The beginning of Lent 2009

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day for February the 25th. The thermometer reads 55 degrees, and it's only 10:30 am. I've got the windows open and the birds are singing. The smell of the fresh air is so refreshing, and reminds me that we are getting close to spring even though it doesn't seem like it (the 10 day forecast is predicting highs in the 30s all weekend).

We're giving up soda and eating out for Lent. I think the soda will prove harder to start, with the eating out kicking in closer to Easter. I am actually looking forward to it in a strange sort of way. I need to eat healthier and learn some new recipes to expand our dinner options. I also hope we can get into the habit of eating breakfast together before Tom goes to work, as it's the most important meal of the day even though we rarely actually fit it in.

Signs of Spring - if only for a moment

Yesterday's high hit 65 degrees - what a welcome change from the cold, nasty weather we've had recently! Tom brewed a batch of beer, and we both walked around outside without coats and while wearing sandals.

Sadly, it looks like the nice weather isn't going to last - at least right now. Apparently we're supposed to get more snow this week:

Snow could shatter early spring

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/02/2008

Enjoy the warm temperatures today, because winter could come roaring back into the St. Louis area Monday night.

A high of 70 or more is predicted for today -- but then watch out. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the region for Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon, with a return of nasty weather possible in two separate waves.

The first could develop Monday night, bringing more sleet and snow, with possibly heavy accumulations of sleet. Then on Tuesday, as cold air settles over the St. Louis area, a second round of winter is expected with heavy snow.

Forecasters say the weather system that will be approaching the area could change quickly, so the outlook is uncertain.

"The Storm of the Season"

Here are a few pictures from the "Storm of the Season" as Fox News called it:

Our backyard the morning after the snow - I didn't actually measure the snow, but the news said we got 7ish inches.

Our street (views of both directions from our house) - since we live in unincorporated county, they don't bother to plow our street or subdivision.


The cleared street is the main street after you leave our subdivision. It also happens to be an incorporated municipality.

2007 in review

Some key events in 2007:

February: We welcomed a new furry friend into our home. Chili came to us from the humane society, and is the friendliest chinchilla we’ve ever met.

March: Started a new job as a web designer at American Express Incentive Services

April: Sadly, we lost our friend Sully in April.

June: Our first wedding anniversary (wow the year went fast!) which we celebrated quietly by tasting year-old wedding cake and having our picture taken at the same stone bridge in Forest Park where our wedding photos were taken.

September: We took a 12 day road trip to Yellowstone National Park at the beginning of September. It was the perfect time of year to experience the park, as the weather had not yet turned, but the park was not as crowded as it is in the summertime.

October: Tom started a new job at the beginning of October as a contractor.

So, as we wrap up the last couple hours of 2007, I wish all of my family and friends a wonderful, safe, prosperous and happy New Year.

Wii have something to play tonight!

Tom got me a Wii!!! We've been looking whenever we are in a store that sells this exciting new game system, but hadn't found one in stock yet until today. More to come later...

sick

i am sick.
throat hurts.
nose running.
sinuses swelled.
ears popped.

Recap of 2006

This survey is about the year 2006. Answer the questions thinking about the past year. My answers are below:

1. Overall, have you had a good year? It's a good thing we got married this year....otherwise the entire year would have sucked.
   
2. What has been your biggest achievement? getting married
   
3. Did you take any exams, pass? nope nope I is done with school
   
4. Have you been on a vacation (list where and when)? Jamaica in June for the honeymoon, and then Chicago in July to go to Six Flags and Chicago again in October to help some friends move (I don't know if that one counts as a vacation)
   
5. Have you bought anything expensive? a new car - 2004 Honda Civic
   
6. Have you had a job? yes, been there 1 year and 3 months now
   
7. Made any big decisions? I said "I do"
8. Lost a friend or loved one? In the emotional sense, not the physical (as in she didn't die or anything....)
9. Met anyone amazing? That's pretty hard to live up to...someone AMAZING...not sure.
   
