Pillow Talk

Recently I decided I needed a new pillow.  I'm not sure what made me decide this, but when I realized I've never actually bought a pillow before because I was still using one my Mom bought me for college, I confirmed that a new pillow was indeed a good idea.

While I was at WalMart one day, I decided to run by the pillow section and grab one.  I didn't give it much thought, but when I got home I realized that the pillow was NOT going to work.  So after pillow #1 I thought, "no big deal. I'll just return it and get a firmer one."

So I return pillow #1 and spent a little more time picking out the next pillow.  I would pull them off the shelf, lay them on the flat surface created by a stack of boxes in the middle of the wide aisle, and rested my head on the pillow to see how it felt.  I felt super ridiculous, but please tell me how else I am supposed to test out a pillow.  Don't worry, I made sure no one else was around.  So, I did this a few times, picked one out, and left with pillow #2.

Well, at home on my bed, pillow #2 felt nothing like it did when I was trying it out at the store.  So, I returned pillow #2.

At this point I decided maybe WalMart wasn't the best place to buy pillows.  I knew I didn't want to take after my Dad and buy a pillow from Publix, so I called my Mom to see where she typically purchased pillows. .... Did you catch that... My Dad bought a pillow from Publix.  Who knew Publix sold pillows?  Well, apparently they do and the summer of 2008, my Dad bought one.  My Sister and I thought it was hilarious and had to take pictures of this Publix Pillow.

This pillow was everything you would expect out of a $2 pillow from Publix, and I'm not sure anyone ever actually used it.  Therefore, like I said, I checked with my Mom where the best place to buy a pillow would be.

She told me she liked to go to Sears when they have pillows on sale.  So, that was my plan.  I looked at pillows from Sears online and in the process found affordable pillows but also pillows that cost hundreds of dollars.  Apparently the price range on pillows is quite large... $2-$200+

Well, I never go to Sears (apologies to my sweet Granny who worked there for a long, long time and just retired) but I do go to Home Goods.  So when I saw they have pillows, I scratched the Sears idea.

I went through my process again of taking the pillow off the rack, placing the pillow on a flat surface, and putting my head on it (again I'm open to suggestions on a better way to accomplish this).  After testing several pillows, I felt successful and purchased pillow #3 (actually there were two #3s as it was a two pack).

That night as JP and I were chatting before bed, I determined that pillow #3 was like resting my head on a very poofy rock and that yet again I had to make a return.  At this point, JP stated, "Do you have some strange pillow fetish I didn't know about? Is it your goal to sleep on a new pillow every night?"  The answers to both of those questions was no.

I did make a pillow exchange Home Goods and came home with pillow #4, again a two pack.  At first I did not like this pillow but I forced myself to keep and am now pleased with it.

Recently, I saw an ad for Ikea mattresses which stated you have 90 days to return one of their mattresses.  If my search for a mattress is anything like my search for a pillow, we might need to consider purchasing an Ikea mattress!

Burning in my pocket...

You've heard the phrase "I've got money burning a whole in my pocket."

source: thecapitalviewlive.com

Well I'm adapting that to something more applicable to me.

I've got VACATION TIME burning a whole in MY pocket.

simononsports.blogspot.com

I LOVE to travel, and I figure now while I have no house, no pets, and no kids is the perfect time to do this.  However, my husband aka travel buddy does not have much vacation time this year with his new job so this is throwing a kink in my plan.  But, it won't stop me.  Hopefully, my sister will accompany me on some travels.

I have some places in mind...

Camping out West

grandcanyonguide.net

Driving from San Diego from San Francisco on Highway 1

soelsewhere.com

 

Hawaii

 

 cruisebrothers.com

New York City (again)

destination360.com

Disneyland (and other places in that area)

newshat.net

 

 

Obviously I will not be able to visit all of these year, but eventually I will.  But really, I'm open to anywhere I've never been (and a few places I've been before).  With a goal of visiting all 50 states, I have a lot of work to do!  So, if you are looking for a travel buddy or would like for me to come visit, let me know!  I've got vacation time burning in my pocket!

