A Bean, a Bench, and a Bride (aka The Engagement Story)

12.30.2010

"So when do you think you'll get engaged?" 
"Oh, I don't know. We haven't really talked about it. But I know for sure that it won't be this year. Maybe...oh...if I was to guess, I'd say March at the earliest, maybe April."

It was the week before Christmas, and I was sitting in the kitchen at my parents' house in Texas, talking to my mom. My thirteen-year-old sister was sitting on a stool next to me, leaning toward me with her chin resting in her palm. 

"Well, he's really cute," she said and grinned, turning to watch as my mom poured a bag of frozen corn into a pot to cook as a side for our dinner that night. "If he asked you to marry him, what would you say?" 

* * *

I asked Jordan to come with me to Illinois for Christmas sort of as a joke. I didn't really think he'd say yes. It was some time in September, and we'd just seen the movie Inception. I told him that I was going to incept the idea into his mind, and one day he'd wake up and think the thought to miss Christmas with his family and drive 26 hrs round-trip with me to Illinois was his own.

Two weeks later, he called me from work to say that he'd decided to come...as long as I spent Thanksgiving with his family. 
"What are we, like, married?" I said. 
"It's only fair," he replied. 

So I spent Thanksgiving with his family and brought some homemade cookies and a cream cheese ball, with which I won their hearts. [Read that story here.] After Thanksgiving, I started getting excited about Christmas in Illinois. We were going to leave on Thursday morning and drive as far as St. Louis. We planned to meet up with my parents, brothers, and sister on Friday morning and drive up to grandparents' house (Mom's side). Then we would spend Saturday with the Reeses, sleep over at my dad's parents' house, and head to Chicago on Saturday with my mom, dad, Daniel (brother, 22), Austin (brother, 18), Sarah (sister, 13), and my mom's parents (Nonnie and Papa). 

Everything went perfectly, and Jordan was fabulous. He went with the flow, endured more than a few jokes at the hands of my uncles, and got along wonderfully with everyone. Then, with the family celebrations behind us, we could start getting excited about our Chicago excursion. 

Sunday dawned clear and white. It was a beautiful day for walking around the city, with cool 28-degree temperatures and a few inches of snow on the ground. The nine of us dressed warmly with boots, hats, gloves, long underwear (in Jordan's case), and puffy coats. I didn't shower that morning, figuring since I was going to be walking around in the city with all my layers, it wouldn't matter what I looked like. I checked my phone before we left but decided to leave it at my grandparents' house. "I won't need to call anyone," I mumbled to myself as I pulled on my boots. 

We arrived in the city pretty early in the morning in order to maximize our time. Everyone wanted to buy a souvenir of some sort, so we stopped at every touristy shop we walked by to look at shirts and bags and coffee mugs. (You'd think we'd never been to Chicago before.) Then it was off to the bean. 

In case you don't know what the bean is, it's basically what it sounds like--a huge, steel, bean-shaped structure in the middle of downtown Chicago. People flock to it 365 days a year to take pictures and put their hand on it and walk under it. I don't know if I've personally ever seen it in the winter when it's covered in snow like this. Kinda cool.




"There it is!" I tugged on Jordan's arm and pointed. "Do you see it?"
"Uh...yeah." He looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. 
What is his deal? I thought. Why is he walking so slow? Doesn't he want to see it?
"Come on." I tugged on his arm again, trying to move him along. 

We finally reached the bean, and I immediately started taking pictures. I made Jordan stand by me and take a few. He then took my arm and started steering me away. 
"Wait!" I said, making a face at my brother. "This picture is terrible. You got more ground than bean. We need to take it again." 
I handed my camera to Austin and pulled Jordan back to our picture spot. He was reluctant to move, which I chalked up to his general dislike of pictures. After we took a few more pics, Jordan again took my arm and started steering me away. 
"What are we doing?" I asked. 
"Let's walk over here," he said.
I looked back and saw my family milling about, taking photos and laughing. "But everyone's over there." I pointed just in case he didn't understand. "We can come over here later."
"I just want to be alone with you," he said, taking my hand.
"Well, okay," I said, thinking, I can't really argue with that. We have been surrounded by my family for the past three days. 
"Fine. Let's go see the faces."

[In case you don't know, across the park just a short walk are two huge, rectangular-shaped structures. Each has a face on it, and they blink and move their lips; and in the summer, water shoots out their mouths, and all the little kids play in it. (I got the following picture off Google. The faces may or may not be somewhat creepy. I don't fully understand their purpose.)]

"Look! They're moving." I pointed at one of the faces, which had just blinked. "See?"
"No, I didn't."

