A few weeks ago I got the chance to participate in the Good Karma Gift Swap hosted by my buddy Kaileen Elise.  This lovely package arrived from Chelsea of the wonderful blog Pencil Skirts and Pearls.  I can’t get over how cute everything was packaged (I did a mental faceplant as I remembered cramming the gifts for my swapper into a box before heading to the post office).

Look at all the fun stuff that came in the box:  a stainless water bottle, vanilla carmel tea, dark chocolate sea salt, two body butters and hair bands (my new favorite thing).

Chelsea, you were too good to me, thank you so much for everything!

Finally, finally, finally it is beginning to feel like winter in North Carolina, as opposed to winter in some God forsaken northen state with its 20 degree mornings and cutting winds and snow and such.  Days in the mid 50s are plenty cold for me, thank you.

I spent a large portion of my weekend hanging out in Umstead park, enjoying the nice days. 

Bright and early on Saturday morning I headed out to the park to volunteer at the Umstead Trail marathon.  It was so nice to sit out in the sunshine with a book (Water for Elephants, if you’re curious) and point the way for the runners.  Those guys were moving too.  The lead runner came in something like 2:30?  Maybe faster. 

After some computer work in the late afternoon, Patrick and I watched Couple’s Retreat.  Who said this movie was funny?  Cause you lied.

Church on Sunday morning followed by errands around the house before we loaded up the dogs and took them out to Umstead (told you I was here a lot!).  After a two hour stroll through the woods we took our tuckered out little guys back home and they snoozed through the rest of the night. 

Grilled hamburgers, home made french fries and a couple of cold ones finished off the night.

Photo credit.

Ever since watching his short program in the Olympics two weeks ago, I have been all about some Johnny Weir in a way not matched since the Johnathan Taylor Thomas years of the early nineties.  It only took 2 minutes and 20 seconds in a corsetted, hot pink and black sparkly onesie to turn me into a total fangirl.  My little married heart can’t help but pitter-patter when a new episode of Be Good Johnny Weir shows up on the On Demand Channel.  I swooned a little when watching the Poker Face exhibition performance.  I became a card carrying member of the Johnny Weir fan club (I mean, facebook page) which is now over 30,000 strong.

Then Johnny really went and out did himself by responding so eloquently to two skating commentators from Quebec who questioned his gender and sexuality while he was skating. 

Sigh.  If there was a real Johnny Weir fan club where you sent in a check and a SASE, and in return got a small autographed picture, a biography and canned interview behind a mock Tiger Beat magazine cover and a bookmark, I would be in.  Just like I was for JTT.

Wait, we are talking about blogs right? Yeah, so don’t have any of those to share this week, just my favorite Johnny Weir interview.

Photo Credit

I had a great weekend visiting Bryan, Wendy and little Emmy.  Mom and Grandma Doris picked me up Saturday morning and we arrived in Winston-Salem just in time for lunch.  Wendy had prepared a spread for us, pork loin, green beans, and potatoes au gratin.  She really out did herself, it was all delicious and she has an 8 week old child.  I can only hope to be that generous of a hostess one day.  I would be calling for take out.

Saturday afternoon we watched Emmy sleep while Wendy and Bryan went to mass, then all had dinner together before settling in for the night at a hotel down the street.  More holding the baby in the morning, followed by lunch.  Back in Raleigh by mid afternoon with a monstorous headache, resting on the couch for the night.  Not enough tylenol in the world.

Last week I broke out the sewing machine and made a cute little stuff sack for a stuffed elephant (she’s a proper Republican now!) Patrick and I bought her.  Man, my sewing skills need work.  I have a skirt already cut, I’m scared to start sewing on it.  Terrified.

A few nights ago Patrick and I discussed how, despite having the least amount of days, February seems like the longest month.  Maybe its been all the snow we’ve had, maybe its the cold (and windy!) days, maybe its because I’m getting all “please can it just be daylight savings time already so I don’t have to get home in the dark.”  We had a breif snow-flurry yesterday morning during rush hour and I almost lost it.  Who wants to buy me a ticket to Mexico (my best friend is leaving for there on Sunday and I am wicked jealous). 

This weekend I am headed to Winston-Salem with my mom and grandma to visit my cousin Wendy and her new baby, Emmy.  Maybe things will get crazy and I will post a picture of me and the little one (as a general rule, I don’t hold babies, they are like horses…they can smell your fear). 

In the mean time, here’s some fun reading to get us through this last weekend in February.  See you guys in March!!!

The 20 Funniest Faces in Figure Skating – Oh No they Didn’t.  Really, its not fair to take high-def pictures of people in the middle of 500 spins, but they did, and its pretty funny.

12 Awesome Animated Cat GIFs – The Inquisitr.  Normally, I wouldn’t share something like this, but that cat jumped on top of a door.  A DOOR!

10 Reasons to Avoid Talking on the Phone – Gizmodo.  Yep.  I hate the phone. I’m the worst at #1.

5 Realistic Organization Tips from a Notoriously Disorganized Person – Freelance Writitng Jobs.  But….I love bins and baskets.

Why Work?  – The Simple Dollar.  Trent makes you think about how you spend your time, again.

50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Child Do) – KK*.  Be honest, you did a lot of this growing up, and for the most part, you turned out ok.

50 Fancy and Pretty Arts of Coffee Foam - The Design Inspiration . Ohh, pretty.

All You Need to Know – Centsational Girl.  Well said my friend.

How to Not Hurry – Zen Habits. Easier said than done, but worth putting into practice.

Can you have any job you want? – Modite.  Isn’t that what we’ve been told our whole lives?  So go out there and do it already!

