Sorry for so many posts

I'm sick. Stuffy, sniffly, coughy, grossness. And I have to stay home from work. No, I don't think I have the swine flu, but people in my office seem freaked out about it and I work with someone who just got finished with chemo, so to keep from compromising everyone else's health, I stayed home today and yesterday. And I'm BORED. So I decided to post a lot. a LOT. Because there's not much else I can do other than lay on the couch watching True Life and Tyra. And now I feel like I'm having a conversation. I always want a day off until I have to stay home. And I WANT to go back to work. BORED!!!

I apologize...

...For the Georgia post earlier this year. The Dawgs... well... this year, just aren't so great. I'm still a fan, but I think maybe for the rest of this year I'm going to stop dressing in red and black from head to toe Friday through Saturday every weekend until Christmas.

One year!

Obviously I'm a little late on this, but a few weeks ago, Ray and I hit the big #1. First anniversary. I have to admit, it was a little anticlimatic since we dated for 7 years (why celebrate such a short time when we've already made it past the 7-year itch?), but a good day nonetheless. We decided before our wedding that we wouldn't give each other presents (didn't for our wedding either), but instead spend that money on doing something we've never done/really like to do. So this year was for me... we went rock climbing! I'm seriously thinking about picking this up as a hobby, so it was awesome.

Anyway, after one year, I'm obviously wise enough to impart some marital wisdom into your lives. So here are a few observations I've made:

1. When we got married, people told us the first year is the hardest. At one year, people told us the honeymoon is over. If the hardest year of your marriage is the honeymoon, I can't wait to deal with the rest of life's problems. I don't feel like this year was a cakewalk, but I also don't think we dealt with a honeymoon phase since we've been together so long. So don't put stock in either of these sayings, please. It's not worth it and it just depends on how you want to view things.

2. I'm convinced that people who get divorced within a year really didn't talk AT ALL before their marriage. EVERY argument we've had boils down to a basic issue we talked about a million times before. That being said, talk, compromise. Talk, compromise. Talk some more, and then compromise one more time.

3. Budget. A lot. Every penny. And budget in some savings and tithe. Thanks to Ray, we're working on a budget influenced by about half Dave Ramsey, half Clark Howard. And both people need to know what's going on with the finances.

4. Decorate wherever you live immediately, or it really never will get done. I still have unfilled picture frames lined up underneath our bar and we have ONE curtain hung over a window on our back door. One. And that was just to replace paper towels that were taped over it for about two months. (The towels said "Home Sweet Home"... we kind of missed them for a few weeks.)

5. Work out a system and stick to it. I do laundry, Ray does dishes. Ray kills bugs, and I'll take care of any reptiles if they ever manage to sneak into the house.

6. Get a calendar to keep track of the other's schedule and create a list of important dates. Well, that's probably good to have for anyone. If I forgot your birthday this year, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Don't you feel more prepared for marriage? :) I should be a counselor ir something.

Update

10 POUNDS! I finally hit it! Obviously I've had some ups and downs--well, mostly ups, since it took me this long to lose 10 pounds. But with a vacation and lots going on in the past few months, I'll take it. AND... I'm down a size! Woohoo! That's all for now. Yay!

Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!

Glory, glory to old GEORgia

Glory, glory to old Georgia

Glory, glory to old GEORgia

and to HELL WITH OK STATE!!!

GoooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS!!! Sic' em!!!!

Mmm. I love football season. I've been humming our alma mater/cheesy song from the end of Dirty Dancing all week. And I really miss being there for the beginning of the games, hearing the same songs (I can feel it comin' in the air tonight... hold o-on), calling the Dawgs, watching the history highlight reel while Larry Munson growls out UGA's praises... Go Dawgs! I'm with you in spirit!

Cute?

This absolutely made my day. I have no words.

http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/poodle_pictures

Whimper...

I don't know if I've explained my love for animals to you yet. I might have. I've posted pics of a koala, so I probably have. I cry at ASPCA commercials. And the new Dawn commercials that have oil-soaked baby ducks. Needless to say, I'm willing to take in any mammal that comes my way. So when Ray and I drove by our house to go to the mailbox tonight and saw a cat in the bushes, I got really excited. And when it was still in the bushes when we got back, I went into stealth mode to try to get it to come to me (because I'm convinced that every animal will like you if you show a little affection--rabies or disease don't really come to mind...). But it snuck up behind me! She started rolling around in the driveway, being all cute... And Ray actually uttered, "If you can play with it and NOT sneeze, we can keep it."

