Snow Day

It's official! Our first significant snowfall of the season: somewhere between 5-8 inches since 7pm last night. Because this is only our 3rd winter here, it's easy to forget just how giddy I feel about winter's first snow... but last night was a fun reminder.

Somewhere around 10pm we began to hear the excited squeals and jovial war-cries of a snowball battle outside of our living room window, and decided it was time to take J-dog out for his first walk (perhaps "prance" is a better word for this occasion) of the winter season. At the time, we found a good 4 inches of snow on the ground, and an inexhaustible supply of hyper, stir crazy college students partaking in all manners of snowtime activities---making snow angels, throwing snow balls, stuffing snow down the pants of unsuspecting spectators, and streaking across open spaces in nothing but electric blue underwear briefs. Ah, the joys of living and working on a college campus.

I don't think that my excitement about snow, however, is even one tenth of the overwhelming emotion and sheer ecstasy that J-dog experienced.

Snow is definitely his drug of choice. I like to think that he make-believes as he prances, bounds, and spazzes his way through the mounds of white powder, imagining he's one of those barrel-toting Saint Bernards on an emergency mission, or that there is a covert society of creatures (squirrels, specifically) hiding under the snow and it's his mission to intermittently bury his nose in the drifts to stir up trouble.

This morning, we enjoyed a wonderfully warm breakfast of oatmeal and lattes while watching the snow continue to flurry outside of the kitchen window. With papers to write, studying to do, and nowhere we have to be, I'd say this snowfall is just what Dr. D and I needed to kick-start our Christmas season.

Happy December, everyone!

TWIA #5

My week has become progressively more awesome since I started this whole TWIA thing. It seems like each day I have more and more trouble narrowing down exactly which "little thing" to feature.

For instance, today I took the afternoon off from work because it was the first day in a long time that my schedule wasn't completely packed. Awesome. And today is Friday, so that's innately awesome. Also, our friend Dr. S defended is dissertation this afternoon and we got to celebrate with him and eat delicious free food. All of these things are enveloped in awesomeness.

But the thing that made all those parts of my day awesome to the nth degree? The distinctly autumn feeling in the air, the fresh crunch of leaves on the ground, and the first day of my favorite month here in the Midwest: October.

Mmm... I love me some October. I think it's a perfect way to end my awesome week.

TWIA #4

The little thing that I'm appreciating today isn't really so little when you think about all it encompasses. And truth be told, it's really always been a big part of our lives---for Dr. D and me---both individually and as a couple. We both grew up with parents who were passionate about it, and it was probably one of the biggest catalysts of our friendship as kids and eventual budding relationship as teens.

Today, I find myself thankful for the awesomeness that is music.

I'm not going to go all indie and music-elitist on you by dropping names of obscure bands and critiquing artists or arguing my points for "greatest band of all time ever in the history of any sounds ever made and--oh, you've never heard of them? that's because they're TOO GOOD FOR YOUUUUUuuuuuuuuuu..."

Gosh, that's just annoying.

No, instead I decided tonight to take a memory lane stroll through my CDs (what?! who still has those?) and mp3s (some from way back when Napster was free---a story I'll one day share with my grandchildren, no doubt) and remember to appreciate all of the memories and emotions that come along with them. Here are some musical memories that I found myself reliving tonight:

• Taping songs off of the radio in the '90s, like Selena's "Dreaming of You" and that "I've Got the POWAHH!" song, then blasting them from my boombox repeatedly as I shot baskets on my driveway.

• Buying a used CD of Salt-N-Pepa's Very Necessary at the age of 13 and spending an entire afternoon memorizing the lyrics to "Shoop"... and having no real idea what any of it meant.

• Going through an entire phase in high school where I would only listen to Me First And the Gimme Gimme's punk rock covers. I can't imagine what my father must have thought the first time he heard their version of Paul Simon's "Me and Julio." Sorry, Dad.

