This is just way too fun!

Okay. I've seen this floating around a big, but Jenn over at Jeans Friday did an amazing job explaining and writing out the directions. I shall cut and paste directly from her blog because I can't do a better job of describing!

Welcome to...the "Make Your Own Fake Album Cover" game.

Here are the directions:

1 - Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “Random Article”or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article title you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to “Random quotations”or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

[Jenn's Tip: If you're trying to copy the picture and it keeps getting saved as something called "spaceball.gif" which is a blank picture...click "view on black" to open a new window and you should be able to copy it. I had a lot of trouble figuring this out.]

4 - Use Photoshop/MS Paint or similar to put it all together.
[Jenn's Tip : I actually used Picnik (a free web-based photo editor for simple edits like adding text to a picture) because I was too lazy to use Photoshop].

Okay - I'm back. I must admit that I had waaaaay too much fun with this one. And yeah...you KNOW I made more than one!

TGIF!

I am happy to report that I woke up early for the fourth (!!!) day in a row to work out this morning! This was the toughest morning yet. I laid in bed for several minutes debating whether or not I wanted to get up. I know I would be disappointed with myself if I stayed in bed, so I jumped (okay, rolled) out of bed.

I didn't think I could take Jillian this morning, so I decided to pop in one of my pilates DVDs. I haven't done pilates in awhile, and wow! What a great, low-impact core workout. It really made me realize that, although Jillian is amazing, I don't feel like I get a good enough ab workout with the 30 Day Shred. Of course, I'm still on Level One...so, who knows where Level Two will take me!

Thanks everyone for the eye cream recommendations. I think I will probably stick with Clinique, especially considering my recent love affair with that brand.

I'm so happy it's Friday! Do you have any big weekend plans?

Help, por favor!

I'm out of eye cream. Any recommendations?

Weight Watchers Wednesday...on Thursday

No, I haven't forgotten about Weight Watchers.  But...it's been a bad month, to say the least.  I went to a meeting tonight for the first time since February 5th.  On the 9th...it was my birthday, preceded by an entire birthday weekend, which did nothing for my waistline.  And the next weekend...Jenn and Ryan were visiting, and of course...that didn't do anything for my waistline, either.

So I guess I have to come clean.  I basically - no, I haven't - recorded my points since that last meeting, three weeks ago.  Since then, I gained 2.2 pounds.  Which means that I have gained 1.2 pounds more than my STARTING WEIGHT.  Sigh.  I can't say I'm surprised, but it's still kind of a bummer.

I'm starting over, starting tomorrow morning.  This is the third day in a row I've gotten up early (5:55!) to do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  I am making a pledge - to myself and to you! - that I WILL work out 7 days a week.  I WILL track my points.  And a week from today, I will have something much better to report!

Soooo exciting!

I received my first blog award! Thanks Lisa!!!! Everyone should go check out her blog...it is the best.

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight more bloggers who must choose eight more bloggers and include this cleverly written text in the body of their award."

I love the message of this award - it's really sweet. And I'd love to pass it along to:

Jenn over at Jeans Friday, aka my blog twin!

Casey at The Ever Changing Life of a Military Wife

BEG at Brown Eyed Girl

BevLY at The Lams

Lindsey at Learning to be a Wife

Mrs. Hibit at Love in the Suburbs

I love all of these blogs, and you should too! Lisa - you know you would have received this award from me, too. :)

Happy Thursday!

Things I love. AND things I hate. All wrapped up into one.

Things I love:

Everything bagels. They are like the holy grail of bagels, and that's saying a lot...because even eating boring bagels is kind of like a religious experience.

Things I hate:

Worrying about seeds stuck in my teeth after eating aforementioned everything bagel. And worrying that there is a poppyseed stuck right between your two front teeth, and when you're trying to have a meaningful conversation with a troubled youth, you're worried they can't pay attention because they're just staring at that darn poppyseed.

I have GOT to get a mirror for my office.

Wedding photo fun

I am currently in the not-so-fun process of picking photos for my wedding album.  This sucks.  It is relatively excruciating and I cannot WAIT to finish.  Of course, I am procrastinating...and therefore blogging.  

Here's the main problem, ladies:  I initially was led to believe that I had to provide 240 photos for the album.  Ummm...that's a lot.  I spent about a week (yes, a week.  literally) choosing the photos, and finally got all the way to 230.  This morning, I touched base with my photographer to ask him a question about the album design...and that's when he informed me that, no, 240 photos was way too many - I could only submit about 120.  

Which means...I had to cut my number in half.  This sucks even more.  I am basically done choosing the photos...but now I have to type up all 120 image file numbers (which makes me super nervous that I'm typing the wrong numbers, and therefore I have to constantly check and recheck everything).  

So...clearly, time for a break.  Seeing all of my pretty wedding photos made me want to share some of my absolute faves with you.  Isn't that always how it goes?  Without further ado, here are some snapshots of my oh-so-fab wedding day:

Gracefully posed by the photographer.  He had to force my body to look that pretty...it just isn't natural for me.

I love this photo!  This was when my bridesmaids were trying to figure out how to bustle my dress.  It makes me laugh every time!

My parents and I.  Don't they look fantastic??!!

Four of my very favorite people!  

I absolutely love this photo of Mr. Smith and my mom right before the ceremony started!

Pretending I wasn't crying

I love this photo of my girls laughing during the ceremony.  We were married by my favorite college professor, and the ceremony was absolutely hysterical.  I loved seeing people laugh out loud during a wedding!

Yay!  Mr. and Mrs. Smith!

This photo really touches me.  It was taken immediately after the ceremony.

Some pretty portraits...

November in Michigan is COLD, people!

First dance

"Dancing" with my new niece

Taking the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry to a whole new level...GO BLUE!!!

Good night!

All photos taken by Patrick Abel of Special Moments Photography in Plymouth, Michigan.  He is the best photographer EVER and if you are getting married in Michigan, HIRE HIM!!!

Open letter to my mysterious readers

Dear Readers-Who-Do-Not-Make-Themselves-Known,

Hi! How are you? This is Mrs. Smith, author of the blog you're currently reading.

My big question to you is...who are you? I just noticed that my profile has been viewed 603 times. Last time I checked, in the beginning of January, it had only been viewed 42 times.

I have twelve wonderful, loyal followers.

The numbers just don't add up. Are those twelve people the only ones reading my blog every day? Something tells me there are more of you!

So please, pull up a chair. Introduce yourself. Say hello. Let me know who you are! I'd love to meet you and read your blog.

Looking forward to our new friendship!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

Wednesday morning randoms

Happy hump day, everyone!

