Day 27: HOMEWORK...it never ends!

Today's post is going to be really short since I've just finished the massive amount of math homework I've been working on for two days straight and I need to go to SLEEP! 

I don't mean to procrastinate and put off homework, it's just that spending weekends with Shane instead of studying is just so much more fun and relaxing. 

As I mentioned in my last "going back to college" post, even when I don't put off homework, sometimes it seems like I could spend several hours each night on assignments. I guess that makes sense, because for every one credit hour of classes you're taking, you're supposed to spend 2-3 hours studying each week. I'm taking 11 credits, so that's 22-33 hours of study/homework time each week. Did I mention that I'm a perfectionist? So if I get a question wrong on the online math homework, I keep clicking "similar question" until I get it right so I can get 100%. Yeah, it can take forever. Don't even get me started on my sometimes tricky computer programming assignments, or my biology study guides. 

I don't think I've studied this much or put this much work into school EVER. The most I can remember working was elementary school, when it seemed like we'd be sent home with piles of packets and the occasional mystery picture (aka busy work). I remember once, 5th grade maybe, when my backpack was so heavy with school books that I literally toppled over backwards while sliding the door closed on my mom's van as she dropped me off at school. I laid there, scraped up from the gravel driveway and kicking like a turtle flipped on it's shell, waiting for my mom to come pick me up off the ground. As it so happened, she was still in her pajamas that day. 

It's amazing how much you forget when you go through the class saying "when will I EVER use this?" I have forgotten a lot of basic algebra and geometry concepts that would make my time in precalculus and beyond so much easier. Now that I'm seeing more of the possible applications, I'm hoping the knowledge will stick around a little longer this time. 

I may never 'get' math perfectly, but hey, Google won't judge me for how many times I have to search for stuff like "how to divide fractions", and for that I'm thankful. Even if most of the sites that come up are obviously for young children. That just means they explain it better, and likely with pictures. 

Day 25: Shopping spree!

Today Shane and I went to Lowe's to pick up supplies for several projects around the house. We've got a lot to catch up on now that it's warm enough to work outside comfortably. I noticed some peeling paint around the back door today and we've still not stained our new decks yet. We've still got to wait until dryer weather for that one, but we can at least get started on some other items on our list! Like new shutters (ours are wooden and rotted), new front porch lights, plants for the front yard, and raised vegetable beds for the back yard. 

Don't listen when people tell you that you need a truck to haul stuff. We've proven time and again that a VW Golf will do just fine ;)

It was supposed to rain this afternoon, plus a friend borrowed our drill, so replacing our lights was as far as we got. Here's the before shot:

Our front porch lights were a dark brown / bronze color when we moved in, but since then they'd faded to light brown. They weren't our style anyways, but now that the paint looked so terrible, we decided it was time to find them a nice new home on Craigslist. 

The new black front porch fixtures will match our new black shutters, and they're a much more classic style than the old ones. On the right is our old garage light and new one. Our house needed some more night lighting, so this one will do just the trick.

Cross your fingers that the weather stays nice and we'll be able to work on some of our other projects soon!

Day 24: We're cheaters

Today Shane and I woke up early and hit the gym for our core and circuit day. It was pretty tough and I'm proud of us for making it through. Here's what we did:

10 pushups

20 kettlebell swings

30 situps

40 squat jumps

50 jump ropes

And do the whole thing 5 times through!

The whole routine took us about an hour with lots of water and breath-catching breaks. Once we were done, an older lady who was walking the track told us that we inspired her to keep going. She said she normally gets tired and wants to quit, but if we could be doing all the crazy stuff we were doing, then she should surely keep walking! That was nice to hear and I'm glad we were able to help motivate someone else. 

We had our own motivation to make it through five rounds, and that was the cheat meal we were going to eat after the gym! Our diet plan is pretty strict, but it also has one cheat meal per week. The only rule is that you shouldn't eat fast food. Shane was craving a burger with pimento cheese and sweet potato fries, so we chose Burger Up for our delicious delicious meal. This is one of those types of places where they make their own ketchup, so you know it's good.

