Word of the Day: Blogmania

Today I inspired two of my best friends to create blogs. HOORAY! This whole blog thing is spreading like the bubonic plague, but less deadly and more fun! I can't wait to read what they write. Katie's is "Confessions of a Delusional Bridesmaid" and can be found at www.katethebridesmaid.blogspot.com, and Rex's is "A Fistful of Real Life" and can be found at www.fistfuloflife.blogspot.com. Check them out! I think they're both awesome. :-) I didn't even tell them they needed to make blogs or anything, but I guess mine is so fabulous they decided they wanted in on the action. Lol yeah right...

Anyway, I am super glad that they are going to blog because I LOVE to find out what is going on in people's lives! I'm nosy like that, I guess. I mean, you are too. If you're not, then why are you reading this blog, huh? HUH? So there. You're nosy too. It's the fun way, though, not the annoying way.

Speaking of annoying, Rex and I had to miss MSU's Elite Eight game to go watch his friend Matt sing in the opera. That was annoying. I know that has nothing to do with blogging, but I want it documented that REX IS A GOOD FRIEND. I was very impressed. I was totally ready to bail at the intermission because I fell asleep twice during the first half (unless you're Matt reading this, in which case that's not true! It was AWESOME!), but Rex said we needed to stay even though we missed the whole game. Luckily MSU made it to the Final Four, so tune in this weekend to see how they do! I'm sure all my friends and I shall blog about it, now that we all have blogs. YAY!

One more random note: For the first time ever, while writing a paper on homelessness I learned how to spell Connecticut correctly today. Who knew there was an extra "C" in there???? I totally didn't! CRAZY!

Word of the Day: Bridezilla

I spent eight hours working on wedding invitations yesterday.

EIGHT!

Making my own invitations was a truly horrible idea.

To be honest, though, I actually had a really good time. Rex and my friend Katie helped the entire day. We sat in the staff office because it has a paper cutter to cut straight lines. By the end of the afternoon we had nicknamed it "the sweatshop" because we had been working at our little assembly line stations for so long. We listened to music online through only one speaker. The other one was broken. It's weird to listen to only the bass line of every song. We decided it sounded like a new radio station: "All weird remixes, all the time!" We were laughing about how ridiculous it was that we would spend our day surrounded in an ocean of teal paper, but I think it bonded us.

Speaking of bonding...we had an issue with that. In making some invitations last week, Katie insisted that we should use a glue stick to glue them together. The problem with a glue stick is that the paper dries all curvy, even if you try to put something heavy on it to flatten it out. It's not horrible, but it's not great either. Therefore I bought some double sided tape to use yesterday. Unfortunately, we ran out of double sided tape by hour three. Katie said, "No problem. We still have glue sticks. Let's just use those." I wanted to go get more double sided tape, but Katie and Rex thought that was a waste because the glue stick invitations don't look "that bad." After about five minutes of debating this, I said, "Okay, I haven't Bridezilla-ed on anything yet! Just please let me have the tape!!!!" So I won, and my lovely future husband got me some more double sided tape. :-) Unfortunately, Katie now joking refers to me as "Bridezilla." Geez louise, you get picky one little time and you're branded for LIFE! But come on - the invitations were drying all curvy! Who wants a curvy invitation?

By the end of the construction period we had three labeled piles: Invitatons ready for postage, invitations that still need reply cards, and JANK. The JANK pile is for the mess up invitations, like the one where Rex put glue on the wrong side of the invitation (silly - there's words there!), or the one where Katie addressed the envelope to the wrong city, or the one where Charissa wrote the address on upside down. We had some funny Janks, but I never Janked a single thing. HA! I win. I may be a tape-zilla, but at least the invites I worked on turned out okay! I'm not sure why we're keeping the JANK pile. I think Katie said she wanted to keep it...not sure why...but she can have it.

Looking back, yesterday was a blast. Hard wedding labor, but good times with great friends. Now I have a stack of teal envelopes ready to go, and I hope I never see teal paper again.

Except that people are going to send me back the reply cards. Blast.

Word of the Day: Koala

Rex was hugging me good night. I was holding on, because obviously I like him and I knew that when I let go he was leaving, and that made me sad. He said, "Okay...good night...okay...um, Christine, I have to go...uh....geez, stop holding on so tight; you're like a koala..."

And then it hit me.

People always ask, "If you were an animal, what would it be?" Well, maybe people don't always ask that. I feel like they do, though, because I never have a good answer and it annoys me. I mean, 99% of people answer that question with "A bird so I could fly." Sorry, that is lame.

