So I was pretty upset today. I've been upset a lot, lately. This week... it's mostly been about the fact that I'm really sick, and also that people let other people down. I hate both of those things.
I was crying, sobbing really, earlier today, over things that I think are important. Are they? I don't know. But it doesn't really matter, because I was crying over them all the same.
As I'm burying my head in a pillow, I'm resenting Anthony for being so carefree and caught up in some stupid game while I wallow in utter and complete misery that was my week. But before I can finish my self-absorbed thought, he's by my side, hugging me. I look up, and his video game isn't even paused. He kissed my forehead and just sat there. I kept watching his computer screen, as his character was shot to death.
For any of you girls out there who are in a relationship with a guy who's into video games... this is kind of a REALLY HUGE DEAL.
I'm still upset over this and that, but it's super nice to know that I'm going to marry the guy that hugged me while his character was murdered. BLOODILY.
Showing posts with label Anthony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anthony. Show all posts
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Shower Time!
I hate showers. I like being clean-- don't get me wrong-- but I detest baths/showers/anything that requires me to undress and be soaked and then get dry again in a decent amount of time. I don't even dry off when I get out of the shower. I just walk around sopping wet in a towel until I eventually dry. There is no terry-cloth drying going on for me... (My mother hated this particular quality. "ELIZABETH, THERE ARE PUDDLES. HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO DRY OFF?!")
But anyway, showers have their upsides, I suppose. For one thing, whoever invented the shampoo and conditioner PUMPS is a genius. There is almost nothing more annoying when you're in the dreaded shower and you're trying to pick up a plastic bottle that is too big for your hands and you're all wet and slimy with soap and it slips out of your hands and crashes into the tub. Then you get to fish around to find it, if you're me and are blind as a bat without contacts, and then try and muster enough awkward strength to get the stuff out!
ANYWAY, there aren't many distractions in the shower. My phone isn't loud enough to play music, and they haven't invented water-proof books yet. (There is, apparently, a way to water-proof your iPhone for $60?? That will destroy me.) I shower alone (ha), so there's no one to talk to, and I can't make lists in the shower. Therefore, I've eliminated every possible distraction from my thoughts.
These past few weeks, I've had plenty on my mind during shower time. Unfortunately, that leaves time for sad thoughts, scared thoughts, frustrated thoughts, etc. that I can't avoid by distracting myself with anything and everything.
I can go on and on and on with my fears and all, and perhaps I will later on, but for now... I'll just say this:
I go back and forth thinking about previous relationships, dating and other, and it makes my stomach feel weird. I get teary-eyed thinking about the different forms of abandonment and betrayal that I've felt over various people/situations, and I start to question who I am and what made those people leave or hurt me in whatever ways. I then get shaky and fearful that somehow what it is about me that caused them to betray or leave me will be triggered, and I'll wake up one day and Anthony won't be around anymore.
But this feeling doesn't last for long when I look back at words and actions of other people and how they never seemed to align. I can say without question that Anthony is someone whose word is nearly as good as his action. I don't even want to tell you about the many broken promises that I've lived through with other people... But Anthony has stuck by every thing he's said to me, and for that... I can breathe.
I think back about "what went wrong" with other relationships, and it's only now that I can really see that the "me" I was wasn't "me" at all.
So I got out of the shower, and I decided that if Anthony asked ME to be his wife, then I have nothing to worry about, right?
I know that I've got a lot to sort out; after all, marriage is no small decision. I believe in committing for keeps; I don't want to set ourselves up for failure.
I've been doing a lot of crying and evaluating lately, and it's tough to enjoy wedding plans right now. When I posted about the engagement, I mentioned that I wanted to write about the ups and downs of this wedding and all that it will entail.
If I have to hear another, "Well, I'll talk to you in ten years and see how starry-eyed you are... *wink*" I'm going to scream.
For instance, a door slammed the other day, and a lady I don't even know looked at me with a smirk and said, "You'd better get used to that! Men are all the same."
