Oooo, me me me! I love that idea, Kelly. Here are mine:
In 2009, I:
- Started the year in a tent in sub-zero weather
- Had a push-up contest with a sophomore in high school (and lost)
- Met my favorite local NPR personality
- Got accepted to my dream graduate school
- Freaked out (and continue freaking out) about grad school
- Attempted (and continue attempting) to change my life in many, many ways because of the grad school freak out
- Moved back to Chicago (kind of)
- Had a run-in with a brown recluse spider
- Conquered our yard
- Started two blogs - this one, and msjonesmovies.blogspot.com
- Fell in love with the Fort Wayne Tincaps
- Discovered Amtrak
- Loved every second of my 5-year college reunion
- Learned how to golf (ahem, kind of)
- Spent a lot more time with my parents and my sisters :)
- Spent less time with Kevin :(
- Got my first brother-in-law and recruited another ;)
- Carved a tofurkey
- Watched friends have babies (well, not literally WATCHED them have babies), watched friends' babies grow up, and wrote a letter of rec for friends trying to adopt a baby
- Went to prom with my husband (how many people can say that?!)
- Went to a Mexican wedding
I traveled to:
- Montreal, Canada
- Breckenridge/Frisco, Colorado
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Greencastle, Indiana
- Bloomington, Indiana
- South Bend, Indiana
- Story, Indiana
- La Porte, Indiana
- A lot of other places in Indiana when I rode along with Kevin for work stuff
- New Buffalo, Michigan
- Chicago, Illinois
- Arlington Heights, Illinois
- Folly Beach, South Carolina
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
In 2009.... - Kelly
I managed to...
- adopt a puppy
- get a new job
- complete my TFA commitment
- leave a city I love
- appear on a nationally broadcasted TV commercial
- move to chicago
- watch to of my cousins get married
- go on my first "business trip"
- date a few outstanding boys
- continue my yoga and running habit
In 2009 I managed to visit...
- Chicago
- Baltimore
- Washington DC
- Alexandria
- Nashville
- Asheville
- Charleston
- Carolina Beach
- Las Vegas
- Denver
- Columbus
- Charlotte
- Bloomington
And I still had time to do all these fun things!
Christmas - Kelly
I can't believe Christmas is already over and tomorrow is New Year's Eve!! I'll recap Christmas with pictures as soon as I track down the cord to my camera. :) I hope everyone had a great holiday!!!
New Year's Resolutions - Brady
Well, I'm still not 100% comfortable with putting EVERYTHING out there on a blog like some brave people are, so I'm not going to share ALL of my potential New Year's resolutions, but here are some I'm considering:
- Exercise 30 minutes every single day, even if it's just going for a walk.
- Learn how to relax. I've always been a really nervous person, and although I'm sure some of it's genetic, I'd like to change that as much as I can.
- Eat one vegan meal a day (I'm a vegetarian, so this would be taking it one small step further.)
- Donate a full 10% of what I earn to charity.
- Move to Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Ha ha - just kidding on that last one. Maybe.
By the way, I'm exceptionally good at New Year's resolutions. When I was 10, I vowed not to eat candy or drink pop for a year, and I DID IT.
All right, back to work! I need to get as much done as I can now so I can fully appreciate celebrating the New Year first with Kelly and Kevin at the apartment (yay for $4 champagne and take-out) and then at my good friend Kristin's.
Anyone want to share their New Year's resolutions? Hmmm? Hmmm? We're waiting!
- Exercise 30 minutes every single day, even if it's just going for a walk.
- Learn how to relax. I've always been a really nervous person, and although I'm sure some of it's genetic, I'd like to change that as much as I can.
- Eat one vegan meal a day (I'm a vegetarian, so this would be taking it one small step further.)
- Donate a full 10% of what I earn to charity.
- Move to Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
Ha ha - just kidding on that last one. Maybe.
