Garden (and everything else) Update

I have good news--my garden is doing well and I've only had one almost casualty (in a Monty Python-esque way that little tomato plant is "not dead yet" but I think it will be soon). Here's the overall picture of how everything's doing...



(You can see kind of the strawberry plants on the side, tomato plants in the middle, one yellow squash in the back side, banana peppers in the front right, and zucchini and acorn squash on the back right)

A few weeks ago, I moved them all to the center of our backyard so they'd get more sunshine. The plants all seem to be doing better out there, and we've only had one Callie/tomato plant collision right after I moved them. I was concerned that hauling water out there would be a big pain, but it's been raining on and off so much that I've only had to water them a couple times.

I did get some miracle grow (the kind you mix in the watering can) and it has been kind of impressive...



I'm crediting it with bringing the zucchini and acorn squash back from near death (or else squash has some crazy regenerative super powers that I wasn't aware of!). I'm excited that they've perked back up, and am looking forward to (hopefully...maybe) having some squash in the future.



Another exciting development--flowers on the tomato plants! More proof that plants the are in my care may actually produce vegetables. It's totally amazing to me!

Other pictures...



One of the banana pepper plants--they were originally in a too-small container so I wasn't sure if they'd ever do their growing thing...but it looks like they've perked up a bit (another Miracle Grow success story?).



My herbs seem to be doing okay, too...I don't think they're big enough to start cutting them yet though (in this picture--Basil, the second pot has rosemary, curled parsley, and thyme, and the third pot is lavender). I'd like to also have dill and mint but I haven't bought them yet, so we'll see...

The plants on my porch are doing well...and I went through and weeded the flower bed along the sidewalk. Last Sunday, I planted wave petunias there (heck yeah, $5 at Lowes for 30 plants...turns out it does pay to procrastinate sometimes) so I'm hoping they grow and fill in some more (either way it looks better than all the crazy weeds that were out there). One of my hanging baskets is looking a little yellow-ish...so I'm cutting back on watering it some (it's holding the water like crazy so I think it may have some draining issues) and I'm going to make sure it gets some magical miracle grow, too.

What I've learned so far:

1) Make sure to get ever-bearing strawberries. My two strawberry plants produced a grand total of 3 strawberries--2 that were eaten by the bird and one that I split (yes, I cut the little thing in half) with John. They're still growing but don't seem inclined to produce any more berries.

2) Tomato plants need taller stakes or cages. I had one plant break in the last storm and another that was all bent over because their stakes (umm...actually random sticks from our yard) were too short. So I found some bigger random sticks to use as additional stakes...but I think next year, I may just start with cages and let them do their thing.

3)Using bigger pots for the veggies could be a good idea...they seem to be doing okay, but I've seen pictures of HUGE tomato plants in containers...so maybe next year we'll do that.

And now...everything else...

Wedding planning is going (only 4 months to go!). We still need to get the cake lined up, but we've got a meeting next week for that (and I think it's going to be adorable!!). I got his wedding band, and we're still looking for mine. Having some trouble finding a band that looks good with my engagement ring, but we'll keep looking. I'm designing the invitations and having them printed here...so that'll be happening sometime soon. We also found readings that we both like a couple nights ago (!!) which is something I wasn't sure would happen.

We're going up to Lancaster for the holiday weekend, staying with John's parents. Hopefully, we'll get to see the fireworks tonight and the Marine Corp Band perform tonight(it's a little bit rainy), and then we'll be helping paint the living room on Saturday and Sunday.

Well, that's about it here...hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!!

Callie dog

She's being extra cute this morning (but isn't wanting to sit still for pictures)

Plants!!!!

This morning, I went with Nancy and Stephanie to the Farmer's Market to get plants for my container garden. It was a beautiful morning, and there were beautiful plants everywhere...finally I made some decisions (with Nancy and Stephanie's help...I was totally overwhelmed by all the options). Then it was off to Lowes to buy more than my weight in potting soil (thankfully they have helpful Lowes guys who will put stuff in your car for you). Turns out I didn't need quite that much potting soil (oops) but it does mean I'm all ready to buy some more plants!

Let's call this the before picture...



and another...



And here are the afters...



This is my front porch so far...I think I'll definitely get a few more plants for the front (and I also have two adorable hanging baskets that aren't up yet). The red/pink flowers are...(have to go check the little tag)...okay, Strawberry Super Parfait Dainthus, and I believe the other plants (soon to be flowers) are Gladiolas.



