Adventures in grooming.

Andrew decided I was to become his personal hair stylist, so off to amazon.com we went in search of the best (reasonably priced) hair clippers. Hello, options! I narrowed it down and ended up choosing one based on one man’s review alone, basically. It was quite entertaining, and you know, a good review.

I’ve only used hair clippers once in my life previously, but it wasn’t difficult as a high-schooler, so surely it couldn’t be difficult now. That is unless your boyfriend happens to want the whole fade thing. Or whatever it’s called. You know, shorter on the sides and longer on top. So I got my work space (aka kitchen) all set up and went at the sides of his hair with one of the short thingies. It was all going great until I couldn’t SEE where I was cutting anymore due to his longer hair on top covering the sides. Yes, his hair was that long. I quickly decided it wasn’t working, so I set out to clip the top before finishing the sides. Good god, that boy has SO much hair! Anyhow, I cut the top, then the sides, all the while Andrew was growing increasingly impatient and was ready to be done. Like now. It’s a tiny crooked and I definitely should have gone through with scissors to cut the strays, but like I said, BOY = IMPATIENT. So that never happened and I still giggle when I see little stray hairs poking around.





And FYI: NEVER cut hairs in your kitchen. I had hair in my FOOD for the next three days. It helped aid in weight loss, as I was so disgusted I lost my appetite a couple times. But really. Not recommended.

THEN. Then we decided it was Dexter’s turn. He had yet to have a haircut and it.was.time. We let it grow all winter, taking into consideration the freezing that is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. And while it’s still freezing (don’t even get me started), Dexter’s hair was a little too unruly.

I did some research and found that human clippers will NOT work on dogs. But who cares, right? I mean if I never researched in the first place, we probably would have never known and tried anyways. And who wants to buy TWO sets of clippers? Like seriously. What a royal waste. So we tried the human kind. And you know what? It worked. Well enough. I mean it probably would have worked REALLY well if we didn’t have a 6 month old squirmy little puppy as our test puppy.

It took an hour. For a 9 pound little dog. Puppy was NOT pleased. As a matter of fact, he was downright pissed. We only cut to a medium length, as we weren’t sure it would work and didn’t want a completely ridiculous looking dog, but I wish we would have gone shorter. It does, however, look a million times better. Minus the fact that he looks more like a silly little poodle than a cocker. Ah well. Unfortunately, he was not cooperating when it came to his feet and head, so those have yet to be cut. We didn’t want to attempt to tick him off more after a whole hour of being tortured with the clippers.





Now he looks like a little lion dog.

Bon Appetit.

For my fellow Betty Crockers out there, I thought I'd share some of the recent recipes I've tried and loved.

Super Bowl = lots of snacks! A couple of my faves..

Deviled Eggs. I know it's not everyone's cup o' tea, but I love 'em! I like them plain and simple, though. This recipe is just that.





Baked Potato Skins. All the goodness with half the fat! I went even further and instead of oil used butter spray.



Pizza Without the Red Sauce. I like to call it Greek Pizza. Quite possibly my new favorite dish, ever. We've made it at least four times in the last month. It's AMAZING.



When Andrew's dad and sister came to visit I made these..

Overnight Coffee Cake. I've never made a coffee cake before, but it was super easy! I halved the nutmeg, per reviews, and was glad I did. I also substituted applesauce for the butter. Keep in mind you can use applesauce in place of butter or oil in basically anything. It really cuts down the fat and calorie content.



Oreo Truffles. These were a HUGE hit! Everyone loved them! The whole package of oreos made about 38 truffles, so I had plenty to give away. I even went over to my friend's sorority house a week later to help her and another girl make them for their boyfriends. If you want to impress someone with sweets, I highly recommend this recipe! I used almond bark for the chocolate and it worked perfectly. I have a horrible record with melting chocolate, but this stuff was a breeze.





I'm always looking for something new to try. What are your favorite recipes?

Cards, cookies, and dancing.

Reason #201 why I love my boyfriend.



When I complain about how boring my life is, he thinks of great ideas to entertain me. This evening consisted of card games and cookies. We went to the store and got Easter cookies to bake and decorate. While the cookies baked we danced it out in the kitchen with our favorite pup.





Love.

On living in sin.

“Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?”

“You have to test drive the car before you buy it!”

Everyone has a different view on living in sin.

