Adios 2012

I can't believe its already the end of 2012.  It seems like I was just reviewing 2011 and thinking about all of my goals and aspirations for 2012. 2013 will bring a brand new bunch of experiences for me and a 30th birthday to boot.  I found an annual end of the year questionnaire on the web and decided for giggles and grins to complete it just to put some sort of review together for this year.  It definitely was interesting putting this together, so here's my recap of 2012 in questionnaire form:...

Annual End of Year Questionnaire

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
2012 was definitely a year of change for me – new job, new car, new friends, new place to live, but probably the biggest and only thing I’d never done before was buy a brand new car, fully financed by my savings account in March.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?  I didn’t have firm resolutions set but each year I try to just be happy with the life I’m creating for myself.  This year was definitely a major change to find that happiness and overall I think I succeeded.  As I head into 2013, I’m facing a 30th birthday and figuring out the next stages of my life.  I hope to increase the happy life I’m creating for myself.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? It seems many of my Facebook friends, mostly from my high school days had babies this year but I wouldn’t consider most of them close friends anymore.  My friend Joe did become a proud papa in January, I’d say that’s the closest friend I know with a 2012 arrival.

4. Did anyone close to you die?  Luckily for the first time in a couple years, no, no one close to me passed away in 2012.  Whew!

5. What countries did you visit?  The great country known as the United States of America.  I haven’t left the states since I was 17 years old.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? I honestly don’t think I lacked much in 2012 after I made changes.  I have to say I have been fairly content with how the year panned out.  If anything, I wish I had more confidence in who I am but that’s a given every year.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? My birthday happy hour and karaoke celebration on January 27th; March 9th – the day I quit that horrendous job; March 26th – the day I met the coolest work fam ever

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Taking on this new position and actually feeling that I’m making progress in learning my responsibilities and being beneficial to the company.

9. What was your biggest failure? Letting people manipulate me and make me lose faith in most of humanity early in the year.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  No and thank goodness!

11. What was the best thing you bought? My new car!  :)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?  My own! I definitely celebrated the highlights of my year!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?  Some of my former co-workers, no explanation required.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills between moving and just everyday expenses, it definitely took a good chunk of what I earned

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?  Being off for two weeks before starting my new job in March, seeing Nickelback with Nicole in May and moving in July

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?  Because everyone used it one way or another, Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?  Happier, I’ve finally accepted all of the unfortunate things that happened towards the end of last year.
b) thinner or fatter?  Exactly the same by some phenomenon! Worked my butt off for that too!
c) richer or poorer?  Richer, thanks to some very smart financial planning

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?  Earlier in the year, I wish I would have had the confidence to stick up for myself more with my “so-called” friends.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?  Crying over the things I could not control and just trying my best to live through them without melting down.

20. How did you spend Christmas?  At home on Christmas Eve with my mom and Michael and at my Dad’s and Aunt and Uncle’s on Christmas Day, I also spent time catching up with some really great friends via text throughout the day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012?  Truth be told, I’m so scared to fall in love again after my dilemma last year.  I’m being very cautious when it comes to my heart.

22. What was your favorite tv show?  RestaurantImpossible

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?  Hate is such a strong word, yes there are people I dislike now, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate them.  I hate their actions more than anything.

24. What was the best book you read?  Honestly, I didn’t have a whole lot of time like in years past to read, I have just about finished the 50 Shades trilogy and while others consider it a literary nightmare, I was alright with it.  It was an easy read and entertaining enough to let me escape and just read for enjoyment.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Gangham Style  jk!!  I would have to say the newest Shinedown album Amaryllis

26. What did you want and get?  My Step 360!

27. What did you want and not get?  My steel-toed boots, I couldn’t find a pair that I actually found fashionable and fully protective (yes, I’m picky!)

28. What was your favorite film of this year?  The only one I saw, All In-ThePoker Movie

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?  I had a happy hour with some of my closest friends and family and then did karaoke with my Bro.  I had a fantastic time turning 29!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?  I plead the 5th.  LOL

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? I tried to be stylish but keep to a budget.  No off the wall purchases for me but I did make sure I looked professional for work and at least semi-fun on the weekends.

32. What kept you sane?
My friends, I’d definitely be lost without them.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  Chef Robert Irvine, not only is he a brilliant chef, he’s a super cool guy who is down to earth and helps so many with his restaurant remodels and other good deeds. Top notch fella in my book and his arms are AMAZING!