I went for the cheeseburger with bacon and sweet onion rings. All the food was super yummy...but honestly after a week of eating the way we have, it was a chore to finish our meals. We had to keep taking breaks for our food to settle, and Shane ended up with about half of my onion rings. Next week's cheat meal will most likely be something more veggie-friendly.

After lunch, we took some laps around the mall, and on our way back home we stopped for the real planned treat that got us through circuit rounds 3-5. No frozen yogurt will ever be as good as our favorite place in Maryland (which is the only place I've found tart strawberry, so good), but Sweet CeCe's and their new smaller $3.99 flat price bowls will do. They're just the right size for a little swirl of your favorite flavor along with one of every yummy topping.

We weren't even hungry when dinner time rolled around, but we were good and got out our chicken and veggies anyways. Gotta get our daily protein!

Day 23: Happy First Day of Spring!

Shane and I are so glad that it's finally spring so we can get out into our yard and do some work! We ripped absolutely everything out last summer, so we've got a clean slate. Actually, we've got a mud pit. It needs a lot of work. 

Our first order of business is installing new shutters, and then once that's done, we can work on the flower beds underneath them. Shane's hoping our second order of business will be buying this gnome. I have to admit, it is pretty cute. 

I got so excited about the flowers I made Shane kneel down with me in the aisle to get a picture in front of the daffodils. 

We're still deciding what we want to plant, but hopefully soon our front yard will be full of springtime fun like this pretty pink dahlia! We're also planning some raised beds in the backyard for veggies. I'm sure our bunnies will eat most of them, but I'm glad to donate to that cause. 

Day 19: Happy Pi Day!

Happy Pi Day! I'm watching the clock because it's 3/14/15, and at 9:26:53 p.m., the date and time will represent the first 10 digits of pi. 

In case you haven't taken a math class recently and/or don't know what I'm talking about, π (pi) represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It cannot be written out completely as the decimals never end and never repeat in a pattern. Computer calculations have it going into the trillions of decimal places and are still working. (Read more about it here if you're interested). Thanks to Precalculus 2, I've been doing a lot of geometry and trigonometry, so I've been well acquainted with π. 

It's also Albert Einstein's birthday! 

Shane and I found it fitting to celebrate with our favorite kind of π...pizza pie! We got some Screamin Sicilian frozen pizzas at Publix and they were surprisingly delicious. Like it's fair to say it's the best frozen pizza I've ever had, and better than a lot of regular fresh pizza. It also didn't hurt that it came with a coupon for buy two, get a free Ben & Jerry's coupon. Yum! 

The pizza boxes even had these fun cardboard punch-out moustaches, which were kinda weird because they attached to your face by sticking cardboard up your nose. Perfect for a quick pic I guess :) 

How are you celebrating #NationalPiDay ??

Day 18: #FlashbackFriday

I'm behind a few days on posting because I'm on Spring Break, except instead of going to the beach, I rode around with Shane on sales trips for two days. We also went to Knoxville and visited with our families for a few days. But don't worry, I'll make them up one of these days.

So check this out. Like a week ago Shane and I were at the gym and a lady pointed out that both of our hair matched our jackets. And our shaker bottles. Even my earrings matched. We've somehow turned ourselves into living crayons. 

I feel like since I've had crazy colored hair (like three months ago), I've gotten a taste of what life's like for Shane. We both get stares, turned heads, and little old ladies saying "oooh I love your hair!" 

It's pretty funny especially when little kids say things like "look mom, that person has PINK HAIR!" The mom then tries to shush the kid, while I'm laughing. Little kids can't help it, they say exactly what they're thinking. At least this is a compliment.

I may not always have funky hair, but I hope Shane and I are always this colorful, inside and out. Life is more fun this way. 

Day 17: Blind Bags Anonymous

My sister Hannah has gotten hooked on blind bags, you know, where you get a sealed box or foil bag with a surprise toy inside. Just search "blind bags" on YouTube and you'll know where the obsession came from, and it's easy to see why! The mystery of which toy you're going to get is exciting and fun. Who doesn't like toy surprises? That's pretty much the whole basis for the Happy Meal after all. 

