Who Cares!

While browsing the top news on Yahoo today, one of the news stories got me so annoyed. It was entitled, "Celebs Who Are Die-Hard Sports Fans." Really?!? Who the heck cares which celebs are fans of sports! They are people! People like sports! I can't stand when magazines and such share with fans simple activities that celebs do, like go shopping, drive cars and walk their pets- to name a few. Just because they are rich and famous, doesn't mean they can't be normal people! I can't believe people actually care to read this stuff.

Clean Kitchen

I came home from babysitting this morning to a perfectly clean kitchen. I love when that happens! Kevin is a pretty messy roommate for the most part, but when he goes on a cleaning kick, he does a really good job. The countertops and tables got cleared off in addition to the entire fridge and cabinets getting organized. It looks like we have no food now, but at least it looks nice... for now!

Waffle Buffet

Josh, Nina, Jackson, Kevin and I went to breakfast at the place called Granite City this morning. They had a really nice breakfast buffet with really really delicious bacon and hash browns. After I was already pretty much full, I found out they had a waffle bar complete with oreos! I have never had oreos on my waffle before, so I had to try it. Despite how full you are, there is always room for oreos!

Jackson's First Birthday

I cannot believe Jackson is one already! This past year went by so fast. At his Yo Gabba Gabba themed birthday party, he got his very own mini Brobee cake. After going straight for the rice krispie treat horns, he got redirected to the main part of the cake. He started out slow, but once he got the hang of it, he really got down and dirty! He probably had enough cake to last him until his second birthday!

Hide These

I cracked up because I saw group of business cards on the back of one of the shelves on my desk at work. I pulled them out and saw that they were my mom's, with a note that said "hide these" on it. I laughed, because she must have just put the note on those recently, since I don't remember seeing it a few weeks ago when I looked at the business cards. I asked her why she put that note on the cards. Her response: "I look wretched."

Bejeweled Queen

I'm almost positive Kevin's mom has ADD. She cannot sit still for more than two seconds! While at Kevin's wrestling match, she never knew what was going on. She was cheering for his team when they weren't even on the mats! She kept getting up to smoke, looking around, texting (a new found skill of hers), you name it. I finally told her that I had her favorite game, Bejeweled, on my phone, so I gave it to her to let her play. She was so excited. It kept her entertained for about, oh, two seconds!

Personal Chauffeur

The past couple of Wednesday nights at school, there have been basketball games. When there are basketball games, the student lot has to clear out. I haven't figured out where to park yet (hence my ticket last week), so I always ask Kevin if he will take me. He agreed to it thankfully, so I didn't have to worry about finding a spot to park and then once finding a spot, having to walk three miles to get to class. Plus, after class it started raining, so I pretty much dodged that bullet! What a husband!

May the Force Be With You

Kevin obsesses over video games when there is a new one out that he wants to play. This time is no different. I've been hearing all weekend about this Star Wars computer games he wants to play, but you can't play it on Macs. So, he had to wait until Trent sent him the Windows disc in the mail. When the disc arrived, it came with a note that said "May The Force Be With You.. ALWAYS," with some sort of weird drawing on it. Kevin was ecstatic about getting the disc so that he could set up his computer and start playing. Great! There will be no cleaning of his butt if he gets a boil this time!

No Bones About It

When all else fails, I can take a picture of Joey and I know it'll be a cute photo because he's always doing something cute. Today he was chewing on his big Christmas bone. I love watching him chew it because he hold it with his paws! Hearing him chew that big thing makes my teeth hurt, but I know that he is loving every minute of it! Plus chewing these bones makes his teeth white and his are even whiter than mine!

Lazy Boy

Joey loves snuggling on the couch with us and half the time he takes over the whole thing! During the movie we were watching, Joey decided to take up more and more of the recliner. Every few seconds he would stretch, move, then take up more of the couch inch by inch. After the movie we were watching was over, I laughed at Joey's positioning and had to take a picture of him. Notice his head hanging off the side of the recliner... and Kevin sitting uncomfortably, trying to accomodate Joey's taking over of his side of the couch!

Icy

Last night, we got a really heavy rain/ice storm! The news said it would be pretty bad and it sounded pretty bad just from listening to it from inside the house. The next morning, it was an icy wonderland! Everything was frozen, including my car! When we tried to go out and run some errands, it took us forever trying to clean the cars off. We started off with my car, but we couldn't get the doors open because they were frozen shut! We were literally putting all our weight on the door handles and sliding everywhere, but they wouldn't budge. So, we then moved on to Kevin's car. It took him what seemed like forever to get his car just cleared off. After waiting about an hour to leave, my mom and I just about gave up. Kevin said he "worked too hard to give up now," so we waited until he was done and then trekked through the ice to get to where we were going.

