It's not just books that I like to read, I also love reading cook books, cooking magazines, blogs, and some news sites online (not just the salacious gossip). I wonder how many people would say that they don't enjoy reading, but follow & read a handful of blogs on the regular. Obviously reading a blog isn't as heavy as reading Moby-Dick... but you're still reading and enjoying yourself -- I would hope.

Right now I'm still trying to get through The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Still. I think I'm going on month 2 of reading this book. I don't know what this says about the book and/or my attention span. Probably not great things about either. This book just isn't hooking me, but I'm determined to get through it!

a talent of mine

Day 19

Holy crap... am I even talented at anything??

I do have a knack for baking and cooking, I suppose I would say I have some talent with those things. I can follow a recipe with the best of them... I wish I was better at coming up with my own recipes. I usually learn a recipe and then I can make my own variations, but I've really never come up with something all on my own.

Yeah, I think my family would agree cooking & baking are two of my talents. I can't wait for Thanksgiving - my favorite holiday, and I totally love making a half dozen pumpkin & pecan pies. This year I'm making a pecan pie in Oreo crust - because I want to.

our wedding - pic heavy

Day 18

Our wedding was... amazing. The most spectacular day. It was on January 8, 2010 in Cancun with our closest family & friends with us. We were in Cancun for a week and every day was kind of cold and cloudy - except for the wedding day. Literally the clouds parted and the sun came out long enough for the ceremony. It was so magical.

art

Day 17

a song that makes me cry

Day 16

There really aren't many songs that can actually make me cry, or even bring me close to tears. There is this one song though...

When Ted & I were engaged and I was all full-force into wedding plans, but before we had any REAL plans, and every option seemed like a possibility, I heard this one song. I would listen to music and occasionally a song would come on and I would think "I wonder if this could be a father daughter dance song?"

Well I love me some Taylor Swift. I think she's adorable and really talented. I love feeling like I'm 16 and singing along to her songs. So this is the one song, where no matter when I listen to it, it makes me tear up:

Taylor Swift - The Best Day

I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today

I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop 'til I've forgotten all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school
But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day with you today

I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he's better than I am
I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run
And I had the best days with you

There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me
It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
And Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine
And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today
 

I know this is actually written from a daughter to her mother, but I found the sentiment to be right for a father-daughter dance. We didn't do a father-daughter dance at our wedding, so I ended up not using this song anyways... but I do love this song. The exact memories may be different, but the sentiments are the same. Those feelings are universal.

my dream house

Day 15

Wow! We've made it half way through the blog challenge, and it's been pretty darn painless. Until today. My dream house?! Seriously?

A clean one. Done.

Well I suppose ya'll are going to want more from me then that, so lets see here...

For starters I'll take this so when we win the lottery we can spend Spring and Fall in Paris. Then we'll have acres & acres of land in Colorado where we'll build a decent size house - think log cabin meets Crate & Barrel - and on the property we'll also build a few other small cabins so friends & family can come stay with us, but still have their own space. If we ever have this then Ted will require that the property has a lake, or we make a man-made lake so we can situate the house & cabins all the way around it. We'll spend Summer & Winter in Colorado.

But, coming back to reality, I would be more then happy with a nice little 3 or 4 bedroom house with at least 2 full bathrooms, a decent size living space open to a nice modern kitchen (but not too modern, I like original character). It would need a front porch with a cute little front yard, but the main focus would be on the backyard. Lots of grass and space for entertaining, maybe a pool but definitely a hot tub. I'm especially partial to Adobe style and Craftsman style houses.

              
There are a lot of Craftsman and Adobe style houses where we live, which is probably why I like them so much.

I always thought I wanted a big house, but I don't know... our condo is 1400 sq.ft. and I find it difficult to keep it clean, and it's just us & the dogs. Staying small may be the way to go for us, I would rather have a big yard and smaller house then a huge house & no yard. No yard + dogs = not much fun.

non-fiction

Day 14

This is pretty embarrassing, but I can't think of any nonfiction book I've read... ever. I know I have, I must have read something when I was school, but for the life of me I can't think of anything. I decided to look at the nonfiction book section of Amazon and a cookbook by Ina Garten came up. I suppose if cookbooks count then I've read my fair share of them. This is embarrassing.

fiction

Day 13

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and soaking up the last bit of Summer. Personally, I can't wait for Fall. I love Fall, I love Thanksgiving, I love cold weather. 

