Places Slept.

Just like 2009 and 2008, I kept a list of all the locations I spent the night. It's interesting to remember the year in hotels or couches or even the backseats of vans....Although something tells me, 2011 won't be QUITE as dramatic as 2010.

Home: Cedar Falls, IA
2/20: Schaumburg, IL
3/12: Moline, IL
3/13-3/20: Buena Vista, FL (Disney)
3/26: St Louis, MO
3/27: Kansas City, MO
4/6: On Board above Pacific
4/8-4/10: Auckland City, North Island, NZ
4/11: Whangarei, North Island, NZ
4/12: Mount Maunganui, North Island, NZ
4/13: Palmerston North, North Island, NZ
4/14-4/15: Wellington, North Island, NZ
4/16: Christchurch, South Island, NZ
4/17: Dunedin, South Island, NZ
4/18: Te Anau, South Island, NZ
4/19: Wanaka, South Island, NZ
4/20: Westport, South Island, NZ
4/21: Picton, South Island, NZ
4/22: Napier, North Island, NZ
4/23: Rotorua, North Island, NZ
4/24-4/25: Hamilton, North Island, NZ
4/26: Takapuna, North Island, NZ
4/27-5/3: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
5/4-5/6: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
5/7-5/9: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
5/10-5/11: Uluru (Ayers Rock), Northern Territory, Australia
5/12-5/15: Cairns, Queensland, Australia
5/16: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
5/17: On Board above Pacific
7/16: West Des Moines, IA
8/1: Bloomington, MN
8/12-8/15: Boston, MA
8/19-8/23: San Francisco, CA
10/2: St Paul, MN
12/12-14: Boston, MA

Throwback Thursday: Happy New Year 2011!

Remember when you were young and holidays weren't your own to decide? You had to do whatever your parents wanted you to do, which usually coincided with what they were doing? Especially on New Year's Eve. Most years I have to admit, we stayed home as the family, rented a ton of movies, played games, and ate too many appetizery foods. But this year in particular, the one pictured above. My parents dragged us (Tim included, which was at least a decent part of the trip) all the way up to a hotel near Cabella's in Minnesota. With NOTHING else around. With a bunch of their friends and the friends' kids. Mind you, no one my age. While a party of my own friends was happening back in Cedar Falls. Ugh. It was a less than awesome New Years. But it could have been worse. Much much worse. It just didn't seem like it at the time...

What are you kids up to for New Years this year?

Throwback Thursday: Nordyke Kids Love Presents!

What can I say? The Nordyke kids really like Christmas! I absolutely love Christopher's face....and not so much the bow my nearly hairless head is donning...

I thought the games would never end....

There's a reason I direct, and don't run camera. I thought watching volleyball from my cement room on a 2" by 2" screen was occasionally mind numbing enough. WRONG! It's even worse from behind the camera. Note the progression of happiness to pure "GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!"

Santa Claws!

Nothing brightens my day more than a new Simon's Cat.

December has flown. And crawled.

Was this seriously only a month ago?! I feel like I made that cheesecake eons ago (my first)....

Feast of Felines. Nom nom nom.

Watching cats eat is fascinating to me. Watching feral barn cats completely demolish a whole turkey carcass in a matter of half an hour or so on Thanksgiving...amazing. Who wants to watching guys slap each others tight pants and run around with a pig skin when you can see a fluffy orange cat tear into a fowl jugular like it was the tastiest thing since alcoholic whipped cream....

Creative Twist to the Holidays!

Let me rewind a few weeks for a moment, and take you back to the Feast of Families, the Eating with an Entourage, Talking over Turkey.....

Last year, I felt compelled to spice things up a bit with some paper Indian headbands. You know, to get the adults reluctantly agreeing, and me laughing hilariously. It was such a hit that OF COURSE it had to continue this year. But you don't wear the same dress to the Oscars to years in a row! You must look your best in a new gown! So what else does Thanksgiving have? Pilgrims!

Even Sydney decided to get in on the action. In a very violent form....let's make sure he's never around real Puritans, they might burn him at the stake!

Next year is going to be themed the Thanksgiving feast. And so far, Mom is going to be the turkey!

Stop the Snow until Midnight!