This is my herb garden (I've always thought about having one, and now I do!). The bigger pot has curled parsley, thyme, and rosemary. The little red pot has basil, and the yellow pot has lavendar. I have these out on the tiny balcony that's off our kitchen. I think this is the cutest set-up I have so far.



This one's the vegetable/fruit garden. The bigger pots are all tomatoes (grape, cherry, Roma, and Mr. Stripey) and the two smaller pots are strawberries. I've also planted banana peppers and dug some wild strawberries up from our yard and planted those. I think I'd like to get some more strawberries and maybe a few more vegetables...eggplant...zucchini...

I'm really excited about all the plants and I seriously can't wait for them to grow (I keep looking at them to see if they look any different ;) ). Keep your fingers crossed and send all your green thumbness my way, so they can all make it through the summer!

Kitchenaid!!

Our stand mixer arrived in the mail earlier this week, and (of course) I had to document the occasion.



Me, John, and our shiny new mixing bowl...



John using it for the first time (french bread!). The bread turned out great, and I'm really excited about all the things we can use it for (and for the ice cream maker attachment that'll be coming in the mail).

More Spring Shooting...

This morning, I decided to head out again to see what kind of pictures I could get of all these blossoming trees. It was MUCH warmer and less windy this time, so I took tons more pictures and got several that I like even better than the ones I took last week (although it did take a lot longer to sort through and decide which ones I actually liked and then working with those to crop them and make them smaller).

There is a particularly pretty group of trees over by the bike path, which is where most of these pictures are from (except the pink blossoms, those are in from the parking lot near work). Every time I've driven or walked by, there are people out there eating picnics under the trees, taking pictures, cuddling with their sweethearts, or bringing their kids to see them. It's really fun, and I'm definitely glad to be a part of the tree appreciation! =)

While I was out this morning, it started sprinkling rain while I was standing under one of the trees, and white petals were falling down all around me. Amazing!

On the range...

On Tuesday evening, I went to the shooting range with John. I shot his 22 handgun (until the darn thing jammed three times and then I was DONE with it) and his 22 rifle, while he went and shot his Russian something-or-other over on the rifle range.

I shot something like this (I'm not sure from what distance...but then, I'm not really keeping track ;) )...



I was pretty happy with the fact that almost every single shot hit the target, and that there were a few near the bullseye. John talks about wanting his shots to be in a group (like all together in a very small circle, quarter-sized, 3 inches, etc. etc.). Right now, I'm working on a pretty good grouping about the size of a medium pizza. ;)

Then, John came over and shot the 22 rifle (and here he is posing because I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get him actually shooting)




And here is the best picture I could get of both of us (ear protection and all, sexy huh? ;) )

Spring!

Pictures from this morning...

Rock Chalk..

Jayhawk, go KU!

So on Monday night, I watched the KU Men's Basketball team win the National Championship! It was an awesome game and at the end I was sure they were going to lose (lack of faith, I know) and then...several missed free throws by Memphis and BAM an amazing 3 pointer--with seconds left they tie it up, send it in to overtime, and win it ALL! John even watched the whole first half and the last 10 seconds when I thought they were going to lose (and then made that 3-pointer which resulted in me yelling in his ear...oops ;) )

I am so excited about the win...I remember when they won in 1988. My parents letting us honk the car horn after they won each tournament game, going to the parade, telling my parents I wanted to be as tall as Danny Manning (6'11! Glad genetics kept that dream from coming true ;)) and being jealous that Brenna got to go to the championship rally, and I had to go to school.

The best thing about tournament time is that when I'm sitting and watching the game, I know Heather, and my Grandma, and my Mom (and my aunts, my sister, her boyfriend, etc. etc.) are all watching the game, too. I remember every season watching and hoping and waiting for another win...my parents calling me out of school so I could watch the game with my friends (yes, they totally did this! How sweet are my parents??), going at all hours to meet the players at Allen Fieldhouse after they had lost, Late Night, scrapbooks of our favorite players (oh, how I loved CB McGrath!), and fighting with Brenna when we both wanted the same KU basketball picture out of the newspaper.

And the mushiest thing of all, is that...for a little while, my family, my friends, and my hometown don't seem so far away...

Good job 'Hawks...I couldn't make it to Mass Street, or the rally, or the parade this year...but I was there in spirit (and I didn't have to be jealous because Brenna didn't get to go either). Thanks for the great season!

