Single Girl Weekend

We're in the middle of prime Ultimate Frisbee season here in our area.  For me, that means that KC is gone for tournaments frequently on the weekends, there are 1-2/mo.  On top of that there's a bachelor party weekend away and other trips planned.  This all adds up to me being home alone for the weekend.  In the end it's really not such a bad thing!  We try to do our cleaning during the week so that I'm not stuck with it all on the weekends and the rest of the time is mine to enjoy like he is enjoying his weekend playing Ultimate.

For the most part, I'm pretty good at keeping myself busy, if the other guys are around then I'll hang out with them, etc.  On the other hand, I secretly enjoy when no one is around!  That means time to myself to do whatever I want.  I have a few guilty-single-girl tendencies though:

• It's ok for a meal to consist of either:
• Baked Potato
• Cup of Minute Rice
• Air-Popped Popcorn
• An Auntie Ann's Pretzel
• Turning on TBS or TLC or FX (or WE) and watching movies/tv shows all day without interruption.  This seems to ring a bit more true in the winter, but I can turn on TBS and just watch all day, some times their movie marathons are awesome.  Doesn't matter if I'm crafting, sewing or reading it's on in the background.
• Calling M and talking to her for 3 hours without getting bugged.
• Sitting in the office paper crafting or sewing all day and spending way too long on one project.
• Perusing the craft/fabric aisles for longer then is necessary. 
• Showering but putting my pajamas/sweats back on right afterwards.
• Going to the mall and perusing the sales, since KC does not like to shop and usually follows me around like a puppy dog when he goes.
• Go to Target and wander around look at random things, only to leave with nothing, or $100+ worth of items.
• Sit at the computer and Blog-Hop and find new blogs to read or projects to do.
• Go to the RedBox (or Netflix streaming) and find the chick-flicks I've wanted to see but haven't yet.  I just wish I had the guts to go to the theatre myself.

This weekend will be no different and I'm kinda looking forward to it.  I'm looking forward to KC's return as well but, sometimes it's nice to just have to worry about myself and no one else!

Most of mine are fairly boring, does anyone else have anything else they do when it's just them?  Anything that's a bit more exciting then mine?!?!

Happy Friday!  Have a great weekend!

ETA:  I've only had 2 people participate in my Craft-It Forward so far, so there are still some spots open if you want to join.  I might just go beyond 3 depending on how many people there are.  :-)

Finally watched Avatar

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I forgot about these pictures until I was taking our Savannah pictures off the camera.  A few weeks ago, Avatar came back to the IMAX so we finally went.  We had wanted to go before but just didn't have the time.  I feel like I might be one of the last people to watch it, but I'm glad we went.


First off, the 3D glasses were a great accessory to every one's wardrobe!

The summary from Yahoo!:

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of "Titanic," first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist yet. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.

We enter the alien world through the eyes of Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where corporations are mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth's energy crisis. Because the atmosphere of Pandora is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human "drivers" have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely-controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air. These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora... the Na'vi.

Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again. He is given a mission to infiltrate the Na'vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore. But a beautiful Na'vi female, Neytiri, saves Jake's life, and this changes everything. Jake is taken in by her clan, and learns to become one of them, which involves many tests and adventures. As Jake's relationship with his reluctant teacher Neytiri deepens, he learns to respect the Na'vi way and finally takes his place among them. Soon he will face the ultimate test as he leads them in an epic battle that will decide nothing less than the fate of an entire world. 

Secondly, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the actually story of the movie.  I know that most of the hype was about it being in 3D and all the new technology and everything, but that was probably the least enjoyable part for me.  I didn't really like the 3D aspect and had to take my glasses off sometimes.  It is definitely something that I would watch again, but I would not make an effort to see it in 3D.  Anyone else like the movie but more for the storyline than the 3D aspect of it?  

It's Monday already?!?!

It was a great weekend. It felt like we got to do everything we could have wanted to. Sunday was a rather uneventful day with grocery shopping and cleaning the house, but Friday and Saturday we kept busy.

