not dead. just not feeling wordy lately.

so. sorry about the radio silence around these parts. i'm still here. still living life, eating regularly, going to work, doing all of the important things like laundry and dishes and i think i might have even cleaned the bathroom recently so yeah, i'm pretty much a rockstar. *brushes off shoulder* but as far as writing anything? sharing my stories? documenting the life i am living right now? eh, not so much. *shrugs* and i'm kind of ok with that.

winter is tough - it is cold and lonely and dark and lasts way too long after Christmas and i'm just now realizing that i'm really only about halfway through the season. gross. but what i'm trying to say is that i feel like as long as i am surviving, i'm doing ok - even if the documentation side of things is slipping.

so just in case you've been wondering, this is what i've been up to lately:
(and i even made my list alliterative! just because i can! Cope would be so proud!)

Sister Christmas. we travelled to Pennsylvania the weekend between Christmas and New Year's to celebrate with my family. i took zero pictures of our extended family celebration at Aunt Sara's house - i figured cousin Sarah had it covered - but did manage some pictures of our mini-Christmas with the sisters and our families.

we even had a tiny tree to put our presents under!

 

 Mark's present came in a Victoria's Secret bag...

 

  don't you love my sister's new hat?

Skiing. for the second year in a row, i survived the Shifflett family ski trip. and i liked it! we went to a different mountain this year - Showshoe, WV. the trails were tougher, and it took me a while to re-remember how to make it down the mountain upright (i ended the weekend with a grand total of 12 wipeouts and one giant hip bruise...apparently i always land on the same spot) but we had a really good time. my camera spent the weekend in my purse so i don't have any pictures, but my FIL took some good ones (and at least one terrible one that i couldn't convince him to delete) so if those ever actually make it off of their camera i might share a few.

Studying. the day we got back from our long skiing weekend, we also started an online review course for the PE Exam we're taking in April. ever since then, literally all of my free time has been spent with my giant review books; either reading theory, listening to lectures, working problems, or weeping in despair because right now it feels like there is no way i will ever re-learn all of this stuff in the next 79 days.

(not) Sewing. so i got that great sewing machine for Christmas. and i have some good ideas for sewing projects. and i have created a "sew fun!" pinerest board. and because of the aforementioned skiing and studying, i have had zero time to actually sew anything. sigh.

Shopping. mostly for groceries and other necessary but not necessarily fun things.  i feel like i have spent a lot of time at the grocery store, which probably isn't even true because Mark's new job is right across the street from the grocery store so he has been doing a lot of the shopping for me. but, it started with an S so it made the list. i have been to Walmart twice in the past week to buy exciting things like lint filters for my utility sink and mini saltines and a dishpan. and ok i also impulse bought the movie Tangled just because i wanted to watch it. maybe i'll watch it again tomorrow...

Singing. the Frozen soundtrack. constantly. all the time. obsessed. have you seen this movie? is it even still in theaters? we saw it on a date night on New Years, and you need to see it too. trust me.

Sparkles. ok so this isn't really a thing i've been doing, but it snowed yesterday and it's a little windy today and all of the blowing snow outside my office window looks like one massive glitter party and it makes me smile.

non-resolutions i have done.

finish reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy & watch the movies with the hubs. i kind of sort of really lost myself in this series. if you have never read these books, GO READ THEM RIGHT NOW. they are fantastic. the movies? eh. they followed the storyline pretty closely, but they also left out a lot of my favorite parts, and the ending was a little disappointing. also: where exactly in the books did i miss that whole Aragorn/Arwen epic love story that was such a major plot point in the movies? i felt a little cheated because i read all four of those books and still managed to be confused and clueless during those parts of the movies. overall, i'm really glad i made this a priority.

go skiing. did it. rocked it. would go again sometime this winter if i could find time and friends to go with at the same time.

clean out my closet. quick story: last weekend, i had a spur of the moment girls day out with my friend Nadine who i am SO glad lives in Maryland. we checked out a little furniture rehab/antique store, shopped the clearance racks at the mall, and went out for dinner somewhere new. it was a fantastic way to spend a day, and we both came away with some really good deals, housewares, (you should see her new dresser!) and new clothes.

the problem with me buying new clothes is that i didnt really have anywhere to put them. i had run out of room in my drawers and hangers in my closet, and my wardrobe was already overflowing into a second closet in the guest room. so i decided that before i could put away any of my new buys, i would have to clean out what i already had to make room for it. so thats what i did. i went through my closet and got rid of anything that no longer fit or that i no longer wore. and then i did the same thing to my dresser. and my second closet. i even went through my "extensive" (according to my husband) collection of shoes.

my side of the closet post-purge. 

there is no 'before' picture, and its even kind of hard to believe that this is an 'after' picture since it isnt super amazingly organized, but do you see all those empty hangers on the right side between my blue hoodie and the blue bag? those are all the hangers that i managed to empty. my drawers look a little more organized and close a little easier. and my second closet looks virtually the same. but believe it or not i managed to glean two trash bags full of clothes out of my wardrobe that are ready to donate. (thats not even counting the stuff that wasnt good enough to donate) that bag in the middle? shoes.

