Christmas Joys

We got our first Christmas decoration today! One of my family's bought me this cute little snowman/snowflake night light and I'm pretty sure I've never been happier. I have it plugged in where I can see it from all angles in the house (really easy when you live in a glorified shoe box). It's casting snowflake shadows all over the wall and making me feel all Christmasy. Hooray for Christmas. We finally decorated and it only took seconds!

Christmas Woes

I'm sick. I keep getting sick. I'm turning into Rudolph. Does anyone know where I can purchase one of those immune systems thingys? I hear they're really worthwhile. I miss breathing through my nose. I miss my normal sounding voice. Woe is me.

On a lighter note... who's excited for Christmas?? I'm excited for fun, food, and presents. Of course we won't be giving gifts this year as we have no money. I was trying to think of a good way to let my family know that I can't afford gifts for them this year... hey, what do ya know, I just did. Blogging really IS the best form of communication. So personal.

We have Christmas ornaments (on loan from my sis) but no tree (too expensive), a wreath for the front door (also on loan) but nothing to hang it with (too lazy to get something), and we have no plans of buying even one gift for each other. Sweet. I'm excited. It's ok though, Jonathan FINALLY got hired full time at the company he's been contracting with and I just got 5 new patients so that means big pay raise for the Fitches. Maybe we'll celebrate Christmas in March?

2 Friend's quotes, just for Christmas:
Monica: Money is so impersonal. Cookies say someone really cares. All right, we're broke, but cookies do say that.

Monica: You guys haven't gotten your presents yet? Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, what are you gonna do??
Chandler: Don't you have to be Claymation to say stuff like that?

Costco, Dick's, and other exciting news...

I think it's about time I blogged again. What has it been 2? 3 months? Who can tell. I suppose those who look at the date of my last post and compare it to todays. Whatever.

Jonathan and I have been married for two months now. It's been an exciting two months, lots going on, totaled cars, new cars, buying a puppy, taking the puppy back. You know. Exciting stuff like that.
This weekend we caved and joined Costco. What a great place to blow your paycheck and eat a gozillion samples. I was sure to stop at EVERY sample station, Jonathan would just stop, push the cart to the side, and wait while I enjoyed delicious free snacks. I also found that multi-packs of toothpaste and toilet paper make for a surprisingly exhilarating purchase.

After our super fun, snack-filled trip to Costco, we decided to go buy an elliptical machine at Dick's. I'd been wanting one for a while, and we found a great deal on a floor model on clearance, so we decided to get it. Problem: when you buy the floor model, it doesn't come in a box. It's already assembled and you have to take it as is. Now, the salesman will tell you with the utmost confidence that it will EASILY fit into your Honda Element. Oh sure, he would know right?? Why would he tell us that if it wasn't really true? What's that? To close the sale? Oh...

Needless to say, we drove home with an elliptical machine half wedged in our Element, half hanging out of the back. While we were loading it into the car at the store, the "helpful" sales associate asked Jonathan to help him tip it sideways and one of the wheeley feet thingys flew up and slammed Jonathan right by his eye causing instant swelling and a beautiful bruise. Nice.

Fortunately, our beloved new machine has wheels on the front of it, so all Jonathan and I have to do when we get it home is wheel it around the sidewalk and lift it up 2 steps to get in our front door. Easy. Or... not so much. Yeah, one of the wheels broke about 2 feet into the process. That added to the fun. We got it inside and I said, "why don't we just leave it here until you can get a couple of guys to come over and help you get it upstairs?". Oh no, Jonathan was having none of that. He convinced me that we could get it up there ourselves. (Actually, I was never convinced, just agreed to go along with the plan. I'm a good submissive wife.)

Again, needless to say, we lost some drywall, we now have to repaint the majority of our staircase, and I almost broke two fingers when one of the wheeley feet thingys attacked me as well. We should have waited for help. But hey, now we can workout. So I guess that's good.

Friends quote of the day:
Ross: "Pivot... piv-ot... pi-vot..."
Chandler: "Shut up, shut up, shut uuuuuup!!!"

