On giving advice.

The other day I was at the gym and this man* who frequently talks to me decided to give me advice on losing weight. He opened the conversation by telling me how wonderful I look and how skinny I'm getting. He then proceeded to let me know that the way he loses weight is by eating once a day, usually really late at night, about 11pm. He walks around his kitchen alternating between eating and writing or watching TV. He eats a really large meal at that time, and then not again until the next night. He drinks coffee and water all day, though. He suggested I try it out. Um, thanks? Are you kidding me? I'll mention it to my nutritionist and see what she thinks.

I seriously do not understand where people come up with some things. I know he was just trying to help, but come on. I have done a great deal of research on exercising and nutrition and I'd like to think I know more than the average Joe. So when some random person comes up and gives me advice like that, it's a little irritating. At least know what you're talking about if you're going to give unsolicited advice.

*Matthew. He spends hours upon hours at the gym on a near daily basis. I've never seen him break a sweat. He wears jean pants every time he works out. He sips coffee and walks around the gym writing on small pieces of paper in between his exercises. Very odd, and slightly creepy if you didn't know him. He means well and is ridiculously friendly and loves to chat. Sometimes seems a little stalkerish.

A new blog.

No, not mine.

Apparently we have a really smart dog. Dexter decided to start his own blog. Please show him some love!

http://thedexterpost.blogspot.com/

Can I just take a leave of absence from life for the next two and a half weeks?

I just want to BE THERE already.

I don't want to deal with packing (which we have yet to start).

I don't want to deal with getting slightly sentimental about the place I have called home for the last two years.

I don't want to deal with all the good-byes and crying that is associated with leaving.

I don't want to deal with the insane amounts of driving for three days straight (in two separate cars, mind you).

Um yeah, I just want to BE THERE already.

Laying on the beach.

Eating fro-yo.

Loving life.

Is that so much to ask???


And for the record, I'm not really having a Debbie Downer moment. Things are going really well and I'm not nearly as stressed as I anticipated. It's just all the excitement is building up and I can hardly contain it all!

I hate Houghton, MI.

Have I mentioned before how much I hate Houghton, MI? Well if you didn’t know, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hate it.

I actually thought we were going to end on good terms, Houghton and I.

Last week it was sunny and 40 to 50 degrees. Nice spring weather. Yeah, Houghton and I were getting along pretty well.

Then.

Then this happened:



(Our car is in the middle, in case you were wondering)

The landlord had to put his plow back on his truck (since you know, normal places don’t snow this late in the SPRING).

Andrew went to town cleaning off the car with his hand (gloved) because we left the snow brush downstate in the car that has SNOW TIRES on it. Then he continued with the shovel to dig the rest of the car out. Do you know how heavy wet snow is? Yeah, I picked up the shovel and tried once, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

Fortunately, the landlord was still in our driveway and helped Andrew push the car out of our spot.



When I went to pick Andrew up from class I nearly got stuck again. Because even though it had been plowed (and I parked in a plowed spot), another 6 inches or so had fallen. Thank goodness I made it out or Andrew would have been at school for a while longer.



When we got home, we got stuck again. We were trying to figure out the best place to park and stopped the car in the process. Oops. Andy shoveled and pushed us out for the second time.

The landlord came back to plow again, so I thought I’d be nice and move my car after he’d finished doing the front half. Yeah, not so much. It definitely wouldn’t move and I dug myself a nice hole. So the car stays where it is and hopefully tomorrow it will melt a little before it’s time to leave. Otherwise, Andrew will be pushing us out AGAIN.

Seriously, what IS this? It’s the end of April for Christ’s sake. This snow storm is worse than a lot of the ones that happened during the WINTER. It hasn’t stopped snowing for two days straight and it’s coming down quite heavy.

I hate you, Houghton, MI.

The Big Reveal.

Sorry for leaving you hanging! What a weekend.

As for the big purchase….it happened! If you’ve been on facebook, you already know.

Please welcome......

Mr. Maxima to the family!



On Saturday morning at approximately 10am this beast joined our family. Yes, that makes two Maximas. What can I say? I’m in love.

