rigth now...

J is on his way to Wendy's because I MUST have a Frosty.

Yep, it's essential to life.

this and that

I had my ultra sound on Thurs. It's a good thing we didn't go in expecting to find out Peanut's gender - because someone was VERY shy. In fact Peanut was downright uncooperative, after 45 minutes of trying to get baby to roll this way and that the technician told us to come back in three weeks.

So we will have another "photo session" soon :)

This weekend we made apple butter with Holly (my OH friend) and her family. This was so cool. Her family has been making apple butter over an open fire in this huge copper kettle for around 120 years. Two weeks ago we went to Amish country to buy the apples and apple cider, and we had a schnitzing party (peeling, coring and paring) on Thurs. so everything would be ready. Holly's dad started the fire at 7 AM and seven bushels of apples and twenty five gallons of apple cider went into the kettle. By 6 PM we were canning machines. We ended up with 130 extra-delicious jars of apple butter, and one bowl to eat from all night long.

On Sun. we drove up to Troy to go to a cider mill with my parents. It was so nice to see them even for just a few hours, and my mom made the yummiest stew and a German's Chocolate Cake.

In other news I have been working! Which is exciting because I don't feel like I've been treating my business like a business since we moved (9 months ago). I haven't put in too much effort, but I've seen huge results. I was queen of sales and bookings at my meeting last night - which means I got to wear a tiara and sash (cheesy, but I love it!). And I woke up this morning and held a class, so today is already turning out to be productive :)

clean teeth

I went to my new dentist this morning, so now my teeth are all clean and happy :)

I've been so much better about scheduling personal appointments since we moved. I loved my GYN from before we moved to Indy, so I made sure to schedule that appointment as soon as we moved to town - now with Peanut on the way I'm scheduled there all of the time. I also went back to my previous family practice, but I'm looking at switching because I don't know anyone who uses them as their pediatrician. We found a new eye doctor right away because J's glasses were falling apart, and my contacts were running out, and we are both already scheduled for our yearly exams. And now we have the dentist squared away for both of us.

It's so nice to know that these things are taken care of, that they are no longer looming over my head - just another item on a long list of to-do's.

Speaking of appointments, Thursday we have THE ultrasound planned, but I'll disappoint all of you because we are not planning on finding out if Peanut is pink or blue. I'm excited to keep it a surprise. I feel like so few things in life are truly surprises, I just couldn't resist creating my own.

Happy Tuesday!

home again

Last night I cam back from Pittsburgh - I was there for an MK retreat.

I really like going on the little trips, I get to see my extended group of MK girlfriends, and I get extra training and I am always really excited about my business when I get back.

Enough procrastinating from me, time to get back to work!

know what?

I really, really, really like Gummi Bears.

thanks, erika

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -
Tigger Liberty

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) -
Vanilla Thin Mint

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) -
A Lan

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) -
Pink Monkey

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) -
Rose Warren

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) -
Lanal (but I think Broal is cooler)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) -
The Pink Quaalude

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) -
Amos Waine

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) -
Angel Truffle

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
Ann Thurston

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) -
Grant Greenville

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) -
Spring Rose

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) -
Apple Sockie

14. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) -
Muffin Maple (hmmm... hippie or country clubber/)

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) -
The Knitting Storm Tour (HA)

88 degrees

Today's high is 88. I no longer fit into my shorts/capris, even if I fold in the waist band and leave them unzipped or use a hair tie to extend the waist. So I'll be sweating in my maternity jeans.

Awesome.

hello, peanut

For awhile I thought it was just gas, but I have decided that I can officially feel Peanut moving around. It's light, and I only notice it when I'm not busy with something else, but I think it's amazing.

I am in love with my Peanut :)

PS - J brought home an MTU shirt for Peanut, so cute!

sucked in

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I just lost 45 min of my day because I was sucked into the wig show on HSN.

I'm just as shocked as all of you.

in the air

Right now J is in the air on his way to Houghton. He's going up with the recruiting team for Tech under the guise of giving lectures on ethics in business. I know he's really going because he wants to hang out at the DT.

Also in the air are about 10 million mosquitoes. They've been really thick ever since the torrential rains and flooding; we had a cool spell last week and I thought they had died down. Today it's warm and there are so many flying around my backyard it looks like it's snowing. I think I'll stay inside, even though I really wanted to go on a walk :p

thank you, come again

Just for Mel, it's my list of careers.
I was hoping "Martha Stewart" would show up in my list, but apparently someone already has that career.

1. Convenience Store Operator
2. Principal
3. Florist
4. Fashion Retailer
5. Interior Decorator
6. Art Director
7. Advertising Account Executive
8. Antique Dealer
9. Art Dealer
10. Sports Marketer
11. Entrepreneur
12. Marketing Specialist
13. Stylist
14. Librarian
15. Humanitarian Aid Worker
16. Tour Guide
17. Retail Salesperson
18. Craftsperson
19. Potter
20. Animator
21. Dental Assistant
22. Fashion Designer
23. Venture Capitalist
24. Investment Advisor
25. Media Buyer
26. Child and Youth Worker
27. Special Education Teacher
28. Teacher Assistant
29. Clothing Manufacturer
30. Bed and Breakfast Proprietor
31. Recreation Director
32. Early Childhood Educator
33. Addictions Counselor
34. Restaurant Manager
35. Caterer
36. Cosmetologist
37. Funeral Director
38. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
39. Publisher
40. Hotel Manager

sometimes...

...you wear stretchy pants.

I have to admit that I'm digging my new maternity jeans. No zippers, no buttons; the Amish may be on to something.

emma's first day

Emma's first day of kindergarten was last Wednesday. Her mom had to work so I got to take her in for her very first day :)

She looked so cute - her hair is super curly, but if you put it up while it's wet, it looks nice and sleek and you get one huge sausage curl. We optimized the sausage factor by doing pigtails, and we of course used her new sparkly butterfly barrettes.

