Habitat For Humanity

My Monday kicked off on a great note. Instead of heading into work to sit in my cubicle for the day, I spent the morning volunteering at a Habitat For Humanity "Rock the Block" project. It was a beautiful morning to work on the maintenance/repairs of the house we were at - 64 degrees at the start of the morning, with the sun shining down upon us. My team and I worked on numerous projects - chipping old paint of the window frames, painting, powerwashing the house, landscaping, and making repairs to the porch.

Pretty cool that my company allows us to take time out of our work day to give back to the community. And it feels pretty great knowing you are making a difference in someone's life...it felt especially great when I learned the man whose house we were working on is a veteran.

After we completed our shift, we headed to Tasty Tacos for a team lunch, which served as a great opportunity to get to know one another better and reflect on the morning.

Habitat for Humanity is a great organization and I would definitely recommend checking them out, donating, and/or volunteering.  A couple of interesting facts I didn't know before signing up to volunteer:
*Families who apply for a home through H4H do not get it for free - they pay for it through a 20 year interest-free mortgage.
*They must be willing to volunteer 400 hours of "sweat equity"

S'more Cup

I wanted to bring in treats to work, as I officially begin my territory assignment, so I turned to Pinterest (where else) for some ideas and came across this recipe for S'more Cups. It was different from anything I have seen so I decided to give it a try.

Greeting Card

My lack of artistic ability does not stop me from trying to create. I had the idea to make my own greeting cards recently and after searching the web for a few minutes, looking for a fun and reasonable way to do so, I came across GreetingBee. I plan to continue my search for more options but overall I was pretty happy with this simple creation. I came up with the idea, thanks to a little Biblical inspiration. To all my super talented artistic friends, don't judge :)

The Way

Recently I watched my latest Netflix pick, "The Way". It's about a father who travels to Europe to recover his son's body, who died while doing the "El Camino de Santiago" pilgrimage, and decides to do the pilgrimage himself, in his son's honor. Some may protest my cinematic and literary picks can be positively awful, but I think this particular pick is a good one. Great scenery, good music, touching story. Watching this only makes me want to take time off and backpack through Europe for a few weeks. Any takers?

Sewing Lesson

A couple weeks ago I went home for the weekend to get my first sewing lesson. I thought pillows would make for a good first project. I met my mom at Hancock in Davenport and picked out some fabric - a floral pattern, and then green and brown to accent the floral. Saturday morning we got to work - measuring and cutting out the pieces and after a quick lesson on how to run the machine, I got to work. I finished 7 pillows in less than 2 days! I'm really happy with how they turned out. 

 

Not only was this a fun project that I really enjoyed working on, but we were resourceful as well. I reused some old pillows that I found upstairs at the house, saving us about $30, and the green and brown fabric were off of the remnants table at a discounted price.

I've already decided on my next project - a t-shirt quilt. I have a lot of old high school t-shirts that I just can't bring myself to get rid of because of the sentimental value they hold so I thought a t-shirt quilt would be a great way to preserve the memories, but still be able to clear some space in my closet. Stay tuned.

The Other Pitt

Brad Pitt's brother, Doug, recently starred in an ad for Virgin Mobile Australia and it's pretty hilarious. Check it out.

4 Day Weekend

Yay for 4 day weekends!!!!!!! ....except for when you spend it sick as a dog, like in my case. Without divulging too many details, the last 4 days I've divided my time between the couch and my bed. I made several tearful calls home (a ritual of mine when I'm feeling miserable like this) to get any and all sympathy my family offers, slept as much as I could, and watched a lot of movies and SATC episodes.

I could continue to complain about how I hadn't felt that awful in a very long time, how I missed my cousin's bridal shower, my grandma's birthday celebration, and my family reunion....but who wants to hear me whine?

There is a note of positivity to the weekend from hell - my friends. I don't like asking for help. My independence and stubbornness assures me I can take care of things myself most of the time, so you know I'm really having a hard time when I actually ask for help and don't put up much of a fight when offered help.

