Oh no they didn't...

For those of you that don't know, House Hunters is a neat little show on HGTV that I frequently enjoy. You get to see three houses for a person to choose from and it makes buying a home seem just that easy. Part of me would like to say that I only watch it because it's the summer and there's nothing else on TV, but that's simply not true. I enjoy the show. And I've gotten damn good at choosing the house the people end up choosing.

I settled in last night to watch a new episode and imagine my disgust when the infamous Star Jones Reynolds popped up on the screen. I think I actually said aloud "What the hell?" and then somehow kept from throwing a pillow at the TV (I didn't want to frighten the dogs). There is nothing wrong with Suzanne Whang (the normal host) and there is nothing right about Star. Nothing.

From what I've read online, this is a guest stint as host. I certainly hope that's true. I'm not sure if I can truly enjoy House Hunters with SJR as the host.

P.S. SJR was "intentionally evasive" about gastric bypass surgery. As if we didn't know!

McCopyright Infringement?

There are a few places that Eric and I really miss up here in Michigan. Sonic, Shake's and Chik-Fil-A are just a few of them. It's toughest with Sonic, because they run commercials for delicious drinks all the time, and yet, there are no Sonics in sight. Chick-Fil-A gets us, too. Their chick-n-biscuits are one of the best breakfast treats I can think of. Plus, the chicken sandwhiches, with a simple treatment of just pickles, are some of the best around.

So good, in fact, that McDonald's has decided to straight up copy them. They introduced the Southern Style Chicken Sandwhich recently and it's basically the exact same thing as the Chick-Fil-A sandwhich. Eric and I were then faced with a dilemma. Stay true to Chick-Fil-A, the original? Or go to McDonald's as quick as we possibly could and order 2 of them - to go! I doubt I have to tell you what we did.

The knock-offs were tasty, I will admit. And we've had a hankerin' for another one since then. I feel so guilty betraying dear Chick-Fil-A...but I love me some chicken, so what're ya gonna do?

Like a cow in a rainstorm...

This is pretty much how I felt yesterday. Except without the rock hard abs. And I was wearing a shirt. And I'm not a man. Okay, truth be told, I couldn't find a cool picture of a woman running in the rain. So this is what you get. Anyhooha, I went for a little run yesterday and halfway through it, there was a downpour. I mean, it was raining hard. I was pretty far from my house so I decided to embrace the rain and finish up my run.

When I finally reached the end of my street, I sprinted towards my house. I imagined myself looking about like this guy (except again, no abs, with a shirt and as a woman), and as I stood on my porch drenched and drained, I felt great. Now I realize that I probably looked more like a cold, wet calf (baby cows strike me as awkward) running through a rainstorm, but whatever.

Why was I running at all, you ask? And that's a great question considering my apathy towards excercise. But, I'm thinking about running a half-marathon. Don't even ask what makes me think this is a good idea, because I have no good answer. But I'm in my initial training and the first two weeks have been good. I enjoy my runs, even in the rain, except of course when I see lighting strike about 3 feet away from me. I'll decide in September whether or not to sign up for the half-marathon. And I'll keep you ladies posted. For now though, just call me Running Rudy.

It's like changing purses for different seasons

I had to change the blog again. Blame it on boredom. Blame it on my love of changing desktop backgrounds. But I think it's a lot like when a girl changes her winter purse for a summer tote. It just makes sense to change every once and a while. Beyonce knows.

Oh, and I added a poll section. This first poll is just a tester. If it works out, then we can do more!

Are you kidding me?

Lohan. The name doesn't really conjure up the image of the sweet, talented young actress of yore, does it? Not anymore. Now it comes with loads of baggage. Alcohol problems, drug addiction, ex-boyfriends, crazy parents, and more. And that's just her personal life. Apparently she's rarely on time and sort of a diva on set. Surprised? No. Not when everyone caters to her and the other young women of Hollywood. It's really ridiculous when Lohan is covered on CNN - and it's BREAKING NEWS! I saw a video clip of an anchorman (bless him) who tried to refuse to read the story about Lohan during a live broadcast! It went something like this, "And Lindsay Lohan was arrested...I'm not going to read this..." SILENCE "They're telling me I have to read this." And while it was kind of embarrassing, he made his point. It's not REAL news! I miss the days when CNN was a legitimate new source. Or, rather, I miss the days when famous people were sort of normal, or secretly crazy. I do kind of blame paparazzi for this. But c'mon. There are a TON of celebs that stay below the radar and are probably straight crazy. How hard is it to stay inside one night a week? Maybe even not drink when you're wearing an alcohol-monitoring bracelet? Leave the coke at home? Just a few tips that might have served Lohan well jsut a few days ago.

Drew Carey as Bob Barker?

