The Mini Cooper Wave

Ever since I got the Mini, I decided I wanted to frantically wave at other Minis - and the result was that they were waving at me too. I got a kick out of this, and today I thought to google "Mini Cooper wave". The search results were absolutely hilarious. One guy was complaining because this Mini he passes to work each day just "doesn't get it" so he decided to keep waving until the Mini *does* get it and others saying if you don't know "the wave" to just stay out of a Mini. I don't know, I think it's cute/fun to wave. I never "officially" knew of the wave, but it just seemed like something I wanted to do - plus, it's a lot of fun! And now I know, there is indeed, technically a "Mini Cooper wave"!

Dilema - need suggestions

I decided to finally start writing my iPhone app tonight. The app I thought would be awesome to have on an iPhone for a geek. So I'm sitting at my mac mini with xcode open, and start (the attempt) to code up my application: a binary clock. Neat starter idea, right?

I get some code started, happy with this idea I came up with. Then it dawns on me - could this app already exist? It was a scary thought. As I open up iTunes, I was quite scared of even looking - sure enough it does. *sigh*

So then I decided to google some "desired" iPhone apps. I found some that people blogged about or posted comments to stories about. Every one (that I've found anyway) has been created already. *another sigh*

I need some ideas for apps. This is something I really want to do, and thought about just writing a binary clock just to say I did. Any ideas/suggestions would be great (that implying it doesn't already exist ;) )

In other very, very happy and exiting news, I officially have a maid of honor! I asked Leah just yesterday to be my maid of honor and she said yes! I'm so happy she is going to be in my wedding. There isn't any woman in this world that is more perfect.

Canada trip '09

I'm back from Canada! It was fun. John and I caught some pretty good keepers, and it didn't rain too, too much. Thursday and Friday it did some, but other than that it was great. I had fun spending so much time with John. Fishing, camp-firing, everything. It's almost weird to be back!

On the way home, I decided to stop at my house for some (clean) clothes. We had Daniel (a nephew of his) with us, so we decided to take him fishing on the pond down at the farm. He caught a bigger fish in about 10 minutes of fishing than we did the whole week of Canada! It was awesome to see how happy he was!

Later this week we're going to take more of the little ones down to the farm. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing to take Daniel, so we decided we really need to take the others as well. All I can say is that this family I'm marrying into is simply amazing compared to - well.. others. We'll leave it at that for now.

Mini Cooper

Last Friday (July 3rd) I purchased a brand spankin' new car - something I've wanted and been eying up for a while. Yes.. a Mini Cooper! It's sweet and so fun to drive. It's a 6 speed, has heated seats, heated mirrors, and heated washer jets. It's got color lighting all through out the car, which the lights go anywhere from blue-purple-pink-orange-red. It's loaded and I love it! I originally was going for the British Racing Green or the Horizon Blue, but when I walked in the showroom, I saw this little number. Needless to say, I fell in love with it. This particular shade is Nightfire Red. I have yet to name her, and suggestions are welcome! :)

Uncle Bob

The funeral for Uncle Bob was today. John and I both took the day off of work. It started at 9:30 and went until about 12:00.

It was a huge funeral. So many people went that they told us all to just meet at the church instead of the funeral home. This isn't typical as I found out. Usually everyone drives together to the church, but not this time.

Many touching speeches were given about Uncle Bob. There were ones that made you want to cry endlessly, and ones that made you want to chuckle a bit because you remember just what he was like. I tried to really retain my composure - for John. I wanted to cry a lot more, but I felt as if I needed to be there for him, as a shoulder for him.

I was thinking about everything later on, later in the day. So many things were said about Uncle Bob that I could only pray that one quarter of those things could ever be said about me at mine. He was truly an amazing person. So many people respected him. So many loved him. He was a veteran, he loved his country, he loved God, he loved people, he adored his family, he loved outdoors and nature. People didn't have to try to 'make up' things to say at his funeral - they just told the facts. The stories and speeches were only a minute glimpse at what an affect he had on peoples' lives.