By the way, I'm exceptionally good at New Year's resolutions. When I was 10, I vowed not to eat candy or drink pop for a year, and I DID IT.
All right, back to work! I need to get as much done as I can now so I can fully appreciate celebrating the New Year first with Kelly and Kevin at the apartment (yay for $4 champagne and take-out) and then at my good friend Kristin's.
Anyone want to share their New Year's resolutions? Hmmm? Hmmm? We're waiting!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Holiday Wrap-Up - Brady
Whew. The holidays are always a whirlwind. Kelly and Amy can keep you up to speed on what they did over the past few weeks, but here are my highlights:
A wacky but fun Nutcracker on horseback with Lesley and Paul (involved music from the Nutcracker, the song "All I Want for Christmas is You," and a horse jumping through a ring of fire)/Dinner at The Down Under Bar in Syracuse, Indiana for my Mom's 12.22 birthday/Opening up a carefully picked out necklace from my super little cousin Kate/My family's traditional Swedish Christmas Eve dinner/Cranium and Charades with the in-laws/Sharing Mexico stories with cousins Matt and Jordan/Putting away Christmas gifts today while drinking coffee from our new coffee maker/Finally feeling rested and not disgustingly full and lazy all the time (I'm really trying to find some silver lining to the celebrations being over.)
I hope everyone who may read this had great holidays themselves. We'd love to hear about your favorite experiences!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Ohhhhhh, Mexico - Brady
Kevin and I had the extreme good fortune to have my former college roommate GIVE us a week at her timeshare that she couldn't use before it expired. We chose to go to Zihuatanejo, Mexico for five days. It was AMAZING. Here are the photos!
It's hard to choose a best part. The weather and location were absolutely gorgeous. The town was really cute and fun and provided us with a perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. The people were so friendly, and we made friends everywhere we went, especially once they realized we spoke Spanish. We were actually invited to a dance with some young people who live there. I've never felt so at home on vacation, let alone on vacation in a foreign country. Don't be surprised if my next post is as an expatriate. ;)
Monday, December 14, 2009
Eh? - Kelly
Reasons this past week sucked:
- I racked up $310 worth of parking tickets. No joke. $160 towing fee, $100 ticket for being too close to a fire hydrant, and $50 for being 5 minutes over on my meter… yeah, I sucked at parking this week.
- Our pipes burst on Thursday. Five of them.
- I’m not going to go into details, but I’ve been dealing with some boy drama. Let’s just say that dating is not a priority right now because forgetting it for awhile is going to make my life simpler and happier.
- I feel like I’ve gained 10 pounds since Thanksgiving and can’t figure out how to get steady workouts back into my schedule.
Reasons this past week was great:
- I hosted two rocking birthday celebrations.
- I got to spend loads of time with family.
- My parents and grandparents got to see our apartment and brunch it up in Chicago!!
- Snow in Chicago is pretty.
- My puppy dog is behaving!
- Six more work days until I have two weeks off!
- I was able to start laughing about all the things that sucked pretty quickly after they happened- no lingering on things you can’t do-over.
- Christmas is 11 short days away!
I'm not sure which list wins, but for the sake of optimism.. I'm calling it a good week. :)
- I racked up $310 worth of parking tickets. No joke. $160 towing fee, $100 ticket for being too close to a fire hydrant, and $50 for being 5 minutes over on my meter… yeah, I sucked at parking this week.
- Our pipes burst on Thursday. Five of them.
- I’m not going to go into details, but I’ve been dealing with some boy drama. Let’s just say that dating is not a priority right now because forgetting it for awhile is going to make my life simpler and happier.
- I feel like I’ve gained 10 pounds since Thanksgiving and can’t figure out how to get steady workouts back into my schedule.
Reasons this past week was great:
- I hosted two rocking birthday celebrations.
- I got to spend loads of time with family.
- My parents and grandparents got to see our apartment and brunch it up in Chicago!!
- Snow in Chicago is pretty.