More Boston blog posts are coming, but it has been a whirlwind trip. Got here late Sunday, and have been jam packed until now, and I am sitting in Logan waiting to board, praying that our Chicago flight will still be on time when we land in a few hours....but for now, a Nordyke kitty is wishing us a safe arrival, despite the fact that there is WAY more snow than when this picture was taken.....

December = Dramas in Traveling.

Saturday:
The snow hits. It had rained most of the morning, ok, I can handle that.
11:00am, the snow just starts pounding down. And doesnt stop. The wind kicks up. And doesn't slow. Our flight leaves at 6am the next morning, we decide to go down to Cedar Rapids after I'm done with work around 10. Priceline a hotel for $50.

2:00 I head to work and start to worry bigtime. It takes extra time to get the four blocks to work. The drive to Cedar Rapids might be too much. Let alone the fact that we are flying through Detroit....

4:30 I get a text from Tim while I'm working that our flight has been cancelled. But we are on a 1:30pm flight. Well, there goes $50 and the entire Sunday afternoon we had planned in Boston (our original flight was supposed to get in at 12:15, now its 7:30) Cue my breakdown. It's small, but its an entire afternoon, and we only have so much time as it is.

Sometime between 7 and 9, still at work, Tim texts that he got us a flight from Des Moines at 11:30am, we still don't get there until 6:30ish, BUT its not through Detroit, its through Memphis, which is way more likely to actually get us out on time than somewhere that got even more snow than us. Now the catch is that our return flight is into Cedar Rapids, so we can't take a car to Des Moines. Tim gives our two options. My parent's are still in Chicago for the weekend, so that leaves his mom, or Nate, who was going back down later in the day anyway. Clearly I would like to have my sanity after five minutes, so I opt the Nate route. He graciously (thank you a million times over) lets us get his butt up before dawn to brave the GUSTS of wind and drifts to make it to Des Moines in time.

Sunday:
6:40am Nate shows up, and it takes us a good fifteen minutes to just get out of town. Drifts are bad, wind is bad. We all think are are insane. But about half an hour in, the roads start to clear. The wind didn't die down, but we are able to kick up from 30mph to a bit faster. By the time we get to Story City we are going 65. No problem. What's that mean? Breakfast break!

9:20am We make it to the DM airport. Check is is busy, but easy. Security is a breeze. Play the waiting game at the gate with my beloved internet.

11:30-takeoff. Takeoff and landing were rough. Probably one of the roughest I've been a part of. The wind gusts were still strong. Tim might have some bruises from my grip. He'll live. I'm just glad I lived! Ugh, I hate flying.

1:00pm We land. Awesome. We get through the Memphis airport, snag some KILLER bbq pork sandwich to share since dinner won't be til 8ish. It was fantastic. Feelin good, even though I know takeoff won't be easy. And then.

The lady gets on the intercom to what i think will be announce boarding. Only its not. Its to say that there is a two hour delay. Straight off the bat, due to Logan. I wanted to scream. ARGH. 4:30 wheels up time. So now, this puts us in even later than if we had made the 1:30 flight and gotten to sleep in (granted, that flight was cancelled too, so its moot, but still!). I was pissed. Got some internet, ready to hunker down, fully expecting them to make it even later a delay eventually. This is why we don't fly into Logan late. They get BACKED up. So now. 9 hours behind.

3:00. Half hour after our supposed take off, lady gets back to tell us that its still a 4:30 wheels up. Midsentence. Pauses. Says that we are going to begin boarding now. i could have skipped to Boston with how happy I was. So pumped.

3:45, takeoff. Rough takeoff. But i expected it. More bruises to Tim's limbs. But on the way to Boston!!!! With a 7pm ETA. Super rough landing. Clutching for my life. Grabbed our bags straight from the belt, got a taxi and zoomed on in.

Tim hasn't been here for a year and a half, while for me its only been four months, so its a bit crazier for him. Checked in to the hotel, only to straight back out, into the pouring rain. I couldnt be any happier walking in te pouring rain down to Fanueil Hall. Tim wanted Cheers, but after being seated changed our minds, ate an obligatory chowder and then went over to Bertuccis for caprese salad. Midwest, learn it. Its not that hard.

CVS run for waters and breakfast for tomorrow. And now I am going to crash. Hard. And I already feel fat....oops.

Tom the Tasty Turkey.

Sitting in Des Moines. Waiting for my flight to Memphis. Yup, totally a different flight plan than it was supposed to be, but fingers crossed Ill be there tonight. So here is a little guy to feast your eyes on. He feasted my tummy on Thanksgiving!