• The mixture of elation and fear-of-suffocation I felt, finding myself pinned between the stage barrier and a 17 year old Dr. D (who, bless him, was doing his very best to shield me from the bone-crushing mosh pit) as I rocked out at my first Foo Fighters concert. Dave Grohl sweated on me during a particularly violent head-banging sesh as he played "Stacked Actors." No big deal.

• Walking through the desert dark amidst a glittering sea of plastic water bottles littering the ground in Indio, CA, after Spoon wrapped up the first day of my first festival concert experience. I can still remember the beautiful buzzing in my ears.

• During my senior year of college: watching Jenny Lewis jump around stage in sequined gold hotpants, banging on a cowbell, and thinking, "I want to be her right now."

• Waiting arm-in-arm with my father on a breezy summer day, listening to Sufjan Steven's "Chicago" on the garden air and watching some of the most important people in my life file into places, waiting for my turn to finally walk down that aisle. Thinking contentedly and joyfully, "Finally, this is where I am meant to be."

Really, music has shaped my experiences and memories innumerably over the years. And that's why revisiting some of those times has made this week especially awesome.

Anyway, I tossed a few of the aforementioned songs/artists in my handy little sidebar o' music. Enjoy.

TWIA #3

This is yet another little thing that makes this week awesome, and needs no explanation.



Aspergillus fumigatus!

TWIA #2

Today, I sliced my hand on my droptop's protruding, jagged battle wound AND there was an active shooter on a campus in Texas, which is one of my all-time worst fears ever since I work at a university. The latter has a way of putting the former into perspective.

Even so, I am still bound and determined to enjoy the little things this week, so here's your daily dose of awesome:

Who doesn't love a baby pygmy marmoset? Sometimes when I'm stressed out, I need to focus on something cute and fuzzy (as evidenced by my pressure/puppy paradox), and this little guy definitely does the trick. I mean really, how freaking fantastic are these little creatures?

In related news, J-dog's latest haircut has him looking like a howler monkey/poodle hybrid. Hmm.

This Week is Awesome

Actually, it's kind of not. At all. Coming off of a nice, relaxing weekend, it's hard to look at the week ahead and realize my plate is fuller than a hungry college student at an all-you-can eat sushi buffet.

And, I dropped my laptop. Droptop, yo.

It's still functional, just aesthetically marred. I think it's lost a bit of self-esteem... and there's a jagged bit that cuts into my wrist when I type now.

Needless to say, I'm in need of a bit of a pick-me-up, so I've decided: This week is awesome.

This week, I plan to pay attention to the little things that put a smile on my face. As I get older, I'm finding it so easy to look past the little things in life and focus on my proverbial "plate" (which--much to my chagrin--is not full of sushi, but responsibilities). So this week, I'm going to be extra intentional about enjoying the gosh-darn heck out of the little things. My hope is that they will indeed make this week awesome.

Therefore, I present you with the first "little thing" that is making this week awesome:


Why, Mrs. Dr. D, are those... California socks?! Yes. Yes they are.

An apple a day...

Thank goodness that's a cliché and not a fact of life, because I'd rather not keep Dr. D away, but I am currently in possession of a LOT of apples.


There are two indicators that fall is upon us here in the Midwest. The first: my allergies are going berserk because they're digging up all the gosh darn fields without any consideration of my personal well being or sanity. Height of rudeness.

Ah, but the second is much more pleasant. The apple harvest is ready, which means it was go-time this weekend for what has become one of our favorite fall pastimes---apple picking!

Even I'll admit, I wasn't sold on this whole idea when we first moved here. The fact that I was supposed to pay to pick my own apples, which were probably kind of dented and not nearly as nice looking as the ones I could just go pick up at the store... well, it just didn't sit well with me at first. But after my first trip, I was a convert.

Not only were there tons of different kinds of apples to pick (who knew they had names other than "red" and "green"?), but it was my first introduction to the world of apple products. [allow me to apologize for the lack of iPod, Phone, or Pad jokes here... those creative apple juices just aren't flowing. Heh.]