Thanks so much for all of your comments/thoughts about applying to be a Big Sister. I'm so excited that I completed my application yesterday afternoon and am currently waiting to be contacted for an interview! I spent much of my evening looking at the stories about real Bigs and Littles...and crying, of course. I'll be sure to update you on the process.

Today is the day of the week when I start to think about the weekend. Does anyone have any big plans? Mr. Smith has an exam for one of his classes on Saturday morning, which means I will likely take a trip to my favorite place - the Farmers Market! Yummy. There is just nothing better than fresh farm veggies, cheese and meat. Yum yum yum. I think we will head to my in-laws on Saturday afternoon (they only live about 20 minutes down the road, but we haven't seen them in a few weeks) to hang out for awhile. Mr. Smith and his dad always head to the back room to watch basketball on the big screen. I like to sit in the front room with my mother-in-law, watching Top Chef marathons on her little flat screen. All is good. :)

This morning, I've been handing out scores to students who took this standardized test that my grant program facilitates. It's called the Work Keys test. Does anyone work in a school, and know about this test? I won't go into the boring details, but...it's a test made by ACT, and it measures practical job-related skills. It's geared towards students who are joining the workforce right after high school and/or are heading to a two-year college. This one really awkward kid came in to get his score, and we chatted about it for a few minutes. He is coming to retest one section when I do the test at our school district's GED center in a couple of weeks, so we were discussing the details. He got up to leave, got to the door of my office, looked back and said..."You're looking really good today, by the way."

Um. Thanks.

Things I don't understand

Pickup trucks with spoilers. What's the point? I saw a real ghetto one today...sadly, it was not a good time to whip out the Blackberry to take a photo. Seriously. If you understand this, please comment and let me know what the deal is.

Awkward food review: Banquet Chicken Nuggets

I got home from work this afternoon and felt another killer migraine coming on. What is WITH me lately? I popped my magical migraine pill and instantly got into bed and covered my face with the nearest sweater (I absolutely CANNOT deal with light when I have a headache, and our bedroom is surprisingly bright - even with the blinds closed!). It was dinner time, and Mr. Smith came over, lifted up the corner of my sweater/eye mask, and wanted to know if I wanted to eat dinner. I said no...and told him to heat up some leftovers or something.

15ish minutes later, the most glorious smell wafted past my nostrils. And usually...food doesn't sound so great to me when I'm all migrained-up. When the worst had passed, I rolled out of bed and wandered into the living room. "What did you eat for dinner?" I asked Mr. Smith. "I just made some chicken nuggets," he replied.

Note: lately, I haven't been home from work before he leaves for his evening classes. I purchased him some college-boy food to make on these evenings when I cannot prepare a fabulous feast. So...basically I got a bag of chicken nuggets and some frozen pizzas for him.

He left for class a few moments later, and...I wandered into the kitchen, opened up the freezer, and stared at the bag of chicken nuggets. Seconds later, I was preheating the oven.

Girls, I don't know how they do it...but those chicken nuggets were GOOD. I mean, ridiculously, deliciously good. So good that I would make more right now, but don't feel like going through the hassle of turning the oven back on and all that jazz. I had them with honey (my favorite natural antioxidant! I think the honey made the nuggets healthy!) and I was basically in heaven. Amazingly crunchy on the outside, nice and...chicken-y on the inside.

I'm sold. Run out to your nearest Kroger and embrace the inner college student in you, asap!

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Sorry for the rapid-fire posting this morning...I'm almost done, I promise.

Since moving to Indiana, and now that the wedding is over, I've had a lot of free time that I'm not really used to. I wish I could say that I'm filling that time with fabulous friends and activities, but I'm not. I've had a really difficult time meeting people and making friends here - something I've never experienced before. Part of the reason I've had difficulty making friends is my job - it's relatively solitary, and I really only interact with my students every day. That being said...I'm lonely, which sucks.

I've been wanting to spend some of that extra time volunteering, and I'm thinking of volunteering to be a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters. My question to you is...have any of you done this? What has your experience been like? There are a few different types of Big Sisters...and I'm not really sure which would be best. I guess the two I'm thinking of is a Community Big, which appears to be the standard Big - a one year minimum, eight hours of contact a month. The other is a School Big, which would match me with an elementary school student. One school year commitment, one hour of contact per week on school property during the school day. This one sounds interesting to me, especially considering that I work at a school...but then I realized, hey, I work at a school. How could I slip away for one hour during the (already short) school day when I need that time to see my own students?

I think I'm going to contact them about being a Community Big. I know for sure that we will be here until May 2011 at the minimum, as that's when Mr. Smith will graduate from grad school.

What are your thoughts? Anyone who has experience being either a Big or Little, let me know. I'd love to get more info.

Twitter, again

Okay, still trying to figure out Twitter. And sadly, I cannot seem to connect to the website right now to explore any more.

So - tell me what I should do. Tell me how to find you on Twitter, too. And who else I should look for...like fun celebrities and stuff like that. I'm interested! I can clearly see this becoming a new obsession.

An open letter to our upstairs neighbors

Dear Neighbors who have one or more toddlers,

Hi. It's me, your downstairs neighbor. The one with the cute dog. You've never met me, but you have talked to my husband before. And sometimes, Mom Neighbor, I see you starting your car in the morning when I'm leaving for work.

What do you do all night long? I ask only because to us, your kind downstairs neighbors, it sounds like you are constantly moving furniture. And/or jumping up and down in high heels. And/or dropping heavy objects. Thanks to the sub-par insulation system (?), I can hear through our ceiling whenever your toddler(s) cry, scream, jump up and down, or run around. And if I'm anywhere near either bathroom, I hear you peeing.

No, I don't have a toddler. In fact, I'm not even a mom yet. No, I know being parents to a toddler(s) is not easy - my experience as a nanny taught me that years ago. And yes, I know that sometimes I take the dog out to go to the bathroom at night when it's dark, and I don't pick it up til morning, when I can see what I may be stepping in - so that probably doesn't make me the best neighbor, either.

But seriously - what are you doing up there? We're just curious, that's all.

Sincerely,
Your Downstairs Neighbor.

Twitter!

I finally jumped on the Twitter bandwagon.  Are you on Twitter?

You can follow me at MrsSmith118.

Yippee!

Oscars best dressed

No, I didn't watch the Oscars. No, my tv doesn't even work unless you're watching something on dvd. But after reading everyone's blog posts this morning, and perusing photos on the internet...I have declared Natalie Portman the best dressed last night. I absolutely love her, and I think she looks fabulous. Hands down.

