Tuesday, July 31, 2012

July 31st -Heather

1. AC in the car...it worked great for drying off after working out last night!

2. A super productive day at work....I crossed something like five things off my todo list!

3. Being able to open the docs that I have to read for class on my new fangled iPad! :)

4. Watching the Olympics has been great inspiration to go to the gym.

5. My furry backup alarm clock. My kitten thinks that if I stay in bed too long in the morning it's his job to come bite my ankles (literally) until I get out of bed. Mildly annoying, somewhat cute, and unfortunately necessary on mornings like today!!!

Monday, July 30, 2012

July 30th - Heather

1.  Gentle reminders from friends that I havne't posted my 5 things in a while!  It's not that I haven't been thankful in the past two weeks...it's just that life was kind of kicking my butt.  Wrapping up grad course #1 (with a research paper and presentation), starting grad course #2, being in Chicago for surprises and festivities and then staying on in Chicago for a pre-conference workshop and the conference...let's just say yesterday was my first full night of sleep in two weeks!  But wow, it was all amazing!

2.  That aforementioned research paper and presentation went perfectly!  I'm not sure it could have gone any better...unless of course I had actually finished it like three weeks ago, of course!

3.  That I got a perfect score in my first grad course....some of you may know, I'm a tiny bit of a perfectionist...so it was really important to me to see that 100%!

4.  After clearing out as much food as we could so that it wouldn't spoil before we left for Chicago, we knew that one of the first things that would need to happen this past weekend upon our return would be grocery shopping....it went really well.  Ok, that sounds kind of odd.  But generally, we don't like to plan menus, which makes grocery shopping a bit of a chore.  But we did pretty good about getting just what we needed to make meals for the week!

5.  I genearlly dispise food ads on tv....they seem to always be for food I shouldn't eat, don't like or that NEVER end up being as good as they look on tv.  But there's an ad running for garlic bread pizza from one of the major pizza chains....and it gave me an idea...we genearlly buy a pumpernickel french bread loaf to make breakfast strata...and we always have a handful of slices leftover every week.  We made little pizzas with the leftover bread and some cheese, olives, canadian bacon and it was tasty!  It reminded me of Texas toast pizza days in elementary school!

6.  Rainer cherries!!!!  I love them and they had a really good price for them at the store yesterday.

7.  Going to the gym tonight....haven't been in quite some time - Foursquare will tell me exactly how long it's been when I check in tonight.

8.  Being in Chicago to join friends for a weekly gathering at Revolution Brewery.  It was nice to sit and chat (aka yell over the din of happy people) with JJ, Derick, Emily and Jake on a regular old Wednesday.

9.  The view from my hotel room for the conference.  I was on the 29th floor looking right out over Lake Michigan.  It was beautiful.

10.  Timely conference materials.  I was able to use some of the information from one of my conference sessions in my discussion board post for class.  I love when different spheres of life overlap like that!

11.  Being away and leaving out cats home alone for a whole week was scary.  They tend to make a mess of things on a day to day basis.  I was slightly fearful to walk upstairs to see what kind of mess awaited me....and there wasn't one!  I was also kind of afraid our cats would hate us for being gone so long...they didn't!  Edward wanted constant cuddling all weekend and Jake...well Jake wanted to talk all weekend because clearly he had really important things to say to us while we were gone and he had to fill us in!

12.  My new iPad!!!!!  I love it!  It was tons of fun using it at the conference and now integrating it into my daily life!!!  Thank you mom!

13.  A new clothing addiction.  When my boss came in this morning she brought in a catalog that came in the mail called The Pyramid Collection...this could very easily become a big problem....

14.  Finding a replacement for my iGoogle homepage: www.symbaloo.com I'm still getting used to it, but I think I might like it!

Friday, July 27, 2012

July 27th, 2012 - JJ

1. It's FRIDAY!
 
2. Mexico tomorrow!!!
 
3. Frappuccino Friday with my Starbucks partner in crime: Jenna!! And also intern David.
 
4. That my afternoon appointment was cancelled!
 
5. Drinks with Tim Proctor after work!
 
6. I AM IN A GREAT MOOD GUYS!!!
 
7. Have I mentioned I get to be in Mexico with Derick tomorrow and we're intentionally cutting ourselves off from the outside world for one whole week of smooshy love?? I CANNOT WAIT! Work phone, you have to stay at home. wah wah!
 