Sydney the Snuggler.

I have never met a cat so completely uncaring as to what people do to it. Sydney is the most recent addition to the Nordyke household (my parents). Dropped off in a box with his sister, the people claiming that it came from my parent's wild cats. But later on, totally not possible. Mom took a liking to them, naming them Sydney and....I don't remember his sister, she got eaten by a raccoon because my mother made them stay outside.
(note that his paws are as big as my wrists)

Well, after the raccoon's feast, my mom took pity on Sydney and brought him inside for good. That cat has grown to the size of Texas. When stretched, he's probably as long as my arms. And he purrs at everything. Attention is demanded all the time, by rolling on the ground and looking cute. My brother carries him around like a baby doll, and that cat still looks pleased as punch! What a weirdo. Sometime I'll have to be over there during breakfast, when he apparently perches his huge body on my dad's shoulder waiting for the cereal milk.....

Uluru! That was his sister! Cause she was reddish orange like Uluru Rock. If only Mom had let her stay inside....

Black Friday. Death to my wallet.

I had numerous games on Black Friday, so getting up at the buttcrack of dawn was not going to happen. (Let's be honest, it probably wouldn't have happened anyway), so my black Friday was spent pouring over Amazon's Lightning Deals. From my bed. In my pajamas. With my cats. Definitely a win.

A bigger plus was the haul that I got. Now, it might have all been for me, but Ill shop for everyone else later! Not off of Amazon. With more thought! But this was sheer impulse. Never a good thing for me. Oops ;-)

But in the end, I ended up with the following, (not including the breadmaker that my mom passed off to me two days before):

new earbuds (list price: $300. bought for $30)
new Asics running shoes
a toaster oven (hello kitty no longer will be making my toast)
Kitchen Aid stand mixer (I've craved for years)

Now, if you know my kitchen, you know my problem for the past four years. NOW add in 3 big appliances....

Later on I added two more pairs of running shoes to the pile as well as some swank UnderArmor socks from Dicks (but only because my Mommy and Daddy love me dearly) and some new Christmas Moose cat toys for Myla to annihilate.

And now we are going to Boston for four days? Over the Christmas Shopping Season? My wallet is screwed.

Creative Minds Necessary.

November is the busiest month for UNI Videoboard. Volleyball and football are joined by mens and womens basketball. And this year, with all of the extra NCAA and conference finals games, December has been invaded by craziness. And I will be the first one to say that UNI hasn't exactly provided us with top of the line equipment. Case in point.

Now, the funny (or not so funny part), is that they replaced the one thing that I felt comfortable with. They took away my lovely master board from the late 70s (no joke) and replaced it with the computer program Tricaster. Holy freak out. I thought i was going to explode, but since then I have figured it out and am ok with the switch...but now, if we could get our cameras to work so we don't have to jam pens in them in order to see people the way they were meant to be seen, and not as if we were all Smurfs.

Please stop spanking her at the bar.

I like Thanksgiving for the notion that it brings home people from the younger years. I also despise it for the same reason. However, this year, I totally avoided every single person I dislike, and got some great hang out time with people that I adore, and people that I haven't seen in years. All of us also witnessed a display of affection to an r&b background that shouldn't even be seen by adults at the sketchville of bars at 2am. Take it home folks, but thanks for the entertainment.

December is running me ragged! But not Olivia....

So I am about to write a copious amount of posts. And have them post one or two a day for the next couple days. I am headed to Boston, and I have so much to share before then! Nearly an entire month! But now, for a completely pointless post:
I would like to use my treadmill in this manner. She seems to have the right idea. The treadmill's home has been the middle of the kitchen for the past few months, so its not like I haven't desired to do the same thing with a bag of marshmallows....

Remember to check back!

Throwback Thursday: Part 2. Emerson's Fruitloops.

I know I already posted a throwback, so check out below about my dad. But this was all over today, and having gone to Emerson, I just need to share the pure insanity and chaos that was my college. Those kids are still nuts.

Throwback Thursday: Birthday Boy!

Saturday was my Daddy's birthday. This picture describes him perfectly. Although I'm sure the look of terror was quite magnified when the tractor was upgraded to a big kid car.

