5. Home Again...Home Again...

today is the day!

chris is finally done with the training for his new job and he'll be home to stay in just a few hours!

wahoo!!

FINALLY!!!

the week is finally over and chris will be here any minute now! Wahoo! :)

Hee Hee....

a few weeks ago chris and i went to willmar and it was there that i met his friend dave, his wife staci and their children. staci found me on facebook and remembered that i'd asked her to send me any and all photos she had of chris as i want to incorporate them into the wedding. this is one of 3 that she has sent me so far - i love it! (luckily he's in canada this week and won't see that i've posted this until he gets home :)) and if you're wondering who that other handsome gent is - it's the best man bryan :)

suckity suck suck suck.....

that's right. suckity fuck sucking suck.

i was trying to be a sweetheart and purchase a cd via itunes for chris's easter basket. i've never ever had a problem doing this before. this time though - the cd didn't download. i tried again. nothing. i tried again (3rd times a charm, right?). notta. the cd did not download. it was not there. but when i checked my bank account itunes had kindly charged me for it 3 times!

how to fix this?! try to fix a mistake like this with itunes and see how far you get. not only are you pissed that you have $30 bucks missing from your account (and when you poor it's a big deal) but you realize there is no phone number for tech support! all itunes support is done online. bullshit. there was nothing there to help me. i called the sales support number and finally got a human being. he told me that he showed no purches on my account. i told him that i realize that but it doesn't change the fact that i was charged by itunes 3 times! he told me he would e-mail the problem to itunes and hopefully i would get an answer in about 24 hours.

gee. thanks! that is was so convienent! so easy! so considerate! in the meantime i'm out 30 fucking bucks and have no cd to give chris. and exactly what am i supposed to do, if in 24 hours, no one fucking contacts me?

itunes technical support - you suck. you suck BIG TIME. piss on you.

just sniff my area.....

not that area ya perves (vija - i'm talking directly to you!).....*


i woke up to find this outside - it was beautiful!



unfortunately i had to go to work in it. i'd much rather have stayed home and had a snow day with chris. but alas i had to go to work. birthday cards needed to be written out. orders needed to be crocheted.....

i've been rather absent from the blogging world. i mean to blog every night. i've actually had things to blog about (well - not big things. not exciting things. just things). exciting quotes to pass along - like 'it just doesn't feel like holy week' (perhaps you had to be there....). and now that i finally find myself sitting down to blog i realize it's a quarter to midnight and that i should really be brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed. the teeth need to be brushed. i made the mistake of buying a bag of bubblegum eggs and have managed to go through most of the bag. not a really great idea for a poor person with bad teeth.....

so......

and of course my mind goes blank. of course!

i should go to bed. i promise to return soon. in the meantime here are things i might blog about in the near future - things to look forward to. things like trips to the vet's. my job (i know you're dying to hear me complain some more, right?). friends. my amazing boyfriend. oh - and my completely awesome playlist. check it out. the songs rock. a lot.

*the other day (yesterday to be exact) i smelled urine. it was disgusting. chris brought me lunch at work. we sat down to eat with darrah and vija. i smelled urine. it was so strong i could hardly eat. i didn't want to say anything at first. then vija noticed me sniffing around and looked at me like i was crazy so i explained which only continued to get me crazy looks as i was the only one who could smell it. it wasn't me. i don't know. i moved to a new table and tried to convince vija to sniff my area (as in the area i'd been sitting in). she did and didn't smell it. hmph. i've heard of people smelling burnt hair before a stroke - maybe i had a mini stroke and smelled urine. this is pointless. i'm going to bed......

updates

the apartment:
it's coming together. we've hung a few things. the second bedroom is still a disaster. i have so many ideas on how it could look better but have no money to buy the things to make it so. it's hard not being able to get what you want rightnow. kari and mark are going to visit this summer - hopefully there'll be enough room for them to sleep in there by then.


my mental state:
i'm far less crabby today. in fact - i'd go so far as to say i'm not crabby at all! (period going away = happy michelle) slightly frustrated with myself for not completely a workout dvd but the squats and lunges i did yesterday have made my thighs want to run away and hide....


christopher:
still amazing. still incredibly awesome. still love him an insane amount. still amazed that he loves me (and all my craziness)!


my job:
see previous post. nuff said.


crocheting/knitting projects:
i think i mentioned that i finally finished all of my christmas presents(!!!!!) i even finished the two burp clothes for my co-workers baby! now i just have to manage actually getting those things in the mail/delivered (this is the part where i usually fail). i am desperately trying to find a cute way to organize my yarn - having it neatly stored but yet visable (ideas? i'm thinking crates....)


