No Countdown?

Without fail-over the past 3 years I have counted down the days until we will be in Iowa again...when we get back out to Oregon the next countdown starts. With 7 days left...no such countdown has been created since the wedding. We are very excited about our trip home this trip feels different than previous trips...can't quite put my finger on it.

Nick and I put or heated mattress pad on our bed last night, crawled in at 7 and watched shows ALL night. It was sooo nice and warm even Ditka was hunkered in with us.

Nervous Belly

Back in July I set a little goal for myself at the Des Moines Airport (in part to keep myself from crying.hard.all the way home. also I like to set goals). I told Nick that I would give myself 12 weeks to find a job and get back home. It totally worked! NO TEARS! It also made coming down from wedding planning easy since I had a new project to focus on.

Well I have started the interview process with a company that directly competes with the one I work for now. I have had nervous belly for about 3 weeks now. I can hardly stand it! Nick and I get sooo excited even thinking about it.

I told my mom about this and she recommended tums and rest. Nick was soo irritated because I recommend Tums for every stomach issue he has. Kind of funny when you realize where you get habits from.

I meet with the VP of sales Wednesday and hope everything goes well. I will keep you posted.

The Nest

I have my share of guilty pleasures-Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, NCIS, Facebooking, Fantasy Football, and the newest addition The Nest. I started with The Knot website when we were wedding planning, but with the wedding over and the start of Fall...work has been mind numbingly SLOOOWW! ENTER The Nest- It is an extension of the Knot and The Bump...They have decorating ideas, blogs, Q&A, online shopping, travel ideas etc...etc. I can't get enough. It takes a good amount of time to navigate through the new info posted daily and passes the time a lot faster. I highly recommend it to anyone who is bored at work.

BE A MAN!

I don't know what is up with men in 2009 but it seems that they get WAYYY more ass hurt over piddly things than women do. I find it extremely irritating and have started using, "BE A MAN" in my everyday life. I have several examples after this past weekend that I wanted to share.

1.) I cheered for an injury during the Iowa game...a little cold...but it is football if he can't play with the big boys that's not my fault...The group of men who were all upset by my actions need to move on and be men!
2.) So we got a little intoxicated at the Iowa game and passed out half way through the USC game...I hate USC so what's the big deal? GET OVER IT...BE A MAN!
3.) It is Fall- Nick I know you hate spiders...but BE A MAN and kill the damn thing...don't stand in the kitchen and tell me how fast they move when the spider is in the living room!
4.) 21- we drink...we get mouthy...and if you act like a vagina...by all means get ready to be called out! Don't throw a tantrum and throw shit in the street! BE A MAN and get over it!

Wow that was therapeutic blog! I feel much better

Cooking Constantly

It must be the chill in the air, or the subtle hints that Thanksgiving is coming because I cannot stop cooking. I have always enjoyed it, but it has become an obsession of sorts. I create meals 2 weeks out, look on websites for new ideas, and think of ways to enhance recipes I have already tried. This weekend was my moment of realization. I cooked pulled pork for a USC vs. CAL football game, rubens, rice crispy treats, a beef roast, and a roasted squash-spinach-and blue cheese salad. I cooked all of those things except the pork on Sunday! All of the items were delicious...but I think I have a problem.

Wedding Pictures-FINALLY!

Well after some anxiety, and thought of being scammed the wedding pictures finally arrived! To my relief they turned out quite well. The group shots are all good and the candids aren't too cheesy. I created a site for everyone to view them...and additional pictures can be added by anyone who has some they would like to share. Here is our site: http://crowleythiessenwedding.shutterfly.com

We built tent city...We built tent city on rock and roll...

Nick and I took a 2 year hiatus from camping after the fiasco with "The Crazy's", as we call them. We decided to give it another try this past Labor Day when we got invited to go with a couple from my work (A more laid back couple who doesn't require medication to stay sane). We took their word for it when they said the weather was beautiful even though my blackberry said otherwise.

We arrived at Timothy Lake around 4 p.m. and it rained for the next 2 days. We made the best of it by learning how to play gin (not drink it), fishing for craw dads (which we later ate), cooking amazing food, and drinking a lot of...everything!

Ditka was a complete disaster coated with mud, and disappearing into the night when he was only a few yards away. He was very well behaved and learned that, "Stay over there." Meant get under tent city.

EVERYTHING was wet and covered with mud. We lived under tent city, which we had engineered out of 3 tarps and various kinds or rope and twine. We decided homeless people would envy our tent making skills. The 2 main dilemmas we faced during our time at Timothy Lake were: Stay under Tent City and remain dry, yet cold...OR go stand by the fire and get wet. Neither were great.

This camping trip tested us, but it did not end with getting called an f-ing B, or receiving death threats, so all in all it was a success. We would probably trust the weather report before attempting to camp in the rain again.