We're going to a formal!

I'm so excited; Dan and I are going to go to the College of Engineering's Winter Formal tonight. We haven't been to a dance together (other than our wedding) for ages. It should be super fun; I love getting all dressed up. It's at the Best Western Inn on the Square, which is a pretty nice place. So I'm glad we are actually going out for a night on the town.

We'll post pictures (I promise!)

Sorry about being late on pictures!

I know I said that we'd post photos of our Thanksgiving, but for some reason, we just keep forgetting. So I promise we'll pose some tomorrow! Hopefully by then, we'll have our tree ALL decorated and ALL of our Christmas lights up, so we can take pictures of those too, for those of you who don't get to see our house during the holiday season.

By the way, did anyone watch The Office tonight? It was a rerun, due to the writers' strike, but it was hilarious, nonetheless. So was My Name Is Earl. Dan and I love both of those shows, and 30 Rock was pretty entertaining as well. And, of course, I love Scrubs. I rarely laugh out loud during TV shows, but I definitely do when I'm watching these. We just ordered pizza for dinner; we rarely feel like cooking on Thursday nights. So we just relaxed, had a few Spotted Cows (yay for Wisconsin beer!) and ate our pizza as we watched the best shows ever :)

Equilibrium

Dan and I watched a really interesting movie last night called Equilibrium. It starred Christian Bale and Taye Diggs (both of whom I absolutely love), and it was a really interesting, futuristic film. It was based on the premise that man's inhumanity to man was caused by people's ability to feel, so people such as Bale and Diggs were employed by the government to get rid of anyone who didn't take their "interval" (a drug designed to keep them from feeling). But then Bale doesn't take his interval and begins to feel and truly experience life, so he then begins to question everything he's ever believed.

It's really good; check it out!

A New Layout

Well, as you can see, I transitioned into the more Christmas-y layout. I know it's not quite December yet, but that's ok; I absolutely LOVE the holidays. There are so many cute Christmas layouts that I'll probably be changing it every week or so. Yes, I really have nothing better to do :)

Ugh, I need to edit better

And yes, I am an editor! :) I was just reading through some of the posts, and I saw that I used "their" when I should have used "they're." Ick; that's my pet peeve, and now I did it myself! :) Oops. Guess I'll have to be more careful in the future.

Anyway, Dan and I are going to update with pictures of our Thanksgiving holiday tonight! So check back in if you're curious!

A Public Service Announcement

Please, people. I ask very little from you; I just have the following requests:

• Use your turn signal! It's not hard, I promise! It's a handy little gadget right by your steering wheel, and it allows other cars to see that you are turning. Need help finding it? Email me, and I'll assist you.
• Do NOT pull out in front of me when I am the only car coming. I understand if there's a long, long line of traffic, sometimes you just have to seize the chance when you can, but when I am the only car coming, you really can wait two seconds for me to pass. There's no need to pull out in front of me, making me slam on my breaks and yell a string of curse words that a feminine person such as myself really shouldn't utter.
• When we're in line at the store, please do not stand so close to me that I can feel your breath on my neck. I promise, no one is going to cut in front of you in the 18 inch space that is available between us, so you can back off a little.

There, can you tell I had a rather frustrating time as I was running errands last night? :)

On the bright side, I finished up our Christmas shopping for our angel tree/giving tree (I never know what to call it) boy. On his card, it said that he liked Sesame Street and learning toys, so I got him this adorable book called Global Grover Travels All Over (because really, if a book isn't a learning toy, what is?) I also got him a cute Sesame Street coloring and sticker book. So he's all set! (When we were shopping this past weekend, we got him diapers, two shirts and two pants, and a toy dump truck, because Dan said he had it on very good authority that dump trucks are THE ultimate toy for a two year old boy). I just wish we could see his face on Christmas morning. I'm such a cheeseball, but I love, love, LOVE helping others!

