Next month, I'm doing a day camp here in Lincoln for work. I've been spending a LOT of time planning it lately, but I'm excited about it. As my boss recommended, I picked a theme that I'm interested in. It's called "Around the World Day Camp." I've split each day into a different area of the world, and each day the girls will learn words in various languages, do a lot of geography, learn dances, try new foods, and so much more. That week is going to be insanely busy for me, but I think it will be so much fun! I enjoy planning it, and I will enjoy delivering it. The last day of camp just HAPPENS to be World Refugee Day. I didn't do that on purpose, but it's perfect timing.
I'm also planning a few other day long programs for the summer. I'm looking forward to the summer schedule. During the school year, all my programs are on the weekend and my week is heavily focused on going to schools and checking in on girls and volunteers. During the summer, most of my work is during the week during the day, and my weekends are free. It's a different feel so far, and I'm SO excited for warmer weather and a varying schedule.
Tonight Kurt and I met with a guy from our church who is doing to do an event on the Lincoln Vital Signs. It's a fascinating report on the status of Lincoln and he wants to do some surveys to follow up on it, and bring people together to perhaps work to bring about some change. He had a small group of us over to run through his ideas for the program and see how long it took. It was a fun time of discussion and he had fake Thin Mints. I'm not entirely sure what will happen with this event and the Vital Signs, but there's a lot of potential.
On Thursday, we are heading down to Chattanooga to meet our twin niece and nephew that just turned 5 months old. I'm VERY excited, especially because I'll get to travel with my sister and 2 year old niece, and we'll all get to spend lots and lots of time together. It will be a whirlwind.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Old glogs and updates
A long time ago, when I was in college, I started a blog on a site called Xanga. I wrote on it religiously. When I went to Korea, I wrote even more. I can't even believe how much I wrote, but I am so glad I did, because all those memories are there for me to read, though my brain hasn't stored them all. Xanga is closing down, but I have all my blog posts in a zipped file and will upload them to a WordPress.com blog, where they will hopefully live for many years to come.
And so...my life. I'm still working at Girl Scouts. I love it! The work is fun, rewarding, and largely un-stressful. Some weeks I don't work 40 hours. Some weeks I do, because I have to work on weekends. A big part of my job is outreach, which I mentioned in a previous post (the 4th and 5th grade group that I was leading until I could find volunteers). I got to know that 4th and 5th grade girls so well over the course of the school year. Individually, I really liked them. As a group, they were a nightmare. They talked over me, didn't listen to me, and overall were cruel and mean to each other. I did spend some time working with them, trying to get them to see the importance of being GOOD friends to each other. They didn't like that, and essentially flatly refused to hear me out. It angered be beyond belief and I was shocked at how much these girls were calloused and disrespectful of me and each other. It was depressing, because I felt like I didn't make any difference and perhaps that they were even worse off. The 4th and 5th graders at both of my elementary schools were the same. It was a very discouraging discovery at the end of the year for me.
As the girls shared their lack of quality female role models at the beginning of the year, they also seem to have learned poor interpersonal skills and conflict resolution skills. I did have quite a bit of success with a middle school group, though. It was a small group of 6-9 girls, but they seemed to soak in some of the bullying-prevention/friendship skills that I was trying to teach. Girl Scouts has a fantastic curriculum that we are trying to teach to girls all over the state. It is so badly needed. That I can see.
The coolest thing I regret not writing about is my trip to the United Nations in March with 4 high school girls. I was chosen in November to lead the trip, and though I took plenty of pictures and tweeted a lot, I didn't write anything. Maybe I will soon, because those memories will fade fast. The week was so breakneck, we were sleep deprived, emotionally exhausted, and I could barely keep up with the pace, I don't know that I could have blogged, but I should have!
Today is Sunday, and Kurt and I biked to Jimmy John's to do the crossword puzzle. It was our first day on the bikes for the season. His was just fixed up and mine just needed a little air in the tires, though it does still do this weird thing where it drops to the lowest gears without me touching them. It was fun to be out on the bikes, it is a nice day, and it was nice not to use our car. I really love the location of our home, so close to downtown and many bike trails.
Which reminds me, I was recently selected to be the chair (?) of our church's Peace & Justice Committee. Kurt and I have been participating since we became members in 2012. I've enjoyed working with the folks on the committee, and though most of them are my parent's age or older, they are truly beautiful people, and we share so many values and beliefs. I was honored that they thought I would be a good fit for it, and I'm interested to see what I can do to help promote peace and justice in our church!
Since it's such a lovely day, I do believe I will get off this computer, which I've been on for too long, and go for a walk.
And so...my life. I'm still working at Girl Scouts. I love it! The work is fun, rewarding, and largely un-stressful. Some weeks I don't work 40 hours. Some weeks I do, because I have to work on weekends. A big part of my job is outreach, which I mentioned in a previous post (the 4th and 5th grade group that I was leading until I could find volunteers). I got to know that 4th and 5th grade girls so well over the course of the school year. Individually, I really liked them. As a group, they were a nightmare. They talked over me, didn't listen to me, and overall were cruel and mean to each other. I did spend some time working with them, trying to get them to see the importance of being GOOD friends to each other. They didn't like that, and essentially flatly refused to hear me out. It angered be beyond belief and I was shocked at how much these girls were calloused and disrespectful of me and each other. It was depressing, because I felt like I didn't make any difference and perhaps that they were even worse off. The 4th and 5th graders at both of my elementary schools were the same. It was a very discouraging discovery at the end of the year for me.
As the girls shared their lack of quality female role models at the beginning of the year, they also seem to have learned poor interpersonal skills and conflict resolution skills. I did have quite a bit of success with a middle school group, though. It was a small group of 6-9 girls, but they seemed to soak in some of the bullying-prevention/friendship skills that I was trying to teach. Girl Scouts has a fantastic curriculum that we are trying to teach to girls all over the state. It is so badly needed. That I can see.
The coolest thing I regret not writing about is my trip to the United Nations in March with 4 high school girls. I was chosen in November to lead the trip, and though I took plenty of pictures and tweeted a lot, I didn't write anything. Maybe I will soon, because those memories will fade fast. The week was so breakneck, we were sleep deprived, emotionally exhausted, and I could barely keep up with the pace, I don't know that I could have blogged, but I should have!
Today is Sunday, and Kurt and I biked to Jimmy John's to do the crossword puzzle. It was our first day on the bikes for the season. His was just fixed up and mine just needed a little air in the tires, though it does still do this weird thing where it drops to the lowest gears without me touching them. It was fun to be out on the bikes, it is a nice day, and it was nice not to use our car. I really love the location of our home, so close to downtown and many bike trails.