Dreaming of islands...

I had a bridal shower last weekend, hosted by my uber-talented sis-in-law. It was a really great shower, got some really nice gifts and some scrumptious "not-on-my-wedding-diet" food, which I ate anyway. The highlight for me though was the gift from my brother, sister-in-law, and her parents, a kitchen island. I was so excited!!! We have this cute little house, with a cute little kitchen, with NO cabinet space. I have these brand new, beautiful pans which have been residing on my lovely kitchen floor. Not exactly ideal. Jonathan and I new right from the start that we would need to invest in an island, but would have to wait a while as (here comes the shocker), they're not free! Weird I know. The island had been ordered and shipped, but had not arrived yet, so Candis made a miniature island out of cardboard from the picture of my island online. She's cool like that. (That song is in your head now isn't it??? "I'm cool like that, I'm cool like that..."). So there I was, opening a small, lightweight present in front of all of the church ladies, I pull out a 4 inch cardboard box and burst into tears, blubbering about "My island!!! My island!!!" I think they all thought I had officially lost my mind. Most of them left still not understanding why I was crying about that crap cardboard gift.

The beautiful, awesome island was expected to arrive Monday... wa hoo!! I got home from work in the early afternoon to wait for it's blessed arrival. I ended up taking a nap. So there I am, enjoying a nice nap, dreaming of my island, and... the doorbell rings!!!! I jump up, grab my glasses, and run to fling the door open. I'm so excited, overjoyed, can't wait to see it. The man standing at my door proceeds to assure me that he's not here to sell me anything. You mean you don't have my island?!?! I almost punched him. He then began to tell me some lengthy, memorized shpeel (yes, it was a shpeel) about how he came from a high crime area and wants to be better than that... blah, blah, blah.... like I care?? Then came the questions, most of which I refused to answer. And THEN...he tried to sell me magazines. This time, he DID get punched. You lying piece of crap!!! You promised not to sell me anything AND you don't have my island?!?!!? Why are you here??

You may think that this is where the story ends, but oh no my friends, there's more. Monday came and went... no island. I asked Candis to check the tracking for me to see where it was. Shipment Damaged. That's all it said. They managed to get it all the way to Colorado and then what? Throw it off the truck for sport? Jerks. They have since "rushed" a new, in tact island to me, but I've yet to see it. Next time I'll be more careful before I open the door. Maybe I'll crack a window and ask to see the island first. Jonathan says I should make better use of the peephole... he might have a point.

Friends quote for this saga:
Chandler: The other cheesecake came. They delivered it to the wrong address again.
Rachel: So, just bring it back downstairs. What's the problem?
Chandler: I can't seem to say good-bye.

I've given up on blogging

Or perhaps blogging has given up on me? Interesting thought. Ok, well I'm not officially quitting or anything, just not sure what to write about these days. Let's see... what would you rather hear about? The five loads of laundry I did yesterday? Perhaps the 2 hour long nap I took today after work? This is riveting stuff!! THIS will surely get me more readers! Perhaps I could get some children, I've heard they spice things up... but then when would I take my naps?? No, that won't do.

I'm currently working on two ridiculous lists, one for honeymoon packing, the other for stuff I need to get done before the wedding. Here is an excerpt from one such list: "Get ring cleaned and rhodium plated" thrilling right? What's that? You're sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for more? Here is a really important one that I thought of for the first time today, "GET MARRIAGE LICENSE!!!!" I really hope I don't forget that one. It would be a real shame to do all of this wedding planning for 10 months to end up not really married after all. Ok, ok, one more just for you... "Take wedding shoes to get gripper thingy on bottom so you don't fall on your bottom coming down the aisle or on the dance floor with uncoordinated husband" That one is long... but quite important I would say. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I fall on my bottom quite regularly even with good shoe traction, I don't want to increase the risk with slippy shoes! By the way, I blame this incessant list making on Candis. I'm pretty sure nobody in the world had ever made packing lists until she did.

