Pretty amazing

So this has been a wonderful break so far. I spent Wednesday cleaning my apartment and putting up my Christmas decorations. I figured the day before Thanksgiving was long enough to wait...

On Thanksgiving, Andy and i woke up and went to the Drumstick Dash in Broadripple so that we could eat tons of Thanksgiving food. After that, we went to my parents and hung out with me family. We watched the parade and the dog show (have i mentioned how much i love dvr?), ate Thanksgiving dinner, and played Wii and Dutch Blitz.

Yesterday, i braved the crowds and went out on black Friday for the first time ever. I had a fun time, especially since i got to hang out with my sister (and then later in the morning with my sleepyhead boyfriend...) Since i have most of my Christmas shopping done, most of the stuff i bought were splurges for me.

I've been getting a lot done lately because i've been in a project mood for the past week or so. I made pillowcases last weekend, which reminded me of my somewhat decent sewing skills. I've been knitting a lot lately too. I finished two scarves and got yarn to make a blanket when i was out yesterday. The new project i've been working on for two days now is scrapbooking. I tried it when i was in high school and couldn't get anywhere because i agonized over every decision. This time is different because i bought a scrapbooking kit so that all of the stuff goes together. That makes it a lot easier and more fun for me. I'm hoping to work through all of my pictures since college by Christmas (i don't take that many pictures) which i should be able to do at the rate i'm working;)

I've also watched a bunch of movies. I just finished No Reservations, which i totally thought would be stupid. It was somewhat predictable, but cute. And in my shopping extravaganza yesterday i bought Juno, 27 Dresses, The Holiday, and My Best Friend's Wedding. I watched Juno for the third time yesterday night and was surprised that there were still things i hadn't caught the first two times around. Nothing too terrific, just some running jokes that were very Arrested Development. Not surprising since two of the cast members were in the series.

And the beautiful picture that i have in this post is taken from this site. I love it!

It's the most wonderful time of the year (except when you're sick...)

I've managed to keep myself from getting sick so far this school year. That is until this weekend:( Of course, the weekend before i have a break i end up sick and in bed for most of it. At least i only have two days of school this week.

Even though i'm sick, i've still managed to have a productive weekend. I have a bunch of my Christmas shopping done (some of which i got from etsy which i'm completely in love with!) and started wrapping presents. I absolutely love Christmas and i always try to wait until around Thanksgiving to listen to start celebrating. I almost made it this year! I didn't start listening to Christmas music until this past week when i heard one of N'SYNC's Christmas songs on the radio and then i just couldn't help myself...

It's beginning to look a lot like SNOW!

And while we're not supposed to get nearly enough for a snow day, i'm still excited! I have the whole night ahead of me and plans for some lounging, knitting, and sleeping. Yay!

Phonebooks, crockpots, and money for books

Finally! The phonebook companies have decided to let you opt out of recieving phonebooks by going to this site. I'm especially excited since i got a whopping four phonebooks last month that supposedly all contained different information that i know i won't ever use (unless somehow my internet and my cellphone stop working...)

Other than that exciting revelation, i feel like i've been getting a ton done lately. I made a cute fall sign for my door since it was time to take down my Halloween one and, as much as i love Christmas, i can't justify putting my wreath up yet. I also cooked two meals in my crockpot. Last week i made chili, which was perfect with the weather getting colder. Then i made a pot roast this weekend to use up some of the potatoes that i've had sitting around. I also finished knitting two scarves and started a blanket. I cleaned my apartment and finally broke down and bought a new tv since my other one was showing a rainbow screen for about five minutes every time i turned it on. My new tv is a flatscreen and a widescreen so it seems huge. Plus, i never spend money on electronics so i totally felt like a boy while i was buying it. But it is really cute!!!

At school, i convinced my boss to let us have one Wednesday afternoon a month to lesson plan and grade papers instead of having a pointless meeting. It's not ideal, but i can only be opinionated for so long without getting too confrontational for my tastes. Let me tell you, having that hour this afternoon was totally worth it. I managed to finish almost all of my lesson plans for the rest of the semester. Yay! I also found out almost all of the grant money that the Carmel Rotary Club was working on getting for me, which means i have a whopping $5,200 to spend on books. Yay, yay, yay!!! The copy machiene is going to be lonely without me using it to copy books all the time... And after the success of the Halloween party, the student government has moved on to raising money for Thanksgiving dinners at Wheeler Misison. I'm hoping that we'll be able to provide at least a hundred dinner. We'll see how it goes.

YES WE CAN!!!

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.

It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can.

It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.

It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. (We want change.) We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics…they will only grow louder and more dissonant …We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.

But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea:
Yes We Can.

Since it is election night...

"This is my point. It seems like McCain and Palin are running on a platform of theoretical damage that could be done to the country, whereas Obama is running on a platform of actual things that have been already fucked up! Isn't that the difference?" -Jon Stewart

I hope everybody voted today!

I voted!!!

It took about two hours to make it through the line at the courthouse, but Andy and i successfully voted early. I'm excited to have my vote cast and to not have to worry about doing it on Tuesday.

In other news, the halloween party at Options went really well. It was the first big event led by student government, even though both the president and vice-president decided not to show. They may be impeached sometime next week. We'll see.