Which reminds me, I was recently selected to be the chair (?) of our church's Peace & Justice Committee. Kurt and I have been participating since we became members in 2012. I've enjoyed working with the folks on the committee, and though most of them are my parent's age or older, they are truly beautiful people, and we share so many values and beliefs. I was honored that they thought I would be a good fit for it, and I'm interested to see what I can do to help promote peace and justice in our church!
Since it's such a lovely day, I do believe I will get off this computer, which I've been on for too long, and go for a walk.
Monday, September 16, 2013
girl heroes and camping
I'm currently leading a group of 4-5th grade girl scouts at a local elementary school, until I can find some volunteers to replace me. Last week we talked about women they see on TV and in movies, and what role or what jobs those women have. I even had them list their favorite women in media. When I asked them what jobs women have in TV and movies they said things like dancer, cashier, waitress, singer, teacher, nurse, and 1 girl said doctor. Their TV heroes were Rihanna, Beyonce, Selena Gomez, some cartoon characters, and one girl said Amelia Earnhardt. I don't know what I expected. I hear all the time that girls have a lack of substantive women to look up to in their world, and this confirmed that. If you can't see it, you can't become it. I realize that girls will grow up and probably expand their knowledge of what women are doing in the world, but I still found it kind of sad what I heard that day from such young girls. I guess I shall try to do what I can to change that. I wonder what would happen if I asked them what the women in their lives do for work, and if that list would be much different. That may be an exercise for another day!
This weekend we went camping at Olive Creek campground. It is slated to close today for the season due to budget issues within the state, which is a major bummer. Olive Creek is an excellent campground because it's so quiet and private. Not many people camp there. And maybe that's why they want to close it, but our group of friends has grown quite fond of it. We had a neighbor at the campground this time who had a pontoon boat, and we took 2 rides on it Saturday night; one at sunset and one in the dark. It was lovely. We also played fireball, which is a very fun game that Jovi invented. At night, there were storms, but Kurt and I stayed warm and cozy in our tent. I was very happy with the tent's performance. We've only camped in it during good weather without the rain fly, so this time we staked all the stakes and properly secured all the flaps and the tent was warm, yet well ventilated and dry. I enjoyed waking up in the night to hear the storms and the rain on the tent. Also a bonus, our air mattress hardly deflated at all. Usually, we wake up with our butt and lower backs hitting the ground, but it was not so this night. It was an excellent night of camping.
This weekend we went camping at Olive Creek campground. It is slated to close today for the season due to budget issues within the state, which is a major bummer. Olive Creek is an excellent campground because it's so quiet and private. Not many people camp there. And maybe that's why they want to close it, but our group of friends has grown quite fond of it. We had a neighbor at the campground this time who had a pontoon boat, and we took 2 rides on it Saturday night; one at sunset and one in the dark. It was lovely. We also played fireball, which is a very fun game that Jovi invented. At night, there were storms, but Kurt and I stayed warm and cozy in our tent. I was very happy with the tent's performance. We've only camped in it during good weather without the rain fly, so this time we staked all the stakes and properly secured all the flaps and the tent was warm, yet well ventilated and dry. I enjoyed waking up in the night to hear the storms and the rain on the tent. Also a bonus, our air mattress hardly deflated at all. Usually, we wake up with our butt and lower backs hitting the ground, but it was not so this night. It was an excellent night of camping.
Monday, September 9, 2013
puppies & pie
Yesterday was my first time at a Girl Scouts program. I helped my coworker plan it. It was a family field day. We had all kinds of those little games you play as a child, like a ping pong relay and a 3 legged race. It was over 90 degrees outside, but we had a breeze and most of the area was shaded, which helped. By the end of the day, though, I was exhausted.
Kurt's mom made 3 pies yesterday, and then invited us over to eat them! That was a lovely Sunday evening treat. She made peach pie from the peach tree in the backyard, apple pie, and lemon meringue. They were all delicious. Afterwards, we went to Kent & Alisha's house to see their adorable new puppies. They are only 8 weeks old, so they are still clumsy. It was fun. After that we went to Perkins to do the crossword puzzle.
I went to bed at 10:30 and slept until 8:30. I feel pretty rested today. :0)
Kurt's mom made 3 pies yesterday, and then invited us over to eat them! That was a lovely Sunday evening treat. She made peach pie from the peach tree in the backyard, apple pie, and lemon meringue. They were all delicious. Afterwards, we went to Kent & Alisha's house to see their adorable new puppies. They are only 8 weeks old, so they are still clumsy. It was fun. After that we went to Perkins to do the crossword puzzle.
I went to bed at 10:30 and slept until 8:30. I feel pretty rested today. :0)
Thursday, September 5, 2013
visit to Omaha
Yesterday I was in Omaha for training for work. I have not been in Omaha as often as I thought I would the past year. The Girl Scout office in Omaha is about a block or 2 from the LFS office. It's right next to an apartment complex where I placed 2 of my clients and by the middle school where I mentored a girl for a year and a half. It was a very, very nostalgic visit. For lunch, I went to the newly opened Bhutanese/Nepali grocery store/restaurant. I ran into a former coworker and an old client of mine came and spoke to me. He very clearly remembered that I helped pay for an electric bill for him before he started working. He thanked me and said he missed me. He says he mentions my name all the time when he goes to LFS now, and that nobody still works there from when he first came to Omaha. That was a little overwhelming in a good way. The food was delicious and the training was interesting. It was a Wednesday, and Wednesdays are my brutal days because I get up at 5:15am for my show on KZUM. I had a few other activities for the night, and I was more than ready for bed at an early hour. It was nice because Kurt was in a better mood, and I was happy and thankful when bedtime rolled around (at an early hour).
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
4 months
OK. So in 4 months...
I turned 31
My first nephew was born
I went 3 weeks on one tank of gas
I spent a long week in Michigan with my husband
I kayaked on Lake Michigan (not my first time, but always lovely)
I commuted on my bike regularly (my first time)
I recovered from a terrible back injury
I put on weight while healing from that terrible back injury
I left my job at the state
I started a new job at Girl Scouts
I started running again after the terrible back injury
I swept and mopped the entire house (hadn't been done since May)
We bought a new car (for Kurt)
We went to Denver with a big group of friends
I started using a real planner again, the kind with paper
I joined the board of Lincoln Literacy
This past weekend was Labor Day weekend. We didn't do a whole lot. Kurt was on call, and he's bummed about work. We ate out a few times. I played Dominion with Spanky and Becca Sunday and Monday nights, which was a lot of fun. It's such a fun game! I ran 5 miles on Saturday and 5 miles on Sunday. I cleaned for 3 hours on Monday while Kurt went into the office for a little while. I read Lipstick Jihad, which was an incredibly fascinating book about Iran and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Last week was in the 90s and above, and Sunday it finally cooled down. We walked to church on Sunday and biked to Jimmy John's, which has become our default place to do the crossword puzzle each week. It's close to our house, they don't care if we sit for hours, the music is great, and it's cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Sometimes I miss doing the crossword puzzle at Great Wall in Waverly, but it's just a pain to drive out there these days.
