the semester's (almost) over!

I had my last day of classes this semester on Friday.  (And I only had one class, so it was a pretty easy day).  I have to admit, I did get off pretty easy this semester as far as finals go.  Two of my classes had optional finals, and I was satisfied with my grades in those classes so I didn't have to take them.  My other three classes had final papers, and I got them all done.  The only thing I have left to do is give an oral report on Thursday, then I'll be completely finished.

On Saturday, Brian and I decorated the Christmas tree at his place with his family.  If you haven't figured it out already, I LOVE CHRISTMAS.  It was really nice to decorate an actual full-size Christmas tree in an actual house, because I haven't done that in years.  After that, Brian, Becky, and I went out to dinner at Perkins.  I deviated from my usual meal of "breakfast" (some combination of eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage, or whatever I'm in the mood for) and got an egg and bacon melt.  It's new! and I definitely recommend it.  Becky ordered one of those huge cinnamon rolls and let me have a bite of it, delicious.

After Perkins, Brian and I went to the video store and rented The Polar Express.

GREAT movie!  I had never seen it before (can you believe it?)  But really, I think it's become one of my Christmas time movies.

On Sunday, Brian didn't have to work (yay!) so we got to make breakfast and watch football!  We had a Jimmy Dean skillet meal, the ham one.  I love Jimmy Dean skillets.  My dad started making them on Sundays when I was about 16 or 17 and I absolutely loved them.  They're a frozen package of potatoes, red and green peppers, onions, and depending on which pack you get, bacon, ham, or sausage.  All you do is add some eggs and you're good to go.

After breakfast we watched football.  The Vikes did good this week, beating the Bengals 30-10.  During the game Becky brought us some Caribou!  Love her.  While watching the game, they showed a glimpse of the Vikings cheerleaders, and I started thinking about how I'd really love to audition for them!  Right now it's just a fantasy, but we'll see what the future holds. :)

Yesterday Brian and I headed over to the mall to get some Christmas shopping done.  Both of us were pretty productive, although I have a few more things to pick up, maybe I'll go out tomorrow.   After shopping we went over to T.G.I. Friday's next to the mall for dinner, because Brian had a coupon from his Give Me More Stripes card.  I got the petite sirloin, with loaded mashed potatoes and broccoli as my sides.  Normally I find the steak to be really good, but mine was a little overcooked, and had a lot of fat in it.  That being said, the rest of the meal was delicious.  I think I'm becoming obsessed with loaded mashed potatoes.  I've been ordering them every time I go to Applebee's or Fridays.  But they are just so darn good!  Potatoes, cheese, and bacon are just meant to be together.

Tuesday nights are Kid's Night at Friday's.  On Kid's Night one of the waiters puts on a rainbow wig and walks around to tables with kids and makes balloon animals.  There was a table of kids next to us, and one little girl was celebrating her birthday.  He's hilarious!  And now I just realized how weird I sound, knowing who specific servers are at Friday's.  Brian and I frequent Applebee's and Friday's so much they're starting to recognize us.

Lately, I've been thinking about how I wanted to become fluent in ASL.  I took some community ed classes when I was young and learned some of the basics, but I think it would be really cool to actually know ASL.  (And it wouldn't look bad on a resume either!)  So I've been taking lessons online and learning the grammar (which is different than English) and basic words and phrases.

Another thing I've been doing lately is preparing for my next pageant!  I hope to compete in the Sweeps pageant in February for MAO, and I have some great ideas.  I'm changing up my talent, but that's all I'm going to say on the matter now.  I have to get a new talent dress though, which I'm very excited about.  If I end up not being able to do the Sweeps, I'll definitely be competing more this summer.

Goals for winter break:

1. Write my resume so I can apply for internships this summer!

2. Work on pageant stuff, mostly talent, and also getting my hair to stay put!

3. Learn to cook in the crock pot

4. Continue to learn ASL

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful

Literally.  Winter came in with a vengeance.  A small part of my mind actually believed we were going to skip winter this year, but then December 3rd hit and now we have a ton of snow and negative temperatures!  I do not appreciate it.

On Tuesday it was absolutely FREEZING and windy so the snow bit your face.  Brian and I went to a Chinese buffet and then stayed in and watched Home Alone....It's just not Christmas without Christmas movies!  Here's a list of my favorites:

ELF!!  My number one.  I could probably recite every line from memory.

Home Alone.  Macauley Culkin is hilarious in this!  Every line cracks me up.

The Santa Clause.  My dad and I used to watch this all the time when I was younger.  I love everything about this movie.  And Neil is awesome.

Rudolph.  It's a classic.  I remember watching it when I was little.  I even had a plastic Rudolph that would hang in my bedroom window at Christmas time.

The Grinch.  The old one.  I haven't even seen the new one, and people tell me it's good, but I just love the old one.  And the lyrics to "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" are hilarious.

