Birthday Week!!

Here ye, here ye! I've decided to officially start my birthday week*. I'm turning 25 on Tuesday!

To celebrate, we're having a cookout tomorrow, complete with cake and ice cream. Yum!! On Tuesday, I'm getting a chiro adjustment (very exciting to me!), and then I'm taking a class on fused glass pendants along with a few good friends at a local glassworks. Then, on Friday, I'm flying to Kentucky for my Bridal Shower, where I'll have even more fun!

So come on, grab come cake and have fun with me this week!

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*Note: I insist on an entire week for my birthday. It's just too much fun not to, and I say, as long as there's cake, it's still your birthday.

Winston Plays Baseball

See him trying to stop this game mid-play?? We should have named him Jeter.

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Note: Kitties are taking meds right now for tummy problems. I wish I could say it's mellowing them out, but alas, not even tummy problems can keep them from turning into little monsters when the sun goes down.

I blame DS

So as you may know, I'm a faithful subscriber to Self magazine. I discovered it a couple of years ago in my old apartment's workout room, and was drawn to the tear out cards with workout moves on them. (I have every card from the last 2 years in a file, because I'm neurotic that way.) From time to time, they have these get fit challenges and goals. This month, they're having a "reach your goal" challenge, where they designed 4 different plans from "get off the couch" to "run your butt off". For reasons I'm still trying to deduce, I choose the latter.

You see, running is something I particularly hate. I like to blame it on my asthma, but to be honest, I hated it even before I had asthma. There are so many things you can do to feel miserable that are way more fun than running. However, like the plan says, you have to admit that running has some nice health benefits. Not to mention the thigh-slimming parts...

The nice thing about the plan is that it ramps you up. The magazine claims that you can "kick up your calorie burn painlessly and with virtually no extra effort." Let me repeat: PAINLESSLY and with NO EXTRA EFFORT???? Yeah right. I'll believe that when I see it.

Despite my pessimism, I tried it. Before I started this plan, running made me feel like this:

Yes, that's me there, passed out, laying in a puddle of sweat and drool. Miserable.

But then! I tried the plan. Week 1, workout 1: walk fast 1 minute, jog 1 minute; alternate for 15 minutes. Sounds easy, right? It wasn't so bad. Each workout is just a little harder than the last. Each time, I think, "there's no way I can run that many minutes in a row" and each time I turn out to be wrong.

Here we are, week 3, running 6 minutes, walking 1, for a whopping 24 minutes of total running time. It's true, sometimes I feel like this still:

Feet dragging, a trail of sweat and drool in my wake.

But the point is, I'm doing it. And not only that, most of the time I'm still smiling by the end of it. So who knows, perhaps in a week and a half, I'll be running 30 minutes straight (the end goal). If I am, I'm blaming DS for deciding to run with me and keeping me on track. I mean, what kind of anti-running reputation can a goblin have if it's out there actually doing it?

Interview!

I've been interviewed by The Blog Reader! Check it out!

I miss you Pinwheel.

Chugging Along

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."

Wedding plans still coming along. We've currently received 34 yes's, and 5 no's. We love those no's. That's 5 people we don't have to feed, and I'm totally cool with them being on their 25th Anniversary cruise that weekend. Not that the yes's aren't nice, but when you budget for a certain number of people, and then have unexpected yes's, it sends your heart aflutter.

Still working on wedding jewelry for everyone. And yes, it's pretty much everyone. The bridesmaids, me, and now my mother. And of course, when I don't have much time for personal crafting, my brain is working overtime coming up with other ideas. I need a new cool sketchbook to carry around just for that purpose. I've had so many ideas for new earrings, and even designer paper clips. And I still haven't forgotten about my Sleep Goblin merchandise line....

Sunday was spent at the Middleton Good Neighbor Festival. You remember that, right? The actual post will have to come later, as the pictures still aren't uploaded. We all know a book without pictures is hardly a book at all. Patience people!

2 months to go..

Talk about scary: today makes exactly two months before we get married. Crap!

The good news? The only major thing we have left to do is plan the ceremony. We're in the process of collecting good quotes and readings for potential use. If you have any suggestions, feel free to share. Just a word of caution, we don't want anything too cheesy or preachy. We're contemplating some good marriage advice ones that are short and sweet for our parents to read. So come on, pitch in!