WHAT?!

See, as much as I love animals, I'm that allergic to most of them. So this was a BIG deal. So of COURSE I played with her for a little while. I thought I might have had him... this cat had a big scar (fairly fresh on her shoulder)... I sang a little Sarah McLachland (sp?)--no, I really did (I could rock one of those commercials), cat jumped in his lap, but eventually I had to come inside. So we waited with baited breath to see what would happen. And what did I do ten whole minutes after this wonderful creature came into my life? I SNEEZED. And it ruined the whole thing. No more cat for Anna. Because of one sneeze. And now a poor, hungry, lovable kitty is waiting on my front porch for someone to save it from its hard life in the streets because something in my body hates animal dander. It's some cruel trick, I tell you.

Harumph.

Accountability?

As a follow-up to my last post/vent, I said a few times that I weigh as much as a contestant on a "big" reality show. Slightly more, in fact. BUT! That's changing. I started trying to lose wight when I stepped on a scale in January and weighed 30 POUNDS more than when I graduated high school. And since I lost weight my freshman year at college, I gained 35 POUNDS. So I got my rear into gear. Since I know myself and I tend to give up when I get discouraged, I realized that this should be a lifestyle change. So Ray and I joined a gym, and I tried to make working out a habit. Now it is, so I'm trying to eat less and make that a habit. Once I'm used to that, I can start eating more healthy. And so far, I've lost 7 pounds in about 2 months! And I'm fitting into clothes that were tight when I got married! To keep me on the right track and since I've vented about overweight people), I feel like it's time to let you in on my journey. Now, I'm not ready to let you in on my "number", but we'll see about later. We'll talk again when I hit 10.

Oh, reality tv...

I'm sure you've heard of the show "More to Love" on Fox. I'd heard of it, didn't want to watch it. I'm just not into reality dating shows (now, any other reality tv...). But when I heard people bashing it this morning on the radio I looked into it a little more. And here are my thoughts:

-Some of those girls are still lying about their weight. I weigh as much as a contestant on the show and she is a good three sizes larger than me (and not much taller). Sorry, there's just no way.
-Since when did the word curvy become a substitution for fat? Curvy means boobs and hips, not rolls and muffin tops. Just because the average size of women in America is a 14-16 doesn't mean that's healthy. There's a point where you have to see yourself from a health perspective and not size and get your butt in shape. Don't worry, I'm yelling at myself too, remember, I weigh as much as a contestant. I know most women will never be size 2, but you can at least be the healthiest size you can be.
-I don't think the viewers are going to like what they see and I don't think the guy is as open minded as he seems. He kicked off the four heaviest women in the first episode.
-People thought this show would be about normal people. If it weren't trying to exploit women's sizes, they wouldn't have names the show "More to Love" or broadcast their height and weight along with their ages and careers.

Sorry, I guess I just had to vent.

Major Victory

Running in heels=hard.
Running in heels in the rain=harder.
Running in heels that are too big in the rain=practically impossible.

But SUCCESS! I actually made it across the entire parking lot today doing exactly that. Jumping speed bumps, maneuvering between bushes and through pinestraw... and my ankles are fine. Steady as a... well, I don't really know, but I was awesome. This coming from the girl that has had three major sprained ankles. #1--tripped over a rock. #2--fell in a pothole. #3 got caught in a skirt I was changing out of. Yep, I'm a regular Grace Kelly. Making the parking lot dash al lthe more impressive, dontcha think?

So long...

Since I've blogged! I think it's because nothing is really going on right now. When I started this thing, I was graduating, getting married, finding a job, a house... Now I have my degree, I'm married, I have a house, and a job... and life is fairly normal right now. My friend Leslie and I used to talk about how we didn't like the word "content" because we felt like a lot of people used it as a synonym for "complacent." But I feel like content is the only word to describe me right now. I love my job, I love my hubby, we're settling in to a church and friends and family and we have somewhat of a routine... I never thought I'd say this, but I'm happy where we are, ready to grow as a person instead of ticking off major life goals. Huh.

