Woof! Woof!

I've decided that next year I would like to have a dog. Being that Liz and Katie will be at school and have homework, etc, in the afternoons and at night, I would like to have something that will want to snuggle me after a long day at work. Thus, a little baby dog is just what I need!

These are the desirable qualities in a potential puppy:

• Baby-sized (or small to medium-sized)
• Doesn't shed much
• Gets along meow-cats
• Light enough to be put in the bathtub
• Will get along with Thor (Ronnie's boxer puppy) and children
• Isn't on aggressive breeds lists

Here are some of the breeds I am considering:

American Eskimo Dog - Ranges from 9" to 19" tall. Great with other dogs and kids. Sheds more than I would like, but is a cutie dog anyway. 

West Highland Terrier - This is the Caesar dogfood dog! He is about 10 to 11" tall and weighs 14 to 22 lbs. Sheds a bit. May not get along with cats.

Samoyed - Another beautiful dog! About 21 to 23" and weighs the most yet at 45-65 lbs. This dog sheds a lot. Likes pulling things because it used to be a sled dog :)

A Ronnieless Valentine's Day

Today ended up being a pretty good day, even though for another year in a row Ronnie and I were separated by 90 miles. Katie and I spent our second annual February 14th together and we began the day by volunteering for a local senior citizens' dinner (at 12:30pm!) from 11-2 and then going to a showing of "Valentine's Day" sponsored by Mirabel from 3-5:30. We then went to Old Chicago for drinks and a delicious dessert (the cheesecake lollipop thing). It was a lot of fun and I always love being able to hang out with Katie.

Speaking of spending time with "my closest roommate", we spent nearly the entirety of yesterday together as well. We went to Kohl's, Dick's, and Flattop Grill where I made a delicious combination of noodles, peas, potatoes, celery, and spinach. Then, Lauren (Katie's 9 year-old sister) and I went to Chuck E. Cheese. Word to the wise: rip your tickets in half the long way and the machine will count each half as one ticket! I freakin' love Chuck's because it's an arcade with easy-to-win games. The things I did not like about this particular visit: It was crowded (well, it was a Saturday...) and we didn't get seated for 10 minutes so we had to stand there holding our tokens and cups until we were finally given a table. Then, the table behind us was piled high with food and plates to be bussed, and during the time we were there - 7:30pm to 9:30pm, it was never touched. Disgusting. Also, four of these little kids kept asking me and Lauren for our coins to use! I don't think so!! Finally, I hadn't realized that it was a hangout for pre-pubescent teens looking to drop the f-bomb every five seconds. I'm not sure that I would go back to the Chuck E. Cheese's on Grand Canyon Dr. Not that it's much better than the one in the ghetto near Milwaukee....

I should not have allowed my tv to be put in the living room. The Winter Olympics (of which I am no fan) beat out my wanting to watch either the Amazing Race or Undercover Boss. I'm sorry, but I look forward to watching certain programs and it's annoying that since my tv was moved I can't watch them now. Poor choice on my part!

My Bucket List

Pet a buffalo
Go to all 50 states








Eat a hamburger
Marry the love of my life
Have two or three beautiful children
Write a book
Have a 4.0 semester  Fall 2009
Be on a gameshow
Go on a girls' weekend to New York
Own a home
Swim with dolphins
Participate in Habitat for Humanity
Go to Disneyworld Spring 2005
Go to Disneyland
Meet a US President (current or former)
Go on a vacation to somewhere foreign and warm (Cancun, Bahamas, etc) March 2011 - Costa Rica!
Learn German
Learn to play the trumpet
Learn to play the harp
Learn to play violin or cello
Own a cactus
Run a mile in under 8 minutes
Beat Super Mario 64 (Get ALL the stars!) November 2010
See Muse in concert March 2010, October 2010 :)
Catch a walleye
Try Asian food   I'm going to say that rice and stir-fry count! Summer 2010
Read the Bible
Go on a trek through the Amazon
Go on a road trip with my friends and boyfriend
Find treasure
Run Crazylegs New!
Do another triathlon New!
Curl 50 lbs New!
See Mamma Mia! live January 2011 with mom :)



More to come

Super Bowl Sunday

Well, it's that time of year again when months of extravagant planning come together to create the best Super Bowl Parties around. For me, this means I can go to the library and there will be plenty of places to sit and check out the textbook I decided not to buy (it was $225...nuff said). I also need to review my resume so that I can turn it in for class tomorrow.