"Men are pigs; men are scum."
Really, people? Can you not just be happy for me? Being married won't be all kicks and giggles, that's for sure-- but I think I've found the person that I want to spend all the sadness and anger and downs with... along with all of said kicks and giggles.
I need people around me that are excited about this.
Okay. This post was kind of a downer.
BUT, on the upside, Heather is going with me on Monday to try on dresses!!! Holy moly, I'm getting MARRIED!
Ha ;)
But anyway, showers have their upsides, I suppose. For one thing, whoever invented the shampoo and conditioner PUMPS is a genius. There is almost nothing more annoying when you're in the dreaded shower and you're trying to pick up a plastic bottle that is too big for your hands and you're all wet and slimy with soap and it slips out of your hands and crashes into the tub. Then you get to fish around to find it, if you're me and are blind as a bat without contacts, and then try and muster enough awkward strength to get the stuff out!
ANYWAY, there aren't many distractions in the shower. My phone isn't loud enough to play music, and they haven't invented water-proof books yet. (There is, apparently, a way to water-proof your iPhone for $60?? That will destroy me.) I shower alone (ha), so there's no one to talk to, and I can't make lists in the shower. Therefore, I've eliminated every possible distraction from my thoughts.
These past few weeks, I've had plenty on my mind during shower time. Unfortunately, that leaves time for sad thoughts, scared thoughts, frustrated thoughts, etc. that I can't avoid by distracting myself with anything and everything.
I can go on and on and on with my fears and all, and perhaps I will later on, but for now... I'll just say this:
I go back and forth thinking about previous relationships, dating and other, and it makes my stomach feel weird. I get teary-eyed thinking about the different forms of abandonment and betrayal that I've felt over various people/situations, and I start to question who I am and what made those people leave or hurt me in whatever ways. I then get shaky and fearful that somehow what it is about me that caused them to betray or leave me will be triggered, and I'll wake up one day and Anthony won't be around anymore.
But this feeling doesn't last for long when I look back at words and actions of other people and how they never seemed to align. I can say without question that Anthony is someone whose word is nearly as good as his action. I don't even want to tell you about the many broken promises that I've lived through with other people... But Anthony has stuck by every thing he's said to me, and for that... I can breathe.
I think back about "what went wrong" with other relationships, and it's only now that I can really see that the "me" I was wasn't "me" at all.
So I got out of the shower, and I decided that if Anthony asked ME to be his wife, then I have nothing to worry about, right?
I know that I've got a lot to sort out; after all, marriage is no small decision. I believe in committing for keeps; I don't want to set ourselves up for failure.
I've been doing a lot of crying and evaluating lately, and it's tough to enjoy wedding plans right now. When I posted about the engagement, I mentioned that I wanted to write about the ups and downs of this wedding and all that it will entail.
If I have to hear another, "Well, I'll talk to you in ten years and see how starry-eyed you are... *wink*" I'm going to scream.
For instance, a door slammed the other day, and a lady I don't even know looked at me with a smirk and said, "You'd better get used to that! Men are all the same."
"Men are pigs; men are scum."
Really, people? Can you not just be happy for me? Being married won't be all kicks and giggles, that's for sure-- but I think I've found the person that I want to spend all the sadness and anger and downs with... along with all of said kicks and giggles.
I need people around me that are excited about this.
Okay. This post was kind of a downer.
BUT, on the upside, Heather is going with me on Monday to try on dresses!!! Holy moly, I'm getting MARRIED!
Ha ;)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
His side of the story-- that which is often left untold:
Liz and I met on a cold evening in March of 2010. Writing that out, I can't believe it has been that long, but at the same time it almost feels like longer. I remember the first words I said to her were that she was too pretty to be with the guy she was with at the time. I still think so. I think I had the same first impression of her that most people seem to have. I found her to be someone who was good, attractive, smart, and fun. I spent a fair amount of time with her from the day we first met, and our friendship blossomed into something deeper, and quite beyond our understanding. It wasn't long before our friends were getting mad at us for dating and not realizing that we were dating. I quite stubbornly told them that we were just friends and that the time we spent together was nothing more than two friends hanging out. I kept my feelings hidden from even myself. I enjoyed her presence in my life too much to worry about love.
