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9.30.2008

hmm...

Bullet points people, so I don't have to try and find a way to actually tie these things together.

  • Happy Rosh Hashanah ya'll! If you celebrate, I hope its good.


  • How is everyone else feeling about the financial crisis? Me, well besides brief moments of utter panic about it all (how tight will our wallets be?!)... really I'm not too too concerned for myself. Honestly, Trav and I are so far away from retirement, and we aren't even looking at our stocks at the moment (you only lose if you sell!), so there are a lot of people that it is so much worse for. Were you stunned by the bailout not passing? I was surprised, but not completely shocked. I know a lot of people were though:
    World financial markets reeled as stunned lawmakers groped for their next move Monday after House Republicans abandoned President Bush in droves to help kill his $700 billion proposal to rescue the financial services industry.

    Even before the vote was announced, stocks began tanking on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average nose-dived by more than 777 points, its worst fall ever, in a sell-off that swept markets around the globe.

    ... Ample “no” votes came from both sides of the aisle, but Democratic leaders managed to persuade more than 60 percent of their members to back the measure, while more than two-thirds of Republicans balked at spending so much taxpayer money just before the Nov. 4 elections.

    The House canceled plans for a pre-election recess and was scheduled to reconvene Thursday, although no plan of action had yet been worked out.

    ... But Republicans who voted against the bill objected, saying the measure did not do enough to protect individual investors and bank account holders.

    “New York city fat-cats expect Joe Sixpack to suck it up and foot the bill for their excesses. I think not,” said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas.

    [And you have to love this bit they threw in at the end:]
    The campaign of the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, used the occasion as an opportunity to blame Obama for the failure of the measure.

    “Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain, and refused to even say if he supported the final bill,” McCain’s senior policy adviser, Doug Holtz-Eakin, said in a statement. “This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country.”

    [Um, right. Because those 2/3 of Republicans that voted NO totally did so at Obama's urging. Idiots.]

    Hopefully before Thursday they can come up with something amended that will actually be passed. I definitely agree that we need to do something! But I also understand the feeling of not wanting big business bailed out at the expense of the average American who is really struggling. (Here:)
    The bill’s failure came despite furious personal lobbying by Bush and support from House leaders of both parties. But the legislation was highly unpopular with the public, ideological groups on the left and the right organized against it, and Bush no longer wielded the influence to leverage tough votes. Even pressure in favor of the bill from some of the biggest special interests in Washington, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors, could not sway enough votes.

    ... Immediately following the vote, Republican leaders blamed their failure to secure more votes on the partisan tone of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s pre-vote speech on the House floor. “There were a dozen members who we thought ... we had a really good chances of getting on the floor,” said Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio. “And all that evaporated with that speech.”

    Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the gruff but quick-witted chairman of the House banking committee, countered, “Give me the names of those 12 people and I’ll go talk uncharacteristically nice to them.”

    ... Blunt, noting that the House would break for the Jewish holidays until Thursday, said, “We are going to have a couple days to see how the marketplace reacts to all this, and maybe that’s a good thing.”

    How the House voted
    Yes No
    Democrats 140 95
    Republicans 65 133
    Total 205 228

    ... [And again:] The two men campaigning to replace Bush watched the situation closely — from afar — and demanded action.

    In Iowa, Republican John McCain said that Obama and congressional Democrats “infused unnecessary partisanship into the process. Now is not the time to fix the blame; it’s time to fix the problem.”

    Obama said, “Democrats, Republicans, step up to the plate, get it done.”

    Ugh. Anyway, moving on.


  • Um, can you believe its the last day of September?! Where they hell did the month go? I honestly can't believe it. And I can't believe we're still working on the damn guest bedroom!! Lol.


  • This Friday is TWO WEEKS untils my walk!!! Holy hell that's close. I'm getting slightly more nervous as it approaches... mostly because it feels so surreal. Can it really be here already?
    Anyway, as you can see above I'm at 69% of my fundraising goal... and I would love your support! There is a link to the left where you can donate online securely. Please support me, even if its only for a few bucks. It's a great cause, and every dollar counts. Thanks.

Really, that's all I've got for today. Ate lots of beef stew last night and it was good. Worked on the floor some and will do more tonight. For now, I have a bunch of work to do, and need to get to it since I want to run out to do some quick shopping at lunch (impending anniversary and birthdays). So, off I go!