Friday night started off with dinner at a Sushi restaurant that another couple wanted to visit. We don't hang out with just them often so it was nice to just sit and visit. I've never been much of a sushi snob, but this place was definitely not at the top of my list of sushi restaurants to visit again. The other couple said the same thing and said that it was better the last time that they went.

 

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While there we were talking about TV and movies, etc and they recommended Netflix. We had been talking about it for some time and they finally convinced us to give it a try. I started our account last night.

Following dinner we headed to the bowling alley.  Let's just say that my bowling skills are weak to say the least. The first game left much to be desired but I picked it up for the second game.

At the start of the second game the cosmic bowling began. I'm glad we weren't staying much longer, it was really hard to see the ball go down the alley until it got to the pins.  At least I got to wear clown shoes!

Saturday morning started off early with a 5K charity run.  I turned in a time of about 27:30. While it's not the best time, I'm happy that I finished and under my goal of 28 minutes. Week 1 of 10K training has been completed successfully. On to week 2!

Saturday night we went downtown to Beerfest.  There were many (many) beer vendors and you could try as many 2oz samples of whatever you wanted.

There were two 'lines' of endless tents, jam-packed with people.

We tried many different kinds of beer.

Had lots of fun with friends.

Made lots of jokes and laughed the whole night (KC probably said something entirely inappropriate).

Saw some interesting people.

Went home with dirty 'beer' feet (apparently I like taking pictures of feet this weekend!).

And enjoyed every last minute of the night.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

*All pictures from personal collection.

Finally Friday!

Thank goodness it's Friday!  It felt like a really long week.  I don't seem to have too much to blog about lately and I'm getting frustrated with WordPress  (and the lack of customization options)  and considering moving to blogger.   I feel like I need to find my direction and audience if I'm going to keep blogging though.

Now on to happier things!

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This weekend looks to be exciting!  I'll be running a 5K tomorrow morning and we will be going to the Beer Festival tomorrow night, which is always a good time.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. One song that always takes me back to my youth is anything by the Beetles, it was way before my time, but when we were in middle school, listening to the Beetles was the cool thing to do.  Then when I became a Band Geek and marched over the summer we did a medley of the Beetles.  As geeky as it may have been for other people, all the cool kids were in band at my school so it was so bad.  I loved Marching Band, it was so much fun to do all summer.


2. My first concert ever was a New Kids on the Block concert.  Oh yeah, Hangin' Tough.  It was pouring down rain and they slid all over the stage.  I think they only played like 5 songs and then called it quits.  Joe was so dreamy!
   


3. If I could create my dream music festival I'd want these bands to be there: Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Kenny!  Yeah, I'm a country music girl!


4. The best make-out/"boot knocking" song ever is something I've never even thought about.  But if I hear that new song Bedrock one more time, I'm going to swear off the radio and only listen to my iPod for a year.  That song drives me crazy.


5. The best concert I've ever been to was the first Kenny Chesney concert I went to with my sister and lots of cousins.  We practically had the worst seat in the house, but we got to see Kenny Chesney (from behind :-) ) and Rascal Flatts for the first time and I was hooked on country.  I loved spending time with the girls in my family!


6. A memorable musical moment for me was when I was in 4th grade and played my very first (and only) flute solo in the middle of our band concert.


7. The song on my iPod that's getting the most play these days is pretty much anything by Lady Antebellum.
   

New Friend Friday

Hi to everyone stopping by from New Friend Friday as well!

Date Night

Sunday night after a long weekend of house-work and painting, KC and I went out to see Date Night at the theater.  We both absolutely loved it.  Most of the people in the theater were couples, young and old and everyone in there seemed to enjoy it, most people stayed through the credits!  If you're looking for a funny movie to see or just a good date-night movie, I would definitely recommend giving this one a see.  Now if only I could decide which movie to see next.

