He Called In Sick!!

Lunch w/ the Bruns Boys


Ice Skating @ the Ice Terrace

Showing off his mad skillz...

This is me...not falling down!

A lot of people wanted to skate.

Us :)

Crown Center Christmas Tree

Shopping at Crown Center

Chip's Chocolate Factory: playing w/ chocolate!

Christmas 2010!

Christmas Eve:
Andrew's Family's Christmas Eve Party
Andrew as Santa!!
My Family's Christmas Eve Party:

The Kids!

Hahaha....VJ!!

The 'Extended Family'

Christmas Midnight Mass

Christmas Day:
Christmas Brunch and Presents
Andrew's Mom
Andrew's Brother's Dinner
Andrew's Dad

College Days Again

Sarah and I spent the whole day together:

IHOP for breakfast
watched Bridget Jones' Diary
Pei Wei for lunch w/ Andrew
watched Love Actually
Westport Flea Market for dinner
(where I met a couple of Tom's friends)
saw Ultimate Fakebook at the recordBar

Manhattan Again?!?

Lazy day at work before the holiday break.  Had lunch with Tanner at Taj Mahal before he left work.  Spent the rest of the day counting down until I left work...

Went to the Pomeroy Concert with Andrew.  Saw Anything But Joey play, which is Bryan Chesen's band.  Met up with Adam and Brandi.  I got to meet Bryan's wife, Katie, for the first time since we became facebook friends.  :)

Unfortunately, we had to leave before the concert was over because Sarah drove in from Wichita and came into town a little early.  She was waiting for Andrew and I outside of the house.  It was good to see her again!!  We stayed up pretty late just catching up on everything...

1st Hockey Game :)

Went to my very first hockey game today:

Evansville Icemen vs. Missouri Mavericks

@ the Independence Events Center

They had TWO zambonis going!

The final score was 11 to 4...

We get a free Backyard Burger with our tickets because 6 goals were scored.  Andrew and I got free Noodles & Company because we caught tickets they threw out.  I didn't really get to see a fight, but I did see a lot of bodies being hit against the glass!!  :)

Work Recognition

GammaTracker

R&D Magazine

2010 R&D 100 Award

My name was mispronounced during the recognition luncheon (big surprise) but at least they spelled my name right on the plaque.  I attended the GammaTracker Recognition in the 'President's Conference Room' this afternoon.  *nicest conference room I've ever been in!!

The Signs...

I'm starting to get depressed again...
The days are shorter and there's not enough sunlight for me.
It's cold outside and I hate going out with the weather like this.
I'm eating more and gaining weight.
I have no motivation to workout.
I need to do something about this before I weight 200 lbs and want to kill myself.

This Is The Christmas Season!

Spent most of the day relaxing on the couch...
Decorated the gingerbread house last night:

Dinner at Genghis Khan Mongolian Grill with Andrew, Dad, Melissa, and Andy.

The Nutcracker Ballet at the Kansas City Music Hall with Andrew, Dad, and Melissa.

Picked up coffee and played board games (Taboo, Apples to Apples) until 3:00 in the morning.

It was a great night!!

Languages of Love

Andrew and I started reading this:

Team Jacob

I had breakfast at IHOP with Dad, Melissa, and Andrew.  I ordered the Banana Nut French Toast Combo...mmmmm!!

Melissa had a present for me from Andy:

An 'Eclipse' Jacob poster!  :)
I stuck it up in the basement where I workout.  It's my motivation to get skinny.
Clay and Kyle came over this afternoon to watch the KU game with Andrew.  I made Velveeta/Rotel dip for them and Andrew started a fire in the fireplace.  For dinner they went to Austin's Bar and Grill and came back saying it wasn't that good.  :(
I talked to Jacob (from work, not the movie, lol) and he complained about Katy.  He asked to come over after he attends a 'kickball' party that he was invited to.  Hopefully, he has fun at the party.

New Things!!

