101 checks and such

so this past week has been pretty busy, I think.  stuff to check off:

• #7.  run a 5k.  check!  did this on Saturday for the March of Dimes.  It was really fun and I enjoyed the trip around downtown Denver.  It was cold, but once we got moving it was enjoyable.  Lots of pics on twitter, here.
• #17.  try a new restaurant once a month.  this month's was taco del mar in Fort Collins.  It is a lot like Chipotle, but actually, I thought the meat was much better.  and I love Chipotle.  I really loved it and their salsa was good too.  Last month's was smashburger, I just never updated about it.  Smashburger is fantastic, and I don't even like burgers.
• #24.  pay off credit cards.  I only have 2 to pay off, and they are small balances really, but victory for one of them, thanks to my tax refund :)
• #34.  whiten teeth.  bought a new product last week, Arm&Hammer whitening enhancer or something like that.  It is next to their toothpaste, but you use it with your regular toothpaste, as in at the same time.  It makes your teeth feel dentist fresh which is a good selling point in and of itself, but I actually could notice a whitening difference within a couple days.  I like it a lot, which is nice because I tried those strips once, and they grossed me out.
• #35.  recycle regularly for at least six months.  only one month left of this!  it's been nice and I of course plan to continue, but one more check! :)
• #59.  get reusable grocery bags.  done!
• #60.  create a budget and stick to it for at least 3 months.  2 months down.  yay!

lots of progress, it seems.  good news.

lots of 101 checks...

1.  lose 15 pounds, 5 pounds at a time.

this check is well on it's way.  I started calorie counting on Thursday and have lost 3 pounds thus far.  I believe I will be at 5 pounds by the end of the week.  I'm not sure how much I really want to lose total, but I think going down a size would be nice, so we'll aim for a 6 rather than an 8.  I really don't care to be honest, as long as I finally feel good about myself.  I also haven't even had time to exercise yet so that could help, too.

17.  try a new restaurant every other month.

on Friday, we had a date night (#44!) at Pinocchio's, a new Italian place nearby.  It was very good (I hoarded my calories all day and saved 1000 out of my allowed 1350 for dinner...I didn't need them all though!), I tried a new wine (#41!) - Hob Nob chard.  I thought it was good.

25.  do 10 random acts of kindness.

helped an old lady with her groceries at whole foods last week.  

35.  recycle regularly for at least 6 months.

this has been going steady for 3 months, looking good!

84.  make some new girl friends.

not wanting to replace people here, just trying.  I have about 95% guy friends, ladies are good too.  I have made a couple at school so I think this is going well!  I've also gotten closer to one of my cousins who hasn't been around much growing up.

I think that is some solid progress!  In other news, Kate at elefantitas alegres is doing a giveaway for an adorable bikini bag, and I want in on that action!  so check it out if you're interested.

goals and weekend

44.  have a date night once a month

saturday, we had a sort of date night.  went around town together just BSing.  bought some sparkling chardonnay (yum) and checked out clearance at circuit city.  almost bought a ton of stuff but at the last minute decided to be responsible and save our money.  dang.

73.  take chad to CO attractions

sunday, we went to the coors factory.  much fun, plus it's free to tour, and you get free booze!  exxxciting.  pictures:

giant can outside the factory.

big beer making pots. haha.

rising moon is their new spring ale. very good.  you better believe i got a lot of that and blue moon.

various funny looking cans.

I also stopped by a jared's to look at wedding bands, and they offered to buff and re-dip (white gold needs this occasionally) my engagement ring for free!  even though chad didn't buy it there.  bonus.  so now it is all shiny and looks brand new.  thanks, jared's!  I talked geology/gemology with the dude for awhile because he tried to sound sophisticated about gold and diamonds and I got tired of him trying to "explain" things for me.  gotta school people sometimes.  haha.

and now, I watch obama's speech.  I like this guy, and I believe in him.

weekend update.

so, 101 progress:

15.  try a new recipe once a month.

saturday night we had a little soiree with some friends here and my mom and I made these delicious concoctions that I have no name for.  they are very simple:  take a green pepper chopped into reasonable appetizer sized pieces (I suppose you could use any, but I liked the flavor with these), spray with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, crumble some feta cheese on each piece, and then sprinkle some sliced kalamata olives on top of the feta cheese.  grill (or bake) until the peppers are softened.  OMG.  amazing.  they tasted nothing like I expected them to, and they were gone in about 2 minutes.

41.  try a new wine every month.

I tried Black Opal shiraz this month.  I was not such a fan - if you like dry red wines, you would probably be impressed by it, but it was a little too much for me.  It had a good flavor, but it was not quite what I like.  I did use it to make some marinara for my baked eggplant parmesan, and it was a nice touch there, though!