Here's the description from Yahoo!:

Phil and Claire Foster are a sensible, loving couple with two kids and a house in suburban New Jersey. The Fosters have their weekly "date night" -- an attempt at re-experiencing the spice of the dates of yesteryear, involving the same weekly night out at the local Teaneck Tavern. Their conversations quickly drift from barely-date talk to the same chore-chat they have at the dinner table at home. Exhausted from their jobs and kids, their dates rarely end in fore- or any other kind of play, let alone romance. After seeing two of their best friends -- another married couple with kids in suburban New Jersey -- split apart from living the same life they themselves lead, Phil and Claire begin to fear what may lie ahead: a state of bland indifference and eventual separation. In an attempt to take date night off auto-pilot, and hopefully inject a little spice into their lives, Phil decides a change of plans is in order: take Claire into Manhattan to the city's hottest new restaurant. The Fosters, however, don't have reservations. Hoping to be seated sometime before the clock strikes twelve, they steal a no-show couple's reservations. What could it hurt? Phil and Claire are now the Tripplehorns. The real Tripplehorns, however, it turns out, are a thieving couple who are being hunted down by a pair of corrupt cops for having stolen property from some very dangerous people. Forced on the run before they've even finished their risotto, Phil and Claire soon realize that their play-date-for-parents has gone awry, as they embark on a wild and dangerous series of crazy adventures to save their lives -- and their marriage.

Oh so many choices!

One of the reasons I don't post too many pictures is because we don't have a point-and-shoot anymore.

We have a Nikon D40 dSLR and it is great when we use it.

 

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Only problem, is that I'm not that great at bringing it places because of its size.  I need something that I can just leave in my purse and have it at all times.  We're looking at investing in a point-and-shoot but I'm just not sure what to get.  KC definitely wants one that has Image Stabilization (optical) but that is really our only requirement.  Previously, I have had 2 Sony cameras and would prefer to not get another.  I would like something that has 'share-able' media with other devices, not one that is proprietary to the camera itself.  I'm not sure how I feel about the LCD screen on the front, if it will be useful or not.  Does anyone have one?  Do you like it?

There are just so many different options out there and KC is definitely a researcher, but we need to start somewhere so I'm looking for suggestions, recommendations or even something you would not recommend.

Easter Eggs

I've never been one to decorate Easter Eggs, but this year I just might.

Our Best Bites posted these beautiful eggs and I can't get over how beautiful they are and how they are done!

Eggs in progress:

Final Products:

There are instructions here.  Let me know if you've tried it!

All images and instructions:  OurBestBites.com

It's Madness

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It's the time of year again for March Madness, and to be honest I LOVE IT!!  Confession:  I'm not too much of a 'girly girl' and most of that probably has to do with sports.  Maybe it's because my dad didn't have any boys, ever since I was little, I can remember watching any and all sports with my dad.  College basketball is one of my favorite sports (league) to watch, with the NCAA tournament taking the cake.  (Yankees baseball and NHL Football are right up there too)  I played sports throughout my entire high school career and continue to play softball now.  This is one thing that K and I enjoy doing together (for the most part, depends on who is playing, but that's for a different post :-) ).

Where we live there are usually at least 3 if not 4 schools in the NCAA tournament that are within an hour of our home.  You cannot go out to a restaurant/bar that has TV's on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for the next 3 weeks without preparing in advance or waiting multiple hours for a table.  The waiting sucks, but secretly I love the enthusiasm of everyone.  There are so many transplants in this area, combine that with the local schools and it's an interesting bunch.  I'm jealous of everyone and their school spirit.  My college was not competitive in sports at all, though we're moving up in hockey.

Every year I make my picks in the brackets.  What is this based off of?  Umm, nothing.  Most of the time I pick hometown schools or other NY based school.  What do I win?  Again, nothing.  Why do I do it?  To see if I am right in any way whatsoever.  This year I tried my hand at it again.  The #1 rule this year (and most others):  Go Orangemen!

 

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I love that CBS let's you fill in an experts picks and make some adjustments on your own, so that's what I did this year.  (Maybe you think it's cheating, I don't)  Here's my bracket:

I will be trying my hardest for the next 3 weeks to be doing work while at work, but it's going to be hard, I'm not going to lie.  This article on CNN was interesting, regarding the amount of money that Employers lose during March Madness.  I will work hard to not be part of those statistics! (At least my iPhone app will give me score alerts ;-) )

1st Anniversary Trip

K and I have our 1st Wedding Anniversary coming up in 2 months.  We would like to take a short trip somewhere, but we can't decide where to go and what to do (sometimes we're very indecisive people).  We already have two "Big-City" trips in the works for the summer, but we are looking for somewhere different to go for our anniversary.  Somewhere different, to do some site seeing or just enjoy the city in general.  We'd like to do something that doesn't require a plane ride, so that may limit things a little. We've visited a few places in driving distance from Raleigh, but are looking for a few more options.

