Happy Wednesday!

Spring Break : 4 Months Later

Hey, remember that trip Husby and I took to Wisconsin and Chicago in March?

You don't?

Well, haven't you seen pictures?

Really, you haven't? Huh.

Oh, that's right I never posted them! 

What kind of a lazy, slacker blogger doesn't post pictures for four months? The kind that also forgets the battery charger in a hotel room in March. And then hesitates to buy a replacement for $50 since the camera isn't worth much more.

Once bought, but before opened, I decided to see what my friend, Amazon.com, had to offer. Like the good friend Amazon.com is, I found a replacement for $20. Once it came in, I charged that battery, and turned on the camera to download the pictures, only to discover that my memory card corrupted. What in the world?! I was saved by a local camera place who warned me that I should format the memory card at least once a month. Well, I still don't know how to do that, even though I was told it's simple. And I'm somewhat savvy with technology.

Back to the trip. I convinced Husby to take off work the same week as my spring break. We decided to road trip it to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. My BFF of the Midwest lives in the LG, and it's one of my favorite places to visit. I just love it, even if it is -6 degrees (or 11 degrees, whatever). Since it's a little over an hour from Chicago, we were excited to spend a little time in the city.

On our way, we drove through Missouri. We didn't realize we'd be so close to St. Louis, and decided that we just had to stop. I [sort of] wanted to see the Arch. What we saw was not what I expected! That thing is massive. I promise that helicopters could fly through it and have plenty of clearance! Unfortunately, the tours to the top were sold out for the day, so we had to take in the view from the ground. Just a few hours in St. Louis made us want to return for an extended stay. Oh, and we had grand plans of stopping at the state line each time we passed through a new state. That didn't work out so well since it was either dark or super foggy for the other states.

We finally reached Lake Geneva. It only took about 17 hours. Although it's a long trip, you Texan's know that it takes longer than that to reach any ski resort in Colorado. And how many times have we done that?

I was so excited that the lake was completely frozen! I'd never walked out onto a frozen lake, and let me tell you, we walked to the middle of that lake. Marieke's nine-year-old had to hold my hand and kept asking if I was scared. As if the grandpa shuffle didn't make it obvious! Once the adults explained that the ice is at least 12 inches thick, I was okay. And there were cars driving on it, so I suppose that I wasn't going to be the ice breaker!

We came upon a group of ice fisher's. It was so cool! They really make a hole in the ice. Either they were at the end of their day or a group of people asking questions convinced them to leave, but the holes in the ice were still there! I convinced Husby to stick his hand in it to see just how cold it was. Evidently, cold enough that he didn't want two pictures taken. Ha!

These pictures were taken while standing in the middle of the lake. Holy moly!

Our Chicago adventure was so much fun. It was a tad bit warmer in Chicago, and since we fast-walked everywhere, we didn't get very cold. Husby and I had both visited Chicago, but not together. We quickly walked from our hotel to Millennium Park when we arrived. After taking pictures of The Bean at every angle, we decided to ice skate.

I haven't ice skated since I was in sixth grade. It was a work out! I wasn't very good a turning. Or starting. Or skating. I'd skate around the smallish rink a couple of times, and then take a break. Then I'd meet Husby back on the ice for him to give me a pull so that I didn't just stand on the ice. Once it was time for the ice to be resurfacing, we made our way to the Art Institute. It was just as good the second time.

That night, we dined at Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill. Of the three finalists on last years Top Chef Masters, we've eaten at each of their restaurants: Bottega in Napa Valley, Fleur de Lys in San Francisco, and Frontera Grill in Chicago. (We're quite proud of that.)

Because I was super-excited to visit the Field Museum, and could have run through it until I reached this exhibit, I feel that she should get her own picture. Remember hearing about Lyuba, an extremely well-preserved baby mammoth found in Russia? Well, she was just a cute as I'd hoped.

