Saturday, April 19, 2008

Spring for real!

It's so exciting, I just love spring! It's my second favorite season after autumn. I love the changes both seasons bring. It's really starting to green up around here. I'm looking forward to the different colors spring brings--the bright, light green of buds; the grass green of...grass; the bright splashes that are the blooming flowers; the robin egg blue of clear, sunny skies; the dark blue-green of Lake Michigan; all of it! No more sad, bare, black tree branches, scummy snowbanks, and grey waves of water crashing on a frozen beach.

If one thing says spring more to me than anything, it would have to be tulips. There is just something magical about them. I've decided that someday in my life I have to get to this tulip festival in the Skagit Valley of Washington. Can you imagine, fields and fields of tulips set against the Cascade Mountains?


Saturday Picks (yes, I know, I've missed several of these)
Music: Josh Groban. I love Josh Groban. Love love love!
Reading material: Not a book, as I haven't had enough spare time when I'm not asleep to finish the books I've already mentioned! Instead, it's a newspaper, The Shepherd Express, that is a weekly alternative paper here in MKE. This week they had the City Guide, which is chock-full of good restaurants, entertainment, and the like for the city and surrounding areas. Nick and I are going to be picking our Friday night dates from this for a while! Last night we went to Cafe Hollander, where we've been before, but is very good. I had a turkey sandwich with blackberry jam and giardiniera (pickled jalapenos). It sounds like a strange combination, but the sweet jam and spicy peppers play together very nicely!
Covet: the perfect bedroom set. I've been browsing the internets but haven't found something that is me yet. Everything is so big, or has leather, or is just plain ugly. I will find it though!


Peace and love,
M

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

perfect picture of my dad

Dad: "Mmm, saaaaaannnnnnnnddddddddddwwwwwwwiiiiiiiccccccccccccccchhhhhhhhhhh..."

Mom: "I don't know who this man is."


Peace and love,
M

Monday, April 7, 2008

going ons...

Well, seeing as I have been slacking here, an update is needed!

1. Today is my first day off of orientation! I am nervous, but I feel ready. I had originally asked for an extra week, but decided last week that I was ready and didn't need it. And I didn't want to have to get up at 5 again. haha, just kidding! Maybe ; ) But really, I do like my 9/11 am start times much better, even though it means working until 5:30/7:30 pm.

2. Nick and I went to the zoo on Saturday. It was family free day and while I love the fact that the zoo has them, because it is pretty expensive to go, I am now advocating adult free day. Seriously, no strollers, no one wearing those frickin ridiculous roller shoes (I just want to trip people in those), no one under 18...it would be glorious. I was also disappointed that the snow leopards and koalas weren't out. But the baby orangutan was so adorable with his crazy hair and one of the adults was showing off by swinging around the ceiling!

3. Nick came with me to Norwalk and survived my Dad's family! Not that we're mean...there's just a lot of people in a small space. And noisy children in the early AM. I, however, did not introduce him to my Mom's family. That will be left for ... ... ... a different time.

4. Tux is still a big goofball! His latest thing is scarfing down the food, so I've taken to feeding him 1/2 his food in the morning and 1/2 when I get home from work. Otherwise he leaves yucky half-eaten kitty puke surprises. This is sorta gross, but it wasn't even chewed...he just would hoover it in!! Okay, gross out factor over with. He's being very mischievious as of late. Twice yesterday I couldn't find him. The first time I was looking everywhere, when I noticed a lump in my newly made bed. Yes, the silly boy crawled under the quilt and was taking a snooze! The second time I found him sitting in my suitcase in the closet! I am finding places I didn't know existed in my apartment. His other big thing is climbing the window screens, which I am trying very hard to discourage!

5. In sad news, my Grandpa Z was taken to the nursing home. It was just too hard for my Grandma to take care of him by herself. He's very confused and doesn't move easily at all. She visits him every day though. One of the nurses is Megan, and he told them that he had a granddaughter Megan, which made me so happy! He does have his lucid moments, although they are far and few between. I'm so glad to have been one of them. Additionally, my Grandma D was diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma. It is in her bone marrow. The doctors are hopeful though. She's already had a mediport placed and had her first chemo treatment this past Friday. However, in good news on the sad news front, my Uncle Wolf is on his last week of radiation. Hopefully the tumor will have shrunk enough to do surgery.

Well, off to work for me. My Mom is staying over tomorrow night, so I have lots of cleaning to do!

Peace and love,
M