Wednesday Thoughts

I'm home, sick today. I have a cold or something. The extra bad news is I made some candies last night for a work party today and now I want to eat EVERY SINGLE ONE. You guys! This candy! It's so freaking good! Here's a link to the recipe if you're in the mood to torture yourself with deliciousness. Or you want to win the heart of someone (it would work for me).

Meanwhile, I'm staying home today, resting. This week I'm staying with my aunt and uncle's dog, Ernie, so he'll be keeping me company today. He amuses me so much. He's so adorable. I just can't help but share with you all the many faces of Ernie:

Anyway, I'm off to rest and watch something on Netflix (Murder, She Wrote? 30 Rock? Any suggestions?) and try to get over this dang cold. (Pardon my French.)

Happy Wednesday.

Michigan Geography, a Lesson

It has come to my attention in the last few weeks that some people who are not from Michigan don't realize that Michigan is two peninsulas, not just one. I've heard from two new-Michiganders that they used to think Michigan was just the mitten! But no, we are two parts. The mitten and the U.P. (upper peninsula) In fact, our state motto is "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."

Between you and me, I've always thought that state motto was super lame. I'd love something more hardcore. The word "pleasant" just doesn't make us seem very tough. And I mean, who's seeking these pleasant peninsulas? Has anyone ever sought out a peninsula? I doubt it. But I missed the meeting when the motto was decided, so that's what it's gotta be.

Some other little facts about Michigan that you might enjoy:

*Florida has the panhandle, Michigan has the thumb. Even our weather people very seriously say, "a storm will be passing through the thumb later today."

*Canada is right here. Like, right here. I ran another 5K this weekend at the Detroit River Fest and looking over the water could tell that Windsor was having their own festival as well. I couldn't go to that one though, because my passport has expired.

Of course in the US, we have eagles on our carousels.

Here's a better picture showing the closeness. I took this in the parking structure.

That land over there across the river? Canada. I'm not welcome there (until I get my passport renewed).

I made this little map to show some important places in Michigan, and to give you a better idea about what Michigan is all about. There WILL be a quiz later so pay attention!

The mitten peninsula gets more attention than the U.P. for a variety of reasons, namely:

1. No one can make the shape of the U.P. with their hand without a lot of contorting.
2. No one lives in the U.P. (That's not true. It just feels true. It's always a surprise when you meet someone from there.)
3. We resent that they (yoopers) call us trolls because we live under (south of) the Mackinac bridge (which connects the peninsulas).*
4. Kid Rock isn't from there. Neither is Madonna.
5. It's wild and untamed up there (no well-known water parks).
6. There's no Detroit in the U.P.

So there you have it. Michigan is two parts, has a thumb, Great Lakes, Canada next door, and a five mile bridge connecting the two parts. Oh, I forgot to mention that it's awesome. But that should go without saying.

*We actually don't care.

Wednesday Thoughts

It's not that I forgot about Wednesday Thoughts, it's just that I can't think of any words to share today. I have things going on but they're not really blog worthy. So I thought today I could do something different and share with you some links I've been enjoying this week. 

*If you ever saw the tv show Perfect Strangers, or if you just love chasing your dreams and listening to an amazing tv theme song, please check this link and travel with Balki Bartokomous to catch the stars.

*This robot has got some serious dance moves.

*Every wonder where some of that crappy art work in coffee shops comes from? Click here to find out.

*I NEED this pillow for my next camp out! 

*Pinterest led me to the most disturbing collection of shoes I've ever seen. I beg of you to never wear any of these! (Disclaimer: I have no idea what's on the rest of that website but it looks slightly sketch so look at the shoes then shut'her down. But I mean, do whatever you want. I'm not the boss of you. Just don't say I didn't warn you.)

*I am hoping to have this in my belly sooner rather than later.

I'm running another 5K this weekend (I know! What?!) on the Detroit riverfront, so I'm going to wrap this up by sharing this gorgeous picture I found of said riverfront. Pretty, huh?

(source) Canada is just over <---------- there!

Happy Wednesday!