But now, if God were to call me up and say, "Hey Christine, you're done being a human now. Time to be an animal - your choice," I would know my answer. I would be a KOALA! Just think about it! They're all fuzzy and cute. They literally just sit around all day and eat eucalyptus. I was in a rainforest in Australia this summer, and there is eucalyptus EVERYWHERE. It is not difficult to find. Plus, Australia is beautiful. I could totally live there. Also, what kind of predators hunt koalas? Have you ever seen an animal attack a koala on the discovery channel? Can you picture a koala running frantically away from a hungry beast? I can't. Plus, it seems like creatures in Australia are generally omnivores. Therefore, I would be safe to just chew my eucalyptus in peace. Maybe I would be a baby koala, and then I could just hold on to my mommy koala (a la Rex's good night hug) and she could hand me back some yummy leaves. That sounds like a good life to me. Yep, new life plan: become a koala. What do I major in for that?

Word of the Day: Shower

Yesterday was my first ever bridal shower. I have never even been to one as a guest, and now I have been to one as the bride! WOW! Cool, huh?

Anyway, it was tons of fun. The shower was thrown by Rex's aunts, and it was great to hang out with his family (well, the females of the family, anyway). Michelle came back from Ann Arbor for the party, and she hardly ever comes home! I felt so special. Rex's grandma sewed five new tablecloths especially for the party. Dorothy (his six year old cousin) even made angel centerpieces to go on the tables. She said, "I was up until MIDNIGHT finishing those!" Don't worry - I thanked her profusely for her sacrifice.

The party was a total blast. I decided I really, really like bridal showers. lol. I got lots of beautiful gifts wrapped in beautiful paper, and we played Bunco! I had never played Bunco before, and it was really fun. Also, as is true of any Koopsen event, the food was delicious. I got to wear my beautiful new red dress (that I got 65% off at Macy's!), and everyone liked it. For lunch I got to sit at a special "bridal table" that had a special tablecloth and flowers. It was like I was a princess for the day - how fun!

Bridal showers are so fun (in my wealth of experience - ha ha). It's a good thing I didn't know about these before I was engaged, or I would have been tempted to get married just for the parties. ;-)

Word of the Day: Today

Today was that day. You know the one. The day of the year where the sun finally comes out and warms the Earth that has been in a perpetual state of FREEZING since Halloween. It's the day where people bust out shorts even though it's probably still a little bit too cold for that, but they don't care.

Today is the day where Adam's field is filled with playing sports. People were playing football, ultimate frisbee, and even some really weird game where one guy stands bent over by a brick wall with his head toward the wall and his butt sticking out, and all of his friends take turns trying to hit him with a soccer ball. I hope no one hit him...he was going to bash his brains out on that wall if anyone did. I guess sunshine does weird things to people.

Today is the day when there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and people can see that the semester will, in fact, end. Summer will come this year like it does every year, and the doubts of December are chased away by the warmth of spring.

Today is the day where I saw the first flowers peering up through the ground, as if to say, "Is it safe to come out now?" I don't know if it is, seeing as in Michigan snow will pop out of nowhere, but I certainly hope that those flowers are safe because they're beautiful and their yellow blooms mirror the sun. They add a splash of color to a world that has been black and white for too many months.

You know the day I'm talking about, right? Well, that was today.

Words of the Day: Retardo Ducky

Yesterday was a BLAST! I will narrate the more important parts for you.

Rex, Cara, and I went to the grand opening of the new Goodwill on West Main. It was FULL of people; we could hardly move around. I didn't realize how many people love Goodwill! I'm not really sure what that says about society; I will not venture a guess. I found some great clothes, and so we (well, I) decided that we should wait in line because, even though the line was long, it would probably move really fast, right?

WRONG. It didn't. We stood in line at Goodwill - Goodwill - for about an hour - maybe even more. It was crazy. By the time we left we were best friends with the people in front of us and behind us in line, so it actually became a bit of an adventure even though it took forever. We were so happy to be emancipated when we finally escaped the store that we treated ourselves to pizza for lunch. Yummmm!!!

After lunch and after dropping off Cara at home, Rex told me to get in the car because we were going to "go for a drive." I asked where we were going, but he wouldn't tell me. He surprised me by taking me out to South Haven! It was so fun even though it was freezing and kind of rainy. It is, after all, the beginning of March. A lot of our friends got to go to some sort of beach for spring break, though, so Rex decided that we should get to go to the beach too! Hooray!

We started our day at the beach by going into the little shops in South Haven. The first shop we went into was a toy shop, and we found the cutest little rubber duckies. We had the BRIILLIANT idea of playing with the rubber duckies in Lake Michigan, so we bought one of each color - blue, purple, green, and peach. (These duckies get important later in the day)

After that shop we went to a shop called "Dog Decadence" where they sell dog paraphernalia. Dog shirts, dog mugs, dog treats, dog plates...it was actually kind of creepy. Anyway, I went to go look at a display of stuffed animal dogs. They were really cute, but then I just about had a HEART ATTACK when one of them jumped out at me! I spun around and said, "AH! REX! That one's REAL!!!" It was the store dog. I really thought it was fake, though, and it totally freaked me out.

