Wedding Update

We ordered our Save the Dates today!! Wedding planning is coming along, thankfully. I'm proud of what we have accomplished even living so far away from home.

A belated congratulations to the lovely Meg and her fiance David! So happy that you two are getting hitched and so honored to be part of your special day!

Post-Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving dinner was lovely! We didn't have any turkeys rocketing out of the oven, burned food or any one getting sick (that I know about) from the food. It was nice to have people over to celebrate the holiday and to cook for. Thanks to everyone who came over!

Working Black Friday was busy but not unexpected. Thankfully being busy makes the day go really fast. Working during the holidays means more hours at work, but that's alright. It makes for a nice paycheck. I can't complain about that. Life costs money and we never seem to have enough of it.

I'm making good progress on my holiday shopping. I'm still stumped for some people but I'm pretty sure I can figure something out before December 25th:)

Jessi and I had a wonderful morning shopping, chatting and general merriment before I worked. We were super productive! We went to Aldi and saved a TON of money! It was awesome! I helped her get prepped for the Holiday Party she's having on Saturday.

I can't wait to be home for Christmas! We put up our Christmas tree today! It feels festive in our apartment:)

A Thanksgiving Poem

The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven

By Jack Prelutsky

The turkey shot out of the oven
and rocketed into the air,
it knocked every plate off the table
and partly demolished a chair.

It ricocheted into a corner
and burst with deafening boom,
then splattered all over the kitchen,
completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows,
it totally coated the floor,
there was turkey attached to the ceiling,
where there'd never been turkey before.

It blanketed every appliance,
it smeared every saucer and bowl,
there wasn't a way I could stop it,
that turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,
and thought with chagrin as I mopped,
that I'd never again stuff a turkey
with popcorn that hadn't been popped.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, I haven't updated in a month. Oops:) Life has been busy!

My friends came and we went dress shopping. I got my dress and the girls all settled on a bridesmaid dress, got their measurements and decided on dress color. It was a very productive weekend and it was WONDERFUL to be able to show off Pittsburgh to my friends.

We're gearing up for Thanksgiving. Matthew and I are hosting Turkey Day dinner at our apartment for some friends from CMU. Hopefully we don't burn the turkey or have any other kitchen disasters:)

I'm psyching myself up for my long day on Black Friday. 7am-4pm is going to be a long shift but there will be a lot of people working (and shopping) so hopefully everyone will be in a lovely mood. I'm excited! When I was at Kohl's, Black Friday was one of my favorite days working there because all the people I liked to work with were there!

My brother and his girlfriend are coming to visit the weekend before Christmas! I'm excited to show them around!! Hopefully the weather will be nice.

Today it's rainy and 40...typical. I'm jealous of the snow in Minnesota/Wisconsin and am looking forward to a white Christmas at home!

Squee!

In a little over a week, Meg, Kirsten and Emma will all arrive to Pittsburgh for some wedding dress shopping! I can't wait to see them all!!! I have such wonderful friends!

Loves!

Traveling

Matthew and I had a blast on our weekend trip to Chicago. We got to see Robin and Larson, their new dog Bowie and their adorable apartment! I'm so jealous of the hard wood floors and proximity to everything. They were gracious hosts for Matthew and I for the weekend.

My cousin's wedding was beautiful and it was great to see family, eat good food and drink good beer:) Congratulations to Dan and Beth!

On the way back from Chicago, we stopped in Fort Wayne to see my cousin Lauren, her husband Greg and their one year old daughter Norah. A good time was had by all and I was sad to leave to head back to Pittsburgh.

Hopefully we'll get to see everyone again soon! I'm so thankful I have such a wonderful extended family!

This past weekend we went up to Seven Springs with Jamie and Taylor and some of their friends. We had a blast relaxing, eating, drinking and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Matthew was beer pong champion! Just goes to show what a student in the marching band at a Big Ten school that sucks at football is good at: drinking:) It was a wonderful weekend and I'm again very thankful for the invitation to spend some time with Jamie and Taylor!

Loves

I'm so thankful for my dear friend Jessi! Pittsburgh would be bereft without her! She's always there to listen to me rant and rave and laugh! And eat delicious Mexican food! Loves, girl!