The longest scarf yet...

So I also finally finished my Dad's Christmas present...

Guess how long it ended up being?



Yep, 104 inches or (as long as I'm doing the math correctly) 8 feet 8 inches of cabled, wooly wonderfulness ;) Before I sent it, I had my stuffed dog, Blue, model it...



It was the Irish Hiking Scarf, made on size 10 needles, with Galaway Highland Heather (3 skeins...610 yards...over 6 football fields worth of yarn) ;) After making the scarf from wool, I feel a little bad that John's scarf is acrylic...but not bad enough that I'm going to make another one anytime soon (and also John says I need to make a scarf for myself...which sounds good but I'm also not going to do anytime soon)

For now, I'm focusing on washcloths ;)

In which, I make something other than a scarf...

after months of scarf cabling, I took a break, and made something else...

Wristwarmers! (Voodoo Wristwarmers from Knitty...no clue what the yarn was though)

I started and finished them during our knitting retreat at Lake Hope (last weekend of Feb/first of March), and it was so satisfying to actually FINISH something and use the yarn that Erin bought from me at the Yarn Barn in Lawrence last May (Thank you, Erin! All the knitting girls loved the yarn, too!). So here they are...



It's kind of hard to take pictures of your own hands...but this is the best I could do.



I finally gave up and had John help me out, so here you can see both of them

I think they're cute...am having a bit of a hard time finding the right weather to wear them (usually if my wrists are cold, my fingers are even colder...) but I am now prepared for any situation that requires warm wrists!

I am a slow, slow blogger...

but I'll make up for it with all the stuff I post tonight! Really, really! =)

This picture is of a quilt I put together from blocks we made at my friend Amber's baby shower (remember that, all those 10 months ago). Well, last month I finally got it finished and sent. I was VERY intimidated to try and put it together so I put it off for a really long time...but here it is, in completed form! I'm happy with how it turned out, and glad that it's finally with my friends!

Socks!!

I finally finished my very first pair of Abbie-sized socks! =)

Pattern: Random internet pattern for ribbed socks

Yarn: Swizzle Self-Striping Sock Yarn

Check 'em out!



What I learned from my first pair of adult socks...

*Use a pattern from a source you know and trust. This pattern was okay...didn't like the heel or toe directions...and then halfway through the first sock, I couldn't find it online anymore, and I'd lost my print out (oops!)

*Use bigger needles next time/make a swatch--these fit because they're stretchy BUT I'd like to make my next pair a little bigger

*Extra toe room is better than not enough

*Self-striping yarn is way fun and awesome!


My next project is finishing my dad's scarf (soon!) and then I'm thinking about some wristwarmers from knitty.com.

Yay!

Bag Tag

Bag tag (from Christina)

Here are the rules:
1. you have to show your bag
2. you have to show all the contents in your bag-without cleaning out first
3. tag 5 other people

This is the bag I take to work everyday, my Mountainsmith Day...holds about everything and the kitchen sink ;)



And here's everything that's inside it...



Which includes:
lunchbox
water bottle
travel mug
umbrella
day planner
ibuprofen
two things of lip balm
two string cheeses
one raspberry green tea teabag (in a plastic container)
two spoons
checkbook
old paystub
old receipt
ball-point pen
four pennies
my keys
and a pill bottle top

(usually my wallet and phone would be in there, too, but I went to the grocery store after work and put those in my coat pocket)

I'd tag people, but...everyone I know with a blog has already been tagged...so if you happen to read this, and want to play along, go for it! =)

Tired tiredness...

Just finished our One Day pledge drive for the public radio station...whew! I've been up since 3 am and working since 5:40, but the WOUB listeners really stepped up and raised $35,000+ in one day. I'm still amazed...and also tired ;) John's conked out on the couch right next to me...he's been up since midnight and got so much stuff done today...including a 6:30 am grocery store trip (wow!!). I'm thinking that he's out for the night...I'm actually going to a friend's house to climb (well...really, I'm just going to hang out while everyone else climbs...not exerting any more effort than I have to this evening ;) )

Another word contest...

Edit: Looking for "another word for contest?"

How about...competition, game, match, meet, tournament, trial, challenge, event, bout, or row? Or you can check out a thesaurus for more ideas.

Now, back to the actual blog post...

