F-R-A-G-I-L-E

... it must be Italian!

About two weeks ago - well after Christmas - I was on my way to Target during my lunch break. Something caught my eye, and within the span of about five seconds, I had pulled over, grabbed my camera out of my purse, rolled down the window and taken a photo.

That's right, folks, it's a giant inflatable leg lamp, just like the one in my most favorite Christmas movie - A Christmas Story!

I have never been a fan of large inflatable yard decorations, but this one is different. It is not an obnoxious snowman, or even worse, a snow globe... but instead is an icon of American culture. 

So watch out... you just might see one of these in my yard next Christmas! (But probably not...)

Best Birthday Ever!

Tuesday was Emma's third birthday. Last Sunday, I went home for a little birthday party. Em was pretty excited about her presents and blowing out her candles. She declared, "this is my best birthday ever!" 

That night, after I gave her a bath, we were sitting on the couch reading a book. She looked at me and said, "I love you." I told her I love her too and she said, "Me too!"

On Monday, Rob and I took her to Chuck E. Cheese's. It was her first trip... and I think she had a really good time. That is, until some little [snot-nosed!] kid ran by and knocked her down. But she got over that after a few minutes.

...Three years ago today I was sitting in that tiny waiting room at the hospital with mom, dad, Rob, and Adaryll... genuinely believing that things would be ok. Everyone else seemed to know what was happening - but I held on to hope until I heard it directly from the surgeon. From that moment on, life was different. There have been lots of tears and rough days, and numerous hours of journaling at Starbucks - but in the end, my ultimate belief that things will be ok has proven true. The "ok" now is certainly different than the "ok" I was imagining three years ago... but I continue to cling to my faith and belief that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

What Are the Chances...

that I will enjoy my statistics class? I'd say slim to none. I decided to be a little ambitious this semester and take three classes. "Are you a math person?" my advisor asked. Haha. Me? A math person? Not quite.

But anyhow... this is a picture of my book. There are a couple things I have to say about it.

First, I ordered it from Amazon Marketplace. I paid about $30 for it, which I didn't think was too bad. I'm pretty sure it was more expensive at the GW bookstore. But can you see that little yellow sticker in the photo? It says, "Clearance. $1.00." Seriously? Did someone just make $29 because I'm taking statistics? While I'm no math person, I'm pretty sure that's an excellent profit for the seller!

And to the publisher - What's with the coffee cups on the cover? Are they meant to calm us and reassure us that this isn't going to be so bad after all? Or, are they to warn us that we will need to drink a LOT of coffee to make it through this class? Just wondering.

It was good to see last week that I'm not the only one who fears statistics. It's going to be rough, but at least I know I'm not alone! We get started on this one the week of February 4. Can't wait!

Misadventures in Fondue

Last fall, Becky, Melissa and I got together nearly every Monday to watch The Bachelor. After the season finale (by which, I must say, we were quite disappointed), we realized that we missed our Monday evenings together. So since then we've gotten together a couple times sans Bachelor.

Tonight, we decided to get together to break in one of Melissa's wedding gifts: the fondue pot. Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as planned.

This was the first attempt, in the fondue pot. Words used to describe it included "hard," "chewy," and "rubber."

As you can see, we were quite sad about our... let's be honest here... nasty fondue. However, we weren't going to let this ruin our night. So we unwrapped a ridiculous number of Hershey Kisses and attempted to melt them in the microwave. This was going well until we decided to add milk. 

 

While we all agreed that this wasn't as bad as the first try, it still wasn't quite edible.

Then we gave up and ate ice cream while watching "Rock of Love" on VH1. It's no Bachelor... but it may be all we have until ABC decides it's time for another season.

All in all, just another fun night with the girls!

First Day of School

Armed with my fun new school supplies, courtesy of Jordan, I embarked upon a new adventure today... the first day of school! (Ok, so it wasn't really the first day of school; it was the first day of orientation. But you know what I mean.)

It was a long day... and I think it's safe to say that all 19 of us are pretty overwhelmed. This is going to be a lot of work. Part of me wonders what the heck I'm doing, but I think the end result will be worth the effort.

There was one semi-big disappointment today - I learned that this is going to take longer than I thought. It can be done in 18 months, but only two or three people have ever done it that way... and I met one of them today. He strongly recommended that we not try to finish in 18 months. So there go my plans of the big graduation party with my med student friends + Kate. I'll just have to have my own, later! I think I'm shooting for December 09 now, but by the end of the week it might be May 2010.

But... it'll be better in the long run to take a little longer to finish than to spend 30+ hours each week studying over the next 18 months. Goodbye life, hello books!

In other news, I went to Tysons Corner with two of my classmates this evening. It was good to get away for a bit and relax over dinner after a long day! Two and a half more to go! Then the REAL fun begins...

Life Lessons from Mr. Mucus

Welcome to day five of sickness. We may have had a breakthrough today... after telling me I didn't look so hot, a co-worker said that Mucinex worked for her when she had this nasty head/throat thing. 

I debated on whether I would let Mucinex win - I had already decided I would never try it because of the nasty commercials. You know - with the cartoon mucus guy (whom I've just learned is named "Mr. Mucus").

Feeling crappy vs. letting the advertisers win... it didn't take long to decide I'd try it. I went to the store at lunch and picked some up. And I think it's working! Thanks, Mr. Mucus. You are proof that we have to look past what's on the outside... because there just might be something great underneath that harsh exterior.

Red & Blue

Despite my runny nose, sore throat and sneezing, I was determined to enjoy my weekend of sporting events. Saturday night, dad and I watched IU kick some Chicago State butt. Then on Sunday, we cheered "Let's go, Sorgi" at the Colts/Titans game.

Bad seats. Bad game. But good times! My favorite part was when the cheerleaders were running around with the flags that spell "Indiana Hoosiers," but they spelled "Hoosiers" wrong. I before E except after C, people! 

Dad watching intently as his alma mater nears the 100-point mark.

Do you think you can just google "100-yard flag" to find one of these? To my surprise and enjoyment, Jon McLaughlin sang the national anthem at the Colts game!

The last regular season game at the RCA Dome... goodbye revolving doors, hello retractable roof!