#224: Gilmore Girls Marathon

Today I had an all day marathon of watching Gilmore Girls! It was fabulous. I went over to Becky's house, and Heather joined us, and we just spent the entire day lounging around and being lazy. Shirking responsibility is so nice every once in a while!

I also took this photos when they weren't really paying attention. Fun times.

Couldn't think of anything to capture this week

I didn't have any pictures taken for Sept 27th through the 29th. Not sure why,  but I just couldn't think of anything to take a picture of those days.

#223: Something's Wrong with my Taste bud!

For some odd reason my taste bud was enlarged. Ouch!

(You probably can't see it. I just wanted to take a picture anyway)

#222: Breakfast with Friends, Lunch with Friends

Today was a fabulous day! I went to Bloomington and spent the morning with two of my very good friends, Krisitin and Jenna. We ate breakfast together and just got to chat and catch up. It was lovely!

And then, after a yummy breakfast, I went to another friends house and got to spend the afternoon with Katie and Jessica. It was really nice to get to catch up with everyone and to spend the day with great company!

Unfortunately I only managed to take pictures of the food I was making; Stuffed Shells. And even more unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the end result, only some of the ingredients. 

Too hungry to snap a photo? Perhaps.

#221: My favorite drinking companion

I love this water bottle thing. It's just so perfect. I got it when we went to Colorado, and it has definitely gotten it's money worth (which was about 3 bucks, so it really got it's money worth the first day I used it). I take this thing every where with me. It's so handy. I love it. I love water.

Now I'm thirsty!

#220: Fluff

Today I had to make a stop at Walmart to get the stuff to make my favorite dessert. I like to think it's really good for me because there is fruit in it. So...it's not really dessert. It's more like a really healthy meal.

What's in it:

*Cool whip
*Cottage Cheese
*Jello
*Any type of fruit you want

Mmmm! It's so delicious!

#219: New Wallet

I talked Kristin into getting a new wallet to match her new purse, and then....I got her old wallet! This wallet was actually the inspiration for the kitchen. I saw this color and I just thought it would look so good on my walls. And...it does! I love the color of my kitchen. And I love my new wallet!

(Or am I just borrowing it? I am not sure now...)

#218: New Brakes

Today I got to help Phil replace the brakes on the car. It was actually fun for me. I just really like when I get to help him do things. And even though it was a much more difficult task (only because the bolts were on so tight that even the mechanic we ended up taking the car to had to use an electric socket thing to get it off), it was still fun getting to work on the car with Phil.

#217: Hudson Taylor

I have been reading the autobiography of Hudson Taylor. It is such an amazing story. His faith and his love for God and the Chinese people is just phenomenal. He had such faith that the Lord would provide for him every step of the way. And He did. In everything, God provided for him. Even when it seemed like his prayers weren't being answered and the Lord was not answering his desperate pleas for help, God had a plan for Hudson Taylor. It usually works that way though. How we think God should do it is not usually how God does it. He knows what He's doing. We just have to follow Him and have faith that He will not abandon us. Because He never does.

#216: So long coffee....

I have recently given up my coffee addiction. Lately I just have no desire for it, no taste for it. I know, it sounds completely crazy. But it's totally true. The last few weeks I've been making my morning coffee, but only drinking one cup of it. And these past few days...I've barely gotten down half a cup. Bizarre, I know.

But...there is a bright side to this story! Kenyan Chai!

Heather just got back from Kenya, and while there I begged her to bring me back some Kenyan Chai. She came through in my hour of need, and here is my giant bag of tea! This stuff is the best! It's amazing. I have traded in my coffee addiction for this chai addition. At least there is barely any caffeine in this beverage!

Mmmm....it's so delicious!

#215: Reminiscing on my walk

I went for a walk around town today, and just sort of reminisced about living in Lincoln in the years past. This Angel's Haven was where Heather actually lived for a time. I remember when she first moved there. It was such a cute apartment! She even had 3 roommates one summer...which, if I remember correctly, was a bit hectic. This place is for sale now.
Lincoln was the first place I ever lived on my own. It carries some great monumental moments, some incredible milestones. As much as I loathe this place a times (mainly because I'm stuck here alone), it really does have some great memories.

#214: Garage Sale

This weekend is the big garage sale at the Crocker's. It was actually fun setting up and getting to be there. Luckily I had the day off and I was able to help out. We had a mass of people show up about 15 minutes before we were "open". Unfortunately we weren't quite done setting up and pricing things. That was quite frustrating. But in the end, Phil and I made about $100, which is totally awesome!

#213: Mmm...limes and lemons

As with the tea, I have been on a lime and lemon kick lately. It just tastes so delicious in my water! I can't get enough of it. Which is a good thing, because now I am drink a lot more water than I used to. Hurray for tasty fruit!

#212: I don't get paid enough to do this...

The drain behind the toilet started overflowing with water and feces. It was disgusting. It was horrendous. Words cannot even describe I utterly terrible and nasty it was. Apparently we are not allowed to call maintenance or housekeeping or whatever to come clean it up. If it's in the store, it's our responsibility. Uhh...excuse me?! I am not cleaning up human waste. That wasn't on the job description.
Besides, all I had was one of those squeegee mops and some paper towels. As you can see, the paper towels weren't really doing the trick.
I called maintenance anyway. They tried saying they couldn't do anything about it. But after I turned on the water works (and I don't mean the bathroom sink), they took care of it for me.
Yuck! It was so disgusting. I wanted to quit right then and there.

#211: Tea Kick

For some reason, I've been on this tea kick lately. I just love the stuff! I tried this island mango and peach tea...FABULOUS! It just smells so yummy! And the tea bags are really cool too. By far one of my favorites!