Then came the day that she told me she was planning on leaving for Texas. I should clarify that I knew she had thought about going back, but this time was different. There was a conviction in her voice like steel and I knew I was going to lose her forever. That evening I finally confronted my own feelings and decided that I could not let her go without a fight. I then set about wooing her with horrible poetry and even worse one liners. It worked like a charm.
The last year has without a doubt been the happiest of my life. People tell me often that I have changed from the person I was before. I had never felt more alive. We traveled, went to concerts, and just lived happily for the last almost 10 months. I had found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and it was wonderful. But how to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me? She was too important to me to just give her the fancy restaurant drop on one knee routine. Also she would have seen that coming and I wanted to surprise her.
Using the holiday as a distraction I quietly bought a ring. Then came the next moment of truth. I had to call her Dad asking him for his blessing. He grilled me over topics of personal philosophy and questioned my resolve, and in the end he graciously granted me his blessing. Relieved, I turned to the next part of my plan. Liz had desired a mandolin for as long as I have known her. I hunted all over town and found a beautiful mandolin sitting in a shop not two miles from my house. My original plan was to place the ring in the mandolin case and then have her open the case to find the mandolin and then I would drop to one knee and ask her to marry me. Things never go according to plan.
I put the mandolin case, with the ring tucked safely inside, into my trunk underneath the camping gear (since if I had wrapped it she would have been able to figure out what it was from its shape). She almost caught me putting it in there, but I quickly pretended to be fixing the straps on the sleeping bags. We made it to my parents' house in Harrison and I snuck out with my father to get the mandolin in the house while my mother distracted her. I told my father the plan, and since I think he was as eager to have Liz as a daughter as I am to have her as a wife, he told everyone we were opening presents on Christmas Eve.
Liz went way overboard on her presents like she told me she had, however I was still blown away by all of them. I got her a few small gifts so she would think that I had gypped her, right before I performed the coup de grace. All the gifts were opened (mostly by me from Liz) and before I knew it, all of the gifts had been opened. I announced that I had one more gift that needed to be opened. I then made my way into my father's study and brought the mandolin wrapped in a blanket.
The expression on Liz's face was something between puzzled and amused. She carefully unwrapped the blanket and I took a seat in the chair across from her. Her face shot to excited delight as she recognized the shape. "You didn't!" were her first words as she discarded the blanket to the floor. Her next words were "If there's just a picture of what I think is in here, I'm going to kill you!" and she began to unzip the case. I was getting more and more nervous by this point. Would she see the ring? Should I go to one knee now? Will she like the ring? A million questions like that went through my head in the time it took her to unzip that case. I caught her delighted face transcend beautifully as she caught sight of the mandolin. She pulled it out with such care and focus that she didn't see the ring. I had to move quickly and I grabbed it just before it got knocked to the floor. My plan was blown, but I had thought of this contingency. I let her appreciate the mandolin for a little then I said:
"Liz I love you more than anything in this world. I can't stand the thought of going through this life without you, and I want you to be my wife." by this point I had dropped to one knee in front of her and opened the box. The mandolin was quickly forgotten as she exclaimed, "Yes!" and I took the ring and placed it on her finger. Turns out I did very well on the ring and I will catch her staring at every once in awhile with this wistful look on her face.
So to sum it up, I totally beat her at Christmas.
Then came the day that she told me she was planning on leaving for Texas. I should clarify that I knew she had thought about going back, but this time was different. There was a conviction in her voice like steel and I knew I was going to lose her forever. That evening I finally confronted my own feelings and decided that I could not let her go without a fight. I then set about wooing her with horrible poetry and even worse one liners. It worked like a charm.