10. Made new friends? yes, some new people at work and friends of friends
    
11. Moved house? nope
12. Changed College? done with college
    
13. Tried something new? being married - LOL
    
14. Been more happy or sad? happy
15. Made any enemies? not on purpose...
    
16. What music will you remember from this year? I haven't bought a CD in ages...music sucks right now.
    
17. What movies have you seen at the cinema this year? Believe it or not, I have not seen ANY movies in the theater this year...but I did join netflix
    
18. What was your best night out? My wedding day
19. What was your worst night out? I don't go out much
20. Best day? my wedding day
21. Worst day? when our chinchilla Teddy died
22. Best month? June
23. Worst month? November
24. Was summer a gooden'? summer's always good
25. Have you made better friends with anyone? yes and very glad for it
26. Lost any friends? yes...it makes me sad
27. Made any plans for next year? not really
28. How many hair colours have you had? just brown
29. Got pierced? no...still too scared of needles
30. Got inked? never!
31. Changed your image? nope
32. Missed anyone? yes
33. Know what you want in the future? yup
34. Regret anything? yes, but who never does anything they regret?
35. Have you had any relationships this year? with my husband!
36. Been to church? yes, I try to go every week but sometimes I can't get out of bed early enough.
    
37. Cried yet? yeah....it happens once in awhile
    
38. Been on a diet? I *thought* about going on a diet but never got past that point
    
39. Pulled an all nighter? no...I like my sleep
    
40. Drank Starbucks? yucky-0
41. Went Camping? no but I hope too next year
    
42. Bought something(s)? lots of things
    
43. Met someone special? everyone is special
    
44. Been out of state? out of the country in fact
    
45. Gone Snowboarding? no...but we got a lot of snow this week and I probably could have.
    
46. Gotten in a car accident? well not me...but I was in the car
    
47. Gone over your cell phone bill? yes because I had to make sure that we weren't going over our minutes
    

no internet...

Gimlet and I have had no internet for several days now. We canceled with SBC/ATT because they suck (they wouldn't give us a new dsl modem - the one we had died and they claimed that it was "out of warrenty" and told us we'd have to purchase a new one from them). We signed up with Earthlink DSL on Saturday, but have to wait for them to send us a modem to begin using it. At least we can use Earthlink dial-up until the modem arrives....it's better than nothing.

On another note...the power supply cord for my laptop died this weekend as well, so I cannot use my laptop until I get a new cord...why does everything always happen at once?

Quite a Storm

Quite a storm hit the St. Louis area last night. Gimlet and I almost went to the Cardinals game (we had tickets) but after finding the air conditioning in our house not working when we got up and getting a flat tire on the way to work we decided to just go home and relax after work. Are we glad we did! Downtown St. Louis was hit with 84 miles per hour winds. Windows were blown out of buildings (including the Millennium Hotel and old Dillards building downtown). Part of the airport roof was blown onto highway 70. Semi trucks were blown over on highway 370. Much of the area is still without power right now. The pictures above show the Switzer building right on the St. Louis riverfront in the Landing. The first picture is from March 2005, I took it for my thesis project that I was doing at the time. The second picture is from this afternoon. The building collapsed due to the wind from the storm.

Gimlet and I were lucky, considering the only damage we sustained were some sticks, twigs and leaves from the trees that came down. Our neighbors lost part of a tree in their back yard (see picture), just a bit of it came over the fence into our yard. I'll be doing the clean up tonight, it'll probably only fill a couple lawn waste bags. We headed to the basement when the sirens went off, chinchillas in tote. The poor little things didn't know what was going on.

I Love Fireworks!!!

I got to see three fireworks shows this year. On Sunday night I went to Webster Groves with Liz, and watched their pre-preview fireworks show. It was a great show, quite a display. We were really close to the action (close enough for me to end up holding a crying baby who was scared to death of the fireworks, while his mommy took pictures of the fireworks - however she did get some really good pictures). Then we put the baby on some carnival rides - the little cars and boats that go around in a circle, a little kiddy train that goes around on a little track, and the carousal. By the end of the night he was waving to us as he went around in a circle on the ride. It was a fun night getting out of the house and doing something different.

Monday night Gimlet and I accidentally ran into the Twin Oaks fireworks display while going to get ice cream at fritz's. We enjoyed frozen custard and watched an impressive show for a town so small.

Tonight we went to see the Manchester fireworks. I brought along our digital camera to try my had at shooting pictures of fireworks (the best one is the one I put on this blog entry). It's a lot harder than it looks. It's hard to know when to hit the shutter button because while the firework looks neat when you hit the button, by the time the picture is shot, the firework is gone. The Manchester fireworks display left something to be desired. The show was really short and they shot the fireworks really slow. Just one at a time and waited until the sky was completely empty to send up another one. Finally right before the finale they started sending up two at a time. I think we'll try Ballwin's fireworks next year. We could see their show way off in the distance and it started before Manchesters, and ended after. Oh well, at least the rain held off during the show.