When we went to the back of the store, there were two little black lab puppies. They were seven weeks old. They were soft and adorable, and a LUCKY Mexican family was deciding which one to adopt. Rex and I were jealous. We also met lots of other cool dogs: Brie, Dash, Edna and Earl (who are in love), and Willie, the grouchy basset hound who hates everyone but really liked Rex.

We had so much fun going in all of the little shops. In one candy shop that we went into, the lady beind the cash register said, "Hey, is it your guys' anniversary or something?" I said no. She said, "Oh, you just look all yippy skippy in love or something." That's a quote. "Yippy Skippy in love." I'm not even sure what that means, but I'm happy to be feeling that way!

After we were done shopping, we went down to the lake. We pulled out the rubber ducks and tested them out by letting them float in a little puddle that had formed in the sand. We named our blue one Blue Ducky, our purple one Purple Ducky, our green one Sparty Ducky, and we named the peach one Retardo Ducky because when we put it in the puddle it immediately flopped over onto its side. After they swam in the puddle, we decided that they were ready for the big lake. We held races where we would throw the duckies "out to sea," and then whichever one the waves rolled back to shore first was the winner duck. One time, though, the wind turned and the ducks weren't coming back to shore. We called to them, but no response. Go figure. Blue Ducky was safely at shore, Sparty Ducky and Purple Ducky were about knee deep in the water, and Retardo Ducky was about waist deep. They were all drifting further away by the minute. Rex said we should just leave them, but I really wanted to get them back. Therefore I instigated a "Ducky Recon Mission." I took off my shoes and socks, and I jumped into the water to save the ducks. I went knee deep and rescued Sparty Ducky and Purple Ducky, but I was hurting too much from the painfully cold water to wade out to Retardo Ducky. I ran back to shore and put the two ducks back with Blue Ducky. Rex was laughing at me for putting myself in pain to save some ducks. He said, "Oh, well. I guess Retardo is a gonner. Let's go home." I started to put my socks on, but I looked at that pathetic little blob of peach bobbing up and down in the lake and I just couldn't leave it all alone. I stood back up and said, "I will never leave a man behind!! Ducky Recon Round 2!" I ran out to get Retardo Ducky. I waded in up to my waist, and I whimpered back to shore. I will never again complain about a cold Lake Michigan in the summer. I have never gone into the lake wearing all of my clothes and a winter coat. Let me tell you, it was a COLD ride home wearing soaking jeans. Had it been past 68 days from now (my wedding), I would have taken them off, but with Rex sitting right next to me that would have been a bit inappropriate. Therefore I froze. The important thing here is, though, that all of the ducks were SAVED!!! Hooray!

We went out to dinner to celebrate our success (well, that and Goodwill had given us a coupon to Texas Corral as an apology for the ridiculously long lines). We split a meal, were totally full, AND had leftovers, and the bill was just over $7! What an awesome deal! We also had a fabulous time playing "peanut hockey" where the nuts on the table provided pucks, and our forks were the sticks. If you got a peanut to go off the table on the opponent's side, you got a point. My mom would have been very disappointed in our poor manners, but we were laughing so hard and making such a mess that I was concerned we were going to get thrown out. It was SO FUN! I bet our waiter was very relieved when we left.

All in all, it was a fantastic day. If you ever want to see our small collection of rubber ducks, go ahead and ask. We're really proud of the fact that we still have them all. :-)

Word of the Day: Deer

Today, my dad looked out of our front door as he was putting the cat out. He said, "Hey, Christine! Look! There's a deer. Oh, hey!!! *angrily* It's eating my bushes! That's it, I'm hitting it with a snowball." He then took some snow in his hand, formed it into a hard ball, and chucked it at the deer. He hit it right in the middle of the back - a perfect shot. The deer took off running, and I just pictured it running through the forest shouting to all of the other deer, "I'M HIT! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! I'M DOWN!" lol... Animals are funny.

OH MY GOSH! HEART ATTACK! Literally as I type these words, I looked up to contemplate my next sentence and there is a deer STARING AT ME outside the window from my dining room table where I am sitting. Seriously. I could go pet it right now - that's how close it is.

Okay...there are more coming up behind that one...I am starting to freak out...they have come for revenge on my dad. I'M SORRY, DEER! I DID NOT ENCOURAGE HIM TO THROW A SNOWBALL AT YOU! There are six of them now - all within ten yards of my house. That's it, I'm going to go jump on one and ride it through the forest.

Okay, maybe not. They look kind of angry.

No WAY! Two of them are fighting over a bush that must be exceptionally tasty. I cannot believe I am watching this. It's like Discovery Channel LIVE! Now I'm just waiting for the lion or tiger to jump out and eat the smallest, weakest one.