A little back story, if you’re interested. We needed a second car by June 1, because we sold Andrew’s car last summer. We needed two by the time he starts work, so we’ve been (semi) looking the past couple weeks. On Tuesday we made the decision to wait until we got to California to buy one, although I had already applied for a loan (at 3.99% HOLLA!). When I talked to my mom the next day, she made me paranoid about whether or not the loan company would allow me applying for it in MI and buying/registering in CA. Instead of calling and asking like a normal person would, I decided to start looking at cars again.

And then I found him. Mr. Maxima in all his glory. Yes, this car is a boy. Ms. Maxima needed a mate. Her soul mate. (Good lord I’m cheesy).



So I contacted the owner on Friday. We told him we’d be able to come down the weekend of April 25. Then he told me he had two appointments over the weekend and would let me know if it sold. NO NO NO. I couldn’t let him sell MY car. Right before I headed to the gym, I asked him if the loan check came in the mail and I drove down that evening, would he let me see it first. Ah, desperation at its finest. Luckily, he accepted my proposition. Low and behold, the check was in the mail! Within 1.5 hours we were showered, packed, and headed downstate. We got in at 2am and hit the pillows as soon as Dex decided it was okay to stop barking and go to sleep. Woke up at 7:30am (earlier for me because I couldn’t sleep) and headed to Grand Rapids to meet my new love. After about a half hour it was ours!

Seriously, this car is in amazing condition. The previous owner was a fellow Maxima enthusiast and took ridiculous care of the car. To the point where he didn’t allow fast food in it. Now THAT’S love. And it tickled my heart because I am the same way. It is in great condition and he even gave me all his service records. We were impressed, to say the least.

We drove back up yesterday and the ride was fairly uneventful. Besides Andrew and Dex being a tad obnoxious and getting pulled over once for not having a license plate. The officer was a young, rookie-looking cop. I tried to make small talk, but he was not interested. It was slightly amusing. Ah well.

And now, now it’s snowing on my pretty new car. Like a LOT. The white stuff is coming down like there’s no tomorrow. And we left the snow brush in Ms. Maxima, which we left downstate for the next two weeks. Awesome. Maybe I can try out the heated seats later.

This is why I hate Houghton, MI:



On Saturday while we were downstate, Andrew went golfing TWICE. It was nearly 80 degrees. Ahhh, Sweet Sunshine!

Now we’re in the middle of a snow storm with the plows out in full force.

Edit: Guess I should have added some details about the Mister. It's a 2004 Nissan Maxima SE. 58,000 miles. Black on black leather (yikes in the summer). Every option except navigation, which includes heated seats/steering wheel/side mirrors, power seats with two preset seat memory things, sunroof, rear "spoiler" (if you can call it that), and a whole slew of electronic features that I have yet to go through.

There is a strong possibility I will be making the biggest purchase in my life thus far in about an hour.

I was excited, but now..now I'm just downright nervous.

Within an hour and a half yesterday afternoon, we were showered, packed, and headed out on the road for a ten hour drive downstate.

Got in at 2am and was up by 7:30 this morning to drive another hour and a half.

On the road, writing from my phone. Wish us luck!

Hopefully I'll be back this evening with an awesome story and photos.

Love love.

ONE MONTH.

In exactly ONE month (not that I’m counting or anything..), I will be arriving in California. At just about this time in the evening, in fact. I am thrilled on so many levels. This means that in approximately one month, I will be doing the following:

Going to as many Angels baseball games as possible.





Taking a walk down the Balboa Boardwalk while eating ice cream, but only after spending the whole morning at the beach.



Taking the dogs to Dog Beach and attempting to stop a random dog for stealing our toys.



Trying on bridesmaid dresses for my BFF’s wedding.



Playing catch and picking flowers with this awesome kid.



Eating cupcakes while watching the sunset with my love.



Having picnics in the park (and getting awesome birthday presents like tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil).



Wearing sweet 4th of July attire. Holla! (Thanks Kerry and GM!)



So yes. About being thrilled. Now you can see why. California is pretty much bomb diggs.