"That's because you're not looking." Pause. "It just did it again! Did you see that?" I turned to look at him, only to find him staring at the ground. 
"Why aren't you looking? They're blinking! And in the summer, water shoots out of their mouths and--" 
"Sssh!" He held a finger to his lips. "I've been trying to say something for the past five minutes! Stop talking about the stupid faces!"
"Oh. Okay. Sorry."
He shuffled his feet then began to talk. "Remember when I went to Dallas with Jeff? When was that...three weeks ago?"
"Yeah."
"I told you I drove in Jeff's car, and I said we went to drop off a guitar for his friend."
"Yeah."
"Well, I have a confession. I did go to Dallas with Jeff, but I drove my truck. And we didn't go to drop off a guitar." Pause. "I went to talk to your dad."

At those words, my heart stopped. 

"You...wha...?"

I watched in slow motion as he reached into the pocket of his green winter coat and pulled out a small white box. In one fluid movement he opened it toward me and knelt down, his left knee instantly absorbing the winter slush that covered the ground. 

"Amanda, I love you and I want to be with you, and I'm asking you to marry me."
Seeing the shock that instantly covered my face, he felt the need to quickly add, "I'm serious."

At first I thought I was going to burst into tears. My hand slowly made it's way up to cover my mouth; but it never made it, because in the very next second I knew if I didn't sit down, I was going to faint. I turned and frantically looked for a bench, but they were all covered in at least three inches of snow. 

Right then, I realized why people are always sitting in the movies. It's not to look good--it's because you need to. I swayed on my feet while staring blankly at the boy kneeling in front of me, holding out his sparkling offer of love and commitment. I couldn't focus. I couldn't breathe. And, unfortunately for Jordan, I couldn't speak. 

"Amanda. I'm asking you to marry me."
Silence.
"Amanda."
Silence.
"You have to say something. Your family is watching."
I turned around just in time to see two faces pull back from behind a bush some yards away.
"They...they know about this?"
"Yes."
"Um..." Again I turned and looked around for a bench, as if in the last 30 seconds one had mysteriously been cleaned and dried.
"Are you freaking out?" he asked.
"Yes. I am totally freaking out!"
"So...are you going to say something?"
"Well, I, I mean...yes?"
"Are you being serious?"
"No. I mean yes! Yes!"
He stood up and held the ring out. "Well, do you want it?"
"Of course!" I said, continuing to stare blankly. 
"Are you going to take it?"
I took the box and pulled out the ring and slipped it on. 
"I hope it fits," he said, looking nervously at me. "And we can get a different setting if you don't like it."
"Are you kidding? Of course I don't want to change it! I love it. It's beautiful." I twirled the white-gold band around and around on my finger, watching as the circle-shaped diamond sparkled in the light.

We started walking back toward my family, who were standing in a tight circle, watching us walk closer. I pointed at my dad, held up my hand, and shouted, "You knew about this!"
"Knew about what?" he replied.
"This!" I waved my hand again, and that's when Daniel and Austin turned around.
"What the heck?" they shouted at the same time. 

"Is that for real?" Daniel asked. 

My mom hurried over to me, tears filling her eyes as she hugged me. My grandparents were surprised as well, hugging Jordan then me and then grabbing my hand to look at the ring. Nonnie, who has worked at a jewelry store forever, started talking about rings and settings, and I wasn't really sure what exactly she was saying. My dad took my camera out of my coat pocket and made circles, taking pictures of everything. 


I still wasn't fully comprehending what was happening and stupidly continued to repeat the same phrase over and over. "I can't believe you guys knew about this!"

Then I would look at my left hand and shout, "It's just like a movie!"

We called his parents, and I finally understood why they'd acted so strange when we left for the weekend--hugging me and whispering something in Jordan's ear that had made him blush. 

Note the smiley face in the snow just above our heads. I think it's a sign.
At one point--while my mom was trying to turn her camera on and my grandparents were talking to my brothers--I turned and saw Jordan. He was standing off to the side with a satisfied smile on his face. He reached out and pulled me close. I was still in disbelief, and I continued to be for the rest of the day. But at least I didn't need to look for a bench, because I knew he would hold me up. 



Click on the "a boy" tag for more Jordan moments. Here are a few of my favorites:

And this. This is my most favorite moment of all.

 (Thanks, Dad and Sarah, for being creepsters and hiding behind a bush to take pictures. [Apparently my grandpa thought they were taking pictures of a bird.])

Little Moments

12.28.2010

On Thursday, Jordan and I left Oklahoma to drive to Illinois. We met up with my parents in St. Louis and caravan(ed) it up to my grandparents' house. Christmas Eve was spent with my mom's side of the family, and then we woke up early the next morning and headed off to my other grandparents' house for Christmas with my dad's side.