I feel so privileged to have known him but feel I should have had so much more time with him. It really makes you think about life and try to appreciate what and who you currently have in it.

Please keep John and his family in your prayers...

Weekend

The PENS WON THE CUP!!! :) Yeah, you can probably tell I'm a little happy about that. Hossa - bite me! Heh..

We had the fishing tournament this weekend too. That went rather bad. Not too many people caught fish. It just wasn't the day to fish, it was very windy, and it just sucked. I got one small bluegill, and John, surprisingly didn't get anything. He's really good at fishing too.

Then when we got back to camp from fishing, we got some very bad news. One of John's uncles passed away. He was a very wonderful man. I hate death. I hate hearing people have to die. It affects me too much. I'm sad because I know John is in pain, and I'm sad because Uncle Bob was such a great person. He was always so nice to me, and he even reminded me a bit about my grandfather.

Please keep John's family in your prayers, as this will be a very hard funeral for a lot of people - including me. I know the Lord works in mysterious ways, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt beyond belief sometimes...

Kenny Chesney

Well, I've tried for weeks dialing into Y108 and 104.3 to win Kenny Chesney tickets for June 6th. I mean, I always *try* to win free crap from radio stations, but I *really* wanted to go to this concert. I just didn't want to have to pay for the tickets :)

Then after the stations' final giveaways ended, the thought crossed my mind to just buy the damn things. I logged onto Ticketmaster Friday night, and searched for seats. There were GREAT seats available that just opened up - I was so shocked. I told John I was thinking about buying them. He said to just do what I want. So I did.

The show was phenomenal. I couldn't believe how much fun I had. Parking lots opened at 10, and we planned on being there around then, but didn't make it until noon. That was fine though. I couldn't believe how far away we had to end up parking, but in retrospect, we were actually very close. We set up our inflatable palm tree and other stuff, grilled out, walked around to see the other tailgaters, and just had so much fun. Later some of John's other family met up with us, then we headed in around the Montgomery Gentry starting, then saw Sugarland, and of course.. Kenny Chesney.

I still can't believe how much fun I had. The tickets were around $150 each - and knowing how much I enjoyed it, I probably would have payed double that. It was AWESOME!! :)

Mac mini!

Yeah, I got a mac mini. It's awesome. I mainly got one because I want to start writing iPhone apps, but all in all, I really like it. I've always been a Linux fan, so I'm sure that has something to do with it :)

Anyway, I've been in 'wedding mode' lately. I put on my dress (again) today and took a bunch of pictures. I think I'm going to post some on Facebook (since the boy doesn't have or plan on having an account!) I also bought a wedding magazine today. The dresses in it are pretty, but they pale in comparison to mine =D

Bridal Show #1

Well, tomorrow will be my very first bridal show. I'm so excited about going! I have no idea what exactly these things are like, but it's never too soon to find out! John's sister and niece, Pam and Erin, are going with me, so that will be really nice. I was going to just go myself, but they offered to go with me, and I'd much rather go with someone than alone, so I was really happy they offered. The Pens play when the event is, but that's ok - I'm super psyched!

I also uploaded my "submission" to the "Best Job In the World" today. It's in the great barrier reefs in Australia --> www.islandreefjob.com. My video hasn't been officially 'approved' yet, and they say it can take up to 5 days, but nonetheless, I made it and it should be appearing soon. So, yeah, vote for me if you see it ;)

Happy Valentine's Day

And what a wonderful one it was. First, the boy tells me after work on Friday that he wants to take me to Mountaineer Casino! We stayed overnight AT the casino. That was way cool. We didn't win much, but it was the funness of being there and being with him-not to mention the surprise. At one point there he told me he had been trying to get reservations at Ruth Chris for us for Valentine's Day, but they were already booked weeks back. Anyhow, when we got back home, he gave me a plant of roses (yes a PLANT so we can RE-plant them!), a heart full of turtles (mm.. I love turtles), showed me a concoction of what we call Moo-Cluck-Splash (Ruth Chris is nice, this is delicious!), a bottle of our very favorite wine-Gewurtstraminer, and a from scratch, homemade cheesecake with chocolate shell. Wow. Can it get any better than this? I think this may be the very most heartful, thoughtful, sincere, and sweetest Valentine's I've ever had. It was awesome. I'm not sure anything could have made it more perfect! It's no wonder I'm so in love with this man. Happy Valentine's Day everyone =)