9.29.2008

did someone say haggis?

This weekend was a lot of fun. It was also busy and frustrating and damp. But first, just a few pictures from the conference earlier this week. First, just one from the tour we took our Chinese and Japanese delegates on Monday morning:

I didn't really run up the stairs, but I did demonstrate the fanatical, jumping celebration at the top. Have to leave a good impression, you know. ;-)

Lunch one of the days had these babies as part of the dessert:

Those are chocolate covered strawberries with gold dust. Holy hell.

Then just two of my kick ass room at the Union League, which is freakin' gorgeous!


Anyway, so Friday dawned damp and a bit dreary. But was someone sad by the forecasted rain?! Hell no... because I got to break out my new spiffy rain boots!

When I got home, I had a lovely autumn-y surprise waiting for me too. My sweet boy had decided to cook up a whole apple themed meal, starting with apple cider while I waited for dinner to finish:

Then we had these fabulous pork chops with pan roasted apples, and an apple cinnamon sauce to go over top:

They were amazing... the apples and cinnamon went so well with the pork. Just delish.

Apparently they were pretty easy too:
First Trav browned both sides of the pork chops with a little salt & pepper, then removed them from the pan. He then added a bit of apple cider and a pat of butter to the pan and deglazed it. To that he added some cinnamon, a little brown sugar, and a hint of nutmeg. Once that got going, he stuck in the apple rings (from one very big apple), and simmered them until tender. Then he put the apples to the side of the pan and stuck the pork chops in, and simmered them until done. So good.

And of course, to drink with dinner we had some of my favorite apple wine.

What a great cook my boy is... and what a lucky girl I am! :-)

That night it was all about house work. First we had to figure out how to fix our toilet, which decided to break and not flush. Apparently the loop which holds the chain on the flap that lets the water out had broken... so once we saw that, it was pretty easy to replace.

The rest of the night we spent working on the floor of the guest bedroom. There is some leftover shmutz from the carpet, which we've been carefully trying to remove. Plus we had to sweep and vacumn multiple times to get up the dust and dirt from all the other work. Then we washed the floors with this hardwood cleaner.

This is how it looked after that. Its not actually so glossy, it was still wet... but we're going to get a polish to put on next, so it will be a bit shinier. It looks a lot better, but there are definitely some beat up parts. We'll have to do some more spot fixes, then wash it again, then put the gloss on and we should be done with that part.
Hopefully we can finish the floor this week, during the week, and next Sunday can be "day of wainscoting"!! Have I mentioned I'm ready to be done with this room?

Saturday (the Quads birthdays... Happy Birthday Alex, Anna, Katy, and Maddy!!) also dawned a bit gray and dreary, but we pushed ahead with our plans for the day:

I LOVE the Celtic Classic, and it had been a few years since we'd made it. We walked up and down multiple times, checking out all the vendors, eating, and completing a rather difficult "scavenger hunt" where to had to get different vendor signatures. All for a silly CD, but it was mostly about pride. ;-)

I bought this ring (which I'm wearing today on my right hand):

We also stopped to watch a few of the events, although unfortunately I missed my favorite... the caber toss. We did see this one though:


(Throw the haybale over the stick?)
We also got to see/hear some bagpipers:

Next we stopped for a bit of food. We weren't sure what to get at first, but Travis had something he wanted to give a try: Haggis. Now, haggis is definitely one of those foods that its probably better if you don't know what it is before you eat it!! But we had seen it and heard about it for so long, we figured we had to give it a shot. Plus its a Scottish specialty, and I am part Scottish. ;-)

Its also one of those meals you don't want to look at too hard before you eat it either:

But we did try it:

And it was actually pretty good!!


It tasted a bit like scrapple (which we love... another food you probably shouldn't ask, "what's in this?") mixed with corned beef hash. I wouldn't eat it all the time, but we'll probably get it next year if we go back!

One unintentional bonus of driving up to Lehigh area and back... getting to see the first of the trees that are starting to turn! There are definitely little patches of red and orange on some of the trees, and I love it. We also picked up a pumpkin candle, for that smell of fall! Lol.