I had borrowed my brother's truck to bring home a couch from Ikea, and Emma - who attends a local farming community school - hopped out of the biggest, shiniest truck on the lot. I got a few looks from the other moms, haha!

I have to admit that I cried a little, Emma is my special little buddy and she's growing up too fast!

Best part of the morning? As I was leaving the bus drivers asked me why I wasn't going to school today. I thanked them, but let them know it'd been 10 years since I'd attended high school :)

weekend recap

We had so much fun!

We did everything we planned, except for having dinner at the Antlers in the Soo. We walked in and put our name in, but it was so much trashier than we remembered, so we had a really nice meal at the Ramada instead.

Mackinaw Island was fab. I forgot to bring my phone and I was sad because I was going to call Sonya and hopefully find her for a quick hug. But while we were walking up to the Grand Hotel we ran into her :) She was cute as ever and she had Olive with her. Olive is one great dog!

I walked the bridge on Labor Day, I was finisher 17,660. There was a little problem with the return buses, it was kind of a big problem - a two-mile-long line of sweaty, tired walkers. So we shelled out the big bucks and took the ferry to the Island and then back to St. Ignace. The ferry ride was actually really refreshing.

On Monday we drove home, and my mom took pictures of me sleeping in the car. Thanks Mom!

Here's a picture of my dad pointing out the water line as we rode the Soo Locks boat tour. :)

chicken king

It's County Fair time!

Now that we are back in the Fin, I get to work the MK booth at our county fair. I worked this morning and it was hotttt. It was also "Senior Day" so most of the leads I have are for older women. So many of them were so sweet, I can't wait to call them and be their Mary Kay lady :)

Best part: This morning was the 4-H poultry judging. I saw a high school senior, who looked like he was way too cool, proudly wearing his "Hancock County 2007 Poultry King" sash. It was green with sparkly gold letters. Hee Hee!

are you done yet?

I just brought in an absolute harvest from my tiny little veggie patch.

11 cucumbers
3 brandy wine tomatoes
2 green peppers
3 pints of cherry tomatoes

and there are 7 watermelons ripening

When we planted the garden I picked plants that I love to eat. Then I became pregnant. I now have the worst aversion to tomatoes and cucumbers.

I think the garden fairy will be leaving veggies on my neighbor's steps!

bridge walk!

It's been 20 years since my family walked the Mackinaw Bridge on Labor Day. So we decided that we're doing it this year:)

I was seven when I walked, Mason was almost 4 and he rode the whole five miles on my dad's shoulders, and Susie was an infant (8 months) and rode in the baby backpack. I have two memories from that walk: I really wanted to swim in the lake, and I could see Mason's Mickey Mouse underwear.

We are driving to Troy Saturday morning, and driving with my parents to Mackinaw City. We're going to have lunch at Cunningham's, because we always have lunch there. And then we'll drop our stuff in St. Ignace and go to the Sault for the afternoon. We want to eat dinner at the Antler's - because we always tell stories about eating there as kids, and it's time Jocko sees the giant moose head and the Bunyan Burgers for himself. We're also going to the Locks, because they're cool, and Jocko has never been there (I was shocked by this - I thought every young Michigander had to see the locks by the time they graduated from high school).

Sunday we're hanging out on Mackinac Island, along with about a million other tourists. I have never been more excited for fudge. And Monday is the Bridge Walk. Susie and I might not walk - we may just decide it is too hot, and go shopping instead. And then on Tuesday we'll head home.

I'm so excited!

out to dry

The river has receded and we were able to go downtown for breakfast this morning. J's office is still closed, but he was able to pick up his laptop and has been hiding in MY office and catching up :) The HVAC system at his building is out, and the security guards told him that if he didn't check out in 20 minuted they were going in after him - and they weren't kidding. He said it was incredibly hot and humid in the building, he was sweating when he came out to the car.

Yesterday we tried to go downtown, but the river was still way too high - we saw a few cars brave the water, but we weren't foolish enough to try it. I did take some pictures, but they don't look like much unless you know what the area looked like before the river rose.

What I really wanted to see was our old house. It was downtown, just a few blocks from J's office, and the news crews had been filming from nearby. That house was not in a flood plane, I am sure no one had flood insurance. We passed by the house today and the curb was full of soaked items. We recognized a few of the things as an old workbench from the basement, and some old cabinets that were hanging above the workbench. Then there were a lot of wet boxes, but no carpeting because we ripped it all out and fixed the wood floors when we lived there. The street looked like Sanford and Son had moved in. J and I couldn't stop talking about what we would be dealing with if he wasn't transferred a few years ago, I'm sure we would have still been in that house.

Nothing else has been going on. We've been contacting local friends to see if anyone needs any help. We helped some neighbors disinfect toys that were in the basement and J helped carry some wet carpet and padding out to the curb. That's the extent of damage we've seen in our neighborhood and among our friends.

wanted: one ark

Our county is underwater. We are safe and sound in our home, but J is home for the day because the Big M is closed. It is closed because there is 5 feet of standing water on Main St.

Here comes the craziest part - the Blanchard River, which runs right through downtown and snakes through the rest of the city, is not expected to crest until 8pm TOMORROW. I cannot begin to imagine how high it will be.

We aren't supposed to drive today, but I need milk, plus I really want to take some pictures, so we're going to venture out and I might have some exciting shots for you. Maybe. We'll see if the police send us back home.

ETA:
The river is now scheduled to crest this afternoon, and the word on the street is that our power and water will be going out shortly. J's office will be closed tomorrow, and they will be assessing the need for essential personnel for Fri - although they'll most likely be working from remote locations. We're going to take some pictures in our subdivision this afternoon - a few of the streets are really high, and some of the backyards have turned into lakes. But we are fine, and Zippy is completely unaffected.

i want, i want, i want!

* a croissant, a really fresh and yummy one
* a big cup of hot cocoa, with a huge pile of whipped cream
* chocolate dipped strawberries
* french toast

I'm really having a bowl of frosted mini wheats.

