Wordless Wednesday: stress

Piled on top of the one hundred other things that are stressing me out right now, I had to drive to Ames (from Cedar Falls) on this awful road to get to work this morning:

I would like to stress five things:

1) This is Highway 20--a heavily traveled road in Iowa.

2) Towards the right of the picture, that grey/shiney stuff, that's ice.

3) That ice that was present during the entire sixty mile stretch of highway that I was on. To make it worse, it wasn't always in the right lane, and it wasn't always visible--sometimes right lane, sometimes left, sometimes snow covered, sometimes not.

4) Yes, I took this picture while driving. BUT, I was only driving 20 mph...

5) This picture was not edited/filtered in any way. Can you see where the snow ends and the skyline starts? Neither can I.

Happily Ever After

Tucked hidden away off an old blacktop road, 

sits a chapel in the woods with a quaint, rustic glow.

The crowd anxiously waits sharing whispers and dreamy stares, 

wondering how soon She'll be here and what gown She will wear.

The time has come and the Groom holds his breath, 

as the doors open up and She takes her first step.

As She gets closer, their eyes finally meet, 

then her dad lifts her veil and kisses her cheek.

They exchange their promise, to have and to hold, 

and to love forever, even when they grow old.

They seal with a kiss, and the crowd laughs and shouts...

 

...as he lifts her up and carries her out.

 

 And that's the end, or the beginning rather, 

of a Bride and a Groom, and their happily ever after.

Congratulations to my beautiful cousin, Leah Grace JACKSON!

And so it begins...

My dad and grandma have told me on several occassions that this book (below) is a must-read. So, I finally ordered it from Amazon (no Kindle for this girl) and finally have ample time to read it...I'm heading to Oklahoma for the weekend-a twenty hour, round trip drive. It's well worth it, though, as I get to see my baby cousin get married!

Disclaimer: we are about 30 minutes into our drive, so for the next few days my posts will be done from my cell phone (which means they'll be short and sweet).

Anyway, here begins my journey-through the book and through the states!

Happy Friday everyone!

Wordless Wednesday: with minimal words.

My day:

Woke up cold. 

Fell behind at work. 

Worked for 12.5 hours. 

Left work (brr). 

Thought about upcoming drink at Las Margaritas.

Started drooling.

Got home. 

Noticed purse was missing. 

Inhaled my dinner. 

Realized I had no I.D. (to order said drink). 

Drove 15 minutes back to work. 

Scanned the street and sidewalk (can't get back into work once I leave). 

Did not find purse. 

Got angry.

Drove back home. 

Watched weather forecast (ug...). 

And drank beer.

 The end.

WEEEEEEkend

Ahh...I just love the weekends! Where the heck do I begin with my most recent?! Friday seems logical.

...after working a long and miserable nine hour day, I headed home to open my much anticipated Urban Outfitters package only to discover that only two of my six items were shipped. The disappointment was alleviated, however, when I fell in love with these two items (which were the same item in two different colors). I ended up wearing them for three days in a row--and no, I did not do laundry, so if you do the math, you will find that I wore dirty clothes to work on Monday (which isn't very unusual for me).

ANYWAY, after arriving in Cedar Falls that night, I enjoyed a deliciously crisp Woodchuck cider at the Panther Lounge and later indulged in half-price appetizers at Applebees. While there, I had the unfortunate (yet very amusing) encounter with two women in the restroom (who didn't realize I was in there, adjusting my contact) as they discussed--and loudly demonstrated--their bowel movements and tampon statuses. I can only imagine how they felt and what they said after they heard the door open and I rushed on out of there.

After that lovely dinner, Trent watched a movie while I fell asleep within the first ten minutes. He then struggled as he carried me to bed a little while later.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention a very, very important part! Since Friday was Valentine's Day, Trent and I exchanged our gifts. He did an excellent job and spoiled me with a bunch of Taylor memorabilia.

I gave him a date night jar (yes, stolen from pinterest), a movie theatre gift card, and some candy. I think he was pleased.

