Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Bon Voyage

We'll be hitting the road bright and early in the morning. The road to Josh's dad's house. So we can hit the road to the airport. And then hit the skies to New York City. Be back next week, hopefully with lots of fun stories and pictures from our adventure!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Swap-o-rama

In the past couple weeks I've signed up for 3, count 'em, 3 blog swaps. I mentioned Kelly's swap already, which has boarded all passengers and set sail, so sorry if you missed the boat. Then, last week while doing a little blog-hopping I came across a Valentine's Day swap being hosted by Beth at her blog, Summers Camp. Her Love Triangle swap sounded too cute to pass up, so I signed on. And to keep the winter blues from getting me down I decided to sign up for Nicole's Garden Swap. What better way to keep a sunny disposition than to put together a happy package for someone else and maybe get a cheery something in return? I think you should join in the fun too!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Weekend Roundup

Friday:
-Wake up early and make breakfast pigs-in-blanket for Joshy
-See Josh off to work, piggies in tow
-Go back to bed
-Oversleep
-Catch up on dvr'd shows
-Work on travel plans
-Get dressed
-Tidy up
-Watch some Golden Girls
-Welcome Josh home
-Grab some Chick-fil-a for dinner
-Eat and watch Simpsons
-Practice singing with Josh
-Hit the hay

Saturday:
-Oversleep, as per usual lately
-Make bacon & eggs for breakfast
-Play around on laptop
-Watch more Fred & Ginger movies while working on NYC wardrobe
-Make Josh work on his NYC wardrobe
-Shower
-Get ready
-Stop at Garden Ridge for Mom-in-law's gift
-Celebrate co-birthdays at Mom-in-law's house
-Eat good grub and play some fund Cranium
-Say goodbye and head home with a monster headache
-Take two Advil and eat tortilla chips
-Fall asleep watching Follow The Fleet

Sunday:
-Wake up
-Have coffee and cheese toast and make shopping list
-Get ready
-Head to Target for groceries and supplies
-Unload cargo at home
-Sort and start laundry
-Watch Simpsons and eat deli sandwich
-Continue laundry and watch Everyday Food and Everyday Baking
-Continue laundry
-Watch episode of What Not To Wear
-Finish laundry
-Watch Dancing With the Stars & tidy bedroom closet
-Shower
-Watch part 3 of New York documentary and work on packing
-Hit the hay

Friday, January 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Joshy!

Today is my totally awesome husband's birthday. Josh is without doubt the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Happy birthday babe!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Court and Spark

Last year Josh's Uncle Gary bequeathed to us his turn-table and LPs. It's really been a joy having the sound of vinyl in our little apartment. It seems silly, but there really is such a different feel to music when you hear it in this way. I was just discussing it with Steve & Meri the other day. Steve felt that the physical action of turning the album to side two makes you more conscious of what you're going to hear. The past few days I've been listening to Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark. I love Joni Mitchell, and this album is really good. It has songs that are really enjoyable, with little notes and phrases that make me smile.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Weekend Roundup

Friday:
-Wake up
-Break up cat fight, oh so fun
-Turn NPR on
-Have coffee
-Dust
-Clean couch and chair
-Clean up bathroom
-Vacuum
-Shower
-Get ready
-Eat some doritos
-Watch Pioneers of Television: Variety Shows
-Meet Steve, Meri, and Serge at Kimball Art Museum for Picturing The Bible exhibit
-Explore ancient Christian art
-Head home and make coffee
-Welcome Steve, Meri and Cory
-Have zucchini cupcakes and coffee during a rousing game of Scrabble, I won
-Say goodbye to Steve & Meri, till we meet again someday
-Say adios to Cory
-Josh and I grab some Chick-fil-a
-Watch Flight of the Conchords
-Watch What Not To Wear while Josh takes a shower
-Finish Conchords disc 2 while playing Risk, we called it a tie with each of us conquering three continents
-Go to bed

Saturday:
-Sleep in
-Watch Everyday Food and Everyday Baking
-Have some cheese toast
-Watch some of Antiques Roadshow
-Watch second episode of The Jewish Americans
-Shower
-Watch TV and work on laptop for awhile
-Quickly throw together dinner, balsamic tuna salad pitas and skillet potatoes
-See Josh off to recording studio
-Watch The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle and The Barkleys of Broadway while updating Money accounts and working on menu plan
-Welcome Josh home
-Go to sleeps