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/11494

So yep, this is pretty much what I've been doing all evening (and paying no mind to the mountain of dishes and the mountain of laundry)...I'm hoping that I'll win. I've somehow gotten myself into a t-shirt shortage, and I think the "easy as 3.1415..." shirt is adorable.

Anyway, not a whole lot of news here. I went on a Big Lots shopping spree this morning (where I go when I feel like shopping but don't want to spend much money at all)...so an hour and $10 later, I ended up with the cutest rug for my kitchen, a valance for one of our many bare windows (well, they have blinds but no curtains...I haven't decided yet which window it's going on) and two boxes of granola bars...went to the climbing wall with friends after that...came home and gave the dog a bath...really need to do a lot of house cleaning but I'm putting it off...

Or something like that...

Okay, turns out I don't have enough friends/readers/anyone who has a blog and wants some cool homemade type stuff...so, no worries about the blog thing...the next two people to comment can get some sweet homemade thing from me (Brenna's already commented so she's already on the list)...ready, set, go comment!

Hmm...what else is going on....my knitting projects are at a stand still. I divided wrong when I figured how long my dad's scarf was...actually it's about 7 1/2 feet so I still have some to go on it...I read The Goose Girl this week and liked it a lot (enough to not stop reading at midnight like I told myself I would, and stay up until 1:30 when I finished it...which led to general crankiness the next day ;) ). I got the idea to read it from Christina and from my sister, Erin...good picking ladies! ;) Next on my list is Stardust, and then I'm going to track down the Sisters Grimm books that Erin suggested.

I've been climbing again, too (yay!). I finally got a student center membership and have been 4 times already, with another trip planned for tomorrow (after I sleep in, of course....sleeping in three days in a row is my big plan for the weekend ;) )

Pay it forward...

I got this from my friend Christina's blog...I think it'll be really fun...and I hope some of you have blogs and can play, too!

So here's how it works. "I will send a handmade gift, treat, etc. to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange." The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. **So, you must have a blog to participate.**

To join, just cut and paste this on your blog and comment away. So get posting!

Yay!

Not a whole lot new is going on with me...On Monday, I got a student fitness center membership this quarter. So, I've already been climbing twice (!!) and am doing better than I thought I would (and will be doing great if I keep going a couple times a week).

I'm still knitting on my Dad's scarf (a Christmas present)...it wasn't quite done on Christmas so I asked him how long he'd like it to be...he says, "Have you ever seen Dr. Who?" I actually haven't but apparently, it meant that he wanted a SUPER long scarf...I told him he'd have to settle for 9-10 feet. I think I'm around the 9 ft range now...I'll post a picture when I decide I'm done (10 ft? maybe?). I'm also still working on my first pair of adult-sized socks...all I have left is the toe on the second sock and then they'll be done and up on my blog, too...and then, I think I'm making wristwarmers next....or maybe some toddler socks again...hmm...

=)

Heck yeah!

A few weeks ago, I entered Lisa Yee's 2nd Annual Bodacious Book Title Contest (a contest that involved changing one word in a book title to a rhyming word and then writing a sentence about the resulting book).

I entered a ton of different titles, and I found out today that one of my submissions was named a highly commended title!!!!!!

Unfortunately, I don't win anything, but it is the most exciting thing that's happened ALL year (way more exciting than feeding the dog, letting her outside, and making tea).

You can read the winning titles and my commended title here, and if you'd like to read all of my non-commended titles (I'm partial to the one about the lepers), they're in the comment section of this post (on pages 3 and 4).

So, I'm having a pretty happy year so far! Hope that you are, too!

From the air...

Taken during the flight from Minneapolis to Columbus

And 2007 is almost over...

We're back from our Christmas in South Dakota, which was wonderful, cold and white (with the perfect snowflakes falling outside the windows while we opened presents). There's lots to tell, so I'll get right to it...

We had some excitement getting there, with our flight being canceled on the 23rd (which, unfortunately I didn't check before we drove to the airport...hope I've learned my lesson on that one). We left for the airport the next morning at 4 am, get there in plenty of time, the flight is not canceled, the plane is there...and then we board the plane, there's brake maintenance that needs done (1 hour), we fly to Minneapolis and there's another plane already at our gate so we have to wait (12 minutes).

Our next flight is leaving in about 5 minutes (so we start running...from Concourse F to concourse A...and believe me, John and I are not in the kind of shape that distance requires). Luckily once we get to concourse A, our flight has been delayed (What a relief! We will make it home!).