Any of you long-term blogging friends want to come to the wedding? Let me know that too. I doubt any of you will, since none of you live in Ky, which is mostly why I know I can say this without ruining my budget *wink*. Seriously though, I'll make a backup invite list in case we have more people say they're not coming than we expect, making more room in our pocketbooks. As of right now, all of the invites are in the mail, so if you didn't get one, I'm sorry, but we're just too poor to feed you. We still love you though.

Let's see, what else? My first dress fitting is tomorrow. I've started the bridesmaids' jewelery. We've gotten back two reply cards already. Yup, that's it.

See? I told you guys planning a wedding in another state in under 6 months wouldn't be a problem! People should hire me as their wedding planner.

Behind

I keep thinking that I've got things together, and I'm not missing anything. However, I stopped by Janelle's blog today, and discovered that I had missed pretty much a whole page of posts. That's a lot!!! Where have I been?

And then I started wondering.. how long have I been gone? What have I been doing for so long? Have people noticed that I'm missing? Can people like Oscar, where I rarely comment, tell when I stop reading altogether? And if so, where was the search party?

Here's the best I can come up with, so bear with me.

* I made a lot of wedding invitations. 90 handmade, four part wedding invitations complete with beading and ribbon.

* The kittens are bad and require constant attention.

* My job gives me homework.

* I had to get caught up on Lost, Grey's Anatomy, and House before the new episodes start.

* Mostly, I've just been computer shy.


I miss you guys!

Two Things

1. I have a long deep cut across the palm of my hand. DS has learned not to scare the kittens when I'm holding them.

2. Kittens had to go in for their 2nd Distemper shot yesterday. Cried the whole way to the shelter. Sat very quietly and calmly the whole way back. We're determined to get some of this "distemper" stuff, as it seems to be code for "sit down and shut up."

3. At the shelter, kittens were weighed. Winston, the horse, has gained 2 1/2 lbs, coming in at 6.25 lbs. Felix, the dainty one, gained a bit less, weighing 4.75 lbs. I believe they correctly estimated Winston would be a "large" cat on his initial chart.

4. You're mad I said two things, and there's really four? So what.

Watch them Fight!

Felix and Winston Love Each Other

Winston and Felix enjoy lying in the sink. Oftentimes, Felix gets in first, and then Winston lies on top of her.

Usually when this happens, Felix leaves, and Winston gets the space to himself.

They enjoy playing with each other, though often, as with this 4 ft long toy, they're not aware that it's each other they're fighting against. They just pull in opposite directions and assume the toy if fighting back.

When they're sleepy, they'll decide they want to curl up with either me or DS. In this case, it was me. This was right after Felix got her collar off, and Winston decided she was in need of a bath.

This was just taken today. They love their cat tree, and thankfully sleep there all day when we're not home. Otherwise, I'd be afraid to leave them out alone. They can be quite destructive when they want to be.

There will hopefully be a video coming soon. I'm slow with these things...

Just a quick update before work:

My first day on the job was AWESOME! I found out I have my own office with a door and everything! I'll basically be in training for about 2 months, so I can't tell you how the actual work is yet. We have the internet at work, but I can't use it for fun things. Which is probably better, because I'm very unproductive with the internet in front of me.

The kittens are enjoying getting into all the things they're not supposed to. They've already forced us to rearrange things several times, as our furniture set up has enabled them to reach things we thought they couldn't. They've eaten parts of a plant that will make them sick (though they certainly don't act like it), they've broken a picture frame, and are generally wreaking havoc on a daily basis. I woke up this morning, and they had managed to sneak their fur ball toys under me during the night. However, they're super adorable, and curl up in our laps for love and purr sessions, so how can we be mad?? Felix gets her collar off on Thursday, then we can see what she really looks like!

Kittens!

Everyone, DS and I are the proud parents of two new baby kittens! Meet Winston (the grey one) and Felix (the black one). They are siblings that were found in a barn, and turned over to Angel's Wish. We were told through the whole adoption process that they were both boys, but surgery has proven that Felix is a girl. However, the name seems to fit, so we're keeping it. You'll notice she's wearing a sexy clown collar in the photos, and that's because she tried to take her stitches out. We can take it off in a week after she goes back to the vet.

South Carolina, The Rest of It

We're home now.. Let me see if I can remember everything else we did.