25.

This is hugely popular on Facebook right now and since I took the time (literally somewhere around an hour) to do it, I figure I should spread it around..

1. Most of the time I prefer hanging out with my family, rather than friends.

2. I will celebrate ANYTHING. If I can’t find something to celebrate, I’ll make something up. It gives me things to look forward to.

3. Giving up fast food was one of the best decisions I have ever made for my health. I quit eating fast food in November 2005 and haven’t looked back.

4. Getting a dog made me seriously reconsider ever wanting to have a child.

5. Fall Out Boy is my guilty pleasure. I am so embarrassed about it, but that doesn’t stop me from belting out every single song while I’m alone in my car.

6. I still have no idea what I want to do with my life career-wise.

7. I faithfully read PostSecret every Sunday morning.

8. Moving to Michigan helped me grow into my own person, and for that I am thankful. I am finally living my life for ME and not anyone else.

9. You will hardly ever catch me without chapstick on my lips. I keep tubes of it everywhere – my purse, beside my bed, on my desk, in my car, everywhere!

10. My boyfriend is my best friend and I am confident that we will spend the rest of our lives together.

11. I get overwhelmed and stressed out way too easily. It drives me (and everyone else, I'm sure) insane.

12. I used to weigh 265 lbs. Disgusting and unfortunately, very true.

13. If I have to make a meal for just myself, it will most likely be cereal.

14. I live for frozen yogurt (fro-yo) in the summer.

15. I often buy things on sale that I don’t want/need just because they are on sale. This is a habit I have been trying hard to break and am almost there.

16. At work, you will find my desk spotless. At home, not so much. It is a complete mess of papers, pens, unopened mail, dog treats, etc.

17. I love post-it notes. I always have sticky notes scattered around. There are currently 15 stuck to my desk.

18. I sleep with my boyfriend every night, but we’ve never had sex.

19. I check the weather like it’s my job.

20. My dog is my greatest source of entertainment. He has me laughing constantly. I also talk to him like he’s a person and let him kiss me on the lips. It’s kind of sick.

21. After having long hair my whole life, last summer I chopped it all off to above my shoulders. I donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths because I saw firsthand how hair loss affected my grandma during chemo. Anyone going through that should have access to free wigs.

22. I have to rehearse before I make a professional phone call. Sometimes this includes writing down what I am going to say. If it is not a call I have to make, I’ll have Andrew do it.

23. I’d much rather spend a night in, than a night out. I am such a homebody. Give me a book or trashy reality tv and I’m set.

24. They say home is where the heart is, but my home will always be California. My life may be in Michigan right now, but it’s not home.

25. I never, ever imagined I’d be a dog person, but here I am. Thank you, Gracie and Doogie.

Happiness.

I am filled to the brim with happiness!

• It was sunny and 40 degrees today! We took the dog for a long walk and we weren’t freezing while doing it. Sunshine makes life incredible.
• Dinner date with two of my favorite people. Good food, good laughs, good conversations, good times!
• Worked my booty off at the gym to compensate for said good food.
• My makeup looked good, which made me feel pretty.
• I wore my new vans shoes that are brown and have FLOWERS on them. They look so hippy and I love them.
• Playing with Dexter fulfills my life in ways I never thought a pet could.
• As much as I love Andrew and hanging out with him, it’s SO nice to spend time with friends and be social.
• There is currently a casserole dish in my fridge filled with ingredients to make baked French toast. The recipe is from a cookbook my grandma MADE. Awesome.
• Can’t wait for our little Easter brunch tomorrow!
• Today marks ONE MONTH until we depart on our road trip to Cali. At this time in one month, we will be sitting in a hotel room in Omaha, NE.
• I baked amazing cheesecake brownies this afternoon. Completely from scratch. Andrew and I ate one each and the rest went to our friend as a birthday gift. Everyone loved them!
• Opened the windows in the living room and bedroom all afternoon. Fresh air filling the house is one of the best things ever.
• Sitting in bed next to my love, while he flips between sports highlights and video games. Stealing kisses when necessary.

