Christmas Cheer...or not so much

Today is Christmas Eve and let me tell you, I had big plans for the day. I was going to bake and decorate gingerbread cookies, make a green bean casserole and peanut butter pie for Christmas with my family tomorrow night, make a fruit salad for Christmas breakfast with Paul's family, and then make my and Paul's first married Christmas Eve dinner. And then at 9 this morning I got a phone call from Paul. His dad was in the hospital. He was going to visit and told me he'd pick me up in 10 minutes. So I grabbed the puppy, took her outside and threw on some clothes. We didn't know what was going on, we just knew that he had some chest pains early this morning and that nitro wasn't helping.

When we got to the hospital we found out that his enzymes and EKG were fine so it wasn't a heart attack, but they didn't know what was going on and neither did we. And we still don't. My father-in-law will celebrate Christmas in the hospital with a chemical stress test and hopefully we'll get some answers. I spent my day worrying, with my stomach in a knot. There were 6 adults and a baby crammed into the world's smallest hospital room. And you know what all the nurses, doctors, and other employees kept chatting about? How much they wish they weren't working and that they were at home. Now, call me crazy, but isn't that SUPER insensitive when you know that the man in the hospital bed won't be able to go home for Christmas? That he'll spend his Christmas undergoing medical tests? Yeah, I thought so too.

To all you hospital personel who spent to today and/or will spend tomorrow talking about how much you wish you were at home with your families...quit it! You're not the only one in that building who wants to be somewhere else.

Monday, In a Nutshell

6:40 AM: Moved both my car and Paul's car without completely removing the frost from the windows. He was parked behind me and was still asleep. Since the neighbor didn't pull up very far on the curb I had to pull his car out and park it. Then I had to get in my car, partially defrost, pull it out, and park it. Then I had to pull his car back in the driveway. BUT! I got to use my spiffy new defrosting glove and I wasn't even late for work!

9:45 AM: Set out from my office to the other office for training that started at 10. The previous group started late so we got to stand around holding our coats. We started at 10:30.

12:40 - 1:10 PM: Talked to a man about how he was a USA wrestler. I also heard about every detail of his pain. I hadn't eaten lunch yet and was STARVING!

3:30 PM: Got ready to leave the office.

3:31 PM: Remembered I still had to close a case.

3:45 PM: Left the office.

4:00 PM: Went to the gym where I felt WILDLY out of shape when I was huffing and puffing like crazy WAY earlier than I'd have liked.

5:00 PM: Missed my turn for the interstate and saw a man shake his fist at me before turning around in a convenience store parking lot so that I could get going in the right direction.

5:05 PM: Nearly got sideswiped by a stupid woman in her stupid black Mercedes who doesn't know how to merge.

5:15 PM: Entered the grocery store for ground beef, spaghetti sauce and noodles, and parmesean cheese for spaghetti and meatballs.

5:30 PM: Turned on the stove to brown hamburger. I put away clean dishes while the hamburger worked on browning.

5:35 PM: OH CRAP! You don't brown hamburger when you make meatballs!!!

5:40 PM: Salvaged meatballs.

6:30 PM: Took a shower. So did the upstairs neighbor. Shower was cool and then suddenly scalding hot.

7:00 PM: Enjoyed dinner and watched Grown Ups with Paul who had an equally bad day.

Thankful: Take 2

1. Books. I don't need any stinking ereader. You can't crack the spine of a Kindle or a Nook and you can't dog ear the pages. And you certainly don't get that delightful musty book smell from one. Instead, when you open one of those bad boys you get that new cell phone smell. That's great for a cell phone but not for a book. Or rather, not-book.

2. Virginia Lynn Yopp. That wonderful little pup makes every day more interesting and more adorable. I mean, it's 10:00 am right now and she's asleep in a sweater with her head on a pillow. Precious.

3. My family. Not only do they love me, but they actually like me. And they are entertaining. I dare you to find a more entertaining family.

4. Waffle/peanut butter/banana sandwiches. It's my breakfast of choice nearly every morning at work and it's wonderful.

Thankful

Given that tomorrow is Thanksgiving (you know, the best holiday ever?), I've been thinking a lot about what I'm thankful for (please take note, this list is not comprehensive).

1. Federal Holidays. There are fewer things better than knowing that you don't have to work a full 40 hour week but you still get paid to do so. This week I only had to work 20 hours but I got paid for 40! Nevermind the fact that I worked 21.5...

2. Those commercials that come back at the same time every. Single. Year. How precious are the babies sleeping while "Silent Night" plays? So precious! Or the snowman who turns into a little boy wearing flannel after he eats Campbell's soup? Love it! Or even the one where every animal wants to be the Cadbury Bunny! Okay, not exactly seasonally appropriate, but wonderful just the same.

3. Starbucks. I don't care if they're like the Walmart of coffee. I love Starbucks and I really love their seasonal specials. I had my first peppermint mocha of the season (nevermind that it felt more like pumpkin spice latte season) last Saturday and I drank it while shopping for wrapping paper and Angel Tree gifts.

4. Fur-lined moccasins. So. Unbelievably. Comfortable.

5. Paul. He puts up with me when I'm cranky and when I wake up crying from a bad dream at 5 AM and when I request Chinese food for dinner pretty much every week and when he comes home and there's a pink sweater on the dog that he likes to pretend isn't a girl. I still don't quite understands how the world thrust us together and made it work, but I'm sure glad it did. I love you!

6. Jeggings. Seriously, could they be any more comfortable?!

7. Cardigan sweaters. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Cardigans are the world's best accessory (sorry Pearls, you're number 2). They're adorable, they make you warm, and they make non-work-appropriate clothes work-appropriate.

8. Thanksgiving. Do you know why Thanksgiving is amazing? Because Thanksgiving is the only day of the year that I eat gravy on Stuffing. And I look forward to it for the other 364 days. But I can't make it any other time because that would ruin the allure.

Griping

Ladies and Gents, I'm tired. I'm tired and I'm annoyed by so much right now and I can't seem to get my head above the annoying water.