So this is what it takes to get the blog back up and running... Drew Carey. Now, I generally find Drew Carey pretty funny. He seems like a nice guy. I can picture him as one of my dad's friends or something. But I simply cannot endorse the decision to make him the new host of "The Price Is Right." I just can't do it. And to be quite honest, I don't have any reasons why. It's not that my reasons aren't good, it's that I really don't have any.

Does anyone agree and if so, do you have a reason why?

Countdown: 19 days!

In just under 3 weeks Eric and I will be gettin' hitched! It's pretty exciting and I'm really enjoying all the final preparations - updating the guest list, getting presents!, seeing our engagement pics and more! In fact, our engagement announcement will be in this Sunday's paper and this is the pic we chose to accompany the write up.



This is the pic that came in second. We both liked it but thought the shadows would look weird in the BW version for the paper.



I might put a link up to some bridal shots of me later in the week. It has to be secretive since Eric can't see the dress!

PS. I'm assuming both your sets of parents are coming? They have not yet RSVP'd. You can just let me know whether or not they can come via email if you want.

Just one question....

That is all.

Highlights from last weekend

Eric and I were home from Thursday night until Monday afternoon. We crammed a lot into those 4 days and I'd like to share my highlights. They are as follows:

1. The shower - it was the most fun I could've ever hoped to have at a shower and it looked so cute, from the cake down to the mints!

2. The gifts - I'll be the first to admit that I love me some presents. The cake stand is probably my favorite (duh), but the funniest was the scale. When I opened up that bag, I thought I was going to die laughing. And what's with all the brownies??

3. Pictures - our photographer is amazing and I'm so excited to see the engagement and bridal shots! She was really easy to work with and knows what she's doing. You can view more of her work at jhsphotos.com and click on her blog to see a few of our shots.

4. Graduation - both Parker and Sara graduated, which is really awesome, but made me feel really old...and I'm only 24! Yikes.

5. Gator Golf - I have never played with 12 people before and it was an experience that I won't soon forget. Especially posing with the animals afterwards!

6. Doing wedding stuff - It really felt like I was about to get married last weekend and I'm pretty excited for the big day! I'm looking forward to about 5 weeks from now when Eric and I will tie the knot!

7. This picture - it's my favorite.

Blah

This week has been so slow here at work. The hour from 3-4pm everyday seems to drag on for an eternity. I can't think of anything fun to blog about so in lieu of that, here is my list of Top 5 Things I Would Rather Be Doing RIGHT NOW.

1. Whitewater rafting

2. Enjoying a glass of wine on our deck.

3. Reading a book, preferably on the beach.

4. Sitting at the coy pond outside Kimpel Hall (does anyone remember that?)

5. Baking cookies.

I'm Back and Better Than Ever

Finally, I can post! I feel like it is Christmas! I hope you will both be patient with me as I learn some sweet bloggin' tricks...such as how to post pictures...

So THAT'S what my deltoid muscle looks like...

This past weekend we had guests! Eric's dad Mike and stepmom Karen were in town for a couple days so we took them to Detroit. That might sound like a punishment, but trust me, Detroit gets a bad rap. It's not all that scary...at least not at the Detroit Science Center!!


We went to see an exhibit called Our Body and it was so cool. The simple explanation is that they turn the muscles in your body into plastic in a process called plastination. This way, you can see what the inside of your body looks like! It's really weird and awesome and sort of creepy, but mostly it's amazing. To be able to look at something from 2 inches away and know that your insides look something like that is...well, creepy, but I liked it!


There were exhibits of bodies that were in certain poses, like a guy kicking a soccer ball in midair, or riding a bike. My favorite was a body that had been sliced into 1 inch sections and then placed in order about 2 inches apart so that you could see in between each slice.

I realize that I sound like a HUGE nerd right now, but I enjoyed myself at the museum, OK?!

Bitch, please.

"I know, I look pretty fly. Jealous."

Sloane loves her bandana.

Two Months To Go!

Two months from today, Eric and I will be gettin' hitched! I'm pretty excited for the wedding of 2007. Let the countdown begin!!

This weekend was a great farewell to my bachelorette days of yore. Here's my Top Ten list of things that happened this weekend:

10. Ordering half a chicken for dinner.
9. Asking our waiter to marry me.
8. Calling the Hogs...3 times.
7. Singing Comcast karaoke on the couch.
6. Watching the drink-off.
5. Riding with Brittnee through the ghetto as she hunched over the steering wheel afraid for her life.
4. Shopping on Friday (especially the stores where we all bought something!).
3. Doing nothing Saturday morning except vegging out on the couch and watching TV.
2. The infamous drink spillage (She did that on purpose!).
1. Playing Apples to Apples.

It was a wonderful weekend! So, thanks for everything girls! You're the best!!!

Why I Like Martha

This picture makes me want to go out and by all these utensils and the cute utensil holders and completely redo our kitchen. I love reading Martha Stewart's magazine and website because the pictures alone are motivational enough to make me want to change my whole living arrangement. If you also love organizing and looking at pictures of organized kitchens, closets and bathrooms, click here.

