on correspondence, in the written form

Here's a fun fact about me- I love getting mail. Who doesn't really, love coming home and finding a handwritten letter in the mailbox, nestled in between the cable bill and the supermarket ads? I know I love it. I love seeing my name and address written lovingly by someone else, who wanted me to know that they were thinking of me.



When I was younger, I had a number of penpals. I don't recall how I acquired them all, as this was well before the days of the internet. I know that I went to summer camp, so throughout the winter, camp friends and I would exchange letters. I remember writing my name in things called "friendship books," when I was interested in more penpals. I'm sure I drove my father nuts, constantly asking for stamps, so sometimes I would take a dollar bill and put it in an envelope with a note for the mailman, asking him to take the dollar and buy four stamps (don't you remember when stamps were only 25 cents each?!) and mail the letters for me, and he would! It was great.



Now, I don't really have penpals, though there are a few friends that I exchange letters with from time to time. I also am a big believer in random notes, so I send cards to friends, just for the heck of it sometimes. I recently discovered that Taylor Swift has a line of greeting cards, so I sent one to one of my favorite girls. I also keep track of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new babies, etc, and send cards for those occasions. I think it is important.



I will admit though, that I have slacked a bit in the last couple of months. I don't know why, but my heart just hasn't been in it. I haven't sent birthday/anniversary cards the way I used to. I've missed several, and feel awful about about not noting their day, but honestly? I also feel that they didn't even notice. Is that sad? Horrible of me to feel that way? Not many people send cards these days for such occasions. Birthdays, maybe, but wedding anniversaries? Far less likely. Granted I don't have a wedding anniversary or a baby to celebrate, but I do have a birthday and I know that many of the people whom I send cards to, don't send them back to me. Now, I know that I don't do things because I expect something in return, but when I send a birthday card to you, your children, your husband and an anniversary card and a happy new house card, it might be nice to receive a Christmas card in the mail.



I hope I am not sounding bitter, because I am not, at all, really! I think we all know how I feel about not sending thank you notes, and yes, their second anniversary came and went last month without so much as a card from me! Yes, I am still feeling guilty about not sending them a card, even though I know I shouldn't.


Do you send cards to mark special occasions? Should I feel guilty/bad about missing the last several occasions that I normally would send a card for? Should I send them now, and have them be late? Do you want a love note in the mail from me, if I ever get my act together? :)

how to dress, what to wear

So later this month (the week before Christmas, to be exact), I am going back to Iowa for Steve's graduation. He's been working on a distance Master's program through Iowa State and graduates, finally.

Side note- why, oh why, would a school have a graduation ceremony the week before Christmas, at 7pm on a Friday night?! His graduation is Friday, December 18!!!

Of course, I've been to several graduation ceremonies before, but always in the spring, so I've worn a cute sundress. Obviously I won't be wearing a sundress in Iowa in December, and now I am a bit baffled at what to wear! Should I go with a sweater dress? Something like this from Loft? Or maybe this? I don't really seem to have much in the way of winter dresses. I have skirts, but I don't exactly want to wear a plaid skirt and turtleneck sweater.

Also, I don't want to go out and spend much, since I have yet to begin my holiday shopping, and still need to book flights! Ugh!

Suggestions? Thoughts?

assault on Maryland Ave

Yesterday morning, I left my apartment to head to the metro for work. It was cool and crisp, and I was just thinking how nice it was and reminded myself that it is now November, and how much I love November.

I was crossing the street and saw acorns falling all around me. I then thought how funny it would be to get hit in the head with a falling acorn. Next thing I knew,

BONK!

I got hit in the head with a falling acorn! I couldn't believe it, it was literally ten seconds after I had that thought! It really hurt too.

Clearly I jinxed myself, eh?

I had a headache the rest of the day...do you think it was related?

weddingweddingweddings

This coming weekend should be interesting.

Two weddings, two states, one weekend. One Lexi as a bridesmaid.

