S-A-T U-R D-A-Y Niiight

Haha. Few will understand that title. In fact, of the people who actually read my blog, probably one person will get it.

Anywho, this past Saturday was my birthday. I am now 26. I'm really not all that concerned about age and getting older and blah blah blah. BUT, somehow to me 26 sounds significantly older than 25. I guess it's because I've made it halfway through my 20s? I don't know. Maybe that's just me. But it seems to be the general consensus with my friends who are actually my age. They agree that turning 26 says "adult" a little more than 25 does.

So yeah, that's that. I have a couple of pics, though, too. One is the traditional blowing out the candles. I hate those pictures but they're the ones necessary to really document the moment. Everyone wants to take them, but no one wants to be in them.

Next up is just Mike and I with my cake. Such big candles for such a little cake. I actually like this picture, though. Somehow I look good. And I don't frequently say that about pictures of myself.

For anyone just dying to know, my birthday was very low-key this year. Just as I wanted it. I stayed in my PJs watching TV and doing nothing until 4:30. Mike and I ran a few errands, then Dave and Karon (good friends) came over and we had a lovely dinner of Grand China Buffet. We played a few games and watched more TV together afterwards. Perfect.

Should I be sharing this?

Hmm...so apparently I have a new dream boy... This one is almost stranger than the last one, though, if you might recall it was Ashton Kutcher. This time, it's Jon Heder, more well-known to everyone as Napoleon Dynamite. It wasn't him as Napoleon in my dream, though. It was in fact Jon Heder. More like this. So anyway, we were hanging out somewhere outside. We were at a party or some other event and we were kind of escaping to be alone. Ooh, how risque, I know. Haha. We left on his motorcycle I think. Actually, I think before we left we'd been flirting, but seeing that he's an actor I decided to ask his twin brother who was also there if Jon was still a "good guy." Like, had his success/fame gone to his head. His brother said something about how he was enjoying the attention he'd been getting from girls because of it, but other than that it hadn't changed him. That's when I decided to head off with him. I don't remember a whole lot about anything afterwards. I don't think there was much after that actually. I think I woke up. Interesting to note, though, is that I only know about the twin brother because Jon had been Punk'd by him. The thing about that is that my dream boys are connected...first Ashton, then one of his Punk'd victims. Coincidence? I think not! :P

Suggestions desperately needed!

Oh my God! Mike is soooo frustrating!!! Erg. I hate that all he ever wants to do is watch a movie! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy movies and we have plenty that I want to see. But am I the only person who feels like there are better things to do than sit silently for two and a half (or more) hours staring at the tv? Mike's counter argument for this is that I'll sit for that long watching TV shows, but not movies. And this is true. But it's because I get bored with things easily. As I've mentioned in previous posts (I think), my attention span is just not there for 150 minutes and counting. Not for one long story. I can stand half-hour or hour-long shows, but I tend to get bored with long movies. Somehow that just feels like a waste of time to sit watching the same thing for that long. I wish the movie studios would go back to the 90 minute movies. Hell, I'd even be happy to see one that was 110 minutes. But NOTHING IS LESS THAN TWO HOURS ANYMORE!! I just don't have that kind of time. And is it so wrong of me to prefer activities in which we can interact some? We can talk through tv and the shows are broken up by commercials so you can easily get up for bathroom or snack breaks. Sure you can pause a movie, but it just extends the damned running time then. Someone, anyone, please offer suggestions for other things to do. I prefer things that we can do and still interact. I love games. I always try to suggest them. Or puzzles, but Mike is always too tired for thinking that late. Grr... What else is there to do TOGETHER?? We're gone all day at work or school/internship, is it such a crime to want to have quality time together that isn't watching year-long (ok, I know that's an exaggeration) movies? What do YOU guys do with your significant others??

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.

Oh, and p.s., I would be more inclined to watch these long movies if Mike wasn't constantly telling me I should watch them. If we mixed things up a bit, I would be totally willing to compromise. I promise I'm not a movie-hater. I'm really not. It all started when they started making movies too long.

Doom lurks straight ahead...

Ahh, school. Am I supposed to be calling it "college" and not "school" now? Either way I'm sick of it. I know I've been heavily whining about it since...ohh...at least a year, but I can't help it. I'm finding I have a very low tolerance for repetition. I need more frequent changes of scenery. I get bored way too easily. And now tomorrow I embark upon my final semester. Yes! That's not one of those yeses you get from sickos who actually enjoy school, either. That is a "thank-the-freaking-lord-the-end-is-in-sight" yeses. Don't let the grades fool you. They don't mean that I enjoy the work any more than you do.

So what, you ask, is better than going back to class tomorrow? Everything. Pretty much. I could make my sister's baby quilt. Or the armwarmers for Laura. Or the mittens for my mom. I could finish my mittens. I could finish that sweater I started for Mike over the summer... I could be interviewing DJs, photograpers, and florists for the wedding. I could pick out my bridesmaid and flowergirl dresses. I could go sample the menu or, even better, taste a few cakes. Or I could become the domestic woman that I think I've decided I want to be. Oh sure, I'll probably work for a while. I'll have to. And I might even enjoy it for a year, but ultimately I'll be a stay-at-home mom. So shouldn't I just be grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning--"keeping house", so-to-speak--to prepare for that role? I'd rather do dishes and laundry than go back to class. Ahh, laundry. I actually really like doing laundry. I like the sense of accomplishment when you're finished. Think about it, you start out with this mound of dirty, possibly odoriforous, clothing and unmentionables. You wash them. You pick the cycle, the water temp, the amount of detergent. You know your laundry. You know how to wash it properly. You dry it with the same amount of care. You know when to choose permanent press over delicate and when your best bet is to hang dry. And in the end, it comes out smelling fresh with that warmth only a dryer can bring. I don't have a washer and dryer, though. I have a laundromat. And I usually only have time for that icky wash-dry-fold service. The clothes don't smell as nice when they come back from that and you completely miss out on the warmth from the dryer. See. There you have it. Laundry is better than school. I quit.