34. What political issue stirred you the most?  I try to stay out of the political discussions but with this being an election year, everything got under my skin in some way or another.

35. Who did you miss?  I still miss Broccoli.  I miss having someone to take care of and do nice little things for just because I wanted him to know I cared and was thinking about him.  He helped me through the good, the bad and the ugly for nearly 4 years.  This year I was on my own and I survived but it just wasn’t the same.

36. Who was the best new person you met?  There are a handful of them, all being members of my work fam.  I have formed some of the coolest friendships with them in just a short amount of time.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012? Nothing in life stays the same, roll with the changes, make the most of every situation and live the life that makes you happy.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  This isn’t meant in the way she’s singing about but for me, it’s overcoming every obstacle this year and moving forward to be happy with my life.

From Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger:

You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

I hope your 2012 was an eventful and pleasant one and that 2013 proves to be a healthy and  happy New Year too!

Jeopardizing My Gold Stars

Right now I'm watching the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl game -- TCU vs. Michigan State.  While I'm a huge NFL fan, I haven't watch a whole lot of college football and considering I went to McKendree, who until recently was not even an NCAA team (Division II), I never really paid much attention to the bowl games besides the fact that they had so many of them with a variety of sponsors.
Somehow, *someone* convinced me to watch this game tonight and not only am I watching it, I'm rooting for Michigan State.  They haven't shown much promise against TCU so far and I'm sure hoping me being a rookie bowl watcher doesn't bring the Spartans bad luck.  I don't want my gold stars retracted so they definitely need to win!
Let's go Spartans!!


UPDATE:  Michigan State came back and scored 17 in the second half to win 17-16 over TCU.  Woo hoo!!  And good news for me, I didn't lose my gold stars!  In fact, I think I even earned a few more!!  :)

Christmas Recap

With 6 out of the last 7 days off of work, why don't I put this time to use and give a recap of my Christmas.  Given how much this time of the year typically stresses me out, I was somewhat glad to have some extra time to prepare, especially since I had my Mom and Michael over for Christmas Eve.
So without further ado, here is my Christmas 2012 photo dump:

Christmas Eve Dinner - Garlic & Herb Pork Loin, Roasted Potatoes & Veggies

Christmas Eve Dessert - Whipped Chocolate Cheesecake

Present from Mom & Michael - Hot Sauces from Around the World

Dad's Gift from Ryan -- Ever Seen the Movie Paul?!? (It's Dad's Fav)

My present to Bro - Wool Peacoat

Remember when I asked for this? Santa Dad brought it!

Pepper Mill from my Aunt & Uncle - I'm modeling like on the Price is Right!

Nicole wearing one of her presents

Em getting into her tunes!

Annual Sibling Christmas Pic

My Appetizer for Christmas Day - Pepperoni Pizza Roll

Overall, I had a successful Christmas Eve night with my Mom and Michael and a relaxing Christmas Day at my Aunt and Uncle's house with my Dad, Bro and my cousins.  I was also able to take the day after Christmas off -- that typically never happens and while it was nice not to have to get up super early to head into work, I definitely paid for the extra time off when I got back to work yesterday.  It was a 12 hour day trying to get everything back in order for the end of the month and really the end of the year.  I toyed with the idea of stopping in for a bit today, but after careful consideration and a push from the work fam, I decided to keep today as a day off and just bust my butt next week.  (I do believe a deal was struck too and someone offered to help load my trains and barges from today and the weekend first thing on Monday morning.  I may or may not hold him to that!  LOL)
As far as the rest of the weekend goes, I'm playing it by ear and we'll see what kind of plans I come up with for New Years' Eve.  I have so many thoughts and ideas but we'll see what exactly pans out.
Hope you had a fantastic holiday and are enjoying this last week of 2012!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2010

From my family to yours, may your holiday be merry and bright!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Christmas Eve, 2012

 "Today I caught myself smiling for no reason...then I realized I was thinking about you."

"I get the best feeling in the world when you say 'hi' or even smile at me because I know, even if it's just for a second, that I've crossed your mind."

Found these as I was poking around online over the last couple of days and I can't stop thinking about how true they are.  In fact, I think they've become two of my favorite quotes.  Both are author unknown, but they definitely are bringing the warmth I need to my holiday season.

Time to put the finishing touches on my Christmas Eve dinner....