 

Yay! of the day:  I have the best boyfriend ever.  Seriously.  Today when it was cold out he gave me a ride to school, and came to pick me up when I was done.  And then he bought me lunch.  We went to IHOP.  I had the...easy two eggs breakfast?  Something like that...2 eggs, 2 bacon slices, hashbrowns, and toast.  And Brian had the breakfast sampler.  As always, IHOP was delicious.  Brian also got a swiss mocha, very tasty.

Yay! of the day 2:  Yesterday my roommate Jenny's brother Ben dug my car out of the parking lot so I wouldn't have to do it this morning!  (Which I didn't need to do anyways since Brian drove me), but they're plowing my lot tonight so I would have had to move eventually.

Yay! of the day 3: I am now done with 3 out of 5 classes!  All I have left to do is an 8-10 pg paper (due Wednesday...gross), and give an oral report, which I already have written so it should be pretty easy.

Yay! of the day 4/Not so yay of the day:  Glee last night was amazing!  Love that show.  Each week pulls me in more and more, and the songs are amazing.  The bad news is it was their last episode for awhile...dang you holiday hiatus!  I am currently loving their version of My Life Would Suck Without You.

Not so yay of the day 2:  My apartment didn't have hot water this morning!  I let it run for seriously five minutes and nada...I haven't been home much today but I guess it's fixed now, which is good.

Tonight is Thursday which is me and Brian's "date night."  Only it's opposite from most couples' date nights.  Most couples go OUT on their date night, we stay IN and make dinner.  (Because we go out so often on other days).  Tonight we're making a casserole with pasta and a tomato sauce with bacon and cheese.  It's currently in the oven!

last monday of classes!

Yay! Of the day: I have an 8 am class that meets once a week, on Mondays.  Pardon me, I had an 8 am class that met once a week on Mondays.  The final paper for that class wasn't due until this Friday, but I got it done this weekend and turned it in to the prof, so I am completely done with that class.  And knock on wood, I will never have to take an 8 am class again.  4 more classes to go!

Not-So-Yay of the day: In one of my classes, we're currently working on a group project.  If there's one thing I don't like about college, it's group projects.  There's always someone who doesn't pull their weight, or it's impossible to find a meeting time that works for everyone, or some other thing.  In this group, there's a lot of people who don't want to put any work in, and there's a couple people that make me wonder how they got into college.  (Seriously, their part of the paper sounded like a 6th grader).  I will be very happy when this class is over!


Sadface of the day: The Vikes lost last night.  I couldn't bear to watch anymore and turned it off in the 3rd quarter.  I heard EJ Henderson broke his leg.  This was not a good week for me and football.  I wanted the Saints to lose and they won, and I wanted the Vikes to win and they lost.  :(

Recommendation of the day: These Botanical Fragrances candles my sister gave me for my birthday! (I tried to link to the same product on the Chesapeake Bay website but can't seem to find it..oh well, I'm sure all of their candles are delectable!) They're soy candles and contain essential oils, and they just smell great!  Plus they're in individual tins which is nice since I'm a college student and don't have a lot of candle holders and fancy stuff like that.

 

Cute of the day: French Bulldog puppies.  I want one, real bad.  I've been doing some research on the breed and learning about them and looking at how I can get my hands on one.  Bri <3s chubby puppies.

breakfast with boy and football

So our triple date last night with Hanna, Isaac, Julie, and Dustin was a lot of fun. We tried to go to Applebee's, but there was a half-hour wait, then we were going to go to a Mexican place but not everyone wanted to go, then we were going to go to a Chinese place, but finally we ended up at the Stonehouse (where Brian and I ate once before with Becky and Mama Z). I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, which was amazing, and Brian had a "black and bleu" burger, which he described as "interesting." They had a guy there playing guitar, which made for a really nice atmosphere.

After that we headed over to someone's house where there was a little get-together. They had decoy geese in the living room which I really didn't like. (For those of you who don't know, I was attacked by a goose when I was 5 and ever since then they give me the heebie-jeebies). Brian and I played some Mario Kart on the Wii, which I found to be vastly inferior to the N64 version. While a lot of people were playing cards in the kitchen, Brian and I hung out in the living room with Hanna and Julie, with an occasional visit from some of the other people. Brian's ex-girlfriend was there, but other than a couple sarcastic comments she made to Brian, all was fine.

This morning, Brian and I made a delicious breakfast of pancakes, potatoes O'brien, and sausage links. I was in charge of the pancakes, because Brian's had some bad luck with them in the past. (He once made pancakes--the easy kind, just add water--and they made him and his dad sick!)

We had the Saint-Redskins game on the TV, and I was absolutely thrilled that the Redskins were beating the Saints!

After breakfast, Ron and Becky got home from Duluth. (Becky's moving back to St. Cloud because she got a job at the hangar here). They're moving her stuff in over at their Mom's place.

After that, Brian had to go to work so I went home to work on some homework and finish watching the game...it was so close! Redskins never trailed, but the Saints ended up winning with a field goal in OT.

Now I'm just hanging out, watching some more football, waiting for the Vikes game at 7. I got some homework done, maybe I'll try to do some more before the game starts. I just love Sundays!

