So the "every day" thing didn't work out...

...you know, posting every day? optimism and all?...but we're back on track! I got thrown for a bit of a loop on Monday when I officially became a person not obligated to go to work at around 4:30 PM. Whaaaaaaaaat, you say? Well, after going back from maternity leave right into busy season and getting a true reality check in "nope, this is not for me anymore EVER," I worked on finding a new job where I might actually have a life and DID and put in my notice and then found out that notice = leave pretty much right now, so that's that!  And my new gig doesn't kick off until January 5th, soooo...I'm currently not working but still getting paid and it's basically amazeballs.

Totally productive things I've accomplished in the last five days:
 - Finishing up Christmas shopping...mostly
 - Wrapping a chunk of that Christmas shopping into pretty packages
 - Going to the grocery store and buying things that enabled me to cook a real dinner in the form of chicken pot pie
 - Baking banana muffins
 - Baking milk chocolate-dipped hazelnut sandies for the 2014 Cover-to-Cover Project: Holiday Cookies
 - Excessive loads of laundry
 - Successfully shoved approximately 25 pills down Cleo the kitty cat's throat and kept her alive while Momma Dale was out of town

Totally self-indulgent things I've blissfully enjoyed in the last five days:

 - Took myself to the movies at 10:15 in the morning - Mockingjay and a giant bag of popcorn for the win
 - The aforementioned baking is also because I just like to do it
 - Starbucks grande latte pretty much every day
 - Friday lunch with Carolyn with no care about how long we sat and chatted because there was no job to hustle back to

And the ultimate combination of productive/indulgent = EXTRA HOLDEN TIME.  He's still kicking it at daycare for a chunk of the day so he can maintain some kind of routine while I run around, but I've been picking him up early and enjoying every extra minute I can steal with this sweet baby. They allllll say it, but of course he's growing up too fast.

And the ULTIMATE indulgence that hasn't happened and just won't...sleeping in. I have a baby now, so that's just not in the cards, and for those of you who really know me, you know how I am about sleep.

Ummmm...I could get used to this. Which is dangerous. But I'm also excited about my new work path, and so I'm going to soak up every minute of the next three weeks and then jump into a fresh start. Happy holidays, y'all.

Sit and read for a bit

My book count for 2013 was down to 21, not quite on par with what I've been reading the past few years...but I'll have tons of time to read this year, right?  Does a newborn hanging around put a damper on that kind of thing?  I do most of my reading at night in that lovely quiet time between "ahhh, my face is clean and teeth are brushed and the animals are all snuggled up and quiet" and "I can no longer read the words without smacking myself in the face with my tablet because my eyes are so tired MUST go to sleep," and I'm guessing that "MUST go to sleep" part might hit me a little earlier than it has in the past.  Adventures to come!

At any rate, I'm already three books into 2014, none of which have been total crappers, so off to a good start.  But not time to chat about those yet, just some brief thoughts on 2013 books.  To start, epicness carryover from last year's Game of Thrones extravaganza in the form of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons - enter this world at your own risk, it's a ginormous commitment in terms of the sheer number of pages you need to make it through.  Moving on to others...

Loved, read immediately:

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

If you're into that whole "these books are actually intended for 'young adults' and skew fantasy world" kind of thing:

Divergent series by Veronica Roth (although the first book was my favorite and then I thought they got progressively more meh...so you really don't have to go down this path, but they're pretty quick reads)
I also reread the last two books of the Hunger Games trilogy again.  I had to.  The movie.

A little heavy/sad, but worth your time:

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - this one got to the pregnant lady in me, and I think I cried
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum - also good if you share my fascination with World War II era stories

Really interesting and confusing and also has some of that "history is cool!" thing going for it:

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

There were also some girly fluffy books in there, per usual, but nothing that you can't live without. And that's it!  Some not especially memorable books sprinkled in this year, or perhaps I'm already forgetting everything.  I can blame pregnancy brain, right?

I'm also considering all of these baby books "books in progress at all times," so I feel like you should know about them because it makes me feel like I'm reading all the time.  Maybe that's where my reading has gone - instead of books for me, I'm on babycenter learning what vernix is (GROSS, but extremely functional) and what I should and shouldn't be worrying about.*

What to Expect When You're Expecting - the standard, right? I like the weekly updates as baby keeps growing.
The Baby Name Wizard - Craig said he needed a book to figure out baby names, and we both really like the way this one is organized.  Narrowing it down...
YOU: Having a Baby: The Owner's Manual to a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy - it has cool pictures and explains all the craziness going on in my body and with baby.  And reminds me to eat my veggies.
The Happiest Baby on the Block - just started this one, but my co-worker who just came back from maternity leave pressed this into my hands and, with a hint of desperation and exhaustion, insisted that I read this BEFORE the baby comes.  I'm taking it seriously.

