I'm Acknowledging the Fact That I Live in My Own Little Plastic Bubble Sometimes...

So I just recently discovered the Pioneer Woman....by "recently" I mean, yesterday. I read about it on another blogger's site and thought I'd investigate. I'd heard that the cooking section of her site was particularly awesome, but the main reason I ventured to the site was for this. The story of how she met her husband. And let me tell you, it's a doozy! I'm not even half way through it and I think my heart has melted half a dozen times so far! And, let me just say that while reading this I feel a little like Bastian from Never Ending Story (a much girlier version of Bastian who's more concerned with kissing and matters of the heart than an evil wolf and a flying dragon). I'm practically hunched over my computer, my morning oatmeal reading to nourish me so I can continue reading (a la his PB&J sandwich). I'm a dork, I know!

I would definitely suggest checking it out; so far, it's outstanding (and frankly, it's putting my little love story to shame with it's eloquence and spunk). It is so well written and crafted, but a warning to you non-existent readers...it's long! There's over 40 installments, but it's well worth the read! Check it out...

Only 3 more months...

Only 3 more months, to the day, until Antoine and I have been together for 2 whole years! We're both sappy romantics and acknowledge things like the anniversary of our first "I love you" or our 1 year and 4 month anniversary of our first date. You hate us, I know! We're sick, sad people that can't help but be crazy about one another and shove it in everybody's faces (even though, most of the time, we try not to).

Anyway, happy 1 year and 9 month anniversary Antoine! Meeting you was the best thing that's ever happened to me! You're my favorite thing in the world (my second favorite is a tie between cheese and my best friend...she probably knows this and accepts me for it, since we are both people driven by our stomachs!).

Anyway, since I'm feeling all mushy and lovey, here's an ode to our love (me and Antoine's, not me and cheese's/Amanda's)...

This was during my 24 birthday...something about Antoine rowing a canoe...I don't know, I was a bit tipsy!

Our one year anniversary trip to Jamaica!

Our first real trip together...Chicago.

Also from my 24th bday, when I wasn't so tipsy!

Song In My Head

On the way to work this morning I was listening to my ipod. This song came on...

First Day of my Life

...and I got a little teary-eyed. I couldn't help it. It is such a cute song and it means a lot to me, it reminds me of Antoine and my life before I met Antoine when I dreamt of meeting someone as wonderful as him.

Okay, enough mushy stuff...Happy Tuesday non-existent readers!

Evil Cats Are Trying to Ruin My Life...

My cats have gone evil! Like evil genius evil! I believe that they are trying to slowly wear me down mentally and emotionally so that I have a breakdown and then they can rule the house. Let me explain...

Over the weekend, {Friday night} Buddy (the eldest male) tore my mattress to shreds to the point where you can almost see the insides, Gui (kitten) decided he can't go to the bathroom properly and got gooey poo all over his bottom that I have to wash off. {Saturday morning} I step in cat hairball mess (again...Missy, the only female and "Hairball Queen"), Antoine and I wake up to a 50 degree house to learn (after the furnace is inspected by a professional) that one of the cats has messed with the wires and effectively turned it off (the exact culprit is unknown), while getting ready to assemble my bed frame (that was recently returned by a friend who was borrowing it) I find that the cat (most likely Guillermo) has removed the screws needed to hold it together that were ducted taped to it (only one has been recovered). Then {this morning} I am getting ready...I was wearing my slippers and precisely 5 seconds after removing my slippers I step in cat vomit or a very moist hairball! It was BETWEEN MY TOES...squishing! Ewwww! I nearly vomited! And, it almost made me late for work (we're talking down to seconds)! And I went all nutso on poor Antoine in the process, even though he didn't make the cats throw up (again, he's a human and can talk and understand my yelling, so by default he's the receptacle for most of my cat-related rage)! Sorry Antoine! :( I don't know how you put up with me!?

All of these things = EVIL CATS FROM HELL!

I Love Little Surprises

Yesterday I woke up, got ready for work and kissed Antoine goodbye. He was at a company meeting at/near Jungle Jim's all day so I didn't really get to talk to him like I normally do during the day, except for a quick call while he was on the way to his meeting. After work #1 I left straight for work #2 where I quickly ate dinner and changed into my Sbux uniform (my personal uniform [not exactly Sbux dress code...I'm a rebel] consists of everything black...black pants, black shirt, black hoodie and black chucks...except for my green apron) before clocking in.