New Car (soon)!!!

So...I might be getting a new car soon!!!!! This is pretty exciting. My current car (1994 Nissan Sentra) is getting a bit too old for my driving habits...taking short cuts thru the ghetto, driving to Chicago for a weekend, etc. Not to mention that the A/C is current not working, the plates are expired and it failed the emissions test not once but twice.

My husband and I went to test drive cars for me today. We drove a new Honda Civic and a new Nissan Sentra. The Civic was a nice car, but the styling is just a little too "space age" for me. Both Gimlet and I agreed that we liked the Civic from the steering wheel back, but disliked the front end of the car (picture here). The dash could be in its own zip code, and you can't even see the hood of the car from the drivers seat. Makes parking a bit of a challenge when you can't see where the front of the car stops.

The 2006 Nissan Sentra was almost identical to the Sentra that I currently drive. There were a couple of improvements, but for the most part, it was just a newer, more expensive version of my car.

After exploring new cars, we ventured to Huey's Honda and took a peak at a 2004 Honda Civic (completely different styling from the new ones). I love it. It is black, has just over 24 thousand miles, and could be mine in just a couple days. Here's a picture:

Friendship

So I joined myspace last week. For those of you who don't know, it's a website where you can connect with past and present friends and post pictures, blog entries (that only those on your myspace friend list can read), leave comments, and meet new people. I joined mostly because several of my friends and co-workers were on it and wouldn't stop talking about it.

I am up to 24 friends on my myspace friend list now. All of which are people I know. The interesting thing is that I found my best friend from 2nd grade on myspace. I was excited and immediately sent her an add friend request. She accepted, and then sent me a message asking who I was. I was taken back, I just assumed that she'd remember my name even tho we haven't talked since that time and I had no idea where she ended up (she moved away from Columbia). Through a couple more messages I learned that she aparently had a very tramatic childhood and since has blocked memories of her past.

Just so that you know, if you are reading this and aren't friends with me anymore that I haven't forgotten you. Whether we had a fight, you moved away, I moved away, or something else came between us, I still remember you. I often think of friends that I've lost and wonder what I could have done to prevent our friendship from being broken off. I wonder if I'd worked harder if we'd still be friends, and if we were still friends would I still be in the same place in my life.

To all my friends, I hope that we'll always be friends, I hope that nothing comes between us that we can't work out, that no matter where you or I are living, that we stay in touch. I love and care about each of my friends dearly, and I hope that you guys love and care about me just as much.

4-20

Today is the anniversery of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings. I knew it wouldn't take long for me to find something relating to the incident in the news today, and here it is Police: MySpace foils school shooting. Sometimes I wonder whether all the media coverage of school shootings causes more to happen. I also wonder how parents are not aware that their teenager is building bombs and sawing off shot guns in the basement or garage. As this day passes, let us pray for the 13 students and teachers whose lives were taken from them on this day seven years ago.

I remember 4/20/1999 very well. I was in 10th grade at a school with over 2,000 students. In the days and weeks that followed rumers about copy cat shootings were ran like wildfire around school. Talks of hit lists, specific days to skip school and where in the school it would happen were common. A couple weeks after Columbine, I was in the library during 4th hour researching for a class, when the lights go out. As you can imagine, chaos errupted. We were in the library and the lights went out at almost the exact same time of day as the Columbine incident. Turns out that there was an accident on the street by our school and a car hit an electric pole which caused the school to lose power. Luckly there were no incidents of violence in our school that year or any of the following two years that I was a student there.

Signs of Easter

Check it out! A bird has made her nest on the corner of our house, so we'll get to see some baby birds this spring! I named her Mama Bird. I don't know how long she's been there (just noticed her Easter Sunday night) but we should have some baby birds sometime in the next week or so! Gimlet found this website with pictures of baby birds. I can't believe how fast baby birds grow! Spring is such an exciting time - baby animals, new green leaves on the trees, flowers...

Time never stops.

Lately I've been thinking about how fast time has been going. When you're a kid, it seems like forever from the beginning of the school year to the end. Nine whole months. Tom and I have been engaged for nine months now, and it feels like we just got engaged yesterday.