The last year has without a doubt been the happiest of my life. People tell me often that I have changed from the person I was before. I had never felt more alive. We traveled, went to concerts, and just lived happily for the last almost 10 months. I had found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and it was wonderful. But how to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me? She was too important to me to just give her the fancy restaurant drop on one knee routine. Also she would have seen that coming and I wanted to surprise her.
Using the holiday as a distraction I quietly bought a ring. Then came the next moment of truth. I had to call her Dad asking him for his blessing. He grilled me over topics of personal philosophy and questioned my resolve, and in the end he graciously granted me his blessing. Relieved, I turned to the next part of my plan. Liz had desired a mandolin for as long as I have known her. I hunted all over town and found a beautiful mandolin sitting in a shop not two miles from my house. My original plan was to place the ring in the mandolin case and then have her open the case to find the mandolin and then I would drop to one knee and ask her to marry me. Things never go according to plan.
I put the mandolin case, with the ring tucked safely inside, into my trunk underneath the camping gear (since if I had wrapped it she would have been able to figure out what it was from its shape). She almost caught me putting it in there, but I quickly pretended to be fixing the straps on the sleeping bags. We made it to my parents' house in Harrison and I snuck out with my father to get the mandolin in the house while my mother distracted her. I told my father the plan, and since I think he was as eager to have Liz as a daughter as I am to have her as a wife, he told everyone we were opening presents on Christmas Eve.
Liz went way overboard on her presents like she told me she had, however I was still blown away by all of them. I got her a few small gifts so she would think that I had gypped her, right before I performed the coup de grace. All the gifts were opened (mostly by me from Liz) and before I knew it, all of the gifts had been opened. I announced that I had one more gift that needed to be opened. I then made my way into my father's study and brought the mandolin wrapped in a blanket.
The expression on Liz's face was something between puzzled and amused. She carefully unwrapped the blanket and I took a seat in the chair across from her. Her face shot to excited delight as she recognized the shape. "You didn't!" were her first words as she discarded the blanket to the floor. Her next words were "If there's just a picture of what I think is in here, I'm going to kill you!" and she began to unzip the case. I was getting more and more nervous by this point. Would she see the ring? Should I go to one knee now? Will she like the ring? A million questions like that went through my head in the time it took her to unzip that case. I caught her delighted face transcend beautifully as she caught sight of the mandolin. She pulled it out with such care and focus that she didn't see the ring. I had to move quickly and I grabbed it just before it got knocked to the floor. My plan was blown, but I had thought of this contingency. I let her appreciate the mandolin for a little then I said:
"Liz I love you more than anything in this world. I can't stand the thought of going through this life without you, and I want you to be my wife." by this point I had dropped to one knee in front of her and opened the box. The mandolin was quickly forgotten as she exclaimed, "Yes!" and I took the ring and placed it on her finger. Turns out I did very well on the ring and I will catch her staring at every once in awhile with this wistful look on her face.
So to sum it up, I totally beat her at Christmas.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Ant Liz
I have some exciting news to share with anyone who still reads my blog. I haven't been on blogger these last couple of months (except to post once or twice), because I still haven't gotten my computer fixed. I'm using Anthony's right now, but his computer doesn't have my pictures, documents, etc.
ANYWAY, that's not the point. The point is... I'm officially going to be "Aunt Liz!" His sister, Amy, and his brother-in-law, Dave, always joke about me being "Ant Liz," almost. Get it... Ant(hony) Liz.... Yeah, I know.
Anyway, I'm engaged!!!! Anthony asked me to be his wife on Christmas Eve. Hopefully this won't be too cliche or annoying, but I'm hoping to document this journey on my blog. I want to keep my other posts, of course, but I have a feeling that this wedding business will be all-consuming for a while.
I want to share some of my ideas, my conflicts, my fears, my excitement... and I also want to share his perspective, along with some of my bridesmaids. I'll see how that goes...
But for now-- here's the story, from my side.