* Who am I kidding...I worry about everything.

Family fried fall weekend o' fun

A few weekends ago we had alllll the parents in town, pretty much just to go to the epicness that is the State Fair of Texas and eat delicious fried things.  Seriously.  This was the plan.  Momma Dale mentioned this summer that she'd really like to come to town for the fair, so we booked it for post-10/15 (you know, crazy tax deadlines and such) and had the whole gang in town for some Texas-sized adventures.

Ready for fair adventures!

And then we went and had a generally fabulous time and we ate allllll of this (LOTS of sharing on the food - otherwise you would have had to roll me out of there):

1. Omg, we started with Twinkies - they were handing them out FOR FREE as we walked into the fair, presumably to celebrate the fact that Twinkies still exist.  What a way to start and prep our palates.
2. Fried Thanksgiving dinner - this was one of our favorites!  It's impressive when an early contender can hang in the competition for so long.  Basically a giant fried ball of turkey and dressing goodness with gravy and cranberry sauce for dipping.  It was really, really good.
3. I think they were called...pig's toes?  Essentially a deep fried jalapeño bacon-wrapped situation with chili and nacho cheese for dipping.  Disgustingly delicious.
4. Fried spaghetti & meatballs - also one of our favorites.* Spaghetti and meatball bits with plenty of melty, gooey cheese and marinara.  Yum.
5. Fried shrimp & grits, also delicious but a little greasy.  Imagine that, the piles of deep fried are getting a little greasy.
6. The classic, Fletcher's corny dogs - both original and jalapeño
7. Free baby cones of soft serve ice cream!!  One of my favorite reasons to visit the Food & Fiber Pavilion.
8. Fresh, delicious, life-giving fruit.  Yes, a giant cup of fresh fruit.  Mom's decision, and a really, really good one.
9. Fireballs - this fried pimiento cheese situation, which sounds delicious in theory but just wasn't very good.  Too spicy and kinda blech.
10. Deep fried biscuits and gravy.  Pretty much gravy inside a biscuit inside fried.  Also greasy along the lines of the shrimp & grits situation, but pretty good.  Didn't blow my socks off.
11. Bratwurst...yeah, on a stick!  One of the few non-deep fried items, just delicious meat on a stick.
12. Fried King Ranch casserole IN THE SHAPE OF TEXAS.  Pretty dang good.
13. Fried Cuban roll.  Also a bit of a grease bomb, but really delicious.
14. Red beans and rice - one of the best bang for your buck items at the fair, and it may actually qualify as "real food" instead of a just an artery-clogging fair specialty item.  Props to Mom for being the voice of reason.
15. Fried grilled cheese.  This was AMAZING.  It came with those little crunchy potato sticks on the side AND had tomato soup (which tasted very, very, very much like Campbell's out of a can) for dipping.  I loved this.
16. Fried jambalaya - spicy and delicious.  Our last of the savory items.
17. Fried Nutella - time for dessert deliciousness, and this was delightful.  It even came with fresh fruit on top, which made it totally healthy.
18. Fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich - I'm counting this as dessert, and it was really delicious.  You know how fantastic peanut butter is when it gets all melty and warm?  Throw some jelly and powdered sugar into that situation and you're doing ok.

* with this and the Thanksgiving dinner, maybe we just liked the fried food when served in softball-sized form?  hmmm....

This list does not account for beverages...none of which were fried, thank goodness.  That fried beer incident was truly awful.  Check out all the shades of brown below.

Shrimp & grits on the left, giant spaghetti & meatball situation on the right

You can't go wrong with a corny dog, as long as you have plenty o' mustard

Dad, double-fisting the corn dogs - nice work!

Omg - King Ranch casserole, Cuban roll, red beans & rice, and fried grilled cheese.  Holy moly spread of food stuff.

A healthy heaping of Nutella - oh yum

Deep fried PB&J in all of its 100%-bad-for-you glory

Ok, putting it in a list is kinda scaring me.  We all made it out alive, though.

Yeah, it was mostly about the food, but I mean, it wasn't allllll food.  There was also plenty of car show time for the boys...

...and breaks in the ridiculous massage chairs (twice! they were amazing) and making new puppy friends...

...and more animal time (horses and rabbits and tiny adorable baby kittens, oh my! and checking out new Big Tex (I thought he looked a little scary).

Happy fair weekend, y'all!

I miss *real* books, but I like instant gratification

Reeeeeeeading summary for 2012!  I have to say, I've really become a fan of the handy Nook app on my tablet, mostly because it enables my laziness - I want a book, I tap the screen, it's instantly mine.  Technology is wonderful.  And more expensive than hitting up the bargain shelves at Half-Price Books, yeeps.  But it does save me time and keep me a little more current in my reading selections...I'll take it.