1. I am SICK of being on the phone. I feel like I spend about 50% of my time at work on the phone with people who are either A) Incompetent, or B) Completely, totally, utterly unwilling to provide any sort of help whatsoever. As a result, when I'm not at work I have zero desire to use the phone which means that I feel like frienships are crumbling beneath me. I don't like relying 100% on facebook to keep in touch with people I actually care about.

2. Christmas. I have no idea what to get the majority of people on my shopping list. Whenever I ask someone what they want they ALWAYS say nothing. Newsflash: THAT'S NOT HELPFUL!!

3. Roanoke doesn't have a Chipotle. But Blacksburg does. Blacksburg also has a Moes. Why in the world does one small town (albeit it large when considering all the students) need TWO stores that provides delicious, giant burritos for the masses? Roanoke is bigger and, at least in my humble opinion, deserving of at least one tasty burrito joint. Baja Bistro does NOT count.

4. People are rude. The end.

5. I think I could east chinese food every day. But that's not good. And my waist line is proving it.

6. Speaking of, I hate tight jeans. I hate knowing that they're tight and it's all my fault.

To Sum Up My Day

I know, I suck, I suck, I suck

I fell off the blogging wagon again and for that I am sorry. But Ginny recently jumped on my computer and dislodged the "A" and "Shift" keys, making typing more than a little annoying. I prefer to update at work with my nice intact keyboard, but I have so much to do right now since I was gone for a week for the wedding that blogging just wasn't an option. So for now, I leave you with this, proo that I got hitched:

I Have No Work To Do

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to report to you that I am currently enjoying my very first pumpkin spice latte of the season. It's just the right temperature to soothe the sore throat that I contracted over the last few days. I had to ask them to make it again because the snarky pants barista used 2% instead of skim and then rolled her eyes when I requested she remake it. Hey, I can't get in a good workout with a sore throat and those extra calories count! And if I had to re-make drinks for people on the grounds of, "Something's just not right," then she can re-make mine for very obviously screwing up my order.

I think it's weird that things that will seem so incredibly average to my children are things that were novel to me at one time. My kids will not remember the first time they used the internet or drank starbucks. They will not remember when Walmart first came to town. Whereas me, I remember that I first used the internet in 7th grade in the library, I first had Starbucks on an FBLA trip and Walmart made its grand appearance in Wytheville during my Sophomore year of high school. The band played, the cheerleaders cheered and the bakery gave out free Cookie Club cards. I still have that card somewhere.

On the other hand, things that seemed so normal to me like hay rides and spending hours-upon-hours playing in the woods will be huge treats for them.

Now I just need to figure out if it's because my kids won't grow up in a tiny town or if it's because things have changed so much since I was a kid. Now that I think about it, Wytheville has a Starbucks now and, as I've said, there's a Walmart, so I guess I have my answer.

Wedding slump

So here we are, September 13, 2010, and the big day is just 19 days away. I should look like this, right? Freaking out over all I still have to do.

But instead I'm as cool as one of these.

Weird, huh?

I Guess People Need Somewhere to Eat?

There is one thing about this wedding that is a HUGE pain for me. And that's the tables. There are some tables that come with the place, but not enough for all the food AND the people. So I'm scheming to obtain and decorate tables for as little money as possible. I'm still not 100% sure where all the extra tables are coming from (though I do have some leads), but I think I've finally settled on a plan that will fit with the rustic vibe we have going on. All I need are...

these tablecloths...

Source: Sur La Table

and these centerpieces...

Source: Real Simple

And I will have just the right blend of rustic shabby chic that I'm looking for. I could put the pumpkins together the day or a couple of days before when I put together the mason jar vases for the aisles and all we'd have to do the day of the wedding is set them out.

I'd have to rent the tablecloths when originally I was just going to buy them (it's cheaper with white, go figure), but I think this will be easier what with my not knowing how many I'll need yet. Also, I'm thinking that blue gingham isn't the type of table cloth that is in constant demand from a rental company.

If you know me beyond the wacky world of the world wide web, you may know that I've been slightly obsessed with wedding blogs and most-things-wedding for the past few months. There's a phenomenon on these websites that I find to be rather trouble. It's the idea of "waiting". People are either married, engaged, or waiting. Not dating, waiting.

There are girls who obsess and scheme and try to figure out how to best convince their boyfriend to propose. They have all already discussed marriage and in many cases are making wedding plans but they don't consider themselves to be engaged because they don't have a ring. And if they don't have a ring and they're not making plans they seem to think that all of life's happiness hinges on a proposal.

I realize that Paul and I got engaged rather early in our relationship, but if we had not gotten engaged then and still weren't engaged, I wouldn't consider myself to be waiting to get engaged. I would consider myself to be in a dating relationship. I would not cheapen my relationship by saying, "well it doesn't matter because I'm not engaged!" I don't like to wait. I like to be proactive when I want something. If these girls are so obsessed with getting married why don't they buy their boyfriend a $3000 and propose to him? Oh, what's that? That's a lot of money? I bet their boyfriends (and their bank accounts) agree!

Is there any food greater than ice cream? Except for maybe potatoes. I'd say potatoes tie ice cream for most wonderful and comforting food. It might be all the years of slaving away at Dairy Queen, but, I can't be the only one whose mouth is watering because of this...

My ice cream obsession is part of why dieting just doesn't work for me. I mean, I'm a fan of pie, cheesecake, cookies and cake, but I could do without them. But ice cream? No way! It's cold and creamy and soothing and when I'm having a bad day it's one of very few things that can pull me away from the brink of full on crankyness. It's the world's most perfect treat and no, that's not an exaggeration.

In college, no matter what time of day (well, between the hours of 7 AM and 7:30 PM), I knew that soft serve, hard ice cream and ice cream novelties were just a few steps away and every Sunday I knew I'd get to take a stroll to the Sunday Sundae Bar. Like so many other things, college did not prepare me to live in a world where ice cream wasn't nearly always readily available, often with toppings.

My ice cream obsession is pretty much the only thing that makes me regret my self-catered, outdoor wedding reception. What I wouldn't give to trade in our donuts or cake or whatever budget-friendly, convenient sweet treat we decide on for a sprawling ice cream buffet with chocolate, vanilla, banana and black raspberry ice creams and more toppings than you could shake a stick at, if, of course, you're one to carry sticks around with you. It would be wonderful and glorious and will happen at at least one birthday party of my future children. For now, a girl is left to dream.