Sunday:
-Sleep in way too late
-Get up and make grocery list
-Sort laundry
-Get dressed and head out
-Hit Borders and Barnes & Noble for sister's birthday present
-Go to Target for groceries
-Unload groceries and start laundry
-Eat sandwich and watch some Simpsons
-Watch last episode of Windsor Castle: A Royal Year
-Continue laundry
-Work on NYC plans
-Run to Sonic for ice cream treats
-Watch Dancing With The Stars Season 2, Week 3
-Finish laundry
-Shower
-Watch Shall We Dance and continue working on NYC plans
-Get in bed too late and fall asleep to Top Hat

This was a pretty good weekend. I managed to vacuum, and updated the financial software. Also said goodbye to our friends Steve & Meri, who will be moving the end of this week. We'll miss them a lot, but hopefully we can visit them in the near future. I made a little progress on our trip plans, and discovered a new way I like to eat tuna. And in case you can't tell from the above, I would happily spend all my time watching Fred Astaire movies, if only I could.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

I've Bought My Ticket, Have You?

My friend Kelly is hosting another swap, and this time it's inspired by dreams of travel. I'm always dreaming of travel, so I just had to sign up! Especially since I'll be traveling in just a few weeks. That should give me the perfect opportunity to pick up an item or two for my swap partner. I wonder who it will be. Will it be you? Only if you make your reservations with Kelly for her Wish I Was There... Travel Swap!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Weekend Roundup

Friday:
-Sleep in just a little bit
-Work a half-day, sooo busy!
-Head home
-Chat with sister for awhile
-Start getting ready
-Shower & do hair
-Head out to Dallas
-Have a scare when the car won't start the first 5 times we try!
-Car starts, head to Dallas
-Load-in and head to Angry Dog to meet up with everyone else
-Eat, chat, and work on Misty's camera
-Head back to Club Dada
-Visit with friends and family who came out while we wait for the show to start
-Enjoy Calhoun's show
-Claim my stake to the front & enter spot
-Absorb as much as possible of The Chemistry Set's last performance
-Sing along to old songs, new songs, and favorite songs
-Suffer a broken heart when it's all said and done
-Say thanks to lots of great people for coming out
-Say goodbye to everyone
-Head home
-Have sandwiches and watch Flight Of The Conchords episode
-Finally hit the hay around 4:00 am

Saturday:
-Wake up far too early, 9:40 am, guh
-Watch dvr'd shows and read Frommer's NYC guide
-Text Angie about going shopping
-Watch Everyday Food and Everyday Baking while having coffee
-Lay around awhile longer and call Angie
-Finally get ready
-Go shopping with Angie for some stuff for trip
-Grab some grub at Ocean Rock
-Head home
-Watch movie and goof around on laptop
-Go to bed exhausted from lack of sleep
-Actually have trouble falling asleep despite exhaustion
-Finally slip into dreamland

Sunday:
-Sleep in
-Get up and have some toast
-Shower
-Watch some TV and work on weekly menu plan
-Head to Academy, Target, and Old Navy to finish up shopping
-Eat at Kincaid's Burgers, so good, 1 new restaurant down
-Head home and unload all the goods
-Check the mail
-Watch TV and finish menu and grocery list
-Watch Dancing With The Stars S2, Week 2
-Get in bed

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Start Spreading The News

Josh and I are officially going to New York City in three weeks. Just a quick jaunt to the city that never sleeps, but I am so excited. I've never been to a big city. I mean, I've been to Dallas and Houston, but not for extended stays and they just don't compare to the impressiveness of the 5 boroughs. I've wanted to go to New York since I was, oh probably 14 or 15. And I'm finally going. It's almost unbelievable to me. But it's happening, and soon at that. I made our flight and hotel reservations this weekend, but other than that I only have lots of little ideas floating around in my head as to what to do and see. I got this awesome map book at Borders Monday night, it's very small, but has 50+ detailed maps. Each map covers a different thing, like the subways, buses, museums, restaurants split up by neighborhood, Central Park, etc. So they can give you lots of detail without it all being combined into one incredibly confusing map.