ETA: The craving for a croissant became a monster. The monster actually climbed into my car, drove to Panera and purchased a delightful croissant. I was able to restrain the monster on the way home and enjoyed the carbi-goodness at home.

i wonder...

Does an Orange County Choppers bumper sticker, on the rear window of your sea foam green, Town&Country minivan, make you tough?

odors

I know it's just a part of being pregnant, but this heightened sense of smell is really distracting. I seem to have an odor of the week. Last week it was baby poop, nope, no babies in my house, and I still could smell it, blech. The week before it was asphalt - J says that's probably because of the recently finished roof, but he couldn't smell it. And this week the smell is ham. Not just any old ham, I feel that this is the smell of lunch meat that you let sit in the fridge too long and I can smell it everywhere! But it kind of makes me think of Hamwinkies.

the great return

I'm back. Let's see, since I last blogged Mel and Kobe came to hang out for a few days, my garden has been going crazy, I went to Dallas for a week for MK, and I found out I'm pregnant.

Yes, you read that right. It only took 4 years, but in March we should have a little bundle. And Jocko and I are super excited :)

I was freaking out, because I have no idea what is "normal" and my doctor ordered an ultrasound to make sure I was still pregnant. Of course I was, and we even got to see the little heartbeat, and there's a fuzzy picture of a peanut on my chalkboard, so that's what we're calling baby until it's here - Peanut:)

sometimes...

...living in an agricultural county has its benefits.

Picked this morning mmmmmmmmmmm.

aha!

I grabbed a clean dishrag out of the drawer yesterday and found a petrified chunk of cheese attached. The cheese became embedded in the dishrag, and when it was laundered a chunk came off and landed in the lint trap. Now, that makes sense.

I think it's time for new dishrags.

the lint trap

Today, in the lint trap, I found a hard, orange blob. Upon further inspection I realized it is/was cheddar cheese.

I don't understand.

i was going to...

...post pictures of my garden - I have three baby tomatoes!
...post a picture of my new garden-gnome entrance mat - I bought it at Targ&t yesterday when my little sister came to hang out with me :)
...take down and put away the tent that was drying in my backyard - it's been there for a few days, it was super dirty and wet after camping.
...grill hot dogs for dinner.

But it's raining. :(

Oh well - Happy Friday!

hooray!

My mom is coming to spend the night! She'll be working in Columbus tomorrow and is coming for tonight and tomorrow night - I love it when she comes over :)

In other news - my birthday was Sunday, J and I chilled out - we had been to a crayfish boil on Sat and need to recuperate, and eat ten tons of food! I'm getting an i-pod for my birthday, but I'm a bit worried about using it with our PC. Any thoughts?

Oh, one more hooray!, I'm going camping this weekend with Meris, Al and Adrienne. it's our annual A-Team Extravaganza. This year we are going to Pittsburgh, to camp at Ohiopyle, and visit Falling Water, the Frank Lloyd Wright house. I am too pumped!

emma

Emma is my buddy (she will tell you that I am her *best* friend). I babysat for her before we moved to Indy, and her mom, Holly, is my very best friend in the Fin. Emma is five and I took her to kindergarten evaluation - she thought this was extra special because I wrapped up a pair of froggy sunglasses for her to open - which she wouldn't take off for the rest of the day.

A few weeks ago she came to spend the evening with us, and she drew me this picture.
Emma is on the right, playing with Zippy - see Zippy's cage? The oval is Zippy's tube and the circle is her food bowl. I am on the left, and I'm cooking - you can tell because of the circles. And Jocko is watching ESPN, illustrated by a box with three happy faces (duh!).

Jocko loves this picture because Emma gave him hair :)

yee-haw

I woke up very early this morning (ok, so maybe it wasn't really early - but it was early for me) and I thought "Hmmmm, I am sick of bananas for breakfast. I'm hitting the drive-thru." I tried the cinnamon roll thing at McD's - yeah, not so good. And I tried the iced coffee - ok, but no 'bucks. But all was not lost, because I also ordered a hashbrown (I was thinking ahead), oh fried-potato-goodness, how I love you!

At any rate, the combination of the early morning, caffeine, and an enormous amount of refined carbohydrates has me more than a little giddy.

Hee, hee!

monday, monday

Let's see... today I have, cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. Why? Because we worked outside all weekend, so nothing was done inside, and we generated a metric ton of dirty laundry. The garden beds around the house are looking good, some of the plants needed to be cleaned up, and a nice layer of mulch was laid. Now it stinks like mulch (I find that it smells a bit vinegar-y), but it looks purtty!

We also picked a company to replace the roof, and I picked the roof color. We decided to replace and enlarge the skylight in the entryway, and to add a skylight to our bathroom. We also bought everything we need to replace the gutter behind our garage, as it is currently MIA. Unfortunately that project won't be completed until the roof is replaced, and right now it looks like the roof will be scheduled for August. Why can't they just squeeze us in this weekend? We have a ranch, they won't even need extension ladders.

Oh, my favorite part of the weekend - I bought some vegetables to plant in my "farm." A few tomato plants of varying sizes, sweet peppers, watermelon, and some seeds. And we bought manure and peat to help the soil :) The pants aren't in the ground yet, because we are still under frost-advisory until this coming weekend. So everyday I get to haul my little plants out to the deck and give them water and love. I promise to take pictures once the farm is set up.

Happy Monday!

erika = awesome

Erika has finally named my blog :)

I will be sending her good vibes all day long, in acknowledgement of her completion of the daunting-task-that-is-naming-the-blog. Hmm that just might be a run-on sentence. OH well.

Jubilation! The blog is named!

one year

Last year May 1 fell on a Monday, it was also the day of my first post; so today is my blogiversary. Hooray!

