A Goal For Costa Rica

I am still trying to avoid all the boring, final, last minute tasks required for travel, so I thought I would hide out here for a bit longer.

Recently the husband bestowed upon me a new lens for my camera as a graduation gift. I am pretty sure when he handed it to me I literally squeeled with delight. It is just an entry level telephoto lens, but I had been lusting after it for awhile so getting my grubby little paws on one for the first time was a thrill, and I have been having fun with it ever since.


See? That grasshopper (it is a grasshopper right?) didn't even know I was there. Thanks to the new telephoto lens I could be far enough away so that he was completly unaware of all the photography sins I am sure I was commiting when I took this picture. SUCKER!

For the most part my bags are packed, and I double, no, tripple checked that the new lens was packed and ready to go in my carry on. My goal (I am reaching here folks) in taking the DSLR to Costa Rica is to get enough decent pictures, so I could order one of these. For those of you that are too lazy too click on the link A) I don't blame you, I am lazy too and B)I will just tell you - They are MOO mini cards and quite frankly they seem like a neat little creation for only 19.99 AND more, if not most importantly they seem like an easy, fun, clean way to keep all of your photos together. Also, it encourages me to get some of these pictures off of my computer and into print. So, I highly doubt that I will come out of this trip 100 photos...

.....but here is to a valiant effort!

Exciting New Things

It is not big news, it is not super exciting news, but it is really fun news for me and it helps me put off packing for Costa Rica for a few moments longer. Also, currently, writting this is keeping my mind off of Alma. The tropical depression that is hovering over the region I am supposed to be flying into tomorrow. But that is neither here nor there and it has nothing to do with my super fun news (for me, remember?).

I have joined the daring bakers group! I have been poking around various cooking and food photography blogs (which all made my mouth water) lately and came across multiple bloggers who participated in the group, and month after month post something new and exciting was created. Yesterday I saw all the posts go up for their latest challenge and decided to get off my tush and join. My first challenge won't be until the end of the month (I think), but I am so looking forward to it.

A little about the group can be found here.

This should be a fun adventure and I look forward to my first challenge. Oh! And the best part? This counts as an attempt at #5 on my list and maybe I can fatten up that construction worker of a husband 'O' mine.

But It Is Tripple Milled!

It's what's on the inside that counts...

...but sometimes the outside is a huge factor in making a decision.

No, finding lovely smelling soaps in fun wrappers is not a hobby, but I felt the need to share this find with you.



I found these soaps at Old Navy while searching for a decent pair of shorts that don't cling to my thighs and flash a lil butt cheek. The price is right ($5 for 2) and the packaging is amazing. The designs on the outside are funky, fresh and clean looking. So, I stocked up and have a few out on the counter for decoration.

Not only are they fun on the inside they smell as good as they look and they can get the grime off the husband's dirty construction wrecked hands. What more could a gal ask for? Island lime (the one pictured) is the husband's pick. My pick, you ask? Sparkling Green Tea.

It is Sunday, get off the computer and go get some!

Everyone Needs To Start Somewhere

Alright,

I figured it is time for me to make an attempt at one of the 6 items listed below instead of just whining about being bored and not having any hobbies. #1 was to get a life and I am not getting a life, so I figured should try being crafty and/or creative. I don't know if I did either one of those things well but I gave it a shot and hey, it was better than oh, I don't know being gouged in the eye. So that right there has to count for something....right?


right?

So, what did I make?

Let me show you!

Because pictures are always better than words (what can I say I am a product of the MTV generation...books? What are those?)
I made this!


What the heck is it? Don't be so rude! Hold on to your pants and I will tell you, because you are in for a wild ride (or an obscenely demure explanation of what it is and how I did it. Either way though, you are in for a good time....right?.....right?)

It started out as a plain old cork board that I was using for hanging up various things such as exciting pictures of our cats, or an idea for a recipe. It need a little more pizazz so it got a cork board make over today.