It seems to be a pretty common topic among my age group, so I figured I’d give my opinion on it. I was dead set on not living with Andrew before we got married. Everyone has heard the statistic that you have a 50% greater chance of getting divorced if you cohabitate before marriage. That scared the crap out of me. I know what it’s like to live in a broken home and I definitely don’t want that for my children. I was also listening to a lot of Dr. Laura at the time and all her belittling people who “shack up” made me believe it was the worst thing on Earth.

Guess what? We live together and I wouldn’t change it for the world. And you know what else? That statistic is inaccurate. Not only do they say that statistic is irrelevant these days, but a statistic can be made to say anything. So screw statistics. I am no longer afraid of getting divorced because we live together.

We chose to live together because it made sense. It works for us.

When I moved to Michigan to be closer to Andrew I decided not to live with him. Our relationship was still new and we had spent so little face-to-face time together. Seeing each other for a week or two here and there is definitely much different than living in the same town. You can only get to know each other so much over the telephone, although it did wonders for our communication. So I moved in with two roommates, one of which I had never met before and the other I had hung out with once. It was a DISASTER. Seriously, worst roommates ever. To top it off, Andrew’s roommates decided to hate me. We were both unhappy with our living situation.

We both stuck it out for the year, but knew something had to change after that. Neither of us could afford an apartment of our own, so we had to do what I didn’t want to do. I can’t say that is the best reason for us moving in together, but like I said, it works for us.

Moving in together was exciting and fun. We didn’t have a rough adjustment period. We’ve embraced each other’s quirks and occasionally bicker over stupid things. I love that he warms up my side of the bed before I get in it every night. I love that I get to cook him breakfast in bed. I love that we get to hang out in OUR living room without having to worry about anyone else. We can leave dishes in the sink and know that they are ours and we will do them when we feel like it. Living together has been nothing but a good experience for us.

However, I think a lot of people get stuck in relationships because they move in together. I don’t think it’s smart for everyone and I think people should have a clear understanding of where their relationship is going before jumping into an apartment together. Once you live together it’s a lot harder to break up should your relationship take a turn for the worst. People get the idea that they can’t leave because all of their things are intertwined and they are dependent on each other. That is when problems arise.

Communication is so important. We decide things together and talk them through. When things aren’t right, we discuss it and fix the problem. When things are right, we talk about it and celebrate! We have a clear understanding of where our relationship is, and where it’s going.

I have no doubt in my mind that Andrew and I will get married someday. He’ll still buy the cow, even though the milk is free. He’s taking an extended test drive, if you will.

Going Green.

One thing that has become very important to Andrew and I is becoming more eco friendly. I think it’s important to help keep the environment as clean and safe as possible for our future generations. And it’s really not that difficult to do. So here are some things we do to reduce our carbon footprint one step at a time:



We have been using Trader Joe's reusable grocery bags every time we go to the store. I’ll admit, this is not always the easiest thing to remember. Many times we’ve had to run back to the car to retrieve our lovely bags and other times, we completely forget them in the house after a big shopping trip. I definitely recommend keeping them in your car though, that way they are always there. Another perk of using these bags is most grocery stores will give you some kind of discount. At our local grocery store they give 5 cents off per bag. Trader Joe’s will give you a raffle ticket to enter to win $50 each month.



For Christmas Andrew and I each received an amazing Sigg aluminum water bottle. This was a very hard step for me to take. I am the queen of bottled water. I am such a water snob I pretty much refused to drink any other water, even filtered water from the Brita pitcher my mom gave us. Anyhow, I finally gave up my bad habit and am almost using the Sigg bottle full time.



We have been buying more and more eco friendly cleaning products. Things like dish soap and all purpose cleaners. We haven’t gone totally green, as a matter of fact we still have a ways to go in this department. My goal is to someday have only all natural cleaners in my house.



We try to buy local, organic fruits and veggies as often as possible. It’s not so easy here in Michigan, but in California over the summer we went to the local farmers market on the weekends and bought from there. The food is so much fresher at the farmers market! Trader Joe’s also has some good organic food, but I find they don’t have the largest selection of fruits and veggies.



When cleaning out our closets, bedrooms, etc. we take all the things we don’t want to Goodwill. Instead of throwing everything into a landfill, we hope it will get used by someone else.



Recycle, recycle, recycle! Andrew drinks a LOT of soda. For real. We have a bag in the coat closet full of all the empty cans and bottles we use. When the bag is full, we take it to the store and recycle. Besides, who doesn’t want their 10 cent deposit back on each can?!

So I may not have a hybrid car or solar panels on my roof, but we’re doing what we can. Every little bit helps. What do you do to reduce your carbon footprint?

My poor little pup.

