Tagged

In what I believe was a clever attempt to get me to blog, Jess has tagged me for a 7 weird things about me post so here goes:

1. I LOVE hydrogen peroxide. If I find someone with an open wound who will let me pour peroxide on them, I get very excited, it's just so fun!

2. When I set my sleep timer on my television at night, I can't fall asleep unless I set it for 45 minutes. Even if I know I want to watch for an hour or 5 minutes, if i don't set it for 45 I toss and turn until I set it for 45, and I don't have OCD so it really is random.

3. I'm obsessed with all things organizing (Real Simple magazine and website, Container Store, hgtv shows) but I am so not organized. I pretend to be, but I'm always a work in progress. My dream is to be as cool as the Barefoot Contessa.

4. The only foreign language I speak is German, but it's also one of the only accents that I can't do (unless I'm speaking it).

5. At one point or another, I have had every color in the rainbow in my hair except green.

6. My favorite song in Kindergarten was "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and my parents called me Allie P. Keaton.

7. Currently in my purse (among other things) are: a copy of Pride and Predjudice, my NRA range card, and a pink cell phone. Apparently this is an odd combination, someone asked me if I was Oprah, Toby Keith, or Paris Hilton, I don't think I should have to choose :)

A little of this, a little of that

Just thought I'd check in. Work is CRAZY!! We have our big conference coming up the first week of December and nothing fuels me with love for my job like crunch time before a conference! I'm also in full planning mode for Q1 of next year so there is no rest for this chica! I can't wait to be on site though in Vegas with my awesome coworkers, it's what makes everything worth it.

I'm still getting this darn apartment together. My kitchen is spotless and organized to my specifications and it's really just a matter of getting some books on the shelves, unpacking a few bags and a little clean up. But I'm so lazy and I just want to enjoy my space! My mess isn't going anywhere. It is keeping me from my video tour though! I MUST step up my game!

I finished my first crochet project!!! I made my sister Lindsay a scarf for her birthday to go with the coat I bought her. She loved it and thought it was from the store! I'd say that's progress. I'm trying to finish the first scarf I started now for myself. It's slow going, so many more fun things to do.

I'm getting my hair done on Friday, it's currently blondish with brown lowlights (well it's really brown with blonde highlights but the highlights have taken over). I'm thinking that I'm going to bring some more darkness in (poor Donni must be getting sick of me because I'm a root fanatic!) and I might add some red too. We'll see. Suggestions?

I've been better about cooking too (thanks Jess for the recipes, I want more, I'm so greedy!!). I was fairly lazy and made sloppy joes tonight which made roomie happy and wasn't paying to go out. I made my first homemade from scratch apple pie too and it's delicious! I also have vegetable soup in the crockpot as we speak, I'm about to add some mini shells to it. Something about Fall and soup.

I had a brief love affair with couponing. I was all about it after I found a blog where a single mom has a YEARLY budget of $800 for groceries, toiletries and dining out. It's craziness. She does it by cutting coupons, watching sales and only buying what's basically free with her coupons. Why I thought I could be her protege, heavens knows. I joined http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ and signed up for the Sunday paper and got on http://www.coupons.com/. I had grand visions of saving so much money and always having what I needed on hand. I'm so over it. The idea of finding coupons and getting something for free still delights me but I don't want to work for it. I also REFUSE to stockpile things, which you kinda have to do if you want to be hardcore about it. I hate extras. I love that I have cabinets with nothing in them. So I'm still committed to cutting coupons I'm going to use, but I'm not going to buy (and use) things just cause they're on sale. I would if I had to, but I don't so I'll just be regular cheap and not uber-crafty cheap.

I went with Lin to the photo studio at her school to be her model (I'll keep my day job!) for a lighting project. It was fun, there are some good pics, some funny ones and some terrible ones! I'll post some of the highlights when she gets them loaded.

Well that's about it. I better go to bed (9:30, lame) so I can get my booty into work for another day of delicious craziness!! I'm a maniac under pressure, I LOVE IT!!!

Thankful Thursday

I am taking this from Tiburon because it's a great idea and a beautiful graphic. I wish my blog looked like this actually. Speaking of blog, it's a way that I might be held accountable to blog at least weekly. I always sucked at diaries when I was younger too. So on to the thanks...

-I am always the most thankful for my family and friends. I know that's a generic "thankful" but this is my first thankful post so I figured I'd put it in there. Also I REALLY REALLY like my family (and friends of course but that's obvious since you choose your friends). Most people love their family but I actually like them. Which leads me to a related thankful thing, that I live so close to my parents and sister. I can easily have Lin (sis) over for Bones on Wednesdays, go over to their house for Champagne Friday with Mama and Lin, and Sunday dinner with the whole fam followed by Forensic Files with Daddy. SO thankful for that.

-Tying in with family (can you tell I'm very family-centric?) I am so thankful that I've actively gotten to know my grandma (Nana) over the past few years. She's super healthy and a very young 81 (on Dec 6) but obviously I don't have forever with her. I've made it a huge point to spend as much time with her as possible even if it's just riding together out to Tysons for lunch at Silver Diner or going to Target. I just like enjoying her company. I've also made it a point to ask her tons of questions about her life growing up and about our family and have gotten tons of irreplacable anecdotes that I'll carry forever and pass on to my grandkids. Being the planner that I am, I always try to appreciate people and experiences and to let them know how I feel about them, not just think it. So I am thankful that I'm content that I really know her, and that we really enjoy each other, and that she really knows how much I love her. Okay enough morbid thinking!!

-My job, I don't make tons of money but I'm doing a job that people with WAY more experience don't get the opportunity to have, I feel like I'm helping people and I LOVE my coworkers.

-My apartment. It's fabulous, and way more than I need but I love it and it's beautiful and it's mine and I earn the right to live here by working hard! I swear I'll post something about it but it's not up to perfection and I am REALLY bad about wanting people to see only perfection. I'll work on that.

-My recent plummit of materialistic wants. I have been SO good! I don't even want that much stuff! I know that sounds silly but I used to just love "things". Not for any good reason. I'm definitely appreciating a more clutter free approach and a nicer bank account. And I'm siding with the philosophy that I'd rather spend money on experiences than items. Hence my Bermuda cruise I was able to take.

-My country. Even though the election didn't go the way I had hoped, I am so thankful to live in a place that I have the right to vote, and I'm so thankful for our troops who put their lives on the line every day for us to protect all the freedom that we hold dear but often take for granted.

I guess that's it for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Maybe I'll get cleaned and organized and have an apartment post for Monday!

Halloween

Happy (late) Halloween everyone! I hope that you all had a lot of fun. I'll be back with more posting later but thought I'd leave my costume pic below. You know I love my history!