Our first February 29th

My husband and I were married May 29, 2004. Each month, on the 29th, we make a special point to spend time together. For the last (nearly) four year we have had to celebrate our Feb 29th, on Feb 28. Today was our day! :-)

I find that I just enjoy his company.

Unfortunately we couldn't celebrate our first Feb 29th in luxury. I was in a meeting most of the day and my husband had to work late. By the time we both got home, we were both exhausted.

A big fancy meal is nice, but sometimes just gets in the way.

We had thought about going on a weekend/overnight vacation, however with my comprehensive exams in 3 weeks, I really need to stay home and study. So instead of a big fancy weekend, we held hands while window shopping at the mall, and over a root beer float, talked about to tackle our dishes and laundry this weekend.

Really, it is the little things that count.

. . . that's why they call them business socks. . .

I found this over at Shaun Groves, and couldn't resist. Happy Wednesday!





Go ahead, have a good laugh! :-)

Days like this

I had good intentions about going to work today. Really! I'm on day 8 of being sick (though this is only my third day of not going to school/work)... I'm so over it! Sure, sometimes it is nice to be sick. ie: someone (husband) waits on me, I don't have to do homework/go to work/go to school. However my throat and ears have been itchy, eyes watery I can't sleep because I'm coughing all night, and I'm having hot flashes like I'm going through menopause! Need I say it again? I'm so ready to be done with this! .. I'm so over it!

Ok, and this calling in sick thing. Well we need a new system. So Sunday night when I went to bed I had a feeling I wasn't going to feel much better in the morning. However, I had to get up at the buttcrack of dawn to call in to work and let them know I wasn't coming in. Hmm. Plus, the person that is supposed to be there bright and early for reasons such as people calling in sick, wasn't there. Eventually, I left a voicemail and sent an email to let them know whenever they arrived. I needed someone to know I wasn't coming in so something could be done with the 5 appointments I had scheduled. Luckily, I had anticipated this problem, so to avoid making myself look like I waited until the complete last minute, I had called my supervisor's voicemail first and left her a message saying I just wanted her to know, and that I would also call the front desk and let them know.

So anyhow, after going through a similar process this morning, I decided I would head on over to the Minute Clinic. I looked up the information, noticed they opened at 10 am. I wanted to return to bed, however knew I should get there even a little early to avoid waiting in line.

I started a load of laundry, checked my email, read some blogs and got dressed (yup in that order). By 9:30 I was off to the clinic. By 9:45 I arrived to find 5 people already in line ahead of me!

After an hour wait, and a 15 minute appointment, I found out I do not have strep, or an ear infection, and am not going through menopause. Instead, I was directed to purchase various over the counter items, rest, drink water and get better. Umm, okay. Ya think?

Being this particular Minute Clinic was in the mall (yup, during the hour wait to be seen, I was lucky enough to cough on all the happy healthy people that were window shopping), I ventured over to the adjoining Target to purchase the various items suggested that I did not already have.

One of these items being sudafed, I had to pick it up at the counter and nearly sign my life away to get it. I guess I get it, but still. My nasely voice, puffy red eyes and nose, constant coughing/sneezing and matted down hair had to have been a sure fire sign I was up to no good.

I even picked up some airborne. I figured at this point, I'm willing to try anything, and have heard/read good things! (thanks to Teachin' this mommy new tricks!)

So I finally make it home and decide the only thing that sounds any good is macaroni and cheese. As I let the noodles cook, I move around the laundry, take some meds, and a cough drop. After draining the noodles, I got out the butter and as I reached for the rice milk (we usually drink rice milk) I hesitated when I noticed my husbands carton of strawberry milk sitting there, taunting me. Hmm. I wonder what strawberry liquid would do mixing with the power cheese? I pondered over it for a moment, and decided maybe next time. :-)

So now, I'm sitting here with a bowl of mac and cheese, which is most likely cold by now, typing this to you all. It is strange. Before blogging, I would have wanted to tell this all to someone immediately (as I am now), however everyone would be at work or school and I would have to wait.

