weekend tidbits

- I finally treated myself to a manicure & pedicure on Friday, and picked OPI Gargantuan Green Grape... new fave, for sure. it's a lot lighter and more pastel than it looks in the picture from OPI's website - it would probably take a million coats to achieve that! 

via OPI

- we ran errands on Saturday and did some serious shopping for house stuff.

• we bought tons of random things at Target that we've been meaning to get... like a garlic press, a tiered shelf for spices, and a new bath rug. 
• and then we hit Home Depot for even more randomness... potting soil & new planters, a raised garden bed (for veggies, which was on SALE for about $40), a quart of paint, and a door knob. 
• finally, we ended our day at a lighting store, where I stumbled upon the coolest lamp ever. the only one in stock was the display, so I snatched that sucker up. I LOVE it. it really brings a good amount of light to our living room, and it's got that funk factor I've been looking for. 

- we have big plans for the landscaping at Casa de Quinn this year. this week we're going to pay my brother to come in and tear out all the ugly bushes that surround the house (and subsequently hide it) so we can plant flowers and put in our raised garden bed. AND he'll be completely demolishing our existing deck so that we can install pavers in it's place. I'll be getting outside after work today to take some "before" pictures to show you all, although it's slightly embarrassing. 

- since we picked up potting soil at HD, I finally planted the herbs I bought to go in these planters (which I mentioned here). I'm pretty excited, considering it's my first planting adventure.

- I wrote a 1500 word paper yesterday comparing Nora from A Doll's House to Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby, discussing their abilities to exert power as women. I have one more paper to write this evening for my final exam and then I am done with my English class. I CANNOT WAIT to be done, but I'm thrilled to take new classes in the fall.

- I just finished reading Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin and was utterly disappointed in it. I guess I shouldn't have expected much, since I'd heard that her books got progressively worse as they went on, but I was hoping that it'd be a least worth a 4 star rating. it wasn't terrible, but it was way slow in the beginning and I felt like the ending was rushed and cleaned up a little too nicely for my tastes. 

- this is what I wore out and about on the gorgeous day we had here on Friday. not pictured are khaki capris and white flip flops. I love my mustache necklace, which I got as a birthday gift from Kaley.

- running and working out has unfortunately taken a back seat in favor for school work and house work the past couple days, but I hope to get back into the swing of things this week! 

Happy Monday!

listomania

• my next tattoo appointment for my sleeve is this weekend! I can't wait to get some work done now that I have some birthday money to spend. I plan on at least getting the rest of the color done, and hopefully will be able to start on the background as well. ideally, I'd like to get it finished, but I don't know how long I'll be able to sit. we shall see! 

photo taken after my last tattoo session in October.

•  we have been total rockstars when it comes to gymin' it up. we've successfully worked out at least 3 days a week for 4 weeks now, and it feels amazing! I took spin class last Wednesday and had a serious case of the DOMS until Sunday, so I spent a few days doing upper body exercises. I downloaded an app on my phone to track my workout routine, and it's really helped to make sure I'm working all of my muscles and I can even check to see that my form is spot on. I've noticed a huge difference in my strength and I can tell that I'm slimming down again after my month long hiatus during the winter. 

• regular season hockey is almost over! I'm counting on my Caps to bring home the Stanley Cup this year... that is, as long as we can make it out of the first round. we're hoping to score tickets for at least ONE playoff game this season... if they're in our budget, of course.

photo taken from last season's game 7 of round 1 against Montreal, which we lost.

• I'm walking on May 1st for our local March of Dimes, and I could NOT be more proud of our team. so far, we've succeeded in becoming the largest team in our area and one of our members is currently in 4th place for most money raised by an individual. we are walking in honor and support of our friend's baby Gianna, as well as others babies who were born too soon. so far, we've raised almost $2,000! if you'd like to help us out and donate (or if you're local and would like to walk with us), you can check out my personal page. go to the homepage for our team (appropriately named Gianna & The Baby Steppers) to read more about Gianna's story! 

photo belongs to Gianna's mama, Stephanie. don't steal, or I will CUT YOU.