- My puppy dog is behaving!
- Six more work days until I have two weeks off!
- I was able to start laughing about all the things that sucked pretty quickly after they happened- no lingering on things you can’t do-over.
- Christmas is 11 short days away!
I'm not sure which list wins, but for the sake of optimism.. I'm calling it a good week. :)
Warm Towels - Brady
I figure that after my rant about the apartment the other day, I owe it a compliment. So here's a quirk about it that I love.
It heats up really unevenly, so some rooms are toasty while others (ahem, my room) are basically cold dorms. HOWEVER, this works to our advantage in one particularly awesome way. There's a very effective heating vent in the bathroom directly above where the towels hang. That means that every time we grab a towel after a shower, it's really nice and warm. Almost as warm as it would be if we had just taken it out of the dryer.
How's that for some L-O-V-E for the A-P-T?
It heats up really unevenly, so some rooms are toasty while others (ahem, my room) are basically cold dorms. HOWEVER, this works to our advantage in one particularly awesome way. There's a very effective heating vent in the bathroom directly above where the towels hang. That means that every time we grab a towel after a shower, it's really nice and warm. Almost as warm as it would be if we had just taken it out of the dryer.
How's that for some L-O-V-E for the A-P-T?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Mishaps - Brady
Hey all!
First, let me say, I am so, SO excited about Amy and Roger's engagement. Brothers-in-law are one of my favorite things in the world, thanks to my wonderful brother-from-another-mother Paul Raskin. But Roger might give him a run for his money for the title of my FAVORITE bro-in-law. We'll just have to see, boys. ;)
But, my excitement about this happy news is not what I want to talk about today. What do I want to talk about instead? I want to talk about burst water pipes. And spilled coffee. And burnt appetizers.
A series of mishaps have occurred in our apartment today. First of all, our pipes froze and then burst. This is especially annoying as we have 20 or more guests coming over for Kelly's birthday party. And, to make matters worse, our landlord was apparently very rude to Kelly when she called to ask when the problem would be fixed. I mean, I guess that makes sense. It's not like it's his job or anything to fix problems that come up in the building he owns. And it's not like we pay him to live here or something.
To make our lives even more interesting, Lucy is not handling the cold weather well. Maybe this is too much information, but she sometimes refuses to go to the bathroom outside now. So we're back to having a "puppy pad" out in the living room so she doesn't have an accident. Our guests will be super impressed with our sophistication.
This is just a minor thing that I'm happy to put up with, but my wonderful husband Kevin surprised me with a new phone that I'm having trouble using. There's nothing wrong with the phone - it's just taking me awhile to figure out how to use it, and none of my contacts are in it yet. So I keep getting text messages from people and can't tell who to reply to!
Okay, the rest of the mishaps are my fault. I wanted some coffee. So, I used Kelly's grinder and coffee maker. Well, I first spilled coffee grounds all over the counter. Then, I apparently put too much water in because when I came out to pour a cup coffee was all over the kitchen.
Add to that my incompetence in the kitchen. I was supposed to be baking these delicious rolls that Kelly put together this morning. Well, guess who was about two minutes away from burning the whole batch of them when she realized in a panic she hadn't taken them out of the oven yet? Me. That was me.
Despite all of this, though, I am extremely happy right now. Kelly's party is tonight, Amy and Roger are getting married, my quarter's over, our Christmas lights are on, and Kevin's on his way to Chicago.
First, let me say, I am so, SO excited about Amy and Roger's engagement. Brothers-in-law are one of my favorite things in the world, thanks to my wonderful brother-from-another-mother Paul Raskin. But Roger might give him a run for his money for the title of my FAVORITE bro-in-law. We'll just have to see, boys. ;)
But, my excitement about this happy news is not what I want to talk about today. What do I want to talk about instead? I want to talk about burst water pipes. And spilled coffee. And burnt appetizers.