What's your favorite comfort food? If you have a wedding coming up, do you plan to incorporate it into your big day?

Checking In

Two days later, I have not allowed the 30 Day Shred to conquer me! It's only 20 minutes long and if I can spend 20 minutes mindlessly facebooking and blog surfing I can most definitely spend that 20 minutes jumping, crunching and sweating. Yesterday I felt awful. Every muscle in my body hurt,but I worked out anyway. I hurt a little less today and did better than the last two days. This makes me think that I'll be able to step up to level two a little faster than I thought I'd be able to. by the time the wedding rolls around I'll be a lean, mean, shredding machine.

It's Go Time

Last week I called the salon where I ordered my wedding dress and, to my delight, I was told that my dress had come in and I could come in for my fitting a week later, which just so happened to be yesterday. I met my mom and aunt at the shop and minutes later I was in a dressing room pulling on the dress of my dreams. I called the sales girl into the room to zip the dress and, much to my chagrin, the zipper didn't get very far. My biggest wedding-related fear had just come true. I couldn't fit into my dress! Obviously, something had to be done.

When a lot of people want to lose weight they drink more water, stop drinking soda and cut out snacking. But what do you do when none of those things are options? I already drink nothing but copious amounts of water and I don't snack more than a handful of peanuts mid-morning so that I make it to lunch. And I already exercise a good amount.

I'd been hearing a lot about this apparently miracle workout that helps you lose all sorts of pounds, not to mention inches, in a short amount of time.

When I got to the gym today and realized I'd left my iPod at work, I went straight to Barnes and Noble and picked up a copy of the Shred. After I got home, took Ginny for a quick walk, put Ginny on the balcony with her food and then 3 minutes later let Ginny back in because she was barking, I starting Day 1 of Level 1 of the 30 day shred. How did it go, I'm sure you're asking? Let's just say this dry, vampiric pale, optimistic girl wearing a t-shirt from second grade is how I began my workout with Jillian.

And this red, splotchy, soaking wet, water chugging girl is what I was reduced to after Jillian was through with me. Lovely, eh?I'm used to running and keeping up a steady cardio pace for at least 30 minutes. And here I was after 20 minutes, panting and in misery. My legs aren't burning too bad but my arms are screaming for mercy. Hopefully this, along with the healthy diet I'm planning, is just what I need to drop a few pounds and fit into that dress without havin to get it let out. Somehow I don't think that would do much good for my self-esteem. And hopefully Ginny gets used to the jumping around because having to avoid her while doing jumping jacks requires just a little more coordination than I posess.

Anyone have any miracle weight loss tricks I can put to use?

I'll Tell You What I Want What I Really Really Want

I like to cook. I like creating things and serving them to the people I love. I like that it's kind of like a little science experiment when I add different ingredients together and change flavors around. But do you know what I don't like? I absolutely HATE prepping fruits and vegetables for both cooking and raw consumption. I might consider giving up the rights to name my first born child if it means I never had to chop another onion, mince another garlic clove, peel another potato or slice another watermelon as long as I live. I might have daughter named Princess Moonbeam Eclipse, but I'd have cramp free, sticky-free hands. I used to scoff as my mom used an electric chopper to prepare onion and pepper for spaghetti and meatloaf, but now I realize that that little chopper was totally the way to go.

My hatred for all things chopping, peeling, slicing, dicing and mincing is part of why I was so looking forward to creating our wedding registry. My goal was to make this part of my life as easy as possible. Among other things I'm looking forward to...

Chef 'n Garlic Zoom. You put the clove in the little gadget, roll it across a flat surface, and chops it right up for you.

Zester/Grater. Because it's really hard to add lemon or orange zest to something without a zester. Serrated knives, despite what I thought in a sudden burst of not-genius, are not a substitute. An apple wedger. The word doesn't even BEGIN to describe how much I love these things.

And of course, a good ol' food processor so that I can chop everything I could ever want to chop and grind oreos and graham crackers for pie crusts. Yes!

So I still havent figured out how to make slicing a watermelon easier, but I guess I can deal with that for now.

Do you hate fruit and veggie prep too? Is it, like me, your most-hated kitchen chore, or is something else even more loathsome?

Beauty is truth, truth beauty

And the truth is that my hair is suffering from a beauty deficiency.

I am so unbelievably sick of my hair. Just four short months ago it looked like this as I was trying on a bridesmaid dress.

And now, well a week ago, it looks like this.

It doesn't look a whole lot longer, so I guess it's the kind of thing that only I notice. But it's feeling scraggly and gross. But I can't cut it until after the wedding because otherwise I'm about 100% sure that too much will be cut off and I won't be able to wear my hair in the wonderful low side bun that I'm pining for so hard. Also, I refuse to pay $40 for someone to cut off a millimeter of my hair and try to convince me that the "clean up" was worth it.

But now, we have the biggest issue. Just look at those bangs! I'm seeing more and more forehead every day as I have to sweep them further and further to the side. And there's absolutely no reason for this to be happening. I can't say that I can't afford a haircut right now because bang trims are free at my salon. No, the reason they are getting maddeningly longer every day is that I am too lazy to make an appointment and haul my butt to the salon. My goal is to get them cut and re-shaped by next week. If I don't achieve my goal it's gonna get real ugly real soon.

I am.

I am at work.

I am at work and I'm blogging.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte and reading wedding blogs.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte and reading wedding blogs because I have absolutely no work to do.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte and reading wedding blogs because I have absolutely no work to do and no one will give me any work.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte and reading wedding blogs because I have absolutely no work to do and no one will give me any work so I will likely not close the required 104 claims in the required 13 weeks.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte and reading wedding blogs because I have absolutely no work to do and no one will give me any work so I will likely not close the required 104 claims in the required 13 weeks and I will not get my raise.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte and reading wedding blogs because I have absolutely no work to do and no one will give me any work so I will likely not close the required 104 claims in the required 13 weeks and I will not get my raise and Paul, Ginny and I will have to live in tiny apartments for the rest of our lives.