Ms. Miyagi

I started my weekend by doing a super cute craft project that I'd seen on this adorable blog, "Sweet Paul" (link). I have collected loads of stamps over the last 6 years from work, where we receive a lot of international mail. I've been looking for a project to do with them for awhile, and this completely struck my fancy.

I made two framed pictures of the stamps - the first one focused on red stamps and the second on blue. I like the way they turned out! I haven't figured out where to display them yet, but I can't wait to find the perfect place!

A close up:

On Saturday I did something I'd never done before: took a Tai Chi class. My friend Sarah wanted to do it and since it was her birthday, I said yes! I have to admit, I was really looking forward to it. And I liked it a lot! I mean, it was kind of bizarre, I can't lie. There was a lot of "imagining" "energy balls" between your "hands" (kidding about those last quotation marks). We "waxed on" and "waxed off" for awhile too, which made sense to me. And we pulled a bunch of energy from the earth and poured it over ourselves. That was different. (If you've noticed any energy missing from the earth, it's over here in my soul.)

OH! And we felt each others energies by waving the back of our hand slowly in front of our partner. The teacher recommended this as a sensual thing to do with your significant other. Whoa. There was nothing sensual about the way we did it though, thank goodness. That would have been awkward. I mean, I like Sarah, but not "like that."

I'm the one in the blue

All  Most joking aside, Tai Chi is something I'd like to do more of. The movements were very relaxing and felt like a mini-massage for the muscles. Plus I liked the positive way of thinking it encourages.We learned a move where started out bent over with our arms hanging, and slowly straightened up, lifting our arms to the sky while opening them, then tilting our head back with our arms stretched. This movement is to open yourself up to the possibilities the world has to offer you that day. I have to admit, I've done it twice on my own since then. I claimed I was doing it for a joke, but between you and me, I think I was doing it for real.

Between the crafting and the Tai Chi, I was feeling pretty relaxed and ready for my race!

Check and Check

This weekend was one of the busier ones I've had in awhile. In fact, I was able to check TWO things off my summer checklist! I'll tell you about those two things in this post, and fill you in on the rest in the next. Sound like a plan? I almost hate to keep you waiting because my next post is going to be about crafting and tai chi (among other things) and I know how much you all love both of those!

The first thing I checked off my summer checklist this weekend was a trip to Bill's Drive-In, which, as I mentioned before, is known for it's delicious hot dogs and homemade root beer. After a church activity Saturday morning, I headed over there with a few friends for lunch.

As we were pulling in we had the following conversation:

Jonathan: Do they serve fries here?
Me: No. Just chips, hot dogs and root beer.
Jonathan: But I like fries. Are you sure they don't serve fries? Maybe they changed the menu.
Me: They didn't change the menu. This is what they're known for: chips, hot dogs, and root beer. That's it.

As soon as we pulled in, the server walked over to us. This is what happened IMMEDIATELY after we were approached by the server:

Jonathan: Do you have fries?
All in unison: No!

We all deemed the food delicious and Pedro even said that even though he doesn't usually like root beer, he loved this root beer. Jonathan said if they served french fries it could be his new favorite place. I'll definitely be going back this summer!

The next thing I checked off my summer checklist was a big one for me! I ran my first 5K! Now, I realize that many of you are veteran runners and scoff at the idea of a mere 5K. But for me, this was a big deal. I have never been a runner, though I've made attempts a couple times in my life. For the last two months I've been training regularly for this though, and was really nervous!

You might remember that my friend Sarah challenged me to do it with her, so she ran with me. I'm sure I slowed her down, but she was a trooper and didn't complain about it! And great news: I ran the whole time! I was not the fastest runner but I didn't even care. And strangely enough, I liked it so much I'm signing up for another! Who am I!?

Here's a picture of Sarah and I before the race:

And here we are after the race jumping under the balloon arch that was used to start the race. After the start they moved it over off the road, next to the Michigan stadium. I clearly do NOT know what to do when jumping under an arch.

Not knowing how to jump under an arch is something I've known about myself for awhile. Ever since I failed at jumping under another arch at Arches National Park in Utah. My friend Emily did the most graceful photogenic jump ever, but I scraped my arm in my jump and barely lived to tell the tale (ok, that second part is a huge exaggeration).