my fat:
still (annoyingly) here. i'm working hard to make it go away though. according to the scale at work i'm down one pound. only 34 more to go......


minerva:
suprisingly more likable. as soon as i wrote that post about her she changed her tune. she will now tolerate you getting close(er) to her face and petting her. she has even taken to sleeping right by my head and also jumping into the sink whenever i'm in the bathroom doing anything in front of the mirror - kinda cute.


albus:
he's still incredibly strange. lick. lick. lick. lick. lick. lick. lick. lick. lick - you get the picture.


my hair:
it's getting long - but not cute long. it's that inbetween stage - neither long nor short. it's driving me insane and i desperately want to cut it but i'll give it a go until the end of may.


my stomach:
not hungry but chris is making dinner so i think i'll go chat with him :)

to: chris

a map of the world

one of the ancient maps of the world

is heart shaped, carefully drawn

and once washed with bright colors,

though the colors have faded

as you might expect feelings to fade

from a fragile old heart, the brown map

of a life. But feeling is indelible,

and longing infinite, a starburst compass

pointing in all the directions

two lovers might go, a fresh breeze

swelling their sails, the future uncharted,

still far from the edge

where the sea pours into the stars

-ted kooser

TTLIFF!

that translates to - Thank The Lord It's Finally Friday! (tgif seemed rather dull...)


i'm seriously so happy that the weekend is here! not the work was stressful or anything but who doesn't prefer two days off over going to work? that and i have some plans for the weekend :) tomorrow chris and i are going to a 'stitch & bitch' at holly's house. (not my chris - a friend chris) i'm really excited - i've been wanting to get a group of gals together to do this since i moved down here. (i miss our knitting nights carrie!) perhaps i'll host a few sessions at my place as i know of a few co-workers who are also interested.....


as for tonight chris's (my chris) sister megan and her son carter are coming over. in fact (since i started this blog right before they arrived) they are here now! megan is attempting to put carter to sleep. she put him down in my room but i'm worried that albus hid under the bed. albus and minvera are not the biggest fan of small beings. i'm sure - given time - that they would be. it just takes them time. albus* hated chris for about a week when they first arrived. so yeah - they are here and will be for the weekend. unfortunately megan has a bit of a cold so her and i might just chill while chris takes carter out and about tomorrow...we'll see....

we just got done watching peter pan. i bought a copy before christmas when i saw it was out. but they remastered it. i really really prefer the hand drawn charm of the older version - anyone know of how i can get an old - non-remastered - copy on dvd?

alright - i think carter is asleep. megan and i are going to watch 'the shining.' i've never seen it and she says i have to :)

*i was watching ellen today (of cours) and she was talking about her pets. her cat liked to sleep up my her head and she attributed this to the fact that he was part abyssinian and those breeds were more dog like. i was intrigued becuase i and a lot of other people have said that albus is more dog like. he isn't a lap cat but constantly has to be at your side and walking along with you wherever you go. he plays fetch (i'm not kidding - he will walk back with whatever you throw - he prefers balled of socks - and trot back to you and drop them in your hand). and he has to sleep at my head. i did some researching and it also mentioned the fact that abyssinian's can have defects that cause them to groom themselves compulsively - leaving bald spots. albus does not do this but he does obsessivley lick any and all surfaces he comes in contact with. his favorites are skin (he will lick you and lick you and lick you - i swear if you let him he'd like a layer off....) - he's always licking my legs, and plastic bags. he will not stop licking plastic bags. ay yi yi! minerva is the same way about the skin thing. they're weird. but at least now i may know why...

uh oh - carter is up! gotta go.....

Introducing Lieutenant Christopher!

Chris has been made a Lieutenant at the Fire Department!!


He's been one for over a month now (since the New Year) but his swearing-in ceremony was tonight and so I waited to post about it until now. Here's how that went.....You may remember the post from his first swearing-in ceremony (as a firefighter). The ceremony itself went great - the pictures on the other hand...the ones that took were blurry and as soon as I got about two the camera died on me! I was bummed - he looks so handsome in a uniform (and out of one - wait - that sounds bad....)


Tonight I came prepared. I brought not one but two cameras! I arrived there early and no one was there. Eventually Chris and a few fellow firefighters showed up and we realized the ceremony started an hour later! Not a big deal except for the fact that Chris was on call starting at the same time (meaning he had to have his pager on and if a call came in he had to leave that instant). Everything was going fine - except for the fact that one camera died on me! I checked the batteries before leaving too! (I think the camera might be broke...) I still had one though and it worked. We sat down and the ceremony began. Chris and some others were the very last part of the ceremony. Literally as soon as the announcer walked up the podium to call them down Chris's pager went off! Out he ran. Kind of a bummer but understandable of course. I thought I'd get a few pictures of the remaining guys anyhow and turned on the camera only to find that it had died on me as well! Seriously....