I am at work and I'm blogging and listening to Good Charlotte and reading wedding blogs because I have absolutely no work to do and no one will give me any work so I will likely not close the required 104 claims in the required 13 weeks and I will not get my raise and Paul, Ginny and I will have to live in tiny apartments for the rest of our lives and I am not pleased.

That's How Trista Sees It

FYI: I am not being political. This has nothing to do with liberal vs. conservative. I am not defending the word of our president. I am simply explaining my point of view.

I recently read this article and it got me thinking. If you don't have time to skim or you don't feel like opening it, the overall idea of the article is that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have used the term "freedom of worship" lately, instead of the "freedom of religion" that we're used to. The author was pretty upset about this and said the following.

"Let's be clear, however; language matters when it comes to defining freedoms and limits. A shift from freedom of religion to freedom of worship moves the dialog from the world stage into the physical confines of a church, temple, synagogue or mosque. Such limitations can unleash an unbridled initiative that we have only experienced in a mild way through actions determined to remove of roadside crosses, wearing of religious T-shirts and pro-life pins as well as any initiatives of evangelization. It also could exclude our right to raise our children in our faith, the right to religious education, literature or media, the right to raise funds or organize charitable activities and the right to express religious beliefs in the normal discourse of life."

I can't help but disagree with the writer's point of view. To me, "freedom of religion" means the freedom to say, "I am Christian/Jewish/Muslim/Buddhist/Islam/etc., etc., etc." "Freedom of worship," on the other hand, is the freedom to practice that religion. It's not just your freedom to attend a religious service. I do not worship only when I walk into a church. I worship when pray. I worship when I loo at the mountains and realize how they came to be. I worship when I read the bible.

There was a kid who went to my high school. This kid was Muslim. And my high school was in a small, rather close-minded, southern town. This kid was the only Muslim student at my school. During a Muslim holiday for which he was to wear his prayer cap (I'm not sure which one), he was repeatedly told by teachers to remove his cap because "head coverings" were not allowed. Even after explaining why he was wearing his cap, they still made him take his cap off.

Yes, this kid had the freedom to say that he is Muslim and observing a religious holiday. He did not however, have the freedom to worship the way he wanted or was called to.

So that's the way I see it. Freedom of worship is much more accepting and tolerant than the current freedom of religion. If you disagree, please tell me why. I really am interested in hearing a different points of view and the reasoning behind it.

Come to Me, Fall

Today's heat index was over 100 degrees and I am pining oh so hard for fall weather. I want to smell the fresh, crisp air that you only get in the fall. I want to take Ginny for long meandering walks and not worry about her dehydrating.

I want to go for a drive and see this...

I want to go out in jeans, Chucks, and this (which Paul kindly surprised me with on Saturday!)...

I want to carve a face on one of these...

I want to sit outside and enjoy one of these...
I want to marry this guy...

And damnit, I want to open the sunroof and roll down the windows and not need air conditioning!

The Simple Things

When I was growing up, some of the easiest things for my mom to make in the kitchen were hardboiled eggs, mashed potatoes, and any sort of meat in a frying pan. But the first time I tried to do any of that, I completely failed! I realized that I had absolutely no idea how to boil an egg, which is ridiculous. I had to call home the first time I boiled potatoes. And to this day I CANNOT fry meat to the point where it is done on the inside and a perfect golden brown on the outside. And I'm frustrated. I love to cook, but I hate running to google every time I need to do something because I've forgotten how long it should sit on the stove and at what temperature, and that's just ridiculous. I'm sick of eating too pink or burnt meat and having to look at a recipe every 10 seconds. Could we just jumpt to the part where I know what I'm making and I don't have to reference the expertise of someone else? Thanks.

I'm Alive!

I have returned to Blogland my lovely, loyal followers. It's been an interesting few weeks and, to be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure why I've been so absent. I haven't been too much busier than normal and it' snot like I've been catching up on my sleep. I guess I just, prepare yourself, haven't had much to say. I could share information about the wedding invitations that I should be working on or the flowers that I put a deposit on or the trip I took to Michaels during which I, for the first time ever at that store, found what I was looking for. But I just don't really think it's necessary.

One wonderful thing I've gotten to do over the past couple of weeks is catch up with 3/5 of my bridesmaids/favorite ladies. Anna, in true Anna fashion, randomly showed up on my door step last week because she just happened to be in town. So we got to catch up on how married life and cosmotology life and Wytheville life is treating her.

Just two days later, while I was sitting around doing nothing in particular, my phone started singing at me. Ally, who is better at hitting the send button on the phone than I am, called and we were able to have some long overdue catching up. I've only talked to her once since she moved to Ashville and it was really nice to hear how well she and Patrick are doing in their new digs.

I've also been more committed to eating healthy and trying to get in better shape. I've been having salads for lunch and having good hard workouts as often as I can. Unfortunately, I haven't been as good at keeping up the healthy habits at home, but that's my own fault. I'm the one who fixed the smoked sausage, buffalo chicken dip and pizza for dinner. I'll tell you this though, even when you use tasty, fresh, flavorful ingredients and flavorful dressing, salads get a little bland eventually.

So that's my life update. I promise these won't be so necessary forever. I'm going to try my hardest to be a little more dedicated to my little home in Blogland.

I. Am. Livid.

I am so completely sick of people who think that size dictates beauty. I was reading Wedding Bee today and stumbled across this on the message board:

"Here is a really vain question: All of my friends are gorgeous, but my future SIL has already stated her expetancy of being in the wedding party. My bridesmaids are sizes 4, 6, 10,10 and I'm an 8. My future SIL is about a size 18-22. I'm afraid she will mess up my photos. Is this too vain and should I just get over it and put her in the wedding?"

Later in the post a girl responded with this:

"I may have gone off topic a little, but I think that the "big and beautiful" argument is relavant here. She just won't look good, especially compared to the smaller girls, if she's obese, no matter what you put her in."

Then later:

"I don't care what ANYONE says, there is NO such thing as "BIG AND BEAUFITUL" in my book."

And finally:

"Is the OP vain for asking this question? Yes. But is she completely in the wrong for wanting healthy-looking bridesmaids? No."