We went to the Outer Banks for our first 'non-family', 'just-the-two-of-us' trip, about 4 years ago (with Maya!).

We went to Asheville almost 2 years ago for my Birthday, but K had other things in mind as that is where he proposed.

Last year, our "Big-City" trips consisted of Washington D.C. and San Francisco (we went to Lake Tahoe while we were there)

We've tossed around a couple of ideas, including Savannah, Charleston and Boone.  We're not looking for a beach trip, just somewhere that we can have a good time exploring the town, maybe going hiking.  Any suggestions or recommendations?

If we don't go out-of-town, I'd like to find something out of our norm to do in town.  What have you done for your first anniversary or what do you plan to do?  Anything different from dinner and/or a movie?

Career Counselor Tests

I saw this link to CareerPath Career Counselor and I thought that it was quite interesting.  I've never taken any career quizzes before, so I decided to do the "Color Career Counselor" to see the results.  The results were quite interesting, some were dead on and some were not..


Best Occupational Category: You're an ORGANIZER

Key Words: Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.

Yes I definitely am.  I sometimes may categorize myself as having OCD.  While I don't perform any of the jobs that they suggested, maybe I'll have to look into the for the future.  :-)

2nd Best Occupational Category: You're a RESEARCHER

Keywords:

Independent, Self-Motivated, Reserved, Introspective, Analytical, and Curious

These investigative types gather information, analyze and interpret data, and inquire to uncover new facts. They have a strong scientific orientation, enjoy academic or research environments and prefer self-reliant jobs. Dislikes are group projects, selling, and repetitive activities.

I don't think that this one is as accurate.  While I fit the bill for most of the Keywords, I don't fit the description as well.

Have you tried any of these tests before?  How accurate was it for you?

I saw this link off of How About Orange to CareerPath and I thought that it was quite interesting.  I've never taken any career quizzes before, so I decided to do the "Color Career Counselor".  The results were quite interesting.

My own "My Boys"

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I went out to the bar (our version of Crowley's) last week for dinner and a drink and there were 7 of us, 6 "boys" and me. I feel like I'm living in my own Raleigh version of "My Boys".

Left to Right:  Mike, Kenny, Bobby, PJ, Andy, Brendan (Source)

It made me think, I have my own version of everyone.  Some are quite similar to the characters on tv too!

• Bobby (actually he was dating P.J. last season) - The hubs - loves baseball and has the "nice guys finish first" attitude (no hubs didn't call off a wedding prior to ours)


• Brendan - Brendan - no really, my friend's name is Brendan, dating or in a relationship - maybe, depends on the week, care free and always has interesting ventures to pursue


• Andy - Bryan - not my real brother - or married, but he's very much like him in with a 'stuck in the middle' mentality, as the oldest he can't decide to be the responsible adult or go out for a pitcher of beer


• Mike - Jason - a toss up really,  he's the perpetually single guy, who could be a hit with the ladies,  he would be a great catch


• Kenny & Stephanie -  Matt & Fav Roommate - They had an encounter and started seeing one another behind everyone's back (only I knew).  My friends are now getting married this fall, I'm waiting to hear about Kenny & Stephanie.  (They weren't out this Thursday evening in particular)

(I think TBS needs to update their character descriptions a little.)

There are still 2-3 more guys that hang out as well on a regular basis.  One just got engaged so that brings another girl into the mix, but she doesn't always come.  On a normal dinner outing, there are 5-6 boys and myself.  If we all went out we might be a little bit more balanced, but that only happens on rare occasions.

