Day 394

I went grocery shopping from about 9:30 - 11:30 pm.  It was weird, but I kind of liked it.  I got a great parking spot and there was hardly anyone there!

Day 393

I was one of those people that got all sappy when Michael Scott said goodbye to "The Office."

I was pretty sad inside when I said goodbye to mine, too. :\

Day 392

It's a dandelion paradise out there!  They're EVERYWHERE!

Day 391

The best part about a rotten day is that it eventually has to end so a better day can begin!

Day 390

Mmm...Ryne and I went to Cooper's Hawk for dinner.  YUM!

Day 389

Happy Easter!

Day 388

I finished pulling buckets (yes, multiple) of weeds riiiiiight when the rain started.  Win!  *fist pump*

Day 387

Two weeks down! :)  I'm so happy it's the weekend.

Day 386

I feel like I should be calling these last few posts "Baby Watch: 2011" or something similar, haha.  Well, today a child was born to one of my best friends.  I can't tell you how joyful we all are to hear this news!  I still don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but I don't think it matters much to us.  It's hard to believe this happens about 300,000 times EACH DAY (if the "One Tree Hill" stats are correct).  Congratulations to my friends, the new parents, Stephanie and Chris!!! :)

Day 385

1. Stephanie is set to have her baby tomorrow morning! Yay!!!  2.  I made not one, but TWO, cakes tonight for tomorrow's work festivities.  3.  I just got the new Adele album, 21, and it's amazing.  Oh, how I adore her voice!  4.  Even on a crazy stressful day like today, coming home and talking to friends makes it all ok.  5.  Is it Friday yet? ;) 

Day 384

This place offers a great view of the mountains and the valley.  :)

Day 383

C'mon Baby M, come out so we can all meet you! :)

Day 382 - Tulip Watch: 2011

Well, the tulips are all growing up to be big ol' beauties.  As much as I enjoy the color pink, I'm a little sad they're not looking like Rembrandt tulips (like I ordered).  Oh well, they're still pretty, and they're already in the ground!

P.S. The red ones are from last year.  Only the pink ones are new.

Day 381

Despite the rain, today's wedding was beautiful, fun, and memorable. :)

Day 380

Stressed. Out.

Day 379

Day 378

All winter, I've been busy in tiny spurts - mostly on weekends, here and there.  Today, all of my spring plans just merged and I had a crazy busy day.  I think most of my stress came/is coming from multi-tasking in my brain.  I'm feeling a smidge overwhelmed, but it's all good/fun things.  Coming home at 8:00 pm is weird to me as I haven't done that since last fall.  Deep breaths.  Welcome to wedding season!!!

Day 377

I tried to make some chicken teriyaki stir fry for dinner last night.  Failtown, USA.  Oh man.  I mean, it was edible and semi-tasty, but really not what I was hoping it would be.  Use fresh veggies, kids, not frozen ones.  It'll be a hot mess of mush.  The chicken and teriyaki parts were good though. :)

Day 376

I'm done with my first day at my new job, woo hoo!  I'm excited to be assigned a project and get to work!  I'm also really looking forward to getting to know the girls.  They all laugh and have so much fun at work; I want to enjoy it that much, too! :)

Day 375

Another beautiful day!  I purchased a few starter plants (only a few inches tall): rosemary and thyme.  I planted seeds of cilantro and a few types of flowers: sunflowers, zinnias, and some other pretty things.  I hope they grow fast and well so I can have fresh cut flowers in my house all summer. :)

Day 374

Ryne and I went over to Erin and Adam's house for dinner tonight.  We all brought our own meat to grill, and Erin made potatoes and dessert.   I don't know what happened on the grill, but it was delicious when we ate it.  Ryne just put barbeque sauce on the chicken and grilled it.  The result was really, really good.  Like, we were amazed that it tasted so good since minimal effort was exerted.  Worked out well for us!  We watched "Unstoppable" which was good, but not a film to see in the theater.  With all of this awesome weather, I've been enjoying my little 4 day weekend. :)

Day 373 - Tulip Watch: 2011

Last fall, I planted 25 Rembrandt tulips.  (I got a great deal!)  I'm overly excited about these, mostly because when they bloom, they'll be gorgeous.  Plus, I like seeing beautiful flowers in my front yard. (Who wouldn't??)

These were taken this morning; they're getting so big! :)

Now, I have to go and be productive on my day off! :)

Day 372 - guest post!

Bridget wanted to do another guest post, so here she is!

I'm baaaack to do another guest blog for Brie. I'm so proud that she's been consistently blogging with a picture each day for over a year. Way to go Brick!! 

I wanted to share my favorite excerpt from this incredible book I read called "The Noticer":

"Why does everyone think that when people say that ‘God will put a person after His own heart where He wants him to be’…that it means God will put them on a mountaintop or in a big house or at the front of the line?

Think with me here …. everybody wants to be on the mountaintop, but if you’ll remember, mountaintops are rocky and cold. There is no growth on the top of a mountain. Sure, the view is great, but what’s a view for? A view just gives us a glimpse of our next destination – our next target. But to hit that target, we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life’s next peak.

So, my contention is that YOU ARE RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!"

-The Noticer

*Bridget is currently teaching 1st graders in Juticalpa, Honduras and is loving it!  To read more about her crazy adventures, visit her blog: http://a-chuisle-mo-chro.blogspot.com/.  :) 

Dat 371

Today was my last day in a job that I've held for the last 3 1/2 years.  It was strange to leave, because it just felt normal.  I don't think it's going to feel weird until I'm not there for a week or two.  Right now I just feel like I'm on a little vacation, but that I'll be back there soon.  It's my first job as an adult.  I think if I ever see a picture of my desk being used by someone else, that would be freaky.  Oh well, it'll be a friend, not a stranger.  Somehow, that makes me feel better about it.  On to bigger and better (I sure hope!) things!  I'm really going to miss all of the girls I work and have worked with.  They're all so fun and nice and familiar.  Starting over with a new group of people is always hard, but that's why God blessed me with social skills. ;)

Day 370

Today was ... better.

Day 369

Today was the beginning of my last day at GP.  Weird.

Day 368

Yay, Butler!  I've never been so excited to watch a game! :)

I find it very frustrating to try and watch a VHS tape in my combo DVD/VCR/TV.  It just spits it back out and turns the TV off.  How am I supposed to watch classics like "The American President," "Superstar," "Sister Act 2," and "Pretty Woman" if I don't have a properly functioning VCR?  I know what you're thinking, "get them on DVD."  Well, unless you're going to pay for that, I'll just have to deal with it. :oP

Looking forward to tomorrow night! Gooooo Butler!

Day 367

I'm getting ready to head Downtown to root for the Butler Bulldogs at Scotty's with the boys!  Woo hoo!!!!

Day 366

Man, Bridget pulled a really good April Fools' Day prank on me.  I still can't believe I fell for it.  Ugh.  *shaking my head in disappointment* ;)

A note about the Pineapple Upside Down Cake (above): I made this for my Grandpa, as he l-o-v-e-s this kind of cake.  However, the recipe I used was a little too basic - it was so boring.  Bummer!  I'll have to try again later with a new recipe.