Also, for those of you in Madison, the Big Lots on East Wash is closing, and everything is discounted 20%. Normally, I don't like a lot of their stuff, because it looks kind of cheap. But they have the same toys, etc. that Target does for a lot less (you can get Barbies for $8.00). So I think I'm going to go back and get a few for Toys for Tots. So, if anyone is looking for cheap but high-quality toys to give to those less fortunate this season, this would be a good place to go!

Uggh. Back to Work

Ok, I like my job, I really do. But it is SO HARD to go back to work after a wonderful four days off! I'm just sitting here, looking at the clock (10 am), thinking, I should still be sleeping now :) Oh well. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Well, Dan and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! We headed to Tracy and Dan's around 1 o'clock, bringing our Chex Mix, Muddy Buddies (chex with peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar; yum!) and deviled eggs. Dinner was served at 2, and it was, as always, delicious.. We had the usuals of turkey, gravy, stuffing, crescent rolls, and my grandma Eleanore's baked corn dish (I was sooo excited about that).

Then we just relaxed and watched Ratatouille, which was actually very good. (Plus, Dan and I liked it because it reminded us of Paris). Afterwards, Dan H., Kirsti and I decided to play Monopoly, and I was a regular Donald Trump, if I do say so myself :) I was raking in the goods, but we had to stop for the night at 2 am, because we were too tired to go on.m

When I came over the next day, I found my empire had been destroyed by a little imp named Rori (ok, it wasn't destroyed; she was just trying to help by putting everything away, ha ha). So we started a new game before we went to see Beowulf. I was surprised by how much I liked this movie; Dan was the one really pushing for it, but I was pleasantly surprised that I found it so enjoyable. (Plus, we saw it in 3d, which was AWESOME!)

Then we came back to Dan and Tracy's and continued our Monopoly game, and sadly (for me, anyway) it didn't go the same way as the game the night before had. We jokingly called Dan H. Old Man Potter, because he was just raking in the dough. It was a lot of fun, though!

Saturday, Dan and I started our Christmas shopping and put up our Christmas tree, and Sunday, we went to the TRU Tavern in Cambridge to celebrate my grandma's birthday, and that was also a lot of fun.

Well, I'll update with pictures later!

I am thankful for...

Well, with Thanksgiving almost here, I thought it would be nice to remember the things that we are thankful for this season. I have a whole list, but I'll try to keep it short:

• MY FAMILY! I know this sounds trite, and this is what everyone would say, but it's so true!
  
• Dan :) I am so incredibly blessed to have found my soul mate at 18, and even luckier to be married to him now.
  
• I am so grateful that I have parents that I am still incredibly close to, even after I'm all "grown up." I'm so lucky that my mom truly is one of my best friends
  
• I'm so lucky that I have a brother with whom I never experienced any sibling rivalry; we've always been the best of friends
• I'm grateful for my many wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
  
• I'm grateful that Tracy and Dan are more than our aunt and uncle; they're also our very dear friends
  
• Of course, Dan & I adore our wonderful goddaughter, Rori, as well as Kirsti. It's so wonderful having "kids" we can spoil!
• I also LOVE my sister-in-law and her husband; they are two of the most caring people we know, and I'm glad to have them as family. I'm also SO lucky to not have the stereotypical mother-in-law problems; my mother-in-law is amazing!
  
• Our health. I am so glad that our entire family is so healthy. Sure, we may have a few issues here and there (I wish Dan didn't have asthma; I wish Tracy didn't have ITP), but for the most part, we are an incredibly healthy family!
• Our home.
  
• Our jobs (that allow us to live in said home). Plus, I actually really like and am fulfilled by my job, so that's a plus!
  
• Our freedom
• Maxine :) I know she's "just" a cat, but she brings so much happiness to us!

Really, I am truly blessed. The only thing I really have to be upset about is the fact that we lost my grandpa on November 10, although this is obviously a huge thing. I still get so sad to think that he's not going to be up at the cabin anymore, waiting to greet us each summer, but at the same time, I know he's with my grandma Eleanore again, so I'm thankful for that. I just wish they were together, here. But even in the face of sadness, I realize that I'm lucky that he lived so long, so healthfully, and although I never got to meet my grandma, I'm thankful for all the wonderful stories about her (as well as her name) that was passed on to me.