32.  keep my car clean - especially if I get a new one!

check.  I have had the car for almost a month and it has been kept thoroughly pristine.  I scrubbed it down last week, and there is no trash piling up inside.  victory, so far.

64.  clean out my closet and donate/consign what i can.

I did this right before we moved back to Colorado, and I did it again when we got here.  I have a cargo area full of clothes to take to the consignment shop.

75.  get my parents to switch lightbulbs.

by this, I mean from traditional ones to the energy efficient spiral ones.  well, turns out they had pretty much done most of the household bulbs on their own!  success.

78.  register for practical wedding gifts - and at least one splurge.

we registered last tuesday.  it was fun but really pretty exhausting.  I would say our splurge was the Dyson we registered for.  my parents have had one for a few years and I love it - so I must have one.  I really wanted the pink breast cancer one they came out with, but I will settle for the allergen one we registered for.  I was also excited for the free gift we got from crate & barrel - they give you a crystal heart bowl when you register there.

confessions:

- I start grad school on tuesday.  I know I should probably be excited or something, but I am really just dreading more school.  plus, I am not all that psyched about my schedule right now (it is still sort of in limbo though...so that might change).  I know that it should go by really fast due to the fact the 3.5 years of undergrad pretty much flew by, and theoretically I should only be in my master's program for 1.5 years, but I really, truly, with every fiber of my being hate school.  I want the advanced degree, but I hate the process.

- I have not heard from my doctor since my ovarian ultrasound.  I am not sure if this is good or bad, but either way I do not like being in limbo.  

- I am not sure if I know how to be a teacher, so I don't know how this TA position thing is going to go.  ack.

- chad jacked up my favorite (of our 2) guitar controller for guitar hero being a drunken fool on saturday, and I want to punch him.  okay, maybe not the violence, but I am ticked.

checks, rants, raves, christmas, and a new year.

Happy new year, everyone!  I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season, and wish everyone the best this year.

I haven't updated in a little while, but that's because we were so busy getting everything taken care of to move, and then getting settled in Colorado.  We're done now, and we seem to have made it in one piece.  Chad starts grad school on the 13th, and I start on the 20th.  

On to Christmas!  I love Christmas.  My present to myself was basically my new car (I shouldn't have!).  Chad got me Guitar Hero III and a new guitar, which I love much better than the one that came with World Tour.  It's much more responsive/less noisy.  

Chad also got me a giant jar of my favorite Yankee Candle, the mistletoe scent.  I have no idea what mistletoe is supposed to smell like, but this smells like a wonderful, piney dream.  He also got me the Wall-e DVD.  I LOVE this movie.  I have a slight obsession.

My aunt got us a Wii Fit, which is ridiculously fun.  I love the hula-hooping, ski jump, and step aerobics.  I highly recommend it!

My parents also got us both some clothes and some nice boots.  Question for you fashionista-types: what color tights would you wear with a gray sweater dress?  My mom picked out an adorable sweater dress from Macy's, and bought some gray textured vera wang tights to wear with it, but this seems like way too much gray to me, and I don't really know which color would be better.  Any thoughts?

Moving on to some checks: #17 is in progress.  This is hard for me because I am one of those people who fears change and am terrified to try new foods.  Last Monday, we were driving around Denver running errands, and Chad decides he simply must have food from some hole-in-the-wall Mexican place we drove by.  My stomach said no, but whatever.  It ended up actually being very delicious - I would definitely eat there again.  They had fabulous salsa, which is really my only requirement in life.  

#35 is also in progress - our trash service picks up recyclables as well, so its quite easy.  I feel really good about it!  

#42 is in high gear.  It's much easier to do here, where the tap water is actually delicious, and not painful to drink.  I have been chugging it since we got here, and hopefully it will do me some good!

A rant:  in October, we found a place up here that we absolutely loved for our wedding.  I checked with the coordinator several times about the date still being available, etc. and she assured me we had a hold on the date and we would be alerted if anyone expressed interest in our date.  Well, last week, we went up to the venue to tour it and we were right, we loved it.  So we contact the coordinator to book, and she says the date is booked.  Excuse me?  We have it in writing from her saying we have a hold.  She says that it is a big misunderstanding, she thought we had a hold on the date, but she was wrong, and she was new at the time so she wasn't sure how to handle it, etc.  but she can offer us another date at a discount because of the confusion.  WTF?  I am so annoyed.  We still love the venue, but I am too upset with them to use their facility now...how do I know you will get it right this time?  Will we order chicken and beef and get served fish and veal?  I want to smack someone.