Sunday also started off a bit gray. I met Ro for walking, but it had started to rain on our drive over. We decided to run to a diner down the street, get some hot chocolate... then see what it was like when we got out. Well, as soon as we left, it stopped raining! Of course! So we had our hot cocoa, then headed back to the state park.

(Ro, 22 weeks)
We did one loop, and just as we were finishing up it started raining again... more then just a drizzle too, so we decided to head home. Well, again, got about two or three miles down the road and it stops raining. And when I got home, sun! Lots of it! Go figure. So I ate some lunch, checked my email, then headed out to do another 7 miles or so. Well, I only got about 4 or so because again, it started raining... and if that weren't enough to do me in, well there were also the peals of rolling thunder (rolling peals of thunder?). So I called it quits. The universe telling me I had walked enough for the day, and I should take a break. :-)
Instead I took a nice, relaxing shower... dressed in my cozy PJs... lit our new pumpkin candle... and put together the ingredients for the first pot of beef stew for the new fall season. We set it to cook today, for a great dinner awaiting our arrival home. Mmm. Can't wait.

As for today... well, I'm definitely busy, but its quiet since half of my office is out preparing for Rosh Hashanah. So a good day for getting stuff done!

Well, time for me to finish up so I can grab some lunch and get back to work! Happy Monday!

9.27.2008

WANT!

Being a good girl and not buying... but seriously, how cool are these. Big old WANT!

This mobile:
(In case you were wondering the colors are sky blue, chocolate brown, and white... aka the colors we are redoing our guest bedroom in. And I believe I mentioned the polka dots we are putting on our walls!)

And this shirt:



...it just cracks me up. :-)

9.25.2008

still crazy

My conference is over (::phew!::), and it went really well. Both the Chinese and Japanese deligations that were here seemed very pleased with their stay, and thanked me profusely. (I'll share pictures when I get around to it.) I am glad its over and I can get back to my normal routine... although its not so much calmer since I have so damn much to do at work and at home. I have 100 work emails to get through (there were about 10 when I left on friday night), and need to sort through intern applications, and complete bios for an upcoming conference in Kansas City (which I would be going to, except its the same weekend as the 3-day walk). Plus all my normal day-to-day items. For personal stuff there is the guest bedroom and walking (of course), plus our upcoming anniversary and Rochelle's baby shower (I'm working on invitations at the moment). There is also my upcoming dentist and dermatologist appointments, and tonight the heating guy is coming out for routine maintnance on our heater.

Despite all that (and the accompanying overwhelmed feeling), I really am happy and enjoying the fact that its autumn time! This is so my favorite time of year and I'm loving the weather, getting to pull out my comfy sweaters, and all the fun stuff we have coming up. And boy do we have fun stuff coming up: This weekend we're heading to the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem to watch some caber tossing and drink some yards of ale. Next weekend I have a hair appointment (getting new color!), and then we're heading to Lehigh for a bit to visit. Plus we might also try to swing by Easton for their Garlic Festival!! :-) The 13th is our anniversary and we're going to celebrate by going on a hayride followed by a bonfire with marshmellow roasting!! And that weekend is the 3-day walk (just about 3 weeks away! Holy Hell!). About a month after that is Rochelle's Baby Shower, which I'm really psyched to put together... then Lehigh/Lafayette and Thanksgiving! And the week after Thanksgiving we are heading up to my parent's to see my bro play Ebenezer Scrooge in the high school production of "A Christmas Carol". I can't wait to see that, he's going to be great.

Plus through all that I get to watch the leaves change, and the the autumn bloom. Expect many many pictures in the next few months.

Well, I need to get back to it... but first one moment of bragging. Yesterday the delegations left around noon, and once I saw them off, I was free to head home for the day. I got home a bit after one, and wanting to make the most of it I completed one of my 101 in 1001 items (check out my progress!)... a fashion/decluttering one. I sorted through all of my clothes... literally I went drawer-by-drawer, and basket-by-basket, removing everything and sorting it into piles depending on whether I was keeping it or donating it. After 3 loads of laundry, tons of folding, and a little hemming and hawing... I ended up with an extra-large garbage bag absolutely STUFFED full of clothes to donate to Goodwill or a similar organization. Now all of my drawers close a lot easier, and everything looks nice and neat. Plus no more piles of clothes on the bedroom floor, which Trav loves. And it feels really really good to get rid of this stuff that I wasn't using anymore and donating it so that someone else will hopefully get some joy from it. Paring down is good. (Okay, end bragging.)