On Saturday, Trent and I enjoyed our morning coffee snuggled up with Baby Sophia while we hung out with her sweet parents, Jake and Des. I then talked Trent into joining me at my favorite store on Main Street, Kitchen Essentials.

Later that night, Trent and I met my friends Lauren, Natalie, Christy, and Marcus for another night on Main Street. We had such a good time! We spent the majority of the night singing our hearts out at The Blue Room for karaoke night.

Lauren, Natalie, me, and Christy

On Sunday, I spent the day laying around with Lauren and Natalie doing absolutely nothing (my favorite kind of day). Trent and I spent the evening eating dinner at a fancy restaurant and watching the tele.

Pretty good weekend, huh? 

Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!! Yesterday, February 14th, I was not able to be with my Valentine, so he decided to have Valentine's Day changed to February 15th--this way we wouldn't have to spend this special day apart. So sweet of him, I know.

In honor of today's holiday full of love and all things red, I decided to wear my new red pants. My friend, Miss Natalie, got them for me for Christmas (she also got me an adorable dress that I will post once it's warm enough to wear). Natalie swore these pants were purple, I argued they were red. She then said she was positive they were purple as she would never buy red pants because they would clash with my ginger hair. Of course she would bring my hair into this debate. Anyway, after taking this picture, I think she's right--they're purple. So, in honor of Valentine's Day, I am wearing my new purple pants.

Ignore the dirty mirror :/

So far, my Valentine's Day has not been all that magnificent. I am spending it at work. Yup, at work. Last week was supposed to be the last Friday I had to work (which is why I was "extra excited" last week)--but no, I am so far behind, I decided to spend today's holiday on the job. Luckily, my coworker brought in giant donuts, which made the morning so much better.

Another lucky thing, my car is completely packed. So, right after work I get to head straight to Cedar Falls and I get to stay there all week (I work there next week)!! Today cannot be over soon enough! I suppose I should probably stop complaining and just get my work done and over with. So, adios contaminos! 

Wordless Wednesday: i love my job?

I would definitely be lying if I said I loved my job right now. ...wait, have I ever said that? Job description this week: search for answers in these things--stacks, and stacks, and stacks of these things.

Now back to it...

Excuses, Schmexcuses

It is officially one month until my training for the Missoula Marathon starts. So **giant sigh**, it is now time for this lazy hiatus of mine to come to end. This is true not only because I have to be in good enough shape to run nineteen miles the very first week, but also because those ugly dimples on my legs (that I worked so hard to get rid of last summer) are slowly starting to make an appearance again. Luckily, I will not be wearing shorts for at least another month.

But seriously, it is so hard to be motivated when it is SO STINKING COLD outside! Although I will not be running outside, I will be running from my car to the gym door, and that two second run is so miserable--it's the worst! To all of you warm winter weather people in the world, you don't even know how lucky you are. And you have no excuse for being lazy.

Since I, however, am blessed with this really good excuse, I will continue to use it for at least four more days.

Cellulite, you're safe for now.

Friends, Babies, and Car Accidents.

Geesh louise, I feel like it's been forever since I last posted! I have been a busy girl, that's for sure.

Last Thursday I went to "Spank--A Fifty Shades Parody" with two of my coworkers. It was a hoot! The downside of attending this great show, though, was that I didn't get home until 11:30 PM and was utterly tired the next day.

Friday was my last working Friday until next September. WOOHOO! I definitely did a little jig as I walked out of the office door that night and continued that jig while singing to Taylor Swift the entire ride home. I headed to Cedar Falls that night and went out with my dear friends, Christy, Marcus, and Natalie. We only managed to get one decent picture. And weird, Miss Natalie refused to be normal in it. I hope this is just a phase she is going through.

Natalie, me, and Christy Lou Hoo.

On Saturday morning, Trent and I got to hang out with the cutest baby girl ever, Sophia, while her mama went to the gym. Sophia is the cuddliest baby in the world and I love it. And I love her.

Before heading over to babysit this little dollface, we went out to Panera for a coffee and some breakfast. While sitting in my car waiting for the traffic jam (that is constantly in this tiny parking lot) to clear, we witnessed one vehicle back into another. I swear it happened in slow motion. I felt guilty for not honking to try and stop the collision, but I was just way too excited to watch it all go down. Is that normal?

