Our photo wall

A few weeks ago I was watching one of my guilty pleasure shows, Tori and Dean, and I saw this really neat idea for something to do in our house. Dean surprised Tori with a memory wall, filled with black and white photos in black picture frames. I loved how it looked, and thought it would look fantastic on our single painted dining room wall.

Yesterday I headed to Marshalls on a search to find all shapes and sizes of black frames to use on the wall. I walked out with a little over 15 frames for a great deal (duh, it's Marshalls) and hung them up last night. No pictures are in them yet, but since now I know the layouts and sizes, I can get printing once we get back from Ohio.

My thought is to make all but the 'center' picture black and white, but I'm not sure if that will make everything look washed out. Maybe I'll do a mix of color and black and white. What's awesome about this whole project is that it's so easy to put up. You hang them on different levels, grouped and spread out, and just have fun. And it's easy to add to, because you have no strict ends. My plan is to add to them over the months or years... as new things happen to us.

Here are some pictures of what it looks like with store provided pictures:

Nice crisp colors

View from the side

Closer up

View from the other side

I love it :) And it's going to look even better with our pictures in them!

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am all smiles right now! I finally got the Mr.'s last present all set up and purchased this morning. I was really beginning to think I had waited too long, but someone up above was pulling for me. :) I 'hate' that the Mr. reads this blog, because now I can't post what I've done... But it's ok, you all will find out shortly.

Come to think of it, I may have another trick up my sleeve :) Muahahaha!

Happy (early) Anniversary to the Mr.

My goal all along was to buy the Mr. a golf club for his big anniversary present. When the Mr.'s friend came to visit a few months ago, he fell in love with the hybrid clubs his friend bought. He had originally mentioned he would probably want a 3 hybrid, because his irons stop at four. OK, cool. I started to do sneaky research, finding out what clubs he currently had, what his handicap is (to decide flex or stiff), swing speed, flight path of the ball, and so much more.

I finally came to the conclusion that there was no feasible way of me picking out the right club for him. So much to my chagrin, I thought of another plan. A couple weeks ago I presented him with a fabulously wrapped present. Inside was a big, goofy, plastic golf club. When he opened it, he was a bit confused... obviously. At that point I recommended that we go upgrade to a better club.

We headed off to a local sporting goods store, where he was able to swing all the hybrid rescue clubs. He hit most of them really well (punk) and finally decided on the Taylor Made Rescue TP. I am so glad I didn't buy the one he originally mentioned, because he ended up choosing a 2 hybrid, and a lower degree.

The club came in last week, and on Sunday I took him to the driving range to test the new baby out. He of course hit it like he's been hitting it for years (punk), and I think he likes it. The reason I gave it to him so early was because he has a golf tournament at work near the end of September, and I wanted him to get used to it before he took it out on a course. Stupid me thought it would take more than 20 minutes... Oh well ;)

Here are some pictures I found online of the club. Next time I take him to the driving range, I'll snap some photos so you can see it in action.

Ooooh.... Ahhhhh...

Shiny

Pretty snazzy

I'm still working on his anniversary present, part two... Things are not looking good :(

Chop, chop, snip, snip

And there goes a few inches of my hair! It had been about two months since I got my last major haircut, and I was dying to get a cleanup. It had grown out about three inches in those two months, so we know my hair is healthy! :)

It's back to the chin-length bob from before, and I love it. I was actually commenting to my awesome hairstylist that last time she was cutting off my hair, I was wondering "what is she doing?!?!?!". This time I was thinking "thank goodness it's getting chopped off again!". Funny how times change things.

Today I finally thought of something else to get the Mr. for our anniversary. I am really worried because I think I may have waited too long to act on it... Keep your fingers (and toes) crossed that it works out!

Happy Monday, all.

My name is Mrs. Foot, and I like to buy things

I wasn't planning on spending money this weekend, other than on a round at the driving range and groceries. Whoops.