...not that I ever really stood a chance with Les. She pretty much refused to take "no" for an answer, like a good friend would. And thanks to her rescuing me, here is what my diet has consisted of the past few days:

But she really did knock it out of the park, friend-wise. She got me everything on my list plus a magazine Friday, brought me lunch Saturday, and stopped by Sunday. Each time she offered to help me out with things around the house...I told her no...She asked if I would be mad if she at least cleaned my kitchen...I said yes...She said she didn't care and got to work :)

S&J were out of town but it was no surprise when I got a text Sunday afternoon from Stacy asking me if there was anything they could get me on their way back into town. Earlier that day I thought I was on the mend, but after trying to be self-sufficient by running an errand, my body said "not so fast" and started feeling miserable again. Weakness won over stubbornness and I told her of a couple things I needed. I should've known I would be getting more than what was on the list :)

The Dr this morning said it was viral and just has to run it's course and advised a mild "BRAT" diet for the next couple of days. Don't be jealous:

The other positive (which I'm sure you can tell from the fact that I'm posting this), is that I'm starting to feel better. And thank goodness for that. At the risk of sounding dramatic, I wouldn't wish these past few days on my worst enemy. It was awful.

Random Thoughts After the Move

After what seems like a long, drawn-out process, the big move is finally complete. I appreciate the change in scenery, and although a little bittersweet, I'm excited to be living on my own again. It was hard to say goodbye to Westown - it was a pretty stellar place, but there are a lot of great things about the new place too...location, pool, and being on the top floor makes for a nice view from my balcony.

I decided to give the no cable thing a try, and so far, I'm happy with that decision. Thanks to Greg's antenna, the basic channels come in crystal clear and that's really all I need. And after 5 solid days of no internet, I was relieved when Thursday came and was able to sit on my couch and laptop, versus trying to get things done while at work or freeloading in the Starbucks parking lot, which I did twice. What? Don't judge - it was for a total of 5 minutes so my dad could check his status for work.

I am so grateful for my family and friends who helped me with the move and all those who offered to help. I still have some boxes to unpack, but am slowly getting settled and making it my own.

Proud Big Sister

'Lil and I went out to eat tonight to celebrate her 16th birthday. She chose one of her favorite restaurants, Granite City, so I picked her up and off we went. On the way there, she told me she made the cheer squad for wrestling and football for next year, she improved her grade in English, AND she got the job she interviewed for last week! So we had a lot of great reasons to celebrate. And you better believe there was chocolate cake involved :)

Stair Climber

Over the past 2 weeks at work, I've been making a conscious effort to take the stairs up to my training room on the 6th floor as much as possible. That equates to 104 stairs each trip, if I'm counting/remembering correctly. (This doesn't include the stairs up to the 6th floor of the parking ramp) Now, I'm not trying to make it seem as though I'm in amazing shape, but you'd think by running anywhere from 5-9 miles about 3 times a week would help make the climb a little easier but you'd be wrong! For me, at least, I am still out of breath and my legs still burn by the time I hit that 104th step.

Now I'm sure if I climbed stairs for longer than the 2 minutes it probably takes me to climb each time or more often than the 2-3 times per day that I do climb, I'd benefit more from an endurance/health standpoint, but hey, I figure it's better than just letting the elevator do the work every time!

Ocupado

First post in about 2 weeks! Why? My attempt at a few excuses below:

1. New job - I am in the 3rd week of my new job. So far it's going really well. I am learning so much and it's fun to connect the dots between what I knew from my old job to what I need to learn for this one.

2. Moving - I've been busy thinking/looking about where to take up residence next, which has taken some time but I finally found one and am excited to move into my new home.

3. School - Well, okay so this really has nothing to do with me not posting in the past 2 weeks, but I see I never posted about completing my first class. 4 more classes to go but in the mean time, I'm looking forward to spending my summer evenings outdoors, instead of in a classroom.

4. Training - Prepping for Dam to Dam by taking our mileage up a few notches each week. We've got 9 under our belt (well I guess I have 9, Jake has 11 - with an impressive time at that) Although 9 is more than I ran last year prior to the race, I'd like to get in a 10 or 11 miler in before race day.

5. Yoga - Les and I have been enjoying going to Iowa Powered Yoga the past few weeks. Ryan, the instructor, takes a much more relaxed, non-judgmental, and fun approach to Yoga than I've been used to. Attempting "Crow", doing part of the "I'm a Little Teapot" dance, and kicking your legs up so high when, going into a hand stand position, that you feel like you will topple over are just some of the things I've experienced in his classes thus far.

Here's to hoping for a more active blog for the rest of May!

Heart Attack Grill

I heard on the radio yesterday that for the 2nd time in 2 months, someone collapsed while eating at the Heart Attack Grill. I googled it when I got home to check it out further. This place is insane. The menu features such items as the "quadruple bypass burger", consisting of 2 pounds of hamburger and 20, yes, TWENTY slices of bacon and the "butterfat shake" which is advertised as "literally pure cream". Oh and if you weigh over 350 lbs, you eat for free. Yikes. I feel like I need to diet just from reading the menu.