Gym Open

So the gym at McKesson opens tomorrow! I'm really excited about it. It was *supposed* to be open back in October, but I've been patiently waiting. The only bad thing is that I think for the first few months it will be packed. I'm not sure if I'll go in the morning or after work - it sort of depends on how early I get there. Either way I think I'll be able to find some times where there's next to no one in there (it's open 24/7). I have my gym clothes, my shampoo, and my MP3 player all packed in my gym bag and ready for tomorrow!

"Cornflakes & Classics" ...oh yeah, and Billy too :)

Anyone who knows me knows that I always have loved Elton John's music. Well, I saw them once before in Pittsburgh (I think it was in '94), and while it was the best concert I've ever been to, this year it will be even better. Yes, the boy and I are going to see them in May at Quicken Loans in Cleveland. We went to the Ticketmaster booth this past Saturday at 9:50am (tickets on sale at 10:00am) and stayed perched until the sale started. We got the best seats we could, and while the tickets were quite pricey, I am looking forward to this concert so much. We thought about waiting to see if they were going to come to Pittsburgh again, which I'm sure will end up happening, but for one, we didn't want to chance it, and two, you really can't beat a Saturday concert. It's going to be great, I'm so excited!

Wedding progress!!

So we have a date!! May 1, 2010 will be our wedding! I thought it would be cool to get married on a 1st, and John immediately liked that day. There were a few others I brought up to see what he thought, but May 1st just seemed perfect. And it is :) I also got my wedding dress! It is simply the most gorgeous wedding dress I've ever seen in my life. I love it. It's so intricately detailed and - just wow. I can't post any pictures for OBVIOUS reasons, but of course after the wedding I'll post them all :) It also has what I've always wanted since I was a little girl: a cathedral length train. It's just absolutely stunning. I simply can't wait to wear it. We have the church we'll be married in picked out too, and I reserved our day. People say planning weddings are so stressful, but I'm having so much doing it. I love it. I even have my song and guest list started. Yaay :)

A Christmas to Remember...

Well they are all special. But this one was a day I will remember for the rest of my life. My boyfriend became my fiance. Yes, we are now engaged! He proposed on 12/25 at 12:25am. I was very surprised. He even tricked me and put it in a larger box so I'd have no clue. I was so excited I almost forgot to say 'Yes!' lol! John made me the happiest girl in the entire world. I literally couldn't ask for a more perfect man, not even if I had to think of one up myself.

Well I think just about everyone knows now. I've made more calls on my phone to people in the last few days than I have for the past 2 years I think! Anyhow... Yaay!! :)

TSO

So the boy was really bummed we missed the tickets for TSO this year. He loves to go (as well as I do), but they sold out quickly, and - well, that was that. Yesterday was the last day they were in Pittsburgh for the year.
So at work yesterday he sends me a message out of the blue around 2 o'clock "If i could get tix for tonight's TSO would you wants to go? I know it would be kind of spontaneous.." At first I was like "yeah right".. The show was at 8:15 and a little late on a "school night". Although I knew he *really* wanted to go. Just for kicks, I searched around to see what other dates they may have had that might be close enough we could drive to like in OH or something. I didn't find much. At all. However, I did see that they had a 4pm show too. I (half) jokingly said we should go to that one (which BTW would mean we'd have to leave work like NOW.) He replied "OK!" He was serious.. I was a little worried at first because we both still have quite a bit of work to get done by the end of the year. But I thought to myself, we need to live a little sometimes. So what we have things to do. Being spontaneous is FUN!
By the time I walked down he had the tickets printed out, and we were out of there like a bat out of hell. The show was great. We had a blast. And the seats.. were phenomenal. Even better than last time. Thanks sweetheart for a great night at TSO!! :-*