Kennedy at One Month

For Kennedy's one month birthday, I did a mini photo shoot of her. Though the photos I took weren't as good looking as the photos I saw online, I took enough that I am bound to get at least a few decent ones! I found that it is very hard to get a baby to pose the way you want them to.. so a far off look/eyes closed/yawning/crying, etc. photo will have to do. At least she's cute enough that I can forgive the bad poses ;)

Potato Soup

My mom printed out the recipe for this cheesy potato soup last week and I've been looking forward to it ever since! We finally made it today and it was pretty scrumptious!

XU Parking Ticket

I've been so nervous going to class on Wednesday nights because there have been basketball games on those nights. When there are basketball games, students (who have parking passes by the way) are not allowed parking in the student lot because it is reserved for basketball fans. I have no idea where we are supposed to park because I still don't really know my way around campus and I can't read the map where they suggested parking. Last week, Kevin took me to class so I didn't have to worry about parking. This week though, he couldn't take me and I had to drive myself. I didn't want to be late for class driving around, so I took a chance and parked in the very last row, hoping they wouldn't notice my car. I was wrong. I know it's my fault I got a ticket, but it's so annoying that I can't park in the student lot when I have a pass! Basketball shouldn't be more important than students.

Ugly Sky

On the way to school this morning, the news on the radio said that a huge thunderstorm was on it's way to the area. That is was starting in some areas already, and to be prepared. While driving to school and walking to class, the sky looked hideous but it was only sprinkling-not even worth using my umbrella. As soon as I got to class and sat down, though, the rain started. A downpour came down and all the kids walking into class after me were drenched. The whole time during class it poured. When I left class, it had started sprinkling again and I didn't need my umbrella. I just missed getting stuck walking in the rain! This was the sky after class and after the rain, so you know it's going to rain again. Sure enough, on my way home it started pouring. At work, it was just a downpour outside. The loading docks even flooded and everyone had to move their cars and we couldn't do any deliveries. It was crazy-- it's January and it feels like a rainy, spring day, rather than a cold, snowy one. Gotta love Cincinnati.

Philosophy Sucks!

I'm taking Philosophy of Education this semester- not by choice, I must say. The first week of class we had so much reading. It took me almost my entire shift at work and I was just soooo bored reading it! I could barely comprehend anything I was reading the whole time. Hopefully I can understand it more once I'm in class, or otherwise I'll be lost the entire semester. Ugh. What is really the point of philosophy?!? It's pointless. Especially how all the articles I read were about nature. What does that have to do with anything?!

Faithful Companion

Joey is always by my side, no matter what. He follows me wherever I go around the house, sits next to me on the couch, cuddles with me in bed, and always lies next to my feet underneath my craft table. It's hard to ever be in a bad mood knowing I have a friend like this!

Dave & Buster's

Kevin & I went out with Melissa & David. I absolutely love hanging out with Melissa, but we just never hang out that much for some reason. Our plan was to go to Dave & Buster's for dinner and games, but when we got there, it was way crowded. There was an hour and a half wait to eat! So instead, we went to eat at Ruby Tuesday's and then came back to play games at Dave & Buster's. We had a great time, other than the fact that a lot of the games were messed up and we lost money AND the fact that we barely had enough tickets to get anything but candy at the prize store! The most exciting thing though was that I won the grand prize (200 tickets) on Deal or No Deal!

Higher Education

Kevin's having a very rough time finding a job, even with a Bachelor's degree. So, he has been thinking about going back to school to maybe get a Master's degree. We went to go visit NKU today to talk to someone about his options. It turns out that maybe a Master's degree isn't for him (due to his low undergrad GPA), but may a second Bachelor's degree could be the way to go. He hasn't made any decisions yet, but we're excited about his options!

"White Death"

There were talks all over the news about the huge storm we were going to get. There was a winter weather advisory from 2 today until noon tomorrow. Right around 3:00, the snow started-- big, huge flakes and high winds, making it look like a blizzard outside. Fortunately though, it has been in the high 40s all day and the days before, so it wasn't cold enough for any of the snow to stick. The temperature dropped and the snow is supposed to fall all through the night.. so we'll see if "white death" is truly coming.

Yummy Cheesy Biscuits

I hate seafood, but I kept seeing commercials on TV for Red Lobster's cheesy biscuits and they looked really, really good. So, when deciding where to go for dinner, I suggested Red Lobster. Kevin was ecstatic because he loves seafood. I seriously could have made a meal of just the cheesy biscuits, they were so good! I barely ate any of my actual meal, but I made sure to save room for the warm chocolate chip melting cookie we had for dessert.

Happy Birthday Joey!