Happiness is infectious. Spread the love!




Life is good.

When Harry Met Sally.

I'm really not one for posting videos, but I have to just this once. I will totally understand if you don't watch it, because I usually pass up videos online too. But you should watch it :) It is one of my favorite scenes from When Harry Met Sally and if it doesn't put a smile on your face, well I just don't know. If you haven't seen this movie, you MUST. It is probably my favorite movie of all time.



Andrew and I lay in bed at night and go back and forth trying to perfect that voice like it's our job.

You can take the girl out of Cali..

But you can't take Cali out of the girl.

It is still shocking to see deceased deer on the side of the road. It hurts my heart a little. Andrew likes to correct/make fun of me when I talk about people "catching" deer. He says, "No, they didn't CATCH it, they SHOT it." That's sad. I understand it's the whole circle of life, yadda, yadda. I watched the Lion King. But hunting is just not for me. It never will be.

Is it so much to ask for like, maybe Target and Starbucks to be a little closer? An hour and a half just to shop at a store that's not WALMART. Oh how I hate the Wal. The one here isn't so bad, but I just don't want to support them. Unfortunately, we have no choice. Unless we want to make weekly trips to Target, which just isn't an option.

I wonder how many people from around here HATE Starbucks. It seems like small towns don't want a big chain like that around. I can understand that. I'm all about supporting the local economy. But I mean, it's STARBUCKS! How can you not love it?! There is a really awesome coffee shop downtown here. I loves it. They have an amazing cookies and cream coffee smoothie. That doesn't taste like coffee. Fantastic!

It's really difficult to find stuff you need up here. I don't think they've really caught up with the times of you know, INTERNET. I was trying to find Dex a groomer and a puppy class. Where would any normal person look for that stuff? GOOGLE, of course! But no. Not here. So at the vet, she gave me this old looking copy of all the places up here for grooming and puppy classes. And it only had the name of the place and the phone number. Not even where it's located!

Gah, I'm too much of a city girl. Honestly, this place isn't SO bad. I just don't like the winter. Cali girls don't DO winter. And it's too small.

So lets talk about what I DO like. The waterfalls are AMAZING. I love going on waterfall tours with Andrew. He knows where they ALL are. And I'm not going to lie, we went on a snowshoe tour, minus the snowshoes last year, and we had an awesome time. I also love that you don't have to worry about anything here. There's like, no crime. I still lock my doors and all that jazz, but a lot of people don't. And nothing seems to happen. I love that there's no traffic. Now THAT makes my life happy. I like that people are friendly. I enjoyed the movie theater that only charged $6.50 for an evening movie. Until it closed down last summer. Apparently they should have been charging more! I LOVE Winter Carnival. And I also love MTU Hockey! So really, I don't HATE the place. I just prefer home.

And here are some of the things I miss. I miss Trader Joe's. The BEST grocery store on the face of the Earth. I miss Target being literally 30 seconds from my house. I miss my family. I miss Pacific Coast Highway and the beach. I miss shopping malls! And my friends. I miss driving with the sunroof open and the windows down. I miss sunshine. Oh Huntington Beach, you were such a good home to me.

One more thing. I think it is so interesting that people in Michigan say they are going "downstate" if they are heading south. While people in California say they are going to "Nor-Cal" or "So-Cal." We would NEVER say "I'm heading downstate!" But of course I've adapted to the Michigan ways and here, we go DOWNSTATE.

Gym Etiquette.

I thought it was common knowledge, but oh how I was mistaken. There are some gym crimes that irritate me more than anything. Unfortunately, they happen all the time. So listen up and vow to never commit one of these crimes.

1. If you insist on bringing your cell phone into the gym (which is a crime in itself, but I wont go there), do NOT sit on a machine and gab about Jimmy's brother's sister's BFF for half an hour. Ever think that someone else might want to actually USE the machine?? Not to mention I really don't care what happened to Jimmy's brother's sister's BFF and you're usually talking loud enough so the whole gym can hear. I'm trying to concentrate on my workout and you are quite distracting.