So now we are on the look for a new venue.  We have found a couple we really like, we just need to go visit them.  But really, UGH.  I am over wedding planning.

graduation!

i'm officially done! diploma in hand. here are some pictures from chad's and my graduation.

#10!

10.  finish my bachelor of science.

My last professor FINALLY posted our grades from our final, which was approximately eleventy-two days ago.  I am good to go!  I wasn't really worried about my grade, but you never wanna jinx yourself...haha.  I ended up with 3 A's, and my calculus II grade, which although I was impressed with considering my complete lack of advanced math skills, am not particularly proud of.  I am, however, particularly proud of the A I received in hydrogeology - not an easy class.  I graduate on Saturday, and Chad will get to make fun of my honor cords - which are admittedly dorky.

My parents, Chad, and my good friends Mikey O. and James will be there.  Exxxxciting!  I feel so grown up.  I will post pictures after!  

(I still await 2/3 finance offers for my car...come on people, i'm impatient, and have a need to shop around.)

EEEEEEEEEK!!

after re-test driving a cr-v and a rogue, we are 100% in love with the rogue.  the dealership here has made me an amazing offer on a completely pimped out rogue for MUCH MUCH less that the MSRP.  

so now i wait for my financing.  come to me, beautiful car of my dreams.  haha.

#91. and life.

so let's see.  

#91.  no fast food for a month...and try to keep it going.

this goal was actually ridiculously easy.  i don't eat that much fast food anyway, and usually only if i am in a HUGE hurry.  so i just didn't.  it was tempting sometimes, especially because it is chad's best friend when he gets off work late at night.  but i have become victorious.  so now, i just try to keep it going through finals, which could prove tough...but i have faith!

on to life.

i successfully defended my thesis!  woo.  (i meant to blog about this after it happened on december 2, but i was completely swamped last week.  yikes.)  anywho, it went very well.  the dean asked to keep my research - and wants me to present it at a conference in february - and my advisor was happy.  so yay!  now i just wait for my hardback copy of my published research.

saturday, we went to austin to see jim gaffigan record his new comedy central special.  look for us on tv!  we were pretty close to the front row.  the show was awesome, we never stopped laughing.  if you haven't heard his stand up, i highly recommend checking it out, there is a lot of it on youtube.  we went down to austin earlier in the day, sold some furniture to a knottie, ate dinner at p.f. chang's (one of my favorites), and headed over to the show.  good times.

finals are this week.  i can actually breathe a sigh of relief after my calculus II test on friday, which went infinitely better than i expected (thank you, big man in the sky - i almost fainted when i turned the paper over).  i actually only have 2 finals, calculus and greek.  i had my self defense class final yesterday, but it doesn't really count as a final.  most of my time will be going towards calculus...happy thoughts, please :)

hope everyone has a great week, especially you finals-takers!   

checks

i can officially cross 2 more off the list!

49. get research published - i submitted my final thesis draft to my adviser tonight. i defend it on december 2. EEEEK.

87. encourage someone else to do a 101 in 1001 - my good friend mike decided to join in on the fun. not sure how long it will be til he has the whole thing up and running, but he is a part of HISTORY!! haha.

woooo!

i have officially been accepted to graduate school. (deep breath). i feel old. as long as i don't accept an offer from the other school i applied to (their deadline is dec. 1), i will officially be a colorado state ram (cue SNL "you win again, ram!"). good thing the colors are the same as baylor, or i would be in a corner somewhere rocking back and forth. i am not friends with change. haha.

and not just accepted, but also offered a TA position for a lab or professor assistant for $1400/month, and full tuition! i am sooo happy.

icing on the cake: the professor i have been working with has research projects in alaska. free trips to alaska please! i would like to see russia from my tent.

this of course also means that i am well on my way to a few of my goals, namely:
4. get a new car - obviously, no one was going to sell me a car when i had no job secured. check!
10. finish my bachelor of science - merely a month and 2 calculus II exams away.
11. earn my master's - being accepted into a master's program has significantly increased the probability of this happening.

and most of my other goals that involve buying things, because you need money to make purchases.

#53

i can already cross something off the list: #53. make a list of 100 things i love about chad and give it to him.

this was my anniversary present to him. i bought a neat acrylic cover at a scrapbook store, and decorated it with "us" things. i printed out 50 pictures (free from shutterfly!) and made 50 pages for the book. one picture per page, two things i love per page, and ta-da! he really loved it, which was awesome because i didn't know if he would think it was too lovey. but he really enjoyed it, and now it is sitting on the dresser, looking fabulous.

i love being crafty.