8. For "that's what she said" jokes. Always funny!
 
9. Exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Because I'm feeling so smiley today and it's the best way I can show it in this e-mail!
 
10.  Smooshy married love texts from my husband! Also for getting to say "husband" now. Love it!!!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

July 26th, 2012 - JJ

1. Hair products, even if they're not 100% effective at keeping my hair in line in this humidity.
 
2. A quiet office. There are quite a few people here, but everyone has a ton of work to do so we're all keeping quietly to ourselves, which is nice.
 
3. That Heather got to come with us to Revolution Wednesday last night. :)
 
4. Carbs. I think I've already gained 5 pounds back and I don't even care. Bread is so delicious!!!
 
5. Wedged heels. They're comfy and cute and make my legs look awesome in the skirt I'm wearing today.
 
6. For our new, giant bed. I can't be thankful for it often enough! It's so comfy, and so nice to be able to sleep through the night without waking up every time Derick rolls over.
 
7. 2 days until Mexico!!
 
8. How pretty the clouds were this morning. There were different kinds of clouds in 3 layers in the sky on my 2 hour drive to a 9am meeting. It was beautiful, and helped me get through the crazy commute!
 
9. Starbucks, always and forever. Coffee is love.
 
10. Key lime Moravian cookies. So yummy I can't even tell you!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

July 24th, 2012 - JJ

1. A random e-mail from my old boss asking if Derick and I would like to have a drink with him and his wife this week while they're in Chicago. Such a nice surprise! I hope the scheduling works out and we get to take him up on the invite!!

2. Dan, our wedding photographer. He e-mailed me late last night saying he's already got our photos on a CD! I'm hoping to be able to get them from him sometime later today. :)

3. Left overs for dinner last night while watching a movie! It seems like it's been a really long time since we've had the time to do something normal like that. I loved it!

4. Unplanned snuggle naps on the couch. Derick and I both fell asleep on accident last night when we got home from work and slept for about an hour on the couch. It was wonderful! I love naps!

5. 4 days until Mexico! Can't wait!!

Monday, July 23, 2012

July 23rd, 2012 - JJ

1. That Derick is now my husband!! This is going to be a smoosh fest, but I just love him so much and am so happy to be married to him! I love seeing his wedding band on his hand, and I love hearing him call me his wife!
 
2. For all of our wedding guests and for all of the help they gave us throughout the weekend! We really couldn't have thrown this thing together without them!
 
3. That we had a teeny tiny wedding. We put a lot of stress on ourselves with cooking for our "rehearsal" dinner but it was amazing to be able to spend quality time with the people who were there. I love our wedding!! It was perfect for us. I am also thankful that we're having parties in the 3 cities we love the most and that we'll be able to celebrate with all of our friends!
 
4. Girl & The Goat. The food Saturday night was incredible and the waiters taking care of us were awesome! I loved that we got to sing and dance, and also eat and drink for hours, and I love that we got to take goat leg left overs home! Can't wait for dinner tonight!!
 
5. For Stephanie Izard, who put together our awesome menu (OMG pig face, the broccoli, and those peppers! I can't stop thinking about them and all of the other dishes!) and for coming down to say hello and take some photos with us! Top Chef was one of the first shows Derick introduced me to, so it was perfect that we got to eat our wedding dinner at Chef Izard's restaurant and that we got to meet her. What a wonderful wedding surprise!!
 
6. Our new bed! Thanks to Heather & Kathy - I mean the wedding fairies!! :)
 
7. My parents, for their contributions to the wedding fund. We couldn't have had such an amazing wedding without their help. Also thankful that they surprised me by having my grandmother's old watch fixed and shined up for me. It's beautiful!
 
8. For coffee, and as always, for my Starbucks partner: Jenna! Couldn't have made it through a full office day today without a bux run!
 
9. Left overs. We have more than we will be able to eat this week, but I'm pretty excited about everything in my fridge right now!
 
10. That Jessica married Luke exactly one year ago today! Happy Anniversary!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3

Thursday, July 19, 2012

July 19th - Heather

1.  Arranging surprises!

2.  Strangers as accomplisses in arranging aforementioned surprise.

3.  Unexpectedly clear traffic.

4.  Extra time to write my research paper.

5.  Strawberry pancake balls at Denny's at midnight.

Monday, July 16, 2012

July 16th - Heather

1.  Parking in the shade on hot sunny days.

2. The class-selected web conference time for the class I just started today works well with my conference schedule for next week!