Jordan met a lot of family this weekend and was a trooper. They all loved him (of course), and I loved getting to show Jordan where I grew up and having him put faces with all the names I've been throwing at him for the past year and a half.

On Sunday--the day after Christmas--my parents, brothers, sister, Jordan, and my grandparents (mom's side) drove into Chicago and spent the day walking around, hitting all the hot spots and showing Jordan the sights and sounds of the big city.

It went by quickly, and I can't believe we're already back. I had more fun than I thought I would, which is saying a lot, since I've been looking forward to this weekend for months. Mostly, though, it was a weekend full of little moments--pieces of time where I found myself taking a second just to stop, wishing I could freeze that moment forever, knowing that the next second it would be gone.

Moments like the face Jordan made when he opened up the box with the blanket I'd made him--the one I'd been working on since September.


Moments like seeing one of my best friends the day before Christmas and giving her a big hug.


Moments like my grandma (mom's mom--we call her Nonnie) sitting by the tree, handing out the presents she'd so carefully chosen for her grandchildren.


Moments like sitting next to my beautiful 87-year-old grandmother (Grandma Lee--my dad's mom). When I hugged her good-bye, I didn't want to let go.


Moments like my brothers, dad, and boyfriend sitting around a table playing marble baseball--a game my grandpa has had for 70 years.


And then the moment my grandpa joined in the fun, pulling an old, worn box full of marbles off a shelf and saying in his gravelly voice, "Let me see what these old boys can do." At that moment, I could picture him as a young boy, playing this game with his friends on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I don't think I've ever seen him so giddy. He was being hilarious, and at one point I was laughing so hard I was crying.


Moments like Jordan seeing the city I love so much for the first time and saying, "Wow. Chicago is awesome."


Then the moment it got really cold, and my die-hard Packers fan pulled on the new Bears beanie my grandparents had given him for Christmas and gave me that adorable, dimpled smile of his.


The 25 minutes Justine and I got to spend together when we met up at a McDonald's off the interstate for a breakfast smoothie and a familiar hug.


All those little moments and so many more made up a weekend to remember; and I stopped along the way and made a point to freeze them in my mind, if only for a second. But there was one moment in particular that stopped time all on its own. However, it deserves its own post with its own pictures, and I still need to wrap my head around what actually happened--so you'll just have to wait for that story.

I promise it's a good one.

Flashback Friday--Homemade Ornaments

12.24.2010

I promised in an earlier post that I would show you two ornaments made by younger me, and I am here to deliver.

#1:

I'm not going to pretend this ornament isn't creepy. As if it wasn't obvious, I painted this myself at some point in elementary school. Something happened with the mouth. I blame the fact that I'm left-handed. I know that had something to do with the (what I can only assume is supposed to be lipstick) smudge. I have no idea what the random gold sparkles are there for, but they completely cover the other side of this ornament. I've bedazzled this creepy snowman to the max.


#2:  

This next one always makes it on the tree even though it's of rather awkward rectangular size. I used to hate this ornament, but it's grown on me over the years, and now I kinda like it. I made this in kindergarten, which I know because that's my school picture in the top left corner. (It was the only year I had bangs.) 

Like the red smudge in the above ornament, this lovely piece of pure genius artwork has an unfortunate smudge of blue paint. I can only assume that I was finger painting, and my finger slipped. It would also seem that I got interrupted in my careful organization of a purple/white/blue pattern and was forced to paint the rest of the border with black. 


You can see why I'm not currently making my living as an artist. Clearly I was not destined to draw or paint or anything of the sort. I bet I hurried to finish my ornaments each year so I could get back to my book. 
 
*Just for fun, see if you can find one of these two ornaments in the tree photo in my earlier post. Don't try to find both of them, because you will be looking forever.

Balloons and Lights

12.22.2010

Last weekend, when I was in Texas, my family went to see some Christmas lights. Apparently there's this town that's famous (in Texas, at least) for its Christmas festivities. This town was featured on the news, and since we all know the news is right about everything, obviously these lights were going to be the most fantastic thing we'd ever seen.

We arrived at the town square and pulled into a parking lot. A lot of people were standing around taking pictures of something, and when we looked, we were shocked to see a line of hot air balloons in a large field! Some of them were decorated with Christmas lights, and all of them were sitting on the ground, rising into the air many, many feet above our heads. 


I don't think I've ever even seen a hot air balloon in real life in the sky, so to be able to see one so close on the ground was pretty cool. 

Every so often, all the balloon managers or whatever they're called would light the fire at the same time, so all the balloons lit up at once. This is what it looked like from the balloon we were standing by at the time. The flame got really hot and bright and burned for only a few seconds at a time.


It looked cool from farther away too.


After we got bored looking at the balloons, we set off for the lights. When we got to the square, we wondered if we'd come to the right place. I mean, there were lights, but overall we weren't that impressed. 