I have created a twitter account. I have never really had an interest in one, but it was a requirement for Marketing 635. Apparently if you are good at sales, you will end up with over 150 followers. I have 4 so far :) My name is AnArchaeologist (which I discovered looks like anarchy(ae)ologist. No, I do not support anarchy. I haven't since I was a confused 8th grade punk rock girl. Interestingly, some of the worst names ever were already taken: Stinkybutt and A**hole were among the names that when entered into the blank, showed up as taken.

I wish I could go with Amy to Europe this summer. If only I had the time (the money is not an issue as Amy has explained that the cost includes hotel stays for every city, certain admissions, and round-trip airfare. She was told to estimate between $4000 and $5000 for the whole 30 day city-hopping adventure). Un dia voy a regresar a Grecia. Un dia con Ronnie :)

I hope that Steph is enjoying her time in Chile. I really hope she gets to visit some of the ancient sites I learned about in my Power & Religion of the Pre-Columbian Andes course. I did not realize until after the course had finished exactly how much I have been able to take away.

Well, I have decided to start a bucketlist for fun, so I will post it separately. 

I made Spring Break plans, Ronnie is on his way to visit, Katie asked me to be a bridesmaid....I couldn't be happier!

The past few days have seemed incredibly busy at work with tons of showings and trying to catch up on the zillions of Craigslist ads I previously posted and change them to reflect the changes in our rent specials!

Yesterday marked the first time Liz, Cait, Katie, and I were all here! We went over to Steph's place and watched the Bachelor (big surprise, lol) with Ashley H, Amy, April, and Mitch. It was a lot of fun and we ordered pizza for cheap! For those who don't know, you can sign up to receive online coupons from Toppers and immediately you'll get a $5 coupon, applicable to other discounts. So Katie, Cait, and I ordered a large cheese pizza and triple order of Toppers' Sticks on sale for $15, and with the $5 coupon, we only paid $10! Love it!

Thursday is our Board Game Night at Mirabel...I think it will be a huge hit since we are also buying pizza and refreshments for everyone! Ronnie will be able to come, which will be fun since I now know that he loves playing games (even though I'm not sure he's a huge fan of Clue or Monopoly like I am).

On to the more exciting news...

I am officially going to San Francisco for Spring Break! Of course, Mark lives out there and Beth will be visiting him and then leaving only days before I arrive! So it goes. I will be visiting Lauren, who I met while in Pylos, Greece. Hopefully her, Kelli, Amira, and I will be able to get together - but at this point it's just me heading out. I already bought my plane ticket, and was shocked that it was almost $100 cheaper to fly out of Milwaukee than Chicago. It set me back only $219, but it would have been $368 out of O'Hare! No thank you. She promised that we could do all of the touristy things as well as go out and have fun. She already warned me that the beaches would be a little cold, but they really couldn't be any colder than the beaches here! I am SUPER excited to go - this is the first time I have ever made Spring Break plans...ever!

Ronnie is coming out sometime today! He will be spending a majority of his time studying for the CPA Exam during the day while I'm working, but gosh, it will be so nice to see him!! He is such a wonderful person and I miss his company. There may even be a possibility of a double- or triple-date with Cait and Alex or Liz and Josh. Fun! I am sooo very excited to see him!

Also, I am very honored to be a part of Katie K's wedding! Her and Chris will be married August 14th at the Botanical Gardens - it will be be beautiful, but also very hot! As far as I know, Heather, Erica, and Chris's cousin will also be bridesmaids. Not having been in a wedding before, I am grateful to have Emily Post's Etiquette which Ronnie bought me for my birthday! I will have to work the next morning because August 14th and 15th, as an Madison student will tell you, are extremely busy days due to turnover. On the 15th I will need to be checking-in new residents and handling situations that arise. It will be nice to see the whole JSM staff in one place, but again, it will be extremely busy and EARLY!

I love my job!

I have never regretted taking this position at JSM (rather than applying for a job elsewhere once I graduate). Yesterday was the best day I've had yet!

We have been really pushing one of our properties because it had more vacants than we were comfortable with, and after many ads on craigslist and 4 unsuccessful applications, we finally got three that were accepted! I am so happy! These folks will love living with us :) Steve told Lisa and I to go have lunch on the company! So we went to Panera and enjoyed a nice break from the office. What a great day!

Liz and I then met at Dave and Bridgette's house where Katie was taking care of Wyatt and Finn. It was so good to see her and the boys. I wish that there was a way for her to live with Liz and I next year since she is such a great friend. I think I will ask at work whether or not this is an option. At the least, she is moving in this weekend before school starts :)

How busy life seems!