3.  My dress came today and it fits perfectly!!!

4.  Jif's new mocha cappuccino hazelnut spread....I've been raised on Nutella and never thought the day would come when I'd find something I liked better.....the day may have come!!!!

5.  Using goggle docs for my class notes today...so convenient!!!!

July 16th, 2012 - JJ

1. Less than a week until we get married!!! So crazy!
 
2. House cleaning services. There are cleaners in my house cleaning it all nice and beautiful right now as I type this. I'm thankful that they're here, that we can afford them, that they're really nice, that their cleaning products don't smell bad, and that Derick I don't have to clean everything ourselves! Also thankful that they're tolerating Allagash, who can't decide if he should be watching them like a hawk or running away from them in fear of his life (He's literally been sprinting back and forth down the hall since they got here).
 
3. Coffee. I'm pretty sure I'm about to get addicted to it again this week.
 
4. I get to see Jess in just a few hours!!! Well, more than a few, but I get to see her in less than 24 hours, and that's what counts! I'm so excited!!!
 
5. The amazing food and fun times we've had the last few days with Jenny. I'm also really glad I got to see Cassie again, and hopefully we'll hang out more regularly in the future! And that I got to talk with her husband, Kevin, who is hilarious and a lot of fun.
 
6. I get to marry Derick in 5 days! Have I mentioned that recently??
 
7. All of our window air conditioning units. It's a bajillion degrees outside today already and it's super humid! Plus tomorrow is supposed to be worse. So I'm incredibly thankful to have multiple air conditioners to keep my house nice and liveable!  Also, so that I don't worry about Jess and Jenny cooking in our house while we're gone at work the next few days.
 
8. That we're not having a big white wedding. This small one is creating enough stress and enough things to do that I don't know how we'd manage to pull off a big one! 
 
9. My dad, who said he'd take care of making sure we have enough brandy snifters to go around for our wedding day Spanish Coffee toast. We've been hunting for them everywhere and can't seem to find any that are affordable ($80 for 4 is WAY TOO MUCH!)!
 
10. My momma, who sends me daily reminders of how soon our wedding is coming up, and any changes in the weather forecast for that day. :) 
 
11. Tammy for putting together our wedding favors for us! So nice not to have to worry about it, and to know that everyone will be getting something amazing that both Derick and I love so much. :)
 
12. Heather & Kathy for doing so much cooking for us at their place in Milwaukee. It's such a big help!
 
13. My job, for allowing me to work from home today to let the cleaners in and to get things done around here. It was the least Tim could do after he stole my partner from me for two weeks to send her to Springfield!
 
14. That I finally organized everything in our bedroom. It looks so nice now that all our bills and things to be filed aren't piled all over our desk, that all of our grad school stuff is put away, and that our text books are out where we can find them if we need to do some research for work. Love it!
 
15. Ava, the little girl I babysit for on occasion. I am cat sitting for her parents for a few days so I had to stop by their place this morning to get the key, and Ava came down and gave me a 5 minute long hug and was so excited that I am getting married soon. She's so adorable and I wish I could see her more often! And who doesn't love big hugs to start your day?

Friday, July 13, 2012

July 13th - Heather

1.  Demain est Jour De La Bastille en France et, à Milwaukee, ma mère et moi, nous allons aller à Bastille Days!  Nous sommes allées à Bastille Days les deux dernières années et je l'adore!

2.  Maman a fait beaucoup de café ce matin et je bois mon troisième tasse!

3.  J'écris ce poste en français avec seule un peu d'assisstance de Google!

4.  Je vais aller à Cedarburg cet aprés-midi pour acheter le fil rose que j'ai commandé au cours de Strawberry Fest.

5.  Mon ami, JJ, pour notre chat en français ce matin!!!!

Translation:
1.  Tomorrow is Bastille Day in France and, in Milwaukee, my mom and I are going to Bastille Days!  We have gone the last two year and I love it!


2.  Mom made so much coffee this morning and I'm currently drinking my third cup!


3.  I'm writing this post in french with just a little help from Google!


4.  I'm going to Cedarburg this afternoon to purchase the pink yarn that I ordered during the Strawberry Fest.


5.  My friend, JJ, for chatting with me in french this morning!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

July 12th, 2012 - JJ

1. Glasses. I should get mine back today with their new lenses and I am so excited about it!!  Contacts are pretty wonderful too, but I'm looking forward to giving my eyes a break from consistent contact use!
 
