Eating, Painting, Eastering, and Dancing

I have to play catch-up!  Because I've been so overwhelmed with school, I haven't been able to blog about happenings!

Firstly, Saturday before last, I got the opening shift.  So, after work, my wonderful betrothed went with me to the library to check out some more books for my research paper (which is on the verge of done, final edits are being attended to).  After that, we went to EZ's for an amazing late lunch.  They redesigned their menu and I think I'm okay with it.  Here's what I had (I know, carb overload...Josh ate my bread on the pasta plate and we shared the other bread item):

Basil pasta with steamed veggies and parmesan cheese.  YUM!

A new menu item: basil and goat cheese bread!
Are you kidding me?!  So awesome.

After that, we went across the street to Central Market so I could buy a bottle of wine for my sister and I to have that night.  My (amazing, wonderful, lovely) sister bought us painting classes at this new place over by Trudy's called Painting with a Twist (the twist is you get to drink while you paint, haha).  Normally, I prefer beer.  Well, normally, I don't drink much anyway.  So, at Central Market I was in a maze of wine and finally decided on one with a neat picture that sounded nice from the little description (luckily, it was really good and sweet).

Here's the wine in a classy plastic glass.

Paint!

My sister painting.

Our finished products.

We had such a great time!  There were thirty-ish people there and an instructor kindly led us through a relatively mess-up-proof way to make a painting that someone could pretty noticeably relate to the amazing Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.  As you can see, we even got to wear paint covered aprons which made me, personally, feel much more like a pro.  The wine definitely helped the process along.

The next day was Easter.  So, I woke up early to workout with Jillian (dedication, I'm tellin' ya).  Then, I picked up my grandma and headed to the 'rent's house.  We had a good time until I got a terrible headache and got a bit cranky.  I finally broke down and took some medicine (which I hate doing) and got to feeling better.  After that, my amazing mom (who happens to be a teacher, momma, and Super Woman) edited my research paper with me.  Then, once my laundry was finished and I was completely worn out, I took my grandma home and headed home myself.

My oldest nephew counting his eggs after the hunt.

Fast forward to this past weekend, my friend Esther's band (the incredible) Midwives had a show at the 29th Street Ballroom.  So, Josh, Bailey, and I went to see them play.  When we got there, we saw some other friends that are neat.  Bailey and I showed off some sweet (clumsy) dance moves.  The show was awesome, as usual.  So awesome, in fact, that Josh, Robbie, Bailey, and I hollered for an encore until they felt like they were pretty much forced into playing another song.  It was great.

I really love this guy. 

Creeper shot of the bartenders.

The Midwives with Josh and Robbie standing up front. 

I love this picture of Robbie and Esther.

Bailey and I with a Joshie mouth in the background.

Josh and Robbie.

Baby bump!

And, the finale, I got to feel a baby kick for the first time ever!  Stephen's wife is adorably preggo and she let my feel her little baby kicking around.  It was amazing.  I cannot wait to have children (although, I can wait to have weirdos like myself wanting to feel up on my belly).

Week One Done, Semi-Plants, and Anxiously Awaiting This Semester's End

I finished week one of Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30.  Woohoo!  Tomorrow I'll start on the week two workout.  I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't completely kick my butt.  I will also weigh-in tomorrow to see if I've lost anything whatsoever.  Honestly, it really doesn't feel like it.  For the most part, I've been eating pretty well.  Although, in the mornings at school, Josh and I have monster breakfast burritos and I could probably stand to cut back on cheesy meals (like those pizzas-although, the first of the week had artichokes and zucchini and the second had spinach and avocado, thank you very much).  But, almost as important as losing the pounds, I feel really great (and sore, that means it's working).  After about day three, I didn't want to workout any of the other days, but I found after I did, I felt great.

In other news, my garden seems to have semi-plants instead of mere sprouts!  It's getting pretty legit out there, I'm pretty happy about it.  Here are some updated photos:

Cornelius Cucumber

Barnabas Bush Beans

Yale Yellow Squash

Gnelson hanging out in front of Zeus Zucchini

Roland Red Tomato

Thurgood Tomatillo

Also, some creature (probably the adorable kitty I see walking around sometimes) thought it was a great idea to walk through the middle of my garden...not a good idea, kitty.  You can see some prints if you look closely.  I spread some coffee grounds out there in hopes of keeping him or her away.  Thank goodness she/he didn't think it was a litter box, I would've been considerably more upset about it.