Saturday is a wedding in NH, Sunday in CT. Roughly three hours between the two. The wedding on Sunday isn't until 5pm, which is nice!

I had figured we'd fly to Boston, rent a car, drive to NH, drive to CT, drive back to Boston to fly back here. Of course, because I am an idiot sometimes, I failed to look for flights until this past weekend and they were literally about $600 to fly from here to Boston! Looks like we'll be driving. Friday is a busy day at work, so I can't leave early, so we will be leaving DC Friday afternoon during rush hour on a holiday weekend. Awesome. It's a good nine hour drive to NH from DC too. At least Monday is the holiday, so we can drive back then, and since we'll be coming from CT, it will be shorter. Plus, Steve is excited because there are a few White Castles in NJ that we will stop at. His favorite, not mine...I think they are kinda gross!

I still don't know what to wear to the Saturday wedding. I am still totally and utterly in love with this dress and reallyreallyreally want it, but since the bridesmaid dress will cost at least $75 in alterations, that is a priority, right? I have several dresses I could wear, of course, but I feel like I wear the same three dresses to all the weddings I go to, and I want a pretty new one! Blargh.

Anyone want to buy me the dreamy dress for Saturday? I'll wear it to your wedding too :)

After this weekend, no more weddings. I think I am going to put a freeze on all things wedding until my own comes along. Am I wrong in feeling this way? :)

the cat next door

Several weeks ago, my neighbor asked me to watch her cat while she was away. She's lived here most of the time that I have, and we've become friendly; sometimes borrowing a wine bottle opener from the other, things like that. She's my age, and while we are friendly and chat when we see each other, we aren't really friends and don't hang out or anything.

She has a cat and told me that she was going away for a week and could I feed him while she was gone. I told her I didn't mind at all. She said I simply needed to go in once a day, feed and water the cat and scoop the poo from the litter box and put it into a plastic bag that she had in the closet. She gave me a key.

So each day when I got home from work, I'd go next door and play with the cat for a minute or two, and make sure he had water and refill the food. I'd scoop the poo, put it into one of the plastic grocery bags that she left and then put that small bag into a large garbage bag that she left there. She said to just put all the small bags into the large one and then I could take it out at the end of the week. Thursday night when I went in, I couldn't see the cat and he didn't come right out when I came in, so I turned on one of the lamps to find him. He came out a few minutes later. Later that night, I realized that I left the lamp on, but figured I'd turn it out the next day and didn't think too much of it.

She never said exactly which day she was coming home, but I wasn't too concerned. I had her cell number, just in case. I came home Friday night and came into my apartment. I took my shoes off and changed out of work clothes. I sat down to look at my mail, planning to go over in just a few minutes. As I was about to go over, I heard her at her door. I could hear her opening her door and calling out for the cat, so I knew she was home. I didn't want to rush over as soon as she walked in the door, so a little while later, I went over and knocked, but she didn't answer the door. I figured she was tired from the trip and went to bed early.

Now it's a month later and I haven't heard from her at all! I saw her once in the hallway just the other day, and she said "hey, how are you?!" and I replied "great! you?" and that was it. There was no mention of watching the cat, her vacation or anything. She hasn't asked for her key back.

I'm feeling bad about it, like I upset her somehow, though I am unsure as to how! I hope it isn't because of the poo! I had planned to take it out with me and throw it away that last night, but she came home before I could. She had indicated that that is what I should do with it, put it all in a big bag, and she said to make sure to hang it up high in the closet, so that the cat couldn't get at it, which is what I did.

Should I write her a little note and apologize? Should I ignore it all together? What would you do?

birthdays and such

Steve's birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I have no idea what to get him.

I feel like this happens every birthday/holiday, probably because it does! I am so bad at presents, I never know what to get anyone! It isn't as though it's just him...I am the same way with friends and family! I have tons of ideas, but can never narrow it down.