A great Friend's quote for today:
Rachel: "Why the hell didn't you tell me??"
Ross: "What was I supposed to do? Stand up and shout, Hey Rachel, your butt is showing."
Rachel: "Yeah!! Better you than Barry's uncle!!"

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall...

My wedding dress finally came in. It's perfect. I'm perfect in it. I'm the fairest of them all. Call me a narcissist if you want, but isn't that how you're supposed to feel in your wedding dress? I bought new wedding shoes last week (the last ones I had just weren't doing it for me anymore) and they were the perfect color, fit, and style for the dress. It seems like everything for this wedding is falling into place perfectly and now I'm more excited than anything else. My stress has all but vanished... and no, I'm not drinking. Now I just get to wait for the huge disaster to strike because come on, everyone has some sort of wedding disaster. I should know, I've worked at and been in many. Cake's falling, bride's bitching, dresses ripping, grooms ditching.....this could be a song, granted, not a very uplifting one, but still.

On a very unrelated note, Jonathan bought me Tony Hawk's Project 8 for xbox 360 and now I can't get him to stop playing it. What's a girl to do? It is a totally awesome game-you get to do flips, skate all over the city, and (my favorite part) ram into other skaters at full speed to steal their "stokens". Dude!! Gnarly!! I only know all of this from watching Jonathan play, I can't seem to rip the control out of his hand. I guess I'll have to try and find some sort of pink princess game that he'll feel too embarrassed to play. Eh, who am I kidding? He'd probably play that too.

Friend's quote:
NORA BING: As I recall, when we got married, I saw the groom in the wedding dress.
CHARLES BING: But that was after the wedding. It's not bad luck then.
NORA BING: Honey, it isn't good luck.

Random Anniversaries and TV Sagas

Jonathan reminded me today that this is our 8 month "engagement anniversary". This tells me one thing... we've been engaged for entirely too long. It's time. We should have been married months ago. On the bright side, the gifts are really starting to pour in. Yes, gifts can pour. Several times a week the doorbell rings and I find a large box from Target sitting on my front door step. Wa hoo! This is afterall the reason you get married right? All the free gifts.

On an entirely different subject, it will be several more weeks before we get our TV service installed. Apparently the HOA approval process for a satellite dish takes up to 30 days. Great. We have now had 3 failed attempts at getting TV. Perhaps it's not meant to be? That can't be it. TV makes my days off work a lot less boring. How could one live without it?

Ok, well it's time for food. I'm off to cook a gourmet dinner of whatever I can find in my tiny cupboards. Wish me luck.

Friends quote for today:
JOEY: You probably recognize me from a little show called "The Days of Our Lives"
ROSS: Dude, it's just "Days of Our Lives"... there's no "the".
JOEY: Ok, Ross.... I play Dr. Drake Ramoray
SARAH: I'm sorry, I don't own a TV.
JOEY: You don't own a TV? What's all your furniture pointed at??

I Don't Update Very Much

It's about time I updated my blog. I hate to leave my readers waiting for new posts, but it's hard sometimes. How can I find time to update between taking naps and watching episodes of The Office? Talk about stress.

Jonathan and I will be married in 61 days. I'm looking forward to 62 days from now when we'll be on our way out of this state far far away from these crazy people I'm related to who always seem to have an opinion about everything I want for the wedding. What? Do they think they get a say just because they're related and footing the bill?? Pft. I did watch a great show on WE the other day called Bridezillas. Yikes. I'm not THAT bad. How do these girls find someone to marry them? Who wants to be stuck with that for the rest of their life? Oh wait... that's right... they'll be divorced in three to five. I'd bet money on it... if I had any left. Darn that mortgage!

We have to pay off our honeymoon in two weeks, so if any of you have been contemplating making a sizable donation to The Ramblings of my Mind, now would be the time. "Cough it up, pay the piper, gimme it." Oooo... threw the Friends quote right in the middle this time. I like to mix it up, keep you on your toes.