Gnelson was obviously sleeping on the job when this happened.

Poor Prometheus Parsley took a hit from the heavy walker
(as well as the wind we've been getting lately).

And lastly, this semester will finally come to a close in less than a month!  I am beyond excited to have a little time off (a very little time off, Josh and I are taking a summer class).  I've made my final to-do list of the semester and am slowly marking things off (which I will continue to work on after this post...boo!).  I've got a research paper to edit extensively, a giant project yet to be started, two final essays to write, and three finals to study for.  Time to get to work!

A Few Favorite YouTube Videos...

To pass the time, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite YouTube videos.  Enjoy!

Ben Kweller's son playing the drums.  Incredibly awesome.

This little girl sums up Star Wars really well in the cutest way possible.

Obama's State of the Union speech with a different spin.

All the Literal Music Videos are pretty funny, but this one is my favorite.

This always makes me laugh.

Josh and I always get a good chuckle out of this one too (can this really be a real band?!).

And, my new favorite YouTube sensation (that I've recently discovered), Nardwuar, the Human Serviette from Canada!  He's interviewed just about every musician.  Here's a good one among many.

Hopefully I've shared something new.  Have any other suggestions?

The Last of the Sprouts and Getting Ripped

Today, the last of the sprouts have indeed sprouted!

Introducing Rockwell Red Bell Pepper.

Introducing Prometheus Parsley.

Also, last night I found an amazing garden gnome to watch over the operation while I'm away.

Introducing Gnelson the gnoble gnome.

(Did you see what I did there with the use of "g"?  Clever, right?)

Also, I did plant the blackberry and raspberry bushes the other day like I said I would.  Although, I'm not going to post any pictures of them because (frankly) they look like a few sticks someone shoved in the ground out of boredom.  So, once they (if they) start growing anything, I'll show you how they look.  I will share something I thought was pretty cool about the berry bush planting experience though.  While I was digging my holes, I came across buried treasure!

Behold, a quarter from 1988!

It's no pirate booty, but I'll take what I can get.  It's two years shy of being as old as I am and that's pretty neat.  Especially if it's actually been in the ground that long (somewhat unlikely, but it's a cool thought).

And now, for the second part of this entry.  I'm sure your wondering, "what's the deal with the 'getting ripped' part of this post's title?"  (Or, maybe you aren't)  Regardless, let me explain.  I have tried many different workout routines and programs (gym memberships, running, Insanity, and countless other workout DVDs), but have yet to stick with one for more than a month or so.  During the past few months, I've seen my tummy pooch expand and found the stairs at school more difficult to conquer each day.  I've also been listening to Jillian Michael's podcast on the bus ride to school and getting increasingly inspired.  First, I bought all my groceries without any corn syrup (or corn sugar, those tricky food companies are tricky indeed).  For the past week or so, I've been corn syrup free (from what I can tell, unless I'm getting some from eating out occasionally).  Then, yesterday I decided it was time to add exercise to my new routine, so I went out and bought some hand weights and Jillian Michael's (fairly) new release, Ripped in 30.  As stated by Miss Michael's, "I have one job and that's to make you look crazy, ridiculous, sick, insane, amazing."  Sounds good, Jillian.  I'm in!  My first workout was this morning and I'm feeling pretty good.  Each workout is about 20 minutes long with circuits of strength, cardio, and abs.  There are four different levels of workouts and each week you move to the next level.  I plan on doing the workouts six days a week with one day of rest.  I'll be weighing in each Friday (since that's the day I started on) to track my progress.  I made a little calendar to get me through the next month and record my weigh-ins.  I figure, if I can workout for an entire month, six days a week, hopefully that will instill an exercise habit in my brain and I will continue working out indefinitely.  (I can do this, I can do this.)

Many More Sprouts!

My garden is going crazy!  Everything has sprouted (except for the parsley and red bell peppers) and the seeds have only been in the ground for ten days!  I'm beyond excited!  Here are some pictures of all my sprouts.  Naming has been a challenge since they broke ground at such alarmingly fast rates.  I have decided that any plant there is more than one of will be of the same name with a number added on to differentiate between them.