She said yes, I said wow...

Today marks three years since JP and I got engaged.  I'm pretty sure I've never documented the story on this blog so I'm going to... in great detail because I'm pretty sure I never documented it anywhere.

Tuesday February 12: My internship rotation required me to go to different school and get weights and heights on children.  I probably saw 200 kids that day.  During the process, I not only collected heights and weights, but also germs.

Wednesday February 13: I started feeling bad during the day.  When I got home from work I knew I was sick and went straight to bed.  I even opted out of my weekly American Idol watching with my roommate and our friend.  I also opted out of a nightly conversation with JP.  This actually worked in his advantage.  You see, he was at my parent's house talking to them about me.  He obviously did not want me to know, therefore, not having to have our normal long conversation made it easier.  I did call him to tell him I wouldn't be talking to him.  He at the time was driving back to Birmingham so he pulled over in a parking lot so I wouldn't hear any road noise and ask what he was doing.

Thursday February 14: Fortunately, I did not have to go to my internship that day.  I stayed in bed all day and even opted out of the Mavericks Suns game.  This game is HUGE to JP and I because he is a Suns fan and I am a Mavs fan.  I was always very respectful to his Suns and cheered for them anytime they were not playing the Mavs. (This is important information for later on in the story).  I was pretty upset that I was sick because I had a big weekend planned.

Friday February 15: I had to teach a short class with one of the other interns.  She thought I was crazy for not calling in sick, but I knew if I called in sick I would feel guilty about going to Birmingham that weekend.  The only ride I could find to the airport required me to get there 4 hours in advance.  I remember sitting in the airport feeling my fever come and go.  I bought orange juice despite the high price of orange juice in airports.  Once I got on the plane, I was feeling pretty good.

The whole reason I was getting on this plane was to go to Samford's Step Sing.  This was my first Step Sing after graduation and all of my friends were going to be there.  I was SO excited! I was cutting it close though... Step Sing started at 7pm and my plane landed at like 6:40pm.  I knew I was going to have to get out of the plane quickly.  Fortunately, when I got on the plane a seat in the first row was available.  However, there was no overhead storage available above the seat so I had to load my carry on about 8 rows back.

Over the 1 1/2 hour plane ride, I got to know the lady next to me who was a Mary Kay sales lady.  I informed her of Step Sing and how I was going to have to get off that plane fast!  As we prepared to land, she made sure to let everyone know that I needed to get off that plane first, and she orchestrated the people 8 rows back getting my bag to me quickly.

With her help, I was able to get off the plane and into JP's car very quickly.  JP rushed me to Samford's Wright Center and pulled up onto the sidewalk to let me out.  (Note: He wasn't going due to his despise of Step Sing).  As I ran up the stairs towards my seat, I heard the pre-video for Phi Mu's show.  Phi Mu's show was the only show I HAD to see.  As I opened the door to the auditorium, Phi Mu's show started.  The security lady came and told me I had to find my seat.  I responded, "I came all the way from Dallas to see this show.  I'll wait until it is over until I find my seat."

After I watched the show and found my seat, my adrenaline went away and I started feeling terrible.  My Mom, who was in town for Step Sing, had brought me homemade chicken soup.  It was the first thing I had been able to eat in a few day.  Afterward, I headed to my a friend's apartment to stay the night.  There were a few of us there and I remember us talking about relationships, engagements etc.

Saturday February 16:  I actually felt much better that morning.  My friends and I went to the Phi Mu Step Sing brunch, and I brought JP with me.  I don't really remember what all happened that afternoon besides running into my sister where she was selling tickets at the softball game.