With the move this past week, I realized I only had one pair of comfortable and supportive flip flops left. Seeing as how I wear flip flops daily from May until October, this didn't seem so good. I went to DSW first (of course) and was amazingly disappointed in their lack of selection. I did find two other pairs of shoes I fell in love with, but at least I didn't buy those! I then tried out Zappos (gotta love free shipping!), and found two pairs of Reef flip flops that were perfect for my needs. That was $46 right there.

Then I found out that Old Navy was having a sale, where all ladies denim was $12. I mean, c'mon... jeans for $12?! I wear jeans pretty much every day to work, so having four pairs hardly seems excessive. (To put it into perspective, the Mr. has at least eight pairs!) So I bought three pairs, totaling a little over $40 with shipping.

We also needed to buy some wedding presents for a wedding next month, so that was another $60ish. And of course you can't walk out of Target with nothing for yourself, so we bought some toilet paper, new kitchen utensils, a utensil holder, and some plastic bowls for the Mr. to bring to work.

Stupid online shopping making itself readily available to me. And stupid me for not having self control ;)

The Mr. is getting interviewed

A couple weeks ago the Mr. got an email from a recruiter for a rather large company. He'd been keeping an eye open for a new position since he isn't feeling challenged at work. Not to mention one of the major reasons he was staying- his boss- is no longer there. So this almost seemed like a sign.

He read the position description and was immediately interested. We brushed up his resume, did a little research on the company, and he decided to apply for the position. Days later he heard back from the recruiter saying that the hiring manager is interested in his background, so she was requesting a phone interview.

He had that interview yesterday, where the recruiter asked fairly basic questions about career interests, salary requirements etc, and she asked when he could come in for an interview!!!! We're not exactly sure when that interview will be, but we are thinking sometime this coming week. I am so excited! (Oh yeah, and so is he.)

Not only would he be starting a new position that really interests him, he'd (most likely) get a raise, and his commute would be a fraction of his current commute. We're talking single digits here, people!

This is such an exciting time, I can barely contain it. I'll keep everyone up to date. :)

A story about Macintosh

A couple months ago the Mr. and I decided to 'treat' ourselves to some Chick-Fil-A. It had been a loooong time since we had their deliciously moist chicken and the Mr. had a craving, so who was I to say no? In addition to their deliciously moist chicken, they also serve scrumptiously crispy waffle fries. Those may be my favorite part, since they are different from any other fries I've ever made, ordered or eaten.

We go to pick up the deliciously moist chicken and scrumptiously crispy waffle fries, and come back to the house. We let the dogs out of their crate, as usual, and they do their happy butt wiggle. (They wiggle their butt because they have no tail to wag- it's a sight to see, really.) The Mr. ran upstairs to change into more comfortable lounging clothes, and I headed to the restroom to, well... duh.

Upon standing up, I must have knocked some of my scrumptiously crispy waffle fries onto the floor, but the dogs didn't notice at first. I turned around to tell them to "leave it" and noticed a few of them on the floor... about the same time Macintosh did. He started sniffing and quickly grabbed one up. Chomp, chomp, lips lick, chomp, chomp, burp.

By this point I'd already cleaned up the rest, much to his dismay, so he only got one. After the Mr. and I sat down to eat, Macintosh did his best puppy dog eyes in the hopes that we would grace him with another scrumptiously crispy waffle fry. Nope, no more. But now we joke anytime he stares at our food he is thinking "Is that one of those really good waffle fries?!?! Can I have one?!?!?!".

So imagine our surprise and laughter when we saw this on LOL dogs:

The end.

The week (or days) from hell are over

Pardon my French.

We got the entire lab moved over today, and unpacked 99% of the stuff. If you've never seen an office move, you'd be surprised at how much crap one group of people can accumulate. Add to that science apparatuses, and you've got even more. Centrifuges, gel docs, -80 freezers, deli refrigerators, etc. It took a loooong time. But the movers were great and had a great sense of humor.

But believe me, I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Not only is it Friday (woohoo), but I will also be going to a party at one of my girlfriend's houses. I missed her housewarming party, so I am glad to see her new digs. Other than that, I'm not doing much. A couple fantasy football drafts on Sunday, but nothing else major.