We're staying on the Upper West Side, just 2 blocks west of Central Park. There's a subway stop 2 blocks north and 2 blocks south from us at Hotel Belleclaire. We'll be taking one of those lines down to Battery Park to catch the ferry out to Ellis Island. I can't wait to see my Great-Grandpa's name on the Immigrant Wall of Honor. We'll go to Strawberry Fields and the Dakota. The Public Library and Bryant Park are on the list of stops. And of course, 30 Rock, ha. And I'm on a mission to find this spot from Woody Allen's Manhattan. Thanks to my handy book of maps, I've narrowed down the area, and just have to do a bit more research before I'll hopefully be taking my own picture sitting on that bench.

I'm going shopping this weekend for some stuff for the trip. I'm hoping to find some remnants of the winter stock on sale racks. And Stephanie gave me a tip about these super warm thermals that she gets for snowboarding. That should definitely help me keep warm on our turns around the wintry town. Need some new shoes for the trip too. I don't think my canvas Converse will keep my tootsies warm or dry enough.

The only downside of this trip is that the Carlyle didn't update their calendar quick enough and I'm now set to leave town just 12 hours before Woody Allen performs his Monday night show with the Eddy Davis New Orleans Band. It's no one's fault, but it is a big blow to my anticipation to know that I'm barely missing out on one of my biggest dreams of seeing him perform. This has made me determined to start saving for our next NY trip when I get back from this one.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Weekend Roundup

Friday:
-Work, blech
-Grab Chipotle on the way home
-Eat and watch TV
-Listen to French lessons while opening online savings account
-Update all accounts on Money software
-Watch TV and clear out 2007 paperwork from file box
-Welcome Josh home from practice
-Watch first episode of Flight Of The Conchords
-Hit the hay

Saturday:
-Sleep in
-Shower
-Have coffee and cheese toast while watching Everyday Food and the new(!) Everyday Baking from Everyday Food
-Watch Antiques Roadshow while finalizing grocery list
-Grocery shop at Albertson's, boo to new store
-Deliver groceries back to apartment
-Head to Ocean Rock for a lovely mid-afternoon meal on the patio
-Hit Central Market for more groceries: soup, veggie broth, and goji berries
-Empty and reload dishwasher and tidy kitchen
-Clean out pantry
-Listen to Shuffle and read through a user's guide for my camera
-Read through several sections of Clotilde's book
-Make pizza with Josh
-Eat pizza, drink bottled root beer, and watch MST3K: Mitchell
-Go to bed

Sunday:
-Sleep in
-Have sourdough toast, a clementine, and coffee for breakfast
-Watch Pioneers of Television: Sitcoms
-Start laundry
-Read food photography tutorials online
-Talk Josh into going to fly kites
-Decide that I need to find instructions on how to fly a kite and walk back home
-Continue laundry
-Grab some Sonic
-Watch American Masters: Lucille Ball
-Feel ill a bit after eating
-Research gallbladder and pancreas ailments, cause it couldn't possibly be the fast food, ha
-Read a bit more about food photography
-Watch History Channel while lounging on bed and finishing laundry
-Organize hanging clothes in closet
-Watch You: On A Diet
-Plan trip and make reservations
-Send Josh off to practice
-Watch the first episode of Dancing With The Stars Season 2 on BBC America
-Vacuum
-Shower
-Eat leftover Chipotle and watch Manhattan
-Welcome Josh home
-Try to fall asleep watching How to Marry a Millionaire
-Fail at attempt and fall asleep to Good Neighbors instead

I'm not sure if I could have asked for a better weekend. I immediately yearn for spring once we make it through the holiday season. This weekend was in the 70's with just a few wispy clouds in the sky. It's supposed to be cold again by the end of the week, but these past couple days with their pleasant weather might just get me through another month or two of chilly temperatures. My favorite moment of the weekend might be listening to Rhapsody In Blue while cruising along to Central Market. Actually that probably ties with Josh falling asleep with his arm around me last night.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Scratch It Off

Tonight I opened our savings account, updated all the accounts in our Money software, and I've listened to 2 French lessons. And the night is still young. Take that resolutions!