Ok, well it's late. I need to finish up here and head back home. That's right, Jonathan is living here at our house, I'm living with Mom and Dad. I just can't get enough!

Another Friends quote, just for kicks: "How you got three women to marry you, I'll never know."

And the weeks go on...

Man the time is flying by lately. The weeks just keep going... I can't catch up. Jonathan and I will be "The Fitch's" in about 12 weeks. Wa hoo! Hopefully before that happens my wedding dress and veil will arrive. Oh, and I'll get the invitations addressed and sent out, the salon booked, the valet booked, gifts for wedding party, new clothes for our honeymoon, pay off the honeymoon, and perhaps a little laser eye surgery. At least I'm never bored. On top of all of that I have to cook, clean, and do laundry for Jonathan. Mainly because we have a new house with a new washer and dryer and I don't want him to mess them up. No, I do not have control issues, I'm just practicing being a good wife.

We got one of those cool new front loader "high efficiency" washer/dryer combos. Although, I've heard rumors from certain family members that the efficiency of a washer/dryer comes more from the user than the machine... aka.. they're never efficient if you never use them. Weird. I have made an offer to said un-named family member to do their laundry at a discount from what the dry cleaners charge, but alas, they have not taken me up on my offer.

*Important Breaking News* We will be changing the chicken served at the reception from Chicken Limoncello to Chicken Picatta. If I knew why I would tell you. Sorry for those of you who are disappointed. If I were you I would get the beef filet anyways... it's melt in your mouth good. And seriously, who orders chicken over steak when someone else is paying? Even if you don't like red meat, I'm pretty sure it's worth it.

Well, it's late, and I should be in bed as I have to get up early for work... or to call in sick.. hmm.. as I am now fighting off some kind of sinus infection that I woke up with after being worked to death.. ahem.. er... I mean after an enjoyable event with my sis-in-law. It's ok, she pays well. I'll just send her a Dr's bill for the illness I inevitably incurred due to working insanely long hours. She'll laugh, I'll glare, she'll threaten to let me plan the rest of the wedding alone, I'll tear up the bill.

Today's post is a good example of the title of this blog, just incase you were pondering the blog's main title.

Friend's quote for the day: "Joey has a hernia, but don't worry, it's nothing that a little laser eye surgery can't fix."
I'll throw in a second one today: "Monday one day, Tuesday two day, Wednesday, where? when? what day? Thursday. The third day."

Good Times... Noodle Salad

As you start reading today's post, take a second to glance over there to the right side of my page to the wedding countdown... go ahead... you can look now... We're in the double digits wa hoo!!
Jonathan and I will be married in less than 100 days. We'll be homeowners in less than 3... whew, that one came out of nowhere. Well, not nowhere, I mean we have been submitting copies of every document either of our names have ever appeared on, along with some that I swear have nothing to do with us, to about 15 different lenders, underwriters, account managers, and the list goes on and on and on... We are excited to have all of the paperwork over with and to own our first house. Let the decorating begin!! I'll be enlisting the help of my uber-talented new neighbor and sis-in-law to turn our home into a place that could be mistaken for some sort of high-end design gallery, all at a Wal-Mart price of course.

This past weekend my best friend Rachael flew in from Minnesota to throw me a Personal Bridal Shower and a Bachelorette party. Talk about a full weekend! We had a really great time and she did so much work. Did I forget to mention that she's also six and a half months pregnant? We started the weekend off right with a visit to Chedd's, aka the worlds best grilled cheese sandwich restaurant. I don't have any friends in Colorado who like to eat grilled cheese, so I never get to go. I know what you're thinking... "Who doesn't like grilled cheese?!?!" I know, I know, I need new friends.

For the Bachelorette we had dinner and drinks at Lime (one of my favorite restaurants downtown) followed by drinks at Gelazzi. That's right, they mix vodka and gelatto. YUM. Why didn't I think of that? It's like a spiked milkshake. Delicious. Although I would spike everything if it were up to me.