Anyway, it was a fun weekend and one I will remember for a long time. Mostly for the hot dogs.

Wednesday Thoughts

Today is definitely an I-don't-want-to-be-at-work day. It's a gorgeous day outside, and I. want. to. be. outside! (Yes, I'm stomping my feet like a child.) I went to hoop group at work this morning, where we took our hula hoops out and hooped in the parking lot for awhile. That was fun but that tiny taste of sunshine just wasn't enough. So I took a lunch break and headed out.

I started at the farmers market where I loaded up on sugar snap peas and strawberries. I ate soooo many sugar snap peas on my way home that I nearly turned into a sugar snap pea myself. I didn't even wash them first because sometimes it's important to live life on the edge. Take risks and whatnot. Face your own mortality. When I want to convince people I'm a rebel, I either wear a leather jacket or eat unwashed vegetables. Same dif.

Then I ate my lunch outside, where Daisy joined me. I am not going to take a picture of my lunch because it was a Lean Cuisine, and Lean Cuisines are just depressing. There's no way around it. They bum people out. But I will show you a picture of Daisy girl because she is so cute and sweet.

I ate my lunch, then touched up my lavender finger nail polish, then I just sat in the sun for a little while. The fire pit wasn't far from me and it reminded me of the fact that I built a fire last night. I am almost positive it's the first fire I've ever built and may I brag for a second? It was a really good fire. I wasn't quite as ecstatic as Tom Hanks in Castaway when he "made" fire, but I was pretty proud of myself. Isn't sitting around the campfire with someone the best way to spend an evening?

As long as you're not doing it on a deserted island, of course. That takes away some of the fun (since there's no marshmallows and all).

Now that I have my sun fix, I suppose I can sit at my desk inside for the rest of the afternoon. I've got sunshine on the brain though. I'm thinking about:

*the fact that I'm turning into a total freckle face, as I do every summer
*that I need to get to some Tigers games soon
*that my 5K is this weekend! (eeep!)

...among other things. How's your day going?

Happy Wednesday!

Quotable

Maybe to help us get through a boring Tuesday, I'll share some funny quotes from my life again? Now that I've started sharing funny things my friends and family say, they're standing out to me more and more. So expect a few more quote posts in the future! Hopefully these are as funny to you out of context as they were to me in context!

These are (mostly) posted with  permission. The picture isn't posted with permission though, so I'll put this disclaimer on it:  I found it through a google image search. It's someone elses masterpiece. K, now no one can sue me. Enjoy these quotes:

Male friend: I like your art.

Me: I'm not really an artist.

MF: Well, you draw funny cartoons. You're not an artist in the traditional way. Like, you don't draw nude women or anything.

Me: I've never drawn a nude woman in my life.

MF: I've drawn a few. Doesn't count as pornography if you draw it yourself.

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Me to six year old: Did you do anything special for your last day of school?

6 yr old: I can't remember.

Me: Did you have a party or anything?

6 yr old: I don't know.

Me: But your last day was just yesterday!

6 yr old: Yeah, but I have a lot of memories in my head! I can't remember all of them!!

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Male friend: I miss the old days when you could just see a pretty girl, throw her over your shoulder and take her back to your cave. At least once a week I see a girl that I want to walk up to, tell her she's ridiculously pretty, and haul her away.

Me: What would you do to her?

MF: Treat her right, tell her she's pretty every day, kiss her on the mouth, and then marry her. I guess I'd be a gentlemanly cave man.

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Friend: Well, keep me abreast of the situation. And speaking of abreast, I just bought a new sports bra.

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Now that I think about it, this post should probably have a rating of PG-13. Abreast? Pornography? Kissing on the mouth!? Early onset childhood memory loss!?!? Whew! I hope none of you are too scandalized.

Snapshots

The last couple days have provided me with a few laughs so I thought I'd share some of them with you in the form of quotes, pictures, and stories.

*Quote: 

Me: I noticed they're doing construction on the other side of the building.

Grandma: They're putting new siding up. They're going to do some work on this side at some point. I hope I'm not around for that (by "not around" she means dead). It's going to be really loud.

* Quote:

6 year old: She's going to get baptized (talking about his older sister).