While at Sbux I started getting slightly bummed out. See, Antoine's parents are moving today so yesterday, after his meeting, he was going home to change and get some tools. Then he was heading over to his parents (who live in Northern KY about 30 or 35 minutes away) to spend the night there so he could get an early start on the move. I was planning to have a short chat with him on the phone after I got off from Sbux but didn't expect to see him again until Friday night (tonight). But I was wrong...I was standing at the bar working and talking to one of my customer friends when all of a sudden I look over and see Antoine walk through the door! I walked behind the counter and out to meet him, a big stupid grin on my face, trying not to run! I was so excited to see him! It's amazing how just seeing someone can make you so happy!

A Little Bit of Excitement and a Ton of Worry (and a picture of Gui)

Things have been trucking along as usual...except a couple days ago I got a snow day and a half from work! It was wonderful! I stayed in my pajamas nearly all day on Tuesday, except for around 3pm when Antoine and I ventured out into the snow to Best Buy. They were running a special of three years free financing in their television and home entertainment department...so naturally, we bought a new plasma, a sound bar, a new dvd/vhs combo for upstairs and a digital camera. Antoine and I are both the type of people who are hardwired to spoil ourselves every once in a while! I think we get it from our parents. Growing up my parents always asserted that, "you work hard, so every once in a while you deserve a little something special". And my mom has always told me that free financing is the best way to buy things (when you're smart about it). Growing up I learned to never treat credit cards like "credit" cards, but instead like "charge" cards. I've always paid off any credit card bill in full every month, except when it comes to free financing. To me free financing doesn't mean I just pay the minimum payment for a year (or in this case three) and then I start worrying about the interest. No, if I have to pay $30 a month for three years in order to pay it off completely, then I pay $35 or $40 a month! That way, there's no room for error! So while some may scoff at our purchases and others may be nervous about credit...no worries here! When it comes to credit, I feel like I'm pretty much a master! I've never had debt, and I never will...end of story!

Gui in the bathtub (taken with my new camera)

So, not only do I have our new tv and camera to be super excited about I also have a little girl fun coming up this weekend. My group of girl friends, which consists of my best bud Amanda, my sister and her best friend/my mutual friend, are all getting together for a little slumber party Saturday night at my sister's house. My bro-in-law will be out of town and we are taking this opportunity to watch movies, snack on a bunch of food and have some fun. I can't wait, it should be a good time.

In other news, I've had something weighing on me for a little bit now regarding Antoine and his job. His client at work is leaving the company by August, so everyone on his team will have to find a new client before then, which isn't easy considering the economic climate and whatnot. Antoine has been very anxious about this and has already started to look for other clients and other jobs (both within his company and outside). With Antoine's specific job there's two major options; 1.) to do what he does now, work in an office for a client and communicate via email, phone, etc 2.) do consulting work, where you work for a specific client for three months to a year or more. Consulting work almost always requires 75 to 100% travel, so you can work directly with the client whether the client is in Louisville or Seattle. From the beginning of our relationship I've known this, and I've also known that if Antoine hadn't met me he'd probably be doing consulting work, since the pay is better and it would probably mean a promotion. But of course, I've always been against it, because I would rather have him around than tons of money (even if I have to work two jobs), especially when our relationship was so new. But now, consulting looks like it might be his only option and if that's the case, we're going to have to make it work (a la Tim Gunn). I don't doubt our relationship and it's ability to last, even if we only see each other on weekends (which is totally possible), but I know, if it happens, it won't be easy! We're the kind of couple that crave each other, that sickeningly sweet couple that calls each other after a few hours apart to tell the other that they miss them. And that's going to be hard to do when he's who knows where, but we'll manage...we have to because we love each other!

A Little Quiz

This little quiz was stolen from a fellow blogger...

What are your middle names?
Mine is Elease (my mom didn't know that it's usually spelled "Elise"...hence my middle name is like an online renter's agreement). Antoine doesn't have a middle name, I guess in Vietnam middle names aren't very common. But he does have a Vietnamese name.

How long have you been together?
We've been together 1 year and 9 months. I know it doesn't seem long, but when you're mad about someone sometimes minutes feeling like hours and days feel like years (and I realize that's kind of the opposite of how people describe time with the ones they love, but that's how I feel)!

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Maybe like 5 weeks or so. But we had never met...

Who asked whom out?
Hmm, well, as I recall I'm the one that suggested that we meet, or just said that I was ready to meet. He worked out all the details of our first date!

How old are each of you?
I'm newly 25. He'll be 29 in July!

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Hmm, that's hard to say. My sister lives about 5 minutes down the road and his brother lives about 30 minutes south. We probably see a little more of my sister, but it's a close call!

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
That's a tough one. Before I would have said both of us working two jobs, but that's pretty under control now. Maybe when the cats vomit on the floor, I step in it, and then take my frustration out on him...ugh, stupid cats. The hardest situation may be on the horizon if Antoine ends up taking on a consulting job that requires travel, I'd probably only see him on weekends, which would be beyond tough. He's my best friend and I wouldn't like not seeing him everyday! Not having him to wake up next every morning...I'd miss that!

