Living Blossoms

+ This afternoon I made a tea of garlic, apple cider vinegar, and water. It was totally disgusting, but it did what people claimed it would: it soothed my extremely sore throat and helped my congestion. If I have another terrible coughing fit today, I might have to choke some more down.

+ Half the time when I watch The Office I think, "Andy is such a dork." The other half, I think, "I am so much like Andy." It's scary. Actually, I think Isaac and I are very Jim-and-Pam-like. They're also very silly and laidback.

+ I keep forgetting to tell about Valentine's Day. We had lunch at McDonald's for tradition's sake and then had a nice dinner at home. Isaac grilled up some mahi mahi fillets that one of his clients had given him from a fish he caught while deep-sea fishing. It was really good! Isaac also got me some roses. They may be cliche, but they are totally my favorite flower, so you'll never hear me complaining!

+ We had a fantastic storm last night. It woke me up long enough to snuggle with mi esposo, and then kept us asleep with its wonderfulness. And now, today, it's sunny and warm, with a breeze. Perfect.

+ I could really go for some sushi. What a bizarre thing to crave while sick.

+ I just now realized who the pilot on last night's Lost was. I kept thinking he was familiar, but couldn't figure out why. I kind of wish that show was ending already just so a lot of questions would be answered. Remember when they kept creepy Ben in a little room and tortured him? Those were the days.

+ I miss my CT family. In May it will have been a year since we went up there, and we likely will not be able to go up till at least this fall, if even then. =o(

+ Today was a long day. I'm glad it's nearly over, and until it is, I'm chillin' on the couch with Isaac and Seth, watching Supernatural season 2, which none of us have seen since it originally aired. Tomorrow should be much better, because it begins with breakfast at IHOP with mi familia, before AAAC head out for 2 weeks in CT (the losers).

+ Speaking of the couch, Isaac and I have changed its name from "The World's Comfiest Couch" to "The Couch of Forgetfulness", because when you sit on it you forget everything you needed to do.

+ I need to get a cute, warm hat for NC. I really want to crochet one, but it's been a while since I crocheted anything, and I've never crocheted in the round. Anyone have tips on how to do that? I've also never used a crochet pattern (I always just winged it making scarves and potholders), so I'm rather intimidated. I found a ton of patterns I like though, and this one is the one I want to start with. I have a nice, soft white yarn to make it with.

+ It has become clear to me that I am an absolute church snob. I am so completely in love with my church that whenever I visit another, I find myself thanking God repeatedly for mine... and criticizing the one I visited. I know that my church isn't perfect, but man, when I'm not there I miss everything from the lack of typos in the bulletin (the main reason I can't quit as secretary - I am the typo and text box defeater!) and PowerPoint (as well as the not-cheesiness of the layout/background) to the on-key, on-rhythm music, and especially Ken's preaching. Out of the 100+ preachers I have heard in my lifetime, I would put him in my top 3. I know preaching preferences are totally subjective, but for me, he's it. I'm so glad we found that church!

+ What is your criteria for buying Christmas gifts for friends? A friend of mine was asking the other day. I always buy gifts for my family, and those are the only people who definitely get anything from me. Apart from that, I usually just get things for people if I see something that I really think they'd like. For example, I sent Charity a gift because when I saw it, it screamed her name. (Actually, it screamed mine first, but it didn't fit me. Hehe.) I hate when people feel like they have to get me something because I got them something. I mean, yes, I adore getting gifts, but not for guilt reasons. So I guess that's my gift philosophy.

+ We ate Wendy's for dinner tonight and it just decimated my stomach. I will remember that next time I get a craving for their chili.

+ Last night I couldn't fall asleep until 2:45am. That's the first time that's happened in a while now, and I forgot how utterly boring it is. Then I woke up at 9:30. Still, despite that I wasn't tired today, and I haven't had any caffeine. Weird.

+ I put some of my Christmas money to good use today to take advantage of NY&CO's storewide (online) half-price sale combined with some coupon codes. I got one of these in gray, one in white, this in green, this, this in purple, and these in black, all for about $60 shipped. I needed some more PJ pants, and I have an obsession with cable knit sweaters, so I'm excited.

+ I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Apart from breakfast, I have absolutely nothing planned. I'd like to go for a long walk or bike ride, clean up the house a bit, and get Isaac a CVS card. That will be a good day.