I can't help but feel a bit more busy now that I am beginning my real-life job tomorrow! I just finished bringing all of my things from home inside, and have spent the last half hour or so reorganizing my food in the pantry. Ha this is proving to be a very exciting night! Here are the things I hope to get done this week:

1. Take out garbage
2. Throw out things I don't use
3. Take keyboard tray off of desk
4. Vacuum room
5. Send books out to Kelli
6. Bring binder back to downtown office
7. Bring books back to professor
8. Return library books
9. Buy black shoes for work
10. Send card to Beth
11. Buy address book
12. Put holiday decorations away
13. Pick up prescription

I cannot wait until tomorrow! I have my outfit picked out already. I feel very lucky to work with Lisa - she is amazing! I have to admit though, sitting here by myself, I really miss Katie E. and Cait a lot! We were fortunate enough to have Katie stop by for a bit, but I haven't seen Keke since August. Beth is gone too, having graduated last month, but I know for sure that I will be seeing her in March (when I go to the MUSE concert!). I thought Liz would be home tonight, but I guess I'll have to see her and Allison sometime tomorrow.

Last night I was invited to Erica's 22nd birthday party, and I am really glad I went! It was nice to see her, Erika, Dianah, and Jenny in a non-awkward situation. I say that because the last few times we have gotten together, I haven't been able to feel comfortable. It is too bad that Katie doesn't get along with Jenny, because last night was a ton of fun and relaxed - I didn't feel like an outsider and spent the whole time dancing, laughing, and having a few drinks with some old friends. I had to bring an old school camera last night so the pictures will have to be taken in and put on a CD before I can upload them. :) Ronnie was a sweetheart and picked me up so that I wouldn't have to drive home. Whenever I return to Madison, I realize how much I miss having him around. He is so wonderful - I love him and always look forward to the next time we can see each other.

An achievement that was a long time coming

I can't help but announce it....for the first time EVER, I got all A's! Not a single A-, AB, B, or other wacky grade getting between me and a perfect 4.0. I am extremely excited, especially since my courses were difficult and I worked really hard at a university known for being difficult to achieve this!

Yes!!

On Love

Whenever I watch a romantic movie, I can't help but reflect on how wonderfully lucky I am to have met Ronnie. In this case, I just finished watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad!).

It is sometimes hard to take a step back and really appreciate everything that we have, especially when we are fortunate enough to see each other for several days at a time, such as it is now. He is an incredible man and even though we have been together for more than 6 1/2 years, there are always things he says and does that surprise me. I sincerely hope that in the near future we will see each other more often than once or twice a month, since Ronnie works only weekends and I work during the week. It is worth the wait to see him every time I come back home. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything, and I can only hope that we will be able to spend even more of our lives together. I think that few people are lucky enough to find themselves so much in love.

My Silly Family

I'm not sure if elsewhere in this blog I have taken the time to mention how hilarious my family can be. If I haven't yet, surely my family's idea of how the holidays should be celebrated will.

Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, is typically filled with tradition: wake up early and open one present each, stay in for most of the day and be lazy, and have a nice dinner at home. This year, however, my parents have decided that we should go out for a nice dinner. Plus, I don't think my mom wants to cook since everyone here is picky. Knowing that my dad is a "meat n' potatoes" kind of guy, and that my mom secretly always wants the family to go out for Mexican food, I had a good feeling that like always, despite individual tastes, we would head over to our normal fish fry Friday place in Racine, Chart Room Charlie's, or that we would order in pizza, etc. from DeRango's. However, I was mistaken. I could just about imagine the chicken tenders and the large serving of fries which accompany them at Charlie's when my dad said, "Why don't we go to the Golden Corral?" I looked at my mom, sure that she would laugh with me, since the "Corral" is not formal at all, and seems ridiculous replacement for an at-home meal with its buffet-style dining. Instead, she agreed wholeheartedly that it would be perfect. In no way do I mean to make fun of my family, but seriously, it is outright silly to think that the Golden Corral beat out The Olive Garden, DeRango's, DiCarlo's, Outback, and every other restaurant that Milwaukee County has to offer. Gosh I love my parents for being okay with dining at 1pm because, due to the holiday, the Corral closes at 4pm and we need to make sure we are all packed full of various types of meat and potato products before we even think about leaving.