Ready for Christmas

I think I'm just about ready for Christmas.  I finished wrapping gifts last night around 8:30 after spending the afternoon in full present-mode.
I posted this pic on Facebook last night with the caption:

Finished wrapping presents for my fam and yes, the ratio of presents to my tree is severly disproportionate. Of course, my little ceramic tree is only a foot tall!

Who knew my pic would cause such a stir with the work fam.  Not in a bad way but we had quite the comment thread going on about presents, my tree and all the jokes that come from our group.  Since yesterday was the last day of work before our holiday break, I brought my work gifts in for the work fam.  The girls got "McGyver kits" (mini manicure sets) and body butter, the boys got chocolate "coal" and lottery tickets and JP got "moose munch" and lottery tickets and I made a tray of chocolate chip cookie bars with chocolate ganache for our group.  It was just a small way of saying thanks for making the last 9 months of this year 10,000% better than the first 2.5 months. 

Today after my Saturday morning workout, I tackled cleaning up my entire place and getting it ready for Mom and Michael's visit on Christmas Eve and finished buying the last of the ingredients I needed for our dinner on Monday night.  Besides actually cooking everything, I think I'm set for Christmas Eve.  I'm just hoping my dinner turns out better than these did....

Cookie Fail!!

Earlier in the week when I was pressed for time, I tried cutting corners and saving myself some time by using refrigerated cookie dough the other night rather than making my own and my cookies turned out not quite as planned.  (Note to self: Trust your gut and make your own dough even if it takes a bit longer!)  Those are supposed to be sugar cookie blossoms but they spread way more than I wanted them to.  I'm sure they still taste good but they looked like an HR violation, so instead of taking them to work this week, they're just hanging out at home waiting for my family to mow them down at either one of our Christmas gatherings because to them it doesn't matter what they look like as long as they are delicious!

Rounding up the good stuff

I feel almost like a broken record with each new post.  Life is still super crazy busy and I think I've spent all of 1 day at home in the past few weeks.  Finally today after a short workout and a quick visit with my Dad while he was at work, I've been able to spend the majority of today at home in my comfy sweats and finally got back on track here a bit.
In no particular order, here are some of the great things that happened from the past 11 days:
- Enjoyed a fun-filled Christmas party with the greatest work fam -- socialized, danced and had an all around fantastic night

My Party Dress!

- Celebrated Christmas early with my extended family
- Learned that not only do I have off Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I have two other days off during the holidays courtesy of my generous and grateful boss
- Planned Christmas Eve at my place with my Mom and Michael (this is a first for me!) and confirmed my Christmas Day plans with my Dad, Ryan, Aunt, Uncle and cousins.
- Finished my Christmas shopping  (YES!!!!)
- Spent time hanging out with friends and making new ones
- Found this lovely drink:

Source

- Passed on my love of Food Network and all things cooking and enlightening others on the fundamentals of "repurposing."  (don't worry, inside joke)  No word on if its gonna stick but considering the text message I got a bit ago, perhaps I'm changing some non-culinary ways.  LOL


In any case, I'm heading into the two busiest weeks for everything.  And mostly, I'm just hoping I stay focused and sane through the holidays and year-end madness...I just need time and the weather to stay on my side.  It was 61 degrees here in the Lou yesterday, let's keep it that way Mother Nature.  And Father Time, don't let me down either.

Opening my eyes

How do you like our coveralls & hard hats?

I have spent the last day and a half being immersed in the industry that provides me with a paycheck every other week.  And while I enjoy what I do in our corporate office, I got to see an entirely different side to the company I work for by being out in the field. 
I'm exhausted and I was quite dirty when I got home this afternoon but most of all, I'm far more appreciative of all of the hard work each of the employees puts in and the risk that they take when they head underground every day to produce the commodity that also allows me to earn my living.

Above is a pic D. Rob and I had taken with all of our gear on before we headed underground.  Not only were our coveralls heavy but we had to wear industrial boots and our CSE SR-100 breathing apparatus, which when walking down a panel to observe operations, made for quite the journey.
Overall, I'm grateful that I was able to take this trip out of the office and meet some very important customers who hopefully will expand their business with us.  And I'm also hoping that since this trip was a successful one, our boss will let us visit other locations in the near future.  Our customers also had such a good time with our hospitality that they offered to let D. Rob and I take a tour of their facilities as well....I think we can definitely call this trip a success.

Btw, Tuesday night after dinner I also introduced the guys to the wonderful world of Food Network and more specifically Chopped.  Who would have though 3 guys and me would sit in the company house watching 2 hours of Chopped competitions on the projection tv in recliners? 
Not I, said the Sales Accountant with a love of cooking, baking and everything food related.