We are ten minutes from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but there is fog and only 1/4 mile visibility, so we'll be circling for 20 minutes to see if it gets better (needs to be 1/2 mile) and if it doesn't, we'll have to fly to Sioux City, Iowa (70 miles South) to refuel and try it again (UGH!!!!). So I spend the next fifteen minutes staring at the clouds/fog willing them to thin out, trying to figure out if they look any thinner, and I guess it does get thinner (it actually never looked any different to me) because we start our descent and land in Sioux Falls. My Dad is there (yay!) but our luggage is not (booo!!)

Long story short (or, long story a little less long) we went back and checked that afternoon, but still no luggage. It actually showed up Christmas morning--the airline had delivered it to my parents' next door neighbor's and they brought it over, complete with about an inch of powdery snow on top...I was going to include a picture of me bringing my snowy luggage into the house (grinning from ear to ear) but it turns out that one was on my Dad's camera (oops!)so....anyway

Christmas was wonderful...had the big surprise of finding a Nintendo Wii next to our stockings...John and I had totally given up on getting one for Christmas (who knew they'd be so hard to find??) but there it was! It turns out my parents (er...I mean, Santa) can do anything! Everyone enjoyed playing it for the rest of our visit...I'm an especially big fan of the fishing game and the one where you're riding a cow and trying to knock over scarecrows. There were lots of other nice gifts, too...cooking stuff for John, Fiestaware, a really warm robe, and DVDs for me. Then John helped my Mom finish up Christmas dinner (using his new food mill to mash/mill the potatoes)




The other big news (on top of getting our luggage AND a Nintendo Wii) is...

I got my wedding dress!!!

I, of course, can't post pictures or describe it because John reads my blog...but it's beautiful! I found it at a place in Sioux Falls, and I'll pick it up in May when I got back for my Mom and sister's graduations. My sister has about 45 pictures of it on her camera though, so I'll be glad to email out pictures of it once she sends them to me.

I also wanted to include the link that has pictures of the location...it'll be at a park outside of Lancaster, which has a little lake and a lodge looking over it next to a forest...it's so pretty...you can see pictures of the park and building here...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

We got our tree up on Sunday, after a marathon shopping trip to Lancaster and dinner with friends (so, I think we actually finished putting it up early Monday morning). Anyway, it's really cute, and I love it.

I'm especially loving the tree topper...which is the one from John's family's tree when he was a kid. John brought it up from the basement when we stopped to borrow the tree. I thought it was adorable, but unfortunately, it didn't work...

However, after buying a new set of lights (and a glue gun), carefully dismantling the topper, and hot gluing all the new lights in place one by one...it's back to it's former, blinking glory! And before you think, "wow...Abbie did a lot of work to fix that," you should know that John was the one who did it all. What can I say, he sports a mean glue gun. ;)

So, I love the topper...and the fact that John went to so much trouble to fix it and that he insisted that it blinked because that's what it did when he was little.

I'm also getting a kick out of all his boy ornaments. I mean, I grew up in a house with all girls, so it never even crossed my mind that boys might have totally different ornaments...now in addition to the snowflakes, bears, dolls, etc. etc...we have Joe Montana throwing a pass...Jean Luc Picard standing in a transporter...and a Darth Vader with his glowing red light-saber rasping, "You are not a Jedi yet.." whenever I turn on the tree. How fun is that??

=)

Busy...

Hi everyone,
Yep, I'm still here...been crazy busy and I'll just make that my excuse for not bloggin g more. The TV pledge drive just started at work, and I'm still scrambling around trying to get all that stuff finished. If you live in SE Ohio, you'll be able to see me on WOUB TV on the 16th pitching the Daniel O'Donnell Rock and Roll Show (crossing my fingers that I do a good job and choose an outfit that looks good on camera ;) ). If you don't live in SE Ohio and want to see some of my handiwork,you can go to the Support page on WOUB.org and check out ALL the premiums that are listed there...Nope, it's not really all that exciting but it DID take an awfully long time to get together and put online.

Thankfully, it's the weekend, and I've got plans to go to knitting group at the library (which I usually sleep through but here I am, awake at 8:20 in the morning on a Saturday), the Farmers Market, and a Holiday Craft Show at the Dairy Barn Arts Center. Then, it's time to DECORATE and start doing some Christmas shopping and watch Christmas movies and bake and knit and drink hot chocolate ...