 

After spending time in Sonoma Valley and San Francisco for our honeymoon (which you can read about here and here and here), and then a trip to Lake Geneva and Chicago, we've decided we're city vacation people. You know, rather than beach or mountain vacations (although we LOVE to ski)? Husby and I are super excited that our vacay this summer will include three big cities: Budapest, Vienna and Prague. This weekend, we purchased a Rick Steves travel guide to begin planning our time in these cities.

Are you a beach or city or mountain vacay person? Do you like the busyness of a city? (Which are your favorite cities?) Can you handle the sand on the beach? Or do you prefer some other getaway?

(Unsolicited) Spin Pin Review

When I saw the commercial for Spin Pins, I was so intrigued. They take the place of TWENTY bobby pins. Always a sucker for good marketing, I thought I might like to try them, but doubted their ability to hold my hair in place. I have very fine, thick hair that's cut into a gillion layers. (Otherwise, it's so weighted down on top and so frizzy at the bottom, that I look like my hairstyle is a triangle. Nice, huh?) And most often, during the summer, I wear it curly. I didn't think it'd work on curly hair.

Soon after my inclination to try them, one of my BFF's shared her wonderment of the Spin Pin on facebook. After a reply from me about the curly hair issue, we received assurance from a friend of hers that they DO work on curly hair. I was sold. But the next time I was in Target, the were sold out.

Today, Husby and I made a quick trip to Target after lunch. Though they weren't originally on the list, they made their way into my stack of things to buy. As soon as we got home, I decided to give them a try. I was amazed at HOW WELL THEY WORK! Look at the results:

I'm so excited to have these. They make a messy-cute bun. I think they'll be a great option to the classic ponytail-on-a-bad-hair-day. They are so simple. It just a ponytail, twisted around into a bun with a spin pin in the top and bottom. Just "screw" them into the hair. Goody (the maker of Spin Pin), has the how-to's on their site. Along with other products that I just might have to try!

Even Husby liked the look. He said it's cute. Which means I'll wear my hair like this until he mentions that he loves my hair curly and half-up. Then I'll pull up the Goody website and do the half-up 'do with the Spin Pin.

I plan on wearing curly hair tomorrow, just to see if they really will work. I'll keep you posted.

P.S. I did try using the Spin Pin with a bun on the side of my head, but the layers in my hair are too short to sweep all the way to the opposite side of my head. I'll have to let them grow out just a bit and try it again.

Friday Faves

Okay, if I link up with other blogs, it has to be because I really want to write about the topic given. It's a way to have a topic without having to accidentally call adult hot lines for a story. (I promise it really was an accident that just turned into a great story!)

So, I found this blog at some point this week. (We'll talk about my addiction to blog jumping a little later.) It spoke to me because the blog design is red and turquoise, which happens to be one of my love languages. If you can believe it--I barely can--one of my BFF's once told me that red and turquoise "don't go together." What?! I had to pray through that friendship, and once she confessed to me that they do actually compliment each other, the friendship was saved.

The topic is a just a series of five questions created by Beth at Just Me and My Life. And I can answer some questions! Let's get started...

1. If given a chance to skip work for a day, how would you spend the entire day?

Actually, our school is closed next week, so I'm forced to stay home the entire week. Since it's approximately the temperature of the sun with the humidity of the entire ocean, it'll be tough to convince myself to leave the air conditioning. Although on the docket: blueberry picking, fig picking, tending to our little garden, possibly making a headboard, finish watching season 2 of Gilmore Girls, borrowing a friend's Dyson vacuum cleaner to give our house a go-over, and spray-painting something.

2. If you could start fresh, what profession would you choose?

I do love my current profession as a college advisor, and I never could have dreamed of being a college advisor. But I think I would love to do something artsy. Likely graphic design.

3. What is your favorite candy or candy bar?

4. Have you ever ordered anything from an infomercial or bought an "As Seen on TV" item?

Target has a special "As Seen on TV" section. Although I haven't ever bought anything off of an infomercial, I did purchase the Ped Egg at Target. And I still love it today as much as I did back then.