Now, I find how much I love the instant gratification of telling all of you!

Shower time!

Thanks to my friend "M" who sent the following to me!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
How To Shower Like a Woman:

Take off clothing and place it in sectioned laundry hamper according to lights and darks.

Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown. If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.

Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do more sit-ups/leg -lifts, etc.

Get in the shower. Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth, long loofah, wide loofah and pumice stone.

Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added vitamins.

Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean.

Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced with real passion fruit.

Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until red.

Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash.

Rinse conditioner off hair.

Shave armpits and legs.

Turn off shower.

Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower.

Spray mold spots with Tilex.

Get out of shower and stand on bath mat.

Dry with towel the size of a small country.

Wrap hair in super absorbent towel. Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head.

If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.



How To Shower Like a Man:

Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in a pile.

Walk naked to the bathroom.

If you see wife along the way, shake ______ at her making the woo-woo'
sound.

Look at your manly physique in the mirror.

Admire the size of your ______ and scratch your bottom.

Get in the shower Wash your face. Wash your armpits.

Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off.

Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower.

Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area.

Wash your bottom, leaving those coarse hairs stuck on the soap.

Wash your hair. Make a Shampoo Mohawk. Pee.

Rinse off and get out of shower. Avoid bath mat.

Dry off forearms and bottom only.

Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of tub the whole time.

Admire ______ size in mirror again. Shake it to watch water fly off.

Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on.

Return to bedroom with towel around waist.

If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake ______ at her and make the woo-woo' sound again.

Throw wet towel on bed.

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Note: not meant to offend anyone, I just found it humorous.. :-)

Photos? Lists? Clippings? What's on your fridge?

I found this meme over at Musings of A Housewife, and thought it would be fun to participate!

Living in an apartment, I have an old ugly fridge. however it is mostly covered up with a mess of stuff.

On the side, I have a grocery store calendar with recipes.
The front has... well, a little bit of everything. Photos, coupons, grocery list, take out menus and some random stuff.

Some of the random stuff...


A list of "Creative 'Mistakes' You Must Make" to remind me to take one day at a time and enjoy life...



We have CPR information guides posted.

A list of important phone numbers

White board markers




And one of my favorite random things: our "I am feeling..." charts. My husband and I each have one. We use it as a fun/helpful way to let each other know how we are doing! :-)







If you are reading this, I tag you! Make sure to leave a comment so I can come over and see your fridge!


If you want to take part in this fun meme, head on over to Heart at Home for full details! With this one, there is even a little prize involved for TWO participants (through March 2008)!

Note: I had to update and republish this a couple times as the formatting went crazy and 1/2 of the words were missing... sorry for this!

Valentine's Day Treat!

For a special Valentine's Day treat, I had participated in a goody swap over at Island Life. I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of a mystery package, and this weekend, my treats arrived!

It was perfect timing, as the tea and treats will be wonderful while I'm recovering from the cough and sore throat I have had the last few days!

Thank you to Laura at Seabird Chronicles for the lovely treats!

Weekend Flair

My sister is someone that has nearly everything, thus I enjoy giving her unique gifts, often homemade! This year for her birthday, I made about 20 cards (birthday, holiday, anniversary, and thank you), and then decorated a cute little tin to store the cards.

Supply List:

• Tin lunch box from Archivers (it was on clearance!)
• "CARDS" chipboard letters from Provo Craft
• Black cardstock (for covering letters and solid black line)
• Pattern paper from: ? (Now it is all glued down and I can't find what I used! I'm trying to find out!)
  
• Metal flower embellishments from: All My Memories
• I also used glue dots for the Metal flowers and a tape runner for sticking everything else on!

What do you give the person that has everything? What kind of fun stuff have you made for gifts?

Can't think of a catchy title

Take a step back, grab the clorox wipes, wipe down your screen and keyboard! If you have Lysol, maybe spray that around as well! Whatever I have my not be contagious through the computer, but please, take no chances! :-)

Luckily, today was a slow day at work. I had considered calling in sick, but my schedule is filling up quickly, and would have had a difficult time rescheduling my appointments.

