Once you go Mac you'll never go....Uhhhhh

Well, the verdict is still out.

Last night Neile and I purchased our very first computer together (aren't we just so grown up!). Well, after being brought up very much in the PC world, we ventured into the world of Apple computers...while praying that whole time that our families wouldn't disown us. We'd been talking about it for months (as in, since September) and decided that we would get a computer as our anniversary gift to each other - and we were excited. So last night we put down the big bucks and got ourselves an iMac.

Ohhh it is so pretty and shiny....ohhh it is so big (20" monitor)....ahhh there are only 2 cords....arrghh it Doesn't. Turn. On!

What the heck!

So yes, the verdict is still out, but for now we are off to the Apple service center... And we were so excited :(

This has gone too far!

I know that I have said it before, but cell phone use has just gone too far! I try and fight it, but I know that I am just as guilty as the next at being too reliant on my phone.

For example:
Working at a college one sees some pretty strange things, but yesterday tops the cake for me. I was out enjoying the unseasonably warm (whoa! we were actually in the 60's!) weather when I noticed something very odd. Two students tossing the football back and forth in front of their campus house--I know, I know, not so odd. But, I certainly was entertained watching them figure out how to catch and throw the football with one hand. Yes, it seemed their other hand was not available as it was already occupied with.....yes their cell phone.

Both of them were talking on their cell phone!!! Ridiculous.

A Weighty Matter

I’ve been rather upset with myself the past 2 years (I am sure it has been longer, but I was blind to it) when it comes to my weight and my inability to make exercising a priority. I’ve started different exercising plans and have proceeded to do them for about…maybe 2-4 days. No pat on the back for me.

Mostly it comes down to my inability to be disciplined in the area of food as well as activity. I have no idea when this happened, because it has not always been the case! In fact, I used to have no problem being disciplined (yes, I still was tempted and had to fight that off, but I was disciplined gosh darn it and was able to at least stick with my plan). But alas, that has gone and I haven’t been able to stick with any sort of plan.

I realize that some of this is because I am married…but definitely not because of Neile. The simple fact that there is another person’s schedule to account for does create logistical and time problems. No I don’t want to workout for an hour after work and then go home and cook dinner (much easier when my mom was doing the dinner cooking!) and I don’t want to be on an opposite schedule from Neile (Yes! I love to spend time with my husband).

So in the interest of figuring out how to handle this lack of discipline dilemma I have created a plan! Don’t laugh, because I am very hopeful about this plan. I like to call it the “Nicole eat more responsibly so her clothes will fit plan”. Basically I am counting calories and fat and weighing myself once a week. Yes, I have created a spreadsheet (nerd that I am) and keep track of every item I eat. The motivation of knowing I have to account for the calories and fat I consume has definitely been helpful. (Many pieces of chocolate have been spared the jaws of death)

Well, I have just finished a whole week of my plan and so far so good. I am even beginning to feel good about my ability to be disciplined. I don’t believe I am over the hump yet (as the cravings have only just begun), but I am getting there. And while I have not yet incorporated actual exercise into my plan (note it was simply “eat responsibly”) that will come. Right now it is simply baby steps – and if you have ever witnessed a kiddo trying to walk for the first time you’ll know what I mean. Wish me luck!

Sidenote: Look at me blogging like a real blogger...possibly because I am bored out of my mind!!!

This is not your bachelor pad anymore!

So last night as I am getting ready for bed I hear a strange noise from the kitchen.

Oh that was just the refrigerator door opening.
(no big deal...Neile must be getting a drink before bed)

Then I hear the distinct sound of the 2-liter bottle of seltzer water open.
(nothing unusual about that)

Then maybe 3 sec. later I hear the cap being screwed back on. I wait for the sound of the trash can opening (gotta give the benefit of the doubt)...nothing except the bottle being put on the shelf and the fridge door shutting again.
(No no no he did not do what I think he did!)
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Yes! He did exactly what I think he did! Arrgghhh....


CAVEMAN!

So how many times were you asked...