A series of mishaps have occurred in our apartment today. First of all, our pipes froze and then burst. This is especially annoying as we have 20 or more guests coming over for Kelly's birthday party. And, to make matters worse, our landlord was apparently very rude to Kelly when she called to ask when the problem would be fixed. I mean, I guess that makes sense. It's not like it's his job or anything to fix problems that come up in the building he owns. And it's not like we pay him to live here or something.
To make our lives even more interesting, Lucy is not handling the cold weather well. Maybe this is too much information, but she sometimes refuses to go to the bathroom outside now. So we're back to having a "puppy pad" out in the living room so she doesn't have an accident. Our guests will be super impressed with our sophistication.
This is just a minor thing that I'm happy to put up with, but my wonderful husband Kevin surprised me with a new phone that I'm having trouble using. There's nothing wrong with the phone - it's just taking me awhile to figure out how to use it, and none of my contacts are in it yet. So I keep getting text messages from people and can't tell who to reply to!
Okay, the rest of the mishaps are my fault. I wanted some coffee. So, I used Kelly's grinder and coffee maker. Well, I first spilled coffee grounds all over the counter. Then, I apparently put too much water in because when I came out to pour a cup coffee was all over the kitchen.
Add to that my incompetence in the kitchen. I was supposed to be baking these delicious rolls that Kelly put together this morning. Well, guess who was about two minutes away from burning the whole batch of them when she realized in a panic she hadn't taken them out of the oven yet? Me. That was me.
Despite all of this, though, I am extremely happy right now. Kelly's party is tonight, Amy and Roger are getting married, my quarter's over, our Christmas lights are on, and Kevin's on his way to Chicago.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Pics and Story =) Amy
We got engaged on December 6, 2009. Roger lives and works in Chicago, while I am in La Porte. We were spending one of many weekends together in Chicago, and it was great! We had no where to be, and spent the weekend eating out, drinking good wine, watching movies, and relaxing! On Sunday morning, I was fast asleep (as usual) and Roger put the ring on my finger without me noticing. He expected me to wake up, but I didn't. For 2 hours. So, he eventually gave up, went back to sleep for an hour, and woke up just in time to see me waking up, looking from hand to hand, with a very confused look on my face! He quickly explained why it was there and popped the question! We celebrated with brunch and mimosas with my sister at one of our favorite spots, "The Rocks" in Chicago. It just might have made me a morning person! =)
Roger and I are getting married! -Amy
I will definitely post more details later, but here's the rundown:
We've set the date for July 31,2010
You can visit our wedding webpage at: www.ewedding.com/sites/amyandroger2010
I will post the story along with some pictures very soon!
We've set the date for July 31,2010
You can visit our wedding webpage at: www.ewedding.com/sites/amyandroger2010
I will post the story along with some pictures very soon!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Birthday Highlights - Kelly
It was definitely a great day! Here is the rundown:
- first phone call in the morning from mom and dad
- excellent birthday breakfast at Anne Sather with Brady
- SNOW on my birthday!
- surprise birthday cake at work (my team is fantastic)
- Happy Birthday sung to me by Amy's 4th grade class
- super sweet chat with my grandparents (and they're coming to Chicago on Sunday!!!)
- an UNBELIEVABLE amount of voicemails, text messages, facebook posts, and emails from my friends and family
- birthday cards in the mail
- Mexican food with Brady at Mi Tierra for dinner
- brownies and Julie & Julia at home in our cozy apartment
I wish I turned 25 everyday!! Now let the dinner party preparations begin. :)
- first phone call in the morning from mom and dad
- excellent birthday breakfast at Anne Sather with Brady
- SNOW on my birthday!
- surprise birthday cake at work (my team is fantastic)
- Happy Birthday sung to me by Amy's 4th grade class
- super sweet chat with my grandparents (and they're coming to Chicago on Sunday!!!)
