Lovin' a List...

Rules are, you highlight, bold, or underline any of the following things you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (I also went to Paris Idaho but I'm not cheater...Shannon!)
13. Watched an amazing lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning...
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (the beauty of social work is the "mental health" day)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I don't think I require much. I did enjoy spending my income prior to grad school and I was satisfied.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Take note Jacob, this sounds like something I would enjoy. I have walked at sunset...in daylight...and in the morning---but never by moonlight.)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain (more of a drizzle probably)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I sure buy plenty though)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (nope, but I have had my name in the paper a few times. I was quoted for work sometimes.)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (soirt of...not the inside.)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (sort of. I had a bit of a settlement for my missed pay checks from Carousel back in the day.)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

I get 31. That is a bit pathetic. But I am what I am.

Picnic and a Movie

Jacob and I spent our first night together in the new home. Okay, that is probably a little deceptive. We did spend some time together in the new home, but not like we "spent the night."

We celebrated home ownership by having a picnic in the living room followed by a movie projected on the wall. And then after the movie we discussed plans for moving in and decorating and just had fun being in our own home.


And then we both went back to our apartments.

It will be fun to begin moving things in to the house and start putting it all together. I think we are slowly going to move car loads over and then we have a UHaul scheduled for Thursday to move the rest of the bigger items. Should be a fun, busy week.

And in case anyone is concerned, those are bottles of root beer in the picture...nothing sketchy I swear.

Closing Day

I spent the morning with Jacob and a room full of Realtors and bankers.

Yep, that's right. The house is officially ours. We immediately went over after the signing to walk through it as our own. It was a little weird, I'm not gonna lie. Weird, but good. With the house all empty I really started thinking about how to decorate and paint and where to put things.

Well, really it's more about Jacob moving in as I won't really be joining him until July.

But it is exciting just the same. So, again, if any of you have decorating tips just you let me know.

Re-Easter

I've been meaning to post about this for days but haven't made the time to do it. So even though I should be spending this 5 minutes productively at work I am going to share the happenings from our Sunday "Re-Easter" dinner.

That's right, my friends and I had second Easter. There were official invitations and everything. Everyone contributed something to the day and, let me tell you, we had a feast. It was so good! I ate so much. We also had an Easter egg hunt featuring the Easter story of Christ's Resurrection. It was a really good time.

We also had a Pente Tournament with poster board double elimination brackets and all. There were 10 of us there and the tournament was pretty intense. And though I was concerned about losing based on the recent history of loses to Jacob, I was triumphant. I finished in the number one slot. Yep, I was the only one to not lose one single game. I am proud. I am also a little sad I don't have any pictures to document the feast and other activities.

So, to all that contributed, thanks for a good Re-Easter celebration!

Cry Myself to Sleep

I just finished playing some games with Jacob. I lost every single one. (This does not bode well for the upcoming pente tournament). I told Jacob I was going to cry myself to sleep tonight because of all the losing. I really dislike losing.

But oddly enough, I am not at all in the mood to shed tears. Quite the opposite in fact. I am so happy. I can't stop smiling thinking of him laughing at my pathetic loses. I would lose to him every game we played, if I had to, just to spend time with him. (I'm glad I can win one occasionally though). And I know I am sappy but I can't help it. I love Jacob. My least favorite time of the day is when we return to our respective homes to retire for the evening. I don't know how I am going to manage 69 more days of it.

Okay, of course I will be fine, but I don't like it.

I'm also not sure when I turned into such a cheese ball or became so dramatic. I guess being engaged has changed me in more ways than I expected.

A Trip to Utah

I just wanted to give a little update on my trip to Utah.

First things first, I am so glad we flew. It would have been a nightmare driving and I would have been really tired. I was tired enough with only spending an hour on the plane.

Second. I already miss my family. Those nieces and nephews of mine are too adorable. I guess I also miss my siblings and parents. I sometimes forget just how funny my family is. Seriously. We Carters are a good time. I think maybe the highlight was introducing a few new-comers to "the candy game." It's a game we used to play when we were much, much younger but it turns out it is still fun even for folks in their 20s and 30s. Maybe it was fun because we are in our 20s and 30s

Third. It was really good to spend some time with some of the cousins and other extended family at the Easter party. While I do like keeping in touch with you all through blogs and such, it was much more fun to see you all in person.