First of all, that original poster said absolutely nothing about healthy. She does not want a healthy looking wedding party. She wants a skinny wedding party. Also, how ridiculous that she knows all of her bridesmaids' sizes? I assure you Beth, Ally, Stacey, and Megan, I have no idea what size you wear and don't care. And Anna, I only know what size you wear because we've worn each others clothes before.

Second, there's no such thing as big and beautiful?! That's bullshit! Sarah Rue, America Ferrera and Jennifer Hudson (now and before the weight loss) are all gorgeous ladies, despite what their dress size is or once was, just as Kate Hudson and Eva Mendes. I just don't understand how someone can say that it's impossible to be fat and beautiful. They are no mutually exclusive categories.

Tuesday Revelation

I have a problem. Not a serious problem, per se, but a problem none-the-less. I absolutely suck at cleaning a house. I hate to dust. I hate to scrub. I hate to wipe down. I hate to polish. I hate to pick up things that are not mine that are not in their proper place. That makes having a dog who still has a whole lot of destructive puppy in her a problem. Whenever Ginny gets a new toy, or finally manages to break through the defenses of a pretty tough toy, this is the site that greets me.

As adorable as it is to watch her do this, I absolutely hate picking up those little white slobbery puffballs. I really wish she could be that adorable without all the muss and fuss. Oh wait! She can!

Just look how adorable she is wrapped up in a blanket,resting her head on a pillow! Okay, so maybe this post was intended less to complain about cleaning up puffballs and more to post gratuitous adorable puppy pictures. I really don't think anyone's complaining.

A Fine Line

I'm not sure if I'm a genius or if I'm truly insane. I'm currently on hour 9.5 of my first of five 12 hour workdays and I was just in need of a mid-afternoon snack/energy boost. Some of the other girls in the office just got some icecream but I decided that, in the wake of a recent body-image-meltdown, it would be best to stay away from my favorite dessert. So instead I came back to the office and created my own treat. Are you ready for it?

I just dipped my pretzels into Jello Dark Chocolate pudding. It was delicious! I may be crazy for dipping my pretzels in pudding, but you know your mouth is watering at the thought of all that deliciosity!

My Precious

You may or may not remember (hopefully the former, probably the latter) a post that I wrote entitled, "I'm In Love..." in which I raved over the purse of my dreams. Her name is Neves and she is from Nine West and she's soft and bright and beautiful. She is Ultra Pink in my original post, but also comes in white, Lemon, and a turquoise-y blue. Well folks, I am very happy to report that she is now mine, all mine!


Here she is in all over her ruffley, floweredy, lemony goodness just minutes after I signed that credit card slip and took my Belk bag in hand. They didn't have any more in Ultra Pink, despite what the bored-sounded sales girl told me on the phone last night, so I snatched up one of the few Lemons left.

What you don't see in this rather shotty picture taken with my camera phone is the extra pockets and fabulous lining. It's this wonderful floral print. What's even better than a fabulous lining? Under each one of those ruffles is more of that lining! She is by far my favorite purchase in a while and will make it much easier to work those 22.5 hours of overtime that I signed up for next week.

My friends, I. Am. In. Love.

Virginia Public Service Week

I got an email today from the Governor of my fair commonwealth of Virginia. It turns out that he has proclaimed this week, May 2-8, as Virginia Public Service Week. That's right my blog-reading friends, This is my week. But will I get flowers? No. Will I get a card signed by everyone in the office? No. And will I get a celebratory luncheon or a cake? Absolutely not. But do you know what I do get? I still get to take my mandatory furlough day on May 28. Personally, I don't need a week to be set aside to commend me and my public service. What I need is to be allowed to work my normal 40 hour work week. The governor's proclamation is an insult to me and I do not appreciate it.

Remembering

Despite all the excitement that goes along with my drama-free wedding planning, there's one thing that still gets me down. I am the first grandchild whose husband (or wife)-to-be will has not met my granny.

For those of you who read this who did not know my granny, which is probably all but maybe two people, my granny was an amazing human being. She would do anything for anyone. She was the kindest person I've ever known. She hemmed my pants to the PERFECT length every. single. time. She mashed the best mashed potatoes on the plane. She let me eat green sherbert from a coffee cup when we had slumber parties every other Friday night. We never went on outings because she didn't drive, but she would buy me a Golden Book when we went to the grocery store with my mom. And she had this nack for making a game out of nothing. I would spend hours stringing buttons at the kitchen table while she sat in the spare room and worked on her antique sewing machine. She even made washing dishes fun and made me "aprons" out of trash bags so I wouldn't get my head wet. All she did was cut a hole in the top and two holes in the sides for my head and arms, but I thought I was a dish washing master in those things. My mom and I used to go to the library and rent old movies for her, those featuring Shirley Temple being her favorites. Most heroic of all, she listened to me jabber on about vikings and explorers when I learned about them in fifth grade and acted like she was interested in and fascinated by every detail just as I was.

To me, my granny is the epitome of a Christian lady. She would always sing hymns under her breath while she was mashing those awesome mashed potatoes or baking countless pans of sourdough bread, or rolling out biscuits, she didn't miss a Sunday of church unless she absolutely couldn't help it, and went to bible study every week.

I need to find a way to honor and/or remember Granny at my wedding. I can't do a candle because it's outdoors and a candle wouldn't stay lit. And I don't really want to do flowers because we are only doing flowers for bouquets. I finally decided to attach a small framed picture of her to my bouquet, like this.

I really think this will be the perfect way to honor her and keep her with me on my wedding day without shouting memorials from the rooftops.

"Do You Do It Yourself?"

Bravo if you know where the above quote is from!

Paul and I will not be serving a traditional wedding cake. If we did that we'd have to have extra utensils and someone would need to cut the cake and that's just too fussy for me. For a while we were going to have cupcakes from Bubblecake, but then we realized that would be really expensive. So then I considered doing the cupcakes myself (with the assistance of some very lucky helpers, of course), but then I made Paul's birthday cake Sunday and, while it tasted good, it was all sorts of ugly. You see, I was not blessed with the icing gene, so whenever I make a cake, the final result is visually unfortunate, to say the least. I couldn't bear the thought of an eyesore of a wedding "cake" so we nixed the homemade cupcake idea. That brings us to the delicious dessert that will grace our reception: donuts!