DC Visit

Just got back early this morning from DC! Taking the Amtrak was a new experience and I really liked it! It was nice to sit back and relax and not have to worry about traffic or tolls or parking or gas. And it ended up not being that much longer than driving myself down to DC from Pittsburgh.

It was awesome to see Jake and Kayla and Jonathan! They were wonderful hosts and I'm thankful to have such wonderful people in my life!

On this trip to DC, I went to the Holocaust Musuem, sat on the National Mall and read a book, saw Mount Vernon and the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial and walked around the city just to see it!

Even with rainy days, it was an excellent trip! I hope I can go back again soon!

Travelin' Month

We went to NYC for the Maker Faire Sept 16-18! It was an absolute blast! The best part was seeing Siri!! I loved having pretty much three days full of Siri time! I know everyone back in Wisconsin is super jealous! Siri was a super tour guide and took us to so many wonderful, off the beaten tourist path restaurants! Matthew and Adam (and their company Wayne and Layne) exhibited at the New York City Maker Faire! They had an excellent weekend and did a great job talking about their products. The Maker Faire was a mix of a classy art fair, a state fair and a science fair for adults. I'm glad this was my first Maker Faire experience, because it was absolutely excellent
On Friday I'm headed to Washington DC to see my brother for his birthday! I'm taking the Amtrak which I'm beyond excited to do! After the excellent experience I had in NYC with the subway and buses, I'm still loving taking mass transit. It's about a 7.5 hour trip to DC which would normally take about five by car, but I don't have to worry about parking, tolls or road rage (yay!) It's going to be an action packed weekend! I'm excited!

In two weeks we're heading to Chicago for my cousin Dan's wedding! There hasn't been a Sullivan family wedding since Lauren and Greg in 2008 so I'm super excited. My parents will be there, so that's another bonus. Also, on our way back home, we're stopping in Fort Wayne to see the lovely Lauren and Greg and their incredibly cuuuute baby Norah! Well, she's almost one so I guess she's almost a toddler! I haven't seen her since she was about six weeks old and super tiny!

Making it work with Tim Gunn
Being touristy in Times Square
Happy at the end of Maker Faire!

NYC

Tomorrow Matthew and I are headed (at the ass-crack of dawn, seriously our flight is at 5:30am)to New York City for the weekend! Matthew's company (with his friend Adam), Wayne and Layne is exhibiting at the Maker Faire! I haven't been to a Maker Faire before and I'm pretty excited! I also get to see my wonderful friend Siri who has been living in NYC for the past two years. She's already helped us out by making a really sweet map of how to get to places via subway, time of travel and cool places to get food:)

Hopefully we'll see someone famous! That would make my day!

Birthday

My birthday was lovely! Thanks for all the warm wishes, cards, phone calls, and text messages! Matthew and I went out to dinner at Cafe Sam, which was excelente! I came home and talked to bestie Emma for an hour, ate cake and talked to my parents. Love it!

First Day

Today I had my first sub job of the 2011-2012! It was only a half day but it was lovely to be back working with kids and being around teachers! Here's to a wonderful school year full of sub jobs and hopefully a full-time job opportunity (keep your fingers crossed). What a great day!

Crazy Stupid Love

Tonight, Matthew and I went and saw Crazy Stupid Love with Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Julianne Moore. It was super cute!! Emma Stone, as always, is clever and charming (and gorgeous). Ryan Gosling was an excellent ladies man and him and Steve Carell had great chemistry between their characters' friendship. Kevin Bacon was in it too, which I didn't know ahead of time:)

I also saw a preview for Breaking Dawn Part 1 and was very very excited!! Hurry up November!

The Help

On my first and last day of summer, Jessi and I went and saw The Help. It was excellent! Not to mention that it was $5 ticket and free popcorn night! We will hopefully be going to more movies there in the future, especially with that price!

If you haven't read the book, read it! It's hard to stop reading because there is so much happening!

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars:)

Summer Camp 2011 finished up last Friday! I'm full of mixed emotions about the end of camp. They're long and tiring days but it's the one part of the year where I'm in control of the situation, know all the kids names and am the one who gets to make the rules. Unlike when I'm subbing. Don't get me wrong, I love subbing, but it'd be nice to have my own classroom some day:) Camp made the summer absolutely fly by. I can't believe it's September 4th today!