But I'd like to think of all those tractor rides did me lots of good. My record is nearly clean as proof! Yeah, I have to say nearly clean, but my ONLY speeding ticket was captured by a plane. Yes, a plane clocked me, and the trooper caught up to me. I boo this. But its my only one, in almost a decade. Good enough if you ask me!

Happy Birthday Oh Wise One! (Yes, I still know you are younger than mom)

Christmas Call Out!

Ok kids, I am not one to do something like this, mainly because some of you could be creepy murderers (because clearly this blog is an attraction for the killing type). But I have this adoration of Christmas and all of the fun cheesiness that said holiday brings. Including Christmas cards. I actually take quite pride in mine. Scouring the year, finding the best bits and pieces, getting everything all pretty and sparkly.

I also quite enjoy receiving Christmas cards, getting to see what people deem the best part of their years or how the families look in their soul Christmas photo. As well as the card itself, from homemade (I wish I had that kind of time) to the Thomas Kinkade cottages or silly kitties with milkstaches.

So in the spirit of holiday pen pal-ishness, I would love to send anyone who wants one a Christmas card. In hopes of getting one of your own in return. I promise not to sell your address to any car companies (seriously, stop with the sales ads already) as long as you don't do anything creepy with mine.

You can either leave me a message here with your address, or email it to me: foambats@hotmail.com

Maybe I should go find some stamps.... :-)

Throwback Thursday: Decade Ago.

The date on this photo is wrong, although I am sure that the year is right. Well, maybe not. But its close. This was at my Aunt Carol's house. Probably more Christmas time than Thanksgiving, I say that only because I don't remember a Thanksgiving there. This picture is absolutely crazy though. Everyone has changed so much, its ridiculous. Except for dad. Dad still looks the same. But my brother looks like this is a crack addicted version of him. That's not mean, its just that the kid in this picture is SKIN AND BONES compared to him now. What a difference a decade makes. A decade....geeze we're old.

As a sidenote, as this is taken at my Aunt Carol's house, I should mention her. As my dad's older sister, she is a total nutter, and it is very clear that her and my father fell from the same tree. No one screeches like that woman, but only in the most loving way....no one also hosts family like she does. The food spread at every meal and every moment in between, is insane. And so so delicious. I actually quite like my Aunt Carol.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can!

I am LONG overdue for a post. And I swear its coming soon. But in the meantime, have a chuckle: Patty Cake Cat Commentary

Throwback Thursday: The fashion line up.

Clearly my father is channeling George Hamilton and Joan Rivers in this photo. And I am fashion channeling a tropical jungle plant in the Amazon that became extint in the 80s.....

Swine, Bird, or Feline flu?

I feel like I've slept more than my cats recently. And that is saying something. I had an insanely busy weekend that was pretty much nonstop social events, work, and workouts the whole weekend (although I did fit in Morning Glory, which is a super cute movie that all chick flickers will enjoy). So it didn't surprise me that I hit the pillow pretty early on Sunday night.

And then Monday morning happened. I woke up after 11 hours of sleep, and still felt exhausted. I was exhausted and blah feeling all day. None of my muscles seemed to want to work and I just wanted my big bed of fluffy cozy awesome.

Enter Monday night, I go to bed early again, in hopes of getting up to make up for my lack of Monday morning workout the next day. Nope, slept til 8:35. Nine plus hours of sleep. Not cool.

Bittersweet part of this weird illness. Despite smaller more pathetic workouts, my scale seems to be agreeing with the sickness. Ok, so its not really bittersweet, that part is quite awesome, but still.

I guess when I think about it, its something that I could totally deal with. Way more sleep than normal, and the scale goes down? Sounds fantastic. Until I die of the newest form of Monkey/Elephant/Water Buffalo disease.....

Throwback Thursday: Devilish Daddy and Barney nixes Cheetos!

This lovely old man adores me. Still! I know, I know, I would be sick of me too, but somehow my daddy still loves me enough to give me today's "holiday" off. I spent it running and at the gym and getting a bunch of errands done. The house isn't clean, but eh, I don't hear the cats complaining!

One of my errands involved Jiva Salon Spa (sadly no massage) but I ended up with shampoo that is the exact color of Barney. Its supposed to help me look like less of a Cheeto. Every day since i got it dyed it is oranger and oranger. Hopefully Barney think Cheetos are unhealthy and gives them the boot!

Days off make me hyper. Or tired. I think its because I just conned myself into giving into chocolate since I ran 12.5 miles.

