Busy

Who would have thought I'd still be busy, even when school wasn't in session?

Up this week:

• Check up on my Paste magazine renewal and gift subscription. Why do magazine subscriptions take so freaking long to process??
• Try to make it to a Talbot's to return a shirt. I'm about 30 years too young for that store.
• Make a list of reception sites to visit (next weekend??).
  
• Wash my car. Although, that might not be as necessary any more.
• Register for the Crate & Barrel registry party. Finally, time for me to start feeling like we're actually getting married!
  
• Buy a 16.5" x 21.5" frame for my Keepon poster, if nothing else but to get it off the floor.
• Investigate the Disneyland half marathon. I think I'd really like to do it again, but hopefully not in 85 degree weather.
• Start my class reading. I have a bunch for my first Globe class, but I don't even know what books I need for my other two. I plan on buying those Monday.
  
• Work, of course, and bring something for the rotational potluck Friday.

Weekend

I spent all day Friday at work thinking about a trip to Paris. Mostly because MSNBC was telling me all about the best of Paris and a combination trip to Paris and Amsterdam. I guess I was just tired of the dreary weather, because a trip to rustic Catalina was looking pretty nice too.

I'm sure you've heard on the news we're getting disastrous rain, but it didn't really start until I left the gym around 5:30. I had to run 25 minutes and 10 minutes on the real stairmaster because we had a pizza and movie date, and I had to make up for all the Goody's pizza I knew I was going to eat! We ended up driving around all over to find Shaun of the Dead at a local Blockbuster, and I'd vote the pizza and Asti champagne really made the movie worthwhile. Oh, and Simon Pegg's face makes me laugh.

Saturday we got up and Andy made pancakes. We spent the day doing laundry, and I went through all of my wedding stuff that had accumulated over the fall semester, started cutting out pictures I liked, and organizing them in my planning binder. I don't have any more decisions made, aside from the save the date card design, but at least I feel organized and ready to go. For dinner, I made Spanish rice, black beans, and spicy beef for burritos. Not bad for my first try! But I don't think next time I will double the rice recipe.

Sunday was a crazy kind of day. It rained all of Saturday night, and let up in the morning, so Andy thought it would be a good idea to go on a little hike. Despite my saying that hiking during the worst weather we've seen in 3 years, the thunder we heard right before our friend met up at our apartment, or the nearly pea-sized hail that fell just before we got out the door, we went hiking. I was lured by the White City remains - the story is really fascinating. It was only a 5 mile hike, but I felt really out of shape on the way up. Lucky for us, it only rained a little. The trail was surprisingly really busy given the conditions. Afterwards, we went to Big Mama's Barbecue, which was on Lake in Pasadena on our way out. The restaurant was empty, the food was fantastic, and we saw San Diego pretty much win it against Tennessee. We exchanged pictures and made hot chocolate before our friend left, I called my parents (to let them know we were not actually evacuated, flooded, or without power), and spent the evening getting ready for the week.

Case

It's amazing how accurate this is. And it's not helping my dreading the first day of school on the 14th.

Paree

Sigh. Is the new Jules Verne restaurant not amazing?


I could settle for Vegas ...

Barbie

Look! Barbie shoes!


OK, now I really need to clean out the closet.

{edit: OK, now that I've confessed to buying these, I can post the funny story. I bought these after a failed Victoria's Secret shopping trip at the mall today with one of my coworkers. She kind of tried to talk me out of them - the heels are a little high (but not as high as the ones I was already wearing), where would I wear them, etc. After watching me shuffle up and down the aisle (they were attached with elastic), she said, "Well, are you going to buy them?" I tried really hard to find fault. They're not Xhilaration (remember the 80s/90s perfume?), so they don't immediately hurt. And now that they're sitting on my desk, they might just be too cute to wear.}

Bibuhlz

The Bible according to LOLCats.

I'm still laughing. Thank you, internet, for making getting dumber fun.

2008

Happy new year!! I can't believe it's 2008. As I'm nursing a ... ahem ... "headache," and the painful loss of my team at the Rose Bowl, here's 2007:

• Finished the first year of MBA school at USC. Ouch.
  
• Visited Alaska and Canada on my very first cruise.
  
• Andy's graduation (our third together!).
• Our parents meeting (and getting along wonderfully).
• One-year engagement anniversary and seeing Wicked at the Pantages.
• My grandmother's 80th birthday.
• A whole year as a cost accountant.

While most people are making their new year's resolutions, I'm pretty much figuring out what I have to do - not what I aspire to do! So instead of resolutions, I say go ahead and make your new year's action plan. My dad asked me today what my 5 year plan entails. I guess my 5 year plan is squished down in to about a year and a half, starting with 2008:

• Finish my MBA in December. Actually, I think that's a goal for everyone in my family!
  
• Really, finally, and for truly get my rear in gear for the wedding. That means a lot of things. But, I have my new Martha Stewart Wedding Planner loaded and ready to go (thank you Dan!!!). This means getting some save-the-date cards designed (because I'm just not quite happy with the existing options).
  
• Mexico for Thanksgiving. Sounds like a weird goal, but I can't think of a better way to spend those few days than laying on the beach and relaxing.
• Taking better care of myself, which is a multi-point action:
• Exercising. I get achy when I don't do yoga enough, and it's been almost 2 weeks now. I also want to beat a 30 minute 5k, and this year may as well be the year.
• Taking better care of my general appearance. I don't want to be super-skinny, I'd much rather look like the models in Fitness magazine.
  
• Also, using good products and putting some effort into my makeup. Wearing properly-sized heels instead of lazy flats. And purging my closet of old, cheap, icky, or not-flattering clothes while trying to get a couple of pennies out of them from Buffalo Exchange.
  

I'm feeling a little lethargic tonight, so I'll update with my current to-do list another day.