This past week was equally busy! On Monday I took the day off to do stuff around the house, relax, sleep in. Enjoy my first and last day of summer:) Tuesday was training in the morning, cleaning out the church in the afternoon and a Back to School night at Sunnyside. Wednesday was training and moving everything to Sunnyside. We hit the ground running this school year and I think we will be just fine at afterschool this year. The numbers are low right not, but I'm hoping things will pick up as the year progresses. The first few days of school are always new and different.

I've got my first subbing job on Wednesday and then I'm starting at a new afterschool program in the North Hills District. It's going to be fun and interesting! I can't wait!

Visitors

Matthew's parents are coming on Thursday afternoon for a long weekend visit to Pittsburgh. It'll be lovely to see them! They haven't been here in three years! The last time they were here was to move Matthew. We know our way around the city and cool places to eat, so it should be a great chance to show off the city and spend time with them!

Last week

I can't believe that tomorrow starts the very last week of camp for Summer 2011! This summer has absolutely flown by! I was so worried about how things were going to work out this summer, but it turns out, they were awesome! All the staff stepped up and we had wonderful campers! I couldn't have been happier!

This summer was also a test of my ability to truly lead a group of adults and campers and be responsible for their well being. Sometimes it sucked and other times it was great! I'm proud of how much I've grown as a leader. I know that I'm capable of having responsibility thrust upon me and can succeed.

I know that I've let my social life fall by the wayside, but that was my choice. I intend to have somewhat of a life again starting next week. I'm hoping to see The Help and Crazy Stupid Love one of these days. Hopefully Jessi will want to come along as well:)

Time to start winding down and getting ready for bed.

Here's to a wonderful last week!

This weekend, Matthew and I attended the glorious wedding celebration of Tony and Sherry! I spent last week being a little weird about getting married but after going to Tony and Sherry's wedding and having one of the best nights of the summer, my resolve to plan my own wedding has been renewed! I can't wait to get married! I'm excited to start planning as soon as camp is over. I'm excited to look at wedding dresses and pick colors and make decisions:)

Seeing how happy Tony and Sherry were made me happy. Their wedding was beautiful, classy and full of all my favorite people. I want my wedding to be just as much fun!

Here's to less than a year left of until the big day!

Weddings!

This past weekend, Matthew and I drove home to EC to celebrate Kyle and Jessica's wedding! It was a beautiful day and wonderful weekend! Pictures to follow, since Matthew's still in EC and has the camera.

I flew back on Sunday night to Pittsburgh and am flying back to Minneapolis on Friday for Tony and Sherry's wedding (which has the potential for wedding of the year, if you ask me). I can't wait to see those two tie the knot! When I met Tony in 2004, I never thought he'd get married, much less before me:) I wish both of them the best and am so glad to share in their special day!

Summer camp has 2.5 weeks left! I can't believe how quickly this summer has flown by! What happened to July!?

It's been a month since I've blogged. However, not much has been happening. I work, I swim in the pool, I sweat in our non-air conditioned apartment, I sleep, I play with the kitties. Tis a nice life for the summer but I've been craving a vacation like woah.

My parents were in Michigan last weekend vising Dad's family. They called to talk about all the swimming in Lake Huron they were doing. I'm so jealous! I haven't taken a real vacation, that doesn't involved going home since Matthew and I went to Harrisburg for the weekend in January 2010.
I get to think about taking our honeymoon. I'm not sure where we are going to go. We had talked about Canada but I'd really just like to take a trip somewhere, anywhere, together:)

In a week I'll be back home in EC for Kyle and Jessica's wedding. It's going to be great to see friends and family and have a little bit of time away from Pittsburgh. In two weeks I'll be back in EC for Tony and Sherry's wedding! Matthew is Tony's best man so he'll be doing lots of groomsman duties and all I'll have to do is show up:)

Time to get started on today's to-do list!

Syracuse Bound

Matthew and I are off to Syracuse tomorrow morning to visit our lovely friends Robin and Eric! I can't wait to see them and enjoy a relaxing weekend!

Summer

Summer has officially begun. We finished up Week 2 of summer camp! I can't believe two weeks have already gone by. Man, those weeks go by fast! I'm loving it so far and there's not as much stress and worry as I thought there would be. I think the anticipation of how things were going to go was stressing me out like crazy. Thankfully Mr. Mike is there and my other staff are awesome!

