Pretty in Plaid

By now you know my love for Jen Lancaster, right? I mean, I'm pretty much obsessed with all things Jennsylvania. She is my imaginary BFF.

Last weekend I made the 5 1/2 hour drive to Dodge City and Jess suggested I get an audio book to help me pass the time. I was surprised by the selection the Johnson County Library had in audio books, but totally freaked out when I saw Pretty in Plaid!!! I would drive to Dodge City and back a hundred times if it meant I could listen to Jen's hilarious stories! Yes, I call her Jen because we are BFF.

Pretty in Plaid is basically Jen's life story retold through what she happened to be wearing at the time. It started with stories from her childhood which mostly involved a Girl Scout sash, moved on to the teen years in her sweet Jordache jeans, and then on to my personal favorite part of the book: the college years, which are heavily centered around Jen's lavaliere. Anyone who has suffered through rush, on either side, will die of laughter at her stories of trying to get into a house, and even more so when she actually joins one and ends up as the nazi Rush Chair. Even though she doesn't sport a crescent moon tattoo or brown and mode, I like to envision her in the Gamma Phi basement screaming about the importance of sisterhood and proper dress code. We're sisters in my head.

If you haven't read anything by Jen Lancaster, I totally recommend you do! And if you don't have time to read, get the audio book! Its the lazy man's/Jamie's way to read!!!

Side Note: Dodge City is not the new Las Vegas, but it is making steps in that direction. Jess is working for the Boot Hill Casino & Resort and it is pretty dang cool... and not just for something in the middle of Western Kansas. While its no New York New York (my fave!), it is a pretty cool casino. Road trip??

Back To School

I've been in class for a whole week now, and I've made some important observations; specifically that I am way out of my league... and also sort of in my element... if that makes sense.

Some Junior College happenings:

• I am taking Chemistry. Scary, right? Not really. Half the class is made up of middle-aged women pulling backpacks with wheels who can't understand the concept of weight vs. mass. I often feel like the smartest person in the room. And the youngest.
• My new best friend is a girl named Sophia. She's 18 and on the tennis team and has a nose ring. She freaked out when I told her I was 27 and told me I couldn't be more than 20. Love her. I guess all that eye cream is really working.
• Everyone has their nose pierced. Everyone.
• I'm taking Human Sexuality and it will be the death of me. I am the oldest person in the class. I know this because we had to get to know the person sitting next to us and then introduce them to the class. Everyone started out with, "This is Suzy and she's 18..." I'm also the only person married. Oh, and I'm the biggest prude in the class too. I know this because when one girl introduced her new class friend and said, "This is Mary. She likes to smoke Hookah, and so do I. But we both dislike hard drugs." I was the only one who freaked out. Seriously, the teacher didn't even flinch. I guess I should mention that I'm the oldest except for the teacher, who would have surely been cast as the lead in "40 Year Old Virgin" had it starred a woman. She has very unfortunate hair and while she's well-versed in sex therapy, the concept of a brush is completely foreign to her. Today she was wearing a brown crushed velvet pant suit with big gold buttons. I cringe when she uses terms like "anal sex" and "masturbation". Who am I kidding? I cringe whenever anyone uses these terms. This class will be the death of me.
• Not only am I taking classes at JCCC, but I also have a class on the KSU campus. Every Thursday afternoon I drive 2 hours to Manhattan to sit in a 50 minute class with a bunch of sorority girls and listen to our teacher talk about dressing professionally and appropriate classroom behavior. Hello! I worked at the most conservative bank in the country for 3 years. Do I really need to be driving all this way to hear that I shouldn't be showing off the goods? This Thursday I'm going to bring my collection of panty hose and see if I can't test out. I'm also going to wear my 2003 Homecoming shirt and Gamma Phi lavaliere... just to seem more relateable to these kids. They'll surely think I'm super awesome when they find out I'm dating a Beta!

I'm assuming I'll have lots more stories and observations as I delve into the student life again... so get excited for that! I'm off to study Chemistry and find out what "hookah" is... and possibly report it to the authorities.

Go State!!!

What a great year to be a Wildcat! I skipped my usual Monday night Bachelor Party with the girls to watch the K-State/Texas game. Drew invited a couple of friends over and after several minutes of our boys holding their lead I decided I needed to bust out the camera to document the night. I mean, what if we won and I had no proof of the night?