4 year old: I'm not going to get baptized.

Me: Why not?

4 year old, matter of factly: Because I don't like drowning. 

* After leaving my cousin's house today, where I read some Spanish (and English) books to her 2 and a half year old daughter, I got a text from my cousin with a quote from her daughter after I left: "Avivabift was cute." (two parts to this make me laugh: the way she said my name and that a 2 year old deemed me cute.)

* Hooping - I've made sooooo many hula hoops lately and I love it. I brought a bunch to a picnic today and coerced most of my friends into trying it. They loved it - don't let them tell you otherwise. 

The top picture is the hoops posing for their senior picture

* The picnic today was at a park on the lake, and it was the kind of day that makes me love Michigan. Even though it was around 90 degrees, the breeze coming off the lake was divine and we sat on the edge of the lake for as long as possible. It was glorious. 

* I found a episode of Murder, She Wrote that crossed over with Magnum PI! And I really wanted to write that entire last sentence in caps and italics because you guys!! Murder, She Wrote, and Magnum PI! My two great loves!!!!! Together, at last! (I mean, they were together in 1985, anyway.)*

Magnum was falsely accused, but Jessica is on the case.

* I watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol tonight with some friends. I had been  unwilling to watch it before after finding out it had nothing to do with ghosts (disappointing), but I'm glad I did. The way Tom Cruise runs is something that must be seen. I even practiced the Tom Cruise run and mastered it, if I do say so myself. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, watch this clip (link).

Anyway, those are some of the things making me happy lately. I have to run now and watch the rest of this Murder, She Wrote. Jessica and Higgins are about to crack the case wide open. 

What's making you happy today? 

*I've seen less than five episodes of both of these shows but don't let that fool you. I'm a huge fan. 

Wednesday Thoughts

I feel like half the time I'm sitting at my desk at work, I have my ear buds in but nothing is playing. I put them in without thinking, because a lot of the time I'm listening to something. I just realized I've had an ear bud in my ear for I don't even know how long but haven't been listening to anything in quite awhile. Do you guys ever do that?

In other thoughts, yesterday I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the old band, The Cure. I've carried a secret with me through the nineties, the zeros, and now the tweens (2011/2012): I don't like the Cure. The only song I can half tolerate by them is "Friday, I'm in love" and even that I can only listen to all the way through once every 15 years or so.

And while we're on the subject, I also can't stand Smashing Pumpkins. At all. That voice! How!? How... ????? Anyway. To conclude I may as well make two more mini confessions: I'm ok with never hearing "somebody that I used to know" by Gotye, or that Call me Maybe song ever again.

Still friends?

In other music news, I hate to break it to you guys, but the Trololo guy died this week. The song though, will never die. Not if I have anything to say about it.



Lastly, I have to take my bike into the shop today. I'm nervous because even though I love my bike, I know very little about it. It gives, I take. That's the pattern with my bike and me. I don't know anything about bike maintenance. I'm nervous about the kinds of questions they're going to ask me about it. I'm picturing it going down like this:

Bike guy: So what kind of bike is it?
Me: The bike kind. Two wheels, etc.
BG: How old is it?
Me: I don't know. It's adopted.
BG: What's wrong with it?
Me: The back tire is... stuck.
BG: Bike lingo bike lingo bike lingo technical words axles spokes tires bike oil bike lingo rods bike.
Me: I'll give you a million dollars - just fix it please.

You guys, this might not go well!

Happy Wednesday.

Quotable

One of the things that makes me truly happy is spending time with my nieces and nephews. On Saturday I got to spend the whole day with three of them, and it was a super fun day. Because we (my sister, Katherine and I) knew we'd be baby-sitting the whole day, we decided to plan a fun activity. So we took the kids to Greenfield Village, and invited our mom and dad to come along too.

We split up into two cars on the way there, which is when I told Ethan about the train at Greenfield Village. He was extremely excited about it (he's six). The train turned out to be a bit loud for him (the train whistle, that is), but he still declared it his favorite thing at the end of the day.

