Anything new?

Well, the weather really hasn't changed much. We did have a few warmer days this weekend. And I say warmer because 40-50 degrees is still pretty cold in my opinion. It is definitely better that freezing your fingers and nose off -10 degrees, but I wouldn't exactly call it a heat wave, but here in Iowa people think it is time to wear shorts and T-shirts. And it all of course is ending in .... another snow storm.
Why is it, I ask myself that I keep complaining about the weather, and then I realized that it really dictates what I do. You hardly feel like leaving the house some days and when you do go out it has to be to somewhere indoors, which isn't always bad, but it usually ends up being a trip to the mall, then I spend money. Not always bad either but I love the summer days when if you need to get out of the house you could step out and sit on the hammock or go for a walk, all with out spending a cent.
We did go rug shopping this weekend and purchased a new rug for our living room, using our ski trip money:o( A bummer about the ski trip, but maybe we will have a warm vacation one of these days in the near future! I took a picture for those of you who like the visuals, I know I personally do. So here is our new rug brought to you by Target. I am very pleased with it! The other one was too small and too blah in color. It really blended in and didn't have much of a contrast. So here it is... still neutral but I like the contrast.

And below I took a self timer pic of me sporting my new purse which I find is incredibly cute. It was handmade by one of my generous friends from HS, and you can see a close up shot of it here. I actually tried to incorporate both the rug and the purse in the same picture but I did not succeed with the lighting and that sort of thing, It's rough when you are limited to self timer.

Have I ever mentioned....

...that I really hate cold weather? Wednesday I woke up and the temperature was -10 that is 10 degrees below zero, not to mention the wind chill that brought the 'feels like' temperature down to -40. I was just not made for cold weather. And it was discouraging to think that there is probably another 6 weeks left of this stuff. Andy and I have had long discussions about the best warm place to live. There are a million places that are warm and beautiful and I would love to live there, but we are looking for the most affordable, most practical, and a place we could actually see ourselves living. Texas has come up, like Huston suburbs or somewhere along the gulf coast. Texas seems to have a lower cost of living but I don't think either of us are cut out for the Texan way of life. California would be a dream place to live, but the cost of living could be high and I think Huston may have alot of crime. The thing is both of us are city people so we need a fairly big city to live near or in, ideally with a major airport so we could find deals on airfare. So after going rounds we both decided we liked the Tampa Bay area after visiting there last summer. Yeah, I know it is filled with old people and there are 2-3 pharmacies on every street corner, but the city seemed nice and had a lot to offer. We could be wrong but we had a good first impression. And since Andy lived in Florida when he was younger he also has quite a bit of family in the area. Really, three-forths of me can't wait to move somewhere warm, I never once in the summer say "I really wish it was winter" not ever. If I want winter I can always go on a ski vacation. The other quarter of me knows that I would miss my friends and family terribly if we moved that far away, but if the opportunity arises, I am pretty sure we would have to accept. Then our friends and family would have a warm place to visit.

... in the mean time this is what I have to deal with.

Happy Valentine's Day!

So for the big surprise..................dinner and a show. Hubby had his test today and passed! Tonight we celebrated that and of course the special day that happens every February 14th! I had to be dressed and ready by 5pm. I made it in time, of course my hair never works out when I want it to be extra special and I had something in my eye half the night but it was still a good time with my love. We went to the restaurant Splash in downtown DSM. I can now cross eating raw fish of my list of things to do. I was weirded out by the thought but it really wasn't too bad. I only took a picture of the appetizer because after that I was too caught up in the other 3 courses to remember to take any more.

Another highlight and my "claim to fame" was that John Boy was eating dinner 2 tables over from us, mole and everything. I really wanted to go up to him and say "goodnight John Boy" but I resisted. He was also the star in the show we went to see, "Twelve Angry Men." I had never really heard of it before tonight but I really enjoyed the show. It was a great time with some good memories!