Now this past weekend could have a huge bearing on the future life of Neile and Nicole. And I can tell you overall, it was good. We went on a little trip to see some friends and blah blah blah. I will have to fill you in on the details at a later date. More importantly, I had the pleasure of being asked the same question over and over again for 4 days straight! (don't worry I was nice...I think) I do understand that this is mainly because I was in a different place and around people I am not normally around, but still...it is hard enough juggling school and work and home and friends and family and marriage without also having to think about my future! And I do realize that this is something I need to figure out.

You know what question I'm talking about right? "What are you going to do after you graduate?" Gee that is a good question...hadn't thought about that before. (sarcastic - who me?!?)

Actually that is the one question at the forefront of my thinking most days. And no I don't have an answer, nor will I have an answer for you any time soon! It is times like these that I wish someone would just tell me what to do (and...it would end up being perfect)

It's Official

This just in....I have passed my comprehensive exams! Huge sigh of relief. I just found out yesterday and it is still just sinking in. Praise the Lord that I do not have to take that over again (and no I was not confident that it would turn out this way).

Now on to the next few projects...case study, write paper, write paper, and write even more papers.

May graduation cannot come soon enough.

I am not going outside Saturday....or Monday...or at all in the next 5 days!

Who said anything about hell freezing over?!?


In other news...I have no sense of smell. Yes, the sinus infection has taken this prized possession away from me. I suppose if you have to lose one of your senses this might be the one missed the least, but seeing as I normally have an overactive sense of smell it has been more than just a little odd.

Take this scenario for example - and yes it has happened more than once

Parent: Something really smells in the basement. I think an animal may have died above one of the ceiling tiles.
Me: Well, I can try and locate it. (proceed to basement sniffing out nasty rotting animal carcass)
Me: Smells like it is under one of these two tiles...hope that helps!

Nicole (current state of sinus infectedness): sticking head in a pot of onions, takes a big whiff...and nothing

Crazy!!! So if we come into contact and I happen to smell bad, cut me some slack as I really have no idea.

Oh and in case you were wondering....yes I can still taste food, just not as well.

Things I am looking forward to in February

Superbowl Sunday. While we aren’t sure exactly what we are going to do that day, one thing is for certain... We are so watching the Bears beat the Colts!

February 22nd – day after my comprehensive exams…inhale, exhale, inhale……exhale…must survive until that time

The end of winter…yes I know it will probably at least go until the end of February (let’s be honest – probably the beginning of March as well), but I can still hope can’t I!!!

Possible travel – when this might happen? Who knows? Where this might be? Well, I certainly know that, but you’ll just have to wait to see if it happens…

Valentine’s Day with my hubby. No we are not doing anything big, but I can still look forward to spending a special day with the man I love right?!

Getting a haircut. It has been approximately…well, entirely too long (give you a hint – it was not in the past 6 months…or maybe even 8…or…honestly don’t remember). I was given a wonderful gift card for my birthday to a nice haircutting kind of place from my wonderful in-laws and can’t wait to use it!

Continued enjoyment of a house that is completely too large for two people and a dog. Yes, my parents are gone on a cruise in the middle of the coldest days of winter with some of my favorite people! On the plus side…I am soo excited to own a home some day, that is smaller, and has less sidewalks/driveway to shovel (shout-out to Neile!)

An end to the sickness...including pink eye (yes you heard me right - what 27 yr old gets pink eye!!!) and a sinus infection.

First day of my last class!!!

Introductions: Hi my name is Nicole. I started this program spring of 2004 just for personal growth – now, 3 years later? Well, I have no idea what I want to do with my degree…perhaps work with young adults. My favorite book? Hmmmm Can’t really say one comes to mind - mostly because that kind of stuff doesn’t stick in my brain. I read a lot, but have only read one book twice in my life. Oh what book is that? Well, Memoirs of a Geisha. (Me totally red-faced because of course everyone else has been saying these life-changing Christian books!)