She started stocking up a few weeks ago and amassed a giant collection so Shane and I could come over and we'd have a Blind Bag Palooza. Here is our before pile. The picture does not do the sheer amount of blind bags justice. She got a wide variety of fun things to open. Our contribution can be seen in the brown paper bags with magic marker drawings on them. They're $2 grab bags from Crystal Visions at East Town Knoxville Center Mall, the one that sells pagan/wiccan supplies, those trolls with the glowing red eyes, and an assortment of "tobacco" pipes and samurai swords. We were curious. 

Where to start first? 

Needless to say, it took a while to open all those little packages, and I think even longer for me to set up this picture. Check out what we got! 

See those tumbled stones and glass earrings in bottom right corner? That's what was in our grab bags. I'm sure they have some sort of mystical powers. 

There are a lot of popular blind bags right now, one of the most sought out being Shopkins. As you can see from the picture below, they're adorable anthropomorphized versions of things you would buy at the grocery store, and they come two at a time in a little shopping basket. They also include a little checklist that looks like a grocery store receipt. Hannah has been known to drive all over town to find them. 

There's around 145 different Shopkins in season (series) 2 alone, so that's a lot of little shopping baskets laying around the house if you're a collector. 

Here's a few more of the Shopkins...

Shopkins weren't the only thing we got! As you'll see from the picture below, we've got a few Lego minifigures (two Explorers and a King), a surprise Doctor from Doctor Who (we got the first Doctor), some Hello Kitty figurines, etc. See those things with the giant heads? They're called Fash'ems, and they're a little weird to me. They're squishy and filled with water, and the outsides are almost sticky. Seems like they'd get real dirty and fuzzy real quick.

We also got some Minecraft blind boxes, an assortment of My Little Ponies, more Hello Kitties, and those cute figurines in the back, which are Tokidoki Unicornos. 

If you have never been to a Five Below, you need to check it out. That's where Hannah got these fake Kinder Surprise eggs. The real Kinder eggs, in case you've never heard of them, are chocolate eggs with toys inside, kind of like the Wonderball chocolates we had in the 90s. You can get them in pretty much every country besides the United States (they're banned here because of an FDA regulation, and people get fined at the Canadian border for trying to bring them across). 

These ChocoTreasure eggs are still technically illegal per the FDA regulations, so it's just a matter of time until they're forced to stop production. Sadly, the eggs contained some of the lamest prizes of the bunch. One did have a cute tiny Hello Kitty figurine, and a couple had stickers, but most had little cardboard people like the ones below. I ate several of the chocolate egg shells and quickly regretted that decision. 

We had a lot of fun opening and sorting our prizes. I know what you're thinking, what are we going to do with all of these? Well, Hannah is collecting some, Shane and I are keeping some of the others (our china cabinet, which used to hold liquor, is slowly being converted to a toy showcase), and anything we don't want or have duplicates of will be given to friends' kids.

You never know, maybe this is just practice for when Hannah is a YouTube star and gets paid to do this! 

Day 16: The Horners of Catan

Welcome to game night!

Shane and I have always been into games and love playing them with family and friends. We've got quite the collection too. This year for Christmas my mom got Shane one of the games he's been wanting for a long time...Settlers of Catan. 

The game isn't quite as involved as The Cones of Dunshire, so we've got a basic grasp of gameplay and low-level strategy. Shane and I have played several different two-player rules variation games at home (it's a 3-4 player game), but as with anything, friends and family make it way more fun. We even bought the expansion pack (up to 6 players), which came in handy when we had pizza and played with several friends a few weeks ago. 

Our latest converts are Shane's mom Debbie and dad Steve. They were really quick to pick up on it, and it was the most involved game we'd played thus far! Steve won, and Debbie came in second, so Shane and I will have to sneak and read some online strategy guides before our next game with them ;) 

 

The game involves the occasional theft of one card from a fellow player through the Robber and the Knight. Debbie didn't have access to any of the stone quarries from her spot on the board (with stone being one of the important resources needed to build things), so whenever it was her turn to steal, it was a running joke that she was looking to find Steve's stone cards. He was a good sport about it though, and when it was his turn to steal, he'd turn right around and get something back from her! 