This is the first time I've ever successfully kept a record of my life for more than 3 weeks, and now I am addicted. So, just as a quick recap, here are the highlights of the past year:

* one house bought, one house sold
* 15 pounds lost and re-gained :(
* trips to Dallas, Muskegon, Zeeland, Houghton (yes, you are still waiting on pictures), Pittsburgh, Maine, Troy
* one visit from Mel
* five wedding receptions
* one list of 101 things-to-do that needs to be posted
* one million hours spent catching up with dear friends

I'm so glad we're all blogging - I love our virtual couch :)

kristin

I see you commenting on blogs here and there. But I see no blog of your own. I think this calls for some pin-number action.

So Kristin, PIN NUMBER, make a blog :)

sea weed trees

Your friends and associates should generally find you a dependable and trustworthy person.
You are a direct and forthright person. You like to get to the core of the issue right away, with few signs of hesitation.
You are creative, mentally active and industrious.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.
What does your drawing say about YOU?

i don't bend that way

I had a productive weekend :) J and I worked in the yard on Saturday and today I worked.

Our yard is full of surprises. Because we did not plan the landscaping, we have to kind of guess at what's going on; I find my self thinking "Is that a weed? Should I pull it, or not?" that's how it's been so far. Now that we're into April (almost May - can you believe it?) it's a bit easier to navigate the foliage. So we worked on taming the out-of-control ground cover and battling the dandelions. The latter being the reason I cannot sit. I must have done a million squats while digging dandelions, and my butt really hurts. But I enjoy looking at our cleaned up flower beds, and I'm eagerly anticipating brightly colored flower beds and boxes.

I also have big plans for my first vegetable garden! We have a small box that the former owners grew some veggies in, so I'm assuming the light is right. Right now I'm planning to have tomatoes (I want some heirloom plants), zucchini, acorn squash and lettuce. Any other suggestions?

oh my

I was lacing up my tennies this morning to go out for a walk and as I stood up RRIIIIPPPP. Yes, I split my pants.

I'm sticking with the theory that they are over one year old and are constantly being washed, they really are ratty and thread bare. But it still doesn't make you feel very good.

impromptu

One of the major benefits of working from home and for yourself is flexibility.

Case in point:
* Adrienne calls this morning, a bit down, and we chat. Then we decide I should probably bring a bottle of wine and spend the night in Ann Arbor. Oh, but, she's looking at a new apartment at 5:30! No problem, because I am leaving Ohio at 3 PM to hang out with one of my bff's, and look at a new apartment with her.

joy :)

the problem with updating

Well, the main problem is that you actually have to blog to update the blog. Which requires me sitting at the computer (do it everyday) and composing a mildly cohesive entry (oh, so that's what you have to do).

Must. Write. More.

So, to satiate that burning desire to know all things alannarose, I will compose for you a top ten list of things that have been occupying my time. Oh, yeah, and Happy Easter!

10. Baking for my Relay for Life team bake sale = 20 pie crusts, 2 big batches of cookies, 2 carrot cakes (I ate the leftover cream cheese frosting - mmmmmm), and 2 peanut butter cakes.
9. Wasting time on Swap-bot.
8. Going to Muskegon for Easter.
7. Planning projects for the house.
6. Cleaning Zippy's cage.
5. Hanging out at the Optometrist's office.
4. Watching Color Splash!
3. Talking to Mel.
2. Being a Mary Kay lady.
1. Standing in line at the post office.

inspired road trip

I'm road-tripping tomorrow. It's not that exciting; I am driving with my MK director to Pittsburgh for a conference - the saddest part is that I won't have time to visit Al while I'm there :(

But I've decided to plan out my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, and I figure the ride out there and back will be perfect for brainstorming and finalizng the list. So on Mon. look for a shiney-new bloggie :)

Thank you Heather, for the inspiration.

bosch

I know we aren't at the Tech anymore, but if Tech was in northern OH Bosch! would have been today.

:)

In honor of the event I took pictures of my two remaining "snow piles" with a symbolic can of DDP - can you believe there is no beer in my house?! Don't let J's brothers know - they may disown him!



And another sure sign that spring is here is my garden gnome, which was lovingly placed in my front yard because I believe gnomes like rock walls.

found! do i get a reward?

The roof* did not fall in on me. It was much more tragic than that - our internet was out for almost an entire week. EEEKKK!

There was, in the IT guy's words, "some major mechanical issues on our line." So major, that while on the phone with either J or me, he routinely muttered under his breath "This is SO not good." I kept picturing IT guy on the other end of the line with big sweaty armpit stains, HA! I had the option of using a dial-up connection that is reserved for occasions just like these, but I decided not to frustrate myself, and just left the computer off instead.

Now you must excuse me, I have lots o' blogs to stalk :)

*J wanted me to let you all know that our roof is in no danger of actually falling in. I guess I was just hearing ice melting and sliding around, not the actual roof doing a shimmy-shake.

it sounds ominous

I can hear my roof falling apart. Trust me, it is not reassuring.

The good news is, we knew the house needed a new roof when we bought it, and the previous owners escrowed the money for a replacement for us (Nov and Dec are just not good months for roofing in the north), so it's paid for.

Now it just needs to last until April. You can do it, roof! I'm rooting for you!

happy new year!

It's Chinese New Year! And it's the year of the pig. To celebrate, my favorite pig received a brand new, red chew-bie.

"I love my new chewb! Now, give me treats!"

catch up

I know it's Sunday, I was busy/sick all week.

Highlights:

* Woke up to this much snow on Tues. morning,
but we didn't just wake up, our neighbor decided to fire up the snow blower at an un-Godly hour. This ticked me off. Then we realized he had cleaned our sidewalk and driveway, I forgave him.

* Have the typical after-Carnival plague. While not as bad as food poisoning (sorry, Laura) it does beat you up quite well. I have decided that canned ravioli from Wal1greens is a miracle food, and $udafed and Robatuss!n were my new friends.

* Feeling much better now.

* Moved a lot of stuff around the house. Now it is starting to feel like our home and not just "the place where all of our stuff lives." Making the fireplace pretty made me smile, now I feel all warm and cozy when I sit in the living room :)

* Also set up the guest room, so feel free to come and visit!

woohoo!