At least we all laughed at it….although who’s to say that all but me wasn’t laughing out of nervousness. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all left class praying for that poor dear girl and of course all of the people I would be ministering to once I get a degree in ministry. Yes, I will get my M.A. in educational ministries this May even if it kills me! Let’s just pray it doesn’t kill my marriage and friendships in the process….

A little upset right now.

So Neile and I went down to our apartment office this afternoon in order to pick up a package from Neile’s folks. We get there and the door is locked. A sign on the door reads, “We will be closed at 2pm today.” We look at our watch…it is only 1:50. Lights are still on in the office so we knock. And we knock. And we even knock some more (with a little more force). No answer.

We know we can’t get the package tomorrow because they aren’t open on Sundays and of course they will be closed on Monday. We quick run back to our apartment and call them….still only 1:57…no answer. Neile left a message expressing our disappointment (frankly I am glad it was him leaving the message and not me as I might not have been as nice). Ughhh I am so angry and disappointed. Don’t worry, I know I will get over it, but still. They didn’t even tell us they would be closing 3 hours earlier than normal! Ughhh.

Weekend Fun

Disclaimer: after reading back through this I realized it is so much longer than I thought. So no hard feelings if you don’t get through it all. =)

I never did tell you about our weekend. Of course it started out as a normal weekend---except for the Christmas shopping and mailing of packages. But wait I am already getting ahead of myself…

Waking up on Saturday I knew we had a lot to do before going to our small group Christmas party that evening. We had to scrounge around and find some boxes so we could mail off some goodies and presents – you know so that everyone would get them before Christmas. We decide to drive to Neile’s office because he had the “perfect” box for us to use. He runs in and I stay in the car waiting…and waiting. Then I hear it. A strange grinding noise. I have no idea where it is coming from, but am not really that worried. I am much more interested in watching a woman across the parking lot play with her child. There is the noise again…a bit louder. This time the woman looks at me in the car. Hmmmm slightly self-conscious – did she see me watching her.

Ugghhhh that sound again except this time it sounds like a huge piece of ice is being pushed back and forth on top of our car. I sit there and look around to see at least 4 people staring at me and our car and me acting like nothing is going on at all. I just know that Neile will be out any second---afterall he was just going to grab a cardboard box and come back. What the heck was taking him so long!

This time when the sound started again I got out of the car to see if there was in fact an ice sheet on top of our car creating the horrible noise. No ice sheet. Okay I definitely need to tell Neile. I walk into the building and see him standing their chatting with his boss while I am out in the car that is about to explode!! No panicking in my voice though while I ever so calmly say, “Neile, your car is making a bad noise and you need to come out right away.” Well, this isn’t a big deal to him apparently since he just keeps CHATTING. (Well, I should forgive this since it is his boss….but I really did think his car was going to explode or something awful)

Well, when Neile gets into the car that horrible noise is gone. There is a noise, but not bad at all. That just figures. So we start driving…and get about 10 feet when that ever so lovely noise happens again. Yes! I am not crazy. The decision is quickly made that our packages can be late if necessary, we need to go home and change cars before this one breaks down completely. The plan…drop the car off at the shop on our way to the Christmas party.

Well, fast forward through long post office lines, shopping, insane traffic, present wrapping, food making, and we are off to the Christmas party.

I follow Neile in my car. Yes, I pretty much lost him after about a block of driving. Dumb lights. Not to worry because about 10 minutes later there is a slow down in traffic at a 3 way stop. Hmmmm…what could that be about? Oh dear, there is Neile running alongside his car and two guys (no clue who these angels are) pushing from the back. They end up pushing the car to a nearby church. From here we proceed to call the towing company (Thank goodness for AAA!). By now, the 6:00pm Christmas party has started and I still have a huge dish of potato casserole in my back seat. Oh well, it could always be worse right?!?

Well, towing man comes and takes us to the auto shop. Off we go to the Christmas party and it is only 7:45. Well, at least we made it to the gift exchange.