So it really is a joyous season, and we are all so blessed.

Help End Hunger!

This is pretty neat. For each word you get right, Free Rice will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations to help end world hunger. I got 20 words right, so 200 grains are going to people in need. It doesn't sound like a lot individually, but it all adds up. Think about it; if just 100 people got 20 words right, that's 20,000 grains. Wow!

And luckily, a lot more than 100 people have been doing this. Since October 7, 2007, 3,059,177,080 grains have been sent to people in need. Let's remember in this time of Thanksgiving that there are others who are not so fortunate. Please do this one incredibly simple thing to benefit those in need. (Plus, you'll expand your vocabulary; who wouldn't want to do that?)

I am so excited!!!

This past January, Tracy, Dan, Dan and I went to go see Jesus Christ Superstar in Milwaukee with the Ted Neeley. Yes, I actually saw the star of the 1973 hit motion picture (and my favorite musical ever) perform live. (And my mom saw him in SLC and said he was just as wonderful there.)

Well, Tracy just told me a couple days ago that the tour has been extended! It technically was supposed to end in May of 2007, but it's still going strong. So, today I looked it up, and they will be in Wisconsin twice. Yes, twice! They'll be in Whitewater in February and Milwaukee in April. Naturally, I'll be going to both :) And who knows, maybe I'll also take in the Waukegan show as well (you can never get enough of JCS). So, I'm very excited, and I can't wait until the tickets go on sale!

I don't think Maxine is very happy with us

Today, I was in Target, and as always, I walked past the dollar aisle by the entrance. Well, lo and behold, there were Christmas/holidays pet t-shirts for TWO DOLLARS. So, yep, you guessed right. I bought a cute holiday t-shirt that says Mrs. Paws (instead of Mrs. Claus, haha) for my cat (don't worry; I'll stop dressing her up, um, when I have human children :)). So, we got it on her for photos, but somehow, I don't think she was very happy. I don't know what gave it away.... maybe her expression?Today, I was in Target, and as always, I walked past the dollar aisle by the entrance. Well, lo and behold, there were Christmas/holidays pet t-shirts for TWO DOLLARS. So, yep, you guessed right. I bought a cute holiday t-shirt that says Mrs. Paws (instead of Mrs. Claus, haha) for my cat (don't worry; I'll stop dressing her up, um, when I have human children :)). So, we got it on her for photos, but somehow, I don't think she was very happy. I don't know what gave it away.... maybe her expression? The second picture of her is my favorite, haha.






Here are some of her looking "normal" and rather content:

Thanksgiving is almost here!

Dan and I are really looking to Thanksgiving, and luckily, it's only a couple days away! We're going to go to Tracy and Dan's, which is always fun. They make amazing food, and we usually watch a movie and just hang out. It's a lot of fun! I'm also glad that I get both Thursday and Friday off work; it'll be nice to have a couple of days off.

We'll probably go see Fred Claus over the weekend, which I am really looking forward to. I love any and all Christmas movies, no matter how technically "good" they are. Christmas with the Cranks (or is it Christmas with the Kranks?), How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone.... it doesn't matter. If it involves Christmas, I'm set :)

So we're looking forward to a fun Thanksgiving weekend (although we miss our parents, siblings, and other family members that aren't in the area). What is everyone else up to?

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Well, Dan and I took Kirsti and Rori to see this movie yesterday, and we were both surprised by how much we liked it! It was very visually appealing, and I loved the subtle reminder to always, no matter how old you are, believe in magic. This one would be a great one to see over the Thanksgiving weekend, as you get ready for the Christmas season!

We also saw American Gangster on Saturday, with Dan's friend, Dave, and while it was very well-made (and Denzel Washington was amazing, as usual), it was a little too violent (and long) for my tastes.

Next up, Dan wants to see Beowulf, so that's what we're doing this Wednesday night, since we don't have to work on Thanksgiving. I'm sure he'll love it.... me? I'm not so sure :) But we'll see!