I turned 31
My first nephew was born
I went 3 weeks on one tank of gas
I spent a long week in Michigan with my husband
I kayaked on Lake Michigan (not my first time, but always lovely)
I commuted on my bike regularly (my first time)
I recovered from a terrible back injury
I put on weight while healing from that terrible back injury
I left my job at the state
I started a new job at Girl Scouts
I started running again after the terrible back injury
I swept and mopped the entire house (hadn't been done since May)
We bought a new car (for Kurt)
We went to Denver with a big group of friends
I started using a real planner again, the kind with paper
I joined the board of Lincoln Literacy
This past weekend was Labor Day weekend. We didn't do a whole lot. Kurt was on call, and he's bummed about work. We ate out a few times. I played Dominion with Spanky and Becca Sunday and Monday nights, which was a lot of fun. It's such a fun game! I ran 5 miles on Saturday and 5 miles on Sunday. I cleaned for 3 hours on Monday while Kurt went into the office for a little while. I read Lipstick Jihad, which was an incredibly fascinating book about Iran and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Last week was in the 90s and above, and Sunday it finally cooled down. We walked to church on Sunday and biked to Jimmy John's, which has become our default place to do the crossword puzzle each week. It's close to our house, they don't care if we sit for hours, the music is great, and it's cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Sometimes I miss doing the crossword puzzle at Great Wall in Waverly, but it's just a pain to drive out there these days.
Friday, May 31, 2013
We got our Bikes!
Me and Kurt got our bikes back FINALLY from the repair guy! (Apparently some parts were on backorder) We got them Wednesday, picked up the locks and helmets yesterday and I took my bikes to work today. It was pretty timely because my car is in the shop right now getting a little work done. I was late this morning because getting the bike up from the basement and putting the wheel on and packing the backpack for the day took longer than I expected, but it was a lovely ride. It took 25 minutes and I hope to find a way to make that time shorter. It's a 4.5 mile ride. I'm excited to ride my bike a lot and use my car less.
Yesterday I had my first massage. It was "theraputic" for my crappy back situation. The massage hurt like hell, mostly, so it was far from enjoyable. However, between the chiropractic adjustments and the massage I'm starting to feel loads better. I suspect all this trouble started when I started to go to Good Life Fitness. I don't know what I did to injure myself so badly, but I did! The masseuse thinks it is my iliopsoas muscle. Google it. It's an important one and a hard one to fix.
I am currently at Culvers on a work break. I had a free one scoop ice cream sundae from my birthday that I decided to use on this gorgeous, gorgeous day. Time to head back!
Friday, May 3, 2013
6 months
Today Kurt brought home some pretty pink flowers for me for our 6 month anniversary. He said our friend Breanne told him he should do it (though I told him not to get anything). But then he heard Bruno Mars' song "When I Was Your Man"...
So he thought he should buy me flowers, because he usually doesn't do that. But then in Hyvee, he heard The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love"...
So he was conflicted...
But he bought them anyway, and they're pretty pink and potted, so I hope they can stay alive for longer.
:0)
But he bought them anyway, and they're pretty pink and potted, so I hope they can stay alive for longer.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Bikes
This past weekend me and Kurt hauled an old bike and an old bike frame from his dad's shed. Yesterday we took them to a guy in Lincoln who runs a shop out of his garage and he's going to fix up our bikes for a very decent price. Much more decent than getting new bikes for both of us! I'm looking forward to attempting to commute on my bike. It's an easy ride up the Rock Island Trail.
Also, we got the garden planted this past weekend. I am not crazy about gardening so I'm glad Kurt enjoys it. I am looking forward to seeing if anything grows. Apparently most of the plants survived the transplanting like champs. And now we have snow forecasted for tonight...May 1. Ugh.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Water
I'm on my lunch right now. I took up walking over my lunch break around the beginning of the year when I started to approach my fitness in a less running centric way. It has been a lovely way to spend hour lunches. I am almost caught up with my podcasts and I have lost some weight.
Today I walked outside on the Rock Island Trail, which I haven't been able to do much of since working here because it has been winter (I usually have to go to the gym). Today is sunny and around 50 degrees. When I started walking it was pretty cold but I warmed up about a mile in. Now I'm in my car about to head in and I've got the windows open for a lovely, cool breeze. The snowmelt is pouring into the drain nearby which is making sound akin to a waterfall. It is a distinctly and urbanly peaceful moment.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
A month later
Today I downloaded an app on my phone for blogger. Oh smartphones. There is no end to their entertainment and/or usefulness.
Volunteering with the refugees had been going well, but hit a dry patch. They stood us up about 2 weeks in a row. We finally made a successful visit again last night. I noticed that mom improved significantly on her letter recognition. I started some phonics with her and the eldest daughter. Surprisingly they both did quite well! I heard them read English words! Today I looked up some websites to help them learn more phonics and I'm excited to see their learning progress. Saturday we're planning to take everyone to the capitol building.
Work has been reliable and easy. I apply for new state jobs most days but haven't gotten a call for an interview yet. Though I daily appreciate the stability and ease of this job, I'm ready for something more.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Freezer
Kurt and I have been visiting our Karen family about twice a week to practice English and stuff. Today I went and worked with the 2 women of the family, one a mom the other a young woman. I had SUCH a lovely time with them. First, I put up labels on various household items, like stove, phone, sink, freezer, mirror, toilet, sofa, chair, TV, and others. Then I took out the Bananagram game that I have begun to use for alphabet practice with the mom, and we spelled the words together. I spent some time with them practicing the letters "F" vs. "V" and "S" vs "Z" (vocalized and non-vocalized letters). Mom really caught on to the word "freezer" and said it several times as I was leaving. I think it may one of the first English words to really stick in her mind.
I am enjoying helping this refugee family quite a lot! I also have volunteered twice with VITA, the tax preparation program that helps people who make 57,000 or less per year. It's strange, but my meager understanding of taxes and how the tax system works is more than a lot of people understand. I typically think of myself as terrible at math, but most of the VITA volunteering is just knowing what tax form to enter into what part of the tax software, and the computer does the rest.
