The four-day weekend (part two)

Devin and I aren't huge on the shop-til-you-drop Friday madness, but we did end up going out (really without thinking about it) that afternoon to a bookstore. We're really cool people. Really.

They had some nice deals, and we ended up getting a few books, one of which is this huge cooking textbook (seriously) that Devin couldn't leave on the shelf. I really don't blame him. I'm excited to see what new levels his cooking takes on as he makes his way through the pages.

The four-day weekend (part one)

The holiday was pretty low-key this year. Since our families' get-togethers were both scheduled on the same day, we decided driving a half hour to my family in Lincoln was more appealing than a two-hour drive to Carroll. It's so hard to split time with each family anyway, and we also wanted to have some time to do our own things around the apartment.

A story FORE! you (aka The day I beat Devin)

This is going to be a first for those of you who read this, so consider yourselves special or privileged or something.

I kind of like golf.

*crickets chirping*

Yeah, that's about it. I know, you're totally enlightened.

Delayed brew

This past weekend was nice. Relaxing. A little Saturday golf, a few beers, another round of Friends DVDs, seeing a little more yellow and orange in the trees south of our place. Sipping coffee in front of the fireplace early in the mornings, only to later sip some wine and cook great meals. Devin even baked his first pie from scratch, and I can say that I'm incredibly impressed with the result.

May I kiss the cook?

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I don't cook much. It's not that I can't; I just don't enjoy it as much as Devin. He's my chef, and I love it.

We (I mean he) finally got back into cooking real, hearty meals recently. He planned a menu that fit into our grocery budget, and we purchased lots of fresh veggies and other items to get us through the week.

Putz in a box

She enjoyed the early stages of unpacking after the move to Omaha.

Have you ever seen Simon's Cat on YouTube? It was either my former boss or a former co-worker who shared it with the office one day.

Simon's Cat is a series of cartoony videos that portray random behaviors that make cats so awesome. One video, "The Box," has always stuck out to me because the portrayal fits our cat perfectly.

Nap time.

Empire, or Putz, as she's now more commonly known, has an obsession with boxes...and bags for that matter. I'm sure most cats do, but we get a total kick out of her. I swear she would spend her whole day boxed up if we provided her food in one.

Spending time with Devin's sister's hamster, Missy.

She takes naps in them, chews on them and spits out little cardboard pieces, plays "I'm undercover and I'm gonna scare the crap outta you when you walk by" and even crawls in one at night like it's her bed.

Really, she'll claim anything box-like as her own. If she judges the item as too small because she's only able to squeeze her head into it (like a 12-pack box), she will then plop herself on top of it.

In the purse.

Bringing bags home from the grocery store is like heaven for her. She pretty much tries to crawl in them before we get a chance to set them down. She can't resist. Any female visitor who leaves an open purse on the floor is giving her an open invitation to rummage through it before she rests on top with her front paws tucked inside.

Putz claimed the box as soon as the shoes were removed.

I mentioned she sleeps in a box? It's true. Recently, Devin's mom stayed with us, and she had two pairs of new shoes...still in the shoe boxes. Putz scored double that day. She has since chewed off one corner of each of them, essentially breaking the boxes, but she still uses them as beds. One is on top of a dresser next to the window where she begins her sleeping routine at night. At some point she often makes her bed on my legs until morning.

Note the chewed upper right corner.

Maybe she just needed a little more room?

Putz retreats to enjoy a weekend sunrise in her bed after I wouldn't feed her before 6 a.m.

Such an odd creature. But she will crawl out of her box and be sprawled out on the floor in front of the door, just waiting for a belly rub, when I get home. I treasure this because that's about all the petting I'll be allotted the rest of the night.

Here's to having someone (or something) waiting to greet you at home at the end of the day. Maybe we should curl up in the chair and enjoy some vino while we wait for Devin to come home. What do you say, Putz? *Cheers*

End of the road for this set of wheels

Lost that back hubcap somewhere between Wayne and Wakefield one night.

