the past couple of weeks

Quick recap of the past 2 weeks:

Attended my first bridal shower...so much fun! It was actually a joint shower for Carie, Laura and me since our group of friends live so far apart. We had such a great time catching up and laughing. 4 of our KC friends hosted it, and put so much work into pulling off the perfect party. Photos stolen from Christen.


Attended my second bridal shower...again, a great time! This one was hosted by three of my friends from work. The food and conversation was wonderful. More pics to come when I get them uploaded.

I've decided showers are fun. I think dearest fiance likes them too. He gets to spend a Saturday doing whatever he wants, and I come home with presents. What's there not to love?

Work has been excessively busy of late. Our team lost 2 members in the last round of lay-offs, which has been really difficult on both the work and personal front. It's always hard to see people let go, but when you consider them dear friends, it's even harder.

School has been eating up what's left of my free time, but I definitely can't complain. I'm truly happy and grateful for all the good things in my life. Friends, family, a job, a new career and starting a new life with a boy I'm smitten for. What more could I want? :)

catching up

Whoops, it's been awhile since my last post. Hopefully everyone had a good v-day. Mine was filled with studying, but did include a nice Waldo Pizza venture. Mmm...

On the family front, Scott is home from the hospital and on the road to recovery. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and thoughts. He is still having to go back to the hospital every day for treatments, but we've seen no signs of rejection yet, so that's awesome!

I had a recent freak out when I got one of those random emails from The Knot and it said something along the lines of, "only 95 days to go!" WHAT?! Anything in 2 digits sounds freakishly close. But oh well, I'm ready!

I won a contest at work last week. It was our version of the Biggest Loser, where everyone put in $20 and weighed in monthly for 4 months. Whoever's BMI went down the most at the end took the pot. Yay for me! 19 lbs and a decrease of 3.3%. Still have a long way to go, but this is a good start.

Got to see Joel McHale Friday night, which was hilarious. He's one of the funniest guys on TV in my opinion. The show was partially ruined by 4 KU sorority girls directly behind us who had been at Kelly's since 2 PM. But after Adam and I both told them very kindly that we'd paid to see Joel, not hear them, it got a little better. Was I ever that much of a jackass at 21? Probably.

School is still insane. My teacher is worthless. I'm learing though, and pulled an A on our first 395 point test. Barely.

OK, back to work. More to come as it occurs.

be a donor

So I have another quick soapbox to stand on, but I promise it's worth it.

If you're not already an organ doner, please consider it. I know it sounds easy, just signing the back of your driver's license, right? Sort of.
You'd be amazed how many people don't do that. But even more, that signature DOES NOT guarantee that your organs will be donated.

The best way to ensure that you're a donor is to inform your family of your desire to donate. Even better, put it in writing to them. Send a quick email to your spouse or parents. Hospitals will always seek consent of the next of kin before removing organs. If your family members know you wanted to be a donor, it makes it easier for them to give their consent. I know it sounds morbid, but you never know when someone you love (or even you) will be the one in need.

There are many myths out there about organ donation. People think the hospital staff won't work as hard to save their life becuase they can save others with the organs. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you go to the hospital for treatment, the docs are focused on saving your life — not somebody else's. In most cases, you're being treated by staff who have nothing to do with transplants.

My future brother-in-law was lucky enough to receive a pair of lungs this week...without them he would not have survived much longer. Because of his disease (Cystic Fibrosis) he had many strikes against him for the transplant. But thank goodness someone who was a match had made the decision in life to be a donor in death.

Please think about it. And if you want to be a donor, let someone know.

To learn more, visit this site.

Funniest Craig's List Post EVER

OK, so those of you that know me, know that I've had some "issues" with the ol' tummy in the past. I think that's why I found this so damn amusing.


To the woman that crapped in my car… (NE Portland)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply to: pers-1007823954@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2009-01-25, 8:53PM PST

We met on Craigslist so I am hoping that this post finds you. I know that it could quite possibly be the most humiliating first date that you have ever been on, but I am willing to look past that.

I thought we had chemistry sitting at McMenamins sharing that basket of Cajun Tots while drinking the Terminator Stout. I really felt like there was a connection there. I found you to be intelligent and witty and looked forward to further conversation with you.

