End of the School Year and Kansas City

I still judge summer based on school schedules (even though it's not officially summer until June). Based on that, it's almost summer!! Jon's got this week of classes, finals next week, and then he's done!! Woo-hoo!! We are both really excited. He's taking one summer course, because for some reason he likes them, but that will be over in mid-June. Then we will have the rest of the summer with no studying, no papers, and no school books lying around the living room. Sounds absolutely blissful!! We are both really excited about it, to say the least.

Also, we are starting to make plans for the summer and what we will do when. I am excited about it at least. The weekend that school is out (May 9th), we are going to Kansas City. Jon's cousin Dana lives there so we are going to see her, and Waterdeep (my favorite band ever) is going to be performing that weekend too. I am so excited. I have always wanted to see Waterdeep perform in Kansas City because usually it's in a very different atmosphere. This concert will actually be in a bar...where several of their albums have been recorded. I am just so darn excited, I can't hardly contain myself!!! So I am counting down the days and look forward to a great weekend of quality time with Dana and her boyfriend, Dave, who we are expecting to become a part of the family any time now. We haven't met him yet and look forward to it.

Time to Celebrate!!

We found out last night that Jon got offered an internship this summer!! The accounting firm is one of the largest firms in Wyoming. He is so excited about it. He will be working with people who are going to be auditing the university, which is part of the reason he is so excited. He wants to do audit in the future, as in for a career, so getting this internship was really important to him. He applied for another one, but I didn't really want him to do that one because it was in Denver and would require him to be gone during the week.
So I am really glad that he got offered this one. Plus, Jon knows several other people who applied for the internship and he said that the competition was pretty steep. There were several people from his "accounting club" that applied, but he was the one who got it. I am just so proud of him, because he is a very hard worker and a great student, and now it is finally starting to pay off!!! Woo-hoo!!

Recognition Dinner

Saturday was the College of Business Recognition Dinner. It is a huge event where all the students who got awards or scholarships in the college, get recognized. Sometimes the donors are there and you get an opportunity to meet them. Jon got a couple of scholarships this year, so he had to go. It ended up being a great evening.

When Jon and I lived in Edmond, one of our favorite things to do was to get dressed up and go out to dinner. Often, we would get ready in separate rooms and then Jon would "pick me up" at a certain time. We would go out to dinner and then maybe do something else like go to a play, concert, etc.

Since moving to Laramie, that has been something that we miss doing. First of all, people in Wyoming don't really "dress up." Secondly, the only nice restaurant in town, The Cavalryman, is about 50-60 dollars per person...and that's not including drinks or anything. It's delicious, don't get me wrong, and well worth the money, but we just can't justify it very often (mostly just when the parents or grandparents are in town). Thirdly, you could go to this restaurant in jeans and t-shirts (as we did once after a football game) and not be out of place. So it isn't really even a "dress up" atmosphere. We have tried other things but rather unsuccessfully...if we go to Denver, Ft. Collins, or Cheyenne, we usually have other things to do, and do NOT want to be "dressed up" the whole time.

So it was quite exciting to get to go to this dinner. The "dress code" was business professional...meaning suits. So Jon got to wear his suit and wore a dress...we both got to get spiffied up and had a lot of fun. We stayed for at least two hours. It was so fun to get to see Jon interact with his peers. I also got to meet a lot of people that Jon is friends with but have not met. I was so proud of him...being all professional and stuff. He was just so darn cute!!

Afterwards, we decided that we didn't really want to go home because we were dressed up and it was eight o'clock. So we decided to go to a restaurant that some of our friends had mentioned. The place is famous in town for their desserts, so we split one and had a glass of wine. It was the perfect end to a fun evening. It also made me look forward to being in a slightly larger city so we can do that more often. It was really nice to be able to just enjoy each other's company!!