Thirty-five books made it onto the list in 2012, which is quite a victory considering my last three books of the year were the first three books in the Song of Ice and Fire craziness.  It's just epic in every sense of the word.  These books are BEASTS that don't even fit into a category (well, an Erin category, anyway) - so just know that Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords are well worth your time, but only if you want to embark on this whooooole journey.  Word of warning, the series is still in the works, blerg - I hate not knowing how everything is going to go.  I'm also concerned with the gaps between book release dates for Mr. Martin, and The Winds of Winter can't get here soon enough.  Of course, now I'm obsessed with the show on HBO.  March 31 also can't get here soon enough.* 

* "Game of Thrones" premiere AND that much closer to 4/15.  Not as crazy busy as PwC, but still a little busier than I'd like.  Oh, taxes.

On to the rest!

LOVED, GO FORTH AND READ, NOW

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - I think this was my favorite standalone (not in a series/trilogy type thingy) book of the year - disturbing, gripping, couldn't put it down

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - I actually really don't want to see the movie because I just know the book will be infinitely better

Already Gone by John Rector

WEIRD THINGS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT LIKE

The Twelve by Justin Cronin - if I talked you into The Passage last year, then you probably already know about this

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - if you can handle a touch of the fantastic, then go for this one

I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER WHAT EVEN HAPPENED IN THIS BOOK, BUT I THINK I LIKED IT, SO GO AHEAD AND READ THEM

Drinking Closer to Home by Jessica Anya Blau - I remember both laughing and going into sad mode, so there's something here

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

I DIDN'T LIKE THIS AS MUCH AS I THOUGHT I WOULD

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - I really freakin' loved Gone Girl, so I thought another Gillian Flynn book would be a  slam dunk...and it was decent, but definitely didn't live up to to Gone Girl.  Which I couldn't put down.  So as I've already mentioned, go read that one instead.

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik - Paris, it's amazing!!  So why couldn't I get into this book?  Yeah, just no.

GIRLISH, RECOMMENDED...MOSTLY

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

More Jill Mansell books - but they all kinda blended together (Staying at Daisy's, Perfect Timing, An Offer You Can't Refuse), so I don't remember which one I liked the best. Just give them all a British accent in your mind and you're good to go.

BETTER THAN EXPECTED

Nelson DeMille books - The Gate House, The Lion's Game, The Lion.  Momma Dale got me started on these, and I was expecting a lesser version of James Patterson - but I really enjoyed them!  Action-adventure-spy-movie + sarcastic/dry/witty humor in book form.

ANOTHER PLUS FOR THE E-READER BECAUSE NO ONE KNEW WHAT I WAS READING

Yes, I read the Fifty Shades thing.  Meh.  Not really for me.

REPEAT OF AWESOMENESSS

I re-read the Hunger Games trilogy in prep for the awesome movie.  I'll probably read them again before #2 comes out.  LOVE.  Will always be a recommended yes.

I love to read.

I heart the reading

Resolution win = book recs for you!  But first, the way I read books has changed a little bit because for my birthday, my husband went and got me one of those nifty tablet thingies...I'm assuming mostly because he saw how many books/magazines I hauled around the country during our extended Christmas 2010 travels, and I think he was very VERY concerned about what would happen on our Costa Rican honeymoon if my bag was overweight due to books.  Seriously.  So I'm now at least semi-on the e-reader bandwagon.

I will never, ever stop loving real books.  I love them.  But here are some good things about the e-reader...

1. I can get new things to read RIGHT NOW.  You know, provided the tablet is charged and I have an internet connection.  But generally...RIGHT NOW.
2. Portability, especially when traveling.  One tablet weighs way less than the hardcover set of Hunger Games, a back-up paperback, and four magazines.  Promise.
3. Look up feature.  If I come across a word I don't know, I'll just highlight it and look it up in the dictionary.  Vocabulary win.
4. I was having trouble thinking of pros, but Craig says: "duh, you can play games on it."  I said I have a computer for that.  Whatevs.
5. Craig also says: "no paper cuts."  I'm not sure the last time a book gave me a paper cut, but I'll give him this one.
6. Craig says: "a few raindrops hurt a book.  Tablet, just fine."  Actually what he really said was something about it being more impervious to water (impervious!), so I put it in Erin words.  I tried to counter this with "ok, but if you drop either one in the bathtub, they're both goners!" - he just sighed at me.

Not so great for the following things...

1. Borrowing/sharing/lending/loaning.  It's just much easier to swap paper books with your friends.
2. The aforementioned "needs to be charged" business - can be really inconvenient sometimes.  Craig has some nifty converter in his car that lets me plug it in, which saved me life during our Christmas driving.
3. Screen glare - not usually a huge issue since I can adjust the brightness, but it's not perfect when I'm outdoors.
4. Durability.  Paper books do perfectly fine when you drop them on the ground.  The tablet...well, there's now some boo-boos on it and a small scratch on the screen.
5. Speaking of the screen...it's ALWAYS dirty in SOME way.  I can't wipe the fingerprints off a thousand times a day.  And that bothers the OCD in me.
6. Minor, but you know how you have to shut off electronic devices for take-off and landing?  Yeah, you can keep reading a real book.