Skin care jackpot

Remember how I wanted some ideas for new skincare products the other day? Well, I decided to stop by my local Clinique counter on Saturday to get a skin consultation. To recap...I have extreme combination skin. I have struggled with acne for most of my adult (and pre-adult) life. I've been using Proactiv since college, and while it mostly works, now that I'm getting older I feel like it's sucking all of the moisture out of my skin. When I'm not breaking out, my skin can be extremely dry, flaky, and itchy. Not fun! I have used some Clinique products here and there throughout the years, never with a ton of success. However, my mom has used Clinique products for several years, and her skin always looks amazing. So I thought I would give it another shot.


I had an okay consultation with one of the Clinique ladies. We argued a bit, because she didn't think I needed the acne product line, nor did she actually think I had acne. I kind of thought I knew better than her on this one, seeing as how she had just met me...and I've known me my entire life. Here is what I ended up with:
For cleanser, I purchased the Clinique acne solutions cleansing foam. It feels velvety soft and smooth, and it hasn't yet dried out my skin. So far, so good! For my second step, I ended up with:
Clinique clarifying lotion #2. This works as an exfoliator...I believe the last time I tried Clinique, I had the #3, which was too drying. When I use this product, my skin feels all tingly and fresh. And, according to the bottle...if you feel the tingle, you know it's working!

The most difficult decision was the moisturizer. I demand a lot from moisturizers - I need it to be light enough that it won't make me break out, but heavy enough to sink in and actually moisturize. I need it to have an SPF of 20 or above to shield my alabaster skin from the damaging rays of the sun. :) And - I wanted it to have something to do with preventing/correcting fine lines, etc. LADIES, I FOUND THE WORLD'S BEST MOISTURIZER AT CLINIQUE. Meet my new best friend:

Clinique superdefense moisturizer with SPF 25, in "combination oily to oily." This is pulled directly from the Clinique website: "Skin's most complete defense against the visible signs of aging in a daily moisturizer. Arms it to fight the effects of emotional stress, which can damage skin with effects much like sun and pollution. Helps neutralize UVA and UVB."

I know it has only been about two days since I've used these skincare products, but ladies - I instantly noticed a visible difference in my skin. It is softer, smoother, and has a much more even tone. I feel good because the SPF 25 is protecting my skin from the sun, and...there is no other way to say it. My skin has never felt this soft and smooth! The moisturizer was pricey for me ($42.50...which is a lot of money for skincare!) but I could not be more thrilled with the results. Wow!

I got a free gift with my purchase, which included a sample size of this:

Clinique turnaround concentrate visible skin renewer. Okay, I have to admit that I had no idea what it was...so I went online and looked at the website. Clinique.com says that it is a "High-performance cocktail of exfoliating ingredients" which "prompts a renewal process that is multilevel, time-released. Speeds fresh cells to the surface. Continually unveils brighter, more radiant skin. Leaves skin with a velvety feel and a perfected look." Okay. So, I still don't completely understand what it is, but there are 11 pages of reviews from women claiming that this is the most incredible product ever. It apparently fixes all skin problems - blemishes, lines, spots, scars, redness, anything and everything. I put it on yesterday and my skin felt even smoother! With a really pretty matte finish. I cannot afford to pick up another product right now, but after my skin gets the hang of its new Clinique products, I may have to add it to the regime!

So, there you have it. Please note that I am not an employee of Clinique, nor are they compensating me in any way for this entry. But gosh, I wish they would! Clinique, if you're reading, I'll happily be a spokeswoman!

Girls, drop everything and run to your nearest Clinique counter! You won't regret it!

Weekend review

Happy Monday morning, everyone! Am I the only one who feels like this weekend was way too short? Sigh. I could barely wake up this morning, and spent a good 10 minutes trying to figure out if I wanted to be consciously late for work. Naturally, I got up on time and actually got to work a little early. Blah, Monday.

I'm happy to report that I do not completely suck as a bowler! Despite the fact that Saturday was the first time I had bowled in fourteen years, I managed to bowl one strike and several spares. Besides that...yeah, I pretty much sucked. But I had a great time thanks to the pitchers of beer we consumed!

I also purchased some new skincare products...will post a review a bit later. Let's hope this week flies by...only a couple more weeks til I'm on spring break, yay!

Bathtub blogging

Happy Friday night, y'all!

I hope everyone is enjoying the first night of the weekend. This evening, I came home from work and was so thrilled to see that dinner was ready! Because I had already made it this morning, pre-work, and it had been cooking in the slow cooker all day. Can I just tell you how amazing slow cookers are? More on that later.

Mr. Smith and I ate dinner and watched the movie Wall-E. Who has seen this? I'm not so sure about the husband, but I freaking LOVED it! I really thought it was adorable beyond words.

We then ran over to Blockbuster to trade in Wall-E for the first season of NCIS. Sadly, we were informed that we were a day too early for our trade-in and we left emptyhanded.

Do any of you have the Blockbuster version of Netflix? We've had it for awhile, and I love it - mostly because you get a certain number of free trade-ins each month. And - do you know that you can trade in one movie, and get an entire season of a tv show on dvd? Like...if we had our free trade in, we would have rented the whole season of NCIS - for free!

Anyway. Sorry to ramble, but things like that are exciting to a girl who hasn't had cable in three years and solely watches things on dvd!

So...our Friday night was pretty low-key. Mr. Smith is in bed reading now, and...well, ladies, I'm soaking in the tub. Blogging from my blackberry. Don't judge!

Tomorrow I'm bowling at a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana. Wish me luck - I haven't bowled since eighth grade!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Kids amaze me

I just had a meeting with a high school student who is having trouble doing his homework. Not so much having trouble as...just not doing it. Never remembering to do it in the first place.

I say, "I know this probably sounds silly, but...have you tried writing down your assignments? Like...in a planner? Or maybe on a piece of paper you keep folded up in your pocket?"

*pause*
*blank stare*

He says, "Hmmm. No, that never occurred to me. I guess I can try that."

Ta da! Job complete. Am I the only one who was taught - at a young age - to write everything down so as to not forget???

Best. Giveaway. Ever.

Okay. This seems to be for real, and I am freaking out.

The Tale of a Southern Belle is giving away A TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS!

I know, I know, but try to calm down. I was hesitant to post about this giveaway, because I DON'T WANT YOU TO WIN but I decided the extra entries were worth it!!!!!

Things I hate...

Throwing up in public.

Yesterday, I got one of the worst migraines I've had in years. It was kind of lingering in the background much of the day, and I thought it would just kind of fade away. When I got to a work meeting, the migraine basically punched me in the face, and I decided I absolutely had to go home.