We spent Saturday morning relaxing. DS's mom made me some of the best scrambled eggs I've ever had. Then we went to have our teeth cleaned, and things were done to me there that have never been done before. Apparently, my last dentist was pretty slack, and the severe cleaning I needed as a result left me with some sore gums. Afterwards, we went back to his sister's house for some swim time with the kids. It's weird having someone call me Aunt, but nice too. Then, as promised, we headed back to Columbia, where we met up with DS's college crew for some fun at The Oyster Bar.

Sunday morning was especially relaxing, since we didn't have anything we needed to do until dinner time. At some point, we decided we needed more Nintendo games, and we headed out for the nearest EB Games for some used goodies. (They're sooo much cheaper this way!) Of course, after that, we had to have our game time, which was enhanced by our discovery of how to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi feature. For dinner, we headed back to his sister's house for spaghetti and salad (ooh my the salad! I want that recipe *drool*). Then I was taken around Aiken to meet every last person DS has ever known, including his ex-girlfriend. Oy.

Monday, of course, we came home. It was a wonderful vacation, but it's always nice to be back in your own bed again. And the best part, it meant we would get our new kittens soon! (Oh yes, we're getting kittens. Did I mention that?)

South Carolina, Day 2

Friday morning, I got to sleep in. I mean, really sleep in. I didn't get up until almost 10 am. It was so beautiful. DS's mom got us a box of Krispy Kreme donuts, which made for a good start to the day. Then we packed up our climbing gear and drove back to Columbia to take his mom rock climbing. Yeah, that's right, his 55 year old mom went rock climbing with us. She's so cool. I'm really impressed too, because most people freak out halfway up on their first try, and want to come back down. But she perservered and made it to the top of her 40' climb. It was good for me too, because the way my work schedule has been going lately, I haven't been to the gym in months. We worked out after the climb, and boy are my abs sore!

After that, we drove back to Aiken (where his parents actually live) to shower and rest a bit. Then his sister picked me up, and we drove to Augusta to pick out a flower girl dress for his niece. She is SO adorable. I can't wait to see her all done up. We keep telling her that she's going to get to be a princess, and she wants to wear a crown and everything. She tried on 5 dresses, and told us matter of factly that she was prepared to take home 2 of them. I guess one isn't so bad, especially since she gets to play dress up in it after the wedding. She was also very enthralled with her mom's bridesmaid dresses, and spent some time picking out dresses for Granny Jane. As it turns out, it's a good thing she's not in charge of picking out dresses, because she picked out the worst pinks and oranges I have ever seen!

After some sushi and martinis, I was dropped off back with DS, where we spent the night partying with his long time friend Shawn and his wife. They told us how awful marriage is (because they're sweet like that), and we enjoyed some rum and coke while DS kicked his butt repeatedly in various XBox 360 games. Shawn talks a lot of smack, but somehow always manages to lose... :)

Today, it's teeth cleaning (his brother-in-law is a dentist) and then back to Columbia for some partying with his old college buddies. Hurrah!

South Carolina, Day 1

We've arrived! DS and I had to get up at the buttcrack of dawn. Our plane left 7:oo AM, but the good news is that we got into Columbia around noon. We had lunch, and proceeded to nap for a few hours.

Suprisingly, the flights were all good, and on time. In fact, they were both early. The Columbia airport was really nice, with ponds and koi outside all of the windows. We're deep in the throws of the second season of Lost. So, you can imagine that our plane ride was mostly us watching that on DS's laptop. Also, we got ourselves a second Nintendo DS Lite, and a copy of MarioKart, and our remaining time was filled with me kicking his butt on the racecourse. Let me tell you, the new DS Lite is AWESOME! It's beautifully designed, a lot like a those pretty white Macs with the clear coating. Now that we have two systems, we can finally use the Pictochat feature. It's pretty cool, mostly because I can make fun of DS's handwriting.

Now we're making steak and fried green tomatoes. YUM!

New Job!!

I have a new job! Woo-HOO!!! I'm so excited!!

Also, I apparently missed my 1 year blogging reunion. Sorry June 7th...

DS and I are leaving on a jet plane tomorrow morning to visit his parents for 5 days. I'll try to update tonight before we go, but we'll have internet there, so no worries!

Now it's to work for day 8 for me!

I got lost...