• speaking of participation, I decided to sign up for the April Photo Hunt Challenge - you can find the link over on my sidebar under "Current Projects." I've been a huge slacker when it comes to taking photographs on a regular basis, so I'm hoping that the challenge will give me a little more motivation to get my camera out more often. I think now that the weather is nicer, I'll have more interest in getting out and about with my camera. 

• I need a vacation. badly. or I might kill someone. I have 4 weeks left of classes, which includes 3 more discussion posts, 1 more essay (600-700 words), 1 research paper (1200 words), and the final exam, which is in essay format. I am SO ready to be done. 

Happy Tuesday! 

tidbits, yo

• UGH. slacker blogger. very busy weekend for this girl - beer night Friday, errands Saturday afternoon, birthday celebration Saturday evening, and hanging out with friends/writing a paper Sunday. 

• as you saw in this post, I finally upgraded my phone. I was the proud owner of the LG Dare for almost 2 years. my upgrade day was St. Patrick's Day (luck o' the Irish, say what?), so on Friday, we ventured out to Verizon to get the Droid X. I was torn between that and the Thunderbolt, but I just couldn't justify paying $250 for a cell phone... and the extra memory and the kickstand was just not worth $100 to me. so far I'm really loving my Droid. if you have any recommendations for apps, let a sister know! 

• check out my sweet birthday card I got from Kaycie. does she know me well or what?

• I went out with friends this weekend to celebrate my 25th birthday! we started out with a small group and dinner at a local Japanese Steakhouse, and then moved next door to Cadillac Ranch. I was so happy to have so many people come out to celebrate with me - we had an amazing evening full of laughter, flowing drinks, and memorable conversations. I am a lucky girl. here are some pictures (most were not taken by me, and I'll have more to post once Kaley uploads hers! AHEM!)

• on the other hand, I don't know if I'm ready to turn 25. I know that 25 is not old by a long shot, but I just feel very "adult" saying 25.

• I'm slowly moving through my 2011 Reading Challenge. I've now read 9 books this year - I finished two of Emily Giffin's books within about a week. I loved the first, Something Borrowed... I was really drawn to the narrator, Rachel, and was thrilled with the ending. The second book, Something Blue, was... alright... it's from the perspective of the other main character, Darcy, and I honestly hated her. I ended up liking her a bit more by the end, but overall, I was kind of underwhelmed with the story in comparison to the first. I'll be doing lengthy reviews for both books when I have the time. 

• speaking of reading and writing - I wrote an 800 word essay on the reliability of Nick Carraway as the narrator of The Great Gatsby for my English class yesterday during my lunch break. I started it Sunday and emailed it to myself to finish and send over to my professor from work. went to save the file, and it was corrupted. instead of copying & pasting like an intelligent person would do, I just x'ed out of it. lost the WHOLE thing, minus the measly two paragraphs I had written the night before. talk about pissed... I had to re-write the entire thing last night. 

• Bear is really ridiculously good looking. just sayin. 

• spring is officially here and I am SO excited. that's pretty much all I have to say about that. 

• since I had my last training session in February, I've only been to the gym once, and that was for a spin class. last week. I really need to get back into the swing of things when it comes to working out, but if I'm being honest here, that month off felt amazing. I'm still doing well with my eating habits... still staying away from fatty, greasy, and non-nutritional food. I need to stop making excuses as to why I can't work out, starting with tonight!

Happy Tuesday! 

random tidbits

- you know those Chevy commercials that show the Rockies and the theme song says something like "like a rock"? when I was a kid, I thought the words were "lock her up." dumbass. 

- after my horrible hangover last Sunday, where I admittedly spent at least 6 hours at or on the toilet, I couldn't poop for a week. IT WAS TERRIBLE. I can say it was honestly one of the worst weeks of life. I've always had a pretty regular digestive schedule, so the sudden bout of "I have to poo, but I can't" really fucked me up. 

