The Great Up North

Well! Now that I am not consumed with thoughts of finishing Harry Potter, I can finally return to reality! Last weekend marked my annual groovy Up North vacation with the irresistible Jeeber, and we had loads of great fun as always! We departed late Thursday night and got up to his family's cabin by midnight, at which point we were both happy to catch some Zzz's. Friday we made the famous Pasta Salad, and journeyed to nearby Rogers City for an outdoor steel drum band concert! I'd never even heard a steel drum before, so that was great fun. Saturday we had picture perfect weather, and visited Mackinac City/Island for the day. I love going to the Island. We had our traditional expensive steak dinner, and of course did lots of sight-seeing and fudge-eating. Sunday we visited the waterfalls near his cabin to go swimming, and then spent a lazy few hours sunning on the beach. I even went for a dip in Lake Huron, which was really wavy and a total blast! I couldn't get Mike to go in though, because he's a pussy. That's right. Monday morning was full of sadness as we packed back up to leave, but there's always next year to look forward to! We're planning to stay the night on the Island next year at a bed and breakfast. :D

I visited Lansing this weekend and Mike did all sorts of wonderful things to my car for me. I needed to replace my dome light, windshield wipers, and split my cigarette lighter plug so that I could use my Tom Tom and iPod simultaneously, so he got that worked out for me. He also fixed my defrost/emergency blinker button, which I had very ungracefully shoved right through my dashboard. *sheepish*

Mom and I are on the last legs of our massive remodeling project, with the ripping up of the living room carpeting! Now I sneeze a lot because of floating dust cast into the air by 30-year old carpet, and curse loudly whenever I encounter a rouge staple missed by our keen eyes. We have to wash and varnish it yet, and then WOO-HOO! We'll be done! Right in time for me to go back to school and work my ass off some more! :P

Pippy-pip!!

A Tribute to Harry

I've got a ton of great excuses as to why it has taken me a week, instead of the promised 24 hours, to update. The most important of which, and perhaps the most believable, being that I've been reading the final Harry Potter novel in the series. It's taken me much longer than normal to read one of the Harry books, being that I work 40 hour weeks and remodel the house on the side. So the only opportunities I've had to read have been during my half an hour lunch break and right before going to sleep at night. But alas! I have finally read the last pages of a truly gripping tale. Now that I've finished, I can only say that through my satisfaction with how it all has ended, I am only truly disappointed in the thought that there is nothing left to read about Harry Potter.

I come from a family of readers, and as such, I've read many amazing books from a variety of very gifted authors. So I feel confident in saying that I've never read anything that has held a candle to these books. And although it is a daring boast to make being that I am still so young, I'm also confident that I will never read anything like them again. I am touched by the truthfulness portrayed in her characters, by the realistic-ness of their lives and ordeals, and even by the way that Rowling has refused to sugar-coat the harsh realities of the battle between Good and Evil. I will miss reading her words. I will miss growing up with Harry Potter.

Mike: You have to be unsuccessful in some ways, so that my manhood remains intact.
Me: You don't have a manhood anymore. You're wearing woman's pajama pants.

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I'm back from my fantastic weekend get away! But I've gotta work tomorrow and start reading Harry 7, so it might be 24 hours or so before I update further. :D See you then!

Well, I move back to school in a little over a month, and although I'm totally excited to see my schooly friends again and live at the LAKEHOUSE--OH YES--I got really scared thinking about it today. I don't really want my life to go back to sucking again. Man, I don't want to study ever again either. The only thing that comforts me is that this will be the final intense academic year of my entire life. The remainder of pharm school is busy and packed full, but more practical and less suicide-inducing. Not to mention, after this year it'll be half over, and I'll be moving back downstate again which will be very nice.

I suppose it isn't quite as bad as I remember it being. *pathetic sigh* I'll miss home tremendously as well. I think I'll go and enjoy it now while it's here.

A Harry sort of day

Well! I finally pre-ordered my copy of the final Harry Potter book which is coming out this upcoming weekend--and just in the nick of time! I guess today was the last day to pre-order. O_O Talk about getting down to the wire. I had anticipated purchasing it at Kroger when it was released, but it recently occurred to me (duh) that I was going to be out of town when that happened. Oh noes! But now when I return I'll have a new copy waiting for me. :D Yay!

Mom and I have finished re-modeling the dining room and have moved onward to the living room--a much larger, more furniture-filled room occupying about 45% of the entire house. Today I decided I would paint the walls for her to move things along. We use Kilz paint, which is famous for its "one coat will cover anything!" gimmick. Which, in my experience, is true by the way. Anyway, the paint comes in this large plastic container that is superior to ordinary paint cans in almost every way, and they have these convenient twist off lids for easy re-sealing. Today I attempted to open a new one, and I'll be damned, I could not get that F-er off. I struggled with it to the point of tears, until my hand was red and hurting. I was all alone, so I couldn't ask anyone to help me with it, and all my neighbors are old bitchy women. Finally I drove up to McDonald's where my brother was working, paint can and all, and had him open it. I'm pretty sure he got a good laugh out of that.