Doesn't cut straight pro or straight con, but worth mentioning:

1. The shopping experience has really changed.  I love nothing more than going to Half Price Books for an hour and perusing the shelves, checking out back covers and finding bargains and things I might otherwise never have found.  It's a little more organized to shop on the tablet...but just not the same experience.
2. The reader apps aren't quite the same, and I have to give NOOK a thumbs-up over the Kindle on this one...mostly for the nerdy feature than turning a page feels slightly more like actually turning a page.  Yup, that does it.

So now...I just read both kinds of books.  Paper and electronic.  And it works.

Oh, and in the interested of being an organized reader and keeping up with what my friends are reading and finding cool new books, I'm also now on goodreads, which is a fun website that lets you add books you've read and rate them and organize them on bookshelves and add a bookshelf of your "to-read" books and what you're currently reading and it's just cool.  Do it.  If you're a nerd like me.

Book notes from my 2011 reading list.  Here you go.

AWESOME, read these immediately if you haven't already:

The Passage (this one is a beast and kinda crazy/scary/weird, but I really got into it and blasted through it MUCH more quickly than I thought I would) by Justin Cronin
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

GOOD, put it on your list:

The Unnamed and Then We Came To The End, both by Joshua Ferris
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson

DAMN, THESE WERE LONG, but mostly I'm glad I made it through them in the end:

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

FOODISH, and definitely good for my other foodie people out there:

The Sweet Life in Paris by David Leibovitz
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

NICE AND FLUFFY for the gals.  Or the guys.  No judgment:

The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
Jill Mansell books:  Take a Chance on Me, Rumor Has It, Miranda's Big Mistake (probably never would have read these without their $1.99 price tags and prominent placement on NOOK list, so possibly score one more for the e-reader)

WAH-WAH:

Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult.  Normally I really enjoy her books, but this one...nope.  One of her earlier books that you can definitely skip.

Go forth and read!!

Resolutions schmezolutions

Oh, January 2, 2011.  When I was apparently filled with great resolve and optimism.  Exactly one year later, let's just see how things turned out on the whole "here are my resolutions!" front...

• Lose 25 pounds in 10 months.  FAIL.  I actually gained weight this year, quite the opposite of every other bride out there who manages to shrink herself for the big wedding day.  Anyone remember Weight Loss Challenge?  Yeah, that didn't exactly pan out the way either one of us intended.  Oops.  I continue to blame love...I wonder how long I can get away with that...
• Hit 100 blog posts in 2011.  FAIL.  I couldn't even squeak out half that many.  49.  That's all.  But you know what?  In the middle of all the life insanity, the blog didn't completely die.  And I'm pretty dang happy about that.  Live on, blog!  And maybe in 2012 I can pick up NaBloPoMo again since November 2011 was just a teensy bit crazy.
• Read at least 30 books for pleasure.  WIN.  32, actually.  Same as last year.  Phew.  Needed to throw a win in there.
• Start volunteering on at least a monthly basis.  FAIL.  Selfish year for me.
• Maintain sanity during wedding planning.  WIN.  AND FAIL.  I definitely had my moments along the way, some of which only my dear husband was witness to and I can therefore deny deny deny, but I think I did a decent job of remembering what the day was about - marrying Craig, not obsessing over tiny details that no one notices anyway.  Hey, and we're still married two months later and well on our way to outlasting that Kardashian business.

This year's resolution?  Not to make any resolutions.  I'm guessing that 2012 is going to be a little bonkers, too, what with the end of the world coming and all, so I'm just going to take it as it comes.

I'll just try to adopt Zach's happy-go-lucky attitude a little bit more...after all, he's (apparently) adopted some Texan attributes.  Smart puppy, learning how to say "y'all" - he's a winner.

 

I'm not on the e-reader bandwagon...yet

I LOVE books.  Actual books.  Not fake pages on a screen that you "flip."  I just can't get into that.  Although I probably will someday.  Sigh.  How long can I resist the iPad when everyone I know is singing its praises?  Craig's had the NOOK (or is it nook?  Or Nook?  I can't tell...) for about a year and is pretty much sold on it, especially when he saw how many books and magazines I hauled around over the holidays to provide myself entertainment.  I think he was a little shocked.  Hmmmm....

I resolve to read at least 30 books in 2011.  And I'm hard at work on this one since that whole "lose 25 pounds" thing is going to test my resolve more than I had hoped.  Sigh again.  So I'll encourage everyone else to get out there and read, too, if for no other reason than it provides an escape from the life of spreadsheets or call center questions or screaming children or whatever it is that's testing you these days.  To that end, here are my suggestions from a selection of the 32 books I read last year.  I kept a list.  That's why I knew how many I'd read.  What, you're shocked?  This is me we're talking about.  Of course there was a list.