The veterinary invoice reads "CASTRATION." Ouch. I think it could have been put a little more--man friendly, perhaps? Ah well, Dexter can't read.

His time had come. We had been finding him wayyy more interested in his bed, if you know what I mean. Yesterday morning found us dropping Dexter off at the vet for the day. We were there to do our duty as pet owners to prevent procreation and testicular cancer. Dex had no idea what was going on, but he was happy to be out and sniffing around a new place. So much so, that he decided to mark his territory on the floor of the veterinary office. Can you say embarrassing? Way to go big boy, show them who's boss!

Anyway. We dropped him off at 8AM and didn't pick him up until 4PM. It was definitely weird being without him for that long. We've never left him alone for more than four hours, so it was kind of lonely over here. And if I'm being honest, it was also kind of nice. Kind of.

After picking him up, he was groggy and insanely calm. We have never seen him like that before, ever. He slept all evening and cuddled us like crazy. I wouldn't mind this behavior all the time! Poor guy woke me up at 7AM making some strange noises I've never heard before, so I took that as a cue for more pain meds. He's been relaxed most of the day, but I can tell he's getting restless. He's been bringing his ball to us wanting to play and I feel so bad we can't. Soon, Dex, soon.



P.S. The red thing on his eye, that would be the cherry eye. We're getting it fixed when we get to Cali.

So close.

Last weekend we spent day and night packing all our belongings into boxes. We rented a Uhaul and loaded everything up. All twenty one boxes and a bed. The rest of the furniture will be sold and important things such as kitchen items will be shipped last minute.

On Monday morning we were ready and out the door at 4:00AM. Talk about early! We made the 7 1/2 hour drive to Traverse City where a man from my mom's company would drive our stuff to New York.

All of our treasured belongings should currently be sitting in a warehouse in New York waiting for the next load to California. Soon they will make their journey to California, just like we will.

I can't believe how incredibly close we are. Under two months. Andrew graduates on May 2 and we move out the next day. We'll spend a week downstate with his family and then we're off to California on May 11. For good. There's no having to pack up at the end of the summer and return to Michigan. Never again will we have to deal with snow on our cars and in our boots. Every time we come back it will be a fun vacation. And for that, I am thrilled.

Two years. I've learned so much and grown exponentially.

I can't wait to start the rest of my life in California with Andrew by my side. We won't be playing house, we'll be living it. We're still kids, but we're about to be adults. Two months.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM JUST SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family. Friends. Jobs. Dex. A new apartment. Beach. PCH. Golden Spoon. LIL PICKLE! Greek Island Grille. Windows down. Sunroof back. Rainbow sandals. Yacht Club. Shopping. SUN. Dog beach. Our new life.

So much to look forward to!

Gently Used Six Month Old Puppy For Sale

For Sale: Gently Used Six Month Old Puppy

Up for sale is a six month old black cockapoo. He is in excellent gently used condition. He comes washed and ready for a new home! I'll even include his favorite rope toy. $5 OBO.

He has horrible manners and refuses to listen. Long gone are the days where he is excited to please you and does as you say. He LOVES when you are pissed off and chase him around the house. It's quite a fun game for him. I'm sure he'd love to play it with you!

His breath stinks something horrid due to his teething. Don't worry though, almost all his baby teeth are gone. The stench should be gone soon. He still hasn't gotten over his chewing phase though. Hopefully that will make an exit with his halitosis.

He gets royally ticked when you put him in the crate to leave. The little boy does not like being left alone and will definitely voice his opinion on the matter. Good luck to you if you have neighbors!

Fortunately, he is housebroken. He even goes potty in a litter box! No longer do you have to take the pup out in the snow to potty! Be aware though, if he doesn't feel like going he will refuse and sit down right in the litter box. It's kind of gross.

Sometimes if he's not ready for bed at night he will bark like crazy. I suggest you have some ear plugs handy.

When you call "come" he pretends as if he hasn't heard you. Don't expect him to come running like an obedient dog would.

He loves to jump up at your face and lick your lips. It was cute when he was little, but now with the bad breath...not so much. He will do it constantly though, regardless of whether you like it or not.

Some days he wants to sleep on your slippers, other days he wants to eat them. Keep an eye on your slippers.

If all this doesn't make you want to immediately snatch him up, his photo will.

At least he's the cutest dog ever.



**Just to make it clear for those of you who do not understand sarcasm..This is a JOKE. I love my dog and he's not going anywhere. He just drives me up a wall sometimes.....most times. :)**

LOVE.