Things you never thought you'd hear: "Ratings are low. We need Lachey!"

On last night's Dancing With The Stars we were treated to a surprise appearance by Season 2 winner, Drew Lachey. He danced to the song, "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy" (which I can't stand), which was performed live by Big & Rich (who I also can't stand), and also happened to be the winning routine for him and Cheryl (which was AWESOME!) It only served to remind me just how boring this season is. Drew Lachey shows up with a ton of energy and he's on the floor for about 3 minutes and the crowd goes crazy for him and the dance and it was great! And that lasted...about 3 minutes. The dancers just aren't so good this year. The women especially, which is appropriate since the first 3 people voted off have been women. My favorites for this season are Joey and Kym. He's not embarrassed to do all the goofy head moves and exaggerated posing that makes you look like a good dancer. I think he will have a tough competitor in Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) and Cheryl Burke, because she's won the past 2 seasons now and obviously wants to 3-peat.

I would like to stress that although I will continue to watch this season because I am addicted to the drama of the show, it's not near as good as the past 2 seasons. And someone needs to cut Billy ray's hair.

Honk Honk

I don't even really know where to start with this post. Nothing too annoying happened on my way to work or while I was running errands at lunch today. However, in general, most other people on the road annoy me. I am not a honker. If I honk, I must either be scared or in a bad mood. However, sometimes a polite honk is necessary.

Case in point, a few weeks ago I got behind an obviously confused driver. There are two stoplights, one not twenty feet after the other, right next to my office. As the first light turned green, the lady in front of me barely inched forward. I held my honk, trying to be nice. But after a few seconds, I give a hey-by-the-way-the-light-is-green-and-we're-all-waiting-on-you-to-move-forward-honk. It was short and sweet and not meant in a mean way. In return, the lady completely stopped in the middle of the intersection, turned around to face me, yelled something and flailed her arms. Seriously? I was amazed!

Even though my honk was justified, this reaction makes me never want to honk again. Oh but I'm sure I will.

What Not To Wear: Behind the Seams

I love What Not To Wear. It's definitely one of my top 5 favorite shows. So, when I heard about a behind the scenes show I had to tune in! I learned valuable things like what happens if a person says no to the show (they go find someone in NY) and what is up with Stacy's gray streak (it's natural and she's had it since she was 11!) and whether or not Stacy and Clinton are "more than friends" off the show.

Wait. What? Uhhmm, I'm sorry, did viewers honestly request this information? Maybe I'm over-simplifying, but I always assumed that Clinton Kelly was gay. They have such a fabulous "I'm-gay-and-you're-fashionable-perfect-duo" thing working so nicely that it has NEVER ONCE crossed my mind that they might be dating each other in real life. To me, they represented the real version of Carrie & Stanford or Charlotte & Anthony on SATC. So, I'm holding strong that he's G-A-Y and for all those viewers who thought otherwise I say to you, "Shut Up!"

P.S. Speaking of, lil' old Stacy now has her very own show entitled, "Shut Up! It's Stacy London." I wanted to love it, just like I love her, but I didn't. It felt forced and staged and not natural. Her chemistry and comedic timing with Clinton is superb and on her own she just didn't have it. But I still love her and want to be on WNTW so bad that I just might wear tapered jeans for a month.

Oh really?

It's snowing. Right now. Outside my door. Snow is falling. It's APRIL 5th. It is freakin' SPRING, people! I just don't think I'll ever understand why the weather does what it does. What happened to global warming, Gore? It's not warm here at all, if you want to know the truth. If people turning off lights and starting composts piles has somehow managed to drop the temperature here by about 30 degrees I'm going to be pissed!

This morning Eric mentioned that out of our 3 hometowns (Fayetteville, Idaho Falls and Ann Arbor) Idaho Falls is currently enjoying the warmest weather of them all. Temps are in the 60s there all week. I don't thinkI have to tell you how sad I was to hear that. Not because I don't want Eric's family to enjoy the warm weather, but because there is simply no rhyme or reason to the weather.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to bundle up to go outside.

Baked, Not Fried

Recently I tried Baked Cheetos and I was admittedly skeptical. We were with another couple grocery shopping for our three day stay at the beach (see how I snuck that in there?). I saw the Baked Cheetos in the basket and was not excited. But when I made a turkey sandwich the next day, I couldn't help but toss a few Cheetos on my plate. Those bright orange bits that look like really small pieces of petrfied wood somehow just completed my plate. And then it happened. I tried them...

And they were fantastic! All of the flavor and crunch I would expect from Cheetos. If someone had told me they were real Cheetos, I would have believed them wholeheartedly. So if you haven't already, give them a try. Unless you hate Cheetos to begin with.