I knew we were doing something that night for a late Valentine's celebration.  JP asked me if I was still up for and I said yes.  He wouldn't tell me where we were going, but I had gotten a new dress and sparkly shoes for the occasion.  JP said he had gotten professional help on our date which totally confused me.  Turns out he had asked one of his pastor friends where he should take me.  He ended up taking me to Bongiorno's in Mountain Brook which is a very small, authentic Italian restaurant.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed the food greatly, but I still did not have much of an appetite so I was unable to eat much of the lasagna ordered.  JP, on the other hand, had no problem with his meal.  At one point while we were at the table, JP went to pull his handkerchief out of his pocket but instead pulled something red out.  I noticed but didn't say anything.

After dinner, JP insisted that we go to Jemison Park in Mountain Brook.  I really did not want to go because I had little energy and was not up for one of our normal long walks.  He said we wouldn't walk long.  As we parked and got out of the car, JP threw a blanket over my head so I wouldn't see what he was getting out of the trunk.  Apparently we documented this.

Once the blanket was removed I couldn't see what he had because it was dark.  He told me we were going to walk to "our" bench, which was the bench where he asked me to be his girlfriend.  We reached the bench which was just a short walk from the car.  ***I was having trouble remembering so JP is helping with the remembering from now on***

 We weren't really saying much when JP told me he loved me.  I kinda looked at him, and my response was not what you think.  I responded, "I thought you weren't going to say that until you were engaged?"  His response, "Well, I thought I would take our relationship to the next level."  He gave me the bag he had taken from his car.  I opened the bag and what do I find, a Phoenix Suns jersey.  I responded, "Thanks" as I was thinking... really?  As I was checking out the jersey, JP pulled out this little red mitten that Starbucks had put their gift cards in that Christmas.  This was the little red thing I had seen him accidentally pull out at dinner.  He said, "You can only wear the jersey if you wear this mitten too."  I said, "Well, I know my hands are small but they aren't that small!"  I reached my fingers in and what do I find, a ring!  JP asked me if I would marry him to which I responded with loud shrieks and noises that JP later wish he had recorded.  I eventually said yes and made sure that he had talked with my parents (which remember, he had).

We finally made it back to the car.  Once we got back, JP said "Well don't you want to turn the light on so you can see it?" I responded, "See what?" and then realized he was talking about the ring which I was unable to see well on the dark bench.

We headed back to Samford and started calling everyone.  It was so great because all of my friends were in Birmingham for Step Sing and JP's track friends were just getting back from a meet.  I'm so glad we were able to celebrate with all of our friends!  I did change into comfortable clothes because I still didn't feel too good, so that's why I'm wearing a tshirt in all the pictures and pajama pants on in the last picture.

The Suns Jersey...

One of our first "ring" poses.

I had sent all of my friends a text message that said, "Too bad we have graduated, otherwise we would be having a white candle."  Many of them were in the Step Sing show and waited anxiously to see me after the show.  A few friends were not in the show and were able to come up to JP's apartment and see us.  My sister came down from her dorm too.

Here are Laurel and I once she got out of the Step Sing show.

After seeing my friends at the Wright Center, the track team bus got back on campus and all of JP's friends, who he too had informed via text, came to see us.

So there is our engagement in complete, in depth form.  When I told JP that today three years ago we got engaged, he responded, "I feel old!"

Oh, I did forget to note that the day after our engagement, JP and I officially became in a relationship on facebook.  He had refused to be in a relationship with me before just in case we broke up he didn't want the whole world to know on facebook. Haha. That makes me laugh now!

Our New Normal Week...

I believe I've mentioned on here before, but I am taking four classes this semester so I can finish my MBA in April! It is going to be a lot of work, but I'm ready to be finished!

Here is just a brief rundown of my week:

Monday: After work I come home for about 2 hours then head back to UAB for my Strategy class.  This is the Capstone class of the program where we basically use everything we have learned throughout the program to create a business plan for a real company.  We have been placed in groups and are required to find a small-medium sized business that will allow us to do a business plan for them.  My group is pursuing THIS company.  It is not definite yet, but we hope that it does work out.  We think this company would be incredibly interesting to do since they sell such a unique product all over the world.