Brett & Drew:

Andrea & Mike:

Ari, reminding everyone why we really shouldn't have people over:

The puppies love guests. They like to jump on them and kiss them and make them feel uncomfortable. But there is no one the puppies love more than Brett. He is far and away their favorite person ever. They got in a fight over who got to love on him first:

Ari is really a sweet boy once he settles down! He loves to watch basketball:

Nervous:

Frank is the man! The ESPN announcers kept referring to him as a "spirited" coach. Yep, he's spirited all right:

For the win!!!

So apparently Drew's friends aren't accustomed to my paparazzi picture taking. They wouldn't even pose for a "we just won the biggest game ever" shot:

We're number one:

Drew totally made fun of me for doing the #1 in our picture... but come on! We just beat the #1 team. I'm pretty sure the finger was necessary.

Such a great time to be a wildcat! This was totally worth missing The Bachelor.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Drew and I have a pretty standard Friday night routine; we get into our sweats and sit on the couch with our dogs watching TV until after the Soup comes on. Gibsons love us some Joel McHale. Oh, and we're awesome.

Last night, in the middle of an exceptionally exciting Friday (we ordered pizza and were half way through a bottle of Malbec), my phone rang. It was Mrs. Meggy Jones. She and Kevin were having dinner in PV and wanted to meet us for a drink at the Blue Moose. I did a once over, assessed the amount of effort it would take to make myself presentable, and gave Meggy the okay. That's right. We actually left the house on a weekend. Whoa.

Me & Meg:

Drew & Kev, probably talking about sports or something:

And look who else was at the Moose! Todd Haley! Yeah, I didn't really know who that was either... its the Chiefs coach. Drew freaked out when I tried to take his picture (from two tables away) so I had to use my phone and it came out tiny. I'm sure Mr. Haley is used to people taking his picture at bars. I doubt he cares. I mean come on, I'm like the Kansas City paparazzi.

What? My blog is totally the US Weekly of Johnson County. Right?

Then Katy showed up!!! This is why I love Prairie Village:

Kev practiced his singing and signing. He's got some pretty sweet moves. When he wins American Idol, People Magazine will be banging down my door for these pictures:

I don't know what Katy's doing, but I think she's pretty funny:

Cute husband:

OMG! Then Kel Kel showed up!

She showed up with this guy:

I know what you're thinking, and no that is not Andy she came with. You heard it here first (People ain't got nothing on me)! Our advice to you Kelly, if you're going to have an affair, don't do it at the neighborhood bar!

Okay, I'm kidding. Kel is not having an affair. I think they wanted to go out for a drink but someone had to stay home with Sophie so they played rock paper scissors and Andy came up short and ended up drinking at home, alone.

The following series of photos can be attributed to one drink too many and the fact that I often think I'm funnier than I really am. Emotions:

Kelly's having an affair? We are shocked. Shocked:

Todd Haley wants to buy us drinks? We are surprised and elated! Surprised and elated:

The Bachelor called and wants us to be on the show and they need sexy posed photos? Sexy:

Hmmm.... sexy faces = serious fail.

You don't think we're sexy? That confuses us. Confused:

Now you're saying hurtful things about our lack of sexiness? That makes us very sad. Very sad:

Now we're just pissed. Scrunchie face:

Okay, let's try this sexy thing again with a little help from our friends. Give me your best sexy face:

Fail.

Maybe if we had on a little more makeup? Let's do our best "putting on mascara" face:

I don't really know how "going out for a drink" turned into that, but thanks to the Joneses for getting our butts off the couch and out in public so I could make a fool of myself and others.

Dilemma

So... there was a tie in the bag poll. Didn't see that one coming. Tie breaker: I didn't pay very close attention to the details and it turns out the Puma bag isn't actually big enough to hold my books. Oops! So cute though.

That means the brightly colored bag #1 wins by default! Yea! But... I'm not getting the bag. Sad I know.

In an effort to stick to the resolution to spend less money, I came to an agreement with Drew (the only one to vote for the roller princess backpack) that I will use a bag I already have for school and as a graduation present I get to pick out a really nice teacher bag. Brooke suggested a Coach teacher bag. I like the way you think, Brooke. So, no new bag for now... but feel free to point me in the direction of a super fabulous graduation bag!

I'm also disappointed that no one voted for bag #5. It was an Alexander McQueen (like on Glee!) and cost $2,939. Do you think people really log onto Zappos.com and drop three thousand dollars on a bag? I mean, I'd have a hard time buying a $50 bag online without holding it first, let alone a bag that costs more than my tuition.

Resolutions: How are we doing here?

Just so you don't think I'm hiding in a closet somewhere eating brownie batter, here's a little update to how the New Year is going so far...