So Carnival was awesome, and I will write more later, it's amazing how behind you get after being gone for less than a week.

For now I will leave you with some love from the Ambo.

still alive

Wow, this is a really disjointed post. Know what? I'm tired, and I really don't feel like trying to make it cohesive, so read with caution, it's not pretty!


Yes, Laura, I am still alive. Unfortunately, this plant is not. Yep, this is the sad little plant that didn't make it through the move. Here's a picture of it in better days.


This move has really thrown a wrench into my routines; I can't seem to get anything accomplished, and that really stinks. "Update blog" has been on my to-do list for over a week, so here it is, a brief update, just enough to be able to cross one item off of the growing list.

I have just a few pictures from the move, or rather, from the moving in part.

This is the contents of a typical box that we unpacked.

And this is the amount of paper required to properly pad the items.

We weren't saving any trees, people.

My garage is full of unpacked boxes - item #35 on my to do list? "call moving company and schedule box pickup" - I should probably do that today so we can park in the garage for at least part of the winter.

In totally unrelated news - We are driving to Houghton tomorrow! DT - here I come!

how exciting!

Happy National Pistachio Day!

all moved in

Yes, we are all moved in :)

In fact, the stove came about 20 mins. ago - yay!

There was one casualty in the move - a potted tree. It froze, and I took pictures because it was too pathetic to not be memorialized. I'll post the "sad tree" picture once I get my printer hooked up.

procrastination

The movers come tomorrow. I have really mixed emotions on moving, I'm sad because I really love this house, and I'm excited because the new house is awesome and I'll be closer to my parents. The whole situation is just a jumble and a stress. But very soon we wil be all moved in and settled :)

I thought you all might like the answers from my quiz, although, it seems AJ can give them to you. Roses to AJ, Super-Stalker Extraordinaire.

In my family I am the oldest of four children, I have two brothers and one sister. I have a guinea pig named Zippy, she wears fur pants. I spent my senior year of high school in Germany, although I grew up in Troy. I met Jocko in January of 2000, I was 19. I have lived in three states; Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. My favorite color is pink, and I think everyone got this question right :) My mug name is Barbie Girl. Melanna was my dual nickname with Mel and Alotta Hose was given to me by Laura, I think it was during the Phi Kap Halloween mixer when we all dressed up as fembots? Sad but true fact, in college, when I was totally wasted, I would yell at Jocko in German. I always cry during Beaches, in fact whenever I hear the "Hero" song by Bette Middler, I start to sob. My last term at Tech, Amandaleigh and I would get out of class at noon and head to the Amabassador for a fishbowl, sometimes two, and then truck over to the DT for bubble.

i'm a follower

Create your own friendquiz here

it's all a bit clearer now

Perhaps you recall me talking about crazy self diagnoses? Well, I was trying to make light of it, but something was not right.

It appears I have found an answer, I have been having panic attacks. Tuesday night I thought I was going to die, I almost called an ambulance. So on Wednesday I vowed to go to the doctor; only problem, we have lived here for two years, and I never found myself a doctor. I ended up at an urgent care place and the nice, old doctor prescribed some At!van in case I felt that way again. He also made me promise to find a doctor as soon as we move.

The moral of the story is to get yourself a doctor! Do this when you are healthy and you will save yourself the stress of having to search for a good one when you are ill.

i'm on hold

Fun day of having the utilities taken out of our names.

Muzak is so awesome :(

new "hobby"

It's 1:45 AM and I can't sleep, so it must be time to blog!

I have found a new hobby - using WebMD to diagnose myself with a myriad of diseases. I know, it is sad.

Most recent diagnoses: diabetes and pulmonary edema. Yeah, for real.

The diabetes ended up being a combination of too little sleep, not enough water and a lot of stress. I actually convinced myself that I was experiencing nerve pain, and I called Jocko at work, in tears, to try and convince him to come back from his trip early to take care of me. Hmmmmmm.

The pulmonary edema ended up being heart burn - I swear, I thought I was having chest pains!

Now, don't think I'm turning into a super hypochondriac. I have not called an ambulance, or scheduled a million doctors appointments; I simply give myself a few hours to decide if I'm really having medical problems, or if the power of suggestion is just a little too much for me to handle.

in case you were wondering...

It is entirely possible to start a fire in your microwave.

1. pop a bag of popcorn for breakfast.
2. do something else while it is popping.
3. return and stare at the horrific amount of smoke pouring out of the microwave.
4. open windows and turn on the fans.

The saddest part is, that was the last bag of popcorn, and I am still really craving popped goodness :(

quickie

1. We closed on our new house last week.
2. We move in Jan 19th.
3. Christmas was very nice, we spent a good amount of time with both of our families.
4. Jocko bought me pearls :)
5. I had so much fun seeing everyone at GLI.
6. In fact, I was still "having fun" at 6:00 PM the next day.
7. And then I had to buck up and be charming at my mom's Christmas party.
8. Oyster crackers have no magical healing properties, but my mom's chili does.
9. I saw Night at the Museum on New Year's Eve.
10. It was super cute.

therapy

Today I self medicated with both retail and baking therapy. Ahhhhhhhhh.

clarification

Thank you all for the kind words, and Jonesy, I especially enjoyed the "bid" for the Imploded Brains Club.

I'm just stressed. With all of the moving chaos, Christmas has totally snuck up on me. Sure I was able to get the cards out (or at least most of them), but I have so many gifts to buy, and wrap, and I just realized I am leaving for Muskegon on Thurs. (T-2 days) and won't be back until after New Years. aaaaarrrrggghhhh.

And I need to clean the house tomorrow because the inspector will be here and I don't want to be embarrassed (so maybe the house isn't dirty, but I want it to sparkle).

And the house is barely decorated, no tree, no lights, just a few knick knacks I pulled out - in fact I still have a harvest wreath on the front door.