He's not picky, and I feel like I need to be creative, but at the same time, it's hard. I don't really get him gadgets, because he has several, and I never know which ones, (ha!) and don't want to repeat something. He's not a huge sports person, so tickets to a game or event wouldn't really work for him. Usually I try to do something fun- last Christmas, I bought him several things, and enrolled him in the beer of the month club, which he is still enjoying! I can't remember what I got him for his last birthday! His birthday is three days after our anniversary, and this year, we will be in upstate NY the week prior for a wedding (Labor Day weekend) and will probably spend a few days there. We are thinking of going to Niagara Falls while up there, and a few wineries in the area, so it will be a mini vacation.

Am I an awful girlfriend for having no idea what to get him? What did you get your S.O. for his last birthday/Christmas?

a less dreamy dress

It isn't as amazing as the dress I am lusting over, but I think I will be wearing this dress to my friend's bridal shower next weekend---




It's blue, so black sandals are out. I have a pair of brown sandals that might work, I'll have to try them on with it to see.

What sort of shoes would you wear it with? I'm not wild about the ones she is wearing....

weekend fail

I really get frustrated with myself sometimes. I had a lot of work to do this weekend and I got little of it done. My final two classes end next week, as in August 14. For one of them, I need to design a program bringing a group of professionals here to the U.S. for a short-term exchange. For the other class, I have to dissect a research article. This was a good weekend to get a lot of that work done, as Steve was out of town, as were several friends. I turned down plans with a few other friends because I said I had so much work to do, which was true.

I found the article to dissect and read it, though didn't really pull out the info that I need. I did about half of the other project, though certainly could have finished.

What else did I do this weekend instead?

• baked peach muffins
• made two potholders, three coasters and began two more baby quilts (until I ran out of thread)
• organized my fabric collection
• threw out about four zillion magazines that have lived under my bed for who knows how long
• became facebook friends with an ex
• made a salmon steak and asparagus for dinner
• returned overdue library books (oooops)
• spoke to my grandmother
• spoke to my mother about eight times
• spoke to Steve about eighteen times
• read two cookbooks
• finished a book called Girls in Trucks
• and other varied activities, few of which involved school

I really didn't even leave the apartment either! I had plans to run a few errands, but I talked myself out of it, saying that I needed to stay home and do my schoolwork.

It just annoys me that I seem to have no attention span. All day today, my notes for one class were sitting on my bed, right next to my laptop, as a glaring reminder of what I needed, yet failed, to do.

Does this happen to anyone else? Or am I the only one who seems to slack at life?

you've got to be kidding me

Apparently I just spent the better part of my weekend writing a 15 page section of a 60 page group paper on the wrong topic. I was going by what we handed in to the professor as our outline, but somehow along the way, my group changed topics and I missed the memo.

Oh yeah, and it's due Wednesday.

Awesome.

finances, schminances

So I need a good way to keep track of my finances. My current method? The bills arrive in my mailbox, I put them in a stack on my bookshelf. When the pile becomes too large, I then remember to pay one or two and then put the rest of the pile in a large Anthropologie bag in my closet. The best method? Probably not.

I really need to get them organized. I recently paid off a credit card and need to keep track of where my money is going. I'd like to even begin saving some...shocking!!!

How do you sort yours? An excel spreadsheet? An accordian file?

The irony of all of this is that my father is a financial planner....

ackkkkkk

Apparently I'm dyslexic this month.

I got back to DC around midnight last night to find a week's worth of mail waiting for me...including my scarf swap and sweet treat exchange packages...unfortunately, they were mine, as in, the ones I sent to my swap partners!

They were returned to me because I'm an idiot. Meaning, when addressing the box/envelope, I switched zipcodes and wrote the IL zip on the package going to CA, and vice versa. I guess the post office didn't like that, because they both came back.

Oooops.

They both will be re-sent tomorrow...

PS. More on holidays later! I'm still unpacking....

energizing mornings?

I love it when it's not until I'm in the shower that I realize I bought two conditioners and no shampoos the night before.

Oooops.