Thirty Thursday's {10}

We're one third of the way through this series of posts! Week 10 topic: Who is your favorite superhero?

Abby:
Super Grover! I was never a big fan of the super hero's. My brother was enough older than me that by the time I was of age to like them, he was beyond them. I did watch a lot of Sesame Street and Super Grover was pretty neat. (Why yes, that did rhyme. Sesame Street taught me a lot.)

Alex:
Batman! Why? He's cooler than the other guys. He doesn't have any super powers and he still trumps the bad guys. He has the option to be a normal guy, but chooses to be a superhero.

Happy Birthday x 3

This weekend has been one big birthday celebration! Jared and Nora shared a birthday yesterday (October 26) and Alex's is today! I managed not to take any pictures of my own, so hopefully Becky will post some on her blog soon. It was a great party. Becky did a great job planning, preparing, decorating, crafting and cooking. She's a skilled party planner, after all she did plan a surprise party for me recently! It was a fun soirée and Happy Birthday Jared, Nora and Alex. I hope you have all had great birthday's.

Thirty Thursday's {9}

The topic for week number 9's installment of Thirty Thursday's is: Would you rather be deaf or blind?

Abby: 
I would rather be deaf than blind. Because, I hate being in the dark and I love color. To lose my sight would be far more devastating than losing my hearing. But, I hope to not lose either ability in the near future. 

Alex: 
I, too, would rather be deaf. Because, I would rather see what's around me than hear it. I could figure out how to read people's lips and not have to hear/listen to the garbage people say. 

Rainy Day

Do you ever have those mornings that you wake up with every intention to tackle your "To Do List" to find out it's raining? That's what happened to me today...I woke up, heard the rain and rolled back over. I don't think I would be a very good citizen of Seattle or London or wherever else it rains a lot. Poor Moose wants to go outside and explore this wet, new land. But, it's rainy and gross, so I'm not going to go further than our front door step. My "To Do List" entails a lot of errands and that means getting wet. So, we'll see if there is any dinner on the table. But, every rainy day means a lot of time wasted watching YouTube videos....so I will share some of my favorites...

Webcam 101 for Seniors

The real meaning of MPH

Witness Describing a Robbery

Enjoy!

Things that make me laugh...

According to Charlie Chaplin, "A day without laughter is a day wasted." So, in an effort not to waste a day, I will share some things that are making me laugh.

Ellen's Scare Montage:

This blog post is HILARIOUS and follow it up with this one! 

There is a website out there for everyone. Seriously, if you have a hobby or an interest there is something out there for you. I can and have sat mindlessly scrolling through dogshaming.com. It's sad I know, but if you have a dog it's relate-able...for the most part. 

If you have an iPhone, texting is not always as easy as it should be...

Last but not least, a self explanatory picture.

Tasty Cookin'

Tonight I made dinner. It doesn't happen as often as it should, but I made dinner and it was good! So, I will share the recipe with you. It started as a Weight Watcher's recipe...but I added bacon, so I don't think it was really "1 Point."

3 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Can Rotel
2 (1 lb.) Bags of frozen broccoli and mixed veggies
10 oz. Velveeta Light

Bring the chicken broth, Rotel and veggies to a boil and then add the cubed Velveeta. It was a little spicier than I had anticipated so if you're feeding little mouths or tender palates, go with the mild version of Rotel. Add bacon if you want to, it definitely wasn't a bad idea. I served it with salad and Hawaiian bread (yummmmm) and I got the nod of approval from Alex and Greg (his brother).

Happy Cooking!!

Thirty Thursday's {8}

Week 8 Topic: What television show would you be best suited to be in?

Abby: Bones. Why? Because, they are geeks and nerds and I consider myself to be a hybrid between a geek and a nerd. I did have a patient stop me in the middle of treatment to tell me that I am a nerd...(I was explaining what the bacteria in plaque could do). But, if I were on Bones, my nerd-y-ness would be appreciated. 

Alex: White Collar. Why? Because, they're smooth Ex-Cons. I'm good with words and I think the ability to run a smooth con would be cool. However, this is all hypothetical...

Decidedly Busy

I am one of those people who likes to be busy. I think that may be why I did well in school, I thrived on the stress, deadlines and goals. Now that I'm not in school, I feel the need to keep myself busy. However, I don't know what to keep busy with...

I specifically went into a career that when I walk out the door at night, I don't have to think about or worry about it until the next morning and I like that. Alex comes home with his laptop, making phone calls, researching and still working much later than the hours on his door say. But, he keeps himself busy (and happy).