2. Getting to catch up with friends lately. I got to talk to Kelly and Adrienne recently and hear about everything that's been going on in their lives. I should be better about keeping in touch with friends!
 
3. The Honest Toddler Blog (http://honesttoddler.wordpress.com/) that Heather Brackett posted on facebook recently. I've been reading a few posts a day and it is so funny!!  Shared it with a coworker who has a 2 year old and she loves it too! :)
 
4. That today is an office day. I have a ton of paperwork to get finished and it's awesome to be able to just shut the door and crank it out!  Which I will start doing as soon as I'm done writing this e-mail and reading another entry or two on the honest toddler blog.
 
5. That I have a job in a field that I love. My job isn't perfect by any means, and there's often a lot of drama and politics to deal with, but I'm very happy to be employed and to be in a position to learn a lot of new things every day.
 
6. Drinks and dinner with friends last night. I'm old now, apparently, and get tired really early, but it was awesome to be able to see everyone, and to meet Erica's boyfriend!! 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

July 11th - Heather

So much time to make up for....

1.  The itty bitty hair bands my coworker brought me so that I can braid my hair when we swim...and for afterwards too...I braided my hair back up after swimming today.

2.  Strawberry tea at Wendy's....I know, it's crazy that I would like something strawberry flavored.  I used to tease my friend that he was going to turn into a big Reese's Peanut Butter Cup because he ate so many of them....well I'm one really good sunburn away from becoming a strawberry!

3.  Getting approval to attend a conference this September in Portland, OR!  And it happens to the be during the only week that I'm not in class between now and Christmas!  Yay!!!

4.  Abdul, the owner of the Egyptian art store at Mayfair Mall.  He always treats mom and I like family when we go in and there are always so many beautiful things to look at in the store.

5.  Pink yarn...I ordered some from a cute little yarn shop up in Cedarburg during the Strawberry Festival and it's in!  I get to pick it up this weekend!!!

6.  My new Meet Meme cards!!!  They came in the mail last Friday and they are so much fun!

7.  Plotting surprises!  :)

8.  Shopping for accessories!  I found some really cute things at the mall last night....some on really good sales!

9.  Comfortable weather!  After that many days under head advisories it's nice to be able to kick the air off and enjoy!

10.  My coursework for my first grad class is almost complete...just a few more papers and reflections and it's in the history books!  It's really very exciting!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

July 10th, 2012 - JJ

1. My coworker, Melinda. She's extremely generous, and left some presents for Derick and I on my desk this morning. It was a great way to start my work day! :)
 
2. Kathy, for helping Derick and I cook and taste test a bunch of amazing food over the weekend! Also for making me feel like my addiction to the bejeweled butterflies game on the iPad is normal!
 
3. That our party invitations are out in the mail! We have just a few more left to send, but for the most part that process is finished. Horray!
 
4. That I have new cases with Anna, who is a coworker from our company's other office. Anna is hilarious and I love working with her!
 
5. Derick, for making my lunches. I am thankful for this often, I know, but that's because it's pretty amazing to be able to get up and be able to just grab lunch out of the fridge on my way out the door instead of having to assemble everything.
 
6. Applesauce. Because it's delicious. I'm also thankful that they make it without added sugar. You have to hunt for it, but I'm glad it's available.
 
7. Cooler weather. It's been in the 80's and low 90's which is amazing compared to the 100's of last week.
 
8. Allagash, because he's so much snugglier than Muffin. It's nice to have a cat who wants to be picked up and loved.
 
9. Muffin, for cuddling at night, and for tolerating Allagash's abuse.
 
10. The thin stream squirt bottle Derick bought so that we can "punish" the cats' bad behavior from long distances. Allagash starts running when he sees me reaching for it, now!

Friday, July 6, 2012

July 6th, 2012 - JJ

1. Sunglasses. So nice for when your eyes are dilated. Also thankful that dilation wears off after a few hours. It's no fun!
 
2. Contacts! Helping me to be able to see clearly when I'm wearing my sunglasses. :) And even better, they have updated my prescription so I can actually see things clearly. Gotta love that!!
 
3. Friday!!!!! Which means I get to see Heather & Kathy tonight and that I get to cook with Kathy all weekend. Can't wait!
 
4. The delicious dinner Derick made last night. It had sausage in a slightly spicy tomato sauce with fresh oregano and parmesean over polenta. YUM! I have left overs for lunch and I can't wait!!
 