Anyway, Saturday afternoon I went shopping down Main Street. I LOVE doing that. Cedar Falls has the cutest little shops--my favorite being Kitchen Essentials, where I could spend hours. Maybe even days.

After a much needed nap, I went out to dinner with Trent, the cute baby up above, and the cute baby's mom and dad, Jake and Dez. Then I headed to Natalie's house and back to Main Street for the bar scene and some more friend bonding time.

Today was a day of rest. I slept in way late and then headed out for a cute little brunch with Trenton. The evening was spent doing crafts around the kitchen table while enjoying the sounds of the Grammy's in the background.

It is now two hours past my bed time. Good night, world!

Wordless Wednesday: dork

Trent and I got in a pissy pants argument about nothing this morning. So, in an effort to make me laugh and end the stupid fight, he texted me this picture. It worked. He is such a dork (I'm referring to Trent, but this also applies to the guy in the picture).

...Trent, if you are reading this, I'm so excited to see you (tonight) too. 

A whole lot of feelings going on.

I suppose I should probably mention that only 4 of these got done this past weekend. BUT, I did get this and my Valentine's Day shopping done...so I'll consider myself one up for the weekend. Enough about my weekend, though...

I need to vent about the 1,700 emotions/feelings I have right now:

Butterflies. No, not the googly-eyed, love-sick kind...these are scientific and health related (I think); several times a day, and mostly when I am trying to get to sleep, it feels like my heart skips a beat.  I mean literally. It is the weirdest feeling...it instantly makes me cough (weird, I know) and feel queasy at the same time. It is not pleasant.

Stressed. Thanks to my last couple of very sick weeks, I feel very behind at work. Not only did I miss three full days, but due to hundreds of tissue interruptions and nonstop sinus headaches, I was not very productive when I was there. So, now I am playing catchup. My favorite.

Fact: In the last two weeks, I have gone through more than 12 boxes of these.

Anxious. With my Valentine's Day present wrapped and ready, I now have to sit and stare at it for nine more days. I can't wait to see his reaction!

Excited. I am heading to Cedar Falls this weekend. Uh, hello!? How could I not be excited?

Extra Excited. This is the LAST extended week of the season. This means that I will be back to a normal, forty-hour work week and will no longer have to work on Fridays. YES!  This means a whole bunch of good things are coming--more time in Cedar Falls, more time to spend watching my cute baby cousins, more line dancing nights, and more sleep.

Bitter. My favorite Monday night obsession (the Bachelor) made me mad last night. Hopefully Sexy Sean redeems himself on the next episode.

Lucky. The next episode is tonight! ABC randomly decided to be extra nice this week and give me TWO nights of the Bachelor.

Proud. Yesterday, I finally completed my About Me page. Next blogging goal: figure out how to make a button and customize my title banner.

Relieved. When I got to work yesterday morning I realized that I forgot to put deodorant on. I am relieved that I didn't smell by the end of the day (at least not to my knowledge) and happy that I remembered to put it on this morning.

Emergency Kit.

Ever since I laid my eyes on the large, hidden cargo compartment in the trunk of my new (to me) Toyota Rav 4, I knew exactly what I would put in there--a winter emergency kit, of course!

So, today at Target I spent $6.00 on a small rubbermaid containter and filled it with the most essential cold-weather items: two pairs of extra warm gloves, two pairs of thick socks, two scarves, ear muffs, a hat, a blanket, boots, and toilet paper.

As you can tell by discoloration of my old, once blue, ugg boots, none of these items are fancy or new (except for the toilet paper, of course) ...just old things I found laying around my house that might possibly save my life someday.

A kit like this would obviously not be useful for people living in warmer climates, but no matter where you are from, it's always good to be prepared--I've seen way too many Dateline and 20/20 episodes about people being stranded in their car for days before being rescued.

Whew! I already feel better knowing that I am officially ready for whatever this crazy Iowa weather (and my terrible winter driving) brings me!