Had my first yoga classes at New Day Yoga; Core Pilates and Hatha Yoga with instructor Jim Graham.
http://www.newdayyogastudio.com/Home.htm

Received my new favorite food in the mail today:

Wafels & Dinges All Natural Spekuloos Spread!

It's a Belgian Gingerbread Cookie spread.  

Is it better than Nutella?  If not, it comes pretty damn close!!

Bad Food Day...

I just kept eating and eating today.  Change kept going into the vending machine and I just got anything that looked good.  I'm not really quite sure what came over me.  Since it started, I just kept going.  Ate the lunch I made and brought from home, bought spaghetti from the cafeteria, left work early and got Sheridan's frozen custard.  Rummaged through the kitchen and ate anything that looked appealing while sitting on my ass in the couch.  While I was updating my facebook profile and watching The Bounty Hunter, I just kept eating whatever I could find.  I figured that I lost the day so I might as well just go with it and eat everything that I can...just for today.  At the end of the day I felt horrible.  I need a reset button...

You Know It's Fall When...

You've got a fire roaring in the fireplace!  :)

Harry Potter movies were on TV while we played Scattergories.

Christmas Decorations!

Andrew and I bought our first 'major' purchase together: a $200 artificial Christmas Tree!  :D hahahaha....

We put up what little Christmas decorations I own and watched the ending of LOST.  Great way to spend a Saturday night.

Girl Time!

Pizza Hut Large Pan Pizza, half Supreme and half Veggie Lovers.
Pizza Hut Cinnamon Sticks.
Blue Bunny No Sugar Added Bunny Tracks
'The Holiday'
'Twilight'

Day Downtown

Watched Megamind 3D at AMC Mainstreet 6.

Had a beer at The Flying Saucer in P&L.
Awkward conversation...
Met Andrew's stepbrother, Chris, his wife and son, Charlie.
Ate dinner at the Red Dragon.
Wizard of Oz at Chris' house.

Meeting The Family (Andrew's Dad)

Andrew had to work this morning.
Went to the gym to sit in the sauna and tan.
Found a 'spider' on the shower floor.
Stuck the 'spider' under VJ's clothes.
Met Andrew's dad, Paul.
Picked up the treadmill and the elliptical.
Ate bagels at Panera Bread.
Looked up San Francisco travel stuff.
Met the stepmom, Linda, and stepsister, Meredith, and her husband, Oscar at Mi Ranchito.
Ohio Bobcats vs KU Jayhawks B-Ball game @ Adam and Brandi's house.

Thanksgiving Day 2010

- cuddled in bed
- made coffee
- watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade
- grand tour for Andrew's mom
- lunch at Andrew's cousin's house in Louisburg

   * lunch

   * chit chat

   * bingo
   * dessert
- Kung Fu Panda nap!
- cooking
- dinner at Tito Danny/Tita Cely's House
   * dinner
   * chit chat
   * pictures

- AMC Studio 30
   * Melissa, Alice, Aly, Andrew, Me: Burlesque

   * VJ, Val, Rhys, Kennedy, Christine, Cassey, Sam: 127 Hours

Carnivore Again :D

I decided to start eating meat again...

• I was starting to make exceptions.
• I was avoiding meat and not dairy, which is what I really should have been boycotting according to the video that I watched which made me decide to become a vegetarian in the first place.
• I need more protein in my diet.
• I like meat!

I ate a Five Guys' Cheeseburger as my first 'official' non-vegetarian meal:

I posted my meal on facebook and got a lot of 'proud' comments!  :)

Not As Planned

Nothing today really happened as I had planned it:

• didn't workout this morning
• Andrew said he wasn't going to play in the poker tournament
• Rhys was short on his rent
• got lost on the way to the poker tournament
• didn't eat sushi for dinner
• was in a weird mood all day long

It wasn't a bad day, just an awkward day.

Cooked orange-juice pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast:

Went to Melissa's co-worker's baseball fundraiser poker tournament at Reed's Lakeside Bar and Grill in Topeka:

*VJ winning some money playing poker!