Nalgene Bottles are Out

Bummer. I love my multiple Nalgene bottles. I use them everyday...64 oz. of water each day!! I am using one right now!! A recent announcement came out stating that consumers were upset about some chemical used to make Nalgene bottles. They say that it is not safe. So, Nalgene, in response to their consumers has decided to take these bottles off the market. So I looked some things up, and it appears that the ones coming off the market are the bottles that made Nalgene famous...big, unbreakable, wide mouthed. Well that fits the description of every bottle I own!! Great. You know, I found myself kind of frustrated because there's been all this stuff in the news about how bad it is to use bottled water because the bottles end up in a landfill. This is a result of people not recycling. I have always used both a Nalgene and bottled water. I guess I could get on the band wagon of not using bottled water as much...mostly I just took it to the gym...easier to drink out of. Well I have now been packing my Nalgene in my gym bag as I leave work, so I will have water to drink at the gym. Now, whammy!!! Nalgene's are bad too!! I'm sorry but I can't exactly bring one of our glasses to work, the gym, golfing, hiking, etc. now can I? So, I think, despite the fact that we aren't supposed to use them, and they probably cause cancer (what doesn't these days), I am still going to use my trusty Nalgene. Not to mention, it would cost way too much to replace all my bottles!!! I guess they will have to prove that it's going to kill me before I stop using them. Am I being stubborn? Probably, but darn it I like my Nalgenes. Now I have spoken my peace, and I can move on!!

Inspiration

I think my friend Summer likes to post pictures with text on her blog because she always has some really creative pictures up. So, I was inspired and think I will do more of that. It just makes things more pleasant to read, and less overwhelming with words. So I am going to do it!!

Budgeting is Fun

Jon, being a future accountant, has always been the money person. I just know that our bills get paid, but I don't really have a good handle on where the rest of our money is going. Last month Jon had a project with some other accounting people, which required them to create a website on savings. As a part of the site, they put up some budgeting worksheets and stuff. Well, I took a look at these budgeting worksheets, and decided to complete one for us. So I got online and looked at our bank information and filled it all in. It was kind of fun for me to get to see where and how we spend our money. Plus I was able to take ownership of how we spend our money. So this month I had made some adjustments, and look forward to seeing what the difference is. I think it is actually going to be significant. All because I looked at our budget!!

I always thought about budgeting as coming up with some figures and sticking to those figures. Not a good solution for me because in my mind, if we screw one area up, then the whole thing is crap. While that is probably not the case, that's how I think. So instead of doing that, I am looking at what we spend on different things in any given month. Then I am looking at how we can save a little in each of the areas...or save a lot in one area. I did the math and found that even saving a little more than normal, can add up to a lot in six months or a year. So I am really excited about it. I think Jon is most excited because he doesn't have to do all this stuff anymore, plus I give him a "report" every so often, just so he knows what's going on. Although, he's always got it all "up here" (pointing to his head), I think it's good for us to learn to talk about all this stuff now instead of later.

Wii Guitar Hero--One word...Unbelievable!!

Jon's family came down to visit for the weekend and we had a great time. Mariana's birthday was on Saturday, so there was much cause for celebration. Cindy and I were perusing through Sam's on Saturday morning and found Guitar Hero for the Wii. Jon's dad, Mike, just got a Wii a few weeks ago, and the whole family was really hoping to get guitar hero. Apparently there has been no luck in finding it, until Saturday. Cindy thought it would be a nice birthday party surprise for everyone, so she got it. We brought it home and it was immediately set up, since the Wii traveled to Laramie with them. Let the arguing begin...okay maybe it wasn't so much arguing, but instead more like Jon wouldn't let anyone else play. We finally tore him away when it got close to dinner time...he was in charge of making the steaks, so dinner wouldn't have been completed without him. So we had dinner, and it was great. We had all eight of us crammed around our table with steak, artichokes, potatoes, and wine in hand. It was a very memorable evening for me, and it just made it even better that Mariana love it too!! Then we all retired to the living room for dessert and gift opening...not two minutes after desserts were scarfed down, was the TV back on and guitar hero was being played. Fortunately, we came up with a better system, so that one person (Jon) could not jeopardize the game. Two songs each in your place in the rotation. Jon's grandparents and Marcela tuckered out after about an hour, and went back to the hotel. Mike, Cindy, and Marcela stayed until about 11:00pm...we also played dance revolution in that time. Once everyone left, and Jon and I were exhausted, don't think we went to bed. I played guitar hero with Jon for at least another hour maybe longer. When my eyes couldn't focus on the notes anymore, I decided that it was time to go to bed. As I got up to go to our room, Jon says "I probably won't be in for a while...this is my last time to play." So his justification was that the Wii was going home in the morning, so he should stay up late to play it. I got up at 5:30am to go to the bathroom, when lo and behold, who is sitting on the couch still, with lights on? That's right...5:30am...I guess he had just decided a few minutes earlier that it was time to go to bed, because by the time I got finished in the bathroom the lights were off and Jon was almost sound asleep in bed. Unbelievable!!! He stayed up all night long!! Now I really enjoyed Guitar Hero and think that I could probably play it all day long, but I don't think I could make it all night too. Being the funny wife that I think I am, I made sure to be extra chipper at 8:30 when I woke him up to go to breakfast. :) The moral of the story? Guitar Hero is soo fun...and I guess once in a blue moon it's okay to obsess over it for 24 hours.