As I sat there though I noticed the Public Safety banner located on the stage. On it were a collage of photographs - and low and behold one of them was from Chris's first swearing-in ceremony! And here it is :) So at least I have one good one (even if he did close his eyes :))

Nude

no...not that kind of nude ya perv.......sheesh.....


i mean nude as in no-make-up. zero. zilch. notta.


it's something i've thought about many times before - going without make-up. this last time i decided to do something about it. give it up - for an entire month. i even got a co-worker to do it with me (the only difference being that she gets it sit up and away in her cubicle whereas i'm greeting everyone that walks in the door....)


i don't wear a lot of make-up to begin with. eyeliner. mascara. and blush (oh lord how i'll miss my blush stick!) no foundation - the thought of caking something onto my face like that bothers me. i went through the powder faze in highschool - when it was cool to have your compact with you at all times. now i can't stand it. so - i'm not giving it up becuase i think it hogs up too much of my time. i just think it's time that we (women) start thinking of ourselves as naturally beautiful. i don't think there is anything wrong with make-up persay but for some women it is truely a crutch. they will not - unless possibly in need of urgent medical attention - leave the house without it. ever. why is this? do they truely believe that they are ugly without it?


i admit - there are times when i wake up and think - oh hell no - not walking out the door like this. but i want to get over that. that's why i'm doing this - so that by the end up of the month perhaps i'll think i look better without it. i'm happy that darrah (hi!) is doing this with me. she was so concerned and when she came in this morning she looked exactly the same as when she was wearing make-up (minus the sparkle of eyeshadow on her eyes). she looked beautiful!


i'll admit that it was not fun to look in the mirror and see the bareness of my eyes - but i liked it anyhow. and any dislike was quickly outweighed by the fact that i could rub my eyes! think about it - everyone gets that little tickle in their eye at some point during the day. instead of having to carfully not mess up the eyeliner (etc) you can just rub away. it's very liberating! so - feel free to join me if you want. post some self portraits of yourself (mine were taken with my camera phone - hence the quality) and see how your perceptions change over the course of the month.

oh - had to include a picture of the finished hat! i started on one of the orders today :) if you want one let me know :)

big white - still missing (!)

big. white. spider! is still missing (!)


chris humored me by looking for the ick as soon as he got home. he even dug out his headlight. i thought it was incredibly cute and sweet :) even minerva joined him in the search. unfortunately the spider is still missing. ah well. i managed to fall asleep just fine......

in other news......

that guy that was supposed to come in and observe me yesterday (the cheeseball who promised to bring me supplies to hand out to patrons along with the phone numbers. the cheeseball who also promised to update this supply box weekly...) - yeah - he didn't show up. didn't call. didn't e-mail. and in doing so proved my point. he's a flake. not that i wanted him to come in the first place but at least it would have been done and over with. now i get to wonder if and when he'll show up. the whole thing is rather dumb - people do not appreciate trapsing into the building expecting a live person only to be handed a number. i can be as sweet as punch but it doesn't cover the fact that they pretty much left me hanging and it's not appreciated......

something more positive? i finished chris's hat. well - all except for the poof ball (or pom-pom - but i prefer poof ball). i had made some finishing touches and had taken the hat to the bathroom to see how it looked in the mirror. while there i ran into a co-worker and she loved it! she asked me to make one for her :) then - as i was leaving - i got another order from her daughter! wahoo! i went to the yarn store right after work and picked up the supplies :)

oh - i was listening to the radio and heard that the John Beargrease marathon had been won (congrats Jason Barron!). i did some peeking around and realized that the team i got pictures of (see the 'fennel toothpaste' post) - ryan anderson's - came in 3rd place :) so congrats to him as well! i was reading and he - along with his brother and sister-in-law have 100 dogs that they've raised since puppies! that's a lot...wow.....

alright. the clock is ticking. i want to get up and walk before work (the weight loss challange ends in a month!) and i told myself i'd only do so if i got into bed by 10. so i'm late - but if i hurry i can think i can pull it off :)


night!

the big white.....

ahhhhhhhhhh......sleeeeeep.......

this is my bed (sorry...our bed - aren't the sheets he bought me just so cute?). tonight i took a glorious nap in it. not a care in the world. then i decided to change the sheets before chris got home since we were too sleepy to do so last night. that's when i saw it.....

the big

white

SPIDER!

