Too Much of a Good Thing?

Josh and I are the newest members of our local Costco. In an effort to save a buck or two on household items, we joined this warehouse giant and entered the world of buying in bulk. It was a little overwhelming and while shopping I kind of felt like maybe a store like this should be reserved for those who have a Jon and Kate Plus 8 size family, as opposed to a young twenty-something couple with a dog. While wandering the aisles though, I was able to find a giant box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese and that's how I knew we were in the right place.

5.5 lbs. of steak and 4.5 lbs. of kiwi.

Things I Love Thursday-music to my ears

I LOVE Pandora. Josh introduced me to this internet radio last year and now every time I sit down at the computer I automatically go to Pandora before doing anything else. It's nice to have a little background music while blogging or checking email. Just type in a favorite song or artist and then it creates a station that plays music similar to that genre, plus it's free!

Here's a screenshot of Pandora playing a few tunes while I blog.

Winter Blows

When trying to start our snowblower a month or so ago, Josh found himself standing in a puddle of gas, definitely not a good sign. So we finally took it to Sears to get fixed and a week later, we said "Take that Old Man Winter!"

This Gym's not Big Enough for the Both of Us

Our local YMCA

Dear Walnut Creek YMCA Patrons (and more specifically those of you who became a patron as of January 1),

While I commend you for grabbing the New Year by the horns and taking the initiative to improve your health through exercise, I cannot say that I'm altogether on board with your decision to choose this particular facility as your fitness place of choice.

Over the past few weeks I've noted an increase in the number of people enjoying the many amenities our Y has to offer. Once again, this is excellent that so many of you have taken an interest in the world of wellness. However, because of the influx of attendance, the nice little supply and demand equilibrium that was established prior to January 1 is a little off kilter, leaving many veteran* patrons (namely me), wandering aimlessly searching for an open elliptical, treadmill or bike.

In addition to this, patrons (namely me) cannot even seek refuge on the track, which was once a good alternative to the machines. Now, the overpopulation of this area forces walkers and runners alike to exhaust themselves not through physical exercise, but by forcing them to play the mental game of negotiating speed and appropriate personal space so as not to make passing or being passed on the track awkward.

Therefore, I would like to issue this edict refraining you from working out on weekdays during the times of 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. I'm sorry, but this gym is not big enough for the both of us.

*Note: I may have taken a small hiatus after the wedding and during the holidays but that should never have been construed as an open invitation for you to take my place.

Things I Love Thursday-the best things come in threes, or fours, or sevens...

I LOVE being able to read a series of books,watch the seasons of a TV show or view a trilogy of movies back-to-back-to-back until I'm completely and utterly finished with it. I've spent many a day/week absorbed in a fictional world, only getting up from the couch for food and to go to the bathroom. To illustrate, I'll give you my "Lord of the Rings" example. I watched the first two movies in the trilogy back-to-back and then headed to the theater to see the third one as the credits of the second one were rolling on my TV. Last year, TNT decided it would be a good idea to play all three movies consecutively on a Sunday afternoon. Great for them, bad for my productivity. Some might call this sort of activity, (or lack thereof), ridiculous but I call it awesome.

I've handed over much of my hard earned cash to Barnes & Noble and Target just to get my series fix.

Sudsy Pie

Look how cute our little Suds was when he was just a baby! Sometimes I really miss this little guy. I do not, however, miss the peeing and pooping in our house, blech!

"I'm a big kid now!"

Things I Love Thursday

I've made the executive decision to institute "Things I Love Thursday" to help me keep my promise to blog more frequently. I figure that this will give me a little more incentive to post, while also cutting down on the randomness of topics factor. As many of my good friends can attest to, I just can't really handle random. I like my structure and rules :)

So henceforth, Thursdays will be devoted to all the things that receive my official stamp of approval...

I LOVE these shoes. Although they served a one-time purpose (our wedding), they really might be in the running for my favorite shoes ever! The beauty of these flip flops is that the basic shoe is just a pair from Old Navy, (which I contend is the most comfortable flip flop ever), but the seller on Etsy jazzed them up with the ribbon and jewel ornament. They were perfect for all the crazy dipping, spinning and jumping shots our wedding photographer had us perform.

I found them at Etsy.

Also, feel free to leave a comment* if the mood strikes you about the topic at hand. Do you have a pair of shoes that you love?

*I think you need a Google/Gmail account to comment. If you don't have a Gmail account, I recommend that you get one, it's also something I love. :)

Frequent Blogging

There are two things that have kept me from becoming a frequent blogger. One, I don't have an overabundance of tales to tell; my posts generally go with the ebb and flow of Josh and my social life. And two, I'm lazy. However, in the interest of starting a new year on the right foot I'm going to do my best to blog more frequently for my loyal readers, which include my friends who I either talk to almost everyday or see every weekend and Josh's family.

I must warn you though that my promise of more frequent blogging comes with a price. Since I most likely will not always have a story centered around our social activities, I'll have to resort to blogging about other random things. You'll just have to brace yourself for future posts to see what I come up with...

See what I mean by random? When we were in Las Vegas for Kelly and Tom's wedding, I took this picture of the ceiling at the Bellagio.

Polenta to go Around

It's been awhile since I've blogged about food but luckily Josh stumbled upon a new recipe that he wanted to try out and now I have some new blog-worthy material. Our feast included mozzarella meatballs (they were supposed to be smoked mozzarella meatballs, but apparently the smoked variety is hard to come by at our local and not so local grocers), and polenta.

I've had polenta before at a fundraising dinner for March of Dimes and I was not impressed. Perhaps my lack of enthusiasm for this dish is because when I first tried it I was under the impression that it was a potato of some sort. To my shock and disbelief, it was a yellow, flavorless mush. However, Josh put me in charge of preparing the polenta anyway. This second go around with the mush was better but that's probably because I drenched it in the sauce from the meatballs.

Here's our completed feast. This picture gives the illusion that the polenta was cut into a bread bowl and then filled with the meatball sauce. That isn't so, but might be a good idea for next time...

Sucking the Life Out of Me

Twilight-one of the few books in my life where I started the book on a Friday and finished it on Sunday. Little did I know, that it was just the beginning of my addiction...

I accidentally took a little hiatus from blogging because I was sucked into the series, Twilight. That's right, the teenage love story between a vampire and human totally got to me and I spent a good part of my vacation with my nose in a book, or two, or four.

Dean and Dawn got the first book in the series for me for Christmas so luckily I was able to enjoy the holidays with my family before I got sucked away from the real world and absorbed in the trials and tribulations of star crossed lovers, Bella and Edward. However, as I was waist deep into the third book, Josh and I needed to head to Davenport to celebrate the holidays with the Thiessen side of the family. Fortunately, with the help of our family and friends, (and plenty of cocktails), I was able to tear myself away from the epic saga long enough to ring in 2009 in style. Whew!

Suds unwrapping some Christmas joy.

Josh unwrapping some Christmas joy.

New Year's. Amy and I are too funny for our own good.

I don't think Nick and Josh thought we were as funny as we thought we were.