First, of course, I had to stop at CVS because I recently ran out of my special super-duper migraine meds. On the way over, I became super-nauseous (one of my wonderful migraine symptoms). I was literally driving with my hand clamped over my mouth. Awesome. I ran into CVS, stood patiently outside the bathroom for 30 seconds until a 6 year old was done washing her hands, and then...yeah. I threw up in the CVS bathroom. NOT COOL, people, not cool. I won't go into the details, because, it wasn't pretty.

Thankfully I managed to get my prescription and rush home before the next wave of nausea started. Then...I changed into my pj pants, crawled into bed, and slept for about 2 hours. At around 5, I woke up, ate some chips (why is it that I have a SERIOUS salt craving post-migraine/vomit?), made a tiny dinner consisting only of pasta, then curled up on the couch under my favorite blanket. I just decided to close my eyes for a minute...and woke up at 9:30. At which point I decided it was bedtime, and I crawled into bed. I woke up this morning at 6:30.

I feel much better now. Who wouldn't after 15.5 hours of sleep???

On aging

My very newest readers may not realize that, last Monday, I turned 27. Now, I joke quite a bit about being "old" and "getting old" but the truth is - I don't feel old. I am still shocked that I graduated from college almost five years ago - and I've been out of high school for almost nine.

The first time I felt "older," and by that I guess I really mean "more mature," was a mere three months ago, on my wedding day.

When I was young, I thought I would meet the man I was going to marry in college, marry at age 22 (what did I know?), and start having kids when I was 25.

Now that I am *older* and *wiser* I realize that this just isn't how it goes for everyone. I met Mr. Smith a month after my 24th birthday. I was 26 when we got married. And, while Mr. Smith and I have seriously been discussing having kids lately, we know that the time won't be right for another two-ish years. When I'll be 29.

I guess I felt *old* on my wedding day because getting married seemed like such an adult thing to do. It's kind of like I felt like, for the first time, I wasn't a kid anymore. Did anyone else have these feelings?

Anyway - this wasn't intended to be a heavy post. In fact, the reason I wanted to discuss aging is because of MY SKIN! While I may not feel like I'm "old," I have lately realized that perhaps my skin does? I have wrinkles. Around my eyes and my mouth - my smile lines. The solution seems obvious: stop smiling. But this just isn't possible for me.

So, help me. I have extremely ick skin and don't know what products to add now that I need some sort of anti-aging stuff. My skin is very combination - I have been using Proactiv for awhile but would love to downgrade to something a little more gentle. Any skincare ideas for someone who is break-out prone, still gets dry itchy skin on her face, and wants to start combatting wrinkles?

Movie review: BRIDE WARS!

Well ladies, I went to see Bride Wars last night - and was it ever fabulous! My lovely readers who commented yesterday giving suggestions for what movie to see were, for the most part, torn - and several had not seen any of the three possible movies but wanted a review of whatever I saw.

So, here it is! I LOVED BRIDE WARS. As a recent bride myself, I am still very much in love with all things bridal and wedding - despite the fact that I am thrilled that my OWN wedding planning is finished! There's just something about seeing pretty wedding things - isn't there? I have been wanting to see Bride Wars long before Confessions and He's Just Not That Into You popped up, so I decided to stick to my guns and see a movie full of pretty wedding dresses. Girls, this movie did not disappoint! I laughed, I cried, I laughed again. And then I cried one last time.

The movie begins with Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) as children, having tea at the Plaza in June. They happen to see a bride and groom who had just been married - and from that day on, both girls made it their dream to get married at the Plaza in June. When, as adults, both Emma and Liv get engaged within days of each other (and obviously plan on being each others' Maids of Honor), they go together to an appointment with the premier wedding planner in the area. You've seen the previews - you know what happens next. Through a clerical error, both weddings are scheduled on the same day, in June, at the Plaza.

What results is an all-out battle between the former best friends. There are lots of personal attacks, hilarious beauty problems (think...over tanning and unfortunate hair color!), and of course culminates in a full-on girl fight, complete with wedding attire.

Things I loved: pretty things. Liv's amazing Vera Wang dress made me wonder if I should have tried on a ballgown when I went dress shopping. It is so. freaking. amazing. I also enjoyed the twist near the end that, to be honest, I wasn't totally expecting. Well okay, I kind of was! I don't want to give anything away for my readers who haven't seen it yet!

Things I thought were unrealistic: the fact that both girls booked their June weddings at the Plaza...only three months in advance. Yes, that's right, they got engaged and then both planned a massive wedding - AT THE PLAZA - in three months. Now, ladies, please. I just got married with an eight month engagement - and that was pushing it. I'd especially like to know how Liv procured her amazing Vera Wang dress in such a short amount of time. And I would also like to know how Emma, a modest junior high teacher, was able to afford a wedding at the Plaza. In the movie, of course, she said she had been saving for ten years. I'm thinking that unless she was saving thousands upon thousands of dollars annually...there is still no way she could have afforded a Plaza wedding. But, who knows.

In conclusion, SEE THIS MOVIE. I absolutely loved it! And I would most definitely see it again, asap.

Urgent: Help me!

Okay, ladies. Here's the deal. I want to go see a movie tonight while Matt's at class...and I'm not sure what to see!

I'm thinking either...Bride Wars, Confessions of a Shopaholic, or He's Just Not That Into You.

Thoughts? I've read a lot of reviews from you about all of them...I just can't decide which to see tonight! We NEVER see movies in the theater, and I'm going by myself because I have NO girlfriends in Bloomington (isn't that sad?).

Which should I go see?

Weekend review

WARNING: I may be a bit heavy on the posting today, because I have lots to talk about!

Hi everyone! Wow...I can't believe it's basically been four days since I've blogged AND since I went on Google Reader! The 453 unread posts on my Reader is a little intimidating...so I will be a little behind on my reading/commenting this week!

Our weekend with Jenn and Ryan was so much fun! Remember how I was a little stressed about cleaning on Friday afternoon? Well, when I got home from work, I discovered that Mr. Smith had cleaned. Everything. Both bathrooms, vacuumed, guest towels laundered and put out neatly in the guest bathroom, kitchen cleaned, everything dusted. Have I mentioned lately how much I love him? It was such a relief! I did some dishes and further cleaned up the kitchen, plus cooked dinner and dessert so that everything was ready when our guests arrived.

