Blog Swap!

Hi all and Happy Monday! I recently signed up to be part of a Blog Swap and was partnered up with lovely Amie! Her post is below, enjoy and visit her blog to see my post (and a delicious recipe for Seven Layer Cookies that Amie just posted)!

------

Hi everybody. I’m Amie, and I have been partnered up to do a Blog Swap with Hollyanne, so you’re all stuck with me today. Visit my blog to see what Hollyanne wrote too, because she’s the one you all really like, isn’t she? That’s ok.

The theme for this swap, if I choose to accept it, is “Action. What will you do in the next year that you’ve been putting off for too long?”

I accept.

Oh, how I love to procrastinate. I put everything off for too long. If I have a letter to drop off, and the mail gets picked up at 5:00pm, you can bet I’m there at 4:59, letter in hand. But I also love to make plans. These two loves of mine collide (BLAMMO!) and I have all sorts of plans for the next year, and I have been putting ALL of them off for too long.

There’s the mundane stuff. I haven’t been to a dentist in 3 years or so. I know, that’s gross and bad for me. But I was in grad school and had crappy insurance, and I don’t really like my dentist. And then I moved to a new state and got new insurance and need to find a new dentist, and just haven’t bothered yet. I don’t want a new dentist staring at my teeth and then getting all judgy at me for not going to a dentist for 3 years. They LOVE to judge their patients, you know. I haven’t been to the eye doctor in about 2 years, and I’m all out of new contacts, so I really do need to do that again soon too.

There’s the slightly-more-interesting stuff. I’ve been putting off a Real Serious Job Search for a while now. I tried it for a while, but the complete and utter silence from all corners (no one could even be bothered to send me a rejection! Ugh, the manners of some people) left me super disenfranchised and grumpy. It’s time to get off my tail and do the work and write a bunch of snazzy cover letters and really try. And keep trying. And not give up. And then get a new job that will leave me marginally more fulfilled and marginally better paid than my current job.

But this is all boring. You want to know about the plans for stuff I’ve put off for too long. The good stuff.

Seven years ago, I did a study abroad in Europe. One of my best friends was there with me, and before we came home, we promised that we’d go back to Europe before we each turned 30. I turn 29 in about a month, so this will be my last chance to go back to Europe. I mean, I went when I was 24 (honeymoon in Ireland) and again when I was 26 (6 weeks in France) but .. well, this is my last chance before I’m 30! Plus, my husband only went with me on the honeymoon, and hasn’t ever actually set foot on the continent of Europe. So we really should do that. He really needs a break too, he’s been working too hard, the poor dear.

My townhouse has a living room that is completely devoid of couches. We bought this place and it’s huge and we don’t have enough furniture to fill it. We’re putting off buying couches as long as we can, so we can afford fancy nice ones that will last forever, and just in case the car dies. It’s highly likely that the car will die. But I want couches by the end of next year.

Heck, while we’re at it, I want a new car by the end of next year. The car is old and falling apart and exceptionally uncomfortable. The driver’s seat back doesn’t adjust, so I have to toss a pillow behind my back to see over the wheel.

Once we have a new car that is not exceptionally uncomfortable, there will be more road trips. More road trips to my grandmother’s place on the lake for the long holiday weekends over the summer. More road trips to football games and tailgates and random state parks worth visiting. More road trips to visit friends and family. Because the new car will be comfortable and I won’t hate being in it and I’ll like driving it and it’ll be good.

Yep. That’s my plan for next year. Dentist. Eye doctor. Job search. Europe. Couches. Car. Not too much to hope for, is it? Now I just have to get off my butt and make it all happen. Wish me luck. Hopefully by this time next year I’ll be able to have made some serious progress on the list. Because if I haven’t, that means I’ve REALLY been putting it all off for too long. Oops.

Fiance Friday - Life Update!

Hello blog-o-sphere!

I know it has been quite a while since you have heard from Mr. Groom-To-Be! As you all finish up your holiday shopping, remember to get the groom-to-be in your life something special. If you are looking to get me a present and you live in the Midwest, a six-pack of Boulevard Wheat or Boulevard Nutcracker Ale is always the perfect gift! :).
So, since the last time I wrote, several things have happened. Let’s go through a couple of those.

Vegas/Birthday
Hollyanne and I took a trip to Las Vegas over my birthday weekend. We stayed at Circus Circus hotel right on the Strip, which was really fun! Unfortunately, we didn’t hit it big like we were hoping. In fact, on the Friday night we got there, I officially lost $20 in 5-10 minutes. However, after a stroke of luck on the Nebraska football game, as well as the penny slots, we only ended up down $19. Not bad for Vegas, right? Overall, it was definitely a great time! If you haven’t been to Vegas, you MUST go! I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Work
I am very excited to announce that yesterday, I accepted a new position at the University of Arizona! I will now be a Coordinator in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership! I’ll be working with a variety of programs in the department, developing student leaders. I’m definitely very excited about this opportunity!

Anyhow, this weekend for us includes volunteering with the Tucson Community Food Bank at the Farmer’s Market Saturday morning at 6th and Irvington. If you are in Tucson, come check it out and get some great local produce! Also, we are going to check out the Winterhaven Festival of Lights tonight, which is an annual Tucson event! As I’ve never been to it before, I’m definitely looking forward to walking through!

That’s about it from me! I hope you all are doing well and are having a great weekend!

Peace, Love, and Grooms,
Kevin

What happens in Vegas...makes you really exhausted.

This weekend, Kevin and I went to Vegas to celebrate Kevin's 26th birthday (which is today, so make sure you wish him a happy day!). We had a fab-u-lous time but are totally exhausted this morning upon our arrival back in Tucson.

Here's just a snapshot of what we did in Sin City:
-watched the fountains at the Bellagio, which played to Christmas music!
-visited the M&M store, and spent way to much money on color-coordinated bags of M&M's for gifts
-played the penny slots, not only because they're cheap and strangely fun, but because we got free drinks every morning while playing!
-drank frozen drinks even though it was freeeeeeezing!
-watched the Circus Circus circus
-tried on silly hats at Urban Outfitters
-cheered on the marathon and half-marathon runners in the Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon
-pretended like we were actually in Paris when we walked through Paris Las Vegas
-spent all day Saturday trying to figure out how to get free nightclub passes, secured passes to 3 clubs, and then fell asleep at our hotel after getting all dressed up
-ate at the Rio Carnival World Buffet Champagne Brunch, and then had a food coma
-walked around Fremont Street and visited the original Vegas casinos, and I had my first fried oreo - delicious!

Happy birthday Kevin! Only 4 more years until you are THIRTY!