I am in LOVE with LUSH. I was lucky enough to find a store in Chicago and picked up a couple bath bombs and a bubble bar. Honestly, at first I thought it was kind of expensive and wasn't really down with it. Lets just say I am now a believer and I'm SO glad I tried it!

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.



I used half a Sex Bomb bath bomb and about 1/4 of a bubble bar. Who doesn't love a pink bath?!



Andrew used half an Avobath bath bomb. Then decided to try some of the bubble bar, as well.

So while they seemed pricey at first, you get multiple uses which makes it so much more affordable! And for the record, I'm not even a bath person. But these are worth it. They make your skin feel like SILK. It's amazing. And they smell fantastic! Seriously, go get some and tell me you love it. Or don't and miss out big time!

Chicago.

So. I'm not going to lie, the Chicago trip was somewhat of a bust. It rained--no, poured the entire time we were there. Which meant no Grant Park (which I was most excited for) and we didn't even bother going into downtown Chicago. All was not lost, however, because I got to see my MOMMY! Which made the trip SO worth it.

We picked up my mommy at her truck in a truck stop and I promptly lit the candle on a cake ball (I'll explain in another entry - similar to a truffle) and sang happy birthday to her. After presents and all that jazz, we drove the hour and half to Chicago so she could spend the night in the hotel with us. I was only expecting to go to lunch with her, so it was super exciting that I got to hang out with her for the whole night. We were all really tired, so we didn't end up doing anything besides hang out in the room all night.

The next morning, we woke up at early o' clock and took her back to her truck so she could get on the road. After we returned, we went to Trader Joe's <3 and got some goodies. Also checked out Costco since we recently bought a membership (even though there are none around here...yeah). That night we ate at Gino's East. I love me some Chicago pizza, but the place we went to last time, The Art of Pizza, I think was better. Either way, Chicago pizza is amazing and the atmosphere at Gino's was definitely neat.

Sunday we went shopping. We decided to forgo downtown Magnificent Mile due to the whole difficult parking situation plus dog and ended up at an awesome shopping mall. I didn't buy TOO much, but got the awesome LUSH products I raved about, as well as some things from Sephora. After we returned to the hotel we relaxed for a bit and then got ready for P.F. Chang's. Seriously, if you haven't been there, DO IT. I don't even LIKE Chinese food, but this place was SO SO good! They had a promo going called something like "Dinner for Two" which included an appetizer, two entrees, and two little dessert shooter things for $40. We got chicken lettuce wraps for the appetizer and I would totally get them as a meal they were so awesome. Also highly recommend the honey chicken and sweet and sour chicken. We can't wait to go back when we get to Cali!

The next morning we packed up and headed home! But not before stopping in Milwaukee to see my crazy grandma. Overall, it was a good time. I just wish we could have done some of the touristy things. I think having a dog makes things a little more difficult and it's not as easy to just get up and go do something. And the rain totally didn't help matters.

So besides just what we actually DID, here are some things I realized/learned over that weekend:

-My mom really is so thoughtful. It's not something I think about very often because I don't see her much, but she truly is so awesome. When she found out we'd be able to see each other she went out and bought Dex a huge toy. She is constantly thinking about other people and doing nice little things like that. I think it's so cute. It was also really neat to watch her with Dex. They totally became BFFs. She let him lick her face whenever he wanted (he's a huge kisser!) and he totally dug that. Even we get sick of it and push him off, but she let him go on forever. When we were driving back to her truck I looked behind me and she was sitting there feeding him treat after treat like it was his dinner. It was too cute. She had such a good time with him and it was just really awesome. It made me think about how she'll be a great grandma.

-Traffic stresses me out. You see, Cali obviously has TONS of traffic, but I've been gone for a while and don't have to deal with it on a daily basis anymore. Add that to the fact that in Cali I KNOW where I'm going because it's not some foreign city. In Chicago, I was stressed to the MAX every time we drove. Even if I wasn't driving! It was terrible. I tend to be a stress-ball as it is, but the craziness that is Chicago intensified it to the point where I was almost ready to go home after the first day. I guess I'm just not made for huge cities. I much prefer an in between kind of place.

-Tax in Chicago is 10%!! Are you kidding me?! That's just ridiculous. I'd refuse to shop, but that's a crime in itself. So shop I did. But Chicago needs to check themselves. They are NOT that special. 10%!

I think that's about it. We only took ONE picture the entire trip. And it wasn't even a good one. We got all dressed up for P.F. Chang's and then forgot to take a picture until right after we left the place. Ugh! Oh well, I've got the memories :) Or something like that..