Jenn and Ryan were married in April, 2008. Mr. Smith and I were so happy to serve as their best man/maid of honor! They were all set to return the favor at our November wedding...and then Ryan got deployed a month before our wedding. Jenn was my matron of honor - and absolutely THE BEST! - but we were so sad that Ryan wasn't able to make it to the wedding and stand up with Matt. Especially because Ryan is the reason Mr. Smith and I met in the first place! Ryan and Mr. Smith went to EOD school together in Destin, Florida (when Mr. Smith was still in the Army, natch). After graduation, Ryan was transferred to Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, and Mr. Smith ended up at Fort McNair in Washington DC. About three months later, I graduated from the University of Michigan with my masters...and moved to DC for a job. My connection with Ryan was, of course, Jenn. She and I were/are grad school BFFs. When Ryan realized that one of his best friends was living down the road from one of Jenn's best friends, he decided to set us up - as friends.

I was initially hesitant - like, a lot - because I didn't really feel like getting involved with someone in the military at all - let alone someone whose job is to play with explosives. But...when I heard from Mr. Smith, we made dinner plans. That dinner ended up being about 4 hours long....and needless to say, we didn't stay just "friends" for very long!

Well, that was a bit of a sidetrack, huh? Anyway...that is the background with Jenn and Ryan. We had not seen Ryan since their April wedding, so naturally it was so wonderful being able to spend some time together -in person!

We had a very nice, low-key, relaxing weekend. On Saturday morning, we went to the winter farmer's market and picked up a few things for the weekend. Ryan is a major foodie/cook, so we took him to a few of the gourmet/hippie/organic grocery stores in town to enjoy the food and wine selection he often misses out on, living in a military town. (note: Jenn and Ryan are now living in Clarksville, Tennessee - Ryan is now stationed at Fort Campbell)

Saturday evening for V day, we cooked a great dinner! We started off with champagne, of course. Ryan made espresso-rubbed steaks and I made some carrots and butternut squash risotto. Yum! We downed a great bottle of wine, too.

On Sunday, we went out for brunch at one of our favorite Bloomington spots - Farm Bloomington. If you live anywhere around/near Bloomington, eat here! It's delish!

After some window (and actual) shopping, we went back home and just kind of...hung out. Like I said, we really didn't do much this weekend! I made chili for dinner and we watched a couple of movies. They left to go home yesterday and I of course was so sad to see them go.

Here are a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure! The first is of the four of us having dessert and drinks after Jenn and Ryan's wedding. We look TIRED! But I absolutely love this photo. The second is of Jenn and I before my wedding - enjoying some champagne, of course! I love this photo as well...just love it!

awesome photo taken by Lisa!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and Valentine's Day - it's been so much fun reading about what all of you did!

Random Friday thoughts

I'm hungry. It's not even 10am and I'm hungry. If I had my way, I'd eat lunch at 9:30. This is not right. I think the problem is that I eat breakfast at 6:45 and then I get hungry too early. Oh well. I'm trying to hold out until 11:30 and then I will devour my Smart Ones Sante Fe Rice and Beans, i.e. THE BEST FROZEN MEAL EVER.

Good news: after a visit to the Verizon store, the internet on my Blackberry works again. Now I realize that I never told you it had stopped working...but it did, last weekend, and seeing as how our internet doesn't work at HOME, not having internet on the bberry was kind of tortuous. Thank goodness I can check weather.com every morning again to plan my outfit!

I'm super excited that Mr. Smith and I are having weekend visitors - Jenn and Ryan are coming from Clarksville, TN. Yayayayay! We don't really have anything planned...besides cooking a nice Valentine's Day dinner tomorrow night. I have to go to the store today to buy all the other tasty stuff I'll make this weekend, like...chili, sloppy joes, guacamole, spinach dip, and a chevre-fig spread I found in a magazine somewhere. Yum.

I love my new kate spade shoes. I am wearing them today and I have already gotten two compliments on them - one by a coworker, and another by a student who felt that I planned and executed my outfit well. Thanks, girlie! I like it too.

It has been warm all week, but it's supposed to get cold again this weekend - back into the 30s, maybe with more snow. Sigh. I knew that 65 degree weather, in Indiana, in February, wouldn't last...but it was so so nice not having to wear a coat this week. So nice.

I'm really missing DC this week. Well, I'm really missing my DC friends. I'm planning a June trip out to Charlotte, NC to visit a friend who is having a baby in April...and I'm trying to figure out if I can "swing by" DC as well. I guess a lot of it depends on if I fly or drive, and also depends on whether or not Mr. Smith comes. It's a 9 and a half hour drive from Bloomington to Charlotte. A 7 hour drive from Charlotte to DC. And then about an 11 hour drive from DC back to Bloomington. That is A LOT of driving. Sigh. I'm just not sure if that's gonna work. But I sure am desperate to see everyone in DC.

I'm excited about the weekend not only because we're having visitors, but also because I get to sleep in! It's been really difficult for me to wake up this week, maybe because I'm still getting over my weekend cold episode. Maybe because Mr. Smith is such a good cuddler and that, along with our electric blanket, makes it so hard to get out of our comfy bed cocoon. I don't know.

Last night while Mr. Smith was at class, I planned on:

• doing three loads of laundry
• cleaning both bathrooms
• vacuuming
• straightening up the living room
• working out

What I actually accomplished while Mr. Smith was at class:

• did one load of laundry while simultaneously watching the First Wives Club
• yes, you read that right, I watched the First Wives Club
• took Oscar on a 10 minute walk

Oops. So today when I get home from work, I have to...

• do two loads of laundry
• clean both bathrooms
• vacuum
• squeeze in a jog if time

Oh yeah, and I forgot the most time consuming of all...GO TO THE GROCERY STORE.

Well, I don't have any more random thoughts for now...I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Happy Love Day!

Weight Watchers Wednesday

I only have one thing to say: birthdays are not good for Weight Watchers.

That's all.

An appeal for new reading material

Hello, bloggers. I need your help.

Somehow, the majority of the 158 blogs on my Google Reader subscription are (super fun) blogs written by {super fun} Southern and/or conservative women. I'm not exactly sure how that happened, seeing as how I am a midwestern moderate-liberal. Setting our differences aside, I still love reading their (your!) blogs and do so, lovingly, daily.

That being said...I'd love to find some good midwestern blogs. Extra points for those bloggers in Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois. Can you help? Do you read any great blogs that hail from the midwest? If so, please let me know. Lisa and I have been on the hunt, and both of us have come up empty.

Thanks!

Does this ever happen to you?