Tuesday:  I have no class on Tuesday but it looks like I will be having weekly meetings at 5:30 for my Social Media class project.  We are working with a real company that take companies that are only present on the web and helps them improve their websites and basically improve their company.  I have been assigned to the Baseball Heros team.  I'm not really sure what we are doing yet, but this company we are working with involves internet gaming based on baseball and the prizes involve meeting baseball legends such as Dave Winfield.

Wednesday:  I have my Social, Legal Environment, and Ethics class directly after work at 4:30.  This class seems very interesting, and we have already watch two interesting videos Food Inc. and Who Killed the Electric Car.  We are required to do a presentation on any issue we come up with.  My partner and I are doing our presentation on the cost of obesity to America.

Thursday: This is the day my Social Media class actually meets right after work at 4:30.  It is a very interesting class especially since this is such a new topic related to business.  I've already shared a youtube clip we watched in this class, and I'm sure there are more I will be posting.  I leave UAB at 7 and head straight to our Redeemer Community Church home group that starts at 7.

Friday:  I do not have class on Friday, but it looks like I will frequently have group meetings for my online class on Fridays.  My online class is a project management class.  To be honest, I'm not really sure if I understand our project enough to explain, but hopefully I will... eventually.  Even then I won't try to explain it on this blog because it doesn't sound very interesting.  All of my projects for my other classes seem pretty interesting to me so that is good.

So while I'm doing this, JP is busy working all the time.  He has been working 12-13 hour days... sometimes just 11 hours and usually 5-8 hours on Saturday.  It really works out well that we are both so busy.

Recipe: Whole Wheat Pancakes

On Saturday morning, we found we were out of cereal, so I decided to make pancakes for breakfast.  I discovered a recipe that incredibly easy, tasty, and healthy.  I don't have any pictures... although the pancakes tasted good, when I make pancakes, they never look pretty.  So before you get to the recipe, make sure you avoid these mistakes.  My main problem usually occurs with the first set of pancakes I throw in the pan.  I am to inpatient to wait for the pan to completely heat up so it takes them longer to cook, and I end up flipping them over too early.  The subsequent batches end up pretty good though.

source

Whole Wheat Pancakes
This recipe makes 8 pancakes, enough for the two of us.  To make more, just double, triple, etc.!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup 2% milk

Mix ingredients together.  Then spoon batter into frying pan.  I used a used a medium sized spoon and did two scoops per pancake.  I was able to fit two pancakes in my frying pan at a time.  Having a nonstick pan makes flipping really easy.  If you don't use a nonstick pan, make sure to spray it with nonstick cooking spray.

Some ideas:

• Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the batter
• Mix in chocolate chips
• Add frozen or dried fruit (when you do this don't mix it in the batter, but as your place the batter in the frying pan, sprinkle the fruit on top of each pancake.  The fruit should stay in when you flip)

Nutrition Information
per pancake of the basic pancake mix:
76 calories
<1g fat
15g carbohydrate
2g fiber
3g protein

If you've never tried whole wheat pancakes, give them a try.  JP likes them which is always a good sign that they actually taste good.  If you eat two pancakes, that will be giving you 4g fiber which is an excellent start to your day!

Recipe: Red Beans & Rice with Sausage

I follow a lot of food related blogs and have gotten several recipes off of them as part of my goal of expanding my recipe file.  I recently made a dish that was quick and easy, healthy, and provided leftovers for a few more meals.

Red Beans and Rice with Turkey Sausage was inspired by THIS recipe from Good Life Eats.  If you have never tried turkey sausage, give it a shot.  It has much less fat than regular sausage, and my husband eats eat which means it doesn't taste low fat. 

Also, don't get overwhelmed by all of the herbs and spices.  If you don't have them, make an investment.  Even if you don't think you will use them a lot, remember they keep a really long time.  We have discovered you can find herbs and spices for less if you buy them in the Hispanic section of the grocery store.  Same product, just packaged differently.  We have also found that World Market has reasonably prices herbs and spices, and often have the ones that a grocery store does not.