Of course, Jocko is in the Fin, and I'm not blaming him for that, but I think my stress level would be so much lower if I could just see him everyday. In fact, this year I believe he has spent more nights out of town than in town. aaaaarrrrgggggggghhhhhhhh.

And to top it all off I don't even have a guinea pig to cuddle with; she's at my cousins until after we move. harumph.

This post is really going no where, I just needed to get it out. Oh, and where's the next meeting of the IBC?

aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggghhhhhh

my brain is going to implode.

pick a winner, jose!

I've been in The Fin, and we put an offer on a house. Here it is. You can even see a "tour" complete with cheesy background music. We aren't done countering on the house yet, it needs a new roof and we are having estimates completed tomorrow, but I have a feeling this will be our new home :)

The kitchen is fab and I love the neighborhood, oh and the current owners have a guinea pig - not sure how that plays into the appeal of the house, but I thought it was funny.

ETA: the link should work now :)

deer me!

This happened last week, and I was really upset about it, but now it's just really funny.

Apparently I have "gardeners" - yep, the deer have eaten our arborvitae.

I am now the proud owner of three topiary.

accepted!

We have officially accepter an offer on our house!

No Crystal, it wasn't for $20,000 more than our asking price. In fact our house hasn't appreciated that much in the two years we've lived in it, but this is the first house we are selling for a small profit. After doing improvements on our old house we simply broke even, this time we've come out ahead, and I'm happy about that, even if it is only by a little bit.

So, we are set to close on Jan 19, and Jocko and I are going to OH this weekend to pick a house. I'm thinking I'll like the houses more knowing that my house is taken care of.

Would you like to know how I sell my houses quickly? I stage and I pray. It's worked twice, so I'm starting to believe there's something to it.

A few tips:
* fix all real problems
* take down all of the personal photos - they are distracting to buyers
* hang a wreath on the front door - it's like a hug from the house
* list with a reputable agent
* price your property correctly
* pray that the people who need your home will find it.. quickly :)

news flash

We have an offer on our home.

the stats

I'm back in Indy. Driving up to my house and seeing the For Sale sign was super-depressing. Here is the listing. Our realtor has lots of pictures on her site, our listing number is 2673586, it's on the second page.

I house hunted all week long, I found nothing. Remember all the cute, old houses I found? They all suck, not like the pictures at all. I did find two "maybe" houses, both feel like a slap in the face. Every house that I really liked was $350,000 to $1.4 mill, just a little out of budget.

I just want to stay in Indy, I hate Ohio.

busy, busy

So, I forgot how much work goes into selling your home - I swear it was not this stressful 2 years ago. All week long I have been decluttering and staging and packing and calling realtors and talking with the relo company, etc, etc. I am burnt out.

But on Monday I am headed to Troy for the week :) and our house will go on the market sometime next week.

To destress I have been stalking homes in the Findlay area; some favorites so far:

Supercute Historic Type
Another Supercute Historic Type
Historic with "ChaCha" South Main Address
Newer Home

I know Jocko was hoping for another new home, but I just love the old ones, I can't help it!

pop the cork

Today's WOOT! podcast was especially fun. Props to Erika for leading me to this happy little site. :)


Side note:
spell check has issues with "podcast"
suggested replacement: "pitchstone"

Can someone explain pitchstone?

i have password protected myself

Recently, our bank merged with another bank and I received a few suspicious emails from the "bank" - so I changed my login info. At the time I was sure I would remember the new password. Not so sure anymore.

Note to self - write down passwords.

I'm off to my branch to straighten this out.

sausage fingers

I just found Jocko's class ring lying on the steps and decided to slip it onto my finger for safe keeping.

Not a good idea; my sausage fingers have claimed this ring as their own. I can't get it off!

leetle update

I'm back from Ohio, I actually came back early because I was suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I need to do, and the limited amount of time available.

1. Sell the house: Our realtor came by last night to talk with us and see what we've done with the place. She told me I should stage houses as a career, I apologized profusely because I felt the house was messy. Jocko said I need to relax. Good news: our house should show well, and everything we've done (not too much)will add to it's marketability, also the big M will buy the house if it doesn't sell in 90 days. Bad news: it's just not a great market, and if the big M buys the house we lose a nice extra bonus.

2. Find a new house: I was actually a little excited to do this (ok, a lot)and did a few drive-by's while I was in Findlay. Good news: tons of house for sale in Findlay. Bad news: too many options. Do we downsize, upgrade, get a fixer-upper, move right away, wait awhile, live in town, move to BG? It's a headache.

3. Continue to work: My plan was to go into qualification for directorship and start earning my car Dec. 1, I don't know how I am going to fit this in. I have pushed back my personal goals so much that I am starting to feel like a failure. Good news: there's still time, I can do this. Bad news: I need to work my ass off, and I am beginning to doubt myself.

on the move, again

Yes, I am going to Findlay this weekend for a fundraiser for my Relay for Life team. But that's not the real news.

We are being transferred back to Findlay, OH. Early in October Jocko's supervisor told him there was a new position opening up for him in Findlay, but at the same time Jocko was applying for a different position in Findlay, and he really wanted the job he was applying for. Last week we found out he got it :) So, now he's Mr. District Engineer, and I get to move us again.

Know anyone looking for a nice home in Indy?

j.i.t.

I'm home!

Made it back just in time to hand out candy to the cute trick-or-treaters. There are a ton of kids in our sub and I was worried I would run out of candy and end up passing out 100 calorie packs and bottles of Archer Farms water; but the supply held out and Jocko was sent to work with all leftovers.

Pictures of fabulous trip to Maine will follow. Must work!

off again...

Jocko and I came home late last night (Muskegon, wedding #7). Tomorrow I'm driving to Ann Arbor to meet up with Adrienne and then drive out to Maine for our friend Chris's wedding.

Whew!

I have just enough time to call some customers, mail some orders, do the laundry and get packed.

Jocko is taking the PE on Sat. and he's already freaking out - happy thoughts for him, please :)

that new-car smell

Apparently all I needed to do to get a new car was demonstrate my inability to drive the Sebring. This evening we traded the truck in for a new Liberty.

