Valentine's Day

 This year, Dan and I were both very excited to celebrate Valentine's Day.  The winter blues had set in, and after the ice storm, we were both experiencing a little cabin fever.  Dan and I are also that cheesy couple that you hate to see out and want to make you gag.  We just really enjoy spending time as a couple, so Valentine's Day is just an excuse for us to really spoil each other.

Dan wanted to surprised me, so on Saturday, he took me to the Rathskeller for their Valentine's day Dinner and Dance.  We lucked out and got some warmer weather.  I borrowed a beautiful dress and jewelry from my friend Windi, bought a really cute new pair of grey heels.  Dan looked as handsome as ever in his black suit and suspenders.  It's always fun to dress up and go out.  This was the first time either of us had been to the Rathskeller, and it is a beautiful building.  The vibe is very relaxed, and the food is all Dutch or German. 

We had our own 2 person table with candles, and Dove chocolates.  For dinner, we both order the filet with stuffed shrimp.  The filet was wonderful.  They topped it with cooked mushrooms. The shrimp was ehh.  They stuffed it with clam, lobster and cheese, and it ended up tasting like potato au gratin which neither of us are a fan of.  We also both ordered the roasted rosemary potatoes, but they were cooked 15min too long.  Dessert was fantastic.  We had a chocolate raspberry torte cake and it was served with a glass of champagne with a strawberry.  Yum.

The band, Living Proof, starting playing about half way through dinner.  They were fantastic.  The female lead singer started off singing Etta James "At Last."  She nailed it.  They continued playing soft dinner music until around 9.  They then played a mix of 70's, 80's, and 90's dance music.   It was so much fun.  My feet gave out in my new shoes, but we had a great time.  I recommend this next year for someone looking for a romantic evening.  It really gave us time to talk about us, and ways we both would like to see our relationship grow.  We talked about things  we would like to change.  It really was just what we both needed.

For Valentine's Day, I made Dan a special candle light dinner and dessert.  I made Caeser salad, Lobster tail, oysters in a lemon garlic sauce, and my own roasted red potatoes.  We topped it off with a bottle of Chardonnay which paired really well with the sea food.  For dessert, I made white chocolate strawberry truffles, to eat while we enjoyed one of our favorite shows, House.  Yum.  (I'll share the recipe on a later post.)  This was a nice dinner, because minimal work was involved for me, but it was special enough for us to feel spoiled.  Oh, and Dan came home with a box of chocolates for me that he hand picked out.  So far I've had 3 pieces, and all three have been fantastic!

I hope everyone was able to have a Valentine to share the weekend with, and you two were able to do something romantic for each other.

Fun with Football

Dan and I are both sports fans. Dan is much more so than I, but we have some sport on tv everyday, and no, this doesn’t include ESPN news shows. Needless to say, occasionally I get tired of it, but there is rarely anything else good on tv. To entertain myself, sometimes I’ll crochet, or play with the dogs, or on the computer. I’ve even made drinking games based on how often the announcers say something. But sometimes, to make things interesting, I’ll make bets.

Our latest bet was concerning the Super Bowl. I like watching football, but I’m a Colts fan. I like to watch Colts football. Since they were not in the Superbowl, and we rarely get to watch the Packers or Steelers play, I decided it was time to make a bet. If Dan won, I was to give him daily back rubs for a week, and to make him protein bars. If I won, Dan was to take care of the litter boxes, and bring me coffee in bed for a week.

So, this week Dan has decided that instead of 2 litter boxes, we are going to have one. I have also been getting coffee in bed every morning. I have a great husband who tolerates me wanting something ridiculous every once in a while. But, this has turned out to be such a great deal! Not only do I get woken up by my handsome husband bringing me coffee with a kiss, but my Miss Penny Layne! She is so cute. She runs to the bed and jumps in my lap laying down. I’m still not sure how she manages to not hurt me or her in the process. She then cuddles her head into the nape of my neck and lays there until I’m ready to enjoy my coffee. She seems to really enjoy this new routine, and I have been in a much better mood.

In conclusion, getting woken up with love is much better than alarms.  Now to convince Dan that this should continue indefinitely…

Family Emergency

I got a very scary phone call from Dan while I was trying to secretly shop at Target last night. His sister (who is just a pre-teen) hurt her leg somehow, and it had gotten so bad that she was having a difficult time walking. So, they went off to the Dr. to get it checked out. After several hours of x-rays and testing her knee and hip mobility, they came back with a diagnosis of a Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.

The patient's left hip (arrow) shows that a slight shift of the head of the femur occurred through the growth plate.

(Courtesy of John Killian, MD, Birmingham, AL)

Like everyone other than orthopedic surgeons, I had no idea what this is. Apparently, the femoral head of her femur shifted off her femoral head growth plate. Ouch! They scheduled her for emergency surgery for this morning to put a screw in to hold her femoral head in place.

A screw is inserted to prevent any further slip of the femoral head through the growth plate.