5. What's the movie you ALWAYS cry at?

Okay, I have to finish getting ready for work. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Husby announced before he left for work that he doesn't want to do anything this weekend. That sounds like a plan!

Umm...I Have the Wrong Number

**Updated to change the format of the phone number listed in this post. Evidently, smart phones will honor the telephone link. It need not be honored. :)

Have you ever had a phone call misdirected? You know, you call a number, but someone totally different answers? Well, it happens a couple of times a month in our office. Usually, it's not a big deal. It's often another parent who kindly laughs and thinks I (or my boss) have dialed the wrong number. But the thing is--it's most often the correct number.

I know this because when it happens, I give a laugh to the person on the other end of the line and apologize for the inconvenience. Then I hang up and press redial to see the number on the display; I disconnect before the call can go out (we have a delay on outgoing calls). The findings are conclusive, and I announce to my boss that I, in fact, had dialed the correct number. The second time it's dialed, it's directed to the intended recipient.

One time, my boss called a local restaurant for dinner reservations. Since it was the middle of the afternoon--and non-restaurant hours--she didn't think anything about it when the person who answered simply said, "Hello?" She proceeded to make the reservation, but was cut short when a parent of an alumni recognized her voice. They had a good chuckle. When she ended the call, she insisted that she had not dialed that number. She hadn't spoken with the parent on the phone since their child graduated.

I've never mentioned it to anyone else on campus. Until today. It turns out it's common to most lines on campus.

Which makes me feel a little better. Here goes...

As a college advisor, I'm the testing coordinator for our school, as well as the coordinator for students with disabilities. There are certain forms that should be completed each year for students to be eligible to have accommodations, like extended time on a test for a reading disability. I hadn't received the form at the usual time, so I decided to call the SAT hot line for counselors.

I quickly referred to the number on my desk. It was an easy number. Their customer service reps are always super-helpful and each call is answered by an automated message. Normally, I hear something like, "Hello, welcome to the SAT line for counselors. For testing info, press one." (You get the idea.)

Well, I dialed the number and an automated message started.

"Hello, you've reached 1888FREESEX."

Are you kidding me?! I (inadvertently) called a sex hot line AT WORK. And I work at a private, Christian school.

I quickly hung up and screamed at the same time. My co-worker wondered what on earth had happened. Of course, she had a good laugh at my expense. I have to agree that it WAS humorous.

I looked at the number I tried to call. I spelled out 1888FREESEX on the keypad. The two numbers are NOWHERE NEAR THE SAME. I pressed redial. Sure enough, I dialed the correct number. My call was just misdirected.

I knew that before I left for the day, I had to confess my phone call to others. I'd already played the scenario through my head where the business office receives the list of phone calls made that month. Although none others would be spelled out, I just knew that 1888FREESEX would be listed on calls made from my line.

Luckily, everyone had a good laugh. Including me.

It's Just So Hot

Holy moly. I have no idea why I ever complain about the [relatively] chilly temperatures in the winter, and then promise that I'll never complain about summer if the WINTER WOULD JUST END. I guess I just get tired of wearing a coat. Because in Texas, I wear a coat from my car into the office, and then back to my car. Any errands run between buildings of our open campus are done with speed and a scarf. A trip to the grocery store is done very much the same way. It's just such a hassle.

But this heat! This heat is zapping the strength out of me. I feel that if the temperature and heat index will ever fall below 162, I'll be better. Yesterday, I convinced myself that it was too hot to work out INSIDE THE GYM. Seriously? And today, I skipped most of my make-up routine (which isn't very lengthy, as is) and only put on a little bronzer, shimmery eye shadow and mascara because I knew that it would melt off of me. By the time I reached my building--after finding a tree to shade my car for the day--the sweat appeared and the make-up began making its exit.

Have I mentioned that I sweat like a 600 pound man? Oh, and did I mention that we went to a family wedding this weekend? In Austin? Outside? At six o'clock?