"Uh...this is it?" That's what we all said as we looked around. "Why was this on the news?"
We walked around for about ten minutes before deciding to head to dinner. We called the restaurant and ordered (we had planned to pick the food up and take it home), and we had just started walking back toward the car when we heard music. 

Then more lights came on, which we quickly realized were in time with the music. Flashing reds and blues and whites turned on and off in time with Christmas tunes that were blaring from a loud speaker somewhere. 

"Okay, I guess this is kinda cool." That's what we all said as we looked around.


Come to find out, the special lights show was scheduled to begin at 6:00. If we'd left five minutes earlier, and we would have missed it completely. But I decided that for me it wouldn't have been a total loss. I thought the balloons were still pretty cool.

This One's For the Girls

12.21.2010

Just under two months ago I wrote about why I'm excited for the end of football season. It was because of the fantasy football league I'm in at work; I was getting super stressed about my team and about making good decisions and not looking stupid. 

Fast forward seven weeks, and I am now in the final round of playoffs. It's me vs. a coworker for all the glory (and $100). Having beaten a host of boys, I feel pretty proud of myself. I can hang with the guys every so often, and apparently I have really good sports luck. 

Last year I paid $10 and entered into my company's March Madness pool, where I also went to the finals and ended up losing by about 5 points. I hope that doesn't happen this time. No, I'd like to win one for the girls and show those boys what's up.

This weekend and next will determine the winner. My team is The Ball Grabbers. I hope it lives up to its name. 

Then I can finally focus on real football and root for my Bears all the way to the Super Bowl.

 

(Installment 8) My Next 9 Weeks

For those who've kept up with me during my weekly goals, I'm sad to report that I've got nothing this week. I'm still reading World War Z, so we're just gonna say that's this week's goal too. That and convincing myself to get up before 6:00 each morning are about all I can handle at this point. I would feel bad, but I'm too excited about Christmas!

I'm excited for snow and seeing family and a thirteen-hour road trip (yes, I really am excited about that). I hear it's the coldest it's been in Chicago in one hundred years! Good. I've had about enough of this seventy-degrees-in-December business. I mean seriously. And last night the Bears clinched their division. Know what that means? PLAYOFFS! See? I'm quite excited.

I'll make up for my seemingly lack of a goal by thinking of something awesome for week nine. I promise. I need to send 2010 off with a bang.

My Favorite Family Ornaments

12.20.2010

This past weekend I drove to Texas for Christmas. I know it's not actually Christmas yet, but in three days we're headed for the blizzard that is Illinois, so we celebrated our family Christmas the week before. While I was home, I took pictures of my favorite ornaments, which I am now going to display proudly for all to see.
You can find these at most craft shows--the made-by-design family ornaments complete with names and heads enough for each member. They grow as the years continue (or shrink as family pets are taken to the "farm"). I really like all the family ornaments my mom has bought over the years, but I took a picture of my personal favorites (during which time my sister asked me what I was doing and why I was taking up-close photos of our tree).

[Preview: You'll also want to come back for this week's Flashback Friday, which will highlight two awesome ornaments made by yours truly.]

First, the tree, Texas style: 


(From this angle you can see at least three of the following ornaments. See if you can spot them just for fun.)

And now I give you, a few of my favorite family ornaments:

#1: Okay, I lied. This is obviously not a family ornament. Or is it...? I was, after all, the firstborn. So technically I was the family. Agreed? Okay good.


So this is my first ornament, and I think it's so cute. The bear has eyelashes and a red bow! This is probably the reason red is my favorite color.
 #2:

I love this ornament. I love the over-sized star at the top and the red heart in the middle. I love the gingerbread people and the fact that my parents are holding hands (as much as two gingerbread people can hold hands). Amanda and Daniel. The original Reese crew. [I'm going to ignore the fact that there is an unnecessary apostrophe placement in our name. Craft people shouldn't be expected to know grammar, right?]

#3:

This next one is great. I love the dog sitting by the fire  Jack was our dog for as long as I can remember. He died when he was sixteen, I think, about five years ago. He lived a good life. We'd added Austin to the family by this point, and I love the three stockings. And they're red! Brilliant. [Again, please disregard the apostrophe. Thank you.]

Last but not least... 

#4:


This might be the most recent family ornament; it's the whole fam circa 2006--Sarah included. I think the floating heads are funny. And I think it's hilarious that I'm just chilling at the bottom. The snowman is the O, which is super clever, and...wait for it...a red bird! Sensing a theme yet?

Family ornaments are fun, and I love how different they all are. Whether it be the actual design or the amount of names, you'll never get two the same. Over the years, we've cut back on the amount of ornaments we hang on the tree; but I'm glad these still make it up there every year. They're some of my favorites.

