Here Kitty Kitty

Last night my fiance and I went to look at a new place. We are currently in an apartment that we like but our neighbors are less than ideal. So, when a coworker told my fiance about a house she was renting and that she was leaving next month, he told her we were interested and wanted to see it.

The coworker wasn't home when we arrived so we let ourselves in through the back door as she had instructed. The first part of our tour included the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom on the main floor. The rooms were messy, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Upstairs, there was a master bedroom. While in the bedroom I noticed white fur all over the carpet. I asked my fiance if his coworker had a cat and he said he wasn't sure. We both forgot about it as we continued our tour down to the basement. Not a single light switch we tried worked in the lower level, so we had to venture on in the dark. I stayed at the bottom of the steps while my fiance looked around. He found the second fridge he was told about and decided to open the door to shed some light on the room. The room was not illuminated for very long, though. Turns out the coworker did have a cat - in the fridge! I couldn't believe my ears when my fiance told me, so I had to look for myself. Yes, there it was - a dead cat laying on the top shelf next to the normal fridge contents. I was completely horrified and even more disgusted when, several seconds later, the smell hit. Needless to say, we left the house after our little discovery.

I don't think we will be moving into that house any time soon.

Nun or Baby

Yesterday my fiance and I joined my parents, sister, and cousin on a trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes for my uncle's wedding reception.

The day started early but we didn't get to Minnesota early. None of us are sure why the trip took so ridiculously long, but we'll all agree on the fact that we had a good time in that mini-van. The "Would You Rather" game was our entertainment of choice. Several from the painful category included: "Would you rather get punched in the mouth or kicked in the groin?" and "Would you rather die by getting hit by a train or not having your parachute open while skydiving?" In the serious category we had: "Would you rather kill both your parents or one of your children," and "Would you rather be 5 again with your whole life in front of you or 65 and retired but closer to death?" And the winner of the most laughs goes to "Would you rather trip a nun or push a baby?"

Once we arrived at my uncle's house on the lake , the fun continued. Hours were spent playing "boys versus girls" volleyball . The boys won every time, despite the fact that the girls always had three or four more players. Could it have been the fact that half of the girl team was slightly intoxicated and all the boys were sober? Perhaps there is a correlation. Others played bocce ball - one team not following any rules other than throwing the balls and another team getting so involved that they had the measuring tape out. The second group included my dad, of course ("The measuring tape doesn't lie!"). There was the usual eating of too much food (done at every family function), complaining about having pictures taken, and visiting about the past few months since our last gathering. Young and old took advantage of the beautiful day by playing and swimming in the lake. The scenery was gorgeous and the water was the perfect temperature - especially for breeding leeches. It's a good thing my cousin was drunk, otherwise I think she would have been a little more upset about having to get one pulled off her leg! The night ended with a fireworks display in honor of the newlyweds and a bonfire with a giant container of cheese balls.

Today was kind of quiet, with everyone recovering from the night before and preparing for the long drives ahead. Our trip back home felt just as long, if not longer, and wasn't nearly as much fun. The flat tire we got wasn't quite as humorous as deciding whether to trip a nun or push a baby. The hour spent in Tires Plus wasn't awful, though. My sister brought in her yarn and knitted while she talked to our mom about the clothes she'd like to make, my fiance read through Maxim and found out what to say when a girl asks if she's fat, and my dad got to see his favorite part of a movie on TV.

Throughout the weekend, I played the part of family photographer. I can't begin to express how wonderful it is to have captured this time in our lives on "film." My family is amazing and I'm very lucky to have them. There's definitely no other lens through which I'd rather be looking.

Confession

As I crawled back into bed early this morning, my sleeping fiance made a confession.

"I'm an idiot," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I bought the B-colored blocks . . . I'm such an idiot."

After a minute of tear-inducing, bed-shaking laughter, I had to ask, "Why did you pick the B-colored blocks?"

"I don't know. It's been a crazy hour."

Even when he's sleeping, my husband-to-be can make me laugh. What a guy! (Even if he is dumb enough to pick the B-colored blocks - whatever those might be.)

Resolutions

My birthday is resolution day. January 1st has nothing on my birthday; June 2nd is this girl's "New Year." My birthday is the day I reflect over the past year and think about the next year. This is the day that I decide what I want to stop doing, continue doing, and start doing. So, while a little late, here are my 2007-2008 resolutions.

Stop
* freaking out about having fingernails (ridiculous, I know!). I absolutely hate them and the minute I see growth, out comes the clippers. This needs to stop as it's stupid and often very time-consuming. I need to learn to be content with the fact that the nails are here to stay - or at least how to ignore them.
* complaining about and avoiding my share of household chores (can't imagine why I would do such a thing!).

Continue
* working on my running. This past year I got back into running after a six-year break. College was great for the mind but not the body. I have come a long way, but I have a long way to go if I want to obtain one of my life goals of running a marathon.
* working on my photography. I received a D-SLR from my fiance last week and I have a lot to learn about it.
* dedicating time to friends and family. I can't neglect the important people in my life when I began working again.

Start
* exploring more. I've lived in this city for almost a year and know very little about it. My fiance and I went out on our bikes tonight and I got to see a whole part of town that I never knew existed. Plus, I found my dream home! Perhaps I will be creepy and snap a picture if I ride by again.
* expanding my exercise routine. Weight-training and stretching are two things that definitely need to be incorporated into my life. They don't appeal to me like running but they are important, especially to improve my running, so I need to make some kind of effort.

I'm sure there are a dozen more things I could add to each category, but they have escaped me at this time. I probably don't need to add anymore, though. I will have my hands full with these things. Hands with fingernails. Ick.

Attempt #2

I started my first blog back in October of 2006. I blogged three times in eight months. Not a good track record. I think it's time to start fresh.

Here's to the new blog!