Additionally, less weird, but still funny is the Christmas tradition of going to see a movie as a family (probably the one event everyone is here for each year). This year, though, instead of doing a fancy dinner as usual, we will be full from popcorn and other snacks at the theater, and will come home to consume an ice cream cake. Haha I fit in well with this family: popcorn = delicious, ice cream cake = omg super delicious.

Additionally, let it be known that I got an "A" in Latin! Only three more grades to receive...and my professor for my Peru Class told me that my paper was well-written (this was the 20-pager from hell...). Woo-Hoo!!

My Christmas List

This is a copy of the list I'm sending to my mom to help with ideas :)

• Curious Case of Benjamin Button DVD
• The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD
• Elf DVD
• #1s - Destiny's Child CD
  
• humidifier
• Harrius Potter 
• Emily Post's Etiquette book 
• Warm slippers

The end of fall semester

Wow. I cannot believe that I am only a five page paper and a Latin final away from being done with my final fall semester here at UW. In a little less than two weeks, Beth will be moving away to Chicago and Katie E might be moving in sooner than the date we had initially planned (January 15th). Caitlyn is also back from studying abroad and will be moving back in soon, which also means that Allison, perhaps the best subletter ever, will be leaving us. It is crazy to think that Beth is moving on to the real world in less than a month - I am really happy for her since it sounds like she got a job she wanted and will have her housing situation worked out soon!

As for me, I'm going home for break on Saturday and will return on January 3rd so that I can begin work as Sales and Marketing Manager for Mirabel and Muir Heights Apartments! I will have two full weeks of work before school starts, which will definitely help pay the bills :)

Only one semester left!

My last day being 21 years old

Today has been filled with ups and downs. Most of the downs are related to the awful weather which is set to outdo even last year's blizzard on my birthday.

9:30: Got ready and left for class. Of course, I made it to Latin only to find out that I couldn't find the translation I had written out for homework :(
11:30: Began work. There were a ton of postings, so it went by quickly. Rather than eating a junk food snack, I made a point to bring a healthy snack which is good!
2:00: Caught the 85 to class. It wasn't my favorite driver, but he was nice nonetheless. Also, overheard a girl complaining that her professor was making her exam a take-home essay due Dec 21st. She was saying that she was going to refuse to take it because it wasn't multiple choice. Ridiculous!
2:30: Went to Sami class. We finally did course evaluations, and the professor asked all of the seniors graduating in December to stand up and be recognized. What a nice guy; I'm going to miss this class! We watched a movie that we will finish Thursday. Yes!!!
3:40: Got our papers back...I got an AB! Not bad for a paper I hated writing.
4:45: Met up with Trent and saw 2012. We were about the only people crazy enough to be on the road. Apparently at Star Cinema you get free refills on any-sized popcorn! What a deal! lol I love things like this!
8:00: Went to Macy's and bought new snow boots and a cute sweater dress to wear out for my birthday. Unsurprisingly, I was the only person shopping at Macy's. Apparently they don't close until midnight, which is unfortunate for all of the employees since the weather is so awful.
9:00: Made it home, realized that the woman gave me the wrong pair of boots. Guess I have to go back tomorrow :(
10:00: Ticketed cars in the underground garage. Came back to find people throwing snowballs in the courtyard - most of which have been hitting the windows since. Kind of annoying :/

Let me say it now...If this year's birthday is a repeat of last year's....I will be really hurt. I only asked some of my closest friends to come to dinner (not even drinks), but it looks like since school was canceled tomorrow (for the first time that I can remember), this birthday may have similar results. I pray that at least my roommates can come. What a yucky day for a birthday...again.

Causes for Smiling

• The sound of rain
• Freshly-baked bread - both the smell and the taste!
  
• The scratchy feeling when a cat licks your hand
• Naughty Latin poems
• The sound of a chapstick cap being removed
• Christmas music
• Faux fur blankets
• Cream puffs
• Candles that smell like ginger, apples, and cinnamon
• The smell of old books
• Nighttime in the city - all of the lights!
• Apple cider
• Puppies and when they cuddle
• Towns that have little shops on streets with old fashioned street lamps
• Reflecting on childhood things once loved 
• Sitting by a fire
• Feeling grown up
  

Most especially:

• Having someone in my life that truly understands me and my quirkiness, and loves me no matter how silly I am
• My friends - they are amazing and I will be sad when everyone moves away
• My parents - no matter how goofy they are, I know they love me and will always be there for me
  

Ch-ch-ch-changes

The new photo atop my blog and the yellow background make me happy. :) Te gustan?