Niko found the toilet paper

Modern Art

I created a piece of art today. I'm thinking about submitting it to a modern art museum and retiring early.

POTENTIAL

Boyfriend's Version of Stand-Up

Here's Boyfriend's contribution to my "Eight Days of Blogging." He's all the time cracking himself up with jokes. Fair warning: some of these are pretty offensive.

1. What do you tell a woman with two black eyes? Nothing, you already told her twice.

2. How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb? That's not funny!

3. What's better: a picture of Jesus or the real thing? A picture because it takes only one nail to hang up. (see I told you)

4. Why don't women wear watches? Because there's a clock on the stove.

5. What's big and green and if it falls out of a tree it'll kill you? A pool table.

6. A guy walks up to a mailbox.

7. What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor? "Where's my tractor?"

8. What's the last thing you want to hear at a gay bar? "Can I push your stool in?"

9. Why do so many black men die in wars? Because when their commander yells "Get down!" they all just start dancin'.

10. What do you get if you cross a chicken with a donkey? It's a CHONKEY!

Share a Favorite Memory From 2010

Today's Daily Challenge is to share a favorite memory from this year. The idea behind it is that remembering pleasant memories is good for your emotional health. I imagine I don't do this nearly often enough since I had an initial moment of "I can't think of a single pleasant moment!" Then I realized that although I may not have a lot of "big" moments I do have tons of "little" moments that are still pretty darn cool.

My favorite memories of 2010:

1. seeing Star Wars in Concert
2. waking up in the middle of the night to a dog sleeping with her head on my pillow
3. waking up in the middle of the night to a kitten sleeping on my head on my pillow
4. spending time with Jodi and Olivia
5. painting a "masterpiece" at Paint the Towne with some really awesome gal pals
6. spontaneously going to K.C. with Andrew for the weekend to eat at The Melting Pot
7. going shopping at Kohl's with my mom
8. spending time with my family in Texas for my grandpa's birthday
9. getting back into my "skinny jeans"
10. playing Wii Tennis with my parents and brother
11. getting to know my co-workers better
12. adopting Jasper, the hamster
13. buying new shoes
14. watching the new Harry Potter movie
15. reading lots of good books
16. buying my new Camaro
17. driving my new Camaro
18. taking Maddie and Bailey to the park
19. sleeping in on weekends
20. going to the zoo

I'm sure I could come up with more, but I need to go to bed and do one of my favorite things: sleep!

Who says it's not a choice?

Niko Sits

Niko sits on demand for canned food. Here's a video to prove it and to show how Niko's humans confuse him unnecessarily.

My Favorite Christmas Movies

To get into the holiday spirit (since I really haven't felt it much this year) I thought I'd make a list of my top six Christmas movies. Yes, top six. Not five, not seven. Six.

Number 6: Scrooged

This is the parody of "A Christmas Carol" starring Bill Murray. It makes my list because Bill Murray is a hoot, and I like the scary "Ghost of Christmas-Yet-To-Come." Oh and the dead guy.


Number 5: Home Alone

This movie would likely annoy me now if I watched it, but when it came out in 1990 it was a really clever and funny movie. Plus, I really love the version of "O Holy Night" that is sung by the choir in the scene with the church and whatnot.


Number 4: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

How can you not like this one? I especially like it because I'm a bit of a Grinch myself sometimes, plus the dog is so adorable. Remember the part when the sled gets going too fast and Max ends up riding on the back of it and waves at the Grinch? Love it!


Number 3: Die Hard

What you didn't know this is a Christmas movie? Uh, it totally is! The bad guys interrupt a company Christmas party remember? This movie makes the list because it totally kicks ass! Yippee-ki-yay mother f@cker.


Number 2: A Christmas Carol /Scrooge

This story has been made and re-made at least a billion times (seriously a billion, look it up). I have two versions that I like the most: "A Christmas Carol" with George C. Scott made in 1984 and "Scrooge" with Alastair Sim made in 1951. I watched these versions almost every year growing up.

Number 1: Love Actually

I pretty much love this movie actually. I love the soundtrack, I love the humor and I love the stories. This is a really awesome movie with a pretty cool message if you pay attention. My favorite story lines are Colin Firth's and Hugh Grant's. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy.


Merry Christmas 2010! Perhaps next year I will not be such a humbug and get my shopping done sooner than the day before Christmas Eve. Maybe I'll put up a Christmas tree, send out Christmas cards and actually get into the spirit. Or not.

Eight Days of Blogging

Instead of the Twelve Days of Christmas, it's the Eight Days of Blogging. I'm going to write a blog post every day for the rest of the year. Er...well, at least that's the plan. So, keep checking in every day until next year for new, exciting, riveting, informative, awesome blog posts! Yay! I totally rock!

And just to get you excited here's some random pictures.

Niko being a cutie

Heather and I with some random dude out and about for an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party

Me in my office at work today

Construction Confusion

Do you see what I see? The "One Way" signs are pointing in opposite directions on the same one-lane street. Hmm...which way do I go?

