Low Key

I hung out with my parents and extended family this weekend for my birthday. A first in the past six years. It was very low key. I went to church, read, did some shopping, drank some coffee, and just vegged. And I'm not complaining since the past month has been such a whirlwind. It was nice to take it easy.

I did get to have a couple of birthday meals, though. Hubs loves to ask our waiter or waitress how old they think I am. At our first meal, our waiter thought I was 18. Not surprising.

Our second waitress thought about it for a while. She guessed 20, which I think she thought was older than I was. Then she brings out all the employees. I can handle being sung to, but that was not the case. She also brought out a wooden contraption with a saddle on it. Then invited me to sit on it, wave a napkin over my head and yell, "Yee-haw!"

The options were to be a poor sport/kill joy and decline the offer to sit on the pretend horse, thus embarrassing myself and the waitress further than what was needed. Or, do just have some fun and get out on the fake horse.

Here's what I did (fuzzy because taken on cell phones)...

What's a birthday without a little excitement?

Just for Fun

I hope you get a kick out of this. We sure did.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Back in the swing, my dentist, & santa

After having a 2-day work week, followed by a 2.5-day work week, coming back and working a full 5-day week takes some readjusting.

First, I had to put on dress clothes after 2 full weeks of lounging. I admit that I couldn't do it on Monday - I cheated and wore jeans. But the last two days, I forced myself into the slacks and skirt and was ready to rip them off by 10am 2pm.

Second, adjusting to waking up early after getting my body used to sleeping in until 7:30am. The first morning, I didn't even consciously realize the alarm had been going off for an hour before finally hearing it and getting out of bed. The second morning, I used a different alarm in conjunction with the normal alarm. That worked a little better. This morning, I missed them both and stood in the bathroom for 5 minutes wishing I could jump back and sleep some more.

Third, our evening schedule needs some work, especially this week. Hubs doesn't have to study anymore so we have lots of free time. Add that with our usual Monday & Tuesday night committments were cancelled leaves Hubs and Feath with too much time and nothing to do.

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Before getting my braces off, Hubs and I made a bet. He said I would have at least 1 cavity, most likely 2. I said I wouldn't have any.

Monday afternoon, Hubs didn't have a patient schedule so I went in for some x-rays - both secretly hoping that I would have a cavity that he could use for his upcoming boards. As he is putting the 50 pound blanket over me which is supposed to protect me from the radiation, we both end up giggling and laughing and cannot stop. Hubs is trying to tell himself to be professional, which makes us laugh even more. I bet you don't have this much fun with your dentist!

He develops the film and....I won! No cavities. Now, if I could just remember what the stakes of our bet were.

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And, some fun pictures of a Christmas game we played (thanks to J'net for the pictures):

Good thing I wore a red shirt!

I was pretty excited about my sack of toys.

My designers.

My competition.

An ongoing saga

We own our two vehicles: our neon is 9 and our dakota is 8. Somewhere between the ages of 7 and 9, so we have learned, vehicles need extra care. You've heard about neon's life in this post, but as of the past 7 months, we have had an ongoing saga trying to keep them both healthy.

July
Hubs took Dakota in for a check-up. Dakota needed a new transfer case, new brakes, new rotors, and something else. Meanwhile, Neon starts making some serious noises and is leaking oil onto my foot. Neon's battery dies and Dakota needs a new battery.

August
Neon goes in for her check-up. She needs new brakes, a new car-lock motor, and some other things. She gets fixed and also gets 2 new tires.

September
Dakota gets fixed. The cars are running great. Then, Dakota starts smoking a few days later. Apparently the brakes locked up while driving.

October
Neon gets a flat tire on the interstate - tire is unable to be fixed. She gets another new tire. The cars are running great.

November
Dakota won't shift out of 2nd gear. He gets a fix to his transmission. It starts getting cold outside. Neon's heater isn't working.

December
Not only does the heater not work, but Neon's headlight burns out. She gets a new thermostat and a new heater. Dakota gets a crack in his windshield - the fixable kind. The cars are running great. Dakota goes in for an oil change and his battery is about to die - yes, the new battery that was just bought in July. Get a new battery.

January
Dakota's crack spreads horizontally across the entire windshield. Dakota gets a new windshield.

We are frustrated. We are sick of fixing our cars. But, we are thankful that we are having car problems and not health problems. We are holding our breath...hoping that are problems are just about over.

A New Stage of Life

Just a few weeks ago, I was holding on tightly to 2008. Today is a completely different story - bring in the new year!


We've noticed, when hanging out with friends, that we are all in different stages of life. Some have houses and are working on those; some have children and are developing a family. Most have moved past the stage of life we are currently in: married college couple going from day to day.