I didn't get to go home for Christmas this year. I was really disappointed, but I was looking forward to spending it with Anthony's family in Harrison, AK. We all opened Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and I was so excited for Anthony to get his. I OWNED Christmas this year, as far as he is concerned. Or so I thought.. Ha. I was super proud of myself, and I didn't try to hide it.
He had given me a wooden owl box, an owl coin purse, and an owl notebook. But then LO AND BEHOLD he comes out of his dad's office with this oddly shaped thing wrapped in a red blanket.
I open it up and it's a case. (I've been eyeing a mandolin foreverrrrrr!) I look at him and tell him that if it's not what I think it is, I'm going to be super mad. It was a gorgeous mandolin. I was ecstatic!! I start strumming it, blah blah blah.
Well evidently, the ring box was in the case. I didn't see it, obviously. Still without my knowing, he sneaks the box out of the case.
I'm still strumming along and sort of bouncing up and down with excitement.
As I'm playing, Anthony starts saying something about how much he loves me... how he wants to spend his life with me... And I'm thinking, "He is being super forward right now, for all of his family being here..." So I look over at him, and he's on one knee holding out a gorgeous ring.
He asked me to be his wife, and with a screech/ugly sound, I said, "yes."
His entire family knew, as did mine (he asked my dad a few weeks ago), and out of those people, there's a professional photographer/blogger and an Instagram/semi-famous social networking photographer. AND NO ONE GOT A PHOTO. I'm slightly irritated... ;)
Anyway, we're going to get married this summer, and I can hardly contain myself.
We went on our first date as an engaged couple last night, and we decided to go see Sherlock Holmes. It was amazing, despite our hesitation after seeing the bad reviews. Our recommendation-- it's worth it! We liked it better than the first movie. .
It's been an incredible journey of healing and growing and everything in-between.
I hope that you all had a Merry Christmas, and I'll see you next year with some resolutions!
ANYWAY, that's not the point. The point is... I'm officially going to be "Aunt Liz!" His sister, Amy, and his brother-in-law, Dave, always joke about me being "Ant Liz," almost. Get it... Ant(hony) Liz.... Yeah, I know.
Anyway, I'm engaged!!!! Anthony asked me to be his wife on Christmas Eve. Hopefully this won't be too cliche or annoying, but I'm hoping to document this journey on my blog. I want to keep my other posts, of course, but I have a feeling that this wedding business will be all-consuming for a while.
I want to share some of my ideas, my conflicts, my fears, my excitement... and I also want to share his perspective, along with some of my bridesmaids. I'll see how that goes...
But for now-- here's the story, from my side.
I didn't get to go home for Christmas this year. I was really disappointed, but I was looking forward to spending it with Anthony's family in Harrison, AK. We all opened Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and I was so excited for Anthony to get his. I OWNED Christmas this year, as far as he is concerned. Or so I thought.. Ha. I was super proud of myself, and I didn't try to hide it.
He had given me a wooden owl box, an owl coin purse, and an owl notebook. But then LO AND BEHOLD he comes out of his dad's office with this oddly shaped thing wrapped in a red blanket.
I open it up and it's a case. (I've been eyeing a mandolin foreverrrrrr!) I look at him and tell him that if it's not what I think it is, I'm going to be super mad. It was a gorgeous mandolin. I was ecstatic!! I start strumming it, blah blah blah.
Well evidently, the ring box was in the case. I didn't see it, obviously. Still without my knowing, he sneaks the box out of the case.
I'm still strumming along and sort of bouncing up and down with excitement.
As I'm playing, Anthony starts saying something about how much he loves me... how he wants to spend his life with me... And I'm thinking, "He is being super forward right now, for all of his family being here..." So I look over at him, and he's on one knee holding out a gorgeous ring.
He asked me to be his wife, and with a screech/ugly sound, I said, "yes."
His entire family knew, as did mine (he asked my dad a few weeks ago), and out of those people, there's a professional photographer/blogger and an Instagram/semi-famous social networking photographer. AND NO ONE GOT A PHOTO. I'm slightly irritated... ;)
Anyway, we're going to get married this summer, and I can hardly contain myself.
