Thu, Fri, Sat

Thursday

was Ryan's intramural basketball game.  It was the 1st year DPT students vs. the 2nd years. Boy, was there quite the turnout.  I don't think the refs or any other bystanders had ever seen anything like it before! They painted up, had signs, distracted during free throws and even made a tunnel for the winners to run through. These PT students really know how to party!

Friday

we encountered the pothole of DOOM.  We spent the evening with Ali and her parents (it was so nice to be around family!!) and all we decided to take a different route home so we could pick up a Redbox.  Well, it was dark and before we knew it, WE GOT ROCKED.  We weren't even speeding and I've never heard such a loud noise or felt such a jerk from a pot hole.  Apparently, neither had the jag because IT STOPPED.  Yes, the engine SHUT DOWN.  11:30 p.m. right on the street it just died.  Talk about FREAKING OUT!!!  It said, "Gear Box Failure" and we couldn't even put it into neutral to push it to the mechanic that was 1.5 blocks away.  That's it, 1.5 blocks!!  After 15 minutes of feeling sick to my stomach watching everyone else hit the pot hole, Ryan pulled out his owner's manual and happened to turn to a page about an inertia switch. (I know this was an answer to my quick prayer!)  Apparently his car can senses if you've been in an accident and it shuts down for your safety.  I'm so thankful we discovered this and all it takes is the flip of a switch to turn the car back on.  We pulled into the auto shop just as Ali and her parents came to our rescue.  A flat (maybe two) tires later and all valuables out of the car (we were in a GHETTO part of town), they brought us home to wait until morning to really discover the damage.  It bent the front and back rim but luckily only the front tire was flat so the spare is on and here comes the battle with the city to see if we can get any money out of them.  They OBVIOUSLY knew about this because the next morning there were cones up.  AND we heard that they used to have a big steel slab over it.  Pay up, Durham.  You owe us big time.

Saturday
was game day!  Note the tents that have been there for WEEKS camping out for the UNC game!  We had one ticket to the Duke vs. NC State basketball game so Ryan let me walk right in and he waited in the line of nearly 200 people.  Game time was nearing and still no Ryan.  I would have felt AWFUL if he didn't get in but thankfully he was one of the last 8 students and we had a spot for him in the FRONT ROW right under the basket!  Remember how I said that his classmates know how to party?  They decided to dress up as Zombies for the game and even invited the Duke basketball game out to a bar called "Shooters" with them.  And you know, what? They showed up!!  I really don't know what Duke Basketball would do without DPT.

Do you see Ryan just to the right of #5? He's famous. :)

24th Birthday

So I'm 24.  And I have to admit, I actually feel old.  I'm done with school and just working and now 24!  A lot of people are still in school at age 23, but 24?  Most people are done by then making me officially OLD.  I don't know how I feel about that.  I got quite homesick and really just wanted to be home with my parents for my birthday, but Ryan planned a great weekend for me!  We went to dinner on Saturday night with a handful of his classmates and then more joined us ice skating (even though they had HUGE tests to study for!).  Ryan does NOT like ice skating but knew I wanted to go so he held on tight the whole time and survived without falling once.  What a good sport!  At midnight that night he gave me a present - a HUGE bag of York Peppermint Patties - YUM!

On Sunday morning (my actual birthday) he woke me up with breakfast in bed and then cleaned up his entire mess and whatever mess I had left around the apartment.  :) We had not talked at all about what we were doing that night and I thought he might be planning something but he was NOT fessing up.  Finally, after I got a little grumpy he admitted that Mitch and Maile were coming over for dinner.  Little did I know, he invited the whole gang!  Dinner was oh-so-tasty as were my birthday cakes!! I have the best husband and the best friends.  I have had some AMAZING birthdays over the years thanks to all of you, wherever you live!

I also wondered if the York Peppermint Patties were my only gift.  I mean, I know money is tight, but it is my birthday!! Again, I was not disappointed.  Though at first I was worried - do you see the wrapped Cheez-It box?  I thought that's what was actually in the box.  However,  Ryan got me a Cricut cartridge I've been wanting and some all weather running tights for our marathon we are running on June 12, 2011 (our 1-year anniversary).  Yes, I know we're crazy.  But it's a goal of Ryan's and I'll give it a shot! AND my great friends Megan and Conner will be running it, too. Again, my friends ROCK!