I know what you're thinking, donuts are only for office breakfasts and Homer Simpson.

Or are they?

You see, about 10 minutes away from Santillane is a lovely little establishment called Blue Collar Joes. They make the single best donuts I've ever had in my entire life! Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme, eat your heart out! They come in amazing flavors like chocolate with fudge and Reeses Pieces and Blueberry Pancake Breakfast, which involves topping a blueberry donut with maple icing and then topping the icing with BACON PIECES!!!!! Bacon pieces I tell you!! It's amazing!!! It's a pancake party in my mouth, people, and I will be serving them up to my loving wedding guests who will have QUITE the selection of flavors to choose from.

Now the next problem is, how in the world am I going to display these beautiful, sinfully delicious edible plates? On plates, of course! I came across a project the other day where I can create my own cake stands using plates, candle holders and epoxy. They will wonderfully mismatched, both in color and size, and they don't look too difficult to make. Take a look at these beauties that FutureMrsWalker posted to http://www.weddingbee.com/.






I really want to try to make one double decker stand that will hold my and Paul's donuts of choice for "cutting" and ultimately feeding to each other. Yes, that's correct, we'll be cutting our donuts.

Check out all of the Blue Collar Joe's flavors I have to pick from at http://www.bluecollarjoes.net/!

**Despite the fact that my previous two posts were complete jokes, this one is not. I am 100% serious and excited about donuts and plate/candle stick cake stands.**

And While We're At It, Bridal Portraits!!

Substitute that striking floral frock with a white wedding gown. I will obviously keep that gorgeous headband. I believe that would be an ideal photo for framing and displaying at the reception and then in my and Paul's home.

Engagement Pictures

Paul and I have engagement pictures coming up at the end of May and I've been scouring the internet for inspiration pictures. I found this little beauty on http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com/ and I think it's the winner. Hello newspaper engagement announcement page!!

Now if that's not hot, I don't know what it.

Yum-O!

My lovely next-cubicle-neighbor Taylor gave me a recipe for Spinach and Orzo Salad. I made it and baked chicken for dinner tonight and the combination of flavors was such a party in my mouth that I have to share the recipe with you.

Spinach and Orzo Salad

Ingredients
1 pound orzo
1bag spinach
1 package/bunch basil, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup olive oil (my preference being extra virgin, since it has the strongest taste)
8 oz. feta

Directions
1. Prepare orzo according to directions on the package, draining when done.
2. Combine feta, olive oil, lemon juice, green onions and basil with the orzo.
3. Add spinach just before serving.

Baked Chicken Breasts a la Trista

Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Garlic Pepper
Salt
Egg Beaters
Bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a baking pan with PAM.
2. Tenderize the chicken breasts (I use the mouth piece of a glass coke bottle).
3. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and garlic pepper.
4. Dip chicken breast in egg beaters and then roll it in bread crumbs. Transfer to pan.
5. Bake chicken for one hour, turning at 30 minutes.

Let me tell you, it was delicious! It was the perfect light spring meal. And now I'll have leftovers for a few days. You can't beat that!

Chairs

Could someone please explain to me why the wedding world is obsessed with the chiavari chair? What is a chiavari chair, you sane, level headed, non-wedding-planning people may be thinking? This is a chiavari chair.

I really don't understand the fascination. It's just a chair, but people spend $8 (and that's just in Roanoke) per chair to rent these puppies. They come in all sorts of colors like black, gold, silver, white and au natural wood. And apparently they're elegant? But I think those knobby things look super-uncomfortable. And I could never justify spending nearly 1/5 of my overall budget on chairs. Especially when, if my venue didn't provide chairs, I could rent these for $1.50 each.

Now they may not be as elegant or scream class, but they're affordable and let me focus on more budget-spending-worthy items like a beautiful location, delicious food, amazing photography and a dj. And if they're good enough for every seated, outdoor function at Roanoke College then they're good enough for me andmy super-awesome impending nuptuals.

Could someone please convince me that those chairs aren't completely ridiculous and that they do, in fact, have some redeeming quality?

BTW

All of my ladies agreed rather whole-heartedly to buying and subsequently rocking white Chuck Taylors when Paul and I get hitched!

I. Am. Pumped!

I'm going to have the rockin'est bridesmaids on the block.

Zesty, Springy Deliciosity

I just ate the best pasta salad I've ever had in my life and, get this, it came from a box!

After taking Ginny for a walk I headed to Food Lion for some peanut butter. I've been eating peanut butter, banana or apple, and waffle sandwiches for breakfast for the past few weeks. There are pros and cons to my new breakfast creation.

Pros: It's delicious, full of protein and E-Z P-Z to throw together on my way to work.

Cons: I go through a truck load of peanut butter!

As I wandered the aisles of the grocery store gathering ingredients for a pasta salad that a girl at work told me about, I remembered that my budget is in quite the precarious situation for the next two weeks. Instead of buying lots of ingredients, I opted for the boxed pasta salad that was on sale and now I'm so glad I did!

All I had to do was boil the pasta and mix a seasoning packet with some oil and I had fresh homemade pasta salad ready for my enjoyment. It's not strong like creamy caesar dressing and was the perfect companion to the grilled tilapia and green bean dinner that I'd already planned.

And in case you're still intrigued by my wafflewich, here's how to make your own!

You'll need:

2 waffles (I prefer multi-grain but sometimes I can't find them)

Peanut Butter (As much as you want)

1 Banana, sliced
OR
1/4 of an apple, very thinly sliced

Here's what you do:

Toast the waffles on the lowest setting. Next, slather peanut butter on one side of each of the waffles. Put the fruit in the middle like a normal sandwich and enjoy!

I slice my apples at home (and give Ginny some leftovers) but I wait until I get to work to slice the banana. It tends to get brown if it sits and I'm not a fan.

Decisions, Decisions

I’ve made a few decisions this week that I’m pretty excited about. I’ve made one that I’m not excited about at all. See if you can tell which ones are which.

First of all, I’ve decided on bridesmaid gifts. I obviously can’t put them here as I know that at least one of my bridesmaids is a regular blog stalker, but just know that they are fabulous and I’m really excited about them. They are a good mix of fun and functional, which I think is important.

