FY10Q1 pt III

Well, March saw the beginning of Lent. I don't even remember what I gave up now which is probably for the better. However, I do remember feeling that it was Lent. Greg and I wrote a blog for it for the bulletin for one Sunday. I'll try to dig it up.

I don't often participate in feast days but this year (oh! I just remembered, I gave up cloves and alcohol.) I decided to participate some. The best was for St. Patrick's day for which we had a great party, great cottage pie, toasted all who entered and watched Waking Ned Devine, such a sweet movie. Never has Bailey's tasted so sweet ;) But in any case, I think Greg had given me this set of flowers and as usual, they slowly began to die. I actually think red flowers are really pretty when they start dying. BUT, I saw this bunch and the one pink flower and I thought, "Whoa, this set of flowers totally says to me, 'Feast Day'". So that's what I call it and I share it with you. :)


March, I think was pretty unexciting otherwise. Greg and I did get to go to San Anton over his birthday weekend though and that was awesome. Here's some pics, mostly of the cutest little boy in the world...and a few others for kicks.

So, that was San Anton in a nutshell. Animatronic dinosaurs that Ethan was at first frightened of but then became quite fond of, T-rex eating my mom and husband, my dad's nameplate of sanctity, enjoying a little Wii Fencing and lovin' on Ethan some more.

FY10Q1 part 1

So I'm sittin' here sipping my Bailey's and VIA (Instant Ready Brew-Decaf) coffee just chillin'. Already posted the most ridiculous profile picture up on facebook, already soaked my feet in the bathtub, already sat around my A and watched Bones. I was going to continue to work on my table which I think I began around the same time that I posted my last blog on this thing :P. Sorry, dear friends, but here I was and I thought, "Oh hell yes, I am going to finally write that blog that I've said since January that I'm going to write." Okay, well, it's not the same one I was going to write in January because a lot's happened since then and who are we kidding? My memory's just not that good. But, without further ado, here's our first quarter-ish of 2010 in pics.

First off, my dear dear friend, Mink, moved in with us. She needed a cheap home, we could use a little money off our rent since trying to save for Grad School and are blessed with a big 2-bedroom apartment. We also know a thing or two about how to live together after 6 years of friendship so it's all worked out great. Here's our family photo taken a month or so ago. You'll see pictured: I, the loving matriarch, tenderly but firmly urging lovely, innocent Mink and tough guy Greg to just get along. Okay, that's not at all how it is: in fact, Greg and Mink get along like two schnitzels on a platz. That is funny, I'll explain why; Greg and Mink are food lovers...meaning she appreciates all manner of encased meat and will gladly consume it with my husband while I sit very far away and try not to gag. So, it's just win-win-win for everyone.

As has become our custom now, we headed to Baltimore for "Christmas" with Greg's side of the fam. This always brings many types of merriment, which this year included, but was not limited to:

A Ravens game

with high school friends

Doggie Time

Game Time

Grandparent Time

TAT time!So, it's real late now and I've only just finished January but will get Part II up this weekend. Hope you've enjoyed the update thus far.
Peace out, homies.

my Lenten trials...

Here's my recounting of what happened the day after Ash Wednesday:

So, I walk in this morning and there's no less than 3 kinds of girl scout cookies tantalizing me with their sweet goodness at the coffee cabinet right by my desk! So I go over to heat up my turkey sausages in the mail room and there are brownies on Jean's desk and then more Girl Scout cookies in the mail room right next to a scrumptious looking cheese danish! What the @()$&A@#(%&? Honestly, I've never seen so many sweet morsels in our offices...EVER.
So, I groan and a co-worker hears me groan and says, "Yeah, I know but you should definitely try the girl scout cookies- they have this yummy lemon on the bottom..."on and on. And I said, "Does no one around here celebrate Lent?!" And she said, "You're not Catholic..." sort of incredulously and then added tentatively, "...are you?" I said, "No I'm Anglican". Not that that is really the reason why I celebrate Lent either. But I was surprised and dismayed at the ignorance of my co-workers and everyone's disregard or ignorance to put it more positively for the Lenten season. I honestly can't imagine my life without the fellowship's seasonal calendar. How odd. So I'm praying for grace and not being judgmental...and thanking the Father that I made it through the schmorgasborg of tempting treats obstacle course this morning--I guess it really does build hope--what do ya know?