EDIT: Oh yeah, I forgot this afternoon I also signed up for the French Word-A-Day e-mails. Booyah!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Resolutions and Evolutions

Like lots of other people I am sharing some of my resolutions for the new year. I know there's sort of a lot, but I'm working on breaking the list down month by month to help me better achieve my goals and to keep me motivated throughout the whole year, not just the first month or two.

  • Read one book per month. That might sound like a small goal, but as a slow reader who has a bad habit of putting every book down 3/4 of the way through I'm hoping it will help me stay focused.
  • Open a savings account. Josh and I are acruing money, but we aren't putting it to work for us at all yet. I'll be opening a savings account this month so we can start earning some interest and working towards our financial goals.
  • Learn more about photography and new camera. I need to learn all that my new camera can do for me, and how I can improve my photography skills. I've got a very detailed guide for my personal camera that I intend to go over. Then I hope to utilize other information I've found via blogs to learn more about styling, the use of Photoshop, etc.
  • See a play. I haven't been to a play in many, many years. I would like to explore and enjoy a little more of the creative side of my town.
  • Have friends over once a month. Entertaining gives me joy. My friends give me joy. Combining them both gives me great joy, so I should do it a lot more often. And on the plus side, it encourages me to be tidier and keep the apartment cleaner for having company.
  • Work on learning French again. I started trying to learn a new language earlier this year, but I started to slack. Between my laptop and my new iPod shuffle I should be able to find more available time to listen to the podcast lessons again.
  • Try 4 new restaurants. There are so many great places to eat around us. We don't go out to eat all that often, and when we do we tend to go to a handful of the same favorite restaurants. Let's find some new favorites this year.
  • Keep up with Newsweek subscription. We've already established I'm a slow reader. A weekly magazine packed to the brim with content is often overwhelming to me, but I like being informed. Make it a goal to make it cover to cover every week.
  • Get physical. I don't want to try and create an exercise regiment, because I know I will never stick to it. Instead I'm thinking of starting out just trying to do something active once a week, and seeing where that takes me.
  • Visit the 3 major museums once this year. I haven't been to our big art museums in a very long time. And the last time I was it was just to take picture around their exterior. Let's dip our toes into our city's culture this year.
  • Take shoes to be repaired and clothes to the alteration shop. I have shoes I love that need new heels put on them. I have several clothing items that need to be hemmed. It's wasteful to buy clothes and not be able to wear them because I'm lazy.
  • Go to the zoo more often. I have a membership to the Fort Worth Zoo. I'm going to ask my in-laws to renew it for my birthday, and try to take better advantage of it. I went probably 4 times in the past year. Let's get that up to 6 or 8 times this year. And it makes for great physical activity too.
  • Create a list of life goals. I've been floating for a while, with only short term goals driving my path. I need to get a better of idea where I want to be headed in my life.
  • Vacuum once a week. I try to keep up with a lot of the housework, but this often gets pushed back one week, and then two, and then before I know it it's been far too long.
  • Eat healthier through the weekend. I've been eating pretty well through the week for quite some time. But all too often my weekend dining consists of fast food and junk food. need to try and keep the healthy habits up past Thursday or Friday afternoon.
  • Improve wardrobe. I feel that I need a a wardrobe that better represents who I am. And as soon as I figure that out I'll start dressing like it, ha.
  • Use money program weekly to keep track of finances. We're living below our means, so it's not been a big problem, but as we start to move into new phases of our life we won't always be able to rely on having plenty of money in the bank. I need to get used to keeping an eye on things now, so that it won't be a struggle later.
  • Don't buy any new books till you've read half of your to-read list. There are so many books I want to read, and I own half of them. It is starting to get overwhelming when I look around and see all the books I have to read yet. So no more adding to the list until I've knocked at least half of them off.
  • Do one thing related to each interest every week. This isn't going to be as big a task as it sounds. At least I don't intend for it to be. My interests are cooking, reading, photography, and French. So maybe I'll listen to a French lesson podcast, or maybe I'll just listen to my Edith Piaf cd while I try to pick out words here and there. I'll try to take pictures for the sake of taking pictures. I'll try to make a new recipe, or changes to an old favorite to try something different. Just keep doing things to keep things moving.