Second, I decided what I’m going to get Paul for his birthday. Again, I can’t tell you what that is on the off-chance that he reads this, which, given his Tupelo-induced-boredom, he may very well resort to. But I’m really excited about it and hopefully he will be too. I’m conflicted because said-item is really him, in a way, and not him at all, in another. If it’s more not him than him then I will return said-item for something a little more him. Have I confused you yet? Good!
Last night I decided that I hate making, “Things I’m going to buy when I get paid” lists when that list includes things like paper towels , dog food, and Ziploc baggies. I know I have the money in savings right now, but I don’t want to tap into that so I pined for more baggies and used lots of aluminum foil and Tupperware until today—sweet, glorious, much-longed-for pay day!

Earlier this week I decided that I’m never giving Ginny a bath every again. I had planned to go to the gym on money but there was a little nagging voice in my head telling me to go on home and just walk the dog. So go home I did. And what did I find there? I found a crate, carpet and a dog that were all covered in dog poo. For the first time since we’ve had her, Miss Ginny decided to soil herself and her cage at some point during my work day and it was everywhere in the cage vicinity. After putting the crate liner in the bathtub and hosing it down and sanitizing/odor eliminating/vacuuming the offended area, I hooked Ginny to her leash and took her for a long walk around the neighborhood with the intention of wearing her out so that bathing her might be incident free. Well you know how they say the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry? Tis true my friends, tis true.

I should preface this by saying that I didn’t grow up with a dog and I have never bathed an animal. I placed Ginny in the tub and turned on the water. I made sure the water was not too hot and not too cold, but it didn’t matter because apparently Ginny hates water You know what’s difficult? Washing a dog when you don’t have a detachable shower head. So I finagled the water to fall at just the right place in the tube to where I could hold Ginny and the water would prince her off, but she was not happy. She kept try to hide in the back of the tube so I would scoot her forward and she would tremble and look at me and the showerhead in fear. Eventually she was clean and shook herself clean in every room in the house, but I’m pretty sure she still hasn’t forgiven me. But that’s okay, because I haven’t really forgiven Miss Poopy Pants either.

George Clooney Wins Again

Paul and I rented "Up In The Air" this past weekend and I watched it soonafter. I liked it but I didn't really understand why it was considered for an Oscar. It seemed a little too light and airy for an Oscar nomination. Since I've spent my daydoing laundry, I thought I'd watch it again and try to find a deeper meaning. And I found it!

Somehow I missed everything that happened between Natalie, Alex and Ryan crashing the Alphatech party, and Natalie's getting her new job. I don't think I fell asleep, so what happened to the last 45 minutes-hour of the movie? I have absolutely no idea. But I'm glad I decided to give the movie another go because it was really good. It was a combination of funny and heartbreaking with a touch of inspiration thrown in.

Also, on a completely unrelated note,you know what's weird? When your dog smells your mouth every time she sees you eat something.

Wedding Shoe Lust

Can we take a moment out of our day to take a look at these super-fabulous pictures?! Specifically, I'd like everyone to pay attention to those super-fabulous white chuck taylors that those bridesmaids are rocking. TOO CUTE!!! I'd LOVE for my ladies to rock that look on October 2.

Since I know some of you (and by "you" I mean bridesmaids) read this, as all of SHOULD, obviously, what do you think of this? How would you feel about strutting your stuff in a pair of white chuck taylors? You'd match me! And it would be so much better than the sub-par silver flats that I've been able to come up with! Genius idea, right? Right! (Photos courtesy of Tim Will Photography)

Can we check out that adorable chuck-clad foot pop?! In the word of Megan, Presh!!

How adorable would those be with the dresses (only in blue and green, obviously)? So adorable!!

We could do the original:

Or the even more affordable version from Target:
I want it. I need it. Please bridesmaids, make it happen for me!

Here's links to the blog and website where you can find more pictures:

http://www.swsmag.net/blog/2010/2/2/real-south-carolina-wedding-grace-jamie-part-i.html

http://www.swsmag.net/blog/2010/2/2/real-south-carolina-wedding-grace-jamie-part-ii.html

http://www.timwill.com/blog/2009/12/02/jamie-grace/

Making a Run For It

I've been a bit of a sad blogger recently because Paul told me he has to go to Tupelo, Mississippi next weekend. He'll be there for two weeks, then come back for a week, and then go back to spend another two weeks. But I decided I'm not going to let my honey's impromptu "vacation" get me down. Instead, I'm going to use that time to better myself.

As it is, I find myself going to the gym 2-3 days per week because Paul has Monday and Tuesday off and he gets off early on Wednesday and I'd preffer to spend time with him than on a treadmill. I should go on Saturday and Sunday but I usually just can't bring myself to it. While he's gone I'm going to devote myself to going to the gym 5 days a week. And I'm going to run. He'll get back the beginning of May and we're taking engagement pictures later that month. I'm going to look the best I can for those pictures and not feel as uncomfortable in my clothes as I do right now.

I ran Friday and it was hard. I ran again today and it was a little bit easier. I wasn't praying for my mile to come to an end and I didn't think my legs were going to fall off my body. I know that I have a lot of work to do, but I always feel a lot better after I work out. I've considered doing the Couch to 5K progra, but I hear the podcast music isn't that great. I think I'll make a new running playlist (I've been using the same one for over a year) and just push myself to keep running. And by the time those engagement pictures roll around I'll feel a lot better. And hopefully I'll look better too. And when it comes time to tie the knot with the man of my dreams, I'll be hot!

Bang Trim for the Win!

At the suggestion of Jennifer and Jessica at the ol' DDS, I made an appointment with Lauren at Salon Del Sol toget my bangs trimmed. Ever since I grew out my cut-straight-across bangs that I rocked for a good 20 years (photographic proof below), I have yet to get my bangs to look just how I want them to. I'm fully aware of the size of my forehead. I know that, like the rest of me, my forehead is not whispy so my bangs shouldn't be either. So, armed with instructions written on a post-it note, I made my way into Salon Del Sol today and left with amazing bangs.

As a reminder, here's a before photo. Take noteof the significant amount of forehead hanging out below that birthday crown.