I have been perfectly content in this stage. I love renting. I enjoy being able to make plans at the last minute and not worrying about what to do with the kids. My job is great and we've done lots of fun traveling. Our life is pretty simple and, despite a few short-lived longings for the next step, I have enjoyed where we are at right now. Part of me has not wanted to move forward. I am comfortable in this stage.

2009, to me, will be about moving to a new stage in life. Hubs will not be in college anymore. He'll be kicking off his career, while I take classes online to finish my degree. We will probably still rent for a while, but we'll look for a bigger place so we can add a dog (hopefully) to the family, realizing that buying a home is right around the corner. We will not stop traveling - with 3 trips already planned, we are talking about a couple more, too! Our conversations will change: we will discuss how to use our resources wisely to plan for owning a dental practice and having a family someday. 2009, my friends, seems like the start of a whole new chapter of our lives.
We. Will. Officially. Be Grown-ups.

Hubs and I couldn't be more excited for it! God has prepared us in every way for our next journey in life. I've realized that our lives will change, but we will will be the same people. We can't wait to start looking for places to live, planning for what is ahead, and living this next journey.

That is what 2009 has in store for us...what does it have in store for YOU?

Brace yourself

Life with braces is quickly coming to an end. A date has been set for the removal and I can't say that I will miss these things. They capture food in very hard places to reach. They change colors depending on what I eat. They poke and rub. And, they give me the appearance of a teenager, instead of a mid-20s adult. The end result, however, should be well worth the past 19 months. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures.

Here are eight things I learned this weekend:

1. Hubs does not eat recipes with any sort of vinaigrette as an ingredient.
2. When making a new recipe for Christmas gifts, bake a trial batch first, to make sure you don't end up with unrecognizable treats. (The second batch turned out beautiful.)
3. Cold wind comes right through our sliding glass door, condenses, and make frost on the INSIDE of our apartment. The result: heater runs nearly non-stop.
4. My allotted Christmas budget is getting slim - and I still have 7 people to buy for.
5. Hubs is sick of studying.
6. I am sick of Hubs studying.
7. I only like changes when I control them.
8. Somewhere along the past week I have lost my Christmas spirit, but hopefully a fun time with friends tonight will bring it back.

Five for Friday

1. I do believe DayQuill is one the best medicines ever invented.
2. Zinc really does lessen the severity of cold symptoms.
3. Lysol gives your home a nice hospital smell.
4. Infomercials are the only thing on network TV at 1am - you'd think they could at least play some old re-runs or something.
5. Hubs is taking his last final as I type!

I (obviously) have a cold. We have my company's Holiday Party tonight and we will go. No matter how exhausted, stuffed up, and sick I feel. No matter how red and raw my nose is. I will wear the new outfit I bought for this party and we will have fun.

PS - I watched another movie on my laptop last night. So awesome!

A New Discovery

I consider myself a faily intelligent woman. For instance, I can tell you where your sternocleidomastoid muscle is; or, tell you how many carbons are in a benzene ring. I can explain how carbohydrates are digested; or even tell you how many sharps are in the key of A. Those things, I can handle. The simple logics of everyday life, I seem to have trouble with.

So, how it took me 2.5 years to discover that I could watch DVDs on my laptop while Hubs studies, is beyond me.

For two and a half YEARS, I have had to forgo watching TV, let alone DVDs, while Richard studies. We picked our apartment particularly due to the beautiful office for him to study in. It has glass, french doors leading in from the living room. We didn't realize, however, that these glass doors would not block sound at all. So, if I have a TV show to watch, I mute during commercials, and sit really close to the TV when it comes back on so that I can keep the volume low (sacrificial love at its finest, is it not?).

Last night, I popped in our latest Netflix to watch and heard a reminder from the office to keep it low. I mentioned that I wish edI could just hook some headphones up to the TV and Hubs said, "Why don't you just watch it on your laptop so you can use your headphones." He said this so causually - duh.

Genius of an idea, dontcha think? Wait, it gets better. Not only can I watch DVDs at a normal volume, but I also can watch them from the comfort of my own bed. It might have taken 2.5 years to make this connection, but you can better believe I will be making it worth my while for the next 3 weeks of studying.

Forty-five minutes later, Hubs found me under the covers, headphones on, DVD playing, sound asleep.

Was it worth it?

A recap of Friday, November 28th

1:15am: Wake up. Is it time yet? Nope, go back to sleep.

2:15am: Wake up. Did I miss it? Nope, go back to sleep.

3:00am: Get up. I haven't slept at all anyways.

3:30am: Tell Hubs goodbye. He says, "I can't believe you're actually doing this."

3:50am: Arrive at Younkers. I am not standing in line.

3:55am: Get out of car and stand in line.

4:20am: Stand in line to check out.
4:25-4:40am: Call Ruth about 10 times to compare shopping experiences.
4:45am: Battery dies in phone. Realize I'm going to have to go back home to charge it.

5:05am: Finally check out.

5:15am: Home. Plug phone in. Lay on couch for a 30 minute nap.

6:50am: Wake up. Jump off the couch. Grab phone. Leave.

7:00am: Arrive at mall.

7:30am: Not feeling good. Naseau. Headache. Can barely concentrate on shopping walking.

7:35am: Buy pretzel and coke. That should help.

7:45am: Pretzel and coke didn't help. Sitting on the floor at the mall, on the phone with Dad, wondering if I am going to make it.

8:00am: Decide to try one more store.

8:30am: Head home. Lay in bed.

9:45am: Leave with Hubs for another mall.

1:00pm: Start fading fast. Need food.

1:30pm: Leave the mall. Eat Chinese food for lunch.

2:45pm: Full and ready for a nap. Head to a football party.

7:45pm: Home, at last. Quickly change into comfies and heat up leftovers for supper.

8:30pm: Fast asleep on the couch.

So, are you wondering if it was worth the exhaustion, sickness, grungy feeling, and time? I went through my receipts - here are the totals:

Regular price: $1,154.96
Price paid: $596.01
Minus giftcards: $215.00
Total spent: $381.01

Top savings of the day was a $180.01 savings on 1 item! Besides the one little episode on the mall floor, we really had a lot of fun. The bargains were contagious and we did get most of our Christmas shopping done, plus a little shopping for ourselves using up some leftover giftcards.

One down. Four more to go.

Arby's roast beef sandwiches and curly fries is how we celebrated that Hubs passed his mannequin board exams! Phew.

Then, it was back to the books. He takes his last finals EVER over the next two weeks. It is sentimental and exciting. A long road is about to turn off onto a new road.

But, there are a few more obstacles in the way:
December 19: Computer board exams

December 22: Computer board exams

December 23: Computer board exams

January: Pretend/practice/mock patient board exams

February: Patient board exams

Yes, there are 3 full days of computerized exams; yes they are right before Christmas; and yes I would love to hang out with you anytime throughout the next month.

There were moments that I absolutely hated dental school. There were moments when I loved the life of a student. There were moments that I thought it would never end. There were moments that time flew by. These four years will be sweet memories in our adventures to come.

Congrats, Babe, on passing this first series of exams. I'll be praying, encouraging, and helping you as we head into the next ones.

Has anyone seen the remote control?

Our TV is a magnavox with wood panelling on the sides. It works perfectly for what we need, but about a year ago the remote control died. We bought a $5 replacement, which also broke. Since then we have just been getting up off our lazy duffs to change the channels and volume.

Sounds like a pain, right? Well, our bunny ear antenna can only receive about 3 channels, so it wasn't that big of a deal until recently. For some reason, the local stations have made some changes and channels. For instance, Fox used to be channel 18. Now, it is channel 69. It takes a long time to go from 8 to 69 but just holding down the channel up button on the TV. We also now receive channel 6, 8, 10, 89 and 106.

I mentioned our TV situation to a co-worker months back, who was appalled at the idea of 1) not having cable; 2) the wood paneling; and 3) the lack of a remote. So, the next day I had a brand new remote sitting on my desk. It was not just any remote - it was an over-sized, bright pink remote. Loud, flashy, and obnoxious. Hubs was horrified and said we were NOT, under any circumstances, going to use it.


This is Hubs, programming the giant, hot pink remote last night.

I think even Hubs will admit that it is so nice to just punch in the channel number. I don't think we will never ask the question, "Has anyone seen the remote control?"

It's a BIG day!

Hubs is, at this very moment, taking his manikin (or mannequin) board exams. This is the first of 3 rounds of testing this year for him to become a dentist. Today he will do a crown and a root canal. This is a big day for him, so I will be praying all day as he takes the exam.


Call me a pumpkin, witch, ghoul, or ghost. I am a quarter of a century old today (25)!

Birthdays are so fun. It is the one day a year that I don't feel guilty about splurging and having a day "all about me." So far, I have had a latte, a piece of homemade pumpkin cheesecake, and a lemon cupcake in the shape of a rose! Plus, I got this super-awesome giant High School Musical birthday card from my favorite people at work!

Often, I get asked whether I like having Halloween on my birthday. When I was younger, it posed some difficulties in that my friends wanted to trick or treat instead of celebrate my birthday. Or, I always had to bring my birthday treats a day before or a day after Halloween because there was already a Halloween party.

But now, I could not imagine having my birthday on a different day. I remember one year that my dad sent me flowers at school. It was the best arrangement with the flowers sitting in a pumpkin. Sticks came out of the arrangement and fake cobwebs hung around the sticks. Now tell me whom else, besides a Halloween Birthday girl, can get that sort of cool arrangement for her birthday?

Ten reasons I love having a Halloween Birthday.
1. Stores start decorating for my birthday in September!
2. Lots of people celebrate on my birthday!
3. It's so cool to say, "Yeah, my birthday is on Halloween."
4. Fall/Halloween decorations are cool.
5. People can remember my birthday really easily.
6. I get cool Halloween Birthday cards.
7. October is the best month of the year.
8. It's a great time to eat chili and caramel apples.
9. It's the perfect holiday for a birthday. Let's face it - Halloween without my birthday, just wouldn't be fun!
10. I get to share my birthday with my grandma-in-law!

How old young do I really look?

Hubs and I went out for dinner Friday night. At the end of our meal, our waitress asked, "Would you like separate checks, or should I combine them?"

Hubs: Well, I should probably pay for my wife, don't you think?
Waitress: You guys are married? You look so young! I'll be right back with your check.

The waitress herself looked pretty young. When she returned...

Hubs: Do you mind if I ask how old you would have guessed us to be?
Waitress: Oh, I thought you were probably 18 or 19.
Hubs: Oh really? So, do you mind if I ask how old you are?
Waitress: Me? I'm 21! (she said this with confidence)
Feath: Oh wow. Well, I'm almost 25 and he is 24.
Waitress: Wow, you guys look really young. You must get carded all the time.

Although this was a new conversation to Hubs, I get this all the time. Sometimes, I stop at Starbucks on my way to work. I usually have to wait at the drive-thru window and the barista's try to make conversation. Their first question, without fail, is, "So, are you headed off to class this morning?" To which I respond, "No. I am headed off to work."

Before you even think of saying it, yes I know this will be wonderful when I am 50. And, yes I am happy that I look younger than my actual age instead of older. But I do wonder: Is it the clothes I wear? The fact that I am super short? Just my facial features in general? My demeanor? Hmmm.

For now, I blame it on the braces. I will be anxious to see if I get fewer remarks when they come off.

I forgot my camera

So many things to take pictures of and I left my camera at home.

1) My laundry room is clean. I did not plan to clean my it last night. It is usually disorganized and messy, but since I am usually the only person who uses it, it is the last thing on my list to clean. Last night, I went to unload the dryer. I thought it was odd that the floor was wet, but proceeded to unload anyways. Then, I realized that all the dirty clothes on the floor awaiting their turn for the washing machine were completely soaked. Not tonight. I don't have the energy for this. Sure enough, water is coming from the washing machine. All the hoses are tight. The drain is not clogged. It's a mystery. Well, the machine finishes spinning and it sounds like water is still pouring into the washing machine. Sure enough, the machine is off but water keeps on pouring in. I'm calling the repair man today.

So, I lay out all the soaked clothes throughout the apartment and stay up drying clothes late. I can't wait to see the water and electricity bill.

2) We finally have a jam-packed week again! I wish you could see our calendar!

3) The Husker game was a fun birthday present. It was a perfect day: clear skies, 63 degrees, light breeze, and we won!

4) We had 49 mph wind gusts yesterday. Laura, her mom, and I still went out for our 5K race. Let me tell ya, this is my kinda race. Girls on the Run of Nebraska is an organization/club to get young girls active. They sponsor a fun 5K 2 times each year. They don't keep track of your times; every body's number is "1;" it is just to get people out and active.

I didn't "train" for this run, because I just wanted to get out there and have fun. There were moments when I felt like I was running in place (against the wind), so I cannot imagine how hard it was for the girls half my size! Still, we finished and, I think, were happy with how we did, especially considering the circumstances. Laura's mom beat her last time by 1.5 minutes and I came in at 27:05. I think the best feeling is afterwards. I felt like I had accomplished something good and even this morning I just feel good. It's hard to explain.

By the way, Hubs did come and I am so glad he did! It was great to look for him to cheer me on. Also, all the encouragement along the way from the entire crowd helped so much to keep us going in the windy, cold weather.

Just have to brag

I got my birthday present from Hubs last night. He's taking me to the Nebraska vs. Baylor football game tomorrow! It's supposed to be sunny, 65 degrees, and I am very excited. A whole afternoon of Husker football, time with Hubs, and fun.