I loved these, please read them as soon as humanly possible:

1. Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
2. My Life in France by Julia Child
3. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
4. Travel Writing by Peter Ferry
5. Naked by David Sedaris
6. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

These were pretty good, too, go ahead and add them to your list:

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
3. The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
4. London is the Best City in America by Lori Gottlieb
5. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
6. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Rereads for me, prompted by vacation and movie-viewing, that you should go ahead and read for the first time if you haven't already read them, or just skip Harry Potter if you have strong feelings about not reading young adult wizard fiction:

1. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Girly books that didn't make toooooo much of an impression on me when I couldn't bring myself to read the books I felt like I should read to enhance my knowledge and bucket of cultural reference but that are probably quiet sufficient for a lazy afternoon on a beach somewhere:

1. The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner
2. Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand
3. The Other Woman by Jane Green
4. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Do not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES read this crap book:

1. In the Kitchen by Monica Ali

Sometimes twelve-ish days away from work aren't enough...

...and I'm wishing I had another week of vacation just waiting for me, but it looks like it's time to start 2011 with a bang!  If "bang" includes back-to-back hour-long meetings in the morning.  Shablammy.  But I do have a lot of things to look forward to this year that don't include morning meetings.  There's a whole bushel of life events coming up (you know, minor events like moving halfway across the country AGAIN and starting a new-ish yet kinda old-ish job and GETTING MARRIED and suddenly being WAY outnumbered by males in my household and all kinds of other silly things), and along with those life events, I'm going to go ahead and throw a few resolutions into the mix just to keep things interesting:

• Lose 25 pounds in the next ten months by actually kicking the healthy living plan into gear.  This isn't for vanity's sake, it's to be healthy.  And to actually fit into jeans that fit a year and a half ago.
• Hit 100 blog posts in 2011.  I did it in 2009, but not 2010.  And while I won't exactly have interesting DC things to blog about, I love writing and photography and find that this is great outlet for both.
• Read at least 30 books for pleasure.  I really enjoy reading, and with the insanity of life going on, I don't want to feel like I don't have time for one of my favorite escape mechanisms.
• Start volunteering on at least a monthly basis.  I signed up to be a leader for Habitat for Humanity about two and a half years ago and politely excused myself from actually doing anything since I was moving.  Oh, like the same organization doesn't exist here.  No excuses this time around.
• Maintain sanity during wedding planning and remember what's actually important about that day - you know, the whole getting married and committing to each other part.  Although I think good food is pretty important, too.  And I'm sure Craig would agree.

There you have it, kids.  Keep me honest throughout the year.

The angriest Santa Claus in the world and I hope you enjoyed your holidays and wish you and yours the best in 2011!

I wish...

...it was time to go home for Thanksgiving.
...that the rain outside would lull me to sleep, but then stop in the night so I don't have to walk to work in it.
...dishes would just do themselves.
...I got as excited about vegetables as I do about chocolate.  And cheese.
...it was still the weekend.
...zits after teenage years just didn't happen.
...nail polish never chipped.

I'll write something that's actually worth reading soon.  The every day thing is rearing its head.

Shopping at its finest

I believe shopping can often best be done from the comfort of your own home in your pjs.  Which really wasn't a viable option all that long ago.  Can you remember a world where Amazon wouldn't bring your every last whim to your doorstep?  I mean, Amazon - it's kinda like Wal-Mart, only about a thousand times more awesome.  It has EVERYTHING.  I've also become addicted Etsy for things like adorable cards (I ♥ paper products!) and custom-made earrings and other cutesy things.  Clothes can still be a little iffy, but I love Shabby Apple and ModCloth and the usual suspects in the form of Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic and Loft/Ann Taylor.

Online shopping also serves me well on those occasions when I'm shopping for someone else and might not ever actually visit the kind of physical store that sells things like King Ranch caps.  That one's for you, Dad.  And NOW they send me catalogues, of course.  When's the last time anyone actually ordered something from a catalogue??  I'm talking filling out the form and mailing it in kind of thing.  Does anyone do that now?

I kinda love having coffee delivered to my home.  And I don't allow myself to actually go in Sephora for fear of spending triple digit amounts on things I don't need that won't miraculously cure my skin of all that ails it.  And I found great shoes to walk around Spain in...but NOT in a store.  These didn't exist in any store in the D.C. metro area.  Trust me, I tried.