A friend from CMU left this week. Jonathan moved back to DC with his recently completed Master's Degree and a real job waiting for him. I'm pretty jealous but know that it was the right move for him. I hope he enjoys his time off before work starts and enjoys work when it starts up again.

Things in Pittsburgh are busy,but mostly the same. I got a new computer which is super exciting. My other laptop was pretty much on her deathbed. It's nice to have a computer that has speakers that work and doesn't overheat/shut down after 20 minutes.

Matthew's parents are tentatively coming for a visit in July! It should be an absolute blast!

Wedding planning has come to a halt, at the moment. We've got over a year to get planning done, so I'm not too worried about it:)

Drat!

A month has gone by without any updates! I must say that it was quite a busy month!

The weekend of May 13-16, Matthew and I headed to Washington DC to meet up with some college friends who live on this half of the country. One couple lives in Syracuse, NY and other in Philadelphia. It was absolutely wonderful to see them and to explore the city with such amiable and interested travel companions. I loved how efficient (for the most part) that the Metro was. We only got stuck once where the wait was going to be longer than it would take us to walk there. Lesson learned:) My favorite was seeing the Library of Congress and the Lincoln Memorial. At the Thomas Jefferson Memorial there were no less than six brides there getting their pictures taken with their husbands. What a beautiful place for wedding photos!

While we were in DC we also got to see my brother Jake and his girlfriend Kayla and their adorable apartment. For a basement apartment, it's super nice! Not dark and creepy like most of the ones I've seen. Jake took us to the restaurant he works at nights and weekends and the food was delish! It was lovely to see him!

Matthew and I made the great trek back to Wisconsin to spend some time with friends and family. We got some wedding planning done and finally set the date: July 28, 2012! We also got to spend some time in Minneapolis and see a good chunk of our college friends. The time, as always, was too short but we definitely made the most of it! I'll be back briefly in August for two weddings, provided the price of plane tickets go down.

My cousin Meg and her family were here Sunday-Tuesday! I can't believe we fit 2 adults and three children (5,3,1) in our apartment. It was an absolute blast to have them! I loved reading books to them and having them jump up right away and hold my hand when we walked anywhere. I also got the opportunity to go to the Children's Museum which was AWESOME! They have a whole exhibit dedicated to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood! Patrick, Becca and even little George had a great time. The best part about the museum is that the kids can touch everything! I was sad to see them go on Tuesday but they were headed off to Philadelphia to see my cousin Pat (Meg's sister) for a few days.



Summer Camp starts on Monday! I'm pretty excited to be back at camp with routines, the swimming pool, double file lines, watching Mr. Mike in his element and having kids scramble to sit by you in morning round up! June 13-August 26 is probably my favorite and most exhausting part of the year.

Ellie!

Last week, Matthew and I adopted a two month old kitten. We named her Elliot, Ellie for short. Yes, we picked Elliot after Elliot Stabler from Law&Order SVU, one of our favorite shows. Hopefully they'll be great friends like Olivia and Elliot on the show. She's so tiny and cute and purrs all the time. We were very worried about how Olivia would react to her but so far it's been going well. They chase each other around all the time but aren't hissing as much. I'm hoping this will lead to them snuggling together, cleaning each other and overall harmonious living in Kitten Kingdom.

Right now, Elliot is sleeping on my lap, purring up a storm!


Olivia and Elliot playing together

Upon hearing the news about the death of Osama bin Laden, my friend Marie posted this quote from the very wise Martin Luther King Jr.

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

It's something to think about.

Qual!

Matthew passed his Qual:) That means he can continue on in his PhD career at CMU. Hooray! He worked so very hard this time and I'm incredibly proud of him!

Wedding Planning

Last night and today I've really finally dived into some wedding planning. Our trip home to Eau Claire is coming up fast and I want to see as many reception sites and meet with photographers as possible while we're home. Especially since we aren't going to be in EC for longer than a weekend until Christmas-time. I've gotten information from a number of places and now it's really just going in and looking at what there is to offer, settling on a price and hoping that we'll be able to afford everything.

A shocking surprise: chair rental is ridiculously expensive! $550 for one short afternoon! Cripes!

Happy (belated) Easter!