I started by
1) Taking ~1 yard of fabric and making a little pocket at the bottom and then I used my handy dandy sewing machine to sew a straight line down the middle to make the one giant pocket, into two more useful pockets.
2) Then I took the fabric, pulled it nice and firm and stapled it to the back, because, what the heck? I am fancy like that!

I didn't feel like the board and enough pizazz and it most certainly didn't take up enough time to count as a hobby so I went to town making these adorable fabric covered push pins using a button cover kit from Joann's.




To make these I used the button cover kit but I had to get rid of the pesky metal button hole loopy thing on the back, so that is exactly what I did!

Cripes! I have man hands!

I just pulled that sucker out!



Then, after that pesky button loop was out of my life once and for all I used these helpful tools

(A glue gun, thumb tack and the pliers I used to pull the button loop out of the back of the button with to turn my once very lovely button into an even more beautiful push pin.)

So I



Then I


Until I had



Which ended up looking great on the board! Not the best picture, but I promise I will do better next time.


And that my friends, is how I got off my tush and got started on finding myself a hobby!

Ideas

Alright, so it has been my first week and all I have is ideas of what to do with my time....

1) Get a life.
2) Channel my inner green thumb and help wean our household off of Trader Joes/Albertsons.
3) Get serious about this photography thing.
4) Learn to sew.
5) Fatten up the husband, and start baking. I can cook just fine, it is the baking that gives me problems. Roast a beautiful whole chicken with plentiful and delicious sides. Fine, I am your woman. Bring egg whites to a peak for merengue? Nope...not gunna happen.
6) Get crafty and creative, whatever that means.

The Great Question of Life..

How do you take a picture of a camera?

Check, Check Annnddd Check

Times, they are a changin'

Today is sort of a turning point for me. I am offically done with school, excited for me? Well, then just wait for this. I have also paid off my car! Not excited enough? I made my first financial investment. You are still not excited enough? Bite me, and just let me have my fun instead of worrying about impressing your grumpy mug.

No, but seriously. Today is a major day for me. I finished up with my last final, I opened my window to take my series 7 exam, my car is paid off which makes the husband and I 100% debt free and I have invested in our future in more ways than one andI don't really know where this leaves me. Even though I was a tremendous slacker in college I escaped with a 3.0 and if there was a pie chart of how I spent my time while in school it would look like this......


What I am trying to get at here is that based on my numerous calculations it has just come to my attention that a large portion of my time (aprox. 83%) is going to need to be re-allocated and to be quite honest I have NO idea what I am going to do. For the most part I have no real hobbies, no real intrests and no real plans for how to discover what to do with my time other than trial and error so anyone reading this is going to be comming along for a wild ride and I am open to suggestions. My life is undergoing a major change. From college nanny, to college nanny-newlywed to college EX nanny-newlywed-office intern to college grad with alot of spare time and no sense of what to do with it. My my my, this should be good.



side note and edit: The side note is that the husband is trying to impress me by doing the robot to the flavor of love 3 theme song as I type. How is that not sexy I ask. (should that be a . a ! or a ? I don't know, puncuation escapes me) the edit is that...look, I know that was a crappy pie chart. I did my best, I am working on making a better one, but I don't think any of my non existant readers will care.

Pardon Me While I Get A Lil Emo.

About 35% of the time I feel as though I am invisible. I am also ~62% sure that if I died I would be able to count on one hand the number of people who would actually be upset and miss me (no need to reminded me that I am dead, and counting will not be necessary). If you are slow, here is another way of explaining how I feel today, I have a large case of the mopeies (they are much more severe than the Mondays) and I am having one of those days where, no matter how many people you are surrounded by, you still feel alone.

whine whine whine....okay moving on.