Now its really time for me to get back to work! Ciao!

9.21.2008

where to start?

Where do I even start? Its been crazy since I last wrote.
Thursday we went out to dinner, since we had a gift certificate to a nice local restaurant. We had the biggest dessert ever. :-) We didn't get home until about 7:30, but I still needed to walk. So I changed and got all ready, and left the house about 7:55. It was actually really nice out, cool and clear night. I like walking when there is no one around and its quiet. I did my 6 miles easily and was home about 9:40.

Friday was overwhelming. It turned out fine, but it started off with a dream about how everything for the event went wrong. Then I was running late and only barely made my train. Then when I got to work, I realized that how I thought we were doing the event was not actually how we were doing the event. Then the conference group we use was having online troubles and once they were fixed, we had laptop troubles! It was a little stressful... but, like always, it turned out fine. Thankfully. Of course then we had to redo the packets we made for our Sunday - Wednesday event, and finish the last minute details for that, while not being able to use the library. But, it all got done in the end.

Friday night we "relaxed" by painting!

We got both coats done, which was great. And it looks so nice! It's a different room already.

Now we just have to clean up so we can buff-up the floor, then put up the wainscoting, then paint the trim (which will come last since the wainscoting is being done the same color, and Trav would rather paint it while its up)... then I get to put up my polka dots, move furniture in and we are done!

Saturday morning dawned bright and early. Way too early. And actually, not bright at all when I left the house at 6:30. Dark. And freezing. Ugh. This was the most intensive weekend yet for training... 18 miles on Saturday and 15 on Sunday. Since it is always so much easier to do long walks like that with someone, I signed up for an official training walk... which Kate (my tuesday training partner) picked me up for. It went fine, although it was a bit longer then I thought it would be. It's hard walking with 30 other people, and having to stop when anyone needs it... bathroom breaks, stretching, food. But we got through and although sore, I felt pretty good afterward. That night was definitely for relaxing though, so Trav and I laid around and watched Juno. I also slept like a log that night!

Sunday too dawned early early early. Kate was supposed to pick me up again for the 15 mile walk, but ended up sleeping through her alarm! So when 6:50 rolled around and I still hadn't received any replies to my texts, I headed out without her. And since I really didn't know how to get to the walk site for the day, and was already running late, I just went to my normal Ridley Creek loop. It was a great decision. I had never been there that early. Its even more quiet and peaceful then normal. And at this time of year... very brisk! I saw a deer, a hawk, and a few ducks... all from just a few yards away. I did my 15 and was home before 1... giving me plenty of time to get ready for part two of my day, the Eagles game!

We've been looking forward to this for quite a while... and it was a great game for Eagles fans.

I did feel badly for Trav though, and didn't trash talk at all! It's hard to watch your QB get sacked nine times.

Oh, and a close up of his shirt (one the the breast cancer ones I ordered before):
(It says "Real Men... love breasts wear pink and support breast cancer research)

I did make him take my picture post game though:
Now I'm about to go hop in bed and get some hopefully good sleep before I have to do a conference for work tomorrow, tuesday, and wednesday. At least tomorrow does have one very special thing about it:

It's the first day of Fall, y'all!!

Woo-hoo! My favorite time of year is here. I put up my cute fall decoration in the front bed before we left today. And on Wednesday I decorated my office a little:

(See all my lovely plants... my orchid, my aloe, and my philodendron[?].)



I'm ready!

Well, now off to bed for me. I'm exhausted. See you Wednesday? Thursday?

9.18.2008

ole ole, ole ole

(aka: Bueller? Bueller? *tap tap* Is this thing on?)

In what could rightly be an addendum to yesterday's post, I'm going to talk about my dinner last night. Lately I've had the biggest craving for enchiladas. Chicken enchiladas. Like the ones my mom used to make. So I got her to send me the recipe, then fiddled with the recipe a bit, and wha-la!

Chicken Enchiladas a la Megan (& Megan's Mommy)!