Hi everybody! (You should read that in your best Dr. Nick Riviera voice)

So, I had planned to write this whole series of posts on my family reunion, and then one on the Louisville Zoo, but since I've waited so long, it doesn't look like that's a good idea. If I feel up to it later, maybe I will, but for now, here's what you need to know.

1: DS and I played Cornhole, which is really just a bean bag toss, all weekend. One of my cousins decided to start a tournament on Saturday, which while doing decently, we didn't win. However, he later picked 4 players whom he felt were deserving of the title of Cornhole All-Stars. And guess who was on that select team? Me baby! That's right, yours truly is considered a Cornhole Champion!

2: DS was thoroughly harassed by the older men in my family as a means of "breaking him in." One of these types of harassment included making him participate in the annual Soggy Bottom Boys karoake. Really, this is all you need to know about this weekend...

3: The Louisville Zoo lets you feed the giraffes if you get there early enough and pay them a dollar. So guess who got to feed and pet Bo? Me! But really, giraffes are dirty. I had to severely wash my hands afterwards, as they were caked in dirt.

4: The flower appointment went about as I expected. I said, I want these general colors, do whatever you want, and she said okay. Why they had to make me drive 9 hours on a weekday to spend 20 minutes with me is still something no one can answer.

So why have I been so busy? Well you remember those totally awesome invitations I designed? Beading them takes a LONG time, and we've realized they need to go out next week since most of the people that are invited live out of state. So DS and I have been spending our evenings watching Lost on DVD and making invitations and reply cards. And let me tell you, that boy can use a paper cutter like no other! Not to mention decorative hole punches. It's really a shame I don't have more things like that for him to do, because then I would be done in no time.

Pictures to follow!

Giant Super Happy Fun Post!!!

Hold on to your seats! You're about to embark on an exciting journey. A photo documentary of sorts, showing you the best parts of the past two weeks. You will notice the lack of pictures representing the days and days on end of work. No, you will see only the good parts. Ready? Set. Go!

Two great friends, KT1 and MT, threw DS and I an engagement party, complete with KT1's special recipe Long Island Iced Tea.

Not to mention the food. Granted, after spending 30 minutes in the living room chatting with guests, I returned to find the food almost completely gone.

However, this was quickly overlooked when MT and I won a rousing game of Pictionary. You just don't let a girl that can MS Paint her life away team up against anyone in this game. People were still on the starting square when we won. Though as you can see, hilarity was more the goal of the game, and winning was more overlooked.

A few days later, two of DS's friends from South Carolina stopped in on their way to Montana. We introduced them to the best Madison has to offer, including Spotted Cow, the Glass Nickel, the Great Dane, and the newcomer, Ale Asylum. They want to move here now.

We were invited to attend a Madison Mallards game with our friend Dylan. We think we might make this a weekly thing. I mean, tickets are less than $10!! Plus, it takes 15 min to get there instead of more than an hour to get to Milwaukee. Here you see Maynard, their official mascot.

I've been exploring the capabilities of my new camera. Check out this picture of a batter, right as he was hitting the ball!

DS continues to avoid having a natural picture taken. Dylan ignores us completely. I think he might like baseball more than us...

A storm came through, and I tried to take a picture of lightening. Though I failed, I did discover my nighttime landscape setting, and took a sweet picture of the sun trying to peek through a break in the clouds.

We were invited to a party by KT2 (also my boss) on the 4th. Then we headed over to Elver Park to watch the fireworks. Here, you see KT2 enjoying some sparklers, and me enjoying the fireworks setting on my camera.

And finally, the fireworks themselves. I should have brought my tripod, but it's still a pretty cool picture. I'm excited!

We're off to Kentucky in the morning for a family reunion, and our first trip to either of our parents' homes since Christmas. I may or may not have internet access, so no panicking! Come back and marvel at my pictures if you get bored, or enjoy any of the fine links there on the right. We'll be home Tuesday, and we're sure to have pictures!

It's Okay, I'm Alive

It's true, I promise. Maybe just barely, but it's cool. I open at the store the rest of this week, so hopefully I can find some time to update everyone soon. Life has been hectic here at the Goblin household, not to mention me working 9 days in a row, and me needed a trip to the chiropractor dreadfully. But I have 300 beautiful ibuprofen, and personal masseuse, and the hope of a second interview. All is not lost!

I'll be back soon cg-c!!