+ The copier is making a strange noise. I've never heard it make this particular noise before. Pleeease don't be a bad sign. *hopes*

+ I walked to work today. Well, actually, I walked to Chick-Fil-A, which is 1.5 miles from my house, and then to church, which is .4 miles from that. This morning we walked 1.5 miles to the mechanic to pick up Isaac's no-longer-a-death-trap car. Walking is not high impact, but it is cardio. The days have been so gorgeous lately, too - perfect walking weather. I like to think I'm saving on gas money too, but with gas at $1.79/gallon, I'm really not saving much. (But I am NOT complaining about gas being cheap again!) Still, it will hopefully help shrink my hips. (Chick-Fil-A, however, will not. LOL. Though I did barely manage to resist their new Peppermint Chocolate Milkshake...) I've walked about 7 miles in 3 days. Not bad.

+ How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was fantastic. Seriously - one of the best in many years. We woke up early (sad), and decided we wanted cinnamon rolls (happy). So, we walked to Winn-Dixie and got some Pillsbury ones. Seth's friend Justin is staying with us, and Seth spent the night that night, so we shared with them. *glares* Hehe. We went to AAAC's around noon for Thanksgiving dinner. This was the first time Ange has hosted it (and the first time they've had a house to do it in) and the girl seriously outdid herself. It was amazing. Absolutely fantastic. My whole family was there except NN&J (who live in Indiana), and so were Ange's half-sister, and her brother, his girlfriend, and their two kids. In all the years I've known Ange, I had not met her brother until yesterday.

After lunch we watched the Lions game till we couldn't take it anymore (for the non-football-inclined, the Lions are having the worst season ever. They have not won one game, and it looks like they will not be winning any at all. And who did they play yesterday? The team who's only lost one game! Oh, it was so sad. BUT - I thought they were only going to score 3 points, but instead they scored 10. The score was 47-10. That's not even as bad as a Gators game, so I didn't have to cry. LOL.), we went for a walk around a nearby reservoir, where we saw an alligator! I had never seen one in Jax before. There are lots of them in the lake at WOL FL, but I hadn't seen one since we moved from there. This was a little one - 4 feet at the most - but it was so cool!

After that we played a bit of Rock Band, and then Ange and I wanted to hit CVS for their amazing free stuff. Ashley and Tanya were curious how we get so much free stuff, so they came with us. CVSing with other people is so much fun! I had always done it alone. Though with 4 people, 2 of whom were n00bs, it took forever. They were so lost at first but quickly got it down. We had amazing cashiers, too, who were bored till we got there, and then they had 4 cute girls to entertain them. LOL. Ashley and Tanya were totally floored at how much they got for hardly more than their initial buy-in of $5.98 + tax. I got a ton of stuff, too. I had to pay $3.68 because I only had 27 ECBs, but I got 47 ECBs back, plus all my stuff, so it was worth it! What a great time!

When we finally finished cleaning up at CVS, we went back to AAAC's. We ate leftovers for dinner, played a few rounds of Pass the Pigs, and then Isaac and I went home to join Seth and Justin for a viewing of Hancock. I liked it, but I'm kinda glad now that we were never able to go see it in the theater. I tell ya though, there was a twist I totally did not see coming. Tonight we're going to watch Kung Fu Panda! It's nice having 3 Redboxes within a block away. Heh.

+ This morning we woke up early to go out for breakfast at a restaurant near our house (yep - we walked to that too) with most of Ange's family, and Mom and Grams. Then we hit the thrift store, where everyone found multiple things. Yes, we all did our Black Friday shopping at the thrift store. LOL. There was no one camped out there. Go figure. ;o)

+ Seth said he wants to see Twilight, so yay - maybe I won't have to see it alone after all! We may go tomorrow. I think it's hilarious that Seth - a teenage college guy - is willing to go see it with me, and Isaac - a long-married man - is not. Hehe.

+ Wow - apparently the days of Long Bethany Posts have returned. Oh, the memories. =o)

Throughout the day I think of so many things I want to tell you guys, but when I actually sit down to do so, they fly right out of my head. It's kind of annoying. Perhaps it's the scent of the Crock Pot Italian Roast Beef wafting through the house that's distracting me. It smells heavenly. I can't wait to taste it!