Friday I went to a class at my gym called "N-10sive F-I-R-E". The class names there are hilariously silly (as I may have mentioned before), but they are excellent classes. This class supposedly sets your muscles on fire, and it certainly did that for me. I couldn't do much with my limbs Friday night, felt sore on Saturday, then on Sunday when I was feeling a little better, I thought I could handle a yoga class at night. That was a mistake, because I was still weak and sore from Friday. Today my arms are almost worse than they were on Friday. I took ibuprofen this morning. Crazy as it sounds, I might go back to this terrible class, because it appears to be a very effective way to tone and gain strength.
I recently finished reading A Storm of Swords, the 3rd book in the Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series. I started reading A Passage to India a few days ago, a book I had bought at a retired teacher's book sale at the mall one random weekend. Kurt isn't watching TV for Lent, so we are both getting a lot of reading in these days, which I really enjoy.
I am enjoying helping this refugee family quite a lot! I also have volunteered twice with VITA, the tax preparation program that helps people who make 57,000 or less per year. It's strange, but my meager understanding of taxes and how the tax system works is more than a lot of people understand. I typically think of myself as terrible at math, but most of the VITA volunteering is just knowing what tax form to enter into what part of the tax software, and the computer does the rest.
Friday I went to a class at my gym called "N-10sive F-I-R-E". The class names there are hilariously silly (as I may have mentioned before), but they are excellent classes. This class supposedly sets your muscles on fire, and it certainly did that for me. I couldn't do much with my limbs Friday night, felt sore on Saturday, then on Sunday when I was feeling a little better, I thought I could handle a yoga class at night. That was a mistake, because I was still weak and sore from Friday. Today my arms are almost worse than they were on Friday. I took ibuprofen this morning. Crazy as it sounds, I might go back to this terrible class, because it appears to be a very effective way to tone and gain strength.
I recently finished reading A Storm of Swords, the 3rd book in the Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series. I started reading A Passage to India a few days ago, a book I had bought at a retired teacher's book sale at the mall one random weekend. Kurt isn't watching TV for Lent, so we are both getting a lot of reading in these days, which I really enjoy.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
looking forward to volunteering
My thing lately has been to try to get into the volunteering circuit. I miss being out in the community, and there are so many nights I have nothing to do. I'm currently cleared to be a mentor for a Karen family that arrived on Thursday. I am so incredibly excited to meet them. It has been a long time since I was able to forge a relationship with a refugee family that I could keep around for a long time. While working in resettlement, I had to move on every 3 months and never got a chance to be close to a refugee family like I wanted. I already have tons of ideas of what I want to do with them to help them learn English and feel comfortable in their surroundings. My biggest thing now is that I want to find a way to record vocabulary, so they can listen to correct pronunciation on their own time. I hope to meet them this week sometime.
I'm also training to be a VITA volunteer (helping people complete their taxes). I had to do a lot of studying and take an online exam. It took me quite some time to finish the exam, but when I was finished, I only got 66%, and I needed 80% to pass. I had one more chance to take the exam, so I spent some more time studying, and passed the second try with 90%. That made me really happy. For some reason I enjoyed studying about taxes. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I enjoyed learning something new. I think I will be volunteering Sundays to help with taxes. I think it will be an interesting experience.
So...I am off onto some new volunteering adventures. I am excited.
Me and Kurt didn't do a whole lot on Saturday. Yesterday I ran 4.25 miles, did some lifting, we bought some stuff for Kurt at Scheel's for his marathon training, stopped in to look at some stuff at Hobbytown, Kurt made Paneer and some other Indian food for dinner (which was delicious), and we watched 3 episodes of West Wing. Friday night we celebrated with our friend Tyne because she got a job! We had Lazzari's pizza (downtown Lincoln), where the guy who took our order was a total snot to me and Kurt. Then we went to Yogurtini. I had Thin Mint yogurt, which was AMAZING. Kurt ran 10 miles today for his marathon training.
Today is the Superbowl. It's such a bizarre type of "holiday". We're going to a friend's house. Tomorrow, back to the grind.
I'm also training to be a VITA volunteer (helping people complete their taxes). I had to do a lot of studying and take an online exam. It took me quite some time to finish the exam, but when I was finished, I only got 66%, and I needed 80% to pass. I had one more chance to take the exam, so I spent some more time studying, and passed the second try with 90%. That made me really happy. For some reason I enjoyed studying about taxes. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I enjoyed learning something new. I think I will be volunteering Sundays to help with taxes. I think it will be an interesting experience.
So...I am off onto some new volunteering adventures. I am excited.
Me and Kurt didn't do a whole lot on Saturday. Yesterday I ran 4.25 miles, did some lifting, we bought some stuff for Kurt at Scheel's for his marathon training, stopped in to look at some stuff at Hobbytown, Kurt made Paneer and some other Indian food for dinner (which was delicious), and we watched 3 episodes of West Wing. Friday night we celebrated with our friend Tyne because she got a job! We had Lazzari's pizza (downtown Lincoln), where the guy who took our order was a total snot to me and Kurt. Then we went to Yogurtini. I had Thin Mint yogurt, which was AMAZING. Kurt ran 10 miles today for his marathon training.
Today is the Superbowl. It's such a bizarre type of "holiday". We're going to a friend's house. Tomorrow, back to the grind.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
smart phone
Well, Kurt and I have given in and bought smart phones. The pay-by-the-month cost was $35 for unlimited texting and data, with 300 minutes. The plan with unlimited minutes and texting was $40 per month. The dumb phone was cheaper than the smart phone, but the plan was more expensive. That's what ultimately made me decide to get the smart phone. I'm still trying to figure out how to use it. It's kind of convenient, because I can check Facebook on it (I never check it on my work computer). I like using Pandora on my phone to connect to the auxiliary-out cord in my car. I like being able to use the Gmail chat on my phone. I like some of the other little, useful apps. I can't bring myself to download games yet. I don't want to be an obnoxious smart phone user.
This weekend has had a lot of sitting around and chatting. Friday night we had a few friends over (Tyne, Matt, and Pat). We sat from 7:30pm til 1:30am, just talking and having a few drinks. It was a good time. I did that all the time with my Michigan friends, and miss it. In Nebraska, we tend to do lots of "stuff", like games and other planned activities...which is a lot of fun! But I enjoyed kicking back and shooting the shit. We also did this Saturday night for about 2 hours at Matt's house. It was also enjoyable. However, Kurt and I were pretty tired and left around 10:30. Kurt had run 9 miles earlier in the day, and I had walked 5 miles. We came home, watched a movie on Netflix, and both of us dozed off during it. It's odd for me to fall asleep during a movie...