Win or lose, we all had lots of fun, and I think everybody is waiting for the rematch. I'd love to teach my parents how to play too (my sister already knows how). Then maybe we could have a mega Catan tournament together! 

Until next time, keep Effie Trinket's catchphrase in mind..."may the odds roll of the dice be ever in your favor."

Day 11: Full of beans

I've spent all day studying for my biology test (been working on it since Thursday) and am taking a special procrastination break just to write this post. Seriously, why is studying taking so long? Maybe I should start actually studying between classes like I'm supposed to and not just leading up to the test. 

Shane and I did take a break this morning / afternoon to grab some breakfast. He woke up craving Cracker Barrel biscuits and gravy, and who was I to say no? 

Check out this delicious spread. He got biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon and hashbrown casserole. I picked the Wholesome Fixin's breakfast, which came with two scrambled egg beaters, turkey bacon or sausage, cheese grits, sliced tomatoes, and a side of fruit. And under 500 calories? Yum! 

While Cracker Barrel's food is pretty tasty, the real draw is the general store. Where else can you play checkers while you wait on your table, smell 100+ different candles, buy a birdhouse shaped like a cowboy hat, and stock up on enough candy to rot out all your teeth in one sitting? 

Really though, they have quite the selection of candy. I used to be a big fan of the giant Tootsie Rolls, you know the ones that are the size of a normal candy bar and are so tough that they nearly break out your teeth. And what about those candy sticks? The ones that cost like 15 cents each? I always always wanted to try the horehound flavor because my grandmother said she used to eat them when she was little. Turns out horehound is like root beer flavor but so much worse. Would not recommend. 

Speaking of weird candy, check out these Jelly Belly flavors. I'd love to get a job in their flavor invention department, because they'll just take anybody's idea and run with it. 

This "Peas & Carrots" pack is a little misleading, as they're really orange sherbet and green apple flavors. I guess it's for the best, because I can't imagine legitimately flavored peas and carrots jelly beans. 

Since those peas and carrots threw us for a loop, it's somewhat reassuring to see that the pancakes and syrup beans are really pancake and syrup flavored. 

I still can't imagine this being a good buy though. I'm not a big fan of maple syrup, but even if I was, I think the novelty of the taste would wear off after the first couple of beans. 

Seeing these got me interested so I had to do some web research. There were some other questionable choices, including Tabasco Sauce and egg nog, but none more so than the alcoholic beverage flavors (alcohol free, of course). 

Flavors like strawberry daiquiri and margarita, I can get that. Those are fruity drinks that just so happen to have alcohol. But beer flavored? Unless you're drinking some sort of fancy craft beer, most don't drink it for the taste. 

You can also get champagne flavored if draft beer isn't classy enough for your jelly bean eating tastes. 

I guess these are good for church weddings where you're not allowed to serve alcohol but still want a champagne toast? I really don't know. Just take a look at the actual description from their website: 

Toast any occasion with Champagne jelly beans. They have all the flavor of a glass of bubbly in a petite-package and with none of the alcohol. Their iridescent finish will help to bring that extra sparkle to weddings, showers, parties and adult snacking. 

No alcohol content.

"Adult snacking." Now if there was a way to actually get some alcohol content in there, that term might apply. 

In case your mouth is watering right now, here's a link to their site where you can buy a 10lb bulk case for $85. According to the description, they come in a food-grade cardboard box, so you can just pop the top, sit it out on the table, and instant party!  

Keep in mind, this is all brought to you by the people who make enticing flavors like earthworm, dirt, earwax, and boogers (thanks to J.K. Rowling), so I guess they can only go up from there. 

Day 10: Charlie and Sheldon

One of those famous writers once said, "when your blog is due and you're not sure what to write about, just put up pictures of your dogs." I think it was Shakespeare. I hear he had a similar process while writing King Lear. 