Photo Credit

From Left to Right: Liz, Danielle, Me, Becca, Jackie, Megan S.

Oh my goodness.  Its Thursday.  This week has been so busy at work that I have barely made it through dinner without falling over into the fetal position.  Every night has seen me drifting off to sleep to the sounds of Bob Costas.  And I love the Olympics!  Sadly, not even Apolo can keep me awake.  The bags from this weekend have not been unpacked, the dishwasher hasn’t been unloaded for at least 3 days now, and the laundry has piled up and turned into a minimonster in the corner of my closet.  I have been a very tired girl.

This past weekend was, however, a blast.  On Saturday morning my best friend Danielle drove up from Virginia Beach and we drove over to Denver (NC not CO).  Whole wheat turkey pitas and mac n cheese with everyone at Maddie’s Southern Bistro followed by lots of shopping around Birkdale.  A matinee showing of Valentine’s Day, dinner at Fox and Hound, the back to Jackie’s to regroup.  We had tentative plans to head out to a piano bar, but got sucked in to short track speed skating and before we knew it, it was bed time.  A light breakfast, McAlisters for lunch, and it was time to get back on the road (Danielle had a six hour ride, that’s dedication). 

Sunday night I putzed around the house (but did not unpack, see above) and waited for Patrick to get back from his parents house.  More Olympics as we got ready for a new week.

Vet School has made it very easy for us the past four years.  Every year around Valentine’s Day, we get the excuse to dress up, have a nice dinner and do a little dancing.  This largely keeps us out of the frantic rush to make a reservation, wait in an overcrowded lobby and pay jacked up prices from the “Specials” menu.

Here’s the main event of the night, the class of 2010…

Although this is more how I will remember them…

Amoses Moses says “Happy Valentines Day!’  (He also says, “get this stupid rose off of me” and “no I will not smile at you.”)

On Monday we went snowboarding in West Virginia.  It was snowing pretty hard the whole day so I didn’t take my camera (visibility was pretty much non-existent).  I did, however, take pictures of us eating lunch in the car.  Excitement!

Super unrelated, but my hair looked just like this circa 2006. Only his is a bit prettier. Go Team USA!

Friday!  Three Day Weekend! Opening Ceremonies in Vancover!  More Snow in Raleigh!  Capitalizing (almost) Every Word and Ending in Exclamation!

If you are my facebook friend, this all makes sense, maybe.  About 15 minutes ago our hospitality hostess passed by with a cart full of Valentine’s sweets.  I indulged, heavily.

(Work place perks are awesome huh?  You think that they would balance it out with a subsidized gym membership, but in the meantime, pass the brownies.)

Now that that is all out of the way, let’s talk weekend reading.  So I pull a lot of these post from my own blog reader, but try not to overlap too much, because really, it seems like by now you would just go ahead and subscribe to The Art of Nonconformity, Being Carly, and Get Rich Slowly yourself.  Anyway, I like to find new epherma to keep it fun for all parties and often turn to the Explore function in Google Reader for inspiration.  Sometimes, I strike gold.  This week I have been continually assualted by programming blogs.  Huh?  I have never seen so much html markup before in my life.  My eyes hurt, and because each of those post would kill a forest the size of oh, the Mall of America, if printed, my scrolling finger hurts too. 

Whew…all that to say, we’re all over the place this week, but hey, at least you’re not having to read about C++ (or is that just a regular B?).  Know what I’m sayin’?

Fun with punctuation.  Whew, close one.

Fire Breathing Snowman.  Voted most likely to give me nightmares.

Lego Big Mac.  Yum?

Why do people push placebo buttons?   Fun fact: in the UK, there are only elevator buttons to keep doors open, none to close them.  Those crazy polite Brits!

One sec.  Sometimes, I hate people.

30 Unintentionally Hilarous Political Signs. Subtitle: Morans that can’t spell (see what I did there?)

How to Levitate. This is just fun.

Remove a Stripped Screw File under good to know.

Look, we are having fun and learning things.  And what, my friends, could be better?  While you think about that, I’m headed for round two with the snack cart.

(But for real ya’ll, Happy Valentines Day and all that.  Tell someone you love them.)

Photo Credit

I know you don’t need any last minute help (for sure not!) but justincase, here are some of my favorite Valentine’s Day finds…

i (heart) u mini pillow by AJthePurple

Sterling Stack of Rings with Copper Heart by MintyFreshFusions

Triple Chocolate Hearts by sweetmcbirdie

 Je Taime 16×20 by theloveshop

Love Wins Tee by elefint

Pop-Art LOVE Pillow Cover by missmosh

Love to Recycle by rctees

1 Dozen Fudgy Chocolate Cake Truffes by whitty2829

Little Vintage Hearts Framed by sarahandbendrix

I know right, I’m making grabby hands at everything.  Especially those cake truffles.  Swoon.

Charleston was cold and overcast and windy and a little rainy, but still beautiful as ever.

By the way, I didn’t take that picture.  I didn’t take any pictures.

If I had, I could have showed you my first ever wrestling match.

I could have showed you pictures of Patrick and Kyle and Brittany and I, bundled up against the cold in the market.

I could have showed you us with grilled fish tacos and buckets of beer at Red’s Ice House in Mount Pleasant. 

Or a lazy nap on a gray afternoon.

A huge bowl of spaghetti at the Italian place in Summerville, that I barely made a dent in.

Rounds and rounds of Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase.

A greasy spoon breakfast.

A blindingly brilliant day on the ride back to Raleigh.

I could have shown you all of this, if only I had bothered to take one picture all weekend.

But I could not be bothered.  Sometimes, life is simply too much fun and to, well, lived in, to slow down for pictures.

Photo Credit.