We're Buying a House!

And we're not just buying any house, we're buying Paul's parents house after they move into a maintenance-free condo. I've fallen in love with the white/yellow/stainless steel kitchen and I knew I wanted to do something very similar to the kitchen before we move in. But then I saw this:

Source: http://www.myhomeideas.com

I don't want this kitchen. I don't think it would be nice to have. I. NEED. THIS. KITCHEN!!! Just look at that aqua/yellow/stainless steel/wood floor comibination. It's beautful. This is the type of kitchen to make me say, "Hello Lover," as if I was Carrie Bradshaw seeing the perfect pair of Louboutins for the first time. I would just throw in some nice faux granite countertops and bing, bang, bong, you've got perfection. The only problem? Paul doesn't seem to think that I NEED this kitchen. He is sorely mistaken.

This One Goes Out to Taylor Wilson

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

People who cheer for a team solely because they are playing against a team that they don't like. Last night was the Orange Bowl so my facebook was covered in posts that said some variation of either "Go Hokies!" or "Go Stanford!" Now the Hokie fans? That's normal and I'm used to it. It comes with the territory of having lived within 30 minutes of the school my entire life. But Stanford? Excuse me? When did an Ivy League football team garner so many fans from camo-wearin', tobacco spittin', southern drawlin' southwest Virginian? Oh yeah, since they're playing against Virginia Tech who, for whatever unexplained reason, they hate. What's the point in acting like you like a team just because they're playing against a team that you don't like? Why not just not watch the game? With 60-some odd channels in the standard cable package, it's not like there's nothing else on.

Just as annoying as those people are the fair weather fans who only stand by their team when they are winning. One of my facebook friends/real-life acquaintances apparently can't hold his alcohol because whenever he has a drop in him he turns to his smart phone and becomes belligerant. Last night, not only did he seem to be attempting to will the plane carrying Stanford's players back home to crash, but he even said that his beloved Hokies suck. I've never rolled my eyes toward him more dramatically.

Some fair weather fans are also the ones who, when talking about their team of choice, refers to them as "we" and "us." Excuse me, but you are not a member of that team. You are a fan (when it's convenient for you), which is admirable, but you spend game day drinking beer and eating greasyy food while the actual team is, you know, competing.

On another note, here's a picture of Ginny eating a doggie cookie:

**High five to you if you picked up on the title reference.**

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.