Reclaiming the title

This cake ended up causing quite a stir this afternoon.  JP's birthday was today and I offered to make a cake to celebrate in the office.  It was a simple funfetti cake with funfetti icing, JP's favorite.  I figured he'd enjoy it but I had no idea that my group would be obsessed with it.
It ended up being an extremely ling, crazy busy day for all of us with it being month-end close and the cake sat mostly untouched until after lunch.  Since then, it's been raved about and now most of the group is calling dibs on having me make their birthday cake.  I guess the funniest part of this is that I had no idea it was so well liked until the email chain started.  Everyone told me it was delicious but I thought they were just being nice.  I ended up getting home a bit earlier than expected from month-end but wanted to check my email through the web access link to make sure it worked before the work field trip tomorrow.  I was shocked to find my inbox filled with so many messages after only being gone 1 hour.
I had to giggle when I saw emails flying back and forth with the subject, "I love you and your cake."
I've already got cake dates of December 11th, January 19th, August 13th, August 25th and again next December 3rd.

I was the cake queen when I worked in trucking and I guess I'm reclaiming that title in my new position....just call me Sales Accountant and Cake Baker Extraordinaire.

This girl can never have too many shoes

Even though today is Sunday, I spent nearly my entire day at work prepping for month-end close tomorrow.  Both of my facilities have to be closed by the end of business tomorrow and since nearly my entire Friday was spent working on a 6 month cash projection for our treasury team, I didn't have time to prepare the way I normally would on the last day of the month.  To top it off, some of the strangest bottlenecks popped up and had to be dealt with before we rolled into the new month.  I do feel like I got a lot accomplished today but I know tomorrow will still be extremely busy and long.
It's crazy to think there is less than 30 days left in 2012.  The year passed in a complete blur....well the last 8 months have at least.  While 2012 started off rocky, I'm going to try to enjoy this last month as much as possible.  Speaking of which, once month-end is complete, this week is jam-packed.  Tuesday afternoon me and D. Rob are headed on an overnight business trip with one of our customers.  This is exciting on many levels for me.  First being that I actually get to go to the field and take a tour of 2 of our locations and one of these is actually a facility I handle all of the sales accounting for; secondly, we're having dinner with these customers and its my first chance of actually getting to experience this and finally, we're staying at the company house, which I've heard is spectacular.
Later in the week is our company holiday party and because I work with the greatest group, we're planning our own celebration on top of the party.  Thank goodness one of the work fam lives just blocks away from the venue, giving us the opportunity to pre- and post-party downtown.

We have a family Christmas party with my extended family over the weekend and then it's getting down to the nitty gritty for shopping, wrapping and getting in the Christmas spirit.  I have to find the time to go out shopping with my Mom and Michael again before it gets too late.  I did give Mom an idea today of what to get me for Christmas and believe it or not, it's not something I ever thought I'd be asking for and she really couldn't believe it either.
One of my wish list items this year....steel-toed boots.

For a girl who wears heels, nearly 365 days a year, these actually are becoming a necessity.  Twice now I've had to borrow MW's wife's shoes.  If I keep it up, I'm fairly certain she's gonna start charging me rent on them.  :)

My Thanksgiving break

Oh Sunday....the last day of my 4.5 days of Thanksgiving break....the day where I'm supposed to be getting everything organized and prepped for the week ahead.  I'm not sure where my time off went.  When I left work Wednesday afternoon I was super pumped and glad to have the time off wondering how I would spend all of this free time.  Today I'm questioning where all that free time went and I'm officially declaring today my day to chill.

Here's how my Thanksgiving break panned out:
Wednesday afternoon -- made my World Famous (ok, not really, but it is quite tasty!) Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake for Thanksgiving at Mom's and spent the evening catching up on episodes of Restaurant: Impossible.

Thursday -- a major morning workout followed by two fantastic Thanksgiving dinners, time with my closest family and a lot of fun.  I started Thanksgiving out at my Dad's with him, my Bro, my Aunt and Uncle and 4 cousins and spent nearly every second there laughing at all of my family's antics.  After our Thanksgiving lunch, I made my way across the river to my Mom and Michael's for a abbreviated dinner and dessert.  Mom's definitely got my sweet tooth pegged with her sweet potatoes and lemon meringue pie. (Yum!!)  We played games for the rest of the evening until my brain completely shut down and I decided it was time to get home.