Today I was sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself when a familar sensation came over me.......... I realized that I needed to pee (don't worry this is relevant). When I got up from the couch to take a break from feeling invisible (even invisible people have too pee), I found that I had a missed a call on my cell phone, when I checked my messages I saw that sister A, (of the two girls I used to nanny for) had left me a message, and when I played that message, this is what I heard."Hi Ella!!!!! Uh I miss you and I want you to have a sleepover tomorrow. And I miss you. AAANNNDDD I love you, BYE.!!!!!! And my sister loves you....BYE!!!!!!. *muffled voice of her mother in the background* Uh, no mom she is not ringing"

She is adoriable, and has good timing?

What are the chances?

Two Years And A Tomato Plant

Two years married to the same wonderful human being?

Blissful!

Enough said, sometimes simplicity is best

A Naked Girl Can Hide Anything

I am a good, trustworthy, honest and hard working employee. But it just so happens that being a good actress comes with having a vagina. I didn't ask for the gift.....so don't be jealous. For the past couple weeks it *may* be possible that I have been plotting my escape from work.......at work. Shhhh don't tell anyone.

As I sit in my unsupervised cubicle I search tripadvisor for hours looking for the perfect place to spend a week (and by perfect place, don't be mistaken, I mean that I try to find the cheapest place that isnt a hell hole, where the only souvineer I can bring back for friends and family is the bird flu or some version of TB that will most likely wipe out half of the worlds population). Outlook for me, is like a half naked girl on a Coors poster for prison inmates. It hides my escape route. When people walk by, I bring my outlook screen up, as if to say....Me planning a trip? NEVER! And if I were, I would do it on my own time at home. Thank you very much. After hours of searching I have managed to come up with the perfect place, and the perfect itinerary, and for those of you who need to escape I thought I would share it with you, because yes, it is, just that good.

Friday-Leave (In all actuality we leave at an unspeakable hour Saturday morning, but I would like to put off thinking about that)
Saturday – Arrive in San Jose at 9 am, Leave for Fortuna via private transfer (we are fancy like that), get there..whenever we feel like it. Bite me, and we will do some hiking and picture taking!
Sunday-Spend day Hiking, Jungle tour, somehow see monkies, a waterfall, eat some delicious fruit and butterflies
Monday-Zipline i.e. crap my pants over the canopy
Tuesday-Leave at an ungodly hour to venture over to the Caribbean coast to a sloth rehab/sanctuary and visit a few of the beauties.
Wednsday- Head down south ~25k to beach it up
Thursday –Spend the moring in denial, trying to not admit to ourselves that in mere hours we will be on our way back to reality.

A few things I would like to point out that I did not realize when I was writting THAT down. First of all, I wrote this for my huband who has a hard time understanding how 7days and 6 nights is even possible, it blows his mind. Second, Yes, I do write with random capital letters, in random places, its a side effect of my crazy. Third. No, I do not plan of eating butterflies, har har har, yes it is funny that I accidently wrote that I would like to eat some delicious fruit and butterflies...but No, I am not a monster I do not wish to dine on such beautiful creatures, in fact, I think you are a monster for even thinking someone might do such a thing. Fourth, yes, I will crap my pants on a zipline and yes, I will enjoy it.

Printer, Meet Subway. Subway, Meet Printer.

I feel like life in the office is bleeding straight into everyday life.I work in a small office and we all use one lovely printer. This wonderful printer, like many, has issues. One of its most annoying being that after you ask it to print.......it forgets. So you ask it to please, for the love of god print your spread sheet again and the printer, being a far superior being than myself or any of my co-workers has to think about what it has been asked of it. It weighs its options and carefully thinks about it and finally, FINALLY the second time it decides to print your document......TWICE.

God-damn spiteful technology.

The man who made my sandwich at subway today was much the same way. I asked very nicely for some mayo and he failed to pick up his squirt bottle of mayo and give me a few squirts (thats what she said). So, after he skipped they mayo and went straight to mustard. I asked very nicely again for some mayo and the second time I asked he decided to bless my sandwich with mayo.....TWICE.I just cant escape.