5. Grimm, the TV show. I've been slowly catching up with it on Hulu and it's getting SO interesting! I love shows about fairy tales. Makes me happy!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

July 5th, 2012 - JJ

1. Emily and Jake for hosting a 4th of July get together yesterday! So much food was eaten and in such good company!!
 
2. That I got to see Erica yesterday! It seems like it's been forever since I saw her last, so it was nice to see her happy, smiling face! Erica is one of those people that it's impossible not to be happy around. She's just got happiness pouring out of her!
 
3. That it's already Thursday. Just one more work day till the weekend!
 
4. The delicious bacon fried corn recipe that Tammy gave us. Derick made it yesterday and it is so good! I can't wait to eat the left overs with lunch!
 
5. Independence Day, the movie, which we watched last night while putting party invitations together.  I hadn't seen it in years and had forgotten how great it is. :)

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

July 4th - Heather

1.  Catching up with my cousin...while melting in this heat advisory!

2.  Memories, good and bad, of previous 4th of July celebrations.  From losing my first tooth to my first fireworks living in DC....there are many memories to make me smile and cry on this day.

3.  The odd places I find inspiration....I was reading an article and googled and acronym and it could change my life!  :)

4.  Bobby pins....keeping all of my hair up and off my neck and in place on the most sweltering of days!

5.  Sleeping in on a Wednesday!  Love mid-week holiday!!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

July 3rd, 2012 - JJ

1. The delicious salad we made with dinner last night. Spinach, mango, candied pecans, and dressing made with basil olive oil and strawberry balsamic vinegar. YUM!! Also thankful for mangoes in general. So yummy!
 
2. That the plural of mango can be spelled mangoes or mangos and still be correct! I love weird things with words like that.
 
3. That we have power. A lot of neighborhoods in and around Chicago don't have power and that would be miserable in this heat!
 
4. Delicious left overs for lunch two days in a row, thanks to all the fun I got to have with friends this weekend. Yesterday I got to eat the rest of my egg in a hole from Revolution which has the most amazing cheese sauce on it, and today I get to finish off the second half of the ham sandwich on pumpernickle bread from Hopleaf. Then tomorrow I'm back on my no processed carbs diet again.
 
5. That we get a day off of work tomorrow and that I get to hang out with Emily and Jake and Erica and many others. I can't wait!!

Monday, July 2, 2012

July 2nd - Heather

Wow....I don't know where time goes!  Three years ago I was conspiring with JJ to surprise Amy in DC.  Three years into a 5 year gig at Carroll University and I have learned so much.

1.  I'm thankful for the journey!  I truly believe the idea that life is not a destination, but a journey.  I'm trying to enjoy the ride every day!  Naturally some days are more pleasant that others!

2.  I'm thankful for our kittens...they are getting so big so fast!  They'll be 8 and 9 months old this month. 

3.  I'm thankful for my grad school work.  It's completely different than undergrad and so much more fulfilling.

4.  I'm thankful for my many books...it's been great being able to pull books off my shelves that relate to my coursework.  Mind you, that hasn't kept me away from amassing more...thank  you Amazon and Half Price Books!!!

5.  Hot pink nails!  Super fun mani/pedi with Lindsey at the Enve Salon in downtown Waukesha! 

July 2nd, 2012 - JJ

1. My fancy fun camera! We went down town yesterday and I got to play with it which was great fun! I'm also glad that we didn't get caught in the pouring rain with the camera. It was close, but we managed to escape the downpour and when we finished our shopping and went outside it was like the storm had never happened. Perfect!
 
2. Dresses. I feel pretty and it's kind of amazing that they're actually way more comfortable to wear when it's hot out (and it is soooooo hot and humid out today!).
 
3. Casey Price. I just love her and I'm so glad to have met her when I moved here. I always have fun when we get together, and I'm really thankful that she's moving to Seattle and not some other random town because it means I will still get to see her often!
 
4. That I got to see Nika, Jeff, and Matteo this weekend! Matteo is the most adorable, happy baby I've met in a long time!  SO CUTE! And I love Nika and Jeff. They're so laid back and easy to be around, even as new parents. :)
 
5. Less than 3 weeks until we get married!!! Invitations to our parties should be going out later this week! And we put together a wedding website: http://derickandjacqueline.ourwedding.com/ although it doesn't have much info because it weirds me out to think about my personal info floating around on the internet with no ability to screen who gets access to it. Which is kind of funny, since I post this stuff on the internet all the time on the 5 things blog I share with Heather.