I won't run the risk of sounding too much like Bubba the shrimp fisher from Forrest Gump by naming them all here, but do you all have ANY IDEA just how many delicious things can be made with apples? I thought I had a pretty good grasp on it, but I was sorely mistaken upon setting foot in the market at the orchard. Among the standouts are apple butter and balsamic apple reduction, but the thing that's been bringing us back every fall has got to be the apple donuts. Yum.

So now I've got a bushel---or is it a peck?---of apples in the kitchen and a world of recipe possibilities. However shall I choose?

Proud Puppy Parents

We refuse to be one of those couples who refers to their dog as their "baby." We also try to limit the number of times we mention J-dog in casual conversation to two [relatable to the topic] stories---a rule that we sometimes bend when in the company of other dog lovers and/or veterinary students. We understand that not everyone is going to think our precocious little fur-ball is as amazing as we do. (I wouldn't say their opinion is wrong, per say, but...)

All that being said, and with the disclaimer that if you could care less about our dog then you're more than welcome to sit this one out with no hard feelings, I feel compelled to share:

J-dog is weirdly smart.

I'll admit, when he was younger we weren't so sure he would be. Mostly because he was (and continues to be) incredibly awkward and clumsy. He's like the geeky band kid with allergies, who people find endearing and entertaining to make fun of. And yes, our hypoallergenic poodle has allergies---the irony is not lost on us.

However, despite tripping over his own feet and unsuccessfully attempting to impress the other dogs at the dog park with his strange boxing/goose-stepping playful maneuvers, he continues to surprise us with his brains.

For example, I have this special ring tone for when the hubster calls my cell ("No One's Gonna Love You" by Band of Horses, if you're curious), and Dr. D will frequently call me when he's on his way home. J-dog eventually learned Dr. D's ring tone, so whenever he heard it, he would do a couple laps around the living room, look out the window for a few seconds, and then go wait by the door for Dr. D to get home. That is itself was pretty cool, but then recently when I was playing some music on my laptop and "No One's Gonna Love You" came on, J-dog---who had been sound asleep---startled awake and ran over to the couch where Dr. D was sitting. Confused, he looked from Dr. D, to my laptop, and then back to Dr. D as if to say "But you're already HERE!"

The thing that prompted me to write this post, though, is that J-dog has recently mastered a very delicate, very environmentally-friendly trick...


That's right. Homedog can turn off a light switch.

Note that I say "off" and not "off and on." I'm mean, let's be real... It just wouldn't be environmentally responsible to give the dog the ability to waste energy. This isn't some cheap parlor trick. I'd like to be able call him up at home when Dr. D and I are on vacation and be like, "J-dog, I forgot to turn off the bathroom light. Can you take care of that for me?"

We all need to do our part, people.

Why today is awesome.

It's only just started, but I can already tell today is going to be a good day. Here's why:

1. I woke up in my childhood home, to the sound of my mom humming to herself and "June-ing" (a term coined by my father--as in June Cleaver from Leave It To Beaver--meaning she's flitting around the house doing various tasks in the most pleasant way possible).


2. Upon waking up, I promptly rolled over and opened a special drawer in my old nightstand where I've kept all of the notes, love letters, and trinkets Dr. D and I exchanged in our high school years, and took a little trip down memory lane. It's nearly impossible to pick favorite items out of that drawer, but I'd have to say I'm most partial to the little slips of paper that hold each stanza from the poem he used to ask me out when we were 15. I also love the creepy purple stuffed cat that Dr. D won for me in a claw machine on a choir trip--he must have spent $15 on it, all in the name of saving his pride and making me smile.


3. After I finish this post, I get to eat a homemade breakfast and bask in the marital bliss glow of a couple madly in love after nearly 29 years of marriage. My parents are pretty cute.


4. This afternoon I'll be reunited with my hubster. He's been on a two-day bachelor party/manly beach-camping extravaganza, so I'm sure he'll return to me curly-headed and bearded. Can't wait!


5. And finally, the last reason I am confident this morning that today will be a good day is... The Gap just sent me an email advertising jean leggings, available in tall. HOT DANG!

I hope you all have an awesome day, too!