Hushing now.

Day Ten involves all men.

Bestest Boss on Veterans Day: I have the bestest boss in the whole world. Veterans Day = Holiday = I get to stay home and do all the things that I want to do. Like workout as long as I want, and clean the house! Ok, not really things I WANT to do, but things that I even less want to do at 8pm when I normally get home. I heart my boss. (Those that don't know me, I work for my dad, I dont have an abnormally creepy fascination with my employer).

Kurt on Glee: Tuesday's episode had me squealing and booing and awwing at the tv tonight, home alone. I love this show. It makes me happy.

Pumpkin marshmallows: It's been said before that Tim got me a Marshmallow of the Month Club, but I got November's gift of Pumpkin Pie marshmallows today. I love all things pumpkin. And marshmallow. Double whammy for my tastebuds.

Day Nine and feelin fine.

Brand new ringtones. Willow Smith rocks out to unknown callers. Other people got new ring tones too, which is exciting, but yet took several hours last night. I have this thing that your ringtone has to actually match you. Like, it has to relate to you in some way or another. And therefore, picking out the right ring tone is a total process. But its really fun to get JUST the right ring tone for everyone.

Although, it's almost funner to see what other people pick out for me.

Day 8.

Today. I am thankful for times like Savasana, where everything goes away and all is well.

Day 7: Ode to Tim Tams.

In Australia, I was obsessed with Tim Tams. It is a magical magical cookie. Chocolatey, cookiey, goo in the middley. I am sure I talked about it in that blog. But i have been searching high and low across the states for the cookie. Never to be found, until today, at Target.

HOLLLLAAAAA!!!

We asked, and apparently they are seasonal, so go look. Pepperidge Farm. Tim Tam. Amazing. Because late December they will be hard to find, mainly because they will all be stocked up in my laundry room to last me until next Christmas!!!

Yay Tim Tams. (No, really, I adore them)

Days 5 & 6.

November seems to have lots of things to be thankful for!

Yesterday involved 4+ hours of stripping my hair blonde, above is the end result! As well as coming home to find my closet with a brand new shoe shelf and a glorious second set above my clothes. I love space for organizing.....

But today was waking up to learn that Tim bought us tickets to Boston for some holiday fun in December. Short trip, but I can't wait. BEYOND excited.

Day Four. From the floor.

I currently have a very angry elf in my brain with a pick axe trying to get loose, and a niffler in my stomach digging for coins I might have swallowed as a small child. But earlier today, in a healthier state, I was thankful for a few things.

A gift of a cupcake carrier that has a built in cupcake tower (I have been eyeing carriers forever, and the added tower bonus is magic).

Having a workout buddy at the gym this morning.

And getting to buy 200 Kitty and Puppy stamps for work mailings (I support animal shelters of cute and cuddleys!)

Now here's hoping tomorrow's post is a thanks to magical healings...

Throwback Thursday: Tim time!

Let's mix it up a bit. Clearly today's throwback is not myself. It is Tim. In April of 1987. I was 1.5 years old, probably hobbling around and drooling, while he is playing adventurer at the ripe old age of 5!

Someone needs to tell me why I haven't actually dressed up and gone out for Halloween before. Because that night, was quite awesome. From last minute costume shopping for everyone else, to meeting up with some quite inebriated personal trainers, to being followed by the Marty McFly doppelganger all the way to Perkins. It was amazing.

Costume watching is amazing. Scrubbing bubbles: good work. MC Hammer: doing Hammertime in the middle of the bar. Cathy screaming Jason DeRulo to me: fantastic. Discovering the White Cactus: DE-licious. Getting home at 3:15....death the next day.





Encore Finale: Tim made quick work of our pumpkins real quick on Sunday afternoon. And they look better than if I had spent hours on them. Especially that Kiwi. Adorable.

Day Three of Thanks.

Today I give thanks for the glorious invention that is the humidifier. Tim got sick of us having to fill up our little baby tiny one nearly every other hour, or waking up bone dry. So he bought us this huge piece of awesome that humidifies the whole house with minimal filling attention needed. My face felt less like elephant butt this morning, all cracky and dry. Now just to work on these hands....

Thanks: Day 1 & 2.

Let's try this being thankful for something every day this month. Of course I am thankful for a million things every day. Most of them totally trivial, but its the little things that add up! So don't judge me on the total lack of serious thanks giving every day! I cant say I am thankful for love and family and all that smooshy stuff for 30 days straight. Puke.