Yesterday, Matthew and I celebrated Easter with our lovely Pittsburgh friends John and Jessi. Jessi cooked a delicious ham, made mashed potatoes (my favorite at any holiday meal), biscuits, and whipped together a salad. John and Jessi invited Matthew and I over, along with their neighbors Devin, Pallas, Soli and Phoenix. It was a lovely meal filled with laughter, happiness and cute kids:) After the meal, I had to go to work for a few hours, but thankfully all the employees were in a "well, we're here, we might as well make the most of it" mood so that helped. After work, I came home and did some major wedding planning. A productive (and of course chocolate and jelly bean filled) Easter!

Thanks to John and Jessi for hosting! It was lovely!

One of the hardest things about living in Pittsburgh and being so far away from friends and family, is not being able to see them very often. This week, after playing a lot of phone tag, I finally had phone dates with three of my favorites! It's wonderful to be talking to a friend and not realize that an hour has gone by and you both still have things to talk about. When I talk to Emma, I get incredibly homesick; homesick for EC, homesick for Minneapolis, homesick for things I've been familiar with since I was a little girl.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm content with living in Pittsburgh for the moment. I've got employment that is satisfying, a wonderful fiancée, a nice apartment, a crazy/cute cat and a safe neighborhood. Sometimes it's just hard to keep in contact with everyone, especially because they're also super busy:) I wish they'd hurry up and invent lightspeed (like in Star Wars) so I can go into Hyperdrive and be in EC in 10 seconds. That would be wonderful!

However, I will be traveling home in May for a wedding and doing some of our own wedding planning! I can't wait!!!!

This week's winners are:
Darrian
Daly
Chaise
Angelin
Freesia

Warm Fuzzies

I woke up this morning to an email from the teacher I substituted for on Friday. The email said " I have read over your notes and I must say that you have been the best substitute that I have ever had. I will definitely e-mail you the next time I am out. Thank you for your time with the students and for your detailed note. I truly appreciate what you did for me."

A nice little warm fuzzy for my basket this morning. What a great way to start the day!

Parentals Visit Pittsburgh

My parents were here last week and I had an absolute blast! It was great to see them and show them all the Pittsburgh stuff that I talk to them about on the phone. Thankfully, the weather cooperated for most of their trip and we had the opportunity to be outside and do some exploring. The moment they pulled out of their parking spot I had a terrible ache in my heart and was incredibly sad. I never feel like that when I leave EC; I think that's because when you're the person who is doing the traveling it's easier because you're going back to your life/stuff/job/routine.

Dad and I wearing our Packers shirts at Heinz Field
My parents at the top of the Duquesne Incline
Mom and Dad at the Carnegie Library

Atonement

I finished reading Atonement on Monday. I really enjoyed the book. Granted, parts of it were really slow and I put the book aside for a while, but I finished and overall, enjoyed it. Briony's character is horrible and fascinating at the same time. She is so self-involved and loves writing plays/stories but when the story returns to her five years later, she is much changed. Reading her account of taking care of wounded men in the hospital was moving and exciting and made me hopeful for Briony's character. Robbie and Cecilia's love for one another is heartbreakingly beautiful. How terrible would it be to have barely seen each other before Robbie had to go off to war and all they had to build their relationship on was letters and Cecilia's constant reminder "I'll wait. Come back to me" I'd give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Stick with it to the end and it's a pretty good read:)

St. Patrick's Day

Last Saturday, Matthew and I went to the Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade. We had a blast, even though it was a little cold and the parade was a little long. I love everything Irish (well, except black and white pudding...ew) and it was nice to be outside celebrating my heritage. On Thursday we went to PHI bar with some friends from CMU and had a few beers, sadly ours was not died green, but we still had a wonderful time. I talked to Mom and my best friend Emma this week about all the Paddy's Day celebrations they've had in EC and it makes me incredibley homesick. Emma and I have come to realize that Paddy's Day is "our" holiday. I hope that sometime soon, I'll be able to be in EC to celebrate with her.

My parents are coming tomorrow! I can't wait to see them! They're staying until Friday morning and It's going to be a blast to show them around Pittsburgh!