I decided that I'd debut the floppy red hat that Husby gave me for my birthday. It did its job in keeping the sun out of my eyes, but it made my head so sweaty. Since I'd worn my hair curly, I thought I might be able to take off the hat. (Sometimes when I wear it curly, it doesn't look like a matted mess, even when sweaty.) I lifted the hat and turned to Husby to see if he thought I'd be able to pull off the slightly-sweaty-curly-hair look. He quickly offered that I wouldn't approve of the way my hair looks. And if he knows we're at that point, it's bad.

Today's heat index of 109 will surely make me unable to cook anything for dinner. I mean, who wants to turn on the stove? It just makes the house hotter. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my food funk. Well, maybe. But I am thinking about cooking more often. That's so much better than where I've been the past couple of weeks.

I promise: if this heat will end, I will not complain about winter. Or at least our two weeks of fall.

When I Said Yes

Over at Kelly's Korner, girls are sharing stories of their engagement. I decided to play along because I love our story.

I mentioned here that one of my favorite things is playing games. I grew up loving Monopoly (though I've never played with the houses/hotels), LIFE, Mall Madness (it came with the credit card you could swipe--I really enjoyed that part way too much), Clue Jr. and pretty much any other game I could get someone to play with me. Of all the games, LIFE remained at the top of the list. It's fun and easy, and it just doesn't matter how well you play, you may or may not win. And I could usually rope someone into playing it.

Fast forward 20 years. (Yikes, that makes me sound a little old!)

Husby is still the BF. We'd talked about getting married and bought a book with questions to ask your potential mate. We started strong and excited about really getting to know each other through these 101 questions; then answered about six of them. (And never finished the book since we decided we had actually talked about so many things already.) Then, I went to JUST LOOK at rings and FELL IN LOVE with MY RING. I called to see if I should go ahead and purchase it. For some reason, he wanted to be there when he bought an engagement ring for his future wife. And I just couldn't convince him otherwise.

A week later, he was in the big city to look at said ring. I left all of my information with the jeweler, but they lost my ring size. So he had to call to ask my ring size. And then I knew he was BUYING ME AN ENGAGEMENT RING. Of course, I figured I'd get it within a reasonable amount of time. I mean, which guy wants to hold onto a ring for that long? I can tell you. My future husband. He waited almost two months.

He wanted our engagement to be perfect and memorable. I just wanted to know I was going to get to marry him. (And I wanted to wear my ring desperately.) His plan was to propose on a hot air balloon ride. How romantic! (The ride was actually my birthday present from the year before, but had been postponed multiple times because of weather.) It was scheduled twice for the ring-giving, including on my birthday, but it didn't happen because wind conditions weren't perfect. Since my birthday plans were cancelled, I had to choose something else. We met a group of friends to meet at a local restaurant for dinner. Afterwards, I wanted to play a game with just the two of us: LIFE. That was the plan. Since dinner ran late, though, we didn't play the game. Two days later, he mentioned that he still owed me a game of LIFE. I was more than happy to play.

We set up the game board and started to play: spinning the wheel, buying auto insurance, graduating from college. And then I got married first. I made some comment about wondering who I would marry. Ha! Then he arrived at the STOP: GET MARRIED spot. I turned to the box top to grab him a little pink peg of a woman and asked, "Do you want a wife?" When I turned back around, he was on one knee with the ring box out. EEEEK! I was totally getting a proposal for marriage. Of course, I said yes after he did the asking. And then we stopped playing the game so that we could call and text the 3204817234 people that I'd promised to tell immediately.

It WAS the perfect and memorable proposal he wanted. And the proposal I discovered that I was so happy to wait for. He was so creative. I appreciate that so much!

Here are a couple of pics of our night:

And we finally got that balloon ride a couple of weeks later. I happen to think my ring looks absolutely amazing with a view of the city in the background.

Six months later, Husby and I were married. This week we celebrated our eight monthiversary. And a wonderful eight months it's been with him as my husband.