Day #1: My Hello Kitty toaster that makes the prettiest toast. Given to me as a birthday present by my adorable college roommate.

Day #2: A daddy who picks me up at the gym when keys get locked in my car. (Note that it actually wasn't my fault for once, I didn't lock them in there, Tim did. But its not really his fault either....)

Cameras must watch my own cats...

Throwback Thursday: Part Deux

The first post was pretty weak, so here's another mediocre one to make one awesome one? Probably not but still. Three years ago, the first Halloween back in the Midwest, we went to a pumpkin farm to get our pumpkins. And CLEARLY Tim's pumpkin needed a little more security than the others did....

Throwback Thursday: Do Penguins quack?

Ok, so bear with the total stretch on this one. I wanted a Halloween picture, but I have none scanned on my computer, so I have to improvise. This is a gorgeous picture of my adoring parents. My father is in a tuxedo. A tuxedo is also called a penguin suit. And this year for Halloween, Tim is dressing as a penguin.....that works, right? :)

Happy Halloween everyone! Leave me a message and tell me what you are going as this year, or what your favorite costume has been in the past! (Don't be shy, more than my mother needs to be commenting on this one!)

The Pilates Predicament

Ok, the picture above, isn't EXACTLY related to the post, but it exemplifies so many things that make me beyond irritated when I go to work out. Go HERE to see my Gym Rat Rant.

Sidenote Opener Pet Peeve: Why do people push the handicap door button when going into the gym? Its like, guys, you are going to WORK OUT and you cant even open the door?!?! Lazy.

But still, this post is a rant about the gym, one class in particular. My pilates class. Now dont get me wrong, I love pilates, I have been going for quite awhile now, but my regular instructor is subbing another class for a woman on maternity leave. So therefore, there is a sub for Pilates. And good lord, this woman shouldn't be allowed near a foam mat.

On her first morning, she told us that she hadn't ever taught Pilates before (deal-able), but then proceeded to tell us that she didn't actually know any Pilates and had researched on the internet the night before. She is constantly looking at "notes" and finding crazy weird poses and exercises that are NOTHING like what we should be doing. Doing high knee kicks with twists would make Josef Pilates turn over in his grave (he is dead, right?) I mean, even wikipedia has more accurate descriptions of Pilates than what this lady does.

Its a class of mostly older (read: late 50s) women who aren't in the greatest of shape. And quite a few bigger women (read: they wear Skechers Shape Ups and think they work). I go because its a really good time for me and the regular instructor is my personal trainer, so I just make everything she has us do about 10 times harder. But with this new chick, she has us doing things (like shoulder stand leg kicks) that even I (who has been practicing yoga for four years) probably shouldn't be doing.

She is DANGEROUS! Nothing she does is with technique, its basically "Go as fast as you can" technique, which is just asking for poor framing and posture, getting less of a workout in, and a higher possibility of injury.

Also, she is always having them cross their legs for everything, which was one of the first things I ever learned. It throws your hips and IT bands of whack, you DONT cross your legs. But she claims it makes it easier to do. Which I guess I cant argue with, Im sure it does, but isn't her job as an instructor to lead you through the workout, and not make it so that you barely work, as well as NOT get messed up hips?

Maybe its just me that thinks that....not to mention that there is no warm up. And not that its a ridiculously hard workout, but at that hour in the morning, if I was lazy and didnt get up and run first, my body is cold and stiff. Going into shoulder stand cold, is NOT cool on the back.

Definitely not the brightest bulb in the box. She passed out the long weight bars (cause those are SO Pilates...) and handed me one of the smaller weighted ones, 8pounds, while she was giving out 22pound bars to the older women. Now, this makes ZERO sense to me, maybe she thought they were all the same, but they are all labeled with different NEON colored labels, and as she was passing them out, wouldnt she FEEL the difference? Apparently not.

And finally one of my biggest peeves. She can't count. She will actually skip numbers, then get confused at to how its taking so long to finish 12 counts. She needs a metronome too, because the first 10 counts will go MUCH slower than the last, like she is getting sick of it and goes faster just to get it over with. It's like, just use the clock lady, or a watch or ANYTHING, hell, let ME count for you. Or she will lie, and say that 10 more counts and then we are done, but then says she was kidding and we have abother 30 to do. I HATE THAT. Its like, I kill my last few every time knowing that they are my last ones, so when I am burnt out and find out I am only half way, I get pissed. Plus, why lie? It doesnt make it easier...it just makes me hate you more...