So, back to my dilemma. What to do to stay busy? We have small group for church on Wednesday, but other than that, no real obligations. I think I will spend more time cooking, writing, creating, hanging out with Alex and Moose and less time watching TV.  Here's hoping!

What do you do to stay busy?

Top Secret Weekend

Alex and I had a very busy weekend. However, I can't tell you want we did. All I can say is it involved tools, paint, fabric and my sewing machine. Oh, and a trip to Hobby Lobby. So, if you're getting a Christmas/Birthday present from us, get excited, you may be receiving a one of a kind creation!

What did you do this weekend?

Thirty Thursday's {7}

Week 7 Topic: What is your dream job, and why?

Abby: My dream job is to be a news reporter that gets to travel all over the world and report global breaking news! I think that it would be so fun and exciting to get to see all of the events that we read about first hand.

Alex: If I could have any job in the world, I would be a professional baseball player, specifically a pitcher, for the St. Louis Cardinals. Because, I'd get to work a few days a week and I would get to be a Cardinal...need I say more?!

Thirty Thursday's {6}

Week Six Topic:  What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

Abby: This is a tricky one....I guess it would have to be boards (lame, I know). But, we lived two hours away from school and I was commuting everyday, still having to be the little housewife AND study for a huge test that would determine my future...very stressful. I'm sure there will be something much harder down the road, but right now that's still pretty fresh in my memory. 

Alex: I guess that would depend on what you consider hard. I think that our wedding day was the hardest, but most rewarding day of my life. I was so nervous/scared when it started to rain. We had planned the day for a year and if we were going to have to get married in the church with no decorations, I would have been disappointed for Abby and for myself to an extent. But, other than that the hardest experience would probably be my last year of school. I felt really lonely because my roommate (Greg, my brother) was always at work or out and Abby was in Carbondale, it was just a lonely time. 

A Surprise & A Mystery

What a weekend!!

Last Sunday was my birthday and we celebrated low key. Which was fine because, Alex had planned to take me to the Lemp Mansion for dinner Sunday night. However, they do not perform the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater on Sunday's, so Alex said he would make reservations the next day for the following Saturday night.... 

{Fast Forward through the mundane work week}

On Friday night Alex came home from work and told me that he had (finally) made reservations, to celebrate my birthday at the Mansion. I was really excited and looking forward to Saturday evening. 

A lot happened between Friday Night and Saturday Night....

On Friday nights at dinner we usually map out our weekend. This weekend I had originally planned to go to our niece's soccer game. But, when I mentioned it to Alex he said he didn't want to go because he wanted to sleep in...I thought it was odd that he wanted to sleep in because he sleeps until 7 and the game was at 9....but I agreed to "sleeping in." Upon Saturday morning's arrival, we were watching TV when Alex blurts out, "I am really hungry. Lets go to Dewey's for an early lunch." I was really confused and suggested he eat breakfast so he wouldn't be hungry. But, he adamantly said no, he only wanted Dewey's. Not having a reason not to go, we showered and went to Dewey's....

{Insert Surprise}

We walked in and when the hostess asked us if we wanted a table for two, Alex said no and said we'd sit with them (pointing to my parents, sister & family, cousin & family, and aunt & uncle). I was surprised!!

I'm still a little mystified that they could keep secrets from me for quite a while. But, they did a great job and I feel truly blessed, loved and surprised. My sister detailed the party here. Thank you all for coming over to celebrate my birthday!

After the big surprise, we still had the Mystery Theater to go to. We got dressed and ready and headed across the river. When we got there, there was a wedding reception going on and a  lot of people around, so we didn't get a chance to explore before dinner. We'll probably have to go back...maybe even to spend the night. But, it was a really pretty building and has a lot of history. The dinner was good and the show was very funny. It was very audience driven and interactive, Alex even got to put his acting skills to good use. He had to portray the victim's last moments before death...it was very funny and he got a trophy for his great performance! Although we didn't see any real ghosts, it was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend going.   

Thank you everyone for helping me celebrate my birthday! What's your favorite birthday memory?

Thirty Thursday's {5}

Week 5 Topic: What are the 3 things that make you most happy right now?

Abby: 
1. Alex & Moose
2. Traveling
3. Cupcakes and Balloons- it's my birthday month....


Alex: 
1. Abby and Moose
2. Alone time to play video games/watch ESPN/eat Doritos
3. Success at work.

I'm Golden!

Today is my "Golden Birthday" meaning: I turned 23 on the 23rd. Exciting stuff....so far I have indulged in ice cream and a cupcake. I have also received cards, phone calls, face times and messages from well wishers. My mom even got me a golden wig...she's pretty great.

We're those sad people who get our dog a treat for our special occasions...