Cousin Time

My cousin Wendy was in town for Thanksgiving and so was my brother. We went out with Wendy's cousin Adrienne (who might as well be Josh's and my cousin also) for a few drinks...which ended up being more than a few. It was pretty fun.

Adrienne and Wendy at the dinky bar we ended up at.

Wendy drinking one of many

Wendy, me and Josh at da bar.

So colorful!

Okay seriously. Both of them texting. I swear I never even looked at my phone the entire night and these two were texting fools (especially Wendy).

I'm so thankful that my cousins, brother and I have such close relationships. No matter how long it's been since we've seen each other we can always have a great time together.

Brag on Yourself

Today's Daily Challenge is to write down three things you've done successfully recently and give yourself a pat on the back for the accomplishments. It can be a goal you've reached or a contribution you made. I'm not very good at thinking highly of myself, but here are my three recent accomplishments:

1. I've lost over 20 pounds since June 2010. Until June I really thought I was going to stay chunky and lazy for the rest of my life. Then something kicked me in the butt and I decided I would NOT let me do that to myself. I joined SparkPeople.com, starting eating right and began daily cardio exercise by simply walking. I walked everywhere in Derby or Park City for several weeks. Then, I started adding workout DVDs into the mix, like TurboJam and Biggest Loser. I recently started majorly slacking and gained back a few pounds (I think), but I'm kicking it into gear again. I want to stay active and I want to keep feeling good in my own skin. It had been awhile since I've done that.

2. This one isn't an accomplishment as much as a contribution: I adopted a hamster from the Kansas Humane Society in October and then talked Andrew into adopting a kitten from there in November. Jasper, the hamster, has his forever home in a large aquarium cage in the computer room. He exercises daily on his wheel, has a nice cozy nest in his purple house and is fed endless supplies of hamster food, seeds, milkbones (yes, hamsters like milkbones) and fresh fruits and veggies. Niko, Andrew's kitten (and mine!), is now a 13-week-old black cat who loves to play with his toys, take naps on his kitty condo in front of the window and snuggle up to his humans at all hours of the night. The next big step will be to get him and Bailey together...cross your fingers for that one.aZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz (that was from Niko)

3. I'm reading. This sounds ridiculous, I know. But, how much I'm reading is a good indicator of how well my depression/anxiety is being controlled. When I'm suffering from depression I don't read. I love reading so it's a pretty good motivator for me to keep my depression in check. I've already read two books this month: a quick read from Dean Koontz and a Sci-Fi novel that was really good. I think I'm going to go to Barnes & Noble tomorrow at lunch to get the sequel. I read all kinds of genres: Sci-Fi, historical fiction, thrillers, mysteries, etc. I've read all the Harry Potters at least twice, the Twilight series twice, Ken Follet's historical novels, the Clan of the Cave Bear series (twice), most of Jodi Picoult's, Ursula Hegi's and Alice Hoffman's books and a bazillion other books. Without reading I don't think I'd be me.

Talking Kitty

Today's Challenge is to "Laugh out loud". Laughter being the best medicine and all, I suppose laughing is good for reducing stress and increasing general well-being. This video seriously cracked me up. The cat looks like Niko so I can really see him saying stuff like this when I tell him he gets to meet his half-sister: Bailey, the 65-pound brown lab mix.

Create an Emergency Snack Kit

Today's Daily Challenge is to create a snack kit so you avoid vending machines or fast food. Every since starting SparkPeople in late June I've done pretty well with this. I almost always have healthy snacks at work: low fat string cheese, bananas, grapes, baby carrots, yogurt and 100 calorie Deli Flats with Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese wedges. Lately I've been giving in to munching on all the food that co-workers keep bringing in for the holidays. Darn. I used to be able to resist. Well, at least I'm exercising regularly again so hopefully I'll be able to maintain my weight over the holidays. We shall see...

Encourage a woman you know to get a checkup (or get one yourself)

Today's Daily Challenge is to get a checkup at the doctor or to encourage someone you know to do so. I do this every year in March since my insurance covers a wellness exam annually. They're not my favorite thing to do as most women would agree, but a necessary evil. And, those exams can save your life. My aunt discovered a lump in her breast at one such exam. It was breast cancer, but they caught it very early. She decided to have a double mastectomy in order to prevent any recurrence. Had she not caught the lump who knows what could have happened? I'm very thankful she was good about getting checked out yearly.

Daily Challenge

As if I don't already have enough things that I neglect, I've decided to participate in the Daily Challenge, a website that encourages you to engage in healthy habits and increase your well-being. I figured it would go along pretty well with my SparkPeople activities. For example, today's challenge was to find a picture that represents one of your physical fitness goals. It could be a picture of anything that represents a goal: a marathon runner, a hiking boot, a body builder, etc. I chose an old picture of myself taken in 2003 maybe? I was in Kansas City watching my boyfriend at the time participate in a triathlon. I had been working out a lot, but hadn't really noticed how toned I was until I saw this picture and was shocked to see abdominal definition. My goal? Get those damn abs back!