My First Quilt

It's DOOOOOOOOOONE.  And I couldn't be more thankful.  This thing was a BEAST.  A few inappropriate words may have been uttered in the process, but it is DONE.  And I will probably put myself through the same torture again and again; I'll just make my next quilt on a much smaller scale.  Like a baby quilt... I have so many baby quilts that I want to make.  But I digress...

And now, the reveal!!!

 It is seriously MASSIVE.  It's the size of a queen size quilt, which my mom makes all the time, but it was quite the task for me.  I decided to machine stitch it unlike my skilled and patient mother who does it all by hand.  However, rolling it up to fit under the arm of my sewing machine was NOT as easy as I thought it would be!

As I was looking at my quilt I decided to go looking for pictures of me wearing some of these old high school t-shirts!

My first concert was the Dixie Chicks in SLC and we decided to rock some hand-made Cornhusker shirts

 

This is my "Kick Some Mass" T-shirt.  My physics teacher said this before a football game and after finding it quite amusing, we again made t-shirts for the football game.  Then afterward, we found a random rock pile that we slid down... oh high school!

A few Student Council T-shirts

 

Pole Vault Camp

 

Not the same Sonic T-shirt, but proof that I slaved away there for almost 5 years!

 

Rockin' a Student Council shirt at Girl's Camp.

I thought you'd like this picture, Heather. :)

BFF

 

Another Student Council shirt ("Get Lucky" which was banned from wearing in school...oops!) 

with my pole vault teammates and beautiful sarmiento brace from my broken arm!

 

Finally, class of 2005, baby! (And don't worry, it's sparkling cider....DUH)

Isn't reminiscing so much fun?

I get grumpy every time I...

HAVE TO PLAN MEALS!!

Seriously. I. HATE. IT.  Everything about it.  I'm sure it will get easier with time, but for now, Ryan does not like to be around me as I'm figuring out what to make, then what to buy and then having time to make it after I get home from work.  Especially if you try to factor in eating on a budget and healthy. YUCK YUCK YUCK.  I know I have to suck it up because I'll be doing for the next... well, pretty much forever... but for now I will continue to complain!  So if anyone has any easy recipes or tips, please save my sanity.  Muchas gracias.

Slightly Obsessed

Oh. My. Heavens. 

We cannot get enough of this salad dressing!  

I originally saw it on a blog with a salad of just tomatoes,

cucumbers and avocados but now we eat it ALL THE TIME.  

Seriously, mix up a jar and you'll never turn back.  

And this is coming from a die hard ranch lover.  

It's THAT good! (AND HEALTHY!)

3 T freshlime juice

2 T olive oil

1 T red wine vinegar

1 tsp granulated sugar

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

My Funny Husband

One great thing about this blog and facebook is that my silly husband never checks either one!  Nor his email.  Or texts.  Basically he hates communication unless it's convenient for him.  So I can pretty much say whatever I want and he won't know until someone else informs him!  I'm trying to convert him but it's a long process. :)  In the meantime I find it quite amusing that his classmates and friends tag me on facebook for photos they take of him, or quotes that he has said, or things that they want him to see.  I even get cc'd on emails to him because people know that I will check mine and then spread the word.

I think you can get quite the feel for his personality from the pictures, quotes, links, etc below:

It started off with this one from our friend Bryan

 Which I later found out was Photoshopped, but I wouldn't be shocked if

Ryan was holding hands with Barrett.  I've felt a bromance developing...

Oct. 8 from his classmate, Melina:

 "Hard at work...."

"No wait, morning nap time."

Or this one from Melina on Nov. 1:

"Ryan's classroom supplies. Who needs a pencil when you have WD-40 and a can opener!"

Quote posted by Erika, another classmate, "No one's stealing a fat kid." - Ryan Sweeney

Video from a longtime friend, Rachel:

Omaha Nebraska (official) Music Video (Lucky Charm, Whyte Myk, and  Flocain)

Ryan's week-long clinical before Thanksgiving

A possible necessity (as recommended by his classmate, Michelle)

to survive one of Ryan's hated classes.