Introducing Caesar Cilantro (1, 2, 3, and 4)

Introducing Jeremiah Jalapeno

Introducing Thurgood Tomatillo

Introducing Santiago Serrano 

Introducing Oswald Onion (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and a very tiny 6)

Introducing Roland Red Tomato 2

Introducing Zeus Zucchini

Introducing Barnabas Bush Bean (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6)

Introducing Yuri Yellow Tomato

Introducing Eugene Eggplant

Introducing Yale Yellow Squash

An updated photo of Cornelius Cucumber

The garden overview

Also, on Sunday I planted my strawberries in their fancy little strawberry pot I mentioned in my last blog.  I really hope I did it right because the strawberry bulbs are just a tangle of roots and some stick-like things protruding everywhere which made it difficult to figure out what goes where.  I figure if the roots are mostly under the soil, hopefully that's sufficient.  We'll see what happens.  Here's my finished product:

And, hopefully, I'll be planting my blackberry and raspberry bushes later today.  I'll keep you posted!

Sprouts!

Last night, I didn't want to water the garden because Josh wasn't home and I feared our cigarette smoking often tipsy neighbor may come out and rope me into a weird conversation about running to HEB and running home with orange juice.  So, I went to water the garden this morning and, to my complete surprise, I have three sprouts!  Check it out!

Introducing Cornelius Cucumber.

Introducing Roland Red Tomato.

Introducing Bartholomew Basil (it was difficult for my camera to focus on something so tiny).

I'm so excited that my garden is growing!!!  Also, I've gone slightly grow your own crazy.  Yesterday, at work, they started marking down our spring plants.  So, I got a strawberry planter, a blackberry plant, and a raspberry (it's rasp-berry?  I always say razz-berry.  Weird.) plant.  Hopefully, I can get those planted early next week (photos to come).

Survey!

I need a break from my Political Geography review, so I've stolen this survey from Chelsea's Psycho Babble Blog to pass some time.

Three Ways I'm Still a Kid

1. I procrastinate when I have a lot of homework to do.

2. I wear Harry Potter pajamas.

3. I have lengthy conversations with my nephew about Pokemon.

Three Ways I'm Already Old

1. My idea of a fun night is watching Netflix with Josh and having two beers.

2. I sometimes get knee pains from all the stairs at school.

3. I recognize fewer and fewer bands when I open the Chronicle.

Three Things I Want To Do

1. I want to buy a house.

2. I want to go to Europe.

3. I want to be a millionaire.

Three Ways That I'm a Stereotypical "Boy"

1. I don't shower everyday.

2. It takes me less than 15 minutes to get ready for work in the morning (from rolling out of bed to being completely ready).

3. I can be very impatient when waiting on someone to get ready (Josh).

Three Ways That I'm a Stereotypical "Girl"

1. I like wearing dresses and skirts (especially when it inspires Josh to tell me I look pretty).

2. I like cooking dinner for Josh because it makes me feel more wife-like.

3. I can be overly emotional at any time of the month.

Three New Things I Want to Try in the Next Twelve Months

1. I'd like to grow vegetables in my new garden.

2. I'd like to start the photography series I've been wanting to do for over a year.

3. I'd like to get in better shape (have toned arms and lose my little pooch).

Three Things I Like About Myself

1. I like how long my hair has gotten (it hasn't been this long since middle school).

2. I like how occasionally I say something really funny that makes people laugh.

3. I like my brain (it gets better each semester).

Three Things I Strongly Dislike About Myself

1. I strongly dislike my sometimes short fuse.

2. I strongly dislike my non-toned arms and little pooch (mentioned above).

3. I strongly dislike my amazing ability to kill household plants that are supposed to be impossible to kill.

Three Things That Scare Me

1. The dark scares me (whenever Josh isn't home).

2. I'm scared that I'll lose important memories when I start getting old.

3. I'm extremely scared of roaches and june bugs.

Three of My Every Day Essentials

1. It's essential that I have a camera with me at all times (even if it's only my cell phone when I'm at school, otherwise I, at least, have a point-and-shoot).

2. It's essential that I have chapstick.

3. It's essential that I have my betrothed with me everyday.

Three Characteristics of the Opposite Sex That Appeal to Me

1. Glasses.

2. A love for video games and role-playing games.

3. A talent for painting miniatures.

Three Things I Just Can't Do

1. I can't finish school in less than one more year.

2. I can't keep working where I'm working for another five years (because I would lose my mind).

3. I can't finish my homework if I stay on the interwebs.