yes. you heard me. big. white. spider. i'm gently fluffing down the top sheet when i see it scuttle across the bed (on my side) and over the edge. i run over to try and snatch it up with a tissue but it was gone. gone on my side of the bed! i called chris to inform him that i'm not stepping foot into the room until he gets home and finds the ick. if he doesn't....well...i may be sleeping on the couch. or just not sleeping.

over reaction you say? you go to sleep with a big white spider mia on your side of the bed then. ((::shivers::))

Loose Lips

ah friday. how i love thee.....


today was good. my stuffy snotty leaky-faucet-of-a-nose is finally clearing up. (wahoo!) and (as sexy as it may seem) i'm sure chris will appreciate being able to kiss me without having a kleenex protruding out of my nostril.


at work a few new developments occured. the girl to whom i normally send all work related inquires up to is being transferred to a new location (or fired - not sure which). this means that i will now have to deal with all the people (aka morons) coming in the door. i know what you're thinking - shouldn't i be doing this anyhow - i am the receptionist after all. well....it's complicated. i'm a sort-of receptionist. a poser. i didn't even get a performance review because there is no job description for my position. in the words of my boss 'what am i supposed to critique you on? how many hats and scarves you've made?' so yeah. a guy came in and gave me a list of numbers to give people coming in. we'll see how it goes.....


after work i got my bangs trimmed. i went to a new place. as much as i love the $5 bang trim the other place offered i was not willing to risk 'poofy-claw-bangs' again. (i swear - they whip those thinning shears and go to town before you've even had time to open your mouth in protest!) so i shelled out a bit more but am really happy. in fact - this is the best bang trim i've gotten thus far. it has a certain bit of funk. i like it. and i got the eyebrows waxed. thank god - they were getting scary...


and now i think i'll return to the couch and try to finish chris's hat. we're going to duluth tomorrow and it'd be nice if he had it to wear. i've gotten a lot done in just the little bit of time i worked on it at work.


oh....the juno soundtrack. first of all - if you have not seen this movie. do so. very good. i wish i had been like that in highschool. not pregnant - just spunky. but the soundtrack! i am self proclaimed movie soundtrack addict. love them. in fact - 5 seconds into the movie i turned to chris and told him i wanted the soundtrack. and you know what - he bought it for me! a suprise :) (i really don't think he has any imperfections...) i love it. love it. i have the song 'loose lips' stuck in my head as i write...

okay. off to the knitting.

Owwie!

i just got back from the dentist. my mouth hurts.


this appointment was to set in place my permanent crown. when i sat down they told me that they don't do novacaine. (uhhh...excuse moi? pass that by me again?) i told them that i would prefer to have it and so they gave it to me. perhaps it was out of spite at having asked for it or perhaps his aim was off but the the area they worked on did not get numb. instead - the entire right side of my tongue is beyond numb as are the right halves of my lips. but not the tooth area. nope. not at all. felt everything they did. still do. and it hurts :(


not only that but my nose is raw. that hurts too. hmph.




oh - update on the previous post. i stupidly decided the finish the hat at work. i knew i should have waited until i got home where i wouldn't be distracted and in such a rush (to finish it before i left for the dentist). and i paid for it. the hat is..well...too big. granted chris has yet to try it on but yeah. too big. i'll wait to make a final judgment until he gets home but i think i may end up having to start it over. ah well - practice makes perfect, right?


and that's all for now. i'm going to change into comfy clothes and rest. i'm stuffed up and sore and feel like doing nothing :)

I can Knit!

chris wanted me to make him a hat.

he picked out some yarn. the yarn just happened to match the scarf that mandy made him for christmas last year. the scarf that she knitted. because i am slightly ocd i decided that the hat must be knitted so as to match the scarf. so we picked out a pattern....

the pattern called for 5 needles! 5! i decided to brave it though. unfortunately i got the wrong size dpn (double pointed needles) and the yarn i had was too thick for it. so i ended up finding another pattern that started from the bottom up and gave me time to go get the correct size dpn. after some help from D (resident volunteer greeter / knitter) and some other co-workers the hat is lookin' pretty gosh darn good. the tricky part was learning the dpn method (which i'll have to use tomorrow when i finish up the top of the hat) and also learning how to attatch the other ear flap....

i must say that i'm rather impressed with myself after having only knitted one (horrific) baby blanket and one scarf. so there ya go Carrie - your teaching me how to knit has not gone to waste :)

ain't he just so cute?