Today we went to church, then went to Kurt's parents' house to celebrate Jim's birthday (Jim is a disabled guy that Kurt's mom has guardianship over, because both of his parents passed away, and Kurt's mom was friends with his mom). We had pizza and cupcakes. We came home and did the crossword puzzle successfully, and now we're probably going to relax for the rest of the night. Yesterday's weather was sunny and in the 50s. Today it's cloudy, drizzling and in the upper 30s/lower 40s. Our energy level is quite low and it feels like the kind of day to stay indoors with a blanket.
I finished reading a book today called Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy. It went into detail explaining specific campaigns that were used to promote products, or particular tactics used in the marketing industry to persuade us to spend our money. I found that I was already aware of most of these tactics, and that I am pretty good at insulating myself from ads, or making myself immune to some of their tactics. I hate advertising, and as a rule, try to avoid it as much as I can. Thus we cancelled cable, I listen to a lot of community and public radio, buy mostly store-brand items, turn off the radio during commercials, and have an ad-blocker in my browser. It helps. The guy in the book went out of his way to make companies sound like deceptive, manipulative, careless, greedy businesses. And many of them are, I have no doubt, but the whole tone of the book was over-the-top and alarmist. He even had an alarmist chapter on how powerful our friends are in influencing our brand choices. Oh no! Watch out for those scary, manipulative friends who are going to try to get you hooked on a brand! I'm not a fan of advertising, or over consumption or needless consumption, but people need stuff and companies provide that stuff. I appreciate ethical businesses and try to support local ones whenever I can. It was an interesting book, but not anything new or ground-breaking for me. It contained a chapter on data-mining that was a good reminder to value privacy and do what I can to keep as much of my personal information out of the wrong hands.
This weekend has had a lot of sitting around and chatting. Friday night we had a few friends over (Tyne, Matt, and Pat). We sat from 7:30pm til 1:30am, just talking and having a few drinks. It was a good time. I did that all the time with my Michigan friends, and miss it. In Nebraska, we tend to do lots of "stuff", like games and other planned activities...which is a lot of fun! But I enjoyed kicking back and shooting the shit. We also did this Saturday night for about 2 hours at Matt's house. It was also enjoyable. However, Kurt and I were pretty tired and left around 10:30. Kurt had run 9 miles earlier in the day, and I had walked 5 miles. We came home, watched a movie on Netflix, and both of us dozed off during it. It's odd for me to fall asleep during a movie...
Today we went to church, then went to Kurt's parents' house to celebrate Jim's birthday (Jim is a disabled guy that Kurt's mom has guardianship over, because both of his parents passed away, and Kurt's mom was friends with his mom). We had pizza and cupcakes. We came home and did the crossword puzzle successfully, and now we're probably going to relax for the rest of the night. Yesterday's weather was sunny and in the 50s. Today it's cloudy, drizzling and in the upper 30s/lower 40s. Our energy level is quite low and it feels like the kind of day to stay indoors with a blanket.
I finished reading a book today called Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy. It went into detail explaining specific campaigns that were used to promote products, or particular tactics used in the marketing industry to persuade us to spend our money. I found that I was already aware of most of these tactics, and that I am pretty good at insulating myself from ads, or making myself immune to some of their tactics. I hate advertising, and as a rule, try to avoid it as much as I can. Thus we cancelled cable, I listen to a lot of community and public radio, buy mostly store-brand items, turn off the radio during commercials, and have an ad-blocker in my browser. It helps. The guy in the book went out of his way to make companies sound like deceptive, manipulative, careless, greedy businesses. And many of them are, I have no doubt, but the whole tone of the book was over-the-top and alarmist. He even had an alarmist chapter on how powerful our friends are in influencing our brand choices. Oh no! Watch out for those scary, manipulative friends who are going to try to get you hooked on a brand! I'm not a fan of advertising, or over consumption or needless consumption, but people need stuff and companies provide that stuff. I appreciate ethical businesses and try to support local ones whenever I can. It was an interesting book, but not anything new or ground-breaking for me. It contained a chapter on data-mining that was a good reminder to value privacy and do what I can to keep as much of my personal information out of the wrong hands.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
outdoors is nice
Well, the cold didn't really go away as quickly as I thought it would. I almost went to the doctor the next day because I had a painful cough. But that went away in a day or so, too. I felt like I was fighting something for another few days, but finally bounced back to full health and energy level. I am glad that I have not gotten the flu. That bastard apparently is making its rounds.
The weather has been pretty nice recently. Nice means 40-50F. I've been glad to spend some time outside with various runs and walks on my lunch time. Yesterday I walked during my lunch and today Kurt and I ran 5 miles. The sun was out in full force, which was glorious! The wind, however, was cold and powerful and we ran through a few strong gusts that slowed us down. The snow is all melted and everything is brown and dormant, but there's a lot of beauty in it.
Yesterday Kurt and I went on a "date". We went to Applebee's and used up some gift cards we had received at our wedding and for Christmas. Applebee's isn't my favorite place, but it's okay. After we ate, I looked up all the calories I had eaten, and it was 3300! Yes, I ate 3300 calories at Applebee's in one sitting. I had 2 glasses of pepsi, we split the queso blanco, and I had the black and bleu burger with fries and a mousse dessert shooter. I don't really care that I ate that many calories, but I'm glad to be aware of my eating habits. My recent weight management strategy has been to indulge once or twice a week. If I can splurge once and a while, that helps me be healthier the rest of the time. Either way, Applebee's was delicious and it was a good time. Afterwards, I played volleyball with a few people at this bar/volleyball gym called Spikes, which is an interesting combination. I think it works for them, because it was very busy. We played terribly...truly, really horrendously, but I had so much fun! I forgot how much fun volleyball was. I told Lydia to let me know if they needed a body another time, and I'd be happy to fill in again.
Tonight Kurt and I are hosting "My 3 Songs", where everyone gets to pick 3 songs and we all listen to them. I did this with friends 3 years ago and it was a wonderful time. Right now I've got mulled wine cooking in the crock pot and I'm looking forward to an evening sharing music with friends. :0)
The weather has been pretty nice recently. Nice means 40-50F. I've been glad to spend some time outside with various runs and walks on my lunch time. Yesterday I walked during my lunch and today Kurt and I ran 5 miles. The sun was out in full force, which was glorious! The wind, however, was cold and powerful and we ran through a few strong gusts that slowed us down. The snow is all melted and everything is brown and dormant, but there's a lot of beauty in it.