Friday -- I hit the gym extra early to work off all of the fantastically delicious foods I ate the day before.  While there I debated whether or not I would try to pick up a few deals on Black Friday.  Well, we all know I did make my way out to battle the crowds....twice in fact!  But, my Christmas shopping is now underway and I was even able to put my tree up!  My ceramic tree has made its appearance again this year (Don't laugh!).  However, rather than sitting on my end table, it's place nicely on my breakfast bar between my kitchen and living room.  I even have presents under it...albeit not wrapped but hey, you gotta start somewhere!

Saturday -- Yesterday morning I woke up and continued on my staying in shape for the holidays quest and completed day 1 of my weekend warrior workout and decided to hit the mall before getting my oil change in the afternoon.  I'm not sure why I thought the mall would be a good idea because besides picking up my supplements from the vitamin store, I found nothing I needed in regards to Christmas shopping plus people were out and about by the boatloads and none of them appeared to have much common sense about them.  (I'm starting to believe online shopping is the way to go.)
While getting my oil changed, I finished my book (more on that in a second) and planned on settling in for the evening, using up some of the leftovers from Thanksgiving in some recipes I found.  Halfway through a baking experiment, my Aunt called and said she and my Uncle were in the neighborhood and wanted to know if I would like to go out for margaritas with them.  I haven't been able to spend a whole lot of time with my Aunt and Uncle lately and with my Uncle temporarily relocating for another construction management job in the next couple of weeks, I thought going out for drinks would be a great idea.  If there is only one thing that sticks with you from this post, let it be this....someone please remind me the next time I go out, tequila is not my friend.  I had a terrific night out, however 1 frozen margarita did me in.  As a result, I feel like I've been hit by a truck today and day 2 of the weekend warrior workout ended up being suspended.

Sunday -- With no workout and trying to get myself back to a somewhat human state, I've spent most of my morning finishing up my baking and cooking from yesterday, working on laundry and I'm headed to the store for white soda and a few other miscellaneous items for the week ahead.
Once that is complete, I'm headed to the couch for the afternoon to catch some football and continue on my reading extravaganza.  I've jumped on the Fifty Shades bandwagon after being loaned book one from work.  I decided I couldn't just read the first installment and who knows when the girls would finish book two and I had to continue the series ASAP.  I ended up buying the trilogy as my Christmas gift to myself while I was shopping on Friday.  I'm hoping a relaxing afternoon will repair this hangover and get me recharged for the week ahead.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Black Friday

After having 2.5 super busy days at work, a Thanksgiving filled with family, food and fun, I decided after my extended morning workout, why not throw a bit of Black Friday shopping into the mix.....go ahead, confirm my suspicions, I am indeed crazy.  I'm not patient enough to deal with people on a normal shopping day, I'm not sure why I had this great idea this morning to head out and battle the crowds.  Fortunately, I did start my Christmas shopping and actually am making some headway and I did get some awesome deals today.  With that being said, I'm now home, watching Food Network and drinking a glass of wine.  For those of you keeping track, I hardly ever drink anymore but I think today's festivities made me a bit unnerved....just trying to chill now.
Tomorrow I scheduled an oil change for my car and while I'm out by the dealership I've been debating whether or not I should stop at a few more places to continue this Christmas shopping madness.  Not sure I've yet convinced myself that this truly is a good idea.  Guess we'll just have to see where my patience level is tomorrow afternoon before making any half-brained decisions.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

RI: STL style recap

I'm sure you're on pins and needles waiting for my recap of the Restaurant Impossible dinner from Wednesday night, so here it is!

That's Joe waving, I'm on the right taking a pic of the Lexus.

Homemade Dessert?!?  Yes please!!!

The awesome sibling duo

Warning about walking onto a public set!  So exciting!!

The new signage behind the bar.

Robert's Signature Lexus SUV.