#210: Goodbye Sunscreen, Hello Warm Clothes

Is it just me, or is it definitely feeling like fall lately? I had to get out my tub of warm clothes, which I was not too thrilled about. It's only September. I don't think it should start getting chilly until November or December. I am just not a fan of cold weather, so I really wish it would stay away as long as possible.

#209: A visit

Today Phil's parents came to visit. It's always nice when they are able to come for a day. As we pulled up to the hotel where they were staying, we noticed 3 giant hot air balloons about to take off. They were literally right behind the hotel. The manager on duty said she was nervous they would hit the building. They didn't.
I wish my phone camera was a little bit better, because the pictures don't do it any justice. The balloons were literally just hundreds of feet away from us. They were so close.

And of course, they were carrying the American flag. After all, today is the anniversary of 9/11.

On a side note: I totally want to ride in a hot air balloon someday!

#208: Homemade Horseshoes

After we got back from Indiana tonight, Phil and I were both really hungry. We decided what we really wanted was some buffalo chicken horseshoes! Mmmm! So we went to the store and grabbed the ingredients.
I made some amazing cheese sauce using velveeta and rotel and it totally made the horseshoe!

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the end result. But let me tell you, it looked as amazing as it tasted!

#207: Moving my Grandma

After work, Phil and I helped my Grandma move to Indiana. We finally made it there around 4am. It was quite the ordeal. Especially when the fog got so thick that I literally couldn't see anything in front of me. Thank God it was 4 am and nobody else was on the road, because I definitely drove through a stop sign I couldn't see until I was right next to it.
But we all survived!

Also... today is Tim's birthday!

#206: What to do with my free time...

Today I was told not to come to work. Something about payroll needing to be cut (which Phil insists is just one of their tricky techniques of cutting my hours before they let me go. Business men.).

Needless to say, I was quite ecstatic. A day to myself?! Don't mind if I do!

I took this opportunity to do a little cooking. Phil doesn't like pasta, so I can never make it for us. But Phil is not home today, and I want pasta! So pasta it is!
Of course, pasta didn't take up my entire day. I also indulged in one of my favorite tv shows, listened to some music and danced around the apartment, spied on the new neighbors moving in, washed some dishes, obsessed over my fertility chart online (maybe a post to come at a later date explaining that one...), and laid around in bed. It has been a fabulous surprise day at home!!

Oh, and here is my pasta!

 Yummy vegetables I got from my mom's garden (yes, she gave them to me!)

 A watched pot never boils (actually, it's already boiling. Hence the noodles being in there)

 Pasta sauce with veggies

The end result! Just as fabulous as I thought it would be ;-)

(You're totally missing out, Phil!)

#205: Nails

Lately I've been feeling quite girly. Chalk it up to my quarter life crisis, I guess. Who really knows how these things work. But my girly-ness has been showing itself in my sudden need to have painted finger/toenails. It's very strange, because I have always been against painting my nails. I thought it made me look funny. No...it just makes me look...well, like a girl.

#204: CHEEEESE!!

For whatever reason I was totally craving cheese today! I thought what better way to satisfy this craving than to eat a really ooey gooey cheesey grilled cheese (or as my lovely real life missionary friend likes to call them "cheese toasty"). So my mom made me one :-) I miss those days when my mom would make me food!

It was delicious. Just what I wanted. Totally satisfying!

#203: Wake up Puppies!!

Nolan had a blast playing with the puppies. Especially when they were trying to sleep. He thought it was the funniest thing to mess with them while they were sleeping under the table. And ya know what...it was pretty funny!

#202: Amtrak

I have a curse. It's the curse of the train. For whatever reason, it seems like every time I am on the train, something happens and we never arrive to our destination until hours late. Today I took the train to my mom's because I promised to babysit Nolan for their anniversary.
Almost to Joliet, the train stopped. Apparently the railroad crossing was malfunctioning. I thought for sure we would be stuck for awhile. Fortunately though, the conductor just got out and did something or other and we were on our way within 5 minutes. Fastest delay yet!!

#201: Bridesmaids

My new all time favorite movie is Bridesmaids. Phil and I saw it on our anniversary and we just thought it was the most hilarious thing we had ever seen! Unfortunately the movie doesn't come out on video until later this month. FORTUNATELY, we have ways of getting movies before that ;-)

I just love this movie so much. I think I could watch it every day. Today my friends and I were really excited about watching it together. Okay, only me and my real life missionary friend were excited. The other two could really care less (or maybe they couldn't care less? I don't know how that saying goes...). We hyped up the movie, quoting it every couple of months and just going on and on about how awesome it was. When it was finally time to watch it....it didn't work. Apparently it will only play in the PlayStation, which none of my friends had. We watched 27 Dresses instead. What a let done.

But later the night was redeemed when we invited everyone to my house to watch it! And it didn't disappoint!

#200: Angry Birds

I've heard a lot of hoopla about Angry Birds. I never really understood all of the hype. But whatever. There are a lot of things I don't understand. Well today I saw this in the mall. Angry Birds paraphernalia galore. I was actually pretty annoyed. Who is going to want this stuff? Apparently nobody because it looked like not a single item had been purchased.

Uhhh...what will they come up with next?!

#199: Running...

Today Phil and I went running. It was quite the ordeal. I was both excited and devastated. If you know me, you know that I absolutely loathe running. But Phil insisted (maybe he's secretly trying to tell me something. hmmm...), and running we went. I was a bit excited because I have been wanting to work out lately, but I just lack motivation. Now if I have someone to give me that extra little push, I can totally do it.
We shall see how this progresses.