mark still thinks i have too many shoes. and clothes. and of course, now that i put my new clothes away my closet is just as packed as ever. but its packed with good stuff that i like, so i see that as a blessing. i am tempted to add 'reorganize the closets' as a followup nonresolution, but i dont want to get ahead of myself. for now, lets just cross it off the list!

three down, twenty-three to go.

meal plan (tues)day: jan 15.

no worries mom, we ARE eating this week.

it just turns out that the monday after a 4-day vacation weekend has the tendency to be a little full - what with the bags to unpack, laundry to do, and you know that whole actually going to work thing, i didnt quite make it around to meal planning the entire week yesterday. instead, i made just enough of a plan to make it through dinnertime, and then i sat down on the couch with the hubs and watched the second half of the Two Towers.

priorities: i obviously have them.

Monday: penne with meat sauce.
Tuesday: soup from a can.
Wednesday: crock pot chicken tacos. (recipe)-ish
Thursday: citrus herb chicken with rice.
Friday: Meg's fish packets. (recipe)
Saturday: turkey burgers. (recipe)
Sunday: pasta in vodka sauce (jar sauce, that is)

HP7.2

yes, i saw it on opening weekend.

no, it wasn't the first midnight showing. it was sunday afternoon.

yes, i prepared for it by re-reading the first 6 books.

no, i did not re-read the last book. because i do not own it. yet.

no, i did not remember what happened at all.

yes, this made the movie way more fun to watch.

yes, i dorked out through the entire thing.

no, i never thought i'd ever really be a fan when the books first came out.

yes, it is a little sad that its all over.

no, i did not cry.

yes, i kind of feel like i know those kids.

yes, i realize that they are all my age and i should not call them kids.

no, that does not change the fact that in my head they are all still little like this:

not all grown-up like this:

no, i don't regret that the last two movies i've seen in theaters have been Harry Potter movies.

yes, i loved it. i loved all of it.

p.s. I Love You

(Note: we didn't quite make it a full week with that whole TV-Turn-Off thing, as we spent the majority of the day on Sunday watching baseball and movies. i have no regrets)

for the past few years, i have either been 1) a poor college student, 2) planning a wedding, or 3) buying a house, none of which are extremely conducive to keeping up-to-speed with movies in theaters (unless they are deemed worthy, aka Despicable Me, Toy Story, and/or Harry Potter... so what if i have the cinematic taste of a 12-year-old?) but as a result i have at least 4 years worth of backlog of "movies that i really wanted to see when they first came out but was too cheap to see in theaters but then forgot about once they stopped showing the trailers on tv"

thank goodness for Netflix.

i was reminded that i wanted to see this movie thanks to a reccommendation based on movies i had recently seen (including but not limited to Sweeney Todd, Breakfast Club, Tangled, and Beauty and the Beast) and was really excited to watch it. i hadnt heard many reviews and/or other peoples opinions of it, and i definitely didnt take the time to look up what it was about. it was a chick flick. thats all i needed to know. right?

wrong. i should have been forewarned. and you deserve to know. so i will tell you.

THIS IS A SAD SAD MOVIE.

it starts out innocently enough, with a fairly accurate portrayal of a young married couple's argument and reconciliation about mothers-in-law, babies, and money that is just so spot on you cant help but giggle. and then the credits roll.

and then its winter, and there's a funeral. the husband's funeral.
stupid cancer.

i bawled. the whole. entire. movie. i took a few breaks to laugh at some funny stuff that was in there (its not all doom and gloom, it is a chick flick after all) but mostly i was a blubbering mess. like a whole-face-covered-in-snot-because-i-couldnt-find-the-tissue-box-through-my-tears kind of blubbering mess. the movie was just so sweet and so very sad all at the same time and it hit me right in my newlywed-terrified-of-ever-losing-her-husband gut.

you should watch this movie. just consider yourself forewarned of its sadness. and make sure you stock up on tissues first, especially if you
1) are married, 2) are engaged, 3) are blessed with an amazing man in your life, 4) have a loved one battling cancer,  5) have ever lost anyone to cancer, 6) have ever found yourself suddenly alone, or 7) know anyone irish.

to break it down: ladies, get your tissues. men, be prepared to spend the entire movie lovingly holding your lady as she sobs into your shoulder and stifling your incredulous giggles at how very emotional she is getting over a movieforgoodnesssake.

i laughed, i cried, i thought about life. this movie made me cling to my husband and realize just how lucky i am to have him in my life. in short, it moved me Bob.

i wonder whats next on the queue?

to the tune of 'The Death of the Son'.

71. finding a mechanic close to home.
72. my bad memory, which made watching the new Harry Potter movie way more exciting.
73. JK Rowling, who wrote a story that has captivated and entertained people of all ages for over a decade.
74. online shopping.
75. matinees.
76. nice people who do not get upset when you hit them in the back of the head with your straw wrapper because you missed your target.
77. Andes candies.
78. that i finally get to work on something other than the job from Hades.
79. 8 hour days.
80. leaving work while its still kind of light outside.


"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; i will tell of all your
wonderful deeds."                                           Psalm 9:1