Filling:
2 good sized chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
3 - 4 scallions or green onions, chopped
grated cheese to taste*
1 tbsp chilli powder or 1/2 tsp A Taste of Thai, Red Curry Paste (which I had left from another meal, and is so good and flavorful)
1 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste


Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup (give or take) sour cream
1 handful grated cheese*
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp. chilli powder
pepper to taste


* I used one bag of grated cheddar for this recipe, between the insides, outsides, etc of the enchiladas.

1. Preheat oven to somewhere between 375 and 400.
2. Mix all sauce ingrediants in a bowl until combined.
[Note: I left the chilli powder out last night because I wasn't sure about the heat from the curry paste on the chicken. It was good without, but next time I'll definitely add it.]
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking pan (glass pan is best).
4. Cut up chicken into small strips, add chilli powder/paste, garlic powder, and pepper. Cook until all pink is gone. Shread chicken with two forks.
5. Place chicken in flour tortilla. Sprinkle with cheeses and some scallions.


6. Fold sides in and then roll. Place seam down in pan.
7. Repeat until pan is filled with rolled enchiladas. Pour remaining sauce over top of pan. Add rest of cheese.


8. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until bubbly and hot in the center. Sprinkle top with last of scallions and enjoy!

And just to demonstrate this dishes versatility... here is how Trav likes his:
(from left to right - sour cream, hot sauce, and salsa)

And how I like to enjoy mine:
(Straight from the oven!!) So dang good.

Well, I'm off and not sure when I'll be back... before, during, or after the weekend. We have an event tomorrow, and then events Monday - Wednesday of next week. Plus this weekend is my big walk weekend: 18 miles Saturday and 15 Sunday! On top of that we want to paint, and we're going to the Eagles vs Steelers game on Sunday. It will be a busy 6 days to say the least. I'll try to stop by with pictures and reports at some point... and in the meantime, feel free to leave me some comments (*hint, hint*) on any of my recent entries.

Well, off I go.
Later ya'll!

9.17.2008

post 3-day advice (updated)

So, can I tell you how happy I will be to do the 3-day and be done with it?! I really am excited for the walk itself, but I Can. Not. Wait. until October 20th, when I wake up knowing that I don't HAVE to walk ever again, unless I want to! So excited for that.

But here's what I'm worried about:
I am currently in my "happy zone" for weight. In fact, when I went to the doc the last time I was at my "happy weight"... and more importantly, I feel really good. Now I certainly do plan to keep walking post-3D, but I'll probably take a week or so off afterward, and when I return I will not be doing the 30-40 miles a week I've ramped up to. I'll be doing sometime a lot more realistic, like 10-15. And honestly, I don't want to do a ramp down on the miles that takes weeks. I just don't think I have the will power for that. So!

How do I keep from packing on a whole bunch of pounds in the few weeks following the walk?


After that I think I should be okay as 1) I'll probably be walking regularly again (though, like I said, a lot less), and 2) my body will have had a chance to adjust to its new calorie needs. But for a few weeks after I'm sure I'll still be wanting to eat at the higher rate I'm currently eating at... while not burning all the calories I'm currently burning. Any ideas? Suggestions?

I'm considering a juice feast for maybe a week(ish) post walk... but we'll see if I can actually do that. Maybe something more modified like a 36 hour fast (with high water and juice intake), then nothing but fruits and veggies (plus tons of liquids) for another 4 or so days. Then eating my normal foods after that, but with a big eye on serving sizes.
My problem is that my body is great at adjusting the appetite up, but not so great at bringing it back down when the extra food isn't needed. I am programed to eat! I've always had a big appetite. And boy do I love me some food. Cooking it, eating it, looking at it... I just love it.

Anyway, I really am interested in any advice... because I've felt really good since I've started training for the walk and I don't want to lose it! I want to keep the healthy body and happy size going.

As an aside: Is it a good thing that I'm not worrying about the 3-day itself anymore... but about what's going to happen after? I think so. I'm feeling very confident!


Update:
Here is a picture of my lunch today. Just to give an idea of how much I really can consume! (Ignore the messy desk.)

(That would be three sandwich halves: one tuna, one beef, one turkey. Plus a handful of chips and a cookie.)

(That would be a plate FULL of really good salad with mozzarella on it, plus this AMAZING green dressing that I don't know exactly what it is. Love that salad! Plus a slice of pineapple... I had already eaten another slice, plus some raspberries and a strawberry.)