We went on our first date as an engaged couple last night, and we decided to go see Sherlock Holmes. It was amazing, despite our hesitation after seeing the bad reviews. Our recommendation-- it's worth it! We liked it better than the first movie. .
It's been an incredible journey of healing and growing and everything in-between.
I hope that you all had a Merry Christmas, and I'll see you next year with some resolutions!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
fallin'
Okay, so this season has been the best. I love fall, but you see... Texas doesn't do the "seasons" concept very well, and the last two "falls" were spent under extreme situations regarding unpleasantry. ANYWAY, this fall has been amazing! My apartment has always had the fall color/decor, which makes it extra festive.
I get to take the residents through various fall traditions. I just love it. I wish that I could post pictures of them, but I can't. :( Here are some boring, non-resident, work pictures. Just know that my oldies are super awesome and the pictures I took are super adorable. I know, super.
To start off, we went camping last weekend. But that's another blog post... once I get Amanda's pictures that she took. ;) I really enjoyed the 15 hours we spent there, and I can't wait to go again! These people are pretty cool. I'm not an incredibly social person, but I really liked hanging out with this group of people. Here is a preview...
I've been baking like crazy... and I'll post that stuff later, too.
We did a bit of trespassing... WE DO DANGEROUS THINGS BECAUSE WE ARE DANGEROUS PEOPLE. Just kidding. I just wanted a picture. Thank goodness I didn't get poison ivy.
We stopped to get pumpkins for Lindsey and Brendan's birthday party today... HUGE! I lost ten pounds carrying it to the car.
It's official!!!!!! I have a degree!!!!! I actually did it!!!! I was so scared that some fluke would keep me from graduating. But no- it is October, and I have official looking proof that I did indeed graduate in August!!YAHOO.
In other news, I've been baking, playing WoW with Anthony...
... watching Community, which is a hilarious show. WATCH THIS. (I only started watching it a week ago, and then Suzy posted a video a few days ago... it was a sign. I was meant to watch it. Ha.)
... and enjoying life in any way I can. My family is coming to Springfield for Thanksgiving, and I cannot wait. I'm surrounded by people I love, and everything is beautiful this time of year. This was extremely picture heavy, so I'm sorry that I just dumped a month's worth of stuff into one post. Thanks for reading!
Cheers!
I get to take the residents through various fall traditions. I just love it. I wish that I could post pictures of them, but I can't. :( Here are some boring, non-resident, work pictures. Just know that my oldies are super awesome and the pictures I took are super adorable. I know, super.
To start off, we went camping last weekend. But that's another blog post... once I get Amanda's pictures that she took. ;) I really enjoyed the 15 hours we spent there, and I can't wait to go again! These people are pretty cool. I'm not an incredibly social person, but I really liked hanging out with this group of people. Here is a preview...
I've been baking like crazy... and I'll post that stuff later, too.
Anyway, even though it hasn't rained very much, being a Texan, I still think that the leaves look amazing. So Antho and I went to the nature center yesterday to go for a walk.
We did a bit of trespassing... WE DO DANGEROUS THINGS BECAUSE WE ARE DANGEROUS PEOPLE. Just kidding. I just wanted a picture. Thank goodness I didn't get poison ivy.
We stopped to get pumpkins for Lindsey and Brendan's birthday party today... HUGE! I lost ten pounds carrying it to the car.
(I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!)
I got home to my mail box and found this:
It's official!!!!!! I have a degree!!!!! I actually did it!!!! I was so scared that some fluke would keep me from graduating. But no- it is October, and I have official looking proof that I did indeed graduate in August!!YAHOO.
In other news, I've been baking, playing WoW with Anthony...
... watching Community, which is a hilarious show. WATCH THIS. (I only started watching it a week ago, and then Suzy posted a video a few days ago... it was a sign. I was meant to watch it. Ha.)
