Turkey, Vomit, Eleanor, Cookies, etc.

Yikes, it's been a while…

Thanksgiving break has come and gone and while it would have been an opportune time for me to take lots of pictures of food and blog for memory's sake, I fully indulged in my time away from school and anything academic and just chilled. 

What exactly did this entail for about four days straight?

I crocheted this headband.

I began a sewing project for my family's annual homemade Christmas gift exchange. 

I discovered this television series….and wish I had more time to continue! (that's what Christmas break is for!)

I decorated Christmas cookies with my mom-in-law.

I sat through half of a musical and walked out at intermission - something I've NEVER done in my life…mom-in-law and Husband and I were THAT unimpressed by it… 

I played lots of WordSeek on the iPad.

I ate my weight in food. 

I chased my little chocolate labradinger (labrador / golden retriever / springer spaniel mix) of a dog around the house several times each day. 

One thing I (luckily) didn't have to do was clean up vomit. Very close call, though, as explained by Husband here. He was feeling more than a little under the weather for a lot of the weekend, and the poor thing always made it to the bathroom just in time. What a champ. 

And now here's a random assortment of photos over the last couple of weeks to give a small update on life:

Eleanor officially became part of our family last week! Husband also ordered me a ridiculously cool custom license plate, which I will take a photo of and feature in about 2-3 weeks when it arrives! We have a fun for for somewhat matching license plates in the future once Husband's done with school...

She also got some new car seat covers since the interior was a little beat up due to the previous owners having two kids and two dogs = minor disaster central. It looks clean and sleek on the inside now, though, with a Yankee Candle air freshener in my favorite scent (pineapple cilantro, in case you're curious…which I'm sure you are…) to boot!

I made this fun card for some people to congratulate them on their pregnancy. Needless to say, creating this was a nice study break!

Mom-in-law's and my wonderful cookie creations made for a fun, relaxing, and bonding time for the two of us on Saturday :)

Now I just have to survive another week and a half of classes and three final exams and then it's a week of vacation time for Husband and me in Punta Cana (SO. FLIPPING. EXCITED) and another two and a half weeks of break for the holidays!

CAN.

NOT.

WAIT.

!!!!!

Saturday in Chicago!

After a looooooong week, some friends and I hopped on a motor coach for a fun day in Chicago sponsored by our school. For only $5, we got a roundtrip bus ride to the windy city! We left around 9:30am on Saturday and it took us about two and a half hours to get there. I always forget how close we really are to Chicago and I wonder why I don't get there more often…

Once we arrived, my friends and I set off to accomplish everything on our check list, which included the following:

- Get some yummy drinks from Argo Tea - this stuff is seriously the best - why  oh WHY do we not have one in Michigan?!

- Look at all the windows outside of Marshall Fields (it will never be Macy's in our minds)

- See the Walnut Room with the gigantic tree

- Hit up H&M

- Eat some cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory

- See Millennium Park - the bean, ice skating rink, etc. 

- Find Picasso's sculpture

- Get more yummy Argo Tea (round two!) for the ride back home

We managed to do everything plus a bunch in between, some of which consisted of:

- Stopping in other stores (including TRADER JOE'S! My love affair continues…)

- Waiting for at least 30-45 minutes in Noodles & Co. for our food - took FOREVER! Not only was it ridiculously busy for 3pm in the afternoon(!) but they messed up my order three times.

- Watching some street performers and waiting to see their routine only to realize ten minutes had passed and all they were really doing was trying to get everyone to give them money

And now for pictures of the day, meh-quality courtesy of my iPhone: 

So. ridiculously. excited. ARGO TEA!

Behold, the white chocolate frostea. I had it last year when I went to Chicago and LOVED it. I was so happy to find out they had it again!

The three of us in front of the gigantor tree in the Walnut Room - way to close your eyes there, Morgs...

On the north side of the Michigan Ave bridge over the Chicago River

I love these girls!

Aaaaaaand of course some typical self-portrait bean pictures:

It was such a fun day! I think we were all in agreement that it was way better than studying or doing homework :) We're hoping to go back again soon on our own for another escape from school…Maybe winter break, guys?

Thanks, Shakespeare.

Some encouragement for this dreadful week of school:

source

Sometimes it's really difficult to see the light at the end of this academic tunnel.

I've been onboard the struggle boat this week, but -- BUT -- next week = four days of glorious freedom thanks to some turkey and gratitude.

AND THEN it's only two and a half weeks until three and a half weeks of break for the holidays!

I can do this.

Eleanor the Element

Have I mentioned how much I love the weekend?

I LOVE THE WEEKEND.

After working retail and at a hospital for a few years, I've really come to appreciate having weekends off on a regular basis. I'm privileged to have every single Saturday and Sunday (and holidays, for that matter) off and I'm well aware of this. However, considering my future as a nurse most likely in a hospital is in the very near future, I also know that I need to seriously savor these weekends off. Plus, having the availability to see Husband every weekend also provides sanity during this weird separation. 

So, to sum up my feelings: I LOVE THE WEEKEND.