Chef Robert Irvine Taping the RI close for the episode

Overall the night was A-MAZING!  I wasn't sure what to expect besides dinner but by having an early reservation we actually got to be a part of the taping that they show when the restaurant re-opens.  The cafe only has about 20-25 tables so this was extremely exciting.  The camera crews were interviewing all of us and getting shots of our meals and pretty much putting the finishing touches on the normal clips that are aired with each episode.
I was star-struck seeing the chef in action along with Lynn the designer and Tom the re-modeler.  I spent most of my night with my head on a swivel trying to catch all of the action.  Sure, I watch them on tv nearly every week but seeing them live and in a local establishment was unbelievable. 
The actual meal  was absolutely fantastic.  We all ordered something different so we could try as much of the new menu as possible and then topped off the evening with dessert.  You only live once, right?!? 
This cafe is definitely a place I'm planning on revisiting because the food alone is magnificent and I truly hope they stick with Chef Robert's new menu.
Most of all, the night was an opportunity to enjoy time with Dad, Ryan and Joe and experience the live version of a show we all love.  As Dad put it the other night, "Who would have thought in 2012 we'd all be watching Food Network and found a show that we all enjoyed and then got to live it?"
Personally, I'm still pinching myself.....I could only imagine being a part of an experience like this!  And of course, wow we're all super pumped to watch the episode when it airs in late January, early February.

Another bucket list experience

Tonight I get a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It all started on Friday night when I got home from work and checked my Facebook news feed.  Usually I just scroll thru to see if anything exciting happened throughout the day.  Friday night I was checking in and saw a post that looked extremely intriguing.
One of my favorite chefs from Food Network is bringing his show to the area to revitalize a struggling restaurant.  You may have heard of the show...

Source

The post said Chef Irvine was coming to town for the Grand Reopening and that there were limited reservations available by calling the cafe.  I played the scenario in my head multiple times, sent a quick message to my Bro and then decided to give the cafe a call.  My name was put on a list and within a few hours, the new chef called me back and confirmed my reservation for a 4 top!  I'm so super excited and I can't believe that after watching every episode I finally can be a part of the RI experience!!
What's even cooler is that last Wednesday night, my Bro came to visit me and have dinner after work and we spent the rest of the evening watching a mini-marathon of RI on Food Network, while talking about how cool it would be to meet Chef Robert in person.
I'm definitely on cloud 9 right now!  I'll recap our dinner when I have a chance!

Sixteen years ago...

Sixteen years ago the most precious little girl came into the world and since that first day she's been the apple not only of my eye but our entire family.  She was the first and only cousin I had on my Dad's side (until my Aunt remarried a few years ago) and while we're nearly 14 years apart in age, she has always been like my little sister.
For the first 6 years of her life, I took non-stop pictures with my 35 mm camera, capturing as many of her milestones as I could.  Unfortunately, I haven't gotten those pics converted to digital yet, but I still decided to do a photo dump of some of the pictures I've taken since then.

Happy Birthday to my favorite girlie Nicole!!

Sixteen years ago we were on pins and needles waiting for your entrance into the world and now we're watching you grow into a mature, confident, smart young lady.

An election season promise

Seems like I've talked more about politics this election season that any other time in the past.  Hopefully this will be the last post about anything political.  Mostly, this is a post about common sense more than anything but I am making a promise to the Missouri Republican State Committee right now that I will not vote for Bill Otto in this election.
I got this in my mail today:

The blacked out part of this flyer is my full name and entire address.  In fact, it is my new address pre-printed on this piece of propaganda.  My new address in a different state!  I may not always be the brightest and most intelligent individual but shouldn't someone fact check addresses before mailing certain campaign pamphlets?  Wouldn't it be more appropriate to send this sort of mailing to someone who actually lives in the State of Missouri?
I think this is hilarious considering I forfeited my right to vote in Missouri the minute I moved and updated all of my records and registered to vote in the State of Illinois.

Sure looks like the Missouri Republican State Committee spent their advertising funds wisely for this election.  And don't worry Missouri, I'm helping protect and create jobs in your communities this election.  :)

In other news, this morning I had an appointment to get my haircut and colored.  After growing and growing and growing some more for the last year or two, I decided to get 5 inches cut off and darkened my hair a smidge for fall.
The result:

Feelin' super sexy!  (Ok, that's probably a little extreme, but I do love the new cut and color!)

I just might qualify

I know the countdown is on and in less than 3 months I turn 30 but I thought I was still in the prime of my life at this age.
I guess the canvasser than brought this by and hooked it to my front door knob thought differently.

Does 30 start to qualify you for senior discounts?  I wonder if I should call and get signed up for this Senior Final Expense Program asap?? 
They'll pay up to $25,000 for my funeral expenses even if I have a health condition!!!  Can't pass up a deal like that!


Yeah, this door notice ended up exactly where it belonged in the first place....after taking a pic for the blog, it's in the kitchen garbage can. 

I'm gonna try to retain my "youth" for a little bit longer.