Ps. Look below for my big post, from kind of later yesterday, with all the things I'm going to do! For the next two years! Fun!

(I already have a lot of plans. Including a hayride for Trav & my anny... which we are both really excited for! And a date with my mom planned for May/June of '09, when we are going to make preserves! Yippee!)

9.16.2008

101 in 1001 -- Complete!

I saw this on Jen's Go Green blog and it caught my attention. The idea is to pick 101 things you want to accomplish in 1001 days (2.75 years... aka June of 2011). They have to be attainable and easy to track.

Well, to be honest, I tried making that list and I had trouble getting 101 things! So, I'm going to start off with 81 things, and if I can come up with more things, then I'll add them along the way. (I'm going to keep calling this 101 in 1001 though, since that's the original game.) Anyway, I'm not saying that I'll actually keep this up for 2 years, but I think its a neat idea, so I'll definitely try!


Things in green are the items that are in progress.
Things in blue are completed items.
Things in purple are going to be completed, but after the June 2011 time frame.
Things in orange are just not going to happen anytime soon!!
(Check out the sidebar for a link so you can keep track of my progress.)

    Adventure
  1. go camping
  2. visit Trav's parents in AZ (going Fall '11!!)
  3. take a babymoon (Jim Thorpe... not exotic, but it worked!)
  4. visit a new state
  5. attend the Celtic Classic (fall '08, '10)
  6. go on a hayride (Oct. '08)
  7. see the Grand Canyon  (hopefully during our trip to Trav's parent's in Fall '11)
  8. plan something special for Trav's 30th!
  9. attend two pro football games (9/21/08 - Eagles vs. Steelers)
  10. see a Broadway show

    Family
  11. finish the guest bedroom
  12. start our family
  13. make a pregnancy scrapbook
  14. try to visit my grandparents mother at least once a year
  15. find a church to attend as family
  16. start at least one family tradition (cookie baking, bacon on Christmas morning... lol, Trav's idea)
  17. spend more time with Trav's family
  18. visit his brother and my uncle in Ohio (May '11, for Wyatt's birthday)
  19. make an Easter trip to DC (April '11)
  20. have playdates with Ro and baby
  21. go on one "Trav & Meg Only" date night every month, post baby
  22. visit Babs once at least once a year (got to see her four consecutive months!! '10 & '11)

    Fashion
  23. sort out clothes and donate ones I don't wear (9/08, 9/09, 10/10)
  24. buy three new "timeless" pieces (9/08 - my first pair of rain boots!, 8/09 - beautiful, simple brown suede boots, 10/10 - amazing LBD)
  25. try a new hair style (boy did I ever!)
  26. keep brows waxed

    Financial
  27. pay off home equity line
  28. trade in Trav's car for (four door) "family vehicle"
  29. pay off Trav's new car
  30. build up savings by at least half

    Fitness/Health
  31. complete 60 mile walk for breast cancer (Oct. 17-19 '08)
  32. keep in weight comfort zone
  33. walk every week
  34. buy a bicycle
  35. eat at least one veggie a day
  36. complete a 5k, try to run it (didn't run it... but walked it with a baby on my front and a backpack on my back!! 4.17.11)
  37. keep up to date on dentist visits (10/08)
  38. get a yearly check up with doctor

    Food
  39. go to an apple fruit festival in the fall (peach festival at Linvilla)
  40. try four new restaurants
  41. learn to make preserves/jam
  42. find a great bread recipe
  43. make at least one loaf of bread every fall
  44. make at least one meal from scratch a week

    Go Green
  45. attend an Earth Day event
  46. start composting
  47. investigate switching to renewable energy source
    (check here to see what kinds of green power are available in your area!)
  48. plant more flowers/bushes in the back yard(this one has been nixed since the pup likes to EAT and DESTROY anything I plant in the back yard!!)
  49. create a herb garden (inside or out) - (we have basil! its a start!)
  50. shop at farmers market at least 3 times a month for 4 months
  51. hang more clothes to dry
  52. switch all light bulbs (which are switchable) to compact fluorescents
    (go here to get one free!)


