Christmas Time is Here

It's the most wonderful time of the year and so deserves the best treats of the year!

Step #1: Borrow a cute idea from here

Step #2: Get the Goods
Step #3: Dip in Chocolate... what else is there?!

Step #4: Arrange in a Mouthwatering Display complete with Holiday Card!
And voila!!!

It's Not Easy Being Green

Well, we decided that the awful pink paint in our apartment had more than worn out its welcome (if it ever had one) and definitely needed to go! And Tim, being the handy man that he is, jumped at the opportunity for a do it yourself home project. So, I picked out the paint, Tim did the work, and Ta Da! It's like a whole new apartment! We decided on green, a very lovely shade if I do say so myself.

It looks something like this,

and went on something like this,

But for some reason all the pictures turn out like this.

Not attractive! It really doesn't look that green though, and it feels way better than the pink! We never actually officially got permission to do this, but I think it's safe to say they won't mind the improvement.

sick sick sick...

For Thanksgiving this year Tim and I had an awesome time with his family. Everyone congregated in Boise, and besides the fact that they don't watch the Macy's Day parade (still troubled by that one) and us finishing last in the ping pong bracket, being home for the holiday was fantastic! Plenty of good food and good fun!!

I did however manage to catch a nasty case of strep throat... I don't know what it is about me, I'm an illness magnet. I am fairly acquainted with strep throat (read: I get it all the time), but it never gets less miserable to have. And I have a 20 page paper due on Friday. So, unlike last year's swine flu, I went to the doctor, am now 2 days into a 10 day round of penicillin, and I can swallow again mostly pain free. Thank goodness for modern medicine!

Huge shout out to Tim! That wonderful man picked me up last Sunday morning after a 12 hour night shift at the hospital and let me sleep while he drove us to Boise, and then yesterday he made me a bed in the back of the car and let my 102-degree feverish self sleep while he drove all the way back home. Probably not his favorite trip ever, but I am sure grateful!

Halloween

Well Halloween costuming this year was a bust... we went as a stressed out nursing student and a lonely husband. There's just something about no sleep, 12 hour hospital days, and living in textbooks that hasn't really put me in a very festive mood I guess. Unfortunately Tim being off track and ready for some holiday fun makes my nonfestiveness look even more lame. Poor guy has been practically wifeless all semester. A month and a half down, 2 more to go!

We did manage to get into the Halloween spirit a little bit though, treats, a movie and pumpkin carving, not too bad! Never mind that we were almost 2 weeks late...

Tim's pumpkin turned out really cool! Mine would have, but I got too frustrated and it started failing instead. So I decided to let it go and leave it with the happy image of what could have been.

Nobody dips a caramel apple like I do though, Amen.

Tim's 23!

Tim turned 23 yesterday, he's getting to be such an old man! Since his birthday was on a Sunday the lucky little ducky got to celebrate twice! We spent all day Saturday up by the lake, even though it was chilly (read: freezing cold!)...

Red Robin for dinner that night...

And breakfast in bed with homemade fondue for dinner Sunday night. Not too bad birthday boy!

On Headaches

I think I may be on my way to becoming an expert on headaches. I am currently writing the definitive work on the subject actually. It does not have a planned completion date just yet due to the almost constant manifestation of new and unexpected data, but keep your eye out for the publication. It should be epic.

I have determined that these nuisances (or at least mine anyway) can be classified into four different file folders:

File Number 1: Usually not enough sleep and/or not drinking enough water... but sometimes they come and don't match either one. Though irritating, this brand of headache is not usually what I would describe as painful and can often be cured with a few glasses of water and a nice long nap (at least 2 hours). However, if not properly treated, they often progress to the File Number 4 type and require an Excedrin.

File Number 2: These are kind of mean little buggers. They like to come on right before I go to bed, wake me up from a decent sleep, or even be there to meet me when I wake up. They are mostly just a bothersome kind of pain, and I can usually beat them by getting right to sleep. But if they A: outlast the sleep, B: come while I'm asleep, or C: are there when I wake up, then typically I can count on them being my companion for quite a while. They can progress to, again, that blessed File Number 4 and sometimes need meds. But usually I can outlast the discomfort.

File Number 3: This one is the most recent addition. I think they are "tension headaches" & are probably from carrying 500 books all over campus all day... but they are fairly painful. It usually hurts in my neck and up to the very base of my skull. It gets super tender to the touch and I often end up feeling nauseated. I usually try to sleep it off, and if it's early enough that can work. I've also discovered that putting pressure on the sore spots, massaging them, or laying on a rolled up towel with my neck slightly flexed can sometimes do the trick. But again, if they persist they can lead to File Number 4 type and really be a treat.

File Number 4: This one is my migraine file and could probably have it's own filing cabinet and system. Oh blessed migraines... unfortunately I have yet to discover just what it is that brings them on, but it is by far my favorite (read: most painful, most miserable, most common, and longest lasting). From a wise father who suffers with the same kind of fun coupled with some unfortunate experiences, I have learned to carry Excedrin Migraine with me everywhere. It is a lifesaver!!! Of course this file has subgroups: miserable, more miserable, and most miserable.... but I think I will save this for another day and expound on them later.

I have a lot of fun with headaches, as you can tell. Lately the days I end up with some kind of headache have far outnumbered the days that I am headache free - such a drag! Tim and I have been getting into the green smoothie fad, hopefully that helps. And I'm wondering if I'm allergic to something in the salsa we buy. Every time I eat it my tongue gets all sore... could be a lead? Who knows, the journey to answers never ends!

I'm glad I have a place like a blog where I can thrill you all with my pointless ramblings...