Yesterday Kurt and I went on a "date". We went to Applebee's and used up some gift cards we had received at our wedding and for Christmas. Applebee's isn't my favorite place, but it's okay. After we ate, I looked up all the calories I had eaten, and it was 3300! Yes, I ate 3300 calories at Applebee's in one sitting. I had 2 glasses of pepsi, we split the queso blanco, and I had the black and bleu burger with fries and a mousse dessert shooter. I don't really care that I ate that many calories, but I'm glad to be aware of my eating habits. My recent weight management strategy has been to indulge once or twice a week. If I can splurge once and a while, that helps me be healthier the rest of the time. Either way, Applebee's was delicious and it was a good time. Afterwards, I played volleyball with a few people at this bar/volleyball gym called Spikes, which is an interesting combination. I think it works for them, because it was very busy. We played terribly...truly, really horrendously, but I had so much fun! I forgot how much fun volleyball was. I told Lydia to let me know if they needed a body another time, and I'd be happy to fill in again.
Tonight Kurt and I are hosting "My 3 Songs", where everyone gets to pick 3 songs and we all listen to them. I did this with friends 3 years ago and it was a wonderful time. Right now I've got mulled wine cooking in the crock pot and I'm looking forward to an evening sharing music with friends. :0)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
i kicked the cold
Yesterday I watched a video of this guy who does balance art. He balances rocks on top of each other. It's pretty amazing. The video was of him balancing rocks in the middle of a river. I had my earphones in at work and the only sound was the river flowing in the background. It was amazingly relaxing and made me want to go camp by a river.
I had a cold this past weekend. I went home at 3 on Friday afternoon from work with dizziness, extreme fatigue, and a little cough. When I got home I slept from 3:30-7. That night, I slept 11 hours. I didn't do a whole lot the entire weekend but sleep, sit on my butt and drink water. We did a few errands on Saturday, and my brain was definitely out of commission (as seen by forgetfulness, going the wrong direction while driving and not figuring it out for a few miles, and general confusion). This was before I got some medicine to treat the symptoms! We went for Chinese food and the crossword puzzle on Sunday, and I kicked butt with the puzzle. Kurt surmised that my inhibited brain was so dumb that it was able to correctly guess the dumb clues in the puzzle.
On Monday, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it to work. But I woke up and felt energized, which is odd for a Monday morning. I do believe I sufficiently kicked the cold's butt with rest! Most of my rare colds turn into bronchitis or something else terrible. I'm grateful that didn't happen.
I had a cold this past weekend. I went home at 3 on Friday afternoon from work with dizziness, extreme fatigue, and a little cough. When I got home I slept from 3:30-7. That night, I slept 11 hours. I didn't do a whole lot the entire weekend but sleep, sit on my butt and drink water. We did a few errands on Saturday, and my brain was definitely out of commission (as seen by forgetfulness, going the wrong direction while driving and not figuring it out for a few miles, and general confusion). This was before I got some medicine to treat the symptoms! We went for Chinese food and the crossword puzzle on Sunday, and I kicked butt with the puzzle. Kurt surmised that my inhibited brain was so dumb that it was able to correctly guess the dumb clues in the puzzle.
On Monday, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it to work. But I woke up and felt energized, which is odd for a Monday morning. I do believe I sufficiently kicked the cold's butt with rest! Most of my rare colds turn into bronchitis or something else terrible. I'm grateful that didn't happen.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
New Year
I was at work on New Years Eve and this guy was chatting with me and a few unmotivated co-workers. He said that he thought New Years was a sorry excuse for a holiday. To me, New Years is one of my favorite holidays. I think it's fun to celebrate the passing of a year, to welcome a new one, and to do it with as many friends or family as you can get together. Historically, I have been a part of some kick-ass New Years parties. There were the 3 years that we rented cottages by Lake Mac in Holland. Those were some amazing parties, one year with almost 50 people stopping by. This year we celebrated at Spanky's house, and it was a real good time. :0)
I like the opportunity to reflect on the past year. I've done this random survey thing that I got through an email or on a blog or something for more years that I can remember off the top of my head. As I get older, I enjoy reading my old answers and it helps me recall major life events or memories. It's like seeing the ebb and flow of my life. I plan to keep answering those same 30 questions for as along as I can. I'm working on them now, but haven't quite finished my answers for 2012.
Today I went to a new gym for a "boot camp". I have never been to such a thing, but I enjoy taking fitness classes and I thought it would be a fun new thing to try. It was certainly a challenge. I did my best to keep up and I think I did okay for my first time. The instructor would write a list of 6-10 exercises that we had to do, and how many reps we had to do. Then he gave us a certain amount of time for us to do those reps. Some people were quick and could get through multiple rotations of the lists. I, of course, was slow, and the instructor encouraged new people to do half the reps on the board anyway. Everyone could go at their own pace, which was nice. I believe once or twice I skipped an exercise, but it didn't really matter. My strategy was to do the particular exercise until I saw people around me move onto the next one. I'd give them a little time to get into the new move, then I'd start, so it wouldn't be totally obvious that I was following them. It was hard to keep the whole series of exercises in my head, and besides, I didn't know what most of them are. I mean, really..."50 HBHHLG" "20 pike" "25 ice skates" "20 starting blocks". What do these things mean? Though really, it's just a lingo that I can learn, if I need to. I won't be going to many of these boot camps, though, because my Groupon to the gym doesn't include them. Right when I got home, I felt very energized and bopped around the house cleaning, which is what I tend to do when I get home from the gym. I am crashing right now, however, and I will sleep well tonight.
Speaking of sleeping, I had a terrible, horrible dream last night. I dreamed that I was at a mall when a mass shooter was there. I wasn't injured in my dream, but I saw many scary things and was convinced I had PTSD. I'm glad it wasn't a vivid dream, and I didn't feel panicked or upset when I woke up. But that's still messed up. And on that depressing note...I'm going to finish laundry.
I like the opportunity to reflect on the past year. I've done this random survey thing that I got through an email or on a blog or something for more years that I can remember off the top of my head. As I get older, I enjoy reading my old answers and it helps me recall major life events or memories. It's like seeing the ebb and flow of my life. I plan to keep answering those same 30 questions for as along as I can. I'm working on them now, but haven't quite finished my answers for 2012.
