Kickin' The Habit

GOODBYE, FRIEND.

Hello.  My name is Brandi.  And I'm a Bejeweled Blitz addict.

I blame Megan.  For all of those months, I'd see her score updates and I'd think to myself

"hmm.. that must be a fantastic game if my brilliant, neat-o friend Megan keeps playing it!" 

So I allowed the app on Facebook.

BIG MISTAKE.

I have what I refer to as an "addicting personality"

(Schuetz: "Brandi, it's an 'addictive' personality.  Trust me, you're not addiciting.")

I have played this game every spare moment for the last 3 months.  I think it's time for an intervention.

So as of tomorrow, the start of a new year.. a new decade.. I am saying goodbye to Bejeweled Blitz.

It's time.  I JUST WANT MY OLD LIFE BACK!!

On a completely unrelated note..

if anyone has any idea how to get Mack to go outside and do his business QUICKLY

when it's 10 degrees BELOW zero..

instead of walking around our front yard EATING SNOW...

please let me know.

Where Were You?

ABCNews started off their "look back at the 00's" package tonight, with David Muir saying

"this was our newsroom... 10 years ago tonight."

Holy crap.  I've been following all of the "the close of a decade" stories all week... but it didn't hit until Muir uttered those words that I sat back and remembered where I was, who I was 10 years ago.

Our first winter break in college.  I CANNOT even grasp how different I was.

Ridiculously thin.. (not a good thin..)

PATHETIC.. co-dependant.. whiny..

Afraid of anything different

SAD

Flash forward 10 years...

MARRIED.. AND STILL IN LOVE

Independant and succesful (and humble about it? :)

HAPPY

10 YEARS... HOLY SMOKES.

Merry Christmas!

Our first Christmas photo as a family :)

AMAZING

YES.. YOU ARE SEEING IT RIGHT...

I have discovered there are TAUN-TAUN SLEEPING BAGS..

I will now state the obvious:  I NEED ONE!

Am I not a huge Star-Wars geek?!?

Are we not currently living in a Hoth-like state?!?

Is there any doubt the geniuses at ThinkGeek.com created this for anyone but me (or Megan)?!?

BRILLIANT!

Snow: OUT, 2010: IN

My poor husband was out for 2 hours Friday morning to dig us out of the shoulder-high drifts against our garage... then out for another hour Friday night to clear our sidewalks.. then out for 4 hours Saturday morning clearing his brother's and his parents' driveways.  He might be the kindest man EVER.

If he can clear all that snow without so much as complaining.. I can accomplish everything I want this year without whining, procrastinating, etc.  Ok, maybe that's a stretch.. but it's a start :)

1) GET BACK IN SHAPE (who doesn't have this resolution on his/her list?? Jennifer Anniston??)
  I say it every year.. hell, last year I had this amazing motivation known as MY WEDDING DAY and I still didn't get the body I'd been hoping I'd push myself to get.  THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT!  Again, something I've said before.. so I've just got to deliver.  That's all there is to it.  We've got two weddings this year I really want to look FAB for... and right now.. not so much :)

2) DO ALL THE LITTLE THINGS I THINK OF.. BUT NEVER GET AROUND TO..
  Teeth whitening.  Check.  Grow my hair out.  Check.  Keep my nails pretty--spray tan--whatever!  These are all little things I can do, that hopefully when added up, will help me feel a little more presentable.  And easy to do..if I just put my mind to it and DO IT.. instead of just wishing and whining for something different :)

3) LEARN TO PLAY GOLF
  I've wanted to for years, almost did last year so I would be able to play with Brian on our honeymoon, even LIVE a block away from a driving range.. and I just never have.  No excuses!

4) TRAVEL
  I've got two trips in the works (to see Dani, Justin and ASHTON!! And to see Cas and Brian... then to Canada for Carrie and Scott's wedding!) and I want to keep up the trend heading into 2011.. hell, I have never been to see my little brother in Tempe! 

5) KEEP IN BETTER TOUCH WITH MY FRIENDS
  Texting doesn't cut it.  Phone calls, girlie wine nights, trips, I want to be a better friend and not let work or whatever else I use as excuses get in the way.

6) LEARN TO COOK BETTER.. AND DO IT!
  I'm getting more into.. and I enjoy baking... now I need to try a little more cooking and actually fix food for myself and my husband.. instead of relying on Jimmy Johns, Jason's Deli, frozen dinners and coffee... I spend too much money and it's just not healthy (plus, probably massively contributing to #1 on my list)

7)  WATCH THE OSCAR NOMINATED MOVIES.. BEFORE THE OSCARS!
  This way I'll actually feel like I can make an informed decision when I watch :)

8) ENJOY THE SUMMER
  I realized on our honeymoon how much I adore reading a good book and just lying in the sun.. it's sad we go all the way to a foreign country and instead of sight-seeing, that hammock on the beach was the only thing I could think of.  SOOO this summer, I really want to get a pool membership and take at least part of one of my days off outside enjoying the sun--maybe I'll actually want to SEE the world then when we travel

I'm sure more resolutions will pop up along the way.. here's my start.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Let It Snow, Let it--NOT!

(sigh)

I'm tired of snow. BOO.

I feel like mimicking that commercial with the dad and son..

the dad dipping his son's feet into white paint because:

Dad: "We're sick of socks that fall down into our shoes!"

Little boy: "SICK OF IT!"

So sweet... this is not. This is STUPID.

I have a bad feeling that this is what my front yard will look like Thursday and Friday.

Why can't it look like THIS instead?

I am NOT dreaming of a White Christmas. Sorry, Bing.

The Good Life

Sometimes, especially in the winter, you just want to lie in the sun and tan..

..maybe take a nap in the warm sunshine..

..then, other times, you just want to curl up in bed..

..with your monkey.

Bah Humbug

To the woman who honked at me in the Westroads parking lot Friday, because apparently I wasn't backing out of my stall fast enough:

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

I can't handle Christmas shopping on the weekends. When everyone and their mom is out. And 90% of those people either can't drive, or are talking on their cells, or are just not paying attention and creating the most frustrating domino effect on traffic known to man... ugh.

The one bright spot... a little (big) guy I call Mack

How do you not love a guy that gets so much happiness from a simple car ride?

Welcome To The Jungle

Hello!

Welcome to our blog! I use the term "our" loosely.. because Brian does not even want to acknowledge we have a blog, let alone read it or comment on it.

I love writing and I love telling stories. (Part of the reason my job is a good fit for me :) I've had a private blog for awhile, but it's hard to access and I'd like to share my stories with more than my two loyal readers (I love ya, Megan and Carrie!)

So if you want to laugh at Mack, check in on the comings and goings of Brian and I, or are just bored at work and would like to read, then please come back and visit!

I love you all--thanks for reading!

Brandazzle