(Courtesy of John Killian, MD, Birmingham, AL)

They have no idea what caused this, but Dan’s sister was such a trooper. Dan was able to take the first half day off from work, and I took the whole day off. We spent the morning waiting with his family while his sister had the surgery. We weren’t able to wait for his sister to wake up, but she did fantastic. She wasn’t nervous going in, she was in a great mood, and when I talked to her this evening, she was recovering quickly. She’ll stay tonight in the hospital, and she’ll be back in school Monday.  She won't be able to play basketball the rest of this season, but she should be able to next year, and she should be able to continue to cheer.  There is a small risk of her other femoral head slipping, but I hope not. 

The very odd part of this was Dan's sister was in the same OR prep room as Dan, and we went into the same office to hear the results of the surgery.  I hope next year we can go without anyone needing surgery, or else they will have to put a "New" plaque on these rooms.

Do you Swag?

I absolutely hate it when my facebook newsfeed is full of advertisements for games, sweepstakes, or whatever.  I get a little irratated whenever I have to click "hide from newsfeed."  However, lately, I have been spamming everyone's newsfeed and my own profile with information from Swagbucks.  But, I have an obsession.

So, what is Swagbucks?  Its simply a search engine, where you earn points for free merchandise.  I am very skeptical of these things, but I read every fine print, and yes this site is free.  You search like you do in your little google tool bar, and occasionally you'll earn 7, 8, 9, 10+ "swagbucks."  They even have a toolbar you can download so you can quickly search.  Its always fun to win, because who doesn't like winning things?  Slowly your points add up.  But, there are also "swagcodes" you can enter, and earn an extra 5-10 swagbucks.  Thats it.  They have other ways to earn, such as watching videos, filling out surveys, playing games, watch tv, ect.  Basically, you play around on their site, ignore the ads, and you earn swagbucks. 

So, where does the free stuff come in?  Well, they have a Swagstore, where you can redeem your bucks for free stuff.  I signed up Jan 3rd, and so far I have redeemed $30 in amazon gift cards.  Totally free!  We had to get a new computer charger because my stupid cat keeps chewing on the cord, and we didn't pay a cent.  Thank you Swagbucks.  They also have other merchandise you can redeem it for, like paypal gift cards, target, things for kids, pets, ect.  We are saving up for Christmas, because Amazon gift cards don't expired when you add them to your account.

I don't do a great job at explaining these things, but if you go here or to Swagbucks, you can get your questions answered.  I made a gmail account, just for filling out the surveys and special offers.  In fact all of my coupons, department stores, and other places that you give an e-mail but don't really want to recieve it go to this e-mail account, so it doesn't clog up my personal e-mail.

Already a Swaggernaut?  Well, add me as a friend!  If you're interested, sign up using this Referal Link, and we'll already be connected.

Happy Swaggin'!

Travel Plans

Well, the ice-storm ended up being pretty bad after all.  Dan and I were stuck inside for 2 days.    Monday night I cooked the majority of meat in my fridge (to prevent it from spoiling in case the power went out), scoured the house for candles, did a few loads of laundry (so we wouldn't be stuck with only dirty clothes), stocked up on firewood, and dug out our flashlight.  Thankfully, we didn't lose power.  I always feel like if I prepare for it, it won't happen.  At least I was able to work from home for part of the 2 days.  I really didn't get much work done with Dan and the dogs around.  We need to get the 2nd computer working so we aren't fighting for entertainment from the laptop.

It was nice to have an extra weekend stuck in the middle of our week.  We spent a lot of time talking about travel plans.  We have decided that in the Spring of 2012, we are going to Europe!  I am so excited.  We haven't decided on what countries/cities, but we are opening a separate savings account for it.  We have also decided come Fall of 2013, we are going to Rio to celebrate both of us turning 30.  So, if anyone wants to plan on going with us, it would be a lot more fun to be lost with other people we know.  :)

As far as traveling for this year, we are going to Wyoming with Dan's family.  We are excited to visit Yellowstone and Devil's Tower.  A fun tidbit, Devil's Tower was the first national monument by Teddy Roosevelt.  Dan has already decided that we are going to make it to the top, even if he has to carry me on his back.  I'm pretty sure you have to rock climb to the top, so we are going to be looking into rock climbing classes here before too long.  The sad news is I think we are going to drive.  It will be a 2 day trip just to drive out.  But, hopefully we'll see some Bald Eagles, and a bear or two on the trip.

We also are looking into our trip to Gatlinburg.  I think we are going to shoot for Memorial day weekend if the cabin is open.  I'm really looking forward to that trip.  Hopefully we truly will have an early spring, and the trees and flowers will be in bloom.

Lastly, we are hoping to make it out to Seattle this year.  With our trip to Europe, we will have to see how our budget is going.  It may be a shorter trip then we originally planned, but I am really looking forward to that trip.

Its going to be a fun couple of years traveling throughout the world.  I am so excited to see different culture, and historical places.  Time to look into taking a couple foreign language classes!

Stay warm out there.