- an UNBELIEVABLE amount of voicemails, text messages, facebook posts, and emails from my friends and family
- birthday cards in the mail
- Mexican food with Brady at Mi Tierra for dinner
- brownies and Julie & Julia at home in our cozy apartment
I wish I turned 25 everyday!! Now let the dinner party preparations begin. :)
Recipe, as requested! - Kelly
Here's the recipe that wasn't at the website for most of our dinner party items:
BLUE CHEESE AND PECAN PUFF PASTRY SPIRALS
Cheese Filling:
6 ounces crumbly blue cheese, such as Point Reyes or Bleu de Bresse
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton de la Vera)
Oven/Sheet pan preparation: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan
with parchment paper.
Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, mash the blue cheese and smoked
paprika with a fork. Mix in enough cream to make a spreadable
consistency.
Puff Pastry:
1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 sheet prepared puff pastry (12 by 10 inches)
Flour as needed for dusting (about 1/4 a cup)
1/2 cup toasted pecans, finely-chopped
2 Tablespoons finely-chopped fresh rosemary plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Puff Pastry Dough: Spread out the puff pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle it lightly with flour and roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the pastry in half lengthwise.
Assembly: Spread the cheese mixture on each half to within 1/2-inch of one of the long sides. Sprinkle the pecans, rosemary, salt and pepper over the cheese. Repeat with the other pastry piece. Roll each piece of pastry lengthwise. Use a little bit of water to seal the roll. Place the roll on the prepared sheet pan and place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
Baking: Place slices on their side on a parchment-lined sheet tray, 1-in. apart. Bake until golden and puffed, 10-15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, and then serve on a platter garnished with rosemary sprigs.
Recipe created by Parties That Cook® www.PartiesThatCook.com.
Makes about 60 spirals.
BLUE CHEESE AND PECAN PUFF PASTRY SPIRALS
Cheese Filling:
6 ounces crumbly blue cheese, such as Point Reyes or Bleu de Bresse
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (pimenton de la Vera)
Oven/Sheet pan preparation: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan
with parchment paper.
Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, mash the blue cheese and smoked
paprika with a fork. Mix in enough cream to make a spreadable
consistency.
Puff Pastry:
1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 sheet prepared puff pastry (12 by 10 inches)
Flour as needed for dusting (about 1/4 a cup)
1/2 cup toasted pecans, finely-chopped
2 Tablespoons finely-chopped fresh rosemary plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Puff Pastry Dough: Spread out the puff pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle it lightly with flour and roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the pastry in half lengthwise.
Assembly: Spread the cheese mixture on each half to within 1/2-inch of one of the long sides. Sprinkle the pecans, rosemary, salt and pepper over the cheese. Repeat with the other pastry piece. Roll each piece of pastry lengthwise. Use a little bit of water to seal the roll. Place the roll on the prepared sheet pan and place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
Baking: Place slices on their side on a parchment-lined sheet tray, 1-in. apart. Bake until golden and puffed, 10-15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, and then serve on a platter garnished with rosemary sprigs.
Recipe created by Parties That Cook® www.PartiesThatCook.com.
Makes about 60 spirals.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Holidays Are Here! - Brady
Well, my final exams, projects, and papers are over tomorrow. I have to say, I'm quite proud right now because I've been sticking to a resolution I made. I am always so busy and stressed at the end of the year that I forget to relax and enjoy Christmas festivities. So this year I'm trying to just chill out a little bit and take it all in. So far I'm doing great at it, and it should only get easier now that my big school stuff is over!
Probably the best night was last night. I had finished a rough draft of a 15-25 page paper I had to write just in time to open a bottle of wine, bake chocolate chip cookies, listen to some Sufjan holiday music, and decorate our house for Christmas with Kevin. Here are some pictures.
Another fun activity was getting hot chocolate from Debrand, doing a little shopping at Jefferson Pointe, and then going to see The Nutcracker in Fort Wayne. It's a pretty amazing production for the size of town F Dubs is AND it fake snows on you at the end of the first act.