Chimes of Freedom

I'm about 3 months late to the game on this but while checking in on some music blogs, I came to discover the Chimes of Freedom - The Songs of Bob Dylan album that was released in late January. I wouldn't consider myself to be a huge Bob Dylan fan, but there are some fantastic artists on here that do a beautiful job covering his songs. I haven't taken the time to listen to each one, but a few that drew me in include "With God On Our Side" by K'Naan, "Mr Tambourine Man" by Jack's Mannequin, and "Blowin' in the Wind" by Ziggy Marley. You can check out all of the tracks here. $0.59 from each sale of individual tracks and $11.90 from each sale of the album go to Amnesty International USA.

The Bachelorette

Saturday Les had one last "hurrah" as a single girl. We started the party off with a private shower, where we drank Sangria and other wines and indulged in cheese plates, bruschetta, cheesecake stuffed strawberries, cookies, and cake pops. Then we headed off to Trostel's Dish for dinner, where we again indulged - this time over LOTS of tapas like lettuce wraps, arancini, tuna tataki, edamame, mac 'n cheese, sushi, and more. And then we headed downtown to dance techno-style at Lime Lounge.

It was such a fun evening and I was so happy to be celebrating with my bestie (who was looking hot, btw!) You can view some non-incriminating photos on flickr :)

Camry-Toe

Colbert Report is one of the best shows on television. I usually don't get to watch when it's on at night because I'm already asleep, but every now and then I'm able to catch the re-run. Today I was crying I was laughing so hard during the opening segment. I highly recommend watching this entire clip, but if you don't have time, at least watch from about 2:18 - 2:50. Hilarious.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Are You Serious?

Last week, writer Samantha Brick was slammed for the article she wrote entitled, "Why Women Hate Me For Being Beautiful." In it, she describes that because of her good looks, she gets paid great attention by men who do everything from holding doors open for her to buying her bottles of champagne and bouquets of flowers. However, her beauty, she says, is also a curse because women "hate [her] for no other reason than [her] lovely looks."

I'll admit, after reading this, I rolled my eyes and thought, "is this girl for real?" I'm all for self-confidence, but this article reeks of narcissism. I can hardly believe that hundreds of women snub her day after day simply because of her looks. At the risk of sounding judgmental, I can't help but think she has a personality trait(s) that make her less than desirable to be around.

Anyway, she appeared on the Today Show last week and I had to laugh when Ann Curry's first question to her was "are you serious?"

I Dreamed a Dream

The Civic Center announced their 2012-2013 season line up, which includes the musical I've been wanting to see for YEARS - Les Miserables!! It runs October 2-7 and I cannot wait!!!!!!! You can see the full lineup here.

Everything is Great, Everything is Grand

I received "The Muppets" from Netflix and watched it last night. You cannot help but feel happy after watching a movie like that. It's so cheerful and fun. Loved all the cameos, the clever jokes, and the music, my favorite song being "Life's a Happy Song". I couldn't find the full video but here's a fun sneak peak:

April Fools

Temps in the mid 80's on the first day of April was no April Fool's joke and I've got a sunburn on my back to prove it! Jake and I took advantage of the nice day by visiting several parks. We started out in the A.M. going to Walnut Woods to walk on a nature trail and do some birding. Even though I am afraid of birds, I'm okay with looking at them through binoculars and can appreciate all the different kinds of birds there are out there. Some have such vibrant colors. I can only remember a few that we saw - a mallard duck, cardinal, robin, yellow-throated warbler, woodpecker, and a black-capped chickadee, I think. (Jake had to identify all of them besides the robin and cardinal :) ) Next stop was the Maffitt Reservoir and then onto Lake Ahquabi for another nature trail (hardly any birds to be spotted there) and we ended the day with a picnic, consisting of grilled chicken, chips & guacamole, strawberries and blackberries, and oreos. And before heading back to Des Moines, I requested a tour of Simpson College and Jake obliged. I'd never been there before so it was fun to see where he and some of my good friends spent their college years. Definitely a fun day!

OP, Welcome to WDM

Thanks to a text from Stacy the other night, I learned that one of my favorite establishments from college, the Other Place, is opening a location in West Des Moines!! I spent many Thursday evenings, FAC afternoons, weekends, and summer nights at the OP on "the Hill" in Cedar Falls during my college years.

This past fall, Jake and I went to a UNI football game, and I made sure that stopping at the OP for a drink and some pizza was on the itinerary. It was my first time there in about 4 years and brought back a lot of good memories. It's not only a nostalgia thing, they have great pizza too! Can't wait!