Yippee! I *love* my new car.

i am not a morning person

There's a reason I'm a Mary Kay lady (other than an unnatural obsession with makeup), I cannot stand waking up early and having to function. But, there are rare occasions when I do need to wake up early and get going before 10 AM (the perfect out-the-door time for me). Last Tuesday was one of those rare occasions, I had a breakfast networking meeting at Cracker Barrel (pancakes). Of course Monday night Jocko was out of town, so I stayed up way too long; now I am paying the price.

You see, I was v. tired, it was v. dark and that median was not painted yellow! I honestly thought the left turn lane continued past the first turnoff and onto the main intersection. I was wrong.

Never drive on the median. Not only is it scary (I was convinced the car was going to explode), and you have to pay to have your car removed from said median, it WILL damage your car.

vehicle removal - $50
ATM fee because the tow-man will only accept cash - $2
new stabilizer bar for the car you hate - $820
the humiliation of being gawked at - priceless

i thought i went to a "blue ribbon" school

How does this happen?

wonder twins - activate!

Can I just say that I had a ton of fun at Yeimy's wedding?! It has been years since I hung out with Laura, and we had so much fun. I cannot figure out how we actually ate dinner, we were laughing so much.

Other highlights include:
* "Footloose" dance line while the title song was played - why isn't Kenny Loggins more popular? He's a genius
* Jen's husband Brian is the most fun Bet Sig, ever. I am sad he wasn't at Tech when I was, he would have been an entertaining drinking buddy
* The bed at the hotel felt like a waffle - Lesley will back me up on this
* I have somehow recovered my ability to do tequila shots, or at least one shot
* Alph Gams are the most fun girls - ever
* Yeimy was such a beautiful bride :)
* Penelope Cruz was at the wedding - just ask Laura
* Mariachi bands provide the best dinner music ever! I would highly recommend to anyone planning a wedding

a declaration

I, Alanna Rose, do solemnly swear to bring Tits McGee out on Friday night. Tits shall dance and make merry, and will not embarrass herself, or Yeimy.

Laura is a genius.

trivial pursuit

Somehow, within the course of a game of Trivial Pusuit, the name "Tits McGee" came up. Does anyone know the origin of the name? We know our favorite newscaster - Ron Burgundy - uses it, but where else did it come from?

a date for danielle

This is my baby brother, Mason, and our little cousin Emma (she's my mini-me). He's 23 and recently graduated from WMU with a degree in accounting - he needs a few more credits before he can become a CPA, so he's taking some exciting classes at OCC. He was originally going to take a few courses at Walsh, but he found out that it doesn't matter what the classes are on - he simply needs a certain amount of credits. So he is taking Golf and Wine Appreciation.

Mason has a mildly retarded dog named Coda, who is a "good boy!" that likes to chase his tail.

i love tv

It's true ... I am having a love affair with my television. You see, Matthew Perry has a new show.

What?!

You haven't seen Studio 60 yet? Are you sure you aren't living under a rock?

It's the best; witty, fast paced, well written, and the cast is fabulous - Matthew Perry and the guy who played "Eric" in Billy Madison. Eric may be a bad man, but he's great on this show.

It airs Mon. at 10 PM on NBC. Don't forget to set your TiVo.

let's play catch up

I have been meaning to post all week, today will work!

Last weekend I went to Yeimy's bachelorette party - tons of fun! Relaxing and generally chilling out with people you don't get to see everyday is so great. It was really neat to just pick up old friendships again. Thank you all so much for inviting me!



Then on Tuesday I went to Shipshewana, wanted to go antiquing, but we just cruised the flea market instead - no I did not buy any fleas.

Today my parents are coming down! We are going to Brown County tomorrow, it should be a ton of fun and I have a feeling we will finally get some antiquing in - Yeah!

ick

Picture me cruising around the Food Network site.
George Duran - sweet!
Alton Brown - WooHoo!
Rachel Ray - ok.

And then I see this.
Picture has been removed so that Karen will no longer be grossed out :)


Vomit time! I think I'm done looking for new recipes.

what are you staring at?

Do you ever take your earring out to talk on the phone, and then leave the house with only one earring in?

I do it about once a day.

free and fun

Hungry Girl has some great stuff today!

Free and yummy eatables, plus clown faced lunch meat :)

Brilliant!

should i?

For the past few years I've been contemplating writing Mommo's (Jocko's maternal Grandmother) stories out and giving them to the family as Christmas gifts. I get butterflies thinking about it; her life story was so interesting, and I don't think that most of the family appreciates it, but I would love to get it out of my head and set it free.

How would you feel receiving a book of family stories from someone who married into the family? I don't want to over step my boundaries - but I don't think anyone else is interested in taking on this project. What would you do?

recent discovery

When thawed, frozen bananas turn in to mush.

3 years

Yesterday Jocko and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary; at least we would have if he hadn't been out of town for work (thanks, Marathon). I was pretty bummed about him not being here and so I moped around for most of the day, a delivery of flowers temporarily lifted my spirits.

I love them, and Jocko wrote me the nicest little flower card. I was a bit worried about where to put them, because pink isn't exactly in our color palette. I knew they wouldn't work in the deep red dining room, and the table is the wrong scale for the arrangement anyway,so I plunked them on the kitchen table. And wouldn't you know, the pink looks very nice in my cream-with-red-accents kitchen.

clean closet!

One of my exciting tasks today was "clean hall closet." You see, I was sick of all the phone books falling every time I went in to get just one, plus it was very dusty. So I cleaned, and I went through all of the coats and mitten/glove/scarf/hat combinations. I do not think I have gotten rid of a single set of mittens or gloves since I left Houghton; I have a donation bag of 15 sets of mittens and gloves, a bunch of scarves and hats, and that count doesn't include all of the single mittens and gloves that were thrown away.

But the best "stuff" came out of the jacket pockets from the old ski jacket I wore at school- I figured I should go through them before I gave the jacket away, common courtesy, right?