Resolution: Run Faster. Did you know it snowed like a thousand times in the last week? The fact that I'm not cuddled up on the couch eating brownie batter is a miracle in itself. The fact that I made it to the gym to run on the treadmill 3 times this week is pretty unbelievable too. And I ran fast. Well, fast for me. On Wednesday, in an attempt to "run fast" I did 5 miles of intervals that went like this: 0.25 miles @ 6.5 mph, 0.25 miles @ 7 mph, 0.25 miles @ 7.5 mph, 0.25 miles @ 8 mph, repeat for 5 miles. OMG. I was so tired. Plus, lets be honest, once you get up to 8 mph the treadmill starts making a lot of noise and people start staring. So I'm pretty proud (or embarrassed) of myself for ignoring the looks and finishing the workout. Resolution = Success!

I keep seeing people update on FaceBook about how they are running a marathon this Spring and it makes me SUPER jealous! But I keep reminding myself to stick to the program. This Spring is for halfs. That works for me.

Resolution: Be More Organized, Get Good Grades, Look Cute, Not Old. Ummm... Drew organized the office so when I blog I feel more organized. I bought some notebooks and printed my syllubus for an online class. I feel pretty cute. This resolution is going really well. Resolution = Success!

Resolution: Stop Spending Money! Damn you Target. And damn you Costco with your cheap liquor. New resolution: don't shop at Costco in Missouri. I have no self control when it comes to cheap booze. There's a reason its illegal to sell liquor at Costco in Kansas. Resolution = Fail.

Resolution: Have More Fun! Hmmm... have sat on couch drinking hot chocolate & Bailey's for 3 viewings of Season 1 of Glee (yes, the entire season, 3 times) with husband. Glee = Fun. Husband = Fun. Resolution = Success!

****Note: Resolution having to do with Twilight & Teen Angst has been deffered until June****

Resolution: Eat Cleaner. We've been doing really well with this one. If you disregard all the Bailey's and hot chocolate (it's organic hot chocolate though!) and one trip to Spin Pizza, we've eaten really healthy this week. Only problem is... we are plum out of food. Last week at the store I cringed when Drew bought a ton of apples, thinking that we'd never eat all of them... along with the tons of other snacks we bought. Now we are 100% out of fruits and veggies in our fridge. Looks like we'll be going on an emergency grocery run today. And I guess we'll have to buy more apples.

I get really snacky, and with the lack of junk food in the house I have to turn to the only sweet foods we have: fruit. I've eaten a lot of raisins this week! Drew had a breakdown on Friday night and demanded to know where I was keeping my stash. I usually have some sort of chocolate hiding in the back of the freezer or some candy stashed on a high up shelf, but I don't anymore. That is commitment! He tried to send me out for chocolate chip cookies but I made him a hot chocolate & Peppermint Schnaps instead. Hot chocolate doesn't count when its below zero. That's a fact. Resolution = Kind of pretty successful so far.

New Resolution: Go to church. I added this one late... but with good cause. I've totally been slacking on my church attendence lately. It always seems like I get busy and things get prioritized in front of going to church. Like, I need to squeeze in a run, or I have to work, or I'm really tired and don't want to get up that early... early as in 10 AM. Time to get my priorities straight. God > Running. Church > Sleep. So far so good. I went to church this week and last... just have to keep it up.

That's enough of resolutions and betterment for now. More importantly... have you voted on a bag?! Please see poll to the right. Today is your last chance to vote in this very important election of bag! Now if you'll excuse me... I think I hear some brownie batter calling my name.

Choose my Bag

Since I haven't received any bag suggestions I've been tooling around on the internet trying to find one on my own. So now I need your advice! Please pick a bag for me from the following:

Bag #1: Such a fun color!




Bag #2: Drew says it is too fancy for school. He just doesn't understand how fancy I am.

Bag #3: Looks like it came from Basket Weaving 101.

Bag #4: I really like the green stripe!

Bag #5: Horse Shoe for good luck?

Bag #6: Because rolling backpacks really make a lot of sense.

All photos curtesy of zappos.com. Get your votes in! Polls close on Sunday.

Goals... resolutions... whatevs...

Everyone seems to have posted their official New Year's Resolutions for the year, so I know I'm a little late on this. Usually I make like a thousand resolutions and never write any of them down and then can't remember what any of them are by February. Only this year I've reached January 5th and can't really remember all the virtues I intended to instill into my life... oops! Instead, here are some things I'm looking forward to in the next year, with some resolutions mixed in:

HALF MARATHONS!!! I've declared 2010 the year of the half. I decided that if I am going to reach my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon by the time I'm 30 (way closer than it used to be!) I need to actually try to run faster.