So that was Saturday. Sunday was a great and full day. We wake up a little early and roll some pineapple and water chestnuts in bacon for the Hawaiian potluck my family is having at noon. Pack up the gifts to celebrate Christmas #2 with my sister and her family for the afternoon and head to church. After church we go to my parents’ house. Let the eating commence! After eating some very interesting food and reminiscing about our time in Hawaii it is time for presents. Of course all of us are most excited about watching the crazy kids open their presents….and we were not disappointed as the hyperness ensued.

Neile and I had to make a quick exit from the Christmas celebration and head over to his office to go to a Hockey game with some of his coworkers. Yes, the Blackhawks won! Yes, we had box seats and lots of food! And yes, it was a super fun time.

What more is there to say…other than Neile and I were exhausted on Monday AND we still had a huge dish of potato casserole!

Who is that elf!

A friend of mine sent this to me and had me laughing so hard that I just had to do it myself! check me out

Sad Heart

I’ve been very sad lately. I hate being like this whenever it happens, but feel even worse that I could possibly be sad during the Christmas season when it is supposed to be about giving and loving and rejoicing.

I told Neile the other day that if I were given the chance to work in children’s ministry again next year I would not. This almost breaks my heart just to think it, but to get to the point where I actually say it to someone else…well I am at a loss.

I love children. I have been babysitting since I was 11 and volunteering in church since I knew that it was a possibility. I remember working with a small group of 1st graders my senior year of college and getting so excited to plan lessons for them or figure out a way for them to experience God more fully. I remember volunteering in the nursery (my favorite) for years and looking forward to seeing those babies all week long – in fact my whole body would get antsy with anticipation.

It was because of this – this never ending love of children, to see them grow, to nurture them, to show them God’s love through me – that I started thinking that perhaps I would consider working with kids as a job. Perhaps when my degree is completed I would actually work in children’s ministry (instead of just volunteering). Right now, I do not feel that way.

I have made a commitment to the 3 yr old class this year. And yes, the kids are amazing and I love them like I have loved all of the kids I’ve ever worked with. I do not go a single Sunday without laughing with a child or enjoying a conversation about their boo boos or birthdays or other adventures. I love singing with them, learning Bible verses together, reading stories, having dinosaur fights, and coloring. Mostly though, I just love the opportunity to watch them grow, to see it in their eyes when they’ve learned something new or the pride on their face when they’ve accomplished something that only “big people” can do.

However, I am now to the point of almost dreading Sunday mornings.

Christmas Celebration take 1

Although I know many people that have done this, I had never done it nor had I imagined I would, but this year has changed all of that.

I have now officially celebrated 1.5 Christmases with 2 more to go!

I say 1.5 because while we were in Seattle for Thanksgiving (which was a great trip overall) we all had the pleasure of receiving our Christmas stockings early. As my mom puts it, “who doesn’t love getting presents!” So while stockings are not a full blown Christmas celebration, it was the time for us to have a mini celebration with Neile’s whole family.

This past weekend we got together with Neile’s brother and his wife. They don’t live far from us (downtown) so even though we won’t be together on Christmas day we got to celebrate with them beforehand. Neile and I drove into the city to meet up with them and go to Christkindlmarket.

Fun times! If you haven’t ever been you should check it out – it’s here until December 24th. Seeing as I used to work about 2 or 3 blocks from this I had been before and seeing as Neile and his family are in love with Germany... well we just couldn’t resist going again. It was cold, but it could have been worse (that’s probably the case for most days in Chicago – always could’ve been worse!). Mostly I just enjoyed being downtown and seeing all of the lights, which I have missed out on in the last few years. Funny how mesmerizing all those pretty lights can be…

Thanksgiving

Well, folks, we leave tonight and head to beautiful Seattle for Thanksgiving with the in-laws. Although, upon checking the weather forecast I noticed a trend in "slight rain in the morning followed by showers in the afternoon" for the entire time we are there (interesting to see how many different ways one can say "it's gonna rain all day") . Plus I think it will be kinda cold (30s-40s) compared with the in the 60s temps we are having here in Chicago, but I am still expecting it to be fun times all around. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday and have the chance to break away from the busyness of everyday life to really reflect on and enjoy all of the things we each have to be thankful for. God bless!