Here are some pictures from the show.. and that's with my (very) crappy phone.. They don't even begin to capture the show, but here they are anyway :)

 

Guitar Hero World Tour

..has got to be one of the best games ever! Definitely worth the money. And if you're like me and already have GH3, you can still use that with it in addition to your new one - so it's not even going to waste! The drums are so cool to play too. I like them even better than Rock Band's drums with the little symbols up on top. And at work this Friday, we be rockin' all out. It's Christmas season so we thought to treat ourselves: I'm bringing in the band set (along with Wii Fit too!) and someone else on the team is bringing their Wii. It'll be a blast!

I just know it.. all night tonight I'm going to be dreaming of little green, red, yellow, blue, and orange ovals exploding.

Crap results...

Well, now I know why they call it a "bag of crap" :)

In all honesty, I can't really complain though. And the fact that I was actually *able* to get one makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside..

Contents:
3 iPod combination security locks (2 of which I've successfully gotten rid of already)
4 clear sansa MP3 cases
1 camer bag (that I think just about everyone got)
1 8 inch Grandpa Munster doll

Hail to the Woot Gods!

Crap!

"Woot to me
show details 5:07 PM (9 minutes ago)


Thank you for your purchase.

Your order number for 3 Random Crap has been received by Woot on 11/20/2008 and your credit card has been charged $8.00.
Your order will typically ship within 5 business days. To check your order status, go to the Your Account tab at www.woot.com, log in and check your order history."

Such a very glorious day this is..

People and Politics

I've just about had it with people forwarding emails of this huge list of things that "Obama says" versus "McCain says", etc, etc. Depending on which senator the email is targeted for, it inflates the stances of the one senator and right out lies about the others'. Now, I'm not going to get into whom I'm voting for. That is not what this is about. What it is about is a skewed perception people have: people believe what they read in stupid emails written by some biased uninformed individual that likes to start chain letters who just happens to agree with their political standpoint. Give me a break. If you want to actually learn about the opposing candidate, for God's sake don't learn it from the political party you're for - let alone some horribly inaccurate email. Learn it from the source. I've read "forwards" with right out lies about where a candidate stands - both about McCain and Obama. If you want to have solid, accurate information about a candidate and where a person stands, start with going to their website; research the bills they've voted both for and against; watch the debates. Don't just believe what your little spam buddy put in an email - look it up; research it. It just ticks me off that people so naive are passing around all these emails with blatant lies in them. It almost makes me scared that we don't have some type of IQ test to pass before you may vote.

By the way, I'm not affiliated with a certain party. I try to accurately and fairly access candidates with every election. (And with no help from petty emails) :)

Friends

A dancer friend, Becca, died on Tuesday. She was my age (28) and the cause of her death is not exactly known. She was sick, and she had diabetes, but that shouldn't be so much to cause someone a death. I will continue to keep her in my prayers, as she was a wonderful person.

This is strange for me..

Well, I lost Brandi about 3 years ago. She was 22. However, she had been murdered - by her husband, none the less. Brandi was a beautiful person all around. I'm not sure if I could ever forgive Scott. (Ever...)

Stephen is a friend I also lost a while ago. He was a friend of Jeffy's and mine. He overdosed. I never knew his problem was as bad as it was. Actually, he informed me he didn't have a problem.

I miss my friends. And this all seems so surreal to me.

I don't want anyone else to die, but I know I cannot prevent that. I know that is not my decision. My saving grace is that God has them.. and He is taking care of them.

Becca, Brandi, Stephen... I love you all.. and I miss you...

It hurts to think about them, and I wish they still were here. But I know that God works in mysterious ways. I know that God does what is best, and sometimes we cannot understand it. Keeping that in mind is the most important thing..