I think Dad should dress up like this next year:)

The King's Speech

Last night, Matthew and I went and saw The King's Speech. It was excellent! The music, cinematography and great acting made for an Oscar-worthy film. While we were watching the movie, I realized how little I know about England's history between the 1930s and 1950s. Everyone knows about Winston Churchill but what about the Prime Minister before him and who led the country as King during WWII. Colin Firth plays King George VI, who suffers from stammering. After exhausting all the doctors in the area, his wife Elizabeth I (played by Helena Bonham Carter, love her too) finds Lionel Logue who helps Bertie (he uses George VI when he becomes king) become a better public speaker. The plot moves along at a good pace and there's clever writing and witty humor. Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth did a wonderful job together! I loved the movie!! I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Community

Matthew and I started watching the NBC show Community and we fell in love with it! I remember watching the pilot in Fall 2009 and only saw the first 10 minutes. I wasn't all that impressed with it, nor did I think it was funny. However, I wish I had stuck with it because the second half of the pilot episode was hilarious! The writers are snarky and clever. Joel McHale is super sexy too:)

I highly recommend the show!! Thanks to Matthew's friend Adam for the suggestion!

Since I'm a substitute teacher, I see a lot of different classes and kids during the week. This past week was especially busy (four days, three of which were in an English class, score!) but I thoroughly enjoyed myself until homeroom on Friday. Students told me "We always leave 30 seconds early, it's tradition. Ms. L always lets us..." One of the worst things about being a substitute is when kids lie like this. I figure if teachers did let kids leave early, they would leave a note for me about it. It's just one of the most frustrating things. That said, I do enjoy subbing and the flexibility of it. I've established myself and teachers want me to sub for them. That feels really good; maybe I can and will be a good classroom teacher! Hopefully, I'll be able to get a full time job in the near future. I know that Shaler is not hiring any English teachers for the 2011-2012 school year. I'll just keep subbing, working at the YMCA and at Old Navy.

For a little humor, here are the most unique names of students I had this past week:
-Mowgli (yes, like The Jungle Book)
-Callum
-Shacoby (pronounced like Jacoby, but with a "sh" sound at the beginning).

First Bath

Last night, we gave Olivia a bath. Now, I know that cats don't like water, but Olivia is a very curious kitten and she's always playing in the sinks so I thought maybe she would be okay with getting wet. It's a good thing we got her declawed because otherwise Matthew and I would have been scratched from head to toe. I felt like we were torturing her but thankfully she got over it and slept with us last night:)

Next time we give her a bath, I think we'll close the bathroom door so she can't escape and have a fuzzier towel on hand to dry her off. She does smell much better and her fur is soft and silky again!

Winter Party

On Saturday night, we got dressed up and headed to the Heinz History Center for the ECE Winter Party. It was wonderful! The History Center is a great venue with lots of things to look at and a great place for drinks/dancing and a beautiful ballroom for the meal. If we were getting married here, I would consider it as a place for a reception!


Matthew and I


Jessi and I looking cute, like always:)


Know what any of this means?


We do!

Kit Kat Bars

They're delicious and addicting, watch out!

1 stick of butter/margarine
1/4 c milk
2/3 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c crushed graham crackers
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c butterscotch chips
2/3 c peanut butter

Line a 9x13 pan with Club crackers. Melt butter. Add milk, sugar, brown sugar and graham crackers. Mix ingredients and boil for five minutes. Spread over crackers and pan. Add another layer of crackers. Melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter and add to the top layer of crackers. Refrigerate for three hours to set.

Fabulous Feta Salad

This recipe is from the Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook. I like this cookbook because it let's you plan meals for a week, using many of the same ingredients. This salad is delicious and also very filling

2.5 c uncooked bowtie pasta
4 c torn romaine (or lettuce in general)
1 c cubed cooked chicken
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c Italian dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, romaine, chicken and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

YUM!

Watson!

Today, Matthew came home from work and was telling me that scientists at IBM had developed a computer that could compete on Jeopardy. Its name is Watson and today was the first round of a Jeopardy competition against two of the best Jeopardy players ever. It was AWESOME! Its able to generate answers very quickly and to buzz in just like the other players. IBM showed footage of the creation of Watson and how big it is (the computer, that is).

Here's some information about Watson

I'm going to be watching Jeopardy tomorrow and Wednesday to see how Watson fairs against the best Jeopardy players:)

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! Matthew and I celebrated last Wednesday and I think I'm getting flowers next week:) At school today, carnations were passed out and it was cute to see students (girls mostly) wonder about their secret admirer and discussing their plans for a Valentine's Day date. Now, I don't need to see kids making out in the hall (actually, I don't need to see that anywhere) but it's sweet to see cuddly bears, balloons and flowers floating around on the arms of teenagers.