At some point in life, everyone has gambled on a fart and lost. It just happened to be on a first date in the passenger seat of my car. Please don’t feel bad. The package I sent you with Pepto the next day and the note that said “First dates are always a crap shoot. Call me” was meant to be funny, not offensive.

I have gambled on a fart and lost on multiple occasions. The first time I did it was very memorable. It happened when I was five and sitting on my uncle's lap. I am lactose intolerant, but love cheese. I probably win 95% of the time, but I don't think anyone wins 100% of the time. That's why they call it "gambling". I'm the last person to judge you for crapping your pants. In fact, I am impressed by your boldness. The timing on the other hand, could have been a tad bit better...like when you're not sitting on a heated leather seat...

What I am trying to say is that if you want to go out again, I would be more than happy to take you someplace where we can get a meal that is high in fiber and less taxing on the digestive tract.

I await your call,
Tad

P.S. - If you shat yourself on purpose to end the evening early…Touché…

Location: NE Portland
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Change a Pet's Life Day

For any of you who are in the market to adopt a furry friend, this weekend would be a great time to do it.

Change a Pet's Life Day is this Saturday 1/24 at participating shelters across the US. The first ten adoptions at participating shelters are free. Check out this site to find a shelter near you.

www.feedingisbelieving.com/believe/shelter-search.do

what does one do

When you absolutely, without a doubt, are certainly sure, that a dear friend is making a huge, life-altering mistake, what do you do?

1. Voice concern but stand by their decision and make yourself available to help pick up the pieces, all the while knowing they're making a horrible decision

2. Voice your opinion loud and clear, refuse to watch them ruin their life, thereby turing your back on the situation and running the risk of losing the friendship

It's a damned if you do/damned if you don't situation, folks. We've all been there. I'm usually a #1 person but this one might call for the latter.

What type are you and how has it worked out for you in the past?

Hope everyone had a great holiday – just realized I haven’t posted forever so I’ll try to sum up all the stuff running through my head as concisely as possible.

Things I’m Looking Forward To In 2009:

Movies – I’ve only seen one so far this year, Doubt, which was very good. I haven’t yet seen, but am looking forward to seeing, Slumdog Millionaire, Valkyrie, Rachel Getting Married, Milk, Benjamin Button and many more.
TV – Gossip Girl officially kicked off on Monday. I’m addicted and I can’t help it. Such mindless fun. Katie sent me a link to NY Magazine’s Daily Intel that provides some hilarious commentary every so often on the show. Big Love and Flight of the Conchords will also be new this month, and the new season of True Blood will be coming in the spring. I heart my HBO.
Music – I’ve had satellite radio for a few years now and love it. Recently, Sirius and XM merged so I have access to more stations. One that I’m loving right now is Sirius XMU. It’s described as Indie Rock Radio, but I think it’s much more than that. Some of my latest favorites are Bloc Party, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend and The Black Ghosts (actually heard them first on the Twilight soundtrack…yes, another shameful addiction)
A New President – the other day I was at a friend’s house who has quite the opposite political views as me. She had a sticker on her fridge that said, “I’ll keep my guns, money and freedom. You can have your Change.” Yeah, well, I’ll take the Change, thank you very much.
Tying the Knot – is it awful that I just wish the whole thing would hurry up and get over with? Planning is a pain. But I’m looking forward to a relaxing honeymoon in Negril and the start of a new adventure with my future hubby. Whoa, that officially sounds weird.
Starting School Full-Time – August seems so far away, but I’m sure it’ll be here before I know it.
Meeting New Kiddos – so many of my gal pals have recently had or are expecting their first little ones. It’s been such a joy to see all those who are already here and I can’t wait to meet the new ones. There’s nothing cooler than seeing the actual living combination of two totally great people.

Things I’m Not Looking Forward To In 2009:

Watching my grandma age… I know it’s inevitable but it doesn’t make it any easier.
Not having an income for a year…yeah, that’s pretty much going to suck balls.
Continuing to live in our neighborhood – with real estate as bad as it is now, there’s no way we can afford to make a move, but the crime is increasing almost daily around us. Recently, 3 cars have been stolen on our street and a purse theft/stabbing with a crack pipe (really?) at the gas station a few blocks up. We’re as careful as we can be, but there’s just no way to ever be fully protected.

So all in all, the good definitely outweighs the bad. I hope all of you have much to look forward to this year as well and wish you peach, health and happiness.