You know what I've purchased online in the last week?  Well, no, you don't.  But I'm going to share it anyway:

• Essential makeup supplies from Sephora, including a Clinique eyeliner I've recently fallen in love with.
• Custom holiday cards from Snapfish - I used one of my pictures from last year's Snowmaggedon adventures.  Pretty excited about them.
• Tickets via Groupon for my sissy and I to see Paula Deen at the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show this weekend.  Excited to see my sissy AND to hang out with the Queen of Butter.
• Replacement rubber foot for my laptop from Amazon.
• A gift to be delivered as my substitute for not actually being able to attend something since I live halfway across the country from the something. 

Power to the interwebs!  And yes, I have my credit card number...actually, two credit card numbers...memorized.  Maybe I do a little toooo much online shopping.

Just where exactly is home?

You know how I got back from Spain about a month and a half ago?  I promise promise PROMISE you'll see pictures of this amazing adventure AND hear all the stories (the ones I still remember, anyway...geez).  But you know what?  Ever since I got back, life has been slightly bonkers.  At least on the travel side of things.  Oh, and possibly the "what am I doing with my life and how am I doing it and just WHAT the heck is going on?" side of things as well.  Which leaves little time for editing and captioning photos, much less compiling them in any sort of witty form.  Therefore, I present to you my travel schedule.

At the beginning of October, I went to Dallas for new manager training...
 

...and then went back home for a little while, feeling pretty distraught about things...

...and then almost went to Chicago for training and then Dallas but ended up just coming to Dallas a day early so I could be here for something much more important than instructor development training...

...and then went back home for a little while...

...and then went to Boston...

...and then went back home for a little while...

...and then went to Durham for the weekend to hang out with my fabulous sissy AND my wonderful mommy, all while introducing them to that boy I happen to be dating (oh, and for those of you who aren't aware of the boy...well, there it is! updates available upon specific request given my general propensity to not be a great personal sharer, although I think I've done much better in the last month or so)...

...and then went back home for a little while...

...and then went to New York for yet MORE training, which happened to be accompanied by a fun night in the city...

...and then went home for a little while, where there was a Friday night dinner involving the parents of aforementioned boy, which may or may not have contributed to some degree of stress in my life given everything else that stresses me...

...and now I'm in Dallas for a full week actually TEACHING training, which is going really well, but also happens to coincide with my dear friend Dana's last week in the DC office, which means I'm going back to a work land filled with ZERO I-can-tell-you-anything kind of people...but at least I'm spending some exceptionally good time with my wonderful people here...

...and then I'll go back home for more than just a little while.  With weekend visitors lined up for the next two weekends, which I'm MORE than excited about.  Probably because they know how important sleeping in is to me.

So, that's a little bit of the reason why you haven't heard about Spain yet.  But you will.  And Darcy, I PROMISE those pictures will head your way...definitely before Christmas.  This is ridiculous.

Five years gets me...

...cheese.  Allow me to explain.

Pdub is kind enough to recognize, with a selection of tangible goods, "career milestones" for every five years of blood, sweat, and tears you pour into the firm.  As of about a month ago, my internship time + a start date of June 2005 = five whole years of working away in the world of public accounting.  In my book, this is definitely something worth celebrating - many, many hours of, quite literally, blood (paper cuts hurt, you know), sweat (hauling boxes of tax returns down to the UPS dock drop is rough), and tears (busy season breakdowns, both in and out of the office - it's true).

So, it's time for my five year treat!  I might actually use/admire/enjoy several of the offerings, including the iPod shuffle or Nike iPod Sport Kit (which might be nice if they also provided the Nike Ready shoe and iPod nano required for it to actually function) or a Tiffany necklace.  Don't get too excited by the Tiffany necklace thing, people - we're not talking diamonds here.
 
Now, I realize we need to have a selection that appeals to a broad range of five year celebrators, but what use do I have for a golf bag or putter? None. Although one of my colleagues did suggest getting one or the other and selling it on eBay - could probably turn a decent profit that way.

Several of the options read like a wedding registry:  popcorn maker, coffee maker, fondue set, tea kettle, paella pan.  I'll pass.  Cashmere pashmina wrap or Kobe Bryant 81 points PhotoMint Framed Collage (??).  I'll pass.

Then comes another round of Tiffany...key ring (Texas Tech works just fine for me), money clip (gonna say this is male-focused and not really geared towards me), crystal bowl (do we have some kind of agreement with them about the number of products that have to be from Tiffany's?).

 

Two different Waterford pens (I'm partial to the Pilot G-2 07 myself - don't really need that fancy pen) up for grabs, along with a wine chilling carafe - but let's face it, I'm a planner and have that bottle of white in the fridge when I know I'm going to need it.

I also didn't necessarily want something tangible to remind me of work every time I look at it/put it on/use it in any way.

Cowgirl Creamery Seasonal Starter Kit.  Three seasonal cheeses.  Sign.  Me.  Up.