This weekend I must:

• finish and send resume packet to my dream job
• finish taking practice exam for comps (only one month to study!)
  
• prep for next Thursday classes
• finish sample scrapbook for mini book workshop at work
• go to bank
• pick up needed items at Costco (use coupons from mailer)
• rest up... I cannot continue into next week with this "crud"
  

We have a winner!

Thank you to everyone that visited and posted during the Big Bloggy Moving Day giveaway!

As promised we have a winner of a $10 gift card to Target! After using a Random Number Generator...

Congrats to...




Tiffany at Snapshots of Life! Congrats!

I will be contacting you!

Thanks again to everyone that participated!

One more day of rest

Yesterday I stayed home from work. My mind was still in graduate student mode, while my body just wanted to lounge on the couch. Today I managed to get through my full day of classes and work, however am heading to bed. My head is still throbbing, and my eyes and throat burn.

So while I let myself recover, I'll share another video with you. Thanks to my godmother for sending this link to me! ENJOY!

Wacky Web Wednesday

Sick Day

Yesterday, I had a tickle in my throat, a bit of a headache, and felt a little bit sleepy. I was trying to ignore it, drink extra water, and heck maybe I was in denial of being ill. I didn't sleep much last night, and my throat continued to get worse. I made it to work today and managed. Yet tonight, I have had my soup and am ready for bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a brighter day.

Are you Coming to Party?

Over at 5 minutes for mom they are hosting the Ultimate Blog Party March 7 - 14! Last year, there were nearly 1000 participants! This is definitely something you do not want to miss! There will be prizes, and lots of friends, old and new!


Go on over and check it out!

There is so much we can do

In your blogging exploration, if you have not yet come across Rocks in My Dryer, now is a great time to check it out! Shannon is on a Compassion trip to Uganda blogging about her experiences and the situation within the villages. In this post, she writes of meeting the boy her family sponsors through Compassion.

I have been keeping up with her posts and am touched by those things that are being done. However this is so much more we can do. I encourage everyone, to find something they really believe in and then invest energy in supporting it. Support doesn't always have to be in funds. Often, time and effort can make the biggest difference.

Sometimes, I forget where I live

As much as I love my job, I love when there is something going on off campus. I wouldn't want this to happen every day, or even a couple times a week, however now and then is a good thing.

Today I had an off campus (off my campus, but on another campus) workshop. As I was driving downtown to the other campus, I saw the masses of offices, condos, and other blocks of cement. I began thinking, "Huh, I live here?!" I live, go to school and work on the outside edges of the metro area. I never really see the sights of our downtown.

It's kind of sad. By forgetting where I live, I don't take advantage of everything the city has to offer. There are museums, gallaries, shops, trails, parks and theaters I have never seen, let alone stepped inside of.

Don't get me wrong, I have done a bit of exploring around here. Yet there is so much more to see and experience! I didn't grow up here. My family used to come here for VACATION! Now I live here and unfortunately have forgotten all the treasures within this metropolitan pocket.

I grew up in a town of 300 people. Yep. You read that correctly. Three hundred people. My graduating high school class was 16. :) And don't even think, "yeah, she just had to get in the car and drive 30 minutes to pick up the latest something or other". Nope. Not even close. The nearest large retail store was a solid 2 hour drive, and in a town populated by 14,000 folks. If we really needed an adventure, we traveled 4 hours to a city of around 130,000.

Now, surrounded by a couple million people, living about 8 hours from where I grew up, I seem take all of the big city luxuries for granted. We have no immediate plans to move far away. Yet why long for a vacation when I have my entire corner of the world to explore!?

On This Day of Love...

May your smile be contagious, and your heart reach out to another.

Wacky Web Wednesday

Does the computer screen you are looking at need a good washin' down? Finger prints? Dust? Maybe food particles? CLICK HERE and give it the scrubbin' down it deserves!