Alex also has something up his sleeve for our dinner plans, so I'll keep you posted. 

Happy Birthday to Me  (and my Mom yesterday)!

Pink Elephant

On I-55 near Livingston there is an antique shop/mall that always catches my eye. They have a giant pink elephant, space ship, ice cream cone and a lot of other unidentifiable objects littering the front lawn of an old school turned antique store. I always want to stop on our way to Springfield/Decatur and Alex never wants to. But, yesterday I decided that we were going to go see what they have to offer....

We had a good time looking at their odd collection of "antiques" (apparently Hannah Montana paraphernalia is antique...). I tried on a lot of "fur" coats, silly hats and jewelry. Alex didn't admit to finding anything that caught his eye, but I know he secretly wanted to wear some "fur" too...

Also, the previously mentioned ginormous ice cream cone is a working ice cream stand. So, we had to indulge....I got Dirt 'N Worms- vanilla ice cream with marshmallow fluff, Oreo's and gummy worms- it was quite tasty. Alex had chocolate with brownie bits (less adventurous, but still good). 

Thirty Thursday's {4}

Week 4 and still going strong! Topic: List 5 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

Abby: 
1. This is just the beginning.
2. Enjoy living at home...everything is free (ish). 
3. Pick and choose your friends wisely. 
4. You're never going to have to take another math class, so don't sweat the small stuff.....no one really cares about geometry anyway.
5. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for. 

Alex: 
1. Treat that Abby girl right, you're going to marry her.
2. Don't work so much-enjoy high school.
3. Play more Halo- you won't ever have as much free time again.
4. Don't worry about fitting in.
5. Be more confident in your abilities. 

Tasty Treats (via Instagram)

http://instagr.am/p/Px4MC5A1GO/

Where did our weekend go?!

We had a busy, unproductive, fun weekend.

We got to go home to Salem for one of my friend's weddings. It was a beautiful ceremony and a really fun reception. We got to catch up with a lot of our friends we haven't seen in a long time, eat, dance and take some awesome pictures in a photo booth (#1). It was a really fun night! Congratulations Amy and Jon, we wish you hundreds of years of happiness and love!  

On Sunday, Alex and his brother got to meet up with their uncle Tim to go to the Ram's game! They had a lot of fun and I'm (not so secretly) glad that Greg went so I didn't have to-I squeezed in a 3 hour nap. But, it was Fisher Stache day- he's the new coach who sports a nice mustache (#3). To top it all off, the Rams WON!!! A successful day was had by all.

On Tuesday of this past week I got to see my sister-Becky, cousin-Libby, their kids and our moms for a fun afternoon. I even got to help Ethan make some major bubbles...I'm a cool aunt (#2). 

Last but, not least, today was mowing day and poor little Moose has green paws...it's kind of cute...(#4). 

Happy Monday!

Thirty Thursday's {3}

Week Three Topic: Describe your relationship with your parents.  

Abby: I have a good relationship with my parents. When I was growing up, I don't know how I felt about them...they were definitely not the "cool" parents. But, looking back, the kids with the "cool" parents aren't as "cool" now as they once were. I think that my parents had an even balance of nice and dictator. They told me very nicely what was expected of me and saw to it that I did as expected. It made me a hard worker and gave me a strong(er) back bone than, I think, I would have had.  It's funny how things change as we grow up. My mom is now a genius. She knows every recipe, how to fix any problems and her advice seems like God placed the words on her lips. I really love and appreciate my mama. My dad is now (one of) the funniest men on Earth, he's hilarious. He use to embarrass me...but now he's just really funny. I have a great deal of respect for my father. He is ridiculously smart, witty and a good Christian leader of his family. I love my parents, I think they're the best. 

Alex: I have a great relationship with my parents. They taught me responsibility at a very early age. They gave me the option to make my own decisions and I would have to live with the consequences-good or bad. They taught me hard work and that there is more to life than making money. They have been a great example of how a marriage should be, that there is give and take in all relationships. They never argue about anything, which is what Abby and I try to emulate. But, they were the "cool" parents and I turned out alright.

Wednesday Pinsday {9.12.12}

Lately I've been pinning some (in my opinion) fantastic typography,signage and letterpress. It's beautiful art that often goes un{der}appreciated. We read and see some fantastic signs, fonts and letterpress every day and likely don't notice or appreciate it. So here's to you typography/signage/letterpress.

1. Billy's Bakery...looks like a yummy place to me
2. Look how great the L's are on all!
3. Boston
4. Talk Type
5. I would have no problem walking into Ralph's, look at that "S"!
6. Stay in school, drugs aren't cool....but this sign is.
7. Eat.