2. Please, grandma, stop wearing that god awful, heavy scented, musty perfume to the gym. I cant breathe when you're right next to me on the elliptical. Or behind me on the treadmill, for that matter. Yes, it really is THAT strong. I am working my butt off, struggling for breath, and your perfume is NOT helping.

3. Alternately, please, please, PLEASE wear deodorant! I really don't want to smell your icky stench either. Maybe you think it makes you smell macho, but its disgusting and no one appreciates it.

4. Clean up after yourself! It sounds simple. It is simple. So why is it forgotten so often? If you use a machine, wipe it off after you're done. I don't feel like sitting in a puddle of your sweat. That's gross.

Reality TV.

I’ll admit it. I’m a HUGE fan of trashy reality TV. You name it, I probably watch it. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but bad enough. Everything from the Hills (holla!), Biggest Loser, Real World..to America’s Next Top Model, Real Housewives of OC (holla, again!), and the Bachelor. The list could probably go on and on. It’s a little ridiculous.

Anyways. A lot of people don’t understand why reality TV is so intriguing, ahem, Andrew. I can’t speak for everyone, but I think a big reason is because it’s interesting to see into the lives of people you are not. Some of it may be scripted or altered or whatever, but there’s got to be some truth to it. And that is why I watch reality TV. My life is fairly quiet and low key, if not downright boring sometimes. I don’t have a ton of drama and I don’t get all dressed up in $800 Manolo Blahniks on the daily.

Getting to see a glimpse of someone else’s life is why reality TV is so huge. I get to see what it’s like to wear those Manolos, without having to drop the dough. I get to see inside the homes and lives of millionaires. And I get to watch the drama without being involved!

So you bet your booty I’m parked right in front of the TV every week to see if Heidi and Spencer finally break up (or get married, who knows).

While on the subject of reality TV, what’s up with Jon and Kate Plus 8?! I just admitted how much I love reality TV, but seriously…not a good show. The woman is a horrendous witch and they are seriously the most boring, dull, monotonous speakers EVER. I don’t know what’s up with them, but something is not right.

Bucket List.

If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It's fantastic. And it's inspired me to write my own bucket list :)

My Bucket List:
1. Go on a cruise.
2. Get married to Andrew.
3. Travel Europe.
4. Visit Latvia and experience my culture, meet some of my family.
5. Buy a house.
6. Help a stranger.
7. Make a homeless person lunch.
8. Get a "real" job.
9. Go to Niagara Falls.
10. Go to a Detroit Red Wings game.
11. Go to a New England Patriots game.
12. Finish a full scrapbook.
13. Go on a shopping spree in NYC.
14. Eat Chicago pizza.
15. See as many Cirque Du Soleil shows as I can.
16. Go to Hawaii.
17. Learn to ski/snowboard.
18. Buy Christmas gifts and give them to a shelter.
19. Go to Mackinac Island.
20. Eat at as many places on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives as possible.
21. Go to an all inclusive resort somewhere tropical.
22. Learn to REALLY sew. Not just straight lines.
23. Enter a baking contest.
24. Take a cake decorating class.
25. Go kayaking on the lake.
26. Go whale watching.
27. Learn to golf.
28. Visit tons of famous golf courses with Andrew.
29. Carve our initials into a tree somewhere meaningful to us.
30. Come back to Michigan Tech for hockey and Winter Carnival many years after we leave this state.
31. Swim with dolphins.

Oh, Dexter.

It's no secret that Dex loves to play bite. Also called mouthing.

As he's mouthing me, I notice there is quite a bit of red STUFF in his molar. I kind of freak out in my head a little, but figure it's probably just the tooth coming through and it's bleeding.

Upon further inspection, aka shoving my finger in his mouth, I realize it's definitely NOT blood. It looks like candy, as a matter of fact. Like chewy red candy.

Andrew decides to chime in at that moment and tell me he dropped a jelly bean and couldn't find it.

Because I'm totally disgusting in a way only a mom can be, I shove my finger back in his mouth and TOUCH the stuff. Then I smelled it. Smells like cherry.

Thank you Dex for being the best vacuum a person could buy.