I bought the roast at the grocery store this morning and amused Isaac by calling him to ask him where one might find bay leaves. Having never heard of them until I read that recipe, I didn't know what they looked like, and I (wrongly) assumed that they were in the produce section. Heh. I then also had to hunt for a rump roast. I figured I was just not seeing it because I wasn't 100% sure what to look for (my mom has made roasts before, but I never saw them pre-cooking), but when I finally told an employee I couldn't find any, he responded, "That's because there aren't any out here right now." Now you tell me. But he brought me one from the back and told me to come back and tell him how dinner was. Hehe. And since I began cooking, the house has smelled fantastic. I'm sure it is a very unhealthy dinner, but it may well be worth it!

The Kutless concert on Thursday night was so good! We went with David and his girlfriend Jenna, which was a lot of fun. It was the least acoustic-sounding acoustic set I've ever heard though, LOL. Somehow they managed to make acoustic guitars sound more rock-like than ever before. It was at a small venue, so we had a great view even though we got there late. (I went up to the front for part of Kutless' set, though, in the extremely calm mosh pit.) It was cool to see them in a more intimate setting like this acoustic tour. They explained the reasons/stories behind a few songs, and interacted with the crowd more. I thought it was funny that the (very few) parts they yell/scream on the CD versions, they whispered on the acoustic tour. Screaming, unplugged. Hehe. Also, we were sitting near the sound booth and saw their playlist... including their "spontaneous" encore a few spaces below the rest. Ha!

The first opening act is much better on his MySpace songs than he was live. The second, though, was awesome! Their name is Esterlyn (named after one of the guys' nieces, who was adopted from China) and they're great. Similar to The Swift, Everyday Sunday, Switchfoot, etc. I bought their CD that night and have been listening to it in my car ever since. So, this is me recommending it to you. =o)

The LJ strike was fun because it made me feel like one of the Newsies. Hehe. It was funny though, how knowing I couldn't go on LJ that day made me think of going there more often than usual. Silly subconscious.

Did you have a good Easter? I hope so. Friday night we had a really nice Good Friday service at church. My Sunday didn't feel very Easter-like, apart from church. We were in a choir for a few songs, which was fun. I think that's the first time Isaac has sung up front at this church. Crazy. After that, we went to Mom & Dad's for lunch, but AAAC were still sick, so it was just us, Mom & Dad, and Seth and two of his friends who are on spring break. While we were at their house, I put some ringtones I had made for Mom on her phone. (They were the theme from her all-time favorite TV show, The Big Valley, and "My Girl" by The Temptations.) She was thrilled. =o) When we got home, we finished up watching the 2001 Word of Life Passion Play video, which is the one we were in and during which we became best friends. It'd been several years since we watched it, so it was really cool to remember that. Being in that show changed both of our spiritual lives as much as our physical ones.

Sunday afternoon I took one of the youth girls from church to what I think is the first thrift store she's ever been to. She ended up finding a cute J. Crew dress for her sister for $2. I think she's hooked on thrift stores now, hehe. When I got back from that, Isaac really wanted to go lay around at a park (sounds weird phrased like that, but we love to go down by the river, lay out a sheet, and just chill). Chill we did, though, as it was quite cold. We didn't stay very long, but it was pretty while we were there.

Yesterday we went to the Cheesecake Factory for the first time, because we had a gift card. It was really good! I got the Herb Salmon and Shrimp Scampi with steamed broccoli. The salmon was fantastic, but sadly, the shrimp was fried. I can't eat fried seafood. =o/ The broccoli rocked, because it was in the lemon juice from the salmon and the garlic sauce from the shrimp. Amazing. And I saved some to eat for lunch today. We also had to get cheesecake, since, hello--Cheesecake Factory! To see what kind, check out my latest Project 366 post. =o)

Isaac had a great idea for raising money for El Salvador. We're going to see about setting up a small photography gallery of pictures I've taken and those that another photography enthusiast in church has taken, print out 8x10s or 11x14s, mat them, and put them up in the foyer at church, and then sell them. Assuming people buy them, we could raise a lot of money that way. That would be great, since Isaac and I are hoping to raise all our money for this year's trip.

Our body fat scale has definitely bit the dust. Today it told me that I have gained 2% body fat since I started working out. Yeah. I'm doubting that.

Haha, I guess I managed to come up with plenty to write after all. Well, keep in mind I haven't written since Thursday afternoon, and you can forgive me. Right? *puppy dog eyes* ;o)