I was sad to leave our pretty, Christmasy house in Fort Wayne today, but then I got to Chicago, saw a wreath Kelly had hung up, and turned on our lights. It's pretty nice here, too.
The festivities all start tomorrow with Kelly's birthday! Other activities on the docket: Lincoln Park Zoo Christmas walk, Christkindlemarket in Daley Plaza, The Nutcracker on horseback with Lesley, Paul, and the in-laws (sounds crazy but cool!), at least one viewing of The Holiday, and lots of good Christmas food and drinks.
BTW, someone might want to encourage Amy to post on here. No big deal or anything, I think she just might have interesting things to tell us. Like, you know, about Zumba or funny things her students say or something like that.
Probably the best night was last night. I had finished a rough draft of a 15-25 page paper I had to write just in time to open a bottle of wine, bake chocolate chip cookies, listen to some Sufjan holiday music, and decorate our house for Christmas with Kevin. Here are some pictures.
Another fun activity was getting hot chocolate from Debrand, doing a little shopping at Jefferson Pointe, and then going to see The Nutcracker in Fort Wayne. It's a pretty amazing production for the size of town F Dubs is AND it fake snows on you at the end of the first act.
I was sad to leave our pretty, Christmasy house in Fort Wayne today, but then I got to Chicago, saw a wreath Kelly had hung up, and turned on our lights. It's pretty nice here, too.
The festivities all start tomorrow with Kelly's birthday! Other activities on the docket: Lincoln Park Zoo Christmas walk, Christkindlemarket in Daley Plaza, The Nutcracker on horseback with Lesley, Paul, and the in-laws (sounds crazy but cool!), at least one viewing of The Holiday, and lots of good Christmas food and drinks.
BTW, someone might want to encourage Amy to post on here. No big deal or anything, I think she just might have interesting things to tell us. Like, you know, about Zumba or funny things her students say or something like that.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
In case you didn't know, my birhday is next week. - Kelly
Actually, I should point out that Lucy's birthday is first- she's turning 1 on Friday. Then I turn 25 the following Thursday (December 8th). Normally I don't do much for my birthday but I figure a quarter century is something to celebrate!
Here's the plan:
Tuesday, 12/8- dinner at home with Brady- perhaps busting out the new 'Twilight' board game I picked up at Walgreen's??
Thursday, 12/10- Dinner Party at my house with some Chicago friends and coworkers-
Tentative Menu:
- veggies w/ roasted red pepper dip and hummus
- Tuscan bean dip w/ toasted pita bread
- bean salad with walnuts and feta
- eggplant rollatini
- mushrooms stuffed with garlic and parmesan
- assorted bruschetta/ crostini
- blue cheese and walnut puffed pastries
Sunday, 12/13- Brunch with my family @ the Grand Lux Cafe and a stroll around the Magnificent Mile to enjoy the Christmas decorations!
Yeah, it's a little nutty- but I'm pretty excited. I haven't really celebrated my birthday in a long time, so this should be fun!
Here's the plan:
Tuesday, 12/8- dinner at home with Brady- perhaps busting out the new 'Twilight' board game I picked up at Walgreen's??
Thursday, 12/10- Dinner Party at my house with some Chicago friends and coworkers-
Tentative Menu:
- veggies w/ roasted red pepper dip and hummus
- Tuscan bean dip w/ toasted pita bread
- bean salad with walnuts and feta
- eggplant rollatini
- mushrooms stuffed with garlic and parmesan
- assorted bruschetta/ crostini
- blue cheese and walnut puffed pastries
Sunday, 12/13- Brunch with my family @ the Grand Lux Cafe and a stroll around the Magnificent Mile to enjoy the Christmas decorations!
Yeah, it's a little nutty- but I'm pretty excited. I haven't really celebrated my birthday in a long time, so this should be fun!
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