The next morning we had the Personal Shower, also a lot of fun. Although it is a tad awkward opening those kinds of gifts. Like "Hey, thanks for the sassy panties..... um... I like them." Even though I DID like them. Just not used to showing off my underoos to all of my friends. You know what I mean?

Well anyway, lots going on, busy weekend, lots of food, good times and noodle salad.

Friends quote for today: "Quit being so testosterony" "Ah.. The real Sanfrancisco Treat"

Things I Need

So as many of my hundreds of readers may know, my job consists of me driving around all day going from house to house seeing patients. I do all of my paperwork and communication with my employer through email. I send in weekly charge sheets and reports and receive an average of 20 emails a day from work.... yes, I said 20. So what? So I need one of those cool PDA phones that I can email and send spreadsheets on. But oh... that's right... I'm not "eligibile" for a phone upgrade until 2008. What is up with cell phone companies? I could open up a new phone line right now, online, while I sit here on my couch watching Dateline NBC, and get a top of the line PDA phone for FREE. Does this make any sense? They already get a large payment from me monthly. I would have to upgrade my plan to add the email features, so they would make more money from me if I got a cool new phone. How is it that I have to pay $400 for a new phone? Funny how that works. Not so much funny haha, but funny queer. I just don't get it. Howcome sometimes they can afford to give away free phones and sometimes they can't? Can you say Conspiracy? Hmmm....

Friends quote for today: Oh, I know, this must be so hard. "Oh no, two women love me! They're both gorgeous and sexy! My wallet's too small for my fifties, AND MY DIAMOND SHOES ARE TOO TIGHT!"

The best things in life are free...

"No, sir, I have no experience but I'm a big fan of money. I like it, I use it, I have a little. I keep it in a jar on top of my refrigerator. I'd like to put more in that jar. That's where you come in."

I thought I'd start off today with a quote from The Wedding Singer that's been running through my head a lot lately along with the song Money (That's What I Want). I need more money. There's no real point to today's blog other than to tell you that I need more money. Our first mortgage payment is due less than two weeks before we have to pay off our honeymoon. Sweet. I'm sure it will all be fine, we won't go bankrupt, it's just a little stressful. What if I need cute honeymoon clothes? What if I want to blow my paycheck on crap? What's this? Responsibility? I did not sign up for this.

On the bright side, my Mom gave me a Starbucks card today. Always a welcome gift. So I guess life isn't ALL bad.

Today's Friends quote (although I'm not really sure we even need one since we've already had a movie quote):

Ross: Phoebe used to mug people!
Monica: Seriously?
Phoebe: Well, I'm not proud of it. But, you know, sometimes, when I was living on the street, and I needed money for food and stuff...
Monica: Phoebe, that is awful!
Phoebe: Well, I wasn't rich like you guys, I didn't eat gold and have a flying pony. I had a hard life. My mother was killed by a drug dealer.
Monica: Your mother killed herself.
Phoebe: She was a drug dealer!

A long one I know, but it was worth it no?

My First Blog

So here I am attempting to write my first blog, concerned about how it will sound, if it will be inspiring and life changing, but oh... that's right... I'm the only one reading it. That makes it a lot less stressful. I have enough stress in my life these days. Doing what you may ask? ("you" technically being "me" since I have already established that I'm the only one reading this)

Well...
I'm a Speech-Lanaguage Pathologist working in the Boulder/Denver area, I'm engaged and in full wedding planning mode for my August wedding, and my fiance and I just signed the contract on our first house... still waiting for approval on the loan. My fiance is still looking for a full time job since graduating college last December. So, stress is my new best friend.

The thing I'm looking forward to the most these days is our honeymoon to Disneyworld. That's right. I said Disneyworld. It IS afterall the most magical place on earth. It will be a wonderful time for us to have fun and relax after several months of planning and STRESS. Then when we come back I can say, "I'm not a bride anymore... I'm just somebody's wife.".... And that my faithful readers (aka me) is your (aka my) Friends quote of the day.