(Thanks to Karen at Simply A Musing Blog! She had it on her blog last week and I couldn't resist using it today!)

My personality, in color!

Personality is a curious thing. Here is what my personality "looks" like. Interesting. I am particularly fascinated that there are daisy shapes within it.



Click here to create your own painting.

Thanks to A Not So Desperate Housewife for this fun personality painting link!

Let the job search begin!

For the last year, I have had my eye on job openings, watching for trends, job requirements, and preferred qualifications. I can’t say I used all of this information to my benefit. I could have volunteered more, or tried to find more experiences to be able to fit myself into a wide variety of positions. Yet, here I am, still sitting on a handful of experiences, many similar to my peers. Sure, there are a few things that set me apart from others, but will it be enough?

I have many interests in student affairs, yet I of course have in mind a 'dream job'. I have had experience in it and singularly, enjoy it the most out of all the others. My only concern is, Can I get this job!? How long should I wait for my dream job? I graduate in May, what do I do if I’m not employed by June... July... August...? In addition, there are other students in my cohort interested in this type of job.

Yesterday my dream job came open! I was super excited! I was reading through the post, and it seems items on my resume would cover all of the requirements, and many of the preferred qualifications. I was nearly dancing around the room. And then, I saw it. "50% time" UGH! You've got to be kidding me!

Now, I'm stuck in a rock and a hard place. I really want this job, however really need a full time job (need is a strong word... maybe "want, prefer, financially would be easier" would be a better way to put it). I don't know what to do. I could at least apply, but if I'm not serious about the job, shouldn't bother.

Let's work on a list...

Pros of this job opportunity:

• It really is my dream job - as far as position. I cannot speak for the institution, or office environment...
• It involves teaching! With my master's degree this is hard to come by, but would LOVE it!
• From what I can find, the job would provide me with opportunities to be innovative, start new projects and build on old ones.
  
• It is at a small school. I really didn't want to work for a campus that was more populated than the county I grew up in. :)
• It might be the only position in this exact field that opens up in the next few months (or longer).
  
• My schedule would possibly be more flexible to visit family, take a long weekend with my husband, etc.
• If my husband and I decided to have children, I would be able to be a 1/2 time stay at home mom :)
• Even having 1/2 time experience in this would give me leverage when/if I applied for a full time job.
  
• I could use the other time to do many other things: Professional development, a 2nd 'fun' job (I always have wanted to be a professional crafter, or photographer...), catch up on my 'to do' list.
  

Reasons this job may not work:

• It is only a 50% time job, which is of course 50% pay.
  
• It is exactly 62 miles from my husband's work place. We could move somewhere between and it wouldn't be terrible, but still.
• What if another dream job opens up, that is 100%, but I have already accepted the 50% job?
• There is an April start date. I'm not sure how flexible this is, and I do not graduate until early May.

The Big Bloggy Moving Day!

Today is the big day! Over at After A Cup of Coffee...Or Two (and co-hosted at Sorta Crunchy)there is a welcome to my new home, open house of sorts, going on! Many folks, have started a new blog, redesigned, or picked up and moved their bloggy location. Today is the day for the big reveal! Head on over and check out the new and exciting pages!

I have been here almost a month now, but still have work to do! I have been searching the web for the best tips, tricks, and blogging etiquette. Though I have found some wonderful sites that have guided me through the first month, I am sure there is much more to be learned.

Therefore, I'm going to the best source. YOU! I am asking that you help me, and all like me, become successful bloggers. Please leave a comment telling me me your top tips, tricks, or must know blogging information! I want to soak it all in, so be honest, creative and inspiring. To show my appreciation, I will be giving away a $10 Target gift card to one lucky, tip sharing, comment posting person! I will use a random number generator to pick a winner! The drawing will be held on my one month bloggy anniversary so be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you if you are the winner!

The Details . . .

• One entry per day - yep, you can stop by again tomorrow, enter a new tip, and be entered again!
• You must leave a tip, trick, or other "honest, creative and inspiring" kind of information in each comment for it to be a valid entry.
  