HA! I just won a staring contest with one of them. Now they know I am dominant and that I can take them. They can't just come smashing through that window and trample me in order to teach my dad a lesson in harassing forest creatures.

Deer, I will talk to my dad about throwing snowballs. I promise. Now stop looking like you want to eat me.

Word of the Day: Congo

I just got back from hanging out at the Webb house. Prior to chillin with my future in-laws, I was at Panera with my future cousin-in-law Danielle for three hours. Three hours at PANERA. Wow. Anyway, she and her husband have one daughter (who is the flower girl in my wedding), and they have been trying to have another baby for a year now but with no luck. Therefore they are trying to adopt a baby from the Congo. Yes, a black baby. Yes, their very conservative, at times quasi-racist grandparents are probably going to take issue with that, but oh well. Congo babies need homes too! That became the joke for the rest of the night. When Rex, his brothers and I went to Sonic to get slushies for the family, we asked his dad what he wanted. Cherry? Grape? Congo Baby?

I, for one, hope they do it. Adoption is a great idea! As one who does not wish to ever have children, I don't think it is a good idea for ME, but I would fully go visit and occasionally babysit Danielle's Congo baby in the event that she gets one.

Word of the Day: Chi-poo

What is a "Chi-poo," you may ask? Good question. I asked it too. Turns out it is a mix between a chihuahua and a poodle. Yep. Picture that.

Rex and I went over to his friend Colin's house last night to hang out with Colin and his wife Laura. They have this dog, a Chi-poo named Holly, that is the tiniest dog that I have EVER seen. It could honestly take a nap in my shoe. Furthermore, the dog is already full grown! I did not know that dogs were MADE that small! I figure we never need to get one of those since I already have a rat, and the two are very similar in size and friendliness.

Holly had a "bone" to chew that I called her "stick" because it was about 1/4 inch in diameter and looked like a twig snapped off of a tree. Even "stick" was generous...it was more like a twig. This dog would have been perfect for my American Girl dolls about fifteen years ago. Seriously - perfect size. They should sell Chi-poos outside of the American Girl Doll store in Chicago. Brilliant! This is my new money making scheme. I shall spend the rest of Spring Break 2010 devising a plot on how to make this work. Hmmmm....

Wait, if I were to do that, I would actually have to own Chi-poos to sell. No thanks. I guess I'll just finish college and get a normal job. How boring.

Word of the Day: PHONE!

I FINALLY got my new phone in the mail today!! It has been surprisingly difficult to be without a functional phone for the past two weeks. It makes me think about how dependent we are on technology...this probably isn't good. Was the world better 150 years ago, when we didn't have any of this craziness? Or is it better now? I guess I'll never know since I can't live in both places.

I spend a lot of time keeping up with old friends, mainly because I can. Facebook and e-mail allow me to keep up with pretty much everyone. Long ago, people only had their tight-knit group of best friends and that was all. Do you suppose they wished they had more friends, or do you think they were relieved to not have to spend the time keeping up with hundreds of people? I don't know...

I wonder where technology is headed. Flying cars? Time machines? I keep thinking we can't possibly get more advanced...yet we always do. It's going to be weird to see what comes next.

For now, though, I'm happy with my phone. :-)

Word of the Day: Incident

95% of the time I LOVE being an RA. I have great friends, a great floor, I get to plan cool events, and I'm always in "the know" about what's going on on campus.

Today, however, was in the other 5%.

My day started at 4:30 AM, when someone was pounding frantically at my door. I answered to find a very shaken resident telling me that she found someone in the bathroom passed out and having a seizure. I quickly grabbed my phone to call 911 and went to be with my fallen resident. By the time I got to the bathroom she had regained consciousness, and as soon as I saw she was breathing and conscious I became instantly calm. It's weird how, after dealing with so many incidents, the fact that someone is breathing is enough to be like, "Oh, no big deal."

She was, in fact, okay. I rubbed her back while she continued puking and we waited for the ambulance. She went to the hospital, but I was up until about 6:30 dealing with the incident, writing it up, assuring her roommate that everything was going to be okay, and then trying to fall back asleep myself. It is disconcerting to watch the sun begin to rise outside my window, knowing that I have to be up in two hours to greet it for an early class. Blast.

Being an RA is so fun, but it is scary and taxing to deal with emergencies. I'm not sure if it's good or bad that my fingers don't even shake a little bit anymore when I call 911. It's just like an extended speed dial. "Oh, hey, operator? I haven't yet talked with you yet this week. How are the children?" He he he it's not that bad, but I just feel like incidents don't phase me as much anymore. They leave me exhausted, but not shaken up. Does that make sense? They do, however, produce a very tired, cranky RA for the day after the night that she got four hours of sleep. Nobody better bust out the weed tonight; I would not be friendly.