So just so you know, posts will probably be fewer and farther between. Sorry. I have laundry to do.

Awww...

In case you ever wondered how easy it is to make me cry when it comes to animals, this is what made me tear up this morning:

*via Postsecret

So I'm lame. I know.

I hope I'm not...

So I just got done watching the movie "Taken" with Liam Neeson. Whoa. Brooke, Don't watch this movie. You'll never want to travel and you don't like violence all that much, and this movie is pretty much death after knockout after death. That being said, if you still want to see it, stop reading.

Basically this guy is some ex-government agent whose daughter gets kidnapped in Paris for the Albanian sex trade, and he goes after her. Needless to say, his training helps him out a little (probably wouldn't be a movie if they didn't), but what really got me is how realistic the movie was in terms of feelings. The dialogue wasn't all that great and really--who gets away with causing a 12 car pile-up nd killing a bunch of people at a construction site with absolutely no police involvement? But this guy wasn't messing around when it came to his daughter. He hit to kill, none of this punching around, rapid gunfire stuff. Sure, that was a part of it, but he mostly got down and dirty getting the guys who took his daughter. My dad always said that he didn't mind going to jail if someone hurt me. That's how this guy was. I kinda had to giggle when I watched this because I could imagine my dad in one of the car chases driving in the front seat and Ray in the back yelling at him to go faster. I mean, my dad's a big guy and Ray's a black belt. I'm pretty sure they could take care of anyone who messed with me (or anyone in my famiy, for that matter. So if you want to see a really awesome action movie with randomly touching father-daughter moments, watch "Taken." Just be prepared to cringe. A lot.

And now I'm going to bake some brownies. Goodnight.

I have a pet!

Well, not really. Here's the story. Ray was outside on our patio on the phone, pacing around (because he can't talk on the phone and sit still), when he saw a leafy twig poking out of our grill. When he opened it, he saw a nest! He was about to reach for it when he saw noticed two beady little eyes peering out at him. He didn't know if it was a bird or not, so when I got home, of course I investigated. It was a mouse! Being the animal lover I am, I sat there staring at it and talking to it, but thinking about it now, I'm sure I was just some big predator squawking at it, ready to eat my find, so... it ran. Towards our open back door.Ray jumped in front of it and it ran to our bushes. When he went to move the grate from the grill, we noticed there were three little babies in the nest! So little, so cute. Ray wanted to leave them, but I couldn't just let them die in our grill. So I made him move the grate to our bushes, so at least if the momma found them they could scamper away. And I know she found them because it rained last night and we looked at the nest and there were more leaves over it. And I can't stop checking on them! Ray thinks that now they'll infest our house, but we'll see. They're just so cute!

Thoughts for the week

1. If you buy a brand new Land Rover with a snorkle for the engine on it, please take a hammer and some sandpaper to it to make it look like you would be in situations to need a snorkle.

2. People really do pay attention to you in your car. Lesson learned after dancing to Kelly Clarkson and having a van full of frat boys laugh at me.

3. I really do have absolutely no idea what it's like to deal wth babies. Ray's sister is having a baby shower today and I was absolutely lost in the baby section at Target. Thank goodness for registries!

4. Along the same lines as using a baby registry, when you're buying people wedding presents, please use their registries. Almost seven months after our wedding, we still have about six picture frames that we have no place to put them.

5. My birthday is in two weeks, and I feel like I'm already there. For some reason, I really didn't like the number 22. 21 was fine, and I think I'm 23, but there was just something about 22. Hmmm.

6. Spring is no excuse to wear clothes that you shouldn't. Skinny or not. Please try not to look like a hoochie. P.S. Heels with short shorts kinda put you on the fast track to that one. Just sayin'.

7. I love May! Spring is the best.

8. I made fried chicken and gravy the other day and I did it without setting anything on fire, dropping anything, or creating havoc in the kitchen in any way, and it actually tasted really good! I'm finally getting to where I can cook pretty well.

As Promised...

First off, the captitol from my room window on the 22nd floor:

Then, the street that the restaurant we at in was (did that sentence make sense?):

And the bell tower of the city, glowing purple:

View from the vending machine of the mountains one evening:

And now for some destruction from the week... leftovers from a cooking demo and the aftermath of a whiskey tasting (stunk up the entire floor we were on).