Fourth. I found a wedding dress and hired a photographer. I am so pleased to have those things that were hanging over me taken care of. And I must admit, the dress is lovely. I'm debating if I want people to know what it looks like or not. I could link to the website of the place that sells it but I'm not sure I want you all to see it on a model that is half my size. I also have some pictures of me trying it on but they aren't the best. So...I think you all will have to live in suspense (you know you are) and just see it when I wear it on June 26th.

And Fifth. I was very pleased that Jacob got to meet the rest of my family. It was also very enjoyable watching him interact with my nieces and nephews. I do love that Jacob!

Happy Easter!

Promptings at 4:30 AM

Okay, so I'm not really sure if I can call what happened this morning "promptings" but it was something.

Jacob and I were planning on driving to Utah this weekend to spend some time with my family and work on some wedding arrangements. We had been discussing driving conditions and weather forecasts before I headed to sleep last night and apparently it all was fresh on my mind when I woke at 4:30 am. And when I say woke I mean wide eyed, brain racing, no chance of sleeping again, woke. I was restless and could not get the thought out of my head that driving would be a poor idea. Again, not sure if promptings or delusions of a semi-conscious state of mind is the more appropriate way to describe any thoughts that may be happening at 4:30 am. Regardless...it was unsettling and I could not get back to sleep.

So, since I was wide awake, I decided I would turn on the lap top and check into flights. I was pleased to find some pretty decent deals for last minute arrangements. I made the decision to call Jacob first thing before heading to work. (He should be thrilled I didn't call him at 5:30 like I so wanted to.) As I had settled on the thought of flying I was finally able to fall back asleep...at least for about a half hour before I had to get up and get going for work.

I am pleased to report that Jacob and I decided to fly. And I am ecstatic that we will not have to worry about terrible road conditions in Wyoming. (I distinctly remember a trip to visit Shannon in Cheyenne one April that was the worst driving experience ever. And I wasn't even driving.) And I am also very pleased we will get to spend a little more time with my family and a lot less time actually traveling.

And did I mention the peace of mind. Yeah, totally worth every penny.

Positive and Negative Consequences

I am sad to report that I will no longer be giving my business to the local ice cream parlor called Walrus.

Yesterday afternoon I got an ice cream craving and convinced a couple of co-workers that we should walk a bit down the street to Walrus Ice Cream shop. We do this from time to time. Enough that the owner of the store knows us. Which also means that I think he has gotten used to my need to sample before committing to one flavor.

Now, I have gotten the impression before that he is a little put out when I ask to sample two or three flavors before buying, but yesterday he was down right rude.

The story goes like this...though it is extremely hard to convey the attitude and rudeness that accompanied these words. Trust me, it was no good.

I walk in and ask to sample the german chocolate cake flavor. He gives me that sample. He then gives a co-worker a sample of the same ice cream. I then ask if I can sample the chocolate white chocolate chip ice cream. The guy looks at me and says..."It's just chocolate ice cream. I could give you a sample of the chocolate ice cream and it would be the same." Bare in mind this was said FULL of attitude. So I respond rather awkwardly "never mind then?" He then proceeds to explain again it's just chocolate ice cream with white chocolate chips in it. I again say okay and never mind, all the while feeling a little more stupid. He then turns to fill my coworkers order and I stand there feeling 3 feet tall.

I turned to my other coworker and ask if it was just me or if that was really poor customer service. She assured me he was very rude. As we are discussing the rudeness I decide I am no longer in the mood for ice cream and step away from the counter.

He fills the last order of my co-worker's and as we are about to leave he tries to hand me a sample of the ice cream I had previously asked for. I told him I was fine but he forced it on me. I ate it and walked out of the shop never to return again.

Now, I do not consider myself to be a stupid person. I knew when I was asking for the second sample what flavor of ice cream I would be tasting. I wanted to know how the white chocolate chips were in the chocolate ice cream. I have very specific guidelines about my ice cream and needed to know if that flavor combination and texture combo would meet those criteria. Do not make me feel stupid!

So game over to you Walrus.

On the plus side, I will save many a calorie by forgoing my Walrus ice cream addiction. :)