February Love List

Tomorrow is February 1st, you know what that means, time for my February Love List.

• Both of my sisters have birthdays this month, they're turning 22 and 20!
• Valentines Day, Timmy and I are more in love than ever...cheesey I know, but it's true.
• Pinterest, I've been pinning for awhile. It's addicting and great way to bookmark your favorite images. See my boards here.
• Winter is half over, Spring will be here before we know it!
• The 1st marks one year at my job (and my raise kicking in YIPEE!)
• I'm going to get to see some friends from college that I haven't seen in a very very long time
• This NICE Testimonial

Hope you all have a fantastic February!

Family Traditions

So, I was thinking the other day, it's only the first month of the year and I've already totally failed my new years resolutions. Maybe that's why I never used to have them...generally I'm a very goal oriented person, so it's strange to me how bad I am keeping my resolutions. So bad that, I've decided just to give up on the sending birthday cards one, since in the month of January alone I missed half of the birthdays in my family. My first resolution, having a quiet time with God everyday, was going really well, until I got sick. But I'm going to get back to it.

The last couple weeks have been really strange for me, and the stuff going on in my life has had me really distracted. I've had a hard time keeping up with my blog, but that will change. I will stay on top it.

This morning I was going through my Google Reader (where I read all the blogs I follow, so that I don't have to go to every page, unless I want to) anyway I read this post, and it reminded me of some family traditions we had growing up, that I hope to continue.

• Birthday dinners - growing up we got to pick whatever we wanted mom to fix for dinner. It didn't matter if anyone else liked it or not. 
• Coloring Easter eggs - while most families color eggs for Easter, I don't know of too many parents (except mine) that require you to answer a trivia question about events leading up to, during and after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus
• Decorating the Christmas tree as a family 
• Fend for yourself Sunday dinners - we always had a big family lunch after church on Sunday, so Sunday night we got to eat whatever we could fix ourselves, even if it was a big bowl of ice cream, popcorn or some other junk food

Pop Your Problems

Remember me telling you about SoulPancake? Well, I completed another challenge. I popped my problems. It was really simple—blow up balloons,  write a problem or something that makes you angry on each one, then pop them with something sharp. Simple and therapeutic. I purposefully didn't take pictures showing what I wrote, because they were pretty personal. But I will share one with you; I've been doing my 10K training for 3 weeks and my body doesn't look any different.

I'm not really planning on running a 10K, but I needed some sort of work-out schedule, so that I would actually go to the gym. And yes, maybe it is asking too for 3 weeks to make a visible difference, but I still wish I could see my thighs and love handles shrinking. I do feel better though, well not today. I think I'm getting sick, but the last 3 weeks I have felt accomplished.

Dex & Gerry

For my birthday, Tim gave me Dex, lovingly named after Stargate Atlantis' Ronon Dex. He's an active little guy, and I think he wants to be a daddy. He's been building a bubble nest, which Tim Googled and found out, the male's bubble nest is where a female would lay her eggs for the mail to protect. And did you know it only takes 24-48 hours for Beta fish eggs to hatch...Tim wants to breed Beta fish now. He's crazy, he doesn't have time to breed fish, if he's not working he's killing zombies with water coolers or providing cover for the 12 year olds he plays Modern Warfare with...

You may remember seeing Gerry the giraffe on my blog before...my wish came true, my momma and daddy gave him to me for my birthday! Yes, I had a really good birthday, and I know, you're sick of hearing about it. He's from Anthropologie, well actually he's really from Haiti, where he was handmade from recycled materials. The pictures make him look like he blends into the wall more than he does in real life, that's probably because I took them with my laptop because, I was too lazy to find my camera and cord, and go through the uploading processes. He's hanging in our dining area for now, I'm still not totally in sold on him staying there. I think he'd look good hanging on dark orangey-deep red bedroom walls.

Pictorial Webster's

I would really love to own a copy of Pictorial Webster's. Now, this isn't the original, but $13.66 via Amazon.com, I can live with that. I've flipped through it a couple times at different stores, but never purchased it. As soon as our spending freeze on things-we-don't-need is lifted, and I'm ungrounded from shopping, I'm getting it!

Aren't the illustrations great?! I already can see myself scanning them or tracing them, and then using them on cards and such. Speaking of cards...I need to make one tonight and get it in the mail ASAP. Don't want my dad thinking I've forgotten his birthday!

Wicked Awesome!

Photo via the Leisure blog on Chicago Tribune

Cross it off my list. I got see Wicked on my birthday! It was such a great show. All of the actors did a fantastic job. I love musicals, so I know I would love it. I think I need to get myself the soundtrack! Plus the Cadillac Palace Theater is beautiful. Sometime I wish they still made such ornate and beautiful interiors. I wish I could show you some pictures of the inside, but photography was strictly forbidden.

For those of you who don't know or haven't heard of Wicked here's the synopsis.

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years.

One of my favorite things about living in Chicago, though I don't go to as many as I'd like, are all of the shows and concerts that are available to go to. Besides seeing Wicked this weekend, we also went to IO Theater, an improv comedy club. Tickets were cheap too, $14 for three shows! If you're visiting Chicago, and want to experience something a little less touristy and little more local, I suggest checking it out!

It's My Party

Picture found here

My 24th birthday is Saturday! My parents are coming into the city tomorrow afternoon. It's going to be such a fun weekend. Friday night, we're hitting up either a blues/jazz or comedy club, and Saturday we're going to dinner and to see Wicked! Oh, and I think I'm finally going to get the ice cream birthday cake I've always wanted. Well at least Tim has hinted at it. He's been very secretive, when it comes to birthday related things.

I'm really happy with where my life is at right now. Of course, there are things that could be better, paths could be clearer, but all in all I'm content. Excited to see what 24 has in store.

January Love List

 January, the best month of the year! The start of a new year and it's my birthday month!

• I'm turning 24 on the 8th (this officially gives me 1 year to complete my 25 before Twenty-Five List)
• Going to see Wicked with my two favorite Tim's and my momma
• My TV shows are back
• Getting to write 2011 instead of 2010
• Our new office space 
• Saving money

I know that last one is a little odd...but I need to try to excited about our goal not to spend frivolously this month. That means, no things like eating out and shopping. Thank the Lord I got a Starbucks gift card for Christmas! I think we can do it, but I'll be the one that struggles most. I may or may not have a shopping addiction. Living on Michigan Ave. will do that to you.