50+ years...Ralph Lauren domino set?  Fancy espresso machine?  Baccarat whiskey decanter?  Hmmmm....I don't necessarily think that's going to keep me around when I'm 73.  Actually, I really hope I'm not working when I'm 73.  Unless it's at my bakery.  Or cheese shop, at this rate.

Obvious winner in the five year category?  Cheese.  Nothing but cheese. 

Note: this post may or may not comply with my workplace's public communications and social networking policies.  I'll chance it.  Also...slightly concerned about stinkiness of one of the cheeses, which have actually made it here and are waiting in the fridge for their party.

Under the knife I go

Almost done with this medical malady thing that's been driving me slightly batty for the better part of a month because tomorrow is...surgery day!  That's right, time to get this bad boy cut out and sent off to the lab to make sure there's nothing scary lurking in there.  I can't tell you how ready I am.  Ok, not overly excited about the whole surgery part, but just ready to be done dealing with it.  Although I'll still have to deal with it...post-op stuff and all...but one step closer, right?

That being said, I'm not exactly going to be celebrating Cinco de Mayo with the traditional adult beverages, but I'm hoping there might be a way to track down an orange Jarritos - those things are dang tasty.  I think it's probably in my body's best interest if my blood can actually clot tomorrow, so I'm skipping the margaritas and/or Mexican beer tonight.  That, along with the fact that I can't eat or drink anything after midnight, will also help me avoid any late night shenanigans.  Although since I need to be at the hospital at 6 AM and I have quite the track record for not really embracing the morning hours, it might just be easier to stay up all night.

For those of you who are into that whole schedule sort of thing and might want to be thinking positive thoughts for me (hint, hint), here's how the day's (theoretically) going down:

• 0515 hours - drag self out of bed, remember not to drink coffee, stumble through shower, remember to wear glasses, hug Harrison, remember not to wear makeup, valiantly keep eyes open
• 0545 hours - crawl into cab and mumble "23rd and I" while not falling asleep in said cab
• 0559 hours - arrive at hospital admissions one minute ahead of schedule (aren't I optimistic?)
• 0600 hours - get all checked in, sign various forms and fork over hefty deductible, change into what I'm sure is to be a lovely hospital gown complete with matching robe and slippers, get minorly freaked out about what is happening, listen to calming voice of anesthesiologist who (along with miracle drugs) will make me forget what I'm here for, receive reassurance from fine doctor
• 0730 hours - let's get this show on the road!  various things with scalpels and other instruments that I'd rather not know about
• 0830 hours - should be done with scalpels and other instruments that I'd rather not know about...to the recovery room we go!
• 0915 hours - amuse fellow recovery room occupants with my loopy rambling
• 1000 hours - my angel Dana arrives to check out my loopiness and make sure we actually understand the nurse's instructions
• 1030 hours - time to bust out of this joint
• 1045 hours - home sweet home and immediately to bed, hopefully with a content kitty curled up next to me while Angel Dana works away in the living room

For this privilege, I will be wiping out my HSA and using a chunk of my tax refund to meet my deductible on this lovely high deductible plan (which really is lovely until you actually need something like surgery, and then it's blown all to hell), but at least another chunk of my tax refund is being used to fund an amazing almost-two-week adventure in Spain with my very dear friend Darcy in September.  Keep earning interest, tax refund, keep earning interest!  Have to have something to look forward to, right?  At least I'll get credit card points for the massive payment I'm making tomorrow.

And for those you keeping score...my parents were in town last Wednesday through Monday, and we had a lovely time, which I'll tell you alllll about in the next few days.  Hopefully not while loopy from anesthesia or other miracle drugs.

Tax time!

If you haven't filed your taxes yet...well, you might want to get on it.  That's about as much of a public service announcement as you're going to get from me.  Not going to lie - not missing my traditional 4/15 scramble at work.  Instead, I think I might stop by the IRS building today for some ice cream.

Alternatively, if I miss the noon to 1 PM window for my free mini-Blizzard, I could knock back a Tax Relief or two, which actually sounds pretty similar to what Kami and I indulged in a few years ago if you substitute a Sonic cherry limeade for the last four ingredients and a little...or a lot...of vodka for the first.  Yikes.  Tasty with a bacon cheeseburger and some jalapeño poppers, but we're getting too old for that now.

Hmmmm, other ways to celebrate tax day?  Someecards has their usual selection of jolly Tax Day e-cards.  Take a reusable travel mug into Starbucks today and get a free brewed coffee.  All food purchases at P.F. Chang's are 15% off today.  Get a free...ummm...HydroMassage.  Are those the weird things you only see at the mall?  I'm not researching that any further.

Do your taxes, people - it's the right thing to do.  Also, I would like to note that filing state tax returns is for the birds.  Yet another reason why Texas is so awesome.

I'm thankful for...

...coming home for Thanksgiving and spending time with my family.

...turkey, cranberry sauce, and especially cornbread dressing made from my grandmother's recipe.