One Down

I can't believe tomorrow is February.  We are one month closer to spring!  I cannot wait until March.  The weather will be warmer, which means I can take the dogs outside for walks/runs.  I'm really looking forward to getting the dogs out of the house for a while.  I want to take them to the pond so Daisy can teach Penny how to swim.  I cannot wait to get my bonus and I am going to pay off my car!  It'll be like I got a pay raise.  At the end of Feb. I'll find out what my real raise will be.  Hopefully it's more than the 1% last year.  This spring we will get our backyard seeded, which means we'll have a grassy yard this summer.  That is going to be soo nice. 

March is when we will get to plan for our vacations and possibly a fence for the backyard.  I also cannot wait to see my flowers bloom this year.  I did a lot of planting last year, and I want to see the finished product.  I know I'll have to move some things around, and I still have a lot more I want to do, but I want to see where I am now.  March we get to buy our Bonnarroo 2011 tickets too!  I am so excited.  It's going to be so much more fun this year, now that Dan is healthy.  Here's hoping it is a little cooler this year and it doesn't rain!  Is anyone else planning on going?

Part of me is really glad that winter is almost over, but part of me keeps saying, "Slow down, enjoy today."  I have a really bad habit of looking ahead too much.   So, yesterday, Dan and I went on a date.  We got all dressed up, and went to Stone Creek Dining Company.  It was a really neat restuarant (design wise), and the food was really good.  It was a little expensive ($25/meal), but a nice place to go for birthday/anniversary/ect.  Afterwards, we rented a couple of movies, put the dogs up, and just relaxed together.  We don't put the dogs up too much, so there is always something distracting us.  Either, the dogs need to go out, want to play, are chasing the cats, or the cats are getting into something....it goes on and on.  We are going to start making time for us sans pets at home more often.  We have decided that we are going to give Sierra away within the next month.  We just can't have 4 pets.  So, if you know anyone who wants a really good indoor cat, who requires minimal work, let me know.  She's great with kids, and would do best in a home with no dogs, but she tolerates them pretty well.

I must admit, it's really nice to have the option to be able to go out with Dan, now that he's getting an paycheck.  We don't do too much during the week because he gets home around 8:30, but I just feel more relaxed knowing that we have that option.  Just being that much less stressed, has really helped me spend more time for me.  I had to work this weekend, and I got really upset about it.  I didn't have much work to do, but I really felt like work is intruding on my personal life.  I don't have to work a weekend again until March, which is nice, but it was almost easier to go in on the weekends when it was every 3 weeks.

In other news, the local weather reporters are going crazy talking about this upcoming snow/ice storm that is supposed to hit tonight.  They are saying we maybe lose power for a couple of days, because the lines will be iced over.  I'm really hoping we get some ice so I can work from home, but I really don't want to be without power in this cold.  I really don't do well with the cold, and I don't want to relive the Great Muncie Ice-Storm of my undergrad.  Here's hoping!

Spare Time

Now that Dan is working, I’ve been able to spend more time (and money) on some of my hobbies. I’ve really started to look forward to life outside of work, now that there is minimal stress.

Last week I ended week 2 of my 100 pushups challenge, so today I take my 2nd exhaustion test. I’m really excited for it. My goal is to get at least 25, and I’m hoping for 30. That would be over double my 1st exhaustion test, just 2 weeks ago. This has been harder than I thought, but I get excited to see the progress I’m making every day. For my front and side planks, I’m up to holding for 20 seconds. Wednesday I’ll be up to 25. These aren’t as fun and tend to get boring, but I’m sure once bathing suit season comes around, I’ll be happy I did them. Today Dan has his exhaustion test too, and he should be able to get 100. We decided our next challenge will be to do pull-ups. My goal is 20 and Dan’s is 30. The pull-ups will be a lot harder, and will have slower progress, but come Spring time, we will have both made significant improvements.

I’m very excited to report that on Saturday, I was able to run 2.5 miles in 27min and I felt fantastic. I was a little sore yesterday and this morning, but nothing too bad. I really went in without any expectations, and since I did so well, I’m looking forward to Saturday to see if I can increase my speed. I really need to get some new running shoes, though. My feet and knees are starting to hurt, and it’s been a year and a half. But, it helps to have some girl friends who want to run a 5k this spring to keep me motivated.

I’ve also found some time to work on some craft projects. I’m getting a good start on my Vacation scrapbook. I have a lot of catching up to do. I’ve also found some cute ideas for some art work for around the house. I’ve started on part of it, but I’m nervous to start on the 2nd part. Hopefully I’ll have a good portion of it finished next week and I can share some more details.

I have to say, we had a little scare at our house last week. Dan started his modified Velocity diet (extremely low carb) to shed some of the holiday pounds. He had some terrible side effects that brought back memories of his pre-diagnosis days. Everything turned out fine, and now that he’s eating more carbs, his symptoms are gone. Dan just found one more thing he can’t do post-surgery. I am glad that we have an Oncologist that Dan is comfortable enough with to ask anything that pops into his head. He responds quickly and doesn’t mind the questions.

In other news, Dan is officially done with his 1:1 training at work. He has orientation today and tomorrow which means he’ll be home around the time I get home. It will be nice to have a couple extra hours with him in the evening today and tomorrow. And starting Wednesday, he will be on his own. I know he’s really looking forward to it.

Happy Monday!