Yesterday the Mr. got a call from one of his cousins in Ohio asking if we wanted to come visit over Labor Day weekend. Apparently his brother (along with wife and kids) will be going up there at the same time, so it would be a nice little family get together. Unfortunately it was last minute, so we didn't really have time to plan or save... So the possibility of going somewhere or doing anything for anniversary has really flown out the window. But we haven't seen this group of his relatives since our wedding.

Not to mention Cedar Point is about two hours away from them, so maybe we could make a detour one day and go have fun. It's been so long since I tried out a new roller coaster, and Cedar Point has so many top ten coasters it would be a shame not to go!

August, September and October are shaping up to be reaaaally expensive. Thank goodness for good planning, I suppose.

I miss you

I'm just reminiscing today... And seeing as how most of my favorite pictures are from the wedding, I thought I'd share with you all...

I miss your smile, and uncanny ability to make me cry just using your eyes ;)

He misses you, too

But still not as much as me

21 minutes...

That is how long I was at my desk for today. Between 5:45am and 2:45pm... I don't know how people do it. I am pooped, my feet are *killing* me, and I just want to go to sleep.

Since my company is going through some consolidation and moving, we had to pack up our lab. Do you have any idea how much crap we had in that room?!?! Between reagents, pipettes and tips, tubes, tube holders, seals and blah-de-blah-de-blahs, we have at least 20 crates filled up so far. And we still have more to pack up!

What's cool is that everyone- my bosses included- got to see how incredibly organized and neat I am. Since I am the first one to get to work, I started off a system and everyone thought it was so good, that we are using it for the whole lab. It's kind of neat to see my superiors asking me if something is right, or what do I think. A girl could get used to that. ;)

Tomorrow we are finishing up the packing, and we move a whole 200 feet (to the building next door) on Thursday. Once they finish delivering everything, we unpack. So pack Tuesday and Wednesday, unpack Thursday. Fun!

I really (really) need to go the grocery store today, but the last thing I want to do is walk around more. My poor feet need a rest. And on a day like this, I just want someone to say:

Is that too much to ask? :)

I can see clearly now, we have HD TV

I can see all channels in great detail! ::whistle whistle::

I'm hoping someone caught the tune I was going for... but probably not. Dish Network finally decided to bring a 40 foot ladder, so they were able to install the satellite dish. Too bad they showed up outside of their window. BUT, they came and installed it, so that's what really matters.

The picture quality is amaaaazing. I think the greatest thing about upgrading is that we're only paying $1 more per month than before. Not a bad deal, no?

Bleeping Dish Network

Today we were scheduled to have HD installed on our TV. The window they set us up for was between 12 to 5pm. OK, fine. It's a Sunday and we don't have a lot to do, so we can do that. The guy for Dish Network comes during the prearranged time, gets out of his car, and starts looking at our roof. The Mr. goes out to talk to the guy, pointing out where our current satellite is installed.

Then the dude says, "I need a 40 foot ladder for this project". Yeah, OK. We knew he would, so when we signed up for the installation, we told them to make a note of it. So the Mr. asks, "Do you really not have one". Guess what the answer was... Nope! The bleeping bleeper came without the ladder, so no HD for us tonight.

The worst part is, this isn't the first time this has happened to us with Dish Network. Not even the second, or third, or even fourth. Yeah, this has happened to us FIVE times. FIVE! It's ridiculous. We have a three level townhouse, and we knew it would take a 40 foot ladder each time. Each time we've scheduled them to do any work, we tell them what they will need. Each time they "note it" in their system. And each time they seem to come without the required materials.

So now we're set up to get HD installed tomorrow. Hopefully they'll show up with the right equipment. If they don't, they'll be hearing from me. And they will be sorry they went to work.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

I surprised the Mr. with tickets to see The Dark Knight today. We just got back from it about 20 minutes ago, but I wanted to review it before I forgot my thoughts. And to answer your question, yes- I often forget my thoughts ;)

The title of this movie was dead on- it was a very dark movie. I'm actually really surprised it was only rated PG-13. I can assure you I wouldn't want my 13 year old child watching it. There wasn't necessarily a lot of blood (not much at all, actually), but it was still graphic. And also mentally taxing. It's hard to describe it exactly, but I originally called it gruesome without being bloody. So dark is a good word for it.

It was almost two and a half hours long, which seemed almost too long. I felt like they could have made an ending at ten different points... But as the Mr. said, "then it wouldn't have been as good". I suppose he's right.

The acting was phenomenal by all parties. When critics and reviews said this could be Heath Ledger's breakout role, they meant it. To me, he stole the show. Not to say Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal didn't do well- Ledger was just that good.

Comic book and super hero movies (still) aren't my thing, so this probably comes into play with my overall grade of the movie. I know the Mr. loved it, but he loves most movies ;) I'd probably give this movie four stars out of five. In addition to stellar acting, the plot provided good twists and turns. As always, the gadgets and technology is amazing. I do recommend seeing this in the theater, if possible, since so many of the scenes are action packed.

And yes, I realize I am the only person on this planet that would give it "only" four stars. But it's my blog, so there.

Happy birthday, Sarah!!

Today is my amazing sister's birthday. She's celebrating the big day (well, weekend really) up in Pennsylvania. All of us down here hope you have a fantastic time! And at the end of the day, we hope you'll be saying:

And be thankful you're not at this age, yet:

We love you! All the pups send birthday kisses and drools :)

My Dad is getting the internet!!

Tomorrow my Dad and step-mom will finally be joining the 23rd century ;) Yes, folks... They're getting the internet.

I don't know why this excites me so much. Maybe because then they can read my blog, even though my Dad asked "Do I want to know what you're doing??" when I told him about it. Yes, Dad... I'm not crazy. They can also send and check email after work hours, and just have it in case they need to look something up. Though he can probably navigate his way through the yellow (right, yellow?) pages better than anyone I know.

This just goes to show how different people are and what they want/need in their lives. Take the Mr. and me for example. I could probably go without TV at all, but the internet is like a lifeline for me. The Mr. is the exact opposite- he turns on the TV within ten minutes of getting home, and rarely touches his computer. I suppose my dad and step-mom just never had the need. How, I don't know... but I guess it's true :)

The Mr. and I will be getting them all set up on Saturday with a fancy schmancy cable modem and router combo. I figure having one piece of equipment is much easier than two. And simple is good.

Meet our newest addition- KAM

And by KAM, I mean a beautiful KitchenAid Mixer :) :) :) :)

You may remember my post about how hard I am to buy for. I had been scouring websites that give ideas for "presents for her", and got some good ideas. But then it dawned on me that I had been hoping for a stand mixer since before the wedding. Since they are insanely expensive, I didn't really expect one as a present... but I decided to check on craigslist for a cheaper option. It would be an awesome anniversary present, if I could find one that's not $300+.

Lucky for me I found one that was in great shape, so I sent the listing to my amazing hubby. He hopped right on it, and picked it up earlier this week. I know you're all on the edge of your seat for pictures, and rightfully so- she's a beauty...

Introducing, KAM: adopted on 8/11/2008, at 22 pounds and almost 14 inches long.

Isn't she beautiful??

She fits so perfectly into our household

Close up face shot, so you can see her gorgeous details

I think I am going to go bake some cookies...

Siblings and Birth Order: Does it Really Make a Difference?

As a scientist, I always found this theory interesting. As the youngest of four, I generally find it wrong ;) I have three siblings- two older brothers and one older sister. Just for ease of reading this article, I will refer to them as B1 (the oldest), B2 (younger of the two brothers), S1 (my sister, the third child) and S2 (me- the youngest).

First Born

Demonstrate high leadership and achievement traits- B1, B2, S1, S2
Seek the approval of others- B1, S2 and possibly S1??
Not deal well with criticism- I don't know about this one!
Try to be everything to everyone- B1, B2, S1, S2
Strive to please- B1, B2, S1, S2

Middle Children

The opposite of the first-born sibling- B1 and B2 are polar opposites
More sociable and have many friends- B1, S2 (maybe S1, too... but she likes to stay home a lot)
Mediators learning the art of negotiation and compromise- S1
Free-spirited, independent and sometimes rebellious- B1, B2, S1, S2

Last Born

Enjoy and seek the attention of others- B1
Develop an ability to place others in service- What??
Feel comfortable as the "baby"- B1, S2
Are often described as sociable, charming, loving, and open- B1, S1

So it appears we all act most like the first born... And my oldest brother acts most like the last born. I know a lot of this deals with how you were raised, and my parents didn't put up with crap. We may not have always tried our hardest from Kindergarten to senior year of college, but we all had our peaks. My sister and I had to study for hours to get our good grades, whereas my second brother could walk into a math exam and get a 100.

Maybe this theory will hold true to most, but in this family... it's pretty far off. At least the memories I have of my family!

2,000 views!!! Holy moly!

I don't believe it. 2,000 page views. It's just not true. I can't possibly have that many people interested in this blog... Can I?

Apparently I do. So thank you to my blog faithful, and I hope you never go anywhere. I realize not every day is exciting or picture filled, but I'll do my best to make it interesting! :)

Gymanastic and swimming and volleyball, oh my!!

The Mr. and I are soaking up the Olympics so far. We are recording every single event and watching most of them. Up to this point we've watched mostly volleyball, swimming and now gymnastics. I mean, how could you not follow the Phelps quest for eight gold medals?!?! (Insert sarcastic comment from my brother here...)

It's also really neat to hear all the stories from the Olympians. For example Cullen Jones, a swimmer for the US in the 4x100m freestyle relay, told his story about drowning his first time in the pool. In his words, "He spit up a pint of water before taking a breath". Wow. And to think that he came back and is now one of the fastest swimmers in the world. I've learned so many things about these men and women (and some kids, it seems), that I have a whole new respect for what they do.

Volleyball has proven to be incredible, with immense power and endurance. I can't even imagine having to jump that high over and over and over and over (and over) again. Just amazing. I'm impressed with both beach and indoor volleyball, since they both have their challenges.

Speaking of the Olympics, I'm off to watch some more. It's almost impossible to stay away from all the headlines saying "USA wins X or Y!!!!". So I need to make sure I don't get too far behind :)

Dog training completed

This morning we took Aspen to a local dog trainer that has had great success with larger dogs. We knew that it wasn't going to be a quick fix, but we were hoping it could provide some insight into future work. While she may not have actually addressed Aspen's barking and growling, we did work on desensitizing her to other dogs.

Normally when we're walking Aspen she goes crazy when another dog walks by. She tries to lunge at them, while growling the entire time. When you have an 80 pound dog, this won't fly. What the trainer said made perfect sense- it's a dominance issue that comes from being scared. While we were establishing our dominance over Aspen (most of the time), she still didn't believe us to be in control of other dogs. And since she has issues with self esteem and trust, she was taking it upon herself to protect herself.

After working on sit, down, and heel (which we already mastered), she taught us "look". This allows us to get eye contact with Aspen, which reinstates our dominance and control of the situation. It will really come in handy when she can do it all the time and we want her to stop fixating on an approaching dog.

We then brought Aspen into the front yard, where the trainer brought out her small dog (which gets Aspen going more than large dogs) to desensitize her. We did some walking back and forth, using "look" and "leave it" to keep her under control. Of course she went crazy a lot of the time, but the Mr. did a fantastic job of keeping her in line. After he worked with her for a bit, it was my turn. She was definitely getting tired with the heat and writhing, so she was starting to calm down and walk a bit better with another dog around.

She told us we were doing a great job with hand signals, commands, praise and walking- so it's not like we were being slackers. It's just her stubborn and over the top personality. Hopefully we can use this information and build on it. She also teaches a weekly obedience class on Sundays, so we will probably take both Macintosh and Aspen there to do some work. Overall, I would call the day a success. But still not a quick fix.

Lightning in slow motion

This video is really neat, so I thought I'd share.

I don't have much to report today since I slept in a bit (until 9am), showered, and just spent the last hour and a half making chicken salad. We're going to a work party for the Mr., so that should be a good time. There's a pool, so how bad could it possibly be? ;) Happy Saturday everyone! Enjoy the gorgeous 80 degree weather.

Recap of So You Think You Can Dance

The winner of season four SYTYCD (it's too long to type out, OK?!) was named last night, and the Mr. and I are thrilled by it. And not to mention the two hour finale is going to be tough to beat in coming years. It was action packed with favorite dances, judges (yes, judges!!) dancing, and an unforgettable popping battle between two of the best pop and lockers I've ever seen. If you haven't watched SYTYCD yet, shame on you. But at least I am nice enough to put some videos of my favorite dances on the blog, so you can enjoy some of the memories with us. Obviously you will need sound...

In no particular order:

I am going to resist going into any more detail on here in case someone out there reading this hasn't seen the finale yet. But you can bet money on the fact that I will post some more videos of dancing that happened during the finale.

I love my GPS

Yesterday on my way home from work traffic got incredibly backed up. I wasn't too surprised by this because a similar thing had happened every day this week. They are doing road work at the exit I need to take, and they have the right hand lane closed. Well, this causes a huge backup because a lot of people get over to take that exit, then have to move back out of that lane. Awesome, no?

My coworker who has a Garmin GPS told me about the "detour" function. If you put in your destination and hit detour, it will take you a different route- usually around the traffic. I was a bit skeptical at first so I call the Mr. to check and see what Google would say. Well, they matched perfectly.

I hit detour on my GPS and got home in around 50 minutes. The only reason it was longer than usual is that I had to sit on the interstate before getting off at the exit it was telling me to take. Without a doubt in my mind I know the detour was faster, because yesterday it took me that long to get home and the backups were only 2-3 miles. It saved me at least an hour of commute time. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love my GPS. (And my hubby rocks, too, for verifying the route.)

The end.

Two years and counting (for maybe not long)

Today is my two year anniversary at work. I can't believe it's already been *two* years!! There have been definite up and downs, boring and mundane to exciting and ground breaking. Unfortunately now it seems to be stuck on mundane.

In fact, last night I applied to a job at a local biotech research company. They are pretty close to where I work now, so I know what the commute would be like. It is unfortunate that it's not closer to my house, but it's hard to find my type of work there. This was the first job I've seen in the past few months that I actually felt connected to, so I am insanely nervous. Hopefully I'll hear back soon, but I have read that it can take months for them to call back. Eeeek!

Blow some job dust my way, will ya? I barely slept last night I was so hyped up, and I can't afford to lose any beauty sleep over this...

Hodge-podge post

Hello Wednesday!

Not much is going on with us this week. I am dying to give the Mr. his present, but have continued to resist the temptation. Soon, though... Soon.

My mom finally got internet at her new place, so she's been in contact with all of us this week. She's been passing on photos from her amazing adventures. I have a few favorites already, so I'll compile those and post them here sometime. Though most of you that read my blog get them in the emails already... OK, so maybe I won't post them. We'll see!

The pups have been doing well overall. A couple days ago they were playing around (duh), and Aspen starting yelping again. When I looked up she was holding her right back leg up again- the one with the toe she broke a month or so ago. Of course the list of possible problems started running through my head... It ended up only being a nail tear (on the toe she broke). It didn't bleed that much, but I could tell it hurt her a bit. After a couple hours she was back to her normal walk. A small portion of the nail is still hanging off, but I don't want to clip it off for fear that it will cause a massive blood leak. So there it stays.

Speaking of animals, here's a cute video that a coworker of the Mr.'s sent. It's too cute not to share!

Hello Roth IRA, I'm Mrs. Foot

Yesterday I decided to take another stand on the Mr.'s and my future. We've been so good about saving every month that I wanted to continue that into our retirement plans. SOOOO, I opened a Roth IRA for both of us. We're lucky (can you say lucky when it means making less money?) enough to still be eligible for one, so why not take advantage, right?

We used T. Rowe Price because they have a wide variety of no-load options, and they also didn't require a big initial deposit. In fact, they required no initial investment if you signed up for automatic deposit every month. Well, heck- we can do that! :) Unfortunately we had to choose a fund to start with, so I just chose one that looked fairly aggressive. I am sure the Mr. and I will do a bunch of research over the next couple weeks to see which fund(s) would be best for us. So at the ages of 24 and 26, we both have a 401K and Roth that we contribute to. I think that's pretty good.

On another note, August and September are shaping up to be incredibly busy months- more so than I expected. We have a free weekend here and there, but overall we're pretty booked! The Mr. has a goodbye party for his boss at work. We're taking Aspen to a local trainer in the hopes that she can teach us something we don't already know. My sister's birthday is coming up, and we'll be watching the pooches while they go on a "birthday vacation". The weekend of our anniversary, one of the Mr.'s best friends will be getting married!! How exciting! :) And finally, the Mr.'s dad just moved into a new apartment, so hopefully we'll get to visit him (and the rest of the family) in West Virginia soon.

Unfortunately this means we'll be spending a little more on gifts and traveling expenses over the next few months that expected, so we will not be taking an anniversary vacation to some exotic and romance-laden B&B. ::sigh:: Just kidding ;) This does mean that we'll be able to experience some things we weren't originally going to be able to, and that's worth the world. And we'll still be able to exchange presents, which I am *really* looking forward to! I wish I could post on here what I am getting him, but he reads my blog, so that won't work. Gosh, man... Ruining my plans.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Courtesy of Peter King from SI.com

Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of the Week

Last Monday, I arrived at Newark Airport from Wisconsin after my Favre foray in Mississippi and Wisconsin. I had to rent a car for a three-day jaunt to see the Eagles, Steelers and Ravens, and so I went to the Hertz counter for my one-way rental.

"Where will you be dropping the car?'' the pleasant, 30ish gal at the counter asked.

"Baltimore-Washington airport,'' I said.

"Okay,'' she said. Then she got puzzled while looking at her computer. "Where is it?''

"Baltimore,'' I said. "Well, the outskirts of Baltimore. It's the big airport in Baltimore.''

"I can't find it on the computer,'' she said. She called over the woman at the next terminal. She couldn't find it either.

"BWI,'' I said. "Maybe that's the code. That's what the airport's called.''

"No,'' she said. "It's a number code.''

Now a third woman was called into the fray. All three people were looking seriously at the computer, and taking turns looking for the code. A minute passed. Two. Finally the third woman said, "Here it is!'' She looked up at me like I was a loon, a stupid customer for wasting the time of three employees.

"Sir,'' she said, "the airport's in Maryland. You said Baltimore.''

I weep for our geographical future.

People are going to start thinking I have it out for airlines and airports ;) Say thank you to my lovely husband for finding this gem!

A continuation of crazy airline fees

My brother just passed this article on to me... JetBlue charging $7 for pillow, blanket kit

I think there are a few things worth pointing out from the article.

"But the blanket and pillow kit is the latest in a string of a la carte items the company says are providing a revenue boost to help offset the soaring price of jet fuel."

Seriously, why not just increase your ticket prices, then?!?! What American doesn't realize that gas prices are going up? In addition, what American wouldn't assume the airlines were being hit with these high prices? So why would anyone expect the ticket prices to stay the same? I would much rather pay an extra $20 up front and get water, a blanket, a pillow and the rights to a toilet. Oh wait, they aren't charging to use the bathroom... yet.

I don't understand how these types of actions are going to keep people flying. Normally when someone is being faced with bankruptcy and total business failure they do everything they can to bring in new customers while keeping their current ones happy. The way I see it, this is pushing away people faster than you can say "That'll be $7.00 for the blanket, $15 for your second piece of luggage, and $10 for restroom rights, please". (Just wait for the last charge... It'll come.)