Today I went to a new gym for a "boot camp". I have never been to such a thing, but I enjoy taking fitness classes and I thought it would be a fun new thing to try. It was certainly a challenge. I did my best to keep up and I think I did okay for my first time. The instructor would write a list of 6-10 exercises that we had to do, and how many reps we had to do. Then he gave us a certain amount of time for us to do those reps. Some people were quick and could get through multiple rotations of the lists. I, of course, was slow, and the instructor encouraged new people to do half the reps on the board anyway. Everyone could go at their own pace, which was nice. I believe once or twice I skipped an exercise, but it didn't really matter. My strategy was to do the particular exercise until I saw people around me move onto the next one. I'd give them a little time to get into the new move, then I'd start, so it wouldn't be totally obvious that I was following them. It was hard to keep the whole series of exercises in my head, and besides, I didn't know what most of them are. I mean, really..."50 HBHHLG" "20 pike" "25 ice skates" "20 starting blocks". What do these things mean? Though really, it's just a lingo that I can learn, if I need to. I won't be going to many of these boot camps, though, because my Groupon to the gym doesn't include them. Right when I got home, I felt very energized and bopped around the house cleaning, which is what I tend to do when I get home from the gym. I am crashing right now, however, and I will sleep well tonight.
Speaking of sleeping, I had a terrible, horrible dream last night. I dreamed that I was at a mall when a mass shooter was there. I wasn't injured in my dream, but I saw many scary things and was convinced I had PTSD. I'm glad it wasn't a vivid dream, and I didn't feel panicked or upset when I woke up. But that's still messed up. And on that depressing note...I'm going to finish laundry.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
moving forward
The big news of the week (in my little life) is that I decided I would start applying for other jobs within the state. I've been at my case aide job for about 2 months, and I know it's not long, but the application process can take so long, so I figure I might as well get a head start. I've applied for 2 jobs so far. I'm excited about it! The more I think about it, the more I dread the thought of working at a nonprofit. I always thought I would like to focus my work on Nonprofits (thus my Nonprofit Management and Leadership focus at GVSU). Alas, I've been burned by enough nonprofits that the thought of working at one right now scares me. I like the state because they're so straightforward. If you don't get a job or promotion, it's probably not going to be because someone in upper management has a vendetta against you or because they don't like your face or there is some misunderstanding, it's because you're probably not qualified enough or your past performance has been unsatisfactory according to quantitative measurement. You have to stick to very clear bureaucratic lines, or else all hell will break lose. I find that comforting at this time in my life. I know it reeks havoc in other ways, but a lot of my frustration with the nonprofits I've been involved with in the past couple years has come from unclear boundaries and expectations and personalities reigning unchecked and supreme. Maybe someday in the future, I will go back to nonprofits...we'll see.
We had a Groupon for a one month membership to Prairie Life Fitness, which expires today. But yesterday I bought a Groupon for another gym in Lincoln called Goodlife Fitness. They have around 100 classes per week, and a huge gym with machines and weight lifting equipment. I visited it last night after work, and I'm very excited! I like going to fitness classes. Though sometimes they can look silly and make you feel silly, class workouts usually push me farther than I'd go by myself and get me moving in different kinds of ways. Classes keep me interested and focused on being in shape, which is helpful. That's why I'm excited.
Yesterday at work I mostly slacked for the last hour and spent time looking at "Best Albums of 2012" lists. I actually made a spreadsheet of the top 50 albums from 3 different music magazines. My plan is to start listening to as many as I can. Luckily, I spend about 5-7 hours per day on my computer and can easily listen to hours and hours worth of music daily. I've already gone through 3 or 4 seasons of Radiolab and caught up on most of my missed episodes of This American Life. I used to listen to NPR all day, but I kind of got tired of that with the election and fiscal cliff nonsense. I'm thinking maybe I will occasionally listen to Morning Edition, and maybe some Fresh Air from time to time. There are so many great shows from NPR to listen to, but there's so much music I've missed out on! I remember when I was volunteering at WYCE, I used to know most of the albums in the Top 50 lists. Now I only know some of the musicians. I miss listening to music; I miss enjoying music, though I've been getting a little better at it in the past few months. Right now I'm listening to Mala in Cuba, from an artist I know and like from my WYCE days, Mala Rodriguez.
We had a Groupon for a one month membership to Prairie Life Fitness, which expires today. But yesterday I bought a Groupon for another gym in Lincoln called Goodlife Fitness. They have around 100 classes per week, and a huge gym with machines and weight lifting equipment. I visited it last night after work, and I'm very excited! I like going to fitness classes. Though sometimes they can look silly and make you feel silly, class workouts usually push me farther than I'd go by myself and get me moving in different kinds of ways. Classes keep me interested and focused on being in shape, which is helpful. That's why I'm excited.
Yesterday at work I mostly slacked for the last hour and spent time looking at "Best Albums of 2012" lists. I actually made a spreadsheet of the top 50 albums from 3 different music magazines. My plan is to start listening to as many as I can. Luckily, I spend about 5-7 hours per day on my computer and can easily listen to hours and hours worth of music daily. I've already gone through 3 or 4 seasons of Radiolab and caught up on most of my missed episodes of This American Life. I used to listen to NPR all day, but I kind of got tired of that with the election and fiscal cliff nonsense. I'm thinking maybe I will occasionally listen to Morning Edition, and maybe some Fresh Air from time to time. There are so many great shows from NPR to listen to, but there's so much music I've missed out on! I remember when I was volunteering at WYCE, I used to know most of the albums in the Top 50 lists. Now I only know some of the musicians. I miss listening to music; I miss enjoying music, though I've been getting a little better at it in the past few months. Right now I'm listening to Mala in Cuba, from an artist I know and like from my WYCE days, Mala Rodriguez.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
this year's Christmastime
Ah, Christmas. It has been a busy few days. Friday we flew out of Omaha to Chicago Midway, then drove in a rented Hyundai Tuscon to Holland. It was an 8 1/2 hour journey, and we finally got there at 2:15am. I barely remember it. I was a zombie. We had a few delays throughout the trip. Saturday morning we went to the Johnson Christmas party. It was great, as always, to see my cousins, aunts and uncles. Kara and Evan announced that they're having another baby in July. I ate tons of cookies. I got a anti-condensation cup with a straw for my bingo gift and Kurt got a Starbuck's gift card. Saturday night we went to Kara and Evan's house and played games with them for most of the night. It was a lot of fun.