Anyways, I'm following his advice. Here's some photo evidence of just how adorable my dogs have been lately. 

I took this picture to send to Shane while he was away on a business trip. Of course Shane and I both love Charlie and Sheldon equally, but Charlie is definitely a daddy's boy and Sheldon is mine. Charlie cuddles on the couch with Shane all the time, and when Shane's been gone for a couple of days, Charlie gets lonely enough to snuggle with me instead. 

Sheldon is a precious couch snuggler too. In this picture, he was jealous that I was paying attention to Charlie instead of him, so he gave me the sad puppy face. He's good at that one. 

Sheldon's a frantic nest builder. It takes him around 5 minutes of scratching to get the couch blankie fluffed to his liking. 

Charlie and Sheldon don't snuggle often, but when they do, it's the most adorable thing you've ever seen. Here's a picture of them accidentally sleeping so close they touched. 

Sheldon also magically knows right when you're about to take a picture of him, so he opens his eyes, or closes them, licks his lips, moves his head, something. 

You know how I dyed my hair pink? Of course Sheldon had to match! I wanted to do his whole curly tail, but figured an ear would be good enough to start out with. I did it at the worst possible time too...Shane was on a business phone call, and here I am, hands in gloves covered with pink dye and a dog with a wet pink ear, which he would not let me rinse out in the sink. He was sitting on the bed and I couldn't figure out how to pick him up without getting pink everywhere. Somehow I managed to wrangle him to the tub. I'm so thankful for detachable shower heads. 

Isn't he so cute? Next up we've got a picture of a typical Netflix/Hulu night at our house. Our dogs have several different nap spots picked out on the couch. On top of that one cushion is a popular one. 

This is as close to snuggling as they normally get. Remember how I was telling you how Charlie snuggles with Shane all the time? Here's how they normally cuddle. It's so cute it breaks my heart. 

I'm thankful for these little guys! They're so entertaining and they definitely make our lives more worthwhile. 

Day 9: Teefs

Today I finally got my wisdom teeth out. I've needed it done for probably 2-3 years now, but out of embarrassment I told the dental assistant they'd only been bothering me for a few months. 

*** I feel like I should go ahead and mention that I'm pretty loopy on my painkillers right now, so please forgive me if this post is less than coherent ***

Where was I. Oh yeah, getting my teeth pulled. The dentist's office warned me not to operate heavy machinery, lift heavy objects, or make important decisions within 24 hours of surgery, so it was really lucky for me that Shane works from home and could drive there and back. 

***  And when I say I'm pretty loopy, I mean I can barely hold my head up to write. If Shane asked if he could turn the backyard into a crocodile refuge right now, I'd say "sure, why not?" *** 

Contact lenses were a big no-no. I couldn't even drink water for 6 hours before the surgery, so of course I woke up with a mouth that felt dryer than the Safari Sahara. 

*** I mentioned the painkillers, right?? ***

I didn't go to an oral surgeon. Thanks to my dentist's new 3D x-ray machine, he saw that the extraction could be done in his office. My bottom two teeth were partially "erupted" a.k.a. out of my gums, and the top two were still completely inside my gums, so there'd be a lot of cutting and poking around in there.

*** So yeah, I may have sprung $300 for sedation instead of a shot to numb the area. The only catch is that they could only give me pills, gas, and some sort of gross liquid...they couldn't fully put me to sleep. ***

After taking the initial set of pills, I got to lay in the surgery room covered in a blanket with the lights dimmed and wait for a while. After a sufficient amount of time, the dental assistant came back and gave me quite a bit of nitrous. I thought, "isn't it funny that people use nitrous in cars to make them go faster, but it makes people go slower?" This is when I realized the pills were working. Then I started to think maybe the nitrous wasn't really working. They immediately came to give me liquid medicine, and when I tried to sit to take it, I realized that the pills AND the nitrous were certainly doing their job. 

The picture above is the creepy skeleton 3D with which they determined my dental extraction fate. I got to stare at it while I was waiting on the pills. The dental assistant turned it off when she saw me staring intensely at it. I also had one headphone in, listening to my California Dreamin' Pandora station going. I was so worried about the procedure that I knew I had to have something to calm me down a bit. 