...pie.

...enormous Diet Cokes from Pak-a-Sak.

...the entertainment value of Wii.

...enthusiastic younger cousins.

...pie.

...a Cowboys victory.

...amusing scenes from the crowd at Best Buy that had started lining up at 7 PM.  Yes, we drove by just to check.

...sweet kitties who live in the barn.

...pie.

...hugs from my dad, and my mom, and my sister when she'll let me hug-attack her.

And that's just a today list - I have more to be thankful for than so many, and I'm going to try and be a little more mindful of that.

Oh, the places you'll go

Back in my youth (yes, I'm going to consider "my youth" behind me now), I created a "vacation destinations" list of a dozen cool places I wanted to go.  I always wanted to be a traveler and just never had much of a chance, but that didn't mean I couldn't dream.  The high school choir trip to Boston was pretty great (and it really was!  They crammed in a lot of good stuff that us high schoolers didn't appreciate as much as we should have), and I loved our family vacations to Colorado, but I always wanted more.  I wanted to cross oceans and explore and discover.

One quick observation - the fact that I made a list for this...well, I still make lists for everything, so at least I was being true to myself.

I regret never doing Honors College London/Paris program because it didn't "fit into my accounting schedule" and "cost too much."  Must impress appropriate priorities and experiences on impressionable young minds whenever presented with such an opportunity.

You know what snagged spots on the old "vacation destinations" list?  Well, I live in one of them now, so that's saying something.  And I've been to NYC four times and am heading back next month.  And I've also managed to knock out Hawaii and San Fran/Napa/Sonoma:

 

And Las Vegas (family Christmas vacay 2004!) and New Orleans and Germany:

And places I didn't even know I wanted to go, like Chicago (what a great city!) and Provincetown and Prague:

And my dreams have only expanded.  I want to go to places I'd never considered before, like Chile and Hong Kong.  I want to soak up the world.  I find travel to be eye-opening and life-changing.  And also potentially hazardous to your health - picked up hepatitis A and typhoid shots today in preparation for Bryan Family Christmas Cruise.  Don't worry, we're not sailing anywhere super-scary.  Although this might prove to be scary. 

Go see the world, people!  It does a body (and soul) good!

If you're curious, the widely varied original "vacation destinations" list included D.C., NYC, San Fran/Napa/Sonoma, Hawaii, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Virgin Islands (what??  Something must have inspired me...), London, Ireland, Italy, Australia, and Germany.  Some very specific, some very vague (as in, you know, an entire country or even continent), and altogether remarkably random.  I can live my life without visiting the Virgin Islands, but you can bet I'm going to cross London, Ireland, Italy, and Australia off the list.

These are a few of my favorite things

I'm at a loss for a blog topic tonight.  So, in the spirit of a true accountant, I'm going to make a list.  A list of 20 favorites.  As an "important document of my life, perpetuating various thoughts, moods, fashions, and trends" at a certain point in my life.  Well, that might be a bit much, but here's the list anyway, and despite my natural inclinations, I will try to answer as succinctly as possible:

1.What is your favorite book?  Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.  I could read it over and over again and often do. 
 
2.What is your favorite song?  "Someday You Will Be Loved" by Death Cab for Cutie.

3.What is your favorite color?  Blue.

4.What is your favorite destination?  My bed.

5.What is your favorite memory?  Pretty much any one that involves a hug.

6.What is your favorite TV show?  Do I have to pick just one?  30 Rock.

7.What is your favorite movie?  I refuse to pick just one, but fine - When Harry Met Sally.  I laugh out loud at something different every time.

8.What is your favorite food?  Anything Tex-Mex!

9.What is your favorite desert?  Anything chocolate!

10.What is your favorite treat?  A spa pedicure.  With something chocolate.  And a glass of wine.  If at all possible.

11.What is your favorite car?  My beautiful 2000 Honda CR-V - it's paid for

12.What is your favorite piece of clothing?  Comfy pajamas.  Yeah, that's just how I roll.

13.What is your favorite fashion accessory?  I've become somewhat enamored with scarves over the last year or two.

14.What is your favorite perfume?  Oh, it's a toss-up: Lacoste Inspiration or Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue.

15.What is your favorite leisure activity?  Reading.

16.Who is your favorite author?  David Sedaris.  He makes me laugh.

17.Who is your favorite actor/actress?  I'll watch George Clooney in anything.  I just can't help myself.

18.Who is your favorite singer?  Singer and not band?  There I go dissecting a very simple question...I'll go with singer and go with Mat Kearney/Ray LaMontagne.  Augh, that's two!!

19.Who is your role model?  I don't have one.  I blaze my own path.  Deal with it.

20.Where is your favorite place to be?  A happy place.  Generic, I know - translate that to sleeping in, vacation, in a hug, and basically not in my cubicle.