[Note: you should be able to spot at least three of these in the tree picture above.]

Merry Christmas!

Flashback Friday--A Date and a Black Dress

12.17.2010

This flashback is from three days ago. Is that lame? Maybe, but I'm doing it anyway. 

Tuesday was my company Christmas party, which I talked about in this post. I didn't win anything in the raffle drawing this year. At least, I didn't think so until I saw this picture. 

Cute date FTW!
(That means For The Win for all you folks who are confused.)
 



I also would like to give honorable mention to the dress I'm wearing. Believe it or not, that's the same dress I wore to my high school graduation. Some might find that a bit sad; I myself find it awesome. It's like my mom says: A classic black dress never really goes out of style.

Why the Radio Hates Me

12.16.2010

For the past two weeks, I've been setting my alarm for 5:50 a.m. to go work out. I'm telling you this not to sound awesome but as a set-up for my problem:

The radio hates me. 

How I know this: If it didn't hate me, it would play crappy songs in morning, in which case I would want to get out of my warm bed immediately if only because it's absolutely necessary that I rush across the room and turn off the horrible music and/or annoying talking and/or loud commercials. Instead, they play better songs between 5:50 and 6:00 a.m. than I hear all day! No matter the station, every morning it's a song I love. I end up lying in bed, singing to myself, while pulling the blankets closer to me and thinking, I'll get up after this song. All this only to have the next song be even better than the last!

Obviously the radio hates me. 

Even so, I have managed to mostly resist its pull towards flabbiness and poor health. I've made it to the gym every morning this week. It just takes me an extra 6 minutes or so.

Bread and Installment 7

12.13.2010

On Saturday, I stayed home and drank a lot of this:

And made a loaf of this:

My bread turned out all right. It still wasn't as light as I would have liked, but it was an improvement on the first two tries, so I am considering it a success.

(It's supposed to be higher...right? I think so.)


I talked to my friend's mom (she's the one I got the recipe from), and she said it took her a lot of trial and error to get her bread right. In the wise, comforting words of a mother, she told me, "I've been making bread for twenty years. Believe me, I've made more than a few bricks." 

That made me feel better. If I just keep trying, by 2030 I'll be making delicious loaves of bread. By then, of course, I'll own a robot servant who will make the bread for me in a floating oven. Ah, the future. Something to look forward to. 

In all seriousness, it was a pretty good day. Resolution for week 6 in the books, and I need something new for week 7. 

As I was thinking about what to commit to this week, I realized that lately I've gotten out of the habit of reading for pleasure. In my defense, reading all day makes my eyes tired, and I usually just don't have it in me to read something when I could be blankly staring at the TV. 

However, Jordan picked out a book for me to read, like, a month ago, and it's been slooooow going. I feel bad, because it's not because I don't like the book but more about the fact that I'm busy/tired/sick of reading. Nevertheless, the time has come for me to stop being lame. Thus, my installment for week 7 (which will actually include week 8 as well because I feel the need to give myself a cushion):

By Saturday, December 24, I will be finished with World War Z.  

Merry Christmas, Jordan. You can have your book back.
And merry Christmas, me. You can feel more accomplished and proud of yourself. 

Everyone wins.

Working Out, Parties, and Illinois

12.10.2010

Things that make me happy = waking up at 6:00 a.m. to work out.

Yeah...not so much. But I still did it anyway. Every. Day. This. Week.

Except Wednesday. That's because I was working from home and stayed in bed all day in my pajamas while I answered e-mails and edited books.

And, okay, I can't lie. Except Friday. That's because I stayed up until midnight cleaning up after the Pampered Chef party I hosted at my apartment. It was an all-girls' night complete with homemade pizza and the purchasing of kitchen gadgets.

I realized last night as I was getting ready for bed that I have a wonderful life. No, not like the movie. Actually, I don't think I've seen that movie all the way through. I've seen the ending. I think. And maybe the beginning. 

The point is, my life is wonderful. 

This month so far has been crazy busy. If I'm not at church practicing for the Christmas concert, I'm at Bible study or at a Christmas party or shopping for Christmas presents or going to the grocery store to buy food for a party. And I feel like I haven't seen Jordan hardly at all.

Even so, this month has been awesome. I'm not kidding when I say that buying gifts for people makes me really happy. Of course, I also get stressed about spending money, but thinking up the perfect gift idea for someone I love never fails to get me excited. I think I've done pretty well this year, but I guess that's still TBD for now.

And the best present of the year is still rapidly approaching:

Just under two weeks from today, Jordan and I will be on our way to Illinois for Christmas! Hilarity will ensue. Family members will be met. Gifts will be given. It's gonna be epic.