Since they couldn't do an IV, I was awake for the whole thing. Well, kinda awake. The liquid medicine had me really going in and out. I remember feeling like they put a crowbar under a tooth to try and pop it out. I remember them moving the mouth-propper-opener-thingie and asking me to open my mouth wider, but my whole mouth was so numb that I couldn't, so then I pulled my chin down with my hand. Thankfully they had numbing stuff on a q-tip they put wherever they were about to put a giant shot, so I didn't feel that either. 

At the end, when the dental assistant handed me my glasses and helped me to the door, with a mouth full of gauze I asked, "What do they do with the teeth??" I mean isn't it right about now when they show up with a little sealed medical sandwich bag with teeth? She looked at me and said, "Those go into the biohazard bin" with a concerned look on her face. So now I'm the creepy one who thinks, oh, I could still ask her to go rescue them, but what if it's really a giant bin full of teeth, how would she know which ones were really mine? And then I'd have some random stranger's teeth?

I'm not sure why I'm so concerned about the teeth. What would I do with them, make a necklace?

I'm at home now, where having slept for most of the day, I'm currently blogging and sending Snapchats right as the meds kick in and the ghost teeth quit aching. 

My husband Shane deserves a huge shout out for being so amazing and taking care of me in my time of need! I mean, they recommended eating crackers to settle my stomach, so he goes out and gets me oyster crackers so they're small enough to not hurt my teeth. He's so thoughtful and amazing. He also got frozen yogurt and made jello and chocolate pudding. Oh and mashed potatoes for dinner! 

We'll see if the loss of wisdom teeth affects my school grades. I mean do they make you smarter or what? And also, why can I feel no stitches? Are there liquid stitches in there? Or did they just leave the flaps to flutter around in my mouth? I know I shouldn't mess with them for fear of dry socket. I also can't exercise vigorously for a week, so that'll be fun. 

I should probably go now, a post any longer would be an important decision, and I don't think I'm in any sort of position to make those. 

Day 6: Night at the movies!

We broke our normal weeknight routine tonight with some help from our friends Faith and Kaylis. They had gotten free tickets for an advance screening of the new Will Smith movie Focus and had an extra set of passes. Shane and I don't go to the movies a lot because we're on a tight budget and are super picky about what we do see, but who can turn down a freebie?

Sneak peek ticketing works differently than regular movies. Regular movies can sell out, but sneak peeks hand out way way more tickets than they have seats and it's first come, first serve when you get there. Tonight's movie was set to start at 7:30 so we got there at 6:45 to get in line...behind the couple hundred folks already there. The line snaked throughout the whole lobby and we got real worried we weren't going to make it in. Rumor was the first guy in line showed up to the theater around 4:00. I'm all for a free movie, but I'm not that committed!

This is like 1/10th of the line. A lot of people had already gone in and we were making backup plans to walk around the mall instead. I felt bad for the poor lady checking passes, she looked so frazzled. I overheard her later saying the promo team had been told the screening was going on at another theater 15 miles away and they'd gone there first, whoops!

No worries though, because we made it in. We were on the second row and had to look straight up at the screen, but at least we weren't in the front row! Those poor people. 

Left to right: Shane, me, Kaylis, Faith

 Shane and I had to look up the movie trailer after we heard about the passes, so it wasn't like this was a movie we'd been looking forward to for months. We normally stick to comedies and don't see many dramas, but I thought the movie was pretty good. If you haven't seen the preview ( watch it here ), a quick synopsis with no spoilers...Will Smith is a pro con artist and brings a new woman into the group, teaching her the tricks of the trade. It was crazy seeing just how much they stole, and how easy it seemed! Especially the parts where they'd be pickpocketing...makes me want to be extra careful when I'm out in a crowd. 

I give the movie a 7/10, only because drama-type movies aren't my absolute fave, and while it was good, it wasn't the best movie I've ever seen or anything. If you're a Will Smith fan, it's a must go. For anyone else, it's a good movie that most would enjoy, even if it's just when it comes to Netflix / Redbox.