=)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday.

More fall...

More pictures from today...

Fall Colors

After thinking about it for the past month (or more...), I finally went outside this morning and took pictures of the fall leaves. It was a lot of fun (I also didn't try to bring the dog this time...callie and photography don't mix well).

I'm also excited because I just ordered a new camera battery and it should be here next week (mine has been wussing out for the past year...it'll be nice to have one that will hold a charge!) Anyway...to the pictures...




Probably more to come...

Shooting

Sorry, I've been such a bad poster...but I'll make up for it ;)

Last weekend, I went with John to the shooting range and tried out his new 9mm...



Don't I look tough?? ;)

Actually, I didn't really like shooting it and spent the rest of the time shooting his 22...but it made for some sweet pictures

(Also, check out my new highlighted hair - yay!)

Avast me hardies, yo ho!

Check the Skull-and-crossbones bandannas...





YARRRR! Pirate kisses!!



ARRR! More pirate kisses!


So we're at Joann fabrics...John's waiting for me to pick some stuff out when he finds the pirate fabric (!!). First, he asks whether I can make him a chef's hat...ummmm, yeah I can probably do that...need a pattern though. So we pick out the perfect skull-and-crossbones fabric and head for the pattern books. No luck finding a chef hat pattern...

...but then, he asks if I could make it into a bandanna. Let's see...square? involves sewing only straight lines? I can DEFINITELY make a bandanna...Make one for Callie? Yep, I can do that, too.



=)

Basket-o-gourds...

Taken at the Pawpaw Festival...seems like I probably should post a picture of pawpaws...but, oh well ;) I'm excited about it being almost fall and hoping that the weather will cool down some.

Things have been pretty normal here. I've been busy making toddler socks (but after this last one I should be finished for awhile). The next project? Socks for me, I think. I've been to two different knitting groups here. One that meets at the library once a month and another that meets at the Spinning Turtle in Nelsonville (about 15 minutes away) every Thursday. Had a good time at both, and I'm hoping they'll inspire me to get out of my knitting rut (=toddler socks).

Awww...too much cuteness

Back from ND

A picture of North Dakota from the air...

I just spent the last week in Fargo, ND getting some software training for work. It was a really good trip for a bunch of reasons, like 1) my parents only live 3 hours from there so they came up and I got to spend last Sunday with them, 2) I'd never been to North Dakota before so it's another state to add to my "States I've Been to" list, and 3) it was a really good training--I have pages and pages and pages of notes AND I feel much more confident about the program (yay! No more feeling like I want to kick my computer down the hall!)

Anyway, it's really good to be back. The weather's cooled off here which is wooooonderfullll...yesterday was beautiful, this morning's been beautiful AND we haven't had to run our air conditioner (hooray!). Yesterday, after I got home we took a quick hike in Selles Park, which is here in Athens and WAY WAY bigger than I ever knew. I'm also really excited because today we're going to the Paw Paw Festival...you can read all about it here. Pretty much, it's a festival that's all about the Paw Paw fruit...it's green, it's called "poor man's banana" and grows wild around here...we'll be able to try all sorts of foods that are made with Paw Paws, listen to bands, and be outside enjoying the weather =)

All about the new jobs...

Yep I'm still here...figured it was time for an update. Things are still busy here but calming down a bit...

I just finished my third week at WOUB where I'm the Membership Coordinator. So when someone wants to become a member of WOUB public radio or public television, I take care of putting their information in, mailing them their thank you gift, mailing invoices and bill notices, etc. It's been really great because everyone there has been so nice, and I love public radio and television, and I walk down the halls and see and talk to people that I hear on the radio (this still blows my mind...my clock radio wakes me up with WOUB and I'll be in bed listening and think, "oh, that's so-and-so") I also have a tv in my office...my own tv...which also blows my mind a little...I usually have it on WOUB kids...so throughout the day, I'll have Reading Rainbow, Between the Lions, Sesame Street, etc. playing in my office (muted if I'm busy or listening to the radio--which is usually the WOUB AM "adult alternative" station which I can stream off their website...which I highly recommend). It's pretty fun.

John also got a new job!! He'll be working at Lui-Lui's , which is an awesome restaurant that's also really close to our house...He's got to work his way up to it, but by Fall, he'll be making oven-fired pizzas and sushi! I'm hoping he can bring some leftovers home for me ;)

=)

Love the new place! Love being back in Athens! Love the new job!