But until then, I'm going to continue to work out in the mornings. 
And tomorrow I'm going to bake a loaf of bread.

(Installment 6) My Next 9 Weeks

12.06.2010

It's week 6 already. That means 4 weeks left in 2010! What the heck? I'm trying not to freak out.

Last week my goal was to do some sort of exercise for 20 minutes each day. I got in 5 out of 7, which isn't bad. However, now that I have another half marathon on the horizon (ahem, March 5, 2011), I really need to get in gear. This week I am trying out a work-out schedule of waking up at 6:00 a.m. to go running/weights/stairs. Today was day 1, and it was really good! Hopefully I can get back in shape in three months without killing myself or looking foolish on race day. I'm sure I'll write more about this later.

For now, let's just talk about my resolution for this week. A simple one, or so it seems:

Bake a successful loaf of bread.  

By successful, I mean eatable. By eatable, I mean delicious. This goal comes from my mid-year assessment of accomplishments in 2010. I need to start cranking these out since I only have 4 weeks left. Hopefully this loaf is less than a 90% failure.
I'll keep you posted.

Half Marathon Take 2

12.04.2010

Today I registered for this:


It's March 5 in Olympia, Washington. A friend from college lives out there, and we're gonna run the half marathon together. It's a trail run through woods and stuff.

I have exactly 3 months to get in shape.

Let the training begin!

Flashback Friday--A Christmas Party!

12.03.2010

This month I'm doing all Christmas flashbacks! 


This picture was taken three years ago in December of 2007, senior year of college.

My roommates and I had a Christmas party that year, and, since we are super cool and fun, our party involved (among other things) cookie decorating, an Elf movie marathon, games, and paper snowflake cutting, which is what we're doing in the first picture. Perhaps you're thinking maybe it was a slightly lame party? No, not lame. Awesome.

None of my roommates are actually in the above photo, but they're in this one: 


Amber, Allison, Cori, Justine, and Me!
Note: Red is not my color at all. When given a choice, I try to always go with green.

On Forgetfulness and General Annoyance

This morning I woke up early to go running. I'd set a goal of doing some sort of exercise for 20 minutes every day this week. I knew I wouldn't have time to go this evening, so I set my alarm early so I could get up and go running.

My alarm went of as planned; but instead of getting up, I lay in bed listening to Christmas songs on the radio. Finally I got up, annoyed with myself. I did stretch, do some push-ups, and leg lifts. But I was supposed to go running.

At least, I reasoned, trying to be positive, I have delicious leftovers for lunch today. See, last night a friend came over, and I had made a huge pot of taco soup. There were a ton of leftovers, and I was planning on bringing some to work today for her to eat too. 

I was in the middle of brushing my teeth when a horrible thought hit. I just knew I'd forgotten to put that pot of chicken, corn, beans, and cheese in the fridge before going to bed last night. I ran into the kitchen and frantically flipped on the light.


Sure enough, there was that big, red pot sitting on the stove where I'd left it. I can't chance eating spoiled chicken. There's cheese in there too. And corn and other veggies. It's ruined.

It's hard to have a positive attitude when things keep going wrong. I'll admit that both the whole not-getting-up thing and the forgetting-to-put-the-leftovers-in-the-fridge thing were my fault. But sometimes it's just easier to blame karma or bad luck. Mostly, though, I'm really, really annoyed with myself.

Here's to having a better afternoon.

UPDATE: Upon further reflection, I feel bad that my first December post is full of complaining and negativity. I should note that as of 12:13 p.m., my day has been better. Not great, but better. I have high hopes for this evening. A friend and I (not the same taco soup friend from last night) are going to a Christmas craft show. I'm hoping to find a few good gifts.

UPDATE UPDATE: The craft show was fun, and I did find the perfect gift for one of my friends. But mostly it was fun to hang out with my aforementioned non-taco-soup friend. It was a good night.

(Installment 5) My Next 9 Weeks

11.30.2010

My goal for last week was to cook 2 new things.

What I cooked: 

Cream cheese ball (find the recipe at the end of this post) and chicken spaghetti (read about that crazy experience here).
I also made a double-batch of chocolate chip cookies and a huge pot of puppy chow. And gained 50 pounds. But that's okay, because it's a new week, and I've got a new goal.

For this week, it's already Tuesday, so I've missed a few days. Something I'd like to do in the future is enforce a strictly no-computer Sunday. I want to at least try it for a month. But right now it's still Fantasy Football season, and I need to stay updated. (I'm first place in my division and closer than ever to my $100 prize. Watch out, boys.)

So...I need a different goal for this week. I've already failed at this for yesterday, but for this week (minus a day or two) I am going to exercise for at least 20 minutes every day. That could be Pilates, running, crunches, weights. Whatever. I'm doing it. 
 