Here they are with a pony tail.

And here they are now. Take a look at those forehead-covering bad boys!

This is what it will look like when I wear it in a pony tail now!

And now, since I promised, here's proof of my longstanding rocking of the cut-straight-across bangs (not to mention those HAWT pink, rail-road-conductor striped, coveralls!)

I'm in Love...

She's so soft and pretty and roomy. Can I have her, please?

Exploring a New Frontier

I just made the most delicous shrimp quesadilla, EVER! Here's the recipe, in case you want to try 'er out:

1 pound shrimp (I used frozen, cooked shrimp)
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons chopped green onion
A few dashes chili powder
4 table spoons lemon or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Tortilla (I used burrito size because it's what we had on hand)
1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

1. If you're using frozen cooked shrimp, thaw shrimp by placing it in a bowl of ice water. After the shrimp has thawed, remove tails.
2. In a bowl or large Ziploc bag, combine thawed shrimp, cilantro, green onions, chili powder, lemon/lime juice, salt and pepper. Let the shrimp marinate for 10-30 minutes.
3. Strain liquid from shrimp mixture and heat at medium heat until warmed through. Remove from heat.
4. Pour a small amount of vegetable or olive oil in pan and heat to medium high.
5. Place a tortilla in the pan and heat for about a minute, flipping with a spatula every 10 seconds. The tortilla should develop air bubbles. Remove first tortilla from pan when browned to your liking.
6. Add second tortilla to pan and do the same thing you did for the first tortilla. When it has browned to your liking, reduce heat to medium and spread cheese over tortilla.
7. When cheese starts to melt, add shrimp mixture and place second tortilla on top. Let it sit for about 30 seconds.
8. Slide one spatula under the quesadilla and hold another on top to keep it together. Now flip quesadilla over to heat the other side.
9. Remove from heat and serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or Paul's favorite, Sesame Ginger Vinagerette. Apparently it's good with everything.

I meant to take a picture of the final product, but a combination of intense hunger and forgetfulness were working against me. Maybe I'll remember the next time around. But probably not.

Before I tried this recipe I was hesitant to cook anything with seafood that was more involved than dropping fish sticks onto baking sheet and popping them into the oven. Kitty never cooked with seafood when I was a kid so I don't really know how to do it. I can do chicken, beef, pork, even venison, like a pro, but seafood is beyond me. Shrimp quesadillas were my first baby step into the world of cooking with seafood. Next I'd like to attempt tilapia, tuna steaks and a salmon. Wish me luck!

Off hiatus

I've officially been HORRIBLE at updating lately. I wish I could lie and say I've been really busy, but that's not completely accurate. For the most part I've either been in pain or just plain worn out.

About three or four weeks ago I was on my way to work looking extra adorable in new purple suede loafers, when I noticed a loud grinding sound. I pulled over at the closest gas station, thinking, "I'll just put in air and be on my way." But it wasn't that easy. Instead of setting out on my way I listened as the air that I had just putin my tire seeped out of a giant gash that magically appeared. I tried to call Paul, but then I realized I hadn't taken him his phone when I left so from where he was sleeping in the bedroom, he wouldn't be able to hear me calling. Since I was in a panic and not thinking clearly I figured my only option was to start walking--in the rain. A mile later (did I mention those purple suede loafers hadn't been broken in?), I walked in the front door and burst into tears. I changed clothes and ended up taking Paul's car to work while he and Josh spent the entire day fixing my car. He also spent all of the next day getting the faulty exhaust repaired.

That Saturday I woke up to slight low back pain. But I ignored it and went to Walmart to pick up a crate for Ginny. I pulled all 40 pounds of it off the top shelf on my own, the put it in the caron my own and then carried it into the apartment on my own. Later that day I attempted to stand up off the couch and ended up falling and having to crawl back on the couch.I spent the next two days in unable-to-walk pain and didn't really recover for a week. It was a miserable week!

Evere since then I've just been trying to relax and/or catch up on errands I had put off. So that's my sad excuse for the disappearance. Hopefully I'll do better this time.

She's Back

I realize that I haven't blogged in for-freaking-ever, but it's partly for a good reason.

Paul and I, after months of deliberation, finally got a puppy! Well, she's not technically a puppy as she's a year old, but I thinkwe'll always consider her to be a puppy.

Monday was President's Day so I had the day off, and Paul always has Mondays off, so we actually got to spend the day together. We went to Puppy Love after exchanging my Christmas necklace that broke. We just go to gawk, since we know all their puppies are too expensive, but then we decided to go to Angels of Assissi, since the Roanoke SPCA is closed on Mondays.

Angels of Assissi is a no-kill shelter, but they have a pretty small facility, so a lot of their dogs are fostered out. Because of that, they don't have a lot of adoptable dogs to look at. On our first walk through none of the dogs we seemed like they were what we were looking for. They were either too big for the teeny apartment or too loud for the thin walls of the apartment. But then, as we were on our way out, we looked over and there was a new dog. She had been outside when we started our first walk. We went over to the cage, and that's when we met Ginny. Her official name is Virginia, but that's a mouthful and doesn't match her personality at all. Ginny does.

Eventually, after 24 hours, some angry interactions with our apartment complex, and fear that we couldn't have her, Paul and I brought her home. So, without further ado, here she is:

She's a chihuahua mix. They didn't specify what she was mixed with but we suspect she's part Corgi. She's currently busying herself ripping apart a toy I bought her last night, which is better than ripping apart the carpet at the door, which I just discovered she has done at some point. It almost looks like she's doing when we're away and she's desperate for a potty break because it looks like she's trying to dig out. We'll have to nip that in the bud.

In other news, my beautiful best friend Anna got married on February 13. Because of the snow I wasn't able to get home to help out with the planning and DIYing as much as I'd have liked, but I can't control the weather. And everyone who was in town did an amazing job putting everything together. Here's proof:

The beautiful bride, followed by her custom decorated foot-wear, and then the fascinator her aunt made her. With her nephew, Sam, the Fancy Pirate in his tuxedo.
My cousin, who teaches with Anna's mom and helped with a lot of setup, and I.
And another one of Paul and I for good measure.