I've wanted a new car for years. It's an easy item to wish for; however, it's not as easy to just go out to the lot, point and say, "I'll take it. Here's all my savings, plus my earnings for the next few years.

Happiness is...

It's another slow day in my department, but I had some lovely coffee today with homemade spiced syrup cooked up by my wonderful fiancé. It made me smile.

Sausage and stuff

We've had our KitchenAid mixer for a couple years, but we've never let it exercise its full potential. There are so many attachments you can add on for seemingly endless functions, including a variety of pasta rollers, grain mill, ice cream maker and more. Devin recently decided to purchase the meat grinder and sausage stuffer parts, and away we went!

He likes Gray's Anatomy; I like Grey's Anatomy. But we both like vino!

The scientist

The media queen

About as close as I come to a lab. Not exactly McDreamy, is he?

Devin and I are pretty different individuals. He's an athlete who always pushes himself and strives to better his health. I'm a retired "athlete" with little ambition to exercise. He's a science guy with a love for physi-bio-chema stuff and all the big words, Bunsen burners and bacteria that come with it. I chose a slightly more creative route of newspaper ink, airwaves and B-roll footage. It's Gray's versus Grey's. He's a bungee jumping wannabe skydiver, and I'm a tall girl who gets pretty freaked if I look down from 10 feet up.

You get the idea.

Laugh, love and live

As I have been all weekend, today I am missing you, April. I still can't believe we were less than 24 hours away from getting to visit and say goodbye.

Every day is special

"Now I have learned that time is a blessing, especially when you are with those you love." -April Wylie

We are invited to so many weddings this year. One of them is tonight but in Scottsbluff, and Devin and I can't take off from our jobs to go.

All weddings are a big deal, but this one is particularly special.

Not a fancy Fourth (and failing 4-H)

It was a pretty simple holiday weekend, and I liked it. The Fourth of July is probably my favorite holiday because I always have been and am still mesmerized by fireworks.

A little HGTV fix and Perfect Trousers

Me (apparently), only younger and less crabby.

I can't run (ask anyone - my mom refers to me as a turtle). I hate lifting weights. I'd do most anything to get out of exercising, really.

But I'm trying.

Where did 2011 go?

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." -Einstein

It's already June. Yep.

So much has taken place in the first half of 2011. In January I actually stayed up past midnight to ring in the new year with Devin (he didn't think I could do it), and just a few days later we celebrated our fourth year together.

My grandpa, the gangster

If you read and watched my earlier entry about Uncle Joe and applesauce, you'll remember that my grandpa Charlie is from Missouri. It seems to be an informal tradition around Easter for part of my family to return to Argyle to see Grandpa's brother and sister who still live there. Because my parents milked cows, we never got to go.

The wish for a fish

This weekend I made an excellent discovery. I was going through old photos when I found some of Devin and me from our 2009 Yankton fishing trip. I remember it being a long day of little fish activity, so I started taking photos instead.

Zoom zoom Zumba

I recently started taking a Zumba class at the college with my friend Julie. She asked Devin if I would want to take it with her, and somehow I convinced myself to do it, though I was pretty hesitant. In my mind, exercising is the last way I want to spend my free time. I figured that 2 hours a week wouldn't be as intense a commitment, and it would probably do me some good to get up and move instead of crashing on the couch or in bed when I get home.

Motto: "Taste worth Dying For"

I know I'm not in shape. I don't think I ever was, even when I was active in sports and working on the farm. My diet could definitely stand to be improved and my lifestyle, healthier and less stressful.

The other night, I came across a news program while I was bumming with the cat. Looking more into the subject today, I have found a more indepth story from 2008 and wonder why this restaurant is still in business. The Heart Attack Grill from Arizona boasts its food is "taste...worth dying for!" And looking at the menu and the consumers who frequent the joint, it's obvious that some people have zero regard for their health.