Once I had the damn paint container open, I painted like a fiend for the rest of the day, and had the whole room done by the time mom got home. Whew! I'm wiped out now. All we have left to do is paint the fireplace and rip up the carpeting. I'm taking pictures as I go, so I can show you all how I spent my summer vacation! :D

As a retrieve from all this working (at work, and then some more at home), I'm going on my annual Up North vacation with the irresistible Jeeber in just a few short days!! I'm SO EXCITED! Spending a relaxing long weekend at his family's cabin is one of my favorite things to do. :)

Stuff

When I first started dating Mike, his parents once commented that I look like Katie Holmes. I was flattered of course, because although I think her husband is a nutter, I still think she's very pretty. Anyway, I forgot about it until recently. Since I've started at Kroger, no joke, four different people have said the same thing--two of them coworkers, two of them patients. Now it's just strangely creepy, and to the point that people say to me, "Has anyone ever told you that...?" and I can say, "yes." Weird. I can't personally see the resemblance.

Last year I sort of entered the awkward stage of "my friends are all getting married right now." That was different but ok in a way, because I have plenty of wedding and getting married thoughts myself, but I'm just trying to get this school thing mostly finished first. But, even more awkward, is the "all my friends want to have babies now" stage, which seems to be creeping up on me. The thing is, unlike the getting married stage, I am made completely uncomfortable at the mere idea of having a baby. Seriously. At this point, I do not want to have a kid at all, and I doubt I will for at least the next five to eight years. I kind of feel like school is my kid--my very needy, and perhaps slightly handicapped, kid. The idea of finishing one massive responsibility like school and immediately taking on an even more massive responsibility... makes me want to faint. *shudder*

I'm not really sure what made me think of this... or that.

Birthday-ness!

Well, I have so much material that it has become a necessity to update!

Sorry for my long absence, I've been a busy girl this week! Last Friday I went to Battle Creek to witness the wedding of my two very good friends, Katie and Chuck. The ceremony was outside and it was quite beautiful; they had perfect weather! I also got to see some good friends from my days in Kalamazoo, including the Lovely Kate and the handsome Dave from Alabama! Oh man I miss them sooo much! It was a good night of catching up and dancing :)

I worked Monday and Tuesday, then traveled to East Lansing to be with Mike and his family for the 4th of July. We saw the new Transformers movie, which I thought was really awesome, then ate out at Mongolian BBQ, mmmmm. Of course, Mike had to let it slip that the next day was my birthday, so I was forced to stand on a chair in front of the other guests and do the motions to "I'm a Little Teapot" while everyone sang it to me! Don't worry though--I will be sure to embarrass the hell out of him at his next birthday! :P

We came back to his parents' house to celebrate my birthday with them. We had some delicious cake and ice cream, then I opened up some very nice gifts. After that it was time to head back to the Mountain! We had to drive in our separate cars, but the sky was lit up all the way home with 4th of July fireworks--my favorite!!

My birthday was a ton of fun, as it always is. I have the best birthdays. July 5th is also my anniversary with Mike, and this year marked three years for us! :D We got up and exchanged gifts--I got some wonderful presents! He gave me two new dragons for my collection, an FM radio connection for my iPod (now I can listen to it in my car, YAY!), and a new digital camera! Holy crap wow--I'm such a lucky girl!

Ironically, I've very recently misplaced my old camera. I have no idea where it is. I've torn my house apart looking for it, searched Mike's house, and it's completely missing in action. The last time I recall having it was at a friend's house, so I'm going to be emailing her to see if it fell out of my purse while I was there or something. You can imagine, with as many photos as I take, that I've been very distraught over this. Man was I surprised when I opened up a brand new one this week! Mike is way too good to me. Not to mention, this one is ridiculously better than my old one. Woohoo!

We spent the day in lovely Frankenmuth, shopping the shops and seeing the sights. We even found a winery which was offering wine tasting for 25 cents--I gave Mike all my quarters. ;) We came back home for dinner with my family, and Mike showed me how to set up my new iPod gizmo for my car. After some delicious food, I kicked ass in Blokus, opened up some more really nice gifts from my parents and my brother, and stuffed my face with yet more cake and ice cream. Yay for birthdays!!

Whew! So, needless to say further, I had a really great birthday! I love all my presents and I got to spend lots of quality time with family. I'm another year older! Thanks so much to everyone who wished me a happy birthday--I love you all! :)

You've loved me now for three years (even when I didn't deserve it), and after such a stretch, it's a wonder that there could be anything at all that we don't know about one another. But you still surprise me everyday, both by your capacity to care for me, and by the extent to which you are truly my other, and at times better, half. I remember thinking to myself three years ago that I had waited for you my whole life, and now here you were, like something from a fairy tale. Back then, it was amazing--and it still is. I still lie in bed and think about you, and I know, that even after three long years, you're still my

Eighth World Wonder
XOXO