A few movies reviews

Over the past couple weeks we've received a few movies from Netflix. Some are worth recommending, others not so much...

First off we have Mama's Boy, starring Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite. He plays the same character as in every other movie- the social reject who still lives with his mom (Diane Keaton) at the age of like 30. His mother finds a new love interest, and starts making him spread his wings and fly on his own. The movie had some funny one liners and scenes, but it's not worth spending the money to own. Rent for $1?? Maybe...

Secondly is Step Up 2, The Streets. The Mr. and I both loved the first movie in this series, so we were happy that a second one was coming out. Unfortunately, this one was not even close to the same level as the first. The plot line was redundant, there was very little dancing (unlike the first one, where there seemed to be a dancing fool in every scene!), and it didn't hold my attention. Again, not worth buying.

Third is Definitely, Maybe starring Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin. This movie is different from your typical love story, and that is what makes it a winner. Reynolds, a hot-shot business man in New York, tells a story to his daughter (Breslin) about how he and her mother met. He recounts the three women he fell in love with, and her job is to pick which woman is her mother. There was laughing, tears (from me), and an overall good feeling about this movie. I have to agree with the Mr. when he said "I'd really like to buy this movie sometime". Four thumbs and eight paws up!

Finally, last night we watched Stop-Loss. I'd never heard the term before it was explained in this movie, so I had no idea what I was getting into! The first twenty minutes or so is pretty bloody and gruesome, but once you get past that, there isn't much else. This is a tale of a decorated war hero (Ryan Phillippe) who is being stop-lossed back into Iraq on the day he was supposed to be getting out of the Army. You follow him through his decision to go AWOL and the trials he has to deal with along the way. I definitely cried a river towards the end of this movie... I'm sure it doesn't help to have a brother over in Iraq right now fighting this war. Right before the credits they gave some staggering statistics about our troops fighting in the Middle East. It took my breath away. I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone. It really opens your eyes to what our poor soldiers go through- both overseas and at home. Makes you appreciate what they are doing even more.

Am I still welcome here?

I wasn't sure if you all would let me back since I didn't post yesterday. I thought about posting a few times, but yesterday was so go go go that I just didn't have a chance.

We got up fairly early to head to the driving range and hit a few balls. The Mr.'s dad decided to help me with my driver, and I guess I did decently. We tried a bunch of different things- stance, wrist movement, club placement, and more that I am forgetting... some things seemed to work, but I am still far from consistent. We were at the driving range for probably three hours before we headed back home.

After that we went to a party out in Haymarket. The people throwing the party hired the band the Mr.'s dad manages to play, so we were able to come along. Their house was gorgeous. A huge house on a decent amount of land, with a mini-soccer field, pool and moon bounce in their backyard. Not bad, huh? ;)

In their basement they had a game room. Well, really game rooms. There was a bar, pool table, basketball hoop, a bunch of pinball machines and arcade game and more. They had ticket stubs from inaugural games, panoramic views of Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, old Coca Cola vending machines, and an old phone booth. It was a really neat combination of vintage and new. I'm really wishing I had brought my camera so I could have taken some pictures. Oh well.

The band played from about 5 until 10pm, and they were fantastic. They had people out dancing pretty much the entire time. Unfortunately neither the Mr. or his dad wanted to dance with me, so I just swayed in my chair. Thanks guys ;)

My aunt is a sewing genius!

The throw pillows for our couch and chair are done! It's so exciting to see the final product. I know I picked out the fabric and cording, but that was months ago and it's still so different than seeing them finished.

I picked them up from my aunt's house last night and put them on the couch for immediate use. Apparently I thought they were quite comfy, since I fell asleep on the couch for an hour. Whoops. Either way, they are gorgeous and go perfectly with our furniture!

On the couch

Close up

On the Mr.'s throne

Macintosh agrees that they are pretty

Coming soon: lumbar pillows for our dining room chairs. When I picked up the pillows last night I dropped off the rest of the cording for those. Since my aunt is a speed demon with a sewing machine, I figure they'll be done within the week. But the bottom line- they are in the works!!!