Sunday Funday for Me!

Reasons why yesterday was amazing:

The kitties got Martha Stewart costumes for 75% off. (Nessa really is the devil)

I found shorts perfect for underneath my Halloween costume in the juniors section (bar stools and bare butt don’t mix)

I had a killer healthy and delicious brunch with the family (finally turkey sausage is outting itself)

HyVee gained itself a HUGE bulk food item in the health food section (I will now be making granola like its my job)

HyVee ALSO now carries my line of eyeliner and such, previously only available online

I picked up my new yoga gear from my parents (yoga sandals are going to whip these toes into shape!)

I killed my hour of biking like it only took me 15 minutes

The peppermint patty brownies that I made for my grandmother’s birthday were raw and gooey, but turned out deliciously!

Finally, we finalized and worked on Christmas present ideas for this year (believe me, you WANT to be on the list of gift getting this year)

Throwback Thursday:

I've had killer workouts this week. Ate pretty well. So while the shame is still ridiculous, I feel pretty good about how far I have come.

For those that don't actually know me, cut about 60+ pounds off, and that's where I am at now, 8ish years later.

God that's gross.

Also, thats at my Uncle's plantation/manor/mansion acreage outside Philly over the 4th of July. When Adriano saw these pictures a few years ago, he said I was a cow. And I am pretty sure he was right.

Meg and Kate. Fellow Foodies.

So a few weeks ago, I signed up for the Tumblr Eat Up. Basically, they give you a person, and you bake for them and send them a tasty treat, while someone else gets your name and sends you something awesome for your tastebuds. I was getting scared as it was the last day to receive my yumyums.

AND THEN.

It turns out, that of the (at least) hundreds people that signed up for the Eat Up, my amazing college friend Meg's girlfriend Kate, got my name. She had waited to send it at the last possible time in order to space it out from my birthday (which her girlfriend had sent me the most gooey delicious portable version of smores.

Kates Oreo M&M Cookies (above) and Meg's Gooey Smore Stuff (below)

Is it Halloween yet?

New post soon. I have really sucked it up the past few months. Even worse, nearly every post says that I am going to be better about it, and never am. But I have a post in mind! How my new pilates instructor has the intellect of a pea. At least when it comes to pilates. I shall call her Peabrained Pilates Poser.

On a side note, we didn't really do Halloween as kids, I mean kinda, to our grandparents house and a few select others, but not to the degree of most. And then later, I went out once in college with a TOTAL cop out of a costume.

But tonight. TONIGHT. I bought my first Halloween costume. I would say since elementary school, but I don't think we ever bought my costume ever. It took quite the perusing at the store, and I'm pretty sure the guy that is forced to stand outside the dressing room to make sure we don't steal anything wanted to scream at me to just pick a costume and leave already, but I got it. Super cute, but not yet approaching hooker status. Love love love it. I won't say what it is quite yet, but I will tell you the rejects involved a German beer girl, a Referee, and a Eskimo.

The latter was a pretty high contender, leading Tim to try on a related costume (well, remotely related) and despite me not picking the Eskimo, he was so pumped about his costume that he ended up getting it anyway. The kid might as well be prancing on the walls about it. So even if our current plans fall through, we WILL be going out this year. I demand to be cute for Halloween in public!!

Simon's Cat.

Simon's Cat is amazing. The whole series is hilarious, catch more here: http://www.simonscat.com/films.html

Throwback Thursday: The Elder Ones!

The back of this card says 4/21/82 "The 1st Arrival." No idea what they were arriving to, but I know that it was a week and a half before Tim was born and three and a half YEARS before I was.

But those in full 80s rock mode, are my grandparents. My grandmother's father died this week, at the crazy age of 98. It was on his 75th wedding anniversary, how poetic is that? There was no surprise, and everyone, including him, was fully ready for the end, but still, its never a happy situation.

You know what IS a happy situation though? The stache that my grandfather is sporting in this....

New Yoga Gear. Eeek!

Third post of the day.

I just bought this for my new chocolate brown extra thick yoga mat.

Love.

Impromptu Designs is amazing. I have two yoga bags by her.