I spent my Vday at work, at the library, doing laundry and dishes, cooking and making homemade Kit-Kat bars. The recipe will be up tomorrow (along with a photo, I promise).

As The Beatles say "All you need is love"

Saturday night, Matthew and I headed over to John and Jessi's house for dinner and some games. We had a delicious dinner made by Chef Jessi and played LIFE and Catch Phrase and Wii Party. It was great night of laughter, friends and (let's not forget) one crazy doggie, Dixie:)

Good luck to Jessi with Operation: WTF

An eventful Friday

On Friday, I subbed for a high school English teacher. I'm always excited to teach in my subject field, since I usually have some sort of knowledge of what's going on. This day turned out to be very eventful! There was a fire drill at the end of 1st period. While we waited (briefly, thank goodness) outside the school, I took a look around me. Since when did it become acceptable for a high school girl to wear a low cut, short sleeved, white t-shirt and super skin tight jeggings (you could see everything) with Uggs? Have I mentioned that it's February!? It's not warm outside, it's cold...I did a coverage for a Phy Ed class which I normally stay away from. Thankfully all the other teachers who were in the gym at the same time were very good natured and helpful! I got to help the kids play volleyball, which was really fun! I also didn't know that volleyball has a rally point method of scoring, just like ping pong. Learn something new every day, I guess.

In 3rd period, the 10th grade English class had an extremely heated and tense debate about same sex marriage. Regardless what side you're in favor of, it gave me some hope to see the student so impassioned about one single subject, especially in a class debate. That said, I do seriously wonder where kids get their information and statistics. Some of the comments students were making were unfounded and false (you can always find an article online that will agree with your sentiments, no matter what they are). Regardless, it was nice to see kids engaged in a lesson and not being apathetic about everything. 4th period was a class full of apathetic seniors. Apathy drives me more crazy that stupidity. Apathy,to me, implies laziness which is one of the worst traits a student can have at school.

Overall, subbing is going very well, though I truly long for a classroom of my own (no matter how scary that prospect is).

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my bestest Pittsburgh friend, Jessi! I'm looking forward to a wonderful afternoon filled with Mexican food and laughter and celebrating with some of the best ladies in Pittsburgh!

No Strings Attached

Thursday night we went and saw "No Strings Attached." It was a super cute movie, entertaining and heart warming. I like Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher when they're in cutesy romantic roles. I give it 3 out of 5 stars:)

Jessi and I spent a wonderful Saturday afternoon shopping and chatting! It was great to spend some time with her, just the two of us, giggling, talking about weddings, friends, clothes and all of that. I got some great deals at TJMaxx and Target, most notably a really nice cardigan for $7 and a pair of black pumps for $6.25! Woohoo!

I had my first day of training at Old Navy today; just routine paperwork/training stuff. I work tomorrow and Wednesday night. I did like my nights and weekends to be free but I need some more money for the wedding, Old Navy is close to my house and has a great discount!! I saw a bunch of stuff today on clearance that I really liked but am going to wait to get them until I get my discount card:)

Here's to a productive week at school, a great birthday celebration for Jessi on Saturday and SUPER BOWL SUNDAY next week! I can't wait!

This video is absolutely hilarious! Kirsten sent it to me and I was crying I was laughing so hard! Check out hilarious British animal voiceovers. Happy Thursday!

Packers versus Steelers in the Super Bowl!! I can't wait! It's going to be an amazing game!

Today we took the kitten to the vet to get her spayed and declawed. Hopefully she'll be a little less crazy when she gets home tonight. I've decided that she has two modes: crazy/running and sleeping. It's a little weird that she's not home right now, but I'm able to get some things done (like cleaning the closet and dishes) without her being all up in my business. She really does like to follow us around, which is sweet until she attacks your legs/pants.


Happy Birthday to my cousin Jim!!