It's time for a new post

Nothing really going on here, pretty much every night after work I have climbed into my sweatpants and watched TV or just hung out with the dog since my man is studying all night. I am part way through season 5 of Friends.
I have been getting better at making delicious dinners again. I mean that I haven't really bothered to cook much in a long time, so I am back in the game. This winter I have had an obsession with soup. I have made:
beef stew
potato soup
chicken and wild rice soup
split pea with ham (is on the menu)
cheeseburger soup
corn chowder
Boston Baked Bean Stew
15 bean soup
black bean soup (like Panera's)
There is nothing better than a bowl of hot soup when it is freezing cold outside. My other obsession is vanilla mini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and cute sprinkles, probably because someone at work has this VS lotion that smells like cupcakes. mmmmm yum.
Andy has his test tomorrow. His work has given him the whole week off to study. Then we were supposed to be going to Colorado to ski on the 15th. But because of the lousy snow, he hurt his back last week shoveling the 9 inches that we got. Why do disks have to bulge? Very disappointed that we won't be able to go. And of course we have gotten more snow since and are supposed to get more tomorrow and then Friday- I can hardly wait..... a high of 6 degrees.
I take back my statement of being content to hangout and stay warm inside. I need warm weather, I need to move somewhere warm, I need sunshine.

...dreaming of some place warm...

26 on 2.5.08

I was really hoping for a snow day for my belated birthday present but all we got was a late start. 8 inches of snow and it is still snowing. We were up at 6:30 shoveling and, well, you can't really tell any more.
My birthday was actually yesterday. I got up and Andy made me a yummy breakfast of an omelet and apple slices arranged on the side. Then after work we braved the snow and went to Johnny's for a birthday dinner. Dinner was good but I was disappointed in the free birthday dessert, cheap ice cream with cool whip and chocolate syrup.
I got a new camera from everyone, Andy and both our parents. I love it! And I get to go to a class where they show me how to use all the features on it. It is a Cannon powershot. All in all it was a pretty good b-day, even if they forgot to decorate my cubicle at work. As for the snow I am getting used to it. After such a busy January I am really enjoying these lazy days where it is too cold and too yucky to go out so I get to come home after work and sit around in my sweat pants and watch TV. Are you surprised? As much as I hate cold weather I am a little surprised. Maybe it's because I have bought a bunch of flowers to put around the house. It's cheering me up a little, or maybe it is because I had to get ready to host a super bowl party, then I had my birthday to look forward to and now Valentines Day. I am one of those people who loves that day, even when I didn't have a guy in my life. I have always liked it with all the pink and red and hearts it just makes me happy. Do you like my birthday tulips from my wonderful cousin Megan?

boarding vs. skiing

Our most recent argument has been: Are snowboarders really cooler that skiers. It was most recently brought on because I sold my snowboard last week on Craigslist. Now of course growing up in CO, that makes me an expert right? I would definitely say snowboarders are cooler. But Andy completely disagrees He thinks snowboarding is for hippies and skiers are cool because they do jumps and flips and stuff too. He's from Iowa so skiing is cool to iowans because you can't do it here.

Now you must know the last 4 years I have only done skiing for a couple of reasons. First and foremost because as all snowboarders know it is a pain in the butt to board with a skier and if you are skiing it is a pain to be with snowboarders, it goes both ways. Well, Andy tried boarding once and didn't like it and I completely agree with his argument "I only get to the slopes once a year I just as well ski since I like it and am good at it." And secondly, I can now ski better than I can snowboard. But if I lived near some slopes and had a season pass I would work on my boarding skills. So for the mean time I ski and enjoy every minute of it.

But, snowboarders are still way cooler and I am not changing my mind. Andy usually has better taste than me but in this case he just cant admit he's wrong. Just because snowboarders are cooler doesn't mean you have to snowboard. The end of my rant.

(Is 'cool' even the right word to use anymore?)

as good as it gets.

At least for now. The bathroom has been a slow moving project recently. We have gotten it to where it is functional and the only thing remaining is trim work. And that is where it is going to remain for the next few weeks while Andy dedicates all of his time studing for his series 7 test that he is taking Feb 14th. He has planned a surprise date for that evening after he passes the test (fingers crossed) I have to be dressed up and ready at 5!
So here it is... (Thanks for all your hard work, you are an amazing husband!!)
As you can see a window in the shower and angled walls make for some interesting challenges!