... and enjoying life in any way I can. My family is coming to Springfield for Thanksgiving, and I cannot wait. I'm surrounded by people I love, and everything is beautiful this time of year. This was extremely picture heavy, so I'm sorry that I just dumped a month's worth of stuff into one post. Thanks for reading!
Cheers!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
it walked on my pillow
This is how the day went:
I came back from the conference on Friday, so Saturday I spent with Anthony. We went to Fudruckers for lunch, because we constantly pass it on our way from here to there. It turns out that Fudruckers is awesome!! The condiments were all fresh and you get to pick exactly what you want! I hate tomatoes, but I was able to get pico de gallo!! AWESOME. Oh yeah, and I can get sweet potato fries there!
Last weekend, we were hanging out at the different pet stores around town, and we debated getting some birds. We decided to wait a week and rethink that topic, since I tend to be pretty rash sometimes. Anthony and I decided to find the perfect bird cage from an antique store, and if we found the perfect one... then that would be our deciding factor.
WELL, in the parking lot of one of the antique stores, I found a smooshed bird right where I was going to step to get out of the car. It was a sign! I had to save the birds!
Anyway, so yesterday, we decided to go to Ozark to go antiquing. We literally looked through ten antique stores last weekend, and the cages were either too small, too expensive, too ugly, or they weren't even functional. I had pretty much given up on finding a spacious, pretty cage.
(We go sidetracked, as we often do. Look at this gorgeous book room!!!!)
I made one last suggestion to try out The Feathered Nest, even though everything in that store is incredibly pricey. We made our way to the basement which smelled super(super) funky, and I found this epic cage:
That was the last sign. We headed back to the pet store from last week and picked out our birds, Atticus and Imre (pronounced, Immree). Atticus is the white one, and Imre is the green one. :) :) :)
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
- Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee
We are hoping to get the parakeets comfortable enough to play with us. They've already hopped on to Anthony's finger! I've been playing Mozart for them, mostly. :)
I have got to get my reflexes under control, because any time I'm trying to touch them and they decide to move AT ALL, I freak out. I have a bruise on my nose and scratches on my arm from flailing inside the cage and bashing my nose. The birds didn't do it-- no, I did it to myself. I'm so cool.
In other news, I jokingly told Ant that I would play WoW with him... and then I ended up following through. I LOVE IT!!!! Ohmylanta I am in big trouble. Hello, time waster...
Also, I dyed my hair redish again... Whoop!
I hope that you all have had a great weekend! Happy FALL!!
I came back from the conference on Friday, so Saturday I spent with Anthony. We went to Fudruckers for lunch, because we constantly pass it on our way from here to there. It turns out that Fudruckers is awesome!! The condiments were all fresh and you get to pick exactly what you want! I hate tomatoes, but I was able to get pico de gallo!! AWESOME. Oh yeah, and I can get sweet potato fries there!
Last weekend, we were hanging out at the different pet stores around town, and we debated getting some birds. We decided to wait a week and rethink that topic, since I tend to be pretty rash sometimes. Anthony and I decided to find the perfect bird cage from an antique store, and if we found the perfect one... then that would be our deciding factor.
WELL, in the parking lot of one of the antique stores, I found a smooshed bird right where I was going to step to get out of the car. It was a sign! I had to save the birds!
Anyway, so yesterday, we decided to go to Ozark to go antiquing. We literally looked through ten antique stores last weekend, and the cages were either too small, too expensive, too ugly, or they weren't even functional. I had pretty much given up on finding a spacious, pretty cage.
(We go sidetracked, as we often do. Look at this gorgeous book room!!!!)
I made one last suggestion to try out The Feathered Nest, even though everything in that store is incredibly pricey. We made our way to the basement which smelled super(super) funky, and I found this epic cage:
That was the last sign. We headed back to the pet store from last week and picked out our birds, Atticus and Imre (pronounced, Immree). Atticus is the white one, and Imre is the green one. :) :) :)
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
- Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee
"This is why there are so few musicians. A lot of folks can sing or saw out a tune on a fiddle. A music box can play a song flawlessly, again and again. But knowing the notes isn’t enough. You have to know how to play them.”