He survived last semester by sleeping through it.

http://www.incrediblethings.com/work/eyelid-stickers/

But apparently, he just decided to nap BEFORE class today!

Isn't he just adorable?  Now you see why I love him so much.  He never fails to make me laugh!

Speaking of adorable and laughing, check out my SAWEEEET outfit as the new Merchandising Supervisor at work! 
Gotta love the sweater vest.  And you can't beat the khaki color.  HOLLA!

 

 And if you have not seen enough for one day, here are a few throwback photos of Ryan

(circa 2003-2004) that Rachel posted.  And yes, that is Pauly Shore.

 

 

 

Today's Findings

Hello again blogging world! I can't believe a month has passed since my last post.  I'm sad to report that my Project 365 attempt has already failed.  Maybe next year, right? :)  BUT, I did happen to mention to Ryan the other day that we never take pictures anymore so he's been the one stepping up and taking the initiative for which I am SO GRATEFUL.  I'm sure some of you get a little tired of always being the one behind the camera, too.  We still have many wonderful events in our lives that have gone undocumented, but what can you do?  Many of those events occurred over Christmas Break and maybe I'll eventually get around to blogging about them!

Instead of worthwhile events, I tend to photograph useless things - like today's findings as the title says.  I spent all of today cleaning house and it was wonderful.  Christmas is safely packed away (though I did accidentally break the ears off a reindeer an ornament of Ryan's and I was really worried that it was sentimental, and thankfully it wasn't, and thankfully it was fixed with a little hot glue).  The living room has been dusted and vacuumed (even the edges thanks to Ryan's new shop-vac!), I Comet'd the entire kitchen and I did my best to organize my craft area.  It definitely got a little out of hand when I started working.  You'd think that since I work at a craft store I would buy all sorts of things and keep busy with my crafting but it was quite the opposite.  I was so sad to discover that my sewing machine had dust on it because I hadn't used it in so long! 

Wow, I'm writing a lot.  It seems to be when I have important things to blog about, the words don't come and other times I can blab and blab about nothing. :) FINALLY - to the post.  

Finding #1:

I bought this box less than a week ago and we have been thoroughly enjoying each one.  I especially enjoy them because I make Ryan do the peeling and I just eat them.  To this day, I don't think I've ever peeled an orange!  Anyway, I was putting the last 5 or 6 in a bowl to dispose of the box when this appeared!  Not a single other clementine was effected which is SHOCKING considering how disgusting this one is. GROSS.

Finding #2:

After having lunch with Ryan at school, I felt like I should stop at the thrift store on the way home.  I'm not really a thrifter because I get frustrated by all the junk and don't have the patience to find the few gems.  But today, I'm very pleased with my findings!  After a quick lap I first found the purple vase which is just so funky and fun, then I also found an orange vase and 12x12 mirror (not pictured) and the lamp was my last find.  It was only $1.49!! For that price, I didn't care if it worked or not.  I was in love!  When I got home I put in our FREE CFL (we signed up online and our energy provider sent us 15 free compact fluorescent light bulbs!) AND IT WORKED!  It might be the best $1.49 I've ever spent, even without a shade. OH! But I'm pretty sure the real reason I felt like I should stop at the thrift store was to donate the giant bag of plastic grocery sacks that have been sitting in my car since Ryan told me to recycle them over a month ago. :)

Not really a new Finding #3:

One of these things is not like the others, right?  Yep, it's been that way for probably about 2 months now and neither one of us have bothered fixing it.  Considering it's about the fourth time that one has fallen, I think it just adds to the art, don't you?

Not really a finding at all #4:

We are just happy to see that our game collection is growing and that we have people to play with.  We played with our neighbors/church-mates, Mitch and Maile, four nights in a row this week!  Too bad school is starting again and all three of them will go back to being lame. Just kidding, I love you all!!

There you have it, another totally pointless but hopefully somewhat entertaining blog post.  Happy New Year!