I'm not a girl that paints my nails, neither fingers nor toes. I'm not very skilled at doing it myself, especially on my hands. Jessi painted my fingernails on Friday and I have to admit that I absolutely love it! Bright red looks good:)

Also, I'm watching Friends for the first time. I've seen some episodes but I'm watching them back to back right now and loving it! The clothes that Monica and Rachel are wearing in 1994 were a little scary...also, apparently there were a shortage of bras in show-biz back then because I rarely see those ladies wearing them:) Regardless, it's super funny. I love Chandler--he's my favorite:)

Sleepy Kitty

Kristen and Peter stopped over today to play with the kitten and tool around with Matthew's Egg-Bot. We played a lot with the kitten, so much that she slept from when they left (around 2) until about 6. Impressive:) Thanks to Kristen and Peter for tiring her out!

Super Bowl!

The Packers are going to the Super Bowl!! Woohoo!!! The NFC Championship game against the Bears was a tough one: the Bears are an excellent team and the Packers didn't seem to play as well as I saw them play last week or when the two teams played in the last game of the season. I hope that everyone practices, gets their routes right and gets SUPER PUMPED because they're going to be playing in the SUPER BOWL! Woohoo!!

Right now I'm listening to the recap of the game with Wayne and Larry. I wish I could listen to them during the game via the computer, but that's okay. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman aren't the best announcers. How someone (ie Troy Aikman) who had a great number of concussions when he played is qualified to comment...oh well.

The Steelers game is on tonight and I want them to win so that it can be a Packers-Steelers Super Bowl! What a game that'll be:)

GO PACK GO!!

For all the Ke$ha lovers out there and I'm not ashamed to admit that I like dancing around to her music, check out today's xkcd. Make sure to read the mouse over text. It's absolutely hilarious and very clever!

Tron:Legacy

Monday night we went and saw Tron:Legacy. I hadn't seen the original (from the 1980s) but after seeing the new one, I really want to see the original even if it is dated and has funky special effects. Tron:Legacy has an excellent soundtrack, which Matthew has been listening to for about a month and I've been listening to since we got back from the movie. It's composed by Daft Punk and they worked with the London Symphony Orchestra.

The movie was an action movie and some of the acting was less than optimal. The guy who played Sam Flynn reminded me of Keanu Reeves: good at stunts/physical stuff, not so good at talking. Martin Sheen was excellent! I haven't seen him play a role other than a stuffy British man in a suit so that was a surprising change.

Overall, I didn't hate it and I didn't feel like "OMG I HAVE TO WATCH IT AGAIN, RIGHT. NOW!" So somewhere in the middle:) The special effects are excellent but the 3D parts seemed blurry/shoddy which is surprising since 3D is supposed to be so awesome. I'd say 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Sidenote, Matthew was the least nerdy person in the theatre. Comic books geeks are in a world unto themselves

Snow Day!

Today we had our first snow day of the 2010-2011 school year. It is pretty winter-y outside and I definitely wouldn't want to be driving on the back roads in Shaler Township. So, it's a day off where I intend to get a lot of things done, hopefully:) Matthew and I are going to walk to CMU later this morning which should be a blast. I like walking in snow especially when it's not two feet of that fluffy white stuff.

Drat!

Yet again, I have fallen behind in my blog updates! A lot has happened since my last update so I apologize (to the small amount of readers) for my tardiness.

1. Dec 20th: Matthew and I got engaged! Yay! We were planning on exchanging our Christmas gifts that night. He made me a delicious dinner and after dinner gave me a super sweet card, which I had to read aloud. When I looked up from reading the card, he was down on one knee and holding out the ring and asked me to marry him! So happy!!
2. We went home for Christmas! It was a lovely 10 days full of family, friends and general relaxation. I certainly got my wish for a white Christmas (Pittsburgh had no snow when we left on December 23rd) since my parents' house has about two feet of snow. I'm so glad that both of us are able to take so much time off and spend it with our families. I know that sometime soon we won't have that privilege.
3. We have adopted a kitten. We brought her 14 hours in the car from Wisconsin. After we survived that, I knew we'd be okay to have her in the house. We named her Olivia and she's the cutest and craziest kitten I've ever met. She's just too adorable for words. Right now, she's sleeping curled up in Matthew's desk chair
4. My cousin Dan also got engaged about 3 days before we did so congratulations to him and his fiancé
5. Congratulations to my dear friend Ashley and her boyfriend (now fiancé). They got engaged last week Monday! I'm so happy for them! I guess it's the season of engagements. I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a ridiculous year for weddings

Engagement

Matthew and I got engaged!! Woohoo! The ring is perfect!