”A poet is a musician who can’t sing.Words have to find a man’s mind before they can touch his heart, and some men’s minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens.”
- Patrick Rothfuss
(The setting is in the town of Imre.)
We are hoping to get the parakeets comfortable enough to play with us. They've already hopped on to Anthony's finger! I've been playing Mozart for them, mostly. :)
I have got to get my reflexes under control, because any time I'm trying to touch them and they decide to move AT ALL, I freak out. I have a bruise on my nose and scratches on my arm from flailing inside the cage and bashing my nose. The birds didn't do it-- no, I did it to myself. I'm so cool.
In other news, I jokingly told Ant that I would play WoW with him... and then I ended up following through. I LOVE IT!!!! Ohmylanta I am in big trouble. Hello, time waster...
Also, I dyed my hair redish again... Whoop!
Monday, September 19, 2011
schtuff
Schwell, I am currently in Jefferson City, MO, attending a social work conference for the week. I am trying to soak as much information up as I can, while making some "life" decisions regarding my future in school and location and jobs... My brain is a'splodin'. (But) I am enjoying the nice hotel and the room service! Ha :)
Anyway, this last weekend was spent with my wonderful mother and aunt. They decided to drive all the way to Springfield to visit me, as sort of a congratulatory trip for my graduation in August. It was SO wonderful to see them. I miss my family dearly.
These pictures aren't very flattering, so sorry in advance for that... I have what I have, though.
My awesome grandma sent me a hand mixer!! WOOHOOOO!!! More baking, here I come.
Sunday was spent celebrating six blessed months with Anthony. I had to leave that day to go to the conference, so it was short-lived, but we've spent the last six months celebrating each other, so that was perfectly fine with me.
That's about all that is new in my life right now... Things are going well, and I am happy to be doing what I'm doing.
I'm sure I'll be blogging more this week, as I'll have more time on my hands... I'm stuck in a hotel! Ha.
Have a great week!
Anyway, this last weekend was spent with my wonderful mother and aunt. They decided to drive all the way to Springfield to visit me, as sort of a congratulatory trip for my graduation in August. It was SO wonderful to see them. I miss my family dearly.
These pictures aren't very flattering, so sorry in advance for that... I have what I have, though.
We got to hang out with Amy and Dave, too, and that was fun. I like for my family to spend time with his family. :)
My awesome grandma sent me a hand mixer!! WOOHOOOO!!! More baking, here I come.
Sunday was spent celebrating six blessed months with Anthony. I had to leave that day to go to the conference, so it was short-lived, but we've spent the last six months celebrating each other, so that was perfectly fine with me.
That's about all that is new in my life right now... Things are going well, and I am happy to be doing what I'm doing.
I'm sure I'll be blogging more this week, as I'll have more time on my hands... I'm stuck in a hotel! Ha.
Have a great week!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
I want Sa-mo...a
I've been fairly absent, lately, and I haven't even been catching up on my most favorite blogs. As some of you may know, I graduate on Friday!! I cannot wait, but it's been an incredibly busy couple of weeks. Between traveling, working, going to school, and dealing with my car break-in, I haven't had a lot of spare time for writing. Any spare moments I've had have been spent with my friends and Anthony, and I think that's how it should be.
Anyway, I'll be back to writing my DEEP, THOUGHTFUL, INSIGHTFUL posts, soon... ;) ha
But until then, here is my very successful recipe for Samoas/Caramel Delights that I made for Anthony's birthday. They were a huge hit, but I cannot take the credit for them. One of my new favorite sites, Baking Bites, had this recipe, and I found it, thanks to Pinterest. So here you go! Everything written below here was copy and pasted from the site.
Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.
Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes 30 bar cookies.
Okay, there you go! I hope you liked the recipe. I promise that it's worth baking!
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