Sorry so long since the last post...I've been really busy with new job, unpacking (still) and doing tons of fun stuff. Things are really good here...I've been riding my bike to work and whew, turns out I'm a little out of shape...who knew? ;) but it's fun and makes me feel like a total bad ass (and saves me from having to park far away and walk up a TON of stairs to get to the office).

With John here, I've eaten better than I have in years (and it's nice to be able to see him all the time, instead of every three weeks). It's also fun having Callie around...taking her on walks, going to the dog park (so fun!), and just watching her hop around in the backyard.

=)

Puppy Play Date

Callie had too much fun playing with Rogue while Brenna and Robin visited!

Moving Pictures: Installment #1

What a mess! This is my apartment when it was almost all packed up.



Half of the amazing moving team...Peter and John take a break once the truck is packed with all my stuff (whew!). Not pictured is John's Mom who also did a bunch of packing, cleaning, and dog wrangling (Callie wasn't so happy when we put her in her crate so we could move all my stuff out).



Me, John, and Callie all ready to go! More pictures to come...

I'm here!!

So I'm all moved into my house in Athens and it is wooooonderfuuuullll! =) I'll post some pictures soon...but right now most of the rooms are messy and full of boxes ;)

I'm also so excited because Brenna and Robin are visiting on their way to New Jersey...and Callie (John's dog) and Rogue (Bren and Robin's dog) are best puppy pals...they've been playing and playing and playing all day long (and now they're conked out on the couches ;) ) I'm going to have to get a picture of them together because it is too, too cute.

=D

Wow...

http://www.style-files.com/2006/12/09/christien-meindertmas-giant-knitwork/

that's some hardcore knitting...

On a totally different note, I think I heard the Indian version of "The Thong Song" today...craziness

The few, the proud...

...the plants that haven't died yet ;)

The packing is going pretty well...quicker than I expected (well...I say that now...let's see how I feel on Friday) ;)

Goodbye, Farewell, Auf wiedersehen, Adieu

So it's really getting close to moving time...I'm excited, and then I'm sad (for reasons, see below), and then I feel like complaining at length about the evils of packing and moving...

Thankfully, I have some wonderful friends who've made sure that I felt loved before I left. There was the cookout on Saturday night with my friends from church, and then my coworkers took me out to Outback Steakhouse for dinner tonight. They were all so sweet and I hate to leave them. I've started a campaign to get all the cool, nice people to move to Ohio with me...but I'm not sure how far that one will get ;)

And, in other important news, I finished the Deathly Hallows on Saturday...loved it. Won't say anymore.

<3

IT'S HERE!

Waiting waiting waiting...

for my Harry Potter book to get here...

Whew...

Well, all the really hard stuff we had to do for the county fair is over (taking exhibits, getting them judged etc.) so just a few more days of that left! =)

I've been making a new baby sock pattern that I'm liking a lot...it's also good that it's a new pattern...I'm bad for getting stuck in a rut and making the same thing over and over. Unlike my sister, Erin, who tries all sorts of patterns and designs and is an awesome, incredible knitter. She also just started making baby socks...I'm trying to step it up a little bit so I can maybe keep up with her ;) My other sister, Brenna, is also awesome and incredible, but she doesn't knit baby socks, so I'll have to talk about her awesomeness in another post ;)

Still here...

the county fair is going...and I'm tired, but I'm home this early and it wasn't insanely hot, so I figure that makes for a good day (at least when it comes to the county fair)

I can't wait for this weekend (just 3 1/2 more days of work!!) and Harry Potter comes out (hooray!)

Fun links!

http://www.desktopblues.lichtlabor.ch/desktopblues0013.swf

Also funny...
http://glibandspiel.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-get-that-literary-guys-attention.html

Another wild week

But first, a picture I took this morning at the UK Arboretum



And now, the BIG news...I got a new job! Starting in August, I'll be working at Ohio University! Let the apartment searching, packing, and moving begin ;)

Such a busy weekend

In addition to knitting up a storm, I also got to go to the Estill Arts Council picnic (beautiful weather, good food, great people) and got a real tour of the county from two friends afterwards. So I was psyched to get to take some pictures! Here are my two favorites...



Random, pretty looking wildflower (anyone know what it is?)



The Fitchburg Furnace, an old iron furnace outside of town