- I met with our accountant over the weekend. thanks a huge financial decision we made early last year, we now owe the federal government $5,000. not cool, especially since I was counting on that refund to get some things done around the house. ya know, maybe buy a dining table? maybe some chairs for the dining table? looks like we may be refurbishing the old set in the garage after all. 

- my Bear cub is the cutest kitty ever. 

don't mind the eye boogers... he's been getting them a lot lately.

- thanks to the suggestions of many people, I started reading The Hunger Games last week. started on Friday, finished on Thursday. started Catching Fire (the second book) on Friday, and I should be finished with it this evening. 

I AM HOOKED. I'm pretty sure there's crack in the pages. it's such an odd and morbid concept that it makes me value the government of our society, as corrupt as it may seem. I'm also considering naming my first born Primrose. thank you, Suzanne Collins. I will be posting reviews of all three once I finish, which shouldn't be long! 

- yes, I still have The Help review to finish and post. slacker. 

- I'm actually really liking my English class this semester. I'm not big on reading pieces of literature and analyzing/interpreting them, but unfortunately, that's the gig for this class. professor seems really laid back though, so that's awesome.  and the other classmates seem really nice and supportive.

- I'm going to email everyone who donated to the Miss Chow Fund and get their addresses. a happy ending like this one deserves proper thank-you notes.

- according to Bear, this is his couch. 

Happy Tuesday! :)

a typical day, as of late

hear my alarm go off. 

drag myself out of bed. take temperature.

brush teeth & maybe wash my hair.  makeup.

pack my food for the day & make coffee. ahhh coffee.

go to work. work ALL MOTHERFUCKING DAY long.

eat my money saving, healthy, and delicious packed lunch. 

work some more. sign into Google Reader and attempt to read some blogs.

finally leave work.

work out with trainer or take spin class. 

(if not going to the gym, go straight home to cook dinner and clean up)

go home, exhausted.

cook/help cook dinner & clean up kitchen. 

::pause::

awesome dinner, cooked by YOURS TRULY - full recipe post coming soon

::play::

chores around the house. 

homework/reading for class.

::pause:: 

kitty cuddle time

::play::

shower. do not want to leave warmth of shower.

maybe watch TV or read before bed if I can keep my eyes open.

try to read as much as I can before my eyelids start getting heavier and heavier by the sentence. 

sleep. sleeeeeeeeep, sleep.

notice something missing?

blogging. 

my stupid busy life is not giving me much time for blogging lately.

I have some posts started that just need a little tweaking. 

as soon as I have time for a substantial post, you'll see it, I promise. 

ALSO, I miss you guys. 

I'll be back tomorrow, at least for Wee Bit Wednesdays. 

Happy Tuesday.

fill in the blank... Sunday.

I'm not gunna lie. I'm totally avoiding some reading I have to do for my sociology class. apparently, I'm a fucking idiot, and I decided it would be a cool idea to take a winter class... which means that instead of studying all this crap over 15 weeks, I'm doing it in 2. 

yeah, two weeks. which means something is due pretty much everyday. 

yeah, not so cool after all. 

KILL ME NOW, and also forgive me if I suck at blogging for the next few weeks. 

_______________________________________

ANYDOODLE. play along with Lauren here. 

1.   New Year's is (awesome/lame/other)  pretty cool I guess. I don't think it's totally lame, but it can be a bit cheesy with all the optimism floating around. 

2.  Last New Year's Eve I  stayed in at home... Sean was working nights, so I just hung out with the kitties and went to bed early.

3.  My New Year's resolution is  to be awesome. oh wait. 

4.  The best way to spend New Year's Eve is   with people you love and with a kiss at midnight, even if it's with your cat/kid/self.

5.  My prediction for an up-and-coming trend in 2011 is     blogging. oh wait. for real though, I think scrunchies are coming back. 

6.  This New Year's Eve I will    stayed in at home, because my stupid husband got me sick.

7.  A fresh start is  not something I'm in need of this year. I'll stick to my old funky start... it seems to have served me pretty well.