So there ya go, there's the full version story of my google away message that made you laugh :)
It's hard bein' female, lower middle class and anglican :P...

Day before I give thanks

Well, I woke up this morning particularly grumpy (I am not a morning person) and unenthused to a) be awake and alive and b) to have to go to work where I would a) be asked to accomplish several new things before the holiday and b) not get a lunch until 2pm (partly my own fault).

I also had a conversation with Greg this afternoon about how it just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving. Well, what DOES Thanksgiving feel like anyway? Any contributions to make? Anyone? I mean, last year we had lots of people over and maybe I was just super excited about it. But, I'm not unexcited to have those over who are coming over this year. Also, I thought it was just my chagrin over not being with the rest of the Collinses over Thanksgiving. But, out of the last 7 years I've lived here, I've only been with them once. But I do really really miss them. And the reality that I may not get to go for Christmas either is settling in...poo. Anyhow, I was grumpy because I didn't *feel* like Thanksgiving. But, at the same time I am extremely thankful for many things. I will not list them at the moment because I'm working and have to get a couple things done in the next hour! Just trust me on this one...

I'm hoping that this
doesn't happen again this year.
I'm not taking him to the ER if it does...that's all I have to say. So, I guess at the least, I'm thankful for a better cutting board and safer knives this T-giving.

Yum, I am very looking forward to dinner tomorrow and the triptephane coma...oh how I love you. Lots of love to you, my faithful readers. If anyone wants to give shout outs on their ideas of T-giving, please feel free. Grace and peace in abundance!

almost T-giving

I don't like spelling out the entire word anymore so you'll have to appreciate the non-chalance of T-giving. It's like how one of co-workers names is C---stian. But I always spell it "Xian". Anywho, we're gearing up for the holidays here.

But I was so dismayed when I walked around campus on Wednesday and saw that physical plant was putting up christmas lights already!! Ugh, Blanchard lawn has already been transformed into a whimsical sea of multi-colored lights! Nooo, I thought. And then yesterday, we drove through Glen Ellyn and noted that there was a giant red bow complete with giant green garlands adorning every light post not to mention the giant tree which obscures your view of oncoming traffic at the corner of Main St. and Crescent. But don't pay no nevermind to that because we've decided to sneak Xmas into Halloween. Maybe it's the passive aggressive Suburban way of saying "Hey evil, take this!" (and they bite their thumbs at evil and all that jazz).

Now, don't worry I love a well lit tree and gaudily adorned abode as much as the next elf, but seriously, can't we wait till after T-giving?! I mean it almost would be appropriate to wait till Advent, but I admit that's too long to wait, even for me. I prefer the leaving up of the tree till February. Cuz I mean seriously what Holiday do we get next? Valentine's? Gag me. Patrick's? Hardly worth the mention. And waiting all the way through Lent seems so much like fasting...oh wait. Anyway, all that to say, our falala-ing and yulelog-ing will transpire as the Collins have always celebrated, the day after or the day after the day after T-giving.

But in traditional procrastinatory fashion, as this is a pseudo T-giving post, I'm going to put up pictures of Halloween :) And then maybe in Advent, I'll put up pics of T-giving and the tree dressing. PS--I must admit it is hard not to put up the cresch (spelling?) that K got us in China!!!! Can't wait for that. We definitely have plans...

My hot Professor Plum with the Rope [in the Billiard Room or
Ballroom depending on the places we were celebrating this year]

Lessons in cheap costumes: have husby bring home box from work,
instant Starbucks beverage!

we went to play Whirly Ball with the Psych department from Wheaton, doesn't that sound kooky? it was and Whirly Ball is fun, but kinda hard. I love that picture where Greg's drinking from my lid. That sounded far more sexual than intended...sorry. But since you can see the picture you know I mean nothing by it :) And there's Jenn, she was Abby from the show NCIS.


But, I'll leave you with these gems of pictures. Look, I'm a venti soy decaf no whip mocha! And check out that handsome handsome devil of a man. Yup, he's my roommate.