"Get your ass back on track"

If this blog is any indication of how much I've been slacking lately then I've been slacking for quite some time. Less blog posts, less exercise, more calories eaten, more selfishness, irresponsibility...yeah that's been me lately. I've been feeling pretty great since late June 2010 when I started losing weight and treating myself right. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Well, hopefully just on hold. Today I started "Get your ass back on track" and plan to get back into my healthy eating and exercise habits. Day 1 was a success. I've resisted eating ice cream...even as Andrew eats a Braum's brownie fudge sundae in front of me.

I'll end with this picture of Niko just because it's cute.

Monet, Schmonet. He ain't got nothin' on me.

I've always been an excellent artist. I mean, Monet is an amateur compared to me. Oh hell. I can't even joke about that convincingly. My artistic ability is pretty much nil. But, a girls' night out to drink wine and paint a pretty cool painting? Hey, why not?

I went with Jodi, Shelley, Laura and Kim to Paint the Towne on Tuesday. We had registered for a private party so it was just us, two bottles of wine and our creativity.

A work in progress

My finished product

The instructor's finished product

We did it!
Me, Laura, Jodi, Shelley and Kim

Sagging is cool.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

If being a homeowner taught me one thing, it would be to make sure your vehicle is big enough to transport your Home Depot goods.

Hmm...I think we're going to need a bigger Jeep.

Meet Niko

I now have four babies. Maddie (who's technically my parents' dog), Bailey (my favorite-ist chocolate lab mix in the entire world), Jasper (my littlest guy the hamster) and now...Niko, the kitten. He's a 9-week-old cat that Andrew adopted yesterday from the Kansas Humane Society. He is adorable. One of my co-workers fostered him for about a month and knew that Andrew had a black cat named Simon who died a couple of years ago and thought he might be ready for a new love. Well, he wasn't. But, I can be pretty persuasive when I have to be. Okay, and so can a cute, little, black kitty who purrs constantly and immediately snuggles up to you the first time he meets you. Andrew's face lit up when he met him on Friday. He took a night to think about it, and we picked Niko up on Saturday. Granted, his name was Aki at that time. Andrew was going to keep his name, but then spontaneously changed it to Niko after we called him Aki for several hours. Oh well, he's young and will learn his new name.

He was a bit timid at first and hid under the bed for awhile, but he soon started making himself at home.

He really likes his kitty castle. We placed it by the window and he already enjoys sitting there and looking out the window.

As an owner of dogs all my life and never a cat, I was very impressed with how it seems cats are automatically litterbox-trained from the start. Very nice! Every time Niko uses his he darts out as fast as he can once he's done covering up his business. I don't blame him: it's a pretty stinky business.

Already playing video games with dad. Oh what a pair they will be.

Having a Ball

Hamsters in balls. Very cute. This is Jasper's first experience in a ball. I'd say he had a ball, except that would be too punny. So I'll say he had a good time instead. Bailey likes to watch hamsters in balls. Would probably like to toss it around a bit too, but she's a good girl and listens when she's told "no". So, don't worry. Jasper was perfectly safe in his ball. I tried to upload a video, but videos haven't been working for me on Blogger forever so I don't know what's going on...

Updated: Well, whataya know. The video is working.

Still Alive

Yes, I'm still alive. I just haven't had access to internet lately (except at work and I obviously can't blog at work). Why haven't I had access to internet you ask? Because, I've been staying with Andrew. And Andrew doesn't have internet yet...in his new apartment! Yep. He finally did it. It's a really nice one-bedroom apartment on the top floor with vaulted ceilings and a pretty spacious balcony. It's really cozy. He's getting cable and internet this weekend, so my exile from Facebook and the blogging world will end soon. I'm at home today since I missed Bailey so much. Once Andrew gets used to his apartment I won't be staying there all the time though. I haven't taken any pictures of it yet so I'll do that soon and post a few.

I don't have much of an update on the weight loss front. I've been slacking quite a bit lately so I wouldn't be surprised if I've gained a couple of pounds back, but I'm too chicken to check. It just seems like I've been hungrier lately...and lazier. Hopefully I will get back on track again soon.

Speaking of hunger...it's dinnertime!

A Wedding

One of my co-workers, Kelsey, got married on Saturday. I would have gone even if I hadn't lost over 20 pounds, but I was much more excited about dressing up since I have! Andrew came with me (and didn't even gripe too much about it!) and several other co-workers came too. We all had a really good time.

Prior to the wedding-the hair already wasn't curled...

Andrew being...well, Andrew.

The Bride and her dad (blurry, I know, but I didn't want to have the flash on)

The First Dance

Stephanie, Me, Julie, Kelsey and Shea

You know I've had a few drinks when you see me on a dance floor

Hmm...we didn't even get a good one of us together

It looks like my head is growing out of his shoulder