I love this book. This is the first book in the Rizzoli & Isles series. Yes, the books that the show on TNT is based on. I love these characters, but I am willing to admit that the character of Jane Rizzoli was hard to like until well into the second book. She's a hardass and constantly going those extra miles. I've read all of the R&I books and enjoyed all of them.

I'm a big fan of reading books that are part of a series. I love following the characters and ongoing story lines. Rizzoli & Isles are probably my favorite series ever. Even though they're fiction I find the characters incredibly human because they are written with real flaws. The fact that the characters screw up and find it hard to say sorry... I just find that so refreshing.

something I'm OCD about

Day 12

Hmm... something I'm OCD about... I'm having a hard time thinking of something. I'm sure if you asked Ted or my family or friends they would be able to list off a few things. Don't we always notice things about people that they don't see in themselves? Yeah. I guess the only thing I can really think about right now is that when I start cleaning I can't stop until everything I wanted to accomplish is done. So, if I set out to clean the kitchen, dust, & vacuum the living room... I can't stop after the kitchen just because I'm tired - I have to finish everything else too. I'm the first to admit - it could be a lot worse.

a recent photo of me

Day 11

Here's a picture of Ted & I from just a couple of weekends ago at the Dave Matthews Band concert. It was a pretty fun concert and my whole family was there celebrating my moms birthday.

This picture makes me realize that I can hardly wait to color & cut my hair! Back to dark and chopping off at least 4 inches. Woo! I'm just going to sit here very impatiently and wait for my ultra awesome stylist (who I've been going to since I was 20) comes back from maternity leave... tick tock. :)

photo of me from 10+ years ago

Day 10

Today's topic is a picture of me from 10 or more years ago... this should be interesting...

This picture makes me laugh! Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you two things - I still make this face, and this isn't the face you want to see from me. This is my "oh my gawd I can't believe you're bothering me with this nonsense" face. I just think it's so funny that I've always made this face. The reason I'm making this face right now is because my dad was trying to take my picture and distract me while I was doing homework - hello?! We were on a big camping trip and I had to get my homework done, I was a very serious student... until I was about 12 - then it all went to shit.

p.s.: how cute is my brother trying to figure out the tricky straw situation??

a photo that I took

Day 9

This is just a picture I took with my camera phone, it's from the patio area of our hotel room when we were in Cancun - which is also why it's a tad dark. This isn't the best picture ever but I really love it. I mean... doesn't it look like a postcard or something?! THIS WAS THE VIEW FROM OUR ROOM. Can you see why I never wanted to leave? It was amazing.

If you want to see a seriously gorgeous picture then head to Abri and check out her ridiculous talent.

a photo that makes me sad

Day 8

I suppose for this topic I could have found something much sadder and anger inducing in a broad social way... but I didn't. Please ignore the huge bangs. I was young.

This is a photo of my grandpa (maternal) and I from when I was about 15 or 16. He died less then a year after this picture was taken. It was a rough time in my family, it was very hard for my mom because she was really close to her dad. I loved my grandpa so much. He was a really amazing person, so funny & caring, he was really sharp and very witty. And he drove with a lead foot. This photo makes me sad because... I really miss him. Even after all these years I still miss him. It still makes me really sad that he & Ted never got to meet, they would have loved each other. I'm really thankful for the all of the time I did get to have him in my life, those are memories I treasure. My grandpa was also a pretty good cook - he made some mean, burn your head off hot chili. He also made the most delicious fudge ever. Ever. Don't even try to argue this one with me. I still remember when we would visit and he would always make a batch of fudge, he would always let me have some while it was still warm and I felt so special. I can mostly look at this picture and just feel love, but it is bittersweet. Luckily his chili and fudge recipes were written down and saved so we can carry on his traditions, it always makes me feel connected when we make his recipes. When we make his chili there's this certain smell when it's cooking... & you know you got it right. Whenever that happens I always imagine grandpa is really proud and happy at that moment - he was very particular about his chili.