Here we are at the beach-house we rented in 2008, plus 2 extras.  (Big guy in the back moved to SLC and one girl (far right, floor) no longer hangs out with us)

Minus the couple on the far left, here's my own "My Boys" cast at our wedding last year (May 2009). (Taken By)

Sometimes I think I need to find some more girl friends or that these boys need to find some girls on the dating scene, but there are other times when it doesn't bother me that much.  Like PJ, I work in a male-dominated field and it can have it's pluses and minuses.  I usually take my share of the jokes, but have also been known to dish out a few without missing a beat.

Luckily we have a few other couple friends (the ones in the far left in the above photo) that we hang out with on other occasions, otherwise I might not be able to handle all the testosterone.  I would love a good girls night or couples night but I know that will come in time as we all grow up and make new friends.  Plus, I would only trade 1 or 2 of them in for a girl or another couple (kidding, kidding!).

Looks like "My Boys" is returning this fall, until then, I like my own version.  :-)

Reading List

For my birthday last year my wonderful husband bought me an Amazon Kindle.  I have to say, I wasn't sure at first because of the price (yes, he bought it before the price dropped and missed the cutoff), but now, I can say that I love it and it was entirely worth it!  Maybe sometime, I'll do a review of the Kindle and a comparison to some of the new readers that are out.

One thing I love about the Kindle is the option to create a reading list and store it online and on the Kindle.  This allows me to go to Amazon and add things to my reading list and then see them when I am on my Kindle and vice versa.  I added so many books to my wish list off recommendations from Amazon, that I was getting lost.  I'm trying to pare down this list a little a add items based on personal recommendations.

I am setting a personal goal for myself of 1 book per month, so I'm hoping to add some recommendations to my list.  Here's what I have so far, let me know if you have any recommendations.

Currently Reading (February):

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
I pretty much love every Nicholas Sparks book that I have ever read, this one slipped by me as I usually read them right when they are released.  So far it's a great read.

Wish List:

Heart of the Matter by Emily Griffin
Released in May, I have loved all of her previous books.  I would recommend them if you haven't read them already.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Recommended by Blue-Eyed Bride

Nanny Returns - Emma McLaughlin
I loved the Nanny Diaries and some of her other books, I'm hoping this one is just as good.

Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella
I have read all of the books in the Shop-a-holic series and loved them.

These are the top 4 on my list.  I have a few others that I've seen on lists as well.  I might go back to Blue-Eyed Bride's list and add a few more to my reading list that I haven't read before.

• Good Things by Mia King


• Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison


• Firefly Lane by Kristin hannah

Here's what I've got so far:

• January - I finished one in January but the name escapes me right now, I'll update later with the info!


• February - The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks


• March - The Help by Kathryn Stockett


• April - Nanny Returns - Emma McLaughlin


• May -Twenties Girl - Sophie Kinsella


• June - Heart of the Matter by Emily Griffin


• July -


• August -


• September


• October -


• November -


• December -

Suggestions/Recommendations encouraged!  :-)   (Oh and yes I've read Twilight and loved them!) I have a stack in my book case at home that I've read that I liked, someday I'll pull together an all inclusive list.

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A new hobby

I've been reading a lot of different blogs lately and one thing that seems to appear frequently are beautiful sewing projects that people are making.  I am in love with the quilt and bag seen at bijou lovely and have checked out Presser Foot as well.  My only sewing experience comes from 6th grade Home Ec where we all made tote-bags.

I've checked out some sites for learning how to sew and which sewing machines to purchase.  Do I got with Mechanical or Electronic for my first sewing machine?

The Brother XL-2600i seems to be the most popular Mechanical sewing machine and the Brother CS6000I seems to be the most popular basic Electronic sewing machine

I don't have a sewing machine yet, and that's where my dilemma begins.  If I buy this, will I use it?  I did just join Stampin' Up not less than a year ago and I have been stamping and have a lot of fun.  Not as frequently as I could be but you can only make cards for so many people right.  That's my fear with sewing.  Will I run out of things to make/people to make things for?  I love the idea of being able to make beautiful quilts and bags,

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all of which I know will take me some serious time to learn and become decent at.  I certainly wouldn't take on a project this large for my first one either.  The Mr. is in support of it if I want to get a sewing machine, so that's not a problem.

So do I take the plunge?  If so, Mechanical or Electronic for my first machine?  What should I take on for a first project?  Any recommendations to a newbie?