Sometimes, when I'm driving to work, or in the shower, or going to bed...I think up the perfect blog post. It's funny, introspective, outstanding. I chuckle to myself, thinking that this blog post will be the best yet. People will love it. And then I sit down at my computer and I don't feel like writing it anymore, because I've forgotten half of the funny stuff - and plus since I wrote it once already in my head, it seems redundant taking the time to actually type it in blogger. I've even thought about this post several times without actually blogging about it.

Does this make any sense? Does anyone do this besides me?

Sigh. Our internet is down at home, so my blogging is limited. Bear with me.

Wow! Truly incredible giveaway

Okay, I just HAVE to post about this giveaway so that I can have as many chances as possible to win it!!!! Wow wow wow! The Polka Dotted Owl over at the Magic Risotto Diaries is hosting the most amazing giveaway. You get all sorts of goodies, including a monogrammed bag, several items from Sephora, OPI nail polish, and more!!!! Check it out - and her super cute blog - and enter to win!

I've been tagged!

Hello all! Muffy Martini tagged me with a few questions. I thought I'd give it a go!

Here are the rules:

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people.

1) What are you wearing right now? Oh dear. I'm currently wearing my favorite fleece-lined running shorts (that I just wore to go pick up a bagel) and a blue t-shirt. And mismatched socks.

2) What's the last thing I read/ are currently reading? I'm reading the Prince of Tides right now, by Pat Conroy. It's taking me forever, but I really do like it!

3) Do you nap a lot? Back in my college days I napped...I miss those days. I do tend to fall asleep sometimes when I'm sitting on the couch reading...

4) Who was the last person you hugged? Mr. Smith, just a few minutes ago!

5) What's your current obsession/addiction? Chocolate, and kate spade. Come to think of it...those obsessions aren't current. They are constant.

6) What was the last thing you said out loud? "Do you need the computer or can I read my blogs?" to Mr. Smith, since for some reason my computer won't connect to the internet today.

7) What websites do you always visit when you go online? Gmail, my Google reader, the Washington Post website, Facebook

8) What was the last item you bought? I bought myself a wonderful birthday present Some gorgeous kate spade shoes that were drastically on sale. I love them.

9) What is your most challenging goal? Getting in shape and ready for bikini season!

10) If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished- anywhere in the world, where would it be? Gosh, this is a hard one. I'll say a vacation home in the rolling hills of Tuscany. And hopefuly by "fully furnished," that means "comes with a chef"????

11) Favorite Vacation spot? Somewhere warm! Carribbean, California, Italy.

12) Say something to the person who tagged you: Hi Muffy! I really enjoy reading your blog...and thanks for tagging me!

13) Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you: CHO-CO-LATE.

14) You are on the Oregon Trail. How are things going? Not so well. Thankfully, Mr. Smith knows how to handle a weapon and has been taking care of me!

15) Name one thing you can not live with out: My Blackberry. Wait, is this supposed be a really deep question? Mr. Smith.

16) Has a celebrity's haircut ever influence you on your own hairstyle? Oh, absolutely. I believe I take a celebrity photo in almost every time I make a major hair decision!

17) What is your most embarrassing moment? Oh gosh. A not-very-good moment for me was when I was in grad school and had a field placement at the campus hospital. It was the end of the day, and I was walking outside to catch the bus back to my car. The bus was there...and I started running towards it. And then...I don't know what happened...I just went DOWN, hard, on the sidewalk. My heel had gotten caught in one of the sidewalk cracks. I ripped my dress pants and my knee was bleeding, and my hands were all scraped up. And I got up and got onto the bus, which was full of people I worked with who had seen me fall. It wasn't pretty. I hate falling.

18) What brought you to blogland? I started blogging last year, about four months before my wedding. One of my best friends and bridesmaids, Lisa, had started a blog several months before then, and I had been reading religiously. I also started reading a bunch of wedding blogs, and decided I would make a go for it. Little did I know that I'd have even more fun blogging once the wedding was over!

19) You're on a deserted island, and you can take only a bag OR a pair of shoes. Which do you take? This is a tough one. I guess I'll have to go with a bag, despite my absolute LOVE and obsession with shoes. I have extremely fair skin, and sunburn easily. I can stick my feet in the sand to protect them from the sun, and I can place the bag over my head to stay cool and white. :)

20) Favorite year of your life so far: Definitely 2008, and/or my 26th year of age. I got engaged, was the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding, got married, and spent my first holidays with my husband. It was a good year!

For this fun game, I tag my real-life friend:
Lisa
and my five followers:
BevLY
brown eyed girl
Landlocked Mermaid
Jenn
Lindsey

Have fun!

My 27th year

Today is the day - my birthday. I am now 27! Each year, my new age seems SO OLD...and then looking back on past birthdays, I realize how silly that is. I remember when I thought that being 25 was SO OLD...and now it just seems so young.

I don't really have a problem with aging. Each year of my life seems to bring more and more joy...and I can only guess what the future years will bring!

So, on to the good stuff. I am celebrating my birthday at home today, with a cold. Yes, I'm still sick. Boo. Mr. Smith and I had a good time in Michigan with my parents this past weekend - we did manage to make it to the art museum despite the fact that I could barely breathe through my nose. So, that was fun.

Saturday night we had cake (yummmmmmmy!) and I opened presents from my parents yesterday. I received - yay!! - the rest of my everyday dishes from my registry. I cannot get a good photo off the Crate and Barrel website, but the dishes are stoneware in the Atoll Perle pattern. They are gorgeous, and sadly the pattern is discontinued. I have been a little stressed out thinking about getting everything now, because the dishes are expensive!!! So, that was exciting. Mom and Dad also gave me a framed wedding photograph and some tasty food items.

Mr. Smith gave me his present this morning:

Yippee! I have been wanting this on DVD for forever. Guess what Mr. Smith has to watch with me now tonight??? I'm sure he will be thrilled!!!

That's about it. We went out and got bagels for breakfast - delish treat! - and now he is studying for a test he has tomorrow. I am going through my google reader and then have to do some cleaning, which should be enjoyable. Mr. Smith is taking me out to dinner tonight at our new sushi spot, Japanee. I can't wait!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend!

Weekend at home: update

Matt and I made it to Michigan last night...but, I'm sick.  It kind of came out of nowhere.  Yesterday morning I woke up with a killer sore throat, and it just got worse throughout the day.  I barely slept last night...woke up this morning and my throat feels better, but now whatever I have is in my head.  I'm congested, my glands are swollen and painful, and I have a continuous sinus headache/aching deal going on.

Happy birthday to me!

Headed out of town soon...

Happy Friday, everyone!  Am I the only one who is absolutely thrilled that the weekend is quickly approaching?  I think not.