Attended the Naturally 7 Concert at JCCC:

Naturally 7

(Thanks to the Shifman's for the tickets!)

Insecurities

Past relationships have left invisible scars.
So, when I get faced with a situation that reminds me of those scars, I feel somewhat vulnerable.
For instance, I hate being talked down to and forced to remind myself that I'm not stupid.
I know that I'm an intelligent person, but I always second-guess myself.
I am forced to re-evaluate my actions and convince myself that..."No, you are not stupid."

*cough-cough

Partying and Fighting!!

Cassey's 18th Birthday Party!
I baked a Pumpkin Dessert that I found on allrecipes.com!
Pacquiao fought and won against Margarito!
Good times with family and friends!
I'm so lucky!
:)

Back In The Swing Of Things

- Back to work
- Back to packing my lunch
- Back to the gym
- Back to spending time with Andrew
* feels great!
We had dinner with Melissa and Andy at Melissa's apartment.  Melissa made Chicken Parmesan.  I brought Caesar Salad and Edy's Apple Pie Ice Cream and made mini Snickers Pies.  Good conversation and spending time with family and friends.
*feels great!

Our Song...

Unpacked the rest of Andrew's boxes and trash bags.
Yes, I did say trash bags.  :)
On our way to the plaza apartment (to pick up 2 expensive suits he left behind), Andrew proposed that 'our' song should be Derren Raser's song "A Love Quite Like Yours" because that's the song he requested him to sing when we went to see his show at the Czar Bar.  He said he requested it because of how he felt about me!
* A Love Quite Like Yours
Have I mentioned how happy Andrew makes me?!?
After picking up the suits and talking to the apartment maintenance guy, we ran errands for the house and went grocery shopping.
We need to set up an eating schedule because we've been eating out and eating unhealthy recently.

MOVING DAY!

Slept in with Andrew.
Dropped Andrew off at the U-Haul Rental.
Picked up a little more at the house.
Met Andrew's friends:
 - Bryan Chesen (funny guy)
 - Kyle Babson (quiet guy)
Moved Andrew into the house.

Cleaning House

Got up pretty early today.
Took Bernoulli to the vet:
 - for a vaccine
 - to make sure there were no signs of a fungal infection
Signed Bernoulli up for a bath!
Cleaned the house.
Cleaned the house.
Cleaned the house.
Finally, when cleaning was done, Andrew and I spent our last night at his apartment.

Rockin' It In The ABQ

Just got back in from Albuquerque, NM.
Flew into ABQ Wednesday afternoon.
Ate Lobster Bisque and Pappa's Greek Salad at Pappadeaux's.
Woke up early to run a couple of miles...
(Thought I was going to die afterwards.
Later, someone reminded me of the altitude difference.)
Attended a working group meeting at SNL.
Ate a stuffed sopaipilla at Sadie's.
Hiked a couple of trails at Petroglyph National Monument...

*on top of the mesa covered in volcanic rock

*petroglyph

*a couple of my co-workers hiking up the trail

Got back to the house to eat ALL the leftovers I had in the fridge.
What is it about traveling that makes me hungry?
Need to detox NOW!
:(

Election Day

Andrew voted after work at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.
We went to his mother's house to pick up boxes.
 - met the two Schnauzers (Molly and Molly)
 - Andrew's mother is the sweetest...
Ate dinner at Megan's house for Scott's 28th Birthday!
 - met Jess and Laura
 - had Papa Murphy's pizza for the first time
 - sampled SMALLCAKES: A Cupcakery (my new favorite)
 - Edy's Slow Churned Vanilla Ice Cream
 - Tippin's French Silk Pie
  Notable Moments:
   - semen on the tie
   - cruise ship trips
   - sugar belly
   - Geico "lil piggy" commercial

Brandi's Birthday

Andrew's sister-in-law celebrated her birthday at Kona Grill.  I ordered the Sweet-Chili Glazed Salmon...  And it was GREAT!

