Guest Blogging on Chels & the City

I'm still here, I promise. It's been a crazy few weeks since school started - no worries though.

This face is representative of how I feel about weeknight homework.

I do have something for you to read: Today, I guest posted about Biking in the 'burgh on Chels & the City. Chelsea's blog is about Pittsburgh itself and dispelling some of the worst-dressed myths Pittsburghers try to live down. {Please forgive the profanity in the worst-dressed link...however true it may be.}

Check out my post here!

Sleepy Study Buddy

As I studied for my midterms this past weekend, this is what I had next to me. 

Talk about a total motivation sap.

First Care Package

Now that I've stopped CRYING MY EYES OUT, I'll take some time to post about the wonderfully sweet care package I received from my Mom & Dad in Texas.

Giada, the cat, sniffing out the open box.

Husband and I had told the whole family to not get us gifts this year, mainly because we wouldn't be able to reciprocate (what with the mailing, timing, and the gift itself). My parents decided to completely disregard that request (woo!) and send us a few things.

Handwritten note from my Mom.

 It's funny. Husband and I haven't really felt like it was the holiday season, or that Christmas is just nine days away, mainly because we've been so caught up with the move. When I opened the box of presents from my parents, I realized that I haven't felt like it was the holidays because I associate that time of year with seeing family. Since there's no family in Pittsburgh, I haven't been feeling the Christmas Spirit! Thus, I broke down in tears and sobbed as I pulled each item out of the box.

A stocking for Ina.

A stocking for Giada.

A Present (or two!) for Husband and I.

Before, we didn't have any presents under (or near) the tree. We are spending our gift money on the house, stocking our pantry, and outfitting ourselves with snow boots.

Giada beginning to chew on the shiny gold ribbon.

Hopefully these gifts will last through December 25th! (Against the odds and snappy cat traps!)

What denotes the 'holiday season' or 'spirit' for you?


*Note: This was my 300th post! What a great subject to post about for a milestone.

New in Town

Did anyone watch that movie called "New In Town" with Renee Zellweger? No? Okay, I'll tell you about it. Renee is a high-powered executive who lives in a warm climate (Miami, maybe?) and is relocated to Minnesota to save a sinking ship (production plant). She has a moment where she steps out of the airport, and is blasted by the icy cold wind, then runs straight back into the airport.

I'm waiting on my Renee Zellweger moment. It's going to happen, but hasn't yet. It's also odd to me that Dallas was showered with snow earlier this week, and Pittsburgh still hasn't seen a flurry. However, my White Christmas is inevitable.

Let's see. I haven't really blogged since early November, but I assure you, most of my time has been spent preparing for the move to PA and with family for the holiday. I say 'preparing' for the move rather than 'packing' because we weren't allowed to pack our stuff, which I found odd at first. The movers packed, shipped and unloaded out items, and we only had one casualty so far. Unfortunately, my prized antique blue chair had it's back left leg broken off. HUGE sad face. The relocation company swears they'll get it back to good-as-new, but I'm having a hard time coping with it. Telling Mom about it has helped a lot, as I knew it would. Other than that, I haven't found anything broken! The TV base is another story...

As soon as we finished the 20 hour drive (two 10-hour shifts, stopping in Nashville, TN), we dropped our stuff and the cats off at the hotel we were staying at. The cats did fine, by the way.* We dropped in to a Primanti Bros. to have the famous Pittsburgh sandwich, complete with coleslaw and fries on the sandwich. What a trip! Michael loved it, squirting ketchup on each bite. I thought it was interesting, and I'm glad I tried it! The french fries reminded me of MG's.

The next day was the Lawrenceville Cookie Tour, where local shops and vendors give out homemade cookies (baked by two local bakeries, based on the shop owner's recipes), to shoppers. Since we now live in Upper Lawrenceville, we used the event to meet shop owners, explore the neighborhood, and eat delicious cookies. The cookies were gone so fast I didn't have a second to take any photos! It was a fun morning/afternoon, with a lovely lunch at Coca Cafe.

Since then, we've been lying low, at either the hotel or our new house. The movers came on Tuesday, and I've been unpacking since then. I've also been jockeying the service installments (cable, internet, repairman). We'll be living out of boxes for the next week or so, but I hope to have everything at least unboxed by next weekend. I'll post more soon!