The girls loved the carousel the most though. Samantha (four years old) wanted to sit in a booth on the 99 year old carousel instead of an animal, so I chose one that slowly rocked up and down so she'd at least have a little excitement. She declared it "soooo fun" and "faster than a motorcycle" and put her hands in the air to show her daring.

The rest of the day was very fun, and the kids made me laugh a lot. I thought I'd share with you some of their quotes that really made me laugh, along with some pictures that may or may not relate to the quotes, but are cute either way.


Me: "I used to love playing in the sandbox when I was a kid."
Samantha, looking genuinely shocked, "You were a kid???"
Paige to me: "She doesn't know that adults used to be kids."

Ethan, on the car ride to Greenfield Village: "When we get there, we should get to the train lickedy split."
Later, after I got turned around because of construction I said, "Well, that was a little frustrating but at least we didn't get too off course."
Ethan: "We should go to the train right away when we get there. That will help you feel better."

Kids: "Is it time for the carousel??"
Me: "Let's wait for grandma and grandpa to finish their lunch."
Samantha: "It's grandma and PAPA." (Correcting me.)

Me: "Samantha, you are so cute. Will you be my Valentine?"
Samantha: "No, I'm just a kid!!"
Me: "Do you know what a Valentine is?"
Samantha: "No."
Me: "It means I love you and think you're great."

I wonder what age I was when I stopped licking smiley faces into my ice cream cones? I better start doing that again. I'm pretty sure it increases ice cream enjoyment (according to my seven year old source).

She's Making Jewelry Now

Recently while walking down the street with my sister Katherine, we noticed someone had left a large container of Christmas tree ornaments on the curb for free. She suggested I take them to use for my Christmas wreaths, but I didn't feel like lugging them home and storing them.

As we kept walking, I got to thinking about how often I start new projects and I said to Katherine, "I make things a lot, huh?" I had  never really thought about it. There's always some kind of craft or other project I'm into. Lately it's been hula hoops, and I'm about to start a sewing project. In the past, I've been into making jewelry, sewing bags, making headbands, wreathes, flower pins, crocheting scarves or hats or blankets, and so many other little projects.

I rarely sell the things I make (in fact, I think the hula hoops are the only thing I've gotten into selling),  but I always kind of think about it. Which makes me think of this video that I think several of you crafty friends will be able to relate to:



A few of my many ongoing projects...

Suffice it to say, my craft supplies are a bit out of control. Do you make and sell anything?

What's on my mind

I'm feeling a little snippy this morning. I'm tired, it's raining out, I'm cold, and what I really want is to be curled up in my comfy bed under my warm covers. Doesn't that sound divine? But instead of being snippy with you guys, how about  I share some quick snippets from my mind? (See what I did there?)

Something I've been loving lately: 
frozen grapes. I have been eating my weight in these lately.

A movie I'm kind of looking forward to:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. This movie looks so ridiculous, but I can't wait to see it. Plus, I bet it's based on a true story!

My next big purchase:  
I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a tent this summer. Kind of excited about this.

Something I'm afraid of:
seeing another snake this summer. I have already seen two and I barely lived to tell the tale. (That's a massive exaggeration but I still didn't like it either time.)

What I'm most looking forward to this summer:
the magic part of it. Outdoor movie nights, sparklers, the fourth of July, Ludington, swimming, biking, my 5K with Sarah, Tigers games, and Greenfield Village.

Grandma quote from last night:
I wish you could find a man who's your age or a little older and is ready to settle down. This guy you've been telling me about - I think he might be immature. He doesn't know what he's doing. You need to find someone who's ready to get married and have babies. Ask him if he's ready for that.*

What I'm DONE with: 
my stupid scale. I'm ready to stab it with a wooden spike and be done with it once and for all. Either that or just kick it under my dresser and go solely on how my clothes fit and how I feel rather than what I weigh.

What I'm drinking right now:  
hot water with a teaspoon of honey. I've been freezing since I first pealed myself out of bed this morning and this is meant to warm me up. Let's see if it works.

What I'm fed up with:
other people winning radio contests that I want to win but sadly, didn't enter.

What I'm tired of:
Figuring out the dating game.

What about you? What's on your mind today?

*She hardly knows anything about this guy, for the record, and I'm not dating him. I just told her a little bit about someone.