• Please leave me a way to contact you! Thus, leave an email in your post. It may be best to use the "name(at)somewhere(dot)com" format to avoid spammers.
• Because I am wanting tips about having a blog, you do have to have a blog to enter.
  
• Random number drawing will be held on February 22, 2008, around 6 pm.
  

I'm looking forward to hearing from you all! Thanks for stopping by, participating and sharing your knowledge! :)

Only in the depth of winter...

As the temperatures today dipped plenty below zero, I long for those days of flip flops and daisies...

Budget makeover

Along with what seems like a million other things this weekend, my husband and I are working to figure out a new budget. Overall, what we had was okay, however with my upcoming graduation, we want to make sure we have a little extra money set aside in case I do not get a job right away.

Sure I would enjoy not having to get a job for a couple months. I could "catch up" on scrapbooking, spend time with family, finish cleaning/organizing the apartment... the list goes on and on. However, my not having a job would put a huge damper on our wanting to move out of the apartment into a house, or townhome.

Driving to work/school is the most costly thing for us, other than rent. We are thinking about listing some items on ebay, we already use coupons and shops grocery sales, for extra cash. However are open to suggestions! Does anyone have ideas on where to look for "extra" money?

I got Tagged!

I was tagged by Playful Professional over at Play More, Laugh More, Live More. This is my first time being Tagged! How exciting! :) I will admit, this one was a little challenging for me, as I am very new to blogging and do not have a lot of posts to reflect upon. However, It did give me an excuse to start of list of possible future blog topics to fill in the holes!

-------------------------------------------------

Here are the rules:

1. Post about the meme, linking to the person who tagged you.
   
2. Go back through your archives and post links to your five favorite blog posts that you have written.
1. Link One: must be about family
2. Link Two: must be about friends
3. Link Three: must be about yourself
4. Link Four: must be about something you love
   
5. Link Five: can be anything you choose
3. Tag five other people (at least two of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better).
4. Let the person you tagged know they have been tagged by posting on their blog; You’ve been tagged-check my blog for details….or something like that.
5. Readers - Don’t forget to read these links/posts and leave comments!

-------------------------------------------------

So Here it goes...

• Family: Umm... Well, this one mentioned my husband. I couldn't find any other mention of my family members (FAMILY has now been added at the top of the list for future blogs!)
  
• Friends: This is a long shot, as this is one of only 2 posts that even mentions I have friends... seriously, I do!
  
• Myself: A Valentine's Day Questionnaire
• Something I love: I LOVE the 29th. . . and my husband
  
• Anything: This one is short and sweet, but was fun to write.
  

Now... Tag Your It!

• Ames at We Owe How Much?!?
• Geeka at When do you think you'll be done?
• Karen at Simply A Musing Blog
• Rebecca at A Not so Desperate Housewife
• Leslie at Adventures in Randomness
  

It was a long day. In addition to the regular class and work that loads down my Thursday, I also presented at a leadership conference tonight. Ugh. It was a great experience, and I enjoyed doing it, but I am tired!

This weekend, I look forward to catching up on reading blogs and adding several posts to mine! Have a great Friday!

Wacky Web Wednesday

After seeing this video on "It's just my silly life!"...



... I recalled this video I had come across awhile back.


... remember to dance like no one is looking! :)

Works For Me Wednesday

For this special edition of WFMW, we are supposed to list our favorite online shopping destinations! Here goes nothing....!

• ebay.com - basically anything one would ever need!
  
• orientaltrading.com - use this for scrapbooking, but it has a lot of other things for parties etc
• amazon.com
  
• half.com
  
• overstock.com
  
• craigslist.org - when wanting to get something locally, often for a deal!

What is your "Real Age"?

All this last week, I have been intrigued by Oprah's preview for today's show. I don't normally tape stuff like this, as I never get around to watching it. Yet, I admit I was drawn in by claims of living longer and ideal health. Sure I try to eat healthy now, but realistically my fried food and pizza just doesn't add up to perfect health. After watching it, I'm hooked. I really need to work on this health thing. . .