That being said, this weekend was wonderful because:

1) Husband and I relaxed with pizza and television on Friday AND got to bed before midnight to catch up on much-needed sleep

2) I was very productive with school work all day Saturday with good coffee and baked goods to accompany me: 

...because who doesn't love Panera??

3) WE BOUGHT A NEW (to us) HONDA ELEMENT! WITH AWD! AND SOME OTHER REALLY COOL FEATURES! 

Oh, and I named her Eleanor. Eleanor the Element. Catchy, no? 

Unfortunately, I forgot that I had wanted to take a picture with our newly acquired vehicle until it was dark outside (Hello, end of daylight savings, where it starts to get dark before 5pm). That left us without anything to prove we got the weirdly uniquely shaped car. So, photos and proof of purchase will just have to wait until the next post! 

Who knows when that will be, though, since I'm going to be very busy for the next few days. This week I have two exams and a presentation plus two papers I would love to write and turn in early before Thanksgiving break in a week and a half. I want to fully enjoy my four-day break and not have to worry about anything academic-related hanging over my head! 

Pray for my sanity. 

Seriously. 

Elect to Vote

One word:

Vote.

It's your right and your privilege. 

"Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads." Deuteronomy 1:13

Grey Guy & His Stache...

Also known as "Charcoal Man"

This is what happens when:

a) One of your wife's favorite colors is charcoal grey

b) The majority of your clothes shopping is done by your wife

c) Your wife tries to help you out by packing your suitcase for the weekend and doesn't realize you've already put a few things in there, including grey sweatpants….

Maaaaaayyyyybe I should start incorporating other colors into Husband's wardrobe…

Also, if you happen to notice Husband's newly sported 'stache, please know that he's not trying to hop on board with the hipster trend (though I wouldn't be opposed…cardigans, slight v-necks, Rayban-like glasses, and bow ties? I'm a fan…). He's actually promoting movember, which is a campaign to promote prostate cancer awareness. You can read all about his decision to do this here and can support his med school's team by making a donation here. 

In other news, last night I put the flannel sheets on our bed for the first time since February. 

Glo-ree-us. 

Winter is coming, everyone. 

…which means I better get my tush in gear and get that AWD/4WD asap! We called two dealerships and stopped at one on our way back from picking Husband up to bring him back home for the weekend to inquire about Honda Elements and I KID YOU NOT ALL THREE POSSIBILITIES HAD BEEN SOLD THAT DAY. What are the odds?!

Aaaaaand the search continues…

Face and Cars

Sorry for the latest radio silence.

I've been fully indulging in the "free time" I've been granted the past week. Somehow in between the chaos of exams, homework, and studying, everything has somewhat slowed down. 

I don't feel quite as stressed to get everything done. 

I haven't been staring in the mirror wondering where those dark circles under my eyes came from (…cause they're just not there!). 

I've been enjoying exercising (RUNNING! I'M STILL AT IT! YES!), going to bed on time, sleeping in a leeeeeetle later than usual (those extra 15 minutes sure make a difference, let me tell ya), actually sitting down to eat meals, and taking the time to put together outfits that aren't just jeans and whatever fleece is closest within reach. 

I feel like this accurately expresses my feelings about this "free time": 

Miss that face. 

…like, all the time. 

On another (unfortunately not quite so carefree and happy) note, we're thinking about selling our little car and trading it in for one that handles better in the winter. The last time I tried driving it with snow on the road, I got stuck and Husband had to leave work to come bail me out. We need AWD/4WD… Okay, it's ME that needs AWD/4WD…because I am completely inept at snow driving…

Well, that's not totally true, but I will admit that I'm not the greatest or most confident of drivers, especially when it comes to crazy winters with bad lake effect weather. My town is a snow globe. It seriously can be blizzarding here and then just a town away it's completely sunny. I'm not even joking - that happened at least twice last year when I was driving from one town to the next in the middle of January. Since Husband starting riding his electric bike everywhere last year, we decided to only insure one car and put the other in storage. Naturally, since his has AWD, we insure it during snow season and my in-laws graciously allow us to store mine in their garage. 

Poor Husband has suffered at least one winter riding his bike in the snowy weather but he (...barely...) survived. This year, with him living in a bigger city with meaner drivers who try to run him off the road on a regular basis, we're seriously contemplating insuring both cars so he doesn't die just trying to get to class. At this point, that would mean one of us would be stuck with the tiny car that just plain sucks in the winter. Again, poor Husband… 

So, we're looking into other options. I'd prefer a hybrid SUV for better city gas mileage, but with our price range and their popularity, it's going to be tough to find. I wouldn't mind the Ford Escape circa 2006-2007, but from what I've gathered in my research, they're extremely difficult to find, especially ones with satisfactory mileage and condition. I'd also consider the Honda Element between 2004-2006 but they're so dang weird looking…and they're not hybrid. All the reviews rave about the storage capacity and good gas mileage despite it's non-hybrid status but still…that cube look is strange. 

source

Yeah, it's weird...but I kind of like it?

I don't know?

I DON'T KNOW.

Woof.

I don't like car shopping. 

Plus this means I have to figure out how we're actually going to sell our car in order to have funds to buy one of these fancy-schmancy AWD/4WD buggers. 

Double woof. 

Anyone out there have any suggestions?