Do April Snow Showers Bring May Flowers?

It is snowing. It has been snowing since about 6:00pm last night. This morning at our house we had about a foot of snow on the ground. It has continued to snow all morning, and isn't expected to let up any time soon (late tonight or tomorrow). I have definately come to realize that there are seasonal mood swings and literally a desire to "hibernate." For me, this is the hardest time of year. I don't mind snow September through January or February...but April? It is hard because we get a few nice days here and there, and then you just start aching to be outside. I long for flowers and bike rides, fresh fruits and picnics. We get little tastes of niceness, and then wham...more snow. It really is beautiful, but now is not the time for snow...it is the time for the lilacs to bloom, for tulips and daffodils to be growing, and to go play outside.

I think one of the reasons I am so anxious for the future, is because I know what it is like in Denver...just two hours away, and it makes such a difference. It has yet to be in the 60's here, but in Denver it will be in the 60's almost 70's in a couple of days. Here...40's. Sick me out!!! All I know is that now, more than ever, I am ready for spring. How many times have I said that? I don't know...a lot, but maybe now you know why I am so ready for spring. Perhaps because it is not spring here and won't be for who knows how long.

Once it comes, it will be fantastic. I mean the summer is full of "perfect" days...when you walk outside and think, "wow this is perfect weather." I mean it would have to be like that, considering we don't even have an air conditioner in our house. So I am just kind of sad today and feeling very anxious for the beautiful weather that we have here in Laramie in the summer. Could it just hurry up and get here?

Why can't I just be Content?

Do you ever feel anxious for the next step? I feel like that today. I have been doing a lot of thinking today, and that is rarely a good thing. Jon and I knew that we were supposed to be here, in Wyoming, when we moved here. It was confirmed several times before we moved and then again afterwards. We always kind of knew that it would not be permanent though. That has been the toughest part about being here. We kind of always thought that this would be a place of transition. It is becoming increasingly difficult to be focused on being here. I know that there are definitely reasons that we are here and people who's lives we are supposed to be apart of, but now that the future is becoming a reality, it is getting harder. We are talking about starting a family, and Jon getting a job, and moving...and it just makes me look at today with grumbling. Mostly this is just an occasional grumble, but it seems to be coming more frequently. I look to September (when Jon starts interviewing) as the culmination of our time here. It's like that is when I will be able to start moving on. I just have to wait for six more months. As I begin to count down the days, I realize that I am just breezing through some really exciting events in our lives, and who knows what else. I know that I just need to relax and wait on the Lord. I am just really bad at waiting and worse at being patient. I feel like I am just ready for our lives to begin, when aren't we already supposed to be living our lives? I guess these are questions that still need no answer, as I am sure that I already know the answer. So I guess I am just sending them out into the void while scorning myself at the same time for even asking.

Beautiful Day

I just got back from lunch and found that today has turned into a pretty beautiful day. It's always so hard to go back inside after being outside and knowing that I could do there instead of in here. I was just grumbling to myself about how much it stinks that I have to go back in, when I remembered that I am leaving work early today. I am planning to leave around three or three thirty and then I will be on my way to the park for a nice long run. I just got so excited and have to say that I cannot wait!!! My spring fever will cease if only for a day!!