Keep in mind, this was a Columbia with many pockets.

The Contents:
* program from Queen's 2001
* myriad of notes from the AGD message board to call "Jacko" - many written on green graphing paper, or obvious Chem Eng scoop exams
* voided check to KFC from 3/2002
* Daily Bull from 2/1/2002, 4/26/2002 and 11/14/2002
* receipts from Jim's - the best one includes 2 bottles of white wine, Jim Beam, vodka, Pepsi and a pasty
* receipts from Greek Personals in the Load
* class schedule and account statement Spring 2002
* interesting rocks
* a quarter

It was kind of fun looking through the pockets, every folded piece of paper brought back a memory.

post secret

Do you all love Post Secret as much as I do? I found it through Erkia's blog , and I'm addicted. I didn't send this secret in - but it might as well be mine :)

bike missionaries

This film is so cute.

weekend fun

Wedding #4 - Jay and J'nai
What could be better than partying with people you love and dancing all night long? Throw in some Jell-O shots for added excitement and you've got one fun wedding!

No pictures, though, because I was a bit tipsy and took photos in "video" mode all night long. Can someone else please be in charge of the camera for Yeimy's wedding?

Pit Stop at Jori's
My BIL, Kaj, is one of Jori's very close friends from way back and he decided to take me and Jocko to a small engagement party that Jori's mom planned. We stopped by in between Jay and J'nai's ceremony and reception, so we couldn't stay long, but it's always nice to see Jori Lynn. Here's the happy couple :)

Hanging out with Mel
It's tradition, on the way home from Muskegon we generally stop in Zeeland to hang out with Mel, Kobe and Scott for a little bit. This time I brought belated birthday gifts - a baby cell for Kobe and monkeys for Mel. The chihauhau's stayed in their apartment.

sunshine

OK, so it isn't sunny, but the mail came and I got a package! My purse came from Karen today! It was packed in an incredibly hilarious 1980's Casual Corner box, which made me laugh (and then Karen had commented on it's high cheese-factor in a note she enclosed).

Can I just say that I love this bag?! Karen - it is very well constructed, and I'm going to look v. cute carrying it when I'm running around town.

And there was an envelope in the mail, too (there were actually many envelopes, but this one was better than a bill). The mortgage company over estimated our insurance and taxes for the past year and issued us a healthy check. I know this isn't new money, and truth-be-told it will most likely just get added onto our next mortgage payment, but the thought that I could go buy a new couch or take a nice little vacation is very tempting.

Oh, and I decided to cyber-stalk my ultra crush from high school, Robin Sloan. He is a journalist now, and lives in San Francisco, and from the picture on his site, he is bald and not as attractive as he was in high school. I think I'll stick with my nerdy-engineer, also bald, Taco :)

it's drippy out

It's rainy and gross in the Circle City today, and that makes me feel rainy and gross, too. But I need to make some party food (need suggestions) and get some work done around the house, and make customer calls, and get some invitations into the mail, and go to the post office, etc... and pack for my little trip to Muskegon. Jocko's cousin is getting married this weekend, and we're obviously going -- free beer = family fun!

*ffl*

It is on! We officially have enough people for our own Fantasy Fashion League. So far it's me, Mel, Cat, Crystal and Stephie. I just sent an email to the list with some more info and my address - so check your email! And then email me back :)

And we are going to have a trophy - it will be AbFab, and a great distraction from doing actual work! I'm so excited to hear from everyone;)

we need to do this

So... I was reading Maria's blog and she had mentioned the Fantasy Fashion League. I'm with Crystal and Erika on this - I think it's very cool, so cool that I think we need to start a private league. It will cost $20 per person and the "season" starts Aug. 27 and ends in Feb. I'd be willing to collect the money and register our league, unless someone else had there heart set on it.

So check it out and let me know what you think - I think it'd be a lot of fun :)

quick update

I have been busy this week. But I thought you might enjoy a quick update - I know I do.

*Last weekend was the Brickyard (Nascar race) and we went to a party, which was thrown by one of the secretaries at Jocko's office, Karen. Does anyone remember a Bet Sig named Ghengis? Karen is his stepmother, and he was in town for the race. It was surreal seeing him again, it was as though time had stopped for him - he was doing the exact same things as when he was in college, but he wasn't 21 anymore. I felt sad for him.

*It was rainy yesterday and today, not so good for the walk I am trying to get in everyday, maybe I'll have to do a few laps around Target later :)

*I'm trying a few new recipes over the weekend - if they're good I promise to share.

*Zippy had a bath on Sat. Always fun and exciting.

Gee, I thought I was busy, but I just seem really boring. Oh well, you still love me, right?

this space for rent

Thank you so much for the blog-name ideas! I have to say that The Taco Times would be fabulous; but as Erika mentioned, this is MY blog, and although I love my husband v. much, this isn't a tribute page. I liked Erika's idea about bee themes, that'll be the vein I'm going for, just looking for the perfect title now.

I also need a new background, this one was just a template I thought was clean and sort of spunky; but it lacks the pre-requisite pink. Where have you found great templates?

today...

* it finally cooled down a little, and I was able to open the blinds! No more mole-age!
* it was super-stormy, I tried to update my blog 4 times, and every time the power would blink, so I just shut the computer down and went shopping instead :)
* I earned my 10 lb. ribbon at Weight Watchers! And I chose not to celebrate with food, imagine that, I went to the scrapbook store instead.
* I found out that the scrapbook store in my little 'burb, which only opened in May, is already closing :( But that meant I scored some major deals. I am addicted to paper, among other things.
* there were two boxes of cereal in my mailbox - I love swag!

name this blog

My blog needs a name. Something that screams Alanna and is very cool - possible oxymorons?

I am counting on you.

aaaaaaacckkkk!!

I just realized it is now August. WTF?! The calendar on my desk is set to March, can someone tell me where April, May, June and July went? Because I lost them somewhere.