    Household
  53. replace floor in bathroom
  54. redo vanity and medicine cabinet in bathroom
  55. vacuum every other week
  56. pick one part of the house to clean each week
  57. remove wallpaper border from office
  58. repaint office

    Organization
  59. reorganize closets
  60. declutter home office
  61. reorganize/clean out filing cabinets
  62. create scrapbook/photobook with high school pictures
  63. create scrapbook/photobook with college picture
  64. organize all other print pictures
  65. keep up to date with new print pictures
  66. do something with wedding dress
  67. sort all magazines and recycle at least half
  68. for every magazine I get and keep, recycle another
  69. finish transferring all recipes to new recipe box

    Personal Growth
  70. read 5 books from to read list
  71. take a class
  72. watch less TV, specifically while eating dinner

    Professional
  73. keep office space cleaner (dust once a week, remove clutter daily)
  74. attend and really listen to at least two lectures a year (through work or not)

    Random
  75. blog at least three times a week
  76. vote!

    Social
  77. host a holiday dinner (Thanksgiving '08/'09)
  78. host a dinner party for two couples
  79. write more letters/notes (real letters, not emails)
  80. try to meet at least two new people (Andrew, Tally, Dave)
  81. go out to lunch or dinner with a friend(s) once a month

Wish me luck, here I go!

9.15.2008

yay!



I love it. It really gives off great white light.

Onward and upward people!

are you ready for some football?

Yipes, what a hot one this weekend was! I thought summer was over, but here we had two more killer hot, humid as all heck days!

Friday night we headed to Ro & Pat's house for some pizza and hanging out. Some people we know from college, who now live in California, were in town for a wedding... so we had a nice visit. On our way there we hit up the Lowe's to return the ceiling fan we can't use anymore and buy a light. We found something we both like, so it was a successful trip.

Saturday we had the Lehigh vs. Villanova football game. It was fun, we grilled at Willy's place first since he lives just three blocks from the stadium, with our friend Brian's parents, Chuck & Jeanie. Trav also works with Jeanie, and we love them!
Unfortunately the game itself went about how we had imagined, with Lehigh getting its butt kicked. It seemed like we had a chance, but some very bad plays (including a really bad interception) killed that for us.

There were a ton of huge dark clouds over us... which we actually really appreciated since when the sun did come out, it was hot hot hot (and so uncomforable)!

(Here's our field goal:)



(The final score:)

Luckily we really did have a nice time, even though we lost.
After the game we hung out at Willy's for a little more, then headed home. At that point I headed out for a walk and Trav did the second coat of primer.

Yay for the priming being done! (We didn't go all the way to the bottom since we're putting up the wainscotting, which will cover up to about the window level... so it wasn't necessary, plus less chance of paint on the nice floor.)
Originally we were going to paint on Sunday... but with the heat and humidity like it was, that just wasn't happening. It wouldn't have dried! Instead I went walking with Ro in the morning, we watched football for a while, then we headed to Ro & Pat's house again for football and a dinner of her yummy chicken and dumplings. Mmm... so good. I can't believe that Ro is 20 weeks, or halfway through her pregnancy, already! She looks great and she's enjoying getting to feel the baby move. I might be a little envious. ;-)
Anyway, after that it was back home just in time for, you guessed it, more football!! :-) Trav had to watch his Steelers game... and a good one to watch too, as they beat the Browns for the 10th time in a row.

Tonight, I'm not sure if we'll get around to painting or not. The Eagle's game is on at 8 (8:30?), and we definitely want to watch that. So we might do the light fixture instead, and get everything taped off. That way tomorrow Trav can get right to the painting when I'm out on my walk, and I can join him when I get home. Either way, hopefully the painting and the light will be done by this weekend (or just have the trim left to do). It will be a full weekend, but maybe we can get to the floor. We'll see! Either way, we are getting there... thankfully, can't wait for it to be done. :-)

As for today. It seems quiet. A few of my coworkers are out, and we don't have any events to deal with. Hopefully it will be a good day for me to catch up on my work emails and a few projects that have been pushed aside lately.

Speaking of which, I should probably get to it.

One last thing to leave you with though... did you all watch SNL? Honestly, I never stay up for SNL... its on too late for me. But nbc.com had the "Palin/Clinton" skit on their website, and I had to share. Tina Fey, with the hair done, is a dead ringer for Palin!! Enjoy!



(Check in tomorrow for a project I've been working on... it should be interesting!)