Aaaaand...I might be registering for another half marathon tonight. Oye.

UPDATE: As of Friday, Dec 3, I have not registered for any upcoming races. Jordan seems to think I have blocked out how awful training for the other half marathon was and should at least fully think through the commitment required to participate in another one. So I am thinking it through. And waiting for a basket full of hundred-dollar bills to drop from the sky and into my living room.

UPDATE #2: As of Sunday, Dec 5, I am registered for a half marathon on March 5. Apparently it didn't take long for my attitude to change. My financial situation, however, has not. Still waiting for that basket full of bills...

Shutterfly for Christmas...for Free!

11.29.2010

My friend Jessica posted a blog about Shutterfly giving away 50 free Christmas cards for anyone who writes a post about how great Shutterfly is. (To sign yourself up and get in on the action, go here.) I've actually been wanting to use Shutterfly to make some cards but haven't done anything about it yet. This could be my opportunity! Hurrah!

I love taking pictures, looking at pictures, and pretty much everything else that has to do with pictures. The only thing I'm missing is a really spectacular (ahem, expensive) camera. Maybe someday.

For now, I'll use the pictures I have and try my hand at designing some sweet cards. (Check out all of Shutterfly's Christmas cards.)

It will probably take me forever to choose the perfect design, but Shutterfly's got lots of good ones to pick from! This one's cute (minus the two random girls and plus six good-lookin' Reeses).









Or this one. (I like the ones that say "Merry Christmas.")











Plus, check this out: Desk calendars! I didn't know you could make such a thing. Well, I did, but I've never seriously considered it for myself. Now I might have to. You can also get other holiday cards here. Wow your friends with your creativity! You know you want to.

Quick question: Is it weird/strange/lame to send out a Christmas card if you're: A. Not married B. Living by yourself C. Don't own a pet. D. Not sure if you know 50 people you could send a card to?

None of these apply to me, of course. It's hypothetical. I was just wondering. I know more than 50 people...

Thanks, Shutterfly!

Reminder: you can get free stuff too! Just go here.

EDIT 12/3: Last night I was sent my code for 50 free cards! It works!

Cooking, Chicken, and Crochet

11.28.2010

On Friday night, Jordan and I used a recipe from Pioneer Woman's cookbook and made chicken spaghetti. It ended up being delicious, but first we had to get past this:



(This obviously isn't a picture of the actual chicken we used. I'm terrible at remembering to take pictures while I'm cooking. [Maybe it's because I'm too busy burning my fingers and messing up the directions.])


Step 1: Read directions. Recipe calls for 1 fryer chicken.
Step 2: Google "fryer chicken"
Step 3: Successfully find fryer chicken in the grocery store without having to call my mom for help.
Step 4: Place chicken in pot full of water and turn burner on high.

It was at this point--when the chicken had been cooking for about ten minutes--that Jordan arrived, looked at the pot, which was just barely below overflowing, and asked me what I was doing.

I try to impress Jordan with my prowess in the kitchen, but a lot most of the time I end up making a ditzy move that he has to fix. In this case, I somehow had overlooked the part where the instructions called for cut-up fryer chicken.

Yeah, I had the entire chicken in the pot.

"I don't think that's right," he said, looking at me then back at the pot. "I'm pretty sure that chicken has all the guts still inside it."

After closer inspection of the directions, I discovered my mistake. So he turned off the burner and fished out the chicken (which he said felt like "touching a person"). Then we both stared at it for a full minute, trying to figure out what we were supposed to do.

I ended up using Google to find a video showing how to cut up a fryer chicken. It took Jordan almost half an hour to complete the task, during which time he narrated pulling out the lungs, heart, and removing what fat he could.

A few times he also said something to the effect of, "See that? That's blood. And...ugh... look at the fat. Makes me glad I'm not a doctor. That's what people look like to them."

I stood to the side, offering to do what I could to help; mostly I think I just annoyed him. After all, it was my fault we were in this predicament in the first place. The least I could have done was warned him that he'd be on chicken duty.

For a guy who once told me the sight of uncooked chicken made him sick to his stomach, he did a fantastic job. He finished cutting it up, we mixed all the ingredients together, and it was quite a success.

He also washed his hands about 8,000 times during the process because he's super careful and scared of food poisoning. And after he finished with the carcass, I made him fish it out of the garbage and take a picture. This is his I-am-completely-grossed-out-and-my-girlfriend-is-making-me-hold-this-and-take-a-picture face.


Then he washed his hands again.

What a trooper.

********

On a completely unrelated note, this afternoon I was crocheting, and I broke my crochet hook in half. I'm a very vigorous crocheter. Sometimes I don't know my own strength. I'm sure the fact that it was a plastic hook had nothing to do with it.

