Preparations!

After three tiresome days of working on our new guest bed, it is finally complete! And why, you ask, did it take us three days to put together a bed when the frame itself was delivered and set up for us? Well, I'll tell you. Because my husband had to build this:


The mattress we bought is one of those memory foam mattresses. You have to lay it on a flat surface and not a box spring so there is no give. Well, the flat boxes they sold online were like $400! Um, for a box? No. So Matt decided to build us one! It was his first really big project and I think he did a wonderful job.

Here he is attaching the tops:


We finished the night by putting the mattress on and dressing up the rest of our beautiful bed! Check it out:



Obviously the room itself needs some work...but you should've seen it before. Picture an empty room because the night stand and the chest are also new. Big improvement people! And the bed is so comfy!

And to make my parents' experience just that much more fabulous...I finally did what I have wanted to do for all of my guests! Yes, you guessed it. I made towel animals!

Duck

It's hard to tell because of the black towel, but this is a cobra.

Elephant

Stingray!

Matt was a huge help with these animals...seeing as I had only figured out the cobra before he got home and had been at it for quite some time. My cow and gorilla were big FAILS. Thanks sweetie!

Countdown...

2 more days! Can't wait to see my parents!

*photo take at my sister's wedding and stolen from her Facebook*

Colorado!

I leave for Colorado in exactly 11 days to visit my brother and I could not be more excited. Never mind the fact that I have no idea where I will be sleeping because he doesn't have sheets...or what I will be eating because he has been to the grocery once in the past 6 months. Gotta love younger brothers who refuse to grow up!

I have been to Colorado only one other time and it was for a wedding. Matt's BFF Robert got married out there 2 years ago in June so we spent some extra time exploring. Enjoy some of my favorite pics from our trip!











Brother lives in Greeley and works for the University of Northern Colorado. Denver is about an hour away so I know we will be spending some time there. Have y'all ever been to Colorado? What are my must see and must do's??

Weekend Roudup!

Good morning my friends!

I must admit...I am pooped.

My weekend was jam packed with cleaning. And not just the...oh I'm gonna vacuum and pick up the area cleaning. Oh no. More like I'm gonna scrub all of the cabinets, wash every floor in the house, dust all wooden services, and clean the windows outside kind of clean. Yeah.

Saturday I woke up early-ish and went to the gym. I reappeared at Zumba for the first time in months and it was hard! Fun...but hard! After that, I set out to clean. I got one room done and then passed out :) I know. Sad. But I woke up to watch the final minutes of the Purdue/Michigan game...which I had previously turned off because it was making me throw up. But in stunning fashion, my Boilermakers stepped it up and actually won a game :) Boiler up!

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After my nap, I hit the ground running with some serious cleaning. And I caught Dirty Dancing on TV which actually brought a few tears to my eyes seeing little ole Patrick in his prime. But can I just tell you one thing? Okay, I have been watching Dirty Dancing for a bazillion years. Yes. A bazillion. It is my favorite movie of all time...by far. But when I was watching it on ABC Family...there were parts in there that I had never. seen. before. I am more than upset about this. I think traumatized would be a better word. So is ABC Family showing some director's cut that I do not have? Why does my VHS and DVD not have these scenes?? And it wasn't just one scene. I would say at least 5 scenes in the movie I had never even seen before. My heart hurts at this development because I can no longer legitimately say I know every word to this movie. (insert sad face here)

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Anyways...I spent the remainder of my Saturday night sorting and organizing papers, shredding, and paying bills. Exciting...I know.

As a hilarious side note, I turned off Saturday night football when Matt fell asleep on the couch to the only other watchable program...The Prince & Me II: The Royal Wedding....of course. Matt woke up soon after and we headed to bed. Yes, we have a TV in our room, and yes, we love it. Sue us. So we had the movie on in the bedroom and my dear, sweet, lovable husband watched the entire rest of the movie. I, however, fell asleep in 5.2 seconds. And you want to know the cutest thing? He told me all about the movie in the morning. Ha! Sometimes my heart literally bursts with love for him.

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Sunday was spent doing more cleaning and attempting to assist Matt in crafting our own box spring (minus the springs) for our new mattress. And we'll just leave it at that because it did not go well.

So today I would love to spend lounging....but I am at work. And I have another freaking Junior League event tonight. And I have to squeeze a trip to the gym in there somewhere as well. Ah, my glamorous life. Good thing I wouldn't have it any other way :) I guess God really does give you all you need :)

And speaking of God...I finished the Old Testament today! I cannot wait to start reading about Jesus! Eek! I can't believe I made it through!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! What did you do????