As a side note, this is the 2nd birthday that I have requested and received tickets to a football game. For my 11th (I think) birthday, my parents surprised me with tickets to a Buffalo Bills game vs. Kansas City. It was a big deal to me because my family in Kansas were big time Chiefs fans while we were big time Bills fans. I believe this was the year my grandpa and I started our friendly bet. Each year, we bet on our respective teams to win the game versus each other. The person who lost had to buy the other person something with their team's logo on it. Well, I was not disappointed with this game. My Buffalo Bills won 41-10 (I can still remember who made most of the touchdowns that day)! The cheerleaders were dressed up in costumes (for Halloween) and it was so much fun.

So, tomorrow's game will be another great birthday present and the best part will be spending uninterupted time with Hubs. Thanks Babe!

5 reasons it was a good weekend (plus a bonus)

1. Great weather for a long walk with Hubs.

2. Girl's night and girl's breakfast.

3. Lots of time to read.

4. Play-time with a puppy.

5. All the laundry is done.

Bonus: Hubs loves me.

Wild Kingdom

It's a jungle out there! Well, actually it is a big, open field, with lots of weeds and bugs.

2:00am this morning I wake up to Hubs getting a drink of water. As I wait for him to come back, I hear the screen door open, so I get up to investigate.

There was a noise coming from the open field in front of our apartment complex. A noise so hard to explain and I could never repeat it. It was sort of a squawk, sort of a quack, but also sort of a seagull sound. The noise occured about once every 8 seconds, without fail. We figured it must be some sort of an animal, and it sounded as if it might be hurt. Or, maybe it was a mating call. After listening for a while, I was more than ready to go hop back under my warm covers and go to sleep. Hubs, however, decided to investigate.

A few minutes after he left, I got back out of bed to watch where he went. Hubs was no where in sight. Immediately, my mind took off. I thought, What if there is a bad guy out there who was just making a noise, hoping that someone would come outside to see what was up? I bet they captured Hubs, took his keys and now they are trying the key in each door to find out which apartment I am in. What should I do? Where should I hide? I could go stand outside, on our balcony. Maybe they won't check out there. Finally, I stopped my imagination and told myself to think on true, real things (Phil 4:8). I went to the window again and saw a flashlight beam in the weeds. What a dummy I am for making up that whole story and freaking myself out! So, I returned to my warm bed to calm down.

Hubs came back in about 15 minutes later. He said that the noise would stop as he walked through the weeds, but that the sound was coming from the roof of a house. He pointed the flashlight up at the roof and saw a huge bird. Being 2:15am, I didn't ask how huge, but I am still picturing an ostrich-sized bird on the top of a roof. The bird flew away when the flashlight found him, and the noise stopped for the rest of the night. I did some research this morning and cannot find a bird noise quite like what we heard. It was really a strange noise. Hubs also mentioned that, while walking around in the weeds, he heard some other animal noises and movements.

Well, I was wide awake, now 2:30am, so we talked a little before falling back to sleep. But, how can you sleep knowing Wild Kingdom (or Criminal Minds) is right outside your window?

Running with Hubs

Last night I got home and saw a note on the counter. Hubs had gone for a run. So I changed and headed out for a run myself. Hubs had just gotten home (from 4 miles) when I stepped outside and I, jokingly, said, "Wanna go for another 2?" He said he did and I immediately wished I would have kept my mouth shut.

You may remember, that running with Hubs has had its hard-times. We decided months back that it was much more fun to pass each other and give a friendly high-five than to try to match strides. So, immediately I feared that this would turn out the same. Much to my surprise, it was our best run together.

I like having a little music to keep me going. I think I even run to the beat. I have an armband radio, which looks ancient compared to the new things out there. So, while I am holding out to get one of these for my birthday, I have been running with only the music in my head to keep me going. So, you see, my Hubs has a great ability to talk and run at the same time which made the run very enjoyable. Talking also kept him preoccupied so he didn't realize say anything about how incredibly slow we were going!

A picture of Hubs doing what he enjoys

Click the tooth.

Lost in the Corn

This is all we saw for 2 hours Friday night.

Along with friends, we went to the World's Largest Corn Maze - right here in Nebraska. It took us 1 hour and 50 minutes for us to get through one of their 4-mile long mazes. Although frustrating at times, it was fun and worth going.




The group before going through the maze.


Hubs on shoulder-ridin' duty.


Look how tall the corn stalks are!

We were told, before entering the maze, that only 2 people had made it through the entire maze so far this year. We were pretty happy with our accomplishment, depsite many wrong turns along the way.