A Thanksgiving Story and a Cheese Ball

11.26.2010

Yesterday I had Thanksgiving with Jordan's family. I was nervous, as is to be expected, because I was going to be the unknown significant other. Note: this phrase will henceforth be referred to as USO.

Sounds like UFO. Coincidence?

Most likely another discussion for another day.
 
When you're the USO at a family function, you have to impress without it appearing like you're trying to impress. You have to dress cute without looking like you tried to dress cute. Like you just threw something on--something that's cute, casual, and comfortable while still appropriately dressy.

Plus, I know from experience (with cousins and siblings) that when you're the USO, you have to always be alert. When you aren't looking, people are watching you. It's true.

I heard a saying once about how people don't pay as much attention to you as you do to yourself. Well, when it refers to being the USO, that's complete crap. Everyone is watching you. Or maybe it's just my family. We're a little crazy. (Good luck this Christmas, Jordan.)

Anyway.

As I considered my role as USO this Thanksgiving, I hatched the perfect plan. Chocolate chip cookies. Who doesn't like a good, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie? It's the perfect grab-and-go type of dessert, and I've honed my skills of cookie maker years ago thanks to my mother. My plan to win my way into the hearts of Jordan's family was complete.

But then, for some reason (maybe it was my stupid resolution to cook two new things this week), I decided to be ambitious. Enter a recipe I had for a cream cheese ball, compliments of my friend Cori. It's cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and mini chocolate chips all mixed together. Serve it with graham cracker sticks, and it's a sweet after-dinner dessert.

I'd never made it before, but I'd eaten it. Once. Three years ago. But I figured I would grab the bull by the horns, as the saying goes, and make it.

I woke up extra early on Thanksgiving day to make two batches of cookies and the cream cheese ball. It went well, and I arrived at Jordan's house on time to leave for the thirty-minute drive to his great-aunt and uncle's house. I was in sort of a rush, though, so I hadn't actually had time to eat a cookie or taste the cheese ball. (I would like to also note that I was forced to use graham crackers instead of graham cracker sticks, because apparently graham cracker sticks do not exist in Oklahoma.)

When we arrived at Jordan's aunt's house, I put my plate of cookies on the counter, and Jordan's mom grabbed a box of graham crackers and started breaking them up to put on a plate along with my cream cheese ball.

Since I live close, I see Jordan's family a lot.  As moms go, Jordan's is great. I mean, obviously I'm partial to my own mother, but Jordan's mom is a perfect second choice. She makes delicious food and always does what she can to make sure I feel welcome and included. Often it works to my advantage, but sometimes I get embarrassed because her desire to include me also ends up calling unnecessary attention in my direction.

We walked into the kitchen, and people were milling about, talking and helping get the food ready. Jordan introduced me to a few of his cousins and their wives as well as his great-aunt and uncle, whose house I was in. It was a gorgeous house, and I could see why they hosted Thanksgiving dinner every year. The kitchen has one of those long counters, which is where I assumed all the food would eventually be, but at the moment it was empty. That was the moment Jordan's mom turned to me and said, "Usually Grandma's here by now with her cheese ball, crackers, and veggie platter."

Then she got some graham crackers and proceeded to put my bowl on the counter in front of everyone and announce, "Eat this. It's good. Tastes like cheesecake. Amanda made it."

I almost died.

On the inside, I was thinking, FOR THE LOVE OF TURKEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! 
On the outside, I was speechless and my face was turning bright red. I know this because:
1. I could feel the extreme heat
2. Jordan told me

I was so embarrassed. I hadn't even tasted it yet! What if it was terrible? What if it tasted like mud? My plate of graham crackers would be full, my ball of cream cheese dessert would sit untouched, my shame evident for all to see. As the USO, I was placed in a very conspicuous position. Too conspicuous, in my opinion. And there was no escape.

This rather dramatic tale ends has a rather anticlimactic ending, I'm happy to say. Everyone loved the chocolate chip cream cheese ball. And my cookies were a hit too. I made friends with Jordan's family and charmed the fancy socks off everyone. My first experience as the USO was a success. I thank the cream cheese ball and cookies. Brilliant.

Here's the recipe:

Use a mixer to combine an 8 oz. container of plain cream cheese, a stick of butter, and 1/2 tsp. of vanilla until creamy.
Slowly add 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and 2 Tb. brown sugar.
Stir in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.
Shape into a ball (or put in a cute serving bowl) and place in the fridge to harden.  
Serve with graham cracker sticks if you can find them. Or use regular graham crackers if you live in Oklahoma.

Make this if you're faced with USO duty or just if you need a deliciously sweet appetizer.
・ DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS