Friday, August 29, 2008

TGIF. period.

it's finally friday!

i'm still at work and i'm fairly certain that the past hour or so have been the longest in my entire life. EVER! i don't have anything to do right now and to be honest, it makes me feel awful to do much of anything while i'm at work. i mean, come on, getting paid to facebook SOUNDS great, but you know you aren't supposed to be doing it. probably the same thing applies to blogging, but i have less than 30 minutes left here and plan on doing some serious garage/estate sale shopping as soon as this blessed work week gets over. note: one thing i can't stand about wichita is that all the good sales start on thursday. at like 9 am. i'm at work, people. i guess all you supermoms get to come and steal all my good stuff away from me! [that or the little old ladies. i bet that would be an interesting fight to watch!]

on the other hand, i did spend the entire morning chatting with kyle on gmail chat and planning our fall trip. it will actually be the first "real" vacation that we've gone on together without any one else tagging along! we'll be going to the cuchara valley in colorado. his grandparents have a cabin there that they let the entire family use for free, so we don't even have to pay for lodging or anything. we'll be hiking an inactive volcano, taking a dome car train ride and visiting the great dunes national forest.

i can't wait!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

wedding wishes...

i haven't been doing a very good job this week of keeping everyone updated. i guess nothing all that exciting has happened so i didn't really have anything to blog about. :)

i thought i would tell you my randomly stumbling upon the wedding dress of my dreams! haha. now, i should tell you now that i'm not even engaged, but i think most of you know that. i do know that kyle wants a short engagement, so you know, i'm just "preparing" myself. that and my friend eva and i used to cheer ourselves up by buying bridal mags and perusing them and comparing notes. (we know we're weird.)

anyway, i'll tell my story now. my friend ian sent me a youtub video on facebook and i was looking for something else funny to send back to him. so i googled "funny youtube videos" and this blog came up. and the first video to that was on his list was THIS ONE:




and i just loved the dress! then of course i had to try to find it. i finally found one similar to it at david's bridal. but THEN, i saw this one:



and i LOOOOVED it! nice and simple and has some really nice little beads right under the bust. definintely simple enough for me. i would have a tough time deciding between those two, but i really like the galina designer for david's bridal!

just thought i'd share that with you all!

Monday, August 25, 2008

countdown to kyle: one week [yay!!]

i had a great run today. i finally dragged my friend julie along with me. we are doing the Couch to 5K program, so we'll see how long we last at it! we took both of our dogs with us and now nelson is totally pooped. which is great, because now he's not like a cooped up dog that jumps all over me. we go for walks most nights, but running kind of takes it out of him i think. the whole running thing was originally just because i just want to get healthier, not just get back into running shape. but, now that i'm running again, i'm starting to feel the competitive drive kicking in....uh oh. unfortunately, i found out that the run that i wanted to do is the same day as my LEED exam, so i might not be able to it. we'll see how far i get on my studies before the day. it might help me calm myself a little bit, who knows.

what make YOU feel great? there's just always that something that makes you feel so accomplished or happy or wonderful or whatever...share!

:)

Saturday, August 23, 2008

i just can't let it be...

sorry guys! i redid the blog again...i thought the green background with plants was more appropriate for my new "green" blog! i started one about taking the LEED exam [as mentioned in the previous post]. you can view it here: http://leedingthepack.blogspot.com/ if you are at all interested. [i haven't actually started blogging yet, but i thought i'd let everyone know in case they were interested!

i hope everyone's weekend is going well. i'm exhausted and heading to bed, i'll blog about the lake tomorrow when i return to the 'ta.

Friday, August 22, 2008

yay for the weekends!

i saw this on another blog (thanks alyssa!) and LOVED it...because i love random things...

random ten friday.

* i'm thinking of starting another blog...specifically to do while i'm studying for the LEED exam. i think it will help me retain more information. AND if i make myself post every day, i will be forced to actually study a little bit every day...lol! i would just post a random fact up here everyday, but probably no one would be all that interesting to know. it's some pretty dry reading.

* i'm at the lake with my parents for the weekend! i haven't been here since the fourth, so i'm SO ready for an exciting weekend away from wichita!

* kyle found out this week he has to stay overseas longer than expected...BOOOO on caterpillar. i'm not liking them so much right now.

* i'm eating my mom's homemade salsa and chips right now [well, the chips are tostitos, but the salsa is homemade!] YUMMMM. i'm also craving some of her pickled green tomatoes, but i don't think she brought any. [i know, sounds gross, but they. are. to. die. for.]

* nelson loves tortilla chips, so really only about half of them make it into my mouth, because he's just so cute when he begs. :)

* i've decided to start biking to work when it's nice out. i already carpool with my friend julie, so i'm going to see if she wants to join me.

* for lunch today, the ID girls all went to Sugar Sisters. OMG, amazing food! i'm already planning a return trip for next week with some other people that work near me!

* today was our intern, monica's, last day at work. i'm gonna miss her face. :) but, i'll probably see her when i'm in manhattan for FB games and such, anyway!

* i'm worried about what i'm going to watch on tv when the olympics are over...i'm not much of a tv fan, but the olympics have me hooked! maybe i'll get back to that reading thing again....

* how is it that i'm only in my house for about 10 hours a day, and yet it still manages to become a complete mess? i haven't even been cooking lately and it's disgusting. i really MUST clean it before kyle gets back!
ECO-FRIENDLY TIP OF THE DAY: did you know that you can make your own cleaning supplies and that they are much more earth friendly AND TONS CHEAPER!? i saw this on PBS and thought i should try it [mainly because i'm cheap] but all the ingredients are also natural and safe to use! visit this site for a great recipe [the one on PBS added lemon juice for smell.]

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

revamped!

i revamped my blog today...i'm sure you noticed. i mean DUH, it's not black anymore. [okay, sorry that was mean if you didn't notice. i apologize.] have you noticed that is like cleaning house for me? i do it and i feel like i've really accomplished something. and yet, all i've done is searched through a million pre-made templates and found a pretty one. and then copy/pasted it into the blog. so sad...but so true.

:)

anyway...i'm in pretty good spirits today. i went out to my mom and dad's house tonight to help my mom and some of her chamber of commerce friends plan a 5k run/walk in goddard. i ended up staying a little later. my mom was awesome and did all my laundry that i had left there on sunday night! yay! now i only have to do a few loads of sheets and towels and i'm done! don't you just love moms? they really are the best.

then i went straight over to my friend julie's house, she made me dinner [i'm starting to sound really spoiled in this post...trust me, these are not normal occurrences.] it was delish, chicken and couscous...YUM! and then we took our pups for a walk around the park. the ghetto park in our neighborhood....we've decided that if BOTH of us go and we BOTH have our dogs, probably no one will bother us. i didn't run today, but i've started this program called the Couch to 5K program. sounds perfect for me, eh? it's a nine week program and only 8 weeks left until the FIRST ANNUAL GODDARD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 5k run/walk!! jules is going to join me in my quest for 5K greatness. wish us luck!

Monday, August 18, 2008

i heart kyle...

i just wanted to take a blog break from the olympics and tell everyone how much i miss my adorable boyfriend, kyle. he's in indonesia on business for the THIRD summer in a row. last summer was much worse, he was gone for six weeks. the summer before that, it was 4 weeks. this time he's only gone for three. thank goodness!

look at what he sent me last night...it was at a botanical garden they visited and he took a picture for me!


wait...have i even told you about kyle? probably not...well, i'll do my best.

my boyfriend, kyle, and i will have been together for SIX years this november 1st. i can't believe it. that seems like such a long time, but i don't feel like i'm even old enough to have been in a relationship for that long. but, alas, i have. he's origianlly from clearwater, ks, which is about 15 minutes from my hometown of goddard. we started dating my freshman year of college, his junior year. we have known each other longer, my best friend in high school (erin) dated his best friend in high school (mike). he's a mechanical engineer for caterpillar (the yellow construction things on the side of the road...) in wamego, ks. he is the engineering team leader for the forestry group. that is a pretty amazing thing for some one who's only been working there for three years...i'm so proud! he lives outside onaga, ks in the cutest little farmhouse you've ever seen. he's a total man's man, he loves to be outdoors with his dog, sly, and is usually working on something on his three acres. he's a total motorhead and would kill me if i told you this, but an animal lover to boot! it melts my heart when i see him with animals...it's one of the few things that we actually have in common. we are pretty much the perfect example of opposites attract. we have a few things in common, but for the most part we compliment each other perfectly. liek i said, we both love animals. i have a dog named nelson and a cat (who thinks he's a dog...not. kidding.) named moe. moe walked onto kyle's land last year right before he left for indonesia. when we couldn't catch him to take him to kyle's parents' house, we thought he'd run off. i went out to mow a week later and low and behold, moe (short for mower...get it?!?) was hiding in the shed and hadn't eaten since we'd left! i took him back to my place in manhattan and it was love at first pet! in addition to those pets, i also claim kyle's....he has a dog named sly. he's a new addition to the family. kyle's first dog, named snatch, was hit by a car this winter and sly just joined us this may. kyle also has abot a million cats. not really, but he's got a fair share of barn cats and a few that we've caught and tamed a little.

well, i got a little off topic, but now you've met my kyle i feel that you might know me a little better as well!

and now...some pictures! yay!

this picture is from our first summe together....2003. sheesh, that makes me sound old!

last halloween. we're duff man and the duff cheerleader. if you don't get it watch the simpsons, you'll see him eventually!

kyle's house.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

ready to run...

there is just something about the olympics that always gets me looking into myself and thinking, "when did i get out of shape?" it's ridiculous really. i mean, not very many of you knew me in high school, but i was in such great shape! i wasn't a stick by any means...but look at my athletic history, gymnastics from age 2-14, then cheering for a while, running sprints from age 10-13 and then i got hips and had to run distance in high school. :)

anyway, i digress. basically, i didn't want to say anything on here until i was doing it CONSISTENLY, but i've started running again! it really didn't have a whole lot to do with the olympics, but that's definately helped inspire me. i actually started up again because i've wanted to start doing road races again and my mom told me one of her friends wants me to help her set up a run for the chamber of commerce in goddard. so i figured if i was going to help her set it up and run it, that i had better run in it! it would be quite rude of me if i didn't.

so, wish me luck! i have a funny story to tell about my run tonight, but i'll save that for tomorrow...

and i forgot to mention that the awesome picture at the beginning of my post is actually my high school stadium. it wasn't finished until my junior year of high school, but it's AMAZING to run on. you've never heard the cheer of a crowd until you've ran in a bowl.