Hats....

i would like to knit a hat. a hat for chris. a hat with earflaps.


i have no idea how to do this.


what are double pointed needles?


why must i use four needles (how do you even do that???) instead of just knitting on the round with circular needles?


my brain and eyes are sore from searching the web for answers to these questions and looking at hat patterns. if you have answers - or can find a cute pattern please please pass it along :)


thank you :)

Oy!

my promise to chris upon moving into the new apartment was that i would be a better housekeeper (since - when pestered - that was his only complaint). so far...well...as you can see it's not going so great.....

hopefully tomorrow morning and i can manage to get myself out of bed early and not only get my exercising done but also clean. the apartment itself isn't too bad - it's mainly the second bedroom. it's become the 'if-it-doesn't-have-a-place-throw-it-on-the-floor' room. this was only made worse due to the fact that we moved in right at the start of the holidays. wrapping paper, clothes, cds, books, yarn....sigh.....

so...yeah....

Things to Do in 2008....

-be a better housekeeper. start with the second bedroom.

-do laundry on a regular basis and do not wait until a mountain has formed on the floor.

-exercise every single day

there's more of course but all i can think about is the cleaning at the moment. partly becuase i'm in the messy room and we have company coming over tomorrow. chris's sister megan will be in town :) i'm excited - she is really sweet but because she lives a few hours away i haven't really got a chance to hang out with her. we're going shopping tomorrow - ikea (good becuase i love ikea and bad because i am so freaking poor**....) so i'm looking forward to that.

alright. time for bed. mia and i had chipotle tonight. bad but SO good. i swear they put crack in their rice. you keep eating even though you know you've gone beyond stuffed. sigh...

**yeah - on top of the crown my other tooth started to hurt and that is very bad becuase that pain means i might need a root canal. curse you mother and your bad teeth genes! that and my phone is dying. cell phones are expensive. hmph. just in case you were wondering i am currently accepting large (or small - but preferably large) financial donations at this time.....

night :)

2007 - The Year I.....

...fell in love. truely. i feel like i've known him my entire life. i cannot imagine that life without him. i wish everyone the chance to experience this kind of love....

...realized i was growing up. it sounds to odd to say that when you're 27 - but it's true. i can't put my finger on it but the feeling is there.

...learned how to cope with my depression. well...i guess i've always been able to cope or else i wouldn't be here - but with each bout of it i feel like i gain a deeper understanding of myself. this understanding may not be apparent to those having to deal with the crying and the mood swings - but it's there.

...met some wonderful new friends and became closer existing ones. i've had two jobs this year and at both have met some incredible people at both. i've reconnected with friends that i've known for a long time but feel much closer to now.

...learned how to knit and crochet. i've become slightly obsessed with both. my life is filled with yarn and gagets to work that yarn that i never knew existed. i love it. i feel like i'm good at something for the first time in a long time. and while making a hat may not solve world hunger - i feel good when i see something that i've created with my own to hands. something that can be put to use.

...lost weight and gained it back. today i exercised and plan to do it everday. i want to become addicted to it. not only will i lose that weight again but it'll help with the depression.

...moved into a home. well - not a house - an apartment - but a place that feels like home. chris and i share this place. we'll share it for a few years more to come.

...heard my biological clock begin to tick. it's been there all along i guess but this year it made itself known - big time! my friend carrie found out she was pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful little girl. seeing her change and seeing her with the baby have been an incredible experience - one that i want to experience one day. this year will bring more of that as my friend kelly found out that she is pregnant. i cannot wait to see all of her changes and meet her little one. both woman are/are going to be just fantastic mothers.

...realized how hungry i was. sorry - not part of the actual post but i just realized i haven't had my dinner yet and should probably do that. don't worry though - i'll be posting more soon. i've been absent as of late but i joined the blog 365 (because i might be on crack...).....

so...i'll leave you with this wish......

I hope you have a FANTASTIC new year!

Better

i now feel better.

time for chris, pad thai, and The Muppet Christmas Carol or Love Actually (can't decide :))

thanks for putting up with my rants....

I'm going to Vomit......

chris and i just worked out - and as the title may suggest...well...you get the picture....

my goal is to be able to use the elliptical machine and not die. tonight i did 11.5 minutes and wanted to pass out. i'm a wimp. i can walk forever and a year on a treadmill but stick me on that elliptical and it's lights out. i'm going to work on doing just 10 minutes for now until i don't feel like hurling afterwards and then i'll increase.

chris showed me some great exercises to help give my routine some spice which was nice (i can rhyme!)

i know i've posted more times than i care to think about that 'THIS IS THE DAY!' - 'I'M GOING TO EXERCISE!' and then it's gone downhill. i even tried starting a whole new blog dedicated to it but no one uses it anymore. hmph. i know there are a few of you out there who are trying to get in shape so if you want to get that blog up and working again let me know :)

and now it's time for sleep. glorious sleep. g'night.