I have 4 halfs lined up for the spring, the first of which is this month! I haven't signed up for the Topeka to Auburn 1/2 marathon yet b/c I'm holding out on the weather. If it is going to be below 20 degrees I'm out. I'm not that tough! My PR is something like 1 hour and 50 minutes for a half marathon and I'd like to beat that sometime this spring. After that we'll see if I stick with the 1/2 or move on to training for another full this fall.

****Resolution****
Run faster

SCHOOL!!! Yep, I'm going back to school! I'm so excited to start classes next week! I'm taking 11 hours at Johnson County Community College and 6 hours online through K-State, all in an attempt to get my degree in Family and Consumer Science Education. I'm gonna be a Home Ec Teacher! Sorry Jana, I know I'm not supposed to use the HE word!

I'm also super nervous for school! I'm going to be almost 10 years older than some of the people in my classes! So weird. What am I going to wear? And more importantly, what kind of bag do I carry? If you are bored at work (and why else would you be reading this?) please take some time to search online for a new bag for me to carry my books in. I need something cute, but not something that screams "I'm old and trying to be cool!" Bonus points to whoever finds me the best bag!

****Resolution****
Be more organized, get good grades, look cute, not old!

WE'RE DEBT FREE!!! Okay, not really. But as you may know, I'm a huge Dave Ramsey fan. So I'm very excited to be paying off Drew's car in the next few months... just in time to replace that debt with student loans. Dave would not be pleased to hear about that, so please don't tell him. It will just be so nice not to have a car payment every month!

****Resolution****
Stop spending money!

VACATION!!! Okay, not really. I'm forgoing the annual Spring trip to St. Croix this year because it conflicts with those classes I mentioned earlier. So poor Drew will have to go it alone this year... and possibly for the next few years! As someone pointed out, teachers can't really take off in the middle of the year to go to the islands. Do you think the bank would be willing to coordinate its audit with Spring Break?

Even though I won't be spending a week on the beach, we do have some fun weekend trips lined up for the upcoming year. We're hoping to make it to Kentucky to visit our friend Blake. My cousin is getting married in May in Nashville to a lovely gal. I've always wanted to go to Nashville! I'd really like to get our friends together for a float trip this summer! Anyone in? And I'm bound and determined to start an annual ski weekend in Angel Fire with Jess and Ryan. Sounds fun, huh?!

****Resolution****
Have more fun.

ECLIPSE!!! Comes out in June, right?!? Jess will not make the mistake of ordering a Diet Coke in a cup other than the collector's edition.

****Resolution****
Find out if the Taylors really broke up, add more goth pieces to wardrobe, practice teen angst.

So, lots of things to look forward to in 2010! As for other resolutions, Drew and I have decided to start eating "cleaner". We're eating less processed foods (goodbye Oreos) and trying to eat more real, whole foods (hello Mr. Apple), organic when possible. We're also avoiding high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils. So far it is going pretty well. I think the hardest part for me is going to be baking. I guess I just have to replace cupcakes with muffins and cookies with granola. Man, I'm going to be a popular gal at game nights and dinner parties!

We've also agreed to one "cheat" meal a week where we can have the processed stuff we've been missing. I'm pretty sure we'll be holding out for Sunday night dinners at the Gibsons because there is no way I could ever turn away a dessert from Drew's mom. I don't have that kind of will power.

We'll see how it goes... we're not trying to lose weight or anything... just trying to be healthier in general without going overboard or doing something crazy like swearing off Ben & Jerry's forever. I'm sure I'll be updating, and if I'm not it is probably because I'm hiding in the closet stuffing my face with oreos or devouring a bowl of brownie batter. Cheers to that!

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

Happy 2010

New Year's has always been one of my least favorite holidays... for a few reasons. Okay, its a fun night to get dolled up and look all cute... but it is cold. I'm more likely to hibernate in the winter than run around in heels and a cute dress. It is expensive. $100 for open bar and appetizers at a crowded bar with 500 people you don't know... not my style. Bar hopping at the Plaza or Power & Light District? Okay, that involves both cold and expensive... definitely not my kind of night. I just feel like New Year's is always built up to be some fabulous evening and it turns out being a huge hassle instead. Now I know you're thinking I'm a grumpy old fun-hater... you're probably right.

I've been pleased as punch that the rest of the crew is catching up with my aversion to the traditional New Year's events and hosting their own parties instead! I'd so much rather ring in the new year with my favorite people than at some bar or club with a bunch of strangers. :)

My wonderful, fabulous friend Heather hosts a New Year's party every year in Wichita, but sadly we weren't able to make the trip this year. So we celebrated here with Drew's friends instead.