*Note: We chose to drive our cats from Dallas to Pittsburgh because of a suggestion by our vet. They suggested we make a trial run, and give them 5 CCs of Children's Benadryl to lessen their anxiety. We did that, and it failed miserably. So, we drove them without the sedative, and they did MORE than fine. They mewed for about an hour each morning, then were sleeping or hanging out the rest of the way. Word to the wise: skip the syringe-down-the-throat agony, and just power through!

Cat Food!

Quick update -

We haven't had any yarking (yet)! I'd say this is a triumph, considering all that's happened this past week. Go Blue!

First Quarter...Done!

A quarter of 2011 is already over! It's amazing how time passes so quickly.

I'm still looking/saving for a bike, and I'll probably be making a purchase next month. I've been looking at hybrid and road bikes, but mostly at brands and features. I'll have something to report soon, I hope.

On the agenda today was finding a suitable replacement food for my cats. We've been going through a change with their digestion, and it seems that every food we choose for them either won't stay down, or isn't appetizing to them. PetSmart has a great return policy on pet food, thankfully; you can return the opened, half-eaten food if your pet doesn't agree with it. So, after trying 4 types of food, we're on try number 5: Blue Buffalo. (http://bluebuffalo.com/healthy-cat-food) It was a bit pricey, so we're hoping it lasts for a bit. For some reason the 'Life Source Bits' grabbed me. The actual food has a different, more compact shape. It just looks better. What food do you feed your cats? (Sorry, dog owners!)

The rest of the day will be devoted to grocery shopping, working out and a smidge of spring cleaning. Happy April!

Birthday Spectacular-ness

I want to share a few photos from a fantastic Birthday night. Get ready for a big dose of the Birthday Girls!

Me, in my Birthday outfit.

Michelle's Birthday outfit.

The Birthday Girls

The "staggered" shot.

What Daniel called my "All-American" face.

Now that you're sick of our Glamour Shots, I'll leave you with a few of my cats.

Ina's Glamour Shot

Sniffing.

Giada's "Stink Eye"

All photos are courtesy of Jake Buck, or also known as Cousin.

One more day before I have to go back to work! It's been such a nice break.

Warm Blanket

My cats love a warm blanket.

Crafty Gift

For Michael's birthday, I learned a craft.
Quit laughing.
I learned to crochet, and made him a scarf.



Also, there's a pussy in the basket.

Birthday Present

Michael and I purchased two things for the cats' birthday: a can of tuna and a bird feeder. We thought buying them toys would be just like any other holiday, so we went for something fun paired with something more lasting. Michael just hung the bird feeder this morning, and the cats cannot stop staring at it. No birds yet, though.

My Blender Isn't Broken!

Last night Michelle and Corban came over for dinner, and I made a fabulous roasted-everything salsa. That's right, roasted tomatoes, serranos, poblanos, and onions, along with all the rest of the usual salsa ingredients. When I went to pour the roasty, spicy goodness into a serving dish, the blender came apart! I thought I broke it because I hit the top of the blender on the bottom of an overhead cabinet. This morning I threw all parts in the dishwasher, in hopes that they would come out clean and unscathed. I was right! I had accidentally unscrewed the bottom plasic piece from the connecting glass. I had no idea you could do that! Anyway, I feel like I have a new blender, and I plan on making a multitude of smoothies and sauces soon.

On a side note, I made Huevos Rancheros and cinnamon-vanilla pancakes for everyone last night. Michelle provided the BEST mimosas and fresh fruit. It was awesome!

On yet another note, my cat is sickly. Giada is yarking every few hours, and I'm thinking she has a virus. Has anyone's cat ever had a virus? It's already been 48 hours, and I was hoping it would be gone by now. I'm contemplating going to the vet, but I'm not sure if it's worth the time/money/further upsetting the cat, etc. Advice?

Not Even 5 Months

After I bought it, my Jetta's battery died! Of course, it could be due to the owner running it down... Apparently there's a cooler/icebox in my console that you can turn on and off from the inside. I had my GPS charger cord plugged into the cooler outlet (which I didn't realize was turned on), for the whole weekend. So, this morning when I went to the parking garage to go to work, my car didn't start. Yay. Long story short (too late), it's at the dealership getting a new battery. Poor Jetta.

I'm going to get her back soon, probably on Michael's lunch hour. And who knew I had such a great husband!? He was so helpful and calming through the whole ordeal.

At the end of the day though, I will have a completely scratch-free, brand-new battery, clean and happy Jetta.

Only 3 weeks until Las Vegas! Would someone be able to watch Giada and Ina? Or at least make sure they have kibbles?