I started by taking the "Real Age" test. With my actual age being 25.1, I was somewhat surprised to find out my "real age" is 30.4! ISH! I was doing ok until the questions regarding my eating and exercise habits came around. I don't eat enough veggies, or whole grains. Exercise... well, I enjoy it, but don't get around to it as often as I would like.

The second thing I checked out was the vitamin page on Oprah.com. I haven't taken a multi vitamin for a couple years and really wanted advise on what I needed. This page has pdf downloads for each gender and age range, highlighting the most important vitamins for each group. I have found the general information and now need to go out and find a brand that works best for me.

This was a great show, however,if you don't have access to it, you can check it out online by glancing through the shorten transcript online. It has a lot of the detailed explanations from the show.

I challenge you to take the Real Age test... share with us what you find out!

Note: I am not getting any kickbacks from any of the above information. I just thought it was interesting and has been inspiring to me, thus I wanted to pass it a long to you!

Monday Motivation

As I make up for yesterday's procrastination, I leave you today with a quote:

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." ~Thomas Edison

Good night!

The Weekly Battle

Ugh... Where did the weekend go? I'm not ready for Monday. Generally, I enjoy Monday's. I don't have any classes, my commute is shorter (much much shorter) and I really enjoy my job. I'm just not ready. I know once Monday comes around, it is a slippery slope for Tuesday.

By Wednesday, I search for extra time, wishing I could squeeze in a couple more moments of energy to finish reading, writing, and preparing for class. Before I know it, Thursday sneaks up on me. It brings not only a full day of work, but 5 hours of classes and the long drive home. By this point, I'm drained. Friday comes and goes all to quickly. Then I'm faced with a dilemma. Do I take the evening to relax and rejuvenate (procrastinate), or do I dive into my homework with every last bit of energy I can find?

Usually, for Friday at least, procrastination wins and Saturday is filled with my alternating between housework and homework. Oh, and one cannot forget Sunday. Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. This day is always up for grabs. Procrastination and motivation try to compromise, but in the end, often struggle one another until one is victorious over the other. . .

. . . Today, procrastination won.

Organization - Scrapbook Storage

Awhile back, I bought this simple, but cute, child's dresser for $40 on clearance (reg $99). I had been watching for something to store my 12 x 12 paper in and it worked perfectly! In addition to the paper, it was just the right size for albums, and so much more.




On the bottom shelf, I have a couple current projects stored in 12 x 12 paper storage boxes. Michael's had them on sale for $5 each a couple weeks ago. I wanted to get more, but thought better of it. :)

I love organizing my supplies almost as much as I enjoy scrapbooking. This shelf has been one of my best organizing purchases. What has been your best purchase in the name of organization?

Costco Favorites

After seeing Playful Professional's" post
"Thursday Thirteen #18: Thirteen Costco Purchases" I decided to make my own Costco list, focusing on our Favorite Food purchases!

1. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2. Shredded Cheese
3. Stir Fry Veggie Mix
4. Go-Gurt
5. Bread
6. Lettuce
   
7. Baby Carrots
8. Chicken Taquitos
9. Fruit Juice
10. Dino Nuggets (My husband calls them "Dino DNA" - They are cheaper than the regular chicken nuggets)
    
11. Mini Brownie Bites (not often, but a for sure favorite!)

I need to make a list of the prices/unit prices. I know Costco usually has the best price, however with sales and coupons, I wonder if there are times I should shop around!

99 days and counting!

I only have ninety-nine days until graduation! As much as I am looking forward to being done with school, there are so many things to do before then! I have the normal stuff, such as finishing my classes, and my comprehensive exam in March. However also have to wrap up things at my graduate assistantship. I am in the middle of a couple projects I want to finish up before leaving. I believe the hardest thing will be to say goodbye to my internship site. I have learned so much, and wish I could stay. Cross your fingers they have a job opening up in the next couple of months!!!