Food, food, and more food

Yes folks, it seems that all I did this weekend was cook and eat. That is not entirely true (as Neile and I did see The Prestige on Friday), but at some points it sure felt like it. I did had a wonderful talk with my good friend that has to live oh so far away. I worked with the 3 year olds, went to church, celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday, saw my little sis (it's been 3 months!) and we had small group. And yes, in between all of that I cooked.

We cooked the pheasant and just to let you know it turned out great. It was not the most fun to clean, but thankfully Neile did all of the “gross stuff”. We ended up using a recipe I found online. You should check it out if you ever have the need. =) Saturday and Sunday were just so busy and we knew we weren’t going to be home at all on Sunday except maybe 45 minutes so I needed to use the good ole crock-pot. So I woke up early and set that bird a stewing only to come home at 12:30 and find out that something didn’t work just right with the crock-pot settings so for who knows how long, that bird was just warming away. Luckily, we had to stop at the apartment for about 5 minutes to grab a present and some deviled eggs for the birthday party, so I was able to reset the machine. Fingers crossed we walked out the door once again. This time we returned at about 4 and that bird had been cooking beautifully that whole time. Praise the Lord! I gave Neile the pleasure of de-boning it seeing as he was the great hunter that brought that thing home and off we went to small group with our beautiful potluck entrée (of course if it hadn’t worked we already had our back-up plan….the grocery store is on the way to small group!). Yes, it was a big hit, and yes, we would make it again if given a pheasant or two, but mostly we are content to stick with the easy stuff like chicken - you know that’s already been cleaned and all.

Oh and I have to share another recipe that was tried this weekend and was fabulous. This was a big hit with the family. Pan fried apple and feta pizzas. YUMMY!

Flower arrangement class down the drain

I’m a little bummed right now. About two months ago my mom asked me if I wanted to go to an arrangement class with her mid-December. I was so excited because my grad class would be over and I could just enjoy some creativity. Plus I love hanging out with my mom and I love making things with my hands…but alas, I found out just 2 days ago that I will not be attending said class. “sniff, sniff” The exact date of the class (which happens to be on a Thursday) is also the date that my husbands office is having their Christmas party! What are the chances?!?! I mean who has an office party on a Thursday night?!?! No I am not really upset and I know I’ll have fun at the party, I was just really looking forward to the arrangement class and the awesome center piece I was going to have in my apartment. Bummer

Down time at last

Yes, it has been a long while since I wrote last. I’ve been working away at a research paper for my class and haven’t had any real down time. In fact, when I do get it I don’t even know what to do with myself. Well, the paper is done (mostly) and Neile is out with the guys and I find myself with a little down time. First on my list is blogging ‘check’. Next, read a chapter from my book for class, followed by a little reading from a book I just ordered – “Natural Birth Control made simple”. I know it sounds a little odd, but I find that kind of stuff pretty fascinating. Yes, I will probably read more than a chapter of the new book and really the class book is just so I can rationalize having fun reading time – which I have missed so much. Now if only I’ll be able to make the most of this down time and not just pass out on the couch out of shear exhaustion.

On an entirely unrelated note…anyone have any good recipes for pheasant. Yes, I have a bloody pheasant currently in my fridge awaiting the joys of being cooked up into...well something and hopefully something good. Neile got to try his hand at hunting for the first time and lucky us got to keep the one bird that was shot. Perhaps the first thing I should ask is if anyone has advice on getting that thing cleaned…including all of the buckshot?

Oh yes, and if anyone cries easily and wants to shed a few tears…well, I came across this blog with a woman telling the story of the day she gave birth. Funny, emotional, and a little scary all at the same time.

Oh and in case you were wondering based on the book I am looking forward to reading and my reading of a baby blog….no we are not pregnant and no we are not planning on being so for a least a little while longer. Although, I am more than excited for that day!

So many random thoughts…is it obvious that I haven’t had much people interaction in the past week???

Recipes!