It's funny how time works. Tomorrow I'm spending the afternoon/evening with some family friends that I haven't seen since July 2003. Two and a half years, and I've finally found time to get together with them again. Where does the time go? The weeks have been flying by. I mean to reply to an email and before I know it, it's been 2 or 3 months and I still haven't talked to the person. Another six months pass and I don't even know where the person lives anymore. Another year and it's like we never even met.

Hold on to good friends. It seems that you have to work to stay together sometimes.

I just want to publicly announce...

Just some random things on my mind at the moment:

1. I finally took down the christmas lights off the front of the house yesterday afternoon. We are no longer "that" house in the neighborhood.
2. I have watched 10 episodes of the Gilmore Girls in the last 3 days.
   
3. I hate "that time of the month."
4. Weekends are way too short.
   
5. Wedding planning sucks...it's amazing that anyone actually gets married what with all the planning, marriage prep classes, bridesmaid disasters and money spent.

Gilmore Girls

For good or for bad, I have recently become addicted to the Gilmore Girls...all thanks to Melissa. She is obsessed with the Gilmore Girls (about as much as I am obsessed with 7th Heaven) and loaned me the first season to watch.

Well, after holding on the first season dvd set for at least three months I started watching them last week, and now, after the first 6 episodes, I find myself wanting to watch more and wanting to find out what happens with Rory and Dean!!! The best part is that there are 5 more seasons so I'll be watching for awhile.

I hate when my favorite television shows end...even tho shows generally end when they are so bad that it's really a waste of time watching them, but still, I really do miss them once they are over. Just a sampling of shows that I have been obsessed with over the years (and have seen nearly every episode of) Full House, Boy Meets World, Home Improvement, and now Seventh Heaven is ending at the end of this season.

I Love Toys!

VH1 is running a new show in it's highly popular "I Love" series. This time it's "I Love Toys" and they are counting the top 100 toys of all time. Last night they showed numbers 100-81, including such favorites as Spirograph (#97), Chutes & Ladders (#95), My Little Pony (#85) and the Little Golden Books (#82). I decided to make a list of my top 20 favorite toys (I have not included toys that I love now but did not have as a child such as a nintendo, care bears...)

1. Barbie
2. Wooden Blocks
3. My Little Pony
   
4. Baby Dolls
5. Pound Puppies
6. Baby-Sitters Club Books
7. Sweet Valley Twins Books
8. Lite Brite
9. Crayons
10. Candy Land
    
11. Chutes & Ladders
12. Legos
13. Teddy Bear
14. Etch-A-Sketch
    
15. Spirograph
    
16. Little Golden Books
    
17. Play Dough
    
18. Jump Rope
    
19. View Master
20. Goosebumps books by RL Stine

Guitar Hero

I have discovered a new favorite video game...GUITAR HERO for the Playstation 2. It is the same idea as Dance Dance Revolution and Donkey Konga. Find out more on the official website.

Happy New Year (Resolutions)!

Happy New Year! I can't believe that it is already 2006! The past year went by so fast!

First, a recap of 2005 (in no particular order):

• Graudated from UMSL with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
• Traveled 4,000 miles from St. Louis to San Diego and Back (the most awesome trip ever!)
• Got ENGAGED on said trip
• Got an awesome job at infuz

I think it'll be hard to top 2005 but here are my resolutions to start 2006 off right.

• Work out and eat healthy (so that the wedding dress still fits when I wear it on June 3, 2006 - just 6 and 2 days away!) I plan to work out at least once a week after work - hopfully with JBear a lot cause it's much more fun with a friend. Of course there's other ways to workout besides just the gym once it gets warm - biking and walking around the neighborhood in the evenings.
  
• Finish work on the house (at least finish both bathrooms, and the three bedrooms - including new paint, flooring and baseboard/crown molding) and some work on the basement to create a workout room for Gimlet.
• Get the yard looking nice. Right now there's lots of patches with no grass, so in the spring I'm going to do some seeding in those areas. The backyard also needs some work. We might plant a garden in that space that has been mostly full of weeds the past 2 years, and also clean out some of that back area that just collects water.
• Spend more time with Tom doing fun stuff together as opposed to sitting in the bedroom watching chinchillas destroy our belongings...
• And probably more things...I'll add them as I think of them!