I'm headed into my main office in a few to celebrate my birthday with my coworkers.  Should be fun!  Then, I'm hightailing it back to the apartment, and Mr. Smith and I will head out to my parents' house in Michigan.  It always takes us exactly 6 hours, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that today will be no exception.  Tomorrow, the parents, the husband and I will be checking out the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts), which has recently been renovated.  I love the DIA - especially those amazing Diego Rivera murals! - and I haven't been in awhile.  Looking forward to it.

Tomorrow night, we'll be going to my dad's concert downtown, which should also be nice.  Oh, and in between our busy day of cultural activities, we'll be celebrating my birthday with the parents for the first time in several years, complete with one of my favorite Dad meals (shrimp etouffe, yum!) and Dad's famous, award winning chocolate cake.  YUM!!!!

On Sunday...we'll head back to Bloomington.  My actual birthday is Monday, the 9th (I'll be 27!) and don't THINK I won't blog about that!

Oh, and in other frustrating news - I didn't lose any weight this past week at my weigh-in last night.  I GAINED 0.8 pounds.  SO FRUSTRATING!  Grrrrr.

Have a splendid weekend, everyone!

Amazing!

Has everyone seen the Newsweek pseudo "reality show" about Obama? It's amazing, and if you're like me - an avid Hills fan - you'll definitely love it!

Check it out...immediately.

I'm so glad I'm not in high school anymore

There is a large group of girls filling up balloons with helium in the storage closet thingy across from my office. They are yelling and screaming and laughing and intentionally overfilling the balloons so that they burst, which then prompts more yelling and screaming and laughing.

If this isn't proof I shouldn't be at work late, I don't know what is.

Is it bad

...that I am ready for a nap, despite the fact that we had a two-hour weather delay this morning and I slept until 8:30? When I usually have already been at work for an hour by that time?

Did I sleep too much?

I'm sorry, I can't concentrate on this because my eyelids are drooping...

100th Post Excitement!!!!

Can you believe that this is my 100th post? Me either. This blog started out as "Nearly Smith," and chronicled my fun - and often not very fun - wedding planning adventures as I readied myself to become Mrs. Smith. Now that the wedding is over, I changed the name to "Post Smith" to talk about whatever I want! I've been having a lot of fun blogging over the past couple of months, and I'm loving reading all of your blogs! In fact...I currently have 148 subscriptions on my Google Reader. And yet somehow I still get caught up and wait for the next post, impatiently. I guess that means I just need to add more blogs...because I hate the waiting!

In other excitement, I got my first follower today! Hi Lindsey! I love your blog too! Thanks for the support. :)

In my first 100 posts...I did a lot of shopping, moved from Washington DC (okay, actually it was Alexandria, VA) to Bloomington, IN, had a bridal shower in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, went to South Beach for my bachelorette weekend, had another bridal shower in Bedford, Indiana, got married in Rochester, Michigan and then went on a weeklong honeymoon in Manual Antonio, Costa Rica. Post wedding, I spent Thanksgiving with the inlaws in Bedford, spent Christmas with my parents in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, and spent New Years in Norman, Oklahoma.

Let's see what the next 100 posts bring!

Staff bathroom update

Remember the staff bathroom I blogged about a few days ago? Well, I made a pit stop there this morning and discovered that some things had been rearranged.

First of all, I regret to say that the bottle of hairspray I had seen last week is actually Rave, not Aquanet. Am I alone here when I say I didn't realize they still made Rave? I remember using Rave shampoo and conditioner in junior high, I think, when it was super cool and smelled delish. For all I know, it still smells delish. Who knows.

Today, there is a new container of dental floss. Whew. That was a close one. And there is now a small bottle of lens cleaner, just in case you wear glasses.

Oh, and yeah. The small makeup/personal feminine items bag is still there. And...curiosity got the better of me, so I opened it. It is full of pads.

So, there you have it!

Things I love...to eat

A few weeks ago, I started Weight Watchers. For some weird, sick reason, I'm kind of loving it and treating it like a challenge. Because who doesn't like a good challenge here and there, right?

Anyway, my goal is to lose 15 pounds. So far, I have lost a total of 1.8 pounds since January 13th. No, it's not a ton. But, it's something. I weigh in again tonight and I'm almost positive I've lost more this week. Fingers crossed!

Participating in WW has really made me realize that I, along with most of America, EAT TOO MUCH. I'm loving WW because I've become so focused on eating less and making it last longer. Does that make sense? I have also enjoyed trying a lot of the WW recipes. As you may or may not know, I absolutely love to cook, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how tasty the WW recipes have been! Even Mr. Smith has been thrilled with the majority of them. I think my fave so far has been the Orange-Marmalade glazed turkey tenderloin with sweet potatoes. Yummy yummy! Let me know if you'd like the recipe.

My usual day of eating looks something like this:

Breakfast:
Some variation of egg whites, possibly one slice of turkey bacon, and some low-cal, high fiber bread. Today, I made a breakfast sandwich on a Food for Life english muffin: one scrambled egg white, one piece of turkey bacon (cooked in the microwave, of course!) and some super low-calorie herbed cheese spread I got at the farmers market (it's made from organic milk instead of cream!). The Food for Life sprouted grain english muffins are amazing - but I usually stick to their Ezekiel bread (lower in points).

Lunch:
All the lunch WW recipes I see look great...but I rarely have the energy to make a whole lunch to take to work in addition to cooking dinner when I get home. I have eaten a Smart Ones WW frozen meal pretty much every day for lunch since I've started, and I have to admit...I'm totally in love with one of them. Who has tried the Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans???? Oh my gosh, it is absolutely delicious. I keep buying this one over and over again...in fact, I'm actually eating it right now!

Dinner:
WW recipe from online, WW blogs, or my new Momentum WW cookbook.

So far, I've been extremely happy with the food and rarely feel as though I am "on a diet." I try to eat a lot of high-protein foods to keep me going during the day. I'm sure you know that when you get really hungry, you get desperate and make bad choices.

Take, for example, yesterday. Yesterday I was feeling really skinny, like maybe I lost quite a bit of weight this week! Knowing that today would be my weigh-in, I thought I would really try to keep my points down to see how well I was doing. So, yesterday for breakfast, I had half an english muffin = 1 point. For lunch, I had a Progresso Lite soup = 1 point. And then I followed it with a WW yogurt = 1 point. At around 4:00, I was in a meeting and realized I was absolutely starving. Because I had eaten only 3 points for the entire day! For those of you not familiar with WW, 1 point roughly equals 50 calories. You do the math. It was late afternoon and I had only eaten about 150 calories worth of food.