I am a bit recipe obsessed. I cannot really pass a recipe book without noticing it. I am by no means a gourmet cook, but I really enjoy trying out new things. Neile and I always joke that whenever we have people over or take a dish somewhere it is almost always something we have never made before. This really never struck me as odd until I kept getting asked if I cooked very much (which I am pretty sure I do). This originally struck me as a strange question to ask, but as it turns out does make quite a bit of sense considering I was always telling people I had never made such and such dish before.

Turns out I come from a family that does this very thing - often. Not too surprising I suppose, but interesting. Just the other day we were talking with my sister about how we always bring something new and she said that she does the same thing. In fact, it was just about a month ago that my mom and her friend made a feast (at least 4 main dishes) just to try out new recipes – because they sounded good. So how is it that I never noticed any of this?

That is one of those interesting things about being married. I can live for 26 years not even realizing I do something a certain way or think a certain way and WHAM my way is not the only way. Most of the time this is just humorous to me, but sometimes it is very very annoying and downright upsetting. I knew that I was getting into a situation where I would probably be continually humbled in my thinking and actions when I ventured into marriage, but I don’t think I thought of the benefits (nor do I recognize them all by any means) of all of this. I love my family and frankly I love how I was raised and how things work at my parents’ house. It is what I grew up with and what I know best. BUT some things are just going to be different for my home and that is something that is both good and I have enjoyed. For one – I like be the woman of the house. I had never been in that role before, but I slipped into it without looking back. In fact, sometimes I get a little concerned over how much I enjoy this role. Before Neile and I got married I joked with him about being a stay-at-home-wife. Truth is, I would probably love it and become more than just a little Betty Crockery – but then again I would probably get pretty lonely without my people fix.

So all this to say, I love seeing change and perceptions adjust and discovering those subtle things we do differently than before and yes I love recipes and find those cookbooks on my shelf entirely too distracting!

Can we say OBSESSED?

Ever have something that gets on your mind and no matter how hard you try to forget about it, you simply cannot let it go? Well, I’ve just had that horrible experience. I say horrible because in my case I lost something. Mind you, this is not something soo valuable as say my wedding ring, but it is important enough. Okay, let’s be honest, it is not even close to my wedding ring. Plain and simple it is a book. More importantly though it is a book for my class that I go to twice a week. I have not read this book yet, but I have to very soon. Will I fail if I don’t read it…no. It would probably only affect my grade by the smallest amount. So why is this so upsetting to me? I do NOT lose things.

Yes, I know everyone does sometimes, but that is not the issue at hand. I had thumbed through the book a mere two weeks ago on my kitchen table and now it is gone. I of course didn’t notice until Tuesday of this week – seriously though, the reading isn’t due until next Tuesday so why would I have noticed any earlier? I look everywhere in my apartment. We only live in a one bedroom apartment so there are only so many places it could be. No luck. So yesterday I get Neile to look everywhere…and I mean everywhere. He basically started in one room and worked his way through the apartment (he even checked under the bathroom sink—go figure). Still no luck. I started getting even more desperate. I knew I had never taken the book out of the apartment, but I went ahead and called my parents to have them look in their house. I went out to my car and looked in it. Eventually I had to just give up. So I got online and started checking the local libraries (I already bought the dumb book once and didn’t want to do it again). No luck. I tried Amazon.com and compared it to my college’s bookstore. I decided to give it one more day. So all day today at work I was thinking of possible places in our apartment that it could be. First thing I do when I walk through the door – look through the same places that I have looked through only about 10 times now. Ughhhh. Yes, I hate the book, but more importantly I still can’t get over that I lost something. It is actually making my skin crawl and I can’t even carry on a conversation with my husband at dinner because the stupid book is all I can think about. I keep telling myself I need to move on, just get over it, it is only $16 dollars (seriously why am I obsessing so?) and I can buy a new one tomorrow. Finally, I resign myself to this and decide to write a note to my aunt.

Nicole: Neile, do we have any stamps?
Neile: If we do they’re in that shoebox on the shelves.
Nicole: …….(speechless because right there in the shoebox is my precious little book…..yes my precious)

All I can say is this book better be the best book I’ve EVER read in my life!