Today is Joey's 3rd birthday! I feel like it was just yesterday when he was a young pup. Last year and this year for his birthday, we got him his very own cupcake to eat. He loves it! He gets icing all over his nose and crumbs everywhere. This year he also got a set of treats/bones called "Oinkies." After he ate his cupcake, he spent the rest of the night chewing on his Oinkie. I hope he had a great birthday and technically we owe him a drink, since he's 21 in human years this year!

First Day of School

Today starts my second semester of grad school! Winter break was nice, but I've actually been itching to go back to school. I am loving school this time around- I don't remember being this excited for undergrad classes ever. This semester I will be taking: Phonics, Instructional Technology, History II, Philosophy of Education, and Educational Administration. Here's to being one more semester closer to being a teacher!

Ready for School

I absolutely love buying school supplies! At the beginning of the school year, I went and got tons of stuff while it was on sale for back-to-school. It was enjoyable then, but now, for second semester, I can't go school supply shopping because I have some supplies left over from first semester. I am very organized when it comes to school. Everything is color coordinated for each class-- as you can see, with matching folders and notebooks for each class. When I write my homework down in my planner, I use colored pens that coordinate with that class's notebook color. My pen bag is FILLED with pens, in every color you can imagine! I use a different color pen every time I take notes. Oh, the simple things in life!

Kissing Uncle Kevin

Jackson is doing this thing now where he gives you kisses. Not just any kisses, but open-mouth, tongue-out kisses. It's the cutest thing! Jackson absolutely loves his Uncle Kevin, so naturally, Uncle Kevin gets all the kisses that he wants!

My Little Protector

Joey is SO cute around babies. Usually, he's terrified if new people come around, but when it's a baby, he's right there. He sniffs them, jumps up to get close, but never, never gets rough. Every time they make a noise, he gets up and is right by their side, making sure they are okay. He's always so concerned and I have no doubts that he will protect them from anything that should happen. I love watching him around my niece or nephew and I absolutely can't wait to see him when his own brother or sister joins the family.. whenever that may be!

Finally Finished!!!!

As a receptionist at a printing company, there are often times where I have to do things known as "hand jobs," which usually consist of gluing, folding, collating, etc. For the past week, I have been working on these car folders, that have to be glued on both sides, then folded. When I say "the past week," I mean the past week! I started these bad boys on Wednesday of last week and finally finished them today.... over 3,000 folders later! (Shown here is only 1/3 of them). I had a little bit of help, but the majority of the work was done by me-- 8 hours a day for five days! I'm grateful that I am able to work at my dad's place and get paid, but I sure am glad I won't be stuck doing this stuff for the rest of my life (hopefully)!

Getting Our Herr Did

While waiting in the wait area to get my hair done, who should walk in the door but my sees! Her dad made her appointment at the same time so we ended up getting our hair done together! We took turns getting dyed, washed, then cut! I'm so glad she was there because it gave me an excuse to take a picture at the hair salon.. I was secretly wondering the whole time I would get a picture without people thinking I was weird! So here we are, waiting for our hair dye to set together. Speaking of hair dye, I must say, I usually get my hair highlighted. This time though, Scott wanted to try his new dye, so he used it on my hair. My hair is all one color now, but dark, and I absolutely love it!

Last Minute Lunch at Chili's

I had my lunch packed and all ready to eat at work, when I got a call from Kevin a little before lunch time. He called to ask if he could bring over a Christmas present for me from his grandma. His grandma is known for awful gifts, so he wanted to come and see my face when I opened it. So, he came to my work and we decided to go out to lunch after I opened the who-knows-what-it-will-be gift. He had the camera all poised and ready to go to get my face when I opened the gift... but the gift wasn't that bad this year, so the picture wasn't that entertaining. It was a bath set, so it wasn't the worst gift I've ever gotten from her. After opening the gift, we went out for lunch at Chili's. We never go there, but it sure is delicious-- much better than the lunch I packed for myself, so that was a plus!

First Snow

When I woke up this morning I looked outside and snow was covering the ground! I had no idea it was supposed to snow-- it had been almost shorts weather a few days ago-- and here it is covering the ground and still coming down pretty hard. This is the first snow of the winter season and actually pretty early. Usually it doesn't start snowing until the end of January or into February. Nonetheless, snow it was and the only reason I was excited about it was that I had nowhere to be and nothing to do all day, so I could enjoy it by looking out the window-- except when we went outside to walk in it.

Weird Weather

The weather was extremely strange on this first day of the year. When I woke up, it was pouring down rain. Then, it stopped and got real sunny & warm, so Kevin and I started on our walk. But, as we barely left the driveway (I'm talking like literally five steps!) and headed down the street, it got really windy and started raining again so we had to run back to the house. A few hours later, after constantly going from sunny to rainy sporadically the whole time, we took a risk and decided to try again for our walk. We luckily got the whole walk finished, but not after chilly winds and the temperature dropping about 10 degrees since our last attempt of walking a few hours earlier! It was so crazy.