All Hallows' Eve!

I'm gonna miss walking to the Plaza when Andrew moves out of his apartment.

We walked to Scooter's Coffeehouse and got lattes.

Andrew showed me American Century Investments and the desk where he makes the big bucks!

We spent time at Hyde Park at the Kickball Playoffs and accepted our award for the best team spirit.

Halloween Night was spent passing candy out to the trick-or-treaters and watching 'scary' movies On Demand.

 *full-size or go home!

*basket-o-candy

Scary Movie Night

It was a lazy Saturday.

Had breakfast/brunch with Melissa at IHOP.

Visited to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

Walked to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art where we sat next to the reflecting pool (Walter De Maria: One Sun / 34 Moons):

*where we talked about our future :)

We watched "The Crazies" with Scott and Megan.

Date Night!

Andrew and I had a date night @ The Farmhouse.
Andrew ordered the 360 day aged hanger steak with salsa verde, blue cheese butter, and house cut fries.
I ordered the pumpkin and squash ravioli with sage infused brown butter, field grapes, and crispy shallots.

*Andrew listening to the speech that was being given at the party table next to us.

Afterward, we went to The Cheesecake Factory @ the Plaza and ordered the warm apple crisp and coffee.

BEST DATE NIGHT EVER!

(except that I was uncomfortably full when we went back home)

Meet the Friends

w/ Scott & Matt
(and Scott's brother...Dan)
Mr. Goodcents for dinner.

Dad Meets the BF

Will Shields Safehome Flag Football
 - 1 Win, 2 Losses

Louisburg Cider Mill
 - Cider Donuts
 - Corn Maze
 - Lost Trail Root Beer
 - Country Store

Dad's Flight Comes In

"Family Dinner" at Olive Garden
 - Dad met Andrew
 - MacBook 'Sales Pitch'

Double Date in OP, KS

w/ Mike and Jess

Korma Sutra
Barley's Brewhaus

Double Date in Lawrence

w/ Clay and Katy Britton

Free State Brewing Company

The Oread

Cranium

Meeting Family

Met Andrew's family on his mother's side.  It was his aunt's birthday.

Later we met up with Melissa and Andy at the Levee for some R&B.

Wichita Baby

Friday; October 1, 2010:
- drove down to Wichita to visit Sarah and meet her Tom...
- ate Indian food for dinner
- watched The Town

Saturday; October 2, 2010:
- IHOP with Sarah, Tom, and Aaron (the b-day boy)

All Day Together

Spending More Time Together:

-kickball

-grilled out for lunch w/ the team

-frisbee

-tennis @ Shawnee Mission East

-walk on the Trolley Trail

Benefit

Prairie Baptist Church:
75th & Roe

Andrew Playin' Drums

Dragon Inn:

Dinner

*we got the same fortune in our fortune cookies!

Saints Pub & Patio:

Drinks w/ Holly and Amanda

In Love

Andrew and I walked through the Plaza Art Fair:

We ate overpriced, small-portioned food and saw Melissa and Andy!

Andrew said "I think I'm falling in love with you," while we were watching The Lord of the Rings later on that night!

The Pact

Derren Raser @ The Czar Bar

**

We started catching up on Lost Season 5:

Ate Chinese Food:

Unwedding Day

Lunch w/ Melissa at Kona Grill then Gelato at Balsano's

Reconciliation at St. Paul's Catholic Church

Mani/Pedi at The Nailery

WaterFire

*our first picture together as a couple

The Zeros @ The Brooksider

*Andrew, Me, Melissa, Jerry...and some guy Jerry knew from work!

Old Friend and New Friend

Met with Meagan at Starbucks off of 39th Street.

Met with Andrew for dinner.  We walked to The Mixx from his apartment.  :)  Great food!  They mix the salad right in front of you so you know what's going into it.

First Kiss

AMC 30 Cinema Suites
Going The Distance

We had our first kiss in the car when he was dropping me off.

I remember it was dark and drizzling outside.