Did you go to the same school?
Nope, different high schools, different states. Different colleges, different cities.

Are you from the same home town?
Nope, he's from Arlington, TX and I'm from middle of nowhere, OH!

Who is smarter?
I think we're both smart cookies in our own ways. When it comes to business and IT things...it's totally Antoine. When it comes to movies and random knowledge (books, music, etc)...that's all me!

Who is the most sensitive?
Me. Normally as a person I don't consider myself horribly sensitive, but when it comes to Antoine and matters of the heart I'm a big prissy girl! Don't get me wrong, Antoine has his moments though!

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
That's a tough one too. Lately we've been trying out a lot of new places (a mini-quest if you will). When we were first dating we'd always go to Daybreak for breakfast/brunch on the weekend, it was our thing, but then they closed :( Now, probably home?

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Jamaica for our one year anniversary! It was amazing!

Who has the craziest exes?
Him I guess. I really don't have any "exes". He has one major "ex" and she caused a little bit of trouble early on in our relationship.

Who has the worst temper?
Me! Sometimes I'm totally irrational and I come from a family of casual yellers. Antoine, on the other hand, has a mild temper, he's very down to earth and difficult to shake! For example, often when I start inexplicably yelling at him he'll smile and me and tell me I'm cute!

Who does the cooking?
I think it's usually 50-50. Okay, maybe 40-60, he likes to cook new things for me! Usually we do most our cooking together! Or if we grill out, we'll do the prep together, I'll do all the kitchen food (veggies, rice, etc) and he'll manage the grill.

Who is the neat-freak?
Neither of us...except when my parents are coming into town or someone (besides my best friend) is coming over...then I go nuts and go on a cleaning spree. But, in general, we're both pretty messy!

Who is more stubborn?
Probably me again. What can I say!?

Who hogs the bed?
Definitely him! I'll wake up on the edge of the bed and he'll be sprawled out over the remaining three-fourths.

Who wakes up earlier?

Me. During the week I have to be at work by 7:30am. He can roll in pretty much whenever and most of the time works from home. But he has this cute habit of waking up when I'm getting ready and following me downstairs, and lately, getting my lunch ready for me (he's so cute)!

Where was your first date?
Melting Pot. He knew I loved cheese!

Who is more jealous?
Probably me...gosh, this quiz is making me look like some sort of monster!

How long did it take to get serious?
About three months for the "I love you's". But I'd say we were pretty serious about each other after 2 months or so.

Who eats more?
It's probably a tie...we both love to eat.

Who does the laundry?
Usually me. I generally do the laundry and he does the dishes (since I do dishes at Sbux).

Who's better with the computer?
Hahaha, umm, that'd be Antoine! He should be better, that's what he does for a living!

Who drives when you are together?
It's probably 30-70, I usually drive more because I drive to work and he takes the bus, that leaves my car at the end of the driveway. However, I think we both make pretty lousy passengers! And I always like to assert that I'm a better driver, when I'm actually better at focusing on driving and he gets easily distracted, but he's probably better at maneuvering his car (that's what she said).

A Blizzard for My Birthday

Yesterday I had the day off for my birthday, but so did most people. The snow storm that was supposed to hit Cincinnati Monday night did and brought more than 6 inches of snow with it! The snow ruined some of our birthday plans, but I still managed to have a pretty great birthday (mainly thanks to Antoine)!

The homemade Liege Belgium waffles Antoine made for my birthday breakfast! Breakfast in bed is seriously one of the best things ever!

Herbie, the snow man we made in our front yard before we went sledding!

A strawberry birthday cupcake...complete with candle and a "Happy Birthday" serenade!

All in all, I had a pretty great birthday! We didn't get to go to the aquarium like we had originally planned, but instead we went sledding and played in the snow! It was fun and took whatever pressure there was about turning 25 away....I mean, it's kind of hard to not feel like a kid when you're sledding down a hill or when you laying in the snow, your back all cold and warm at the same time, looking up at the sky through the trees! It was a pretty magical day (devoid of nose bleeds) and a great way to start off twenty-five!

Another Year Older

Only eight more hours until I go from officially being 24 to being 25 years old. Well, actually, I think it's probably more like 13 hours since I was born around 5am...but I'll be sleeping like a baby at 5am tomorrow so for all intents and purposes I will be turning 25 at midnight. I have to work at Sbux tonight, so I'll probably make it until 12:30am and then I'll pass out from exhaustion. Until then, I'll be savoring these last moments of my 24th year, it was certainly a good one! Although, I must admit, I'm at little wary about turning twenty-five. Normally I'm not one to be phased by getting older but this feels different. And while this weekend I had a great time celebrating my coming birthday with friends and family, things (especially Sunday) felt a little off. Maybe it was the snow we got Friday night and Saturday morning or the snow storm that's supposedly coming (or the "White Death" as they call it in Cincinnati, where 5 or 6 inches is considered a blizzard!). Or maybe it was the nose bleed I got last night, my first real nose bleed ever (it lasted a good 5 minutes)! And it happened at a less than ideal moment...umm...yeah. Not fun! Or maybe it's something else, something I can't quite put my finger on, but something feels different, not necessarily good or bad, just different.