Monday, August 11, 2008

top three reasons i love the olympics...

3. tight uniforms.

2. tight uniforms.

3. itty bitty tight uniforms!

:)

just kidding. i actually love the olympics for other reasons...that just happens to be a plus. i mean who can resist michael phelps? i sure couldn't. i love 'em tall and lanky! [well, kyle isn't tall and lanky, but that's okay. he's special.]

Sunday, August 10, 2008

i'm taking the easy road out today...

didn't do a whole lot today, but my friend leah posted this on myspace and i'm posting it both places....

have fun!



go to photobucket.com

(don't sign in.)

type in your answer to the question in the "search" box.


use only the first page.


copy the html and paste for the answer.




What is your relationship status?




What is your name?




[that was the only one that had my name on it...sad.]



What is your favorite color(s)?




Who is your celebrity crush?




[one of many...but i can't resist a dirty man's man. :) ]


Favorite Movie?




Where is your dream vacation?




[that is supposed to be bali...]


What do you love most in life?




[not exactly what i was looking for, but whatever. kks are kyle's initials!]


What's your favorite candy?




[i should tell you i eat them in ROY G BIV order. there goes my OCD again...]

Favorite shoe?




[i've never felt more powerful than when i walk into work with my highest heels on.]


Favorite animal?




Favorite drink?




Favorite food?

Saturday, August 9, 2008

my new apartment

my bathroom. complete with a broken toilet seat...i probably should call maintenance, but i've been to lazy so far.

view one of the bedroom. yeah, that's scooby doo, i may be almost 25, but i'm
still 2 at heart. and that red table will move eventually, i'm going to shorten it and make it into my coffee table.

view two of the bedroom...and one of the two parts of the apartment that still need organized. whoops!

dressing room/amazingly huge closets. the main reason i rented this apartment. :)

further back from the closet so i can show you nelson's little part of the apartment. lol.

the living room. and aley, my friend anna's dog that i'm dog sitting while she moves to NYC and finds a place to stay.

the front door, the awesome entertainment center i bought on craig's list, aley's crate and for some reason i still haven't found a place for my snowboard....at least it matches my red and black living room!

the dining room and the other part of the apartment that still needs cleaned. lol. oh, and if you haven't seen him yet, that's my dog nelson with his new haircut.

kitchen. boring and pretty small.

what you see when you walk in the front door. i really wanted to buy something that made me really happy and that i could remember with the money my grandparents gave me for graduation, so i bought that antique dresser for my entry way. it still needs sanded and polyurethaned, but i love it!

and that's it! it's small [although lots bigger than my old place] but i love it!

Friday, August 1, 2008

biding some time until five...

I am... a daughter, sister, lover, fighter, explorer, jeep-driver, interior designer.

I think... i need a break.

I want... love, happiness, sushi, a diet coke, more money. :)

I have... my first paycheck in the "real world" in the bank today!

I wish... it was a full paycheck, but that's okay.

I hate... not having things to do at work. it makes me feel awful that i'm doing nothing.

I miss... kyle.

I fear... losing everything.

I hear... people typing and shutting down computers, printers going, people chatting, my computer humming and paper shuffling. basically, i hear my office.

I smell... coffee. (i sit near our nutrition lab...aka....the break room.)

I search... for good deals on shoes, for a new car that i'll probably never buy, for all the stuff that i lose!

I wonder... how long it will take me to get to topeka today. i'm anxious.

I regret... spending a lot of time on people that aren't worth it.

I love... kyle!

I care... too much about thing that shouldn't matter. and i'm more materialistic than i would like to be.

I always... check my email, like, ALL the time. it's worse with my new phone.

I am not... in the mood to go and ask for something to do at work. actually, i already DID ask if there was something i could do and there isn't.

I dance... whenever possible. kyle hates it, but secretly, i think he loves it.

I sing... all the time. and i can never get kyle to do it. it's okay though, he's not very good at it. :)

I write... at lot of boring notes at work.

I lose... EVERYTHING.

I never... listen until someone says my name. i'm kind of a space cadet.

I listen... to other people's conversations at work. it's interesting what people say when they think you are listening to music. i also listen to pandora all day at work.

I'm scared of... losing everything.

I read... as much as possible.

I am happy about... getting to see kyle tonight! and for SUSHI!!

TAG, YOU'RE IT!