At that point, my body was in panic-starvation mode, I think! My meeting ran late and I realized that I had forgotten to take what I was planning to cook out of the freezer. I really didn't have anything else I could cook, so I stopped to pick up Chinese food on the way home. After ordering what I knew would be relatively WW friendly (moo shu chicken for me, General Tso's for Matt, an order of spring rolls to share), I sat and waited another 20 minutes for the food to be ready. When I got home, it was 6:00 and I was feeling the hunger pains. So, I ate. A LOT. Bad, Shaina.

Lesson learned: eat all of my daily points, and not all at once! I really have found that if I eat something with egg whites in the morning, the protein really keeps me going.

Of course, doing WW has cut out some of the foods I love the most...chocolate and pizza. But what I love about WW is the extra points you are allotted to use during the week. I am allowed 20 points a day, and then everyone gets 35 extra points per week to use however you'd like. I like to use it on a dinner out, or a bit of chocolate here and there.

My one issue with WW is that they promote a lot of "treats" that a sugar-free. Of course, that means they are made with artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners such as Splenda used to not be a big deal to me...until I read the book Skinny Bitch. What they wrote about artificial sweeteners scared me to death, and I now try to avoid them at any costs. I have found that, if I really have a chocolate craving, I have one square of good, serious, organic dark chocolate. My favorite is Newman's espresso dark chocolate. Yum! And one square is only 1 point, so it's a good special treat.

I am hoping that I did well this past week, because my next weigh in won't be anywhere near as good! Monday is my birthday, and Mr. Smith and I are headed to Michigan to spend my birthday weekend with my parents. Before we leave tomorrow, my coworkers are having a birthday cake for me at lunch. And then my dad is making his award-winning chocolate cake on Saturday. And my mother-in-law is also making me a cake for when we return! I will do the best I can, but sometimes...you've just gotta have your cake and eat it too.

Help me

Please, help me get to the bottom of a confusing mystery.

What is Twitter?  And do I need to be on there, too?  

Comments/thoughts/explanations welcome.

I hope the parking break is on

A questionable parking job in the staff parking lot at work.

Things I hate

I hate finding spiders in the shower.

When I'm showering.

Very bothersome.

Oh. My. Goodness.

So, I just decided to browse through the Plaza Too website (and no, I swear, I DO NOT work for them...I just think it's a great website with killer sales!). And...I saw THESE BEAUTIES.

My first thought, of course, was....I MUST HAVE THESE. I don't know why I think these bags - especially the clutch - are so fabulous. They just are. Then, I had the misfortune of looking at the prices. The silver clutch is $795. No, I'm serious! It really is. And the pink heart tote bag? Um, yeah. $1895. Only a mere $1100 more than the clutch. In that case...I'll take two!

Sigh. Marc Jacobs, what are you trying to pull?

Hanky Panky giveaway!

Who likes Hanky Panky panties????

Blue-Eyed Bride is giving some away just in time for Valentine's Day!

Tough one word answers

1.Where is your cell phone? bed

2. Your significant other? love
3. Your hair? dyed
4. Your mother? beautiful
5. Your father? cake
6. Your favorite thing? Matt
7.Your dream last night? unsure
8. Your favorite drink? latte
9.Your dream/goal? happiness
10.Your fear? cancer
12.Where do you want to be in 6 years? mom
13.Where were you last night? couch
14.What you're not? doctor
15.Muffins? chocolate
16.One of your wish list items? shoes
17.Where you grew up? Michigan
18.The last thing you did? mail
19.What are you wearing? jammies
20.Your TV? cable-less
21.Your pet? loved
22.Your computer? attached
23.Your life? fabulous
24.Your mood? sleepy
25.Missing someone? absolutely
26.Your car? blue
27.Something you're not wearing? bra
28.Favorite Store? Nordstrom
29.Your summer? pool
30.Favorite color? blue
31.When is the last time you laughed? today
32.Last time you cried? forgotten
33.Who will/would re-post this? unsure
34.FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER.  work, Target, Kroger, mailbox
35.FOUR PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME: Lisa, Jenn, Mom, Jill
36. FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS: sushi, pizza, chocolate, Chipotle
37. FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW: Italy, Costa Rica, Caribbean, with friends

WHEW, that was a toughie.  I tag anyone who wants to play along!  

Salivating

Head on over to Mojito Maven's blog for a chance to win some of these, just in time for Valentine's Day:

Sigh. Delicious.

Night out in the Big Apple

Okay, that was mostly a lie to get your attention.  We didn't actually have a night out in the Big Apple...it was Indianapolis.  And according to Wikipedia, Indy's nicknames include:  Indy (that makes sense), The Circle City, Naptown, The Crossroads of America, The Racing Capital of the World, Amateur Sports Capital of the World, Railroad City, Capital City, and... The Indy City.  

Of course, the nickname I've heard most often is India-no-place.  But after being in Bloomington for a few months...Indy seemed like a pretty big deal.  At the end of last week, I discovered that Indy has a restaurant week called Devour Downtown.  Similar to restaurant weeks nationwide, several participating restaurants offer a three-course dinner for $30 per person.  I decided that we absolutely could not pass up this opportunity...plus, I was dying for a great meal out in a "real city."  So, I made reservations at the Adobo Grill in Indy for Friday night.

It took us about an hour and a half to get there, including a few laps around the block looking for a parking spot.  The restaurant was awesome, and we had a truly tasty meal.  It started with guacamole made tableside, which is always fun.  We then received a margarita - included! - and our appetizers.  Matt ordered an ahi tuna ceviche, which was very tasty.  I had some adobo-marinated baby back pork ribs glazed with a tamarind-guajillo salsa.  I don't really know what half of that is, but it was delish!

For our entrees, Matt ordered the adobo-marinated pork tenderloin with ancho-pineapple salsa and a spinach and sweet potato mash; I had the grilled duck breast in Oaxacun black mole with braised duck tamal and roasted butternut squash.  It was way too spicy for me, and Matt and I ended trading our entrees.  I ate the pork and thought it was absolutely incredible!  For dessert, we both ordered a chocolate tamal with vanilla bean ice cream.  W-O-W.  Talk about a tasty desert!  It was basically the lava-y part of a chocolate lava cake.  It was too good to be true, and after such a big meal, I am sad to say that I was unable to finish it. 

After dinner, Matt and I walked around a little bit and ended up in the Circle Center Mall, chatting and having a good time like we used to in DC.  I know it's only Indy, but we really did have a fun night out!  I'm hoping we'll be able to get up there again for a date sometime soon... fingers crossed!