Day 5: Fashion police

We don't have cable at our house. Don't worry, it's a good thing...those companies charge way too much for the same stuff we can see on Hulu a day later for way cheaper. But that sometimes means we miss out on big live events, like the Oscars. 

Just because I didn't actually see the Oscars doesn't mean I can't do a little fashion commentary and give out some awards of my own. While everyone else in the world watched the red carpet, I browsed my 2014 iPhoto library to bring you...

The best / worst / wackiest fashions of the year! 

Last spring, my sister Hannah graduated from cosmetology school, so of course we had to throw her a party! It couldn't just be any party though, we had to go all out and do a photo booth with hair related props. What says "we're proud and we love you" better than your mom in purple dreadlocks and your dad in a snazzy mullet & stick-on fu manchu?

This hat will always be the one that got away. That is, until I go back to that outdoor store, buy the hat, then put it in my closet where I forget about it and never wear it. I saw it while shopping for TomorrowWorld supplies but just couldn't commit. 

Forever 21 makes some questionable fashion choices and this hat is one of them. I don't know, maybe the hot new trend was to look like Rolf from Sound of Music? It was also oddly small, so I could only wear it by balancing it on top of my head. If anyone is looking for the perfect accessory for their toy soldier costume, you now know where to go. 

You know how sculptors can see a beautiful statue in their minds when they look at a block of marble? That's apparently what happens with Shane, watermelons, and sharpies. He drew this cool dude at a summer pool party. We felt guilty to cut into him after that. 

My sister and I went shopping together and both picked a velvet dress from the clearance rack. Once we put them on in the fitting room, we realized why it was on clearance. We looked like a pair of drapes from the Munsters' house, and like we'd both gained at least 30 pounds. If we needed to look like oversize twins from The Shining, this dress would be perfect. 

Don't you hate when you go out to a bar Halloween party and your group is the only one in costume? Shane totally rocked that hot dog and got quite a few laughs from me along the way. 

I can just picture the kind of girl who would wear this shirt. She's one of those who always says "I hate drama" but constantly has huge facebook arguments with everyone she knows. 

Shane fell in love with this (rather expensive) jacket at REI, which I thought matched his hair just a bit too much. He was a pretty cute for a giant carrot, but the jacket didn't make it home with us.  

We did the Color Me Rad 5k with several friends and had a ton of fun. You're supposed to wear all white and get bombed with colored corn starch every few feet. We wanted to make sure we got our money's worth out of the race, so we got as close as we could to every color station. As a result, my white running sports bra will forever look like it's been tie dyed. 

Sheldon and Charlie get groomed fairly regularly, but sometimes right before his appointments, Sheldon's nose/forehead hair will get so long he turns into a sheepdog and can't see. Shane's solution was one of my star shaped barrettes. Sheldon has no appreciation for fashion though and shook the barrette out of his hair within a minute. I had no choice but to pull out the scissors for a preliminary trim.

Yes, another Halloween costume. This year we bought a total of six. Our local Bargain Hunt store had a sale on closeout Kmart costumes for $5 each, which is a steal! We bought a pair of inflatable costumes, but this one is by far the best. I love how "muscly" the arms are, and the fact that the whole thing is way to short for Shane. See those black things around his calves? That's the hoof shoe covers. The back legs floated behind him and never quite touched the ground. 

This year we finally made it to a Renaissance Festival, which was super fun! We thought watching the jousting tournament would be the perfect finish to the day, but Mother Nature had other plans. The sky opened up and running back to the car was like running through a carwash. I obviously wouldn't make a very good interstellar hitchhiker because I was totally unprepared and without a towel.

I know I'm probably a little biased on this one but I can't help it. Shane and I sometimes take dressing room selfies when shopping to get the other's opinion on clothes. His are usually pretty cute, but this one takes the cake. He might get a little embarrassed that I'm sharing this, but it can't be worse than the hot dog or the centaur, right?

That's it for this year's awards. Congrats to the winners! 

To the runners-up, just remember it's an honor just to be nominated.