Anyway, enough of my senseless rambling! Enjoy your Tuesday, I will certainly enjoy mine! A day off from both jobs! My birthday plans could possibly be extinguished by a large snow storm, and instead I could be snowed in with the guy I love, which still sounds pretty darn good to me! Oh, and Antoine has already divulged that he's making me a special birthday breakfast tomorrow...I can't wait! I do love homemade breakfast, especially when Antoine makes it!

A Quarter of a Century

Well, my 25th birthday is fast approaching. Only four more days until I turn the big 25! For some reason 25 seems like a big deal in some small way. Every year I get a little older, but usually I never feel that different. But with 25 I feel as if there's been a change...I feel a little wiser than a year ago and I also feel older, but still in a young way (if that makes any sense?). With 24 a lot changed...Antoine and I grew closer together, we went on our first international trip together (Jamaica), we bought a house, got a kitten, and worked our butts off trying to prepare for a future together. If I had to guess, I'd say that 25 is going to be even better! I see a lot more working at Sbux in my future, but I also see many great things happening too! A couple months ago I had said to one of my fellow baristas at Sbux that I had a goal...to be done with Sbux by May. As of now, I don't think that's going to happen. It would be nice to have only one job and while sometimes I want to scream about having two, most of the time (usually when I'm home with Antoine and we're talking about what we see in our future) I see very clearly why I have two jobs and why we are working so hard right now...and that makes me a very lucky person!

Anyway, back to my birthday...I've got a slew of plans this weekend. Some years ago my best friend Amanda and I wondered, "why should our birthday be boiled down into just one day?" If you look at your birthday as a celebration of the past year of your life and as your life as a whole, one day just doesn't seem like enough. So, we decided that birthdays should be events, lasting several days and consisting of anything and everything you find enjoyable! So, in that tradition my pre-birthday weekend plans include a girls' day of vintage store shopping and delicious dinner on Saturday and German food, beer, bowling, and birthday cake on Sunday with the whole gang! Doing this allows me to celebrate my birthday with a number of my close friends (many of whom I don't get to see near as much as I'd like to) while also incorporating some of my favorite activities and food! Most importantly, it allows me to spend my actual birthday (Tuesday) with Antoine and only Antoine (well, and the cats)! With us both working as much as we are those days off together where we can do whatever we want and just enjoy each others company without being exhausted or thinking about work are few and far between. So, when we do have one of those days, we cherish it! In fact, we usually get downright giddy about it! I am, just thinking about Tuesday!

Time to Get My Butt in Gear!

Well, the dieting/exercising has been going less than stellar. I have tried to diet, although there have been hiccups and there will surely be more to come since my birthday is coming up in a less than a week. The exercising on the other hand...that hasn't even been attempted yet! Antoine has started going back to the gym, now I just need to get on it! Admittedly, I've never been to my gym by myself...it's one of my little quirks! I have an irrational fear of the gym, sad but true! Chalk it up to my shyness or being a chubby girl in a fairly skinny world (at least in the gym world of weight-lighting manly men and trim yoga-practicing ladies). Whatever is the cause, I'm not a fan of solo exercising, never have been, never will be! I've never felt comfortable in a gym, I constantly feel like I'm being judged or watched (and yes, I know that sounds slightly insane, but it's how I feel). Plus, I generally go to the gym later in the evening, about an hour or two before they close. It's less busy and makes me feel a little less uncomfortable. And while our gym isn't too far from our house, maybe a 5 minute drive, it's not in the best of neighborhoods and I really don't like the idea of walking to and from my car by myself.

Excuses, excuses! I really just need to stop being a big baby and get my big butt to the gym. Antoine and I are both off from our part time jobs tomorrow night...so....I MUST go to the gym! MUST!!! In the mean time, I really need to start taking walks on the nights that Antoine is working, or even whenever we don't go to the gym.

Also, I'm considering buying a pair of those Reebok Easytone shoes. I've read a bunch of customer reviews and they sound pretty awesome (and my butt, thighs, and calves are my super weak areas). They have a cute pair in my size on Amazon and I have a check from my parents for my birthday! I currently have a pair of walking shoes, but they are too small and usually 10 minutes into exercising my toes go a little bit numb, so I think it's time for a new pair!