My Day Thus Far...

I have been at work for 4 hours already and have not received one single sample to test. What have I done with my time you ask? Well, I shall tell you:

• Checked my e-mail no less than 15 times.
• Verified the tracking information on both packages that are in route to my doorstep as we speak
• Returned every e-mail sitting in my Inbox.
• Made a list of every chore I must complete this weekend.
• Got off my butt a few times to make it look like I was working.
  
• Talked to my sister on the phone for 30 minutes
• Taken a break. Hey, I was hungry.
• Caught up on every single blog I read.
• Got up to date on Twitter.
• Thought about what to post.
• Clearly thought of nothing.
• Decided to post anyway.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! Our weekend, unbeknownst to my dear husband, will be spent scrubbing, dusting, sweeping, and cleaning every surface our of entire home. Don't worry honey. I made a list! Once we do something, we can check it off! Doesn't that sound like a blast??

Loves!

Thankful Thursday

I know a lot of y'all do Thankful Thursdays...but I borrowed (stole) this button from Jorden and Kristin so I'm giving her a shout out!

I am thankful for my husband and for how sweet he is to me. He is different with me than he is with anyone else and it makes me smile.

I am thankful for our home. Although we are in a city we do not want to be in, renting a home we would never buy, I am so happy to have it to share with my husband. The neighborhood is wonderful, our neighbors are quiet, and our landlords rake out leaves for us. What could be better? (Shoveling our snow. That's what could be better. But that's not what this post is about.)

I am thankful for my job. Even though I hate it more than any other job I have ever had, including sorting panties at Victoria's Secret, I am blessed not only to be working but to be able to work at all.

I am thankful that we started hiring more people here at work. It looks like the layoff period is behind us and I made it through. Thank goodness.

I am thankful for my family and the connection that I have with all of them.

I am thankful for the upcoming holidays and the promise of a very merry Christmas!

I am thankful for the wake up call I get every afternoon leaving work listening to Chris Fabry Live. Yesterday they were debating back and forth about the need for an organized church body vs. only attending a bible study group. One of the guest speakers advocating the organized church said something that spoke directly to me. When addressing the issue of a man who stopped going to church because he didn't get anything out of it....the guest speaker said something along these lines, "You don't go to church to get something out of it. It's not about what God can do for you. It's about what you can do for God. You go to church not for yourself but for others. To serve them and to serve God." Holy cow. I have literally said the words, "I didn't get much out of that service today." Point taken sir.

I am thankful for God's Word and for how much I have grown and learned reading it. But I am also thankful for how much further I have to go...and the fact that He will be there with me throughout my journey.

I am thankful for my bloggy friends who give me support and encouragement every day in every single aspect of my life. Who expected I would find some of the most amazing people I know on the Internet?? Not me.

Mostly I am thankful for true, honest bloggers who tell it like it is and who are not afraid to be who they are. You are my inspiration.

What about you?

A Random List of My Random Life

Let the randomness begin...

• Every year we have a football pool at Matt's work where you pick one team to win every week. If you're right...you move on...but you cannot use that team again. It's called a suicide pool. I rock at this pool.

• We started a pool at my work this year where you have to pick the winner of all of the games. I do not rock at this pool. In fact, I suck at this pool.

• My parents are coming in 9 days! They haven't been to Cleveland in over 2 years and have never seen our house...so I'm really excited!

• We bought a new guest bed in anticipation of their arrival! Holy crap...bedding is expensive.

• We're taking them to the Fabulous Food Show to see Bobby Flay!

• I intend on eating my way through the booths so I'd better start amping up my workouts now to prepare.

• I'm going to Colorado to visit my brother this month!

• He wants to go skiing. I want to go, but the last time I went was in Junior High and all I remember doing is falling down the hill...not skiing. Oh, and my skis flying off. I remember that too.

• I've already started Christmas shopping and I love it. Ah, giving. Tis the season! I can't wait to get out the decorations! I have many, many Hermie items waiting to make their appearance! He wants to be a dentist you know.

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• I have a serious obsession with Hermie. It's a problem.

• I am finishing up my Christmas list for my mom. I send her a Word document with links to the exact items I want so she doesn't get confused. I love my mama, but picking out gifts for her daughter...not her biggest strength.

• As I shared with my dear friends Shaina and Lucy on Twitter this morning, I wear a lab coat at work with someone else's name on it. And have for three years. They won't get me one with my own name on it because I'm a contractor. Um, I've worked in the lab longer than the girl whose lab coat I am wearing! And the joke about calling me by the other name...not so funny anymore.

• Actually, that joke was never funny.

Any random facts you would like to share??