I knew it was going to be a super fun evening when they busted out Catch Phrase!!!



And when I was greeted at the door by a furry fellow:


Johnny Walker is a 6-month old puppy and he was such a sweetheart!!! He'd just run and jump on anyone's lap and cuddle:


The award for "Clue of the Night" goes to Joe Brown for "A complex carbohydrate that you pass around". Any guesses? It's a hot potato!



They had some serious track lighting in the kitchen... spotlight on me:



10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


Cheers!!!!

And after midnight we returned to our game of Catch Phrase:

Here's hoping to a fabulous 2010! Anyone make any fun resolutions they want to share? My resolution is to play more Catch Phrase. I'm declaring 2010 the year of the Game Night. Get excited!

Christmas Recap Part 3: Gibson Fun

Christmas Eve is probably the best night of the year in my book. Unfortunately I don't have pictures because they are all on the fancy camera that I had to return to its rightful owners. Some highlights:

It was snowing pretty good as we drove to church and had been for some time. We passed a man, looked around my age, as we drove who was running down Nall... in the snow... in short shorts!!! These are the people who make me feel like I'm not a real runner. Also, whoever said Catholic Mass is long, have you been to a Lutheran service? Holy Christmas it was long!

Drew's dad was born on Christmas so usually we go out to eat on Christmas Eve to celebrate his birthday. Our newest family member J-Man Jack, doesn't currently have the attention span or manners to go to a fancy restaurant. So instead we spent the evening at Drew's Aunt Nancy's house where we had food catered from Johnny Cascone's. That combined with cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, a wine tasting bar, and the best Christmas cookies ever (thanks Brooke!) made for one fantastic night.

Drew's cousin Todd and his wife Gayle just moved to Omaha from North Carolina, which means they are able to attend all these events. I hadn't had much of a chance to get to know them before and am so glad to get the chance now. Especially since Todd always seems to be the one pouring the shots at family gatherings like these.

One person who is probably glad I don't have access to the pictures from the night is Brooke. Bryan was a bit under the weather on Christmas Eve and Brooke took full advantage... by double and sometimes triple-fisting her holiday drinks. I heard she had to shovel snow to get rid of her hangover before Christmas brunch with Bryan's parents the next day. There is nothing I love more than Brooke with a drink (or a few)!

We had a white Christmas, if you didn't know. Drew and I have a tradition of making Monkey Bread and opening presents first thing in the morning. No pictures, no camera. Sorry! But my super wonderful hubs pre-ordered the first season of Glee for me! All you haters and non-watchers are invited over for a marathon of the best show ever.

We headed back to the Gibsons in the afternoon for Christmas dinner (delish) and presents! And I know ya'll are getting sick of reading my recaps without pics.... so lucky for you I got a new camera for Christmas!!! My Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS is teal. She's so pretty.

Of course Christmas was all about Jack this year. He sort of knew what was going on with the whole present opening thing... and good thing. Because Santa was good to the little man.



Santa was also good to Drew! Drew asked for tools for Christmas and Santa must have gotten confused and brought Drew new golf clubs. Those are tools, right? Here's Drew, thinking about trying them out in the snow:



Santa was also good to Bryan! He received a brand new Tickle Me Elmo! Yea Bryan! I know its what you've always wanted!!!

And, more cuteness from the J-Man:

That hat isn't from Santa. Its from Aunt Jamie. How stinking cute is he?!? To get your own awesome kids wear, check out the best children's boutique in KC, Mady & Me!!!

We all (the girls) got really excited when we saw that Santa brought Cheryl a Tivol box. Doesn't get much more exciting than that, right?

Jack, you need to put on your chaps and boots if you're going to be riding that horse around all day!

After we'd opened all of our gifts we headed downstairs where Jack tried out another one of his gifts. To Brooke's delight this one was "some assembly required." Its okay, Elmo is here to help.

Wine... and more important; dessert! Since it is Tom's birthday he always gets his favorite desserts; German Chocolate Cake and Pineapple Pie. I had never had Pineapple Pie before, but Brooke makes one each year for her dad and I think we all agreed that she totally perfected if this year. So good! Lots of wine:

And we got to try out our new toys too! I'm not a big video game person but Super Mario Brothers is awesome! And I actually know how to play thanks to countless hours doing so as a kid.

Who does marketing for Nintendo? Because they are seriously genius. I feel like everyone now has the tradition of spending the holidays playing Wii together. Whoever came up with that... total genius. That guy needs a raise.

Such a good Christmas! I'm so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life to spend the holidays with! I hope you all had an equally fabulous Christmas! I'm off to play with my new camera. :)