Picture Time!

Hello, hello.

I've spent the last 3 weeks back home in Michigan, so pardon the lack of blogging. However, you are in for a treat because I have not one. Not two. Nope, folks, not even three pictures for you. I have four! Oooh! Actually, if I wanted to post it, I'd have five.

Pictures 1-3 are of a cute little stuffed toy I knitted right before heading home. It came from knitty.com (check for the link in my "links" sidebar). It was the perfect project to use up some yarn I'd purchased simply because it was: (a) discontinued, (b) on clearance, and (c) I'd read rave reviews of it on my knitting boards.

I originally had intended to let my mom and sisters fight it out for who would get to keep it. They're all suckers for cute stuffed toys. However, I showed it to my lil' brother who had come along with my dad to pick me up at the airport and that was the end of it. I asked him to help me name it and he said "Bob." And then he said, "Amy, when you look at him, don't you just think 'Bob'?" Haha, he's a weird kid, I know. I love him. He proceeded to hold him for the ride home and then wouldn't give him up to anyone. He slept with him every night while I was home and I'm sure he's continuing to do so. Without further ado, then, I present to you, Bob!

Cute, no? I like him. And so does Nick. And the rest of my family. Cool. :)

Ahh picture number four. What an exciting time. This picture comes from my Saturday night adventure. I was driving home from my sister Mary's new house in Kentwood with my sister Laura. It started out like a routine drive across the state (Kentwood is about 3 hours west of my home in Harper Woods). However, I had gotten an ominous phone call from my dad upon just entering the freeway. Apparently the Detroit area was getting freezing rain and driving conditions were not good. Yeah, yeah, I know how to drive, though, so I just disregarded it (sorry, Dad, had I known the car I was in better and the actual suckiness of the driving conditions, I would have turned right around). I had borrowed my sister Lucy's car which my dad bought from our friend, Sean. Hmm...Sean, I think I'm gonna blame this one on you and your damn car. Haha. Sorry, buddy. So yeah, Laura and I were about 45 minutes from home and I thought I was finally in the clear. Visibility had been awful and now I finally had street lights to help me out. Well, the car in front of me braked. No big deal, I braked. Big deal. The car fish-tailed and swerved and slid across the freeway right into a ditch. In this case, the lousy tip you get from driver's training to turn the wheel into the swerve and not in the opposite direction proved useless. Amazingly, I managed not to get hit during this swerving adventure. I was in the middle of three lanes. That was really my biggest worry because the last thing I wanted was for Laura or myself to be hurt. Or for the car to be damaged. I couldn't afford to fix it and God knows my dad couldn't either. When the car stopped sliding, I turned to my sister to ask if she was all right (she was) and we both let out a huge laugh. Might seem weird, but having lived through it, it really was a bit of an adrenaline rush. Besides, imagine what it must have looked like! I wish I had it on video to watch back. Anyway, I got out of the car to look at. Fine. Drivable. Not damaged. Awesome. Tried to drive out. Not gonna happen. With the snow and ice, the slight hill was not gonna let me up it. This is when I found out about the kindness of strangers. I got out of the car and walked up towards the next exit so I could tell the tow truck where I was. This is when the first person pulled over. It was a girl, probably about my age. She offered me a ride, which I declined, but she supplied me with the name of the next exit (I still couldn't read it, it was too far off). I thanked her, she drove off, and I walked back. I called AAA and another car pulled over. I told him I was in the process of getting a tow, thanked him, and off he went. AAA couldn't find anyone to take my call. She was going to keep trying and call me back. Car number 3 stopped to check on us. Again, I thanked them and sent them on. Waiting, waiting, waiting. No phone call from AAA. Car number 4 stops. I get out and tell him I've been waiting on AAA with no luck. The car's drivable, I just can't get out of the ditch. He calls a friend who has a truck (tow truck?). Just then, a tow truck pulls up. Not from AAA, but because someone called the State Police about us. Yay! I was going to get home afterall. Well, car number 4, Kelly (I heard him say that to his friend on the phone), pulled up and waited for us to get out and drive away. Nice guy. But here's the car in the ditch:

So there you have it. My lovely pictures. For those of you who are curious, mystery picture number five is me in my wedding dress. I bought it while I was home and Laura took a picture of me in it in the dressing room. It's beautiful and I love it and the most amazing part is it fits me as is! Well, it needs to be hemmed, but other than that, no alterations! Woohoo! So yeah, I'd post it, but Mike reads my blog and he can't see it, so I have to say I'm sorry to my few readers who will be anxious to see it. You'll just have to wait till after the wedding! Heehee...the suspense! Trust me, though, if I could I would show you. In fact, if I could, I would be wearing it right now. Haha. It's fun and pretty and I feel pretty in it. Fancy dresses are so great.

Happy Trails...