And now, for some Christmas questions of the day!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? For Christmas time, definitely eggnog. Mixed with some milk though because otherwise it's just too thick. I like drinking hot chocolate when it's cold out, but egg nog's more limited to Christmas time.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them and then puts them under the tree! I dunno if I still get Santa presents anymore :(

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I prefer colored, and not the normal kind, the round kind. Like this!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? My mom hangs some between our living room and kitchen.

5. When do you put up your decorations? Day after Thanksgiving!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I loooove green bean casserole. And twice baked potatoes. And of course, pie!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I remember driving back to MN from WI after our family celebration on Christmas Eve, and listening to Jingle Bell Rock on the radio. And every year, I swore I would hear sleigh bells as I was laying in bed.

8. Did you write letters to Santa? Yep! I had a mini-mailbox that I would "mail" the letters in.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? It used to be I was allowed to open one present, but in recent years, my mom, Chuck, and I exchange all our gifts on Christmas Eve, after our family celebration. Then I open my Santa presents on Christmas.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Well, when I was younger I remember decorating the tree with my dad. When I was realllll little we'd drive out to a tree farm and cut our own tree. As I got older we started using an artificial one he had in the garage. We'd put the angel on top, and he'd put the lights on (the ones mentioned above). Then we'd put the ornaments on, and my teddy bear ornament went on first. We always had fun picking out new decorative glass ornaments each year, and we had a good mix of those and the homemade ones. Our tree was always pretty full!

12. Can you ice skate? I haven't done that since I was probably 10 years old. And I don't care much for the snow and cold so I don't care to try again.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I had a lot of favorite gifts, one that I remember being a really big deal for me was my purple bike...it was a Magna Gemini, and my dad actually put it together himself. (I overheard him and my mom talking about it, and him saying how difficult it was, and next time he was just going to buy the display model!) It means a lot more now knowing that he put that bike together, and I loved that thing...rode it everywhere until I grew out of it. Here's a picture, it's not my exact bike, mine was a much darker purple, but it looks almost the same.



14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Just the magic of it all...the Shedaisy song "Tinseltown" describes it well.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Mmm...I remember one year, my Grandpa's girlfriend Annie made us the most delicious apple dumplings. I've always wanted to try them again but I don't think anyone is near the chef she was! I think we normally have apple pie and that's good enough for me! Otherwise I just LOVE my mom's chocolate chip cookies or her fudge.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I mostly just love the family celebration on Christmas Eve, and then exchanging gifts and hanging out with Mom and Chuck at home, and seeing my dad on Christmas day. However, some day when I have my own family we will have a TON of traditions...Sinterklaas Avond, International Christmas Dinners, advent calendars, 12 Days of Christmas, the list goes on and on...

17. What tops your tree? My mom and dad both have an angel, but I've always wanted a star. The mini-tree that's in my living room right now (courtesy of Brian) just has a glittery blue star that I found at Target for a dollar. But when I grow up I plan on having multiple Christmas trees so I'm sure I'll have to update this later.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Honestly, I really love giving. I never know what to ask for from people, but I just love thinking of the perfect gift for someone and watching them open it, and the surprise and then excitement on their face.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Oh gosh...I have far too many. I love Baby It's Cold Outside (Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone), All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey), What Christmas Means To Me (Stevie Wonder), White Christmas (The Drifters), and of course, I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas. My favorite Christmas albums are Michael Buble, The Elf Soundtrack, The Jackson 5, The Rudolph Soundtrack, Josh Groban, and NSync.

20. Candy Canes? I like them, but I wouldn't buy a pack of them or anything.

21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? Yes and no. Sometimes I see Christmas ads far too early, and I think the idea of Black Friday is absolutely ridiculous. But I LOVE seeing Christmas decorations/lights/trees set up in stores!

haha, and I say I have a good memory

So, I completely forgot I had this thing! I recently got the bug to blog again, and I was about to make a brand new one when I remembered I had started one this summer...crazy! It seriously hasn't crossed my mind in months.

I have one week of classes left this semester and then finals week, but I don't have any final exams, just a couple papers to write. I'm already completely done with one class (got my final paper written today!) and I just have a quiz on Tuesday, a presentation on Thursday (then done with those two classes), and two final papers that are due during finals week. I can't tell you how excited I am for Christmas break.

Speaking of Christmas, IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME! For those of you who don't know, I absolutely love Christmas. I watch Elf pretty much every day in December, I have over 12 hours of Christmas music, basically I just love everything that has to do with Christmas. Last week, Brian came over and brought me a short little tree to put in my apartment, and we went out and bought some cheap ornaments and decorated it! It's pretty sweet if I do say so myself.

Just when I think I have every Christmas song known to man, I find some more that I like! Recently I discovered the Motown Christmas album. It has a lot of tracks from The Supremes, The Jackson 5, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, etc...It's all around a good album. Check it out!


Tonight, Brian and I are going on a triple date with some of his friends. Should be fun!