Sunday we went to Central Wesleyan with my parents. I often experience nostalgia going there, for example, some of the same people are in the choir as 20 years ago. Though Pastor Paul looks older, he's still there. It was enjoyable. My mom asked what Kurt and I thought of the service, since the church is losing a lot of the younger generation. Apparently, they are trying to reach out to that age group. Sunday afternoon we went to the gym, and Sunday night we met a group of folks at Denny's. Chris, Kim, Darlene, Travis, and Dan came. It was a lot of fun to see everyone. Kurt nerd talked with them for a good amount of time. We were out pretty late.
On Monday, Kurt and I went to the Rivertown Mall to wander around and get gifts for the Overbeek Christmas party bingo game. We gave fake mustaches with roasted almonds and a leopard print fleece blanket. It was good to see everyone on that side of the family, as well. I've missed the last 2 Overbeek Christmas parties because I've been in Nebraska for Christmas. I think Kurt enjoyed himself there. Monday night we went to Amanda and Nate's house and just sat on their couch and chatted for about 3 hours. I find a lot of enjoyment in that simple act.
Tuesday morning we woke up and Skyped with Pete and Connor for present opening. I got a load of Smartwool. It was my Smartwool Christmas. I was VERY happy to be receiving it, though, because it is quality stuff and will keep me warm. Mom and Dad also got us GVSU hoodies.
Throughout the weekend, I got to spend a lot of time playing with Hannah. I always love doing that and watching her grow between visits. This time we saw her take 2 steps on Christmas. A few times over the weekend, I had her feed me some of her food. Her biggest joke was pretending to give me the food, then acting like she was going to eat it, then actually feeding it to me. I loved watching her crawl. In wide open spaces, when she wants to go fast, or if she's really excited, she'll put her head down and crawl at top speed. Evan says she'll run into walls sometimes. She loves playing with other kids, even if they're older and bigger than her. I had a lot of fun with her on Christmas. I had her in my lap and she kept taking off my glasses, putting them in her mouth, then giving them back to me. She wanted me to put them back on so she could take them back off again. She also got a kick out of trying them on. She did this with Kurt and his glasses, too, over and over for a while, right before we left to go to the airport. It was precious. I certainly wish I could be around her more often, but I was lucky to spend a lot of time with her this weekend.
Our travel back to Lincoln took a total of 7 hours and didn't have any delays. We got home around 6pm CST and now we're not quite sure what to do! We don't have a lot of food in the fridge, everything's closed, his family is busy, and we'll have Christmas with them on Sunday. I guess it's time to relax.
Sunday we went to Central Wesleyan with my parents. I often experience nostalgia going there, for example, some of the same people are in the choir as 20 years ago. Though Pastor Paul looks older, he's still there. It was enjoyable. My mom asked what Kurt and I thought of the service, since the church is losing a lot of the younger generation. Apparently, they are trying to reach out to that age group. Sunday afternoon we went to the gym, and Sunday night we met a group of folks at Denny's. Chris, Kim, Darlene, Travis, and Dan came. It was a lot of fun to see everyone. Kurt nerd talked with them for a good amount of time. We were out pretty late.
On Monday, Kurt and I went to the Rivertown Mall to wander around and get gifts for the Overbeek Christmas party bingo game. We gave fake mustaches with roasted almonds and a leopard print fleece blanket. It was good to see everyone on that side of the family, as well. I've missed the last 2 Overbeek Christmas parties because I've been in Nebraska for Christmas. I think Kurt enjoyed himself there. Monday night we went to Amanda and Nate's house and just sat on their couch and chatted for about 3 hours. I find a lot of enjoyment in that simple act.
Tuesday morning we woke up and Skyped with Pete and Connor for present opening. I got a load of Smartwool. It was my Smartwool Christmas. I was VERY happy to be receiving it, though, because it is quality stuff and will keep me warm. Mom and Dad also got us GVSU hoodies.
Throughout the weekend, I got to spend a lot of time playing with Hannah. I always love doing that and watching her grow between visits. This time we saw her take 2 steps on Christmas. A few times over the weekend, I had her feed me some of her food. Her biggest joke was pretending to give me the food, then acting like she was going to eat it, then actually feeding it to me. I loved watching her crawl. In wide open spaces, when she wants to go fast, or if she's really excited, she'll put her head down and crawl at top speed. Evan says she'll run into walls sometimes. She loves playing with other kids, even if they're older and bigger than her. I had a lot of fun with her on Christmas. I had her in my lap and she kept taking off my glasses, putting them in her mouth, then giving them back to me. She wanted me to put them back on so she could take them back off again. She also got a kick out of trying them on. She did this with Kurt and his glasses, too, over and over for a while, right before we left to go to the airport. It was precious. I certainly wish I could be around her more often, but I was lucky to spend a lot of time with her this weekend.
Our travel back to Lincoln took a total of 7 hours and didn't have any delays. We got home around 6pm CST and now we're not quite sure what to do! We don't have a lot of food in the fridge, everything's closed, his family is busy, and we'll have Christmas with them on Sunday. I guess it's time to relax.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
muppets and Christmas
Yesterday a group of us watched the Muppet Christmas Carol. It made me think of the Muppet movie I watched a lot growing up, which I thought was a movie, but when I did a little internet searching, it turned out to be a TV special. I guess my parents must have recorded it off the TV because I remember watching it a lot! Either way, I love the Muppets and was glad to watch the movie.
Yesterday Kurt and I made some pretzel rods dipped in chocolate, and we sprinkled them with candy canes. They were delicious and I ate too many of them, both today and yesterday. We originally made them to give to our secret santa's at work, and to give to our landlords. We ended up dipping banana and a dried apple, too. All very delicious.
I've started in on the third book in the "Game of Thrones" series. When I get into those books, I just can't put them down. Kurt always wants to read them "together" and I just plow ahead before him. They're so nerdy sounding, if you start to talk about them, but such great stories in general. It's nice to read an actual book (mine is borrowed from the library, he purchased one for himself), instead of looking at a computer screen (or even a Kindle screen).
We leave for Michigan on Friday for our Christmas trip!
Yesterday Kurt and I made some pretzel rods dipped in chocolate, and we sprinkled them with candy canes. They were delicious and I ate too many of them, both today and yesterday. We originally made them to give to our secret santa's at work, and to give to our landlords. We ended up dipping banana and a dried apple, too. All very delicious.
I've started in on the third book in the "Game of Thrones" series. When I get into those books, I just can't put them down. Kurt always wants to read them "together" and I just plow ahead before him. They're so nerdy sounding, if you start to talk about them, but such great stories in general. It's nice to read an actual book (mine is borrowed from the library, he purchased one for himself), instead of looking at a computer screen (or even a Kindle screen).
We leave for Michigan on Friday for our Christmas trip!
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