And now for the opening reception. Cubed cheese (big no-no in the culinary world), some yummy bison, and of course, the drinks:

Finally, a dancing doll and then the real thing, some native american dancers to open the show:

Oh yeah! I forgot. Finally, A cool blue bear outside the convention center and me with the winner of Top Chef, Hosea Rosenberg.

Hope you enjoyed! Now, off to the real world.

Aaaaannnnndddd, I'm back!

Wow, It's been awhile. So, you want to hear about my trip to Denver? Well, you get to hear about it anyway. First, we'll talk about the actual work part, because, well, it's probably not that interesting. I sat at the registration desk from 7-6 every day. Every Stinkin' Day. Lots of People, lots of questions, and then ots of time to sit and be bored. But I got to see a lot about what goes on at conferences and meetings, which I enjoyed. Definitely something i could see myself doing someday. There were fun times, though. Opening reception at the Denver Art Museum, lots of food, getting to see a little of Denver (meaning the street we lived on for a week). And we saw a bunny! Right in the middle of the city, outside the museum.

By the way, notice the snow? Yeah. Every other day. Or hour, take your pick. The weather was crazy! I thought I was leaving bad weather in Georgia.

It was warm when we got there, but they'd just had a blizzard.

Then, Sunday was really nice. And then, Monday, this is what we got.

And, Monday afternoon... warm again.

Oh, and the walk to the Wednesday night reception was sooooo pleasant...

I don't really have pictures of Thurday of Friday, because I don't remember leaving the hotel (registration desk, you know). Or Saturday, really. But it snowed Saturday, so a pic from out the window. And then Sunday... IT WAS 12 DEGREES! Ugh! And what did I come home to? ICE AND FLURRIES IN APRIL! Oh well. I also never though I'd be happy to feel humidity again. Seriously, my skin was getting scaly and (gross alert) my nose was a little bloody the whole time. And I never thought altitude would ever affect me as much as it did. I was dizzy literally every time I turned around. Ahhh, there's no place like home. But really, it is a beautiful city with lots of character and I wish I'd gotten to see more (but maybe next time in the summer:) ).

Next post: The week in pictures (minus the weather, 0f course!).

It's coming, I promise!

The long-awaited (ha) post on my glamorous trip to Denver, that is. I've just been so tired, I haven't had a chence when I wasn't sleeping. So, just so you can experience it with me, here's a view from my hotel room:

Agh!

Denver.
Less than 48 hours.
Denver is in the middle of a BLIZZARD right now.
Seriously. Wind chill 2 degrees.
Trying to figure out what to pack.
What do you pack to be inside a hot hotel all day and then out in the elements at night with no time to change?
Wasting time.
Gotta go.

I'm not LAST!!!

Ok. So I've never been what you call a "natural athlete." I like sports, love playing most of them (the exception? Softball. Got knocked out when I was little. I had one of those moments where I woke up and eveyone was standing over me like in the movies... but I digress). Even played soccer in high school for a few years. But was I good? No. I can't even walk without spraining ankles or bruising arms (you'd think I'd be able to see walls in my way...). I was always, ALWAYS the girl picked second or third to last, and the only reason why I was never last was because my athletic friends felt bad for me or didn't want to pick the weird people. I got used to it. I've always been more artistically gifted, and I'm okay with that.

When Ray suggested we start playing tennis a few years ago, I thought, sure. I'll make an idiot out of myself, but it'll be fun and soon it'll be out of his system and I can go back to dragging him to the Fox for musicals. Imagine my surprise when I turned out to be pretty good. Imagine Ray's surprise when I started beating him. And imagine, one more time, how shocked, absolutely shocked I was when tonight, a guy watching his girlfriend's tennis match, asked if I played on a team and if I wanted to join theirs! AGGGHHH! Super cool! That's never happened before! Someone actually watched me play a sport without laughing! And actually think I would be an asset to a team! Whhooooaaaaa. And, yay! Maybe friends, if they call me. Good week. Especially since I had a weird low yesterday. BUT! No focusing on that. Total answer to prayers on multiple levels. Yay!!! I'm the coolest ever.